Vacation -- Part 1

I think the theme of our trip was: Eat your face off...2011.

This was before we left for the trip, when we could actually jump.

For our road trip, we drove to Warren, OH; then to outside Washington, DC; then took a bus to NYC; back to DC; over to Morgantown, WV; to Columbus, OH; then back to Chicago. It was a long drive, but quite beautiful in the Fall -- and we were sure to get our fill of whatever food we could get in each place. Our first exciting stop was once we got into the DC area. Paul and I were lucky enough to spend most of our first wedding anniversary in the car, but made a late night dinner reservation to celebrate. We had decided ahead of time on VOLT, which is located in Frederick, MD - and is owned by Brian Voltaggio, a former contestant of Top Chef. 

A photo outside VOLT -- we were way too preoccupied to take photos of our dinner. 

I think Paul and I have been lucky enough to eat a lot of delicious meals, but this was one of the best (if not the best). You can see some of the menu items here, but a few of the items we had aren't listed on the menu. Based on the recommendation of our waiter, Paul and I each ordered three courses, and but then opted to share a dessert (which ended up working out great for us -- see below). We were offered all kinds of interesting breads to start -- I had a cheddar biscuit and Paul had a prosciutto infused bread, which literally tasted like you were eating a slice of prosciutto and not a regular slice of bread. We were also served a neat amuse-bouche that looked nothing like, but tasted exactly like a chicken wing with blue cheese and hot sauce. 


I started with the autumn garden salad, which included beets, petite carrots, radish slices, coffee soil (which was ground coffee, almonds, Guinness, and something else) and goat cheese. I am huge fan of beets and goat cheese, so I loved it. Paul had a lobster roll that was served in rice paper, with an avocado mousse and a wasabi foam. Yup. We ate foam. It was really interesting and quite tasty, not weird and gross like we thought it would be. There was a little girl (probably 6 or 7 years old) sitting by us, who remarked "Ooh! Bubbles!" for one of her dishes. I felt the same way, little girl!


For our seconds, Paul had the pork belly with rice porridge, a barely cooked egg (I think it was a 60-degree egg or whatever they call it), and a pork crackling. The waiter said it was inspired by pork fried rice -- and it was delicious. I had the cavatelli, which may have been my only misstep of the night. The pasta was made with rye, and included 4 kinds of broccoli -- broccoli rabe, broccoli florets steamed, a broccoli puree and broccoli that was browned under the salamander. It also had some preserved lemon and a dollop of sheep’s milk ricotta. For me, the browned broccoli was too bitter. From how the waiter described it, the lemon and ricotta were to cut through the bitterness -- but unfortunately, it just didn't work for me.


My main, however, was amazing. I had the sea bass with black garlic potatoes, sunchoke, brussels sprouts, and chive pudding. The fish was cooked perfectly, and all of the ingredients worked amazingly with one another. Paul had the lamb, which included cauliflower, crispy panisse (which is similar to polenta) and small dots of a sweet potato puree underneath. The lamb was also cooked very well -- and Paul is all excited to make lamb at home. 


For dessert, we had ordered a pear dish that included poached pear, a pear sorbet, a Guinness tuille, some sort of powdery stuff similar to the top of a crumble, and a pear 

gelée (which I was afraid of, but was actually good). In addition to our ordered choice, we were brought two additional desserts, which was pretty cool. We also were served an orange and chocolate semifreddo and 4 small dessert bites -- a berry jelly (similar to a soft gum drop), a bonbon, a cookies and cream candy, and a chocolate filled with a rum cream. It was awesome. I love dessert, and could barely eat everything that was placed in front of us because I was so stuffed. 

The ambiance is fancy, without being pretentious. You've got white tablecloths, but the waiters are wearing Converse sneakers. Each course gets it's own silverware, and they serve still OR sparkling water (which is a fun little treat). I would highly recommend going there if you're in the DC area. 

Hanging out with Abe.

