Easy Pasta with Sardines and Parsley for Hot Summer Nights

July in NYC can be brutal; Hot and steamy, with 90% humidity that will make you wish it would rain instead (and it probably would!).
Summer is one of those seasons where all you want to eat is light, fresh meals that will cool you down and help you brave through the high temps.
I’m not a huge meat consumer, so this actually works great for me. The abundance of fresh ingredients Summer brings us is always fun to play with to create flavorful dishes.

One of my best light dinner go-to choices is pasta with sardines, parsley, chili and breadcrumbs. It has tons of versions, but what’s unique about my version is that you (wait for it–) USE the oil the sardines are marinated in! it’s packed with flavor, and using it will make you feel the sea flavor in each and every bite.

The beauty of this dish is that the most important ingredients are pantry-based, so it’s one of those rare dishes where you don’t have to plan ahead (too much). You just gracefully pull it out of the cabinet and match whatever herbs you have in your fridge (parsley pairs best, but any other herb can work!). This is also great for entertaining because it’s so simple to make, and very pretty to serve along with a nice, cool glass of dry white wine 🙂
The recommended pasta for this recipe is the long kinds, which are usually paired with lighter sauces.

Go for it!

Easy, flavorful Pasta with Sardines, parsley, chili and breadcrumbs
Serves 4 (or 2 with leftovers for the next day!!)

From the Pantry:
1 package spaghetti pasta, bucatini or linguine
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cans of sardines in olive oil
4-5 garlic cloves, peeled and smashes with the back of a knife
¼ teaspoon chili flakes (or more if you’re up for it!)
¼ cup panko breadcrumbs or fresh chunky breadcrumbs
Leafs from 1 big bunch of parsley, roughly chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

For Show:
Freshly grated Parmesan

Get Mixin’:

1. Cook pasta according to package instructions until al-dente (don’t forget to salt the water!). Drain, reserving 3 tablespoons for the cooking liquid.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the oil. Open the sardine cans, remove sardines to a plate and drain the oil into the pan. Add garlic and cook until it starts to be fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add chili flakes and breadcrumbs, and cook until breadcrumbs begin to brown, about 2 minutes. Add sardines and using a wooden spoon, break them into large chunks.
3. Add the cooked pasta into the skillet. Stir in parsley and reserved pasta cooking liquid. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

 

Suggested variations:

• Replace parsley with cilantro, sage, tarragon or even mint
• Use 1 can of anchovies instead of 2 cans of sardines
• Add ½ cup halved cherry tomatoes for acidity
• Add ¼ tsp of smashed coriander seeds along with the chili for a more earthy flavor.

 

 

 

 

BIRTHDAY BASH

I love birthdays. I’ve never understood those who didn’t – I mean, who would pass on presents? I had one birthday party in which everyone thought it would be super original to get me a cookbook. Wound up with about 20(!) of them – which turned into a big gift card at the bookstore…
To me, birthdays are for relaxation, taking some time off life and just enjoy the moment with a good massage or a trip outside the city. And great food, of course. We have a tradition of going out to very fancy restaurant on my birthday – which we mask as “it’s for R&D purposes” – so far we did well, and I’ve accumulated a few Michelins in my list…

PARTY ON
One of the great things about birthdays – is birthday decoration. This industry has doubled, tripled and quadrupled in the past decade. When I was a kid, you knew what to expect from a birthday celebration: a chocolate cake, some chips, and a goody bag to take home. Now? There are no limits to what you can do: perfectly sculpted cakes, themed tabletops ranging from colors, through movies to sports; and let’s not forget the altogether-themed parties. I think I saw a TV piece about a 10 year-old kid who took 15 of her best friends to a salon-themed birthday party, where they all got “makeover” treatments including hair, makeup, mani-pedi and styling (they’re 10 years old, mind you!)… Did we over-market the good ol’ birthday party?

Wilton’s Carousel cake

CULINARY MARKETING
I think it’s the egg-and-chicken kind of issue, in 2 parallel worlds: parents wanting the best for their kids – and kids then demanding it from the parents – and companies, creating demand by giving us such amazing visuals we cannot resist. Why take my word for it? Just google “kids birthday party” and see what you come up with! For instance, look at Wilton’s birthday section. I narrowed it down to the “circus” theme in particular, to be even more specific. Wilton is one of the biggest baking-goods suppliers in the US. Their website is an amazing source of how-to’s, ingredients, shopping and inspiration – but some of these lovely creations are a tad too much for a kid’s birthday party, in my opinion anyway. This much use of food coloring cannot be good for you… not to mention the outcome of hyperactive sugar-rushed kids running around!
Another brand that dedicates a whole section to honor this special occasion is Betty Crocker, whose website offers a range of ideas, some more modest (and realistic) and some pretty complicated. I did like the more down-to-earth approach (check out the Dig-In cake!), although it still looks like it requires more than average baking skills, and even more patience.

