Kate's Birthday Dinner at Da Nico Ristorante in NYC Little Italy

On Wednesday the 16th after we checked in, and went to walk  the High Line we found this great place ( http://danicoristorante.com/) in Little Italy right around the corner from our hotel (http://www.sohotel-new-york-city.com/) . Nice outdoor dining, great service (true Italians) and delicious food and drink! Here are some photos from our dinners.  We had a nice chianti, Kate's choice and complimentary bruscetta and zeppoles. DELISH! The only thing that could have made it better was if you and Tom had been there too! We missed you! xo

Orchieette Da Nico - Joe's choice Orchiette with sausage and broccoli rabe, sautéed in garlic and olive oil

Orchieette Da Nico - Joe's choice
Orchiette with sausage and broccoli rabe, sautéed in garlic and olive oil

 

Rigatoni alla Vodka, Mare's choice Rigatoni in a pink creamy vodka sauce

Rigatoni alla Vodka, Mare's choice
Rigatoni in a pink creamy vodka sauce

Gamberi Fra Diavolo, Dad's choice  Jumbo shrimps in a spicy marinara sauce served over linguine

Gamberi Fra Diavolo, Dad's choice 
Jumbo shrimps in a spicy marinara sauce served over linguine

Risotto - Kate' Choice
Lobster and Shrimp Risotto in spinach verde pesto

Handmade ravioi - Mom's choice
stuffed with mozzarella and roasted red peppers in a pink vodka cream sauce 

Spicy Ginger Orange Beef

I made this for dinner last night and served it over the 8 grain Mogami rice blend. It had just the right amount of kick and the ginger/orange flavor was really nice. I also added steamed broccoli to it for a one dish meal! Enjoy! xo Mom

             Ingredients

• 1 pound beef tenderloin, cut into 1/2 inch strips
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons grated or minced ginger
• 1 heaping teaspoon hot chile paste (such as sambal oelek)
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar, or to taste
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• cooking spray
• 2 tablespoons grated orange zest
• 1 bunch green onions, sliced - white parts and tops separated
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Combine beef, orange juice, rice vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, hot chili paste, brown sugar, and garlic in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.
2. Strain beef in a colander set over a large bowl, allowing beef to drain thoroughly, about 5 minutes. Reserve marinade.
3. Stir water and cornstarch into the bowl of marinade. Whisk until cornstarch is dissolved, set aside.
4. Spray skillet with cooking spray and place over high heat. Cook beef for 1 minute without stirring; cook and stir for an additional minute.
5. Stir in light parts of green onion and orange zest; cook for 30 seconds.
6. Stir in marinade and green onion tops; cook and stir until beef is no longer pink inside and sauce is reduced and thick, about 2 to 3 minutes.
7. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.                 

Boursin Scalloped Potatoes

 So, so easy and the BEST scalloped potatoes ever! I found the recipe online.  Great for a crowd - we doubled the recipe and had it with ham on Easter. It would be delicious with beef too I think. Definitely not low cal but forget about it when you're eating them and just enjoy! xo Mom


   2 cups heavy cream
   2/3 cup boursin cheese
   2 TBSP minced shallots
   1 clove garlic -- minced
   2 1/2  pounds red potatoes -- scrubbed & sliced 1/4 "thick
   2 TBSP chopped chives
   2 TBSP chopped parsley
   Salt and pepper

1/4 c panko or other bread crumbs
1/4 shredded cheddar
 
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Generously butter a 13x9x2 - inch baking dish. In a heavy saucepan, heat cream, Boursin cheese, shallots, and garlic over medium heat, stirring until cheese melts. 

Arrange half of the potatoes in the baking dish in slightly overlapping rows. Generously season with salt and pepper. Pour half of the cheese mixture over the potatoes. Sprinkle with the chives. Repeat
layering with the remaining potato slices, salt and pepper, and cheese mixture.

