Unfortunately I only took pictures of the olive oil we served today, and of our other favorite olive oil (the San Damiano), not on the menu for this lunch...
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Feta Lunch
Unfortunately I only took pictures of the olive oil we served today, and of our other favorite olive oil (the San Damiano), not on the menu for this lunch...
Thursday, March 29, 2012
White Pizza
Gorgonzola, pears (or apples), thin pizza crust. What's not to like? And still, Trader Joe's and Central Market both discontinued their Pear Gorgonzola Pizzas. Funny, how that always happens with our favorite products.
Anyway, I found a recipe on Yahoo that used pretty much the same
ingredients I imagined the grocery stores used in their white pizza: pizza crust (thin, frozen, Italian, from Central
Market), olive oil, for brushing, 1 tart pear/apple (diced or sliced,
this time I used diced apples, and I think dicing them works better, as
the fruit retains more of its juices and flavors), some fresh lemon
juice to sprinkle over the fruits, sliced Provolone (enough to loosely
cover the frozen pizza crust, not more that 4 ounces) and Gorgonzola
crumbles (I sometimes use Amish blue cheese), doesn't have to be
expensive. Plus: a handful of roughly chopped walnuts and chives
(optional).
Preparation: Brush the frozen pizza crust with 1 tbs olive oil,
arrange the Provolone over it, top with crumbled Gorgonzola, pears (or
apples) and walnuts, then slide it into to preheated oven (425 degrees
Fahrenheit), bake 10 to 12 minutes, remove from oven, add the chives
on top (no chives for our pizza this time), and ta-dam: dinner is
ready. That is, ready if you made the salad ahead: lettuce,
orange/yellow/red peppers, cucumbers and tomatoes, with a
mustard/balsamic vinegar/honey/olive oil Vinaigrette. Oh, and don't
forget to grind some black pepper over the hot pizza, it really brings
out the flavor of the fruits.
Brocauliflower Gratin
This is a dish I would usually make with either broccoli, or cauliflower. Why not use a hybrid of those two? Served with a green salad or dill pickles, it's a wonderfully rich, creamy, vegetarian dinner for cooler nights. It uses a few very simple ingredients, that I usually have on had (except fort he broccoli/cauliflower/brocauliflower, of course). Here's how I make it:
Ingredients:
1 medium bunch brocauliflower
4-5 hard boiled eggs
1 cup grated sharp cheddar
3/4 cup sour cream
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons butter
Preparation: Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Meanwhile in a large saucepan bring 2 cups salted water to boil, add cleaned and trimmed brocauliflower florets and simmer for 5-10 minutes, until they're almost cooked, but still crisp. Add them to a large pan of cold water to stop the boiling process. Butter a 8x8 inch glass baking pan, layer half the brocauliflower with the chopped hard boiled eggs, half the sour cream and half the cheddar, dot with butter, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Add the second half of the brocauliflower and sour cream, season with salt and pepper and top with the remaining cheddar. Bake 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Serve with a leaf salad or dill pickles.
1 medium bunch brocauliflower
4-5 hard boiled eggs
1 cup grated sharp cheddar
3/4 cup sour cream
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons butter
Lentil Soup
Here's one of our favorite soups.
It's a fairly recent addition to our menu, we first served it at our friends in Austin, Annamari and András, on one of our visits, it must have been a couple of years ago, I don't remember exactly when. But I do remember I loved Annamari's lentil soup so much, I just had to have the recipe. But then I didn't write it down, and by the time I got around to make it, I've already forgotten the exact ingredients, so I just reconstituted it from memory... It was not the same as hers, of course, some ingredients got probably left out, others added, the measures were approximate, too, but we liked my imperfect version quite a lot, so I just kept making it that way.
Here's what the recipe evolved into in my hands.
Ingredients for a large pot of soup that would serve 8-10 (I'm always making soup for several days):
2 tbs olive olive or vegetable oil
1 lb brown lentils (the ones with the shortest cooking time)
2 boxes of 32 oz chicken broth (use vegetable stock for a vegetarian version), extra water if necessary for desired consistency
1 large onion, diced
4-5 medium carrots, sliced or diced
3-4 stalks celery, sliced
2 (14 oz) cans diced tomatoes
2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped or crushed
1.5 tsp paprika
1.5 tsp ground cumin (or to taste)
crushed pepper flakes (tot taste, optional)
a handful of cilantro and 1/2 lime for serving.
