Potato pizza pie

Potato pizza was something introduced to me 3 years ago by a coworker. This is an Italian dish that is equally as good as its tomato sauced counterpart but not as well known. It is easy to make, great for sharing and aesthetically pleasing. I made this twice over the weekend and it was a hit amongst my friends.

INGREDIENTS:
pizza dough (I used store bought whole wheat) OR you can buy ready made pies
1/2 a cup of finely chopped onions
1/2 of a potato sliced thinly
salt, pepper to taste
rosemary to taste
sliced fresh mozzarella cheese
sliced gorgonzola cheese

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat your oven for 10 minutes at 250 F.
1. Saute potatoes and onions in a skillet with olive oil until lightly browned, add salt and pepper, let it cool
2. On pizza dough, drizzle with olive oil
3. Spread cheeses evenly, or in a pattern on pizza dough
4. Sprinkle rosemary on top
5. Arrange and place potatoes and onions on top.
6. Top with more cheese if desired. Sprinkle on a bit more rosemary.
7. Bake in oven at 350 F for 20 minutes.

Chick pea penne

Chick pea penne has a nice ring to it. I was going to call it Chic Penne but that was too lame for my liking.
I made this dish a few weeks ago but have only found time now to blog about it.
This is vegetarian soul food at its best. Let's review the ingredients:

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups of penne or whichever pasta you prefer
1 can of chick peas (cheap, and oh so healthy)
1/2 a chopped red onion
1/2 cup of chopped PRE-BOILED squash
1/2 cup of chopped grape tomatoes
1 cup of tomato sauce
salt and pepper to taste
2 teaspoons of olive oil
as much BASIL as you want

DIRECTIONS:

1) Boil pasta. I'm not going to teach you how to do that because most of you already know how and if you don't, that's what Google is for. My only tip for you is to add some salt and olive oil to the boiling water. The salt gives the pasta a bit of taste and the olive oil prevents it from sticking.

2) In a pan, saute the red onions for 1 minute, then add squash. This is where you can add some seasoning of your choice. I added salt, pepper, and basil. Saute for 3 minutes until the squash is soft and browned.

3) Add in chick peas (drain from can and rinse before using).

4) Add tomatoes and tomato sauce to the pan. Stir gently.

5) Taste it with your long wooden spoon. Is it missing anything? More spice? Needs kick?

6) Put sauce on top of pasta and serve.

Bruschetta, baby

I bought a bag of pesto flavoured pita crisps today but had nothing to eat it with as they were pretty bland on their own.
I looked into the fridge and found a container of canned plum tomatoes.
At first, I was going to make salsa but personally, I feel that Italian food > Mexican food. Thus, I decided to make bruschetta. I didn't know how to make bruschetta so I had to look up the ingredients online. I didn't really follow it (as usual) but I learned that it requires olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I'm really shocked at just how EASY it is to make this delicious Italian appetizer. This is going to be a staple in my kitchen from now on. I will eat bruschetta as a snack or a meal. I loves it.

Here is my recipe for my version of bruschetta:

Serves 1-2 people (In my case, one. I ate the entire bowl of tomato goodness.)
Ingredients:
1 cup of canned plum tomatoes with liquid in tact
1/4 cup of finely chopped red onion (the finer the better to avoid bad breath)
salt and pepper to taste
a handful of finely chopped basil
3 tsp. of olive oil
2 tsp. of balsamic vinegar

Directions:
Put everything into a bowl and mix!!!

Can be used to top crusty bread, or in my case, pesto pitas. I like that the flavour of the pesto complements nicely with the bruschetta.

Sorry, no photos today. It was that good.

Last post of 2007: Caprese salad on a stick

This was another appetizer that I made for the Turducken dinner. I love Caprese salad and thought why not eat it on the go? This isn't really Caprese salad in the sense that I didn't use mozarella, but we can call it my version.

Ingredients:
a container of boconcini mini cheese balls (36 in Tre Stelle)
a pint of cherry tomatoes
toothpicks (I happened to find red and white plastic ones that matched PERFECTLY with the tomatoes and cheese)

Directions:
It's pretty simple folks. Just Poke and spear onto the tooth picks.

Now for the sauce:
The sauce is really just a balsamic vinaigrette.

Ingredients:
UGH..I hate measurements. I eye ball and taste as I go along.

balsamic vinegar (I use a sweet one)
olive oil
lemon juice
honey
brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Stir and serve.
Note: This is the same balsamic vinaigrette that I usually use in salads.



Happy New Year!

Pear & Brie on Focaccia

Isn't this so pretty? I love the use of earth tone colours. (Wow, that sounds lame.) As lame as it is, it is true. Anyway, this was one of my contributions to the Turducken dinner party. I got this idea by looking at a picture and I just ran with it. I wish life was as easy as cooking. *sigh*

This was a hit at the party. I was happy with the taste and the appearance. I will definitely make it again. When my best friend comes back from the Philipines, I will make it for her since she loves brie cheese.

