Father's Day Brunch in Brooklyn 2011

We had a beautiful Father's Day today.  The weather held up, clear skies and warm breezes. I had my folks and my brother and his family over for brunch and late day snacks. 

My parents, Violet and Skip

Adrian, Christopher, Max

It was my brothers first time at my place, and he and his family got to see our great view!  The kids were excited...and nervous at the same time looking out the window on the 41st Floor.  

 We listened to some great music (playlist at the end), played catch outside and, oh yeah, ate some great food. 

Time to eat! Mom cutting up Max's French Toast, Chris isn't waiting for anyone!  More syrup please!

The boys playing catch outside.

Uncle Clarence getting his throw on!

 On today's menu:

BRUNCH

VANILLA BEAN FRENCH TOAST W/ SPICED BANANA SAUCE

ARUGULA, BACON and SPINACH QUICHE

FRESH SEASONAL FRUIT

THICK CUT BACON

GRILLED CHICKEN SAUSAGE & TURKEY SAUSAGE

COFFEE

PEACH ICED TEA

MIMOSAS

Late Day Snacks

SHRIMP COCKTAIL

CHARCUTERIE

CHIPS & PICO DE GALLO

Try baking the Bacon in the oven.  Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.  Wrap a cookie sheet with heavy duty aluminum foil and place the bacon on the sheet.  Place in the middle of the oven.  Bake until bacon is cooked through and crispy to your liking.  Depending on the bacon, you may need to drain the bacon grease at some point during the baking process.  Once finished, drain on paper towel.

Thick cut bacon

The Shrimp Cocktail is quite simple, 2 lbs of peeled and deveined shrimp, boiling water with salt.  Have an ice and water bath ready.  Don't over cook the shrimp!  Once the water comes back to a boil, they should be done.  Transfer the shrimp with a slotted spoon to the ice bath mixture to stop the cooking.  You can try adding Old Bay Seasoning to the water for a seasoned version.

Easy Shrimp Cocktail

Our Charcuterie 

Charcuterie

 

• Prosciutto
• Sweet Coppa
• Havarti
• Gorgonzola
• Brie
• Slices of Toasted Baguette
• Wheat Crackers
• Gherkins
• Dijon Mustard
• Fig Jam

Pico de Gallo

The Pico de Gallo recipe is the same from 3/15/10 post, without the corn.  We're loving 

Xochitl chips.  They are light and crispy!

Below are recipes for the French Toast and Quiche.  

VANILLA BEAN FRENCH TOAST W/ SPICED BANANA SAUCE

Serves 6-8 people

Banana Sauce ingredients

Spiced Banana Sauce

• 6 tbsp butter
• 6 tbsp (packed) golden brown sugar
• 4 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/3 cup light cream
• 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 2 tbsp dark rum
• 3 small ripe bananas, peeled, cut on diagonal into 1/2-inch-thick slices
• 1 overripe banana, mashed

In a heavy pan, stir in butter and brown sugar over medium heat until butter is melted, whisking occasionally. Whisk the sauce until it boils, then remove from heat. Whisk in lemon juice, nutmeg, cinnamon, rum and whisk to blend. Add all the bananas into the sauce, stir gently and set aside until French Toast is ready to be served.  Reheat on stove top, add water if it gets to thick.

French Toast w/ Powdered Sugar

French Toast

• 1½ cups half-and-half
• 1 ½ cups light cream
• 10 large eggs
• 1/3 cup sugar
• ½ tsp nutmeg
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• pinch of salt
• ½ of a vanilla pod scraped
• 2 loaves of fresh challah bread, 1/2-inch slices (no ends)
• 1 tsp powdered sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  In a large bowl, combine half and half, light cream, eggs, sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt and vanilla beans scraped from pod.  Blend or whisk briskly until frothy and thoroughly mixed.  Place vanilla bean pod back in mixture.

Heat an electric non-stick griddle to 300 degrees. There is no need to butter the griddle unless you want to.  Take 3 pieces of bread in a stack, place in bowl, turn over each slice to coat well, shake off excess.  Place on griddle.  Repeat.  Brown on each side, about 3-4 minutes on each side.  Place the browned slices on a cookie sheet and place in the oven to keep warm.

Once all the French Toast has been made, place on a platter and sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with Spiced Banana Sauce.

 

ARUGULA, BACON and SPINACH QUICHE

Delicious Quiche

Serves 6-8 people

• 1 deep-dish frozen pie crust, thawed
• 6 slices of bacon, chopped into1/2-inch pieces
• 1 small shallot, diced
• 2 cups arugula chopped
• 2 cups spinach chopped
• 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 cup light cream
• 4 large eggs
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper
• 2 ½ oz shredded Gruyère cheese

Follow directions for pre-baking a frozen deep dish pie crust. 

Place bacon in heavy pan over medium-high heat until they get nice and crispy.  Try not to overcook or burn, about 7-8 minutes. Once crispy, remove bacon (save the drippings) and drain on paper towels. Add shallots to same pan, add some of the drippings and sauté about 2 minutes. Add spinach and arugula and sauté until just wilted, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add balsamic vinegar, toss.

Add half of the greens mixture and bacon over pre-baked crust. Briskly whisk cream, eggs, salt and pepper in large bowl to blend. Stir in cheese and remaining greens and bacon and pour into crust.

Bake quiche about 35-40 minutes until filling is puffy and golden. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

HOPE EVERYONE HAD A GREAT FATHER'S DAY!  

