From Biba’s Northern Italian Cooking, by Biba Caggiano

Filet Mignons Piedmont-Style

Filetto alla Piemontese

• 4 slices white bread
• 6 tbs butter
• 2 tbs anchovy paste
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 4 filet mingnons, 3/4 inch thick
• salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1 cup dry Marsala wine or sherry
• 1/3 cup whipping cream, if desired
• 10 to 12 very thin slices white Italian
  truffles, if desired

Remove crust from bread. Melt 3 tbs butter in a medium skillet. When butter foams, add bread. Cook over medium heat until golden on both sides. Place bread on a large ovenproof platter. Spread 1/2 tbs anchovy paste on each slice of bread. Keep platter warm in oven. Remove butter from skillet and clean with paper towels. Melt 3 tbs butter with oil. When butter foams, add filet mignons. Cook over medium-high heat 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Season with salt and pepper. Add 1/2 cup Marsala or sherry. Deglaze skillet by stirring to dissolve meat juices attached to bottom of skillet. Cook meat over medium heat to preferred doneness. Place a filet mignon on each slice of bread. Keep warm. Add remaining Marsala or sherry and cream, if desired, to skillet. Stir over high heat until sauce has a medium-thick consistency. Spoon sauce over meat. Top with truffle slices, if desired. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.

From Williams-Sonoma Meats & Poultry

Old-Fashioned Rib Roast

A sublime rub for rib roast, and perfect for smaller cuts of steak on the grill

• 4 tsp coarse or kosher salt
• 3 tbs minced fresh thyme or 2 tsp dried thyme
• 1 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 2 large cloves garlic, minced
• finely grated zest of 1 lemon or lime
• 1 beef rib roast, 6-7 lb, trimmed of excess fat
  and tied at 1-inch intervals
• 2 tbs olive oil

Prepare a charcoal fire for indirect-heat cooking in a grill with a cover or preheat a gas grill to low. In a small bowl, stir together the salt, thyme, pepper, garlic, and lemon zest. Pat the roast dry with paper towels. Rub with olive oil, then rub the salt mixture over the surface of the meat.

Place the roast, rib side down, on the grill rack over indirect heat. Cover the grill and open the vents halfway. Cook for 45 minutes. Replenish the charcoal fire with fresh coals. Turn the roast rib side up and cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest portion of the roast away from the bone registers 135°F for medium-rare, about 15 minutes longer.

Remove the roast from the grill and transfer to a cutting board. Cover loosely with aluminum foil and let rest for 10 minutes. To serve, snip and discard the strings. Carve the meat into slices 3/4-1 inch thick and arrange on a warmed platter or individual plates. Serves 6

From The Italian Ingredients Cookbook

Fennel, Orange and Arugula Salad

Insalata di Finocchio

• Ingredients
• 2 oranges (blood oranges or Cara Cara
  are a colorful counterpart)
• 1 fennel bulb
• 4 oz arugula leaves
• 1/3 cup black olives (Kalamata are best)

• Dressing
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 small garlic clove, crushed
• salt & freshly ground black pepper

With a vegetable peeler, cut strips of rind from the oranges, leaving the pith behind, and cut into thin julienne strips. Cook in boiling water for a few minutes. Drain. Peel the oranges, removing all the white pith. Slice them into thin rounds and discard any seeds.

Cut the fennel bulb in half lengthwise and slice across the bulb as thily as possible, preferably in a food processor fitted with a slicing disc or using a mandoline.

Combine the oranges and fennel in a serving bowl and toss with the arugula leaves.

Combine the oil, vinegar, garlic and seasoning and pour over the salad, toss together well and let stand for a few minutes. Sprinkle with the black olives and julienne strips of orange. Serves 4