Taco Tuesday!

I have been craving Mexican food since I left San Francisco. I am sure New York has some tasty burritos and tacos, but I have not ventured out to find them.  Who doesn't love a Taco Tuesday? I was inspired by the taco truck that parks a few blocks from our house and seems to have a pretty steady line outside. So I decided to make my own.

I have not been cooking much steak lately,  since my favorite method is on an outdoor grill. But I just bought a new grill pan (which I am now in love with), and have been wanting to try it out. The key to a grill pan is that after the meat has been marinating, make sure it is patted dry before putting it in the pan. Also, don't forget to rub the pan with oil. This helps with smoke control, and it helps the meat cook more evenly. The great thing about the cast iron grill pan is that it can go in the oven, so after the meat has grill marks, it can finish in a hot oven without moving it. I like to have a ton of fixings on my tacos, like avocado and beans. I wanted to make as many of the fixings I could by hand, so I tackled refried beans, salsa, chopped avocado, lightly pickled radishes and onions,  and the main event... grilled skirt steak folded inside a corn tortilla. I have not cooked Mexican food that much, but I thought these tacos came out delicious and not hard to make!

Skirt Steak Marinade
1 lb skirt steak
Juice of 2 limes
1/4 t. cayenne (if you don't like spicy, modify)
1 t. chili powder
1 t. cumin powder
1/4 t. coriander
1/4 t. fennel flower (not necessary if you don't have it)
1/2 t. paprika
2 cloves of garlic chopped
1/2 jalapeno  cut into 4 pieces
splash of oil (I used peanut because that's what I had)
Salt
Pepper

Combine all of the ingredients in a big enough bowl  to hold the steak. Add salted steak to the marinade and stick in the fridge for 2 hours (take out 45 min before cooking).

Pickled Radishes and Red Onion
5 radishes sliced
1/2 red onion sliced
2 T vinegar (I used red wine because that's what I had)

Let the radishes and onions sit in the vinegar for as long as you can. Mine sat for about 2 hours and they were perfect. I love the crunch they add to the taco.

Refried Beans

1 can black beans rinsed (normally I would not use canned but this was a last minute meal so I didn't have time to let beans soak).
1 slab bacon
1 garlic clove chopped
1/2 yellow onion small dice
1/4 jalapeno, small dice (my jalapeno was huge so I used 1 and divided it between all my dishes).
1/4 cup chicken stock
2 T sour cream
Salt

Cut the piece of bacon into lardons and put them in the pot to release the fat.  I did not want to overcook the bacon because I was only using it for the fat. Then remove the bacon and throw in the onions, letting them cook until they are translucent (10 min). Then, add the garlic clove and the jalapeno and let those cook for 2 min. before adding the rinsed beans. Add the chicken stock and let the beans simmer for 15 min.  Pour off most of the stock and add the sour cream and, with a potato masher, mash the beans together. Sprinkle with salt to taste.

Salsa
1 1/2 tomatoes seeded and diced ( I used the other half for the avocados).
1/4 onion diced and rinsed
1/2 jalapeno
1 clove garlic
1/2 lime juiced
salt
pepper

Add chopped tomatoes and onions to a bowl. Finally, chop the jalapeno and garlic and add to the bowl along with the lime juice. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and let sit for 30 minutes before serving. If I were making this for myself I would add cilantro, but Mike does not like it and neither does my best friend or my mother so I omit it.

Chopped Avocado
1 avocado large dice
1/2 tomato seeded and diced
1/4 jalapeno diced
1/2 lime juiced
salt
pepper

Instead of making guacamole I like to leave the avocado in big pieces, more like a chopped salad. I already have the refried beans which are mushy so I think the salad creates a nicer texture in the taco. Toss all the ingredients together in a bowl lightly, and if you are not eating it right away reserve the pit because it helps keep the avocados from turning brown.

When ready to cook the steak, pat it dry and add to a hot oiled grill pan.  Cook for 5 minutes per side and then add the jalapenos from marinade and put in a 425 degree oven for a few minutes. Take the steak out of the oven and let it rest for several minutes before slicing.

Warm the corn tortillas (which I did not make but next time I am going to try) in the oven or microwave for a couple of minutes and fix yourself a taco.

Enjoy!

