Super Easy and Tasty, Braised Short Ribs

With the New Year, comes a new post! It has been a super long time since I have written anything, but I have a good excuse. I started my blog in late April and then in early May I became pregnant! So as you can imagine the only thing I was cooking was the bun in my oven J. Despite the fact that I am due this month, we had to move last week so for the first time in my life I regretted having over 200 cookbooks and kitchen gadgets. I finally finished putting my kitchen away yesterday and with its completion, came inspiration. I decided to make something easy for New Year’s Eve dinner since a) I am super tired, and b) my Fred Flinstone swollen ankles can only handle me standing for so long. So in case you happen to be 9 months pregnant, just moved and are still working full time, this is the recipe for you!

Ingredients:

4 ½ lbs short ribs (bone in or out) cut in 3 ½ inch pieces.

1 package sliced button mushrooms

6 sprigs of Italian parsley

1 small chopped yellow onion

6 garlic cloves

2 bay leaves

2 cups red wine

1 can chopped tomatoes

kosher salt

black pepper

olive oil for searing

Directions:

Liberally salt and pepper the short ribs and sear them until the reach a nice dark brown color.

(This is where having the new All Clad Slow Cooker would come in handy since it allows you to sear in the slow cooking insert. I unfortunately bought mine right before they introduced the one with the metal insert and cannot buy it separately. If anyone knows any executives at All Clad, please explain to them that this is a serious crisis which only they can resolve!)

Remove the short ribs and place them in your slow cooker. Top with the parsley, garlic cloves and bay leaves.

In the same pot where you seared the meat, sauté the onions until softened slightly (add more oil if necessary). Be sure to scrape the pot to pick up the brown bits that have stuck to the bottom. Add the mushrooms and continue to cook for a couple more minutes.

Add the red wine and tomatoes and stir to incorporate. Pour over the ribs.

Set your slow cooker to low and cook for 8 hours.

After the dish is ready, I like to scoop out the meat and strain the remaining juices to remove any excess fat. At this point you can also adjust the seasoning. Alternately you can refrigerate this overnight and then the next day take off the excess fat that has accumulated on the top. In fact this dish tastes even better the second day!

If you find the remaining sauce too thin you can reduce it.

Serve over polenta, fresh pasta, or with crusty bread. Top with parmesan if you have it. I also like to serve it with caramelized carrots and a simple side salad.

Delicious!!!

I wish everyone a happy and prosperous 2011!!!

Mmmmmm Zucchini-Watercress Soup

One of my favorite pastimes is coming home from work and cracking open a cookbook and perusing its contents for a new and delicious recipe. This easy recipe I found while reading the Silver Palate Cookbook in its entirety during my first and second year of law school. I love soup and this recipe is particularly spectacular since the zucchini lends a sweetness and smooth consistency without adding the extra calories off heavy cream. It also is just as delicious if you make it vegetarian or vegan by omitting the butter and chicken stock. This is the sort of recipe that makes you say, Wow! It will be sure to impress you, and your most discerning guests!

Ingredients:

4 Tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

2 cups finely chopped yellow onions

3 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock or water if vegetarian/vegan)

2 pounds (about 4 medium size) zucchini

1 bunch of watercress

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Fresh lemon juice, to taste

Directions:

1. Melt the butter in a large heavy pot over low heat. Add the onions, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are tender and lightly colored, about 25 minutes.

2. Add the stock and bring to a boil.

3. Scrub the zucchini well with a kitchen brush, trim the ends, and chop coarsely. Drop the zucchini into the stock and return it to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until zucchini are very tender, about 20 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, remove the leaves and tender stems from the watercress and rinse thoroughly.

5. Remove the soup from the heat, add the watercress, cover, and let stand for 5 minutes.

6. Pour the soup through a strainer, reserving the liquid, and transfer the solids to a food processor or use a food mill fitted with a medium disc. Add 1 cup of the cooking stock and process until smooth.

7. Return the pureed soup to the pot and add about 2 cups more stock (see Note), until the soup is of the desired consistency.

