Saturday, May 26, 2012
Swordfish
Another beautiful day to eat on the deck. My mom pan-fried swordfish, steamed asparagus, and baked potatoes. We began the meal with borsh. I will post my Mom's borsh recipe soon.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Mother's Day Dinner
It was so beautiful out on Mother's Day that we simply stayed in and made a meal for my mother. Brian made his famous bison-beef burgers on garlic and olive oil buns. We also had steamed green beans, fresh tomatoes sprinkled with cilantro, pan fried potatoes (my favorite), and vino. Perfecto!
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Georgian Cuisine: Cheeses
Lets talk about Georgian cheeses, shall we? Georgians eat a lot of cheese and each region has its own specialties. Some popular cheeses are Sulguni, Imeruli, Guda, braided cheese, smoked cheese, etc. Generally, the most popular cheeses are made from fresh cow's milk. Below are images from the market in Batumi, Georgia, showing different types of cheeses.
There are also many dishes that use cheese in Georgian cuisine. One of the most popular dish is Ajaruli khachapuri, which is a pizza-like dough shaped like a boat, filled with cheese, and topped with butter and an egg (if you'd like). You can eat this for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. It's also good with beer, but I prefer it with hot tea. Another popular dish is imeruli khachapuri, which is a flat-bread stuffed with cheese. This is easier to make at home than Ajaruli khachapuri.
Most people who live in the village and have cows make their own cheese from the fresh cow's milk. In the image below you can see Brian learning how to make cheese on the stove, later used to make khachapuri.
Another popular dish that uses cheese is Gomi. This is Georgian grits ;-) and can be eaten in many ways, including with the addition of cheese while it's still hot so that cheese softens, or by with the addition of baje, a walnut sauce, shown in the image below.
Most people who live in the village and have cows make their own cheese from the fresh cow's milk. In the image below you can see Brian learning how to make cheese on the stove, later used to make khachapuri.
Another popular dish that uses cheese is Gomi. This is Georgian grits ;-) and can be eaten in many ways, including with the addition of cheese while it's still hot so that cheese softens, or by with the addition of baje, a walnut sauce, shown in the image below.
Monday, May 21, 2012
Simple Strawberry Sauce with Liqueur
Magical things happen when you sprinkle sugar on the strawberries and leave them for few hours. Amazing flavors develop while the strawberries marinate and the sauce is left with a sweet aroma! So, if you want a simple strawberry sauce as a topping for your frozen yogurt or ice cream, here is what you need to know:
Make sure to use a bowl that has a lid. Take fresh strawberries, wash them, and cut them in half. Place them in the bowl and add sugar. I usually add 4 tbsp per pint so it about covers the strawberries. You can then add 4 tbsp of liqueur or any sweet alcohol that you might have. Close the lid and shake the container so strawberries can mix with the ingredients. Next, leave the bowl on the counter for 2 hours. You can also leave it overnight in the refrigerator.
Once the time has passed, you can serve it as is, or you can put them in mixer and blend them into a fine-textured sauce. I prefer to blend them as shown in the picture below. I used it as a topping for frozen yogurt and then sprinkled on few almonds. I put the rest of the strawberry sauce in mini parfait glasses and placed them in the freezer overnight. We at them the next day.
Make sure to use a bowl that has a lid. Take fresh strawberries, wash them, and cut them in half. Place them in the bowl and add sugar. I usually add 4 tbsp per pint so it about covers the strawberries. You can then add 4 tbsp of liqueur or any sweet alcohol that you might have. Close the lid and shake the container so strawberries can mix with the ingredients. Next, leave the bowl on the counter for 2 hours. You can also leave it overnight in the refrigerator.
Once the time has passed, you can serve it as is, or you can put them in mixer and blend them into a fine-textured sauce. I prefer to blend them as shown in the picture below. I used it as a topping for frozen yogurt and then sprinkled on few almonds. I put the rest of the strawberry sauce in mini parfait glasses and placed them in the freezer overnight. We at them the next day.
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Extra Virgin Pomodoro Toss + Shrimp
The secret to the Extra Virgin Pomodoro Pasta Toss is the creative use of all that nature gives is. The ingredient list is simple:
The first step to creating this dish is to cook the pasta. I recommend cooking it al dente or just past al dente. This will ensure the pasta will not fall apart when you toss it around in the frying pan later on. We only have one large burner on our stove, so I cooked the pasta first then used the same burner for the frying pan. After the pasta finishes cooking, drain it and reserve it in a serving bowl with a little EVOO drizzle. This way, the pasta will not stick together and you save washing an extra dish for holding the pasta.
