Roman Salad

Keeping with Holly's post on fabulous salads, I thought I would share my own favorite. This Tuna and Arugula salad was shared with me by a true Roman lady while I was in Sicily and I love it so much that I make it every time I buy baby arugula. It is cheap, super easy and high in lean protein so makes a great lunch with a piece of sourdough bread on the side.

Lana's Roman Salad

-Baby arugula

-2/3 can of tuna, water squeezed out and then broken down into small bits.

-fresh squeezed lemon juice

-olive oil

-sea salt and fresh ground pepper

Toss the arugula, tuna, lemon juice, salt and pepper and plenty of olive oil together in a big bowl until tuna is distributed all through the arugula. Don't be shy with the lemon- that's where the flavor comes from!

eat and enjoy.

Barley Monster

Everyone has their favorite grain and mine just happens to be Barley- I like its texture and ability to absorb delicious flavors without getting mushy. Barley Salads are great as leftovers and that's why I make them so often; it's perfect to bring to work for lunch because it allows me to avoid the dreaded microwave.

I found this fabulous recipe: Quinoa with Roasted Zucchini, Feta & Oregano in a Healthy Eats email and decided to give it a whirl, but of course I needed to make some adaptations to the OG Recipe.



I substituted the quinoa for barley- I had it in the pantry and like I stated before I'm a Barley Monster. My Quiona Cousin Mo would have done differently but I'm sure it's just as tasty with either grain. Second I added tons of fresh oregano and thyme rather than the dried- It's summer and time to take advantage of fresh herbs growing in yards or on porches! Lastly, I added some sliced grape tomatoes to the salad to get some more summer flavors in there. This salad tastes even better when consumed at the beach.

The French Chef

I require constant stimulation, so when my work is boring me to bits, I like to listen to documentaries and talk radio in the background. My usual routine is something like this:

Daily Show
Colbert
Democracy Now
PBS programming

Not food related you say? Well lucky me, I just came across this section of PBS's video!

Julia Child!

Not that any of her food is appetizing (eggs, butter......more eggs, more butter...yuck) Nevertheless, the French Chef serves its purpose as a workplace distraction :)

Farewell BBQ's and Wiiiiiiiiine

Oh man, I've been on quite the hiatus. And tired.

I've been on a 1 and a half week vacation from life, and boy was it good. I really don't want to return to civilization.

Where have I been you ask? Entertaining my visiting parents, of course!

And entertaining my parents, really just meant eating out 80% of meals, bringing them to all the tasty restaurants in this Bay Area (...that I can't afford). In the beginning, it sounded like a great idea, but by the final night, I had heartburn (which apparently feels like your boob is asking to be ripped off of your body) from eating foreign food substances so much, and really just wanted to return to my kitchen and cook a yummy meal with my mom for billy & my dad.

It was stupendous.

The highlights were a super satisfying corn soup, and perfectly grilled portabella mushrooms (which fared considerably better than some ny strip steaks we attempted to cook, but really just chared), which we ate with grilled/burnt squash and onions and a simple salad of cucumbers and tomatoes with balsamic deliciousness.

Mama Ferrier's (chicken) Corn Chowder

1 1/2 c diced red onion
1 1/2 c diced yellow onion
1 1/2 c diced potato
1/2 c diced carrot
1 c diced celery
4-5 corns on the cob, boiled, with kernels cut of
6 c chicken broth
heavy cream
flour
olive oil
salt & pepper
1 t fresh basil
pinches of dried oregano, basil
a couple of shakes of chili powder
Optional: meat picked from half of a rotisserie chicken

In your soup pot, start with some olive oil, the carrots, the onions, and the celery. Cook until translucent, add flour and cook until the flour smell is away. This soup is thickened more by this rue, than the cream, so use a hefty amount of oil and flour to get a nice rue. Add the chicken stock to the pot now and do a little scrappin' to get all the good flavors on the bottom of the pan. Bring soup to a boil and add the potato, corn (and chicken if you wish). Now is the time to add the basil, oregano, and chili powder. Let the soup simmer for a little while, and test the potatoes for doneness. When the potatoes are to your liking shut of the heat and allow to soup to cool down to a temperature that allows you to add some cream. Add as much, or as little, as you like!

