This Week in NY

Dessert selections at Cafe Lalo

New Yorkers running for Boston

Probably the last week of enjoying a warm bowl of soup
Lentil and Farro Soup with Olive Pesto at Fratelli La Bufala

 

 Turkish Raki-Anise flavored Hard Liquor

Chocolate Orange dessert at Hakkasan- Warm chocolate poured over Citrus Chocolate Mousse

My Aunt's Red Lentil Balls

My mom and aunt are in town visiting, and we have been eating ourselves into oblivion. We had pizza at Kesté, burgers at Bill's, a fancy dinner at Buddakan, morning croissants at Lalo's, brunch at Good Enough to Eat, and gelato at Cones (just to name a few). I believe that a city is best experienced through its cuisine, so I've been taking them around town and sharing my favorite dishes. It feels so good to have girl time, to sit at a cafe and share a slice of red velvet pie or stroll through the streets with a coffee and doughnut in hand.

Food has been always an important part of my family. Whenever we have family gatherings, the women pack in the kitchen and cook an enormous meal for everyone. Those are my favorite nights, sitting on the kitchen table watching everyone run around trying to finish a dish. There are recipes that have filtered down from generations, and we still keep loyal to them. There are also dishes that if a family member has perfected it, the others don't even dare to make it. It's their dish.

So after a week of sampling NY food, I realized I have missed those days when we just cook around the kitchen. Even though I have very little counter space, I wanted to make something with my mom and aunt. I remembered my aunt used to make these Red Lentil Balls that don't require a ton of work. After a week of eating fried and heavy food, it felt really good to have something light and healthy. Plus they keep in the fridge for a while and are just as good cold. They are filled with healthy protein and fibers from red lentils and bulgur. They are vegetarian and are great make-ahead appetizers for a party, too.

My aunt may be leaving today, but her Red Lentil Balls will stay with me.

Ingredients:

2 cups red lentils
1 cup fine bulgur
1/2 cup olive oil
1 medium onion, very finely chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon red pepper paste
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup scallions, finely chopped
1 cup finely chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

Place the lentils in a medium saucepan, and cover with 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil, and simmer until the lentils are very soft and there is very little water left in the saucepan. Make sure the lentils do not absorb all of the water, or the mixture will be very dry. Add the bulgur, stir, and turn of the heat. Keep it covered for 30 minutes, until the bulgur plumps up and the mixture has cooled down.

Heat the olive oil in a pan, and sautee the onions until translucent. Add the tomato and pepper pastes, and cook for an additional minute. Turn off the heat, and add the paprika, cayenne, cumin, salt, and pepper. Add to the lentil mixture in the saucepan, and stir to combine. Add the chopped scallions, parsley, and lemon juice. Knead the mixture for a few minutes until everything sticks together, and forms a big ball. Form the mixture into walnut sized balls. You can wet your hands if the mixture gets sticky.

This Week in NY




Tower of onion rings at Del Friscos

 

First run of the year at central park

Risotto with melted parmesan wrapped in parmacotto and served with a ragu of mini meatballs and peas
Il Ristorante Salumeria Rosi Parmacotto

Easy weeknight meal of shrimp with asparagus and baby carrots, frisee salad with avocados, quinoa with roasted veggies, and white wine

Turkish Lavash Bread at Dayi'nin Yeri 

Pesto Two Ways: Pistachio & Sun-dried Tomato Pesto and Walnut-Olive Pesto

 Pesto is probably my favorite sauce to use, but that wasn't always the case. For the longest time, I was repelled by the dish everytime I saw it at a restaurant. Pasta dishes were usually drenched in so much oil that they resembled soups. It wasn't until I made it at home once that I realized it can be a healthy but satisfying sauce. Nowadays, I don't just use pesto on pasta. I top fish with it. I make a chicken salad from it. I put it on my eggs. If I see a fresh bunch of basil, you bet I'm going to make a batch of pesto and save it in the fridge.

