Chicken Paprikash

When we were in Hungary, I bought sweet paprika from the markets after eating many versions of chicken paprikash. There were good ones and meh ones, but the one from Gundel was my favorite. The sauce! I didn't like the nokledi with it, though the Hungarian egg noodle dumplings with it were very traditional. I wanted something that could soak up all the sauce for eating ... so I think I would have preferred a mashed potato or rice.

I found a recipe when I got home and was excited to try it. Luckily, it was everything that I hoped for. Chicken paprikash is the national dish of Hungary and eating it took me back to the amazing trip and beautiful country.

The recipe makes a ton of sauce (which made me even happier) so afterwards, I made a bunch of pasta to just shy of al dente and then let it finish looking in the sauce. That way, I didn't waste a drop!

Chicken Paprikash

adopted from Daring Gourmet

Serves 4-6

2 tablespoons pork lard or butter (lard is traditional; I used bacon fat)

3 pounds chicken thighs, bone-in and skin-on

2 medium yellow onions, chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

2 Roma tomatoes, seeds removed and diced

1 Hungarian bell pepper, diced (optional)

3-4 Tbsp quality sweet Hungarian paprika

2 cups chicken broth

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

3 Tbsp all-purpose flour

3/4 cup full fat sour cream, room temperature (to avoid lumps)

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Heat the lard in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot and brown the chicken on all sides. Transfer the chicken to a plate.

In the same oil, add the onions and fry until golden brown. Add the garlic and tomatoes (and pepper if using) and fry another 2-3 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the paprika, salt and pepper (paprika becomes bitter if scorched).

Return the chicken to the pot and place it back over the heat. Pour in the chicken broth. The chicken should be mostly covered. Bring it to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 40 minutes. Remove the chicken and transfer to a plate.

In a small bowl, stir the flour into the sour cream/cream mixture to form a smooth paste. Stir the cream mixture into the sauce, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Bring it to a simmer for a couple of minutes until the sauce is thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste. Return the chicken to the sauce and simmer to heat through.

Perfect Pasta Salad

 

The picture above might not LOOK like perfect pasta salad, but I legit get sooooo many compliments on this pasta salad whenever I bring it. It's a refreshing take on the usual mayo-based pasta salads. The recipe was adapted from Amateur Gourmet and I'm glad that I printed it out on ... 07/22/2009 because I can't find it on his site anymore! Man, I would have been devastated if I lost the recipe. I always did my own thing with it from memory, but I still referred to it on his site for the base guidelines. The below recipe is based on my own tweaks.

Make this for your next outside get-together (helpful because there is no mayo in this recipe) or inside get-together and you'll be super popular!

Perfect Pasta Salad

Serves 10, depending on portions

12 oz non-noodle pasta (I like fusilli)

1 lb tomatoes, in small pieces

1/2 cup olives (kalamata or green)

1/3 cup diced artichokes in oil, drained

1 lb fresh mozarella, medium diced

Dressing:

5 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained

2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

6 Tbsp olive oil

1 garlic clove, chopped

1 tsp capers, drained

2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1 cup packed basil leaves, chopped

Cook pasta in boiling salted water according to package directions, drain and set aside. In the meantime, place all dressing ingredients in a food processor and blitz until relatively smooth.

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix thoroughly!

Pasta with Sausage & Broccoli

 

I've seen multiple mentions of this "Rigatoni with Sausage and Fennel" recipe from the beloved Ina Garten. And it turned out to be great! I definitely made some changes, because I like to reduce the amount of meat and cream in a dish (haha). I also don't like the taste ofPlus, frozen broccoli was added so I wouldn't have to additionally make another side dish or salad. Total win.

Pasta with Sausage and Broccoli

Serves 6

Adapted from Ina Garten

1 lb pasta

3 Tbsp olive oil

2 large fennel bulbs, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

1 lb sweet Italian sausage, casings removed*

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4-1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

2 Tbsp tomato paste

1 cup dry white wine (I used Vermouth)

1 cup heavy cream

1/2-3/4 bag frozen broccoli

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, plus more to serve

2 Tbps chopped flat-leaf parsley

Heat a large pot (enough to accommodate all the pasta and ingredients) over medium. Once hot, add fennel and onion and sauté for 5 minutes, until the veggies are translucent.

Add sausage, breaking it up with a spoon as everything cooks together. Then add flavorings: garlic, red pepper flakes, 1 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Sautee for another minute.

Make a hole in the center of the ingredients and add tomato paste; let it toast and caramelize for about 30 seconds before mixing together with all the veggies. 

Deglaze with wine and bring to a boil, then add cream. Lower the heat to a simmer, and let sauce simmer for 15 minutes, to thicken.

Boil pasta according to directions, 1 minute short of the recommended time. One minute before that (so two minutes before the recommended time), throw in your broccoli to quickly blanch. Drain pasta.

Add pasta to sauce pot and let everything cook together for 3-5 minutes to get lovey and acquainted. Stir in 1/2 cup cheese and the parsley. Serve hot, with additional cheese on the side!

* If you shop at Sprouts Market, get three sausages from their meats case

Fresh Tomato & Almond Pasta Sauce

I wasn't quite sure what to think when I came across a recipe for a fresh tomato blended pasta sauce. But I had a ton of basil left over from my Thao Family Farms CSA box and wanted to do something with very little cooking in this heat. And optimally, as little dishes as possible (even though I don't do dishes in this household).

Don't let the photo fool you, this sauce was fantastic! And required just a food processor and a pot.