8. Season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Simmer briefly to heat through. Serve immediately.

5 to 6 portions

Note: For a richer soup, substitute 1 cup heavy cream for 1 cup of the liquid added after processing.

I have also served this soup chilled with lump crab meat. Also a delicious option which is great in the hot summer months.

Enjoy!

Reprinted with permission from Workman Publishing,

from The Silver Palate Cookbook,

copyright 2007 Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins

http://www.workman.com/products/9780761145974/

Yia Yia's Yemista aka Grandma's Stuffed Peppers

Several months ago I was fortunate enough to meet the virtual acquaintance of another (and lovely) food blogger Devaki, from WeaveThousandFlavors.com. Through her blog, Devaki had a competition for a product from Emile Henry and since we all know I have a bit of a pot (not the type you smoke) addiction, I had to enter! Below is my winning submission as well as pictures of the stuffed peppers in my brand new Emile Henry Brazier, which I won courtesy of Grandma's recipe, Devaki and Emile Henry. For a direct link to her post along with a funny story about the first time I made the stuffed peppers, go to

http://www.weavethousandflavors.com/2010/06/and-the-winner-of-the-make-your-wish-emile-henry-give-away-is.html?cid=6a012875c7e993970c0134849d2b4a970c

Ingredients:

6 medium to large tomatoes (I say medium to large because some veggies have become gargantuan lately - just buy ones that are large enough to stuff, but not so large that they do not fit in the casserole dish/roaster)(buy four tomatoes you will stuff, and two that are extra ripe ones that will become the sauce)

4 medium green peppers (you can also use round or oblong summer squash)

1 cup of long grain rice

1 lb ground lean beef or turkey meat

1 small red onion chopped

2.5 Tbs chopped parsley

1.5 Tbs finely chopped mint (Note: do not use peppermint, the other kind)(you can also use dry, mint but use half the portion)

1/3 cup toasted pine nuts (optional)(this is my addition, but my Grandmother said others in Greece use them too)

2 Teaspoons sugar

¾ Cup olive oil

Kosher salt/pepper

¼ Cup white wine (optional)

Directions:

First, make sure you have a pan (perhaps an Emile Henry Brazier) that accommodates all the vegetables. Then, cut the tops off the peppers and slice or pull out the core.

Turn 4 of the tomatoes upside down and using a very sharp knife, cut a circular hole, about 2 inches in diameter, in the top of the tomato.

Carefully scoop out the inside of the tomatoes with a small spoon and reserve.

Place the tomatoes and peppers in a baking dish and in each tomato, sprinkle 1/2 tsp of sugar in the interior. This helps if the tomatoes are not super sweet.

Grate the remaining two tomatoes on the large part of a box grater. My grandmother uses this technique when making any tomato base. When feeling lazy I have also been known to pulse them in a food processor or my Vitamix. Also add the cores of the tomatoes that you previously removed and chop any pieces that seem too large, i.e. over an inch.

In a medium sauté pan, heat ¼ cup olive oil and add the onions, sauté until softened and then add the rice. Sauté for another 2-3 minutes, then add the mint, parsley, black pepper and about 1 Tbs of kosher salt. If using white wine, add a splash and stir. Then add one cup of water, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cover with a lid and cook until the water is absorbed. The point is that you are only half cooking the rice because it will absorb additional moisture from the vegetables.

In a medium sauté pan brown the meat, drain any fat, salt and pepper to taste (you can also substitute vegetable or soy protein if you are vegetarian or vegan).

Toast the pine nuts in a smaller pan, stirring frequently since they burn quickly! You can use the same pan you use for the meat, just rinse the pan before you brown the meat.

When the rice is done, add the meat, pine nuts and combine thoroughly. Taste and adjust seasoning and get ready to stuff! Note, the rice will still be slightly firm at this point.

Using a small spoon evenly stuff the peppers and tomatoes. Do not overfill or push down the mixture since if you do, they will not cook properly.

Place the tops of the vegetables back on and then pour the tomato puree over them. Add about ½ cup of water evenly throughout the pan. Add a generous amount of olive oil over the vegetables and salt and pepper.

