Dishing It Out

I've Moved!

2011-09-21T22:50:00.000-05:00

Update your bookmarks - I moved to my new domain name and have switched over to WordPress (sorry Blogger).

http://www.culinarycolleen.com/

It's still under construction, but all of my posts have been migrated. There seem to be a zillion design options in WordPress, so I would love some feedback on how I've set things up so far.

Three Bean Chili

2011-09-13T21:50:00.001-05:00

What I love about making chili is that it’s so easy to improvise. It turns out differently every time, but only gets better and better.

I used three types of beans for this version – black, pinto, and kidney. The base consisted of cooked down onions, red bell pepper, and poblano pepper. A few chipotle chilis gave it a smoky heat, and a mixture of ground chili, cumin, coriander, and oregano rounded out the flavor. We made this to eat while watching the first Pats game of the season, so adding a bottle of beer seemed appropriate.

This chili was the perfect match for beer and football. Beware though, it was quite spicy.

Three Bean Chili

Vegetable oil
2 large sweet onions, chopped
1 poblano pepper, seeded and chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp. coriander seed, toasted and ground*
1 tbsp. cumin seed, toasted and ground*
1 tbsp. Mexican oregano
1 tsp. hot chili powder (not a chili blend, just chili powder)
3 chipotle peppers, chopped
1 12-oz bottle of dark beer (we used Brooklyn Brown)
1 28-oz can of whole tomatoes
1 14-oz can black beans
1 14-oz can pinto beans
1 14-oz can kidney beans
1/3 c. cilantro, chopped
2 scallions, thinly sliced
Juice of half a lime
Avocado, for serving
Greek yogurt or sour cream, for serving

*I toast the whole seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat until lightly brown and fragrant, and then grind them.

Cook the onions in some vegetable oil over medium heat for about 15 minutes. Add the chopped poblano and red bell pepper. Cook for another 15 minutes until the vegetables are soft and lightly caramelized.

Add the garlic, coriander, cumin, oregano, chili powder, and chipotles. Cook for five minutes.

Add the beer and turn the heat up to high. Cook for about five minutes and add the tomatoes, crushing them before adding them to the pot. Once the tomatoes are simmering, add the beans.

Cook the chili for about an hour, adding water if it gets too dry. Right before serving, add the cilantro, scallions, and lime juice. Top with sliced avocados and a dollop of greek yogurt or sour cream. Crack open a beer.

Doubles

2011-09-08T15:53:00.000-05:00

While brainstorming “tropical” things to cook for dinner on the night of the hurricane, Matt thought of a dish he had tried called Doubles. They’re a street food from Trinidad and Tobago that he described to me as spicy, curried chickpeas sandwiched between fried flatbreads and served with a variety of hot sauces and chutneys. I was sold.

We threw together a probably not-very-authentic but extremely tasty version of Chana Masala as the filling, and then found a recipe for the fried bread, which are called “bara,” on Saveur. For sauces, we used both a store-bought chutney and Jamaican jerk hot sauce. It was a perfect thing to cook on a (very) rainy day.

Doubles

For the Filling

Vegetable oil
½ a yellow onion, chopped
1 fresno chili pepper, seeds removed and minced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp. fresh ginger, minced
1 tsp. cumin seeds, toasted and ground
1 ½ tsp. garam masala
1 ½ tsp. chili powder
Shake of turmeric
2 tbsp. whole milk yogurt
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1 can of chickpeas, drained
Handful of cilantro, chopped

Start by sautéing the onion in some oil over medium heat. When it starts to soften, add the fresno chili, garlic, and ginger. Let this cook for a couple of minutes until softened, and then add the cumin, garam masala, chili powder, and turmeric. Cook for another minute or so, until the spices are fragrant. Add the yogurt and tomato paste. Let this mixture cook down so that it resembles a paste (about five minutes).

Add the chickpeas and just barely cover with water.

Let the mixture cook until the chickpeas are heated through. Then, scoop out roughly a half cup of the mixture and blend.

Return the blended chickpea mixture back to the pot.

At this point, you just want to cook it until the flavors come together. We let it sit on the stove while we cooked the bread, adding a little bit of water here and there if it dried out too much. Add the fresh cilantro at the very end before serving.

For the Bread
(Adapted from Saveur)

1 cups flour
1/2 tsp. active dry yeast
1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
1 ¾ tsp. kosher salt
1/8 tsp. sugar
3/8 c. water

Whisk together the flour, years, turmeric, salt, and sugar. Add the water and mix with a wooden spoon until a soft dough forms.

Turn out the dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Lightly oil the dough and transfer to a large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, transfer to a warm place, and let it rise for about 1 ½ hours.

After it has risen, divide the dough into 8 1-ounce portions and form into balls. Press each ball until it resembles a thin disk.

Heat some vegetable oil to about 325 degrees and fry the bread one portion at a time, flipping once, for about 30 seconds total.

Transfer the breads to a paper towel lined tray and sprinkle with salt while they’re still hot.

Assembling

I assembled all four “sandwiches” before serving and put them on a platter, but you could also just make them as you go.

We topped our doubles with a drizzle of jerk sauce and a nice heap of mango chutney. It was a spicy, sweet, and crunchy combination of goodness!

Restaurants: A Single Pebble

2011-09-06T21:22:00.001-05:00

I had read some mixed reviews of A Single Pebble but thought the menu looked really tasty, so Matt and I thought we would try it for lunch last week. While I’m not exactly sure they serve very authentic Chinese food, everything tasted really fresh and surprisingly light.

I got the Spicy Sichuan Noodles with Chicken. The chicken was incredibly moist and was served on top of the noodles with some lightly sautéed bok choy. The sauce had a kick, but wasn’t as spicy as I had expected. The noodles themselves were great, and the portion was very generous!

Matt ordered some Scallion Pancakes. These were definitely the favorite out of everything we ordered. Even though they were fried, they didn’t taste greasy. They also actually tasted like scallions.

Matt also got the Pan-Fried Vegetable Potstickers. The posticker wrappers had that nice chewy-crisp texture, but we thought the filling was just a little bland. They weren’t bad, but weren’t the standout.

We shared the Coconut Tapioca Pudding for dessert. It was intensely coconut flavored without being too sweet. It was layered with fresh, tart blueberries and topped with some toasted coconut. It was simple and fantastic.

The lunch menu was very reasonably priced, I thought. The dinner menu does seem a little pricy, which seems to be part of why this restaurant gets criticized, but I think the freshness of the food is worth it. I’m hoping to make it back here for dinner before my time in Burlington is over!

A Single Pebble
133 Bank St
Burlington, VT 05401

Restaurants: Redbones

2011-08-30T10:34:00.001-05:00

Redbones is my favorite neighborhood hangout. The food is delicious and dirt cheap, and they are serious about their beer. The best time to go is definitely during lunch, in my opinion, as it can turn into kind of a madhouse at dinner. I also love sitting at the bar when possible.

They were actually open on Sunday during the hurricane, so we walked down there for lunch. We stuck to some of our favorites from their diverse beer list: Matt got a Brooklyn Brown and I got a Sixpoint Bengali Tiger.

We always order way too much food and can hardly ever make a dent, but I love getting a variety. The portions are just so big! This time, we started with the fried pickles and jalapenos, which were served with a homemade ranch dipping sauce. They’re always perfectly crunchy (which can be tricky with fried pickles) and well seasoned.

Matt is a vegetarian, so usually gets some assortment of sides and fried things. This time, he got the hushpuppies as part of his meal. They are basically puffy balls of delicious fried corn bread with scallions and garlic, served with a vinegar sauce.

He also got the corn fritters, which I always have to sneak a bite of. They taste like corn doughnuts and are served with real maple syrup. They could definitely pass as dessert.

We always get one of each of their sauces: sweet, hot, mild, and vinegar. My favorite is the sweet, but they’re all worth a try.

I often opt for their sliders rather than one big sandwich so I can have more variety. However, each slider is honestly enough for a meal. This time I got two (for the blog, of course): jerk beef (above) and pulled chicken (below). Each is served on a soft little bun with coleslaw and a pickle. The jerk beef just melts in your mouth and has a great kick. The tender beef with the soft bun, crunchy pickle, and creamy slaw is the perfect little bite.

The pulled chicken slider is similarly assembled, but the chicken is much sweeter. I like to put the sweet sauce on the jerk beef, and the spicy sauce on the sweet chicken.

I should mention that the ribs are also fantastic even though I didn't get any this time. The St. Louis style is my favorite, but you can’t go wrong with any of them.

Since the sliders don’t come with any sides, I ordered some potato salad. Their potato salad is one of my favorite things on the menu. It’s almost like a hybrid between potato salad and mashed potatoes – how can you go wrong with that? It’s creamy, but also tangy, and is downright addicting.

We often order a side of the atomic corn relish to go with everything. It stays true to its name – this stuff is seriously hot. I am a huge fan of anything spicy, and I can only tolerate the smallest bit of this relish on my food. However, it presents a nice challenge! It is also surprisingly flavorful, if you can tolerate the spice.

You have to save room for at least a bit of pecan pie at Redbones. They just have a really good, classic pecan pie with that sticky-sweet filling topped with the crunchy pecans.

It was the perfect end to another great meal at Redbones.

Redbones
55 Chester Street
Somerville, MA 02144

Eggs In Purgatory

2011-08-28T18:57:00.000-05:00

I’m not sure how the name Eggs in Purgatory came about, but it’s basically eggs baked in tomato sauce. It’s also my new favorite brunch dish.

The dish is very basic and starts with a good tomato sauce. My go-to tomato sauce is the Rich Tomato Sauce from Marco Canora’s Salt to Taste. The recipe calls for cooking crushed cloves of garlic in olive oil until soft, then adding good canned tomatoes. You cook the tomatoes for about 30 minutes and then puree, adding in chunks of cold butter to make it a little bit creamy along with some fresh basil. I just love how simple it is, and it always comes out great.

I make a lot of variations on Marco Canora’s sauce, so I made a slightly spicy version of it this morning with fresh oregano instead of basil. We had a version of eggs baked in tomato sauce from Posto recently that was very heavy on the oregano, and it was delicious! I also upped the olive oil and garlic a little bit and omitted the butter, thinking that the eggs would provide enough creaminess in the dish.

Once the sauce is ready, the rest comes together quite fast. We used the eggs in purgatory recipe from Serious Eats as a guide for how long and at which temperature to cook the eggs. We also cut and toasted some thick slices of bread to put the eggs on.

Eggs in Purgatory

¼ c. extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed
½ tsp. red chili flakes
1 28-oz can tomatoes (we like Trader Joe’s brand)
Fresh oregano
4 eggs
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Freshly grated parmesan cheese (optional)
Thick slices of bread

Heat the oil in a pot over medium heat and add the cloves of garlic and chili flakes. Cook for about 5 minutes until lightly golden and soft, adjusting the heat if necessary. Meanwhile, preheat the overn to 375 degrees. Add the tomatoes, crushing them a little bit with a wooden spoon. Season with a little bit of salt and pepper. Simmer for about 30 minutes.

When it’s ready, the tomatoes will be broken down and the oil will kind of separate and be on top of the sauce.

Add some fresh oregano (a sprig, more or less) and puree using a hand blender. Taste, and then season with salt and pepper if necessary.

Transfer some of the sauce to an oven proof casserole dish. There will be sauce left over, but it never goes to waste at our house. Crack four eggs into the casserole.

Cook the dish in the 375 degree oven for about 12 minutes. Toast the bread in the oven in the last five minutes of cooking time. To ensure that the yolks stay runny, take it out right as the whites begin to set and all turn white. They might not look quite done, but they will continue to set after you take it out of the oven.

Dip the bread right into the dish, or spoon the eggs and sauce right over the bread. You can also top it with a little bit of freshly grated parmesan cheese and/or some flaky sea salt. It’s such a simple but incredible combination.

Restaurants: Trattoria Delia

2011-08-19T09:30:00.000-05:00

Matt and I checked out Trattoria Delia last night. Yelpers rave about this place, calling it the best Italian food in northern Vermont. I’m always skeptical about places hyped this much, but I went with an open mind.

The interior was very old-school (not in a good way), with the big wooden door, dark walls, and fancy tablecloths. I was immediately turned off when we sat down and our waitress placed a bottle of wine on our table. I’m pretty sure this is a technique the Olive Garden uses to sell more wine. I guess they think that if you see it, you’re going to buy it. Sure enough, they swiftly took away the original bottle when we ordered our own bottle of wine. I thought this was really tacky.

A few things on the menu struck me as odd. Almost every pasta dish had cream and sounded extremely heavy. Don’t get me wrong – I wasn’t coming here for a diet meal – but their combinations just sounded too rich. Also, random words in their menu descriptions were in Italian, which were italicized to show, I can only assume, how “authentic” the restaurant is.

“Wood-grilled fish of the day served with a marinata of olive oil, garlic, lemon, parsley and black pepper.”

None of these things would really matter to me if the food was good.

We started with the bruschetta. The first piece I tried had so much garlic that it actually burned the roof of my mouth. I couldn’t even taste the tomatoes. The second was lighter on the garlic, but still lacked flavor. I was at least hoping for some basil, but instead we got a few leaves of wilted arugula and a couple of sad olives

Matt ordered the Orecchiette con Fricone, which was described as a fried tomato sauce with crushed garlic, red pepper, and arugula. This was probably the most successful dish of the night, but it still wasn’t great. The pasta was cooked inconsistently and we both expected there to be more tomatoes.

I ordered the Gamberoni, which were blue prawns coated with bread crumbs and then grilled over a wood fire. It came with parsley infused olive oil and so-called “grilled vegetables.” The shrimp were overcooked and the olive oil didn’t add much flavor. The vegetables were a definite afterthought. The green beans were mushy and unseasoned. The carrots tasted like they were honey glazed (yes, like the kind people eat on thanksgiving). For $25, I was hoping for some fresh, grilled summer vegetables.

I’m not sure why, but we stuck around for dessert hoping things would get better. We ordered the Profiteroles. The pastry was dry and rubbery and the gelato was flavorless. To cover up the quality of the profiteroles, they were drenched in a syrupy chocolate sauce.

I have to attribute all of the good reviews to the fact that there aren’t many Italian restaurants in the area. For what we paid for our meal here (a lot!), I really cannot say good things about Trattoria Delia.

Trattoria Delia
152 Saint Paul Street
Burlington, VT 05401

Restaurants: Firebird Cafe

2011-08-18T16:05:00.001-05:00

My 3 month stint working in Burlington, VT was made totally worth it when I discovered Firebird Café. Lunch at this bright little sandwich shop always makes my day.

The owner is always there, cooking and taking orders. The menu consists mostly of sandwiches and breakfast items, some with a Mexican flair. Everything is fresh, made to order, and the sauces seem to all mostly be made in house. There are usually only a couple of others working in the open kitchen, all very friendly. Even though it’s an order at the counter and take your number kind of place, someone always carries your food to your table and comes around to make sure everything is good.

Matt drove up to spend a few days in Burlington this week, so we met up at Firebird for lunch.

I usually get their iced green tea to drink, which is always delicious and refreshing.

Matt ordered the Supremo Burrito, which has eggs, red chipotle sauce, avocado, sour cream, and salsa. It came with a side of pico de gallo and home fries. It was simple, fresh, and flat out good.

They give you the option to get any sandwich as a wrap or a Panini. I usually choose wrap, but I switched it up today and got the Orchard Panini. It had smoked ham, brie, granny smith apples, and honey mustard. It was a simple combination of excellent ingredients. I particularly liked that the brie got perfectly creamy but the apples stayed crisp.

I snapped a not great picture on a different occasion of one of my favorite wraps on the menu. The Apollo has marinated and grilled chicken, roasted red peppers, cilantro, avocado, and chipotle mayo. Yum.

As you can tell, I love coming here. I would love to eventually own a place just like it!

Firebird Cafe
163 Pearl Street
Essex Junction, VT 05452

Rigatoni with Grilled Eggplant, Buffalo Mozzarella, and Mint

2011-08-17T22:55:00.001-05:00

I had pretty much been through all of my standard food magazines last week, so I reluctantly picked up a copy of Martha Stewart Living at the airport. I was skeptical, but I got a pretty amazing recipe out of it: Pennoni pasta with grilled eggplant, burrata cheese, thai chilis, and mint. It looked pretty incredible, so I used it as inspiration for my dinner the next night.

Whole Foods was out of burrata, so I used buffalo mozzarella to get a comparable creamy texture. I also couldn’t find a Thai chili in my quick grocery trip, so I used a serrano. Finally, I went with rigatoni instead of searching out the Pennoni pasta shape. I was in a hurry to get dinner on the table!

The grilled eggplant gave a great charred flavor, but also turned nicely creamy when mixed with the pasta. The combination of the eggplant and buffalo mozzarella made a luxuriously creamy sauce. The mint gave it some brightness and the chili gave it a nice kick. Another bonus - the dish came together extremely fast.

Rigatoni with Grilled Eggplant, Buffalo Mozzarella, and Mint
Adapted from Martha Stewart Living
7 oz. rigatoni
Extra virgin olive oil
1 medium eggplant
1 serrano chili
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
½ tsp. lemon zest
½ tbsp. lemon juice
Fresh mint, thinly sliced
3 ½ oz Buffalo mozzarella
Salt and Pepper

Heat the grill to high. Cut the eggplant lengthwise in ½ - ¾ inch slices and brush with olive oil. Grill, turning occasionally, until soft and cooked through.

Transfer to a cutting board and let cool. Chop coarsely.

Heat some olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook garlic until golden. Add the chili about halfway through cooking the garlic. When the garlic is cooked, add the cooked eggplant. Season with salt.

Cook the pasta to al dente, reserving some pasta water. Add the pasta to the skillet, along with a small ladle of reserved pasta water, the lemon zest, and lemon juice. Keep adding pasta water until the sauce reaches the consistency you want. Season with salt and pepper.

Finally, remove from the heat and stir in the burrata and mint.

Black Spaghetti with Shrimp and Chorizo

2011-08-17T21:59:00.002-05:00

My mom recently came back from a three week trip to Spain. The trip was to chaperone a school trip, but she was luckily able to spend a lot of time with a lot of family friends who live in Madrid. Her friend Nieves sent her back with, among other things, a package of squid ink dried spaghetti.

