Penne Rigate Pasta Salad with Rib Eyes Steak and Balsamic Herb Dressing

This is definitely one of my favorite summer pasta salad recipes.  I can have this for lunch or dinner a few times a week.  In fact, we do.  NO ONE in my family would complain having the same dish over and over again.  “It’s a keeper” kind of recipe and you will want to make it more often.  Not only it’s super simple to prepare, it’s full of flavor and satisfying.  Pair it with a glass of red, relax and enjoy this at your patio on a summer evening makes you forget the long day you had at work.



It’s a versatile dish that you can substitute with your favorite type of pasta, meat and/or vegetable of choice.  I love to use penne rigate pasta (furrowed) in this recipe.  The dressing just hide in between the ridges on the penne and makes each bite a bit more flavorful. 



If you’re not a big fan for Rib Eyes, you can substitute with veal chops, pork chop or even shrimps for the protein in this recipe.  Since my family loves rib eye, it is what I use most of the time.  For the veggies, you can mix it up with spinach, watercress, or arugula for a peppery kick.  Whatever you substitute, don’t omit the herbs and balsamic vinegar here.  Those are the key ingredients that really make this dish pop.  You’ll love the tartness and sweetness from the balsamic vinegar and the spiciness from the mustard.  The flavors really compliment well with each other.  



Go ahead and enjoy a hot summer evening along with this Rib Eyes Steak Pasta Salad.  Your family will definitely requests you to make this dish again.

Besides, there’s a chance you could win $100 to make this dish!  That’s right, $100 USD.  Dreamfields is sponsoring a wonderful giveaway at Kitchen PLAY. Simply recreate any one recipe from this month’s Progressive Party, post about the experience on your blog and provide a link to your post on Kitchen PLAY to enter. All qualifying bloggers in each course will be entered to win $100 (6 prizes total). The deadline is August 7, 2011. Please review the complete contest rules before entering. Good luck!






Penne Rigate Pasta Salad with Rib Eyes Steak and Balsamic Herb Dressing:
Printable Recipe

1 (1-pound) Boneless Rib Eye steak
Steak seasoning (your favorite brand)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 box of Dreamfields penne pasta
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/4 cup plus extra-virgin olive oil
3 cups salad greens/spring mix


Season the steak with steak seasoning.  In a cast iron pan, heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil over medium high heat. Cook steak about 5 minutes per side until medium rare (that’s how I like my steaks; you can cook to your own preference). Remove the meat from pan and let it rest for 5 minutes. Thinly slice the steak. Set aside.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until el dente, follow instructions on package. Drain pasta, reserving 1/4 cup of pasta water.
On the chopping board, add the 1/2 teaspoon salt with the garlic.  Smash the garlic into paste with the back of your knife.  In a small bowl, whisk together the garlic paste, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, fresh herbs, and olive oil until well combined. 
In a large mixing bowl toss the pasta, the reserved pasta water, the dressing and the salad greens together.  Taste the pasta and see if it needs more salt and black pepper.  Arrange dressed pasta salad on plates and arrange steaks on top.  (You can also toss the steaks together with the pasta before arranging on plates if you like)

This recipe is shared with:

Traditional Tuesdays
Full Plate Thursday
Fresh Food Friday
Foodie Friday

“On A Stick”—Book Review and a Giveaway

Ever since I discovered Matt Armendariz’s blog, Matt Bittes, I became his blog’s loyal reader.  I really admired Matt’s talents in food photography and enjoyed his sense of humor and creativity that shown throughout his blog.  When I found out the opportunity to review his first book, “On A Stick”, I jumped right in and signed up.  You wouldn’t believe how excited I was when I received the book in the mail.  I was like a kid in a candy store.  



Flipping through this book was truly a treat!  There were 80 mouth watering and party-perfect recipes all calling my name.  The photography was simply amazing.  Don’t we all eat with our eyes first?  I loved the fact that each recipe, including the sauces, came with a beautiful picture on the finished product.  So you know exactly how they should look like when they’re done.



The recipes instructed in this book were clear and easy to follow.  Many recipes came with extra tips on the side.  There are many varieties of recipes; I’m sure that there’s something for everyone… “from health-conscious vegetarians to carnivores of the he-man grilling club.”  (Just like how he said it.)  You’ll find some traditional State-fair food, and some others that you’ve never imagined to serve on a stick, such as Spaghetti and Meatballs and Strawberry Shortcake.  Matt was truly creative. 
My husband picked out this Deep-Fried Ravioli (the two pictures above) recipe to try first.  It was fun to make and fun to eat. If it’s not that we have desserts (see below) waiting, we would have made a second batch!  They were that good!



The Frozen Bananas recipe was my choice to prepare.  Since my son has been asking for ice cream and frozen treats lately, these Frozen Bananas were definitely a healthier alternative, yet just as indulging.  Best of all, they were super simple to prepare. 



