Deals, Bowling.

Bowling Thursday afternoon, one of the owners told me there was a special on rib roasts at the supermarket. We called in on our way home but it doesn’t start til Friday. We will be back. It then occurred to me I used to get their flyers by email every week. I have tried my damnedest to get on to their site but apparently something is wrong and I cannot get there. I will have to try and remember. We always buy a couple of their rib roasts when they have them on special as they are usually a good deal. I love the taste of roast beef once in a while. Roasted the English way of course.

For some reason, bowling wore me out yesterday then we had to do some running around to deliver Avon and by the time I had cooked supper I was totally knackered. We didn’t have too bad a bowling day though as far as scores were concerned. I checked also, we will be bowing on Thanksgiving Monday. That’s fine for us, not sure how many people will be there though. We usually have our turkey on the Saturday anyway, and have little to do on the Monday.

I devour artichokes in large numbers when I get the chance so this recipe is right up my street. Sadly Matt isn`t even vaguely interested in them so maybe I could just serve him the beef. By the way, a pet peeve of mine, in the English speaking world it`s Parmesan NOT parmigiano. Saying parmigiano is, in my opinion, being pretentious

Beef Involtini with Artichokes

Contributed by Ylenia Sambati

SERVINGS: 6

Artichokes are a major crop in Puglia, and in this dish from Ylenia Sambati. They’re wine-braised with simple rolled slices of beef stuffed with fresh mozzarella, Parmesan and parsley.

1. 12 thin slices of beef round (about 1 1/2 pounds total), pounded 1/8-inch thick
2. 6 cherry tomatoes, halved
3. 4 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/2-inch dice
4. 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
5. 24 parsley leaves, plus minced parsley for garnish
6. Kosher salt
7. Pepper
8. 1 lemon, halved
9. 6 medium artichokes
10. 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
11. 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
12. 2 garlic cloves, minced
13. 1 1/2 cups dry white wine
14. 1/2 cup water
15. 6 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, cut into thin strips
16. 1 tablespoon pine nuts, toasted

1. Spread out the slices of beef on a work surface and place a cherry tomato half, 4 pieces of mozzarella, 1 teaspoon of Parmigiano and 2 parsley leaves in the center of each. Fold in the sides, roll into a packet and secure with toothpicks. Season with salt and black pepper.
2. Squeeze the juice from 1 lemon half into a bowl of water. Working with 1 artichoke at a time, discard the dark green outer leaves. Cut off the top inch of the artichoke, then peel and trim the bottom and stem. Halve the artichoke lengthwise and scoop out the furry choke. Cut each half in half again, then rub the quarters with the remaining lemon half and add them to the lemon water.
3. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil. Cook the involtini over moderately high heat, turning, until browned on both sides, 9 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
4. Add the crushed red pepper and garlic to the skillet and cook until fragrant. Stir in the wine, water and sun-dried tomatoes. Add the artichokes and bring to a boil. Cover and cook until almost tender, 20 minutes. Return the involtini to the skillet, reduce the heat and simmer until the artichokes are tender, 10 minutes. Transfer the involtini and artichokes to plates. Season the sauce and pour it on top. Sprinkle with the pine nuts and minced parsley and serve.

Have a great day