Bugs Bunny goes crazy for my Carrot Soup

For the past couple of weeks I've been on this soup craze! I have this intense urge to make it and a huge craving to eat it. Soup might just win over pasta as the food of love because it's warm and nutritious. I only make soup for those that I love. I make sure to simmer my stock with lots of flavor such as leeks, carrots, celery, thyme, and tarragon. I also love using my braun hand blender to blend soup into a creamy thick concoction without having to add additional carbs or fat.

Carrot Soup

5 medium carrots
1 apple
1 onion
2 quarts chicken stock
3 sprigs tarragon
3 sprigs thyme

1. Sweat onions in olive oil.
2. Pour in chicken stock, tarragon, and thyme.
3. When boiling add carrots and apple.

4. Simmer until everything is soft.
5. Turn off heat and blend with a hand blender. Be careful because the liquid is very hot and can splash.
6. Add salt and pepper to taste.
I wish I had a picture of the finished soup but sometimes it's hard to style food when hunger is calling. I served this carrot soup with a dollop of Soignon Fromage de Chevre a Tartiner goat cheese.
After I took this photo I had no shame and licked the bowl clean.

Better Be Butternut

This cool chilly rainy weather calls for soup. I was at the market today and there was an abundance of squashes. I decided to go with butternut squash which is on the left in the photo.

Butternut Squash Soup
one butternut squash the size of a small dog (Sorry I forgot how many pounds it was! It's about10 inches long)
1/2 an onion
2 quarts chicken stock
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 apple

1) Cut butternut in half and take out the seeds. Roast cut side down in the oven at 350F degrees until it is soft. Scoop the butternut squash out of the skin.
2) Saute onion in olive oil.
3) Deglaze with chicken stock and bring to a boil.
4) Throw in thyme, apples, and butternut squash. Simmer until everything is soft and cooked through.
5) Use a hand blender to blend it all into a creamy soup.
6) Add salt and pepper to taste.

This soup is great because it's creamy and filling without having to add any fat or carbohydrates.
You can add different flavorings to it. I had some leftover tomatoes from my salad at lunch so I tossed those in.

Steamed Fish with Soy Sauce, Scallions, and Ginger

Steamed fish with soy sauce, scallions, and ginger is a very typical Cantonese dish. My mom makes this at home and I think it's served in many chinese homes. But don't let this homestyle dish fool you! It also graces the table of all fancy banquet style dinners. You can use almost any kind of whole white meat fish. The fish monger at my local market recommended this fish for steaming. What kind of fish is it? I have no idea. It's always good to ask for recommendations if you are clueless.

Steamed Fish with Soy Sauce, Scallions, and Ginger

3lbs of whole fish
3 stalks of scallions
2 nubs of ginger
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar

1. Boil a pan of water.
2. Cut one stalk of scallions into 2 inch pieces and one nubs of ginger into slices. Throw this into boiling water.
3. Once the water is boiling turn down the flame so that it is not bubbling wildly.
4. Put fish in and boil on low for 6-8 minutes with the cover on.
5. Heat oil in a small pan on medium heat.
6. Slice 2 stalks of scallions into half inch pieces and the ginger into matchbook sticks. Saute in oil for 30 seconds.
7. Add soy sauce and sugar. Cook until heated through.
8. Take the fish out and put it on a plate. Drizzle sauce on top.
9. Serve fish with rice.

This recipe is flexible. I love eating the ginger and scallions with my rice so I always add more. It was so good the only part left was the bones.

23 Ingredients in Pinkberry

I like pinkberry. I'm not ashamed to admit it. Maybe I like it because it's trendy. Maybe I like it because I think it's healthy. Or maybe I just like the tart icy taste. You have to admit that it's a great idea, whomever idea it is. The cost of production is low. All you need is an ice cream spinner, some cut fruits, and a teeny bopper working the counter. It doesn't take too much space either and ingredients are not too expensive. Money making genius I tell ya!

Even though pinkberry is wildly popular and successful they have been going through some heat. First the law suit with a rival company saying they stole their idea. Can you really patent an idea like this? If I make a burger does that mean you can't make a burger? I wonder. Then the whole it's not really frozen yogurt thing because it doesn't contain cultures and is mixed on site. And now The NY Times just wrote an article about how pinkberry really isn't "all natural" as they initially advertised. You can look through the list of ingredients which is now on pinkberry's website. It takes 23 ingredients to make pinkberry's original frozen yogurt!

