Pizza Pizza

The weather was beautiful last night, clear and cool in the 50s (°F), almost fall-like, perfect for something spicy and butternut squash. Why not pizza at Crust?

We ordered our usual hot pepperoni margherita pizza -- medium, thin crust. We've had the best result with Crust's medium pizza, while not cracker crisp along the bottom, it is not soggy in the center like the large. In addition, we ordered their butternut pizza.

Hot pepperoni margherita pizza

The thickly sliced pepperoni was meaty, salty, and spicy, but not overwhelming over the smoked mozzarella, garlic, and roasted tomatoes. One of the charms of tonight's pizza was its irregular shape, not perfectly circular.

Butternut squash pie sounds odd, but if you're open minded about pizza it is quite good, especially when it is well balanced -- sweet apple cider reduction and caramelized onions, spiced butternut squash, nutty pumpkin seed oil, smoky bacon, and sharp Danish blue cheese.

Butternut squash pizza

My next pizza will be roasted eggplant, which has roasted tomatoes and red peppers, red sauce, smoked mozzarella, oregano, fresh basil, arugula, balsamic reduction, and romano. The Capocollo sounds pretty good, too, with Italian cured ham, roasted tomatoes, smoked mozzarella, basil, and olive oil.

- Cassaendra

Crust
1020 Kenilworth Ave
Cleveland, Ohio 44113
Tel: (216) 583-0257

Vero

I feel like a sham in my quest for "great pizza" because it's not in my blood, so to speak. I've only begun to willingly eat pizza in the past few years and I'm not Italian.

We need to start with what my ideal pizza is and see if it matches yours to glean whether or not reading further will be a waste of time. There are millions of blogs out there, thousands talking about pizza, and hundreds talking about your favorite style.

My ideal pizza has a very thin crust, crisp on the bottom, but not like a cracker, with a bit of char and a slight chew on top. I prefer a dry bottom (anyone lose their appetite?) and crust with a touch of flavor that separates it from cardboard. Margherita ($9.00) is my favorite.

Margherita

Vero's sauce has a fresh tomato flavor without an acerbic bite. Mozzerella is dense. I love basil, so I would have preferred more! The degree of smoky char was spot on. Crust flavor was all right. I would have preferred a touch sweeter bread.

Margherita upskirt

My one gripe is soggy bottom towards the middle. The only way slices could be consumed without using a fork and knife was to fold slices in half horizontally.

Bug decided on their carne pizza ($13.00) -- a  meaty combination of tomato, mozzarella, spicy salami, prosciutto, and chorizo. The pie was meaty-delicious and stuffed a bit more than I expected.

Carne

Again, the center was a bit soupy. I don't have a solution. If I did, I'd sell my own! It is, at least, consistent.

Service was awkward. While it wasn't particularly poor, it was not good. After we ordered, several suggestions to order additional dishes were made. When we declined, there was a moment where we stared at each other. The restaurant was empty, so there was no reason to make us uncomfortable and chase us out.

Carne upskirt

When you walk into the restaurant, it is impossible to ignore the gelato case of 18 flavors at the center of the space. For dessert, I debated between espresso and gelato. The description for affogato sounded perfect - espresso poured atop gelato ($5.50).

The gelato is apparently made by the same people who made gelato when the space was La Gelateria. I regret not stopping in when they were still in that space. Even though we drive by the area fairly regularly, it is not a destination for us.

Pistachio gelato affogato

Sultry tiramisu, smooth hazelnut, comforting vanilla, ...with seventeen other flavors available, I would eat/drink a mug of nutty and creamy pistachio affogato every day.

I look forward to returning in a few months to see if there are any changes. At this point, however, Scott's Fire and Ice continues to serve my favorite pizza in the city despite the variability in doneness over weeks.

- Cassaendra

Vero
12421 Cedar Rd
Cleveland Heights, OH 44106
Tel: 216 229-8383

Oyster Cult

If I could safely pick mushrooms, I would...so the farmers market is as close to foraging for fungi as I will get. Once again, I was reeled in by Scott's Fire and Ice Catering's pizza trailer.

Day 323/365

On this day, "oyster mushroom" was scribbled on their board, squeezed in as if added at the last moment. My impression was correct when we were informed the mushrooms were obtained that afternoon from a tent a few feet away.

The mushrooms were quite flavorful, cooked through while maintaining a bite. I detest onions, especially in pizza, due to its harsh flavor and jarring crunch. My onion radar failed me as I did not realize their presence until I was halfway into my first slice, when its smoky caramelized sweetness came through the fresh mozzarella and earthy mushrooms. This is a pie combination to recreate!

