1.

pound thin pound thin asparagus asparagus, tough ends trimmed

Juice of lemon

2.

tablespoons chopped or snipped tablespoons chopped or snipped chives chives, 10 blades, for garnish

Drizzle some EVOO over the steaks to coat them lightly. Get a nonstick skillet screaming hot and add the meat. Cook for 3 minutes on each side for medium rare, 4 for medium to medium well. Transfer the steaks to a platter and pull the pan off the heat to cool for a minute.

Pat the scallops completely dry. Drizzle some EVOO over the scallops and season them with salt and pepper. Get a skillet screaming hot and cook the scallops for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until they are well caramelized.

Bring 2 inches of water to a boil in a clean medium skillet for the asparagus.

Return the pan you cooked the meat in to the stove over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of EVOO, once around the pan. Add the shallots and garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the sweet vermouth and cook until reduced by half, 30 seconds or so. Add the butter to the pan and swirl to incorporate to finish the sauce.

Add the asparagus to the boiling water. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until just tender and bright green. Remove to a plate and dress the asparagus with the lemon juice, a drizzle of EVOO, and salt and pepper.

Place each tenderloin steak on a plate and drizzle the Manhattan sauce over the top. Arrange 2 scallops on top of each steak and garnish with the chives. Serve the asparagus spears alongside.

TIDBITYour scallops may still have the adductor muscle-a thin, tough strip that attaches the animal to its shell-intact. If so, nick it off with your fingers.EXPRESS LANE SHOPPING LIST - [image]4 inch-thick tenderloin steaks tenderloin steaks - [image]8 large diver sea scallops diver sea scallops - [image]1 pound thin asparagus asparagus - [image]1 bunch fresh chives chives LIQUOR STORE.

- cup sweet vermouth sweet vermouth (but if you drink Manhattans, you've got this On Hand!) (but if you drink Manhattans, you've got this On Hand!) And make sure you have the following On Hand: - EVOO - Salt and black pepper - Shallot - Garlic - Butter - Lemon

Three-Vegetable Penne with Tarragon-Basil Pesto With veggies and pasta in one dish, there's no need to make any sides-plus, you only have to wash one pot!

4 SERVINGS.

Salt

1.

pound pound penne rigate penne rigate (ridged) pasta (ridged) pasta .

pound pound asparagus asparagus, tough ends trimmed

1.

small small zucchini zucchini .

pound pound haricots verts haricots verts (thin green beans) or regular green beans, stem ends trimmed (thin green beans) or regular green beans, stem ends trimmed .

cup cup pine nuts pine nuts

1.

cup fresh cup fresh basil basil, about 20 leaves .

cup fresh cup fresh tarragon tarragon, leaves stripped from 10 to 12 stems

A handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley flat-leaf parsley

Zest of 1 lemon

1.

garlic clove garlic clove, peeled .

cup grated cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, a couple of handfuls, plus more to pass at the table cheese, a couple of handfuls, plus more to pass at the table

Coarse black pepper

cup cup EVOO EVOO (extra-virgin olive oil; eyeball it) (extra-virgin olive oil; eyeball it)

Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Salt the water, add the pasta, and cook to al dente; it should still have a bite to it. Cut the asparagus spears on an angle into 2-inch pieces. Cut the zucchini into matchsticks. Cut the haricots verts or green beans on an angle into 2-inch pieces. Add the vegetables to the pot with the pasta after the penne has been cooking for about 5 minutes. Boil the veggies and pasta together for 2 minutes.

While the pasta is working, toast the pine nuts in a small dry skillet until golden, then cool. Place the nuts, basil, tarragon, parsley, lemon zest, garlic, cup of cheese, and a little salt and pepper in a food processor. Turn the processor on and stream in the EVOO until a thick sauce forms.

Scrape the pesto into a large, shallow serving dish. Add a ladle of hot, starchy pasta water to the pesto. Drain the penne and veggies and immediately add them to the pesto. Toss to coat the pasta and vegetables evenly. Adjust the salt and pepper to taste. Serve with extra grated cheese to pass at the table.

EXPRESS LANE SHOPPING LIST.

- [image] pound asparagus asparagus - [image]1 small zucchini zucchini - [image] pound (2 handfuls) haricots verts haricots verts or green beans or green beans - [image] cup pine nuts pine nuts - [image]1 bunch fresh basil basil - [image]1 bunch fresh tarragon tarragon And make sure you have the following On Hand: - Salt - Penne rigate - Flat-leaf parsley - Lemon - Garlic - Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese - Coarse black pepper - EVOO

Steak, Fried Onions, and Potatoes Salad Bowl with Blue Cheese Vinaigrette This is like a steak dinner with onion rings, steak fries, and salad with blue cheese dressing, all chopped up in a bowl together. If you skipped lunch, this is your payoff.

4 SERVINGS.

1 pounds very thin cut pounds very thin cut beef shell steak beef shell steak ( inch thick) ( inch thick)

cup cup EVOO EVOO (extra-virgin olive oil), plus some for coating the meat (extra-virgin olive oil), plus some for coating the meat

Grill seasoning, such as McCormick's Montreal Steak Seasoning

1.

tablespoon tablespoon Worcestershire sauce Worcestershire sauce (eyeball it) (eyeball it)

2.

teaspoons teaspoons Dijon mustard Dijon mustard

3.

tablespoons tablespoons red wine vinegar red wine vinegar (eyeball it) (eyeball it)

pound pound blue cheese blue cheese

Salt and and black pepper black pepper

4.

cups chopped cups chopped romaine romaine, 2 hearts