During our second day in DC, we pretty much hit the highlights of an eighth grade field trip. We visited the monuments on the National Mall, took a Capitol building tour, and midday -- stopped for lunch at Graffiato, Mike Isabella's restaurant (we were doing the Top Chef tour, apparently). 

Whee! A restaurant photo!

Paul and I had a great meal there as well. They have prosecco on tap -- which was half of the reason I wanted to go there. We started with a burrata salad, that included honey glazed onions and nigella seeds (which I had to look up to figure out what they were).  We tried the chicken thighs in pepperoni sauce, which was heralded by the judges when it was made on Top Chef Masters. It was awesome -- the sauce tasted just like pepperoni, included and went perfectly with the crispy chicken thighs. 

Yeah, vacation!

We also had a pizza that was topped with taleggio (which normally frightens me -- see Part 2 of our trip for further detail), mozzarella, ricotta, prosciutto, and black pepper honey. The honey was surprisingly tasty and an interesting final touch alongside the salty prosciutto and the creamy cheeses. For dessert, we had one of the seasonal gelatos -- a rosemary honey mascarpone. It was FANTASTIC. I could have had three servings of this and wanted more (the couple glasses of prosecco mid-afternoon may have contributed to that).

America.

Before we headed out to NYC, we also tried America Eats Tavern, which was created in partnership with the National Archives and their exhibit, "What's Cooking, Uncle Sam?" It is a restaurant created by José Andrés, and the concept of the restaurant is "a new take on American classics, celebrating native ingredients and some long forgotten dishes." We had lunch with our friends Danielle and Brian, who we were staying with, and tasted a bunch of the dishes offered. 


We tried several appetizers, including the hush puppies, buffalo wings, shrimp remoulade with fried green tomatoes and "vermicelli prepared like pudding." Of those choices, we liked the shrimp remoulade and the vermicelli best -- both were quite good, with the vermicelli being quite unexpected (it tasted a lot like cheesy noodles).


For our entrees, I ordered the croaker, Paul and Brian had the oyster po' boy, and Danielle ordered the lobster roll. I only tried the po' boy, but I really liked the croaker that I had ordered. The fish was cooked really nicely and the greens on the side were flavorful and complimentary with the croaker. Note: if you can't tell, I was trying to eat as much seafood while in DC as possible. I even ordered fish at an Irish pub just because I could. Paul's po' boy was pretty good, but of our two -- I think I was the winner (it is always a competition between us as to who made the better choice for meals). 


Of all the restaurants we ate at in DC, unfortunately this was probably my least favorite. It's not that the food was bad -- it just didn't amaze us. However, I think the concept contributes to that - if you're giving a dish like macaroni and cheese and giving it your own spin, you're bound to have people who don't like your particular spin. I was impressed that the restaurant's existence was connected to the Archives exhibit, and hope they do something like that here. 


Part 2 -- New York and Columbus! 

Preview from Road Trip 2011

The object of my dreams for the last few nights:

I added capers, but you get the picture. The deliciousness was had at Russ & Daughters. Birthday gifts can now be sent in the form of Scottish salmon.

Foodies on the Road!

On one of our many road trips. I think this is some sort of Last of the Mohicans reference.

Friends, P and I are setting out on a super fun road trip over the next few days for our first anniversary. While we won't be doing much cooking, we will DEFINITELY be doing a lot of eating. We're looking forward to sampling culinary delights in Washington, DC and New York City. I can't wait to try some new things, and post some delicious photos to make everyone jealous...I mean...give us some inspiration.

Lemon-Tarragon Halibut En Papillote

I pulled this recipe out of one of my magazines ages ago, and have been waiting to try it. It looked so easy and delicious that I couldn't wait to give it a try. I had been keeping my eye out at Dominick's for halibut, but the sign kept reading, "Coming soon!" We finally found some halibut at the fish market, and seized up on the opportunity. 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Soften 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter (I usually nuke it in the microwave in 10 second increments until it's the right consistency). Cut parchment paper into four 18-inch-long pieces.

