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.

Happy (re) birthday

The Epicurious Diva: One Meal at a Time

This was my one of five birthday cakes from my 26th birthday. My sister bought me this one. The rebirth of my food blog is worthy of a b-day cake photo. I have forgotten how much I love to cook and invent recipes. Just thinking about all the culinary creations that I want to try out is making me excited and happy. Happy Rebirth, Epicurious Diva!

I'm back and I missed you.

The Epicurious Diva: One Meal at a Time

Hello, how I've missed you. Forgive me for the neglect. Anyway, don't cry, I'm back and here to share more recipes, musings and rants with you.

This photo was taken during my stay at Mwaybe Safari and Hotel in Uganda. It was the first time I've had passion fruit and it tasted exactly like how I imagined it to. It was the perfect balance of sweet and tart and had a unique taste, unlike any other.

I'm glad to be back.
xo

Merry Christmas!

If this is your first time visiting this blog, it is probably because you've received a present from me.
I like giving homemade gifts and I'm a secret (not so secret) green girl.
Let's get to the good stuff...

Jar contents:
Long grain rice
chicken broth powder
chopped, dried apricots, apples, cranberries, and raisins
dried chives, bay leaves
salt and pepper

One jar serves 6-8 people

Directions:
Boil a pot of water.
In a pot or sauce pan, heat up as much or as little butter as you'd like.
Add a little bit of hot water to the pan, stir with a wooden spoon.
Add jar contents, stir.
Add more water, the contents should be in a soupy state by now.
Keep a lid on the pot for a few minutes. Keep your eye on it in case it boils over.
Check on the state of the contents. A lot of water should have been absorbed by the rice, so add a bit more water.

Cooking time: 15 minutes.

Other ideas:
Once you are done cooking the rice, the fun doesn't need to stop there. You can also try the following ideas:
Put rice in a casserole dish, flatten it until it is leveled. Place sliced/shredded cheese on top. I recommend a sharp, old Cheddar. Crush candied walnuts/pecans/almonds. Sprinkle on top. Bake for 15 minutes.

OR YOU COULD DO THIS:
Add a can of chicken broth and turn it into a chicken rice soup.

OR YOU COULD DO THIS:
Make a balsamic glaze to drizzle on top of the rice.
Directions for balasmic glaze:
in a small sauce pan, heat up balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, salt and pepper.

Friends, this jar of rice is really just a blank canvas for your culinary imaginations. I encourage you to listen to your intuition. Leave a comment and or a picture of what you've created.

Merry Christmas to all!

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.

Summer Nights

Paultato and I spent Saturday evening cooking a fabulous summer meal.



First Course: Spinach salad with goat cheese croquets drizzled in balsamic raspberry vinaigrette



Second Course: Butter chicken and veggie "pizza"


Third Course: Fresh cat sashimi
Just kidding! That's Madonna (the cat) doing her thang.









The Epicurious Diva: One Meal at a Time

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

The Ever Epic Turducken

A Turducken is a dish consisting of a partially de-boned turkey stuffed with a de-boned duck, which itself is stuffed with a small de-boned chicken. The name is a portmanteau of those ingredients: turkey, duck, and chicken. The cavity of the chicken and the rest of the gaps are filled with, at the very least, a highly seasoned breadcrumb mixture or sausage meat, although some versions have a different stuffing for each bird.
Courtesy of good ol' Wiki

My friends Aldous and Christina (incidentally in-laws) successfully cooked a turducken for a party of 15 last night. It was my first time eating one and the verdict is that it was delicious. Albeit, one serving is over 1000 calories, I believe it it well worth those extra sit ups. I proposed to make it a post-Christmas tradition amongst us, I think everyone except for the chefs agreed with me. =p

Here are some pictures of the delightful bird(s):


Error uploading, more to come. =)

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.

Epic!

Are you a self-professed foodie?
Do you like to try out new restaurants?
Do you like to create your own gastronomical delights?

If this sounds like you, then you might be interested in joining a diner's club that I'm in the process of establishing. This group of diners will meet once a month to try out a restaurant. The restaurant doesn't have to be expensive/fancy but somtimes will be (because we all like to be high rollers now and then). We plan to kick this off in the new year.

Leave me a message if you're interested in joning. Spaces are limited.

Mango shrimps sleeping on an arugula bed

I went to the grocery store today and picked up some goodies including "President's Choice Blue Menu Mango Vinaigrette." I had the intention of using it as a meat marinade today but I had no meat...instead I found a dozen jumbo shrimps in the freezer. Thus, mango shrimps was born! I bought one bunch of arugula and had forgotten that if I don't get the organic baby arugula, it's SOOOOO bitter. However, the sweetness of the mango sauce evens it out.

Ingredients (serves 2):
12 jumbo shrimp, thawed
2 leaves of chopped fresh basil
sea salt, pepper, garlic power, paprika to taste
2 tsp. of soy sauce
3 tbsp. of mango vinaigrette
6 leaves of arugula
1 tsp. of lemon juice

Directions:
In a bowl, marinade shrimp with basil, sea salt, pepper,paprika, lemon juice and stir.
Heat sauce pan with olive oil at med-low heat, put shrimp in and cook for 2 minutes while continually stirring. Pour in mango vinaigrette and it's OK to be generous! Add soy sauce and keep stirring for 2 more minutes.

