Tag Archives: brooklyn recipe blogs

Sandwich of the Month: Bacon and mushroom grilled cheese

Growing up is hard, but I’m glad that we do. A few summers ago, I went to Otto - Mario Batali’s renown pizzeria enoteca - with my friend Michelle. The thin-crust pizza that we tasted had slices of prosciutto, a heap of arugula and a drizzle of olive oil on top. It was not the chewy NYC pizza that I had grown accustomed to. “What is this greenery,” I wondered, “and just what is it doing on my pizza?”

Fast forward to now and arugula is one of my favorite ingredients - I put it on, like, everything. But back then, I couldn’t appreciate its clean earthiness and how it intermingled with the sharp flavor of the pie. I bet if I ate that pizza today, my opinion would be way different.

Bacon and mushroom grilled cheese

So why am I talking about pizza in a grilled cheese post? Well, back then, I would have said that grilled cheese - like pizza - is not broken, so why fix it? The Wonderbread-Kraft version is just fine. But because I am now older and a tad wiser, I see that there’s nothing wrong with enhancing a classic food. It is simply a variation on the theme - the cheesy, crispy, comforting theme.

(Yield: 1 sandwich)

Ingredients:

2 strips bacon

3-4 baby bella mushrooms, thinly sliced

2 slices Muenster cheese

2 slices pumpernickel bread

1 tsp butter, at room temp

Procedure: Place bacon into skillet and turn on a medium flame. Cook, flipping once halfway, for about 5 min or until sufficiently crispy. Remove bacon and drain on a paper towel. Discard some of the bacon grease, leaving about 1 tbsp of it in the skillet. Return the skillet to medium heat. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned - 4-5 min. Then butter one side of each bread slice and place buttered-side down. Place a slice of cheese, the mushrooms, bacon and more cheese on one slice (in that order) and cover with the other bread slice. Place sandwich into the same skillet over medium-low heat and cook for 3-4 min per side, occasionally pressing down on the sandwich with a spatula.

Bacon and mushroom grilled cheese

Do you feel that your palate has matured through the years?

What did you hate eating as a child that you love eating now?

 

Breaking the vicious chicken cycle.

Chicken is one of those ingredients that we all get stuck with. My immediate instinct with chicken breasts is to saute them, bread and fry them, or bake them in the oven. That’s not to say those are my preferred methods, they’re just ones I’m used to. Ironically, chicken is one of the best ingredients to experiment with. It’s cheap, relatively healthy (if skinless), it doesn’t take long to cook, and doesn’t have an overpowering flavor of its own so it can be seasoned with almost any variety of things.

I was defrosting some chicken tenders the other day and was in the mood to be creative. I worked my magic and voila, this easy, delicious, crowd-pleasing recipe was born. Sure it’s no surprise that tomatoes and parsley work well together, but it’s the lemon juice that makes this dish stand out. It highlights the tomatoes’ tang and gives the dish a clean flavor that’s perfect for summer.

Chicken tenders in a tomato lemon sauce

Chicken tenders in a tomato lemon sauce

(Yield: 4 servings)

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil

1 lb chicken tenders

1 small onion, finely diced

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 15 oz can of crushed tomatoes

3/4 tsp sugar

2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 large handful parsley, chopped

Salt + pepper

Procedure: Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Cook chicken 4 min per side, until golden brown. Remove from skillet and set aside. Turn heat down to medium-low. Add onion and garlic and cook for 3 min, until softened. Then add tomatoes, sugar and lemon juice, and bring sauce to a simmer. Add the chicken back into skillet, nestling it into the sauce. Cover tightly with a lid and cook for 10 min. Then turn heat off, stir in the parsley, taste and re-season if necessary. Serve over a starch of your choice.

Chicken tenders in a tomato lemon sauce

BA’s Nutmeg and black pepper popovers

I love Bon Appetit magazine, so much so that I dedicated a whole category to it.

Nutmeg and black pepper popovers

What’s even better is that I tear recipes and ideas out of each issue (a ritual that I adore) and store them in a manila folder. Then, on days when I am feeling adventurous and need inspiration, I open said manila folder and flip through the pages. The folder gets fuller with each passing month and it never fails to offer me exactly what I need.

Nutmeg and black pepper popovers

Some have a crystal ball; I have a manila folder.

Last week, I was in the mood to bake something fun and quick, and these popovers were the perfect idea. What are popovers, you ask? Well, they are light, hollow bread rolls made with an egg, milk and flour base, and they’re a great substitute for bread during dinner.

Nutmeg and black pepper popovers

Click HERE for the full recipe!

Nutmeg and black pepper popovers

Notes: Make sure to use enough butter when greasing the muffin tin and remove popovers from tin as soon as they’re done baking - they tend to stick. Best if consumed immediately or at least on the same day. Also, I believe that the recipe would benefit from a tablespoon or two of sugar so the flavors would stand out more.

