Forking Food

I am eating Lebanese.

I love Ethnic Food! As a kid my mom would adventure into cooking foreign cuisine at least once ever other week. Mostly German, Chinese or Mexican. An inspiration for my love of ethic food! Having several Lebanese friends it was only just last year that I was introduced to their cuisine. It is a simple, fresh & delicious cuisine usually consisting of lemon, garlic, spices and olive oil. Though the culture goes back many centuries the food today takes a big part from the Middle East & France.

 Mezze, similar to tapas, is a small plate of food or a snack before dinner. Can consist of a simple plate of grilled vegetables, hummus or a salad. Cutting an Eggplant into thick slices and seasoning it with Za’atar (a 7 spice mixture usually made with thyme, oregano, marjoram and other spices varying from family to family or regions) and a drizzle of olive oil before grilling makes a delicious accompaniment to hummus. Hummus a puree of chickpeas & tahini is a staple in Lebanon.

 

One of the best salads ( Fattoush) to prepare is a traditional one. Combining chopped romaine with sliced red onion, cucumber, tomato and radish. Then tossing it with a lemon-mint vinaigrette, fetacheese and toasted pita bread broken into pieces.

 

Who can’t resist a good hearty soup on these cold snowy winter days? Making Lentil Soup with Swiss chard ( Adas bi Hamood) is a great way to keep warm. An easy soup with caramelized onions, lentils, swiss chard, garlic cilantro, coriander & lemon. A fresh piece of bread and it becomes a meal. I prefer to use black lentils, which don’t break down as fast as brown lentils giving the soup more texture.

 

After asking a friend their favorite chicken dish (Shish Tawook-chicken kabobs marinated with spices and yogurt). I decided to take it a step further. Marinating a Poussin (small chicken similar to a Cornish Hen) with cinnamon, sumac, paprika, cayenne, coriander and lemon juice and letting it marinate for a few hours I cooked it on the grill and serve it with garlic sauce.

There are many ways to make garlic sauce. A simple way is to crush several cloves of garlic in a mortar and pestle then mixing it with mayonnaise, yogurt and lemon zest.

A few good side dishes to serve are Green beans cooked with tomato ( Loubi bi Zeyt) and Eggplant Moussaka ( Mousaka’a a Batinjan bi Zeyt). A variation of the Greek Moussaka, the Lebanese Moussaka has the addition of chickpeas & Pomegranate molasses. It also makes a nice mezze with a sprinkling of feta cheese.

 

 

Desserts can range from Baklava, fresh fruit, rice pudding or some simple nut cookies. Nuts are often used in most desserts. Rice pudding flavored with orange blossom water, cardamom, cinnamon and allspice then finished with toasted pine nuts & pistachios makes a delicious twist. Or a simple cup of Turkish or Arabic coffee (sometimes flavored with cardamom) served with fresh baked cookies is a great finish to a heavenly yummy Lebanese meal! sahtein

 

I see Citrus!

With winter upon in full blast there is one thing I always look forward to. And that is Citrus. With all the varieties of lemons, grapefruits, oranges, limes and mandarins it creates a bountiful of ideas to feast on. One fond memory of citrus is while visiting Paris with my parents. We tumbled upon a Moroccan grocery store. Now anyone who knows my mom knows she is an avid lemon eater. So when she saw the barrel full of preserved lemons her inquiring mind waited no time to ask, purchase and devour her newfound friend. I still have not found a brand that remotely resembles those in Paris so I often make my own. I prefer to use Meyer lemons, a cross between a lemon and mandarin, because the skin is thinner requiring less time to preserve and they have a slight sweet taste. 

I also enjoy making a relish out of Meyer Lemons. Peel the rind off the lemon and julienne in fine strips. Squeeze the juice from the lemons and set aside. Quickly blanch the peel and place into a mixing bowl. When cool, add chopped capers, diced shallots, lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil and chopped cilantro. Season with salt and fresh ground pepper. Delicious with fish, grilled steak or lamb chops. 

