tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22930862699504048482024-03-13T14:15:19.685-04:00You Pick TwoWith this blog, I hope to use my years of experience preparing meals of all sizes, along with my skills as a photographer, to share with you my take on a modern dinner party. My partner and I are inviting two friends of ours who must bring two of their friends ("You Pick Two") to a personal chef's table in our Washington, DC rowhouse. The blog will detail my preparations, table settings, ideas, and recipes - as well as the people and conversations - from these events.Kurthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06768740686189538471noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2293086269950404848.post-62336577777501987662018-10-03T13:29:00.000-04:002018-10-03T13:29:24.649-04:00#14: A Night at the Pub<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yReq-Vbsl1c/W7QRuQGYDVI/AAAAAAAABD4/6PsI00r3mG0E-h4WgJgDad_xXuJ8nwJ8gCLcBGAs/s1600/Table%2BSetting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yReq-Vbsl1c/W7QRuQGYDVI/AAAAAAAABD4/6PsI00r3mG0E-h4WgJgDad_xXuJ8nwJ8gCLcBGAs/s640/Table%2BSetting.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our pub table setting, including Kevin's grandmother's vintage china.</td></tr>
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I play on several Stonewall “sports” leagues here in DC and one of my favorite leagues is bocce. We play outdoors at Logan Circle on Thursdays in the spring and fall and it’s a treat to be able to be outdoors doing something here in DC. The bocce courses, if that’s what you want to call them, are studded with acorns, broken glass, manhole covers, and dog poop. But it’s an even playing field for all thankfully. The teams are comprised of 14 players and overall there are over a thousand teams (not really). Needless to say, sometimes our team needs to recruit or select random players to fill the large roster of 14, as people come and go each season. Our captain did so about three years ago and we met this group of guys who are from a different group in the gay scene, which was great. One of the guys from that group is Ben (we call him Boston Ben to differentiate him from another Ben, who we called Bocce Ben). He’s from the Boston area (hence the name) and I felt comfortable with him immediately as a result of our shared backgrounds, and more importantly, our shared interest in food and drink.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Yrl818BpO5U/W7QOo95MuHI/AAAAAAAABDI/3skPsIvIUAsXCtKvwFF05XVdKJTl_6bDgCLcBGAs/s1600/Pint.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1059" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Yrl818BpO5U/W7QOo95MuHI/AAAAAAAABDI/3skPsIvIUAsXCtKvwFF05XVdKJTl_6bDgCLcBGAs/s640/Pint.jpg" width="420" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A wee pint glass for wine - keeping in the pub theme.</td></tr>
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Ben travels the world for work and spends time at home, when he can, baking bread and other awesome pastries. He is also an avid fan of the Great British Baking Show. His boyfriend Brandon, whom we just recently met at our Holiday Brunch where he had a starring role in movie trivia, is a great guy as well. We met them for dinner earlier this year at A Rake’s Progress here in DC (which was really quite amazing I must say) and proposed the idea of a You Pick Two to them. Luckily, they were on board so we planned a date.<br />
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For the menu I was really not sure what to do this time, but after talking with Ben about the Great British Baking Show I thought maybe British pub food would be a good idea. I admittedly have never been to Britain (next year hopefully) but I am an unapologetic Anglophile when it comes to just about everything - culture, movies, TV, etc. I have talked ad nauseum about my admiration and love for Nigella Lawson, but that’s me dipping the toe in the pool frankly. Kevin and I spend many a night after dinner with a drink and pull up a British detective show to enjoy (favorites include Inspector Morse/Lewis, Prime Suspect, Vera, etc.). So, in the spirit of those shows, I called this dinner “A Night at the Pub”, trying to evoke the spirit of the now disappearing neighborhood pubs in Britain. One of these days I will make it there and have a pint and a bite at such a pub. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our glorious Beef Wellington.</td></tr>
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I follow Food52 on social media and a couple months ago they published a recipe for Beef Wellington that broke it down into lots of manageable steps (it’s a great site btw), and I decided to try it. For those that don’t know, <a href="https://food52.com/recipes/76714-beef-wellington" target="_blank">Beef Wellington</a> is essentially a filet of beef, wrapped in a “duxelle” mixture (finely chopped and sautéed mushrooms), and then the whole thing is encased in a pastry dough and baked. The goal is to get the pastry brown and cooked while making sure the filet is not overdone (ideally the meat would be medium or medium rare). I was super happy with the way it turned out. I let it rest for about 20 minutes to ensure the juices got back into the meat, however after doing this once, I would let it rest even longer since it takes a while for the encased beef to set up and the juices to redistribute in the meat. Regardless, I was thrilled and it tasted amazing. I had intended to make a mushroom gravy to go with but realized it didn’t need it really. But feel free to add one!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beef Wellington and sides.</td></tr>
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I have had <a href="https://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/scotch-egg-with-curry-mayo-2108561" target="_blank">Scotch eggs</a> a few times here in the U.S., but I don’t think they are super popular. After making them I can kind of understand why, it’s not easy. Again, it’s another encased kind of thing where you are trying to brown/fry the outside coating and not overcook the yolk inside. I luckily found a great recipe online that worked. Brown crispy coating, runny yolk - success. The curry aioli dipping sauce is a must if you make this.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scotch eggs frying in oil.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2012/07/mushy-peas-british-recipe.html" target="_blank">Mushy peas</a> are something I have made a few times before - however, these are not true mushy “peas” like you would find in Britain (I believe they use a special dried pea). Regardless, this version is quite delicious and maybe one of the easiest sides I have made for these dinners. Going down the schoolhouse cafeteria route, carrots had to accompany the peas. The one I made was a based on a <a href="https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alexandra-guarnaschelli/brown-sugared-carrots-recipe-2012570" target="_blank">recipe</a> I saw Alex Guarnaschelli make several years ago. You sauté sliced carrots in a good amount of butter and add seasonings, water and honey and let it cook down. Toss in some fresh chopped parsley at the end and you are good to go.<br />
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I think the biggest hit of the night though was dessert: <a href="https://www.nigella.com/recipes/easy-sticky-toffee-pudding" target="_blank">sticky toffee pudding</a>. I had never made it before, but it’s pretty simple to do. You make a sponge cake and then as it cools you poke a bunch of holes in it with a skewer and then pour over this buttery, sugary syrup so that it soaks in to the sponge. It needs nothing else to go with it. Everyone had seconds. Thanks again to Nigella for the recipe.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sticky toffee pudding in all its shimmery glory.</td></tr>
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Ben and Brandon brought Phil and Jeff – making this the first all gay male You Pick Two since the second one back in April 2014! It was fun, Jeff plays on Brandon’s Stonewall darts team and is from rural Idaho. He works in the policy arena and is well versed in politics and DC. Phil, who is from Australia and has a wonderful accent, also works in education policy. I think as a result of everyone’s backgrounds, we talked a lot about the politics, as is expected in this town frankly, but managed to keep it mostly friendly. One thing is for sure – we all agree the current President and his administration are horrible. Most of our conversation centered on how to prevent it from happening again. Get out and vote in November everyone!!!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2Woq05SQXI0/W7QPNyCMeoI/AAAAAAAABDg/MePbSTAbg6UhfrqdfhGKnzrAM9agZ96QACLcBGAs/s1600/Group.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1046" data-original-width="1600" height="417" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2Woq05SQXI0/W7QPNyCMeoI/AAAAAAAABDg/MePbSTAbg6UhfrqdfhGKnzrAM9agZ96QACLcBGAs/s640/Group.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The group (from left to right): Phil, Kevin, Ben, myself, Brandon - Jeff had to leave before we thought to take photo :(.</td></tr>
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It was a really fun night and we can’t wait to do it again.<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Courier; font-size: 24.0pt;">MENU<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Courier; font-size: 14.0pt;">A Night at the Pub<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier;">May 12, 2018<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier;">Earl Grey Sparkler<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Courier;">Earl grey
simple syrup, Sapphire gin, sparkling wine </span></i><b><span style="font-family: Courier; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Courier; font-size: 14.0pt;">Starter<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier;">Scotch eggs <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Courier;">Soft-boiled egg wrapped in ground
pork and sage<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Courier;"> with a panko crust<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Courier;">Curry aioli dipping sauce <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Courier; font-size: 14.0pt;">Main<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier;">Beef Wellington<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Courier;">Beef tenderloin wrapped in duxelles,
prosciutto, and <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Courier;">puff pastry<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Courier; font-size: 14.0pt;">Sides<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier;">“Mushy” peas <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Courier;"> Sweet pea puree, sour cream, garlic <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier;">Honey carrots <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Courier;"> Sauteed carrots, butter and honey glaze,
parsley <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier;">Sticky Toffee Pudding <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Courier;">Dark sponge cake, molasses and brown
sugar glaze <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: Courier; font-size: 14.0pt;">Guests<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier;">Ben Picillo <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier;">Brandon Gryde <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier;">Phil Evans <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier;">Jeff Carlson <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />Kurthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06768740686189538471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2293086269950404848.post-66898477339485659412018-03-04T18:02:00.000-05:002018-03-05T16:02:55.963-05:00#13: An Indian Banquet<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-afvavFi6_CY/WpxzDfpixsI/AAAAAAAAA9A/BNflZMWCEVkv7tsgp-DNkLXHVNoAPipagCLcBGAs/s1600/Table_with%2Bfood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-afvavFi6_CY/WpxzDfpixsI/AAAAAAAAA9A/BNflZMWCEVkv7tsgp-DNkLXHVNoAPipagCLcBGAs/s640/Table_with%2Bfood.jpg" width="425" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our banquet table for the evening.</td></tr>
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Like a phoenix from the ashes, this blog has risen! I had intended on keeping You Pick Two going because it’s a lot of fun to do,
but as happens sometimes, work got in the way in 2017. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My job this past year entailed lots of domestic
travel, which disrupted any planning for these dinners.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> I spend a lot of time</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> c</span>ombing
through my modest library of cookbooks, scanning online sites, and watching old episodes of my favorite cooking shows on Youtube searching for new recipes and inspiration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also must
say I was surprised by how many of you out there that I ran into throughout this past year asked me, “hey what’s up with that dinner thing you
guys do?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So that was really nice to learn that some people do actually read and follow this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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I was also worried that the online landscape, especially with regards to blogging, has
changed so much since I last posted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wondered, do people still blog anymore?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Is it passe now?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Luckily, my site is still available and active.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Although </span>I am going take a
look at new platforms (suggestions anyone?).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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This was our first 100% millennial dinner!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was interesting to see social media
actively being used during the night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Although I like Instagram, I find that I take the online thing too
seriously sometimes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, it was nice watching
them Snapchat while hanging out after dinner as we discussed and demonstrated
our different typing abilities (there was a fierce debate over the superiority
of the “asdf jkl;” method).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It got me
thinking that sometimes those apps are really just supposed to be fun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I struggle a bit with it since I feel like I
was told my whole life to hide who I am, so my instinct is to be cautious about
my online presence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But maybe it’s time
to let that stuff go…<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qEfep-ulLuA/Wpx0Ea5GNhI/AAAAAAAAA9I/8xwyxm7-h-QHdidNzIWhddeSAjIHd0kNwCLcBGAs/s1600/File%2BMar%2B04%252C%2B5%2B30%2B40%2BPM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qEfep-ulLuA/Wpx0Ea5GNhI/AAAAAAAAA9I/8xwyxm7-h-QHdidNzIWhddeSAjIHd0kNwCLcBGAs/s400/File%2BMar%2B04%252C%2B5%2B30%2B40%2BPM.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From left: Hunter, Grant, Karie, Kate.</td></tr>
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So who were the guests?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We met Kate and Karie through some mutual friends, who we unfortunately
don’t get to see much anymore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But that
has allowed us to spend some time together and get to know them pretty
well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are incredibly nice people who,
in some funny way, have kind of become our millennial interpreters a bit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They went to American University and have a
big group of friends here that settled and found jobs after college.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They throw a fun holiday party.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They, like many of the millennial generation,
are very knowledgeable about food and drink and have introduced me to some
breweries and products here in DC that I really like.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, they brought us a bunch of great
beer as a hostess gift when they came for dinner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For the surprise guests, they brought two of
their guy friends, Grant and Hunter, who were a lot of fun. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I haven’t laughed that hard in a
while really… plus it was really nice to hang out with adults and not talk jobs,
politics, or anything super heavy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Our conversations touched on</span> the pros and cons of hooking with your pizza delivery person (still
unresolved), how Goya products are made in New Jersey (who knew?), and what it
feels like getting older (the big 3-0 is on all of their mutual horizons).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gkxaGRTlZEo/Wpx0UoAgKQI/AAAAAAAAA9M/y1cJ9ZrHyYcyRqVj7Dx7yx6JgyJ8TZDhwCLcBGAs/s1600/Vindaloo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1119" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gkxaGRTlZEo/Wpx0UoAgKQI/AAAAAAAAA9M/y1cJ9ZrHyYcyRqVj7Dx7yx6JgyJ8TZDhwCLcBGAs/s400/Vindaloo.jpg" width="278" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beef vindaloo.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For the food, I have been trying to have a dinner that
featured Indian cuisine for a while now, but had a hard time focusing the menu since Indian cuisine is
impressively varied by region and town. I turned to two sources, Nigella (shocker) and
someone I consider a great spokesperson for Indian cooking through her writing and cookbooks, Madhur
Jaffrey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, as a bit of a side note, I
also was one of those people who bought an Instapot on cyber Monday this past
year and, after being very skeptical initially, I have come to love it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, after learning how evangelical Karie is
about the device at her holiday party, I knew I had to use it in some way
for this dinner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fortunately, a lot of Indian cooking
lends itself very nicely to pressure cooking. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had intended to make lamb vindaloo, but no
grocery store here in DC had any lamb shoulder roasts, all I could find were sliced
blades from the shoulder that came from New Zealand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No thanks. So instead I found a
nice chuck roast (which admittedly is not very Hindu), but
it was quite delicious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Using Madhur’s
recipe it was a cinch to make in the Instapot – which also served as the cooking vessel for the
rice pilaf.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> And t</span>his is really where the
Instapot shines: cooking grains and legumes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ca6Sa35qZYo/Wpx1VE41r8I/AAAAAAAAA9k/gamK7M9svawzdr3JBAeGDWlFpwlrKAo9wCLcBGAs/s1600/Rice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ca6Sa35qZYo/Wpx1VE41r8I/AAAAAAAAA9k/gamK7M9svawzdr3JBAeGDWlFpwlrKAo9wCLcBGAs/s400/Rice.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The rice pilaf.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The appetizer was surprisingly easy to make
and also quite delicious. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have never
used chickpea flour before, but I would make these fritters again anytime.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were easy to assemble and after a quick pan
fry in an inch or so of vegetable oil, quite good with a yogurt dipping
sauce. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sBas1WdH53s/Wpx0ibehRCI/AAAAAAAAA9Q/ucqnhEg9gSs0zyJMiQtluB0ZwfgjCc8yQCLcBGAs/s1600/Aloo%2Band%2BPaneer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sBas1WdH53s/Wpx0ibehRCI/AAAAAAAAA9Q/ucqnhEg9gSs0zyJMiQtluB0ZwfgjCc8yQCLcBGAs/s400/Aloo%2Band%2BPaneer.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aloo gobi and muttar paneer wait to be served.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I also did my best to make a menu that contained no
cilantro.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I randomly saw online that one
of the guests has that rare genetic thing where the leaves taste like soap or
worse, so I pulled that out where I could and substituted parsley instead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also
learned that you can use ground dried coriander and it doesn’t affect
them the same way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Which would have been
tough since a lot of the Indian recipes I was looking at had ground coriander. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kEhGB7JVQP8/Wpx48qIoSUI/AAAAAAAAA-A/HgKPm2pPfRENFOaFwlWFV4yZtT-XnzZ8wCEwYBhgL/s1600/Fritters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kEhGB7JVQP8/Wpx48qIoSUI/AAAAAAAAA-A/HgKPm2pPfRENFOaFwlWFV4yZtT-XnzZ8wCEwYBhgL/s400/Fritters.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frying up the onion fritters.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The cocktail and dessert were something of a challenge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Indian desserts have had in my life on
the whole just weren’t the most exciting. So I looked and found this semolina
<a href="https://www.saveur.com/coconut-semolina-cake-recipe" target="_blank">cake</a> with coconut added four ways, which sounded good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately the recipe was really