A DIFFERENT KIND OF BIRTHDAY TREAT
Tomorrow is my mom’s birthday. Her favorite cake is Poppy seed Babka, but I know that most of the time, she prefers the more savory side of things. So I came up with a recipe she would surely love, with a Balkan feel to it: eggplant patties. I know she’d appreciate it… Happy Birthday, mom!

BIRTHDAY-WORTHY EGGPLANT PATTIES with YOGURT SAUCE  

        

This recipe could easily be converted to a vegan version by omitting the egg and replacing it with either ¼ cup of chickpea flour + ¼ cup of water, or one small potato, cooked and mashed.

From the Pantry:
2 firm eggplants, cut to 1’’ rounds
3 tablespoons salt
3 tablespoons olive oil (or oil spray)
1 yellow onion, peeled and finely chopped
4 slices bread, soaked in water, then squeezed dry
2 eggs, lightly beaten
½ bunch straight leaf parsley, finely chopped
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
pepper to taste
Canola oil for pan frying, about ¼ cup** (see tip below)

 For Show:
½ cup plain yogurt
1 grated cucumber (the small kind)
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds, lightly toasted (optional)
Salt, pepper to taste

Get Mixin’:

1. Arrange eggplants on sheet trays and sprinkle with salt. This will help get rid of the ‘sting’ and bitterness. Set it aside for 15 minutes.
2. Turn oven on the broiler option.
3. Wipe the eggplants from excess salt and liquid. Brush with olive oil or pray with oil.
4. Broil eggplants until golden, about 10-15 minutes. Turn eggplants and broil other side.
5. Take eggplants out of the oven and allow to cool slightly. Chop eggplants, manually or in a food processor.
6. In a large bowl, combine all other ingredients: chopped onion and parsley, bread, eggs, cumin, salt and pepper.
7. In a medium pan, heat ¼ cup canola oil. How do you know if it’s hot enough? Try it with a tiny bit of the patty mixture. If it’s sizzling nicely, it’s ready. If not, wait a few more seconds.
8. Using 2 tablespoons, create patties and slide them into the oil. Turn when the side facing the pan is nice and golden. Remove to a plate or sheet tray covered with paper towels to absorb excess oil.
9. Make the yogurt sauce: combine all ingredients, adjust seasoning. Cumin seeds are optional, but you have to give it a try – you won’t believe the freshness it adds.
10. Blow the candles off your unusual birthday treat and don’t forget to make a wish! 😉

** The reason I do not use olive oil for pan frying is that olive oil is a raw oil that has a relatively low smoking point – a point at which the oil ‘breaks’ and start releasing free radicals and a chemical called acrolein – a substance better known for giving burnt foods their notorious acrid flavor and aroma.

SPRING, PICNICS AND PRETZELS

Ahhh. FINALLY some days of sunshine on the streets of NYC. I forgot what it’s like to wear sunglasses. Only 6 weeks ago I was taking pictures of snowy paths in Central Park, and yesterday I was able to wear a short-sleeved T! (Briefly though, as it was still chilly, but hey, I’m not complaining)…
I always find it amusing to see the mood change in people. Everyone’s so cheerful and happy; you can actually see it as they walk by. And of course, it’s a perfect weather for a walk in the park – and a picnic. With Central Park’s recently opened lawns, it’s a great hangout for meeting friends, plus it’s a nice change than those stuffy dark bars… 🙂

MARKETING NATURE
Do parks need marketing? I would argue that they do. With spring out, many people are looking for outdoor activities, and there are so many of those in NYC! Every second neighborhood has its flea/food/music festival, and the park is just another option out of many. The NYC Park Department has tons of fun events – free movie screenings, concerts and shows, and of course Shakespeare in the Park – but these are yet to come and are mainly during summer, which makes sense because spring just started so the weather is still volatile and the trees are still leafless. But! Apparently there’s still events going on – although it would probably be more appealing to you if you have to entertain a few kids around the house…

That said, I think that my favorite park activity – picnicking – doesn’t need any marketing 😉 It’s so tempting on its own! And of course, my picnics always have a homemade touch to it, so it adds a little extra fun to the experience. I usually buy some really good bread and make yummy spreads to go along with it – pesto, almond paste and olive spread, but this time I felt like going the whole nine yards and make my favorite kind of baked good: New York style soft pretzels.

