Back to Basics

I suspect the Italian Stuffed Flank Steak in The New Basics Cookbook has nothing to do with Italy, but I’m in love with it nonetheless. It’s impressive and beautiful looking, and the layers of flavor are amazing. A butterflied flank steak topped with proscuitto, roasted red peppers, and a spinach pesto, and then the whole thing is rolled up jellyroll-style and baked. And if – if! – there’s any leftover, it’s so good even when it's cold.

I’m still cooking regularly from The New Basics even after owning it for 20-some years. By now the spine is busted, and the pages are dog-eared and smudged with ingredients. It was my very first cookbook, and it still ranks as one of my favorites.

Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins (who passed away last year) made their reputation with the Silver Palate cookbooks, in the days before The Food Network and celebrity chefs abounded. They sold the Silver Palate brand to get out of the fast lane, but came back in 1989 with The New Basics Cookbook, and that’s the book that earned them the primo spot on my bookshelf.

It’s big, with over 800 pages of recipes and lots of tidbits and insights into ingredients and entertaining (in fact, the first 80 pages are all about cocktail parties and dinner parties), and decorated with illustrations by Lukins.

The recipes can look complex and intimidating, and the ingredient lists might seem long, but the authors are meticulous in their explanations, so there’s little guesswork for the cook. With a lot of cookbooks – even good cookbooks – after you’ve made something, following the recipe meticulously, you think about how you’d do it differently the next time. Rosso and Lukins have created recipes with rich, well developed flavors, and I’ve never wanted to alter anything I’ve made from this cookbook.

Every dish I’ve tried has been flavorful and impressive. Some of my other favorites are Bayou Dirty Rice, Prosciutto Onion Bread (which I just made over the weekend – again), and Chicken with Sausage, Prunes, and Apples.

It says a lot about the merit of a cook book that after 20 years New Basics is worn out from continual use.

The New Basics Cookbook (Buy it here)
By Julee Rosso & Sheila Lukins
(Workman Publishing, New York, 1989)

Italian Stuffed Flank Steak

Italian Stuffed Flank Steak
(from The New Basics Cookbook by Julee Rosso & Sheila Lukins, Workman Publishing, New York, 1989)

Roasted red peppers, prosciuttto, and a hot red cherry pepper provide a striking contrast to the flavor of flank steak. Try serving this at room temperature, cut into ¾-inch slices and arranged on a serving platter garnished with crisp arugula and slivered Belgian endive, sprinkled with small black imported olives.

8 ounces fresh spinach, trimmed and well rinsed
1/c cup dried bread crumbs
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic
3 red bell peppers, roasted
1 flank steak (about 1 ½ pounds), butterflied
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto
1 fresh hot cherry pepper, cored, seeded, and minced

1. Preheat the over to 350°F.

2. Place the spinach in a saucepan with just the water that clings to the leaves. Cover, and cook over medium heat until wilted, 5 minutes. Drain in a colander, and press out the excess moisture with the back of a spoon.

3. Combine spinach, bread crumbs, Parmesan, olive oil, and garlic in a food processor and puree until thick and smooth. Transfer to a bowl.

4. Peel, core, and carefully seed the roasted peppers. Cut them in half.

5. Open the steak on a work surface, and season with salt and pepper. Arrange the prosciutto in one layer on the steak. Top with a layer of the roasted peppers. Then spread the spinach mixture over them, and sprinkle with the minced cherry pepper.

6. Starting with a long side, roll the steak up jelly-roll style. Tie it with string at 2-inch intervals, and brush with a little olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Place steak in a shallow baking pan.

7. Bake 40 minutes for medium-rare. Cool slightly, or to room temperature, before slicing and serving.

4 to 6 portions