Generally speaking, there’s not much culinary foreplay when steak is the main course of a meal. Shrimp cocktail (usually jumbo) or a salad (also outsized) is considered sufficient for already whetted appetites. But in my own kitchen at home I need not be as single-minded as the steak house cook. I like to serve guests a first course, but one that is more stimulating than filling—soup, salad, or a vegetable dish when eating indoors, a preliminary nibble such as a dip or pâté while my guests watch their steaks cook on an outdoor grill. My outdoor dining suggestions also include Mango Guacamole, White Gazpacho, and Italian Eggplant and Pesto Dip. When dining indoors, give special consideration to my Fabulous Fried Zucchini and the Pancetta and Winter Vegetable Salad.
A time-honored way to ward off hunger before or during a sports event on TV or while waiting for the grill to heat up is to put out a spread or dip with crackers or chips. This cheese spread is a hit with beer drinkers, but I don’t always put it away when the meal begins. I find it makes a terrific topping for hamburgers or flank or skirt steak.
8 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese, cut into small pieces
2 ounces blue cheese, cut into small pieces
3 ounces cream cheese, cut into small pieces
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
1 teaspoon paprika
½ cup ale
Combine the Cheddar, blue, and cream cheeses in a food processor. Add the caraway seeds, paprika, and ale. Process until the mixture is smooth. Transfer the spread to a serving bowl, cover and refrigerate until needed. Serve at room temperature.
MAKES ABOUT 2 CUPS
Oven-roasted eggplant has the perfect texture for a dip and combines beautifully with basil- and oil-rich pesto sauce. When I’m pressed for time in preparing for company, a common occurrence, I cut a corner by picking up a jar of bottled pesto at the market. Pita chips or lavash crackers make fine shovels for moving this dip from bowl to mouth.
3 tablespoons pesto sauce, homemade or bottled
½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Place the eggplant in a pie pan and bake until very soft, about 45 minutes.
3. Remove the eggplant from the oven and let cool. Peel away the skin, cut the eggplant open and discard the seeds. Finely chop the pulp by hand or in a food processor.
4. Transfer the pulp to a bowl, add the pesto, salt, and lemon juice and whisk until thoroughly blended. Taste and adjust seasoning. If not using immediately, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Serve at room temperature.
MAKES ABOUT1¼ CUPS
A wonderfully pleasing appetizer (or topping for a salad or a plate of steamed vegetables), this guacamole was created for a Super Bowl menu by Jody Denton while he was executive chef of the Eccentric in Chicago. Served with chips or raw vegetables, it’s sure to calm down those clamoring for you to put the steaks on the grill right now.
6 ripe avocados, pitted, peeled, and diced
1 ripe mango, peeled, sliced, and diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
2 ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Juice of 2 limes
Salt, to taste
Combine the avocados, mango, garlic, jalapeño, tomatoes, and cilantro in a big bowl. Add the lime juice and salt. Mix, taste, and adjust seasoning as desired. If not serving immediately, cover the surface of the guacamole with plastic wrap.
SERVES 10 TO 12
Among the more celebrated marriages of food and spirits, single malt Scotch with smoked salmon for instance, one that’s never gone on the rocks is the pairing of chicken liver pâté with the dry martini. Try it during the prelude to a steak feast at home. This is not the super-rich chopped chicken liver of New York City steak houses. It’s smoother and slimmer, but with a lively kick of horseradish. Serve the pâté with French bread or crackers.
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 shallot or 2 scallions, white only, minced
8 ounces chicken livers
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
2 tablespoons Madeira or brandy
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
1. Combine the oil and shallot in a medium-size skillet and cook over medium heat until the shallot softens, about 1 minute. Add the chicken livers and thyme and cook, turning the livers often, until they are medium-rare, 3 to 4 minutes.
2. Transfer the contents of the pan to a food processor or food mill set over a bowl. Return the pan to the stove over a turned-off burner. Add the salt, pepper, and nutmeg to the liver mixture and purée. Pour the Madeira into the skillet and bring it to a boil. Remove the skillet from the heat. Carefully ignite the Madeira with a long kitchen match and gently shake the pan until the flame dies out (make sure your hair is tied back and your sleeves are rolled up before you do this). Scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to deglaze it.
3. Pour the deglazing liquid into the purée. Add
“Refreshing” is the one-word description that fits this unusual gazpacho, which makes use of the tomato only as a garnish. Since it’s both light and a stimulant to the appetite, I find it an ideal starter for summer steak meals. The obvious wine companion is sherry, but the soup is fine on its own.
1 large cucumber, peeled, cut lengthwise in half, seeded, and chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1½ cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup sour cream
½ cup plain yogurt
l½ tablespoons vinegar, preferably sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 medium tomato, peeled and chopped (page 142)
¼ cup chopped scallions, white only
¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
⅓ cup sliced almonds, toasted (see Note)
4 teaspoons olive oil (optional)
1. Combine the cucumber, garlic, and ¼ cup of the chicken broth in a blender and purée. Pour the remaining 1¼ cup broth into the blender and blend briefly.
