Let me teach you guys a magic trick. How’d you like to learn how to take some old cans in your pantry and elevate the contents to heavenly bites of goodness? This white bean bruschetta is downright dirty in its simplicity – crack open a can of white beans, toss with a fresh vinaigrette of lemon, rosemary and garlic, and slather the deliciousness on toasted crostini. Continue reading White Bean Bruschetta with Rosemary and Lemon
Yes, it’s an actual consortium. I started it as an excuse to convince myself that anything that I put greek yogurt on is immediately transformed into food that is healthy and restorative. I’m about to test my theory on a gyro platter with extra french fries.
This recipe is for days when tzatziki is far too great a challenge for you. Not that tzatziki is all that hard to make, but when I have even less in the fridge than I need for that, I turn to this shallot yogurt. Worst case scenario, I’ll used dried mint and *cringe* dried parsley to make it happen and never look back. If you DO have fresh mint and parsley, though, this one is beyond a delight, providing refreshing coolness to whatever you deign to serve with it. Continue reading Shallot Yogurt Dip
This recipe comes to us from the extraordinary Devaki Das, a fellow food blogger and lover of global cuisine. You can read more about her in this interview, and visit her site for myriad drool-worthy recipes at Weave a Thousand Flavors. Just promise me that if you cook any of her food, invite me over for dinner. She is a master of her craft! Continue reading Dev’s Roasted Apple, Brie & Thyme Soup
Despite my undying love for New York City and all of its glories, I hate that sunshine there is at a premium. With much of the year swathed in gray, there’s something endlessly appealing about the 364 days of sunshine that Phoenix has to offer. I’ll probably never truly fit in here on the left coast (I’m an out-and-out East coast ex-pat, who bleeds 100% DC love when cut), but lemme just say that when Cali kids speak of their junkie-esque need for light on the regular, I kind of get it. My move out here to the lawless desert has provided me with blissful sunshine and true blue skies that could cure the seasonally depressed in an instant, and I’m totally hooked.
Nothing speaks more to my adjustment to the bright perfection out here in AZ than my urges to whip up all sorts of cold salads. From chilled pastas and crisp veggies sopping up vinaigrettes, to a simple toss of fresh berries, splashes of liquer and a chiffonade of mint, these chilled dishes keep my kitchen cool and my mood light. Tabbouleh is a favorite of mine – this herby salad is a quick accompaniment to grilled meats, a homey companion on a mezze platter of hummus and olives, or a throw together potluck favorite that pairs up with any and everything on the buffet line. Best of all, it’s a throw-together dish that is forgiving in terms of time – you can prep it ahead or even serve it right away. Arabic for “little spicy,” tabbouleh is the marriage of tart, spicy, savory and sweet – all that you want for a cool summer supper. Continue reading Simple Tabbouleh
Risotto is one of those dishes that when I see on chefy shows on tv, I perennially call shenanigans. I have made many a stunning risotto in my day, and every single stinking one of them became glorious from the sheer amount of love (read: time) that was poured into the dish. A good risotto required at least a half an hour of my attention and stirring, a goodly amount of time spent prepping the ingredients beforehand and guests ready to tuck in immediately while its piping hot. As such, I only ever made for risotto for folks I truly loved (meaning that if you HAVE had my risotto, you can bet your cutie bootie I adore having you in my life). So the thought that risotto could share a plate with any other dish, and as a side item at that, was preposterous to me.
Fast forward a bit to the day that Santa Claus decided to bring me a pressure cooker. I was giddy at first, then frustrated with getting my new baby to do my bidding, but shortly thereafter, head over heels in love. I mastered the darn thing with no true hiccups and questioned why I hadn’t used one sooner. It was a dream! As a means of learning more about it, I turned to the queen of pressure cooking, Lorna Sass. As I poured through her book, Cooking Under Pressure, I found the traditional bevy of stews and braises alongside surprises such as meatloaf and bread pudding. There in the mix, I also found a recipe for risotto that purported the cooking time at under 10 minutes! And, even crazier, no stirring! I felt as if the world had been turned on its head a la Alice in Wonderland – what was this whimsically nonsensical recipe? And how could I wield it in my cooking arsenal?
