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Would You Rather Eat Fried Mozzarella or Calamari?

partysugar — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 01:30:22 -0700

Fast & Easy Dinner: Arugula and Fried Mozzarella Salad

partysugar — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 07:45:34 -0700

If fried mozzarella sticks with marinara sauce is one of your favorite bar foods, you're going to love this recipe! Smoked mozzarella is breaded and pan-fried in a shallow pool of oil.

A fresh tomato-basil mixture replaces the marinara sauce. Served atop a bed of arugula, this salad is a healthier version of the guilty pleasure classic.

To enjoy it this evening, get the recipe and read more.

Arugula and Fried Mozzarella Salad
From The Nest

Ingredients

1 large (about 7 ounces) smoked mozzarella
1 large egg
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1 1/2 cups medium diced fresh tomatoes
1/3 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
1 medium clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
5 ounces baby arugula, washed and dried

Directions

Slice the mozzarella into eight slices, then again in half crosswise, so you have 16 pieces of cheese.
Whisk the egg in a medium bowl with a pinch of salt and pepper. Put the breadcrumbs in another medium bowl.
Working with a few pieces at a time, dip the cheese in the egg, turning to coat all sides of the cheese. Dredge the cheese in the breadcrumbs, pressing to help the crumbs adhere and cover the cheese as much as possible. Transfer the breaded cheese slices to a plate and refrigerate until ready to cook. You can prepare the cheese up to 1 hour ahead. Discard any leftover egg and crumbs.
In a small bowl, combine the tomatoes, basil, and garlic and season with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and a few grinds of pepper. Let this sit for 5 minutes, then add 1/4 cup of the oil and the vinegar.
Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of the oil in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Put half the cheese in the pan and cook until the breadcrumbs turn golden, 30 to 60 seconds. Use two forks to turn the cheese and cook until the second side is golden, another 30 to 60 seconds. Transfer to a plate. Using the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil, repeat with the second batch of cheese.
Put the arugula in a large bowl. Stir the tomato mixture and toss it with the arugula. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.
Portion the salad among four plates. Arrange four pieces of cheese on top of each salad and serve immediately.

Serves 4.

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Come Party With Me: Super Bowl - Menu

partysugar — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 09:00:08 -0800

The Super Bowl is this Sunday and to make sure you host the best blowout bash, I'll be sharing all of my ideas for an awesome party. To get things started let's talk about the menu. Before you select a bunch of dishes, think about the crowd you will be serving. Will it be mostly people who are invested in the game? A male heavy group? A mix of football fans and people who are simply there to socialize? Choose dishes that will accommodate this group. My crew falls into the last category with a variety of meat-lovers and vegetarians planning to attend.

For appetizers set up a buffet of store bought or homemade dips (guacamole, buffalo chicken dip, hummus, and artichoke crab dip are my favorites). As the main course, offer oozing grilled mozzarella sandwiches and cheesesteak sliders. No Super Bowl party is complete without a deep fried treat and guests will be delighted to snack on super crispy onion rings. To look at these recipes, read more.

Grilled Mozzarella Sandwiches
From Martha Stewart

Ingredients

1 pound fresh buffalo mozzarella, cut into 4 equal pieces about 3-inches by 4-inches
8 1/2-inch thick firm white sandwich bread
2 large eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon coarse salt
A grating of nutmeg
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions

Place the mozzarella on 4 slices of the bread. Cover with the remaining slices to form sandwiches. Trim the crusts off to make perfect 4-inch squares.
In a wide shallow bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the cream, thyme leaves, salt, and nutmeg. Whisk until well blended.
In a 10 to 12-inch nonstick saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat until smoking.
Add 1 tablespoon of the butter and cook until the sizzling subsides.
Dip 2 of the sandwiches into the egg mixture, turning to coat, place in the pan, and cook until golden brown on the first side, about 2 minutes. Flip over and brown on the other side.
Transfer the sandwiches to individual plates and repeat the process with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon butter, and 2 sandwiches. Cut in half, and serve immediately.

Makes 4 sandwiches.

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Cheesesteak Sliders
From Everyday with Rachael Ray

Ingredients

7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound beef tenderloin, cut into thin strips
Salt and pepper
2 large bell peppers, cut into thin strips
2 onions, halved and thinly sliced
16 dinner rolls, split
6 ounces provolone cheese, shredded (about 1 1/2 cups)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375°F.
In a large skillet, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat until rippling. Season the beef with salt and pepper, increase the heat to high and cook in the skillet for 3 minutes; flip and cook for 2 minutes more. Transfer to a bowl.
In the same skillet, heat the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil over medium heat. Add the peppers and onions, season with salt and pepper and cook over medium high heat, stirring, until softened, about 8 minutes.
Place the roll bottoms on a large rimmed baking sheet and top each with the beef and vegetables; sprinkle with the cheese.
Bake until the cheese is melted, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a platter and cover with the roll tops.

