apuginthekitchen

Feb 26

Lemon Ricotta Blueberry Muffins

These muffins are tender and moist, flavored with lemon and chock full of blueberries. The batter has both whole milk ricotta and whole milk buttermilk. I love the combination of lemon and blueberries and the ricotta and buttermilk give these muffins a slight tang that is delicious. I also used some cake flour to give them a more tender crumb. The muffins are only slightly sweet and to add a little more sweetness, after you remove them from the oven brush with some melted butter and dust with granulated sugar. When you just have to have a muffin I hope you will give these a try, they are simple to make, and you can whip them up in a flash. They also freeze beautifully. NOTE: If you use lowfat buttermilk and part skim ricotta increase butter to 6 tbs +4 tbs vegetable oil, and if you use lowfat buttermilk with whole milk ricotta just increase the butter to 6 tbs+ the 2 tbs vegetable oil.

Ingredients:

4 tbs melted butter

2 tbs vegetable oil

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour +2 tsp for blueberries

1/2 cup cake flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup buttermilk (whole milk buttermilk if you can find it)

1/2 cup whole milk ricotta

2 large eggs at room temperature lightly beaten

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup blueberries frozen (use fresh when in season)

1 1/2 tbs lemon zest

2 tbs butter melted (to brush on top of muffins)

2 tbs granulated sugar (to dust tops of muffins)

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and line muffin tin

Melt butter and add the oil, sift flour,baking powder, baking soda,salt and sugar into large mixing bowl, add the wet ingredients and lemon zest and stir only to mix, it may be a bit lumpy but thats ok. Sprinkle the blueberries with the flour and toss, add to the batter and gently stir. Place into lined muffin tin and bake at 350 degrees. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until tops are lightly browned. Let muffins sit for 10 minutes in pan, then place on rack to cool, brush top of the muffin with melted butter and dust with granulated sugar. Makes 12 muffins

Feb 24

10 Comments

Featured Recipe – Mediterranean Poppers

Photo by Lapadia

I wanted to feature another delicious, quick and easy salad for the featured recipe this week. This has Mediterranean flavors and comes in its own little edible cup. Crisp cucumber, olives, tomatoes, feta and herbs dressed simply with olive oil and placed in crisped wonton wrappers is the perfect little salad bite. This recipe comes from Linda of Lapadia’s Kitchen. She is a fantastic multi talented cook. Visit her website and you will find recipes for bread (her pita is to die for), sweets (her pie crust is amazing) and some Italian favorites like Bracciole you can also find her recipes on Food52. Linda’s recipe for Himalayan Blackberry Pie will be featured in the second food 52 cookbook coming out October 2012. Give these poppers a try, perfect party fare, I can guarantee you won’t be able to eat just one! I like mine with a little fresh lemon squeezed on top!

FILLING: ingredients make 12 to 15 poppers

2 Persian cucumbers or pickling size, sliced – 1 cup (give or take)
12 Cherry tomatoes
12 Kalamata olives
12 Feta cheese cubes – a little smaller than the olive
Olive oil – a good extra virgin
Herbes De Provence (I prefer it to oregano)
Fresh ground pepper
Mini tart pan
15 Wonton Wrappers

Combine 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon Herbes de Provence and fresh ground pepper. Let the ingredients sit and infuse, give it a stir now and then.
Spray the wonton wrappers with a buttery spray (such as Pam) on both sides; line the mini tart pan with them pressing lightly into the middle to form a cup.
Bake at 350° until the edges are crispy and brown, about 10-12 minutes.
Let cool – for a make ahead see the note below.
Cut the filling ingredients into at least – thirds; toss with drizzles of the olive oil mixture and let sit in the refrigerator until ready to assemble.
About an hour before serving add filling to each wonton cup.
Serve.

NOTE: make it ahead

Prepare to the end of step 4 (up to 2 days ahead), store in an airtight container.
Next day, continue with step 5 up to three hours ahead.

