This week's DDC meal came together with remarkable ease. After taking stock of the pantry, I had egg noodles, & our cravings we knew steaks would be necessary, it's been a while, but what local veg is around? A trip to Roots would fix that!
Ingredients: - 2 large carrots, diced - 3 medium rutabagas, diced - 1/2 large onion, diced - 4 cloves of garlic, still in paper - 1 bunch of chard, stems removed and given to my pup - 2 packages of egg noodles (1 if it is from the grocery store) - 2 cups of half & half - 2 cups of cheddar cheese, shredded - 1 large sirloin steak (2 lbs) - butter & olive oil (olive oil not local) - salt & pepper (not local) - a few grates of nutmeg (not local) - tsp of dried thyme - sprig of fresh rosemary - 1 cup of cooking water, after noodles have cooked
Method: For the pasta - preheat oven to 425 - add rutabaga, carrot, onion, garlic and thyme to sheet pan - toss the veg in olive oil, salt & pepper & roast for 40 mins, check at the 20 min mark & toss before putting back into the oven - get the steak out, let it rest on a plate - fill a large pot with cold water and bring to a boil - grate the cheese & nutmeg - prep the half & half - after the veg is done, and cooled for 5 mins, toss into a food processor with the half & half & process until smooth - lower oven temp to 350 - spoon into a dutch oven & add cheese, nutmeg & check for seasoning, warm over low heat - salt the boling water and cook noodles according to instructions, prob 4-5 mins tops - reserve 1 cup of the cooking water & add to veg purée {keep the water boiling} - add noodles to the purée & place in a 350 oven, bake for 10 mins - if you want to keep the nodles warm, drop the oven temp to 200 and keep the lid on - add chard to boiling water, cook for 5 mins - remove the chard, squeeze excess water & blitz in the food processor - stir the chard into the noodles
For the steak - in a large pan, add 1 tbsp butter and some olive oil, warm over med/high - season the steak with salt & pepper - sear the steak, turning every 3 mins until the the steak is cooked through - 13 mins is medium rare - just before the steak is done, toss in the sprig of rosemary - when the steak is done, allow it to rest for 5 mins before slicing - slice the steak, sprinkle rosemary leaves over then plate & enjoy!
Though the steaks were delightfully yum - the egg noodle al Forno was comforting and really what I was craving. The sweet roasted rutabagas and carrots blended perfectly with the half & half and homegrown thyme. Perfect for a cold February night.
