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Chef Michael Stebner’s True Food Kitchen Brussels Sprouts with Umami Sauce

Brussels sprouts chef recipe True Food Kitchen

Have you been to a True Food Kitchen restaurant? Everything, EVERY SINGLE MENU ITEM there is so freaking amazingly fresh and delicious. The brainchild of health and nutrition guru Dr. Andrew Weil, True Food’s motto is “honest food that tastes really good”. YOU MUST GO.

Onward! We are sticking with our New Year’s resolution, avoiding Trader Joe’s cookie butter, and eating all of the green things. Today we share with you True Food Kitchens recipe for Brussels Sprouts with Umami Sauce. Created by Executive Chef Michael Stebner, here is what he has to say about this dish:
” Most people who say they hate Brussels sprouts have never had them properly prepared. The secrets: Choose fresh, smallish, young sprouts; do not overcook them; and enhance them with the right seasonings. Here, halved sprouts are quickly stir fried with garlic, then tossed in True Food’s Umami sauce. Spring these on a Brussels sprouts hater and change a life.”

 

Brussels Sprouts with Umami Sauce

Brussels Sprouts:
1 ½ teaspoons expeller-pressed canola oil
1 ½ pounds Brussels sprouts, halved
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/3 cup Umami Sauce (see below)
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Umami Sauce
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup flaked nutritional yeast
3/8 cup tamari (low-sodium)
1 c olive oil
1/2 cup water
6 cloves garlic, mashed

Umami sauce instructions:
Add everything to food processor except oil.
Then, with motor running, add oil in a thin stream.
Umami sauce is great on salads, vegetables, etc. Use flaked yeast, such as Red Star brand, not powdered.

Brussels sprouts instructions:
Heat a wok or skillet over high heat. Add the oil. When hot, add the Brussels sprouts and garlic, and sauté for 1 minute. Add ¼ cup water, cover, and cook for 2 minutes, tossing to cook evenly. Remove the cover and stir in the Umami Sauce, lemon juice, zest, salt, and pepper. Continue to cook while occasionally tossing until the liquid is reduced to a thick sauce, about 7 minutes. Transfer to plate and serve hot.

Appetizer Recipes Breakfast Recipes Potato Recipes

Sinful Chef Recipes: The Gourmet Tater Tot

Move over bacon, the Tater Tot is back! Actually this trend has been going strong for quite some time now, and chef created versions of the childhood favorite have had a presence on innovative restaurant menus for several years. Our shout out to the crunchy carby nibble today is our enthusiastic vote to keep the dream alive. Long live the tot!

We present to you our Tater Tot 101 class, which will answer all burning questions: What are they and how did they originate and come to be?

Firstly we want to admit that we have resorted to the freezer on occasion when pressed for time. Please don’t tell our organic gluten free paleo friends from boot camp. (When this happens it’s typically Trader Joe’s frozen gnocchi with gorgonzola or tarte alsace, which are both quite tasty by the way.) But occasionally it can also be complete junk because, hey if you are falling off the real food wagon, why not go all the way with the downward spiral? And though our guilty frozen pleasures don’t usually include these, we have tried them, and apparently America loves them. The Ore Ida frozen tator tot (parent company H.J. Heinz) has been a staple in grocery stores since 1953. 59 years! Here’s how they began. Oregon brothers and founders of Ore Ida, Golden and Nephi Grigg, created tator tots as a way to sell leftover potato bits from their french fry products. Their money saving idea blossomed, and the rest is history. Max Wetzel, associate marketing director for Ore Ida, says “Americans eat an estimated 3.5 billion Tater Tots every year”.

What’s inside the red bag? The Ore Ida classic version Tater Tot ingredients are: “POTATOES, VEGETABLE OIL (SUNFLOWER, COTTONSEED, SOYBEAN, AND/OR CANOLA), SALT, YELLOW CORN FLOUR, ONIONS, DEXTROSE, DISODIUM DIHYDROGEN PYROPHOSPHATE, NATURAL FLAVORING.”

Ouch right? But imagine creating the beloved comforting tot with real potatoes, at home, kicked up a notch gourmet style. Perhaps for breakfast as an egg side, or as a steak alternative to a baked or mashed, or a late night snack after cocktails. Here are a few tasty chef recipes to try, feel free to adapt them to your taste. Enjoy loves!

tater-tot-gourmet-chef-mark

Chef Mark Zeitouni’s Tator Tots

(Winner of grand prize award at the Idaho Potato Commission’s “Side Dish Challenge” at the South Beach Wine and Food Festival’s burger bash)
Chef Mark is executive chef at the Lido Restaurant & Bayside Grill at The Standard Spa and Hotel, Miami Beach

Serves 4.

Ingredients:
2 large Idaho® Russet Potatoes, washed thoroughly
2 shallots, peeled
6 parsley sprigs, picked and roughly chopped
4 scallions, green part only, chopped
Pinch white pepper, finely ground
Pinch sea salt, finely ground
Vegetable oil for frying

Chef’s Note: Carefully read the directions and complete the processes from start to finish without letting the potatoes get cold. It is the warm starch from the barely cooked potatoes that holds the tater tots together.

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Place potatoes on baking pan and cook for 20 minutes or until when squeezed the potatoes barely “give.” Remove from oven and set baking pan on top of oven to keep warm for another 20 minutes. (This will allow the center of the potatoes to barely cook so they will not turn brown after shredding. The goal is to have the potatoes barely cooked but not to the point that they turn to mashed potatoes when grated.)
2. Peel the potato skin back using a butter knife or similar. Try not to remove any of the flesh underneath the skin as it will help bind the tater tots.
3. Using either a shredder attachment on a food processor or a hand grater, shred the potatoes into a bowl. Then press the shallots through the shredder attachment or if doing by hand, finely dice.
4. Add the shallots and the remaining ingredients to the bowl and mix thoroughly. The mixture should still be warm and sticky to the touch. At this point, the potatoes can either be pressed into a cookie sheet to a 1-inch thickness or hand formed into balls of the same 1-inch thickness. Wet your hands or rolling pin so the starch will not stick. Once formed allow to cool.
5. Press onto a cookie sheet and cut into 1-inch by 1-inch squares.
6. Heat deep fryer or sauté pan with half inch of vegetable oil to medium high heat and carefully place the tater tots in the oil. Turn the potatoes so all sides are cooked evenly to golden brown. Season lightly with a pinch of sea salt and serve.

