Last night, about half-way through a lovely bottle of Cellar 8, I thought to myself, "I should bake something!" Wine is very inspirational like that. Plus, what is one to do with pounds and pounds of unused apples?
A recent weekend jaunt to an apple orchard left me with like, a hundred pounds of fresh apples, so to try and rid myself of some of them, I decided to make an apple cobbler for dessert. I had some fresh raspberries as well, so I opted for an apple raspberry version. Cobblers are always satisfying: the sweet fruit topped with the crunchy and slightly savory topping is never a disappointment.
I adapted a recipe from Just Get Off Your Butt and Bake (the name kills me) to make the cobbler that's pictured. Serve this stuff with a scoop of fresh whipped cream or vanilla ice cream for a picture perfect, and absolutely delicious dessert.
Apple Raspberry Cobbler
4 C. peeled and sliced Granny smith Apples (I used a variety)
1 cup raspberries
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup water if using fresh raspberries or 2 Tablespoons water if using frozen berries
1/4 cup sugar
Topping:
1 stick butter chilled but not hard
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/4 cup chopped pecans
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven for 350 degrees.
Place apples and raspberries in medium bowl. Sprinkle them with cinnamon, salt, sugar and the water. Combine well. Place mixture in a 8×11 buttered glass baking dish or individual ramekins (I used a 9" pie plate). Set aside and prepare the topping.
In separate bowl, mix butter, flour, sugar, salt, and pecans. Take a fork and mix ingredients until small peas size chunks form.
Grab a handful of dough, and press firmly in palm of hand, so that the crumbs are very chunky. Place evenly on top of apple mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown.
Thanksgiving came and went, and like most people, I indulged in a festive meal with all of the traditional trimmings: turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green bean casserole, and some homemade pie. While I love a good Thanksgiving spread, I was more excited about being in close proximity to NYC and my favorite Korean BBQ restaurant.
I love a good margarita and I must say, the ones I had this afternoon at Oyamel in D.C. are some of the best I've ever tasted. Tart, not too sweet, and, I mean, they top these things with 'salt air'. I can't even explain it really, you just have to look it up. Perfection. Simply effing delish.
This weekend, my fiance and I had a rustic craving for some kind of paté. I love the deep, earthy flavors of paté, and even though I'm not a huge liver enthusiast, I find paté to be palatable, savory and delicious.
I found this recipe online and knew it was a winner as soon as I read 'Tuscan' in the title. Any dish that incorporates Tuscan flavors has to be amazing, right? The recipe was really easy to make. And it turned out so well, we ate it straight from the bowl, while it was still warm, with some crusty french bread. It yielded enough to indulge in a few paté sandwiches this week for lunch, too.
Enjoy!
Tuscan Chicken Liver Paté
1 pound organic chicken livers
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 large shallots, thinly sliced
1 large clove garlic, smashed
3 anchovy filets (or 1 tablespoon anchovy paste)
1 tablespoon capers, minced
4-6 sage leaves
2/3 cup dry white wine
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/2 cup grated parmigiano reggiano
Grilled country bread, for serving
Trim any sinews from the livers and dry well with paper towels.
In a large skillet, melt the butter and olive oil over medium-high heat. Sautee the shallots, garlic, anchovy, capers and sage until shallots are lightly browned, 6 minutes or so.
Season the chicken livers with salt and pepper and add to the pan. Cook over high heat until browned, then add half of the white wine (1/3 cup) and keep stirring with a wooden spoon, breaking up the livers as they start to cook through. When the wine is absorbed, add the second 1/3 cup and repeat the process.
Remove from heat and transfer to a food processor. Process until quite smooth, then add lemon zest and cheese and process again. Taste and add salt or pepper as needed. Serve warm or at room temperature to spread on grilled country bread.
I'm not sure if anyone else shares my love of chickpeas, but to say I'm obsessed might be an understatement. I mean, how can you not love these little guys?
The versatility that comes with chickpeas is what makes it such a great ingredient: chickpeas can be found in soups, stews, salads, side dishes, falafel, hummus, and the list probably could go on and on. I especially love that chickpeas are a part of so many kinds of cuisine, too. Mediterranean, French, Moroccan, Israeli, and Indian, to name a few.
My all-time favorite preparation of chickpeas comes from India, though. I love how they whip these bad boys up in India and Chana Masala is my all-time favorite dish. It's a hearty, spicy stew that can be made with minimal effort and never fails to satisfy me alongside some hot basmati rice. I encourage you to indulge yourself and give this meal a try, if you have not already.
