delicious ... delicioso

oven-baked fish

2012-01-12T11:23:00.002+01:00

First, a thousand apologies for letting this lag for so long. I blame Picasa, the program I have a love/hate relationship with that lets me upload pictures on to this blog all at once, not one by one. Anyway, it was not working, and hence the delay (plus life, baby, etc.) and yadah yadah, no recipes. You probably don't care about that, however, so here's a recipe for oven-baked fish instead! This one is for my friend Sean, who was lamenting the absence of fish filets here in Tunisia, and did not know how to cook a whole fish. This recipe below is for grouper (you can make a grouper face if you like), which is plentiful here.

Ingredients
4 whole fish (gutted and scaled)
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil
Bread crumbs
(optional) sliced fresh pepper and onion

Preparation
Oil up a roasting pan (use olive oil to coat it). Preheat your oven to 325. Put the fish in, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and bread crumbs. Roast for 30-40 minutes, or until done (the eye will be not glassy, but opaque). If you want, you can put the pepper and onion slices (both sliced in circles) as a bed under the fish, put a swing of olive oil, salt, and pepper, and then put the fish on top. Serve.

gambas al ajillo (garlic shrimp)

2012-01-12T11:18:00.001+01:00

Gambas al ajillo! Garlic is a quintessential part of Spanish cuisine, as is seafood (after all, Spain is flanked by water on three sides) so it should be no surprise to you that this recipe is one of my favorites. It goes without saying, but shrimp have heads and they must remain ON for this recipe to work. I am flabbergasted when people (who shall remain nameless) get grossed out by shrimp heads. The brain juice is the tastiest part! Anyway, here is the recipe:

Ingredients

1-2 lbs of whole large shrimp

6 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced

vinegar (preferably sherry, but whatever)

olive oil

Preparation

Heat up a large pan with a little bit of olive oil. If you have a grill pan, that is best. Any old frying pan will do. Heat it up until it's really hot, and then toss in your shrimp (which hopefully you have washed first in a colander, just to get any seaweed or other weird stuff off of them). Saute over high heat until just beginning to get pink, turning them with tongs or just tossing them around in the pan. Add the garlic (the reason you don't add the garlic at the beginning is because it will brown too soon). Keep tossing and sauteing until the shrimp are just beginning to slightly brown and are cooked all the way through. Toss with a light swig of vinegar.

Serve immediately on a platter, and drizzle with the oil/vinegar left in the pan. You can serve with mayonnaise or just eat them as-is. If you need assistance on how to peel a shrimp watch this video (it's for raw shrimp but it's basically the same process, except you should SUCK on the head to get the good juices out - enjoy the person's british accent too, it's kind of hilarious). Ahhh.... the wonders of YouTube.

mussels vinaigrette

2011-08-30T11:21:00.002+01:00

Mussels are so easy to make! The key is finding them fresh and clean (no barnacles or hair) or, if you must clean them, do it yourself. This recipe is an original from one of the Rioja family tapas route stops - called La Ria, it's a great restaurant near Puerta del Sol in Madrid - and they serve only mussels with various sauces, one of them being this vinaigrette!

Ingredients
2 lb mussels, in shell, outside cleaned of barnacles, hair
1/2 red pepper
1/2 green pepper
1 large tomato
1 small onion
wine vinegar
olive oil
salt

Preparation
In a large pot, toss the mussels and fill up with water until mussels are only halfway covered. Turn heat to high and cover, steam for about 5-10 minutes, or until mussels open. Discard any mussels that didn't open. Drain and let cool.

Chop up tomato, pepper, and onion very finely. In a bowl, toss in chopped vegetables and a large swig of olive oil, a small swig of vinegar, and a generous pinch of salt. Taste and adjust flavors.

To serve, discard the mussel shells that do not have mussels attached, and present the other shell (with the mussel attached) in a decorative way. Spoon vinaigrette over the mussels. Enjoy!

lentil soup

2011-08-30T11:16:00.005+01:00

When I was young, my father used threaten to serve "lentejudis," a mythical hybrid of lentils and beans. I think I actually cried at the thought of such a vile legume. Lentils, my brother, and I go way back in our mutual hatred (my brother and I against the lentils), even going so far as to splatter them on the wall in one particularly heated protest. Now, in a twisted spell of fate, I actually love lentils! Here's a recipe for a nice hearty soup.

Ingredients
3 c dried lentils, rinsed
2 carrots, finely chopped
1 c frozen peas
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3 slices bacon, chopped
1 tsp cumin
salt
pepper
seasoned salt
2 bay leaves
8 c vegetable or chicken broth
chopped fresh parsley (optional)
sour cream or plain yogurt (optional)

Preparation
Make sure you've picked any dirt or stones out of the lentils. In a heavy saucepan, melt a bit of butter and toss in the bacon. Reserve 1/4 of the carrots and peas. When it's starting to get translucent, add the onion, garlic, and the rest of the carrots and peas. Cook over low-medium heat until onion is translucent. Add seasoned salt, cumin, pepper, and regular salt (only add the salts if your broth is bland! If it's not, then omit the salt and add to taste at the end). Add bay leaves. Add lentils and add broth. Cook for about 40 minutes, until lentils are soft. Add water if you need to cook longer and it's getting too thick. About 10 minutes before they are done, add the peas and carrots. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve with a dollop of sour cream, if you are so inclined.

beet and mussel salad

2011-08-30T11:16:00.003+01:00

Most of you don't eat beets or mussels on a regular basis, so this probably seems strange to you. I don't care - it's good! You can make it with canned mussels and prepared beets, or make both from scratch. The combination is interesting - sweetness of beets, and brininess of mussels go well together.

Ingredients
1 can mussels or 1 lb fresh mussels
2 large beets
1/2 onion or shallot, sliced thin
wine vinegar
olive oil
salt

Preparation
If you are using fresh mussels, clean the outsides well and steam in a large pot of water for a few minutes or until mussels open. Remove from shells and set aside. If using canned, just open the can.

For the beets, you have some choices. You can either peel them, wrap in tin foil, and bake at 350 for 45 minutes until soft, or you can slice them and cook them in butter in a large frying pan, adding water until they are completely soft. Either way, you should end up with a cooked beet than you can slice into matchsticks (julienne).

To finalize the salad, add mussels, onions, and beets into a bowl. Sprinkle with salt, add a large swig of olive oil and a small swig of vinegar. Taste and fix salt if needed. Serve!

picnic chicken

2011-08-30T11:14:00.002+01:00

Behold picnic chicken! This is the recipe that I most often recommend to friends who "can't" cook (as you guessed, the quotes are to denote my sarcasm - everyone can cook!). It's so damn delicious and even a fool can make it, it's so easy.

Line up your ingredients: melted butter, bread crumbs with onion soup

Dip your chicken in butter

then in crumb mixture

stick it in the oven

and a delicious chicken is born

serve with salad (cucumber works well)

Ingredients
8 chicken drumsticks
1/2 stick of butter, melted
1/2 pack of onion soup mix
1-2 cups bread crumbs

Preparation
Preheat oven to 325. Get two shallow bowls ready. Put the putter in one and melt in the microwave (stick it in for 30 seconds max). In the other bowl, combine breadcrumbs and onion soup mixture. Grease your baking pan.

Coat the drumstick in butter, then in breadcrumb mixture, making sure it's coated on all sides. Put into the baking pan. Do this for all the drumsticks. If you have leftover crumbs, you can toss them on top of the chicken.

Bake for 45 minutes - 1 hour, until chicken is done. How do you know it's done? poke it with a knife - if the juices run clear (not pinkish), it is done. If you can't tell, just sacrifice one of the drumsticks and cut it open. Serve hot or cold (that's why it's called picnic chicken - it's just as good cold!)

tomato sauce for bread

2011-08-30T11:12:00.001+01:00

If you ever find yourself in Madrid on any given weekday, do yourself a favor and go walk around and try a "Menu del dia" - for 11 euros you can basically eat a three-course meal (first course, second course, and dessert, plus wine) at some of the best restaurants around. One of the ones I tried while I was on maternity leave offered tomato sauce instead of butter for bread. In Spain, a typical breakfast can include french bread toasts with tomato and olive oil. Making your own version is really easy.

Ingredients
3 very ripe tomatoes
olive oil
salt

Preparation
De-seed your tomatoes. How? Cut them lengthwise, then again (so into quarters), and then run the tip of the knife from the top to the bottom, cutting out the seeds. If you feel anal, you can also peel the tomatoes, but I find this takes a long time since you have to parboil and then cool them down. Instead, we will cheat using a strainer! In a food processor or blender, toss in your tomatoes and puree. Strain through a wire-mesh strainer and add a swig of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Serve!

seafood-arugula salad

2011-08-30T11:09:00.003+01:00

File this salad under recipes I made up when I found I had ingredients in the fridge that needed to be eaten. Yes, that's you fake crab meat! Oh smack -I almost typed fake crap meat. It kind of is crap. If you can get canned crab meat all the better, but I must say this didn't taste all that bad. The dressing is a pretty much a homemade thousand island.

Ingredients
4-6 servings salad greens (arugula or any salad green, even lettuce)
1/2 small onion or shallot, sliced very thin
4 crab meat sticks, sliced
1 tbsp capers, chopped
2 tbsp ketchup
2 tbsp mayonnaise
2 tsp lemon juice

Preparation
To make the dressing, combine ketchup, mayo, and lemon juice. Toss all other salad ingredients in a large bowl and pour some dressing into the bowl (don't pour it all - it may be too much), and toss all ingredients to coat. If the salad looks thinly dressed, add more dressing. I urge you to not use all the dressing up front because who knows if you are using few greens and then you end up with a goopy salad. Serve.

steamed clams

2011-08-30T11:00:00.001+01:00

Do not be afraid of seafood -it is not complicated! In fact, clams are the easiest thing in the world to make, and only take about 10 minutes from start to finish. You can use them in pasta, or just eat them as an appetizer.

Ingredients
1 lb any type of clams, with shell on
Fresh lemon slices
(optional) white wine
(optional) fresh parsley

Preparation
Clean your clams well, removing any barnacles, hair, or dirt. Clams should be completely shut - if there are open ones, toss them. In a large heavy pot, toss in clams and about 1 c water (the idea is to steam them). If you want, toss in a large swig of white wine. Cover pot and bring to a boil. As soon as it is boiling, remove from heat and let sit with lid on for 5 minutes. Your clams should have steamed open. If they did not (most of them are closed), then boil for a bit longer.

To serve, sprinkle with lemon juice and parsley if you want.

broiled leeks with vinaigrette

2011-08-30T10:59:00.002+01:00

This recipe was part of an earlier combo recipe I posted about back in the day (Ostrich Filets with Braised Leeks), but I realize that the leek recipe was probably lost in the fray. Since I'm trying to eat more vegetables, here's the more fleshed-out recipe. Broiling is easy, all ovens have a broil setting and usually it's that weird drawer under your oven that you never knew you could use. The key is to use a metal tray and watch your food often - broiling means a flame comes only from above and it gets very very hot.

Ingredients
7-8 medium-sized leeks, trimmed and cleaned
chopped fresh parsley or oregano
olive oil
sherry vinegar
salt

Preparation
To clean the leeks, cut off the hairy ends, the very top of the green fronds, and cut down lengthwise almost all the way down to the root (the leek should open up like a bouquet of flowers or the letter Y). Run under water in the sink and make sure to get into all the folds - there is lots of dirt in there!

Turn your oven to broil. Toss leeks in pot of boiling water for about 4-5 minutes, until they are a really bright green color. Immediately take them out and put in a strainer under cold water to stop the cooking process (this keeps them green). In a cookie sheet or broiler pan, arrange the leeks in one layer. Mix the vinaigrette together: 4 parts olive oil, 1 part vinegar, salt, pepper, and fresh herbs (you will probably need about 1/2 cup total for the number of leeks in this recipe, but you can use extra for later if you want).

Pour vinaigrette over the leeks, and stick in broiler for about 2-3 minutes on each side, turning with tongs. Make sure they do not burn.

oven-baked polenta with cherry tomatoes

2011-08-30T10:58:00.002+01:00

Polenta is a very easy dish to make if you are lucky enough to have access to prepared polenta (it comes in a package like a thick sausage and you cut off slices). If you don't, you can make it from scratch (from polenta grain), which takes a while but the results are also good. This recipe is for prepared polenta with a topping that is kind of surprising because it's a bit spicy.

