Aperitivos Secos

I really wanted to blog this simply because I was surprised at the taste of what I purchased today and (obviously) how beautiful they looked. Dried items have been a staple in my diet here, and these three items (figs, almonds, raisins) are almost always on my shelf.

A big culture shock for me (being an extranjero) was the amount of junk food that is available in Spain. The kids here love their candy, but come on, who doesn't? In any case, the amount of "junk food" is equaled by the amount of dried snacks available. At almost every market, vendors have an array of dried fruits and nuts to purchase. I adore this. It is natural, healthy(ish), and fun. You do not know what some things taste like dried until you purchase them, for example, dried strawberries, or fresas secas. These are common. They are, without a doubt, delicious in every way. (If you mix them with peanuts, the combination tastes like peanut butter and jelly.) My other addiction: dried figs, and the battle between who's are better, Turkey or Spain. I also purchased almonds (a staple of mine), and I love mixing these with dried cranberries (arándanos secos) for a snack while in class.

Let me preface this with "I am so so sorry Charlie". I finally purchased something today that I have had my eye on forever. It is the one single item that Charlie despises more than anything in the world: raisins. Yes, Charlie, you may stop reading this now. For everyone else that actually enjoys raisins (myself obviously included), please read on. These raisins are dried on the vine and are the most delicious looking item you ever saw. In the correct light they are a beautiful Cabernet color. Enormous, they are plump, moist, and fall off the stems like roasted meat off a bone. Yes, the seed is inside (like all grapes in Spain; seedless must be an American thing), and they are everything a raisin should taste like.

I felt like Julia Child in My Life In France when she samples things at the Parisian markets she so frequently strolled. She often wrote how items had tasted, and how wildly different they were from the American version. These had such a strong, concentrated raisin flavor. It was so different, and I wish Charlie were here to sample it. He might not hate them as much if he had this one. I cannot wait to nibble on these as I ride the bus to Segovia for a mini-holiday for New Years. As I eat another one now I cannot help to lean back and smile. They are so much fun to eat off a vine!! Did I mention that they are still on the vine? I am sorry, but I can't get over how ferociously cool that is. It is going to be a fantastic new year! Happy 2011, everyone.

Paella de Verduras

I should not write this post. I should not. But I am anyway because it was a beautiful night in (and out of) the kitchen. I have been in Spain for almost 4 months and I have not had yet had paella. I know, I know, "Shame on me". Apart from the obvious (it is a seafood dish), I have not had it for several reasons:

1. You are never able to order a paella for one, unless it is a tapa. Minimum two people always. And if someone is going to share a beautiful pan of paella with you, why (repeat) why share with a vegetarian?! ENJOY THOSE GAMBAS!

2. Everybody (actual Spaniards) have said to me that you should not order paella outside of Valencia. That is their dish, they are proud of it, and they have the best without question. All other paellas in other parts of Spain are secondary and not as good.

3. I am waiting for the right occasion to enjoy paella. For example, a birthday, a holiday, or finishing my finals perhaps? (T-16 hours!)

Again, I should not write this post. After I have had paella is when I should blog and try to break down the flavors. Instead, I am writing at my first attempt at making a paella. I have looked at several "authentic" recipes and they all use different rice to water ratios, etc. There were similar ingredients, and that is where I gathered my efforts: most importantly is arroz bomba (a rice used in Valencia made specifically for paellas. It reminded me a lot of the Italian aborio rice), salt, rosemary, white wine, lemon, pimentón, saffron, garlic, oil, peas, and onion.

So I did just that. I sauteed the onion with garlic and peas. I then added salt, pimentón, rosemary, and saffron. I deglazed the pan with 1 -1/2 cups of vino blanco (within the recipes I read, most of the ratios for wine wine were about a cup on average) and added my bomba rice. I kept adding salted water (as I had no stock on hand) and made it like a risotto. To stretch it out a bit, I added red peppers, a handful of spinach, and some tomato frito. I ended with a splash of lemon, which was seen in all recipes I read. It turned out delicious and I will absolutely make it again.

There are two things I also feel like I should mention there is a long, shallow pan in Spain made specifically for paellas called a pallera. Buy this online or come to Spain to purchase one!

In closing I have had my eye on this one restaurant that does, in fact, have a paella de verduras in Marbella. Have I been tempted? Of course, but the price is a little expensive. Perhaps I should wait to find such a menu when I visit Valencia. If Ben and Sylvia are reading this post, I am flattered you had 2 helpings of this trial for paella. May you have the very best of luck in Germany and will miss you both more than you know. Have a safe move. I love you.

Champiñones Asados

If any of the readers of this blog have been to Spain (Jenny), and have had “Gambas Pil Pil”, then this will sound very familiar. “Gambas Pil Pil” is a tapa of shrimp sizzling in a cazuela lined with garlic-chili infused olive oil. It is served with bread to mop up the oil when finished. It is practically everywhere here in southern Spain. There is a similar treatment (thank goodness!) for a tapa of champiñones, or mushroms. My friends and I were walking last Saturday and I was craving this very dish, Champiñones Asados. The group consensus was to get montaditos for lunch, so my craving was pushed aside. (Sidenote: Montaditos translate literally to “little hills”, and are a teeny, tiny bocadillos. They are dinner-roll sized sandwiches stuffed with almost anything. My favorite is stuffed with tortilla and queso manchego. The perfect snack.)
The craving lasted all day. I decided to make this for dinner because I simply could not take it any longer. My friends stayed to try the experiment. I had bought chamiñones at the market and this was the perfect way to use them. How much easier could it be? Oil, garlic, chili, and mushrooms. I didn’t have a cazuela to use, so a regular skillet would have to do. I guess that means I must purchase a cazuela. Let me try to sound sad. (Note: If you wish to buy gambas to make “pil pil”, feel free to use them in place of the mushrooms. It is the same procedure, no doubt. Just check and make sure your shrimp do not become too tough. HA! Look at me writing about seafood like I know what I am talking about. Thanks, Food Network, for providing a vegetarian with culinary information I never thought I would need.

Materials:
Roughly 300-400 grams of white or button mushrooms
¼ of a cup of your best olive oil
2 small dried chilies*
3 cloves of garlic (or 1 per person if making more than this recipe)
Sea Salt
1 crusty Baguette
optional: Saffron (the golden rule: 1 long strand per person. Do you hear me, Charlie?)

This serves 3 people.

