Daily Loaf

Vegan desserts are perhaps the most daunting undertaking of any new- or non-vegan, inspiring such questions as…

What should I use to replace eggs/milk/butter?

Can I bake for the same amount of time?

How do I make cookies that don’t taste like cardboard?

How do I know if my sugar is vegan?

I hear that some flour has bone in it. Truth or fiction?

Well, dearies, I don’t presume to have all the answers, but as both the maker and eater of countless vegan treats, I do know that there are ways to get around many of these questions. Read the rest of this entry »

I spent three Thanksgivings poring over homemade dishes at my Jewish grandma’s house, wondering if she understood entirely what I meant when I told her I was  vegan.

“Sarah, honey, you’ll eat the turkey, won’t you?” she would ask me.

“No, grandma, vegans don’t eat turkey.”

“But you’ll eat the green bean casserole.”

“No, grandma. It has milk in it. I don’t eat milk.”

“You’ll eat the sweet potatoes, then.”

“They’ve got marshmallows, grandma. I don’t eat marshmallows.”

This is where she became concerned. Because, you see, my grandma is old. She turned ninety this year. Thanksgiving is already tough for a woman her age. She’s got all this mixing and stirring and lifting to do—she doesn’t want any extra work, and to her, dreaming up vegan dishes is a challenge.

But it doesn’t have to be. Vegan Thanksgiving is no harder than carnivore Thanksgiving. You don’t even have to hunt down a Tofurky (even though they’re not that hard to find these days). You know what? I’ll be honest. Tofurky is kind of gross, anyway. And it’s a cop-out. Don’t buy a Tofurky.

“So, what should I do, then?” you ask. “My crazy vegan sister-in-law is coming over. I never know what to make for her!”

Shhhh, calm down. There’s no need to fret. Just make shish kebabs.

Shish kebabs? For Thanksgiving?

Oh, yeah. Shish kebabs have everything a good Thanksgiving meal needs. They have: Read the rest of this entry »

“Dream Momma, One morning I had a dream about Phelps in the pool with Obama and they were eating smoked turkey.” (sic)

Dream Momma understands why they were together in a pool “swimming” in the limelight. They have a lot on common.

For example, in no particular order:

They are both winners.

They broke records.

They are both known to be very focused.

They are top competitors.

Both wrote memoirs.

They were two of GQ’s Men of the Year and graced the GQ magazine cover together (along with Jon Hamm and DiCaprio).

Both came from broken homes and were raised by single moms.

They were selected by Barbara Walters as two of the top ten most fascinating individuals in 2008.

It was rumored that Phelps would be Obama’s running mate.

Almost hosted SNL together (Obama had to cancel because of Hurricane Ike (guest appearance).

They are both described as “incredibly invested” in the people they care about.

Dream Momma suspects that once one gets the full glare of the media, one must eat a lot of smoked turkey. Read the rest of this entry »

(Look for three other exclusive recipes from The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook here on the Daily Loaf: Three Pea Stir-Fry, Thai-Style Chicken Flatbread, and Lettuce Cups.)

I’ve been a bad blogger buddy! My friend Jaden Hair’s lovely new cookbook, The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook, has been on the shelves for three weeks and I’ve yet to write about it. Jaden was the first food blogger I ever met way back before my own web site was even a thought in my head.

When I stumbled on her blog a few years ago and realized that she was right here in Sarasota, I immediately emailed her to introduce myself. Jaden was kind enough to invite me to attend one of her cooking classes that just happened to also be a taping for a television feature on her. I didn’t think twice before accepting! I had a blast! Plus, I got to be on TV! That was when the blogging bug really bit me.   A few months later, with Jaden as a major inspiration, I decided to try blogging for myself – and Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy was born.

I’ve always been a huge fan of Jaden’s recipes – and I’ve tried a whole lot of them. When she announced that she was writing a cookbook, I was thrilled for her! I was even more thrilled to be among her many recipe testers for the book. During that time, I tried out some awesome recipes and it drove me crazy that I couldn’t share any of them with anyone, because…well, you know…because they were top secret, hush-hush recipes for the cookbook! I wish now that I had taken photographs of some of those wonderful dishes I made. Read the rest of this entry »

Thai-style Chicken Flatbread

(Read our profile of Steamy Kitchen’s Jaden Hair.)