Ingredients
4 servings prepared polenta (2 slices per serving = 8 slices)
1.5 cups cherry tomatoes, sliced halfway
8 thick slices smoked mozzarella (or any other cheese)
red pepper flakes
chopped fresh parsley
1/4 c vegetable or chicken broth
1 tsp sugar
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
butter, olive oil

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350. Grease a pan and place the polenta slices in the pan. Top with a slice of cheese each and drizzle very lightly with olive oil. Stick in the oven for 20 minutes, or just until golden and cheese is melted. In the meantime, make the tomato topping. In a frying pan, heat up a spoonful of butter and a swig of olive oil. Toss in garlic and saute over medium heat for one minute, until just getting some color (but not getting brown yet). Add a dash of red pepper flakes and sugar, saute until sugar gets liquidy. Add tomatoes, cook until tomatoes start to wilt. Add broth and heat over high until broth evaporates and sauce is thickened.

To plate, put two polenta slices together, top with tomato mixture. Sprinkle with fresh ground pepper and parsley.

have you tried eel sauce?

2011-08-15T17:01:00.003+01:00

Nooo? Why not. It's so good! You've likely had it at Japanese restaurant when ordering anago or unagi (fresh or saltwater eel) -- this is the sauce that goes on that type of sushi. However, the sauce is delicious on salmon and other fish! It's really easy - just cook your fish as usual, and then 1 minute before you are done cooking, brush on the sauce (it's especially good on oven-baked fish). It's available at any Asian supermarket, sometimes even regular supermarkets.

spicy pan-seared salmon

2011-08-15T16:32:00.004+01:00

By popular demand, I'm putting more salmon recipes out there. This sauce I made up, and it was pretty good for a quick weeknight dinner. If you don't like spicy, omit the red pepper flakes.

Ingredients
4 salmon rounds
2 cloves garlic, sliced
dash red pepper flakes
1/4 c fish broth (from bullion, or clam juice)
butter
rice vinegar
fresh chopped cilantro (optional)

Preparation
In a frying pan, melt butter, and add garlic and red pepper flakes. Fry until garlic is golden, then remove from pan (along with flakes, if you can). In the same butter, saute the salmon for as long as you want (just a bit if you like it raw, about 3-4 minutes if you like it cooked all the way). Remove salmon from pan.

Turn heat to high and add a big swig of rice vinegar. Let cook on high until reduced, about 1 minute. Add about 1/4c fish broth, and keep heat on medium until reduced. Add the garlic and the flakes back in. To serve, put the salmon on a plate, top with sauce. If you have cilantro, add it.

pork tenderloin with maple glaze

2011-08-15T16:12:00.003+01:00

I do not toy with you when I say this is my all-time favorite pork recipe. It's got the sweet-savory combination and the sauce is so good I always find Luis sopping up leftover sauce straight from the frying pan. You will not be disappointed in this - make it STAT!

pat dry the pork tenderloin, then rub with salt, pepper, and dried sage

For the sauce, combine mustard, cider vinegar, and maple syrup

Brown tenderloins in butter and olive oil

after letting them rest whole for 3-5 minutes, carve on the diagonal (should be medium rare to stay juicy!)

Top with sauce and parsley

Ingredients
2 pork tenderloins
2 tsp coarse-grain mustard
3 tsp cider vinegar
3 tsp maple syrup
dry sage
salt and pepper
1 tbsp butter
olive oil
fresh parsley (optional)

Preparation
The best tool to use is an oven-proof cast-iron skillet. If you do not have this, just use a regular frying pan and a baking dish. Preheat your oven to 350. Combine mustard, cider vinegar, and maple syrup. The mixture should not be overly sweet - if it is, add more vinegar and mustard. Pat your tenderloins dry, then sprinkle with salt, pepper, and sage, rubbing them on to the meat. Heat up butter and olive oil (using both allows you to get the flavor of the butter, but it won't burn thanks to the olive oil). Brown the tenderloins on all sides, using tongs. When brown, stick in the oven for 10 minutes.

Remove tenderloins from oven and set on a platter to cool. While you do that, put the pan back on high and add the mustard-vinegar mixture to the pan, scraping up the brown bits. Cook over medium heat until thickened, then turn off the heat. Carve up your meat, adding all the juices back into a sauce. Put on a platter in a pretty way, top with sauce, and sprinkle with fresh parsley.

white chocolate ice cream with violetas

2011-08-04T21:49:00.002+01:00

Violetas are a very typical Madrid candy that tastes like ... violets? I don't really know how to describe it, they are sweet and tart at the same time. This great little bakery in Cercedilla (a town in the mountains north of Madrid) sells homemade ice cream, and while I am not an ice cream fan, I had to try this. It's made of white chocolate and a syrup from the violetas candy, plus the crushed candy. Since making ice cream is not easy, and most people don't have an ice cream maker, I am putting a white chocolate mousse recipe here which you could use with a syrup made from the candies.

Ingredients
8 ounces good-quality white chocolate, finely chopped
1 2/3 cups chilled whipping cream
1 cup violetas candies

Preparation
Stir white chocolate and 2/3 cup cream in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until chocolate is melted. Transfer chocolate mixture to large bowl. Let stand until mixture is cool and just beginning to thicken, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Beat remaining 1 cup cream in medium bowl until stiff peaks form. Fold into cool chocolate mixture in 2 additions. Cover; chill mousse at least 2 hours. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.)

To make the syrup, crush the candies and put in a saucepan with 2 cups water. Boil until syrupy and reduced. The mixture will not be smooth, but rather chunky. To serve, top mousse with violet syrup and some candy bits.

lucky peach magazine ... coming soon

2011-08-01T22:27:00.003+01:00

I'm subscribing to this. The cover alone is really cool, but the content seems right up my alley. You can subscribe for $28 here.

sweet-savory squash

2011-08-01T18:23:00.003+01:00

The pictures here are of an oven-baked version of this, though I usually make it in a frying pan with the squash sliced thin. You can use acorn squash or pumpkin, or any squash that is orange and meaty. I foolishly don't have a photo of the end result, but it's good.

try to make your pieces even

ingredients are simple - olive oil, butter, salt, and sugar

Ingredients
1 lbs squash, peeled and cut into even slices
sugar
salt
olive oil
butter

Preparation
To peel the squash, you should cut off the rind with a sharp knife. The best way to do this is cut it into quarters or thick slices, then cut the rind off of each slice, otherwise you have to cut on a curve, which is a pain in the ass. Preheat oven to 350. Put a swig of olive oil to oil the pan, then place squash in one layer in the pan. Top with a dollop of butter on each piece, then sprinkle with salt and sugar. Cook for 40 minutes, until tender and top of the squash is caramelized.

mediterranean salad with almond dressing

2011-08-01T18:14:00.003+01:00

I just made this salad up today based on ingredients that I had in the fridge. The key inspiration was the beets and how they go with nuts, so I basically just used some good Trader Joe's almond butter that I already had. Anyway, the dressing would probably go with any ingredients if you don't have beets on hand.

Always cut cherry tomatoes in half, otherwise they are really hard to spear with a fork, and may go flying off the plate and hit someone in the eye

Viva Trader Joe's (yes, my mom brought this to Madrid from Tucson, AZ)

dressing - almond butter, olive oil, vinegar, salt

a colorful salad

Ingredients
2 eggs, hard-boiled
3 cups salad greens
1 beet, cooked and sliced thin
1/4 of an onion, sliced thin
1/4 c cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

For dressing:
2 tbsp almond butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1-2 tsp wine vinegar
salt

Preparation
Hard boil the eggs by putting them in a pan when the water is cold, and then bring to boil and boil six minutes. Mix all the non-dressing ingredients except for the egg in the bowl. For dressing, mix all the ingredients - remember the amounts of each thing are approximate, so you should taste to make sure it tastes good and the flavors balance. Toss the salad with dressing right before serving and then top with the eggs.

grilled squid with garlic

2011-08-01T17:20:00.002+01:00

This picture isn't really squid, it's sepia, or cuttlefish (a much less sexier name than calamari, which is what squid is usually called on a menu). Nevermind the name - the taste is pretty much the same! This sepia is done up with garlic, in true simple Spanish style. You can buy squid cleaned and frozen at the grocery store -- if they don't have any, you can usually bet they'll have it at the Asian market in the freezer section.

Ingredients
1 large squid or two small cuttlefish (about 1.5 lbs)
5 heads garlic, sliced thin
olive oil

Preparation
Make sure your cuttlefish is clean. How do you know? Well, there should be no beak, or hard claw, in the middle of the tentacles. If there is, just cut it off. In addition, there should be no ink sacks or hard bones in the spine of the cuttlefish. If there is, just remove them and run under cold water.

Cut the cuttlefish into large pieces that lay flat (in thirds if you have the large body of the cuttlefish). Heat olive oil in a grill pan and add garlic, removing when garlic is golden. Set aside the garlic with most of the olive oil. Add the cuttlefish and grill or fry until browned on all sides. Cuttlefish should be bright white and not filmy or translucent. Lay on a cutting board and cut into bite size pieces. You can either serve the garlic and olive oil on the side or drizzle it over the cuttlefish. You can also top with garlic if you want.

Variation: Add red pepper flakes to garlic when sauteeing and/or sprinkle with a little bit of sherry vinegar before serving.

easy mango dessert

2011-08-01T17:03:00.002+01:00

It is almost an abomination to call this a recipe, since it only has three ingredients. That said, I guess it's a chance to show you how to carve up a mango. Mangos are one of my favorite fruits (and I don't really like fruit) -- meaty, sweet, and delicious! A good mango should have some give when you press your finger against the skin, but if they get overly ripe (like the one in the photo) they get mushy (but still taste good). Below is a recipe for a quick dessert with yogurt, mango, and mint.

cut mango into quarters, then cut crosswise but not all the way

serve in a fancy cup!

Ingredients
1 mango, diced
2 c plain yogurt
2 tbsp fresh chopped mint

Preparation
Mangos are tricky to cut. You have to work from the inside out. The pit is large, kind of shaped like an oval. Basically you have to cut the mango in quarters and cut around the pit, making sure to not press too hard into the mango flesh with your hands. When you have the quarters, then you run your knife along the flesh but don't cut all the way through the peel. Basically, you make a criss-cross pattern. Then you run the knife along the peel, cutting loose the pieces.

To make the dessert, put yogurt in serving cup, top with mango and mint. If for some reason your mango is not that sweet, add honey onto the whole thing.

pork tenderloin with mustard cream sauce

2011-07-28T12:32:00.002+01:00

If you read this blog on a regular basis, you will know that I love pork tenderloin! It's such an easy cut of meat to make, and it lends itself well to all sorts of delicious sauces and flavors. This particular one I made up one day, and it was quite good.

Ingredients
2 pork tenderloin steaks
3 tbsp coarse-grain mustard
white wine
1/2 c chicken broth
heavy whipping cream
cracked black pepper
fresh parsley (optional)

Preparation
Preheat oven to 375. Heat up a little olive oil in a heavy (preferably oven-friendly) skillet. Salt and pepper the steaks. Sear them over high heat on all sides, until browned. When done searing, stick in the oven for 10-15 minutes (searing keeps the juices in). Remove the steaks from the oven, and remove them from the pan (set them on a plate or cutting board where you can reserve the juices). Put the pan back on the stove (if you are using a separate pan and not your original skillet, put the pan straight on the burner). Over high heat, add a generous swig of wine into the pan, scraping up the brown bits (this is called deglazing).

When slightly reduced, add mustard and broth. Heat over medium heat until reduced and thickened. Carve the pork on the diagonal and arrange the slices on a plate. Add the juices back into the pan sauce, then add a swig of whipping cream. Taste for salt, add cracked pepper. Top pork with sauce and top with parsley. Serve!

pan-fried steaks with sun-dried tomatoes

2011-07-28T12:25:00.002+01:00

This is the typical dish I made combining ingredients that I already had on hand. It's a great lesson on how to make an easy steak pan sauce. Pan sauces are super easy, very tasty, and healthy too! The key elements of a pan sauce are caramelization (which comes from sauteing the meat), an acid (wine or vinegar), and a savory (broth). Yes, that's it! This particular recipe has some other mediterranean elements - sun-dried tomatoes, nuts, garlic, and peppercorns.

soak tomatoes in hot water for 30 mins

cut them up in thin slices

after sauteeing some garlic in olive oil, add the steaks

toast some slivered almonds in a pan

after removing the steaks, add vinegar, then tomatoes, broth, and peppercorns

to meld flavors, add meat back in

top with nuts and fresh parsley

Ingredients
4-6 thinly-sliced beef, chicken, or lamb steaks
1/4 c sun-dried tomatoes, reconstituted (or you can use tomatoes in oil)
1 tsp fresh peppercorns
1/4 c slivered almonds (or other nuts)
Fresh parsley (optional)
1/2 c beef or chicken broth
wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

Preparation
Toast nuts in a pan with no oil over high heat. Reserve. If using dried tomatoes, soak in hot water for 30 minutes, reserving the liquid for use later with the broth. Salt and pepper the steaks. In a large pan, add olive oil, saute garlic until just starting to get golden, then saute the steaks. Remove steaks and garlic and set aside. In the same pan, turn heat to high and add a generous swig of vinegar, scraping up with brown bits with a wooden spoon. Saute for 1-2 minutes, until reduced, and then add the broth (plus tomato "juice"), tomatoes, and peppercorns. Heat over medium heat until reduced by half. When reduced, add the meat back in quickly to coat, taste for salt. Serve on a platter, top with pan sauce, nuts, and parsley.

roasted red pepper salad

2011-07-19T12:35:00.001+01:00

Another Spanish dish (lucky you!). This is quite easy, but it takes some time to make, just because of the roasting of the peppers. The good part is that it keeps for a long time in the fridge (like a week).

