Uncategorized

Spiced Ginger Shrimp With Burst Tomatoes

Serves 2-3

About 1½ tsp aromatic spice blend, such as garam masala, Baharat, five-spice, curry powder, or a mild chili powder blend, plus more to taste
2 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced or finely grated
5 scallions, thinly sliced, greens and whites separated
¾ tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
¼ tsp black pepper
1lb extra-large shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup small (or halved large) cherry tomatoes, preferably yellow Sungold tomatoes
2 tbsp unsalted butter
Fresh lime juice
½ cup fresh mint leaves, torn or roughly chopped

Step 1
In a medium bowl, combine spice blend, ginger, garlic, scallion whites, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Add shrimp and toss well. Heat a large skillet over high heat, then add the oil. Add the tomatoes and ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook until the whole tomatoes burst and the halved ones start to wrinkle, about 2 minutes.

Step 2
Add shrimp mixture and sauté for another 2 to 4 minutes, turning the shrimp, until they are pink all over.

Step 3
Gently stir in butter and cook for another minute, until the shrimp are cooked through. Remove from heat and add a squeeze of fresh lime juice. Taste and add more salt and spices, if needed. Garnish with mint and scallion greens and serve immediately.

TIP
If your spice blend is heavy on the chiles, you might want to cut back by ¼ to ½ teaspoon; you can always add more to taste just before serving.

Uncategorized

Extremely Cheesy Corn Casserole

This easy recipe starts with canned corn, making it decidedly simple to put together (you don’t even need a mixing bowl). Avoid cans labeled “creamed corn” or “cream-style corn”—you’re looking for plain canned sweet corn kernels. Heated with cream cheese, cheddar, and Parmesan (plus diced green chiles and garlic), the kernels add sweetness and pops of texture to the creamy, melty dish. You can assemble the corn casserole a few days ahead; top it with the breadcrumbs and more cheese before popping it in the oven for 15 minutes to warm up—just enough time to carve the turkey. It’s so make-ahead friendly, in fact, you can cook it all the way through and cart it along to a potluck since it’s even great at room temperature.

Serves 10–12

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, plus more for baking dish
1 medium jalapeño, finely chopped (seeded if desired)
2 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
2x 15-oz. cans whole-kernel corn, drained
8oz. cream cheese
¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese
¾ cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup breadcrumbs (fresh or dried)
½ cup roughly chopped tender fresh herbs such as thyme, sage, or parsley, plus more
Green onions or chives (optional; for garnish)

Place rack in middle of oven and preheat oven to 375°. Butter a 13 x 9″ baking dish and set aside.

Melt 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add 1 jalapeño, finely chopped (seeded if desired), and 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped, and cook until fragrant and just starting to soften, about 5 minutes. Add two 15-oz. cans whole-kernel corn, drained, 8 oz. cream cheese, ¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese, and ¼ cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese. Stir until cheese is melted and corn is well coated, 2–3 minutes, then season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Pour corn mixture into prepared baking dish. Top with ½ cup breadcrumbs (fresh or dried), ½ cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese, and ½ cup roughly chopped tender fresh herbs such as thyme, sage, or parsley. Bake corn casserole until cheese is melted and bubbling and the breadcrumbs are a crispy golden brown, about 15 minutes. Garnish with more roughly chopped tender herbs and green onions or chives, sliced, (if using).

Do ahead: Corn casserole can be assembled without topping up to 3 days ahead of time. Cover casserole dish with a lid or wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Uncategorized

Labneh dip with za’atar, pistachio, mint and olive topping

Sprinkled with fresh pomegranate seeds and served with pita chips – this easy labneh recipe is the perfect appetizer or can be served as part of a mezze platter.
Unless you’re buying the labneh, it is made overnight but keeps in your fridge for a month.

2 cups labneh (store-bought or home-made) replace that with 3 cups yogurt to make it from scratch
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tbsp chopped fresh mint leaves
2 tbsp chopped pistachios (toasted preferably but optional)
1 tbsp chopped pitted Kalamata olives
pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
1/4 cup Za’atar spice
2/3 cup Moroccan olive oil extra virgin
1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
For the Za’atar Pita Chips:
2 large Pita breads (not Greek style) cut up into wedges
2 tablespoons Za’atar spice
1/4 cup good Moroccan olive oil

Making labneh from scratch
Start with the Greek full-fat yogurt. Mix it with the salt
Pour the yogurt/salt mixture over a cheesecloth in a sieve placed over a large bowl. Squeeze it out as best as you can to remove any moisture from the yogurt.
Place the cheesecloth with squeezed yogurt over the sieve overnight in the fridge squeezing as often as you can. This should take between 8 – 24 hours
Now remove the sieve and discard the excess water.The labneh cheese should be well dried out and has turned into a dry thick creamy paste like tangy cheese.

