Lasagna For Friends

Lasagna is one of those great dishes that anyone can make their own. There are so many options for ingredients from spinach to sausage to butternut squash. You can either spend hours making it by reducing a fresh tomato sauce, or you can easily resort to delicious short cuts.

When I don’t have access to ripe tomatoes, I love to fall back on grape or cherry tomatoes. Get the oven heated to about 375/400F. Line a baking tray with foil, arrange the tomatoes, drizzle olive oil, salt and pepper and let them roast until they’re all popped. If you’d like, you can add a couple cloves of garlic and/or a bay leaf. They’ll take about 20 minutes depending on how fast your oven is.

Meanwhile, sauté some chopped onion and brown Italian sausage (which should be well seasoned already) in a large frying pan. Mix whole milk ricotta with a handful of Parmesan, black pepper and defrosted (or fresh) chopped spinach. Add a bit of tomato paste if you have it to the sausage meat and stir through. Then add the roasted tomatoes and all their juices. Season generously with salt and some red pepper flakes. If you’d like, add some chopped mushrooms now and let it all simmer.

While the sauce is going, heat a couple large tablespoons of butter in a saucepan on medium heat. When it’s bubbling, add the same amount of flour and stir about 1 minute until it’s turning golden. Using a whisk, slowly add about a 1/4 cup of milk at a time. Be sure to whisk out any lumps before adding more. You’ll use about 2-3 cups of milk depending on how much flour/butter mixture (roux) you have. Take off the heat and add a handful of shredded mozzarella.

In a large baking dish, drizzle olive oil so the lasagna sheets won’t stick. Add a layer of your sauce then a layer of pasta. Next add a layer of the spinach ricotta mixture (use all of it) and the rest of the sauce. Next add a layer of pasta and top with the white béchamel sauce. Finish with another handful of mozzarella and Parmesan! Bake for about 30-35 minutes. If it’s browning too quickly, cover with foil. ** The trick is to put the dish on a baking sheet in case it bubbles over!

Serve with buttery, cheesy garlic bread and dig in with family and friends for a truly comforting meal!

Read Full Post »

Seasonal Summer: Ricotta Toast with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

Sometimes your body just craves fresh, clean ingredients right? Do you ever notice when you’ve had a meal with ingredients that are in season? Or can you taste the difference between fresh fish versus frozen? I think most of us couldn’t tell the difference. You know what you know right? I’ll tell you though.. Once you’ve tasted the good stuff.. and I mean the highest quality of something, you will know.. and everything else will just seem mediocre. But, hey, I guess that makes it that much more special when you do have the good stuff.

This week I was craving ricotta cheese for some reason. I was being a bit lazy and didn’t want to make it myself. But I knew I wanted a dish where you could actually taste the ricotta.. not something like lasagna where the flavor gets lost. I was excited to find that my local supermarket (Sunflower Market, joint with Sprouts) had freshly made ricotta. So I bought some sweet cherry tomatoes on sale. They’re nearing the end of their season I believe. And I grabbed a fresh French baguette and some garlic. I wanted super simple.

• The Bread – thick slices, drizzle extra virgin olive oil, kosher salt, fresh cracked black pepper, toast in oven after you’ve removed the garlic to cool
• The Garlic & Tomatoes – slice the very top off whole bulb of garlic so the cloves are exposed, put in center of large foil pouch (~size of paper), slice tomatoes in half, arrange around garlic, throw in 2 bay leaves, drizzle extra virgin olive oil all over (especially garlic), kosher salt, fresh cracked black pepper, seal the foil, roast at about 400F for about 30-40 min depending on your oven.
• The Ricotta – it should be great on its own, but you can always add a bit of salt and pepper
• The Assembly – once the toast is out, spread the ricotta, squeeze the garlic out of the bulb and smash it with your knife (if not soft enough), layer on top of ricotta and spoon on some of the tomatoes.

And there you have a super simple dinner for one or appetizer for a few. Add some freshly torn basil if you have it! And remember another drizzle of good quality extra virgin olive oil is always delicious! Now doesn’t that just look like summer on a plate?!

PS. You’ll have a nice sauce from the cherry tomatoes. After removing the foil to cool, take out the bay leaves and garlic. Then gently pour all the sauce and cherry tomatoes in a small bowl and dip your toast! This is also a great way to start a marinara sauce. Just add to some sautéed onions and you’re done!

