When I first met K of westside foodie wannabes at a happy hour organized by cincinnati imports, it was brief. We exchanged hellos, blog names and email addresses. And we left off at let’s get together for dinner sometime. Stemming from that was a dinner planned at K’s place with couple of us. There was the other half of their blog, the silent (as she named herself) B, Liz of… well you know where, and myself. Husbands were invited and theirs came however The Husband was not in attendance.
With great company, we had delicious food too! Would it be anything less from food bloggers? K made an appetizer with sliced radishes, cream cheese and ginger on bread, and although I am describing it unappetizingly, it was delicious! She also made pork tenderloin marinated in teriyaki sauce and Greek salad. Liz made a Broccoli salad, I brought Spanish style Chickpea salad and B made peanut butter cookies.
For salad recipes, I’d seen lots of chickpea and spinach recipes but nothing with just chickpeas. So as I do with anything that I can’t find a recipe for, I created my own. The main ingredients I wanted to use were onions, garlic, paprika, saffron and cumin. As Liz says, I rarely cook without cumin and she’s right; it’s one of those spices that I’d eat on a toast if I could. Actually that’d be a foul combination.
But I digress. The chickpeas. I am attempting to bring beans back, maybe bringing them back isn’t it since they were never in, but incorporate them in the menu as much as possible. Since most, not all, Hindus are vegetarians, beans and lentils are consumed often for their nutritional value. They are low in fat, high in vitamins and protein. Hence integrating them more in the cooking. And Oprah announced them one of the Superfoods, so it must be cool to eat them. Chickpeas, navy beans, black beans, kidney beans and lentils like moong or mung (green bean, not the vegetable), masoor (red lentils), toor or tuvar (pigeon peas) all fall into the Superfood category.
Spanish Chickpea Salad
1 1/2 cups dried* or 2 16-ounce cans of chickpeas**
1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive oil- Spanish is preferred
1 medium onion chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon sweet Spanish paprika
pinch of saffron soaked in 1/4 cup of water
1 teaspoons cumin
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
4 roasted Roma tomatoes***, chopped with seeds and all
Liquid from cooked chickpeas, vegetable stock would work as well
*Soak dried beans in water overnight. Cook them in a pressure cooker, saucepan or slow cooker. In a pressure cooker, cook the beans with enough water to cover and for 5 whistles. Drain the beans but save the cooking liquid. Note: dried beans will double in size and quantity after soaking overnight therefore 1 1/2 cups dried will yield 3 cups of cooked beans.
**I’ve stopped buying canned chickpeas because they contain much more sodium than the ones I make myself. And I understand not everyone has the time to use dried so for convenience sake, feel free to use canned. Be sure to monitor the salt during cooking.
***Roast tomatoes in a 200F degree oven for 3- 4 hours. It can be prepared ahead of time.
In a 12 inch skillet or fry pan, heat Spanish olive oil on medium heat. Add onions and sauté for 3 minutes. Add minced garlic, paprika, saffron, cumin and red wine vinegar and cook for 2 more minutes. Stir in chopped roasted tomatoes and cook for 1 minute. Add drained chickpeas and 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid or stock and stir to combine everything. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Cook until 80% of the liquid has evaporated. Remove from heat and serve warm or room temperature. I believe it can be served cold but I am not sure because I haven’t tried it. Please share your thoughts if you have had cold chickpea salad.
The salad seemed to be a hit with everyone. The only change I would make is to soak the saffron in water (a step I added to this recipe) to concentrate its flavor. I did not do this initially. K's pork was amazing, tender and moist. I've eaten a lot of dried, overcooked pork recently so it was a good change from that. I hope we convinced Liz to stop tweaking the broccoli salad because the combination is now perfect. And B's cookies were damn good. And that's saying a lot. Seeing that I never write about peanut butter in my cooking proves that I am not a fan of it. (Something about not growing up with it.) But I happily accept and eat peanut butter cookies because nothing says good dessert better than butter, dough and peanut butter baked into one. Overall a great evening of tasty food, meeting new people on the westside, and socializing. Thanks for hosting K!
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Celebration of Life and Death
Initially this post was about the birthdays we celebrated in March. But an unexpected turn of things also calls for celebration of life.
Surprisingly both the husband and I share the birthday month, there are 11 days between ours. With some years in between but the days are more important. His is first so the dinner planning was ad hoc, at best. While grocery shopping I bought chorizo, shrimp and cod for a Mexican dinner. And the one question he asked on the day was if I would be interested in going to a local Italian restaurant we’ve heard about but have never tried. Shocked and thrown off, I convinced him to stay home for dinner. While he napped, I started preparing shrimp and fish tacos with a side of black bean and chorizo soup. His favorite dish of all time is shrimp tacos.
Black bean and Chorizo Soup, my version adapted from the original
1 cup dried black beans, soaked overnight and cooked in a pressure cooker
Drizzle of olive oil
1 (3- to 4-ounce) link of Mexican chorizo, sliced ¼ inch
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 to 3 cups chicken stock, homemade preferred
Garnish: rounds of thinly sliced lemon and chopped fresh cilantro
Cook chorizo in a nonstick saucepan with olive oil on medium heat. When the meat releases oil and browns on all sides, remove it from the pan. Add onion, garlic, pepper flakes, cumin, and salt to the oil, stirring, until vegetables are softened, about 6 minutes. Add beans and stock and bring to a boil. Lower heat, stir in chorizo and simmer for 20 minutes. Partially cover the saucepan while simmering. Taste and adjust seasonings. Add additional liquid for a thinner consistency or lightly mash beans with a potato masher for thicker consistency.
