Pasta alla Manziana

I created the sauce for this dish when living a few weeks in Manziana, Italy and thus the name. This happy accident is delicious and garnered a rare "ridiculously good" from Nathan. So before I forget what I did, here is the sauce for Pasta alla Manziana:

• Using the olive oil from a jar of sundried tomatoes if possible (about 2 Tablespoons), sauté a clove of fresh garlic. 

• Deglaze the pan with 1.5 cups of red wine. (To deglaze a pan put in the wine over a burner so that the cooking residue melts into the liquid.)

• Add about a cup of unsalted tomato sauce. 

• Add a pinch of salt and pepper. 

• Add a Tablespoon of quality balsamic vinegar. 

• Add 4 leaves of fresh basil cut into strips. 

• Add 2-3 teaspoons of fresh, quality, grated Parmesan cheese. 

Simmer in high for 1-2 minutes so that the sauce mixes and the wine evaporates a bit.  Remove from heat. Toss in your favorite warm, cooked pasta. Mix and serve. 

I served with sautéed artichoke hearts and sundried tomatoes. While these are often expensive luxury items in the US, they are common and cheap in Italy. So it's fun to experiment while here. 

Easy Bruschetta

Bruschetta is one of my favorite dishes. It is a quintessential Italian appetizer made from bread and ripe, juicy tomatoes. The quality of your bruschetta really depends on the quality of the tomatoes.  Here is a simple version my friend Barbara Falkenhagen taught me long ago. 

• toast some bread slices

• while the bread is warm, spread a nice layer of butter on the slices and let the butter melt and soak in

• dice some tomatoes

• add some salt and pepper to the tomatoes

• put the tomatoes on the warm, buttery bread and enjoy!

Options:  You can also add some chopped rosemary, basil, or other herbs to the tomatoes. I've also seen bruschetta in Italy made with diced olives. In Italy sometimes a thin layer of pesto is applied on top of buttered bread before adding tomatoes. And I've also seen bruschetta made using olive oil rather than butter. Experiment and enjoy!

Street Food in Istanbul

Istanbul is full of delicious street food. Here are some examples:

Vendors sell a variety of seasonal fruits. Besides apples and bananas, this one is selling cherries and fresh, green plums. These plums are tart and crisp. At first I thought they were small, green tomatoes. 

My favorite street food, however, comes from the food carts that sell freshly squeezed juices. Orange ("portakal") juice is common. My favorite though is pomegranite ("nar"). Typical prices are 1-5 Turkish lira (TL).  2 TL = $1. 

"Simit" is similar to a sesame bagel except it is thinner, drier, and less chewy. 

Food carts also sell roasted corn on the cob and roasted chestnuts. 

I don't have a photo of a guy selling "midye dolmas", but they are another common street food. These "mussel dolmas" are a cooked mixture of fresh mussels, rice, and spices served on a mussel shell. The other half of the shell is put on top. For days I thought these food carts were selling whole mussels in the shell until I had midye dolmas in a restaurant.  The midye dolmas are delicious and are normally eaten with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. So you'll see a stand of mussel shells and lemons. That will be the midye dolma stand. 

You may have noticed I referred to all the vendors as he. That is because I never saw a female food vendor and rarely any female shopkeepers. 

Spicy Carrot Sticks

I enjoy carrots cut into slices as a healthy snack but sometimes they are rather bland. Here is a trick to spice them up:

Cut fresh carrots into the shape you prefer (sticks, curls, carrot chips, etc.). Then roll the cut carrots in a bowl with a liberal dash of hot sauce.  Remove the carrots and store ...or eat.  

The hot sauce will subtly flavor the carrots with a spicy hot flavor that is not overpowering. 

Dutch Zucchini

There is really nothing especially Dutch about this dish except that I invented it in Amsterdam and orange is the color -fittingly- of the Netherlands' ruling House of Orange. It makes a very tasty side dish when zucchini are in abundance. 

1 zucchini

2 carrots

1 small roll or baguette

2 Tablespoons butter (oil if vegan)

Cut zucchini in half. Using a spoon scoop out the seeds.  Discard the seeds and cube the zucchini halves. 