Read Full Post »

Quick Dinner : Cheesy Quesadillas

With my husband traveling a lot for work recently, I’ve been on my own for dinner. Since I’ve been busy myself, I often resort to picking up take away or ready made meals. Sadly it’s not easy to cook for just one. And you can only eat leftovers for so long.

So one solution is the quick and cheap quesadilla. Really all you need is two tortillas and cheese. If you want to jazz it up, you can add any of these options:

* Butter to add a nice golden crisp
* Thin slices of any meat such as ham, chorizo or even chunks of chicken
* Mix up the types of cheeses you use (pepper jack, cheddar, red Leicester, goats cheese, etc)
* Thinly sliced vegetables can go in raw like peppers, mushrooms or onions. Or you could quickly cook them to soften.
* Serve a salsa or creamy dip on the side if you’d like too

All you need is a large frying pan. The key is to be on a low to medium heat. You don’t want a burnt tortilla with hard cheese inside. Let some butter melt. Place your first tortilla. Add cheese and other filling. And top with your second tortilla. Wait a minute or so and check if your bottom layer is browning. Then flip over with another bit of butter.

If you’re not in the mood to wash a pan, just turn your oven on and turn your quesadilla into a pizza! Just as yummy!

Happy eating.

Read Full Post »

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone! Hope you all had a lovely holiday season. I’ve been crazy busy the past month with a new role, Christmas and even my very first professional experience! While I didn’t intend on it – my new year’s resolution has become to plan as many of our weekday dinners as possible. So here’s a sneak peek of what I’ve been cooking.. Recipes to follow!

* Sweet Potato, Caramelised Onion, Goats Cheese Quiche
* Moroccan Meatballs
* Huevos Rancheros
* Slow Roasted Pulled Pork Sandwich with Cole Slaw
* Creamy Chicken Tarragon Pasta

Read Full Post »

Thank goodness for ready-made puff pastry!

This little snack I just made is so yummy that I couldn’t wait to share it! Yesterday I watched Ina Garten make these Savory Palmiers on her show Barefoot Contessa, and I thought it was a perfect use for the large container of leftover coriander/cilantro pesto I had in the fridge. I didn’t quite follow the recipe as I added Borsin Garlic & Herb cheese instead of goat cheese, and my pesto isn’t basil pesto. And I added walnuts instead of pine nuts. But hey – same idea and brilliant result. They aren’t as ‘pretty’ as hers came out, but oh my goodness I love puff pastry! Thank goodness for the person who thought to sell ready made puff pastry.. I have so much more respect for it after making my own at LCB last summer. It’s always perfectly flaky and crisp and buttery. I literally just took these out of the oven and “had to” test one.. And then I had to have just one more to be sure they were okay.. And I’m trying desperately not to have anymore before Chris comes home 🙂

I highly recommend making this as a warm hors d’oeuvres for a dinner party. You could easily skip the sun dried tomatoes and maybe use roasted bell peppers. Some of the reviews use feta in place of goat cheese. There are definitely a lot of possibilities, but no matter what they’re yummy! Just make sure that you don’t keep opening the oven when they cook or they may not rise. But do keep an eye on them. Also be careful not to get too much of the pesto oil when you’re brushing it on.

P.S. I used coriander/cilantro pesto in this which I made exactly like a basil pesto. It had leftover coriander/cilantro, walnuts, garlic, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and extra virgin olive oil. When I googled coriander/cilantro pesto there were lots of different variations. Most are Asian style but this one from Bobby Flay is more Italian and has parsley in it as well.

Read Full Post »

Vegetarian Recipe Suggestions

For my sister whose future in laws are vegetarian – I found some great recipes. I haven’t made them but they look pretty good with options to put your own spin on it!

1. Ricotta-Spinach Tacos
2. Chile Cheese Casserole (like chilaquiles)
3. Tofu Tacos

For the ricotta-spinach tacos, you could easily replace the ricotta with maybe feta, cotija, goat cheese or even halloumi. To make it heartier you could add zucchini/courgette or even mushrooms. Add some kick with some chipotle powder.