These are just a few recipes that I’ve named and prepared from the “On a Stick” book.  You’ve got to get a copy of the book and try some of these treats yourself.  And I confirmed, everything does tastes better and more fun to serve…On A Stick!  





Giveaway:
Here’s your chance to win a copy of “On A Stick”, courtesy of Quirk Books and Matt.  Simply leave a comment on this post to let me know that you want to win a copy of this book.  (No clicking numerous buttons or jumping through hoops to qualify this time!)  Deadline to enter is June 21st by midnight PST.  One lucky uTry.it reader (U.S.A. only, sorry international readers) will be selected through random.org.  Good luck!

***Disclaimer:  I received a copy of “On A Stick” for the purpose of this review and I am not compensated in any way to write this post.  All comments and opinions are 100% my own.




Deep-Fried Ravioli with Marinara Sauce (Recipe from On A Stick):
4 Wooden Skewers

Ingredients for the Marinara Sauce:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, Minced
1 (14.5-ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained, seeded and roughly chopped
1/4 cup dry red wine
2 tbsp fresh oregano, minced
2 tbsp sugar
salt and pepper

1 qt vegetable oil
1cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup plain bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
2tbsp dried oregano
2 tbsp dried basil
1 tbsp dried thyme
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
12 store-bought ravioli

1. Make the marinara sauce: Warm oil in a medium pot over medium heat.  Add garlic and tomatoes and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Deglaze pot by adding wine, stirring to loosen browned bits from bottom of pot; then stir in oregano and sugar and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Transfer mixture to a food processor and process to desired consistency. Return mixture to pot and simmer 30 minutes.  Cool slightly before serving.

2. Preheat vegetable oil in a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat.


3. Place flour in one shallow dish and eggs in another.  In a third, mix bread crumbs, 1/4 cup Parmesan, oregano, basil, thyme, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.


4.  In two batches, toss ravioli in flour, gently shaking off excess.  Dip in egg and then in bread crumb mixture.  Thread 3 breaded ravioli onto each skewer.

5.  Once oil reaches 350F, carefully place skewers in pot, 2 at a time, and fry about 4 to 5 minutes.  Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan.  Serve warm, with marinara sauce on the side.


This post is linked to:
Tasty Tuesday
Mouth Watering Monday
Melt in Your Mouth Mondays
Tuesday Night Supper Club
Delectable Tuesday
So Sweet Sunday
This Week’s Cravings
Made it On Monday
Full Plate Thursday
Thrilling Thursday
Foodie Friday
Friday Potluck
Fresh Food Friday
Everyday Sisters Sharing Sundays

Salmon and Garden Vegetable Farfalle (Bow Tie Pasta)

Recently, some of my girlfriends (who are also moms) shared with me that they are struggling to put veggies into their kids’ diet.  Let’s just say, I’m very fortunate that both of my kids love vegetables (and seafood, isn’t that weird?)  In this post, I just want to share this delicious recipe with you all that you can “trick” your kids into eating more veggies.  This Salmon and Garden Vegetable Farfalle not only tastes good, it's also healthy.  For example, salmon provides your body with a great sauce of omega 3 fatty acid, which is essential for kid’s brain development.  (Read more Omega 3 health benefits from here) 



Kids are very simple, they like to eat delicious food (who doesn’t?).  So, besides making a dish delicious (and nutritious), make it fun, and make it colorful.  Also, get your kids involved in the cooking process.  That would certainly makes a difference.   This dish is so simple to prepare that your kids can definitely help out in some of the steps.  So, what are you waiting for?  Let’s get cooking!





Salmon and Garden Vegetable Farfalle (Bow Tie Pasta):

Servings: 6

16 ounces mini Farfalle (bow-tie pasta)
1 Onion, diced
16 ounces Salmon, cut into bite-size pieces
1 (14.5oz) Can Diced Tomatoes with Basil, Garlic and Oregano
1 Cup Fresh Mini Heirloom Tomatoes (or any cherry tomatoes)
1/2 Cup Sweet Corn Kernels, frozen or can
1 Cup Asparagus, diced (save a few tips for garnish)
1 Teaspoon Dry Dill
1/2 Cup Sour Cream
2 Tablespoon Olive Oil

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, according to package instructions. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water. Drain pasta, and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and sauté the onion until soft, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

In the same skillet, add another tablespoon of olive oil, sauté salmon for a minute, then add the canned and fresh tomatoes, sweet corn and asparagus until warm through.

Add pasta and reserved onion into the pan. Toss, and continue to add the reserved pasta water a little at a time, to create a thin sauce that coats the farfalle (you may not need all the water). Season lightly with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream until well combined. Sprinkle dill on top and garnish with asparagus tips. Serve and enjoy.



This Recipe is linked to:

Sharing Sister Sunday
Family Fresh Cooking
This week's Craving