My Bad!

So...um...Moroccan night didn't go so well. I could blame it on the beef I used, or I could blame it on the very vague recipe instructions, or I could blame it on the chef...but it wasn't good. I mean, the taste was good, but the beef was so tough that it was pretty much un-chewable. I sheepishly trekked back to the kitchen to heat up some leftovers because dinner was not workin' out so well this evening.

Sometimes this happens. Don't feel bad about it, but learn from it. In this case, I think the issue was some gristly, tough meat, mixed with the wrong type of cooking method, and the possibility of a terrible recipe. I know when I try it again, I will learn from my mistakes and make a much better dish. Unfortunately, this time around it just wasn't what it should be.

It's too bad because Moroccan cuisine is a very interesting one that I'd like to learn more about. I love the idea of dried fruits adding sweetness to an otherwise spicy sauce, with rustic meats slow-cooked to perfection of a low flame. Sounds delicious, right? Well, it looked good anyway...

A Mexican Fiesta ... in the Dark

Well, Irene really came through this weekend! I would have written yesterday, and also worked on the website, but we didn't have internet for most of the day! So, while we did take an imaginary journey across the border to Mexico, there was no internet to relay it to you, my faithful readers. But the internet is back, the power is back, and ... I'm back! My thoughts go out to all who are still recovering from the storm, and fingers crossed that everyone gets their power back as soon as possible!

While the power was out yesterday afternoon, I made some guacamole to start off our fiesta. You don't need any heat to make this, and it was a nice snack to munch on while we did a crossword puzzle in the most well-lit room of our home. Guacamole is totally easy to make and I have a few secrets that you won't find in many recipes. Most recipes call for avocados, tomatoes, onions, garlic, lime juice, some salt, and optionally, some cilantro and jalapenos. A few weeks ago, we had friends over for some grillin', and I didn't have an onion for guacamole, so I used a shallot. Oh my goodness, what a wonderful addition of flavor. Shallots are a sweeter, more mild form of onion, and I loved the way it changed the flavor of the dish. That's my new secret, I will always use shallots instead of regular white onions in my guacamole from now on! I have a flavored salt that has red chili pepper flakes mixed into it, so I used that to season the guacamole because I love the spice that it adds, without having to chop up a jalapeno. Once all of the ingredients are in a bowl, just mash 'em together with a fork...just mash it all up until it's a consistency that you like. I tend to like mine a bit more on the chunky side. If you want it totally smooth, put it into a food processor for a minute!

I waited a bit to cook the main course since I wanted to have light to cook. We do have a gas stove, and I could have cooked in the dark, but...I figured I'd give it a little time and hope that the lights came on...and they did! I got down to work cleaning my shrimp. I bought them with the heads on because they were $5 cheaper per pound than the cleaned shrimp, and I really don't mind the little bit of extra work. I was making a shrimp dish with a creamy almond sauce, accompanied by some jasmine rice. I squeezed some lime juice into the water I added to the rice cooker to give it a little zing, and set the rice to cook. Meanwhile, I had some onions, and garlic sweating in a pan. Once they were softened, I added tomatoes that I had peeled, seeded and chopped, as well as some minced jalapeno to the pan. After it had cooked for about 10 minutes, I pureed the mixture in a food processor, and returned it to the skillet. I added some ground almonds, and then stirred in some creme fraiche. My cooked shrimp was then stirred into the mix and I heated everything through together.

from Flickr - by kyle tsui

This was a very good representation of traditional Mexican food. It wasn't the greasy, Americanized version of Mexican food, but a really hearty, filling and flavorful meal that didn't leave me feeling heavy and gross. I served it with the lime-infused rice, and topped it all off with a bunch of yummy, crunchy scallions. I think I would have benefited from making a nice salad of some sort. Something with corn kernels would have complimented nicely. While the menu mentions a Cafe con Leche for dessert, it was a bit late for coffee by the time dinner made it to the table, so I opted to skip it this time around.