Here is the playlist from today's brunch:

1. Rock With You - Michael Jackson
2. Nights Over Egypt - The Jones Girls
3. Running Away - Roy Ayers
4. Green Onions - Booker T. & The MG's
5. Could It Be I'm Falling in Love - The Spinners
6. Misdemeanor - Foster Sylvers
7. Hard to Handle - Patti Drew
8. All I Do - Stevie Wonder
9. Stolen Moments - Ahmad Jamal Trio
10. Honky Tonk - Bill Doggett
11. Evil Vibrations - The Mighty Ryders
12. When She Made Me Promise - Funky
13. It's My Thing - Marva Whitney
14. Definition - Black Star           
15. The Bottle - Gil Scott-Heron
16. Forget Me Nots - Patrice Rushen
17. Lovely Day - Bill Withers
18. As - Stevie Wonder
19. Swahililand - Ahmad
20. Places and Spaces - Donald Byrd
21. What Cha' Gonna Do For Me - Chaka Khan
22. Things Are Getting Better - N*E*R*D
23. Stakes Is High - De La Soul
24. Beijo (Interlude) - Earth Wind & Fire
25. Party Time - Roy Porter
26. Different Strokes - Syl Johnson
27. Summer in the City - Quincy Jones
28. MoneyGrabber - Fitz & The Tantrums           
29. If You Really Love Me - Stevie Wonder
30. Proceed - The Roots
31. Back Together Again - Donny Hathaway
32. Move On Up - Curtis Mayfield           
33. Harvest For The World - The Isley Brothers
34. I Got The... - Labi Siffre
35. California Soul - Marlena Shaw
36. May - December - Mos Def

Gilt Groupe launches Gilt Taste

Last week the folks at Gilt Groupe launched a new addition to their stable of sites called Gilt Taste.
 

 
Still in beta form, this new site is headed up by Editorial Advisor Ruth Reichl. She was the former editor-in-chief of Gourmet magazine and currently hosts PBS's Gourmet's Adventures with Ruth. If you haven’t watched this show, do so, she’s great! The site is a combination of an on-line market showcasing hard to find provisions and a culinary magazine. They’ve assembled a note worthy group of contributors and I’m very excited to see what they have to offer each week.

Current articles include Redeeming the Lobster Roll by Melissa Clark, a well known cookbook author, and Confessions of a Chocolate Hater by Lila Byock. There is also some great photography on the site as well. Check out images from Andrew Scrivani in both the lobster and asparagus stories.

They start offering weekly specials this summer, similar to Gilt City or Jetsetter, but for now they do have lots of great items to buy. Here are some items you can purchase now:

• Meat - Becker Lane Organic Farm - 3 lb Pork Belly - $39.95
• Seafood - California Caviar Company - American Hackleback Gift Package - $140.00
• Cheese & Dairy - Murray's Cheese - The Perfect Meal: all'Amatriciana - $59.00
• Pantry - Gourmet Attitude - Truffle Honey - $19.95
• Sweets - John & Kira - Bee Chocolates - $29.00
• Produce - Wine Forest - Mushroom Medley - $40.00
• Equipment – Boxsal - Office Escape Picnic - $25.00

I’ll put a link to the site under FOOD MAGAZINE SITES on the right side of the page.

Las Vegas

Last week I was in Las Vegas, staying at the new Cosmopolitan Hotel for 4 nights and had a chance to eat at some great restaurants.

Saturday night I went to Fleming's Steakhouse with my uncle.  It's off the strip in Summerlin, which is close to where he lives.  For a chain restaurant, this place was really nice.  The steaks were delicious and the service was unmatched.  The atmosphere was beautiful and gave the space a warm, cozy feeling.

We started with the Lobster and Vegetable Tempura with red jalapeno pepper and soy-ginger sauces, Jumbo Lumo Crab Cakes with roasted red pepper and lime butter sauce and the Wicked Cajun BBQ Shrimp marinated with a flair of garlic and spices.  All were quite good.  I thought the shrimp dish was a bit disappointing.  It came with 4 medium size shrimp swimming in a gratin dish of a creamy sauce.  If I had known about the sauce, I would not have ordered it.

We all got steaks, a Filet Mignon (Main), Prime Ribeye and Prime Bone-In Ribeye.  The steaks were perfectly seasoned and cooked to perfection.  We ordered the string beans and mushrooms as the sides.  These were perfect accoutrements to the steaks.

They have a large wine list with over a 100 wines by the glass.  We stayed clear of dessert because we were so full, but the choices looked good.

Sunday I was lucky enough to have dinner with my other Uncle who, surprisingly, was in town for vacation!  We went to Texas de Brazil, a chain Brazilian steakhouse.  All in all, it's a decent place, but just be prepared to overeat.  There is so much food and the meats are really delicious.  You can't have a bad meal here.  Needless to say, I fell into a meat coma as soon as I got home.

Monday was Valentines Day and I was lucky enough to spend it with my honey.  We went to Nobu at the Hard Rock hotel.  Nobu has been around for years and you know what to expect when you dine there.  Of course, we had the Miso Black Cod, which was divine.  Tons of rolls and sashimi.  We were dissappointed with the lobster ceviche, which we were obsessed with at the Nobu in San Diego.  The menu is a little different, but we were expecting a similar taste.  Oh well.  We have the recipe at home, so we'll make it one night for ourselves.  The sake was delicious, we had the Nobu TK40, sweet and very refreshing.  Very easy to drink.  If you are in NY, Crush Wine sells it and has free delivery to all five boroughs.

