INSALATA MISTA

Having just re-watched the movie "Julie & Julia", I feel inspired to dig thru my cookbooks and make something really tasty. But no worries, I am not going to attempt "Beef Borgonion" like Julia did. 



With Springtime coming (and thus diet season approaching,) I am in search of a main dish salad.


I pulled out my copy of  The Silver Spoon cookbook. I would describe The Silver Spoon as an Italian version of Joy of Cooking. This cookbook is HUGE, with only a few photos, but over 1200 pages of really worthwhile, authentic Italian recipes!

I settled on making "Insalata Mista Al Tonno", a mixed tuna salad. 
Here is the recipe:  (makes four servings)

9 ounces of canned cannellini beans, drained and rinsed 
1 bunch of arugula, rinsed
1 radicchio, trimmed
1 red bell pepper, halved seeded and cut into strips
1 celery stalk, cut into thin batons
1 round fennel bulb, trimmed and thinly sliced
2 tomatoes, cut into wedges (or use grape tomatoes)
9 oz canned tuna in oil, drained and flaked
1/2 cup pitted black olives
4 tablespoons olive oil
Pinch of dried Oregano
Salt & Pepper

Put the beans, arugula, radicchio, bell pepper, celery, fennel, and tomatoes in a salad bowl. Add tuna and olives. Whisk together olive oil, oregano, and pinch of salt and pepper in a bowl. Pour dressing over the salad, toss and serve. Some crusty Italian bread and chilled Pigno Grigio would complete the meal nicely if so desired. (Or, just a large glass of water with lemon is perfect if you are trying to trim down for Spring!)

This main dish salad is a real winner! It's delicious, healthy, colorful, high protein, low carb, and super tasty! You can make it earlier in the day and then refrigerate until you are ready to serve it. Then, get ready for the thundering applause...another midweek-meal success story! Woo hoo!

 

FAVORITE CHICKEN & FAR EAST SLAW

FAVORITE CHICKEN & FAR EAST SLAW

Um, Hi Everybody!! I know, I know, you are probably saying "Fifi who?" Well, it's true, I have finally recovered from a very severe case of writer's block. I am back to blogging!

I figured I would jump start my food blog again with two recipes, one that I have been making for 25 years, and one that I made for the first time last week. Both are super easy and yum.

We call this "Favorite Chicken" in our house because it tastes sooo good & goes with almost any side dish. Plus the leftovers taste superb cold (a good "grab and run out the door" lunch) as well as in a sandwich with roasted peppers and mozzarella, or even sliced up over a salad. I usually make a big batch so that we have extra during the week. It's even tasty enough to serve to dinner guests, especially with hot peppers or chimichurri. :-)

Ingredients:
2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breast pounded and cut into serving size portions
2-3 eggs, whisked in a mixing bowl
2 cups of Italian bread crumbs in a mixing bowl
olive oil
vegetable oil

 

 

Heat about 1/3 cup of both oils together in a large fry pan. Let the oil get really hot. Meanwhile, thoroughly immerse the pounded chicken into the eggs. Let the excess drip back into the bowl. Then, dip into the bowl of bread crumbs, completely coating the piece of chicken. Place in sizzling oil in fry pan. Fill pan with pieces of chicken and let each piece slowly brown, thoroughly on each side. Once cooked, remove each piece and place on serving platter. That's it! You wont believe how juicy and tasty it will be.

Next I will tell you about Far East Slaw. You see, we use crushed red pepper at the dinner table quite often, so I buy a large container of it at Costco.

On the back of the container, McCormick lists a recipe for Far East Slaw. So one night the family was like "When are you gonna make this Far East Slaw?! We wanna taste it!" (which is understandable since they have sat there and looked at the recipe so many times while eating). I went out and got the ingredients, and made it the very next night, changing a few things to my liking. Another easy and delicious recipe! It definitely has a distinct Asian taste to it. Next time I think I will add cooked chicken breast and sesame seeds, and serve it as a main course salad.

