cooking in stilettos

Pear and Gorgonzola burgers

2012-10-07T16:16:00.001-07:00

It seems the All American Burger went Italian for a day!

Burgher is the ultimate american comfort meal, and well, leave it to an Italian to mess with it....but don't worry, it's all for the better!
As far as the beef, I chose 80/20.....you need the 20% of fat to keep the meat juicy, but if you want to use a leaner meat, buffalo is what I recommend, it's very flavorful.
I only seasoned the meat with salt and pepper and 1 tbs of worsheshire sauce. I formed the meat into small 2.5" diameter burgher patties to fit on the mini brioche buns I purchased at the store.
I cooked for about 5 minutes on each side keeping them medium rare and about 2 minutes away from the meat being done I placed 1 bartlett pear sliced onto the grill to cook. Keep the pear on the grill until the marks are clear then remove it, yo don't wanna over-cook it or it will fall apart.
I dressed the brioche with a light coat of mayo and ketchup, then place a nice leaf of escarole lettuce and a ring of thinly slice onion. I place the pear and my burger on top, coated with a generous amount of gorgonzola cheese, the heat from the burger will melt it to perfection!
Enjoy it!!!

ah the summer heat...

2012-10-07T11:00:00.002-07:00

yes yes, summer is a time of fun and of course the sun...but I have to say that after a while one could get a bit tired of all the summer fun at the beach and the heat. Don't get me wrong, there is a certain appeal to being able to wear a short sleeve t-shirt in december knowing that the rest of your family is stuck getting up extra early to defrost their windshield ...
But come on here we are in October...and what do I get instead of the mood setting fog, well a heat wave! It's been well over the expected 75 degrees of perfect southern Californian weather for far too long! 97 degrees, ahhh! I need the fall to come! i'm craving stews accompanied by rich burgundy wines, I want to slow roast a festive turkey and churn polenta.
but...TOO HOT TO COOK!!!!
So here are a" No - Cooking needed" recipe that could help relieving the summer heat.

Pear and Arugula salad :

Ingredients:

2 pears - diced and drizzled in Lemon juice.

1 5 oz Organic Baby arugula package

4 oz of crumbled Feta cheese or Blue Cheese according to your preferance

1good handful of maple pecans

a good drizzle of sweet italian dressing.

Sweet Italian Dressing:

2 parts Red wine vinegar to 1 part agave, a drizzle of extra vermin olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.

Directions:

Well there aren't really any directions to this beside plate and enjoy!!!!!!! such a simple dish that is sure to cool you down a bit during those hot summer days.

Simply Asian - Ginger broth

2012-08-29T12:50:00.001-07:00

This dish is perfect as a warm appetizer, a delicious and light introduction to a hearty asian meal....and can definitely stand on its own as a main course by simply adding tofu, meat or shrimp.

Ingredients:

2 cups of chicken broth ( you may substitute with vegetable broth)
2 cups of water
4 medium size cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 inches of fresh ginger, minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp powdered garlic
1/4 leek, cleaned and thinly sliced
1/2 carrot, thinly grated
6 leaves of baby spinach, thinly sliced
1 fresh cayenne pepper, sliced

Directions:

In a pot combine the broth, the water and the ginger. Cook on MD heat for about 5 minutes. Add the powdered garlic, salt and pepper to taste. Pour in the mushrooms and the leek and cook for another 5 minutes until boiling. Pour some onto a serving bowl and add the carrots and the spinach. Serve and enjoy.

The lonely Radish....

2012-07-29T11:50:00.003-07:00

I have always look at the radish as the most overlooked jewel in the garden. No body seems to talk about this little red peppery deliciousness! You don't often see it appear of menus at restaurants , you don't even see it mentioned in most recipes, and the few that do mention the use of a radish is generally as a garnish.
Well This is now as it was growing up one of my favorite veggies. On Sunday Mornings Nonno Giovanni, used to come by with a fresh rabbit my mom would braise and a bag filled with his fresh garden pickings. The bright colored red pearls bought my eyes as a young child, my dad sliced them thinly in a bowl alongside some nice crispy cucumbers, a drizzle of oil, salt and red wine vinegar...and I was a happy camper. I still crave radish salads quite often. This made me think that there must be more one can do with a radish...so much more!
so here are a few dishes inspired by the peppery radish.

Wilted watercress and buttery Radishes:

Ingredients:

2 bunches of red radishes- quartered or cut smaller.

1 generous tablespoon of unsalted butter

1 large garlic clove smashed

2 bunches of organic watercress

Fresh ground pepper and salt to taste

Cooking Instructions:

melt the butter in a hot skillet. Add the radishes and sauté until tender, about 8 minutes. Add the smashed garlic clove and stir. Allow the garlic to become very fragrant but not brown, about 3 to the minutes. Then add the watercress, fresh ground pepper and salt to taste, stir until evenly wilted, about 2 minutes. Serve immediately, and as always, enjoy it.

