fidzu : Cooking

I could eat spaghetti and meatballs every night of the week. Of course my laundry bill would be astronomical. There are cleaning products for removing every possible stain including wine, coffee, ink and blood, but no one has invented a product to remove spaghetti sauce stains. Not yet anyway.

This recipe came about as part of my effort to "eat down the freezer." I had a package of two Italian sausages and some ground beef on hand, but neither were really enough to make a meal. The secret to these meatballs is a combination of pork and beef and also what you use to stretch the meat, plenty of bread and milk. The bread and milk create a very tender texture. Italian sausages have lots of seasoning and fat so you really don't need to add much more in that department though some fresh herbs are nice. I do like using dehydrated toasted onion flakes. I get them from Penzey's and they are great in dishes like this where normally I would want to saute fresh onions. They have good flavor and are a real time saver.

Another trick to this recipe is baking the meatballs instead of frying them. I used to bake them on a lined baking sheet, but they were always flat on the bottom. Now I use the non-stick rack and they are perfectly round! If you don't have a sheet pan with a non-stick rack, I highly recommend you get one. As you can see, they are very useful for much more than just cooling cookies!

Italian Sausage Meatballs
Makes 16 meatballs, 4-5 servings

1/2 pound Italian sausages, casings removed
1/2 pound lean ground beef
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
1 Tablespoon dehydrated toasted onion flakes
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
3 Tablespoons fresh Italian herbs, chopped (such as parsley, basil, oregano) or 3 teaspoons dried Italian herbs
Spaghetti sauce, jarred or homemade

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl gently combine the sausage and beef. Add the bread crumbs, onion, egg, milk and herbs. Combine using your hands, but try not to handle the meat too much. Form into about 16 meatballs. I do this by dividing the mixture into 4 portions and then dividing each portion into another 4 portions.

Place meatballs on a non-stick rack, set in a foil-lined sheet pan and bake undisturbed for 20 minutes. Meanwhile simmer spaghetti sauce in a large dutch oven. Remove meatballs and transfer to the simmering sauce, allow meatballs to cook in the sauce for 10-20 minutes. Serve with pasta or use in a meatball sandwich.

Enjoy!

©2010 Cooking with Amy. All rights reserved. This material may NOT be published, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

10 Mar 2010 7:27pm GMT

From the recipe archive, for St. Patrick's Day, enjoy! ~Elise

Last year for St. Patrick's Day, my friend Suzanne had me over for dinner with her family and served the tastiest corned beef and cabbage dish. Usually we prepare corned beef and cabbage boiled, but Suzanne had baked her corned beef in the oven, slathered with sweet hot honey mustard, and sautéed her cabbage with onions on the stove top until they were nice and caramelized. I begged her to show me how she did it and recently we spent the day cooking together, making corned beef and cabbage both ways - oven baked and boiled. We did a taste test with the whole family that evening and the baked version won, hands down. Here I present to you both the baked and the boiled recipe versions.

Continue reading "Corned Beef and Cabbage" »

10 Mar 2010 6:38pm GMT

It seems like every culture with a coastline has their version of a seafood stew. The French have bouillabaise, the Portuguese bacalhoada, New England "chowdah" and San Francisco cioppino. In Brazil, they make moqueca (pronounced "mo-KEH-kah"), a stew made with fish, onions, garlic, tomatoes, cilantro, and in the northern state of Bahia, coconut milk. My first encounter with moqueca was a salmon version of the stew prepared by Brazilian blogger Fernanda of Chucrute com Salsicha. So good! We love making fish stew, but had never thought to use a base of coconut milk. Since then, every Brazilian I've met, when the conversation turns to food (as it invariably does), their eyes light up at the mention of moqueca.

Continue reading "Moqueca - Brazilian Fish Stew" »

08 Mar 2010 2:23am GMT

One of the things I love about making soda bread is that it is just so darn easy. With yeast breads you have to proof the yeast, knead the dough, let the dough rise, etc. But with soda breads, there's no proofing, kneading, or waiting. In fact, because the leavening comes from mixing the base of the baking soda with the acid in the buttermilk (remember those fascinating-at-the-time childhood experiments of sprinkling vinegar onto baking soda?), you pretty much pop it in the oven as soon as you put the dough together. The trick is to use a light hand, just work the dough barely enough to bring it together. It looks like a sheep-doggy shaggy mess, but it bakes up beautifully-lightly browned and crusty on the outside, while soft and tender on the inside.

Continue reading "Caraway Soda Bread" »

04 Mar 2010 7:25pm GMT

Is an award-winning ice skater capable of teaching, inspiring and entertaining me, when it comes to food? I had a hard time believing from the promos that Brian Boitano could pull it off, but he does. Brilliantly. Here are the top five reasons why I LOVE the show, What Would Brian Boitano Make?

1. It's all about the food.
Brian Boitano's recipes not only look terrific, but are creative and inventive. Take for example his Chicken Paella Burger made with ground chicken, chorizo and scallops or his Garlicky White Bean Dip. They are dishes I would cook in my own kitchen with ingredients I know, using straight forward techniques.

I know food tastes great when you use tons of butter and cream, but that's not how I cook. Most of Boitano's food is reasonably healthy and I like that. He gets flavor without always relying on tons of added fat, unlike some other Food Network personalities who will remain nameless. His food is home cooked, not chef food, not restaurant food, and yet it's exciting and appealing. He's also not afraid to make things a little bit spicy.

Finally the proof is in the pudding, right? Take a look at the user review of his recipes and you'll see, this isn't just my opinion. His recipes get mostly 5 stars across the board. His recipes clearly deliver.

2. It's funny.
I mean, REALLY funny. If you watch much food television, there is a formula and cliche style often with catch phrases, that gets old. Brian breaks out of that mold and actually pokes fun at the way those other shows come across. You'll just have to watch to see what I mean. He's cheeky and charming and makes me smile.

3. It's real.
Ok, it feels real. I know it's still a TV show but the menus seem plausible and workable. The food is cooked in Brian Boitano's actual home kitchen, not a fake looking set or fantasy kitchen with ultra pro appliances and cookware.

4. It's set in San Francisco.
I love the backdrop of my own town, my neighborhood and even my own local grocery stores. I guess that adds to the "realness" factor for me. How cool is it he's actually my neighbor? I am not sure I will ever get over that fact.

5. It's Brian Boitano!
Let me explain. I grew up around the corner from an ice skating rink. I took lessons and skated weekly for a while. I love ice skating. As someone who generally hates pretty much all sports, this is really saying something. To me, ice skaters are not just amazing athletes but like dancers, they are artists. And now, it turns out at least one of them can also cook!

