Coastal Culinary

Gotta love all the bounty of summer....seafood, fresh veges....

So we don't eat until 11:00....we watch the 11:00 news while we eat...,,realizing most folks eat dinner while watching the 6:00 news.  These things take time, but SO worth it!  Garlic, cilantro shrimp over basmati rice, Brussel sprouts with dried cherries and pecans, fresh corn and stuffed mushrooms.  Absolutely stuffed! Happy bellys make for good sleeping.  Bon appetit!!! 

Italian Peasant Food

Some nights there just isn't enough time to do it all, or enough groceries to pull off a three course meal.  I understand now why Pasta e Fagioli is called Italian peasant food.  Most of us who cook regularly tend to have most of the ingredients in our pantries.  If not, substitutions are acceptable.  For instance, my good friend (you know who you are) and I often make gagging faces whenever we discuss elbow macaroni.  Something I refuse to have in my pantry. (I know....I am a food snob!) Tonight, however, in sheer desperation I did find an old box of mini penne hiding in the back of the other pastas.   I usually use orzo, but this was acceptable considering.....Given the day I have had the guys were lucky I cooked.  Delicious, as always.  In my humble opinion, the peasants ate quite well.  Bon appetit!

Cool down Sunday

Not much cooking this hot, humid weekend. Quick chicken salad for dinner and my favorite microbrew. 

Breadcraft

Alex is the best baker I know and I can never resist this sweet little treat whenever I am near the place (seriously, who can resist a little chocolate now and then?).  His artisan breads are divine.  His salads......indescribably delicious.  

Cod

Another lovely dish from Roya.  Quick and easy.   Cod over brown rice with a wonderful tomato relish. Happy hump day!!!

Roya Revisited

I found myself alone this weekend for the first time in years and decided to try out Roya's recipes. The first thing I made was the paella which made enough to feed an army.  I will be taking dinner to three families tomorrow night and still have enough to feed my own family for several nights.  Turned out great!  And then there was the flan......I was hesitant, but it was so delicious!!!  My family will be thrilled when they get home tomorrow night!  Thanks again, Roya!!!

Thursday night cool down

Cafe Asia and Mr. Feng.  That's it.  Nothing more to say!

Cooking with Roya

Wow! Roya Gharavi really cranks out the Mediterranean cuisine and makes cooking for 14 seem so effortless. I've taken many cooking classes in my life, but usually end up making things I've already tackled. This was different. Roya actually made a few items that have been on my wish list for a while. The paella rocked the Casbah and was just spicy enough without burning you for the remainder of the evening. But the flan.... Oh the flan.....that nasty little slimy little dish I usually nibble on politely and feign being too stuffed to finish....it was divine.  Despite the fact that I had wrapped up many of my leftovers I managed to find room for this wonderful little treat and eat it all!  Thank you, Roya, for a memorable evening and some wonderful take aways.  Hugs to our new friends, Joanna and Jonathan, whom we hope to see again for A Taste of Thai in September.  Love to my foodie BFF, Amy!  You make food come alive whenever we imbibe together!  What a memorable evening. Can't wait for September and another adventure! Bon appetit!

Getting Lucky

A Friday night ritual....Luckys after work and this wonderful little concoction called a Mamacita. A mix of figs, tamarind and jabaneros mixed with rum (I know, but not your college drink, for sure). The mix is refreshing, a little sweet with a slow burn at the end. I made this before and made it into a cube, but personally I like it all mixed together better. One shot mix, one shot rum.  Luckys, you always rock out the drinks!

Followed the evening with a four mile hike up Roanoke Mountain where we saw all kinds of wildlife (including almost stepping on a decent size copperhead) and a sweet picnic in the dark thanks to Kevin which also rocked, but too dark to get good pictures. Happy Friday! Yup, I'm LUCKY!!!

My favorite sommelier....Martin!

For those of you living here who haven't tried out Barrel Çhest yet, Martin rocks!  Thanks, Martin, for never steering me wrong!!! Choices, choices!

Ps - Olive Garden was just a ruse to go by Barrel Chest on the way out tonight.  I never turn down a good pasta e fagioli. Bon appetit.

(Not my recipe, but looks good....)

Olive Garden Pasta e Fagioli Soup Copycat Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 lb lean ground beef or mild Italian sausage (I've tried both and like either)
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 cup diced carrots (about 2 medium, you can cut them into matchsticks if desired)
• 1 cup diced celery (about 3 stalks)
• 3/4 cup chopped yellow onion (about 1/2 of a large)
• 1 large clove garlic, finely minced
• 3 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce
• 3 - 4 cups beef broth (chicken broth works fine too)
• 1 cup water
• 1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 3/4 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp dried marjoram
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 scant cup ditalini pasta, uncooked
• 1 (15 oz) can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15 oz) can great northern beans, drained and rinsed
• Romano cheese (I also like it with parmesan), for serving

Directions

• Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large non-stick saucepan over medium high heat, crumble in ground beef or sausage and cook, stirring occasionally until cooked through. Pour beef (along with fat from beef, if you want it to be healthier you can drain the fat) into a bowl, set aside. Heat remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil in same large saucepan, saute carrots, celery and onion over medium high heat until tender about 4 minutes, add garlic and saute 1 minute longer. Reduce heat to a low, add tomato sauce, beef broth, water, canned tomatoes, sugar, basil, oregano, thyme, marjoram, cooked beef along, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover with lid and allow to simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally until veggies are soft. Meanwhile prepare ditalini pasta according to directions on package, cooking to al dente. 
• Add cooked and drained pasta to soup along with kidney beans, great northern beans and an additional 1 cup broth if desired to thin soup, and allow to cook 5 minutes longer. Serve warm with grated Romano cheese if desired.
• Note: the longer the soup rests the more liquid the pasta will absorb so you can thin it with additional beef broth if desired.
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Fried cauliflower with mint and tamarind dipping sauce - Plenty More

Started off with this delicious goat cheese and wine. Yum!  Could have made that my dinner, but duty calls as the boys need a bit more sustanence.  The cheese was lovely!  The wine quite good.  My dear friend, Robert, introduced me to a very underrated vegetable about a year ago...cauliflower.  I know, I know....Before you quit reading this note that I have several awesome recipes for this bland white protuberance which tends to get a bad rap.  But the most interesting part is that tonight's recipe was the best ever.  The fried cauliflower was delicious in the light Panko crust.  The mint dipping sauce was very refreshing.  Note that I ran out of tamarind and substituted two fresh figs and it was yummy!  Kevin said that the fried cauliflower was so good that guests would think it was fried seafood if not properly informed. I plan to add this to my party repertoire as it is a big hit.  My only comment...best served warm right out of the fryer.  Yotam Ottolenghi delivers another home run with this recipe. Plenty More is one of my favorite cookbooks ever.  I am including the recipe here for all of you cauliflower lovers and you critics!

Ps - added arugula underneath the fried cauliflower and the bitterness worked wonders with the sweetness of the dipping sauce

Ben Gui

Thank you, Ben! You always take such good care of me!!

The Cube

I am in love with The Cube at Luckys and I continue to try to reproduce it.  Bourbon over a large cube of about ten different spices in an applewood smoked glass. NOTHING beats the real thing! Here's my attempt with the girls at the lake. Thanks, Lucky!!!

FYI...a few folks have been known to have a cube in one hand and another libation in the other! Not naming any names!! You know who you are!