Bake covered 45 minutes until potatoes are tender. Top with panko and a little shredded cheddar,
bake for an additional 15 minutes uncovered, until top is golden.

Sprinkle with more chopped chives and parsley and serve!

Spicy Asian Lettuce Wraps

I made this as follows but am going to try it with ground pork next time! I also didn't use water chestnuts but tiny carrot sticks instead. Jicama would be delicious too - just something crunchy! XO Mom

3/23/13 I made this again for potluck at work and used the water chestnuts - it was a big hit but I think I like the carrot pieces better!xo

16 Boston, bibb or butter lettuce leaves
1 pound ground chicken breast
1 large onion, chopped
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar or red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Asian chili pepper sauce
1 can (8 ounce size) sliced water chestnuts, drained, finely chopped
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil

Rinse lettuce leaves, keeping them whole. Set aside to drain.

Cook chicken in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring often to break up the meat. Add onion, garlic, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, ginger, vinegar and chili sauce. Cook until the meat is crumbled and brown. Add water chestnuts and green onions. Cook until onions begin to wilt, about 2 minutes.

Stir in sesame oil. Arrange lettuce leaves on the outer edge of a platter. Spoon meat mixture in center. Allow diners to spoon meat mixture into lettuce leaves and eat like a taco.

Corned Beef Roasted in Guinness

4 lb Corned Beef (or whatever size you have)
1 cup brown sugar, light or dark
1 or 2 bottles of Guinness Stout

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Trim the fat off the beef, rub the brown sugar all over the meat, including the bottom. This is kind of messy, I did it in the pan that I was going to roast the meat in. Pour the Guinness around the meat and gently over the top to wet the sugar. I lifted the meat a little so the Guinness would get underneath too. If there is a spice packet in with the beef you can add that too. Cover, bake for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. I took the meat out then and poured off most of the liquid then roasted potatoes, carrots and parsnips in a little of the Guinness liquid so they weren't overcooked, still a little crunchy.

I'm definitely going to do this again. It really gave the corned beef nice flavor, that combined with Kate's Arizona Champagne mustard was a great combo!  I'll do it in the crock pot next time because I think the beef is more tender when it cooks at a lower temp for longer. Enjoy and let me know what you think! xo Mom

Orange Pistachio Grain Salad

adapted from Ellie Krieger's recipe

2/3 c brown rice
2/3 c quinoa
3 c chicken or vegetable stock
3 TBSP toasted and chopped pistachios
1 orange
10 lg fresh basil leaves, washed and sliced
1/4 c minced red onion

Dressing:
1/3 c red wine vinegar
1/4 c EVOO
1 TBSP oj
1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp honey
1/4 tsp salt

Combine the grains in the stock until fully cooked 40-45 mins. The recipe called for wild rice which would be tasty too but I found a new Near East mix of brown rice and quinoa so I used that (but not the spice pkt that comes with it). There was only 1 cup total in the box so I added another 1/3 cup of brown rice. I bet you could add another kind of grain or rice and it would be delicious. I use an electric rice cooker that cooks much faster than this says but you know when rice is done :) Cool completely.

Toast the pistachios (the recipe says to use unsalted but I only had salted and they were fine)  in a small dry skillet on low for about 3 minutes stirring frequently. When you start smelling them they are ready to take off. Cool before chopping.

Grate the zest from the orange, measure 1 tsp and set aside. I would do more like a TBSP next time. Cut the top and bottom off the orange. Stand it on one end and remove the rest of the peel and white pith by cutting down the sides, following the curves of the orange.  Remove each orange segment from the membrane and chop into chunks.

When the rice is cool add the orange pieces, basil, onion, pistachios and zest. Mix well.

To make the dressing, whisk together the vinegar, oj, mustard, honey and salt in a small bowl, stream in the EVOO while whisking. Pour over the rise mixture and toss.

Next time I'm also going to add orange zest to the dressing - it was a little bland to my liking. Scallions might be good instead of red onion for a change too.

