Spaghetti with Pinot Grigio and Seafood

Photo Credit: foodnetwork.com

Trevia

Pinot Grigio is a clone of Pinot gris grown in Italy. Pinot gris is a white wine grape variety of the species Vitis Vinifera. The word "pinot" means "pinecone" in French, and it could have been given to the said grape fruit because the grapes grow in a small pinecone-shaped cluster. :)

Ingredients

• 1 pound spaghetti pasta
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 shallots, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
• 1 1/2 cup Pinot Grigio (or other white wine)
• 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 pounds clams, washed
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups arugula

Method

1 Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta.

2 Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and the garlic and cook for 3 minutes, until tender but not brown. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and cook for another minute. Add the wine, shrimp, and clams. Bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the shrimp are pink and the clams have opened, about 7 minutes.

3 Add the spaghetti to the seafood mixture. Add the salt and pepper and stir to combine. Add the arugula. Stir gently and place on a serving platter. Serve immediately.

Yields: 4 to 6 servings

Cooktime: Approximately 15 minutes

Credits

Recipe from foodnetwork.com

Spaghetti with Pinot Grigio and Seafood

Lamb Korma and Masoor Dahl Recipe

Image Credit: icookFood.com

Korma is a dish originating in Southeast Asia, in India specifically. It's main ingredients are yoghurt, cream and coconut milk. Nut and seed paste are also introduced. If you like curry recipes, you will surely love this one, Korma is considered a type of curry.

Masoor Dahl, on the other hand, is actually a type of legumes. In this recipe, we'll gonna be using red lentils or legume. For those soon-to-be-mom out there, you'll be glad that lentils are one of the best source of iron in vegetables! So, here we go.

Lamb Korma

For a Korma enough to serve 3, you'll need the following;

• 500g Lamb Pieces
• 6 Tablespoons of Natural Yoghurt
• 5cm Piece of Ginger, grated
• 4 cloves of Garlic, chopped fine
• 1 Medium Onion, roughly chopped
• 4 cloves of Garlic
• 4 Green Chilies, seeds removed
• 3-4 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
• 1 Large Onion, finely sliced
• 5cm Cinnamon Stick
• 4 Green Cardamoms, broken
• 1 teaspoon of Ground Coriander
• 1 teaspoon Turmeric
• Half teaspoon of Cayenne Pepper
• Half teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• Half cup of Hot Water
• 1 can of Coconut Milk
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Garam Masala
• 2 tablespoons Almonds, finely chopped
• Handful Fresh Coriander, chopped
• Juice of half a Lemon

Image Credit: icookFood.com

Marinate the lamb pieces in the yoghurt, grated ginger and chopped garlic for a few hours at least (preferably overnight). Put the roughly chopped onion, garlic cloves and chilies into a blender, blend to a fine paste and set to one side.

Heat up the oil in a heavy bottom pan and fry the onion slices for about 5 minutes, until turning golden. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set to one side. Add a little more oil to the pan and add the cinnamon stick, cardamoms, ground coriander, turmeric, cayenne pepper and black pepper and stir. Now put the lamb and marinade into the pan, stir to ensure they are coated in the spices and cook for about 10 minutes. Next, add the paste and cook for a further 10 minutes. Add a little hot water to help de-glaze the pan a little, and add the coconut milk and the fried onions. Cook for another 30-40 minutes, or until the lamb is tender. Stir last of the ingredients and serve!

Massor Dahl

For the Masoor Dahl that will serve for 3, here's what you'll need;

• 1 Cup of Red Lentils, washed
• 1.5 Pints of Water
• A few thin slices of Ginger
• 1 teaspoon of Turmeric
• 2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil
• A pinch of Asafoetida
• 1 teaspoon of Cumin Seeds
• 1 teaspoon of Mustard Seeds
• 1 teaspoon of Ground Coriander
• Half teaspoon of Cayenne Pepper
• 1 teaspoon of Salt

After washing the lentils, put them into a heavy pan along with the water, ginger slices and turmeric. Bring the pan to a simmer, then cook for an hour and a half, making sure to stir in the last half hour to make sure it doesn't stick. Remove the slices of ginger.

Heat up some oil in another pan and drop in the pinch of Asafoetida, cumin seeds and mustard seeds and once they start popping, add in the ground coriander and cayenne pepper, stir a couple more times, then pour into the lentils. Finally add salt to taste, and garnish with fresh chopped coriander.