Pita chips
The easiest thing to make when you’re out of crackers is pita chips. They take less than 8 minutes in the oven and come out super crisp super thin and packed with flavor.
You’ll need quality olive oil here to taste the flavor of the za’atar, pita chips and labneh.
Start by cutting off your pita chips into wedges.
The best way to do that is to cut each pita bread in half, and then cut each half into three wedges. Another thing is to separate the layers in your pita bread. That way you have paper thin chips.
Mix together together the olive oil, za’atar and salt
Take a brush and thoroughly brush the chips with the mixture
Bake the chips at 350 for 6-7 minutes until crisp

Labneh dip
In a small bowl, add in the chopped mint, pistachios, olives, pepper flakes, za’atar spice and olive oil. Mix well.
Spread your labneh on a flat plate mounding the labneh to about an inch high. Swirl so there are dips and mounds, so the topping looks attractive when spooned over.
Spoon the topping ingredients over the top of the labneh and allow it to drip from the sides.
Sprinkle with some pomegranate seeds

Accompaniments · Holiday Food · Uncategorized

Stovetop Christmas potpourri

You cannot eat this recipe but oh my, if you celebrate Christmas this is a fabulous, easy way to fill the house with Christmas aromas for days on end.
You can really add any spice or citrus fruit to the pot that reminds you of Christmas

2 large sliced apples
2 large sliced oranges
A bag of cranberries
2-3 good sized sprigs rosemary
5-6 good pinches of nutmeg
4-5 cinnamon sticks
4 star anise
8 whole cloves
1 tsp ground cloves
some powdered or fresh ginger
1 tsp mixed spice or all spice

Put everything in a large pot, cover with water and simmer gently.
I plan on turning off the heat every night and simmering gently again the next day from about Dec 21st through the 26th.

Do-ahead · Uncategorized

No-bake lime cheesecake

Recipe by Eric Kim from FOOD 52.
“This is my favorite cheesecake to make, because I enjoy that soft voluptuousness from the no-bake.
The acidity of the filling offsets its sweetness and highlights its perfect “just rightness”; meanwhile, the heavy cream softly finishes the sour lime and cream cheese.
Most of all, it’s important to know that you in no way need an electric mixer of any kind (though it certainly makes things easier). I’ve made the filling in a stand mixer, with an electric hand mixer, and by hand.
All methods work (especially if the cream cheese is at room temperature). Only thing is, if you’re doing it by hand, you may want to whip the cream first in a separate bowl before folding into the cream cheese mixture. The idea is that you’re creating volume by adding air, which thickens the cream.”

Crust
18 whole graham crackers, or 2 sleeves (about 279 grams)
8 tbsp (1 stick/113 grams) unsalted butter, melted
2 tbsp granulated sugar
Zest of 4 limes
1 pinch kosher salt
Filling
8 oz (227 grams) cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup (60 grams) lime juice
1 cup (227 grams) heavy cream, very cold

Make the crust: Process the graham crackers into the texture of dry sand. (If you don’t have a food processor, put the crackers in a resealable plastic bag and bash with a rolling pin or heavy-bottomed pan.)
Into this, stir the melted butter, sugar, lime zest, and salt until well combined, like wet sand. Tumble into a round 8-inch springform pan and, with a ramekin, wine glass, or anything with a flat base, press and pack the crumbs into the bottom and all the way up the sides. You should be left with what looks like a large, empty Cookie Shot. Fridge this until ready to fill.

Make the filling: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or in a large mixing bowl using an electric mixer), cream together the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and lime juice until smooth and fluffy at medium speed, about 3 minutes. Slowly beat in the heavy cream and continue mixing until the batter increases in volume and thickens considerably. It should form relatively stiff peaks, if that means anything to you (or when you tilt the bowl, the batter shouldn’t move much). Pour this filling into the prepared graham cracker crust and smooth off the top.
Refrigerate for 2 hours at least, preferably overnight, before garnishing with optional lime slices and serving.

Appetizers · Do-ahead · Uncategorized

Bacon and corn salsa dip

This is a lovely dip for a family BBQ.

Screen Shot 2020-06-23 at 4.54.00 PM

4 slices thick bacon, diced
3 cups corn kernels, frozen, canned or roasted
1/2 cup diced onion
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
4 oz cream cheese, cubed
2 tbsp whole milk, or more to taste
3 scallions, thinly sliced
1 tsp sugar
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat.
Add the bacon and cook until brown and crispy, about 6-8 minutes, then transfer to paper towels to get rid of the excess fat. Drain the excess fat in the pan, reserving 1 tbsp of it.
Add the corn, onion, jalapeno and bell pepper to the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally until tender, about 5-6 minutes.
Stir in the cream cheese and milk until well combined, 2-3 minutes.If the mixture is too thick, add a little more milk to thin it down.

Stir in the scallions and sugar, season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve immediately sprinkled with the bacon.

Pasta · Uncategorized · Vegetarian pasta

Pasta with smashed zucchini cream

Recipe from “101 Cookbooks”
Use your favorite noodles here, long or short. I used bucatini, but also love stubby shapes with grippy ridges.

