A Savory And Sweet Valentine's Day Meal

 You don't have to go to fancy restaurant for a delicious Valentine's Day meal. Everything from the main to dessert can be made in your kitchen. It's a fun cook that both can enjoy making.

Regular contributor , cookbook author and chef, Eric Kim created a menu in Wednesday's New York Times Food section. It's the perfect cooking for two, let new lovebirds get to know each other while long standing couples a nice reminder to check in on each other. His first course is a radicchio salad not cold, but warmed, perfect for a chilly February night. It's spiked with gooey cheese choices that melt well, You can either try Camembert, Brie or Taleggio cheese from Lombardy.It's very similar to the other too and cooks nicely. The radicchio will smell like Brussels sprouts or kale and the greens are taken off the stove top before the leaves wilt. A drizzle of sherry vinegar and honey gives it bite and sweetness, perfect with the cheese and counteracting the radicchio'd sharpness. The next dish is the luxurious beef Wellingtons' These are individual loafs not the grand one with a decorated crust.It's taking two filet mignon cuts and enrobing them in pastry. They cooked first and then brushed with Dijon mustard for extra flavor. Instead of adding pate de foie gras and prosciutto, standards in the traditional Wellington., Chef Kim subs in cremini mushrooms which are cooked in a combination of honey, an acidic red wine such as pinot noir or cabernet franc and cream. These and the filets are then encased in either homemade or store bought pastry dough and baked.

As with any Valentine's Day meal, the dessert is the star .Of course it has to be chocolate-y and Chef Kim does not disappoint with this recipe for no churn olive oil ice cream and hot fudge sauce. It's a riff on Atlanta's Ecco restaurant's sea salt olive oil ice cream. Use extra virgin olive oil for the oil to give it a fruity flavor.It's whisked with the sweetened condensed milk and sea salt. In another bowl beat heavy cream until it forms stiff peaks. A dollop of this is added to the condensed milk and olive oil mix and folded in. Repeat this folding to keep bubbles form forming. Once blended it's put into a container in the fridge. The hot fudge sauce is again made with sweetened condensed milk and two ounces of coarsely chopped dark chocolate. Microwave on high for thirty second increments. After the first time add a tablespoon of fruity extra virgin olive oil for smoothness. Transfer to a saucepan and cook over a low flame, stirring until smooth and glossy. Let the ice cream thaw for ten minutes before scooping into bowls and adding the sauce. You could add candied rose petals for more romance.

Celebrate your love and your love of cooking at home. There's nothing more romantic than a home cooked meal. Enjoy it and each other.

Back With Meringue

 Foodie Pantry is back open thanks to a reprieve on the gallbladder. With it comes the magic of meringue.It's the elegant topper on citrus pies or  delicate puffs of goodness. Best of all it's not complicated to make as people think it is.

Melissa Clark wrote about it in her Good Appetite column in yesterday's New York Times Food section. Many home bakers shy away from making this classic. Meringue can be tricky to make and bake. When it comes out good it's phenomenal, When it comes out bad, it can be drippy , weepy or just gooey. Meringue is one of the oldest recipes having first been made in the 16th Century. Making it was real chore with bakers of the time using everything from birch branches to knives to bundles of  straw.It only improved with the invention of the wire whisk in the 19th Century. The basic make up of it is just foam. Shake or agitate any liquid and bubbles will appear However the specific proteins in the whites and its' vegan counterpart aquafaba (chickpea water) allow them to turn into a billowing mousse. when beaten these proteins uncoil, trapping in tiny bubbles.The proteins thin out the more they're beaten and they become more and more aerated with each whip. Add sugar or heat or both will help stabilize them by firming up the proteins as their structure remains intact.

There are three different types of meringue. The simplest is commonly called French meringue,It made solely from egg whites and sugar.It's the lightest and most voluminious of the three. It's also the least stable and can break down. It's used to boost sponge cake and macarons and gives those crunchy meringue kisses. The second is Swiss meringue, where the egg whites and sugar are heated in a double boiler until the sugar melts, then beaten until buoyant and creamy.It's the coating on baked Alaska and added to buttercreams for richness. The densest, smoothest and most stable is Italian meringue.It's also the most challenging to work with. The sugar is heated to 240 degrees Farenheit and it's then carefully beaten into a bowl of whites.It's kind of like making candy and it can be used interchangeably with the Swiss version. Ms. Clark gives a wide array of different recipes. You could try her extra lemony meringue pie, made with  sharply bright Meyer lemons or the chocolate meringue raspberry tart. This is a fruit tart  with a meringue zinged up with cocoa powder and frozen dried raspberries. There is also a blood orange pie with a butterscotch meringue made with brown sugar to create that butterscotch flavor.