Preparation:
Wipe your mushrooms clean with a towel or rag. Discard the stems and slice them length-wise. Thinly slice your garlic cloves. Heat a skillet (or a cazuela if you own one) on medium-high heat. Add oil. Add a slice of garlic. When this piece gently sizzles you know your oil is the right temperature. Slice your chili* in small bits and add this (and the seeds) to your oil. Wash your hands. (After handling chili always wash your hands.) Let this simmer for about a minute. When you smell your garlic, add saffron (if using) and your mushrooms. Let simmer and stir occasionally for about 5-10 minutes. Add more oil if there is not enough coat on the bottom of your pan. Sprinkle generously with sea salt (less if cooking gambas) and serve in a hot dish or simply out of your cazuela, if using. Don’t forget to serve with thick, crusty bread. We had ours along side a mixture of olives and slices of queso currado.

*chili: Here in Spain it is very popular to use these tiny dried chili peppers sized to about a thumbnail called "guindillas". I was ambitious and used 4 chilies not knowing the heat strength. This was too much. Was it uncomfortable? No. But it was too much. And I can take heat. The flavor (when ordering it in the restaurants) is much more subtle. This was in your face. I would use 2, or maybe even simply 1 per person. It could have been fine with 4 if I had not used all the seeds perhaps. Either way, Mission: Success!

Dia de Gracias... ¡FINALMENTE!

Thanksgiving day. Eight Americans. Four curious non-Americans. Two ovens. ¡Vamos a empezar!

Looking back, several humorous things happened in the process of making our dinner here in Spain. Just to give a few examples:

1. The cashier heading our supermarket queue happened to be an expat. What are the chances of that? They gave tips on how to use cherries in place of cranberries for cranberry sauce. Funny. Completely random.

2. Need marshmallows for sweet potato topping? The only ones available were the British hot pink Haribo. Funny. Completely random.
...and finally...

3. If you find sage in the mountains of southern Spain, don't pick some and use it in stuffing. It might be a poisonous. Oh, wait. It is poisonous. Funny. Completely random.

I keep telling myself that I should not feel stupid, ridiculous, or sad, but that my "stuffing story" is funny. Please read on:

Here, in Spain, I am friends with another distance runner . We try to go for one run together a week. Thanksgiving morning, (in our last attempts to boost our metabolism pre-feast), we go for a run. I passed a sage bush. "Ooooo!", I thought, "I have yet to make the stuffing and I find sage? Awesome. Who doesn't love stuffing with fresh herbs"? I picked a section off, stuffed it in my pocket, and didn't think twice. Three hours later, as I am putting the finished product in the oven, I can no longer ignore the fact that my hands are (and have been) itchy. The only thing out of the ordinary I handled was the sage.

After much research, we found that the specific type of sage I picked is the only non-edible species and it is not suggested for consumption. Even the smallest amount can be toxic if ingested. It also may cause skin irritation... This was why my hands were itchy.

Irony be what it is, I did NOT try the stuffing while I was cooking. It smelled good. It looked good. I did not take a single nibble. Can you imagine if I did? My biggest sadness is that I roasted chestnuts only to throw them out in a batch of poisonous stuffing. (Insert heavy sigh here.)I quickly re-bought the ingredients and made a quick 30 minute fix. Sadly, the final batch was without chestnuts, but turned out just fine.

Other than this, Thanksgiving was a smashing success. We all agreed that it was the best Thanksgiving menu EVER thanks to our NOT having the usual standbys. Every single item made from scratch and was too delicious for words. The other consensus was that it made us all wish we cooked double the amount, because if we did, we would all have more of that magic word: leftovers. Thanksgiving leftovers is just as big of a deal as the dinner itself! Well, happy holidays everyone. Hope it was special as well as ¡delicioso!

Dia de Gracias

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Hands down. Family, friends, food...what else do you need in life? Yes, I now live in Spain. Is that going to stop me from having Thanksgiving dinner? CLARO QUE NO! (Of course not!)

The American students at my Academy are conveniently all friends. We all decided that we will be having a Thanksgiving and divided up dishes to make. I will blog the actual event later, but the process has actually been quite an experience. The majority of flats here for students come without ovens. Why? We have no idea, so this was quite a hurdle. Only two of the twelve attendees have ovens, and yes, they have been already hard at work.

The other thing that makes this experience interesting is the obvious: Ingredients. What do we need first and foremost? That's right: a turkey. Can we find one? Everyone already was mentally prepared to just have a ham at the table. How Spanish! We got confirmation via Facebook (ah, technology...) that as of almost midnight, we were the proud owners of not one, but three turkeys. Success! Apparently big turkeys are an American thing. In Spain, if you can actually find one, they are just ...well...smaller.

The good news is that Spain loves their squashes (at least here in Southern Spain) and I easily found a pumpkin. (Sidenote: The pumpkins here in Spain are wildly different from America. They are smaller, more "squash"-like, and their skin is super thin. Nothing like the tough, thick skins we were used to. I could not wait to taste it.) Now for the part I hate: crust. Ask anyone and they will tell you Charlie is the master at doughs. It must be the Italian in him. I, on the other hand, am not gifted in the baking department. The entire time I was working with dough I wanted to pull my hair out. All I could think about is Charlie and Jenny, two masters at the art of baking. It came to show its face quite quickly that, even more so than ingredients, the biggest difference between a Thanksgiving in America, and a Thanksgiving in Europe, is making everything from scratch. No Pillsbury. No Caro. No Libbys. Nothing. As I pulled the pie out of the oven, my friend Sylvia and I gazed at it in contemplation and awe. The entire pie before us was built 100% from the ground up. You don't realize how many ingredients you rely on (like canned pumpkin, pre-made crust, or Cool-Whip) until you have absolutely none of them. Even the butter was different: It came from Ireland because the Spanish only use oils. It made me feel kind of sad, actually. This is the way Thanksgiving should be; foods, fresh and natural, made totally from scratch. Ironic that I had to move across the world to truly appreciate the real meanings of Thanksgiving. Sylvia and I did steal a nibble of pie that had stuck itself to the counter. Amazing. Delicious in every way possible. Fresh roasted pumpkin, home-made dough, Moroccan spices... I don't think I have ever tasted anything like it.

There is an open-air market on Tuesdays in my pueblo. I have written about this in previous posts, but this visit was extra special. My favorite vendor gifted me with free herbs just because I am a regular. How fantastic when I needed some for stuffing! He also gave me a deal on castañas, or chestnuts, and laughed when I tried to walk away with the entire crate. Come on ...It is not fall without chestnuts. I also got a Spanish lesson in ordering produce. For the first time, I actually needed a "bunch" of carrots. So, I asked for a "rama" de zanahorias. I asked if "rama" was the correct word (it is usually used for flowers) and they said "yes". It is one of three possible words and they taught me how else I could ask for carrots in the future. Que Guay! I adore these funky Spanish terms. And I love that they always are willing to help me out with the language. I guess that is all they can do when they speak no english. I sadly forgot already what the other terms were, but I am glad the word in my head was correct. When I ask for my next "rama", I will always remember my first Spanish Thanksgiving.