My only experience with squid ink in pasta was the amazing squid ink spaghetti dish with sopresatta, rock shrimp, and jalapeno pesto that I had at Babbo last year. I’m a huge fan of any pork and shellfish combination, and clearly love spicy food, so this dish was practically made for me. We found the actual recipe posted in Babbo’s recipe archives.

We used the recipe as a guide using what we had available. Since we don’t have Mario Batali’s means to buy fresh rock shrimp, we used medium sized regular shrimp from our trusty fish monger. We also had some spicy, cured Spanish chorizo that we used in place of the sopresatta.

We were honestly in awe of how well this dish turned out. The pasta itself was very midly fishy, as if there were just a touch of fish stock in the sauce. The jalapeno pesto was a little harsh on its own, but mellowed out nicely when it was briefly fried in olive oil and tossed with the hot pasta. With the addition of the sweet shrimp and the spicy, instense chorizo, it was just perfect.

Black Spaghetti with Shrimp and Chorizo
Adapted from Mario Batali’s Recipe

1 lb. black spaghetti
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, sliced
6 oz. fresh shrimp
1 c. sliced cured chorizo
4 tbsp. jalapeno pesto (see recipe below)
1 c. scallions (green parts only)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cook the pasta until just barely al dente. While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and cook until just cooked through. Remove the shrimp and set aside.

Turn the heat down to medium and add the garlic and chorizo.

When the garlic is toasted (but be careful not to burn it), add the jalapeno pesto and the cooked shrimp.

Drain the pasta and add it to the pan. Toss it with the sauce and cook for a minute or so longer until the pasta is al dente.

Jalapeno Pesto

3 c. jalapeno peppers, roughly chopped
½ c. sliced almonds
½ c. red onions, chopped
Salt
½ c. extra virgin olive oil

Puree all of the ingredients in a food processor.

It doesn’t look pretty, but I promise it’s good!

Restaurants: The Farmhouse Tap & Grill

2011-08-05T17:49:00.000-05:00

Unfortunately, my pictures of the best restaurant we tried all weekend didn’t come out very well. We ate dinner at The Farmhouse Tap & Grill on Saturday night and loved it so much that we went for lunch again on Sunday.

On Saturday night, we started with the Roasted Mushroom - Walnut Pâté, which was served with grilled bread, whole grain mustard, and pickled green beans. It was earthy, nutty, and had the great texture of a pesto. It was delicious spread on the grilled bread.

The waiter brought over the condiments served with every meal: root beer barbeque sauce, garlic aioli, whole grain mustard, and ketchup.

Matt ordered the Nitty Gritty Corn Griddle Cakes. They were served with roasted mushrooms, wilted greens, and buttermilk herb vinaigrette on top. I forgot to take the picture before Matt dug in, so it looks a lot messier than it really was. The griddle cakes were like normal pancakes but with cornmeal. The sweet pancakes went really well with the mushrooms and bitter greens. Matt was very pleased that he was able to get away with having pancakes for dinner.

I ordered the Venison Burger topped with arugula, tarentaise cheese, and preserved lemon aioli. I asked them to add some pickled jalapenos as well. This was definitely the best thing I ate all weekend. It was cooked perfectly (on the rare side of medium-rare) and was incredibly juicy considering how lean venison is. The cheese was incredible – creamy and nutty – and the preserved lemon aioli was to die for. There were actually small chewy pieces of preserved lemon that in the aioli. The bun was just the right amount of toasted hold the burger without getting soggy. This burger was just a special that night, but I hope they put it on their permanent menu!

We split the blueberry pie for dessert. The slice was enormous and packed with fresh blueberries. I would have preferred if it were warm, but it didn’t need much help since the berries were so fresh.

Now, onto lunch the next day…

Matt ordered the Farmhouse Veggie burger, which I believe was lentil based. It was topped with kimchi, arugula, and house pickled jalapenos. Matt opted to have a fried egg added on top, which was obviously a great decision. I stole a bite and it was a pretty amazing combination.

I decided on a veggie burger this time as well – the Smoky Portobello White Bean Burger. It was topped with fresh mozzarella, local tomato, arugula, and basil aioli (which I ordered on the side). Again, I added the pickled jalapenos. Anyone who says they don’t like veggie burgers needs to try a homemade one. The white bean patty was rich and creamy with a nice crust on the outside. The cheese on top even got a little caramelized. I would order both of these burgers again.

The Farmhouse Tap also has a great beer selection and beer garden in the back. I’m in love.

The Farmhouse Tap and Grill
160 Bank Street
Burlington, VT 05401

Restaurants: Penny Cluse Cafe

2011-08-02T20:01:00.000-05:00

There seems to be no shortage of breakfast restaurants in Burlington. I read a lot about Penny Cluse Café, so that’s the first place we tried over the weekend.

We both tried the Penny Pickler, which is a spicy, pickly version of their regular bloody mary. It was a little too chunky for my tastes, but I guess that has the benefit of not letting you drink too fast!

The standout of our breakfast was the biscuits. They were insanely buttery, but still had a light and flaky texture.

With a little bit of jam, they were heaven.

Matt ordered the Bellber Combo, which had french toast or pancakes (he chose french toast), 2 eggs any style (scrambled), and a side (homefries). To be honest, the french toast wasn’t great. It seemed like they didn’t let the batter soak through the bread.

The homefries, however, were killer. They were crispy and seasoned perfectly. I think there were some fried onions in there as well.

I got the Roasted Pepper and Egg Tacos. The eggs were scrambled with roasted red, green, and poblano peppers and then folded into soft corn tortillas with some jack cheese. I thought that the eggs needed a little salt, but they were tasty after I added some. They were served with pico de gallo, guacamole, red cabbage, and black beans.

Since I’m a sucker for hot peppers and anything pickled, I had to get a side of the pickled jalapenos. I stuffed them into my egg tacos for an added kick.

Our meal wasn’t entirely perfect, but the café had a great atmosphere, the service was great, and we had an enjoyable meal.

Penny Cluse Cafe
169 Cherry St.
Burlington, VT 05401

Restaurants: American Flatbread

2011-08-01T20:22:00.001-05:00

Matt and I kicked off our weekend in Burlington, Vermont with dinner at American Flatbread. I’m usually wary about restaurants with the word “flatbread” in their name (why not just call it pizza?), but a couple of people had recommended it. I figured if nothing else, they have a great beer list.

We split two “individual” sized pizzas. The first was the Roasted Tomato Salsa, which had homemade salsa, corn, black beans, cheese, and lots of cilantro. The crust was thin, crispy around the edges, but a little soft in the middle. It was good, but we weren’t blown away. I was also turned off by the square “slices,” but that might just be a personal pet peeve.

The combination of flavors went well together, but I think we both realized that we prefer a more traditional pizza.

Our second pizza was called the Revolution Flatbread. It had tomato sauce, caramelized onions, mushrooms, cheese, and fresh herbs.

This was definitely our favorite out of the two, but it was a little too light on the tomato sauce.

We got a side of their homemade hot sauce. It was spicy but flavorful, and gave a great kick to the salsa pizza.

Everything, including the beer, was good but not amazing. I guess I’m just picky about my pizza!

American Flatbread
115 Saint Paul St
Burlington, VT 05401

Banh Mi Picnic

2011-07-29T09:20:00.002-05:00

The day after our Summer Rolls and Satay, Matt and I made our own version of Banh Mis with our leftovers and picnicked. Banh Mis are Vietnamese sandwiches usually made on a baguette made partially with rice flour. They can include a variety of fillings, but they traditionally include pate, grilled meat or ham, pickled carrots and daikon, cilantro, butter and/or mayonnaise, and chili peppers. I am by no means an expert on the Banh Mi, but Serious Eats has a great article/rant all about them if you’re interested in what’s truly authentic. I can’t claim that ours were authentic, but they were delicious and the perfect picnic food.

We started with a French baguette, sliced mostly in half lengthwise but not all the way through. Since this bread was a little denser than the typical Bahn Mi baguette, I tore out a little of the inside to make room for the fillings. Then, I spread each side with a thin layer of room temperature butter.

Next, I added a layer of meat. I used leftover satay beef that I had marinated and grilled the night before. Matt used some fried tofu.

I sprinkled a sliced chili evenly around the sandwich (but I wish I had actually added more).

We had quick pickled the leftover carrots and cucumber from the summer rolls the night before, so I added a generous pile of those next.

I topped the pickles with a handful of cilantro, stems and all.

I then sprinkled some fish sauce over the top, because I love the stuff.

Finally, I added some squirts of Sriracha for even more heat.

We ate our Bahn Mis with a 2010 Mulderbosch Cabernet Sauvignon Rose, one of my favorites. I’m no expert in wine pairing, but I thought it went wonderfully.

Summer Rolls

2011-07-28T21:32:00.001-05:00

I absolutely love Vietnamese summer rolls, so last weekend I decided to learn how to make them myself to get my fix. I find that a lot of places make them too far ahead of time (I’m looking at you, Whole Foods); by the time they come to me, the rice paper loses the nice chewy texture. The natural solution was to learn to make them myself!

I read a lot of recipes and kind of combined them so I could use the fillings I wanted. I usually order them with shrimp and pork, but I made them at home with just shrimp to keep it simple. I used lots of herbs – cilantro, basil, and mint – as well as some cooked rice noodles, lettuce, carrots, and cucumber. I love when they’re served with that peanuty hoisin sauce, so that’s what I tried to replicate. I used a recipe from this website, which called for hoisin sauce, peanut butter, garlic, and chilis. It turned out to be exactly what I had in mind.

All of the components can be made ahead of time. I boiled the shrimp for just a couple of minutes and shocked them in cold water to stop them from overcooking. I poured hot water over the rice noodles and let them soak for somewhere between 5 and 10 minutes – just enough to get them soft, but not mushy. I find that they turn out perfectly when I rinse them in cold water when they just start to get chewy. The rest of the ingredients just require chopping. The real trick is to get them rolled correctly, which I found takes some practice.

Ingredients

Summer Rolls

Rice paper
Cooked shrimp, sliced lengthwise
Rice noodles, cooked
Carrots, shredded (I used a peeler to achieve this)
Cucumbers, cut into long, thin strips
Romaine lettuce
Fresh cilantro
Fresh basil (Thai basil would be even better)
Fresh mint

Dipping Sauce

1 c. hoisin sauce
¼ c. smooth peanut butter
1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 hot chili, minced

Start with all of the summer roll ingredients ready to go. The assembly happens fast.

Dip a rice paper into a bowl of hot water (but not boiling). Remove it as soon as it gets soft (this takes less than a minute, but varies depending on how hot the water is obviously).

Lay the soft rice paper out on a plate and start adding fillings. I probably should have started with the shrimp so that they looked nicer in the end, but I just went for it with the first filling I had next to me.

On top of the lettuce, I added cucumber, carrots, all of the herbs, and a small amount of rice noodles.

After adding the shrimp, I tucked in each end as best as possible (kind of like you’re rolling a burrito).

Not the prettiest of the bunch, but still delicious.

For the dipping sauce, simply puree all of the ingredients. I may have added a little bit more rice vinegar to suite my tastes. The recipe is pretty flexible. You’ll also need to adjust the amount of chili depending on which kind you’re using and how spicy you want the sauce.

These summer rolls were a great summer starter to have with our grilled satays.

Grilled Scallions with Romesco Sauce

2011-07-09T16:23:00.002-05:00

Spring onions with Romesco sauce is a popular Catalan combination. I couldn’t find spring onions at the store last weekend, so we did the same thing with scallions on the 4th of July. It turned out to be a great recipe for summer grilling.

There are tons of recipes out there for Romesco. It’s typically a sauce of pureed almonds, garlic, olive oil, dried peppers, and sometimes tomato. We have had a lot of success with José Andrés’s recipe, which we usually vary depending on what we have on hand at the time. This time, we grilled most of the ingredients instead of roasting them in the oven. It’s one of those recipes that will come out great no matter what, and is good on just about anything. I will definitely be making it again soon with grilled shrimp.

Grilled Scallions with Romesco Sauce
Adapted from José Andrés’s recipe

Ingredients
3 large plum tomatoes
2 large red bell peppers
1 medium onion (halved but unpeeled)
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 dried ancho chile
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons Sherry wine vinegar
1 slice bread, crust removed and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 1/2 cup)
1 teaspoon pimentón
Scallions (thickest you can find)

Instructions

Grill the tomatoes, bell peppers, and onion whole on the grill until very charred.

When they’re blackened and soft, peel and seed them.

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chile and fry until darkened and slightly puffed, turning once, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a small bowl and add enough water to cover. Let it stand for 30 minutes. Then, peel and seed it.

Meanwhile, heat another tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the almonds; sauté until lightly toasted, about 1 minute.

Add the chile, tomatoes, bell peppers, onion, almonds, bread, olive oil, garlic, vinegar, and paprika to a blender. Blend to a course puree and season with salt. Keep the sauce at room temperature while you grill the scallions.

To prepare the scallions, simply coat them in olive oil and sprinkle with salt.

Put them on the grill over high heat and remove when slightly charred.

Have the napkins ready and dunk the grilled scallions into the sauce. I would also recommend opening a bottle of Cava!

Restaurants: Peasant

2011-07-07T15:27:00.000-05:00

Matt and I spent the day in New York last Saturday and decided to stray from our usual picks and splurge on nice meal. Peasant, located in Nolita, has a simple but delicious sounding Italian menu that caught our eye when we walked by in the afternoon.

When we arrived, we noticed that the restaurant is much more spacious than the places we usually go to in the area. The wait staff was not particularly welcoming, though, and seemed almost insincere.

The waiter brought over some delicious, crusy bread, a bowl of ricotta, and a bottle of olive oil to start off with. That kind of could have been a meal in itself.

We started with the Asparagus with Egg appetizer, which was covered with a generous amount of toasty parmesan cheese. Given the amount of cheese, I was surprised that it needed much more salt. I was also hoping for the egg yolk to kind of run all over the roasted asparagus, but it was overcooked. At least the asparagus were nicely cooked.

What really sold me when I first read the menu was the Tagliolini with Sea Urchin, so, not surprisingly, that’s what I ordered as my entrée. I haven’t had sea urchin in anything but sushi before so I didn’t really know what to expect, but I thought it went beautifully with the pasta. The thin egg noodles were simply tossed in olive oil and whole cloves of roasted garlic. The sea urchin kind of melted into the pasta and gave it a nice, but mellow, taste of the sea. My only criticism was that there was an awful lot of oil and nothing to really cut the richness, so I couldn’t really eat a lot of it.

Matt’s entrée was less successful. He got the Gnocchi with Morels and English Peas. The morels were amazing – and how could they not be – but the gnocchi were very gummy and the peas were raw. Matt was less offended by the peas, but we both agreed that the gnocchi were extremely subpar.

We decided to give dessert a shot and ordered the White Chocolate Bread Pudding. It, like the rest of our meal, was just okay. I’m kind of a traditionalist when it comes to bread pudding (and desserts in general) so I didn’t love the crunchy almonds that were inside. It came with a white chocolate gelato and a little bit of caramel, both of which were good.

I’m glad I tried Peasant mostly because of the sea urchin pasta dish. However, there are too many great restaurants in New York to come back and give it another chance.

Peasant
194 Elizabeth St
New York, NY 10012

Swiss Chard with Raisins and Pine Nuts

2011-06-29T21:56:00.003-05:00

Spinach with raisins and pine nuts is a classic Catalan dish that I’ve made several times as a side, with great results. I saw some great looking swiss chard at the store last weekend and thought the chard/pine nut/raisin combination would make a great side dish with the rest of our Spanish feast that night: a quick vegetable Fideau, roasted red peppers, and garlic shrimp.

I mostly followed a recipe in The Foods and Wines of Spain by Penelope Casas. The recipe calls for boiling the chard prior to sautéing, a step I found kind of unnecessary and think I would omit next time. I also tweaked a couple of things such as toasting the pine nuts prior to adding them to the dish.

Swiss Chard with Raisins and Pine Nuts
Adapted from The Foods and Wines of Spain by Penelope Casas

Ingredients

1/3 lb swiss chard (weight after stems removed)
Olive oil
1 large clove of garlic
1/4 c. chopped onion
1 Tbsp. raisins
1 Tbsp. pine nuts
Salt and pepper

Instructions

The recipe calls for dropping the leaves (with stems removed) into boiling water and cooking for 5 minutes. Then, she says to drain the leaves, put them back in the pot covered with cold water, bring them up to a boil, and let boil for an additional 10 minutes. Again, I would omit this and just sauté the chard for a little longer. This step might apply, though, if you’re using a heartier green, such as collards.

Meanwhile, I sautéed the onion and garlic in some olive oil. In a separate, dry skillet I toasted the pine nuts until just golden.

As the items on the stove were cooking, I poured some hot water over the raisins to soften them.

When the chard was cooked and the onion/garlic mixture soft, I added the chard to the skillet along with the toasted pine nuts and softened (drained) raisins. After seasoning with salt and pepper and sautéing for just a few minutes, it was ready to go.

As with the spinach, the bitter chard goes perfectly with the sweet raisins and the crunchy pine nuts. I’m not sure if the pictures does it justice (still working on my photography skills), but it is one tasty dish.

Restaurants: Pizzeria Posto

2011-06-26T22:10:00.002-05:00

I have finally found a place to get my Neopolitan pizza fix in the Boston area. Pizzaria Posto, located in Davis Square, is right up there with a lot of the great Neopolitan pizzas I’ve had in New York. (Ok, it’s not as good as Motorino, but what is?)

Because the pizza is so top notch, I haven’t actually tried anything off of the rest of the menu. It all looks delicious, but it’s hard to go there and not order the pizza. In our latest visit, Matt and I split the Margherita and Eggplant pizzas.

Their Margherita has the standard toppings: San Marzano tomatoes, mozzarella (which they actually make), and basil. They also add parmesan, which is not traditional, but I can’t argue with it. The crust is nice and puffy around the edges, has the right amount of chew, and has that charred flavor from the super hot oven.

The eggplant pizza is pretty simple as well: San Marzano tomatoes, mozzarella and parmesan cheeses, grilled eggplant, and fresh oregano. It’s similar to the Margherita, but the oregano gives it a nice twist. The grilled eggplant also gives it more of a charred flavor.

I try to sit at the bar when I go. The wait staff and seating area can be a little bit stuffy, but the bartenders are great. Either way, though, I highly recommend eating at Posto.

