For Shame

Today was the Nth annual Shepard Christmas Brunch -- all the extended family members get together for a day of food, cheer and in today's case, snow. At the brunch, cousins, aunts, uncles were all asking about the blog. Why hasn't it been updated? My only excuse is that I was too busy, but really that's a poor excuse. I had no idea I had all these rapt readers! I will now attempt to redeem myself with one single word: pork.

A few weeks ago, I was watching Diary of Foodie on PBS and saw this amazing recipe prepared. It look fantastic and we simply had to try it!

Cider-Braised Pork

(from http://www.epicurious.com/)

• 1 (3- to 4-lb) bone-in fresh pork shoulder half
• 2 garlic cloves, cut into slivers
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 lb onions (5 or 6 medium), halved lengthwise, then cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• 3/4 cup unfiltered apple cider
• salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 325°F. Score fat and any skin on pork in a crosshatch pattern. Make slits all over meat with a small sharp knife and insert a garlic sliver in each slit. Pat pork dry and season with salt and pepper.

Heat oil in a 4- to 5-quart ovenproof heavy pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown meat on all sides, turning occasionally with the aid of tongs and a carving fork, about 8 minutes. Transfer pork to a plate.

Add onions to pot and sauté over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and starting to turn golden, about 5 minutes. Add 3/4 teaspoon salt and sauté, stirring occasionally, until onions are golden and caramelized, 8 to 10 minutes more. Stir in cider and return pork to pot.

Cover pot with a tight-fitting lid and braise pork in middle of oven until very tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Transfer pork to a serving dish with the aid of tongs and carving fork. Boil cooking juices with onions until mixture is reduced to about 2 cups, 2 to 3 minutes, then season with salt and pepper and serve with pork.

We served ours with sauteed swiss chard and some cornbread. The verdict: It was tasty, but needed a little something extra in the sauce. The comments on epicurious.com suggested mustard, cumin or cloves and I would agree with that. On the plus side, we turned our leftovers into pork quesadillas the next night and the leftovers were great!

Before Thanksgiving

Today is Thanksgiving and it will be jam-packed with food. One of my friends once said that Thanksgiving was her favorite holiday, because all you had to do was eat. In contrast to turkey and pie, last night's dinner was shrimp and couscous. Glenn was skeptical, but the couscous turned out terrific! Full disclosure: the couscous is a slight variation on the recipe from the box it came in.

Lemon-Parsley Couscous

• 3/4 c. Israeli couscous (I picked mine up at Trader Joe's)
• 1 c. chicken stock
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 cinnamon stick
• 1 cippolinne onion, minced (recipe called for shallots, but I didn't have any!)
• handful of pine nuts, toasted
• handful of raisins
• 2-3 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
• zest of 1/2 lemon
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp butter

Saute the onion and butter on med heat until translucent. Add the couscous and saute 1-2 mins until it is lightly toasted. Add the chicken stock, bay leaf, cinnamon stick and salt to taste. Bring to a boil and then cover and reduce to a simmer, until all liquid is absorbed (about 5-10 mins). Toss with lemon zest, pine nuts, parsley and raisins.

Lemon-Pepper Shrimp

• 1/2 lb med shrimp, cleaned & de-veined
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• zest & juice of 1/2 a lemon
• olive oil
• salt & pepper

Heat a saute pan and olive oil on med-high heat. Add shrimp and saute 2 mins, add garlic, salt & pepper and continue sauteing until shrimp turn pink. In the final minute of cooking, add the lemon juice and zest. Serve over couscous.

Bistro Dinner

Mmm. The other night, we had a fancy schmancy dinner right here at home. Well, fancy except for the screw-top bottle of Merlot that I used. But I digress... I was craving some red meat, so it was time for a steak dinner. Being rather chilly for outdoor grilling, I got the bright idea to sear the steaks on my cast iron skillet. The result was a quick & easy gourmet meal (20 minutes from start to finish for the steak & sauce).

Bistro Steak with Mushroom Sauce

• 2 flank steaks
• olive oil
• salt & pepper
• 3-4 baby portobello mushrooms, cleaned & sliced
• 1 shallot, thinly sliced
• red wine
• 2 tbsp parsley, chopped
• butter

Preheat cast iron skillet until it registers 450 degrees (or drops of water disappear immediately on contact). Rub steaks with olive oil and salt & pepper to taste. Cook 4-5 minutes per side for medium rare, turning once.