Lobster Tater Tots
From Executive Chef Tim Scott of (RIP) Marshall Fields

• 3 Idaho potatoes, peeled and uniformly diced
• 4 tbsp. butter
• 2 tbsp. heavy cream
• 4 slices bacon, cooked and finely chopped
• 1/4 cup chives, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup of cooked lobster meat, finely chopped
• Kosher salt to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 cup flour, for dusting
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 c. panko bread crumbs
• Canola oil for frying

Place potatoes in a large pot, cover with water, place over high heat and bring to a boil; cook until tender. Drain water and transfer potatoes to a food mill or ricer. Press potatoes through food mill or ricer and into a large bowl. Add butter, cream, bacon, chives and lobster. Mix well, season with salt and pepper to taste and refrigerate until cool and firm, about an hour.

Once mixture has cooled, roll out into 3/4-inch-thick logs and cut into 1 1/2-inch lengths. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs with 1/4cup cold water. Roll each Tater Tot in flour, dip into egg wash and roll in bread crumbs (this step can be done ahead of time and Tater Tots can be refrigerated or frozen until ready to cook). Preheat oven to 200 degrees. In a deep frying pan over medium-high heat, add canola oil until it is 1/2-inch deep and heat oil. Add Tater Tots and cook, turning occasionally, until they are brown on all sides, about 3 minutes. Serve immediately, or transfer cooked Tater Tots to a parchment-lined baking sheet and reserve in warm oven until ready to serve.

And, be still our hearts. Chef Michael Symon ups the tot ante with a crabmeat version and a bacon version ♥

Crab Tater Tots
Live to Cook by Chef Michael Symon, of Lola restaurant in Cleveland, and Roast in Detroit

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 large egg
1 cup mashed potatoes
Canola oil, for deep-frying
1/2 pound lump crab meat
Panko bread crumbs, for breading
Kosher salt

Directions

In a small saucepan, combine the butter with 1/4 cup water over high heat. When the water comes to a simmer and the butter is melted, add the flour. Reduce the heat to medium and stir until the resulting paste pulls away from the sides of the pan, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Allow to cool for 5 minutes. Add the egg to the pan and stir vigorously until the egg is incorporated into the flour mixture. Stir in the mashed potatoes and let cool.

Pour enough oil into a medium pot so that the oil comes 3 inches up the sides. Heat the oil to 350 degrees F.

While the oil heats, gently fold the crab into the potato mixture; the lumpier the batter, the better. Using two soup spoons, shape the mixture into quenelles, or 2-inch footballs. (You should end up with about 35.) Roll in the panko. Deep-fry, working in batches and turning once, until crisp, brown, and heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels and season with salt.

Chef Michael Symon’s Bacon Tater Tots
Chef Michael Symon, of Lola restaurant in Cleveland, and Roast in Detroit

Serves 6

Ingredients
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 large egg
1 cup mashed potatoes
canola oil, for deep-frying
1/2 pound bacon ♥
panko bread crumbs, for breading
kosher salt

Directions

In a small saucepan, combine the butter with 1/4 cup water over high heat. When the water comes to a simmer and the butter is melted, add the flour. Reduce the heat to medium and stir until the resulting paste pulls away from the sides of the pan, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Allow to cool for 5 minutes. Add the egg to the pan and stir vigorously until the egg is incorporated into the flour mixture. Stir in the mashed potatoes and let cool.

Pour enough oil into a medium pot so that the oil comes 3 inches up the sides. Heat the oil to 350 degrees F.

While the oil heats, gently fold the bacon into the potato mixture; the lumpier the batter, the better. Using two soup spoons, shape the mixture into quenelles, or 2-inch footballs. (You should end up with about 35.) Roll in the panko. Deep-fry, working in batches and turning once, until crisp, brown, and heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels and season with salt.

Appetizer Recipes

Popcorn! 6 chef recipes you need in your life

Well what do you know. Popcorn is the new kale! Joe Vinson PhD, is a chemistry professor at the University of Scranton in PA. His recent study found that the hulls of popcorn are found to have a high level of antioxidant polyphenols. Said Vinson about his findings: “They are nutritional gold nuggets” and that “Popcorn may be the perfect snack food. It’s the only snack that is 100 percent unprocessed whole grain. All other grains are processed and diluted with other ingredients, and although cereals are called “whole grain,” this simply means that over 51 percent of the weight of the product is whole grain. One serving of popcorn will provide more than 70 percent of the daily intake of whole grain. The average person only gets about half a serving of whole grains a day, and popcorn could fill that gap in a very pleasant way.”

(A side note: remember the news when coffee and chocolate were found to have antioxidants? Those were the research of Dr Vinson as well. We are hoping for a bacon study in the future!)

And of course, we have popcorn restaurant recipes for you. Read on for favorites from Chef Peter Rudolf, Chef Kerry Sear, Chef Sheri Clark and more. You must promise not to sue us like Nutella!

(photo ©Shawn Hempel)

Warm Balsamic Popcorn
Crop Bistro & Bar, Cleveland, OH

Ingredients

3 cups freshly popped plain popcorn
½ cup thinly Sliced red and green pepper and red onion
Pinch of salt and pepper
2 tbs fresh basil
¼ cup fresh arugula
2 tbs sun dried tomatoes
1 tbs vegetable Oil
3 tbs balsamic vinaigrette (see below)
¼ cup shredded asiago Cheese

Balsamic Vinaigrette

1 cup Olive Oil
1/3 cup balsamic Vinegar
3 tbs dijon Mustard
1 tbs fresh basil (finely minced)
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper

Vinaigrette instructions: Combine the oil, balsamic, dijon, basil, salt and pepper in a mixing bowl. Using a wisk, vigorously mix until the dressing is completely blended and deep mahogany in color. Set aside in clean container or refrigerate until needed.

Popcorn Instructions:

Prepare balsamic vinaigrette and pop the popcorn (may be stored in an air tight container for a few hours). In a 14 inch sauté pan, heat oil until it begins to smoke. Add pepper and onion mixture, sun-dried tomatoes and salt and pepper, sauté for 20 seconds. Add vinaigrette to pan. Immediately add arugula and popcorn to the pan. Remove from heat. Toss in pan until well mixed. Pour into large bowl and garnish with roughly chopped basil and asiago cheese. Drizzle with reduced balsamic syrup (optional).