Grilled Portabella Mushrooms

4 Large Bella Shroomies
1 t mustard
olive oil
salt & pepper
1 t fresh chives
1 t fresh basil
oregano flakes
juice from 2 juicy lemons
1 Container for shaking

add dressing contents to container and shake up. Place mushroomies in a big bowl and pour the dressing all over them. You might have to add more oil than you think to coat evenly. Be sure to add enough salt to encourage a little water to release before you grill. Do this about a half hour before you are grilling. When you place the musrooms on the grill save the extra dressing in your bowl and drizzles over top the finished mushrooms.

A Note on Wine Country

While the retals were here, I had the awesome chance to go to Napa and Sonoma- only an hour from Oakland! This hole concept of driving around, and drinking, and then driving around more is really strange to me, but f-ing awesome none the less. The whole myth that you aren't drinking enough to get drunk it just that- a big myth. I got saucy both days I went up there. It was grand.

I went to about 6 wineries- all were yummy. Even the cheap wine companies we see in the store tend to have reserve wines on site that are super. The most memorable wineries were:

Peju
Ravenswood (due more to a heavy handed server than the wine)
Sebastiani




If you have $100+ to blow on wine, I recommend any of the Peju's Napa Style Cab's

Salad on a Budget

"Salad on a Budget"- I'm not implying that salads are particularly expensive to throw together, I just wanted to share with you a few little tips that helped keep some extra cash in my wallet for weekend spending! Here are two ingredients I tweaked to save some cash money:

Feta & Focaccia

My cheap meal plan was pizza and salad, one of my go-to classics. The pizza was spoken for: fire roasted tomatoes, mushrooms, artichokes and mozzarella. For the Salad I had a hankering for a Greek style, but my remaining feta cheese was reserved for a dish that I plan to make tonight. Looking back on previous crow posts I decided to borrow a technique that Emily used back in June to make her Orange Basil Dressing. She added avocado to her dressing to make it more rich and creamy. I figured that I could cut back on feta by crumbling a small amount in the dressing in hopes of it flavoring the whole salad. I must say it turned out quite well.

Now for the Focaccia, this technique isn't nearly as exciting but still a bit clever. I am a huge fan of croutons in my salad, i like the crunch and the heartiness they add. Lately I've been chopping up the heels of bread, tossing it with olive oil, salt, pepper and oregano and popping them in the toaster.

This past shopping trip I poked around the "old bread" section and found a reduced-price chunk of Focaccia and thought wow, this would be great for croutons. Since the Focaccia already has a lot of seasoning and olive oil, all I had to do was chop and toast it and voila- delicious croutons.

Greek Salad Dressing

Whisk together honey, lemon juice, dijon, freshly chopped oregano and crumbled feta

Stream in extra virgin olive oil

Taste before seasoning with salt and pepper (the feta packs a lot of salty goodness).

Farmers Market!!!

It better not rain this weekend because I have plans to ride my bike to Roslindale and hit up the Farmers Market. The tomatoes on my back porch are still puny-sized and green and all the local grocery stores can't satisfy my craving for that farm fresh produce.


There's something so pure and simplistic about directly handing the farmer my hard earned dollars for their hard earned labor. Maybe its the realization that we're cutting out the middle man trying to make a profit, or maybe its a step back in time to how people got their food prior to the commercialization of the food industry, but what ever it is, it feels great!


I'm not going to set my hopes too high. I am a realist and know that it is still early in the season for the mother load of local veggies. If I leave with one farm-ripe tomato, or a handful of pickling cukes, I will be one happy crow.

The REAL Italian

I know mad Crowz were in Maine last weekend, so I'll give a shoutout to the 207 and it's official state sandwich, the Amato's Italian. Though you can get it with salami, turkey, capicola, pepperoni, sans meat, etc., the Original calls for ham, green peppers, olives, onions, tomatoes, picles, then salt, pepper and oil.. And American cheese, not that fancy provolone stuff. My version: no tomatoes, extra sour pickles. Sour pickles and kalamata olives are key.