I make my own pizza dough from time to time, but when I want to make an impressive appetizer last minute, I buy a ball of pre-made pizza dough or, even easier, a package of naan or flatbread from the supermarket. This chicken flatbread is inspired by one of my husband’s favorite restaurants, California Pizza Kitchen. When we were still dating in San Francisco, we’d just hop on the subway and walk to the CPK near Union Square. Those were fun times as many sweet nothings were whispered in my ear over a shared pizza. These days, with two loud, yappin’ giggly boys at the dinner table, there’s no more whispering! (Okay, replaced by footsies!)

SERVES 4 AS APPETIZER OR SNACK

1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken, cut into bite-size pieces
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium flatbreads or naan
1/2 cup Peanut Dipping Sauce (recipe below)
8 oz fresh shredded mozzarella
1 1/4 cups fresh bean sprouts
Few sprigs fresh cilantro (coriander)
1/2 cup roasted peanuts

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Read the rest of this entry »

Three Pea Stir-fry

(Read our profile of Steamy Kitchen’s Jaden Hair.)

My family loves peas every which way except for canned. What better way to please all than to stir-fry a combination of sugar snap, snow peas and shelled peas? Sometimes I’ll stand in the kitchen and just eat them straight out of the wok.

The peas cook at different times, so I add the sugar snap peas first. At my markets, fresh shelled peas are hard to find, so I often grab a bag of frozen peas. No need to defrost—just add them frozen right into the wok!

SERVES 4 AS SIDE DISH

1/2 lb sugar snap peas
1/2 lb snow peas
1/2 lb shelled peas (fresh or frozen)
1 teaspoon high-heat cooking oil
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
Pinch of sugar
2 teaspoons sesame seeds

1. Wash all the peas. Read the rest of this entry »

(Read our profile of Steamy Kitchen’s Jaden Hair.)

Lettuce Cups

This dish is an experience in textures and sensations…the cool, crisp lettuce cups cradles the warm filling. As you take a bite, you’ll first taste the bright, sweet, juicy mandarin orange, then the savory chicken and then the crunch of water chestnuts and the mild bite of red onion.

The best part of this recipe is that the ingredients are so flexible. You can keep it light and use ground chicken or turkey, or try it with ground pork or ground beef—it’s totally up to you. My kids love this when I substitute diced green apples for the red onion. Try to dice the vegetables into roughly the same size so that they cook evenly and are easier to eat.

To make this dish a full meal, include 1 cup of cooked jasmine rice per person. My kids like to spoon the cooked rice along with the filling into their lettuce cups.

Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve said it so many times when I cook: Simple is always better. Sure, sometimes I get mired down in complex recipes, but a handful of great ingredients with just the right touch of care always bring the greatest rewards. That couldn’t be truer than in this duck and scallop dish.

I found this gem on a menu in Stonington Borough, Connecticut — a charming little seaside village.  Water Street Café is a quaint, eclectic restaurant that is always busy, even in the dog days of winter. The fare is remarkably fresh and creative. Every meal I’ve eaten there (and I’ve had many) has been terrific.

Particularly, I’ve been fond of a very simple preparation of duck and scallops they serve. Read the rest of this entry »

(Check out these other pumpkin recipes: Cassava Pone from Sayroo West Indian Market, Pumpkin Cheese Pie, Baked Pumpkin Pudding.)

Maybe you don’t want to the fuss of cutting into a pumpkin for homemade pie — those cans are so damn easy — but chances are you’ll be carving a jack-o-lantern for the front porch. Instead of scooping the slimy innards directly into the trash, save the seeds for a roasted treat that almost makes handling the slippery stuff worthwhile.

Here’s a basic technique to get you started, with a list of seasoning options to jazz up the seeds: Read the rest of this entry »

Gears grinding down. Head and heart heavy. I took stock of my life and wasn’t thrilled with what I saw: broke (or damn near close to it), ailing family members, loveless (yet again), spinning wheels at work and school (if it wasn’t a glass ceiling I had hit it may as well have been concrete, for all its crushing power).

I called off work, sick with what could have been H1N1 and thought, “damn… is this all there really is?”

2 days later, I emerged from my Baudelaire-ian ennui, and found my life-force returning. Spirits lifting, glass-half-full, I gave thanks for the good health I’ve grown so used to enjoying, and reminded myself that as long as my creative nature is churning, there’s butter to be made.

