Burrata and Prosciutto Toast ("Somebody Feed Phil" Inspired)

Burrata and Prosciutto Toast ("Somebody Feed Phil" Inspired from His Chicago Episode)
5 stars

My all-time favorite food show is "Somebody Feed Phil" on Netflix. It makes me so happy watching it -- seeing Phil travel to amazing places around the world, getting to know people and their cultures as well as eating amazing food, all while having fun (I laugh every time!).

We were watching his Chicago episode on Season 3 where he goes to Monteverde restaurant and tries one of the chef's favorite menu items -- an appetizer called Burrata E Ham. On their menu, here is the description:

BURRATA E HAM

rosemary tigelle, culatta prosciutto, arugula, grilled cherry tomato, toasted garlic  24

Tempesta finocchiona  add 5   prosciutto butter  add 4

We made the dish for much less than $24.

At some point, I'll figure out how to make rosemary tigelle, but here's how we made it (similar to how Phil ate it on the show) which is a little different from what is described above:

- Toasted bread
- Buttered the bread
- Added prosicutto
- Added shaved cantaloupe
- Added burrata

Mmmmmmm mmmmmm! (Can you hear Phil saying that? It's what I said it when we ate this!)

Recipe: Melissa Joan Hart's Lasagna Roll-ups

Melissa Joan Hart's Lasagna Roll-ups
Us Weekly, Dec 11, 2017, p.58
5 stars

After having steak and more meat than usual, I was looking for a good vegetarian dish, and THIS IS IT!!!  We've made this before, but I hadn't blogged/logged it in this journal.

This dish is so good, you won't even miss the meat. Note that the dish is a little watery, but that is to be expected because of the zucchini. Really great dish for people who want lasagna but are trying to cut out white pasta/carbs. Interestingly, the red bell pepper adds a nice flavor and crunch. Can't wait to eat the leftovers!

Ingredients: zucchini, 28 oz can crushed tomatoes, ricotta or cottage cheese, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, spinach or kale, carrots, red bell pepper, egg, parsley, basil, thyme, bay leaf, garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper

Tips/Notes:

• Layered the zucchini instead of rolling them
• Took about 45 min for prep
• Used spinach 
• Used ricotta

Recipe: Burst Cherry Tomatoes and Pancetta

Burst Cherry Tomatoes and Pancetta
Food and Wine Magazine, July 2018, p. 35
5 stars

Of all the dishes we've made that go with bread/toast, this one is my favorite. It has so much flavor because of the pancetta. This dish can be an appetizer, but we had it as our main meal and tossed in some pasta with it. And check it out -- just 7 ingredients including the bread itself!

Ingredients: toasted bread, cherry tomatoes, pancetta, ricotta, yellow onion, garlic, fine sea salt

Tips:

• Add red pepper flakes
• As mentioned above, we boiled pasta on the side and tossed some of the tomato mixture with it
• Add some fresh basil to the top when serving

Recipe: Chicken and Pork Paella

Chicken and Pork Paella
Food and Wine Magazine, Sept 2017, p.112
5 stars

Paella and cava. DELICIOUS!!!!
This was a really different paella recipe as you can see from the ingredient list below -- no seafood! We have been enjoying the leftovers from this as it made quite a bit. I would definitely serve this to guests at a dinner party.

Ingredients: chicken thighs, pork ribs, tomatoes, frozen artichoke hearts, romano beans, scallions, chicken stock, red bell pepper, Bomba rice, extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, saffron, pimenton de la Vera (smoked sweet Spanish paprika), rosemary sprig, boiling water, Kosher salt, pepper

Tips/Notes:

• Couldn't find Bomba rice so used arborio rice instead
• Excluded romano beans but use green beans next time
• Next time, add chorizo!

