Back and Better Than Ever! With Pastitsio!

We are NOT going to discuss all the terrible and delicious things I ate in Vegas, a veritable feast of fatness. My husband and I ate like it was our job. Buffets for breakfast, meals involving appetizers and cheese trays for dinner. I had one meal that consisted of literally nothing that was not deep fried and served with a sauce. Ye Gads. I can't believe we didn't have to be rolled home from the airport.

Like the Dainty Deb I am, though, I proudly hopped right back on the healthy-eating train as soon as we got home. Truth be told, I was feeling a bit sicky from all the grease and impending caloric reprecussions. So like the good girl I am, I waddled on down to the faithful old Teet and grocery shopped for the week, rather than giving in to the more sensible desire to order wings and lay imobile for several hours.

Because I was coming off a fat, fried and fabulous binge, though, I felt it would be in my best interest to make something fairly decadent. This recipe is for Pastitsio, and while it's creamy and gooey and delicious, it's also pretty tame: 300 calories per serving (6 WW points); 8 servings. As such, it's a nice bridge between the decadence of vacation and the good intentions to return to a sensible but tasty lifestyle of munching. Because it's lengthy, it will keep you occupied mentally and physically in the kitchen, rather than letting you (if you're anything like me) graze aimlessly and thoroughly through your kitchen cabinets. But it's not really hard, just requires a bit of concentration, which will be the best thing for a mind suddenly disgruntled by the rapid disappearance of dishes involving potato skins, fried meat and a cheese topping (an actual thing I ordered at The Peppermill).

Partway Home Pastitsio
Preheat your oven to 350 and spray a 9 x 13 bake pan. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Take out 4 eggs and let them get room temp.

Meat Sauce
1 lb extra lean beef
1 medium chopped onion
8 oz. can tomato sauce
1/4 C. red wine
1 1/2 t. cinnamon (def. measure this -- you don't want to over or underdo the cinnamon)

Cook beef in heated skillet and add onion, browning, making sure the onion gets tender (about 10 min). Stir in sauce, wine and connamon, bring to a boil. Then reduce to medium low, cover, and simmer 30 min. Stir occasionally.

While that's simmering, make your pasta:
Pasta
8 oz. dry whole wheat pasta, like bowtie or penne, cooked and drained and still hot
3/4 C. Fat Free evaporated milk
1 large, beaten egg
1 oz. part-skim mozarella cheese, in chunks

Toss all these together and set aside, covering the bowl with a towel to keep heat in.

Now, make the cream sauce (your meat sauce should still be simmering away):
Cream Sauce
1 T. butter
2 T. Flour
Salt, pepper, to taste
1 1/2 C. Fat Free Evaporated milk
1 large beaten egg, 2 large beaten egg WHITES
1/2 C. Parmesan cheese, in slices, divided

Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat; stir in flour, salt and pepper. Gradually add milk. Cook, stirring with a whisk, until thick and bubbly (about 6 -- 8 minutes). Remove from heat and then VERY GRADUALLY, add the eggs and egg whites into the hot mixture (Don't pour them in too fast, or they'll scramble).

Now you got all your pieces lines up, ready to go. Layer half the pasta into the bake pan, then spread with your meat sauce and 1/4 C. of the parmesan cheese slices. Top with the remaining pasta and then pour your cream sauce over the top. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake, covered in foil, 20 min. Uncover, bake 15 min. more. Do a clean-knife test to test doneness and let it settle for 15 min before slicing and serving.

This dish really is rich and tasty, and all the effort is worth it because it will help reset your inner Deb clock, reminding you to take your time with food and savor the results of a nice long spell in the kitchen. Whether coming back from vacation or just exhausted from day-to-day mayhem, our little clocks get maladjusted all the time. We owe it to ourselves to fix a nice meal that melts in your mouth.

Pastitsio Pastiche
Viva Las Vegas by The Dead Kennedys (this is the raucous, funnier version that plays at the end of Fear and Loathing)
The House Wins by Ok Go
Stagger Lee by Lloyd Price
Pretty Vegas by INXS

Beef Medallions

Nothing says dinner like a steak.

It's true. Ask Homer Simpson:

Marge: What would you like for dinner this week, Homer?
Homer [eyes brightening]: Steak!
Marge: Um, steak is too expensive right now, Homey. What else would you like?
Homer: Steak!
Marge [glancing away shiftily]: Suuuure... Ok. Steak...

Anyway. These medallions are just 4 oz each, but cooked in a really delicious sauce and with tasty little mushrooms on the side. A nice, elegant meal and super easy. I can even make this on my busiest nights. I am pretty sure this recipe originally came from Self magazine.

