If Only It Were Summer...

If only it were summer, I'd:

1) Soak up some natural Vitamin D (rather than supplement with vitamins) at the park with my kids
2) Be inspired to exercise outside
AND
3) Invite some friends over for Grilled Lamb Tacos with Cumin-Feta Yogurt Sauce and Roasted Pepper Kalamata Salsa and beers!

If you're so lucky to be experiencing sunny days, or if you're feeling the courage to brave the cold, fire up the grill and try this out:

Grilled Lamb Tacos with Cumin-Feta Yogurt Sauce and Roasted Pepper Kalamata Salsa
serves 6-8

Grilled Spiced Lamb
4-5lb boneless leg of lamb
2T olive oil
1T cumin
1T coriander
1T fennel powder
1/2T cinammon
1T garlic powder
1T dried oregano
1T salt
1tsp pepper

Combine spices (everything below the olive oil) into a bowl. Massage lamb with olive oil. Then, do the same with the spice blend, making sure that the entire surface of the lamb is covered. Place in a tupperware or zip-loc bag overnight, or up to 2 days.

Take the lamb out of the fridge about 30 minutes before you plan to grill -- it's best to grill meat at room temperature. Grill the lamb until the internal temperature is 145 degrees -- should be about 10 minutes per side.

Allow lamb to sit for a few minutes once you take it off the grill. Slice the lamb and lay on a platter, next to the sides -- Cumin Feta Yogurt Sauce and Roasted Red Pepper Kalmata Salsa.

Cumin Feta Yogurt Sauce
1 quart of plain yogurt
1/2T cumin
1/3 cup crumbled feta
zest of 1 lemon
juice of 1 lemon

(I also like to add chopped dried apricots to this blend, but if you choose to offer the salsa as an additional side, the apricots may just throw off the texture and flavor of the taco -- your choice. If you do add the apricots, you only need about 4 dried apricots, chopped)

Combine all ingredients and allow flavors to blend for atleast an hour.

Roasted Pepper Kalamata Salsa
1-12oz jar of roasted peppers, chopped
1 smal red onion, finely diced
3oz Kalamata olives, chopped
1/2 bunch of cilantro, chopped
2T red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
salt/pepper

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and allow flavors to blend for atleast an hour. The longer it sits -- the better it gets!

Serve the lamb, yogurt sauce and salsa with warm pita bread and a cold beverage...preferably beer!

If only it were summer.....I would've included a photo of this luscious meal. But it's not summer, so I'm slow-roasting my lamb and wishing for warmer days with a glass of cabernet.

Bon Appetit!

(An afterthought: Another great accompaniment would be pickled red onions. For all of you skeptics out there who have yet to even try pickled red onions -- they're actually quite delicious. The sharpness of the onion is masked by the tart flavor of vinegar and unique scent of juniper berries. You'd probably wouldn't want to add the salsa and the pickled onions -- just one or the other, but do give your friends the option. David Lebovitz's recipe is fabulous and super easy!)

Dinner for One, Please

Is it awful to love soup as much as I do? Come on...on a frigid day, a steaming bowl of soup, with crostini dippers. I don't think it gets much better than that.

It's just me for dinner tonight, and I can't think of a better entree than soup with some crusty baguette points. But what kind? French onion soup? Roasted tomato? Pea with mint? Then, it came to me. While doing some market research several weeks ago, I came upon a recipe for Carrot Soup topped with Crushed Pistachios . I've seen Carrot Soup recipes that incorporated cashews into the puree. Pistachios could work well. Oh, and curry could be a nice spicy addition. Bingo! The result: A perfectly creamy blend of sweet carrots, spicy curry and nutty/toasted pistachio.

Roasted Carrot Soup with Curry and Pistachios
serves 2

5 carrots, peeled and roasted (drizzle with olive oil, salt/pepper. 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes until golden)
1 T olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2t curry powder
1t coriander
1/3 cup pistachios
1/2 bunch of cilantro
2-3 cups stock, depending on desired consistency (chicken or vegetable is fine)


Heat oil in a pot and cook onion and garlic until opaque. Stir in curry, coriander and pistachios. Cook for an additional 2 minutes -- until you can smell the spices and the pistachios have been toasted. Stir in carrots and stock and allow to boil. Simmer for an additional 15 minutes. Stir in the cilantro. Puree the soup, adding more stock or water if necessary. Season with salt and pepper.


Bon Appetit!

Love at First Bite

I have something to admit. I've been holding out on you. A recipe worth sharing -- a gourmet piece of art.

