Gorgonzola and Honey Pizza

I made this pizza over New Years and it was delicious, if you love Gorgonzola.  Super easy to make and to eat.  I added some arugula on top to make it more "healthy."  To me it's similar to a dessert pizza but equally delicious.

On the left, BBQ Chicken/On the right, Gorgonzola and Honey sans Arugula

Gorgonzola and Honey Pizza:

1 whole wheat pizza dough ball
1/2 cup or so, of crumbled Gorgonzola or blue cheese
thinly sliced red onion
honey bear
arugula
thinly sliced scallions
salt and pepper
balsamic vinegar
olive oil
Parmesan for topping

Preheat oven to 450F.

Stretch out the pizza to make a circle.  I use a combo of my hands, rolling pin and sheer willpower to make this happen.  Make it fairly thin then move to a pizza transferring device (with cornmeal under it) or a baking sheet if you don't have a pizza stone.

Drizzle olive oil over the dough making sure to get the crust (it will help it brown).  Sprinkle the Gorgonzola and onion over the dough, add some salt and pepper.  Pop in the hot oven for 10-15 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the dough in the middle is cooked.

Once out of the oven, drizzle with the honey add the arugula on top and then drizzle the balsamic vinegar on top of that adding a bit of olive oil too.  Cut up and serve warm.

Chili con Carne

I'm trying to make a conscious effort to not overbuy groceries and see how long I can make things last.  I don't know if it's a new year resolution, but it's going well and I've surprised myself with what I can create from simple pantry and freezer items.  I realized that I have so much stuff in both the pantry and freezer, it's a waste to go out and buy more groceries when with a little creativity, and maybe a quick run to the corner store, I can make a really delicious dinner fairly quickly.

Here we come to Chili, I always have most of the stuff to make this and it always is delicious.  Serve it with Corn Bread and a Kale Salad and you have a lovely, healthy meal.  I used the leanest ground beef I can find, and only 2 slices of bacon which gives the Chili a smokey flavor without a ton of fat.  Using a lot of spice is the key to make a delicious and flavorful chili.

Chili con Carne:
2 slices of bacon, sliced into thin strips
1lb of extra lean ground beef
EVOO or some neutral oil
salt and pepper (at least a Tbsp. of each)
2 tbsp chili powder - I used both regular and ancho
2 tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano and/or marjoram
1 large onion, diced
1 bell peppers, diced (I used yellow, choose a pretty color and go for it)
1/2 jalapeno, finely minced
4 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1-2 tbsp flour
1/2 -1 beer, I used a lager
1/2 small can of tomato paste
1 15 oz. can of tomato sauce/puree
2-3 pinches of brown sugar
1 cup low sodium beef broth
1 can of Pinto or Kidney Beans (I used Pinto)
1 bay leaf
red chili flakes for heat if you want

Garnish:
Avocado
shredded cheese
green onion
diced red onion

In a Dutch oven (I used my new Le Creuset, that what a Christmas present from the lovely Miss J) one medium heat, add the sliced up bacon.  Let the fat render out and remove with a slotted spoon, keeping the bacon fat in the pan.  Drain the bacon on a paper towel.

Add the ground beef, break up with a wooden spoon and let brown in the bacon fat.  Add the spices and stir to combine.  Then add the onion, peppers, garlic and jalapeno.  Let the vegetables cook/sweat with the beef for 5 minutes.

Add the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes.  Then add some beer, sip the beer, then add the rest.  Stir and let the beer cook off for 4 minutes.  Add the tomato paste, sauce, brown sugar, and broth.  Mix it up and taste for seasoning.  If you want more heat, add the red chili flakes, but it will probably need more salt and pepper.

Add the beans and cook for 30 minutes on medium low, longer if you want, but 30 minutes is enough time for the flavors to meld together and you to make your Corn Bread Muffins and some type of salad.

Serve in a bowl garnished with anything you want, slurp and enjoy.

Stuffed Poblano Peppers



I saw this recipe in YumSugar and I really like the idea of making a healthy Poblanos Stuffed with Cheddar and Chicken,  I've been house sitting for my parents for the past two weeks and the fact that they have a granite covered kitchen completed with a Viking range and a Bosch dishwasher makes their kitchen a lot more enjoyable to cook in.  I've been cooking up a storm and found a great recipe that I love.

Chicken Stuffed Poblano Peppers:

4 Poblano Peppers

2 cooked chicken breasts, shredded (bake in a 400 F oven for 35 minutes with olive oil, salt and pepper)

salt and pepper

1/2 white onion, finely chopped

1/2 Fresno Chili pepper, minced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbsp. chili powder

1 tbsp. coriander

1 tsp. oregano

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/4 cup chopped scallions

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

 3 tbsp. tomato paste

1-2 splashes of water

2 cups of white cheddar cheese, shredded

If you have a gas stove, place the Poblano Peppers directly on the flame to char the skin on all sides of the pepper.  If you have an electric stove, turn on the broiler and put the peppers on a baking pan, char the peppers on all sides.  Once the peppers are well charred, place in a paper bag or glass dish with enough room to cover with saran rap to steam them for 15-20 minutes.  Once cool, remove the skin of the pepper (it should come off fairly easily, use some cold water if necessary.  Slice one side of the pepper and take out the stem and all the ribs and seeds from the pepper.  Place on a aluminum foil lined sheet tray face up.

In a saute pan, sweat the onions, garlic and Fresno Chili with some salt and pepper.  Once softened, add the chili powder, coriander, oregano and cumin, stir to combine and toast the spices a bit.  Add the chicken and the tomato paste along with a few splashes of water.  Stir to combine and taste for seasoning, adjust to your liking.  Add 3/4 cup of the cheese to the mixture and stir to combine, it will melt a bit.  Toss in the scallions and chopped cilantro at the very end.