For the casserole, you could easily make this non-vegetarian by adding some chorizo or diced ham. If you wanted it to be heartier you could add a layer of pinto/refried beans before adding the tortilla chips. Some sliced green/spring onion as a garnish might also add some nice bite to it. Or you could even add them with the last layer of cheese and let them melt in.

The tofu taco is a pretty straightforward one. They simply replaced meat with tofu. You could look into other veggie options such as soy meat. I know Trader Joe’s Meatless Meatballs are delicious. They’re recommended for Italian dishes, but there’s nothing stopping you from using it in a Mexican dish!

Hope you enjoy!

Read Full Post »

MUSHROOM THREE WAYS

At my Chesham high street market, white button mushrooms are sold in abundance. However, when you buy a kilo you have to find creative ways to make meals for two. I absolutely love mushrooms. They’re so hearty and (I think) a great option for a vegetarian weeknight dinner. So when I have a lot of them, I usually prefer to make them the star. Plus it’s an affordable replacement for meat! All three ways are easy to make with minimal ingredients.

• Mushroom Stroganoff
• Curry Noodles with Mushrooms
• Pasta with Gorgonzola Sauce

There are various tips when working with mushrooms. As you know they’re mostly water which is why it’s usually advised not to wash them with water. Rather, it’s better to brush them with a damp paper (kitchen) towel. If you’re making a simple side dish of sautéed mushrooms, then don’t add salt until after they’ve colored otherwise the salt will draw out the water and they’ll be soggy. But if you’re making duxelle (often made for beef wellington), then it’s okay to wash the mushrooms with water as you’ll be cooking them until the water is evaporated anyway.

Right, first up is mushroom stroganoff. It’s more economical than beef stroganoff and can still have loads of flavor if made with good beef stock. The dish was originally created by a French cook employed by a member of the Russian Stroganov family who was raised by Peter the Great. Although there are many recipes out there, according to the Larousse Gastronomique (2009 Edition), beef stroganoff is

“thin strips of beef, seasoned with salt, pepper and paprika…sautéed over a brisk heat, then coated with a sauce made by deglazing the pan juices with white wine, cream and thickened veal stock, to which onions sautéed in butter have been added. The dish is served with pilaf rice and sautéed mushrooms”

Here’s a good recipe for mushroom stroganoff on the British Good Food Channel. In this recipe, both onions and leeks are used. To make it completely vegetarian you can go with vegetable stock but if it’s not necessary I recommend beef stock instead. Some recipes call for crème fraiche but I personally prefer sour cream. Also, this recipe uses vodka instead of wine. Unfortunately I didn’t have either available in the kitchen, but it was still tasty! In the end it’s a super fast dish and great for leftovers as well.

Mushroom Stroganoff with Rice

Read Full Post »

A LITTLE CALIFORNIA LOVE

There are two things I absolutely love to eat when I go to LA – sushi and Mexican food. It’s a Mexican breakfast that I often day dream about – some huevos rancheros, chilaquiles or a breakfast burrito. Growing up in California I obviously love Mexican food, but when I moved to LA I was delighted to find such a variety of good quality Mexican places from gourmet to hole-in-the-wall. Even better, it’s not just Mexican restaurants that have good quality Mexican food. Since the ingredients are so widely available and so many Californians have grown up with Mexican influence, you can eat pretty decent Mexican food at places that have “California cuisine” or “American cuisine”.

For lunch one day in LA, Adi took me to Toast Bakery Café on 3^rd Street. I had driven past this place a lot and the line was always around the block for brunch. So I was excited to finally try it. I was really torn between the breakfast burrito and the Oscar (thin strips of chicken, guacamole, fresh salsa, eggs over medium and melted cheese, sit atop grilled corn tortillas), but I didn’t want to eat too heavily so I went for the Oscar. It was the perfect portion size. Every ingredient tasted incredibly fresh and natural. The corn tortillas tasted authentic and the dish in general wasn’t over salted. It made me really consider getting that tortilla press I’ve been thinking of… Because so far I’m capable of making everything that goes into a Mexican breakfast except for fresh tortillas. And I know when I go back to the UK, I won’t have easy access to homemade tortillas like I do in Arizona (a little corner shop 2 minutes down the road).. Ah well you make do with what you have right!? Maybe that’ll be a Christmas present from Mom and Dad?

The Oscar @ Toast

 ** For all my former NBCU friends working on the Universal lot, please have a breakfast burrito at the commissary for me, with extra salsa.