Read The NY Times article here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/23/dining/23yogurt.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=pinkberry+moskin&st=nyt&oref=slogin

Here's the link for Pinkberry's ingredient list on their site. Take a look before they take it down!
http://pinkberry.com/html/product_5.php

Boyfriend, You're the Man!

The other week my boyfriend made me the best dinner. I've been eying this recipe that I saw on tastespotting for weeks. Mind you, my boyfriend does not cook. The fact that he eyeballed the marinade scared me a little. "Will we have to go out for pizza?", I thought to myself. But the meal turned out so delicious I think it rivals any of the dinners I've cooked for him. He marinated the chicken in soy sauce, fish sauce, and tons of garlic and then cooked it in a cast iron pan and then finished it in the oven. The chicken was flavorful and moist. But the skin! The skin was the best part, browned and glazed from the marinade, slightly crunchy, slightly sticky, delicious! All the garlic, golden bits, and gravy that was at the bottom of the pan was used to make the sticky rice which he jazzed up a bit with not only scallion but cilantro too. Oh and he even made a vegetable, string beans, my favorite. I was very proud *tear*

Check out the recipe and pictures on Sunday Nite Dinner's blog:
http://sundaynitedinner.com/vietnamese-roasted-chicken-ga-ro-ti/

The recipe is pretty simple and very delicious. You have to try it!

The Pressure is on for Oxtail Stew

This week's warm weather is a reminder that summer is just around the corner. While there is still a chill in the air I wanted to make my favorite winter weather comfort food, oxtail stew.

Oxtail Stew

2 lbs oxtail cut into 3/4 inch slices
1 large onion
5 cloves garlic
2 lb potatoes
1 lb carrots
2 large tomatoes
3 ribs celery
1 cup of red wine
3 cups chicken or beef stock
1/2 tablespoon dried thyme
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon red chili flakes
1. In a pressure cooker, brown oxtail on high heat in olive oil. Remove when browned.
2. Add a little more oil and sweat onions and garlic.
3. When slightly softened. sprinkle in dried thyme, mustard seeds, bay leaves, and red chili flakes.
4. Deglaze with red wine.
5. Add browned oxtail and stock. Add some water so that you will have enough to cook the rest of the ingredients in later.
6. Cook in the pressure cooker for 30 min.
7. After 30 min depressurize your pot and then add in your potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, and celery. The celery is not shown here because I ended up adding that at the last minute. The broth was thick with umami flavor but it was missing something fresh and vibrant and the sure celery perked up it up. Boil with or without the lid until carrots and potatoes are soft.
8. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve piping hot with a bowl of rice or some crusty french bread for dipping.

I'm so glad I made this stew. The broth was rich and the oxtail was falling off the bone. There's nothing worse then chewy tough oxtail. There's just no excuse for it! This hearty stew is perfect for chilly nights. Better make it before it gets too hot! Well you can always turn up your AC.

You can also try this with a little cinnamon and raisins!

Uni Soba at Honmura An

Does anyone else miss Honmura An in NYC? They had some great homemade soba noodles. My favorite was the cold uni soba. Since Honmura An closed I had to make my own. I topped some buckwheat soba noodles with tsuyu broth, shaved bonito flakes, seaweed, scallions and creamy uni. It was just as good!

Tsuyu Broth for Soba noodles

4 cups water
1/2 cup of bonito flakes
1/2 cup soy sauce
4 tablespoons mirin
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

1) Boil water. Steep bonito flakes for 20 minutes.
2) Strain out bonito flakes. Measure out 2 1/2 cups of broth.
3) Add soy sauce, mirin, and rice wine vinegar. Chill

*this broth can be used as a sauce for tempura. Adjust flavors according to your taste.

Chocolate + Sashimi = Chocolashimi

Hi everyone! Sorry I haven't been posting. I just started a new job as a pastry cook in a French patisserie. My hours are early now so I've been coming home really exhausted. Here's a little eye candy for you guys! My good friend Mark bought this for me in hopes of inspiring me to make beautiful sweets. Each chocolate sushi piece has a different flavor. I love how the ikura salmon roe is really made out of apricot gummies. It's almost too pretty to eat!

Check out their website:
http://www.kookisushi.com/
They even have a menu that tells you what all the flavors are!

Hello

Do you ever notice food always tastes better when you eat it standing at the kitchen counter? Either straight from the pot or from the microwave. Have you ever eaten a whole rotisserie chicken with just your fingers and no napkins? Sometimes it's just the little things that make me smile.