Tired of the usual pedestrian chicken salad? Take those leftover pieces of roast chicken (I prefer duck but both make a wonderful dish) and remove the skin and shred the meat into small pieces with your fingers. Add diced mango and red onion, julienne blanched snow peas, Page Mandarin segments and micro wasabi leaves (Arugula, watercress or any hardy green will do). Toss with a ginger vinaigrette and serve. A light and healthy salad that is excellent for lunch or dinner. 

Another salad I always enjoy during the winter or whenever I have a sweet grapefruit is Bibb lettuce served with avocado, ruby red grapefruit segments & toss with sherry vinaigrette adding a crunch of almonds is a nice touch. Refreshing served with a grilled steak dinner. 

Gremolata is an Italian staple commonly used on mushrooms. A mixture of finely chopped flat leave parsley, grated lemon zest and finely chopped garlic. Best used within a few hours after making it. I love it on sautéed Porcini mushrooms that are spooned over grilled asparagus and then sprinkled with Gremolata on top. Excellent first course or a hearty side dish.

The list and recipes could go on with citrus but my best advice is next time you see a citrus that you are unfamiliar with. Pick it up, buy it and use it. Discover your newfound citrus friend. 

 

Leftovers Redone!

After working for the guru & master of redefining leftovers or throwaways. I have become almost the same. I hate to throw away one spear of Asparagus or a floret of broccoli. The problem being is I don’t enjoy leftovers.  So reinventing them can be a solution!

 

Are you a Reggiano-Parmigiano lover?  Finish the chunk and throw away the rind? Shame on you!  As a cheese lover I usually have a few and always save the Parmigiano rinds either in the refrigerator or freezer. Sautéing a leek or two with Olive oil and adding zucchini & the rind makes a delicious soup. The rind melts into the soup making it a wonderful creamy one without adding the cream. This also works well with broccoli. Instead of cheddar add the Parmigiano rind.

 

 

 

Remember the beef or lamb stew you made in the crock-pot a few days ago? (If not than it’s time you started. How easy it is to put a few veggies, red wine, lamb or beef stew meat into a crock pot in the morning before work and alakazam you have dinner on the table within minutes from coming home.) Have some left over? Place in a casserole dish and spoon those left over mashed potatoes on top. Place in the oven and bake for one hour. I can assure you the family will think you have slaved over the stove for hours.

 

We always buy to many bananas. And once the peel turns brownish then forget about anyone eating them. A quick puree in the processor with some added ingredients and you have a delicious banana cake for dessert or even breakfast (if your from the south). Or some apples or pears that nobody seems to what to eat? Toss with some sugar (cranberries if you have them) and cover with a basic crumble topping. Bake for an hour and serve. 

A few easy simple ideas for you to enjoy those throwaways without discarding them. The recipes are posted in the Recipe Section. Enjoy and Good Eats! 

I am back!

A New Year & Some new Friends!

Happy New Year! Welcome back after a 2-year hiatus. After taking some much needed time off and finding a very enjoyable cooking position. I have decided to come back and inform all those Hungry & Struggling Minds!

 

Most of you already know that I cook almost everyday at home. Some hits and certainly some misses. But the big revelation at least for a friend or two is I found a new friend. Food item that is! Gone is the asparagus. After enjoying and serving it at just about every meal I have made a change. Broccoli is the king of the crop! http://www.healingdaily.com/detoxification-diet/broccoli.htm

 

I would never consider myself a health nut but I do enjoy eating healthy fresh food. And yes Butter is a good thing.

But lets recap a few dishes that occurred during the holidays…

Crostrata Dough

 

3 Cups AP Flour

1 Cup chilled cubed butter

¾ cup chilled water

1 ½ cups fruit jam

In a processor combine flour and butter. Pulse into appears as crumbs. Add water. Remove and knead until combined. Don’t overwork! Chill for 1 hour. Roll into a circle. Spread fruit jam into middle and fold over ends to cover jam. You can expose some jam if you wish as I do. Bake until golden brown at 400. Approx. 30 minutes. 

 Simple poached winter fruit.

