Stuff

I was supposed to go to a wine tasting and open house last night. I got there and the crowd was just not for me. A little young, 30ish, and too tight. I wound up a little further up CT Ave in NW DC at a nice place call COMET. Outdoor setting nice beer and wine list, great wings and cool pizza selection and it really had flavor and salted praline ice cream. What could be better. I am supposed to start the Cooking with the Food Dude classes Sunday but it looks like Hurricane Sandy may get in the way. More to come...

Imagination

Having just been at the Fancy Foods Show and Natural Foods Expo and getting ready for both the International Hotel, Motel and Restaurant Show and Kosherfest I can not be more optimistic over what is coming into the marketplace. Pushing the envelope is the word for this year. Producers have let their imagination take flight and great things are afoot. Watch for more to come.

Spaghetti

This is NOT my recipe. It is good, fun and can be modified to reflect you tastes. The melding of the anchovy saltiness and the raisin sweetness is balanced with the nutty, buttery crunchiness of the pine nuts and walnuts. This is what I think makes great and interesting food. Spaghetti Corleonese (Pasta with Nuts, Raisins and Anchovies) Oct. 1, 2010 Restaurant Hospitality From: Chef/owner Tony Vallone, Tony's, Houston. Yield: 4-6 servings. 1 lb. spaghetti, fedelini or linguine 1 cup extra virgin olive oil 8 garlic cloves, minced 12 anchovy fillets ½ cup walnuts, chopped into large pieces ½ cup pignoli (pine nuts), lightly toasted ½ cup dark raisins, soaked in 2 Tbsp. dry Marsala or red wine and allowed to marinate 30 minutes (toss occasionally) 1 Tbsp. dried oregano, crushed pinch of crushed red pepper flakes pinch of coarsley ground black pepper 4 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped 10 large leaves fresh basil, torn While pasta is cooking al dente, heat oil in large skillet. Add garlic and anchovies and saute over medium heat for 2 minutes. Mash the anchovies as you stir so that they dissolve into a paste. Add nuts, raisins, wine marinade, oregano, pepper flakes and black pepper and allow to simmer over low heat for 5 minutes, stirring all the while. Drain pasta, but not too well. Put wet pasta back into cooking pot and toss well with sauce. Add parsley and basil and toss again. Serve at once. Note: Pasta must contain a little water when put back into the pot. Sauce is enhanced when pasta is not totally dry.

Red Thai Curry with Kabocha Squash

As I mentioned earlier this week it is squash time. Here is a recipe I found, give it a shot and let me know what you think. Red Thai Curry with Kabocha Squash

Roots

So the great thing about this time of year is that the produce matches the season. Personally I love root veggies and, as I mentioned yesterday, hard squashes. Here is a wonderful hearty soup that can double as a refresher in warm weather. I often garnish this with some quick fried leek. Potato Leek Soup This is another hot or cold deal, either way it has enough body to be a meal onto itself. Yield: Serves 4 3 tablespoons butter or margarine 3 large leeks (white and pale green parts only), halved lengthwise, thinly sliced (about 4 1/2 cups) 1 pound large russet potatoes peeled, diced 4 1/2 cups chicken stock Heavy Cream(optional) Wash your leeks well; they often have lots of sandy soil inside. Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add leeks; stir to coat with butter. Cover saucepan; cook until leeks are tender, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Add the cut potatoes. Cover and cook until potatoes begin to soften but do not brown, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Add your stock. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer until vegetables are very tender, about 30 minutes. Puree soup in batches in processor until smooth. Return to saucepan. Thin with additional stock or heavy cream if soup is too thick. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Covered and refrigerated.) This soup is great cold or hot so if you want hot bring the soup to simmer slowly so as not to scald. Ladle into bowls. Garnish with chives and serve. I served this soup at the Moon chucky style and one reviewer was moved to comment that the texture had an interesting “bite”, as I mentioned before I like things to have teeth; al Dente. This soup can be a real surprise and a meal onto itself particularly with good bread and cheese. Check out crusty bread and stink cheese. It will not be slice white bread and American cheese but you just might shock those sleeping taste buds to life.

Biscuits

A rainy day here in DC and I received a question from one of the Food Dudetees about why here biscuits did not rise and the response There are many reasons that this may have happened. The simplest is that your oven may have been too hot not giving the biscuits time to rise. Other reasons may be that you over beat the mixture. Cooking is chemistry and physics so the atmosphere may have been humid or hot affecting the mix or there may have been something you did not expect in the flour. Cooking at altitude may also work against you. I hope that this helps. Follow me on Twitter at @shemesh511