A Tropical Dish for a Summer-y Evening

I went to Whole Foods with a list of ingredients needed for the menu using lamb from the current list. I came home with swordfish and mango salsa. Let me explain. The current menu is chock full of meals for fall! I planned to fill our bellies with warming meals including heavy, stew-like dishes, and hearty meats because it's getting colder outside, but it was 80 degrees today! Originally, I was going to make lamb anyway, because everything to do with that menu sounds delicious, and it's a weekend, which means I can take my time with a meal that will take a few hours to prepare...but lamb shoulders are crazy-expensive right now at Whole Foods, so I scanned the weekly specials for a back-up plan. Swordfish is on sale for $9.99 a pound, for a savings of 50%!? Okay...let's start with that! When I think of swordfish, I think of mango salsa - I don't know why exactly, but I always associate the two, so after getting my fish packaged, I headed to the produce department. Alas, the mangoes were the opposite of ripe, so I then made a beeline for the salsa and chips aisle, where I picked up a jar of shelf-stable mango salsa. I know, I normally don't buy packaged items like this, but...this was an emergency! :)

I also grabbed a bottle of Caribbean mango marinade from the seafood department, and some berries and Mascarpone for a dessert I was contemplating. The rest of the ingredients...well, I had those already. Once I arrived home, I placed the swordfish steaks into a dish and coated each one with marinade, turning it a few times. I covered the dish with plastic wrap and threw it in the refrigerator to marinate for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, I pulled out some baby greens with herbs salad mix, some baby arugula and a giant red pepper that I bought at the farmer's market last week. Voila! Side dish - accomplished.

I used another bottled product here, because I love these salad dressings! Cindy's Kitchen makes a line of refrigerated, all-natural dressings with some wonderful varieties, and while I usually only have one bottle at a time in the fridge, they come in very handy for quick salads! My husband found this new variety last time he came with me to the grocery store, and we both love it! The Fresh Avocado Vinaigrette has great flavor, coats the greens in a salad very nicely, and is a really cool green color too! It's delicious, and I highly recommend it...or any of the other flavors offered by Cindy's Kitchen!

When my broiler was preheated, I took the swordfish out of the fridge and placed it on a broiler pan. Into the oven it went, for about 4 minutes. When the timer went off, I took the pan out of the oven, flipped the swordfish steaks, and basted them with a bit more marinade before returning them to the oven for another 4 minutes. At that point, the steaks weren't completely cooked, so I put them in for another minute...and...perfecto! If you cut into the fish, you'll see that it's flaky, and can remain a bit pink in the very center. You don't want to overcook it! I served the fish with mango salsa on the side, although the marinade was very flavorful and it didn't need much in the way of extra sauce!

After we'd both enjoyed our meal, I went back into the kitchen to whip up a quick dessert. I had bought some fresh berries, and some Mascarpone. I added lemon zest and some confectioners' sugar to it, and stirred it all together...that part's done! I poured the berries into a pot with some more confectioners' sugar, lemon juice, and a splash of limoncello (because dessert is always better with a little liquor!) After allowing that to cook down and macerate for about 10 minutes, I removed it from the heat and allowed it to cool for a bit before using some of our water glasses to assemble a very pretty sort of trifle. I layered the Mascarpone mixture with the berry mixture, and it made for a delicious, albeit very quick, dessert. I think the berries are at the end of their season though - they were a bit tart. It may be 80 degrees outside, but the effects of Fall can be tasted in most ingredients that are not native to this time of year. It must be time to move on to apples, and other fall-ripened fruits!

Breaking News: What a Deal!

I would be remiss if I didn't let you know about this amazing deal taking place on LivingSocial today!

 Pay $10 for a $20 voucher to Whole Foods. How can you pass this up?! Use it to make a special dinner you would have skipped over otherwise. And when you do, share it with us here!

Truffle-Scented

La Tourangelle is a wonderful company that makes a line of sophisticated, gourmet oils. I have numerous bottles in my pantry, including walnut and hazelnut oil, both wonderful for making seasonal salad dressings. However, my favorite in their collection has to be the Black Truffle Oil. Even better, our friends at FoodSherpa are going to be offering a special deal on this wonderful oil on September 14th! Keep your eye on their site for the sale!