DID SOMEONE SAY PRETZEL?
Guilty! I love anything doughy. I don’t know what I would do I was gluten intolerant! Pretzels are pretty simple to make, and it tastes divine, but many people find it fussy and therefore don’t attempt it at home. If you’ve ever dealt with yeast before, this should be pretty easy. And if you haven’t, a word of ‘wisdom’: yeasty dough is a friend, and a pretty yummy one too! You won’t screw it up that easily. 😉
The only difference in the process with compare to a regular yeast process, is that you need to poach the pretzels in water before you bake it; this will give it its signature shine and beautiful golden color as it bakes. And if you ever poached an egg – this shouldn’t be too hard!
Special ingredient alert: in order to get the full NYC Pretzel effect you’ll need pretzel salt (yes, the salt is actually called after this baked good!), which you can find on amazon or in specialty stores. And if you have high gluten flour, it would yield an even more chewy pretzel thanks to the high gluten content.

ADDICTIVE NEW YORK STYLE SOFT PRETZELS

 From the Pantry:
¼ oz (one envelope) dry yeast
1 pint warm water* (see comment)
2 oz / ½ stick butter, cold
1.5 pounds (3 1/3 cups) AP flour (high gluten flour is preferred if you have it)
½ oz (~2.5 teaspoons) salt
Optional: 1 tablespoon Tabasco

*Warm water: the rule is, if it feels nice n’ warm to you, it would be nice n’ warm for the yeast. Do not use boiling water and not even close! It would kill the yeast and would ruin your mood when the dough will not rise…

 For Show:
Pretzel Salt

 Get Mixin’:

1. Combine yeast and warm water; stir to dissolve.
2. Cut butter into flour until fully incorporated; this could be done with a food processor, which would make it easier but would result with more dishes to wash 😉
3. If doing this manually, combine flour mixture, yeast mixture and all other ingredients in a bowl, mix and knead to form a smooth dough. If using a stand mixer, do the same – only the mixer would be doing the kneading for you.
4. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 15-20 minutes.
5. Divide the dough into ~5 oz pieces the size of a small tennis ball), and roll into 24’’ long cylinders.
6. Form into a pretzel shape: make a “U”, cross the ends and flip the cross over the lower curvy side of the U. Look at this cool shaping guide I found online:

Pic credit: Breadmachinedigest.com

1. Cover pretzels and proof in a warm place for about 15-20 minutes.
2. Heat oven to 400fF.
3. In a wide pot, boil water and reduce to a simmer. Poach pretzels in water 30-40 seconds and remove to a cooling rack to discard excess water. Strew with pretzel salt.
4. Prepare 1-2 sheet trays with parchment paper, and spray lightly with oil.
5. Arrange pretzels on trays, and bake 15-20 minutes, or until deep golden.
6. Cool on rack.
7. Try not to eat it all before you get to your picnic!

Market Memories (and Passover Macaroon Cookies)

