Archive for March, 2009

Pomegranate Sangria & Tapas

Published by mel on March 30, 2009 in recipe and sides & bites.

Pomegranate Sangria

I love tapas. Given the choice between them and a 3-course meal, I’ll always choose the tapas. Why eat just 3 things when you can eat 20? This Saturday, instead of a complicated dinner, we had tapas.

Some of my favorites are cured meats, cheeses, chorizo simmered in cider, hummus and pita brea, Spanish Omelettes, and Garlicky Thyme White Beans on bread. I usually make these beans because they’re easy, delicious and always a hit. Just stir white beans with olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, thyme, salt and pepper. Spoon them over bread and you’ve got a great little hors d’oeuvres or a nice tapa.

Garlicky Thyme White Beans

I was also lucky to receive some Pomegranate juice from the good folks at POM Wonderful. Since I love anything pomegranate and anything to do with red wine, I made Sangria. The perfect accompaniment to tapas and a great way to kick off Spring.

Sangria is usually made from red wine, brandy, fruit juice, simple syrup, seltzer and fruit. There are tons of great variations, including a white wine, pear one that my mom makes. I used cognac, POM juice and white grapes in my version. I loved the way the pomegranate and wine complimented each other, and the cognac adds just the right amount of booziness.

Sangria and Tapas are my favorite kind of party food. Tapas are tasty, filling and less work than a 3-course meal, Sangria is always a crowd-pleaser and this pomegranate version is really unique.

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Grilled Chicken & Fennel Kebabs w/Tzatziki

Published by mel on March 23, 2009 in entree, recipe and sides & bites.

I’m happy that Spring is officially here! For most people, spring means tulips, blossoming trees, warmer weather and the all-clear to finally fish those flip flops out from under a pile of boots. Spring used to mean all of these things to me, but now I live in Miami. Here, Spring means that the perfect weather is almost gone. That the humidity will rise steadily over the next 6 months, and that soon it will downpour every afternoon.

But it also means that some of my favorite ingredients start popping up at the grocery store again! Asparagus and peas, cherries and stone fruits…Cadbury eggs! It’s also the start of the grilling season. This weekend, I was really craving Greek food. And when I have a craving, I must tame it. I made some quick kebabs with chicken, fennel and red onion. Sprinkled on some salt, pepper and dried oregano, then drizzled my meat on a stick with olive oil and lemon juice.

They were exactly what I wanted. Hearty and flavorful, but not at all heavy. I swear I could eat these every day. I served them with some homemade tzatziki sauce. Tzatziki is my favorite Greek condiment and is made from Greek yogurt, cucumbers, garlic, salt and lemon juice. It’s thick and tangy and the perfect compliment to grilled meats. (Well, that and chimichurri.) I also made a thyme-infused flatbread with chickpea flour, which was delicious, but I had some issues with it sticking to my skillet. I’m going to try again this week and post back with details.

If it’s finally warm enough to grill where you are, then these are for you. If not, then bookmark this recipe for summertime. Either way, whip up a batch of Tzatziki this week. It makes a great spread for lamb burgers or vegetarian pitas.

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Chorizo Radicchio Shrimp with Plantains

Published by mel on March 20, 2009 in entree, recipe and sides & bites.

Chorizo Radicchio Shrimp with Plantains

This is one of those recipes where you think…Do these things really go together? I came up with this recipe by accident. I had bought an assortment of ingredients to use in other dishes, but things got hectic and I never got around to them. Not to be wasteful, I sauteed some chorizo with garlic, added shrimp and some ribbons of radicchio. Then I tasted. Not bad. Pretty good actually.

But what should accompany my shrimp and chorizo? Of course pasta was the first thing that came to mind, but I’ve been posting so many pasta recipes lately, I thought I’d give y’all a break. Only other thing I had on hand were some just ripe plantains. The sweetness was a perfect contrast to the slightly bitter radicchio.

