pizza wars

Taking a little break from recipe posting - I got to thinking about delivery pizza.  This past Saturday the girls and I had a little pizza, wine and sweatpants party as an early birthday celebration for my good friend lala.  In planning for this, there was a debate over where to order our pizza from (this is a very serious decision for us as food is generally the glue that holds together these types of evenings).  With all the options out there I want to know what my lovely readers have to say on the issue.  As it's obviously a very serious one.  Pizziaolo is a classic choice these days - with all the gourmet options it can be hard to beat.  But what about a classic pie from pizza pizza?  Their creamy garlic dipping sauce tastes like the good ol' highschool days and sometimes I crave it like a newly sober crack addict alcoholic craves their fix.  And how about the underdogs?  Dominos cracker crust? Pizza Hut stuffed crust?

I'd love to know what the consensus is.... all opinions welcome

Another tribute to Batali - i love you Babbo

After a longggg (yet wonderfully scenic drive) on Friday, Hubs and I finally arrived in NYC for a lil weekend visit with the siblings.  As i'm sure most of you can assume - whenever I travel anywhere the vast majority of my travel plans revolve around my next meal.  One of the NYC spots Hubs and I had been dying to try is Mario Batali's, Babbo Enoteca.  More specifically, we had our eye on their 8 course pasta tasting menu.  So of course, we had 9:15 reso's on Saturday night with the fam.  The meal was absolutely delicious.  5 courses of some of the most amazing pasta, and 3 dessert courses (yes, 3).

A few visuals...

 

Black Tagliatelle
with Corn and Castelmagno

“Casunzei”
with Poppy Seeds 

 

Garganelli
with “Funghi Trifolati”

 For this course it was suppose to be a different pasta but the waiter recommended we substitute it for this - it was a tagliatelle with radicchio and panchetta

 Pappardelle Bolognese

 

 The first dessert was a moist plum cake - delish

 The second dessert - Chocolate al Diavolo

The final round of desserts was a full portion - all 6 of us each getting a different dessert from the menu.  This berry panna cotta thingy was my favorite.  

A must try for any New Yorker or NYC visitor.  Put it on your list of things to do foodie friends.  

love love

xo Chef Natty

Kale chips... because i eat too much pasta

 

I'm going to start eating healthy ... on Monday.

This phrase really should go down in history as the most frequently used phrase by women on any day other than Monday.

After two weeks of a high carb & sugar, low protein & veg diet, I thought it might be time to toss something packed with vitamins into the mix.  As most of you might already know - Kale is a superfood.  I am not going to sit here and try and sell you on it's deliciousness because I would be a liar.  It's not terrible, sometimes it can be a nice veg with some salmon or in a stir fry, but in comparison to my previous post of Batali's Amatricana - let's get real.  It's kale.

One surprisingly pleasant way to pack in these green vitamins is to make the kale into a chip!  Something I discovered while watching Gwyneth Paltrow demo it on the Ellen show and was intrigued by.  They actually crisp up beautifully and with a light oil drizzle and some salt, it's actually a nice snack choice!

Ingredients:

1 bunch of kale (washed and leaves picked off the stems and cut into large pieces)

EVOO

Salt

Preheat the oven to 400.  Toss your kale in a bowl with a generous drizzle of EVOO and salt.  Bake for about 25 minutes (or until crisp).  

Snack & Enjoy!

xo Chef Natty

Mario Batali's Spaghetti alla Amatricana

If there is one thing that I have learned in the kitchen - it's that many - in fact most recipes are simply guidelines.  They are general steps with lots of room for interpretation and improvisation.  This is the fun about cooking (and consequently why baking blows).  Most of the time I use recipes for inspiration; A good idea or flavor medley that I use as a base to tweak with my own Chef Natty flair.  There is one exception to this rule and that is - Chef Mario Batali.  I consider Batali to be one of the best- if not THE best in Italian cooking.  Every single recipe of his is nothing short of perfection and he's one chef who's recipes I do not mess with.  He is the exception to the improvisation rule.  When Batali tells you to add 4 garlic cloves do not add 6.  When he tells you to use panchetta don't skip it for a more veggie friendly option, do not substitute - do not add - just be happy he is giving you his secrets.  If any of you know him, please let him know that I am his biggest fan and would be forever grateful if he were to move into my den and cook for me for the rest of my life.  That - or just make one really fantastic meal for hubs and I that I can look back fondly on forever.  Please and thank you.  This recipe, of course, is a Batali original.  There is something totally addicting about it - you really just have to try it out to see for yourself.  The spice from the chili's with the salty panchetta, the sweet tomato sauce and fresh, aromatic parsley, textured with the onions and sprinkled with Pecorino -YUM!