Preparation: In a large soup pot heat the olive oil, add onions and cook on medium until translucent (3-5 minutes), add carrots and celery and a little water, cook for a few minutes, then add lentils and cumin and pepper flakes, heat through, then add the chicken/vegetable broth and paprika. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, until lentils and vegetables are almost done. Check a few times if it needs more water, lentils really soak up water. When lentils are almost done add the diced tomatoes and garlic, taste and adjust seasoning to taste (salt, pepper, cumin, paprika). Cook another 10-15 minutes, until lentils and vegetables are done. The soup should be thick (though not as thick as on my last attempt, when I used 1.5 lbs of lentil, which proved just a little bit too much). Serve with as much chopped cilantro as you like, and a good squeeze of lime. My husband serves it with a dash of smoky Spanish "pimenton".
Enjoy this hearty soup!
It's a fairly recent addition to our menu, we first served it at our friends in Austin, Annamari and András, on one of our visits, it must have been a couple of years ago, I don't remember exactly when. But I do remember I loved Annamari's lentil soup so much, I just had to have the recipe. But then I didn't write it down, and by the time I got around to make it, I've already forgotten the exact ingredients, so I just reconstituted it from memory... It was not the same as hers, of course, some ingredients got probably left out, others added, the measures were approximate, too, but we liked my imperfect version quite a lot, so I just kept making it that way.
Here's what the recipe evolved into in my hands.
2 tbs olive olive or vegetable oil
1 lb brown lentils (the ones with the shortest cooking time)
2 boxes of 32 oz chicken broth (use vegetable stock for a vegetarian version), extra water if necessary for desired consistency
1 large onion, diced
4-5 medium carrots, sliced or diced
3-4 stalks celery, sliced
2 (14 oz) cans diced tomatoes
2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped or crushed
1.5 tsp paprika
1.5 tsp ground cumin (or to taste)
crushed pepper flakes (tot taste, optional)
a handful of cilantro and 1/2 lime for serving.
Preparation: In a large soup pot heat the olive oil, add onions and cook on medium until translucent (3-5 minutes), add carrots and celery and a little water, cook for a few minutes, then add lentils and cumin and pepper flakes, heat through, then add the chicken/vegetable broth and paprika. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, until lentils and vegetables are almost done. Check a few times if it needs more water, lentils really soak up water. When lentils are almost done add the diced tomatoes and garlic, taste and adjust seasoning to taste (salt, pepper, cumin, paprika). Cook another 10-15 minutes, until lentils and vegetables are done. The soup should be thick (though not as thick as on my last attempt, when I used 1.5 lbs of lentil, which proved just a little bit too much). Serve with as much chopped cilantro as you like, and a good squeeze of lime. My husband serves it with a dash of smoky Spanish "pimenton".
Enjoy this hearty soup!
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Birthday Wine
Another wine worth remembering.
Nice Rhone Valley wine for under $20 ($19.99) at Central Market.
Opened it for my birthday.
Opened it for my birthday.
Butternut Squash Soup
I wanted to make something special for my birthday, but nothing too fancy that would require spending half a day in the kitchen. Peter and I both love cream soups, and I've made Butternut Squash Soup only once (I think it was for last Thanksgiving), so it seemed like the best opportunity to repeat it. I found a pretty good recipe on allrecipes.com, and tweaked it a little: added some nutmeg, ginger and parsley to it.
The main course was something basic, but one of my favorites: chicken drumsticks with roasted vegetables, but this time the real highlight of the meal was the soup. Here's the recipe.
Ingredients:
1-2 tablespoon olive oil, or sunflower oil or butter
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3-4 medium potatoes (I used Yukon Gold)
3-4 medium carrots, sliced, cubed, doesn't matter
3 celery stalks, sliced
1 large or 1.5 medium butternut squash
32 oz low sodium vegetable or chicken stock
1-2 vegetable or chicken cubes
salt and pepper
dash of nutmeg
one teaspoon powdered ginger
parsley for garnishing
1 tbsp cream or half and half
croutons or toast for serving
Preparation: In a stock pot heat the olive oil (sunflower oil or butter - I used olive oil now, but next time I'll next time I'll try it with butter). Saute onions until translucent - 3-4 minutes, add all vegetables at once, saute them for a few minutes, add the chicken stock (vegetable stock for a vegetarian version), add 1-2 cups water to cover the vegetables, bring to a boil, add 1-2 chicken or vegetable cubes (optional - you can just add salt and pepper, for a more "natural" flavor) and reduce heat to medium and simmer for about 30 minutes, until all vegetables are cooked through and soft. Almost at the end, add a pinch of nutmeg (as Julia Child would say: you want some nutmeg flavor but don't want people to go: "Ah, nutmeg!"), and a teaspoon of ginger powder. When cooked, remove pot from heat, leave cool a bit before pureeing it with a stick blender (or in a traditional blender). Garnish with parsley and serve with croutons or toast and a little cream (or half and half).
