Oui, Chef

Tomatillo and Avocado Salsa

This little ditty has fast become one of our favorite condiments to have on-hand.  Vibrant, light and fresh, it is equally at-home as a sandwich spread, a fajita topping, or a dip for chips.  It's got a nice kick without being too much, and the acidity from the tomatillos and the 1/2 lime make your mouth sit up straight and give thanks.  Hallelujah!

Never cooked with or eaten tomatillos before?  Well, that's gonna change.....NOW!

Zingy Wings

Arthas and I tossed these wings together a few weeks back as a treat to bring to a neighborhood barbeque.....they were fabulous!  The recipe is a rif on my friend Winnie's "Sweet and Spicy Rubbed Wings", which she submitted some time ago for a Food52 contest for your best chicken wings.

According to Winnie, she had developed this spicy coffee-cocoa rub to use on ribs and loved it so much that she then tried it on some homemade roasted nuts, and then finally these wings.  It sounds like she was tossing it on anything that didn't move!  Don't you love a condiment that can be put to use in so many different ways?  

Peyton's "Jean-Georges" Meal

 

Today I lay down my pen (as it were) and camera, and hand over the reigns to Peyton who offered to write this guest post about an awesome meal she cooked just before heading off to summer camp.  All the words and photos are hers, and she hopes very much that you enjoy them. Cheers - Steve

One of my earliest memories about Asian food was trying to use chopsticks. I struggled, and ended up using my fingers instead. Another I have is about going to a wonderful Japanese restaurant and eating at a hibachi table. The chef cooked with huge flames, made onion volcanoes, and tossed eggs into his hat.  But what I remember most was his smile. He was enjoying the show as much as we were. Up until cooking with Steve, I hadn’t even dreamt of cooking Asian food. The techniques seemed so complicated and took years to master. 

Not long ago I was looking through his many, many cookbooks for a recipe for lamb. I went into Jean-Georges Vongerichten's cookbook, Jean-Georges: Cooking At Home with a Four-Star Chef, and it jumped out at me. No, not the lamb dish that I was looking for, but rather a picture like what you see above. It was of a whole plate of his signature appetizers, and it looked delicious.  Of course, it also looked like an intimidating challenge.  If you knew me personally, then you'd know why I couldn't just turn another page. I had to make it!

Edamame and Cilantro Purée

This past Sunday I attended what must have been the 5th or 6th H.S. graduation party for my oldest son Grid, and his classmates.  Despite the rather frigid temps at the beach where the party was held, and the fact that some of the kids HAD to have been suffering from party fatigue (it seems that current fashion dictates that EVERY family of a graduate must host a party in order that their kids remain in good standing with their class), a great time was had by all.  Calypso Hurricane rocked the house, and even pulled our young star Boris to the stage to lay down a sweet bass track for the band. Entwistle would have been proud.

Radish and Basil Pesto

With summer just around the corner, our attention is drawn to fresh herbs, greens and veggies, and light quick preparations that highlight their goodness.  This little ditty is delicious as a sandwich spread, tossed with whole wheat pasta, as a crudité dip or bruschetta topping, or stirred into some smashed potatoes to make them pop.  Heck...serve a dollop along side a juicy grilled steak, piece of fish, or chicken to add a little blast of summer to your plate.

Sweet Potato Chips!

 

Making this gorgeous treat hardly requires a recipe at all.  In fact, crafting homemade potato chips is so easy, and the results so delicious, that once you give 'em a try, I bet you'll think twice before buying store bought chips again.  Really..... still warm from the fryer, and seasoned with a generous sprinkle of salt, they are very hard to beat.

I first pursued making sweet potato fries and chips as a means of getting the kids to take more of a liking to them....um....that would be the sweet potatoes, not the chips and fries.  It's funny, but while they all love potatoes, and adore all things sweet, when you put the two together, not one of them would eat them.  I've baked them, steamed them, and smashed them, and always the answer was the same....no thanks.  

Herbed Beef Skewers with Horseradish Cream - A Food52 WINNER!

