This is not only a simple and straightforward stir-fry dish to prepare, it’s also super delicious. It’s one where the ingredients can be changed and altered to suit your personal tastes and to what you have on hand. It basically involves slicing the ingredients, cooking rice, sauteing the sliced ingredients, and tossing it together. It’sContinue reading “Stir-Fried Brown Rice with Twice-Cooked Pork, Chinese Long Beans, and Thai Curry”
Tag Archives: Cooking
Za’atar
This is basically a Lebanese-style focaccia, but with other ingredients (mainly yogurt cheese and onions) it can be more pizza-like. I made this the other day for an employee snack using a piece of leftover brown rice dough. Za’atar is a Lebanese spice blend that offers a refreshing and unique flavor. Click here to seeContinue reading “Za’atar”
Love at First Bite
To quote Tom Petty, “The waiting is the hardest part.” I’m of course referring to tomatoes; I’m one of millions of Americans who find this to be their favorite garden vegetable (fruit, actually). It really does make summer feel like summer to me when I can pick tomatoes from their vines. I’ve been eying thisContinue reading “Love at First Bite”
Another Meal From The Garden
It is that delicious time of year when things are starting to come to fruition in the garden. I picked just enough vegetables for dinner tonight and made a variation of my favorite pasta dish…aglio e olio. Click here and here for earlier posts with pictures on how to make this dish with a recipe.
Lobster Killer!
This post is part shameless self-promotion, but also self-interest. It’s self-promotion because it refers to–and is linked to–an article I recently wrote for Artvoice weekly paper. The article chronicles my chagrin at having to kill 120 lobsters (yes I had to do it if I wanted to keep my job). This may not bother someContinue reading “Lobster Killer!”
Really Good Food From A Really Small Garden
If you’ve been to this blog before then you know that it is mostly about using a bike as a regular form of transportation, but it’s also about food (that I grow and cook), and about living simply (which is the most difficult thing, I think). At-any-rate, I am a proponent of getting rid ofContinue reading “Really Good Food From A Really Small Garden”
Tortellini alla Giardino
This is a simple recipe that is only partially true to it’s title..it is not entirely alla giardino (from my garden), but there are a few things. Mainly, I’ve had a Swiss chard plant that grows back almost as fast as I eat it (there are worse problems), and the basil is already in fullContinue reading “Tortellini alla Giardino”
Seafood Penne Rigate Fra Diavolo
This is one of my favorite pasta preparations. I could eat this, or a variation of it, three times a week and not tire of it. Not surprisingly I had it for dinner the other night (made with tilapia). To see an earlier post, complete with the recipe’s history, etymology, pictures, directions, and recipe, clickContinue reading “Seafood Penne Rigate Fra Diavolo”
Stuffed Grape Leaves Recipe with Photos
A few years ago I planted a single grape vine in my backyard and am amazed at how it took off…come autumn I have more grapes than I can consume. For the past few years I’ve said I was going to make wine (something I’ve never done) and I still haven’t…this may be the year.Continue reading “Stuffed Grape Leaves Recipe with Photos”
Employee Meal 6.11.10
Baked fish with tomatoes, roast red peppers, and lemon. Drizzled with Saifan olive oil and seasoned with za’atar. Served it with house-made frites. Urban Simplicity.
An Omelette and a Glass of Wine
OK, I have a couple confessions. One is that the title of this post is borrowed from a book by the same name (click here). It was written by the late British cookery writer, Elizabeth David, who greatly influenced not only the way I cook but also the way I write about food. And whileContinue reading “An Omelette and a Glass of Wine”
Stove-Top Frittata Primavera (in pictures)
Urban Simplicity.
Saumon Chaud-Froid Avec Aspic Gelee Et Concombre (en photos)
Urban Simplicity.
Employee Meal 4.28.10
Baked Fish with Lemon, Tomato, Olive Oil, White Wine, Fresh Breadcrumbs, and Herbs. Served it with Toasted Orzo Pilaf. Made fishcakes out of leftovers and sauteed them in butter…not sure which tasted better. Urban Simplicity.
Baklawa Recipe
I served this with orange sherbet and fresh raspberry sauce. The recipe is simple to make and it’s as delicious as it looks. Baklawa Yield: 12 by 16 inch pan 2 cups granulated sugar 1-1/4 cups water 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 tablespoon rose water or orange blossom water 2 egg whites 2/3 cup powderedContinue reading “Baklawa Recipe”
One of My Favorite Olive Oils
Saifan Olive Oil. It’s an unfiltered Lebanese oil. Olives are squeezed and their juice (oil) is put in a bottle. Simple as that…very flavorful. In the Buffalo area I buy mine at Guercio & Sons. Urban Simplicity.
Employee Meal 4.24.10
Roast Garlic Hummus; Warm Potato Salad Seasoned with Coriander and Turmeric; Vegetables Sauteed in Lebanese Olive Oil with Toasted Cumin and Lemon. (And yes, there were chicken fingers for those with a hard-core Buffalo appetite.) Urban Simplicity.
Chef Jean Vergnes 1921-2010
I just learned the news that Chef Jean Vergnes has died; he was 88. Chef Vergnes was the opening chef at the original Le Cirque in NYC, and he, along with the resaturant’s owner, Sirio Maccioni, invented the dish, Pasta Primavera. Click here to read Chef Vergnes’ obit in the New York Times. Click hereContinue reading “Chef Jean Vergnes 1921-2010”
Beef Tenderloin Canape with Red Onion Marmalade
Beef Tenderloin Canapé with Red Onion Marmalade Yield: about 32 pieces 32 buttered toast points 1/2 cup mayonnaise mixed with 2 tablespoons horseradish 1 pound beef tenderloin, cooked medium rare and chilled 1 cup red onion marmalade (see recipe) 3 tablespoons minced parsley Arrange the toast points on a work surface, andContinue reading “Beef Tenderloin Canape with Red Onion Marmalade”
120 Salads on a Table
I rarely post pictures from my place of employment but these salads just looked so crisp and fresh on such a beautiful and sunny spring day. They were entree-sized salads, and 5 minutes after taking this picture were topped with grilled and sliced flank steak that was basted with butter…and drizzled with ranch dressing. UrbanContinue reading “120 Salads on a Table”
Urban Simplicty 