Ingredients:
1 focaccia (mine was store bought), or flat bread, pizza dough
1/4 cup of sliced red onions
1/2 of a pear, sliced thinly from top to bottom
3 teaspoons of brown sugar
8 slices of brie cheese (I bought the double cream one so it was extra bubbly in the oven)
a few sprigs of lemon zest as garnish
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil

Directions:
Place bread on top of parchment paper (flat surface). Brush evenly with olive oil.
In a pan, heat up olive oil, begin to carmelize the red onions. Add brown sugar, salt, pepper and stir. That should take about 3 minutes. When done, place evenly on top of the bread.
Next, pan fry the pears in olive oil at medium heat. I didn't add anything in the pears, but you could add brown sugar, salt and pepper to taste if you wish. Sometimes I'm a purist and this was one time... I just prefer the natural taste of the pear. Cook the pear slices for about 4 minutes, flip on both sides. Then arrange the pair slices on the bread.
Onto the cheese! Arrange the brie cheese slices, alternating with the pear slices.

Since I'm a fan of lemon zesting, I added a few sprigs on top. My intention was purely for ashetic purposes but it actually added another dimension of flavour onto the bread! The bitterness of the lemon zest contrasted wonderfully with the sweetness of the pear.

Ok, so you've got bitter lemon, sweet pear, salty onions, creamy cheese, and chewy bread. WOW. Enjoy!


Pear & Brie on Focaccia

Term of Endearment: Soupy?

I want a soup man. That's right, a man who will make me soup. :)
This is a picture of "The Original Soupman" made famous by Seinfield. I ate there as my last meal in NYC. For $12, I had a bowl of soup (crab bisque), apple, piece of chocolate, bottled water and a chicken panini. YUM-O!

I long for soup in the cold weather. Soup on a cold day really has the ability to hit the spot. It satisfies me to a tee! Today I made a soup that combines Eastern and Western soup "philosophies". Asian people prefer watery soups whereas Western soups are a lot thicker and stew-like. I made a soup today that uses Asian ingredients, but cooked Western style.

Alie's Winter Soup

Ingredients:
1/2 cup of chicken broth
1 cup of cold water
3 tsp of corn starch
2 cloves of garlic
1 giant king oyster mushroom, julienned
2 large shitake mushrooms, chopped into tiny bite size pieces
1/2 of a bar of fried fish cake (totally optional), sliced
7 large dried scallops (this is the money right here, baby!)
1/2 cup of squash, chopped into tiny bite size pieces
1 tsp of white cooking wine
1 bunch of vermacelli, cooked

Directions:

Additional prep work:
You need to cook the vermacelli noodles and dried scallops before putting it in the soup. In a pot of boiling water, put in vermacelli noodles and dried scallops. Cook for 10 minutes. Drain water into a strainer.

Let's get on with the soup!

Turn the stove to a med-high heat. In a pot, add a tsp of olive oil and when the oil heats up, add in chopped garlic. When the garlic is infused, add in shitake and king oyster mushrooms. Keep stirring. Add in fish cake slices, dried scallops and squash. Keep stirring. Add in white cooking wine. At this point, the ingredients are almost cooked. Add in chicken broth. Keep stirring. Add cold water mixed with corn starch into the pot. Keep stirring. Finally, add in vermacelli noodles. Keep stirring! Turn to a low-medium heat and keep it simmering for 10 minutes.

Soul Food: Love in a Pan

It has been snowing non-stop for the past twelve hours. Everything that I was supposed to do today has been cancelled. Thus, I spent the day cooking. =) Even when I was half awake and stirring in bed, I was dreaming up recipes of what to create today.




I wanted something warm, gooey and comforting.

Ingredients:
8 small Russet potatoes, sliced in 3
1/2 cup of corn
1/2 cup of shredded squash
salt and pepper to taste
2 tsp. of organic salted butter
1 pinch of herb de provence
3 tsp. of dill
1 sprig of parsley
a few slices of cheddar cheese
a dash of chicken broth
a dash of milk
2 cloves of garlic

Directions:
I basically put everything in a pan and baked it. haha. Ok, here goes:
First you put a tsp or so of olive oil onto the pan. Then you add in the chopped gloves of garlic. Then you slice the potatoes (3 to 1) a throw them into the pan. Add in the milk and chicken broth. Then you add in the squash, and season away! You top the pan with the corn, cheese and butter.
Bake in the oven at 400 C for 40 minutes.

Veal Chop and Herbed Vegetables

I would have to say that I'm quite proud of this dish. The presentation is nothing fancy but it does it's job. On the other hand, the taste was spectacular. Again, this recipe is not difficult as I don't really believe in slaving away for a good meal. A good meal should be made with a few simple steps. I would have to say that this dish is restaurant worthy, again, maybe not in presentation but the taste...wow.