Addendum to "Set It and Forget It"

Must Read

I just read an amazing post by Chef Shuna Fish Lydon. Her words ring so true that I am not going to try to reiterate it mine. You just have to go read it.

http://eggbeater.typepad.com/shuna/2008/04/chef-owners-who.html

My Name Is Stinky

Do you like it stinky? Ok not that kind of stinky. *My niece dressed up like the cutest skunk for halloween this year* I'm talking about stinky cheeses!

I love all cheeses. I especially love stinky cheeses. The stinkier the better.

I really like goat cheese. It's great on pizza, burgers, salads, and on a french baguette. For those who do not like the funkiness of goat cheese this one is for you. It's a good goat cheese to start slow with and work your way up to the stinkier ones. It's mild and creamy and very addicting! I used this to make mashed potatoes and to spread on toasted baguette slices for my butternut squash soup in my earlier two posts.

Dear Pasta,With Love

I think pasta is the food of love. There really isn't a set recipe, you make the sauce by feel. Sometimes you feel like more of this, sometimes you feel like more of that. You really can't go wrong. The more love you put the better it tastes!

My mom really loves marinated artichokes so she suggested a pasta sauce with that. I really love anchovies and olives so I thought I would do a veggie tomato sauce with all of the above.

I am really excited about this sauce. It came out so delicious! I had to call my boyfriend to tell him that I just made this incredible sauce. Really there is no recipe. You can add more of something or less of something as you like. I made a huge batch so I can freeze some and eat it later. Here is what I did:


Linguine with Artichokes, Olives, and Vegetables

1 onion diced
5 cloves garlic minced
2 zucchinis diced
2 eggplants diced
1/3 lb of marinated artichokes cut into chunks
1/4 lb of olives ( I used Gaeta olives, make sure to take the pits out and roughly chop)
handful of sun dried tomatoes (rinsed and chopped into pieces)
1 can of crushed tomato
10 filets of anchovies (mine had capers too, slighty chopped)

1. Sweat onion in olive oil.
2. Push onion aside and saute garlic in olive oil.
3. Throw in zucchini and eggplant and saute until tender. You can throw the lid on the pan.
4. Sprinkle in a little dried oregano and freshly ground black pepper.
5. Once the eggplant and zucchini are tender throw in the artichokes, olives, anchovies, and sun dried tomatoes. Stir.
6. Pour in crushed tomatoes and simmer for a couple of minutes.
7. Add a spoonful of sugar. Because the artichokes, olives, anchovies, and sun dried tomatoes are already salty make sure to taste the sauce after the flavors have melded together. Add salt if needed.
6. Toss with al dente pasta.

Chilean like a Sea Bass

This was my mom's special birthday dinner. I seasoned a nice piece of Chilean sea bass with salt and pepper and then layered on thinly sliced baby potatoes that I sliced very thin and dried on a paper towel. The potatoes were brushed with butter and seasoned with salt and pepper. I baked it in the oven until the fish was cooked through and the potatoes were nice and crispy. This was served on a bed of garlic sauteed spinach.

Caption: "Can we eat yet"

I also made lamb chops seasoned with herb de Provence which is a mix of rosemary, thyme, savory, marjoram, and lavender. The chops were pan seared and served on goat cheese mashed potatoes with roasted asparagus and brussels sprouts.

Happy Birthday Mom!

Jazzercising Your Food

I love to cook. It's a hobby and my job. But sometimes I just don't want to be slaving away in the kitchen. Sometimes I just want to park my *ss on the couch and watch tv and have someone serve me. Wait, since we are fantasizing here, make that a beach chair on an exotic island instead of my frumpy couch and I would like a margarita. I'm going to have a Rachel Ray moment here and teach you a secret about making this fancy looking soup in less then 5 minutes. I heated up some butternut squash soup that I bought from Wholefoods. I mixed some olive oil with chopped herbs and another with paprika to make these pretty looking drops in the soup. Top a slice of toasted baguette with a good goat cheese and voila! Homemade soup that you didn't have to make. Delicious! The trick to making store bought foods taste homemade is jazzing it up!

Don't Mess With Me!

My New Toys: Misono UX10 21 cm Gyutou & 24cm Sujihiki

Misono is one of the most well-established knife producers of Western-style Japanese knives. Its home is in Seki, Japan, a city with a 750-year history in knife crafting. Misono knives unite traditional craftsmanship with modern technology and are well designed for high-level professional use. Chefs around the world appreciate Misono knives for their quality, design, and sharpness.

