catching up…

Have you read this month's Saveur? It's so good! The whole issue is devoted to the home cook and is filled with great information on everything from classic recipes to the best utensils to have in your drawer to the 10 cookbooks you shouldn't be without (I don't have any of them!).
Filed under read by Kelly. January 19th, 2009 . 0 Comments

chimichurri with pork

Chimichurri is a a cross between salsa and marinade that's a key component Argentine meat. During our cooking class, we slathered it on everything from chicken to beef. Unfortunately we didn't get a recipe for it when we were there, but low and behold, Bon Appetit had a recipe waiting for me it's February issue. Of course I tweaked it a little to fit my tastes, but I think the result is super tasty. The sauce takes all of ten minutes or so to make, most of which is knife time. Simply, chop up some shallots, slice some garlic and saute them. After a few minutes you'll add some parsley, vinegar and water and you've got yourself some chimichurri. But chimichurri can't fully be enjoyed without a vehicle to carry it, and that's where the pork comes in. If you wanted to be extra authentic, you'd use beef, but since I had a year's worth of beef while on vacation, I'm trying to cut down a bit. Honestly, I don't think you'll miss it because this pork is so wonderfully juicy and delicious and simple to boot. I just sauteed both sides to seal in the goodness, placed them over some of the chimichurri sauce in a baking dish and broiled them for a bit. When they're done you'll top them off with the rest of the sauce and enjoy. The pork is extra moist and the chimichurri provides a sweet and tangy contrast to the tender meat. Chimichurri with Pork modified from this recipe on Bon Appetit serves 4* 3 Tablespoons olive oil, divided 2 garlic cloves, 2 thinly slices, 2 pressed 1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes 1 bay leaf, broken in half 1/3 cup finely chopped shallots 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsely 2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar 1-2 Tablespoons water 2 boneless pork chops salt pepper
Preheat oven to 350°
1 Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy medium skillet over medium heat. 2 Add sliced garlic, red pepper, and bay leaf. Stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. 3 Add shallots and sauté until just translucent, about 2 minutes. 4 Remove from heat; stir in parsley, olives, and vinegar. Add 1 tablespoon water. Add more water by teaspoonfuls to thin as needed. Season chimichurri with salt and pepper. 5 In the same sautee pan, add 1 Tablespoon olive oil. 6 Rub pork with remaining garlic sauteed each side for 4 minutes, or until golden. Meanwhile, pour 2 Tablespoons chimichurri sauce in the bottom of a 9x9" baking pan. 7 Once pork chops have been sauteed, place in baking pan and broil for 15-20 minutes. 8 When pork has been broiled, top with remaining chimichurri sauce.
* We had two pork chops and they were too big for us, so you can divide the pork chops in half. The original recipe says this serves 6, but it seemed just right for 4.
Filed under dinner and eat and make by Kelly. January 19th, 2009 . 4 Comments

city dusk food events

My friend Jacquelyn just tipped me off to some fun food related events from a company called City Dusk. City Dusk gets people with all different interests together to create cool and unique city experiences. Some of my favorites are the "Beers, Bowling & Brooklyn", which includes 2 hours of bowling, unlimited pizza and beer topped off with more beer at a beer hall or "Satisfying Your Sweet" where you visit a working chef and taste some of her treats, visit one of the oldest wine shops in the city and end the night making cookies and drinking wine. Sounds pretty dreamy, huh?
Filed under events by Kelly. January 17th, 2009 . 0 Comments

tomato bob

woohoo! After visiting a few farms last summer I started to get a little envious of their bounty of fresh vegetables. Unfortunately we have zero space for a garden, but we do have a fire escape. So the wheels started turning and I've decided to grow a mini potted garden our fire escape this year. I just picked up some seeds from tomatobob.com for tomatoes and hot peppers. I haven't grown anything from seed since high school, but I think it's going to be fun. I'll keep you updated on the progress.
photos from tomatobob.com
Filed under read by Kelly. January 16th, 2009 . 2 Comments