For the fish tacos- I coated cod fish in milk and then in seasoned flour. The flour was seasoned with salt, cayenne, ground cumin and ground coriander. I then pan fried it in 1/2 inch of canola oil. Half way through the pan frying, the fish fell apart. Unfortunately I haven’t mastered the fish frying technique (think fish and chips) yet. Cod is very delicate and flaky so we were picking broken pieces of the fish from the serving platter to fill our tortillas. Unfortunately due to falling apart the Mexican flavors (cumin and cayenne) in the flour were lost in the frying oil.
Dessert was Opera Crème cupcakes from Bonbonerie, a local bakery/cake shop, that always fits the bill for cakes and desserts. I believe everything is made on premises by their own pastry chefs and bakers.
My birthday, on the other hand, was much different from his. Because this year it was on a Sunday, some friends suggested going out for brunch and one even offered to host. Regardless of what it would be, I knew it wouldn’t be a repeat of last year, an all-out-get-crazy night at a local dive bar to raise money for a local non profit organization, The Women’s Connection. Raising money for the local charity was fantastic, however recovering from the night was rough. Instead I opted for an afternoon get together at my place with mimosas and appetizers.
Everyone brought a variety of foods. We had (from top left- clockwise) kaala chana (black/brown chickpeas), potato gratin with wild mushrooms and goat cheese, Paddington Torte from Bonbonerie, dukkah (not pictured) with olive oil and bread and fruit salad.
Kaala Chana is a common street food in India, in the metropolitan cities but especially in Mumbai, formerly Bombay. It's simple and a winner.
1 cup dried black or brown chickpeas, soaked overnight and cooked
1 small- medium onion, finely diced
1/2 teaspoon of cumin
1/4 teaspoon of chili powder
pinch of salt, to taste
juice of 1/2 lemon
There are three methods to cook dried chickpeas or any dried beans. My favorite is to pressure cook because of the short time it takes compared to the other methods. Add soaked chickpeas to the pressure cooker with 3 times the amount of water and cook on medium high and then reduce heat to low for 15 minutes or for 4- 5 whistles. Turn off heat and allow 10- 15 minutes for it to cool and the steam to escape from the cooker. (An important note: each pressure cooker has different cooking temperatures and times, I recommend following the instruction manual over my instructions on pressure cooking!)
Another method is to cook dried beans in a saucepan. In a large saucepan, add 1 cup of soaked chickpeas to 3 cups of water (the ratio is 3:1 water:beans, plus or minus some). Bring the beans and water to boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30- 45 minutes.
And finally, if time permits the simplest method is to cook the chickpeas in a crockpot. Add chickpeas to the pot with 4 cups of water and cook on low for 4-6 hours.
To test if the chickpeas are done, smash between thumb and index fingers, if it smashes easily without the firmness, they’re ready. Drain. In a medium bowl, add drained chickpeas, diced onion, cumin, chili powder and salt. Combine and taste; adjust seasonings if necessary. Add lemon juice and serve at room temperature.
Then (from top left- clockwise) there was dried figs and onion confit with goat cheese crostini, olives, almond and olive oil cake, and Vietnamese summer rolls.
Here's a recipe to serve as an appetizer or simple snack at anytime of the day.
Fig and Onion Confit, adapted from a recipe by Diane Phillips
1/3 cup unsalted butter
3 vidalia onions, chopped
3/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup good, aged balsamic vinegar
6- 8 dried figs, soaked and coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
In a large sauté pan on medium heat, melt butter, add the chopped onions and sauté until the onions begin to turn golden brown, 8 minutes. Reduce heat to low, add the brown sugar, vinegar, chopped figs and rosemary and simmer for 45 minutes or until the mixture is thickened like jam. Cool completely before serving on crackers or French baguette with goat cheese on side.
(pictures from my birthday are courtesy of Michelle Gatmaitan) Thank you!
Not pictured were goat cheese with crackers and bread, stuffed shells, lox cream cheese with onions and crackers and one of the best cheese from Amsterdam.
I only made kaala chana, fig and onion confit and Vietnamese summer rolls so all credit and a big thank you goes to everyone for bringing the other delicious foods. This post or a million spoken thank you’s won’t suffice in expressing how grateful I am to have friends like you in my life. I couldn’t have asked for a better day. Even the weather cooperated, it was bright and sunny, slightly chilly, but not a cloud in the sky.
And amongst the celebrations, we also celebrated life. I recently lost a grandfather, my only living grandparent. He was an independent, determined and tenacious man. At the age of 18 he left his parents’ home to pursue education and a career, unheard of in India in the 40s. And after college his perseverance and desire to work aboard landed him a job in Iraq. He loved talking about the time in a mostly Muslim country with his young bride, my grandmother, in the 1950s. He was always interested in politics, American, Indian or International. Our regular phone conversations consisted of him sharing stories of his past or our agreements and disagreements in politics. He was very opinionated about the current wars. One of his favorite political stories was about a run in with at-the-time-not- so-well- known-activist Mohandas Gandhi on a train.
