Category Archives: Recipes

Appetizers and Small Plates, Friends Recipes and Hacks, Seafood Dishes

Har Gow (Steamed Shrimp Dumplings with Bamboo Shoots)

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I came across this recipe the other day in finding a cheaper way to nosh on the addictive Crystal Shrimp Dumplings from China Fun here in the city – the darn things are so delicious that when I eat them piping hot, the filling all falls out for lack of letting them sit and chill.  Waiting is overrated.

This recipe can be found on the lovely blog Rasa Malaysia – she has you make the dough in her recipe, but in the version pictured below I used the pre-made Yasoya Wonton Wrappers (available in most grocery stores where they keep the tofu).  Not 100% identical, but a heck of a lot easier, especially if you can’t get your hands on wheat and tapioca starch.  If you have an aversion to triangle-shaped har gow, use a round cookie cutter to make perfect wrappers of your own.  Fry the extra bits that you cut off and use as crispy noodles in some wonton or hot and sour soup.  Done and done.  Truthfully, though, the star of this recipe is the filling, particularly the luscious quality of the shrimp and bamboo shoots, so don’t go crazy with the wrappers.

Check out the recipe now >>

Meat Dishes, Recipes, Soups and Stews

Truffled Potato Soup with Chives

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Just as I take true joy in debunking the myth that real men don’t eat quiche, the same goes for soup.  A dish of champions, soup can be hearty and nourishing, but also light and luxe, all at the same time.  I love this soup because it’s the proverbial king of the aforementioned paradox – earthy potatoes are simmered with a homey stock, but then whipped to a smooth majesty of a soup.  The top is kissed with truffle oil – again, another fabulous palette paradox – the earthiness of the truffle essence is delivered via the clarity of the oil.  It’s all glorious, grand and a reminder that we shouldn’t waste a single second dining on anything less than awesome.

Truffled Potato Soup with Chives © Spice or Die

This soup, given that it is thick and hearty, is an excellent base for braised short ribs as well.  I first tried this soup in this manner at the Southern France-focused restaurant, Marseille, as a special plate to cut through the winter chill of the city.  You can still eat it as they served it – a soup with a few shreds of the glorious meat on top.  Or you can give in to your carnivorous proclivities and treat the soup like a pomme puree or elegant sauce to accompany the beef.  I guarantee that either which way you decide to go, you’ll have a rib-sticking meal for even the manliest of men.

Truffled Potato Soup with Chives

1 ham bone
2 stalks of celery
1 onion chopped
2 bay leaves
12 c. of water
4 tbs. of butter
3 tbs. of flour

7 c. of stock (from recipe above)
3 lbs. of yukon gold potatoes
salt and pepper
1/2 tsp. of white pepper
pinch of nutmeg
1 c. of cream
small bunch of chives
truffle oil

Begin by adding your ham bone, stalks of celery (tops and all), chopped onion, bay leaves and water to a large pot. Bring to a rolling boil and then lower heat to medium-high. Allow to cook away until the ham has completely fallen off the bone and the stock has reduced to about 7 cups of liquid – about 2 – 2 1/2 hours. Strain stock and discard all of the solids. Taste for salt and pepper and season accordingly. Set stock aside.

In a large pot, melt butter over low heat. Whisk in flour and cook roux for about a minute. Slowly whisk in strained stock so as to prevent lumps. Bring pot of liquid to a simmer.

While stock is simmering away, peel your potatoes and chop into cubes. Add your potatoes to the stock and bring it to a rolling boil. Add the white pepper and nutmeg. Cook until potatoes are incredibly tender when pierced with a fork, about 20 minutes. For a chunky soup, mash the potatoes with a potato masher. For a smooth soup, puree with a hand mixer or in a blender. If you use the blender, make sure to do so in batches and always put a kitchen towel over the lid. This’ll keep you from splattering hot soup all over yourself, which is never ever a good thing.