Day 1 out of “Le Funk,” I did what always seems to set my heart and mind at peace: cooked and cleaned. Somewhere inside this MMA-badass-wannabe is a dainty, domestic ‘lil thang, quite content to putter around the house dusting, mopping, and chopping.

I made some Pumpkin Pudding.
Now you can, too… Read the rest of this entry »

Do you believe in fate? That everything happens for a reason? That some things are just meant to be? If so, then read on.

I was out to dinner with my family a few weeks ago, enjoying a nice meal, when one of the servers brought out a plate of lovely, sizzling hot coconut shrimp and set it down right in front of me. I love coconut shrimp, and my husband and I marveled at what gorgeous shrimp it was. It made my mouth water.

The thing of it was, neither of us had ordered coconut shrimp. I wanted to keep it anyway, but my better half pointed out that it wouldn’t be right. That some hungry diner had actually ordered that coconut shrimp and was most likely sitting nearby, anxiously waiting for it. Grrrr! I hate it when he plays the ethics and fairness cards on me! Of course, he was right. I reported the mistake to our server, who promptly took the shrimp away and delivered it to its rightful owner. Read the rest of this entry »

Have you ever been in a situation where you wrongly assumed something, then realized your mistake in front of a bunch of people and were too embarrassed to say anything? I have, and it can be a sticky wicket, indeed! Let me tell you what happened to me the other day.

I decided to pop into Whole Foods to pick up a few things.  Now, a visit to Whole Foods is usually a dangerous proposition for me.  I almost always go armed with a specific list of items to buy, and I never stick to it.  I can’t help myself!  It’s like I become completely hypnotised by the rows upon rows of vibrantly colorful fresh fruits and vegetables, neatly stacked and perfectly arranged, mist clinging to them like little droplets of morning dew. Read the rest of this entry »

Let me start right off by saying that no, that is not the official name of these cookies – but it should be.  They are actually called Peanut Butter Corn Flake Balls. That’s a decent enough name. It is accurate and descriptive. However, it comes nowhere close to describing the flat out, mind-blowing awesomeness of these sticky, gooey, creamy, chewy little blobs of edible bliss! How did they end up being called HolyCrapTheseAreAmazing Cookies, you ask? Well, I’ll tell you. It’s because that is pretty much what everyone says the first time they bite into one of these decadent little guys.

The first time I ever ate one was when my daughter was in the second grade. Each year, from the time she was in kindergarten through the fifth grade, I had the dubious distinction of being the Room Mother for her class. A Room Mother is a mom who is in charge of taking care of all of the “extras” for the class that the teacher doesn’t have the time or inclination to do, like collecting for the teacher’s gifts, lining up chaperones for field trips and, of course, organizing class parties.

Anyway, that particular year, her class had a Halloween party, and one of the moms brought these cookies.  Now, being a Room Mother often requires you to make certain sacrifices, one of which is taste-testing all of the snacks, just to make sure that they are okay for the kids to eat.  Really!  It says so in the Official Room Mothers’ Code of Conduct. Okay, I made that up, but if there was an Official Room Mothers’ Code of Conduct, I’ll bet the whole “taste-testing” thing would be in there.

So, I ate a cookie. As my eyes were rolling back into my head, I groaned out loud and spontaneously exclaimed: “Holy crap! These are amazing cookies!” From then on, they have elicited the same response from everyone I’ve served them to. Read the rest of this entry »

Way back a hundred million years ago, when my husband and I were first married, we received a copy of The Silver Palate Cookbook as a wedding gift.  It sat proudly in our orange crate bookcase alongside The Joy of Cooking and The Betty Crocker Cookbook, also wedding gifts. That bookcase made quite a statement paired with our dining room set of a card table and four metal folding chairs.  (Did I mention that we were poor as dirt back then?)  Anyway, whenever I needed some culinary inspiration, I’d reach for Sheila and Julee’s wildly popular and creative Silver Palate to get me started. Read the rest of this entry »

Few things in life are certain.  We’re born. We die. And somewhere in between the two, we all get our hearts broken at least once. There’s no escaping it. It’s as inevitable as the rising and the setting of the sun.  That is the risk we take for the giddy, glorious feeling of being in love.

I’ve certainly experienced my share of heartbreak, beginning in the 5th grade when Benny Buffamante threw me over for Mary Rose Kelly. Who could blame him, really? With her big blue eyes and long, golden curls, she was adorable. Plus, she had three first names! How could I compete with that!?!?