The UX10 is the best of the Misono knives. The blade is top-quality Swedish stain-resistant steel, but has a hardness (HRC 59-60) comparable to carbon steel. Another feature is its unique slanted nickel/silver bolster that balances the weight of the blade and handle. The UX10 is extremely sharp and comfortable to use. its appearance and performance are spectacular.

Visit Korin for their selection and information on knives:
http://korin.com/

Hello Are You There?

I love international food. Authentic cultural international food. When I meet people I try to pick their brains about where they eat and what they eat at home. Sometimes when I see people in the supermarket with interesting items in their cart I will ask them what they make with it. Don't be surprised if I come rounding the corner of the frozen aisle eying your goods!

All of you international folks out there tell me what you like to eat! Give yourself a shout out!

I'm All Ears

I bought this beautiful multicolored orecchiette pasta when I was in Madrid, Spain. Orecchiette means "little ear" in Italian. I love the vibrant colors and had thoughts of making it into a lovely pasta salad.

The pasta salad never made it but I did make this delicious Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe and Spicy Italian Sausage.
Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe and Spicy Italian Sausage

2 bunches of broccoli rabe
5 links of spicy italian pork sausage
box of orecchiette pasta
1 shallot
3 cloves garlic
freshly grated parmigiano reggiano
chopped parsley

1.Boil broccoli rabe until it is almost cooked through. Strain and make sure there is no liquid left in the veggies.
2. In a pan, saute sausages until they are browned on the outside and cooked through on the inside.
3. Boil pasta until al dente.
4. In a pan with olive oil, saute garlic and shallots.
5. Throw in broccoli rabe, sausages and pasta. Toss with a wooden spoon or tongs.
6. When ready to serve sprinkle freshly ground black pepper, grated parmigiano reggiano, and chopped parsley and toss together.

Set It and Forget It

Ronco's Showtime Rotisserie Oven

I've had this machine for about 5 years and I LOVE IT! Two of my Uncle and Aunt's have it and so does my grandmother and trust me, my family knows food! I don't know how Ronco's other products are but this one truly does what it claims to do. That's surprising since it is an infomercial product. This baby cooks a 4 lb chicken in less than 45 min. The skin comes out so crispy and golden brown and the meat stays juicy and moist. The best part is the fat drips down after basting the meat and crisping up the skin. I like to season my chicken with garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper but really the possibilities are endless. Butter and oil is not needed. The machine is simple to use. It really is set it and forget it but just to be safe you should check on it once in a while. It's also easy to clean because most parts are non stick and can be thrown in the dishwasher. I line the bottom with foil so I can just lift that off with all the fat drippings and throw it away. It also makes awesome chicken wings which I am making right now. MMMMM I can smell the skin getting crispy as I type. It's also great for Italian sausages. I LOVE the heavy duty heat proof gloves that it comes with! Both are of high quality materials and construction.

Do you have a Ronco product?

Wafels & Dinges

Since I love all things cart food, especially cart food that specializes in one specific item. I was really excited about the Waffles & Dinges truck. I support my food cart vendors. They are the heroes of the hungry and broke. So I went on a quest to seek out this elusive truck. Okay so he was in front of Trader Joe's but I still had to call the hotline to find him! I felt like a stalker walking blocks and blocks hunting him down. Finally I spotted him and I was excited and exhausted from the long walk. There wasn't a line so I stepped up and ordered one of each item, a Brussels waffle and a liege waffle. The first thing I noticed was how frazzled and confused the man was. He seemed like he couldn't handle my order when there wasn't anyone else on the line. He handed me my liege waffle...ack! it was cinnamon. I'm not a fan of cinnamon in my waffles. He should have been smart enough to ask me what flavor I wanted. He was just handing out whatever he wanted. A lady behind me asked for a cinnamon waffle and he said he had a plain one on the heater. Well then put a cinnamon one on my man! It's that simple. I had to repeat my Brussels waffle order because he didn't seem like he was on it. When he finally gave it to me I gave him $10 bill and waited for my change. He put the money in his pocket and forgot my change. I waited a minute before asking him for it. I would say the experience was a little dissapointing. I expected a man who quits his deskjob to follow his passion for waffles to be enthusiastic and happy but he seemed kind of rude and unable to handle the duty of being a waffle truck ambassador. I also noticed that many people stopped to look at the truck. People were curious . But it is the job of the man inside to lure them in because people can be timid about things they don't know. Waffle man failed to do this. His frazzled nature and brash comments scared people away!

Okay so aside from the waffle man how were the waffles? The liege waffle was soso. It's imported and not made on premises so you could really just get it from the store. It's chewy and has little crunchy sugar pearls inside. The Brussels waffle was good. It was very thin and very crunchy but it does not warrant the $4. It's almost like eating a chip it's so thin. I would pay $1 at most for it.

