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)

Recipe: Caramelized Black Pepper Chicken

Caramelized Black Pepper Chicken
Food & Wine Magazine, Sept 2018, p. 68
4.5 stars

Easy weeknight Asian stir-fry meal. This recipe comes from Charles Phan, the chef at The Slanted Door (been there!) in San Francisco. We had the chicken for dinner with steamed rice and broccoli. The sauce was amazing drizzled over the broccoli -- it had a really nice heat from the Thai chiles.

This recipe was in the "40 Years of Food & Wine" issue back from September 2018 (they selected this has a top recipe from 40 years of recipes!)

Ingredients: chicken, shallot, fresh Thai chiles, cilantro, dark brown sugar, fish sauce, canola oil, water, rice vinegar, garlic, fresh ginger, ground pepper

Tips/Notes:

• Fish sauce has a strong flavor so we used less than the 1/4 cup
• Used chicken breast instead of chicken thighs

(Find paper recipe under: Entree - Pasta with Sausage, Mustard and Basil)

Drink Recipe: Sarah's Garibaldi

Sarah's Garibaldi
Martha Stewart Living, Nov 2019, p.74
5 stars

You have to like Campari for this cocktail! I loved it, but I like bitter drinks with a lot of complexity. The bitterness of the Campari is definitely smoothed out by the orange juice.

This drink is so simple to make -- basically shake up the following in a cocktail shaker and strain into a coupe or martini glass:

• 2 oz Campari
• 1 oz fresh orange juice
• A few dashes of orange bitters
• Garnish with an orange twist

Notes:

• I used 2 oz of orange juice
• Next time, top off with sparkling water or club soda to give it some fizz

Recipe: Salsa de Arbol

Salsa de Arbol
Bon Appetit Magazine, p. 58
4.5 stars

There's fresh, bright non-roasted salsa and then there's fresh roasted salsa with a deeper flavor like this recipe. It's so easy to make and the ingredients are items we (can) always have on hand.

Ingredients: can of diced fire-roasted tomatoes, dried chiles de arbol, lime juice, extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, Kosher salt

Tips:

• Add jalapeno!

(Find recipe under: Entree - Pork Volcanes al Pastor)

Recipe: Salpicon Tacos

Forgot to get a photo of it in a tortilla

Salpicon Tacos
Food & Wine Magazine, May 2019, p.14
4.5 stars

Fresh, easy and satisfying dish especially for a weekday meal!

Ingredients: tortillas, skirt steak, plum tomatoes, radishes, red onion, cucumber, avocado, habanero chiles, cilantro, orange juice, lime juice, fine sea salt

Tips/Notes:

• Sprinkle queso fresco on top
• Substitute a jalapeno for the habanero
• Make sure to put leftovers in a sealed tupperware container -- otherwise, the vegetable smell (especially the onion and cucumber) will invade your fridge!
• Consider making 1/2 the recipe as leftovers will have lots of water/juices coming out of the vegetables

Recipe: Spicy-Sweet Sambal Pork Noodles and Blistered Green Beans with Fried Shallots

Spicy-Sweet Sambal Pork Noodles
Bon Appetit Magazine, May 2020, p. 30
5 stars

Ingredients: ramen or spaghetti, ground pork, ginger, tomato paste, basil, hot chili paste (sambal oelek), garlic, soy sauce, unseasoned rice vinegar, sugar, butter, extra-virgin olive oil, Kosher salt

Blistered Green Beans with Fried Shallots
Bon Appetit Magazine, May 2020, p.74
5 stars

Ingredients: green beans, oyster sauce, shallot, garlic, lemongrass, ginger, vegetable oil, Kosher salt

I loved this meal so much! Packed with flavor and relatively easy to make.
The noodles were like an Asian bolognese, and the the green been dish is now a new favorite to add as a side for the other Asian dishes we make.

Notes:

• The noodles were pretty spicy but we halved the overall recipe and forgot to half the sambal oelek.
• This meal would be great with a side of simple tofu.

Recipe: Farro-Vegetable Hash with Chermoula

Farro-Vegetable Hash with Chermoula
Bon Appetit Magazine, May 2020, p.86
5 stars

Great, healthy recipe that we'll add to our recipe repertoire. I love this recipe as an alternative to the Ancient Grains Buddha Bowl and Farro Salad with Walnuts and Raisins.

Hash Ingredients:  farro, sweet potatoes, bacon, brussels sprouts, eggs, sweet onion, thyme, garlic, sesame or benne seeds, extra-virgin olive oil, Kosher salt, black pepper

Chermoula Ingredients: cilantro, parsley, mint, lemon zest, lemon juice, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, black peppercorns, extra-virgin olive oil, red pepper, Kosher salt

Tips/Notes:

• Definitely needs the bacon for the umami flavor -- double the amount
• Didn't add the egg, but it needs the egg for creaminess
• Add more red pepper, in general
• Use a mini food processor instead of a blender (the blender wouldn't blend as the herbs kept getting stuck)
• Next time will add balsamic mushrooms from the Ancient Grains Buddha Bowl recipe
• Made half of the chermoula which is more than enough
• Added Parmesan on top 

Recipe: Savory Cheese Souffle Recipe

Savory Cheese Souffle Recipe
seriouseats.com
5 stars

I've made quite a few different souffle recipes, but this one has the best flavor and texture for a basic cheese souffle -- and it was a relatively easy recipe!  Can't wait to make this again.