And so there it is, the story of the accidental recipe. I actually love the way it turned out. Spicy, a little sweet and really unique. It also goes to show that cooking without a recipe just requires a little bit of thought. Here are some pointers from the bitchin’ Camero kitchen:

  1. Think about Texture. You want some kind of contrast between soft and firm. Nothing too mushy or too tough. In this recipe, the plantains are soft, the chorizo is a little tough and the shrimp add an almost-crunch. Another traditional combination? Steak and mashed potatoes.
  2. Color. You want as much color as possible on your plate. Not only will it be prettier, it will also be more nutritious. Contrast is key – no one likes an all-brown plate of food.
  3. Taste constantly. Taste your meal while your cooking it (make sure all meat is cooked!) so you can adjust the salt and flavoring as you go. Not spicy enough? Add red pepper flakes. Too bitter? Try some honey. Add flavor in small doses. You can always add more, but it’s hard to take it out.
  4. Flavor. Balance your flavors. Think of salty, sweet, bitter, spicy and acidic. Pay the most attention to your food’s acidity. Most people will think a dish needs salt, but usually some citus zest or juice or a dash of vinegar will make all the other flavors pop.

Cooking should be fun. Play around in the kitchen and experiment by changing up a favorite recipe or coming up with your own from scratch. Sometimes, it won’t work out, but don’t be discouraged. Order pizza and try again tomorrow.

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Thai Curry Lime Noodle Soup w/Fried Egg

Published by mel on March 18, 2009 in entree and recipe.

Thai Curry Lime Noodle Soup w/Fried Egg

A while back my friend Karen asked me if I could come up with a recipe for breakfast soup since it was so cold out (no oatmeal allowed). I thought I was up for the challenge. Breakfast soup? No problem. Man, was I wrong. Everything I came up with was either too complicated for breakfast or too similar to oatmeal. I had pretty much given up on the breakfast soup challenge and hung my head in shame.

But then I started craving spicy Thai curry soup. And I wanted a fried egg on that soup. Because a fried egg makes (almost) everything better. Could this finally be the breakfast soup recipe I’ve been looking for? I think maybe it is.

This soup might not be what everyone craves first thing in the morning, but it definitely hit the spot for me. I can imagine it would just the thing to cure a hangover. So, if you partied hard for St. Patrick’s Day, you may want to whip up a batch of this stuff right now. Especially, since it’s as quick and easy as it gets.

I loved the spicy, citrus-infused broth with rice noodles. I loved the way the fried egg added richness and substance. All in all, not an everyday breakfast soup, but one that’s still delicious for lunch and dinner.

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Smoked Salmon, Caper & Goat Cheese Pasta

Published by mel on March 13, 2009 in entree, recipe and sides & bites.

Smoked Salmon, Caper & Goat Cheese Pasta

Some people like Pancakes and French Toast powdered with sugar and drenched in maple syrup for breakfast. Me? I can’t handle that much sugar in the morning. Honestly, I can’t ever handle that much sugar. I’m more of an omelet, home fries and hot sauce kind of girl. So, you’d think I’d also be all about bagels with cream cheese, smoked salmon and capers. And I am…just not for breakfast. (Most days, anyway.)

So, here’s my take on a deli breakfast for dinner. Swap the bagel with some linguine and the cream cheese for goat cheese and you’ve got all that smoked salmon goodness at a more appropriate hour. This dish only has 5 ingredients, but tastes just right. If you want to lighten up the carbs, add a few handfuls of baby spinach.

Either way, it’s another tasty, easy weeknight meal.

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Roasted Baby Artichokes & Garlic

Published by mel on March 12, 2009 in recipe and sides & bites.

Roasted Baby Artichokes & Garlic

I know I’m starting to sound like a broken record here, but I have no time for a lengthy post today. So here’s a really, really short one!

I love artichokes. I really, really love them. But I do not like prepping them. I do not like it one bit. Too much cutting and pulling and rubbing with lemon and not enough payoff. And the choke part kind of freaks me out. (For those who have never seen it, it’s bristly and fuzzy and just plain weird.) The latest issue of Saveur has a whole section on artichokes, along with this nifty little tutorial on how to prep Baby Artichokes. When I saw how much simpler these little guys were to prep, I was sold. I bought 12 and roasted them with whole garlic cloves, olive oil and coarse salt.

These are really easy, perfectly tender and artichoke-y with just the right amount of garlicky goodness and crunch from the salt. (How’s that for made-up words?) I’ll serve these alongside a nice piece of skirt steak for a simple, delicious dinner. I suggest you do the same.

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Pappardelle Puttanesca

Published by mel on March 9, 2009 in entree, recipe and sides & bites.

