Coconut Curry with Chicken

I always forget how much I like green curry until I have it again. Then I make it 3 days in a row.

On a day when I had chicken in my freezer and not much else, I raided my pantry and found a forgotten can of coconut milk from TJ’s that I bought with no real idea in mind, but hoped I would one day be inspired. And alas that day has finally come!

With my trusty chicken and exotic can of coconut milk in-hand, I began to scour the kitchen to figure out how I could incorporate these two ingredients into one lip-smackingly good dinner.

And you better believe I did.

Ever since trying the green curry in a clay pot at Cafe Asean in the West Village (I think they called it Gaeng Kheow), I’ve reserved a special place in my heart for green curry. Not being a real coconut lover myself, (something about the stringy texture just doesn’t appeal to me) I was totally transformed upon trying coconut curry.

When compared to shredded coconut, the milk is really a horse of a different color. Its rich and silky smoothness, paired with its tropical flavor and sweetness really make it an absolutely divine and quite addictive ingredient to use. Whether it’s a curry or cake, I’ve found that coconut milk can really make almost any dish special and really push it to another level.

So I had my coconut milk, chicken, green curry and a dream. Now what else could I throw into the pot?

I found some peas and edamame in my freezer, soy sauce, brown sugar, and tumeric in my cupboard, and a lime in my fridge. Those are all of the ingredients I used to make this coconut curry. I don’t have the measurements or a recipe, because I didn’t use one, but I can tell you basically what I did.

First I added the can of coconut milk and a tablespoon or two of green curry paste to a pan and let it simmer for maybe 5 minutes until it was fragrant and I felt the flavors had properly melded together. Then I threw in the rest of the ingredients and simmered for another 10 minutes until the vegetables were heated through and the sauce was slightly reduced and a bit thicker. In the meantime, I made some jasmine brown rice…

I scooped the brown rice into a bowl, spooned the warm curry mixture atop, and gave a squeeze of fresh lime juice and that was it!

Ok maybe that was a little too close-up… I wanted you to spontaneously lick the screen from this pic (Willy Wonka wallpaper style), but I fear instead, I’ve just made my readers dizzy :-/

Anyway, it was amazing! Seriously this coconut curry was soooo good and you saw how easy it was to make. I would seriously encourage anyone to pick up the two ingredients I began with, green curry paste and coconut milk, and create something with it – they go really well together. I enjoyed it so much, I made it for the next 2 days! And there are so many variations to take with this dish. It would be great with pork or shrimp, you could add all sorts of extra seasonings that would go well, such as lemongrass, garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes and the vegetable combinations are virtually endless. If I had more ingredients on-hand at the time, I definitely would have thrown a few more things in there because, I’m just that kinda cook.

Whether you decide to make it simple or more complex, try making this. You might find a newfound love for coconut curry, just as I did. <3

Restaurant Review – Otto Enoteca Pizzeria

This weekend we tried a restaurant that had been on our to-do list, not only because it’s supposed to be great, but also because it’s owned by a favorite chef of mine, Mario Batali.

Otto is a casual Italian restaurant located in the West Village with high quality food and wine. They specialize in pizza and pasta, have an impressive wine menu to compliment the fare, and serve some pretty amazing gelato to boot!

We began the meal with a bottle of red and their Formaggi trio, choosing Pecorino di Fossa, Gorgonzola dulce, and the Ubriaco. It was served with a few accompaniments: garlic honey, sour cherries and sauce, and orange marmalade.

The cheese was absolutely delicious. The platter was small, but rich enough to satisfy. And the condiments to complement the cheese were on-point and really brought this antipasti to the next level.

For entree’s, we ordered the traditional Pepperoni Pizza and Taccozette con Stracotto (braised pork shoulder, tomato, basil).

The pizza alone was good, but what made it great was the thick-cut, smoky-spicy, pepperoni on top. Really a well-done pie and very tasty.

The pasta was everything a comforting plate of pasta should be (especially on a cold, cold night like that one) and more. The noodle itself was cooked perfectly al dente, and the pork shoulder was so tender, it melted in my mouth. The tomato sauce was simple, but definitely not boring. A really excellent dish overall.

Now prior to actually going to Otto, I had read some reviews and learned the Olive Oil gelato was where it was at. So we ordered the Olive Oil Coppetta (pianogrillo olive oil gelato, lime curd, tangerine sorbetto, fennel brittle, blood oranges) and I can die now… I have officially found my favorite non-chocolate dessert. The gelato and sorbetto were out of this world! The gelato was creamy as anything I’ve ever tasted, had a distinct olive oil flavor, yet was soft and sweet tasting. With every bite I could taste a sprinkle of sea salt that really made it unusual and special. The sorbetto had an intense tangerine flavor, yet was not too sour or overpowering. I actually disliked the fennel brittle a lot, but luckily there weren’t many pieces so I could easily pick them out. Seriously, I would go back for this gelato in a heartbeat.