Feb 21

16 Comments

Getting back to my roots- Italian Food

I love Italian food, was brought up on it, I come from a large Italian family and food was the center of every celebration or holiday. My earliest memories are of my Grandfather, who spoke no English and his vineyard. It was small but adequate to produce several barrels of wine every year. The cellar of his home was where he made and stored the wine. Even though memories are somewhat vague I recall family gatherings, meals around a big dining room table with my Aunts, Uncles and Cousins, this was every Sunday. We started with a soup usually chicken with homemade noodles and escarole, then came the meat, pasta, salad and sometimes dessert, always in that order. I would watch my Mother and Aunts in the kitchen making the pasta, it was a a real labor of love by these three great cooks. My Mother is not Italian, she became an Italian by marriage and mastered the food in no time at all. Growing up we had Italian food of some sort at least 3 or 4 times a week. My Father had a vegetable garden and every year my Mother canned tomatoes and vegetables from the garden. She made home made pasta, and made her own sausage. I guess that is where I developed my love of everything home made, sometimes it’s just easier to buy prepared foods and with a busy schedule I always have pantry items for a quick meal but there is nothing like taking the time (if you can) to prepare your food from scratch. I travelled and lived in Italy for a few years and learned much about the culture and food of this beautiful country. My family is from Caserta and came to the United States via Ellis Island and settled in New York.

Next week I am going to feature a different Italian recipe every day, some will be mine but I am going to include recipes from my Mother and Aunt Dee. There will be recipes for home made pasta, my Aunt Dee’s Pasti Ciotti and several other Italian favorites. Stay tuned!!

Birthday Party at Granpa's Home My Mom is holding me.

My Aunt Dee and Great Aunt and Cousins

Feb 17

2 Comments

Himalayan Red Rice and Lentils with Spiced Vegetables

Himalayan Red Rice

I am trying to incorporate more vegetables and whole grain foods into my diet, truth be told I have never been a fan of brown rice. I saw this himalayan red rice at a specialty store and it intrigued me. I looks like Basmati rice only red, very delicate grains long and slender, so I bought it wondering what I can make with it. This recipe came to me from my desire to use my red rice but also I had some veggies in the crisper that I really needed to use. I wanted the rice to be a meal so added some lentils that cooked in with the rice, I had some tri color carrots and scallions begging to be used right away so I shaved the carrots into strips and sliced the light part of the the scallion and sauteed in olive oil with some cumin and coriander. I topped it with some plain greek yogurt mixed with some dried mint and put a generous amount of crispy fried shallots on top. You can use whatever vegetables you like, but the carrots and onions in the spices are a wonderful combination and the yogurt makes it creamy and tangy. The rice has a lot of character, its toothsome yet still delicate. By all means use whatever rice you have or want, the red rice is a suggestion.

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1 cup himalayan red rice

2 cups water

salt

1/3 cup lentils

2 medium size carrots shaved

4 scallions

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp coriander

1 shallot thinly sliced

plain greek yogurt

dried mint

olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

In medium saucepan add the water, rice and lentils and some salt. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer, cover and let cook for 35 minutes. Remove from heat and let it sit for 5 minutes covered, then fluff with a fork.

While the rice is cooking shave the carrots and cut the scallions, heat some olive oil in a saute pan and add the vegetables, sprinkle with cumin and coriander and saute until the vegetables are soft and cooked through. Remove from the pan and set aside, add a little more olive oil and the shallots and fry until they are browned and crisp.

Mix some yogurt with the dried mint.

To serve just spoon some rice and lentils on a plate top with the vegetables, a dollop of yogurt and sprinkle with the shallots.

Feb 16

10 Comments

Featured Recipe- Kale and Apple Salad

For this weeks Featured Recipe I wanted a fresh and delicious salad. We all need our fresh vegetables and fruits every day and I am always searching for a tasty recipe. I love salads and my new best friend is Kale, it’s packed full of vital nutrients and whether you eat it cooked or raw your body will thank you for it. This salad is a meal in itself, think about it, kale, apples, cabbage,fennel, wild rice a delicious citrusy dressing, your taste buds will do the dance of joy. I love this salad on it’s own, but it can accompany a protein also, there are so many different things you can add to this if you want, some grilled chicken or tofu would be fantastic. I am making this salad again with some Himalayan Red Rice instead of wild rice, quinoa would also be a wonderful addition. Try it in pita bread and take it to work or school. The possibilities are endless. Check out Hannah’s beautiful blog Blue Kale Road, its packed full of healthful delicious recipes that are family friendly and in my opinion are a celebration of fresh, natural foods.