Whipping up a meringue for any of these recipes is a nice touch. It does practice to make the perfect one. Once mastered the end result is  amazing.

Emergency In The Pantry

 I'm in my local hospital's ER waiting for emergency gall bladder surgery.This is what happens when you don't eat right.Foodie Pantry will be closed for the next month or so.Expect new dishes with a much healthier spin upon my eventual return

Baby Pasta

  Baby pasta may sound like they're perfect tiny ones  yet they're really perfect for the older folk.They're tiny bits of flavor that are as versatile as their bigger cousins. These small nuggets of flavor are perfect for anything from soup to salad.

What are these small bits of dough called? Technically they're all macaroni with the classification belonging to all one to two inch shapes. These even apply to the tinier ones. There are many of these "baby" or little pastas. They are more versatile than the larger sorts. You can easily make a salad or soup with them along with turning them into a soothing bowl of goodness just by adding butter and grated Parmesan.Some of the more popular kinds are pastina and orzo. Pastina is what every Italian mother feeds a sick child. These tiny (about the size of a large pinhead) stars are also popular in Turkish cuisine where they're also used in soup. it can also be cooked in broth and then served with butter or a plant based butter and any kind of grated Italian  cheese. Orzo can be served both hot or cold. This rice shaped pasta is great in any kind of broth and enhances minestrone soup. It is also a great summer dish , served cold as a salad. You can also make it for your Super Bowl Party this weekend. Add sliced cherry or whole grape tomatoes along with small broccoli florets,  black or green olives and cucumber slices. To make it heartier, toss in salami chunks or pepperoni along with chunks of Provolone. dress with a garlic vinaigrette made with olive oil and red wine vinegar.

There are other baby pastas too. A close cousin to pastina is acini de pepe or peppercorns. They're actually not the size of a peppercorn but a pearl of couscous. They represent fertility which is why they're always in Italian wedding soup. since they're like couscous, you can make them in similar recipes. A nice warming dish is cooking it with saffron, white wine and saffron, sort of like a risotto Milanese. You could also serve it with dried apricots and pistachios as a side to grilled chicken. Ditalini or small fingers are another baby pasta that can be used to zing up  soups. Like acini de pepe it is also good with a meaty Bolognese sauce for a different kind of comfort food.Anelli or little pasta rings are a fun addition to chicken soup or minestrone. They're one of the chief ingredients in the Sicilian dish timballo. This is a baked casserole that looks like a Bundt cake and is rich with meat sauce , ham and squares of Provolone cheese. There is a coating of bread crumbs but you can also use fried eggplant. It's baked like a cake and served in slices. There is also a smaller version of anelli called anellino, tinier rings that are perfect in soup or just with butter and cheese.

Baby pasta may be little but it has a big flavor.Use it in hot and cold dishes for a tasty main course or side. They are just as versatile and fun as their bigger cousins.

A Taste Of Chinese

 With the Chinese New Year and the Beijing Olympics it's time to celebrate Chinese food. It's easy to make at home along with being a fun dinner. It's time to ring in the Year of The Tiger.

Some home chefs think a wok is necessary to make the best Chinese food. Not true. You can easily use a saute or fry pan so long as it's flat and close to the flame. If you do want to buy one then consider a carbon steel or cast iron one. The original woks were made out of cast iron and the tradition continues. Look for one with a wood handle because wood is the best material to diffuse the heat. Stir fries are easy and can be tailored to your family's tastes. Vegetarians will love one that's purely plant. Crunchy water chestnuts and baby corn give it color and crunch while broccoli, carrots and corn a boost it with vitamins and flavor.Make sure sugar snap beans along with green and red bell pepper slices are also added. For heartier and meatier fare add chicken.Shrimp or pork is a nice change up too. Soy sauce or homemade ginger sauce  can be drizzled into the stir. fry. Ginger sauce is made with light soy sauce,rice wine ginger, brown sugar and spring onions or scallions. These can also be used as a dipping sauce for dumplings too.

