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Yum's October Must Haves

partysugar — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 05:30:52 -0700

Hard to believe October is already here! Although I'm not a fan of colder weather, I am looking forward to everything October has to offer. From harvest meals to Halloween, it's sure to be an exciting month. Here are my top picks for properly enjoying this fabulous Fall month to the fullest.

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Monday's Leftovers: Chicken & Spinach Pesto Soup

YumSugar — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 09:00:22 -0700

Crazed start to the week? Then reassure your stomach and soothe the mind by using yesterday's chicken breasts to make a poultry riff on Provençal soupe au pistou.

This dish consists of assorted vegetables, with pistou, a sauce made of garlic, basil, olive oil, and Parmesan.

Serve it at room temperature, or piping hot, with fresh croutons for an element of crunch. If you're coveting the recipe, read more.

Monday's Leftovers: Summer Vegetable Pasta

YumSugar — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 07:50:55 -0700

Sundays are my shopping nights, but in a chaotic turn of events, I had a jam-packed weekend and wasn't able to squeeze it in. Thankfully, I've got everything I need for a spectacularly seasonal meal with leftover zucchini, gruyere, and basil from last night. The only other ingredients are pantry items - olive oil, corkscrew pasta, breadcrumbs, and garlic - and frozen corn works as well as fresh in a pinch. I've dodged tonight's potential dinner snafu and created a dish that tastes great fresh and hot, or served chilled the next day.

If only everything in life were so easy! See the recipe

The Basics: Pesto

partysugar — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 10:15:17 -0700

When basil is in season, I can't make enough pesto. The classic Italian sauce native to Genoa tastes delicious on everything from pasta to pizza to grilled fish. It's excellent stirred into salads or slathered on sandwich bread. Although store-made pesto is widely available, it's easy to make. Pesto is simply an uncooked paste consisting of fresh basil, garlic, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, and olive oil. It can be made with a mortar and pestle or in a food processor. Once you have mastered the basic recipe, you can get creative with other herb, nut, and cheese combinations. To learn the basic technique, read more.

Pesto
From Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients

2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
1 garlic clove, peeled
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
1/2 to 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Directions

In a blender or food processor, pulse the basil, pine nuts, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper until finely chopped.
With the machine running, slowly add the olive oil until the mixture forms a smooth and thick consistency. Add the Parmesan and pulse until combined. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Makes 1-1 1/2 cups.

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Summer of Salads: Caprese Salad

YumSugar — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 14:00:58 -0700

Here on the West Coast, we haven't been hard-hit by the year's devastating tomato blight, so I've been taking advantage of my good fortune by supporting growers of heirloom tomatoes (perhaps a little too much; the other day I bought $21 worth of them!). As a salad fanatic, I had to make my favorite type of tomato salad.

The insalata Caprese, which literally translates to "salad from Capri," is composed of three main ingredients: fresh mozzarella, vine-ripened tomatoes, and basil leaves. It's a no-brainer to prepare, and takes five seconds to make, so the key is to use top-notch components.

In addition to enjoying the basic Caprese, it's also fun to play around with the recipe. On this day, I chopped up an extra pound of heirlooms, let them sit in a fine sieve until the juice strained through, and whisked the juice with olive oil and seasonings to make a punchy vinaigrette that brought out the savory herbaceousness of tomatoes. Start experimenting when you read more

In Season: Heirloom Tomatoes

YumSugar — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 15:17:30 -0700

Few things excite a summertime farmers market crowd more than a spread of vividly-hued heirloom tomatoes. Unlike mass-produced tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes are breed with unique characteristics that have been passed down for generations. There are countless varieties that differ in color, shape, and size, as well as maturation times.

They range from the hefty, irregularly shaped, explosively juicy cherokee purple to the tiny, tart, and firm green zebra. Because heirloom tomato cultivars come in early-, mid-, and late-season varieties, pay attention to what's available at your local market that day. Generally speaking, select tomatoes that are firm, heavy for their size, and free of any open cracks or wounds. For ideas on how to cook with them, read more.

Enjoy them the way I do most often, which is simply sliced and drizzled with good olive oil, freshly ground pepper, and flaky sea salt. Or highlight their flavor in a variety of dishes:

Slice super thin and serve carpaccio style with an Asian-inspired drizzle.
Use a grater to crush ripe heirlooms into a classic gazpacho.
Cut a thick midsection out of an heirloom to include in a picnic-perfect caprese-inspired tomato and mozzarella sandwich.
Take advantage of small, intensely-flavored varieties to create an unconventional tomato water martini.
Make a flaky, savory heirloom tomato tart reminiscent of the French countryside.
Toss them in a Calabrian bread salad along with basil and olive oil-packed tuna.

What's your favorite way to use an heirloom tomato?

Say Cheese: Marinated Feta Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes

partysugar — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 09:45:56 -0700

Whenever I browse the selection of cheeses at my local market, there's one thing I always think, "gosh cheese is expensive." Sometimes I'll indulge on a pricey artisanal cheese, but the majority of the time I'm that girl looking at the weight-to-price ratio, searching for the cheapest chunk of cheese. Upon the suggestion of a very friendly cheese monger, I've started purchasing cheese from regions that aren't known for cheese production - like Parmesan from Argentina or in the case of this recipe, feta from Bulgaria. It's a more affordable way to try a wide variety of cheese. Although the Greeks take claim of feta cheese, it's also produced and consumed in Bulgaria where it's known as sirene. The flavor is similar to Greek feta, but the Bulgarian version is saltier with a more pungent smell. To find out how I turned the cheese into a quick and easy appetizer, read more.