Peel and dice carrots. 

Cube roll/baguette. 

Sauté zucchini, carrots and bread in the butter. Salt and pepper to taste. 

Pomme Frites

One of my favorite stories of politics and food involves when a conservative North Carolina Congressman forced the US House of Representatives' cafeteria to change the name of "French fries" to "freedom fries".  Why?  Because the French government refused to join the US in the debacle of invading Iraq. 

When the media asked for a response from the French embassy over renaming the fries, the response was a classicly French drole response. I don't recall the response word-for-word alas, but the response was basically that the US Congress could rename their cafeteria food as they saw fit and besides pomme frites were a Begian invention. The response made the Congressman look like a buffoon. 

And indeed the French embassy spokesman was correct:  "pomme frites",  the fried potatoes much loved by Belgians and Americans alike, are Belgium's national dish.  Whole cafés and pomme frites stands are dedicated to preparing and selling pomme frites to a hungry Belgian public. Often the frites come in a cone and are usually eaten with mayonnaise rather than ketchup. 

But just remember, like freedom, freedom fries aren't free.

Classic Belgian Foods

Belgium combines French and Dutch influences -including in its cuisine. In three areas of cuisine the Belgians are famous:

Pomme Frites:  Belgians invented "pomme frites" or fried potatoes.   Alas, the French got credit and this in the US pomme frites are the ubiquitous French fries. Stands and pomme frites cafés sell pomme frites in Belgium. Traditionally the fries are eaten with mayonnaise. 

Beers:  Unlike Germany and the Czech Republic where a Medieval beer purity law keeps beer ingredients limited to a classic five elements, Belgians experiment with a broad palate of beer ingredients. Belgian inventiveness makes Belgium a smorgasbord of beer with libations that include fruit beers. 

Chocolates:  Switzerland may be more famous for the quality of its plain chocolate bars, but Belgians rule when it comes to esquisite and complex chocolate candies.  From chocolate-covered candied orange peel to exotically flavored truffles, Belgium is a chocolate lover's paradise. It's thus no accident that Godiva chocolatiers started in Belgium. 

Dutch-Thai Carrot Salad

We are traveling in Europe and staying in apartments along the way. This is a great way to travel and save money by cooking at the apartment. Having few ingredients on hand, I get creative with what is available in the kitchen.  I created this recipe with a bit of trial and error in Amsterdam using some beautiful, fresh Dutch carrot and a bag of peanuts from Delta Airlines. ;)

The crushed peanuts give this dish a Thai flavor.  It reminds me of a common carrot salad served in individual portions in Paris grocery stores. 

Ideally I would grate the carrots a little thicker for better presentation, but our apartment's box grater only had a fine grate setting. So it was a bit mushy but delicious. I will be making this dish quite often for myself. Nathan doesn't like peanuts. 

4 clean, whole carrots with ends removed

1 Tablespoon roasted peanuts, crushed

2 sugar cubes crushed (about 1 Tablespoon)

1/2 lemon

1 1/2 Tablespoons white vinegar

Dash or two of salt to one's preferred taste

Using a box grater, grate the carrots into a bowl. Add the other ingredients and mix. You may wish to experiment with the proportions of acids, sugar and salt to your preferences. 

Refrigerate and serve.  

Lexington Avenue Hipster Bacon Pizza

Bacon-deprived Hipster

Let's face it:  bacon is hip right now.  It's up there with kale and Brussel sprouts as the new trendy food among discriminating hipsters.  And since I love all three, I say more power to this foodie trend.

Recently Nathan and I went to Asheville, America's new Beer City.  Asheville's 50+ breweries recently stole the title of Beer City from Portland, Oregon.  I grew up for awhile outside of Asheville and remember its downtown as largely empty except for a great bookstore (Malaprop's), a shoe store my mom loved (Tops), a gay bar (O'Henry's) and a few law offices.  Today the downtown is among the most fun in the United States.  It is chock full of coffeehouses, brewhouses, great locavore restaurants, tourists, hipsters, retirees, bookstores, etc.

