I'm Gonna Make You A Cocktail You Can't Refuse...

Finally home after a day that seemed to exist for no other reason than to prove the validity of Murphy's Law.  I should cook something fabulous to bring the cosmos back into equilibrium and balance out the yuckiness, but it's currently 90-some degrees out and humid, and the kitchen is a mess.  Order in?  Yeah right - it's August 31, which is moving day in Boston.  Because standard apartment leases expire today, many people are scrambling to get out of their old apartments and into their new ones; therefore, Boston's already-congested streets are blocked with moving vans, garbage trucks, and delivery drivers dropping off pizzas and lo mein to city dwellers who haven't yet filled their fridges.  Delivery would take far too long - Top Ramen and a salad for dinner seems like the best bet! 

I'm not cooking tonight, but I'm not going to leave you hanging, either.  So, instead of fancy food, I'm serving up something smooth, strong, and soothing.  Tonight, I'm going to make you a cocktail you can't refuse!

Godfather
2oz. smoky scotch
1oz. amaretto

Serve in a tumbler over ice, and sip slowly!

When the Moon Hits Your Eye Like A Big Pizza Pie, That's A Dinner...

Pizza Night!  I perfected last weekend's dismal yet edible ranch pizza, and I also decided to make a 2nd pie topped with figs, shredded prosciutto, and smoked mozzarella.  Yes, I made two trips to the store, and yes, both were worth it! 

I do have my mom's recipe for pizza dough, but when you're in a hurry and haven't planned in advance, Whole Foods sells pre-made dough.  Each 1lb. package will make two 12-inch pies.  You can buy it fresh or frozen, but honestly, if you're going to wait for frozen you might as well make your own.  You can cook the pizzas on a cookie sheet, or you can buy a pizza pan with holes in the bottom, which will help you achieve a more evenly cooked crust. 

Ranch Pizza
1/2lb. pizza dough
cornmeal
2-4T. ranch dressing
1-2c. shredded mozzarella
4-6 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
6 thin slices fresh tomato

Preheat oven to 465.  Stretch the dough out so that it forms a thin circle.  Sprinkle cornmeal on the bottom of the baking dish, then place the dough on the cornmeal, stretching it thin to create an approximately 12" diameter crust.  Brush the uncooked crust with the ranch dressing, then top with the shredded mozzarella, bacon crumbles, and tomato slices.

Bake the pizza for 14-16 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the crust is golden.  When it is done, remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes, then slice into six slices so that each slice contains one tomato.  Enjoy! 

Fig, Prosciutto, and Smoked Mozzarella Pizza
1/2lb. pizza dough
cornmeal
olive oil
1c. smoked mozzarella
4 slices prosciutto, shredded or sliced into 1/4" strips
3 fresh figs, each cut lengthwise into four slices, as shown

Prepare the pizza dough as directed in the Ranch Pizza recipe.  Brush the uncooked crust with a thin coat of olive oil, then top with the smoked mozzarella and shredded prosciutto.  Next, arrange the fig slices in a decorative pattern, either as shown in picture, or create your own.  It should look like an edible kaleidoscope.




Bake the pizza as directed above, and once it is cooked, slice into 6 pieces so that each slice contains two figs. 

When making pizzas, the possibilities are endless.  If you have leftover roasted garlic, combine it with some olive oil to form a paste and top with a mixture of Italian cheeses.  Roasted red peppers would go well with  mozzarella, mild Italian sausage crumbles and chopped parsley.  Try olive oil, gorgonzola crumbles, thinly sliced ham, and fresh sage leaves. 

What do you put on your pizzas?  Contact me at baconbutterbooze@gmail.com and share some of your favorite toppings and combinations!

Beach Blogging, Yesterday's Recipes

This post comes to you from the beach, where I'm sipping lemon water and watching seagulls pick apart crabs and clams that have washed up in the surf.  It's a damn shame birds aren't sophisticated enough to figure out how to melt butter.

Knowing that this could potentially be my last beach day until next year makes me a little sad, but it helps to know that once summer fades away there's plenty of fall food for me to cook.  Grilled steaks, steamed clams, cucumber salads, and frozen drinks will soon give way to pork chops braised in Magners, baked cod, butternut squash, and Sam Adams Oktoberfest.  When you love food, there is something to look forward to every season, every day of the year. 

Today would be the perfect day to throw together a great end-of-summer meal, but since I'd rather soak up the last of the summer's rays, I offer you yesterday's recipes.