So tomorrow is the big day. I am very much looking forward to hearing how someone made "Green Bean Casserole" without a can of Campbell's soup. And I am also curious on where people actually found turkeys. Oh the stories ...just another culinary adventure in Spain!

Pisto Manchego

OK, so a few things are on my mind:

1. I cook ALL the time. Why don't I blog more?
2. I'm a student again. I need breaks. Why don't I blog more?
3. I moved to Spain. Why don't I blog more?

The theme here is? I need to blog more. Charlie is taking a blogging hiatus in the States. That is totally fine. I, on the other hand, can't let go so easily. I have noticed the trend (even back in NYC) was that we blog an average of once a month. I am going to try to up that number. Not by much though, I AM studying after all. Stream of consciousness over; Blog starts now:

Madrid. Loved it. I was on the hunt for pisto manchego because it is a tapa (that is truly vegetarian) I haven't found in southern Spain yet. (Well, that's a lie. I DID find it [in Málaga]. I went crazy when I saw the chalkboard, but made a mental note of where the place was. I was not yet hungry. Of course, I lost that mental note when my stomach started grumbling. My sense of direction is, and always will be, horrible. I always kick myself for not writing addresses down. And I haven't found that place since! It's my own darn fault.)

ANYWAY, I digress. On our last day in Madrid I actually found pisto, and in all places, a take-out deli type joint. Random. So I bought it, and sat at the base of a fountain savouring it. It was tasty, and tasted exactly like I assumed it would taste: Light. Summery. Not too spiced. Just "fresh" for lack of a better word. The recipe in my cook book calls for nothing more than garlic, olive oil, and salt. What more do you really need? It was lovely.

At the market today I bought a courgette and said "YES, today IS THE DAY I will make pisto manchego". I did. And it turned out great. I did alter it A LOT so calling this pisto manchego is really stretching it, but it is "in the spirit of" the original. Perhaps I will find that tapas restaurant again and see how South differs from North, but until then, my kitchen will have to suffice. I had Julia Child on the mind, so I cooked with Brandy tonight. So glad I did. Please read on:

Items:
1 large courgette
3 large red bell peppers
1 big handful of black olives
1 big handful of garbanzos
3 shots of your favourite Brandy
Pinch of Garlic Powder
Pinch of Salt
Pinch of Pimentón or smoked paprika
Your favorite olive oil

Method:
Julienne the vegetables (There will be quite an amount). Heat a large skillet with olive oil. Add the vegetables in batches (I had 3 batches) with a mixture of all the other ingredients, spices included. When the water in the vegetables evaporates, pour in a shot of brandy with each batch. Let the alcohol simmer away. The sugar from the brandy will caramelize the vegetables. LET THEM SIT IN THE PAN, try not to touch them. The caramelized parts of these vegetables are the parts you and your friends will fight over, trust me. After all the batches are finished, give a final extra sprinkle of salt. Enjoy at any temperature though the traditional way of eating this tapa is at room temperature.

Note: REAL AUTHENTIC pisto has aubergine and onions in it as well. It also does not use olives or garbanzos. As a vegetarian (and as the leftovers are my lunch for the next few days) I need the protein. Garbanzos are a mediterranean protein, so it works well. I hope you enjoy it. ¡Buen Provecho!

MMMMMM...

This is not based off anything I have had in particular… simply using a bunch of local ingredients and spices I have grown to adore. I have made this twice already and is one heck of a lunch to bring to school. Enjoy!
Equal parts couscous to 1 can of tomate frito (or tomato sauce)
Olive Oil
Splash of water
1 small onion, chopped
Sea Salt (2 big pinches)
3 garlic cloves
Handful of Olives (pitted)
1 can of Garbanzo or White Beans
1 small Cauliflower cut into florets
1 small jar of pimiento or roasted red pepper
big pinches of saffron, pimentón (both types: dulce and picante), and white pepper.
Coat the bottom of your saucepan with a good amount of olive oil. Slice the garlic cloves and drop them in the oil. Let them sizzle. When the garlic gets soft (and you smell the aroma,) remove from oil. Add your chopped onion and spices. When the onion is translucent, add your cauliflower. Add a splash of water to your pan and cover to steam the vegetable for a bit. Add your beans of choice. Stir. Add just a touch more oil in your pan. Add your salt and tomato. When everything is mixed, raise the heat so your tomato sauce is bubbling. When everything is bubbling, add your couscous and cover with the lid. After 5 minutes, fluff the mixture with a fork. Stir in your olives and pimento. Cover again and let them warm through. Mix everything again to combine and try not to eat the whole pan in one sitting. Buen provecho.

Comidas de España

What to say? I don’t want to write too much. At the end of the day, as much as we would like, who really wants to read a long blog. Nobody. So a quick update/ anecdote will suffice.

To our readers, we are terribly sorry for such a hiatus. Quite a lot of activity has gone on since our last post. Normally, Charlie and I trade off entries. He writes one, I write the next, etc. However, it has been so long since our last post, I sadly forget what treasure I begged Charlie to write about. It was amazingly delicious, whatever it was. Thus, I will continue on with a post, the first of several to be written overseas.

I am writing to you, dear followers, from the hills of Andalucía. I moved to southern Spain to complete a diploma program in design and what an experience it has been. It has been a mere 2 weeks, and I am happy to say, I have experienced local vegetarian-friendly food in the land supersaturated with jamón. The bar down the street has an amazing bocadillo catalana, which is a Spanish baguette sliced in half, rubbed with a tomato (so the juice seeps into the bread), drizzled with olive oil, and stuffed with chunks of queso Manchego. That’s right people. What, do you ask, can be wrong with this?

Recently, on a day trip to Ronda, I tasted my first real Spanish gazpacho (not-chunky to my surprise). I have also had pimentos (a tapa of roasted red peppers with very thin slices of onion), and papas con aioli (potato chunks coated in a garlic mayonnaise).

Last week I went to a festival in the evening and had the honor of having my first churro. Before you think of the popular South American cinnamon stick let me preface that Spanish churros are wildly different. This dessert is a long spiral of fried dough (not a stick). It can be sprinkled with sugar, cinnamon, or both. It is to be dipped in chocolate. I am fine without the chocolate part… Charlie would disagree. Also, the dough is not dense like the ones I had in Mexico, or even New York. It is light, airy, and resembles an American funnel cake. This is eaten for breakfast (I found out) in Ronda. After getting off the bus, I had a café con leche in a churroscuria, a café entirely devoted to churros of which I never knew existed. What a fabulous surprise. The “menu” consists of 3 items: Churros (obviously the product of a churroscuria), coffee (taken as a cortado [a Spanish version of the Italian espresso] or a café con leche), and pan tostado (toasted bread topped with olive oil and salt).