Day 323/365

Just as the last time we had their pizza, the crust was cooked beautifully; each bite met initially with a crunch, followed by a slight chew. I could eat this every day.

We polished off our meal with the "ice" portion of their menu, cantaloupe gelato, a sweet melon-y treat. I have a feeling they may not have sold very many. While the weather was beautiful to us, dressed in t-shirt and shorts, everyone around us appeared phase-shifted into autumn, bundled in sweaters, pants, and windbreakers as if it was in the 50s (°F).

Day 323/365

It was in the 70s (°F). Odd people.

- Cassaendra

Scott's Fire and Ice Catering (food truck)
130 West Streetsboro St
Hudson, OH 44236
Tel: (330) 329-8065

Fire and Ice

Last week, a trailer with a pizza oven tickled my curiosity. We only had $6, which wasn't enough money to buy pizza. This week, however, we came prepared. Listed on Scott's Fire and Ice Catering's board: cheese, margherita, and prosciutto + arugala pizzas, as well as salted caramel gelato. Get it? Fire and ice?

A woman ahead of us ordered what I thought was prosciutto and arugala pizza. [In a flat football announcer's voice] After further review...this does not look like proscuitto and arugala. I must have forgotten another pizza offering. 4th down.

I watched as the dough was pressed flat and the toppings were carefully laid. Several minutes later, a pizza peel carried the colorful pie into a flaming wood burning oven. I was mesmerized by the beautiful flame fluttering beyond the mouth, and asked if it would be possible to get a picture of a pizza cooking.

Day 310/365 - Pizza oven

My request was kindly obliged, with the pizza about one-fourth into its cooking time. I took a few pictures and wished I had one in our yard. Scott's Fire and Ice Catering has had their wood burning oven for 10 months.

Bug and I were chatting about all the dogs roaming around us, Star Wars: The Old Republic, the giant gyro from Mad Mouth Gyro that walked by, when out of the corner of my eye, I saw someone quickly walking toward us. When I focused on the figure, it was our pizzaiolo and our beautiful pizza approaching.

Day 310/365 - Margherita

The crust was faintly sweet and of ideal thickness (thinness would be more accurate) -- thick enough to hold all the fresh ingredients and thin enough that it didn't seem like dough was all I was eating. It had a slight textured crunch and nice chew. While I would have preferred a bit more char, this was a fantastic crust. I ate every bit of my pizza, edge to edge, which is saying a lot since I normally chuck the bones. The tomato sauce was enough to moisten and augment the crust without drowning the toppings, not gut burning slathered goo.

Day 310/365 - Upskirt

I look forward to trying another Fire and Ice pizza! I'll also try their gelato.

- Cassaendra

Scott's Fire and Ice Catering
130 West Streetsboro St
Hudson, OH 44236
Tel: (330) 329-8065

Tiramisu Time

Last week, a coworker mentioned going to Alesci's, an Italian grocery store, for fresh ricotta instead of purchasing paneer. At $3.00/lb, that's quite a bit of a price difference, where we have paid $8.00 for ~1/4 lb of paneer. The cost of ricotta is near the cost of making paneer at home.

Day 301/365

Instead of buying the ricotta, we bought a slice of two-topping pizza ($3.25) and a piece of tiramisu ($3.99) to share for dinner. Three bites of the pizza was enough for me. While this may be authentic pizza, I do not feel the need to buy another slice, not because it had been sitting on the counter for some time, super doughy and weepy crusts are not my preference.

Day 301/365

My feelings toward the tiramisu is quite the opposite. In one bite, the rich coffee-laden ladyfingers, sweet eggy mascarpone, and the mildly bitter dusting of cocoa were an orchestral delight. This may or may not be the ideal tiramisu, but I would serenade for more if it didn't sound like someone strangling a cat.

- Cassaendra

Alesci's
4333 Mayfield Rd
Cleveland, OH 44121
Tel: (216) 382-5100

Kitchen Sink Pizza

There are potentially infinite incarnations of my kitchen sink (in more ways than one) pizza. I'll also state my disclaimer that this is as Italian as my wonton noodles are Chinese, so I'm labeling this experimental, even though I'm not delving into funky funghi that I foraged in the forest down the street.

Day 287/365

On our fairly frequent trips to Target to look for 1-2 necessities like toothpaste, zipper storage bags, and *shifty eyes* potato chips, we will inevitably walk past the frozen pizza section. For $2.50 each, Market Pantry (one of Target's two store brands) frozen pizza is a fairly economical, quick, and filling dinner.

When I look at the flat, frozen two-tone pizza, I want color! To Bug's dismay, I'll root around the refrigerator clanking bottles and mumbling while rummaging through the vegetable drawer examining fresh and not so fresh ingredients.

