Next Up: Calamari

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Lamb & Rice Stuffed Grape Leaves – Hours to Make, Seconds to Eat, Totally Worth It

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There’s no getting around the fact that these lamb and rice stuffed grape leaves, aka “dolmas,” take some time and effort to put together, but at least they’ll all be gone in just a few minutes. What I’m trying to say is, maybe make a double batch.

If you order these at your favorite Mediterranean restaurant, you’ve probably enjoyed the more common meatless version, but I really do love the lamb in these. The technique works the same no matter what you use, but of course, how much rice you use will affect how much liquid you need.

As far as the grape leaves go, I’ve only done these with the ones in the jar, which work great for me. I’ve heard these are even better with fresh grape leaves, but where the heck am I going to get my hands on those in Northern California?

As I mentioned in the video, these are wonderful at any temperature, which makes them a great option for parties. You can put them out warm, knowing that they’ll be just as delicious when they are cold. I garnished mine very simply with lemon and olive oil, but any cold yogurt sauce makes for a beautiful dip. I really hope you give these a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 32 Lamb & Rice Stuffed Grape Leaves:

1/2 pound ground lamb

rounded 1/2 cup long grain rice

1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1 tablespoon currants

1 tablespoon pine nuts

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon dry oregano

2 tablespoons chopped mint
1 large egg

1 jar (16-oz) grape leaves, drained and rinsed

To cook the “Dolmas:”

4 cups chicken broth (tip: use already hot to save time)

Juice of one lemon

drizzle of olive oil

- Simmer, covered, gently for about 45 minutes or until rice is tender. I usually check at around 35 minutes, and play it by ear from there.

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How to Fix a Broken Hollandaise Sauce

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It happens to the best of us. You did everything right, and yet somehow your gorgeous hollandaise sauce has separated. Your hungry, possibly hangry, brunch guests are sitting down, and you're in the kitchen panicking, since there's no time to start a new one from scratch. What do you do? What...do....you....do?

First, take a deep breath, and by "deep breath" I mean a big sip of your Bloody Mary. Then, do what you see me do in this video. A hollandaise sauce is actually very easy to fix, and only takes a minute. Let's hope you never have to use it, but just in case, I hope you give this great technique a try.

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Orange & Milk Braised Pork Carnitas – Apparently for Cinco de Mayo

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It must have been the subliminal beer and liquor advertising that got me, because I wasn’t even thinking about Cinco de Mayo when I decided to film this milk-braised pork carnitas recipe. 

It’s pretty hard to make a bad batch of oven-fried pork chunks, no matter what method you use, but the milk braising beforehand seems to give the meat a little extra succulence.

The subtle sweetness from the orange is also very nice, but I wanted more, so upped the amount below. As I mentioned in the video, you always want to use these ingredient amounts, and not necessarily what you see in the video. Especially when I’m trying something for the first time, I’ll go kind of light on the ingredients and then adjust here if I think it needs little more or less of something.

By the way, proper carnitas are much “richer,” and by that I mean much fattier. The chunks of meat are crisped in a caldron of pork fat, and copious amounts of this insanely delicious stuff sticks to the meat as it’s chopped or smashed. So, feel free to use more than I did during the oven step, and enjoy something even more flavorful.

You’ll probably use these for tacos, but rumor has it, if you smash them up, and mix in some of your favorite barbecue sauce, they make incredible pulled pork style sandwich.  And don’t even get me started on how amazing these are fried up with some eggs in the morning. I hope you give this carnitas recipe a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 8 portions Orange & Milk Braised Pork Carnitas:

3 1/2 pounds boneless pork shoulder

1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 bay leaves

2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

1/2  cup freshly squeezed orange juice

zest peeled from 1 large orange
2 cups whole milk

Note: You can strain and reduce the cooking liquid if you want, and do "wet" tacos by adding some of the juice to chopped meat.

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Cheese Blintzes – In a New York State of Mind

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Make Cheese Blintzes – In a New York State of Mind

If you’re ever talking to someone who’s been to, or used to live in New York City, and the subject of cheese blintzes comes up, you will almost always see their face light up, like they just found a 20-dollar bill on the subway.

After they tell you where they’d get them, and how great they were, they usually turn a little melancholy, and tell you how much they miss them, and why can’t they get them around here. They’re not usually something someone thinks of to make at home, which is too bad, since they are pretty easy.

While there are several steps, they're fairly simple, and so totally worth the effort. In fact, you can prep everything ahead of time, and cook when you’re ready to serve. They also hold pretty well in a warm oven, so exact timing isn’t crucial, which is always nice when trying to serve a brunch.

I cook mine in clarified butter, which is simply melted butter with the white, foamy milk solids skimmed off the top. This prevents it from getting that nutty, toasted flavor, which some of you may actually prefer.

I also don’t like overly sweet blintzes, and use less sugar than many recipes, so taste and adjust. I hope you give these delicious cheese blintzes a try soon. Enjoy!

