Random Food Bites

Here are some out takes from this week's feasting.

Every winter morning I start my day with half of a ruby red grapefruit.
Though I am not a grapefruit lover, it is the healthiest thing I eat during my day.



We had some of the best pizza I have had in years at Arturo's on W. Houston St. in the West Village.
Arturo's has one of the last coal ovens in nyc and has been on the same corner for 50 years. We shared an amazing bacon pie with some of our favorite foodies, Claire & Stephane.



Some more healthy eating (don't worry, I counteract that each day with a piece of cake). My roasted salmon on asparagus.



I made my delicious eggplant stacks layered with fresh mozzarella, basil and roasted peppers & fresh tomatoes. Always a hit.



The big eaters out having fun, chasing away the winter doldrums.

A Noble Dip

My friend Cathy from Noble Pig makes some delicious foods. She also has the gift to gab and is a Martha Stewart type.
She wraps gifts beautifully, makes her own wine, is building a vineyard, does sheet rock and dry wall, is a fabulous baker, has perfect holiday table settings, blah blah blah.

Well, I made her good looking white bean spread the other day and it was delicious! I think the addition of parmesan cheese and scallions really made it more special than your average white bean dip. Leave it to Cath to jazz it up.

Cathy's White Bean Dip

1 can of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 chopped scallions
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 good olive oil
1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
2 garlic cloves (I used only 1, because I am not a fan of RAW garlic)
salt & pepper

Mix all ingredients and pulse in a food processor until smooth.
Drizzle with some good olive oil and garnish with chopped scallions and a sprig of rosemary!



The second time I made this dip I added frizzled shallots on top for crunch and served with endive spears! Delicious!

This would be a great dip to make for Super Bowl this weekend, a healthier alternative to the usual sour cream & Lipton onion soup dip (I know, I know, it's tradition!).

Penne w/ Prosciutto, Walnuts & Fried Sage Leaves

Years ago, my mother in law and I took a cooking class given by David Ruggierro, who was a NYC restaurateur and chef and a good old wise guy from Brooklyn. He was a lot of fun and showed us how to make some delicious Italian foods from his neighborhood in Brooklyn and his grandmother's neighborhood in Sicily!

He demonstrated this dish in the class, and I have never forgotten it.
This dish comes from Piedmont, a region in Northern Italy, but tonight, will be made by a girl who lives in Northern New Jersey.

My photos don't do this dish justice. It is very simple, yet very special.

It is one of my favorite pasta dishes and the combination of walnuts, prosciutto and fried sage is just beautiful. I have cut down the cheese and butter from the original recipe so my jeans will fit and have written the recipe my way.

We serve it with a nice Super Tuscan, however, I think it would go with a nice minerally (?) Pinot Grigio too.

Make sure you have all your ingredients ready, because like any good pasta mixed with a skillet sauce, you have to work fast.

Penne alla San Giovanni (adapted from David Ruggierro's Little Italy Cookbook)

8 oz. of prosciutto, diced
5 garlic cloves, smashed
1/4 cup good olive oil
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped roughly
salt & pepper
1/2 cup Pecorino Romano cheese

1 lb. penne pasta

1/2 stick of butter
25 sage leaves

Cook your pasta as per directions on the box.

In a heavy skillet heat your olive oil and cook your garlic, prosciutto and walnuts on medium heat until the prosciutto starts to brown (watch that your garlic doesn't burn). Once this is done, take your pan off the heat/burner.



Add your cooked, drained penne pasta to the skillet and mix with the prosciutto mixture. Add 1/2 cup of parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese and toss together.
Sprinkle with a bit of salt and cracked black pepper.



In a separate frying pan, cook 1/2 stick of butter and the 25 sage leaves on medium heat for about 2 minutes till the sage leaves are crisping up.
Pour this gorgeous sage butter on top of the pasta and serve.



As Marie would say: Buon Appetito!

Why Would I do this to Kale?

Did you ever buy something just because it looked pretty?

I am not talking about an impulsive shoe buy or a Gucci bag. No, I am talking about a bag of kale.



I was in Trader Joe's and saw this beautiful large bag of rainbow mixed Swiss chard and kale. I have to confess, I have never used either in any recipes, but figured this was too pretty to pass up.

This is called an impulsive purchase.

I had no idea what to do with this pretty bag but was happy to own it.
I googled kale and Swiss chard recipes and came up with mostly soups. I was told that kale should not be eaten raw, it has to be cooked, so cooked it will be!

