Gameday Chicken

Georgia played Tennessee this week in Knoxville, giving me the perfect excuse to make an awesome dinner and watch the game on the couch. I spent the weekend in Winston-Salem with my sister and my boyfriend. We decided to make a beer can chicken. I have never tasted anything so delicious. It's an ingenious recipe combining a beer and chicken into one dish. The meat was moist and flavorful. For sides we made baked beans with bacon on top, caesar salad and grilled corn. The corn was my responsibility, so to give it more personality I added a chili lime butter. Here's the recipe:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tsp. hot chili powder
Zest of 1 lime
Juice of 1/2 lime
Melt the butter.

Combine the chili powder and lime. As corn cooks on the grill, baste with the butter. Rotate the corn and coat each side of the corn.

Take Out-but in!

After a hectic football weekend, I was ready for a simple dinner. I wanted something delicious and fulfilling but had no desire to leave the house or pay expensive delivery fees. Luckily I had planned ahead Friday and bought Trader Joe's Mandarin Orange Chicken. I made Spicy Snap Peas and Uncle Ben's 90 second Basmati Rice to go alongside the dish. Done in 15 minutes, I was left very satisfied with the no fuss dinner!

Spicy Snap Peas

2 cups snap peas
1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp red chili flakes
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Clean snap peas by removing the stem string. Heat oil in a saucepan, toss in snap peas and season with red chili flakes, salt, and pepper. Combine until season has coated snap peas evenly. Saute for 8 minutes. Serve!

E.V.O.O.

Since I've been back from Italy, I just can't get enough olive oil. It's got to be extra virgin, peppery, smooth, light and luxurious. I want to taste that olivey flavor and see the glossy texture as I coat arugula and tomatoes. I love it plain but wanted to try a little experiment and see what else we could do with this fantastic condiment. I decided to enhance the flavor of the oil by submerging different ingredients. The results fantastic, here are my recipes:

Herb Oil

3 springs dried rosemary
3 sprigs dried thyme
Extra virgin olive oil

Place the dried herbs in the container, pour in olive oil until well covered. Store in dark cool place.

*If you don't have dried herbs on hand, microwave fresh herbs for 2 minutes on medium high heat.
*Great to coat fish or chicken and then grill or saute.

Garlic Oil

2 heads garlic
Extra virgin olive oil

Peel garlic cloves whole. Place in container, pour olive oil until well covered. Refrigerate.

*Perfect to saute veggies in, especially spinach!

Hot Chili Oil

8-10 dried hot chili peppers
Extra virgin olive oil

Add peppers to container, pour olive oil until well covered and container is full. Store in dark cool place.

*An excellent flavor addition to fish or veggies when you want an extra flavor kick!

I.F.C.

I guess it is starting to become very obvious that I am missing home. Last night I made the personnel fried chicken for dinner. Of course I tried adding an Italian spin by frying it in extra virgin olive oil and adding dried oregano to the flour mixture. The result was tasty and they certainly couldn't get enough!

Italian Fried Chicken

4 Chicken Breasts
2 egg whites
1 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
4 tblsp extra virgin olive oil

Slice the chicken breasts into strips. With a fork scramble egg whites until well beaten. In a different bowl combine flour, salt, pepper, and oregano. Dip the chicken strips one by one into the egg whites and then flour mixture. Once well coated, heat the oil in a non stick skillet. When oil is sizzling place chicken strips in oil. Let cook 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Remove from oil and place on paper towel before serving.

FIRENZE

I board the train to Florence tomorrow morning to meet Mom and Dad! I can't wait, they are getting ready to board the plane in Atlanta right now. We will be in Florence for 4 days and then they will stay in Lucca, explore all of Tuscany and come visit me when I have afternoons off! We are going to see The David, visit the Uffizi, and shop at the Ponte Vecchio among many other things. We'll drink Chianti while sharing risottos. I can't wait to return to this magnificent city AND finally see my parents again! I'll be making another visit to Acque al 2 to enjoy another taste of that unbelievable balsamic steak! And then come back to blog about all my yummy adventures!

Celebrating the Sweet

Yesterday was Valentina's birthday. Valentina is the sweet Albanian pastry chef who speaks no English. She works her heart out making bread for each shift, preparing brioche and homemade cakes for breakfast, and creating each dessert during service. Everything sweet in the kitchen comes from her hands and I certainly can't get enough! To celebrate her birthday I made White Chocolate Bread Pudding with Banana Foster's Sauce. This is one of the first recipes I learned while working at Natalia's for my senior project in high school. If you've ever been to Natalia's and enjoyed this dessert you know just how rich and luscious it is. However if you haven't had the chance to taste this one way ticket to heaven, let me know, I'll make it for you. I made it twice, one for her to take home and one for the others' to eat. Everyone left the shift very very happy. This is what I love about cooking, it brings people together. Although we can't all understand each other, food defies the language barrier and bonds us in a way nothing else can.

Italian Sushi

The thought of eating raw fish has always repulsed me. I've never been a fan of sashimi, always having to douse my sushi rolls in soy sauce and cover them in pickled ginger. It's not that I don't like the taste. I think it's the thought of consuming a product that inevitably could cause some microbial disease if not prepared correctly that truly disturbs me.

Well, this mind set quickly had to change in Italy. During the service, one of my primarily responsibilities is making carpaccio. We have a shrimp carpaccio and a beef carpaccio. I would never think to order shrimp carpaccio when going to a restaurant, but it's one of our best sellers. Therefore I make it all the time, almost every single day. And with each time I make it, I must taste to make sure the seasonings are right. (One of the best parts of the job-sampling as you go!)

Surprisingly, I find it to be most delicious. Although you must get past the texture- it is raw shrimp after all- the seasonings make it the perfect summer appetizer. We flavor it with vanilla oil, a mix of spices, lemon, olive oil, salt and pepper. On top we garnish with a quenelle of fish tartare, a raw version of pesce that has been flavored with pesto, lemon, olive oil, salt and pepper. The flavors all come together harmoniously to create a very edible, very tasty dish.

Same goes with the beef. We season with olive oil, salt, pepper, and lemon (the acid from the lemon is what makes eating raw safe). Then pair this with a light fennel salad and parmesan shavings. It's an excellent choice for a primi piatti.

Lately we've been making a fish tartare as for the entreè , or amuse bouche. We've been seasoning it with a variety of ingredients. One unique version is with fresh berries and fruits. It's delightful and perfect for a light starter. Plus, it makes for a beautiful dish.

Perhaps I find eating the uncooked protein sanitary because I do it myself, or maybe it's the fact I am in Italy and everything just tastes better here. But most importantly I think it is understanding complimentary ingredients that really highlight the raw meat. It's finding the balance between acidity and seasonings that make the dish work.

Pictured: Amuse bouche of fish tartare, flavored with fresh berries.