Sunday Dinner - Mother's Day

This past Sunday's dinner was dedicated to all the moms out there, new and old.  And especially to the best cook I know....Mom- thank you for all your support, love and inspiration always, happy Mother's day!  

Santa Monica Farmer's Market 

Spring Vegetables - Artichokes, Fava Beans, Mint

Zucchini Ribbon Salad with Favas and Yogurt Mint Dressing

Roasted Chicken with Shitake Mushrooms and Stuffed Artichokes

Grass Fed Sirloin

Tam's Trifle of Strawberries, Creme, Wafers, Chocolate

The 4th and all it's Food Glory plus Green Harissa

I had way too many burgers this weekend and maybe my fair share of sausages, oh and don't get me started on all that corn on the cob. Guess it's the weekend to do it! Made Green Harissa Cous Cous, I'll definetly be using that Harissa in other stuff.  Brought a whole another dimension to what would be an oh so ordinary cous cous dish.

Here's what was cooking at the loft this weekend, plus a few pics from Picca , one of the newest LA restos.  Green Harrissa recipe follows...


Roasted those tomatoes for 4 hours on 200  F, so sweet!



Mini Burgers of Turkey Tzatziki and Beef, Caramelized Onions, & Roasted Tomatoes

Burgers, Green Harissa Cous-Cous, Roasted Potato Salad

Grilled Corn with Cotija Cheese, Chili Powder, Butter, Lime

Needed some veggies, Tuscan Kale White Bean Soup - all week- lunch!

Pisco Sours at Picca

Churros at Picca, one of the best I've had

Green Harrissa

This can be used for a marindae or even as a dip.  Found this recipe in Bon Appetit but toally doctored to this:

1/4 cup    Green Onions, chopped

1 bunch   Cilantro, chopped

1/2 cup    Arugala

1-2 clove  Garlic

1/2 teasp  Coriander, ground

1/2 teasp  Cumin, ground

1/4 t         Chili powder

Pinch       Red Pepper (optional)

1/4 cup    Olive Oil

to taste    Salt & Pepper

1.  Blend in food processor all ingredients until paste-like. 

2.  Taste, season with salt and pepper.



New York, July 4, 2009

Here we are again, my annual 4th of July to New York City. This year’s theme was ‘street eats’. I wanted to find the specialties of New York, the best of the best or shall we say trendiest and longest lined places in the city! My friends did great researching and we managed to eat about everything! From Gray Papaya dogs to a more upscale Porchetta Pork Sandwich, it was fun but unhealthy experience. We also hit some really good restaurants.







One of the best trips (eating wise) in a long time, everything was delicious. My favorite by far was Artichoke’s slice of Margarita pizza, I can’t tell you the last time I had a good slice was! And another favorite meal was dinner at a little Italian place called Celeste. We had the freshest Orata (fish) and Pasta Bolognese. The pizza had house made aged Tallegio and Speck to top it all off. Yum, sorry I have no pictures of that. Hope you enjoy the other pics! It was truly an amazing culinary journey of some of New York’s finest!







On day 1, we hit, in this order, by the way, there was 3 of us and a few more along the way:






Porchetta: 1 Pork Sandwich





Artichoke: Slice of Margaherita, Sicilian and Artichoke Spinach





W Hotel: 1 Drink each and bathroom break





Shack Shake: 2 Cheeseburgers and 2 Crinkle Fries





Other Room: 1 drinks each





DGDB (not street eats): Dinner and drinks




Day 2, was not so bad and we BBQ-ed for dinner (later post)




Hummus Place: 2 different kinds of Hummus, 3 grape leaves, 3 falafal balls(best ever)





Gray’s Papaya: 1 hot dog, only 2 bites taken




Day 3, really tapered down, cause this was with 6 other people





Market Place: Brunch





Grom: Varieties of Gelato





Joe’s Pizza: 1 slice, I had one bite





Rick’s Dumplings: 6 Chicken dumplings and 6 Pork Dumplings





Celeste: Dinner

IPOD - R.I.P. and Memorial Day Eats

I know, I know I'm a bit behind on the times. Lots of traveling, parties, gatherings, etc, etc... no more excuses! Had a next relaxing weekend; drinks, eats, friend filled! However, my Ipod Touch bit the dust (fell in a pool of water)! For all of you that know, I bring my ipod everywhere and plug it in everywhere including dinner parties, friends' houses, other peoples cars, I pretty much take it along with me everywhere and take over the music situation. The good news is that most people don't seem to mind and actually request my much loved playlists. But not anymore, ugh, I'm still in mourning as you can tell.