I decided to get creative again this evening, and yet again, not a cookbook cracked. The second recipe in my would-be cookbook? Hmm...it's all coming together, isn't it? I decided that I liked the idea of concocting some sweet potato gnocchi, and incorporating the truffle oil into the recipe. To make truffle-scented sweet potato gnocchi, I slowly added the oil at different steps of the process to build on the flavor without becoming overbearing. While cooking the potatoes, I added a bit to the water. When I mixed the dough for the gnocchi, I added a bit more oil. I've made gnocchi before, so I won't go into detail, but I had to use more flour than I normally do because the consistency of a sweet potato is a bit less starchy. The dough became a bit goopy until I worked extra flour in, but it all came together. Like any dough, you just keep adding flour if its sticky, and water if its dry until you get the right consistency. If you don't want to make your own gnocchi, I happened to see sweet potato gnocchi for sale in the refrigerated section at Whole Foods the other day!

Once the gnocchi was made, I boiled some water to cook it. While I was waiting for the "watched pot," I  added a stick of butter to a large saute pan, and a few sprigs of sage. I was going to make a sage butter to saute my gnocchi in once they were boiled. After the butter was melted, and had simmered for a few minutes, the aroma became very sage-y. At this point, I added some sliced sausage to the pan and allowed it to fry a bit in the butter. I had pre-cooked the sausages separately, pulled them off the heat before they were fully cooked, and allowed them to rest and cook the rest of the way. That way, they were still really nice and moist when I sliced them and added them back to the heat. I pulled the sage sprigs out at this point.

Once the gnocchi was all boiled, I added it to the sage butter and sausage and allowed all the flavors to meld and heat together. I poured just a dash more truffle oil in the pan and threw a large handful of arugula on top, as well as some chopped sage. After tossing things together, the arugula quickly began to wilt and I seasoned the meal with salt and pepper. Right before serving, toss the dish with a good heaping spoonful of Parmigiano-Reggiano. Plate and add a touch more Parmigiano (because you can never have too much!)

To recap, all you'll need is some salt and pepper, sage sprigs, a stick of butter, a handful of arugula, Parmigiano-Reggiano, a couple of nice quality sausage links, sweet potato gnocchi (truffle-scented, if you make it from scratch) and of course, TRUFFLE OIL! The oil really took this dish from delicious to decadent. Each ingredient added it's own bit of flavor to the dish and everything melded together really nicely. The sage added an earthiness, the arugula added some peppery bite, the sausage added some heartiness and the oil, well...the oil added decadence. I can't stress this enough...Definitely...try this at home!

My New (Old) Potato Ricer

While we were in Vermont this weekend, we decided to visit the Farmer's Diner for breakfast. This is a great establishment that uses locally sourced ingredients to make delicious meals for its patrons. I love going here when we're in the area, but on top of the delicious food and fresh, local ingredients, they also allowed us to bring Oia (the puppy) on to the patio while we ate!

from Flickr - by kaszeta

In the same complex as the diner, there is a huge antique fair that is always full of interesting finds. I love to wander the stalls and see what kinds of fun kitchen oddities I can find! Today was no exception, but they were having an outdoor flea market as well! As I browsed the tables for anything that struck my fancy, I happened upon an old potato ricer. This gadget will usually run you $20 and up, and that is the main reason why I didn't own one. Gnocchi is best made using a potato ricer because of the fineness that can be achieved in the consistency of the cooked potato. Until now, I've just used a fork or a masher to make my gnocchi "dough."

I couldn't resist the deal I found at the flea market, though. This is an old model of a potato ricer. It's a little clunky, but with the bright red metal handle, and the sturdiness of the gadget, I was really excited to see a price tag of $7. As I approached the gentleman behind the table, I said "Is this an old-school potato ricer? It's fantastic!" His response: "It sure is, $5!" Wow, I didn't even have to argue over the price, he just lowered it for me! I was going to give him $7, but hey...I'm not a girl to pass up a deal, so I pulled out a $5 bill and handed it over...and came home with my brand new (pretty old) potato ricer! It's so cute, isn't it!? While I was at Whole Foods earlier, I also grabbed some potatoes, so be on the lookout later this week for some fresh gnocchi! YUM!

