Last time I went for sushi the presentation was amazing and the crunchiness of the dragon rolls added an interesting texture.  I have tried to create this inside my prosciutto “sushi” by crisping up some thinly sliced onions and putting about three strands in the middle with the asparagus.

We had people in for a quick appetizer last Sunday before going out.  The “sushi” went over well, however I felt the onion flavour was a bit too subtle, and I need a bit more “CRUNCH”. I love the visual of the tower in the middle, but it is big and needs to be shared with a good friend. Here is the revised:

• Boil 18-21 spears of asparagus, undercook slightly and plunge into cold water when done to stop the cooking. Lay on a towel to dry as much as possible.
• Meanwhile thinly slice an onion cut in half lengthwise, break the strands apart and fry in olive oil until just crispy, be careful not to overcook or they will get burnt or be a bit bitter.
• Lay out two slices of prosciutto, slightly overlapping them. Lay on arugula, 6-7 spears asparagus across the seam and spread the fried onion six strands thick with the asparagus. (The arugula protects the prosciutto from absorbing the moisture of the asparagus.) You will need 6-8 slices of prosciutto
• Roll the prosciutto around the asparagus as tight as possible. Slice across the roll; leave the end longer for a tower.
• You will end up with 15-20 pieces depending how thick you slice.

I also added some crumbled Asiago with a balsamic glaze and a bottle of champagne. I received a bottle as a gift, clearly above my usual level. I decided I would prefer to share food and expensive wine with people that appreciate it rather than wait for a special occasion.

Upon my first visit to the Black Hoof my expectations were extremely high. Were they met? No…They were crushed! A note to vegetarians: This establishment is a carnivore’s utopia, it should be renamed Jurassic Hoof, it is a meat lover orgy that will be the venue for my wedding ceremony.

We started with olives, bread and andouille spread. The spread was truly exceptional, we savoured it throughout our entire meal and when one of the waiters tried to remove it from our table when it was 80% finished he received scolding cut eye and my outreached hand.  He was startled, but soon realized the power of the spread. In addition to the starters came a bowl of pickled vegetables containing artichoke, broccoflower and pickles. The tartness from the contents of this bowl helped to cut and compliment a lot of the sweet and salty flavours that were to come ahead.

Our wooden plank of love, aka large charcuterie board was one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen/tasted in my life. The neatly laid out meat rested so gracefully in front of me I almost did not want to tamper with it, it looked so perfect and best of all it is mostly made in house. It consisted of: Guanciale (unsmoked Italian bacon, pig’s cheek or jowls) – delicious, Duck Liver Mousse – 1st time for everything, nice spread in subtle portions, Foie Gras – delectably rich & silky smooth texture, Duck Prosciutto – typically darker and tougher than your avg prosciutto, my rule of thumb which never fails is any prosciutto is amazing prosciutto, Angus Sausage – darker and tougher meat, bold flavour, Venison Bresaola – air dried salted, deep woody flavour, there were a few more items on the board but towards the end of the waiter explaining the contents I had drifted off into a foodgasm. This charcuterie board was the most diverse and best tasting example of charcuterie I have had yet.

We had a follow up plank of sheer prosciutto. It was the same sized plank just covered with carefully shaved neatly trimmed layers of sciutto. This was a nice change for me because I am so used to Parma style sciutto and this was house made, so it had a distinct flavour that I can confidently claim I had never had before. The overall flavour had a hint of nuttiness to it and it was lighter in flavour compared to the sciutto I am used to which is very bold very salty. An additional large order or bread and olives accompanied this item.

Next we had the critically acclaimed Raw Horse Sammy sandwich. I knew this would be a knockout because everyone who previously told me to eat at the Hoof made me swear to try this sandwich. Even when I ordered it our waitress’s eyes perked up and she smiled. I could tell she was thinking “These dudes are gonna lose it when they try this”.

The sandwich arrived open faced on rye bread. One side has the rich, velvety, purplish/red meat mixed with onions, olive oil, some herbs topped with capers and an egg yolk. The other side has the signature hot sauce compliments of G-Mo, the Hoof’s Peruvian sous-chef. Ideally you want to spread the yolk all over the meat and get it right into and around the meat, this will prevent the yolk from dripping out of the sandwich when you eat it. This also helps to seal in and fuse all the love in this sandwich and believe me, there’s a whole lotta love. One of the major highlights of this dish was that I had never had anything like it before, the texture, taste and whole vibe of the sandwich was new to me, and as I sit here typing I am borderline losing it recounting this experience. Truly a magical dish worthy of its own restaurant.