Dumplings or pot stickers are another dish that can be made at home. You can buy the wrappers that encase the filling or make them yourself. The wrappers can also be used to make egg rolls too. Home made ones are nothing more than a dough of flour, eggs, water and a pinch of salt. They're rolled out in cornstarch instead of more flour for a crisper , crunchier bite. Any Asian grocery store has them  though, usually under the name gyoza.  As for filling, you can try any kind of minced meat. You can try only beef or pork or combining them.  For a really luxurious filling think lobster spiked with ginger. They're a great treat , especially with a ginger sauce.  Of course there are the noodle dishes, Lo mein is a good dish for the family.It can be made like spaghetti and all sorts of veggies and protein can be added to it. Chicken or beef  lo mein is a good week day dinner., You can also throw in snow peas and mushrooms  along with bean sprouts and ginger slivers. It can also be a veggie one with more mushrooms and tofu added.

It's the Lunar New Year and the Beijing Olympics. Celebrate with great homemade Chinese food. It's a tasty way to honor this country and its' people.

A Hearty Vegan Colcannon

Colcannon is a great weekend meal, using up leftovers from the week. They're transformed into a tasty Saturday night dish, hearty and  perfect for a chilly night.

Butter is always used to "fry" the mash. For a vegan version I used my new favorite half a stick of Melt plant based butter.

It takes just a bowl of leftover mashed potatoes along with spinach to form the base. Usually cabbage is used along with leeks and onions for more flavor. I wanted to keep my version mild so I used baby spinach from Aldi. Two cups did it.

Typical colcannon has some kind of bacon or ham. Since this is vegan I used Lightlife' 's Smart deli ham.

I julienned four slices which was the right amount. You could use vegan bacon bits if you want just a whisper of a taste or more slices if you want a heartier mix.

                                                         Garlic also gives it flavor.

 One fat clove should do it but you can add two for more taste. Mince it into the potatoes. Big hunks may not be to everyone's liking

It was then constant stirring until the spinach was completely cooked, usually about ten minutes over a medium heat. You can add extra butter if you want along with salt and pepper.

                                                      It was a flavorful delicious scoop.

 it was a bit soupy but that could be from the water from the just washed spinach leaves. Add more potatoes if that's the case. It was a good meal on it's own but you could also serve it with a ham if you're not a vegan. You can also used leftover homemade mashed potatoes too.

Vegan colcannon is a great Saturday or Sunday night supper. It's flavorful and hearty.It's the perfect meal on a frosty February night.

Pretty Dishes And Bowls

 Just like wine glasses dishes and bowls can make dining at home a wondrous affair. It;s just picking out the right pattern along with a good sturdy make. These can be the heirloom pieces that long and well treasured.

The big question is do you buy matching bowls and plates? Or go for a kind of mishmash  restaurant vibe of mismatched crockery?Personally  I like the mismatched effect.

This is one of  the china bowls I bought from Target >it doesn't really go with my plates also from Target. The plates are gray with a spattering of gray dots. They work together because they do share one thing in common : their square shape. You can get those that match , from Wedgewood , one of the most classic companies that's been in business since 1759.  There are some unadorned plates and bowls that you set together for a cool, elegant look. Keep in mind that this is the creme de la creme and one plate can range between $35 to $65 dollars while one bowl can range from $27 to $60. The craftsmanship on these is impeccable and they would be perfect for holidays and special occasions. 

There are other  top quality brands like Spode which is known for its' Christmas china and Royal Doulton.  Spode ware comes as a set with bowls, dessert plates and cups. Like Wedgewood, Spode has been around since the 18th Century as has Royal Doulton. A plus is that Spode is a lot less in price than the other with a twelve piece set coming in at $199. Royal Doulton is another sturdy brand with a much more modern look. The plates and bowls have bold geometric patterns as opposed to the usual Oriental, floral or nature patterns. Again they can cost anywhere from $175 to $225 a set. Not surprisingly Target and Kohl's also have reasonably priced crockery. Target has the brand Gibson Elite  which features  two sets of bowls along with dinner plates. An entire set costs only $82. They also have very luxe brands with a set costing close to $1,000. Kohls has Mikasa with a sixteen piece set costing only $119.

The plates you choose should be sturdy but also beautiful. Pick which is right for your decor and needs. It will be an heirloom, no matter what the choice.