I found a recipe for ROASTING KALE and SWISS CHARD that said "Best Recipe for Kale Ever!".
Why would I do this? Because I am an idiot.

Lay 4 lbs of kale and chard (that was the size of the bag) on a cookie sheet with olive oil and roast at 400 degrees until crispy, about 7-10 minutes.
After removing from the oven, sprinkle with Maldon Sea Salt & serve.

I destroyed this beautiful, bright, happy and colorful bag of hopeful vegetables by turning them into disgusting, dry pieces of air. I gave some to my taste tester without giving my opinion and asked how he liked it.

His reply: "It tastes like a piece of paper with salt on it".

I am sorry Mr. Kale & Mrs. Chard. I really killed this one!

I will stick with the Gucci bags, I have better luck with that impulsive purchase!

Make These Sticky Buns!

If you have one thing to bake, just one, right before your baking rights are taken away from you by the baking police, BAKE THESE! PLEASE!

We know Ina is the queen, but Holy SH*T Batman! I didn't expect these results!


Very unconventional to make sticky buns with puff pastry, but I loved the lightness of these buns (wish my buns were a little lighter lately!).
Leave it to the B.C. to come up with this one.

I thank Lisa for helping me decide to cut down on the butter in this recipe.
I only cut out a half a stick, and the results were still amazing.

I also cut down on the baking time, because my buns were burning! (as they often are!).
Check on them after 20 minutes, though the recipe calls for 30 minutes at 400 degrees.

I did not measure my ingredients. I used a stick of butter for the muffin tins and the 2 tbsp of melted butter for brushing the puff pastry, but the rest of the ingredients I guessed. I sprinkled the pastry with brown sugar, raisins and cinnamon. No need to measure, more or less won't hurt them.



I liked these better than doughy sticky buns, that are so heavy and turn stale after a day. These stayed fresh until the next morning and were light and airy.

Barefoot Contessa's Easy Sticky Buns: (original recipe)

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature (I used 1 stick)
1/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 cup pecans, chopped in very large pieces
1 package (17.3 ounces/2 sheets) frozen puff pastry, defrosted for the filling
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup raisins

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place a 12-cup standard muffin tin on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. (make sure you put the muffin tin on a cookie sheet because the buns puff up and butter spilled all over).

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the 12 tablespoons butter and 1/3 cup brown sugar. Place 1 rounded tablespoon of the mixture in each of the 12 muffin cups. Distribute the pecans evenly among the 12 muffin cups on top of the butter and sugar mixture.

Lightly flour a wooden board or stone surface. Unfold one sheet of puff pastry with the folds going left to right. Brush the whole sheet with half of the melted butter. Leaving a 1-inch border on the puff pastry, sprinkle each sheet with 1/3 cup of the brown sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the cinnamon, and 1/2 cup of the raisins. Starting with the end nearest you, roll the pastry up snugly like a jelly roll around the filling, finishing the roll with the seam side down.

Trim the ends of the roll about 1/2 inch and discard. Slice the roll in 6 equal pieces, each about 1 1/2 inches wide. Place each piece, spiral side up, in 6 of the muffin cups. Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry to make 12 sticky buns.

Bake for 30 minutes (I only baked for 23 minutes), until the sticky buns are golden to dark brown on top and firm to the touch. Allow to cool for 5 minutes only, invert the buns onto the parchment paper (ease the filling and pecans out onto the buns with a spoon), and cool completely.

Chili.....the "C" word

I make Chili but once a year, usually on Super Bowl Sunday, and enough to freeze so the guys Can have some when I am not home (which is not often).

I make a great Chili with dark beer and Chuck meat, but I didn't have dark beer and the liquor store was Closed at 5 pm on a Sunday (NJ Sunday liquor laws), so I decided to try this recipe from an advertisement for Muir Glen tomatoes on my blog sidebar!!!!

I had some excellent real Spanish Chorizo, and everything else was from a Can, and all you have to do is Chop and add some Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, and you have a spicy, smokey Chili for a Cold winter night. You Can Call it a "C" word Chili, not to be rude or anything.