A traditional pesto uses fresh basil, pine nuts, garlic, parmesan, and olive oil. Even though I love pine nuts, they are harder to find, a lot more expensive, and do not really keep well. I was out of them as usual the other day but I had a lot of bright green pistachios in my pantry, so I decided to use those instead. While the pine nut flavor is very mild, pistachios have a more distinctive and nutty flavor. Sun dried tomatoes add a touch of sweetness to balance out the nuts and the saltiness of the cheese. This is a quick meal you can make any time of the day.

 

Enough with the pistachio...let's move on to walnuts. I've had walnut pesto crostinis on my mind ever since I had it at a wine bar. I was set on how I was going to make it until I spotted the olives in my pantry. Olive tapenade is one of my all time favorite snacks, and I started debating if I should make that instead until I realized I shouldn't have to give up on either one! Ta-da walnut pesto and olive tapenade combined in a single dip for you. This is just amazing. I think I ate half a baguette just to make sure the recipe was good enough for you guys. Grab a bottle of red wine, and you're all set.

Pistachio Basil Pesto:

Ingredients:

1/4 cup shelled pistachios
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup chopped olive packed sun dried tomatoes
2 packed cups fresh basil leaves
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

Pulse the pistachios, garlic, and sun dried tomatoes in a food processor until finely chopped. Add the basil, and pulse until chopped. With the machine running, gradually add the oil until the pesto comes together. Add the cheese, salt, and pepper and pulse.

If you are serving it with pasta: Cook the pasta until al dente. Combine with the pesto in a bowl. Thin with a little bit of pasta water if needed. Top with freshly grated parmesan, and chopped pistachios.

You can top fish or veggies with the pesto as well.

Walnut-Olive Pesto:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup walnuts
1 large garlic clove
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 cup pitted mixed black olives
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon salt (depending on how salty the olives are)

Directions:

Pulse the walnuts, and garlic in a food processor until finely chopped. Add the parsley, and olives, and pulse until chopped. With the machine running, gradually add the oil until the pesto comes together. Add the lemon zest, salt, and pepper and pulse.

Serve with crusty bread, and some feta cheese.

Stuffed Eggplants (Karni Yarik) with Tomato Rice

 

I've been too lazy on the blog front recently, but I was too busy cooking for the bachelor viewing party this week (and then cleaning up after it). Have you guys seen it? SPOILER ALERT...I can tell you right now that I was in complete shock that Catherine won! I have been rooting for Lindsay all along. Despite her squeaky voice, I thought she was a great fit for Sean. Oh well, another reality show over, off to find a new one!

I'm not here to talk about the Asian feast I cooked up Monday night, since I was running around like a crazy person trying to get everything done and had no time to take pictures, but I’ll give you a quick run down of the menu. There were miso glazed sea bass with eggplant, ginger fried rice, beef negimaki, thai larb lettuce wraps, and crab cakes. I'm sure all of those recipes will find their way around to the blog pretty soon.

Today I want to talk about one of my favorite dishes from home: eggplants stuffed with ground meat. This is a traditional Turkish recipe, karni yarik actually means split belly. The eggplant gets really tender and creamy from baking slowly, and develops an amazing sauce. The tomato rice is the perfect accompaniment to soak up the sauce and balance the heaviness of the meat. Enjoy!

 

Stuffed Eggplants (Karni Yarik)

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, diced
1/2 pound ground beef (you can substitute ground chicken or turkey)
4 baby eggplants (Japanese or any other small variety)
Salt and pepper for seasoning
1 tomato, sliced
1 tbsp tomato paste
Canola oil, for frying, around 2 cups depending on the size and shape of your pot

Directions

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet. Cook the onions until they are translucent. Add the ground beef, and saute until the meat is no longer pink. As you are cooking it, make sure you are breaking the meat apart with a wooden spoon. Season with salt and pepper, and set aside.