Last night's dinner consisted of broiled grouper with grapefruit & mint salsa, risotto with fennel and pecorino romano, and a glass of my heavenly new white wine.  Really, who serves a citrus-y, warm-water fish with a dish like creamy risotto?  Answer:  Someone who doesn't have the patience to conduct only one culinary experiment at a time.  Friday, I yearned to try a mild risotto with my new wine.  That same day, I got my Daily Catch e-mail from Mercato del Mare alerting me that grouper would be available Saturday.  I've never tried grouper...the wine was open, and it needed to be finished...the grouper would not be available forever...  This culinary conundrum led to my mismatched multitasking.  Sure, the two dishes don't go together, but neither do army pants and a satin halter top, and that never stopped me from combining them!  Here are yesterday's recipes:

Grouper with grapefruit & mint salsa
1 grapefruit
handful chopped mint
1 habanero pepper, sliced into 1/4" rings
splash olive oil
salt & pepper
1/2lb. grouper fillets

To make the salsa:  Peel the skin from the grapefruit like you would from an orange.  Divide the segments, scoop the grapefruit pulp from the white pith, and place in a shallow baking dish (left).  Add the chopped mint and habanero slices to the grapefruit (right).

Add a splash of olive oil, salt, and pepper to taste.  Stir until blended, then add the fish fillets to the dish, covering them with the grapefruit salsa.  Marinate for 30 minutes to one hour. 

Preheat the broiler.  After the fish has marinated, remove the habanero slices and discard.  Place pan in broiler with salsa still covering fish, and broil until the fish is flaky, about 7-10 minutes depending on the thickness of the fish fillets.  Serve hot.

Risotto with fennel and pecorino romano 
splash olive oil
2 shallots, finely minced
1.5 cups arborio rice
1 cup dry white wine
4 cups chicken broth, simmering (more if necessary)
1 fennel bulb, sliced into 1/8" thick strips
3/4c. grated pecorino romano cheese
3T. butter
salt & pepper
fennel fronds, for garnish

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat.  Add the shallots and saute until they begin to soften.  Do not let them brown.  Add the rice and stir until each grain is coated with oil, then add the wine.  Cook, stirring constantly so that rice doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan, until the rice has absorbed the wine, as shown.

The chicken broth should be kept in a small saucepan next to the risotto pot.  As soon as the rice has absorbed the wine, add 1 cup of the chicken broth.  Stir constantly until the rice has absorbed the broth.  Repeat this step several times, adding 1/2 cup at a time.

Once 3 out of the 4 cups of broth have been added and absorbed, add the sliced fennel with the remaining broth.  Stir constantly, letting the rice absorb all the broth. 

Once all the broth has been absorbed, the rice should be cooked through and have a slightly creamy texture.  The rice should not stick to the bottom of the pan, but it should stay firm and not "run" when you scrape to the side, as shown in the photo to the left.  If this texture has not been achieved yet, you can add more broth.  Once the rice is fully cooked, add the grated pecorino, butter, salt, and pepper.  Stir until the butter and cheese are melted and fully incorporated with the rice. 


If you care about presentation, grease the inside of a measuring cup with olive oil, pack the risotto into the greased cup, and turn out onto a plate.  The risotto will keep the basic shape of the mold, budging ever so slightly.  Garnish with several small fennel fronds. 

Wine Tasting, Lobster Potato Salad

I haven't posted for a few days.  Combine fatigue, writer's block, and the fact that due to this weekend's marathon stove session I had more leftovers than refrigerator space, and there you have it - a simple recipe for a neglected blog.  It's time I got off my lazy arse and started doing what I love - cooking and writing. 

I took a day off of work to attend a training at the animal shelter, and once that was over I picked up the ingredients for the lobster potato salad.  I came home, prepared the salad, and stuck it in the refrigerator to chill while I scooted across town to a wine tasting in Boston's version of Little Italy - the North End. 

Thanks to my search for a bottle of Lacrima di Morro, an Italian wine featured in La Cucina Italiana's "25 under $25" article (June 2010), I discovered The Wine Bottega on Hanover Street.  Located in Boston's North End, they obviously feature a great selection of Italian regional wines, but they feature other countries' wines as well.  They specialize in wines made by small producers, and many of their selections are organic.  Best part?  Free tastings every Friday from 5-8.  I have never been to a wine tasting before, but I think they may become my new after-work ritual.  They last about 15 minutes, and they are based on a new theme each week.  This week's theme?  Critter Wines - we tasted six wines featuring various animals on the labels.  Did you know that porcupines party in Italian vineyards when the growing conditions are aligned to result in a good wine?  Now you know.  Sign up for their newsletter to learn more! 