Ingredients (serves 4)
 

3/4 pound guanciale, or pancetta, thinly sliced
3 large garlic cloves
1 red onion, halved and sliced ½-inch thick
1 ½ teaspoons hot red pepper flakes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 ½ cups basic tomato sauce - refer to recipe below
1 pound spaghetti
1 bunch of flat-leaf parsley, leaves only
Pecorino Romano, for grating 

1. Make your tomato sauce following the directions below.

2. Place the guanciale slices in a 12- to 14-inch sauté pan in a single layer and cook over medium-low heat until most of the fat has been rendered from the meat, turning occasionally. Remove the meat to a plate lined with paper towels. Coat the garlic, onion and red pepper flakes in the fat from the meat over medium heat. Return the guanciale to the pan with the vegetables, and cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, or until the onions, garlic and guanciale are light golden brown. Season with salt and pepper, add the tomato sauce, reduce the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes. 

3. Cook the spaghetti in salted boiling water according to the package directions, until al dente. Drain the pasta and add it to the simmering sauce. Add the parsley leaves, increase the heat to high and toss to coat. Divide the pasta among four warmed pasta bowls. Top with freshly grated Pecorino cheese and serve immediately.


Basic Tomato Sauce

Makes 4 cups

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 Spanish onion, chopped in 1/4-inch dice
4 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves, or 1 tablespoon dried
1/2 medium carrot, finely shredded
2 (28-ounce) cans peeled whole tomatoes, crushed by hand and juices reserved
Salt, to taste


In a 3-quart saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, and cook until soft and light golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the thyme and carrot, and cook 5 minutes more, until the carrot is quite soft. Add the tomatoes and juice and bring to a boil, stirring often. Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes until as thick as hot cereal. Season with salt and serve. This sauce holds 1 week in the refrigerator or up to 6 months in the freezer.

Serve, Thank Batali & Enjoy

xo Chef Natty

Grilled Peaches, Prosciutto, Sheep's Milk Ricotta & Honey on Crostini

Gooooooooooood Morning friends.  I hope you are all having a wonderful Thursday.  I am having a moderately acceptable Thursday, which is, in comparison to the last week and a half i've had, friggin fantastic.  I have been super sick for pretty much the entire month of August thus far, and today I think I might finally grace the outdoors with my presence since I am starting to feel like a hobbit.  It was a cold, turned worst cough of my life, turned bronchitis, with a sprinkle of nausea from the antibiotics and a side of severe acid reflux also from the meds (aka feels like you have a sharp chicken bone stuck in your esophagus).  I am convinced the culprit must have been at my brother's wedding two weeks ago and infected me.  If you are reading this and you know who you are - I hate you.

Now, onto more important things - food!  The night before my demon cough set in, I had my lovely sister and her boyfriend/soon-to-be-fiance (are you reading B?) over for dinner.  In an effort to keep the appetizer simple and fresh, I decided to put together a little platter.  We all know the classic Italian combo of prosciutto and melon, but lately i've been seeing a lot of peaches in lieu of the melon and I was intrigued.  I decided to take a trip over to The Village Cheesemonger, pick up the best prosciutto I could get my hands on, fresh sheep's milk ricotta (which had actually JUST been made that morning), a nice baguette to crostini-ify, and then picked up some fresh summer peaches.  Throw a little honey into the mix and you will have a flavor explosion that is utterly addicting.  No leftovers on this baby I can promise you that much.

Ingredients (serves 4)
3 peaches ( pitted and cut into quarters)
12 pieces of good quality prosciutto
2 cups (or more if you like) of good quality ricotta cheese (preferably sheep's milk ricotta)
1 baguette (sliced into 1/2 inch thick pieces for crostini)
4 tbsp honey
EVOO

In a pan, heat up a light drizzle of EVOO over medium to medium-high heat and grill your peaches face down for 5 minutes.  Turn them over and grill for another 2 minutes.  Place in a bowl to cool and set aside.

 Drizzle some EVOO and a pinch of salt over your crostini and lightly toast until there is a nice light brown crust.

