Hoje falaremos do Elvis King Pub, um restaurante TEX-MEX que abriu em BH.

Não sei se sou meio boba, mas amo restaurantes desse tipo – temático. Gosto de, ao entrar por uma porta de restaurante, me transportar para outro lugar e esquecer que eu continuo dentro da minha cidade.

O lugar tem a decoração mais linda do mundo, cheio de mesas com sofás vermelhos e umas cadeiras lindas – (sou dessas que repara em cadeiras) As paredes são azuis, cheias de quadros do roqueiro e pôsteres relacionado com a cultura mexicana, e no fundo do restaurante tem um palco para shows (quando rolam, é cobrado um valor de R$ 10,00 de couvert artístico).

Em relação à comida, o forte da casa é a culinária Tex-Mex e os hambúrgueres. Ao ver o cardápio, me apaixonei por uma entrada: uma tábua com onion rings, bufallo wings e fried mozzarella, com 3 molhos diferentes, isso tudo por 25 reais! Já quero!  Infelizmente, esse paraíso na Terra só é servido durante o Happy Hour, que dura até as 20h. Como já fui lá mais de uma vez (eu amei de verdade), já provei várias coisas no cardápio.

Então, vamos às explicações:

- Fried Mozzarela – são tiras de mussarela fritas, acompanhadas de um delicioso molho Marinara!  É delicioso! Só tem dois pontos negativos: é bem gorduroso (não da para querer diferente um queijo frito, né?), e é um pouco sem sal, mas acho que o molho Marinara serve para balancear. A porção é bem grande e custa R$ 16,00. -

-Hambúrguer Blue Moon (hambúrguer de carne com queijo gorgonzola!) – A carne veio mal passada, do jeito que eu pedi, com aquele gosto maravilhoso de gorgonzola, cebola no ponto certo, tomates picados e quase nada de alface – (gordinha é assim). O tamanho é excelente, e custa R$ 23,00.

- Veggie Quesadilla –   A quesadilla é um prato mexicano feito de uma tortilla crocante de farinha ou milho, recheada, normalmente, com queijo, vegetais e outros ingredientes. A Veggie Quesadilla é a pedida ideal para quem não come carne, vindo recheada com muito queijo e vegetais muito bem preparados, além de ser acompanhada pelos tradicionais molhos mexicanos. A porção é bem generosa, e custa só R$ 20,00

- Chicken Taco – R$ 18,00 –  A base do taco também é a tortilla, mas preparada de um jeito diferente, para ficar mais macia. O prato vem com dois tacos abertos, facilitando para comer com talher. Se você quiser ir às origens mexicanas, feche seu taco e mande com a mão mesmo. O recheio veio em ótima quantidade, com bastante queijo, salada e muito frango. Também vem com os molhos e a quantidade também é bem satisfatória.

O cardápio conta, ainda, com vários drinks diferentes e, antes das 20h, o terceiro é de graça. Para agradar ainda mais, há a opção de cervejas de garrafa 600 ml, o que faz com que até aquele seu amigo que só quer saber de sair pra beber curta o lugar. Pra quem gosta de uma cerveja especial, a casa ainda tem uma carta com rótulos diferenciados, como, por exemplo, a Eisenbahn. Adorei o lugar: o atendimento é ótimo, Os garçons são engraçados e divertidos. A casa fica cheia, bem cheia, e o barulho fica muito alto, então o clima que paira no ar é que nem a cozinha nem os garçons vão dar conta do atendimento. Como esse restaurante é mágico, as coisas milagrosamente fluem super bem, e o fato de estar lotado não faz diferença nenhuma para os atendentes do lugar, que continuam tratando cada mesa de forma única e deixando aquele clima de alegria! Quero voltar pela terceira vez, mas dessa vez antes das 20h para provar a entrada especial do Happy Hour.

Obs: Lá é cartela individual. Perfeito para aniversários!

Obs 2: Lá tem coca! Pra mim, isso é motivo de pontos a mais!

Bom, pra falar a verdade… Eu amei e indico demais! Preço: 10/10 Atendimento: 10/10 Comida: 10/10 Ambiente: 8/10 ( Eu ainda fico um pouco incomodada com muiiito barulho)

Endereço: Rua Santa Rita Durão 309, Belo Horizonte, BR

Site: https://www.facebook.com/ElvisKingPub

Next stop is Rome.

While I was away in the countryside of Tuscany and Umbria I had forgotten how hot and steamy Rome can be. The black basalt cobble stones radiate the heat up through the soles of your feet and make your feet ache and the perspiration drip off you. I ventured out most mornings for a walk but soon after lunch, retreated to the sanity of the air-conditioned hotel room – defeated by the heat. However, as the sun sets the Romans come out to dine and enjoy the descending cool of the evening.

My hotel is located near the Piazza Novona, which is a mecca for tourists and sellers of art (good, bad and indifferent). They set up their easels to display their work and sketch artists try to lure passing tourists to pose for them.

I am amazed by the number of street venders who mingle amongst the crowd selling a variety of practical and unusual wares, such as: packs of tissues, socks, paper parasols, hats, fans and the most amazing and optimistic seller of all, was a chap clutching an armful of colourful brooms and dustpans. I thought to myself – who would come all the way to Rome and to the Piazza Novona and think that they need to buy a dustpan and broom?