Tuesday was quite a night.  I had a 9:30pm reservation at STK in the Cosmopolitan Hotel.  Needless to say, this was the worst restaurant experience I've ever had.  These were the most pretentious, obnoxious, rude and unprofessional people.  I don't mind waiting 15 minutes for a reservation, but we didn't sit down until 10:45pm.  No one at the host desk apologized, offered us a round of drinks, nothing.  They just ignored us. When we finally sat down, the woman who sat us didn't even apologize.  We had a very nice waiter who was apologetic even though it wasn't his fault.  He got the "manager" for us and some guy named Josh came over, apologized and offered to "take care of us" during our dining experience.  That never happened.  Honestly, I don't want to waste anymore time writing about this place.

Wednesday was such a pleasant night.  It was my last night in Vegas and I was going to one of my favorite places, Blue Ribbon Sushi, also located at the Cosmopolitan Hotel.  They have one in Brooklyn and Manhattan, so I was very excited to try this one out.  The service was top notch, the waiter was as nice as can be, handsome as well.  As for the food, I had the Negamaki which just melted in your mouth, it was so delicious.  The sashimi was great, as was the spicy lobster and Blue Ribbon roll.  The Kanpachi Usuzukuri, which is sliced amberjack with yuzu pepper, was pefect. The yuzu pepper had the right amount of heat and the citrusy soy sauce it came with was divine.  The end all was the Oxtail Fried Rice with daikon, shitake and bone marrow.  It was perfectly cooked, almost creamy with the bone marrow.

Recipes from Super Bowl Sunday!

Turkey Chili

12-16 servings

• 4 tablespoons canola oil
• 4 lbs ground turkey
• 3 large white onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 green bell peppers (any color), cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 red pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped
• 2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 1/3 cup chili powder
• 2 bay leaves
• 2-3 chipotles in adobo + 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
• 2 (28 oz) cans diced tomatoes
• 1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
• 1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
• 1 (16 oz) carton chicken broth
• 1-2 (15 oz) can(s) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons kosher salt

Accompaniments: grated cheddar cheese, sour cream, chopped avocado, diced sweet onion, chopped scallions, sliced jalapenos, chopped radishes

Heat an extra large, heavy stock pot on high heat, add 2 tablespoons of canola oil. Once the oil is hot, add the turkey. Make sure the turkey gets browned for extra flavor. Before it's fully cooked, remove and put aside in a bowl. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of canola oil, onions, peppers and garlic. Saute until onions are golden brown. Add the oregano, cumin, chili powder, bay leaves, chipotles and adobo sauce. Saute for 2-3 minutes. Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, chicken broth, kidney beans, brown sugar and salt.

Simmer for 1-2 hours, stirring every 20-30 minutes. Adjust spices and heat to your taste throughout the cooking process.

Pigeon Peas and Rice

10-12 servings

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 white onion, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 green pepper, finely chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh oregano, chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 3 cups long grain rice
• 5 cups chicken broth
• 2 (15 oz) cans green pigeon peas, drained
• 1 1/2 tablespoons salt

Heat the olive oil in a large (4-6 quart) heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add onions, garlic and peppers, saute until lightly browned. Add oregano, cumin, bay leaf and cayenne. Stir for 1-2 minutes. Add rice, chicken broth, pigeon peas and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, simmer covered for 30 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.

For the Pico de Gallo recipe, check the March 16th post.

The Rum Cake recipe....not happening, sorry, family secret.

Chocolate Chip Cookies - It was a mix from a bakery in San Francisco called Specialty's.  The best cookies ever.  If you know anyone who's headed to California, Chicago or Washington, ask them to pick up a box of mix for you!!

Roast Pork, this was done by Mr. Steele.  Feel free to email him for his recipe.


Lemonade with Thyme - Get organic fresh thyme, bruise a bit, and tie a bunch with butcher twine.  Add to the lemonade and let it sit overnight.  Drink as is, or add vodka!

Rum Punch - To make a large pitcher, combine fruit punch (frozen or from the refrigerated section), OJ, pineapple juice, peach nectar, cranberry juice, grenadine.  Add rum to your liking.

Let me know if you have any questions.  Stay tuned for the next installment.

7 days until the re-launch of The Foodie Trials

First, I'd like to say thanks to everyone who has asked about and supported The Foodie Trials during the 5 months it's been on hiatus.

Since I've moved back to NY, it's been an "interesting" journey back home, but worth all the pains involved.  Do I miss San Francisco, I do, especially the weather!  We've had snow fall every week for the past 4 weeks.  I'm over it, especially when the temp in SF is 60 degrees.  I also miss the good friends I made out there that still keep in touch with me.  Thanks guys!

The apartment is finally looking like a home, with just a few tweaks still needed here and there.  All in all, we are ready for folks to come out to Brooklyn to visit.

Now, let's talk about NY and food.  Getting back into the swing of things is tough with this extreme weather.  But currently, my motivation has come through NYC Restaurant Week, which is happening now.  It gives you the opportunity to try restaurants offering prix fixe lunches and dinners.  I've been able to tackle a few:

• A Voce Madison
• Colicchio & Sons
• Resto

This coming week I'll try Fig & Olive and Lure Fish Bar.  It's also giving me the opportunity to reconnect with friends, which has been a blast.

Super Bowl XLV is Sunday, February 6th. 