Radish salad with fresh mint and organic valencia oranges:

Ingredients:

1 large bunch of radishes, thinly sliced

1/2 sweet onion, thinly sliced

1 organic valencia orange - peeled and sliced

a nice handful of fresh mint leaves, coarsely chopped

fresh ground pepper and salt

2 tbs of lemon juice

1 tbs of extra virgin olive oil

Cooking instructions:

Peel the orange and cut each orange section out of the pith. In a bowl combine the radishes, the onion and the orange sections then sprinkle them with the mint leaves. Season with the lemon juice, olive oil and salt and pepper to taste and enjoy.

Apple soup anyone?

2012-05-28T18:24:00.001-07:00

This is simply the perfect side to my Grilled cheese sandwich with bacon, sharp cheddar,apple and honey mustard. Light but full of flavor, sweet and savory all together.

Ingredients :
1 celery root - diced
1 large parsnip - diced
1/2 yellow onion - diced
2 red apples - peeled and diced
1 tbs light brown sugar
1 shot of Jameson Irish Whiskey
1 to 2 tbsp creme fraiche
chopped bacon to taste.
salt and pepper to taste.

Directions:
Cover the bottom of a dutch oven pot with extra virgin olive oil and turn the heat on medium. Add the diced celery root and parsnips. cook on medium for 15 to 20 minutes. Add the onions and cook covered for another 5 to 10 minutes. Deglaze the pot with a shot of Jameson and add 1/2 cup of vegetable broth and 1 table spoon of light brown sugar. Add a pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Add the 2 diced apples and cook for an additional 15 minutes, until everything is nice and soft. Using a hand held mixer, puree until evenly smooth. Add the creme fraiche and pour into serving dishes. Sprinkle in the desired amount of bacon and garnish with some Italian parsley or cilantro.

the memorial day blues

2012-05-28T14:34:00.000-07:00

Everyone always looks forward to the long memorial day weekend. Usually 4 days of sun filled barbecues , family and friends at a park or at the beach if you are lucky enough to live in SoCal.
but let's be hones, as much as one can love a good ol' bbq chicken plate, or a nice juice perfectly seasoned steak....but the time Memorial day Monday actually comes....aren't you tired of even the sound of the word bbq? ......this is why this year, after a friday,Saturday and sunday night filled with grilled meats we decided to put a spin on the Monday night grilling tradition. we left behind the heavy and expansive meat and opted for another American Classic: The grilled cheese sandwich.
I consider this sandwich a perfect blank canvas you can work with to create so many different and easy dinners, the Spanish have their Tapas parties...well, we now have a grilled cheese party full of bite size cheesy surprises.

- Sweet Surprise grilled cheese -

Make sure your grill is nice and hot. Prepare your bread, I chose sourdough for this, by spreading a thin layer of butter on the both the outer sides of the slices, this helps giving the bread that nice crispy golden brown appearance. Then spread a nice layer of fig jelly on one slice and place your preferred amount of brie on the other slice. Grilled the sandwich on both sides until the cheese is melted and the bread has nice grilling marks and a nice golden tone.

-Italian date night grilled cheese -

Butter the outer layers of the bread slices. Place 2 slices of havaarti cheese on one slice of bread followed by two thin slices of Prosciutto di Parma, enough thinly cut date slices to cover the whole sandwich and top it all with a couple of fresh basil leaves,cut into small pieces and a couple more cheese slices. grill the sandwich on both sides until golden brown and the cheese is fully melted.

- Salty Bites grilled cheese -

In a small bowl combine, 10 small diced kalamata olives, 10 large green olives and a tbs of capers and 1 tsp of pimientos pieces. Add 1 to 2 tbs of extra verging olive oil, 2 cloves of garlic, minced, and a little orange zest. Add a pinch of pepper and a sprinkle of chile flakes. mix well.

Butter the outside of your bread slices, spread a generous amount of the olive salad you just prepared then covered it with two thin slices of french Fontina cheese. Add a few leaves of Arugula and place two more slices of fontina cheese on top. Cover and grilled until both sides are golden brown and the cheese is fully melted.

- Grilled Cheese Alla Romana -

Butter the outer sides of the bread.Flip them over and place a couple of thin slices of mozzarella fresca on the bread, two or three ( depending on the size of the bread you chose) thin slices of heirloom tomato, three filets of anchovies, some chopped fresh italian parsley and top it again with a little extra mozzarella fresca. Close the sandwich up and grill until the cheese is melted and the bread in golden brown.