I survived being spurned by Benny and lived to love again. And, of course, my heart was stomped on many more times in the process. I’d like to think that it made me stronger and more resilient. I’d like to think that, but the truth is that each time I lost in love, it hurt just as much as the time before. Thank heavens I met my Mr. Right before my tender heart was completely pummeled into a quivering, bleeding mass of mush!

Although I don’t normally advocate self-medicating with food, there are some situations where a decadent, sticky, gooey, creamy and chewy dessert is just what the doctor ordered — and a broken heart is one of them.  Allow me to introduce you to just such a treat: Break-Up Bars! Read the rest of this entry »

I have a confession to make. I don’t like chicken breast. I especially dislike the boneless, skinless kind. Scandalous, I know, but despite its popularity in our culinary culture, I’ve just never taken to it. I know chicken breast is a healthier, low-fat option, but I don’t really care. It is ubiquitous and boring and blah! Oh sure, I’ve choked it down many times at numerous weddings, dinner parties and banquets, but usually only in order to be polite, or because I was very, very hungry. Even then, it had to disguised by some kind of tasty sauce or hidden in a bowl of pasta. There is only one way that I can honestly say that I actually enjoy eating chicken breast, and that is in a fruity, nutty, mayonnaise-laden chicken salad. Read the rest of this entry »

When most people think of Italian Wedding Soup, they understandably associate it with weddings.  Sounds logical, right?  Well, what if I told you that this popular Italian dish has nothing to do with weddings at all?  Yes, it’s true.  Before you scoff, let me explain.  Read the rest of this entry »

She had never seen the Godfather. So I made her a meal she couldn’t refuse.

When Steebo told me that she had never seen the Godfather, I felt a dinner coming on. I had always liked the first two Godfather films, but I found a new appreciation for them upon reading a fascinating article in Vanity Fair. The article recounts the turbulent making of the film in the face of opposition from the mob. The classic’s stormy creation is a saga in itself.

A screening of the Godfather is a great excuse to make an indulgent Italian feast that seems to go on forever. I write not to analyze the movie, but to recount my own effort to cook a meal that could somehow measure up to its greatness.

I initially figured on a couple courses during the film. As it turns out, life imitated art, and the meal soon took on a tumultuous life of its own. As I shopped that afternoon with a vague menu in my mind, my ambition and attitude grew. I invited a few friends over and cobbled a menu together. By the end of the evening, I felt downright Italian, more hotheaded Sonny than steely Michael or the wise godfather. Read the rest of this entry »

When I was a kid, as soon as winter melted into spring each year my family would take every opportunity possible to have a big, backyard, family barbecue. Dad’s grill was lit from Memorial Day right on through Labor Day. Each holiday, birthday, graduation and anniversary was celebrated in style under our lilac and cherry trees. The folding chairs and card tables were dusted off and set up outside. The coolers were hauled out and filled to the brim with icy cold beer and soft drinks. Everybody brought some kind of “picnic-y” dish to share. Everyone except my Aunt Giuseppina, that is. She always brought a huge tray of eggplant parmigiana. But, that’s a story for another day.

I don’t know how it is in most families, but in Italian families, hot dogs and burgers alone just don’t cut it. Read the rest of this entry »

Yield: 10-16 portions

Ingredients:
French baguette or any long bread
1 jar of store-bought basil pesto (or use this recipe)
Fresh basil leaves
2-3 Roma tomatoes
4 – 8 bocconcini mozzarella cheese balls
Salt and pepper

Instructions:
1. Prepare the following and set aside:
- Slice the tomatoes
- Slice the mozzarella
- Slice the bread on an angle
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2. Spread a small amount of basil pesto onto each slice of bread and place on baking sheet.

3. Put a slice of tomato, basil leaf and cheese onto each slice of bread.

4. Roast the bruschettas in the oven for 7-10 minutes until cheese melts. Serve and enjoy!

Recipe by: Chef Cristian Feher
www.tampabaychef.com

Friends invited me to dinner this week, and I offered to bring dessert. A trip to the market produced sweet-tart, juicy nectarines. I thought about a nice pie or cobbler, but my hostess can’t eat wheat products. A bowl of sliced nectarines with a drizzle of heavy cream is always good, but I wanted something a little more special.

Pavlovas were a perfect choice. They don’t contain wheat, are easy to put together, and are a wonderful showcase for beautiful ripe fruit.

