Published by mel on January 28, 2008 in recipe and sides & bites.
Tom and I took a journey south this weekend to the Homestead Farmer’s Market. Short history lesson on Homestead: it’s located at the very bottom of Florida (just before the Keys), it was absolutely destroyed during hurricane Andrew in the early 90’s and it’s mostly farmland. One of the best things about living in Florida is the abundance of fresh produce all year long. I especially love that I can get good, local tomatoes whenever I want. I didn’t find any interesting varieties at the farmer’s market, but I did score some outrageously good strawberries, avocados, chili peppers and something that looks like green onions. (Still haven’t used those, so I’m not quite sure what they are. I’ll report back soon.)
After we explored the farmer’s market, we went to Whole Foods where I found some gorgeous heirloom tomatoes in yellow, green, red and purple. Sigh. I’m a grocery store junkie. Tom doesn’t really like tomatoes unless they’re in something, so there’s no way I can get away with a straight-up tomato salad. I also didn’t want to cook them into nothing. That’s what Muir Glen canned tomatoes are for. I came up with a bruschetta-like thing and baked a fresh loaf of bread. I didn’t have any basil for the bruschetta, but I did have cilantro and chives. I also threw in some poppy seeds because I think they look pretty.
After we’d had our fill of bread, there was still some bruschetta left over, so I ate it with a spoon. What can I say? I love fresh, ripe tomatoes even if Tom thinks they’re gross…
Continue reading ‘fresh baked bread w/heirloom tomatoes’
Published by mel on January 25, 2008 in entree and recipe.
I like salads that are room temperature, or even a little warm because you can actually taste the ingredients. There’s nothing more unappealing to me than a pre-made, super refrigerated salad from a deli or grocery store. Tomatoes are especially gross when they’re really cold. Not that there are any tomatoes in this salad - I’m just saying…
Anyway, I made a salad last night with freshly roasted butternut squash, which is rather annoying to prepare from a whole squash and so I will be using the frozen cubed kind from Whole Foods from now on. I also crisped up my prosciutto by broiling it in the oven. (I know you’re not supposed to heat/cook prosciutto, but it wasn’t the fancy expensive kind and I wanted something closer to the consistency of bacon.) I used both Arugula and Watercress (for peppery-ness), feta cheese (for tang) and pumpkin seeds (for crunch) then tossed everything in a citrusy Dijon vinaigrette.
I’ve used quite a bit of parentheses in this post, and I’ll try to refrain from doing so in the future (promise).
Continue reading ‘butternut squash & crispy prosciutto salad’
Published by mel on January 24, 2008 in breakfast and recipe.
Half a Cibatta roll, a slice of Canadian Bacon, a poached egg, curry hot sauce and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. A cup of coffee and the perfect way to wake up on Sunday.
Published by mel on January 24, 2008 in entree and recipe.
I’m calling this a stir fry, but that’s really not accurate. I just don’t know what else to call it. I could take some inspiration from Chipotle and call it a Bol, or is it more of a rice, um, thing? Not sure. What it really is is a bunch of delicious things sauteed in one big frypan.
I used a combination of tofu and sausage for the protein for contrast of textures. To fulfill the vegetable quota, I added yellow onion and Swiss chard. I also finished it up with some whole grain brown rice, which I buy fully cooked and frozen at Whole Foods. Finally, I tossed it with a spicy curry sauce that I received as a gift, and of which I’ve replicated the flavors in the recipe below.
Continue reading ‘curry stir-fry’
Published by mel on January 17, 2008 in entree and recipe.
I’m kind of obsessed with breaded or “crusted” food lately. Why? Because the new kitchen has a new microwave/oven that has a “Crisp” feature. It even comes with a special “crisp”-ing pan and the way it works (I think) is that it microwaves, convects and broils at the same time. So food comes out as crispy as if it were deep fried but without any of the grease. Oh, and a pork cutlet only takes 12 minutes, shrimp only 8 minutes, etc.
I used the leanest pork I could find, and I brined it beforehand to keep it nice and juicy. In lieu of homemade breadcrumbs, which I didn’t have time to make, I used whole wheat Panko made by a brand called Ian’s, which I thought were fantastic. The meat was juicy and the breading was really crispy. I served the cutlets with a nice green salad, homemade croutons made from stale cibatta and some sauteed bok choy. Cutlet recipe below.
Continue reading ‘pork cutlets’
Published by mel on January 16, 2008 in entree and recipe.
Perhaps this is a little inappropriate for January, but I live in Miami and it’s 80 degrees outside, so I’m going to post a recipe for a cold salad. Maybe you can get to it in April or May.
This is my interpretation of Heidi’s Otsu. Her recipe calls for cucumber, more olive oil, and different quantities of vinegar and soy. Hers is fabulous, but I wanted a little less olive oil and soy sauce and I didn’t have cucumbers on hand. I also added some cashews for more crunch. I suspect adding 2 tbsp. of all natural chunky peanut butter would be delicious as well.
Continue reading ‘cold noodle salad’
Published by mel on January 16, 2008 in random.
I finally upgraded my Wordpress software from 1.5 (embarrassing, I know!) to 2.3.2! Hooray!!! What does it mean? It means searching is easier, posts can have tags, people can comment (woo!) and I can add more “fun” stuff over time. It’s also got a new look, which I like today, but will probably hate tomorrow.
Still customizing, but it’s a start…
UPDATE: I don’t know why the links in the posts are orange. There’s no orange color in any of the stylesheets. WTF?
Published by mel on January 11, 2008 in entree and recipe.
Not that I’m making any resolutions or anything, but this year I’m going to try to use more and different whole grains in my cooking. I’ve pretty much cut out any pasta that isn’t whole wheat. I just think it tastes heartier than its pale counterpart, and it’s definitely more satisfying. I’m going the same way with rice. I’ve used red, green and black rice. They have a more unique flavor and add beautifully deep colors to a dish. So, out with the white, bleached stuff and in with the multi-colored grains.
That said, I’ve been hearing about farro forever, but have never been able to find it at any of my local stores. Farro is an ancient Italian grain, somewhat like barley, that can be used in soups, salads, or in place of rice. I’ve wanted to make a more nutritious risotto for awhile, but was hesitant to use barley in place of arborio rice. I thought it would be too—for lack of a better word—gloopy. I was delighted when I found a pearled farro at Whole Foods this weekend, and immediately snatched it up for some farroto (that would be risotto made with farro).
I had some extra shrimp, so I decided on cornmeal and cayenne crusted shrimp. To keep with the slightly Creole theme, I stirred some Cheddar and Kale into the farro risotto. The farro risotto was as rich and creamy as traditional risotto; I don’t think I’ll be using arborio again anytime soon. It was a very warm, satiating dish and we ate every last grain of the farro (which probably negated all the health benefits).
Recipe below.
Continue reading ‘cornmeal & cayenne shrimp w/cheddar farro risotto’
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