How do you say "Salisbury" in Italian?

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The cold, damp weather made for an uninspiring grilling day yesterday, so instead, we thought we would make some Salisbury steak from our ground beef. A check of the larder revealed sufficient missing ingredients that we needed to improvise.

We started by putting 2 diced potatoes to boil – peel on, as they are great that way for a rustic mash.

We made two patties with lean ground beef (8 oz for two), a minced clove of garlic and a few tablespoons of minced onion (shallot if you’ve got it!) We cooked these in a tiny amount of olive oil in a nonstick pan, medium high heat for 3 minutes per side. Then they went on a plate in a 250F oven while we finished the sauce…

In the pan, sauté about 1/3 of an onion (diced) with a diced sweet pepper, until the onion is translucent. Add 1/2 c (125ml) marinara and red wine, and bring to a simmer. Slip the patties into the sauce, cover, and simmer long enough to steam some peas as a side dish. Turn the patties, mash the potatoes, and serve.

Comforting food on a chilly day.

We kept them warm

Serendipity Dinner

In an effort to use up last year’s batch of canned tomatoes before the new ones are ripe, we made a huge pot of marinara on the weekend. Some has gone to the freezer, but the mother of all sauces is so versatile, it’s getting used in all kinds of dishes. Yesterday, pizza toast for lunch. Then on a stroll to Plank Road for a chicken breast big enough for two, we spotted these luscious two-colour egg noodles. They went perfectly with the chicken…which we cooked in a 400F oven for about 40 minutes. Here’s what was in the pot: 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, 1 carrot and one yellow bell pepper, diced. Five large white mushrooms, quartered. 1 cup/250ml of marinara. Cover and bake.

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Albacore Tuna Marinara

A couple of weeks ago we were down at Hooked and they had a delicious-looking slab of sustainably-caught albacore tuna. It was just the thing we were looking for, to be tossed with some homemade marinara and whole-wheat spaghettini. Tasty, fast, and healthy – the perfect Friday night supper.