The new season of What Would Brian Boitano Make? premieres: Sunday, March 7th at 1pm on the Food Network.

©2010 Cooking with Amy. All rights reserved. This material may NOT be published, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

03 Mar 2010 4:49pm GMT

Overheard at the market, "I'm a breast girl." "Really? I'm definitely a thigh girl," pause..."dark meat, so much more flavor." Had to laugh, I'm so so so much a thigh girl myself. Here is the secret to fabulous lemon chicken - use bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (or legs, but thighs are easier to eat). Lemon is acidic and greatly benefits from the balance of the stronger flavor of the dark meat in thighs and legs, and the fat from the chicken skin. You don't have to eat the skin (my father doesn't, he gives them to me, score!), but cook with them on for the flavor.

What we most love about this recipe is that it is a classic American lemon chicken recipe without being too lemony. In other words, it doesn't make your lips pucker, it has just the right amount of lemon flavor to it.

Continue reading "Lemon Chicken" »

02 Mar 2010 9:03pm GMT

In the past I've purchased discount restaurant gift certificates from sites like Restaurant.com, but lately I've discovered a number of new sites that also offer great deals on dining. Each one leverages group buying power in order to get great deals. Subscribe to the sites and you'll get offers sent to you in daily emails.

This is the way it works, a new deal is emailed to you each day, the deal is not "on" until a certain number of people buy it, so you may want to share the deal with friends if it's a deal you want in on. Once enough people decide to buy it, the deal is on, and you will be billed. Deals are limited in time and number so you must act quickly. Once you've purchased the deal, you generally need to print a coupon to take to a store or restaurant. The discount may expire in a year or even six months, so read the fine print carefully before you buy.

All the of the following sites offer deals in San Francisco, and are adding cities all the time so check to see if your city is listed as well. Many of the sites also offer you a referral fee if you get friends to sign up and they make a purchase.


Groupon (think "group" and "coupon") is the largest of these sites. Recent deals in San Francisco include $25 for $50 worth of food at Luna Park, $15 for $30 worth of food at Kasa Indian Eatery, and $10 for $20 worth of food and drinks at Goat Hill Pizza. There are also deals for spas and entertainment. Groupon offers deals in over 50 major cities in the US.


TownHog has recently offered deals such as $20 for $40 worth of food at Ramblas and $10 for $20 worth of hot beverages, like their scrumptious hot chocolate, at Bittersweet Cafe. You'll also earn $10 for each friend who signs up and purchases a deal. TownHog offers "hot deals" in 42 cities.


My Joffer offers another similar program. Recent deals include $17 for $33 worth of cupcakes at That Takes the Cake and $15 for $30 worth of pizza at Bruno's Pizzeria. They also have a lot of spa specials. MyJoffer offers deals in about 17 cities and some deals are nationwide.


Living Social offers sends out daily deals, and a recent offer was 50% off Indian cuisine at Rotee. You can also use the site to keep track of collections of things such as a virtual bookshelf where you collect, rate and review books that you own. An added feature is an iPhone app if you prefer to get your deals sent directly to your phone. Living Social deals are available in 8 cities but the other features are available everywhere.


Fresh Guide doesn't have as many restaurant deals available as some of the other sites, but the ones they do have are very good, such as a $25 for $50 worth of Italian cuisine and drinks at Sociale. Fresh Guide is available in 8 cities so far.

One more!

This morning a friend told me about BloomSpot. BloomSpot offers hotel discounts in addition to spa and restaurant deals. Recent restaurant deals include $20 for $40 worth of food at Colibri, $10 for $25 worth of food and drinks at Roots and $15 for a $30 prix fixe dinner at Heaven's Dog. BloomSpot is only available in San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York, but they will be adding more cities.

©2010 Cooking with Amy. All rights reserved. This material may NOT be published, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

01 Mar 2010 3:32pm GMT

For those of you out there who cannot fathom even the idea of beets, fine. Truly, I'm a-okay with it. That only means there is more of this beet hummus for me. I ate this entire batch, save one teaspoon that my mother caught just in time, before it was all finished off. (In this family, you snooze, you lose.) Seriously, if you like beets, and you like hummus, you'll love this beet hummus. The ingredients are beets, tahini, garlic, lemon, cumin, and salt and pepper. Use as a pretty topping for cucumber rounds, scoop some up with pita triangles or celery ribs, or just dive in, like oink-oink here, with a spoon, and eat it up before anyone knows what they're missing. Many thanks to neighbor, pastry chef, and friend Evie Lieb, for sharing this terrific recipe with us.

Continue reading "Beet Hummus" »

01 Mar 2010 7:01am GMT

I love the Mission District in San Francisco. Today check out my picks for the Mission's"sweetest eats" on Frommers.com. As soon as Bi-Rite Creamery reopens, I will do another post on all the fabulous ice cream to be found there too. My top picks are Mitchell's, Humphry Slocumbe, Bombay Bazaar and Bi-Rite. What are yours?

©2010 Cooking with Amy. All rights reserved. This material may NOT be published, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

26 Feb 2010 6:25pm GMT

Unlike much of the country, Sacramento isn't blanketed in snowy white in the dead of winter. We are blessed instead with plenty of green, with flowery shows of red and pink from camellias, and displays of bright orange and yellow from the grapefruit, lemons, kumquats, and oranges decorating the citrus trees that grow everywhere around here. Citrus season is the winter, and when nothing else seems to want to grow, we have an abundance of fruit. In fact, many of the boulevards in downtown Sacramento are lined with Seville orange trees, which anyone can pick, and which produce a sour fruit perfect for zest, marmalade, orangeade, and for baking. For this recipe I used a couple navel oranges from our tree, but truly any orange will do. It's the zest that has the highly flavorful orange oil that you need for this quick bread.

Continue reading "Orange Bread" »

26 Feb 2010 3:35am GMT

Remember last year I told you about my friend Matthew Amster-Burton's book Hungry Monkey? I told you it was funny and smart and filled with terrific recipes and that even if like me, you didn't have kids, you would still love it. If you read the book, then you know I didn't steer you wrong. Now I'm going to tell you about another book, by another friend. It's Cheesemonger: A Life on the Wedge by Gordon "Gordonzola" Edgar. And even though it's about cheese, you don't have to love to cheese to enjoy the book.

Because I was a big fan of the cheese department at Rainbow Grocery, I interviewed Gordon for KQED several years ago and was surprised to learn we went to the same high school. Since then I've been impressed with how knowledgeable, funny and what a great writer he is, in addition to being a great cheesemonger of course. So I am particularly happy to tell you his first book is just as wonderful as he is. The book combines humor, politics and all things cheese, especially the stories behind cheeses you may know and cheeses you will certainly seek out after reading the book. I had cheese on the brain while reading the book and it gently steered me away from some of my usual picks over to some more interesting ones. Hello, Explorateur!