If you’ve blended your soup, return it to the pot. Stir in the cream and taste for salt and pepper one last time. Snip half of the chives into the soup and stir.  Ladle out the soup and top with additional snipped chives and a drizzle of truffle oil – white or black depending on what you can get your hands on.

Note

I call for yukon golds in this recipe, but plain old russets will do the trick as well.  For a real treat, try an heirloom potato – Marx Foods sells them in all colors and textures, many of which would be so very well-suited for this recipe.  Num num!

Cheese Dishes, Meat Dishes, Recipes, Soups and Stews

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

This potato soup recipe is a lot like a couple of the deluxe salad recipes that I’ve previously posted (see Sesame Mandarin Salad or Thai Chopped Salad) – it’s something that you’d expect to see at a family chain restaurant, but so much better because it has none of the chemicals and preservatives.  Just good ole homemade soup with a bevy of delicious accompaniments all to your liking.  If you love your comfort food without prepackaging, dyes and additives, then this recipe is for you!

The richness of this soup comes from a made-from-scratch, slow-simmered stock that utilizes a leftover ham bone and some savory veggies.  It’s a simple stock to make and is a wonderful use of that bone that folks so often chuck.  What a waste!  The depth of flavor is excellent, and the stock itself can be used in all sorts of recipes – pots of beans, split peas, and cajun dishes like gumbo are all vastly improved with the use of this stock.  Because ham tends to be a bit salty, I recommend that you check the stock for salt after it’s simmered down.

Making the stock is truly the most time-consuming part of this recipe, but nothing is labor intensive at all.  You basically let the stock boil away and go about your business.  Same with the potatoes – they cook on their own until velvety, requiring no additional assistance from you.  Good stuff!  The hardest thing you’ll have to do is decide how chunky or smooth you want it all to be – soooooooo hard, I know.  Speaking of smooth, for a high-brow version of this recipe, try out this Truffled Potato Soup.  Same process, only you’ll feel like you are riding in the car with the dude who requests Grey Poupon.  Bentleys and truffles for everyone!

The soup gets its name from the fact that once it’s finished, you get to embellish it just as you would a baked potato.  Bacon or ham, cheeses of all kinds, scallions and chives, even a dollop of sour cream – all make delicious toppings.  Choose what suits you and tuck in to a hearty bowl of deliciousity.  Yup, deliciousity.

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

1 ham bone
2 stalks of celery
1 onion chopped
2 bay leaves
12 c. of water

4 tbs. of butter
3 tbs. of flour
7 c. of stock (from recipe above)
3 lbs. of russet potatoes
salt and pepper
1/2 tsp. of white pepper
pinch of nutmeg
1 c. of cream
1 c. of sharp cheddar
1 tbs. of caraway seeds

1/4 of cheese for sprinkling
sliced scallions (optional)
croutons (optional)
crumbled bacon or chunks of ham (optional)
dollop of sour cream (optional)

Begin by adding your ham bone, stalks of celery (tops and all), chopped onion, bay leaves and water to a large pot.  Bring to a rolling boil and then lower heat to medium-high.  Allow to cook away until the ham has completely fallen off the bone and the stock has reduced to about 7 cups of liquid – about 2 – 2 1/2 hours.  Strain stock and discard all of the solids.  Taste for salt and pepper and season accordingly.  Set stock aside.

In a large pot, melt butter over low heat.  Whisk in flour and cook roux for about a minute.  Slowly whisk in strained stock so as to prevent lumps.  Bring pot of liquid to a simmer.

While stock is simmering away, peel your potatoes and chop into cubes.  Add your potatoes to the stock and bring it to a rolling boil.  Add the white pepper and nutmeg.  Cook until potatoes are incredibly tender when pierced with a fork, about 20 minutes.  For a chunky soup, mash the potatoes with a potato masher.  For a smooth soup, puree with a hand mixer or in a blender.  If you use the blender, make sure to do so in batches and always put a kitchen towel over the lid.  This’ll keep you from splattering hot soup all over yourself, which is never ever a good thing.

