Today’s guest post is coming at you straight from NYC courtesy of my good friend Arber. We met under non-culinary circumstances during my time as the master of web goodness at The City College of New York. I had the dubious honor of serving as the advisor for his student organization, a cluster of entrepreneurs, programmers and designers who created the brilliant website, In Your Class.com. Funnily, in order to get their student organization up and running as quickly as possible, they found it easier to take over an already established group rather that go through the appeals process to create a new one. Thus, although I am out and out Brazilian/Italian/African-American, I soon discovered that I was the newest advisor to the Albanian Students Organization. The founders (Arber included) were all Albanian, so to prove my mettle, I showed them all I learned from Wikipedia about Albania and had them fill me in on the rest of the important details. I adored the multiculturalism mixed with the laughs, and was totally honored that they asked me to be their advisor in the first place. Continue reading Classic Mussels with White Wine and Herbs
Category Archives: Culinary Inspiration
Ingredients, techniques and cuisines
Gnocchi Feast Menu
Recipe for The Daring Kitchen
When I first learned about The Daring Kitchen, I was excited to join a group that would provide me with monthly culinary inspiration. This month’s assignment (and my very first with TDK) was created by Steph from Stephfood, our Daring Cooks’ July hostess. Steph challenged us to make homemade noodles without the help of a motorized pasta machine. She provided us with recipes for Spätzle and Fresh Egg Pasta as well as a few delicious sauces to pair our noodles with! Steph also encouraged us to make noodles that celebrated our culinary heritage.
When I first learned about The Daring Kitchen, I was excited to join a group that would provide me with monthly culinary inspiration. This month’s assignment (and my very first with TDK) was created by Steph from Stephfood, our Daring Cooks’ July hostess. Steph challenged us to make homemade noodles without the help of a motorized pasta machine. She provided us with recipes for Spätzle and Fresh Egg Pasta as well as a few delicious sauces to pair our noodles with! Steph also encouraged us to make noodles that celebrated our culinary heritage.
In that I had just done quite a bit of pastamaking as part of the Feast of the Seven Boars (along with doughs of all kinds for all of my potsticker exploits), I asked Steph if gnocchi were legal within the strict rules of the challenge. She explained that they were and off I went on a journey into dumpling majesty on a whole new level. Continue reading Gnocchi Feast Menu
Potato Gnocchi alla Sorrentina
Recipe for The Daring Kitchen
When I first learned about The Daring Kitchen, I was excited to join a group that would provide me with monthly culinary inspiration. This month’s assignment (and my very first with TDK) was created by Steph from Stephfood, our Daring Cooks’ July hostess. Steph challenged us to make homemade noodles without the help of a motorized pasta machine. She provided us with recipes for Spätzle and Fresh Egg Pasta as well as a few delicious sauces to pair our noodles with! Steph also encouraged us to make noodles that celebrated our culinary heritage. See Full Gnocchi Feast Menu
When I first learned about The Daring Kitchen, I was excited to join a group that would provide me with monthly culinary inspiration. This month’s assignment (and my very first with TDK) was created by Steph from Stephfood, our Daring Cooks’ July hostess. Steph challenged us to make homemade noodles without the help of a motorized pasta machine. She provided us with recipes for Spätzle and Fresh Egg Pasta as well as a few delicious sauces to pair our noodles with! Steph also encouraged us to make noodles that celebrated our culinary heritage. See Full Gnocchi Feast Menu
Authentic-tasting gnocchi are a tall order, but inspired by the charm and panache of the Franks (Falcinelli and Castronovo) of Frankie’s Sputino in Brooklyn, everyone is an expert Italian chef. Although this recipe was a part of my goal to make four gnocchi dishes for The Daring Kitchen, the preparation of the dish proved hardly a challenge. And not because the fickle gnocchi gods* were smiling at me that day, but rather that this recipe must be the master recipe for the most perfect gnocchi. In the amount of time that it took me to boil a pot of water and futz around with a marinara sauce, I had a dough that was pliant, smooth and gorgeous. A little effortless rolling and cutting resulted in photo-ready dumplings. And a quick trip into a jacuzzi of water yielded gnocchi that tasted of heaven. Where were the Franks grandmas so that I could kiss them on both cheeks and throw my hands up in the air? Continue reading Potato Gnocchi alla Sorrentina
Malfatti with Bolognese