 

New Beginnings

Many new things are happening in my life. The first being that I am starting to write regularly again and I am going to try to be better about sharing my food experiences with you. Just because I took a blogging hiatus for a while, in no way does that mean that I have stopped eating and cooking, cooking and eating. In fact it is the opposite. I have just graduated from Tante Marie Cooking School in San Francisco. I am so grateful to everybody that I learned from there. I learned more then I even knew I could about food, tasting, technique, my love for all things cooking, and so much more.

While I was in school I wanted to completely focus on what I was being taught, so I put the blog on hold. But now I am back! I have moved to Brooklyn where I am currently looking for work, but also enjoying the the new sites and new eats. My kitchen is now packed with all the stuff that I brought with me from San Francisco and I have begun to cook regularly again. I am trying to come up with my own recipes or at least change existing recipes to make them my own and be inspired by what is around me.

So, to start off, I was at the meat counter at Fairway and I noticed some beautiful veal scallopini; paper thin and rosy pink. I din't have much of a recipe in mind but I knew I had to have that veal. I looked in my cart to see what else I had already thrown in; mushrooms, cream, pancetta, orecchiette pasta, and I knew I could make something with what I had. Cheers to cooking and eating and I hope you enjoy this recipe.

Veal Scallopini with Mushrooms and Peas

Serving size: 2 people

1/2 lb. veal scallopini

1/4 inch slice pancetta

8 brown mushrooms

1/2 box orecchiette pasta

1/2 cup white wine

1/2 cup chicken broth

2 T butter

2 T EVOO

1 cup frozen peas

1/4 cup cream

3 sprigs thyme

The first thing to do is put a pasta pot on with salted water and bring up to a boil. While waiting for the water to boil I season the veal with salt and pepper on both sides.

I then slice the mushrooms and saute them in a little butter and olive oil seasoned with salt and pepper.

By now the pasta water should be almost to a boil. Dry sautee the sliced pancetta and remove when golden brown to a bowl. Pour off some of the fat but keep some for browning the veal in. Then flour the veal on both sides and get the frying pan screaming hot with EVOO and a little butter.

It is important to make sure the pan is very hot because you want the veal to brown, but because it is so thin it cooks very quickly. Begin cooking the veal, and once the veal has browned on both sides remove it from the pan and put on a warm plate. Pour the pasta into the boiling salted water and begin to make the sauce.

To make the sauce pour off any grease from the veal and add the white wine and sprigs of thyme. Let reduce till half (3-5 min) then add the chicken stock and let that reduce till half (5-10 min). Add a little of this broth to the cooked and strained pasta. When the wine and chicken broth is reduced, add the cream and peas let cook for 2 min then add the mushrooms, pancetta, and veal. Do not cook this for long just so it all mixes together. Place the pasta on a plate, then add the veal and pour the sauce over.

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It's been too long sorry readers...

I know I am long overdue for a blog post and I have no excuse, but don't worry it doesn't mean I haven't been cooking. Actually, It's been quite the opposite. I have been so busy with the catering that I have hardly had time to focus on my own cooking.

One thing that I love about food is its ability to bring back past memories as well as create new ones. While growing up on the east coast, summertime was always about fresh seafood, gorgeous lemons, and sweet corn (of course as an adult, wine and beer are also part of those memories). I remember the first time I ever had lobster. It is one of my favorite things to eat in the summer. Though, now that I live on the west coast I am no longer exposed to it since I try to eat local seafood. Every summer my family spends some time up in Maine. The resort that we used to stay at is on a beautiful lake and when my grandparents were alive it was one of there favorite spots to relax. But what I remember the most about this place is the food.

Every morning at breakfast you got to choose what you wanted for lunch and dinner. At the age of 5 I wasn't much of a foodie yet, but I did love to eat and I also loved to make my own choices, so this was the ultimate highlight of my day. Once during the week they had lobster night. I had never had lobster before, and the idea of having a plate with the entire animal on it was daunting. This was not the case for my Grandfather. He always ordered the lobster on lobster night and soon I would follow in his footsteps. Now, my Grandmother was kosher, so no shellfish for her. But as long as my grandfather was not under her roof he could eat shellfish. That night was the first time I have ever had lobster and to this day it is one of my favorite things to eat. I only eat it during the summer and I only eat it on the east coast, preferably Maine. Every time it brings back that same memory of my Grandfather carefully pulling the fresh meat out of the shell, dipping it in butter, and setting it on my plate.