In conclusion, maybe I was too excited and had my expectations set too high. I would give it another shot. Maybe waffle man was having a bad day.

Wafles & Dinges
http://www.wafelsanddinges.com/
(866) 429-7329

Christmas Sugar Cookies

I know I'm late with my Christmas post but better late then never. This year or shall I say last year I made sugar cookies of my whole family for them to decorate. My good friend from culinary school gave me the collection of family cookie cutters from Crate & Barrel as a graduation gift. Everyone decorated their own sugar cook selves with royal icing that I made in various colors.
Sugar Cookies
Recipe by Martha Stewart
Makes 2 dozen

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons brandy, or milk
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar; add dry ingredients, and mix until incorporated. With mixer running, add egg, brandy (or milk), and vanilla; mix until incorporated.
2. Transfer dough to a work surface. Shape into 2 discs, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with nonstick baking mats or parchment paper; set aside.
4. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Put back into refrigerator if it is too soft to cut.
   
5. Cut into desired shapes, and transfer to prepared baking sheets, leaving an inch in between. Leftover dough can be rolled and cut once more. Bake until lightly golden, about 10 minutes; do not allow to brown. Transfer to wire racks to cool.

Royal Icing
Recipe by Martha Stewart
Makes 2 1/3 cups

• 1 box confectioners' sugar (1 pound)
• 5 tablespoons meringue powder, or 2 large egg whites

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine sugar and meringue powder. Mixing on low speed, add a scant 1/2 cup water. For a thinner consistency, usually used for flooding, add more water. A thicker consistency is generally used for outlining and adding details. Mix until icing holds a ribbonlike trail on the surface of the mixture for 5 seconds when you raise the paddle.
2. Place into several different bowls. Mix food coloring into each bowl in desired color. Make sure to go a few drops at a time because you can always add more later.
3. Place into small zip lock bags with the just the tip snipped off for piping.
   

Nobu's Miso Cod

I love this dish. I have to give a shout out to the sassy Jaden's Steamy Kitchen for reminding me of it. I give the recipe out to all my guy friends because surely if they make this for a lady she will fall for him. It's simple but tastes impressive. I usually tell them to pair it with brown rice ( I like to add some bonito flakes and a dash of soy sauce to the water when its cooking) and some roasted asparagus. You have to try it for yourself! I tried it with chilean sea bass and it rocked my socks off! It's so much cheaper then ordering it at your favorite fancy Japanese restaurant.

Miso Cod

3/4 cup (150mL) Sake

3/4 cup (150mL) Mirin

2 cups (450g) Miso Paste ( I like the white miso paste from Yamajirushi brand)

1 1/4 cup (225g) Sugar

1) Boil sake and mirin together.

2) When it comes to a boil lower flame and whisk in miso paste and sugar. Cool.

3) Marinate fish for 1-2 days.

4) Heat oven to 400 degrees Farenheit.

5) Broil fish on low on middle rack until brown.

6) Bake for 10-15 min.

Yes I Would Like Some Wine With My Cheese

My gf and I took my other gf wine and cheese tasting for her birthday at Artisanal in New York. The class was really awesome aside from the snooty wine and cheese think-they-know-it-all-snooties who wouldn't stop asking questions that they subsequently answered themselves. Sitting in the class was like being back in 3rd grade when you would raise your hand in excitement and glee because your teacher asked a question you knew the answer to. I had a great time stuffing my face with and by the end of the night I was pretty drunk. As you can see in the pictures they are not cheap with the wines or the cheeses! The class was both fun and informative. I highly recommend it!(Starting at 6 o'clock going clockwise): 1 Durrus, Ireland, cow's milk; 2 Valencay, France, goat's milk; 3 Peirre Robert, France, cow's milk; 4 Montgomery's Cheddar, Great Britain, cow's milk; 5 Colston Bassett Stilton, Great Britain, cow's milk; 6 Roquefort, France, sheep's milk

(from Left to Right, number correlating with cheese pairing): 3 Pannier Brut NV, Champagne; 2 Sancerre Domaine la croix Saint Luarent 2005, Sauvignon Blanc; 1 Selbach Kabinett 2005, Riesling; 4 Newcastle Brown Ale; 5 Churchill's LBV 1999, Porto; 6 Chateau Lafon 2005, Sauternes
This little chocolate hazelnut mouse managed to sneak his way to my cheese!