If you’ve blended your soup, return it to the pot.  Stir in the cream, sharp cheddar and caraway seeds.  Once cheese has melted into the soup, taste for salt and pepper one last time.  Serve with your toppings of choice.

 

Note

For those looking to save time, use premade chicken stock and start cooking at the point where you make a roux from the butter and flour.  Just make sure to warm your stock in a separate pot before adding to the roux.  For vegetarians, leave out the ham stock and replace with vegetable stock (homemade or store-bought), making sure to follow the same process as for the chicken broth just mentioned.

Appetizers and Small Plates, Impressive Dishes, Meat Dishes, Recipes

Pan-Fried Pork and Chive Dumplings (Jiao Zi)

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The pork and chive dumplings you get in Chinatown here in NYC usually involve the thin skinned wrappers and garlic chives, a flat, milder flavored variety.  Because these can be hard to come by, I’ve modified this recipe to use a small amount of regular chives, some cilantro and a couple bunches of scallions. I use a traditional jiao zi wrapper made out of a cold water dough, making these heartier and more robust that the usual pork and chive dumplings.

Jiao Zi © Spice or Die

For something a little lighter, use thinner pre-made dumpling wrappers (found in Asian Supermarkets) and cook like traditional potstickers. Basically, you steam the dumplings in a covered skillet with 1/4 to a 1/2 c. of water and a few drops of oil until the water evaporates and the bottoms crisp up.  Hence the name “potstickers” – I know, sometimes the world just makes a whole lot of sense, doesn’t it?  For a great potsticker recipe from start to finish, check out my good friend Chef Tim Ma’s Pan Fried Pork and Chive Potstickers.

The best part of this recipe, and all homemade dumplings, is that the quality is much higher than what you’ll find at restaurants and dumpling joints.  You control exactly what is added to the little delicacies, and you still end up keeping the price down.  Fresh ingredients at a low price is a hard thing to come by these days, so definitely celebrate a little when you tuck into a plate of these bad boys.

Pan-Fried Pork and Chive Jiao Zi

4 c. of flour
1 1/4 c. of ice water
1/2 tsp. of salt

3/4 lbs. of ground pork
2-3 raw shrimp, minced (optional)
1/4 c. of water
1/2 in. of ginger, minced
1 tsp. of cornstarch
2 tbs. of soy sauce
2 tsp. of sherry
2 tsp. of sesame oil
1/2 tsp. of salt
4 tsp. of sugar
3 bunches of scallions, finely chopped
1 small bunch of cilantro (10-15 stems with leaves), minced
1 small bunch of chives (the plastic pack from the store is fine)

Start by making the dough for the wrappers.  Add the four cups of flour to a bowl along with the salt.  Slowly stream in water, stirring as you go and making sure not to put any actual ice cubes in the mixture.  Add only enough water to get the dough to hold together – if it gets too sticky, add a bit more flour.  Knead dough until silky and elastic (about 5-8 minutes) and then wrap with plastic and let chill in the fridge.

Mix all ingredients (except for scallions, cilantro, chives and water) until smooth and a little stringy, making sure to stir all in the same direction.  Next, stream your water into the mixture in small amounts, stirring in between each addition.  Lastly, add the scallions, cilantro and chives and stir again.  Set aside.

Break out your dough and pinch a chunk off the size of a clementine.  Run the dough through a pasta roller or roll out by hand to about 1/4 in. thick.  Cut out 3-4 in. circles using a cookie cutter or the mouth of a large cup (I use one of my hubby’s beer steins).  Place a heaping teaspoon of filling onto the wrapper and pleat the edges to close.  Set aside on a floured cookie sheet.  Continue to fill the dumplings until you run out of filling or dough – whichever comes first.