off in their amounts and I think I overcooked the cake a bit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The guests still liked it, but I was disappointed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For the drink, we were pretty liberal on what
could constitute an "Indian" cocktail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some research
online and we ended with a pretty good <a href="http://indiaphile.info/guava-mint-cocktail-rye-whiskey/" target="_blank">drink</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Although in retrospect I would have added sparkling wine, rather than
soda water, since it needed some acidity to cut through the guava.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OVYKQTraq70/Wpx07TG3j4I/AAAAAAAAA9g/OTvuH6pq1UM839WPhbg1tN-diDKnAjVRwCLcBGAs/s1600/Cocktail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OVYKQTraq70/Wpx07TG3j4I/AAAAAAAAA9g/OTvuH6pq1UM839WPhbg1tN-diDKnAjVRwCLcBGAs/s320/Cocktail.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our cocktail for the evening.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Overall, it was a fun night, with good food, and we made
some new friends – so glad to be doing these dinners again.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p> </o:p><b style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "courier" , serif; font-size: 24.0pt;">MENU</span></b></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "courier" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">An Indian
Banquet<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier" , serif;">January 27, 2018<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "courier" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Cocktail<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier" , serif;">Mumbai Mint Sparkler<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "courier" , serif;">Guava
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<b><span style="font-family: "courier" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Starter<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier" , serif;">Onion fritters<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "courier" , serif;">Besan (chickpea flour),
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<i><span style="font-family: "courier" , serif;">green chutney dipping sauce<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier" , serif;">Chicken with Green Chiles<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3.0pt; text-align: center;">
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier" , serif;">Kate McCoy<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Kurthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06768740686189538471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2293086269950404848.post-15670625466197398882016-11-29T19:07:00.002-05:002016-11-30T10:34:52.239-05:00#11: Friday Night in Tunisia <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Honeyed almond and orange cake for dessert.</td></tr>
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Wow, I am REALLY behind on this one. It’s been a busy year and I am really happy to finally have some time to come back to this blog and to the food and people that make it meaningful to me. We kicked off the 2016 You Pick Two season in style with our event in February. As I have said previously, these events and this blog are all about bringing back the dinner party, but they are also exploring varied tastes and cuisines from around the world. I used to watch a lot of shows dedicated to cooking and entertaining and while they seem to be in a state of retreat (does everything have to be a battle/throwdown/competition???), I still watch a few of them. And you can't talk dinner party and entertaining without mentioning Ina Garten. One rule for entertaining she states over and over is that you should never try something new when hosting a dinner party. I hear that bit of advice from a lot of people actually. You Pick Two ignores that piece of advice. I cook a ton of food at these events that I have never done before - most work out great. I understand it can make people nervous, but there isn’t time to test out the dishes, so if something goes south then it makes a great story and I learned something. I also find that the recipes I get from the internet and from my collection of cookbooks have been pretty well tested and come together just fine. Then again, I have been at this for a while.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ground lamb and beef meatballs over stewed root vegetables.</td></tr>
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For this event I turned to my favorite food writer, Nigella Lawson. Her book “Feast” focuses on just the kind of dinner parties that You Pick Two is all about. She includes starters, main courses, desserts, etc. with each one. It’s basically a cooking blueprint for the night. One feast that I always wanted to try was this Night in Tunisia one – partially because I loved the exoticism of it, but partially because I probably won’t ever make it to Tunisia and this is my attempt at understanding the country and its food history. So who did we invite?<br />
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We started with some new friends: Aaron and Youngkey. We are attending their wedding in early 2017 and I learned very early on that Aaron is a huge foodie. Not only does he know a lot about what is going on in the restaurant/chef scene, but he’s an excellent cook in his own right. He had us over for brunch where he whipped up homemade gravlax, assembled a waffle station, and made three kinds of quiche. He knows what he is doing, so to me it was an obvious choice to invite them. I also knew that I had to challenge myself and try something new – so the Tunisian feast idea made a lot of sense. Youngkey, or Yk, is his partner (fiance) and is currently a medical resident and works crazy hours. But I knew he had an adventurous palate and is willing to try different types of food. Moreover, he is a fantastic planner and did what he had to do get them (and their Pick Two) set up and over for dinner. Like I said, they are relatively new friends of ours so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but we were really happy with who they brought.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The You Pick Two crew, selfie courtesy of Megan.</td></tr>
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Megan and Philip are married with two kids and are long-standing friends of theirs, Aaron and Megan used to work together at a law firm (they are both attorneys by training, with Megan still practicing law). Kevin is also an attorney but we were thankful that the night’s conversation didn’t involve the law. Megan also has a really interesting second career in voiceovers/narration. She is the announcer for both the Webby awards and the Gotham Independent Film Awards. <br />
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One of the most interesting parts of the night was learning that not only is Philip a producer of TV and film, but he used to work on a lot of food shows while living in NYC – especially Bobby Flay shows. We talked a lot about current food programming and I was able to confirm something I always thought was true: on Iron Chef they know the ingredient ahead of time! However, they do actually make all those dishes in real time – something I didn’t know. I have also always been concerned what happens on these food competition shows in terms of waste, like what happens to all this stuff that is cooked? Philip assured me that all the food does in fact get eaten (there are enormous crews that film and make these shows). Philip left NYC to pursue his own film production business here in DC, which he says is a completely different market. I have no doubt he will succeed.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Harissa paste figured prominently in the cooking.</td></tr>
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The food turned out great – everyone enjoyed it and, more importantly, the company and conversation. The brik appetizer was a revelation to me, I have never had that before. I used filo dough (which isn’t necessarily traditional) but what I found interesting is that you squeeze lemon over it after you bake it. Quite good. The brik recipe, from Jamie Oliver, can be found here: http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetables-recipes/tunisian-brik/<br />
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The rest can be found in Nigella’s book, “Feast”. Enjoy!</div>
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Kurthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06768740686189538471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2293086269950404848.post-52667037362622293412016-02-23T11:47:00.002-05:002016-02-24T09:52:27.174-05:00#10: A Stroll Through Koreatown<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-80Ap9f-WavY/VsyLGQJ4gqI/AAAAAAAAAr4/0MEQ1gyfmlw/s1600/DSC00081.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-80Ap9f-WavY/VsyLGQJ4gqI/AAAAAAAAAr4/0MEQ1gyfmlw/s400/DSC00081.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our Korean(ish) dinner table.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Wow, it's been a while hasn't it? I think a lot of people thought the You Pick Two dinners stopped. Truth is, they did for a bit. Part of it was life getting in the way, part of it was my spare time increasingly being taken up by the food and drink photography I do for local restaurants and publications (which is great), but part of it was also the unexpected difficulty in getting the next one scheduled. The idea behind starting this blog was to bring back the dinner party here in DC... not that it was dead universally, but it was nonexistent in our lives. While we enjoy going out to eat once in a while and meeting people only for drinks or happy hour, I am most happy in either my home or at the home of a friend, having dinner, drinks, and talking about whatever is on our minds. A few of our friends do that, but I think for a lot of people a scheduled dinner on a Saturday night with several courses that requires them to bring strangers seemed daunting or difficult... and I totally get that.<br />
<br />
But to me, those difficulties are kind of the fun thing about this right? It's new and adventurous and out of the ordinary, but that's exciting. And I have to confess, beyond having great food, wine, and cocktails, these dinners have become a way for us to get insights into our friends more than anything. The people they bring tell a lot about how they feel about a dinner party and, most importantly, what they value in a person. It is an unexpected and welcome result I wasn't expecting but find fascinating. <br />
<br />
So when those scheduling conflicts and snafus started to build up, I got a little disillusioned and fell out of my groove for a bit, but, thankfully I am thrilled that we found some new people to come and are anxious for new experiences to be had. So with that, let's get to this dinner which took place in the waning part of last summer. Our tenth dinner featured a Korean menu and we invited our two friends Jim and Don. We met them several years ago through some other folks that Kevin had worked with back in the day, but at the time they were living in Kansas City. We hit it off with them during visit here but only got to see them a handful times while they lived there. Well, several years ago they left Kansas City, moved to DC, and landed in their own row house in Petworth. Jim and Don were an easy fit for these dinners and although we haven't known them as long as some of our other friends, we explained the concept and they were on board immediately. Jim works at a healthcare consulting firm and his job is what brought them here to DC. Don left his job in Kansas City in human resources but has since found a similar position here at a real estate research firm. <br />
<br />
They brought their new friends and neighbors Lylie (prounced Lilly) and Nick. Lylie marks the first Australian we have ever had and it was awesome. She is a foodie with an adventurous palate and she and Nick both love to travel. Our dinner conversations touched a lot on how the United States is seen in the rest of the world and the places they had visited (which were many). In those conversations, and from my limited travels abroad, you realize how staid and conservative our country can be on so many issues. In particular I remember discussing Bondi Beach, which is this amazing popular beach spot right in Sydney. There are several parts to it, a gay beach, nude beach, etc. Australians have a more relaxed take on life and I am envious of it. When our conversation turned to the mundane, in this case iPhone problems, Nick (an attorney for Pew Charitable Trust) thoughtfully steered us back on course.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z_RmBEtZPAU/VsyLFV1pY9I/AAAAAAAAArw/gBeHOaWcZa4/s1600/DSC00064.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z_RmBEtZPAU/VsyLFV1pY9I/AAAAAAAAArw/gBeHOaWcZa4/s320/DSC00064.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Preparing the bibimbap.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Kevin took a trip to Seoul about 10 years ago for work and learned a lot of Korean cuisine, which was non-existent where I grew up. We used to have this little mom and pop place in our neighborhood called Adam Express where Kevin would pick up dinner for us sometimes. In particular, Kev would get bibimbap - which he had in Korea and loved. A couple years ago I also started watching Korean Food Made Easy by Judy Joo, who is a very accomplished chef and a regular judge on Iron Chef. Her approach was laid back and easy to follow. So a lot of the inspiration and a couple recipes for the meal came from her website. That <a href="http://judyjoo.com/recipe-landing/beef-2/biggest-best-bibimbap/" target="_blank">bibimbap recipe</a> was a huge hit and a lot of fun to make; branch out and give it a shot. It's an easy process: you chop up the vegetables, make a seasoning sauce, then saute each vegetable separately in a hot pan with a little of the sauce. At the table you mix all the vegetables together in your bowl with rice, grilled beef (traditionally), and a sauce made from gochujang paste.<br />
<br />
The cocktail was a <a href="http://www.chowhound.com/recipes/watermelon-soju-cocktail-25681" target="_blank">recipe</a> we found on the internet. I had a leftover watermelon lying around and Kevin wanted to use the traditional Korean spirit called soju. Some google searches later, we came across it and are so happy we did. It was refreshing and delicious. A little effort to make, but well worth it. Our touch was adding some sparkling wine to the drink (which is our hallmark) and I recommend doing the same. <br />
<br />
One special note here, Jim is gluten intolerant and I had no idea how many Asian ingredients either have soy or some added component or chemical that contains gluten. Thankfully there are lots of gluten-free products now on the market that taste great - but be aware if that's an issue for you.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fried mandu.</td></tr>
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The revelation from this menu was the <a href="http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/judy-joo/meaty-mandu-dumplings.html" target="_blank">mandu</a>. We have made them a few times since then. Couple tips, don't overfill and make sure you seal them tightly. Once you have done a few, you start to get the knack and you can pump out a bunch in no time. You will need eggless wonton wrappers, but they have them at every Asian Market (Kev got them at Super H Mart). Lastly, here are the recipes for the <a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-grilled-bulgogi-steak-recipes-from-the-kitchn-204524" target="_blank">grilled Korean style beef</a>, the quick <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/quick-kimchi-351892" target="_blank">kimchi</a>, and the <a href="http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/manju" target="_blank">dessert</a>. I am not a huge fan of kimchi but this was a mild and tasty one.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LpfqxckH4E0/VsyLFdV8TFI/AAAAAAAAAr0/sCruNN1K-UA/s1600/DSC00073.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LpfqxckH4E0/VsyLFdV8TFI/AAAAAAAAAr0/sCruNN1K-UA/s400/DSC00073.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My husband thoughtfully assembling the mandu.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "courier"; font-size: 24.0pt;">MENU<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "courier"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A Stroll through
Koreatown<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier";">August 29, 2015<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "courier"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Cocktail<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier";">Watermelon-Soju Sparkler<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "courier";">Fresh
watermelon, soju, ginger liqueur, sparkling wine </span></i><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "courier"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "courier"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Starter<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier";">Mandu<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "courier";">Pork/beef/tofu dumplings, chile-soy
dipping sauce<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "courier"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Main<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier";">Bibimbap<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "courier";">Sauteed and seasoned vegetables,
gochujang sauce, <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "courier";">sticky rice<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier";">Korean-style grilled beef<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "courier";">Grilled skirt steak<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "courier";">(ginger, garlic, scallion, gochujang marinade)
<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "courier"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Side<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier";">Quick kimchi<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "courier";">Sauteed savoy cabbage, sweet/spicy
Korean sauce <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "courier"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Sweet<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier";">Manju<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "courier";">Baked sweet Korean pastries with
sesame seeds <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3.0pt; text-align: center;">
<u><span style="font-family: "courier"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Guests<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier";">Jim Harlow<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier";">Don Maish<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier";">Lylie Fisher<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier";">Nick Bourke<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Kurthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06768740686189538471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2293086269950404848.post-74279186448427421642015-03-16T14:26:00.000-04:002016-02-19T18:10:01.258-05:00#9: A Caribbean Holiday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-z_yMdrHcmEc/VP9WAFxNkZI/AAAAAAAAAkE/orloFgJ_6mE/s1600/Table_12-27-14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-z_yMdrHcmEc/VP9WAFxNkZI/AAAAAAAAAkE/orloFgJ_6mE/s1600/Table_12-27-14.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
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Wow, where has the time gone? I feel like it just became 2015 and now it's March! With the snowpack finally gone here in the DC area, I thought it was high time to get back on the blog horse and bring this back to life. In late December, we had our 9th dinner with some very good and close friends of ours. It wasn't a true Pick Two in that they were visiting from San Francisco so we had to add a few folks to the table as well, so we invited our close friends Joe and Javi (previous You Pick Two attendees)to join them at the table. It was a fun and relaxing way to wind down the holiday season. At that point, we were all quite tired of traditional holiday food, so I took a gamble and went with a pan-Caribbean menu. End result was some delicious food and a new favorite cocktail, the Hemingway daiquiri.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-m27bKPsxO0k/VP9XfUf6q4I/AAAAAAAAAkQ/CktZDuAtDpo/s1600/Juices.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-m27bKPsxO0k/VP9XfUf6q4I/AAAAAAAAAkQ/CktZDuAtDpo/s1600/Juices.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Before we get to the guests, let me first talk about the drink a bit. As some of you may know, I have been doing some photography work for Edible DC magazine. It's an elegant publication that I am thrilled to contribute to... you can find them at www.edibledc.com - please check it out if you haven't. I did some photography for a story discussing a "boozy" book club that meets once a month in DC to discuss the art, craft, and history of cocktails. The month I covered featured a special guest author who wrote a book about Ernest Hemingway and his history with cocktails and such. I had heard of a Hemingway daiquiri before, but never made it. After listening to the group discussion, I was determined to make it and thought it would be a nice accompaniment to our tropical menu. It contains fresh fruit juices, maraschino liquor, and rum. It's delicious, we plan to make over the warm summer months.<br />