Meanwhile, in a small skillet, saute the shallots with olive oil until translucent, about 6 minutes. Add mushrooms and butter and saute an additional 3-4 minutes, until mushrooms soften. Add a splash of red wine and saute until the liquid evaporates, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and add parsley. Serve steaks with a small dollop of butter and then top with mushroom sauce. We enjoyed ours with sauteed green beans and oven-baked fries.

Pasta Redux: Homemade Ravioli

After last week's attempt at homemade spaghetti, I was encouraged by my results and eager to refine my technique. This time, I was looking for a ravioli recipe -- on the premise that the filling should be easy and it would give me a chance to refine my pasta-rolling out technique. The challenge manifested itself in the form of butternut squash ravioli, courtesy of The Gourmet Cookbook: More than 1000 recipes

The filling was easy and ended up being the home-run I hoped for. The ravioli, was mixed. Essentially, the hand-rolled pasta sheets were still a little too thick (a pasta cookbook I had recommended that ravioli sheets be rolled out to 1/64" thickness!) and when two sheets were layered together, it was just a little too much. I cooked them for a few minutes, until they floated to the surface and wondered whether I should have cooked them longer. I sense future pasta challenges will be in order!



Butternut Squash Ravioli

• 1 butternut squash (about 2 lbs), halved lengthwise & seeded
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 tsp fresh sage, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3 oz. goat cheese, room temperature
• salt & pepper

Roast squash (cut sides down) in a preheated 425 degree oven for about 30-35 minutes, until tender. When cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh into a medium bowl.

Meanwhile, melt the butter over med-high heat. Add onion, sage and salt & pepper to taste. Cook 5-8 minutes, stirring until onion is browned. Add garlic and cook 1 more minute while stirring. Allow mixture to cool slightly and then add to bowl with squash. Mix in goat cheese and stir until well combined.

For the pasta, we followed the semolina package instructions and rolled out flat. Cut pasta strands into 2.5" wide strips. Spoon 1 tsp of squash mixture onto pasta strands, spaced 2-3" apart. Lightly brush pasta strand with water and place an additional pasta strand directly on top. Cut out into ravioli shapes and place on clean tea towel to dry. Allow ravioli to dry 20-30 minutes before cooking.

Cook pasta 3-5 minutes in batches of boiling water. Scoop out when ravioli floats to the surface (note, I would have cooked longer!)

Walnut-Brown Butter Sauce

• 4 tbsp butter
• 1/3 c. shelled walnuts, chopped
• salt & pepper

Lightly toast walnuts in dry skillet. Melt the butter in the skillet with the walnuts, about 3 minutes, until it starts to brown. Toss with ravioli to coat.

Return to Borgo

As part of our honeymoon last year, Glenn & I stayed at Borgo Argenina, a small B&B in the Chianti region of Tuscany. One of the highlights was one dinner where we dined family-style with the other guests and the Elena the owner, cooked us a homemade meal. The food was amazing, the hostess was gracious and the other guests were...entertaining. Elena sent us home with a collection of her favorite recipes and last week, we decided to try it out.

We learned that 1) The KitchenAid pasta attachment is not useful -- there's no way to separate all the strands! 2) Rolling out spaghetti by hand requires patience and skill 3) There's nothing like the smell of a slow-cooked sauce to warm up the house.

We bought some semolina, followed the package instructions an then attempted to use the KitchenAid to form the spaghetti. After we aborted from the KitchenAid, I rolled out the dough by hand. Cutting the strands of pasta was relatively easily, but once the pasta was cooked, it was clear I hadn't rolled the dough out thinly enough.

For the meat sauce, we followed one of Elena's recipes, but had to use our own interpretation a few times, as it seemed some details were lost in translation.


Ragu Napoletano

• 6 pork sausages (we used sweet Italian), casings removed and crumbled
• 2 onions, diced
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 small chili pepper, minced
• 28oz peeled whole tomatoes
• 3/4 c. olive oil
• 1 c. red wine
• 2 tbsp butter

Heat olive oil & butter in a large saucepot with the onion, garlic and chili pepper. Stir until browned (about 10-15 mins). Add the sausage and cook until lightly browned. Slowly add the red wine and cook until the wine evaporates.

Next, add the tomatoes. Simmer sauce for 2 hours, stirring occasionally (we attempted for every 10 mins or so).

