Squid Ink Couscous

Nothing says adult spooky like cooking with squid ink! This dish will impress all of your fancy grown up friends out there, and is great for Halloween dinner parties. We have made for you squid ink couscous, topped with Andouille sausage, oven roasted acorn squash, and dehydrated kale! Enjoy!

Ingredients: serves 4

3 cups pearl couscous
4 teaspoons squid ink
½ yellow onion
2 cloves garlic
1 acorn squash
4 pre-cooked Andouille sausages
2 large leaves kale
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 Tablespoon canola oil
1 teaspoon garlic salt
kosher salt

I always like starting by preparing the items that top the dish, so that I can have that out of the way and cooked.

Preheat oven to 400. Cut acorn squash in half, then into 1 inch thick slices. Using a knife, remove skin, cube, toss in oil, place on baking sheet, then sprinkle with garlic salt. Cook squash for about 30 minutes, rotating half way through.

Reduce heat to 275. Tear kale up into small pieces, discarding the stem, and placing on a baking sheet.   Cook kale for 15 minutes.

Since the sausage is already cooked, simply cut on a diagonal and cook at medium high until you get a slight sear. This will also bring out the spiciness of the meat.

Set all of this aside so we can now make our couscous. Melt butter in a large non stick sauce pan on medium high heat. While that is melting mince up garlic and onion. Cook onion and garlic in butter until onion softens and becomes semi translucent. Add 4 ½ cups of water to onion and garlic and bring to a boil. Add squid ink and make sure that it completely dissolves before adding the couscous. Bring the water back to a boil, lower to a simmer, cover and let simmer for 10 minutes.

Once the couscous is done, fluff it with a fork. Serve in a dish, pinch salt to your taste, top with squash, then sausage, then add the kale at the very end.

Boo!!!

 

Cheddar Filled Pretzel Bites

Alas we are in October, the month of my birth, the month of one of my favorite holidays, and an awesome month to celebrate the soft pretzel! According to the tales, pretzels were invented in Italy by monks in 600s from leftover breads. Pretzels have since been linked to Christianity, and featured in many Catholic holidays and traditions. The Germans really grabbed onto these traditions, and it is the Germans we have to thank for immigrating to America and introducing the US to pretzels!! There is some history with your food.

To honor the Oktober tradition of enjoying a good soft pretzel and some beer, we have made cheddar stuffed pretzels balls. This dish is really easy and is great with an Oktoberfest beer.

Ingredients: makes about 2 dozen

11 cup warm water + 1 Tablespoon
1 envelope active dry yeast
3 cups bread flour or all-purpose flour plus more for work surface
1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, well softened
Vegetable oil for bowl
Medium cheddar cheese
2/3 cup baking soda
One egg

 



Stir together 1 cup warm water and yeast in a large bowl and let stand until foam forms. If it doesn’t, start over.

In a smaller bowl, stir together flour, salt, and light brown sugar.

Add flour mixture and butter to yeast mixture, and stir together completely and then knead with your hands. Take dough out of bowl and wipe with oil, put dough back in, cover, and let stand in refrigerator for an hour.

Once an hour is up preheat oven to 450 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper and rub a little oil on it.

Cube cheese into small inch pieces.

Cut dough into three pieces and one at a time roll out onto a flour dusted surface. Cut into 8 pieces. Place a cube of cheddar into the middle of the dough, and roll, making sure the dough seals around it. Set aside, and continue until you have made all of your pretzel bites.

Boil 10 cups of water and 2/3 cup baking soda. Place 4 pretzels at a time in the water to boil for 30
seconds, and then place on baking sheet. Once you have boiled all of them, mix together 1 egg yolk and one tablespoon of water, and brush all of the pretzels. Sprinkle with salt, and bake for 14 minutes.

Enjoy! These are so addicting.

 

Fall Vegetable Creamy Polenta!

Happy Fall!!!! Now if only it would cool down in Los Angeles so that I would know it is Fall, in the mean time I will just sit under the AC and have a fan blasting in my face.