Eating out in big cities and tourist hot spots can be a really disappointing event. My first night, I ventured out of the cool of the hotel and sat in a busy bar overlooking the chaos of the Piazza Novona and while sipping my prosecco I knew that the food at any of the restaurants surrounding the piazza would live up to my worst fears – the food would be terrible and overpriced. However, on this occasion I struck it lucky. I ventured away from the Piazza into the back streets and happened on a small restaurant with out-door dining in a quiet street – I was not disappointed.

The menu read well and seemed to show off seasonal fresh food which was well cooked and reasonably priced. Over two nights I enjoyed: an appetiser of mixed crostini – tomato, artichoke puree, and olive paste, and an entre of a light tomato broth with cherry tomatoes and clams and mussels, mains were a whole sea bass grilled over charcoal and a plate of grilled seafood (calamari, salmon, sea bass, prawns and octopus). All delicious! And to cap it off, there is a fantastic gelato bar just around the corner so I could walk home while enjoying a cooling gelato.

I decided to treat myself to a slap up gourmet dinner at the Imago restaurant in the Hassler Hotel. The dining room is an elegant space with interesting and very chic Italian furniture Located on the 6th floor it commands outstanding views over the roof tops of Rome. From here, you can spot all the famous land-marks illuminated after dark. The room is beautifully furnished with tables dressed in crisp white clothes and some tables are fully mirrored and reflect the candle light and the colours of the sunset as the sun drops below the horizon and bathes the room in glorious golden colours. The staff is professional, extremely attentive and every detail is considered such as, when you are seated, a small foot stool appears at your side on which your handbag can rest.

I had a wonderful evening dining on:
• Mezzi paccheri pasta (large tube pasta) with octopus sauce, smoked scamorza cream (an Italian cow’s milk cheese, similar to mozzarella)
• A tartare of three shellfish, oil-flavoured bread and sprouts
• Duck breast tandoori-style served with moscato flavoured peaches
• A wonderful cheese plate with aged parmesan and gorgonzola and pecorino
• Petti fours with coffee

Starting with a glass of prosecco, each course was matched with a wine and vin santo was served with the cheese.

The restaurant has a very special guest that visits every night. He is a very large and impressive looking seagull who comes and sits on the window sill looking in at the diners. Finally, the waiter opens the window and hands him a large piece of bread which he gratefully takes in his beak and flys off to enjoy his dinner too.

The highlight of my days in Rome was a night at the opera at the Baths of Caracalla (Terme di Caracalla), to see the opera Norma. The Caracalla bath complex was more a leisure centre for the ancient Romans than just a series of baths. The baths consisted of a central 55 by 24 meter (183×79 ft) frigidarium (cold room) under three 32 meter (108 ft) high groin vaults, a double pool tepidarium (medium), and a 35 meter (115 ft) diameter caldarium (hot room), as well as two palaestras (gyms where wrestling and boxing was practiced). The north end of the bath building contained a natatio or swimming pool. The natatio was roofless with bronze mirrors mounted overhead to direct sunlight into the pool area. The entire bath building was on a 6 metre (20 ft) high raised platform to allow for storage and furnaces under the building.

The complex is now all but a shell of the original complex and during the summer season a portable stage and seating is erected in the middle of the skeletons of the original buildings. The open air stage is huge and capable of holding a chorus of 100 singers with room to manoeuvre and an orchestra pit able to accommodate a full orchestra. The singers were wonderful and their voices floated on the warm night air.

The heat of the day dissipates and as the sky darkens and the stars and moon rise, you gather together to be entertained and transfixed by wonderful music in a fantastic setting.

Rome is home to some wonderful museums and galleries. I went to see the museum at the National Roman Museum of Diocletian Bath, near Piazza dei Cinquecento, this museum occupies part of the 3rd-century-A.D. Baths of Diocletian and part of a convent and cloister was built in 1565 and is ascribed to Michelangelo. The Diocletian Baths were the biggest thermal baths in the world. Nowadays they host a marvellous collection of funereal artworks, such as sarcophagi, and decorations dating back to the Aurelian period.

This museum’s collection could be considered as one of the most important collections of ancient sculpture in the world. The museum contains the works of art found during the excavations executed after 1870.

National Roman Museum of Diocletian Bath (Museo Nazionale Romano delle Terme di Diocleziano)
Viale Enrico De Nicola, 79
00185, Rome, Lazio, Italy
Zone: Rione Castro Pretorio (Porta Pia) (Roma centro)

Next stop – cooling off in Stockholm….

table set for lunch

As I ate breakfast, at a lazy 9:30, Remo was already busy preparing lunch, chopping leftover cooked veal for his tomato sauce and wandering out to the garden to collect a firm savoy cabbage and leaves of dark red radicchio, chopping them in a fine julienne for salad.

At 10:30 we had our first cappuccino at the osteria. We still haven’t seen one of Sandro’s old school buddies; apparently he’s due tomorrow. We’re now up to three espressi and one or two “cappuccio” a day. Not sure if they’re to blame for me having a hard time sleeping, or if it’s just too quiet here at night for this city girl.