I am not a wine connoisseur by any means - my knowledge of wine amounts to red, white, sweet, dry, bottle, box, I like it, I don't like it.  And because I have an attitude problem, I refused to buy non-Italian wines ("French wines get all the attention but we started it, that's not right!").  After tasting a Roucaillat, I've changed my mind.  Sorry, French wines!  I won't write you off anymore.  You, dear readers, will be hearing more about my education in vino.


I don't have the words to describe the wines I tasted - when I read wine reviews, the samples are often described in almost human terms.  As my mom said, "Fruity, yet assertive?  Are they talking about wine or a co-worker?"  Today, I picked up a red (2009 Sergio Mottura Civitella Rosso) and a white (2006 Martilde Malvasia Dedica).  I can't tell you what flowers they smell like or what kind of barrels they were aged in, but I can tell you what dishes they inspired me to cook and eat.  I'm saving the red until I duplicate the pappardelle w/ wild boar ragu, and I am drinking a glass of the white while I write, wishing I had made a simple risotto with pecorino romano and thinly sliced fennel.  Guess I know what I'm making tomorrow.



Here is the recipe for the Lobster Potato Salad - it goes together quickly, and it does not require much chilling time.  However, like most mixed dishes, it tastes better after the flavors have been allowed to blend for about a day.  To save time, you can buy prepared lobster meat, but you won't be able to save the shells to make flavorful seafood stock.



Lobster Potato Salad

1.5lbs potatoes (red or Yukon Golds work well)
1-2T. butter
meat from 1 1lb. lobster, or 1 cup prepared lobster meat 
2-4 green onions, sliced into thin rings
juice from 1/2 lemon
splash olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

Slice the potatoes lengthwise into quarters, then slice into half-inch wedges.  Place these in a pot and fill with enough water to cover by at least an inch.  Salt the water, bring to a boil, then simmer until the potatoes are fork-tender.  When they are cooked, drain them and set them aside to cool.  In another similar-sized pot, melt the butter over high heat so that the butter begins to brown slightly.  Add the potatoes, remove from heat immediately, and toss the cooled potatoes with the melted butter.  Set aside.

While potatoes are cooking, slice the green onions and put them in a large bowl.  Next, add the lobster meat.  If you are using a whole lobster, break the lobster apart overtop of the bowl so that any flavorful juices are not lost. 

Once the meat is removed from the lobster, or if you are using prepared lobster, use your fingers to tear the meat into small chunks.  Add the cooked and buttered potatoes, lemon juice, olive oil, and salt and pepper.  Toss until all ingredients are evenly distributed, then cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. 




Once the salad has chilled, you are ready to serve.  Place on a plate or in a shallow bowl over lettuce leaves.  Mangiare!

Black Pasta with Roasted Garlic & Orange Sauce, Focaccia, Roasted Red Pepper Bruschetta

I promised recipes, and while I may not always post them in a timely manner, I always keep my word!  Here are the recipes for this weekend's dishes:


Black Pasta with Roasted Garlic and Orange Sauce

I created this recipe a few years ago in an attempt to impress a guy. Since I’ve always heard that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach and I knew that the object of my affection liked high-quality food, I wanted to show off a little and serve something ostentatious. I picked up a bag of black pasta from a local producer at the farmers’ market (this was before I knew where to find squid ink!), and I decided that a sauce based on orange and roasted garlic would look original and memorable. Unfortunately, while the pasta water was boiling, the guy texted me to tell me he wasn’t coming. At first I was devastated, but once I tasted the final product my pain was alleviated – more pasta for me!

1 navel orange
1 head roasted garlic
½ c. white wine
1/4c. chopped Italian parsley (plus extra sprigs for garnish)
Drizzle olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Chile flakes

Zest one orange using a zester (you can buy one for about $10 at any good kitchenware store). Divide the zest in half – one half goes into the sauce, the other is set aside for garnish. Peel the remaining skin and as much of the pith as possible from the orange, divide into segments, and slice each segment into half-inch chunks.

Remove the cloves from 1 head of roasted garlic and put them in the blender with the orange segments, half the orange zest, and the wine, parsley, and olive oil. Puree until liquefied, adding more wine and olive oil if necessary.