- Midwestern grilled cheese -

Lightly butter the outer sides of the bread. Spread a small amount of Honey mustard on one of the inner sides of bread. Place two slices of sharp cheddar over the mustard and top them with a few pieces of bacon cooked to the desired crispness. Add a couple more slices of cheese and top it off with a few thinly slices of green apple.Coat the inner side of the other bread slice with some softened butter and grill the sandwich until all the cheese is melted and both sides of bread are golden brown.

easy baking - Lemon Bars -

2012-01-01T12:30:00.000-08:00

Delicious and refreshing, a great summer dessert and in the winter a great company to a nice hot cup of tea. And as I recently discovered easy to bake as well.
Ingredients :
FOR THE CRUST
1 1/2 stick of unsalted butter
2 cups of all purpose flower
1/4 cup of light brown sugar
1/2 cup of confectioner's sugar , more to garnish
1/4 teaspoon of salt
FOR THE FILLING:
4 large eggs + 2 egg yolks
2 cups of granulated sugar
1/3 cup of all purpose flour sifted
1 cup of fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon of lemon zest

To make the crust, pre heat the oven to 350 degrees with the rack positioned in the middle. Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with vegetable oil and line with aluminum foil making sure it overhangs on all sides by a couple of inches to help pulling the bars out at the end. Grease the foil as well.
In a food processor, pulse the butter,flour, confectioner's sugar, brown sugar and salt for about 2 minutes. Pour the mixture onto the greased foil and press it down evenly. Make sure the mixture also goes up the sides of the pan about an inch and also be careful not to create any cracks.
bake until golden, about 25 minutes.
In the meantime start preparing the filling.
Whisk together the eggs and the extra yolks,the sugar and the flour until evenly combined.Add the zest
( I used buddah hand because it gives more zest) and the juice.
When the crust is done, remove from the oven and reduce the temperature to 300. Pour the filling over the warm baked crust and bake for 35 minutes.

Allow the bars to cool in the pan and then refrigerate for at least 2 hours allowing them to become firm. Take out of the pan lifting the foil, sprinkle with confectioner's sugar or powdered sugar, cut into serving size pieces and enjoy:)

polpette napolitane

2012-01-01T09:52:00.000-08:00

Now this is a blast from the past! I remember first having those in a school trip to the Amalfi coast in 1993. Crispy on the outside, perfectly moist in the inside,rich and not greasy at all. Pretty much, the perfect Meatball! ....and still simple in the making.

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb ground pork

1 lb ground beef

1 bunch of flat leave Italian Parsley minced

2 cloves of garlic minced

1/2 french baguette - just the white inner part

1/2 cup of whole milk

3 large eggs

1/2 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 ball of fresh mozzarella - cut into small cubes

unseasoned bread crumbs

salt and pepper to taste.

TO MAKE THE MEATBALLS:

Place the white inner part of the baguette cut into small pieces, in the milk. Place a generous amount of bread crumbs onto a large dish.While the bread is absorbing the milk preheat the oven to 350 and start preparing the meat.

In a large bowl combine the ground pork with the ground beef, salt and pepper, garlic and the parsley. Mix by hand until even, then add the eggs and the Parmesan.Mix again. Add the bread after squeezing the milk out of it and mix again until all the ingredients are nicely combined. Form into balls by hand and add one cube of fresh mozzarella in the center then roll into bread crumbs. Once all the meatballs are formed heat up 2 to 3 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil in a skillet. Once the oil is sizzling hot, place the meatballs in the pan and brown on both sides. Once they are golden brown remove them from the skillet and place them into a baking dish. Bake them in the oven at 350 for 25 minutes.

I wanted my meatballs with a simple tomato sauce. For this I heated up 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil in a skillet, added 1 crushed garlic clove and some black pepper. After a couple of minutes, when the garlic became fragrant but not brown, I added 4 fresh ripe tomatoes crushed and I added about 1/4 cup of white wine and 2 tbs of unsalted butter. I cooked this on medium heat until it reduced to half the size and the creamy thick consistency of a sauce was reached. I served it over the meatballs and thought it perfectly complimented the creaminess of the meatballs without taking away the simplicity of Italian cuisine.

Usually I make the meatballs large enough to stand out on a dish but for our Christmas party I prepared smaller bite size version of them and served them with lollipop sticks to turn this dinner dish into a perfect Mess -Free Appetizer. In this case I didn't use a tomato base sauce but I served them with a side of Parsley and fresh garlic gremolata dip. However you chose to serve them I am sure you will enjoy them quite a bit.

Il gusto rustico - Easy baking - Pear tart

2011-12-11T10:43:00.000-08:00

I know most people can appreciate a nice dessert, baking one however is usually cause for distress. Distress usually caused by the silly idea that baking is extremely hard and requires an insane amount of patience and precision, thing that is not always the case. Yes, yes, there is measuring involved in this recipe but let's be honest here, if you can pour and see lines, you probably can get the proportions just right. Also what I like about this particular dessert is that it requires no "complicated" frosting design or silly decorations. This is just a plain delicious dish anyone can make easily.One could even use a refrigerated store bought pie dough roll, although making this from scratch is really easy to do as well.
Here is what you will need :
For the crust :
1 cup of all purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons of sugar
4 tablespoons of cold unsalted butter cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons of buttermilk
3 tablespoons of ice water
For the filling you will need:
3 ripe pears
3 tablespoons of brown sugar
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
1 tablespoon and 1 tsp of corn starch
1/8 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

If you choose to make your own crust here are the directions:

In a food processor mix the flour, salt and sugar. Add the pieces of butter and pulse until mixed into a coarse mixture. In a bowl combine the buttermilk and the ice water and then slowly add them to the flour mixture. Pulse until evenly combined. Remove the dough from the processor and pat it into a 4 inch round, cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.