Ingredients
4 red bell peppers
2 cloves garlic, chopped
Extra-virgin olive oil
Salt & Pepper

Preparation
Heat oven to 375°. Prepare the peppers by slicing off the top (close to the stem) and then using your fingers to get out the seeds in the middle. My trick is to fill the pepper with water—this usually gets all the seeds out. Put the peppers in a glass (or metal) baking pan, drizzle generously with olive oil, and stick in the oven for an hour or until they are tender.

When done, remove from oven and let cool for 1 hr. When cool to the touch, remove the skin with your fingers. Cut into strips, combine with chopped garlic, add salt and pepper and drizzle with good olive oil. Serve!

kung-fu bok choy

2011-07-11T14:55:00.003+01:00

A thousand apologies for ignoring this blog since late June. I have a good excuse though - I had a baby! Lucia was born June 29th, and it's been a surreal whirlwind since then. Only now am I getting a bit of a respite while she sleeps, as I ignore the hallowed advice of "sleep when baby sleeps." Anyway, since I found an Asian grocery store in Madrid, I bought some bok choy. This is a great vegetable that's easy to make cantonese-style (with garlic and chicken broth). Enjoy!

There are different kinds of bok choy - this recipe works with all of them

Cut your vegetable into parts, the stems have longer cooking time

chop your garlic fine

saute your garlic in canola or peanut oil

add your stems, plus a little water

then add your leaves

enjoy!

Ingredients
1 head of bok choy, chopped into stems and leaves
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 c chicken broth (can be from bullion cube)
canola or peanut oil (not olive oil)

Preparation
In a large frying pan, heat up the oil over medium heat and brown the garlic. Add your stems and saute for a minute or two, then add a little bit of chicken broth. Keep heat on medium and add replace broth as it evaporates from the pan. When stems are starting to get soft, add leaves. Keep cooking with the adding liquid method until vegetable is tender (don't overcook or the color will turn ugly!). Serve.

korean food in Madrid

2011-06-17T14:53:00.000+01:00

I miss Asian food a lot living in Tunisia, so when I can get some, I go for it, even if it's here in Madrid. We found a good Korean restaurant and I introduced my parents to it (they had never eaten Korean food and were skeptical). Luckily, they loved it! Korean is more refined than Chinese food, but not as refined as Japanese. It's got a good mix of spicy and salty - and kim chee (spicy pickled cabbage) is delicious!

A seafood pancake

Korean BBQ - ready for grilling

grill at your table - yum!

Be bim bap (spelling sucks - but it's rice with egg and vegetables)

... and it's stirred at your table

Korean BBQ Chicken

Kim Chee

Dessert is a fried corn dough ball with caramel

Highly recommend this place:

Han Gang
C/ Atocha, 94
28012 Madrid, Spain
915 281 201

Madrid tapas festival

2011-06-16T15:06:00.000+01:00

Last weekend, we stopped by the Madrid Tapas Festival, which was held in the Madrid basketball arena. What is a Tapa, you ask? Well, there are many claims to the origin of the tapa and despite me majoring in history, I will spare you an ill-researched history lesson. Basically it's a little plate of food you get when you order a drink. In Madrid, and many Spanish cities, there is a tradition of "tapear" - which means you have a route of places where you drink and eat their specialty tapa. My family has one around Plaza Mayor (center city), which consists of calamari sandwiches, paella, pig's ear, patatas bravas (fried potato chunks with spicy sauce), and a whole lot of claras (beer with sweet soda water). Anyway, this festival was interesting in that some of Spain's best restaurants put forth their creations. For 1,20 euro a tapa, it wasn't too bad!

(back) ceviche, (front) Wild mushroom puree with foie and quail egg

It was crowded!

Tomato puree and anchovies from Galicia

My dad, who shares my love of tapas

(this was from the same restaurant that catered our wedding!) Little stick man cracker with snow crab and fish roe

Fresh oysters from northern Spain

Brie with caramelized red pepper

"revuelto" (potato scrambled eggs) with serrano ham

oxtail pate with carrot puree

oyster mushroom with cod mousse and shallot chips

My favorite! Sunflower seed cracker with salmon, basil cream, and tomato ice cream!

Some new friends

cod mayonnaise bites on shrimp cracker

the outside of the Palacio de los Deportes (sports palace)

The Dali plaza right next door

turkish delight

2011-06-16T14:59:00.000+01:00

The other day I had the pleasure of catching up with an old friend, Ali, here in Madrid. He lives in Istanbul and when he asked if I wanted anything, I said "turkish delight"! I love this stuff - it's like a gummy candy with sugar dusting (but it's not disgustingly sweet), and there are crazy flavors like rosewater, or more normal ones like pistachio. I have no desire to make from scratch, but in case you are so inspired, here's a recipe I found on the interwebs.

orange flavor

pistachio flavor, the best!

Original recipe here.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups water
3 cups granulated sugar
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 cup orange juice
3 tablespoons orange zest
3 (.25 ounce) envelopes unflavored gelatin
3/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup cold water
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup chopped pistachio nuts
confectioners' sugar for dusting

Preparation
Bring 1 1/2 cups water, sugar, and corn syrup to a boil over medium-high heat in a large saucepan. Cook, stirring frequently, until the temperature reaches 240 degrees F (115 degrees C) on a candy thermometer. Set aside and keep hot.

Stir together orange juice and orange zest, sprinkle with gelatin, and set aside. In a small bowl, dissolve cornstarch in 1/2 cup cold water, then stir into hot syrup. Place over medium-low heat, and simmer, stirring gently, until very thick.

Remove syrup from heat, stir in orange juice mixture, vanilla, and pistachios. Sprinkle a 8x8-inch pan generously with confectioners' sugar. Pour the Turkish delight into the pan, and let cool in a cool, dry place (not the refrigerator) until set, 3 to 4 hours.

When cool, sprinkle the top with another thick layer of powdered sugar. Cut into 1-inch squares, and dredge each well with confectioners' sugar. Store at room temperature in an airtight container.

asian bbq chicken

2011-06-16T14:58:00.000+01:00

There is essentially no difference between "regular" BBQ chicken and "asian" BBQ chicken, other than the type of BBQ sauce you use. In my quest to get you over your unfounded fears of the Asian grocery store, this recipe requires a very simple step - go to your Asian grocery store! You know you have one near you, you've driven by it a thousand times. It is very likely they will have Chinese or Japanese BBQ sauce. For this demo, I tried both. The Chinese was thicker and had lots of ginger, while the Japanese one was more of a glaze. Both were delicious. The key to non-dry chicken here is to use thighs and drumsticks. Boneless, skinless thighs work best. For drumsticks, this recipe requires you debone them (sounds scary, right? it's not, just slice down the center with a knife and then cut around the bone - it does not matter if it ends up ugly).

The two sauces in question

Put your chicken on the grill pan!

Delicious BBQ chicken

Ingredients
8 pieces of chicken (boneless, skinless thighs or drumsticks)
4 tbsp bbq sauce
a little oil for the pan

Preparation:
At least one hour ahead (but preferably overnight), coat the chicken in the BBQ sauce and leave in a covered tupperware or glass dish (if you only have an hour, leave it out on the counter, if overnight, in the fridge).

Heat up a grill pan (frying pan with ridges) or a regular frying pan over medium-high heat, adding a little oil to coat the pan. Cook your chicken until done and starting to brown (i.e. it looks crispy and BBQed). Serve! (if you are using a grill, then obviously don't use the grill pan, just grill the chicken on the grill).

See, it's so easy!

papaya and crab appetizer

2011-06-15T17:39:00.004+01:00

This recipe is a shout-out to Denise Wood, who asked me for this recipe after we had it a couple of years ago in Washington, DC (if I recall) at a BBQ at my house. The truth is the flavors of this appetizer combine really well! The pictures are with crappy fake crab, which surprisingly is all I could find. If you can get good crap lumpmeat, that is best. In any event, here's a good appetizer recipe.

Ingredients
1 large papaya
6.5 oz of crabmeat, drained
1/2 c mayonnaise
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp curry powder

Preparation
Cut the papaya into quarters lengthwise and remove seeds. This next step you can do with a mellon baller (you know you have one!) or just a small teaspoon. Carve out balls from the segments and set aside. If you’re using high quality crab meat (doubtful, I have no faith you will do this), then you could leave the crab out and spear it with the papaya on a toothpick. If your crab meat is cheap and canned, then just add it to the sauce. For the sauce, combine mayo, lime juice, sugar and curry powder. To serve, spear the papaya balls with toopicks and let people dip in the sauce.

If you are out of toothpicks, use fondue skewers

The sauce is so good on its own!

Ripe papayas are both green and yellow, and soft to the touch

mmm, processed seafood (bleh)

pasta with meat sauce

2011-06-15T16:46:00.004+01:00

Spaghetti with meat sauce ... comfort food for so many, but did you know that you can make it really tasty? Yes, you can! This is a dish I perfected in college, since I never had any fresh ingredients on hand (back then, there was no grocery store within walking distance). This is an easy recipe that you can modify with whatever you have on hand in the fridge:

Ingredients
1 package spaghetti or fettuccine
1-2 lbs ground beef (if you can combine with ground pork better!)
2 slices bacon, chopped fine
1 onion, chopped
1 bay leaf
1 jar good canned tomato sauce
sugar and white wine or sweet wine
whipping cream
salt and pepper
fresh herbs (parsley or basil), chopped

Preparation
Boil water and make 3-4 servings of pasta (I do this by making an A-OK sign with my hand and the size of the hole between my thumb and index is the size of one serving - or you can just read the box).

In a large frying pan, add a tiny bit of oil or butter, then fry bacon until starting to brown. Add onions and bay leaf and cook until translucent. Add a swig of sweet wine or a tsp of sugar and a swig of regular wine or sherry. Turn heat to high to burn off the alcohol. Add the ground beef, breaking up the clumps with a wooden spoon. Cook until browned, and add the tomato sauce, reducing heat to low to avoid splatter. Add a swig of whipping cream and mix in. Add salt and pepper, and taste.

To serve, put the pasta in a bowl (if the pasta got hard in the strainer, you can either put some hot water on it to loosen it or put it back in the pot and melt a little butter), then top with meat mixture. Top with fresh herbs.

chop your onion

cook your pasta with plenty of water and some salt

fry your bacon with a bay leaf

after sauteing onions, add your ground beef/pork

Add tomato sauce

Add cream, salt and pepper, and voila!

simple asparagus

2011-06-11T15:14:00.002+01:00

I must be on an asparagus kick! Honestly, sometimes with vegetables the key is to leave them the F alone and let the natural flavors stick out. For this, you will need technique and not fancy ingredients. I am here to reassure you that anyone can make this—yes, even you. The skill here is to start off with good fresh ingredients and keep an eye on your pan!

Ingredients

1 bunch green asparagus
Sea salt or regular salt
Water
Olive oil

Preparation
To begin, wash your asparagus, then trim the hard 1/2 inch or so from the bottom and discard. Cut your asparagus on the bias (meaning diagonally) into 2-3 inch pieces. Reserve the tops. In a large frying pan, heat up some olive oil (and butter if you want!), and toss in the asparagus, but not the tops! (they are more tender, so they need to be added later). Sauté for about 3-4 minutes over medium heat—they should get a nice bright green color. Add about 1/4 c of water and turn the heat to high. Keep stirring. When water evaporates, add a little more. Do this for about 8-10 minutes, then add the asparagus tops and keep sautéing. I will not give you some anal clock time by which your dish should be done—you will have to taste it! So taste. Is it hard? Then it needs more time in the pan (with little bits of water). If they are soft, a nice color, and edible, they are done! Are they brown and soft? Then you have gone too far. Season with salt and pepper, then serve. That’s it!

white asparagus

2011-06-11T11:11:00.000+01:00

Have you ever tried white asparagus? Every once in a blue moon you can find fresh white asparagus (they look like regular green asparagus) in the grocery store, but that's rare. In Spain, they sell them jarred and they are super light and super good. My favorite way to eat them is with a little light mayo, but you could also just drizzle with olive oil or eat plain. For those not in Spain, you can order them from La Tienda, a store that distributes Spanish food via mail!

dried fruit couscous

2011-06-08T11:13:00.000+01:00

After 2+ years in Tunisia, you could say I'm "couscous-ed out." However, I still like it when I make it Moroccan-style (i.e. with sweet and savory). You don't need any special equipment, just the right spices and dried fruits on hand. If you have a cool shaper (there's probably some technical name for it, it's like a metal tin with no top or bottom), you can make it look flashy like in these pictures.