feeling lazy yet intrigued

photos from davidlebovitz.com
I have to admit it. I don't have much to post this week. I was going to try and organize my pictures from our trip and post something, but with hundreds of pictures its a little mind boggling. So things are going to be a bit slow around here until next week. On a sidenote, while I can't find the time to sort through photos, I've found plenty of time to browse my favorite blogs. This one from David Lebovitz for nonfat ginger cookies has me intrigued. Could they really be that good? I might just have to try them out...
Filed under read by Kelly. January 15th, 2009 . 0 Comments

oaxaca city mole tour

After only a few days home I'm already devising ways to get to Oaxaca City, Mexico for a mole tour. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Check it out here.
Filed under read and travel by Kelly. January 14th, 2009 . 0 Comments

meyer lemon budino

One of my favorite winter treats are meyer lemons. I just love the light, fresh taste they bring to winter's harsh weather. Luck came my way the other day when I saw a whole bag of them on sale at the supermarket. That just never happens, so I tucked them in my cart and started dreaming up ways to use them. I didn't want something too heavy because I'm trying to be a little healthier this year. Ok, so maybe making desserts isn't exactly healthy, but I just can't live a life without sweets. I finally landed on a recipe for meyer lemon budino, which means "pudding" in Italian. That was a brilliant decision on my part if I do say so myself. The recipe took a little more working than I anticipated, but oh boy was it worth it! I've never made souffle before, but I imagine this was similar to making that. It involved zesting and juicing a lemon, whisking in the yolk along with a few other things then separately beating the egg whites. Once the egg whites came to soft peaks I folded the lemon mixture into it and poured it into cute little ceramic dishes. After the dishes were filled, I placed the ceramic dishes in a baking pan and poured water in the pan until it reaches half way up the sides of the dishes. I crossed my fingers and hoped I didn't screw it up. When the timer beeped I carefully removed the pan from the oven, being watchful to prevent water from ruining the budino. They were a lovely golden brown on top and looked almost cake like. I still wasn't exactly sure what to expect, so when I stuck a fork in it I was pleasantly surprised. The top is super light and airy, similar to spongecake, but once you move deeper into the budino it turns into a pudding, so it's light and creamy. The flavor is equally as heavenly, full of lemon without being too sweet or sour. I can't wait to try this recipe with other flavors... meyer lemon budino from bon appetit 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar 3 large eggs, separated 1/4 cup all purpose flour 1/4 cup fresh Meyer lemon juice 2 tablespoons fresh regular lemon juice* 2 tablespoons finely grated Meyer lemon peel 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons whole milk** 1/4 teaspoon salt Preheat oven to 350°F. 1 Butter six 3/4-cup custard cups or ramekins. 2 Combine 1/2 cup sugar, egg yolks, flour, lemon juice, and lemon peel in large bowl; whisk until well blended. Whisk in milk. 3 Using electric mixer, beat egg whites and salt in medium bowl until frothy. Gradually add remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and beat until soft peaks form. 4 Fold beaten egg whites into lemon mixture in 2 additions. Divide mixture among prepared custard cups. 5 Place custard cups in roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into roasting pan to come halfway up sides of custard cups. Bake puddings until tops are golden and spring back when lightly touched, about 30 minutes. Remove cups from water. Serve warm or cold with whipped cream, if desired. * I didn't use a regular lemon, just meyer. ** I used 1%. Still tasty.
Filed under eat and make and sweets by Kelly. January 14th, 2009 . 2 Comments