In the meantime preheat the oven to 425 degrees and start preparing the filling.

Peal and core the pears and cut them into 1/4 inch slices. Place them in a bowl with the lemon juice,brown sugar, cinnamon and cornstarch. Toss until evenly coated and set side.

Roll the refrigerated dough into a 9 - 10 inch round and place it onto a parchment paper on a baking sheet.

Arrange the pears in the center leaving about 2 inches of dough all around. Fold the border over the pears only covering them partially. Pinch the border on the corners to make it stick together.

I brushed the crust with an egg wash to help it turn nice and golden. An egg wash is simple a beaten egg with a little water added to it.

Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes then Reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake without opening the oven for another 40 minutes.

Remove from the oven. I combined 1 teaspoon of honey with 1/4 tsp of boiling water and brushed the crust and filling with it for an extra little hint of sweetness. Allow to cool and ENJOY!

spaghetti all'aglio, olio e peperoncino

2011-08-28T13:41:00.000-07:00

This is the absolute easiest and quickest italian dish ever, and yet I find it so comforting and filling. The first dish to jump to mind after a long day at work.My kids always ask for pasta with il and parmigiano and this can be cooked right along their dish so...well...i won't hear complains about the amount of dishes in the sink....Oh yes... there is also really no measuring involved here. and not that many ingredients you will need.

Pasta, I chose Spaghetti Rigati, the ridges help the sause grab onto the pasta making each bite that much more flavorful.
Garlic, minced and about 2 to 3 cloves.
Fresh spicy peppers, traditionally we use Cayanne Pepper, however I like to mix different peppers to add flavors and colors...depending on what's ready in my garden, this time it was Fresno, Cayanne and a jalopeno.I love spicy foods so I used the al of them ,cut into very small pieces.Also I used a few minced parsley leaves, to add a little extra freshness to the dish and enough Extra Vergin Olive Oil to allow all the ingredients to blend smoothly. Salt and black and Pink pepper to taste. The pink pepper just adds a little fresher taste to the black pepper.

VEGAN Beef bourguignon

2011-08-26T19:09:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of great vegan dishes out there but this one...well I just had to try it for myself. Beef bouruignon is the definition of comfort food, especially for us European's. The Sunday night dinner you'd spent the whole day drooling over. And what could be better? Beef slow cooked in red wine scented with fresh herbs de provence....
So I was watching tv and saw this guy on the Martha Stewart show prepare his wife vegan bourguignon....with saitan instead of beef....but beside that, he followed a pretty traditional recipe.....and I needed to try to see if it really was as good as he said it would be. I do have to admit Saitan is my favorite vegan protein as far as consistency....and this dish, though I altered it a bit, for sure lived up to expectations.

I prepared my soffritto in a dutch oven pot. 3 sliced carots, 1 onion,cubed,( traditionally it is pearl onions but I only had white onions, and I'm not a huge fan of peeling little tiny pearl onions) 3 cloves of garlic, minced , and combined them all with 2 tbs of extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper to taste and fresh herbs from the garden, rosemary, thyme, sage and bay leaves.

I cooked them for a few minutes over medium heat while browning the 2 pakages of seitan in a frying pan.

Once the onion and the garlic absorbed the olive oil I added 1 cup of veggie stock and the Seitan, and cooked the mixture with the lid on for 20 minutes, keeping the heat on medium. I then added about 1 lb of fresh mushrooms, some flat leaf parsley and then 3/4 of a bottle of red wine, I went with a French ta

ble wine, just trying to keep the dish as traditional as possible.

The combined smell of the mushrooms, garlic and the wine was simply AMAZING! Nothing short of a traditional beef stew!

The freshly chopped parsley added such freshness to the dish.

I put the lid back on and cooked for another 20 minutes or so. I scooped the Seitan and the veggies out and placed them on a serving dish. I added 1 tbs of corn starch, 2 tbs of vegan butter ( spectrum is a really good one ) and 1 tbs of tomato paste to create a creamier consistency to the sauce. After cooking for a few minutes, once the cosnsistency of a gravy is reached, I poured some over the seitan. It was delicious!

Heirloom tomatoes, hatch chiles and arugula quesadillas

2011-08-25T18:23:00.000-07:00

Just fire up the Grill, and pour yourself a nice glass of VINO. This is easy and will only take a few moments.