Think superfast stir fry. Do not keep popcorn on the heat…it gets soggy.

Spicy Bacon Popcorn
Chef Andrew Kirschner, Tar & Roses, LA

Ingredients
popped corn, organic 4 quarts
bacon strips 2 each
bacon, med diced 2 cups
aleppo pepper 1/3 cup (a moderate heat level pepper that is crushed or flaked, found in spice shops)
salt to taste
brown sugar 1 cup
corn syrup, light ¼ cup
salt ½ teaspoon
butter 4 oz
baking soda ½ teaspoon

Render fat from bacon strips over low heat in medium saucepot. Remove strips from fat and discard. Over medium heat pop the corn in bacon fat.

Once corn is fully popped remove from heat and place in mixing bowl. In a separate pot over medium high heat combine sugar, corn syrup, salt, and butter and stir constantly, allowing it to boil for two to three minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in baking soda. Pour caramel mixture over popcorn and stir thoroughly. Stir in bacon, Aleppo pepper, and salt.

Spread evenly on sheet pan and place in 250 degree oven until bacon is rendered (appx 35 minutes), rotating the pan and stirring throughout the cooking process. Remove from oven and once cooled, store in airtight container.

Rosemary Popcorn With Pine Nuts
Chef Sheri Clark, formerly with Dish Restaurant in Atlanta

1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup unpopped popcorn kernels $
12 (6-inch) rosemary sprigs, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt, divided
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh rosemary

Cook oil in a small saucepan over low heat 3 minutes. Add popcorn kernels, rosemary sprigs, and 1 teaspoon sea salt. Remove mixture from heat; cover and let stand at room temperature 48 hours. Drain kernels, reserving 3 tablespoons oil; discard rosemary sprigs. Place 3 tablespoons reserved olive oil and popcorn kernels into a large Dutch oven. Cook kernels, covered, over high heat, shaking pan often for 4 minutes until popping begins to slow down. Remove popcorn from heat, and let stand 2 minutes or until popping stops. Place popcorn in a large bowl.
Add remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, pine nuts, and chopped rosemary, and toss. Serve immediately.

Smokey Popcorn
Chef Peter Rudolf
Madera restaurant in the Rosewood Sand Hill Hotel, Menlo Park, CA

Ingredients

1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons popping corn
1 teaspoon smoked hot Spanish paprika
1/2 tablespoon sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and kept warm
1/2 cup Japanese furikake mix (found at Asian markets)
2 cups Japanese mixed rice crackers
Kosher salt

In a large saucepan, combine the oil and popcorn, cover and cook over moderate heat until it starts to pop. Shake the pan and cook until the corn stops popping.

Transfer the hot popcorn to a large bowl. Sprinkle with the paprika and sugar and toss well. Drizzle with the butter and toss, adding the furikake and rice crackers. Season with salt, toss again and serve.

Masala Popcorn
Chef Sanjeev Kapoor

1 cup of corn kernels
1 tbsp of olive oil
salt to taste
a pinch of turmeric powder
1/4 tsp of red chili powder
1/2 teaspoon of chat masala spice mix
2 tbsp lemon juice

Heat a deep non stick pan.
Place corn kernels in a bowl. Add olive oil and mix well and put into the hot pan.
Add salt, turmeric powder and red chilli powder and mix. Cover and let the corn pop.
When all the corn has popped, sprinkle chat masala and lemon juice and toss.
Serve immediately.

Nighthawk Popcorn
Chef Saul Bolton, Nighthawk Cinema, NYC

Ingredients

4 tablespoons grated lime zest (from about 4 limes)
½ cup grated cotija cheese (this is a salty Mexican cheese that can be found in most grocery stores)
1 cup popcorn kernels
4 tablespoon canola oil
Salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
¼ cup cilantro leaves

1. In a small bowl, mix the lime zest with the cotija, set aside.

2. In a large stockpot set over high heat, combine the popcorn kernels and canola oil and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Once the corn starts to pop (after about 5 minutes), shake the pot constantly until the popcorn has finished popping (about 5 to 7 minutes more). Remove the pot from the heat, carefully remove the cover, season with salt and stir in the melted butter. Mix in the cilantro and reserved cotija-lime mixture and serve warm.

Appetizer Recipes

Hello Kale Chips! Healthy Snacking with Chef Jacques Pépin

Goodbye potatoes hello kale!

 

If you mention kale chips to a hardcore traditional snack indulger they may furrow their brow and assume you are a vegan food pusher from Boulder.    Here’s a challenge:  make these and see how many snackers you can convert!    Kale chips are and amazingly delicious option to satisfy any craving for crunch or salt, and lately, we eat them by the bowl for movie night instead of popcorn.

There are several additions and variations to kale chips, but first, the basics:

– Hit the farmers market for the freshest organic kale if you can.  When preparing the kale, wash it well, and then dry, via salad spinner or paper towels.   The drying part is key here, because if you do not dry it thoroughly, it will not crisp properly in the oven. Follow Chef Jacques Pépin’s basic recipe below and adapt it per your preferences.

Chef Jacques Pépin’s Crunchy Kale Chips

1 large bunch of kale
1 tbsp of olive oil
Salt to taste

In Jacques words more or less, take the kale (enough to fill up a nice sized bowl, washed and dried, tough stems removed and leaves torn), add salt, add about a tablespoon of oil, toss with your hands and place on top of a wire rack placed on a baking rack or cookie sheet. “Cook it at low temperature!”, (Jacques says that in the 300’s or 400’s it becomes too black in color.) He cooks it at 250 degrees F for 20-25 minutes, then it’s crunchy and ready to eat.

And that is the basic recipe. It’s fail safe. Actually the entire world of recipes should rotate among Jacques Pépin’s techniques, but that is another post! How you customize or bling it up is up to you, get creative and find your favorite. Our specialty is to cook it without salt, and add toasted sesame seeds and truffle salt at the end. Try it and let us know if you love it as much as we do!

The Health Foodie, a vendor at Phoenix AZ farmers markets, adds brewers yeast and ground cashews to one of their mixes. There are thousands of kale chip recipes in the bloggerverse, adding garlic, parmesan cheese, sprinkles of soy sauce, or curry powder among many variations.

Regardless of your method, happy healthy snacking!

xo
Savory Tv

Episode 217 of Fast Food My Way
(The entire episode is great, but skip to 16:20 on the video for the kale chips. PS. Do not watch if you are trying to watch your carb intake, because you will have an instant craving for potato pancakes!)