Fill a large pot with water and set to boil.  When the water is ready, plunk in about 8-12 dumplings and watch the water go from a boil to a simmer.  Let the water come back to a boil and then pour in a rough cup and a half of cold water.  Let the water come to a boil again and then add cold water a second time.  Let the pot come to a boil one last time and then remove dumplings from the water with a slotted spoon.  Repeat until you’ve cooked all of the dumplings that you could possibly eat in one sitting.

Serve with Sweet Soy Dipping Sauce.

Note

For a different taste, pick up the thin, round pre-made dumpling wrappers from your local asian market.  You can even use the wonton wrappers found in the deli aisle of the regular grocery store, and cut the squares into rounds with a ring mold.  Fill your dumplings and set aside on a floured cookie sheet.  Add 3-4 tbs. of cooking oil to a skillet and turn on high.  As the pan warms up, place the dumplings, seam side up, in the pan one next to another.  When the pan is super hot and the oil starts to sizzle (a few minutes), add about 1/2 c. of water to your pan.  Immediately cover to trap the whaft of steam that arises when you add the water to the hot pan.  Cook until the water has evaporated and the bottoms of the dumplings crisp up.

Baked Goods, Cheese Dishes, Low Brow Treats, Main Courses, Pasta Dishes, Recipes, Vegetarian Dishes

Southern-Style Mac and Cheese

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I grew up below the Mason-Dixon line, which often manifests itself in my love of good, Southern cooking and a tendency to say “y’all” when I get angry or excited.  As such, on occasion you can find me whipping up dishes that get a low brow reputation, but are truly high in deliciousity.  And/or high in calories, but whatever to that.  The hardest decision one should have to make when tucking into comfort food is whether the Country Fried Steak should come with scrambled eggs and grits or mashed potatoes and corn.

Southern-Style Mac and Cheese © Spice or Die

Down south mac and cheese is all about the simple ingredients – no artisan cheese blends here.  Just straight cheddar, jack and velveeta to round things out.  The recipe is similar in preparation to my classic (more upscale) baked mac and cheese, with the exception of the velveeta to round out the sauce.  The pasta softens right up in the bubbly, creamy goodness and comes out so gorgeous, Aretha Franklin herself would sing bars of joy over a bite or two.  And I don’t just say that because we used to share the same last name…

Southern-Style Mac and Cheese

1 lb. of elbow macaroni
4 tbs. of butter
4 tbs. of flour
1 grated shallot, juices and all
4 c. of whole milk
2 tsp. of salt
1/8 tsp. of paprika
1/4 tsp. of black pepper
1/8 tsp. of white pepper
2 tsp. of worchestershire sauce
1 tsp. of deli mustard
pinch of cayenne pepper
10 oz. of velveeta, cubed
2 c. of sharp cheddar, shredded
2 c. of colby jack, shredded
1/2 c. of plain bread crumbs
1/4 tsp. of paprika
1/4 tsp. of black pepper
1/4 tsp. of garlic powder

Preheat oven to 400°. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until al dente and drain.

While pasta is boiling, make your sauce. In a large sized pot, melt your butter on medium-low heat. Add the grated shallot and stir. Whisk the flour into the butter to form a smooth paste.  Add the cubes of velveeta and allow to melt.  Slowly add the milk in a steady stream, whisking the whole time to prevent lumps. Add the salt, paprika, black pepper, white pepper, worchestershire sauce, mustard and cayenne. Turn up heat and continue whisking until sauce thickens. Turn off the heat and add the 2 c. of cheese and whisk until melted.

Dump macaroni into a buttered 13x9x2 inch pan, pour the sauce over the pasta and stir.  Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. In a small bowl, mix the 2 cups of colby jack, panko, paprika, black pepper and garlic powder. Top the macaroni with the cheese mixture. Turn the oven up to 500° and bake for another 5 minutes or until the top is bubbly and golden. Let sit for 4-5 minutes and then serve.