2. Spoon the sour cream and yogurt into a bowl and whisk until blended. Pouring slowly, whisk in the cucumber purée. Stir in the vinegar, salt, and pepper. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 8 hours. Chill bowls for the gazpacho.
3. When ready to serve, place the tomato, scallions, parsley, and almonds in small bowls and arrange them on a tray that can be passed at the table. Stir the gazpacho and ladle it into the chilled bowls. Invite guests to add their own garnishes, finishing with an optional teaspoon of olive oil.
SERVES 4
Note: Toast the almonds in a small skillet over medium-low heat, tossing often, until lightly golden and aromatic, about 5 minutes.
Here’s an ideal warm-up dish to eat before tackling a juicy steak. Two steak house favorites, shellfish and mushrooms, are tied together by an Italian-inspired herb and garlic dressing. It’s a satisfying yet stimulating dish, well suited to an Italian white wine such as Pinot Grigio.
8 ounces large raw shrimp, unpeeled
8 ounces bay scallops (see Note)
8 ounces white button mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon minced fresh oregano or marjoram leaves
½ teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
Freshly ground black pepper
½ cup olive oil, preferably extra virgin
Salt
4 to 6 soft lettuce leaves, such as Boston
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1. Bring 4 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the shrimp and simmer until just firm, about 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon. Add the scallops and cook until just firm, 2 minutes. Drain.
2. Peel and devein the shrimp; cut into chunks. Place in a medium-size bowl with the scallops.
3. Wipe the mushrooms with damp paper towels. Cut off and discard the base of the stems. Thinly slice the mushrooms and place them in a separate bowl.
4. In a third bowl, combine the garlic, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, and 3 or 4 grinds of the pepper. Slowly whisk in the olive oil. Pour half of this mixture over the seafood and half over the mushrooms. Stir well.
5. Cover the 2 bowls with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for 2 hours or in the refrigerator for up to 8 hours, stirring both 2 or 3 times. Remove bowls from the refrigerator half an hour before serving.
6. Just before serving, combine the seafood and mushrooms and season to taste with salt. Place a lettuce leaf on each of 4 to 6 appetizer plates, top with the seafood and mushroom mixture, and garnish with parsley.
SERVES 4 TO 6
Note: If scallops are not available, use 8 ounces cleaned squid, both tentacles and bodies. Cut the bodies into rings. Simmer for 30 seconds.
This unusual shallow-fry preparation carries the threat of sputtering cooking oil but offers the reward of crisp, beautifully golden zucchini slices that have absorbed virtually no oil. This is equally true if you fry eggplant slices—a true miracle. I use a long-handled Chinese strainer to transfer the slices to and from the oil.
2 medium zucchini
⅓ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Salt, to taste
½ teaspoon paprika
2 cups vegetable oil
1. Wash and dry the zucchini and trim the ends. Slice them on the bias into ¼-inch-thick slices. Place the slices on paper towels and pat them dry.
2. Combine the flour, pepper, ½ teaspoon salt, and paprika in a medium-size bowl. Dredge the zucchini in the flour mixture and set aside. Fill a bowl with ice and water.
3. Heat the oil to 400°F in a large deep skillet. It should shimmer, but not smoke.
4. Dip the zucchini a few at a time, into the ice water then transfer them immediately to the hot oil. Be careful of sputtering oil; it’s best to stand back when doing this. Cook until the zucchini pieces are golden brown but still soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon as ready and drain on paper towels. Salt while hot and serve immediately or hold briefly in a warm oven.
SERVES 4
Light and mildly flavored, couscous soaks up a variety of flavors and sauces equally well. I serve it before or with grilled or broiled steaks that have been seasoned or marinated with spices from the Middle East. Instant couscous is readily available in supermarkets.
2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup instant couscous
¼ cup olive oil, preferably extra virgin
4 to 5 medium plum tomatoes
1 cup (firmly packed) fresh mint leaves
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar Salt and freshly ground white pepper, to taste
1. Bring the broth to a boil in a medium-size saucepan. Stir in the couscous, cover, and remove the pan from the heat. Let stand until all the liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Fluff the couscous with a fork, transfer to a large bowl, and set aside to cool. When cooled, stir in the oil.
2. Core, seed, and chop the tomatoes. Chop the mint leaves. Add both to the couscous. Stir in the lemon juice, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Serve the salad at room temperature.
SERVES 6
Sometimes the perfect introduction to a steak entrée is a crisp, first course with lots of flavor to stimulate the appetite. This salad fills the bill. With only a modest amount of lemon juice in the dressing, it will be reasonably hospitable to a dry white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc.
8 anchovy fillets
2 ounces Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
¼ cup olive oil, preferably extra virgin
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 cups bite-size pieces romaine lettuce
½ red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into julienne strips
1. Cut away the top, base, and tough outer parts of the fennel. Cut the bulb into very thin slices. Set aside.
2. Rinse the anchovies, pat dry, and cut each one into thirds. Cut the Parmesan into thin chips. Set aside.
3. When ready to serve, pour the lemon juice into a small bowl, and pouring slowly, beat in the oil. Add a generous grinding of pepper. With anchovy and Parmesan, both salty, there should be no need for salt.