I recently shared that my favorite cuisine, with all of its many spices and robust flavors is Mediterranean. And thus, many of my catering menus and personal favorites are shaped by North African/Greek/Israeli ingredients. That said, on a rare occasion, when I'm browsing the aisles of my "go-to" grocery outlet (namely produce and Mediterranean staples), I have been known to get inspired by lemongrass, shallots, mint, cilantro, rice noodles and other Asian essentials. And, on an even rarer occasion, chiles and peppers will whet my appetite (I'll share my Smoky Turkey Chili recipe during another post).

Upon walking into my fav grocery warehouse (mentioned above) on a recent trip, my culinary inspirations were sparked by fresh mint and Napa cabbage. Actually, I should back up.... Just as I entered the warehouse, I noticed at the corner of my eye, a customer purchasing rice paper wrappers. Hmmmm... So, I proceeded to browse (with the wrappers in the back of my mind) and was bombarded with fresh ingredients, perfect for Vietnamese spring rolls and dipping sauces. Mint, cilantro, cucumbers, ginger, spring onions, lemongrass, and ofcourse, the wrappers. Then, as I was checking out, I spy dried mango. Why not? Dried mango could be a nice accompaniment to spring rolls.

My head was spinning with all of the great combinations of Vietnamese rolls -- chicken, vegetarian and steak (I'm not much into seafood, so shrimp didn't enter my mind...but don't let that stop you). Aha! I remember that just last week I halved a large Flat Iron steak and stuck one portion into the freezer. And so, with that (and the plethora of produce in my bag) Vietnamese Steak Mango Rolls with Lemongrass Peanut Sauce was born!


Vietnamese Steak Mango Rolls with Lemongrass Peanut Sauce serves 2

Marinated Flat Iron Steak

6oz flat iron steak
2 minced garlic cloves
2T soy sauce
1t sesame oil
1t honey

Combine all ingredients into a zip-loc bag and marinate overnight. Grill or broil the following day and allow to cool.

Filling Ingredients

4oz rice stick noodles (prepare like pasta until tender -- only about 2-3 minutes)
handful of mint
handful of cilantro
1/4 of a English cucumber, julienned
1 oz, thinly sliced dried mango
marinated flat iron, sliced thinly

To Roll (4 wrappers per person)

Create an assembly line of your filling ingredients.

The rice paper must be submerged in water, in order to become pliable. Fill a frying pan with 1 inch of water. Carefully and quickly dip the wrapper into the water, making sure the entire wrapper is wet -- but not too wet, otherwise the wrapper will tear.

Carefully set the wet wrapper on a flat surface. Working from the bottom edge of the wrapper, lay down 2-3 mint leaves and a couple of cilantro leaves. Then layer with a pinch of rice noodles, 2 julienned cucumbers, 1-2 strips of steak (depending on thickness) and sliced mango. Be careful not to overfil the wrapper, as it will tear very easily. Wrap by folding over the bottom edge, then fold in the two sides and continue to roll like a burrito. Place roll on a plate and cover with a damp paper towel (to help the wrapper from becoming too dry). Continue until all ingredients have been used.

Lemongrass Peanut Sauce (borrowed from eDining.ca)

OK, so this recipe may seem daunting, but trust me when I say that you will forget the time spent in preparation, after the first bite. The crunch of the cucumbers. The freshness of the herbs. The sweetness of the mango. The decadence of the peanut sauce. It all just works in luscious harmony.

Bon Appetit!

Comfort Food - Italian Style

Nothing says comfortable in the kitchen (or in my stomach) like a steaming bowl of spaghetti and meatballs. Tonight's meal combines store-bought ingredients (dried pasta and Trader Joe's Turkey Meatballs) and one dynamite, homemade Cabernet Roasted Garlic Tomato Sauce. There is absolutely NO need to spend money on bottled sauce, when an excellent recipe can be made in less than 15 minutes.

Cabernet Roasted Garlic Tomato Sauce

1-28oz can of crushed tomatoes
1 medium onion (red or white)
2T olive oil
1T tomato paste
1t dried oregano
1/2 cup Cabernet Sauvignon
1 head garlic, roasted
salt/pepper

Saute onions in olive oil in a pot until transluscent. Sprinkle with oregano and stir in tomato paste. Blend onions and paste until you can smell the potent scent of "tomato" (about 2 minutes). Stir in wine and allow to boil for 2 minutes. Mixture should be thick and a dark hue of purplish-red. Pour canned tomatoes into pot and allow to boil for a few minutes. Stir in roasted garlic cloves, season with salt/pepper and cook for another 10 minutes, until all flavors have been combined and sauce has slightly thickened.