Baked Goods, Cakes, Pies and Tarts, Desserts, Easy to Prepare, Recipes, Vegetarian Dishes

Sweet Tomato Tart

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Tomato lovers rejoice, for now you can celebrate these delicious orbs of sweet majesty at all meals.  This is truly the ultimate tomato dessert given that a) there aren’t too many others in competition and b) it is as simple as it is wondrous.  “Tomatoes for dessert?!?” you scoff.  What better way to enjoy the sweetness of a tomato than in a simple tart brushed with currant jam until a rich, garnet color and then baked just enough to release the natural juices and crisp up the delicious tart crust?  You’re welcome.

Sweet Tomato Tart © Spice or Die

I first had this dessert with my mom at the restaurant Tosca in DC, and after the first bite, we totally understood how commonsensical it was to use tomatoes for dessert, particularly heirlooms.  For those that don’t know – there are two main types of tomatoes: heirlooms and hybrids.  Hybrids are the most common – they grown all year round and produce several crops of tomatoes throughout the growing season.  The tomatoes (and sorry if I am getting dorky here) are created through self-pollination, meaning that a farmer/scientist/botanist/whatever can control what specific traits that the tomato’s offspring will harbor.  This has resulted in hardy, disease-fighting tomatoes that can be enjoyed whenever and wherever.

The rarer heirloom tomato is created through open-pollination, as occurs in nature – bees and other pollinators pass on genetic traits from various types of tomatoes, resulting in wild cross breeds that are hard to genetically track and control.  The tomatoes come in wild arrays of colors, shapes and sizes, and typically only give off a single crop per growing season.  They can be bumpy, even ugly on the outside (some grocery stores actually call them “ugly tomatoes”, but cut into one and you’ll find the juiciest, sweetest flesh that you could possibly imagine.  These are the tomatoes that make people fall in love with them.  They are our oldest tomatoes as well – many of the strains were grown by the indigenous peoples of not only the continent of North America, but also around the world.

For this recipe, I encourage you to go out and find some heirloom tomatoes that look special to you – pick a fun color like the dark purple of a Black Krim, or the sunshine bright Brandywine Yellow.  You could even try one of the striped varieties for a best-of-both-worlds situation.  They’re really worth a trip to the Farmer’s Market just to check them out.  Of course, if you can’t find heirlooms, you can absolutely make this tart with a juicy, meaty hybrid tomato – just find the best ones available and treat them lovingly when assembling the tart.  It’s all good at the end of the day!

 

Sweet Tomato Tart

1 pie crust (can also use puff pastry)
2 medium-sized heirloom tomatoes (any color, can also use hybrid)
5 tbs. of red currant jam
4 tbs. of raw sugar (can substitute light brown sugar)

Preheat your oven to 400°.

Slice tomatoes as paper-thin as possible (thick tomatoes won’t cook properly) and carefully lay them on a paper towel to dry them a bit.  You’ll want enough slices to cover the pie crust in one even, semi-overlapping layer.

In a small saucepan over medium low heat, melt the currant jam.  If the jam has pieces of currants in it, strain them out.  You can actually save these little currant pieces as a topping for ice cream or a sweet treat.  I actually use them like caviar (ha!) on top of a cracker spread with my mock boursin cheese recipe for a little taste of sweet and savory combined.

Roll your pie crust out into a 9″ tart pan, making sure not to tear any holes.  Lay your tomatoes out on the crust in overlapping concentric circles, making sure that the whole thing is pretty and even.  Using a pastry brush, apply a generous layer of the melted currant jam over the tomatoes.  Sprinkle the sugar on top.

Place the tart in the oven and bake until the crust is golden and the tomatoes are bubbly and a lovely red, about 15-20 minutes.  Let rest until warm and serve with ice cream – maybe a lovely scoop of basil gelato?