Another glorious day, with snowy mountains looming in the distance. A friend in France wrote to say he’d been looking at the same mountains the day before from his village. Much too beautiful to stay indoors watching The Streets of San Francisco dubbed in Italian, so off we went in the Volvo. This time with a Tom Tom GPS stuck to the windshield to help us maneouver through the right roundabouts.

If you could paint your house any colour, what would you choose? There’s every shade here in the north — lots of salmon, terra cotta, ochre, blue, burgundy, pink, even pea green.  I asked Remo in my best Italian why he doesn’t have a yellow house. He’s obviously not a fan, and said he prefers white. I imagine they’re all quite beautiful against the snow in winter.

We set the Tom Tom for Arborio, discovered on our last trip. Of course, that’s where the name of the rice comes from. We’ve also been to Barolo, Barbaresco and Gorgonzola. It’s too early for planting, but the tractors are gearing up for another season. You can easily spot the rice fields, empty squares surrounded by embankments. In the fall they’ll be golden and glorious, stalks heavy with rice grains swaying in the breeze.

We parked at the caffe in the centre of town and walked to the rice shop down the street. The         same senora we met last time, whose son grew the rice, stood behind a counter laden with colourful cloth sacks of rice, 1 and 2 kg. She recommended arborio over carnaroli for risotto, saying it absorbs more liquid and more flavourings. I also bought a bag of brown arborio, which I’ve never seen before. I may have to eat it alone since Himself isn’t a fan of whole grain anything.

 Of course we had to stop for a caffe. I left first, then wondered what was keeping Sandro. When I opened the door he was deep in discussion with the female barista and a regular about asparagus. Not only is it in season, apparently, but there’s a particular town on the way to Torino where it grows. Not called Asparagi, too bad!

Maybe I’d better set the alarm so we can get an early start.

Late last week, I headed over there forgetting that it was both Fri. and a holiday. Teeny parking lot and an F-150 do not a cute couple make. I bought a case of wine and some essentials like smoked salmon…Some of the items are TJ faves.

Wine:

• Three bottles of Tres Pinos white – it’s a nice white blend w/ fruit forward, dry, but not too – $6.49/ea.
• Three bottles of  Green Fin – similar to the 3 Pines, but less fruit – $4.99/ea. (This is where the TBC – Two Buck Chuck crowd gets it wrong. TBC is actually close to $4 in my store and not very good.)
• Found Object Malbec – I like all the Found Objects I’ve had – Tempranillo, Chenin Blanc and this one – $7.49
• Trader Joe’s Coastal Zinfandel – I don’t usually buy Zin, but this is a nice, inexpensive one – $6.99
• La Finca Tempranillo – Same as Found Object, the Malbec and others are good, too – $5.99
• 3 new reds I can’t recall, one was a Coppola. If you’ve not tried this vineyard, most are great. And yes, it’s the director of GodFather fame. I’ll let you know how they are.

Food:

• TJ’s Maple Frosted Shredded Wheat – this is a new one for me but I could possibly live on it.
• Crumbly gorgonzola
• Honey-flavored Greek yogurt
• Dixie Peach juice – I love all their juices
• Dark chocolate covered ginger – a fave
• Frozen pizzas and flatbreads – These are amazing. If someone served this to you after hiding the box, you’d swear it was from an upscale eatery. Try the ham, gruyere and carmelized onion flatbread. Ignore the portion suggestions of 1/3 of the flatbread and eat the whole thing. It’s small. I tried a new pizza – BBQ chicken, red onion and smoked gouda. Wow!
• Seltzer – plain. It’s .79 here and .99 at reg. grocery store
• Organic chicken breasts – Pricier than the pale versions at the big grocery stores, but flavor is better. Probably the absence of formaldehyde or something.
• Maple syrup – What a difference the real deal is from that pseudo syrup stuff!
• Spanish extra virgin olive oil – I like TJ’s prices on oils, salad dressings, etc., although I usually make my own dressing.

I bought a bunch more stuff I can’t recall, but my total was $168. Not bad if you consider that includes a case of wine!

Gorgonzola cheese facts:

• Gorgonzola is one of the oldest blue cheeses, dating back to the year 879.
• It is made from unskimmed cow milk.
• It takes three to four months to become fully ripe.
• Gorgonzola was named after a village that used to be outside Milan but is now inside the city.
• It is often sold in a foil packaging.
• The London Stock Exchange is nicknamed “Gorgonzola Hall” due to the greenish marble used in its interior.
• Gorgonzola was originally aged in caves and its blue veins developed from spores in the caves.
• Italy’s Gorgonzola has two types: Dolce (the less aged type) and ‘mountain.’ Dolce is sweet and creamy while mountain “offers some bite buried in dense, milky paste.”
• It has a strong flavor, is semi-soft, and is a slightly yellow color (except for the veins).
• At one time, Gorgonzola was called “Stracchino” cheese and was used to cure stomach problems during the Middle Ages. It was also thought to prolong life.
• Gorgonzola is usually served at the end of the meal, often accompanied by fruits.

I wanted to share a dish with you that encompasses my purpose here. To bring you comforting, heart-warming, whole food that just makes you smile.

So what could this dish be that I decided on? Steak Gorgonzola Pasta. Yes, please!! I love pasta, I love cheese. What could be better?