I simply can not wait to go back to this restaurant. I have yet to try the duck confit sandwiches, cheeses, roasted bone marrow, tongue on brioche, deserts, wine, and daily delights. For the record I could care less about the décor because I don’t take my eyes off the food.

Thurs-Mon 6pm-2am, Sun (midnight)
patio
cash/d

EAT IT

How many of you can sit back and say, “I’m ready, bring on Christmas”? I hope most of you can. Unbelieveably, the Dude and I have finished all our holiday shopping and are ready for Santa to make his rounds.

Yesterday was refreshingly cold and today, although a bit warmer, will still have a nice, wintery chill in the air. So we have several soup kettles on for you with some great soups to warm you up!

We also have LASAGNA today to warm up that tummy!

Today our sandwich special is DIVA’S MUFFULETTA. This is our version of the very famous New Orleans classic Italian sandwich. We put genoa salami, oven roasted turkey breast, thinly sliced prociutto, sharp provolone and freshly made mozzarella on a round roll that has been slathered with our wonderful olive tapenade and vinaigrette.

This is the one sandwich that we make ahead of time….why? Because that’s the way these have been made for generations. Once made and wrapped, the flavors and vinaigrette in the tapenade have a chance to seep into all the nooks and crannies of the roll, and the meats and cheeses become layers of deliciousness! Try one today for just $5.00!

Let’s do lunch!

Nothing sells like success is an expression that I was introduced to in my freshman year of Temple’s Undergraduate Film program. I was in a ‘Media and Society’ class. Basically, it refers to what is marketable and what is not – and clearly things that are already ‘on the market’ are much more marketable than things that have no history of sale. This is a strict principle of media programmers/filmmakers/screenwriters/directors/ etc. Imagine that I run a deli. Now, in my deli, I sell one type of hoagie: italian. I sell italian hoagies because I know people who already enjoy eating italian hoagies for lunch and will buy them. Furthermore, if I know people enjoy eating italian hoagies, I know that they enjoy eating salami, and provolone cheese, american cheese, prosciutto, etc, so as I could take those ingrediants and put them in other sandwhiches or dishes, and people would enjoy them as well. Now, One night I eat a whole bunch of shampoo and am compelled to create a new kind of sandwhich that involves a lot of hair care products. Its going to be a lot harder to sell this kind of sandwhich because it is inherently a different kind of eating experience and perhaps challenges our notions of ’sandwhich’ all together. This is why when I pay for a fucking movie, I end up buying a whole bunch shit that I’m tired of eating.

I’ve now made quite a few more things. Many of them good and a couple just average. Let me explain:

Pearl barley, apple and proscuitto salad was good, but I really felt like it was missing something. For the serving that I did- half the recipe, the price of the ‘fancy bacon’ didn’t really equate to the overall taste. I felt ripped off with this one and am reluctant to try it again, though I think merely adding some honey and mustard seeds and more red wine vinegar to the dressing would make a difference. And I also think some onion in the barley as it cooks.

On the other hand, the pancetta, pea, lentil and mint salad was amazing. For something so simple it was awesome. The saltiness of the pancetta was a wonderful contrast to the lemon juice over the lentils and the sweet tang of the mint garnish. I really really enjoyed this one and am keen to make it again.

Broccolini with hazelnut dressing was interesting. I must express my frustration at getting broccolini. I went to 4 different fruit markets, 3 of them twice over the period of a few days and two supermarkets in my attempt to find broccolini. I’ve never found it difficult to source before, but it was a no go this time. So I admit a substitution of the closest vegetable-broccoli. The recipe called for black olive tapenade and I made this by hand, a process of finely chopping various things that I thoroughly enjoyed. The result was  broccoli, perfectly cooked with a slightly salty dressing. It was quite surprising. And it wasn’t until I was writing my impressions onto the page that I realised I had missed the hazelnuts. I have left over dressing, so I’m going to add some broccoli onto the side of tonights caramel salmon and add the hazelnuts this time so we get the full experience.