Photo by Blue Kale Road

Kale and Apple Salad
Inspired by PCC’s Emerald City Salad
Serves 4-6

1/4 – 1/2 cup lemon juice (depending upon taste and amount of kale)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 large crisp apple, diced (my favorite variety is honeycrisp)
3/4 cup fennel, thinly sliced and chopped
1 cup red cabbage, chopped
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
1 bunch organic kale (lacinato or curly green – I like to use a combination of both), ribs removed and finely chopped
1 cup cooked wild rice

Whisk 1/2 cup lemon juice, olive oil, garlic and salt in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients to the bowl and toss (use your hands – it’s fun and will distribute the dressing more evenly). Taste for additional lemon juice, salt or pepper and add as desired.

The salad can be made a couple of hours ahead and chilled.

Feb 13

2 Comments

Panko Crusted Fish Sticks with Lime,Tarragon Aioli

Making fish sticks is simple and really so much better than buying commercially prepared frozen ones from the supermarket. They take almost no time to prepare. I know its easier to buy pre-made foods, but why not make your own, you have control over the amount of salt and know exactly what is in them. Ketchup is always great for dipping but I made an aioli that is slightly more sophisticated, don’t get me wrong, I love ketchup but sometimes you just need or want something a little different. You can make the fish sticks and freeze them all you need to do is heat them in the oven and you have a quick and delicious meal in a snap.

The Aioli:

2 large Cloves garlic (Give the garlic a quick crush to release the flavor) Don’t pulverize

1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon (or 2 tsp dried)

2 egg yolks

1/4 cup +2 tbs garlic infused olive oil

1/2 cup minus 2 tbs vegetable oil (canola)

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

1 teaspoon Lime zest (the zest of one whole lime)

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

black pepper (3 turns of the pepper mill)

To make the garlic olive oil. You will need a small sauce pan add the 2 peeled garlic cloves to the olive oil and simmer on very low heat until garlic is soft be very careful not to let the garlic get brown turn off the flame after just a few minutes and let the garlic sit in the oil until it softens.. Let cool before making the aioli. I like to make this infused oil ahead of time, sitting overnight gives a more profound garlic flavor.
Add to blender the 2 egg yolks, the cooled cooked garlic cloves, lime juice, lime zest,tarragon salt and pepper. Blend until smooth.
With blender running slowly add the vegetable oil and garlic infused olive oil. The aioli will be thick and creamy and a lovely light green. Adjust seasoning and citrus to your taste.

Panko Crusted Fish Sticks:

1 pound Firm to semi firm fish (I use cod or wild chilean sea bass)

1 cup Panko

2 large eggs beaten

salt and pepper to taste

Oil for deep frying

Heat your oil I like to deep fry the fish sticks, approximately 4 inches of oil in a heavy fry pan.
Cut your fish into pieces, dip in egg and then in panko.
Carefully drop your fish sticks into hot oil and fry until golden brown, Remove and place on paper towel to absorb any extra oil. Add additional salt if you like directly after they come out of the oil
Serve with the aioli or whatever dipping sauce you like.

Feb 11

12 Comments

Lemon Saffron Cheese Cake with Whole Meal,Pistachio,Cardamom Crust

This is my submission for the fabulous Abby Dodge’s “Bake Together” cheesecake challenge. I recently worked with Amanda from the blog “Dabblings and Whimsey” on some Persian food and that inspired this cheesecake. You find saffron in almost every Persian dish as well as a citrus element. The crust is made from ground roasted pistahio’s, whole meal cookies and cardamom. I used Abby’s cheesecake recipe and tweaked it a bit.To intensify the lemon flavor I candied lemon slices and arranged them on top of the cake. Here is the link to Abby’s blog, this was so much fun, join in and make a cheesecake!

http://www.abbydodge.com/2012/02/baketogether-cheesecake/

Crust:

1 1/2 cup whole meal cookies (12-14 cookies) I used Carr’s, ground in the food processor

1/2 cup roasted pistachio’s ground

3 1/2 tbs sugar

1/4 tsp cardamom

6 tbs butter melted.

Roast the pistachio’s on sheet pan in 350 degree oven for approximately 10 minutes. you will smell the nuts. Take them out and let them cool.