Appetizer Recipes Latin Recipes Seafood Recipes

Chef Victor Scargle’s Scallop and California Avocado Ceviche Recipe

Ceviche is one of our favorite summertime appetizers, especially on a hot summer day when turning on any type of kitchen heat seems unthinkable.

For those not thoroughly familiar, here is a brief ceviche synopsis.  Originally a South or Central American dish, it’s magic lies in “cooking” raw seafood via acidic citrus, usually lemon or lime.   How does this work?  The proteins in the fish, shrimp, or seafood become denatured, literally cooked, by the acids in the citrus.  The flesh becomes firm and opaque.    Jalapeño, minced onions, tomato, and cilantro are often added to the seafood citrus mixture.  The end result is a fresh and highly addictive flavor combination of spicy, rich, savory and tart with a crunchy texture.   In Peru, the dish is often served with a side of plantain chips,  cold boiled and sliced sweet potato, or maiz tostado (aka corn nuts) with cold beer.   We most often serve it simply by itself, or with tortilla chips or soft and warm corn tortillas.  Don’t be afraid to get creative!   Add orange. grapefruit, or tangerine juice, diced cucumbers or heirloom tomatoes, freshly chopped garlic, chives, or whatever you wish.

Our recipe today is a gorgeously simple Ceviche with California avocados and scallops from Chef Victor Scargle.   Chef Victor, formerly Executive Chef of Go Fish restaurant in St. Helena and San Francisco’s Grande Café,  is currently sharing his culinary expertise teaching at the Culinary Institue of America’s Greystone campus in Napa Valley.

(Ingredient note:  We love California avocados as opposed to those from Central or South America, because they typically are fresher due to less transit time en route.  Learn more about the fruit’s journey from seedling to market via the California Avocado Commission here.)

Scallop Avocado Ceviche

Scallop and California Avocado Ceviche
Chef Victor Scargle

Serves 6

1 lb sea scallops, cleaned
3⁄4 cups fresh lemon juice
1⁄4 cup chopped cilantro
1⁄4 cup chopped red onion
1⁄4 cup ketchup
1⁄4 cup fresh orange juice
1⁄4 cup clam juice
1⁄2 Tbsp finely chopped jalapeño peppers
hot pepper sauce to taste
salt to taste
2 California avocados, diced
Cilantro sprigs for garnish

Clean and quarter scallops. Cover scallops with lemon juice; marinate until firm and opaque, about 2 hours.
Meanwhile, mix red onion and remaining ingredients, except for the avocados.

When scallops are ready, drain, reserving lemon juice. Fold scallop and avocado into ketchup mixture. Stir in some of the reserved lemon juice to taste. Chill to blend flavors.

Per serving, put 2/3 cup ceviche in a martini glass or other stemmed glass. Garnish with cilantro sprigs.

Photo © California Avocado Commission

Appetizer Recipes Side Dish Recipes Vegetarian Recipes

Cherry Love: Chef Michael Symon’s Pickled Cherries

Chef Michael Symon loves to pickle things.  In his cookbook “Live to Cook”, he devotes an entire chapter to it, with recipes for pickled ramps, chilis,  onions, tomatoes, kraut and more.   The chef says “what began at Lola as a way to preserve the best food we could find became part of the defining style of our dishes.  It’s not only allowed us to deliver dynamic flavor, but also has enhanced and deepened our relationships with local farmers by making it possible to buy more of their produce during their growing season and use it throughout the year.”

Michael recommends serving these refrigerator pickled cherries as a sweet and sour condiment with duck, pork belly, foie gras, or a blue veined cheese and bread.  Another option would be to dice the cherries,  add chicken broth and reduce via simmer for a saucier topping for poultry or pork.    Note that the cherries may be kept in the fridge for up to a month, they may have a touch of color fade or wrinkling, but will still taste delicious.

Buy the book here (check the rave reviews!), and follow Michael on Twitter here.

Pickled Cherries
Chef Michael Symon
Makes about 2 quarts

Ingredients:
2 pounds bing cherries
2 cups red wine vinegar
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 strips orange zest, removed with a vegetable peeler
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
2 cinnamon sticks
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 bay leaf

Instructions:
Prick each cherry with a fork several times and put them in a nonreactive jar or container.
Mix the vinegar, sugar, salt, orange zest, black peppercorns, cinnamon sticks, coriander seeds, and bay leaf in a nonreactive saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat so the liquid simmer, and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cook for 10 minutes.
Pour the liquid over the cherries (they should be completely submerged). When the concoction is completely cool, seal or cover the cherries, and refrigerate for up to 1 month.

Craving more cherry recipes?  Check out Chef Bugher’s Cherry Basil Pasta recipe, and Chef Ben Davis’s Cherries with Chianti recipe.

Appetizer Recipes Seafood Recipes

Oyster Roast! From the Grand Central NYC Oyster Bar

Grand Central Terminal in NYC is largely delicious. Freaking huge, bold, and beautiful. At last count over 750,000 people pass through the 42nd St Grand Central Terminal per day. Who are they and why?  They are locals or tourists either traveling to one of 600 destinations, or simply people watching and soaking up the classic New York landmark splendor, or tasting perhaps some of the best oysters in the city.

The Grand Central Oyster Bar, located under the station is a classic NYC seafood venue.  Featuring beautiful Guastivino tiled vaulted ceilings, this downstairs from the terminal eatery is a favorite destination for both tourists and locals alike.

Today we are so proud to share with you one of their restaurant recipes, a deliciously famous oyster delight that is fairly simple to make, their Oyster Pan Roast which is served over toast.  For more recipes,  purchase their book from Amazon here.

Grand Central Oyster Bar: The Famous Oyster Roast Recipe

Serves: 1, simply double for two

8 freshly opened oysters
2 Tbsp (1/4 stick) of sweet butter
1 Tbsp chili sauce
1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
1/4 cup oyster liquor, also called liquid
1/2 tsp paprika
dash celery salt
1 oz of clam juice
1/2 cup cream
1 slice of dry toast

Place all ingredients except cream, toast and 1 Tbsp of butter in the top part of a double broiler over boiling water. Do not let the top pan of the double broiler touch the water below.

Whisk or stir briskly and constantly for abut 1 minute until oyster edges begin to curl. Stirring carefully as to not damage the oysters.