Other local joys include cooking with real Spanish ingredients. Olives, rices (please note the plural. I had no idea there were so many…), saffron, olive oil, tomatoes, pimentón picante (spicy paprika, my addiction), and artichokes.

Cooking is still a joy, and lets me save money while eating vegetarian. I am lucky that village life equates itself to cheaper prices. My café con leche, for example, is a whopping 1 euro. And I have yet to have a bad one. They are all amazing. Even at school! So look out for future posts on adventures in and out of the kitchen.

Vanilla Bean

Flan is incredibly special to me. It was, and still is, the dish my family awaits at Christmas. It is a food I associate with a number of things: my heritage, celebrations, and one particular person: my big sister. This dessert is annually made by her mother, it is served in her house, and (though she might not know it) I eat it every year right beside her. Or at least I try to. Every year we both close our eyes. We hum the same "Mmmm". We both sneak more accompanying dulce de leche than we should. We have never been close, but in this moment, this is when I feel the most connected to her.

I suppose all families have this conundrum; The eternal debate of whether or not a specific dish ordered elsewhere compares to the one made "famous" by a family member. ("Oh, this sangria is good, but it does not compare to Dad's" ...) At every instance I compliment Elizabeth, my sister's mom, on her flan. Even for a birthday or BBQ, if she brings a flan, it always is flawless. She blushes, and denies these compliments humbly. "You can make it too", she says pink-faced,"es muy facil". This is the standard to which I hold my attempts in making flan. And she knows this.

Presently, thanks to a little wonder called a vanilla bean, the air is fat with the scent of vanilla. I always must consult my recipe (as I always forget my milk-to-egg-to sugar ratios) and it states 2 tsp. vanilla extract or 1 vanilla pod. This flan is a gift, after all, thus the pod was bought. I wanted this flan to be super special. (If she is reading this blog, she knows what she is getting for her birthday. Happy birthday, Majel!)

I have never cooked with an actual vanilla bean, so what to expect? It's skinny, awkward, delicate... just like the seeds that are inside. You slice open the pod like a biology project. The seeds, no matter how much you wisk, stick to everything and enjoy clumping together. I can truly say that I tried my best to disperse the seeds throughout, but hopefully the vanilla-steeped cream will erase this error. I must say, despite the initial clumsiness, cooking with a pod is incredibly special... No wonder they are so expensive! Once opened, the scent hits you like a slap in the face. You cannot help but close your eyes and inhale deeply. Vanilla ...! Forget scented candles and air fresheners, this is what vanilla is supposed to smell like. What a dream...

And now the flan is cooling on the counter, staring me in the face. A round glob of white with a centered clump of vanilla specs. How will you taste like, Flan? Should I have tested this before making it for someone else? Will I miss the flavor of my tried-and-true extract? Will one person's helping get all of the vanilla seeds? Will anyone taste anything at all? I have no answers. We will have to wait and see.

Pissaladier Nicoise

I am going to start this blog with a statement: I never knew an onion could taste so good. Ever. (And if you live in an apartment, open the front door to let the fragrance out. Make your neighbors jealous. Very very jealous...)

Julia Child is an inspiration to home cooks everywhere. I had wanted to try her recipe for Pissaladiere Nicoise, or Onion Tart with Black Olives, for quite some time. Though she might not agree with my using a pre-made pie crust, the culinary attempts of a busy New Yorker must pick his battles. Especially in our tiny kitchen. Charlie makes this microscopic counter his pasta-making paradise. I am (and will always) be impressed with this. Let him have this glory, I am not as talented. Or patient. Pillsbury is a god-send.

Julia suggests making a large pie. This would have been fine, but my heart was set in attempting to make individual tarts. I don't know why, I just wanted to. To have a little pie just for yourself, like a birthday present, makes your meal so much more special. It's fun food. I am glad I did this, and I am glad for several reasons. To start, one slice of this finished pie could have easily led to two, or even three! Making smaller tarts, instead of a large one, controls the craving to eat the entire thing. Once you make this, you will know what I am talking about. Secondly, small leftover tarts make great lunches or "to-tired-to-cook" dinner. They also freeze well.

Materials:
2-2 1/2 lbs. Spanish onion
1 bay leaf
1 Tbs. dried herbs (I used oregano)
16 pitted black olives (I hand-pitted the oil cured Greek ones. These are a personal addiction.)
2 cloves of garlic
salt
pepper
a pinch of cloves
Pre-made Pillsbury pie crust
1-2 cups of White (or Rose) wine

1. Finely slice the onions length-wise and sautee in 1 Tsp butter.
2. Add seasonings
3. Sautee for 30 minutes. When softened completely, add your wine and turn up the heat for 5-10 minutes more. This will caramelize the onions and evaporate the alcohol. What you are left with are golden-brown strings of yumminess.
4. Add olives and discard bay leaves.
5. Place mixture in pie crust(s) and bake for 10 ins. on 450.

I apologized to Julia for not following her EXACT recipe. I didn't have the materials to make an herb bouquet (I mixed the seasonings in WITH the onions), and I really wanted to add my leftover Rose with which to deglaze the pan. I also used butter instead of oil, but when has Julia turned her back on butter? I figured she would have been OK with this, and if she were here to eat one of these gems, I think she'd let me off the hook. They were crisp, moist, and made me want to make a million of them for a cocktail party. They were SO cute and oh so good. I never knew an onion could taste like this.

Julia's seasoning has always lended itself to the smaller amounts, which always make me uneasy. I know this is the "American" in me, the person who is used to big, super-seasoned cuisine. I was proven wrong. Such delicate amounts took something as simple as an onion to such unexpected heights. Thank you, Julia. We owe you one.

Empanadas de Hongos y Calabaza

Effort. Now there is a word with weight. It takes effort to stay in shape. It takes effort to succeed at your job. It takes effort to stay on a budget. Effort is, no doubt, an everyday requirement. Effort (sometimes) can be a joy, which is the point I wish to make with this blog.

Those who follow this blog know that Charlie and I bring our lunch everyday. Well, almost everyday. I am vegetarian; Charlie is not. Summer, in my world, equals "salads", but how often can someone eat a salad for lunch? For me? Not a problem. However, I am still adjusting to cooking for two, and that is a challenge. There's that word again: Effort. The thought of making another salad for my meat-eating boyfriend brought me to tears. What could I make (a quantity of) that has vegetables and satisfies two people's lunches?

I broke my salad routine to make Empanadas de Hongos, or Mushroom Empanadas. (Mushrooms, in Spain, are called 'champinones', which to me sounds better than 'hongos'. Our friend Jenny would agree. I will never forget the face she makes when she says that word. Hongo. I will even quote her: "Hongo?! Yuck. It just sounds so gross. Why would you want to put something called an 'hongo' in your mouth"?) For those of you who embrace mushrooms, as I do, please read on.