As was the case with Matthew's book, by the end of the first chapter I was laughing out loud. Not that the whole book is humorous but it is completely engaging and delves into local issues, food issues, the world of retail, all with a bit of punk rock and political activism thrown in for good measure. If you enjoy Gordon's blog, Gordonzola you are bound to appreciate the book as well.

EVENT:
Thursday, February 25, 2010 from 7:00pm - 10:00pm
at
Books Inc. 1760 Fourth Street in Berkeley

Gordon will be signing books at a book launch party. Cheese will be provided by the Epicurean Connection. I will be there and hope you can make it too!

©2010 Cooking with Amy. All rights reserved. This material may NOT be published, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

23 Feb 2010 4:26pm GMT

One of the things I love about butternut squash, or any winter squash for that matter, is that they're practically indestructible. They last for months. You can harvest one in November and still find it perfectly good to eat in February (as long as you store it in a cool, dry place). For the last month I've had a hankering to make curried squash soup, and for the last month the squash I picked out for this purpose has been greeting me from the kitchen counter every morning. Well, the stars finally fell into proper squash soup making alignment and the result was this lovely curried squash soup. The trick is to brown the cubed squash bits first, in a little oil and butter. That really brings out the squash flavor. The trick to that, of course, is effectively cutting a very hard squash. For this you need a large, sharp knife (current favorite is this Shun), and a sharp vegetable peeler (I recommend using one with a carbon blade). Some stores sell butternut squash already cut up too.

Continue reading "Curried Squash Soup" »

22 Feb 2010 8:53pm GMT

Andrea Nguyen is a cookbook author who has demystified making Asian dumplings and recreating Vietnamese food in your own kitchen. Woven in between her recipes are stories about family, culture, traditions and faraway places. But aside from being such a talented author, it's great to spend time with Andrea. She exudes enthusiasm and positive energy. She also has a wonderful laugh and can talk about food for hours. Here are the 13 reasons why she cooks. I bet some of her reasons will ring true for you too...

My mother started me out cooking when she deemed me old enough to make rice for our family dinner. I was about 8 years old. By then, she and my father had observed that their chubby youngest daughter was an enthusiastic eater. Why not see if she can cook too? After all, it's part of being a good, well-rounded super woman. My mother, now 75, is not only beautiful, but socially graceful. Her hair is constantly coifed, her nails are perfect (she does them herself), and her clothing is custom-made by her. She still cooks 99% of the meals that she and my dad eat. I don't aspire to be my mother but she did get me on the road to cooking and seeded my culinary curiosity.

I'm a cookbook author, writer, and cooking teacher, not a chef. I feel awkward being called a chef because I don't practice my craft in a restaurant. I describe myself as a 'professional home cook' as my workspace is a regular kitchen equipped with a modest Sears stove. I don't put out food on an industrial scale and my adrenaline rush to 'fire' a dish and send it out to the table is because I want to sit down to eat with my family and friends.

Though I've cooked for decades, I don't foresee myself stopping. Why continue to mince, simmer, sauté, grill, pound and clean up after myself? Here are a baker's dozen reasons for why I cook:

1. I get hungry and eat three meals a day.

2. There are no Asian street vendors or noodle joints outside my door.

3. Homemade food is tastier than purchased food.

4. A meal you cook yourself costs less and you can freeze leftovers.

5. A pot of rice or pho makes the house smell nice.

6. You can dial in your personal food preferences when you cook for yourself.

7. When I eat a bad dish out, I feel compelled to make it up to my palate by preparing a better version of that dish at home.

8. To see if I can replicate a professional chef's brilliance.

9. To get a feel for traditional foodways and experience an old-fashioned cook's craft.

10. Repeatedly making the same recipes allows me to work through unfamiliar techniques.

11. The more I cook, the better I write better recipes.

12. To preserve cultural traditions, lest they disappear.

13. Cooking calms and centers me. I turn off Twitter.

Why Do YOU Cook? posts from food bloggers and cookbook authors:
Hank Shaw
Allen Williams
Eric Gower
Kalyn Denny
Garrett McCord
Carol Blymire
Sean Timblerlake & DPaul
Matthew Amster-Burton
Kamran Siddiqi
Susan Russo
Guy Prince
Allison Arevalo
Mary Ladd

...and on other blogs:
Judy Witts Francini
Michael Ruhlman

©2010 Cooking with Amy. All rights reserved. This material may NOT be published, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

22 Feb 2010 4:00pm GMT

My friends are so very patient with me. BFF Steve-Anna first emailed me this spicy, peppery shrimp recipe, a favorite of hers, four years ago. And then again, at least two or three more times, when I declared I couldn't find it, and would she please-pretty-please send it again. Hey Stevie, we finally made it! Just in time for Lent. Dang, what took us so long? Love the shrimp. It certainly packs a punch though, with all of the black pepper the recipe asks for. Feel free to cut back on the pepper to tone it down a bit. The recipe also calls for a tablespoon of brandy. This I think is an essential ingredient for the recipe. (Actually with so few ingredients, they're all essential.) There is no substitute. If you simply cannot cook with alcohol, add a dab of butter to the olive oil. It will change the flavor of the finished dish, but it should still taste great.

Continue reading "Peppery Garlic Prawns" »

18 Feb 2010 9:11pm GMT

It's traditional to serve leg of lamb or a crown roast for special occasions, but there are other cuts of lamb that are perfect for any old time, like lamb chops. Lamb loin chops are low in fat and an excellent source of protein, vitamin B12, niacin, zinc and selenium. Best of all, lamb loin chops are super easy to prepare. You can grill them, broil them or cook them in a skillet in just minutes.

Sometimes simpler is better. There are recipes loading lamb chops up with ingredients such as herbs, bread crumbs, mustard and blue cheese or smothering them in rich wine sauces studded with dried fruit. But for a weeknight meal, you really can't go wrong with marinated lamb chops. My basic marinade uses balsamic vinegar, lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce. I like Worcestershire sauce because it has lots of umami and boosts the mild yet meaty flavor of American lamb. Because they are so tender and succulent, I serve just one 4-5 ounce loin chop per person.

The American Lamb Board has proclaimed February to be Lamb Lover's Month. In celebration, they sent me some fresh lamb chops and I put together an easy recipe that is great for when you don't have much time on your hands. I served my lamb loin chops with some delicata squash drizzled with maple syrup, a big spinach salad with blue cheese and pecans and some long grain red rice.