Ingredients
1 small onion, diced
1.5 c medium grain couscous
2 tbsp raisins
2 tbsp dried apricots, diced
2 tbsp dried prunes, pitted and diced
1/4 c nuts (pine nuts, slivered almonds, or chopped walnuts)
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 bullion cube (lamb or beef)

Preparation
Cover raisins, apricots, and prunes with boiling water and let sit for 20 minutes. Heat up a frying pan without oil and place the nuts in it, roast until just beginning to brown. Remove and reserve. In that same frying pan, heat up a little olive oil and saute onions until translucent, sprinkling some curry powder about halfway through.

While the onions are cooking, heat up about 2 c water and toss in the bullion cube, until boiling. In a bowl or saucepan, put the couscous and stir in the boiling broth. Since different couscous brands absorb differently, you may need more or less broth - just add little by little. You never want it to be soupy, but you don't want it to be dry either. Add the dried fruits and if you want, some reserved liquid from the fruits. Add the onions, nuts, cumin, coriander, and curry powder. Taste for salt. Coer the pot and let the couscous expand for about 5-6 minutes. Fluff and serve!

salmon with paprika and mustard glaze

2011-06-05T00:27:00.002+01:00

Since I now have at least one reader on this blog, who has asked me for fish recipes, here's a simple but delicious salmon I made for lunch today. By now you know that for fish (and for everything) I like the combo of sweet and savory. This dish has great deep mellow wine flavor and then a sugar-mustard glaze. Mmm. Use Spanish pimenton if you can find it. If not, just regular sweet paprika will do.

Mellow our your wine sauce first

Grease your pan, and add the salmon!

If I were not pregnant, I would have eaten this raw!

You can be anal and do even brush strokes

mustard-sugar glaze

Ingredients
2 large filets of salmon
1 c white wine
1/4 c butter
1 tsp smoked sweet paprika
1/2 tab of fish bullion, or a large pinch of salt
3 tsp brown mustard
1 tsp brown or regular sugar

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350. Grease a baking sheet with a little olive oil or butter. In a saucepan, combine butter, wine, paprika, and bullion and boil for 2-3 minutes, to sweeten the wine. Place salmon in your baking dish and pour the wine mixture over. Cook for 15 minutes or until fish is almost done. Mix mustard and sugar in a little bowl, then take fish out of oven and brush on the mustard mixture (if you don’t have a brush, just use a knife, carefully). Put your oven on broil (or use the broiler rack—yes, that compartment you never use at the bottom of the oven—surprise! This is your broiler, and it flames up when you turn the oven to “broil”). Broil about 3-4 minutes, until top of the salmon becomes browned and caramelized. Be careful it doesn’t burn, so check often!

If your sauce has reduced too much, you can always take the salmon out, reserve in a covered dish, and deglaze the pan with a little more wine. Deglazing means you put it on the burner (do this if you’re using a metal pan only), and then pour a swig of wine and heat over high heat while scraping up the browned bits. Pour this over the salmon in your serving dish. If you want, garnish with fresh herbs.

chicken noodle soup

2011-06-03T23:19:00.005+01:00

Nothing’s as good on a cold night like chicken noodle soup. Making it from scratch takes a little time, but the results are worth it. It’s also an infinitely variable base for other soups, so go ahead and make a big ol’ pot of stock so that you can have some later in the week in a different form.

Ingredients
1/2 chicken, cut in two, plus other chicken parts you have on hand (giblets, neck, wing tips, etc.)
2 celery stems, with leaves
1 onion, peeled and whole
3 carrots, peeled
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed with back of knife
Bouquet garni (any of the following: fresh sage, rosemary, thyme)
1 chicken bullion cube
1 cup egg noodles (or other favorite soup noodles)
Sea salt (or regular salt) & pepper
Fresh or dried parsley
1 tbsp lemon juice

Preparation
Before you put in the vegetables, dice one carrot and reserve. Dice about 1 cup of celery and reserve. In a large pot, pour a little olive oil and saute over medium-low heat all the ingredients except the noodles, parsley and lemon juice. Add salt and pepper, but go easy on the salt at first (you can add more later). When everything is golden (about 10-15 minutes), fill the pot with water. Bring to a boil and with a slotted spoon, take of the scum that floats on the water. Bring heat down to medium-low and simmer for about 20 minutes, loosely covered. Take out the chicken parts with tongs, check for doneness. If done, set aside to cool and when it’s safe to handle, use your hands to separate the chicken meat out (you will add this back to the soup eventually).

Let the broth simmer for 90 minutes to 2 hrs, adding the bones back in when you’re done taking the meat off of them. Taste the broth and skim off excess fat—add salt if needed. Before serving, remove the bones, celery, carrot and onion. Add in the diced carrot and celery, plus some diced onion if you feel like it. Simmer for 5-1 minutes. Add the noodles and cook for another 5-10 minutes at medium heat. Add parsley and the lemon juice, stir.

If your soup is bland, add more bullion (this is an easy fix, a more time-intensive fix is to just let it reduce down - about another hour, and you may end up with less soup than you want!).

super easy green salad

2011-06-03T16:10:00.002+01:00

The popularity of bottled salad dressing in America is, to me, a mystery. Why (aside from ranch or something complicated to make) would you douse your salad in something that is cold and tastes like preservatives? In addition, I always see a dry salad on a plate, then the dressing spooned over. NO! To get all the flavors, you should make your own dressing and then toss the salad in a bowl before putting it on anyone's plate. Trust, this makes a total difference, and you end up using less dressing anyway (you really just need enought to coat the leaves, no more). Anyway, here is my standby salad recipe -- I make this even for dinner parties, since it's easy and tastes great. Also, don't forget to dress your salad right before serving, if not, it gets all soggy.

Ingredients
1/2 head of romaine lettuce or equivalent in other salad greens, washed and cut into pretty small pieces (there's nothing worse than a large piece of lettuce you can't stuff into your mouth)
(optional) 1/2 cucumber, peeled and sliced thin
(optional) 1 tomato, cut in half lengthwise, then sliced
(optional) 1/4 onion or shallot, sliced super thin
Olive oil
Wine vinegar
Salt

Preparation
Toss all ingredients (except olive oil, vinegar, and salt) in a bowl. You now have two choices - the lazy Isabel way or the more precise correct way. You may want to choose the latter if you are just starting. Non-lazy way: In a jar with a lid, put 4 parts olive oil to one part vinegar (for this recipe, maybe about 1/3 c olive oil and a generous swig of vinegar) and then a generous pinch of salt. Shake the jar, taste. Too sharp? That means you have too much vinegar, so add oil and maybe a little salt. Too salty? add oil and vinegar. Too oily? add more vinegar. You get the idea. The Isabel lazy way: put all the ingredients directly onto the salad ingredients and toss. Taste to fix.

Seriously, that's it. That's your salad. It looks fancy and tastes great. You can dress it up with fresh herbs, other ingredients, or whatever. I serve a salad like this pretty much alongside any meal.

cuajada

2011-06-03T11:09:00.001+01:00

Cuajada has always been my favorite Spanish dessert. It's basically solid milk, with less of a yogurt consistency (not creamy) and more like panna cotta or milk jello. I have never been able to reproduce it (panna cotta doesn't quite taste the same), so when I started looking online I realize it's because it's akin to a very fresh cheese - just whole milk and a curdling agent (rennet). I realize most people don't have rennet lying around, so maybe this recipe won't be placed in the "easy to make at home" category!

Ingredients
4 c whole milk (goat or cow milk)
a few drops of rennet

Preparation
Boil the milk until just boiling. Separate into serving dishes. Add a drop or two of rennet into each dish, then refrigerate for a few hours. Serve with honey.

how to bread a filet, milanese-style

2011-06-03T10:55:00.003+01:00

Breading a filet is the best way to ensure that an otherwise dry, thin piece of meat stays juicy. The key is to only bread things that are sliced thin! If your filet is too thick, then the breading will cook off or burn while your filet stays raw in the middle. This technique can be used for any thin cut of meat - beef, chicken, pork, or even lamb! Below are thin cuts of lamb from Cercedilla (town outside Madrid).

Ingredients
4 thin steaks (lamb, chicken, beef, or pork)
1 egg
3/4 c bread crumbs (can be seasoned)
salt
olive oil

Preparation

Beat your egg, then dip the meat in the egg (both sides)

Then coat with bread crumbs

Reserve on a separate plate

Heat olive oil in a pan, and put meat in the pan

Cook on both sides until golden, then sprinkle with salt and pepper

Serve and enjoy!

lemon-caper chicken breasts

2011-05-31T22:12:00.000+01:00

This recipe will be in my cookbook - it's a variation on my blueprint sauteed chicken breast recipe. This particular one has a great combo of acidic (from the lemon) and salty (from the caper).

Ingredients
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1-2 tbsp combined olive oil and butter
Flour
1/4 c lemon juice
1/2 c broth
1/4 c white wine
2 tsp chopped capers
1/4 c fresh parsley (optional)

Preparation
The key here is using chicken breast halves, not whole breasts (which are too thick). You can split the breast (cut it open like a book) - that works too. Sprinkle chicken breast with salt and pepper on each side. In a shallow bowl, put about 3-4 tbsp of flour, and cover each chicken breast on both sides (this is called “dredging”). In a frying pan, heat up both oil and butter (combining both ensures the butter doesn’t turn brown) over medium heat, and cook until golden brown but not fully cooked. If you run out of oil and butter, just add a little as you go along. Remove from pan and set the chicken breasts aside.

In the same pan, add wine, cook 3 to 4 minutes, then add lemon juice and broth, turning heat to high and letting it reduce until thickened. If it’s not thickening, just wait longer. If you want to cheat, just mix a little broth and cornstarch separately and add that to the mixture. When it’s starting to thicken, put chicken breasts back in and cook for about 5 minutes or until breasts are cooked through. Top with fresh herbs and capers and serve.

peruvian chicken with ají sauce

2011-05-31T21:23:00.007+01:00

I love that Madrid is getting more culturally heterogenous, as you can find great ethnic cuisine! First in line is this delicious Peruvian rotisserie chicken with an ají sauce (ají is a type of pepper, which ranges from mild to spicy). This sauce has yellow ají and garlic, and is mild and tasty.

I haven't tried to make this recipe myself, but it sounds like the recipe is about right.

Ingredients
For Yellow Sauce:
3 manzana chiles — deseeded
1 c. mayonnaise
3 tbsp sugar
4 cloves garlic
salt to taste

For the chicken:
1 whole chicken (about 4 pounds)
4 tablespoons white vinegar
3 tablespoons white wine
3 tablespoons canola oil
2 1/2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons paprika
1 1/2 tablespoons cumin
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
juice of 1 lemon
1 quart cold water

Preparation
For the chicken:
Combine vinegar, wine, oil with garlic powder, cumin, paprika, black pepper, and salt. Mix well to form a paste. Add lemon juice to cold water. Wash chicken thoroughly with lemon water. Place chicken in ziplock bag. Pour spice paste over chicken. Coat chicken completely with mixture rubbing into every surface. Try to get the paste under the skin as much as possible.

Seal bag and place chicken in refrigerator for at least 2 hours. The chicken will have more flavor the longer it "marinates" in the spice mixture. Do not refrigerate more than 24 hours however.

Preheat grill and prepare rotisserie. Place chicken on rotisserie and on the grill for approximately 1 1/2 hours at a temperature around 300 degrees F. (150 degrees C.) Test chicken for doneness by measure in the temperature in the thickest part of the thigh. Chicken is done at 165 degrees F. (75 degrees C.).

This chicken is frequently served with dipping sauce. A simple version of this sauce is made from combining 1/2 cup of mayonnaise with 2 tablespoons mustard and 2 tablespoons lime juice.

For the Yellow Sauce:
Boil chilies 5 minutes in boiling water. In a food processor, combine chilies and remaining ingredients. Process until smooth.