Two Saturdays ago my dad called to say grandpa wasn’t doing well in the hospital because of his pneumonia, kidney failure and stomach irritability. I then decided to visit him and boarded my flight on Monday afternoon.
While there he and I talked about our home in India, culinary school and family matters. Upon leaving I held his hand tightly and kissed his forehead. When waving my final goodbye, he returned the favor and raised his hand. Sadly, little did I know that would be his last night. I arrived home at midnight on Tuesday and received the phone call on Wednesday morning, one that I wasn’t expecting so soon; at 10am on Wednesday morning my grandfather passed.
I am still mourning and recovering from the loss but understand and accept that his time was now. He lived a long and healthy life and journeyed the world with his soul mate. Although he was a strong man throughout his life I think he fell apart when my grandma passed away 7 years ago. I will always cherish all of our memories together but especially our time together on the last two days of his life.
This post is to you and for you dadaji.
Surprisingly both the husband and I share the birthday month, there are 11 days between ours. With some years in between but the days are more important. His is first so the dinner planning was ad hoc, at best. While grocery shopping I bought chorizo, shrimp and cod for a Mexican dinner. And the one question he asked on the day was if I would be interested in going to a local Italian restaurant we’ve heard about but have never tried. Shocked and thrown off, I convinced him to stay home for dinner. While he napped, I started preparing shrimp and fish tacos with a side of black bean and chorizo soup. His favorite dish of all time is shrimp tacos.
Black bean and Chorizo Soup, my version adapted from the original
1 cup dried black beans, soaked overnight and cooked in a pressure cooker
Drizzle of olive oil
1 (3- to 4-ounce) link of Mexican chorizo, sliced ¼ inch
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 to 3 cups chicken stock, homemade preferred
Garnish: rounds of thinly sliced lemon and chopped fresh cilantro
Cook chorizo in a nonstick saucepan with olive oil on medium heat. When the meat releases oil and browns on all sides, remove it from the pan. Add onion, garlic, pepper flakes, cumin, and salt to the oil, stirring, until vegetables are softened, about 6 minutes. Add beans and stock and bring to a boil. Lower heat, stir in chorizo and simmer for 20 minutes. Partially cover the saucepan while simmering. Taste and adjust seasonings. Add additional liquid for a thinner consistency or lightly mash beans with a potato masher for thicker consistency.
For the fish tacos- I coated cod fish in milk and then in seasoned flour. The flour was seasoned with salt, cayenne, ground cumin and ground coriander. I then pan fried it in 1/2 inch of canola oil. Half way through the pan frying, the fish fell apart. Unfortunately I haven’t mastered the fish frying technique (think fish and chips) yet. Cod is very delicate and flaky so we were picking broken pieces of the fish from the serving platter to fill our tortillas. Unfortunately due to falling apart the Mexican flavors (cumin and cayenne) in the flour were lost in the frying oil.
Dessert was Opera Crème cupcakes from Bonbonerie, a local bakery/cake shop, that always fits the bill for cakes and desserts. I believe everything is made on premises by their own pastry chefs and bakers.
My birthday, on the other hand, was much different from his. Because this year it was on a Sunday, some friends suggested going out for brunch and one even offered to host. Regardless of what it would be, I knew it wouldn’t be a repeat of last year, an all-out-get-crazy night at a local dive bar to raise money for a local non profit organization, The Women’s Connection. Raising money for the local charity was fantastic, however recovering from the night was rough. Instead I opted for an afternoon get together at my place with mimosas and appetizers.
Everyone brought a variety of foods. We had (from top left- clockwise) kaala chana (black/brown chickpeas), potato gratin with wild mushrooms and goat cheese, Paddington Torte from Bonbonerie, dukkah (not pictured) with olive oil and bread and fruit salad.
Kaala Chana is a common street food in India, in the metropolitan cities but especially in Mumbai, formerly Bombay. It's simple and a winner.
1 cup dried black or brown chickpeas, soaked overnight and cooked
1 small- medium onion, finely diced
1/2 teaspoon of cumin
1/4 teaspoon of chili powder
pinch of salt, to taste
juice of 1/2 lemon
There are three methods to cook dried chickpeas or any dried beans. My favorite is to pressure cook because of the short time it takes compared to the other methods. Add soaked chickpeas to the pressure cooker with 3 times the amount of water and cook on medium high and then reduce heat to low for 15 minutes or for 4- 5 whistles. Turn off heat and allow 10- 15 minutes for it to cool and the steam to escape from the cooker. (An important note: each pressure cooker has different cooking temperatures and times, I recommend following the instruction manual over my instructions on pressure cooking!)
Another method is to cook dried beans in a saucepan. In a large saucepan, add 1 cup of soaked chickpeas to 3 cups of water (the ratio is 3:1 water:beans, plus or minus some). Bring the beans and water to boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30- 45 minutes.
And finally, if time permits the simplest method is to cook the chickpeas in a crockpot. Add chickpeas to the pot with 4 cups of water and cook on low for 4-6 hours.