To be eaten while looking at the ocean or at some NEBS winding their way down a cobblestone street in search of the next Miller Lite draft.

Pasta Salad Season

One of my favorite things about a summer BBQ or Picnic are the side dishes. Chip and dip platters, roasted veggies, kabobs, cole slaw, your almost full before you even dig into a burger or dawg. My new summer side dish love is the versatile pasta salad. I'm not talking about the stuff you buy at the deli that is drenched in Wish Bone Italian Dressing; I'm talking about these bad boys:

Grilled Chicken Pasta Salad w/Artichoke Hearts & Orzo Feta and Tomato Salad w/Marjoram Vinaigrette

Now these are the Pasta Salads I'm looking to scarf down this summer.

I saw Barefoot Contessa make a yummy Lemon Fusilli Salad with Arugula so I found the recipe online, tweaked it a bit and ended up with a tasty Pasta Salad that I would be proud to present at my next Picnic.


Changes in Recipe:

• I didn't have arugula so I just added extra broccoli
• Swapped the Fusilli for some Bow Ties
• Added the lemon juice at the end, I didn't want the taste to get bitter while simmering on the stove but I still added the zest at the beginning
• Substituted half of the cream with vegetable stock to cut back on some of the richness, but I had to simmer it a little longer to get the right consistency
• NOTES: I know this recipe calls for the broccoli florets, but I happen to really enjoy the steam. If you peel off the outer tough ends, the inside is nice and tender. Also this recipe works great cut in half

Here is my finished product, it's fine served warm or at room temperature. I would love to hear some other Pasta Salad recipes that you Crows are cooking up!

Crows Before Bros

One of our favorite Bros, Matt Studner, celebrated a birthday yesterday! Naturally, I took this opportunity to bake delectable treats and to show off my goodies to you fellow crows. Enjoy!

Chocolate Cupcakes

Cake Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa

1 cup boiling water

1 1/3 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 lg. eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Frosting Ingredients:
4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
2/3 cup butter
1 1/3 cup confectioner's sugar
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla




CAKE!

>Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a small bowl, combine the boiling water and cocoa. Se aside and allow to cool to room temperature.
>In a separate bowl, beat the sugar and butter. Add the eggs one at a time and beat until smooth and creamy. Add the vanilla and mix.
>Sift all the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and blend. Add the cocoa mixture and mix!
>Fill each cup with batter (about 2/3 full) and bake for about 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes clean when inserted into the center of the cake. Allow to cool before frosting.

FROSTING!

>In a double boiler, melt the chocolate. Set aside and allow to cool to room temperature.
>In a separate bowl blend sugar and butter until smooth. Add vanilla. Mix in chocolate and blend until smooth and glossy.

Adventures in Candy Making

My sweet tooth has been reigning over my cooking recently! After one failed attempt with my Aunt Janet's chocolate fudge recipe, I swore off candy making for a while. A couple of days ago I was feeling saucy and decided to give it another go.



This recipe is not difficult and the ingredients are common but it does take quite a bit of time to get the right consistency. Patience is the name of the game! I did have a candy thermometer handy but as I was checking on the mixture, I noticed that it seemed a little off. I opted for the 'cold water test' to make sure the candy was at the right sugar stage.

Ingredients:
2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup milk
4 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

-Grease a baking pan with butter and set aside.
-Combine sugar, cocoa and milk in a medium saucepan. Stir to blend, then bring to a boil stirring constantly.
-Reduce heat to low and simmer. DO NOT STIR AGAIN! In fact, don't even touch the pan-just let that baby bubble...


The mixture is going to double in size (at least!) so make sure your pot is big enough to handle it!
-Once the mixture has cooked for about 20-30 minutes, you can test the sugar stage by dropping a bit of the candy mixture into a cup of ice water. The mixture should form a soft ball-think about a tootsie roll that's been in your pocket all day. When you've found the right stage, you can remove the pot from the heat.
-Mix in your butter and vanilla and beat vigorously with a wooden spoon until the fudge loses its sheen (few minutes). Transfer to the greased baking dish and allow to cool before devouring!