I’ve loved markets for as long as I can remember. There’s something very unique in the experience of walking between the packed stands and the calling merchants, smelling fresh herbs and dried spices, eyeing odd looking vegetables and trying new kinds of food you’ve never heard of. One of the first things I do when I explore a new traveling destination is checking to see where I could find an authentic farmer’s market. I experience life through food, so my most vivid recollections have something to do with food, especially those of my traveling in remote villages around the world: French freshly squeezed apple cider and local brioche loaves; Croatian peasant stew; an Irish sheep cheese my sister couldn’t get enough of so we actually drove back to get more, she was crying so hard; Guatemalan oh-so-soft yellow cakes; Chinese steamed bread; Bolivian colorful orn and the list goes on and on. BALKAN BEAT  But nothing beats childhood memories. My mother is of Turkish descent; so we always have a Balkan feel in family meals. In Tel Aviv, there’s a market called the Lewinsky Market. It lies in a neighborhood that used to be populated by many Balkan immigrants in the early 30’s. My mother still remembers when she was a child in the 60’s, how busy the streets were – filled with merchants selling everything from olives to lemonade, Turkish Burkes to different spices. TRAVEL ALERT  Today the market is alive and kicking, beautiful and colorful, but had changed its character from ingredient-driven to culinary-driven. The neighborhood lost most of its earlier residents, so the demand for the local ingredients has decreased and so did the specialty stores, leaving only a few open. But the market is far from gone; today, in its more up-to-date version, you can find many ethnic eateris from different Jewish cultures around the world like Persian, Greek and Turkish foods. You can still find some of the city’s best Burekas there. TWO WORDS ABOUT PASSOVER I don’t like dried coconut chips. At all. And most Passover sweets I know contains it, one way or the other. I’ve always tried to come up with recipes that would make a detour around it so I could also have a bite. No gluten doesn’t mean you have to stop making baked goods, right? So here’s how I came across a divine coconut-free, gluten-and-dairy-free cookie that I still love making any day of the year.. THE LOST WORLD Back to the market. A couple of years ago, on my mom’s birthday, we all went for a walk down memory lane around the old Lewinsky neighborhood, where my mother showed us where her grandmother used to live, the path she took to the now-long-gone grocery store and the playground. Wandering around, we got to a store we didn’t know before but my mother was excited to find again: an old bakery, with no signs on the outside, no name, just an “open” sign on the old milky-glass door and some antique-looking scales in the store front – it really looked like it wasn’t touched for a few decades. We followed her in. Inside we found an elderly couple, the woman hustling around the sheet trays and the man sitting down, with a huge pile of almonds next to him, and two bowls – one filled with water and silvered almonds and one with almond skins. It had a back-in-the-day kind of feel. Many shelves, but most of it half empty, with a selection of only 4-5 kinds of cookies. “This is where we came for special occasions – to get the best Marochinos cookies”. Marochinos is, as I’ve discovered later, the Ladino word for what we now know to be Almond cookies. “we are using only a certain kind of almond that is best for making these cookies. Because the cookie is flourless, the almond flavor is dominant and very important. We use raw almonds, soak it over night and peel it one by one, as I am doing now”. Which explained the piles. Because of the long, manual procedure, the cookies were kinda pricey so we each started with just one to taste. I will never forget my surprise when I took a bite into it; I didn’t really expect to like it, not as much as I did anyway. It was phenomenal. Dense but yet airy, sweet and scented… I knew I had to figure out how to make these. MAROCHINOS//AKA MACAROONS Makes around 30 cookies; this recipe requires a stand mixer.  From the pantry 8 oz almond paste 6 oz sugar 1 oz confectioners’ sugar 2 fl oz egg whites (2 large eggs should yield that) For Show: a little more confectioners’ sugar, to sprinkle decorating options: candied cherries, pine nuts Get Mixin’:

1. Cut almond paste to roughly 1-inch pieces.
2. Combine with the sugars in a stand up mixer, using the paddle attachment. Mix on very low speed for 2 minutes.
3. Lightly whisk the egg whites to break it. Turn the mixer speed a little higher and add the egg whites in 3 additions, scraping the bowl between additions. Mix until the batter unifies.
4. For best results, put in a closed container and allow to age in the fridge overnight. Nothing will happen if you decide to bake it straight away though J
5. Prepare a sheet tray with some parchment. Put the batter is a pastry bag with a ½-3/4 inch tip (you can spoon it too, it will just look different). Pipe / spoon batter onto the tray, leaving 1’’ around each cookie.
6. Using a damp cloth / water spray, moisten the top of the cookies. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar. You can decorate it with sliced candied cherries, pine nuts etc.
7. Bake at 375 for about 10-11 minutes, or until puffed and light-golden. Do not over bake – it will make the cookie dense and sticky. Cool before you try to take it off the tray; it tends to be very delicate when warm.

** Tip: These sweeties tend to stick to the paper. Don’t worry! When cool, lift the paper up and wet the sheet tray with a little bit of water, using wet hands. Wait 2 minutes and it will come off like a charm.

Nutella, Pretzels and Shortbread. This is gonna be good

So this week was the Jewish holiday Purim. It’s the equivalent of Christian Halloween Costume wise. Unlike Halloween – there’s no trick-or-treating, but we have something else: it’s a mitzvah to drink until you drop. Yes, you’re reading correctly. Gotta love this holiday.

HOLIDAY TRADITIONS
Another thing about this holiday is that it’s customary to give your friends and family a goody-bag filled with candy and the traditional cookie – Hamantaschen, which literally translates as ‘Haman’s ears’ (did you really think we’d let a holiday go by without something to nosh on?). It’s also customary in a large crowd to have a raffle deciding who this goody bag will go to. I can still remember a school table packed with bright yellow, green and red cellophane-wrapped parcels, each with our name on it (noting who made it), and the raffle that followed. My best friend’s mom used to make the best bags, but somehow I was never the one to receive it.