This recipe below is based on my pressure cooker risotto experiments, and the result is mind-blowingly good. Yes, it takes only 10 minutes to cook. Yes, it frees you from 45 minutes of straight elbow grease. And yes, it’s simple enough to serve as a side. The only problem I now have is finding a dish complicated enough to cook for the folks I love for them alone. I’m fine with going on a bit of a culinary hunt for a challenge. But in the meantime, I’ll be whipping up this risotto.
Ingredients
1 c. of dried mixed mushrooms (porcini, chanterelle, shitake, hen of the woods or morels)
5 c. of chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 c. of dry white wine
1/2 c. of chopped onions
2 tbs. of butter
2 tbs. of olive oil
1 1/2 c. of arborio rice
3/4 c. of grated locatelli
1/4 tsp. of white pepper
salt to taste
4 tbs. of chopped chives
Bring 2 c. of chicken stock to a boil. Add the dried mushrooms and cover. Let sit for about 20 minutes, allowing the mushrooms to rehydrate. Drain the liquid off of the mushrooms and reserve. Pour the liquid into a quart measuring cup and add enough additional stock to make 3 1/2 cups.
Melt the butter and olive oil in a pressure cooker and add the onions. Cook for about a minute or until softened and then add the rice. Cook rice until slightly translucent. Add the wine and cook until absorbed completely. Add 3 1/2 cups of stock and white pepper. Lock the lid on the pressure cooker and bring up to high pressure. Cook for 5 minutes and then use a quick release method to bring pressure back to normal. Open the lid and return pot to the burner. Taste the rice for doneness and stir to allow the last remaining stock to be absorbed by the rice. If the rice is chewy and the stock has all been absorbed, add a little extra stock and continue to cook until the rice is tender. Stir in the cheese and taste for salt. Sprinkle with the chives and serve immediately.
If you do not have a pressure cooker and would like to make this recipe, use the same ingredients, but follow the instructions for Rock Shrimp Risotto.
The lovely leek is a tricky little bugger. While its cousin, the onion, smells fragrant and marvelous immediately upon entering the pan filled with butter or olive oil, the leek can be downright funky. But the patient are always rewarded for their efforts, and the leeks become luscious and silken if you let them hang out and do their thing. Crown this glory with white truffle oil and breadcrumbs toasted with a little butter and you are in for a real treat. Continue reading Potato Leek Soup
I don’t know what it is, but whenever I think of pao de queijo, I think of my mother. In that she is the first generation on her mother’s side born outside of Brazil, she made a big deal about passing on the culture and heritage of our ancestors down to my sister and I. For the two of us, culture always related to the kitchen in some way, shape or form, and the true “mother” of heritage came in the Brazilian feast, feijoada completa. A celebration through and through, feijoada completa meant cherished guests and many, many plates and platters on the table, all marks of a few days of cooking in order to stage all of the dishes. It was some kind of special, and the meal kicked off with a special treat – pao de queijo. Translated into English, it literally means “cheese bread,” but make no mistake – these babies are so much more. Made of tapioca flour and crumbly, salty cheese, they more closely resemble cheese puffs than actual bread. Eaten fresh from the oven, we noshed happily while waiting for the rest of the feast to come together (usually waiting for the white rice to finish cooking or for dad to put the final touches on the greens).
Interestingly enough, my mom’s a french professor, and over the years my sister and I have become mini-francophiles by association. My sister even downplays the influences from over the years, cracking jokes in a perfect French accent. Petite Beurre cookies and homemade madeleines were just as much a part of our kitchen as Brazilian specialties. In a complete and total cultural blend, our beloved pao de queijo held many of the same characteristics as the classic French cheese puffs, gougère. The little treats, made of gruyere or comte cheese, were savory, chewy and airy just like their Brazilian cousins. An apropos association, if I do say so myself.