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Our main guests were Matt and Kate King Gubiotti. Kevin worked with Matt way back in the day at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and both went to GW law school. Pretty soon after we met Matt, he began dating Kate. They soon moved to San Francisco, got married, and had a beautiful baby boy. Matt currently works for Google and Kate went to pastry school and is a fantastic baker and home cook (I still use her ranch dressing recipe every summer). I have traveled out to the Bay area and Sacramento for work a few times over the past few years and they frankly are a home away from home for me out there. They always have me over a comforting, delicious home-cooked meal and some great wine and conversation. After a long week away from home, it's just about the nicest thing you can do for someone in my opinion and I am thankful for their hospitality and friendship. Kate also used to work at Omnivore Books, a bookstore in San Francisco specializing in new, antiquarian, and collectible books on food and drink. So it's really nice for me because Kate and I can talk food for hours and I don't have many friends that enjoy those types of conversations. <br />
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They brought Kate's brother Jimmy. Kate grew up in the Northern Virginia area and her parents still live here. Jimmy also grew up here but has since moved on to pursue his acting/writing/teaching career in the Big Apple. It's a tough but rewarding industry, from what I understand, and Jimmy has enjoyed some pretty good success early on in his career. In fact, a play he co-wrote with some friends was nominated (and won) a GLAAD media award. We talked with him about the play, the award, and in general about stage acting and playwriting, which was really interesting. It's a world I know very little about, except how competitive and tough it can be to break through.<br />
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It was also great again to have our friends Joe and Javier come back to our You Pick Two table. We recently took a trip to Puerto Rico with them and had a really fun and memorable time. We met some of Javi's family and just relaxed, ate, and drank our way through San Juan. It will serve as the inspiration for an upcoming You Pick Two.<br />
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For the meal, you can take a look at the menu below but the real standout of the meal was the empanadas appetizer. The <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/nigella-lawson/homestyle-jerk-chicken-recipe.html" target="_blank">jerk chicken and rice and peas</a> are Nigella recipes I have always wanted to try and they came out really well. Although, I think next time I would use a cut up chicken rather than just chicken breast. The rice and peas were outstanding and I have made it since then, it's a great recipe and easy to make. The <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/tres-leche-cake-recipe.html#sni-reviews" target="_blank">dessert</a> was an Alton Brown recipe that I adapted a bit. I have never made tres leches cake before and this was a good one. Until then, hope everyone is enjoying the start of spring!<br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier";">December 27, 2014</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier";">Matt and Kate King Gubiotti</span></div>
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Kurthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06768740686189538471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2293086269950404848.post-26576168684679262172014-12-31T11:05:00.003-05:002015-03-09T09:58:50.005-04:00My Best of 2014 <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g_1Ie5LSctY/VKQeKvZIeUI/AAAAAAAAAic/V5pb9GoTQw4/s1600/2014-new-year-3d-graphic-730x400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g_1Ie5LSctY/VKQeKvZIeUI/AAAAAAAAAic/V5pb9GoTQw4/s1600/2014-new-year-3d-graphic-730x400.jpg" height="175" width="320" /></a></div>
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I am a huge fan of lists and rankings (especially the year-end ones). A symptom, no doubt, of my mind's natural bent towards science and analysis in general. So while others have been posting about their favorites from the past year, I thought I would try a list related to the best (and worst) food and drink I had in 2014. Overall it was a good year in, but not a truly memorable one eating out. I just seem to remember more great meals during our travels in 2013.<br />
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<b>Favorite meal out:</b><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/cafeheavenptown" target="_blank">Cafe Heaven</a>, Provincetown, MA. I can't remember exactly what I ate, but I remember loving the whole experience: including the wine, the company, and the food. It's one of my favorite spots in the United States and just represents everything I feel about how food should be prepared and served. If you ever make it to P'town, try breakfast or dinner there, I guarantee it won't disappoint.<br />
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<b><i>Honorable mentions: </i></b><br />
<a href="http://www.jakespalmsprings.com/" target="_blank">Jakes</a> in Palm Springs, CA. The food is very traditional Californian but done extremely well. It's also an institution in Palm Springs, which made the experience very unique and fun.<br />
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<a href="http://alphonsedc.com/" target="_blank">Alphonse Italian Osteria</a>, Washington, DC. Totally surprised by this place, the food was a step above the red-and-white checkered tablecloth Italian-American eateries (which I love for different reasons) you find in most cities. When you go, sit at the bar, and just ask for Justice (Justus?). Seriously, if she is working just ask her what to drink and eat. She steered our party into directions we never would have gone on our own. She made the experience a hundred times better.<br />
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<b>Favorite meal in:</b><br />
The <a href="http://youpicktwo.blogspot.com/2014/01/you-pick-two-2-middle-eastern-feast.html" target="_blank">Middle Eastern meal</a> I did for our second You Pick Two in January. It took a little over two days to make all the food, which is a lot I realize. But the entire meal, company and guests included, was worth all of it.<br />
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<b>Favorite thing I cooked:</b><br />
The <a href="http://youpicktwo.blogspot.com/2014/03/pasta-time.html" target="_blank">strangozzi in tomato bacon sauce</a> I made for our Umbrian You Pick Two dinner. I also made it again in September with my mother when my parents visited - one of my favorite moments in 2014. The fresh pasta takes a little time, but on a lazy afternoon it's the perfect thing to make.<br />
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<b>Favorite sandwich:</b><br />
BBB at <a href="http://www.deliboardsf.com/" target="_blank">Deli Board</a>, San Francisco, CA. Hands down the best sandwich I have had in years. The bread was soft, the meat was tender, and the accompanying sauce was amazing. And this coming from someone who doesn't care for aioli or mayo very much at all. Highly recommend this place if you get a chance while in San Francisco.<br />
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<b>Most disappointing meal out:</b><br />
<a href="http://www.birbaps.com/" target="_blank">Birba</a>, Palm Springs, CA. Between the reviews I read, the online menu I looked at, and the photos I saw, I was really excited to eat here. But with the rude service we experienced (we waited 15 minutes for a server to come to our table), the live band BLARING jazz the entire meal (making it impossible to have any conversation), and the so-so food, this was easily the most disappointing dining experience I had all year. Save your time and just go straight to <a href="http://www.thetropicale.com/" target="_blank">Tropicale</a>. <br />
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<b><i>Honorable mention:</i></b><br />
<a href="http://doimoidc.com/" target="_blank">Doi Moi</a>, Washington, DC. I went here in 2013, soon after it opened, with my sister and parents and had a fantastic dining experience and meal, one of the best of 2013. The server was amazing, answering all of our questions and providing great recommendations, and the food was light, spicy, and very well done. I went back this year and had the complete opposite experience: rude server and mediocre food. I wonder what happened? On the plus side, the dining room is still a beautifully decorated place.<br />
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<b>Favorite beer:</b><br />
<a href="http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/817/68049/" target="_blank">Stiegl Radler</a>. I realize most beer experts and purists will scoff at me for picking this since it's mostly fruit juice with some beer in it, but please hear me out on this one. Mixing the radler with some hefeweizen and sipping it on the fantastic outdoor patio of the <a href="http://dachadc.com/" target="_blank">Dacha beer garden</a> several summer afternoons in 2014 made this my favorite. Dacha eventually became overrun by the end of the season, but those afternoons in June were some of my favorite times in the last few years here in DC.<br />
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<b>Favorite wine:</b><br />
<a href="http://www.ironhorsevineyards.com/" target="_blank">Iron Horse Winter cuvee</a>. Yes, it's a sparkling wine but frankly this vineyard is just amazing. It's located west of Napa/Sonoma and has none of the corporate, "what's it going to take to put you in this wine," vibe of Napa. The tasting area is outdoors with a spectacular view of the vineyard. And, frankly, all of the wines (sparkling and otherwise) were fantastic - this one just had a unique flavor to it I have never had in a sparkling wine before. <br />
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<b>Favorite cocktail:</b><br />
The Orange Crush at <a href="http://www.barcharley.com/" target="_blank">Bar Charley</a>, Washington, DC. Yes, it was served in a plastic cup, but it tasted so good on a warm, Sunday afternoon brunch that Kevin and I went to over the Labor Day weekend. It literally tasted like a more balanced, less sweet version of an orange cream soda. Their cocktail menu is seasonal, hopefully they bring it back next summer.<br />
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<i><b>Honorable mention:</b></i><br />
This <a href="http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Chilled-Cider-Punch" target="_blank">cider punch</a> Kevin made for Thanksgiving. It was the perfect accompaniment to our Thanksgiving meal. And from what I understand, it was easy to make too.<br />
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Happy New Year everyone! Wishing you the best in 2015!<br />
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<br />Kurthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06768740686189538471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2293086269950404848.post-90218851997756760632014-11-24T10:42:00.001-05:002014-11-24T10:42:13.973-05:00#8: A Mexican FiestaSo it's been a bit since our last You Pick Two event, but I don't want that to reflect on the dinner and guests in any way. It was a wonderful meal with some of our oldest and closest friends - but sometimes work and life get in the way of things you enjoy most. And I really enjoy doing these dinners and writing this blog. Amazingly, it's actually been one year since I started doing this! Time does truly fly by. It seems like I just started out, but eight dinners, one Thanksgiving, and a giant holiday party later, here we are...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A rustic and casual table for our dinner.</td></tr>
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We have been trying to get this dinner scheduled with our friends Amy and Mike for quite some time. Kevin and I both have a long, rewarding, and meaningful friendship with Amy and Mike (separately and together) - in fact, it was actually Kevin who introduced them to each other. They have been together for almost as long as Kevin and I and have been married since 2005. They have two remarkably sweet and wonderful kids named Sam and Elena. As you can imagine trying to schedule a dinner on a random Saturday can be quite difficult when the guests have two young kids that are very active and when they live in Fairfax. Not to mention, the mystery guests they wanted to bring also have children and the husband travels for work quite a bit. Luckily, the end of September worked for everyone and we got to hang out (sans children) with Amy and Mike and our new friends Paula and Jason.<br />
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So with the date all set, what should we do for the dinner? I have known Amy for many years and I have known about her strong allergies to tree nuts (along with some other foods), but her sensitivity to gluten is relatively new and presented a great opportunity for me to try a gluten-free meal. I should also point out that Amy's allergies have made me very aware of how difficult it can be for someone who is literally deathly allergic to eat out. I've watched some servers essentially ignore her questions and not check with the chef about certain items. I think one of the reasons this happens is that people lie when they say they are allergic to things that they simply don't like to eat; so think twice next time you do that at a restaurant because it can de-sensitize an establishment to legitimate, life-threatening allergies. Ok hopping off my soapbox now...<br />
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After some research and thought, one cuisine that seemed to be surprisingly gluten-free (at least to me) was Mexican food. I grew up in Worcester, Massachusetts, where my idea of Mexican food as a kid consisted mostly of Old El Paso taco kits or, even worse, Taco Bell. There were not many authentic Mexican restaurants in central Mass. Thankfully, my adult self has experienced authentic Mexican cuisine and through the advent of food television I have been able to discover the enormous diversity of Mexican food. I could probably do seven or eight You Pick Two dinners alone on various regional specialties of Mexican food. However, I instead cautiously dipped my toe into Mexican food here with a broad selection of many well-known Mexican dishes. For this meal, I made my own corn tortillas and salsas, pulled together a mole poblano, and found one of the easiest (and most delicious) ways to cook pinto beans you can imagine. I picked the mole since I was really interested in exposing my guests to something different and I wanted Amy to be able to try it in a safe place, since mole sauces traditionally contain dozens of ingredients and a lot of tree nuts.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our guests, starting at top left are Amy, Mike, Paula, and Jason. Kev and Buck need no introduction :)</td></tr>
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Amy and Mike brought two wonderful people to the dinner in Paula and Jason. Jason works for USAID as a manager on the civilian (non-foreign service) side and spends a lot of time in southeast Asia. Paula took a break from her career as a pharmaceuticals rep to raise their two children and her love of animals was a big hit with Kev and I (they also have a big dog). As you might imagine, Buck got along quite well with both of them over the evening. Amy and Paula met each other at the pre-school that both their kids happen to attend. Paula is also a native of northeastern New Jersey and gave Kevin and I the hard sell on moving up there (we may eventually have to move there for Kev's work). The night's conversation was lively with discussions about pets, kids, work, and respective hobbies. Kev's new bowling ball even made a late appearance before our guests departed. It was a great night and it was a pleasure to host them and cook this Mexican fiesta.<br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Courier; font-size: 14.0pt;">A Mexican Fiesta<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier;">September 27, 2014<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Courier;">Chicken with Puebla-style mole sauce <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Courier;">Stewed pinto beans, crema, queso
Oaxaca<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier;">Vanilla pavlova with Mexican chocolate sauce<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Courier;">Marshmallow cake, whipped cream, dark
chocolate, spices<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier;">Amy and Mike Baglivio <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier;">Paula and Jason Foley <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Kurthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06768740686189538471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2293086269950404848.post-32477752678008764022014-09-17T17:06:00.001-04:002014-09-18T10:49:15.836-04:00#7: A Celebration of Summer<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qZReCyYUr-Y/VBn1EV_jL3I/AAAAAAAAAfk/pTdfdUUwowI/s1600/Table%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qZReCyYUr-Y/VBn1EV_jL3I/AAAAAAAAAfk/pTdfdUUwowI/s1600/Table%2B2.jpg" height="640" width="425" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The table setting with a red, white, and blue theme for summer.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I have been quite derelict in my duties as food blogger this past month. We had a fantastic dinner event at the end of August with some of the nicest guests we have ever had and yet I am late in getting the summary and menu together! Contributing to this delay are the normal events of life that pop up around this time of year, you know, like the U.S. Open. But, I have come to terms that there is also a general ennui and frustration that has overtaken me a bit recently with food and the restaurant scene. I mean I still love to cook and entertain as much as I always have, but I am frustrated with the deification and glorification of chefs and restaurants and the "foodie" scene. I feel that we are losing touch with what's important. We obsess over an ingredient's origins, how it's grown, what oil and pan it's prepared in, what you serve it on or with, whether you can cook it better or faster than someone, and we end up losing the essence and purpose of a meal. We are inundated with glossy niche foodie pubs that produce lists like 18 ways to use a sous-vide or the 10 best doughnut and quinoa shops you haven't been to yet, etc. <i>Bottom line: the food scene is overexposed and splitting at its seams.</i><br />
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My cooking inspirations are my mother, my grandmothers, and Nigella Lawson, in that order. Their goals were to pass on old family recipes, bring their friends and families together, and feed them. For my family, meals are a way to stay in touch but they also serve to keep its members healthy, nourished, and occasionally spoiled. Maybe it's the publications I read, or the twitter feeds I follow, but the obsession over food porn, designer spaces, food "competition" shows, and rock star chefs, has diluted and confused what I thought cooking was about. To me, why I began this blog and why I spend so much time in the kitchen is because I love good food and I love making my family and friends happy. Nigella once said that in French cooking, attention is drawn to the chef, whereas in Italian cooking, the attention is drawn to the food. And I feel that is such a relevant remark these days, I feel that almost all aspects around food now are meant to draw attention to the chef. That doesn't mean most of these chefs and restaurants don't deserve praise, in fact they absolutely do! They make incredible dishes and their restaurant employees work incredibly hard to put it all together for the public. But in the end it's not about who is the "best" to me. In the end, I want people to enjoy the food I make and the company around them. I don't want to exclude anyone and I don't want to make anyone feel lucky that they are eating my food. Luckily, like all food trends, this one will soon pass, much like how carved out watermelons were used as serving vessels back in the 70's. So, I am hopeful that once again in the city I live, and other big cities, restaurants come back to earth and just make great food again without all the fanfare.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5-RyLJPNRoQ/VBn0ukepwMI/AAAAAAAAAfc/a99eLADBsDg/s1600/People.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5-RyLJPNRoQ/VBn0ukepwMI/AAAAAAAAAfc/a99eLADBsDg/s1600/People.jpg" height="640" width="476" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our guests (from left to right in back): Clark, Anne, and Torao, with my husband Kevin in front.</td></tr>
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Ok, with that off my chest, what about the dinner and guests from our last event?? I wanted to do something that celebrated the end of summer, since it's my favorite season. In that vein, I thought of grilling meats and vegetables, corn on the cob, and ice cream. And the menu below reflects those aspirations. Who came to dinner? We invited some new friends to Kevin and I in Clark Ebbert and Torao Kubo. I know Clark through my work with the Miss Adams Morgan pageant here in DC. I film the videos for their annual amateur drag pageant and Clark has been with the organization as a performer and contributor for many years. I only just met his boyfriend Torao last December at our holiday party. Torao runs a successful salon and has a business degree, which I find so impressive. They are a fantastic match and based on that initial meeting last year I sensed that the their relationship would continue strong for a while. Clark also participates in a different supper club with friends he has had for many, many years. A rival supper club?! The game was on. :) Clark invited Anne Steinicke and Sharon Groves, a couple he knows from that supper club. Unfortunately, Anne's partner Sharon was sick and not able to make dinner that night. Clark had described Anne, affectionately, as an "old-fashioned" lesbian, which I am still unclear what frankly that means. Regardless, my impression of Anne was a calm, friendly, thoughtful person who has great taste in food and life. So if that's old-fashioned, then I aspire to be old-fashioned as well.<br />
