Taco pie

Aug3

This dish that doesn’t call for hard-to-find ingredients. It’s not mysterious, nor is it surprising. It’s something to be craved at the end of the workday. It is filling and fulfilling.

Adapted from this She Makes and Bakes recipe by Emily

(Yield: 4 servings)

Ingredients:

About 10 corn tortillas, divided

2 tbsp olive oil

1 lb ground beef

1 small yellow onion, finely diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp cumin

Cayenne pepper to taste

4 oz shredded Cheddar cheese

Salt + black pepper

Toppings of your choice

Procedure: Line a pie dish with overlapping tortillas (it’s okay if they tear a little) and set aside.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic to skillet with a pinch of salt. Stir and cook until soft, about 3 min. Add beef, chili powder, cumin, cayenne, and about 1/2 tsp salt and black pepper. Raise heat to high. Break up meat with a wooden spatula in the skillet, making sure seasonings are well incorporated. Cook until browned, stirring frequently, about 12 min. Meanwhile, heat oven to 350F and cut 2 tortillas into 1″ squares.

Place browned beef into prepared pie dish. Cover with a layer of tortilla squares and cheese, and repeat.

Place into oven and cook until cheese is melted, about 15 min.

Remove pie from oven and let stand for 10 min before cutting into it.

I ate this with sour cream and a quick salsa (tomatoes, cilantro, lime). The only imperfection of this ‘pie’ is that it is a bit difficult and messy to cut into. I don’t know if lining the dish with whole tortillas is the best way to do it. Do you have any suggestions for how to repair this situation?

Fried carrot & coconut pockets

Jul16

My enthusiasm for stuffing wonton wrappers has taken me from cheese and pumpkin ravioli to Chinese style fried wontons. What I’ve learned thus far is that deep frying stuffed store-bought wonton skins yields far better results that boiling them. Because they are so thin, they expand and cannot keep their shape in the process of boiling. Deep frying, meanwhile, turns them into crispy, golden pillows of delight. I have yet to use the simmer-then-pan-fry technique though, which may be the best of both worlds. If you have any expertise in this area, please share!

This foray into the wonton wrapper world (ugh, I’m afraid by the end of this post neither you or I will be able to stand the word wonton) has been, hands down, the most successful. For the filling, I literally threw in a bunch of stuff from my fridge and cabinets, and the results were spectacular.

Ingredients:

20-25 store-bought wonton wrappers

2 medium carrots, peeled shredded

About 1/2 c sweetened coconut flakes

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 scallion, chopped

1 tsp yellow curry powder

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tbsp corn starch

1 tbsp sesame seeds

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 egg, beaten

Vegetable oil, for frying

Procedure: Combine all ingredients from carrots through soy sauce in a bowl.

Pour about one inch of oil into frying pan and place over medium heat. While it heats up, start to form the pockets. Working with one skin at a time, lay it flat and place about 1 tbsp of filling in the center. Brush the side that is furthest from you with egg, as well as the top two thirds of the right and left sides. Roll/fold, starting from the bottom, to form pocket. Press down to seal the sides and seal the back. Repeat with remaining skins. Place 6-8 pockets into oil at once and fry about 2 min per side.

Final results should be golden brown, not dark. Drain on paper towels. Serve with hoisin sauce.

I call these pockets because I didn’t want to wrap them in the traditional wonton shape. Served with hoisin sauce for dipping, this recipe makes for the best party appetizer.

A few updates.

Jun18

Hey there,

I wanted to fill you in on some of the stuff that’s been going on with me lately. And I know, you’re just dying to find out, and now the wait is over!

Classes ended about a month ago but I am not exactly in summer mode – I am splitting my time between my ~~super exciting~~ job as an administrative assistant and an editorial internship at an NYC-focused news blog called Gothamist. Gothamist is the most popular source of news for young New Yorkers and it is the namesake site on the 11-site ist network, including LAist, Bostonist, Torontoist and even Shanghaiist. There I get to work with cool people and occasionally have pretty cool assignments. I feel really lucky to have scored this internship and am learning a lot. Click here to read my first post!
While I don’t have to worry about schoolwork, I really want to devote all my spare time to this blog. I want to cook as many new dishes and try as many new restaurants, as I possibly can.
Rene, my boyfriend with whom I have been in a long distance relationship for about six months – is finally home. He went to college in Pennsylvania but now he’s back in Brooklyn. Of course it is a bit weird going from seeing him every three weeks to practically every day but it is very exciting and I love it. He’s very good about helping me in the kitchen (he washes dishes, helps with photos, etc.) and trying new restaurants with me (he’d have to be the anti-Christ not to enjoy that, no?). Here’s our story. We met in middle school and were in the same sixth grade class. I spent most of my days staring at him from across the room – I was so smitten by his 5-foot tall, Polish self! We lost contact after middle school, until last year, when a handsome young lad requested my friendship via Facebook. I didn’t recognize him (his height and amount of facial hair have since increased) or his name at first, but it didn’t take long to realize who he was. The first time we hung out I told him about my infantile crush on him and he admitted that the feeling was mutual. The rest, as they say, is history.
In other news, I have joined the rest of the world and got an iPhone. It’s a pretty awesome device and sure makes life easier. I am obsessing over instagram so you can definitely expect more photos on this blog. (username: chezsasha)
Fred doesn’t have a username yet.
I also made a Facebook for this blog. Please follow this link and ‘Like’ my page!