We had this with grilled fish (hake) and it went nicely! Enjoy! xo Mom

Sourdough Crumpets

This is a KAF recipe that I decided to try since I had sourdough starter and wanted to make the Breakfast Crumpets that Brynn had blogged. It is SO easy - you take one cup of unfed starter and whisk 1 tsp of sugar, 1/2 tsp of salt and 1/2 tsp of baking soda into it. That's it! I used english muffin rings in a cast iron skillet, spooned about 1/2" of batter into each one and turned them when they were set on the edges and had lots of bubbles on top - kind of like a pancake. They are spongier than a pancake, not sure how they are when you buy them in a store. Anyway, I'll definitely make them again! xo

Mrs. Ou's Spicy Szechuan Pork and Bean Curd

One pkg (10 oz) firm tofu cut into small cubes
1/2 lb ground pork
2 chopped garlic cloves
2 TBSP hot  bean sauce or szechuan sauce
3 TBSP soy sauce
2 TBSP chopped scallions
S & P
3 TBSP cornstarch dissolved in 3 TBSP water
1 cup ( I use more like 2) chicken broth
1 TSP sesame oil
Veg oil or EVOO
Cayenne or chopped chilis to taste

Boil bean curd cubes in chicken stock for 2-3 mins, drain, reserving stock.

Brown the ground pork in the veg or EVOO add garlic, hot bean sauce, s&p, and soy sauce.
Add stock and cayenne or chilis, then bean curd cubes. Add cornstarch paste and stir in  well.

Bring to a boil and cook until sauce thickens. Sprinkle with scallions and sesame oil before serving on rice!

I usually stir fry snow peas and carrot sticks (celery would be good too) just for a minute so they're still crunchy and add to the bean curd just before serving.  xoxo

Gorgonzola Stuffed Chicken Breast

I used the cheese I just discovered from the UK" Ilchester  Double Gloucester layered with Stilton. You can easily double the recipe and can also make it ahead so it's ready to pop in the oven when you get home from work!    While the chicken is cooking it creates lots of yummy, cheesy juices. I think I like it best served over pasta! I used the thick Maple bacon that we always have, smelled delicious when it was baking! I'm going to try stuffing steak with it next, I bet it will be delish!  xoxo Mom   Gorgonzola Stuffed Chicken Breasts Wrapped in Bacon

Rated: Submitted By: witchywoman Photo By: amysrecipes Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cook Time: 35 Minutes Ready In: 55 Minutes Servings: 2

"Chicken breasts stuffed with an intensely savory mixture of Gorgonzola cheese, shallots, and garlic are wrapped in applewood smoked bacon and baked. It's a tasty little supper for two."

Ingredients:

2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves 1/4 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley 2 tablespoons minced shallot

1 clove garlic, minced 4 thick slices of applewood smoked bacon salt and ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

1.	Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Spray an 8x8-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
2.	Using a sharp knife, cut a slit into the thick side of each chicken breast about 2 inches long and 1 1/2 inches deep.
3.	Mash together the Gorgonzola cheese, parsley, shallot, and garlic in a small bowl; season with salt and black pepper. Divide the filling in half, and stuff each chicken breast with cheese filling. Wrap 2 slices of bacon around each breast, and secure with wooden toothpicks. Place the chicken breasts into the prepared baking dish.
4.	Bake in the preheated oven until the bacon is browned and the chicken is no longer pink inside, about 35 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of a breast should read about 165 degrees F (75 degrees C).

