What We Eat When We Eat Alone Part 6

But Cliff is no stranger to a steak. "I'll do a pan-seared marinated tri-tip soaked in a two-week-old not-so-great bottle of red wine that I couldn't bring myself to throw out," he says. "Gotta pat dry the steak before searing it, of course. I'll have it with spinach cooked in cream and with chive b.u.t.ter. I always make compound b.u.t.ters with leftover herbs. You know how you buy a little package of tarragon or chives, and then it just sits in the fridge? This way you extend its life."

How many of us have watched two dollars' worth of chives gradually yellow, then wither away just because we didn't get around to figuring out what to do with them beyond the dictates of a single recipe? What a waste! Especially when cooking for one. If you don't happen to have an herb garden-and most people don't, sad to say-fresh herbs other than parsley and cilantro can get pretty pricey. Herb b.u.t.ter lets you use every leaf and repays you with its flavor later. It will be used and loved. And it's not only good on the steak, but on potatoes, in soups, and with vegetables of all kinds.

Although simplicity is one of the advantages of choosing a steak, chop, or hamburger for dinner, some men go for more complex doings. John, the bartender at Lola's, a Cuban restaurant that enjoyed far too brief a stay in Santa Fe, inspired another meat dish. Over a mojito, Patrick extracted a recipe from him that is our most complicated one by far, but eminently doable and worth doing, though perhaps for a party rather than a meal alone, unless, like John, you plan to eat off of it all week. The recipe is for a stuffed, rolled flank steak, pierced with toothpicks or bound with twine, then grilled.

"I like my mother's cooking," John says. "She's Hungarian and my father's Italian. I always buy fresh and love to cook on the grill. When it comes to a flank steak, marinate it," he says. "Just use an Italian vinaigrette. Then make mushroom duxelles."

Responding to Patrick's blank look, he adds, "Basically, you take mushrooms and chop them up fine, squeeze all the water out, then saute them in b.u.t.ter with scallions."

So far, so good.

"Then I grate Swiss cheese, crumble bacon, about eight strips, get parsley, and put it all in the center of the flank steak. You roll it up, wrap it like a football, put toothpicks through it, and grill."

He makes it sound easy, and it definitely sounds easier than his other favorite dish, another stuffed meat concoction, only this time one involving a chicken. It's an impressive one, and it's even more impressive to think that John would cook this just for himself. We suspect that he may not be telling the truth.

"Carefully strip all the skin off the chicken," he begins. "Take off all the meat. Throw away the bones and stuff the chicken meat in the Cuisinart. Add ham and pistachios and blend. Also buy two chicken b.r.e.a.s.t.s. Cut them into big pieces and throw them into the mix. Then put it all back in the chicken skin. Make a little sack out of it, take cheesecloth, soak it in melted b.u.t.ter, then wrap the whole thing up like an Italian cheese that looks like a pumpkin."

This required a napkin note, a diagram.

"Then you bake it until a meat thermometer reads 'chicken is done.'" And so are you, we imagine.

The director of his own theater company turns to jerked pork when he's on his own. "Marinate a pork tenderloin in jerk sauce from the store," John Flax says, "then grill it. You're supposed to serve it with plantains, but I eat it with baked acorn squash and greens, either collard, mustard, or beet greens, and sometimes a combo of all three."

This sounds like an eminently doable meal too, even with the plantains. But they could be the final straw for many a single man. Meat, greens, and squash are already an impressive showing.

Jerk sauce provides a solution for another man who douses chicken with it. "I'll marinate a bunch of chicken b.r.e.a.s.t.s in jarred jerk sauce, then pan-fry them in any oil," he says. "You make some rice along with it and the chicken goes on top of the rice. Add greens. Kale, collards, chard, mustard, beet greens, or broccoli raab," he suggests. "A green is a good thing."

Chicken soup almost skips the jerk sauce, but not the bird. Joe Simone says that when he's alone, he browns a whole chicken in oil, adds carrots, onion, celery, fennel, and whole sage leaves along with some mashed garlic and a squeeze of lemon. Then he adds chicken broth, covers the pot, and simmers until done. The chicken gets sliced, then served in a bowl with polenta. "This way you can make a chicken last for a couple of days," he explains.

Of course, any whole chicken will last a single eater for more than a few days, but with the broth and vegetables, this sounded like a particularly satisfying and unusually well-balanced meal. Once you've made it, the vegetables are there, waiting for you.

Grilled Wine-Marinated Tri-Tip A few men mentioned cooking a tri-tip and having it around for a few days' worth of sandwiches, so we bought one from a local rancher and cooked it, following Cliff's lead of marinating it overnight in red wine. Others suggested using a flank steak instead. Either way, you'll want to slice it very thin, particularly if it's gra.s.s-fed beef, which tends to be extra lean and not as tender as grain-fed.