For our first fall dish of 2015 we have made creamy polenta topped with fall vegetables and a balsamic reduction. I love the fall because some of my favorite vegetables are at their best, such as mushrooms, squashes, Brussel sprouts, and so many others. Enjoy

Ingredients: * To make completely vegetarian use vegetable stock. **Serves 2-4 based on if it is an entrée of side.

Kosher salt
Olive oil
Package already cooked polenta (because why not)
¼ cup cream
3/4 cup chicken stock
1/3 cup grated parmesan
1 cup Brussel sprouts
6 mini Portobello mushrooms or 2 large ones
½ butternut squash
2 medium leeks
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
2 Tablespoons honey

What is great about this dish is that you can make all of the components at the same time pretty much, which is lovely. Or you can make all the vegetables ahead of time, mix them together, and reheat them before plating.

Start by preheating oven to 400 degrees and prepping all of your vegetables, listed below is how to properly prepare them:

Leeks:
Cut the end with roots off, and where the leek turns from white to green. Slice the leeks in half length wise. Run the leeks under water, making sure to get any bugs or dirt out. Chop leeks into small half circles by laying the cut side down.

Butternut Squash:
 Cut in half lengthwise. This can be challenging the bigger the squash, so I insert knife on the thin side, cut through the stem and it should make it easier to wiggle the knife around. Since we are only using half, you can wrap up and store one half. Peel the squash with a strong peeler until the squash goes from white to dark orange. Remove seeds with a spoon, and using a sharp knife, cube the squash. Toss with two tablespoons of olive oil and a pinch of salt.

Brussel sprouts:
Trim the ends off and peel outer layer of leaves. Cut into quarters, and rigorously rinse under water to remove any dirt or bugs. Toss with two tablespoons and a pinch of salt.

Mushrooms:
Run the mushrooms under4 water and rub the inside and outside with your thumb to remove all dirt. Slice thin using a very sharp knife.

Now we can prepare everything. Place Brussel sprouts and butternut squash on separate sheet trays and in over. Set timer for 40 minutes, and flip tray halfway through. This is a good time to make your balsamic reduction. In a small sauce pan bring your balsamic to a boil, and then add honey. Turn the heat down to a small simmer and let simmer until you reached desired thickness. The reduction will thicken quite a bit while cooling so keep that in mind. I did mine about 7 minutes. Set aside when done.

At the 20 minute mark you can start putting everything else together. Heat up one tablespoon of oil on medium high in a large non-stick pan and place leeks in. Let soften, about 2-3 minutes, and pour in a ¼ cup of chicken stock. Let cook on low-medium heat until caramelized, about 15 minutes. While that is going, place one tablespoon of oil in a different non-stick, place mushrooms in. Cook until completely softened, about 10 minutes, stirring every few minutes.

Once you start all of your vegetables, or after everything is done it is time to start the polenta. Cube your polenta and place in sauce pan on medium high heat. Add ½ cup of chicken stock, and mash up using a masher. Try to mash it up as much as possible. Add cream and cheese and stir until the polenta has absorbed all the liquid and all the cheese is melted.

Time to plate! Put down your polenta, pile your vegetables on, and using a spoon drizzle your reduction!

This dish is so delicious as a side or even your entrée!

 

 

Curry Scotch Egg!

  At the current moment we are up in Sequoia National Forest where my (Francesca’s) parents currently live. It is about 40-50 degrees, which for people who live in California can be quite crisp. This Thanksgiving we are spending it up here for a change of scenery, weather, and pace. To go along with this more laid back and chillier holiday we are making a real traditional English dish called a Scotch Egg, which is essentially a boiled egg wrapped in sausage! It is a perfect breakfast dish, or served here as a lunch item, but is also great to have as a snack, even a snack on the go…basically great whenever.