In Mexico, mushrooms and spinach are a popular combination. That provided the inspiration for these small empanadas. (This is also a fun way to get some dark, leafy greens into your diet.) Squashes, like pumpkin, are also a frequent Mexican ingredient. I made two fillings: Portabella/Spinach and Pumpkin/ Black Bean. I grew up with empanadas Chilenas which resemble an Italian calzone. They are large, rectangular, and just one can fill up an entire plate. In Chile, we don't mess with our empanadas. Argentinians, however, make smaller, more bite-sized empanadas. This is easier to work with (and a great portion controller), thus a variety of empanaditas were in order.

Mushroom filling:
1 pack of Pillsbury Pie-Crusts (There are 2 crusts in a pack)
1 6 oz. pkg of Baby Portabella Mushrooms
1 1/2 cup Baby Spinach
Dash of: Adobo, Epazote, Onion Powder, and Ancho Chili Powder

Pumpkin filling:
1 cup of canned Pumpkin or Butternut Squash
1/2 cup of canned black beans, rinsed and dried
Dash of: Chipotle Chili Powder, Garlic Powder, Salt, and Zuckerrubensirup (This is a German condiment made of concentrated sugar beets. It tastes just like a lighter molasses. Feel free to use molasses, maple syrup, or honey.)

Preheat oven to 450. Use a large mug and cut disks into the dough. Fill the right half of the disk with filling and fold over to create a cresent shape. Wet edges with warm water and press to seal. Press the ends of a fork along the rounded part of your empanada for a more secure seal. Bake for 20 mins.

The ingredients are few. The effort, though a bit time-consuming, is minimal at most. Such minimal effort goes such a long way. What fun food. I can now rest assured that several days of lunches are pre-made, healthy, and definitely not a salad. Cooking-for-two takes some getting used to, but is well worth the magic word: Effort.

Falafel Inspired

It is a weeknight and post-work energy is low. It is not gone, however... there seems to be just enough energy to dismiss digging into the take-out menu stash. That said, what can we make for dinner that is quick, easy, and healthy? I had a craving for comfort food, and to me, that denotes hot "out of the oven" items. Both Charlie and I are trying to be more health-conscious, so that slashes the initial comfort food ideas (such as Macaroni and Cheese). While on the subway, I was brainstorming in my head ... Empanadas? ("Nah... too Heavy.) ... Taco Salad? ("Nah ... too much stuff to buy) ... Falafel? And the eyebrow raises...

The pantry was stocked with canned Garbanzos which makes making falafel (chickpea patties) an obvious choice. And thanks to Charlie's shopping spree this past weekend, the pantry now features some unique items like Artichoke Hearts. How could I add this to the menu? The never-fail combo of Artichokes with Spinach made my mouth water, but what does that have to do with Falafel? I said to myself, "David, just get in the kitchen and have some fun".

This is what I came up with:

Items:
1/2 10-oz. bag of pre-washed spinach leaves, raw
1/2 15-oz. can of garbanzos (chickpeas), drained and rinsed
1 14-oz. can of artichoke hearts, drained
1-2 TBSP. of Tahini
1/4 cup of crumbled Feta Cheese
1 egg
A splash of water

... and heavy dashes of:
salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, nutmeg, corriander, pimenton, cumin, and oregano

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Combine all items into a food processor. Mixture will be dry. (If you feel that your mixture is too dry, add some additional water, but not too much.)
3. Line a baking sheet with Parchment Paper.
4. Scoop mixture onto parchment into roughly 1-1.5 inch-wide circles. (I used our baby ice-cream scoop.)
5. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. "Falafel" will be light, but just firm enough to hold together without falling apart. Makes about 18-24 mini-Falafel balls.

This dish is so easy and could easilly be served as an appetizer at a party. You can hardly taste the spinach, which could make this a great candidate for getting kids to eat their leafy greens. I served this alongside a simple salad of cherry tomatoes in oil, salt, and oregano. Dinner could not have been easier (or healthier). And Charlie even licked the bowl... A sure sign that this invention is "blogging material". Happy cooking, and happy inventing!

Huevos Arriba

Since David will be starting graduate school in Spain for a year, I have decided to try some classic Spanish recipes with a few adaptations. Spain is legendary for the thousands of egg (huevos) dishes, so I started with a less common, but beautiful egg dish.

Huevos Arriba is a "puffed egg" dish, in that the yolk and white of the egg are used separately. Basically, seasoned, beaten egg whites are piled on to slices of lightly toasted bread. A well is made in the whites and a yolk is placed on each well. After 15-20 minutes of baking, you have a beautiful presentation.

Ingredients:
For the eggs:
4 eggs, separated (be careful not to break the yolks)
4 slices good quality firm bread (we used Portuguese Saliol, but any good quality Italian bread will suffice - each slice should be 4"x5" (length/width) and no more than 1" thick)
1/2 cup finely diced or shredded cheese (such as manchego, gruyere or asiago)
1/4 cut finely chopped olives (I used a combination of green and kalamata marinated in garlic, olive oil, and parsley)
1/4 cup finely chopped pimiento (roasted red peppers preserved in oil)
small amount of butter or margarine


For the garnish
1 small shallot, chopped fine
1 1/2 - 2 cups chopped mushrooms (1/4"-1/2" pieces)
6-8 small pieces of pimiento
2 tbs butter
1/8 cup olive oil
salt
ground pepper
1/2 garlic clove (finely minced or use a press)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Butter one side of the bread and place on a jellyroll pan, butter-side up. Once oven temperature is reached, place bread in for 1 minute. Beat the egg whites into hard peaks. Gently fold in the cheese, olives, and pimiento. Place 1/4 of the mixture on each slice of bread, building a mound. Using a spoon, make a well in the center of each mound and carefully place one egg yolk in the mound. When finished return the slices to the oven for at least 15-20 minutes or until the eggs are soft cooked and the whites are browned. (if you like "well done" eggs, turn the heat down to 300 and bake a bit longer).

While the eggs are cooking, saute the shallots for 2 minutes in the butter and olive oil on medium/medium-high heat. Add the garlic, cook another minute, then add the mushrooms. Cook the mushrooms until they are tender, about 7 minutes.

To serve, spread a small mound of the mushroom mixture on the plate, place a few pimiento pieces on top and then place one or two of the bread/egg slices on the plate.

The garnish, bread, and egg white/yolk create a ravashing mixture of textures and layers of flavor. If you guest are not eating with their eyes closed, then check their pulse! David claims this is the best breakfast dish I've ever made. How I will top this remains to be seen.

Buen Provecho & Buon Appetito!

Aperitivi

Recently, on a vacation in Chicago, some family members let us stay in their home. Charlie and I rolled up our sleeves on our final night in the city. As a "thank you" gesture, we treated our hosts to a home-made dinner. A request was put in for a lighter meal, which immediately made us think of our many aperitivi in Milano.