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Conversation that night veered all over the place, in a fun way. We talked about the pageant, our first jobs and the unusual arcs our careers have taken sometimes (Clark after assisting at a psychiatric hospital right out of college eventually got a master's degree in dance and was a professional dancer), and working with the millennial generation (the "M" word as Clark calls it). Thankfully, Kevin's drink that night (a long-cherished Barefoot Contessa recipe for Long Island iced teas) kept the buzz going and the talk lively for most of the evening. It was a great night and I hope that an invitation to their supper club is in the mail soon.<br />
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For the food: the Nutella ice cream came from the NYT's recent <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/07/01/dining/the-master-ice-cream-recipe.html" target="_blank">master ice cream recipe</a> (which is epic and amazing), here is the recipe for those <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/long-island-iced-tea-recipe3.html" target="_blank">Long Island iced teas</a> (my favorite drink really), and for <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/nigella-lawson/the-union-square-cafes-bar-nuts-recipe.html" target="_blank">Nigella's Union Square Cafe nuts</a> (which are perfect for a summer snack). I will post some of the other recipes that I developed for that night over the next couple weeks. In the meantime, enjoy and keep on cooking.<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Courier; font-size: 24.0pt;">MENU<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Courier; font-size: 14.0pt;">A Celebration of
Summer <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier;">August 23, 2014<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier;">Long Island iced tea <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Courier;">Mixed
liquors, simple syrup, lemon juice, cola </span></i><b><span style="font-family: Courier; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Courier; font-size: 14.0pt;">Appetizer<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier;">Spicy grilled shrimp<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Courier;">Cilantro dipping sauce <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier;">Union Square Café bar nuts <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Courier;">Mixed roasted nuts, cayenne pepper,
brown sugar, rosemary <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Courier; font-size: 14.0pt;">Main<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier;">Grilled pork loin<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Courier;">Guava-mustard glaze, orange-habanero
mojo <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier;">Cheesy corn pudding<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Courier;">Local sweet corn, grueyere cheese<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier;">Grilled broccolini <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Courier;">Lemon zest, parmesan <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Courier; font-size: 14.0pt;">Sweet<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier;">Ice cream sundae <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Courier;">Homemade Nutella ice cream, organic
vanilla ice cream, chocolate ganache, toasted walnuts <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: Courier; font-size: 14.0pt;">Guests<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier;">Clark Ebbert <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier;">Torao Kubo <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier;">Anne Steinecke <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier;">Sharon Groves <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Kurthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06768740686189538471noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2293086269950404848.post-54924060355432405112014-08-20T09:48:00.000-04:002014-09-17T15:56:40.437-04:00A delicious (and easy) summer dessert.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Khj3UqE9ivI/U_SmtT2FGXI/AAAAAAAAAeg/vKc3C1lER_o/s1600/IMG_2141.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Khj3UqE9ivI/U_SmtT2FGXI/AAAAAAAAAeg/vKc3C1lER_o/s1600/IMG_2141.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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As summer begins to unfortunately wind down, it's time to take advantage of those last few harvests of fresh fruit at the farmer's markets. To that end, I submit to you one of my favorite (and easiest to make) fruit desserts, an individual peach cobbler. It was the big hit at our last You Pick Two dinner and I have made it a few times since then for company. I adapted it from a Martha Stewart recipe I discovered over 10 years ago.<span id="goog_1268277554"></span><br />
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These individual servings of golden deliciousness need only a scoop of cold vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whip cream to finish them off. Although frankly they could be eaten without any adornment and still taste fantastic. This is also a flexible recipe, feel free to substitute other fruits that you prefer - just be aware fruits like blackberries and raspberries can give off more liquid than peaches and you may need to add a little more flour. To cook the cobbler, you will need about eight 8-oz ramekins. You could also make them in four large soufflé dishes, just add a few more minutes of cooking time. Regardless, make sure to put a piece of parchment under the ramekins to keep any sugary liquid or batter that overflows from becoming a permanent part of your baking sheet.<br />
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<strong>Cup O'Cobbler</strong><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>Ingredients</em><br />
4-5 ripe peaches, pitted and sliced (about 4 to 5 cups)<br />
1/4 cup bourbon<br />
1 cup granulated sugar<br />
1 stick of unsalted butter<br />
1 cup of all-purpose flour<br />
2 teaspoons of baking powder<br />
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg<br />
pinch of salt<br />
1 cup of whole milk<br />
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<em>Directions</em><br />
1. Pit and slice the peaches. In a large bowl combine the peaches, 1/4 cup of the sugar, and the bourbon. Stir to combine and let sit for at least 15 minutes, and up to 2 hours.<br />
2. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment and place the ramekins on the parchment-lined pan. Place 1 tablespoon of butter in the bottom of each ramekin. Transfer to the oven until the butter is melted and bubbling, about 5 to 7 minutes.<br />
3. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the remaining 3/4 cup of sugar, the flour, the baking powder, the nutmeg, and the salt. Add the milk slowly, whisking as you go, until completely combined.<br />
4. Remove the ramekins from the oven. Divide the batter evenly among the hot ramekins. Spoon an equal amount of peach slices (and some juice) into the center of each ramekin, keeping a small outer edge of batter.<br />
5. Return to the oven and bake until the tops of the cobblers are golden brown, or about 1 hour. Kurthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06768740686189538471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2293086269950404848.post-88591884877057058192014-07-21T15:01:00.000-04:002014-07-21T15:35:27.912-04:00#6: A Vegetarian Takeover<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rDjeZMD9Z8Q/U8waWpFLwnI/AAAAAAAAAdc/-MlYGAesfg8/s1600/IMG_2137.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rDjeZMD9Z8Q/U8waWpFLwnI/AAAAAAAAAdc/-MlYGAesfg8/s1600/IMG_2137.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful weather allowed us to dine al fresco.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It's been a few weeks since the last dinner, but with the start of the summer and some vacation time thrown in, I have been delayed in posting about our last You Pick Two event. In terms of the meal, it was one of the more challenging ones for me since all but one of our guests were vegetarians. And, even more challenging, some of the guests did not care for mushrooms, eggplant, raw tomatoes, or blue cheese! Some of my favorite foods on this earth! After getting over that, I got to thinking... maybe they just didn't have mushrooms or eggplant prepared in a way that exhibited their best characteristics. So I was going to challenge them to try one of them again, and I picked eggplants.<br />
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I feel that eggplants get a terrible reputation because they are usually prepared one of two ways: fried (and usually greasy) or cooked in a heavy sauce (and therefore quite mushy). I think eggplant works best when grilled and I wanted to revisit a recipe from Nigella's breakthrough book, <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Nigella-Bites-Elegant-Delectable-Occasion/dp/0786868694/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405971128&sr=8-1&keywords=nigella+bites" target="_blank">Nigella Bites</a></i>, that I made many years ago. It is a type of involtini, which is an italian word for a small bite of food consisting of some outer layer wrapped around a filling. In this dish, sliced eggplant is grilled, stuffed, and cooked in a sauce. For this preparation, the stuffing included bulgar wheat, feta, pistachios, and herbs. It came out great and the eggplant-haters ate and enjoyed it. Rounding out the night's menu were a crostini with homemade ricotta (which is surprisingly easy), a chilled tomatillo-advocado soup, an asparagus-gruyere tart, and a risotto made with barley instead of rice. I tried to avoid pasta because I feel like a lot of menus just resort to pasta for vegetarians. Dessert was a summer favorite of mine, peach cobbler. Everyone enjoyed the food, but I think the barley risotto and peach cobbler were the stars of the night. So who were the guests?<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7ul2PQxH_k4/U8waWtgReXI/AAAAAAAAAdk/v2KCbFHe12I/s1600/IMG_2125.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7ul2PQxH_k4/U8waWtgReXI/AAAAAAAAAdk/v2KCbFHe12I/s1600/IMG_2125.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crostini with homemade ricotta and caramelized onions for the first course.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The two we invited were newer friends of ours that we met through a good friend of ours that stayed with us for a few months last summer. Sam and Anka are a couple that have been together for several years; and we met them through our friend Brandon. Sam is a charming hipster-type that home brews and has lots of really cool tattoos. I don't run in many of the hipster social circles, but Sam is one of the nicest guys I have met during my many years in DC. His partner, Anka, just finished her masters at night and works at a professional association that advocates for women's health issues. Sam and Anka are a modern couple that I greatly enjoy hanging out with so I was really curious to see who they invited. They invited another couple they know, Andy and Cat (which is short for Catherine). Anka and Cat went to college together and also work together. Andy is a director at an organization that deals with event planning and he oversees production and design of sets for various events, in particular we talked about some recent car shows he worked at - which we both thought are events still stuck in the past.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9W5VGk9wm1Y/U8waWanIYOI/AAAAAAAAAdg/lpL42SXzvm4/s1600/IMG_2070.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9W5VGk9wm1Y/U8waWanIYOI/AAAAAAAAAdg/lpL42SXzvm4/s1600/IMG_2070.jpg" height="400" width="277" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Homemade ricotta after being drained and chilled in cheesecloth.</td></tr>
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In a first for our dinners, the mystery guests beat the invited guests to our house. Cat and Andy live in Dupont Circle and the phenomenal weather that night, which allowed us to eat outside on our back patio, meant they could walk up to our place in Mount Pleasant. Much like Sam and Anka, they are incredibly pleasant, calm, and easy to talk to - so it was not an issue to meet them first. Sam and Anka soon arrived. And in another first, I had asked Sam, who home brews and works part time at Atlas Brewery, to bring some of his favorite brews to eat along the meal. We still made a cocktail and had wine with dinner, but Sam's beers were far better than anything we had purchased. We ate our food and sipped on wine and beer on the patio well into the evening. It was one of the nicest You Pick Two's we have had yet. Here is the menu from the evening:<br />
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Kurthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06768740686189538471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2293086269950404848.post-19534393457325291482014-06-26T14:47:00.003-04:002014-06-26T15:06:32.244-04:00Strudel, but not for your toaster.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DzcjGDFVBcs/U6xn0qtq5EI/AAAAAAAAAco/lhEz1jXEAgQ/s1600/Strudel+Group.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DzcjGDFVBcs/U6xn0qtq5EI/AAAAAAAAAco/lhEz1jXEAgQ/s1600/Strudel+Group.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The finished dish.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As Germany slowly beat the USA soccer team into a scoreless trance, I am reminded that I never posted our main course from our Austrian dinner a month or so back. Normally I would just move on, but this was so good and such an unusual and fun thing to make that I have to post it. The steps are pretty basic: you make a mousse out of chicken breast and cream in a food processor, you blanch some cabbage leaves, you wrap the cabbage leaves around uncooked chicken breast, spoon a generous dollop of the mousse on top, then wrap in phyllo dough and bake. As Nigella always says, there's a difference between time consuming and hard, this takes a bit of time but it's not hard. I served it over a puree of celery root and parsnips, which were boiled in some cream and then pureed with a stick blender and some butter. But honestly a salad or some sautéed greens or peas would be just great alongside. Give it a shot when the weather cools down this fall. And once again, this came from the fantastic cookbook <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Neue-Cuisine-Elegant-Recipes-Sabarsky/dp/0847835626" target="_blank">Neue Cuisine by Kurt Gutenbrunner</a><br />
<span id="goog_2054657602"></span><br />
<strong>Cabbage-Wrapped-Chicken Strudel</strong><br />
<em>Ingredients</em><br />
8 large cabbage leaves (use either green cabbage or Savoy cabbage if you can find it)<br />
5 skinless, boneless chicken breasts<br />
2 ice cubes<br />
2 cups heavy cream<br />
24 frozen phyllo sheets, thawed (if they are the very large sheets, use only 12)<br />
6 tablespoons unsalted butter (clarified, unsalted butter if you have it)<br />
salt<br />
pepper<br />
<em>Preparation</em><br />
1. Prepare the cabbage leaves: bring a large pot of water to boil, add a tablespoon of salt. Fill a large bowl with ice water. Add the cabbage leaves 1 or 2 at a time to the boiling water for a couple minutes, then put them in the ice water. Once all leaves have been blanched, lay them out on some paper towels and pat them dry. If the center rib of the leaf is really thick, remove it.<br />
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2. Prepare the mousse: place a medium bowl inside a large bowl filled with ice water. Cut 1 chicken breast into 1-inch cubes and add to a food processor, season with a 1/2 teaspoon of salt and several grinds of fresh black pepper, then add the ice cubes. Pulse the processor for at least 30 seconds or until the mixture is well chopped (could be up to a minute depending on your device). Then, turn the processor on and gradually add the cream through the funnel. Keep adding the cream until the mixture turns a light pink and has thickened to a mousse. Scoop the mousse out into the small bowl that is in the large bowl with ice water, or put the bowl in the fridge to keep the mousse from separating.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oCW4gLvAac4/U6xny8J05sI/AAAAAAAAAck/Gt6jxvCKygg/s1600/Strudel+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oCW4gLvAac4/U6xny8J05sI/AAAAAAAAAck/Gt6jxvCKygg/s1600/Strudel+1.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finished mousse should look like this, pale pink and thick.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
3. Prepare the phyllo: If you have very large sheets of phyllo, cut the 12 sheets in half so that you have 24 sheets that are uniform in size. Stack them and cover them with a damp cloth.<br />
<br />
4. Prepare the chicken strudel: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Take 1 sheet of the phyllo, brush with the melted butter. Repeat with 5 more sheets, stacking them as you go.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Oz2P_lNaf58/U6xnzt-iyTI/AAAAAAAAAcs/gAyVmcsGojM/s1600/Strudel+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Oz2P_lNaf58/U6xnzt-iyTI/AAAAAAAAAcs/gAyVmcsGojM/s1600/Strudel+4.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kevin brushing the cut phyllo sheets with clarified butter.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Then, set one chicken breast in the center of one of the cabbage leaves. Add 3 tablespoons of the mousse on top of the chicken and then wrap the leaf around the breast. If the leaves are small, just place one under the breast, add the mousse, and then one on top - tucking it around the breast if you can. Place the wrapped breast about one inch from the side of the stacked, 6 phyllo sheets, leaving a half-inch or so on the top or bottom as well. Roll the breast and phyllos sheets over several times until the whole thing is wrapped in phyllo. Tuck in the ends. Place each strudel on to the parchment-lined pan as you go.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--Zcy-fWCHbw/U6xnzCauUgI/AAAAAAAAAcg/oisjWIFRepo/s1600/Strudel+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--Zcy-fWCHbw/U6xnzCauUgI/AAAAAAAAAcg/oisjWIFRepo/s1600/Strudel+2.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Place the cabbage-wrapped breasts on the stacks and fold over until you reach the end.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
5. Brush the strudels with the melted butter and sprinkle over some salt and pepper. Put the sheet in the oven and bake 20 minutes. Take them out and check to make sure the chicken is cooked through by slicing into one of the strudels. It took me about 25 minutes total, the phyllo should be nice and golden brown as well. Let cool for a few minutes before serving.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0LnSZugU0Rs/U6xnzE4QxQI/AAAAAAAAAc4/BaJ0F2Whbr4/s1600/Strudel+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0LnSZugU0Rs/U6xnzE4QxQI/AAAAAAAAAc4/BaJ0F2Whbr4/s1600/Strudel+3.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These are ready for the oven.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i>Note</i>: The recipe for the mousse is more than enough if you want to do this for 6 or 8 people, just add more phyllo sheets and keep going until you have enough for each person at your table.<br />
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<br />Kurthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06768740686189538471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2293086269950404848.post-20800044264898593442014-05-30T17:08:00.003-04:002014-09-17T17:34:58.317-04:00Spaetzle! <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--whAXbUwDC8/U4jwQN5-8xI/AAAAAAAAAak/AgbqmM3oEWc/s1600/Spatzle+Finished.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--whAXbUwDC8/U4jwQN5-8xI/AAAAAAAAAak/AgbqmM3oEWc/s1600/Spatzle+Finished.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The finished dish.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Spaetzle, or spatzle, is quintessentially central European, so naturally I had to include it (or some version of it) as part of my culinary trip to Austria for my most recent You Pick Two dinner. Spaetzle are cooked in a large pan of water brought to a rolling boil and then often sauteed in butter, or the fat of your choice, until lightly brown and crispy on the outside. Cooked this way, it makes an excellent bed for a meaty or rich stew like a goulash, or as a fantastic starch to soak up any sauce you might find in central European cuisine. But having already made a modern version of beef stew at my first dinner, and having recently cooked an Italian meal, I thought why not make spaetzle the "pasta" or first course for the Austrian dinner. I think the guests were glad I did.<br />
<br />
Making the spaetzle itself was actually quite fun and confidence boosting. The basic process is make a dough, let it rest a bit, then press the dough through large holes in a colander to make them rain down into said pan of gently boiling water to cook for a bit. Then scoop out the cooked dumplings to a large bowl of ice water before draining them in a colander. Boom. Done. <br />
