Cold Soup and Cheese 9.1

Tonight Mike served a cold soup for dinner with a creamy pasteurized cheese called Anton’s Red Love, cheese was set out to acclimate to room temperature which gave it a nice gooey consistency then smothered over toasted seeded bread.  Almost a paste, its rich and creamy textures gave way to a soft taste of mushroom.  This was a sheer delight for the senses and I would suggest that everyone try this if they have the opportunity.

Mike made the soup last night and chilled 24 hours before serving.

Ingredients:

He used a few cloves of garlic, a bundle of broccoli,  a full bunch of green onions, cumin, sea salt, olive oil, and a  splash of tomato sauce, or rather a sauce made of strained tomatoes (just right for our tastes we found one called Zia Rosa).

Zia Rosa, a tomato base

How to cook:

This was cooked together in a large stove pot over medium heat, set aside to cool then blended with a hand emulsifier.

The soup was delicious, a great meal for a hot day (and was it!!)  Filling but not to the point where I thought I was going to pop, and it wasn’t the kind of filling that made you feel sick in the heat either…it was just right.

Etsy and the GOOD FOOD Awards

From the Etsy Blog

I was looking around today as I was thinking about creative things that I could do and I saw this blog post on the Etsy.

You can enter your own creations and attend the awards in San Francisco this January.  I though this was an interesting post, and wanted to share the opportunity I found with you.  Good luck!

Nutella and Banana Bread

Mike noticed that there was a gargantuan tub of Nutella for sale at our local cheese shop and was able to get this for half price (thankfully!).  It is about 5KG or 11lbs.   Now under any other pretenses, if he bought this I would be worried, but since I replied with “well, I guess I could make the birthday cake icing out of it” it seemed rational to purchase this tub.

I think the best part of this is the version of Nutella this is.  It is the nutella that is made in Italy by a company called Ferro, which of course, seems to be quite a bit better than the stuff made in Canada, sorry, but it is.

So the birthday cake I need to make is in September, but there was a slight need to crack this baby open.  It was just sitting there on the table looking at us…saying eat me, this lead to some banana bread baking.  (If you haven’t noticed I am the baker, and Mike is the dinner maker.)

Egg-less Banana Bread

½ cup brown sugar

½ cup white sugar

½ cup canola oil

2 or three ripe bananas

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ – 1 cup applesauce or 1-2 apples chopped up

(We are total nerds that made our own chunky applesauce and I used about ¾ of a cup for this loaf)

¼ cup milk

½ teaspoon apple cider vinager (optional)

½ teasoon vanilla

1½-2 teaspoons cinnamon

1½-2 teaspoons nutmeg

Walnuts (or nut of choice)

½ teaspoon of salt (sometimes I forget this, its not the worst with out it so if you forget don’t worry!)

Preheat oven to 350

Oil an 8×4 bread dish with a drop or two of canola oil (can use non-stick spay if you would like as well.)

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl, mash bananas and mix wet ingredients in a second bowl, then combine and pour into bread dish.

Bake for 1 to 1½ hours or until bread is cooked in center (I use chop sticks to check if the bread is done).

After this is done, I typically wrap in foil and throw it in the fridge.  Before I eat it I slice off pieces and toast at medium in the toaster oven then smother with nutella, then enjoy!

Does anyone have a suggestion for a nutella cake recipe?  Please pass this along!  I am looking for something to serve after an Oktoberfest gathering and to sing happy birthday with.  I look forward to your suggestions.

A Little Medeteranian at the BBQ

Over the weekend we did something a little different for us.  Instead of throwing the BBQ we went to the BBQ.  The thing about it was that we did not expect this to be such a meal.  We were under the impression that we would swim a little then eat the Mediterranean goodies we brought and head home.  This was not the case…

Mike and I each made a little something for this visit.  I made spanakopita and baklava while Mike made the hummus and the Baba Ganoush.  Our hosts served us cheese burgers, potato salad, tomato and mozzarella salad, chips, pretzels and dip.  As I said, we were totally surprised by this.

I have to be honest, other than seeing Mike cook the eggplant in the oven at 350 for about an hour and hearing the food processor go, I do not know how he made the Baba Ganoush.  Its also kind of the same thing for the humus, I know he used a can of organic chic peas, poured in some tahini sauce, used a little lemon and I heard the food processor go.

As for my dishes here is what I did:

Spanakopita

I tried a little alteration to my normal recipe as I added some ricotta to the ingredients list.  This is optional, I found different recipes that suggested it and thought I would give it a try.  It did turn out very elegant, but a little soggy when served.  Although it was perfect when I had the leftovers for lunch and I toasted it in the oven for a third time.