So far with the salads the book has proved interesting. Expensive. Pancetta and proscuitto are not cheap. Neither is verjuice or creme fraiche, though again I admit a substitution as we haven’t actually been able to find creme fraiche. My research taught me that half natural yoghurt and half cream would be a fair and the closest substitution, so this is what we went with.

And I’m almost sad to say that we have worked through most of the salads already. Only 2 to go and 5 down. One of the ones remaining is a mussel salad. Interesting….

We did a little survey, it turns out 67% of Canadians can’t spell prosciutto; and good luck finding the best prosciutto blog on the web when you are looking for jimmy “proscooter”.

I don’t know how many people can’t say it, I think this actually holds some back from ordering at the deli service case. If that’s you, order with confidence:  “14 slices of ‘pro-shu-toe’ sliced as thin as you can”. A few guidelines:

• Usually the server will hold up the slice to show you how thin it is. The key measure is the drape or limpness of the slice; it should hang in all directions.
• The setting depends on the slicer; you want the lowest setting it will go to with the slice staying intact.
• The end of the ham gets smaller, this is okay if you are using for a sandwich, but not if you are using in an appetizer.  Don’t be shy to ask for a large slice if that is what you need.
• Most delis will lay the slices flat and beside each other. Once the layer is full, they will put on a layer of cellophane and continue with the next layer. When I was in Italy they sometimes draped the slice in almost a flower, several beside each other and the same layer of cellophane after the layer was complete.

I like to have a pre-sliced package in the fridge, unopened for emergencies, the rest of the time I order from the service case so I can get the exact thickness, actually the thinness I prefer. Check out this quick video to realize how much the average person knows about prosciutto, and for a smile:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLxzZj3fVvs

Bobby Flay be careful, the challenge has been laid down for simple Italian appetizers in our office. During a, dare I say, idle conversation in the hall, a few of us at work came up with the idea of an appetizer competition.  Well actually Rita came up with the idea and Nadia and I thought it would be fun.  Amazing what some competitive juices can create, and we think the tasting and judging of each other will generate even more than the usual lunch laughter.

It started with my failed attempt with a bread-maker.  They are idiot proof, yes it did look like bread, but my family let me know how good it tasted, one piece each, the rest went moldy.  I’m thinking of just using the mix function and then cooking more as a baguette with some interesting things inside, yes I’ll try prosciutto to start.

I guess it will start in January, I promise to share the idea and the laughter.

Pasta is a runner’s best friend. Plain and simple. The night before a long run or race, what’s for dinner? That’s easy: spaghetti. It is quick to prepare and loaded with carbs. To me, running and cooking are both essential pleasures that can be enjoyed with minimum prep time.  All you need is a few ingredients, a little time, and some creativity and you can produce great meals. For runners, this has special appeal, since we’re usually busy, often tired, and always hungry. This is a great recipe pre or post run, it has the perfect mix of whole wheat noodles and protein. Ever since CIM and the L.A County Half Marathon, my appetite has been out of control. It’s crazy how ramped up my appetite gets during the training season. This pasta is not only satisfying, but good for you.

By choosing whole-wheat pasta, it has way more fiber than white (about seven grams per serving compared to just two grams in white) and about two more grams of protein. But whole-wheat pasta also has a denser, chewier texture. The fiber in whole-wheat helps keep you feeling full and powers you through those long runs.

Garlic Chicken Pasta with Prosciutto

Serves 4

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 ounces prosciutto, cut into small pieces
• 2 chicken breasts, diced
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, sliced into small strips
• 8 ounces of spaghetti
• 1/4 cup grated fresh Parmesan or Romano
• Salt and pepper
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 red bell pepper, diced

Directions

Heat oil in a large skillet and saute garlic and red pepper flakes until soft and light brown. Add tomatoes, prosciutto, chicken and bell pepper, salt and pepepr; saute for about 5 to 10 minutes. Add basil, and saute for another 5 minutes. In a stockpot, bring water to boil and cook spaghetti until firm, al dente. Drain pasta and transfer to a bowl, add the chicken/tomato mixture and grated cheese; toss gently to combine.