I came up with recipe when I had one steak left from BBQing and I wanted to stretch it for us for dinner. I had all of the other ingredients other than the Gorgonzola so I made a quick trip the store and got work! In the recipe I will be cooking the steak up to show you how but so many of my recipes come from what I have on hand and want to use rather than buying all new ingredients.

I will warn you, once you realize how easy it is to make an alfredo sauce, there is no going back. You won’t be able to buy the jar in the store anymore because fresh and whole ingredient already is divine. There is no other way to say that. Plus you can use it with pasta, as a base for pizza, to dip your garlic bread in, as a leave in conditioner… ok, not so sure about that last one mainly because I would have eaten all of the sauce rather than put it in my hair .

Here’s what you need:
2 8oz Petite Sirloin Steak
¼ cup Gorgonzola Cheese
Fresh Spinach Leaves
1 cup Cherry Tomatoes
1 lb Linguine Pasta
2 cups Heavy Cream
1/2 cup Butter
1 cup fresh Parmesan cheese
2 cloves Garlic
Kosher Coarse Salt
Salt and Pepper

Rub coarse salt and pepper on both sides of steak.

Butter a cast iron pan. Don’t be shy with that butter- it will give your steak SO much flavor!

Brown the steak in cast iron pan on both sides.

Put in a 350 degree oven for 5-10 minutes, until your steak is medium rare.

(Mine was a little over done and I got the eye roll from my husband who likes his steak rare- sheesh! I cook and I cook… )

Set aside to cool.
Slice when cooled in to edible sizes.

Bring water to boil.
Add a pinch of salt, your pasta, and a dash of olive oil.
Cook until al dente (about 9 minutes).
Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup of noodle water.

Rinse tomatoes and spinach.
Cut tomatoes lengthwise.
Roughly chop 2 large handfuls of spinach.

In a sauce pan melt 1/2 cup of butter (1 stick) over medium heat.

Add minced garlic and sauté.

*Important: Stand over the pan and waft the smell of that garlic butter toward you and inhale… deeply. OKAY! I guess this is optional but I promise you will want to do it.

When the garlic is slightly brown, pour in 2 cups of cream.
Bring cream to a slight boil, constantly stirring, then reduce heat to medium low.

Add in Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper and stir until cheese is melted and the sauce begins to simmer. Turn heat to low.

Add pasta to sauce.

Toss in spinach and cherry tomatoes.

Add beef and crumble in ¼ cup gorgonzola cheese and toss. This cheese is strong so you just want to add it in at the end. Trust me! It will have enough flavor!

Use tongs to make sure all ingredients are covered in the alfredo sauce.

Pile a generous portion on a plate- oh! And remember to share with others. ENJOY!

Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, the true “parmesan” (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 One of my first lessons as an aspiring home chef was that fresh ingredients and full-fat dairy products simply make food taste better. When I embarked upon my culinary quest, the first recipe I tried was Mark Bittman’s Farfalle with Gorgonzola, Arugula, and Cherry Tomatoes from How to Cook Everything. In the recipe Bittman listed options for using milk, cream, or half-and-half. In a (vain) attempt to be healthy, I opted for the half-and-half. The dish came out well—there was nothing really wrong with it–but it just didn’t have the oomph that I had anticipated. A few weeks later, I tried the recipe again, but this time with cream. It was phenomenal. The use of cream, instead of half-and-half, really elevated the dish in a way that surprised me. I never reailzed that what I considered a minor ingredient substitution; could really alter the nature of a dish.  In the end I realized, using full-fat dairy products just makes food taste better.  My arteries may not be thanking me, but my taste buds certainly are.

Recently I asked a chef friend the secret behind his restaurant’s silky mashed potatoes. He replied: “an insane amount of butter and cream.” He continued by mentioning that people would be surprised by the amount of butter and cream that restaurants include in their food. Most meat dishes he serves are slathered in butter. Now, cooking this way is not something I want to do on a daily basis. It’s a recipe for a coronary. But if I need a dish to have a little pizazz; cream and butter, here I come!

Utilizing fresh ingredients is another way of transforming a dish. For all you experienced cooks, this is clearly a no-brainer. In fact, you’re all probably shaking your head at my ignorance. But it was certainly a lesson for the budget-conscious; beginner cook. Let’s face it: using pre-grated Kraft Parmesan cheese is significantly cheaper (and easier) than buying fresh Parmesan Reggiano and grating it yourself. The difference in taste; however; overrides the price disparity.

Because I aspire to become a serious home cook, I don’t want to compromise quality for price. However, the reality is, like most Americans, I’m on a budget.  If I were as rich as Ina Garten and had endless amounts of spare time, I could spend my days wandering around the green market buying local, organic ingredients. Fact is though, I have a full-time job and not a lot of money to spare. As I continue to cook, I’ll have to learn how to deal with the dilemma of wanting to use the best and freshest ingredients possible, while not breaking the bank.

Not really where I wanted to go with this.

