Ms. Glaze's Pommes d'Amour

Ricotta Ravioli with Rainbow Chard & Tomatoes

I love making ravioli. It's satisfying. Especially freeform ravioli because it flops around the plate elegantly and it's fun to experiment with.

I'm not going to lie, it's easier making pasta at work because we have professional machinery. But making pasta dough by hand gives you considerable bragging rights.

And I enjoyed hand cranking out the pasta – even if the clamp was not holding my machine to the table as securely as I would have liked. What better way to get friends involved?

I used ricotta, parmesan, and a pinch of nutmeg to make a light cheese filling and then experimented with different pasta forms. The first batch was similar in shape to cannelloni, long and tube like. The next were oversized agnalottis (pillow shaped pastas).

With a filling as light as ricotta a heavy sauce would ruin it, so I opted for some colorful sautéed rainbow chard with garlic and red pepper flakes. And garnished the pasta with fresh Early Girl tomatoes and finishing olive oil from Spain.

Technorati Tags: cheese ravioli, egg pasta dough, homemade, pasta, pasta dough recipe, ravioli, recipe, ricotta, ricotta ravioli, swiss chard

Poblano Chile Cappuccino with Wild Mushrooms

The poblano chile sauce I was working on to go with a tomatillo chicken idea morphed into soup. It was too good on its own to be just a decorative stripe across the plate.

I've never cooked with poblano chiles which is why I bought them. I often wander through the supermarket aisles in search of produce I'm unfamiliar with. And the pepper section I normally steer clear of. However, I think I've just discovered a new source of inspiration...

Broil the poblanos until their skin blisters on all sides. This helps to intensify the flavor and also makes removing the waxy skin easier. Then purée chiles with chicken stock. Homemade stock will add volumes of flavor, but canned will do in a pinch. Next, sauté wild mushrooms (woodears, chanterelles, and enoki) with butter and olive oil until cooked. And sprinkle cilantro over the top to finish.

Poblano chiles have a surprisingly seductive flavor: smokey and sweet with just enough heat that you crave another spoonful of endorphin rush. If I ever own a restaurant this will definitely be on the menu or at least at the next family gathering...

Question: do you know what a dried poblano is called?!?!?!

Poblano Chile Soup recipes around the blogosphere...
Creamy Green Chile Soup by Food & Wine
Corn Poblano Soup by Washington Post
Cream of Poblano Soup by Too Many Chefs
Roasted Poblano Soup by Porcini Chronicles

Technorati Tags: chiles, cream of poblano soup, poblano chile recipes, poblano chile soup, poblano chiles, poblano soup, poblano soup recipe, soup

Crispy Corn Fritters

Got corn coming out of your ears? Then you're probably looking for some corny recipes! I had a lot of fun making these fritters...

I love raw corn – I've been known to eat whole ears straight off the cob. And these fritters only fry for 45 seconds each side so the kernels stay crispy sweet.

Many recipes call for up to a cup of flour, but I only used 2 tablespoons for 4 ears of corn and I was happy with the results. The flour is used just to help bind the ingredients and I'm sure that an alternative to wheat flour could be used for those who are gluten free.

These fritters could be served with just about anything. They'd be great as a little starter with crab or shirmp or as a side for pork, chicken, or fish. Throw in some scallions or peppers into the batter to spice it up a bit.

Or you can do what I did, which was simply to eat a whole plate full before even thinking of what to embellish them with.

More Corn Recipes around the Blogosphere:
Spicy Corn Fritters by SImply Recipes
Savory Corn Fritters by Average Betty
Corn and Shitake Fritters by Food & Wine
Deep Fried Corn Fritters by iFoods

Technorati Tags: corn, corn fritter recipes, corn fritters, recipe, recipes

Fresh Corn & Israeli Couscous Salad with Pine Nuts & Cilantro

This fresh corn, pine nut, and Israeli couscous salad was supposed to be a simple backdrop to a lamb shank recipe I've been working on.

Unfortunately, the lamb recipe didn't make the cut because this simple side dish way out shined it.

Israeli couscous is pasta, similar to Italian orzo, but spherical in shape. Add some toasted pine nuts and fresh corn kernels and you have a warm salad with nice textures and subtle nutty-sweet flavors.

Couscous itself is bland and steaming it in vegetable or chicken broth will add flavor. The couscous will soak up all the cooking liquid, so make sure it is flavorful and well seasoned to begin with and you won't have to adjust later.

Toss in some cilantro at the end for color and extra kick.

More Couscous recipes from around the blogosphere:
Israeli Pesto Couscous salad by East Village Kitchen
125 Couscous recipes by Bohemian Revolution
Couscous recipe by Couscous Recipe
Curried Apple Couscous recipe by 101 Cookbooks

Technorati Tags: corn, couscous, couscous recipes, Israeli couscous, pine nuts, recipe, recipes, salad

Fresh Peach Cobbler : T'as la Pêche!

One of the sweetest french expressions I know is: t'as la pêche! Which strictly translated means: you have the peach! But really it's a greeting used for some one radiating energy.

In France my Chef would always greet me in the morning with a big cheerful: Ça va? Comme une pêche? To which the only reply is, "Oui Chef, comme une pêche!"

A nice way of saying: How are you? Like a peach? Full of energy? Ready to dominate in the kitchen today?

I don't know about you, but I'm ready to dominate peach cobbler.