Chef Roberto was all smiles Monday afternoon. After a protracted period of delays his kitchen, with its imported wood burning oven, was open. The black and white motif of the tables were set off nicely by the hand made brocade banquette seating.  We ordered the Antipasti Leoci’s — assorted cold cuts and cheeses, grilled vegetables and oven roasted olives. The surprise — it comes slightly heated, which really brought out the flavor of the Italian salami, prosciutto and mortadella.  Then a pasta course, capellini with aglio olio, and a pizza Margherita — all of which will give us another dinner tomorrow night, and probably  lunch. Everything delicioso!  More details soon. This place is a winner!

Scallops Wrapped in Prosciutto

Makes 4 Servings

12 slices prosciutto
12 large scallops
1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, or 1 oz.
1 tablespoons unsalted butter, or 1 oz.
12 fresh sage leaves

Wrap a strip of strip of prosciutto around the circumference of each scallop and squeeze gently so it adheres to the scallops. Use tooth picks to secure or tie a length of kitchen string around each scallop to keep the prosciutto in place while cooking; trim the ends.

Heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sage leaves and fry until lightly browned and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Gently lift the leaves out of the pan and discard. Season the scallops with salt and pepper. Add the scallops to the hot pan and cook undisturbed for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until well browned. Remove the scallops from the pan and put them on a plate. Either pull the toothpicks out of snip off and discard the strings.

Last week we had a “tapas” style holiday celebration in the Humber Room at Humber College.  They closed off the room for us and served us seven different appetizers, with a neat mini frozen chocolate mousse to finish.

The chef who developed the recipes is Austrian, so there were some very “non-Italian” Italian ideas; that had many people asking for the recipes. I have outlined the most popular two here, with my own two cents on how to modify or simply them.

Smoked hot Calabrese on a roesti with fried onions and sour cream

I will be making a version of this over the holidays, but plan to skip the smoking, use Sopressata over Calabrese and give the Sopressata a super fast fry on only one side.

• Cooking really brings out the spice of the Calabrese, I feel it then overpowers the other flavours. You can buy Sopressata or Calabrese at the deli case or in a small piece in the self-serve section. For this recipe you want it to be about 5mm/1/8” thick, so should not buy the pre-sliced.
• I will put the pan on high and quickly fry one side for about 20-30 seconds.  This will give it a crispness, but leave the meat in its more natural dry cured state.

Pancetta with du puy lentils and speck

1)      Melt the butter and pancetta in a rondo.

2)      Add onions, garlic, carrots, celery and thyme and develop the flavours. Add white wine and simmer till the vegetables are soft.

3)      Add speck and cooked du puy lentils and season with salt, pepper, lemon juice and herbs.

4)      Arrange the lentils in a Chinese spoon and garnish with chopped herbs and a slice of pan-fried pancetta.

This is an amazing combination of flavours; you have never had lentils this good. A couple things:

• It’s not always easy to find speck, you can buy pre-sliced smoked prosciutto, (which is what speck is), and julienne.  I will add the speck at the very end so it is warmed, but not cooked.
• I will use olive oil instead of butter, because that’s how I cook.
• I will make half the recipe, because this will be one of several appetizers I serve.
• I will use a regular soup spoon, because I don’t have the fancy china ones – maybe a good Christmas gift.
• I will buy a can of lentils as I don’t have any idea what “du puy” lentils are.

I started with a chicken breast and pounded it as this as I could get.  I wanted it much thinner, but the chicken was not cooperating.  I had stuff bouncing off the counter but I could not get the it any thinner.  I rolled it up with a couple slices of Emmentaler, and wrapped it with some peppered prosciutto.

The plate also included some steamed parsnips and my Sweet Potato Purée with Crystallized Ginger.

I was visiting some friends on Sunday and brought a wedge of aged Asiago cheese. I suggested crumbling pieces with a light dripping of a balsamic glaze. Don just sent a note saying it tasted great, and I am left wondering where the idea came from, and that I should try it myself.

Here are some great sites that provide a little more information, wine pairings and history on this beautiful cheese from the Veneto region of Italy.

http://www.epicurean.com/articles/asiago-cheese.html

http://www.asiagocheese.it/history.html

As I sit in my apartment, staring out my huge Romantic era glass windows, I am sheltered by the absolute freezing cold that lurks outside. To be fair my California blood has a much lower cold threshold than other parts of the world, but nevertheless…37 degrees is cold.

• Torta Fritta con Salumi: A fried dough pocket typically eaten together with prosciutto and parmasean cheese. This is such a prized specialty here in Parma that many restaurants even advertise it as some sort of celebration. This is eaten more typically in the summer but it can be found year-round.
  