When you are ready to serve, simply plate your prosciutto, ricotta, honey and peaches on a platter.  You can assemble them before you serve them or you can let your guests put them together (I like to plate it all on a wooden board separate - makes it more fun).  To assemble just take a crostini, top with a peach slice, prosciutto, a dollop of ricotta and a drizzle of honey.  Serve & Enjoy :)

xo Chef Natty

F*^k&*g amazing Prime Rib

My apologies if the mildly suggestive title has offended anyone.  But there is no other way to fully emphasize just how good this prime rib is.  As I mentioned in my previous post, last weekend was mine and hubs two year wedding anniversary.  Since we have been out quite alot lately, we decided to make a fabulous dinner at home to celebrate.  Since it was baby's pick - this is what I tell hubs when he gets to choose the meal - he obviously went with a hearty mighty man's meal  - the classic Prime Rib dinner with all the fixings.  Ladies, I promise you there is no other meal that will bring a bigger smile to your mans face.  Give him a perfectly seasoned and cooked slab of prime rib with a creamy whipped potato and he will be in his happy place for  a week.  For this recipe I just want to preface that the amount of meat I made would probably serve 3-4 people.  However, since I like to serve prime rib on the bone, I got a bigger cut.  If you prefer to slice the prime rib thinly, you should estimate about 3/4lb per person.  For something a little more special - serve each portion with a bone.

Ingredients (Serves 2 - with bone)
1 (2 bone) cut of Prime Rib (approximately 3 lbs)
steak spice
5-6 cloves of garlic (peeled)
kosher salt
ground pepper
1/4 cup EVOO

For the jus
2 shallots (minced)
1/2 bottle red wine
4 cups beef broth
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees

Let your meat sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.  Generously season the meat with salt, pepper and steak spice on all sides (you want to be VERY generous with the seasoning).  Using a paring knife, make tiny slits in the meat and push in the garlic cloves.

In a large dutch oven or roasting pan (I prefer the dutch oven), heat up your EVOO over medium-high heat until almost smoking.  Sear your prime ribs for a couple minutes on each side until it reaches that delicious golden crust.  Place the prime rib in the oven (lid on) and cook for 55 minutes.  Note* the exact time will depend on how big your prime rib is.  General rule of thumb is about 17 - 18 minutes per lb for a perfect medium rare.  I had a 3 lb piece of meat and had it cooking for 55 minutes.

When your meat is cooked to the temperature of your liking - remove it from the roasting pan and let it rest for 15-20 minutes.

While your meat is resting, make your jus.  Bring the pan and and its juices to the stove top and cook your shallots on medium-high heat for about 5-7 minutes, until soft.  Add your wine and deglaze the pan, scraping up all the delicious bits of flavor stuck to the bottom.  Bring to a boil and then slightly reduce your heat.  Reduce the wine by 1/2 - about 8 minutes.  Add your beef broth and reduce again by 1/2.  It should start to thicken up as it reduces.  Season with salt and pepper.

Carve your Prime Rib - top with your jus - serve & enjoy!

xo Chef Natty

tasty treats for two years of bliss

 

In light of the fact that it is my two year wedding anniversary this weekend, I started thinking about delicious wedding cakes.  The buttercream.  ohhh the buttercream.  Considering I am not the best baker in the world,  I find it totally fascinating that these cake pro's have the patience for these beautifully meticulous and perfect cakes.  One of the perks for using my lovely wedding cake creator extraordinaire - Roxycakes - was that on your one year wedding anniversary, she creates little mini versions of your wedding cake to enjoy while you toast your first year of marriage.   Since I am on year two, I don't get these treats this year, but I did come across the photos I took last year and felt compelled to share.  They tasted even better than they look.  Two thumbs up for Roxycakes - I highly recommend her for anyone looking for an absolutely fantastic wedding cake.

This was the original:

happy sweet tooth friday. and happy anniversary to my wonderful hubs. kisskiss xo

chef natty

Ballin' Banana Bread

Happy Tuesday, People.  I hope all of your long weekends were as fantastic as mine was.  Mine was especially fantastic because after a long anticipated 15 month engagement and a decade of dating, my brother got marriedddddd!  They wed, we ate, we danced and my feet are still not recovered.  I remember the good ol' days where I could party 7 days in a row (on a Cancun grad trip for example), and not need any recovery time.  Now here I am 3 days after a wedding and my voice and feet are still busted up and the thought of any alcoholic bevy is repulsive.  Nevertheless, the one thing that has not weakened is my appetite.  It's 10am and my sweet tooth is already raging.  Since I think it might be a tad early for a dipped cone from dairy queen, perhaps a nice banana bread might be a good one to toss into the mix for today.  Moisture is key for a good banana bread, overly ripened bananas are a must, and if you want to get really crazy - chocolate chips are never a bad idea.

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
8 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
2 eggs
3 ripe banans
2 tbsp milk
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 handfuls chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Butter a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan.

Cream the sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.   In a small bowl, mash the bananas with a fork. Mix in the milk and cinnamon. In another bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Add the banana mixture to the creamed mixture and stir until combined. Add your dry ingredients, mixing just until the flour disappears.If you are using chocolate chips, add them right at the end and mix evenly.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 1 hour, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set aside to cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Remove bread from pan and make sure it is cool before you slice it. 

Serve & Enjoy!

xo Chef Natty