Italian Style Meatballs Are Easy!

For some reason, I thought meatballs were complicated to make. I don't know why I had that impression. Maybe it's because there are quite a few ingredients that go into the little round wonders, or maybe because it's a multiple step process to make meatballs. At any rate, I discovered it's incredibly easy, and also very delicious!

Meatballs
Makes 5 servings

1.5 pounds meatloaf mixture (1/3 ground beef, 1/3 ground veal, 1/3 ground pork)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup fresh basil, finely chopped
1/2 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
2 large cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup bread crumbs
2 eggs
Oil for frying

Combine all the ingredients! Mix with your hands to really make sure everything is well blended.



Form one inch balls with the mixture. The colder the mixture is, the easier it will be to roll the meatballs.






Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a large bottomed shallow non stick pan. A medium-high heat will be needed to brown the meatballs nicely.





Add a portion of the meatballs to the pan. It is important to not crowd the pan. Brown them on each side for a couple of minutes, or until they have a nice golden brown color. If you plan on putting the meatballs into a sauce, there is no need to cook them all the way through; a few minutes simmering in their sauce will complete their cooking. If you plan on eating them without immersing them in sauce, once they are browned, turn down the heat to low and cook for a further five minutes, making sure to turn them so that they do not get burned.



I placed my meatballs in my simple tomato sauce recipe, and simmered them for about 5 minutes before serving over pasta. Definitely an all time favorite with Americans I think!

Turkish/Middle Eastern Style Shepard's Salad

A couple of times this year I've eaten at Middle Eastern style restaurants in New York City. Every time I've dined at one of these places, an accompaniment to the meal has been something called a "Shepard's Salad." This delicate, light and tasty mixture of cucumber, tomato and red onion was a delight to my taste buds, every time.

Anyway, this hot summer weather seems like the perfect time for a salad like this. I could eat it by the bowlful on it's own, but it's also the perfect accompaniment to kabobs, fish, really, anything that has sort of a Middle Eastern or Mediterranean influence.

Shepard's Salad
Makes 4 servings


Ingredients
2 cucumbers, seeded and chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
1/3 cup red onion, very finely chopped
1 large handful of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
6 tbsp olive oil
juice of 1 lime
1/2 tsp coarse salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper



Combine cucumber, tomato, red onion and parsley in a bowl. For the dressing, in a separate bowl, combine red wine vinegar, lime juice, salt and pepper. Add olive oil slowly, whisking to emulsify. Pour desired amount of dressing onto cucumber and tomato mixture, and stir well.

Can be served immediately. I also kept some in the fridge overnight and it tasted just fine the next day. One tip: the firmer the tomatoes, the nicer the texture of the salad will be.

Eating Like a King or Queen; Traditional United Arab Emirates Style

I recently went to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and visited the specific Emirates of Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. It was my first time in the Middle East and a very interesting experience. Not to mention I dined extremely well in the many restaurants available to us foreigners.

However, what I really enjoyed was visiting some of the historical places in and around the UAE. I learned a bit about how the Arabs used to live, what their homes were like, and how they used to eat.

I took some photos at the Al Ain Palace Museum, the formal home of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. Men and women had separate areas in the palace to live, hang out, and eat. Traditionally, people would sit on the floors of rooms on pillows. However, as you can see below, the Sheikh had seats. I'm sitting on his "throne" in this photo.



In the middle of the room, there would be mats with large woven cones sitting on top. Food would be served on these mats in large dishes. Eating was communal, and it was (and still is) very important to eat with your right hand. The cones protected the food underneath from insects.





The coffee pot is one of the national symbols of the UAE. If you are a guest entering a home, you will always be offered coffee. If you take a look at the coinage of the UAE, the dirham, you'll notice a coffee pot on it.





Lastly, I just wanted to show you a date palm. I had never really thought about it, and didn't realize that dates grew on huge palms. They ripen and dry naturally on the trees, and are ready to eat as soon as they have been picked. Yum!

Vietnamese-Style Spring Rolls with Shrimp

These are a staple for us. Granted, they are a bit time consuming and the spring-roll sheets are tricky to work with (Taylor handles them like a master!), but it’s a healthy, refreshing dish perfect as an appetizer or as a stand alone meal. We like to serve them with rice noodles or other asian noodles.

Delicious, refreshing, and satisfying only begin to describe these. They are well worth the effort and will definitely impress! You can easily substitute tofu for the shrimp to make them vegetarian and just as yummy!

Vietnamese-Style Spring Rolls with Shrimp

INGREDIENTS
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
16 uncooked medium shrimp, peeled, deveined, halved lengthwise
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
4 cups hot water
8 6-inch-diameter Vietnamese spring-roll sheets (you can find these at Asian food markets)
4 small Bibb lettuce leaves, halved
1/2 cup thin strips green onions
1/2 cup thin strips seeded peeled cucumber
1/2 cup thin strips carrots
4 teaspoons minced fresh mint leaves

DIRECTIONS
Heat oil in medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add ginger; sauté until fragrant, about 10 seconds. Add shrimp and cilantro; sauté until shrimp are just cooked through, about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper.