Japan for an Evening

Well, we've finally arrived back in Asia for our Japanese dinner. Morimoto, one of my favorite celebrity chefs, has this amazing cookbook full of wonderful dishes that are a bit intimidating. However, I decided to try one for this special occasion! The recipe I chose for tonight's meal is called Nikujaga, his take on a meat and potatoes stew that is actually typical of Japanese home cooking. Of course, he takes an elegant turn on the dish, and it's interesting that the ingredients are decidedly un-japanese, but the meal as a whole is traditional to Japanese cuisine.

I gathered some shaved beef, mirin, soy sauce, potatoes, carrots, onions, sugar, green beans, yam noodles, lemon zest, and some beef stock (not pictured below).

I had a bunch of pots going on the stove for this one. I had half the mirin, soy sauce and sugar in one pot with a quart of beef stock, and the other half of all those ingredients in another pot with the other quart of beef stock. They both had to come to a boil, and the sugar needed to dissolve. Once that was done, the veggies (except for the green beans) went into one, and the other I brought to a rolling boil, because I was going to use it to flash-cook my shaved beef.

I used some chopsticks to dip each piece of shaved beef into the stock until it had just turned color, and then I transferred it to a plate. There was quite a bit of shaved beef in the package I purchased, so this took a little time, but I kept the cooked meat warm with some foil. Meanwhile, I boiled some salted water in yet another pot to blanch my green beans. It only took about 30 seconds of heat before I drained the beans and doused them in some cold water. Then I got back to dunking my beef into the broth.

Once the veggies had been simmering for about 1/2 an hour, I added the noodles to the mixture and allowed them to cook for about 5 minutes. To plate, each bowl got some noodles, veggies and broth. The shaved beef was draped on top and then a nice, handful of green beans got piled on top of that. Finish it off with some of the reduced beef stock, and some lemon zest, and serve! This was a hearty, delicious meal, and I will definitely keep it in my back pocket for a cold winter's night because it was warmed me from the inside out. Yum!

Getting Creative

Our friend came over for dinner tonight, but she's a semi-vegetarian so my original plan for a traditional Japanese beef dish went out the window. I had some chicken breasts in the fridge, along with some Asian greens, so I opened up my Essential Asian Cookbook. I tend to use this cookbook as a base for what I make, but don't go by them step-by-step very often. I opened the book to a recipe for Chicken with Almonds, so I used this as an example to work from. I was like a mad scientist in the kitchen tonight!

from Flickr - by sweetbeetandgreenbean

The original recipe called for celery, but I substituted some bok choy. While not even in the same family, I see similarities because of the crispness of the raw version, and the soft, mild flavor once cooked. I used Chinese Broccoli instead of green beans, for bright color and crunch. The chicken marinated in some soy sauce and cornstarch for a few minutes before I began to cook.

Cornstarch is a brilliant little ingredient. Asian cooking uses it a lot, and I love the way it quickly thickens sauces. As a rule, always mix your cornstarch with another liquid before pouring it into the wok, but once it comes to a boil, the sauce will thicken before your eyes. It becomes velvety and just coats the items in the pan so well. Today, my sauce consisted of some rice wine, sesame oil, water and chicken broth. There was some ginger sauteed into the veggies and chicken, but really, the only seasoning came at the very end when I used some salt and pepper. 

Served with some hearty brown rice, this made for a wonderful, healthy and quick weeknight meal. For a stray from the current menu, and a spur of the moment invention, I say "not too shabby."

When I say quick...I mean quick!

Well, I think I set a record for the quickest dinner of all time tonight. Within a half hour of walking in the door, dinner was on the table and we were eating. I had some things in the fridge that I needed to use before they went bad, so I strayed from the "Journey Around the World" menu, in lieu of something quick, easy, and economical.

I had some leftover Greek salad from last night's dinner, and even though I had it with my leftovers at lunchtime, there was still enough for both of us for dinner. I used that, with the EVOO and lemon juice dressing as a bed for ... chicken! Pounded out chicken, seasoned with salt and pepper and sauteed in just a touch of butter!

With little prep time, minimal cooking time, and the easiest plating possible, this meal is a fantastic go-to if you have no time to dilly-dally in the kitchen. I pounded the chicken out between two pieces of plastic wrap, seasoned them with the salt and pepper, and into the pan they went. Five or six minutes later, I turned them, and 3 minutes later - tah-dah!! DINNER!!!