Makes 16 sliders.

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Supercrispy Onion Rings
From Food and Wine

Ingredients

2 quarts vegetable oil, for frying
3 cups cake flour
1 cup cornstarch
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling
2 1/2 to 3 cups chilled club soda
2 large Spanish onions, cut into 1/2-inch slices and separated into rings

Directions

In a very large pot or deep fryer, heat the oil to 365°F.
In a bowl, whisk the cake flour with the cornstarch, baking soda and 2 teaspoons of kosher salt. Add 2 1/2 cups of the club soda and whisk until smooth; the batter should be thick but pourable. If necessary, add the remaining 1/2 cup of club soda, a few tablespoons at a time.
Working with 6 to 8 onion rings at a time, dip them in the batter until completely coated; as you pull the rings from the batter, scrape some of the excess against the side of the bowl.
Carefully add the onion rings to the hot oil and fry until golden and crisp, about 2 minutes. Drain the onion rings on paper towels.
Sprinkle the onion rings with salt and serve immediately or keep warm in an oven on low heat while you coat and fry the rest.

Serves 8.

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Fast & Easy Dinner: Tofu Parmigiana

partysugar — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 08:00:31 -0700

Sick of eggplant parmesan? Well get excited, this recipe is for you. It replaces the purple vegetable with tofu steaks. Instead of deep-frying them, the tofu is coated with bread crumbs and cooked in just one tablespoon of oil.

Store-bought marinara is enhanced with sauteed mushrooms and onions. Using part-skim mozzarella reduces the fat content of this Italian classic. To make it for your family tonight, get the recipe and read more.

Tofu Parmigiana
From Eating Well

Ingredients

1/4 cup plain dry breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 14-ounce package firm or extra-firm water-packed tofu, rinsed
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 small onion, chopped
8 ounces white mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup prepared marinara sauce, preferably low-sodium
1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Directions

Combine breadcrumbs and Italian seasoning in a shallow dish.
Cut tofu lengthwise into 4 steaks and pat dry. Sprinkle both sides of the tofu with garlic powder and salt and then dredge in the breadcrumb mixture.
Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook until they release their juices and begin to brown, 4 minutes more. Transfer to a bowl.
Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pan. Add the tofu steaks and cook until browned on one side, about 3 minutes.
Turn over and sprinkle with Parmesan. Spoon the mushroom mixture over the tofu, pour marinara over the mushrooms and scatter mozzarella on top. Cover and cook until the sauce is hot and the cheese is melted, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle with basil and serve.

Serves 4.

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Say Cheese! Pancetta Smoked Mozzarella Skewers

partysugar — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 10:15:42 -0700

A couple of weeks ago I read an article on the Atlantic's food blog that recommended making a grilled skewer appetizer with smoked cheese cubes wrapped in pancetta. The story reminded me of a delicious tapa I had years ago in a Spanish dive bar. Anxious to re-create the dish, I headed to the store and purchased thinly sliced pancetta and smoked mozzarella. There's really no recipe, you simply wrap a 1/2-inch cube of cheese with pancetta, skewer, and place on the grill. This is where I ran into trouble. The cheese melted before the pancetta could fully cook, sticking to the grill. I transferred the skewers to a frying pan to try and salvage them, but the cheese continued to melt, clumping together. While the final bite tasted wonderful, the technique needs some fine tuning.

Do you have any advice for getting the pancetta to cook before the cheese melts? Have you ever made cheese skewers?

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Would You Eat This Palin Sandwich?

YumSugar — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 05:30:09 -0800

Last week I couldn't stop gushing about Ike's Place, my new favorite sandwich joint in town. Well, this weekend, I made a return trip there and tried one of their new offerings, an election-minded sandwich called The Palin.

Generously sized for its $8.98 price tag, The Palin was jam-packed with shredded chicken breast, deep-fried mozzarella sticks, blue cheese, and Frank's Red Hot Sauce. While I wished there had been a little less hot sauce, I thought the result was one heavenly mess.

Summer Reading: Cooking With Curtis

YumSugar — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 12:03:37 -0700

Many of you have written in and asked my opinion of Curtis Stone, aka The Take Home Chef. Truth be told, I don't know too much about him, other than he started at Melbourne's Savoy Hotel at the age of 18, and then later moved on to The Grill Room with Marco Pierre White (Godon Ramsay's mentor/nemesis). I also know that he's the author of a beautiful book called Cooking with Curtis: Easy, Everyday and Adventurous Recipes for the Home Cook.

The book is divided into four seasonal chapters, as well as three difficulty levels, and is full of mouth-watering dishes like Deep-Fried Eggplant and Mozzarella with Basil, Lentil Stew with Spicy Sausage and Crispy Pork Belly. It is clear that Stone's mission is to celebrate fresh seasonal ingredients and to get you, the home cook, interested in exploring the possibilities. There are plenty of tips and each recipe has a gorgeous photo to accompany it.

