Published by mel on January 6, 2010 in entree, recipe and sides & bites.
Happy New Year! It’s been a while, hasn’t it? My fingers feel stiff and rusty from lack of blogging. Or maybe it’s the frigid weather. Yes, it’s frigid in Miami! While you Michiganders and Minnesotans are probably scoffing at our Floridian fragility, 40-degree weather is unheard of down here and I’m freezing. It doesn’t help that we don’t even know how to turn the heat on. So, what to do when it’s cold out? Make soup, of course.
In Italy, it’s good luck to eat lentils on New Year’s Day. I think everyone’s looking for a little luck this year because my local grocery store was completely sold out of lentils all week. I had to pilfer some from my mom’s pantry (thanks Mom!). So I’m kicking off 2010 on Bitchin’ Camero with lucky lentils and a resolution to blog more often and redesign the site. Here’s hoping.
This recipe is actually an adaptation from my favorite Christmas present – Thomas Keller’s Ad Hoc at Home cookbook (thanks Tom!). If you’re going to buy one cookbook this year, this should be it. Not only is it spectacularly beautiful, it’s full of all kinds of tips for mastering home cooking, from essential cookware to building the perfect salad dressing. Did I mention the hundreds of amazing recipes? I am in love with this book. It’s all about showcasing good ingredients in interesting ways. Like the Roasted Beet and Potato Salad with Smoked Salmon and Soft-cooked Eggs we had last night. Sounds weird, but tastes like heaven.
This soup caught my attention immediately. Sweet potatoes, lentils, bacon and cilantro are definitely a few of my favorite things. Of course I decided to make this before work, and the recipe ended up being too much for me to handle in the morning, so I simplified it a bit. When I have more time, I’ll be making it Thomas Keller’s way and I’m sure it will blow my mind. As it turns out, the simplified version is pretty darn good, too. A little smoky from the bacon and curry powder, a little sweet from the potatoes, carrots and onions, and brightened up with cilantro and sherry vinegar. For me, it’s the perfect bowl of soup and the perfect way to ring in this rather nippy new year.
Continue reading ‘Lentil & Sweet Potato Soup with Bacon & Cilantro’
Published by mel on May 14, 2009 in entree, recipe and sides & bites.
Vegetarian bar food is usually relegated to deep-fried cheese sticks, greasy potato skins without bacon and mayo-filled spinach and artichoke dip. Those are fine and dandy, but sometimes you want something a little healthier, and sometime you just want some bright orange, tangy and spicy buffalo sauce.
I came up with this recipe by accident. After discovering potato pizza, I’ve been dying to make a version with sweet potato. So, that was all planned. I was going to put pancetta and goat cheese on it and call it a day. But then I spied the half-full bottle of buffalo sauce taking up precious space in my refrigerator. I knew the sweetness of the potatoes would be perfect with the spicy, vinegary tang of the buffalo sauce. And once you’ve got buffalo in the mix, you’ve got to top it all off with blue cheese.
This pizza is nothing short of awesome. The potatoes give it a sweet and creamy base, the buffalo sauce gives it a hefty kick and the blue cheese adds deep flavor and a little decadence. Even if you’re not vegetarian, I can’t imagine a better pizza for a Friday night or Sunday afternoon. The perfect accompaniment to a frosty pint of beer.
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Published by mel on December 5, 2008 in entree, recipe and sides & bites.
Whew! It’s been such a hectic few days, I’m so relieved that I decided to keep the menu simple this week! Today’s recipe is another tasty 5-ingredient meal. Some might call this an easy recipe, others may call it lazy, but either way, its flavors are bold and delicious. You’d never guess it was so easy to make.
The secret here is the perfect baked potato. This method works better with russet potatoes, but still makes a tasty baked sweet one. Basically, the potato needs to go directly on the rack in a hot oven. If you cover it in foil, the potato steams, not bakes. While still tasty, you don’t get that crisp, baked skin that’s so very delicious.
Once you’ve got the perfect baked potato, the filling is easy. To cut some of the sweetness from the potato, I added some smoked sausage (kielbasa would be great here), salty cotija cheese (like feta), cilantro and a big squeeze of lime. An easy meal for a lazy weeknight.
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Published by mel on May 21, 2008 in entree, recipe and sides & bites.
I love french fries. When my parents took me to France as a teen (with an unfortunate curly-fro), I saw a french fry sandwich. A french fry sandwich? Yep. Fries stuffed into a baguette and smeared with mayo. It was a beautiful sandwich. Very healthy.
Anyway, I’m always looking for ways to make fries at home that are healthy and tasty. Not just regular tasty, but the addictive, can’t-stop-eating-them tasty of a real french fry. Last night I made a batch of sweet potato fries spiked with smoked paprika, lime zest and a ton of freshly ground pepper. Usually the sweet potato is far too sweet for me, but the citrus and spices cut the sweetness nicely. They were definitely addictive.
Sweet potatoes are also “good carbs” with a low glycemic index and a high nutritional content, so i don’t even feel that bad about eating my entire portion and half of Tom’s. Not one bit.
I served these alongside an espresso-rubbed pork tenderloin, which was bold and a bit spicy. A simple weekday meal.
Continue reading ‘espresso pork tenderloin & smoked paprika sweet potato fries’
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