Ingredients:
For the Veal:
1 Veal Chop (It was on sale at the grocery store!)
A few sprigs of chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste
1 clove of chopped garlic
1 tsp. of balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. of fig infused white vinegar (totally optional, I was just being fancy)
1 tsp. of dried rosemary

For the vegetables:
You can use whatever you like. In this dish, I used:
2 red potatoes, chopped into wedges
2 carrots, chopped into wedges
1/4 of a red onion, chopped into wedges
1/4 cup of chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 tsps. of paprika
1 tsp. of brown sugar
3 tsps. of flour (to coat the veggies)
2 tbsps. of olive oil

Directions:
For the veal:
Marinate veal in all the ingredients listed above for as long or as little as you'd like. The ingredients that I have chosen for the veal are pretty strong in flavour that they actually don't require much marinating time. However, if you have the time to let it sit, by all means because the meat will be extra flavourful.

Heat a pan, add 1 tsp. of olive oil, add a bit of chopped garlic to be infused in the oil (Chinese trick). When the pan is ready, pan fry the veal, give 2 minutes to each side for a medium rare.

For the vegetables:
In a mixing bowl, add veggies and all the ingredients listed above. Mix, mix and mix some more. Then in a baking pan, add olive oil to the pan. Put the vegetables in the pan and drizzle olive oil on top of the veggies.
Pre-heat oven to 350 C for 10 minutes, then bake the dish for 30 minutes at 350C.

*You can add some veggie/chicken broth to the vegetables if you want them to be more tender.

Baked Potato Fries

Since I've been pretty busy with cleaning and redecorating my room, I haven't had much time to do anything else, ie. buying groceries. So without much to choose from in my fridge, I take out a few potatoes and stare at them for a minute. During that minute, I stare at the potatoes and they stare at me. Then finally, I hear: "Bake me like a fry!" Who am I to say no?


Ingredients:
4 potatoes (any kind will do)
1 clove of garlic
4 tablespoons of olive oil
3/4 cup of flour
sea salt
pepper
paprika
juice of 2 lemon slices
herbs, seasoning of your choice
nutmeg
I haven't included measurements for the spices because it is entirely up to the chef.

Directions:
1) Wash potatoes. Leave the skin on.
2) Slice potatoes into long rectangular slices (like a fry, duh).
3) In a bowl, add potato slices, sqeeze lemon juice, add olive oil, sea salt, pepper, paprika, nutmeg, other herbs and seasoning that you enjoy.
4) Mix well to ensure that each fry is coated in oil and spices.
5) Add flour to the fries, just enough to be "dusted."
6) Line baking tray with wax paper.
7) Put fries on the tray, and try not to let them overlap as much as possible.
8) Sprinkle on chopped garlic and if you'd like, more flour. The flour gives it a crispier and thicker texture.
9) Bake in oven for 30 minutes at 350C.
10)Let it cool for a few minutes before you devour them.

Diva's Spankopita

This is an old picture that I came across while browsing through my food photos. I made this in March of this year when I was visiting my friend Min in Seattle. We mostly ate out (to my dismay), but there was one night when we had and old friend and his wife come over for dinner. Although it was his kitchen, I was appointed head chef. I must say that he made an excellent sous chef, as he would help me chop and clean up everything while I cooked. I LOVE cooking without cleaning.

I have to admit that I felt a bit of pressure as he sprung this dinner thing on me at the last minute. He also told them that I was a good cook, so there was added pressure to maintain my reputation. Thankfully, my creative spirit pulled through and I was able to make a successful dinner.

Today, I plan to share the appetizer I made. I'm a huge fan of the Greek pastry; Spankopita. This is my own take on it, and I really had to make do with what I had, so it was rather improvised.

Ingredients:
Store bought flaky pie pastry (Oh the shame of it not coming from scratch)
1/2 a bag of spinach
1/2 red onion
1 container (500g) of feta cheese
1 dash of marsala wine
1 pinch of dried oregano
pepper to taste, no salt because the feta cheese is really salty

Directions for the pie shell:
Roll out dough. Put it in a round pan. Continue to knead with fingers (as opposed to toes). Pinch out ripples for the crust.

Directions for the filling:
Heat pan with olive oil and garlic. Saute onions, and spinach at a med-low heat. Add a dash of marsala wine, this is totally optional but I just couldn't help myself because it was a really nice bottle and I wanted to try it out. =) The adding of the marsala was indeed a huge risk because a little goes a long way with this extra sweet, dry, Italian sherry. Fortunately, it gave this dish a unique and unexpected flavour.
At a low heat, add 3/4 of the feta cheese into the pan. Cook for 2 minutes. You can add the pepper any time you want, or you can do what I do, and add some at the beginning and some at the end. Add oregano at any time as well. =)

Pour filling into the pie crust. Top with the remaining 1/4 container of feta cheese.

Directions for baking:
Preheat oven for 10 minutes at 350 C.
Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350 C or until crust is golden brown and the top looks crispy.

If anyone has a name suggestion for this dish, please let me know!