To test if the chickpeas are done, smash between thumb and index fingers, if it smashes easily without the firmness, they’re ready. Drain. In a medium bowl, add drained chickpeas, diced onion, cumin, chili powder and salt. Combine and taste; adjust seasonings if necessary. Add lemon juice and serve at room temperature.
Then (from top left- clockwise) there was dried figs and onion confit with goat cheese crostini, olives, almond and olive oil cake, and Vietnamese summer rolls.
Here's a recipe to serve as an appetizer or simple snack at anytime of the day.
Fig and Onion Confit, adapted from a recipe by Diane Phillips
1/3 cup unsalted butter
3 vidalia onions, chopped
3/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup good, aged balsamic vinegar
6- 8 dried figs, soaked and coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
In a large sauté pan on medium heat, melt butter, add the chopped onions and sauté until the onions begin to turn golden brown, 8 minutes. Reduce heat to low, add the brown sugar, vinegar, chopped figs and rosemary and simmer for 45 minutes or until the mixture is thickened like jam. Cool completely before serving on crackers or French baguette with goat cheese on side.
(pictures from my birthday are courtesy of Michelle Gatmaitan) Thank you!
Not pictured were goat cheese with crackers and bread, stuffed shells, lox cream cheese with onions and crackers and one of the best cheese from Amsterdam.
I only made kaala chana, fig and onion confit and Vietnamese summer rolls so all credit and a big thank you goes to everyone for bringing the other delicious foods. This post or a million spoken thank you’s won’t suffice in expressing how grateful I am to have friends like you in my life. I couldn’t have asked for a better day. Even the weather cooperated, it was bright and sunny, slightly chilly, but not a cloud in the sky.
And amongst the celebrations, we also celebrated life. I recently lost a grandfather, my only living grandparent. He was an independent, determined and tenacious man. At the age of 18 he left his parents’ home to pursue education and a career, unheard of in India in the 40s. And after college his perseverance and desire to work aboard landed him a job in Iraq. He loved talking about the time in a mostly Muslim country with his young bride, my grandmother, in the 1950s. He was always interested in politics, American, Indian or International. Our regular phone conversations consisted of him sharing stories of his past or our agreements and disagreements in politics. He was very opinionated about the current wars. One of his favorite political stories was about a run in with at-the-time-not- so-well- known-activist Mohandas Gandhi on a train.
Two Saturdays ago my dad called to say grandpa wasn’t doing well in the hospital because of his pneumonia, kidney failure and stomach irritability. I then decided to visit him and boarded my flight on Monday afternoon.
While there he and I talked about our home in India, culinary school and family matters. Upon leaving I held his hand tightly and kissed his forehead. When waving my final goodbye, he returned the favor and raised his hand. Sadly, little did I know that would be his last night. I arrived home at midnight on Tuesday and received the phone call on Wednesday morning, one that I wasn’t expecting so soon; at 10am on Wednesday morning my grandfather passed.
I am still mourning and recovering from the loss but understand and accept that his time was now. He lived a long and healthy life and journeyed the world with his soul mate. Although he was a strong man throughout his life I think he fell apart when my grandma passed away 7 years ago. I will always cherish all of our memories together but especially our time together on the last two days of his life.
This post is to you and for you dadaji.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Getting fancy for dinner- Food and Wine
When the holidays neared in 2008, the last thing on my mind was presents. I am not a gifts person, giving or receiving. Though sometimes a little surprise here and there is great! I have this one, special, friend that always gets me a gift for big holidays. So I had to keep my eyes and ears open for creative items. And instead I found myself buying a framed picture by Michelle Gatmaitan, a photographer friend of mine, for Liz. A gift for Liz? And I wasn't even looking for a gift for her. (sorry!) When I saw it, it reminded me of her because the picture is vibrant of colors and fits her personality perfectly. After buying it I told her I bought her a gift- I am not good with keeping surprises. But I beg to keep surprises for me a secret! So she told me she was planning to give me something too- she's not good either! When did this turn into a gift exchanging friendship? Not that I am complaining, now. Actually she got me a fantastic present, 1 year’s subscription to Food and Wine (F&W) magazine. I have been subscribing to Cooking Light for almost 2 years and I am glad to have something else to browse on food.
In addition to getting my own she said she was also getting F&W. After the first installment, I organized a dinner at our place around the first issue. The idea of the dinner was to cook couple dishes each. This would allow us to try new dishes and see if we like F&W’s recipes. After that dinner I can happily say, we do! We loved everything we made.
From February edition I cooked Chicken Sofrito for the main dish and Crisp Escarole Salad with Garlicky Anchovy Dressing while Liz made the Basic, and really tasty, Risotto and Stewed Okra and tomatoes.
Escarole Salad with Garlicky Anchovy Dressing from February 2009 F&W
Two 3/4-inch-thick slices of sourdough bread, cut into 3/4-inch dice (3 cups)
1 large head of escarole, light green and white leaves only, cut crosswise into 1-inch strips
6 radishes, thinly sliced
4 celery ribs with leaves, thinly sliced
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 seedless cucumber, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
8 oil-packed anchovy fillets, drained and coarsely chopped
6 large garlic cloves, minced
2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Preheat the oven to 350°. On a baking sheet, toast the bread for 15 minutes, tossing once, until lightly golden; let cool. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, toss the escarole strips with the radishes, celery, tomatoes and cucumber. In a small saucepan, combine the olive oil, chopped anchovies and minced garlic and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is lightly golden, about 7 minutes. Add the lemon juice and season generously with pepper. Add the croutons to the salad and toss. Pour the dressing over the salad, season lightly with salt and toss again. Serve at once.