Fresh Tomato & Almond Pasta Sauce

Serves 4

1 lb pasta of choice
2 large cloves of garlic, chopped
1 pint small tomatoes, any kind (I used grape)
1/4 cup sliced or slivered almonds
1/2 cup fresh basil (you can mix basil and parsley)

1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 olive oil

Optional (since you'll need another pan): toast the almonds in a dry pan over low heat until they're golden and smell good. It bring out the flavor of the nuts more and adds to the dish.

Cook pasta according to package directions. While it's boiling, put the tomatoes, almonds, herbs, salt and Parmesan cheese in a food processor and puree. Scrape down the food processor bowl and turn it back on; then slowly drizzle the olive oil into the spout until the sauce comes together. Taste for seasoning and add extra salt, if necessary.

Drain the pasta and toss with the sauce. Garnish with additional Parmesan and shredded basil.

Rigatoni with Eggplant and Tomato Puree

Just for the record, I did not put the pasta into this bowl - that's why it looks so messy. But the taste of it was fantastic. We all loved it and 100% would make it again. The sauce consist of pureed eggplant, tomatoes, garlic and basil. Different than usual tomato sauce and so much flavor!

Rigatoni with Eggplant and Tomato Puree
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Serves 4

1 medium Italian eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
5 cloves garlic, peeled
2 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
3/4 tsp red pepper flakes (adjust to taste)
1 lb rigatoni pasta
1/2 cup basil leaves, roughly chopped
3 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup basil leaves, julienned

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

 Spread the eggplant, tomatoes, garlic, 2.5 Tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper out in an even layer on the baking sheet; toss thoroughly to combine. Roast in the oven until the vegetables are tender and the eggplant is golden and slightly charred, about 35 minutes.

In the meantime, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until just before al dente, approximately 8-10 minutes depending on the pasta. Reserve one cup of pasta water, drain the pasta and return it to the pot.

Transfer the roasted vegetables to a food processor or blender. Add the basil leaves and 3 Tbps olive oil. Blend until almost smooth. My food processor is small, so I had to do this in two batches, splitting the olive oil, basil and vegetables in half each time.

Mix the pureed sauce and 1/2 cup pasta water with the rigatoni thoroughly and cook everything together over medium heat for 1-2 minutes. Add more pasta cooking water if necessary to loosen the sauce, about 1/4 cup at a time.

Turn off the heat and mix in the Parmesan and additional basil.

* optional to add ricotta salata instead of Parmesan and/or 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

Miso Pesto Ramen

So this recipe has been raging all across Instagram lately ... Bon Appetit's ramen noodles with miso pesto. I decided to try it out based on the rave reviews.

First of all, this makes WAY too much pesto for two people. We made three balls of noodles and as you can see in the photo above, the noodles were fully dressed and I only used half of the sauce. So use caution when tossing and dressing!

M didn't like it as much as I thought he would. I kept pressing him to see what it needed to make it better and he finally said ... "It needs more protein" ... SMH. A seared scallop or grilled chicken might be a nice addition if you are like M (haha).

Miso Pesto Noodles
Adapted from Bon Appetit
Serves 2

6 cups baby spinach
2 cups cilantro leaves with tender stems
1 Tsp white miso
1 garlic clove
1/2 cup grapeseed or sunflower oil
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt (I used sea salt)
Fresh noodles (flour or ramen, which you can find in the refrigerated section of all Asian supermarkets)
1 Tsp unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Toasted sesame seeds

Boil a medium pot of water and cook the noodles according to package directions. Drain and do not rinse.

Meanwhile,  puree all other ingredients together, except the butter. Pour into large bowl. Once noodles are drained, add to 1/2 the amount of pesto and all of the butter. Toss together thoroughly. Add more pesto incrementally as necessary.

Divide between bowls and top with sesame seeds to serve.

Romesco Sauce

Guys. Look at that picture. I know the vegetable looks kind of weird - that's broccoflower, which is a hybrid cross between broccoli and cauliflower (clever, huh?). But don't focus on the genetically mutated cross-bred vegetable, Focus on what's underneath the broccoflower - the romesco sauce. I wanted to eat that sauce with a spoon, in great big mouthfuls. But I refrained cause I'm a lady.

The sauce pairs well with chicken, beef and basically any sort of roasted vegetable. I roasted more cauliflower afterwards and it also tasted great!

Romesco Sauce
adapted from Melissa Clark

2 medium red bell peppers, halved and cored
1 plum tomato, halved
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 cup peeled almonds (or peeled hazelnuts)
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp sherry vinegar (or combination of Shaoxing wine and red wine vinegar)
1 Tbsp pomegranate molasses or 1 tsp honey
1 1/2 tsp hot smoked paprika
1 tsp kosher salt

Set oven to broil and arrange the bell peppers (cut side down), the tomato (cut side up) and garlic on a baking sheet. Broil until the garlic turns a golden brown, about 3-5 minutes. Turn garlic and broil a couple minutes more. Transfer garlic to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Continue to broil peppers and tomatoes until the peppers are charred and blackened, about another 5-10 minutes. Remove to the same bowl as the garlic, cover with plastic wrap and set aside to cool.

In a dry pan over medium heat, toast the almonds. Once they are a light golden brown, transfer to a food processor and pulse until they are broken up (not too fine).

Peel the skins off the peppers and tomatoes, being careful as they are hot. The skins should come off fairly easily, but just try to get most of it.

Combine the rest of the ingredients into the food processor with the almonds. Puree until almost smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more vinegar, honey or salt as needed. Eat with roasted veggies!