Desserts, Ice Cream and Sorbet, Impressive Dishes, Recipes, Vegetarian Dishes

Basil Ice Cream (Basil Gelato)

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I feel like we all need more awe-inspiring, eyes of wonder moments in our lives.  Moments when, on a total leap of faith, our handiwork comes together in majestic ways.  I have to say that, for me, making ice cream for the first time was a blissful moment of awe.  I trusted that my uber-creamy, eggy base would taste good.  I trusted that I had left my ice cream maker attachment in the freezer long enough.  I even trusted that I made the right decision to simply get a KitchenAid mixer attachment rather than a CuisineArt ICE50BS Supreme Ice Cream Maker for a whopping $200+ dollars, as per David Lebovitz.  A little pricey, mister.  And my KitchenAid attachment has yet to fail me.  Case in point, my recipe for Strawberry Frozen Yogurt was a KILLER – so good that I can’t post it yet because my darling husband ate every last bit of it before I could snap a picture.  In the words of Ron Burgundy, “How’d you do that? I’m not even mad…that’s amazing.”

Basil Gelato © Spice or Die

I decided to make a batch of basil ice cream because I am a fan of not only the glory of the celebration of the sweetness of basil, but mainly because of the polarizing nature of this dessert.  It’s a love it or hate it kind of thing.  Maybe for the folks that try it and hate it (my best friend Kate’s mom, Dennis eating Strawberry Fro-Yo and leaving all of this behind in the freezer), they’d need to give it a few chances.  It’s different, yes.  But it is so so very good. Eyes of wonder good.

I first tasted basil ice cream at a special birthday dinner with my mom – I decided to take her to Tosca in DC for her celebration, just the two of us.  She had fallen in love with the place after we took my sister there for her graduation celebration.  The place is gorgeous – uber-minimalist and luxe, bringing your focus directly to the food.  My mom is an August baby, so when we went, they were serving a special tomato menu, celebrating the glorious heirlooms available during that small window of time in the summer that you feast like a king, nay, a tomato demi-god.  So what do they close the meal with?  A sweet tomato tart with basil gelato.  Go through the mental checklist with me: tomatoes and basil go together? Check.  Tomatoes can be sweet? Check. Basil can be sweet? Check.  It was a go on all counts.  And kids, the final result was one etched in my brain on the short list of tastes I’ll never, ever forget.  I swoon just remembering that very first bite.

It was inevitable that I’d make it for myself someday, and once again inevitable that I’d share it with you.  Definitely tuck into this with the tomato tart as well, if you want the full experience, but know that this is a treat all by itself.

Basil Ice Cream (Basil Gelato)

3 c. of basil leaves
2 c. of heavy cream
2 c. of whole milk
1 c. of sugar
2 vanilla beans
1 pinch of kosher salt
12 egg yolks

Bring a small pot of water to a boil.  While the water comes to a boil, take a large bowl and fill with cold water and 6-8 ice cubes.  Plunk the basil leaves into the boiling water and stir for about a minute and then drain and place into the ice bath to shock the leaves.  Let them hang out in the ice water for a bit while you prep the creamy good stuff.

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, add the milk, heavy cream, sugar, and kosher salt.  Using a paring knife, carefully split the vanilla beans in half and scrape the black pasty goodness in the middle of the bean into the cream.  Add the whole beans to the milk as well once they’ve been scraped.  Bring the mixture to a slow simmer, making sure not to let it boil.  Once simmering, continue to cook for 2-3 minutes.

Drain the basil leaves and add to a blender along with a cup of the hot cream mixture, making sure not to include any of the vanilla bean pods.  Place the lid on the blender and a towel over the lid to prevent a hot, sticky splatter from the blended cream.  Blend on high until smooth and then strain mixture back into the rest of the cream using a fine strainer or chinois.

Set up a double boiler – you want a metal bowl for the top that fits over a pot on the bottom.  You want to add enough water to the bottom so that it will easily boil without touching the bottom of the top pot.  Wikipedia has a diagram of it that hilariously looks like it was drawn in MS Paint, but gets the point across.