Ingredients: 4 egg yolks, 5 egg whites, Gruyere or other semifirm cheese, flour, whole milk, Dijon mustard, cayenne pepper, butter, Parmigiano-Reggiano, cream of tartar, Kosher salt, black pepper

Tips/Notes:

• Baked for 35 min
• This recipe was for one large 48 oz souffle; however, next time will test the bake time in small ramekins

Recipe: No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
livingsweetmoments.com/no-bake-chocolate-peanut-butter-bars
5 stars

This is a crazy-good, restaurant-worthy dessert.  Believe me as I've eaten a lot of dessert.  There are 5 layers to it: 1) a graham cracker crust, 2) a cereal crunchy layer, 3) peanut butter mousse, 4) chocolate ganache and  5) peanuts on top as a garnish.  It's the mix of textures and salty/sweet from the chocolate with peanut butter that makes this a top dessert for me.

There not a lot of ingredients, but it does take a little time to make because of all of the layers.

Ingredients: graham crackers, butter, Honey Bunches of Oats cereal, peanut butter, semi-sweet chocolate, cream cheese, confectioners sugar, heavy cream, chopped peanuts

Tips:

• Definitely use Honey Bunches of Oats cereal as it gives the right amount of crunch and also imparts a nice complexity from the honey flavor
• Used regular crunchy peanut butter (not unsweetened)
• Next time, will try beating the peanut butter mousse much less as it looked like the mixture was breaking up
• Sprinkled sea salt on top since our peanuts for the garnish were unsalted
• Forgot to line the pan with aluminum foil!

Recipe: Creamy Baked Pasta with Gruyere and Prosciutto

Creamy Baked Pasta with Gruyere and Prosciutto
Food & Wine Magazine, Feb 2020, p. 43
5 stars

This is a restaurant-worthy, guest-serving worthy, delicious mac & cheese. We made half the recipe because I wasn't quite sure how it was going to turn out as there aren't that many ingredients, and it looked so easy ... too easy to make.  It was incredible! We had this as a side dish with steak and a wedge salad.  I have two other favorite mac & cheese recipes, and this is in the top 3.

Ingredients: a short pasta, Gruyere cheese, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, heavy cream, nutmeg, Kosher salt; can serve with sliced prosciutto

Recipe: Chocolate-Olive Oil Crisps

Chocolate-Olive Oil Crisps

Martha Stewart Living, Mar 2020, p. 102

3.5-4 stars?

I'm not sure if I'll make these cookies again. I liked their texture and depth of chocolate flavor, but to me, they tasted like there was a bit of sesame oil in it. Not sure why or if the honey, vanilla or extra-virgin oil was imparting some odd flavor -- or maybe my tastebuds!

Ingredients: all-purpose flour, Dutch-process cocoa powder, egg, honey, vanilla extract, extra-virgin olive oil, granulated sugar, baking soda, Kosher salt, turbinado sugar

Recipe: Easy Polenta

Easy Polenta
Food & Wine Magazine, Mar 2020, p.36
4 stars

Honestly, I wasn't quite sure about this recipe especially when we started making it and I realized that we literally just needed to boil the broth, whisk in the polenta and then remove the pot from the heat and let it stand for 45 minutes.  Overall, for a no stir polenta, it was pretty good.  Some lumps, but not bad (we could have whisked more "vigorously" to break up the lumps).

Had this with a salad and also Magic Crispy Chicken!  Such a great meal.

Ingredients: polenta, chicken broth, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, butter, Kosher salt, black pepper

Tip:

• Made half the recipe (2 cups of uncooked polenta expands and serves a lot of people -- 8)
• Next time, use 10% less broth

Recipe: Spicy Baked Pasta with Cheddar and Broccoli Rabe

Spicy Baked Pasta with Cheddar and Broccoli 
Bon Appetit Magazine, Mar 2020, p. 27
4.5 stars

I was really curious about this recipe as the heading for the article/recipe was "A Very Persuasive Pasta -- Alison Roman couldn't find a baked pasta she liked. So she made one she did."  I would say she did a great job creating this dish. So good and flavorful. I liked the use of the sharp white cheddar and especially loved the crispy topping.

Ingredients: rigatoni, leeks, broccoli rabe or broccolini, sharp white cheddar, chives, fresh breadcrumbs or panko, heavy cream, extra-virgin olive oil, black pepper, Kosher salt

Tips

• Used penne instead
• Used kale instead of broccoli rabe