Steamer Clams and an Artichoke!

We're going to do things a little differently today. I don't have a "mise en place" picture to start off this post, because the recipe didn't really call for any prep work - amazing right? It was more measuring and combining, stirring and dipping...so that's exactly what I did. The recipe, "World's Best Fried Clams," comes from the Stonewall Kitchen Harvest cookbook. The menu mentions pairing these clams with a frisee and spring ramps salad, which I was really excited to try, but alas, I couldn't find either frisee lettuce OR ramps (I think I just missed the season for those) at the store. So instead, we had some more of those beautiful Globe Artichokes from Whole Foods ... STILL on sale!!

I don't know if I can commit to the title of this recipe, because I've had some pretty good fried clams in my day, but these were REALLY good, and I'll place them up there at the top, at the very least. While the recipe called for shucked steamer clams, I actually just bought a bag of shelled ones, and shucked them myself. I think it was probably much cheaper that way, and it's not difficult to get them out of their shells. You just need to come to terms with the fact that you are killing them as you do it. I know, I know...but I love raw oysters, and you do the same thing when you shuck those, so I've become a bit more heartless about the whole thing. Don't judge me! :)

So, I shucked the steamer clams and placed them in a bath of whole milk. They stayed there until I was ready to fry them, just soakin' it in! In another bowl, I beat an egg, and mixed it with a 1/2 cup of buttermilk, 3/4 cup of cornmeal, 1/4 cup of all purpose flour, some salt, some pepper, and a few splashes of hot sauce, such as Tabasco.

I poured an entire bottle of canola oil into a cast iron pan and set it to heat. I used little drops of leftover batter to test the oil. When the drop of batter bubbled and floated to the surface quickly, it was time to fry those clams! That's always a good way to test your oil, with a small amount of whatever you are frying...then you'll know if the heat is correct for that specific ingredient. Once the oil was ready for frying, I transferred the clams from the milk bath to the buttermilk batter and let them swim around for a minute...coating them thoroughly.

Frying the clams in batches, let them cook for about 2 minutes, and then spoon them out to a paper towel. I only did about 8 or 9 of them at a time, so it took a few batches to get them all cooked, but you get a more even fry if they aren't over-crowded and touching each other.

I threw together the ingredients for a tartar sauce: mayonnaise, capers, parsley, lemon juice, chopped cornichons, scallions, salt, pepper and a dash of hot sauce. That made a great dipping sauce for the clams. I also poured a little bowl of that Lemon-Tarragon Vinaigrette from the other day to use as a dipping sauce for the artichokes.

This meal was very refreshing, and worked perfectly for a hot evening such as this. It was light, yet filling, and totally easy to pull together. 

The time for artichokes is here!

The other day, I walked into my local Whole Foods with the intent of buying some paninis for a late Saturday lunch. Along my way, I came across a mountain stacked high with artichokes. Beautiful, tight-leaved and rotund, I couldn't look away! And the best part was, they were on sale - 2/$4.99. I couldn't leave without grabbing a few, and tonight, I made them to go with our dinner!

from Flickr - by wundoroo

Artichokes are so simple to make! You need to have a pot with a steamer basket for the technique I used, along with a slice of lemon, a bay leaf, a clove of garlic and some water...and of course, your artichokes!

Prepare your artichokes by cutting the stem close to the body of the artichoke and removing any small leaves at the very bottom. Also slice about an inch off the top, giving it a little bit of a flat-top "haircut."

from Flickr - by flaurella

Boil the water with the bay leaf, lemon slice and garlic clove thrown in. Try throwing different spices and herbs in the water to create different aromatics for steaming. Once boiling, place your steamer basket on top and add your prepared artichokes. Steam for 30-45 minutes, or until the outer leaves pull away easily.