When pistachio’s are cool place in food processor and process until nuts are ground into a fine meal. Add the whole meal cookies that have been broken into pieces and process until they are ground into a fine meal. Change oven temp to 375 degrees.

Add pistachio/whole meal crumbs to a mixing bowl. Add the sugar,cardamom and melted butter. Mix thoroughly. Press into the bottom of the prepared 9″ springform pan that has been lined with foil (tear off a large piece of foil there should be a significant overhang) Bake for 12 minutes remove from oven and let cool. Decrease oven temperature to 300 degrees.

Pressed in crust

Lemons:

1 lemon sliced in thin slices

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup sugar

Place water and sugar in small saucepan and bring to a boil, add the lemon slices and boil until the slices are almost translucent and cooked through. Remove from heat let cool and place in covered container.

Filling:

3 8 oz packages of cream cheese softened to room temp

2 tbs flour

good pinch of salt

1 1/3 cup sugar

3/4 cup sour cream

1 tbs lemon juice

1 tbs saffron

zest of one lemon

4 large eggs at room temp

Fresh raspberries to garnish

Put the lemon juice in a ramekin and add the saffron, stir and let sit while you are preparing the other ingredients.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, flour and salt until very smooth and no lumps remain. It’s very important for the cream cheese to be lump free at this point so stop and scrape the beater and sides of the bowl frequently. Add the sugar, sour cream and lemon juice infused with the saffron and beat until well blended and smooth, stopping to scrape beater and bowl several times. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until just blended, stopping to scrape beater and bowl before each addition. (Don’t over beat the filling once the eggs have been added or the cheesecake will puff too much.) Tap the bowl several times on the counter to release some of the air bubbles. Pour the filling into the cooled crust. Using the tip of a small knife or a toothpick, pop any air bubbles on the surface.

Bake at 300°F until the center jiggles like jello when nudged, 63 to 68 minutes. The cake will be slightly puffed around the edges and the center will still look moist. Set on a rack and cool completely. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 8 hours or overnight or up to 3 days. The cake can also be frozen up to 1 month.

When you are ready to serve, arrange the lemon slices on the cake brush top of cake with some of the syrup, dip each raspberry in the lemon simple syrup and arrange on cake.

Feb 10

7 Comments

Featured Recipe-A Sage and Honey Walnut Milkshake (With a Vegan Option)

Almost every day I have a shake or smoothie for breakfast. It usually has the standard list of ingredients, fruit, soy milk, yogurt, and a whole grain whizzed in the blender. It’s good but get’s boring after a while and I want something different. I volunteered to test this recipe for a Community Pick on food52, it was submitted by Annalyse, her cooks name on food52 is Sagegreen. I was intrigued by the use of avocado, walnuts and sage, I had it for breakfast and am hooked. I enjoy this shake at least once or twice a week now. It’s packed full of healthful oils from the avocado and walnuts, its only slightly sweet and I get my daily dose of fiber also from the walnuts. This shake is thick and creamy and so delicious, believe me it’s addictive. Annalyse is an accomplished cook and a University Professor and you can view her more than 300 recipes, (yes 0ver 300!!) on food52, and I have to mention that she is one talented mixologist, her drinks are creative, beautiful and so delicious. Please check them out: http://www.food52.com/cooks/12307_sagegreen

Beautiful and Delicious Shake, photo by Sagegreen

Serves 1-2

1 oz. shelled organic walnuts

3-4 one inch long fresh organic sage leaves

1/2 ripe organic avocado

1 cup lowfat, but real cultured buttermilk (or almond milk with a splash of cider vinegar for vegan option)

1 1/2 tablespoons chestnut honey (or grade B maple syrup), to taste

optionally, a few crushed ice cubes

In a heavy heated pan like a cast iron skillet, toast the walnut pieces for about 2 minutes, just short of smoking. Pan fry the sage leaves for about 1 minute. With the bottom of a smaller pan, or other heavy instrument, crush the walnuts. Shred the sage leaves. Add these to a blender.
Add the avocado, buttermilk, and chestnut honey. If you like a chilled drink include a few crushed ice cubes. Process until smooth. Pour into one or two glasses. This could be part of a New Year’s resolution you could keep.