Tip: Given the ripeness of the tomatoes, sometimes you may find the sauce to be a bit too tart. Sprinkle a little bit of sugar into the pot, and you should find the sweetness to balance the tart.

Bon Appetit!

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things....

Ever played "20 Questions" with yourself? That game is playing out in my head right now, as I sort out my favorite things in the kitchen -- my favorite ingredients & spices, my favorite cookbooks, my favorite meal, and so on.... This is really a list in progress, and is mentally updated when I'm introduced to something new.

So, without further ado:

1. Favorite ingredients (my pantry staples): garlic, shallot, citrus zest, olive oil, cumin, coriander, curry powder, herbes de provence, feta, parmesan, fresh herbs (Italian parsley, cilantro, mint, thyme, basil, rosemary), sundried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, oil-cured olives, kalamata olives, capers, dried cranberries, dried apricots, garbonzo beans, tahini, almonds, walnuts...to be continued.

These ingredients form the basis of any great Mediterranean meal -- which by way is the answer to "What is my favorite cuisine?"

(Random "tip of the day": When you purchase by bulk (i.e. olives, nuts, beans, etc), DO NOT discard of that plastic container. Add it to the tupperware drawer, and re-use the packaging for your next picnic.)

I've really only scratched the surface of "my favs," but my thoughts are guiding me to the couch for the rest of the evening.

Stay tuned....

Later That Night....

Wow! Super delicious combination. Each (the soup and the sandwich) could very well stand alone in the meal, but why?

A "leftover" tip: if you have some of the pesto left (I licked the bowl before I knew it was empty), drop a dollop into the soup....yummmmmy!!!!

Welcome!

Welcome to my public diary -- an opportunity to share my thoughts and indulge in a semi-stream of consciousness. I hope you enjoy the posts and partake in the delectable discussions.

OK, let's talk food! Sometimes, in the middle of the night, when I'm awakened by my kids or by another snoring roar (source will remain unnamed), I think about the week's family menu. Other times, the menu is shaped by my favorite Mediterranean ingredients. More often than not, our dinner menu takes form as such: 1) what's in my fridge 2) what diet regimen I'm following that week and 3) the season (is it warm or cool outside).

During my trip to Arizona, while sweating to the sounds of my iPod and reading an old issue of Shape Magazine, I came across a review for an herbaceous, tangy & healthy tomato soup -- a Roasted Tomato and Mint Soup. That recipe has been on my mind since that 30-minute workout. Today seemed like the perfect day to test it out. With rain and dark clouds in my future, nothing sounded tastier than a soup and sandwich combo. Tonight's menu is: Roasted Tomato and Mint Soup with a Grilled Chicken and Cilantro Feta Pesto Baguette.

Roasted Tomato and Mint Soup (adapted from Moody's Bistro and Lounge, California)

2lbs roma tomatoes, chopped
1/3 cup thinly sliced shallots
1 bunch of mint
1T butter
1T oil
1/4 cup flour
2T tomato paste
1 cup red wine
2 cups chicken stock

Toss tomatoes with 1T oil and salt/pepper (sprinkle w/1t of sugar if tomatoes are not super ripe). Roast at 400 degrees on a sheet pan until soft and slightly golden.
Saute shallots and mint with butter and oil until shallots are translucent (about 8 minutes). Add shallots and mint and cook on low heat for 10 minutes, until they are heated through but not browned. Sprinkle flour over the mixture, stir, cook for another 5 minutes, and add the tomato paste.
Add red wine and stir well. Add roasted tomatoes and any pan drippings from the roasting pan. Continue stirring mixture for 10 more minutes.
Add stock and bring to a simmer. Stir well and season with salt and pepper.
Puree until desired consistency.

Grilled Chicken and Cilantro Feta Pesto Baguette

Cilantro Feta Pesto

1 bunch of cilantro
2 garlic cloves
1/4 cup toasted almonds
2T oil
2T crumbled feta

Combine all ingredients except for feta in processor. Stir in feta.

Grilled Chicken and Cilantro Pesto Sandwich

4oz, grilled and seasoned (salt & dried herbs) chicken
3T pesto
3 sundried tomatoes
1 baguette (about 7 inches, sliced horizontally)

Spread pesto on each side of baguette. Layer with chicken and sundried tomatoes.

Bon Appetit!

Now excuse me. Motherhood is calling -- it's bathtime for the kids.