First or Fifteenth?

This is a first. First contest I’ve ever done and depending on your way of thinking…1st anniversary of this blog. But REALLY? I’ve been putting recipes online since 1995 at www.creative-culinary.com; the first website I created after taking a course in HTML (not the last…that exercise and others led to my starting a web business (Kinetic Webs) that year too!). I decided to append my food blog to work hand in hand with my home accessories store (Vino Luci) so a new name was born!

The word blog is the shortening of two words, web and log, and was initially a place where website owners regularly distributed information to viewers; it has grown to often expect the capability for owners and viewers to interact with each other via comments but even today not all blogs have viewer commentary options so I’m thinking my efforts qualify?

It has been a labor of love and a wonderful resource/repository for myself, friends, family and as I found out when I took it down for a re-design once…others too!

I’ve been working diligently towards moving A LOT of recipes from the website to this blog (as evidenced by many without photos), but admit I enjoy the creative process of cooking, photography and blogging something new much more. I have a creative side that has always shown itself in decorating my home, creating an outdoor space and in cooking for family and friends but the photography piece is new and challenging. Very challenging! I enjoy it and am sort of amazed myself how it’s taken over space in my home. (Today I decided that I don’t need that huge dining room table everyday…out is coming a big leaf from the table allowing more space for a 2nd small table for photo stuff!)

The recipe I used for this anniversary post is from Colorado Classique – the latest cookbook by The Junior League of Denver. I’ve been collecting cookbooks from the Junior League since moving to Denver almost 25 years ago. I wanted something with local flavor and Colorado Cache, published in 1978, was where I discovered both my favorite Flank Steak recipe and one of my all time favorite desserts, French Silk Pie.

That first cookbook was spiral bound and I’ve actually had to replace it from so much use but the later versions are beautifully bound and photographed and Colorado Classique is no exception. Great photos abound along with a superb collection of recipes from hundreds of home cooks and 25 of the finest restaurants and hotels in Colorado.

Some interesting facts about Colorado Classique:

The Junior League of Denver’s 2009 cookbook Colorado Classique spent more than 10 weeks on the Denver Post’s best-seller list.
Released last June (2009), the cookbook has sold more than 50,000 copies to date (3.25.10), making it the second most successful cookbook in the Denver League’s history during it’s first year. Colorado Colore (published 2002) currently holds first place after selling 85,000 copies in its debut year.
Illustrated with photographs of breathtaking Colorado landscapes by noted photographer, John Fielder, who generously donated photographic rights for use in the book.
Eye-catching and innovative food photos plus a cover which were exclusively commissioned for the book by internationally renowned photographer, Rick Souders.
The recipe collection includes several new components, among them the nutritional content of each item, pairings with wine and beer, and a focus on fresh ingredients.
Each recipe was triple-tested by volunteers by The Junior League of Denver.

Now there is an opportunity for you to win this cookbook! I’ll be giving away one copy of Colorado Classique to a lucky reader; see details at the end of this post!

Another 1st was a tweetup held at my home last week. I’ve gotten to know so many wonderful Twitter peeps tweeps from all over the world, but surprisingly…not so much in Denver. When a friend on Twitter initiated putting a group together, I volunteered to host and make lunch for us from the Junior League Cookbook. There are so many wonderful recipes I wanted to try but thought it would be fun to use one of the restaurant recipes included so did the Bisteca dish from Panzano on 17th Street in downtown Denver. This was FABULOUS. Layers of flavor from pesto, mashed potatoes, steak, greens and gorgonzola cheese. It was a nice afternoon of meeting other tweeps (and a couple of non tweeps too!) including @mom2apreemie, @SabreMarketing, @clearviewwater and @jungledoug.

I had enough leftovers to invite neighbors over that night for my 2nd round; their comment? ‘What do we do to deserve you spoiling us like this?’ (My answer? Well, maybe helping with laundry and building steps to garage and so much more…their assistance has been immeasurable during my recovery from a broken leg!)

Here’s the recipe…please enjoy and don’t forget to enter for a chance to win Colorado Classique!