What are your plans for the summer?

5 Napkin Burger

May29

Since my last post might have scared you into renouncing cheeseburgers, this post should undo the damage.

I take burgers very seriously. Fortunately for me, this great city has lots to offer. I’ve sampled many that allegedly take themselves seriously and in my humble opinion, Five Guys’ and DBGB‘s Yankee Burger are the best. As of Tuesday evening, 5 Napkin’s Original Burger holds a spot on my list of favorites, too.

The outside view of the Union Square location looks no fancier than your average diner. To my pleasant surprise, it was actually quite elegant inside, with dark colored booths, white tiled columns, and lots of interesting textures to keep the eye entertained. There’s also a gorgeous, fully stocked bar; as well as an extensive selection of domestic and imported beers.

The Original 5 Napkin Burger: a 10 oz. ground chuck patty, sweet caramelized onions and mild gruyere cheese, with a generous heap of rosemary aioli.

The beef itself was delicious – I would not have minded eating the patty all by itself. But the caramelized onions, rosemary aioli (which is a homemade mayo) and melted cheese, which is like the most awesome combo ever, took it way over the top. You know I didn’t dare ruin this beauty with ketchup. Also, please note that this meal practically weighed in at one pound! And with the exception of some fries, I stuffed my face with almost all of it. Are you proud of me or what?

To drink, I ordered the Avery White Rascal, a Belgian-style unfiltered wheat beer. It was the perfect light compliment to my obscenely massive burger.

For more info and a location near you, visit 5napkinburger.com

West Coast-ers are faithful to In-N-Out (I’ve never been) while many New Yorkers claim Shake Shack is the best — what’s your personal favorite?

Cilantro mashed potatoes

Apr3

When I had dinner at Bogota Latin Bistro, my friend Alex, being the avid mashed potato lover that he is, ordered cilantro mashed potatoes as a side. He passed the dish around the table to let us all have a bite of this divinity. The potatoes were airy, creamy, smooth, and the cilantro added an insanely pleasant aroma of floral, green freshness.

I attempted to re-create this dish over the weekend to go along with the skillet-fried chicken (recipe to follow) I had made. The potatoes were great but not nearly as fantastic as the ones in Bogota. I have e-mailed the restaurant and requested the recipe. If I ever get it, I promise to share it with you, but here’s my version for now.

(Yield: 4 servings)

Ingredients:

6 medium russet potatoes

½ c whole milk, hot

2 tbsp butter

2 heaping tbsp sour cream

3 tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro

Salt

Procedure: Scrub potatoes under running water. Fill a medium-sized pot with cold water. Peel potatoes and place into water immediately. Cut potatoes into 1” cubes. Place back into water and repeat for all potatoes. Then, using your hand, stir potatoes in water to wash off some of the starch. Spill water out and replace with new cold water, making sure potatoes are fully submerged, with an extra inch of water over the top. Season water with 1 tbsp of salt. Cover tightly with lid, place over high heat, and bring to boil. Then crack lid, reduce heat to medium low, and simmer for 10-15 min, or until you can poke a fork through potatoes as easily as through softened butter. Drain potatoes and transfer to a large baking sheet in a single layer. Let dry for 5-10 min.* Transfer back to pot and mash until consistency is smooth. Add butter, milk, sour cream and cilantro. Stir, taste and re-season if necessary. Serve immediately.

*I learned the trick of drying out the potatoes before mashing them from the one and only Bon Appetit magazine. It really aids in the fluff factor of the final product so I highly recommend taking this extra step.

Do you have any secrets for perfecting this classic side dish?

Roasted tomato bruschetta

Mar29

It so happened that we had an over-abundance of bread and tomatoes chez moi this week. This situation could have also been dealt with by making this French toast but I’ve already blogged about it and what would be the fun in that? So I got creative.

Bruschetta - "BROO-SKET-AH"

(Yield: About 12 pieces)

Ingredients:

4 large vine-ripe tomatoes, quartered

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tbsp sugar

Salt/pepper

A generous handful of parsley

Graten Parmesan cheese for garnish

Crostini (recipe follows)

Procedure: Preheat oven to 450F. Toss tomatoes in oil and vinegar and leave cut side up. Sprinkle with sugar, salt, pepper and garlic.

Roast for 30 min. Remove from oven.

Place tomatoes into food processor and add parsley. Pulse until combined but still chunky.

How to make crostini: Preheat broiler. Place slices of day old bread on broiler-safe baking sheet and drizzle lightly with olive oil. Place into broiler and toast until golden brown – this shouldn’t take more than 2-3 min. Top crostini with bruschetta and cheese, and serve immediately.

Flavorwise, this bruschetta turned out ah-mazing. For a thicker texture next time, I think I will squeeze some of the juice out of the tomatoes prior to roasting them.