While in Asheville a few months ago, we went to LAB (Lexington Avenue Brewery).  They apparently switch up their menus every season, but we were fortunate to have a late night bacon pizza there.  We have since tried at other pizzerias but none have come close.  Here is a duplicate I've found works well:

• Make a thin or medium crush pizza.  If you haven't mastered the art of pizza-making (I haven't!), you can also buy a good frozen cheese pizza.
• Try to find some thick cut bacon from a local butcher.  Dice into small cubes.  The cubes work MUCH better sprinkled over the pizza than strips of bacon.  Alternatively, cut up strips to sprinkle.  
• You'll have to experiment some.  I found thick cut bacon needs to be partially cooked.  Then it will finish cooking as you bake the pizza.  Thinner cut strips may cook sufficiently but you want a fairly nice, crisp bacon when the pizza is done.

DIETS:
Diabetic:  no
Gluten Free:  yes*  (depends on crust used)
Mediterranean:  yes
Nightshade Family Free:  yes*  (depends on if you use a white sauce rather than tomato sauce)
Paleo:  no
SugarBusters:  no
Sugar Free:  no
Vegan:  no
Vegetarian:  no
Wheat Free:  no
200 Calories or Under:  no

Notice:  Be sure to check with your doctor and nutritionist about the safety of any eating plan for you.  Also, check ingredients as different brands and products may have different ingredients or have changed them since this post.  Some calories are estimates based on packaging.  

Tasses de Porc

Tasses de Porc is just another of my fancy-fied French names for a dish.  The name means "pork cups".

Anyhow, these are an interesting breakfast or brunch novelty consisting of an edible cup made of ham, Canadian bacon, or even bacon.



The basic recipe is to spray some non-stick oil/spray onto a muffin pan.  Then place a thin slice of ham, Canadian bacon, or bacon into each dish to form a cup.  Because this dish has a short baking time, you will either need a very thin cut of meat or use cooked meat.  You really don't want to be eating undercooked pork! Then you add a filling and bake at 350 F until the egg filling has cooked to the consistency you seek for your eggs.

The fillings can vary:

A. One approach layers the bottom of the pork cup with cheese followed by whisked eggs mixed with herbs, peppers, diced onion, chives, diced tomatoes, etc.  Make sure whatever additions to you add to your eggs are finely chopped.

B. I don't like eggs with a runny yolk, but this dish is often made with cheese, a sauce, or a slice of tomato topped with a whole egg that will bake to a sunnyside up texture.

C. I've only made this a few times.  The ham cup can dry out, so be sure to fill to the top.  I've had the best success with a basic quiche recipe of 1/2 cup cream, 1 egg, a pinch of salt, a pinch of pepper, and a pinch of red pepper.  Others add nutmeg instead of the peppers to give a subtle, sweet flavor to the eggs.

D. I have also experimented with a take on eggs Benedict:  toast and trim an English muffin to fit in the bottom of the pork cup made with some type of cooked pork (nothing raw).  Place a poached egg on top of the muffin.  Pour Hollandaise sauce over the egg and muffin.  Sprinkle on some red pepper or paprika.  Bake for 5-10 minutes to warm the entire dish but not so long as to dry out the sauce or pork.

This dish is as versatile as its big sister, quiche.  Feta and spinach, mushrooms and ham, basil and tomatoes...the combinations are endless.  This dish can also be made ahead of time and served a few hours later as a room temperature picnic item similar to quiche.  Depending on the filling this dish can be refrigerated and warmed up for a yummy, quick breakfast.

DIETS:
Diabetic:  no
Gluten Free:  yes*  (depends on filling)
Mediterranean:  no
Nightshade Family Free:  yes*  (depends on filling)
Paleo:  yes*  (depends on filling)
SugarBusters:  yes*  (depends on filling)
Sugar Free:  yes*  (depends on filling)
Vegan:  no
Vegetarian:  no
Wheat Free:  yes*  (depends on filling)
200 Calories or Under:  no

Notice:  Be sure to check with your doctor and nutritionist about the safety of any eating plan for you.  Also, check ingredients as different brands and products may have different ingredients or have changed them since this post.  Some calories are estimates based on packaging.