To get a taste of what the book has to offer - aka the recipe for Deep-Fried Eggplant and Mozzarella with Basil - read more

Deep-Fried Eggplant and Mozzarella with Basil
From Cooking with Curtis by Curtis Stone

2 tablespoons/30 ml olive oil
2 shallots, diced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 red jalapeno chili, chopped
7 ripe plum tomatoes, finely diced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For eggplant sandwiches:
1 eggplant (cut crosswise into 1/8 inch slices)
Salt
One 7-ounce ball fresh buffalo mozzarella cheese (cut crosswise into 8 slices)
8 fresh basil leaves
2/3 cup/95 g all purpose flour
4 large eggs, beaten to blend
1 1/2 cups/210 g dried plain bread crumbs
Safflower oil, for deep frying

To make the tomato sauce. Heat the oil in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallots and sauté for 3 minutes or until soft. Add the garlic and chili and sauté for another 1 minute.
Add the tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes are very tender and mushy, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes. Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper.
To make the eggplant sandwiches. Arrange the eggplant slices on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle the eggplant slices with salt and allow them to sit for 10 minutes. Rinse the eggplant under cold running water to remove the salt. Pat the eggplant slices dry with paper towels.
Place 1 slice of cheese and 1 basil leaf atop 1 eggplant slice. Top with a second eggplant slice. Repeat to make 8 sandwiches total. Place the flour, eggs and bread crumbs in 3 separate shallow bowls or pie plates.
Working with 1 eggplant sandwich at a time, dredge the eggplant sandwiches in the flour, shaking off the excess, then dip the sandwiches in the eggs, allowing the excess egg to drip back into the bowl of eggs, and dredge in the bread crumbs to coat completely.
Repeat the process to give the eggplant sandwich a second coating of the eggs and bread crumbs (not the flour). Add enough oil to a heavy large frying pan to reach the depth of 2 inches/5 cm. Heat the oil over medium-high heat to 350°F/180°C.
Working in batches, add the sandwiches to the hot oil and fry until they are golden brown, about 1 1/2 minutes per side. Using a slotted spatula, transfer the fried sandwiches to a plate lined with paper towels to absorb the excess oil.
Sprinkle the hot sandwiches with salt. Cut each sandwich into 4 wedges. Serve the sandwiches on a platter with the warm tomato sauce.

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Not Your Regular Nachos: Italian Nachos

partysugar — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 11:40:19 -0700

Let me just say that taking a gorgeous, appetizing picture of nachos is hard. The image certainly does not do these amazingly delicious Italian nachos justice. They were so good that I ate an insane amount all by myself. What exactly are Italian nachos? A creation I invented based on a little web research. I took elements from several recipes to make my own version.

First I fried pieces of tomato basil tortillas. Next I made an Alfredo sauce and heated up finely chopped Italian sausage. The chips were seasoned with salt and dried oregano before being topped with the sauce, sausage, and a heavy sprinkling of mozzarella cheese. The whole thing was topped with a tomato, sun-dried tomato, black olive, and pepperoncini salsa. The final result was to die for.

For more details on how I made them, read more.

Italian Nachos
Modified from Joe Buona's Pizzeria and Wikipedia

Ingredients

For Alfredo sauce:
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
3 tbs. unsalted butter
4 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. salt
fresh-ground black pepper
pinch of fresh-ground nutmeg
For nachos
oil, for frying
2 tomato basil tortillas sliced into triangular pieces
dried, crushed oregano
salt
1 Italian sausage, finely chopped
1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese (don't use fresh mozzarella, it will make the chips soggy)
2 tablespoons finely chopped tomato
2 tablespoons finely chopped black olives
1 tablespoon finely chopped sun dried tomatoes
1 tablespoon finely chopped peppercini
red pepper flakes, optional for serving

Directions

Make the chips: heat the oil in a large pot over high heat. When smoking add the tortilla wedges and fry for 30 seconds on each side until crisp and golden brown. Remove to a plate lined with paper towels and sprinkle with dried oregano and salt. Repeat, working in small batches, until all the tortillas are fried.

Make the Alfredo sauce: combine cream and butter in a saute pan. Heat over a low flame, stirring frequently, until the butter is melted and the cream comes to a bare simmer. Remove the pan from the heat once the butter is evenly incorporated into the cream.
Add the cheese, the salt, the nutmeg, and several grinds of the pepper mill. Cover set aside.
Meanwhile heat 1 teaspoon oil in a saute pan over medium low heat. Add the sausage and cook until crisp, browned, and heated through.
Preheat the oven to 375°.
Make the salsa: combine the tomato, sun dried tomatoes, black olives, and peppercini in a small bowl.