But Spring is almost officially over and the Summer bbq-ing can begin. Here are a few things I made/ate over the weekend and a recipe for a tri-colored potato salad with Blue Lake green beans and spring onions (adapted from Bon Appetit).

Tri - Colored Potato Salad

1 lbs red potatoes

1 lbs new potatoes

1 lbs purple potatoes

2 spring onions (sliced thinnly)

1/2 lb green beans

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

2 T dijon mustard

1/3 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup olive oil

Salt

Pepper

1. Cube potatoes in quarters and boil, then drain.

2. Blanch green beans and cut into 1" pieces.

3. Mix together dressing of mustard, lemon juice, and olive oil.

4. Toss potatoes, green onions, green beans, parmesan cheese and dressing.

5. Hold in fridge until chilled, then serve.

Sydney, last and final stop!

Watergum Grove (where Michelle grew up)

'Cold' portion of Christmas dinner

Australian 'bug'

Carol a.k.a Ms. Van der Water cooking up the Chili bites.

Chili Bites

Koeksisters!

After traveling around aimlessly for a few weeks, I was happy to arrive in Sydney to meet and be with friends. Michelle grew up in Australia and moved to LA to pursue her dreams of being an actress. She was home for the holidays and was gracious enough to invite me to visit on the last leg of my trip. She’s very sucessful and you can view her stuff here. I was greeted at the airport by Michelle, her sister, Tanya, and brother in law Caesar, and was incredibly thankful not be bombarded by Vietnamese taxi drivers nor looking for signs that I had my name on it, but just friendly familiar faces.

Over the next few days, I’d lived like a Queen, drinking, eating, touring, relaxing, not having to worry about fending for myself or where I’d have to go next. We’d visit the gorgeous beaches around Sydney, played with Kangeroos, ate Kangeroo :), admire the Opera House, boat around the Sydney Harbor, buy fresh seafood at the Fish Market on Christmas day, and celebrated Boxing day watching cricket and Van der Water family videos.

My favorite day of the week was Christmas with Michelle’s family. Michelle grew up on the outskirts of Sydney in Stanwell Park, along the coast. She comments on how secluded it is but I beg to differ because their home is beautiful; amongst nature, exotic birds, trees, and the beach less than a mile from their doorstop. Carol (Ms.Van der Water) rents out the upstairs half of the home and I must say it felt like I was at a B&B during my stay there. Here is the link.

On Christmas day, Carol and Tanya put together an awesome spread of food that lasted the entire day. We started off eating at noon with appetizers of charcuterie, cheeses, nuts, chips, and crackers. Next was the ‘cold’ courses of the day, Shrimp, Oysters, Potato Salad, Greens, and the Aussie ‘Bug’ just for me. An hour later, we dove into the ‘hot’ courses of Lamb Curry, Roasted Chicken, and Fritatta. I have never been so stuffed before in my life! We digested by taking a walk on the nearby beach where the weather was 90 degrees and people were swimming and picniking. After, the last round of desserts; cheesecake, fresh fruit, and cupcakes, ugh, I needed a nap. But nope, we headed to the beach with wine where Michelle gave me a tour of her old 'hood.

It was a great week and there was lots of good, cultural, creative food. Sydney reminds me of a cross between New York and SF accept they have accents and are much laid back. There seemed to a be a slight influence of the British with their love tea, tea in the morning, tea in the afternoon, tea at night, also let’s not forget about the Fish n’ Chips sprinkled with ‘Chicken Flavor’. One of their specialty eats are ‘pies’ which New Zealanders picked up on.... filled with beef garnished with Ketchup. Sausage bake in puff pastry, another goodie.

There are tons of cultural eats, I hear they have the best Sushi in Sydney but we opted for Thai, African Barbecue, and even roasted duck in Chinatown. Since the Van der Waters are part South African, I got a glimpse of their food with home made Koeksisters and Chili bites. Then there is home cooking Aussie fare, Russel (Michelle’s brother) cooked Rissoles (beef patties) and vegetables with a Parmesan Cheese Bechamel and Michelle’s Dad with Grilled Oysters with Bacon.

Much thanks to the Van der Water and Michelle's friends for making the holidays not so lonely. After 5 weeks of traveling, Sydney was a nice ending but I was ready to get back home. 15 hours later, I was back in LA in Malibu watching the sunset. I do live the good life!!!

Autumn is here!

Tis another Fall season upon us and it's going to be a sultry 95 degrees this weekend in Los Angeles. At least it was chilly enough for a few days in which I took full advantage. A few weeks ago, I cooked a dish that would make any East Coaster proud.