BACK TO THE COOKIES
These are a kind of shortbread cookies filled with all kinds of yummy filings; the traditional version calls for a poppy seed filling, but you can fill it with whatever you want – chocolate, halva, peanut butter, etc. you can go savory too, of course, but this is a whole other discussion… So we’ll stick to the sweet part, if it’s ok with you.
The only thing you should look out for is making sure that it’s thick enough so it wouldn’t leak out of the sides of the cookie which can cause it to open and ruin the whole nicely-shaped-triangle you were working so hard on. The rule is: if you spoon a little on a plate and it keeps its shape – spreading just a little, you’re fine. If it flattens up – not so much. So how do you fix it? All you need is something to absorb the extra liquid.

PRETZEL TALK
Say you want Nutella filling (I know I do). Very runny. But you still want it. What you can do is add a thickening agent – which in this case is much easier than making roux, dissolving cornstarch etc.: to get the desired consistency, an addition of crumbled cookies, day-old pound cake crumbles and so on would work perfectly. In my filling – being a sweet-and-salty gal myself – I decided I want to try adding crumbled pretzel sticks.

BRAND DROPPING
Wow, Snyder’s of Hanover. Great job well done on your recipe tab. I didn’t quite expect it, given that the snacks category tends to sometime overlook the foodie recipe-searching community, but you did great with all the different options. The site goes from your usual suspects of pretzel bread-crumb alternatives through finger food to main course and dessert with lots of navigation options, and offers many recipes that actually include the product itself. Lots of topping-things involved, but many variations, so I’ll give them that. I also looked at Rold Gold’s website – another FritoLay brand (remember them from last time?). I guess being part of a larger group of brands can sometimes mean being in the background. There were only 5 recipes dedicated to the brand, 3 of which did not involve the use of the product itself. Maybe FritoLay considers the brand a ‘Milking Cow’ and does not want to invest too much into it. Whatever the reason, it could definitely use some serious touch ups.

RECIPE AWAY
*You can always not-use any equipment, but it’s just simpler in this recipe to use a mixer and a food processor. In any way, both methods are described.
*make sure you’re not stressed with time because the dough needs to rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to get its act together.

Nutella and Pretzel Hamantaschen
Makes about 50 cookies, depends on the diameter of cookie cutter 🙂

From the pantry
For the dough, all in room temp:
3 cups (13.5 oz) AP flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup (4 oz) confectioners sugar
1 stick and 6 TBS (6.5 oz) butter
1 L egg + 1 yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract

For the filling:
1 cup Nutella spread
1/2 pack – about 4-5 oz of any kind of hard pretzels
1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)
*Piping bag would be nice if you have any.

For show
Some confectioners sugar to sprinkle

Get Mixin’

Make the dough: 

1. If you have a mixer (lucky you, what luxury to have in a tiny apartment!), start by beating the butter and sugar with the pedal attachment. If you don’t, don’t worry, just use a wooden spoon. Try going slow because the sugar is so light it will fly right out of the bowl (and here goes your measuring. And your recent cleaning efforts).
2. Add the egg + yolk, and the vanilla. Mix until well combined.
3. Add the flour and beat until incorporated (if you’re doing it manually and it starts getting harder with the wooden spoon, you can use your hands and knead it a little).
4. Wrap in plastic and allow to rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Make the filling:

1. If you have a small food processor, grind the pretzels to very small pieces. You can leave some larger pieces for texture. If you don’t, take 2 (clean!) nylon bags, double wrap the pretzels and smack the hell out of the bag until the pretzels give up. Good way to let out some of those aggressions.
2. Put the Nutella and cinnamon in a bowl. Gradually add the pretzels. Don’t get it all in at once – you might end up with really condense texture. Remember the test? Spoon some to a place and see if it spreads just a little. If you have a piping bag – fill it up with the filling. No need for a special tip.
3. Heat the oven to 350f.
4. Roll the dough to 1/3″ thickness. Use a round cookie cutter or a regular cup to make rounds out of the dough. I used an 8″ cutter. Collect the dough leftovers to roll again and repeat the process.
5. Using a spoon or a piping bag, put about 1 tsp of filling on each round. Fold the dough to make a triangle and pinch the ends with your fingers.
6. Arrange on a sheet tray with about 1’’ space between the cookies.
7. Bake on the upper rack for about 15-18 minutes until the cookies are golden (my oven took full 18 minutes, but I know other ovens are probably better and require less time).
8. Share with all of your friends, and don’t forget the cellophane!