I have no idea if this was 18 inches or not, but it worked.

Fold each piece in half, and cut into a half heart shape, using the fold as the heart's center.

Awwwwwww. Special.

Prep fennel (1 cup, julienned), 3/4 cup snow peas (cut diagonally into thirds) and carrots (1/2 cup -- they ask for shredded, but I did peeled, and it worked out fine). Place fennel, snow peas, and carrots in a bowl with 1/4 cup water and microwave on high for 4 minutes. Drain the vegetables once they are cooked through. 

Fennel and halibut go really well together.

While the vegetables are cooking, slice 1 lemon in half crosswise. Cut one half into 8 thin slices, then juice the remaining half. Combine 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter, and 2 teaspoons of finely chopped fresh tarragon.

We had bought one big halibut fillet, so we cut it into four (somewhat) evenly sized pieces.

In case you were wondering, yes, our bamboo cutting board still smells like fish.

Add 1/4 of the vegetable mixture to each of the parchment pieces, placing it along the fold.

Not s good with the lighting here, but you get the picture.

Place fillets on top of vegetables and add salt and pepper. Divide butter mixture among each serving, dotting over tops of fish. Top each fillet with 2 lemon slices.

Yum. Looks tasty!

The directions say: starting at the top of each heart, fold the edges of parchment in, tucking the edges as you go. Twist the end tip to secure tightly. I don't know what the heck I did, but I managed to close them up. I think the most important part is that the parchment is closed so that the fish and veggies can steam.

Place packets on baking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes or until the parchment puffs up. I think we kept them in a few minutes longer, since some of the fillets were more thick than others.

Hello, buttery, lemony goodness.

DELICIOUS. And so easy to make. If you're willing to the extra legwork with the parchment paper (and really, it's not that much work) -- I think the fish come out great. You don't have to worry about the fish drying out since it is steaming in the parchment packet. Paul and I both had leftovers for lunch at work the following day -- nuked them in the packet in the microwave at work, and they STILL were moist and tasty.  

I am totally going to do this again.  Maybe with a different whitefish or salmon, and a corresponding veggie combo? I imagine you could do sliced bell peppers, spinach, kale, maybe even potatoes if you sliced them really thin. Enjoy!

Lentil Hunt 2011: The Quest to make Lentil Fritter Pitas

Lentil fritters. Hmmmm. They sounded a little weird, but we're brave so we thought we'd give them a try. Man, are we glad that we did. SPOILER ALERT: they are delicious.

The recipe is simple enough. You use your food processor to make the lentil patties, fry them up, make a slaw of red cabbage and a sour cream based topping to go with it. Our only hitch came in preparing to make the recipe. I, for the life of me, could not find canned lentils. I walked around. I asked people. I looked quizzically at the shelves. I checked two different grocery stores, both of which did not have canned OR dried lentils (hence the post title). Finally, at the third store, I found them. Yeesh. Thank goodness the rest of the recipe was easy. 

Anyways, back to the cooking part. In a food processor, puree 1 can of the lentils with the cilantro, parsley, garlic, and cumin until nearly smooth. We didn't have fresh cilantro, so I used some cilantro paste (which is handy in a pinch) in it's place.

I realize the paste doesn't look very appetizing, but it definitely serves its purpose.

Transfer to a bowl and mix in the bread crumbs (we used panko), the remaining can of lentils, salt, and pepper.

Pre-transformation.

Mix together the cabbage with the lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of the oil, salt and black pepper.

Red cabbage, soaking in the lemon juice.

In a different bowl, stir together the yogurt, crushed red pepper, and 1/4 cup water.This will thin out the sauce a little.

I'm a big fan of the Greek yogurt, and especially as a sour cream substitute.

Take the lentil mixture and form them into sixteen 1/2 inch thick patties. Heat 1 tablespoon of the remaining oil over medium-high heat. Cook the patties for 3 to 4 minutes per side. You can using the remaining tablespoon of oil if you make them in two batches (which I did). 

