We Are Never Full » cheese

Using Your Grey Matter: Veal Brains alla Milanese

Jonny & Amy — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 11:31:16 +0000

Our good friend, of whom we have seen very little recently, but who persists as an unwitting gastronomic inspiration to us – Juan Camilo – struck again recently when we spied a mess of veal brains at our local butcher. [I'm not sure what the proper collective noun is for brains, but the term seems appropriate given their form, even if something like "florettes" might be more marketable.] We are forever indebted to JC for introducing us to and instructing us on Colombian food, but also for taking us to Ali Kabab Cafe, happily for him, just across the street from his Astoria, Queens, apartment.

This celebrated, only in New York, hole-in-the-wall, 5 table, nominally Egyptian restaurant is run by the enigmatic, tri-lingual owner, Ali El Sayed, on the back of one tiny assistant, an oven and a single hot plate. These limitations combined with a menu that you should ignore in favor of the daily specials and Ali’s rather, shall-we-say, changeable moods, make for a unique dining experience, during the latter stages of which we were presented with a platter of deep-fried veal brains decorated sparsely with salad greens, a thin harissa sauce, and lemon wedges.

This rosy, if slightly hazy memory (made so by several bottles of heavy Algerian wine), was instantly recalled upon sighting said brains and my hand sprang to pocket, promptly unencumbering it of three and a half of your American dollars. It was only at home, several hours later, after this initial enthusiasm had cooled, that I was left to consider how to make the best use of my grey matter.

I should point out that this is not an uncommon occurrence and in the past, the excited purchase of unusual foodstuffs has frequently prompted breathtaking swerves of culinary daring, as seen in these here web pages, – an outcome I was particularly counting on in this instance since the four pound ox heart I also sneaked into the shopping cart had taken up all available room in the freezer.

But as I sat and stared at them – the passing minutes becoming quarters and then halves of an hour, the milky whiteness of the brains reflecting my mental vacuum back at me, echoing the blankness of my thoughts – nothing at all, even less than usual, sprang to mind. In fact, had not this vacuity coincided serendipitously with the harvest of our very first eggplants (2) and the watching of the TiVo’d episode of No Reservations in which Tony goes to Naples and eats a remarkable eggplant parmigiana, the brains might have been squeezed into a dark corner of the freezer and consigned to a lengthy hibernation.

Inspiration doesn’t always have to take you all that far to rouse you from your stupor, and in truth, I made no greater mental leap than removing the greens, lemon and harissa from that dish at Ali. If Ali’s brains and rudimentary appliances had provided him all that was necessary, I reasoned, there should be no impediment, barring inferior technique and lesser quality ingredients, to my own mental faculties doing likewise. Besides, I was certain that scrambled or boiled brains wouldn’t have any photogenic quality whatsoever.

Thus, the dish you see before you is a play on the combination of eggplant parmigiana and veal or chicken milanese: a roasted eggplant-wrapped package of red sauce and mozzarella seats a pair of breaded and deep-fried brains in cross-section.

For anyone still reading, I want to be clear that, certainly, I am sympathetic to those for whom brains might be an anatomical bridge too far. Had I not been in an expansive (read:tipsy) mood at Ali, I doubt I would have been so bold, though I am glad that I was. (In the interests of full disclosure, I should add that Juan Camilo did not find the brains to his taste.) Similarly, I am sure that even if it is interesting to them, it will be no incentive whatsoever to the skeptics, to learn that predators, including our very own ancestors, often eat the brains of their prey first, leaving the rest of the carcass until later so as to make sure they partake of the most nutritious parts before anyone can take it away from them.

Nonetheless, we swear that veal brains are the new sweetbreads – which may mean nothing to you unless you’re accustomed to a little nose to tail eating – they are mild, firm but almost creamy in the mouth, and have very little of the minerality typically found in organ meats. Despite only the remotest of chance that you will, we (as always) encourage you to give brains a try. They are by no means an everyday foodstuff and definitely demand a mental leap, but isn’t it true that almost anything really rewarding requires some thought?

Veal Brains alla Milanese with Eggplant Parmigiana Stack (serves 2-4)

Ingredients

1lb fresh (or frozen) veal brains, washed and cleaned
2 eggs, beaten
2/3 cup panko or good fluffy breadcrumbs (not that dusty crap that comes in a box)
1/2 cup plain flour
1 pint or 1/2 liter neutral-tasting vegetable oil
2 medium or 1 large eggplant, sliced into 1/8 inch strips, lengthwise
4oz fresh bufala or fior di latte mozzarella
2-3oz grated pecorino romano
1 x 12oz can crushed tomatoes
1/2 yellow onion, diced
2-4 cloves garlic, chopped finely
good extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
4-5 large leaves fresh basil (optional)
salt and black pepper to taste