Add cream and continue stirring briskly, Do not boil.

Pour pan roast into a soup plate over the slice of dry toast

Top with remaining 1 Tbsp butter, and sprinkle with paprika, and serve right away.

To create other individual stews and pan roasts, simply substitute the oysters for the following:

Shrimp: 8 raw shrimp, shelled, deveined, with tails off
Clams: 8 freshly opened cherrystone or littleneck clams
Lobster: 2 oz fresh lobster meat
Scallops: 10 – 12 raw bay scallops
Mussels: 14-16, bearded, but in the shell
Mixture: 3 shrimp, 2 oysters, 2 clams, 3 scallops, 2 oz lobster

Enjoy, go, eat, play!

Appetizer Recipes Thanksgiving Recipes

Feast on This: Pear and Squash Bruschetta

©USAPears

Tired of the usual bland artichoke and spinach dip, aka mundane holiday appetizers served everywhere?  Feast on this: Chef Craig Richards from La Tovola restaurant in Atlanta shares a creative in season Thanksgiving or Christmas holiday recipe your guests will love:   A warm pear and squash bruschetta with sourdough  bread, topped with slices of savory cheese.    Enjoy!

For more information regarding pear varieties, facts, recipes, and culinary uses, visit USA Pears.

Pear and Squash Bruschetta

Chef Craig Richards

12-14 pieces, serving 6-12 people

1 butternut squash (1-1/2 pounds)
2 yellow onions (1 pound), coarsely chopped
2 medium carrots, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
4 sage leaves
3 ripe pears, cored and cut into half-inch cubes (we love the Bosc variety)
1/2 pound loaf sourdough bread
1/4 pound smoked ricotta or smoked mozzarella cheese
Pumpkin seed oil or extra virgin olive oil

Peel squash. Combine squash trimmings, onion and carrots in a large saucepan; add water to cover. Bring to a boil and simmer 45 minutes or until liquid is flavorful, adding additional water to keep about 3 cups liquid in pan. Strain. Reserve liquid and discard solids.

Scrape seeds from squash and discard. Cut squash into 1/2-inch cubes. Heat olive oil and butter in a large shallow pan. Add sage and fry for 30 seconds or until crisp and fragrant. Remove sage with a slotted spoon; drain on paper towel and reserve for garnish. Add squash and pears to pan. Cook over medium heat stirring frequently until just starting to brown. Add 1 cup of the squash stock and cook until reduced. Repeat, using about 3 cups stock. Pears and squash should be soft but still hold shape. Season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, slice bread into 1/2-inch slices. Toast in 350ºF oven until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Spoon about ¼ cup warm pear-squash mixture onto each bruschetta. Using a vegetable peeler, make ribbons of cheese and place on top of each. Drizzle with pumpkin seed or olive oil if desired. Garnish servings with fried sage.

Appetizer Recipes

Savory Dill Monkey Bread

Chef Chris Pandel:  At the ripe old age of 29, he has quite the impressive CV.   He’s worked under Rick Tramonto and Daniel Boulud, and is now the executive chef and co-owner of The Bristol, a Bucktown Chicago hotspot.  The Bristol serves local seasonally inspired rotating chalkboard menu items, but also has a standing menu of mainstays, one of which is his notoriously famous Monkey Bread. This is not the retro sticky sweet version made with biscuits from a can, but an amazing savory alternative served with a dill butter dipping sauce.  Chicago diners can’t stop raving about it.   Check out what these Yelpers have to say:

  • Samantha: “I tried the monkey bread for the first time on this visit as well, and it was top notch”
  • Sandy:  “the table was in love with the famous monkey bread”
  • Lindsey:  “We started off the meal with the monkey bread, it was golden and delicious and the dill butter was amazing!”
  • Cassie:  “We started with the monkey bread and I’m glad we did – yum!”
  • Ed: “the monkey bread was my favorite..it was so soft and warm”
  • Brian: “The monkey bread with the dill butter was amazing.”
  • Brett:  “I don’t imagine ever finding myself tiring of that amazingly toasty, slightly salty and totally comforting monkey bread”

Chris Pandel from Chicago magazine on Vimeo.

Read on for the recipe: Continue Reading

Appetizer Recipes

Cremini Mushrooms Stuffed With A Caper And Crab Salad

Chef William Bradley

©Modern Luxury Magazine

Chef William Bradley is the executive chef of Addison, the signature restaurant of the The Grand Del Mar resort in San Diego.  Here’s some recent praise for the chef from Troy Johnson of Modern Luxury Magazine:

“Paging Bravo! William Bradley’s time in the lights is now. He recently became the only Southern California chef to be anointed with both the AAA Five-Diamond Award and the Mobil Five-Star Award for his contributions to the mouth. The brainy charmer’s kitchen at the San Diego-based Grand Del Mar’s Addison restaurant is a sanctuary—not a single knife or shallot out of place. This obsessive attention to detail shows in his food, as well: think clean, perfectly separated tastes of wild leek vichyssoise with bacon crémeux, brioche and fennel pollen.”

In today’s featured restaurant recipe, the chef shares a simple to prepare yet elegant appetizer featuring stuffed cremini mushrooms. And did you know? Cremini mushrooms are nutrient packed, trumping all other mushrooms and many vegetables in levels of copper, potassium, Vitamin B2 (riboflavin), and the antioxidant selenium. You can view the comparisons in a chart from the Mushroom Council here.

Marinated Cremini Mushrooms Stuffed With A Caper and Crab Salad
Chef William Bradley
4 servings

Ingredients

16 cremini mushrooms
To taste Fleur de Sel sea salt
3 cups extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves
4 whole shallots, sliced
2 cups picked Dungeness crabmeat
½ cup mayonnaise
½ cup chopped chives
½ cup chopped capers
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions
Method for Marinated Creminis:
Place cremini mushrooms on a roasting tray, sprinkle with sea salt. Place in a preheated 350-degree Fahrenheit oven for 15 minutes. Remove mushrooms and rest for an additional 15 minutes. In a mixing bowl, add olive oil, garlic, shallots and mushrooms. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 48 hours.

Method for Caper Crab Salad:
In a mixing bowl, add crab, mayonnaise, chives, capers and lemon juice. Make sure all ingredients are mixed thoroughly.

Assembly:
Remove mushrooms from marinade. Divide mushrooms among 4 plates and place a generous amount of crab mixture on top of the mushrooms.