Tomorrow night, we have reservations for another Restaurant Week dinner, but on Wednesday night, we'll be traveling back to Asia for a Japanese dinner, courtesy of one of my favorite chefs, Morimoto! See you then!

The Feast

In Greek culture, they celebrate the Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary on August 15th. Since that was just a few days ago, I thought it was appropriate to make their celebratory dish for this occasion. Lamb yiouvetsi is a traditionally special meal that is served for the family lunch during this holiday. I decided to serve it with a Greek salad and some yummy baklava for dessert!

The lamb yiouvetsi came together really quickly, aside from the cooking time. I cut a lamb shoulder up into serving-size portions and put it in a roasting pan with a can of tomatoes, some minced garlic cloves, EVOO, dried oregano, salt and pepper and some hot water. After an hour and 10 minutes in the oven, I took the lamb out of the pot, added some orzo and stirred it all up, added the lamb back to the pan and cooked it for another 40 minutes. If I did this again, I'd probably cut the lamb into larger pieces so that it didn't cook as quickly...it was a little dry, but still, a delicious meal!

The Greek salad was totally simple to put together - just some romaine, cucumbers, tomatoes, scallions, crumbled feta and black olives. The dressing is just EVOO and lemon, with a bit of salt and pepper. If you put it in a closeable container, you can shake it vigorously so that the mixture emulsifies. It's totally refreshing, and seriously easy! I opted for some heirloom tomatoes to give the salad a bit of local flair, as well!

As for that baklava, oh my goodness! After I made all the layers of fillo dough, brushed with melted butter, and layered with a pistacio-almond-sugar mixture, I covered it with a coffee and sugar syrup flavored with cardamon, clove and cinnamon. The ooey-gooey texture of the baklava is so delicious, and this was really an easy dessert...and you know how I am with the baking... :)

Where will our journey take us next? Stay tuned...

Restaurant Week : Week 1 Highlights

Well, it's been a whirlwind of a week, and when you're constantly on the go, it's nice to know you can pop into a restaurant and get a hearty 3-course meal for a deal! We picked the right week to be busy, I guess! :) I did two dinners, and two lunches, so far, and I wanted to give you the highlights.

On Monday, I visited North 26, in Faneuil Hall with two of my dear friends. They offered some nice seasonal options on the special menu, and I especially liked the atmosphere there. The natural wood and the many windows made for a bright, and cheery lunch. For my entree, I chose the Seared Scallops, served with grilled zucchini, foraged mushrooms and a truffle butter sauce. This dish definitely did not disappoint! While there were only two scallops on the plate, they were big, and cooked perfectly. They were filling, and with the thick slices of grilled zucchini, as well as the deliciously succulent mushrooms, I was totally satisfied. Let's not forget about the truffle butter - mmmmm!

The item that stood out to me at The Oceanaire, located near Government Center, was actually not on the Restaurant Week menu at all, but on the bar menu. While waiting for our table, we all had a cocktail at the bar, and the Parmesan Truffle fries caught our eye! When our server suggested we order a few sides to go with our meals, we jumped at the chance to add those to our order! They were so worth it! Fragrantly truffled, and deliciously salty with Parmesan flakes, these were some seriously awesome fries!!

Last night, we met our friend for dinner at one of our favorite local establishments, Masa! We come to this wonderful Southwestern restaurant on a regular basis, and we always make sure to take advantage of their restaurant week menu, which they run through the entire month, rather than the two weeks that other restarants use as their parameter. Now, as simple as this may sound, their Caesar salad is my favorite in the city. It's a Tender Romaine Salad with Crispy Red Corn Tortillas, Roasted Green Chile Caesar Dressing and Cotija Cheese. The dressing has the perfect amount of heat to give a nice bite at the end of each mouthful, and it's really refreshing at the same time. So, as boring as you may think it is, I had to have it as my appetizer.

I would be remiss if I didn't also mention my entree at Masa because, well, it was SO good. I opted for the Swiss Chard and Ricotta "Enchiladas" with Tomato Sauce, Arugula and Cotija Cheese. Yes, again with the Cotija cheese...I know. For a vegetarian entree, this was a very hearty dish. It was reminiscent of an Italian cannelloni dish, what with the ricotta and the tomato sauce, but the arugula added such a nice spice to the plate. Each bite just popped with all the flavors. I hope they keep that one on their menu for awhile, because it might have just become my favorite.