Pappardelle Puttanesca

Tom has found a new hobby. Whenever he goes to a restaurant, he orders an entree, and if he likes it enough, he comes home and challenges me to recreate it. He’ll say “I had Penne Puttanesca this weekend. It was good, but I bet you can make it better.” Sneaky. Very sneaky. He knows I like a challenge.

So, this weekend I set out to recreate the puttanesca pasta he enjoyed so much. A quick read on wikipedia revealed tons of interesting tidbits about puttanesca — most of which had to do with the origins of the dish’s name. Apparently, no one really knows how this dish came to be named after ladies of the night (to put it nicely). Some say it’s because it’s cheap and quick to prepare, others say that brothel madams made the dish to lure customers into their “shop”, and still others say it’s for reasons too vulgar to mention on a food blog. In the end, no one knows how Puttanesca got its name. And frankly, I’m not sure I care. It’s quite tasty either way.

This simple pasta is inexpensive and comes together in 20 minutes or less, which makes it the ideal candidate for a weeknight dinner (or lazy weekend dinner if you’re sick like me!). Also makes a good Lent Friday dish. Simply saute garlic and dried chiles in olive oil, add tomatoes and anchovies, simmer, then stir in some olives and capers. Toss with pasta and you’ve got a strong and spicy pasta dish that sure to entice.

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Indian Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Published by mel on March 6, 2009 in entree, recipe and sides & bites.

Indian Pulled Pork Sandwiches

A couple of weeks ago I piled into the car with Tom, my parents and my sister-in-law and journeyed to South Beach for the Wine & Food Festival. Each year we get tickets to the Grand Tasting tent which is essentially a big tent filled with samples from local restaurants and wine tastings galore. It’s foodie heaven.

So, with empty stomachs and high hopes we headed in to the tents to pig out. Sadly, I was disappointed with most of the food this year. It was mostly forgettable and a lot of places ran out of food by 4pm. (Hello recession!) Of all the things I tried that day, there were a few standouts. One was an Indian-spiced pulled pork sandwich which I used as inspiration for today’s dish. Some others were pork belly sandwiches from Le Meridien, cornbread with olive oil from Bizcaya (weirdly delicious!), bread pudding with vanilla butter from the La Puglra table, and ratatouille from the Whole Foods pavilion. In fact, the Whole Foods pavilion was an all-around winner!

So back to the pulled pork…I know that a lot of you are interested in pressure cooker recipes, so here’s another one for you. If you don’t have a pressure cooker, you can easily make it in a dutch oven or your favorite big pot.

Pork loin is browned, then simmered with onions, tomato, lemon, hot curry powder, mustard seeds, bay leaves, tomato paste and stock. The onions and tomatoes melt into the liquid to make a spicy, delicious sauce that’s perfect on a bun. I think I’ll add a couple of cucumber slices and some cilantro yogurt to the sandwich next time just to add some contrast, but overall it was delicious. The kind of sandwich that’s a little messy, a little spicy and perfect any time of year. It’s one of those things that tastes even better the next day so make a big pot of it and enjoy it all week.

For those of you wondering where the Taco Salad Recipe is, it’s not coming. I made the salad, and it was good, but nothing special. Maybe next time :)

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Chopped Salad with Miso Dressing

Published by mel on March 4, 2009 in entree, recipe and sides & bites.

Chopped Salad with Miso Dressing

This past weekend I was on a weekend cruise to the Bahamas for my cousin’s bachelorette party. (I know, life is hard.) Cruises mean food 24 hours a day. Breakfast buffet, snack, lunch, snack, 3-course meal, the bar and late-night pizza. All in all, more food (and beverage) than I’m used to. So, this week is all about detox for me, and I made this super tasty chopped salad with a slightly sweet miso dressing. I felt healthy just looking at it…and eating it was was no chore either.

A chopped salad is so much more pleasant than one with big, chunky toppings. Especially when you eat it at your desk and your office has no walls. Much neater. This salad starts with some baby spinach, small enough that chopping isn’t necessary. Pile on your favorite chopped veggies and proteins — radishes, hard-boiled egg, Canadian bacon, Havarti cheese and carrots in my case. Then drizzle with a little miso dressing and dig in.

I’m posting this salad and others this week as part of The Cruise Cleanse. Stay tuned for Taco Salad later this week.

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