Everybody Loves a Short Cut

I love inviting people over for dinner. I deliberately say “I”, because my dear husband doesn’t share this passion with me – at least not in our current shoebox we like to call home. Like many other NYC diggs, we don’t really have much room to play with: the table only seats 4, and if we want a more casual option around the coffee table, it can probably entertain 6 people altogether. Tops. And this is before you calculate all the room that the unused pots and pans would take up (they usually reside in the oven, but when the oven’s on, they’re in all sorts of places – on the window, the table, on the book shelves… I get very creative with it 😉 ). Our kitchen is tiny as well and so I can’t prep and cook at the same time, nor can the stove accommodate more than 2 pots together (and there’s absolutely nowhere to put cold dishes. My fridge is packed).
So for all of there reasons, Mr. Hubby gets a migraine just thinking about this Rubik’s Cube logistics, the before, the during and the after… But I don’t mind. If it were up to me, we’d have friends over day in and day out…

Trick and treat
So in order to come to terms with my hubby and still be able to spoil my friends, I usually try to take short cuts in the meal components to create a beautiful but not-so-hard-to-make meal, and convince Mr. Hubby that ‘honestly, it wouldn’t take me more than 4 hours, including everything!’. Not very convincing, I know, I know… But usually he’s kind enough to put up with my pleadings and just doubles up the Advil dose.

Short cuts
Short cuts can be taken in every part of the meal, by creating dishes that combine both store-bought and homemade ingredients. You can apply this on every part of the meal – hors d’oeuvres, starters, main and dessert. The simplest example would be a homemade pie accompanied by store-bought ice cream. The coming recipe is the ultimate finger-food – yummy, not too messy, aesthetic – and pretty darn easy to make. This is guaranteed to take you less than 20 minutes to assemble (and less than 5 to enjoy before it’s gone -10 if you have super-polite guests ;)) One of my favorite things to make is a fancy alternative to bruschettas or blinis: Crinkle-cut potatoes (aka the wavy kind) with sour cream, smoked salmon and caviar. I’m getting hungry just imagining it… in utopia, I would make the potatoes myself as homemade fries by using a mandolin that would create that effect – but due to all of the above, I settle for store bought chips.

Culinary Marketing
Because I rarely purchase any kind of old-school snacks, I rarely get to the chips shelves. There’s many ways to utilize chips, and snacks generally, in all kinds of food preparations. It can replace breadcrumbs when you’re making chicken Supremes, the crunch factor in salads, the salty-crunchy bite in chocolate truffles filings and whatnot. But rarely do I see any attempts to approach foodies with these suggestions.

Brand dropping
I checked a very posh brand’s website – Kettle brand, which has its Krinkle Cut chips (very tasty, BTW). No recipe section there. Come on, guys! This product is aligned very well with recent health trends (no trans fat, all natural ingredients, no preservatives etc.), so it’s already half way there. Mix it with the home cooking trend, and you’ll find that your demand will rise, because people will not only be using the products as snacks – but as relevant cooking ingredients. Searching other sites for inspiration, I visited Ruffles’s website (a FritoLay brand’s). Success! There’s a recipe section. Like many other houses-of-brands, FritoLay supplies the Ruffles recipes as part of a bigger picture, which offers many other recipe options for all of the brands, mixed together (you can find Cracker Jack, Dorito’s and more). But to my surprise, almost 75% of the recipes did not involve the use of the product itself, but recipes that would compliment it (such as dips of sorts), or that are inspired by it (dry BBQ rub, inspired by the BBQ Ruffles product). I think there are many more opportunities to explore here, and it could use some more creative recipes utilizing the products themselves. Point for thought.

Strike-A-Pose Crinkle Chips
Serves a crowd

From the Pantry:
1 bag Crinkle Chips, regular (unflavored)
1 cup sour cream or Crème Fraiche
2 teaspoonds wasabi powder
1 tablespoon warm water
¼ cup minced chives
pinch of salt

10 pieces smoked salmon, cut to smaller 1’’ by 3’’ pieces
few drops lemon juice
zest of ½ lemon  

For show:
Red/black caviar (depends on how fancy you’re looking to be)
Arugula Micro greens / some more chives  

Get Mixin’:

1. For the cream: mix the wasabi and warm water to create a paste. Fold into the cream. Add chives and salt.
2. For the salmon: mix the fish with the lemon and zest.
3. Assemble! Arrange the chips so that they would stand nicely (and wouldn’t flip over when you mount it with all that yumminess)
4. Put ½ teaspoon of the wasabi cream on the chip, add a folded piece of the salmon, then another ½ teaspoon of the cream. Top with a dollop of caviar and some micro greens.
5. Wait for your guests. It’s for them, after all… or is it?

Bananas, meet Condensed Milk.

A few weeks ago we were invited for drinks and light dinner at a friend’s house. The kind of friend who doesn’t want you to bring anything. Now, as a chef, it is very hard to show up empty handed or holding a bottle of wine. But if I do bring something, I always also try not to over-do it, as it’s not my show after all. So of course – dessert is always the classic choice.

