Mango & Tomato

8/19/11

Grilled Halloumi & Watermelon Salad

As you are reading this, I'm having a fabulous time in Denver. Don't hate.

But while I'm out and about, I thought I'd share with you a salad I made several weeks ago on a total whim.

Here's what happened: I have been obsessing with watermelon. I love eating it as is, or pickled or in a salad with feta and basil.
Then someone mentioned grilling watermelon. I love grilled peaches, nectarines and plums, but have never thought about doing the same with watermelon. After all, it has a super high water content. But I thought I'd give it a try.

Since watermelon is rather sweet, I needed something salty to go with it: halloumi cheese!

Did you know halloumi is incredibly expensive? Well, once in a while we all have to treat ourselves: because if we don't, who will?

The final ingredients in the salad are arugula and your favorite balsamic vinegar.

Ingredients
watermelon slices
halloumi slices
olive oil
arugula
lemon juice
best balsamic vinegar you can find (if you have a reduced version with fruity flavor, use that!)

Directions
1. Lightly brush halloumi and watermelon slices with oil. Grill the watermelon and halloumi on a panini grill for about 5 minutes. The time will depend on how thick your slices are.
2. Drizzle arugula with watermelon and lemon juice.
3. Top dressed arugula with grilled halloumi and watermelon and drizzle with balsamic.

I LOVED the grilled halloumi: it's salty, firm and reminds me of cheese curds. The grilled watermelon is another story: I hated it. Seriously, it was gross: a hot mess. I think the salad would be a lot better if you just use watermelon as nature intended it to be: cold and juicy.

Have you ever grilled a watermelon? Am I missing something? Please share your stories!

8/17/11

Recipe for Domenica Marchetti's Soup

About 90% of the time I just make up my own recipes. I go to the store, find what ingredients look appealing, see what I have in my pantry and make things up as I go. Most of the time I'm quite successful.

Other times, I just want someone to hand me a recipe, go to the store to get all the necessary ingredients, follow the directions and make a dish as the recipe's author has intended it to be.

This past weekend I decided to look through Domenica Marchetti's The Glorious Pasta of Italy book and choose a recipe.

Ok, I lie. I actually already had a recipe in mind: Minestra di Pasta e Piselli. It's a pasta soup with peas and pancetta. What's not to like?

The weather was slightly cooler and it kept on raining on and off: a perfect day for soup.

I changed a few measurements, so I'll just write the recipe/directions as I made the soup.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 thick slice of pancetta***
4 carrots, peeled and diced
1 cup diced onion
5-6 sprigs thyme
ground black pepper
64 ounces chicken broth
1 1/2 cups ditalini pasta (or use any small pasta)
1 1/2 cups frozen peas
1/2 cups mixed cheeses: Asiago, Parmesan, Romano {next time I'll use Domenica's advice of only adding Parmesan, because my combination of cheeses did not melt quite well}

***Special thank you to Philly Homegrown for a lovely care package: I used pancetta from North South Canning Company & Meatery.

Directions
1. Heat butter and oil in a heavy soup pot: I used my 5.5 quart Le Creuset.
2. Add pancetta, onions and carrots and saute for 5 minutes.
3. Add thyme sprigs and black ground pepper and continue to saute for 5 more minutes.
4. Add chicken broth, bring to a boil. Add pasta and peas and cook till pasta is al dente.
5. Remove the soup from the heat. Take out thyme sprigs: all the leaves would have fallen into the soup by this point. Stir in the cheese.
6. Serve in warm soup bowls.

I garnished my soup with a bit of cheese. {Check out my new spoon: only $2!!}

The soup was incredibly flavorful, filling and almost buttery. It's a great one pot meal all in itself. Just keep in mind that it's not a great soup to freeze and that pasta will definitely expand as it sits in the hot liquid and when you put the soup in the refrigerator.

Also, the original recipe did not call for carrots, but I think they added a nice extra color and sweetness to the soup.

8/15/11

9th Annual Clyde's Farm Dinner: Slow Food DC

Last weekend I got a chance to do something incredibly cool and something I've been wanting to do for years.

I was invited to attend the 9th Annual Clyde's Farm Dinner at Willow Creek Farm: one of the Slow Food DC events.

I will be the first one to admit that my refrigerator and pantry are not full of organic and local produce and staples from farmers' market. The convenience of shopping at my grocery store whenever I feel like it wins out most of the time. Still, I do enjoy visiting a farmers' market occasionally and picking up a few vegetables or fruit that are in season.