Pizzeria Posto
187 Elm St., Davis Square
Somerville, MA 02144

Barrel Aged Negronis

2011-06-22T20:36:00.000-05:00

When Matt and I first moved to the Boston area, we spent a lot of time at Temple Bar drinking their barrel aged negronis. They simply mixed up a large batch of negronis – equal parts gin, sweet vermouth, and Campari – and aged them for 3 months in whiskey barrels. When Matt’s birthday rolled around, I found smaller barrels on Barrels Online that can be used for aging cocktails. It was the perfect gift! They even personalize them, so I got his initials engraved on the front.

Unlike the whiskey barrels that Temple Bar uses, these barrels are new, so we first filled it with some Rittenhouse Rye and let it flavor the barrel for a couple of months. The rye was also good for drinking afterwards, of course. After emptying the rye, we immediately mixed a two liter batch of negronis and poured it into the top of the barrel with a funnel. We marked it in the back with the date and waited…

For some reason we originally thought that Temple Bar aged their negronis for 3 months, so that’s what we did with ours. We poured our first aged negronis last weekend.

Our negronis definitely tasted more oaky than the ones at Temple Bar, but not in a bad way. I think that Temple Bar actually tops their barrels off with fresh mixed negronis as they serve the aged ones, so they will naturally be less oaky. Overall, they were absolutely delicious. They tasted like a richer version of the classic negroni with a hint of oak. We could also taste a little bit of the rye flavor, making them a lot more interesting than the standard negroni.

Negronis are traditionally served with an orange peel that is put under a flame and squeezed into the drink, but we were too much in a hurry to finally try the final product to even remember that.

Now we just need to pick a next drink to try out in the barrel. We’ll have to decide soon, because I’m pretty sure this batch won’t last very long.

Here are a few links to articles/websites on barrel aged cocktails that we used when trying to figure out how to use our barrel. It has become quite a trend, apparently.

Provençal White Bean Dip

2011-06-13T21:11:00.006-05:00

I feel like I’ve kind of OD’d on hummus, so the white bean dip recipe on Serious Eats last week caught my eye. The addition of roasted garlic really takes this recipe to a whole new level. I also added a little bit of lemon juice to brighten the flavor a little bit. Aside from the time it took to roast the garlic, it was really fast and easy to put together.

We had it as an appetizer on Sunday with some endive leaves and toasted baguette slices. I think it will also replace hummus as my go-to snack from now on!

Ingredients

1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 head roasted garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
Juice of half a lemon
The leaves of 1 stem of fresh rosemary
The leaves of 3 stems of fresh thyme

Instructions

Puree everything and season with salt. I served it with some fresh thyme leaves and a drizzle of olive oil.

Grilled Pizza

2011-06-10T16:55:00.004-05:00

Ok, so I know the picture isn’t great, and my first attempt at grilled pizza was far from perfect, but it was still pretty delicious.

We just bought one of those little Weber charcoal kettle grills and I naively thought it would be as easy to use as a gas grill. Turns out I have a lot to learn. Once we finally got the coals lit and the grill going, the heat didn’t last very long. We were able to barely grill this pizza, but didn’t get to make the second pizza I had in the works.

Anyways, I had planned on making this pizza according to the instructions on Serious Eats. I had all of the ingredients prepared in advance – caramelized shallots, sautéed cremini and shitake mushrooms, grated pecorino, and chopped chives. We took a shortcut and used some pizza dough from whole foods that I cut in half, stretched out (in an odd shape as you can see above), and brushed with olive oil. Once we put it on the grill, oiled side down, it just didn’t seem hot enough. Instead of the recommended 1 – 1 ½ minutes on the first side, I had to let it cook for over five minutes. Once I flipped it, I added the mushrooms, onions, and cheese. Since we didn’t use a lot of cheese and the rest of the toppings were still warm, I left the grill uncovered for most of the time.

Thankfully, it eventually did get crisp at the bottom. I added some chopped chives and some flaky sea salt at the end. Despite the hiccups with the grill, it was actually VERY delicious. I plan on making many more attempts this summer.

If anyone is actually reading this, I would love some tips on how to get (and keep) charcoal grills hot!

Quick Update

2011-05-19T23:34:00.005-05:00

I know it’s been awhile (again) since I’ve written, so here’s a quick update on what I’ve been up to.

First of all, Matt and I moved to an apartment in Davis Square. We’re just about settled in finally and loving the area so far.

I have also been volunteering on the weekends at Bondir, a new restaurant in Cambridge. In trying to figure out what to do with my life, I thought finding out what working in a kitchen is like would be a good start. Chef Jason Bond, the chef/owner, has been extremely patient with me as I’ve been learning the ropes. Also, his food is absolutely delicious – I highly recommend it!

That’s all for now. Stay tuned for more posts.

Huevos Rancheros

2011-01-22T18:53:00.003-06:00

Matt and I randomly had all of the makings of huevos rancheros sitting in the fridge last Sunday and – aside from getting some jalapeno in my eye* - it was one of the best impromptu brunches to ever happen!

We bought this huge bag of masa flour to make tacos with homemade tortillas several months ago and it has seriously come in handy since. To make them, you literally just mix the masa with water, form it into small balls, and press into tortillas. I’ll have to blog about that another time, but they were a great base for the huevos rancheros.

To make the sauce, I roasted the red pepper and jalapeno and pureed them into a tomato based sauce. I topped the tortillas and sauce with some fried eggs and chopped cilantro. Here’s my (rough) recipe:

Ingredients
1 red bell pepper
1 jalapeno pepper
1 can of tomatoes
½ c. chopped onion
1 clove garlic
Pinch of ground chili (not chili powder)
Salt and pepper
4 Corn tortillas
4 Eggs
Cilantro, chopped

Instructions
Roast the bell pepper and the jalapeno over an open flame or under the broiler until they’re nice and charred on the outside. Transfer them to a large bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let them steam in the covered bowl for 10 minutes or so. When they’re nice and soft, peel the charred skin, take out the seeds, and roughly chop them.

Meanwhile, heat the oil over medium heat and add the onion. When the onion starts to soften, add the garlic and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the ground chili, cook for a few seconds in the oil, and then add the tomatoes. Bring up to simmer and add the red bell and jalapeno peppers. Puree in a blender or using a hand blender. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add some of the cilantro into the sauce and reserve some for garnish.

Fry a couple of eggs for each portion, making sure the yolks are nice and runny. To assemble, put some sauce over a couple of tortillas and top with the eggs and cilantro.

* If you get some hot pepper in your eye, washing it out with milk helps. I seriously had to do that. Matt tried to not laugh.

Thai Curry Mussels

2011-01-17T19:36:00.003-06:00

Thai curry mussels are popping up on menus all over the place these days, but I feel like I’m always disappointed when I order them. They’re never spicy enough! Last weekend I made my own using some panang curry paste and coconut milk. I probably would have normally used red curry paste, but I had a half can of the Panang in the refrigerator that needed to be used. If this weren’t a last minute creation, I also would have topped with some cilantro instead of the chives I already had. It was still delicious though, and plenty spicy :)

Thai Curry Mussels

½ c. onion, chopped
1 small clove of garlic, minced
Vegetable oil
1 ½ tbsp. Thai Panang curry paste
1 ¼ c. light coconut milk
¼ tsp. fish sauce
1 lb. mussels, cleaned
Cilantro, chopped (optional)

Making the sauce was really simple. I just sweat the onions in some vegetable oil and added the garlic when the onions started to soften. Then, I added the curry paste and stir fried for a minute or so until it was very fragrant. Then, I added the coconut milk and fish sauce. After bringing that to a simmer, I added the mussels and cooked until they opened (discarding any that didn’t). They were very saucy, so we ate them with a big hunk of bread for dipping.

Marco Canora Night – Part 2

2010-11-20T15:07:00.008-06:00

Marco Canora’s ribolitta is made with a type of kale called cavolo nero (aka black cabbage, or Lacinato) and served with lots of parmesan cheese and crusty bread. The recipe can be either made with a meat stock, or with water to make it vegetarian. It’s so comforting, but extremely healthy as well.

I don’t think I had ever tried cavolo nero before. It’s a sturdy green that’s actually kind of funky smelling when raw. The recipe calls for it to be chopped extremely fine, which is not easy when you’re trying to chop eight cups worth! We read that one of his tricks is to freeze it overnight and then simply crumble it into the soup. Unfortunately, we didn’t think that far in advance. The results, though, were totally worth the effort.

Ribolitta

Ingredients

Olive oil
3 c. each carrots, celery, and onion, finely diced
1 small head (or half a large head) of savoy cabbage, chopped
1/3 c. + 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
8 c. finely cavolo nero, very finely chopped
5 c. cannellini beans, 3 c. pureed and 2 c. whole
10 c. water or meat stock

Instructions

Start by sautéing the carrot, celery, and onion in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil until soft but not browned. Be patient - this takes a little while. The pot should be covered for most of the time.

Next, add the savoy cabbage and cook for just a few minutes until it wilts.

Then add the tomato paste and stir until combined.

Add the cavolo nero.

Cook for about 20 minutes.

Add the water (or stock) the whole beans. When it comes to a boil, add bean puree and simmer away. I’m not sure if there’s an exact simmer time, but we let it go for about an hour.

Top the soup with parmesan cheese, olive oil, and crusty bread or toast points and there you have it: a yummy, comforting bowl of soup perfect for the winter.

Marco Canora Night – Part 1

2010-11-19T13:14:00.015-06:00

Matt and I are huge fans of Marco Canora, his restaurant Hearth, and, mostly, his wine bar Terroir. Terroir is probably what I miss most about living in the East Village.

Anyways, Matt bought his cookbook recently and has been making a lot of the things that we usually order at his restaurants. His tomato and egg bruschetta is probably what we order most at Terroir. One time the bartender joked that they started firing up the bruschetta when they sat Matt and me walk by.

The best thing we’ve tried at Hearth has been the pan-roasted hen of the woods mushrooms. They sound like a simple side dish on the menu, but they are to die for. We more recently discovered his ribolitta - a Tuscan kale soup topped with a generous amount of parmesan – which is also a favorite.

We made all of these things for dinner on Sunday night: the tomato and egg bruschetta and mushrooms for appetizer and the ribolitta for main course. I’m splitting the entry into two parts because I took a lot of pictures of everything!

Tomato and Egg Bruschetta

You would never believe how good the simple combination of eggs, tomato sauce, olive oil, and bread is.

His technique involves mixing the egg whites into the cooked tomato sauce and then lightly poaching the egg yolks on top of the sauce until it’s warm, but still runny. At Terroir, you can’t actually see the pieces of egg white in the sauce. When Matt first made this recipe, we found it had too many whites. We reduced the number, but I think we still need to work on our technique. We also modified it a little bit by putting dried oregano in the sauce and fresh basil on top, which I think is done at Terroir.

The key to the whole thing is using really good ingredients: the best canned tomatoes (see note at the bottom), fruity extra-virgin olive oil, high-quality dried oregano (Marco Canora suggests Sicillian oregano), flavorful bread, etc.

Note: Not all canned tomatoes are created equal! I had always used San Marzano tomatoes, but Serious Eats did an interesting canned tomato taste test and found that Trader Joe’s brand are the cheapest AND the tastiest.

Ingredients
Four 1-inch-thick slices of country bread
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
4 large eggs
1 small garlic clove, thinly sliced
Pinch of crushed red pepper
One 14-ounce can whole tomatoes with their juices, crushed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of good, dry oregano
Fresh basil, for garnish

Instructions
Preheat the broiler. Brush the bread on both sides with olive oil, arrange on the baking sheet and broil for about 3 minutes, turning once, until golden and toasted. Place the toasts in 4 shallow bowls (note: we used 3 slices of bread and just ate the extra sauce!).

Arrange 5 small bowls on a counter. Crack the eggs: Reserve 1 of the whites in one of the bowls and one yolk in each of the other 4 bowls. Refrigerate the remaining 3 egg whites for another use.

In a medium nonstick skillet, heat the 1/4 cup of olive oil with the garlic and crushed red pepper. Cook over moderate heat until the garlic is golden, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and oregano, season with salt and pepper and cook over high heat until the sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes.

Beat the egg whites with a fork and gently fold them into the tomato sauce. Cook over moderately high heat just until the whites are set, about 1 minute. Using the back of a spoon, make 4 indentations in the sauce. Slide a yolk into each indentation and cover the skillet. Cook over very low heat just until the yolks are warmed but not set, about 1 1/2 minutes. Spoon the sauce and yolks over the toasts, drizzle some extra-virgin olive oil on top, garnish with the basil, and serve right away.

Mmmmmm…runny egg yolk.

Pan-Roasted Hen-Of-The-Woods Mushrooms

Hen-of-the-woods mushrooms (also known as maitakes) can be expensive, but they’re so worth it when cooked like this. We found these beauties for about $20/lb at Formaggio.

This recipe basically calls for searing the mushrooms on both side in some olive oil and then basting them in butter, rosemary, and thyme. They turn out a little crisp on the outside, and soft and buttery on the inside.

Ingredients
1 pound hen-of-the-woods mushrooms
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 sprig fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons unsalted butter (I think you’ll notice that Matt snuck in way more butter than the recipe called for)
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons fresh-cracked black pepper

Instructions
Turn mushroom over to expose the stem. With paring knife, remove the core of the stem.

Using your hands, gently break mushroom into 8 pieces. In a 12-inch sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium flame. Season mushrooms with salt and pepper.

Place them in the heated oil, taking care not to overcrowd the pan, and cook for 3 minutes. When the mushrooms have a golden-brown surface, flip them with a spatula and continue cooking for 2 to 3 minutes.

Add butter and herbs, and baste mushrooms for 1 minute. Drain on paper towels to remove excess oil, and serve.

Next we made the ribolitta. To be continued…

Pan-Roasted Cod with a Spicy Seafood Bisque Sauce

2010-11-15T18:58:00.008-06:00

My mom picked up some amazingly fresh cod and Portuguese corn bread from the fish store on Friday night. After wrestling with what to make, I pan roasted the cod and concocted a seafood bisque inspired cream sauce to go with it.

I started the sauce with pancetta, shallots, and garlic, and then used a sweet cream sherry that's sometimes used in lobster bisque. I added hot smoked paprika and cayenne into the base of seafood stock, cream, and tomato paste for some spice, and a dash of Vietnamese fish sauce to finish. I really love using fish sauce; I think it gives it extra depth to the sauce, or “umami” as they say now. I spooned the sauce over the roasted fish and toasted some of the bread for dunking.

I was cooking in a hurry so I didn’t exactly measure ingredients, but I wanted to get down the rough recipe. We were both surprised at how well it turned out. It’s seriously a keeper!

Pan-Roasted Cod with a Spicy Seafood Bisque Sauce

Ingredients
Pancetta
Olive oil
Cod
Salt and pepper, to taste
Shallot, chopped
Garlic, chopped
Tomato paste
Cream sherry
Seafood stock
Heavy cream
Smoked paprika (hot)
Cayenne pepper
Vietnamese fish sauce
Chives, chopped
Bread

Instructions

I first sautéed some pieces of pancetta with some olive oil. When crisp, I transferred it to a paper towel lined plate, leaving the grease in the skillet.

Then, I seasoned the fish liberally with salt and pepper and then cut into two big pieces. I placed it in the cast iron skillet (with the pancetta grease and olive oil) over medium-high heat until the bottom started to brown. Then, I transferred to a 450 degree oven and cooked until it was flaky. It took no more than 10 minutes once in the oven, but the time totally depends on the thickness of the fish.

When the fish was done, I took it out of the skillet and covered with foil to keep warm. I immediately put the skillet back on the stove and added some chopped shallot and garlic. When these started to soften, I added a little bit of tomato paste and then a splash of cream sherry. After about a minute, I added probably equal amounts of seafood stock and heavy cream along with some smoked paprika and cayenne. I let this reduce for a few minutes and added just a dash of fish sauce.

As the sauce was cooking, I just sliced the bread and toasted under the broiler. This type of bread is new to me. It’s a little bit sweet, but not sugary sweet like the cornbread you’re probably used to. It’s also very dense, so it’s perfect for sopping up the extra sauce.

To serve, I spooned the sauce over the fish in shallow bowls and topped with some chopped chives and the crisp pancetta. I totally forgot to add the pancetta until after we dug in, but I highly recommend it!

Brussels Sprout Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette

2010-11-14T21:30:00.009-06:00

I talked about this brussels sprout salad that my friend Katie and I had at Hub 51 in Chicago in my very first blog post. For some reason, I thought to Google it the other day to see if there was a recipe for it online. Sure enough, I found it here and I made it on Friday night. I plan on turning a lot of people into brussels sprout lovers with this recipe. It is that good.

I had to adapt the vinaigrette recipe slightly based on what I had (like apple cider instead of apple juice concentrate and figs instead of dates). I should also note that the vinaigrette recipe makes over two cups of dressing. It’s a really great dressing though, so it’s not a bad idea to make a lot.

Brussels Sprout Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette

For Mustard Vinaigrette:
2 Tbsp whole grain mustard
6 Tbsp white wine vinegar
3 ½ Tbsp sugar
1 tsp. chopped garlic
1 tsp. Kosher salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
½ c. apple cider
2 c. Canola oil

For Brussels Sprout Salad:
2 ½ cups Brussels sprouts
2 Tbsp dried cranberries
2 Tbsp slivered almonds
2 Tbsp dried figs
2 Tbsp manchego cheese, grated
1 Tbsp parmesan cheese, grated
¼ cup Mustard Vinaigrette (see recipe above)

Instructions:

For Mustard Vinaigrette:
In a mixing bowl, whisk together mustard, vinegar, sugar, garlic, salt, pepper and apple cider. Slowly whisk in the oil.

For Brussels Sprout Salad:
Trim the leaves off around the stem of the Brussels sprouts and then peel apart each leaf. Bring 6 cups of water to boil. Place peeled Brussels sprouts in boiling water for 6 seconds (really, just 6 seconds). Quickly remove and place in ice water. When cooled, place on a tray to dry. In a mixing bowl, add the Brussels sprouts, dried cranberries, almonds, and figs. Toss with mustard vinaigrette. Place in a salad bowl and top with manchego and parmesan.

Aside from being delicious, it’s so bright and colorful. I think it might even be a new addition to our Thanksgiving dinner table!

Restaurants: Tupelo

2010-11-11T11:05:00.015-06:00

Tupelo has been on my list of places to try for awhile now. My mom has been there before and has described it as “like Hungry Mother, but not as good…but still good.” Therefore, whenever we’re craving some southern comfort food, we end up down the street at Hungry Mother.