Transfer puree into a saucepan large enough to hold all cooked pasta, and cook over low heat until the sauce is hot

While you are making the sauce, cook a batch of black pasta. Once pasta is done, drain it, add it to the pan with the sauce, and toss until all pasta is coated. Season with salt, pepper, and chile flakes.

Divide equally among 4 shallow pasta bowls, garnishing each with a pinch of the remaining orange zest and a sprig of parsley.

Roasted Garlic Focaccia

This recipe is time-consuming, but not labor intensive - active prep lasts approximately 20 minutes; the rest of the time is spent waiting for the dough to rise.  This is a perfect recipe to make on a lazy Sunday during football season, as most of the active work can be done during commercial breaks if you measure your ingredients ahead of time!   

For dough starter:

2/3c. warm water

2.5t. active dry yeast
1c. flour

For dough:

2.5c. unbleached flour, plus extra for dusting
1 head roasted garlic
1/3c. water
1/3c. olive oil, plus extra to grease bowl and pan
1/3c. white wine
1t. salt

Olive oil, salt, and oregano for topping
Equipment: two large mixing bowls, cookie sheet lined w/ aluminum foil, water-filled cake pan

First, make the dough starter. In a mixing bowl, combine 2/3c. warm water and the yeast. Cover with a dish towel and let this sit for 10 minutes or until the water looks murky and bubbly around the edges.

Next, add 1c. of the flour to the bowl. Stir until all the flour is incorporated into the water and a sticky dough forms. Again, cover with a dish towel and let this sit for 30 minutes. During this time, the dough should puff up a little. Use this time to remove the individual cloves from a head of roasted garlic – if the individual cloves are soft like a paste, set them aside. If any are still a little firm, chop them up a bit and set aside. Also, coat the inside of the clean mixing bowl with a splash of olive oil and set aside.

Now it’s time to make the dough. Add 2.5c. flour, prepared roasted garlic, 1/3c. water, olive oil, white wine, and salt to the mixing bowl containing the dough starter. Combine all until fully incorporated and dough is formed. Turn the dough out onto a clean countertop dusted with flour, and knead the dough for 8-10 minutes, dusting the countertop with more flour if the dough starts to stick.

Once the kneading is complete, put the ball of dough into the mixing bowl coated with olive oil. Cover with a dish towel and set aside to rise for approximately one hour, or until the dough has doubled in size. In the meantime, line the cookie sheet with aluminum foil and grease the foil with a splash of olive oil.

Once the dough has risen, turn it out onto the greased cookie sheet. Stretch the dough so that it covers the cookie sheet. Once the dough has stretched, use your fingertips to create “dimples” in the dough – the surface should not be even. Be careful not to poke holes in the dough – small craters will do the trick. Once you’ve dimpled the dough, cover it with the dish towel and let it rise for an additional 45 minutes. Use this time to preheat the oven to 425, placing a water-filled cake pan on the bottom rack of the oven (this creates steam inside the oven).

Once the dimpled dough has risen, remove the dish towel and brush your dough with a thin coat of olive oil, and sprinkle it with a few pinches each of salt and oregano. Now it is time to bake – place the cookie sheet on the middle rack of the oven, above the water pan. Lower the oven temperature to 400, close the oven, and bake for 25-30 minutes.

Remove the focaccia from the oven. Once it is cool enough to handle safely, slice it up and serve it with Roasted Red Pepper Bruschetta, or with seasoned olive oil for dipping.

Variations –replace the head of roasted garlic with ¼ cup of one, or a combination, of the following: capers, slivered oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, minced olives, gorgonzola crumbles, chopped fresh herbs, etc. The possibilities are endless.




Roasted Red Pepper Bruschetta

6 slices roasted red peppers
1/4lb. provolone, sliced thin
1 small clove garlic, sliced paper-thin
2T. olive oil
1T. white wine
1T. chopped parsley

Preheat the broiler. In a shallow baking dish, place the roasted peppers in one thin layer. Next, evenly sprinkle the garlic slices across the roasted peppers. Drizzle with the olive oil and the white wine. Now, layer the provolone across the top of the pepper and garlic layer, making sure all the peppers are covered.


Place under the broiler and broil until the cheese is melted and starting to brown at the edges. Remove from oven, sprinkle with parsley, let cool slightly, and serve pepper slices over focaccia bread.



I do hope you'll try these recipes!