Recipe

Heat oven to 250F
Salt eggplant slices well and place side by side on a cake rack sitting in a sheet pan. Cover with another sheet pan weighted down with some heavy books.
After 20-30 minutes remove weights and carefully remove eggplant and pat dry. Discard liquid.
Rub a sheet pan with olive oil and lay eggplant out flat. Season with black pepper and another good dash of olive oil. Bake in oven for half an hour.
Remove eggplant and allow to cool.
While eggplant is baking, in a saucepan on medium, saute onions until softened, 4 minutes, before adding onion and red pepper flakes.
Cook another 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, before adding tomatoes.
Bring to a bubble, before reducing heat to a gentle simmer for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large saute pan or wok, heat vegetable oil to around 350F
Slice veal brains into palm-sized slices, 1inch thick, and with flour, egg and breadcrumbs put them through the 3-stage breading process.
Line several oiled ramekins with eggplant slices and place mozzarella chunks in the middle. Top with a tablespoon of sauce before either folding eggplant slices around cheese and sauce or placing extra slices atop.
Place ramekins in oven for 15-20 minutes or until eggplant on top is browned.
Deep-fry veal breaded veal brains until golden brown and crispy all over. Remove to a cake rack and sprinkle with salt.
Carefully un-mold eggplant, plate with fried brains and another spoonful of red sauce.
Enjoy with a good dry white wine.

Ali Kabab Cafe
25-12 Steinway St, Astoria, NY 11103 (at 25th Ave)
T: 718-728-9858
Hours: Open Tuesday-Sunday, noon to 11 p.m.; closed Mondays
Prices: Entrees $13+

Cheese & Pea Curry: Why Paneer-ances Don’t Matar…

Jonny & Amy — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 21:12:35 +0000

If the immense diversity of this city reveals itself in the faces of its people, and if, in turn, those faces can be said to reflect the myriad flavors of this world, then how should one interpret the wearing of “beats by dr dre” headphones by anyone north of 25 years old? With this eternal question in mind, I urge you to consider another conundrum for the ages, which may still puzzle some Hindu theologians: how to take enticing food photography of Indian food with its range of brownish-hued sauces? As we know only too well, appearances are crucial in the food world.

Since the majority of Hindus swear off most meats, dairy and legumes (pulses) are essential proteins for the citizens of the sub-continent, and paneer, a firm, fresh cheese, is an important component of that diet. Paneer – which comes in a variety of styles in India, from super firm to an almost goat-cheese consistency, but is mostly limited to the former in our hemisphere – is something of a strange beast in that it neither melts nor competes for flavor with even the mildest of curries. Also, due to being typically coagulated with lemon juice or vinegar rather than rennet, it somehow manages to be wholly acceptable to vegetarians too.

A perennial, and, likely fruitless, desire to be good food bloggers but also possess the waistlines of triathletes, lately convinced us to expand our palates beyond our customary choices – lamb rogan josh and chicken bhuna – and include a vegetarian option and recipe on these here interwebs. Hardly groundbreaking, we know, but every day is a journey through the world, as described in a previous post, and another recent stop was Patel Brother’s grocery store at the far end of Brooklyn’s Sunset Park neighborhood.

Picking up fresh curry leaves, house-ground spices and a fat block of paneer at Patel’s, we ransacked the springtime growth of our tiny garden for English peas and threw together a matar (pea) aloo (potato) paneer curry with some cumin-seed scented basmati rice and some of the best heat ‘em up at home naan bread we’ve had.

Satisfyingly protein-packed and redolent of sub-continental flavors with the curry leaves and toasted spices, it came together in no-time flat. If you have access to good Indian supplies, this can quite easily become part of your weeknight repertoire and, even if you don’t, non-melting mild cheeses (like halloumi) are readily available and good peas are only a freezer section away.

Of course, Dr Dre headphones are almost certainly perfect for listening to all kinds of music, including hip-hop, but when sported by middle-aged business men one can’t help but assume they were borrowed from teenage offspring (who would surely pour merciless scorn on them for it), as which person of that demographic, in our image-conscious world, would risk public approbation and actually buy them? Taking a similar risk with crumby photos of this yellowish-brown dish we humbly request that you overlook appearances and trust us enough to try it.