In a few weeks I will return to Maine and eat lobster for the first time this year. Hopefully you can read about those new memories. Even though San Francisco does not have lobster it does have a wide variety of fresh seafood, especially in the summer. A few weeks back Mike and I went to a local restaurant called Range. We had an amazing meal, but my favorite was the appetizer I ordered. It was steamed clams...simple, delicate, and delicious. The clams were in a simple butter and white wine sauce with crispy pancetta and topped with fresh parsley. I decided to try and recreate this dish at home using bacon instead of pancetta because thats what I had in the fridge. Recipe follows:

Steamed Clams

1 dozen clams

1 shallot chopped

3 cloves of garlic chopped

handful of chopped parsley

2 lemons

1 cup of white wine

3 pieces of bacon chopped

1 tbl. butter

EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)

The first thing that I did was wash the clams in cold water. You really have to scrub these so that the dish does not taste gritty. Once the clams were washed I browned the bacon in some olive oil in a heavy pot.

When the bacon was done browning I removed it and sautéed the shallots and garlic in the bacon fat that was left. I then added the butter and let it melt. Next the clams went in with the wine, 1 lemon juiced, and the bacon was put back in the pot. I covered it and let them steam for about 10 minutes or until all of the clams have opened.

To serve, I poured the clams into a large bowl sprinkled with fresh parsley and squeezed the other lemon on top. I recommend having a baguette with this dish to soak up all the liquid after the clams have been eaten (my favorite part).

This was of course just an appetizer so for the second course. I stayed within my seafood theme and made this lovely salmon recipe that I found in my Food and Wine magazine. In this dish the salmon was poached which really brings out the flavor and gives it a great texture. Poaching is really easy, but there is a hard part in removing the skin from the salmon if you forget to ask your fish guy to do it for you.

Poached Salmon with Corn and White Wine Butter Sauce

serves 4

Ingredients

4 medium zucchini

Salt

3 shallots 2 finely chopped 1 halved

2 3/4 cup of dry white wine

1 1/2 cups of fresh corn off the cob

2 sprigs of thyme

1 bay leaf

4 6 ounce salmon fillets with skin removed

1 stick of cold butter cut into 8 tablespoons

1/4 cup of thinly sliced basil leaves

The first thing I did was prepare the corn and zucchini slaw. In order to get the slaw the right texture you have to take the moisture out of the zucchini. In order to do this I grated the zucchini into a colander and sprinkled it with salt. I then let it drain for 20 minutes and squeezed it to get out any extra water.

In a large, non-reactive skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the chopped shallots and season with salt and pepper. Cook over moderate heat until softened, about 3 minutes. Add 1/4 cup of the wine and cook until evaporated, about 2 minutes. Stir in the corn and 1/2 cup of water. Cover and cook until the corn is tender, about 4 minutes. Stir in the zucchini and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, cover and keep warm.

In a large, nonreactive saucepan, combine 2 cups of the wine with the thyme, bay leaf, the halved shallot and 2 cups of water and bring to a simmer. Season the salmon with salt, add the fillets to the saucepan and cook at a bare simmer over low heat, turning once, about 6 minutes.

Transfer the salmon to a plate and pat dry with paper towels. Discard the poaching liquid.

Add the remaining 1/2 cup of wine to the saucepan and bring to a simmer. Whisk in the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, until thoroughly incorporated. Season with salt. Stir the basil into the vegetables and transfer to plates. Nestle the salmon into the vegetables, top with the butter sauce and serve.

I recently took this class called pie in a jar threw workshop SF www.workshopsf.org/. It was a really neat class where we learned how to bake pies in a jar. I wanted to share two of the pies that I made because I thought it was a really cool idea and they came out looking so cute.

I hope I didn't loose any readers during my absence and I hope you enjoyed reading some fun summer recipes. I am going to be better about my blogging hopefully no long gaps again! Enjoy the fresh food that summer brings!

Cooking with and Drinking Belgian Beer

On a recent trip to New York, while staying with my aunt and uncle I discovered an article in Bon Appetit about Belgian beer in New York City. My uncle Alan loves Belgian beer. He has quite the collection of glasses, as the type and shape of a glass is an important aspect of drinking Belgian beer. So it was very appropriate that I found this article, and while I was there I got to sample some Belgian beer called Leffe. This reminded me of the braised short ribs that my mother once made using Belgian beer, a recipe Alan had passed along to her. I decided to cook these short ribs last night. They were delicious and tender, the meat falling right off the bone. When I emailed Alan about my success he told me that the recipe was a variation of Tom Valenti’s standard short ribs made with beef broth. The Belgian beer in this variation gives such a nice flavor. At our supermarket in San Francisco they did not have Leffe beer, but after a quick consultation with Alan I chose a Chimay.

