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?  

Kale Chips

I know, I'm about two years behind the craze with this dish.

I'm hoping though, because I'm SO late to the kale chip party, that by sharing them with you today I'll actually be introducing them to all you food blog readers who like me, missed the first wave of excitement over them when they were foodie's darlings a few years back.

I've seen so many recipes for these on-line that its clear there was a bit of a kale chip craze at one point, much like the "macaron" frenzy that seems to be in constant force on food blogs.  

Now, having eaten more than my fair share of fabulous macarons during my time in France, I get how they can fuel a never ending obsession among foodies the world over.

But kale chips.....are you kidding me?

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.

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

 

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.

Kale, Sausage and Feta Frittata

I know that we've already done a frittata dish here, but I am such a big fan I wanted to bring you another one.  The last one we cooked together was a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants frittata that I threw together with a bunch of left-overs in the fridge, and it is that "everything but the kitchen sink" aspect of crafting a frittata that I love so much.  Eggs, cheese, and almost anything else you can think of can make a delicious frittata, they are a perfect foil for any kind of leftover meat, fish or veggie you have laying about.

Today's recipe is actually not that kind of free-wheeling creation, but rather one from a pretty great recipe that I found in Bon Appetit last month.  It is a well balanced creation of meat, vegetable and cheese that really satisfies.  Unlike many frittata recipes, this one is cooked in a baking dish, not a frying pan, and is cooked at a low enough temperature that it maintains a nice light texture, and doesn't get tough as they can when cooked with a higher heat.

Quinoa Tabbouleh

 

I must admit that I felt a little like Heidi Swanson the other day when working up this recipe.  No, it wasn't 'cause of how I looked in the stylish skirt I was wearing ;-), but rather this quinoa and veggie treat is exactly the kind of thing that Heidi presents so beautifully on her blog, 101 Cookbooks every week.

Growing up in Vermont, with an Italian mother manning the stove, I didn't grow up eating anything quite so exotic as middle-eastern cooking.  In fact, it wasn't until I married my wife, who is of Lebanese descent, that I was finally exposed to more than just the very basics of middle-eastern cuisine.  Since then, I have come to love not just the ubiquitous hommus, falafel, and baba ghannouj, but also dishes like fatayer, kibbe and tabbouleh.