The only change I would make is to use lettuce, tomatoes and onions. Celery, radishes and cucumber certainly make this a fancy salad but it doesn’t make it exceptional. As a matter of fact, any salad vegetables can be used to prepare this salad. It’s the garlicky, anchovy dressing that makes this an exceptional first or side course.
Chicken Sofrito, adapted from February 2009 of F&W
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 whole chicken legs, separated into drumsticks and thighs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon chili powder, plus more for dusting*
1 medium onion, cut into 1/2-inch dice
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
2 large thyme sprigs
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch-thick strips
Rounded 1/4 teaspoon anise seeds**
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1 cup chopped canned tomatoes
3 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth, homemade is perfect
1 cup short-grain white rice***
Preheat the oven to 375°. In a large ovenproof skillet, heat the vegetable oil. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and dust lightly with chili powder. Add the chicken to the skillet and cook over moderate heat until well browned, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.
*I am not sure what F&W cooks were intending for us to use so I used the Indian chili powder. Chili powder from India is dried chilies in the ground form and much stronger in taste and spice than the ones found at the local supermarket. I highly recommend it for this sofrito because of its kick.
Add the onion, garlic, jalapeño and thyme sprigs to the skillet and cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened, about 8 minutes. Add the bell pepper, fennel seeds, cayenne and the 1/2 teaspoon of chili powder and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the chopped tomatoes, raise the heat to high and cook until bubbling. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Stir in the rice and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and bring to a simmer. Arrange the chicken pieces on the rice, skin side up. Bake in the upper third of the oven for about 25 minutes, until the chicken is just cooked through and the rice is tender and has absorbed the stock. Discard the thyme sprigs. Spoon the rice onto plates, add the chicken and serve.
**In my house, fennel is used more often than Anise so I used it to replace anise. Anise is one of those spices that rarely gets attention in anyone’s kitchen and therefore no one buys it. Or at least I don’t.
***I was out of the short grain rice and added long grain basmati rice instead. I believe it worked fine as a replacement.
My last change to the dish was to omit the lemon juice and almonds from the original recipe. And even with that this was fine. The fennel flavor stood out more than we wanted but the overall taste was great; I would definitely make it again, maybe without fennel.
And although I didn’t believe in gift giving and receiving, after a year’s worth of food magazine browsing of sorts, I might be a convert by the next holiday. Plus if I can’t find a gift for the special friend, there’s always a year’s subscription of F&W. Thanks again for this present.
(both pictures are courtesy of Liz)
In addition to getting my own she said she was also getting F&W. After the first installment, I organized a dinner at our place around the first issue. The idea of the dinner was to cook couple dishes each. This would allow us to try new dishes and see if we like F&W’s recipes. After that dinner I can happily say, we do! We loved everything we made.
From February edition I cooked Chicken Sofrito for the main dish and Crisp Escarole Salad with Garlicky Anchovy Dressing while Liz made the Basic, and really tasty, Risotto and Stewed Okra and tomatoes.
Escarole Salad with Garlicky Anchovy Dressing from February 2009 F&WTwo 3/4-inch-thick slices of sourdough bread, cut into 3/4-inch dice (3 cups)
1 large head of escarole, light green and white leaves only, cut crosswise into 1-inch strips
6 radishes, thinly sliced
4 celery ribs with leaves, thinly sliced
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 seedless cucumber, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
8 oil-packed anchovy fillets, drained and coarsely chopped
6 large garlic cloves, minced
2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Preheat the oven to 350°. On a baking sheet, toast the bread for 15 minutes, tossing once, until lightly golden; let cool. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, toss the escarole strips with the radishes, celery, tomatoes and cucumber. In a small saucepan, combine the olive oil, chopped anchovies and minced garlic and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is lightly golden, about 7 minutes. Add the lemon juice and season generously with pepper. Add the croutons to the salad and toss. Pour the dressing over the salad, season lightly with salt and toss again. Serve at once.
The only change I would make is to use lettuce, tomatoes and onions. Celery, radishes and cucumber certainly make this a fancy salad but it doesn’t make it exceptional. As a matter of fact, any salad vegetables can be used to prepare this salad. It’s the garlicky, anchovy dressing that makes this an exceptional first or side course.
Chicken Sofrito, adapted from February 2009 of F&W 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 whole chicken legs, separated into drumsticks and thighs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon chili powder, plus more for dusting*
1 medium onion, cut into 1/2-inch dice
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
2 large thyme sprigs
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch-thick strips
Rounded 1/4 teaspoon anise seeds**
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1 cup chopped canned tomatoes
3 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth, homemade is perfect
1 cup short-grain white rice***
Preheat the oven to 375°. In a large ovenproof skillet, heat the vegetable oil. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and dust lightly with chili powder. Add the chicken to the skillet and cook over moderate heat until well browned, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.
*I am not sure what F&W cooks were intending for us to use so I used the Indian chili powder. Chili powder from India is dried chilies in the ground form and much stronger in taste and spice than the ones found at the local supermarket. I highly recommend it for this sofrito because of its kick.
