Toss some cherry tomatoes, summer peaches, salad mix, and mozzarella balls with farro and sliced almonds with a balsamic vinegar and olive oil vinagrette.
Eat and enjoy! This tastes like the epitome of summer :)
Saturday, September 19, 2015
Salad with peach, tomato, mozzarella, and farro with balsalmic vinagrette
The fresh fruit and vegetables at the farmer's market have been amazing lately. So why not mix the best of it all together?
Toss some cherry tomatoes, summer peaches, salad mix, and mozzarella balls with farro and sliced almonds with a balsamic vinegar and olive oil vinagrette.
Eat and enjoy! This tastes like the epitome of summer :)
Toss some cherry tomatoes, summer peaches, salad mix, and mozzarella balls with farro and sliced almonds with a balsamic vinegar and olive oil vinagrette.
Eat and enjoy! This tastes like the epitome of summer :)
Chile Verde (with pork)
I recently went to a Mexican restaurant around here for lunch. Looking at the menu, I saw that they had Chile Verde and got super excited because the only time I've ever had it was a couple of years ago when a coworker made it and let me try a bite of her lunch. It was amazing, and had a complex layer of flavors I didn't understand (because I haven't ever attempt to cook Mexican food). AND IT WAS GREEN!
So I ordered the Chile Verde, daydreaming of the green sauce and tastiness of years before. No such luck. I mean, it was ok, but it was brown and not what I was hoping for. So I made it a goal to attempt to make it! And I think I got pretty darn close :)
Now I know what tomatillos are and that they are sticky and kind of weird to peel. And having learned the hard way once, I'll always remember to wear gloves when cutting chili peppers!
Tomatillos before peeling:
After peeling:
Adapted from here: http://food52.com/recipes/21128-slow-cooked-carnitas-chili-verde
Sauce:
1.5 lb tomatillos, peeled and rinsed
4 cloves garlic
2 jalapeno peppers, chopped
1/2 can Hatch chilies (I didn't have this, so I just left it out)
1 bunch cilantro
Make the sauce:
Put the tomatillos (you can cut them in half if you want, or leave them whole) and garlic onto a baking sheet and broil until slightly blackened (about 10 mins). Let it cool down, and then put all the above ingredients into a food processor and blend until well mixed.
Chile:
3 lb pork shoulder
2 tbs oil
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (I used berbere because that's what I have)
1/4 t cloves
1-2 tsp oregano
2 cups chicken stock
Make the chile:
Cut the pork into 1" square pieces, salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a dutch oven to high and brown the pork in batches. Remove the pork, lower the heat to medium, and add the onion and garlic, stirring occasionally until they are soft and translucent. Put the pork back in, along with the tomatillo sauce (above) and all the other ingredients. Bring the mixture to a boil, and then lower the heat so that it's just simmering. Cover, and simmer for a couple of hours (2-3?) until the pork is tender.
Serve over rice!
So I ordered the Chile Verde, daydreaming of the green sauce and tastiness of years before. No such luck. I mean, it was ok, but it was brown and not what I was hoping for. So I made it a goal to attempt to make it! And I think I got pretty darn close :)
Now I know what tomatillos are and that they are sticky and kind of weird to peel. And having learned the hard way once, I'll always remember to wear gloves when cutting chili peppers!
Tomatillos before peeling:
Sauce:
1.5 lb tomatillos, peeled and rinsed4 cloves garlic
2 jalapeno peppers, chopped
1/2 can Hatch chilies (I didn't have this, so I just left it out)
1 bunch cilantro
Make the sauce:
Put the tomatillos (you can cut them in half if you want, or leave them whole) and garlic onto a baking sheet and broil until slightly blackened (about 10 mins). Let it cool down, and then put all the above ingredients into a food processor and blend until well mixed.
Chile:3 lb pork shoulder
2 tbs oil
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (I used berbere because that's what I have)
1/4 t cloves
1-2 tsp oregano
2 cups chicken stock
Make the chile:
Cut the pork into 1" square pieces, salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a dutch oven to high and brown the pork in batches. Remove the pork, lower the heat to medium, and add the onion and garlic, stirring occasionally until they are soft and translucent. Put the pork back in, along with the tomatillo sauce (above) and all the other ingredients. Bring the mixture to a boil, and then lower the heat so that it's just simmering. Cover, and simmer for a couple of hours (2-3?) until the pork is tender.
Serve over rice!
Saturday, August 29, 2015
I can't believe it's not pizza!
It's broccoli rabe!! But it evokes the same tastiness of pizza (because it's mozzarella over a quick tomato sauce), but without the crust.