The end result was amazing, but next time, I'd use 1/2 c. olive oil (the original recipe actually called for 1 cup!), crumble the pork more and possibly use another 8oz of tomatoes. Still, it was fantastic and made great leftovers!

Food Network Fall Shows

Two of my favorite shows on Food Network are Barefoot Contessa and Everyday Italian. This past weekend, both shows came out of hiatus and have new formats for the fall lineup. Let's see how the premiers stacked up.

Barefoot Contessa (Saturdays @ 1:30pm ET)
In previous seasons, we sat opposite Ina Garten in her kitchen as she made everything from a Sunday rib roast to the most elaborate bouillabaisse. Over the course of the shows, audiences were introduced to Ina's circle of friends -- those who cater to and partake in the Hamptons social scene. However, the focus was always on the food and learning tips and tricks from Ina's years of experience. Her quiet confidence made fancy dishes seem approachable -- you too can make this food!

In this season's premier of Barefoot Contessa, the show has been rebranded as "Back to Basics", suggesting that the producers felt she had strayed too far into over-the-top cuisine. Unfortunately, this episode also incorporated a contrived plot of testing a recipe and then having one of her friends shop for the ingredients as part of test-driving the recipe for himself. The show went so far as to include Ina taking digital photos on her handy Canon camera (a co-sponsor plug? I can only assume so!), which did not fit in the format at all. Throughout the episode, we keep hearing Ina say "I think" and "I hope", playing it up that she is testing this recipe (filet mignon) for the first time herself. This works against the strengths of previous seasons -- now, I'm not so sure I can make this -- Ina doesn't know what she is doing, so how will I or her supposed friend fare in making the dish? The story ends well, but it just seems too scripted to be believable. Hopefully this episode/format was a flash in the pan and won't carry over to future episodes.

Giada at Home (Saturdays @ 1:00pm ET)
I was slow to come around to liking Everyday Italian, Giada de Laurentis' homey-yet-upscale Italian show. The food originally seemed too far removed from my daily life (ironic given the title) and Giada's too-large smile was creepy to me. Over time, either the show toned things down a bit or else my tastes changed, because by last year, I had become a convert. Her food was interesting -- fancier than I would make most days, but worthy of a gourmet dinner at home for a special occasion. In addition, she had moments of greatness where she would "Italianize" dishes and wind up with something really interesting.

In the new season, Everyday Italian has been repositioned as a new series, Giada at Home. I was really looking forward to this -- it was advertised as a beachy, Californian show with lots of entertaining. The premier episode "Rock the Block" shows us her suggestions for food items for the local block party. The title is cheesy, but the format is worse! I like the idea that Giada is now free to make some non-Italian food (although she does work in a bit of mascarpone in the season opener). However, the show is filmed real-time, a la 30 Minute Meals. We see Giada scampering around the kitchen, looking for that garlic and cornstarch. I'm much more interested in learning technique and recipes than watching someone dig through their pantry. Without the careful editing that was a hallmark of Everyday Italian, we're left feeling rushed and flustered -- everything happens too quickly in too short a time period. In an effort to change from a "stir and cook" format, we see Giada hanging posters for the block party and complimenting 8 year old kids on their chalk drawings that advertise the show.

In both season premiers, Food Network is aiming to sell us on a lifestyle. For me, I just want the food. Did you watch? What did you think?

Fall Harvest

There was a brisk chill to the day today. Weak sunshine filtered through the changing leaves and a steady wind brought a flush to my cheeks. After a day outside at the Head of the Charles, I needed something comforting and tasty to warm me up. The answer came from Real Simple. This was an easy, hands-off dinner -- a perfect idea to serve for company!


Roasted Chicken with Apples & Leeks

• 4 chicken thighs + 4 drumsticks
• 4 small crisp apples, cut into slices (I used Empire Apples)
• 2 leeks, rinsed & quartered
• 6 sprigs fresh rosemary
• olive oil
• salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss chicken, apples and leeks with olive oil, salt & pepper. Roast 45 minutes.

So easy, so delicious!

Nantucket Roundup

I spent a long weekend on Nantucket, celebrating my first anniversary. There was a Nor'easter and a hurricane, but we still managed to have a good time. While on Nantucket, I was honestly surprised by the prices. All food and drink were about 20% higher than what I would expect for the equivalent on the mainland. Even for someone who's used to ordering a $10 martini, somehow the $12 martini seemed way out of line. While on the island, we sampled several types of establishments, some were amazing and some should serve as a warning to others to move along.

