Making Time to Enjoy a Gourmet Life

If you're like me, you base your vacation spots partially on where you can enjoy great food and a cocktail:  Think tapas in Spain, lobster on the coast of Maine, or wine tastings in Napa Valley. One of the simplest things I've enjoyed in my travels over the past few years was the ability to take a break in the evenings before dinner, to watch the sunset with a cocktail and a little snack. When we came home, I vowed to incorporate these little moments whenever possible and to enjoy a gourmet life at home, not just on vacation.

All it takes is a little planning and creativity. Next time you're walking past a cheese shop or through a local market, stop and ask for recommendations. You'll often find the shop owners are more than happy to recommend little snacks that don't cost too much and go well together, such as a sliver of good cheese, a demi-baguette, a few slices of sopressata and a handful of olives. Add a glass of red wine and you're all set!

Whatever you choose to prepare, remember to appreciate the moment - don't dwell on the past or worry about the future. Be good to yourself and your loved ones, and enjoy what you have right now.

You Say Tomato, I Say Tomate

A couple of years ago, my husband and I took a two-week trip to Spain, visiting Madrid, San Sebastian and Barcelona. One of the simplest dishes that stuck with me was something we ate often there, both at fancy restaurants and low-key tapas bars: Pan Con Tomate. It's super simple, and it's a great way to utilize the end-of-season tomatoes in the fall.

Pan Con Tomate

Serves 2

4 slices of thick cut crusty bread
2 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 ripe heirloom tomato, halved
2 T extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
1-2 T sherry vinegar, to taste
1/2 tsp kosher or sea salt

Grate the tomatoes on a box grater, and mix in the olive oil, sherry vinegar and salt.

Slice up a good, crusty baguette into thick slices, and toast them in the oven briefly - or better yet, grill it until it's slightly charred. Remove from the oven or grill, and rub the toasted bread with the garlic cloves (the bread will act as a mini grater), then drizzle with the best-quality olive oil you can afford, and top with the tomato mixture.


For more tapas ideas, check out this cookbook by one of my favorite chefs:
Tapas: A Taste of Spain in America, by Jose Andres

Brussels Sprouts for Haters

I've met many a sprout-hater in my life, and I promise you that this recipe - shamelessly passed off as my own for years even though it was ripped off from Blue Hill chef  Dan Barber - will make even the most anti-brussels-sprout person reconsider their feelings for the vegetable. It's plentiful this time of year at the farmers' market, but you'll do just as well with a fresh pint of whole sprouts at the grocery store while they're in season. It beats the pants off cooking them in butter, in my opinion, and it's easy enough for a weeknight meal but fancy enough (especially if you add some crisp cubes of pancetta) to serve at a holiday meal.

You'll be browning the sprouts face-down in the skillet on a stove top before roasting, so you'll need a large enough skillet to hold all the sprouts that's oven safe (such as cast iron) - or you can brown them in batches and roast together in the oven.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with White Balsamic

Serves 2-3 as a side dish

2 C brussels sprouts
2 T extra virgin olive oil
3-4 T white balsamic vinegar, for de-glazing
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper (white pepper, if you have it)
3 T cubed pancetta, crisped and drained (optional)


Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Clean the brussels sprouts by trimming the tough stems, removing any yellowed outer leaves and halving them length-wise. Heat the olive oil in a large oven-save skillet on medium-high heat on the stove, then add a pinch of salt and a few grinds of fresh pepper. When the oil is hot, quickly place the brussels sprouts face down in the oil and cook until they begin to brown (about 4-6 minutes). Place in the oven and roast until the sprouts turn dark green and the bottoms are nice and dark brown. Return the pan to a medium flame on the stovetop and pour in the white balsamic vinegar, stirring the sprouts to coat evenly.

Two tips for that last step: 1) If you use a cast iron pan, it'll retain enough heat that you don't need to turn the stove back on to do this step. 2) Keep your face away from the pan. Just trust me when I say that you do not want a nose full of evaporating vinegar.


For more interesting takes on vegetable dishes, check out Eat Your Vegetables: Bold Recipes for the Single Cook

Classic Indian Chicken Chapli Kebabs

 

You don't have to go to a DESI (Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi) Restaurant in order to enjoy delicious CHAPLI Kebabs!  Make these delicious little pieces of heaven right in your cozy kitchen!!!

 

1 lb. ground chicken

1 fine chopped onion

6 fine chopped garlic cloves

3 ounces fine chopped ginger

fine chopped chilies to taste

fine chopped fresh green coriander to taste

salt to taste

pepper to taste

4 ounces soy sauce

1/4 cup bread crumbs

3 tablespoons oil 

Mix all the ingredients add bread crumbs accordingly so that mixture is not be too moist.

Divide mixture into small balls and press them little to make small flat discs, 4-5 inches in diameter.

Cook them on medium flame for 7-8 minutes both sides until they are golden brown or bake in oven for 15-20 minutes.  Serve them with mint chutney(puree of mint, lemon juice, onion, salt and pepper).