  Torta Fritta

  

  Tortelli d’Erbetta/Zucca: Tortelli, a stuffed pasta similar to ravioli, is a family favorite here in Parma. The most typical fillings to find in this area are Erbetta: herb and Zucca: pumpkin. The herb variety is usually mixed with ricotta while the Zucca is usually just a puree. The Zucca ones are so sweet they sometimes are served with crushed Amaretti cookies as a garnish, though these are a littttle too much on the sweet side for me. They are served with a butter sauce and fresh grated Parmagiano cheese

  
  

  

  Tortelli d'Erbetta doust in butter and cheese...mmmm cardiac arrest

  Cappelletti in Brodo: A very typical winter dish. Cappelletti, meaning little hats in Italian, are small refilled pasta that can look something like what Americans think to be tortelini. They are usually stuffed with ham, cooked to Al-Dente in chicken broth,  and served like a soup with grated parmigiano cheese.

  

  Cappelletti in Brodo

  As the weather gets colder, heavier the meals get, and subsequently the heavier I get…. as you can see I might be making a weight-loss New Years resolution this year…

You know what? I don’t understand why I like some bitter foods but not others. I love eating Chinese broccoli, very dark chocolate, rapini, serrated Garland Chrysanthemum, and broccolini (sweet & bitter), but not bitter melon. Whatever. Anyway, broccolini is a cross between broccoli and Chinese broccoli.

I always see recipes that are prosciutto wrapped asparagus so I decided to substitute the asparagus with broccolini instead.

[100% organic]

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch of broccolini
• 5-6 slices of prosciutto
• Salt & pepper
• Olive oil

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 450ºF
2. Blanch the broccolini for 30 seconds (place in hot boiling water for 30 seconds and then immediately place in cold water with ice)
3. Dry the broccolini with paper towels and then carefully wrap them with the prosciutto
4. Season with salt and pepper, and drizzle with olive oil
5. Bake for 15 minutes

I think this is the most elegant presentation of the basic prosciutto and breadstick, great for the holiday season.  Gerardo, who is studying to be a chef at Humber College, invented this.  Well, he was the first person I ever saw “build” it, thank you.

To enjoy the most:

• Prosciutto at room temperature
• Half a slice per breadstick
• Use the good, thin Italian breadsticks
• Share with family and friends

Nothing can beat pasta fagioli soup on a cold day, especially when people drop in uninvited.  My recipe has been revised at least five times, but not for awhile now.  What makes it so good is that:

• I mash half the white kidney beans and stay away from those “mealy” red kidney beans.  The mashed beans gives a “chowder” texture to the broth.
• I cook the pasta, usually ditali or tubetti, separately and add it in just before eating.  If you don’t do this, your left-over soup – I always make a large batch – will have bloated and soft pasta the next time.
• I use pancetta, never bacon.  Bacon is pumped full of water that needs to be boiled off before you get any sizzle, it has no magic, no flavour.  Pancetta has been dry cured, removing most of the water in the curing room and receiving the incredible taste of dry aging.

I use a medium sized pot, heat the oil, sauté the onions and pancetta, neither should be crispy or browned.  Just before the onions and pancetta are done I add the crushed garlic. I find adding the garlic earlier makes it go bitter. If you are a spice fanatic, add some crushed chilies with the onion or use hot pancetta.

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced finely
• 4 ounces pancetta diced medium, (about twice the size of the onions, half the size of a bean)
• 2 cloves crushed garlic

Add two cups of chicken broth, half a can of white kidney beans, with all the liquid. Next add the sliced carrots and quartered tomatoes and bring to a simmer.  Meanwhile mash the rest of the white kidney beans with a potato masher and add to the soup.  A perfect mash is not required, the beans will continue to breakdown in the simmer.  Cook until the carrots are just done.

• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1  19oz  can white kidney beans, I’m sure you can soak dry beans overnight, but I never have
• Two medium sized carrots, sliced ¼” thick
• 6-8 small plum tomatoes, quartered, I use canned tomatoes imported from Italy to get the full tomato taste and sweetness

Cook the pasta in a separate pot.  Always use lots of water.  Cook to al dente, or even just less. Strain and douse in cold water to stop the cooking.