Peel the eggplants in stripes lenghtwise (peel one long line with a vegetable peeler, leave the skin on the next section, peel the other, etc. You should be leaving stripes of skin). Wash and dry the eggplant well. Pierce with a fork in a few places so that the eggplant doesn't explode during cooking. Heat canola oil in a deep pot until it's very hot. Eggplants are like sponges, and they soak up any excess liquid, so make sure the oil is really hot. Fry the eggplants, about 1-2 minutes per side, until they are nicely browned. Remove and place on paper towels to drain.

Preheat your oven to 375 F. Place the eggplants on a baking dish. Make a slit in the eggplant lenghtwise, leaving the ends intact. You can use the back of a spoon to do this. Stuff with the ground beef mixture. Place one slice of tomato on top.

Bring 1 cup of water to a boil in a small saucepan. Whisk in 1 tablespoon tomato paste until it is incorporated. Pour over the eggplants, and cover with foil. Bake for 30 minutes, and then remove the foil. Bake for an additional 5-10 minutes until the top is browned. Make sure there is still enough liquid in the pan so that the eggplants don't burn.

Tomato Rice

Ingredients:

1 cup long grain rice (such as basmati)
1 tablespoon olive oil or canola oil
Salt to taste
4 medium tomatoes
1 tablespoon butter

Directions:

Place rice in a bowl. Add 1 teaspoon salt and cover with warm water (bring water to a boil in a kettle and wait for 1 min until it is no longer bubbling). Stir and allow to cool for about 30 minutes. Drain and wash throughly.

Grate the tomatoes with a box grater. Heat the olive oil in a large pot. Saute the tomatoes until most of the liquid has evoparted.
Add one cup of water to the pot with the tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Once the water is boil, add rice, salt, and 1 tablespoon of butter. Cover and simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes, until all the liquid has evoparted.  Turn down to heat to very low, and leave on the stove for an additonal 5 minutes to toast the rice. Serve warm. If you are feeling fancy, and want to mold the rice like I did, place in small bowls for a few minutes and invert onto a plate.

Sweet Potato, Brussels Sprout & Sausage Hash

I've been in love with Corned Beef Hash ever since I've tried it at a little cafe called Black-Eyed Susan's in Nantucket. I never would have thought to order it until I saw someone eating it at the next table, and I knew I was craving that meat the second I saw it. The corned beef there is homemade, and it is out of this world. I'm never up to baking corned beef from scratch just for breakfast, so I haven't had it ever since (sigh! to be in Nantucket right now). As soon as I saw this sweet potato hash on the web the other day, there was no excuse not to make it. I've had some Brussels sprouts in the fridge so there they went into the hash. I was too lazy to roast the potatoes, and sauteing them worked perfectly (less clean-up yay!). Add a mini Challah roll and you are good to go for breakfast.

 

Sweet Potato, Brussels Sprout & Sausage Hash

Inspired by this dish

Ingredients

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into small cubes
1/2 onion, diced
2 sausage links ( I used one spicy, one sweet Italian)
1/2 cup shredded Brussels sprouts
1 garlic clove, minced
Hot sauce ( I like Cholula Hot Sauce), to taste ( I used 3-4 drops)
Salt + pepper to taste
2 eggs
To serve; any kind of bread you like ( I like mini Challah rolls)

Directions

Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sweet potato and cook for 5 minutes. They should have a good caramelization on the outside.

Add the onion, and cook for a minute. Remove the sausage links from their casings, and drop pieces to the pan. Break them into small pieces with a wooden spoon.

Add the Brussels sprouts and garlic. Cook for an additional 3-4 minutes, until the sausage is cooked through and the Brussels sprouts have softened. Add the hot sauce, salt and pepper to taste, and stir.

Turn down to heat to medium-low. Make two wells in the center of the pan, and crack the eggs. They are done when the whites have cooked completely, but the yolk is still runny.