 After becoming a Hummus fan. I simply add a different item to add a variation. Such as roasted eggplant, pureed artichokes, mashed asparagus or just a easy drizzle of chopped olives. Serve with toasted crostini.

I love Bok Choy! Wash and dry some baby Bok Choy and sauteed with garlic with a splash of teriyaki. Nice addition to a meal.

A impressive dessert.

Chop 1 whole  pineapple. Sauteed with 2 tablespoons of butter. After most of the liquid has dissolved. Lay a circle of puff pasty on top and bake for 45 minutes at 400 degrees. A sure winner! 

A simple Hor d'ourve!

Endive with Crab or lobster meat lightly mixed with mayo and chives. The variation is all ours!

It’s a start folks! So have a nice nosh or two and enjoy!

 

 

Toute Suite my Sweets!

What’s more soothing than an ole-fashioned chocolate cake? With a little spare time on my hands at work I thought I would spruce it up a bit with some chocolate ruffles. All it needs now is vanilla ice cream!On the lighter side: Pavlova. After reading chapter 15 in Immoveable Feast I began thinking more about what to do with all those egg whites I had in the freezer. After working 8+ years at a particular restaurant I quickly learned to never throw anything away but to make the most/better of it. Which means my freezer is always full of those little bits of something that I did not use.  Though my freezer comes in handy on those certain nights that I am to tired to hit Stew’s. I just pull from the freezer, thaw, cook and eat.

I thawed 2 cups of egg whites, whipped in little more than 3 cups of sugar and into the warm oven it went. The next day a beautiful meringue shell with a crispy white covering and soft and gooey innards was there waiting for me.  I filled it with sweetened whipped cream and topped it with fresh berries. Since I am not a big sweet eater I left it for the ones who are. Any takers? 

Holiday food

Ok, it’s been about 6 months since my last blog and I did make a vow to update FF more often. It’s the New Year and I felt that maybe I would try again. My New Year resolution!

 

Food, Food, Food and more forking food is that what the holidays are all about? With a holiday brunch for friends, annual Christmas dinner, New Years Eve celebration dinner and ending with a tradition New Years day feast. I guess it was happily so!A quiche with a potato crust instead of the cliché pastry crust was a sure winner for brunch, accompanied by gilled skirt steak, asparagus vinaigrette, fruit salad, croissants and a winter toss salad. Served with pomegranate mimosas.

Since doing Christmas dinner for the last 18+ years, it has gotten difficult to create new ideas. But I thought just make it simple and easy. So I thought roasted mint crusted rack of lamb, braised monkfish Sicilian style, papas salitas, haricot verte with wild mushrooms & winter salad would satisfy everyone. And it did! 

Since Mario’s sister was in here and had never eaten Lobster. I thought, what better way to celebrate his reunion with her, the new year and her intro to lobster then to roast a few and dig in with our hands and forks. Some roasted Brussels sprouts & mashed potatoes were also feasted upon. 

There is no better way to bring in the New Year than with comfort food. So I took the tradition of corned beef, cabbage and black eye peas and made a celebration  out of it. Brining the brisket with pickling spices and braising it for 4 hours, cooking the black eye peas with pork belly and simmering the cabbage with butter and garlic was the only way I knew to make it so comforting. And what a feast it was, especially for the awesome Colombians that were visiting us.

 

Happy New Year!

Weber & Me!

Its no secret that my affairs with my Weber grill has been on going every summer and when I can sneak out, a few times in the winter. It’s been so good to me even though I have never purchased anything other than a cover for it. But I decided that it was time to reward it, and I bought a rotisserie (Item # 2290) for it.

It did not surprise me when it returned the favor. I seasoned and buttered up a small organic chicken and cut some small Yukon potatoes in quarters, seasoning them with Merken Spice (thanks to a dear friend who introduced me to this). Placing the potatoes on a small tray beneath the chicken and letting them both roast about an hour give me pleasure that only my Weber could do.
I served a tangy Arugula salad with the crunchy potatoes and succulent chicken and was ready for a good cigarette afterwards. (Good thing I don’t smoke besides food of course, lol)

Summer menus!

