A Painter In The House and Hungry Painter Sandwiches

I am having my living room, kitchen and hallways painted. 

I have a painter in my house. 

For the next 4 days.... 

Now, in case you don't know this about me by now, no one gets out of my home without being fed. It's what I do. I feed people. And what better people to feed than people doing work in your home?? 

Hungry. Grateful. Did I mention hungry? AND an incentive to KEEP working... no need to leave for breakfast, coffee or lunch breaks.. everything you need is right here. 

Hungry Painter Sandwiches with two sauces (feeds the painter and the family)

1 whole tenderloin of beef (Always wondered what to do with these babies? Here's the recipe)

3 heads of garlic, separated and skinned

1/2 cup olive oil

1 1/2 tablespoons salt

2 teaspoons pepper

plastic ziplock bag

10-12 ciabatta rolls or hard(ish) rolls of choice. Baguettes work equally as well. 

Start this the morning of or the night before serving. (Morning = dinner, night before = lunch)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Trim your tenderloin or have the butcher do it. You will get some cubes, some scrap (feed to the dog or cook down for a base for a sauce)

Slice the tenderloin between a 1/4 and 1/2 inch thick. Press down each slice with the palm of your hand to flatten and stretch the meat. 

Place the garlic cloves in a pie or cake plate, add olive oil, salt and pepper and stir to combine. Roast in the oven until soft - about 30-45 minutes, stirring halfway through.

When garlic is soft and mashable, cool. Add garlic and accompanying oil to sliced beef in a ziploc bag. Squeeze to combine. Place in fridge to marinate at least 4 hours and up to 18.

When ready to begin cooking: Preheat grill to high.

Lay meat out single layer on grill. Grill about 45 seconds to 1 minute per side. 

Remove to platter, tent and let rest.

Cut rolls or baguettes. Smear cut side with smashed garlic. Grill, face down for a few seconds to crisp. 

Layer meat on rolls, passing these two sauces:

Chipotle Pepper Steak Sauce (my family's favorite)

2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

1/4 teaspoon (or more) chipotle pepper flakes, ground

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon sherry wine vinegar

Mash garlic, paprika, pepper flakes and salt in mortor or with back of spoon. Whisk in remaining ingredients. Cover and chill. Can be made 2 days in advance.

ps. This sauce is kind of the new color in my living room!

Gorgonzola Sauce: (adapted from Barefoot Contessa, Copyright 2001)

2 cups heavy cream

2 to 3 ounces crumbly Gorgonzola cheese (don't use creamy or dolce)

1 1/2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, grated

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh minced parsley

Bring the heavy cream to a boil. Watch carefully, it will boil over on you! Continue to boil until thick, like a white sauce, stirring occasionally. This will take 30-40 minutes. 

Once thickened, take off heat and stir in cheeses, salt, pepper and parsely, whisking until blended. 

You can make this ahead, just rewarm, whisking vigorously to bring the sauce back together. Serve warm.

Painting is hungry work. Pass a couple of sandwiches to the painter, along with the side sauces.