Published by mel on February 27, 2009 in entree and recipe.
On this busy, busy week I’m experimenting with new ways to get dinner on the table faster. Or in this case, lunch into my lunchbox in record time. This beef stew went from fridge to photograph in 45 minutes. Including vegetable washing and chopping. One of the many reasons I love my pressure cooker. That and I never, ever remember to soak beans.
I used the pressure cooker because I wanted my stew fast, but this recipe would be equally good cooked in a dutch oven with a little more time. Either way, it’s a simple hearty stew made with flank steak, potatoes, carrots, celery, leeks, garlic, rosemary and wine. Simply season and brown the meat, add the remaining ingredients and walk away. Twenty minutes in the pressure cooker (or 1 hour in dutch oven), and you’ve got a hearty, flavorful and healthy meal.
I’m really not a fan of too many kitchen gadgets, but if you’re thinking about investing in a pressure cooker, I’d highly recommend it. I love the idea of putting everything into a pot and walking away. I also love throwing dried beans, a ham hock, onions and dried chipotle peppers into the cooker for 45 minutes for some of the tastiest beans around.
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Published by mel on February 25, 2009 in dessert, recipe and sides & bites.
I’m going to be a terrible blogger today. I’ve got no story to go with my cookies, and even if I did, I have no time to write it! But, I figure a recipe, description and a picture is better than nothing.
These are impulse cookies. It was Sunday night and I just really wanted something warm and chocolatey from the oven, so I used whatever I had on hand. Chocolate and espresso make a perfect cookie in my book. Add some pecans and I’m a happy camper. Make these cookies and you too will be a happy camper!
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Published by mel on February 23, 2009 in entree, recipe and sides & bites.
When I lived in NYC I had about 10 favorite restaurants. A favorite casual Thai place, another for Tapas, the Ramen place, the sandwich place, the ever-delicious Babbo, and my favorite neighborhood place. I changed neighborhoods a few times, but when I was living in the East Village, that place was Lil’ Frankie’s.
Lil’ Frankie’s was everything a neighborhood restaurant should be — dark, casual, consistently good, no reservations, reasonable prices and a great bar menu. The food is simple and satisfying with enough variety in the daily specials to keep it interesting. And as with any favorite place, I had a favorite dish. A mainstay that I’d order again and again…and again. The Spaghetti Limone.
Simple spaghetti, tossed with a lemony, buttery sauce and topped with cheese. No garnishes, nothing fancy. Just plain delicious noodles. The simplest dish on the menu and my favorite. I’ve been trying to recreate it for a few years and this has been best imitation to date. Dear Frankie, if you’re out there, help a girl out and send me the real recipe! Oh, and a Norcini pizza while you’re at it. Please and thank you!
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Published by mel on February 19, 2009 in recipe and sides & bites.
Roasted chickpeas are all the rage on food sites far and wide. So, I may be the last one to the party (I usually am), but here comes my obligatory roasted chickpea post. I shall feel like an outsider no more!
These crunchy nuggets are popular for very good reason. Reasons, really. Some are…
- They’re delicious!
- Only 4 ingredients
- Ridiculously easy to make and fool-proof
- Addicting
- Good for you! (Pure protein and fiber!)
- Did I mention that they are delicious?
They’re also versatile little guys. They add great crunch to salads, fill in nicely for croutons on soup or simply make a perfect snack while you watch the Top Chef season finale. I seasoned this batch with Garam Masala, which gave them a nice Indian flavor. Last time, I used smoked paprika. Sigh, I am obsessed with smoked paprika. And now, I’m obsessed with roasted chickpeas. Make these and you’ll soon be addicted, too.
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Published by mel on February 18, 2009 in entree, recipe and sides & bites.
Everyone loves tuna salad right? My sister-in-law can’t get enough. If there’s a tuna salad sandwich on the menu, you know she’s probably going to order it. Even my notoriously picky college roommate likes tuna, and she hates everything, including all kinds of fish. (I know…I simply cannot explain it.)
While traditional tuna salad is delicious, I know everyone’s got their favorite recipe. Some people like onions, celery and mayo. Others prefer yellow mustard and relish. I even know someone who uses cream cheese, but I think that’s plain weird. My favorite is mayo-less and usually involves red onions and roasted peppers, but sometimes I add eggs. This is how the Spaniards do it, and they do their tuna right.
This time, I made a simple salad of imported Spanish tuna, packed in tomato sauce, mixed with artichoke hearts, thinly sliced red onion and hard-boiled eggs. Stuff everything into a grilled piquillo pepper and you’ve got a pretty fancy-looking lunch or snack in under 15 minutes. These would also make a pretty little appetizer on a small handful of greens. Even better, skip the stuffing part and squash everything inside a crusty baguette for a truly delicious sandwich.
So, what’s your favorite tuna salad recipe? Do you eat it in a sandwich? On crackers? Straight from the mixing bowl?
Continue reading ‘Piquillo Peppers stuffed w/Artichokes, Tuna & Egg Salad’
Published by mel on February 13, 2009 in entree and recipe.
Does everybody wish they had more time to cook? Probably not. But I really do. My work schedule and commute get me home too late to spend any real time making dinner, so I’ve developed a lot of quick and easy weeknight recipes. These can be anything from fried egg sandwiches (yummm), to poached eggs on polenta, to quick tacos. Just because it’s quick, doesn’t mean it can’t be delicious.