Recipe for The Daring Kitchen
When I first learned about The Daring Kitchen, I was excited to join a group that would provide me with monthly culinary inspiration. This month’s assignment (and my very first with TDK) was created by Steph from Stephfood, our Daring Cooks’ July hostess. Steph challenged us to make homemade noodles without the help of a motorized pasta machine. She provided us with recipes for Spätzle and Fresh Egg Pasta as well as a few delicious sauces to pair our noodles with! Steph also encouraged us to make noodles that celebrated our culinary heritage. See Full Gnocchi Feast Menu
When I first learned about The Daring Kitchen, I was excited to join a group that would provide me with monthly culinary inspiration. This month’s assignment (and my very first with TDK) was created by Steph from Stephfood, our Daring Cooks’ July hostess. Steph challenged us to make homemade noodles without the help of a motorized pasta machine. She provided us with recipes for Spätzle and Fresh Egg Pasta as well as a few delicious sauces to pair our noodles with! Steph also encouraged us to make noodles that celebrated our culinary heritage. See Full Gnocchi Feast Menu
Gnocchi alla Romana with Italian Sausage, Cavolo Nero and Provolone
Recipe for The Daring Kitchen
When I first learned about The Daring Kitchen, I was excited to join a group that would provide me with monthly culinary inspiration. This month’s assignment (and my very first with TDK) was created by Steph from Stephfood, our Daring Cooks’ July hostess. Steph challenged us to make homemade noodles without the help of a motorized pasta machine. She provided us with recipes for Spätzle and Fresh Egg Pasta as well as a few delicious sauces to pair our noodles with! Steph also encouraged us to make noodles that celebrated our culinary heritage. See Full Gnocchi Feast Menu
When I first learned about The Daring Kitchen, I was excited to join a group that would provide me with monthly culinary inspiration. This month’s assignment (and my very first with TDK) was created by Steph from Stephfood, our Daring Cooks’ July hostess. Steph challenged us to make homemade noodles without the help of a motorized pasta machine. She provided us with recipes for Spätzle and Fresh Egg Pasta as well as a few delicious sauces to pair our noodles with! Steph also encouraged us to make noodles that celebrated our culinary heritage. See Full Gnocchi Feast Menu
Instant Potato Gnocchi with Prosciutto, Peas and Chanterelle Mushrooms
Recipe for The Daring Kitchen
When I first learned about The Daring Kitchen, I was excited to join a group that would provide me with monthly culinary inspiration. This month’s assignment (and my very first with TDK) was created by Steph from Stephfood, our Daring Cooks’ July hostess. Steph challenged us to make homemade noodles without the help of a motorized pasta machine. She provided us with recipes for Spätzle and Fresh Egg Pasta as well as a few delicious sauces to pair our noodles with! Steph also encouraged us to make noodles that celebrated our culinary heritage. See Full Gnocchi Feast Menu
When I first learned about The Daring Kitchen, I was excited to join a group that would provide me with monthly culinary inspiration. This month’s assignment (and my very first with TDK) was created by Steph from Stephfood, our Daring Cooks’ July hostess. Steph challenged us to make homemade noodles without the help of a motorized pasta machine. She provided us with recipes for Spätzle and Fresh Egg Pasta as well as a few delicious sauces to pair our noodles with! Steph also encouraged us to make noodles that celebrated our culinary heritage. See Full Gnocchi Feast Menu
Given that this recipe was to become a part of a cluster of gnocchi recipe all undertaken together for The Daring Kitchen, I decided to approach the recipe as just that – a dare. How could I turn fake-me-out mashed potatoes into gourmet glory. The base recipe was fairly simple, reconstituting the dried flakes and then adding the traditional gnocchi add-ins of flour and egg. I then swaped out the boiling water for the soaking liquid from some dried chanterelle mushroom, adding a gloriously nutty flavor to plain old potato dumplings. I then dressed the little treasures in one of my favorite sauces of prosciutto, peas and cream. Perfection! Continue reading Instant Potato Gnocchi with Prosciutto, Peas and Chanterelle Mushrooms
An Ode to Orvieto
Back when I was in college, I studied abroad in Italy on a minor in black and white photography. Little did I know that my time spent in an art school in the sleepy town of Orvieto would inspire me with ever so many culinary delights. Simple lunches consisted of ingredients considered haute in the states – fresh porcini mushrooms, black truffles, fava beans and homemade gelato. All was washed down with a crisp, luscious white wine called Orvieto Classico (with a recipe dating back to Ancient Roman times). It was a dream.