Veranda House Breakfast We stayed at the Veranda House. The hotel was hip & cool looking, but the breakfasts were terrible! On Day 1, we had a pastry basket with 3 types of pastries: croissants, scali bread and cranberry nut bread. The cranberry nut bread was nice, but other two types seemed dry (almost as though they had come out of the freezer). For a first course, we each had half a pear and a spoonful of yogurt, artfully presented. The main course was cold muesli mixed with yogurt. Good, but cold and not very filling. On Day 2, we were happy to see the scali bread replaced with blueberry muffins in the breakfast basket. Doh! The muffins were stale too! Then, we proceeded to laugh out loud when the first course was a spoonful of yogurt and yesterday's cold muesli again. The main course was the darn stale scali bread, toasted and served with brie (odd breakfast choice) and sliced out-of-season, underripe strawberries. We joked that breakfast on Day 3 would include strawberries as a first course, since we were now on to Veranda House's plan of transforming leftovers into the first course. Day 3 -- strawberries and yogurt for the first course. We are amazing prophets! Seriously though, the breakfasts were terrible!

Straight Wharf Dinner We dined on the bar-side of Straight Wharf. It was mostly just us in the bar, the service was amazing, the drinks tasty and the table in the corner romantic. We started with the spiced almonds and an antipasto platter. The antipasto was amazing and included some homemade fresh mozzarella. A very fine treat! For main dishes, we had the pesto hand-cut spaghetti (side question: how does one "hand-cut" spaghetti? Linguine, I get, but spaghetti is round...) and some chicken thighs that were served with pomegranate and some sort of barley. Very tasty! We passed on dessert and made our way back home. The bar menu is completely different than the formal restaurant (which is MUCH fancier) and were happy with the result.

Black-Eyed Susan's Dinner One night for dinner, we decided to brave the complicated reservation system and dined at Black-Eyed Susan's, a tiny 20-person restaurant. We landed the primo table by the windows. To start, we had a "deconstructed" version of bruschetta, with slices of heirloom tomatoes served on toasted bread and topped with chunks of mozzarella. Drizzles of a basil oil and balsamic were tasty. I thought the dish was beautiful, but I wasn't digging the large slices of tomatoes. For entrees, we had the fish of the day, which was a halibut in a coconut-Thai style curry, served with fresh corn cut off the cob and small fingerling potatoes. The potatoes were good, but filler -- I focused on the corn and the fish! The other entree we got was the pork confit with sour cherry -- rich, decadent and amazing.

Bento #1

My first bento! Ok, that sounded very Fisher-Price. So I ate and enjoyed today's bento. It mostly filled me up and post-lunch snacking was more due to procrastination than anything else. Also, I microwaved the lower tier full of pasta (with lid removed) just to get it to a warm-enough level. I'd be curious to see how well it retained heat had I heated it up in the morning before assembling the bento. Bento #1: Leftover Baked pasta (campanelle, 3 cheeses, chicken sausage) in the lower tier. Upper tier consists of concord grapes (delicious -- this is the flavor of "grape"), orange slices, one slice of extra sharp cheddar cut into cubes, red pepper sticks and creamy ranch dressing for dipping.

Taking all of this into consideration, I really need to invest in some silicone food cups and dividers. I was able to sequester the ranch dressing off to the side with a red pepper barricade, but the juice of the orange seeped through a bit.

Bento Has Arrived!

Hooray! I credit my friend Hilary for tuning me in to the wonderful world of bento. After much hemming & hawing, I finally ordered a bento set from Ichiban Kan. I laughed out loud when my package arrived and it was stuffed with Japanese-language newspaper. Tomorrow morning, I'm going to try my first bento assembly. I'm slightly intimidated that a) it won't make enough food (the portions of bento are tiny!) b) it will give me some sort of health issue since the pieces are plastic and made in China c) that I won't enjoy room temperature leftovers.

Nevertheless, I gladly venture forward into the wonderful world of bento. I am very excited to try the variety of mini-meals that bento affords and the aesthetics of the food as well. Onward and upward!

Two tier stacking set. It says "Lube Sheep" (?!?) on the cover as well. World's smallest fork. A belt for keeping the 2 tiers snug during transport. A lined thermal bag to ease transport and keep food warm/cool until lunchtime!