What is "aperitivi", one might ask? Perhaps you have heard of similar versions hailing from other cultures. For example, Spainish small plates (tapas) or Greek appitizers (mezes) are in the same category as Italian aperitivi. The principal is the same: Snacks to be shared in a group accompanied by wine to satisfy one until the later dinner hour.

Spring has sprung! Asparagus, naturally, was the first item purchased. This started our "wave of ideas" for all of our aperitivo items:

Roasted Asparagus - Red Pepper Salad

Olive Oil Seared Scallops

Crostini with crushed Herbs and Melted Buffalo Mozzarella

Grape Tomato, Feta, and Almond Stuffed Mushroom Caps

Rocket dressed with Oil, Sea Salt, Goat Cheese, and Walnuts

Chilled White Wine


The funniest thing to happen to us on this cooking adventure was the space. The Piccolo Gourmet was no longer "piccolo". The kitchen was the largest in which we have worked. In fact, despite cooking in the space of our dreams, we still worked close together out of habit.

So now that warm weather is upon us, get out to your market and enjoy that special, seasonal produce. Such savoured ingredients, like asparagus, are available at their peak for short windows of time.

Making aperitivi is a great concept to springboard from. Having multiple plates makes even the smallest meal feel more "upscale". And think of how you can use ingredients in a different way. A single mushroom is a bore, but by simply stuffing the cap with a filling, you create something elegant in a matter of seconds. Enjoy those warm breezes that are upon us, and good luck creating light bites in celebration of summer!

Lasagne – with an “e”

Well, for those of us who grew up on typical American-style lasagn-“a” – trying to find the equivalent in Italy would most likely lead you to a type of Neapolitan lasagna (only made once a year) featuring lasagne sheets layered with ricotta (substituted in many areas of the US with cottage cheese), as well as red sauce, meat, and mozzarella. Some American traditional styles may also include other ingredients like mushrooms and onions.

Once again, like many other Italian dishes, the intent of lasagn-e was “lost in translation” as it travelled across the Atlantic. Traditional lasange from Emilia-Romana contains one or two ingredients - at the most - layered between marvelously thin and delicate sheets of pasta.

So began another adventure in our “micro kitchen.” First I made the fillings - two for my first attempt. The first was a simple fresh, whole milk ricotta cheese with parsley and a hint of nutmeg. The second consisted of butternut squash seasoned with sautéed onion, parsley, and a shot of amaretto. I added an egg yolk to each filling. I also grated 1 ½ cups of freshly grated Grana Padano to sprinkle over each layer.

For the pasta, I used 3 extra large eggs and approximately 2.5 cups of flour. Again, practice is all you need with the pasta dough and in less than two tries you will be an expert. Or, you can follow the instructions in numerous Italian cookbooks on making pasta with a food processor. I use Marcella Hazan’s Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking as my Italian culinary “reference manual.”

You’ll need some space to do this. First, lay out several kitchen towels and lightly flour them. You will lay your pasta sheets out on these as you complete them. Once you have your pasta dough is made, let it rest for 30 minutes, then divide into 4-5 equal sized pieces. Make sure to tightly wrap the other pieces so they do not dry out while you are making your sheets. Make your sheets the same way as noodles using the pasta machine starting with the widest setting and thinning the sheets gradually one setting at a time. I stopped at setting #6, but I would like to get to an even thinner sheet – a goal for next time 

Once you have all of your pasta sheets rolled out you’ll want to cook them before making the actual lasagne. Drop one or two sheets at a time into a large pot of boiling salted water (6 quarts) - after about 30 seconds, take them out (fresh pasta cooks VERY fast) and drop in a pan of cold water to stop the cooking. Rinse them off gently and lay them on towels to dry (you will need a few more towels – I used a beach towel for the post cooking process. Make sure you turn them over several times to keep the sheets from sticking to the towels!

After all the sheets are cooked and dried you can start trimming them to fit in your lasagne pan: I used 9x13 metal pan well greased with olive oil. I also took 2-3 tablespoons of the squash filling, dilute equal amount of water and spread in bottom of pan to prevent sticking. Add your first layer of lasagne sheets, then top with one of the fillings and the Grana Padano. Continue layering (alternate the fillings), topping each layer with a generous helping of Grana Padano. Make sure to leave at least a 1-inch overlap between sheets when you trim an place them in the pan. Leave them a bit long lengthwise also– they will shrink during the cooking.

Once all the sheets are used up, , top the last layer with Grana Padano and place in the oven for 45 minutes at 400 degrees. Make sure to watch the last 10 minutes so the cheese does not burn. Let rest about 15 minutes before serving.

These amounts actually made a Lasagne about 1 1/4 inches high, which is not as high as typical American style, but the flavors and delicateness of the pasta will remind you of a savory “strudel.” Another advantage of smaller portions is less worrying about stepping on the scale during your next trip to the gym.

It was a bit of work, but after 2.5 hours – the results were incredible. Another session of eating and moaning was accompanied by a simple salad and a wonderful sparkling white Bordeaux from Modena.

Era Squisito!

Making Your Own Stuffed Pasta - removing the fear and adding the fun

Since our first trip to Italy in 2008, we’ve been missing that fresh, delicate, stuffed pasta that is ubiquitous in Emilia-Romagna. In particular, the zucca capallecci in Ferrara still haunts my taste buds.

So, for Valentines Day, I decided to make stuffed pasta as a special present for David. Not only would I make the pasta by hand, but I would use our pasta machine, covered in an inch of dust, for the first time. I usually roll my pasta out by hand when making noodles.

I also decided to create a new filling: I figured if I’m going to take on this project, might as well go all the way. So, here we go…

Stuffed pasta with fresh ricotta cheese, braised leeks and beet greens in a walnut-butter sauce

Take two cups of flour and make a well in the center. I use a large flat salad bowl to do this which saves me some cleaning time. Break two extra large eggs into the well and beat gently with a fork until well blended. Don’t worry about mixing flour in at this point. Gradually scoop more flour into the beaten egg until you have a soft dough. At this point, I use my hands and knead in whatever flour I need until the dough is still soft, but only slightly sticky. Wrap the dough in plastic and let rest for 30-60 minutes.

For the filling – place 1 cup fresh, whole milk ricotta cheese in medium bowl. Finely chop the white part of one leek and the tops of 4 medium sized beets (cut off the stems up to the leaves). Saute the leeks in some olive oil for about 5 minutes, then add the beet greens. Saute both until both are tender and let cool for 10 minutes.

Mix the leeks and greens into the ricotta plus one egg yolk about about ¼ teaspoon salt, several grindings of fresh pepper, and just a few sprinkles of nutmeg. Set aside.