Makes between 10 and 12 Blintzes:
(depending on the size, and how much filling you use)

For the batter:

3 large eggs

1 cup milk

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon white sugar

1/2 tsp salt

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/4 cup cold water

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

For the filling:

1 1/2 cup ricotta cheese (drained in a strainer if wet)

1/2 cup cream cheese

zest from one lemon

pinch salt

2 tablespoons powdered sugar, or more to taste

1 large egg

After stuffing and rolling, brown in butter, and bake at 325 F. for 12 minutes.

Serve with this raspberry sauce, and fresh berries.

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Next Up: Cheese Blintzes

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There’s No Such Thing as Too Many Rice and Beans Recipes

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Rice and beans is one of the world’s great comfort foods, and no matter where you travel, there will be some amazing local variation to enjoy. Except, Iceland. I heard it’s hard to get a great plate of rice and beans in Iceland, but pretty much anywhere else, not a problem.

To help me prove this, here is a great collection put together by my friend, Carl Hanson, from Allrecipes.com. Follow this link for “How The World Does Beans and Rice…in 24 Recipes,” and you could theoretically make a new version every day for two-weeks. Enjoy!

What's my favorite rice and beans dish? 

It changes with my mood, but this Brazilian Feijoada is hard to beat. Enjoy the video, and click here if you'd like to read the full blog post.

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Whole-Grain Blueberry Scones – Because a “Muffsconut” Isn’t a Thing

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I was brainstorming some ideas for using up a cup of nearly perfect blueberries, and was waffling between muffins, donuts, and biscuits. I finally decided on a biscuit-like triangle, spiced subtly with essence of old-fashioned donut.

I’m calling it a scone because I cut it into a triangle. There’s just something un-American about a triangular biscuit, so you Brits will just have to keep a stiff upper lip about this not being an actual scone.

I used my new favorite, sprouted spelt flour, but I’m guessing this will work with whatever you roll with. You’ll also want to keep an eye on them in the oven, as the baking times will vary depending on the exact shape and thickness. They’re done when they’re well browned, and you see blueberry juices bubbling out through the top and sides.

These have that someone loves me look, especially if you do the recommended sugar-crust top, which is why I’m thinking these would be nice for Mother’s Day, or any other brunch/breakfast-in-bed type situations. I hope you give these a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 8 Whole-Grain Blueberry Scones:

2 cups spelt flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp fine salt

1/8 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

2 tbsp white sugar, optional

4 ounces ice cold butter (1/2 cup aka 1 stick) 
1 cup blueberries

3/4 cup cold buttermilk

- 425F.for about 20-25 minutes, or until well-browned and blueberry juices start bubbling out through the top and sides.

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Greek Lemon Chicken and Potatoes – Both Homers Would Love This

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Make Greek Lemon Chicken and Potatoes – Both Homers Would Love This

I don’t have the energy or courage to cater for a living, but if I did, this Greek lemon chicken and potatoes would be one of my go-to entrees, and not just for big, fat weddings. It’s a proven crowd-pleaser, simple to make, and easy on the wallet.

I had a whole chicken to use, but I really like to do this with all leg/thigh sections, which can roast longer, and that means even more caramelized goodness. If you do use a whole chicken, you can remove the breast sections from the roasting pan before the thighs, and cook the dark meat longer, but I couldn’t be bothered, and the results were delicious.

The extra potato crusting is an optional step, as is turning the drippings into a quick sauce, but both only take a few minutes, and really elevate the dish. Like I said at the end of the clip, this is something I could easily make once a week, and the leftovers are extremely picnic friendly. I hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 Portions Greek Lemon Chicken and Potatoes:

1 whole chicken, about 4 pound, cut in sections,

OR 4 pounds chicken thighs bone-in, skin-on

3 russet potatoes, cut in quarters

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp dried rosemary

1 rounded tablespoon dried oregano

pinch of cayenne

6 cloves of garlic, finely minced

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup olive oil

2/3 cup chicken broth for the pan, plus a splash to deglaze after roasting

fresh chopped oregano to garnish

Roast at 425 for about 45 minutes, or until the chicken is well browned and cooked through.

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crostini de queijo azul e alho francês // blue cheese and leek crostini

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a primavera é a minha estação favorita. nunca foi. mas é-a agora. quando os dias ficam grandes. muito, muito grandes. entre maio e junho. quando tudo é novo. quando os ingredientes são frescos. quando os sabores são diferentes. quando os parques são novidade, outra vez. quando a temperatura amena é uma sensação estranha. e nova. e boa. quando almoços no pátio são recorrentes. quando faço tantas experiências culinárias, que não consigo nem ter tempo de as publicar no blogue. quando é tão bom viajar. porque os dias têm um maior número de horas de sol. e os dias são maiores. com o sol a nascer pelas seis horas da manhã e o a pôr-se pelas nove da noite. e a luz é perfeita!