YES, I'VE CHANGED THE TITLE OF THIS POST TO REFLECT THE FACT THAT THIS DISH WON FOOD52'S "BEST DISH WITH HORSERADISH" CONTEST.  MANY THANKS TO ALL OF YOU WHO WENT TO FOOD52 AND VOTED FOR ME!

 CHEERS - STEVE

Hey everyone, I'm excited to share with you all that another one of my recipes has been chosen as a finalist by my friends Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs, and the rest of the gang over at Food52!  Last week's contest was for our "Best Recipe with Horseradish", and for it, I whipped up a little party snack that riffed on the flavors of the classic dish of prime rib roast with horseradish sauce.

This recipe is quick, easy and delicious!  It dresses up well for company as a party treat, or accompanied by some spuds and a green salad, makes for an interesting twist on things the next time you're hankerin' for a steak for dinner.

For those of you who have never visited Food52, shame on you....what are you waiting for?  It's a terrific food community that "crowd sources" its recipes by holding weekly competitions looking for participants' best dishes using the week's key ingredient.  Winners gain eternal fame by having their recipes published in the annual (they are now working on their 2nd cookbook) Food52 Cookbook.

For the full recipe, click HERE and see the dish on Food52.  Once there you'll be able to read what Amanda and Merrill have to say about it, as well as see how beautifully the site's photographer, Sarah Shatz shot their test version.  If you think it looks tasty in the photo above, you'll REALLY want to try it once you see Sarah's photo.  While you're there, and if you find the recipe worthy, please take the time to VOTE for my dish, I'd really appreciate it!  Voting ends at midnight, next Tuesday the 12th, so hurry on over there now!

Thank you in advance for all your support.

Cheers - Steve

 

Smoky Tomato Soup

Peyton, home from school the other day, was banging around the kitchen at lunchtime looking for a way to enhance her standard lunch fare, a classic grilled cheese.  She was looking for something to elevate the dish to something more befitting the special occasion that is a SNOW DAY.  Her first inclination was to make a croque monsiuer (a brilliant idea for a future post), but as we didn't have any ham in the house, decided instead to whip up some tomato soup as an accompaniment.

The girl was in luck, not only did we have all the ingredients needed to make a delicious tomato soup from scratch, but I had recently stumbled across this recipe and was dying to give it a try.  In our studied opinion, there are few things more perfectly matched than a gooey grilled cheese sandwich and a creamy bowl of tomato soup.  I don't know about you, but the combo was one of my favorites as a kid, ranking right up there with a PB&J with potato chips!

Garlic, Black Pepper and Blue Cheese Chicken Wings

While I am a HUGE fan of Buffalo Wings, I’ve found that over time my taste for wings has evolved to favor sauces a little more multi-dimensional (and not scorchingly hot) in nature. The base for this sauce is a slight twist on Ming Tsai’s Black Pepper-Garlic Sauce (Simply Ming: Easy Techniques for East-Meets-West Meals) , which he serves with a fabulous lobster dish at his restaurant “Blue Ginger”. Ever since I tried that amazing meal, I’ve been twisting his sauce to and fro to satisfy the requirements of a number of different culinary whims.

Falafel with Tahini Sauce

 

I don't think I ate my first falafel until I was in my forties....late thirties at the earliest, and after hearing a great deal of hoo-ha over the years as to the joys of falafel, I must admit that my first experience left me flat.  For the life of me, I couldn't understand what got people so excited about the little things, as mine were dry and as bland as sawdust on the inside, slick and oily on their surface, and presented with day-old chopped veggies and a REALLY bitter tahini sauce....ugh.  

Growing up in Vermont as a kid, I never even heard the word falafel, let alone have any knowledge of what they were.  I was probably in college when I saw my first one, and I remember thinking that it was some sort of meatball when I first laid eyes on it.  Imagine my surprise (and disappointment) when I finally learned that it was basically just a little veggie patty.  Remember, I'm of Italian descent, meatballs make so much more sense to me.  To my way of thinking, falafel was to a meatball, what a veggie burger was to a juicy, 80% lean ground sirloin grilled hunk of deliciousness....you can keep the former, I'll take the latter thank you very much.