SOUP OF THE DAY

Velvety Kabocha Squash Soup

2011-09-06T19:08:00.001-07:00

Kabocha squash is that large, dark green squash that looks like a small pumpkin, only it's dark green. :) Look at this though - it's very orange on the inside! It's really velvety and quite sweet. I've tried roasting and eating the seeds too, but I don't care for them. The only two ways I've had this, is as tempura (Japanese) and this soup. I like smooth soups, but I also heard just today from someone else who said her grandmother just cubes it and drops it into a pork soup, which sounds good too! I'll have to try that next time. Also, since it's on the sweeter side, you could totally play that up and use it something like a pie, or roast it with some butter, cinnamon & sugar ... or whatever.

This is what it looks like on the outside.

You can peel it, then steam it or boil it, but it's a really hard squash, so be careful - don't cut yourself. I just cut it up like this, and then boil it (with a bit of salt) with rind on and wait to scoop it out once it's cooked and soft.

Boil until soft (about 20 min or so). Scoop out the orange flesh, and discard the rind.

Finishing the soup:

In a blender, combine the cooked Kabocha with vegetable or chicken broth (you can make the soup as thick or as thin as you like - I used about 3 cups for one medium sized squash and it was about milkshake consistency). I also added about 2 TBSP of butter, and then salt & pepper to taste, a squeeze or two of fresh lemon to taste, and then a pinch of dried thyme. Blend until completely smooth and then return to a pan to reheat. You can finish it by adding a splash of cream or half & half, if you want.

Classic BLT

2011-09-02T17:35:00.000-07:00

Sometimes the simple things are the best.

I have been thinking about a BLT for a couple weeks now. Today I made one. I could have eaten four, but I stopped at one. :)

And for me, it has to be old fashioned, soft, white bread. Toasted. And real, full fat mayonnaise. No extras like avocado or onion or whatever the heck else people like to put on their BLT's (which would then technically no longer be a BLT but a different sandwich altogether). And summer is really the only time it will be at it's best, because of the fresh tomatoes. And my tomatoes out in the garden are superb right now - as you can see. :)

Dinner Inspiration - Irish Shepard's Pie

2011-08-27T12:14:00.000-07:00

I was pretty surprised when they delivered this beautiful looking plate at my local Irish Pub. It's Shepard's Pie, which is supposed to be a casual, rustic dish. Or, at least that's how I always thought of it. But after seeing how it's plated up here, with the fresh peas, baby carrots and then that little sprig of rosemary sticking out from the center of the beautifully browned mashed potatoes, I have changed my opinion about it, and now it's on my list of really impressive dinners I could serve.

And it's not just pretty, it's SO good! Great for kids too.

I'm not going to post a recipe, but I'll give you a basic rundown of how you'd make it, should you decide to give it a whirl. This is basically a ground beef stew, topped with potatoes and baked. You could make 1 big family-style dish, or smaller individual portions, as seen above. This could also work well as a chicken & dumpling flavor, just make a thick stew and add the same potatoes on top.

A quick rundown of how I make it is below. For those who are like me and just want a quick view of what's in it so they can make their own version, see below. If you need a real recipe, I'm sure FoodBuzz has tons - click on the FoodBuzz badge on the right side of the page. :)

Brown your ground meat (beef, turkey, lamb, or a mix) then add some chopped onions & carrots to the pan and cook until the carrots start to get soft. Salt & pepper to taste, some garlic, pinch rosemary and pinch thyme. Add peas. Mix in some brown gravy - enough to make a thick stew (like a sloppy joe). Transfer to the baking dish(es) and then add mashed potatoes on top. Cook in the oven to brown the potatoes. If the stew is fully cooked, you can just brown it under the broiler.

My Favorite "Quick Fix" for making Brussels Sprouts Sassy?

2011-08-26T11:33:00.000-07:00

Mix in a spoonful or two of Mascarpone. It works wonderful on brussels sprouts, but also spinach, green beans, zucchini, all greens, broccoli, etc., etc. It's as good, if not better, than butter - it's rich and creamy, and has a wonderful flavor. Bacon used to be my favorite, but adding Mascarpone is just so much easier and faster than cooking up bacon.

Rotisserie Grilled Chicken

2011-07-18T12:45:00.000-07:00

We grill a lot in southern California, so this year I treated myself and I got that new Weber grill a few weeks back, and at the time I ordered it I also got some fun accessories like this kick-ass Grill Daddy brush I can't live without, and then a rotisserie attachment. So last night I hooked up the rotisserie attachment.

Took about 1 hour to cook this chicken. Tender inside, very juicy, crispy skin. Perfect! And I did nothing but take the chicken out of the package, sprinkle it with seasoning, and throw it on the fire.

It didn't get off to a good start though. First, the rotisserie bar sits so low that the meat hits the grates and can't rotate. So I removed the grates and ended up just sitting them directly on top of the bars that cover the burners - which you can see in the picture. Now it had room and could turn. Next problem was, they tell you to put a pan under the meat to catch the drippings. I did that, and the grease that went into it of course smoked like a bonfire and almost caught fire (because of course it was sitting right on the burner). I should have known better, it's only common sense that a pan full of grease sitting on a hot burner is going to eventually ignite. But I was in a hurry to get dinner made and just followed the rotisserie's instructions. With smoke POURING out of the closed-lid grill, heat off and rotisserie motor now unplugged, I waited with crossed fingers that it would cool before it ignited. I've had a few grease fires in the past, so I definitely knew one was possible now. Once cooled, I opened the lid, and yep - that grease pan was black as tar. I almost just pull the darn thing off and said screw it, but then I thought, why not just take the stupid pan out and then let the drippings drip to the bottom ... like ALL the food we cook on the grill does. Geez. Problem solved.

If I hadn't been in such a hurry to get dinner cooked, I probably also would have remembered to do the flavor injections before cooking. Injecting the bird, especially the breast meat, with garlic herb butter.... OH YEAH BABY.

Watermelon Martini

2011-07-15T18:25:00.000-07:00

This was really yummy. So much so, that I'm thinking about going back up to the produce market tomorrow to get a few of their $1 watermelons (the ones with the seeds are cheaper) so I can make more fresh watermelon juice!

It's trickier to juice them though when there are seeds, because crushing the seeds would make it bitter. What I did was just cut it up, dust it with a teensy bit of salt, and wait for it to juice itself. After it sat for about an hour, I just crushed the rest with my hands.

A note about the salt ... you only add a small amount, but it benefits in two ways: It helps to break down the fruit's flesh releasing the juice easier, and it also boosts the flavor. The key is to only use a small amount, like when you make cookies, because you only need flavor enhancement, not salty juice.

Watermelon Martini:

2 oz watermelon juice

1 teaspoon of agave nectar

2 oz vodka

Method: Add watermelon juice, agave nectar & vodka to empty shaker. Add ice last and shake immediately - serving instantly after shaking. Watermelon juice tends to bem umm, watery, so by adding ice last keeps it from getting anymore watered down.

Garnishes & Variations: Fresh Mint is my favorite garnish - I just didn't happen to have any on hand today. Also, you can add a splash of any melon-flavored liquor to deepen the flavors, but if you like a fresh flavor, and not fake, I highly recommend you do this in small amounts -- like, half a teaspoon at a time. Grand Marnier is also good in this, but again, just about a half teaspoon per serving.

OUT with the old, IN with the new : GRILL

2011-06-15T19:30:00.000-07:00

Look at that nasty old grill, sitting at the curb. All alone. Newly homeless. I'd feel sorry for the old grill, except for the fact that I knew it would find a good home. And it did -- it was snatched up in less than an hour. I love California, you can put all of your old crap out at the curb, and someone will always come by and take it. It's an unwritten rule here that anything sitting at the curb is free. It's awesome. Why toss it when you can recycle it? One person's trash is another's treasure. I've even got a few goodies off the sidewalk myself.

Anyway. That grill sucked. So I got a new one. I was going to get the Costco one, but the warranty was a little shady, and living at the beach you need something that can stand up to the weather, and have the warranty to back that up. So I did some research, and the Weber was always at the top of everyone's list for durability, so Weber it was.

It's not a Father'a Day present for Theo, it's a present for me. :) Well, me, and everyone else here that I cook for! So anyway, it came today ... right in time for Father's Day weekend, which is cool. I got a little excited when I was ordering, and also got the rotisserie attachment, a new Weber Grilling Cookbook, a new cover for it -- a must have though, and then this really cook steam-cleaning grill brush (the reviews for it were killer). So, yeah, we're ready to make some food!!

It took me an hour and a half to put it together. I had a helper though ... who actually cost me a good 30+ minutes, because without Charlotte here, it would have taken about an hour. Or less. Because had I been alone, I wouldn't have had to stop in the middle of things 12 times. Or look for all the screws she misplaced. Or "un-jam" the bolt she shoved into the leg of the grill that prevented me from getting the wheel on. Etc., etc.

Sigh. Isn't it just beautiful! It lights like a dream, heats up uber fast, doesn't flare up & cooks clean (no more soot on my food!)

You have no idea how in love I am with this new grill.

I planted something!

2011-04-08T19:54:00.000-07:00

Tomatoes. Yummy, sweet, summer tomatoes - fresh off the vine! Oh boy, I can hardly wait! The last 2 years I've been really disappointed with the Farmer's Market tomatoes, so I'm taking matters into my own hands. Even if it means cutting a hole in my very expensive lawn because that's where the sunniest spot is.

Friday night, after work... we're driving home and did an impromptu detour - to Lowe's Home & Garden Center. I had had the tomatoes on my mind for a few weeks now, so I just decided to bit the bullet and do it. While walking around looking for stuff we didn't need, we spotted these cute little kid's gardening sets, and since they had a Disney Princess design... well, we of course had to get it! Then, something to plant of course, so we got Charlotte some sunflowers. She was beyond excited. We came home and immediately went out back. I planted the tomatoes, and she planted her seeds. Wish us luck!

Update: July 15th. See below! They're doing good! We've eaten quite a few of these sweet tomatoes... and as you can see, more are coming :)

Next year I'm planting 3 times as many-- They're THAT good.

Pretty Fingerling Potatoes

2011-03-15T19:07:00.001-07:00

I love Whole Foods. We have a huge one in southern California (in Tustin) and it's so inspiring to just walk through and pick up all the beautiful veggies.

So I got these fingerling potatoes and decided to roast them. Simple, but always a classic. Since there were 3 different kinds, I cut them in different shapes for character (the reds in circles, the purple were diced, and the whites were cut lengthwise).

I tossed them in olive oil, some fresh rosemary, and dried, granulated garlic (fresh garlic would burn in the high heat). Then added some red carrots and Nature's Sweet cherry tomatoes.

Baked @ 425 until golden. Seasoned with s & p after they came out of the oven.

Blueberry Limeade Martini

2010-07-15T19:42:00.000-07:00

It's warm outside ... so I was in the mood for something refreshing. But not a beer.

Opened the fridge. Hmmm. I have Limeade.... and in the freezer I have some frozen blueberries. So far so good.

But do I just do boring vodka?

I'm in the mood for something a little different.

How about a little lemon vodka, and then some Hendricks?

Muddle a couple blueberries with a little ice.

Add 1 oz. vodka,

1 oz. Hendricks,

4 oz. Limeade.

No sweetener for me. You can add Agave if you like.

Add more ice, shake, serve. Perfect.

(makes two modest sized drinks, or one honkin' big one)

Swordfish Steaks with Dijon Butter Sauce

2010-07-11T09:44:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to think of a way I could keep this food blog going, because I do really love it, but ever since I started my new company at the beginning of this year, it has just been SO busy that I barely have the energy at the end of the day to cook anything, much less cook something fancy, photograph it, and then write up a post about it. So, to match my new life of "home cooked fast food," my posts will from now on will probably just be pictures and ingredients for inspiration. No recipes. I know most of the people who read this can cook anyway, so for most of us (me anyway) we just like seeing what other people cook, just to get ideas for our own version of something similar. And maybe it will even somehow get me out of my own cooking funk. :)

I think I'll start with this easy swordfish dish.

I had a dish like this once at a place called Jazz de Opus in Portland in the 90's. That was back when they had a great chef. I think they're closed now... but anyway. They simply pan seared swordfish in butter & olive oil, seasoned with salt & pepper - then made a simple sauce to go over with butter, a little bit of stock, and dijon mustard. The combination of flavors go very well with swordfish. Remember to cook the fish medium-rare, as overcooked swordfish is tough as a boot.

POACHED GULF SHRIMP with GARLIC BUTTER FOR DIPPING

2010-04-17T10:31:00.000-07:00

Gulf shrimp, poached (shell on) in water flavored with bay leaf, lime juice, red pepper flakes, salt and thyme.

Dip in lightly browned butter with a tiny bit of fresh garlic and some red pepper flake.

MASCARPONE MASHED POTATOES FLAVORED WITH FRESH RAMPS

2010-04-09T11:04:00.000-07:00

My first post back after a LONG break had to be something easy. I've had total "cookers block" the last few months. I started a new business, and it's just been hectic. I rarely cook anymore because at the end of the day I'm too tired to deal with it. But I'm slowly getting back into things. I'm forcing myself because I'm sick of eating pork chops and roast beef.

So, first up - a side with a seasonal twist. Mashed potatoes with ramps! Ramps (Allium tricoccum) are those great oniony-garlicky things that have a unique and delicious flavor that is familiar, yet unique. Mine are flown in to me each year at this time, and I always try to make something new each year.

Because my 3 year old was going to be eating these, I diced the ramps pretty small. If it were for adults, I would have probably left them larger. Whatever your preference is.

Sautee in butter with a little salt & pepper.

Since I'm a busy mom - I didn't warm the milk and mascarpone in a pan.

We used the microwave :)

Add the ramps & butter to the milk, black pepper, a dash more salt to taste,

and then a drizzle of olive oil (makes me feel as if it's healthy now).

I prefer a ricer for my mashed potatoes. Not only is it easy, but you don't have to work the potatoes as much, which prevents them from getting gluey.

Turns out... I should have made a double batch. The bowl was drained instantly.

EGGNOG MARTINI

2009-12-18T18:22:00.001-08:00

I accidentally poured eggnog into my coffee the other morning, thinking it was half & half. It was not good.

This cocktail, however, is delicious! I poured the eggnog on purpose this time. No traditional rum. This is lighter.... a "girlie" drink.