Great recipes, gross pictures

Nov13

Part of my ‘job’ as a food blogger is photographing my food. This is a challenge for several reasons. One being that my kitchen is tiny and not exactly Martha Stewart Living picturesque. Another being that I can’t always catch natural light. Yet another being that I don’t own a professional camera. And the last but not least being that I am not a professional photographer/food stylist.

Here are two great dishes I recently made that are missing out on stardom due to my photographic butchery. Pardonnez moi!

Waldorf Chicken Salad – cooked white meat chicken, tart apples, sweet dried cranberries, crunchy celery and red onion, lemon juice and mayo. Awesome, fresh flavors; great served over greens or in a wrap. In this picture, however, it looks… well, unappetizing.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes – sweet potatoes boiled in their skins, mashed with butter, milk, Parmesan cheese, curry powder, nutmeg and cinnamon. An excellent fall side dish that I served with a grilled steak – but unfortunately, neither item looks half as good and it deserves to.

*Shrugs*

By the way, you may have noticed the Contact tab up there has morphed into a Contact/Requests tab – I included a simple form in there for those of you who may have specific recipe requests, or any other comments, that is more convenient to use than email. I’m planning on implementing some more changes in the coming year, so stay tuned!

Tips For a Successful Dinner Party

Dec18

I love entertaining at home – it’s more comfortable and relaxed than going out, and I get to choose what my guests will eat and drink. With the winter holidays in full swing, people are more likely to throw brunch/dinner/cocktail parties than any other time of year. So here are a few tips for throwing a successful party at home:

DO NOT use new recipes for the first time for a party, or at least not more than one. Make sure you use recipes you’ve tested and perfected.
DO NOT trim the fat. Sometimes when I cook for myself, I use less butter, cream or cheese than a recipe calls for to cut down the calories and make the dish a bit healthier. Or I substitute butter with olive oil. Or use low-fat versions of things. But do not do this for guests! Parties call for decadence so feel free to use extra butter instead.
DO NOT forget to chill the drinks that need to be chilled! And DO make sure you have enough ice.
DO plan out in what order you’ll start cooking the dishes, according to each dish’s cooking time.
DO prepare whatever you can the day ahead – be it a pie crust, a beef stock, chopped garlic, or filling the salt and pepper shakers. Starting party preparations a day before greatly reduces any possible stress that cooking for guests may cause. Also, prepare the tablecloth, napkins, plates, silverware, stemware and platters… which brings me to my next point…
If you are expecting ten guests or under, DO use glass plates and real silverware! No paper or plastic! Using real dishes serves two purposes. 1.) It is much more appetizing to eat from real dishes as opposed to disposable ones, and 2.) It lets your guests know than you don’t mind doing the dishes for them or taking the extra time to fill the dishwasher. If you’re expecting more than ten guests, you might simply not have enough plates for everyone, in which case it’s okay to use disposable ones.
DO surprise people! Don’t be afraid to serve interesting, unexpected foods and flavors. Your friends trust you and they’re more likely to broaden their flavor horizons with your encouragement. Besides, wouldn’t they feel super-guilty knowing that you spent all day making escargot and chocolate-covered bacon and they didn’t even try it?
DO choose the music that will accompany your party. May I suggest a little Miles Davis or Louis Armstrong?
And above all, DO enjoy yourself! Yes, it is stressful overseeing the food and drinks, and making sure your guests like everything (and that they’re getting along, right?) but don’t forget about yourself. Once all the food is served, relax, grab a drink and enjoy your friends’ company.

Cheers!

Gnocchi Alla Vodka

Nov30

I have tried my hand at making gnocchi before but this time was the first successful attempt. They turned out melt-in-your-mouth soft.

Even though I used the same measurements of everything else, I ended up needing less flour, which resulted in a softer, fluffier dough. And, someone had advised me to let the dough rest for 30 minutes before forming and I think this helped too. Most doughs turn out better if you let them rest.

As for the vodka sauce…enough said ; )

(Yield: 3-4 servings)

Gnocchi:

1 large/2 small russet potatoes

1 egg

¾ tsp salt

½-3/4 c flour

Vodka sauce:

1 c marinara sauce

¼ c vodka

¼ c heavy cream

Gnocchi: wash and dry the potatos, and prick all over with fork. Cook in microwave until soft (most microwaves have a baked potato setting. If not, this should take 4-5 min.) Let cool slightly, peel and mash in a large bowl. Then add the egg and salt. Then add flour, starting with about 1/3 cup- keep adding bit by bit, kneading until a soft dough forms. It should not be sticky but should not fall apart either.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let sit for 30 min. Then divide the dough into 4 parts. Working on 1 part at a time: on a floured surface, roll out into a log (about ¾” in diameter) and cut into 1” pieces. Continue with the rest of dough.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the gnocchi in it. Wait until they float to the surface (about 1 min) then cook another 3-4 min.

Sauce: combine the marinara and vodka in a skillet on medium heat. When the mixture starts simmering, turn the heat down and cook 12 more minutes (for the alcohol to evaporate.) Then stir in the cream.