Wash and cut arugula leaves and plate it. Put shrimp on top. I added some strips of proscuitto on top as well to balance out the strong taste of arugula.

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.

Chicken Breast Whatchamacallits

This was dinner a few nights ago. Again, I don't really like to plan in advance, because it is more interesting to create with what you have in the fridge. I don't have a name for this dish, or at least nothing creative, so this dish will remain nameless until I or anyone else can come up with something worthy to name it.

Ingredients:
1 large chicken breast sliced into thin sheets
Proscuitto slices
1/4 chopped red onion
1/4 cup of feta cheese cubes
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup of arugla, chopped
2 tsps. of soy sauce
1/2 cup of chopped parsley

Directions:
Marinate sliced chicken breast with your choice of herbs, soy sauce, salt and pepper. Let it sit for a bit while you make the topping.
For the topping:
In a bowl, mix together red onions, feta cheese, arugula, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste, you can add some garlic powder too, I did. =)
Place chicken breasts on a baking tray and add the topping on top of the chicken breasts.
Add a slice of proscuitto to top it off.
Pre-heat oven to 350 C for 10 minutes.
Bake chicken at 350 C for 25 minutes.

Enjoy!

Chickpeas Chic

This is a recipe I made up on the spot. I saw a can of chick peas and thought it would be a good way to ease in to becoming a full vegetarian. There are meat products in this dish, but they can be easily substituted with veggie products.

Ingredients:
1 can of chick peas
1/2 of a chorizo sausage chopped into small pieces
a few shreds of proscuitto
7 cherry tomatoes
1 clove of chopped garlic
2 tsps. of white vinegar
1/4 cup of chicken broth
1/2 of a sliced onion
2 tsps. of paprika
salt, pepper to taste
parsley, oregano to taste

Directions:
In a pan, heat olive oil, add garlic and onions, saute.
Add sausage, keep stirring.
Add white vinegar.
Add paprika.
Drain can of chick peas, add into pan.
Add tomatoes.
Add salt, pepper, parsley, oregano to taste.
The mixture should be pretty dry, so add in chicken broth. As the liquid evaporates, you can keep adding water to keep it moist.
Finally, when it is close to being cooked (about 6 minutes on med. heat), you can add in the proscuitto slices. Proscuitto cooks extremely fast, so it is always best to add it in at the last minute.

Preparation time: 6 minutes, just a bit of chopping
Cooking time: 6 minutes (chick peas from the can are pre-cooked, so you're just cooking them to make them a bit softer and for the infusion of flavours.)

I'm not sure what type of cuisine this falls under, it's just something I made up and it was delicious. It's quite healthy as it is high in protein and the spices make it so flavourful. Chick peas are quite filling and are carb like, but are not heavy like carbs.

Alas, salad

I had a beautiful weekend and to mark the end of such a beautiful time, I have made a good meal to go with it. Alas, I have made a colourful, fulfilling salad. I haven't eaten since 5pm yesterday and it is now twenty hours later. So yes, I am rather hungry and need to satisfy my sweet and salty tooth simultaneously. I just came back from the market and bought lots of fresh, organic goodies; fit for a foodie.

I'm going to call this salad: "Jared's Arugula Salad w/ Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette." I know, the name strays from my usual creativity, however, I must pay dues to the brother I never had. Jared absolutely loves arugula and the other ingredients I have chosen to put in this salad. Also, he's the one who showed me how to make this dressing. He likes more balsamic, I like more oil, he likes more lemon, I like more pepper. We have our differences, but on the whole, we KNOW food.

Ingredients:
Makes ONE serving. Dining alone for one, baby.
2 cups of organic baby arugula leaves
2-3 tbsps. of extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. of aged balsamic vinegar
7 grape tomatoes, halved
3 slices of proscuitto
1 handful of organic green raisins
1 lemon wedge
1 tsp. of honey
1 tsp. of brown sugar

Directions:

1)Wash n' spin arugula, plate it
2)Slice grape tomatoes in half
3) Tear proscuitto into pieces
4) Toss raisins onto the plate
5) Have fun and arrange your food the way you want it to look. =)

How to make the dressing:
This is probably my favourite dressing; it is so good that I never want to eat store- bought dressings again.
In a bowl or glass, pour in olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper to taste, honey, brown sugar and then stir vigorously. Do a dance while you stir, it will make it more fun. =) I was listening to Iron and Wine when I was making this.




Enjoy! Alas, salad! (It's supposed to rhyme when you say it. Think French accent.)

Where did it go?

Lately, I haven't been much of a chef or an eater. I seem to have lost my desire to enjoy the beauty of food. Life is rather confusing for me right now. I'm at the end of a fork in the road. The destination of either path is unknown. I'm not scared, I'm not angry, I'm just...I'm out of feelings. I'm indifferent. I have no preferences or desires. Hence, my penchant for cooking and great tasting things has disappeared. Fear not my friends, based on past experiences, this should be temporary.

My current diet consists of coffee and Kashi Go Lean cereal, minus the lactose free milk. I've been too preoccupied to even do groceries.

Do you tend to eat more when you're sad or happy? I eat more when I'm at peace with myself. I seldom lose my appetite, even when I'm sick, or I'm grieving over a death, I still eat and with gusto, mind you. Right now, I can't injest anything.

Excuse me while I make a cup of coffee.

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.