Beef Medallions

You'll need:
2 1/2 T. olive oil, divided
4 beef tenderloin pieces, about 4 oz. each, patted dry
salt and pepper, to taste
4 oz. stemmed mushrooms
1/4 C. brandy (I've used white wine in a pinch -- it's not as rich, but it's still pretty good)
2 chopped shallots
1 minced garlic clove
1/4 C. low sodium chicken broth
3 T. light sour cream (I usually use fat free, and it still tastes good!)
1 T. fresh parsley leaves, optional

Heat 1 T. of the oil in skillet over medium high heat. Season both sides of meat with salt and pepper and then cook in heated skillet, about 4 minutes on each side for medium rare. Remove from skillet to plate and cover in foil.

Heat the rest of the oil in skillet and then mushrooms. Cook about 4 minutes until mushrooms are nice and tender. Add shallots, garlic and a pinch of salt, cooking until translucent. Pull skillet off the heat and add brandy.* Return to heat and cook until liquid is reduced, about 2 minutes. Add broth and cook until saucy, another 3 minutes. Remove from heat a final time and add sour cream and parsley, season a bit with salt and pepper. Pour over meat and serve.

Only 314 calories per serving! And it's really good. Makes you feel like your dining room is a fairly snazzy dining experience out. Pair it with a nice baked potato or some brown rice. I serve mine with Just Gus.

Beefcake Bangings:

"Mr. Big Stuff" by Jean Knight (Who DO you think you are? Oh, you're THIN and GORGEOUS!)
"Stop the Wedding" by Etta James (Stop it to eat this delicious meat)

*This, I learned the hard way, is to prevent the brandy from exploding into flames. Just trust your beloved Deb and remove it from the heat before splashing alcohol around. Remember, no matter how dainty one is, no one looks good without eyebrows.

Peanut Ginger Beef Stir Fry

I genuinely like chopping things... now, anyway. Didn't used to. Didn't have any truck with hanging out with sharp, stabby knives. But I got used to it eventually, AND we got a decent set of knives for our wedding (it really makes a difference), and now, I'll chop up anything. I also have the freakish superpower of not crying over onions. I could rub those babies on like a pink-eye salve and not a tear would form.

Anyway. This recipe is fun if you have the extra chopping time. Or, you can do what I sometimes have to do and chop them up earlier in the day or week and then bust them out later for dinner. If you do that, make sure you loosely cover them in a damp paper towel so that they stay fresh. You can also substitute quite a bit on the veggies. Use whatever you like.

Peanut Ginger Beef Stir Fry
You'll need:
1 T. low-sodium soy sauce
1 T. creamy peanut butter
1/4 C. white wine (or water)
1/4 t. crushed red pepper flakes (optional; for those who don't like spice, omit)
3 t. asian sesame oil
3/4 lb. lean steak, sliced into thin strips
1 t. ginger
2 carrots, chopped into sticks
1 bunch scallions, cut in 1" pieces
1 red bell pepper, cut in strips
(You can easily substitute other veggies, like broccoli, water chestnuts, and those baby corn. Green beans are nice, too. I've used those in a pinch)
2 cloves minced garlic
2 T. roasted soy nuts or chopped peanuts, optional, for garnish

Get a large skillet scorching hot over high heat. While it's heating, combine: soy sauce, peanut butter, red pepper and wine/water. Set aside. When your skillet is ready, add in 2 of the 3 t. oil and let it get a little shimmery. Turn your oven fan on, unless you like the sound of your smoke alarm* and add the beef. Stir fry it quick, getting all the sides brown, so flipping constantly. When JUST browned, add the ginger and cook for about 1 more minute. Remove beef to a small dish and keep it warm.

Add into your pan (you can turn the heat down a little now) the remaining oil and then the carrots. Cook those for a minute before adding: the other veggies, the garlic. Stir fry until cooked through, then add 1 -- 2 T. of water to the skillet. Cover the veggies for two or three minutes, simmering. Then remove cover and add in your beef and peanut butter sauce. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly to coat beef and veggies.

Serve over hot brown rice with nuts on top. Crunchy and creamy and delicious. My husband inevitably ends up licking his plate when he thinks I'm not looking. It's also only 275 calories per serving (not counting rice), or 6 WW points! Makes 4 servings.

Stir-Fry Songs:
"Babylon Sisters" by Steely Dan
"Aja" by Steely Dan
(Hey, Steely Dan just goes good with Stir-fry!!)


* Boy oh boy do I have a long, complex relationship with the smoke detector. When we lived in a little duplex, that thing went off if you left your toast in the toaster a minute too long -- and, Dumplings, this was back when I was setting EVERYTHING ablaze. If it wasn't on fire, it wasn't dinner. Anyway, the detector possessed the ear-drum shattering qualities of a newborn with colic. I hated that thing. Luckily, because our duplex was fairly ghetto, the smoke alarm was not fully attached to the wall. It was hanging by one lazy plastic nail that easily came off. This was another problem -- ocassionally, UNprovoked by my cooking, the thing would just maliciously fall off the wall and start howling. I became gifted at the snatch and grab, where I'd bolt across the kitchen at the first siren call, leap into the air (it was considerately placed three feet above my head), snatch the thing with all my might, and then beat on it until it shut up.