Last night we tried to get into Hungry Mother, but they were full! We then tried our luck at Tupelo and were able to get a table within 15 minutes.

Tupelo has a cozy atmosphere. The space is small, but not uncomfortably so. We were immediately given complimentary corn bread with butter. The bread was moist and sweet – a great start to the meal.

Our server told us about the fried alligator special on the appetizer menu. My mom, being from Florida, was skeptical about getting good alligator in the Northeast. When she asked if it was any good, he cringed a little and said “well, it’s alligator.” Assuming he was just a wimpy eater, we went ahead and ordered it. At least he was honest, I guess?

I haven’t exactly eaten a lot of alligator in my life, but I thought it was pretty darn good. The meat was actually very mild tasting and the batter was nicely seasoned. The remoulade was amazing. It was very spicy and a little tangy. It also came with some pickled cucumber, carrot, and ginger. I’m a huge fan of homemade pickles and these were superb.

I ordered the Texas brisket special, served with red beans, barbecue sauce, slaw, and more pickles (!). I thought it was good, but wasn’t blown away by it for some reason. My mom, on the other hand, loved everything on the dish. Maybe I'm just not be a huge fan of brisket and beans in general. The barbecue sauce was very good though, and we all know I loved the pickles and slaw.

My mom ordered the pan-fried catfish with cheddar grits, collard greens, and jalapeno remoulade. It was a simple but really well executed dish. The fish was perfectly cooked, the grits were rich and creamy, and the collards were sweet with a nice acidic bite.

We were totally full by the end of the meal, but the desserts sounded too good to pass up. We went with the chocolate bread pudding. I think it was made out of cinnamon sweet rolls, which was a nice surprise. It probably didn’t even need the chocolate, but it didn't hurt either.

I’m not sure it’s right to compare Tupelo with Hungry Mother; I think they’re totally different. Tupelo is more casual and a little less refined, but not necessarily in a bad way. I’m looking forward to coming back and trying new dishes.

Tupelo
1193 Cambridge St.
Cambridge, MA 02139

Crosnes

2010-11-10T14:54:00.005-06:00

I stumbled across these funny little tubers called Crosnes at the Union Square Greenmarket last weekend. I grabbed a handful before even looking at the price ($20/lb – yikes!).

I did a little bit of internet research and found out that they are a member of the mint family. They can be sautéed, fried, pickled, and even eaten raw. They’re originally from China and are sometimes called “Chinese Artichokes.”

When I showed them to Matt, he started calling them mealworms. I found a better nickname for them online: “butter sluts.”

I decided to sauté them to go with our dinner on Sunday. I put them in some piping hot butter and olive oil with a sprig of rosemary for just a few minutes and sprinkled liberally with salt.

They were very good! They had a similar texture to a potato, though not quite as starchy. The best way I can think to describe them is a cross between a potato and an artichoke. I think they would be really, really good pickled. I’m going to have to try that next.

Restaurants: Thai Terminal

2010-11-07T08:33:00.012-06:00

Matt and I ate at one of our standbys in New York last night: Thai Terminal. It’s embarrassing how often I ate there back when I lived on that 12th street block, but it was so nice to be back. They have really fresh, reliable, and tasty food. I honestly wouldn’t have ever tried this place if it weren’t right on my old block because of the odd airport terminal theme. Fortunately, what the restaurant lacks in atmosphere it makes up in great food.

Clockwise from bottom- left: veggie dumplings, chive pancakes, spring rolls, curry puffs
When we’re really hungry, as we were last night, we start with the Deluxe Vegetarian Appetizer assortment. It comes with fried tofu, veggie dumplings, curry puffs, and chive pancakes. Since neither of us ever gets too excited about the fried tofu, we ask to substitute it with spring rolls. The stand-outs are the chive pancakes and curry puffs. The chive pancakes are like nothing I’ve ever had before so they’re hard to describe, but they’re very crunchy out the outside and creamy on the inside. The best way I can think to describe the curry puffs are that they’re like a Thai version of a samosa.

Matt almost always gets the drunken noodles, which are stir fried with egg, onion, cherry tomatoes, carrots, bell pepper, and basil leaves. The noodles are always caramelized but not overcooked, and the sauce always has the perfect balance of sweet and spice.

I’m not quite as predictable when it comes to my entrée, but one of my favorites is the Pad Phik Khing with beef. It’s stir fried with string beans and bell pepper in a spicy chili paste. I get really annoyed when I order a stir fry and the meat is sliced paper thin and cooked until it resembles cardboard. The meat in Thai Terminal’s stir fries is actually meaty and tender, but still charred on the outside. The vegetables are cooked through but still crisp. One of the other things I love about this place is that the “spicy” dishes are actually spicy. I like when my Thai food makes me sweat a little!

I forgot to mention that most of the menu costs under $10. That is a serious bargain, especially in this neighborhood.

Thai Terminal
349 E 12th St.
New York, NY 10003

National Deviled Eggs Day

2010-11-02T19:53:00.016-05:00

I’ve been trying really hard to keep up with my blog, but this time I have a reason for being absent over the past few weeks. I’ve been sick! I ended up with a bad case of food poisoning, ironically. Now that I’m back to eating like a normal human being though, I can blog again.

I came across the fact earlier that today is National Deviled Eggs Day. Rather than go through my backlog of things I had wanted to blog about a few weeks ago, I figured I should definitely make some deviled eggs tonight.

I LOVE deviled eggs and am thrilled that they seem to be making a comeback with the whole southern-comfort food trend. They’re like the world’s perfect party food: easy, cheap, comforting, adorable, and – most importantly – delicious. They were always a staple in my house on Easter, but lately we’ve been making them for more and more occasions.

My family usually makes them simply with some mayo, Dijon mustard, and hot pepper relish. Sometimes we garnish with more pepper relish on top, and sometimes with some spicy paprika. My mom has been known to replace the pepper relish and paprika with some chutney and curry powder, which is also delicious.

I went with the pepper relish and paprika version tonight:

Let’s start with the hard boiled egg. Everyone seems to have their own method for making the perfect hard boiled egg. I’m not convinced that there’s one correct method, but the key is to not overcook them. No one wants hard, rubbery whites and that nasty greenish-brown ring around the yolk. I start the eggs in a single layer in a small pot of cold water. I make sure they’re covered with about an inch of water. I cover the pot, turn the heat up to high, and wait for the water to boil. As soon as the water boils, I take them off the heat and set the timer for 13 minutes. After the time is up, I transfer them to a bowl of ice water to cool.

I never measure the ingredients in the filling. I just add a spoonful of mayonnaise and a smaller spoonful of Dijon mustard and hot pepper relish. Then, I season with salt and pepper, taste, and adjust as necessary. After I fill the whites with the filling, I sprinkle some paprika on top. Voila!

There are also endless ways to class up the deviled egg. I don’t agree with additions that mask the egg too much, but there are certainly some that, I think, enhance the egg. You could add things like smoked salmon, cornichons, salmon roe, or bacon. Rather than making a bunch of different versions tonight (which I was seriously would have done if I didn’t have a late work meeting), I scoured the internet for some great sounding combinations for your reading and cooking pleasure:

Sriracha, cilantro, and sweet pickled carrots

Shrimp, caraway seeds, and dill

Worcestershire and two types of mustard

Smoked salmon, dill, and capers

Crab and tarragon

Wasabi and tobiko

Kimchi and bacon

Bacon and cornichons

Caesar salad inspired

Here’s one final tip: I forget where I read this (Ina Garten cookbook maybe?), but someone suggested boiling one or two extra eggs when you’re trying to make, say, a dozen deviled eggs. Use the extra yolks in the filling mixture to ensure that you have plenty of filling for each egg.

Happy Deviled Eggs Day!

Restaurants: Motorino

2010-10-11T20:59:00.010-05:00

I love Motorino. I got really spoiled when I lived next door. As far as I’m concerned, their pizza is perfect. The crust is chewy but lightly charred and quality of the toppings is top notch.

I was practically giddy when we went back there last weekend. We went for lunch on Sunday, which is my favorite time to go. The tiny space gets jam packed on the weekends, but is usually much quieter in the afternoon.

We usually each get a glass of Gragnano, which Motorino has dubbed “pizza wine.” It’s a light, fizzy red wine that is served cold. It goes really well with the rich pizza.

Matt usually orders the Margherita. It’s incredibly simple, but made with the best ingredients. Their mozzarella is phenomenal.

I always have a hard time choosing what to order, but this time I went with the Brussels Sprout and Pancetta. It’s a white pie loaded with mozzarella and pecorino cheeses and topped with garlic, brussels sprouts leaves, and pancetta. Most people probably aren’t as obsessed with brussels sprouts as I am, but I promise this pizza is worth a try.

The Stracciatella pizza also holds a special place in my heart. This picture was taken from a previous Motorino trip, but it’s tied with the brussels sprouts pizza for my favorite. Stracciatella is a really creamy type of mozzarella. The pizza is another white pie and is topped with the cheese, garlic, olive oil, and basil leaves.

Now I need to find a comparable pizza place in Boston. Let me know if you have any suggestions!

Motorino Pizza
349 E 12th St
New York, NY 10003

Restaurants: Locanda Vini e Olii

2010-10-09T13:17:00.007-05:00

Matt and I didn’t feel like wandering too far for dinner last night, so we checked out a little Italian restaurant called Locando Vini e Olii a couple of blocks from his apartment. The restaurant seemed full, but we were able to get a table in about 10 minutes without a reservation.

When we sat down, we were given 3 wine bottles that were actually the wine lists: a little kitschy, but fun.

We were immediately given some delicious homemade bread and a lettuce pesto. It looked like an Italian salsa verde, but tasted like a mixed green salad. That description probably doesn’t sound appetizing, but it was actually refreshing and tasty.

We got the Crostini Plate for appetizer, which had four different types: classic Tuscan, zucchini/anchovy, swiss chard, and tomato/basil. The classic Tuscan was topped with a creamy chicken liver spread. If you’re wary of chicken liver, I highly recommend you give it a try. It’s rich, earthy, and a little bit sweet all at the same time. The rest of the crostinis were good, but that one was the stand out for me.

We both ordered pastas for our main dishes because they're all made in house. I got the Chestnut Lasagnette with Chick peas and Luganega. Luganega is an Italian pork sausage that is seasoned with nutmeg, coriander, pepper, and cinnamon. The pasta had kind of a strange texture, almost like whole wheat pasta, but had a great nutty flavor from the chestnuts. I also didn’t think the dish looked very pretty, but it tasted like fall and I couldn’t stop eating it.

Matt ordered the Thyme Maltagliati with Golden Chanterelles and Nepitella. He loved it, and I kept sneaking bites. Maltagliati means "badly cut," so this pasta shape is typically made from scraps of pasta. Nepitella is an Italian herb that the waitress described as a cross between mint and oregano. That and the thyme were incorporated into the pasta dough, and the wide noodles were tossed with some olive oil and chanterelles.

This is a great little neighborhood place that has very solid food. I’d love to come back and try more of their menu.

Locanda Vini e Olii
129 Gates Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11238

Restaurants: Muqueca

2010-10-08T19:25:00.010-05:00

Muqueca is a little Brazilian restaurant in Inman square, and it quickly became a favorite when my parents first moved to Cambridge a few years ago. We even had them cater my college graduation party. At that time, prices were dirt cheap, they occupied a little hole in the wall space, and didn’t have a liquor license. They specialize in a seafood stew called Moqueca served in handmade clay pots. They recently moved to a slightly larger space across the street and got a liquor license. I hadn’t been to the “new” Muqueca yet, so my mom and I checked it out last weekend.

Let me preface this by saying that I generally really like the food here and that the service couldn’t have been friendlier, but they are definitely still working out the kinks in their new place. It was unclear whether or not we needed a reservation when we called. They also had only one bartender, and it was her first day. Luckily the owner is super friendly and constantly walked around to make sure everyone was okay.

We had ordered a couple of Caipirinhas and a frog leg appetizer at the bar, but got seated sooner than we had expected. The drinks eventually arrived and the appetizer shortly after. The frog legs were nicely crisp and well-seasoned, but I felt that the meat was a little over-cooked inside. I have to admit that I have never had frog legs before, so I can’t really compare them to anything. They have the texture of chicken, but taste kind of like fish. I’m not going to lie – I was a little weirded out that the frog legs seemed to still have toes, but I tried to not let it bother me!

This amazing spicy sauce was on the table, which was great with the frog legs. It tasted kind of like a piri-piri sauce. It was really, really spicy…in a good way.

We ordered two main dishes, but one would have been enough for the both of us. We went with the Fish and Calamari Moqueca and the Feijoada Completa, which the menu said is the Brazilian national dish. The Moqueca was really fresh and surprisingly light tasting. I thought it needed a little bit of salt, but the fish was all perfectly cooked. It came with a bowl of pirão, which is a yucca flour porridge that you can add as a thickener.

The Feijoada Completa was described as “Black beans stew with fresh & dried meat, pork, sausage & bacon." Served with collard greens, fried plantain, farofa & orange.” I’m seriously not sure what kinds of meat were in it, but it was really good. It was like a black bean stew with really intensely flavorful meat. It was a perfect contrast to the light seafood dish.

It came with a side of rice, shredded collard greens, fried plantains, and farofa. I had never tried or even heard of farofa, but apparently it’s a type of toasted flour. The highlights of the side platter were the plantains and the collard greens. The fried plantains were literally the best I have ever had; they were amazingly sweet, but still firm enough, and perfectly fried. The collard greens were shredded and probably sautéed, which is a different, fresh twist on the typical slow-cooked collards.

Muqueca isn’t perfect, but I think it will only get better. Despite the quirks with the service, I really enjoyed my dinner here.

Muqueca
1008 Cambridge Street
Cambridge, MA 02139

Plum Cake Tatin

2010-10-04T19:20:00.010-05:00

I noticed that my mom had bought some prune plums last week that were ready to be eaten. I’ve seen Ina Garten make this Plum Cake Tatin on her show Barefoot Contessa many times (you know how Food Network likes it’s reruns), so I thought it would be the perfect thing to bring when we our neighbors invited us over for dinner.

The recipe is kind of like a Tarte Tatin, which is an upside-down tart typically made with caramelized apples. The plums gave it an interesting twist, and the tarte was replaced with a lemony cake batter.

The recipe starts by pitting and slicing the plums in half and then arranging them split-side down in a buttered glass pie dish. I couldn’t find the glass pie dish, so I used a cast iron skillet instead:

Next, I made the caramel out of sugar and water and poured evenly over the plums. My last few attempts at making caramel have been kind of a disaster; I usually manage to get it right after the second try, but it clumps together and hardens on the first try. I always Google the issue when it happens and I found out that this is called crystallizing the caramel. Supposedly, you can prevent this from happening by not stirring the mixture while it’s cooking and making sure the pot is totally clean. I used a new pot for the second batch and, again, tried really hard to resist the urge to stir and…sure enough, it worked. I’m still a little baffled, but I guess practice makes perfect?

Finally, I poured the cake batter over the plums and caramel. The batter was really simple and consisted of eggs, sour cream, lemon zest, vanilla, flour, baking powder, and salt.

After putting the cake in the oven in 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, the cake was lightly golden on top:

The final step is to flip it over so that the plums and caramel are on top. I first let it cool for 10 minutes, then put a plate over the skillet, flipped (carefully!), and then transferred to the serving platter. The cake is really moist, so it may have been easier to just flip directly onto the platter. I dusted the top of the cake with some confectioners’ sugar and served with whipped cream. It was a huge hit!

Bucatini with Tomatoes, Olives, Marash Pepper, and Shrimp

2010-09-30T15:10:00.013-05:00

I realize that this is yet another post about a tomato recipe, but Matt had a huge bag of them in his apartment that needed to be used last weekend. His fault!

I also wanted to use the Zingerman’s Marash pepper flakes he got me from his trip home to Ann Arbor the prevous weekend:

The bottle describes it as having “amazingly full flavor with just a moderate amount of heat.” I tried a little before using and it definitely had a kick, but not enough to stop me from using a sizeable amount in my meal. Also, it was insanely delicious. I decided to make a tomato sauce with the pepper flakes, some red bell pepper, and olives with bucatini pasta and shrimp. If you’ve never had bucatini, it’s kind of like thick spaghetti but with a hole running through the center like a tube. Not only is it really fun to eat, it’s nice and sturdy so it holds up well with a thick tomato sauce.

¾ lb. bucatini
½ c. red bell pepper, chopped
½ c. shallot, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, sliced
Red pepper flakes (generous pinch)
Olive oil
12 black olives, sliced (I used canned, but we both agreed that it could have benefited from some better quality ones…and maybe more of them)
3 ½ c. peeled and seeded tomatoes, roughly chopped
Kosher salt
Black pepper
Shrimp (3-4 medium per portion)
Parsley, chopped (for garnish)

1. Cook the bucatani until al dente in salted water and reserve some of the pasta water.

2. In a large sauté pan, sauté the pepper, shallot, garlic, and pepper flakes in some olive oil until soft. Add the olives and sauté for a few more minutes.

3. Add the tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Add some kosher salt and black pepper to taste. Cook these down until they become sauce-like.

4. Add the pasta to the sauce with a little bit of the pasta water.

5. Meanwhile, season the shrimp with salt and pepper and saute in some olive oil.

6. Top the pasta with a few shrimp, some chopped parsley, and another dash of pepper flakes. The shrimp is of course optional - the vegetarian went without.

Here’s another view of the final dish. It was pretty tasty!

Choice Greene

2010-09-25T13:38:00.003-05:00

I’m spending the day kind of playing around with my blog while Matt is working/GRE studying/trumpeting, so I thought I’d check out some of the places in his neighborhood while I’m at it. I went to Choice Greene when I was here about a month ago and had an over-priced, kind of funky tasting egg sandwich. I’m drawn back today because of the outdoor patio with wifi and am enjoying some surprisingly good sushi. I’m not usually a fan of grabbing sushi from the refrigerator case, but I saw them making it fresh behind the fish counter so I figured it must be decent. I picked up a Salmon Avocado Roll ($6) and some Wakame Seaweed Salad ($4).

Both were really fresh and (I think) reasonably priced. Note to self: avoid the eggs, get the sushi.