Set up your pasta machine and spread out two kitchen towels that have been dusted with flour. Divide your dough in four pieces and beginning on the first setting, put the dough through the machine, lightly dust this “sheet” with flour and repeat. I went to setting # 5, but #6 would make an even thinner more delicate pasta sheet.

Note: Before rolling out your last pasta sheet, fill up a 6 qt pan with water with 2 tsp of salt and heat to boiling.

I roll out and fill one sheet of pasta at a time to prevent it from drying. Once you roll out one sheet, trim it down to a square and determine how large you want your ravioli to be. For an average size, you will need a strip about 4 inches wide that can be folded over. Drop about 2 teaspoons of filling about 2 inches apart on one half of the strip, keeping at least ½ inch from each edge. Moisten the edges slightly (you can dip your finger in water or use a pastry brush – this is optional, but I like to be sure the ravioli do not break open during the cooking.) then fold one side on top of the other. Press the pasta down around the filling and when sealed, separate using a knife or pastry wheel. Place on a very lightly floured towel while rolling out and filling the rest of the dough.

Cooking the pasta and tossing in the sauce is the easiest part…

Finely grind/pulverize ½ cup of walnuts and grate 1 cup of Grana Padano. Place ¼ cup olive oil and ¼ cup butter in a saucepan. Add two whole garlic cloves and 1 teaspoon finely chopped parsley and sauté for 5 minutes then remove the garlic. Turn heat to lowest possible setting.

Cook 10-15 ravioli in the boiling water – they will cook very fast, about 1-2 minutes – enough to get them hot is all that’s needed. Gently drain and place in a warmed serving dish (I fill mine with hot water and let it set for 10 minutes). Pour the butter/olive oil sauce over the ravioli, then the ground walnuts and ½ of the grated cheese. Toss gently and taste. Correct for salt/pepper and serve immediately with additional grated cheese.

Next step: Enjoy watching dinner guests moan and eat with their eyes closed.

Torta di Riso

The July sun beats down on the homes that surround us, already warmed by their marigold-painted exteriors. Shutters are open, cats nap peacefully on sills, and an occasional resident wisps by us on their humble bicycles. Our skin smells of summer as our shoes stroll along bumpy, cobblestone streets. A quiet afternoon in Parma, Italy.

We walk past a multitude of shops, but one in particular slowed us down. It was precious in every way. Tucked away on a small, forgotten street, it was as inviting as the afternoon was lazy. The window, with only the word paneterria painted on it, displayed a counter swollen with baked goods. The sight begged us to enter the store.

The smell of sweetness slowly crept up our noses when we opened the door. Our eyes were dancing over the shops' offerings, when Charlie uttered a quiet gasp. His eyes spotted it, finding finally what we have been searching for all day. Torta di Riso.

Sitting on the curb outside our treasured bakery we opened the bag and took out our prized purchase. Charlie has only heard his nona speak of this dessert, and now, he can happily eat what years of description tastes like. He savored it longingly. I look down at my half and admire the odd-looking snack. It is a wedge of a pie, but a pie I have never encountered. It is moist. It is dense. It is only slightly sweet. Imagine a creamy, lightly sugared risotto, but it is firm, compact. I have never eaten rice in a pie before. It was rich, nutty, and rewarding.

This memory makes every inch of my body warm with fondness. I can hear fans turning the sugared summer air. I can feel the waxy crunch of the paper holding my slice of rice cake. I can taste the almond-scented arborio. At the Piccolo Gourmet, we finally had the guts to try making our own torta di riso. Using recipes in both Italian and in English, we can firmly attest the task was well attempted. It is a testament to the saying "Practice makes perfect". Our results were not great, however, they were not bad either. Practice. And practice more we will. Our hearts will always be walking quietly on those hot July streets, and when our attempts fully bring us back to that Parma panetteria, we will blog our successful recipe.

Vegetable Soup

It is difficult for us to start this post. This soup, with it's luxurious smoothness, was an improvised act. All items used to make our aromatic stock (see previous post) were retrieved from the broth and pureed. A splash of that stock was used to help puree the mixture, but that is it.

People, we are serious. This puree is all the motivation you need to start making your own stock in the first place. Apart from having the treat of home-made stock on hand, pureeing its contents will both surprise and delight you. It is the richest, most luscious soup that ever was produced at The Piccolo Gourmet. And folks, it's vegan. That's right. That oh-so-scary word. But it was anything but bland. And the texture! Oh, the texture!

One, on their first sip, would swear there was cream added, but not a drop of dairy is to be found. Who knew? The only thing we could think of that would cause sush a silky result is the mushrooms. Supple, aromatic, slow cooked mushrooms.

We, at The Piccolo Gourmet, highly stress the suggestion of adding mushrooms when making your stock of choice. Not only will you add a subtle earthiness to your product, the guarantee of a rich, silky puree to be enjoyed later is well worth the addition.

Homemade, Aromatic Stock

It's raining. It's snowing. The kids are finally asleep. Whatever your case may be, you actually have free time and wish to make the most of it. This is a perfect opportunity to make stock. Chef Sara Moulton calls it "liquid gold". Julia Child dedicated an entire chapter to it. In fact, she heavily encouraged one to make their own versus buying the over-salted, store-bought kind. We agree. You have an empty canvas, the chance to play with any flavors you want. And for those watching their sodium intake, this is the ideal time to really adjust the salt-levels of your soups. Making your own stock requires minimal maintenance and is as easy as "easy" can get. Even if the kids wake up and need looking after, your stock will still be perfect.

The requirements are vegetables, water, and aromatics. That is it. And you don't even need fresh ingredients. Save all those ends of vegetables you chop when making salads, stews, and casseroles. Keep a bag of these discards in the freezer and let it accumulate. When you have a decent amount of saved pieces, that is when you can make a stock.

Mushrooms are a fantastic addition to vegetable stock in a replacement for a meat-like richness. Deborah Madison, David's pioneer culinary inspiration, taught us that. And seriously folks, how many times have you just thrown out those stems when chopping mushrooms? Keep them for stock! The earthy, complex flavors of a mushroom brings wonderful depth to your finished broth. Another vegetarian secret: Substitute a Parmesean rind for a ham hock.