A friend saw and sent this recipe over from the Lucky Peach:
http://luckypeach.com/recipes/broccoli-rabe-mozzarella-anchovy-spicy-tomato-sauce/
I did not have any anchovies, so I just went without, and no fresh mozzarella, so I used mozzarella sandwich squares! Still resulted in brown cheese spots on the top, just like pizza!
I made it on a Friday evening after working late so I was pretty darn hungry. It says 4 servings, so I started by putting 1/3 of it into my bowl, and then went back for another 1/3 because it was just as addicting as pizza, and finally decided to polish the whole thing off!
A friend saw and sent this recipe over from the Lucky Peach:
http://luckypeach.com/recipes/broccoli-rabe-mozzarella-anchovy-spicy-tomato-sauce/
I made it on a Friday evening after working late so I was pretty darn hungry. It says 4 servings, so I started by putting 1/3 of it into my bowl, and then went back for another 1/3 because it was just as addicting as pizza, and finally decided to polish the whole thing off!
Thursday, August 6, 2015
How I went to the baseball game (a couple of weeks ago)
So G's work goes to a Giants game at AT&T park once a year every summer, and they're allowed to bring a guest. While I normally do not enjoy sitting through baseball games (or other sporting events for that matter), the tickets come with $25 for dinner each. I read about a $17 crab sandwich only available in AT&T park (Crazy Crab'z), so I had to go try it!
It's literally all crab with not that much mayo to hold it together, with a slice of tomato on buttered/grilled sourdough. Kinda drippy from the oil, but definitely worth it for all that crab!
And we spent the remaining money on Ghiradelli mini chocolate squares. What a good night!
And we spent the remaining money on Ghiradelli mini chocolate squares. What a good night!
Tomato and Corn Salad
Last summer, I borrowed a book from the library called Delancey by blogger Orangette (Molly Wizenberg). It's about how she and her husband opened up a pizzaria in Seattle. She's a great writer, and also graduated from Stanford (yay!) so I like reading her posts whenever I remember (maybe once a month).
Anyway, the only recipe from that book that I've tried (and it was super delicious!) is a tomato and corn salad with shallot vinagrette. I made it for a potluck last summer at a coworker's house and it was a hit, so when the tomatoes and corn rolled into the farmer's market this summer I had to make the salad again :)
Tomato and Corn Salad with Shallot Vinaigrette
(makes 4 - 6 servings)
For the vinaigrette:
2 small or 1 medium shallot, minced
1 medium clove garlic, minced
5 tbs (70 ml) red wine vinegar
1/2 c olive oil
1/8 tsp sugar
Sea salt to taste
4 - 5 fresh basil leaves
Mix the shallots, garlic, vinegar together in a bowl, leave it for at least one hour. Then whisk in the olive oil, sugar and salt and basil leaves (bruise them with the whisk) and let sit for another 30 mins (I left mine overnight). Note: remove the basil before serving.
For the salad:
2 large beefsteak tomatoes or 6 smaller tomatoes (I used heirloom tomatoes)
1 - 2 handful cherry tomatoes
Raw kernels from 1 ear of corn
Crunch salt, such as Maldon or fleur de sel
A few fresh basil leaves
Slice the tomatoes into 1/2" thick rounds and arrange them on a platter. Halve the cherry tomatoes and put them on top along with the corn kernels. Spoon the vinaigrette over the whole thing, and sprinkle some crunchy sea salt and basil strips on top.
Anyway, the only recipe from that book that I've tried (and it was super delicious!) is a tomato and corn salad with shallot vinagrette. I made it for a potluck last summer at a coworker's house and it was a hit, so when the tomatoes and corn rolled into the farmer's market this summer I had to make the salad again :)
Tomato and Corn Salad with Shallot Vinaigrette
(makes 4 - 6 servings)
For the vinaigrette:
2 small or 1 medium shallot, minced
1 medium clove garlic, minced
5 tbs (70 ml) red wine vinegar
1/2 c olive oil
1/8 tsp sugar
Sea salt to taste
4 - 5 fresh basil leaves
Mix the shallots, garlic, vinegar together in a bowl, leave it for at least one hour. Then whisk in the olive oil, sugar and salt and basil leaves (bruise them with the whisk) and let sit for another 30 mins (I left mine overnight). Note: remove the basil before serving.
For the salad:
2 large beefsteak tomatoes or 6 smaller tomatoes (I used heirloom tomatoes)
1 - 2 handful cherry tomatoes
Raw kernels from 1 ear of corn
Crunch salt, such as Maldon or fleur de sel
A few fresh basil leaves
Slice the tomatoes into 1/2" thick rounds and arrange them on a platter. Halve the cherry tomatoes and put them on top along with the corn kernels. Spoon the vinaigrette over the whole thing, and sprinkle some crunchy sea salt and basil strips on top.