EGGNOG MARTINI:

3 oz Vanilla Vodka

5 oz Eggnog

Light shake of Cinnamon (optional)

Candy Cane or Chocolate Pretzel garnish

Add ingredients into shaker, add ice. Shake. Pour into martini glass. Drink :)

Memories from the Hotel Bel-Air

2009-12-17T00:00:00.001-08:00

There are a few "Old Hollywood" Hotels here in the Los Angeles area that hold a gold mine of history ... and the Hotel Bel-Air is one of them. Famous guests like Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor and Grace Kelly hung out there and took shelter in the privacy the hotel provided.

That was long time ago though, and let's face it, styles have changed a lot since the 1940's. I guess that is why the Hotel Bel-Air has chosen to close down for two years and do a complete remodel. And when they say complete, they mean complete! Everything down to the doorknobs were removed from the hotel and moved to a location in Santa Monica for a "mega garage sale" of sorts. They sold everything; art, furniture, linens, shower heads, beds ... and all the KITCHEN STUFF! Silverware, napkins, dishes, pans, teapots. EVERYTHING. The professional stuff too! I got to the sale a bit late, but I did manage to score a huge (and very heavy) awesome stainless steel industrial stock pot, a mandoline, and this sterling silver cocktail shaker....

Now, every time I make a martini or chicken broth -- I'll daydream and wonder if the same pot made soup for Jackie Gleason, or if the same shaker made a martini for Cary Grant? You never know...

Cook your Turkey BREAST SIDE DOWN

2009-11-25T10:32:00.000-08:00

Cooking the bird "upside down" ... it's not as pretty a presentation - but it makes for much tastier white meat!

This is a post I first did last year for chicken. Today it's about turkey! (so pretend that is a picture of a turkey, and not chicken in a dutch oven).

Actually, turkey is where it began. My mom always cooked the turkey upside down. Upside down, and in a brown paper bag. This is the way I always do it too, because I know it always turns out perfect. The only thing I've added to the overall preparation is that now I'll brine the birds as well. Triple threat!

Does the chicken in this pot look odd at all? It's because it's upside down. Breast side down instead of the way we're used to seeing it - breast side up. My mom always did this with the holiday turkeys, so why not do it with chicken.

1 Whole chicken - drop it into an oven safe dish that you have a lid for. Add a generous amount of salt and pepper. You could stop there and add only a bit of olive oil, but I also like to add a good sprinkling of onion powder & garlic powder, a little paprika, and a little dried oregano. Drizzle a good amount of olive oil over it, then rub it all in real good.

I cook it uncovered at 375 for about 30 minutes, then turn it down to 325, cover it and slow cook it for another 2 hours. It really renders the juices, and creates a very rich, dark carmel-like sauce. Add desired vegetables, a little water (1 cup) and white wine (1 cup) in the last 45 min. When done, the liquid will be reduced down to a thick goo and you'll have a yummy sauce for drizzling over the chicken.

OK, so here is what happens. The breast meat is sitting at the bottom of the pot, drenched in all the juices and fat and it just drinks it up. Like I said, not as pretty - but so much tastier.

Taken right out of the pot - juicy and moist. If you cut this piece of breast meat in half, you'll see the gorgeous caramel colored juice in-between each and every fiber. Go ahead, click on the picture to supersize it... you know you want to.

BRAISED PORK BELLY

2009-11-21T22:56:00.000-08:00

So, let's take a poll: Is there anyone here who doesn't like fatty, melt in your mouth pork?

I didn't think so.

Pork, when slow cooked and allowed to just get all tender and juicy, is just one of my most favorite things in the whole. wide. world.

Pork belly is now starting to pop up in fancy restaurants as appetizers and sometimes it's good, sometimes it isn't. To be really good, it has to be slow cooked, like ribs, so the fat is still intact, but as soon as you take a bite it just melts like butter. I happen to looooooove Charlie Palmer's version of pork belly.

This is my version.....

Pork belly is basically unsmoked bacon. I got mine at the Asian market. It's not salty, not cured at all. And, it had the rind. You can take the rind off, but why would you want to? It cooks up so crispy it'll rattle your brain when you eat it. "Cracklins" is what they call it in the south. Soooo yummy!

With all this fat, this is best as an appetizer type dish, rather than a main dish, so I cut it in smaller pieces, each serving is about 2 ounces. Salt each side generously and place into a 325 oven. I like to use a grill pan so the fat has somewhere to go, and the pork doesn't confit in it's own fat. You're looking for tender ... not crispy. Well, the rind can be crispy, but that should be the only part.

If your rind is on, you need to score it before cooking because it contracts quite a bit, and it will totally jack-up the look of your piece of pork belly. And do this the way you want to cut it, because after it cooks, you can not cut through it.

I put my pork in the oven, at 325, for about an hour. But ovens vary, so check yours after about 40 minutes. You're looking for tender pork, and the fat all crispy at the edges - yet almost liquid inside. Crispy is OK, but if you cook it too long it will melt too much fat away and then it'll just be tender, lean pork. Sorta missing the point of the whole "equal parts of meat/fat" thing.

Since it is not salty, I like to add some flakey sea salt or even rock salt on the portions, then I drizzle the plate with agave nectar. If you haven't had agave nectar, it's very good - similar to honey and even a little bit like maple syrup. It's a great sweet & salty thing :)

Pumpkin Pie Sorbet

2009-10-27T13:29:00.000-07:00

Other than my blender and my food processor, I have never used a kitchen gadget as much as I've used this ice cream maker. You can make ice cream out of anything! Sorbet is actually my preference, and it's a great way to use up overripe fruit! The other day I picked up a bag of frozen strawberries, thawed them and then put them in the blender with some simple syrup and a little bit of water. So fresh tasting and such a strong and amazing strawberry flavor! You can take any juice and make a quick sorbet - fresh squeezed orange juice, or lemonade. Toss in some yogurt to make frozen yogurt. It's endless.

So I wondered what a pumpkin sorbet would taste like? I had pumpkin on the brain because of Halloween of course, so I went to pick up a can of pumpkin. But they were out of the plain pumpkin, and just had the pumpkin pie mix. Not a big deal, it's still obviously pumpkin, but it is already sweetened and spiced. Not much left for me to do!

I dumped the can of mix into the ice cream maker and poured in a healthy splash of half & half. Or was it heavy cream? Can't remember... you can use either. Or, none at all.

15 minutes later....

What can I say. If you like pumpkin pie - you will LOVE this. It's best fresh. If you are going to make it ahead, I'd probably add more cream to it so it doesn't freeze too hard.

POTATO TACOS

2009-10-14T08:24:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid, this was one of my most favorite things! We called them potato tacos. It is my Dad's recipe, and I believe the story was that he got the idea from a street vendor in Mexico. No one I have ever talked to has ever heard of tacos with potatoes mixed in - including the many Mexican-Americans I have asked. So, maybe it didn't come from Mexico. Or, maybe it did, but it was just that one street vendor's special recipe? Everyone who has tried them loves them. It's different, but familiar at the same time. You gotta try it!

Mixing potato with meat is certainly a good way to stretch a buck, and in this case, it gives a whole new twist to something we have all had a million times, in a million different ways. The traditional recipe is simply ground beef mixed with equal parts potato (boiled is fine) and then it's put into a flour tortilla and fried.

You can also mix some chopped cilantro and diced onion into the filling.

Fill a large flour tortilla, then fold it in half and fry the tacos in batches in a little bit of oil until golden on both sides.

When done, garnish with all your favorites. I like shredded lettuce, cheese, a little sour cream, fresh diced tomatoes and hot sauce!

HOW TO MAKE PIZZA

2009-09-26T12:06:00.000-07:00

Pizza anyone?

Our new babysitter-slash "private preschool" is just awesome. She has so many activities for the girls and the fun just never ends over there. It's apparently so fun that now, when at home with "Mom," CZ is bored to tears most of the time.

The other day for lunch I decided to make a pizza, then I thought, hmmmm... I might as well let CZ help me make it? It would be a fun activity. Something the "baby-sitter" might let the kids help with. She's only 2 1/2, but it's not dangerous at all (no sharp sharp knives or hot frying pans spitting oil everywhere).

On this day, we chose a classic tomato sauce.

1 can tomato paste. A good splash of olive oil. A little salt & pepper. A pinch of dried oregano -- I don't have fresh oregano. The snails always eat it. The only thing I can grow here is rosemary. Anyway, I also added a clove of chopped garlic.

CZ stirred the sauce. Standing on a chair.

Taste it, make sure it's good before you slather it all over your pizza!

You can make your own crust, if you're into that sort of thing. I am not into making crust by scratch, so don't come to me for a dough recipe. I use store-bought pizza dough.

Add the sauce, the cheese, and if you like, other stuff. Bake it at 450 until golden and bubbly and not too burnt on the bottom because toddlers don't like things too "dark."

Perfect!

Enjoy!

Sauteed Clam. Appetizer?

2009-09-26T10:22:00.000-07:00

Isn't it cute. The little clam.

Last week we went to the beach. The water is nice and warm this time of year here in southern California, and the tourists are now gone, so we can finally enjoy our beach again!

While out in the surf, I wasn't exactly looking for food, I was just looking for seashells for my daughter to play with. It's funny though, because we were just talking about clamming and wondering if you can just find clams on any beach, or if they were more fond of certain conditions, like say colder water or whatever. We don't know. We just buy them. But this day I found one! Guess that answers the question of whether you can just find them anywhere. I found one in Newport Beach. It looked healthy, definitely looked alive... he was closed tightly. And I'm not sure what type of clam it was - but the shell was quite thick and strong. Not what you typically see in the stores. It was buried in the sand, but the surf uncovered it, and I picked him up!

So, there he is. Cute little clam. I don't even like clams, but hubby does, and he didn't hesitate for one second when I asked him if he wanted to take it home and cook it, "Absolutely!" he said.

But how do we even know if it's an edible variety, I wondered? He wasn't worried. so we brought it home. And I cooked it.

I was sauteing some diced peppers and garlic for our dinner, so I tossed the clam into the pan. And then added some white wine. And then we waited for the clam to open.

....... and we waited.

He wasn't giving up without a fight. That thick shell I guess just takes longer to heat up, because it took a while to open! I thought it was probably dead. But then all of a sudden...

Ahhh! There he is!!!

I don't like clams or mussels myself, but I do cook them for hubby. It's been a while since I cooked any though, and usually I presoak them in water with some flour, and that will make them expel any sand. This was one time we really needed to do this, and I forgot. This little guy was filled with sand! Hubby ate it anyway though. I could have rinsed it off, but he ate it before I had the chance. Said it was gritty, but still delicious! :)

TOMATO CROUTON SALAD

2009-09-25T18:17:00.000-07:00

The good tomatoes will be gone before you know it! Enjoy them while you can!

This recipe is a really quick & simple way to enjoy the tomatoes and highlight their natural flavors without overpowering them with dressings or cooking them. It's light and fresh.

Chop fresh heirloom or other summer tomatoes into bite sized cubes.

If you have any leftover baguette bread, cut it into small cubes and put on a cookie sheet - drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper, and cook on 350 until golden brown. If you don't want to make your own, that's fine... just use croutons!

When ready to serve, toss the tomatoes and the croutons, and that's it! Serve immediately before the bread gets soggy. No dressing needed because the tomatoes are juicy enough. Season to taste with salt & pepper. Fresh grated Parmesan is optional, but adds extra flavor and a bit of richness.

WARM ROASTED NUTS WITH TRUFFLE OIL AND SEA SALT

2009-09-06T13:55:00.000-07:00

I love these. Fresh roasted almonds and filberts. Great snack. Healthy. Rich in protein. Good on salads, sprinkled on top of pasta or on pan seared chicken.

You can't get that fresh taste buying them already roasted. You have to do it yourself.

Buy raw nuts -- whatever kind floats your boat -- and keep them tightly sealed and stored in the refrigerator until ready to use. In a 325-350 oven, roast for around 15 minutes, or until they are golden brown inside, as seen below. I like to use the sliced almonds, and they cook faster than the filberts do obviously.

When done, while still warm - drizzle with a little of your favorite flavored oil (truffle oil, chili oil, garlic oil) and then sprinkle with flakey sea salt and toss to coat.

FRIED ARTICHOKES

2009-08-25T13:49:00.000-07:00

I was going to grill the artichokes. Then, changed my mind. How about fried?

I was at the Vietnamese market on Sunday and found these very nice, small artichokes. Most of their produce is grown locally, and it's all very fresh - these artichokes were small, but very nice. When looking for fresh artichokes, picked at the right time, look for ones with the leaves snug like this (below). Not that the ones with the leaves spiked out aren't good, but these are what you'd pick, if you had the choice between the two.

Anyone who is familiar with artichokes knows they take a little while to cook. You can't just toss them on the grill for 10 minutes and then serve 'em up. And artichokes are one of the few vegetables that just do not taste good raw. Or even half raw. So you gotta cook them all the way through. What I like to do is trim then tough leaves off, then put them in the pressure cooker for a bit to steam, this speeds up the process quite a bit.

Another thing that speeds cooking, and makes them a little nicer to eat, is trimming off the tough outer leaves. The tender part remains -- but the yucky outside leaves are gone. A sharp knife is needed - my vintage Wusthof carver works perfect; the small, stiff carbon steel blade easily cuts through the tough leaves.

The ones last night were smaller, tender leaved artichokes, but with the larger ones I also trim off the tops (below). This way you don't get pricked with the thorns!

Now, the cooking part.

Into the pressure cooker. Once it starts steaming, I let them cook until I am able to smell them. This is a good indication they are ready to remove. It goes fast though, so pay attention or you could end up with mush. As soon as you smell the artichokes - turn off the heat and let the steam out. I love my pressure cooker. I prefer the European models, like this SEB. I like the safety top and the design of the lid.

Out of the water, they are cooked through but still a little firm so I can cut them. Starting at the bottom, I cut through quickly with a sharp knife. A thin flexible blade works best here... and another one of my favorites, my vintage Pernot carbon steel slicer. Goes through anything like it was butter.

Once cut in half, you can leave as-is, or cut again into quarters, which is what I did. In a large fry pan, coat the bottom with about 1/4" olive or vegetable oil. When hot, gently put the pieces in and cook on med/high until crisp and golden. Remove from pan, drain on paper towels and sprinkle with salt.

I also made a quick dipping sauce:

2 parts mayo

2 parts ketchup

1 part yellow mustard

1 part water - to thin it

fresh ground black pepper

1 teaspoon chili powder

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Stir until creamy.

Serve family style, as an appetizer.

A REALLY, REALLY GOOD BURGER

2009-08-19T15:23:00.000-07:00

I didn't make it. But it was so good and so awesome looking, I just had to post it!

There is a new burger place in downtown Huntington Beach, and although it's a casual spot, the food is totally gourmet. Completely caught me off guard!