I only used 1.5 out of 2 medium butternut squashes, I roasted the rest along with potatoes and carrots, seasoned with Italian seasoning - basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary-, as Central Market was out of bulk Herbes de Provence; some garlic, olive oil and a tablespoon of lemon juice. Mixed the herbes with some olive oil and lemon juice, salt and pepper, tossed the veggies in the mixture, and also rubbed the chicken drumsticks with it, then roasted the vegetables and chicken in the same casserole, covered, for 30 minutes at 425 degrees, then uncovered for another 45 minutes at 375 degrees, until the chicken skins turned red and crispy.
The main course was something basic, but one of my favorites: chicken drumsticks with roasted vegetables, but this time the real highlight of the meal was the soup. Here's the recipe.
Ingredients:
1-2 tablespoon olive oil, or sunflower oil or butter
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3-4 medium potatoes (I used Yukon Gold)
3-4 medium carrots, sliced, cubed, doesn't matter
3 celery stalks, sliced
1 large or 1.5 medium butternut squash
32 oz low sodium vegetable or chicken stock
1-2 vegetable or chicken cubes
salt and pepper
dash of nutmeg
one teaspoon powdered ginger
parsley for garnishing
1 tbsp cream or half and half
croutons or toast for serving
Preparation: In a stock pot heat the olive oil (sunflower oil or butter - I used olive oil now, but next time I'll next time I'll try it with butter). Saute onions until translucent - 3-4 minutes, add all vegetables at once, saute them for a few minutes, add the chicken stock (vegetable stock for a vegetarian version), add 1-2 cups water to cover the vegetables, bring to a boil, add 1-2 chicken or vegetable cubes (optional - you can just add salt and pepper, for a more "natural" flavor) and reduce heat to medium and simmer for about 30 minutes, until all vegetables are cooked through and soft. Almost at the end, add a pinch of nutmeg (as Julia Child would say: you want some nutmeg flavor but don't want people to go: "Ah, nutmeg!"), and a teaspoon of ginger powder. When cooked, remove pot from heat, leave cool a bit before pureeing it with a stick blender (or in a traditional blender). Garnish with parsley and serve with croutons or toast and a little cream (or half and half).
I only used 1.5 out of 2 medium butternut squashes, I roasted the rest along with potatoes and carrots, seasoned with Italian seasoning - basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary-, as Central Market was out of bulk Herbes de Provence; some garlic, olive oil and a tablespoon of lemon juice. Mixed the herbes with some olive oil and lemon juice, salt and pepper, tossed the veggies in the mixture, and also rubbed the chicken drumsticks with it, then roasted the vegetables and chicken in the same casserole, covered, for 30 minutes at 425 degrees, then uncovered for another 45 minutes at 375 degrees, until the chicken skins turned red and crispy.
Tricolore Salad
Our friend Aniko introduced us to one of our favorite "Italian" dishes: the so called Tricolore Salad with tomatoes, mozzarella, basil and avocado. I guess you can't really call this an Italian salad, because of the avocados, but it's probably adapted from a basic Italian salad, the Mozzarella Caprese, and you can find it in some Italian Cookbooks, too. For the past six years or so, we've served this salad at least once a week for dinner, with or without a soup as starter.
This is a very simple recipe, with only a few ingredients, and it's success lies in the quality of the ingredients.
What you need:
2-3 campari tomatoes per person, sliced
1-1.5 fresh mozzarella bocconcini (bite size mozzarella), sliced
1/4 avocado per person, sliced
2-3 basil leaves per person
1 tablespoon top quality olive oil per serving
1 teaspoon top quality balsamic vinegar (optional) per serving
sea salt
black pepper
fresh ciabatta rolls
Preparation:
Place tomato slices on a plate, sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper. For this salad I would use some courser sea salt, it brings out the flavor of the tomatoes better. Also, ideally at this stage you should leave the salted tomatoes rest for 20 minutes, half an our, so the tomatoes would release their juices. I don't usually have time for this step, but the salad is still very flavorful without it, too. Until you finish putting the salad together, the tomatoes will release enough of their juices.
After 20 minutes, put one slice of mozzarella on each tomato slice, then top it with a slice of avocado. Garnish with basil leaves, drizzle with olive oil and (optionally) with balsamic vinegar. We usually serve this salad without the vinegar, it's a question of personal preference. Serve it with very fresh ciabatta bread and black or green olives (also optional). My husband, Peter likes some red pesto with it, that is not an option for me because of the dry rosemary.