Ingredients: makes 4

6 eggs
5 bratwurst sausages
2 cups vegetable oil
1 cup panko bread crumbs
½ cup flour
Teaspoon yellow curry
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Pinch of salt
Frisee lettuce
2 Tablespoons olive oil
½ a lemon

To start out this endeavor soft boil 4 eggs, by placing 4 eggs in cold water on the stove and heat water to a boil. Once the water boils, boil for 4 minutes. Remove from heat and place in cold water bath.

Now that we have our eggs, we can set everything else up. We are going to set up three plates; one with flour, the next with two beaten eggs, and the third with the panko bread crumbs and cayenne mixed together. Next Remove sausage from casings and add a pinch of salt, then using your hands, mix everything together! To make things easy for myself I separated the sausage mix into 4 equal portions. Lastly remove eggs from shells.

Now that we have all of that, we are ready to assemble. Putting flour on your hands, take a sausage portion and pat out into a large oval, large enough that it will wrap around the egg but not so large that it will overwhelm it. Roll one of the eggs in flour, and wrap sausage around it. Next roll sausage in egg, and then in panko breadcrumbs. Set to the side and repeat for all four.

After you have made all four, turn oven on to 425, and pour oil into large sauté pan and heat on medium high heat. To check to see if oil is hot enough, you can drop a few drops of panko and if it sizzles it is ready. Place all four scotch eggs in the oil and cook for 6-7 minutes, rotating so that they cook evenly, cook until it is a deep golden brown. To finish off cooking place in oven and cook another 7 minutes.

To serve, place on frieze lettuce tossed with lemon and oil, and voila! Cut in half, enjoy!

Rosemary Biscuit with Acorn Squash Butter

As Halloween swiftly approaches us, and we are getting deeper into fall we are embracing fall flavors. My mother around this time of year likes to make compound butters, so we are creating a delicious acorn squash compound butter, to be accompanied by light and fluffy rosemary biscuits. Both of these are so incredibly easy to make and in a short amount of time, and will forever be party favorites. 

You can also make the butter ahead of time, and keep in the freezer for a rainy day.

Enjoy!

*Make butter ahead, you will have a lot of it. You will also need tinfoil or cling wrap.

Butter:

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 small-medium acorn squash
½ cup unsalted butter
1 teaspoon sea salt

Biscuit:
1 ¾ cups flour
3 teaspoon baking powder
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter + some for baking sheet
1 teaspoon sea salt
¾ cup milk
3 large sprigs fresh rosemary

Start by making your compound butter. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Cut your acorn squash in half so it is almost through the stem. Scoop out all of the seeds, rub olive oil on both halves and put on a baking sheet cut side down. Bake for 25 minutes, or until soft. Once the acorn squash is baked, let cool.

While squash is cooling, let your butter soften at room temperature. Put half of the acorn squash and salt into the butter and mash together.

Cut two 9 inch square of cling wrap or tinfoil, and pour half of the butter onto each. Start to roll the cling wrap or tinfoil, twisting it at the corners, so that you are starting to make something that looks like a sausage. Place both in the freezer.

Now for the glorious biscuits! In a large bowl measure out your flour, baking powder, and salt.

After removing all the leaves from the rosemary twigs, finely chop. Add to dry mix.

Next cube the 6 Tablespoons of butter and add to the dry mix. Using two forks or two knives, break up the butter into the dry mix until creating a mealy like texture. Add milk a little at a time while mixing with a fork.

Butter baking sheet, and spoon out about 9-12 biscuits. We also used our hands to pat little balls, but it gets pretty messy!

Bake 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Pop those babies out of the oven and smother in some acorn butter! Yum!

Late Night Ramen!

Happy Fall !!!! We have created a wonderful and easy weeknight recipe that any busy student/mom/dad/babysitter/tired person can make. Remember that good ‘old instant ramen that we all loved because it is so easy and fast to make. Well we have appropriated that with a home made broth and fresh ingredients to make a superb vegetarian weeknight ramen.

The reason we are using instant ramen is because Momofuku Ando invented cup of noodle in 1971 by creating a noodle which has already been cooked and can just be re-cooked! The noodles are so fabulously starchy and absorb so much flavor!!  