How do I put into words that exact moment of a spoon caving into the buttery crust, soping and sponging it's way to the velvety broth! Simultanesouly aromatics of thyme, onions, celery, Fall come rushing up, engaging all senses. The first bite, crunch of sweet peas, hot broth, savory chicken, flaky yet soggy crust, oooouch... tounge burnt but well worth it. At least this is what I remember as a youngster eating Chicken Pot Pie!

Fast Forward: Midde of October 2008, one rare chilly and windy Friday, cooking for a bunch of friends’ of friends a nice filling meal. Vegetable pot pies which consisted of everything Fall, butternut squash, sweet potato, swiss chard, and mushrooms. Everyone was to bring their own wine and cheese, nuts, dried fruit to be provided. All and all we ended up with 8 cheeses and 8 wines!

2nd Annual New York 4th of July

Red, White, and Blue Potato Salad

Lamb burgers with Mint pesto fused Yogurt

Gerlyn's fav German sausage

Karoake at Sing Sang

Pizza Margherita at L'asso's

Bone Marrow and Oxtail Marmalade at Blue Ribbon

Our fish tacos

Another 4th in New York, it’s become a kind of tradition, one that starts with me arriving via LA red eye, breakfasts of cheese, charcuterie, & champagne, rained out BBQ’s on Gerlyn and Kirstin’s rooftop, long walks through the city, Karaoke and eating good in general.

This year for the annual BBQ, we did burgers in style; Lamb, Tofu, and the old fashioned Beef. I added my Red, White, & Blue Potato Salad (circa ’05) and we were set! My hosts were nice enough to let me invite family friends over. Along with G, K, and Steve's (3rd roommie) NY pals the party turned into an eclectic mix of people from around the world. We had a guest bring over German sausages, perfect with mustard on a soft bun even hours later. Not to mention the deep intricacies of British food, a.k.a Toad in the Hole and Fish n' Chips Of course, it started pouring as we started the burgers but made the best of it and moved into their cozy apartment. After the fireworks which..we did not make it to due to dark clouds, we headed to a Karaoke spot, Sing Sang and sung our faces off.

We took our own tour of the Meat Packing District, West Village and SoHo the next day, with eat/drink spots along the way. Favorites where Spice Market for the atmosphere, La Esquina for the underground-esque bar, L'asso’s, and Blue Ribbon Brasserie. They had this exquisite Mushroom and White Truffle Oil pizza at Lasso’s. At Blue Ribbon Market, the Fried Chicken was excellent along with the Bone Marrow and Oxtail Marmalade. The marmalade cut through the richness of both the marrow and oxtail, it was a perfect combination.

On my last night, we cooked Fish Tacos and Chipotle Chicken Tacos. My cousin, Michelle brought over delightful Chocolate chip cookies. We devoured these alongside Haagan Dazs Crème Brulee ice cream. It was a perfect evening as Steve played the guitar and we sang along to the Beatles and Oasis.

Red, White and Blue Potato Salad

RED potatoes, fingerlings or bliss 3#s

WHITE cheddar cheese, shredded ½ cup

BLUE cheese, Maytag or Stilton ½ cup

Green onions, thinly sliced ¼ cup

Caramelized onions, red ½ cup

Dijon mustard 3 T

Olive Oil ¼ cup

Salt and pepper as needed

1. Boil potatoes half way done, then either grill or roast until all the way done.

2. Whisk oil and mustard, then pour in with potatoes.

3. Add blue cheese, white cheddar cheese, caramelized onions, salt and pepper with potatoes, mix gently.

4. Top with green onions.

Fish Tacos for 4

Snapper, Halibut, or Rockfish 2#s

Oregano 1 teaspoon

Cumin 1 Tablespoon

Red Pepper 1 teaspoon

Parsley 2 Tablespoon

Lime 1 Tablespoon

Lemon 1 Tablespoon

Olive Oil as needed

Salt and Pepper as needed

1. Marinate fish with all ingredients above for at least 1 hour.

2. Grill fish over medium heat until done.

‘Slaw’ for Tacos

Cabbage, white, thinly shredded 2 cups

Cilantro 2 oz

Corn ½ cup

Red Vinegar 1 T

Lime 1 teaspoon

Olive Oli 2 oz

Salt as needed

1. Mix red vinegar, lime, and olive oil.

2. Pour over cabbage, cilantro, and corn and incorporate well.

**Eat with Corn tortillas and fresh salsa!