Today, for lunch, I visited Market by Jean Georges, in the Theater District, and was tempted by the regular menu, before deciding to go with the three-course deal instead. They offer so many tasty treats, and it was difficult to decide. However, my entree was delicious, and very healthy-tasting as well...something I definitely needed after all these meals! I decided to have the Slowly Cooked Atlantic Salmon, served with a Warm Potato Salad and Sugar Snap Peas for my entree, and I was so happy I did. The salmon was tender and cooked just the way I like it...on the rarer side. The warm potato salad was so comforting without being heavy, and drizzled with a delicious olive oil-based sauce as well. The sugar snap peas on top were crispy and fresh, and the meal just came together so eloquently!

All in all, not a bad showing for the Boston restaurants that I was lucky enough to visit this week....who's up for Round 2!?

Busy Week

Phew! It has been a really busy few days, and I'm sorry I haven't been able to write! I didn't want to leave you all hanging! It's going to be a long night full of after-work plans and obligations, but I promise we'll get back on track with the menu by the end of the week. I have a lamb shoulder in the fridge that is just begging to be cooked!

from Flickr - by FotoosVanRobin

The news today, though, is that it's Restaurant Week here in Boston. This is one of my favorite two-week time frames of the year, because all of the best restaurants in Boston offer set 3-course meals for $30.11 at dinner, and $20.11 for lunch. I've already hit up North 26 for lunch, and am having dinner at The Oceanaire Seafood Room tonight! Instead of bombarding you with a ton of restaurant reviews, I decided to keep a running tally of my favorite dishes over the next two weeks, and provide you with a montage-type post at the end. I'll showcase my favorite dishes, and the places that impressed me the most.

from Flickr - by loumanna

In the meantime, keep checking back for more meals from the current menu, scattered with updates on the amazing dishes I find around the city of Boston! Also, and this is just a teaser at this point, I'm working on a website! It's a lot of work, and I don't want to reveal the URL just yet, but I promise you it will be something to look forward to! If anyone has any tips for building a website, or wants to recommend something they'd like to see me add to it, comment here! I'd love the feedback!!

Mambo Italiano!

We're jumping off the Asian continent for awhile, and heading over to Europe...to my favorite country, Italy! The best part of Italian cuisine is its rusticness. Don't get me wrong, there's definitely fine Italian cuisine that is very delicate and refined, but I just love the big bowl of pasta, the hearty sauces, and the braised and roasted meats...meals that make for a real meal!

The dish I chose for my representation of Italy's cuisine is appropriately from Jamie's Italy. In Italian, Spiedini di Salsiccia e Manzo, means Sausage and Beef Kebabs. They are roasted in the oven, and I opted to serve them over a rich polenta, which is a cornmeal-based porridge-y side dish.

First things first, the meats needed to be marinaded. I cubed my beef, cut up my thick slices of pancetta and cut the Italian sausages into thirds by twisting them and then snipping in between each section. The marinade consisted of sage leaves, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, pepper and olive oil. Once all of those ingredients are mashed up in a mortar and pestle, pour it over the meats and some more sage leaves. That can marinade for 1-3 hours if you have time, but if not, just go ahead with the next step. I made sure to let it marinate for about 3 hours, though.

If you can find rosemary skewers, they are certainly a special treat, but if you can't, you can also use metal or wooden skewers available in most grocery stores. I happened to find rosemary skewers so I was psyched to use them for the added flavor. After you strip the skewers of all the rosemary except for a few fronds at the top (and save it for another recipe), use a knife to kind of whittle away the bark of the skewer, and form a point on the end of each as well.

While my oven was preheating to the highest temperature, I started building my kabobs: pancetta, sage leaf, sausage, beef, and continue that way until your skewer is full. When you've completed either all your skewers, or finished off the marinated meat (whichever comes first), it's time for them to go in the oven. Right before that, turn the oven down to 400 degrees so that as the oven cools, it continues to roast the kabobs.