Cook for at least an hour in a 375 degree oven, basting with the juices about every 20 minutes. They will be done when they have burned a little on the tops. Turn the peppers half way through if you placed them at an angle in the pan. I also rotate the entire dish half way through cooking so they brown evenly. If they are browning too quickly and the filling and the rice is not fully cooked yet, add a little extra water and cover with aluminum foil.

Serve with warm crusty bread, feta cheese and olives. Trust me . . . they are good!!!

Kali Orexi!

Yummy Fruit Popsicles!!!

The irony of this post is that although I planned on writing it some time last week, the heat in New York has made me lazy and tired, which kept me in a vegetative state in between my air conditioner and circulating fan. I think I now fully understand what they mean when they say, "the dog days of summer." For the past two months I have had daily fantasies of moving to some tropical island so that I can roam around in a bikini with a frozen cocktail permanently affixed to my hand. In the meantime I will continue to appease myself with frozen treats like the popsicle pictured above.

Watermelon Raspberry Popsicles

3 cups cubed watermelon

1/2 cup raspberries

squeeze of 1/2 lime

1/3 cup simple syrup (more or less to taste)

Blend all of the above ingredients and add to popsicles forms and freeze until firm. To make the simple syrup, add equal parts of sugar and water and melt slowly over a medium flame until the sugar granules have disappeared. You can make a batch of the syrup in advance and store to sweeten coffee, tea, cocktails or fruit salad.

You may want to give these watermelon popsicles a stir mid-way through freezing, otherwise the mixture will separate. They still tasted great so it is purely for aesthetic reasons.

Orange Mango Popsicles

orange juice (use your popsicle molds to measure out the right amount)

1 small ripe mango

15-20 raspberries

For this recipe I simply used my popsicle molds to measure out enough orange juice. Keep in mind that you will need to leave extra room for the mango and raspberries.

Combine one cubed mango to the orange juice and blend. Add the puree to the molds and dropped in a few raspberries for decor and flavor. Because I used Tropicana (which is already sweet) I did not add extra sugar. I would imagine this would taste even better with freshly squeezed oj.

Note: As with all popsicles, leave about 1/2 inch at the top to allow for expansion of the liquid when it freezes. If you don't have popsicle molds try ice cub trays with tooth pics! Just remember to add the tooth pics after the mixture has frozen a bit.

Although I don't have kids yet, I imagine this would be a good way to get some extra fruit in their diets. For adults kids you can chill the puree and add some rum or vodka! Yum!

Hope these recipes help you get through the last weeks of summer and inspire you to come up your own fun flavor combinations. Next on my list are melon-basil, coconut-strawberry and kiwi-lime!

Fresh Fettuccini with Fresh Tomato Basil Sauce

July in New York was officially categorized as the hottest on record. There has been absolutely no break and although you might think that I have no right to complain when some States are seeing temperatures in the 100s, you need to have lived in New York during the summer to understand what I am going through. I love my City and will rarely have anything bad to say, but the humidity is horrible, the air quality oppressive, and if you think its bad above ground try taking the subway. I lived in Greece when temperatures were in the high 120s, and I can assure you this is worse.

Despite the heat, Saturday was the New Amsterdam Market and if you read my last post you probably already know that nothing would have kept me away. As it turned out I also was going to be hosting an impromptu dinner party so I needed inspiration and ingredients. Although ice cream was a given, I still was trying to make up my mind regarding an entrée. My first thought was fresh pasta with a meat sauce, but that seemed heavy and got nixed quickly. For a moment I thought about a quiche, but I had visions of melting pastry dough and an oven not being able to keep up with my AC. After some time, it finally came to me! I was going to make fresh fettuccini with a fresh tomato basil sauce. Its refreshing, light and requires limited prep and minimal clean up.

Although this sauce can be made with any tomatoes, I love using small heirloom tomatoes of various colors since it adds to the presentation.

Fresh oregano can be used instead of dry, but it was hot and I was tired so I decided to make due with what was in my pantry. This dish is delicious with fresh pasta, but I imagine it would be as good with any dry pasta, like fusilli or penne.