Ingredients:
1 (16 oz) bag of fresh coleslaw mix
1 cup of chopped radishes
1/3 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Mix all ingredients together, toss and refrigerate. Serve cold.

So there you have it folks! Something old, something new, everything Fifi-tastic! Thanks for following my blog and I promise to keep sharing Fabulous things with all of you, my Foodie Friends! XOXOX

Quick Bites: Black Bean & Corn Salad

Hi Y'all!
I desperately  need to tell you about a quick and easy salad that is perfect for summer BBQs, and it lasts in the fridge for several days so it's great for a leftover lunch on the go. Plus it doesn't hurt that it is a major crowd pleaser.

So easy! You pretty much throw all the ingredients together, chill it in the fridge, and it is ready to serve. Here are the ingredients:

2 cans of black beans, drained
2 cans of corn, drained
2 pints of grape tomatoes
1 red onion, chopped
2 avocados, skinned and cut into small pieces
1 bunch of fresh cilantro, washed and chopped
juice of 2 fresh limes
Olive Oil, Balsamic Vinegar, Salt & Pepper, to taste

Stir all ingredients together, and cover and chill in fridge for at least an hour. So yummy!!! Not to mention that it's full of healthy ingredients.

Enjoy and stay tuned... my next post is about a grilling concoction that will BLOW YOU AWAY!
Love, Fifi

Who's Got Cabin Fever?

OK Peeps, who out there isn't feeling just a tad bit "doughy" lately... with all this blustery weather, darkness, blah blah blah??? I for one, am feeling it for sure! I just want to wear a big sweater, socks and slippers until say... April. (along with a warm cup of herb tea and a hot water bottle......C'mon, you KNOW that sounds GOOD!) But that may not be a viable option...

 So anywhoo, my Plan B is to think positive, enthusiastic, and festive thoughts! Let's have a Cuban Dinner Party!!!

Many years ago when I had my first Mojito....it was in South Beach Miami, Florida, where you can easily find authentic Cuban cuisine. Ever since then, (when I also fell in love with the Traditional Cuban Sandwich,) I have been experimenting, and putting together a foolproof menu for an awesome Cuban dinner. It's a great way to feel "warm & tropical" in the dead of winter. It makes a very nice Superbowl menu, too! Ricky Ricardo would be proud.

CUBAN DINNER PARTY MENU

Mojitos

Cuban Sandwiches

Cuban Salad

Black Beans & Rice

Garlic Plantain Chips 

Tres Leches Cake

For Cuban Sandwiches:
1 lb. deli ham, sliced thick
1 lb. roast pork, sliced thick (You can roast & slice it yourself if you cant find it at your deli)
1 lb. Munster cheese
8 submarine rolls, split
Jar of Dijonnaise mustard
Dill pickles, sliced lengthwise (you can usually find them jarred this way in the grocery store)
Butter, softened

Butter both sides of submarine rolls, then put mustard on one side of each roll. Layer Ham, Pork, Cheese and Pickle slices onto rolls. Then top with the other half of the roll.

Cuban sandwiches can be cooked using a Panini/Grill Press, a George Foreman Grill, or even just a skillet.

If you are using a skillet, butter the bottom of the skillet and place sandwiches into skillet. Then weigh it down with another skillet (cast iron if you have it). Rolls should be golden brown and cheese should be melted. Let cool for one minute, slice and transfer to serving platter.

Easy Cuban Salad:
Baby Lettuce Greens
Avocado slices
Thin red or yellow onion slices
salt
olive oil
lime juice
Arrange a bed of lettuce leaves, slice on avocado, onion, salt, olive oil, and a squeeze of lime juice. All these ingredients are to taste, so you can flavor it up or down to your liking.