Add the onion, garlic, jalapeño and thyme sprigs to the skillet and cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened, about 8 minutes. Add the bell pepper, fennel seeds, cayenne and the 1/2 teaspoon of chili powder and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the chopped tomatoes, raise the heat to high and cook until bubbling. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Stir in the rice and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and bring to a simmer. Arrange the chicken pieces on the rice, skin side up. Bake in the upper third of the oven for about 25 minutes, until the chicken is just cooked through and the rice is tender and has absorbed the stock. Discard the thyme sprigs. Spoon the rice onto plates, add the chicken and serve.
**In my house, fennel is used more often than Anise so I used it to replace anise. Anise is one of those spices that rarely gets attention in anyone’s kitchen and therefore no one buys it. Or at least I don’t.
***I was out of the short grain rice and added long grain basmati rice instead. I believe it worked fine as a replacement.
My last change to the dish was to omit the lemon juice and almonds from the original recipe. And even with that this was fine. The fennel flavor stood out more than we wanted but the overall taste was great; I would definitely make it again, maybe without fennel.
And although I didn’t believe in gift giving and receiving, after a year’s worth of food magazine browsing of sorts, I might be a convert by the next holiday. Plus if I can’t find a gift for the special friend, there’s always a year’s subscription of F&W. Thanks again for this present.
(both pictures are courtesy of Liz)
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Mirage
This restaurant is one of the few gems in the city that I am reluctant to write about for fear that food lovers and bloggers alike will let the cat out of the bag. But here I am, writing about Mirage and sharing one of my secrets. I love Mirage for all its simplicity. It’s tucked away in a strip mall on Montgomery road, passed Kenwood and before Mason, an unexpected spot for Mediterranean and Middle Eastern food. If searching for Mirage in a car, it’s behind two mega, mexican and coffee shop, chains.
The ambiance is as good as it gets for a restaurant in a strip mall. It’s obvious that the owners are making an attempt to make it warm and comfortable. I would venture to guess that this is a family run business. We’ve had the same server each time we’ve been there, while one of the other women always handles bills and payments.
During our last visit we ordered the appetizer platter as a group. It came with hummus, tabouli, baba ganoush, labneh and grape leaves. Everything on the plate was tasty. The platter is served with 4 pita breads that weren’t enough for our group so we ordered more to mop up the last morsels on the plate. The cook that makes the hummus and baba ganoush has a heavy hand on lemon juice and tahini, so don’t be surprised.
Each time we go there I get the only dish I love and won’t steer away from, lamb lula kebabs. Ground lamb meat with spices grilled on skewers served with pita, a choice of rice or Russian potatoes and soup or salad. I asked for rice and lentil soup with my kebabs. The lentil soup was terrific but a sprinkle of sumac gave it the oomph. The sumac enlightened the creamy lentils and its flavors. The lamb was perfect, as it always is, moist and tender with a handful of spices making this a remarkable dish. The rice is standard but wonderful. In previous visits, I’ve tried their Russian potatoes which is potatoes par-boiled, sliced and pan fried in butter and sprinkled with dill, very good as well. Others ordered chicken kebabs and Armenian salad instead of soup. I tasted the chicken and it was lovely but it doesn’t compare to the lamb lula. The salad consists of cucumbers, tomatoes and onions with a simple dressing.
They have a lengthy lunch and dinner menu. The lamb lula kababs are so divine, I haven’t tried anything else, yet. Our server does a wonderful job serving her tables. With their full rate service, warm atmosphere and did I mention great lamb lula kebabs Mirage is worth visiting. The space is small with limited seating, compared to other average sized restaurants, so I recommend making reservations. Each time we’ve been there it’s always packed by 8pm. They are a BYOB (bring your own bottle) restaurant so feel free to bring wine or beer to enjoy with the meal.
If Mirage wasn’t a recommendation by friends, it would have never crossed our radar. Our friends were adamant about going there and I am glad we did, it rates high on our list for great food with fantastic service and atmosphere. And here’s my adamant recommendation to you for Mirage. But promise me to keep this between us.
The ambiance is as good as it gets for a restaurant in a strip mall. It’s obvious that the owners are making an attempt to make it warm and comfortable. I would venture to guess that this is a family run business. We’ve had the same server each time we’ve been there, while one of the other women always handles bills and payments.
During our last visit we ordered the appetizer platter as a group. It came with hummus, tabouli, baba ganoush, labneh and grape leaves. Everything on the plate was tasty. The platter is served with 4 pita breads that weren’t enough for our group so we ordered more to mop up the last morsels on the plate. The cook that makes the hummus and baba ganoush has a heavy hand on lemon juice and tahini, so don’t be surprised.