To Eat: As you peel the leaves away, bite the meat off the ends of the leaves after dipping them in your favorite salad dressing or sauce. Tonight, I tried them with a yummy miso dressing, but growing up, we always ate them with Newman's Own dressing...and that's how artichokes were done! :)

Once you get down far enough with the leaves, you can easily pull the top away from the bottom, scrape the fuzzy yellow hairs away and what you'll have is a full artichoke heart! They are so meaty and flavorful...and DELICIOUS!

from Flickr - by The Daily Rant

Run to the store and get some today! Now's the time! :)

An Entertaining Staple

Whenever I'm having people over, the first thing I do is go to the grocery store. I want to make sure I have things on hand for my guests! I've usually planned out a meal ahead of time anyway, but what about that in-between time, while dinner is cooking, and we're catching up in the living room? That's why the first things I grab when I go to the store are 3 kinds of cheese, and crackers. I get creative with the cheeses I choose, but the cracker...that's where I don't waver.



34 Degrees Crispbreads are the perfect cracker for entertaining. They come in a ton of flavors that go with all sorts of cheeses and even taste delicious all on their own. Each variety of crispbread is packed with flavor, but has minimal ingredients, making them all-natural! There are six types: Cracked Pepper, Rosemary, Lemon Zest, Natural, Sesame and Whole Grain. The first three in this list are my favorites! The Lemon Zest crispbreads are especially good with a nice, fresh goat cheese, and the Cracked Pepper ones add a lovely bite to a mild Brie.

from Flickr - by brunchclub

You can find 34 Degrees Crispbreads at Whole Foods, but you can also find them online at amazon.com. Wow your guests next time you have a dinner party with a cheese platter and some deliciously different crackers...or should I say, crispbreads!

I'm not getting anything to write this blatant plug for a product. However, when I love a product, I want to share it with people! A good product deserves to succeed, and this is one of them!

A Reader's Request:

One of my avid readers (and a very dear friend) has asked that I touch on the subject of vegetarian menus, and keeping it interesting. My very simple answer is: creativity. Now anyone with a vegetarian in their household knows how hard it is to cook for everyone, and keep everyone happy! Without the usual proteins to mix it up at dinnertime, it's difficult to always find new and exciting things to put on the table, but not if you use your imagination!

There are so many people that are vegetarian now, it seems that a lot of places are finding more and more ways to make delicious dishes, using only what comes from the ground! It used to be that if you wanted a vegetarian meal, you got some bland tofu on a plate with some snap peas and broccoli and called it a meal. I don't think so, that's not the way I eat anyway...and I've been known to choose the vegetarian option over a protein one sometimes.



Nowadays, there are plenty of main ingredients that you can choose from, to build your menu around. Some examples that I gathered while I was in Whole Foods on this fine snow day here in Massachusetts are as follows:

• Quinoa
• Cous cous
• Portobello mushrooms
• Tofu
• Pasta
• Rice
• Beans

By the way, that's seven ingredients. There are seven days in a week, and you now have a menu for an entire week with no repeats!


Now, the question you ask may be: "What can I DO with these things though?"

My answer to you all is SO MUCH. How about stuffed Portobello mushroom caps? You could use cous cous or quinoa as the base and load it up with delicious herbs, diced peppers and onions, and maybe even a little parmesan cheese. That was just off the top of my head! Veggie fajitas are another good one, because the tortilla gives grilled vegetables a bit more substance, making it into a meal. There's plenty you can do with tofu if you master the art of cooking it. Believe me when I say, tofu will pick up ANY flavor you put on it...it won't taste like tofu if you cook it in some Sriacha and soy sauce, or try a teriyaki and honey marinade...see how that works out!

For more exotic inspiration, look to the Indian cuisine. They do so much with lentils, potatoes, okra, and chickpeas, and so much of their flavor comes from herbs and spices. It's very inspiring to see a dish with such bland main ingredients turn into something so vibrant and flavorful.



As a last little tidbit, I came across a cookbook at Whole Foods, which I noticed (upon looking through it) contains a TON of vegetarian recipes. Now, I don't claim to know if they are good (although I would bet money that the majority of them are delicious) but I thought it was worth mentioning as I happened upon it today, and it seemed apropos of the topic at hand. It is called The Whole Foods Market Cookbook, and I just added one to my Amazon cart as well! Next time I place an order, it will be on it's way to me! :)

In the future, I will try and include vegetarian equivalents of recipes that I discuss. We have to keep it interesting for everyone!

And to my Lauren - I hope this helped. Keep us all posted on your vegetarian endeavors, and I'll keep the ideas comin' for you! Thanks for the post idea! xoxo