Movie Time

Has anyone seen Food Inc. yet? I've heard good reviews!

For us Boston Crows its playing at Kendall Square, Landmark and Coolidge Corner if anyone wants to join me!

Sweet Domesticity

Ahh, glorious success!

As many of you know, I am not the most neat and tidy cook you'll come across. Generally speaking, there is a slightly crusty patch of food stuffs near/above the back right butt pocket of most pants I own.

Never again!

For, I have achieved womanly success in making, what I see, as one of the most eccentric, and gaudy aprons known to modern history. Alright, that is a bit of an exaggeration. Its quite simple, just more complex than I foresaw when I embarced on this endeavor 48 hours ago.

But ... there are frills, and crimps, and flowers- the antithesis of the vast majority of the items in my wardrobe. This fine piece of craftswomenship is the perfect accessory to any plainclothed wench.

Moreover, it was all done by hand, in a matter of a few hours.

I pat, pat, pat, myself on the back.

ps. I'm never going to get this thing dirty.

Summer Veggies

Assuming that summer actually arrives, this Summer Produce Guide on Food & Wine's website has great potential for inspiration.

An Ode to Fish Taco

Despite the terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad weather we are being bombarded with here in the northeast my mind is still turning to summer and summer foods. Particularly my favorite of all hot summer take-out meals: the fish taco. This West Coast originated masterpiece comes in many forms; some bad, some good and some absolutely delicious. A zesty alternative to the fried haddock sandwich, the fish taco deserves to take its rightful place amongst the most scrumptious of summer mowing options. However, despite the apparent simplicity, a good fish taco is nearly impossible to find and even more impossible to make. Let me explain.

"What makes a good fish taco?" you might be wondering. Well, I will tell you. For me, the quality of a fish taco is best determined by the following 3 factors:


1. Fry Batter:
There are some who believe in a grilled fish taco. I am not one of them. It's summer goddamn it and I want some fried fish in my life. Crispy and slightly spicy does it for me; never soft or greasy.

2. Sauce(s):
It is all about lime when it comes to making the perfect zesty fish taco sauce. My all time favorite place (we'll get there later) used a chili lime sauce that brought down the house. In the absence of such culinary know-how, a good guacamole and sour cream can do the trick.

3. Veggie Crunch:
All that fry needs to be cushioned in a bed of crunchy freshness. A red cabbage slaw is my pick for #1, but some red onion and fresh lettuce also sets it off well.

And, it goes without saying that this should all be wrapped in a soft, chewy, slightly grilled fresh tortilla. This post is already making me hungry.

My relationship with the fish taco has been a toroid one. Like a bad RomCom heroine, I fall into deep, passionate, crazed love, only to be left after a few months with nothing but a craving and a few extra pounds to show for it.

The Mother of all fish tacos, the creme de la creme, the Brad Pitt of fish tacos to my Jennifer Aniston, was formally found at Crab Louie's (which before their tragic demise briefly changed their name to One Eyed Jack's) in downtown Portland, ME. Whoever owned you, Crab Louie's, if you are reading this now, PLEASE CALL ME. I will pay you any amount to taste the amazingness that was your fish taco one more time before I die. Their taco, with its crispy batter, chewy tortilla, cabbage slaw and chili lime sauce was all that is perfection in a world full of flaws. It was the holy grail of fish tacos, the place where I learned how to love. And now it has been taking from me forever and I am left to roam this earth in search of another fish taco to love.

While I was still recovering from this loss, I turned to El Pelon in the Fenway , where I found my John Mayer of fish tacos. Popular and loved by many in the past, it had many of the key ingredients and satisfied me for awhile. It wasn't perfect, and it wasn't Brad Pitt, but I was happy. And then, as suddenly as our relationship had come to be, El Pelon burnt down. I should have seen it coming, after all, El Pelon had done this to me before (burnt down, that is). But still, I was shocked. And then I really had nothing. No Crab Louie's, no El Pelon. I was alone.
So I began the hunt. A chef I knew recomended I have a fling, so I flirted with La Verdad ( also in the Fenway) for awhile, but that quickly ended with disappointment. I tried to go back to an old flame- David's Cafe (Jamaica Plain)- but they had also closed down and left me. Even my high school lover- Chicky's (Portland, ME)- is no longer around for quick, nostalgic satisfaction.