When it comes to pairing wine with lamb loin chops, you have many choices, while Syrah is considered a classic match, Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon can work too, depending upon the preparation. You can find more lamb recipes on the American Lamb website...or find a silly t-shirt on the Fans of Lamb site.

Marinated Lamb Loin Chops
Serves 4

4 lamb loin chops, about 4-5 ounces each
3 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Olive oil

Combine the lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce and balsamic vinegar in a bowl or jar. Place the chops in a zip top plastic bag and add the marinade. Squeeze out as much air as you can and seal the bag. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes but no more than 2 hours in advance of cooking.

Remove the lamb chops from the marinade and dry thoroughly with paper towels. Let chops come to room temperature (about 20-30 minutes).

Heat cast iron or heavy skillet over medium heat until hot. Drizzle chops with olive oil and cook for 3 minutes per side or until medium-rare (145 degrees). Remove lamb chops from pan and let sit loosely covered with aluminum foil for 5 minutes. Alternatively you can broil the chops for 3 minutes per side, then allow to rest.

Enjoy!

©2010 Cooking with Amy. All rights reserved. This material may NOT be published, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

18 Feb 2010 4:40am GMT

To make cheese puffs, first you make a pâte a choux dough (pronounced "pat ah shoo"), which, if you've never made it before, can seem a little weird. Weird because most of us who bake are used to mixing dough ingredients together and then plopping them in the oven. With a pâte a choux dough, you essentially half cook the dough first, by adding flour to boiling water and butter, and stirring like a madman until you have a ball of dough the consistency of playdough. Then you mix in eggs and then the dough goes in the oven, where it puffs up as the water in the dough turns to steam and expands into air pockets. The dough is used for making cream puffs, eclairs, cheese puffs (gourgères), beignets, and even churros. David Lebovitz has a recipe for making a French tart crust with what looks to me to be essentially a pâte a choux dough, that has been getting raves. So, it's a useful technique, and pretty easy, though the dough can be a little stiff to work by hand.

Continue reading "Cheddar Cheese Puffs" »

14 Feb 2010 6:15am GMT

I am heading to New Orleans for Mardi Gras and won't be back until Fat Tuesday, February, 16th. In the meantime I hope you will check out (and bookmark!) the new site where I am a regular contributor on Frommers.com. It's called Amy & Amy Between Bites and it's all about culinary travel.

Right now you will find posts I wrote on Dining in Calistoga, Pintxos in Spain and Sweet Treats in Santa Cruz. You'll also find posts from my ever so talented New York counterpart, Amy Zavatto, on Eating and Drinking in Bordeaux and Key West.

While in New Orleans, I feel exceedingly lucky to have the best foodie guide possible, Blake Killian of BlakeMakes, but if you have any recommendations for NOLA feel free to post them in the comments section.

For up to the minute updates on everything Mardi Gras, check out the website where I'll be blogging, MyMardiGrasExperience.com or the Twitter feed @mymardigras.

Who Dat?
Laissez les bon temps rouler
& all the jazz,

Amy

©2010 Cooking with Amy. All rights reserved. This material may NOT be published, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

12 Feb 2010 2:57am GMT

Guest contributor Hank Shaw of Hunter, Angler, Gardener, Cook shares one of his favorite pasta dishes. Sensuous and savory, this simple pasta and duck recipe is perfect for a romantic dinner. ~Elise

This is one of my favorite things to do with duck confit or the easier, slow-roasted duck version of it. This is a sumptuous pasta dish that has its origins in old Venice, where it was done with the Italian version of preserved duck. Despite this, it is an easy dish to make - the only tricky part is getting the garlic browned but not burned.

Traditionally this is served with tagliatelle, a long, flat pasta both wider and thinner than the more familiar linguine. Could you use another shape? You bet. Don't go too thin or too thick - angel hair or ziti aren't right for this dish.

Continue reading "Pasta with Slow Roasted Duck" »

10 Feb 2010 6:00am GMT

Please welcome guest contributor Hank Shaw of Hunter, Angler, Gardener, Cook as he shares his method for making what he affectionately calls "ghetto duck confit". So easy, and outrageously good. ~Elise

Duck or goose confit (con-fee) is one of the most luxurious of foods in French cuisine. Gently cured duck legs bathed in their own fat and slowly cooked to falling-off-the-bone perfection. Then the skin is crisped in a pan or oven, giving you the sinful combination of silky meat and crackling skin. It'll roll your eyes back it's so good.

Real confit takes more than a day to make. But I have a work-around that takes just a little more than two hours, and is nearly as good. And it's easy - I mean super easy.

Continue reading "Easy Duck Confit" »

10 Feb 2010 5:37am GMT

Wondering exactly what is in the Valentine's Day prize package?
A set of adorable heart measuring cups, 2 heart cookie cutters, 6 Valentine's Day cupcake stencils, 2 Valentine's Day placemats, 3 Crayola size 7 paintbrushes, McCormick red food color, McCormick pure vanilla extract, a set of 50 mini Valentine cupcake papers that can also be used for muffins, candies or nuts plus menus, recipes, tips and craft ideas.

Here are some highlights of entries so far....

Tiffany
I would love to spend some alone time with my husband.
If some chocolate and prosecco happened to be included, I would not mind that in the least.

Lori Lynn
Fantasy Valentine's Day:
Fly to Paris for a long weekend: Breakfast at Laduree, Lunch at Nomiya, Dinner at Le Cinq, take a cooking class, and shop for kitchen wares.

Linda
I'm thinking pizza with fresh mozarella and prosciutto, orange and fennel salad, and flourless chocolate cookies for dessert - all in front of fire with my honey.

Caroline
Even though I have a significant other, my ideal Valentine's would involve a small gathering of friends and family. My favorite Valentine's Day so far was spent with my cousin and a couple friends at my apartment. We baked dainty pink cakes and invented a drink to celebrate the occasion (vodka and soda water with rosewater, a maraschino cherry, and a splash of maraschino cherry juice).

Aaron
An ideal valentine's day would go something like this: My 16 month old daughter would go to sleep extra early so my husband and I could share some quality time over a fabulous steak and ridiculously rich chocolate desert (perferably one that involved stawberries as well). We would eat, talk, drink wine, watch a romantic movie and then get an amazing nights sleep with a baby that does NOT wake up at 5am.

Maureen
I would love to have a breakfast with my husband and I at a local breakfast eatery. Then the two of us read the Sunday paper and go to the gym. But what I really want is just to have a dinner where the two of us do not have to do any of the work (go out) and share a movie afterwards. Valentine's Day is the day we became engaged.

Tuesday Jane
I really enjoy preparing a special dinner in. And watching movies from our early dating days.