Fresh Fettuccini with Fresh Tomato Basil Sauce

- 2 pints cherry, grape tomatoes halved or quartered

- 10 basil leaves rolled and thinly sliced

- 2-4 garlic cloves crushed (depending on their size and how much you like garlic)

- 1 teaspoon dried oregano

- 1 teaspoon chili flakes (or more if you like heat)

- ½ cup olive oil

- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Combine all the ingredients in a non-reactive bowl and allow to sit at room temperature for 2-3 hours.

Toss with cooked pasta and serve with freshly grated parmesan.

Stay cool! Next post, ice pops!

Next New Amsterdam Market-July 24, 2010!

Mmmmm, tarts....

On June 1, 2010 I wrote about the City of Merchants which was a fundraiser which benefited the New Amsterdam Market. Anyone that knows me knows how much I LUV this market since it supports and showcases local food artisans, farmers and producers. On the most basic level, the people at the New Amsterdam Market are trying to get enough interest so that they can take over the old abandoned Fulton Fish Market and host an indoor, year long market. Think Reading Terminal in Philadelphia. The food is fresh, delicious and reasonable. Samples are plentiful and you will always find something new! To wet your appetite I have posted some pictures from this and last year. The next one is on July 24, 2010 at Peck Slip by the Seaport and in my humble opinion, if you like food, eating or cooking, you must attend!

Fresh Pasta!

Cheese!

Porchetta!

Beautiful Maple Syrup!

Chocolate!

Artisinal Breads

Bagels

Fruits

Veggies

Last but not least...dessert from the Bent Spoon!

Rhubard/Shiso and Mango/Blueberry Sorbet

For further details got to http://www.newamsterdammarket.org/

Jazzed-Up Insalata Tricolore

I realize this is my second salad post in a row, but it is hot as hades in New York and frankly light summer food is the only thing I can think about making or eating. This salad is a variation of the Insalata Di Foccacia that I used to eat at I Tre Merli, an Italian restaurant I worked at for several years. Last year I was craving the salad and tried to recreate it to only find out that I liked my version more (Sorry Paolo). What I think I did was merge the Insalata Tricolore with the Insalata Di Foccacia.

For extra protein/flavor you can add shaved parmesan or halved boccini mozzarella. As is, this salad is vegan, vegetarian and hearty enough to be sufficient as lunch or a light dinner. If you are feeling fancy you can even make your own foccacia croutons, although I find the store bought Italian seasoned croutons good enough. I douse my salad with balsamic vinegar, but since I realize not everyone may like vinegar as much as I do, I have modified the dressing so that you don’t end up with a permanent pucker.

Ingredients:

1 package of pre-washed baby arugula or 3 cups of baby arugula washed, rinsed and dried

2 endives halved and sliced into ½ inch pieces

1 small radicchio sliced into one inch pieces

2 ripe tomatoes cut into one inch pieces

6-8 large basil leaves, stacked, rolled and thinly sliced

1 cup Italian croutons or Foccacia croutons

½ cup toasted pignoli nuts a.ka. pine nuts (see note and picture below)

2 Tbs capers (more if you love capers like I do)

3 Tbs good quality balsamic vinegar

1/3 cup olive oil

Kosher salt and fresh black pepper to taste (go easy on the salt and add more if needed later. Capers are pretty briny).

Directions:

Toss everything into a large bowl, add the dressing and mix thoroughly. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.

The nice thing about this salad is that the arugula, radicchio and endive stand up to the dressing and it won't get soggy as quickly as other salads. What I really like is when the croutons get soaked in the balsamic. Sometimes I just pick at the balsamic doused croutons and leave the rest for my husband. Yum!

Note: Toast the pine nuts lightly over medium heat in a small frying or saute pan until they have reached the color below. No oil is needed and make sure they do not burn! Check ethnic stores for pine nuts since they tend to be cheaper than the ones you find at gourmet shops.

I hope you enjoy this salad as much as I do.

Buon Appetito!