Pavlovas are popular in Australia and New Zealand, where they were developed and named for ballerina Anna Pavlova. They resemble clouds on top of pillows, with a base of meringue and a crisp exterior that gives way to a soft, marshmallowy center. The meringue is filled with whipped cream and topped with fruit — in this case nectarine, but as long as it is soft, juicy and ripe it should work (tart is also a good quality). Berries are beautiful and delicious. Passion fruit is wonderful, as are blueberries mixed with a touch of lemon curd (made from the yolks that aren’t used in the meringue).

Volume is key when making Pavlovas. When working with egg whites Read the rest of this entry »

Linguine with a pink shrimp sauce
From Giuliano Hazan’s Thirty Minute Pasta.
(Read our interview with Giuliano Hazan.)

This is a very elegant sauce that is traditionally served with seafood-filled ravioli. A portion of the shrimp are chopped very fine, giving the sauce a consistency similar to meat sauce. Parsley at the end adds lightness and fragrance.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

¾ pound large shrimp
2 medium cloves garlic
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons tomato paste
½ cup dry white wine
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound linguine
6–7 sprigs flat-leaf Italian parsley
1 cup heavy cream

Read the rest of this entry »

Tagliatelle with chickpeas
From Giuliano Hazan’s Thirty Minute Pasta.
(Read our interview with Giuliano Hazan.)

One of the restaurants we enjoy going to when we are in Valpolicella, the wine country outside of Verona, is Alla Rosa Alda, in the tiny hilltop town of San Giorgio. One of their specialties is a pasta dish they call “tagliatelle embogonè” in the local dialect. It is homemade egg noodles with a sauce of fresh cranberry beans. When I was growing up, my mother made a soup with chickpeas, tomatoes and rosemary that I loved. Taking inspiration from Alla Rosa Alda’s dish, I’ve adapted that chickpea soup here, into a pasta sauce that is now one of our favorites at home.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

Read the rest of this entry »

I had to jump on the Bakerella bandwagon and make some Cake Pops! I see them all over the Food Web World. They really are simple to make, but very time consuming. Of course, I made them even more difficult with all the different decorations. I love self induced torture!

And, I must say, they did have a very lengthy photo shoot. Probably about 80 pictures! My husband thinks I’ve lost my mind. But I constantly remind him that I didn’t lose it, my children have sucked every bit of brain from my skull. Just like he constantly reminds me that his gray hair is caused by me! Again, I blame that on the kids too!

Recipe after the break:

Read the rest of this entry »

The aroma of yeast fills the house. It is Friday afternoon. The children drop their backpacks near the door, heaven forbid that they put them away, and quickly make their way to the kitchen. “Is it time yet?” they ask in unison. They want to make sure that they haven’t missed braiding the challah. Sometimes they get home early enough for the second kneading; but usually they get home just in time to shape the bread into the fanciest braids possible, sometimes even creating braids with six strands. In Jewish tradition, challah is served for Shabbat. The smell of the challah baking not only makes my home smell wonderful, it also heralds the Sabbath, the day of rest, a time of peace and tranquility.

The very act of creating a challah is one of transition. Read the rest of this entry »

Coconut is divine. It is so flavorful and versatile, at home as a crust on giant prawns or a decadent dessert to end a meal. When it is flaked, sweetened, and toasted it leaves such a distinct mark on any dish it’s become one of my favorite ingredients to use.

When I set out to make my first coconut cream pie several years ago, I struggled with the idea of the baking method it would involve. It seemed that blind baking a crust and cooking the filling separately would be such a task, but that filling and then baking the pie would never result in the creamy goodness I was after. So I researched a lot of different recipes, and created this version which really is so simple and yields a confection worthy of the case in any fine bake shop.

At its most basic level, this dessert is rich vanilla custard with real coconut and a flaky, traditional hand-made crust. If you can get past the initial fear of making your own pastry and just nail down the technique, it will be well worth it, so take this extra step and you won’t be sorry. Cold is the key — cold work surface, clean cold hands (your best tools!), and most of all, very cold butter.

Here’s the recipe: Read the rest of this entry »

The world seems mighty small these days. We can get to almost any corner of the globe in a matter of hours. That’s pretty amazing really, considering how much time and effort it took to get anywhere as recently as the early part of the last century. And as different cultures introduced themselves to each other (or killed each other), we humans began enjoying the diverse foods and cuisines that we encountered.