Each time we go there I get the only dish I love and won’t steer away from, lamb lula kebabs. Ground lamb meat with spices grilled on skewers served with pita, a choice of rice or Russian potatoes and soup or salad. I asked for rice and lentil soup with my kebabs. The lentil soup was terrific but a sprinkle of sumac gave it the oomph. The sumac enlightened the creamy lentils and its flavors. The lamb was perfect, as it always is, moist and tender with a handful of spices making this a remarkable dish. The rice is standard but wonderful. In previous visits, I’ve tried their Russian potatoes which is potatoes par-boiled, sliced and pan fried in butter and sprinkled with dill, very good as well. Others ordered chicken kebabs and Armenian salad instead of soup. I tasted the chicken and it was lovely but it doesn’t compare to the lamb lula. The salad consists of cucumbers, tomatoes and onions with a simple dressing. They have a lengthy lunch and dinner menu. The lamb lula kababs are so divine, I haven’t tried anything else, yet. Our server does a wonderful job serving her tables. With their full rate service, warm atmosphere and did I mention great lamb lula kebabs Mirage is worth visiting. The space is small with limited seating, compared to other average sized restaurants, so I recommend making reservations. Each time we’ve been there it’s always packed by 8pm. They are a BYOB (bring your own bottle) restaurant so feel free to bring wine or beer to enjoy with the meal.
If Mirage wasn’t a recommendation by friends, it would have never crossed our radar. Our friends were adamant about going there and I am glad we did, it rates high on our list for great food with fantastic service and atmosphere. And here’s my adamant recommendation to you for Mirage. But promise me to keep this between us.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Homemade Mayonnaise- the best thing since sliced bread
I’d never even thought about making mayonnaise, it was intimidating just thinking about the process. Raw eggs? Whisking oil in a cold bowl with raw eggs until my hands fell off? Emulsification? No thank you.
Because I didn’t grow up with a jar of the white, processed stuff in my parents’ house, it wasn't essential for my own home. Growing up, every once in a while we used packets to slather it on a sandwich here and there but that was when we were feeling devilish. Potato salad laden with mayonnaise- what do you mean? Better yet, the husband doesn’t like it, at all. I can assure you, you won’t ever find him in a corner of our kitchen in the middle of the night with a jar of mayonnaise, licking his spoon.
Just knowing that it’ll sit in the fridge door for months, maybe even years before I throw the jar away makes me cringe. Even our brown bag sandwiches are made with yellow or spicy mustard, sometimes even cilantro chutney (that he loves) with a smoked turkey but definitely no mayo. So you get it, no mayo for us.
But the other day I was wondering what to do with farm fresh eggs (besides make breakfast), bleu cheese, bacon and iceberg lettuce. And in a fleeting second, I thought homemade mayonnaise, iceberg salad with bleu cheese dressing and chicken salad! And that began my pursuit to make the best homemade mayonnaise. After some research, I created my own recipe.
Homemade Mayonnaise
Juice from a whole lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs, or 3 medium (farm fresh are the best for this)
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
In a food processor or blender, combine everything except for the oil. Blend until everything is combined. Then with the motor running, slowly stream in oil. This is an important step to watch closely. I learned in culinary school if the oil is added too quickly the emulsification breaks and the mayonnaise never forms into its creamy texture. The slow streaming method prevents separation of oil from acid, lemon juice. If desired, add few drops of oil at a time while the food processor is on.
Halfway into adding my oil the mixture looked like it was falling apart with acid and the oils separating. And I thought what’s the worst that could happen? A complete disaster. If so, that would be my short lived attempt at homemade mayonnaise. Thankfully I kept the motor running and continued to add oil and eventually it all came together. On the other hand, if after adding 1 cup of oil the mayonnaise has reached its creamy and smooth consistency, don’t add anymore oil.
What is Emulsification? To make into or form an emulsion. Emulsion- 1. Physical Chemistry. any colloidal suspension of a liquid in another liquid. Says dictionary.com. I define it as mixing or combining two unmixable liquids to form one. Vinaigrette is a prime example of emulsion.
I’ve made hollandaise and mayonnaise in culinary class with a cold bowl and a whisk but after making it in my food processor with success I am never making it by hand, only to watch my hands fall off.
That same night, I made bleu cheese dressing for the iceberg salad I was craving. In the last few weeks my body’s requested more salads than I’ve ever eaten in my entire life.
Bleu Cheese Dressing
1/2 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 small garlic clove, minced
Pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup bleu cheese, use the good kind from the specialty cheese section
In a food processor, blend everything together, except the bleu cheese, until it’s smooth. Add blue cheese and pulse until cheese is incorporated but dressing is still slightly chunky.
After making the dressing, chop bacon in small dice. In a small pan (non stick is good for easy clean up) on medium heat, add bacon and brown for 3- 4 minutes. Remove bacon from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside. Cut the iceberg lettuce in wedges on a cutting board, serve on a plate, drizzle bleu cheese dressing and sprinkle bacon on top.
For our brown bag lunch I prepared a Chicken Salad sandwich with Bacon. (I had more time than I knew what to do with on this particular day.)
Chicken Salad
1 cup cooked chicken, shredded or cubed
1/4 cup cranberries, orange flavored ones are my favorite
1/4 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
3 tablespoons of homemade mayonnaise, or more if you’re feeling devilish
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Combine all the ingredients together and let it sit for 10 minutes for the flavors to meld. Celery can be added for crunch but I am happy with the crunch of walnuts in this salad.
Chicken Salad Sandwich
1/2 cup Chicken Salad
2 slices bacon
2 slices of good wheat bread
4 large pieces of lettuce, iceberg is fine because mayo’s the star in this
Pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper
In a toaster oven or in a large pan, heat the bacon on medium high heat until it renders fat and becomes crispy. Spread mayonnaise on one side of each slice. (Bread can be toasted if serving immediately). After the bacon cools, break it in half for even coverage on the sandwich. Spread half of chicken salad evenly on both slices of bread. Next lay the halved bacon on the chicken salad, finish with lettuce. Close the sandwich and enjoy.