1 TRI-TIP, WEIGHING 2 TO 3 POUNDS.

2 CUPS RED WINE.

2 TABLESPOONS OLIVE OIL.

2 GARLIC CLOVES, SLICED.

SALT AND PEPPER.

CHIVE b.u.t.tER.

1. The night before you plan to cook it, cover the tri-tip with the wine, olive oil, garlic, and plenty of freshly ground pepper. Put it all in a ziplock bag and refrigerate. When you think of it, squish it around in the bag so that all the meat is exposed to the marinade.

2. When you're ready to cook it, let the meat come to room temperature. Remove it from the marinade, set it on a few layers of paper towels, and blot with more paper towels, getting it as dry as you can.

3. Heat a cast-iron skillet over a high flame until very hot-you can tell when you place your hand over it; you'll feel a thick heat. Brush olive oil over the meat, season it well with salt and freshly ground pepper, then drape it into the skillet and sear on both sides just until brown. Reduce the heat to low. Cover the pan and cook until the internal temperature reads 125 degrees F, about 25 minutes for medium-rare. Remove to a plate and let rest for 10 minutes, then slice thinly across the grain. Have some warm for dinner, with chive b.u.t.ter melting over it, then use the rest for sandwiches.

Chive b.u.t.ter (and other herb b.u.t.ters) One way to make chive b.u.t.ter is to puree the chives to make a b.u.t.ter that's green throughout. Another is to snip the chives, then cream them into the b.u.t.ter. Combine methods and you end up with a green b.u.t.ter flecked with chives. This is a very flexible sort of thing. It doesn't even have to be chives. Any other fresh herbs, really, will be good here too-parsley, marjoram, oregano, dill-alone or in combination.

1 BUNCH CHIVES.

1 STICK b.u.t.tER, SOFTENED.

GRATED ZEST OF 1 LEMON.

A FEW PINCHES SALT, TO TASTE.

WHITE OR BLACK PEPPER.

1. Thinly slice the chives and throw most of them into a bowl with the b.u.t.ter. Chop the remainder with a knife so that they break down, and add those to the b.u.t.ter as well. Mix the chives, b.u.t.ter, and lemon zest with a wooden spoon or your hands until well blended. Add a few pinches of salt and some freshly ground pepper.

2. Set aside any b.u.t.ter you plan to use right away, then sc.r.a.pe the rest of the b.u.t.ter onto a piece of wax paper and roughly shape it into a log. Wrap it up, then draw the log through your thumb and forefinger to stretch it into a uniform cylinder, and freeze until needed. Take it out and cut off rounds of b.u.t.ter to use at will.

Where to Use Chive b.u.t.ter Cliff used his chive b.u.t.ter on steak, but all herb b.u.t.ters are good over fish and chicken, too. When it comes to the plant world, consider stirring a green-flecked round of b.u.t.ter into a potato soup, a bowl of polenta, a pot of rice, or putting it on a baked potato or a dish of lentils. As it melts, it seasons your dish and flecks it with bits of green. Once you have herb b.u.t.ter on hand, you'll find it provides instant enhancement of all kinds of warm foods.

Spicy Herb Salad An herb salad startles the tongue and makes a lively side to all kinds of foods, especially meats. Everything is torn rather than chopped. If you have an herb garden, don't hesitate to include herbs other than those mentioned here, such as sorrel, lemon thyme, marjoram, different kinds of basil, and chives.

1 HANDFUL SMALL SPINACH LEAVES.

1 HANDFUL CILANTRO LEAVES.

1 HANDFUL ANY OR ALL OF THE FOLLOWING HERBS: ITALIAN PARSLEY ARUGULA DILL SPRIGS LOVAGE OR CELERY LEAVES SMALL MINT LEAVES, TORN.

2 SCALLIONS, INCLUDING SOME OF THE GREENS.

SALT.

1 TABLESPOON EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL.

1 TEASPOON FRESH LEMON JUICE.

Tear or cut the spinach and cilantro into bite-size pieces, pluck or tear the herbs, and slice the scallions. Toss all the greens together with a few pinches of salt, then drizzle with olive oil. Toss well to coat the leaves, then toss one more time with lemon juice. Taste and add more oil or lemon juice, if needed.

Lamb Chops with Tingle-and-Burn Spices To get the tingle-and-burn spices this solo eater was drawn to, we made a sauce of pure ground red chile, garlic, spices, and olive oil. It definitely added those elements.

The Lamb 2 OR 3 LAMB CHOPS.

SALT AND PEPPER.

GROUND c.u.mIN.

A FEW PINCHES OF RED PEPPER FLAKES.

OLIVE OIL.

JUICE OF 12 LEMON The Sauce 1 LARGE GARLIC CLOVE.

SALT.