Brussel Sprout Gorgonzola Pizza (makes one large rectangular pizza, or two round)

Crust
1 1/8 cup warm water
3 teaspoons yeast
1 Tablespoon honey
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
2 Tablespoons cornmeal
2 Tablespoons olive oil

Toppings
1/2 pound brussel sprouts, sliced
4 garlic cloves
1 cup chopped radicchio
3oz crumbled gorgonzola cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded provolone
2 Tablespoons olive oil
(I also chopped up leftover roast chicken along with it’s skin and added it on top, I would also recommend pork sausage if you’re looking for meaty options)

Heat up water and honey to 120/130F, add yeast and oil and let foam (10 minutes). In a mixer with the dough hooks attached, add flour and salt and pour in wet yeast mixture. Mix until it pulls away from the sides of the bowl and balls on the hooks. Kneed on a floured surface until it forms a smooth ball (few minutes) and let rest in a oiled bowl with towel on top for 1 1/2 hours.

While dough is resting, chop cloves of garlic and slice brussel sprouts. In a pan over medium heat, add a olive oil and brussel sprouts. Make sure to let some of the leaves sear and char for flavor and texture. After a few minutes add garlic and cook until sprouts are tender (but not mushy). Remember, it will continue to cook in the oven later. Salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat oven to 500F

On floured surface, roll out dough to a 1/4 inch thickness. Dust pan with cornmeal and lay dough on top. Brush 2 Tablespoons of oil on the dough then sprinkle half of the provolone cheese on top. Evenly spread cooked brussel sprouts, chopped radicchio and gorgonzola. Fold over 2 inches of dough all the way around. Sprinkle remaining provolone on top, including the now exposed crust (it will add extra crunch and salt when baking).

Bake at 500F for 5 minutes, then turn heat down to 450F and bake for additional 10-12 minutes, until dough turns golden brown.

adapted from how sweet it is

Cooking liquid:
Vegetable stock (or chicken broth)

Aromatics:
1 cup chopped red onion
2 cloves garlic, minced

Stir-ins:
½ cup grated Kowalski’s Parmesan Cheese
½ cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
½ cup toasted roughly chopped shelled pistachios
Dash of ground nutmeg

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Basic Risotto

Ingredients
6 cups cooking liquid (such as broth, stock, water or combo)
1 ½ tbsp. Kowalski’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 cups risotto rice (such as Arborio or Carnaroli)
- aromatics (such as: 1-1 ½ cups chopped onion and/or 2-4 cloves minced garlic)
1 cup dry white wine
- stir-ins (such as 1 cup cheese(s); Kowalski’s fresh chopped herbs, kosher salt and Kowalski’s Coarse Ground Black Pepper to taste; cooked vegetables or meats)

Directions
Bring cooking liquid to a simmer in a small saucepan; keep warm but do not boil. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add rice and aromatics; sauté 5 min. Add wine; cook until liquid evaporates. Add 2 cups cooking liquid to rice. Cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is nearly absorbed (about 5 min.); if liquid takes much longer or much less than 5 min. to absorb, adjust heat up or down slightly. Add another 1 cup liquid; stirring occasionally and cooking until the liquid is almost gone again (another 5 min.). Continue adding liquid, 1 cup at a time, cooking until rice is tender (about 15 min. more). Stir in remaining ingredients until cheese is melted and ingredients are evenly heated through. Serve immediately while risotto is very hot.

Serves 6.

Note:
– More or less cooking liquid may be required.

When you first see the little fella you can help but grin. After all, who doesn’t like monkeys. But after editing the picture , the sucker could be a mite scary. But monkeys are all cute even the scary ones. They have a full menu. Big salads, little salads, sandwiches and daily lunch specials. Which are five dollars for a slice of pizza of the day, a small salad and a soft drink. That seems like a bargain. But Pat and I wanted PIZZA. They offer a 10 inch pie for $6.85. They also have an extensive list of toppings. From the traditional to the not so traditional. Such as chorizo sausage from Smokin’ Goose Meatery to Cajun sausage from a joint in New Orleans. In addition to the common cheese offerings they also have less common. Feta,smoked Gouda and Gorgonzola. Now I like all forms of blue cheese, but I don’t dig melted bleu cheese; it has a metallic aftertaste to me. The verdict was unanimous. They offer a fine ass pizza pie. The crust is thin and slightly crispy and the sauce is slightly chunky, which gives it more mouth appeal. The toppings are nicely portioned and the pricing is more than fair. Two 10 inch pies with two toppings each totaled less than $18. Now what do you need a chain for when you can get a pizza like this at a mom and pops? And as you can see their pies are quite photogenic.

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Mais que faire ce soir ? Bon un bol de soupe suffit, mais il me faut mon déjeuner de demain voyons ! Je vais vous dire, je suis partie encore à l’aveuglette sur cette recette.. Lardons et champignons .. ok ça se marient très bien ensemble. Et si on y ajoutait un peu de courgettes histoire de se donner bonne conscience (5 fruits et légumes par jour.. hi hi).

Et pour terminer, j’ai vu dans le frigo du fromage, un mélange de gorgonzola et de mascarpone. Je me suis dit que cela
pourrait apporter un peu de crémeux à ce risotto ! Et bingo, un vrai délice ! Mais vraiment ! Je vous avoue que la soupe est passé à l’oubliette et que je me suis servie une belle louche de ce risotto .. pas bien ! En bref, si vous n’avez pas compris : j’ADORE !