Now SUSHI.

Read Full Post »

THE FIRST ANNUAL ARIZONA BBQ FESTIVAL

Last weekend I attended my very first BBQ festival right here in Scottsdale. Something that I’ve learned about Arizona is that, due to its almost-year-round sunny weather, locals are really into putting on outdoor festivals. They range from various music festivals (jazz and blues, etc) to cultural festivals (Asian themed or just ‘international’) to foodie festivals. Although this was the first time this event was put on, it seemed like it was a success.

Theme of the Day = Pig!

It was located down by the Scottsdale waterfront, across from Fashion Square mall on a large dirt parking lot with tents set up. With a $10 admission charge and $2 tasting tickets, it was a pretty decent set up. I liked that it wasn’t too spread out nor did it feel overcrowded. My cousin and I arrived around 2pm and there were still loads of people (the tasting ended at 4pm). We decided to just make our way around with no agenda other than to eat and get a cold beer (it was in the mid 80’s!). Our obvious approach was to go to the stands that had the longest crowds (assuming they’d have the best food).

First up was The Mission which is a modern, Latin restaurant in Old Town Scottsdale. They were not in the competition but were selling small versions of dishes from the restaurant. Tiff had already told me that I had to try this place as it’s one of her favorites. So we got the combo platter with a chicken taco, pork shoulder taco and grilled sweet corn. As we waited for our tacos the smells coming from the grill were intoxicating and made us all the more hungry. I must admit I am not a huge BBQ (sauce) person, but once you get that smell in your nose you really can’t say no. Plus you just think about the tender, smoked pork melting in your mouth and that memory reminds you that you’ll eat it even if you’re not hungry. As Tiff promised, the tacos were delicious. The pork shoulder taco is served with pineapple glaze, cilantro and cotija cheese. The chicken taco is served with oregano, lemon, aji Amarillo, cabbage and more cotija cheese. If you’ve never had cotija cheese, it’s a slightly salty yet mild Mexican cheese. The texture if very much like feta in that it’s firm and crumbly. One of my favorite ways to eat cotija is with grilled corn on the cob and lime juice. Both tacos were so refreshing and were packed with lots of flavor. I will definitely be making a trip to The Mission some time soon.

Read Full Post »

NY TRIP (PART 2) : COMFORT FOOD

Comfort food. It’s a term that everyone, anywhere in the world, is most likely familiar with. It even has a Wikipedia page (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comfort_food). Simply put, it is food that brings us comfort. It could be Mom’s home cooking, the local diner, the local curry house (for you Brits) or any food, whether it’s simple classics or gourmet cuisine, that brings you satisfaction even thinking about it.

By now you should know that I am a serious food lover. If you’ve seen Anthony Bourdain’s recent episode of No Reservations in Vietnam, you might have an understanding of how my Vietnamese heritage “forces” me to eat, want to eat, and talk about eating all the time. Unfortunately, it’s something I seen to be unable to suppress.

With that said, when I think back on my year in New York, I naturally think about the food I ate. Of course, most of the food memories involve really good times with friends – whether it was dinner at a new BYOB or a great Sunday brunch. If you didn’t know already, New Yorkers love their brunch. I don’t know if it’s the ability to drink so early in the morning or rather to continue drinking after a late night or if it’s the social aspect of catching up with friends in your precious free time.

Either way, one of my absolute favorite brunch places is Extra Virgin in the West Village. Granted this place usually has a pretty long wait on the weekend, I have never minded waiting. That’s probably because I kill the time by having one of their spicy Bloody Mary’s that will turn you into a Bloody Mary lover. If I recall a couple years ago, I didn’t really care for them until I had one here. It might be too spicy for some, but it gives a great amount of kick for me. But that’s not the reason I go back to this place. The real reason is the Gorgonzola fondue and fries. If you want to talk about comfort food, this super simple side dish makes me dream about New York. I have no idea why I love it so much. The sauce is just divine and the fries are fantastically thin and crispy. I kept bragging about it to my friend Adi who wasn’t really impressed until she tried it. It was a great reaction. First she commented on how the fries looked great. Then she dipped. Then her eyes opened wide and she moaned, a little. Needless to say we had to ask for more fondue to finish off the fries 🙂

Read Full Post »