Today we can experience such an array of flavors — spices, meats, vegetables, fruit, seafood — that it is difficult to think of a time when whole wars were fought over pepper. I’ve had great sushi in Oklahoma and gulped down a cheeseburger in Asia. Even as diverse as our cultural food evolution has been, though, there are a few staples. While eastern Asia harvested their vast abundance of rice, the entire rest of the world found that with some flour, liquid and heat, we could make bread.

Click through for more about bread, with the recipe at the end: Read the rest of this entry »

Every year I obsess about the first few weeks of school. Not because I’m worried about my children’s teachers — I’m more concerned about lunchtime.

My kids do purchase the stuff made at school, but there are also times when they’re fortunate to have fabulous food prepared for them by their gourmet cook father. Yes, we do send leftovers and those wonderful Thermos containers that keep food hot are a godsend. But all too soon there will be days when a quickly made sandwich ends up in the bag.

What causes me consternation is not that my kids will get odd looks when they bring a frittata or curry soup that might not appear on a regular school lunch menu; rather it is that the kind of sandwich my children prefer always gets a comment from a new teacher or another child in class who isn’t familiar with our sandwich filler choices.

My kids like Nutella. For those not familiar with it, Nutella looks like a chocolate spread, so to the untrained eye my children are eating a chocolate sandwich. In these days of hyped up healthy eating-isms, chocolate is bad!

At some point, early in the year, I find myself explaining: Read the rest of this entry »

One of the best things you can do to impart flavor to vegetables is to roast them in the oven on high heat. With just a little salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil, you let the oven do the work and reap the rewards of a great soup base or side dish. It’s a foolproof and healthy way to bring fresh seasonal vegetables into your diet, and can be modified based on your preferences and what is available throughout the year.

This particular recipe is a hearty roasted tomato soup and is a simple and cozy dish with some crusty bread or a grilled cheese sandwich on the side. You can take this method and substitute mushrooms, butternut squash, or a variety of other options for the tomatoes. Feel free to swap out the Romas and vine-ripened tomatoes for whatever looks good at the store or is on hand at the time. The crushed tomatoes used here also help to ensure that a full flavor is achieved even if the fresh ones are lacking, so look for fire roasted if possible to optimize this boost.

Here’s the recipe: Read the rest of this entry »

What do I do with this avocado?

You were walking down the produce aisle and spotted a mob of people busily squeezing a case of avocados. So naturally, you got in there and started squeezing some yourself. You noticed that some were rock-hard, and you put them back. Others were way too soft and smelled a little rank. Those went back too.

But this one, oh yes, this one! Glorious leathery skin, nice heavy weight, and its semi-soft flesh gave in reluctantly to your gentle squeeze. So you whisked it away and gave it a good home on your kitchen table. Now what? Read the rest of this entry »

Summer is the traditional time to travel, and what could be more fun than traveling with your entire family? OK, I heard that! Traveling with kids can be: exhilarating, anxiety-producing, joyous, excruciating, eye-opening, fearful and downright fun! Recently, my family and I spent a marvelous day in Venice. The other one. The one in Italy.

My family had a mission on this trip: to eat and then go to the great square of Piazza San Marco and play. Venice is overwhelmingly rich in museums, churches and history. Just taking the vaporetto, the city waterbus, down the Grand Canal allows one to see the great Gothic palazzi that fill so many postcards.

Getting lost in Venice is a fabulous experience: Every turn exposes new treasures, from beautiful door handles and exquisite glass chandeliers that often hang from the decorative ceilings on the noble (second) floor, to the beautiful and intricately carved water wells that are the focal point of even the smallest square. Venice is magnificent and, if you can, plan to spend at least four days reveling in its beauty.

We only had one day for this trip. Read the rest of this entry »

When I seek out ingredients, I make an effort to find good-quality local items. Sometimes that means eggs and greens that travel fewer than 20 miles to get to me in the Florida panhandle. Other times, when something is not available on a truly local level, I try to find it regionally (usually Florida, Georgia and Alabama).

It isn’t always possible, but when I have a choice I buy local. That helps the local economy and uses fewer resources to go from farm to table. It also makes me focus on buying items that are in season, which is when they are the least expensive and taste the best.

For me, local buying is easy when it comes to seafood. It’s abundant in the Gulf of Mexico and Choctawhatchee Bay. Local buying has also worked well with cheese, honey, vegetables and meats. One of the meats I buy are ranch-raised rabbits from Seely’s Ark in Ocala. Read the rest of this entry »

(Ed. note: Make it to the end for the recipe. It’ll pay off.)