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Ingrédients (pour 2 personnes)

• 200 gr de lardons
• 1/2 oignon
• 100 gr de courgettes
• 1 petite boite de champignon de Paris
• 70 cl de bouillon (kub-or)
• 2 c à s de fromage “Torta” (mélange de gorgonzola et de mascarpone)
• 150 gr de riz basmati

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Dans un premier temps, faisons revenir nos oignons dans un peu d’huile d’olive. Ajoutons les lardons. Laissons cuire quelques minutes. Ensuite, nous pouvons intégrer les courgettes préalablement coupés en petit morceau. Laissons cuire quelques instant. Nous pouvons ajouter le riz. Faisons cuire un peu et ajoutons petit à petit le bouillon à feu moyen. Mélangeons régulièrement et ajoutons le bouillon petit à petit.

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Et pour terminer, ajoutons le fromage pour donner du crémeux ! Nous pouvons parsemer de parmesan pour la gourmandise... hi hi !

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INGREDIENTS:
3 each medium beets or 6 smaller red/yellow beets
1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar
2 pinches brown sugar
2 pinches Kosher salt
1 pinch of freshly ground pepper
1 clove garlic finely chopped
3/4 cup Olive oil
Gorgonzola cheese
1 scallion, chopped
1 pinch dried fennel seed
2 leaves chiffonade of fresh basil
3-4 leaves of the heart of Romaine lettuce

Instructions:
1.) Preheat oven to 375F and bake beets for about 1 1/2 hours or until done. Set aside to cool completely.
2.) While the beets are cooking, you may wash lettuce leaves, place in plastic container and put into refrigerator to crisp. Then move onto making dressing.
3.) In a jar, with a screw top lid, place vinegar, brown sugar, salt, pepper, garlic and olive oil. Place lid tightly onto jar, and shake the mixture. You may add more brown sugar to vinaigrette to make sweeter, add to taste, and shake. Place in fridge to chill.
4.)Once the beets are cooled, peel and cut into about 1/2 inch cubes and place into bowl. Add scallion, fennel and basil, and toss.
5.)Place beet mixture onto the lettuce that you have plated. Sprinkle the amount of cheese that you prefer and drizzle with vinaigrette.

Bon Appetite!!!

I am enjoying attending the Italian language school in Orvieto. Some days I feel I am making progress, then the black hand of stupidity strikes me dumb and all I can utter is complete nonsense. There are many linguistic pitfalls to avoid, such as, “la fica” is the singular for Fig Tree. However, the fruit is referred to in the plural as “le fiche” because the singular of fig is “fica” and colloquially means vagina (or worse in slang!!). So one has to be careful when buying figs in the fruit shop and not order 500gms of vagina!! However, the Italians have solved this confusion – when ordering figs they only use the plural – “le fiche”

Language can be a tricky beast. I was in a small restaurant in Orvieto and there was a young couple beside me who ordered tiramisu for desert. The plate arrived and it was a pool of creamy mascarpone flavoured with marsala and coffee. Sitting slightly submerged in this yummy pool of deliciousness were several lady finger biscuits which are traditionally used as the back bone of tiramasu. In the kitchen of trendy restaurants around the world the parlance to describe this on the menu would be a “deconstructed tiramisu”. However, the young man from an unknown European country, described his tiramisu as “decomposed”.

Many menus can make interesting reading – for instance:
• umbrichelli all’ortolana - local translation was “a home-made umbrichelli with a sauce of farmers juice”
• gnocchi con il sugo di pecorino – English explanation – home-made dumplings with a ragu of ship.  I am sure the writer meant “sheep”.

In addition to attending language school – I have undertaken to improve my photography skills. And so, I hooked up with a professional photographer living in Orvieto. Patrick Nicholas, originally from Oxford, England came to Italy in the early 80′s where he was a fashion photographer in Milan for some years before striking out and doing his own artistic thing.

My photographic tuition saw us making a number of excursions to  nearby towns in Umbria and Tuscany taking in the surrounding countryside. Patrick has been instructing me in the use of the digital SLR camera using only the manual settings. Not only was Patrick an expert in photography I enjoyed his company and insights of living and working in Italy for many years. So now I know (well sort of), the intricacies of shutter speed, F stops, ISO settings and many other mechanical things but also to focal length, light, time of day, the subject and context etc. So much to think about and get right before you can even press the button. The photos in the above slide show are a selection from our days together.

Sunday is a very important day for most families in Italy. It is a time to get together and enjoy a good meal, lots of chatter and of course enjoy the local vino. My Sunday lunch was a rave at Ristorante Antico Bucchero. This place has been in operation since 1989. The appetizer of very thin strips of smoked duck breast on a salad of radicchio with walnuts dressed with a sweet vinaigrette – delicious and a real winner. Secondo was vitello tonato - this is a cold dish of thin slices of poached or roasted nut of veal laid out over the plate and then a rich creamy sauce of blended tuna, capers, anchovies and garlic bound together in a rich egg mayonnaise and dotted with capers is spread liberally over the top. To accompany this, I selected a contorni (side dish of vegetables) of spinachi drizzled with olive oil with a hint of chillies which added that extra zing. Fantastic! No dolce today – even though the torrone nougat cream – a googy confection of cream, honey and almonds was tempting and of course the home-made chocolate gelato had me thinking but the fromaggio misto won the day.