Recipe from BBQ.com

A very Madrid dessert

2011-05-31T20:44:00.002+01:00

The only reason this is a Madrid dessert is thanks to my Grandma's Real Madrid china. Yes, she has Real Madrid slippers, writes on Real Madrid notepads, and has Real Madrid stemware, silverware, and plates. They just make everything taste more delicious. Anyway, below is a pastry from the pastry shop right near her house - I don't remember the name of it, but it's basically a butter-based pastry with chocolate cover and cream filling. Mmmm.

Some fresh strawberries with sugar

viva Real Madrid

gazpacho

2011-05-28T21:05:00.004+01:00

Gazpacho is the quintessential Spanish summer soup. People have this impression that it's complicated or fancy, but it's not! It's basically just a salad in a blender. Two key things: serve COLD and make sure your tomatoes are ripe. The taste is only as good as the ingredients! Picture below was of a small bar where we had lunch the other day in the Atocha area of Madrid. I credit my brother Ivan with this recipe, as he is our family's gazpacho master!

Ingredients
8-10 very ripe tomatoes (use more if you are using roma tomatoes)
1/2 medium green bell pepper (not spicy)
1/3 of a cucumber (or half if the cucumber is small)
1 large garlic clove, peeled
olive oil
white wine vinegar
salt

For garnish:
1 green bell pepper, chopped fine
1 onion, chopped fine
1 peeled cucumber, chopped fine
french bread, cut into small cubes

Preparation
You will need two large bowls and a mesh strainer. Put ingredients in a blender. You'll have to do this in batches - as you make a batch, put it in the bowl. If the color is not bright red enough, add more tomatoes! Once you have it all blended, pour through the mesh sieve/strainer into the other bowl. You may have to stir with a wooden spoon as you do this to make sure the liquid filters through more quickly. (Note: you may be temped to say F-it! I skip this step! DO NOT. A chunky soup is not pleasant, you must have a smooth soup. Sorry!).

Put your strained soup back into the blender. As you blend on low, add a small steady stream of olive oil, a generous swig of vinegar, and very generous pinch of salt. How much of each? well, I can't tell you, you're just going to have to taste it as you go, this is the Isabel way. Remember that warm gazpacho doesn't taste as good as cold, but it should still be tasty. Put your seasoned soup back in a bowl, add a few ice cubes and a little swig of cold water, and stick in the fridge for 2-3 hours, or until cool. The colder the better.

To serve, put in bowls and serve immediately (while cold) and let your guests add garnish as they wish (normally you pass around little bowls with each cut up ingredient).

cochinillo asado (roast suckling pig)

2011-05-28T20:38:00.004+01:00

Roast suckling pig is typical of central Spain. It's typical of the region of Segovia (about 1 hr north of Madrid), but is available all over. The one you see here is from a restaurant called Asador de Angel in Cercedilla, a town about 50kms outside Madrid, in the mountains. This dish is quite easy to make if you can get your hands on a young pig and a terra cotta baking dish. It's made with potatoes and has a finger-licking good sauce!

Ingredients
1 suckling pig (less than 4 months old)
3 laurel leaves
3 potatoes, sliced thin
lard / pork fat (melted, for brushing)
salt

Preparation
Heat oven to 350 degrees. If you are roasting the pig whole, you have to butterfly it (i.e. open it so that it lies flat). If you are using pieces, then you don't need to do this. Prick the skin all over with a fork. Put laurel leaves in the baking dish, then the pig (skin side down), place potatoes around the pig. Sprinkle with salt, and pour one glass of water over the whole thing. Bake for one hour.

Turn the pieces around so that the skin is right side up, and brush on melted lard. Bake another 45 minutes. If the skin is not crispy yet, put on broil. Add water if the pan gets dry. Taste for salt. Serve!

ostrich filets with braised leeks and corn nut dust

2011-05-01T18:11:00.004+01:00

For that dinner I talked about in the last post, I wanted to serve some delicious ostrich filets we brought back from South Africa. How did we get them to Tunis you ask? Well, we froze them, then they went from Johannesburg to Amsterdam to Madrid to Tunis in our suitcases! You may think this recipe sounds weird but in the end, the combo of flavors was really good. I had a pork tenderloin with corn nut dust in Burgos last summer, hence the replica here. Ostrich is a super lean meat, so it has to be served nearly raw.

Ingredients
6 ostrich filets
5 medium leeks
1 snack-size bag of corn nuts
Swig of good olive oil
French parsley, marjoram, or oregano
Sherry vinegar
1/4 c beef broth
sugar
butter

Preparation
First, pound the s* out of the corn nuts so they turn to dust. If you are so inclined, you can leave them chunky. Boil a huge pot of water with some salt and preheat your oven to broil. In the meantime, cut the leeks lengthwise almost to the end (but not all the way) and clean them in an anal-retentive fashion to make sure there is absolutely no dirt in them.

Now make your sauce. Melt butter in a frying pan, then sprinkle some sugar (like 1 spoonfull) and turn heat to low. Cook for about 2-3 minutes, or until sugar dissolves. Turn heat to high and sprinkle with vinegar. Careful it doesn't splash and DO NOT seek a whiff of this as you make it, or your eyes will sting! After 1-2 minutes, add the beef broth. Boil until reduced and syrupy. If it's too sweet, then add more broth.

Toss leeks in pot of boiling water for about 4-5 minutes, until they are a really bright green color. Immediately take them out and put in a strainer under cold water to stop the cooking process (this keeps them green). In a cookie sheet or broiler pan, arrange the leeks in one layer. Mix the vinaigrette together: 4 parts olive oil, 1 part vinegar, salt, pepper, and fresh herbs (you will probably need about 1/2 cup total for the number of leeks in this recipe, but you can use extra for later if you want).

Pour vinaigrette over the leeks, and stick in broiler for about 2-3 minutes on each side, turning with tongs. Make sure they do not burn.

In the meantime, sear your ostrich. Turn a grill pan on super duper high heat (you'll know it's hot enough when you put your hand 5 inches above the pan and can feel the heat. Sear the ostrich, getting all fancy and letting the grill marks sear into it. Use a little spray olive oil on the pan, depending on how crappy your pan is. Sear 1-2 minutes, leaving the steak rare, sprinkle with salt and a little pepper.

To plate, put your ostrich in the middle, arrange your leeks in a circle around, a few drops of extra vinaigrette from leek pan, add the beef broth sauce over the ostrich, and then sprinkle corn nut dust all over it.

Beet Soup in Pumpkin Bowls

2011-05-01T18:05:00.002+01:00

About 6 months ago, I decided it would be a good idea to offer some of my best gourmet ingredients to friends for a dinner party. I'm not sure why I did this, since I cooked it all myself (5 courses) and in the end I was really tired. However, it did turn out good! In another post I'll do the whole menu. For now, here's a recipe from Epicurious that was originally for an acorn squash bowl, but I made it with little pumpkins. I even used my pumpkin carving kit from halloween!

Ingredients
For roasted pumpkin

8 (1- to 1 1/4-pound) acorn squash
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt

For soup

1 large red onion, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
5 medium beets (2 pounds without greens), peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 red apple such as Gala or Braeburn, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
4 to 5 cups water
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar

Preparation
Preheat oven to 375°F. Punch out lids of pumpkin and reserve if you want. Scoop out seeds and discard. Cut a very thin slice off bottoms of pumpkin to create a stable base if needed. Brush "bowls" and tops all over with oil and sprinkle salt inside. Arrange pumpkin bowls, with tops alongside, stem ends up, in 2 large shallow baking pans. Roast pumpkins until tender, about 1 1/4hours total.

Make soup while pumpkins roast: Cook onion in oil in a 5-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add beets and apple and cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, 30 seconds.

Add broth and 4 cups water, then simmer, uncovered, until beets are tender, about 40 minutes. Stir in vinegar and brown sugar.

Purée soup in 3 batches in a blender until very smooth, at least 1 minute per batch (to not burn your ass, only fill up the blender half way and start at a low setting), transferring to a large bowl. Return soup to pan, then season with salt and pepper and reheat. If soup is too thick, add enough water to thin to desired consistency.

Serve soup in pumpkin bowls, sprinkle with fresh herbs.

Oatmeal Cherry Toffee Cookies

2011-05-01T17:54:00.003+01:00

I will not take credit for these since they came from my friend Loren's sister-in-law. I did like the photo though, so I did a quick internet search for a recipe and came up with these. I remember they were good, chewy, and tangy.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 cup dried cherries
1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup toffee baking bits

Preparation
Sift together the flour and baking soda; set aside. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar and white sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Gradually stir in the sifted mixture, then mix in the oats, cherries, chocolate chips and toffee bits until evenly distributed. Divide the dough in to 3 portions and form them into logs, about 2 inches in diameter. wrap in waxed paper and refrigerate or freeze until firm.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets or line them with parchment paper. Slice dough logs into 3/4 inch thick slices. Place the cookies 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Latin American Flan

2011-05-01T17:17:00.002+01:00

Being 7+ months pregnant plus a revolution in Tunisia are two good reasons I've been ignoring this blog. HOWEVER, since I'm going on maternity leave soon and will have time to hopefully finish my cookbook, I'm starting to get the creative (and literal) juices flowing again! Below is a super easy flan recipe, Latin American style, courtesy of Luis (my husband who is retarded in the kitchen but can make good flan). Enjoy!

Ingredients
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 can evaporated milk
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup sugar

Preparation
Preheat your oven to 325. In a frying pan that is not your favorite (I say this because this step can mess up a nonstick pan), put the cup of sugar and turn on high heat. Yes, it's this simple, nothing else. Just sugar and heat. This will be the caramel that coats your mold.

You can use either individual flan molds or a glass pan. Even a metal pan works. A round glass casserole dish is what we used in this flan. Also, you should prepare a "baño maria" - this is a fancy term for double-boiling, which means you need a bigger pan, which you will fill up halfway with water, then put the flan pan inside it.

Ok, back to your caramel. Cook it until it is amber brown. It will bubble, it will be very hot. With extreme care (use oven mitts), coat your mold with caramel, tilting to make sure you get the sides. The idea is one thin coat all around. When you are done, immediately rinse your pan with hot water (if you leave it, the caramel hardens).

In a blender (you can do this step while the caramel is heating), combine all other ingredients and blend for 1-2 minutes. Pour the mixture into your flan mold. Cover the mold with tin foil, and put into the other pan with the water (water should come up halfway on the flan mold). Bake for 45 minutes to one hour.

Remove from heat and let cool for 30-45 minutes, until you can pick up the mold without gloves. Put in the fridge for 2-3 hours.

To serve, run a knife around the sides of the mold and invert. Voila! If you want to get fancy, you can serve with whipped cream and a fresh mint sprig, or make a reduction from figs or some fruit.

Bouillabaisse

2010-08-28T12:59:00.002+01:00

Bouillabaisse is a french fish soup. I had never tried it, but since we went to a fish market in La Goulette (a port near Tunis) a while ago and also it was fennel season, I said "why not"? Also, the fish guy told me to use little fish in soup -- I DO NOT recommend this. Let my tasty fish disaster below be a warning to you. I am putting this recipe here because actually, the flavors were outstanding, and the only disaster was all the fish bones in the soup (so I had to eat carefully).

Ingredients
2 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 c olive oil
1 lb potatoes
1/3 c fennel fronds, chopped

1/2 c chopped fennel bulbs

1 bay leaf

1/4 tsp saffron threads (or two drops yellow food coloring)
1.5 tsp sea salt

cracked black pepper
9 c fish stock (make your own or store-bought)
3 lbs white fish fillets, cut into 2-inch pieces
1/2 lb clams
1/2 lb other mollusks (mussels, for example, or shrimp or whatever)

2 tbsp flour dissolved in a little broth

Preparation

If making your own fish broth, put the following in a pot and boil for 2 hrs: any kind of fish, fish bones, a piece of fennel, a piece of celery (optional), a carrot (optional), an onion, lots of salt, a little olive oil, black peppercorns, and a little sherry or white wine (optional). Strain and use as broth. I recommend using the small fish for this purpose and not in the soup as i did.

Cook tomatoes, garlic, onion, and fennel bulb in a large pot in olive oil over moderate heat, until onion is soft. Meanwhile, peel the potatoes and cut into cubes. Stir potatoes into the pot, adding the bay leaf, fennel fronds, saffron, sea salt, and pepper. Add the stock and bring to a boil for about 10-15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Add the other pieces of fish and mollusks until they are cooked through and mussels open. Add the fish broth/flour mixture, stirring well. Stir until blended and keep on low heat for another 2 minutes or so. If your soup is bland, add a swig of lemon and if you want to cheat, a little fish bullion cube or bottled clam juice.