Gazpacho with Smoked Paprika Croutons

2010-09-24T15:56:00.004-05:00

I‘ve been making a lot of gazpacho this summer to make the most out of tomato season. In the past, I’ve made it the very traditional way with stale bread to thicken the soup, but we had a huge heirloom tomato from my neighbor’s garden last week that was so good that I just pureed it with some cucumber, garlic, olive oil, and sherry vinegar. I tried to roughly measure out what I used:

1 large heirloom tomato (about 2 cups chopped)
2/3 c. cucumber
½ clove garlic
½ Tbsp good quality sherry vinegar
1 ½ Tbsp good quality extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper

I was going to strain it to remove the seeds and skin, but I found it not even necessary. This one tomato was kind of freakish in that it didn’t have many seeds and had a really thin skin. It was completely delicious, and less work for me!

To go on top, I made some smoked paprika croutons. I would normally use some kind of leftover, crusty bread to make croutons, but the only leftover bread I could find in the house was frozen hamburger buns. Not ideal, but it worked in a pinch! I removed the crust, cubed, tossed in some olive oil, salt, and smoked paprika. I put them in a 350 degree oven for probably about five minutes, until they were browned and crispy.

I served the gazpacho topped with some of the croutons, chopped chives, and a drizzle of really good extra virgin olive oil.

Gnocchi (and Football)

2010-09-20T21:31:00.005-05:00

Matt was psyched for the first Patriots game of the season last Sunday and we had been talking about making homemade gnocchi for awhile, so we combined the two and made a day out of it. We slow-roasted some amazing tomatoes from my neighbor’s garden and pureed it into a sauce to go with the gnocchi.

I had never made slow-roasted tomatoes, probably because I don’t usually have the time or patience. Matt insisted that it was worth it, so we cut them in half, drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with plenty of salt, and let them sit in a 175 degree for about 4 hours.

Eventually, they shrivel up and get super sweet. You can actually roast them on an even lower heat overnight if you plan ahead.

We followed Mario Batali’s Gnocchi recipe, which calls for just russet potatoes, flour, an egg, salt, and oil. The recipe is really simple; the key is to use a food mill to mash the boiled potatoes so that they are smooth, but not gummy from being overworked.

Our shaping of the gnocchi was kind of…rustic. At least they looked homemade! We first rolled out the dough into ¾-inch dowels (roughly):

Then, we cut them into one-inch pieces and “flicked” with a fork:

To cook the gnocchi, we dropped them in batches into a huge pot of boiling water and took them out as soon as they floated to the top (about a minute). Then, we shocked them in ice water and tossed them in olive oil to keep until our sauce was ready.

When the tomatoes were done, we pureed them whole and then strained to get rid of most of the seeds and skin. What resulted was an intensely flavored, sweet tomato mixture. The only thing we decided to add was some garlic, which we sautéed in a skillet with some olive oil before adding the tomato puree. We cooked that down until it thickened a little and then added some of the gnocchi, cooking just until they were heated through.

We tossed in some torn basil leaves at the very end and topped with some parmesan cheese. Finally, time to eat!

Brunch: Biscuits and Eggs

2010-09-16T21:53:00.003-05:00

Matt took an overnight bus from New York last Saturday, so I made us brunch while he caught up on some sleep: scrambled eggs with chives, homemade biscuits with pepper jelly, and sliced heirloom tomatoes that my neighbor gave us from her garden. I also may have felt a little bad for being too tired and cranky to pick him up from the T at 6am :)

When I was living in New York, Matt and I got a little tired of the over-priced brunch options by my apartment. Instead, we started getting take-out biscuits from Northern Spy – which has biscuits to die for, but an otherwise mediocre brunch – and making scrambled eggs with chives. Since I’m no longer around the corner from Nothern Spy, I thought why not make my own?

It turns out biscuits are really easy to make. I’m sure it will take a lot of practice to make them as good as Northern Spy’s, but mine were passable. I used Alton Brown’s Southern Biscuit recipe, but upped the butter and shortening by a couple of tablespoons. I might even add some more the next time (Shhh).

I’m kind of a stickler about scrambled eggs. Too many restaurants overcook them or add too many unnecessary ingredients. I used six eggs, a drop of milk, and about a tablespoon of butter for this batch. I heat the butter on medium-low and added the eggs while stirring with a spatula. I think the key is to keep stirring them and to not let the heat creep up too much. Browned scrambled eggs are the worst! I turn off the heat just shy of them done and stir in some chopped chives. They finish cooking after you take them off the heat, at which point I add some more chives on top.

The only thing that was missing was some Bloody Marys. Next time!

Make That Sandwich!

2010-09-09T19:47:00.004-05:00

I’ve decided to try out my luck again in another recipe contest - Mezzetta’s Make That Sandwich. I don’t want to get my hopes up because the huge cash prize has probably drawn tons of people, but I thought I’d share my recipe anyways. I think it’s pretty darn good!

Smokey Spanish Potato and Egg Sandwich

2 Tbsp Mezzetta Brand Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 medium yellow onions, sliced
4 baby potatoes (1 1/2 - 2 inch diameter)
4 large eggs
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 tsp Mezzetta Brand Crushed Garlic
1 tsp fresh lemon zest
1 Tbsp Mezzetta Brand Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 cup Mezzetta Brand Roasted Bell Peppers
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp spicy smoked paprika
2 Tbsp Napa Valley Bistro Brand Pitted Greek Kalamata Olives , chopped
2 Tbsp celery, chopped
4 Tbsp Mezzetta Brand Gourmet Baby Carrots, chopped
2 tsp liquid from Mezzetta Brand Gourmet Baby Carrots
Few pinches of kosher salt
1 large French baguette
4 romaine lettuce leaves

1. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over low heat. Add the sliced onions and cook on low for 35 minutes, or until caramelized.

2. While the onions are cooking, start the boiled potatoes and hardboiled eggs, as these will each take about the same time to cook. Add the potatoes to one pot and fill with water so that the potatoes are covered with about an inch of water. Do the same with the eggs in a separate pot. Put both pots on the stove on high heat.

3. When the eggs begin to boil, take the pot off of the heat and let sit (covered) for 15 minutes. Let the potatoes boil for about 15 minutes or until fork tender.

4. While the eggs, potatoes, and onions are cooking, prepare an aioli by combining all of the ingredients from the mayonnaise through the paprika in a food processor. Set aside.

5. Prepare a relish by combining the olives, celery, carrots, and carrot liquid. Set aside.

6. When the eggs and potatoes are cooked, submerge in ice water to cool. Peel the egg and slice both the eggs and potatoes into 1/4 inch slices. Sprinkle the slices lightly with kosher salt.

7. Split the baguette and pull out some of the bread on the inside to make room for the fillings. Spread about four tablespoons of the aioli on each side of the baguette. Add the romaine lettuce to the top side of the baguette on top of the aioli. Spread the relish on the bottom half of the baguette on the aioli. Top the relish with a single layer of egg slices, then a thin layer of the caramelized onions, then a single layer of potato slices*. Place the top half of the baguette with the romaine onto the bottom half Cut the sandwich crosswise into fourths and enjoy this hearty vegetarian sandwich!

*Note: there might be some potato and egg slices left over depending on the size that you're using.

Pimientos de Padrón

2010-09-08T21:23:00.004-05:00

Pimientos de Padrón are something my mom always talks about from when she lived in Spain. The great thing about these little green peppers is that some are sweet, and some are spicy. Really spicy. There is really no way of knowing until you put one in your mouth. It’s like Russian Roulette!

I was really excited to try them when I saw them at Union Square Greenmarket (in NYC) this summer. I found myself addicted to the spicy ones, eating more and more hoping to get another. Since my mom has been dying to try them again, Matt picked up some at Bodhitree Farms at the Greenmarket last weekend on his way to Boston.

Besides being a lot of fun to eat, they are also very tasty. They’re typically fried in olive oil, sprinkled liberally with salt, and served tapas style. Matt made Jose Andres’ Romesco sauce to spread underneath the peppers, for another layer of flavor.

Pimientos De Padrón

Olive Oil
Pimientos De Padrón
Coarse Salt

Wash the peppers and dry them completely. Pour a generous amount of olive oil in a skillet over high heat. When the oil is piping hot, add a single layer of peppers. Sauté for a couple of minutes, until the skins on the peppers are blistered. Transfer the peppers to a plate lined with a paper towel and sprinkle with coarse salt.

Restaurants: Olio

2010-08-07T19:14:00.003-05:00

Do you ever get so behind a restaurant that you don’t want to admit that anything else could possibly be as good? I spend a lot of time at Motorino, a pizza restaurant that is conveniently located next door to my current apartment in the East Village. They turn the simplest ingredients into masterpiece pizzas.

I had heard that Giulio Adriani, an Italian award-winning pizzaiolo, just opened a restaurant called Olio in the West Village. He called Motorino unauthentic and said that he doesn’t consider it to be competition. This made me extremely skeptical of Olio, but I thought I should check it out.

Right off the bat, Olio has a lot going for it: large space, soon-to-come outdoor seating, and great cocktails.

Matt got the Margherita, which is his usual at Motorino. We both agreed that it was delicious, but not quite as good as Motorino. I think that we both like the cheese at Motorino better, as well as the charred flavor of the crust.

I went with the Mezzaluna, which was described as half salami and ricotta and half cherry tomatoes and smoked mozzarella. The pizza was in a half-moon shape with the cherry tomatoes and mozzarella taking up most of the pie and the salami and ricotta actually stuffed in the crust.

This was no Pizza Hut stuffed crust. The puffy crust was filled with creamy ricotta and rich, chewy chunks of salami. Yum.

We both kind of ate in silence as we savored our pizza but didn’t really want to admit how good it was. The toppings were all extremely simple, but very high quality. The crust had a great balance of being chewy but light. I can’t wait to come back when the patio opens!

Dad

2010-08-04T19:22:00.004-05:00

Well - it has been a crazy few months, to say the least. As some of you might already know, my dad passed away this summer. He was and always will be one of my great inspirations for cooking. He always knew how to fill a room with joy by cooking a delicious meal for family and friends.

My mom dug up this picture of us making pasta back in the day. Love you and miss you, dad.

Even though I just moved to New York City, I’m moving back to Boston in a few weeks to be with my mom. My boyfriend will still be living in NYC, so I’ll be splitting up my time between Boston, NYC, and wherever my job sends me…

LOST Premiere Party

2010-02-17T21:09:00.005-06:00

I’m back! Given that I’m kind of a LOST freak, I thought it fitting to start back up by blogging about the LOST-themed food I made for the premiere.

I stretched the theme a little to make it a good excuse to buy some sushi-grade fish, so I made some Tuna Poke and Hamachi Carpaccio. I also had to throw in some of Hurley’s ranch dressing (ranch composite, anyone?) and Katie supplied the Dharma beer. Yep, we’re cool.

*Sorry for the photo quality. I forgot my camera so these are taken from a camera phone.

Ok – enough of the LOST chatter and onto the food.

I had a hard time finding sushi-grade tuna and Hamachi, so I actually ended up at the sushi section of Whole Foods asking for thickly sliced tuna and very thinly sliced Hamachi. They seemed awfully confused about my specific requests, but it worked!

Hamachi Carpaccio

I’ve had Hamachi Carpaccio served with very thinly sliced jalapeno before and it’s one of my favorite dishes. When I’ve had it, it has been served with some kind of ponzu sauce. I bought some ponzu and simmered it for about 5 minutes with a clove of garlic and a piece of ginger. To assemble, I arranged the sliced Hamachi around the plate and topped each piece with a slice of the jalapeno. I placed a small bunch of cilantro in the middle and poured some of the fully cooled sauce over the fish.

Tuna Poke

I made a fairly basic tuna poke but did my best at measuring the ingredients so I'd know for next time:

2 c. roughly chopped sushi-grade tuna
½ large shallot (or 1 small), finely chopped
1 tsp. sesame oil
2 tbsp. soy sauce
Peanut oil
Sriracha
Wasabi
Sesame seeds, toasted

Mix the shallot, sesame oil, soy sauce, and tuna very carefully as to not break up the tuna too much. Add a tiny bit of peanut oil until it gets to the right consistency and siriacha and wasabi to taste. I topped it with some toasted sesame seeds and served it over some cucumber and lettuce. We simply ate it with potato chips, but you could serve over crispy wontons (or even plain is good).

Happy LOST watching!

Restaurants: Tre Kronor

2009-12-15T23:30:00.006-06:00

I’ve been talking about trying Tre Kronor ever since I saw it featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives last summer. Tre Kronor is a little Swedish BYOB restaurant located in the Albany Park neighborhood of Chicago. Although it’s a bit of a trek from downtown, Katie and I chose to go on a snowy night last week thinking it was perfect weather for some Swedish comfort food.

We were freezing by the time we got there, so we were happy to see that they had several soups on the menu. Katie got the mushroom soup special and I went with the French onion. I have no doubt that both were delicious, but we were so cold and hungry that anything hot would have been amazing!

Tre Kronor makes their own gravlax, so that was a must try. An order of gravlax turned out to be a pretty large platter including toast points, hard boiled eggs, tomatoes, red onion, and mustard sauce. The gravlax was perfect. I want more…now.

I ordered the duck with apple pork sausage, wild rice, and lignonberry jam. I always love duck with something sweet, but I wasn’t sure if I’d wild rice was really what I felt like with my duck. I went with it anyways and was glad I did; it was absolutely delicious. I wasn’t wild about the sausage that they put next to it, but everything else made up for it.

Katie ordered the Swedish meatballs, which tied with the gravlax for star of the night. The meatballs were smothered in a veal stock gravy and served with mashed potatoes, fresh cucumbers, and some lignonberry jam. I bet they serve such a large portion so others at the table can try.

Ok – we were kind of stuffed by this point but still had some of our wine to finish, so we ordered the bread pudding to share for dessert. It was warm, comforting, and a perfect end to the meal.

Did I mention how cheap this place is? We ordered tons of food, but were very pleasantly surprised when the check came…

Guacamole-off

2009-12-13T20:57:00.004-06:00

When I heard last week that a couple of my co-workers were organizing a “guacamole-off” at work, I knew I would have to come up with a winning recipe. I’m usually a purist when it comes to guac, but I figured I’d have to make something a little different to make mine stand out. I decided to put some mango in it and add some habanero hot sauce to counteract the sweetness. I also found some key limes at the store that I thought would give my guacamole an interesting twist. It worked – I won!

I created the recipe the night before using one avocado and just recreated it in the morning with four avocados. It made for an easy but yummy dinner over with some pan-fried catfish.

Key Lime Mango Guacamole

1 ripe avocado
1 clove of garlic
¼ tsp. kosher salt
2-3 tbsp. mango, chopped
2 tbsp. red onion, chopped
Juice of 1 ½ key limes
½ tsp. habanero hot sauce
1-2 tbsp. cilantro, chopped

Chop the garlic and smash into a paste with the salt. Add the rest of the ingredients and mash until desired consistency.

Restaurants: Momofuku Noodle Bar

2009-12-09T17:12:00.009-06:00

Since I moved to New York last month, everyone has told me that I need to try the pork belly buns at one of the Momofuku restaurants. Fortunately, Noodle Bar and Ssäm bar are both within walking distance of new place. My roommate Jess is one of the many who have gushed about them, so we made our way to Noodle Bar (the more casual option) on Sunday night to check it out.

We started off with the pork belly buns. Each bun is filled with a couple generous slices of pork belly, cucumbers, hoisin, and scallions. When you top it off with a little bit of chili sauce, it’s…well…heaven.

We also tried the roasted brussels sprouts with bacon, kimchi, and carrots. If you know me, you know how I feel about Brussels sprouts. Bias aside, I think this dish could convert the most adamant brussels sprouts hater.

We then each got noodle bowls. I got the momofuku ramen with pork belly, pork shoulder, and a poached egg. I guess I went a little overboard on the pork, but how could I resist?

Jess tried the ginger scallion noodles. She also ordered a side of broth to pour over the noodles, which turned out to be a great call. The broth was incredible.

I’ll probably be back very soon...next weekend maybe??

Restaurants: Toro Sushi

2009-12-08T21:21:00.011-06:00

A post about my favorite sushi restaurant (and maybe overall restaurant) in Chicago is long overdue. Toro is a tiny BYOB in Lincoln Park that may not look like much, but I don’t think you can get better sushi for your money. I went about once a week when I was living in Chicago, even braving the sometimes 2 hour wait.

A few tips -

Get there early and prepare to wait. They will turn people away when the waiting list has gotten too long. Don’t take your chances: get there early, leave your phone number, and wait at a bar nearby.

Sit at the sushi bar. It’s a little cramped, but Mitch (the chef/owner) will usually pass out some of his favorites to try. Don’t be alarmed if he gives you a fist pump.

Get the salmon nigiri! It’s the best…ever.

My friend Katie and I went last week and got some of our favorites:

Hot Finger Roll Appetizer – deep fried spicy salmon roll

“O” Roll – super white tuna, wasabi tobiko, spicy tuna, and avocado

Alaskan Roll – salmon and avocado

Mackerel Nigiri, Salmon Nigiri, Hamachi Sashimi, Tuna Sashimi

Deep Fried Green Tea Ice Cream

Restaurants: Hungry Mother

2009-12-07T19:20:00.012-06:00

Hungry Mother quickly became a favorite of my family when it first opened down the street from my parents in Kendall Square last year. The food is kind of like refined Southern food with a French twist. The menu is very small, but it changes often and I have never had anything that I haven’t loved. Between the atmosphere and the service, you actually feel like you’re dining at someone’s house.

Unfortunately for us, word got out. In addition to getting rave reviews all around, Barry Maiden, the executive chef, was featured in Food & Wine Magazine as one of the best new chefs of 2009. Let’s just say that same day reservations are hard to come by these days!

Last Sunday was the last night of my Thanksgiving visit home and my dad had just flown out for a business trip. My mom and I thought we’d call Hungry Mother on the off chance that they had an opening for two. They didn’t, but they told us that someone was about to get up from one of the bar tables and that they’d save it for us if we could be there in five minutes. Off we went…

The menu is split up into snacks “to tide you over,” firsts, mains, and sides. The mains are generous portions, but it’s hard to resist ordering a few additions. We started off with the beef tongue canapé. I ordered it my first time there just to try something different and was blown away with how good it was. They thinly slice the smoked tongue and top it with a little bit of mustard and melted gruyere. It’s a little bit sweet, has a bacon-like smokiness, and just melts in your mouth.