Enjoy!

Ingredients:  serves 2-4
2 packs instant ramen (doesn’t matter which flavor!)
2 eggs
6 cups vegetable broth
1 cup water
½ cup bean sprouts
4 cloves garlic
4 Tablespoons soy sauce
4 dehydrated shitake mushrooms
1 cup button mushrooms
¼ cup enoki mushrooms
1 bunch green onions
1 serrano pepper
1 oz can chestnuts (only need ½ of the can)
1 oz canned bamboo shoots

This wonderful dish is mostly just creating your prep work, letting a broth cook for about 30 minutes, and soft boiling two eggs.  

Start by rehydrating your shitake mushrooms in a small bowl of warm water for about 15 minutes.

Next create your mise en place by mincing your garlic, and by slicing your button mushrooms, shitake mushrooms, Serrano pepper, chestnuts, and on a bias slicing your green onion only up until the green turns white. Set aside half of the onions, and half of the Serrano pepper.

Start making your broth by combining your vegetable broth, water, and soy sauce and bring to a hard boil. Once you boil, lower the heat to a simmer, and add half the onions, half the Serrano pepper, half the bean sprouts, all the mushrooms, bamboo shoots, garlic, and water chestnuts. Let simmer for 30 minutes.

At about 20 minutes in, boil water in a small pot. Once the water starts to boil, add to eggs. Put heat to low, cover the pot with a lid, and let cook for 6 minutes.

This is about the time when you can add the noodles to the broth. It doesn’t matter which instant ramen you get, because we won’t be using the flavor packet that comes with it. Add the noodles in and let absorb the broth.

Once the timer for the eggs goes off, take eggs from water, and run under cool water.

While the eggs are cooling, we may now plate our noodles. In two (or four) bowls, place noodles and broth in bowl. Top with raw bean sprouts, green onions, and Serrano pepper. Lightly crack the egg shell, peel it off, and slice in half. Put your gorgeous egg on your ramen, serve with chopsticks and enjoy!

Fall 2013

It is the first day of fall yet again and in Los Angeles I wish I could say it was a bit cooler, but it is not! I wish I could say that I was going to bake a million baked goods again, and that everything would be glutinous, but we are going to take it a bit lighter this fall. Don't worry there will still be delicious baked goods, and hearty stews, some Halloween stuff, and a macabre Food Nasty dinner party for my birthday.

Stay tuned!!

 

Love,

Francesca and Michael

Cinnamon crumble apple muffin

Instead of giving your teacher (or kid’s teacher) an apple, give some crumbled apple muffins. There is a specific smell that comes along with fall cooking, its warm, comforting, a little spicy, and always a savory and sweet sense at the same time. These muffins start to fill your house with a wonderful smell the second you place them in the oven. We wanted to combine an apple pie, with an apple strudel, with a muffin, and we were left with this fabulous thing! So enjoy this recipe, make it for the family, the neighbors, anyone you like, because it is sure to bring a smile to everyone’s face.

*brown sugar is a huge part of this recipe, so pretty much just have a cup of it set aside.

Ingredients:

Muffin:
2 cups flour
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
½ cup butter (at room temperature)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 ¼ tsp vanilla
1 ½ cup chopped apples (we prefer honey crisps, or pink ladies)

Crumbs:
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 Tlb. flour
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
1 Tlb butter

Icing:
3 Tlb powdered sugar
2 Tlb milk (give or take)

Start by preheating your oven to 375,  while that heats, grease and line a muffin tray with 12 muffin papers, and fill each one with a spoonful of brown sugar to hold it down and to create a bit of crust by patting down with your finger. Set aside.  

Heat a sauce pan to medium high, and heat your apples and a few spoon fulls of brown sugar until slightly softened. Set aside.

To make the strudel bits on top; in small bowl, mix the 1/3 cup of brown sugar, 1 Tlb of flour, ¼ tsp of cinnamon, and 1 Tlb of butter. Beat together until it starts to create small balls of sand like looking things. This is where a lot of the tasty is!

