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Steak with Friends:
At Home, with Rick Tramonto

by Rick Tramonto with Mary Goodbody

Fans of Rick Tramonto, the talented and celebrated Chicago chef, now can get to know another Rick Tramonto, a spiritual family man who loves entertaining friends at home. Steak with Friends: At Home, with Rick Tramonto is the first of Rick's seven cookbooks to invite readers into his home, sharing his food, faith, and family.

Why steak? As Rick says in the introduction, not only is it one of his favorite foods, but for many Americans it represents the ultimate luxury. If you're going to indulge, you'll want to be a confident cook with a surefire recipe and good advice, and Rick provides exactly that. In this cookbook, Rick shows cooks how to reproduce the delicious flavors of his great steak house food at home.

And steak with friends? To Rick it means relaxing together, sharing good stories, great music, home- cooked food, "living life as it should be celebrated." If you're more concerned with the culinary than the camaraderie, "friends" also applies to the fantastic food and drink that go so well with a mouthwatering steak. From Truffled Mac and Cheese, Creamed Spinach, and Cheddar and Guinness Soup with Bacon and Croutons to Killer Chocolate Pudding and a cool, thirst-quenching Cucumber Tonic, the recipes can be mixed and matched according to your preferences.

And Rick doesn't expect you to serve only steak as the main attraction. Other beef classics including Beef Wellington and Mom's Meat Loaf are here, as well as recipes for fish, lamb, pork, and poultry. You won't want to miss the Grilled Sea Bass with Tomatillo-Tomato Relish, Grilled Chicken with Roasted Squash Salad, and Braised Pork Shanks with Lentils.

The book's 150 recipes are sophisticated yet easy to prepare, particularly with sage advice from the chef. Rick teaches the secrets to choosing and grilling a perfect steak, suggests music to listen to while cooking particular dishes, and shares favorite drink pairings and recipes. He also offers wisdom on a multitude of topics from kebabs and marinades to a variety of wines and how to store fish at home.

With recipes geared toward home chefs and accented with warm photography of Rick, his family, and his beloved Chicago, Steak with Friends is for anyone who loves grilling or cooking at home with friends and family. Whether you're wild for Bone-in Rib-Eye and Twice-Baked Potatoes with Irish Cheddar or gravitate toward Spicy Tuna Rolls and Grilled Broccoli Rabe, you'll be at home with Rick and Steak with Friends.

About the Authors
Renowned chef Rick Tramonto has been in the restaurant business for more than 30 years. He is executive chef/partner of the Chicago area restaurants Tru, Tramonto's Steak & Seafood, and RT Sushi Bar & Lounge. In 1994, Food & Wine magazine recognized him as one of the nation's Top Ten Best New Chefs, and in 2002 he was named Best Chef of the Midwest by the James Beard Foundation. In 2007, Tru won the James Beard Out- standing Service Award. Rick is an accomplished cookbook author with six previous titles. He has been featured in national newspapers and magazines, and on national television, including Top Chef Masters in 2010, Top Chef and Iron Chef. He lives in the Chicago area with his family.

Mary Goodbody is a nationally known food writer and editor. Her credits include Tru, Amuse-Bouche, Fantastico!, and Taste Pure and Simple. She lives outside New York City.