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Chef Kurt Gutenbrunner's recipe that I used for this dinner is called "quark spaetzle" - with quark being a creamy to slightly firm cheese found in lots of central and eastern European cooking. Unfortunately, my Harris Teeter doesn't carry quark, but it does carry many varieties of greek yogurt which the chef recommended as a substitute. The resulting spaetzle was light with a nice chew. Frankly, this dish could easily serve as a main course with a salad, or grilled asparagus, or sauteed carrots served alongside. But these dinners are meant to be over the top, so it served as the first course.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gQhDOXpmy7I/U4jxp5iLNlI/AAAAAAAAAaw/IXcs7c6CTGI/s1600/Spatzle+Middle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gQhDOXpmy7I/U4jxp5iLNlI/AAAAAAAAAaw/IXcs7c6CTGI/s1600/Spatzle+Middle.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cooked spaetzle after it has been drained.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Like I said, spaetzle can be served in a variety of ways. For my dinner, I sauteed mushrooms, brussel sprout leaves, corn and peas in some butter and herbs in a large saute pan before adding a little cream to make a sauce (the recipe is also in the book). I formed and cooked the spaetzle earlier in the day, adding a couple tablespoons of oil to the drained spaetzle, mixing about, and then chilling them in the fridge. The spaetzle will keep up to two days in the fridge, if properly covered. However, you could also just add the spaetzle directly to the sauce after you poach and drain them, if that works better for you. So, here we go:<br />
<br />
<b>Spaetzle with a white corn, brussel sprouts, mushrooms, peas, and tarragon cream sauce</b>*<br />
Serves 4 as a main course, 6 as a first course<br />
<br />
<i>Ingredients</i><br />
1/2 teaspoon salt<br />
several grinds of fresh ground black pepper<br />
2 cups all-purpose flour<br />
1/8 tsp nutmeg, freshly grated<br />
2 large eggs, lightly beaten<br />
1 cup quark cheese (I substituted a 7 oz. container of 2% Fage greek yogurt)<br />
1/3 cup heavy cream<br />
<br />
<i>Directions</i><br />
1. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk the flour with 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, and the nutmeg.<br />
2. Add the eggs, quark (greek yogurt), and cream and beat until smooth. It should easily form a large ball of dough, if still dry add a couple tablespoons of cream till it comes together. Let the dough rest for about 15 minutes before proceeding with the next steps.<br />
3. Fill a large bowl with ice water. Working in batches, press the dough through a colander with large holes using a rubber spatula into the boiling water. I ended up using a draining ladle that I had, otherwise use a spaetzle maker.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xwV1fW_BDOg/U4jx2hxroBI/AAAAAAAAAa4/hkpXR4GA6P8/s1600/Spatzle+Press.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xwV1fW_BDOg/U4jx2hxroBI/AAAAAAAAAa4/hkpXR4GA6P8/s1600/Spatzle+Press.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pressing the spaetzle dough through my makeshift maker.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
4. Cook until the spaetzle float to the surface, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a fine sieve, transfer the spaetzle to the ice water for 1 to 2 minutes to cool, then remove to a colander to drain.<br />
5. Serve with your sauce of choice or saute the drained spaetzle in a couple tablespoons of butter until golden brown. <br />
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*Adapted from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=neue%20cuisine&sprefix=neue+cu%2Caps&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Aneue%20cuisine&ajr=2" target="_blank">Neue Cuisine by Kurt Gutenbrunner</a><br />
<br />Kurthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06768740686189538471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2293086269950404848.post-17181622217288311652014-04-29T11:09:00.001-04:002014-04-30T21:32:24.689-04:00#5: Café ViennaThe hills were most certainly alive at our latest You Pick Two event. It was an Austrian-inspired meal in honor of one of our closest friends, Chris Handler. His nickname is "Dr. Chris," since he holds a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania in molecular biology. He currently works as a Senior Vice President at a large public relations firm here in DC where he advises government clients on campaigns related to health care and wellness. It's ok to feel like a slacker when you read his bio, I sometimes do. Chris' family is from Austria, although that part of the country where they originate from is now technically in Slovenia. So I had hoped to remind him of some of the foods he may have eaten or talked about while growing up in Long Island with his extended Austrian family. Not knowing really anything about this type of cuisine, except for beer and sausages really, I went online to do some research. I came across a book called <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Neue-Cuisine-Elegant-Recipes-Sabarsky/dp/0847835626/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1398781170&sr=8-1&keywords=neue+cuisine" target="_blank">Neue Cuisine</a> by chef Kurt Gutenbrunner. It was perfect. If you have any interest in this type of food, or are curious about the region and traditions, I highly recommend adding it to your library. The recipes and stories are beautifully written and presented, and the author adds lots of useful tips and notes about making the dishes ahead or substitutions for hard to find ingredients. And the precision of the recipes, as you might expect, is super sharp. I made the recipes exactly as written and had zero issues. In fact by the end of preparing the meal, I felt suprisingly competent - which can be dangerous. I started to think an 8-layer torte with a meringue center, several fillings, and a whipped ganache frosting seemed entirely feasible in a day. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lj-k-eynYN0/U1-3NfA-7KI/AAAAAAAAAZA/RQ2ilTULjuQ/s1600/IMG_2047.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lj-k-eynYN0/U1-3NfA-7KI/AAAAAAAAAZA/RQ2ilTULjuQ/s1600/IMG_2047.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Edelweiss indeed.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The table setting and theme were inspired by a photograph in the book that was taken off the tables outside of <a href="http://kg-ny.com/wallse-photo-gallery" target="_blank">Cafe Wallsé</a>, which is one of the author's restaurants in New York. It had white tablecloths, with hints of black and blue in the napkins and accessories. I ran with that and had my friend Chuck of the amazing <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/LUSH-Arrangements-by-Chuck-Ruoff/491113800953807" target="_blank">LUSH Arrangements</a> make a fantastic centerpiece for the table. He thought of "Edelweiss" from The Sound of Music and his arrangement of thistles and wildflowers certainly reflected that inspiration. Frankly, it was probably my favorite table setting so far for You Pick Two. <br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zZeczYz-wXE/U1-7Kv1OHJI/AAAAAAAAAZQ/QTtmiSWKO6Q/s1600/Group.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zZeczYz-wXE/U1-7Kv1OHJI/AAAAAAAAAZQ/QTtmiSWKO6Q/s1600/Group.jpg" height="252" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From left: Kevin, Chris Handler, Ken Rub, and Andy Scahill</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
So what about the mystery guests? Chris put a lot of time into selecting some great guys to bring, and it really showed. Andy Scahill is a friend of Chris and a <a href="http://explore.georgetown.edu/people/as3503/" target="_blank">professor</a> of film and media studies at Georgetown University. His attitude was unpretentious, which I was concerned about since my film class professor in undergrad was quite stuffy, and he could talk about any film. I watched a beyond my years Roman Polansky film in undergrad called The Tenant. Seriously, look it up, really bizarre (but really good). It was nice to talk to someone who had actually seen it and could add some insight. Chris also brought an ex-boyfriend of his named Ken Rub. Ken's father was a Methodist minister in the South and he went into the army right out of high school to get away and see the world. After several years in the army and after attending college, Ken went on to become a banker. He travels the world extensively and is now a managing director at a commercial real estate firm here in DC. Oh and in his spare time he teaches yoga classes and crossfit. Despite all the success, he was a very approachable and independent guy that we are sure to be friends with after the dinner.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qidoXyaoZm4/U1-8xb90H-I/AAAAAAAAAZY/I2m3yWpmweM/s1600/FFries+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qidoXyaoZm4/U1-8xb90H-I/AAAAAAAAAZY/I2m3yWpmweM/s1600/FFries+(2).jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matchstick fries.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
For the menu, I pushed myself to try several things I have never made before: spatzle and strudel chief among them. We didn't do a cocktail this time since the meal was so intricate, but I did make some matchstick fries and a mustard dipping sauce to go with our glass of bubbly. I never really deep fry things, mostly because I am slightly intimidated by it, but I used this <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/matchstick-potatoes-recipe.html" target="_blank">Ina recipe</a> and they came out great. The key was to thinly slice them using a mandoline; I don't think I could have done it by hand. Here is the menu from the night, the recipes will follow soon: <br />
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<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Courier; font-size: 24pt;">MENU<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Courier; font-size: 14pt;">Café Vienna<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier;">April 19, 2014<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Courier; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b><br />
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 3pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Courier; font-size: 14pt;">Starters</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier;">Matchstick fries</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Courier;">Crispy thin-cut potatoes,
horseradish-mustard dipping sauce <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier;">Landjagger sausage</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cured German pork & beef sausage </i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Courier; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b><br />
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 3pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Courier; font-size: 14pt;">First Course</span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier;">Sp<span style="color: black;">ä</span>tzle </span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Courier;">White corn, brussel sprouts,
mushrooms, tarragon <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Courier;">cream sauce <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Courier; font-size: 14pt;"></span></b><br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 3pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Courier; font-size: 14pt;">Main</span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier;">Cabbage-wrapped Chicken Strudel <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Courier;">Chicken mousse, phyllo dough,
parsnip-celery root puree<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Courier; font-size: 14pt;">Sweet</span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier;">Sachertorte<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Courier;">Chocolate cake, strawberry preserves,
chocolate ganache, whipped cream <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 3pt; text-align: center;">
<u><span style="font-family: Courier; font-size: 14pt;">Guests</span></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier;">Chris Handler</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier;">Andy Scahill</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier;">Ken Rub<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Kurthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06768740686189538471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2293086269950404848.post-6008978520135533102014-04-18T16:59:00.002-04:002014-04-18T17:05:33.360-04:00Beans and greens<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UT2_t05cHU0/U1GFEHc1N-I/AAAAAAAAAYk/aodzNME8TpU/s1600/Beans1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UT2_t05cHU0/U1GFEHc1N-I/AAAAAAAAAYk/aodzNME8TpU/s1600/Beans1.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Growing up a New Englander, I never had anything like Southern food till I came
down to Virginia for school and then to DC for my job and as a place to live. Though I do want to sheepishly point out that I get some southern cred here because I was born in the South. Baton Rouge, Louisiana in fact. I lived there for about a year while my Dad was in grad school at LSU, before heading up to Worcester to grow up.<br />
<br />
While being a resident of the mid-Atlantic area, I have also made several
trips down to Charleston, New Orleans, and Savannah, and have sampled
all kinds of Southern cuisine. What I came to love most were the side dishes - mac and cheese, collards, okra, green beans, etc. In fact, I honestly could skip the fried meat as a main and order a plate of sides at most places. Not that I am vegetarian or anything (the veggie sides in the South contain plenty of pork regardless), but I love the slow cooked flavor of low country cooking and that really comes through in the sides. Legumes, iron-rich leafy vegetables, tough inexpensive cuts of meat - all of them have tons of flavor, but take some time to cook. That's fine by me, the setup and prep is pretty straightforward and you just have to check on them once in a while they cook. No other work necessary. Plus it waits for you, these sides can be kept at room temperature - just warm through before serving.<br />
<br />
For our Southern dinner, it had to be my two favorites: black-eyed peas and collard greens. For the peas, it really makes a big difference if you start with dried beans. Canned is fine, but if you have the time, start with dried beans. You just need to soak them overnight and then boil them for a bit the next day. It's not hard, just takes a little time. You then saute some kielbasa or bacon in a large dutch oven with some aromatics, add the cook peas and a little seasoning, and you are good to go.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-12bVqXimPTI/U1GFD9UZX4I/AAAAAAAAAYc/ppH2fUFsr6A/s1600/Collards1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-12bVqXimPTI/U1GFD9UZX4I/AAAAAAAAAYc/ppH2fUFsr6A/s1600/Collards1.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
I used organic collard greens here because I feel better when I use organic vegetables. But use whatever you can find. And the key to the collard greens, for me, is the acidity of red wine or cider vinegar. I find that my taste buds are normally completely overwhelmed by very vinegary items like pickles or salt and vinegar potato chips, but here in the greens, the acidity mellows while it cooks and serves as a great counterpoint to the earthy richness of the greens. All greens are cooked with some kind of ham product as well. Traditionally, based on my research, it's smoked ham hocks. I couldn't find them at my local store so instead I used a smoked ham steak that I diced into cubes. It worked great. You could also use good quality deli ham as well, sliced thickly. Or you could skip the ham and go the meatless route, but I feel then you lose some of that traditional flavor. <br />
<br />
The one thing I did try to lose was some of the heaviness or greasiness of the sides I have found at some Southern restaurants. I think these restaurants use fat and salt to mask poor quality ingredients. The recipes below are still packed with lots of flavor but taste lighter and fresh. And, these sides only get better the more they sit - so they are perfect for making ahead and keeping in the fridge. Just reheat them before your dinner. Enjoy!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qbafRf21SR4/U1GFENiX10I/AAAAAAAAAYg/al8T7P1Z_lc/s1600/Beans2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qbafRf21SR4/U1GFENiX10I/AAAAAAAAAYg/al8T7P1Z_lc/s1600/Beans2.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>Black-eyed peas</b><br />
<i>Ingredients</i><br />
2 cups dried black-eyed peas, soaked overnight<br />
1 large sweet onion, diced<br />
1 red bell pepper, diced<br />
1 lb. pork kielbasa, casings removed if you can<br />
2 bay leaves <br />
2 tablespoons butter<br />
1 tablespoon olive oil<br />
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper<br />
1 teaspoon kosher salt<br />
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper<br />
1 teaspoon granulated white sugar<br />
1 teaspoon garlic powder<br />
1 to 1 1/2 cups chicken stock <br />
<br />
<i>Directions</i><br />
1. Soak the beans overnight in a large bowl. Drain the beans and add to a large saucepan. Add water to cover the beans by about an inch. Throw in the bay leaves. Bring the pan to a boil, lower to a simmer and partially cover. Cook the beans for about 20-30 minutes, they will still be on the firmer side. Drain and rinse the beans, keep the bay leaves.<br />
<br />
2. Heat a 5-7 quart dutch oven over medium heat for several minutes. Add the butter and the oil. When butter has melted, crumble in the pork kielbasa. If you can't remove the skins, dice the whole kielbasa into small cubes. Brown and render the fat out of the sausage for several minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the kielbasa.<br />
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3. Add the diced onion, diced pepper, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, pepper, garlic powder, cayenne, and sugar. Saute and sweat out the veggies for about 8-10 minutes. Add the kielbasa and drained beans to the pan now.<br />
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4. Add the chicken stock so that it barely comes up to the top of the bean mixture. Bring to a boil and then partially cover and cook for about 45 minutes to an hour, until the beans are very tender but not mushy. Let cool slightly before serving.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UE6iiy7NWgM/U1GFFGSvyCI/AAAAAAAAAYs/1dmnE08R2IM/s1600/Collards2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UE6iiy7NWgM/U1GFFGSvyCI/AAAAAAAAAYs/1dmnE08R2IM/s1600/Collards2.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>Collard greens</b><br />
<div class="ingredients">
<i><span itemprop="ingredients">Ingredients</span></i></div>
<div class="ingredients">
<span itemprop="ingredients">2 tablespoons olive oil</span></div>
<div class="ingredients">
<span itemprop="ingredients">1 tablespoon butter</span><span itemprop="ingredients"> </span></div>
<div class="ingredients">
<span itemprop="ingredients">1 large onion, diced</span><span itemprop="ingredients"> </span></div>
<div class="ingredients">
<span itemprop="ingredients">4 cloves garlic, minced</span><span itemprop="ingredients"></span><span itemprop="ingredients"> </span></div>
<div class="ingredients">
<span itemprop="ingredients">1 to 1 1/2 cups chopped smoked ham</span><span itemprop="ingredients"> </span></div>
<div class="ingredients">
<span itemprop="ingredients">3-4 cups chicken stock</span><span itemprop="ingredients"> </span></div>
<div class="ingredients">
<span itemprop="ingredients">3 teaspoons red wine (or cider) vinegar</span><span itemprop="ingredients"> </span></div>
<div class="ingredients">
<span itemprop="ingredients">5 bunches of organic collards (about 2 pounds total) or two 16oz bags chopped collards</span><span itemprop="ingredients"> </span></div>
<div class="ingredients">
<span itemprop="ingredients">1-2 teaspoons of kosher salt </span></div>
<div class="ingredients">
<span itemprop="ingredients">freshly ground pepper to taste</span></div>
<br />
<i>Directions</i><br />
1. Wash and de-stem each collard leaf. Stack all the leaves on top of each other and cut them crosswise into 1 inch strips.<br />
<br />
<div class="directions">
<span itemprop="recipeInstructions">2. In a large dutch oven, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add the diced onion
and saute for 5 minutes, or until translucent. Add the minced garlic and saute for another minute
or two.<br />
<br />
3. Add the diced ham and/or ham hocks if you have them. Saute for several minutes with the vegetables and fat in the pan. Add the collards, tamping
down with a wooden spoon to get all of the greens in the pot. Season with one teaspoon of salt and several grinds of fresh pepper.<br />
<br />
4. After the greens have wilted, add the stock and the vinegar. You want there to be enough stock or liquid to just barely cover the greens. Bring to a boil and then partially cover and
simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.<br />
<br />
5. When the greens are really tender and their greenness has dulled to a browner shade, they are done. Make sure to taste for seasoning. Add another 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of salt if it needs it and several grinds of fresh black pepper. <br />
</span></div>