As a recent ex-pat of New York City, I’ve made fast culinary friends here in Phoenix, many of whom are voracious foodies. As a means of treating them to the delights I tasted and experienced in Orvieto, I decided to prepare a full-on feast celebrating the dishes that managed to stay imprinted in my memory. Incredibly, FoodBuzz felt that my plan was lovely enough to include it in the 24×24 for July 2011 – a monthly event showcasing posts from 24 Foodbuzz Featured Publisher bloggers from around the globe during a 24-hour period. The moment I found out the good news, it was on like donkey kong.
This menu celebrates fresh ingredients highlighted as stars of simply prepared dishes – fava bean bruschetta shines with the addition of salty pecorino and floral mint. Fresh tagliatelle with porcini mushrooms take the stage as a reminder of an Orvieto lunch favorite. And I can’t forget the dish that made me question all I’d known about pasta up until the first time I tasted it – drunken pasta cooked in red wine until purple with a blond oxtail ragu (no tomatoes!) Madness, but delicious all the same. A sliced tenderloin of beef with creamy artichokes serves the main course, a stunner for anyone with expensive tastes and a limited budget. Dessert is a glorious scoop of bacio gelato, an addictive combination of dark chocolate and hazelnuts. And for a last taste, the most beautiful digestivo with a homemade limoncello that will impress the pants off of anyone you deem worthy enough to try it.
For a play-by-play of the culinary goodness that occured in my 24×24, click on the links to the individual recipes below. Each one has a lovely history attached, and cooking them again for the folks here in the lawless desert reminded me of how blissful it can be to take a little time to celebrate the ingredients that inspire and amaze.
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Crostini di FaveButtery fava beans and fruity olive oil get their swerve on in this luscious topping for crunchy toasts. |
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Tagliatelle with Porcini MushroomsThis tangle of fresh pasta, mushrooms, wine, butter and parmesan is trouble. Like eat the whole bowl with no regrets kind of trouble. I completely authorize your using your fork as a weapon to keep away anyone who wants to steal a bite. |
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Drunken Pasta with Blond Oxtail RaguThe drunken bit refers to cooking the pasta in red wine, which gives it a gorgeous garnet hue. And the blond reference in the ragu means no tomatoes – just fall off the bone beef slow simmered with veggies and more wine. Oh so good and well-worth trying. |
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Beef Tenderloin with Artichokes in BechamelThe beef tenderloin is treated rather simply with just a smattering of salt and pepper, but then the lily is gilded with an accompaniment of artichokes in cream sauce. |
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Bacio GelatoCreamy and decadent, here I use the clutch recipe from Ciao Bella to get the job done. |
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Homemade LimoncelloThis one takes time to mellow into happiness, but if you leave it alone to do its thing, you’ll be rewarded with golden nectar from the gods. Or at least that’s what it tastes like after you’ve knocked back a few chilled glasses of the goodness. |
Gorgeous Greek Feast
Please don’t attempt this feast with a small group – you’ll be full to the point of explosion, outdone by the amount of leftovers, and without room for even the mere thought of dessert. That all being said, break out that naughty and nice list of yours, and start calling the sweeties, because this is a menu that serves as a celebration in and of itself. I love this lineup of hearty greek dishes in that they are easy to prepare and keep well if you want to make everything ahead of time. In addition, the menu is weighted towards the vegetarian options (only the pastitsio and dolmades have meat, and both can be made without), thereby pleasing crowds of all appetites and dietary restrictions.