Sunday Morning Coming Down

The remnants of Hurricane Hanna came through last night and I slept through it all. Waking up this morning, none of the usual breakfast options seemed enticing -- it was time for something new. Inspiration dawned in the form of a frittata. I had never tried making one before, but after a quick visit to FoodNetwork.com, I found enough about the technique to give it a go. A quick perusal of the fridge yielded tasty ingredients and the overall result was very good for a first attempt. Next time, I'd add more salt. Ham & Pepper Frittata

• 1 slice of deli ham, julienned
• green pepper, diced (about one-quarter of a pepper)
• 1 scallion, chopped fine
• 1/2 c. grated parmesean
• 4 eggs
• salt & pepper to taste
• olive oil

Preheat broiler. Whisk together eggs and add half of the parmesan. Season with salt & pepper and set aside.

Heat a small ovenproof skillet on med-high heat. Add olive oil and green peppers and cook 3-4 minutes. Add ham and scallions and cook 1 minute more. Reduce heat to medium and pour egg mixture on top. As it starts to set, gently lift the sides, to allow the wet eggs to get to the bottom. Once the bottom sets, top with remaining parmesan cheese and transfer to broiler. Broil 2-3 minutes, until it puffs up and is golden brown on top.

Serves 2.

The Muffin and Me

Here is a summer conundrum: what to do when you over-buy blueberries at peak season? Have a Kitchen Aid mixer you received as a wedding gift and haven't used yet? It's a lazy Saturday? Simple answer: make blueberry muffins! I was very pleased with myself for thinking of this while lounging in bed during a long weekend. I had some limitations to consider. First, there were only 2 of us -- we did not need a recipe that yielded 15 or 24 muffins. Second, I had a stick of butter and that was it. After perusing several online recipes, I melded them together to form the basis for my first-ever attempt at homemade, from scratch, blueberry muffins. The results were so good, we had to pace ourselves to make sure we didn't eat all the muffins in a single sitting. Blueberry Muffins

• 1 c. flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/8 tsp. table salt
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/3 c. sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 c. skim milk
• 1 c. fresh blueberries, rinsed and dried

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine flour, baking powder, salt in a small bowl and set aside. In a mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the egg and mix until just incorporated. Remove bowl from mixer.

Gently fold in about a third of the flour mixture. Once incorporated, add half the milk and fold unto incorporated. Repeat until all of the flour is combined. Fold in the blueberries and spoon into a muffin tin, filling each about 2/3 full.

Bake 25 minutes until golden brown. Cool slightly and serve warm. Yields 6 muffins.

100 Foods to Try...

In exploring some food blogs, I came across the "Ominvore's 100 Foods to Try" list. It's an odd list and I think it was established by a British blogger. Whenever I see these sorts of things (100 Things to Do Before You Die, 100 Places to See Before You Die, etc), I'm never quite sure of my reaction. On the one hand, I'm intrigued -- how do I stack up? On the other hand, these seem somewhat arbritary. Shouldn't I be creating my own list? Or rather, why have a list at all, shouldn't you just be open to new experiences? This time, the self-assessment curiosity factor won. Items that I've actually tried are in orange. However, I'm keeping my options open. After all, who's keeping score?

The Omnivore's Hundred (from Very Good Taste)

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile (assuming alligator counts, biology aside)
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich (PB&Fluff is superior)
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper (although I did bite into a Haberno once)
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl (the bowl is overrated)
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala (I'm having this for dinner tomorrow)
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut (meh.)
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini (sorry, only the vodka kind!)
58. Beer above 8% ABV (maybe?)
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake (how can fried dough not be on this list?)
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho (I prefer my soup hot, thanks!)
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

16 Days of Glory: Part 4

The gymnastics competition is over. I only saw 1 event in the kayak slalom. I keep looking for the pink-haired Steeplechaser I watched in the Eugene, OR qualifiers, but haven't found her yet. Only a few more days of Olympics to go and I have to confess, I'll be ready for the conclusion. The Olympics have a good sense of timing in that they wrap-up just as they start to wear out their welcome. Beijing 2008, with all your conflicts and glories, it's been grand. Here's one final recipe to get you through the home stretch!

My friend brought these and qualified them as an afterthought at best. We make no claims that they are authentic Chinese, but will say that they were delicious!

Pan-Seared Scallops with Mango

• 6 large sea scallops, rinsed and patted dry
• 1 mango, roughly diced
• 2-3 tbsp of brown sugar
• olive oil

First, make the mango sauce. Place the diced mango in a small pot with water and bring to boil. Once boiled, lightly mash the mixture until half the mango chunks remain. Remove from heat and add brown sugar to sweeten.