Feb 9

8 Comments

Gheymeh

Gheymeh is a Persian stew, wildly popular for large gatherings and some consider it almost mandatory to bring to “potluck” functions. I used to make this stew at least once a week, it’s made with ground meat (beef, lamb or veal) in a tomato based sauce with yellow split peas and roasted potatoes. You can sub other vegetables for potatoes, like eggplant or zucchini but I like to use potatoes for this stew. The Persian cook that taught me this dish used french fries, I prefer roasting pieces of potato. You spice with turmeric, saffron and cinnamon and eat it with rice. It’s sort of like a Persian version of a Bolognese sauce. This is great comfort food that is easy to prepare. I think it tastes even better the next day if you have any leftovers.

Ingredients:

1 lb ground meat (beef,lamb or veal)

1 onion chopped

1 (4.5 oz) tube of tomato paste or 3/4 of a 6 oz can

1/2 tsp turmeric

Pinch of cinnamon (approximately 1/8 tsp or less)

3 1/2-4 cups water (start with 3 1/2 add more if needed)

1/3 cup dried yellow split peas

2 medium size potatoes cut into bite size pieces

pinch of saffron

2 tbs lemon juice

2 dried limes or 1/4 cup lemon or lime juice

pinch of sumac (for potatoes)

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 425, spread potatoes on parchment lined sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and sprinkle with some sumac. Roast in the oven for approximately 45 minutes stirring frequently so that potatoes are browned on all sides. Remove from oven and set aside.

Roasted Potatoes

In small saucepan bring some water to a boil, add the split peas and boil for 15 minutes, you are par cooking them so they will soften a little..Rinse, drain and set aside.

In large deep skillet saute the onion in some olive oil until its translucent and soft, add the ground meat and turmeric and cook just until the meat is cooked and not red. Add the tomato paste, stir until its mixed with the meat and cook for a few minutes, add the water, split peas, cinnamon, salt and pepper and the dried limes or citrus juice. NOTE: If you are using dried limes poke a few holes or slits in the limes with the edge of a sharp knife before adding to the stew. Cover with lid slightly ajar and simmer for about 1 1/2 hours the sauce will be thick and most of the liquid will have evaporated. Stir frequently and add more water if you see that too much of the liquid has evaporated. When the stew is done mix saffron with the lemon juice and add along with the roasted potatoes, stir to combine and simmer for 5 minutes just to heat the potato through. Serve immediately with rice.

Feb 8

15 Comments

Triple Chocolate Cake

When I think about dessert on Valentines Day chocolate immediately comes to mind. For this cake I used my simple chocolate cupcake/ cake recipe filled it with white chocolate mousse and topped it with milk chocolate ganache. Moist chocolate cake with a creamy light mousse filling and heavenly ganache, it doesn’t get much better than that, especially if you are a chocolate lover. We don’t need a holiday to enjoy cake but if you are looking for a great chocolate cake to enjoy on V-Day I recommend you give this a try. You can use your favorite chocolate cake recipe. No need to garnish with whipped cream or ice cream its great just like it is.

White Chocolate Mousse

2 tsp powdered gelatin

6 ounces white chocolate chopped

1 1/2 cup heavy cream

Dissolve gelatin in 2 tbs of cold water. Set aside for 5 minutes. Place chocolate in food processor and pulse until finely chopped.

Prepare an ice bath. Place 1/2 cup heavy cream in small saucepan, bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add the gelatin and stir to dissolve. Pour into food processor with chocolate while the motor is running, process until smooth.

Place in ice bath until mixture is thick and falls from a spoon in ribbons.

Whip remaining heavy cream and gently fold into cooled chocolate mixture. Place in airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use.

Milk Chocolate Ganache

8 oz good quality milk chocolate (I used Valhrona)

1 cup heavy cream

Chop chocolate into very small pieces and place in medium size mixing bowl, bring cream to a boil and pour over chocolate. Let sit for 3 minutes, stir until smooth and shiny. Cover and refrigerate until it’s spreadable (approximately 1 1/2-2 hours)

The cake:

Place one cake layer on serving plate, spoon the mousse on and spread, you may not need to use all of the mousse it will be very thick I used about half, place other layer on top, pour and spread the ganache on the cake. Refrigerate if not serving immediately. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving if it was refrigerated.