Credits: iCookFood.com

Lamb Korma and Masoor Dahl Recipe

Deep Dish Pizza Recipe

Deep Dish Pizza Trivia
(source: J.J. Schnebel)

Chicago. That's the first thing you are going to think of with regard to Deep Dish Pizza, and you are right. There seems to be no argument about that. It's Chicago where it was first created and it's Chicago where it's most popular. In fact, in Chicago, Deep Dish Pizza is literally and figuratively, numero uno.

There's a wonderful story about the creation of Deep Dish Pizza, which goes like this: after World War II an American soldier who had done duty in Italy went home to Chicago, got a job in a bar and grill, and began experimenting with the recipe for pizza, which he had first tasted during his war service. Nice story, except for one thing. Deep dish pizza appeared in Chicago in the early 1940's and the war didn't end until 1945.

Actually, Deep Dish Pizza is to Chicago what chili is to Cincinnati. There are more than 2,000 pizzerias in Chicago, most of them serving "deep dish" and many of them offshoots of a small original kitchen in an old part of town. The story that has not been disputed is that a Texan named Ike Sewell created the dish at his bar and grill named Pizzeria Uno in 1943. The pizza was so popular that to handle the crowds he had to open another place nearby called Pizzeria Due. By 1955 a restaurant just east of Michigan Avenue began serving deep dish pizza in a place called Gino's East, and it became popular with the fashionable crowds along Chicago's "Magnificent Mile." Meanwhile, two of Ike Sewell's employees were Rudy Malnati and his son Lou. In 1971 Lou and his wife Jean opened a pizzeria in the suburb of Lincolnwood, north of Chicago. The rest, as they say, is history.

images credit: Southern Plate

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef
1lb Italian sausage
1 med onion, chopped
1 C flour
1 bell pepper, chopped
15 ounce jar pizza sauce
1/2 C Parmesan (Parmesan is not as easy to spell as one might think…)
8 ounce mozzarella
1/2 tsp salt
dash black pepper
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1 T oil
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/4 cup oregano (I leave out garlic salt and oregano and just put in two tablespoons Italian Seasoning)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350. Brown hamburger, sausage, onion, and bell pepper. Drain well. Add garlic salt and oregano (or Italian Seasoning). Add pizza sauce. Stir well. Grease a 9×13 inch pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle mozzarella over bottom of it. Spread meat mixture over the cheese. In mixing bowl, add eggs, milk, flour, oil, and salt. Pour over meat in pan. Sprinkle parmesan cheese over batter. Bake 30 minutes.

Recipe Credit: Southern Plate

Deep Dish Pizza Recipe

Strawberry and White Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

Crust:

1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Filling:

3 cups strawberries, washed and stemmed
2 pounds cream cheese, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
1 cup [5 3/4 ounces] white chocolate chips

Topping:

2 pints [about 34] strawberries, washed and stemmed
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1 teaspoon canola or corn oil

Think spring in a cheesecake: soft pink strawberry filling with creamy white chocolate chips and a dazzling topping of whole strawberries drizzled with white chocolate. This is perfect for those many celebrations of spring - Mother's Day, wedding showers, and graduations.

Soften the cream cheese thoroughly so it will mix smoothly into the batter. A quick method for softening cream cheese is to let the wrapped packages sit in a sunny window just until the cream cheese feels soft if pressed with a finger.

Make the crust. Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Butter a 9-inch springform pan with sides at least 2 3/4 inches high. Wrap the outside of the pan with a large piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Have ready a baking pan with at least 2-inch-high sides that is large enough to hold the springform pan.

In a large bowl, stir the graham cracker crumbs and cinnamon together. Mix in the melted butter until the crumbs are evenly moistened. Scrape the crumb mixture into the prepared pan and press it evenly over the bottom and 1 inch up the sides of the pan. Be careful not to make the crust too thick in the corners of the pan.

Bake the crust for 8 minutes. Set aside on a wire rack, with the oven left on, while you mix the filling.

Make the filling. In a food processor, process the strawberries to a puree. Strain the puree into a small bowl, pressing on the solids in the strainer to help push the liquid through the strainer; discard any seeds or pulp left in the strainer. Measure 1 cup of puree for the filling and set aside. If there is any extra puree, save it for another use.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on low speed, beat the cream cheese and sugar just until smoothly blended.