We had a few less than 16. I was a bit generous with the lentil patties.

We stuffed each pita with the patties, cabbage mixture, yogurt sauce, and topped it with fresh parsley (substitute for cilantro). 

That squash on the side looks a little sad. Let's go in for a close-up on the good stuff.

We went for the pocket pitas (you could do pocket-less and eat it more like a gyro). We put two patties in each and added the toppings.

YEAH. That's more like it.

I was pretty impressed with how this turned out. I absolutely love falafel sandwiches, and can't get enough of them. This tastes pretty darn close to falafel, and I feel a little better that it isn't deep fried. 

I will say that it is a little messy if the pita doesn't hold up with all those ingredients. Maybe that's why they suggested pocket-less -- so that the pita bread a little thicker. Either way, Paul and I both really liked them, and they are making their way onto our regular dinner rotation. 

Well, once I find more lentils.

Summer Squash with Baked Eggs

I really like weekend breakfast. I'm a coffee and granola bar on the go kind of girl during the week, so when I have the time to cook something yummy on the weekend to enjoy in the morning, I am all over it. We had some leftover grilled zucchini and yellow squash from earlier in the week, so I looked for a recipe to incorporate those items (that wasn't simply adding them to an omelet). I found this delicious looking one -- and decided to make it.

Making use of that grater attachment on the food processor.

Start off by grating the squash and zucchini. Combine the grated vegetables with 1 tsp. of salt and let drain for 30 minutes. 

Draining the liquid helps crisp up the vegetables and keep it from getting soggy.

While the vegetables are draining, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. 

In an ovenproof skillet, heat 2 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat. Cook the shallots, garlic and paprika for just a couple minutes, until fragrant (I think it was about 2 minutes?). Squeeze as much liquid as possible out of the squash and zucchini, then add it to the pan. Add the tomatoes, and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
 

We used cherry tomatoes, but I'm sure you could use any tomatoes you have on hand. I like the way cherry tomatoes come out after being in the oven.

While everything is cooking up, prepare the goat cheese and chiffonade the basil. I cut up some sourdough bread we had in the house as well.

The creaminess of chevre (the goat cheese) is awesome for breakfast.

Once the skillet is ready, mix in the basil and goat cheese.
 

That may be more than 4 oz of goat cheese. Oh well.

After mixing in the cheese and basil, make four small wells in the mixture. Pour a little olive oil in each well, and then crack an egg into the well. Top each egg with salt, pepper and a sprinkle of paprika. 
 

I used the recipe's suggested method of cracking the egg into a small bowl, and the pouring it into the well for three of the eggs. I'm sure you have no idea which one I did differently.

Bake until egg whites are set, but yolks are still soft -- about 10 minutes. The eggs will continue to cook in the hot pan after you remove it from the oven, so if you like your eggs goopy, you'll need to make your move quickly to get it out of the pan (so that it won't continue to cook and harden up). 
 

Hot out of the oven and ready to go!

I used a flat plastic spatula to cut the mixture into servings. It was pretty easy to scoop out with the egg whites being set. 

Summery breakfast!

I thought that this turned out great. Although it seems a little counter intuitive to turn on the oven in the summer, this was worth it. Some of the reviewers for the recipe talk about cooking it completely on the stove, which is also an option if you don't want to fire up the oven in the summer.

The softness of the egg yolk and the creaminess of the goat cheese go really well together. The squash and zucchini make a nice crispy base. I'm interested in trying this with some other vegetables -- maybe using sweet potatoes as part of the base in addition or in replacement of either the squash or the zucchini.

Addendum: Our post on pizza.

We made pizza again. Here is the infamous rosemary-potato pizza. So good. 

Yum.

Paul also made a tomato, pepperoni and basil pizza. We used some heirloom tomatoes we had received in our produce basket (they are yellow, so that's why the pizza looks different). 

Pre-cheeseing and baking