Hatch chiles are only available for a few weeks out of the year but the are spectacular in their heat and smoky flavors combined. You can buy them fresh...or roasted. I got mine fresh...well what's more relaxing than cooking at the grill on a hot summer night?..NOTHING!

I washed my chiles and dried them with a towel, they cook better dry. You want to cook them on high flames till charred, once done place them in a Tupperware container and close it with its lid. The steam will allow the skin to be easily peeled off, and that's when they are ready.

Once cool enough to touch I peeled them ad cut them into small pieces. I opened 4 taco size flour tortillas and filled them with cheese and some chiles ( amount desired), I folded the tortillas in halves and placed them on the hot grill for a few minutes on each side until clear marks were created....

and yes, this dish is this simple and quite tasty, we each had seconds!

Can you smell it ? breathing in the ocean

2011-07-31T19:45:00.000-07:00

Seafood is something I was raised around. My father loved seafood, shellfish in particular and growing up in Milan, in a valley, closed to lakes and sweet water fishes,but far from the seaside and crustaceans, we learned to truly savor those summer at the seaside, where seafood was almost part of our daily diets. We were taught the difference between fresh or frozen seafood, our palates trained toward the right choices, fresh and local. Nothing else would do, nothing else should really do. I remember my father explaining "if you can smell the fish, you should not eat it, it should just smell like the salty clean water, that's how you know it's good!"...And I have to say, the only two times I did not smell my seafood before cooking it I got sick......and bad seafood can really hurt, if you haven't experienced this, please take my word for t! And shellfish in particular, it holds a lot of bacterias, clams and muscled are bottom feeders, they need to be perfectly fresh, tight when bought, kept cold and washed thoroughly before even being cooked......kind of a pain...but totally worth it!!!!!

The muscles I got are local to Carlsbad....and they looked amazing....so good I got 3lbs of them. After scrubbing them clean I ran cold water over them while i made my soffritto. 1 onion, thinly sliced, 4 to 5 cloves of minced garlic, 1/2 red bell pepper cut in small dices and a fennel bulb cut into four pieces. I cook them together in a dutch oven pot with 2tbs of extra virgin olive oil for a few minutes then added 3/4 of a bottle of white wine. I wanted something somewhat sweet to compliment the fennel so I chose a french white table wine that sells at wholefoods for $11.99, Vallee Loire - VOUVRAY - Chenin Blanc...and it worked perfectly!

I turned the heat off and let everything simmer and combine for 20 minutes before turning the heat back on and adding the muscles and 1/2 cup of chicken stock.

I cooked the shellfish in the soffritto and wine for about 7 minutes, occasionally stirring but mostly keeping the lid on to steam all of the muscles open. I turned the heat off and added about 3/4 of a stick of butter. I allowed the butter to melt, added the juice of one lemon and freshly chopped flat leaves italian parsley. make sure you SERVE ONLY THE MUSCLES THAT HAVE OPENED,DISCARD THE REST. Enjoy

fresh hairloom tomato caprese pasta salad

2011-07-31T19:03:00.000-07:00

Summer, summer ,summer indeed!
This is a perfect dish to cool off with during those hot summer days. I saw this on the cover of " living" magazine and simply had to make it myself. It just looks stunning, nothing is brighter and cheerier than the colors of ripe heirloom tomatoes. And nothing quite sweeter.
For the pasta I chose curly lasagna sheets simply because they look pretty. I boiled in water for 11 minutes according to the direction on the package....(whole foods brand ) then I ran them under cold water in a colander to stop the cooking process.
In the meantime I sliced a colorful assortment of tomatoes and placed them on a serving plate with some organic capers, organic fresh mozzarella disks. Once the pasta felt cool to touch I cut the sheets into square pieces and put them on the plate with the other ingredients. I sprinkled some salt, a little black pepper, some extra virgin olive oil and of course some freshly sliced basil......
Light, Refreshing...and certainly pretty.

Honeydew and vodka soup...

2011-07-24T19:36:00.000-07:00

This is the perfect way to start any Summer Dinner. A nice mixture of soup and cocktail, did I mention is super quick and easy? You can impress any guests with the vibrancy of its colors and elegant presentation.....and it won't take you more then 5 minutes to make it!

All you need to do is take one honeydew cut into pieces, 2 TBS of extra fine sugar ,the juice of one lime and 1 shot of vodka. Combine all the ingredients into a blender and pulse until smooth and evenly combined. pour into a soup bowl, garnish with Cantaloupe ,fresh mint and creme fraiche. I suggest serving with prosciutto wrapped grissini.

Quesadillas Italiana

2011-07-24T09:20:00.000-07:00

What I love about tortillas is that they are so versatile. They can help turning any dish from just about any cuisine into a virtually mess - free perfect dish. Available in corn, flour, and now so many flavors, they are the perfect tool to turn any old fashion dish into a mobile perfectly hand sized creation.
This is another very simple dish that plays on the contrast of sweet and savory using one of my favorite flavor pairing, Figs and Prosciutto. If fresh figs aren't available you can always substitute for a fig spread although, the playful texture and natural sweetness of figs can't be copied.