Here at the Piccolo Gourmet, we are extremely happy with our results. See below:

VEGETABLES:
1/2 Yellow Bell Pepper
3 whole carrots (roughly chopped)
1 cup mushroom pieces
1 medium yellow onion
4 stocks of celery (roughly chopped)

HERBS, SPICES, AND AROMATICS (perhaps the most vital part):
1 good splash of your white wine of choice
1 large Parmesean Rind (or several bits of saved rinds)
2 Tbs. Olive Oil
1 Tbs. of butter
1 bunch parsley
4 Bay Leaves
1 clove of garlic
4 whole cloves
A nice dash of (dried) Oregano
4 strands of Saffron (optional)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Fill a soup pot with roughly 1 - 1 1/2 Qts. of water. Throw in all of your chosen ingredients. Simmer for 1 and 1/4 hour. (Go do your laundry, or whatever you have to do.)Let cool on your stove for about 30 minutes. Remove all of your vegetables and aromatics. (We kept the removed vegetables and pureed them as a thickener for a future soup.) Boil the liquid until it is reduced by half. Add the salt now and adjust to your liking. You are done. It's that simple. And you will be so grateful that you didn't buy that salty can in the store. Save your stock in the freezer as the base for soups, gravies, and sauces. (We divided the stock in ice cube trays for easy removal and portion adjustment.)

Happy simmering!

An Edible "Happy Hour"

For a very brief second we are turning the wheel in a different direction at the Piccolo Gourmet. Normally we would blog an ethnic dish near and dear to our hearts. However, in the spirit of Charlie's experiment last week, (the invention of a "risotto dulce",) David grabbed the testing reins this week.

All week he could not shake the random idea of combining cocktails with baked goods. Nothing like his tia's rum cake, or anything along those lines ... something completely different. He finally decided to make a "brittle", and this idea was cemented by answering the question: "How could I bring a mixed drink into the office without being fired"? You must burn off the alcohol. Thus, the brittle idea was born.

A person's heart stretches across multiple people, places, and things. Mexico, in paticular, is near (and dear) to David's heart. That said, for this dessert, tequila became the alcohol of choice. The idea was to make an edible margarita but to burn off the alcohol to make it "work appropriate". Here is what he did:

1. Make a toffee: Melt 1 and 1/2 sticks of butter in a saucepan with 1 cup of sugar.

2. Stir constantly on medium heat. The mixture will bubble.

3. When the toffee finally turns toffee-colored, add the contents of a single, mini José Cuervo Blanco (or your favorite tequila). Beware! The mixture will splatter some, so stand back from your stove. But continue to stir from a distance. All will be well.

4. Pour this onto a cookie sheet covered in waxed paper. Let cool.

5. While the toffee is cooling, zest 1 lime and juice half of it.

6. Temper (thanks for the exact word, Jenny) 6-8 oz. of white chocolate.

7. Add the lime zest and juice to the chocolate.

8. When the toffee is COMPLETELY cooled, gently wipe off the grease remaining on the toffee from the butter.

9. Spread the tempered chocolate-lime mixture over the cooled toffee.

10. While still tacky, sprinkle some coarse sea salt granules over the top. The idea is to make a two-layered brittle. Break apart to form little bites and share with friends.

The Piccolo Gourmet will experiment more with this idea, and / or other related material. In the meantime, get out in your kitchen and experiment!! Have fun and get creative.

A Dessert Risotto

A perpetual question at our house is: "What can we make for dessert that’s different from the usual, tired, Italian standbys, tiramisu and cannoli?"

One evening I remembered how we both loved rice pudding as kids, but how rare it is to find good rice pudding. So, I decided to try a “dessert risotto.” No doubt my great grandmother Ledovina Andrazi Iatonni would be skeptical, but the results far exceeded my expectations.

The wonderful thing about the special rice used for risotto (arborio, and others) is that it creates its own creaminess. This results from the carbohydrate shell that surrounds the rice kernel slowly dissolving as you cook it (and why the liquid is added in stages for a proper risotto). For the dessert version, additional creaminess was obtained by cooking the rice in milk (or for a vegan version soy milk), with some cinnamon bark, and just a hint of nutmeg and cardamom.

Cook the rice as you normally would for risotto but use hot milk as the cooking liquid adding it in increments as the rice cooks. For dessert, I cooked the rice a bit longer than I normally would but that’s a matter of personal taste. Right before the rice is done, add vanilla, sugar, and honey in proportions to suite your taste. Serve on small dessert plates and sprinkle a bit of cinnamon on top.

Era squisito!

Empanadas Dulces

Guava and Cheese. One my favorite combinations. My family is from South America, and this pairing is often used in several dishes. On a personal note, I ask myself is this combo sweet or savory? It kind of is a little of both, which makes it a unique contribution to a brunch, or other friendly gathering. And folks, it couldn't be easier. I would not lie to you. Thanks to the consumer demands of busy Americans, this three-ingredient dish (yes, I will repeat, THREE) are all available in almost every market.

Here's what you need: 1 pack of Pillsbury pie-crusts (Shh! Don't tell Charlie I don't make my own crust like he does), 1 block of GOYA (or any other brand) Guava Paste, and 1 block of cream cheese. Um, that's it. That's right. You CAN do this.

1. Use a cookie cutter and cut out disks from the rolled out Pillsbury dough.
2. Like our Piadina (blog post #1), place the filling (one tsp of guava paste and one tsp of cheese) on 1 side of the disk.
3. Fold over the dough to create a half-moon shape.
4. Wet the edges just a touch with water and press with a fork to seal in the filling.

See? You have made an empanadita! Make as many empanadas as possible, then roll the dough scraps back out. Try to make enough dough for a few more disks...

When finished, bake according to the packaged directions. Serve warm, not hot. The filling will be quite hot, so you must wait at least 10 minutes before serving. Serve them as an appetizer or, as I prefer, as a desert. ¡Buen Provecho!

(Another variation is using dulce de leche in place of the guava. That combination is equally as interesting and delicious!)

Piadina

Charlie was missing his “nona” (grandmother), so we made “piadina”, an italian version of a mexican flour tortilla. One can fill a piadina with whatever they wish.

You can cook with tile in the oven (or a stovetop) as long as it’s UN-glazed. We needed to replicate an “testo”, or an Italian, terracotta griddle. So ... off we went to the pottery section of Home Depot, bought an unglazed, terra-cotta flower-pot base, brought it home, and threw it on the stove! It works. It ACTUALLY works! Who knew a crisp $10 bill could provide such a carbohydrate paradise?!


Therefore ...
1. Buy a flower pot base. Place it on your stovetop burner and let it get very, very hot. If the dough is not hot enough, it will stick to the tile. (Make sure the gas is on high.)

2. Make a dough of flour, baking soda, olive oil, and water.

3. Roll it on a floured base, make it super flat, and throw it on the flower pot base that’s on the stove-top.

4. Let it cook and occasionally lift the piadina to peek below to see if it is ready to flip over. (When it’s cooked, you’ll get those pretty, toasted brown spots speckled over your dough.)

5. Toast the other side.

6. Fill one half of the piadina disk with your craving then fold it over.

7. MANGIA!

We were craving salty-sweet combinations, so I opted to fill our piadina with the following (We are practicing our Italian):

1. Cipolla (onions that we carmelized)
2. Arugula (arugula), and
3. Formaggio (cheese, specifically Fontina)

CIAO Bologna!