On this day, I set aside red peppers, asparagus, mushrooms, bird's eye chili peppers, goat cheese, kalamata olives, and sun dried tomatoes. As I chopped a wee bit of this and a tad bit of that, a few minutes later, my chopping board was covered and I felt guilty. That simple pepperoni pizza sitting on the counter that Bug wanted to munch on would not be the same.

I liked it, but Bug wasn't thrilled about the goat cheese. No goat cheese next time, at least not on the entire pizza.

Oh, and the other reason why it's a kitchen sink pizza? I wasn't raised by a pack of wolves, but I will frequently eat my pizza over the kitchen sink since I typically eat just one slice.

- Cassaendra

Deliziosa

A few hours after a wonderful meal with my father at Pho 97 (November 25, 2011), I met with my uncle and two aunts -- my father's brother, his wife, and my father's sister -- for dinner at Bernini, an extremely popular chic fine dining Italian restaurant near Ala Moana Center. Bernini's flagship restaurant is in Tokyo, Japan, led by Chef Kengo Matsumoto.

Menu

The last time Aunty K ate here, she became addicted to their bagna cauda ($12). As a result of her emphatic praise of the garlic infused anchovies in olive oil, we shared the platter of sweet vegetables and were dazzled by the simplicity of ingredients and complexity of flavors. I am convinced by the texture and intensity of olive flavor that the oil was not the sole contributor. I have vowed to recreate this.

Bagna cauda

Pizzas at Bernini are advertised as Roma style and are categorized as either rossa or bianca, with or without tomato sauce, respectively. I feel guilty for saying this, but the size is enough for me to eat in one sitting easily. My aunts and uncle took pizza slices home as leftovers...the reason I am overweight and they are not.

Uncle D ordered the pizza special of the day, a mushroom white truffle oil pizza  (~$21). Since I love mushrooms, I enjoyed this. The truffle oil was difficult to tease apart from the intensely flavored mushrooms. Their wood-fired oven and pizza dough created a crust I enjoyed -- something I will rarely admit.

Mushroom white truffle pizza

Aunty D ordered the Bismarc pizza ($20). I think nothing of putting spinach, broccoli, or basil in my pizza. Asparagus, for some reason, has never crossed my mind. The Bismarc also included pancetta, mozzarella, and a soft boiled egg at the center.

When the pizza arrived at our table, the server broke the yolk and spread it without disturbing the other ingredients.  This is a wonderful idea in print and visually, but doesn't quite work in practice. I love yolks, to the point of enjoying them raw, but the slices at the points were soggy, which was quite regrettable for an otherwise good pizza.

Bismarc pizza

When our server listed the specials for the day, my eyes lit up when she described with scrumptious detail the fresh Alba white truffle they just received which would be shaved over tagliatelle. She quickly noted the dish cost $48, which was not a surprise; however, my intrigue for this dish waned.

My uncle mentioned being intrigued by the truffle tagliatelle and said that was what I was having. It was tempting to scream, "woohoo!" but this was a $48 dish that would unlikely be on my dime. I perused the list of pizzas and finally narrowed my choices down to caprese (mozzarella, tomato, and basil) and carciofi (mozzarella, anchovy, artichoke, capers, and garlic). When our server arrived, my uncle ordered the Alba truffle tagliatelle for me. It wouldn't have taken an astute observer to notice how elated I was.

Alba truffle tagliatelle

When the dish arrived, all eyes were drawn to the platter to witness its arrival amidst imaginary horns and banners. I held my breath. A large handful of fresh pasta was set in the center of a shallow bath of cream sauce. A pungent musty aroma arose from the platter. I was overjoyed when I took a bite of the tagliatelle and discovered the pasta was cooked to my desired doneness; a splendid vehicle for the truffles and cream sauce. The sauce was a perfect canvas to lighten the pungency without defiling the flavor. Of course, I shared the experience with everyone to lukewarm reviews.

Aunty K ordered the Siciliana pizza ($17), another unusually topped pizza of eggplant, anchovies, and capers. The wild impact of anchovies and capers to the tongue was met with the meaty and neutral eggplant -- a mini meeting between an immovable object and an unstoppable force.

 
Siciliana pizza

We indulged in two fantastic desserts -- chestnut mousse and hazelnut mille crepe. My poorly taken photographs were a great disappointment, so I decided against posting them.

A few of my favorite Japanese and Romanian desserts are made with chestnuts as they have a tendency not to be cloying, just sweet enough to enhance its naturally sweet and mellow flavor. Additionally, the smooth and rich texture is exquisite.