Appetizer Recipes

From The Santa Chef, Candied Bacon!

©foodwishes.com

OMG.

Chef John from Food Wishes, thank you thank you thank you! The best Christmas present ever, a video recipe for Maple Candied Bacon, using only 5 ingredients.  Can you imagine the holiday love you will receive when you serve these savory sweets as an appetizer?

Diet, schmiet,  they officially don’t start until January anyway!

Watch and drool.

[pro-player width=’550′ height=’353′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5hqoFnGgiM[/pro-player]

Appetizer Recipes Chocolate Recipes Dessert Recipes

Savory Chocolate Bruschetta

Savory sweets, we are seeing them everywhere lately.  From chipotle chocolate chili, to salted caramel candies, to bacon and egg ice cream.  Is this a fickle culinary hipster trend or is it here to stay?  While that remains to be seen, we guarantee that this recipe will stay permanently in your repertoire!

It’s another delicious video recipe from Chef John of Food Wishes, it literally only takes 5 minutes, and the combination of crispy bread, dark chocolate, and sea salt will transport you into chocolate lovers heaven. The first time  we made this, despite having camera batteries charged, it disappeared before we could photograph it!  So…we had to make it again, and quickly snap a photo, for the readers of course!    The second time it was taken to a holiday party in Aspen, and the crowd loved it.  It’s flavor is salty sweet, with both crunchy and soft textures, and the combination’s are magical chocolatey goodness.  People were seriously pulling and tugging at a red wool peacoat asking for the recipe.

One question you may have as the party goers did:  Is dark chocolate crustini bruschetta a dessert or an appetizer?  The answer:  it is whatever you want it to be.  In fact, it may just be breakfast for us one day, paired with a piping hot Sumatra coffee.    Read Chef Johns post, wine pairing recommendation, and full ingredient list here.  (Note: For the dark chocolate, we used a Lindt brand bar with 70% cocoa, found in the baking section of our regular grocery store.  And, as you may notice in the photo, we were lacking the Maldon sea salt with the nice thick crystals, so we used what we had, but it was still chock full of deliciousness.   Is deliciousness a word? )

[pro-player width=’550′ height=’353′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MEH5P2SKAg[/pro-player]

Appetizer Recipes

Chef Ming Tsai: Shrimp Cocktail With Avocado and Tomato Purees

East meets west, and red meets green in this beautiful Shrimp Tempura Cocktail video recipe from Blue Ginger chef Ming Tsai, filmed at this years Food & Wine Classic in Aspen.  Served in a cocktail glass over a romaine lettuce chiffonade, an avocado puree is topped with a smokey chipotle (smoked Jalapeno pepper in adobo sauce, found in a can in most grocery stores. Have extra sauce? Mix it with sour cream and lime and save for an amazing chip dip later) and tomato puree.  Tortilla chips are placed into the purees, and shrimp tempura using Ming’s special club soda and rice flour batter are hung on the side of the glass.  The end result literally yields red and green Christmas colors in a glass. We can’t imagine a more perfect appetizer for your holiday party!

[pro-player width=’550′ height=’353′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wv2oihELkfA[/pro-player]

Shrimp Cocktail With Avocado and Tomato Purees
Chef Ming Tsai

Tomato-chipotle puree

* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 onion, chopped
* 2 large tomatoes, coarsely chopped
* 3 garlic cloves, minced
* 1 teaspoon minced canned chipotle chiles*

Avocado puree

* 2 large ripe avocados, peeled, pitted
* 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
* 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
* 1/4 cup minced shallots
* 2 tablespoons minced jalapeño chiles

Shrimp tempura

* Vegetable oil (for deep-frying)
* 2 cups rice flour**
* 2 cups club soda
* 24 uncooked large shrimp, peeled, deveined, tail shells left intact
* 4 cups thinly sliced romaine lettuce

Prep:

For tomato-chipotle puree:
Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté until very brown, about 6 minutes. Add tomatoes, garlic, and chipotle chiles. Cook 1 minute. Transfer mixture to blender; puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer puree to bowl. Cover and chill until cold.

For avocado puree:
Combine all ingredients in processor; puree until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer puree to bowl. Press plastic wrap onto surface of puree; chill at least 20 minutes and up to 3 hours.

For shrimp tempura:
Add enough vegetable oil to heavy large pot to reach depth of 3 1/2 inches. Heat over medium-high heat to 375°F.

Whisk rice flour and club soda in large bowl to blend. Working in batches, dip shrimp into batter and fry until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer shrimp to paper towels.

Divide romaine among 8 stemmed cocktail glasses. Simultaneously pour 1/4 cup tomato puree and 1/4 cup avocado puree over romaine in each glass, letting purees meet in center. Hang 3 shrimp over rim of each glass.

*Chipotle chiles canned in a spicy tomato sauce, sometimes called adobo, are available at Latin American markets, specialty foods stores, and some supermarkets.

**Rice flour is available at specialty and natural foods stores.

Appetizer Recipes Chicken Recipes

Top Chef Vegas Chicken Wings

This just in!  Via our friend Chef Fabio Viviani on Facebook,  he has recreated the winning Chicken Wings with a Celery Root Puree and Blue Cheese Dressing recipe from Top Chef Michael Voltaggio on the episode 10, season 6 Elimination Challenge.  In this video recipe, Fabio teams up with Chef Adam Sobel of RM Seafood in Las Vegas.      Note:  for those of us mere mortals who do not have NO2 (nitrous dioxide) canisters in our kitchen arsenals, simply chilling the sauce should be sufficient.  Grazie Fabio!

P.S. Craving a shortcut, and wish to skip the pre cooking butchering step? Check out Chef John’s tip on how to eat chicken wings, and simply remove the bones from your chicken wings while you eat them.

Boneless Chicken Wing Confit with Curry and Blue Cheese Disc
Chef Michael Voltaggio
Serves 12

Ingredients
For Wings:

* 12 chicken wings
* 1 Spanish onion, thinly sliced
* ¼ cup fresh thyme
* 1 L chicken stock
* 1 cup heavy cream
* Curry powder
* Salt to taste
* Flour, for dusting

For Hot Sauce:

* 500g fresh bell pepper juice
* 100g red wine vinegar
* 1 teaspoon garlic powder
* 7g xanthan gum
* ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
* 100g Franks red hot sauce

For Frozen Blue Cheese:

* 100g Maytag blue cheese
* 400g sour cream
* 1g xanthan gum
* Black pepper to taste

For Celery Puree:

* 1 celery root, peeled and chopped
* 2 cup heavy cream
* ½ cup parsley leaves
* ½ cup celery leaves
* Salt to taste

Directions

1. Using a cleaver, chop off each end joint off the wings. Season chicken with salt and curry powder. Place wings in a single layer inside a shallow pot. Add onion, thyme, stock, and cream. Simmer over low heat until bones can be removed without tearing the flesh. Remove from heat and strain liquid. Carefully remove bones from each wing. Place de-boned wings between two sheets trays and press for 1 hour in the refrigerator.