Oscars Party Round-up

Red Carpet is about to start woohooo! Are you ready for the Oscars party? Who do you think is going to win best pic? To round-up- here are the nominees:

1) Beasts of the Southern Wild (Fried Oysters with Spicy Remoulade)
2) Life of Pi (Yellowtail Carpaccio with Mango, Pomegranate, and Ponzu Sauce)
3) Argo (Middle Eastern Appetizers)
4) Zero Dark Thirty (Middle Eastern Appetizers)

5) Django Unchained (Mini Mississippi Mud Pies with Bourbon Whipped Cream)

6) Lincoln (Old Abe Cocktail)

7) Amour (Mini Puff Pastry Cheese Pies)

8) Les Miserables (Mini Puff Pastry Cheese Pies)

9) Silver Linings Playbook (Philly Cheesesteak Crostinis)

Oscars Party: "Silver Linings Playbook" Inspired Philly Cheesesteak Crostinis

If you thought Bradley Cooper was just a pretty face, then he has definitely proven you wrong in Silver Linings Playbook. I always thought he was good in comedies, not because he was particularly funny, he was always the guy that partnered well with other people who were funny and ridiculous. He was always in control, the cool and reserved guy, that was in funny situations because of the people who he hung out with. In Silver Linings Playbook, he completely lets go of his inhibitions, and is not afraid to look vulnerable. He plays a recently released from mental institution Philadelphian, who is battling with bi-polar disease, and is looking for a silver-lining. He meets the equally troubled Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), whose performance is so real and enduring. My mom called me right after she watched this movie, and said it changed her whole outlook on life. I agree in the sense that this movie shows you the happy ending we all seek in real life is not always perfect, and it never happens as it should. You always have to make the best of what you have.

Oscars Party: "Amour" and "Les Miserables" Inspired Mini Puff Pastry Cheese Pies

French food gets a bad rap for being hard to make, having a long list of ingredients, and overall being time consuming. These mini cheese pies are super easy to make, have only 3 ingredients, and take less than 30 minutes from start to finish. And the best part is 20 minutes of that is in the oven, and it will take you under 10 minutes to put them together. This means that by the time Anne Hathaway has finished singing "I dreamed a dream" you had done all the necessary work (if Russell Crowe is singing, you may want to take your time). Les Miserables and Amour are both movies that have profound sadness in them, so I wanted to keep these appetizers light and fun.

Oscars Party: "Lincoln" Inspired "Old Abe" Cocktail

When I started researching the likes and dislikes of Abraham Lincoln, I was disappointed to find out that he wasn't much of an eater or a drinker. It seems like he grazed through his day, and food was an afterthought. I really wanted to make an old-fashioned cocktail to reflect the era, so I had to do a bit of research to find out what was popular during Lincoln's term. After some time spent on the web, I found out that Kentucky Bourbon became popular during the Civil War (source) , and Gen. Ulysses S. Grant was famous for his love for the spirit. There is a Lincoln quote, which was believed to be said in defense of General Grant's drinking: "I wish some of you would tell me the brand of whiskey that Grant drinks. I would like to send a barrel of it to my other generals."(source) I also discovered that Lincoln was very fond of apples. He was known to eat them throughout his day, and has even mentioned his love for it by saying "Apples agree with me.." (source) Apple cider was known to be popular for both drinking and as medicine. (source)

Oscars Party: "Django Unchained" Inspired Mini Mississippi Mud Pies with Bourbon Whipped Cream

"Django. The D is Silent."

Leonardo Di Caprio's portrayal of the Mississippi plantation owner Calvin Candie in Quentin Tarantino's Oscars nominated film Django Unchained is repulsive mixed in with a bit of charisma, violent mixed in with southern politeness, and outright brilliant. I know I would be too scared to serve him anything, but being from Mississippi I hope he would appreciate these mini mud pies. They are great for serving at parties, because they are individually portioned. You can just keep them in the fridge, and serve them whenever a guest wants dessert.