Although we're upset that the Jets didn't make it, we're still up for watching Pittsburgh and Green Bay duke it out.  I'll be home preparing some really delicious Super Bowl dishes.  The lineup for Sunday will be:

• Slow Roasted Pork  - I think we know who'll be preparing this...We'll serve this with some warm potato rolls in case anyone wants to make sliders.
• Pigeon Peas & Rice - also known as Arroz con Gandules, can be used as a side for the pork or to use as a base for the chili.
• Turkey Chili - I make a super chunky, hearty chili with lots of veggies and a few surprise ingredients.  I'll leave out the beans since there will be beans in the rice.
• Fresh Crudite with Hummus - I'm debating whether to make the hummus from scratch as I'm a huge fan of Tribes Hummus . Stay tuned.
• Pico de Gallo with chips- This is a tradition in my house.  Pico de gallo is made for pretty much every sports event at the house.  I like to make guacamole as well, but avocados are so expensive right now, unless I can find them on sale, it won't happen.
• Cookies - we'll have some fresh baked chocolate chip cookies.
• Rum Cake - for those of you who know me, it's a given.

Drinks - Classic Rum Punch, Thyme Scented Lemonade, Beer, Wine and Spirits.

I'll start posting details on all the recipes starting Friday in case you're interested in any of these dishes.  Full details and pics on Monday.

Jackee

Foodie Trials will be back in a few weeks!

Hi Everyone!

Sorry it's been so long since you've heard from me, but there are a lot of exciting new things happening...I'm moving back to NY in 9 days!  Once I get settled in, THE FOODIE TRIALS will pick up where it left off.  I'm excited to be back in the greatest city in the world.

Thanks for your patience, stay tuned.

Love,
Jackee

A page from my "book" - Jerk Seasoning, Black Bean Soup

As I anticipate my upcoming trip to the Virgin Islands, I think about all the food I love to have that reminds me of family and my culture.  Caribbean food is influenced mainly by African, European and Latin cuisine.  Depending on the island, the influence could be skewed towards one cuisine more than the other.  Either way, Caribbean food is complex, full of flavor and ranges from simple to complicated.

This week, I started the meal with a really delicious Black Bean Soup.  YOU HAVE TO TRY THIS, IT'S SO EASY AND DELICIOUS!  All you need is a pot and a blender.  No soaking of beans involved.

Easy Black Bean Soup
Servings: 2

2 tbsp vegetable oil 
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1 small carrot, peeled, finely chopped
1/2 stalk celery, finely chopped 
2 garlic cloves peeled, finely chopped
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
2 bay leaves
2 cups chicken stock
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained
4 shakes of Tabasco
2 tsp red or white wine vinegar 
2 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped

Topping
2 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped
2 tbsp red pepper, finely chopped
2 tbsp red onion, finely chopped
1 tsp jalapeño pepper finely chopped, no seeds
Kosher salt 


Heat oil in large stock pot over medium-low heat.  Add onions, carrots, celery and garlic.  Saute until vegetables are soft, not burnt, about 8-10 minutes.  Add salt and pepper, bay leaves, and stir for about 2 minutes.  Add stock, beans and Tabasco.  Reduce heat to low and simmer for 25 minutes, stirring every 8-10 minutes.  In the last 5 minutes, add the vinegar and 2 tbsp of the cilantro and stir.

For the topping, combine cilantro, red pepper, red onion and jalapeno in a small bowl.  Season with salt.  Set aside. 

Because hot liquids expand when blended, make sure you don't fill the blender more than half way.  Carefully transfer half the beans to the blender.  Remove the cap from the hole in the lid, and cover with a kitchen towel.  Start the blender on low and increase the speed until you get a smooth consistency.  Repeat until you've blended all the beans.

Pour the soup into each bowl and add topping to the middle of each bowl. 

 


Jerk is one of those seasonings that is a staple in the Caribbean.  It has its roots in Jamaica.  Normally the seasoning is made up of a number of herbs and spices and has a thick paste consistency.  My Jerk is more of a wet marinade.  It can be used with any type of meat or poultry...even fish.

Jerk Seasoning
Servings:4
 
6 scallions, roughly chopped
2 jalapeño peppers, roughly chopped (mild - remove the seeds, spicy - keep the seeds)

or 

1 habanero pepper or scotch bonnet peppers, roughly chopped (hot - remove the seeds, crazy hot - keep the seeds)
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp fresh thyme
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tbsp onion powder
2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp dark brown sugar

Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.  Adjust salt and heat levels.


For the best results, marinate your meat or chicken at least 4 hours, overnight is best.  If using fish, it doesn't need as long.


I served my jerk chicken with fresh corn on the cob and white rice. 

Please let me know if you try these and let me know what you think!

A page from my "book" - Oven Fried Catfish, Spicy Curry Chickpeas w/ Brown Rice

Hey everyone.  It's been a few weeks, but I'm back.

This weekend I made a light lunch, but the portions could definitely be increased for a more substantial dinner.  Inspired by curry powder that fell out of my packed pantry, both recipes use the same kind of curry.  I use McCormick Gourmet Collection Curry Powder.  I also added some diced tomato and cucumber to the dish, in addition to some addictive Mango-Ginger Chutney I got from Trader Joe's.

These two recipes are straight out of my kitchen.  I hope you enjoy them.

Oven Fried Catfish
Servings: 2


2 Catfish fillets, cut into large pieces
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup cornmeal
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp curry powder
Pinch cayenne
Pinch thyme


Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.