Inspired by a recipe in Bon Appétit, I marinated the feta in a mixture of olive oil, shallots, basil, and lemon thyme and let it sit in the fridge for two days, until the cheese was infused with the herbs. While I was worried it marinaded for too long, the resulting cheese was creamy and herby with a light lemony zing. The final stuffed cherry tomato bite is absolutely divine.

Cherry Tomatoes Stuffed with Marinated Feta
Modified from Bon Appétit

Ingredients

1 7-to 8-ounce package Bulgarian feta cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 tablespoon minced shallot
1 small handful lemon thyme
6-8 fresh basil leaves
pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
1/4 cup or more extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound large cherry tomatoes*
12 pitted Kalamata olives, halved lengthwise
salt
freshly ground pepper

Directions

Toss cubed feta, shallot, herbs, and red pepper flakes (if using) in resealable jar or container. Season with salt and pepper.
Fill with enough olive oil to submerge the cheese, herbs, and shallot. Close the lid tightly and place in the refrigerator. Marinate for 1-2 days.
Cut 12 tomatoes crosswise in half. Scoop out tomato pulp with melon baller or small spoon. Place tomatoes, cut side up, on serving plate.
Stuff hollowed cherry tomatoes with marinated feta. Slide in olive half alongside cheese. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Can be made 6 hours ahead. Cover and chill.

Serves 8-10.

*I could only find small cherry tomatoes, so I made do with those.

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Gail and Tom Reveal Details From Top Chef Vegas

partysugar — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 06:50:41 -0700

At the beginning of every Top Chef episode, Padma Lakshmi reminds viewers that the winner will make a special appearance at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, so it's no surprise that much of the events at the festival are devoted to all things Top Chef. Take Gail Simmons and Tom Colicchio's demonstration, entitled "In the Kitchen with Top Chef," for example. The two culinary minds created dishes (her: a strawberry lychee cocktail and shrimp pea pasta; him a lobster pea ravioli), provided tips on how to cook more like a top chef, and best of all, revealed details from the upcoming season that recently finished filming in Las Vegas. To find out what Gail and Tom had to say, read more.

On cooking more like a top chef:

"Always use fresh lemon juice!" Gail said when mixing her cocktail, "never that gross stuff that comes in a plastic lemon."
Like Michael Symon said at his seminar, Tom recommends not using extra virgin olive oil for sautéing. "It's a waste of money," explaining that one should use regular olive oil for most things and extra-virgin for dressings and garnishes.
Be creative! Tom likes to take the same three ingredients - like tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella cheese - and see how many distinct dishes he can create with those simple items.

On Top Chef Vegas:

"I've never eaten better on and off the show." Gail openly praised the Las Vegas culinary scene and the next crop of cheftestants.
Tom agreed: "The chefs are more talented, more efficient cooks. Every season there's a surprise, especially Carla comes to mind, but this time there's lots of surprises."
Both Tom and Gail stood by the show's "only as good as your last dish" mantra. Gail explained, "That's the reason we have guest judges because they don't know the contestants like Tom and I do." Then Tom added his two cents, "Look at the Giants vs. the Patriots. Yes the Patriots were a better team, they went into the Super Bowl never loosing a game, but the Giants won fair and square. No one said, 'oh the Patriots win because they played a better season.' The show is the same way."
While Gail takes no part in the final cheftestant selection, Tom looks at the last 20 resumes to make sure none of the prospects previously worked in his kitchen.
The last thing Gail said was, "Season 6 is really amazing," and in an homage to Bravo, "You'll just have to watch what happens."

Hearing all of this are you excited for TC Vegas?

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The Amazing Rice: Cilantro-Lime Rice

partysugar — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 10:15:52 -0700

In many cases, white rice is served alongside a saucy dish. When this happens, the rice is normally overlooked. However, white rice doesn't have to be boring, it can be delicious! Especially if you jazz it up with a simple stir-in of cilantro and lime juice. This recipe is incredibly easy - almost as uncomplicated as making white rice. Cilantro, garlic, and lime juice is blended with olive oil before being mixed into the cooked rice. If you don't like cilantro, get creative, white rice would be divine with a basil-lemon or parsley-orange oil folded in. To learn the technique, read more.

Cilantro-Lime Rice
From Everyday Food

Ingredients

1 cup long-grain white rice
Coarse salt
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove

Directions

In a medium saucepan, bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil.
Add rice and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cover, and reduce to a simmer. Cook until water is absorbed and rice is just tender, 16 to 18 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a blender*, combine cilantro, lime juice, oil, garlic, and 2 tablespoons water; blend until smooth. Stir into cooked rice, and fluff with a fork.

Serves 4.

*I used a food processor instead of a blender.

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Summer Reading: Under The Tuscan Sun

partysugar — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 09:03:32 -0700

Under The Tuscan Sun is a wonderfully written book that beautifully illustrates author Frances Mayes' love for Tuscany. In it she describes the experiences, mishaps, and adventures that occur when she purchases and renovates a house in Italy. Much of the prose is full of such detailed and lush food descriptions that I wanted to buy a plane ticket to Tuscany. Included are recipes to many authentic, Italian dishes, such as chicken with basil and a lemon/peach tart with mascarpone. The book is a bit like going on an Italian vacation and it's not much like the movie, so if you haven't read it check it out.

Also it's worth noting that Mayes currently produces an artisan olive oil made from hand-picked olives from her villa and named for her house Bramasole.