Nutmeg and black pepper popovers

Where do you get your cooking inspiration?

So you’re cooking Thanksgiving dinner? Here’s your guide to success.

So you’re cooking Thanksgiving dinner this year. And it’s your first time. And the in-laws are coming?! Holy s***! …How did you agree to this again?

Your palms are sweating, your ears are ringing and you have no freaking idea what to do. Well, the first thing is to calm down – breathe in, breathe out, “Ohmm…”

So now that you’re back on earth, let’s take this step by step, shall we?

  • Read my rules for throwing a successful dinner party.
  • Thanksgiving is now ten days away: this is the perfect time to plan your menu. First, finalize the number of guests you’ll be feeding and pick the dishes you’ll be serving. The classic repertoire includes a starchy dish or two (mashed potatoes, mac & cheese, sweet potatoes, etc.), vegetables, a fresh salad (with lots of greens and a simple homemade dressing), and good fresh bread. Lastly, write out a comprehensive grocery list.
  • Remember: no matter how scrumptious your sides, if the turkey is not up to par, the meal will be…well, kind of a failure. A dry rub or brine, and the right flavoring agents, followed by constant basting will get the job done right. Do your research, pick the method that you feel most comfortable with, and buy your bird! All the good ones will be taken by the weekend so get yours now!
  • If there is any one rule of throwing a dinner party, it is to never serve a dish you’ve never cooked before. Because you just never know if the amounts/methods/cooking times, etc. will work out as well for you as they did for somebody else. But if you can’t help yourself, for Thanksgiving, make only one new dish, but no more. Since there will be so much goodness on the table, it’s unlikely that one little side dish will ruin your entire dinner.
  • Don’t do everything by yourself. If you are like me (a self-proclaimed kitchen Nazi), you will have a very difficult time with this, but if you want to be the graceful host that I know you can be, let your guests help you! The morning of the big day, your guests will inevitably call and ask, “So what should I bring?” Don’t be shy to give them assignments – people will want to contribute to this day. Ask one friend to get baguettes from your favorite bakery, another to make her famous cupcakes, and another to bring wine/beer/cocktail ingredients.
  • Consider the prep/cooking time of each dish and make them in order, starting with the one that will take the longest.

Here are a few of my recipes that would make great turkey day sides:

Caramelized onion and goat cheese crostini

Cornbread sausage stuffing

Crispy breaded cauliflower

Pan-fried Brussels sprouts

Spinach and farmer cheese roulade

And while you’re at it, check out last year’s comedic take on the pros and cons of Thanksgiving.

I made another video! “Avocados 101″

If you are reading this, I would like to congratulate you on surviving hurricane Sandy. Hurray!

New York got hit hard. There are fallen trees, broken power lines, flooded train stations, destroyed cars, demolished boardwalks, and even defaced buildings. Many have lost their property and some even their lives. It’s a real tragedy and I certainly did not expect it (especially since such a fuss surrounded last year’s hurricane Irene and all for almost nothing. Like the little girl who cried wolf). Although city officials are working very hard to clean up the mess, I’m afraid it’ll be several days or even weeks until everything is back on track again. But what are you gonna do? It’s nature. Luckily, the neighborhood I live in didn’t suffer much water or wind damage, so I’ve been able to be productive and work on several upcoming blog posts.

Here’s another video that I made.

The quality isn’t ideal, I know, but I hope that with more practice and better mechanics it’ll improve in the near future.

How did the hurricane effect you?

Crispy breaded cauliflower

Cauliflower is a hard vegetable to like, because let’s face it – it smells kind of funky. But, it’s very low in calories while being a great source of B-group vitamins, vitamin K, and one serving of it provides almost the full daily recommended dose of vitamin C. Cauliflower is a super food and if seasoned and cooked properly, it can be quite tasty and a nice addition into a boring vegetable repertoire. So learn to like it.

We have my mom to thank for this recipe.

(Yield: 6-8 servings)

Ingredients:

1 head of cauliflower

2 eggs

1/3 tsp salt + 1/3 tsp pepper

3/4 tsp garlic powder

About 1 c seasoned bread crumbs

Olive oil for frying

Grated Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley for garnish

Procedure: Trim cauliflower and slice into about ½”-thick pieces (there will be some odd-shaped pieces as well but they can come too!) Beat eggs with salt, pepper and garlic in a shallow dish and add cauliflower. Toss until coated evenly. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add just enough oil to cover the bottom. Dredge cauliflower in bread crumbs and place into skillet. It should sizzle gently – if it is not, the oil is not hot enough yet. Cook 3-4 min per side, until golden brown, flipping once. Using tongs, transfer cooked cauliflower to platter covered with paper towels to drain. Sprinkle with cheese while hot, garnish with parsley just before serving. Cauliflower will need to be cooked in several batches.

How do you like to cook cauliflower?