You choose everything for your burger: from the toppings to the cheese to the sauces, and then your preferred doneness. I had thick crispy bacon, american cheese, tarragon remoulade, fresh tomato and baby arugula. On a brioche bun. It was, INSANE.

TWENTY FIVE DEGREES - 412 Walnut, HB, Ca. 92648 ~ 714.960.2525

COCKTAIL HOUR ~ FRESH BLUEBERRY MARTINI

2009-08-14T09:44:00.000-07:00

No blueberry flavored vodka here. Nope. Just a big handful of fresh blueberries.

For 1 martini: In a shaker, put a handful of blueberries (about 1/3 cup). Add sugar, about 2 teaspoons (or more if you like.) Next, add 2 shots of vodka, a splash of Hendricks Gin, and the juice from 1/2 of a lime.

Using a hand mixer (easier than pulling out the blender!) blend the contents for about 30 seconds.

I really love this hand mixer. They're made by Braun and I consider it a kitchen must have. They're only about $15, and it also comes with a small attachment bowl -- like a little mini food processor -- which I find perfect for making things like quick salad dressings. This is faster than even getting out your muddler. When done, you simply rinse it clean with hot water.

Anyway. Once blended, add ice and shake well until chilled. Strain and serve!

Julia Child: Gratin of Potatoes a la Lyonnaise

2009-08-08T10:16:00.000-07:00

All the Julia Child talk lately has made me crave French food, so I got my JC cookbooks out, dusted them off, and decided that the first page I opened to would be what I'd make. It was Gratin of Potatoes a la Savoyarde. Potatoes Lyonnaise.

That's perfect. I have all the ingredients, and since I was planning on steak for dinner, this is the perfect side. And, it's super easy.

The potatoes and onions are sliced thin - I use a mandolin (I love that thing!) The recipe called for boiling potatoes. I had red potatoes, and russet baking potatoes, so I used those. And I don't peel mine. The skins are so full of nutrients, and I happen to love them. But the recipe calls for them to be peeled. Which, is totally French. They peel all their vegetables.

Butter of course. The onions were sauteed in the butter until, as they say, translucent.

Swiss cheese, or something similar, is the preferred cheese for this. I had Provolone. Perfect. It's light, like Swiss, but a tad more flavorful. I blitzed it in the food processor for a few seconds.

To assemble, all you do is butter the bottom of a pan, then you will do 3 layers: Potatoes first. Then onion. Then cheese. Lightly season layers with salt & pepper.

After the layers are done, add the chicken broth. Add only enough to come halfway up the potatoes. Then, of course, a little more butter :) A few pats on the top.

While the oven was heating to 425, it says to put the pan on the stove over medium heat and bring the broth to a simmer. So, I did. It was of course an oven safe dish - but I still felt nervous putting it over an open flame like this. I crossed my fingers that it wouldn't break the dish! And it didn't.

30-40 minutes in the oven, and it looks like this. I let it set up for about 20 minutes and the liquid absorbed nicely. What I loved about this, is that the broth mixes with the butter (which wasn't a huge amount of butter) and it makes it so creamy and rich. It tastes much more rich than it is. It's not soupy at all -- and shouldn't be -- it's just creamy.

Perfect with our steaks, which were simply prepared by pan frying with olive oil, salt & pepper.

Serving for 6

INGREDIENTS

several Tb of butter

2-3 cups thinly sliced onions

12-16 medium "boiling" potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

salt and freshly ground pepper

1 1/2 cups coarsely grated swiss cheese

2-3 cups chicken stock

I miss cooking. I haven't done a lot of it lately because I just haven't had time. This was totally simple though, and it reminded me that cooking doesn't have to be a lot of work and a huge production. I have 3 Julia Child cookbooks, so I'll be making more recipes. Stay tuned!

I ACCIDENTALLY MADE A SOUFFLE

2009-07-30T12:56:00.000-07:00

I've never made a souffle before, not because I don't like it or because it seems difficult, I just haven't gotten around to it. But today I made my first one. By accident. So there you go... in case anyone was wondering whether or not it's difficult. Apparently, it's not.

It was lunch time. My 2 year old was running around like a mad man, screaming her head off, and I was just trying to make food... fast. I cracked 3 eggs into a stainless bowl. I was going to do like baked eggs, only scrambled. In the bowl I also added a splash of milk, salt, pepper, a handful of shredded cheddar, a dash of parmesan, a pinch of thyme, and a pat of butter. The bowl was too small to use my whisk without making a mess, so I grabbed my little Braun hand mixer and gave the eggs a good whipping. They got a bit frothy, but nothing huge. I then just poured the mess into a oven dish and tossed it in to the oven -- and since I was in a hurry, I jacked the heat up to 450. I checked it after a few minutes, and it just looked like eggs. 5 minutes later though - it was HUGE. After being out of the oven for a minute or 2, it did go down a bit, I should have taken the picture of it when we first got it out. It was huge and airy and delicate and creamy... and I must say, it doesn't get much easier than this.

I know I didn't do it anything close to the way it should be done, but hey, for a crazy Thursday, it was a nice treat, without any effort at all.

The one I'd like to try is Ina Garten's Blue Cheese Souffle. It looks delicious

Ingredients

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing the dish
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan, plus extra for sprinkling
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup scalded milk
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Pinch cayenne pepper
Pinch nutmeg
4 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature
3 ounces good Roquefort cheese, chopped
5 extra-large egg whites, at room temperature
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Butter the inside of an 8-cup souffle dish (7 1/2 inches in diameter and 3 1/4 inches deep) and sprinkle evenly with Parmesan.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. With a wooden spoon, stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Off the heat, whisk in the hot milk, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, the cayenne, and nutmeg. Cook over low heat, whisking constantly, for 1 minute, until smooth and thick.

Off the heat, while still hot, whisk in the egg yolks, one at a time. Stir in the Roquefort and the 1/4 cup of Parmesan and transfer to a large mixing bowl.

Put the egg whites, cream of tartar, and a pinch of salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on low speed for 1 minute, on medium speed for 1 minute, then finally on high speed until they form firm, glossy peaks.

Whisk 1/4 of the egg whites into the cheese sauce to lighten and then fold in the rest. Pour into the souffle dish, then smooth the top. Draw a large circle on top with the spatula to help the souffle rise evenly, and place in the middle of the oven. Turn the temperature down to 375 degrees F. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes (don't peek!) until puffed and brown. Serve immediately.

Lemon & Garlic Barbecued Shrimp

2009-07-24T23:19:00.000-07:00

My first post after a long pause of course had to be something quick & easy! Because that's how lazy I am these days.

BBQ Shrimp. Delicious. Super easy. Super fast.

I have fallen in love with the shrimp that I get at the Asian grocery store. It's dense white color and sweet flavor taste very much like the very expensive sweet shrimp I used to get from my local seafood market. The shells are also quite soft, so we just eat them shells and all!

You can season your shrimp with just about anything you like. I tend to stick to the simple garlic & lemon flavor though, because to me it's absolutely perfect. But, for those who like spice, you can also add cajun spice to your mix and that's awesome as well!

For 2 of us, I had just under a pound of shrimp, with shells on. In a bowl I mixed enough canola oil to nicely coat the shrimp, but not be soupy (it was about 1/8 cup). Add salt and pepper to taste, and a teaspoon of dried granulated garlic/garlic powder. I like garlic powder for the flavor, it stays garlicky and doesn't turn sweet, and it sticks well to the shrimp. Also, fresh garlic will turn bitter if it's burnt, and you do want to cook the shrimp on high heat, so the edges will get dark. Lastly, I add the juice of 1/2 of a good sized lemon. The other half of the lemon I add to the mix right before cooking.

Mix well, like you're making a salad dressing. Toss in shrimp, coat well, and let it sit for about 15 minutes in the refrigerator.

Heat your grill on high to about 450. Grill the shrimp on a smaller mesh piece to keep them from falling through, or you can get all fancy and do it kabob style.

It goes quick! Most medium sized shrimp will take no more than about 2-3 minutes on each side.

The best flavor is when they are slightly charred and crisp on the outside, but still tender on the inside. We eat them simply, over plain white basmati rice.

CLASSIC POUND CAKE

2009-06-24T12:37:00.001-07:00

I have been in a total cooking slump lately. Just completely uninspired for some reason, and don't care. Weird how that just comes and goes. Like writer's block or something. Cooking block, I guess?

I really haven't made anything "post-worthy" in a long time and I have no idea when I'll get motivated again, but I didn't want the last post on here to be about stupid butter .... so here's a pretty picture of a super good pound cake I made last weekend - but the only reason I put out the effort was because it was my husband's birthday.

This version is dense and buttery. I like to sprinkle the top with a little bit of sugar before putting it in the oven, then it gets all caramelized and crusty.

Cake batter:

Cream 1/2 lb. of butter in mixer then slowly add 2 Cups of sugar, mixing on low-med speed. Next add 6 whole eggs, one at a time, mixing each in completely before adding the next. Add 1 Tbsp Vanilla to the batter and then stop the mixer. The last step is to fold in 2 Cups of sifted flour by hand. Grease your pan and fill with batter. Cook at 350 for 35-50 min depending on size of pan used. Test with toothpick after 35 min.

HOMEMADE BUTTER

2009-06-12T12:13:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid, our babysitter moved out to the country and bought a farm. One weekend we went to go stay with them and I remember being fascinated when she made homemade butter. I didn't know you could make butter. And the taste was incredible. Of course she was using fresh cream from a just-milked cow, and the cream was unpasteurized. But still. You can still make it at home and it'll taste better than what we can get in the American grocery stores.

You can use a food processor or a mixer. I personally have not used the food processor. I like the mixer. Anyway, you want to use heavy or very heavy "whipping" cream. If you can get "vat-pasteurized" cream, it has a better flavor. If not, you can use the ultra-pasteurized commercial type.

Since I just grabbed some of the grocery store cream, I like to lightly sweeten it by adding about a teaspoon of simple syrup while mixing. It doesn't make it "sweet," it just gives it a richer taste, and enhances the sweet cream. I also add a pinch of salt. Go light on the salt! You can always add more later.

Mix on low-medium. It will first turn into whipped cream...

Then will turn yellow and you'll see the butter separate from the buttermilk.

When it looks like this, you can stop.

Drain the butter from the milk (the milk is really good too! Sweet, not sour.)

At this point, you can do a couple of things. Eat it right away, or process further for longer term storage. I like to put it in a bag, then knead it to expel the rest of the moisture. If you're not going to eat it right away, then you should also "wash" it, by putting it back into the mixing bowl and mix for a minute with ice water. Drain the water and replace with clean water a few times until water stays clear.

Washed or unwashed - storage should be air tight. Plastic bag or wax paper is OK. You can also cut into chunks and put them in a jar and cover with clean water and store in the fridge replacing water once in a while. This will allow it to keep it's fresh taste. Can also be frozen.

Enjoy!

FROM THE FREEZER: PORK CHOPS: SLOW BAKED COUNTRY PORK CHOPS WITH FENNEL & TOMATO RAGOUT

2009-06-10T09:11:00.000-07:00

I think the days of me making elaborate dinners is over for a while. I just don't have the time luxury anymore to plan, create and prepare food like I used to. I even resort to prepared frozen kid's dinners, frozen chicken nuggets and Spaghetti-O's way more than I'd like to admit, and I never used to buy that crap. This is what having a fussy 2 year old, a home business and a dog with special needs does to your schedule. I know some day I'll be back in "gourmet mode." Just not this year.

Like a lot of people, I have a well stocked freezer. Meat, fish, veggies, herbs, homemade stock. Leftovers that I save for those times I need a fast dinner but never end up using. Once in a while things get pretty cramped in there, so I go on a mission to use the stuff up. Last night I pulled out a package of country pork chops.

I needed something that I could stuff in the oven and forget about. Traditional baked chops are always good, but then you need to make a side. So I opted for a one dish meal. But the chops I wanted to bake slow and low. What vegetable can stand up to that without being wrecked? Fennel! Fennel is awesome when slow roasted and would make a delicious ragout (think bouillabaisse). It gets sweet and buttery and I think it would be perfect. I had a large bulb in the fridge, so I sliced it, white and green parts, and put it into a casserole dish.

Next I added a few strands of saffron. Then a can of tomatoes. (I was only cooking for 2 btw). Salt & pepper to taste.

For added flavor, I finely diced one celery stalk and 1/4 of an onion and mixed it in with the tomatoes. Small dices though, I wanted the fennel to be the star of the show and not have other vegetable textures mixed in. By dicing them really small they will just melt away.

Frozen chops. I don't bother defrosting them for something like this. I do the same for my roasted chickens. Put them in frozen. They turn out just fine, you'll never know the difference.

The chops were added on top of the ragout, salted, then I added about 2 cups of semi-thawed homemade chicken stock. The pieces you see on top are chopped dehydrated garlic. It's one of my favorite new ingredients. I think they toast it lightly or something. The flavor is delicious, and tastes very fresh! I never do garlic in a jar though. I hate that stuff in it's "citrus" juice. Gross.

Let's see... I cooked this for about 2 hours. I turned it on 350 for about 30 minutes to defrost the chops. Then I bumped it to 425 for another 20 or so minutes until they were browned a little bit ... then dropped the heat back down to 325 for the rest of the time until they looked like this.

The chops were tender, and since they sat above the ragout, the fat around the edges was able to get brown and super yummy. The fennel was absolutely delicious, and the broth.... well.... fennel, tomatoes and saffron. What can I say. I could have bathed in it.

ENDIVE & BRUSSELS SPROUTS GRATIN with JAMBON (aka, Ham)

2009-05-31T14:03:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite local restaurants is a Swiss-French little gem which I am not going to name because it's hard enough to get into as it is -- but they have this endive gratin appetizer that is just the bee's knees. I love the bitter of the endive along with the sweetness of the béchamel and the saltiness of the parmesan. So the other day when I was at the grocery and I spotted the endive, I thought immediately of the gratin. Even the thought of it made me start to drool, so although I had no recipe, I was pretty sure I could make some sort of copycat that would at least be similar. I picked up a couple of the the endives, then I saw these super young, small brussels sprouts and thought, hmmmm.... I bet the sweetness of those would go really well in the gratin?

Oh. My. Gosh.

The rest is yummy history.

The basic recipe starts with equal parts of endive, which I thickly sliced and sauteed for about 1 minute in some butter along with a little bit of chopped ham, and brussels sprouts, which I steamed. I made just enough of a thin bechamel to nicely coat the brussels sprouts, endive & ham. You don't want it soupy because there is nothing to really soak it up, so you just want it nicely dressed. I put the mixture in a baking dish and then grated a very generous portion of fresh parmesan and it baked in a 400 degree oven just until bubbly and the cheese was starting to brown nicely. It made a great side to our Friday night NY strip steak!