Eggplant Tomato

The picture above might not look like much but it's a delicious, amazing pile of eggplant, tomato and onion. Does that sound appealing to you? Hopefully so, and you should go make it. I printed this recipe off some site about ... I'd say six years ago. I have no idea where it came from, there's no link at the bottom of the paper or anything so I don't even know where this came from. But trust me when I say that I didn't expect to be so blown away.

Since there are so few ingredients, the best thing to do would be to use the best quality of said ingredients as possible. But no worries if you can't get all-natural, organically grown Chinese/Japanese eggplant. I'm 100% sure that those are not the type sold at 99 Ranch Market and this dish still turns out splendid every time. Make sure you do get the long, skinny Chinese/Japanese eggplant, as opposed to the round Italian ones, as those tend to fall apart and you need your eggplants intact.

Eggplant Tomato
serves 2-4

1 lb Chinese eggplant
2 lb tomatoes
1 small onion
2 springs thyme
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Pasta or lavash

Put on a medium pot of water to boil and heat 2/3 cup oil over medium-high heat in your largest frying pan.

Slice the eggplant into 3/4" rounds. When the oil is hot, arrange the eggplant in a single layer and do not move them. I will say that spattering WILL HAPPEN so be careful. While they are frying, cut an X at the bottom of each tomato and drop in the potful of boiling water for about 30 seconds each, then immediately run them under cold water. This should allow you to peel the skin off each tomato easily.

Check the eggplant and if the bottoms are nicely browned, flip them over and be careful of the spatter. Seed and chop the tomatoes into large chunks, then puree in a food processor until it's relatively smooth (but still slightly chunky in textural). Check the eggplant again, and if the other side has browned, then remove them all to a colander lined with a couple layers of paper towels.

Put the remaining oil in the pan and turn the heat down to medium. Add in the onion and cook until translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add in the tomato and thyme. Allow the flavors to come together for a couple minutes, then add salt. It may need to be lots of salt, since it will need to flavor the tomatoes and the eggplant, but you can add more later.

Add the eggplant back into the pan, being careful not to break it into pieces. Simmer everything together, until the sauce is the texture you like. I like to reduce mine quite a ways when I'm eating with lavash, but you can get away with less reducing if you are going to toss it with pasta. Taste at the end, you may need to add more salt. It makes all the difference, so make sure not to skimp.

Enjoy! Hopefully it doesn't take you two hours to make it, like it did for me the first time. But at the time, I was confused with the tomato peeling, etc and was a bit more slow and inexperienced in the kitchen. If you're not good at multitasking, then don't worry about doing the tomatoes at the same time as the eggplant ... just take it one step at a time. Happy eating!

The Walking Dead S3E10 - Homemade Fried Chicken

So generally, I go pretty all out for meals during new The Walking Dead episodes. I find a recipe that's pretty time consuming, plan it out, practically come up with a timeline to schedule everything to be eaten at 6pm (we have DirecTV in Eastern time, so we get to see new episodes first!) and get super excited. Never, ever have I asked Boyfriend what HE wanted. Because who cares, right? Happy live-in-girlfriend, happy life. Or something like.

This time, however, I asked if there would be anything he's interested in me making and he responded with "fried chicken" ... my jaw almost hit the floor. Fried chicken is nothing to scoff at. nor is it easy. But my mind immediately went to a Thomas Keller Ad Hoc recipe.

brining. so much brine.

Colonel Sander's herbs and spices have nothing on Thomas Keller's!

A lot of prep work came with this chicken ... but super easy. Mainly, chicken had to be brined about 12-24 hours ahead of time, then rinsed and dried, and then left to sit out for 1.5-2 hours, to get to room temperature. This ensures that the outside of the chicken won't cook faster than the inside, leaving you with a burned exterior and a raw interior.

When Vanessa asked if I was going to fry in my new Le Creuset cast iron pan (Christmas present!), I told her no ... I was going to deep fry! She then asked "Oh cool, you have a deep fryer?" and I said "Nope, I'm just going to fill a pot with oil" ... she then proceeded to tell me how to put out a grease fire. Smother the flames, don't throw water on it!

With the help of a trusty candy thermometer, I got the oil heated and bubbling to a nice 320degreesF and started frying away. It was a great experience and though the oil bubbled and hissed super loudly, I did not get burned in the slightest.

nicely browned chicken. probably due to the spices and buttermilk.

served with steamed asparagus and Kraft mac-and-cheese

The chicken came out moist and flavorful, if a tad bit salty. Maybe less brining next time? I brined for a total of 20 hours or so, maybe I should cut that down. Boyfriend didn't think it was salty though, and proclaimed it was "one of the best things [I've] ever made" ... always nice to hear. The skin was so crisp and amazing that there were audible crunching sounds when you bit into it ...

Which leads me to the new The Walking Dead episode. I must admit, the crunching from the chicken while watching zombie bashing is seriously a bit unnerving. This week's episode was a bit slow ... and I dislike Dead Lori coming back to haunt Rick some more. Come on, woman! Just leave him alone and let him lead his people. From the trailers, it looks like next week, Rick will have a mutiny on his hands. And the Daryl/Merle abandonment didn't last very long, huh? Actually, the episode was slow ... until the very end. RIP to the best mustache on television. *sad face*

Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc Fried Chicken
as much chicken as you want

Chicken - I used 5 drumsticks and 1 package chicken breast tenders

Brine
8 cups water
1/2 cup kosher salt
2 Tbsp honey
6 bay leaves
1/2 head of garlic, cut horizontally
1 Tbsp black peppercorns
1/4 bunch thyme sprigs
1/4 bunch flat leafed parsley sprigs
3-4 sprigs rosemary
Grated zest/juice of 2 large lemons

Coating
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp onion powder
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

2 cups buttermilk
grapeseed/canola/vegetable oil for deep-frying

Count your hours down and start making the brine. Combine all the ingredients in a large pot, bring to a boil, and boil for 1 minute, stirring to dissolve the salt. Remove from the heat and cool completely before adding the chicken in. It takes about 1-2 hours.