Chorizo Chili (recipe adapted from Muir Glen Tomatoes):

~ I used 7 oz. of GOOD Spanish chorizo, sliced, then chopped
~ 1 green pepper, 1 yellow pepper, chopped
~ 1 onion, chopped
~ 2 cloves garlic, chopped
~ 1 cup water
~ 2 cans of black beans, rinsed (15 oz. cans)
~ 2 cans of fire roasted tomatoes (15 oz. cans)
~ 1 tsp cumin
~ 1 tbsp chili powder
~ 1 tbsp of canned chipotle chili in adobo sauce

Saute your chorizo pieces and then add your onions, garlic and peppers to the pot.
Cook vegetables until soft, about 4 minutes.
Now add your canned tomatoes, beans, water, spices and chipotle chilis.
Simmer 30 minutes until thickened. Serve over rice.



The neighbor guys and husband guy seemed to really enjoy this over rice, however, it was a bit too spicy for me (but I don't like spicy foods, so don't go by me).

This is not a Chili that you would garnish with Cheese or sour Cream, because of the smoky Chorizo and Chipotle Chili flavor. The rice was enough to mellow it out a bit.

Migraine Munchies

I get a monthly migraine headache & one reared its ugly head this week.

If anyone gets migraines they know how EVIL they are.

My day is ruined. I have to cancel all appointments. I need to stay inside a dark room, all shades closed. No noise please. No smells please. No phones ringing please (I turn all ringers OFF).
A baseball bat to the skull would be the only relief at this point.

Nausea, stabbing eye pain and all over sick feeling is my day of hell.
Thank god they only last 24 hours.
I medicate myself with some fun stuff and sleep it off.

My friend Rosemary sent me these amazing paintings from a website so you can get the idea of how the artist feels when he/she gets these debilitating headaches.




When I wake up from my misery, I have these intense cravings for only certain foods, which my wonderful nurse (husband) goes out and gets for me:

A Whopper (has to be from Burger King, the original, flame broiled. McDonald's Big Mac or other fast food chains will not do).



Scrambled Eggs (salted and fluffy, made in a pan with butter).



A pint of Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Ice Cream (New York Super Fudge Chunk is ok too).

Rice Pudding Perfection

I almost gave up on making my beloved rice pudding, the kind that my grandma Dorothy would make, creamy, yet firm, a hint of vanilla and golden raisins.
I never did get her recipe before she passed away, and have never been able to recreate it.

Every stove top rice pudding I have made usually spills over and makes a mess of my stove. I think I have finally found my favorite rice pudding recipe of all time.
This one is baked in the oven instead of boiled on the stove. It is more on the firm side, so if you like a creamy rice pudding recipe, this may not be for you.



I found it on a great Canadian food blog called WHISK. Shari makes some great recipes, and this is her favorite rice pudding recipe. It reads strange, but just follow me and it will come out perfect.
The only fault is that it doesn't make a whole lot. It only filled 4 small ramekins.

You will need:

1/3 cup arborio rice (this is the short grained rice used for risotto)
1/4 cup sugar
3 cups of hot milk
2 tbsp butter

1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Oven at 250 degrees (it seems low temp, but it works)

Butter a small casserole dish.
In a bowl, mix the hot milk with the rice, sugar and butter. Pour this mixture into your greased casserole.

Bake for 2 1/2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes or so.
Add the vanilla, cinnamon and raisins during the last hour.

I loved this hot, my husband loved it cold.
But we bothed loved it.

Pasta Puttanesca: Hooker's Pasta

This is probably my favorite tomato based sauce in the world.
It's CHEAP and EASY! (hence the name!).

There is much debate as to where the name of this sauce comes from.

The word "puttana" in Italian means "whore" or "prostitute".
Read this interesting Wikipedia article to see the origins of my favorite peasant sauce.

There is no real recipe for this sauce, it was created from things that you might have (& that I always have) in my larder.

Anchovies
Capers
Garlic
Olives
Can of tomatoes



You can use more or less of any ingredient and if you double it you can freeze some for later!

Here is how I make it:

~ 1/2 can anchovies
~ 3 tbsp olive oil
~ 3-4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
~ handful of capers
~ handful of good black olives (kalamata or gaeta) NEVER use canned rubber olives!
~ 1 28 oz. can of San Marzano tomatoes with juice (you can use any canned tomatoes, crushed or chopped tomatoes are fine too)
~ fresh oregano or basil if you have it
~ dash of hot pepper flakes

In a heavy skillet, heat your olive oil on medium and cook your anchovies and garlic until the anchovies start to dissolve.

Add your tomatoes, olives, capers and seasonings and simmer about 30 minutes until the sauce is nice and thick.

Serve over penne or linguine.
This makes enough sauce for 1 lb. of pasta to serve 4 people.



It's SO good and yet SO simple.

Pan Bagnat

This should be called PAIN bagnat instead of pan bagnat (because it was a bit of a pain to make!).