We also ordered the Maple Rum Baba (mascarpone huckleberry swirl gelato, caramel bananas, spiced pecan) and it was really good as well. The gelato was served in a baba (yeast cake soaked in liquor) and drizzled with caramel. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the baba was lighter and more flavorful than I expected upon inspection of it. The gelato was again, very good, and the rum and banana worked very well together and were the flavors that most stood out in this dessert.

In addition to loving the food, the service was really good at Otto and the decor was attractive as well. Our server seemed to really know the menu and was happy to answer questions or make suggestions. The place became more and more packed as the evening went on, which is always a good sign, and the whole restaurant seemed alive with good food, laughter, and life. I will definitely be going back to Otto and am anxious to try new dishes, yet never straying from that olive oil dessert.

Panzanella Salad

I’m in the process of doing a little pre-Spring cleaning in my kitchen and am trying to eat up everything in my fridge and cupboards to make room for all the new stuff I want to buy. I also happen to live by the Italian mantra ‘Waste not, want not’ and believe in using up everything I can before buying anew.

Now I really don’t have that many fresh ingredients on-hand currently, but I did have some great Italian bread that went stale quicker than I could use it and wanted to breathe new life into it – so I made this simple Italian recipe that utilizes stale bread as the main ingredient: Panzanella Salad.

Mine was super simple – using only tomatoes, bread, extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and oregano (wish I had basil). You can make this recipe as complex or simple as you like, depending on what you have on-hand. Here’s a recipe from Ina Garten that I like, and is a bit more in-depth than mine.

It just takes a few simple steps, and you could have a tasty and simple Panzanella salad too!

Slice your bread and cut into about 1 inch cubes

Then slice any vegetables you’re using in bite-size pieces.

Toss your bread and vegetables with olive oil, then sprinkle with sea salt, pepper, and any herbs you like. Allow to sit for a few minutes so the olive oil and bring the salad together, and that’s it! It’s hardly a recipe, but aren’t those the best kind? I’m a bread-lover anyway, so this is really a great little salad I love to make, and can be completely different every time based on what you have on-hand.

Got Over-Ripe Bananas? Here’s What To Do…

I buy bananas like crazy! I love to have them on-hand because they’re ridiculously cheap to buy and are great for a nutritious breakfast, snack, or dessert.

I buy a lot of bananas, but am usually the only one eating them (unless my roommate steals them, which does happen on occasion, though he always tells me ) so inevitably, a few of them are bound to become a little over-ripe before I can eat them. There are many tried and true recipes that incorporate over-ripe bananas, usually in the form of muffins, breads, or smoothies. Here’s a couple of unusual, yet very easy and tasty ways to use up those bananas…

Baked Banana Sundae

Ingredients

• Banana
• Chocolate, chips or chopped
• Peanuts, chopped
• Any other toppings you can think up!

Directions

Cut off the ends of your banana and slice it down the middle – just the peel, be careful to not slice the actual banana. Then chop up your nuts and chocolate.

Place your banana in a square of foil, then stuff the banana with chocolate and nuts and wrap the foil loosely around and bake at 350º for about 15 minutes.

Remove the foil packet from the oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Then open and enjoy straight from the foil, or top with whipped cream and a cherry!

Don’t be freaked out when the banana peel comes out black – it’s supposed to look like that. The banana ends up soft and sweet, and the salty nuts and creamy chocolate are perfect accompaniments to it! This is a very easy and very tasty treat that uses few ingredients and is done in no time.

Frozen Banana Pops

Ingredients

• Banana
• Good quality dark chocolate
• Sea salt (optional)
• Wooden skewers (I had some leftover from the last time I made kebabs)

Directions

Unpeel your banana and cut in half, then slide each half onto a wooden skewer. Freeze these bananas on a sheet of parchment paper for about 4 hours.

Melt your chocolate over a double boiler, (or if you’re like me – in the microwave) then remove your bananas from the freezer and get ready to dip!

Dip your bananas into the bowl of chocolate and use a spoon to make sure the entire surface of the banana is covered. Sprinkle with sea salt, or any other topping you might prefer (nuts, toffee, candy, sprinkles, etc.) Put the chocolate-covered bananas back into the freezer for about 1 hour so the chocolate can set, then enjoy!