<br />Kurthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06768740686189538471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2293086269950404848.post-84873705727169198052014-03-25T18:24:00.000-04:002014-03-25T18:24:00.397-04:00#4: Southern Traditions<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5jQuD6bgZ8I/UzH9aqu1TUI/AAAAAAAAAXw/OKAeG8dQFOk/s1600/IMG_1838.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5jQuD6bgZ8I/UzH9aqu1TUI/AAAAAAAAAXw/OKAeG8dQFOk/s1600/IMG_1838.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Last weekend we hosted our fourth You Pick Two event. We invited a good friend of ours, Chris Keller. He is co-owner of a salon on U St. in DC called Parlour. I admire him for the risk he took in starting his own business. I hope to someday strike out and start up my own business, but it's a scary thing to go out on your own like that. He and his business partner Rebecca have established a thriving business in a bustling part of town. Chris is also a close friend of mine and we have been through a lot together over the past decade or so.<br />
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Chris brought his boyfriend, Tyler Mains. He's a young artist who is a visual manager at Bloomingdales in Chevy Chase, MD. I was with Chris when he met Tyler last year during DC's Gay Pride event. You could tell from how they chatted that it was a good match. He's very talented and has been able to make a living in the art world, which is not easy. They have been dating almost a year now and I am very happy for both of them. Tyler brought two friends and co-workers from Bloomingdales, Gail Viraldo and Adebimpe Abanishe. They were both very nice people and a pleasure to have over for dinner. Gayle is a cook herself so I was very happy that she enjoyed the meal.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uWO-CsfnBoM/UzH9DUIBmhI/AAAAAAAAAXg/dzGSKHUFiSA/s1600/IMG_1825.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uWO-CsfnBoM/UzH9DUIBmhI/AAAAAAAAAXg/dzGSKHUFiSA/s1600/IMG_1825.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hummingbird cake.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
For food, I wanted to choose something that Chris would enjoy. Chris, for lack of a better word, eats terribly. That's a little harsh, but somewhat true. He loves rich food and can make some of the best midnight nachos, purely from things you can find at any CVS. He's also very thin, which is not fair if you ask me. He came by for dinner several years ago and Kevin made one of his favorites dishes, Chicken and Peaches; it involves butter, canned peaches, and Bisquick. Chris loved it. Kevin is from the south so I wanted to play on that and I decided to do a traditional southern meal. <br />
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After talking with Kevin, I thought because it is the south, I had to do something fried. I've made fried chicken before but it just that didn't seem special enough for this - so I made chicken fried steak with sausage gravy. It was very rich and incredibly good. The sides consisted of southern staples black-eyed peas and collard greens, both modernized a little bit. And to top it all off I made a hummingbird cake. Red velvet is a little more expected, so I wanted to branch out and try something else. Hummingbird cake is called that (supposedly) because it is so sweet that it could attract hummingbirds. This one was sweet, but fantastic. I will be posting the recipes from the menu below over the next couple weeks. <br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Courier; font-size: 24.0pt;">MENU</span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Courier; font-size: 14.0pt;">Southern Traditions</span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier;">March 15, 2014</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Courier; font-size: 14.0pt;">Cocktail</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier;">Orange Mint Julep </span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Courier;">Bulleit
bourbon, orange bitters, simple syrup</span></i><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Courier; font-size: 14.0pt;"></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Courier; font-size: 14.0pt;">Starter</span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier;">Cheese Wafers</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Courier;">Cheddar cheese, salted butter,
cayenne</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Courier; font-size: 14.0pt;">Main</span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier;">Chicken Fried Steak</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Courier;">Bottom round steak cutlet, sausage
gravy </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3.0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Courier; font-size: 14.0pt;">Sides</span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier;">Collard greens </span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Courier;">Organic greens, smoked ham, red wine
vinegar </span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier;">Black-eyed peas </span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Courier;">Pork kielbasa, aromatic vegetables,
chicken stock</span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Courier; font-size: 14.0pt;">Sweet</span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier;">Hummingbird cake</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Courier;">Three-layer cake, cream cheese
frosting, toasted pecans </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3.0pt; text-align: center;">
<u><span style="font-family: Courier; font-size: 14.0pt;">Guests</span></u></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier;">Chris Keller</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier;">Tyler Mains</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier;">Gail Viraldo</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier;">Adebimpe Abanishe</span></div>
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<br />
<br />Kurthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06768740686189538471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2293086269950404848.post-73254870519426128182014-03-14T17:44:00.002-04:002014-03-28T14:33:08.366-04:00Pasta time<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bmvsZRygvJA/UyNsoCnF6ZI/AAAAAAAAAWg/Dnbu9WDNQrI/s1600/Pasta+Finished.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bmvsZRygvJA/UyNsoCnF6ZI/AAAAAAAAAWg/Dnbu9WDNQrI/s1600/Pasta+Finished.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
I have to confess something: there is nothing I love more than a fantastic pasta dish. In particular, a handmade, fresh pasta dish. So for my tribute to our trip to Italy, I wanted to make a fresh pasta in a shape native to the region and with a sauce you would find there. Using Lidia's book as a guide, I found something that I think everyone agreed was their favorite course of the meal. The shape native to Umbria is called strangozzi. It's basically like a thicker, shorter linguine or spaghetti (or a shorter fettuccine basically). What's really interesting about the dough is that it has no eggs. Zero. I have only made pasta a couple times, but each time it required an egg. And contrary to what you may think, the pasta was light with great chew and did a fantastic job complementing the herby, tomatoy, bacony sauce.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LC9UfuqSdsQ/UyNszxSIFbI/AAAAAAAAAWo/IwjVtafrWz0/s1600/Marjoram.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LC9UfuqSdsQ/UyNszxSIFbI/AAAAAAAAAWo/IwjVtafrWz0/s1600/Marjoram.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fresh marjoram </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The key for the sauce, I have to say, was the fresh marjoram. It gave that kind of other wordly, unique edge that I was looking for - it reminded me a lot of the food we ate while in Italy. If you can't find fresh marjoram, then substitute with dried, but only use about half as much. I started the sauce earlier in the day and just let it simmer for a while. Making the pasta takes a little time, but it's not hard. You kind of develop a knack for it as you hand roll and cut the strangozzi. Kevin and I did it together and it was just a nice way to spend an afternoon. PLEASE try this. I can't speak highly enough about it.<br />
<br />
<u><b>Strangozzi with Tomato Bacon Sauce</b></u><br />
<br />
<b>Strangozzi</b><br />
<i>Ingredients</i><br />
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (or double 00 if you have it), plus more for working the dough<br />
1 3/4 cups fine semolina flour, plus more for working the dough<br />
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt<br />
1 1/4 cups ice water, plus more as needed<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3c396vilGwc/UyNuMNbzFgI/AAAAAAAAAW0/SRgGe_b89wQ/s1600/Pasta+Nest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3c396vilGwc/UyNuMNbzFgI/AAAAAAAAAW0/SRgGe_b89wQ/s1600/Pasta+Nest.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<i>Directions</i><br />
1. In the bowl of a food processor, place the flour and salt, cover it with the top. Pulse a few times to blend and aerate the dough.<br />
2. With the motor running, slowly add the ice water through the funnel. The dough is ready when it begins to gather around the blade. It will be slightly sticky to touch. It should form a ball easily. Add more flour or water (if it is too wet or dry) as necessary.<br />
3. Dump the dough onto a lightly floured surface, knead by hand a few times until it's smooth, soft, and stretchy. Nigella once said it should feel like a baby's bottom - and she's right it kind of does. Form it into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and let rest for about a half hour at room temperature. You can refrigerate it up to a day or freeze up to a month.<br />
4. Cut the dough into six equal pieces. I cut the disk in half, then cut each half into thirds, with a lightly floured bench scraper.<br />
5. Using a pasta roller (I use and recommend the pasta roller attachment for the Kitchenaid mixer), began to roll out each piece. Pass each section through "1" setting two times. Then pass each one through the "2" setting once, and the "3" setting once. That should do it. If using a different roller, then you want to end up with the sheets about 1/8" thick. Place each strip on a lightly floured surface or a sheet pan and cover each one loosely with a kitchen towel. Let them dry out under the towel for about 20-30 minutes.<br />
6. Now it's time to form the strangozzi. Lay a strip in front of you, trim the edges to make it an even-ish rectangle of sorts. Roll up the sheet from the short side, almost like forming like a jelly roll. If your machine forms wider strips, you would then roll up from both ends and meet in the middle, forming a long scroll of sorts.<br />
7. With a sharp and lightly floured knife, cut the jelly roll into pieces at a 1/4" interval. Once done cutting a roll into pieces, using your floured hands, shake out the rolls so that they become long strands. Place the cut strangozzi into six nests or piles (one for each sheet of dough) on a floured half sheet pan. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rest for about another 10 minutes.<br />
8. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Cook two nests at a time: place both nests in the boiling water and stir gently. When they are done they will float to the top. It only takes a few minutes (5 minutes at most), be patient. Scoop the cooked strangozzi out of the water using a strainer or wire spider and put them into a waiting, large skillet that has 2 cups of heated tomato bacon sauce (recipe below). Toss everything together over low heat and serve in warm bowls with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and some chopped fresh parsley.<br />
<br />
<b>Tomato Bacon Sauce</b><br />
<i>Ingredients</i><br />
1 medium onion, roughly chopped <br />
1 medium carrot, roughly chopped<br />
1 medium stalk celery, roughly chopped<br />
4 garlic cloves, peeled<br />
4 slices of thick cut bacon, diced<br />
3 tablespoons of olive oil<br />
two 28-oz cans of San Marzano tomatoes, crushed by hand<br />
3 tablespoons loosely packed fresh marjoram, chopped finely<br />
1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes (peperoncino) <br />
1 teaspoon of kosher salt<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mYQyKQMyVhI/UyNw5x4RblI/AAAAAAAAAXA/6cNj2gJzkFg/s1600/Tomatoes+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mYQyKQMyVhI/UyNw5x4RblI/AAAAAAAAAXA/6cNj2gJzkFg/s1600/Tomatoes+2.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hand crushed San Marzano plum tomatoes </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i>Directions</i><br />
1. Place the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic in a food processor, cover, and process until finely minced.<br />
2. Heat a large dutch oven over medium heat for a few minutes. Pour in the oil and then add the bacon slices. Cook the bacon, stirring occasionally, until all their fat has been rendered.<br />
3. Add the minced vegetables and stir everything together. Cook out the liquid in the vegetables over medium heat for about 6-8 minutes. Sprinkle in the peperoncino.<br />
4. Once the vegetables start to stick to the bottom of the pan, add the crushed tomatoes, their juices, the marjoram, and the salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce heat to maintain a steady simmer. Cook the sauce, uncovered, for 30-45 minutes. You want a lot of the water to evaporate and to make a sauce that will cling to the pasta well (basically the consistency of a jarred marinara sauce).<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Kurthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06768740686189538471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2293086269950404848.post-49107118952657622552014-03-10T16:31:00.002-04:002014-03-10T16:31:44.177-04:00Cocktail and aperitivo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7KwK1OB8a7o/UxpnfvV_1MI/AAAAAAAAAVs/RZpJ8eTDOwA/s1600/Appetizer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7KwK1OB8a7o/UxpnfvV_1MI/AAAAAAAAAVs/RZpJ8eTDOwA/s1600/Appetizer.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
We have sort hit on a tradition that our cocktail for these events includes bubbly in some way, in this case it was prosecco. This cocktail came from Martha Stewart and was very easy to make - it tasted like a very sophisticated and light ginger ale. Delicious. You basically make a 1-to-1 ratio simple syrup and let it steep with some diced or finely sliced ginger root for about 15 minutes. Chill the syrup overnight and add a few tablespoons of it to a slim highball or champage flute and fill the rest with bubbly. Trust me, these will go down quickly.<br />
<br />
<b>Zenzero frizzante ("Sparkling Ginger")</b><br />
<i>Ingredients</i><br />
(makes about 6 drinks)<br />
1 bottle of prosecco or sparkling wine of your choice (something dry and not sweet)<br />
1 cup of sugar<br />
1 cup of water<br />
2 inch piece of ginger root finely diced or sliced (no need to peel)<br />
<br />
<i>Directions</i><br />
1. Put the sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Bring almost to a boil.<br />
2. Once solution almost comes to a boil (you will see small bubbles around the edges of the pan), throw in the sliced ginger, turn off the heat, and cover. Let the ginger steep for about 15-20 minutes.<br />
3. Pour the mixture through a sieve into a measuring cup or glass to strain out the ginger. Let it sit in the fridge, covered, overnight.<br />
4. Add 3-4 tablespoons of the chilled syrup to a tom collins glass or large champagne flute, fill the rest of the glass with chilled prosecco. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-p_zhsBU7FhM/UxpnuRvOS9I/AAAAAAAAAV0/YnaOv3FTKd8/s1600/Dry+Lentils.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-p_zhsBU7FhM/UxpnuRvOS9I/AAAAAAAAAV0/YnaOv3FTKd8/s1600/Dry+Lentils.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Umbrian lentils</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
To go along with the cocktail, I served a crostini topped with a tomato-lentil mixture. It came from the Lidia book I mentioned in the previous post. I think it's a good idea for a dinner party where you are having guests that you don't know that well to make an appetizer or first course that can sit out at room temperature for a while since you never know if the guests will be late. In this case, our guests were quite late so it worked out great. I made the lentil topping in the morning and just re-heated it right before the guests arrived. In fact, you could make this a few days ahead. The night of the dinner, slice up a baguette, drizzle a little olive oil over the toasts, and then generously top with the lentil mixture. Easy. I used Umbrian lentils I ordered off Amazon, but any lentil that holds its shape when cooked (such as french puy or green lentils) would work here as well. I would not use red lentils. I loved this recipe and would definitely make this again in the future.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fxWOXOMYwWQ/Uxpn8K1JmYI/AAAAAAAAAV8/Lu9areqa4mk/s1600/Tomato+Can.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fxWOXOMYwWQ/Uxpn8K1JmYI/AAAAAAAAAV8/Lu9areqa4mk/s1600/Tomato+Can.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>Crostini con lenticchie ("Crostini with lentils")</b><br />
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--></style><i>Ingredients </i><br />
1 cup small lentils<br />
2 medium stalks celery, with leaves, finely chopped<br />
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)<br />
2 garlic cloves, finely sliced or chopped<br />
2 bay leaves, preferably fresh<br />
2 cups of canned whole tomatoes, drained and crushed by hand (San Marzano are the best, reserve the liquid for another use) – 2 cups was basically all the tomatoes in one 28 oz. can.<br />
2 teaspoons kosher salt<br />
¼ teaspoon of red pepper flakes (pepperoncino)<br />
6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil<br />
1 medium baguette, cut into ½ inch thick slices (approximately 10-12 slices total)<br />
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese<br />
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, optional<br />
<br />
<i>Directions </i><br />
1. Rinse and drain the lentils. Place the lentils in a 3-quart saucepan with the chopped celery and bay leaves, add 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer until lentils are mostly cooked (about 20 minutes).<br />
2. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat for several minutes, when hot, add 4 tablespoons of olive oil, the chopped onion, and the garlic. Sprinkle the onion with a pinch of salt to prevent it from browning. Saute for 5 minutes, or until the onion is translucent. Add the pepper flakes, crushed tomatoes, and a teaspoon of salt. Bring to a simmer and cook uncovered for about 10 minutes; the sauce should be noticeably thicker, if not, continue to cook it for another few minutes.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nmg6jOUsDx0/Ux4gwqulb6I/AAAAAAAAAWM/R0wqzz3V5cU/s1600/Sauce.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nmg6jOUsDx0/Ux4gwqulb6I/AAAAAAAAAWM/R0wqzz3V5cU/s1600/Sauce.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The sauce cooking separately from the lentils.</td></tr>
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3. Add the tomato sauce to the mostly cooked lentils in their saucepan. Stir to combine. Return the sauce to a simmer and cook partially covered until the lentils are done, about another 10 minutes. Remove the cover, add a teaspoon of salt, and continue to cook until lentils are very tender and all liquid has evaporated.<br />
4. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Put the baguette slices on a large baking sheet. Put the pan in the oven and cook for about 7-8 minutes. Remove pan and turn the slices over, put the pan back in the oven, and cook for another five minutes or so – basically until the slices have browned nicely. You could also broil the slices for a couple minutes on each side, making sure not to burn them.<br />
5. Drizzle each cooked toast with a little bit of extra virgin olive oil (approximately 2 tablespoons total). Scoop the cooked lentil mixture onto the crostini generously. The topping is best when served warm or hot. Sprinkle a little parmesan cheese and chopped parsley over each crostini, if you feel like it, and serve. <br />
<br />Kurthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06768740686189538471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2293086269950404848.post-87419094668147449632014-02-25T13:31:00.000-05:002014-02-25T13:38:46.023-05:00#3 - A weekend in Umbria<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Our February You Pick Two even took place last weekend and it was a great success. We invited our good friends Meena and Chris, who brought two people we had not met before. I chose a theme based around a vacation we took with Meena and Chris, and other friends, to Italy back in June 2010. We rented a villa on the Tuscany/Umbria border for a week and took lots of day trips to small towns in the area, but mostly we hung out at the house and ate and drank fantastic Italian wines. It was one of my favorite places I have ever been. So with that in mind, I tried to challenge myself with some Umbrian dishes. All but one of the recipes came from the Umbria section of Lidia Bastianich's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Lidia-Cooks-Heart-Italy-Regional/dp/0307267512" target="_blank">cookbook</a> called "Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy". The book was a gift from a close friend of ours for my birthday one year and I have been dying to make some of the recipes. It's organized by region and it served as the perfect inspiration for the meal. <br />