2. For hot sauce, blend all ingredients in a saucepan with an immersion hand blender until smooth. Bring mixture to a boil and then blend again. Allow to cool to room temperature.

3. For frozen blue cheese, blend all ingredients until smooth. Load into an iSi cream whipper canister and charge two times with NO2. Dispense onto anti-griddle to freeze.

4. For celery puree, place celery root in a pot and cover with cream. Simmer until celery root is tender and season with salt. Pour into a blender and puree with parsley and celery leaves. Cool immediately.

To Serve:

1. Heat a sauté pan with oil. Dredge wings in flour and pan fry until golden.
2. Spread celery puree onto plate.
3. Place chicken wing on top of puree. Add a drop of hot sauce.
4. Arrange a frozen blue cheese slice leaning on chicken.

Appetizer Recipes Vegetarian Recipes

Chef Christopher Cina’s Restaurant Recipe, White Bean Pate

{ Savory Tv is pleased to introduce you to Chef Christopher Cina.  A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Christopher is a well seasoned chef, international traveler, and food photographer.  He has worked in restaurant venues around the world, including San Francisco, Europe, and Denver.   He currently lives and works in Denver, Colorado, and has a beautiful food blog at ChristopherCina.com.  Please join us in welcoming Chef Christopher, as he shares a restaurant secret and favorite appetizer recipe with us in this very special guest post! }

©Christopher Cina

White Bean Pâté

In restaurants, the name of the game is money. In your better restaurants, this is tempered somewhat by quality, meaning that chefs and owners are willing to pay more for better quality. The most ‘high end’, well respected and nationally known restaurants have the luxury of passing the cost of quality on to the customer. Not so much for the little guy. Independent operators with talented but unfamous chefs are forced walk that fine line between being overpriced and serving lesser quality ingredients. You would expect to pay $44 for a hangar steak at Robuchon, but would you pay that at a local restaurant downtown that didn’t have a chef with 4 restaurants, a cookbook and a gaggle of Michelin stars?

“Necessity is the mother of all invention.” Never have truer words been spoken and this is a common mantra at every ‘middle-of-the-road’ restaurant trying to watch costs. If there is a cheaper way to do it without sacrificing quality, someone in that restaurant will figure it out. It could be reconfiguring a dishwasher that the chemical guys don’t know about, building a plug out of skewers for that damn Robot Coupe bowl, or a recipe like this White Bean Pate.

In the late 90’s while at my first Executive Chef position, dairy prices were through the roof. So much so that we halved the portion of butter that we served with the bread as an option to help offset the cost. The only other option would be to reprint all the menus with higher plate costs. You see, every restaurant includes a little formula while pricing out dishes, what I call the ‘Q Factor’. It is in every one of my costed out menus. A ‘Q Factor’ is a charge for everything in a restaurant the customer sees as free, because it is not on the bill. I figure in the cost per person of my bread service, meaning bread and butter, I figure in ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, coffee creamer, coffee sweetener, even salt and pepper. That number is figured into every dish on the menu. It’s never a big number, always less than a dollar per plate, but that helps me pay for the things customers see as complimentary.

Back to the pate, I needed to figure out something that would help my butter cost. Halving the butter portion only upset people, they would ask for more and they were getting more than they were originally before we adjusted the portion. I didn’t want to go back to the olive oil, everyone else at that time was doing olive oil, plus it was expensive for really good oil and I wasn’t going to skimp there. I was forced to come up with something original that would act as a butter substitute, hence the white bean pate. It was vegetarian, used a third of the butter and it was different. My guests loved it, they always asked for more, and because the ingredients were so inexpensive, it worked out well. We started getting a lot of requests for the recipe. So many that we began to put a stack of the recipes at the host stand every night.

I use a little more butter in my home version, I’m not worried about the cost as I would be making a much larger batch and who doesn’t love butter? Once made it will keep in the fridge for up to a week. Truth be told, it’s at its best about the 3rd day, when all the flavors have become intertwined.

This recipe makes about 2 quarts of pate.

  • 1 ½ # Great Northern Beans
  • 1 ¼ # butter, softened to room temperature
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 large red onion, julienned fine
  • 1 cup balsamic vinegar
  • ½  cup whole garlic cloves
  • olive oil, about a cup and a half
  • 1/2  cup chopped parsley
  • salt and white pepper to taste

Method

  1. Simmer (do not boil!) the white beans in unsalted water with bay leaves just until they start to split, about 2 ½ hours.
  2. While the white beans are simmering, in a small sauté pan, cover the garlic cloves with oil.  Place them on medium low heat and allow them to soften and turn golden brown.
  3. Allow the garlic to cool.
  4. Drain the oil and reserve in the fridge.
  5. In a small mixing bowl, mash the garlic with a fork.  Reserve until the beans are done.
  6. Heat a larger sauté pan with 2 Tbs. of oil, place on medium high heat.
  7. When the pan is hot, add the onions and cook until they start to develop some color, about 5 minutes.
  8. Add the balsamic vinegar to the onions, reduce by half and remove from heat.  Reserve until the beans are done.
  9. When the beans have finished, remove the bay leaves and drain.
  10. While the beans are still hot, begin to mash them with a large spoon.  You can also mash them in a mixer with the paddle.
  11. Once you’ve mashed the beans, add the butter, half pound at a time and continue to mix until all the butter has been incorporated.
  12. Add the mashed garlic, onions and vinegar, and parsley and mix well.
  13. Season with salt and white pepper.  Keep in mind while seasoning hot ingredients that will be served cold, you want  to slightly over salt as the saltiness will dissipate considerably when served cold.
  14. Remove to a serving dish and chill for at least 4 hours.
  15. Serve with breads, crackers or anything else you might use with a spread.
Appetizer Recipes Chicken Recipes

Grilled chicken with gorgonzola dressing via Mario Batali

Mario Batali’s sixth cookbook is entitled “Italian Grill”, and if you aren’t an owner or are on the fence about purchasing it, give this recipe a shot as a trial, it’s not only simple but truly amazing.   An American concept with an Italian twist, Mario describes this grilled recipe as  ” buffalo wings go to Italy”.

