Stinky Grilled Cheese

Last weekend Mama, Papa and Marta were visiting Los Angeles. We ate very well. Tripel for dinner on Friday, dessert at the Culver City Hotel, Marmalade Cafe for coffee on Saturday, lunch at the Kogi, happy hour at MB Post and dinner at Pinguini. By Sunday, when Mama and Papa were back in Michigan, Marta and I were ready to cook.  We found inspiration at the Santa Monica Farmer's Market, buying mold-ripened goats cheese from Drake Family Farms and crusty whole wheat bread. We sautéed some mushrooms with butter, buttered our bread, and added two slices of mozzarella to act as a glue for our mushrooms and goats cheese. The result, a deliciously stinky grilled cheese sandwich. We also made prosciutto wrapped asparagus and homemade kale chips. If you are looking for a way to switch up your regular menu, visit the farmer's market with no plan, and be inspired by the ingredients.

Ingredients:

4 Slices of Mozzarella

A chunk of Mt. Baldy Mold-Ripened Goats Cheese

4 slices of crusty yummy bread

Butter Sautéed Mushrooms 

Butter for the bread

Facetime with Colby at MB Post

Kogi Truck on Abbott Kinney

Directions:
Pretty self explanatory. Butter the bread, add two slices of mozzarella top with a chunk of goats cheese and mushrooms. Use a panini press and cook until golden brown.

BBQ Pretzel Burger

This week my life has consisted of running, yoga and cooking. I have really enjoyed starting my mornings with my run club buddies, stretching at YogaWorks in South Bay, and taking my time at the grocery store. Yesterday I stopped by Whole Foods after yoga class (I sound like such an LA housewife) and instead of rushing around the store like I usually do, I wandered. I sampled products, read labels, and looked through the hot bar for inspiration. When I saw the pretzel buns, I knew it was going to be burger night. Brent and I are obsessed with The Tripel. We go at least weekly, one of their best menu items is the Pretzel Burger. I was not going to try to recreate that masterpiece. There is no way I can compete with Brooke Williamson's poppy seed slaw and perfectly cooked aged beef. I knew I had a bunch of onions in the fridge, a bottle of unopened BBQ sauce, and arugula, so I decided to put them all together. I was a little nervous this meal would just make us crave spending more money at The Tripel, especially considering I used lean beef. After our first bite, Brent and I we were shocked at how yummy the burgers were. They were smothered in delicious BBQ sauce, the onions were falling of the sides, and the arugula added some freshness. I felt like a dork for feeling proud of my meal last night. It was one of those, "I can cook," moments. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
3/4 pound lean ground beef
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 pretzel rolls
Handful of baby arugula
Two slices of your favorite cheese
Your favorite BBQ sauce
3 red onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons brown sugar
Salt and pepper

Directions:
Onions
Heat oil in a large frypan over low heat. Add the onions and a pinch of salt. Cook for about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. When onions are softened and golden, add the brown sugar and balsamic vinegar. Cook onion over low heat for another 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Burgers
Form two burgers with a deep depression in the center. Season both sides of each burger with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in the pan. Cook the burgers until golden brown and slightly charred on the first side, about 3 minutes. Flip over the burgers. Cook burgers until golden brown and slightly charred on the second side, 4 minutes for medium rare (3 minutes if topping with cheese) or longer if you prefer well done beef. Add the cheese, on the tops of the burgers during the last minute of cooking. 

Assembly
Allow the burgers to rest for a minute or two after cooking them. That way your pretzel bun won't get soggy. Slice the bun in half, add the burger, top with arugula, onions and BBQ sauce. Grab a bunch of napkins. You'll need them.

Brent really likes caramelized onions. 

Sandwich King Greek Tacos

I cheered for Jeff Mauro throughout the seventh season of the Next Food Network Star. Jeff has a charismatic and goofy personality, and an awesome midwest accent. He also knows how to make a quality sandwich. Jeff takes sandwiches up a notch with recipes such as Schnitzel Biscuits, Crunchy Fried PB and J and Filet Mignon Crostini with Rosemary Pesto. So far my favorite has been the Greek Taco, combining the best Mediterranean flavors. The pita topped with seasoned lamb, fresh cucumber salad and a dollop of homemade tzatziki has a heartiness about it, while still feeling fresh and light.

Ingredients
Meat:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 pounds ground lamb
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 red onion, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoons dry red wine

Feta Mint Tzatziki:
1 English cucumber
Kosher Salt
1 cup Greek yogurt
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
2 tablespoons minced fresh mint

Cucumber Tomato Salad:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 firm tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 English cucumber, seeded and diced
1/2 red onion, diced
Black pepper

Taco:
6 pitas, oiled and lightly griddled on each side (I like Trader Joe's Middle Eastern Flatbread and Whole Foods Whole Wheat Pita)

Directions:
For the meat: In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the lamb, sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook until the meat gets nice and golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove the lamb/beef and reserve. Lower the heat to medium and saute the onions in the juices until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the oregano and garlic and cook until fragrant. Season. Add the tomato paste and cook until it caramelizes. Deglaze with the red wine and scrape any bits on the pan. Add the lamb back in, stir and set aside.