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I will post some of the photos of the food and recipes in the coming weeks. And, I have to say, the meal lived up to my high expectations. I absolutely love Italian food and these recipes showcased the ingredients so well. Nigella once said that French cooking draws attention to the chef while Italian cooking draws attention to the food, and I think there's a lot of truth to that. I also tried to incorporate the simplicity of Italian food and design in our table setting. I was thrilled to showcase a footed bowl that I purchased in Montepulciano (which is technically in Tuscany) during our trip. I bought it at this amazing store where you descended down into this former Etruscan tomb that had beautiful pottery everywhere. Here is a photo of the store:<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0mG2G629Yac/UwzJRFSV7eI/AAAAAAAAAU8/h9TJ0FFzNtE/s1600/Montepulciano0013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0mG2G629Yac/UwzJRFSV7eI/AAAAAAAAAU8/h9TJ0FFzNtE/s1600/Montepulciano0013.jpg" height="640" width="424" /></a></div>
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Our mystery guests were Tara McKelvey and David Brunnstrom. Tara is a friend of Meena's and an extremely successful reporter and writer on a variety of international and security issues (not to mention a mother of three!). Seriously, just <a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/contributors/tara-mckelvey.html" target="_blank">google</a> her name - it speaks for itself. David is also a reporter for Reuters and lives in Washington, DC in the thriving 14th & U street corridor. Needless to say, a lot of our conversation revolved around national and international events, politics, human rights, international security, and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petraeus_scandal" target="_blank">Petraeus scandal</a> (more on that below). In a previous career, I came to DC for an internship at an arms control think-tank/non-profit and tried to pursue a career in international relations. I gave up on that career and went back to school for environmental science, but I still enjoy meeting people in that field and talking about it. Both Meena and Chris are part of the scene, Meena worked at the State Department and later the National Security Council, she is an expert on Afghanistan-Pakistan issues. Chris works for the Center for Naval Analyses, speaks fluent Arabic, and has traveled the Middle East extensively. Unfortunately, Kevin has little to no experience in this area and was not able to participate much in the dinner conversation, which was unfortunate. The upside of that was that I got a lot of unexpected help in the kitchen when getting the food ready for service. :)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fMQIEjOFRUk/UwzKa9X_niI/AAAAAAAAAVU/oJ8fa29RbFI/s1600/People.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fMQIEjOFRUk/UwzKa9X_niI/AAAAAAAAAVU/oJ8fa29RbFI/s1600/People.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From left: Meena, David, Kevin, Chris, and Tara</td></tr>
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One interesting story that we talked about was the Petraeus scandal. We live across the street from <a href="http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/citydesk/2012/11/13/paula-broadwell-is-staying-in-mount-pleasant/" target="_blank">the house where Paula Broadwell holed herself up during the Petraeus scandal</a>. It's a huge, yellow mansion up on this hill that her brother owns. Previous to that scandal breaking, there were lots of very posh events during the summer there, complete with bodyguards and lots of black sedans and SUVs. Turns out interestingly enough, Tara had actually attended a couple of those events! If only we had known what those parties were for at the time. Washington is such a small town sometimes. Kurthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06768740686189538471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2293086269950404848.post-44059507424116633182014-02-15T16:49:00.000-05:002014-02-15T16:49:34.138-05:00Our next You Pick Two is tonight.It's only been a few weeks since our last event, but due to scheduling, holidays, travel plans, etc. this weekend had to be it for the month of February. I think it's going to be a great one - we have our good friends Meena and Chris coming tonight and they are bringing two guests we haven't met yet.<br />
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In memory of our trip to Italy with friends in June 2010, including Meena and Chris, I am cooking up an Umbrian themed dinner. We rented a villa outside a little town called Castiglione del Lago, right on the Umbria/Tuscany border for about 7 days. It was an unforgettable trip. We need to get back to Europe next year for sure. Ok, here is the menu - I will put a summary early next week about the food and guests.<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Courier; font-size: 24.0pt;">MENU</span></b></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Courier; font-size: 14.0pt;">A Weekend in Umbria</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier;">February 15, 2014</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier;">Zenzero frizzante </span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Courier; font-size: 14.0pt;">Aperitivo</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier;">Crostini con Lenticchie</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Courier;">Umbrian lentils, olive oil, parmigiano
reggiano</span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Courier;">Handmade pasta with tomato and bacon
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Courier; font-size: 14.0pt;">Secondo</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier;">Salsicce all’Uva </span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Courier;">Italian pork sausages with grape
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Courier; font-size: 14.0pt;">Contorno</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier;">Bietola e spinaci </span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Courier;">Sauteed chard and spinach with garlic
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Courier; font-size: 14.0pt;">Dolce</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier;">Pane e Cioccolata al Cucchiaio</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Chocolate bread parfait</i> </span></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: Courier; font-size: 14.0pt;">Ospiti</span></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier;">Shamila Chaudhary e Christopher Steinitz </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier;">Tara McKelvey e David Brunnstrom</span></div>
Kurthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06768740686189538471noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2293086269950404848.post-36407698223944177132014-02-11T17:03:00.000-05:002014-02-11T17:04:28.319-05:00Roasted leg of lamb, Moroccan style<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4AkjoAkJX6Y/UvqYKEH03WI/AAAAAAAAATs/44mhpLPYJRQ/s1600/Lamb2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4AkjoAkJX6Y/UvqYKEH03WI/AAAAAAAAATs/44mhpLPYJRQ/s1600/Lamb2.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roast boneless leg of lamb with ras el hanout, garlic, and herbs.</td></tr>
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I watched Nigella make a version of this lamb many years ago and have always wanted to give it a shot. It's a roasted leg of lamb (I used a boneless leg) rubbed with aromatics and a Moroccan spice mixture called ras el-hanout. It's an earthy and beautiful spice blend of cardamom, cinnamon, clove, rose petals, coriander, cumin, chili peppers, fenugreek, and many more ingredients. Literally translated, it means "head of the shop", so the combination can vary place to place. I ordered mine <a href="http://www.seasonedpioneers.co.uk/seasoning_detail.aspx?ID=124&name=Ras-el-Hanout%20Spice%20Blend" target="_blank">online</a>. The lamb came from <a href="http://www.borderspringsfarm.com/" target="_blank">Border Springs Farm</a> in Virginia, they are known for their lamb and I was able to get it through <a href="http://www.washingtonsgreengrocer.com/" target="_blank">Washington's Green Grocer</a> - it's an affordable grocery delivery service where I get a lot of specialty cuts of meat and local, organic vegetables.<br />
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Borrowing from Nigella's original recipe, I tweaked it a bit to incorporate some fresh herbs and lots of garlic. You roast it at a really high heat (450 degrees) for about 30 minutes, then bring them temperature down and let it cook slowly to keep the meat moist. It frankly was the star of the dinner and a real treat. Serve it with labneh (take a quart of whole milk organic yogurt, mix in a teaspoon of salt, and then strain overnight in cheesecloth over a bowl in the fridge) - it's sharpness contrasted perfectly with the earthy lamb. For a weeknight meal, you could simply mix some greek yogurt with lemon juice, salt, and some chopped parsley. Drizzle the top with extra virgin olive oil and you are good to go. One final point, cook the lamb to medium rare or rare (internal temp of 135 degrees). If it's overcooked, it could get tough. Again, I used boneless here, it was a little more expensive - if you want to save some money use bone-in, but make sure to adjust the cooking time.<br />
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I use a bed of thickly sliced onions as my base for roasting the lamb. The onions caramelize in the rendered fat and are quite amazing. However, if you want you could slice up some yukon potatoes and put them as the base, much like <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/herb-roasted-lamb-recipe.html" target="_blank">Ina Garten</a> does. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The lamb in its marinade, before being roasted.</td></tr>
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<b>Roasted Ras El Hanout Leg of Lamb</b><br />
<i>Ingredients</i><br />
a 4-5 lb. boneless leg of lamb, netting removed<br />
6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped<br />
1-2 tablespoons of ras el hanout spice blend<br />
3 tablespoons of fresh oregano, finely chopped<br />
2 tablespoons of fresh rosemary, finely chopped <br />
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil<br />
1 large onion, sliced into thick rounds <br />
salt<br />
pepper<br />
kitchen twine<br />
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<i>Directions</i><br />
1. Chop the garlic and herbs and combine in a bowl with the ras el hanout, a couple tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, and a big pinch of salt. Stir to combine.<br />
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2. Free the lamb from any netting or packaging it may have come in and unfurl it on a large cutting border. If there are large pieces of fat or silverskin, trim them off and discard. Put the lamb fat side down on the cutting board. Rub half the mixture on the inside, making sure to get some into various nooks and crannies. Roll up the leg and tie the meat together with kitchen twine at regular intervals (I did mine about every 2-3 inches). Place on a plate and rub the remaining marinade over the top of the lamb (fat side) now. Grind fresh black pepper over the top as well. Cover with plastic wrap and let marinate in the fridge over night.<br />
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3. Remove the lamb about 30-40 minutes before you plan to put it in the oven. Turn the oven on to 450 degrees. Place the onion slices in a row down the middle of your roasting pan. Place the lamb on top. Once the oven is ready, put the pan in the oven and roast at the high temperature for at least 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, turn the heat down to 375 degrees and pour in about 1 cup of water to the bottom of the roasting pan. Continue to roast for about another hour or until the lamb registers 135 degrees (for rare) or 145 degrees (for medium) on a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the lamb.<br />
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4. Let cool on a cutting board for 15-20 minutes, then slice thinly and serve with the labneh.Kurthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06768740686189538471noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2293086269950404848.post-49995510243679744152014-02-05T12:32:00.000-05:002014-02-05T20:23:39.366-05:00Eggplant and artichoke salads <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ly0kKzusRmg/UvJqaFk94VI/AAAAAAAAATA/-RumuYIA74M/s1600/Artichoke1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ly0kKzusRmg/UvJqaFk94VI/AAAAAAAAATA/-RumuYIA74M/s1600/Artichoke1.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Preserved lemons</td></tr>
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Almost the entirety of this month's You Pick Two was inspired by a prized cookbook in my collection, Claudia Roden's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Book-Middle-Eastern-Food/dp/0375405062/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391620313&sr=8-1&keywords=claudia+roden+middle+east+cookbook" target="_blank">The New Middle Eastern Cookbook</a>. I am a research guy at heart so I very much enjoy diving into cookbooks that read as literature or travel guides, and this book is very much like that. The two salads I am posting today are from the book, with slight adaptations. Before I get to the recipes though, I wanted to share some general thoughts on Middle Eastern/North African food that I have developed through reading about and cooking these recipes.<br />
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One thing that stood out very clearly for me is where I spent my time in the grocery store when I shopped for the meal. I would say that 75% of my time was spent in the vegetable area of the store. The remaining 24% was spent at the meat counter and in the dairy section. The final 1% was up the aisles, and that was for things like bread flour, olive oil, and honey. You can see why the Mediterranean diet is so good for you, it calls for very little packaged food and lots of fruits and vegetables. It was kind of eye opening for me. Now, I am sure if you picked a menu slanted more towards meats, then you would add more time to the meat counter, but I think it would still be hard to add time to the aisles.<br />
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The other effect making this food had on me was, in a small way, I felt much closer to the culture of this part of the world. I have grown up, in all honesty, with a fair amount of fear of the Middle East based on the decades of conflict I read about and watched on TV. But somehow, reading Claudia's recipes and making these dishes gave me an understanding of their traditions and made me excited to one day visit the region. And this is one of the reasons I love cooking so much, it can teach you things about a culture in a more immediate way than reading. Ok, on with the recipes.<br />
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I call them salads, but in reality they are just cold mezze. The eggplant salad, a north African dish, was a huge hit of the meal, even the folks at the table who did not care for eggplant enjoyed it. The artichoke salad is a Moroccan dish that packs lots of flavor, thanks in large part to the preserved lemons. Making preserved lemons was very enjoyable, I followed this <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/videos/preserved-lemons/65102.html" target="_blank">recipe</a> to make them - it's kind of a shortcut method but it worked. I also used frozen artichokes for the salad, but you could easily substitute fresh artichoke hearts when they are in season or available.<br />
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<b>Sweet and spicy eggplant salad</b><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j3LzAAL5MFo/UvJqvlPNiJI/AAAAAAAAATU/S6y-xHWaKcY/s1600/Eggplant3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j3LzAAL5MFo/UvJqvlPNiJI/AAAAAAAAATU/S6y-xHWaKcY/s1600/Eggplant3.jpg" height="425" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<i>[serve cold or at room temperature]</i><br />
<i>Ingredients</i><br />
2 medium-large eggplants, sliced into 1/3-inch rounds (leave skins on)<br />
3 cloves garlic, crushed<br />
2 inches fresh gingerroot, grated (I used my microplane)<br />
1 1/2 teaspoons of ground cumin<br />
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or large pinch of ground cayenne pepper)<br />
5 tablespoons of honey<br />
Juice of 1 lemon<br />
2/3 cup of water<br />
olive oil, for frying eggplant<br />
salt<br />
<br />
<i>Directions</i><br />
1. If grilling the eggplant, do so making sure to brown or mark them - no need to cook them all the way through. Or, heat a tablespoon of oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat and brown the eggplant slices on each side. I did it this way and it took two batches to brown all the eggplant slices, adding a tablespoon of oil for each batch. Make sure to season each slice with a sprinkling of salt while it's browning in the pan.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sNPWCiHxbQk/UvJqYmmv09I/AAAAAAAAAS0/ZrcERyDI9u0/s1600/Eggplant1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sNPWCiHxbQk/UvJqYmmv09I/AAAAAAAAAS0/ZrcERyDI9u0/s1600/Eggplant1.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
2. Remove the grilled eggplant to a dish. Turn the heat down to medium-low, add another tablespoon of olive oil and add the garlic, ginger, chili pepper, and cumin. Saute for about 30 seconds, making sure not to burn the garlic. Then add the honey, lemon juice, and water. Stir to combine everything and to make sure the honey melts. Once the sauce starts to simmer, turn the heat down to as low as it will go and add the sliced eggplant back to the pan. Try to make sure each slice of eggplant is somewhat submerged in the sauce. Add another 1/2 cup water if you need a little more sauce. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AI8mi69jjm8/UvJqbTMe70I/AAAAAAAAATM/yeTI92sNyYg/s1600/Eggplant2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AI8mi69jjm8/UvJqbTMe70I/AAAAAAAAATM/yeTI92sNyYg/s1600/Eggplant2.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
3. Cook the eggplant in the simmering sauce for about 10-15 minutes, or until the eggplant slices are very soft. Pour the slices and sauce on to a platter, let it all cool, then refrigerate overnight or for several hours at least to give the flavors time to integrate. <br />
<br />
<b>Artichoke salad with preserved lemons</b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kPew3cigjdk/UvJqaW_FYXI/AAAAAAAAATE/XyAYklpNpxs/s1600/Artichoke2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kPew3cigjdk/UvJqaW_FYXI/AAAAAAAAATE/XyAYklpNpxs/s1600/Artichoke2.jpg" height="425" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<i>[serve hot, room temperature, or cold] </i><br />
<i>Ingredients</i><br />
3 cloves garlic, crushed and roughly chopped <br />
1/2 teaspoon ginger<br />
1/4 teaspoon turmeric <br />
Juice of one lemon<br />
2 tablespoons of honey<br />
the peels of 2 preserved lemons, cut into small strips<br />
2 9-ounce packages of frozen artichokes, thawed<br />
salt<br />
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil<br />
1 cup water <br />
<br />
1. Heat the oil in a saute pan that has a lid over medium-high heat for several minutes, add the chopped garlic and saute for about 10-15 seconds. Take the pan off the heat and add the ginger, turmeric, lemon juice, honey, and preserved lemons. Place back on the heat and stir to combine and heat through for a minute or so until the honey melts.<br />
<br />
2. Add the artichokes to the pan. Stir to mix with the other ingredients. Add the water and a large pinch of salt. Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook over a low simmer for about 10 minutes, remove the lid and cook off any remaining liquid at the end. Decant to a bowl and leave at room temperature or chill in the fridge overnight.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Kurthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06768740686189538471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2293086269950404848.post-33707737562604350672014-01-28T13:42:00.002-05:002014-02-13T19:27:33.809-05:00#2: A Middle Eastern feast.Well, our second You Pick Two event occurred this past Saturday and it went even better than I expected. It's been a couple months since our first event back in October, but between making Thanksgiving for 16 people and putting together our annual holiday party, there just wasn't time to schedule one before 2013 ended. But, we are thankfully back on track in 2014 and plan to do them monthly.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CVXUNtZQIes/UucDTCsFpXI/AAAAAAAAAR4/X2lgJ4SHK84/s1600/IMG_1445.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CVXUNtZQIes/UucDTCsFpXI/AAAAAAAAAR4/X2lgJ4SHK84/s1600/IMG_1445.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our feast.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I
started doing these events (and writing this blog) as a way to
challenge myself creatively, through my cooking, my writing, and my
photography. But I realized that I am also challenging our guests in a
way - they have to pick two people and maybe try some
foods they either have never had or have been to scared to try. I think
this is a good thing, I wanted to provide something different or
unexpected from the normal dinner party or night out. That being said, I
am sure you could go to many restaurants and have a wonderful meal that would make some of these dishes I made
seem ordinary, but for some reason making all these dishes from scratch
in my kitchen made them feel more special than getting them at a
restaurant. For this round, I wanted to do something I have never
really done before: a complete middle eastern/mediterranean feast with
lots of warm and cold mezze that we could share and pick at while
sitting at the table. We definitely had plenty of food, in fact the
photo doesn't show the fish I cooked (which was sitting on the stove)
and the big bowl of fattoush (we plated it before we sat down), since
there was no room left on our dining table. But one rule for me in
terms of entertaining, it's always preferable to have too much rather
than too little. That being said, I did kind of go a little overboard.