Alan’s Belgian Beer Braised Short Ribs

6 pounds short ribs (about 6 pieces)

coarse salt

freshly ground black pepper

garlic powder

¼ cup olive oil

1 medium Spanish onion, peeled and coarsely chopped

3 sticks celery, coarsely chopped

1 carrot peeled and coarsely chopped

8 cloves garlic smashed and peeled

2 cups Belgian Beer (Leffe)

9 cups store bought beef broth

3 sprigs thyme

1 bay leaf

*original recipe but I only made 4 short ribs so I reduced everything a little plus I used my dutch oven instead of a roasting pan.

The day before cooking, season the ribs with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Cover with saran and refrigerate overnight (not absolutely necessary if you don’t have the time the day before but does taste better.)

Preheat the oven to 325 F.

Heat the olive oil in a large roasting pan over medium high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the ribs and brown them on all sides, about 1 minute per side (usually takes a little longer.) Remove from pan and set aside.

Discard all but 2 tablespoons fat from pan. (If butcher does a good job, you won’t have anything to discard) Add the onion, celery, carrot and garlic to the pan. Cook, stirring often until lightly browned, about 8 minutes.

Add the beer, broth, thyme and bay leaf. Bring to a boil over high heat.

Return the ribs to the pan, cover with aluminum foil and braise in the oven for 1 hour. Remove the aluminum foil and cook for 3 more hours or until the meat is very tender and falling off the bone.

To serve, remove the ribs from the braising liquid and divide among 6 warm shallow bowls or plates. (leave the bone, it makes for a dramatic presentation.) Strain the braising liquid, discarding the solids. Skim off and discard the fat from the liquid and pass as a sauce at the table.

I served the short ribs on top of egg noodles mixed with some butter, salt, and pepper. The noodles absorbed the gravy very nicely and I thought it was a good pairing. I also think they would go well with mashed or roasted potatoes. I know they take a long time to cook, but they are so worth it!

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I kept my eyebrows

I recently received a lovely crème brulee set from Mike’s parents John and Joan Hession. I could not wait to try it out since crème brulee is one of my favorite desserts. I found a recipe in my Ina Garten cookbook Barefoot in Paris, where she claims that if you make this dessert for a guy he will “follow you anywhere.” It was then clear that this was the recipe to use.

Crème Brulee

1 extra-large egg

4 extra large egg yolks

½ cup of sugar plus a little extra for the top

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

3 cups of heavy cream

1 tablespoon of Grand Marnier

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees

Serves 5-6

The first thing I did was mix the egg, egg yolks, and ½ cup of sugar together with my hand help mixer until they were combined. While I was mixing those ingredients Mike tended to the heavy cream. It is important to heat the cream in a heavy saucepan until it is scalded but not boiling. Once the heavy cream was scalded, Mike added it to the egg mixture very slowly while I held the mixer on a low speed until the cream and egg mixture were fully combined. The last step was to add the vanilla and Grand Marnier and stir it together. The mixture is then ready to be poured into the ramekins.

My crème brulee set came with a pan and a ramekin holder, which is very convenient, but not necessary. Once the mixture was poured into the ramekins until almost full, I placed them in a baking pan and poured boiling water in until filled halfway up the ramekins. I carefully put the pan into the oven and baked for 35- 40 minutes, until the custards were set. After baking, I removed the ramekins from their bath and let them cool to room temperature. Once cooled, I put them in the fridge until they were completely firm. The next step was the most fun because it involved a torch. I just used a torch that I bought at the hardware store which only cost $15.00. Some of the fancy cook ones which range from $35-50. It was a little hard to light, but once we got it lit it was a blast to use. I spread a little bit of sugar on top of the brulee in an even, thin coating. Then, starting at one side, torched the sugar so it was a medium brown color and the sugar was caramelized. They were delicious and really fun to make.

The advice I would give is to not use too much sugar because then it burns and does not caramelize easily. I can’t wait to make it again!

Thanks to the Hessions for a great gift!