Add the chicken and vegetable mixture to each pepper equally and then put the remaining cheese on top of the mixture in the pepper.  Bake at 350 F for 10 minutes till the cheese is bubbly and gooey.

Breakfast Cheese Toast

I turned 25 a few days ago and it made me realize how much of a great life I have.  I'm healthy, have a great job, live in a great city, and have fantastic friends and family.  That being said, I got to go to Incanto for dinner last night to celebrate with the boy.  We had a really offal dinner that included Pigs Trotters, Calf Kidneys and Lardo.  Waking up this morning, I was craving some bacon and eggs and remembered this breakfast that I used to make in college when I had a late morning.  You toast some bread, rub some garlic over it, add cheese and a fried egg on top.  Add a side of bacon and a mimosa and you're off to a great Saturday.

Breakfast Toast:

2 slices of a baguette, on an angle
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
1 clove of garlic, pealed
1 tbsp. tomato paste
2 sprigs of thyme, leaves removed
4-6 slices of Gruyere cheese
2 eggs
chives for garnish

Preheat an oven to 350F.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.  Put the bread on the baking sheet and drizzle a bit of olive oil and salt and pepper.  Toast the bread for 4ish minutes, until it starts to get a nice golden color but is still a bit soft in the middle of the bread.  Rub the bread with the garlic and then spread the tomato paste on the bread in a even layer.  Season the bread with more salt and pepper, also add the thyme leaves.  Top with the slices of cheese and put back in the oven for a few minutes to melt the cheese.

While the cheese is melting on the bread, fry 2 eggs in a skillet, to your preference (I like sunny side up with a runny yolk but you can scramble them as well).

Top the cheese toast with the eggs and garnish with chives.  Add a slice or two of bacon and you have a great weekend brunch.

Broccolini with Cheese Sauce

This side dish is a great addition to any meal.  You steam the broccoli or the broccolini in some salted water and then top it with a creamy cheddar cheese sauce.  If you choose to veto the sauce, squeeze some fresh lemon juice over the broccoli right before you eat it, because if you squeeze the lemon juice on it right after steaming, it will turn a weird brownish green color that, well, just isn't appetizing.

Broccolini with Cheddar Cheese Sauce:

1 bunch of broccolini or broccoli
3 tbsp unsalted butter
3 tbsp Wondra flour
1- 1 1/2 cups warmed skim milk (warm it in the microwave in a liquid measuring cup)
1/4 tsp freshly graded nutmeg
1/4 tsp mustard powder
1 cup freshly graded sharp white cheddar cheese
Salt and Pepper

You need 2 pans, one shallow that you can fill with water and steam the boccoli/broccolini and another saucepan that you can make the sauce with.

Boil the water with a large pinch of salt.  When boiling, add the broccolini and cover to steam. 

While the vegetable is steaming, heat the butter in the sauce pan, once melted add the flour.  Cook for at least a minute to cook off the raw flour flavor.  Then add the warmed milk, and stir to combine.  Add the nutmeg, mustard, salt and pepper, then slowly start adding the cheese a hand full at a time, till it's melted completely.

When the broccolini is done, take off the heat and drain.  Make sure the cheese sauce is combined and smooth.  Taste and adjust for seasoning.  Make sure the sauce has cooked for at least 5 minutes on medium low to thicken a bit, drizzle over the cooked broccolini and enjoy!

Quiche Lorraine

I had brunch the other day with a friend and had a fantastic Quiche Lorraine at Cafe Devine in North Beach.  I decided to remake it for breakfast this morning.  It's a perfect way to start a rainy Sunday and prepare for the Giants game tonight.  I decided to not make a crust with this quiche because it takes time and frankly, I didn't feel like it.  This recipe is for 2 quiche cups that I made in mini Ramekin dishes which turned out pretty damn tasty.  I added some frozen peas for some green but you can substitute scallions or leeks instead if you have them on hand.

Crustless Quiche Lorraine:

1 egg plus 1 egg yolk

1/3 cup half and half

1/2 - 3/4 cup graded Gruyere cheese

pinch of salt

freshly cracked pepper

large pinch nutmeg

2 slices of bacon, thinly sliced

1 large shallot, thinly sliced

1/4 cup frozen peas or sliced green onion or leek

2 sprigs of thyme, leaves removed

Preheat oven to 375F.  Combine everything through the nutmeg in a bowl and beat till a little fluffy (20-30 seconds).  Heat a saute pan on medium low heat and add the bacon to render the fat.  When the bacon is crispy, remove with a slotted spoon and put in a bowl lined with paper towels to absorb the fat.  Add the shallots and saute for a minute or so, add some cracked black pepper, then add the peas and the thyme.

In the 2 Ramekin dishes, separate the bacon equally on the bottom.  Spoon enough of the egg mixture on each dish to cover the bacon, then add the shallot and peas.  Spoon the rest of the egg mixture and top with the rest of the cheese and a few more thyme leaves.

Bake in the oven with a tray underneath to catch spillage for about 20 minutes.  Till the egg is set but a little jiggly.

Cheese Plate

Friday night, roommate dinner, finally. I made a cheese plate and it was just so pretty looking and really tasty that I had to share it. The trick to making a cheese plate look pretty is incorporate different colors and textures. I had a few different cheeses a soft Raclette cheese and an Old Amsterdam Extra Aged Gouda were my favorite. I added cashews and raw almonds along with champagne grapes to make it extra special. Top that with some sliced salami and some coppa and you have yourself a pretty tasty cheese plate. Serve it with crackers or toasted bread.