My Caprese menu consisted only of Torta Caprese, I couldn’t find any other recipes that I could tell were uniquely caprese and that both Mike and I would like. The cake, however, was outstanding. You can find the recipe at:
http://www.marga.org/food/int/capri/torta.html
Author: admin (Page 41 of 51)
A couple of nights ago I made this Tomato Cream Sauce to serve over frozen ravioli. It was good but not great – definitely not worth the effort or the expense (i.e. jarred sauce is just as good and cheaper). It also produced about twice as much sauce as we actually needed. Won’t make it again.
I had plan on making Irish stew for St. Patrick’s day, but it was Tuesday, and Tuesday I get home late from the kids’ swimming lessons, and I just ran out of time. So I made it last night instead. The recipe I used comes from The Frugal Gourmet on Our Immigrant Ancestors: Recipes You Should Have Gotten from Your Grandmother
The results were quite good, the herbs gave an amazing smell while being cooked, but were more subtle on the final product. My only problem was that the sauce was too liquid. If I make it again, I will uncover the pot during the last half an hour or so of cooking. I also did not put the carrots in the stew. I bought them, I swear, but I couldn’t find them anywhere! Now, it’s true that my kitchen is a mess, but I did look everywhere I could think of! I have to conclude that the two little bunnies who live in this house consumed them and won’t own up to it.
Irish Beef Stew
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 lbs beef chuck, cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 2-3 Tbsp. flour
- 3/4 cup beef broth
- 1/2 cup Guinness stout
- 1 Tbsp. chopped parsley
- 2 carrots, sliced
- salt & pepper to taste.
Preheat oven to 275F
Put a large pot on the stove, over high heat, and add the oil and the bay leaves. Cook for a moment, and add the meat. Brown on all sides. Add the sliced onion and cook until transparent, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic, thyme, rosemary and flour. Stir until smooth. Add the broth and stout and simmer until the stew thickens a bit, stirring frequently. Add the parsley and carrots and stir. Season with salt and pepper, and stir. Cover the pot and place in the oven for about 2 hours.
This is a picture of my 10th birthday cake. The photograph is pretty bad, but the cake was beautiful, and very original. I don’t remember how I ended up requesting a cake in the shape of Swiss cheese (though I loved Gruyere as a kid), but I know I enjoyed it.
Both my kids have said they’d like a cake like this – I imagine it’d be too expensive to have it made and I’m not an artist.
Last night I made a simple rice pilaf for dinner – using leftover lamb and a Russian spice mix that I really like. I also added grilled shrimp & turkey kielbasa for some variety.
Mika saw what I was cooking and said something like “but we already had that!”. Why yes, we have had that a couple of times in the past, but it’s been several months since I last made it. I was pretty surprised that she could remember a specific dish that I made so long ago and I was quite amused that she’s gotten to expect something new every night. I do have dishes that I repeat like spaghetti & meat sauce and chicken and dumplings (not to say boxed mac & cheese), but pilaf is not one that I repeat often. And most other dishes I make are either part of my international cooking project, or recipes I find on epicurious or another such site to use up a leftover ingredient or to satisfy a particular craving – I seldom repeat these dishes.
Anyway, both Mika and Camila liked the food – or at least Mika ate the shrimp and Camila ate something.
Tonight I’m going to serve leftover lamb (I still have quite a bit) with Trader Joe’s Yellow Curry sauce. I expect the sauce will be too spicy for the kids, and they weren’t too keen on the lamb to begin with, so I’ll have to figure out something to give to them (and let’s not have it be mac & cheese!).
I’ve just posted a couple of international menus that I’ve cooked in the last couple of weeks:
My Comorian Menu features a typical fish stew, a roasted chicken with western and south Asian influences and some very basic but very good banana fritters.
My Champagnoise Menu includes an amazing leek tart and a Champagne version of coq au vin.
I’ve been trying to be a little more thrifty on what I make for dinner, and part of that is using things I have at home – mostly leftover from other meals. Yesterday it was the turn of cream and bacon (both perishable). I also had leftover Parmessan cheese (from Christmas, it’s great that cheese lasts so long), so the logical thing to make was a Carbonara – even though I’d made one a couple of weeks ago.
This time I followed this recipe by Nigella Lawson (which I guess is a Food Network star – I don’t have cable so I don’t really know her). The recipe was quite good and Mika & Mika enjoyed it (though apparently Mika no longer likes bacon). I liked it too, but I didn’t think it was worth the calories. Still, I think it’s the carbonara recipe I’ve liked most so far.
I think the one I made before is this one. It was also quite good. But I think, perhaps, that no carbonara I could make would be worth its calories. Which is not to say I wouldn’t make it again, just not too often.
If you are wondering what to make for dinner or dessert on any given day, let this list of national food days inspire you:
http://www.tfdutch.com/foodh.htm
Today, for example, is Oatmeal-Nut Waffles Day.
Is this list real? Who knows? Who cares? (though being how idiotic our Congress is, it may very well be real). The point is that it gives you a reason to celebrate something yummy almost every day 🙂
I have just posted three new menus from my International Cooking project. They are:
–Auvergnat
Amazing food from this region in France. I didn’t cook it earlier because I hadn’t been able to find recipes.
–Colonial
Surprisingly modern food from colonial America
–Curaçao
A journey from Asia to Africa that is very Caribbean
In the next few weeks I’ll be working on Champenois, Comorian and Corsican recipes.
I hate, hate, hate, the Safeway on Bancroft Ave. in San Leandro. Everyday I walk by it when I go pick up my daughter in daycare – so it’s very convenient to stop there and buy the ingredients for dinner. But they NEVER have everything I need – and sometimes *anything* I need.
Today, for example, I was shopping for a leek tart I’m making tonight – but they had no chives. I was also shopping for a chicken dish I’m making on Wednesday – but they had no cut-up chicken (they had whole chickens, but the cut-up chickens were supposedly on sale). I don’t get it – why do they advertise products at a sale price, if they don’t carry them? And it’s not just that – try getting boneless chicken thighs, or lemongrass or even a cognac at an affordable price (all things I recently needed for cooking).
Part of me wishes the store would go out of business so I’d be forced to go to the other one, rather than be permanently frustrated by their lack of products.
Recent Comments