spicy beef pasta
if anyone has a better name for this one, have at. i tend to call it "that red beef stuff", but spicy beef pasta is rather more descriptive. anyway. the timing is the hardest aspect of this recipe, and it's pretty forgiving in that most of the components will happily hang out until you get ready for them if you just remember to get them started. the steak is the exception - i personally think it's best at medium to maybe medium-well. all measurements are approximate because i just throw stuff in until i like how it looks.
1 new york strip or chuck steak (depending on your budget... any cut thick enough to be sliceable will work)
1/2 red onion, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
6-8 mushrooms, chopped
2-4 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (scissors work best on these little brats)
1/3 lb. (two servings. ish.) spaghetti/vermicelli/angel hair
3-5 tbl. spaghetti sauce
1/3 c. olive oil
2 tsp. red pepper flakes
lawry's red pepper seasoning salt (or any spicy seasoning salt)
heat the olive oil and red pepper flakes together over very low heat and start water boiling for pasta. after the pepper flakes have infused for 5 minutes or so, rub lawry's and some of the peppered olive oil on both sides of the steak and grill or broil. while it's cooking, turn up the oil to medium heat or a touch higher and add the peppers and onions, then the sun-dried tomatoes. when the onions just start to turn transparent, add mushrooms and let the whole thing hang out for a while (if using roasted or fresh tomatoes, add them near the end). start spaghetti**. take the steak off the grill or from under the broiler when it's done and let it rest. add spaghetti sauce to the oil and veggies and stir. when the spaghetti is cooked, drain and return to pot. dump the veggie and sauce mixture into the drained pasta and incorporate. thinly slice the steak against the grain. halve the pasta onto two plates, then top with steak. if you want, reserve a couple of spoonfuls of the sauce before adding it to the spaghetti and spoon it over the steak slices. garnish with parmesan.
this is a great dish alone - it has vegetables, pasta, and meat - but garlic bread or baby greens (they come prewashed in a bag, guys. magic, i'm tellin' ya.) with italian dressing and those great big croutons are yummy sides for it.
you can improvise with your own veggies and spices, of course... i've just found the red to be attractive with the spiciness of the dish. oregano is ok with it, garlic is always welcome but the flavor can get a bit lost, and basil is just kinda odd in this. and you can always double up on the steak. i like to use one steak for two servings because it's still meaty, but cheaper.
other tricks with this recipe include making the sauce ahead and keeping a few servings in the fridge to add to well-drained ramen noodles (save the "flavoring" packet for something else) or omitting the beef and making it a vegetarian meal.
**spaghetti trick: everyone knows to add a teeny bit of oil to the water to keep it from boiling over. that's not the trick. the trick is, once you put the pasta in and stir it to keep it from sticking, you can cover it and just turn the heat off and do the rest of the cooking. it'll cook but it won't go all mushy, and you don't have to fiddle with it that way.
1 new york strip or chuck steak (depending on your budget... any cut thick enough to be sliceable will work)
1/2 red onion, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
6-8 mushrooms, chopped
2-4 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (scissors work best on these little brats)
1/3 lb. (two servings. ish.) spaghetti/vermicelli/angel hair
3-5 tbl. spaghetti sauce
1/3 c. olive oil
2 tsp. red pepper flakes
lawry's red pepper seasoning salt (or any spicy seasoning salt)
heat the olive oil and red pepper flakes together over very low heat and start water boiling for pasta. after the pepper flakes have infused for 5 minutes or so, rub lawry's and some of the peppered olive oil on both sides of the steak and grill or broil. while it's cooking, turn up the oil to medium heat or a touch higher and add the peppers and onions, then the sun-dried tomatoes. when the onions just start to turn transparent, add mushrooms and let the whole thing hang out for a while (if using roasted or fresh tomatoes, add them near the end). start spaghetti**. take the steak off the grill or from under the broiler when it's done and let it rest. add spaghetti sauce to the oil and veggies and stir. when the spaghetti is cooked, drain and return to pot. dump the veggie and sauce mixture into the drained pasta and incorporate. thinly slice the steak against the grain. halve the pasta onto two plates, then top with steak. if you want, reserve a couple of spoonfuls of the sauce before adding it to the spaghetti and spoon it over the steak slices. garnish with parmesan.
this is a great dish alone - it has vegetables, pasta, and meat - but garlic bread or baby greens (they come prewashed in a bag, guys. magic, i'm tellin' ya.) with italian dressing and those great big croutons are yummy sides for it.
you can improvise with your own veggies and spices, of course... i've just found the red to be attractive with the spiciness of the dish. oregano is ok with it, garlic is always welcome but the flavor can get a bit lost, and basil is just kinda odd in this. and you can always double up on the steak. i like to use one steak for two servings because it's still meaty, but cheaper.
other tricks with this recipe include making the sauce ahead and keeping a few servings in the fridge to add to well-drained ramen noodles (save the "flavoring" packet for something else) or omitting the beef and making it a vegetarian meal.
**spaghetti trick: everyone knows to add a teeny bit of oil to the water to keep it from boiling over. that's not the trick. the trick is, once you put the pasta in and stir it to keep it from sticking, you can cover it and just turn the heat off and do the rest of the cooking. it'll cook but it won't go all mushy, and you don't have to fiddle with it that way.