For the tzatziki: Grate the cucumber on the large holes of a box grater and place in a fine-meshed strainer or cheese cloth fitted over a bowl. Salt the cucumber and let sit 10 minutes. Then squeeze out any excess moisture. Add the strained cucumber into a bowl with the yogurt, feta, garlic and mint. Add salt to taste.

For the cucumber tomato salad: Toss the olive oil, vinegar, tomatoes, cucumbers and onions in a bowl and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Cover and let sit.

To make the taco: Place on the lamb on the pita and top with cucumber tomato relish and tzatziki, or make it Brent style by spreading tzatziki first, then add lamb and relish.

Butternut Squash Soup with Truffle Grilled Cheese Croutons

Farm Fresh To You is a home delivery service for local organic produce. As a customer you select how often you'd like delivery service, choose your produce box size, and indicate what types of fruit and vegetables you are interested in getting delivered. I subscribe to Farm Fresh To You bi-weekly, and it has taught me to be more creative and to plan my meals around what in season. I have also learned to work with new ingredients, such as purple cauliflower, bok choy, rainbow chard, and beets. This past week for $25 I received a delivery of apples, oranges, grapefruit, kale, carrots, kumquats, and two beautiful butternut squash. I roasted the first butternut squash, and ate it with a spoon. It was so smooth and creamy! I decided to get a little more creative for the second. I sauteed some vegetables, added chicken stock and the roasted squash, seasoned it and blended it up. To take my soup up a notch, I made grilled cheese sandwiches, cut them into crouton cubes, and sprinkled them with white truffle oil and salt. You can't get this fresh taste from a can of soup, and you definitely can't get truffle grilled cheese croutons from a box. 

 

Ingredients:
3-4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 carrot, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
1 onion, diced
1 large butternut squash, peeled
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
Salt & Pepper
4 slices crusty wheat bread
Your favorite cheese
White Truffle Oil and/or salt for sprinkling

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Cut the butternut squash in 1-inch cubes. Place on a sheet pan and toss with the olive oil, about a 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Spread it in a single layer. Roast for 40 until tender.

Heat oil in a large soup pot. Add carrot, celery and onion. Cook until vegetables have begun to soften, about 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in butternut squash, thyme, chicken broth, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes. Let the soup cool for a few minutes and carefully purée in batches in a blender.

For the truffled grilled cheese croutons, heat a panini grill. Place the four slices of bread on a cutting board and brush lightly with olive oil. Turn the slices over and add cheese to two slices of bread. Place the remaining two slices of bread on top of the cheese, oiled sides up.

Grill the sandwiches on the panini grill for about 4-5 minutes, until melty and brown. Place back on the cutting board, allow to cool for a few minutes and cut into 1-inch cubes. Sprinkle with white truffle salt and oil. 

Italian Sausage with Caprese Relish

College football season is here.  Time for wings, nachos, hot dogs, and men sitting on the couch for hours. I get cheering for your alma mater, but why are men so passionate about games featuring teams with which they have no connection? I am currently watching Arizona vs. Oregon. Brent and I don't have any friends or family who have attended either school, but we've got to watch the game. Football Saturday's are perfect for playing in the kitchen. This recipe is a fresh and creative take on hot dogs, and a great idea for a football viewing party. Bobby Flay caught my attention with his genius idea of putting caprese salad on a sausage. Italian Sausage with Caprese Relish is spicy, yet refreshing. Although this meal is a little hard to eat, it is worth the mess.

Ingredients:
6 Hot Italian Sausages
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pint yellow and red cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 pound fresh mozzarella cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon capers, drained
1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for the bread
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
6 large hot dog rolls
2 cloves garlic, halved

Directions:
Heat the grill for high direct grilling. Grill the sausages until golden brown and slightly charred on both sides, about 5 minutes per side. Remove the sausages to a platter and let rest 5 minutes before removing to a plate.

Toss the tomatoes with the cheese, basil, parsley, capers, onions, olive oil and red wine vinegar. Season with salt and pepper and toss to combine.
Slice the bread open and put on the grill, cut-side down, and grill until lightly golden brown. Remove and rub the surface with the garlic cloves, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Put a whole sausage on each roll and top with the caprese relish.