Rinse the chicken pieces and place in the cold brine. Refrigerate overnight or for 12-24 hours. When ready to cook, remove the chicken from the brine, rinse and pat the chicken dry, removing any herbs or spices sticking to the skin. Let the chicken come to room temperature outside of the fridge, about 1.5-2 hours.

Mix the coating ingredients together in a bowl, transfer half to another second and set up a dipping station for easy assembly while battering: chicken, coating, buttermilk, second bowl of coating, tray.

Bring the oil to 320degreeF in a pot deep enough that the oil does not come up more than 1/3 of the way; make sure you have about 2 inches of oil so the chicken piece can submerge fully. It took almost an entire bottle of oil for me to get this, and I just used a medium saucepot (see picture above). If you have a deep fryer then feel free to use it but the saucepot method worked pretty fabulously.

Right before taking the chicken into it's hot oil bath, dip each piece into the coating, patting off the excess, then into the buttermilk and then into the second bowl of coating. Place the chicken onto the tray. I did this in batches, so while one batch of chicken was almost done frying, I'd coat another batch.

When the oil has reached the proper temperature, carefully lower the pieces of chicken into the oil. The temperature of the oil will decrease, so adjust the heat as necessary to bring the oil to proper temperature. Fry for about 13 minutes for the drumsticks, to a deep golden brown, cooked throughout and very crisp. The white meat chicken tenders took about 8 minutes.

Remove the chicken to a wire rack with a baking sheet underneath, so the oil can drip down and the skin won't become soggy. Alternatively, you can just transfer the chicken to a tray lined with paper towels, if you have no wire rack. Sprinkle with coarse salt (optional, I didn't do that).

Let the chicken rest for a few minutes to cool slightly. Be careful biting into it! Eat fried chicken until you explode.

Chicken Breast with Mushroom Sage Sauce

So the Superbowl tonight huh? Unlike my undying love (though this season, it's more like undying anger) for the Lakers, I don't have a football team that I root for. Since Boyfriend is a Patriots fan, I generally just root for them, but since the Patriots weren't playing this time, I could take the "west coast team" and root for the 49ers. Though there was a marvelous comeback, the final score just fell a bit short. Sorry for all my friends that are TRUE 49ers fans. *sad emoticon*

The above dish was not something I made for the Superbowl but something I threw together one night after I went spinning at the gym. Umm, there probably shouldn't have been all that cream (or actually, I made a substitute for heavy cream) in it, and I probably shouldn't have given in to the Boyfriend's request for white pasta, but the sauce was oh-so-good. I would probably recommend mashed potatoes next time, as there was not quite enough to coat a bunch of pasta. Or just doubling up on the sauce.

Chicken with Mushroom Cream Sauce
adapted from Simply Recipes
serves 3-4

3 Tbsp butter

1/2 large onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

8 ounces button mushrooms, thickly sliced

1 tsp fresh parsley, chopped

1 cup dry vermouth or dry white wine

2/3 cup heavy cream (or substitute)

3 Tbsp chopped fresh sage

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken tender pieces

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Additional fresh parsley

Melt butter in a large sauté pan on medium high heat. Add onions and garlic, sauté for until fragrant. Add mushrooms and parsley, and sauté for 5-10 more minutes, until mushrooms are a deep brown and the liquid has evaporated. Add vermouth to deglaze, scraping up any bits that may be sticking to the bottom of the pan (that's where all the flavor is). Stir in the cream thoroughly to incorporate. Bring to a boil, lower heat to medium and cook the sauce down until it is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon (about 10 minutes).

In the meantime while the sauce is cooking down, heat olive oil in another large sauté pan on medium high heat. Sprinkle salt and lots of pepper over both sides of the chicken breast cutlets. Add cutlets to pan and cook for about 2-3 minutes on each side, until cooked through. Make sure you don't overcook, as dry chicken breast is all rubbery and gross.

Stir sage into sauce and season to taste with salt/pepper. Pour sauce over chicken to serve.

Serve alone, with mashed potatoes or pasta, or steamed vegetables. I think broccoli would have been great. Garnish with additional chopped fresh parsley. It'll look fancy.

The Walking Dead S3E3 - Italian Meatballs (Part 1)

I knew it would be an uphill battle/trek because Boyfriend is Italian but this week for The Walking Dead Sunday supper, I decided to try to make meatballs. Some part of my mind had a beautiful amazing image that consisted of him taking one bite of the meatballs (which I've never made before; this was a first attempt) and proclaiming that they were the absolute best meatballs in the whole entire world, even better than his Grandma's meatballs. Umm that didn't happen.

Not to say that they turned out badly. Actually, he admitted that they were quite good for a first attempt but the recipe just needed some tweaking because there was still "some distance" between mine and his Italian grandmother's meatballs. After all, his Grandma had been making them for 70 years and this was my first try. Sadness.

