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.