Aloo Matar Paneer (Potato, Pea and Cheese Curry) (serves 4)
Adapted from Rick Stein Coast to Coast

Ingredients:

12oz paneer, cut into inch cubes
2 medium starchy potatoes, cut into 1 inch cubes
2 tablespoons neutral tasting oil – sunflower, safflower, canola, etc.
4 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
1/2 large white onion, diced
1 inch piece ginger, chopped finely
2 birds’-eye, or other hot green pepper like serrano, chiles, finely chopped
1 teaspoon each of ground cumin and ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon each of ground turmeric and ground cayenne pepper
1/3 of a 12oz can whole tomatoes, roughly chopped or pulled apart
1/2lb fresh (or frozen) shelled peas
4 tablespoons julienned cilantro (coriander)
6 fresh (10 dried) curry leaves

Recipe:

Heat oil to medium high in a large pan or wok
Lightly fry paneer until golden on all sides, about five minutes. Remove from pan and reserve.
Add onions and cook until translucent. Add ginger, garlic and chopped chiles.
When aromatic, add dry spices and stir well to coat everything in the pan.
Fry gently for about three minutes.
Add potato, tomato, curry leaves and peas (if fresh) with 2-3 tablespoons of water.
Stir well and simmer gently for five minutes before adding paneer.
Simmer gently for another 5 minutes.
Season with salt and black pepper and sprinkle in chopped cilantro.
Serve with naan and pilau rice seasoned with cumin or caraway seeds

What to Do with Leftover Cheese? Make a Mixed Cheese Tart, Darn It!

Amy — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 21:03:36 +0000

A few weeks ago we were lucky to receive a serious amount of free cheese from Ile de France. You’ve most likely seen their brie, goat cheese or St. André (which I could rub all over my body it’s that good) in your supermarket but they have so much more to offer. I only wish my grocery store carried all their cheeses. They also just redid their website and it’s an excellent way to get over 500 cheese recipes or just peruse the various cheeses they offer. After chomping down on the many cheese samples Ile de France mailed us (a vast variety including Chaumes, St. Albray, Goat and Brie) , we had alot left over. We’re kinda cheese fiends and when we’re feeling in the mood to eat cheese, we’ll go to our local shop and go a bit overboard. The cheese drawer will pile up until I can barely close it. This is never a good thing. Weeks later I’ll check out what’s at the bottom of the drawer to find shriveled bits of piave, way over-ripe, acidic smelling camembert or moldy tomme. I’ll often chop off mold or use the shriveled bitsto grate as pasta toppings, but often I’ll say a prayer, shed a tear and throw them into the garbage. It burns a hole in my heart every time!

But this time I just couldn’t see all that cheese go to waste, even if much of it was free. What about all the starving kids in China (Will that one work on my future child? Sure as hell didn’t work on me!)?! So I scratched my head and thought about what I could do. Mac and Cheese? No. Cheese Log? It ain’t Christmas. Mixed Cheese Tart? But I’ll have to use my oven and it’s so damn hot! Ok, let’s to a cheese tart. I am very glad I did and I highly reccommend you doing the same with all your leftover chese bits. Hard cheese, soft cheese, triple creams, stinky cheese – they’ll all go great in a cheese tart. Not to mention you won’t have to worry anymore about the starving kids in China.

MIXED CHEESE TART (AKA “LEFTOVER CHEESE” TART)

For the Pastry:

2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/4 sticks of butter, room temperature (I made my pastry by hand)
1/2 glass of water, very cold
1/2 teaspoon salt

For the Tart Filling:

2 1/2 cups of grated or finely chopped cheese (we used bits and pieces of Goat Cheese with herbs, Chaumes, English Cheddar, Munster d’Alsace and Mimolette)
1/4 cup of butter (or 1/2 stick)
1 cup of whole milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon
3 eggs, beaten
pinch of salt and pinch of freshly ground pepper
optional: handful of chopped fresh chives
optional: 8 to 10 tomato slices

What to do:

Make your pastry by hand or in the food processor, chill for 1 hour then roll out to about 1/4 inch thickness and fit it into an ungreased pie mold or 9-inch springform pan (which is what we used). Blind bake for 12 minutes at 400 degrees.
Make your filling, starting with melting the butter slowly in a pan then whisking in the flour. Continuing to whisk, add the milk slowly and combine, stirring constantly until the mixture is thick. Take off heat.
Add the cheese and heavy cream. Whisk. Add the beaten eggs, salt and pepper and chives. Whisk.
Add your optional tomato slices to the bottom of your blind baked pastry, overlapping in places to try and cover as much of the bottom as necessary. Pour the filling into the pie pan, leaving a bit of room to grow at the top (don’t overfill). You may have more filling than necessary. In fact, we had a bit extra pastry and filling, we ended up making a few small tarts using a muffin tin.
Optional: beat an egg and brush on the outside crust of the pastry so it won’t burn.
Put back in the 400 degree oven and bake tart for 45 minutes to 1 hour (until it is no longer wet in the middle and has browned on the top – use a knife or a skewer to test that the middle of tart is done). Depending on how much filling you use, eyeball the cooking time, may need a bit more, may need a bit less.

Abandon Hope All Ye Who Enter 2010 with New Year’s Resolutions! Behold, El Chivito!