The plate included – Caciotta an artisan, semi-soft, cheese made from about 70% ewes’ and 30% cows’ milk and has a firm, creamy consistency, and has a full flavour that ranges from mild to tangy. Of course every cheese plate within a radius of a few hundred kilometres will have some type of Pecorino on it. This cheese was a favourite of Lorenzo il Magnifico – that great renaissance Medici ruler. Pecorino is a cooked-milk cheese made with whole, raw milk from sheep. The wheels of cheese mature in very humid cellars and periodically their walnut leaf-wrapped rinds are damped first with olive oil, then with grease and wax. The big flavour on the plate was Gorganzola Dolce. Dolcelatte was developed for the British market to provide a milder smelling and tasting alternative to the famous traditional Italian blue cheese, Gorgonzola. It is sometimes referred to as Gorgonzola Dolce. The production method for dolcelatte is similar to the methods used to make Gorgonzola. One difference is that it is made from the curd of only one milking. It takes about two to three months to produce and age this cheese. The fat content of dolcelatte is higher than Gorgonzola at about 50%. That is why we like it – that rich creamy texture and the sharp tang of the blue coming through. Finally the fourth cheese on the plate was an aged parmesan – sharp, crumbly and salty. The plate was simply presented with a few walnuts and a small dish of lightly flavoured and crystal clear honey. Marvellous!

I ordered the Big Bad Bison Burger which is made from local bison (from Gunpowder Farm in Monkton, MD), grilled & topped with provolone cheese, and served on a Brioche roll with lettuce, tomato and onion. The burger is topped off with Laurrapin’s signature “Big Bad Burger Sauce.”

I had my burger served “medium” because bison is a lean meat and I did not want it to be dried out by overcooking. It was exceptionally tasty and I recommend if you want something different to ordinary beef.  I award the Big Bad Bison Burger a score of 8 out of 10. It really is one of the best in Harford County.

Mom had the falafel (WHAT?) and Dad had the Pear Gorgonzola salad (STINKY!). These would not be my choices – there’s a lamb burger and a Guinness burger still waiting to be tried – but I suppose it’s OK that there are healthy vegetables on the menu too. Old people need their vegetables & vitamins.

I’ve made very few meatloafs (meatloaves?) in my life. I like them, but it never pops into my head when I’m thinking “what the heck am I going to make for my dinners this week?” I would like to start changing that. Growing up I always had the standard ground beef meatloaf with ketchup on top. Don’t get me wrong, I love it that way! However since I’m trying to be a health conscious person, I figured I would try to make mine a bit less fat and cholesterol laden. I also happened to have gorgonzola cheese, quinoa and jalapenos sitting in my fridge getting old. (does gorgonzola even get old? I mean, it’s already moldy, right?) My first attempt at this was made with ground chicken breast, and though the flavor was great, the texture was off. Next attempt was more succesful with ground turkey. So much better! I also made the cheese chunks a bit larger this time so it didn’t just blend into the meat. With larger pieces you really get the flavor of the cheese in every bite. Unless you search around and eat all your chunks of cheese at the beginning. Which may have happened. Have I told you I have a problem with cheese? It’s really a problem with loving all food, but cheese is hard for me to resist. Also, peanut butter. I can’t stand it when Christian abandons his peanut butter sandwiches. It feels like sacrilege to throw them away. Sorry about that tangent. Back to meatloaf. Try it. Enjoy it. Try it with a different cheese, such as feta, if you aren’t a fan of blue cheese. I will probably try it without the mexican spices next time. Maybe an italian version with italian herbs and chunks of fresh mozzarella or parmesan? Hmm I’m getting hungry. Enjoy this picture of Christian as you peruse the recipe.

Jalapeno Gorgonzola Turkey Meatloaf

Yield: 8 servings, around 132 g each (see note below)

Nutrition

Calories: 217

Fat: 11.1 g

Sodium: 212.8 mg

Total Carbohydrates: 4.4 g

Fiber: 0.9 g

Sugar: .4 g

Protein: 27.5 g

I put a small plastic sandwich size baggie on my hand while dicing and seeding my jalapenos. I had some super spicy ones once that burned my hands for a few hours after cutting! It was terrible, so I now recommend gloves or the bag method.

Ingredients! Onion powder not pictured. It doesn’t like the papparazzi. also, I forgot about it during the photo shoot.

Ingredients:

2 lb 93% lean Ground Turkey*

½ of a medium Onion, diced (3.8 oz)

2 medium Jalapenos (2 oz), seeded and diced (or not seeded, whatever your heat level preference)

1 whole Egg

4-6 cloves Garlic, minced

2 oz Gorgonzola or Blue Cheese, crumbled, but not too small

½ cup cooked Quinoa

1 tsp each: Kosher Salt, Pepper (fresh ground preferred), ground Cumin, Onion powder, Garlic powder, Smoked Paprika, Chili powder, ground Coriander, Worcestershire sauce

dash of Cayenne pepper (again, to your preference. I like spice, so I mayyyy have done a large dash)

2 tsp Franks RedHot hot sauce, or hot sauce of your choosing.