Just posting a few ideas for a summer buffet or cook-out! Im opening the field, so if you want a recipe for any dish below just ask! Daring but lets get together and cook!

Surf & Turf

HOT

Braised Monkfish with Puntanesca Sauce

Lemon & Rosemary Roast chicken

Quinoa with Porcini Mushrooms

Peas & Cipolinis

COLD

Mixed Salad with Fresh Raspberry Vinaigrette

Zucchini & Fete Quiche

Halibut Tartar. Cucumber, Cilantro & Lime

Thin Sliced Roast Beef with Baby Arugula, Shaved Parmigaino & Balsamic Glaze

HOT

Grilled Halibut with Fennel, Red Peppers & Preserved Lemon

Prime Rib au jus

Spicy Fingerling Potatoes

Garlic Escarole

Cold

Frisee with Lemon vinaigrette & Crispy Artichokes

Grilled Zucchini with Pickled Beets

Japanese Snapper Crudo with Lemon Grass Oil & Chervil

Friendly menu for friends!

Having a few friends over and want to make it easy? This is an easy menu that will not only inscribe a culinary treat but also will have them crave for anther invitation.
How easy is a platter of cold cuts. Go the extra step and buy some quality meats. Boars Head is a good product for bologna and lunch meat. Instead, opt for Proscuitto, soppressata and coppacola. Arranged it around a platter and let them enjoy.

Those who prefer seafood hit them with a Thai shrimp salad. To make it easy, buy cooked shrimp but make sure their FRESH and not OVER COOKED! Otherwise, just boil some ginger slices in water and drop in the unshelled shrimp. Boiling shrimp in the shell makes a juicier and taster crustacean. Prepare a simple vinaigrette with fresh lime juice, fresh grated ginger, fish sauce, soy sauce, olive oil, pepper flakes, chives and S & P. Slice blanched snow peas, bok choy and carrots into slivers. Toss the cooled shrimp and veggies with the vinaigrette. Add a splash of toasted sesame seeds and you have an amazingly easy and delicious seafood salad.

Grilling vegetables are the easiest way to bring out their flavor. Grill peeled and seasoned jumbo asparagus until tender. Finish with salsa romesco (check out recipes). This sauce can be made the day before. Slice thick slices of zucchini and toss with chopped mint and S & P. Grill until tender and finish with a drizzle of aged balsamic. If you care not to spend the money on a good aged balsamic then reduce some basic grocery store balsamic by half and it will be sweet and thick. Both vegetables do not need to be warm, so grilling them early allows you to do it head of time saving yourself a last minute ordeal.

Adding a simple tossed salad or your favorite potato dish can only enhance this simplistic menu.

Since all the food is easy and can be prepared early, spend a little time on dessert. A great crisp or cobbler served warm with ice cream will having them screaming for more.

Summer Fare

As much as the season can inspire my cooking, the weather usually influences the menu. And with a beautiful day in the city I set my cooking skills in early summer mode and begin to prepare a refreshing lunch.
As simple as celery is, most would never assume to use it a base for a soup. I think it has a very unique quality and paired with curry it can be a very delicious soup, either hot or chilled. Sautee onion and a dash of your favorite curry powder in olive oil add coarsely chopped celery (including the leaves) and cover with chicken stock or water. Cook until tender, then puree. Season and serve.

Nothing speaks to be more as light and cooling than a plate of Tuna Carpaccio with Pickled ginger & julienne bok choy. The cool sweet favor of the tuna, the tanginess of the ginger and the crisp texture of the bok choy and then give me a drizzle of teriyaki sauce and I am ready to oblige on eating a plate full.

Very few things are as easy as a plate of Proscuitto. And adding the sweet favor of beans only complements the saltiness. Canned beans are fine but I prefer fresh or dried. Toss the beans with a light Dijon vinaigrette, red onion and chopped parsley. Season with salt & pepper then serve along side the thinly sliced proscuitto.