A taco size flour tortilla, filled with one slice of prosciutto di parma, one fig( thinly sliced ) , a smear of Caprino cheese, a creamy Italian Goat cheese, and 1 slice of Monterrey Jack cheese grilled on each side for about 2 minutes or until clear grilling lines are formed. I chose to serve it whole as a main dish, but it could easily be cut into 4 triangles and served as an appetizer.

Bourbon bratwurst

2011-07-17T17:01:00.000-07:00

Bourbon and sausages, the two giants of good ol' American culinary culture. Both staples in the everyday Americana, so to speak. It only seemed fair they'd crash at one point....and so here they did creating the perfect balance of rich sweetness brightened by a delicate kick of cayenne and smoothed by a touch of amber agave.
I chose to brown the sausages in a pan with a TBS of extra virgin olive oil to create a nice crispy texture on the outside of the meat, and then slow cooked the sausages to maintain the softness inside the casing.
I diced a half of a large sweet onion and tossed it in a sauce pan with a little olive oil and 3 cloves of minced garlic. I moved them around for about a minute or two, not long enough for them to brown, then added my sausages to the pan as well with 1 cup of bourbon and 2 cups of chicken stock.
I left the heat on MD for about 30 minutes with the lid on. Then I added 2 TBS of Amber Agave and 1 1/2 minced fresh cayenne pepper to contrast the sweetness of the agave and the Bourbon and I cooked the sausages for another 30 minutes.
Then I thinly sliced the remaining half of the onion and sauteed it for a few minutes until tender and golden. I set those aside. I took about two strained scoops of the sauce from the pan and cooked them down with 1tbs of unsalted butter and 1/2 tsp of flour to thicken the juices to a creamy sauce consistency. I plated the sausages, placed the onions on top of them and poured my creamy bourbon sauce, I finished the plate by drizzling a little agave and sprinkling some freshly chopped parsley on top to create a little touch of color to the plate.....and had a few shots with dinner....like I said, whiskey and sausages go very well together :)

Crudite...all'Italiana

2011-07-17T10:25:00.000-07:00

We've all heard the saying "everything tastes better with bacon"....and well, who can argue?
the salty crunch of a little bite of bacon is great....however i find the delicate combination of saltiness and sweetness that prosciutto brings to a dish even more interesting and its soft textures makes prosciutto more adatable to a broader scale of recipes.
So like a true Italian would say, "Everything tastes better with prosciutto"...or better "Tutto e' megliore con un po' di prosciutto!"....

PROSCIUTTO WRAPPED CRUDITE

for this appetizer you can use a wide variety of seasonal veggies. I chose baby lettuces, orange and yellow bel peppers (thinly sliced) ,carots (thinly sliced), cantaloupe (thinly sliced and removed from skin) and fennel bulb ( also thinly sliced and cleaned from the greens).

the idea is to keep each wraps to a bite size appetizer that will look preety and will not be too messy. For the fennel and the bell peppers i suggest wrapping no more than 3 slices with a slice of prosciutto and for the baby lettuces a little olive oil and lemon helps adding extra flavor to the wrap.

Once all the wraps have been made and placed on a serving dish i sqeezed a little bit of lemon and drizled some home made basil olive oil. Some freshly ground black pepper also adds to the presentation.

prosciutto wrapped figs

2011-07-09T21:22:00.000-07:00

It's kinda funny to think I had sworn that I would never eat figs again!...hahahaha

I am the youngest of three, and as such my duty growing up was to climb on top of barns and chicken coops with the help of old wiggly ladders, and of course the loud direction of my fathers trombone-like voice, to pick just the right (as you probably guessed) figs, and apricots too.

The hard work wasn't what scared me, it was, well, the combination of my acute fear of heights and the fact that I am allergic to bees, bees tend to hover around fruit trees. And if this wasn't bad enough there was my mother's compulsive need to make jams, not for our family, but for an entire army even though we were a simple family of 5!

I remember the restaurant size steel pot, steaming up the kitchen during the already hot summer days, the sound of the simple sugar bubbling and popping, the smell of the fruit slowly taking over the humid air...quite a beautiful painted memory indeed!

I also remember asking my mom for strawberry jam, which happens to be my favorite, and I recall her answering " yes, just after we finish the apricot (or fig) jams I made". That usually didn't seem to bad, until I opened the cabinet and saw what to a child seemed like a million jars of the same homemade jam. Though excessive they were nothing, I meam NOTHING, like Smucker's!!!! NOTHING LIKE IT AT ALL!

But now, 30 years have passed and what I wouldn't give to re-live those moments, what I wouldn't pay for my senses to experience once again all of those overbaring sensations.