To get a chance to eat the food grown directly near the restaurant was something I could not pass up. I did not care that I'd have to be up at 5 am the following day and pack for a friend's wedding: I was packed my camera and invited my friend Daphne to join me for dinner.

I'll let the photographs speak for themselves. Please take a look at the slide show to see how amazingly beautiful the Willow Creek Farm is.

We started with a peach sangria. It was light, fruity and absolutely gorgeous: the pink you see is a raspberry puree. With glasses of sangria in hand, Daphne and I walked along a path till we reached the Willow Creek Farm. There we saw multiple varieties of tomatoes, herbs, FIGS, sunflowers and berries. I did not want to make this post five pages long, so most of the photographs are in the slide show.

Once we came back from the tour of the farm, the dinner started. First we had pickled vegetables (including rhubarb and green tomatoes) and charcuterie.

As we waited for the first course, we sipped on Rapidan River Semi-Dry Riesling from Virginia. White wine is definitely my favorite, especially when it's on a sweeter side. And how can you go wrong with a beautiful blue bottle?

We also got to try focaccia with locally grown vegetables and herbs and a salad.

What followed was Chesapeake Bay Soft-Shell Clams with herb and cheese ravioli and Blue Ridge Dairy Butter. The pasta melted in my mouth and the sweetness of butter was almost too much to handle. But I powered through ;) This was the first time I've had soft-shell clams. Unlike the soft-shell crab, which I'm not a fan of, you are not eating the shell of the clams.

Then we all met one of the stars of the night: Craig Rogers. Craig grows lamb at Border Springs Farm. The passion he has for his craft and food is unbelievable.

Roast Border Springs Lamb: leg, rack and house-made sausage with Swiss chard and pan drippings served with Fabbioli Cellars Cabernet Franc from Leesburg, VA.

People went nuts over the sausage, but my favorite was the leg of lamb. I just wish this dish came with a side of potatoes.

And then after a rain storm (see the slide show) we enjoyed Roasted Peach Semifreddo with Willow Creek Farm's honey popcorn and Hillsborough Vineyards Moonstone Late Harvest Viognier from Purcellville, VA. What a sweet way to end the evening.

Have you ever had a chance to eat a dinner out in a farm? What was your favorite aspect of the meal?

8/13/11

Kodak Gallery Photo Book

The first ever digital camera I had was a Kodak. This was almost 10 years ago. Here's the story: my mom asked me if I wanted a camera. I said no. Then when I came to visit my parents in Seattle for New Years and opened my New Year present, amongst towels I found a Kodak digital camera. I lost my sh*t. Seriously! In fact, my reaction, a full-on meltdown, was recorded by my dad. Trust me, it's not pretty! If I ever bring a man home, I'm sure my parents will show him that video to tell him what he's getting into.

I did not want a camera. I did not have a computer back then, so what good would it do me to have a digital camera?

Needless to say, I've come a long way from my first Kodak camera to my Canon Rebel. I also hope I learned how to behave more graciously and grown up, but you'll have to ask my parents about that.

Why am I telling you this story? Because things have a funny way of coming a full circle. As part of The Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I occasionally have a chance to try out new products. This time, instead of trying a food product, I got an opportunity to make my own Kodak Gallery Photo Book. How cool is that?

The hardest part in this project was deciding which photos to choose. Everything else was incredibly simple: you basically choose a page layout, upload photographs or text and you are pretty much set.

In the end, I decided to make a book of some of my favorite food, travel and flower photos. See the pages below and make sure to look/read the entire post because there will be something special for every one of you at the end. Promise!

Blueberry Chia Lemon muffins I made for Robyn's blog

Goat Cheese Ice Cream and Mango Frozen Yogurt

Dinner at Estadio in DC

Chicken for Chicken Tortilla Soup and Breakfast Pizza

Stir Fry for Robyn and Mint Chutney with Indian Puffed Rice

Beet greens with Swiss Chard and Peaches

People holding fruit {Nicole on the lower left and Julia on the top} and Seattle Pike Place Market

Travel: Boston & DC

Flowers: Boston & DC

Flowers around Capitol Hill in DC

My love: Orchids!

Thoughts? Hope you enjoyed looking at my book. My dad told me I should find a publishing company and sell it world wide. Oy!

And now, here's a little surprise to YOU: you can get 40% off your own book until August 31st! What are you waiting for? Let your creativity run wild and follow this link.