Beth
On Valentine's Day, I love to make my family chocolate mousse for dessert. For dinner I would make one of their favorites - chicken parm, rice pilaf and a salad. This Valentine's Day, I will make the mousse for my family, but my son and I will be serving meat loaf and mashed potatoes to the homeless.

Marjorie
I would love a day in Seattle with my hubby, just walking around, enjoying Pike's Place market, and eating great food. Dinner would be at Quinn's on Capital Hill

Cathy
Valentine's Day - for the past couple of years my kids (9 & 11) have wanted to be part of our celebration. They help make heart shaped pancakes, cookies, and brownies! We plan a fun dinner together and top it off with homemade chocolates. My husband and I plan our romantic night for the 13th or 15th. The kids love celebrating Valentine's Day as a family! We'll see how long that lasts, but for now I'm enjoying our celebration together!

Alta
I would love a brunch together, either at a restaurant or at home. If at home, then I could prepare my husband a steak and eggs (his favorite) while I dined on a lovely spinach and mushroom omelette. Of course, bellinis and coffee would have to be included. Yum.

Salty
We're celebrating with Chinese food because it's my husband's favorite and it's Chinese New Year.

If you'd like to receive Valentine's Day prize package, leave me a comment on the previous post, and share your ideal Valentine's Day celebration. You must have a US address to win. One entry per person and valid email address (entries must include your email address so I can contact the winner). I will edit out your email address after the contest concludes. Contest ends tomorrow, Wednesday February 10th, 2010.

Good Luck & Happy Valentine's Day!

CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED--THANK YOU AND CONGRATULATIONS TO CARRIE!

©2010 Cooking with Amy. All rights reserved. This material may NOT be published, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

09 Feb 2010 5:42pm GMT

Is Valentine's Day a silly holiday? Sure it is, but any excuse for being romantic or showing your love is a good thing. Spending a lot on dinner, flowers, perfume or candy on Valentine's Day is showy, and not very original. I actually prefer something homemade or just a little bit unusual or unique. To me, going out of your way says "special" and really, that's what everyone wants anyway, to feel special.

This year I will be out of town for Valentine's Day so while I won't be cooking dinner that night, my honey will enjoy something baked from scratch with love. Would your special someone appreciate strawberry cupcakes, shortbread cookies or brownies? Feel free to use my recipes or your own.


If you are not inclined to cook or bake, I think a customized chocolate bar is a really fun idea. I recently got a chance to try Chocri, which allows you to pick from white, milk or dark chocolate and then add any number of flavors and toppings. I made a milk chocolate bar with hazelnut brittle, sea salt, rice crispies and black sesame seeds, a white chocolate bar with raspberry, strawberry, ginger and orange pepper and a dark chocolate bar with orange, orange chocolate drops and bourbon vanilla. While it's too late to have a bar delivered by Valentine's Day, you could give a gift certificate.


If you'd like to receive a kit that includes a Valentine's Day menu, recipes, tips, products, baking tools, decorations and craft ideas from McCormick, leave me a comment and share your ideal Valentine's Day celebration. You must have a US address to win. One entry per person and valid email address (entries must include your email address so I can contact the winner). I will edit out your email address after the contest concludes next week. Contest ends Wednesday February 10th, 2010.

Need some more inspiration? Here are some more romantic ideas and my recipe for chocolate fondue.

CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED--THANK YOU! AND CONGRATULATIONS TO CARRIE

©2010 Cooking with Amy. All rights reserved. This material may NOT be published, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

08 Feb 2010 7:41pm GMT

Please welcome guest author Garrett McCord of Vanilla Garlic as he prepares for the year of the tiger with Chinese almond cookies. ~Elise

Chinese almond cookies are a trademark in Chinese-American cooking. Often relegated as a second string sweet to the more entertaining fortune cookie these don't get the respect they deserve. Sure, they don't tell you what a charming personality you have or offer a string of lotto numbers, but they do have a crisp bite and delightfully sandy texture. Almond flour, almond extract, and slivered almonds ensure that you get an intense flavor that will eclipse any paper filled treat.

Set out a plate of these for the upcoming Chinese New Year. Almond cookies symbolize coins and will be sure to bring you good fortune. Gung Hay Fat Choy!

Continue reading "Chinese Almond Cookies" »

06 Feb 2010 3:00am GMT

From the recipe archive, just in time for the big game. For more Super Bowl recipes from food blogs, check out Food Blog Search ~Elise

So, what are you serving up for Super Bowl Sunday? Here are a few of our ideas, as well as a several rather inventive Super Bowl recipe twists from some of our favorite food blogs. Enjoy the game!

Continue reading "Super Bowl Recipes!" »

05 Feb 2010 9:04am GMT

I'm finding it hard to drag myself to the farmers market this Winter. It's cold, it's wet, it's sometimes muddy, and let's face it, it's not like I'm going to find luscious peaches, cherries or tomatoes. My haul last weekend consisted of baby cauliflower, Tuscan kale, French radishes, baby carrots, broccolini and sauerkraut. Healthy and delicious, but hardly anything to get excited over. Of course everything I bought was fresher and possibly a bit tastier than what I could have found in the supermarket. The baby carrots I bought were real baby carrots, and not those fake machine rounded carrot nubs you find in little bags. Not quite as sweet as strawberries, but pretty darn tasty when roasted.

When I was shopping a dish started to come together in my mind, and the centerpiece was farro. Farro is often mistaken for spelt, it's actually "emmer wheat" and is rich in fiber, protein, and magnesium. Farro is just the Italian name for emmer wheat. The only time I ate farro in Italy was in Cetara along the Amalfi coast. It was served in a soup. Online I see lots of recipes for farro salad served cold, but I prefer it hot. It has a nice chewy texture that's very satisfying, but it's a little bland. The way to overcome that is to add lots of great flavors, colors and other textures to make a hearty and exciting main dish. I layer the flavors, adding a base of greens to the farro and then I top it with roasted vegetables. Farro is very easy to cook and very forgiving, just don't overcook it. I used semi-pearled farro from Roland that cooks in a mere 20 minutes.

The first time I made this dish I used loads of mushrooms. It was good, but somehow using mushrooms feels a bit like cheating when you're making a vegan meal. This version uses a mixture of "melted" kale cooked with onions, garlic and wine to add flavor to the farro. The toasted walnuts are really important, they add a crisp crunch and some great nutritional benefits as well. This dish is vegan and yet I promise you won't miss the meat one bit. Or the cheese. Or even the mushrooms!

