fancy dinner that doesn't taste as pretty

so this was another one of our "fancy" dinners but it looked a lot better that it ended up tasting. it was good, but for the amount of work and the pprettyness of it we expected a more rich and flavorful meal. tomato stuff would probably have been better with grape tomatoes instead of plum and maybe if we'd used the right cut of steak it may have been a bit better too. anyway, it was still fun to make something that looked so good!


both recipes from martha's everyday food, may 07

spinach-stuffed flank steak 3.5/5
serves 4, time:55m

2pkgs frozen spinach
1/4c parsley
1/4c grated asiago we used italian blend
2T capers, rinsed didn't use these either; tom hates capers apparently
2T balsamic vinegar
1 garlic clove
1/4t red pepper flakes
s&p
1# flank steak we used a skirt steak by mistake
1t olive oil

heat broiler 4" from heat. line rimmed sheet with foil. squeeze water out of spinach
mix spinach, parsley, cheese, capers, vinegar, garlic and pepper flakes. add s&p and combine.
cut/open steak almost in half horizontally, like opening a book
place mix down center of steak, roll, and secure with twine. cut in half and place seam down on sheet, rub with oil and season with s&p
broil til browned; 8-10m for med-rare, rest loosley covered with foil 10m
remove string and cut into 1/2" rounds, serve

white bean and tomato saute 3.5/5
serves 4, time:15m

1T olive oil
1sm onion, chopped
1/2t dried oregano
s&p
1 can, 15oz, white beans, drained and rinsed
3 plum tomatoes, cut in sm pieces
1-2T fresh lemon juice

in lg pan heat oil, add onion and oregano, s&p. cook til tender, 4-5m
add beans & tomats. cook til tomatoes are tender, 3-4m.
remove from heat and add lemon juice s&p

don't get me wrong, it was a great meal. it just wasn't as good as we thought it'd be. but wow it looked pretty! keep eating...