Mario’s Spicy Chicken Drumsticks are bathed in a deliciously spicy chipotle buttermilk marinade, and served with a gorgonzola dip rather than traditional blue cheese dressing.    In place of celery sticks, Mario uses fennel bulb sticks, which can be dipped in the dressing as well.

Read on for the video and the recipe Continue Reading

Appetizer Recipes Vegetarian Recipes

Michael Chiarello’s Tomato with Warm Goat Cheese and Herb Salad

After meeting Michael Chiarello and his adorable wife Eileen in Aspen, and attending his Farm to Fork talk, my pre existing respect for him has quadrupled.   Not only is he dedicated to local, sustainable food, but he is one of the more down to earth, real, caring celebrity chefs I’ve ever met.  My partners in crime, Danny from Foodie Aspen, Chef John from Food Wishes,  Average Betty, and Jen from Daily Blender and I all had a chance to chat with him while sipping cocktails at  the Best New Chefs Dinner at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen.  “What did you think of our talk?”  he asked me, and “what else did you do today,  how were the other demos?”   Similar to chatting with a family member, he really wanted to hear about my day,  I loved that.     Last night while watching Top Chef Masters, I was very torn between rooting for local Boulder chef Lachlan Patterson from Frasca and Michael, it was a tough call!

No spoilers here in case you haven’t caught up, but here is a simple appetizer or vegetarian main dish from Michael Chiarello, a delicious tomato and warm goat cheese recipe served with an herbed salad.

Tomato Steak with Baked Goat Cheese and Herb Salad
Recipe courtesy Michael Chiarello

Ingredients

* 1/4 cup fine dried bread crumbs
* Gray salt
* Freshly ground black pepper
* 1 large egg
* 4 rounds fresh goat cheese, about 2 ounces each
* 4 thick, ripe beefsteak tomato slices
* 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the salad
* 2 cups lightly packed mixed tender fresh herb leaves such as basil, chervil, tarragon, Italian flat-leaf parsley, chives (1-inch lengths), or young cress
* Red wine vinegar

Directions

In a small, shallow bowl, mix the bread crumbs with salt and pepper, to taste. In another small, shallow bowl, beat the egg just until blended. Dip each goat cheese round in the egg, and then in bread crumbs, patting the crumbs in place. Cover and refrigerate the coated cheese rounds for about 15 minutes.

Center the tomato slices on 4 salad plates and season with salt and pepper.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over moderately high heat and pour in 2 tablespoons olive oil. When the oil is almost smoking, add the cheese rounds. Cook until lightly browned, about 45 seconds. Turn them over and cook on the other side until the cheese just feels quivery, about 45 seconds longer, depending on the thickness of the rounds. Place a cheese round on each tomato slice.

In a bowl, toss the herbs with a light drizzle of olive oil, a splash of red wine vinegar, and salt and pepper, to taste. Mound the herbs on top of the cheese, dividing them evenly. Serve immediately.

Michael’s Notes: This salad looks best when the tomato slice and the goat cheese slice are about the same size. So if you can only find goat cheese in small logs, you may want to serve 2 goat cheese rounds to each diner and perch them on slices of smaller tomatoes.

More from Michael: Care to whip up Chef Chiarellos fast food Fish Balls, Shaved Brussels Sprouts and Asparagus Salad, or Goat Milk Basil Gelato with Balsamic Strawberries as seen on the show? Bravo just posted these today!

Appetizer Recipes Spanish Recipes

Tapas! Marinated Olives with Chef Jose Andres

José Andrés.   He was born in Asturias, a coastal region northern Spain, and trained under culinary genius Ferran Adria at El Bulli.   José is now is the chef and partner of several Washington Dc restaurants, a bestselling cookbook author, and the charming host of the PBS show Made in Spain, as well as the Spanish cooking show Vamos a Cocinar.  His recipes are cherished by both home cooks and professional chefs for their high quality ingredients combined with simple preparation methods.

Tapas are small Spanish savory appetizers, commonly served after work and before dinner, and often served with wine.  In this video Jose makes two for us, the first with marinated olives, herbs and citrus.   The second tapa is a grilled bread rubbed and infused with grated vine ripe tomatoes, called “pa amb tomàquet”, or “bread in tomato” in Catalan, topped with anchovies and garocha (an aged goat cheese).

“When I would tell people I work in a tapas place (referring to his first DC tapas restaurant) I don’t know if it was my accent — they would think topless. . . . Everyone would look at me very weird,” said Jose in a David Letterman interview.  In the PBS show, Jose says, “I am from Spain, but my family and I have made America our home. For the last 17 years, I have been cooking Spanish food in Washington, DC.  Now, I want to show you how to bring the taste of Spain into your kitchen.  Everyone’s talking about Spain’s food and wine.  You and I together will discover why.”

What we love about this?   These tapas are super easy, fun, authentic latin fare, and perfect for any party or pre-party.

Read on for the recipe Continue Reading

Appetizer Recipes Italian Recipes Salad Recipes

Delizioso! Italian Salmon Carpaccio

Italians seem to possess an amazingly strong passion for food, much more so than the rest of the world.
There is a really great site, Italian Food Net, which serves up delicious authentic Italian recipe videos.  Their chefs speak Italian in the clips,  but they have done such a wonderful job with the subtitles and ingredient conversions that the recipes are simple to follow.

Some recipes are incredibly simple to make but somehow give the impression that you’ve spent hours slaving over them.   This would be one of those! In the video, chef Alessandro prepares an Italian salmon carpaccio with oranges served over arugula.  Head over to their site to view the written recipe, browse around a bit and pretend you’re a student in an Italian culinary school!

Tiny bites of ingredient education:

  1. Carpaccio is defined as an appetizer using thinly sliced raw fish or meat.
  2. The peppercorns used in the recipe are brined, Whole Foods should have them, you may need to look in the  area where jarred pickles are.
  3. The recipe calls for the greens “rocket”, and rocket = arugula!

[pro-player width=’530′ height=’353′ type=’FLV’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hli8trbSyY[/pro-player]