We also got the black eyed pea fritters, which had a really interesting texture that we loved. They were both crunchy AND creamy on the inside. Our server told us that the black eyed peas were soaked but not cooked. It didn’t hurt that they were served with buttermilk ranch dressing and house made bacon.

I ordered the gnocchi in a mushroom broth with chanterelles, squash, red peas, brussels sprouts, and parmesan cheese. They seem to always have a variation of this dish; they just change the vegetables with the season. I’m not usually one to order a vegetarian dish, but I had some of my mom’s one time and fell in love with it.

My mom ordered the cornmeal catfish served over dirty rice, andouille, and mustard brown butter. It was topped with a sour vegetable relish that cut through the richness of the fish really nicely. Again, they always have some kind of cornmeal catfish on their menu and it actually seems to get better and better.

Because I can’t come to Hungry Mother without getting some grits, we shared a side of the baked cheddar grits with tasso ham.

For dessert, we split the coconut cream parfait. The coconut cream was layered with toasted coconut and topped with rum whipped cream and a coconut shortbread cookie.

As you can probably tell, I love everything about Hungry Mother. Its’ the kind of place you can go to and know you’ll always leave in a good mood. If you haven’t already, you should definitely check it out.

Post-Thanksgiving Tapas Night

2009-11-29T14:31:00.008-06:00

My family and I usually feel like different flavors the night after Thanksgiving (too soon for straight-up leftovers!). We started off thinking that we’d make my grandmother’s turkey croquettes with our Thanksgiving leftovers, and this turned into a little tapas night.

We made some clams, spicy limas with chorizo, and patatas alioli to go with the croquettes. We served it all with sliced baguette and a simple salad dressed with lemon juice and olive oil. As much as I love a traditional Thanksgiving, this kind of food has a special place in my heart.

Patatas Alioli (potatoes with garlic mayonnaise)

1 c. olive oil (we sometimes use a mixture of olive oil and vegetable oil)
½ - 1 clove garlic, roughly chopped (depending on how garlicky you want it to be)
1 large egg
Lemon juice
Potatoes (we used two russets, but you could use different types and as many as you like)
Salt
Hot smoked paprika

Steam the potatoes and let cool to room temperature. Slice in 1/8-1/2 inch slices.

Meanwhile, make the alioli by pureeing the olive oil, garlic, and egg with a hand blender. When it has emulsified, add a small squeeze of lemon juice and a pinch of salt.

To serve, arrange the potato slices on a platter and spread each one with some alioli. Sprinkle each with some salt and spicy smoked paprika.

We usually put out the leftover alioli for bread dipping…but it’s seriously good on everything.

Turkey Croquettes

4 tbsp. butter
4 tbsp. flour
1 c. whole milk
1 ¾ c. cooked turkey (or chicken), finely chopped
¼ tsp. celery salt
Pinch of cayenne
1 tsp. lemon juice
2 tbsp. onion, finely chopped
2 tsp. parsley, finely chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 egg
Breadcrumbs

Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the flour. Cook for a couple of minutes over medium heat and add the milk. Turn up the heat to medium-high and cook until the sauce is very thick (almost like dough). Add the turkey, celery salt, cayenne, lemon juice, onion, parsley, salt, and pepper. Spread this mixture out on a plate and put in the refrigerator until completely cooled and hardened.

When the dough is chilled, roll into balls about the size of a large egg. Beat one egg with a drop of water. Lay the breadcrumbs out on a plate and, if using unseasoned breadcrumbs, season with salt and pepper. Roll the croquettes into the egg, then into the breadcrumbs, back into the egg, and finally into the breadcrumbs again.

Deep fry the breaded croquettes in a combination of vegetable oil and olive oil. We don’t actually take the temperature of the oil; we just test the oil with a piece of bread. If the bread fries lightly in the oil, then the oil is ready. Fry the croquettes until golden brown on the outside. This makes about 9 medium croquettes.

Spicy Limas with Chorizo

My family makes these limas often, but we never really use a recipe. The basic method is to sauté some chorizo in olive oil, add a package of frozen limas, a healthy splash of white wine, a couple of bay leaves, and some red pepper flakes. Simmer it until the limas are soft, but not mushy. We used a spicy Portuguese chorizo instead of the Spanish chorizo we usually use, so you can really use any kind of cured sausage. You will want to adjust the heat with the pepper flakes depending on the heat of the sausage that you use.

Clams with Saffron Sauce

Again, my mom makes these all the time but doesn’t really follow a recipe. Start by soaking the clams in some water, cornmeal, and salt to clean them. Sauté a little bit of chopped onion in some olive oil. When the onion is soft, add a good amount of white wine and either some clam juice, seafood stock, or water. Add a pinch of saffron or some sazón seasoning (which is a good, cheap alternative), a large handful of chopped parsley, a clove or two of chopped garlic, and some red pepper flakes. Add some salt and pepper, to taste. When the mixture is simmering, add the clams and close the lid until the clams have opened up. Finish off with another small handful of chopped parsley. Make sure you have plenty of bread to soak up the sauce!

I've Moved!

2009-11-27T17:09:00.003-06:00

I finally made the move to New York! I know that an update is way overdue, but I have been crazy busy and basically without kitchen for the past month. I recently got an apartment in the East Village with my good friend Jess from college and am absolutely loving it so far. The food options in my neighborhood alone are overwhelming.

I have unfortunately only been around New York on the weekends because my job has me traveling back to Chicago Monday through Thursday every week. I’m staying in a corporate apartment on the weekdays, so I’m hoping that all of the traveling won’t hinder my cooking.

As you can see below, my New York kitchen is itty bitty. I’ll need to get very creative with storage and counter space, but I’ll make do.

Also, happy belated Thanksgiving everyone!

Otto

2009-10-11T16:46:00.013-05:00

My friends Jess, Sarah, and Katie and I went to Otto on the night before the Santa Margherita event. Otto is one of Mario Batali’s restaurants, but it’s actually pretty casual and quite cheap (especially for New York). It’s basically part wine bar and part pizzeria.

The menu is designed for sharing, comprising of a variety of antipasti, pizzas, and pasta. Everything we had was wonderful and it was great being able to try so many different things. The wine list is enormous, but we ended up settling on individual glasses of wine. We were surprised to discover that each glass of wine is actually a small carafe and is a really good deal at $9-10 a glass!

We started with the Pea and Pancetta Bruschetta, which was topped with some fresh mint.

We then got three kinds of Antipasti:
Summer Corn and Fregola
Mussels, Peperonata, Mint
Squash and Pecorino

Our pasta came next. We ordered the Rigatoni con Sausage & Escarole.

We tried two of their pizzas: Funghi & Taleggio and Pane Frattau (tomato, pecorino, egg).

We couldn’t resist ordering a couple of desserts to round off our meal. I had read great things about the olive oil gelato so I knew we’d have to try that. The dessert was called Olive Oil Coppetta and had the olive oil gelato, lime curd, pineapple rosemary conserva, passionfruit caramel, and cashew cacao brittle. We also got the Black and White, which was layered with milk chocolate chip gelato, hazelnut croccante, crème fraiche gelato, chocolate sauce, and caramel crema. Both of the desserts were very different, but equally delicious!

Overall, our meal was really enjoyable and the atmosphere was great for catching up with friends.

Penelope: A Fantastic NYC Lunch Spot

2009-10-05T21:59:00.019-05:00

We arrived in New York the afternoon before the Santa Margherita Great Taste Challenge in time for a late lunch. Thankfully, we had done some research beforehand; we were so hungry after we landed that we probably would have gone to the first place we saw! We had decided on a little restaurant called Penelope, so we made the short walk from the hotel to Murray Hill.

Penelope felt really quaint even though it was just blocks from the hustle-bustle of Midtown. The weather was beautiful, so the floor to ceiling windows were opened up to the street.

We ordered the guacamole as soon as we sat down. It turned out to be a huge portion alongside different types of toasted bread, which was a nice change from standard tortilla chips. As you can see, we sort of dug in before I got a chance to snap a picture:

It was a tough call, but I decided that the BBLT was calling my name. It had double the bacon of a regular BLT, a black pepper balsamic mayo, and was served on toasted sourdough bread. It was, by far, the best BLT I’ve ever had.

Katie went with the panko-crusted calamari salad with spinach, papaya, mango and a green goddess dressing. I stole a bite (or two), and it was also amazing.

I’ll definitely be back!

Santa Margherita Great Taste Challenge: The Finals!

2009-09-28T23:16:00.027-05:00

Well – I didn’t win, but had an incredible day at the finals. They were held last Thursday at the Bon Appétit Supper Club and Café in New York City, which is a “pop-up” restaurant that’s held in a different location for one week every year. They have chef demos during the day and feature lunch specials from well-known chefs. We spent the day there watching all of the demos, meeting some awesome people, and eating LOTS of food. The event happened in the late afternoon after the demos and lunch service were over. I’ll recap whole day, so please bear with me…this might be a long one!

I met the two other finalists when I arrived: Andreann Geise from Myrtle Beach, SC and Deb Kurtze from Schaumburg, IL. They were both super nice and – like me – excited to be there.

We started the day by ordering lunch. The people at Bon Appétit that were with us for the day suggested we share a bunch of things, so we had a quite a feast: José Andrés' JLT with Jamón Serrano and Manchego, Tom Douglas' Rub with Love King Salmon Sandwich, Rick Bayless' Skirt Steak Salad with Avocado and Chile Lime Dressing, Rick Bayless' Creamy Corn Soup with Ham, Tom Douglas' Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons, and Nancy Olson's Pumpkin Whoopie Pie. The JLT, corn soup, and whoopie pie were the standouts for me, but it was all fantastic!

Gina DePalma, cookbook author and pastry chef at Babbo, took the stage after lunch. She demonstrated how to make a zabaglione, which is made by beating egg yolks, sugar, and red wine. The whole process looked a little exhausting, but the end result (which we thankfully got to try) was delicious. Small portions were passed around with a little piece of hazelnut cake.

After Gina DePalma’s demo, Cat Cora sat down at the table next to us for a pre-demo meeting. Katie and I tried our best to not stare, but we couldn’t wait to meet her! The Bon Appétit and Santa Margherita people had her come over to meet us and take pictures after her meeting. I had always thought she looked intimidating on television, but she turned out to be one of the nicest people I have ever met. She’s also very tiny in person! Eventually, she had to pull away from all of the pictures so she could get up on stage and do her cooking demonstration. She energetically showed everyone how to make her skirt steak tacos with shitake mushroom salsa.

Fabio Viviani arrived shortly after Cat Cora’s demo. He did a demonstration of his gorgonzola-stuffed, pancetta wrapped shrimp over herbed polenta and baby spinach. Sadly, they did not give out samples of his dish. I’m definitely going to try the recipe though; it looked and smelled phenomenal!

Preparations for the Santa Margherita Great Taste Challenge begin after all of the demos were over. They took a lot of professional pictures (which I hope to get a hold of at some point), but – for now – I’ll have to post the pictures my friends and I took.

The judges for the event were Fabio (again), Jacob Falleni (Fabio’s business partner at Café Firenze), Bill Terlato (President & CEO of Terlato Wines), and Barbara Fairchild (editor in chief of Bon Appétit magazine). I was personally terrified to cook in front of Barbara Fairchild. I always see her as a judge on Iron Chef, so I almost didn’t want to know what she thought about my food! That said, I was extremely excited to meet her.

Some of my friends in New York came to cheer me on :). We had some Prosecco while waited for everything to be setup.

Mike, Jess, me, Katie, and Hallie

My demo was first. Fabio and Bill Terlato first gave a brief introduction of themselves, the judges, and the competition to the audience. I nervously waited on stage behind them as Katie kept signaling to me to smile!

Here are some pictures of my actual demonstration. I had some difficulties at first because my pan wasn’t getting hot enough and I couldn’t melt the butter. I only had 10 minutes to demonstrate my dish from start to finish, so this was a bit of a challenge. Everyone was standing around me trying to figure out how to get the fancy touch-screen stovetop to get hotter. Once we figured it out, the rest went fairly smoothly. Fabio’s chattiness helped ease my nerves!

Finalist Deb Kurtzke went next with her Glazed Pork over Mango Couscous. The last finalist, Andreann Geise, cooked Mint, Fig, and Chianti Glazed Lamb with Spaghetti in a Lemon Chianti Cream Sauce. Their recipes (along with mine) are posted on the Santa Margherita Great Taste Challenge website. They were both amazing, so I knew this would be a tough competition.

I was SO nervous when it was time for the judge’s critique and the final decision. They announced that Andreann’s lamb dish with the Chianti won. I can’t say I wasn’t a little bit bummed, but I really can’t complain because I had an amazing time and met some incredible people. I hope they’ll let me enter again next year!

Congratulations Andreann!

Truffle Mac

2009-09-07T01:15:00.010-05:00

Do you ever wind up with a little bit of various types of cheeses in your refrigerator? I noticed yesterday that I had a little bit of parmesan, goat cheese, cheddar, romano, and havarti. Knowing that a couple of them were nearing the end of their shelf life, I thought some macaroni and cheese was in order.

I estimated that I had about 16 ounces of cheese total:

5 oz. light havarti (in slices, which was not ideal but I made it work)
4 oz. sharp cheddar
3 oz. herbed goat cheese
3 oz. parmesan

1 oz. romano, grated

This was a bit of an experiment since I had never combined so many cheeses before, but I thought – I’ve never met a combination of cheeses that I didn’t like, so why not?

To compensate for the fact that I was using skim milk (that’s what I had) and some light cheese, I decided to add some truffle oil for a little extra richness. The truffle oil is completely optional, but just a small amount really goes a long way in adding some serious depth of flavor.

Truffle Mac
16 oz. cavatappi pasta
3 slices of bread (crust removed), or one cup of breadcrumbs
5 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 tbsp. flour
2 c. milk (I used skim, but something closer to whole would be even better)
16 oz. of your favorite cheese, grated
1/2 tsp. white pepper
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1-2 tsp. white truffle oil (depending on how strong you want the flavor to be)

Make the breadcrumb topping by putting the bread slices in a food processer. Add 3 tbsp. of melted butter and some freshly ground black pepper. Set aside.

Create a roux by melting the remaining 2 tbsp. of butter in a dutch oven over medium-low to medium heat and adding the flour. Stir and cook for a couple of minutes. Slowly add the milk, whisking it into the flour and butter mixture to make sure you get rid of any lumps. The sauce will thicken as it gets hot.

Add the white pepper, nutmeg, and dry mustard. I did not salt the sauce because of the amount of salty parmesan I used, but you may need a small amount of salt depending on the type of cheese you’re using.

When the sauce has thickened, reduce the heat to low and slowly add the cheese. Stir until all the cheese has melted into the sauce. At this point, stir in the truffle oil if you’re using it.

Cook the pasta until it’s just shy of al-dente, drain well, and add to the dutch oven with the cheese sauce. Raise the heat to medium-low and let the pasta finish cooking in the sauce for about five minutes.

Sprinkle the breadcrumb topping over the pasta and transfer to a broiler that has been preheated to high. I used an oven-proof dutch oven so I didn’t have to dirty another dish, but you could also transfer it to a separate casserole. Broil until the top is golden brown.

The end result may look a little sloppy, but it sure tasted good!

The Taste of Greece

2009-09-05T16:59:00.009-05:00

My mom visited me in Chicago last weekend and we decided to spend Sunday afternoon at the Taste of Greece in Greektown. Great food, beautiful weather, and plenty of wine – what’s not to love?

We started with some grilled octopus from the Greek Islands restaurant. It was simply marinated in some olive oil and herbs, and then served with a wedge of lemon and some bread to soak up the sauce. Perfection!

Next, we had some mousaka from the Parthenon restaurant. If you’ve never had mousaka, it’s a layered dish (which actually looks like a lasagna) made with eggplant, a meat sauce, and a béchamel sauce. My favorite part about it is the meat sauce, which has kind of an unexpected cinnamon flavor. It’s one of my favorite dishes, and not one I get very often.

We couldn’t resist ending our meal with some loukoumades I saw being fried earlier. I had never had them before, but the people at the Artopolis Bakery described them as pieces of fried dough coated with a honey-cinnamon syrup and topped with sesame seeds. They were phenomenal, of course.

My mom and I washed it all down with a bottle of roditis, which is a greek rosé-colored wine. Here is my mom, the mousaka, and the roditis:

I also snapped some random pictures of the food being cooked as we walked around.

Sole Meuniere

2009-09-01T21:13:00.003-05:00

Having recently read Julia Child’s memoir and seen "Julie & Julia", I have been wanting a good excuse to make Sole Meuniere. For those who haven’t seen the movie, Sole Meuniere was Julia’s first meal when she moved to France and what inspired her to learn French cooking. I thought it was the perfect meal for last Thursday: my friend Lina and her boyfriend Bobby’s quick stop in Chicago on their big move from NYC to California. My roommate Katie and I wanted to make them an easy but nice dinner after their long drive and to also celebrate the fact that we were seeing them for the first time in over a year!

My roommate made her famous mashed potatoes, which she makes with Yukon golds, milk, butter, and just a touch of sour cream. I also made some steamed haricot vert for a little freshness to go with the rich fish and potatoes.

I didn’t exactly follow a recipe for the sole. Instead, I just did some research online and went at it. The dish is ideally made with Dover sole, which is rather expensive and difficult to come by. I had to settle with regular sole from Whole Foods. The sole is lightly coated in flour, pan fried in butter, and then topped with a brown butter and lemon sauce.

I read an article on the food in "Julie & Julia" that reveals the secret to the dish: a thin coat of Wondra flour. I seasoned the flour with salt and pepper, lightly coated the sole filets, and pan fried in butter. I used about a pound and a half of fish and only fried two fillets at a time, so I put the cooked fish in a 200 degree oven to keep warm while I cooked the rest. When the fish was done, I added some more butter to the pan, the juice of one lemon, and just a little bit of lemon zest. I poured the sauce over the fish and garnished with some chopped fresh parsley.

It all turned out great, but I think I will try to not brown the fish so much next time. There were no complaints, though :)

Lobster Fideua

2009-08-28T18:09:00.019-05:00

(As you can probably tell, I’m a little behind on blogging on all of my cooking while I was in Boston because we kind of cooked non-stop, but here goes my last post from my trip.)

