photography and friends

as mentioned in my last post, saturday night was a memorable one. though some of the photos taken accompany the recipes, there are more to see. check out my facebook page to see the night in its entirety (and show me some love while you’re at it). thanks again, john simoudis!

summery tagliatelle alfredo with shaved black truffles

the ingredients:

1 lb. tagliatelle

1 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese

1/2 cup finely grated pecorino romano (plus more for serving)

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 oz. tuber aestivum (available from paq new york)

the method:

in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the fettuccine until al dente. reserve a cup of the pasta cooking water, and drain the fettuccine well.

add the ricotta and the half cup of pecorino to the pot along with the reserved pasta cooking water; stir until smooth. add the fettuccine, and shave about half of the truffle into the pasta, and toss. season with salt and pepper, and toss again. plate in individual bowls, and shave the truffles on top of each serving using a mandoline or truffle shaver.

adapted from a food and wine recipe.

bridal brunching

this past sunday, i had the honor of hosting a bridal shower for my BFFL. it was quite the partay and certainly a day for celebration. my focus is usually the food as my menu was inspired by flavors she loves, but i have become a real stickler for presentation, too. as my passion for cooking and baking has evolved, i have come to focus more and more on the way in which a dish is served or an idea is executed. thus, i wanted to share with you some of the scenery that day, starting with the table and ending with the goodie bags:

the napkins were rolled with care:

i bought baby brown bags at michael’s and ordered personalized stickers from the stationary studio to create a goodie bag that i thought was pretty adorable:

breakfast for dinner

stay tuned for lots of delicious recipes focused on my favorite meal of the day, breakfast! despite what some may think, it CAN be eaten any time of the day. want a sneak peek? think caprese frittata and mimosa cupcakes!

ina’s mac and cheese

yields: 6-8 servings

the ingredients:

kosher salt

vegetable oil

1 lb. medium-sized shells

1 quart milk

1 stick unsalted butter (keep the remaining two tablespoons chilled once the other six are divided to be melted.)

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

12 oz. gruyere (grated)

8 oz. extra-sharp cheddar (grated)

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

3/4 cups crushed carr’s crackers

the method:

preheat the oven to 375.

drizzle oil into a large pot of boiling, salted water. add the macaroni, and cook according to package instructions, six to eight minutes. drain well.

meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don’t boil it. melt six tablespoons of butter in a large pot, and add the flour and nutmeg, whisking continuously, and cook over low heat for two minutes. while whisking, add the hot milk, and cook for a minute or two more, until thickened and smooth. off the heat, add the gruyere, cheddar, one tablespoon salt, and pepper. add the cooked macaroni, and stir well. pour into a three-quart baking dish. crumble the crackers, and sprinkle on top. cube the remaining two tablespoons of butter, and place on top of the crumbs.*

bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top.

*at this point, you can store this in the fridge until you’re ready to bake. however, let the dish cool first before putting it in the fridge. when you’re ready to bake, follow the remaining instructions, and serve.

want a peek inside?

slightly adapted from a barefoot contessa recipe.

baked pork and orzo

i came across this recipe on one of my favorite food sites. it’s based on a greek dish called arni giouvetsi, which means lamb roast. although i like lamb, i was more in the mood for pork, so i’ve made some changes to the recipe that i hope you’ll approve of. this is a perfect dish in the cold weather (i’m pretending that it wasn’t unseasonably warm today). the fact that it’s a one-pot meal is an added bonus. the orzo is the perfect accompaniment and absorbs the sauce marvelously. pair with a simple green salad.

the ingredients:

1.5 lbs. boneless pork chops

2 tsp. plus one tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 large onion (diced)

3 cloves garlic (minced)

2 tbsp. tomato paste

3/4 cup crushed tomatoes (i always use san marzano; it really does make a difference)

3 cups vegetable broth

1/2 tsp. dried parsley

8 oz. orzo (i used whole wheat, but the choice is yours.)

kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

myzithra or parmigiano regianno (for serving)

the method:

preheat the oven to 300.

rub the pork chops with the two teaspoons of olive oil, and season very liberally with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. don’t be shy with the seasoning! sear the pork in a dutch oven on both sides until it’s nicely browned. remove from the pan, and set aside until  you are ready to put it back in the dutch oven.*

add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the dutch oven, and add the onions. once the onions are tender, stir in the garlic and tomato paste until the garlic is fragrant and the tomato paste has started to cook off a bit and incorporate with the onions.  add the crushed tomatoes and broth, and scrape  up any brown bits at the bottom of the pan (someone called these the “yum-yums today; i enjoyed that). season to taste with salt and pepper. add the dried parsley, and bring everything to a boil. while everything is coming to a boil, cut the seared pork chops into one-inch cubes. add the cubed pork back in. cover, and bake until the pork is very tender, about one and a half to two hours (or more).

increase the heat in the oven to 350, and stir in the orzo.  continue to bake, this time uncovered, until the orzo is cooked and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 20-30 minutes.

serve the pork alongside the orzo, and top generously with the cheese.

*if you don’t have a dutch oven, you can use a skillet and roasting pan covered with tin foil, respectively.

adapted from an elly says opa recipe.

hello (again), world!

i heart food has moved! welcome to the new stomping grounds. many more recipes to follow, and i look forward to sharing them with you!

pizza margherita

my dad and i took a pizza making class at pizza a casa in nyc. the creator of the school, mark bello, has been perfecting his craft for years, and his work has paid off. below is a margherita, but feel free to make whatever kind of pizza you like. some of my favorite toppings include sausage, roasted red peppers, ricotta cheese, etc., etc. we also made a dessert pie with nutella and bananas. ah-mazing. the dough recipe yields four pies, so get creative.

the ingedients:

for the dough:

1 packet (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast

3 1/2 firmly packed cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups warm water

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon Kosher or sea salt

two pinches sugar (optional, to encourage a fast rise)

for the toppings:

1 jar of passata

3 cloves of garlic

fresh basil leaves (julienned)

fresh mozzarella (torn into small pieces)

the method:

combine the yeast with the warm water and stir to break up lumps. let it sit for five to ten minutes or until yeast starts to become foamy and separate. combine the flour, salt and oil. Fold in the proofed yeast mixture until the dough just comes together and turn it onto a well-floured surface. knead for at least five minutes. divide the dough into four even-sized balls, and pinch any folds shut for a seamless surface. let sit at room temperature in a tighly sealed container to rise for 45 minutes.

preheat the oven with the pizza stone inside to 500 or 550 (as high as it will go).

grate the garlic cloves, and stir them into the passata. set aside.

place the dough on a well-floured surface. press around the edges until you have a roughly 5″ round. pick the dough up, and carefully stretch it out with your hands until it’s roughly 12 to 14″ in diameter. dust the surface of the pizza peel with the semolina flour (if you’d like), and carefully place the dough round on top.

dab the prepared passata on top of the dough; it does not need to cover the entire surface as many wrongly assume (myself included until i took this class). squeeze any excess moisture from the fresh mozzarella with a paper or dish towel. add the cheese in the same manner. the picture above should give you a good sense of the amounts. pop the pie into the oven on the pizza stone.

check the progress of your pie after four minutes. if you can do so using the oven light as opposed to opening the door, it’s a better alternative. with the oven at such a high temperature, opening the door dramatically alters the heat in the oven. when you feel your crust is golden enough, remove the pie from the oven using the pizza peel. transfer to a cutting board, and top with the basil and a drizzle of olive oil. slice using a pizza cutter. move to a serving platter, and mangia!

courtesy of pizza a casa.