We swooned (seriously) over the "cake," layered with 10-15 wispy thin crepes stacked alternately with thinly spread light whipped cream then sprinkled with toasted hazelnut slivers. A wedge of caramelized pineapple sat on the plate ignored until the cake disappeared. My uncle proclaimed that the dessert was divine. My uncle does not lightly bandy about that type of praise.

My family was very gracious in taking me to a chic restaurant with delicious and unusual offerings, allowing me ample time without pressure, actually encouraging me to take pictures. I was appreciative to be given the opportunity to enjoy this time with my family. Since the day I arrived in Cleveland, I have always known my days in the city are numbered. With each trip, leaving my family to return "home" grows increasingly difficult and the rift evident. I must be getting old.

- Cassaendra

Bernini
1218 Waimanu St
Honolulu, HI 96814
Tel: (808) 591-8400

Bistro Redux

A month or two ago, Bistro closed for a week for light remodeling.

I'm sure their pocketbook wouldn't consider it "light," but it isn't a drastic change like installing a 40' mechanized Godzilla that roars and spits fire any time someone yells, "Opa!"

Day 128/365

This was a pleasant change with the addition of some leather seats in the bar area and, I believe, a few panels painted and the addition of a couple of curtains. However, I could be remembering the interior incorrectly. Regardless, I like the way the restaurant looks.

I've never eaten here, but have been meaning to. An update including the meal will be posted...one day.

I ate at this location when it was called Potatocakes. The dish I ordered was a black Caribbean sauce with shrimp that was so hot, I ate 2 shrimp and went through 1 cup of rice.  I thought my nose was going to bleed. The majority of the dish had to be packed up to be enjoyed at home with 2 cups of rice.

Perhaps we'll try them out some time in soon.

- Cassaendra

Bistro on Lincoln Park
2391 W 11th St
Cleveland, OH 44113
Tel: (216) 862-2969

Go

Day 067/365 - Castelvetrano

We stopped by Heinen's to pick up a few groceries. It seems every grocery store has an olive bar. "Insert food type" bars must be lucrative, coaxing shoppers with a melange of scents to scratch that olfactory itch and part with a few more coins.

At the olive bar, there were at least a dozen containers, each with olives smiling in their little pools. The $8.99/lb price tag was a little steep for a random purchase. Mrs. Id responded excitedly, "C'mon, they're olives! What could possibly go wrong?" and justified that being a bar, I could choose how ever many I wanted.

These bright green guys caught my eye so I read the label: Castelvetrano green olives. Huh?

Yes, I drank the Kool-Aid. I quickly jiggled a plastic container loose from its tower and plucked these six gems from their bath.

Seconds after we arrived home, the olives were poured into a bowl. I took a bite and was surprised they tasted like, well, olives.

Of course they tasted like olives. Perhaps I should explain better. They tasted like those pitted black olives that I grew up with and stuck on each fingertip.

Had someone fed these olives to me with my eyes closed, I wouldn't have expected them to be green olives. I expect green olives to be a sour and briny leather. Instead, this was smooth, firm, and meaty, unlike the squishy texture of canned, pitted black olives.

I don't know if these olives truly are from Castelvetrano in Sicily. Where ever they come from, you're doing it right!

On a somber note, this bowl had grown to be my favorite dinner bowl but was shattered. *mourn* Nothing lasts forever.

- Cassaendra

Taste of Tremont

The Taste of Tremont is the one day in the year Professor Ave in Tremont is closed to vehicular traffic and thousands of Clevelanders pack a 2-1/2 block area from 12:00 to 8:00 p.m.

Hordes made their pilgrimage as early as 11:30 a.m., welcomed by the scent of incense presented by Ty Fun, a Thai restaurant on Jefferson Ave.

Buddhist altar

Ty Fun's food offerings this year were spring rolls ($2), kai kra prow ($6), vegetarian pad thai ($5), and beef panang ($6), which we didn't try. Bug had his eye on Fahrenheit's cheese steak sandwich that he woefully passed up last year.

Rocco's modern life

Amidst the thumping music and black bar tables brought out from the restaurant, Chef Rocco Whalen drummed up Fahrenheit's offerings on his bullhorn: Chinese chicken salad ($5), "Loaded" chips ($6), and Tremont cheesesteak ($7).

Bug ordered his cheesesteak sandwich "wit provi" (with provolone). It was salty and dry with nothing for cheese so it wasn't worth it for me. Bug was disappointed with the dryness and scant amount of cheese, but was satisfied to finally cross that off his to-do list. How could it beat a year of anxious anticipation? What can one expect for only $7? I am glad that I no longer have to hear about the one that got away! :)

Tremont cheesesteak wit (a squiggle of) provi by Fahrenheit

What I missed this year was Fahrenheit's tacos. The truck was around, but it wasn't givin' up any tacos.