If your ciabatta bread is not very fresh, here's a trick I learned in communist Romania 25 years ago, when fresh bread wasn't always available. Pat down the uncut day old ciabatta rolls with your wet hands, until they're slightly wet all over, then bake the rolls in the preheated oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes. They will come out fresh and crispy. I do this even with fresh ciabatta bought in the morning, there's nothing like the warm, crisp crusted ciabatta for mopping up the juices from the plate. Enjoy!
This is a very simple recipe, with only a few ingredients, and it's success lies in the quality of the ingredients.
2-3 campari tomatoes per person, sliced
1-1.5 fresh mozzarella bocconcini (bite size mozzarella), sliced
1/4 avocado per person, sliced
2-3 basil leaves per person
1 tablespoon top quality olive oil per serving
1 teaspoon top quality balsamic vinegar (optional) per serving
sea salt
black pepper
fresh ciabatta rolls
Preparation:
Place tomato slices on a plate, sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper. For this salad I would use some courser sea salt, it brings out the flavor of the tomatoes better. Also, ideally at this stage you should leave the salted tomatoes rest for 20 minutes, half an our, so the tomatoes would release their juices. I don't usually have time for this step, but the salad is still very flavorful without it, too. Until you finish putting the salad together, the tomatoes will release enough of their juices.
After 20 minutes, put one slice of mozzarella on each tomato slice, then top it with a slice of avocado. Garnish with basil leaves, drizzle with olive oil and (optionally) with balsamic vinegar. We usually serve this salad without the vinegar, it's a question of personal preference. Serve it with very fresh ciabatta bread and black or green olives (also optional). My husband, Peter likes some red pesto with it, that is not an option for me because of the dry rosemary.
If your ciabatta bread is not very fresh, here's a trick I learned in communist Romania 25 years ago, when fresh bread wasn't always available. Pat down the uncut day old ciabatta rolls with your wet hands, until they're slightly wet all over, then bake the rolls in the preheated oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes. They will come out fresh and crispy. I do this even with fresh ciabatta bought in the morning, there's nothing like the warm, crisp crusted ciabatta for mopping up the juices from the plate. Enjoy!
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Everyday Breakfast - Simple Quesadillas
This is such a simple, yet so satisfying breakfast. I'm sure everyone in Mexico, or even here in Texas would be appalled by my calling these "quesadillas", but well, this is our version of a very quick, easy to make, basic Quesadilla we serve on weekday mornings for breakfast.
Ingredients: 1-2 tortillas of your choice per person, shaved Pecorino (or some other strong flavored cheese, such as Cheddar), goat cheese (Chevre) 1-2 campari tomatoes, buttermilk/milk.
Preparation: Preheat the griddle pan or frying pan. Spread one tortilla evenly with goat cheese, put it on the griddle, clean side down. While the first tortilla is heating through, spread the shaved Pecorino over one half of the other tortilla. Fold the goat cheese-filled tortilla in two, put the Pecorino-filled tortilla clean side down next to it, cook unfolded until cheese lightly melt, fold in two (or just partially, letting part of the cheese uncovered, if you, like me, love the taste of grilled cheese), flip tortillas once or twice, and cook them until golden brown on both sides. Serve with tomatoes and a cup of buttermilk or plain milk. Enjoy!
Preparation: Preheat the griddle pan or frying pan. Spread one tortilla evenly with goat cheese, put it on the griddle, clean side down. While the first tortilla is heating through, spread the shaved Pecorino over one half of the other tortilla. Fold the goat cheese-filled tortilla in two, put the Pecorino-filled tortilla clean side down next to it, cook unfolded until cheese lightly melt, fold in two (or just partially, letting part of the cheese uncovered, if you, like me, love the taste of grilled cheese), flip tortillas once or twice, and cook them until golden brown on both sides. Serve with tomatoes and a cup of buttermilk or plain milk. Enjoy!
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Wine Quest - Part I.
Seems a little odd to start a food blog with a post about wine, but hey, wine is more food than spirit, so I don't think it's too strange after all.
Along with my old and new recipes I'm posting here photos of wines we liked.
This is a Portuguese wine we bought at Central Market two weeks ago,
unfortunately this weekend they were out, and I can't remember the
price. I'm sure it wasn't too pricey - in the past few weeks Peter and I
have been experimenting with inexpensive wines, trying to find the best
deals for the price for everyday consumption. This wine was found I
believe as part of that quest.
Along with my old and new recipes I'm posting here photos of wines we liked.
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