The below is my go-to recipe (modified from Smitten Kitchen), but it can be modified pretty easily depending on tastes and preferences (note I make mine HOT!).
CHANA MASALA (Indian Chickpea Stew):
Ingredients:
4 cups cooked chickpeas (I use 2 15-ounce cans)
2 medium onions, minced
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 Tbsp minced ginger
2 green chilis, minced
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 Tbsp ground coriander
2 Tbsp cumin
1 Tsp cayenne pepper
1 Tsp turmeric
2 Tsp paprika
1 Tsp garam masala (a special Indian spice blend found in local Indian grocers)
1 Tbsp amchoor powder (an Indian spice found in local Indian grocers--try to find it because it's hard to substitute--use lemon juice if you can't get it)
2 Tsp cumin seeds, toasted and ground
2 cups chopped tomatoes
1 cup water (you may not need all of this)
1/2 cup sour cream or plain yogurt (trust me on this one)
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Heat oil in a soup pot. Add onion, garlic, ginger and chili pepper and sauté over medium-high heat until the onions are translucent. Turn heat down to medium and add the coriander, cumin, cayenne, turmeric, cumin seeds, amchoor (or lemon juice), paprika and garam masala. Cook onion mixture with spices for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
Next add the tomatoes and stir until they begin to release their juices, about 3 minutes. Add the chickpeas and stir, add about half of the water. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. If the chana looks thick, add a little more water, along with the lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.
Now add the sour cream or plain yogurt. This seems odd, I know, but this is my special addition and it adds an incredible creaminess to the lentils. Just do it and trust me. I promise you will not regret this step/ingredient. Now let the lentils simmer for an additional 5-10 minutes before serving. You may need some additional salt / pepper as well.
Spoon over hot rice and enjoy! This makes amazing leftovers as the flavors continue to meld together over time.
The weather outside is most definitely frightful. I don't know how long I expected to avoid these frigid temperatures, but they came much sooner than I'd hoped.
For me, cold = soup. I have had a love of soup since forever. Soups of all kinds get me going. I especially love soup during the winter months because it somehow provides a comfort from the harsh outdoors.
There is nothing better than a hot bowl of noodles and one of my favorite soups is Pho. This Vietnamese bowl of heaven usually contains rice noodles, meat of some kind, and can be topped with jalapeno peppers, onions, sprouts, basil or cilantro.
Perhaps I've been looking in the wrong places, but I have yet to find a good, cheap, hole-in-the-wall place to enjoy Pho in DC. I'm really craving Pho this week and would be most grateful for any suggestions of a good Pho spot in the area. I've been told heading out to the 'burbs would end my search fairly quickly, but I just don't have it in me to take a long excursion in this kind of weather.
Here's to hoping I can find a new Pho gem in the district soon...
This exquisite culinary creation is one of my all-time favorite things to eat.
Chilaquiles is a traditional Mexican dish usually eaten for breakfast or lunch. It starts with corn tortillas, cut into quarters and lightly fried. These are topped with pulled chicken or sometimes even pork, along with shredded queso fresco, raw onions and avocado, and Mexican crema. My favorite part about the dish is the salsa. Chilaquiles is always topped with a green (the best!) or red salsa. In my opinion, the spicier, the better. What really gets me going though, is when you find a restaurant that tops this ridiculous dish with a fried egg or eggs and slops a generous helping of beans on the side.
The chilaquiles in the picture are from La Dona in downtown LA. One of the best places to get chilaquiles, according to YELP.
Last weekend I had the pleasure of traveling to the left coast. I love California and this was my fourth trip to Los Angeles. The west coast emits a different vibe than many east coast cities do and I'm never disappointed taking a trip to LA.
The food in LA is a minor obsession for me. As an avid lover of all things Mexican, especially tacos and tomatillo salsa, LA is my jam. Hole-in-the-wall taco joints and Mexican watering holes adorn almost every corner in the city, so there is no lack of choices. Though I worked most of the weekend and didn't quite get my fill of tacos, I was able to indulge my craving with some tacos from Danny's Taco Truck.
What I love most about these tacos is their simplicity. All the tacos start with a homemade corn tortilla, which is legit. None of that flour crap. The pork, particularly the pastor, is tender and juicy, having been roasted for hours beforehand. Once the meat is in the tortilla, you add your own toppings, including fresh cilantro and minced onions, and top it off with some fresh salsa--two of the three choices are of the green, tomatillo variety. That's it! Simple and delicious. Oh, and the price is attractive, too. Our group got 10 tacos for $9. Can't beat that, now can you?
