 |
Young & HungryIf you can't take the heat, get outta the kitchen! |
| 8 February |
Ok boys, you decided that a 5 pound hunk of pork, while right up your alley, is not quite delicate enough for your sweet little buttercup. Here’s something that is. This salmon will sweep your sweetheart off her feet, just like it did me years ago when it became one of my all time favorites! Don’t get jealous, food is but a fleeting fling; this one particularly quick. It’s not Love, Actually, but once that last bite is swallowed down she’ll be yours again. Forever perhaps. Just make sure you really love her or at least print the recipe on the back of her Valentine.
| 3 February |
Just when I had come to terms with the fact that I was not getting a callback, there it came! A call from an unknown number in LA mid-wine tasting. On a side note, I would like to give kudos to the Tasting Room in Sandy Springs for hosting one of the best and most informative wine tastings I’ve ever attended. Back to the phone call. Not having yet realized the importance of the mysterious number in my call log, I thoughtlessly dialed voice mail while perusing the isles of the wine shop next door with my girl friends. Stop. Drop. Squeal! They called and are wondering if I’m still interested! Duh, of course I am. Roll camera!
It all started with leftover nuts. Hazelnuts, to be exact. I have quite an assortment of nuts lingering in my pantry from Christmas just begging to live up to their full potential. Who am I to deny a lonely hazelnut their proper fate? And so I thought, hazelnuts and…..orange….and….fish! Yes it sounds like a bizarre combination, but upon my required due diligence I found that many a chef has gone there before. And so I had my main course, orange scented hazelnut encrusted halibut or err…salmon. With sides still TBD, I kept thinking until I came up with a more complimentary rendition on a braised fennel I learned in a cooking class in Italy and, last but not least, the curious potato risotto from this month’s Bon Appétit!
| 23 August |
For those of you that live alone, skip to the recipe or, if you’re lonely, keep reading with a reminiscent heart. Now, to the readers who cohabitate, let us reflect on all the lessons learned from roommates past. There was my first roommate from West Virginia who taught me that most of the rumors about people from West Virginia are not in fact true, most. She also tried to teach me how to shotgun a beer in our freshman hall’s bathroom to no avail. My next roommate taught me a lot about boys, you could call her a boy magnet of sorts. She had flirting and the fine art of dating down to a T, ahh that was a fun year. Next I went through an assortment of roommates traveling abroad to Florence and west to UCLA. They taught me a myriad of things from the greatness of In-N- Out to how to appreciate a fine wine. I learned to recognize cheeses even though they mostly look and feel the same, that the only thing Italy got wrong was that they forgot to put the gelato between two freshly baked Diddy Riese cookies, and to appreciate tofu – the other white meat? Finally, they reminded me how to swim laps to work up an appetite for aforementioned good eats, particularly during water polo practice.
My current roomie has followed suit bringing an entirely new set of lessons to the table, my favorite of which are probably from her Mom’s organic garden which turns out by far the best tomatoes and blueberries I’ve ever had. When she’s not feeding me my veggies, however, we take delight in our love of mayonnaise and late night pizza. Not at the same time of course, usually. She also has taught me that impromptu infomercial purchases can, in time, earn their keep. And so, we were happy when we were able to use both the Chop Wizard and the mass quantity of mayo in our kitchen for this recipe. The ShamWow, however, I fear will never see the light outside our laundry room… Here’s to a Snuggie come Christmas.
| 3 August |
Wherefore art my beloved pan?
Sleeping soundly in my kitchen
In the dark cabinet it’s hidden
Hiding from the light of day
It is safely tucked away
Waiting just to see the light
And satiate my appetite
What fine feast will be up next
Perhaps the tuna it likes best?
Take me out you silly girl
Trash the fried food lest I hurl
Why go into the light of day
Forced to chased the bugs away
When you have me to grill you right
Satiate that lusty appetite
All you need is some meat
To whip up a tasty treat
Or some veggies from the market
Will complete your evening banquet
You save me from mosquito bites
When favoring some lite delights
Alas there is some use for man
To flip and baste while I do tan
Prepare for you something I will
As long as your masculine duties fulfilled
My skills were honed on the island
Where the grill was fully manned
But now an army I have none
And so the battle’s to be won
Yes I’ve seen you try to ignite
That flame which burns in you so bright
But fire lady… stay away
You’ve yet to see another day
Stick with me I’ll treat you well
Soon you’ll hear that dinner bell
Ring with opportunity
Here to feed you so hungry
And for the night now you are free
To try a dessert recipe
Square or round we care not
This grill pan will not be forgot
For forever we will be
Cooking in perfect harmonyTo bring these recipes to you
Dear reader something fresh and new
Winter spring or chilly fall
The weather no need mind at all
For you now can feel the thrill
Charred nothings from your Calphalon grill!
| 26 May |
It has been brought to my attention that my recipes tend to lean towards the appetizer and side dish distinction; guilty as charged, I suppose, given that I am a longtime vegetarian and thus accustomed to eating what many consider garnishes as my main dish. In response to such criticism, I give you an inarguably full-fledged entrée, perfect for a light dinner, and here paired with delicious, healthy roasted asparagus. The salmon recipe comes courtesy of the consummate grilling master, Bobby Flay (and while this recipe is not grilled, I suspect it would be likewise delicious on the grill,) and the asparagus is based off that which my mother makes so frequently during the summer.
Viola!
Regarding the salmon…at the risk of committing heresy, I recommend buying a high-quality, farm-raised salmon for this recipe, as opposed to wild. While the wild variety gets good press for being richer and pinker (which it is) it also has a distinctively fishy flavor which would overpower this particular marinade.
Continue reading…
| 25 March |
It’s that time of year again…I’ve begun asking around to find the grill in the closest vicinity to my condo that comes equipped with a man to umm “man the grill.” Unfortunately, this recipe is not actually the grilled kind of BBQ, but I would imagine that one could marinate the salmon & larger chunks of onions in BBQ sauce and cook them on the grill, basting as needed. Hooray for summer!
This recipe, in its native state, is actually salmon sauted with onions & BBQ sauce. While not actually grilled (barbecued), this recipe is quite good (as is everthing that comes from my mother’s kitchen) and it makes a fantastic post-work meal. Let us pause for a moment of honesty…as much as we love to cook, how often do we feel like doing it by the time we get home from a long day of work? Sorry to include you, dear reader, in this generalization rooted in my lazy nature, but the first thing I want to do when I walk through my door is eat. Waiting is last thing on my long list. It’s even behind laundry. I think this habit of a-lining it to the fridge the second my feet cross the threshold can be attributed to years of instantly gratifying “snack-time” after arriving home from school, but whatever the reason, after work my goal is good food fast. As long as I’m already sounding like an advertisement, these would pair perfectly with Katy’s Sweet Potatoes 2 Ways whichever way you prefer.
Top