I mixed the meats with fresh made Hawaiian breadcrumbs, spices and parsley by hand and formed them into uniformed sized balls. Then dropped them into sauce (without frying or baking them first) and simmered for three hours, stirring occasionally. Served with crusty Italian bread and a bell pepper, tomato, onion and avocado salad.

Next time I think I'm going tp substitute panko breadcrumbs for the fresh Hawaiian bread and up the amount of milk. Also, I'm going to use some fattier meat cuts. Maybe a hint of red wine vingear as tenderizer. Totally determined now to make some perfect meatballs!! Who wants to come over for dinner and help me eat them?

Authentic Italian Meatballs (Part 1)
adapted from Food.com
makes about 20 meatballs

Sauce

2 28-oz cans crushed tomato with basil

1 28-oz can peeled plum tomatoes

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 small onion, diced

1/2 tsp dried basil

1 tspn kosher salt

1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

2 Tbsp granulated sugar

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a large pot (dutch oven) over medium heat, sautee onion and garlic until fragrant and soft, about 7 minutes. Pour the plum tomatoes into a bowl and squash by hand. Add the tomatoes and the rest of the imgredients into the pot and bring to a simmer.

Meatballs

1 lb ground beef

1 lb ground pork

2 large eggs

1/2 cup milk

1 cup fresh breadcrumbs

1 tsp salt

2 tsp oregano

2 Tbsp fresh parsley

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp fresh ground pepper

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix together by hand. Don't overmix but make sure everything is blended nicely. Score into four equal sections; make each section into 5 slightly-larger-than-golfball sized meatballs. Drop raw meatballs into sauce and simmer for three hours.

The Walking Dead S2E8 - Ragu Bolognese

"The time has come," the Walrus said, "To talk of many things: Of shoes, and ships, and sealing-wax, Of cabbages, and kings" ... and the time has come for us to talk about The Walking Dead. Oh, and I'm not super well versed on the works of Lewis Carroll either; I mainly know this Walrus & the Carpenter quote from watching Alice in Wonderland. Cartoons and TV shows taught me many things, actually. Like The Animaniacs taught me E=MC2 ... or "acme" spelled backwards. Kids these days don't get taught anything in their cartoons!

Anyhow, if you had all of Sunday to devote to your television, they showed the entire previous season of the show. The first seven episodes, to be exact, all gearing up to the midseason premiere. The premiere actually shattered cable records and was watched by 10.1 million viewers, which is outstanding for cable ratings.

Since I wanted to make something good and hearty for the first episode, I browsed around for some ragu bolognese recipes, online and through my cookbooks, finally settling on Mario Batali. In all honesty, I think the guy is kind of a pompous know-it-all-show-off but there is no denying that his recipes are great and well put together.

I'm a huge fan of certain shapes of pasta, and when I saw this one at the market, I couldn't pass it up. Look how cute and unique it looks! The ragu probably would have been great with papardelle as well, but papardelle tastes best homemade and I haven't had the opportunity to get the pasta rolling attachment for my KitchenAid stand mixer yet. The ragu was good and hearty, without too much fat. It was also simple to make; I thought I was going to be cooking for a long time but it required only a couple of hours and the occasional stir of the pot. But I did bust out my Le Creuset! Look at the sauce simmering in it - doesn't it look beautiful? I love my Le Creuset so much. It's like the KitchenAid ... everything made in them turn out magically delicious.

Served the pasta up with a quick salad of avocado, tomato, red onion, olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper. We settled down to watch the mid season premiere, totally excited. AMC has also come up with a story sync website that you can go to and get flashback photos and take polls of during the show, which is pretty cool. You get the answer questions like this:

I hope that didn't give anything away. I was totally afraid that I'd spoil something for people who haven't seen it yet but as Boyfriend says, it's been TWO MONTHS since the midseason finale. Surely they have caught up since then!

Ragu Bolognese
from Mario Batali

5 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium onions, finely chopped
4 ribs celery, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
1 lb ground veal
1 lb ground pork
4 ounces pancetta or bacon
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup whole milk
6 ounces tomato paste
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
salt & fresh ground black pepper

Preheat a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Once hot, add the oil, garlic and vegetables (also known as mirepoix) and let cook until translucent, but not browned, about 5 minutes or so.

Gather the veal and pork. Very finely chop the pancetta/bacon or cut it into quarters and then pulse it in a food processor until ground. Once the vegetables are translucent, add all of the meat and increase the heat to high. Let the meat brown, stirring frequently, for about 15 minutes.

While the meat cooks, gather white wine, milk, tomato paste and thyme. Once the meat has browned nicely, add the tomato paste and stir to combine. Then add the white wine (I used vermouth), milk and fresh thyme (I used dried). Stir again, scraping the bottom if needed. Let everything come just to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and let simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. As the ragu cooks, remember to stir it occasionally, to prevent it from sticking or scorching.

The ragu should be cooked until almost all of the liquid has evaporated, however, it should still be moist. Once it is done, season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from the heat and let cool. Use about 3 cups sauce to every 1/2 pound of pasta.

The Walking Dead S2E4 - Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Maple Cinnamon Sage Brown Butter

So I haven't blogged the past week because I was about to post about the latest The Walking Dead dinner last Monday when my (work) laptop contracted a virus. I have no idea from where, I swear. Yes, I go to Facebook, various food blogs and read articles on Yahoo/CNN but I don't do that much other surfing. The terrible thing was that I had about eight months worth of pictures on the harddrive that I hadn't gotten around to backing up cause I was uhh, lazy. I think it was like ... 6 gigs worth. Needless to say, I was a wreck and even paged Boyfriend at the hospital he works at so I could cry about it. And then reject all his offers of helping me retrieve the data because he doesn't have admin access on the computer anyhow.