Amy and Jonny — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 01:23:28 +0000

Made during the horrid, self-reflective, and, frequently, gassy hours aboard a trans-Atlantic flight this past weekend, our New Year’s resolutions swore us to no less than three weeks of Spartan, monkish grazing on whole grains, green vegetables and lean protein in order to trim ourselves of burgeoning, lumpy mid-sections brought on by the combined Holiday calories of three Thanksgiving dinners, two Christmas roasts and a New Year’s trip to France.

However, we have since surprised, or dismayed, even ourselves with the deplorable level of willpower demonstrated in abandoning our resolutions after just three days. Only slightly less amazing is that three days of salads could drive us to such an extreme. Perhaps the only positive we can draw is that at least we’re starting 2010 with a gastronomic bang instead of whimpering abstemiousness.

The chivito is, informally, the national dish of Uruguay and legend has it that it came about when an Argentine tourist from the city of Cordoba, visited the establishment of restaurateur Antonio Carbonara in the beautiful beach resort of Punta del Este, and asked for a sandwich of roasted young goat meat (a specialty of her native province), known as chivito*. Having no goat, Senor Carbonara proceeded to prepare a steak sandwich for his Argentine guest, topping it with just about everything he had to hand in his kitchen. The resulting sandwich was such a great success that it became a permanent item on Carbonara’s menu, and its fame spread across the country like wildfire, becoming known in the process as the chivito.

As with nearly every “national” dish, there are a few variations on the theme, but the chivito is basically a sandwich made of a thin piece of beef, often skirt steak (churrasco) topped with melted mozzarella cheese, grilled or pan fried red pepper, bacon, ham, egg (either boiled or fried), lettuce, tomato, sliced onions, mayonnaise, sliced pickles and olives on a bread roll. The two principal variants on this theme are the Chivito Canadiense (Canadian chivito) which substitutes Canadian-style bacon for the crispier kind, and the chivito al plato, a deliciously messy platter of all the typical ingredients served without a bun on a plate and often with fries, or, maybe even more commonly, with ensalada rusa (Russian salad – potatoes, mayonnaise, carrots, peas, tuna, onion, parsley, and, occasionally, boiled egg and sliced beets). Note: Chivitos may also substitute chicken or veal escallopes for the steak.

On our final night in Montevideo last spring, instead of our usual giant steak dinner at one of that city’s wonderful parrillas, we tasted our first chivito at a small sidewalk cafe in the quiet neighborhood of Pocitos. Until that moment, we had been led to believe that the United States was the home of the world’s most ambitious and artery-busting sandwiches — indeed, it is home to most of them — but we now know that the Uruguayans, in their charmingly understated and apparently ego-less manner, have created something which can challenge for that title.

Whether you choose to make yourself a chivito now or later, as a reward for an extended period of fasting, is entirely up to you, but since last night’s regimenal aberration we have remade our vows to gastronomic penitence. How long we keep them this time is, as yet, unknown, but the mere sight of a chivito tends to focus your mind on, ahem, one’s weighty personal issues.

*The word chivito refers, specifically, to a young goat that has been weaned and fed on solid food. It, therefore, differs from the cabrito, or baby goat – an unweaned animal – by being some months older.

El Chivito with Ensalada Rusa (serves 2)
Ingredients:

1/2 lb skirt, shell or shoulder steak
4oz mozzarella cheese, sliced
1/2 red pepper, sliced into wide pieces
2 eggs
2 bread rolls, Kaiser or Portuguese type work well (large floury baps for UK readers)
4 rashers smoked bacon
4 slices cooked ham
1/2 large tomato, sliced
1/2 large tomato, diced
1/4 yellow/Spanish onion, sliced into half-moons
1/4 yellow/Spanish onion, diced
2 or 3 large leaves iceberg lettuce
5oz mayonnaise
1/2 can tuna in oil
2 large floury potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 small or 1 large carrot, quartered
4oz frozen peas (petit pois)
2oz scallions/spring onions, finely chopped
2oz Italian/flat-leaf parsely, finely chopped
1 pickled cucumber, sliced into strips
salt and black peppper

Recipe:

Boil potatoes for the salad for 6-10 minutes (depending on size of pieces) until they’ll slide off a knife pushed into them.
Remove from water and set aside to cool.
In the same water, boil carrots (also for the salad) for 4 minutes or so, until tender but retaining a little crunch.
Drain and set aside to cool.
In a large frying or saute pan, cook bacon until crispy.
Remove to a paper-toweled plate.
Pour off some of the bacon grease, leaving just enough to coat the pan, and add steaks.(Make sure to season meat before cooking.)
Cut open rolls / cut rolls in half horizontally.
Turn after 1 minute and place mozzarella slices on cooked side.
Cover pan for a further minute, to allow cheese to melt, before removing steaks to a plate.
Add an extra splash of bacon fat, if necessary, before quickly frying the red pepper just enough to soften it. No more than 2 minutes in total.
Remove peppers and, again, if necessary, add a touch of extra fat to the pan.
Fry your eggs on one side just long enough to coagulate the white, leaving the yolk gloriously gooey.
Now, following the pictorial above, begin to assemble sandwich with cheesy-steak at the bottom, then pile the other ingredients on in the following order: red peppers, ham, fried egg, bacon, tomato, pickles, sliced (half-moon) onions and lettuce.
Dress with mayonnaise (or golf sauce) and olives before topping with bun.
Returning to your now-cooled potatoes and carrots for the ensalada rusa. Dice potatoes into 1/2 inch chunks, and carrots into 1/8 inch pieces and place in a large bowl.
Combine the diced onion, scallions, parsley, tuna, peas, diced tomato and 4oz of mayonnaise in this bowl.
Stir well and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add a glug of olive oil if it feels too thick.
Your ensalada rusa is ready.
Now, slice your chivito carefully and enjoy it with the salad in all its messy glory with plenty of napkins and cold beer.

On the Side: Purple Potatoes with Cotija, and Pattypans with Pepitas

Amy and Jonny — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:19:08 +0000

Perhaps surprisingly given that we’ve been deluged with guests for the last month, we haven’t actually cooked for them much, or at least, cooked anything we’d dare post. As anyone who’s been a host knows, having guests is an exhausting experience, but especially so when you’re playing the role of tour guide too, so here are two simple side dishes instead of something that required more lengthy preparation.

We ate them with some enormously meaty lamb rib chops and a fat lump of hanger steak that had both been rubbed with a chipotle-cumin-Mexican oregano mix. A hearty red Zinfandel accompanied it all fearlessly.

Purple Potatoes with Red Onion and Queso de Cotija
Ingredients

1lb purple potatoes
1 red onion, finely sliced into rings
4 tbsp grated cotija
2 tbsp good olive oil
2tbsp chopped cilantro
kosher salt to taste

Recipe

Boil potatoes until they will easily fall off a knife poked into them
Drain potatoes and while still hot, return to pot with onions, oil, cilantro and cheese.
Mix ingredients well.

Pattypan Squash with Pumpkin Seeds (Pepitas)
Ingredients

1lb pattypan squash
1/2cup pumpkin seeds
kosher salt
Lots of fresh-ground black pepper
2tbsp unsalted butter

Recipe

Toast pumpkin seeds in a dry pan until lightly browned, but no more. Reserve.
Boil squash for five minutes or until tender (but not soft)
Drain and, again, while still hot, return to pan with butter, pumpkin seeds, salt and pepper
Combine ingredients well and serve on the side of plenty of red meat.

Homemade Stuffed Pasta: Yes We Can!

Amy — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 14:30:39 +0000

“When the world turns its back on you, you turn your back on the world…”

Recently, I’ve been noticing many, many food blogs posting recipes utilizing a certain brand of pre-made “fresh” pastas: nothing like a Foodbuzz promo to bring the best out of the food bloggers. Many came up with very creative recipes using a store-bought, pre-made pasta (a difficult compromise for many hardcore pasta lovers). [In case you were wondering, no, Foodbuzz didn't send us any Buitoni products, and yes, you do detect a hint of bitterness.] A prize of All-Clad Copper Core pots and pans is a pretty damn good prize to inspire the Sandra Lee in all of us. (An Aside: Speaking of Ms. Sandra Lee, has anyone seen that horrid “Kentucky GRILLED Chicken” commercial? We wonder if she is going to take a bucket of that chicken, open up a bag of arugula, throw on some Seven Seas Italian Dressing, and then craft one of her cleverly-branded “tablescapes” featuring giant papier mâché heads of the Colonel?)

After seeing all these different recipes utilizing store-bought pasta (and upset at having been left-out of this Foodbuzz freebie), I was reminded that the average American still thinks that making homemade pasta isn’t possible, and I was determined to prove them wrong. Although I do understand that there is a time and a place for store-bought stuffed pasta and Semi-Homemade/Sandra Lee nights, I also believe that creating homemade, fresh, stuffed pasta is much, much easier than most people think.

The key is in the stuffing. If you can make a delicious stuffing for ravioli, agnolotti, tortellini, cannelloni or any other shape of stuffed pasta your little heart desires, the hardest part is over. If you don’t have a pasta roller (or a rolling-pin), buy some wonton wrappers and do it that way. The key is that you’ve done it – you made it, the stuffing is fresh and includes zero preservatives. You get to control what goes in the stuffing. Get creative ’cause the possibilities are endless.