This recipe is as flexible as can be. Change things up to suit your taste and the ingredients you have on hand. When it comes to the roasted vegetables you could swap out the broccolini and carrots for roasted baby turnips, brussels sprouts, parsnips or even baby leeks. Using two different vegetables adds nice variety and contrast, but you could use 3 or 4 vegetables too if you prefer. In place of the kale you could use any green you like such as spinach, savoy cabbage or chard. If you don't want to use wine, I think you could use a lesser amount of red wine or balsamic vinegar instead, or even lemon juice. Since vegetables are the main event, just be sure to use the tastiest, freshest ones you can find.

Note: if you can't find baby carrots just cut regular carrots into thin strips no more than 1/3 inch thick.

Farro & Winter Vegetables
serves 4

1 cup semi-pearled farro
1 bunch Tuscan kale chopped (stems trimmed off)
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tablespoon olive oil
1/3 cup red wine
1/2 cup toasted walnuts, chopped
16 broccolini stems
12 baby carrots (real baby carrots not bags of rounded nubs)
Olive oil for drizzling
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Simmer farro in 2 cups water in an partially covered medium saucepan over medium heat until cooked through but still al dente, about 20 minutes. Don't worry if there is a little water left in the pan when it's cooked.

Slice the carrots in half lengthwise. Place carrots and broccolini evenly on a baking sheet (I line mine with parchment). Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with kosher salt and roast until beginning to brown, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile heat a large skillet over medium heat, add oil then the onions and garlic, sprinkle with kosher salt and cook until beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Add the chopped kale and 1/2 cup water, cover and cook for 5 minutes or until wilted. Remove lid and add the red wine and cook without the cover until almost, but not quite dry. Combine kale with farro and stir in the walnuts, season to taste with salt and pepper, and top with roasted vegetables.

Enjoy!

©2010 Cooking with Amy. All rights reserved. This material may NOT be published, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

01 Feb 2010 4:10pm GMT

Updated, from the recipe archives. First published 2006. ~Elise

There's something about winter that just begs for the making of split pea soup, wouldn't you agree? Like the proverbial groundhog, who failing to see his shadow, retreats into the comfort of his burrow, in the chilly, foggy dampness of what is Sacramento winter, I stick my head out the door, only to make a quick retreat back into the house, wanting nothing more than to make a big pot of this hearty soup. Made with dried "split" peas, and cooked up with flavorful, smokey ham hocks, split pea soup is warm, satisfying, and great for leftovers.

Continue reading "Split Pea Soup" »

28 Jan 2010 2:11pm GMT

This recipe is not for the food-queazy. If that's you, you might want to just skip this one, or instead check out some of our chicken breast recipes.

What? You're still with us? Okay, don't say I didn't warn you.

My first recollection of beef tongue was when I was about 8 years old and there happened to be a huge one in the refrigerator. It looked, and felt (I touched it, who could resist?) like a ginormous tongue. Just like my little 8-year old tongue, but oh my gosh, it was so big! And then my parents cooked it and made us eat it. (No idea how they prepared it.) The texture. It was so, so tongue-like. All too weird, even for me.

Fast forward a couple decades (okay, more than a couple) and I'm in Mexico when my bud Matt announces that there's a crowd around the lengua tacos in the buffet line. I get there just in time to scoop up the last of the day's lengua for my taco and I'm in tongue heaven. So tender, so perfect in a taco.

Continue reading "Beef Tacos de Lengua" »

27 Jan 2010 1:06am GMT

There were a number of things I saw at the Winter Fancy Food Show that really intrigued me this year. But tasting something is not the same as cooking with, or trying something in my own home kitchen, so I decided I would put some of the most provocative products into a separate post from my favorites. Hopefully this makes sense. Next up will be the trends from the show and beyond...


If you love cheese, how can you not fall head over heels for this wedding cake? It's made entirely of Cypress Grove chevre and lovely fresh flowers. For someone who prefers cheese over sweets, it would be a fantastic way to celebrate in style. In fact, master cheesemaker and Cypress Grove founder Mary Keehn served one at her own wedding.


I've been hearing about black garlic for quite some time, but I'm not sure I'd ever tried it before the show. It was offered up in various forms from whole heads, to cloves to liquid. It is fermented and all the natural sugars come out creating a very sweet molasses like flavor and a texture somewhat chewier than a raisin. It has no bite and is actually used in various desserts, believe it or not. I think it would be great with caramelized onions, on pizza, or even in bread. I snagged a sample and look forward to experimenting with it. Hopefully it will be more widely available soon.


Let me tell you, the show floor was simply buzzing about smoked olive oil. Everyone I met asked if I had tried it. Yes, I did. And I liked it, but will need to see how it works on various dishes. It seems like it would have good potential on soups and drizzled over vegetables or to boost flavor on grilled foods. It's supposedly a top seller in Tyler Florence's kitchen shop in Mill Valley.


When I was in Japan I discovered yuzukosho, a paste made from the yuzu citrus and kosho, a Japanese green chili pepper. It's got loads of tangy citrus flavor not just pure heat. I was so crazy about it I bought tubes to bring home, afraid that I might not find it here (fortunately it is available in my local Japanese grocery store). This new product is yuzusco, like Tabasco, and it is yuzu and kosho but in a thin vinegar sauce. It has all the complexity and mild heat of yuzukosho but is much easier to use. I would use it in place of Tabasco, which I find to be fairly simple and one note. I hope the company producing it is able to get distribution soon.


I only tried a packaged mole sauce once, and it was dreadful (actually Trader Joe's discontinued it not long after I bought it)l. I tried both the black and red mole sauces from award-winning San Angel as well as the red cascabel sauce and was very impressed. The red was a bit spicier, the black a bit sweet but each tasted homemade and contains high quality natural ingredients. They were layered with flavors and I could see keeping them on hand to use with leftover chicken and turkey. I'd use the cascabel to make enchiladas.


My friend Vanessa of Italy in SF introduced me to these fantastic Etruria Gourmet vinegars from Italy and their producer, Giuseppe Cagnoni. I had never had honey vinegar before and fell for it, hard. I plan to pick up a bottle and see how many ways I can use it. I bet it would be great on fruit salad as well as bitter green salads. Vanessa suggested using the mild honey vinegar with sparkling water for an aperitif, which sounds great. The raspberry vinegar was also amazingly fragrant and floral. Giuseppe explained how the ancient honey vinegar was probably first invented by accident. All his vinegars are living, contain "mother" and are not filtered.


Another vinegar I liked was this Sparrow Lane pear vinegar. Again, I tried it plain, so I don't have a good idea how it will perform in recipes, but I did like it very much.


One of the oddest things I tried, also all the buzz at the show, were savory filled macaroons from Fabrique Delices. Supposedly these are popular in France. I liked the goat cheese one, but the other flavors such as porcini and sun-dried tomato were problematic for me, as the cookies were too sweet. Since they are made from egg whites and sugar, I'm not sure how the baker will get the balance of sweet and savory right, but I think it's an interesting idea and look forward to trying them again, perhaps with a glass of wine?