Like most people, I love a challenge. I especially like them when they’re related to food. That’s why I had so much fun when I was asked to cater a party for about 100 people.

OK, I can handle that. It’s in Canada. I can handle that too. The theme is Caribbean. So far so good. The idea of fresh, clean island flavors begin swirling in my mind: citrus, seafood, sweet, spicy. Of course there has to be a twist: The folks hosting the party and the guest of honor do not like cilantro.

This is a constraint that is difficult to overcome. When I think of the Caribbean, I think of rum drinks and foods with heavy doses of cilantro. Good salsa almost always has cilantro. The flavor is unmistakably bright and unique and screams of steel drum bands and sand in your toes. Leaving it out seems wrong on many levels Read the rest of this entry »

Filet was on sale today for $13.99 a pound! I usually buy ribeyes, but this was too good of a deal to pass up.

Before I slapped it in a pan, though, I had to review my rules for cooking the perfect steak

1) Start off with a super hot cooking surface. I get my grill — topped with a cast iron flat plate — to 500 degrees.

2) Always bring your meat to room temperature prior to cooking. This ensures even cooking.

3) Less is more. Drizzle with canola oil, and put a nice thick coat of kosher salt and freshly ground pepper (although, honestly, how many of you have a pepper shaker in your house?).

4) Don’t flip. Read the rest of this entry »

Berbere, Awaze, Mitmita. Spicy words denoting super-spicy flavor. Combine with beef for stove-top success. Host to an Addis native (Addis Ababa, capital city of culture-rich African nation, Ethiopia), I was recently schooled in the ways of preparing Ethiopian-style sauteed meat, or tibs.

Tibs is a fun and easy dish that capitalizes on the magnificence of berbere, a 20-ingredient spice blend, and onions, both found throughout Ethiopian cookery.

My love affair with Ethiopian food began in Berkeley, CA, host to numerous fabulous Ethiopian restaurants. When I moved back to my home state of Florida, I brought a little of that Ethiopian flavor with me, adapting traditional recipes and tastes to fit the “can’t quite take the heat” Gainesville populace. My friendship with Fitsame — my guest — came about as a result of a book I published, Ethiopian-inspired Cooking, a compendium of vegetarian recipes, as well as other publishing interests we both shared.

When she announced a trip to the States this year, I knew I was in for a traditional Ethiopian cooking treat. Yes, we made sourdough Injera flatbread from tef flour. Yes, we dipped into platters of lentils, shuro and potato salad. And yes, we practiced the tradition of feeding a guest three times (so as not to make an enemy, but a friend) by placing a small bit of rolled food into their mouth.

But it was with tibs that I received my proper Ethiopian cooking lesson.

ETHIOPIAN BEEF TIBS

Beef (about 1 pound, free range/organic steak if you can get it, any cut will do)
1 large onion
1 green bell pepper
Berbere spice blend (buy online, at local international grocer, or make a substitute with 1 tablespoon paprika, 1 tablespoon garlic powder, 1 tablespoon ginger powder, 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper, 1 teaspoon dry basil, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon cardamom, 1/2 teaspoon fenugreek, 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon ground clove all mixed in a bowl together)

Cube beef into small cubes, about 1/2 inch square. Marinate meat for a few hours in awaze sauce (1 tablespoon berbere, 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, 1 tablespoon red wine). This is my modification — Fitsame cooked the beef dry in the pan, then added seasoning, but I think this would be a nice addition.

Saute onion, sliced or diced, in enough vegetable oil to cover; tradition is to use 1/2 cup of water, adding more as needed until onion is soft. Cook until softened, about 10 minutes.

Lower heat, add beef and thinly sliced or diced bell pepper, turning regularly, until cooked through, about another 10 minutes. If cooking dry beef, cook in separate pan first, then add to onions and bell pepper. If using marinated beef, go ahead and add to already sauteed onions with bell pepper.

Season again with 1 tablespoon berbere and a splash of red wine. Saute another 5 minutes until liquid from wine cooks out.

Garnish with some fresh sprigs of rosemary and a side dish of awaze sauce for dipping.

Ian Finn, former cafe manager, cookbook author, cooking instructor and food maverick, dishes up a whole lotta amazing recipes here.