2 bags of fresh spinach

3 cloves of garlic

BUTTER

½  package of prepared Phyllo dough

1 egg

1 small onion finely chopped

½ lb feta cheese

Fresh dill

Salt

Pepper

Parsley

Ricotta cheese (I bought the smallest container and added half.  It’s up to you though.)

Preheat oven to 350

Let pasty leaves warm to room temp (don’t make my mistake and get impatient, it makes life harder in the end…)

Saute chopped onions and minced garlic in butter, add spinach and cook down.  It will look like a mess of green with little clear flecks in it by the end.

In a medium bowl beat the egg with a fork and add crumbled or chopped feta and ricotta cheese.  Add seasoning to your tastes.  My recipe said 1 tsp salt, 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill and ¼ c. chopped parsley, but I usually do a dash of this and a dash of that.  I also didn’t use the salt since there is a lot of butter and cheese in the recipe.

Brush a 13x9x2” baking dish with melted butter and start layering the phyllo dough.  I butter every 2 sheets of dough with a silicone brush, but again it is up to you and the amount of work you want to do.  I have met people that do every layer and people that do every 3 or 4!!  I figured I was safe with every 2.  I use 8 phyllo leaves on the bottom, add filling then add another 8 leaves on the top, and I pour the remaining melted butter over the top.

Everything I read tells me to cut the sections before baking, but I might be a masochist, because I never do.  I always wait and make life hard.  After you decide to cut it or not put this is the oven and bake for 30-45 min (or until the top crust is golden.  Serve warm.  Yeild: 8-10 Servings

Baklava

My measurements will not be exact for the nuts as I kind of added a little of this and a little of that, but I added until I thought I had enough filler to make 2-3 layers.

Walnuts

Almonds

Pistachios (shelled of course)

1/3 cup white sugar

Cinnamon

1lb Phullo Leaves

Butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350

Let pasty leaves warm to room temp (AGAIN, don’t make my mistake and get impatient, it makes life harder in the end…)

I used about ¾ of a pound of freshly shelled Pistachios, with a handful of walnuts and a sprinkling of whole unsalted almonds in a blender mixed with the sugar and a couple shakes of the cinnamon and I added nut meg (habit when I use cinnamon).  Use the chop function until it is ground but there should still be some nut looking pieces in there.  Basically don’t make it look like dust.

Brush a 13x9x2” baking dish with melted butter and start layering the phyllo dough.  I butter every 2 sheets of dough with a silicone brush and I use about 6 leaves per layer, adding filling, 6 more leaves, add filling and a final six on top.  Pour the remaining melted butter over the top.  Using a sharp knife cut, and bake at 350 for 45 minutes to 1 hour.  Cool.

Serve with hot syrup made with

2 cups water

2 cups white sugar

½ cup of honey

Lemon juice (I use ½ of a lemon)

1 stick cinnamon

Combine all the above ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to a rolling boil.  Make sure to stir so the sugar doesn’t burn to the pot.  It stinks to clean.  Pour syrup while hot over cooked baklava.

Dinner at Vetri 7.24.10

Mike and I have been given the recommendation to try a small place called Vetri in Philadelphia.  The cute restaurant is located on 13th and Spruce and is a wonderful, somewhat hidden little jewel of a restaurant.

Fridays and Saturdays are a tasting menu only, but this was NO disappointment to us.  We were delighted to take part in the menu, and Mike was also happy to take advantage of the wine pairing.

The Food:

The food was divine, and it surprised me that I was so full.  It seemed crazy that three and a half hours went by as it felt so much faster.  Each course had a simple dish that was flavor filled, and portioned just right.  At first I was a little disappointed at the size, as I was SOOOO hungry, but in the end I was so stuffed that I was happy it was not more.  I knew that it was the correct proportions (maybe even a tough large, considering you had 2 pasta courses) but the tastes were fantastic.

This is the menu that we were given.

I was so excited when I received the dish with the baby goat, as our friend told us “YOU HAVE TO ASK FOR THIS OR YOUR MISSING OUT!!”  I was kind to share with Mike (haha).  After all, this was a dinner celebrating him!

The Decor:

I have to say that I was very impressed with the way that Vetri had branded the place.  It was a very Italian felling establishment (yes, I have actually been to Italy, so I feel confident in saying that it was rather authentic).  Everything from the colors of the walls, the wood and the furniture to the way that bathrooms were decorated seemed to be right on point/brand.  It seems as though every detail was thought out prior to opening and has only settled in with time.

The Experience:

The wait staff was pleasant.  Not the typical Philly wait staff, which was a nice change.  They were kind and stopped by at the right times (not when you just put the fork in your mouth…) they were never condescending and always answered with a smile.