And the figs, my grandfather's figs....my shaky knees climbing up rung by rung with my eyes shut tight worried I was going to fall....all of these memories come back every single time I cook with figs. They hold such a dear place in my heart....on pizzas, in salad or wrapped in prosciutto and grilled for a few minutes as in this appetizer. Such a nice balance of sweet and savory in each bite, an amazing combination of textures that add such intrigue to a dish so simple... the mysteries, so to speak, behind every simple family.

red white and...greek

2011-07-08T16:00:00.000-07:00

So I'm sure you guessed I made this for the 4th...the red white and blue all American theme should have given it away, but I do make this though out the summer. Mostly because I have a 5 year old daughter who loves to help me cook and well, while she's not old enough to turn on a burner she can most certainly mix a few ingredients.

It is a win- win situation, she has a blast putting on her play pretend chef 's outfit and i get to do less work and enjoy a great fruit salad.

All I had to do was cut the jicama in small pieces and halve the strawberries. she washed them ans mixed in the blueberries. Her favorite part was to scoop out 3 tbs of jogurt,( I chose my favourite Greek jogurt, rich and creamy ) 1 tbs of honey and 1 tbs of sugar and mix them well together...:( with her hands...

She wanted pretty cups to make it "seem like a party" and what's prettier than a martini cup?

Lighten up your day with the perfect summer salads

2011-07-06T12:59:00.000-07:00

TERYAKY CHICKEN SALAD

It's summer, the temperatures are rising and the yearning to fire up the grill is ever so powerful.

This is when we leave behind the hot cozy soups, the over - filling steamed rice for the refreshing taste of salad...but not just any salad. One whose taste will leave you wanting more, a salad that will make you forget about those old teryaki bowls, at least until next winter.

I chose to grill chicken thigh filets,those pieces already come cleaned off the bone which allos the meat to cook faster and skin free, well which just cuts a whole lot of calories I don't want to have during bikini season. To shave off even more calories chose thinly sliced breast pieces, I went with dark meat because it usually stays more moist.
I placed my chicken pieces in a mixin bowl and poured enough teriaky sauce to cover each piece nicely and I added about an inch of freshly grated ginger then I let them marinate in the refrigerator for about an hour. I fired up the grill a little bit before putting the meat to allow the temperatures to reach a medium.
I placed the chicken on the grill and cooked it for about 30 minutes turning each piece often in order to not burn the teryaki sauce and giving it a bitter taste. Once done I allowed the meat to cool down in order to not wilt the greens of the salad. While that was happening, I prepared my greens, some thinly sliced napa cabbage, some green onions and some ginger/soy snap peas. Those were easy as well, i mixed up some fresly grated ginger, one minced garlic clove and 2 tbs of soy sauce and I coated a couple of hanfulls of snap peas. After mixing well i put all the mixture in a grilling basket and cook for about 6 to 7 minutes, just until they were softer but still nice and crispy. I then put themin an ice bath to stop the cooking process.
I cudes a nice avocado and added that to my salad bowl with the sliced chicken filets once cool to touch. For dressing I smimply mixed, salt and pepper to taste, 2 tbs of red wine vinegar, 1 tbs of extravergin olive oil and about atsp of teryaky sauce to make the dressing a little sweater but still very light and refreshing.
to this day this is one of my favourite salads!

watermelon cocktail

2011-07-01T18:09:00.000-07:00

Nothing screams "summer" as much as a nice, cold and juicy watermelon!
I bought one of those small sedless watermelons and put it in the refrigerator for a couple of hours as soon as I got home. Once chilled I cut it in a half and balled it and put it in a mixing bowl with about 2 shots of vodka, a little lemon juice, some of the watermelon juice and about 10 leaves of basil from my garden......Seved in a nice glass it makes the pefect summer cocktail!

What does your childhood smell like?

2011-07-01T06:52:00.000-07:00

On my morning drive to work I heard this news caster talk about the importance of smell. He was explaining how "smell" is the strongest of our senses and the most commonly used in reference to memories. He was trying to show how some of our culinary preferences are not solely based on our sense of "taste"but somehow triggered by "smell" awakening certain dear memories....and YES! I can see that!

I was at work, walking toward the back room as I passed the mushroom display and there they were, these huge perfect meaty Porcini mushrooms. I suddenly had the urge to run my hands through the basket and the smell they left on my hands just instantly brought me back to those rainy days in Italy. The smell of the rain evaporating from the browning reddish leaves on the floor, the mud accumulated from the fertile rainy season....a wide eyed 6 year old following her dad...exploring the woods, listening to wild stories. And the earthy steam coming up from my mom's stove every Sunday morning before church when she would start slow cooking her Rabbit stew and the porcini risotto which are to this day my favourite dishes ever.....And even as strong is the recollection of the warmth that would built up in the kitchen after a few hours.