Lago's pizza was pretty popular. The restaurant recently put up some interesting weekly specials like vegetarian Mondays; Tab Tuesdays, where the restaurant picks up a portion or all of the tab; and Taste of Thursday where several special dishes are created, centered around a particular ingredient. For example, this week's ingredient is strawberries so the dishes being prepared are strawberries, goat cheese, and spinach salad, pan-seared duck with strawberry-apricot compote, and strawberry cobbler with mascarpone zabaglione.

Pizza by Lago

While I would like to eat Fahrenheit's lobster pizza this week, that strawberry menu sounds delightful. Guess we'll see when Thursday comes around.

Got soul?

Yet another year went by where my thirst wasn't quenched by Lolita's mint lemonade. The line here was the longest of all the booths. I didn't feel like waiting through 30 people, which probably went quickly as only 2 items were offered -- their trademark mac and cheese ($5) along with the mint lemonade ($2).

Lolita

Bug scrounged up a dollar in change so we walked by the booth 10 minute 'til closing. The stand was vacant. Maybe next year.

Grumpy's offerings were centered around chips -- chips with salsa, chips with Texas caviar, and nachos. With the sun's rays beating down on the asphalt, that Arnold Palmer sparkled like liquid gold.

Grumpy's

In a not so busy end was Roosevelt Post 58 Polish Legion of American Veterans. They offered kielbasa and sauerkraut in a hot dog bun for $3. I was extremely pleased with the sausage packed with juicy, smoky, garlicky spiciness wrapped in a firm casing. The sauerkraut was probably cooked with some kielbasa, since it was mellow (the way I like it) and smoky. Being an exclusive club, I felt fortunate to sample their food!

Kielbasa and sauerkraut

A couple of new restaurant names appeared in the mix -- La Fuega and Istanbul Turkish Grill.

La Fuega

La Fuega has a cute logo that reminds me of nose art from World War II warplanes. Their representative to the event was a "New Mexican style" green chile mini-cheeseburger ($5).

Istanbul Turkish Grill served chicken fillet or kofta with rice or bulgar ($6) and baklava ($3). I look forward to seeing their full menu, as I love Mediterranean food despite an aversion to raw onions and cilantro!

Istanbul Turkish Grill

Good luck to the new restaurants! Hope to see the 22 neighborhood restaurants that participated, as well as the other local businesses, grow to more next year!

- Cassaendra

Sicilian Cauliflower

- a recipe posted by Chef Michael Symon on 02/20/2010

Cauliflower with shallots

Ingredients:
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
1/2 c golden raisins plumped in marsala
1/2 c toasted pine nuts
2 Tbsp capers rinsed
1 tsp white anchovy, minced
2 Tbsp flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 lemon - juice and zest
1 orange - juice and zest
1/2 c extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp honey
1 tsp chili flakes
1 tsp toasted cumin seeds
1 clove garlic, minced
4 shallots, minced

Instructions:
1. Heat oven to 400°F.
2. Toss cauliflower in a little oil and salt, and roast on cookie sheet for 3-5 minutes or until golden brown.
3. Mix cauliflower with raisins, pine nuts, parsley, capers and set aside.
4. Place garlic, shallot, chile flakes, and cumin in a mixing bowl and season with a pinch of kosher salt.
5. Top shallot mixture with lemon and orange juice and zest, and add honey.
6. Whisk in olive oil and toss with cauliflower mixture and serve.

Depature from recipe:
1. Bug didn't know what to do with the anchovies, so this was not added.
2. I do not eat raw shallots; therefore, they were added and mixed on Bug's plate separately.
3. We couldn't find flat leaf parsley, so that was also axed.
4. I do not drink alcohol, so no marsala was used.

The cauliflower remained white after 5 minutes in the oven, so they were left in the oven for an additional 20 minutes.

Cauliflower w/o shallots

We were skeptical of this dish at first; however, Bug enjoyed the dish so immensely that he ate 2/3 of it in less than 24 hours. A rather mundane plate of cauliflower was transformed into a colorful bowl of ambrosia; juicy, crunchy, chewy, and grainy bites with a bursting myriad of flavors spanning from sweet, bitter, salty, nutty, tart, to smoky. The shallots, according to Bug, added more zip and crunch.

As this side is a scene stealer, it would go well with something bold like steak.

Using this preparation, I would imagine it working well as an entree with shrimp or chicken paired with wild rice and asparagus.