The only things that I would say were not to my taste are where they had sat us.  We were next to (and I mean my shoulder was touching the side of) the wait station/coffee bar that had a mini fridge.  This led us to being the sweatiest couple in the whole place.  I am sure (after looking around) that the other seats throughout the place were feeling quite cool, not even the wait staff looked to be as flustered and hot as we were.  Granted the weather outside was stifling, so I guess we were better off then being out there when it was 90+ degrees after 8:30pm.

My other disappointment was that the chef had come out to say a few words to the tables a couple of times but only stopped by 2 or 3 each time and returned to the same tables on his second round.  I have seen chefs in many different establishments we have gone to, but it disappointed me to see that he had no plans to come to our table.

I was impressed with how Vetri had marketed it’s self within it’s own space.  Everything felt just as I was in a Tuscan setting.  Charming, lighting was not overdone,

The End:

I enjoy the little goody bag that everyone gets to leave with, and inside of this bag there was a package of muffins for the next morning, a copy of the hand written menu, some business cards for Vetri’s other establishments  and any leftovers (as if there could be any!!)  In all this was a great experience, one of my top 15, and maybe even one of my top 10 meals.  I wish that the day was a bit less overwhelming as far as the heat goes, but I guess that is just what this summer wants to be remembered for.

Grilling for the Host and Hostess 7.17.10

Tonight Mike made a wonderful dinner for our host and hostess.

Dinner was 3 different meat kebabs, corn on the cob, caprese salad, cucumber yogurt salad, and bread.  Mike picked up some veal, chicken and lamb and marinated them for a few hours prior to adding red onion and red pepper on the skewers.  While this was going on he made the 2 salads.  Slicing and sharing a small snack of cheese with us, he placed the tomatoes and the cheese on a plate with fresh basil and lightly drizzled balsamic vinegar and olive oil on them.  Mike minced garlic and added this and black pepper to the full fat yogurt and let the flavors meld together after a quick stir.  He skinned the cucumbers and thinly sliced them prior to adding this to the yogurt mix.

Mike then went out to the little hibachi grill outside.  He fist placed the chicken skewers across the grill, almost getting them all on there.  He let them cook then moved onto the end of the chicken skewers and the corn.  Tonight, he did not take the silks out prior to soaking the corn.  He just cooked it all together, and let the silks burn off.  Next, Mike put on the veal and finally the end was the lamb.  I thought it was more difficult as the night wore on (so dark there!!) but he cooked everything to perfection.

I, as always enjoyed the salads.  He could make just that and I would be happy to indulge in that alone.  But I also had a chicken skewer and a veal, but tasted part of Mike’s lamb.  They were all tasty, but the fat on the lamb added something to it.  Mike and I were both surprised that the veal was not the favorite for us.  It was good, but not the way we like veal.

Mike almost had a heart attack when our hostess added ketchup to the chicken.  I think he almost lost faith in man kind at that moment, but eventually he got over it and ate his own kebab, had a beer and was merry.

Blue Sky 7.16.10

We ordered the starters Tuna Tartar, the Mozzarella in Caprese and the Bruschetta Plate.  I was not able to indulge in the tuna tartar, but since the plate was pretty much cleaned off I am taking it that the dish was good.  Or the men were just very hungry, then again…it could be a combination of the two.  The Mozzerella Caprese was good, but if you mess up slice tomatoes and cheese there has to be something wrong with you.  The bruschetta plate was very tasty.  There were three kinds, a bean, a mushroom and a tomato and cheese.  The bean was by far my favorite, as there was this creamy sauce on it that had just the right zing in the flavor.  The tomato and cheese was much like the salad, hard to mess up and the mushroom, while yummy, I felt that this had the least amount of love in it.  The mushrooms felt as though they were on the dry side.

Photo from Blue Sky's website

For my main course I ordered the Fettucini Funghi, which was compiled of egg noodles made on premises, missed with wild mushrooms and a truffle mushroom sauce.  This was much like the mushroom bruchetta, good, but you didn’t feel the love in the dish.  The noodles tasted as though they may have sat under a heat lamp for a bit to long, or they were just too al dente for my tastes.  Mike had the Black Linguine Lobster Fra Diavolo, which was made up of black squid thin pasta, lobster, spicy tomato and devil sauce.  Mikes comments were much the same as mine, heat lamp or too al dente, but good because we were hungry.

All in all, it was a good experience.  Fun people watching (we saw Kevin Smith) as well as the want to be Hampton’s crowd jump off the jitney.  Never had I seen such inappropriate clothing choices (or have I in NJ?).  The service was very good, we had the sweetest waitress with extreme patience (crazy lady at the table behind us drove us crazy, but our waitress just smiled and carried on with what she had to do).

Rumor has it that Blue Sky can be hit or miss.  Our final decision was we would go back there, it was good and we ate all of it, but we would want to try some of the other places in town first.  PS: try to get the out side seating, it was very nice!