Although I did make my own pasta for this dish, the star was the stuffing. It was super simple, quick and very easy to make. We happened to find fresh porcini’s in our local market (a freaking miracle) for about $35 a pound, so we bought two ($8!) and decided to blend those with some rehydrated dried ones and a bit of good old (and too often underappreciated) white button mushrooms. A bit of butter, some fresh parmigiano, garlic, shallots and sage, and you’ve got a fab-u-lous, fresh filling for pasta.

Bottom line, if you haven’t tried making your own stuffed pasta, give it a try. Please. Just try.

Mixed Mushroom & Sage-Stuffed Tortelloni

Ingredients:

1 packet homemade pasta or wonton wrappers
2 x 8oz boxes of mushrooms (button, brown, cremini or a mixture of any type of mushroom)
3 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1 shallot, finely minced
8-10 sage leaves, finely minced
½ cup grated parmigiano reggiano
1 tablespoon of unsalted butter
salt and pepper

For the sauce:

4 tablespoons of unsalted butter
5 sage leaves, julienned
4 tbsp grated parmigiano reggiano

Recipe:

Make your filling by gently sautéing mushrooms, shallot and garlic together in butter until all is soft.
Add sage and cheese and combine well. Kill the fire. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
Mixture should be reasonably dry, i.e. not saucy, so that it doesn’t soak into pasta but sits nicely in it. Allow mixture to cool before beginning next step.
If you want to make your own pasta dough and roll your ravioli from scratch, click here for our foolproof recipe tried and tested many times but, most famously, on a weeknight.
If not, take your wonton wrappers, and armed with a glass of water, lay the wrappers out and place a teaspoon of filling in the center of each.
Then, follow the latter part of our tried and tested ravioli-on-a-weeknight-recipe.
To make the brown butter (noisette) and sage sauce, simply melt the remaining butter in a pan and watch it caramelize into a beautiful brown color, adding julienned sage near the end.
Spoon sauce over cooked ravioli/tortelloni and sprinkle liberally with cheese.
Enjoy with red wine and the knowing smugness of having done it all yourself, even if there is no reward of free cookware…

Victory = Fish Soufflé

Amy and Jonny — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 12:58:38 +0000

Perhaps the day that both our teams (Manchester United & Philadelphia Eagles) won unlikely decisive victories in the realm of competitive sports, is the best day to dwell on the recent personal glory of our seafood soufflés staying up. However – even if (quite sensibly) you don’t give a rat’s ass about sports – anyone who has tried making them before knows the all-too-brief satisfaction of the fully puffed soufflé, and, though, we’ve experienced the saddening deflation of failure, we now also know the pride and joy that is a fully erect soufflé.

And, lest you think that we traded our heroes for ghosts, this was none other than a snorting, full-on multi-fish and cheese souffle that not only satisfied our desire for classic French cookery, but provided much-needed stomach-lining on a day that required some serious daytime drinking.

Even if you’re not planning on a full day of sports-related drinking, these souffles are a fantastically light, yet rich, first course, or a great light main with bread and an arugula side-salad, not to sound all non-contact-sports metrosexual on you.

We’d like to thank Taste With the Eyes whose comté soufflé gave us inspiration for this dish.

Mixed Fish & Gruyere Soufflé with Parsley Sauce (serves 4)

Ingredients

2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
3/4 cup (6oz) milk
3 eggs, separated
1 cup grated Gruyere cheese (Emmentaler or Comté would also work well)
1 cup assorted cooked shellfish (shrimp, scallops, mussels, + white fish, if you like)
1 bunch flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, chopped
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp water
1 good pinch salt

Recipe

Cook off your chosen seafood and allow to cool. Drain of as much cooking fat as possible.
In a high-sided saucepan make a bechamel sauce with butter, flour and milk.
Remove pan from heat and beat in egg yolks, one at time.
Stir in grated cheese until fully combined, then stir in fish. Allow to cool.
In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until until soft peaks are achieved.
Gently fold in 1/3 egg whites into bechamel and continue adding beaten egg whites until completely combined.
Pour mixture into buttered soufflé dishes until 3/4 full.
Cook immediately for 20 minutes at 400F (210C), then increase to 450F (230C) for 8-10 minutes or until fully-risen and browned on top.
Add parsley, water, oil and salt to blender. Blitz until consistency of vinaigrette. Pour into squeezy bottle and squirt gaily over your fish soufflé.

Breakfast in Madrid Brooklyn

Jonny — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 14:41:49 +0000

It’s nearly a year now since we were in Madrid, and while during that time we’ve managed to shed some of the excess poundage we gained there, we’ve lost none of our longing to be back there. And, it’s a strange thing about longing that all your memories become more vivid, and you remember even the smallest details.

So, on Sunday morning, we sought to recreate what, while in Madrid, seemed like a comparatively minor facet of our stay – breakfast. In Spain, as in other parts of southern Europe, a typical breakfast is characterized by three things: sugar, caffeine and nicotine, but it would unfair to suggest there is no greater variety than the, admittedly delicious, combo of pastries, coffee and strong cigarettes.