Pour hot water into large bowl. Using tongs, dip 1 spring-roll sheet in water 5 seconds. Remove from water; place on wet towel. Let stand 30 seconds (spring-roll sheet should be soft and pliable; if still stiff, sprinkle with more water).

Place half of lettuce leaf across top third of spring-roll sheet. Arrange 4 shrimp halves on lettuce. Top with 1 tablespoon each of green onions, carrots, and cucumber. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon mint over filling. Fold sides of spring-roll sheet over ends of filling. Starting at filled side, roll into cylinder. Place on plate. Repeat with remaining spring-roll sheets, lettuce, shrimp, green onions, cucumber, carrots and mint. Serve with sauce.

Moroccan-Style Chicken Phyllo Rolls

Poor Taylor is out of kitchen-commission for a while. With a painful lower back, standing on his feet and washing dishes is the last thing he should be doing. Needless to say, I was on my own as far as cooking. And I have to say, I picked the WRONG dish to cook on my own.

Three hours later…

I do have to say these were delicious. And worth the time. And mess (you should have seen the mess). My new favorite flavor just might be cinnamon used in a savory application. These rolls are just that – you’d think the chicken was candy. Delicious. The tomato sauce was a nice touch too, as it had some of the same spices as the rolls. It’d be great used as a substitute for traditional marinara sauce in other dishes.

As if this recipe wasn’t enough (and this might have contributed to the 3 hours I spent in the kitchen) but I figured since I had the phyllo dough out already, why not make Baklava? So I did. We have yet to try it though, it’s still on the counter (and looking might tasty, I hope). By the time dinner was done it was almost 8:00, and we stuffed ourselves. Before we knew it it was bedtime and our stomachs were still full. I’ll be sure to post later when we actually try the baklava, which has the potential to be, um, interesting… (funny story… I’ll explain later).

Needless to say, if you have an extra 3 hours and a package of chicken thighs, I urge you to give this little gem of a recipe a try. :) You won’t regret it!

Moroccan-Style Chicken Phyllo Rolls with Spiced Tomato Sauce

Makes 32 rolls (4-6 appetizer servings)
Recipe from Epicurious

INGREDIENTS
Rolls:
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
Scant teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1 1/4 lb chicken thighs (with skin and bones)
3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup water
1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick or 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted, cooled, and coarsely chopped
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted
8 (17- by 12-inch) phyllo sheets, thawed if frozen
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons brown mustard seeds (didn’t have these – we used black sesame seeds instead. Didn’t taste the same I’m sure, but they looked pretty!)

DIRECTIONS
Make filling:
Cook onion in oil along with salt, cumin, ginger, turmeric, pepper, and coriander in a 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add chicken, broth, water, and cinnamon stick and simmer, covered, turning chicken over once, until meat is very tender, about 45 minutes total. Transfer chicken with tongs to a bowl, reserving cooking liquid.

When cool enough to handle, shred chicken, discarding skin and bones, and transfer to a large bowl. Transfer cooking liquid to a 2-cup glass measure (do not clean saucepan) and let stand 1 minute, then skim off fat and discard cinnamon stick. Return liquid to saucepan and simmer over moderately high heat, uncovered, until reduced to about 1/4 cup (liquid will look like a glaze in bottom of pan), about 8 minutes, then stir into shredded chicken along with almonds.

Reserve 2 tablespoons beaten egg in a cup for egg wash. Lightly season remaining egg with salt and pepper, then cook in 1/2 tablespoon butter in an 8- to 10-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat, stirring, until just set but still slightly soft. Stir scrambled egg into filling.

Make rolls:
Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 450°F.

Put 1 phyllo sheet on a work surface, keeping remaining phyllo covered with overlapping sheets of plastic wrap and a damp kitchen towel, and brush generously with some melted butter. Evenly sift 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon over buttered phyllo using a fine-mesh sieve, then top with another phyllo sheet and generously brush with butter.

Halve buttered phyllo stack crosswise, then arrange 1 half with a long side nearest you. Spread 1/4 cup chicken filling in a narrow strip along edge nearest you, then roll up filling tightly in phyllo, leaving ends open. Transfer roll, seam side down, to a cutting board set inside a baking pan (to help contain mustard seeds when sprinkling). Make another roll with remaining half stack. Make 6 more rolls in same manner, transferring to cutting board.

Lightly brush top of rolls with egg wash and immediately sprinkle with mustard seeds, pressing lightly on seeds to help adhere. Cut each roll crosswise into 4 pieces and arrange pieces 1 inch apart on 2 baking sheets. Bake, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until phyllo is golden brown, about 12 minutes total.

Transfer rolls to a rack to cool slightly.

• Rolls can be assembled (but not coated or cut) 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.
• Rolls can be assembled and cut (but not coated or baked) 2 weeks ahead and frozen, wrapped well in plastic wrap. Coat frozen rolls, then bake (do not thaw) in a preheated 350°F oven about 20 minutes.

Spiced Tomato Sauce

Makes 1 1/2 cups.
Recipe from Epicurious.