Then I called my friend in the company IT department and made him promise he would try to retrieve the data that was wiped, packaged up the computer with some chocolates/trailmix as bribes and shipped it out to San Francisco. I haven't received it back yet and he hasn't given me any updates. THIS is why I keep buying new SD cards for my camera instead of deleting the pictures on it! That SD card plus scouring Facebook plus a few hours on my hands will probably recover 95% of what was destroyed, if Burgess can't recover anything.

This week (or last week, at this point), I attempted to make gnocchi. I made that decision based on the fact that I had a lot of sage in the refrigerator and wanted to get rid of it. From the extensive research I did on gnocchi-making, I determined that the most importants things were (1) make sure the potato is as soft and smooth as possible and (2) don't overmix the dough.

The gnocchi turned out not as soft as clouds, but were still pretty soft and pillow-like with a good bite. In the future, I'd definitely cut the butter in the butter sauce by half, since there was a bit too much of it and it made the dish super heavy.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Maple Cinnamon Sage Brown Butter
from Giada De Laurentiis

2 lbs sweet potatoes
2/3 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus 1/3 cup for the work surface

1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
20 fresh sage leaves
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 Tbps maple syrup
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 425F. Pierce the sweet potato with a fork. Bake the sweet potatoes until tender and fully cooked, between 40 to 55 minutes depending on size. Cool slightly. Cut in half and scoop the flesh into a large bowl. Mash the sweet potatoes and transfer to a large measuring cup to make sure the sweet potatoes measure about 2 cups. Transfer the mashed sweet potatoes back to the large bowl.

Add the ricotta cheese, salt, cinnamon, and pepper and blend until well mixed. Add the flour, 1/2 cup at a time until a soft dough forms. Lightly flour a work surface and place the dough in a ball on the work surface. Divide the dough into 6 equal balls. Roll out each ball into a 1-inch wide rope. Cut each rope into 1-inch pieces. Roll the gnocchi over the tines of a fork. Transfer the formed gnocchi to a large baking sheet. Continue with the remaining gnocchi.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the gnocchi in 3 batches and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 5 to 6 minutes. Drain the gnocchi using a slotted spoon onto a baking sheet. Tent with foil to keep warm and continue with the remaining gnocchi.

While the gnocchi are cooking melt the butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. When the butter has melted add the sage leaves. Continue to cook, swirling the butter occasionally, until the foam subsides and the milk solids begin to brown. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the cinnamon, maple syrup, salt, and pepper. Careful, the mixture will bubble up. Gently stir the mixture. When the bubbles subside, toss the cooked gnocchi in the brown butter. Transfer the gnocchi to a serving dish and serve immediately.

* I halved this recipe for the two of us.

The Walking Dead S2E2 - Goat Cheese Tortelloni with Dried Orange and Fennel Pollen

I'm a bit behind on my The Walking Dead dinner posts. I have decided that every week that the show is on, I will cook a nice dinner. Ones that take time and patience and effort. Ones that can take up an entire Sunday cooking. Plus, I get my DirecTV on Eastern times for the cable channels, so I can watch either a 6pm showing or a 7pm showing. Just in time for dinner, with a backup episode in case my dinner making runs a bit long.

This week (or well, a week and a half ago), I dragged out my Babbo cookbook. I bought this in a frenzy of excitement a couple years ago after having the pasta tasting menu in New York. And then once I saw how obscure some of the ingredients were, I kind of stopped being motivated to cook from it.

In an act of total blasphemy, I did not make my own pasta. Umm, I used leftover wonton wrappers. It's like the same thing right?! Probably not, but Boyfriend is Italian and he had no complaints. In fact, I made him right ravioli (bigger than the ones shown above; those were folded nicely but then I got tired of trying to race the clock so I just used two wrappers and filled the middle) and then he asked if there were any more. I ended up wrapping him seven additional ones - fifteen in all! Italian ravioli made with Taiwanese (ok Chinese/Asian) wonton wrappers ... this dish is a perfect marriage of each of our cultural representations.

Goat Cheese Tortelloni with Dried Orange and Fennel Pollen
from The Babbo Cookbook
* I halved this recipe for the two of us; double ingredients for full recipe

1 cup soft goat cheese, preferably Coach Farm
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp parsley
1/2 tsp sage
1/2 tsp rosemary
1/2 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
2 Tbps plus 2 Tbps freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup butter
6-7 fennel fronds
1 Tbps orange peel strips, cut into thin slices
1 1/2 tsp fennel pollen (I omitted this)

Heat oven to 200 F. Place orange zest on a baking sheet and place in oven for 30 minutes to create dried orange zest.

In a large bowl, mash the goat cheese with milk until soft. Add herbs, nutmeg, 2 Tbsp cheese, salt and pepper; stir well. Refrigerate until firm, 30 minutes or more.

Place 2 tsp of goat cheese filling in the center of wonton wrapper. Fold the opposite corners together to form a triangle and press the edges together firmly to seal. Bring the long points of the triangle together and join with firm finger pressure. Continue filling and shaping tortelloni, on cookie sheets, between layers of waxed paper. Alternatively, you can place 1 Tbps of filling in the center of the wonton wrapper and lay another wonton wrapper on top of it. Use water to seal the edges together.