8/11/11

Cooking with PastaPrima: Grilled Chicken Ravioli with Vegetables & Blue Cheese

A few weeks ago I received a package from PastaPrima with several varieties of ravioli and was asked to come up with a fun recipe that would not be your typical ravioli with sauce dish.

I was up for the challenge! Who knows, maybe I'll even win the grand prize of $1,000 worth of must-have kitchen tools?

One can dream, right?

About PastaPrima:

"Pasta Prima is both American owned and family owned. Over 25 years ago, a husband and wife team began handcrafting ravioli in California. Known as "one of Club's best" and "spinach kids eat," our frozen Spinach and Mozzarella Ravioli was our first product. Ready in ten minutes, our creative Spinach and Mozzarella Ravioli fans serve Pasta Prima fried when entertaining. In the summertime, they enjoy Pasta Prima grilled or served cold in pasta salad. Pasta Prima is made in America. "

"Pasta Prima begins with the highest quality, 100% Natural ingredients. From fresh cut vegetables to aged-imported cheeses, we source from local producers and the world's best. Pasta Prima's gourmet fillings are preservative-free with nothing artificial. Gone organic? Our Organic Ravioli is gentle on your body and the environment. If you are avoiding wheat, we replace it with 100% Natural corn and rice flour in our Gluten Free Ravioli. "

I decided to use the Grilled Chicken and Mozzarella Ravioli and combine it with Summer fresh vegetables and blue cheese. Note that the packaged ravioli came with Parmesan & Herb mix, but I left it out.

Grilled Chicken Ravioli with Vegetables & Blue Cheese

Ingredients
8 ounce package of PastaPrima Grilled Chicken and Mozzarella Ravioli
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 cups snow peas, ends trimmed, cut in half on diagonal
1 yellow pepper, sliced thinly on diagonal
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
6 basil leaves, chopped
1/4-1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese

Directions
1. Cook ravioli according to the directions on the package.
2. Heat olive oil in a pan. Add garlic and saute for a few minutes.
3. Add snow peas and saute for 2 more minutes. Do the same with yellow pepper.
4. Add cherry tomatoes and drained ravioli. Let everything warm through for a few minutes.
5. Turn off the heat, add the blue cheese and basil. Let the blue cheese melt into hot vegetables and ravioli.
6. Serve immediately.

How incredibly simple is this dish? Of course you can use any pasta/ravioli you have on hand. Feel free to add zucchini, green onions and or mushrooms. If you think blue cheese is too strong, go with mozzarella.

What's your favorite way of cooking/eating pasta that is not your typical pasta + sauce?

PS see the little fork in the first photo? I found it in a 2nd hand store with Jenna for $2! And I also found a cute little spoon there for another $2. What a bargain ;)

8/9/11

Recipe for spicy turkey meatballs

Meatballs weren't a typical item on a menu in my house in Russia. Instead, we ate kotleti: sort of similar to burger patties, they were made from beef, garlic, onion, salt & pepper with an addition of an egg and some bread.

These kotleti were formed into patties and cooked on a pan till the outside was crispy. Instead of eating them on a bun, we had them with mashed potatoes, rice, pasta or buckwheat.

My mom, however, did make ezhiki. Say what? In Russian it means little hedgehogs. These were mini meatballs made with beef and rice and usually added to the soup. Meatballs & spaghetti wasn't something I discovered till my family moved to the States.

In the last 18 years, I've tried beef, pork, chicken and turkey meatballs. I've had them over rice, on top of salads, both in tomato or cheese based sauces and of course with spaghetti.

This time I'd like to share with you a recipe for Spicy Turkey Meatballs I came up with. If you are still feeling eeffie about turkey, feel free to use ground chicken.

Ingredients (makes about 23 meatballs)
olive oil for cooking
1 pound ground turkey
2 chipotle in adobo peppers, seeds removed, finely chopped
2 Laughing Cow Cheese Light Mozzarella Sundried Tomato wedges
16 basil leaves, chopped (Thanks, Sylvie)
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt & pepper
1/4 red onion, chopped finely

Directions
1. Combine all ingredients together other than olive oil.

2. Form uniform meatballs.

3. Heat olive oil in a nonstick pan. Add meatballs and cook them till they are browned all around and are cooked through. This should take about 10-12 minutes total.

Alas, I could not really taste the cheese. The chipotle in adobo sauce, however, really shined through and gave these meatballs a nice kick!

What do you add into your meatballs?

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