Go ahead - I know you want to. Click on the picture to supersize it.

FOR BREAKFAST TODAY we had Eggs over Crispy Potato Cakes, topped with Crumbled Bacon

2009-05-28T13:56:00.000-07:00

Crispy pan fried potato cakes.

A fried egg.

Lots of crumbled bacon.

What I ate today: Baguette, buttered, with sliced radish

2009-05-28T00:19:00.000-07:00

Channeling Jacques Pepin:

Crisp red radishes, sliced, and served with butter on fresh baguette, with a light sprinkle of fleur de sel and fresh pepper.

I don't know who originally came up with this, but it is absolutely delicious.

MMMMMMMM!!!! Minty Margarita

2009-05-08T19:32:00.000-07:00

Margarita season is upon us! Fresh lime. Crushed ice. Silver tequila. Triple Sec.

I love them traditional, don't get me wrong. But I'm ready for something with a twist.

So I added a bit of mint. And a splash of gin. And.... WHOA! SuperYUM!

Take a small handful of mint leaves, add it to a little bit of crushed ice and about a tablespoon of simple syrup and squish it around a little. I don't have a muddler, so I just used a fork. I guess a muddler would have done a better job and it would be way more minty - so keep that in mind.

For one margarita:

2 oz silver tequila

3/4 oz triple sec

1 lime - juiced by a super juicer (as seen below)

3/4 oz Hendricks Gin

small handful of fresh mint

1 tablespoon simple syrup

These juicers get probably 3x as much juice out of lemons and limes that you could ever squeeze by hand. You get what you pay for, and the cheap ones break, just a warning. I like the Norpro.

After you muddle the mint, syrup and ice, add the rest of the ingredients, a splash of water, and more ice. Shake vigorously. Pour into glass and garnish with lime slice and more fresh mint. I think you'll find this more tasty than any Mint Julep or Mojito you've ever had. Seriously.

How to get your 2 year old to eat vegetables. No, really.

2009-04-27T18:36:00.000-07:00

Hide stuff in mashed potatoes.

When my daughter was a baby, she ate everything. Now that she's two, she eats nothing aside from goldfish crackers, pasta, tofu and eggs. No vegetables. Don't they all love mashed potatoes though? Heck, who doesn't. So I chop stuff up real small, and hide it in the potatoes. And she eats it. I can even go as far as crumbling some tofu in it and making it a one dish meal.

Now, I know you can still see the green mixed in with the white - but I swear, if you chop the vegetables up really super small, then mix them in, it's fine. You really can't taste them, even though they are there. I like to use something without a strong taste, and that packs a huge nutritional punch -- my favorite is swiss chard, but spinach works too. Broccoli is hit or miss, but cauliflower is easier (although both kinda smell like farts if you ask me).

If you have a ricer, you're set. It takes only minutes. Cook the vegetable. Pop the potato in the microwave. Push it through the ricer. Add a little butter, enough broth to reach your mashed potato thickness preference, and then salt and pepper of course. Chop the cooked vegetable as tiny as you can get it and mix it in. That's it. I like to do no more than 20% vegetable in the mix. I don't want to push my luck, if you know what I mean.

It's good for adults, too! :)

Anyway ... don't take my word for it. I have photographic proof:

Homemade Tomato Soup in 3 Minutes

2009-04-15T17:25:00.000-07:00

All I wanted was a bowl of soup for lunch. I don't need a whole pot. Just enough for one person.

I had half a container of tomatoes left from the previous night's dinner. I added that (about a cup) to a bowl. Then I added about 1/2 cup milk (you could use half & half if you have it and it would be SO YUMMERS!) I also added a tablespoon of simple syrup, and then a pat of butter. Oh, salt and pepper of course.

Microwave it until hot, which was 3 minutes at my house. Rich, hearty, cheap, fast and delicious. This makes a chunky tomato soup, but you could blend it first for a smooth soup. If you want it thick, you could add 1/4 teaspoon corn starch before microwaving it.

Scotch Eggs - As it turns out, they couldn't be simpler to make.

2009-04-13T14:55:00.000-07:00

I had picked up some spicy pork sausage while shopping one day, because it sounded good, but wasn't sure what to do with it. Sure, I could totally fry it up and have it for breakfast, but that's too dangerous because we'd eat the whole package since I'd have to cook up the whole package because you can't just use half - then you don't have enough left over to make anything else, so you might as well just cook it all. And I'd do it with the intention of saving some for hash the next day or something, but the reality is that it would never make it to see the next day. So, scratch that idea. I could add it to a pasta dish - that's classic and you can't go wrong there. But... pasta is my go-to thing for the times when I'm lazy and only have boring protein, like chicken. Then it hit me - Scotch Eggs! So, I made them from memory. And I left off the breadcrumb coating, only because I knew these would be fattening enough and the breadcrumbs (or in my case it would have been Panko) would have just held on to more of that fat. So just sausage. And really, isn't that enough?

These could not be easier. You take a hard boiled egg, then wrap it in sausage. There is a tip I can offer though; try to make the sausage coating as even as possible, and don't go too thin because it will "crack" during cooking since the sausage will shrink as the fat melts away. It's not a big deal I guess, but wouldn't look as pretty.

I used my grill pan so that it would drain the fat a little as it ran off. I cooked these at 350 in the oven until the sausage was cooked through. If you overcook it, you will also have troubles with it cracking. The traditional cooking method is to deep fry these - and if you have a fryer - be my guest, I'm sure they'd be to die for! If you were going to coat them in breadcrumbs, you'd roll them in it after you apply the sausage.

Fully cooked, golden brown. I served it with crispy potato casserole and a green salad.

HAPPY EASTER!!!

2009-04-12T06:00:00.000-07:00

It's a wonderful day!

Persian Marinated Grilled Skirt Steak with Ramp Risotto

2009-04-06T13:42:00.001-07:00

Oh, how I LOVE Persian food. And one of my favorite things are their kebabs. Chicken or fillet mignon... I love them both. It's the flavor that is special, and until recently, I didn't know what the flavors were exactly, I just knew it was unique and out of this world delicious and we'd often make special trips to Darya just to quench our cravings for the stuff. Now that I have my trusty New Food of Life Persian Cuisine cookbook though, it is a secret no more.

Tonight's dinner -- Persian spiced marinated skirt steak. And since I still have fresh ramps, I made ramp risotto. A bit of a twist to the usual side of plain white basmati rice.

Lets begin:

The meat is whatever you choose. Filet mignon is a classic, so is chicken breast. But I had skirt steak, so that's what I used.

You make a marinade for the meat, and it should marinate for at least 2 hours, and most Persian recipes call for 24 hours. I never plan that far ahead though, so I can't personally tell you if it makes a difference.

For a serving of 4:

1 1/2 to 2 pounds of meat

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp fresh ground black pepper

2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground saffron dissolved in 2 Tbsp hot water

1/2 cup of plain yogurt

2 Tbsp lime juice

1 large onion, chopped

Mix all ingredients and then add the meat. If you are going to skewer them, cut them into the chunks before adding to the marinade. For this dinner, I grilled the steaks whole so I left the meat in large pieces. I put it in a ziplock bag and it rested in the fridge for about 3 hours.

For the risotto I started by sauteing the chopped ramps in butter. I also added 1 clove garlic, chopped.

After about 2-3 minutes, I added the rice and mixed to coat it with the butter.

I had fresh chicken stock on hand, so I spooned hot stock into the rice mixture a little at a time, stirring constantly until liquid was absorbed, then I would add more stock. This is repeated until the rice is fully cooked and tender (which means you need to taste it frequently until it's to your liking). Finish it with a sprinkle of grated parmesan cheese and stir into the rice to melt.

When you take the steak out of the marinade, wipe the excess yogurt and onion mixture off with a paper towel. If you are cooking over an open flamed grill, it's less important to have it completely dry -- but if you are cooking it in a pan, try to get it as dry as you can so that it will brown nicely. Too much moisture will steam the steak in a pan, making it tough and rubbery. For best taste, you want a nice brown sear, as seen here. For mine, I wiped them well with a paper towel, then coated the bottom of my pan with canola oil, got the pan really hot, then quickly seared the meat on both sides resulting in a medium to medium rare doneness.

It's plated with the risotto, and then a traditional garnish of tomatoes. And if you have time to grill the tomatoes a bit - even better!

Whole Baked Golden Trout with Wild Leek (aka RAMPS, aka Ail des dois) Stuffing

2009-04-03T09:45:00.000-07:00

It's April! Happy spring! Aaaaand .... it's RAMP season! Or as the French call them, ail des bois. Wild Leeks. I don't have ramps at my local farmer's market here in southern California (well, not that I've seen anyway) so I get mine from Doug in Ohio -- if you want some too click here but hurry! Ramp season is only about 2 months long! Buy extra so you can make ramp butter out of the leftovers so you can enjoy it all year long.

My package arrived with a big bunch of beautiful ramps in it, and my first recipe was going to be trout with ramps. And I was originally going to make a buttery white wine ramp sauce to go over the trout. But then I got this good loaf of sourdough bread at the store, and well, I ended up making ramp stuffing instead. Ramps taste unique - and it's sort of a onionish-garlicish flavor. Not too strong, but strong enough to really add a lot of flavor. It's really a unique flavor, and there is really nothing else like it.

I cleaned up the ramps, cut the roots off and then diced them along with some white onion, a clove of garlic and a celery stalk. (I was only making stuffing for 2 people).

Saute the celery and white onion in about 2 tablespoons of butter for about 3-4 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Then I diced the bread into cubes. About 2 cups worth.

Since I was only using the green parts of the ramps for this recipe (the white parts are being saved for tonight's recipe of ramp risotto!) I added them last so they wouldn't overcook. Lightly toss the ramps with the butter and cooked vegetables.

I just happened to have a huge batch of fresh chicken stock that I had made yesterday also, so I added the bread and sauteed vegetables in a bowl, then added chicken stock a little at a time until the bread was wet but not soggy.

I bought the trout fresh yesterday at the Santa Monica Seafood Market, and I had them de-bone it for me, but leave it whole for presentation.

Now -- stuff the fish! I added equal amounts of stuffing, then folded the fish over. Nothing else added, other than a drizzle of olive oil on the top, and a sprinkling of salt.

The oven was set to 450, and my rule of thumb for fish is - 10 minutes per inch of thickness in a 450 oven. It works every time. The fish, stuffing included, was just about 2 inches, so I set the timer for 20 minutes.

It came out perfect. The stuffing was buttery and moist, and the ramp flavor is like nothing else. Just delicious! The fish was tender and flaky. Served whole - It was a one dish meal. Next up: Ramp Risotto

MY OCEAN FRESH HALIBUT with RAMPS & BACON IN A EGG YOLK CREAM SAUCE

2009-03-30T12:40:00.000-07:00

This is a post from last year that I am reissuing. Because it's made with ramps, and it's ramp season! I don't see them at my Farmer's Market here in Southern California, so I get mine from Doug, who lives in Ohio. He sells them on eBay. Really, it's OK. Buy some! They're perfectly good, and I actually got the tip from Claudia at Cook Eat FRET. She also bought some from him. If you've never had them, you need to try them. They're really good. Sort of a cross between an onion and garlic -- but not really -- just totally unique! And delicious!

So, as mentioned yesterday, I got this Halibut on Sunday. Gorgeous, fresh caught Halibut. Sunday morning it was swimming, Sunday afternoon it was in my fridge. I had also bought the live sweet shrimp (see below, they were out of this world!) so we had those on Sunday night, and I saved the Halibut for Monday.

So delicious looking, it was hard to keep my husband from eating raw! He loves Hirame.

Anyway, since I only got a half pound I decided to cube it and toss it with some noodles. I also had some ramps in the fridge, so I thought this would be a good time to use them.

The ramps came from Ohio. I cleaned them and diced them. Into a pan with a few slices of bacon, also diced.

Oh what the hell.... Let's get this party started! Add some butter! And a little garlic!

After the ramps were tender and the bacon crispy, I added the Halibut for a quick roll in the buttery goodness, cooking to just above medium rare. The fresh Halibut was so tender I had to be gentle to make sure it didn't fall apart. In a separate bowl I had the noodles waiting. I added fresh diced tomatoes, a few diced artichoke hearts, and then 3 raw egg yolks that had been whisked with 2-3 tablespoons of half & half. It added just enough creaminess to make this all come together without overpowering the delicate halibut.

Finished with a sprinkle of Parmesan. This was really, really good. Those ramps are so flavorful. Everything was just perfect. :)

REALLY GOOD (and not screwed up) PANTRY PAELLA

2009-03-27T20:04:00.000-07:00

Some of the best paella I have ever had was from my own kitchen. And not made the traditional way either, I'll be honest. Only because -- unless you do it often, it's hard to get it perfect. And if the rice is too soft or too hard or the mix is too wet, it's not going to be good.

Mine always comes out of a frantic - "Oh my gosh, what can I make? I have a screaming kid and need to put something together FAST!" It's what I like to call Pantry Paella. Just grabbing leftovers from the fridge, or whatever fresh meat I have on hand, or both. I cook the elements separate, so that I can control things better, and then put it together at the end. Then the rice is perfect, the meat is perfect, and it was easy. I'm not saying not to make it the RIGHT way, I'm just saying it's really easy to make paella my way, and it tastes really good.

I cook the meat and rice separately. I got this wonderful new Le Creuset grill pan, and it made delicious grilled shrimp, chicken & onions for my paella.

Saffron is absolutely mandatory for paella. Without saffron, it just won't have that unique flavor. When I cook my rice, I put a good pinch of salt, and then a hefty pinch of saffron threads.

I grilled some fresh onions and peppers, and then also some frozen mussels I found in the freezer that my husband bought at an Asian store. They add a lot of great flavor.

Once you have the rice done, and the meat, lightly toss it together in a large pan, add a few pats of butter here and there, a cup of diced tomatoes (canned is fine, just drain them!) and then let it sit for a couple minutes, covered, and let the flavors come together. Adjust the salt and pepper to taste - and serve! Total time from start to end, about 30 minutes.

JUICY ROASTED TURKEY CARNITAS

2009-03-08T12:41:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't love melt in your mouth Carnitas? It's one of those things that I could literally eat until I exploded. But obviously the fat content of Carnitas is not really something to be proud of. And it's not like I have anything against fat -- I love fat -- it's just that it's really not good for you. So everything in moderation, right? But if you can't control yourself... like I can't be trusted to be left alone around a big pot of Carnitas, then you need to make a compromise.