Mix in the flour. Lightly beat the eggs in a small bowl, then add them in two additions, beating just to blend them in smoothly. Mix in the vanilla, almond extract, and cream. Mix in the strawberry puree until the batter is evenly pink. Stir in the white chocolate chips.

Pour the batter into the baked crust. Put the pan in the large baking pan and set on the oven rack. Pour enough hot water into the large pan to reach 1 inch up the sides of the springform pan. Bake until the center seems firm when you give the cheesecake a gentle shake, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. When done, the cheesecake may have a few tiny cracks around the edge but these will close up as the cheesecake cools.

Cover the cheesecake loosely with paper towels and let cool in its water bath for 1 hour.

Carefully remove the cheesecake from the water bath. Remove the paper towels and the foil wrapping from the pan and cool the cheese cake on a wire rack for 1 hour, or until it feels cool to the touch.

Cover the cheese cake with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours, or overnight. The cheesecake will be firm when cool. It can be refrigerated for up to 2 days before the fresh strawberry topping is added.

Add the topping. Arrange the whole strawberries on top of the cheesecake, covering it thickly.

Put the white chocolate chips and oil in a heatproof bowl or the top of a double boiler and place it over a saucepan of barely simmering water (or the bottom of the double boiler); the water should not touch the bowl. Stir until the white chocolate is melted and smooth.

Use a small spoon to drizzle thin, swirling lines of the white chocolate coating over the strawberries. Once the strawberry topping is added, the cheesecake should be served the same day. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

To serve, use a small knife to loosen the cheesecake from the sides of the pan and remove the sides. Use a large sharp knife to cut the cheesecake, carefully wiping the knife clean after each slice.stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Epicurean Recipes

Strawberry and White Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

TwoFatAl's Chocolate Babka Bread

Image Credit: Two Fat Als

Babka, or Bobka, also known as baba, is a sweet pastry yeast cake.


Babka Trivia

Contrary to what most believe, the names babka (Russian: бабка) and baba (Russian: баба) mean "grandmother". They do not have anything in connection to the cake, they literally mean grandmother, as in your mothers mother. Slovaks, Czechs and Polish call their grandmother Babka with no reference to the cake.

Russians call their grandmothers Babka, but also have a cake with the same name.

Our decision to bake a loaf of babka was random. No reason other than that we just felt like eating some. This recipe, adapted from this one on Epicurious, will make your kitchen smell as good as the best bakery in the world, and the bread that it produces is soft, bittersweet, and utterly worth the effort and there is definitely some required). Our best advice for this bread is to be patient, and to perform each step with tender care. Love the loaf, and you’ll be rewarded.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup warm milk
1/2 cup sugar, plus 2 extra tsp
3 tsp active dry yeast
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 sticks unsalted butter, cut into pieces and softened

(filling)
5 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (you can use chips or bars)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cinnamon

(egg wash)
1 tbsp milk
1 egg yolk

Instructions:
Stir together warm milk and 2 teaspoons sugar in a large bowl. Sprinkle yeast over mixture and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Add 1/2 cup flour and beat using dough hook until combined. Add whole eggs, yolk, vanilla, salt, and remaining 1/2 cup sugar and continue to beat until combined. Mix in remaining 2 3/4 cups flour, about 1/2 cup at a time. Then beat in butter, a few pieces at a time, and continue to beat until dough is shiny, soft, and sticky. You can also use a wooden spoon to rapidly mix ingredients together. Put dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours.

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Line each loaf pan with 2 pieces of parchment paper (one horizontal and one vertical). Punch down dough, then divide it in half. Roll out one piece into an 18×10-inch rectangle, with the longer edge nearest you. Beat together yolk and milk. Spread 2 1/2 tbsp spoon softened butter on the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border all around. Brush some egg wash on the long border. Sprinkle half of chocolate over buttered dough, then sprinkle with half of sugar and cinnamon. Starting with long side farthest from you, roll dough into a snug log, pinching firmly along egg-washed seam to seal. Bring ends of log together to form a ring, pinching to seal. Twist entire ring twice to form a double figure 8 and fit into one of lined loaf pans. Repeat with remaining dough, chill egg wash, and loosely cover pans. Let dough rise an additional 1 to 2 hours, until dough reaches top of loaf pans, then bake in an oven preheated to 350 for about 40 minutes, until tops are a deep golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes in pans, then remove from pans. Serve warm.

REcipe Credit: Two Fat Als

TwoFatAl's Chocolate Babka Bread