• 1 cup ditali or tubetti pasta

Serve the soup in the biggest bowls you can find, add the pasta to the soup.  Save the left over soup and pasta in separate containers.  Salt and pepper to your taste.  The broth and pancetta mean salt is not required for most people. Usually takes about 20-25 minutes to prepare. I find some kids don’t like the beans; in that case you can mash or puree the whole can of beans. Feel free to put in green stuff if you like the look.  A lot of people put sage in their pasta fagioli, I think it overpowers the subtly of the beans.

Pasta fagioli is a specialty of Tuscany; it pairs beautifully with the wine of the region, Chianti, and nice crusty Italian bread.

I am a huge lasagna fan, if you couldn’t tell by now. I love the flavors of it, so anything that mimics the flavors or takes the concept and creates something new out of it, I want to try. It’s one of the ultimates of comfort foods. However, comfort food, especially lasagna, tends to be hard on the diet, but I’m Italian and I can’t give up my lasagna! Then, when I saw Giada make her lasagna rolls, my mouth started to water. However, my jeans felt tighter just watching her make it. I came up with a recipe that gets the same great meal without all the fat.

LASAGNA ROLLS – Anthony J. Caruso

INGREDIENTS

Sauce:

2 tablespoons butter spread (recommend Smart Balance Light)

4 teaspoons white whole wheat flour

1 ¼  cups fat free half and half

¼  teaspoon salt

1/8  teaspoon ground black pepper

Pinch ground nutmeg

Lasagna:

1 (15-ounce) container fat free ricotta cheese

1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry

½  cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan

3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped

¼ cup egg substitute

3/4 teaspoon salt, plus more for salting water

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil

12 uncooked whole wheat lasagna noodles

2 cups marinara sauce

1 cup shredded reduced fat mozzarella (about 4 ounces)

DIRECTIONS

To make the sauce: Melt the butter spread in a heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and whisk for 1 minute. Whisk in the half and half. Increase the heat to medium-high. Whisk the sauce until it comes to a simmer and is thick and smooth, about 3 minutes. Whisk the salt, pepper, and nutmeg into the bechamel sauce.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Whisk the ricotta, spinach, ½  cup Parmesan, prosciutto, egg substitute, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl to blend.

Add a tablespoon or 2 of oil to a large pot of boiling salted water. Boil the noodles until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain. Arrange the noodles in a single layer on a baking sheet to prevent them from sticking.

Butter spray a 13-by-9-by-2-inch glass baking dish. Pour the bechamel sauce over the bottom of the prepared dish. Lay out 4 lasagna noodles on a work surface, then spread about 3 tablespoons of ricotta mixture evenly over each noodle. Starting at 1 end, roll each noodle like a jelly roll. Lay the lasagna rolls seam side down, without touching, atop the béchamel sauce in the dish. Repeat with the remaining noodles and ricotta mixture. Spoon 1 cup of marinara sauce over the lasagna rolls. Sprinkle the mozzarella and remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan over the lasagna rolls. Cover tightly with foil. Bake until heated through and the sauce bubbles, about 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until the cheese on top becomes golden, about 15 minutes longer. Let stand for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the remaining marinara sauce in a heavy small saucepan over medium heat until hot, and serve alongside.

Here’s the skinny:

First, as always, I use a butter spread instead of butter. Since it is a different consistency than butter, you don’t need to cook the roux that long. The recipe called for 3 minutes, but just 1 minute will be more than enough.

Also, I used white whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose flour. All purpose flour is a refined grain, which is just empty carbs and calories. White whole wheat flour is a complex carb, but is made to taste like regular flour. This way, you get the health benefits without changing the taste.

Instead of whole milk, I substituted fat free half and half. It has the same consistency, but without all the fat. One serving of whole milk has a quarter of your daily allowance of saturated fat. You are saving yourself a lot with this swap.

I use fat free ricotta instead of the whole milk ricotta. You are mixing it with spinach, prosciutto and spices, wrapping it in pasta, smothering it in cheese and two sauces. You are never going to know its fat free ricotta in there.

Speaking of cheese, I cut the parmesan by 1/4 cup. A little bit of parmesan goes a long way and, even though it isn’t a fattening cheese, a cup of it isn’t exactly heart-healthy.

As always, I used egg substitute instead of an egg. You are using the egg as a binder, and egg substitute has all the qualities you need for binding things together. Why waste your fat and cholesterol allowance on a binder that you’re not going to taste anyways?