uruguay: cooking class

One of my favorite events from our trip to Uruguay was a cooking class at a farm just outside Montevideo called Granja San Francisco. As we pulled in we were greeted by the proprietor of San Francisco, Sergio Delpino. He gave us a nice tour of the event spaces, talked about the history of the farm and left us in the hands of Rafael, our cooking instructor. Uruguay's most famous cooking method is using the parilla, or grill, so of course that's what we used. These aren't just any grills though. The parilla is built into a brick wall with a basket for logs on the left wall and a large angled grill to the right of the logs. Our instructor, Rafael, spoke only Spanish so we had to have Aaron's father translate the entire process. Luckily, slapping meat on a grill didn't require too much conversation. Oh boy was there meat, at least enough for a party three times as big as ours. We're talking chorizo, beef liver, beef intestine, chicken, prime rib and pork loin. We started out by salting the meats that needed it and then strategically placing the meats on the parilla. Meat that cooked quicker was placed farther away from the fire while meat that took a bit longer was placed closer. We brushed a chimichurri on some of the meats and let them cook away. Meanwhile we sat outside with the lovely countryside in full view, sipping wine and munching on salami and cheese. It was pretty dreamy. Every now and then Rafael would come get us to flip the meat and disperse embers under the meat to seal the heat in. Then back to the patio where we were presented with more food like fresh bread and empanadas. After about an hour on the grill, our first meat course which included chorizo, intestines and liver was ready. I tried them all and I'm happy to say the chorizo was delicious. Unfortunately, I just couldn't get past the texture of the other two meats. Luckily we also had grilled provolone cheese in this fancy little ceramic dish. Of course that went down without a problem. As we sat there basking in the glory of good food and sunny weather, I kept wondering how I was going to make room for the rest meat we had on the grill. I helped whip up a quick salad and then Aaron and I helped Rafael remove the meat from the grill. Next we moved on to the big stuff, the prime rib, the chicken and the pork. By this time it almost hurt to look at the meat, but where there's a will, there's a way. Perseverance paid off my friend. The beef and pork were delicious, tender and full of flavor. The chicken was some of the best, simplest chicken I've ever had. It was incredibly moist and flavored only with the hints of the chimichurri sauce. Believe it or not, dessert followed. Unfortunately the dessert wasn't nearly as flavorful as the meat, but what are you going to do? Rafael and our waiter ended the day by giving us a tour and much needed walk around the property. The farm was once a pig farm but now serves more as an event space, so half of the old pig barns have been converted to party rooms. It was great to see the transformation of the spaces. Granja San Francisco made us feel right at home and made sure we had a great day. I think both Aaron and I left the class wishing it had focused a little more on recipes rather than completely on grilling technique. But if that's all we have to complain about I think you can call it a success.
Filed under events and travel by Kelly. January 13th, 2009 . 4 Comments

i’m back!

Hello! We've made it back to brooklyn safe and sound after a whirlwind world tour. We had a great time visiting with friends and family in Michigan, both before Christmas and after. And of course our big trip to Argentina and Uruguay was a great get away. This week I'll be sharing some of our adventures because they include some fun food stuff. I hope you enjoy!
Filed under read by Kelly. January 12th, 2009 . 0 Comments

best of 2008: homemade ginger ale

This was originally posted on May 23, 2008. This recipe rocks my world. I will never look at ginger ale in the same light. If you like ginger, this is a must try recipe. 05_gingerale.jpg This week's happy hour is super happy because we're going to pick up our lovely pup, Maude. Yay! Since we'll be driving, this week's beverage is non-alcoholic, but still tasty; and quite frankly, there's nothing stopping you from adding a splash of rum to make it a dark & stormy. I saw this recipe for homemade ginger ale in the magazine Imbibe and thought it would be a nice treat. Making my own soda pop makes me giggle a little, because it seems like kind of a wacky thing to do but whatever... the recipe is pretty simple so I decided what the heck. All it takes is some ginger, sugar, water and a little free time. Once you let it simmer on the stovetop for awhile it will become a syrup that you combine with some club soda or seltzer water. The result is sooo good! It's got a really clean taste, if that makes any sense. It's got a great spice cut by a little sweetness and bubbly fizz. It's by far the best ginger ale/beer I've ever had. I'm not joking, you should definitely try this at home. Homemade Ginger Ale from Imbibe 2 cups unpeeled, washed, fresh ginger, roughly chopped 2 cups sugar 6 cups water 8 cups club soda or sparkling water, chilled 1 Process ginger chunks in food processor or blender until finely chopped. Place in a large stock pot. 2 Add sugar and water and stir. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer of medium-low heat and cook for about an hour until a rich syrup is created. 3 Strain the syrup twice through cheese cloth or sieve into a large jar or pitcher. Set aside to cool. 4 Fill a glass with ice. Add 1/3 cup of ginger syrup and top it off with club soda or sparkling water. Add a squeeze of lime if you'd like. So good!
Filed under best of 2008 by Kelly. January 9th, 2009 . 22 Comments