While the bottom pot of the double boiler is coming to a boil, work off the heat and take your top pot and separate 12 egg yolks into the bowl.  Beat until pale golden and smooth and then slowly add a cup of the hot cream, whisking the entire time to keep the mixture smooth and prevent the egg from scrambling.  Set the pot over the now boiling water and continuously whisk in the rest of the cream.  Discard the vanilla pods, or clean them off and reuse them to flavor sugar or coffee – Marx Foods actually has a huge list of suggestions of what to do with the pods.  Keep on whisking until the mixture thickens and the ice cream base can coat the back of a spoon.  Turn off the heat.  Strain the mixture into a large bowl and let the base cool in the fridge.

Once cooled, pour the ice cream base into your ice cream maker and follow your manufacturer’s instructions.  When finished, remove to a tupperware and freeze for a little bit to allow the ice cream to solidify a bit more.  Serve to people with curious palettes looking to try a little something special.

Appetizers and Small Plates, Recipes, Sauces and Condiments, Vegan Dishes, Vegetarian Dishes

Rosemary Chili Oil

Bread and butter is really a lot more elegant than we treat it as, kids.  It’s a fine marriage between savory, sweet, crusty, doughy, chewy, pliable goodness.  It comes in infinite permutations, such as a few of my favorites – poblano cheddar bread (from Best Buns in Arlington, VA) with Normandy beurre, or a crusty baguette with a slathering of lavender infused oil and butter.  Both are divine, but require a trip to DC or Marseille (the restaurant in NYC, not the city, although I wouldn’t mind…)  For my money, and for the sheer ease to reward ratio, I’m a fan of the infused oil with whatever artisan bread I can get my hands on easily.

Infused oils aren’t complicated – cheap oil works and just about any dry herb or spice can be used.  Just make sure to follow a few rules.  One – really and truly don’t include garlic in making your homemade oils unless you are going to consume them immediately.  Garlic, being a lovely root that grows in the earth, harbors tons of bacteria that would love to thrive in a bath of olive oil.  And voilá, you’ve got some botulism on your hands.  No es frio.  Some folks say that if you acidulate the oil and refrigerate it, you are in business.  I don’t leave my tummy up to fate.  If you want your oil to be garlicky, try muddling your finished oil with fresh or roasted garlic before serving.  Or, for the true infused garlic oil experience, just buy some from a licensed supplier who will guarantee you a botulism-free experience.  This is just a reminder that all cooking is chemistry, and while most chemistry mistakes in the kitchen will result in bad tasting food, some will actually result in illness.  Improperly infused garlic oil is one of those mistakes.

Secondly, as much as it looks gorgeous to store your oil on the counter, I’d advise you to keep it in the fridge.  It’ll last longer, stay fresher, and again, no risk of contaminants.

Lastly, I call for thai chilies in this recipe, that when you grind them, create a bit of pepper dust.  This in turn, if inhaled, will give you a few coughs.  Be careful with that.  Don’t breath in too much when you are transferring the pepper to the oil.  If you want to play it safe, use a milder chili like an ancho or pasilla.  Or use pre-crushed red pepper and avoid the dust altogether.  Likewise, you can go hotter as well – habanero or ghost chilies even.  Just be careful as you work with them, because they can be vicious.

This oil is lovely as the preface for a rustic italian meal – mix a few tablespoons of oil with a pinch of kosher salt and some chopped garlic and use it as a dip for focaccia or ciabatta.  You can also use a few tablespoons as the basis for sauces and dressings.

Recipe for

Rosemary Chili Oil

Ingredients
16.9 oz. bottle of olive oil
1/3 c. of thai chilies
3 sprigs of rosemary
1 sprig of thyme

In a spice grinder or food processor, grind chilies and herbs together.  I like to use a food processor so that everything gets a rather rough chop.  Using a cooking thermometer, heat oil in a heavy pan until 200°.  Carefully pour the chilies into the oil and let cook at 200° for 4-5 minutes.  Turn the heat off and let the herbs and chilies continue to infuse the oil as it cools to room temperature.

Pour into a clean bottle and store in the fridge for up to a week.