The Fancy Food Show has very few gadgets and gizmos, but there was an interesting invention, Bread Armor a special plastic zip top bag designed specifically to keep artisanal bread fresh. It wasn't an ordinary plastic bag, but one made of 7 layers and supposedly it keeps baguettes fresh for up to 20 days. Obviously I need to put this to the test! But as someone who routinely makes bread crumbs or tosses out petrified baguette remnants, I am very excited at the prospect of this product. It can also be reused many times.

©2010 Cooking with Amy. All rights reserved. This material may NOT be published, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

25 Jan 2010 3:28pm GMT

Here's the thing about the Fancy Food Show, you have to kiss a lot of frogs before you meet the prince. There are thousands of products to sample and not nearly enough time to try them all, so I let my intuition guide me and keep my eyes peeled for what could be something delicious (plus I ask everyone I can about their best discoveries).

Today I'm excited to show you the things I loved the most. Next I will show you some cool new discoveries that I think have a lot of potential...

So without further ado I give you my top 10 picks!

Please don't be offended but I affectionately call this salted butter caramel sauce, sex in a jar. It is hands down the most delicious caramel I have ever tasted. It comes from Isigny in Normandy featuring one of the only AOC's for butter. This jar of caramel contains salted butter, sugar and creme fraiche. That's all. It has depth, balance, texture, and the flavor lingers lusciously on your tongue. I discovered it in the French section of the show floor and so far it is unavailable in the US, but I did my best to convince someone at Zingerman's to import it. Fingers crossed!


Mother-in-law's Kimchi was the only kimchi I saw or tasted at the show. I liked both varieties, but was most impressed with the fresh and crunchy cubed daikon kimchi, it had a wonderful bright quality. I think I could have eaten a whole jar. It wasn't too spicy, and was bursting with freshness.


I'm already a big fan of Rogue Creamery blue cheeses but there were two new ones I fell for at the show, Cave Man, which is aged in a limestone cave and has some earthy notes, and Brutal a limited edition cheese which is intensely flavored and super creamy aged for 3-4 years. Good stuff! Keep your eyes open for it.


Do you ever use creme fraiche? Then you must seek out Kendall Farm's creme fraiche. It is the most delicate and scrumptious creme fraiche on the market. It also works great in recipes, you can whip it and you can add a dollop to pan drippings and it won't just melt into nothingness, it will thicken your sauce. It's tangy and silky and very decadent.


I found Zix ravioli cookies in a section of products searching for a home "on the shelf." They are flaky and rich, filled with a raspberry almond filling. I liked both the regular and gluten-free versions. These are pretty cookies that taste as good as they look. Locavores take note! They are from Sonoma county.


Sometimes you give something a chance that you're not quite sure about. So it was with J. Burger Seasoning from August Kitchen. It is kind of like a mirepoix, that mixture of onions, celery and carrot but in this case it has onions, Worcestershire sauce, tomatoes, bread crumbs and spices, cooked down to a flavorful melange that can season and add texture to meatballs, burgers, sauces, soups, stews, you-name-it. Available at Foodzie. Makes me wonder if I should make something like this to keep on hand in my own kitchen?


I liked all the Ramar ice cream flavors I tried, but the More Than Coconut was my favorite. It was green and included the flavoring of pandan leaves which lent herbal vanilla notes. Very memorable. I look forward to finding this ice cream from the Philippines in Asian grocery stores in the Spring of this year.


I recently went out to a much lauded Italian restaurant in San Francisco. The pizza was ok, and the pasta wasn't anything special. I knew exactly what was wrong. The dough of the stuffed pasta lacked that silky smoothness with just a bit of give. Bertagni pasta from Bologna is way better. It's available fresh in the refrigerator section of markets and delis. The thickness of the pasta varies depending upon the filling, for fillings that take longer to cook the pasta is thicker. I tried the tortellini and am looking forward to trying some of the ravioli next.


I have mixed feelings about goat milk products. Some cheeses and yogurts made with goat milk are good, others are stinky, with too much barnyard for me. The goat milk caramels from Happy Goat made in old fashioned copper pots are pure genius, mild, soft but not too soft, smooth and tremendously satisfying. Very impressive! A local product too.


The final product is something I was sent a sample of not too long ago. It's the pancake and waffle mix from Kodiak Cakes. I generally make pancakes and waffles from scratch, because no mix ever lives up to my expectations. Kodiak not only makes light and crisp waffles, and fluffy, tender pancakes, it is lowfat and filled with whole grains! The ingredients are 100% whole grain wheat flour, 100% whole grain oat flour, non-fat dry milk, dry honey (honey, wheat starch), leavening (Sodium Bicarbonate, Sodium Aluminum Phosphate, Monocalcium Phosphate), egg whites and salt. Amazing! Available at my local supermarket and a new staple in my pantry.

Other Fancy Food Show round ups:
Italy in SF note: Vanessa and I went to the show together, so seeing her post will give you a sneak peek at some of the products I will be writing about next...

Oyster Food & Culture
Foodhoe
Wasabimon
Lettuce Eat Kale
Yum Sugar
Food Channel
SFoodie
Lick My Spoon
Local Food About.com
Eat Something Sexy
The Baking Bird
Go Dutch Baby
Cake Grrls Cakery
Bay Area Bites
What's Cooking?
A date with flavor
Eat. Drink. Better.
Food Bat
The Second Lunch
3 posts on the show from Is it EDible(!)
The Well-Tempered Chocolatier

©2010 Cooking with Amy. All rights reserved. This material may NOT be published, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

22 Jan 2010 4:31pm GMT

I love quick and easy recipes. So I must confess, when I make macaroni and cheese I generally cook it on the stove top and subsequently eat it as fast as I can get it onto my plate. But if I had my choice, I like a bubbly casserole of macaroni and cheese, moist, oozing with cheese, spiked with a little hot mustard and paprika. The perfect macaroni and cheese for me would also have some chewy cheese around the edges and a crisp topping for contrast. I wondered, does everyone prefer this style? So I asked on Twitter and fifty nine people told me they prefer baked macaroni and cheese and about four said they are happy with stove top versions. Baked it is!


Macaroni and cheese is a very versatile dish, some recipes use a white sauce, others a custard sauce and some have no sauce at all. Many variations include the addition of ham, bacon, tomatoes or peas. When it comes to cheese, I've seen recipes using American cheese, gruyere, cheddar, Colby, Monterey jack, and even goat cheese. Most recipes I've seen rely on a combination of cheeses, which adds more depth of flavor.