To make it all fancy, you can cut up a slice of french bread, top it with cheese, and broil it in the toaster oven until the cheese melts and browns on top - then you can serve that alongside. I like to chop additional fennel fronds and sprinkle over.

restaurant review: Continental 2

2010-08-27T22:35:00.000+01:00

Last April (yeah, I know, timely!) I was briefly in Philadelphia to speak at UPenn, my alma mater. While there, I stayed with my good friends Amanda and Jordan, who lived (they have since moved) in South Philly. One of my favorite restaurants when I was a student there was Continental (in the old part of philly, it's one of Steven Stark's restaurants). It was always fun to go because of the creative martinis and great tapas-stype portions. Their lobster mashed potatoes I still crave ten years later! Alas, they opened up Continental 2 in center city philly (on Chestnut St if I remember right), and I asked Amanda to take me there. Here are some pics and the review below:

buzz aldrin martini

philly cheesesteak rolls

soy spinach

ahi tuna tartare with sesame crackers and "love" sauce

Ok, so here's my review .... bleh. While i WANT to like it, and I do credit the restaurant for giving me the idea (or more for allowing me to copy the idea) of the buzz aldrin martini - made with tang, peach vodka, and rimmed with tang powder! (I served it the other night at a dinner party to rave reviews.), the food really was so-so. Not pictured was the lobster mac n' cheese, which sounds delicious but was just too creamy to taste the lobster. Same for the philly cheese rolls - they tasted like fast food. That said, the ahi tuna was pretty delicious and fresh, as was the spinach. Maybe I had trumped this up in my brain from years past, or maybe I was looking to something spectacular given the 50's futuristic-diner decor, or maybe I was soured by the loud dudes in suits laughing it up like they were in a sports bar ... either way, I just was not wowed. Sorry Continental 2 - you pierced my dreams and memories! Solid 5 out of 10.

Dining on delicious reptiles

2010-08-27T13:25:00.002+01:00

Do you have an appetite right now? Are you ready to lose it? This blog is mostly about recipes and pleasant dining experiences, but it's also a showcase for weird things that I find along my travels. Among them, some Vietnam gems below. Check out the offerings at this good restaurant in Can Tho -- some field mouse, snake, and other delectables. Actually, I'm an adventurous eater, we have established this. Rattlesnake tastes like chicken, and eel tastes like ... eel! We had some eel (the one in the container below).

Embassy 4th of July party

2010-08-20T15:58:00.004+01:00

Yes yes, this is quite late, but it's not like anyone reads this blog anyway so who cares. Alas, i wanted to describe to you how an Embassy goes about organizing food for the 4th of July celebration! Every year, U.S. Embassies around the world hold a big party for independence day. Other countries do it also, normally with enthic foods that highlight their country's cuisine. Last year, the food was ... disgusting. This year, I was put in charge of the food committee and worked with the caterers (a large hotel chain) to actually put something together that was both edible and interesting. Along with some friends, we came up with a "Taste of America" theme, featuring regional foods from the South, New York, Chicago, California, and Texas.

Doing this with Tunisia's ingredient restraints (no BBQ sauce here! and also really high agricultural tarriffs!), was tricky, but we did it. See results below:

Mini brownie bites

mini hamburgers

shrimp cocktail (with horseradish-less cocktail sauce)

Bagels and Lox (we actually found some locally-sourced bagels -- only once place in the whole country makes them -- and made cream cheese out of ricotta-like local cheese)

Tomato-camembert quesadillas made with Tunisian mellaoui bread (like a tortilla)

the tasting crew (including the Ambassador)

behind the scenes

Spanish roasted lamb

2010-08-17T20:19:00.001+01:00

Last Christmas, I gave you my heart, and the very next day, you gave it away (song lyrics). With that lame intro I now bring you to the much less lame lamb dish we made last Christmas. Please appreciate context here: muslim country, lamb is great, but the recipe below calls for making it in a very un-muslim way ... with pork and alcohol! The results are delicious -- moist, flavorful and tender. Serve with potatoes or whatever.

Ingredients

1 leg of lamb or shoulder

1/2 c pork lard (spreadable)

5-7 cloves of garlic, peeled

1/4 c fresh rosemary

white wine

salt and pepper

Preparation

Grease the bottom of a big roasting pan and preheat oven to 375. Pat lamb dry and with a knife, prick about 12 holes evenly spaced throughout. Stuff garlic cloves and rosemary leaves into the holes, pressing down with your finger. Spread the pork lard (should be a white paste like crisco) all over the lamb. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and then douse it with white wine. Stick into the oven for about 60-90 minutes, depending on how large your leg of lamb is. How do you know when it's done? Prick into it. If the juices run clear, it is done. Crack some extra salt and pepper at the top.

Serve with some rosemary sprigs for decoration.

Yllera Vineyard, Spain (and making your own wine vinegar)

2010-08-16T23:01:00.003+01:00

Earlier this year we went to Ribera del Duero, a wine region close to the famous Rioja province. Ribera del Duero is actually a well-known denomination of origin for Spaniards, but somehow it doesn't garner the same international recognition as Rioja. Quite honestly, it's the same thing - same climate and only a few miles apart. Some great vineyards, like Protos, have been here for over 90 years. In this particular trip we did a tour with Yllera Vineyards, which was a little mass touristy but perfectly fine. They have a very old cellar and offer a delicious meal (pictured below) that you can enjoy well below ground (if you're not claustrophobic)

winter landscape for vineyards

Some pate

grilled lamb chops

After this experience, I decided to make my own wine vinegar. We had a salad (not pictured) that had a depth of flavor I had never tasted before! I then realized it's because DUH, they use great wine to make the vinegar. I promptly googled how to make vinegar and found this site, which is quite useful. I have yet to taste the results, because for mother vinegar I just used some old vinegar I had lying around. We'll see in three weeks!

tomato tarte tatin

2010-08-08T15:05:00.010+01:00

Yes, tarte tatins are usually reserved for apples and pears. However, in this twisted recipe, you can use tomatoes instead! I know I already gave you all a taste of sweet tomatoes in my tomato jam recipe, but this is an actual dessert. It's quite easy to make if you have store-bought puff pastry (the only way to go). It's a little labor intensive, but worth it as it's creative and delicious. The original recipe, from Bon Appetit, was too sweet so I've modified it below. Enjoy!

Ingredients
1 3/4 pounds plum tomatoes (8 large)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Swig of balsamic vinegar
1 sheet frozen puff pastry (half of 17.3-ounce package), thawed, corners cut off to make very rough 9- to 10-inch round
Whipped or non-whipped cream

Preparation
Preheat oven to 425°F. Bring large saucepan of water to boil. Cut shallow X in bottom of each tomato. Add tomatoes to boiling water. Blanch tomatoes just until skins at X begin to peel back, 15 to 30 seconds. Using slotted spoon, transfer blanched tomatoes to bowl of ice water to cool quickly. Peel tomatoes. Cut out cores, halve lengthwise, and remove seeds.

Spread butter over bottom of 9 1/2-inch diameter, 2- to 3-inch-deep ovenproof skillet (preferably cast-iron). Sprinkle sugar over butter. Arrange tomato halves, rounded side down and close together, in concentric circles in skillet to fill completely.

Place skillet over medium heat. Cook until sugar and butter are reduced to thickly bubbling, deep amber syrup (about 1/4 inch deep in bottom of skillet), moving tomatoes occasionally to prevent burning, about 25 minutes. Remove skillet from heat. Immediately drizzle vanilla and vinegar over tomatoes. Top with pastry round. Using knife, tuck in edges of pastry. Cut 2 or 3 small slits in pastry. Place skillet in oven and bake tart until pastry is deep golden brown, about 24 minutes.

Cool tart in skillet 10 minutes. Cut around sides of skillet to loosen pastry. Place large platter over skillet. Using oven mitts as said, hold skillet and platter firmly together and invert, allowing tart to settle onto platter. Carefully lift off skillet. Rearrange any tomato halves that may have become dislodged.

Serve tart warm or at room temperature with whipped cream.

poulet yassa (ivorian chicken)

2010-08-08T14:54:00.005+01:00

If you are like most people who do not live on the African continent, you have never made (or likely tasted) African food. Africa (surprise!) is a huge continent with many different cuisines, many of them tasty and delicious. While in Tunis, our housekeeper Maggie, who is Ivorian, taught me how to make this staple of Ivorian cuisine. It has tanginess of mustard and a savory sauce. Great to serve over rice or other grain (manioc, fonio or other stuff if you're adventurous) for a filling meal.

a grain called fonio

Maggie, our Ivorian chef!

Ingredients
1 whole chicken, cut into pieces
4-5 white or yellow onions, halved, then sliced thick
6 cloves garlic, peeled
1 cube bullion (chicken or beef)
4 green peppers, seeded and cut into chunks
Canola oil
3/4 c Dijon mustard
Swig of vinegar

Preparation
Clean the chicken with water, put in a bowl. In a large pot, put chicken, 5 garlic cloves and bullion cube, cover with water (just covered, not a ton of water), toss in bullion cube, and bring to a boil. When it is cooked through, remove from heat.

Meanwhile, in a large frying pan, heat up 1/4 cup canola oil (enough to cover the whole pan and then some). Remove the chicken from broth with a slotted spoon and fry in the oil for about 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove chicken and put in a bowl, cover with tin foil to keep warm. You can reserve the broth from the chicken for another use (rice, for example).

While chicken is cooking, combine in another bowl the onion slices, pepper chunks, 1/4 c of reserved broth, a dash of vinegar, and one minced clove of garlic. Stir in mustard. In a separate pan, heat up just a tad of oil and toss in this mixture and cook over low heat until softened. Combine sauce with chicken and boil on low heat for another 10 minutes. Serve.

dominican fried cheese

2010-07-27T22:40:00.000+01:00

Ahhhh, the deliciousness of fried cheese. You may think this belongs on famed website http://www.thisiswhyyourefat.com/, which chronicles such American wonders as deep-fried twinkies and a bacon-cheese roll ... or my favorite, the McDonalds-tini (a martini of chocolate milk shake and vodka, rimmed with BBQ sauce and with a chicken nugget decoration). I digress. Below is a staple of a Dominican breakfast: fried cheese. Do not attempt this with any old type of cheese! You must have the truly Latin solid, salty cheese -- the kind that doesn't melt like mozzarella but rather softens slightly when heated. Recipe below:

Ingredients

250g or 1/4 lb of frying cheese, cut into thick slices

flour

canola oil

Preparation

In a frying pan, heat up oil on medium-high heat. Depending on how non-stick your pan is, you may use more or less oil. in the meantime, dredge the thick slices of cheese. Dredging is just a word for coating lightly in flour on all sides. Put cheese into pan, cook until it's browned on either side. Serve. (If you want an extra treat, slice up onions real thin, soak them in vinegar and salt for about 1/2 hr, then top the cheese with that).

This is how you do street food

2010-07-25T13:06:00.000+01:00

In an effort to sparse out my posts from a trip to Vietnam last year, I have saved this gem for today. We were in Hanoi's old quarter, where there is more activity per square foot than most of us in the U.S. are used to, when we stumbled upon this street stall. It was literally on a corner of a sidewalk, yet the variety was crazy and people were crowding it. Luis almost killed me when I veered, like I normally do, to whatever looks weirdest on the stick. In this case, I think we picked out some "safer" skewers, then sat on little stools to watch them get grilled and eat them. Total cost: $2. Total enjoyment: priceless!

BBQ food (plus tomato jam recipe)

2010-06-20T13:56:00.008+01:00

Here's the deal: putting on an elaborate BBQ for 15 people does not require a lot of advance planning. For this particular shindig, I only went shopping 2 hrs before people arrived. It requires having some good spice rubs on hand plus other goodies, but in general the prep time is not long. I've included some pics, and the recipe for the tomato jam below.

tomato jam (like fruit jam but with tomatoes)

My mom brought me this seasoning from New Mexico

Boquerones en vinagre from Spain (cured white anchovies)

mullets (the fish kind), which we salted and grilled

Chicken drumsticks with chile adobo rub

Sirloin steaks from Costco (they really do have awesome beef), with Dominican sazon

This stuff is delicious! Straight from Austin, TX

Tomato Jam Recipe

Ingredients

4 tomatoes, cored and diced

1/2 c white vinegar (wine vinegar is fine, avoid balsamic)

1/3 c sugar

1/4 c water

pinch of salt

1/4 tsp dried basil and tarragon if you have it

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Preparation

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine all ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 hr. It should have a thick, jam-like consistency. Serve with grilled meats.

This recipe is from www.epicurious.com

Lunch on a farm

2010-06-20T13:50:00.005+01:00

A couple of weeks ago we were invited to an "impromptu" lunch for 100 people on a farm about 2 hrs outside of Tunis, near Grombalia (google it!). It was a great country house among olive groves, where we got to sample some Tunisian food and hang out with some locals.