This recipe is a family favorite, adapted from Lee Bailey's Country Desserts, and we are purists about it. We don't add spices or thickners. No tapioca, no lemon, no cinnamon, no vanilla, no nutmeg – just fruit and crust. Nothing else.

(Oh, except a big scoop of vanilla ice cream, but that's just a garnish, not a real ingredient of the cobbler itself)

T'as la pêche?!?!

More Peach Cobbler Recipes around the Blogosphere:
Peach Cobbler by Simply Recipes
Summer Peach Cobbler by Baking Bites
Easy Peach Cobbler video by iFoods TV

Technorati Tags: fresh peach recipes, peach, peach cobbler, peach cobbler recipes, peach desserts, recipe, recipes

Fried Green Zebra Tomatoes with Poached Egg & Basil

Thank you Michael Ruhlman for reminding me how delicious fried green tomatoes are...

And yes, green zebra tomatoes really do come from real green zebras.

That is why they are so expensive because they are so rare. In fact they are so difficult to find that only Whole Foods carries them in NYC.

However, on the Black Market, commonly called 'Farmer's Market' (bring cash), you may be able to find these emerald beauties at discount prices.

Green zebra tomatoes are great for frying. They are firm and hold up when breaded in panko crumbs and fried over high heat. And I love their tart flavor especially with a generous pinch of fleur de sel and a basil leaf or two.

Related recipes around the blogoshpere:
Fried Green tomates by Simply Recipes
Whistlestop Cafe fried green tomatoes
How to Video at iFoods

Technorati Tags: fried green tomatoes, green zebra tomatoes, panko, panko bread crumbs, poached egg, recipe, recipes, tomato

Watermelon Gazpacho & Bay Scallop Cuban Ceviche

Lordy it's hot in New York. Really hot.

Like sweat dripping down my body hot. Like get me as far away from a stove as possible hot. Like I'd like to go stand in front of a broken fire hydrant hot. Like I don't know if I'm soaking wet because the humidity is 100% or because the temperature is 100˚F – that hot!

Yes, it's definitely no fuss, no heat gazpacho and ceviche weather.

Why not combine them?

This gazpacho is simply watermelon blended with a little sea salt, sherry vinegar, and olive oil. It's salty, tangy, sweet and just as good on it's own as it is with the ceviche.

The bay scallop ceviche, cooked in the the acids from lime juice, gets a kick from a few pinches of allspice (a Cuban interpretation) plus some ginger, red onion, and cubanelle pepper. Cucumbers slices and mint chiffonade add on another refreshing layer.

So here's my ultimate cool-down recipe for the summer. What's yours? (Pouring a bucket of ice over your head doesn't count).

Related recipes around the blogoshpere:
Karina's Kitchen Watermelon Gazpacho
Eating Well Watermelon Gazpacho
Eating / SF Watermelon Gazpacho

Technorati Tags: allspice, bay scallops, ceviche, cuban ceviche, gazpacho, recipe, scallop ceviche, watermelon, watermelon gazpacho

BBQ Shrimp Brochettes, Pineapple Salsa, and Avocado Coconut Cream

There is a very talented Chef at the restaurant I cook at who is responsible for creating and testing new recipes. One night she came up with an avocado coconut cream to go with a soft shell crab special.

I'm not sure what all she put in it and we only had it on the menu for one night, but here's my rendition spruced up with some blanched cilantro (to keep it bright green) and lime juice.

It's easy to blend together and extremely versatile. It could easily go with fish, chicken, or pork dishes.

The pineapple salsa is straightforward: pineapple chunks, red onion thinly sliced, brunoised jalapenos, and chiffonaded cilantro and mint. The sweetness of the salsa pairs nicely with the avocado cream that is not overly sugary.

The shrimp are skewered and sprinkled with a pinch of smoked sweet Hungarian paprika – it adds a certain smokey je ne sais quoi to the dish.

Don't leave out any of the ingredients, they all work harmoniously together!

Technorati Tags: avocado, bbq, coconut milk, pineapple, recipe, salsa, shrimp

Family Meal: Cioppino!

I thought, since I'm sitting around waiting for my burn to heal, that I might share my most recent Mediterranean twist on Cioppino since you were kind enough to share with me all your tasty ideas for mixed fish!

This is one of the dishes I've made for Family Meal at the restaurant using mixed fish scraps. We go through anywhere betweeen 500lbs to 800lbs of fish a day and it is butchered on site, so you can imagine that fish stew is a meal we have over and over and over.

Why does stew sound like 'eeeeewwww'? It's totally not.

You really don't need a recipe for Cioppino – there's no real right or wrong about it. I have guesstimated this dish more times than I care to admit and never been wronged. Canned whole tomatoes, onions, garlic, lots of white wine, herbs, mixed fish, and a few bright veggies over the top.

And it can be expanded to feed 50 hungry cooks or just a small army of 2.

If I'm making San Francisco Cioppino I don't add the extra veggies over the top and I usually simmer everything in a big pot with dungeness crab.

But here, it's just as easy to cover the fish with the tomato broth and bake it. Minus the dungeness crab (boo hoo!)

It is a truly wonderful thing, when sitting over a big bowl of Cioppino, to breathe in the steaming tomato white wine broth that has harmoniously blended with the all the fish juices creating the best bread-dipping sauce of all times and then dive in with fork and spoon in search of chunks of fish, shrimp, and who knows what else.

Go fish!

Click on "Coninue Reading" for recipe...

Technorati Tags: cioppino, fish, tomato