While cooking the pasta, prepare the tomato tossing sauce. Add the reserved tomato seeds and gelatin to a food processer with about half a cup of EVOO, the single reserved minced garlic clove, some basil, oregano, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Process until smooth.
Next, you will cook the shrimp. Make sure you are using a large frying pan. I used a deep-fryer. This makes it less likely that you will toss the food right out of your pan. Heat the pan on medium-high. Once the pan is hot, add enough EVOO to cover the bottom of the pan. Wait for the oil to heat up (it should steam a bit) then add a few pieces of shrimp. It is important not to crowd the shrimp in the pan. Cook on both sides until slightly browned. They cook quickly and should be done in about 3 minutes. Remove the cooked shrimp then repeat the process until all of the shrimp is cooked.
After removing the final batch of shrimp, add a bit more EVOO to the pan (now flavored with shrimp oils!) and turn down the heat to medium. Now is time to cook the vegetables. It is important to add the vegetables to the pan in the following order: onions, garlic, tomatoes. Sauté the onions until tender, but make sure they do not caramelize. Add the garlic, then a minute or so later, add the tomatoes. Toss those around for about 30 seconds then add the pasta and toss around with the vegetables. Add the tomato tossing sauce to the pasta and toss around for a final minute Remove the pasta to the serving bowl. Top the dish with the cooked shrimp and, voila, Extra Virgin Pomodoro PastaToss!
The secret to this dish was the separation of the tomato pulp from the seeds and gelatin. If we diced the tomato with the seeds and gelatin still attached to the meat, the toss would become soup and the flavors too blended. The secret to a good pasta toss is preserving the unique texture and flavor of all ingredients in every bite. By adding the seeds and gelatin later as a sauce, we preserve the texture and taste of the tomato pieces, along with the onions and garlic. And actually, by preparing the dish in this manner, we impart an extra nuttiness and fruitiness of the blended EVOO and tomato gelatin that would otherwise be unobtainable!
- Pasta (I used whole grain pasta to make me feel healthy)
- Two tomatoes, diced, pulp separated from the seeds and gelatin
- One small onion, diced
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Four cloves garlic, minced (three cloves will be sautéed and one will be used in the sauce)
- Basil
- Oregano
- Salt
- Pepper
- Cilantro
- Shrimp (pre-seasoned with salt, pepper and pan-searing flour)
The first step to creating this dish is to cook the pasta. I recommend cooking it al dente or just past al dente. This will ensure the pasta will not fall apart when you toss it around in the frying pan later on. We only have one large burner on our stove, so I cooked the pasta first then used the same burner for the frying pan. After the pasta finishes cooking, drain it and reserve it in a serving bowl with a little EVOO drizzle. This way, the pasta will not stick together and you save washing an extra dish for holding the pasta.
While cooking the pasta, prepare the tomato tossing sauce. Add the reserved tomato seeds and gelatin to a food processer with about half a cup of EVOO, the single reserved minced garlic clove, some basil, oregano, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Process until smooth.
Next, you will cook the shrimp. Make sure you are using a large frying pan. I used a deep-fryer. This makes it less likely that you will toss the food right out of your pan. Heat the pan on medium-high. Once the pan is hot, add enough EVOO to cover the bottom of the pan. Wait for the oil to heat up (it should steam a bit) then add a few pieces of shrimp. It is important not to crowd the shrimp in the pan. Cook on both sides until slightly browned. They cook quickly and should be done in about 3 minutes. Remove the cooked shrimp then repeat the process until all of the shrimp is cooked.
After removing the final batch of shrimp, add a bit more EVOO to the pan (now flavored with shrimp oils!) and turn down the heat to medium. Now is time to cook the vegetables. It is important to add the vegetables to the pan in the following order: onions, garlic, tomatoes. Sauté the onions until tender, but make sure they do not caramelize. Add the garlic, then a minute or so later, add the tomatoes. Toss those around for about 30 seconds then add the pasta and toss around with the vegetables. Add the tomato tossing sauce to the pasta and toss around for a final minute Remove the pasta to the serving bowl. Top the dish with the cooked shrimp and, voila, Extra Virgin Pomodoro PastaToss!
The secret to this dish was the separation of the tomato pulp from the seeds and gelatin. If we diced the tomato with the seeds and gelatin still attached to the meat, the toss would become soup and the flavors too blended. The secret to a good pasta toss is preserving the unique texture and flavor of all ingredients in every bite. By adding the seeds and gelatin later as a sauce, we preserve the texture and taste of the tomato pieces, along with the onions and garlic. And actually, by preparing the dish in this manner, we impart an extra nuttiness and fruitiness of the blended EVOO and tomato gelatin that would otherwise be unobtainable!
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