Beverages and Cocktails, Recipes

Sleepy Arnold Palmers (Lemonade and Valerian Iced Tea)

Maybe it’s because I live in the city that never sleeps (where the night owls feel an exceptional need to shout at each other from under my window), but I’m becoming a big fan of dreamless sleep.  My favorite, in lieu of a nightcap of Tylenol PM, is a soothing cup of Celestial Seasonings Sleepy Time Tea.  I usually don’t touch CS tea – it’s like the Dinty Moore Beef Stew of the tea aisle.  Sleepy Time, though, is a whole ‘nother story.  Enriched with chamomile and valerian extract, it manages to tuck me in at night and mute the sounds of the city outside.  It’s rather glorious – especially coming from a girl of the suburbs who remembers fireflies and crickets as harbingers of night, not sirens and car alarms.

Sleepy Arnold Palmers (Lemonade and Valerian Iced Tea) © Spice or Die

This is my summertime ode to the dreamless sleep – a deliciously crisp and cool cocktail that blends fresh lemonade and iced Sleepy Time.  A glass or two, and you’ll feel like you’re swinging away in a hammock without a care in the world.  And yes, it works, so please drink this after the chores are done.  Like most of my drinks, this one is sweetened with a simple syrup – it makes the drink blend together so perfectly, it’s really worth the extra effort.  This particular syrup gets its glory from a mint infusion – yet another layer of flavor before naptime.

Recipe for

Sleepy Arnold Palmers (Lemonade and Valerian Iced Tea)

Ingredients
1 c. of mint simple syrup (recipe below)
4 bags of Celestial Seasoning Sleepytime Tea
2 c. of water
6 lemons
more water

Heat the two cups of water to a boil and then pour into a pitcher.  Add the tea bags, cover, and let steep for a half an hour.  Remove bags and let tea sit until at room temperature.  Squeeze in the juice of six lemons and add water to make 2 quarts.  Sweeten with a cup of simple syrup (adding more or less to taste).  Stir well and chill.  Serve with lemon wheels and enjoy the restful time that ensues.

Mint Simple Syrup
1 c. of water
1 c. of sugar
1 bunch of mint

Bring all ingredients to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes.  Turn off and strain into a tupperware.  Pop in the fridge to chill before using.

Appetizers and Small Plates, Cheese Dishes, Recipes, Vegetarian Dishes

Creamy Feta Spread

Looking back on my cooking proclivities, I realize that many of my best recipes were created in that tender moment when you curse the heavens at your lack of preparation and guests on the way.  What the hell are you gonna make?  A couple of weeks ago, our good buddy Chris came over to pre-game before he and Dennis went to the Yankee game.  I don’t know what it is, but I feel strange having people in my house without at least a nibble or a treat to offer them.  Tough stuff when there is pretty much nothing awesome in the fridge.  This was born of a surplus of cream cheese (after buying double by accident for a batch of cupcakes) and a pack of feta cheese.  I decided to whip the two together with garlic and herbs and serve the whole mess on Triscuits.  Majesty.

Creamy Feta Spread © Spice or Die

Similar to my fake-me-out Boursin recipe, this dip is a lot more impressive in taste than it’s humble ingredients.  Lemon zest and garlic and depth of flavor and brightness, and olive oil smooths everything into a spreadable delight.  Serve this with crackers, toast points or crudité.  Or slice grilled chicken breasts in half and slather a bit in the middle for a yummy dinner.  Whatever you do, don’t fuss too much because I certainly didn’t when I put it together the first time.

Creamy Feta Spread

1 pkg. of cream cheese (or neufchatel)
4 oz. of feta
1 clove of garlic
1 tsp of black pepper
1 tsp of white pepper
1/2 tbs. of herbes des provence
1 tsp of lemon zest
1 tbs. of olive oil

Put garlic, pepper, herbs, zest and olive oil in the food processor and blend until finely chopped.  Add feta and blend until crumbled.  Add cream cheese and blend until smooth.  Transfer to a bowl and chill in the fridge.  Serve.