Hence the turkey Carnitas creation.

I have a business I run from home, and a 2 year old, so I don't get to spend as much time in the kitchen lately as I'd like to. When I made this dish the first time, I made it with some frozen turkey hind quarters that I had in the freezer, and as if being frozen wasn't bad enough, I didn't even have time to thaw the turkey before popping it in the oven because it was a busy day and I was running out the door -- and I know this is going to sound crazy, but it came out better than when I use fresh (not frozen) turkey! It's true. Maybe by freezing the meat the tissues break down more and in the end it is more tender? I have no idea. I'm not a scientist. Just a girl who likes to cook.

So for our small family of 3, I took 2 frozen turkey hind quarters, coated them with a drizzle of olive oil, and put them in a cast iron dutch oven. A generous sprinkle of salt and pepper and into a 450 oven they go for 1 hour.

The high heat really browns it up fast. After the initial hour, remove from the oven and turn heat down to 350.

A smokey flavor really adds a lot to this, so there needs to be an element of smoke. And not liquid smoke because it's way too strong. In the past I have added a few pieces of smoked sausage, but today since I didn't have sausage, I added some of these unbelievable Boggy Creek smoke dried tomatoes.

Add 1 cup of dry white wine, your smokey element, and enough water to come up and cover the sides of the meat.

I also add a few potatoes - not because they add anything to the dish, but potatoes roasted with meat are so good and I like to kill 2 birds with one stone and steal some of the meat's flavor while cooking -- then I use the potatoes later for a great mashed potato or even let them cool and do roasted potato salad.

But anyway...

Add one or 2 pieces of bacon for more smokey flavor and FAT, since turkey is so lean. Then back into the now 350 oven for another 3 hours, covered. Just set it and forget it.

You can't argue with me that this looks tempting! It's so dang good. Now, you can shred the meat and eat as-is with fresh tortillas, or over rice, or however you like. Those who like the crispy edges of traditional Carnitas (like me!) just give it a quick saute in a hot pan with some oil to lightly crisp the edges. No big.

Warm Roasted Fennel Salad with Boucheron Goat Cheese

2009-03-05T13:43:00.001-08:00

Roasted Fennel is just one of my favorite things. I love it raw too, but when it's roasted it gets soft and sweet and almost smells like a Snicker Doodle.

I also love Boucherondin (Boucheron) cheese. It's a goat's milk cheese that comes from France's Loire Valley - it comes in a white log and has a mild and dry-crumbly center that somewhat resembles your basic Chevre, and it just melts on the tongue. The part near the rind is creamy and has it's own unique flavor different from the center and it tastes a little like a firm Brie. Absolutely WONDERFUL. You can find it at Whole Foods in the glass case, and it is about $15/lb. I snack on it as-is, but it's also great with fresh, hot French bread.

If you haven't roasted fennel before, it's so easy. Clean the Fennel bulbs and cut off the green tops and the bottom core. Keep some of the fluffy fennel fronds for later. I like to slice mine about 1/4 inch thick. Put them on a cookie sheet on parchment paper and drizzle with olive oil.

Next, I like to add a sprinkle of fresh Parmesan cheese. It really goes perfect with the fennel and brings out so many flavors - it gets nutty when toasted, and it adds just the right amount of salt.

45 minutes in a 350 oven and this is what they look like when done. Soft and slightly brown on the edges. The Parmesan is golden brown and your house smells amazing.

Let them cool for about 20 minutes, then toss with some of the fennel chopped up fronds and crumble some of the Boucheron cheese on top. You could also crumble regular Chevre (goat cheese) on top also and it would taste pretty similar. Goat cheese goes so well with this type of dish because it really compliments sweet foods. The fennel will be lightly sweet, but the parmesan is salty and balances it very well.

This salad is so simple, but absolutely decadent!

THE BAREFOOT CONTESSA'S VERSION OF HOMEMADE CHICKEN STOCK

2009-03-02T20:10:00.000-08:00

This is my new favorite cookbook. Of course I have a new favorite each week, but this week I'm really loving the Barefoot Contessa's Back to Basics. I just got it, and it has some really great food inside. It's cooking food the way I like - Simple. Not that I don't like food that has 1200 steps to prepare, because I make food like that all the time, but some of the best foods I have ever had have actually been very simple, with only a handful of ingredients.

It was hard deciding what to make first, but I decided I'd kill 2 birds with one stone. I needed more chicken stock, and she had a recipe that was a little different than what I'm used to -- so what the heck. Chicken Stock it is!

I usually just do the standard Michael Rhulman stock, so it was time to try something different anyway.

The things that were different for me was, first of all, she uses whole raw chickens. I usually just saved my bones and used those. Also, hers called for parsnips (which are optional and I didn't have so I left them out) and dill. Dill? Hmm. I wouldn't have normally used that. And I was afraid to make 7 quarts of stock with dill -- you know, just in case it sucks. But I already omitted the parsnips, so I guess if I was going to make her stock, the least I could do is make it like she does. And if she uses dill, fine. I'll use dill too then. You never know unless you try, right? And none of her recipes have ever let me down before. So anyway, I'm glad I did, because it was awesome! You can't distinctively taste the dill, but there is a background flavor that is there that you can't quite identify, yet it just adds a delicious flavor. De-Licious.

I cut her recipe by one third, and that is what's reflected below, because I only had 2 chickens in the freezer, and I only had so many containers to store it in :o)

Out came my biggest pot. I put in 2 whole, raw chickens. 2 carrots, cut lengthwise. 3 small stalks of celery, 2 onions, unpeeled and cut in 4ths. One head garlic, cut in half, 20 sprigs parsley, 15 sprigs thyme, 20 fresh dill sprigs (or 2 tbsp dried dill wrapped up in cheesecloth). Lastly, 2 tbsp Kosher salt, and 2 tsp whole peppercorns. Then I added 5 quarts of water. Bring to a boil and then drop to a low simmer and let it simmer for 4 hours.

I strained it way more than she did though. She says to just strain it through a colander, then put in containers and refrigerate. That 'aint enough for me though. I strained out the big stuff, then used my fat separator, then strained it twice through all 3 of my wire strainers, then a final strain through a cloth lined strainer. Then it was peeeeeeerfect!

And since I used the whole chickens, I also ended up with 2 tons of shredded chicken. So it looks like tomorrow might be burrito night.

When you're tired, and only have ground beef ... what to make?

2009-02-17T22:17:00.000-08:00

When you have kids, and are tired from a long day, sometimes dinner is just another chore. Like laundry. Even when you like to cook.

So I go out to the garage - Open the freezer, and stare. Looking at what frozen meat I have, and wondering what the hell to make for dinner. I didn't go to the grocery yesterday like I typically do, so I don't have my usual assortment of fresh meats and fish for the next few days. So I gotta pick something frozen. We've had a lot of chicken lately, so I don't think my chicken-disliking husband can gag down another chicken dish. Pork? Nope, no pork in the freezer. Shrimp? No... no shrimp either because I'm shrimped-out too. So that leaves ground beef.

OK, so I got ground beef. NOW what? Last night I made noodle stroganoff with ground chicken, so it can't be anything along those lines.

I guess the vegetable drawer could give me some help. I look -- I got Kale. And fresh tomatoes. Alrighty then, ground beef, with sauteed kale and chopped fresh tomatoes it is! Over white rice.

Boil chopped kale in salty water until tender. Meanwhile, brown ground beef. Drain fat from beef, and return to pan. Add the cooked, drained kale - and saute a couple minutes. Add salt & pepper to taste, 2 cloves chopped garlic, cook 3 minutes more, then add the tomatoes at the very end.

CREAM OF CHICKEN & AVOCADO SOUP - THE HEALTHY VERSION

2009-02-04T12:27:00.000-08:00

Have blender, will make soup.

I always have homemade chicken stock in my freezer. I save chicken bones from several chickens, then make huge batches of stock and freeze it. I use it to create gravies and sauces during the week, but also I make quick soups. My personal favorite are creamy soups. Take any cooked vegetable, blend it with some stock, a few tablespoons of flour and maybe a splash of half & half (or fat free half & half), then transfer to a pan and heat through until flour is cooked. Done. Takes 10 minutes.

Today I was in the mood for a cream of chicken avocado soup. The avocados are really good right now, and if you happen to have a ripe and tasty one, you should give this recipe a try! It's one of those great versions that are still delicious without all the butter and cream.

**********************************************************

To serve 4 small or 2 large:

INGREDIENTS:

4 cups chicken stock

1 large Haas avocado (must be ripe and taste rich and buttery)

4 cooked skinless boneless chicken thighs

3 tablespoons flour

salt & pepper to taste

4 tablespoons half & half (or more to taste)

suggestions for garnish: crispy bacon, drizzle of olive oil, croutons, cubed avocado

METHOD:

In a blender, add about 2 1/2 cups of the chicken stock, the chicken meat, the flour and the avocado. Blend on high until smooth. Soup will thicken in the blender quite a bit. Empty into a saucepan, add the remaining chicken stock and heat until just starting to boil, then reduce to medium and cook 7 minutes longer, stirring frequently. Add salt & pepper to taste. When done, remove from heat, stir in half & half and serve.

Takes only minutes.

Pictured below is a richer version, I've added a tad more cream and a slice of crispy bacon.

STUFFED VEGETABLES

2009-02-04T09:57:00.001-08:00

The other night I made a Filet Kebab recipe from my New Food of Life Persian cookbook. If you've ever had the steak kebabs at a Persian restaurant you'll probably agree with me, they are just out of this world delicious. I am working on an oven version (as opposed to having to cook them on an outside grill). I'll let you know how it goes. The last batch I made wasn't marinated long enough, and then it was too wet in the pan and didn't brown well enough. I'll share the details later, once I find success.

So with that dinner, we ended up with a lot of leftover rice. I decided to make porcupine meatballs, but once again, I screwed up -- I added too much rice. I first put in 3 eggs, thinking it might still hold it together and the meatball idea could be saved. Nope.

The next thing you know, I'm dumping all sorts of stuff in there.

3 pieces of whole grain bread - in the blender to make breadcrumbs. Then, I had a few Roma tomatoes that needed to be used, and they went in. Then a good drizzle of olive oil. Then, I remembered I had some leftover roasted tomatoes and fennel in the fridge. In it went. Then, half an onion. And I pulverized it. Then mixed it with the 2 cups of rice and 1.25 lb of ground beef. The result was a DELICIOUS mixture. But definitely not stiff enough for meatballs.

So, instead, I stuffed stuff. Tomatoes, peppers and zucchini. Carve out the center of the veggies, stuff, and cook at 350 until the meat is cooked through (peppers and tomatoes take longer than zucchini).

Meatballs who? This was so much better!

HERBED BUTTERMILK & BLUE CHEESE DRESSING

2009-01-27T08:32:00.000-08:00

The other day I was on the phone to my mom and I don't know how it came up but we started talking about buttermilk. For me, the focus quickly turned to dressings, because I love making dressings with buttermilk. It's rich and creamy and low in fat.

I was on a diet once (well, I tried anyway) and I used to fill my days -- and stomach -- with a lot of fresh vegetables. I love fresh vegetables of course, but sometimes I just craved something naughty too, so I made a buttermilk blue cheese dressing that was only about 50 calories for 1/4 cup! And it was great. I put it on my veggies, but also my grilled meats and I even dipped those nasty baked potato chips in it. Those baked chips are so not worth it by the way. Just get the regular chips and eat less. I live, and I learn.

When I toss together a batch of buttermilk dressing, I don't add mayonnaise and I don't add cornstarch. I thicken mine with IMO, that imitation sour cream often used by the lactose intolerant. I use it because it's more stiff than regular sour cream, and I like that you can keep a tub in the fridge for 6 months and it never goes bad! Great for those of us who don't use it very often. Anyway, I have seen some recipes that call for thickening the buttermilk on the stove with a little cornstarch. I have never tried that method. Here is how I do it:

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup IMO imitation sour cream (or regular sour cream will work too)

1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt, more to taste

1 teaspoon coarse ground pepper, more to taste

I put it all in a stainless bowl and grab my wire whisk and twirl and twirl and twirl. Whisk until ingredients are combined and smooth. The blue cheese will still remain somewhat chunky, but the sour cream and buttermilk should be combined. Adjust seasonings to taste - I like a lot of pepper and this does need a fair amount of salt to balance the flavors. I use dried thyme because I make a batch large enough for the whole week, and fresh herbs will turn black after about 24 hours. If you make a small batch or will eat it all immediately, be my guest and use fresh. Dressing will thicken over the next few hours in the refrigerator.

TURNIPS WITH BUTTERY CHANTERELLE MUSHROOM STUFFING

2009-01-24T15:20:00.000-08:00

Who eats turnips? We never did when I was a kid, and as far as I know, none of my friends mom's made them either. I never even tasted a turnip -- that I know of -- until I was in my 30's. They're not bad. Nothing special in my opinion, but not bad. I guess most people just mash them? Personally, I'd rather have mashed potatoes.

There is a very nice restaurant in Los Angeles called Providence. It is the first, and so far only, place I have ever had a delicious turnip. They took baby turnips and stuffed them with mushroom stuffing. It was so unique tasting, and so fantastic that every time I see a turnip now I think of Providence.

Here is a similar preparation...

Get the smallest turnips you can find.

I use an apple core tool and carve out the center. If they don't stand up well, which most won't, cut a small slice off the bottom so they have a flat surface to stand on and don't roll around spilling the stuffing.

The stuffing will be done before the turnips, so I suggest steaming them for about 5-10 minutes until they are about 1/2 cooked. Be careful not to overcook them, we just need a little head start so they are cooked through when done. I find they overcook easily. You can go from hard to mush in very little time, so just keep checking them with a fork and you want them to be softened a bit, but definitely still firm.

I took one large Chanterelle mushroom and cut it into a very small dice, along with 2 large cloves of garlic. Then I melted about 4 tablespoons of butter and sauteed them until the garlic was cooked and fragrant.

Once the garlic and mushrooms were brown, I added some salt, pepper and enough bread crumbs to bring the stuffing together.

I stuffed the turnips......

And baked at 350 for about 30 minutes until the stuffing was brown and crispy.

I'VE NEVER LIKED GROUND TURKEY MUCH, BUT THIS WAS EXCELLENT.

2009-01-22T10:06:00.000-08:00

Ground chicken is so much better than ground turkey, in my opinion. But the other night I didn't have any ground chicken, all I had was ground turkey -- And why do I even buy it when I don't care for it? You got me. -- so I had to make it work.

