To a horseradish in vodka, the whole world is vodka. Life is not worth living, unless its full of zest.
You cannot get more zesty than with guzzling drinks that pack a horseradish punch. Vodka is smooth like water if you’re Eastern European, but for the rest of us, vodka is one difficult shot to throw back. Real men don’t use liquid chasers, which is why we came up with the vodka onion shot. Delicious and novel. As the type of individual that loves to introduce, or be introduced, to funny and wild drinks, learning about the availability of horseradish infused vodka was a Christopher Columbus, whole new world moment.
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Char, just like butter, makes everything taste better, no metter whether it is the char from a fired up grill or oven-roasting. Brussel sprouts are transformed from bitter and boring to flavorful and sexy when probably roasted to a black char. A little drizzle of homemade apple cider sauce, loaded with butter, will make you think you’re eating a fancy side dish at your local restaurant/bistro. This recipe is super easy to make at home and goes well with fish or pork main dishes. It will become a wintertime favorite.
Istanbul is the most unique city that I have ever visited. The infrastructure is sophisticated and modern yet historic, the people pious yet liberal, and the city both European and Asian. Waking up to sunlight refracting off of century old mosques and palaces overlooking the Bosporus is a sight of unmatched beauty. However, the city was reminiscent of New York as it was quite detached and fast-paced. Maybe I naively expected a Griswold family vacation, but ultimately I did get what I went for – a glimpse into authentic Turkish cuisine ranging from high-end recreations of feasts from the Ottoman era all the way to informal dining establishments and late night street food.
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Pumpkin and pork, a combination that is all to lacking in our everyday eating. I’ve dabbled around in the past with pumpkin beer braised pork belly. Hand over heart, the pumpkin flavor was so subtle, some may have considered it absent. I wanted to give the pumpkin braised pork belly another try, but with a twist. With something that would give it ultra flavor and also truly help showcase the pumpkin. And then, I met pumpkin butter.
This is a recipe that is a must-make around the holidays, especially when pumpkin is in season or when you have pumpkin butter laying dormant in your refrigerator. Everything goes well with pork belly, yes, but the intense spices of the pumpkin butter (cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and ginger) paired with the natural sweetness of the pumpkin and tang from the apple cider make for one lovely all-star in a braising liquid.
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“Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Jack Frost dipping on your nose” – Justin Bieber
Many images and culinary traditions flood our senses and memories during the holiday season. Few are as iconic as the opening lyrics to The Christmas Song. Italians have many food customs and treats (just ask about the Feast of the Seven Fishes, and you’ll have enough info to write volumes of books). One treat that shines through during the holidays are chestnuts. While best roasted over an open-pit fire, such an option may not be readily available for those without fireplaces or mothers that abhor having a house smell like a country cabin. This is one way to enjoy chestnuts safely without the need for an open flame. All that you need are plenty of chestnuts and a bit of patience.
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A braised bone with a hole is always welcomed in cold weather. Ossobuco is royalty for braised meat fans. It is a Milanese specialty that stars the cross-cut of a veal shank. If you’re having an Ossobuco that does not comprise of a veal shank, you need to fight for your party to buco. This is my recipe for this wonderful dish, along with more trivia information about ossobuco.
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Brussel sprouts, the fear of children worldwide and the joy of anyone that enjoys cooking seasonally. Brussel sprouts can take a while to cook and have an intense vegetal taste, if not seasoned and prepared with a caring hand. The intense and bitter taste stems from the brussel sprout core. No wonder children find them ghastly.
If you like it, make a spread out of it. Like foie gras is to pate, say hello to pumpkin butter. This is a wicked way to enjoy pumpkin. Contrary to its namesake, there is no butter involved. It is more jam & thick spread, than it is butter.
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The world is my lobster and it can be found between buttered morsels of bread. The lobster roll is a New England classic and what was once common food-cart cuisine, has morphed into fine fast casual eating. Lobster roll shacks are popping up all over NYC and Las Vegas. Crustaceans are on the move. Boston takes pride in its lobster rolls. Just about every restaurant has some type of lobster roll on its menu. Great if you love lobster, not so great if you love culinary diversity.
So if you love the roll of lobster, come on visit yours truly and I’ll take you to my two favorite lobster roll restaurants: Neptune Oyster House and Alive and Kicking. I’d be remise if I didn’t disclose that I’ve yet to try every lobster roll in the area, that’d be impossible. But to date, both lobster rolls at Neptune’s and Alive and Kicking have clearly fortified their positions in the front of my personal Best Lobster Roll in Boston list.
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The sensual and aphrodisiac fruit of the Romans, Biblical stories, and mythical legends, figs are one of my favorite ingredients. When they blossom into season late summer, I’m all over them. The sweet and unique taste make them phenomenal snacks in their raw state. But their beauty further radiates when grilled or roasted. The introduction of intense heat brings forward a more concentrated luscious sweetness thanks in part to the wonders of caramelization.
While eating figs in their solid form is a pleasure, I’ve been becoming more of a fan of figs in their smashed and/or pureed state. Figs hold up nicely to be pulverized into a jam or spread. With a few flavorful additions, these fig smashes / purees are delicious in your favorite sandwiches, on crostini, dolloped on your favorite fish, or tossed into a pasta or risotto. This is a recipe that first pan sears the figs in a hot pan and then smash them up while bringing to the party additional flavors. I fig at parties?
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I am a born-again eggplant believer. This past month, I’ve been going eggplant crazy. Turn me on. Thanks to it being in season, but also the re-discovery of the Grandma secret of sweating and draining the eggplant before cooking, I’ve rekindled a deep Italian love. My favorite recipe for eggplant is the following eggplant and tomato based sauce with ricotta salata and rigatoni pasta. The combination of the drained and then sauteed eggplant, with the sweet tomatoes and garlic, paired with the spongey and salty texture of the ricotta salata and fresh rigatoni pasta is the Garden of Eden in a bowl. Mine, mine, mine, woo!
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Eggplants are from Mars. These weird yet beautiful and glossy purple vegetables are truly unique. An eggplant’s taste is particularly hard to pinpoint, other than a satisfyingly sweet bitterness. Its texture is chameleonesqe and can range from gooey to spongy to slippery. Over the years, I’ve had some terrible eggplant dishes and it is a shame. These experiences do not override my love for the ingredient, since I know of its potential and grandeur. Yet, for many, these unfortunate eggplant mishaps leave lasting off-putting impressions.
This blog post is to help make sure you never have one of those tragic bad eggplant dishes at home ever again. The trick is to prep eggplants way in advance, by sweating and draining its extra water content. Eggplants contain a lot of moisture, which can ruin any dish. This simple sweating and draining procedure does take time and requires some cooking patience, but its impact on the taste and texture of the eggplant is truly profound. You will want to become a Martian.
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