Oscars Party: "Zero Dark Thirty" and "Argo" Inspired Middle Eastern Appetizers



 Whenever you watch a movie that is set in the Middle East, you don't really get to see much of the cuisine. Mainly because a lot of the movies that take place there involve killing of terrorists (Zero Dark Thirty), or the rescue of American citizens (Argo). The truth is Middle Eastern food is not just kebabs and gyros. There are a lot of vegetable dishes, and healthy grains. Below dishes are perfect for big groups, and are very easy to put together. You can do them in the morning, and just forget about these appetizers until the party. This way, you'll still have time to catch up on the nominated movies. I've been on a roll this week, watching one every night. I watched Zero Dark Thirty last night, and let me just say during the 20 minute capturing of Bin Laden in the dark, I barely took a single breath. It was amazing. Tonight I'm watching Argo, and I'm really intrigued to see what all the hype is about (also really curious about Ben Affleck's hair do!). 



 

Oscars Party: "Life of Pi" Inspired Yellowtail (Hamachi) Carpaccio with Mango, Pomegranate, and Ponzu Sauce

My second Oscars party dish is inspired by the movie “Life of Pi”. The movie is about a boy deserted on a lifeboat with a tiger for 227 days. The movie is actually much more than that; it is about faith, finding the balance between religion and science, and a look into how the human mind processes tragedy. But in the end, whether it is philosophical or physical, it is about survival. When the supplies on the boat are depleted, the main character Pi has to rely on fish to feed himself. He literally has to catch, and kill a live fish and then eat it raw. While those scenes don’t look very appetizing, I knew that I could make raw fish taste really good. The main star of this dish is the yellowtail; it is so buttery and fresh that it really doesn’t need much else to make it flavorful. If you can’t find yellowtail, go for some tuna or mahi-mahi and make sure it’s really good quality since you will not be cooking it (ask for sashimi-grade). Since the character of the movie is Indian, I also wanted to add some Indian cuisine influences such as mango, pomegranate seeds, and the white pepper. Ponzu sauce is made from the Japanese citrus fruit yuzu, and it is fantastic with seafood. You can substitute some lemon juice if you can’t find it, but it’s not hard to find and it really is worth the purchase.

Oscars Party: "Beasts of the Southern Wild" Inspired Fried Oysters with Spicy Remoulade

The Academy Awards are this Sunday, and it is a fantastic opportunity to throw a party. My goal this year was to watch as many movies as possible on the nominee list, so I actually follow the show rather than the red carpet (Though I'm dying to see the dresses, especially what Jennifer Lawrence comes up with...). I know I won't get too far on the foreign language, or the documentary list, but there is no reason I shouldn't see the Top 10 movies of 2012. My friends and I are doing ballots this year, so there's more on the line. We each bring a bottle of liquor, and the winner gets to take all of them home at the end of the night. I still haven't made my pick for most of them, so I feel like it's going to be a decision I make on a whim.

Valentine's Day Sweets: Spicy Bacon Brownies with Chocolate Glaze

Few things men are guaranteed to like: chocolate, bacon, and a spicy kick. This brownie has it all! I know what you're thinking...bacon?? But hold on, you don't really taste the bacon in it. It provides a tiny bit of salt and crunch that leaves you wondering why the brownie is so good. Plus you can get cool girl points for putting bacon in everything. Be careful with the spice, you only need a little bit of it, that will get balanced out by the rich chocolate.

Valentine's Day Sweets: Brown Sugar, Pecan & Chocolate Chip Cookies

I'm very spoiled when it comes to food. I eat only the tops of my muffins. The crusts of my bread. And the gooey center of my cookies. I was trying to figure out a way to maximize the amount of gooeyness I get from cookies, and I finally achieved it by baking them in this heart pan with deep cups. I have a sneaky feeling they will work well with mini muffin pans too.