Thursday, July 16, 2015
Lentils with Broiled Eggplant
I've never broiled eggplant before, but when I saw this recipe from Ottolenghi's Plenty More book, I had to make it. Mine turned out just as delicious as the one from the book looked! And I finished mine by drizzling some maple smoked sea salt on it :)
I'm too lazy to type out the recipe, so here's a link: http://www.thekitchn.com/lentils-with-broiled-eggplant-144643
I'm too lazy to type out the recipe, so here's a link: http://www.thekitchn.com/lentils-with-broiled-eggplant-144643
Pie!
I've recently accomplished one of my 2015 resolutions: bike to the coast (and back)! After this 40 mile biking expedition involving lots of big hill climbing, we were pretty hungry so we went to a cafe in Woodside. Their bakery case had many different flavors of pie, and one slice could be had for $4. I was seriously contemplating just eating some kind of fruit pie for lunch, but figured I needed something more substantial after the big bike ride. The pot pie I ordered fell short of the pie-ness I had wanted, so I resolved to make my own berry pie at home.
So I made the best pie dough recipe I learned from a super awesome baker Cathy a couple of years ago, and waited for my friend Nance to bring over frozen boysenberries from her yard, and we baked a super awesome pie!
Dough: (enough to make a top and a bottom crust)
305 g flour
15 g sugar
5 g salt
225 g butter (1 cup)
4 - 6 tbs cold water
Filling: (don't make this until you've got the crust ready to roll out!)
1/3 c flour
3/4 c sugar
zest of 1 lemon
5 c washed and dried berries
Mix the flour, sugar, salt together. Cut the butter into the flour mixture (I used a food processor) until it's crumbly. Add water slowly until the dough comes together. Divide the mixture in half, make each half into a disc maybe 6" in diameter, and wrap with cling/saran wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hrs.
Roll out the dough until it's larger than the pie plate (I used a 10-12" pyrex pie plate) because the bottom layer will need to follow the tapered sides of the plate when you put it in, so it's nice to have extra. I find it easier to do the rolling with the dough on a Silpat or cling wrap, so then you can just flip the dough layer into the plate and it comes right off. Put the plate into the fridge or freezer as you roll out the top layer of dough.
Pour in the filling mixture into the bottom layer, and then put the top layer of dough on, and use your fingers to fold the two layers of dough together to seal the edges and prevent leaking. Make the circumference whatever design you like! (We did pinching on the left, and pressing down with a fork on the right)
Cut some slits in the top of the pie for venting the berry juices, and then paint the whole thing with an egg yolk mixture (1 egg yolk + 1 tbs water) so it'll brown nicely.
Bake at 425 F for 15 mins, then turn the oven down to 350 F and bake another 30 - 40 mins.
Here's the important part! Take the pie out and let it cool at least a couple of hours so the inside mixture can thicken before cutting into it. It is hard to resist eating it immediately though with the aromas wafting around the kitchen, but this is really important!
This would have been even better with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, but it's pretty darn good already!
So I made the best pie dough recipe I learned from a super awesome baker Cathy a couple of years ago, and waited for my friend Nance to bring over frozen boysenberries from her yard, and we baked a super awesome pie!
Dough: (enough to make a top and a bottom crust)
305 g flour
15 g sugar
5 g salt
225 g butter (1 cup)
4 - 6 tbs cold water
Filling: (don't make this until you've got the crust ready to roll out!)
1/3 c flour
3/4 c sugar
zest of 1 lemon
5 c washed and dried berries
Mix the flour, sugar, salt together. Cut the butter into the flour mixture (I used a food processor) until it's crumbly. Add water slowly until the dough comes together. Divide the mixture in half, make each half into a disc maybe 6" in diameter, and wrap with cling/saran wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hrs.
Roll out the dough until it's larger than the pie plate (I used a 10-12" pyrex pie plate) because the bottom layer will need to follow the tapered sides of the plate when you put it in, so it's nice to have extra. I find it easier to do the rolling with the dough on a Silpat or cling wrap, so then you can just flip the dough layer into the plate and it comes right off. Put the plate into the fridge or freezer as you roll out the top layer of dough.
Pour in the filling mixture into the bottom layer, and then put the top layer of dough on, and use your fingers to fold the two layers of dough together to seal the edges and prevent leaking. Make the circumference whatever design you like! (We did pinching on the left, and pressing down with a fork on the right)
Cut some slits in the top of the pie for venting the berry juices, and then paint the whole thing with an egg yolk mixture (1 egg yolk + 1 tbs water) so it'll brown nicely.
Bake at 425 F for 15 mins, then turn the oven down to 350 F and bake another 30 - 40 mins.
Here's the important part! Take the pie out and let it cool at least a couple of hours so the inside mixture can thicken before cutting into it. It is hard to resist eating it immediately though with the aromas wafting around the kitchen, but this is really important!
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