Place 6 quarts of water into a pasta pot, bring to a boil and add 2 Tbps of salt. Drop the tortelloni into the boiling water and cook until tender, 3-5 minutes. Carefully drain the tortelloni well, reserving about one cup of the pasta water.

Meanwhile, in a saute pan, heat butter and 2 Tbps of the pasta water together until butter melts and forms emulsification. Add cooked tortelloni, fennel fronds and orange zest to pan to gently heat and coat with sauce, about 1 minute. Divide onto warmed plates, topping tortelloni with fennel fronds and orange zest. Finish with a sprinkling of fennel pollen and the remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano.

The Walking Dead S2E1 - Bucatini with Clams, Fennel, White Wine and Thyme Breadcrumbs

Ahh The Walking Dead. I hope everyone out there watches this show. I watch a variety of shows such as Top Chef, Gossip Girl, The Vampire Diaries, Glee, Mad Men, Boardwalk Empire, Revenge and American Horror Story ... but this is the ONLY show that Boyfriend and I make time for together - and most importantly, in real time. We do watch other shows together such as Community, Parks & Recreations, 30 Rock, Game of Thrones, and Terra Nova, but these are often a taped/downloaded recording since I'm basically hogging all the prime TV time for my shows.

The much anticipated season 2 of The Walking Dead was broadcasted Sunday night on AMC. Did you watch? If not, you can even catch up on season 1 very quickly - it was only six episodes. I guess they didn't commission an entire season because they didn't know how viewers would respond. Needless to say, it was a smash hit, especially to followers of the graphic novel (umm like Boyfriend). Since we had just wrapped up a whirlwind week of car shopping, more car shopping and then car purchasing, I busted out dinner from the Sunday Suppers at Lucques cookbook. As you can see from the top picture, I put dinner on the [coffee] table with 1 minute 10 seconds to spare. Woot for me!

Bucatini with Clams, Fennel, White Wine and Thyme Breadcrumbs
adapted from Sunday Suppers at Lucques
Serves 6

1 1/2 cups fresh breadcrumbs
2 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbps extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbps fresh thyme leaves
1/2 sprig rosemary
2 chiles de arbol, plus 1 teaspoon sliced
2 cups red onion, diced
2 cups fennel, diced
2 bay leaves, preferably fresh
1/4 cup thinly sliced garlic
1 lb bucatini, spaghetti or linguini
3 lb Manila clams
3/4 cup dry white wine
4 Tbps unsalted butter
1 lemon
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Clean the clams by placing them in a large bowl filled with cold water for 10 minutes. Add a small handfull of cornmeal or a splash of milk to encourage them to spit out any sand. Every few minutes, give the clams a stir. Drain and return to the bowl.

Combine breadcumbs and 1 tablespoon thyme; drizzle with 2 tablespoon of olive oil. Using your fingers, toss the breadcrumbs to evenly coat with the oil. Place in the oven and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring once or twice, until golden brown.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

Meanwhile, heat a large dutch oven over high heat for two minutes. Pour in 1/2 cup olive oil, toss in the rosemary sprig and crumble in the 2 chiles de arbol with your fingers. Let them sizzle in the oil for 1-2 minutes and then turn down the heat to medium. Add the red onion, fennel, bay leaves and remaining tablespoon of thyme. Season with 2 teaspoons of salt and several grindings of black pepper. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the garlic and continue to cook for another 3-4 minutes until the vegetables are translucent and soft.

Once the water is at a hard boil, season with salt and drop in the pasta.

Add the cleaned clams to the vegetables and stir to coat well. Pour in the wine and cover the pot. Cook until the clams open, about 5 minutes or so. After a couple minutes, lift the lid, gently stir the clams to help redistribute the heat, and re-cover the pan.

When all the clams have opened, remove the pan from the heat and use a slotted spoon to transfer the clams to a large bowl or rimmed baking sheet. Discard any clams that haven't opened. Remove half the clams from their shells (this step may be skipped).

When the pasta is al dente, reserve one cup of the pasta water, and then drain the pasta. Return the dutch oven to medium-high heat, and add the pasta to the vegetables, tossing the noodles well. Cook 3-4 minutes to reduce the juices and coat the pasta. If the pasta seems too dry, add some of the reserved pasta water (I did not have to do this). Stir in the butter, a big squeeze of lemon juice, the sliced chile, clams, parsley, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and a couple grindings of black pepper. Toss well and taste for seasoning.

To serve, pile the pasta into a large bowl/platter and sprinkle with the breadcrumbs.

* You can play according to your tastes, but I was able to cut back on the olive oil about 30% (for example, using 1/3 cup olive oil to cook the veggies in instead of 1/2 cup). The resulting pasta was still extremely flavorful and not dry at all, so use your own descretion. At least olive oil is good for you!

Summer Fruit Salad
Serves 6

9 figs
1 ripe peach
1 ripe nectarine
1 ripe plum
1/2 cup blackberries (I used raspberries)
8 oz arugula
1/3 cup Marcona almonda

Dressing
2 Tbps minced shallot
2 Tbps sherry vinegar (I used red wine vinegar)
1/2 tsp salt
3 figs
6 Tbps exta virgin olive oil

Combine shallot, vinegar and salt in a small bowl; let stand for 10 minutes. With a mortar and pestle, pound the figs into a paste. Combine with shallot/vinegar mixture. Whisk in the olive oil to make a dressing. Taste for balance. I had to add in a bit of sugar for the acidity.