So here it is, my mom's risotto....

The most complicated part of this dish is the cleaning of the porcini, which is quite time consuming, but definitely rewarding. Just like those saturday evening after a long day in the woods, I sat at the table with a bowl of cold water and soaked the halved porcini for a bit. Once all slippery, I took a spoon and cleaned out the porous part underneath the cap. here i rinsed them under cold water and sliced them into pieces of the desired sized for cooking. This is the tricky part....at times once the mushrooms are sliced you can find little dark spots or holes. If so, break the part where the hole is to see if a worm is still inside.......and rinse it out if so. I guess the meatiness of porcini is quite mouth watering to them as well! :). I cook the mushroom separately in dry white wine for about an hour with the lid on before I start the rice.

Take a sauce pan and glissen 1/2 a yellow onion,diced, 3 cloves of garlic, minced, and about 2 handfulls of Arborio rice per person. This takes about 2 minutes, do not allow the garlic or the onions to brown because that will add a bitter taste to the risotto. add about 1 cup of chicken stock and 1 1/2 cups of dry white wine and the cooked porcini mushrooms.

Trn the heat down a bit and cover the pan with a lid. Cook down, stirring every 4 minutes or so, do not allow all the fluids to evaporate. Taste the rice to make sure it's ready before turning the burner off. You might have to add another cup of stock, always make sure that when the rise is cooked it is still moist. Add a little bit of saffron and parmigiano reggiano to taste.

Fusilli with rainbow chard, leeks and portabella mushrooms

2011-06-02T15:23:00.000-07:00

This is one of those dishes that usually surprises everyone. It is Vegan, full of Healthy Greens....and yet it is one of the most flavorful pasta dishes I have ever had....and trust me, I've had my share!It is really easy to prepare as well and won't take you longer than 15 Minutes...which will leave you with plenty more time to enjoy it.

Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil, add a pinch of salt to it and cook the pasta of your choice following the cooking times given on the box.( I'd chose fusilli or penne rigate, pastas with twists or ridges hold the sauce better making each bite more flavorful.)

In the meantime melt 2 TBS of Vegan Butter spread. Add the white and light green part of a leek stem, minced,1 portabella cap, cut in small dices and the stem pieces of 3 rainbow chard leaves.Cover with the lid and cook for 5 minutes. Then add 3 minced garlic cloves, 1/3 cup of veggie broth, 1/4 TSP of red pepper flakes and cook for 5 more minutes occasionally stirring.Add 1/2 TBS of Walnut oil and 2/3 cup of vegan cooking cream and the sliced chard leaves. Cook uncovered until the sauce get thicker, but not longer than 5 minutes not to over cook the greens. Once ready serve over the hot pasta and garnish with fresh sage and a few halved walnut pieces.

rasberry/penut butter and chipotle pepper duck served with oyster musrooms and white truffle oil risotto

2011-05-01T14:47:00.000-07:00

I was at work and Max from Max's chilli sauces came in and gave me a bottle of this sauce he had been working on. He explained how this was his first trial, so the sauce was a little thicker than he had originally wanted. I was obviously very curious, I mean, once you hear rasberry, penut butter and chipotle peppers...wouldn't your curiosity be tickled as well?
So i tried the sauce and immediately loved the combination of the sweetness of the rasberry with the nuttiness of the penut butter and the smoky heat of the chipotle peppers.....
At first i though of using it as a glazed over a nice steak, mostly because of its thickness...but then i decided to go with duck. i felt the sweetness and smoky flavors of the sauce would compliment its gamy richness of flavors....
I decided to order a whole duck and I asked the butcher to cut it into 4 pieces just so that I wouldn't have to do any extra work at home. while in the store i also purchased some nice oyster mushroom and a box of carnaroli rice. I though a truffle oil and oyster mushroom would compliment the sweetness of the sause without over - powering it.
Once i got home i spread the duck p[ieces on a plate and i seasoned them with salt and pepper. I minced 3 garlic cloves and sliced a brown onion and put them in a duch oven pot with a table spoon of extra vergin olive oil and cook them until shiny, about 4 minutes. In the meantime I browned the duck pieces in an oiled pan and then transferred them in the duch oven pot with a cup of chicken stock and a cup of chardonnay.I placed the lid on the pot and turned the heat on medium.....and cooked the meat for about 2 hours untill it started to separate from the bones.Then I removed the meat from the pot, and continued to cook the liquid down till reduced to half and then added 3 TBS of the rasperry penut and chipotle sauce to the liquids and i cooked it for about 5 minuted untill its consiatency was creamy. Then i placed the meat back in the pot and cooked it a couple of minutes with the sauce to add both heath and flavor....then i placed the pieces of duck on a baking sheet and placed them in the oven with a little bit of sauce over them to glazed them, this took about another 5 minutes with the oven pre heated to 500.....
I have to say this dish turned out great....it's probably one of my favourite dishes to this day!