1 SCANT TABLESPOON GROUND RED CHILE.

14 TEASPOON EACH OF GROUND c.u.mIN, CORIANDER, AND CARAWAY 1 TABLESPOON OLIVE OIL.

1. Rub the lamb chops with plenty of salt, freshly ground pepper, c.u.min, and red pepper flakes. Drizzle a little oil over the meat and then squeeze the lemon over all. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour. Let the chops return to room temperature before cooking.

2. To make the sauce, smash the garlic in a mortar with a few pinches of salt to break it up. Add the chile and spices and work them into the garlic with the oil.

3. Grill your lamb chops on an outdoor gas or charcoal grill, or a ridged pan placed over high heat, for a few minutes on each side or until they're as done as you like them. Let them rest on a plate for several minutes, then spread the sauce over them. Serve with the spicy herb salad.

Kaftes Here is our interpretation of Sari's lamb kaftes and cuc.u.mber-yogurt salad with mint, which we serve with bulgur or rice. Because one pound of lamb will make enough of these little sausage-shaped meats for four big eaters, a single eater might want to use only half that much. And if you don't want to eat them twice in a week, shape, then freeze the meat that you don't cook, and it will be there waiting for you.

Kaftes are absolutely delicious grilled over a wood fire, but if it's winter and snowing, or if you don't have a grill or want to light a fire for yourself, they can be cooked to good effect on a ridged cast-iron pan, which happens to leave nice-looking grill marks as a bonus.

12 POUND GROUND LAMB 1 SLICE BREAD.

12 ONION, GRATED 2 TABLESPOONS CHOPPED PARSLEY.

12 TEASPOON BLACK PEPPER 12 TEASPOON GROUND c.u.mIN 12 TEASPOON PAPRIKA 14 TEASPOON ALLSPICE 12 TEASPOON SALT 1. Put the lamb in a bowl. Cover the bread with water and let it stand until soft while you grate the onion on the large holes of a standing grater. Add the onion to the lamb along with the parsley, spices, and salt. Squeeze the water out of the bread, add the bread to the bowl, and then mix everything together until the meat begins to develop some elasticity. You can do this in a mixer, or just get your hands in the bowl and knead the meat until you sense a change. Cover, refrigerate, and let rest for an hour for the seasonings to blend.

2. If you're going to grill the meat, fashion it into torpedo-shaped pieces, then stick your skewer right into the middle of each one and squeeze the meat around it. If using a pan, you won't need the skewers.

3. Cook the kaftes on the grill or in a hot lightly oiled pan, turning them as they color, until they feel firm and are beautifully browned on the outside, about 10 minutes, depending on how big they are. Serve with rice or bulgur, cuc.u.mber salad, or, as Sari suggests, a salad of sliced tomatoes with olive oil and mint.

Cuc.u.mber-Yogurt Salad Scaled back to make one generous serving, grated cuc.u.mber gives this dish an almost sauce-like texture. If you prefer more discrete elements, seed, then dice the cuc.u.mber instead. This is a refreshing salad to eat with all kinds of food, and it can appear as one of several salads in salad meals. In summer, it's practically thirst quenching.

1 GARLIC CLOVE, NOT TOO LARGE, COa.r.s.eLY CHOPPED.

14 TEASPOON SALT 12 CUP YOGURT 1 CUc.u.mBER, PEELED.

3 PINCHES DRIED MINT LEAVES OR 2MINT LEAVES, FINELY CHOPPED.

OLIVE OIL.

1. Smash the garlic in a mortar with the salt until it's smooth, then stir in the yogurt.

2. Grate the cuc.u.mber on the large holes of a standing grater, stopping when you get to the seeded middle part. Discard that. Squeeze what will be a considerable amount of moisture out of the cuc.u.mber, then mix the cuc.u.mber with the yogurt. Put it in a dish, garnish with the mint, and drizzle just a little olive oil over the surface.

Meatb.a.l.l.s with Tomato Sauce Like kaftes, meatb.a.l.l.s are made with ground meat mixed with breadcrumbs, onion, and various seasonings. But they're round, browned, then simmered in tomato sauce rather than grilled. They freeze well and can be reheated as needed, which, in the eyes of some, makes them a perfect bachelor food. Patrick makes them extra-large, while Peggy Markel, a cook who leads cooking tours, makes her spicy Moroccan meatb.a.l.l.s about the size of big marbles. One could do the same with these, or go for an in between size. We use local gra.s.s-fed beef, bison, or a mixture-very lean but flavorful meats.

1 POUND GROUND BEEF OR BISON.

A HANDFUL OF PARSLEY LEAVES, FINELY CHOPPED WITH 1 LARGE GARLIC CLOVE.

