Blue Cheese Steak Puttanesca

Yesterday was a glorious sunny day here in Newfoundland; our native readers will know how much we appreciate those. It was about 15 degrees C on my back patio and the grill just cried out to be sparked up.

Monday is our "madness" day in terms of kid activities like music lessons, basketball and dance, making it the busiest day of the week for us with only an hour or so window to sneak in a quick family meal and this one fit the bill perfectly.

I had some over-ripe brown kumato tomatoes in the fridge that needed to be used up, so I decided to dress up the striploin steaks that were earmarked for the backyard grill with a quick and simple puttanesca sauce and some melting crumbled extra cream blue cheese on top. My nursing student niece at nearby Memorial University dropped by and appreciatively lucked into an extra steak. Gotta feed the learning brain!

Don't like blue cheese? Try a smoked cheese like mozza, cheddar or gouda.

Serves 4

4 striploin steaks about 1 inch thick
kosher salt and pepper to season

Grill on high heat to taste, about 3 1/2 minutes per side for medium rare.

Rest the steaks for 5 minutes before topping with the puttanesca sauce and crumbled blue cheese and popping under the broiler for only a minute or two before serving with a simple salad or pasta.

Puttanesca Sauce

Over medium heat in a sauté pan add

2 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves minced garlic

Cook for a minute to soften the garlic before adding:

6 -8 medium sized tomatoes, diced
1 tbsp brown sugar
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
pinch chili flakes (optional)
3 tbsp chopped capers
salt and pepper to season (careful, capers can be salty)

Simmer together, stirring occasionally until the sauce is reduced and thickened to a jam-like consistency. In the final minute of cooking stir in

3 tbsp chopped fresh basil

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