Whole wheat pasta is the way to go here. Like the flour, regular pasta is an empty carb. It’s like eating a spoonful of white sugar. Whole wheat pasta gives you long lasting energy as well. It makes a world of difference.

When it came to the mozzarella cheese, I decided to go with reduced fat cheese, not fat free. Fat free mozzarella doesn’t melt easily, but reduced fat mozzarella does. You will wind up with a cheesy lasagna roll without all the fat.

Lastly, Giada calls for the pan to be buttered, but I use a butter spray. The fat in a butter cooking spray is negligible. As a rule of thumb, I never butter or grease a pan with anything but a cooking spray. It’s empty fat and calories that don’t make a huge difference in taste.

Enjoy!

On my way to a friend’s house in Newport Beach on Monday, I snuck in a visit to our favorite nursery: Roger’s Gardens. In honor of the Season, they’ve got all sorts of holiday lights up. They also have a lot of fake Christmas trees. ???

OK, I won’t judge.

While I was there, I picked up some more lettuce, so… the aging arugula in the vegetable box has got to go. Sorry, rugie, I still love you. I’ll buy more of you next time I visit Roger’s. Then I’ll have Barry plant you.

What did I think I was going to do with a bunch of aging arugula, leftover prosciutto and an old shallot? I stared blankly at Barry for while, the same way our dog confusingly stares at me when I sing:

Pay no attention to the cardboard in her mouth… or the debris of toy by-products on the floor. When it was evident that Barry wasn’t going to let me interrupt his morning latte / crossword puzzle / Sudoku routine, I looked back at my dog until I won the staring contest. Then I figured I’d start breakfast.

Enter the RGB omelet: egg + deli meat + leafy green + bulb + cheese.

Omelets are just supposed to be sleeping bags for refrigerator has-beens. Lucky you, the formal recipe is pretty good. Lucky me,  I found a way to use the arugula I just yanked. Just know that chard, spinach, beet greens, pancetta, bacon, chevre, parmesan, feta, cheddar, triple cream, brie, mushrooms, sausage, bell peppers, tomatoes, etc. all work great too, if that’s what you have.

Breakfast was good. Our omelets were enhanced with a tangerine per person and a glass of orange juice. Who needs Vitamin C tablets?! Unfortunately, now I get to balk at the calories I just consumed. Are we really talkin’ 22g of fat in one omelet?

Time to go plant more lettuce. [K]

 Click here to view a printable version of this recipe.

Arugula, Prosciutto and Gruyere Omelet

Serves 2

~

~ Ingredients ~

• ½ tbsp. olive oil
• 2 oz. arugula, rinsed clean
• 1 ½ oz. gruyere
• 1 shallot
• 1 oz. chopped prosciutto
• 2 eggs
• ¼ tbsp. butter
• Optional: 1 tsp. herbs (e.g. chive, oregano, parsley, thyme, scallions)
• Optional: 1 tsp. sour cream

~ Preparation ~

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

1. Chop shallot and set aside.
2. Finely grate gruyere and set aside. Larger grate won’t melt in time.
3. Chop prosciutto and set aside.
4. Light beat 2 eggs with a fork in a prep bowl (adding herbs, if using); set aside.
5. Heat 7” non-stick skillet. Sauté shallot for about 5 minutes, until soft and translucent. Add arugula and cook another 3 minutes, until shiny and wilted. Throw in prosciutto to warm up; then place into prep bowl.
6. In same non-stick skillet, heat up half of the butter, and then add in half of the beat egg mixture. With a wooden spoon, swirl the egg around for a couple of seconds until the egg begins to set; then stop touching it. When the omelet begins to set, shake it loose and add in half of the gruyere cheese in a strip in the middle of the omelet. Then add half of the sautéed arugula mixture on top of that strip. Using a spatula, fold over a third of the omelet. Then slide it onto the plate while folding it a second time to make a tri-fold. Set the omelet with the seam-side down. Serve immediately. Plate immediately.

7. Repeat step # 6 for second omelet; serve immediately.

Nutrition content per serving: 264 calories, 3g carbs, 16g protein, 22g fat, 0g fiber

Cost per serving: $1.76

Source: Rustic Garden Bistro

Are you willing to spend 20 minutes on breakfast?