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8 oz dried pasta
3-4 medium zucchini (2 lbs), washed
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
6-8 medium cloves garlic, grated on microplane
1/2 tsp fine grain sea salt
1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan or pecorino cheese
1 cup basil, thinly sliced
1 1/3 cups chicken broth (or water if you’re vegetarian)
black pepper
toasted almond slices

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water well, and boil pasta per package instructions. Drain, reserving some pasta water, and set aside.

In the meantime, slice the zucchini in half lengthwise and use a spoon to remove most of the seeds. Cut into 1/4-inch pieces.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, a minute or so. Stir in the chopped zucchini and 1 1/3 cups chicken broth, cover, and simmer until the zucchini absorbs most of the water and softens, roughly 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat, and carefully, with a fork or (even better) a potato masher, smash the zucchini until creamy.

Transfer the zucchini to a large serving bowl.
Add most of the cheese and most of the basil, and lots of pepper.
Stir in the pasta, and a splash of the pasta water if you want to thin it out at all.
Taste, and add salt if needed.
Finish by topping with lots of toasted almonds, and the remaining cheese and basil.

Uncategorized

A new recipe book I really love

Do you love really interesting salad (and non-salad) recipes and inspiring stories from artists who also share their recipes?

As I love to share other people’s recipes here as well as my own, I thought I would introduce you to my new neighbor who writes a food blog and recently wrote this terrific book.

I haven’t been inspired (until now) by a really good and unusual salad recipe since the Ottolenghi books.

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THE BOOKS

Uncategorized

French Onion Toast

From the food blog “The Original Dish”
The most indulgent french onion toast with a hearty onion mixture and melted gruyere cheese.

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Makes 6 large toasts

olive oil, as needed
3 tbsp butter
2 ½ lbs thinly sliced onions
1 large shallot, thinly sliced
kosher salt, as needed
freshly cracked black pepper, as needed
2 tbsp sherry wine
½ cup beef stock
2 large fresh thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
6 large, thick slices of fresh sourdough bread
3–4 tbsp butter, softened
12 oz gruyere cheese, shredded

SAGE BREADCRUMBS

4 oz sourdough bread, torn apart
12 sage leaves
vegetable oil, as needed

FRENCH ONION TOAST

1. Heat a large heavy-bottom pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Drizzle enough olive oil into the pot just to coat the bottom. Add the butter and let melt.

2. Stir in the sliced onions and shallots. Season with a big pinch of salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Let the onions and shallots cook for about 10 minutes, stirring often. Lower the heat to medium-low and let the onions and shallots continue to cook until tender and caramelized, about 1 hour.

3. Raise the heat to medium. Stir in the sherry wine and let cook for 2 minutes. Add the beef stock, fresh thyme, and bay leaf. Bring the liquid to a simmer and cook the mixture until most of the liquid has reduced. The consistency should hold its shape, but still be slightly loose. Taste and season with more salt if needed. Remove the thyme and bay leaves.

4. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400F. Place the bread on a foil-lined sheet pan. Spread the softened butter generously onto each piece of bread. Toast the bread for 5 minutes. Remove the bread from the oven and set the oven to high broil.

5. Evenly distribute the onion mixture onto each slice of toasted bread. Evenly distribute the gruyere cheese on top of the onions. Each piece of bread should be fully covered with cheese.

6. Place the pan into the oven and let the cheese melt and brown, about 2 minutes (watch it closely so it doesn’t burn).

7. Garnish the toast with the sage breadcrumbs and fried sage.

SAGE BREADCRUMBS

1. Add the bread and 6 of the sage leaves to a food processor. Pulse until the bread resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.

2. Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add enough oil to come up about a ¼ of an inch in the pan. When the oil is hot, add the remaining 6 sage leaves. Fry for a minute or so until crisp. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the sage to a plate lined with paper towels.

3. To the same oil, add the breadcrumbs. Continuously stir until the breadcrumbs are golden and crispy. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the breadcrumbs to another plate lined with paper towels. Season with a pinch of salt.

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We’ve moved to Pasadena, California.

Well, we finally moved from the Westside of Los Angeles to beautiful Pasadena and are absolutely loving it. This is our front upstairs balcony that looks over a very quiet, tree-lined street.

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It’s so peaceful, the local traffic is a breeze, the homes are beautiful and elegant with tons of mature trees, the people are very friendly and community-minded and they seem to be more interested in cooking rather than eating out all the time.
Pasadena seems to have better and more interesting restaurants than the Westside of LA too. (I may get some push-back on that comment, but I stand by it)

We love our new home, but knew pretty much straight away that we would be doing a big kitchen/dining room renovation and reconfiguring a laundry room, maid’s room and bathroom behind it, hopefully installing a good-sized butlers pantry that would also hold my 1000+ recipe books and many folders of downloaded recipes from various websites.
I will be posting pictures as the work progresses but at this point we are narrowing down an architect. All suggestions and recommendations for new kitchen ideas would be extremely helpful.
Someone suggested an “appliance station” the other day which sounds fabulous, so that has gone onto our “dream list”

To be continued…