Bisteca

Ingredients

Pesto - I typically make pesto when I have a bunch of garden basil on hand which I don’t; so did a Sandra Lee and used a jar of pesto I had just bought from Costco!; but here is the recipe if you are making your own:

2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup pine nuts
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Potatoes

1 pound russet potatoes
3 Tbsp sweet butter
1/4 cup whole milk
Salt and Pepper to taste

Steak

4 4-ounce portions skirt steak (I substituted and grilled a flank steak; either one would be perfect)

Greens and Topping

6 ounces baby arugula (I substituted mixed greens)
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 oz Gorgonzola cheese

Preparation:

Prepare potatoes. I left the skins on. I think I like the flavor but I know I like the ease! Cook in salted water til fork tender, drain and either put through ricer or use potato masher til no large pieces remain. Add butter and milk. Combine thoroughly but do not overmix. Season with salt and pepper, cover and set aside.
Combine basil, garlic and pine nuts in a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Add olive oil and process until fully incorporated and smooth. Fold in cheese. If not using immediately, cover with a thin film of olive oil and plastic wrap pressed on the surface. Or, in my case? Open jar lid.
Grill steak to desired temperature; be careful with skirt or flank steak – both are lean and get tough and dry if cooked too long…I say NEVER more than medium and medium rare is best. Let rest before slicing into thin serving portions.
Toss greens with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and add salt and pepper to taste.

Presentation

Spread pesto on the bottom of 4 dinner plates; covering about 5-6 in radius
Place a large scoop of potatoes on top of pesto; spreading out but leaving some pesto showing
Place a couple of slices of flank steak on top of potatoes
Top steak with greens
Garnish with Gorgonzola

I served with fresh sliced tomatoes; it was perfect; enjoy!

Wine Recommendation
Anniversary meals call for a special wine – an opportunity to spend a bit more than you might on the everyday, Tuesday night bottle. The bisteca recipe that accompanies such an occasion melds an earthy component from the pesto and arugula with a savory richness of the beef and gorgonzola. The perfect bottle? A 2007 Pallieres Racines Gigondas. That’s a mouthfu!

Gigondas is where the wine comes from, a region located just next door to the famous Chateauneuf du Pape. This wine is loaded with delicious fruit and tannins that can stand up the the big beef flavor, but also provides secondary, earthy and gamey flavors that will work well with the pesto and greens. Enjoy!

I promised a contest so if you like the looks of this dish, you will love this! The Junior League of Denver has graciously offered me one of their Colorado Classique cookbooks to award to a lucky participant. Here’s how to enter; please read carefully, I know you don’t want to have your entry disqualified!

Required Entry:

1. Leave a comment telling us whether you think this our 1st or 15th anniversary of food blogging!

Bonus Entries:

Follow @vinoluci on Twitter and RT this post. We’ll make it easy; just copy and paste this into your status:
RT @vinoluci We’re giving away Junior League/Denver cookbook! Fab recipe 4 Panzano’s of #Denver Bisteca! http://tiny.cc/koddk
(Note: you MUST be following @vinoluci for this entry to count)
Sign up for our RSS feed or EMAIL subscription. Come back, leave a separate comment letting us know you’ve done so.
Become a liker/fan of VinoLuci on FaceBook. Again, come back, leave a separate comment letting us know.

Contest will be open until midnight, Friday, July 2, 2010 MDT. Contest is open to US and Canada only please. (yes, I listened Peter!).

Winner will be chosen by my dog…um, I mean random.org and notify by Monday July 5th.

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Tagged as: balsamic, Beef, flank steak, gorgonzola, mashed potatoes, olive oil, pesto, Salads

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Jamie July 10, 2010 at 6:14 am

Sweetheart, first or fifteeth, what counts is that you are here and doing a fab job! Your cooking talent is amazing! Your are kind, generous and funny (a hoot!) and I am so happy that i can count you as a true friend. Happy Birthday and many many more! And this bisteca looks fabulous! Yum! I love community cookbooks like this one.