Monthly Archives: June 2012

June 30, 2012 · 10:21 am

Grilled Scallops

I know, I know, another grilled recipe. Kind of repetitive. But, since Ari and I have been doing quite a but of grilling and very little actual cooking (hello, 95 degrees in NYC today), this is a pretty accurate representation of what we have been eating lately. My mom came for a visit last weekend (lovely) and we of course made a stop at the farmer’s market to pick up peaches (first of the season!), cherries, zucchini, and scallops. Oh, scallops. I pretty much order them every time I get to go to a fancy restaurant (i.e. only if I am lucky enough to be taken to one), but has only made them myself a couple of times. The ones we bought were super fresh and tasted like they had been caught that morning — all I did was throw them in a simple marinade for a couple of hours and you didn’t need anything else. You could also use this same marinade but instead of grilling, sear them quickly in a very hot pan until golden brown on each side, 1-2 minutes.

Simple summer cooking at its best.

me + Ari

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June 22, 2012 · 9:13 am

Summer Grilling & Simple Chicken Kebabs

Ever since Ari brought home a free Craigslisted gas grill (an epic story which may or may not involve the subway), we have been grilling every chance we get. There’s just something about cooking in the open air that makes everything taste that much better. We’ve made several dinners now solely by grilling (with the exception of the above scallops, which needed to be finished on the stove as we ran out of propane), including portabello mushroom burgers (great alternative to beef) and chicken skewers with tomato, avocado, hummus, and grilled flatbread. As you can tell by the pictures, there seems to be a common theme — corn! I could seriously eat sweet corn every day of the summer, and grilling is my favorite way to make it — just grill for a few minutes until slightly charred on all sides, then slather in butter and salt. I will certainly share more recipes for the grill soon — and please excuse the pictures, as they were all taken with Instagram.

Chicken Kebabs (serves 4-6)

6 chicken breasts, cut into 2-inch cubes

Juice of 1 lemon

1/4 cup orange juice

2 tablespoons rosemary, chopped

1 tablespoon thyme, chopped

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Red onion, cut into large chunks (optional)

Combine chicken with lemon juice, orange juice, and all spices in a large covered bowl or plastic bag and marinate in fridge at least 1 hour and up to 1 day. Thread chicken pieces on skewers, alternating with red onion (if using), and grill over medium heat until cooked through and charred on each side, about 10 minutes per side. Alternatively, roast skewers on a baking sheet in the oven at 400 degrees until cooked through, about 15 minutes.

Note: be sure to soak wooden skewers in water before putting the chicken on them — this will prevent them from burning.

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June 14, 2012 · 10:26 am

Strawberry Tart

I started this post a couple of days ago, meaning to write something about summer, and delicious strawberries, and then something happened. I’m feeling kind of adrift at the moment, and I’m not really sure what exactly I should be doing. I don’t share a ton of personal stuff on this blog and since it’s relatively new I’m still not sure where I want to draw the line — so I think I will leave things vague for now. But in any case, this post isn’t for sympathy, or for any other reason than to share this tart with you. I just can’t bring myself to write about anything else at the moment.

In any case, the strawberries I bought from the farmer’s market for this tart really were excellent, and disappeared in a matter of days. This tart is another old recipe from Gourmetmy mom always makes, since my dad is allergic to chocolate, and so reminds me of home — something I need right now. You can also use raspberries or a variety of berries, but to me, strawberries mean that June is here and I eat them as much as I can.

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June 6, 2012 · 9:55 am

Pete Zaaz

Sausage-mushroom and baked potato pizza

Imagine this: pizza smothered in crème fraîche, thinly sliced potatoes, green onions and, of course, bacon.  Sounds like a dream, I know. But it’s real! I promise. And you can find this, and several other types of non-traditional pizzas at Pete Zaaz in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. I am of course always excited about new and good food within walking distance of my apartment, and Pete Zaaz certainly does not disappoint. I have now been there a few times and the baked potato pizza is a clear winner so far, but pretty much everything I have tried has been great. Many of their pies have rather outlandish combinations (like the current “Pretzel Parm” with garlic béchamel, smoked gouda, and fried chicken) but they absolutely work. On our last visit, we also tried the Reuben Stromboli, a smart take on the Reuben sandwich with corned beef, spicy mustard, and sauerkraut stuffed inside a stromboli.

Though they don’t have a wood-fired oven, each pizza is made to order and still ends up nicely charred in their convection oven. The other great part about Pete Zaaz is their garden in the back — since the interior is rather narrow and has limited seating, the back provides a lovely and more open setting to enjoy your pizza. And it’s BYOB — so really, what more do you need? Word is that they are going to start having movie nights during the summer as well, which would really just put it over the top. And I’ll let you in on a little secret: instead of grated parmesan or red pepper flakes to add to your pizza, Pete Zaaz has instead created its own spice blend, consisting of a few herbs, spices, and — crushed Cheeze-its. Genius.

 

On a side note — I am FLOORED by all of the wonderful comments on my previous post on my grandmother’s rhubarb pie recipe. THANK YOU all for your incredibly kind words — I love sharing recipes with all of you, and it has been so lovely to “meet” new people and discover new blogs.

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June 1, 2012 · 9:50 am

Grandma’s Rhubarb Pie

Terribly sorry, everyone. I have been dreadful about posting over the last couple of weeks due to a trip home and a computer being upgraded. I also seem to have contracted a penchant for writing rather like a 19th-century Englishwoman, which may or may not be due to the fact that I have reread all of my favorite Jane Austen novels over the last several weeks.

Iowa skyline

Anyways, my love for Emma and Pride and Prejudice is not why you are here. My trip home was rather a whirlwind, mostly spent with family and much of it spent in the car on the five-hour drive to Iowa (which was quite pretty, actually). However, I did manage to take a few pictures of my grandma Nancy’s famous rhubarb cream pie, homemade the day of my arrival by my mom. I can thus claim no credit for this recipe, but I do hope to pick up some rhubarb at the farmer’s market this weekend to try to recreate it in my (much smaller) kitchen. 

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