Half the figs. Cut the peaches, nectaries and plums in half, remove the pits and slice into 1/4" thick slices. Combine all the fruit in a large bowl and drizzle with half the dressing, some salt and some fresh ground pepper. Toss very gently. Add the arugula, some more salt and fresh ground pepper and toss gently again. Add enough dressing to coat the fruit and arugula. Scatter almonds over (I skipped this part) and serve on a large platter.

Shrimp Pasta

One of my favorite blogs is Pioneer Woman - she's fun, funny, and her blog is full of pictures and step-by-step recipes captured on film. When I first made this pasta, I was amazed by how a few imgredients could create such amazing flavors. Simple and straight-forward, this pasta requires minimum prep work, especially if you buy pre-peeled shrimp. Or buy shell on, so you can take out some rage issues while peeling them, and then save the shells to make shrimp stock.

A couple weeks ago at the Irvine Farmers Market (Saturdays 8am-12p) I came across some English peas. Super cute! I envisioned myself sitting on a porch in gingham and Ginger-esque pigtails, shucking peas. In reality, they were shucked over my kitchen sink while I was still in my work clothes, but the inital idea was very romantic. They look a lot like sugar snap peas so make sure you verify with the seller that they're English peas. You simply pop the pods open, run your finger along the inside and the peas fall out. Try to get the smaller ones, as they are sweeter; the larger peas may be kind of starchy. These ones below were starchy (see how huge they are) but I got some a couple weeks before that and they were small, sweet and crisp.

The peas really adds a brightness to the dish. You can totally make this yourself tonight! Just go to the market and grab a few ingredients. Dinner will be on the table in no time.

Shrimp Pasta
adaped from Pioneer Woman

3/4 lb rotini pasta (or your favorite shape)
1/2 cup fresh English peas, or frozen peas
2 Tbsp olive oil, separated
1 Tbsp butter
1 lb shrimp
8 oz can tomato sauce
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup white wine or broth
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup basil, chiffonade

In a large pot, bring water to a rapid boil and add enough salt to make the water taste like the sea. Add pasta and cook to just al dente. You want it barely done, with still a bit of a bite, so it can continue to cook in the tomato cream sauce. In the last minute of cooking, throw the peas in and let them blanch before draining.

In another large pan, melt oil and butter over medium-high heat. Cook shrimp on one side, and then the other, until pink but barely done. They will continue cooking in the sauce later, so do not overcook. Remove, cool slightly, and cut into 3-4 pieces per shrimp.

In the same pan, add reminaing oil and cook onions for about 3 minutes until softened and translucent. Add garlic and stir for another minute, to toast the garlic. Add wine; it should sizzle and pick up all the shrimp bits and flavoring at the bottom of the pan. Let the alcohol cook off for a couple minutes. Pour in the tomato sauce and once heated through, lower the heat to medium-low and add the heavy cream. Stir to incorporate, the sauce should be lovely and pinkish. Add shrimp.
Once the sauce is done, drain pasta and peas; add directly to the sauce. Stir to coat the pasta; it will finish cooking and soak up the sauce. Add basil and stir to incorporate. Salt and peper to taste. It is very important to add enough salt, as the dish will not taste right otherwise.

Scallops? Yes Please

Scallops are low in fat and calories, high in protein and uhh cholesterol, but who really cares when they taste so delicious (just eat them in moderation ie not a few dozen at a time). To get a good sear on scallops, make sure they are dry dry dry. I generally set them out wedged between two sheets of paper towels to blot excess moisture. This is a bit harder if the scallops are bought frozen, but you can leave them between several sheets of paper towels in the fridge overnight to get the moisture out. Fresh & Easy offers never-been-frozen scallops in a pack of 9.

Pasta in Tomato Cream Sauce
Serves 2-3

1/2 lb pasta in any shape you like
1 Tbsp each oil & butter
1/2 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup dry white wine or broth
8 oz can tomato sauce
2/3 cup cream

In a large pot, bring water to a rapid boil and add enough salt to make the water taste like the sea. Add pasta (the one in the picture is mafalda pasta) and cook to just al dente. You want it barely done, with still a bit of a bite, so it can continue to cook in the tomato cream sauce.

In another large pan, melt oil and butter over medium-high heat. Cook onions for about 3 minutes until softened and translucent. Add garlic and stir for another minute, to toast the garlic and bring out the aroma. Add wine and let the alcohol cook off for a couple minutes. Pour in the tomato sauce and once heated through, lower the heat to medium-low and add the heavy cream. Stir to incorporate, the sauce should be lovely and pinkish. Salt and peper to taste.

Once the tomato sauce is done, drain pasta and add directly to the sauce. Stir to coat the pasta; it will finish cooking and soak up the sauce.

Seared Scallops
as many as you can eat

Bring the scallops to room temperature by leaving them out for about 15 minutes. This helps the entire scallop be the same temperature throughout, which helps them cook through quickly without having any raw cold spots in the middle.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon oil over high heat. Once the pan is very, very hot, add scallops in a single layer. Make sure you don't overcrowd the pan, or they will steam instead of sear (do two batches if you have a lot of scallops).

Don't move them! Resist all temptation to peek underneath and see the beautiful searing. After 1.5 minutes, turn the scallops to sear on the other side. If they have not gotten a good sear, leave them on the same side and check every 15 seconds until they are golden brown. Cook on the other side for 1.5 more minutes and plate immediately. Scallops cook up very quickly and continue to cook after you take them off the heat, so take care not to overcook.

* Serve both with salad if you want to capture all food groups.
* Substitute the wine/broth with vodka and you will have vodka sauce.