In preparing to create a baked version I read an article in the New York Times that said most times recipes don't use enough cheese, they recommended twice as much cheese as macaroni. It took several tries to get this recipe right, and along the way I discovered a few more keys to a great macaroni and cheese casserole. If you cook the macaroni all the way through, it will be overcooked after you bake it. For baked versions, you need to undercook the macaroni, and make sure the sauce is fairly soupy so the macaroni has something to absorb. I like layering some cheese to ensure some gooey cheesiness along with a cheesy sauce. Finally a topping of butter, parmesan and panko yields a crunchy and flavorful crust. Panko is crunchy even before being baked, but if you want a dark brown crust, you may need to broil it for a few minutes.


For this recipe I used a combination of sharp cheddar and a fairly new cheese, Bellavitano made by Sartori in Wisconsin. In some ways it's a bit similar to parmesan cheese, it has a dry texture and little crunchy crystals, but it's also a bit like an aged cheddar in terms of flavor and how it melts. Because it's so intensely flavored you don't need quite as much of it when you cook with it. My personal touches to this recipe were the addition of sweet sauteed onions, smoked paprika and piquillo peppers. I wanted to spice it up, but gently. The smoked paprika also lends an orange color to the casserole which is nice if you are using a white cheddar, as I did.


Macaroni & Cheese with Spanish Peppers
Serves 6-8

Ingredients
3/4 lb elbow macaroni
1/4 cup butter
1 medium onion, diced
1 Tablespoon Spanish smoked sweet or hot paprika "pimenton de la vera"
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 cup all purpose flour
4 cups whole milk
1/2 lb Bellavitano cheese, shredded
1/2 lb sharp or extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
10 ounces about 1 1/4 cups piquillo peppers drained and diced

Topping
1 cup panko bread crumbs
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/3 cup parmesan cheese

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add pasta to the water, cook until almost al dente (half as long as directed) drain and reserve.

Heat a large pot over medium heat and add butter. When butter melts, add the onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes, stir in paprika and dry mustard, cook over low for about a minute. Add the flour and cook a minute more, stirring. Whisk in milk slowly, and bring up to a simmer, thicken over medium low heat for a couple of minutes.

Turn off the heat and allow to cool for about 5 minutes, then stir in the drained macaroni, Bellavitano cheese and piquillo peppers. Layer the pasta and cheddar cheese in a broiler safe 13 x 9 inch pan, in 3 layers, starting with the macaroni and ending with the cheese. In a small bowl combine the panko, butter. and parmesan. Sprinkle topping evenly over macaroni and bake for 30 minutes. Broil for 2-3 minutes if you want a browner crust.

Enjoy!

For more macaroni and cheese recipes check out http://www.30days30waysmacandcheese.com/

©2010 Cooking with Amy. All rights reserved. This material may NOT be published, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

21 Jan 2010 2:48pm GMT

Olio nuovo means "new oil" in Italian. Extra virgin olive oil is the first pressing of olives, and olio nuovo is fresh extra virgin olive oil, the very first pressing of the season. It's typically pressed beginning in late October or early November and is available only for a short time. It's not filtered or even allowed to settle the way most oil is, so it may be somewhat cloudy due to particulate matter and moisture. What makes it so prized? Olio nuovo has a creamy, bright, pungent and peppery flavor. It's also rumored to have a greater amount of polyphenols, which may reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer.

When I lived in Tuscany, my host family had a fattoria or family farm in the country outside Florence. The arrival of olivo nuovo pressed from olives grown on the property was a big deal. We enjoyed it by making fettunta, which is bread toasted over an open flame, then scraped with a raw clove of garlic, drizzled generously with olio nuovo and finally sprinkled with salt. It's greasy and messy but the best garlic bread you will ever eat!

While I loved the Tuscan olio nuovo, if you live in the US, I recommend you buy olio nuovo from a California producer, because it's going to be much fresher, and because the ones I've tasted have been very high quality. They range in price from about $10 a bottle up to $40, depending upon the producer. If you're interested in learning more about olive oil produced in California check out The New American Olive Oil which includes profiles of artisan producers and 75 recipes, each using extra virgin olive oil. There are also many California olive oil producers that offer public tours so you can taste, purchase and maybe even see the oil being pressed. Since most olio nuovo can be expensive, even if you don't go visit a producer, I'd recommend going to a store where you can try before you buy such as Pasta Shop/Market Hall Foods in Oakland or Rainbow Grocery in San Francisco. To enjoy it at its best, use it within a few months after purchase.

How to use it
In my opinion, olio nuovo is best for finishing a dish, not for cooking. In addition to using it to make fettunta, I recommend drizzling it on:

Cannellini beans
Fennel salad (raw, shaved thin and tossed with lemon juice, salt and pepper)
Fish, grilled or seared
Goat cheese
Greens that are steamed, such as chard, spinach or Tuscan kale
Lentil salad or soup
Pinzimonio (Italian vegetable antipasto)
Polenta
Potatoes, either red or gold boiling potatoes
Salad, but a delicate one, such as Spring mix or herb
Scallops, raw or seared
Spaghetti
Wild nettle and green garlic soup

If you have a special way of using olio nuovo, please feel free to share it in the comments section.

©2010 Cooking with Amy. All rights reserved. This material may NOT be published, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

11 Jan 2010 6:22pm GMT

I first discovered Mary Ladd's writing on her blog Jalapeno Girl a few years ago. She was a cooking school graduate who wrote about spicy food and more. At that time she was doing some catering and shared the good, the bad, and the downright ugly about creating and serving meals on a large scale. I enjoyed reading her insider stories about parties of all kinds and her accounts of dining on offal with the likes of Anthony Bourdain. While not a category, I was struck by how often nudity factored into her catering gigs whether at a nightclub or the famous Bay to Breakers race.

Now Mary writes frequently for the SF Weekly food blog, SFoodie and always manages to stay on top of tasty local food and happenings.

"Many of my best memories are food related, so I guess I am trying to recreate that. I cook because it is a way to continue learning about food and culture. Many of the foods I favor today are not ones I grew up with. My folks are great cooks but it is Americana type cuisine, heavy on the (BBQ) meat and potatoes or other starch.

One friend showed me how to roll my scrambled eggs in seaweed, and I was hooked. I first ate kimchee with her. Another explained how many types of matzo balls there are and the ways her own Mother used to make them. Even if people aren't the greatest cooks, they can share the dishes they love with me, and I will usually think about these stories --and by extension, them--when I recreate the dishes in the kitchen. Because I tend to always be thinking about food and cooking, learning new dishes keeps things interesting. "

©2010 Cooking with Amy. All rights reserved. This material may NOT be published, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

05 Jan 2010 5:27pm GMT