Mixed Greens with Gorgeous Greek Dressing
For the gorgeous greek dressing, you’ll want to whip up a simple greek salad to go with it. Start with a bed of romaine, iceburg and red leaf lettuce. Top with halved cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced red onion, rounds of cool cucumber and purple kalamata olives. Crumble some salty feta on top and serve with the dressing.
Baklava Sundaes
As for dessert, if you are short on time (or not interested in baking), pick up a baklava (or baklava bites) from your local grocery or greek market. Crush a few pieces of baklava with a fork and top with a scoop of haagen daas vanilla ice cream (or other rich vanilla brand). Top with a little honey and a pinch of ground cloves.
Whatever you decide to do, and whomever you choose to invite, make sure ouzo is invited to the party as well, and that you have a stack of old plates ready to throw in celebration of the perfect feast. OPA!
Simple Summer Barbecue
I actively eschew the cold – if anyone was born to relish in the blissful summer, it was me. Sunkissed skin and bare toes. A swing or two in the hammock or a walk along the sandy shore. And dad firing up the grill next to the side porch, with the lot of us sitting on the steps (dogs included), sipping a cold beer waiting for the meat to finish up. I live for those days.
This menu is not only a celebration of those lazy summer evenings when we’d tuck into thick steaks seared on the grill, but also an ode to the perfect produce of the summer. Farmer’s market tomatoes, string beans, potatoes and greens all have a home in bright and glorious side dishes. Rosemary works as both a flavoring and a utensil. And the skill required to prepare this meal is minimal – feed a few or a dozen with little to no effort other than chopping a veg or two and flipping on the grill. And that’s not even including any delegation – get some mark to shuck your corn or snap your string beans and you’re living easy. Which is entirely what summer is all about.
Chef Tim’s Caramelized Onions
As much as I love techniques that save time and effort, sometimes you have to go for broke and forget all the shortcuts. When I read Chef Tim Ma’s recipe for his caramelized onions (“carmies” for short), I paused for a beat. 3 to 4 hours? For real, dude? Yes, for real.
As I peeled and chopped away, I wondered what the final product would be like given the sheer amount of time expended on the dish. And as the onions sweated away, the house started to smell good. And then it smelled better than that. And then better than that. And then so good that I began to question why I didn’t cook all onions in this way.
Sandra Lee and Rachel Ray be damned (although I could see that maybe, just maybe, Rachel Ray would cook these babies earnestly on a weekend – maybe that’s a little too much faith in humanity), this recipe is the most perfect exercise in reminding ourselves why we cook at all. When we give the ingredients we’re working with the exact amount of time that they need to become the epitome of deliciousness, we have the ability to create dishes that excite and delight. I say all of this with the utmost of sincerity – why would I ever waste time making boo boo when I could make these onions?
Recipe for
Chef Tim’s Caramelized Onions
Ingredients
6 sweet yellow onions, thinly sliced
3 tbs. of butter
1 tbs. of salt
1 tbs. of sugar
Melt butter over medium heat in a large skillet. Add onions and season with salt and sugar. Reduce heat to as low as possible and cook onions slowly until they become a deep golden brown, stirring occasionally. You’ll be cooking these guys for about 3-4 hours.
Roast Beef Sandwich with Caramelized Onions
This is barely a recipe, but so delicious it’s well worth listing here. Layer these onions on foccacia with rare roast beef, fresh arugula, horseradish cheddar and mayo, salt and pepper. It’s lovely for the spice, particularly the peppery arugula playing up the sweetness of the onions. Yes!
Kitchen Soundtrack
Languishing in the kitchen by myself, I found myself thinking about the incredible movie “The Wackness” and ended up jonesing for some old Mary J (pronounced Murr J) and the song “Reminisce” – the irony is not lost on me.