At first I was thinking something along the lines of a Lebanese kibbeh styled thing, but what I ended up with was just a unique meat & vegetable cigar shaped meatballthingamajig.

1 package ground turkey (usually between 1-1.5 lb.)

1 bunch swiss chard, cooked & chopped

1/4 large onion, cooked with the chard and also chopped

2-3 large cloved garlic, chopped

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 eggs, scrambled

salt & pepper

Obviously the biggest problem with ground turkey is that it's often tough and sorta flavorless. So you need to infuse it with as much moisture as possible (vegetables work well) as well as fat for flavor (the butter). And a lot of egg will also lighten the texture, and make it more tender.

So it goes together like this:

Boil the chard and onion in lightly salted water until tender. Drain and squeeze as much water out as you can. Then chop it up small and drop it into a mixing bowl.

Add the turkey to the mixing bowl, the 2 scrambled eggs and your salt and pepper.

Then take the 2 tablespoons of butter and the 1 tablespoon of oil and the chopped garlic and saute on med-low heat until garlic is fragrant and golden brown, cooked through. I like lots of garlic :) Add garlic, butter and all, to the meat mixture and mix all ingredients together.

In a sauce pan (I use the same one I cooked the garlic in) cover the bottom with oil and heat. The meat mixture is quite wet so it's hard to form into meatballs but you can do patties or cigar shapes. Carefully place them in the pan, and brown on all sides. Try not to overcook; leave them in there for just long enough to cook through and brown the sides and they will be tender and will almost melt in your mouth.

Great for lunch or a snack. Slice it and serve over a salad. It's also a good way to trick the kids into eating swiss chard! We had them for dinner with some fluffy basmati rice.

BITTER MELON WITH CRISPY BACON AND FRIED EGG

2009-01-08T13:36:00.000-08:00

If you've never had it, bitter melon can best be described as probably the most bitter food you've ever had. It is actually a fruit, and it grows in tropical climates. It's season is April to September, but these days you can find it year round in some Asian stores, and places like Whole Foods. It is considered the most bitter vegetable. The texture is similar to a bell pepper.

If you can tolerate bitter food, the nutritional benefits of this ugly little thing are definitely impressive. Bitter Melons are rich in iron. They have twice the beta carotene of broccoli, twice the calcium of spinach, twice the potassium of bananas, and contain Vitamins A, C, B1 to B3, Phosphorus and good dietary fiber. Like most bitter-tasting foods, bitter melon stimulates digestion. It also has been shown to lower blood sugar levels and is widely used to control diabetes.

There is a very authentic Japanese Restaurant here, Kappo Honda, that we go to often. The first time I ever had bitter melon was there. They saute it with thinly sliced tofu, fried egg and bacon. It is delicious, and I never considered myself to be a fan of bitter food, but this I just LOVE! I often get a second order of it just because I love it that much. The extreme bitter of the melon is perfectly balanced by the egg and tofu and the fat, salt and smokiness from the bacon somehow makes an absolutely perfect neutralizer. It doesn't remove the bitter element, but it just makes it so GOOD!

Although I do not make it as good as they do, I am still going to share my interim recipe for the dish, which is certainly excellent in my opinion. :) This makes lunch for 2 people, or this could be a side dish for 4 if added to a dinner.

The melon is long like a bumpy cucumber. Wash it, and there is no need to peel it. The skin is tender and edible. Cut it in half, and core out the seeds and membrane - it is very easily removed with a spoon.

For this recipe, use 1/2 of the melon. The whole thing could be too overwhelming for a bitter melon newbie. Chop into bite sized pieces, and to eliminate some of the bitterness, blanch in lightly salted boiling water for 1-2 minutes and then drain and drop into ice water to keep the vibrant green color and stop the cooking. Drain and set aside.

Cut 6 pieces of bacon into bite sized pieces, and cook in a pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil. When the bacon is crispy, remove it from the pan and set aside and add 4 eggs to the remaining oil and bacon fat. Lightly scramble the eggs, letting them get as crispy at the edges as possible. You could also add tofu chunks if you wish, up to 4 ounces.

When the egg is done, add the melon and bacon back into the pan (and more olive oil if needed) and saute until the melon is heated and lightly browned. Add salt and pepper to taste.

I really think the salty smoky flavor of the bacon is what makes the perfect pairing for the bitter component -- so I bet this would also be good with Chipotle & Adobo sauce if you don't want to use bacon?

CROQUE-MONSIEUR w/GRUYERE & CROQUE-MADAME

2009-01-03T13:52:00.000-08:00

I picked up some Gruyere cheese the other day, so naturally the first thing I thought of was a Croque-Monsieur! And since this was going to be our dinner, I added a fried egg, which then made it a Croque-Madame - A little heartier version.

HOW TO MAKE A CROQUE-MONSIEUR

It's so simple - basically take white bread, add a dollup of mustard.....

I also like to add some Béchamel sauce inside - I swirl it around with the mustard. If you didn't have Bechamel you could probably use a little real mayonnaise and it wouldn't hurt anything. Or, just use mustard only. Your choice.

Add a slice or 2 of thin sliced ham. It's not traditional to pile up a big stack of ham. Just a thin layer is all you need. On top of the ham, add a thin slice of Gruyere or some shredded Gruyere, and top with the other piece of bread.

Now, you can do this 2 ways. Assemble the sandwich and cook it in the oven, turning as it browns, but I just find it so much easier to grill it in a pan with a little butter, and then finish under the broiler.

Once browned, I remove it from the pan and spread on a little more Bechamel.

Then a good amount of shredded Gruyere.

Finish under the broiler until cheese is bubbly and brown.

For a Croque-Madame, follow the steps above, then add a fried egg on top.

Because it was dinner, I served it with a salad dressed with olive oil and lemon, and made some tomato soup.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2009-01-01T14:26:00.001-08:00

The first breakfast, first meal, of 2009.

DUCK FAT ANYONE? NO REALLY, I HAVE A TON OF IT!

2008-12-29T19:49:00.000-08:00

Anyone else overindulge in goodies this Holiday? I tell you, I have eaten my fair share of good, fattening food. And not even really sweets, just things like scalloped potatoes with cream & butter, creamy soups, fatty steaks.... Boy-o-boy. And then last night I roasted a duck. And you know, the amount fat that is in duck skin is just beyond words. This is what came off of my duck last night -- over 2 cups -- and believe me when I say that there was plenty left in the skin! And who can resist that! Crispy duck skin... oh MAN. (yes, of course I kept the duck fat! it's in the freezer.)

Last night's dinner was the last straw though. Seriously. I just can't take much more. I haven't gained any weight, but I know I'm pushing my luck. We have dinner reservations at Port on New Year's Eve, and I'll totally be having the filet and lobster, but other than that I am going to try and get back to a more healthy menu. Get back to our normal eats! I feel almost like I do after spending a few days in New Orleans. You just hit that fat overload.

So tonight, it's mashed potatoes with kale and salmon. I chopped the kale very small, then boiled it in water with 1/4 cup red wine, a little salt and some granulated dried garlic. Then I processed the potatoes through the ricer, added the kale and some chicken stock to make it creamy.

Once mixed, I added a few tablespoons of fresh grated Gruyere for flavor and richness, since a little goes a long way. That's it. No butter, no cream. It was refreshingly light, fluffy, and just delicious. Even my toddler scarfed it!

Then just salmon, simply grilled with salt, pepper, garlic and lemon. :) Ahhhh.... It's like an ice cold glass of water on a hot day. Refreshing!

COCKTAIL HOUR ~ LAVENDER LEMON MARTINI

2008-12-22T12:52:00.000-08:00

Don't be frightened. It's better than you think. Like lemonade with just a hint of lavender in the background. And It's not lavender massage oil you're using, this calls for fresh leaves. The edible kind. I prefer the tender new growth personally. The flavor is just barely there, and the lemon really brightens and lightens the warmth of the lavender. You can find fresh lavender in some health food stores, and I have also seen it at Whole Foods. I picked mine while out on a walk the other day. Don't like booze? No problem! This is awesome with Perrier too!

So, Merry Christmas everyone! It's been pretty busy, and we've been gone a lot, so there hasn't been a whole lotta cooking going on here lately. And what I have cooked is just the average boring stuff you throw together when you're hungry and have no energy and very little time to get food on the table, definitely not blog material. Hey... here we had buttered noodles, and here we had an omelette. Big whoop. So instead of letting the blog sit here dormant, I just decided to do another cocktail post. Because it's slightly possible that people might be looking for cocktail recipes for holiday parties, right?

LAVENDER LEMON MARTINI

Why lemon and lavender? I have no clue where I got the idea, but it just works.

~2 oz Belvedere Vodka

~4 teaspoons simple syrup (50% water 50% sugar dissolved)

~2 Tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice

~1 heaping teaspoon fresh lavender leaves. I suppose you could also use dried?

~paper thin lemon slices for garnish

Add crushed ice, vodka, lemon juice & syrup to shaker -- massage lavender leaves lightly to release the oils and add to shaker also. If your lavender seems really potent (there are different varieties), cut to half teaspoon or less -- you can always add more later. The point is to have a very faint lavender aroma in the background, not for this to taste like you're eating a Glade air freshener. So anyway, shake well.... Serve in chilled glass. Garnish with the paper thin lemon slices.

For a NON-alcoholic version, use 7-up or sparking water instead of the vodka.

COCKTAIL HOUR - CHRISTMAS FUDGE MARTINI

2008-12-11T18:06:00.000-08:00

I really don't make cocktails often. Maybe a glass of wine now and then, but I'm so not a mix-master of any kind. But for some reason I have been in a martini mood lately. But not traditional martinis, nontraditional ones. Hence the Acai Berry Amazon from the other day.

Today I was looking at a plate of fudge my husband got from one of his customers and the next thing you know I had out the Bailey's, milk, and the shaker.

White Christmas Fudge Martini

1 ounce Stoli Elite Vodka (or my favorite, Belvedere)

2 ounces Bailey's Irish Cream

2 ounces Milk

Whipped Cream (optional)

1 piece of any kind of Christmas Fudge

Add liquids to shaker. Add ice and shake well. Pour into martini glass and garnish with fudge and whipped cream.

Kids obviously can't have Bailey's, but they CAN have whipped cream on their hand!

COCKTAIL HOUR -- ACAI BERRY AMAZON MARTINI

2008-12-05T22:48:00.001-08:00

Acai Berry is all the rage. Well, in California anyway.

It has powerful antioxidant capabilities. Some believe it promotes weight loss. The juice, in my opinion, is delicious.

Acai Berry supplements are sold in most vitamin shops, but the juice is not that easy to find. The berries are highly perishable, so you will only find it in pill or juice form. I found this juice at Whole Foods.

Acai Berry Martini

Makes 2 - 3 oz. Martinis

2 oz. Acai Berry Juice

2 oz. Belvedere Vodka

2 oz. Hendrick's Gin

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon lime juice

Add sugar, vodka and gin to shaker. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Add ice and lime juice and shake vigorously. Pour and serve with a lime twist garnish.

For a non-alcoholic martini -- substitute sparkling water or 7-up in place of the alcohol.

CHICKEN & BROCCOLI FRITTERS

2008-12-03T12:23:00.000-08:00

Amazing! She ate it! My 20 month old daughter, Charlotte, actually ate a chicken fritter I made, spiked with flax seed and broccoli! This kid. I tell you. She eats nothing right now. She eats hot dogs. And potatoes. And sometimes, eggs. That's about it. And everything needs a ranch chaser. It's really frustrating. This is not my fault.

She used to eat everything. She ate what we ate, no matter what it was -- I never even fed her baby food. Then all of a sudden, it just stopped about 2-3 months ago and I have no idea why? I read recently on the baby blog that Anthony Bourdain is trying really hard to get his daughter to also eat normal food. Well, his daughter is about a month or so younger than mine, so I wish him luck. And the story made me feel a little better, because at least I know I'm in good company.

Charlotte also eats salmon, but you shouldn't feed salmon to small children more than maybe once or twice a week. So every day it's a struggle. I make something for her, and she usually just throws it down to the dog. Grrrrr! I try new stuff, I try repeating stuff she's already had (some experts say they have to try something an average of 8 times before they'll eat it) but most days it just gets tossed.

I roasted a chicken last night, and today was removing the meat from the bones so I could make stock. I decided I'd try some chicken fritters. Unbelievably, she ate it! For the record, they WERE delicious (but I make yummy things all the time, it doesn't mean little miss fussy eater will agree).

1 cup finely diced chicken meat

1/4 cup finely chopped cooked broccoli tops

1 egg

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 Tbsp Flax seed

3 Tbsp bread crumbs

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese

4 Tbsp milk or half & half

2 Tbsp Wondra

Mix all ingredients together. Should be thick and sticky, and easy to form patties. Coat patties with Panko breadcrumbs and fry in a generous amount (bottom of pan completely covered) of half olive, half canola oil. Fry until golden.

Look at how crisp they are.

Intensely crisp outside, tender inside. So flavorful! And although it's fried, it is not at all greasy.

The ranch dressing ..... Ugh. But she ate. That's all you care about after a while.

My plate looked a little different than hers.

The ranch aftermath. The gloss her head, face, hair and hands are covered with -- ranch. Ewww.

OVEN BAKED KALUA PIG (KALUA PORK)

2008-12-01T08:27:00.000-08:00

This Thanksgiving, instead of turkey, we had Kalua Pork. The inspiration came from a recent trip to Maui. My husband really isn't crazy about turkey, so I thought I'd just make something else this year. Last year I make turkey leg osso bucco, and that was really good, and a nice change-up also.

My recipe for the Kalua Pig comes from a native Hawaiian. Not everyone has a big pit in their yard to throw a whole pig into, obviously, but you really don't have to have one to get a nice replica of the real deal. It's extremely simple, and each ingredient is very important. You must have the banana and ti leaves. Simply wrapping the pork in foil alone will not do. The leaves lend a particular aroma that is key to get the right flavor. And since you won't be cooking this with real coals, you need to use the liquid smoke. And the cut. You need pork butt. It is the fattiest. The pork ends up basically being almost poached in it's own fat. How bad could that be?!

I start by laying out 2 very large pieces of heavy duty foil, one vertical, one horizontal, with enough overlap to wrap over the pork later. Then, few pieces of string in the pan, 2 pieces each way also -- then lay down a bed of overlapping ti leaves (wash them before use).

Lay your pork butt inside, and cut slits into the meat.

Season with liberally with salt, and pour the liquid smoke over the pork, then rub in the salt and smoke flavoring well into the pork and into the grooves and slices on top. Finally, lay the whole bananas on top of the meat (I didn't get a picture of that).