Countdown to the Super Bowl- Sweet Potato Wedges

Guys don't like to eat sweet potato fries, until they actually try one. It somehow seems like the girlier and healthier option on the menu, and fries are so great that noone wants to take a chance on the sweet potato. It's true that they are better for you but they are also sweeter (hence the name), and have more flavor than regular potatoes. That sweetness sort of caramelizes when you bake them. I also think they work better with creamier dips than plain ole ketchup. I promise that if you put these on the menu on Super Bowl Sunday, they will dissapear faster than anything else out there!

Countdown to the Super Bowl- 5 Different Chicken Wings Recipes

What would football be without chicken wings? What would chicken wings be without football? Do people actually order chicken wings once the football season ends? I certainly don't, and since I have 5 days to eat all the chicken wings I can justify eating, I decided to make 5 different recipes for wings. After all this cooking, and eating, all I can say is they are super easy to make! I fried some, and baked some, and loved them all. The baked ones actually came out crispier on the outside than the fried ones, but the meat did dry out a little bit. The fried ones had the perfect texture for the meat, and had just the right amount of crunch. If you want to keep things light, or don't want to make a mess in the kitchen, by all means bake them. They are still really delicious, and especially pair really well when you are using one of the Asian inspired sauces. I wish I could post the pictures of me frying them, and coating them in the sauce, but alas as mentioned in the earlier post, I only have one picture to share with you. So go into that kitchen, and fry/bake some of your own. I promise it's much easier than you think!

Countdown to the Super Bowl-Chorizo Nachos

I was watching the news last night, and I felt a sudden rush of panic when the anchor said "Anddd we are officially in Super Bowl week!". It's not because my team is playing this Sunday or anything since Mark Sanchez decided to become the most disappointing player in the NFL (sigh, but don't worry, I still love you Mark). It's also not due to a lack of menu planning on my part, since I already tested out recipes and decided on what I would be making. It's because last Friday somewhere between rushing out of work and going to meet my friends I dropped my phone, and after spending $85 on a new screen, I've lost everything that I once had on it. You should have seen the sheer horror on my face when I found out that my icloud was updating anything but my photos, and the last time I backed up to my computer was on November 30th. Therefore, my nachos post planned for this week now consists of a single instagram picture, rather than the step-by-step photos I had taken for you guys. I'm sure you won't run into any trouble anyway, since it really is not complicated at all, and more importantly it really does not matter how you layer nachos. The beauty of nachos is everyone makes them differently as there are no rules. They always look like a purposeful mess, in a there is a method to my madness kind of way. You can swap the ground chorizo for ground beef or chicken. Since there is a lot going on in this dish, I wanted to use something with lots of flavor. The spicy chorizo really stands out and doesn't get lost in the dish. And my favorite part of course is the cheese sauce. It tastes just like (actually better) than the kind you get at the football stadium. Oh, and it's made from real cheese and real ingredients rather than the artificially flavored highly-processed stuff you can't even pronounce.

No, this is not a January Detox post

I hate January, and the forced “I'm on a diet” stance everyone usually takes. I went out to get lunch yesterday, and the salad counter had about 30 people in line, and the other counters had zero (actually, I don’t hate that part, no waiting in line for me). I know we eat more sweets in December than we probably do the rest of the year, but does that mean you have to eat lettuce for the duration of January? Isn’t that the reason everyone looks miserable in January? And do these detoxes ever work, or just make you depressed? Can anyone stand it long enough to lose weight, and actually keep it?  

Here's to a 2013 filled with comfort

Sometimes there is nothing as comforting as soup on a cold night. Especially if it's made by your mom. Do you notice that things taste better if your mom cooks it? It's like a hug warmed up. Like a warm blanket on a cold night. I was back at home for a few weeks nursing my broken ankle, and my mom made this soup one night. The mini meatballs and the potatoes make this a hearty meal, but the broth keeps it light. I haven't made a list of resolutions for 2013 yet, but I'm determined to have a winter filled with cozy nights in at home with a warm bowl of soup and my favorite DVDs.