After a short interrogation I discovered their favorite sweet ending for a meal was Banana Pudding. Great choice for the cold nights of NYC. Having made a couple of puddings, I’ve decided to try a recipe that’s a little different this time. Unlike my usual cream-based puddings, I thought of trying to apply some short cuts and use Condensed Milk. The thickness of the condensed milk provides with that richness you want to feel in puddings, and if you use pre-mixed vanilla mixture, well – you’ve just cut half the work!

Let’s talk condensed milk.
Condensed Milk. Nestles under “other dairy” section. Not the sexiest sounding category.

Sold as a canned product which does not require refrigeration, It’s usually found somewhere on the baking shelves, right next to Wondra and almond extract (and if you ever shopped for it, you know you have to really look – it’s usually higher/lower than eye-level: marketers have better-selling items to put within your natural reach).

It’s one of those things that you don’t necessarily have in your pantry; some cultures use it more than others, for traditional recipes like the Mexican ‘La Lechera’ cake or the Brazilian candy ‘brigadairo’; it’s also used as a short-cut in pies and pudding recipes, acting as a great thickener-sweetener, a combined quality that is rarely found in many ingredients. Basically, it’s a great way to get away with some steps in baking/cooking procedures; using it will save you a couple of hours of waiting for milk to reduce to a thick, sticky, heavenly consistency which is necessary for certain dishes.

Like many commodities, these products aren’t really being promoted in any kind of ATL advertising; I don’t recall any commercial for these items, actually. But as mentioned, most people look online for inspiration anyway, so let’s check the brands websites, shall we?

Brand-Dropping
Eagle Brand – who is manufacturing only Condensed/Evaporated milk products – is doing a great job in giving some creative ideas as to how to use their products in various recipes. Nestle’s brand Carnations, on the other hand, means well – but directs you to a broken link (hey Nestle guys, I’m sure you have some good stuff in there, please look into it!). Nestle have another brand, La lechera , and here they have a whole website dedicated to product-use ideas that features both brands (and many more). Nestle is also doing a great job connecting the website to all of its social outlets: Pinterest, Facebook and Tweeter. The only thing with this site, is that it involves many different products and their own recipes, so if you happened to buy this one product – condensed milk, and want to know what you can do with it, it doesn’t let you sort by product but by other navigation options. Under the brand page itself, because there are more products rather than only sweetened condensed milk, some recipes may seem like they utilize it but actually call for other products of the brand, like milk powder or evaporated milk (do not mistake it for sweetened condensed milk!)

So, generally, I was pleased with what I found around the culinary marketing of this product. Now, without further a due, my Banana Pudding recipe for you all to try. I tried a different plating option, which I think is nice and interesting. In this recipe I caramelized half of the banana, and left the other part whole, to support the plating. This gives an additional texture and flavor source to the dish, and invites you to “play” with your food a little, just for fun.

NYC-Winter Glazed-Banana Pudding
Serves 4

From the Pantry
5 bananas
¼ cup maple syrup
1 container (14 oz) condensed milk
1 package instant vanilla pudding
2.5 cups milk
1 pint (4.73ml) container heavy cream

For show:
½ package Vanilla wafers/cookies (I made it myself..)
The bananas from before (see below).

Get Mixin’:

Make the pudding:

1. Take one banana. Mash it up well, preferably in a food processor, to a paste.
2. Mix the instant pudding with the milk and condensed milk. Add the mashed banana. Set aside to firm up, about 20-30 minutes in the fridge (or outside on the fire escape if it’s 7 degrees out and you have no room in your tiny little apartment).
3. Whip the heavy cream until firm peaks appear, but be careful not to overwhip it – it will become butter and there’s no turning back from there… (What are firm peaks? When the whipped cream holds its form and don not budge when you test it. Use any utensil like a spoon or a fork. Just take a little bit out of the bowl to see if it holds).
4. Gently incorporate the whipped cream into the pudding mix. Start with 1/3 of the batter. When incorporated, add the rest.

Glaze the bananas:

5. Take the rest of your 4 bananas. Peel half way. Cut each half way down to nice discs.
6. Heat a non-stick pan. Add the maple. When it starts to bubble a little, add the bananas in batches. Flip bananas when it turns nice and golden.
7. Set aside to cool.

Plate it!