Roommate Mario (our hotel, not an actual person), in the Opera district of the city (not far from the magnificent Palacio Real – see above), was a small, boutiquey-type place and not, by any means, the type of hotel we’d commonly stay in. And, apart from the unusually reasonably-priced room, what convinced us to pick this hotel was its renowned “free” breakfast.

Research suggested that not only was it sumptious and delicious, but that it was served until noon, which, given that we like to sleep on vacation and would be eating and drinking later than normal to fit in with the insomniacal Madrileño lifestyle, was another bonus. I’ve always found it despicable and somehow mean that most hotels only serve breakfast until 10am, so that people who actually on vacation nearly always miss it.

Our typical breakfast at Roommate Mario was, of course, a tongue-tinglingly powerful cup of café solo or “capuchino”, a tiny glass of freshly-squeezed and enjoyably sour orange juice, and several triangles of the most perfect tortilla española layered on fresh, crusty bread with slices of manchego and lomo – cured loin of pork delicately flavored with pimenton – and topped with a drizzle of golden Andalucian olive oil and, our new favorite condiment, grated tomato. I know it doesn’t sound like a wildly exotic or even a very exciting breakfast (especially to our Spanish readers), but to us, who usually only shove down a slice of toast before hurrying out of the door of an average morning, it was out of this world.

So, this past weekend, as you can see from the pictures, in a flood of nostalgia, and flush with many of the requisite ingredients, we recreated our Madrid breakfasts in our Brooklyn apartment – courtesy of a very kind deli counter worker at Union Market (69cents for six slices of jamon iberico!) and through the good graces of our friend Nuría Farregut at Spanish Recipes and the miracle of vacuum-packing. In fact, so thoughtful and kind is Nuría that yesterday, just as we were mourning the last of the chorizo de bellota she sent us from La Boquería over the summer, another package arrived with some magnificent-looking dry salami/salchichon! It’s as if we managed to telepathically transmit our longing for Spain to Nuría in Barcelona. I mean, we’re still desperate to return, but at least our stomachs are temporarily satisfied! Thank you so, so much, Nuría! Una amiga en jamón, es una amiga por la vida!

Asparagus, Cremini and Tomato Tart: Lighter Than Quiche (Unless You Eat 5 Pieces)

Amy — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 13:36:25 +0000

In recent years, I’ve become a food magazine junkie. I’ve pretty much ordered every single one over the past 10 years (no Rachael Ray & Martha Stewart mags don’t count in my world) and found that only a small handful are worth reordering (ahem, Saveur, Gourmet, Cucina Italiana, Food & Wine). One that I keep reordering but often question why is Bon Appetit. When they relaunched the magazine about a year ago with a new look I had a few opinions because I felt like the direction of the mag was changing – and not for the better. Regardless, I decided to give it a shot and, just like I do with my favorite food mags every month, I read the whole magazine – every page, cover to cover. I’ve continued to do this month after month, and month after month I feel the same way – uninspired. But one lovely and delicious-looking dish in the April 2008 issue struck me – an asparagus and ricotta tart made with puff pastry. I loved the idea of using ricotta along with the traditional quiche ingredients to make a tart. I imagined the flavor, texture and smell – I was inspired!

I tweaked the original Bon Appetit recipe a bit and only had a piece of puff pastry in the freezer and some pie crusts. I will write the recipe asking you to use only puff pastry, but feel free to do what we did and roll out defrosted pie crusts, shape into a rectangle and line the outside of the tart with strips of puff pastry. It works just as well!

The taste of this tart was light and chewy. Using various different veggies and ricotta over all eggs helped me convince myself that I was eating healthy. Even after a few helpings, I knew I was kidding myself but I’ve never been one of those fools that really believed that “a moment on the lips is a lifetime on the hips”. If I did I’d be much thinner and this blog would not exist, clearly!

Btw… thanks to our friend at Serious Eats who featured this post in their “Blogwatch” section recently. Gracias!

ASPARAGUS, CREMINI AND TOMATO TART WITH RICOTTA AND PETITE JURASSIC CHEESE

Ingredients:

2 sheet of thawed puff pastry (1/2 of a 17.3 oz. package)
1 egg, beaten
about 10 to 12 asparagus spears
6-8 grape tomatoes, sliced in half
6-8 cremini mushrooms (or white/brown mushrooms), sliced in half
1/2 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
pinch of salt
6 slices of thinly-sliced genoa salami, soppressata or other sliced cured meat of your choice
2/3 cup grated Petite Jurassic cheese (or Gruyere, Swiss or Comte cheese)