One of the little girls that lives on the farm

Our hosts (2 of 6 sisters)

a giant tub of coucous - the food so nice they named it twice!

home-cured olives

my friend Victoria who invited us

fresh strawberry juice (very seasonal right now)

Real Tunisian Food

2010-06-20T13:45:00.004+01:00

Foodies suffer in Tunisia because the restaurants suck. This is still a mystery to us, because all the fresh ingredients are here (great olive oil, organic cheap vegetables, spices), yet it's all so bland. Apparently, one must get "home cooked" Tunisian food to really sample the cuisine. The other day we were invited to a lunch on a country farm (another post on this later), and here's some of what was served!

Fresh green salad with lemon dressing

Salade Mechoueia (grilled pepper salad with olive oil, tuna, and olives)

Tagine (not the Moroccan kind, rather a quiche with spinach and spices)

I don't know what this is but it was good - some sort of tiny leafy green with spice

Spinach, Lamb, Pine Nuts

Some roasted peppers

Osbane - this is stuffed lamb's stomach - delicious!

Fish and Chips at Mama's on the Half Shell

2010-06-05T23:22:00.006+01:00

While trying to figure out how to make pictures bigger on this blog (which I think I figured out now), I discovered this oldie but goodie taken by Richard's camera. It's of a very mammoth portion of fish & chips at one of our favorite Baltimore restaurants, Mama's on the Half Shell (not their website -- they don't have one -- but a review). This restaurant serves up fresh oysters, as the name suggests, but also has some amazing really fresh fish and seafood. The food is great, the decor is dark wood and velvet (old-school) and it's so inviting in winter or summer. Don't miss it if you're in Baltimore - it's even worth a special trip!

Green Eggs ... and pork loin

2010-04-27T22:35:00.011+01:00

Shout out to Georgetown Cupcake

2010-04-27T22:32:00.001+01:00

I went to a baby shower in Eastern Market (Washington DC) a couple of weeks ago and enjoyed what all Washingtonians went crazy for when this place first opened: cupcakes. Oh yes, there were lines out the wazoo for this tiny little shop in Georgetown. The truth is they were filling a DC cupcake void, but also they use awesome high-end ingredients such as vanilla from Madagascar and some other baking components from France. They also deliver nationwide. If you want to check out their website, here is is: Georgetown Cupcake. For this particular shower, our friends ordered chocolate and vanilla with green frosting and elephants. I stuffed my face with about four of them - delicious!

Tunisian Bed and Breakfast

2010-04-04T13:07:00.002+01:00

A few months ago, we stayed at a bed and breakfast near Bizerte (45 minutes north of Tunis) called Dar Farisa. It was exquisite - the house was designed by the Belgian-Spanish owner, who is married to a Tunisian guy, but they both lived in Kuwait for 20 yrs. Basically, the house was designed down to the detail in Moroccan/Gulf style and is quite eccentric. While there, we had some delicious food too.

A vegetable puree with toasted bread

Some Moroccan-style couscous (chicken, pine nuts, and some honey)

Couscous always comes with a tomato soup (this is how the vegetables and chicken are made)

Cool serving dishes

Sugarcane juice

2010-02-22T13:07:00.000+01:00

In many tropical climates (Caribbean included) on the streetcorners you can get "jugo de cana" (sugarcane juice). It's made by squeezing the cane through a roller. I don't loooove it but it's kind of good - milky sweet. When we were in Vietnam, I was mildly surprised to find it also on the street corner. In the pics are the discarded cane pieces and the serving mode - a cute little plastic bag with a straw. Price: $.30!

Grilled kebabs

2010-02-20T20:18:00.002+01:00

Kebabs are super easy to make if you have a grill or a grill pan. This recipe is from a quick cookout we had over the holidays with my dad and brother. They're extra juicy because we mixed the meats - kielbasa sausage, chicken thighs (never use breasts - too dry!) and other miscellaneous parts such as chicken liver (don't knock it, it's good). The vegetables are varied also - although the main rule is just to have something substantial (onions, peppers, zucchini cut thick, and cherry tomatoes, for example). Remember to soak wooden skewers for 30 minutes before grilling, otherwise they burn off.

Ingredients
1 polish sausage (kielbasa, smoked turkey, whatever), sliced thick
1/2 lb chicken thighs, cut into chunks
1/4 lb chicken livers
2 green bell peppers, cored and cut into chunks
2 zucchini, cut into chunks / thick slices
1 large eggplant, cut into chunks (leave skin on)
2 small onions, quartered
3 portobella mushrooms, cut into chunks
sea salt
olive oil
dried rosemary (or fresh), chopped
wooden skewers

Preparation
Soak skewers in water for 30 minutes (at least), shake dry. Assemble skewers (you can do this ahead of time) by putting one piece of meat (any kind) and a couple of pieces of vegetables in a row, until skewer is full. Do this spacing out all ingredients equally. When done, arrange on a flat platter and sprinkle with sea salt and ground pepper. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with rosemary.

On a medium-hot grill, grill skewers until the meat is done (make sure not to overcook!). Serve hot.

How to make good stock

2010-02-03T21:04:00.001+01:00

If there's one cooking lesson you learn from this blog, it's that making your own stock improves your cooking 1,000 percent! It sounds hard, but oh, it is not. Did you know you can make stock from all those vegetable ends that you throw away as you cook other dishes? End of an onion ... check! That celery stalk you aren't going to use ... check. Basically you can use any vegetable for stock, just stick the pieces in a freezer bag and keep adding to it until you have enough to make a pot of stock. Below are recipes for three basic stocks: chicken, vegetable and beef. When you make them, just stick them in a large freezer bag to use for risotto, soup, or any other dish that requires broth (freeze in little bags for smaller portions).

CHICKEN STOCK
Ingredients
1 chicken carcass (wings, neck, back, whatever)
1 celery stalk
1 onion
1 carrot
salt and pepper
rosemary, thyme, or sage leaves (fresh)

Preparation
Bring all ingredients to a boil (make sure to add generous salt) in a medium-large saucepan. If you don't have many chicken parts, you can add a chicken bullion cube. Bring to a boil, spoon off scum, then simmer for 1-2 hrs.

VEGETABLE STOCK
Ingredients
(you can use really anything you have, here's just a suggestion)
1 celery stalk
2 carrots
1 onion
2 leeks (washed)
1-2 parsnips or any other root vegetable
1 fennel bulb (optional)
3 garlic cloves
2 tsp whole black peppercorns
salt
any herbs you have on hand

Preparation
Put all the ingredients in the pot (all of them peeled), bring to a boil, then simmer for 1-2 hrs, strain.

BEEF BROTH
Ingredients
1-2 lbs beef bones
fresh thyme sprig
1 onion
1 celery stalk
salt & pepper

Preparation
Turn on the broiler. Lightly grease a baking sheet and put bones and onion (sliced in half) on it - broil for about 10 minutes until browned. Put them in a pot and cover with water, add other ingredients and more water (depending on how many bones you have!), then simmer for 1-2 hrs. Make sure to spoon off scum as you go! If it's bland, use a beef bullion cube.

Beet Risotto

2010-02-03T08:27:00.002+01:00

Sorry it's taken me so long to post another recipe. Life has been extra special annoying lately at work and I come home exhausted. But ... this is not your problem ... so here's some delicious beet risotto. Beet risotto is cool for the color (and the flavor doesn't suck). It would be a great side dish with a little grilled meat or chicken and a light salad. Beets are kind of annoying to handle (they color your hands unless you wear gloves) but they are quite tasty so I think it's worth it.

Ingredients
2-3 large beets, peeled and diced
1 onion or 2 shallots
4 cups chicken broth (homemade if you can swing it)
1 cup arborio rice
3 tbsp cream
1/2 c grated parmesan
1/4 c white wine

Preparation
To prepare the beets, peel them with a peeler (and gloves on) and then dice them pretty tiny. Dice the onions or shallots also. In a large deep frying pan, put a little olive oil and butter and melt over medium heat. Sautee the onions until just beginning to get translucent. Add the beets and a little more butter, and saute for about 3-4 minutes. Add the arborio and stir until starting to get translucent. Add a swig of wine, turn heat to high, and then cook until evaporated.

Meanwhile, heat the broth in a separate saucepan (you can skip this step if you want, but it makes the risotto cook faster). When the wine is evaporated, add a cupful of broth and stir, over medium heat. Keep stirring periodically until the broth is nearly evaporated, then add another cup and repeat. Do this until the rice is soft and edible. When this happens, your beets should also be soft. Turn off heat and stir in cream and parmesan. Serve hot!

Proper Sushi Etiquette

2010-01-10T11:38:00.004+01:00

I read an entertaining book called the Zen of Fish, about a girl who wants to become a sushi chef. The best part about it was the look at the underworld of this portion of Japanese cuisine - the rules, the competition, and how sushi is eaten quite differently than most of us think. Anyway, I found this handy guide on the internet. Click to make large if it's hard to read.

The Beers of Vietnam

2010-01-06T13:21:00.001+01:00

Vietnam has a lot of great beers, we discovered. Here are but a few!

Steamed mussels

2010-01-02T20:17:00.002+01:00

This picture is actually steamed mussels from L'Amphititre, a restaurant in Sidi Bou Said beach in Tunis, Tunisia. However, I have my own very easy recipe for steamed mussels that is just as good. The most important thing about mussles is freshness - make sure they haven't been sitting around for a couple of days. Also, not overcooking them! The rule is that as soon as they steam open, they are ready. Do not pry open any mussels - if they remained sealed shut it's because they're bad. The best months to eat mussels are months with the letter "R" in them - it has to do with water temperature. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 lb fresh mussels in shell, cleaned of barnacles and hair
white wine
fresh parsley
lemon juice
water
olive oil

Preparation

In a large pot, heat up a little olive oil and cook the onions until translucent. Add a large swig of wine and cook for about 1 minute. Add the mussels and about 1 cup of water to the bottom of the pan, adding more water if your heat is really high for some reason. Cover the pot and boil for about 3-5 minutes until mussels are steamed open. Sprinkle with parsley and lemon juice and serve!

Honey-Cider Vinegar Dressing

2010-01-02T20:13:00.003+01:00

This dressing is so easy and so tasty! I make it for a salad that consists of citrus wedges (oranges and grapefruits), romaine lettuce, thinly-sliced red onions and fresh parsley.

Ingredients

Cider vinegar

canola oil

honey

Preparation

Mix 1 part vinegar to three parts oil, and about 2-3 tablespoons of honey. Mix with a whisk and taste. I'm sorry these directions aren't more precise, but just deal with it and learn to mix and taste as you go -- which will make you a better cook anyway!

Tortilla Soup

2010-01-01T21:30:00.000+01:00

I don't normally make Mexican food, but when I was back in AZ I couldn't resist buying up some ingredients, including dried chiles (poblano, ancho, new mexico, you name it!). I tried to make some salsa but it turned out less spicy and delicious than I thought, so instead I used the chile sauce for a soup, which turned out great.

Ingredients
1 c cooked chicken pieces
4 dried ancho chilies
4 dried poblano or new mexico chilies
fresh cilantro
2-3 c chicken broth
1/4 c cream
1/2 c diced fresh tomatoes
1 flour tortilla
1/4 c cheddar cheese
1 onion, finely sliced
lime juice

Preparation

Seed the chilies and remove the stems. Heat up a frying pan without any oil until really hot, and put the chilies in, pressing down on skin about 30 seconds on each side until the skin begins to blister. Set aside each of the different types of chilies in a shallow bowl and cover with 1/2-1 c of water. Soak for about 30 minutes.

In a blender or food processor, process the chilies and their soaking water, to make a "soup" - set aside. In a heavy pot, add a little oil and slowly fry the onions over medium heat. Add the chili sauce and the broth and simmer over medium heat for about 5-10 minutes to blend the flavors. Then blend in cream and a little dash of lime juice. Add chicken pieces and warm through.

In the meantime, cut up the tortilla into wedges, or "chips." Heat up some corn or canola oil in a pan and fry them (this will be garnish). To serve, put soup in bowls, then garnish with cheese, a little dollop of sour cream, tomato pieces and fresh cilantro.

Hot Mulled Wine

2009-12-30T21:31:00.000+01:00

Leave it up to a Tunisian bartender (who doesn't drink alcohol) to school me on holiday drinks! For this holiday party our awesome bartender humbly asked me why I had no specialty drinks on the menu (the answer is that I had too much going on to think about such details). Alas, he asked me if I had an orange, cloves, and red wine on hand ... and voila, hot mulled wine was born. We served it on trays in little expresso cups and people loved it. Recipe below:

Ingredients

2 bottles of cheap red wine

1 large orange

2 c cherry or cranberry juice

10-12 whole cloves

1-2 cinnamon sticks (large)

rum (optional)

Preparation

Cut slits into the orange from top to bottom, but without going all the way through (this allows the juice to seep out), then pierce the entire orange with cloves. Break the cinnamon sticks in two and put the clove-encrusted orange and cinnamon sticks in a large pot. Pour in wine, juice, and rum (if you want it strong!) and turn heat to medium. Heat up until hot but not boiling. Serve in little mugs.