Because pao de queijo are traditionally made with a cooked dough called a pâté choux, the old school recipe can be a bit daunting. In fact, we often purchased the frozen variety from specialty markets for quick snacking. But when my mom turned me on to a blender version, I tried it out with great success and haven’t looked back since. In fact, the hardest part of the recipe is tracking down the tapioca flour, which is barely a challenge in that not only Whole Foods, but most regular grocery stores carry the stuff under the Bob’s Red Mill brand. I’ve had the most success with making the batter and baking these guys pretty much right when I have the craving to snack away. I’ve also had excellent success with a 24 mini-cup muffin tin – it allows a mess of pao de queijo to be baked all at once for aggressive snacking. And, as you know, aggressive snacking is what we were all born to do.
Ingredients
1 egg
1 1/3 c. of tapioca flour
2/3 c. of whole milk
1/3 c. of olive oil
6 oz. of queso fresco, crumbled
1 tsp. of salt
1/8 tsp. of white pepper
Preheat the oven to 400°. In a blender, add the egg, milk, olive oil, salt, queso fresco and white pepper. Put the tapioca flour on top and blend on low until mostly mixed. Scrape down the flour on the sides of the blender and blitz again on low. Pour batter into greased muffin tin and bake for 20 minutes or until puffy and golden. Serve immediately.
My alma mater was pretty awesome all around, but the cafeteria was a different story. Not exactly the paramount of culinary majesty, let’s just say that I was uber-happy to have a kitchen in my dorm room for my junior and senior year. The cafeteria was certainly manageable if you knew exactly what you liked that was safe to eat – limited salad bar, yes but grilled cheese and cheese fries, no. On my safe list was a broccoli frittata made on weekends for breakfast – they doled out huge spoonfuls of fluffy eggs, broccoli, shredded carrot and cheddar cheese. For a cafeteria where cheerios and milk could prove dangerous, I adored the broccoli frittata.
Years later, jonesing for that good ol’ recipe, I came across a similar version on the Whole Foods website. Who knew? Maybe my school wasn’t so bad after all! Or at least whomever was making the broccoli frittata back there in the kitchen was holding it down. This recipe is uber-simple and works well hot or warm, so break it out for a breakfast, lunch or brunch option. It also holds up with other varieties of veggies, so feel free to raid your produce bin for other stars of the frittata.
Ingredients
2 crowns of broccoli
1/4 c. of chopped onion or shallots
2 tbs of butter
1 c. of milk
1 c. of cheddar
1/2 c. of swiss
pinch of nutmeg
1/2 tsp. of salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. of white pepper
6 eggs
1/4 c. of flour
Chop up the broccoli and shallots (or onions) finely – I do mine in the food processor. Sauté the veggies in butter in a frying pan until tender, about 2-3 minutes. Set aside and allow to cool slightly.
In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs, milk, salt, black pepper, white pepper, flour and nutmeg until smooth. Stir in the broccoli mixture, cheddar cheese and swiss cheese. Turn out into a greased baking pan, 13x9x2 for a thin frittata or a 9×3 inch round pan for a thicker frittata, on 350° for 25-30 minutes, or until set in the middle. Let rest for 5 minutes before cutting.
I know what you’re thinking, folks, “Really, Angela? Vegetarian chili?” But you must, must, must try this, die hard meat eater or no. My father, who I am sure is 99% dinosaur (and I’m talking the T-Rex variety) loves this chili like no other, and he doesn’t give out the compliments for non-meat dishes lightly. He’ll even eat this straight up as a main course with not a bit of meat on the side. If that ain’t a testament to quality, then I don’t know what is.
My dad scored this recipe for my sister, Lexi, who then passed it to me. It utilizes veggie crumbles, found in the frozen food section with the meatless entrees and veggie burgers. A solid number of veggies and beer help round out the flavor for a chili that won’t for one second make you miss beef. Dress it up with some shredded cheddar or sour cream and you are in business. It true slacker mode, I have eaten this cold with Fritos scoops and guess what? Still delicious.