 

This makes 12-15 Chapli Kebabs :)

 

Ready for more classic Indian dishes? Here are 300 Classic Indian Recipes: Authentic dishes, from kebabs, korma and tandoori to pilau rice, balti and biryani, with over 300 photographs

Lazy Man's Pizza

Come home from a long night and was looking for a quick fix for dinner? I don't have much restaurants around my area and don't want to deal with takeout so usually find myself looking to cook something quick and hearty.

I usually find myself in this situation (and being a fan of Pizza) so I always have the following in stock in my fridge:

Jar of Pizza Sauce (or Tomato Sauce)
A Bag of Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
Flatbread

Optional Ingredient

Basil (Or whatever you want to top your pizza with)

With these ingredients and a standard Mini Toaster Oven, you can make what I call my "Lazy Man's Pizza".

The Lazy Man's Pizza

Makes Pizza for one Person

1. Set your oven to bake an preheat the oven to 450 degrees. 
2. Take some aluminum foil, prepare a square big enough to fit your flatbread. Lay your flatbread onto the aluminum foil, spread a few spoonful of Pizza sauce evenly onto it. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over the sauce, adjust accordingly depending on how healthy or have much cheese you want on the pizza.
3. Even out the cheese and sauce on your flatbread pizza, then place your optional ingredients onto it and place it into the oven along with the aluminum foil. The aluminum foil would serve as your tray and make it an easy cleanup afterwards.
4. Bake for 10 minutes then enjoy!

 It's no Lombardi's, but at least better than Dominos.... ^_-

Have it YOUR way! More than 60 Recipes for Delicious Homemade Pizza

Fish Fight

In the movie “Once Upon a Time in Mexico”, Johnny Depp’s character, Agent Sands, ordered Puerco Pibil from each restaurant he visited and compared it to the other iterations from restaurants across Mexico as a barometer of the status quo. The result of discovering version of the dish beyond the status quo was a horrific end to the chef who prepared it. In my case, I’d rather celebrate the dish and the restaurant that offers it.

 Of the restaurants I have visited with some level of regularity, if I find fish tacos on the menu, I will most likely give them a try. For those times that I would like a quick bite, a dish that is light but has some sustenance to it, I have found the fish soft taco to be the ideal choice.

Sampled at:

• El Camion Ave A NYC 
• Tolani W80th St NYC 
• Mercadito Ave B NYC 

I’ll begin with my favorite, found at El Camion. Beer-battered codfish – cucumber slaw and avocado cream (flour taco). El Camion’s fish taco is presented as lightly coated and fried chunks of codfish. They are careful not to overwhelm the fish with the add-ons or taco shell. This balance permits you to recognize the prominence of the fish, the accent of the slaw/avocado, bound in the taco shell’s base.

Tolani, my number two, makes a pretty good fish taco as well. While the flavors, presentation, and creativity combine to bring a smile to my face, the “House Made Corn Tomatillo Salsa” slightly overtakes the personality of the fish.

 Mercadito, my least favorite of the fish tacos presented here is by no means lacking. Their sautéed tilapia, poblano-tomatillo mojo, avocado is very tasty, but the fish becomes lost in the midst. The corn tortilla, which also wraps Tolani’s fish taco, offers a level of authenticity that I appreciate. However, the rustic feel is not necessary and detracts from the texture of the fish. Perhaps corn tortillas should be reserved for beef, chicken, and pork.

 The beauty of this Fish Fight, or “recipeat” is how a simple and bland piece of fish (cod or tilapia) can take on such different forms and tastes with modest variations in the toppings and shell.

If you care to bring the taco fiesta home, check out "Tacos, Tortas, and Tamales: Flavors from the Griddles, Pots, and Streetside Kitchens of Mexico"for some great recipe ideas.

Easy Steamed Lobstas'

Lobsters are in abundance right now.  At a good Asian Seafood market you can get them for $4-$5 per pound.  Why go to a fancy restaurant only to pay the big bucks??  I will make it simple for you!  I like to do 2 lobsters per meal.  You can do as many as you like!

You need a nice pot that can fit your lobsters comfortably.  You don't want them on top of each other rather next to each other.  You also want a bowl or something underneath so that the lobsters can be perched on top of it and not soaking in the boiling water.  we want to steam these guys not boil them! 

I like to place the lobsters in the freezer for 15-20 minutes.  This puts them in a trance and they are easier to work with that way.  Also when you take them out of the freezer you can easily cut the rubbers off. 

Bring the water to a boil so you get a nice steam going.  Then place the lobsters one at a time.  I like to let them go for 8 minutes for the first pound and then 3-4 minutes for each additional pound.  Two one and half
pounders should take no more then 14-15 minutes.  When they are a nice bright red, pull them out and into an ice bath for a few minutes.  This will immediately stop the cooking process.  After cooling, just crack and enjoy!

For additional adventures in lobster dishes, I recommend: Chef Paul Prudhomme's Magic Seasoning Blends ~ Seafood Magic, 24-Ounce Canister