Busy Weekend! Pina Claddagh, Recipe Basics

Whew!  I am exhausted, but not too exhausted to post.  I made some delicious food this weekend - Black Pasta with Roasted Garlic and Orange Sauce, Roasted Garlic Focaccia, Roasted Red Pepper Bruschetta, Ranch Pizza, and a wonderful cocktail called a "Pina Claddagh" (as you may have noticed, I love putting a Celtic spin on recipes that originated far from Ireland and the U.K.!).  Below are the recipes for the Pina Claddagh and for the building blocks of my recipes - Roasted Garlic, Roasted Red Peppers, and Black Pasta.  I will post the full dinner recipes tomorrow.  Yes, this is a cop-out because I'm too tired to write, but think about it this way - before you take the cool class with the cool professor, you've gotta sit through the required intro class before you get your hands dirty with the fun stuff!

Before I get to the recipes, I would like to share my experience with the ranch pizza, which came dangerously close to being an epic fail and frustrated me to the point where I almost burst into tears - after all, my roommate's sister, her husband, and their children were over for dinner, and I would have been humiliated if I'd served a pizza that was simultaneously undercooked and burnt while saying, "By the way, I'm writing a food/recipe blog!"  Had I not been able to salvage the pizza, I would have felt like my credibility had just been flushed down the crapper, but I managed to rescue the pizza and it turned out OK.  I felt like one of the Top Chef contestants who just barely escapes being voted off the show!  Anyway, now that I've done a test run on the Ranch Pizza I can tweak the recipe so it turns out the way I intended, and once that happens I'll share the recipe.  P.S.- it contains bacon! 

As promised, here is the cocktail recipe and the three basic building blocks of the recipes that worked: 

Pina Claddagh
I must warn you - the Pina Claddagh is what I call a "Danger Drink," meaning that you may not be completely able to taste the alcohol in your drink.  Helpful hint - it's there!

1 17.6oz can Goya Toasted Coconut Water*
1 cup fresh cubed pineapple
3oz. Irish whiskey
splash maraschino cherry juice
several ice cubes
maraschino cherries, to garnish

In a blender, puree the coconut water and pineapple.  Pour the puree through a fine sieve, then pour the strained liquid into a cocktail shaker with the whiskey, cherry juice and ice cubes; shake for 20 seconds.  Pour into two stemless martini glasses and add a maraschino cherry to each.  Enjoy responsibly. 

Variation - To make into a frozen drink, divide the can of coconut water.  Make half into ice cubes; reserve the other half.  Puree the coconut ice cubes, remaining coconut water, and remaining ingredients except cherries in blender.  Pour into two glasses and garnish with cherries. 

*  You can use plain coconut water, but the toasted has a sweeter flavor.  Find in the Hispanic/Latino section of most major supermarkets. 

Roasted Garlic:
1 head garlic
1-2t. olive oil
1t. white wine

Preheat the oven to 350.  Peel away the garlic's papery skin so all that remains is the skin sticking to the individual cloves.  Once this is done, trim off the top of the head so that the tips of the cloves are exposed (as seen in the picture).  Place on a sheet of aluminum foil. 

Next, pour the olive oil and white wine on the exposed cloves.  Bring up the ends of the tinfoil to make a little package - it should be shaped like a Hershey's Kiss.  Place this in the oven and bake for about an hour.  Once it is cool to touch, you can easily remove the individual cloves from their skin and use them for recipes.  Any cloves that you do not use for recipes can be stored in a jar covered in olive oil.  If you choose to store them, add a pinch of salt and make sure that the cloves are completely immersed in the oil and none are exposed - exposure to air could cause them to spoil and become unsafe for consumption. 





Roasted Red Peppers
red peppers, cored and sliced lengthwise at natural rib

Preheat the broiler on high.  Arrange the peppers on a baking sheet covered in foil (this makes clean-up much easier).  Pop these under the broiler for 5-10 minutes, or until the peppers' skins have turned black and charred. 

Remove the baking sheet from the oven.  Using tongs, a fork, or some other kind of tool so you don't burn yourself, place the roasted peppers in a bowl.  Cover the bowl and let the peppers cool. 

Once peppers have cooled, you can remove their skins.  Gently peel off the charred skin and discard skin.  The peppers are now ready to use for recipes, and, like the roasted garlic, any unused peppers can be stored in a jar covered in olive oil.