PS. This was the first time that my sister had ever been in the kitchen with me for a photo shoot for the blog. She laughed at how small the plate was that I took the macro photo from. Even though I have a bigger kitchen now and more natural light, I still shoot small like I did in NYC in the itty, bitty kitchen with not a bit of sunshine to illuminate my food. This photo above is her demo of the scale of the photo shoot, and not the amount of chili that I gave her as her ration. She ate two full bowls, thank you very much.
Ingredients
4 tbs. of olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
3 stalks of celery, finely choped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 bottle of beer
1 can of vegetable stock
2 bay leaves
1 can of black beans, drained
1 can of pinto beans, drained
1 can of light kidney beans or pink beans, drained
2 large cans of diced tomatoes (can use 3 cans of Ro-Tel for extra kick)
1 c. of spicy salsa
1 handful of tortilla chips, crushed
1/4 c. of chili powder
1 tsp. of garlic powder
1 tsp. of oregano
salt and pepper
In a large pot or dutch oven, heat olive oil. Add the vegetables and sauté until translucent. Pour in the beer, the stock and the bay leaves and let simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated. Stir in the veggie crumbles and let warm while you start opening cans.
Add the beans, tomatoes and salsa and stir. Mix in the crushed tortilla chips, chili powder, garlic powder and oregano. Let simmer for about 10 minutes and then taste for salt and pepper. You can amp up the heat with hot sauce or cayenne pepper if things are too tame.
Serve chili with shredded cheese, chopped onion and diced jalapeno.
I got your memo. The one about wanting to have more time for your various hobbies (costume-making for squirrels, jetskiing in ascots and sweet dance moves) all the while still being able to dine like a king. Well, how about artisan tasting ravioli on a trailer park budget and minimal cooking knowledge. I’m talking basic – like let your kids take care of this one. Come to think of it, it’d be even better to use that cheap labor and get back to the garden gnome sculpting with full force. But I digress…
This recipe leverages a few key ingredients to simplify the whole process and keep the taste profile elite. Wonton wrappers take the place of hand-rolled pasta, and canned pumpkin replaces freshly roasted (and time-consuming) roasted butternut squash. Topped with the simplest of sauces of butter, sage and cracked pepper, you’ve got some exemplary eating with absolutely no work. You can even elevate the level of class with a cheap ravioli cutter (a modest $3-5) for crimped edges that make the pasta look as if they were purchased from the Italian grocer.
Once you have this filling down (which should take you all of 5 seconds) consider stirring in caramelized shallots, crisped pancetta or even gorgonzola into the mix. Have fun, experiment and enjoy all the extra time you’ll have for the wining portion of the wining and dining.
Ingredients
15 oz. of whole milk ricotta
1 egg
1/8 tsp. of black pepper
1/4 tsp. of white pepper
1 tbs. of olive oil
4 tbs. of puréed pumpkin
1/3 c. of parmesan cheese
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of salt
wonton wrappers
1 egg beaten with 1 tbs. of water
1 stick of butter
1 bunch of sage
Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. In a small bowl, mix the ricotta, 1 egg, pepper, olive oil, cheese, pumpkin, nutmeg and salt. Create a work station with a space to assemble the ravioli next to a lightly floured cookie sheet. Take a wonton wrapper and brush the edges with egg beaten with water. Heap a tablespoon of filling in the middle of the wrapper and then top with another wonton wrapper. Gently press the edges together to adhere and then trim the edges with a ravioli cutter to flute the edges. Set aside on the cookie sheet and repeat until all filling is used.
In a skillet, melt the butter until it starts to foam and turns a deep golden. Add the sage leaves and gently cook until crisp. Keep warm as you cook the ravioli.
Cook the ravioli in the boiling water for a quick 1-2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and immediately add to the melted butter to slick them down with the sauce. Continue to cook the ravioli in small batches and add to the sauce. Serve warm.