Tres Leches Cake:
2 cups cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

6 large eggs, separated
2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup whole milk
1 14oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1 14 oz can evaporated milk
2 tablespoons light rum
Spray bottle of whipped cream
Cinnamon for sprinkling
Maraschino cherries (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and lightly flour a 9 x 13 baking dish. Stir flour, baking powder and salt together.
Separate the egg yolks from the whites. Beat the whites until very foamy and frothy. Set aside.
In large mixing bowl, cream the sugar, egg yolks, and vanilla extract with an electric mixer. Continue mixing and slowly add the milk. Then start adding the flour mixture, a little at a time until all the flour is incorporated and and the batter is smooth. Finally, use a spatula to gently add the beaten egg whites until completely mixed.
Pour batter into floured and greased baking dish. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick stuck in the middle comes out clean. Allow cake to cool on wire rack for 10 minutes.
Then invert the cake onto a baking tray with a raised side, (something to catch the syrup.) Repeatedly pierce the top of the cake with a fork.

Milk Syrup: Whisk together the sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, heavy cream, and rum in a bowl until well blended. Pour syrup over cake a little at a time, until it soaks through the cake. Use your fork to enable the syrup to seep into the cake. There will probably still be a pool of syrup around the bottom of the cake, but it will gradually soak in. Cover the cake in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight.
When it's time to serve, slice a square piece of cake, spray with whipped cream, sprinkle with cinnamon, and top with a cherry (optional). You will not believe how good this cake tastes.

 As for the rest of the menu, it's all stuff you can purchase! You can also eliminate an item or two if you would rather do a little less work. Here are some tips: I buy canned Black Bean soup, heat it up, and drain off the excess liquid for my black beans.I serve it in a bowl alongside some white or brown rice. They are side dishes that compliment the sandwiches perfectly.  Goya makes fabulous plantain chips, plain or with garlic flavor. Then cook your favorite rice, mix up your favorite Mojito recipe (a must), plus have some beer on hand,  and you are all set! Light some candles, play some Cuban music, and let the yum begin!!



Look how happy we made Ricky! Aww...



Mediterranean Deliciousness!

Mediterranean food is a definite favorite in our household! Our good friends the Yilmaz's have tought us a lot about the fabulous "eats" there are to choose from, and one of our best loved dishes is Kofta. "Kofta" is a turkish meatball made with beef or lamb, (or both). It can be grilled, baked or pan fried.

So after many years of enjoying the way my friend Elvin makes it, I finally decided to give it a try myself.  Last night we enjoyed Kofta with a fresh Middle Eastern Chopped Salad, Tzatziki sauce (gotta love that stuff), some rice, and warm pita bread. It was an easy meal to make, and it tasted stupendous!

A wine reccomendation would be our favorite turkish red, YAKUT Kavaklidere http://internationalcellar.com/r/products/kavaklidere-yakut-2007/ . Its perfect with this meal.

If you have a hankering for dessert, how splendid would some homemade (or store bought) baklava be?!

Yummy yummy.... Here are the recipes for both the Kofta and the Chopped Salad. They serve 6...with a little leftover (or maybe not) ;-)

TURKISH KOFTA

3 cups fine breadcrumbs
3 lbs lean ground lamb                                    
1.5 tsp salt
1.5 tsp pepper
3 tsp ground cumin
1.5 tsp allspice
2 tsp dried mint or dill
6 cloves garlic, chopped
one onion, chopped
6 tablespoons fresh parsley
3 eggs
3 Tbsp. olive oil

Using a food processor (or using plastic gloves and your hands like I did) Combine the breadcrumbs, lamb, and the eggs until mixed well. Then add the spices, garlic, onion, and parsley. Mix very thoroughly. Form into longish meatballs (see photo).

Then pan fry them in the olive oil until they are fully cooked, turning occasionally. You can also try grilling them or cooking them in the oven, if you prefer. Just be sure they are fully cooked on all sides. Then they are ready to serve!

MIDDLE EASTERN CHOPPED SALAD

(this recipe is taken from the book Eating Well For Optimum Health by Dr. Andrew Weil)

2 cucumbers, peeled and diced

4 fresh tomatoes, seeded and diced

4 scallions, trimmed and chopped                                   

1 sweet yellow or green pepper, seeded and chopped

6 Tbsp pitted and chopped Kalamata Olives

4 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

salt and black pepper to taste

1/2 cup (or more) of feta cheese, crumbled

Combine all ingredients. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.