1 SMALL ONION, FINELY DICED.

12 CUP BREADCRUMBS, FRESH OR DRIED 12 TEASPOON DRIED OREGANO 1 EGG.

12 CUP (OR MORE IF MEAT IS VERY LEAN) GRATED ASIAGO OR OTHER GRATING CHEESE SALT AND PEPPER.

2 TABLESPOONS OLIVE OIL.

TOMATO SAUCE.

1. Crumble the beef into a bowl, then add the chopped parsley, onion, breadcrumbs, oregano, egg, and cheese. Mix with your hands. Season with 12 teaspoon salt and freshly ground pepper, and mix again. Fry a little bit of the meat, then taste it to see if you've got the seasonings right; add more if needed.

2. Shape the meat into b.a.l.l.s with your hands, making them as large or as small as you wish. Two- or three-inch b.a.l.l.s seem like good sizes--substantial, but not too large.

3. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat if using gra.s.s-fed beef or bison, slightly higher heat if using fattier meat. When hot, add the meatb.a.l.l.s and brown them, turning them so that they color more or less evenly.

4. Bring the tomato sauce to a simmer in a wide skillet. Add the meatb.a.l.l.s and simmer gently until they're cooked through, about 20 minutes depending on the size. Serve with polenta or spaghetti.

Bartender's Flank Steak Stuffed with Mushrooms and More Flank steak may be familiar fare for many, but it was unknown to us until we made this dish suggested by Lola's savvy bartender. A few things to note. First, it's really good. Second, a 1-12-pound steak served five women and one man, so as a solo dish, you'd probably want to cut this back to a pound. Third, it's obvious that having beef with bacon and cheese flies in the face of a number of culinary and dietary no-no's. However, we did cut way back on the offending additions, leaving just enough for great taste. While spinach wasn't mentioned as one of the fillings, it is good here. We recommend cooking a large bunch of spinach, chopping it up, and sprinkling it over the meat before adding the mushrooms.

1 TO 1-12 POUNDS FLANK STEAK JUICE OF 1 LARGE LEMON, ABOUT 3 TABLESPOONS.

SALT AND PEPPER.

12 POUND CRIMINI MUSHROOMS OR OTHER FRESH MUSHROOMS OLIVE OIL, AS NEEDED.

1 SHALLOT, FINELY DICED.

1 TABLESPOON CHOPPED PARSLEY.

3 PIECES THIN OR 2 PIECES THICK BACON.

1 LARGE BUNCH SPINACH, STEMS REMOVED AND LEAVES WASHED BUT NOT DRIED.

1 CUP GRATED GRUYeRE OR JARLSBURG CHEESE.

1. Ask your butcher to run the steak through a tenderizer. It really does make it tender, even if it looks a little lacy. Though now not necessary, you can still put the perforated meat in a dish with the fresh lemon juice, salt, and freshly ground pepper, and set it aside while you get all the fillings together. (If the meat wasn't tenderized, a stay of an hour or more in the marinade is needed to help make the meat tender.) 2. Rinse the mushrooms quickly in a bowl of water, then pulse them 6 or 7 times in a food processor to break them up so that they're finely chopped. Heat the oil in a wide skillet, add the mushrooms and shallot, and cook over high heat, stirring often, until the mushrooms have released most of their liquid, after about 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste.

3. Fry the bacon until crisp, then crumble up thin pieces or, if thick, chop it. Wilt the spinach in a wide skillet until it's tender and bright green, after just a few minutes. Put it in a strainer and press out as much liquid as you can, then chop it coa.r.s.ely.

4. To a.s.semble the dish, lay the steak on a work surface. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper if it hasn't been seasoned already. Spread the mushrooms over the meat, followed by the bacon, spinach, and finally, the cheese. Roll it up and tie with kitchen string to keep the fillings intact, or skewer with toothpicks. Refrigerate until an hour before you are ready to grill, bringing it to room temperature before grilling.

5. To cook, preheat a gas grill on high until hot. Brush the meat with olive oil, then put on the grill, turning it every few minutes until the whole surface has been seared. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 20 minutes if the meat was put through a tenderizer, up to 30 minutes if it wasn't, or until a meat thermometer reads 125 degrees F. Remove to a platter, cover loosely with foil, and let rest for 10 minutes before snipping the string and slicing the meat into rounds.

Chicken Soup Almost Why almost? Because the point wasn't to make enough broth for a soup, but to end up with a sauce to moisten the chicken and vegetables. This is a straightforward, practical, and rather comforting dish you can eat from for days-and not always in the same way. But choose a small bird so that you don't get tired of it. Three pounds is plenty. This is a somewhat improvisational dish, so you can use different vegetables and more or less of them. You can also use chicken parts rather than a whole bird; and if you're not one to eat off a dish for days, you can simply make a smaller version.

1 WHOLE SMALL CHICKEN OR 6 CHICKEN PARTS.

SALT AND PEPPER.

OLIVE OIL FOR FRYING AND FINISHING.