Herb Rubbed London Broil

Sorry, vegans. Meat is delicious. It always has been and probably always will be. Furthermore, I didn't fight my way to the top of the food chain to eat carrots. But you go right ahead. Mmm. That tofu dog sure looks tempting. No, no. You keep it all to yourself...

My husband was actually the first person to introduce London Broil into our household. He's a handy sort of guy, real good with tools, though he'd never done much spectacular in the kitchen. His previous idea of "making dinner" involved pre-packaged mac n' cheese and frozen fishsticks. Yeah. It's better than it sounds, but still. Then again, I wasn't cooking yet (not really; my sporadic attempts were met with gratefulness, but I simply wasn't making the time to cook regularly). I was happily eating the mac n' cheese because it was the only option.

So he has a hankering for some good home cookin', looks up online somewhere a dummy's guide to making London Broil, and makes it. It was pretty good. Way better than the time he cooked up something that I swear to Sweet Fancy Moses came out of a bag labeled "Chicken Parts." Not, pieces. PARTS. There was a beak involved with that dinner. I digress. London Broil.

As we're eating the delicious meat, he sits across from me, takes my hand, and looks soulfully into my eyes. He says he's been having more and more cravings for real food recently, and that we should probably start cooking more often for each other.

Hint taken. And so, my journey in the kitchen began. It really is true -- if you can read, you can cook. Maybe you can't cook well, at first. But you get the hang of it eventually.

Here is my own recipe for London Broil. It is delicious, and you serve it with the veggies that it cooks with, so you're done when it comes out of the oven.

Preheat your broiler (500 degrees) and prepare your broiler pan -- for me, this involves foil (it makes for easy cleanup later if I place foil between the two parts, to catch all the juices) and cooking spray (spray the whole thing so that there is no sticking). Also, lay your meat out -- let it get to room temp.

1 C. chopped Italian parsley (it's more flavorful than reg. parsley)
1 T. rosemary (use dried or fresh -- you can use more if it's fresh)
1/4 C. chopped scallions
2 T. minced garlic (you know what to do... get yourself a jar!)
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper (to taste; don't go nuts, the flavor of the meat is really not in need of a lot of help)
2 T. dijon or spicy brown mustard (your call)

In a big bowl, mince all these together with a fork, adding the mustard and garlic last, and set aside.

1 London broil (about 2 lbs; it's also sometimes labelled as "flank steak")
2 lbs small red potatoes, washed and halved
2 onions, in 8ths
2 lb zucchini, in nice sized chunks (you can use squash, too, as a substitute or in addition)
1/2 a celery head, chopped with all the leaves for flavor

Rub 2 T. of the herb mixture onto the meat, covering it all over, top and sides, etc. Place the meat in the center of your prepared broiler pan. Then add 4 tsp. of olive oil to the rest of the herb mix and hand mix your veggies into it. Get them good and covered. Place about half the veggies around the meat, in a single layer. You'll probably have overflow unless you have some freakishly large broiler pan, so put all the other veggies into a regular bake pan in a single layer and roast them just below the meat in the oven.

Cook under the broiler (not on the top rack, the middle is best) for 15 minutes. London Broil is always served pretty rare, and that's how this should come out, if your oven is on 500 degrees -- medium rare to rare. If you don't like the rare so much, roast it a little longer, in 5 minute increments, only cutting into the meat in one place to check for done-ness. And be careful of those veggies -- they may get a little too brown if you leave them in too long, so you can take them out before the meat.

When your meat is done, place it on a cutting board and tent it with foil. Let it sit for about 10 minutes, letting it sort of settle into its own deliciousness. Now, when cutting London Broil, you always want to carve against the grain. This is important. If you don't cut against the grain, the meat will be stringy and weird.

Makes 8 servings. Serve with the veggies and maybe some nice, crusty rolls. I like the Take-and-Bake breads at Harris Teeter because then you get the nice, baked bread smell into the house with very little effort. Also, the french loafs usually are around only 100 -- 140 calories per serving.

Meat, how do I love thee? let me count the ways... 300 ways. Because that's the total calories in this meal: 300.

NEW feature from the Dainty Deb: Music to listen to while you prepare!
For this dish, you want some snappy little songs, because this is a quick recipe to make, but chopping all those veggies might make you bored. Here are my suggestions:

Old 97s "Big Brown Eyes" (because all eyes will be on your sweet meat treat)
The Four Tops "I Can't Help Myself" (you can help yourself to some more delicious meat!)
Ram Jam's "Black Betty" (the beat will get you chopping and cocking your hips in tandem)
Spencer Davis' "Gimme Some Lovin" (that's what he said)