Poor Cook's Paella

Paella is one of my favorite things to make and eat. It has everything that I would ever want in a dish; tons of seafood, chicken, and sausage. The last time I made paella I made it with my father on Mother’s Day. It came out really great with a ton of flavor and ingredients. Now that the weather is getting nicer, I was craving a nice summer meal so I decided to make some bruschetta and paella. Since I have 3 part time jobs, it is not really in my budget to buy lobsters and all the wonderful seafood that traditionally goes into making paella. I decided to cut it down and just do shrimp and sausage paella. It came out really tasty and was pretty simple to make. It may look like a lot of ingredients but most of them are spices.

Paella

1 box of rice pilaf

3 Sausages (I mixed a few different kinds)

20 Shrimp

½ yellow onion

2 cloves of garlic

olive oil

1-1 ½ cups of frozen peas (depends on how much you like peas)

¼ cup homemade tomato sauce (jar is also fine)

pinch of saffron

Spices

-chili powder

-cayenne pepper

-paprika

-cumin

-pinch of curry powder

-salt

-pepper

I decided that it would be nice to grill the sausage and shrimp to add a smoky flavor to the dish. So I threw the sausages on the grill while I put the pot of rice pilaf on the stove.

While they cooked, I chopped the onion and garlic, then seasoned the shrimp. I used all of the spices that are listed above and just sprinkled them over both sides of the shrimp.

When the sausages were almost done, I grilled the shrimp briefly on both sides. I didn’t want to cook them all the way through, because I knew I would be adding them to the pot and they would continue to cook.

I then used a heavy pot to sauté the onions and garlic in olive oil. Once the onions were translucent, I added the rice, tomato sauce, pinch of saffron, cut-up sausage, and shrimp to the pot and covered it for 5-10 minutes. I then added the frozen peas and covered for another 5 minutes. I was not sure how much flavor I was going to be able to incorporate without all the ingredients of traditional paella, but it came out delicious. This served 3 and the leftovers were quite good cold the next day for lunch!

Bruschetta

1 French baguette sliced thin

3 chopped tomatoes

1 garlic clove finely chopped

½ shallot finely chopped

6 basil leaves chopped

1 tsp. balsamic vinegar

2 tsp. Olive Oil

sprinkle of salt

4 grinds of pepper

Mix together all of the ingredients and spoon onto fresh bread. If fresh bread is not available toasting it is a good alternative.

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Sunday Morning Muffins

What’s better than waking up on a Sunday morning having a glass of orange juice and a hot muffin right out of the oven? In my mind not much, especially when you have friends to share them with and help make them. That is exactly what I did this morning. It is one of those perfect mornings in San Francisco where the sun is shining on the hill behind my house and the sound of happy children fill the air from a neighboring yard. When you top that with the smell of banana crunch muffins all your worries for the week to come are put behind and you can focus on true Sunday morning relaxation. The recipe that I used for the banana crunch muffins is an Ina Garten, but I made a few adjustments to the recipe. The recipe that follows is the one with my adjustments made to it for the original recipe you can go to www.foodnetwork.com.

Banana Crunch Muffins

3 cups of flour

2 cups of sugar

2 teaspoon of baking powder

1 teaspoon of baking soda

½ teaspoon of salt

½ pound unsalted butter (2 sticks) melted and cooled *

2 extra large eggs

¾ cup of lactaid milk but you may use regular

2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon of almond extract

1 cup mashed bananas (2 bananas)

1 cup granola

1 cup of sweetened shredded coconut

½ cup of chocolate chips

* the reason why the butter needs to cool is so when it is mixed with the egg it does not scramble it instead it just mixes with the egg.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

First Mike sifted the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer. While he siftted I melted the butter in a pan and then let it cool before mixing it into the dry sifted ingredients.

In a separate bowl we mixed together the eggs, milk, vanilla, almond, and mashed bananas. Once those ingredients were combined we mixed them into the flour-and-butter mixture.

Once both of those were well combined but not over mixed I folded in the granola, coconut, and chocolate chips. I then carefully spooned the batter into the muffin tin that was lined with paper. I only had one pan to I put the extra batter into a loaf pan, which worked out perfectly.

The muffins baked for 25 to 30 minutes until the tops were brown and a toothpick came out clean. The loaf stayed in for about 5 minutes more.

The muffins came out really well and not too sweet, which I like. An additional thing that you might serve with the muffins is a butter marmalade. All one would do for this is whip together some unsalted butter and whatever flavor marmalade you enjoy (I would use apricot). Once the butter and marmalade or jam are combined put it in a little dish and serve alongside these delish' muffins.

I hope you enjoy these muffins as much as we did. Happy Sunday!