INGREDIENTS
Tomato Sauce:
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon hot paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of cayenne
Pinch of ground cloves
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 (14 1/2- to 15-oz) can whole tomatoes in juice, coarsely chopped (reserving juice)
2 tablespoons light brown sugar

DIRECTIONS
Cook onion, garlic, ginger, and spices in oil in a 1- to 2-quart heavy saucepan over moderately low heat, stirring, until onion is softened, about 4 minutes. Stir in vinegar and simmer over moderately low heat 1 minute. Add tomatoes (with juice) and brown sugar, then increase heat to moderate and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 30 minutes. Cool slightly, about 5 minutes.

Purée sauce in a blender until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids). Serve at room temperature.

Sauce can be made 3 days ahead and cooled completely, then chilled, covered.

Indonesian-style Grilled Eggplant with Spicy Peanut Sauce

We had a bit of an eggplant fiasco a few weeks ago. Tried a new recipe that seemed promising, and it was the first time (ever?) that we’ve cooked something so bad that neither of us could eat it. Usually, when something isn’t great it’s just that, not great. But still edible at least. This, however, was not edible.

So the following week we decided that we needed some eggplant redemption. We needed to show that eggplant could be delicious (which we know it can) so we wouldn’t have that last bad taste to remember it by. And then we found this recipe.

While I do have to say that Taylor makes the best peanut sauce this side of Thailand, this sauce is a tough contender. I think it’s the fresh ground peanuts – instead of peanut butter – that put it over the top.

And don’t think you can save yourself some time by skipping the first step. Salting the eggplant is CRITICAL is it draws out the moisture aka bitterness in it. I think that is where the eggplant mess began, as that recipe didn’t seem to care that eggplant can be bitter as heck. So please, salt your eggplant, and let it hang out for a bit. You won’t regret it later.

Indonesian-style Grilled Eggplant with Spicy Peanut Sauce

Makes 4 servings. Recipe from Epicurious.

INGREDIENTS
1 eggplant (about 1 1/4 pounds), cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
1 garlic clove, minced
1 shallot, minced
a 2-inch-long fresh hot red chili, chopped fine (wear rubber gloves), or 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons Oriental sesame oil
1/4 cup ground roasted peanuts
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, or to taste
vegetable oil for brushing the eggplant

DIRECTIONS
Sprinkle the eggplant lightly with salt, let it drain in a colander for 30 minutes to 1 hour, then pat it dry.

In a small saucepan cook the garlic, the shallot, and the chili in the sesame oil over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened, add the peanuts, and cook the mixture, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the soy sauce, the sugar, the lemon juice, and 1 cup water, boil the mixture, stirring occasionally, until it is thickened slightly, and add salt and pepper to taste.

Brush the eggplant, patted dry, with the vegetable oil and grill it on an oiled rack set 5 to 6 inches over glowing coals, turning it, for 7 to 8 minutes, or until it is just cooked. Transfer the eggplant to a serving plate and spoon the peanut sauce over it. Serve with some fresh homemade pita, and enjoy.

Puerto Rican style stewed chicken and rice recipe

Stewed Chicken and Rice

The cuisine of Puerto Rico resembles that of Latin America and Spain, however the food is a blend of European, African, Taino Indian and American. Puerto Rican food is smoky, colorful and hearty. Many native dishes are stewed for long periods of time, many of which are paired with rice.

Before meeting my husband Pierre, I never knew the flavors of Puerto Rican food. Pierre is Puerto Rican and grew up in Hartford, Connecticut - home to a very large Boricua community. What I never knew is that chicken and rice is a very important part of Puerto Rican cuisine and it’s seen in multiple dishes, including the classic dish, arroz con pollo. On our second date, he made me stewed chicken over rice and I fell in love…with the food. According to him, he just made it up on the spot. Whether it was an impromptu recipe or he spent the whole day memorizing it, I always tell him that I only married him because of this dish. Since that date, I feel that I’ve mastered many Puerto Rican dishes, including his stewed chicken. This dish is a flavorful escape from the ordinary chicken and rice and I encourage you to take your mouth on a journey to beautiful Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rican Style Stewed Chicken and Rice

1 ½ lb chicken breast cut into 1” pieces
1 small green pepper, sliced
½ yellow onion, sliced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 hot pepper, either Anaheim or jalapeno, minced
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp paprika
¼ tsp cayenne (if the pepper isn’t hot enough for you)
2 8 oz cans Goya tomato sauce
15 oz can black beans, drained
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
Yellow Rice

Begin first by preparing your yellow rice as directed on the packaging.

In a large pan, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Season chicken liberally with salt and pepper. Cook chicken, in batches if necessary, until brown on all sides but not cooked through; about 5 minutes. Once the chicken is brown, transfer to a plate and set aside.

Next, sauté green peppers, onion, garlic and hot pepper until soft; about 5 minutes. More oil may be added if needed. Add spices to the vegetables and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant; 1 minute.

Add tomato sauce along with 1 can of water to the mixture. Stir the tomato sauce to combine being sure to scrap up any bits on the bottom of the pan. Bring to a simmer and add the chicken back to the sauce. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 25 minutes. During the last 5 minutes of cooking, add the black beans.

Serve stewed chicken over yellow rice. Enjoy!