Cover the pork with more ti leaves, and then gently fold them to cover pork. The strings you laid out in the beginning - tie them snugly over the top of the ti leaves. Lastly, wrap the pretty package in the foil, adding additional foil to the top if necessary. Try to avoid holes in the foil. You want the juices to stay inside.

Into the oven, 325-350, 45 minutes per pound. When done, remove from the leaves, discard bananas, and shred pork.

Ingredients:

4-5 pound pork butt
2-3 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons liquid smoke
4-6 ti leaves (easy to find at most Asian groceries)
2 whole, unpeeled bananas (as green as you can find).

VELVETY, SWEET & BUTTERY ~ CHICKEN LIVER PATE

2008-11-20T19:55:00.000-08:00

I've had good and sorta good and not really good at all liver pate. For me, I prefer my pate smooth as silk, and to have a faint sweetness. And I like to have a slight aroma of the Cognac still there. These elements make, for me anyway, the perfect pate.

Most of the chicken liver pate recipes out there are pretty much just carbon copies of each other, so I had to write my own recipe for it, tailored to my own preference. It's velvety and delicious!

Here's how it goes ...

I start by soaking the livers in milk.

And I use sweet onions.

It's fast to make too. Onion saute, then add the livers, then the liquids. Remove livers when they are medium, and reduce liquids. Let mixture cool, then into the processor for a quick whirl.

Fill the ramekins, then top with clarified butter. And, maybe a few whole peppercorns for a bite. Chill.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 pound fresh chicken livers, cleaned

1 cup milk

10 tablespoons cold butter

1 stick of butter - clarified

1 cup chopped sweet onion, such as Mayan, Walla Walla or Maui

2 teaspoons chopped garlic

2 tablespoons green peppercorns, or 1 tablespoon black peppercorns

2 fresh bay leaves

1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

1 teaspoon fresh thyme

1/2 teaspoon good sea salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

1/4 cup Cognac + 1 tablespoon

4 tablespoons good red wine

To Prepare

Soak livers in milk for 2 hours. Drain well.

In saute pan, melt 4 tablespoons butter and saute onions, thyme, peppercorns, bay & rosemary on medium heat for about 10-15 minutes until onions are translucent (do not brown). Add garlic and saute 5 minutes more. Add the chicken livers and gently saute a few minutes, then add 1/4 cup Cognac, red wine and sugar. Continue to cook over med heat until livers are brown on the outside, but still slightly pink inside (not red, just slightly pink). Remove livers to a plate so they don't overcook, and continue to cook liquids until most of the liquid has evaporated. Remove from heat and let livers and mixture cool at room temp. Discard bay leaves, and any stems from the thyme.

While waiting to cool you can clarify your butter, you will need that to seal the top of the pate.

Once cooled, put livers and mixture into food processor, along with the remaining 1 tablespoon of uncooked Cognac, and puree until completely smooth. Take remaining 6 tablespoons of the cold butter and cut into cubes -- Add butter to the puree in pieces, pulse to blend making sure it is completely incorporated.

Fill small ramekins 2/3 full and carefully spoon clarified butter over the top to seal. The butter should completely seal the top of the pate, so depending on the type of dish you use, you may need more clarified butter. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving so it has a chance to really firm up.

Serve with fresh, warm french bread or toasted slices of baguette. I don't like capers or cornichons with my pate, I never did understand the pairing -- to me they do not go together. I prefer figs or a good orange marmalade to bring out the sweetness in the pate. Sort of like you'd serve with foie gras.

Pate can be stored in the refrigerator with unbroken butter seal for up to 2 weeks.

VEAL CUTLETS w/ CHANTERELLE & MOREL MUSHROOM WINE SAUCE & BROWN BUTTER SPAGHETTI

2008-11-17T10:56:00.000-08:00

Last night's dinner was a Veal cutlet - browned in a skillet and topped with a Chanterelle and Morel mushroom white wine sauce. Side dish was a simple spaghetti with brown butter and a splash of cream. Our neutralizer to this rich Sunday dinner was an vinaigrette Arugula salad.

Simply seasoned, salt and pepper. The flour I used to coat the cutlets had a little onion and garlic powder, as well as s&p also.

I used dried mushrooms. I reconstituted them in a little boiling water (about 1/2 C). I reserved the lovely flavored water to add to the sauce later.

Lightly coat the cutlets with the flour mixture, and brown in a hot pan of olive and canola oil.

The mushrooms were chopped and sauteed for a minute in a little butter.

Then I added about 1/2 C Chardonnay and reduced until almost gone.

Lastly, I added the reserved mushroom broth with about 2 cups of homemade chicken stock. Let it reduce by two thirds, and then finished it with a pat of butter and a small splash of half & half.

For the pasta ...

I have started using this brown rice pasta I found at Trader Joe's. It's actually really good. I actually don't like brown rice, but that is mostly just because of texture. This pasta is good, tastes every bit as good and chewy as white pasta, but it has an aroma of rice. It's nice. And, much healthier than bleached white pasta. They way I look at it, it helps compensate a little for the brown butter and cream I added to the noodles. :)

Browned butter. We all love it, don't we? It's so good on so many things! The tasty little bits of browned cream that give all the flavor are obviously where all the yum comes from. Wanna know how to get more without using tons of butter?

Yeah. Powdered milk. And no, I'm not kidding. Add a little sprinkle to your butter in the pan as it's melting and let the pieces of dehydrated milk brown with the butter.

Some final words.
I love veal, who doesn't... But I never buy it at the grocery store. I don't buy veal when I don't know where it came from -- I am an animal lover and I will only purchase free range Veal. But this was a rare exception. I saw 3 packages of Veal at Von's supermarket, in the "marked-down bin." It still had a few days left before the pull date, so it was still good, but they always throw out food a few days before their exp date, so I didn't want to chance it. Because the only thing worse than veal from an animal that has been been inhumanely raised, is when it is then thrown out as garbage. To me that is the ultimate in disrespect. So as hard as it was for me to buy this, at the same time it was impossible not to. I just had to get that off my chest.

MARSHMALLOW CANDIED PORK CHOPS! WHOA BABY!!

2008-11-09T22:17:00.001-08:00

(you like food p*rn? go ahead, click it. you know you wanna.)

When you were a kid, and you roasted marshmallows, did you like them barely toasted, or totally black? I liked them burnt to a crisp. And as an adult, I still like them super-crispy. Eat off the crispy layer, and re-char it. Oh yeah.

Speaking of marshmallows. I bought a bag of mini marshmallows for a fudge recipe I recently acquired. The ingredients for the fudge have been sitting there for weeks -- I'm not into sweets too much. But for some reason, my mind has been crazy with recipe ideas lately. Maybe it's because I was on vacation and away from the kitchen for a week?

The inspiration for this recipe came from the season. I have never seen anything like it before, but candied yams were always a favorite of ours at Thanksgiving. I don't know why, but I saw those marshmallows in the cupboard, and I had a vision; pork + marshmallows = maybe something really good? And guys, it works! Very well :)

I figured, for this recipe, the boneless loin chops would be best.

Coat pork with veg oil and season simply with salt and pepper.

Sear chops on a really hot cast iron pan, about 2 minutes on each side, then transfer to a 500 degree oven. Cook 4 minutes on each side for a 2" thick chop. Remove pan from oven. Increase the oven heat to broil.

Add marshmallows to chops. Put chops on bottom rack (so marshmallows melt slower, and don't burn). Cook until desired marshmallow doneness.

Here's MY chop. :)

A-MAZING. This was every bit as good as it looks. The pork was tender and juicy, and the marshmallow candy crust was crunchy on the outside, gooey underneath -- My only complaint was that there wasn't enough marshmallow!

COOKING SCHOOL. WANNA GO? FOR FREE?

2008-11-08T22:51:00.000-08:00

Or, at least live vicariously through someone who is going to cooking school ....

CHECK OUT THIS BLOG.

Remember how much fun the French Laundry at Home blog was? Well, I think the Cooking School Sagittarius will also be fun. :) Jennifer is going to cooking school. She is taking pictures, and documenting everything she learns. She's on day 37 now, so you'll need to go to the start of the blog to obviously get the FULL educational benefit.

I'm enjoying it! You GO girl!

CREAM OF AVOCADO SOUP WITH BACON & EGGS

2008-11-08T13:16:00.000-08:00

Avocado soup. Have you ever made it? It's so easy -- literally takes only minutes -- and it's a great way to taste the freshness of summer, since avocado is a summery ingredient for most people, but the warmth and richness of a hearty winter soup that's going to fill you up and keep you satisfied without weighing you down.

Adding things to the soup is also something I love to do, but I think it's best when the additions are minimal. Shredded chicken is probably my favorite, but bacon & eggs also go great with the avocado.

Just a little bit of crispy bacon, and one scrambled egg ...

The broth and avocado are in the blender about to take a spin. After blended, I simply heat in a pan until flour is cooked and soup is slightly thickened.

Maybe a drizzle of cream ...

Chop the bacon & eggs ...

Nice lunch.

Makes 4 cups, or 2 big bowls

2 1/2 cups chicken broth (homemade preferred)
4 Tbsp Wondra (or 2 Tbsp flour)
1 ripe California avocado
4 Tablespoons half & half or heavy cream (optional)

Dissolve the Wondra (or flour) in about 1/2 cup of warm but not hot chicken stock, then pour into a blender with the rest of the stock, and the avocado. Blend until desired consistency, I prefer it completely smooth. Once blended, transfer to a saucepan and heat until just starting to boil, then simmer for 10 minutes more, just to cook flour and to let the soup thicken a little. Add salt and pepper to taste. If I am in the mood for extra richness, I'll add a splash of half & half.

COOKING WITH BACON -- BACON WRAPPED BRUSSELS SPROUTS -- SIDE DISH

2008-11-03T19:16:00.000-08:00

A while back I mentioned that I'd be working on side dishes. Easy recipes that would make the typically boring side dishes more interesting. But they had to be simple, and made without bizarre ingredients -- Just stuff you already have around the house. We often focus so much on the main dish that when it comes to the side dish, it's usually defaulted to something boring. I'm just trying to mix it up.

Well .... How do these look? Yummy, right? They were.

It's not that I'm a huge fan of brussels sprouts. I don't hate them, but I don't love them either. Maybe this is why I'm on a quest for ways to make them great? Because they really are good for you. And I want to love them, I really do.

The last bs dish I made was the brussels sprouts with balsamic vinegar caramelized onions. It was a big hit. A note on that dish though -- it's only good when it's fresh, so serve immediately, when they're hot.

So now, my new recipe is a dead-simple one, because I just got back from vacation and I have a bad cold and I'm dog tired. Today I made BACON WRAPPED BRUSSELS SPROUTS. I was at the grocery yesterday and I saw some pretty large brussels sprouts. I usually try and pick out the smallest ones, but I thought what the heck, let's try the jumbo ones and just see how they compare.

They were really good!

Start by trimming the tough ends off.

Then, simply wrap in bacon! I used 1/2 slice for each brussels sprout. I also recommend using a toothpick at the seam to keep the bacon from shrinking and coming off the vegetable.

Into a 450 oven for about 25-30 minutes (or until bacon is done and the BS is tender)

Tender inside... crisp, smoky bacon outside. Guys, these were delicious!

JOHN BESH'S BRAISED BEEF SHORT RIBS

2008-10-22T12:47:00.000-07:00

Last Friday I was at the grocery, wandering around looking for something good for dinner. On Friday we always splurge a little -- it's always an at-home dinner, but we try to make it something yummy. I saw 2 packages of nice looking short ribs and it reminded me of a recipe I'd had for John Besh's short ribs (to DIE for). Short ribs it is!

John Besh is Chef and Owner of a restaurant in New Orleans called August. It's really hard to get into, but if you are going to be in the city I suggest you call ahead and make your reservations. It's the perfect mix of old world Creole cooking, and new food trends.

Part of what makes the food in New Orleans great is that the city is made of so many different cultures. After all these years, they all make the same dishes now, but each nationality has added it's own unique flavors to the mix -- and that is why the food is so special, and why you just can't find it anywhere but in New Orleans. There are so many ingredients in foods like jambalaya and gumbo because so many different families from so many parts of the world have added a little something here, and a little something there. Something else I love about New Orleans food is the types of ingredients they use. It's so often peasant-style food -- comforting and full of love. Ingredients like greens, and beans, gumbo and jambalaya. And short ribs. Oh, I'm well aware that short ribs cost a fortune these days, but they we're not always the superstar they are today. They used to be the garbage cuts. Only recently have items like swiss chard and short ribs started making the menu of upscale restaurants but now they are definitely a trend. And I have had a lot of short ribs at a lot of restaurants. As long as they're tender, they're usually quite tasty. But the thing is, they all taste the same. That was until I made John Besh's.

Serves: 4

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: About two hours (with little labor)

4 lbs beef short ribs, cut flanken style (across the bone) or English style (parallel to the bone). Flanken are easier to deal with but slightly more fatty.
Coarse salt and black pepper
3 cups pinot noir
1/2 cup sugar
6 oz canned chopped tomatoes
2 cups beef broth
1 tbsp minced garlic
3 sprigs fresh thyme, picked off stem
2 bay leaves
3 oz canola oil
1 large onion, diced (2 cups)
2 medium carrots, diced (1/2 cup)
2 stalks celery, diced (1/2 cup)
2 oz dried mushrooms, preferably porcini

Season short ribs with salt and pepper; be rather generous. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the wine, sugar, tomatoes, beef broth, garlic, thyme, bay leaves, and a pinch of salt.

Pour canola oil into a heavy pot or Dutch oven (at least 5 quarts) and place over high heat. When oil is hot, working in small batches, brown the meat. Turn each piece to brown on all sides before removing from the pot.

When all the beef is browned and removed from pot, add onion, carrots, and celery, allowing onion to cook until browned, about 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

Return beef to the pot along with wine mixture. Allow wine to come to a boil before reducing heat, skimming fat from surface.

After simmering for several minutes, add the dried mushrooms. Cover and simmer over very low heat until meat is fork tender and nearly falling off the bone, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

I cheated slightly. I used a pressure cooker to speed up the cooking time. It shaved about 25 minutes off the total cooking time. I could have cooked it faster, but I knew it was important that the wine have enough time to work on flavoring that meat, so I had it on super-low. It was late. I have a toddler. I was hungry. Cut me some slack.

Once the beef has cooked, remove from pot and keep warm. Turn up heat and reduce the pot liquids until thickened, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

I strained mine, although it was not required in the recipe. I just thought a smooth sauce would be more my preference than a chunky one. You do what you want.

Serve ribs in shallow bowls, with the liquid spooned over the top. People, this is absolutely the best short rib recipe I have ever had in my life.