Unfortunately, Bug developed "pine nut mouth" 2 days later. He has had a persistent bitter, metallic, and soapy taste in the back of his mouth for the past 4 days. Apparently, this is a result of consuming pine nuts processed in a particular manner, typically sourced from China, as the ones we purchased at a Cleveland Giant Eagle were.

No more 190 lb squirrel stealing pine nuts. Bug has become gun-shy from this ordeal, so I'm not sure when we will next purchase pine nuts.

- Cassaendra

Recreate

We've been so busy (doing what?) it has taken me a week to post what I created for last week's Serious Eats Weekend Cook and Tell challenge - recreating a favorite restaurant dish. Of course, this entry was too late, but I thought I'd post it anyway.

La Bodega is our favorite sandwich shop. Bug orders the #44 Italian sub ($8.95). The sandwich includes salami, pepperoni, ham, olives, tomatoes, banana peppers, onions, provolone, Italian herbs and dressing.

My favorite for the past 5 years has been the #36 grilled eggplant sandwich ($6.95). The sandwich comes with bocconcini, tomato, and pesto mayonnaise served in a rosemary ciabatta. It's a very sloppy (wet) sandwich to eat. I'm not sure why, but the sloppier the sandwich the more delicious they tend to be.

All sandwiches are panini grill pressed and include a small bag of chips.

For years, I've been meaning to make this very simple sandwich. I almost feel embarrassed to present this as a "challenge," but it is a dish I have been meaning to make. I blame the eggplants sitting at Miles Market.

Bug is the grill master of the house by default, since I don't grill. I believe the eggplant is roasted at La Bodega.

Grilled eggplant atop toasted sour dough bread

Basil Pesto
Miles Market has the best fresh basil, price-wise and freshness. We also picked up a chunk of parmesan. When I grated the parmesan, I was surprised it didn't stink like the bottled ones by Kraft that Bug always gets.

Basil pesto

Ingredients:
2 c basil
1/2 c pine nuts
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c extra virgin olive oil
1/2 c parmesan, grated

In a food processor, blend basil and pine nuts. Add minced garlic. Slowly add the olive oil. Add parmesan.

We didn't make mayonnaise from scratch. I should probably do that some time. For the pesto mayonnaise, I just used Hellmann's mayonnaise and mixed it with some of the basil pesto.

Kenji Alt has an excellent article on basic and animal fat mayonnaise.

Basil pesto mayonnaise and ciliegine mozzarella

As usual, we've made substitutions. I wasn't able to find bocconcini and rosemary ciabatta so I instead bought a container of ciliegine (cherry-sized fresh mozzarella) and a loaf of sour dough bread, respectively.

I chose sour dough because I love the way mayonnaise brings out the sourness in sour dough bread.

The ghost of Hello Kitty

So the cheese doesn't roll all over the place, you can either squeeze it flat with your fingers or nuke it for 20 seconds. Nuked, the cheese becomes a hot, pliable goo of gummy cheese but looks presentable. The cheese may look weird squished, but it has a better texture and flavor.

Tomatoes weren't used since I didn't find any worth buying.

I don't have the counter space for a panini grill so I toasted the bread in my Hello Kitty toaster. She decided not to grace us with her countenance.

The sandwich was similar in flavor to La Bodega's. While smaller and not as messy to eat, I liked our sandwich better because the smoky flavor of the grilled eggplant and the sourness of the bread.

- Cassaendra

La Bodega
869 Jefferson Ave
Cleveland, OH 44113-4627
(216) 621-7075

On Top of Linguine

This week's Serious Eats Weekend Cook and Tell challenge is to create a spaghetti and meatball dinner paired with wine.

I have always felt cheated when ordering spaghetti with meatballs because it's frequently 1 or 2 large meat-anvils weighing down a sparse bed of spaghetti and runny marinara. For this reason, I avoid ordering it unless there is nothing I desire on the menu.

Not covered in cheese

Since this is our first time making meatballs for pasta, we will not be teaching anyone any secrets.

Meatballs:
1 lb ground chuck
1/2 lb spicy ground Italian sausage
1/2 c plain breadcrumbs
2 eggs
1 tsp dried oregano
salt
black pepper
olive oil

Sauce:
26 oz roasted red pepper pasta sauce (Bove's of Vermont)
28 oz diced tomatoes with sea salt (Dei Fratelli)
1/4 c red wine (2006 Chateau Malbat Bordeaux)
2 shiitake, minced
2 cloves roasted garlic, minced
1/2 c kalamata olives, pitted and minced
1/2 c sun dried tomatoes, minced
3 bay leaves
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp thyme, ground
2 c zucchini, diced
2 c yellow squash, diced
1/4 c basil, chopped
black pepper
crushed chili peppers

1. In a large pot, simmer pasta sauce, diced tomatoes, bordeaux, shiitake, roasted garlic, olives, sun dried tomatoes, bay leaves, oregano, and thyme.