The word "pan bagnat" means "wet bread" in French and this sandwich is just that!
Like a panzanella salad (bread salad) from Italy, where you moisten the bread with oil and vinegar to soften.

This sandwich originated in Nice, France and is basically a Nicoise Salad in a loaf (minus the green beans). Next time I will stick with my Salade Nicoise, much easier to prepare.

This was a chore to make, but worth the effort. There are a lot of ingredients involved and then you layer them in a hollowed out loaf of bread and weigh it down overnight with weights. You following me?

I saw a great looking photo (never browse for recipes on line when you are hungry) on tastespotting, the recipe originated from the L.A. Times.
I love the combination of ingredients and the photo was so pretty, so I decided to make one.

Pan Bagnat (makes enough for 6 for lunch):

1 baguette

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 cup black olives
4 tablespoons capers
1 clove garlic, minced

2 cans Italian tuna in olive oil, drained and broken apart
2 small boiling potatoes, boiled, cooled and sliced thinly
2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and sliced thinly
2 small vine-ripened tomatoes, sliced thinly
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
1 cup arugula










1. Halve the baguette lengthwise and scoop out a little of the interior of both sides with your fingers.

2. In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar, lemon juice, salt and pepper until combined. Whisk in the olive oil until emulsified and set aside.

3. Coarsely chop the olives and capers, then combine in a small bowl with the minced garlic and set aside.

4. Fill the bottom part of the baguette with the olive mixture, spreading it evenly across the hollowed-out baguette. Layer the tuna over the olives, then, in even layers, add the potatoes, eggs and tomatoes. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the sandwich, then add the onions and the arugula, pressing down on the contents as you go. Top with the other baguette half and wrap the sandwich tightly with plastic. Refrigerate overnight, weighted with a cutting board or a plate topped with some cans or bottles.

5. The next day, take the sandwich out of the refrigerator in the morning and cut into sixths. Wrap individually and pack for lunch: the sandwiches are best when they've been sitting at room temperature for a couple of hours.

6. Eat and enjoy!

Hunter's Stew

I read an article a while back about a guy named David Ansel, also known in Austin, Texas as the Soup Peddler. After trying to reinvent himself after a failed career, he started a small business by emailing his friends and telling them he would deliver soup on his bicycle to them everyday at lunch time, would anyone be interested?

Yup.

He now has 2000 soup customers! This is food entrepreneurship at its best.
Click here to read the article in Food & Wine.

I have tried 3 of David's soup recipes, unlike the Soup Nazi from Seinfeld, he is willing to share his recipes! His white bean soup with pan seared salami is terrific.

File this recipe under OH MY GOD GOOD!!!!!

This is more like a beef stew rather than a soup, and he calls it Hunter's Stew.
I guess after a day of hunting for bargains, this would be a comforting dish. (I obviously don't hunt animals, I just eat them).



The beef braised in Madeira wine is so delicious and gives this stew such a distinctive flavor, make sure you serve it over the wild rice as the recipe calls for. It is quite hearty.

I decreased the amount of stock, and used chicken stock, because that is what I had on hand. I have made it both ways, and I liked it better w/ the chicken stock.

The Soup Peddler's Hunter's Stew:

3 tablespoons pure olive oil
1 1/2 pounds beef chuck in 1 piece
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
10 cups beef stock or low-sodium broth
3/4 cup Madeira
1/2 pound wild rice (1 1/4 cups)
1 medium onion, very finely chopped
2 carrots, coarsely chopped

Preheat the oven to 300°. In a large, heavy ovenproof saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Season the meat with salt and pepper and cook over high heat until browned, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer the beef to a plate and wipe out the saucepan. Add 2 cups of the beef stock and the Madeira to the saucepan and bring to a simmer. Return the meat to the saucepan, cover and braise in the oven for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, turning occasionally, until tender.

Heat a large enameled cast-iron casserole or soup pot over high heat. Add the wild rice and cook, stirring, until it begins to pop, about 2 minutes. Add the onion, carrots and the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the remaining 8 cups of stock and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to moderate, cover, and cook until the rice is tender, about 50 minutes.



Remove the meat from the braising liquid and let cool slightly, then shred it. Add the shredded meat and its braising liquid to the casserole and season with salt and pepper. Simmer the stew for 5 minutes, then ladle into bowls and serve.


Double the recipe so you can freeze the leftovers without the rice.

I am ready to go out hunting now.....hmmmmm, what will I find??