Oh, something note worthy - the original recipe calls for zinfandel. When I made these with pinot noir, they were better. It definitely gave them a unique flavor, rather than than the traditional zinfandel. It's very robust like zinfandel, but just more flavorful in my opinion. Something about the flavor of pinot noir -- it has such an earthy, mossy, nutty flavor. I used Echelon pinot noir, it's my favorite. It's usually around $15 a bottle, which is a steal for pinot.

This will be the last post from me for about 2 weeks - we're off the Maui! Grand Wailea, here we come :D I'm sure I'll come back with lots of pictures!

BEEF BRAISED IN MILK ~ GIULIANO HAZAN'S EVERY NIGHT ITALIAN

2008-10-17T16:19:00.000-07:00

I don't have any Marcella Hazan cookbooks. But I did go on Amazon after reading Claudia's guest post on TNS a while back to get one. Or so I thought I got one. I must have been tired, because I actually chose the Giuliano Hazan book instead. He is Marcella's son. But after reading through it, I really love this book. Unlike the version that Claudia cooked from, this book seems to be wonderfully simplistic, recipes having minimal prep and ingredients, and it's just the every day things you'd eat if you were Italian -- so it's not complicated and the ingredients are usually items you probably already have in your house. And for people like me -- a mom who also has other stuff on her daily to-do list -- it gives you the prep time, and start-to-finish time for every dish. That is really convenient.

Trying to decide which recipe to make first was hard. I was like, Ooh! That looks good! every time I turned the page. But I had some roast in my fridge already, so I had to go with something beefy, and this just sounded so comforting.

Beef Braised in Milk

INGREDIENTS:

2 tbsp butter

1 tbsp vegetable oil

2 lb. beef chuck, cut into pieces to fit comfortably in the pot

salt

fresh ground pepper

1 medium onion, chopped

1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 cup whole milk

First, you brown the meat in the butter and oil.

Once browned, remove temporarily from the pot.

Add the carrot and onion, and cook for a couple of minutes. Then add the vinegar and let it bubble away until reduced by half.

Add the milk. As soon as it begins bubbling, lower the heat to simmer, and return the seared meat to the pot.

See the milk bubbling at the edges (below) -- LOWER THE HEAT. Any longer than this and the milk will probably curdle. If this happens, I suggest straining the curdled milk with a strainer or slotted spoon and adding more milk.

Cover with a tiny vent (lid askew) and cook until the meat is tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Turn the meat about every 20 minutes while it's simmering. If all the liquid evaporates before the meat is done, add a little water. When done, the sauce is a dark walnut color, and the consistency of mustard.

Here is where I admit I didn't follow the recipe as written. Instead of cooking it on the stove for that hour and a half, I put it in the oven because I had to run some errands. I can't leave something on the stove and leave the house, it's not safe. But the oven - that's OK. The worst that can happen is that you'll end up with jerky.

The dish was so good. I got home late, so I overcooked it a tad (and so added a little bit of water to the sauce) but it was still very good, and it had a unique flavor-sweetness, no doubt from the milk. This is VERY good, and I'll definitely make this again. I can't wait to make other dishes from this book.

WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU LEFTOVERS, MAKE CROQUETTES

2008-10-16T13:38:00.000-07:00

Ever make croquettes? I had these at least once a year when I was a kid, it's one of the things my mom used to do with the leftover Thanksgiving turkey.

Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside. They're very good. And you can make them out of just about any type of meat, as well as seafood like shrimp, scallops and crab. But who ever has leftover crab? If you want a vegetarian version, you could do them with broccoli and cheddar, or sweet potato is also nice -- whatever your favorite vegetable is, as long as it's firm textured because mushy won't hold up.

It was 10:30 a.m. and I was in the kitchen, as usual, looking in the fridge trying to figure out what to make my picky 18 month old toddler for lunch. I see the pork and red cabbage leftovers. No way would she eat that. Not even sure I wanted to eat it, the pork was very lean and dry. But then it occurred to me to just chop it up and make croquettes!

In this post I'm not going to list recipe ingredients, just because there are so many variables.

The first step would be to chop your cooked meat of choice. I had about 10-12 ounces of cooked pork. While chopping the meat, you can also add a little bit of onion/shallot or garlic (the garlic will not get a chance to cook very long, so just go easy on it).

Next, make your roux. I like to mix olive oil and butter to cut down a little on the butter, but be my guest and just use all butter if you like. For this batch, I used 2 tbsp of butter and 1 tbsp of olive oil, then added 3 tbsp of flour.

Add milk to your roux. You want this to be very thick, like paste, so it'll hold that chopped meat together. So start by whisking in the milk about 1/2 cup at a time. I think here I used between 1-1.5 cups of milk. And go slow, because it gets thicker as it cooks. When it's good and thick (like frosting) you can add some cheese if you like. I added a half handful of shredded cheddar and a half handful of grated parmesan.

Mix the roux and the meat. The best way to do it is to add the roux a spoonful at a time, so you don't get too much. What you see here is maybe a tad too much roux to meat ratio - but the benefit is that it will taste better. It'll just be more difficult to work with. After mixed, let mixture set up for about 15 minutes in the refrigerator.

Spoon the mixture into Panko breadcrumbs and coat well.

Fry on med-high in a nonstick skillet, coated well with canola oil. Add more oil as you do these in batches because too little oil and the Panko will not get all golden and yummy, it will just burn.

These make a great appetizer, but also could be a decadent main dish.

I like to have mine on a bed of greens, dressed simply with oilve oil, fresh lemon juice and flakey sea salt and pepper. The greens and fresh lemon cut nicely through the richness of the croquettes.

SIDE DISH~ BRUSSELS SPROUTS with BALSAMIC VINEGAR CARAMELIZED ONIONS

2008-10-14T19:25:00.000-07:00

This dish is rich, and slightly sweet from the onions, a tiny bite from the cayenne, and lots of delicious caramelizing! It's A-Mazing.

OK, so I'll admit, my first choice for this dish was not Brussels sprouts. This developed out of necessity, because my original ingredient was sweet peas. But my sweet peas were rotten. Shoot! It was a last minute thing - I looked in the fridge, my choices were broccoli, collard greens, Chinese cabbage, Brussels sprouts and green chard. The best fit I saw, was Brussels sprouts.

Ingredients:

serves 4

2 large yellow or white onions

2 oz pancetta or bacon

Brussels sprouts for 4 - about 1 lb

1/4 cup sherry vinegar

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup water

1/4 tsp white pepper

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp sugar

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp butter

To begin, saute the pancetta (or chopped bacon) in the butter and olive oil for 3 minutes.

Add the onion. Reduce to low, and stir frequently. You do not want to brown the onions. You are caramelizing them. Slow cooking.

Keep stirring ....

Almost there ...

OK, now add the vinegars, salt, pepper, sugar, cayenne and water. Bring to a boil. Cook on medium-high until all liquid is reduced.

After the liquid was reduced, I moved the onions aside, and I added the bs and sauteed them on med-low until golden.

Serve immediately.

KILLER APPETIZER - FRIED HAM & CHEESE CIGARS

2008-10-13T19:43:00.000-07:00

This is a delicious, hearty, and super simple party food! I like ham, but like it even more after it's taken a roll around in a pan for a minute, getting all crispy and golden. These ham & cheese cigars are so fast to make, and they will be THE item that disappears fastest at the next party!

Ingredients:

Mozzerella cheese sticks

Thinly sliced deli style ham

Enough olive oil to generously coat your skillet

Depending on where you get your ham, the size of the slices will vary quite a bit. Basically, you'll need enough to wrap around the cheese stick, completely covering it, and providing 2 layers of ham evenly all the way around the cheese.

The cheese must be cold, and keep refrigerated until you are ready to prepare it so that it doesn't melt too much in the pan. Ideally, the ham will get crispy and the cheese inside will stay relatively intact.

Coat the inside of a skillet with olive oil -- When the pan is hot, put the cigars into the pan, seam side down, and cook on med-high turning frequently as they brown. When done, remove promptly and drain on paper towel. You can serve these warm, but I prefer them served cold because the cheese firms up and they are easier to eat and I think the texture is better. Also when cold you can cut into smaller pieces easily.

You can get creative with these, and cut thin slivers of pickle and wrap that inside with the cheese, or add pepperoni .. or hot peppers .. or ?

TUNA POKE WITH FENNEL FRONDS

2008-10-11T10:00:00.000-07:00

I'm not a big fan of seaweed. So when making Poke last night, I wondered how fennel fronds would be as a substitution, since seaweed is a pretty prominent ingredient in Poke. It's mostly texture and appearance, and the fronds don't really have a strong fennel flavor, so why not? I had a gorgeous piece of Ahi from the Santa Monica Seafood Market, and I wanted Poke.

It worked out wonderful -- Fresh and clean, a nice adaptation.

Ingredients:

Serves 2-4

6 ounces sushi grade Ahi, cubed/diced (whatever your size preference)

4 TBSP finely diced sweet Maui or Walla Walla onion

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp canola oil

1/4 cup chopped fennel fronds

1/2 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp soy sauce

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, mix well. Serve at room temperature with your favorite crackers.

Makes 4 nice appetizers, or 2 really nice appetizers.

The texture of the fronds did the trick, added a bit of freshness to the recipe, along with the tiny squeeze of lemon I added -- not lemony and no real fennel flavor. Just fresh tuna with no fishy seaweed.

RIGATONI WITH FRIED EGG (OR TOFU?) AND ROASTED VEGETABLES

2008-10-10T13:10:00.000-07:00

I'm getting over a cold and have just been dragging all week. It's fast approaching dinner time, I have a toddler that is getting grouchier by the minute, and I have no energy for long ingredient lists or lengthy prep times. I also have not visited the grocery all week, so my protein choices would have been some sort of frozen meat (which would have to be thawed in the microwave because I didn't have time to do it slowly, like I prefer) or eggs, or tofu.

So, I grabbed the TOFU Cookbook for inspiration. And I find a lovely recipe, Rigatoni with Fried Tofu, Roasted Red Peppers and Olives. Sounds easy enough, and it was, except my husband doesn't like olives, and I prefer to use fresh roasted peppers, as opposed to jarred like they use in the recipe. And, while I was at it, I threw in some sweet onion and a yellow squash because I like to sneak in as many vegetables as I can. Oh, and a few eggs. So in the end it was a completely different recipe than the one in the book. This is so typical of me though.

My altered ingredient list:

serves 4

1 red bell pepper

1/2 sweet onion

1 yellow squash or zucchini

1 pound rigatoni

16 ounces tofu or 8 eggs or an equal combination of both

2 TBSP canola oil

3 TBSP olive oil

1 TBSP soy sauce

1 large garlic clove

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

salt & pepper to taste

I start by cutting the vegetables, then coating them lightly with oilve oil, add a dash of salt & pepper and roast at 450 for around 30 minutes or until they look like this (below)

I know not everyone is a fan of tofu. That is fine, just use fried egg instead. In my opinion though, I think they taste very similar anyway. In this recipe, I actually used both fried egg and fried tofu.

Fry tofu in the canola oil until golden brown and then transfer to a large bowl.

Drizzle the tofu with the soy sauce. Toss well and set aside. In a large pot, bring several quarts of water to a boil and cook the rigatoni. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water for later.

Dice the roasted vegetables. Saute the chopped garlic in 1 TBSP of the olive oil over medium heat for 1 minute. Add the diced vegetables and saute for 2 minutes more.

Add the 1/2 cup reserved pasta water and stir, then pour over the tofu (which is sitting in that large bowl waiting for it's veggies and pasta!)

Toss in the cooked pasta and the parmesan and mix. Drizzle with remaining 2 TBSP olive oil.

TURDUCKEN ANYONE?

2008-10-07T17:50:00.001-07:00

TURDUCKEN = A chicken in a duck in a turkey

I'm thinking about ordering one of these for Thanksgiving this year. Or, maybe I'll just make my own. I know, they sound weird and turd is in the name, but still. I'm curious. We're huge fans of Louisiana's fine food ... so I'm assuming that they're delicious. Has anyone had one? What did you think?

Anyway. If you also were wondering where in the heck to get a Turducken, you are in luck. Cajun Grocer is a gold mine for people like us! Boudin. Turducken. Gumbo. Sigh.

SIDE DISH - KEN'S CHINESE FIVE SPICE ASPARAGUS

2008-10-06T23:07:00.001-07:00

About a year (or two?) ago I was on the phone with my best friend and she mentioned that her husband made this great asparagus on the grill ...

He seasoned it with Chinese Five Spice. Interesting, I thought. That was pretty much the end of it.

A long time later -- I remembered it out of the blue. Maybe because it was interesting, or maybe just for no reason at all, but I thought it would make a great "Side Dish" post.

You'll need:

1 bunch young asparagus

1 tsp olive oil

1 TBSP Butter

1 TBSP Chinese Five Spice

Salt & Pepper to taste

(optional - and only if you like sweet stuff) 1 tsp Brown Sugar

I was too lazy to uncover the grill. So, I steamed my asparagus.

Then I flash-browned it in the olive oil & butter.

The five spice, as you can see, is mostly warm spices, so if you liked things sweet, a generous pinch of sugar (or brown sugar!) would go excellent with the flavors. My husband does not like sweet foods though, so I just used the five spice and s&p.

After the quick saute, dust with the five spice powder (and sugar, if desired) and toss. It's different, intensely flavorful, exotic, easy and GOOD.

ROASTED TOMATOES; CAN YOU DO CANNED?

2008-10-04T14:21:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I was talking with my mom on the phone, and she mentions that she has a surplus of tomatoes from the garden on her counter and they were getting soft and she didn't know what to do with them. Of course I said, Roast them!

After talking about it with her, it really made me crave some roasted tomato soup myself, but I had no fresh tomatoes, and the baby was taking a nap, so I couldn't go to the store. Then I wondered, hmm ... how would canned tomatoes turn out? It's worth a try?

Oh what the heck, add the juice too! I love the syrupy juice after roasting tomatoes :)

Hmmm. I shouldn't have added the juice. It burned. No big deal really, the dark portions are easily removed from the parchment paper. The tomatoes though turned out really well!

Just to compare, when the baby woke up we went to the grocery and bought a few pounds of over ripe heirlooms and came home to roast them (btw, I prefer 375 for about an hour or until brown and collapsed ... the higher temps often burn the juice, see above pics, argh!) And with this roast, I also added onion and garlic because those are also yummy roasted!

The verdict - the fresh were better, only because they had their skins to hold more of the syrupy juice in, but really, they were both fantastic.

And then there was soup. Ahhhh.......