Black Pasta
2c. flour
2 eggs
2t. squid ink
1t. salt
1T. olive oil

In all honesty, the hardest part of this recipe is tracking down a retailer who sells squid ink!  Once you do that, the rest is a piece of cake.  Simply follow the same steps I listed in my tagliatelle recipe, adding the squid ink at the same time as the eggs, olive oil, and salt.  The squid ink will make the pasta dough a little stickier, so be sure to dust with extra flour.  Here are some photos from the process:

Restaurant Week, Links I Love and Live By

Last night, my kitchen went unoccupied.  My friends and I took advantage of the Restaurant Week deals, and Umbria cooked for me!  Boston's Restaurant Week allows diners to choose three courses - a starter, an entree, and a dessert - for a fixed price.  Some restaurants offer more choices than others, and Umbria offered many more choices from the regular menu than many of the other restaurants.  I chose the tomato-basil soup, pappardelle with wild boar ragu, and cannolis.  Each course was sheer perfection.  My friends tried the house-cured prosciutto, seared ahi tuna, jumbo lump crabmeat, and filet mignon, which apparently had the texture of butter (Butter?  Yay!).  Rave reviews all around.

I'd love to try and duplicate the pappardelle with wild boar ragu, but A) where the heck do I find wild boar in Boston? and B) they garnished it with shaved black truffle.  I can't afford ingredients that are kept in locked cases.  I guess I could substitute pork shoulder for the wild boar, and I could drizzle the plate with truffle oil, but it would not be the same.  Umbria, I think I'm in love with you. 

Because I have no recipes to share today, I'll share the links to several food-related websites that I visit regularly.  Some are vendors, some are informative, and some simply inspire me. 

I'll start with the blog that started it all - my roommate's sister, Amy, started a food blog, and my roommate thought I'd be interested.  I was.  Her reflections on learning authentic Asian cooking are what inspired me to start my own blog.  I've always wanted to write about food, but I never knew where to start.  Amy's blog showed me how fun it is to follow someone's culinary journeys, so if you like my blog, check hers out:  Amy Learns to Cook and Bake. 

Culinate - this website makes me want to eat.  And eat.  And eat some more.  Whether its authors are sharing recipes, reflections and insights, information about varieties of food and agricultural practices, or profiling well-known chefs and cookbook authors, Culinate always leaves me inspired and hungry.

Mercato del Mare - they taught me how to shuck oysters, and they may have created a monster.  Their website features a list of what's available in the store each day, recipes, and a super-fun, super-informative fact sheet on different varieties of seafood!  If you live in or near Boston, stop in sometime and see why I rave.

Salumeria Italiana - This is where I buy my bottarga and cotechino sausages.  When I need authentic Italian ingredients, I know they're only a few T stops away.  The store employees are more than happy to help you find whatever you are looking for, only I must warn you - everything looks so delicious that you'll probably leave with about four times as many items as you intended to purchase.  And for non-Bostonians, they ship to all 50 states!

Local Harvest - This website allows you to search your geographic area for locally grown organic produce, humanely raised meats, and other local food products such as tea, honey, jam, etc.  I support sustainable agriculture and non-industrial farming methods, especially where meat is concerned - it is better for the animals, it's better for us, and it's better for the environment.  Check out what's available near you! 

Slashfood - A great website featuring articles about all things food.  Their photography is so fabulous that I can almost taste the pictures!

iGourmet - I routinely scour this website in search of hard-to-find imported items. 

Harvest Co-op - This is where I buy bulk herbs and spices, rice, beans, nuts, grains, etc.  Great selection of organic bulk goods, sustainably raised meats, and vegan meat and dairy substitutes.  They also have a great selection of organic wines, and the South Street location always plays good music!  Many co-ops in the eastern U.S. honor Co-op Advantage coupons; check out the last page to see if your local co-op particpates. 

I hope these links excite you as much as they excite me.  Soon, I will fire up the stove again, but until then, arrivederci!

Oysters Camelot, Baked Salmon, and Truffle Fries

If the dinner I had last night sounds like something you'd see served up on a fine restaurant menu, good - that's exactly what I was going for.  However, fancy as it may sound, my meal took only 15 minutes to prepare, cost very little (although I admittedly had some of the ingredients in stock and didn't factor these into the price), and the results were delicious! 

The Island Creek oysters were $1 each.  Considering that a half-dozen oysters generally costs between $10-20 at a restaurant, that oyster shucking lesson I had last weekend paid for itself!  Oh wait - it was free.  Even better!  Any oyster lover should learn to shuck (shall I insert "go shuck yourself" joke here?).