Place the chips on a cookie sheet covered with foil.
Drizzle with Alfredo sauce and top with cooked sausage. Cover with mozzarella and drizzle with more sauce.

Bake in the oven for 4 minutes until the cheese is melted. Turn the broiler on and broil until the chips are crisp and the cheese is bubbling.
Remove from oven and top with salsa. Serve immediately with red pepper flakes for sprinkling if desired.

Serves 1.

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Top Chef: It's Cool To Stay Cool (Episode 10 Recap)

YumSugar — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 18:30:04 -0800

So last night's episode of Top Chef was a bit of a shocker in the sense that no one won, but really, was anyone surprised about Mike getting the boot? Okay, so I actually thought Cliff was going to pack his knives this time, but really, even though I loved the fact that Mikey won everything last week, hasn't he overstayed his welcome? Don't get me wrong, I'm sure he's plenty talented, but he didn't really seem like he ever wanted it.

I was glad that this week was more about the cooking and less about the bickering, but I must ask, what was with Marcel's rooftop rap? (If anyone has the words, please post, I forgot to write them down.) Oh and another what's with Marcel moment: what was with the "Cut Out 4 Us" hand gestures? Did it remind anyone else of Uncle Joey from Full House?

Anyway, enough chatter, let's talk food. To check out my full recap, read more

The episode started off with a Kraft sponsored Quickfire challenge. Now, I completely understand product placement, but these sponsored challenges are starting to irk me. This time our favorite fledgling chefs had to turn BBQ sauce, Zesty Italian dressing and mayonnaise into a gourmet snack. I was really excited to see what they'd come up with, and although there were some impressive dishes, not very many of them seemed like "snacks." The two that stood out to me were definitely Sam's sandwich and Marcel's lamb kebabs with curried mayonnaise. I thought his use of the mayonnaise was quite effective and like Marcel said, "meat on a stick, who doesn't like that?"

Apparently it's not guest judge Mike Yakura of Le Colonial in San Francisco (you may remember him from last year's street vendor episode, although probably not, because this time he's sporting a wicked new mohawk), because Marcel, along with Sam, won this particular challenge.

The two winners were then granted the prize of choosing their teammates for the Elimination challenge. Once the teams were chosen (Sam, Ilan, Mike vs. Cliff, Ilia, Marcel), they were told they had 24 hours and a limited budget to open a restaurant.

Sam's team ended up going with a rustic Italian inspired place called LaLaLina (named after their girlfriends, and I must add, a very cute name). Their menu featured:

Fried Meatball on Crostini with Parsley Pesto
Spaghetti with Mushrooms and Walnut-Parsley Pesto
Bacon Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pork Tenderloin and a side of polenta
Watermelon gnocchi with bruleed cheese

Strangely missing from their menu: wine.
And bowls to put olive pits in. Good ol' Mikey went to the supply store and only stuck to his list. Sam took over as the kitchen leader and Ilan boringly worked the front of the house.

With the exception of the meatball, which they loved, the judges found the food to be boring, salty and disgusting. Judge Gail obviously did not like Sam's watermelon gnocchi, but that still isn't hindering my desire to eat it (honestly, I really would like to try it). The judges were also disappointed to have no wine offering.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the wall, Marcel's team has whipped up an impromptu "high end" classic diner named M.E.C. Their menu included:

Barbeque Coffee Chicken Wing
Tempura Vegetables and Mozzarella with Cornichon Aioli
The M.E.C. Burger with Prosciutto
Oreo Lemon Pie
Root beer floats or beer

Ilia and Marcel did most of the kitchen duties while Cliff ran the front of the house. Again, the guy in the front of the house was not the most exciting guy; he paid no attention to the judges (they waited over 10 minutes!) and he didn't mingle with the guests either. The chicken ended up being undercooked (scary!) and the hamburgers (because they had sat so long), were overcooked and "meatloaf" like. They did however, like Marcel's perfectly executed tempura veggies.

When everything was said and done, neither teams were deemed good enough to win and in the end Mikey had to pack his knives and go.

Now for a few things I'd like to discuss:

Marcel's rap, please people tell me what this is all about!
Ilan's attempted jab at Marcel with a sadly non-foaming Zesty Italian foam.
If Ilia wanted to be front of the house, then why did she say she could do either? Why didn't she speak up when given the chance?
I wonder why they had to break the budget up to $500 for food and $500 for supplies instead of letting the chefs choose what to spend the $1000 on.
Oreo lemon pie? That thing looked like a Little Debbie snack cake.
Who doesn't serve wine with Italian?
I really want to eat watermelon gnocchi. I don't care how gross Gail says it is.
Sam lurking from behind the plant while the judges ate. Also, his face when the judges told Ilan he did most of the work.

So tell me what you thought and then join me next week when we find out who's going to Hawaii!

Source: BravoTv.com