After 20 minutes, your kabobs should be juicy, fragrant and best of all, ready to eat! You can squeeze some lemon juice on top before serving. I made a quick polenta, loaded with parmesan and a little bit of butter, as a bed for the kabobs. Each bite, with a bit of meat, a bit of sage and a bit of polenta was hearty and decadent. Rustic Italian cuisine at it's best!

India At-A-Glance

The next stop on our journey takes us to India, where curries, tikkas, koftas and saagwallas reign supreme. India's cuisine is fragrant and heavily-spiced, usually served with rice, and naan, a flat bread that is great for sopping up all the delicious sauces. In the North of India, dishes are very meat-based, while in the South of India, dishes are predominantly vegetarian, and spicy-hot!

from Flickr - by jasmine8559

I chose to make a very traditional tandoori chicken, served with jasmine rice and garlic naan. Now, there needs to be a bit of a disclaimer here, because I don't have a tandoor oven, and I also didn't use the red food coloring that the recipe called for, which would have turned the chicken the bright red that it's known for being. Honestly, until this recipe, I didn't know that the red was caused by food coloring, I just thought that it was the combination of spices that caused the brightness of the color...but I was wrong. Food coloring doesn't have any flavor, so I decided to leave it out of the recipe...artificial colors aren't really necessary to my diet.

The process for this dish is pretty intensive, but I didn't take pictures along the way. Sorry guys! I brushed 6 chicken thighs with lemon juice, and marinated them for 30 minutes. Once the 30 minutes had passed, the chicken thighs got covered with a yogurt mixture, including ginger, garlic, onion, lemon juice, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, paprika, salt and chilli powder. I could have marinated it for 4 hours before cooking, but overnight tends to work better for me, so that's what I did. The next day, I cooked the chicken on a wire rack over a baking sheet for 20 minutes, in a 350 degree oven. If the thighs are bone-in, I would double the time that they cook. Those cooked while I made some jasmine rice. There's this great naan that you can get in the frozen section of the grocery store, by Tandoor Chef. All you have to do is throw it in a 400 degree oven for 2 minutes and it's ready to go...and it's delicious! I think I probably should have removed the yogurt sauce from the chicken before cooking, but the dish was tasty. I'm not sure I'd make it again...but it was enjoyable for what it was. It definitely didn't compare to Tandoori chicken that I've had in the past...so I continue the search for a better recipe! I'll keep trying 'til I find it!

China In A Day

Well, our journey continues tonight, and we've arrived in China. I decided to make a dish called Beef with Mandarin, and then pair it with some Chinese vegetables and hearty brown rice. It made for a simple weeknight meal that was totally satisfying. I would have expected a bit more citrus flavor from using the mandarin peels that the recipe called for, but it was a bit mild for my taste. I think I might actually add a bit of orange juice if I make this again, just to bring out the flavor some more. Chinese cooking varies across it's vast landscape. In the South, Cantonese cooking involves steaming and stir-frying natural ingredients and incorporates lots of soy sauce, ginger and scallions. Peking cuisine, from the North, has a harsher climate, which results in hot pots, lots of dumplings, and of course, the famous Peking duck. Meanwhile, Szechwan food is bright with chillies and spices. And, in Shanghai, meats and fishes are braised slowly to create very rich dishes.

So, I gathered my ingredients and prepared my mise en place for tonight's dinner. I grabbed some rib eye steak, soy sauce, dry sherry, fresh ginger, sesame oil, peanut oil, white pepper, dried mandarin peel, caster sugar, corn starch and beef stock.  I prepped the marinade for the beef first, since it needed to sit and "stew" for 15 minutes before I could continue the process.

The mandarin peel is a weird little ingredient, let me just tell you. A very nice lady at the local Asian market helped me find it on the shelf on Monday, and I brought them home. I was having trouble interpreting to the shopkeeper and she spoke both Chinese and English. She came to my rescue! I took them out of the bag and well, they were really hard. The recipe calls for them to be finely chopped? I can't get my knife through it...nor could i get it to chop up in a mini food processor. Wait a minute...I missed something on the front of the bag. "Must boil for 10 minutes before using." Ah...that makes a bit of sense. I took care of that next so that I could have all my ingredients together. Check out the difference between the really hard mandarin peel, and the reconstitued one that was much easier to chop!