• Put some of the pudding in a piping bag. If you don’t have any, you can use a spoon.
• Arrange one banana, peel and all, on a plate. Working from the banana side to the top, use your spoon or piping bag to pour some pudding, about 1 tablespoon. Add one glazed banana disc. Continue until you get to the banana top – about 3-5 banana discs.
• Put some vanilla cookies on the plate. You can put some pudding underneath it to give it some moisture.
• Dig in, and don’t forget to take a bite out of the raw banana – it’s the texture mix that makes this so much fun!

SHOW ME YOU LOVE ME

FLOWERS PAIRS BEST WITH CHOCOLATE

“I made reservations to this great new place”.
“I’m preparing some romantic dinner. Italian”.
“I’m just going to dip some fruit in chocolate. Says it all”.

Valentine’s Day is yet another great example for how food is everywhere, this time – in our love life. What we all guessed is true: food and love goes well together, in a very primal way in our brain. Now you know what the famous “wine me and dine me” phrase is based on.
It’s also a great opportunity to show our significant other we’re a great catch, and that they should stick with us. And I have the perfect glue:

HELL YEAH

This year, Valentine’s Day is a Saturday. And you have to admit it, not many things says ”Big Impression” like breakfast in bed. So I give you: perfect, easy pancakes. Preppy and all. The good stuff. My secret ingredient? Yogurt. The texture of yogurt gives great structure to the pancakes, while also making the art of shaping them foolproof. They turn out rounder and thicker than other pancakes, so when you stack it up you don’t need 20 of them: 4 will create that awesome “Eifel effect” and draw joyful squeaks of appreciation from around the room (or bed).

 I LOVE

Yogurt. Especially Greek yogurt, which has this tanginess to it, an attribute that makes it a perfect companion to many highly flavored dishes that need to “tone it down” a little – like spicy food, a hot pureed soup or very sweet items.

Yogurt brands are doing a good job in marketing this product to foodies, as it is so versatile and easy to combine with many dishes, showcasing the product can be used in more than just at breakfast with fruit.
Chobani did great with recipe suggestions on their website. I love the fact you can browse by dietary restrictions or by products, which shows good reading of current food trends and attention to niches. FAGE has paired up with celebrity chef Bobby Flay to give many cool recipe suggestions but is harder to navigate; refining by too many categories just narrows your search to such extent, that you find yourself with no recipes suggestions at all. Sometimes it’s better to keep it simple, especially when not all of your categories can yield enough search results, and will make the opposite impression of not enough variety of recipes.

 

LET THEM EAT CAKE

Pancakes are within the ‘Quick Bread’ realm, and indeed they are: very quick to make.
It can even be done faster in real time, if you prep the dry ingredients in advance. This way, you add the liquids at the very last minute – even days later – and be done in 15 minutes. Good way to ensure the surprise effect (you don’t want to be away from bed too long for your valentine to notice you’re gone and up to something, right?).

 

TOUCH OF TECHNICALITIES

Pancakes are mostly:

• Flour
• Leaveners – which are the agents who will fluff up your product – such as baking powder, or baking soda.
• Eggs –in charge of both flavor enrichment and leavening.
• Liquid such as milk, cream and water.
• Other flavor ingredients, such as melted butter, which will also contribute to flavor.

 

For best outcome, all ingredients should be at room temperature. This is to avoid an uneven batter. Come to think of it, the logic is pretty simple: Cold milk meets melted butter. Butter is not melted anymore. It lumps up. Big chunky soup. Catch my drift?

BIG AND FLUFFY ATTENTION PANCAKES
Yields 2-4 serving (depends on how large you prefer your breakfast..)

From the pantry:

3 cups (12 oz) AP flour
¼ cup (1.5 oz) sugar
½ Tablespoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
1 small container (7 oz) Greek yogurt
¼ cup milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 oz melted butter
Optional: 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (it will not totally ruin the recipe if you don’t use any).

 

For Show:
Any and all berries, bananas, confectioner’s sugar, and of course maple syrup (the real stuff, please)

 

Get Mixin’:

1. Get all dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. If you want to make your mix in advance, just put it in a container (make sure you label it so you don’t mistake it for just flour!).
2. Mix liquids: yogurt, milk. Eggs, butter, vanilla if you feel like it.
3. Mix dry and wet.
4. Voila! Le Pancake Batter.
5. Heat a non-stick pan and spray with some oil. The first pancake is always the trickiest: wait until the pan is hot, then pour a little of the mixture using a ladle. Turn the fire down to relatively low; this batter acts better to moderate heat.
6. Flip pancake when small air bubbles appear and the pancake batter is no longer runny.
7. Don’t panic. Told you the first one is tricky. I promise practice makes perfect.
8. Stack and top with your favorite fruit and a sea of maple.
9. Wait for it…    Who’s the favorite part of the relationship now?