Not much has changed since then. As I had previously posted, I went to San Diego to visit my parents for Christmas. My dad was excited to here of my new found love for cooking! We decided to make Italian steak heroes, delicious little sandwiches with a robust flavour. This recipe was inspired by Susanna Tee’s recipe found in The Steak Book. It’s especially great for a group of people. Enjoy!

Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 20-25 minutes
Makes: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 small red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 3 1/2 oz white mushrooms, finely chopped
• 1 cup fresh ground steak
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 4 ciabatta rolls (or any type of roll will work)
• extra virgin olive oil, for bushing
• 2 3/4 oz / 75 g mozzarella cheese
• 2 tbsp fresh basil (or 2 tsp dried basil)
• salt and pepper to taste

Steps

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat, add the onion,
   garlic, red bell pepper, and mushrooms, and cook, stirring occasionally, for
   5-10 minutes until softened and browned.
2. Add the ground steak and cook, stirring frequently for 5 minutes until browned on all sides.
3. Add the wine, tomato paste, and salt and pepper to taste, and let simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.
4. Split the bread rolls in half and brush both halves with extra virgin
   olive oil. Put the bottom halves onto a piece of foil and spoon an equal
   quantity of the sauce on the top of each, if desired.
5. Add sliced cheese to the tops of the rolls. Press down gently and wrap in the foil. The longer you let them sit out (though no more than an hour) the more flavourful they will be. Regardless, they taste delicious no matter when you eat them!

I always purchase my beef from Wild Oats Natural Marketplace. They have all-natural meat without antibiotics, artificial hormones or growth-promoting drugs. I highly recommend purchasing organic meat from such stores or your local butcher. It’s much better quality meat and it definitely tastes better.

Personally, I am a garlic lover! I must have got it from my dad, heh. But that’s a good thing! Garlic tastes great and it is quite good for you too! It gives a nice sweet punch to the steaks. I’m also a pepper lover too, so this recipe has a little extra added to it.

Prep: 15 minutes
Outdoor Grill: 25-30 minutes
Indoor Grill: 8-10 minutes
Makes: 2 servings

Ingredients

• 5 to 6 whole garlic bulbs
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 2 teaspoons peppercorns, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 (8 oz.) top sirloin steaks, 1 inch thick

Steps

1. Put spices on steaks and message into the meat with your fingers.
2. Make a slit in each steak. Cut garlic bulbs in half and insert into slit in steak.
3. Since it is the middle of winter, I used my George Forman grill for these steaks. It took about 8 minutes to reach medium. I like my steak a little more cooked, so I left them on for a couple of extra minutes. On a grill it would take around 18 to 22 minutes to reach medium.