My parents met in Spain and lived there for some time before I came along and, as a result, I grew up eating a lot of Spanish food. Paella was always our big special occasion meal, and my dad makes an amazing paella. Sometimes he likes to switch it up and make a Fideua, which is basically a paella made with noodles called fideos instead of rice. Fideos are short noodles that come in little nests and can be found in the international aisle of most grocery stores:

We had my cousin Amy, her husband David, and their new baby James over for dinner on my last night in Boston and we decided to make Fideua for the occasion. Well, my dad really did the cooking and I did the picture taking. I have made a couple of paellas, but I haven’t mastered it like he has. It takes practice to get it perfect!

He started with a base recipe from The Food and Wines of Spain by Penelope Casas, but adapted it to use the types of seafood we wanted. We wanted to use lobster (because it was a special occasion!) and we supplemented that with shrimp, clams, and mussels. To boost the lobster flavor, he made a lobster stock instead of the fish stock that's normally used. The recipe might look a little complicated, but the basic method is in the steps below. The detailed recipe follows.

1) Sauté the lobster tails and shrimp in a paella pan to par-cook and remove
2) Sauté a tomato mixture in the same pan
3) Add the noodles to the pan and sauté
4) Add fish/lobster stock that has been simmering with saffron
5) Cook for a few minutes on the stovetop and add the lobster, mussels, and clams
6) During the last few minutes of cooking in the oven, add back in the shrimp and lobster claw meat
7) Garnish with lemons and fresh chopped parsley

Note: We often make paellas on an outdoor grill, but it was actually too hot to cook outside that night so we put the paella pan over the stovetop and transferred to an oven. The recipe can easily be done on a grill, though.

Lobster Fideua

4 small lobsters
1 lb. large shrimp, shelled
1 lb. mussels
1 lb. clams
White wine
Olive Oil
4 cloves garlic
2 tsp. smoked paprika
¼ tsp. cayenne
4 medium tomatoes, skinned and chopped
12 c. fish and lobster stock
Pinch of saffron
24 oz. fideos (two bags)
Fresh parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper

To prep the lobster, you will first need to kill them. I won’t go into detail about how to do that here, but there are some simple instructions here. Then, remove the tails and split them.

We used the claw meat in the Fideua and the rest of the shells to make the lobster stock. To make the stock, combine a cup of white wine and a about two quarts of water in a big pot and bring to a boil. Add the lobster claws and bodies to the pot. Remove the claws after about 10 minutes, take the meat out, and set aside for later. Simmer the rest of the contents in the pot for another 20 minutes and strain.

To prep the mussels and clams, soak them in cold water and a little bit of cornmeal and salt for about a half hour. This will help remove the sand.

Start by simmering 12 cups of fish stock with a large pinch of saffron. We used the lobster stock we made and added extra store-bought fish stock to make 12 cups.

Next, season the lobster tails with some salt and pepper and sauté in some olive oil over medium-high heat in the paella pan (and don’t skimp on the olive oil!). You really just want to par-cook them, so remove after a couple of minutes.

Season the shrimp and do the same thing. Shrimp don’t take long to cook, so they will probably be mostly cooked at this point.

Then, sauté the tomatoes, garlic, paprika, and cayenne for a few minutes. Add some more olive oil if needed.

Add the noodles, breaking up the nests as you add them. Saute them for a few minutes.

Add the stock and cook until the noodles are no longer soupy but some liquid remains.

Add the lobster tails, clams, and mussels on the top and transfer to a 350 degree oven. Bake for 10 minutes. Add the shrimp and the remaining lobster meat during the last few minutes of cooking.

Garnish with some chopped fresh parsley. Done!

Panko and Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb

2009-08-23T01:05:00.004-05:00

My friend Julia came over for dinner when I was home in Boston last weekend and we decided to experiment with an herb crusted rack of lamb. I had never made one before, but – from what I have read – the basic method is to sear the whole rack, then brush with Dijon mustard, and then roll in an herb-breadcrumb mixture. I decided to use panko breadcrumbs instead of regular for some extra crunch. We went with a simple mixture of panko, garlic, and parsley, but you could switch it up with some mint, rosemary, thyme, or whatever other herbs you like. It turned out really great and is surprisingly pretty fool proof.

Panko and Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb
2 racks of lamb (about 1 ¼ lb. each), trimmed of some fat
1 ½ c. panko breadcrumbs
3 cloves of garlic, minced
½ c. parsley, chopped
¼ c. extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp. Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees.

Mix together the breadcrumbs, minced garlic, parsley, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Season the lamb with salt and pepper and sear in a very hot skillet for a minute or two on both sides.

Brush the lamb with a thin layer of the Dijon mustard and roll in the breadcrumb mixture so that it is coated on all sides.

Roast in the oven until the internal temperature reaches 130 degrees (for medium-rare). The time will vary depending on the size of the racks of lamb, but I think it took about 15 minutes when I made it.

Let the meat rest for about five minutes before cutting into it. Then, cut between the rib bones to serve.

We served with a few side dishes:

Grilled zucchini

Tomato and cucumber salad with mint and feta dressed with olive oil and lemon juice

Israeli couscous with pine nuts and raisins

Ready to eat!

And the winner is...

2009-08-20T21:41:00.011-05:00

I won the Santa Margherita Great Taste Chicago Challenge! I’ll be heading to NYC in about a month to compete in the Finals.

I’ll try to give a little rundown of how the night went…

When Katie and I arrived at the Signature Room at 5:30, we were turned down and told the event doesn’t start until 6. Katie snappily responded with “no, she’s IN the event.” We called her the soccer mom the rest of the night!

At about 5:45, the other two contestants and I were introduced to the judges (Fabio!) and given a rundown of the logistics. The Signature Room chefs were going to prepare small portions of the dish for the judges and everyone in the audience. We just needed to finish and plate one dish for the demo. They said that John Terlato was going to be the emcee and ask questions throughout each demo.

After that, they showed me my demo station and what had been prepared already. The base of the sauce had been made and the pasta had been cooked; I just had to heat up the sauce, add the marscapone, sear the scallops, and plate the dish.

Demo Station
A couple of glasses of Prosecco later, it was time to be hooked up to a microphone and hit the stage!

Judges:
Colin Crowley (Executive Chef of Terlato Wines)
Susanna Negovan (Editor and Chief of Michigan Avenue Magazine)
Fabio Viviani
Let me tell you – I have a new respect for people who cook on television. My whole demo was kind of a blur. I remember my sauce was boiling over already when I got up on stage, then I dropped my whisk and tongs, and then Fabio had to step in and turn my scallops for me while I dealt with the sauce. During all of this, I was trying to make sure my microphone was staying in place so people could hear me. My friends told me I didn’t look nervous, but I don’t know if I believe them!

I was relieved that I had to go first so I could relax and watch the other two demos. Andrew Ettenhofer went next and made a chicken roulade with goat cheese and roasted red peppers to pair with the Pinot Grigio. I didn’t actually get to try his dish because I think I was busy blabbing to everyone about how nervous I was in my demo, but people said it was delicious.

Next up was Deborah Kurtzke, who made veal meatballs wrapped in eggplant to pair with the Chianti. I did try her dish and it was quite good, especially with the wine. I got a little nervous!

About 10 minutes after the last demo, each judge did a brief critique on each dish. The only critique I got was from Fabio, who said that I should maybe season the arugula before adding it to the top of the dish. Next time I will! He also said that it’s rare for a home cook to use seafood stock, which I’m not sure is a critique or a complement? However, he then said that it was the kind of dish he would actually cook in his restaurant and that he might need to steal the recipe. I felt pretty confident at this point! Shortly after, they announced me as the winner. I took tons of pictures afterwards, but here are some highlights:

Fabio Viviani and John Terlato
Kit, Katie, Me, Fabio, and Kate
Me and Colin Crowley
Me and Fabio…again
Special thanks to Kate for taking most of the pictures!!

Pomegranate Cosmopolitans

2009-08-18T16:19:00.005-05:00

My mom and I tried out a refreshing cocktail recipe the other night to help relieve ourselves from the weekend’s persistent 90 degree heat. Pomegranate Cosmopolitans – from Ina Garten’s Back to Basics cookbook – are a great update on the slightly outdated cosmo. They were sweet, tart, and (stretch) maybe even a tiny bit healthy!

Pomegranate Cosmos
2 c. good vodka
1 c. orange liqueur (Cointreau)
1 c. cranberry juice cocktail
½ c. pomegranate juice
½ c. freshly squeezed lime juice (3 limes)
Lime slices, to garnish

Combine the vodka, orange liqueur, pomegranate juice, and lime juice in a pitcher and refrigerate if not serving right away. Pour each portion over ice cubes in a cocktail shaker, shake well, and pour into frozen martini glasses with a slice of lime. Makes six cocktails.

Easy Appetizers: Homemade Spreads and Bruschetta

2009-08-17T21:06:00.004-05:00

I made my scallops and saffron sauce the other night to try out with the Santa Margherita Prosecco, so my mom and I came up with some simple appetizers to serve beforehand. I wanted to make some bruschetta with my mom’s garden tomatoes and basil. My parents had just been to a wedding where they had a bruschetta made with roasted eggplant and gorgonzola. To make that easier, my mom bought a garlic roasted eggplant spread from Trader Joe’s and some crumbled gorgonzola. I didn’t write down exact recipes for each, but here is a general idea of what we ended up doing:

Bruschetta
Thinly slice a baguette on the bias, brush with olive oil, and season with a little bit of salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and broil on high until golden brown on both sides (turning halfway through). When the bread is out of the oven, slice a clove of garlic in half and rub the raw garlic onto one side of the bread.

Tomato and Basil Topping
Quarter cherry tomatoes (or chop regular tomatoes), combine with some julienned basil, and drizzle with a little bit of extra virgin olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Eggplant and Gorgonzola Topping
Spread the bread with the eggplant and garlic spread, top with a little bit of gorgonzola, and broil on high until the cheese is melted.

~~~~~~~~~~
My mom also loves invent spreads. One my parents’ favorite restaurants, Hungry Mother, serves a great pimiento cheese spread with celery sticks. Here is my mom’s version of that recipe:

Pimiento Cheese Spread
4 oz. light cream cheese
1 c. sharp cheddar cheese, grated
3 tbsp. pimiento peppers (or piquillo peppers)
2 tbsp. light mayo
Dash of hot sauce
Pinch of cayenne
2 tbsp. sweet or hot pepper relish (my mom uses Howard’s brand)

Combine all ingredients in a food processor until combined but still a little bit chunky. Garnish with some celery leaves.

She also made a quick olive spread with some cream cheese and nice garlic-lemon green olives. We put them on a platter with some celery sticks and crackers:

Everything was delicious and easy!

Lobster Sandwiches

2009-08-17T00:17:00.007-05:00

My dad brought home some lobster sandwiches from Alive and Kicking Lobsters today. I just had to share how delicious they were…

Instead of the standard lobster “roll,” they put the lobster salad on toasted Italian bread. The salad itself was perfect: very little mayonnaise, generous amount of lobster, and perfectly seasoned. Highly recommended if you’re in the Boston/Cambridge area!

Key Lime Pie

2009-08-16T12:14:00.006-05:00

I’m home in Boston this week and you know what that means – lots of cooking! My parents and I are not huge dessert people, but when we do make dessert, we usually make key lime pie (my mom’s favorite) or pecan pie (my dad’s favorite). My mom is from Florida and has always made her mom’s key lime pie recipe. It eventually won me over as my favorite of the two pies, so that’s what we made for dessert the other night when we had a couple of friends over.

We have made a few modifications to my grandmother’s recipe over the years. We omitted the meringue topping it called for and added some lime zest in the filling for a little extra tart flavor. She also always made the pie in a standard pie crust, but we like to either make or buy a graham cracker crust. We made the crust this time and I think it really is much better than store bought, but store bought will work if you’re in a hurry. Finally, my mom couldn’t find the 9 inch pie plate we usually use for this, so we experimented and made it in a 10 ½ inch tart plate. It worked just as well and was a huge hit with our guests!

Graham Cracker Crust
1 ½ c. graham cracker crumbs
½ tsp. cinnamon
1/3 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. melted butter

Filling
14 oz. sweetened condensed milk
½ c. key lime juice (I think this can be found at most grocery stores. We found it at Whole Foods)
Zest of 1 lime
3 egg yolks

Combine the graham cracker crumbs, cinnamon, brown sugar, and melted butter in a food processor. Press into a pie plate and bake in a 375 degree oven for 6-8 minutes until it’s lightly brown. (It’s okay if the crust is a little rustic looking. Mine was!)

Whisk together the sweetened condensed milk, key lime juice, lime zest, and egg yolks. Pour into the pre-baked crust and bake at 350 for 12 minutes.

Serve cold or at room temperature with some fresh whipped cream and raspberries.

Santa Margherita Great Taste Challenge

2009-08-11T21:51:00.011-05:00

I entered the Santa Margherita Great Taste Challenge on a whim last week with my Seared Scallops with Pappardelle and Saffron Sauce recipe that I posted back in March. The contest asked for a recipe that would pair well with one of their three wines: Prosecco, Pinot Grigio, and Chianti. I thought the richness of the sauce and the scallops would pair well with the light, slightly sweet Prosecco.

Winning Combination?

Well - I got a call today to let me know that I was a semi-finalist! This means I have to present my dish to judges (including Fabio from Top Chef!) next Wednesday at the Signature Room. Wish me luck!!

PS: If you watched Top Chef New York, then you know Fabio's thoughts: “Ees not top scallop!” I hope it will be!

Battle Burger: Colleen vs. Jarret

2009-08-10T21:48:00.007-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, I decided to enter the annual Build a Better Burger contest that I always see on the Food Network. To be honest, I’ve never actually made a burger before, but I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to come up with some recipes! There’s no limit to the number of burgers a single person can enter, so – enticed with the grand prize of $50,000 - I came up with two original recipes: Brandy Blue Cheese Burgers with Endive and Caramelized Shallots and Bacon Beer-Cheeseburgers with Maple-Glazed Bacon and Apples.

My friend Jarret wanted in on the burger testing, so he made a couple burgers of his own and challenged me to a “burger off”. He didn’t end up writing down the recipes, but he made one with a homemade honey-chipotle barbecue sauce, cheddar, bacon, and red onion and the other with blue cheese and red wine braised pearl onions.

I got the idea for the blue cheese burgers from my parent’s blue cheese stuffed endive appetizer that was always one of my favorites growing up. The blue cheese stuffing is a spread made with blue cheese, brandy, and mayonnaise. I used endives for crunch on top of the burger and then some caramelized shallots for a little sweetness. I can’t say there is much of a story behind the beer-cheeseburgers other than the fact that I love beer-cheese and thought it would go really well with a burger! I balanced the bitterness of the cheese spread with maple glazed bacon and fresh apple slices.

As far as the patty itself, I had to do a little research. I think chuck is probably the most popular cut of meat for a burger, but I had just read an article that said brisket is actually a much more flavorful cut of meat for a burger. I compromised and went with 50% chuck and 50% brisket, both freshly ground at the store.

Then comes the question of what should go into the meat mixture, if anything. I recently read an article about store bought demi-glace in Saveur and decided I should find a use for it (it doesn’t take much to convince me, obviously). Then I thought: why not add a little to the burger for extra flavor? I added it to the patties for the blue cheese burgers and it worked beautifully. For the beer-cheeseburgers, I just used a little bit of Dijon mustard and olive oil in the burger mix.

I will admit that our end results were maybe a little sloppy looking as we had been cooking and sipping on beer all day, but it was all delicious tasting nevertheless! I do need to make a couple of disclaimers: 1) We did make four types of burgers for three people, but I promise we didn’t each eat four burgers! 2) The burgers we made were smaller than the ones in my “official” recipes, but the contest rules called for each recipe to yield six normal sized burgers.

We had quite a spread to show for all of our hard work…

We had my friend Katie “judge” our burgers at the end.

Katie’s favorite was the beer-cheeseburger. Win!

~~~~~~~~~~
Brandy Blue Cheese Burgers with Endive and Caramelized Shallots

Caramelized Shallots
2 pounds shallots, thinly sliced
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Blue Cheese Spread
6 ounces Roquefort cheese
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 teaspoons brandy
¼ teaspoon ground white pepper

Patties
1 pound freshly ground chuck
1 pound freshly ground brisket
4 teaspoons store bought demi-glace (I use the More Than Gourmet brand that can be found at Whole Foods)
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil

Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil, for brushing the burgers
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 high-quality brioche buns, split
3 Belgian endives, separated into leaves

Preheat a gas grill to medium-low.

To make the caramelized shallots, melt the butter in a large fire-proof skillet. Add the sliced shallots and salt; sauté for 15 minutes. Then, add the brown sugar and continue to sauté on medium low for 45 minutes, or until the shallots are soft and golden brown. Set aside.

To make the blue cheese spread, combine the Roquefort, mayonnaise, brandy, and white pepper in a food processer. Process until the spread is smooth and set aside.

To make the patties, gently mix together the ground chuck, ground brisket, demi-glace, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Form six even-sized patties. Brush the burgers with a thin layer of olive oil. Sprinkle with a small amount of salt and pepper on both sides and gently press your thumb into the middle of each patty (this will make it so the burgers don’t bulge up in the middle as they cook).

Increase the heat on the grill to medium-high. When the grill is heated, add the patties to the rack. Cook for a total of 5-7 minutes on each side for medium, turning only once. Add a small amount of the blue cheese spread on top of each burger during the last minute of cooking (but too much because you don’t want to overpower the meat!). Make sure to remove the patties from the grill before the spread drips down the side of the patties.

As the burgers are cooking, melt the butter in a fire-proof skillet. Brush a little bit of butter onto each brioche bun half and grill for a couple of minutes, or until the buns have grill marks.