Tex-Mex Sloppy Joe Sandwich

I love the Homesick Texan. Food blogger Lisa Fain embraces her southern roots by cooking Tex-Mex comfort food from her New York City apartment. Lisa's love for Texas is obvious through her blog posts. Her collection of recipes include authentic Texas ingredients, are creative and taste delicious. I have recreated her stuffed peppers and chocolate pie, both of which were outstanding, however I decided to feature this sloppy joe recipe because of its simplicity. Although the recipe contains many ingredients, many are either already in your pantry, or inexpensive and easy to find. It is also one of Homesick Texan's more balanced dishes. Healthy Texan food is hard to find! The chipotle gave a nice kick, and the creamy guacamole took the sandwich up a notch. Make sure you have plenty of napkins, and a knife and fork. These really are sloppy!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds ground lean beef
2 chipotle chile in adobo sauce
1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
1/2 bell pepper, seeds and stem removed, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
15 ounces canned low sodium tomato sauce
2 teaspoons oregano
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
Pinch of cayenne
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
12 ounces Mexican lager
2 tablespoons ketchup
1/2 cup cilantro, divided
1 lime, juiced
Salt and pepper to taste
4-6 warm rolls
Guacamole, cilantro, and sliced jalepeños for serving

Directions:
Using a skillet, on medium-low heat, cook the meat until browned, about 10 minutes. Add the onions and diced bell pepper and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minute.

Using a blender, mix the tomato sauce, chipotle chile, oregano, ground cumin, smoked paprika, allspice, cayenne and Worcestershire sauce. Pour sauce into the skillet along with the beer, ketchup and half of the cilantro. Stir to combined.

Cook on medium-low heat uncovered for 15 minutes and then add the remaining cilantro and lime juice. Add salt and pepper according to your taste.

Serve on warm rolls with guacamole, cilantro, and jalapeño slices.

Makes 4-6 sandwiches

Pork Meatball Banh Mi

We spent last weekend in Southampton celebrating Carmen and Jim's engagement. It was a weekend of bike riding, barbecuing, champagne drinking and wedding planning. We are so excited for Carmen and Jim, and are looking forward to their upcoming wedding. On the trip back to Washington DC we had two hours to kill in Manhattan. Our first stop was the famous Joe's Pizza in Greenwich Village. After enjoying what some argue to be Manhattan's best pizza, Brent suggested visiting New York's famous Banh Mi joint. He raved of the Vietnamese sandwich so we took the long walk in the heat, working up an appetite for our second dinner. I had never even heard of Banh Mi, and it took just one bite to realize I had been missing out. I was determined to recreate this dish at home, and thanks to Bon Appetit's recipe, we can now enjoy this dish anytime.

Ingredients:

Hot Chili Mayo
2/3 cup mayo
2 green onions, finely chopped
1 tablespoon sriracha chili sauce

Meatballs
1 pound ground pork
1/4 cup chopped basil
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 green onions, finely chopped
1 tablespoon sriracha
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons corn starch
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper

Sandwiches
1 cup grated carrots
1 english cucumber, cut into long slices
1/8 cup sugar
1/8 cup rice vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 baguette
Thinly sliced jalapeño chiles 
Fresh cilantro sprigs

Directions:

Hot Chili Mayo
Stir all the ingredients in a small bowl. Season with a touch of salt. Cover and chill. 

Meatballs
Gently mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Roll mixture into 1 inch meatballs. Arrange on a baking sheet, and keep cool. 

Sandwiches
Combine the first 5 ingredients in a bowl. Let sit at room temperature for an hour, tossing occasionally. Heat sesame oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of meatballs. Sauté until brown and cooked through, turning meatballs often and lowering heat if browning too quickly, about 15 minutes. Cut the  baguettes into 4 pieces. Pull out enough bread from each bread half to leave 1/2-inch-thick shell. Spread hot chili mayo over each bread shell. Arrange jalapeños, then cilantro, in bottom halves. Fill each baguette with 3-4 meatballs. Drain pickled vegetables; place on top of meatballs. Press on baguette tops.

Tomato, Mozzarella and Pesto Panini

Brent and I made these sandwiches on a lazy Saturday afternoon. Brent took one bite, and immediately  turned to me and said, "This has to go on your food blog." Brent is my food critic :) He is completely honest when recipes aren't blog-worthy, which is why you will not be seeing a calzone post anytime soon. He knows good food when he tastes it, and this sandwich is worth the hype. It is such a simple concept, and so delicious. Switch it up with sun dried tomato pesto, heirloom tomatoes, avocado, or crusty bakery bread. With a combination of tomato, mozzarella, pesto and bread, you are sure to have a delicious result.

2 large beefsteak tomatoes
1 (16 oz) ball fresh mozzarella
12 slices whole wheat bread
1 cup pesto
Salt
Unsalted butter at room temperature

Heat a large skillet over medium heat or preheat a panini grill. Core the tomatoes so that they don't make your sandwiches soggy, and slice tomatoes and mozzarella ¼ inch thick.

Spread each slice of bread evenly with pesto. Place two slices of mozzarella on half the bread and cover with a layer of tomato. Place the remaining slices of bread, pesto side down, on top. Spread the top and bottom of each sandwich with softened butter. Grill the sandwiches in batches on the grill or in the pan for 2-3 minute, until the mozzarella starts to ooze. Cut each sandwich in half and serve warm.