No-Butter, No-Flour Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

I’ve made mention before of my never-ending quest to find healthier versions of my favorite treats, and yesterday I experimented with a new cookie recipe. They were chocolate chip cookies, however, with no butter or flour. Instead, the binding agent was peanut butter!

I used all-natural crunchy peanut butter (just roasted peanuts and salt), and a good quality dark chocolate, making this cookie a much less guilty treat. I can’t exactly call this cookie healthy though, as there was quite a bit of brown sugar involved, but the lack of butter and flour definitely made it lighter.

I loved the way the brown sugar  caramelized on the bottom of the cookie – it made the cookies sweet, sticky, and crunchy on the bottom and edges. In addition, the peanut bits from the peanut butter and sugar melded together nicely to sort of taste like cracker jack’s, yet the inside remained ooey gooey from the chocolate. I really loved these cookies! If I truly want to make things cookies ‘healthy’, next time I might try swapping out the egg for egg whites, and try Stevia instead of sugar.

A couple of things to note: Since there is no real rising agent, these cookies do spread quite a bit so make sure you space them a few inches apart. Also, you might want to try smooth peanut butter to see how that works. I’m not sure if the  nuts in the crunchy peanut butter play a role in holding the cookies together or not, but I did find large clumps of peanut butter in several of the cookies and the smooth variety might help that.

No-Butter No-Flour Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

Adapted from eHow

Ingredients

• 1 cup (packed) light brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1 cup chunky peanut butter

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a big mixing bowl, in the order listed. It’s important to add the peanut butter last as it serves as the glue or binding agent.

Dip a tablespoon in warm water and spoon desired amount on a greased cookie sheet. Give 2 to 3 inches of space between each cookie dough ball.

Bake at 350 degrees for 8-9 minutes or until golden brown. Before trying to remove cookies from the baking sheet, let them sit for 3 to 5 minutes. They will be very fragile at first.

As you can see, my first batch was sort of a disaster…

But taking a cue from what went wrong with the first, my next batch came out better. I used those second batch cookies to hide the uglies from the first round.

These cookies are best when they’re very, very thin. As I mentioned above, I used crunchy peanut butter (per the recipe I followed) and found that since there is no rising agent, anywhere I saw a risen lump, there was a big clump of peanut butter underneath. The peanut butter tastes better distributed throughout, so I think next time I’ll try smooth peanut butter.

-M-

Roasted Garlic

Have you ever roasted garlic before? It’s one of the simplest and most rewarding things you can do in the kitchen. I promise!

I wanted to make a little snacky snack for myself today, since I came home sick from work, and remembered I had a couple heads of garlic that needed some love. I knew just what to do… I picked up some fresh Italian bread from a local bakery and was set to go!

Roasted garlic is truly foolproof. Well, I suppose you can over-bake it, which makes the flavor bitter and the garlic cloves hard, but for the most part, it’s pretty easy to do:

1. Take a whole garlic clove and cut off the top to expose the cloves
2. Place the head of garlic in a small piece of aluminum foil and drizzle with olive oil
3. Wrap the foil up around the head of garlic and place on a baking sheet
4. Roast the garlic in a 400° oven for 30-40 minutes until the cloves are soft and easily pierced with a fork. Allow to cool slightly before opening the foil packet

Once the garlic is roasted, you remove the cloves from the garlic head membrane (that was mighty scientific sounding) and do with it whatever you like! I enjoy my garlic in the simplest form – spread on crusty fresh bread, with a little butter, and a touch of salt.

I experimented with a few variations to see what else I liked…

From the left: Plain roasted garlic, butter and roasted garlic (actually I used Earth Balance ), and roasted garlic with parmigiano. All were drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with a little sea salt.

Don’t they look just heavenly? I still preferred the butter and roasted garlic combo above all. It truly is divine. I would encourage any garlic lovers, and even those who are iffy about garlic, to try this simple recipe. You’ll be surprised at how sweet the garlic cloves are when roasted. If you have any other favorite combo’s, please let me know!

Coconut Heaven

I am in love. There’s no denying. This time it’s for real.

Luna & Larry’s Organic Coconut Bliss ice cream is everything I could have asked for and more. I chose the ‘Vanilla Island’ flavor as a total impulse buy on a recent shopping trip.

As the years go by, dairy is sitting well with me less and less, so I’ve been looking for a dairy alternative ice cream that actually tastes good. I was drawn in to Coconut Bliss by the ingredients, or should I say, lack thereof! The only components that go into this creamy, frozen treat are: coconut milk, agave nectar, and vanilla.