2. Hand-mix beef and sausage with breadcrumbs, oregano, salt, and pepper. Mix egg into meat mixture.

3. Shape meat into 1" spheres and fry the meatballs in olive oil (~15 minutes per batch).

4. Add meatballs, zucchini, and yellow squash to sauce and simmer (~45 minutes).

5. Add basil a few minutes before serving.

6. Sprinkle fresh ground pepper and crushed chili peppers to taste.

We normally have larger chunks of vegetables and add carrots, broccoli, green bell peppers, fresh mushrooms, and celery to our spaghetti sauce in addition to the vegetables used tonight, but our broccoli crowns were yellow and we forgot to get celery, green bell peppers, mushrooms, and carrots, and didn't feel like driving out to the grocery store. Fortunately, we always have shiitake in the freezer. The omission of cheese was due to my dislike for cheese, specifically, parmesan and romano.

The sauce was sweeter than usual and not as meaty tasting. We also prefer our vegetables firmer, but I wanted to make the sauce as normal looking as possible.

The meatballs were more subtle in flavor that we expected. We were thinking of adding caraway or fennel seeds, but not knowing the flavor intensity of the sausage, we decided to err on the side of caution.

After Bug made up the batch of meatballs, I noticed a few meatball recipes that included water. While I am not ecstatic about revisiting meatballs, this has piqued my curiosity. I may make a small batch to find out what difference (assume textural) adding water will make, and add it to meat sauce.

As for drinks, Bug drank iced tea and I drank water. I don't drink alcohol. The bordeaux used in the sauce was a gift. I don't recall how long we've had it, just that it's no more than 3 years old.

- Cassaendra

Come Here, Little Fishies

With the leftover anchovies from a recent Weekend Cook and Tell episode, I mentioned that I would make Matt the Butcher's dish, Pasta con Sarde. Unfortunately, I was unable to find usable fennel that week.

While shopping for cherries to make clafouti for a Julie & Julia Weekend Cook and Tell challenge; behold, a cluster of fennel!

Linguine with sardines, anchovies, and fennel

Pasta con Sarde

Matt the Butcher explains that this dish isn't particularly fishy. For someone who doesn't care for a lot of fish (Bug), the fish flavor is noticeable. I rarely eat sardines and anchovies, and do not care for very salty foods. This dish has a relatively mild fish flavor and is not salty.

Included below is the recipe he posts on his blog, which is succinctly explained; thus, the only revisions I have made are cosmetic.

Ingredients:
1/4 c olive oil
1 large onion, diced
4 garlic cloves diced
1 bulb fennel, blanched for 6 minutes, then coarsely chopped
1/4 c olive oil
2 tins sardines, packed in oil
4 anchovy fillets
1/2 c raisins
1 16 oz can crushed tomatoes
2 oz pine nuts toasted
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (or to taste)
1 tsp black pepper

Directions:
1. In olive oil, saute the onions, garlic, and fennel in a good-sized frying pan until the onions are opaque.

2. In another small frying pan, heat the remaining olive oil and mash the anchovies and sardines to a paste.

3. Mix the sardine paste into the onion mixture, and add raisins, tomatoes, and pine nuts. Add the spices and gently simmer.

4. Prepare pasta. Reserve some of the starchy pasta water to add to the sardine mixture if it is too thick. You don’t want the mixture too thick or too watery, but more like a thick spaghetti sauce.

5. Combine the sauce with pasta.

An orchestra of flavor

I didn't know what to expect, cooking fennel for the first time. Blanching was quite easy. The flavor profile of anise and licorice is spot on, and a rather foreign flavor for me in pasta.

Because of the peculiar licorice flavor and the amount of garlic used, those are the most noticeable flavors, followed by fish. The raisins were an interesting addition. At first, I thought it would be weird, but the sweetness adds to the experience.

The only analogy I could think of for this dish is an orchestra, where sardines would be a viola, onions a cello, garlic a bass, tomatoes a trumpet, fennel an oboe, and the raisins would be a flute. At least, this is the way I taste/hear it. It probably doesn't make much sense, does it?

Ah yes, and since there is a squirrel in the house *cough* Bug *cough* who nibbles on pine nuts, before I prepare this the next time, I will make certain we have some.

Many thanks to Matt the Butcher for opening new doors!

- Cassaendra

Where's My Ziti?