My mise en place is now complete!

I heated some peanut oil in a wok and then added the beef with its marinade. Once all the beef was almost cooked through, with a nice bit of color on it, I added the white pepper, chopped mandarin peel, some soy sauce and caster sugar. In another bowl, I combined the cornstarch with a bit of the beef stock, and once it was incorporated, I added the rest of the broth to the bowl. This acted as the thickening agent for the sauce. After the beef and other ingredients had stir-fried briefly, I added the broth mixture to the wok and stirred until the sauce boiled and thickened. You'll know it when this happens so don't take it off the heat too soon, or you'll have a watery mess.

I served this dish over some brown rice, and I was glad that I opted to make the Chinese greens as well. I would have been craving a veggie if I hadn't. As it was, this was a very balanced and hearty meal for a weeknight. It came together rather quickly, and it was quite simple to prepare! I find that when I do make Chinese food at home, it usually comes together quickly, and can be a great quick fix if you keep all the spices and sauces on hand. My pantry is never without soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil or peanut oil...they are staples of Asian cooking...and I do a lot of that! So, next time you crave Chinese take-out, think twice...and give it a whirl for yourself. You'll get a healthier, heartier meal, and I promise you'll be full for longer!

Welcome to Thailand!

Let me first say that Thailand is number one on my list of places to visit. With that being said, let's take an imaginative journey to this intriguing country, and have some dinner! From The Essential Asian Cookbook, I took two Thai recipes and paired them together for this mini-feast. The book's chapter on Thai food briefly introduces the cuisine, and I couldn't word it better myself: "Every Thai meal is a delicate balancing act of bold flavours. The soups and curries are both tart and creamy sweet, flavoured with sour tamarind, scarlet-hot chillies, tangy lime leaves and handfuls of aromatic basil, coriander [cilantro] and mint. While the cooking of Thailand has borrowed from other countries - stir-fries and steamed dishes from China, spices from India - these influences have been shaped into a cuisine whose tastes and fragrances are uniquely Thai." That's putting it perfectly, I'd say!

A month or so ago, reader Laurie had asked me to do a post on making Pad Thai, so I decided to incorporate it into tonight's post. I paired this Pad Thai, a traditional fried noodle dish, with some Steamed Fish in Bamboo Leaves (the recipe called for banana leaves - but I couldn't find those!) I put together my bamboo leaf baskets for the steamed fish and assembled that part of the meal, setting it aside until the Pad Thai was done, since the fish only took 7 minutes to steam. I gathered some chopped prawns, thinly sliced pork, chopped garlic cloves, rice stick noodles, chopped garlic chives, fish sauce, lime juice, brown sugar, beaten eggs, bean sprouts and some chopped peanuts. I left off the coriander [cilantro] because Matt has an aversion to it. I can only trick him into eating it if it's really cooked right into the dish...but a garnish isn't going to fly!

Brown sugar, Fish Sauce, Pork and Shrimp not pictured

The rice stick noodles are totally easy to prepare - just soak them in warm water for 10 minutes. It doesn't even need to be boiling! Does it get any easier than that? Once you've prepped everything, this dish comes together very quickly. Heat some oil in a wok and once it's hot, add the minced garlic, chopped chillies and the thinly sliced pork. Stirring constantly, allow this to cook for 3 minutes and then add the prawns, cooking for another 3 minutes. At this point, throw in the chopped garlic chives and the drained rice stick noodles. Allow the mixture to simmer, covered for about a minute. Using some tongs, toss the mixture with the 2 beaten eggs, fish sauce, lime juice, and brown sugar until everything is coated evenly and the egg has had a minute or two to thicken up. At this point you can throw in the bean sprouts and the chopped peanuts. See how quickly that came together!!

I was going to put pictures of each step, but everything went so quickly, and the images weren't the greatest quality so hopefully this works well as a finished product! It's very simple to throw all these things together, toss 'em in the wok and serve it. It's a great, quick, weeknight meal. 