So what is "Oysters Camelot," you may ask?  Here's the story behind the dish - while watching an episode of "Top Chef D.C." in which the contestants' challenge was to create a cold dish and serve it to the judges on the Presidential Yacht ("Think of the Kennedys," Judge Gail Simmons instructed the cheftestants), I decided that if I was a contestant, I'd serve oysters on the half shell.  But how would I make it interesting and relevant?  By serving them with an out-of-the-ordinary sauce based on our most famous political family, the Kennedys.  I used a little malt vinegar and Jameson whiskey to add a taste of Ireland and to honor Joe Kennedy's days as a bootlegger, seasoned  with finely minced shallot.

I combined the vinegar, whiskey, and shallot in a small bowl and spooned a few drops over each opened oyster, and voila!  Not only did I discover a delicious way to serve oysters, I had enough left over to use as a marinade for my salmon, which I simply baked at 425 for 10 minutes alongside my truffle fries.

Truffle fries - delicious, decadent, demystified.  A small bottle of black truffle oil and a jar of truffle salt is all you need to create these tasty treats at home.  Truffle oil usually costs between $5-15 per bottle, but since each drop contains massive blasts of flavor, you don't need much.  It will pay for itself over time, as it keeps well.  A jar of truffle salt will probably cost between $5-10, and the same principle applies.  The flavor-to-volume ratio is stacked in your favor.  The real way to make truffle fries is to slice a few russet potatoes lengthwise into thick strips, toss them with olive oil, and bake for 40 minutes in a 450-degree oven. As soon as you take them out of the oven, sprinkle them with a few drops of truffle oil and a few pinches of truffle salt, shake them up in a basket or bowl to distribute the seasonings, and serve piping hot. The time-saving way is to buy a premium brand of frozen French fries (Alexia Foods is my favorite brand - no trans fats, no artificial flavors, and no preservatives), bake according to instructions, and then season with the truffle oil and truffle salt as instructed above.

So there you have it - Dom Perignon flavors on a Franzia budget.

Croí follain agus gob fliuch!

It's Cocktail Hour!

When I think of London, I think of rain, Kate Moss, and Austin Powers.  I don't think of margaritas.  However, London's dreary climate does not mean that certain ingredients popular in British cooking don't lend themselves nicely to a frozen drink served up in a margarita glass!  Don't forget that because the Brits colonized India, many native Indian ingredients became popular in Britain, including ginger, which is featured in this recipe.

Try your hand at making these mock margaritas with Britain's beloved booze, gin. 

London Margaritas
2 c. frozen honeydew cubes
1 c. ginger beer *
1 c. gin (I prefer Plymouth or Beefeater)
1/4 c. Midori
1/4t. finely ground black pepper
kosher salt
powdered ginger
lemon juice


Combine all ingredients except salt and powdered ginger in a blender.  Combine a few teaspoons of salt and a small shake of powdered ginger on a plate, use this mixture to rim margarita glasses (to rim a glass, moisten the edge of the glass with a tiny bit of lemon juice and dip the edge of the glass in the salt/ginger mixture).  Pour mixture from blender into glasses and garnish each with a quick grind of fine black pepper.  This recipe should approximately fill 4 standard-sized margarita glasses.

* Ginger BEER is very different from Ginger ALE.  You can find Ginger Beer in better supermarkets and gourmet food stores.  Maine Root Handcrafted Sodas makes a good one.

For liability's sake, I should tell you to drink responsibly.

Callaloo Recipe

I promised you my Callaloo recipe, so here it is for those of you interested.  This recipe was adapted from the Joy of Cooking 75th Anniversary edition - I used their ingredients but did not follow the proportions (all the measurements given below are estimates).  It is very simple - if you can chop and stir, you can make this recipe.  It goes together rather quickly, but the prep work is time consuming, so this isn't a stew to make if you're looking for something quick.  Save this for a rainy weekend and freeze the leftovers.

Callaloo:
5 strips bacon, sliced into 1/2" pieces
1/2 red onion, minced
1 small bunch green onions, sliced
1/4lb. ham, diced

1 large bunch callaloo, leaves only, cut into bite-sized pieces*
4 cups chicken or seafood stock (seafood stock recipe follows)
1t. fresh thyme
1/2t. chile flakes
1 can coconut milk
1 cup fresh or frozen okra**
1 fillet tilapia, sliced into bite-sized chunks
1/4lb. crab or shrimp
salt and pepper
boiled rice, to serve


* If you cannot find fresh callaloo, canned callaloo can be purchased online.

The first thing I did was prepare the ingredients.  This took about half a decade, but I am admittedly very slow at doing prep work.  That's what happens when you get a neurotic cook who needs to have every slice of onion the exact same size...

