So Many Dishes

Sitting down to dinner as a family is something that we did pretty much every night as our children were growing up. No matter if there was soccer practice or choir rehearsal or anything else, we ate dinner as a family, around the dining room table.

These days, it’s always special to have more than just Ken and me here for dinner. Luke, our grandson, is back from spending part of the summer with his other grandmother in New York, so he was here for dinner yesterday, as was Alice, our daughter and Luke’s mom, and Alice’s significant other, Dante.

Our kids are adventurous eaters. I only wish I could say the same for their partners! Fortunately, Dante likes Italian food and red meat. So steak pizzaiola was a good choice.

Traditionally, steak pizzaiola is made with a lesser cut of beef; many recipes call for thinly sliced chuck steak. The steak is simmered in a tomato sauce for an hour or more, until it’s tender.

In our house, if we’re going to cook beef, which we don’t do that often these days, we’re using a better cut. My go-to steak is well trimmed boneless sirloin. But using sirloin means adapting the traditional recipe. The results is a dish that is relatively quick to put together, and everyone loves it. I always serve it over ditalini or other small pasta, but I have seen recipes that suggest serving with focaccia. You definitely need something to sop up the delicious sauce. A mixed salad on the side is all you need.

Steak pizzaiola

• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 1/2 lb. boneless sirloin steak, trimmed and cut into portion-sized pieces
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes
• 1 15-oz. can diced tomatoes, drained (fire roasted preferred )
• 2 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped
• Salt and pepper
• 1 lb. ditalini or other small pasta, cooked according to package directions

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat-high heat. Sprinkle the steaks with salt and pepper, add to the skillet, and brown 2 minutes on each side. Remove steaks to a plate and set aside.

Reduce heat to medium. Add the additional tablespoon of olive oil. Sauté chopped garlic for one minute. Add both crushed and canned tomatoes, as well as the oregano, and stir. Bring to a simmer.

Return steaks to the pan, and cook in the sauce for an additional six minutes, turning once. Remove steaks from pan, cover, and keep warm. Continue cooking the sauce for an additional five minutes to thicken, stirring frequently. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as necessary.

To serve, place steaks atop cooked pasta, and pour sauce over. Serves 4 to 6.

Happy eating!