Mango Creme Brulee

2009-12-28T13:07:00.002+01:00

This creme brulee deserves its own post. It's by far the best creme brulee I've ever had. It was in Hanoi, Vietnam at a great boutique hotel called the Green Mango. The hotel has only 5 rooms and is nestled deep in the Old Quarter of Hanoi. They have a really amazing restaurant serving fusion Euro-Vietnamese food (at a really reasonable price). Anyway, this creme brulee was amazing - smooth mango taste, crisp caramel crust, and modern presentation.

Citrus Chicken Breasts

2009-12-27T20:56:00.001+01:00

Ahhh, the chicken breast. Overcooked by so many, truly mastered by so few. It's healthy, but man oh man can people cook it until it's dry and tasteless. This recipe below is one that's going to be featured in my cookbook, since it leaves chicken breasts super moist and can be personalized with a thousand different sauces.

Ingredients

4 chicken breast halves

1/2 c orange and lemon juice combined

1/2 c chicken broth

flour for dredging

fresh parsley (optional)

Preparation

If the breasts are whole, butterfly them as shown in the picture (this means you slit them down the middle, but not all the way - they should open up like a book). Put about 1 cup of flour in a shallow bowl and dredge the breasts in the flour. Dredging is a fancy word for just coating the chicken breast.

In a good non-stick pan, melt some butter and add a little of olive oil over medium-high heat. When melted, add chicken breasts and cook for about 4-5 minutes, until golden but not totally done (seriously - do NOT overcook!). If the pan starts getting all dry, you can add more oil and butter. When golden, remove breasts to a side plate. To the pan (which has drippings and is still on med-high heat), add the lemon and orange juice. Let cook for about 1 minute, scraping up brown bits. Add chicken broth and keep cooking until reduced about half (it should be a little thicker by now). Put chicken breasts back in the pan, along with any juices accumulated on the plate. Cook for about 1-2 more minutes. Taste for salt, add some fresh ground pepper and top with parsley. Serve!

Gag challenge: would you drink this?

2009-12-26T13:12:00.000+01:00

Liquor with scorpions. Available for your enjoyment in Sapa, Vietnam.

A $2 lunch

2009-12-26T13:10:00.002+01:00

Yet another Vietnam post - oh yes, get used to them as I've got Vietnamese food aplenty to highlight on this website. I hope you don't get bored! In fact, someone asked me just today of all the places I've traveled, where I've eaten the best. Hard question, as I was torn between the variety and creativity of Chinese cuisine when I studied abroad in Hong Kong, the freshness and whimsy of Vietnamese cuisine, the detail and refinement of Japan, or the absolutely amazing rustic goodness of Argentina. So, in essence, no answer to the question yet. Many of the best meals I've eaten (in all of the places above) were dirt-cheap, including a great meal of fried rice (Vietnamese-style) and steamed chicken with vegetables atop rice noodles that we had in Hanoi. Enjoy!

Striped Farfalle Salad

2009-12-25T20:49:00.002+01:00

A couple of weeks ago my friends had a BBQ (complete with bocce). I had some stuff in the fridge and hence a pasta salad was born. The noodles are from a friend of mine who moved from here and sold me a bunch of her gourmet ingredients before going. Basically it's farfalle made with different vegetables - like beets for the purple stripes, spinach for the green, etc etc.

Porky sniffing the noodles

Ingredients

1 package farfalle pasta

1 c fresh parsley, chopped

1/2 c chopped salami

1/2 c chopped manchego (or other strong cheese)

Good olive oil, salt

Sherry vinegar

Preparation

Make the pasta until al dente, strain, then run cold water on it to stop the cooking process. Toss in all the ingredients except oil and vinegar together. If you're comfortable, toss the pasta with salt, olive oil and vinegar in the right proportions (4-1 oil to vinegar). If you want, you can also make the dressing on the side and then toss the pasta with it. Toss and serve immediately (if transporting it somewhere, just keep the dressing on the side until right before serving).

Bacon-wrapped stuffed turkey

2009-12-20T21:03:00.005+01:00

This past thanksgiving we were in Madrid. Usually I like to brine turkeys, since it makes them moist even if you overcook them (which is the biggest danger for turkeys). However, since our small Euro refrigerator could not hold a big-ass container required for this, we instead decided to stuff it and cover it with bacon. It turned out moist and delicious! Stuffing recipe coming soon.

Ingredients

1 turkey (any size you want)

1 package smoked bacon

1/2 cup coarse sea salt

Stuffing of your choice

Preparation

Clean the turkey with water and remove feathers (as you can see, my father did this with a lighter in the picture). Then rub with sea salt all over. Place the bacon on the turkey like in the pictures, in layers covering the entire turkey. Stuff and close up the hole with either thread and needle, skewers, or whatever else you can devise. Stick in the oven at 350 - the rule is 20 minutes per pound, but I always like to undercook and either use a meat thermometer (stick it in the thigh - it should read 180), or just poke it to see if juices run clear. Remember, you can always stick it back in the oven, but you can't undo a dry turkey! In the last hour or so of cooking, tent the bird with foil so that it doesn't get all dry on top. When you're done, just peel off the bacon and carve.

Linguine with Basil and Sundried Tomatoes

2009-12-20T20:50:00.003+01:00

This is one of my favorite recipes! I got it from http://www.epicurious.com/, one of my favorite websites. The reason I like it so much is because it's fairly easy, is pretty much filling like a main course, and it really melds sweet-savory-tangy all together. Plus, the colors are cool.

Ingredients

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup chopped drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
3/4 cup sliced fresh basil
4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves
1/2 cup canned low-salt chicken broth
1 9-ounce package fresh linguine, freshly cooked

Preparation

Whisk 1/2 cup oil, vinegar, garlic and sugar in medium bowl to blend. Whisk in onion, tomatoes and 1/4 cup basil. Season dressing with salt and pepper. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken on all sides with salt and pepper. Add chicken to skillet. Sauté until brown, about 3 minutes per side. Add broth, 1/2 cup dressing and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer uncovered until chicken is cooked through, about 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat. Transfer chicken to work surface and slice thinly.

Divide pasta among 4 plates. Top each with 1 sliced chicken breast half. Spoon pan juices over. Garnish with remaining 1/4 cup basil. Serve, passing remaining dressing separately.

German Deer Pate

2009-12-20T20:44:00.001+01:00

On my way back from the US during my last vacation, I had the pleasure/pain of having a 12 hr layover in Frankfurt, Germany. Actually, it gave me enough time to leave my stuff at a day hotel and hop on the train to downtown. I saw the Goethe Museum (his old house) and then walked around a lot in the cold! The best part was stumbling upon a street with a bunch of gourmet shops. Among them, I found this treasure: what I believe is deer pate with cranberry and button mushroom aspic on the top. Here are some pics below of me enjoying it upon my arrival in Tunisia. So delicious!

Wild Mushroom Bisque

2009-12-20T20:16:00.003+01:00

The other day I found wild mushrooms at the La Marsa market - at only 25 dinars a kilo (that's about $10/pound - which is cheap!). I had so many that I made a risotto (pictured in a later post) and this bisque here. It was quite easy and tasty - though I learned the hard way you have to clean these suckers well or you get dirt in your soup. That said, it was still edible ... and delicious!

Ingredients

1 lb wild mushrooms, cleaned and chopped

2-3 shallots or 1 medium onion, sliced thin

a swig of dry sherry (or white wine)

butter

3-4 c chicken broth

1/2 c heavy cream (or thick cream diluted with a little milk)

Fresh sage (optional)

Preparation

To clean the mushrooms, the best method is to work in a bowl of cool water and rub the dirt off with your hands while submerging the mushroom. In a large saucepan, heat up butter, a little olive oil, and toss in the shallots. Sautee for about 1-2 minutes, until beginning to soften. Add mushrooms and toss for about 2-3 minutes or until coated and beginning to cook. Turn heat to high and add a swig of sherry - keep heat on high until sherry evaporates, about 2-3 minutes. Keep cooking on medium heat until mushrooms are tender and shallots are soft and browned.

Turn off heat and take 1 cup of mixture in pan and puree in food processor. Add a little broth to moisten and keep processing, adding the broth slowly in the top so that it mixes in well. Keep doing this in batches and putting the puree into a large pan. When done processing all the mushrooms, put pan on medium heat and stir in cream. Taste for salt - too salty? add some lemon juice and more cream. Not salty enough? Add salt! This soup will not be totally creamy, rather it will have tiny pieces of mushroom.

If you'd like, top with some chopped fresh sage or other available herb.

Cucumber and Caviar Bites

2009-12-20T20:05:00.004+01:00

If you want a colorful, super easy hors d'oeuvre, there's nothing simpler than these cucumber bites. In fact, they are quite refreshing and tasty. Here in Tunisia there is no sour cream available, so I just took regular thick cream and put a drop of lemon juice in it. You can also use greek yogurt or let regular plain yogurt strain in cheesecloth (or a mesh strainer) for a couple of hours.

Ingredients

1 English or regular cucumber, sliced 1/4 inch thick

1 cup sour cream (or substitute)

1 small jar of caviar (any kind)

Preparation

Place cucumber slices on your platter. With a tiny spoon, place a dollop of sour cream, then a little bit of caviar (as pictured). Keep in the fridge until ready to serve. Can be made 1 hr ahead.

Bento Box Surprises

2009-12-19T13:06:00.000+01:00

For those of you unfamiliar, a Bento Box is a Japanese boxed lunch where there are single-servings of various different dishes. A lot of care goes into these, because the flavors have to be complimentary and balanced. Here's a little bento box we got in a Japanese restaurant in Saigon. There were flavors in there I had never had before (like a savory custard with vegetables). It was appealing to the eye and the stomach!

Cold soba noodles with shredded radish

Grilled eel atop a bed of sweet egg

Some savory vegetable and chicken custard

Japanese food in Vietnam

2009-12-19T13:02:00.001+01:00

Surprisingly (or not), there loads of great Japanese Restaurants in Vietnam, especially in the big city of Saigon (now called Ho Chi Minh City). Here is a taste below of some stuff we ordered - including some seaweed that I've never before seen or heard off - it looks like christmas garland (and tastes delicious)!

Roasted eel with seaweed and spicy cream

Potato and panko croquettes

The best breakfast buffet in Saigon

2009-12-05T19:17:00.002+01:00

I have so many great culinary experiences from our recent trip to Vietnam that I'm scared I'll overwhelm this blog with all of them! I'm going to space them out to spare you the repetition of cuisine. There was nothing bland about Vietnam - great food, great people, interesting culture and overall super super cheap! Even this great hotel, a five star (the Caravelle) delivered for what you'd pay for a Holiday Inn in the US. Anyway, the best part about our stay was this ultra-amazing breakfast buffet, complete with pho (noodle soup), Chinese, and Japanese fare. So delicious!

Dragonfruit (like a kiwi but white and pink)

The pho station

Porterhouse Steaks with Chimichurri

2009-10-22T18:27:00.007+01:00

After seeing U2 in concert, we felt we deserved another treat - porterhouse steaks. At $10.99/lb, they aren't cheap, but oh are they worth it. We served them up with a quick chimichurri sauce. Here is the recipe for both.

Ingredients
4 porterhouse steaks (about 1-2lbs each)
sea salt
ground pepper
1 c each chopped fresh parsley, cilantro, basil
3/4 c olive oil
1/4 c rice vinegar
1 tsp hot sauce
4 cloves garlic, peeled

Preparation
Leave steaks at room temperature 20-30 minutes. Heat up grill on high. Rub olive oil on steaks, sprinkle with coarse sea salt and pepper, press seasonings into the steak. Grill steak 8-10 minutes total for medium rare. When done, let it sit 5-10 minutes before serving (this preserves the juices and finishes cooking the meat).

For the chimichurri. In a food processor, process first the garlic, then add the herbs. Add oil in a small stream while processing, then add vinegar, salt, hot sauce and pepper the same way. Serve alongside the steak.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Thyme

2009-10-22T18:27:00.002+01:00

Here's a really easy way to make sweet potatoes. I'm not even going to put a formal recipe - just take two sweet potatoes, peel them and cut into chunks. Boil in water until just about tender. Then drizzle with olive oil, fresh thyme (or dried) and sea salt, and bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until crisp. Voila!