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2012 Allrecipes.com

Printed from Allrecipes.com 2/17/2012

Roasted Cauliflower

Separate 1 head of cauliflower into florets, soak, drain and let dry. Put the cauliflower in a big bowl, drizzle with EVOO, salt & pepper, stir in a couple cloves of minced garlic, squeeze a lemon over it all and stir (toss) well. Spread out on a baking sheet and roast in a 450 degree F oven for 15 minutes, stirring a couple of times. Sprinkle with grated parmesan before serving.  Simple and delicious! xo Mom

Spicy Beans

Brynn and I were talking about Jim's spicy beans and I was wondering how they would come out using canned beans rather than dried (because the dried pinto beans take so long to cook) so I tried it this morning.  I used  2 garlic cloves,  1/2 an onion, 1  hot chili and a carrot -all chopped and sauteed for about 5 minutes then added a can of drained and rinsed black beans (that's all that I had). I let this cook down and added a bit of water a couple of times until it looked kind of creamy but the beans still had some shape, added some salt and a bit of dried chipotle flakes. Yum!  Definitely faster than using dried beans! xo Mom

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake 1/28/12

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

The two great flavors of chocolate and peanut butter come together in this moist delicious cake from Brenda Melancon of Port Allen, Louisiana. Kids of every age will be all over this one!

12-15 ServingsPrep: 10 min. Bake: 30 min. + cooling

Ingredients

• 2 cups miniature marshmallows
• 1 package (18-1/4 ounces) chocolate cake mix
• 1-1/4 cups water
• 3/4 cup peanut butter
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

• Sprinkle marshmallows into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan. In a
• large bowl, combine the cake mix, water, peanut butter, oil and
• eggs; beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat on medium for 2 minutes
• or until smooth. Pour over marshmallows; sprinkle with chocolate
• chips.
• 
  
• Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near
• the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Yield: 12-15
• servings.
• 
  

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving (1 piece) equals 344 calories, 18 g fat (5 g saturated fat), 42 mg cholesterol, 313 mg sodium, 43 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 7 g protein.

Sauteed Veggies 1/28/12

2 zucchinis and 1 summer squash, sliced at diagonal
1 large onion or leek, sliced
sun dried tomatoes, i used about 10 pieces roughly chopped
1/4 cup chopped garlic scapes or 2 cloves chopped garlic
fresh thyme
salt and pepper
fresh grated parm or asiago cheese
drizzle balsamic vinegar

Heat 2-3 tbsp EVOO in a large pan, toss in the scapes/garlic and onion/leeks. Cook for just a couple of minutes then add the sliced squash. I used a fairly high heat so the squash would brown somewhat and not cook too long, then I tossed in about a tbsp or so of chopped thyme, the sun dried tomatoes and salt and pepper. Turn the squash several times so it all gets coated and each piece gets some pan time. Don't let the squash cook too much or it will be mushy. Spoon out onto platter, sprinkle with fresh grated Parm or Asiago and cover with foil to seal in the heat so the cheese gets soft. Just before serving drizzle with a little balsamic vinegar. It has a nice Mediterranean flavor so I don't like to overpower that with too much balsamic.   Next time I'm going to add sliced kalamata olives or maybe mushrooms.  This dish is great at room temperature so can be made ahead. It also makes quite a bit so is nice for lunch leftovers! It made enough for potluck at work and then dinner at home for 4. Bon appetit! xo Mom

Crumble-topped Fish Pie

If you can't make out the ingredients let me know and I can email you the scan. I was lazy and scanned it, didn't want to do all that typing but then I couldn't edit the scan :)

I used Hake, Salmon and the Smoked Haddock. I didn't have fish stock so I just used the
stock that  I had boiled the fish etc in.  I also used about 2 cups of leeks.
Kate made the topping and used the ancient cayenne that I keep in the Hoosier - Brynn do you remember how hot it made Pepper Chicken sometimes? The topping really had some kick. We all thought the recipe was delicious. Served it on brown rice with sauteed veggies on the side. Definitely not low  fat! I forgot to take a picture but I will next time! Thanks Brynn and Tom for the Great British Book of Baking cookbook! xo Mom

Teriyaki Salmon

Ok, so this really should be Brynn's post because she found the recipe but since I made it tonight and it was Soooooo delicious I had to post it!! The teriyaki sauce is far and away THE best teriyaki sauce I have ever had. I used about 2 tablespoons of grated fresh ginger and that combined with the lime zest and juice gave such great flavor! I can think of so many other things to use it with but the fried salmon is a good start! Thanks Brynny! Dad loved it too!