For the scallops, heat a large nonstick pan on med-high heat, add olive oil and add the scallops. Sear 4-5 mins for the first side, until they turn golden brown (try not to check them too often, or you'll ruin the finish). Turn over and sear the other side 2-3 mins.

We spooned some of the mango sauce onto Asian soup spoons (a bargain for $0.39/each at Super 88) and then placed one scallop on each. They are rather large, but delicious!

16 Days of Glory: Part 3

Continuing the Olympic celebration, this next recipe was my favorite item of the night. Brought by a friend, it combines Asian flavors with phyllo dough for an interesting twist. These disappeared off the platter very quickly and would be a huge hit at a cocktail party!

Phyllo Asian Wraps

Adapted from "Flaky Siew Mai Crossiants," Asian Tapas: Small Bites, Big Flavors

For the wraps:

• Flour, for dusting
• 4 sheets frozen puff pastry (11x24in) or croissant dough, defrosted for 2 to 3 hours before using
• 1 egg white
• Black sesame seeds, to garnish

For the filling:

• 1/2 lb ground pork
• 1/2 lb ground chicken
• 2-3 fresh shitake mushrooms, stems removed and discarded, caps diced
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground white pepper
• 1/2 tsp chicken stock powder
• 1/2 tsp flour
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk

Preheat oven to 400 F. Make the filling by combining all the ingredients in a bowl and mix until smooth. Set aside. Unroll each puff pastry or croissant dough on a lightly floured surface and roll it into an 11x24 in rectangle, 1/8 in thick if necessary. Cut out approx 7 equilateral triangles, each with a base measuring 4 in, marking the base of the triangles along the length of the pastry sheet. Cut out a total of 25 triangles from the pastry sheets. Place 1 tbsp of the filling on the base of each triangle and roll the base over the filling, then roll up tightly into a cylinder, brushing the tip of the triangle with a bit of the egg white to seal. Repeat with the remaining pastry and filling. Brush the top of each croissant with egg white and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake in the oven at 400 F for 20 mins.

Makes 25 wraps.

Life Lesson: My friend used a package of puff pastry tarts, which were already pre-measured into small octagons, but had to be rolled out. As my friend says. "I would not recommend this... live and learn."

16 Days of Glory: Part 2

Continuing the celebration of the 29th Olympiad, we enjoyed some veggie fried rice. As my sister put it "it's a little bit like risotto", so maybe I should have let the rice dry out some more. Nevertheless, it was a solid addition. We packed them in mini ramekins and turned out on a plate for ultimate visual appeal. So fancy!

Vegetable Fried Rice

• 2 cups rice, cooked to package directions 1 day ahead
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 1 yellow pepper, diced
• 1 handful green beans (about 1/3 lb), cut into 1" lengths
• 1/2 c. frozen corn
• 1 handful peapods, cut into 1" lengths
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 c. soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp peanut oil
• 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
• salt & pepper to taste

Make the rice 1 day ahead and refrigerate overnight. The next day, assemble the rest of the ingredients. Start by cooking the onion and 1 Tbsp peanut oil on high heat in a wok, stirring until translucent (about 10 mins). Next, add the yellow pepper and green beans, cook 2-3 mins, until the beans turn bright green. Add the corn and peapods to the wok and cook an additional 2 mins. Transfer to a bowl.

Next, crack the eggs directly in the wok and cook until they are looseley scrambled -- you want them to hold their shape, but still be wet. Add the rice, 1 Tbsp peanut oil and veggies back into the wok. Cook ~10 mins on high heat, turning frequently, until the rice is warmed through. Add the soy sauce, butter, salt & pepper and cook another 5 mins.

Serves 8 as a side dish, or 4 as a main dish.