Now, the steamed fish was also really simple! It's just coconut cream, red curry paste, and thinly sliced cod (I used cod, but you could use another sturdy white fish if you so chose). There's some sliced cabbage thrown on top, and then some fish sauce, lime sauce and sweet chili sauce as toppings right before serving. Steamed in bamboo (or banana) leaves, it is a sweet, but savory dish with a hint of heat from the curry paste. The dishes paired really nicely together too, so for that I say, GO ME! :)

It was a nice little jaunt to the balmy climate of Bangkok, but it's time to hop back on the plane and continue our trip around the world. But don't worry Thailand, I'll be back! 

ราตรีสวัสดิ์ (ra-tee-sa-was) which means Good Night! in Thai

Slightly All-American

The new menu is here! It's begun! Our trip around the world has commenced...and naturally, we are starting our journey in the United States. Where else would we start? ;) I'll be honest, I chose this menu partially because it's entitled "Slightly All-American," in A Platter of Figs, by David Tanis. I love these menus because they are always so well-tailored and they make sense in the timing department. Each component comes together naturally well, making it easy to do lots of things at once!

Aside from the name of this menu, the ingredients, and the final product, reminds me of a Fourth of July BBQ, and what could be more all-American than Independence Day! The introduction in the book talks of a woman named Josephine, a self-taught cook with a knack for making simple, delicious food. Her response when complimented is always, "It's nothing fancy. I'm just a salt and pepper cook." And really, that's the only seasoning that I used while cooking today. The flavors are simple, yet bold, and it made for a delicious and hearty meal!

Sliced Tomatoes with Sea Salt: I bought some heirloom tomatoes at Whole Foods today. I made sure to get different species so that the colors would pop on the platter. One purple, one green, and one yellow...it's just the prettiest combo to see sliced and on display. I sprinkled some basil ribbons, chopped parsley and chives on top, and just before serving, a dash of Tuscan Sea Salt...a gift from my dear friend Heidi. It was simple, refreshing, and really just epitomized the late summer season for me.

Grilled Chicken Breasts: I made four chicken breasts so that we'd have some leftovers for tomorrow. I cleaned them of their fat and chewy tendons, and placed them between two sheets of plastic wrap to pound them down a little bit. Remember what I told you? An even piece of chicken will cook a lot better than an uneven one. I drizzled the chicken with olive oil and then sprinkled it with ... you guessed it ... salt and pepper! I also chopped up some rosemary and sprinkled that on both sides as well. I allowed them to sit at room temperature for a bit while I prepared the other components of the meal, but once it was time to grill, I placed them in a grill pan for 6 minutes on one side, and about 3 minutes more on the other. They were perfectly cooked and juicy as all get out!

Corn, Squash, and Beans with Jalapeno Butter: While the chicken was resting before grilling, I prepared this vegetable dish. There was a bit more prep involved in this one since I had to cut the kernels off ears of corn, dice some zucchini, summer squash, green beans and onions, make some garlic paste and also create the jalapeno butter, but it was totally worth it. After cooking the onions for a few minutes, and then cooking them a few more minutes with the rest of the veggies, I transferred the mixture to a bowl and tossed it with the jalapeno butter (consisting of butter, minced jalapeno, lime zest and juice, salt and pepper).

Blueberry-Blackberry Crumble: Finally, while we enjoyed this delicious all-American meal, my oven was quietly cooking a delicious dessert for us to enjoy later on in the evening. This crumble was totally simple to assemble, consisting only of blackberries, blueberries, brown sugar, granulated sugar, flour, butter and cinnamon. The syrupy berry goodness that was hidden only by some browned crumbly topping was deliciously sweet and tart at the same time. My only wish is that I had bought vanilla ice cream at the store today!

To me, the ingredients that I used tonight are very American ingredients. Heirloom tomatoes, mixed berries, and fresh ears of corn are all things that I can buy at local farmer's markets, items that are always readily available to us. Nothing on this list of ingredients was difficult to find, nor was anything foreign to our everyday cooking practices. American cooking, in general, is a hodge podge of mixed cuisines, due to the fact that America itself is a melting pot of different ethnicities. I love that we can find so many different types of food on our continent, and that even something as all-American as grilled chicken with some vegetable sides incorporate ingredients such as jalapenos, an ingredient more widely used in other cuisines. But now it's time to see what's going on in other corners of the world! What do they have that we don't? What spices should be more readily accesible in our stores? What techniques can we learn from other cultures?