To assemble the burgers, place a generous amount of the caramelized shallots on the bottom halves of the buns. Place the patties on top of the shallots. Top with several endive leaves and the top halves of the buns.

~~~~~~~~~~
Bacon Beer-Cheeseburgers with Maple-Glazed Bacon and Apples

Beer Cheese
8 ounces sharp cheddar, grated
¼ cup white onion, minced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon Louisiana hot sauce
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon dry mustard
Pinch of cayenne
½ cup lager (I used Brooklyn Lager, but use the one of your choice)

Bacon
12 slices of bacon
1/3 cup real maple syrup

Patties
1 pound freshly ground chuck
1 pound freshly ground brisket
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil

Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil, for brushing the burgers and buns
6 pretzel buns, split
3 large granny smith apples

Preheat a gas grill to medium-low.

To make the bacon, add to a large fire-proof skillet in a single layer and cook for about 4 minutes on each side, or until crisp. Remove the cooked bacon from the skillet and brush a thin layer of the maple syrup onto each side of the bacon. Set aside.

To make the beer cheese, first pour the beer into a glass and wait for the foam to settle. Then, combine the grated cheese, onion, garlic, hot sauce, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, dry mustard, and cayenne in a food processor. Pulse until combined. Add the beer and puree until smooth. Set aside.

To make the patties, gently mix together the ground chuck, ground brisket, Dijon mustard, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Form six even-sized patties. Brush the burgers with a thin layer of olive oil. Sprinkle with a small amount of salt and pepper on both sides and gently press your thumb into the middle of each patty (this will make it so the burgers don’t bulge up in the middle as they cook).

Increase the heat on the grill to medium-high. When the grill is heated, add the patties to the rack. Cook for a total of 5-7 minutes on each side for medium, turning only once. Add a small amount of the beer cheese on top of each burger during the last minute of cooking (but too much because you don’t want to overpower the meat!). Make sure to remove the patties from the grill before the cheese drips down the side of the patties.

As the burgers are cooking, brush a little bit of olive oil onto each pretzel bun half and grill for a couple of minutes, or until the buns have grill marks.

Meanwhile, core the apples and cut into ¼ inch slices. If you are slicing them more than a few minutes ahead of time, drizzle some lemon juice over the apples so they don’t’ brown.

To assemble the burgers, place a 2 or 3 apple slices on the bottom halves of the buns. Place the patties on top of the apples. Top each burger with two slices of the bacon and the top halves of the buns.

Pork Stir-Fry with Sugar Snap Peas

2009-07-23T22:36:00.005-05:00

I had some leftover cooked pork tenderloin in the freezer from when I made the five spice pork a couple of months ago and thought it would make a wonderful stir-fry. I found a recipe for stir-fried pork tenderloin with sugar snap peas in one of my Food Network cookbooks, so I adapted it to use my leftover pork. I have to say – I think that the five spice marinade probably worked better for this recipe than the marinade the original recipe called for ;). The marinade was basically a combination of coriander, jalapeno, brandy, honey, and five-spice. Everyone in the office definitely noticed how good my lunch smelled this week!

You could also make this recipe by starting with raw pork tenderloin (or chicken even) marinated in some of the sauce from the recipe. I would stir-fry it before stir frying the vegetables, take it out when the meat is just about cooked, and add it back in at the end.

Pork Stir-Fry with Sugar Snap Peas
Adapted from Making It Easy (Food Network Kitchens)

2 tbsp. soy sauce
4 tsp. palm sugar (or brown sugar)
2 tsp. sherry
2 tsp. sesame oil
2 tbsp. hoisin sauce
1 tsp. sriracha
2 tsp. cornstarch
1 lb. cooked (leftover) pork tenderloin, cut into ½ inch cubes
½ lb. sugar snap peas
½ large red onion, sliced
3 scallions, sliced (keep white and green parts separate)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp. fresh ginger, minced
Peanut oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Mix together the soy sauce, palm sugar, sherry, sesame oil, hoisin, and sriracha in a small bowl. Set aside.
2. In another bowl, whisk the cornstarch into two tablespoons of cold water. Set aside.
3. Heat up a little bit of peanut oil in a wok. Stir-fry the sugar snap peas and onion for about a minute until they are slightly cooked but still crisp.
4. Add the white parts of the green onion, the garlic, and ginger. Stir-fry for another minute or so.
5. Add the pork and stir-fry until heated through.
6. Add the soy sauce mixture into the wok and stir until heated through.
7. Finally, add the cornstarch mixture and cook until the sauce thickens (probably about a minute).

Serve topped with the green parts of the scallions with some jasmine rice. Who needs takeout?

Basil and Arugula Pesto

2009-07-19T14:30:00.010-05:00

I picked up some beautiful basil at Green City Market yesterday and decided to make some pesto. If you’ve read any of my previous posts, you know I love to make a lot of something and freeze it for later, so that’s exactly what I did with my pesto: I saved a little bit for a couple of meals, and froze the rest in an ice cube tray for perfect little freezer portions.

I’ve read that, when freezing pesto, it’s best to omit the cheese and just add it after defrosting. I did just that, which is why I don’t have a cheese measurement in the recipe. I also added some arugula to the mix because I had some in my refrigerator that needed using, as well as some lemon zest to brighten the flavor a bit. I served it with some penne and grilled shrimp, but pesto is so versatile; it’s a great thing to keep on hand.

Basil and Arugula Pesto
2 c. basil
1 c. arugula
1/2 c. olive oil
1/3 c. pine nuts
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
Salt and pepper
Parmesan cheese
Lemon zest

Combine the basil, arugula, olive oil, pine nuts, and chopped garlic in a food processor. Season with salt and pepper, to taste (but take it easy on the salt because the parmesan is salty). If you are not freezing the pesto, add some parmesan cheese and little bit of lemon zest.

To freeze, line an ice cube tray with plastic wrap and fill with the pesto. Cover with another layer of plastic wrap and freeze. When the pesto is frozen solid, transfer to a freezer bag.

Smoked Salmon and Goat Cheese Sandwiches

2009-07-17T21:43:00.010-05:00

I was contemplating breakfast on my walk home from the gym the other morning and started craving smoked salmon. I had to stick with my standard ham sandwich breakfast that morning (yeah, I eat lunch food for breakfast), but I went to the grocery store after work and crafted this smoked salmon sandwich to have for the rest of the week. The possibilities are endless, but I decided on a filling of smoked salmon, herbed goat cheese spread, arugula, and cucumber. I also lightened up the goat cheese by adding some non-fat greek yogurt and lemon juice. It’s a great incentive to get myself out of bed in the morning!

½ c. non-fat greek yogurt
4 oz. herbed goat cheese
Juice of 2 lemons
1 shallot, chopped
Ground black pepper
Cucumber, thinly sliced
Arugula
Smoked salmon
Wheat bread

For the spread, combine the yogurt, goat cheese, lemon juice, and pepper in a food processor. Stir in the chopped shallot.

For the sandwich, spread a thin layer of the goat cheese spread on both sides of the bread. Add a layer of cucumber, a thin layer of salmon, and top with the arugula.

Schwa: A One of a Kind Dining Experience

2009-06-29T20:45:00.014-05:00

I read about the reopening of a restaurant called Schwa right after I moved to Chicago. It’s considered to be one of the best restaurants in the city, it’s BYOB, and nearly impossible to get a reservation. I knew I had to try it. After several phone calls – most of which took me straight to the full voicemail box - I finally got a call back. A few weeks later, my friend Katie and I were off to Schwa.

I came across this article about chef-owner Michael Carlson the day of my reservation. It talks about the circumstances around how the restaurant closed. Long story short: Charlie Trotter called him in the fall of 2007 and asked to reserve the entire dining room for him and a slew of famous chefs, like Thomas Keller and Wylie Dufresne.

“Characteristically, Carlson refused to allow Trotter to pay for the meal—dinner for twenty-two on the house. Then, with the pressure of the evening […], he went on a three-day binge. Alcohol, cocaine, Ecstasy. […] He canceled all pending reservations for the restaurant, announced he was closing, and disappeared from public sight. “I did not know true mental stress until that day,” he says. He lacked the strength—and the money—to go on.”

Four months later, Schwa was back. His restaurant is full of eccentricities that make the restaurant wonderful but apparently difficult to sustain, both physically and financially. He only seats one party every half hour, which means that he never allows the restaurant to be at capacity. The restaurant only seats twenty-six. The chefs are the wait staff. They have no liquor license. We ordered the 9-course meal, and we got 12 courses (plus some free wine and beer). He says that the restaurant survives paycheck to paycheck, and I see why. Nevertheless, it was an incredible experience and I hope it stays open so I can go back!

I was nervous when I walked into the restaurant, for some reason. I thought it might be pretentious and people might wonder what we 20-somethings were doing there. Luckily, this was not the case at all; I felt like I was in Michael Carlson’s home kitchen. When we walked in, he graciously thanked us for coming and promptly poured us a glass of the Prosecco we brought. The restaurant was very small and basic looking, but I knew we were in for a treat.

Speaking of Prosecco, I should probably mention the wine we brought. Even though there were only two of us, we had read that Michael Carlson suggests bringing “something sparkling, a pinot blanc or a gruner veitliner, and a pinot noir or light-medium bodied red.” We brought three bottles, somewhat following these guidelines, and left it up to the chefs to pour whichever wine they thought was best for each course. I’m not a wine expert, but I tried to pick some that would be versatile with food. They turned out to all be fantastic.

Prosecco Veneto IGT Organic (Italy)
Vina Robles Red 4 2007 – Blend of Petite Sirah, Syrah, Tannat, Touriga Nacional (California)
Mulderbosch Cabernet Sauvignon Rose 2008 (South Africa)

Now, onto the food.

“Salad Course”: Hendricks Gin bubble tea
He took the flavors in Hendricks Gin (cucumber, rose, juniper) and deconstructed them. This honestly was way more delicious than it looks in this picture. It was a light, refreshing start to the meal. It was also fun to drink!

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Red beet risotto with cave aged cow milk bleu cheese puree and horseradish foam
This was probably one of my favorite courses. There wasn’t much of the blue cheese puree on the plate but it was so intense tasting and went perfectly with the sweetness of the risotto and the light horseradish foam.

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Pea soup with fresh peas, hummus, pea powder, and mentholated air
Who knew pea soup could be so delicious? I could have eaten a bowl of this for my dinner and been happy. Katie was writing notes down about what we were eating, and I now see that her description for this course was “pea soup (omg).”

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Cauliflower tortelloni with birch-smoked cheese in cocoa consume
The cocoa consume sounded a little shocking, but the combination of that with the cauliflower and cheese was amazing. There were also some crunchy cocoa nibs on top. This went so well with our red wine. I was a happy camper.

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Quail egg ravioli with brown butter and parmesan
This course also got an “omg” in Katie’s notes. We were instructed let the ravioli sit for 20 seconds before eating (so that the egg yolk sets a little bit), and then to eat it all in one bite. All I have to say is – wow. There was truffle, runny egg yolk, butter, and parmesan. That was quite a bite.

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Whitefish roe with lemon, buckwheat-polenta cake, coffee gelee, and fried capers
As you can see, I forgot to take a picture before we dug in, so this is an action-shot. Again, this was a random combination of ingredients that worked perfectly.

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Butter poached Maine lobster, toasted quinoa, pancetta, and fava beans
I’m from New England, and this was the best lobster I have ever tasted. The presentation was beautiful, too.

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Chicken liver with rutabaga balls, turmeric broth, greens, and beer foam
This was good, but not our favorite course. The flavors were great but the liver was a little rich by itself. They told us later in the night that they usually serve some sort of brittle to add some crunch to this, but the heat and humidity that week made impossible to make. They did give us some great beer to go with this course which went perfectly.

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Pennsylvania duck breast, duck confit, brussel sprouts, pumpkin smear, cocoa dust
Each bite of this was laid out perfectly with the duck confit on the bottom, the brussels sprout leaves in the middle and the seared duck breast on top. Again, it was absolutely delicious.

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“Cheese Course”: Taleggio cheese, coddled egg, white truffle, and powdered honey
The little dish contained taleggio cheese at the bottom and coddled egg on top. I’m not sure where the white truffle was, but it was in there somewhere. We were instructed to take the spoonful of powered honey and stir it into the cheese and egg mixture. We did what we were told and the mixture turned into something with a fondue-like texture. It was such an odd combination, but it was certainly the best cheese course I have ever had!

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“Dessert – Meat and Veg”: Candied veal sweetbreads, parsnip-ice wine-vinegar puree, passionfruit sauce, honeydew foam, and parsnip puree
I really felt like I was on Iron Chef with this course. Veal sweetbreads for dessert? It actually worked! They also gave us a glass of Muscat wine to go with our dessert.

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We thought we were done at this point, but one of the chefs put down a tiny bottle that said “bacon.” Hmmm…

They brought over another “bonus” course, which was a red beet ice cream on top of a white chocolate cream in a lavender cone. They added some of the bacon extract on top of the ice cream. Amazing!

Who wants to go back with me??

Garlic Roasted Asparagus

2009-06-25T20:51:00.003-05:00

Roasting is my favorite way to cook asparagus. I make a lot of variations of this by adding things like balsamic or parmesan cheese, but here is my simple recipe for garlic roasted asparagus.

Asparagus
Garlic, roughly chopped (I used 4 cloves for about 1 and a half bunches of asparagus, but I change the amount depending on how much garlic I feel like)
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

1. Trim the rough ends of the asparagus and spread out flat on a baking sheet. Top with the garlic.
2. Drizzle the asparagus and garlic with olive oil (to coat) and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.

3. Cook in a 450 degree oven for 10-15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the asparagus.

Turkey and Spinach Lasagna

2009-06-22T18:46:00.005-05:00

I actually don’t always love lasagna because I find that the noodles can get soggy, but I came across a Cooking Light recipe for Turkey Lasagna that doesn’t call for pre-cooking the noodles. I’ve made it a few times, tweaking the recipe a little bit each time. I kept the base recipe (uncooked noodles, cottage cheese and mozzarella mixture), but upped the amount of sauce, added some extra seasoning, added some spinach to boost the veggie content, and broiled it at the end to crisp up the top.

This lasagna freezes really well, so I’m going to bring it to work for lunch this week and then freeze the rest for later. I love having this kind of thing in the freezer for lazy nights!

1 lb. ground turkey breast
Olive oil
1 ½ c. water
3 ½ c. marinara sauce (homemade or store bought…I used store bought)
16 oz. chopped frozen spinach, thawed
3 ½ cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
2 c. 1% low-fat cottage cheese
½ c. grated fresh Parmesan cheese
2 eggs + 1 egg white
¼ c. chopped fresh parsley
¼ tsp. black pepper
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. nutmeg
9 uncooked lasagna noodles

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Heat up a little bit of olive oil in a large saucepan and add the ground turkey breast. When the meat is browned, add the marinara sauce and the water. Simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Drain the spinach to get as much water out of it as possible. Combine it with 2 cups of the mozzarella, the cottage cheese, parmesan, egg, parsley, pepper, salt, and nutmeg.
4. To assemble, spread ½ cup of the turkey mixture on the bottom of a 13 x 9 inch baking dish. Arrange 3 noodles over turkey mixture; top with 1 ½ cups turkey mixture. Spread half of cheese mixture over turkey mixture. Repeat layers, ending with the remaining turkey mixture.
5. Top the lasagna with the remaining 1 ½ cups of mozzarella cheese and some cracked black pepper.

6. Bake covered for one hour. Then, uncover the lasagna and broil on high for a few minutes until the cheese is slightly browned.

Salmon with Horseradish and Lemon Cream

2009-06-21T20:01:00.003-05:00

I made a quick and easy dinner for myself tonight with some salmon and the fresh peas I got yesterday at Green City Market. I kept the peas simple by just steaming them and tossing them in a little bit of butter, but I made a nice horseradish and lemon cream to spruce up the salmon.

¾ c. light sour cream
Juice of half a lemon
2 tbsp. prepared horseradish
1 tsp. Worcestershire
1 ½ tbsp. chopped chives
Salmon filet(s)
Olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

1. To make the sauce, combine the sour cream, lemon juice, horseradish, Worcestershire, chives, salt, and pepper. Keep cold.
2. Coat the salmon filet(s) with some salt, pepper, and olive oil. Broil on high on the top rack of the oven for about 8 minutes, or until desired doneness (I like my salmon cooked to medium).
3. Top the salmon with a little bit of the sauce and garnish with more chives.

Green City Market

2009-06-20T15:03:00.010-05:00

The weather is beautiful today, so I wandered around Green City Market this morning. I really need to start coming here every week because the produce is like nothing I can get at my local grocery store. I snapped a few pictures I thought I’d share…

I picked up a little lunch for the road: a feta and mixed green tart.

I ended up buying some fresh peas, a basket of strawberries, and far too much asparagus (including a bunch of purple asparagus, which is new to me). It looks like I’ll be cooking asparagus tonight!

Black Bean Dip with Homemade Tortilla Chips

2009-06-19T17:55:00.006-05:00

A few months ago, I made this recipe for simmered black beans from the New York Times. They were fantastic (and I realized that it really is worth the effort to use dried beans as opposed to canned), but the recipe made such a big batch that I had to freeze most of them. I came up with this black bean dip to take to work for a snack this week to use the leftovers. I also made some homemade baked tortilla chips. They were super easy to make, and SO much better than store bought.

The dip would almost as well if you used canned black beans, but I think you would need to add some sort of liquid to thin it out a little bit because the black beans that I defrosted had some sauce that they simmered in.

Black Bean Dip

½ red onion, roughly chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 ½ c. black beans
2 tbsp. hot sauce (I think the Cholula brand gives it the best flavor)
½ tsp. cumin
½ c. light sour cream
Fresh cilantro (small handful)
Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Sauté the onion and garlic in a little bit of oil until tender.
2. Place the onion, garlic, beans, hot sauce, cumin, sour cream, and cilantro into a food processer. Blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Baked Tortilla Chips

Small corn tortillas (however many you want)
Olive oil
Course salt

1. Cut each tortilla into six wedges.
2. Spread the wedges out in a single layer on a baking sheet. Brush on both sides with olive oil and season with salt.
3. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes.

Rigatoni with Lamb Ragu with Mint

2009-06-15T21:10:00.004-05:00

I had been wanting to try Giada’s Lamb Ragu with Mint recipe and I found myself with some leftover lamb shank that I had frozen from a dinner at Terragusto recently, and – in an effort to clean out my freezer – I changed around the recipe a little bit to use my leftovers.

½ lb. rigatoni pasta
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 shallots, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
Lamb (like I said, I used leftover lamb shank meat that I defrosted)
½ c. red wine
2 c. marinara sauce (I used store bought)
¼ c. fresh mint leaves, chopped
¼ c. whole milk ricotta cheese

1. Cook the pasta according to package directions.
2. Sauté the shallot and garlic in the olive oil for a few minutes. Add the red wine and cook until reduced by half.
3. Add the marinara sauce and lamb meat. Simmer for 10 minutes and add the ricotta cheese.
4. Add the pasta and the fresh mint to the sauce.

I added some peas to this when I ate it the next night and thought it cut the richness of the sauce nicely. Either way, the lamb and the mint are a fantastic combination in this pasta dish.