16 Days of Glory: Part 1

To celebrate the opening of the 2008 Summer Games and to christen our new home, we had a few friends over to watch the Opening Ceremonies from Beijing. Dinner was a potluck theme: Chinese dishes that could be shared. Despite pouring rain and unseasonably cold August weather, we grilled, we cooked, we drank, we ate. It was a fabulous evening. With so much food to go around, the next few posts will be dedicated to the Opening Ceremonies feast. Grab a TsingTao, watch some Track & Field and enjoy! Beef Potstickers (Brought by my sister, the uber-chef)

Adapted from The Best of Gourmet: The World at Your Table

• 1/4lb ground beef (we used 93%)
• 1.5 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp sesame oil
• 1 Tbsp peanut oil
• 1 Tbsp minced peeled ginger
• splash rice wine vinegar
• 1/2 bunch scallions, chopped fine
• wonton wrappers

To assemble the dumplings: Stir together beef, oils, ginger and vinegar. Stir in scallions. Lay out wonton wrapper, place a scant teaspoon of filling in the middle. Moisten 2 edges with water. Fold over and press to seal. Do not over fill the wonton. Stand each dumpling seam side up and press down to make a flat base. Repeat to make more dumplings. Tip: Place on a dish dusted with cornstarch to keep from sticking while you make the rest.

Heat additional oil (preferably peanut oil) in a nonstick skillet over moderate heat until hot. Remove from heat and arrange dumplings in circle-they should touch each other. Cook uncovered over moderate heat until oil reheats. Drizzle with 1/3 c water, cover and steam for 8-10 minutes. Remove lid and shake to loosen the potstickers. For creative serving, put a large plate on top of the skillet and flip the pan over to remote in one fell swoop -- the wontons will come out in a star pattern. To ensure the wontons don't stick to the pan, add a little more water just before removing them to deglaze the pan and loosen them up.

Serve with your favorite dipping sauce (We used Trader Joe's Gyoza Sauce)

Makes ~24 potstickers.

Teriyaki Shrimp with Citrus Salad

Now that things are settling down some, it's time to start cooking again. Tonight was a fast and easy dinner, perfect for a summer evening. The combination of flavors and textures (the crunch of the pecans is key!) helps make this an interesting and satifying meal. I take some shortcuts with store-bought sauces, but there's no shame in that!

Teriyaki Grilled Shrimp

• 1/2 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• teriyaki marinade (I used a sweet citrus type)

Citrus Salad

• 1 medium orange, segmented & juice reserved
• 1 shallot, diced
• 1/2 cucumber, sliced and quartered
• 2 oz whole pecans, toasted
• Mesculun or spinach greens
• Asian salad dressing (pick your favorite kind)

Skewer shrimp and grill 2-3 mins per side, until pink and ends start to curl. Meanwhile, assemble salad and be sure to squeeze remainder of orange to get all the juices in the bowl. Toss and serve shrimp on top. Serves 2. Enjoy!

Note: Hold off on adding the pecans until the last minute, otherwise they'll go soggy!

Book Reviews Up!

It's been a hectic few weeks, so no culinary adventures for me as of late. I'm in the process of moving and tonight is my last night in my "old home." To pay homage to the neighborhood and to treat myself right (besides the fact that all the dishes are packed!), I'll be making a final stop at Village Sushi, a rare gem in that it has high quality sushi at a great value. To compensate for the lack of foodie-related stuff, I did assemble a list of food-related books I've read and reviewed through Goodreads. Check out the integrated blog on the right-hand margin!

Turkey Meatloaf!

Let me be clear. This may actually be the first time I ever ate meatloaf. And it was sooo good. Free yourself from from the idea of a greasy thing baked in a bread loaf pan. Also, if you're in Boston, try the Kobe Beef Meatloaf at Pops Restaurant -- I have friends who swear by it! Turkey Meatloaf adapted from Barefoot Contessa and Everyday Italian

• 1 small onion, diced
• fresh sage, 1-2 tbsp chopped
• fresh parsley, 1 tbsp chopped
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• splash chicken stock
• breadcrumbs
• 1-2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 lb ground turkey (6% fat)
• 1 egg
• salt & pepper to taste
• ketchup

Oven Roasted Parmesean Fries

• 5 yukon gold potatoes, cleaned and cut into strips
• salt & pepper
• fresh parsley and sage, chopped
• olive oil
• grated fresh parmesean.

Saute onion in 1 tbsp butter until translucent. Add sage, parsley, garlic, cook 1 minute. Transfer to a bowl and add all but the ketchup. Form into rectangular loaf and place on ungreased cookie sheet, spread with ketchup on top. Bake at 325 for ~1 hr, until reaches 160 degrees internal temperature. Place potatoes on cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil, herbs, salt & pepper. Bake ~45 mins at 325, turning once with a spatula halfway through. Add grated parmesean directly onto potatoes in last 2-3 mins of cooking. I served with a spinach salad with green pepper and diced red onion. We each had seconds!