Here we go! :)

Dante!

I had a lovely time with some of my favorite ladies last night! We went out to dinner at a local establishment in the Cambridge area, called Dante. Chef Dante de Magistris's sister restaurant, Il Casale, is in Belmont, and I've been to that one...so I had to try Dante as well. I like them both very much.

We started our evening with a round of cocktails. I had checked out the menu ahead of time, as I always do, and knew exactly which one I wanted. It was called Zecca, and it had lemongrass, apple, vodka and mint. It was a lovely, smooth drink and it wasn't at all too sweet, as you'd think it might be with the apple. The bite of the vodka and the savoriness of the lemongrass flavor really balanced everything out perfectly. (apologies for the pictures - I didn't want to use my flash and disturb the diners around us, so we'll work with what we've got here)

Zecca

We started off with a few sfizi, an Italian version of tapas, or small plates for sharing. At only $5 each, we were able to order a bunch of them without feeling as though we were driving up the bill! We opted for four of them. The Cotechino is a rich sausage, cooked under ash, served with charred fennel. What was so interesting about this dish is that you could smell the ash as soon as the plate was placed on the table, but you didn't get the ashy taste when you took a bite. It was a very interesting use of the senses, to be smelling one thing, and tasting quite another.  The Arancini is a porcini risotto, scamorza, and truffle honey ball that is then fried to perfection. Upon seeing them, I thought they looked a bit over-fried, but I was wrong...they were perfect! The risotto was wonderful and creamy and the middle just oozed with the scamorza, a cheese similar to mozzarella. The Burrata is a buttery "mozzerella" from Apulia, Sicilian oregano and pistacios. If you've never had burrata, you should...because comparing it to mozzarella does it NO justice...it's an incredibly creamy, buttery, deliciousness that just cannot be compared to. :) Lastly, we got the Mascarpone, which is a whipped, roasted hot pepper and mascarpone dip, with baby carrots, fennel and crostini. I think this one was my favorite. It was so delicious, and the baby carrots and radishes were crunchy and amazing. But the fennel...the fennel went so well with the flavors of the dip...I had a hard time when that plate was empty!

Cotechino

Arancini

Burrata

Mascarpone

We ordered two salads, to share between the three of us. The Rughetta is made up of baby arugula, endive, pear mostarda, Pecorino Romano, olio nuovo, and lemon. It was extremely simple, but very flavorful and my favorite of the two salads. The other one is not on the menu online, and I can't remember the exact name of it, but it was heirloom tomatoes, with mozzarella and zucchini blossoms, drizzled with balsamic vinegar. It was extremely tasty, especially since now is the perfect season for those heirloom tomatoes. I just have a soft spot for anything with arugula.

Rughetta

Heirloom Tomatoes

For my entree, I had a small portion of the Gnocchi, made in-house, and tossed with gorgonzola dolce and roasted peaches. (This isn't the one that is on the online menu.) This is an incredible dish! I was so intrigued by the combination of gorgonzola, peaches, and the potato dumplings that I just had to try it and I am so glad that I did. It was the perfect size too! It was a very rich dish so I was happy not to have a ton of it in front of me. I was so satisfied when the plate was cleared.

Gnocchi

We opted for one dessert because we all just needed to finish the meal off with a bite of something sweet. It was very difficult to decide but we finally came to the conclusion that the Fritelle sounded the best. It is Venetian-style fried dough served with four sauces: caramel, chocolate, strawberry and vanilla-ginger. The Vanilla-Ginger sauce made this dish what it was ... I actually could have done without the other three. It was the most unique of the sauces, and went so well with the gooey richness of the hot dough. 

This was...Fritelle.

All in all, we thoroughly enjoyed our meal at Dante, and I will certainly go back! It wasn't overly expensive, it has a lovely atmosphere, and the servers are super-friendly and fun to interact with! It's casual in a fine-dining setting, and I loved every second of it!