4. Divide the romaine among 4 salad plates. Spread the fennel over the lettuce in a single layer, then add the pepper strips, anchovy pieces, and Parmesan chips as though garnishing a pizza. Spoon the dressing over the salad and serve.
SERVES 4
SALAD A LA JOE
Much of the color and character of the best steak houses is provided by the waiters. One of the legendary servers is Joe Pacini, who for years has patroled the front room tables facing the bar at Gene & Georgetti’s, a Chicago institution. In addition to delivering platters of steaks and chops, he makes a salad that defies even his most sincere attempts to reduce it to an exact formula. So here, as described by the creator, is Salad à la Joe.
You slice tomatoes, 2 or 3 or 4, then a half an onion, a half a [green bell] pepper, 4 or 5 mushrooms, a red pimiento from a jar. You take 2 pieces of broccoli, steamed fresh, and slice them up. You tear up enough lettuce to fill your bowl. You take 5 or 6 peperoncini from a jar.
In the salad bowl, you put a touch of [minced] fresh garlic and some oregano and salt, if you like. You put in some vinegar and stir. You still stir and pour in olive oil. Now add the lettuce and everything else and turn it until everything is covered with sauce. I do all this in the kitchen then I grind black pepper at the table.
Tapawingo, located in tiny Ellsworth, Michigan, near Grand Traverse Bay, is the sort of country restaurant that’s hard to find even in France. Chef Harlan (“Pete”) Peterson’s devotion to local ingredients is inspiring, but the scope of his extraordinary cooking allows for some inspiration from abroad as well. This salad, with its soft and crunchy ingredients and tangy cheese, is an ideal starter before a steak entrée.
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
6 ounces goat cheese, preferably blue veined
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Salt (optional)
⅔ cup olive oil
⅔ cup oil, such as grape seed
1 head romaine lettuce
1 head frisée or chicory
1 medium fennel bulb
½ small red cabbage
12 thin slices French bread
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
1. Combine the vinegar, mustard, half the goat cheese, and pepper in a blender or food processor. (Add salt only if not using blue-veined cheese). Blend until smooth. With the motor running, add the olive and grape seed oils in a thin stream. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Refrigerate the dressing.
2. Clean, trim, and tear the lettuces into bite-size pieces. Cut the stalks, base, and outer pieces from the fennel and the outer leaves and base from the cabbage. Cut the fennel and cabbage into julienne strips. Crumble the remaining cheese and set aside. (The recipe may be done ahead to this point. Bag and refrigerate the lettuces, vegetables, and cheese separately.)
3. When ready to serve, return the dressing and cheese to room temperature and toast the bread. Toss the lettuce and vegetables with as much dressing as needed in a large bowl. Spoon the salad onto serving plates and garnish with crumbled cheese and chives. Pass the toast at the table.
SERVES 6
Don’t ask me why, but steak lovers crave bacon. In steak houses they have it wrapped around filet mignon, wrapped around scallops, on top of hamburgers, and scattered over spinach in a salad. Here’s a salad garnished with bacon, or, in this case, an easy-to-crisp Italian bacon called pancetta. It’s an ideal first course to serve at home before a festive steak entrée because it needs only last-minute tossing.
2 medium beets
8 ounces Jerusalem artichokes, celery root, or potatoes (see Note)
¼ cup finely chopped pancetta or mildly smoked bacon
1 medium napa cabbage
¼ cup coarsely chopped scallions, white and 2 inches of green
1½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
4 tablespoons olive oil, preferably extra virgin
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Cut the stems and leafy green tops from the beets but do not peel them. Wrap each beet in aluminum foil and bake until tender when pierced with a paring knife, about 50 minutes. Remove the beets from the oven and unwrap them. When the beets are cool, peel and cut them into ½-inch cubes. Set aside.
3. Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the Jerusalem artichokes and cook at a boil, partially covered, until crisp-tender, about 15 minutes. Drain. When cool, peel and cut them into ½-inch cubes. Reserve.
4. While the vegetables are cooking, fry the chopped pancetta in a small skillet over medium-low heat, stirring often, until crisp, 7 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel to drain. Set aside the drippings. You should have about 2 tablespoons.
5. Slice off 1½ inches of the cabbage stem and remove the outer leaves. Cut the remaining cabbage crosswise into ½-inch sections and break them apart with your hands.
6. When ready to serve, combine the beets, Jerusalem artichokes, cabbage, and scallions in a salad bowl. In a small saucepan, combine the mustard, reserved pancetta drippings, the olive oil, lemon juice, and vinegar. Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly. Pour the sauce over the salad and toss thoroughly so the red of the beet colors the other ingredients. Season with salt and pepper as desired, remembering the pancetta is salty. Divide the salad among 4 plates. Scatter pancetta over each and serve.
SERVES 4
Note: If using celery root or potatoes, peel and cut them into ½-inch cubes. Boil until they are tender, about 10 minutes. Plunge into cold water to stop the cooking, drain, and set aside.