First step to the cooking is to fry the bacon in the bottom of a large stock pot until it crisps up.  Then, add the red and green onion and the ham, stirring regularly, until the onion turns translucent. 

Next, add the callaloo, seafood stock, and thyme.  *If you are using fresh okra, add it during this step.  You probably won't be able to see any of the liquid, but this is OK - the leaves cook down quickly. Think of them as edible shrinky-dinks. Place cover on your stockpot, bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer and cook gently until the callaloo leaves have wilted down.

Once the leaves are cooked down, stir several times, then add the coconut milk, tilapia, crab or shrimp, chile flakes, and salt & pepper to taste.  **If you are using frozen okra, add it during this step.  Cook for 5 - 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the fish is translucent and flaky. 



Serve over hot boiled rice.

There you have it - a yummy stew.  Although this was good, I felt like it needed something else, but I couldn't place my finger on what.  Next time I make this, I'm going to try adding a little lime juice - I think something acidic could give it a little punch.  Don't get me wrong, the stuff is rather delicious.  Thank God, because I have enough to feed me for the rest of the week! 

Here is how to make a basic seafood stock:  Anytime you eat fish, shrimp, lobster, etc., save the shells, bones, and trimmings.  Also, some markets sell fish heads, which are perfect for making stock.  You can make as much or as little as you'd like - whatever the measurement of seafood bits you use, use 1.5 times as much water (i.e. if you use 1 cup of shrimp shells, use 1.5 cups water).  Boil it with a little salt & pepper and a squirt of lemon juice, reduce to a simmer, and taste throughout - simmer less time for a milder stock, and simmer longer for a stronger flavor.  It freezes well. 

Vamos comer!

August Moon Festival, Yesterday's Recipes

Yesterday, I promised my readers Callaloo.  I did not deliver.  Instead of going to the grocery store, I went to the August Moon Festival in Chinatown!  I got to see several performance groups doing dance, drumming, and martial arts demonstrations, and - obviously - I got to munch on some yummy food, including trying an avocado smoothie with "bubbles" (tapioca pearls) for the first time.  So delicious! 

Boston's Chinatown may be a valuable resource for this blog.  While waiting for my smoothie, I noticed a container of spicy pig's ears in the take-away cooler and realized that I could dine in Chinatown every day for a month and try something new each day.  However, I might not always have the time, money, or appetite for crowds, so it's more likely that I'll end up taking a trip or two to Kam Man or C-Mart to get some inspiration! 

I did promise pictures and recipes - on that, I will deliver.  Below are recipes and accompanying photos of the pasta, stuffed peaches, and cod I made yesterday.



Homemade Tagliatelle (2 servings)
1 cup flour plus extra for dusting
1 egg
splash olive oil
pinch salt

Mix the ingredients in a bowl and use your hands to mix until a dough forms. 

Knead the dough for 8-10 minutes, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, up to 24 hours.  Remove from fridge, roll into log, and tear off a golf ball sized piece of dough, keeping remaining dough covered in plastic. 

Roll the dough through a pasta machine, starting with the widest setting and continually rolling the piece through the next thinnest setting, dusting with flour between each roll. 

Once dough is rolled thin, pass it through the wide noodle cutter. 


Allow to dry for approximately 15 minutes before cooking.

Stuffed Peaches (serves 6)

3 peaches

1 oz. amaretti crackers

1/2t. unsweetened cocoa powder

splash amaretto

2T. finely chopped almonds

1 t. lemon zest

1T. butter

Moscato wine

Powdered sugar, for dusting

Preheat oven to 350.  Halve peaches, remove pits.  Scoop away the layer of flesh that was attached to the pit, and set reserved peach flesh in a small bowl. 

Add all remaining ingredients except wine to the bowl.  Stir until well-blended.

Arrange the peaches skin side down in a baking dish.  Spoon stuffing mixture into each peach.  Pour in enough of the Moscato wine so that the bottom of the baking dish is covered but the peaches are not drowning. 

Bake for 30 minutes.  Remove from oven, set peach skin side down on a small plate, dust peach with powdered sugar, and serve immediately. 

Helpful hint:  Place the powdered sugar in a tea ball to sprinkle over peaches if you don't own a small enough fine-meshed sieve.

The seafood recipe (called Merluzzo con Vongole) can be found in October's La Cucina Italiana on page 27, with the following substitution:  instead of peeling the tomatoes, I diced them and added them to the baking dish with the fish. 

Mangiare!