If a Cookie Could Be Ugly....

   

Of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And if something tastes good, who are we to call them ugly? Elizabeth Minchilli, who wrote the cookbook, The Italian Table, stopped by Tonia's Kitchen to talk about her new book and a recipe for Crucchi. That's a delicious Italian cookie that has a particular look to it, and that says Elizabeth, is because you literally form them by squashing the dough with your hands. Note the ingredients list, it's not long. That means it's a very easy cookie to make. Try it out!

 

1 cup of toasted blanched hazelnuts (preferably halved)
2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
1 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups of sugar
Pinch of sea salt
2 large eggs


Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

If your hazelnuts are whole, stick the point of a knife into a nut at the fat, dimpled end, and it should break in half fairly easily. Don’t worry if the halves aren’t perfectly even. If that seems too fussy, then just roughly chop them. Just don’t chop too finely!

Put the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, and salt in a large bowl and mix to combine.

Crack the eggs into a small bowl and beat them with a fork. Add the eggs to the flour mixture and mix with a spoon. The mixture will be very dry and stiff. Use your hands to finish mixing, adding the nuts at the end.

Using your hands, form an irregular, raggedy mound of about a tablespoon of dough, and drop it onto the cookie sheet. Repeat with the rest of the dough, spacing the cookies about 1 inch apart.

Bake for 20 minutes. It is hard to tell when they are done, since they are a deep, dark brown, but 20 minutes is usually good.

Remove them from the oven and let them cool completely. The cookies will be very hard on the outside and a little moist and chewy on the inside. If making them ahead, store them in an airtight container for up to a week.

Credit for the book: © The Italian Table: Creating Festive Meals for Family and Friends, by Elizabeth Minchilli, Rizzoli, 2019.  All images credited © Elizabeth Minchilli.

Flank Steak Like You've Never Had It Before!

The reason this flank steak is so unique, is thanks to the kale that plays a winning role in this recipe. Jessica Merchant, who wrote the new cookbook Easy Everyday, stopped by Tonia's Kitchen to talk about her Flank Steak with Kale that's very simple to make and very delicious to eat. Jessica told Tonia she cooks down the kale, leaving it crispy and tasty. The steak itself is a nice compliment to the kale and really adds a new dimension to this dish!

• 1 cup fresh cilantro
• ⅔ cup fresh parsley
• ¼ cup fresh oregano
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• ⅔ cup olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• kosher salt and pepper
• ¾ cup plain greek yogurt, I like full fat
• 8 ounces manchego cheese, finely grated
• 3 filet mignon steaks
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 large head of tuscan kale, shredded
• ¼ red onion, thinly sliced
• ½ cup castelvetrano olives, pitted and sliced

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• While the oven heats up, make the chimichurri. Combine the parsley, cilantro, oregano and garlic in a food processor and pulse until small leaves and pieces remain. Add in the vinegar and pulse once more. With the processor going, stream in the olive oil and mix until just combined. Stir in a big pinch of salt, pepper and the red pepper flakes. Taste and season additionally if needed.
• Stir half of the chimichurri into the greek yogurt. Keep the other half for drizzling. Set both aside.
• Take 1 to 2 tablespoons of the finely grated manchego and place it in piles on the baking sheet, leaving about 1 to 2 inches in between each. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes, or until the manchego has melted and is bubbly. Cool completely
• To make the steak, season it all over with salt and pepper. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the 2 tablespoons of butter to the skillet - it will begin to brown and smoke. That’s okay!
• Place the steak in the skillet right away. Sear on each side, about 2 minutes per side, until deeply golden brown. Add the remaining tablespoon of butter if needed. Once you’ve done both sides, turn off the heat.
• Place the skillet in the oven and cook for about 3 to 5 minutes, for medium doneness. This will depend on the thickness of your steak, but I suggest taking the internal temperature as this will help so much! For rare, you want 120 degrees F. For medium rare, 125 to 130 degrees F. For medium, 135 to 140 degrees F and medium-well, 145 to 150 degrees F. Remove the steak and let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
• While the steak is resting, place the kale and onions in a large bowl. Add a few tablespoons of the creamy chimichurri and toss well, then massage the kale with the dressing using your hands.
• Top the salad with the olives and the manchego crisps. Slice the steak and set it on top. Drizzle with the creamy chimichurri or the regular chimichurri - or both!
• Serve!