Food
Teriyaki Steak & Pickled Cabbage Sandwiches
Having never quite taken to the traditional steak sandwich, (ya know, the ones that are smothered in cheese and make that artery-clogging sound when they’re being digested) I decided to try creating my own Asian-inspired version. To me, this recipe is all about creating the penultimate combination of flavor and textures. Each element could stand well on its own, (actually, I encourage you to make the steak as a grill item sometime) but they work best when playing of each others’ strengths: fatty, delicious meat against the crisp,...
read morePretzel Crusted Mozzarella Balls with Spicy Mustard Sauce
Let’s get a few things straight:1) Pretzels (aka: salt delivery-methods) are one of the greatest snacks out there. Quick disclaimer: I spent a good portion of my life in Philadelphia, the unofficial birthplace of the soft, twisted pretzel. Regardless, I think this argument is pretty solid. Point #2: Mozzarella sticks are ALSO awesome. Point #3: A culinary mash up of mozzarella sticks and pretzels is… wait for it… DOUBLE awesome. Duh. Yes, indeed. I made this cheesy balls of wonderment for a football party and they were...
read moreBeet Risotto with Goat Cheese & Salted Kale
There are two glaring reasons why I’ve never made risotto:1) I’ve been tricked into ordering risotto three times in my life, each time expecting to finally see the magic in this sticky, monochromatic, cheesy blob; each time feeling disappointed, foolish and even more disenchanted. 2) Risotto is the dish that famously gets people sent home on Top Chef. So, in other words, if the nation’s top chefs can simultaneously burn a perfectly good cooking pot and a shot at $100k while making it, then the dish is 100% trouble and not worth...
read moreSwiss Chard & Raisin Tarte
This is my original take on Tourte aux blettes, a sweetened swiss chard tarte that’s been popular in France since the 14th century. There are may variations on this dish but the constants are chard, eggs, cream, some type of fruit and some type of nut. Essentially, when I say “original take” or “adapted” recipe, it means that I’ve made something a bunch of times, each time adding to my list of things that could make the dish more awesome, and then eventually editing that list down to a workable recipe. Below is the final...
read moreRed Snapper and Wild Mushrooms with Port Reduction
Ingredients: 2 cups port (aged is better, but get what you can afford) 2 cups sherry vinegar 3 tablespoons canola oil 1 pound fresh wild mushrooms (I basically walked into the grocery store and picked out 3 types of odd looking woodland mushrooms; all I can say for sure if that they were not Portobello— one of them might have been Porcini. They were definitely some shade of brown. Ha. My memory is terrible.) 2 branches fresh thyme 1 clove garlic, peeled and halved 1 large shallot, peeled and finely diced 5 tablespoons unsalted butter...
read moreSpicy Oven-Roasted Tomato Sauce
Even if you’ve only learned about Italian culture from staple mafia movies “Goodfellas” and “The Godfather,” you know that the concept of “respect” (earning, giving, exemplifying) is essential. And, while I wouldn’t use these movies as a teaching tool about Italian life, business, relationships, etc., I do think the lesson of “respect” extends VERY well to Italian food. Think of the process of cooking the following staple Italian dishes:1) a beautiful caprese salad (thickly sliced tomatoes and crisp basil leaves) 2)...
read moreSweet Pea & Pesto Envelopes with Roasted Tomato Sauce
I’ve always thought of ravioli as tiny, warm envelopes of wonderment. This recipe tastes the reference literally by creating small enveloped of pea and pesto puree. Milder than an actual pesto but similar in color, this filling makes for a beautiful green surprise on the plate. I served this recently alongside my roasted tomato/sausage sauce, and I thought the smokiness of the sauce really complimented the freshness of the filling. Additionally, the bold sausage paired nicely with the sweet (almost innocent texture) of the peas....
read moreCaramelized Onion & Apricot Sauce
This sauce was written as one component of my experiment to deconstruct a Moroccan Tagine and reimagine it in ravioli form. The main part of the entrée— the squash and carrot ravioli— had a feisty cumin-heavy flavor that needed to be balanced by a slightly tangy and sweet sauce. Enter: caramelized onions and apricots. Admittedly, this is an experiment that should have never succeeded, but somehow did. And, since the sauce ended up being the most revered part of this dish, I have since made a big jarred batch and applied it to a whole...
read moreMoroccan Carrot Ravioli with Onion Apricot Sauce
Recently, I’ve been inspired by (read: awake all night thinking about) the idea of deconstructing and reinventing some of my favorite one-pot dishes. Three that I was particularly tickled by were: 1) “what if I made Korean bibimbop but in sushi form, with cabbage leaves for the outer casing?” 2) “what if I could make some sort of paella / lasagna hybrid by infusing saffron into my noodle dough?” 3) “what if I made ravioli based on the ingredients of a vegetarian Moroccan tagine?” Knowing my penchant for carrying things...
read moreChinese Cucumber Salad
I’m not sure why, but people seem very judgmental and ill-informed about the whole business of pickling. I mean, when you get down to it, “a pickled vegetable” is really just a vegetable that someone has poured vinegar over and then walked away from for a few minutes. Yeh, that’s all. It was only in a recent conversation with my mother, during which her reaction to pickling was “oh, that’s gonna take FOREVER,” that I became aware of the misconception. As if pickling is a task that is culturally united with basket...
read more