So now, I am once again on the prowl for a fish taco to love. Anyone want to set me up?

Busting Out the Winter Guns

All of this rainy cold weather is forcing me to bust out some hearty winter recipes. Rather than being outdoors grilling up some kabobs and burgers, I was tucked inside my kitchen blasting my oven conjuring up some Shepherds Pie. Growing up, Shepherds Pie was one of my dad's "go to" meals he fed to my brother and I when my mom didn't have time to prepare dinner. Due to his bland taste buds (he hates garlic!!!) his Shepherds Pie consisted of a layer of ground beef and onion, layer of canned creamed corn, topped off with some mashed potatoes. His seasonings simple: salt and pepper.
Out of nostalgia I still find comfort in this dish (my brother still refuses to touch it), but to make my own I would definitely stray from my Dad's recipe. Borrowing from an earlier Crow post, "Not Your Momma's Casserole" I have dubbed my creation "Not My Daddy's Shepherds Pie".


Not My Daddy's Shepherds Pie
1 lb ground beef (available at Harvest, JP)
1/4 onion, chopped
5 to 10 mushrooms, chopped
large bunch chard, chopped
stove top creamed corn (recipe below)
3 large yukon gold potatoes
1 large sweet potato
fresh parsley
1 large garlic clove, thinly sliced
butter, cream and stock (optional)
1/2 a beer (whatever the chef happens to be enjoying at the time)
olive oil, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.

• Stove Top Creamed Corn: Pour a packet of frozen corn kernels into a sauce pan, add a mixture of cream and vegetable stock* to cover the corn half way, a couple dollops of butter and some salt and pepper. Simmer this mixture for 20-30 minutes, near the end start breaking up the corn kernels with the back of a spoon.
• Peel potatoes, cut into chunks and bring to a simmer in salted water. Once fork tender mash together with desired amount of butter, cream or stock, salt pepper and fresh chopped parsley.
• Saute onions and mushrooms in a large pan, once onions are translucent add beef and break up into small chunks. When beef is almost cooked through add half a beer and let simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated.
• Saute garlic in a saucepan with some olive oil, add chard, salt and a pinch of red pepper flakes, simmer until just wilted.
• Coat a casserole dish with olive oil spray, add beef mixture, then creamed corn, chard, and top off with mashed potatoes
• Bake in a 400 degree oven for 45 minutes, then let rest 10-15 minutes before digging in.

* If you want to cut back on using cream or milk, substitute with vegetable stock or use a mixture of the two.

Hopefully I won't have to bust this meal out until October but who knows with New England Weather.

I'll take my summer with a side of political turmoil

This was an interesting weekend that lacked the normalcy of weekends past. Sunny weather, goodbye parties, and a sighting of someone who looks like me reading the book I'm reading (In Defense of Food) on BART.

....and I feel asleep last night to a room of 3 boys trying to explain why they can't just get their hands to go through the table : /

Thanks Whiskey. More thanks to the Monks Kettle.

I don't know how I have let this place slip my sight until last night- I'm guessing it is because the average beer price is somewhere above $10. I suggest checking out the beer menu now so that when you(I'm looking at you crows and family members) come out to SF you know what you'll order before walking in the door!

Also of note- I saw several patrons ordering very large pretzels served with country mustard as their bar snack! I will defiantly check that out next time I go.


******************

On the food front I just made the delicious summer squash gratin c/o the New York Times, and, Wow. Wow. Wow, it was so delicious (gracias crow Vanessa). I used fontina and Parmesan, and ate it with a fresh salad and some yummy chopped peach.

Now I am off to try and make myself some smashing aprons! The fabric store by my house has incredible sales on dress fabrics...Polka dots and flowers anyone?

Fettucine! Parmigiana! Ay!