bbc.co.uk/food
Teriyaki salmon
Ingredients
2 salmon fillets
4-5 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 limes, zest and juice
1 small chilli
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 fat garlic clove, finely chopped
1 chunk of ginger, finely chopped
1 sheet of egg noodles
bunch of coriander, chopped
1 tbsp sesame oil
extra lime juice
Preparation method
1. Heat some olive oil in a pan and fry the ginger, garlic and chopped
chilli.
2. Add the zest and juice of the lime and pour in the soy sauce. Add
the maple syrup and cook for 1 minute or until reduced and sticky.
3. Meanwhile, pan-fry the two pieces of salmon for 2 minutes each side
in a hot griddle pan.
4. When the sauce is reduced add the salmon to the teriyaki sauce
frying pan.
5. Cook and drain the noodles, adding the sesame oil, seasoning and
coriander and a squeeze of lime. Serve the salmon on a bed of
noodles with more chopped coriander.
less than 30 mins
preparation time
10 to 30 mins
cooking time
Serves 2
By Mike Robinson
From Saturday Kitchen
This teriyaki salmon recipe is
on the table in five simple
steps. Perfect for a quick
weeknight supper.
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Banh Mi

 Sourdough Banh Mi Bread

1 cup sourdough starter, regular or rye
1 1/4 cups water
3/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon salt
6 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 tablespoon 2 teaspoons instant yeast 



This will be delicious with any good rolls you can find! It's really the meatballs and slaw that make it!

Mayo

¾ cup mayonnaise
6 green onions, finely chopped

Meatballs

1 ½ pound ground pork
¼ cup fresh basil, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon hot chili sauce
1 tablespoon + ¼ cup sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon  salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Slaw
3 large carrots, grated
½ large daikon radish, grated
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 jalapeno pepper, thinly sliced
3 tablespoon fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped 


For the bread, combine all of the ingredients, kneading to form a smooth and satiny dough. The dough should be on the slack side, but not oozy; it needs to be able to hold its shape in the oven.

Place the dough in an oiled bowl and cover with, and let the dough rise, undisturbed, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until doubled in size.

Punch the dough down and turn it onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead the dough gently and divide it into six equal pieces. Form the loaves into 8” torpedo shapes, and place the loaves on a baguette pan – 2 loaves per groove – or on parchment-lined baking sheets. With a serrated knife or lamé, make three slashes in the tops of the loaves, each 1/2-inch deep and cover.

Let the loaves rise until they look puffy. This should take approximately 30 minutes. While the loaves are rising, preheat the oven to 425°F.

Brush or spray the loaves with water. Bake for 10 minutes, spraying the loaves with water two more times. Lower the oven to 375°F and bake for an additional 25 – 30 minutes.

For the mayo, combine the mayonnaise and ½ the green onions in a small bowl and set aside.

In another bowl combine the carrot, radish, vinegar, ¼ cup of sugar, sesame oil, jalapeno and 1 teaspoon of salt.

In a large bowl, combine the meat, basil, garlic, 1 tablespoon sugar, cornstarch, 1 teaspoon of salt and pepper and hot chili sauce. Form the mixture into 1” meatballs – a tablespoon cookie scoop works well here.

Heat the tablespoon of vegetable oil and 1 tablespoon of sesame oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs, and sauté  for 15 minutes until browned and cooked through, turning the meatballs so that they brown evenly. Remove the meatballs from the heat and allow to rest for 5 minutes.

Cut 4 loaves in half horizontally, spread each bottom half with a quarter of the mayonnaise and top with a quarter of the meatballs, slaw, and cilantro. 
 

Sorry I didn't take a pic of them when they were "stuffed"

Yield: 6 sandwiches 
To be published in The Bakers Catalogue Summer 2012