What to do:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll out puff pastry on floured surface and roll into a large rectangle (about the size of a long baking sheet). Cut 1/2 inch of puff pastry from each side and brush the sides with a bit of the beaten egg. Place 1/2 inch pieces all along the edges of the puff pastry tart so that the egg is the binding ingredient. Transfer to a baking sheet.
Steam asparagus until so it’s crisp-tender – about 2 to 3 minutes. Shock in an ice bath to keep color and texture. Chop the bottom 2 inches of the asparagus off and puree these in a food processor along with the rest of the beaten egg, ricotta, the olive oil and pinch of salt. Transfer to bowl.
Spread the asparagus puree on the bottom of your tart, reserving a few tablespoons. It will fill up to about 1/8 of an inch high. Make sure it is coated evenly. Nestle the pieces of salami into the puree in random places around the tart. Sprinkle your cheese around the tart as well and put your remaining tablespoons of asparagus puree over the pieces of salami (so to cover them).
Add your sliced grape tomatoes, asparagus spears and mushrooms to the top of the tart – make it look pretty, why not.
Drizzle some olive oil over the top and bake about 25 to 30 minutes or until the filling is set. Serve warm or cold along with a salad or for breakfast with a runny egg.

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Gnocchi alla Romana (Roman Gnocchi) – Those Romans Do It Again

Amy — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 02:40:10 +0000

As I wrote in the title of this post, the Romans do it again… and again… and again. Roman cuisine is one of our favorites and Rome is one of our favorite cities to visit and eat in. This dish, gnocchi alla romana, is a dish that reminds me how versatile, creative and (I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again) simple Roman cooking can be.

Traditional methods of making gnocchi are some of the oldest ways to prepare food – the first noted recipe dates back to the 13th century. The original gnocchi were made with flour and water and had more of a consistency to pasta. It is possible that gnocchi actually pre-date pasta. These days, any “gnocchi” made with flour and water are called pasta, while gnocchi will be a dumpling made with anything else. The most well-known and traditional ingredient is the potato. Have you ever wondered why some people specify their gnocchi as “potato gnocchi“? Well, that’s the reason. Gnocchi does not exclusively mean using potato. Also, the shape of gnocchi also changes in Italy from region to region. Which brings me to my dish – Roman Gnocchi. The Romans put their own spin on gnocchi by using semolina in lieu of potato, by cutting them into larger ‘discs’ and baking the dish. Originally this type of gnocchi was made using crustless bread. Those delicious Romans also add plenty of eggs, cheese and butter to the dish to make it seem like it would taste pretty heavy but, believe me, it tastes weirdly light at the same time. Ok, ok, so traditionally there should be about a half of pound of butter and cheese as the topping. Seriously, guys, it tastes weirdly light! Much lighter than a bowl of traditional potato gnocchi.

Give this easy and different type of gnocchi a try. I’m sure it would be a conversation starter if you made it for friends. You could make different toppings (pesto, meat sauce, etc.) and pair it with roasted vegetables or an arugula salad to make it more of a balanced meal. Whatever you do, give it a try – but maybe wait till the summer is over in order to blast up that oven.

GNOCCHI ALLA ROMANA (ROMAN GNOCCHI)

Ingredients (**Note: We used less butter and cream in our dish because we were feeling like fat asses – it still turned out delicious. If you’re feeling thin, adding the extra butter and cream to the topping will create a delicious and fattening sauce.)

4 cups of milk
1 cup semolina
1/4 cup melted unsalted butter
1 egg plus 2 yolks
1/3 cup of parmigiano reggiano, grated
pinch of salt
pinch of ground nutmeg

For topping:

2 tablespoons melted butter
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup grated parmigiano

Recipe:

Rub butter in a baking tin to grease.
Beat together butter, parmigiano and egg/egg yolks and season with nutmeg and salt and set aside.
Heat milk in a large saucepan. When milk is boiling, turn heat down and pour in semolina while stirring. Make sure you pour in a slow and steady stream.
Increase heat again to medium. Cook until milk has been absorbed and mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan in one mass (about 6 to 10 minutes).
Remove semolina from heat and beat in the butter/parmigiano/egg mixture. When smooth, spoon mixture into baking tin – spread evenly in the pan. Use a knife or a spatula if necessary. The semolina should be about 2 inches thick. Set aside to cool for 1/2 hour.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease another baking dish. Remove cooled semolina from other dish (it should slip out if properly greased) and place on counter/board. Using a cookie cutter or 3 inch-diameter juice glass (or whatever else that is about 3 inches wide and circular) cut semolina slices.
Arrange these slices slightly overlapping in your newly greased baking pan.
Make the topping by blending the butter and cream and pour over the unbaked gnocchi. Sprinkle parmigiano on top.
Bake in oven for 25-30 minutes or until golden. Feel free to put under the broiler for 3 minutes to make top extra-crispy.

Check out some other Roman-cuisine themed posts you might enjoy: