Friday Finds: Beef Skewers with Cherry Tomatoes and Parsley Sauce

That Giada never lets me down.

For the second week in a row, this Friday Find recipe comes from my favorite chef Giada de Laurentiis. This recipe can be found in Giada at Home. Are you familiar with this cookbook? It's one of her more recent books and they recipes in it are less traditionally Italian and are more fresh Californian with an Italian twist.

This meal was a big hit with my husband-- the biggest in a while, for sure. The combination of the rich grilled steak and the sweet blistered tomatoes is perfect. The parsley sauce is tangy and herbaceous (I love that word) and works really well in Giada's marinade/serving sauce combo. Alex gobbled it up and said the meal reminded him the carne asade with chimichurri that he orders every time we go to his favorite Mexican restaurant-- just less Mexican, more Italian.

Since this recipe is super flavorful, I kept the side dish simple. I sauteed shallots and garlic in a little olive oil at the bottom of a saucepan, then added dry brown rice and reduced fat/sodium beef broth in lieu of water. It's very little work, but it gives great flavor to the rice and is a perfect compliment to a more complex beef entree like this one.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups fresh Italian flat leaf parsley leaves
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 Tbs. red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp. granulated sugar
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 lbs. beef fillet, cut into 3/4 inch cubes
• Canola oil, for greasing the grill
• 40 cherry tomatoes (about 2 pints) *Make sure you use cherry tomatoes. Grape tomatoes can be too small and delicate and will burst and shrivel up quickly.

In the bowl of the food processor, blend together the parsley, garlic, vinegar, pepper flakes, sugar 1 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. black pepper, until smooth. With the machine running, gradually add the olive oil and process until incorporated. Spoon half of the sauce into a large zip-locking plastic bag. Spoon the remaining sauce in a small serving bowl; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Put the beef in the bag with the parsley sauce. Toss well to coat the beef. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 3 hours.

Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. Lightly oil the grill pan or the grilling rack with vegetable oil.

Thread the skewers, starting with a cherry tomato, then a cube of beef. Repeat with another cherry tomato and another cube of beef. Continue with the remaining skewers.  Grill the skewers for 2 to 3 minutes on each side (for medium-rare) or until desired doneness. *I grilled them on a grill pan for much longer and still ended up with pink centers. Season with salt and pepper.

To serve, arrange the beef skewers on a serving platter. Drizzle with the reserved parsley sauce or serve the sauce on the side as a condiment.