One of my old standby’s is breaded tilapia. It may not be gourmet, but it goes from fridge to plate in under half an hour and that makes me (and Tom) very happy. This recipe calls for a little more love in the breading – toasted nori, sesame seeds and toasted sesame oil give the tilapia a subtle Asian flavor without overwhelming it. I loved it!
It’s really tasty, healthy, quick and easy. That means it meets all of my weeknight-meal requirements. I’ll be making this again very very soon!
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Published by mel on February 11, 2009 in entree, recipe and sides & bites.
I am in love with this soup (surprise, surprise! I love all soup). Topped with a drizzle of smoked paprika oil and another of cilantro yogurt, it’s slightly spicy, creamy and very good. But before I go into more detail, let’s talk about garnishes. More specifically, cumbersome garnishes like the toasted slice of ham peeking out of this soup. I didn’t leave it whole for aesthetic reasons — I was just to lazy to slice it up. Big mistake. I had to eat around it and I missed the smoky ham bits with every bite. It wasn’t pretty. Moral of the story? Don’t add big stupid garnishes to your dish. Even if they’re pretty, they’ll just get in the way later.
So, back to the soup. I bought some Purple Idaho potatoes at the market, thinking they’d be purple all the way through. I love how pretty and colorful they look on a plate! Turns out, only the skin was purple, and the insides were as creamy yellow as a standard Idaho. No matter, they were just as tasty. This soup is really simple — just saute onions, garlic and poblano peppers, add potatoes and chicken stock and you’re basically done. The smoked paprika oil and cilantro yogurt really complete the dish, and the crisped ham added a nice crunch and smokiness (bacon bits would be fabulous, too!).
If you like potato soup and spiciness, then this is the soup for you. Next time, I think I’ll add some sauteed Spanish chorizo bits instead of the ham. Either way, I’m making this again. And soon!
Continue reading ‘Poblano & Purple Potato Soup’
Published by mel on February 9, 2009 in entree, recipe and sides & bites.
I’m a big fan of any kind of baked and bubbly casserole, especially one covered in melty, browned cheese. And even more if that cheese is an aged Gruyere. Last week I was craving lasagna, but didn’t have the traditional ingredients on hand. Don’t you hate when that happens? Not to be downtrodden, I used whatever I had around and made this mushroom, rainbow chard and Gruyere lasagna.
Portabllo and baby bella mushroom are sauteed with onions until browned and almost caramelized, then layered with whole wheat lasagna and Rainbow Chard, ricotta and Parmesan. Cover everything with shredded Gruyere cheese and bake. Definitely much simpler than a traditional lasagna, and much more weeknight-friendly.
While I loved the richness of the mushrooms, I think I used too many. Next time, I’ll use half the amount and add some spicy Italian sausage or ground beef. I’m posting the recipe as I made it below, but am asking you all for any recommendations. What do you think this lasagna needs?
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Published by mel on February 4, 2009 in entree, recipe and sides & bites.
Before I begin waxing poetic about soup, a story. Every year at Thanksgiving, I roast garlic. Usually for my famous Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes. This year, for a too-greasy Roasted Garlic Manchego Gratin from Food & WIne. The process is always the same — place garlic cloves in a shallow baking dish, drown them in olive oil, cover with foil, spill oil in the hot oven, smell smoke, then run around with paper towels trying to mop up burning, smoking oil from the bottom of the oven while trying not to burn myself or set anything on fire. Sounds fun no? It’s awesome.
Since this happens every year in my mom’s usually-clean oven, she bought me a teeny, tiny Le Creuset dutch oven that’s just the right size for roasting garlic. And as a bonus, it comes with a snug-fitting top so I won’t spill hot oil all over the place. Sometimes traditions must come to an end. This cute little pot is also useful for blog photos. See how pretty my soup looks?
Moving on, this soup is thick and hearty, really flavorful, super simple. Start with a couple of very spicy sausages, add butternut squash, pearled farro, chicken stock and curry powder…maybe a few handfuls of baby spinach for color, and you’ve got a delicious little lunch that’s satisfying and warm on a cold day. It also sets off my new Le Creuset mini-pot nicely!
Continue reading ‘Butternet Squash, Farro & Sausage Soup’
Published by mel on February 2, 2009 in entree, recipe and sides & bites.
When Tom, a born and bred Michigander, moved to NYC for grad school he gawked at the piles of black, “rotten” bananas sold at the bodega around the corner from his itty-bitty studio. Who would buy these? Why didn’t the bodega just throw them out? Why is produce in NYC so gross?
It wasn’t until he met me and received his education on Cuban food that he realized those black, rotting bananas were actually plantains. And plantains are quite delicious. Today’s plantains are great for a simple weeknight side dish. They’re boiled until tender, then mashed with garlic, orange juice, lime juice and drizzled with olive oil. Super easy, but super flavorful. The plantains are sweet, but not too sweet, and the citrus and garlic add just the right about of bite.
We ate ours with Parmesan-breaded tilapia and a simple side salad. A yummy and economical Recession meal.
Continue reading ‘Mojo Mashed Plantains’
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