spring is my favourite season. never was. but it is now. when the days are big. much bigger. especially between may and june. when everything is new. when the vegetables are fresh. when the flavours are different. when the parks are new, again. when a warm weather is a strange feeling. and new. and good. when lunches in the backyard are common. when I make so many new culinary experiences that I don't have enough time to publish them on the blog. when it is so good to travel. because the days have a bigger number of hours of sunshine. and the days are bigger too. when the sun rises at six in the morning and sets by nine in the evening. and the light is just perfect.

crostinis de queijo azul, alho francês e piso de coentros

faz 6 fatias

ingredientes:

3 talos de alho francês aparados e cortado rodelas (300 g)

1 c. sopa azeite

6 fatias de pão sourdough

75 g queijo azul irlandês

6 c. chá de piso coentros

1 lima, cortada em gomos

Numa frigideira ao lume forte, adicionar o alho francês com o azeite. Deixar cozinhar por 1 minuto e reduzir o lume para fraco. Deixar cozinhar por mais 7/8 minutos, mexendo frequentemente até estarem tenros. Retirar do lume e reservar de lado até ser necessário servir.

Enquanto isso, tostar levemente o pão no grelhador de forma a ficar crocante.

Na hora de servir, barrar cada fatia com uma quantidade generosa de queijo azul e o alho francês. Guarnecer com 1 colher de chá de piso de coentros no topo e regar com um bocado de sumo de lima.

blue cheese, leek and coriander 'piso' crostini

makes 6 slices

ingredients:

3 medium leeks, trimmed and sliced (300 g)

1 tbsp. olive oil

6 slices of sourdough bread

75 g irish blue cheese

6 tsp. coriander 'piso'

1 lime, cut into wedges 

Heat a frying pan over high heat and add the leeks with olive oil. Cook for about 1 minute until they are sizzling and turn the heat down to low. Let it cook for another 7/8 minutes, stirring frequently until tender. Remove from heat and set aside till needed.

In the meantime, lightly toast the bread under the grill to crisp up a bit.

To serve, spread each slice with a generous amount of blue cheese and leek. Garnish with 1 tablespoon of coriander 'piso' on top and squeeze a bit of juice of a lime.

___

~ f a c e b o o k ~

~ t u m b l r ~

~ f l i c k r ~

~ i n s t a g r a m ~

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A Spring Vegetable Frittata for Mother

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Make A Spring Vegetable Frittata for Mother

It always feels a little wrong making a frittata with freshly cooked vegetables, since the whole point of the dish is to use up leftovers, but seeing as we’re branding this as a Mother’s Day brunch special, we’ll make an exception.

If you want to play it safe, you can cook each vegetable separately, but that takes longer than the one-after-the-other method shown here. Like I said in the video, this is a great practice recipe for new cooks, since you really have to pay attention to what’s happening in the pan. I said to use medium heat, but you may want to adjust that up and down, depending on what you see happening.

Make sure all your vegetables are tender, hot, and well seasoned before adding your eggs, and not a lot can go wrong. Once those, and hopefully some cheese, get stirred in, turn off the heat, and pop the pan into the oven until the eggs are set. If your mom likes golden-brown, you can use the optional broiling step seen herein.

If you decide to garnish with edible flowers, make sure you’re actually using edible flowers. Nothing puts a damper on a Mother’s Day brunch like a trip to the emergency room. If you use nasturtium you’ll be safe, otherwise, do some research. I really hope you give this delicious vegetable frittata a try soon. Enjoy!

Makes 6 large portions:
2 tbsp olive oil

1 leek, chopped

1 jalapeno, seeded, diced

1 1/2 cups sliced asparagus

1 1/2 cups sliced zucchini

handful baby spinach

1 1/2 cups sliced cooked potatoes

12 large eggs

1 tsp salt, plus more as needed to taste while cooking veggies

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

pinch cayenne

4 ounces goat milk feta, or your favorite cheese

350 F. for about 15 minutes, or until just set, then broil on high for 1-2 minutes for some color

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Asparagus Season is the Reason

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Is there any more representative image of Spring than a couple ladybugs making love on a spear of asparagus?

This great photo by Flickr user Benimoto inspired me to post a few links to some previously published asparagus recipes.

One of my biggest vegetable pet-peeves is undercooked asparagus. Many cooks are so afraid to overcook it, they tend to not cook it long enough, and this results in a still bitter stalk. There's a perfect degree of doneness where the spears are just tender, and the natural sweetness shines through. So, go buy a couple bunches of fresh asparagus, and give one of these recipes a try. Enjoy!


Asparagus and Chicken Noodle Casserole

Creamy Fresh Asparagus Pizza (note: uses old, original pizza dough recipe)

Pan-seared Spring Asparagus with Lemon, Balsamic and Parmesan

Pasta Primavera with Fresh Asparagus

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Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps

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Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients

• 1½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces
• ½ cup buffalo sauce, plus a little more for drizzling over the finished chicken if you prefer
• 2 cups plain panko bread crumbs
• 4-6 large soft leaves of lettuce (I used Boston Bibb Lettuce)
• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• ½ cup diced tomatoes
• ½ cup diced avocado
• blue cheese (or ranch) dressing & scallions to garnish

Full recipe on: sugardishme

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