(Find recipe under: Entree - Vegetable Tortilla)

Recipe: Quick-Pickled Vegetables

Quick-Pickled Vegetables

I found this recipe and am including it here for reference for when we need it

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp Kosher salt
• 1 cup thinly sliced vegetables

• Whisk the unseasoned rice vinegar, sugar and Kosher salt together until the sugar and salt are dissolved.
• Add vegetables and let sit, squeezing gently with your hands occasionally to help them pickle more quickly for about 10 minutes.
• Vegetables can be pickled 3 days ahead. Cover and chill.

Recipe: Pork Volcanes al Pastor

Pork Volcanes al Pastor
Bon Appetit Magazine, Mar 2020, p. 59
5 stars
Restaurant-worthy!

I've been missing going out to restaurants to try new foods, so I've been thinking about how we can make restaurant-level dishes, and this is definitely one of them. I can't wait to eat the leftovers and make this again!

The chiles give layers of flavor/complexity (note that it's not too spicy, and we actually added jalapenos as a garnish). The flavorful pork along with the crispy tortillas ~ like tostadas and the melted cheese, cilantro, onion -- this is a "wow" dish.

Ingredients: corn tortillas, pork shoulder, Oaxaca cheese, white onion, cilantro, guajillo chiles, morita chiles, achiote (annatto) paste, garlic, orange juice, lime juice, extra-virgin olive oil, Kosher salt

Tips:

• Couldn't find achiote paste but did find annatto which we ground up.
• Next time, cube the pork so it's easier to eat.
• The marinade is DELICIOUS. There will be lots of extra marinade so cook it and use it as a sauce or as a dip to eat with chips.
• It didn't take nearly 35 min to crisp up the tortillas. Will note the amount of time the next time we make this.
• Added jalapeno as a garnish to give additional heat.

Recipe: Green Chile Enchiladas

Not a beautiful dish, but it's delish

Green Chile Enchiladas
Better Homes and Gardens, July 2020, p. 96
5 stars

I don't know who subscribed me to Better Homes and Gardens Magazine, but I do flip through every issue and have found some valuable content. To be honest, I'm wary of their recipes compared to what I might find in Food & Wine and Bon Appetit Magazine maybe it's because I feel like BH&G caters to more mainstream food tastes, whereas, I really like complex, hot/spicy, non-mainstream flavors.

I was craving enchiladas and saw this recipe that came from Frontier Restaurant which was highlighted in the "Route 66" article as a must-stop place to eat in New Mexico (it's near the University of New Mexico). These enchiladas were so delicious. As I'm writing this, I'm hoping that blog contributor the grandcruman left some for me in the fridge for lunch. We have a couple of other enchilada recipes we've tried that I've blogged about which are good, but different styles; this one is definitely being added to our enchilada repertoire.

Ingredients: flour or corn tortillas, sharp cheddar cheese, ground pork, russet potatoes, canned diced Hatch green chiles, yellow onion, white onion, chicken broth, serrano, yellow cornmeal, garlic, olive oil

Notes:

• As noted in the recipe, there is plenty of leftover green chile stew leftover that you can freeze. (Note for us -- it filled a medium glass containers with a blue top.)
• It made about 9 enchiladas.
• Forgot the serrano so there wasn't a lot of heat even though we used half hot diced Hatch chiles and half mild. Need to remember the serrano next time!

Recipe: Warm Sausage and Lentil Salad

Warm Sausage and Lentil Salad
Food and Wine Magazine, Jan 2018, p. 73
5 stars

I wouldn't call this a salad, per se. It's a delicious entree that is relatively healthy -- I LOVED it. Blog contributor the grandcruman didn't think it was 5 stars, but he's not writing this blog. I thought the flavor was spot on, and I looked forward to eating the leftovers. There was the acidity from the red wine vinegar dressing, the crunch from the walnuts, heartiness from the lentils, complexity from adding the fennel and parsley and who doesn't like sausage? I'd make this again in a heartbeat.

Ingredients: carrots, fennel, garlic sausages, green lentils, shallots, thyme, walnuts, bay leaf, parsley, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, extra-virgin olive oil, Kosher salt, pepper

Notes:

• Doubled the amount of carros (and used tri-color carrots that I love from Trader Joe's)