For those of you lucky enough to live in LA or spend lengthy amounts of time there, you can also check out the best of the best taco truck and visit Leo's. My trusted partner-in-crime on the left coast insists that there is no better taco than one that comes from Leo's.
I've been searching the internets endlessly, searching for just the right adventure for my honeymoon. It's exhausting and overwhelming because there are 5,456,789 places that interest me. The world is my oyster and how the hell do I pick one place? I'm in the process of comparing places of interest by beach quality and of course, food. What else matters?
Speaking of food, and oysters, I had the most delicious Gulf oysters while I was in New Orleans. Do you see the size of these things? Gulf oysters are so different from the smaller oysters you find on the northeast coast. Usually, size matters, but in this case, I actually prefer smaller oysters. If you're ever in the delightful city of New Orleans, do yourself a favor and go to Luke. They have the best happy hour around. They serve 50 cent oysters and an array of really delicious, uniquely crafted cocktails.
The month of October is always jam-packed with Oktoberfest events. While I'm not a huge fan of attending these wannabe gatherings, I do adore the delicious, Oktoberfest-inspired beer selections that breweries pump out during the fall months. But good beer should be celebrated year-round and I wish some of the fall brews had a longer shelf life. I suppose all good things must come to an end, though.
Before the weather starts to decline, I intend to drink my fill of Oktoberfest beers at Dacha, my favorite outdoor beer garden in DC. It's such a cool spot and they actually serve German beer, which somehow makes it feel more legit. Get it while you can, lord knows I will.
I love this photo of my beloved city. It reminds me how much I miss Holland. I was lucky enough to live in this enchanting country for several years. I still daydream about my favorite dishes in Holland and crave them at the most inopportune times. This time, that craving was Turkish Pizza. Oh, sweet, sweet lord was this stuff good. I indulged myself at least once week while I was living there. Until the day we meet again, Turkish Pizza Met Kaas...
This weekend had me craving something hearty and Italian. Because I'm forever obsessed with all things eggplant, the obvious recipe du jour was Eggplant Parmesan. Eggplant, cheese(s), fresh basil, homemade marinara sauce. You just cannot go wrong.
Every time I make this, I somehow forget to remember how time consuming the process is. It's worth it, don't get me wrong, but it is most definitely a labor of love.
Recently, a friend of mine insisted I pick up Crazy Rich Asians (and read it as soon as humanly possible) because she thought the overseas antics in the story would appeal to me. Needless to say, I bought said novel and immediately dove in. The story is wildly unbelievable, however it was an easy, fun read and I finished the book in a few days.
In Crazy Rich Asians, Singapore is the setting for the majority of the story, which I found pretty interesting. I have been lucky enough to spend a lot of time in Singapore since my parents moved there while I was in college. A lot of the details in the book were familiar to me, and I'm sure anyone else who's been to Singapore would agree that it was both annoying and interesting to read someone else's words about Singapore's cultural idiosyncrasies.
Reading the book stirred my memories of the food scene in Singapore. The city is a melting pot of cultures and flavors unlike anything I've ever experienced. I started craving the curry almost immediately. Singapore has incredible curry and it's one of my favorite things to eat. I found out the secret is the thick, spicy curry paste used for the base.
A1 Curry Paste.
This stuff should be worth it's weight in gold.
I can't find it anywhere in the US, but thankfully my parents send me packages of this stuff in the mail. The creaminess and spiciness of the curry paste is perfection. Served with hot basmati rice and roti prata, it's a meal made in heaven.
I've provided my recipe below. You can find alternate curry pastes at most Indian groceries along with the roti prata. Enjoy!!
Singapore/Malay Curry:
Ingredients:
1 lb chicken or beef, cubed (substitute potatoes to make it vegetarian)
In a large soup pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and fry until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, and chilies and fry for additional 2 minutes. Add cardamom pods and cloves. Reduce heat to medium low and let simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add curry paste and about 1/2 cup of water. Increase heat to medium/high and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add water in small increments until the curry seems smooth and creamy, but not soupy. Add the the remaining spices. Let this simmer for another 10 minutes so the flavors can really blend.
Add the chicken or beef cubes and cook for 5 minutes on low heat. Then add the potatoes (if you're using them) and continue to cook, covered until the meat and potatoes are cooked through. If using mushrooms, add those right at the end as they cook quickly. Add salt and pepper at the end to taste.
Ladle over hot rice and enjoy with roti prata! (Naan is also a great substitute if you can't find roti)
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