Regardless, a little indulgence is good for the soul every now and
again.<br />
<br />
For this event, the two we picked were a couple
who are really close friends of ours - Joe Kuehne and Javier Aquino.
In particular, I have known Joe for about 12 or 13 years now. We met
randomly at a party in Arlington, VA of all places. Kevin's roommate
from college played on a soccer team with Joe. We went
to a party hosted by the mutual friend and bonded over gin and tonics
and really bad Girls Gone Wild videos (they are like car crashes, you
can't not look). Joe means a lot to me because he was the first person
to show me around DC and to introduce me to his inner circle of gay and
straight friends. I spent a lot of time by myself in Virginia while
Kevin was in law school at night and working full-time. Joe would
always invite me into DC for a night on the town on the weekend. We
spent many late nights at the now-closed (and forever missed) Chaos
nightclub. He also helped me become comfortable with who I am as a gay
man and brought Kevin and I into a whole new group of people that we are
still very close with. Joe and Javi started dating a few years
ago but Javi has already become a close friend of ours. I work a lot
with Joe on filming videos and documentaries and Javi has become
indispensable at any of our shoots - not to mention he's a fantastic
host and cook in his own right. So, who were their pick two's? Joe
admitted it was tough to find two people we didn't already know through
him, but they invited a fun and interesting couple named Subi Ram and
Paddy O'Connor.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-midQWezw93E/UucS39LAQII/AAAAAAAAASE/jfsfPNcZG68/s1600/IMG_1464+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-midQWezw93E/UucS39LAQII/AAAAAAAAASE/jfsfPNcZG68/s1600/IMG_1464+copy.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From left: Paddy, Subi, me, Joe, and Javi.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Subi and Paddy have been together for many years.
Our friend Javi met Subi (randomly) at a taping of Jeopardy back when
they filmed Celebrity Jeopardy here in DC a few years ago. They bonded
and have been in touch ever since. It's easy to see why since they are
friends - both are very outgoing, social, and confident. Subi is a
manager at a retail store here in the DC area (Bethesda) while Paddy
works for Virgin Atlantic. You may have guessed that, yes, Paddy
O'Connor is Irish. :) Subi is Brazilian and speaks fluent Portuguese.
He also has a mother who is a fantastic cook. I'm hoping to get some
authentic Brazilian recipes from my new friend.
Paddy is from Dublin and, thankfully, has managed to maintain most of
his charming Irish accent. Being mostly Irish myself, it was comforting
to talk about our heritage and where I grew up. I spent most of my
high school years as a bar back at an Irish restaurant in Worcester, MA,
called (ironically) O'Connor's. It frankly was one of the worst jobs I
have ever had, but it made me work really hard in high school so that I
could get into a good college. Paddy lives in London now and flies all
over the world for work, traveling to the east coast a lot. In fact,
he had just come off a flight that day <i>and</i> was flying back the
next day. It was fortunate timing and I was very happy they could
come to our home and share a great meal, plenty of wine, and lots of
laughs. I look forward to seeing them again soon.<br />
<br />
One
of the more fun parts of the evening was being introduced by Subi and
Paddy to the game "Head's Up!" that Paddy had on his iPhone. It's a $100,000 pyramid-type game where the person with the phone
picks a category, then places the phone on their forehead with the
screen facing out towards everyone. Different names, places, etc. pop
up on the screen (depending on the category) and the person holding the
phone has to guess what's on screen using the clues and gestures of the
group. Amazingly, it also records everything using the iphone's video
camera to save for review (or humiliation) later. We passed the phone
around a few times but no one could beat Subi's record of 11 correct
answers for "Brand Names". Much like shooting pool, there's a point
where everyone gets really good for a round or two, but then quickly
falls off as the drinks add up.<br />
<br />
I also wanted to mention our friend Chuck, who took a chance by starting his own floral arrangement venture called <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/LUSH-Arrangements-by-Chuck-Ruoff/491113800953807" target="_blank">Lush Arrangements</a>.
He does beautiful work and I highly recommend him for any event you may
have. Here is a fantastic photo taken by Subi of the centerpiece.
There were actually three of these beautiful arrangements but frankly we
ran out of space on the table. I used petals from one of the roses in
the arrangement to add some color to the silver dipping bowls you see at
the ends. They were there to clean your fingers throughout the meal
since this food was meant to be eaten with your hands. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FeF6ZbN1HAI/UucbaNbOIkI/AAAAAAAAASU/-3vtpVjyofc/s1600/photo-4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FeF6ZbN1HAI/UucbaNbOIkI/AAAAAAAAASU/-3vtpVjyofc/s1600/photo-4.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great shot Subi!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Here, finally, is the menu from the evening. I will be posting the recipes, photos, etc. over the next few weeks. I hope you give one of them a shot in your kitchen.<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Courier; font-size: 24.0pt;">MENU</span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Courier; font-size: 14.0pt;">A Middle Eastern
Feast</span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier;">January 25, 2014</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Courier; font-size: 14.0pt;">Cocktail</span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier;">Pomegranate Punch</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3.0pt; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Courier;">Pomegranate
juice, pear nectar, Grand Marnier, champagne </span></i><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Courier; font-size: 14.0pt;"></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3.0pt; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Courier; font-size: 14.0pt;">Mezze</span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier;">Labneh</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Courier;">Greek yogurt, extra virgin olive oil,
sumac </span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier;">Stuffed fillo triangles</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Courier;">Ground beef, onions, pine nuts</span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier;">Hummus bi Tahina </span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier;">Stuffed grape leaves</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier;">Falafel</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier;">Fattoush</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Courier;">Romaine lettuce, sumac, pita chips,
lemon dressing</span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier;">Sweet and spicy eggplant salad </span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Courier;">Ginger, chile, honey</span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier;">Artichoke salad</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Courier;">Preserved lemons, turmeric, extra
virgin olive oil</span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier;">Ras el-hanout roasted leg of lamb</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier;">Halibut in warm tomato, saffron sauce</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Courier;">Homemade pita bread</span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3.0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Courier; font-size: 14.0pt;">Dessert</span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier;">Turkish delight syllabub </span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Courier;">Whipped cream, Cointreau, rosewater,
pistachios </span></i></div>
Kurthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06768740686189538471noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2293086269950404848.post-76116684502226598412014-01-21T15:51:00.000-05:002014-01-21T15:51:00.233-05:00It's bananas.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7OxcjQw2-DQ/Ut7V0LSvfII/AAAAAAAAAQ4/1DN4g1BaQl8/s1600/Pie9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7OxcjQw2-DQ/Ut7V0LSvfII/AAAAAAAAAQ4/1DN4g1BaQl8/s1600/Pie9.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Wrapping up our first You Pick Two event I wanted to post our dessert, which was a huge hit. Keeping the updated <i>Americana</i> theme, I decided to update the traditional banana creme pie. Turns out, a lot of people out there have done something similar. My research took me to the one linked below. I have never been to Momofuku Milk Bar in New York (or Toronto), but I have heard glowing reviews about it. After making this, I can understand why. It takes some time and has a few steps but is totally worth it. In fact, this chocolate crumb crust could be used with any filling. The recipe is very versatile and good to have your in arsenal.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ef7q_RYfNvs/Ut7WPvPX7qI/AAAAAAAAARA/z4M7H1-7qc0/s1600/Pie2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ef7q_RYfNvs/Ut7WPvPX7qI/AAAAAAAAARA/z4M7H1-7qc0/s1600/Pie2.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The chocolate crumb crust could be used for any pie.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Here is a link to the recipe I used for the pie:<br />
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http://www.hummingbirdhigh.com/2013/07/momofuku-milk-bar-banana-cream-pie.html<br />
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To make it my own, I topped the slices of pie with whipped cream and salted caramel sauce. The salted caramel sauce is easy and can be used in a lot of ways, it's perfect over cold vanilla ice cream in particular. I used the "wet sand" method for the caramel, which adds a little water to the sugar to help it dissolve.<br />
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<b>Salted Caramel Sauce</b><br />
<i>Ingredients</i><br />
1 cup sugar<br />
1/4 cup water<br />
3/4 cup heavy cream<br />
3 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter<br />
1 teaspoon Maldon sea salt (or kosher salt)<br />
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<i>Directions</i><br />
1. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan (I used a 3-quart pan), combine the sugar and water and heat over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Once it dissolves, turn the heat up to medium high so that the sugar begins to boil. DO NOT STIR.<br />
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2. If you find sugar crystals are sticking to the sides of the pan you can use a wet pastry brush to re-dissolve the crystals. I did not have to do this.<br />
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3. Boil until sugar becomes amber in color. I didn't let it get it too dark since it becomes bitter at that point. In the photo below, you can see it's staring to turn amber. I turned the flame off right after I took this picture. <br />
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4. Once you turn the heat off, pour in the cream slowly, making sure to whisk the whole time. It will sputter and bubble. Just make sure to keep whisking. Once it's mixed, add the butter and salt and stir them in to the sauce. Let it cool and serve.<br />
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<br />Kurthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06768740686189538471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2293086269950404848.post-41565544430798874112013-12-29T16:04:00.001-05:002013-12-29T16:19:20.874-05:00A melting pot.When I thought of what to put as the main course for this updated American classics menu, I immediately knew that I wanted to do something stewed or braised. It's by far my favorite way to cook meat, mostly because I love the <i>laissez faire</i> nature of the process, but also because cheaper and tougher cuts of meat have so much more flavor than more expensive ones. I love a filet as much as the next person, but a well prepared beef stew is so satisfying and comforting.<br />
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The challenge here was to update that classic recipe to something new and modern. After a pleasing <i><span lang="vi"><i>phở</i></span></i> lunch at a local Vietnamese restaurant, I realized that the two dishes share a lot in common. I thought I could marry some of the flavors of the <i><span lang="vi"><i>phở</i></span></i> broth with some traditional beef stew ingredients (carrots, onions, etc.). The result was an aromatic beef stew that frankly came out even better than I was hoping. The key is to let it sit overnight though, the flavors need to mingle and mellow. But that's easy, just make it a day or two before. It would be excellent for a holiday dinner or a new year's eve feast. <br />
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I served the stew over an attempt at a potato/celery root "cake" that didn't quite turn out as expected. Instead, I would recommend serving the stew with something creamier, like a potato gratin (there are dozens of recipes online for this, I recommend Ina's fennel/potato gratin in particular). I also served a sauteed kale that was wonderful. I fried some sliced garlic in the olive oil first, then added the kale along with some stock and sultanas.<br />
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As a side note, one of our pick two guests turned out to be vegetarian. Next time, I will make sure to ask about dietary needs before the menu is made. Luckily there were enough vegetarian items in the first course, as well as sides for the main, that it worked out just fine. Lesson learned though. Happy holidays everyone.<br />
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<b>Aromatic Beef Stew</b><br />
<i>Ingredients</i><br />
4-5 lbs. of grass-fed stew beef (I used chuck roast), trimmed and cubed<br />
1/4 cup olive oil (ordinary not extra virgin) <br />
1/2 cup of all purpose flour<br />
4-5 carrots, peeled and cut into one-inch pieces<br />
1 large onion, diced<br />
1/2 bottle of dry, full bodied red wine (I used chianti here)<br />
2 cups beef or mushroom broth<br />
salt and pepper<br />
<i>for the bouquet garni:</i><br />
1 large sprig rosemary<br />
8-10 sprigs of thyme<br />
3 star anise<br />
3 bay leaves<br />
1 cinnamon stick<br />
cheese cloth<br />
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<i>Directions</i><br />
1. Make the bouquet garni. Place the rosemary, thyme, star anise, bay leaves, and cinnamon stick on a large piece of cheesecloth. Wrap and tie in a bundle using kitchen twine.<br />
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2. Prep the beef and vegetables. Peel and dice the carrots and the onion. Set vegetables aside. Cube beef into large (1-2 inch) cubes. Spread the flour in a large dish, add a big pinch of salt and several grinds of black pepper - stir to mix into the flour. Make sure meat is dry and at room temperature. Add beef to the flour and lightly coat each cube, shaking off any excess flour.<br />
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3. Heat a large dutch oven over medium high heat for several minutes. Pour the oil in the pan. Add beef cubes to hot pan and brown on each side, it may take several batches. Absolutely do not crowd the pan or you will steam the meat. Remove browned cubes to a plate.<br />
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4. After meat has been browned, turn heat down to medium low and add the carrots and onions. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and several grinds of black pepper. Saute and stir the veggies around in the beef fat for several minutes.<br />
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5. Once the onion is soft, add 1/4 cup of the red wine to deglaze the pan. Use the back of a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape up all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Once that is complete, add the rest of the wine and the broth. Bring the mixture to a boil.<br />
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6. Once the mixture has come to a boil, add the bouquet garni and the browned beef back to the pot. Turn heat down so that you maintain a soft simmer. Cover the pan slightly and let cook for 4 to 4.5 hours or until the meat is tender. You should be able to cut the meat with a fork when it is ready.<br />
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7. Let the stew cool, remove the bouquet garni, and put the pan in the fridge to let sit overnight (stew can sit for 2-3 days in the fridge if that makes it easier).<br />
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8. Reheat the stew in the pan for about 15 minutes over low heat before serving. Garnish with sliced green onions or chopped flat leaf parsley.<br />
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<b>Sauteed Kale with garlic chips and sultanas</b><br />
<i>Ingredients</i><br />
2 large bunches of organic green or black kale, ribs removed, leaves cut in large strips<br />
1/2 cup of golden raisins (sultanas), soaked in hot water for about 10 minutes<br />
4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced <br />
salt and pepper<br />
1/4 teaspoon of red chili flakes <br />
1/4 cup ordinary olive oil<br />
3/4 cup of chicken broth <br />
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<i>Directions</i> <br />
1. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large saute pan for several minutes. Add the sliced garlic to the hot pan. Let the garlic fry for about 30 seconds then stir the slices around for a minute in the pan, allowing the edges to brown. The garlic should gently fry in the oil, if it does not sizzle, turn up the heat a bit. Remove the browned garlic to a plate before they burn.<br />
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2. Turn heat to low and add sliced kale to the pan, the oil may sputter a bit but do not worry. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt, several grinds of black pepper, and a fat pinch of red chili flakes. Place the lid on the pan.<br />
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3. After a 3-4 minutes, remove lid and press down on the kale. Add the chicken broth and drained sultanas to the pan. Place the lid back on the pan.<br />
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4. Let everything cook with the lid on for another 5 minutes or so. Then, remove the lid, and stir everything around a few times and put the lid back on. Cook kale for another 8-10 minutes on low heat, all the liquid should be absorbed when the kale is done cooking. When ready to serve, decant the kale into a large serving bowl and sprinkle over the garlic chips. <br />
<br />Kurthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06768740686189538471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2293086269950404848.post-35179607414649314682013-12-03T10:03:00.002-05:002013-12-29T15:48:48.988-05:00Thanksgiving wrap-up<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3uk-KZ6yARM/Up3wGVuA-DI/AAAAAAAAAPA/LFuKuX8Ycps/s1600/996655_558300787581867_534098757_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="215" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3uk-KZ6yARM/Up3wGVuA-DI/AAAAAAAAAPA/LFuKuX8Ycps/s320/996655_558300787581867_534098757_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our 19-lb bird came out golden and delicious. </td></tr>
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Well, it was a busy Thanksgiving this year at our house. We hosted about 16-17 people and the day lasted well into the night. It was a lot of work but a lot of fun. Although it was not a You Pick Two event, I thought it was worth posting a quick recipe that was an unexpected hit.<br />
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I try to rotate in every year something new or different from the year before. This year I made two things, a different stuffing than normal and this traditional Southern recipe: Pineapple Salad. I am not sure where the "salad" part comes from (maybe because it has fruit?) but there is nothing green about this. It's adapted from Clay Aiken's recipe that he gave Martha Stewart. I cut the sugar way down since the pineapple bits are sweet enough. It sounds completely bizarre but went fantastically with the ham shank I made. I could see this coming back to our table next year.<br />
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<b>Pineapple Salad</b><br />
<i>Ingredients</i><br />
one 20 oz can of pineapple tidbits<br />
one 16 oz (large bag) of shredded cheddar cheese<br />
1/2 cup sugar<br />
6 tablespoons flour<br />
1 teaspoon baking powder*<br />
1 sleeve Ritz crackers, crumbled<br />
1/2 stick melted butter<br />
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<i>Directions</i><br />
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.<br />
2. Combine pineapple, cheese, sugar, flour, baking powder, half the Ritz crackers, and half the butter in a medium bowl.<br />
3. Transfer to a 3 quart baking dish and sprinkle the remaining Ritz crackers over and then drizzle remaining butter on top.<br />
4. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Let cool about 10 minutes before eating.<br />
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*you could just use 6 tablespoons of self-rising flour if you have it. <br />
<br />Kurthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06768740686189538471noreply@blogger.com0