appetizers

Crunchy spicy chick peas: Drain a can of chick peas, and spread out on a rimmed baking sheet (just plain, with nothing added). Bake at 450 for 30 minutes, tossing once. After they're done, toss with 2 TBSP olive oil, 1/2 tsp cayenne + 1 tsp cumin, and a dash of coarse salt.

Phyllo cups: Take pre-baked phyllo shells (found in the freezer section) and fill with goat cheese crumbles, a dollop of fig jam, and fresh thyme leaves. Bake at 375 for 5 minutes, just to heat everything.

s'more bread pudding

from Giorgio's

sunday feast

This afternoon, I went over to my friend Julia's for a movie day. 

For such an occasion, most people would make popcorn. 

Julia cooked a duck.

It was stuffed with an obscene amount of garlic and sage, and coated in mustard (and more sage). And it was utterly amazing.

My contribution was rosemary cornbread. I used this recipe, but as one of the commenters suggested, used a combination of 1/3 c. white sugar + 1/3 c. brown sugar for the sugar, and used melted butter instead of vegetable oil. Also, I added 1 TBSP chopped fresh rosemary.

For dessert, Julia made cranberry pie. Yummm!

dear food porn...

I received the following e-mail yesterday:


Dear Food Porn,

I miss you. You make my lunch time even better. I wish you would come back soon.

Sincerely,
Bored at Lunch


Thank you, concerned food porn viewer!
It's true. I've been slacking on the new posts lately. But never fear! I have plans for some delicious food this weekend. Stay tuned...

shrimp & andouille sausage with cheesy grits

Thanks to Kristen Jones for this fantastic recipe!

1.5 lbs shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails off

Cajun seasoning

1 link andouille sausage, diced

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

3-4 green onions, chopped (reserve green parts for garnish)

1/2 jar roasted red peppers, chopped

2 TBSP tomato paste

1 TBSP flour

1 cup chicken broth

Juice of half a lemon

1/2 cup heavy cream

4 cups milk

2 cups water

1.5 cups quick grits

1 TBSP butter

1 1/2 cups (or more) grated white cheddar

Sprinkle shrimp with Cajun seasoning & set aside while you chop other ingredients.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add a little olive oil & saute shrimp briefly. Remove shrimp to a plate.

Cook sausage in same skillet until brown. Add onion, garlic & white parts of green onion; saute until tender. Add roasted red peppers, a little more Cajun seasoning, and tomato paste.

Add about a tablespoon of flour (may need to add some additional butter/oil if sausage doesn't render much fat) and cook 1 minute. Add chicken broth & lemon juice; bring to a boil & simmer over medium heat til thickened.

Meanwhile, bring milk & water to a slow boil, add some salt. Slowly whisk in grits & cook 5-7 mins until thickened.

Add cream to vegetable mixture, then put shrimp back in pan.

Add butter & cheese to grits, taste for salt & add some black pepper. Serve shrimp over grits; garnish with green onions & hot sauce if you like.

homemade ricotta gnocchi

This was my first time making gnocchi from scratch. It's something I've been meaning to try for a while, and I was inspired to finally do it today after I watched Michael Symon's cooking show ("How to cook like an Iron Chef") on the Cooking Channel.

Turns out making gnocchi is incredibly easy. And if you've ever thought that gnocchi is dense, then you haven't had homemade.
Light, fluffy deliciousness.

Click here for the recipe.

I'm not a big eggplant fan, so I skipped that part of the recipe. Instead, I sautéed some sliced shallots and diced red bell pepper, and added that to the gnocchi in butter & lemon sauce. Then wilted in some spinach during the last couple minutes.

homemade cinnamon swirl bread

You're getting verrrry sleeeeepy...

Cinnamon bread French toast... yum!

brussels sprout gratin

I happen to think that the brussels sprout is delightful on its own, just simply roasted with a little olive oil, salt & pepper. Or sautéed with a little garlic and served with a squeeze of lemon juice. 

But sometimes even the best of intentions get smothered in creamy sauce and oozing cheese. Don't fight it.

I started out with this recipe (halved), and made these adjustments:

-for the milk, I used 2 parts skim, 1 part heavy cream

-added a pinch of nutmeg to the sauce

-used a mixture of swiss & fontina cheeses

-switched to the broiler for the last few minutes, to brown the cheese

sesame beef

buttermilk waffle

with homemade cranberry sauce and bits of candied ginger.

candied walnuts

Sweet & spicy! Amazing on their own, but also fantastic in salad (greens with scallions, apples, goat cheese, and walnuts). I bet they'd also be great on ice cream, or as a garnish on an iced cupcake.

Click here for the recipe.

ham, provolone & roasted red pepper crostini

fried green tomatoes

My method:

-Slice a green tomato (basically, an unripe tomato) into 1/4" slices

-Season both sides with salt & pepper

-Sprinkle lightly with flour, and dip in egg wash 

(a beaten egg with just a little water added)

-Dredge in panko breadcrumbs, seasoned with salt

-Heat a pan with enough oil to generously coat the bottom

-When the oil is nice & hot, add the tomato slices, and cook until both sides are nicely browned, but before the tomatoes start to break down (the unripe tomatoes are pretty firm, so they should hold up well)

beet & apple tart

Recipe from Everyday Food magazine: Take a piece of frozen puff pastry dough (thawed), and prick all over with a fork. Sprinkle a little bit of grated cheddar, then layer with alternating paper-thin slices of apple & beet. Top with more grated cheddar, fresh thyme leaves, salt & pepper. Bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet at 400 for about 15 minutes.

white bean-stuffed portobello

Recipe from Everyday Food magazine: 

-place portobello stem-side down on a rimmed baking sheet, brush with a mixture of olive oil & lemon juice, and season with salt & pepper. Put in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes.

-while the portobello is baking, heat 1 TBSP olive oil in a pot and add a minced garlic clove. Before it starts to brown, add a can of cannellini beans (rinsed), 1/4 cup water, 1 tsp thyme leaves, salt & pepper. Simmer until liquid is almost gone.

-when the portobello comes out of the oven, drain any juices from the pan, flip it over and top with white beans. For the topping, mix breadcrumbs (I used panko) with just enough olive oil to bind them together a little. Mix in some more thyme leaves and crumbled feta. Bake for another 5 minutes, or until the breadcrumbs are browned.