Bistecca Ish And Some Pasta

Bistecca Ish And Some Pasta

I’m lucky enough to live in a place to have access to a pasta guy.  I mean, I’m ok with making pasta.  Plain pasta.  Ha!  I haven’t really ventured into flavored pastas.  Yet.  But I will!  But I’m lazy and there’s a pasta guy in town, which just enables my laziness.  And his stuff is so great!

I got two flavors this time…a tomato pappardelle and a spinach fettucine.  The spinach went into the freezer and the tomato went into the pan.  I happened to have two random steaks left from a primal cut of prime rib.  Bistecca is traditionally done with the porterhouse cut, but who cares?!  Bistecca is steak that’s been grilled and “scented” with fresh rosemary and sage.  “Scented” means making an herb bundle, dipping it in olive oil, and brushing it over the steak as it’s grilling.    Pppfffttt.  I have a salt I make that has rosemary in it, so I used that instead.

I had copious amounts of cherry tomatoes lounging about and I wanted a fresh sauce for the pasta.  Since my Italian tomato pasta was pappardelle, it cooked very quickly so I didn’t even need to boil a pot of water.  Fresh sauce is distinctly different than simmered marinara.  Fresh sauce is hot, brothy, and quick.  I love fresh herbs and a good olive oil in it.  Sometimes I use wine, cream, or a little balsamic glaze mixed in.  I went with wine.  I suspect you knew that already.  Ha!

The cherry tomatoes went into the food processor with the herbs and probably about a quarter cup of olive oil.  From there it went into a saute pan with some more olive oil to fry it, much like you would a Mexican salsa.  I added the wine and a dollop of chicken bouillon paste.  I love a good bouillon paste for when I want chicken broth made with wine instead of water.  You’re welcome!  When that simmered and melded for a few minutes, I salt and peppered to taste.

Hubs grilled the steaks and while they rested, the pasta was added to the sauce.  It was perfect.  I have a jar of carrot tops sitting in water on my counter, so I used them instead of the common parsley garnish.  I think this is going to be a staple dish at the new kitchen.  It was that good.

Bistecca Ish With Fresh Pappardelle In Cherry Tomato Sauce

Ingredients

For The Sauce:

  • 1 pound fresh pappardelle
  • 4 cups cherry tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup olive oil divided
  • 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary destemmed
  • 2 tablsespoons fresh thyme destemmed
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon paste
  • Pepper to taste

For The Steak:

  • 2-4 steaks of your choice
  • 1-2 tablespoons any salt mixed with fresh minced herbs rosemary, sage, thyme
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions

  • On a sheet pan, lay out the steaks, brush with a scant bit of olive oil, season with the herbed salt on both sides, and set aside.
  • Add one 1/4 cup olive oil to a saute pan deep enough to hold all the sauce and the noodles.  Add all the rest of the ingredients, except the noodles,  to a food processor and blend.  Pour the mixture into the saute pan and fry on medium high heat and stir frequently until the color of the sauce becomes a more vibrant red, about 10-15 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, prepare the grill and grill the steaks on medium high heat until your desired doneness, flipping at least once halfway through.
  • Turn the sauce down to a simmer and add the bouillon and the wine.  Simmer for about ten minutes stirring frequently.  Taste to adjust for salt and pepper.
  • Take the steaks off the grill and set aside to rest.
  • While the steaks are resting, add the noodles to the pan and cook stirring frequently for about 3 minutes.  Top the steaks with the noodles, extra sauce, and fresh parsley.  I used baby carrot tops!