Place milk in a shallow dish (pie plate works well).  Place catfish pieces in milk.  While the catfish is soaking in the milk, combine the cornmeal and remaining 7 spices in another shallow dish.  Mix well.

Dredge the catfish in the cornmeal mix.  Make sure the fish is evenly coated.  Place on the baking sheet.  Spray the top of each piece liberally with olive oil or cooking spray.


Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.

Spicy Curry Chickpeas w/ Brown Rice
Servings: 2-3

1 tsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/3 cup green pepper, finely diced
1/2 small yellow onion, finely diced
1/3 cup carrot, finely diced
1 tsp jalapeño pepper, minced, no seeds
1 cup corn kernels teaspoons 
1/2 tbsp curry powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 (15 oz) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained
1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 tbsp freshly grated ginger
2 tsp Salt 
Pepper to taste
1 small red potato, cut in half
Hot cooked brown rice
Finley diced cucumber 
Finley diced plum tomato
Mango chutney (optional)

Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan, on medium high heat.  Add garlic, sauté 2 minutes.  Add green peppers, onions, carrots, jalapeño pepper and corn, sauté until tender, about 5 minutes.  Add curry and cumin, stir into vegetables and cook for about 3-4 minutes.  Add the beans, broth, ginger, salt, pepper and potato.  Bring to a boil.  Turn the heat down to medium low, cover, simmer for 20 minutes.  Periodically check for heat and spice.  If it's too spicy, add an additional potato and broth.  Serve over the brown rice with cucumber, tomato and chutney.

Let me know what you think about these!  Hope you get a chance to try at your home!

Farmers Market, Fava Bean with Grilled Corn and Mint, Hierloom Tomato Salad

The best thing about San Francisco is the quality of fresh fruits and vegetables that are available.  On Saturday's, we have a great Farmer's Market at the Ferry Building.  It's really hard to not buy everything in site.  The product is local, organic for the most part, and really fresh!

Organic Swiss Chard

Orchids

Organic Lemons and Oranges











I found some great organic fava beans at the market and decided to use those in a refreshing salad with roasted corn and mint.  I also did a fresh organic hierloom tomato salad with fresh organic basil.  Mr. Steele grilled some rib eye steaks to go along with these light salads.

Here is a tip about fava beans.  If you are looking to feed more than two people, you'll need at least 2 pounds.  Fava's are a time consuming item to prepare.  You have to shuck all the beans out of the pods, which is a chore. But it's worth it.  Fava's have a buttery texture and a subtle bitter and nutty flavor.  Here's a really easy recipe that you can make your own by adding other veggies and herbs.  If you can't find fava beans, you can use edamame.  You can also do this dish warm by simply sauteing all the ingredients in a sauce pan.

Fava Beans with Grilled Corn and Mint

4 lbs unshelled fava beans (2 cups shelled)

¼ cup sweet onion, diced

2 small ears of corn, grilled and stripped of the kernels

¼ cup red pepper, diced

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

¼ cup fresh mint chiffonade

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice

Remove the beans from pods; throw the pods away. Boil fava beans in boiling water for 1 minute. Drain beans and place into ice water; drain. Peal and discard the outer skin from beans and place beans in a bowl.

Combine onions, corn, red pepper, salt, black pepper, mint.  Add lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil.

4 Servings

A simple tomato salad is as easy as slicing the tomatoes, adding some really good extra virgin olive oil, salt, and some basil.  The key to the salad I made....the tomatoes.  They have to be hierloom, organic and locally grown.  You'll never feel the same about grocery store tomatoes ever again.  Hierlooms are so sweet, and juicy.  If you are lucky enough to find a farm that grows these, look for not just basic red, brandywine tomatoes, but yellow, zebras (a green striped variety), cherry varieties, etc...

If you are a tomato and mozzarella fan, try burrata instead.  This cheese is my all time favorite.  Burrata is made from mozzarella and cream.  It has this creamy, smooth texture that's just out of this world.  It's very hard to find, but if you can find a cheese shop or Italian market, buy it.  In San Francisco, Cowgirl Creamery has a great burrata by a company called Gioia out of Los Angeles.

Heirloom Tomatoes











Hierloom Tomato Salad


3 Medium size hierloom tomatoes, sliced
¼ cup basil, chiffonade
Generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt to taste


Arrange tomato slices on a platter, sprinkle basil on top.  Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.  Sprinkle with kosher salt right before serving.

Let me know about your farmer's market in your area and if you have a chance to try any of these dishes!

Salmon with Sweet Chili Glaze, Sugar Snap Peas, and Pea Tendrils, Santa Fe Quinoa Salad

Hey everyone!  Needed a break last week from the blog, but I'm back this week with a very easy meal that everyone can make.

The main dish, Salmon with Sweet Chili Glaze, Sugar Snap Peas, and Pea Tendrils, is from the April 2010 Bon Appétit.  To be honest, pea tendrils are hard to find, so I had to pass on them and just focus on the snap peas.  What is easy to find is the sweet chili sauce, but it only comes in these huge, 40oz bottles.  Unless you plan on making lots of dishes with this sauce don't bother.  You can pick up a small jar of chili sauce, I used a roasted chili sauce, and either add honey or turbinado sugar.  Add a bit of water to tame the heat down a bit.  The dishes flavor was really complex.  The sweetness in the chili sauce and the sweetness of the snap peas was perfect.

The side dish came from the May 2010 issue if Food & Wine, Santa Fe Quinoa Salad.
This is one of those dishes that you will always go back to.  It's really easy and I really think it could use more veggies.  Don't be afraid to add some.  I was in a pinch and didn't have access to quinoa, so I used my new favorite grain, brown rice coucous.  It has great flavor and I think was a great substitute.

The next couple months I'm keeping it light, so please let me know if you have any suggestions or ideas on what you want me to make.

See you soon!

Jalapeño-Roasted Potatoes, Zucchini Carpaccio with Homemade Ricotta Cheese

After two weeks off, I was excited to get back into the swing of things with the blog.  This was a pretty easy weekend.  Mr. Steele wanted to do a pork shoulder for Sunday dinner, so I made a few sides.

Jalapeño-Roasted Potatoes
Zucchini Carpaccio with Homemade Ricotta Cheese

The potatoes were from the April 2010 issue of Food & Wine and the Zucchini was from the the April 2010 issue of Bon Appétit.

Both dishes are very easy to make and really delicious.

The Jalapeño-Roasted Potatoes were really delicious, especially since the jalapeno's get nice and crispy, very addictive.  The key here is the high temperature and letting the potatoes get crispy by not turning them. 

The Zucchini Carpaccio with Homemade Ricotta Cheese takes all of 10 minutes to prepare.  This works best if you have a mandoline or another type of slicer that can give you really thin slices.  If you don't have one, pick one up.  You can spend $20 for a hand held or over $200 for a professional one.  I have an old school V-Slicer, which gives you thin and thick slices, and also has a julienne and a larger, french fries type, attachment.

This is a very refreshing salad.  I left off the fresh ricotta because I couldn't get it at the store.  I also used yellow and green squash for some color.  The dressing is so easy and is my go to for all my salads anyway, so it was a familiar flavor. 

So, of course, I've got to give some props to my honey for making another delicious pork shoulder.  Check out how delicious it looks!

See you next time!

A page from my "book" - Pico de Gallo w/Roasted Corn in Tostones Cups, Brown Rice and Red Beans, Lemony Baked Mahi Mahi

This week I decided to take a break from the mags and give you all a taste of what I can do on my own.  I went the tropical route since Mr. Steele was feening for some fish.  The menu included:

Pico de Gallo w/Roasted Corn in Tostones Cups
Brown Rice and Red Beans
Lemony Baked Mahi Mahi

Pico de Gallo w/Roasted Corn in Tostones Cups

Pico de Gallo is really simple to make and a refreshing dip or topping for fish.  I paired it with Tostones Cups.  I found a company online that sells these tostones makers, cubanfoodmarket.com, very cool!  This serves about 3-4 people, depending on how you plan on using this, dip vs. inside the tostones cups.

1 ear of fresh corn
4-5 medium, ripe tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup sweet Maui onion, diced
1/3 cup red pepper, diced
2 tablespoons jalapeno, minced (add more or less depending on how hot you want it)
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 of a lime
2 tsp salt to start, add more if needed

4 large green plantains, peeled and cut into 3/4 inch pieces
Canola oil, for frying
Iodized or Table Salt

Preheat oven to 375° F.. Place corn husks on the oven rack and roast for 20-30 minutes or until corn is soft. Let cool.  Peel the husks.  Use a sharp knife and cut corn from the cob into a bowl.  Set aside.

Place the rest of the ingredients up to the lime in a medium bowl and stir lightly.  Season with salt, taste to see if you need more.  Add corn, mix together and chill.


Preheat oil in deep pot or fry machine to 375° F.  Carefully place a few pieces into the oil and fry for 5 minutes or until they start turning light brown. Drain them on a paper-towel lined tray. Place a piece in the tostones maker and press.  This may take a few trials to get the right cup shape.  Once youve pressed a few, return them to the oil and fry again for 3-4 minutes or until they get golden brown. Drain on paper towel and sprinkle with salt.

Mound the salsa into the hot cups and serve immediatley!

Brown Rice and Red Beans

I gotta give it up to my girl Melissa Ortiz, she's the one who showed me the basics of some good Puerto Rican beans.  Now, my Mom also makes great beans, but for some reason, Mel's always stuck with me.  Over the years, I've added my own touches to the beans, more vegetables, no Goya Sazón or Adobo.  I try to keep the ingredients as natural as I can.  But hey, if you're in a bind, both Goya Sazón and Adobo can make your beans delicious.  I use the brown rice because it's got a hefty texture and it really holds up to the beans.  Of course, you can use white rice as well.

2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 cup brown rice


2 tsp olive oil
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/2 brown onion, minced
3 tbsp carrots, minced
3 tbsp green or red pepper, minced
1 tsp fresh oregano
1 can (15.5 oz) red kidney beans, drain only half the can
2 tsp salt
1 medium tomato, minced
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 bay leaf
3/4 cup water
1 tsp white vinegar
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped


Bring chicken broth to a boil in a medium sauce pan, stir in rice.  Cover.  Reduce heat and simmer for 45-50 minutes or until broth is absorbed.  If you want drier rice, use 1/4 cup less broth.

In a medium sauce pan, on medium-high heat, heat the olive oil in the pan.  Add garlic, onions, carrots, peppers and saute until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add the oregano, beans, salt, tomato, pepper flakes, bay leaf, water and vinegar.  Turn heat to low and simmer until flavors come together, about 15 minutes.  If you like your beans a bit thinner, add more water, thicker, add less.  Another trick, take a few beans at the end, crush them in a bowl, and return to the pot.  This will thicken the beans up.  Serve with rice.

Lemony Baked Mahi Mahi

The Ferry Building here in San Francisco has a great fish market, and we were able to pick up some fresh, sushi grade Mahi Mahi.  This is a really meaty fish, so normally you can grill and it's at it's best.  We baked it in the oven at 400° F, and it was just as good.



3 half lb filets, mahi mahi
Extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Fresh cracked pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced

Preheat oven to 400° F.  In shallow glass bowl or Ziploc bag, place fish, and last 4 ingredients.  Marinate for 15-20 minutes.  Place on a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes, turning over once.  Bake until the fish is cooked through and brown.  You can add some lemon slices and the corn salsa to the fish as topping.

I hope you guys enjoy these dishes.  I'll try to add some more of my favorites really soon.  I'm traveling next week, so I'll try my best to add a posting.  Let's see how things go.  Take care!

Side Dishes - Spring Vegetable Ragout, Spicy Cauliflower

This weekend it was about sides, healthy sides.  Mr. Steele planned on making pork ribs, so I wanted to offset the meat with some healthy sides.  The ribs were great...

I found these two recipes in Body + Soul from April 2010.

Spring Vegetable Ragout

Spicy Cauliflower

As always, the team at Martha Stewart Omnimedia have left these recipes off their website.  So here is the first one:

Spring Vegetable Ragout

• 3 medium leeks, white and pale green parts only, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced into half moons (about 2 cups)
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt 
• 12 ounces  asparagus, trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 2.5 cups)
• 1 cup water
• 6 ounces sugar snap peas, trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 1.5 cups)
• 8 radishes, quartered
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh herbs, such as chives and tarragon

1. Soak leeks in cold water 5 minutes; lift out and drain.  Repeat until no grit remains on bottom of bowl.  Set aside. 

2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add leeks and salt and sauté until leeks are tender, about 2 minutes.  Stir in asparagus then water.  Simmer covered for 2 minutes.  Add snap peas and radishes, cover, and simmer for 2 minutes more.  

3. Stir in mustard until well combined, then swirl in butter and herbs.  Serve immediately

This is a really delicious, quick side dish.  I'm really into radishes now and their bitterness almost becomes sweet when you combine them with the leeks and snap peas.  I, of course, left out the butter and it was perfectly fine.  Although, I'm sure if you used butter, it would have added a creaminess to the dish.  All the produce was fresh and organic, and I think that's why it was so addictive and flavorful.

The next side was the cauliflower. AMAZING PEOPLE.  This one you have to try. 

Spicy Cauliflower

• 3 tablespoon grapeseed oil
• 3/4 teaspoon whole cumin seed
• 1 1/2 teaspoon whole mustard seed
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced (about 3 cups)
• 1/4 cup finely shredded peeled ginger
• 5 cloves garlic, very thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 medium head cauliflower, about 2 lbs., cut into large florets
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 cup cooked chickpeas
• 1-2 small red chiles, thinly sliced, seeds removed for less heat

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over high heat in a large skillet. Add spices and cook until fragrant and golden, 30 seconds to 1 minute.  Stir in the onion, 3 tablespoons ginger, 3 tablespoons garlic, and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Cook until onions are tender and golden at the edges, 4 to 6 minutes.  Remove from pan and set aside.
2. Wash and dry pan and return to medium high heat.  Add 1 tablespoon oil; heat until shimmering.  Add half the cauliflower and brown on one side, 3 to 5 minutes  Remove from pan, and repeat with remaining oil, cauliflower, ginger, and garlic.
3.  Combine batches of cauliflower in pan.  Add water and remaining salt.  Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook until tender, 5 to 7 minutes.  Stir in chickpeas and chiles; cook uncovered until chickpeas are heated through and liquid is gone, about 3 minutes.
4. Stir in onions and serve. 

Ok, a few things, you do not need 1/4 cup of ginger...it's overkill.  I only used about 3 tablespoons and it was perfect.  The flavors are really complex in this dish, I think you'll like it.


See you next week

Mussels in White Wine, Orecchiette with Rapini and Goat Cheese, Rum and Raisin Cookies, Chocolate-Cherry Heart Smart Cookies

On Sunday we had some guests dining with us, Ed (right) and Sam (left).  Ed and I have known each other for a while.  We met when I was living in Brooklyn about 8-9 years ago.  It's amazing where people end up.  Now he lives about 5 minutes from my place here in SF, and we work for the same company.  I met Ed's friend Sam for the first time last night...he's a sweetheart and very funny!

Anyway, we had a pretty light menu, but the mussels were a lot of work. Let's start there.

Mussels in White Wine from SAVEUR Issue #126

I bought the mussels on Saturday and prepped them for an overnight stay in the fridge.  As soon as you buy them, get them out of the plastic bag.  Mussels are really delicate, so prep them ASAP.  I placed them in a shallow bowl with cold salted water and a little bit of cornmeal.  Place some wet paper towel over the top. This keeps them fresh and the mussels eat the cornmeal and spit out any grit.  The next day, about 1 hour before cooking them, it was prep time.  Get yourself a good food brush and a small knife.  Check each mussel, make sure that it's closed and has no cracks.  Sometimes, if you find one that's open, just give it a light tap, give it a minute, if it closes, it's still good.  If the mussel is no good, throw it out.  Once you find a good one, make sure you brush them really well, get any growth off the shell and pull the "beard" out the side of the shell.  After you clean them, set them aside and start prepping the ingredients in the recipe.  It's really simple!!  The flavor is really delicious.  Make sure you toast some crusty bread because you'll want to soak up all the broth.

 

Mr. Steele graced us with his famous kale chips as a snack.  These are addictive and really easy to make.

Kale Chips

1 bunch kale, stems removed, chopped in half

kosher salt

olive oil

Heat oven to 350°.  Place the kale on a baking sheet lined with foil.  Spray or lightly coat the kale with olive oil and kosher salt.  Bake until ends are crispy and brown. 

My best friend Rona in Memphis requested a vegetarian meal for this week, so I picked a pasta dish.

Orecchiette with Rapini and Goat Cheese from SAVEUR Issue #126 

Rapini is another name for broccoli rabe.  It's got a bitter taste that compliments the tangy goat cheese and the tart lemon.  It's a really easy recipe and would be great as a quick weeknight dinner.  You could easily replace the rapini with spinach.  I added the juice of 1 lemon, used really good extra virgin olive oil and omitted the garlic.

COOKIES!!!!

I decided to keep dessert simple and made two cookie recipes.  

Rum and Raisin Cookie from donnahay.com

Chocolate Cherry Heart Smart Cookies from Cooking Light January/February 2010

Both are quite easy to make, although if you don't have a food processor, the Rum Raisin dough may be difficult to prepare.  Both cookie doughs were not your normal thick sticky consistency.  I used really high quality dried cherries from Michigan that were enormous.  Probably would have been easier if I chopped them a bit.  I also used Ghirardelli chocolate chips which are large.  This also made it hard to form the cookies on the tray.  All that being said, the cookies came out wonderfully.  They were chewy, not super sweet, and had a thick dense texture to them.  Be careful on the Cherry cookies, the bottoms burned easily.  I brought these to work and everyone loved them.

Rum and Raisin Cookies

 

Chocolate-Cherry Heart Smart Cookies

 

See you next week!

Beef Tenderloin Medallions with Potato "Risotto", Frisee-Apple Salad, Devil's Food Cake with Sour Cream Frosting

Hey folks!  Sorry about going dark last week.  I was traveling and my plans to cook in Las Vegas at my Uncle's for his friends didn't work out.

This week, I decided to make the meal I planned for Vegas, which also happens to be Mr. Steele's favorite, meat and potatoes.  And of course, chocolate cake.

So I went back to my Bon Appétit from February 2010 and planned for:

Beef Tenderloin Medallions with Potato "Risotto"
Frisée-Apple Salad
Devil's Food Cake with Sour Cream Frosting


Let's talk about beef tenderloin.  I thought that I would be able to find a small piece of beef tenderloin at my local supermarket and get moving on this meal.  Nope, not that easy.  What I did find is pre-packaged beef tenderloin in seasonings like cracked pepper and full of preservatives.  Not what I needed.  So, off I go to Whole Foods.  I head to the butcher who thankfully, has a tenderloin in the back that he can cut for me.  Pefect, right?!  After he cuts the meat, packaged and rang it up at the scale, he handed me...2lbs of beef tenderloin...that cost...$66.27!!  I almost lost it in the store.

 I couldn't believe how much money this thing cost.  I composed myself and decided that I need to suck it up and just learn from this mistake.

So I started with the Devil's Food Cake with Sour Cream Frosting since it took the longest to prepare.  Now the recipe says "Top Tier", which is in reference to the size of the top tier of a wedding cake.  The recipe calls for two 5" cake pans, to bake the cake.  Not necessary at all.  If you want to keep the same "top tier" look and feel, double the recipe for the cake, use a basic 9" round and simply cut the cake in half and then cut into a small square or circle.  I also doubled the frosting as well, and it turned out to be the perfect amount.  This thing is YUMMY, and I'm not a big milk chocolate fan!  Really easy folks, try this one!

Next up is the Potato "Risotto" from the Beef Tenderloin recipe.  Now Mr. Steele can't eat cheese, so I cooked this up until I needed to add the cream and the cheese and set that aside for him.  I continued the recipe for my portion.  It was good, not mind blowing.  I probably could have concocted this one myself.  It's pretty easy, so for all my followers who've been asking for easy recipes, this is one.

My very expensive Beef Tenderloin Medallions were delicious.  The simplicity of the seasoning, fresh thyme, salt and pepper, was perfect for such a delicate piece of beef.

I seared the tenderloins in a pan with very hot olive oil.  The apartment got a bit smoky but it was worth it to get that wonderful crust on each side.  Just open a window and light a candle.  Once you take a bite, you won't care about how smokey your kitchen was.  It was delicious!!  The medallions are best served medium rare.  It only takes about 5 minutes on each side to cook these perfectly.  If you aren't confident about the timing, use a meat thermometer to test when the internal temperature is 130–140°F.

The last piece of the puzzle was the Frisée Apple Salad.  Frisée is really hard to find people!!  I went to three shops, nothing.  So I used a mixed musclen salad that had frisée in it.  This is a very easy, refreshing salad that went really well with the creaminess of the potatoes and the wonderfully tender beef.

I really recommend trying these recipes from this week.  If you can find beef tenderloin that's less than $22 per lb, go for it.  Or, if you're feeling like a treat, go for the full monty!


See you next week!  Please send comments, let me know if you've tried any of the recipes or if you have any suggestions!