• Preheat oven to 350°.
• Spray a loaf pan with non stick spray, or coat with ¼- ½ tsp Coconut oil.
• Put the ground turkey in a large mixing bowl and add all the spices, minced garlic, diced onion, diced jalapeno, Quinoa, and Gorgonzola.
• In a small bowl crack egg and whisk together with the Worcestershire and hot sauces.
• Add the egg/sauce mixture to the turkey and slowly incorporate all ingredients. Try not to over mix, as the meatloaf can get very dense and brick like!
• Once all the ingredient are mixed together, and you can no longer see large streaks of spices, put the meatloaf onto your prepared loaf pan. You may need to use a spatula and spread it out a little if it doesn’t by itself.
  

  Into the oven you go!

• Place into preheated oven and bake for a little over an hour, or until internal temperature reaches 155°-160° F.
• Let the meatloaf rest until it reaches the recommended temperature of 165°.
  

  Looks like a brick, tastes like heaven.

• Slice into 8 equal portions and devour. I couldn’t stop taking little pieces from the sides of the pieces as I was portioning it out!
  

  Mmmm.

Side dishes for Meatloaf. Steamed Brussel Sprouts and Roasted Squash(es).

*I did make this the first time with ground chicken breast and it turned out much too dense and solid. I like my meatloaf tender and the fattier turkey was perfect. You could certainly trade out the higher fat meat for lower, just be aware that the texture will change.

via Gorgonzola Gratinated Skirt Steak, Tomato & Aparagus On Naan.

Gorgonzola Gratinated Skirt Steak, Tomato & Aparagus On Naan

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Skirt steak,   marinated overnight in soy sauce, sriracha, & garlic paste
Naan,   (substitute with bread of your choice)
Asparagus spears,  (white or green, depending on availability and your preference), buttered and seasoned with kosher salt and cayenne pepper
Tomatoes,   sliced thick, seasoned with kosher salt and cayenne pepper
Scallions,   buttered and seasoned with kosher salt and cayenne pepper
Asiago cheese,   finely grated
Gorgonzola cheese,   crumbled
Kosher salt,
Peanut oil,

Method :

Season steak with kosher salt, dust with a mixture of ap flour, cornstarch, cayene and garlic powder , saute in oil until bloody rare (or your preference. (See note below). Place naan on a baking rack. Top with steak. Sprinkle with asiago. Top with tomato. Sprinkle with asiago . Top with asparagus. Top with gorgonzola. Top with scallions. Broil until gorgonzola is melted and get’s a few golden spots. Remove from broiler, sprinkle with chili flakes. Enjoy a great meal !

Note :
Remember the carry-over heat and the step of gratinating. Both will further cook your steak. Since I like most of my beef and lamb steaks to be medium rare, I removed it at bloody rare. By the time it was gratinated and ready to eat, it was a perfect medium rare.

Bon Appetit   Life is Good !
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That was me one day this week. When I was sure there was nothing in the house to eat…or, at least, that I’d feel like making. Because I’d been sick, and was basically in reheating/microwaving/leftovers mode, having had soup three times, two of those times my own leftover celery and rice soup from last week.

But I needed something more, something that felt like a whole meal.

There wasn’t really nothing in the house to eat, but I had allowed the contents of the refrigerator and cabinets to dwindle. Except for basics and some odd and end that might catch my eye when shopping, I hadn’t restocked. Intentionally. My husband was out of town most of the past couple weeks, I didn’t need much, and it seemed a nice opportunity to give everything at hand a chance to be used.

So I opened the fridge, and there it was, an eggplant. One of the odds and ends I couldn’t resist buying the week before.

And so there I was. Alone in the kitchen with my eggplant. Deciding what else to pull out.

And one by one I set them on the table. The eggplant. A package of prepared beets. A head of garlic. Some romaine. A few very limp-leaved scallions. Blue cheese and gorgonzola that might or might not still be good. Fresh dill left over from last week’s post. A couple of eggs.

Roasted eggplant. Salad. Omelet.

I turned the oven to 400° and cut the eggplant into 1/4″ vertical slices. Tossed those together in bowl with three cloves of minced garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper, and then laid the slices on a baking sheet I’d lined with parchment paper. I slid the tray into the oven. Roasted for 15 minutes. Turned the slices over, and roasted for about another 10 minutes.

While they were cooking, I threw out the small bit of blue cheese. Yes, you can tell when blue cheese is bad. It shouldn’t be fuzzy!

The gorgonzola had some iffy parts that I tossed, but there was enough in good shape for me to use. So when the eggplant slices were done, I crumbled a little over the slices. And then sprinkled some chopped dill over them for some green. Back in the oven for a few minutes to melt, and then took that out.

For the salad I ripped a few romaine leaves onto a plate. Sliced two of the beets and arranged the slices through the romaine. A little chopped scallion and chopped dill sprinkled over. Salt and pepper. A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Very pretty.

I draped a few eggplant slices next to the salad, and sprinkled the crispy garlic bits over top of both, particularly the salad.

I added some chopped scallions to two beaten eggs and made a quick omelet.

The salty richness of the gorgonzola was nice with the softened eggplant. And every bite or so, a little dill did come through, especially when I combined it with a bite of the salad, which also had dill. And every time I eat beets I am reminded how much I really like them, their light, fresh taste.

The garlic bits were amazing. They got crispy after a half hour in the oven, and just added a great garlic crunch.

The little time and effort it took to make roasted eggplant, a simple salad, and a very basic omelet did this sick girl a world of good.