Pasta making: Great success! And holy moly, I never want to eat pasta out of a box again. It's an entirely different meal. Using this great book by Pasquale Bruno (replete with black and white photos of hairy, Italian wrists serving up dozens of what I am sure are delicious dishes but what all look like Bechamel and sausage vomit piles), we made what was exactly two servings of pasta with 2 eggs and 1 and 1/2 cups of white flour. So make much more if you are hungry. Starting from the well, it took about 8 minutes of kneading to get it right.


Pasta rollers are magic!



The best part is that after all the labor intensiveness of making fresh pasta, it cooks in about 1 minute, in a pot, "salty like the ocean." All topped off with eggplant sauce and shit loads of paremesean:

Now I'm hungry again...

Introducing Miss Emma

Ok, this has nothing to do with food. It has to do with my adorable pup Emma, who Mark and I adopted over the weekend. I will keep it short, but as you can see from these pictures, she is clearly the sweetest beast companion that a Crow could ever ask for. Although Emma's culinary palate has yet to develop, I have no doubt that she will serve as inspiration for many a future post (homemade dog food anyone?)
I also want to give a shout out to the fabulous organization that brought Emma and I together, Canine Commitment. This organization and the loving people that volunteer for them take Dogs out of high-kill shelters in the South and bring them up to New England foster homes where they are loved and eventually found forever homes. If you ever consider adopting, I highly recommend going through them- I know others who have found amazing dogs with Canine Commitment and have had as wonderful of an experience as I have.

2 Lovely Sauces

Let it be said that:

casserole < style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">
Mac & Cheese for the summer days

1 lb dried pasta

Bechamel Sauce*
2 c whole milk
3 T butter, 2 T olive oil (I know, I know)
4 T flour

1 lb shredded cheddar
3 handfulls parm cheese
1 c peas
1 c corn kernels off the cobb

1 sliced heirloom tomato

Begin by boiling pasta to an extreme al-dente. Drain, rinse with cold water. Make bechamel sauce by melting butter with olive oil over low heat. Add flour and cook until the flour smell is gone. Add Milk. continue to simmer, never boil, until the milk starts to thicken. Add Parm cheese. Stir and remove from heat. Mix Shredded Cheddar (minues a little for the crispy top) with the pasta, corn, and peas. Put in baking dish. Pour white sauce over pasta. Place sliced tomatos along the top of the pasta, and then sprinkle extra cheese on top. Bake at 350-400 for 40 minutes, and then pop it under the broiler for an extra 5 to crisp the top.

Orange Basil Dressing

Juice from 1 orange, zest from half
6 basil leaves
1 small rosemary sprig
1 t mustard
1/2 medium avacado
salt and pepper
1 clove garlic
small amount of onion- red or green
olive oil

Blend all ingredients, if you want a more acidic dressing add some red wine vinegar. If you have some lemon, I bet that would be yummy. This comes out such a beautiful green!! I recommend enjoying this over a simple salad of mix greens, tomato and onion!

* A wonderful utility sauce that can be used to start a pasta sauce, or be the sauce itself if you add some chopped green onions and extra parm cheese!

Politics of the Plate

If I can't be at home making or enjoying food, the next best thing in my eyes is to read about food. Flipping through recipes online is always fun, but isn't substantial enough to get me through a slow work day. That is when i discovered an insightful series in Gourmet Magazine called Politics of the Plate. Here are a few examples of stories they cover, but their full archive has almost 30 web pages for you to eat your heart out on.

Politics of the Plate: Humane Beings
Thanks to new regulations and consumer demand, the market for humanely raised animal products is about to take off.

Politics of the Plate: Irradiated Produce, and Safe Milk from Wal-Mart
At a congressional hearing on food safety, irradiated produce passes a taste test. Plus, Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club, and other retailers move to carry rBST-free milk.

Politics of the Plate: “Natural” Lies
Basking in the “natural” marketing glow, manufacturers are slapping the word on just about everything.

Politics of the Plate: High-Mercury Corn Syrup
If you didn’t already avoid high-fructose corn syrup, here’s a good reason to start: Scientists have found mercury in the sweetener.

In addition to browsing the web there are some really interesting books out there that cover similar topics. Two of my favorite are:

If any readers know of some good books to keep a die-hard foodie entertained, please share!