The taste is really great and I don’t feel guilty eating it (not going to tell you how quickly I went through the pint) because the ingredients are simple and natural, even healthy! I can’t wait to try the other flavors – the next ones I’m jonesing for, are Dark Chocolate and Cappuccino.

If you’re like me and love ice cream, but can’t eat the traditional version of this treat because of dietary or allergic reasons, you should really give Coconut Bliss a go. It’s super yummy and healthy!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

I made some brownies for my office for Valentine’s Day!

Espresso Brownies

Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients

• Nonstick vegetable oil cooking spray
• 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons water
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons espresso powder
• 1 (19.8-ounce) box brownie mix (recommended: Duncan Hines)
• 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray a 9 by 13-inch baking pan with nonstick spray. Whisk 1/3 cup of water, oil, eggs, and 2 tablespoons espresso powder in a large bowl to blend. Add the brownie mix. Stir until well blended. Stir in the chocolate chips. Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, about 35 minutes. Cool completely.

Meanwhile, dissolve the remaining 2 teaspoons of espresso powder in the remaining 2 tablespoons of water in a medium bowl. Whisk in the vanilla. Add the powdered sugar and butter and whisk until smooth. Pour the glaze over the brownies. Refrigerate until the glaze is set. Cut into bite-size pieces. Arrange the brownies on a platter and serve.

 

 

Chicken Empanada’s

I’ve had a few empanada’s in my day, but have never really had an affinity towards them until I tasted Eduardo’s family empanada recipe. They’re baked sweet empanada’s with a flaky crust and a delicate stuffing of eggs and sugar and sometimes raisins. I decided then and there that I love empanadas and want to test out my own variations!

Empanadas are a pastry popular in many Latin American countries, and even in southern Europe as well. They can be baked or fried and stuffed with virtually any combination you prefer. Some are sweet, some are savory – They can contain meats, vegetables, fruits, or even the aforementioned sugar and egg combination. I prefer them baked and love both sweet and savory varieties. Empanadas are made by placing a small amount of filling on a round disk of dough and then folding the dough over to make a half moon shape. You then press the folds together with a fork to make a pretty crimping pattern and brush with either milk or egg wash to help the empanada turn a golden, glossy color. I would say they are similar to the American-Italian calzone or the samosa, popular in some Asian and African countries. It always amazes me how countries all over the world create basically the same dishes, just calling them by different names and using ingredients available in their region.

I really had no intention of making this for dinner last night, but when I saw the empanada dough at the store, I got inspired.

The empanadas I made yesterday were savory and stuffed with a mixture of shredded chicken, tomato paste, red pepper and onion and seasoned with some Adobo. I basically made up the stuffing as I went along, which turned out great!

I then placed the disks of dough on my cutting board and spread the chicken mixture on one half of the circle of dough. I topped with some mozzarella cheese and folded the bare half of the disk over the stuffing and pressed the ends together using a fork to make a crimped edge.

I placed all of my empanadas on a lightly greased baking sheet, and brushed with egg wash. Then I baked them at 400° for 20 minutes.

They came out golden and baked to perfection. The dough was flaky and crusty and stuffing inside was flavorful and moist. Delicioso!

 

Oslo Coffee Roasters

The ubiquitous Oslo coffee cups I’ve seen nearly every morning on the subway since I’ve lived in Brooklyn are curious things. I couldn’t tell if they were a hipster trend-of-the-moment, or a Brooklyn secret I had yet to uncover.  I finally made my way into this Williamsburg landmark this morning to see for myself what all the fuss is about.

I ordered a soy latte and a zucchini, strawberry, chocolate muffin because, who can pass a muffin like that up?

I brought it back to my apartment to enjoy as my 1st breakfast (2nd breakfast and elevensies would soon follow) under the covers while watching 30 Rock. You see, I’m a strong believer in the Hobbit way of eating (for all you Lord of the Rings fans out there), which consists of many more than 3 meals a day…

Regarding my soy latte, I appreciated the care taken in its making – It was just the right temperature, and the crema was decorated with basic but not-to-be-overlooked latte art. I was a bit disappointed with the taste, however: The espresso was flavorful and strong, but the milk didn’t taste like soy (and my stomach soon confirmed my suspicion).

It’s always disappointing when this happens. (Sigh)

The muffin though, was nothing short of scrumptious! The chocolate was a good quality dark, the top was a bit crunchy, while the inside was moist with pink strawberry and green zucchini bits peppered throughout. A very good, albeit unusual, combo!

I’ll probably give Oslo another chance, if for nothing else, to try another delectable muffin flavor. I do hope they get my milk preference right the next time though.