My Night Off from the Kitchen

I love winning a good bet, especially when it means the loser has to cook me a gourmet dinner. Recently I had the pleasure of winning a bet against my husband and rubbing his nose in it. He decided that "gourmet dinner" meant steak, mussels and shrimp. Ah, a man after my own heart. I was already starving and we had only just stepped out of the market with our ingredients in tow. 

For the next couple of hours, I was on the couch sipping wine, watching bad TV and occasionally asking him if he needed my help (and secretly hoping he'd say "no"). Here is what my prize gourmet dinner consisted of.

Shrimp and Avocado Salad

2 avocados

10 cooked shrimps roughly chopped (he used rock shrimp)

2-3 tablespoons tzatziki (don't knock it till you try it)

salt and pepper to taste

1. Cut the avocados in half, remove the pits and scoop out the flesh into a bowl. Keep skins for later.

2. Add shrimp, tzatziki and salt and pepper and mix.

3. Spoon mixture into the avocado skins. They make great bowls for the salad.

Next came an absolutely mind-blowing plate of mussels. As tasty as they were, they were a bit on the heavier side and we decided next time we'd make only the mussels and eat them paired with a delicious white wine. 

Grilled Mussels with Herbed Bread Crumbs 

Recipe adapted from Alex Guarnaschelli from "Alex's Day Off"

1/2 cup olive oil

4 garlic cloves peeled and pressed

1 cup bread crumbs

1 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

2 sprigs mint chopped

3 dozen mussels scrubbed clean

1 lemon

salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat double-burner grill or grill pan.

2. In a small skillet heat the olive oil on low heat. Add garlic and stir with a wooden spoon. Add some salt and wait a couple of minutes for garlic to soften, but not brown. 

3. Stir in bread crumbs and chopped herbs. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.

4. Scatter mussels on the grill in a single layer. As the mussels open quickly remove them with tongs and place on a serving platter. Once they're all done, squeeze the lemon juice over them and spoon over the bread crumb mixture. Serve hot.

As if the mussels weren't amazing enough, my husband also cooked a bistecca tagliata. 

Bistecca Tagliata 

Adapted from Adam Rappaport's recipe in "GQ"

1 thick rib-eye steak

1 bunch arugula

1 bell pepper 

1 lemon

Parmigiano-Reggiano 

Extra virgin olive oil

sea salt and pepper to taste 

1. Season steak with salt and pepper and bring to room temperature. 

2. Grill till your desired doneness, but medium-rare works best with this recipe. Slice bell pepper in half and grill it. Set the steak aside and let it rest for five minutes. Remove bell pepper from grill and slice it.

3. Scatter arugula on a serving dish and layer a few slices of the cheese over it. Cut a few lemon wedges and place on platter.

4. Put the steak on a cutting board and slice it against the grain. Lay over the arugula and pour over any juices. Arrange the bell peppers over the steak. 

5. Drizzle some olive oil and sprinkle some sea salt. 

This dinner was finger-lickin' good. I love it when my husband decides to cook. Can't wait till his next gourmet meal. 

Happy cooking! 

Comments

[Stephanie]

Yum! I would be more than happy to win a dinner like that. Great prize!

[Baking Serendipity]

Looks delicious! I bet you enjoyed it even more because you didn't have to spend all the time making it, and could gloat over a win as you ate :)

[Edward]

Winning and a great dinner, sounds like you won twice. A great post!

[E]

Congrats on winning the bet! With a meal like that you better wager a few more. Cute story.

[Tina]

Wow, amazing! My husband used to cook...

[Torviewtoronto]

Looks delicious and looks like you had fun fabulous

[Squeaky Gourmet]

WOW--quite a spread there! You got that dinner and full control of the remote while he cooked! It must have felt like Father's Day for YOU! :D

[Karina]

I knew I introduced you two for a reason!!! Miss you guys so much. Great blog dude keep em coming and tell Len that he could cook for me anytime...no bet needed! ; )