Now to make the actual batter ;in a large bowl beat together butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. As best as you can take the apples out of the melted sugar and stir in (too much added sugar will cause muffins to be a bit doughy).

In a medium sized bowl mix together your dry mix: flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Add your dry mix to your wet mix a bit at a time. The mix will seem pretty thick and dry, but when it bakes it will be the perfect consistency, and the apples will moisten the cake as well.

Now using a large spoon fill each muffin cup about ¾ of the way, and then sprinkle with your crumble mix you made in the beginning. Once all are loaded, place in oven, and set for 20 minutes (at the half way point turn the muffins around in the oven).

While the muffins are cooking, make the icing by pouring a little bit of milk at a time into your sugar, until you reach the consistency that you desire.

When muffins are done, remove from the oven, let cool for 10 minutes, and then drizzle icing on, and eat up! Damn they are good!!!

The Fall is Upon Us

Fall is upon us. Here in Venice, we are desperately hoping for it to cool down, we will just have to blast the AC and wear sweaters indoors. The fall equinox begun September 21^st, it means the time for harvest, the times for holidays, and the time for comforting foods.

Some more foods that you can expect from us will be fabulous foods like squashes, pumpkins, leeks, slow cooked foods, one pot wonder, and some ghoulish surprises.

This is also a time where colors become deep and rich. As a painter I love to find the art in our food, so we present the colors of some fall foods as seen through the famous pantone. As I am sure you have noticed our colors have changed in our photos now including the pantone color 1685 C!
                                           http://www.pantone.com

                         Pantone             Pantone           Pantone              Pantone           Pantone           Pantone
                           1807 C               486C                716C                 157 C               129C               7510C

Fall Pomegranate Candied Walnut Goat Cheese Salad!

Pomegranates have been mentioned in many ancient texts and have been prominent in symbology throughout the ages. In Green mythology it was known as the fruit of the dead, while in other culture it symbolizes fertility and good luck. None the less, the pomegranate is a gorgeous fruit inside and out. Michael and I love to use the seeds for their beautiful pop of color and tart flavors that are gorgeous this time of year. Here we use it in an earthy and simple salad, using goat cheese and candied walnuts, which is sure to please the taste and eyes of whomever you make it for.

*You can buy candied walnuts, but why would you when we give you our delish recipe here.

Ingredients: serves 4

Candied Walnuts:
½ cup water
1 ½ cups sugar
1 cup halved walnuts

Vinaigrette:
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Pepper
2 Tlb. olive oil
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar

Salad:
2 Heads bib or butter head lettuce (preferably living)
½ cup crumbled goat cheese

 

First we want you to make the candied walnuts,  so get ready your ingredients, including a sheet tray with some wax paper over in order to cool the walnuts….we made a bunch so we had a snack for later! Pour water and sugar in to a sauce pan and heat on a medium/ medium-high heat until the sugar completely melts and starts to cook. We want you to cook it for about 20 minutes until the sugar starts to turn to a deep amber brown, this is when you put your walnuts in the sugar, stir with a wooden spoon until they are coated, then remove and place on the wax paper and use two forks, make sure the walnuts do not stick to each other. We use water, because the water evaporates and helps prevent the sugar to rapidly cook and burn.

Now to extract the pomegranate seeds from the pomegranate, by filling a bowl with water, and submerging them while opening them and removing the seeds. This way all of the seeds fall in to the water, and you are able to wash off the hard interior of the fruit and remove the seed easily.

Next take the leaves off of your lettuce, we prefer living lettuce because it lasts longer and seems to taste better, and clean and lay out on a plate. Sprinkle with about ½ a cup of crumbled goat cheese, and ½ a cup of pomegranate seeds, and a handful of walnuts. Finally, mix all of your vinaigrette ingredients together well, and using a large spoon, drizzle the dressing.

Voila!! The colors are beautiful, the taste is superb, and you have left over candied walnuts as a treat!