And the husband didn’t complain one bit of the white creamy spread on his bread or in the chicken salad. He actually raved about how good the salad tasted and the fresh taste of mayo in the sandwich. I’ve got couple tablespoons patiently waiting for the next use, but I think one of these nights when he can’t sleep he’ll go straight to the condiment drawer in the fridge with a big spoon.
So good it’s the best thing with sliced bread.
Because I didn’t grow up with a jar of the white, processed stuff in my parents’ house, it wasn't essential for my own home. Growing up, every once in a while we used packets to slather it on a sandwich here and there but that was when we were feeling devilish. Potato salad laden with mayonnaise- what do you mean? Better yet, the husband doesn’t like it, at all. I can assure you, you won’t ever find him in a corner of our kitchen in the middle of the night with a jar of mayonnaise, licking his spoon.
Just knowing that it’ll sit in the fridge door for months, maybe even years before I throw the jar away makes me cringe. Even our brown bag sandwiches are made with yellow or spicy mustard, sometimes even cilantro chutney (that he loves) with a smoked turkey but definitely no mayo. So you get it, no mayo for us.
But the other day I was wondering what to do with farm fresh eggs (besides make breakfast), bleu cheese, bacon and iceberg lettuce. And in a fleeting second, I thought homemade mayonnaise, iceberg salad with bleu cheese dressing and chicken salad! And that began my pursuit to make the best homemade mayonnaise. After some research, I created my own recipe.
Homemade Mayonnaise
Juice from a whole lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs, or 3 medium (farm fresh are the best for this)
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
In a food processor or blender, combine everything except for the oil. Blend until everything is combined. Then with the motor running, slowly stream in oil. This is an important step to watch closely. I learned in culinary school if the oil is added too quickly the emulsification breaks and the mayonnaise never forms into its creamy texture. The slow streaming method prevents separation of oil from acid, lemon juice. If desired, add few drops of oil at a time while the food processor is on.
Halfway into adding my oil the mixture looked like it was falling apart with acid and the oils separating. And I thought what’s the worst that could happen? A complete disaster. If so, that would be my short lived attempt at homemade mayonnaise. Thankfully I kept the motor running and continued to add oil and eventually it all came together. On the other hand, if after adding 1 cup of oil the mayonnaise has reached its creamy and smooth consistency, don’t add anymore oil.
What is Emulsification? To make into or form an emulsion. Emulsion- 1. Physical Chemistry. any colloidal suspension of a liquid in another liquid. Says dictionary.com. I define it as mixing or combining two unmixable liquids to form one. Vinaigrette is a prime example of emulsion.
I’ve made hollandaise and mayonnaise in culinary class with a cold bowl and a whisk but after making it in my food processor with success I am never making it by hand, only to watch my hands fall off.
That same night, I made bleu cheese dressing for the iceberg salad I was craving. In the last few weeks my body’s requested more salads than I’ve ever eaten in my entire life.
Bleu Cheese Dressing1/2 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 small garlic clove, minced
Pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup bleu cheese, use the good kind from the specialty cheese section
In a food processor, blend everything together, except the bleu cheese, until it’s smooth. Add blue cheese and pulse until cheese is incorporated but dressing is still slightly chunky.
After making the dressing, chop bacon in small dice. In a small pan (non stick is good for easy clean up) on medium heat, add bacon and brown for 3- 4 minutes. Remove bacon from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside. Cut the iceberg lettuce in wedges on a cutting board, serve on a plate, drizzle bleu cheese dressing and sprinkle bacon on top.
For our brown bag lunch I prepared a Chicken Salad sandwich with Bacon. (I had more time than I knew what to do with on this particular day.)
Chicken Salad
1 cup cooked chicken, shredded or cubed
1/4 cup cranberries, orange flavored ones are my favorite
1/4 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
3 tablespoons of homemade mayonnaise, or more if you’re feeling devilish
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Combine all the ingredients together and let it sit for 10 minutes for the flavors to meld. Celery can be added for crunch but I am happy with the crunch of walnuts in this salad.
Chicken Salad Sandwich
1/2 cup Chicken Salad
2 slices bacon
2 slices of good wheat bread
4 large pieces of lettuce, iceberg is fine because mayo’s the star in this
Pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper
In a toaster oven or in a large pan, heat the bacon on medium high heat until it renders fat and becomes crispy. Spread mayonnaise on one side of each slice. (Bread can be toasted if serving immediately). After the bacon cools, break it in half for even coverage on the sandwich. Spread half of chicken salad evenly on both slices of bread. Next lay the halved bacon on the chicken salad, finish with lettuce. Close the sandwich and enjoy.
And the husband didn’t complain one bit of the white creamy spread on his bread or in the chicken salad. He actually raved about how good the salad tasted and the fresh taste of mayo in the sandwich. I’ve got couple tablespoons patiently waiting for the next use, but I think one of these nights when he can’t sleep he’ll go straight to the condiment drawer in the fridge with a big spoon.
So good it’s the best thing with sliced bread.
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