Cooking Dreams

In the last week, I've had 3 cooking dreams - all interrupted before I could finish.

1. Roasted Chicken: Easy enough. Roasted a chicken with a lavender thyme lemon butter rubbed under the skin of the breast and the cavity stuffed with shallot, lemon and orange.

2. Black beans: I never got to finish this dream since my alarm went off. But there were a combination of whole and smashed black beans and cilantro. I'm not sure what I was doing with it but I think it was some sort of dip or the beginnings of a burrito.

3. Just now on the train, I had a 10 minute cat-nap, in which I grilled a tuna steak and there was a salsa (that's the word that I called it in the dream) of white beans, tomatoes and something green - scallions? basil? I must think this one through! I'm hungry now.

Sweet Dreams and Bon Appetite!

Scrounge Dinner: Spain Was In My Pantry

Recently, after being away for 5 days, I came home to a horrifying site. My freezer door was open just a crack. A frenzied inspection revealed that everything needed to go. Everything had been defrosted and was VERY soft.

All of my prepared meals, sauces and emergency frozen pizzas (yes, even I indulge in the Trader Joe's frozen Pizza Olympiad) were destined for the trash heap.

I hadn't yet had time to go to the grocery store which means I didn't even have onions, garlic or any of my staples. It was suggested to me to order in some food but I saw this as a challenge to continue with my Scrounge meals since those appear to be my specialty.

After some digging through the pantry, I realized I could take a quick trip to Spain right in my own kitchen.

here's what I found:


* 1 link Spanish Chorizo, diced
* 1 container Trader Joe's Starter Sauce
* 1 can Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained
* Italian Seasoned Panko breadcrumbs
* Dried Pasta (I skipped this ingredient - it wasn't needed)
* Dried oregano
* Fresh thyme (from my herb garden), leaves stripped from the stems
* Fresh Parsley (also from the herb garden), coarsely chopped
* Salt/pepper

What it became:

- Toasted the breadcrumbs in a little olive oil. Set aside.
- Wiped out the pan and sauteed the chorizo in olive oil for 2-3 minutes
- Added the Starter Sauce, dried oregano and fresh thyme
- Let cook for about 2 minutes over medium heat
- Added beans, salt and pepper and cooked for an additional 4-5 minutes, letting sauce cook down a bit.
- Spooned into dish and garnished with toasted bread crumbs and parsley.

Topped it off with a glass of a Malbec rose wine (ok, so that's not from Spain but trust me, it worked. I felt like I was at a little bar in Spain eating Tapas.

Delicious!

A Slice of Itlay in the East Village

The other night I met up with some girlfriends for dinner. I was the first to arrive at a pizza joint called Una Pizza Napoletana in the East Village of New York City. Tucked away on the tree-lined 12th street, I walked right by it on my first pass.

The black and white tiled floor, the gray-veined marble tables and the curved back wooden chairs could have been anywhere in Italy. Soft music was playing, which I couldn’t quite make out but added to the relaxed ambiance.

I was the first to arrive so I perused the wine list. 4 reds, 4 whites, none of which I recognized, were all $10/glass and $39/bottle. When asked for some help deciding on a white wine, the descriptors included “light and crisp”, “more body but definitely not sweet” and “fullest body and dry.” Not exactly what you’d print in a magazine but it told me all I needed to know.

As I settled into my “fullest body and dry” wine, a young family walks in – mother, father, a little girl of about 6 and a little boy around 3, both wearing what appears to be Catholic school uniforms. As they sit, I realize all 4 are speaking in Italian.

My girlfriends arrive and we sample both the “fizzy” and “full-bodied” red wines. Both wines are young and unique, with bursts of grapes and berries exploding in our mouths and, according to our waiter, would match perfectly with the pizza.

The menu is something to behold. Never, in my many years reading, writing or ordering from menus have I ever seen the word “No” so many times. In a stark contrast to the many NY restaurants catering to the ever finicky, entitled nature of so the American diner these days, Una offers 4 choices. That’s it.

No Substitutions, No Alterations, No Condiments (red pepper, oil, etc.) and No Slices. Like your grandmother, Una seems to come from the “you’ll eat what I give you and you’ll like it, or go hungry” school.

The 4 choices include no cheese, tomato sauce, fresh tomatoes or no tomatoes. Seeing as their sole choice of cheese is fresh Buffalo Mozzarella, we had to have cheese! To feed the 3 of us, we got a Margherita (San Marzano tomatoes, mozzarella di bufala, extra-virgin olive oil, fresh basil, sea salt) and a Bianca (Mozzarella di bufala, extra virgin olive oil, fresh garlic, fresh basil, sea salt).

As the pies were placed in front of us, we were enveloped by an aroma of fresh basil and wood oven-charred crust while our mouths began to water and stomachs growl.

We were so hungry at this point that I didn’t pause to take a picture before we dove in. Only about halfway through did we pause long enough to snap this shot.

Biting into the crisp yet chewy crust, the salty, tangy and fresh flavors were everything we’d hoped for. A sip of the young, fruity wine made it truly divine.

Only word of caution: The tables are very close together. Please be aware of where your chair is placed before leaning back in to your neighbor. Or I’ll sick my Sicilian friend on you!

Why I Love Spring

Springtime, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways:

* Fiddlehead Ferns
* Ramps
* Artichokes
* The beginning of Soft-Shell Crabs
* Tender Asparagus
* Nettles (that don't sting)
* Strawberries
* Morels

Mid-may and I've already had the occasion to experience asparagus, soft-shells and artichokes. Can't wait to see what I find next. Farmer's Market, here I come!

Sure Mom, I'll Cook the Fois Gras

You know your life isn’t normal when, on a recent trip to visit my parents, my mother says, “that friend of ours who owns the French restaurant gave us this fois gras. Will you cook it for us while you’re here?”

Um… ok. After ensuring it was properly cleaned and ready to go and some digging through the liquor cabinet, pantry and fridge, it ultimately became:

Seared Fois Gras with a Wild Blueberry Sauce

• Seasoned the fois gras with salt and pepper
• Seared on both sides in olive oil until cooked through and both sides are a golden brown
• Removed from pan and drained on paper towels
• Poured out most of the fat in the pan
• To the remaining fat. added 1 small shallot, chopped finely
• Added about ¼ cup Absolut Pear vodka to deglaze the pan
• Let bubble in the pan until reduced by about half
• Added 3 heaping Tbs Wild Blueberry jam, leaves from 3 sprigs fresh Thyme and freshly ground black pepper
• Cooked for about 1 minute, until jam was warmed through and flavors combined
• Poured sauce over fois gras in serving dish
• Served with toast points

Something to remember when eating fois gras – It should be eaten in small portions. It’s extremely rich and most people’s digestive systems aren’t used to eating food that rich. If you eat too much of it, you WILL have a stomachache.

In hindsight, if I’d had more time to think it through, I probably should have/would have made a pate.

Note: Yes, I know – I must replace my camera so I can post pictures of these things. Soon!