'Bubbles & Brews' Party

Last week we had a party at our flat (it had been entirely way to long). As you can tell from the name above, we had Champagne and Beer as our beverages of choice. So with all good parties , you always need to have some good snack to go with your bubbly and frosty cold ones.

Here is the menu of the night:

• 'Reconstructed' Braised Beef Stew
• Goat Cheese & Roasted Beetroot Bruschetta
• Mushroom Arancini di Rosi (Fried Mushroom Risotto stuffed with Cheese)
• Caesar Salad Rolls on Croutons 
• Blue Cheese with Carmelized Onion & Apple, topped with toasted Walnut
• Sweet Potato Soup 'Shots' - Asian Style with Creme Fresh & Sesame oil 

Cheese and Charcuterie Plate

• [Meats] Mortadella, Salami Picante & Bresaola 
• [Cheeses] Ossau Iraty (Soft Sheeps milk cheese), Mont des Cats (our favotrite from Teddington Cheese in Richmond) & Petit Langres (Pungent Com's Milk)

All in all lots of champagne was drunk and all the snacks went down as well. It was the most complex food I've made for just being canapes and it was so worth it. Everything came out just how I wanted and I think I enjoyed hearing what people thought about it as much as eating it. Can't wait for the next one.

Ingredient of the Week: Cavelo Nero

So a couple of years ago we went on a trip to Italy for a couple of weeks. During our stay in Florence we were introduced to a very tasty ingredient called Cavelo Nero, which is also called Black Kale. It looks very similar to regular Kale but has a extremely dark green leaf that actually almost looks black when it is cooked. This is a winter green that is associated with the Tuscany region of Italy. I decided to take a cooking class at the place we were staying, Le Stanze di Sante Croce. Mariangela, the owner, took us on a trip to the local street market just a few minutes away to shop for the ingredients for our meal that evening. Seasonal cooking is very much a part of life in all parts of Italy. So in our attempt to stay true to this, we purchased some Cavelo Nero to make Bruschetta as the starter to out meal.

The preparation was very simple- blanch the leaves (thicker part of the stem removed) in a salted water with some olive oil. When tender drain, chop and top your bread slices, wallah! The way I do it at home is to blanch the cut Cavelo Nero then sauté with some garlic and oil in a pan (maybe add a few chili flakes if you are feeling adventurous). You can also add it to soups (like Winter Minestrone). Cavelo Nero is packed with Vitamins (like all dark green veg) and great flavor that is sure to enrich your winter time menus.

I had some mushrooms lying around so I added them to the Cavelo nero (Sautéed first then added the garlic then the Nero).

Shrimp Creole- "A Fond Remembrance"

One of the first things that I can remember learning to cook after moving out of the dorms and discovering that it was a lot cheaper, more fun, and better tasting then Pasta Roni was Shrimp Creole. Don't get me wrong, I love burritos and Pizza, especially the ones that we got in Isla Vista, Santa Barbara. (Freebirds and  Woodstocks for all you Gaucho Alumni) Well, enough of the trip down memory lane (that's a topic for another blog).

I can't remember where exactly I got the recipe, possibly the local paper or maybe in a magazine. Any who..... it was a super simple recipe. Saute some chopped onion, celery and garlic add a can of peeled tomatoes (crush em' by hand), some S&P, bay leaf and of course Cayenne Pepper. Let that simmer for a bit  then add in the shrimp. Finish off with some Tobasco and Worcestershire, a little handful of sliced green onion, and serve with some white rice.

[If you would like a more exact recipe, just let me know]

Can You Say "Sweet Potato Piiiiieeee!!" ?

I pretty much like to cook everything, but I'll be honest and tell you that baking and pâttiserie are not my favorites. So here is the 'Mrs' making a sweet potato pie that we took over to a friends house who were having us over for dinner.

          Getting her hands dirty.....    

Ah, dough soon to be crust....

 It takes shape.....

I helped....

And through the sieve......

Cream & eggs, the good stuff.....

Baking Time........     

...and the finished product with a dallop of homemade cinnamon whipcream   

                 

Japanese Night

It really doesn't take too much to create a Japanese themed dinner. You can steam some rice, make a quick Teriyaki, add some Edamame and wham-o there you go. I won't bore you with such a generic menu.

Japanese food can be quite simple, but that doesn't mean it has to be boring or unoriginal. Also it really doesn't take to much time or effort to create something that you would find in your favorite Japanese restaurant or Sushi bar.

The menu that I made for our dinner was:

• Steamed Edamame with corse Sea Salt
• Miso Soup with Tofu and Shitaki Mushrooms
• Seaweed Salad (purchased from Japanese market)
• Cold Soba Salads with Chili & Sesame Oil
• Fresh Sashimi (5 Types of fish)

1. Tako {Octopus}
2. Hamachi {Yellowtail}
3. Sake {Salmon}
4. Chutoro {Medium Fatty Tuna}
5. Ibodai {Japanese Butterfish}

Everything here I purchased from a local Japanese grocery store, Atari-ya Foods, complete with Fishmonger. These stores are great, they have all the items you would expect, such as soy sauce, rice, noodles, teriyaki. They also have fresh Sashimi grade fish, frozen goods, beef sliced for Shabu-shabu, produce and every sauce you can imagine.

Last Night's Meal

It may be Fall but that doesn't mean that all of our meals need to be stick to your ribs, comfort food fare every night. Don't get me wrong, I love all those hearty dishes like Mac n' Cheese, Stew, Chili, and anything you can braise, but sometimes it's nice to have a lighter meal (and a bit easier on the waistline with all those holiday parties that are coming up). So we had some Dover Sole. A nice light fish that is very easy to prepare but a real pain to fillet. I watched the fishmonger work for about 20 minutes to fillet 2 fish.
  
So pretty simple stuff. I made some Bulgar Wheat (½-¾ dry) and just followed the directions on the pack. Then I started to heat up my griddle (Using a flat griddle instead of a fry pan that has high sides is much easier with such a thin, delicate fillet of fish). I added half a chopped shallot and a minced clove of garlic to some oil in a heated pot [Medium Heat]. Let this saute till translucent then added a rough chopped bell pepper and stired. As this is happening I added some olive oil to the skillet and when it got hot added the seasoned Sole fillets. They will only take a couple of minutes for each side, so pay attention (you can do this after you finish the Bulgar if you you don't feel like multi-tasking). Toss a couple handfuls of baby spinach into the pot and let wilt, then add your drained Bulgar along with some chopped herbs of your choice (I used Tarragon and Flat Leafed Parley) and a couple sliced scallions (green onions to you yanks ;-). Stir all this up and give it a little S&P to taste. The fish should be done (you would of had to flip it during this last step). Now mound some of the Bulgar on a plate and lay the fillets over the top, serve with a wedge of lemon and possibly some salad on the side (that's what we did).

A great, light, midweek meal that is quick to prepare and pretty much guilt free!!

Great Wine, but the Truffle steals the show!!

Last night was the monthly 'Wine Dinner' at our favorite local restaurant, Bacco. I've been to quite a few of these and like all those before, it didn't disappoint. Dinner was based on the Cuisine of the Piedmont region of Italy which is inspired by the farmers and peasants fondness for fresh food products of the area. Wine also was from the region with an excellent Barolo, served with the 3rd course, from the vineyards in the Monforte, Serralunga, & Castiglione Falletto areas. This wine was full of vibrant fruit and rich plum flavors that went excellently with the Braised Beef and Truffled Potato Puree. Also the Gavi di Gavi 2008 La Meirana Bruno Broglia was a great way to start the evening as it was paired with the trio of Aperitivo. The flavor was very fresh with a hint of almond and nice fruity accents. I could see this being a perfect wine for a nice summer day to accompany seafood or any light dish. Even with that in mind it did well to stand up to the Truffle Pâté smeared Crostini.

The food suited the weather well and with seasonal ingredients and hearty recipes the night was delicious and filling. Black Truffles were ever present, really stealing the show as it made it's way into 4 of the courses.

It's Blogging Time!!

So I've been away too long and it's time to get this blog up and going again. I've made some really fun trips with a lot of food experienced and I've tried some new things in the Kitchen. You might of also noticed that the page looks a little different. I'll be constantly trying to update it and add some new interesting bits too. More cookbooks to check out, more interesting food facts, recipes, restaurants, things about food/cooking in general and possibly a voyage into some video (don't laugh!). Most of all I plan on being a much more attentive blogger. I'm very excited and I hope you are too.
        
Soon on the menu is an easy japanese dinner and the up and coming Bacco Vinotecca Wine Dinner (which I have written about before) that I will be attending with my wonderful wife, Shira.
                    
Can't wait to sink my teeth into all this.

Cheers,
Dan