As I scurried to one of our dining rooms at work, I skimmed the posted menu and saw Chicken Stuffed with Mozzarella and Basil, Pasta (ziti), and Vegetables for $6.85. My eyes lit up when I saw basil. The scent of the breading beckoned as I bypassed the made-to-order sandwich station...

No, not bacon, beckon

I hate to bring race into an innocent food topic, but as you can see, that is not ziti under my chicken. I could have stopped her, but I figured, why waste the rice? It would have been thrown out.

Back in my office, I tried to take a cross-sectional picture of the chicken. For whatever reason, my husband's ninja CoolPix refused to focus on the chicken. ARGH! It would glance at the chicken, take a step back, and glare at the green beans. I tried for 10 minutes!

I finally gave up. Maybe it was trying to warn me...

White with a slight pink tinge, the rolled chicken breast had swirled layers of thickened mozzarella and fresh basil.

Oh, I hate chicken breasts. Hate is such a strong word. Agreed. I am frequently disappointed and mentally kick myself into a misshapen blob when I eat dry chicken breasts. Prepared in the same fashion, I prefer dark meat because of its flavor and texture.

The seasoned breading was done well; crunchy, dry, and not very greasy. Of course, the chicken was dry and unseasoned. The basmati rice was dry, but not crunchy or gummy; hooray! The rice was nailed perfectly. The beans weren't dry, but they were cooked just under my liking. I like my beans less crunchy and milder flavored. The garlic and salt could not veil the overwhelming dark green, raw, leafy flavor, nor could I easily ignore the raucous chomping in the silence of my office.

The meal wasn't a disaster, since I finished almost everything. There have been times when I've thrown out my lunch after 5-6 bites, and preferred to feel and hear the woeful cries of my belly later in the day, than to finish my food.

I threw out half the rice, since not much starch was necessary to counteract any saltiness. For that reason, I was rather pleased with lunch.

- Cassaendra

Anchovies

The focus on this week's installment of Serious Eats Weekend Cook and Tell is anchovies.

I've cooked with nuoc mam for over 10 years, but never cooked with actual anchovies. We flipped through our cookbooks and searched online. Our copy of the Silver Spoon alone had 70 recipes. Nothing interested Bug, plus I was feeling cheap and didn't want to buy a ton of ingredients, so I didn't follow any recipe in particular.

All we purchased for this meal was a can of anchovies. The remaining ingredients were leftovers or items we always stock.

One of the dining rooms I frequent at work had beautiful, enormous red bell peppers on display in several large wooden crates at the made-to-order salad area, leftovers from the local farmer's market we hold on campus each week. I asked one of the chefs what they did with the displays. He informed me that they were used for our meals and could also be purchased, two for $1 (a little over 1 pound).

We also had some leftover zucchini and tomatoes from the previous Weekend Cook and Tell (Tomatoes) that needed to be used.

I thought we had olives, but we did not. I'm sure they'll surface tomorrow.

Anchovy concoction

Ingredients:
1/2 lb linguine
1 T olive oil
5 anchovy filets ($1.50)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 zucchini, sliced ($0.44)
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced ($0.25)
2 roma tomatoes, seeded and sliced ($1.20)
black pepper
dried herbs (oregano, thyme, basil)
crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 c water
1/4 c capers

1. Prepare linguine.
2. Fry the anchovies in olive oil on medium heat in a frying pan for a minute. Add garlic. Stir until lightly browned. The anchovies will have broken up.
3. Add zucchini, bell pepper, and tomatoes, black pepper, herbs, and crushed pepper. Stir for a couple of minutes, then add water. Cover and simmer for a few minutes.
4. Stir capers with vegetables for a minute. Turn off heat.
5. When linguine is al dente, drain water, then toss with vegetables.

We had a very filling lunch for $3.40. I packed up leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

Next time, I'll try adding the tomatoes at the end with the capers (or switch), since the tomatoes broke apart more than I anticipated. Also, instead of water, using chicken stock may add a nice layer of flavor. Bug made a batch of stock the other day.

Bug didn't love or hate this dish. The flavors didn't pop for him. It needed a sharper (sour) flavor. Perhaps I'll try balsamic vinegar and kalamata olives. A quarter pound of ground sirloin would probably make the man happy too...

With the remaining anchovies, I plan on making Matt the Butcher's Pasta con Sarde later in the week. All we need is fennel and sardines. Can't wait! Although, I have a feeling I'll be eating this alone.

- Cassaendra

Tomatoes

This weekend's Serious Eats Weekend Cook and Tell project highlights the tomato.

I thought, "Pfft, this is going to be easy!" We use tomatoes all the time. I mentioned this to Bug and he replied that we should do something other than what is expected; namely, tomato salad and tomato sauce pasta.

For four days, we stewed over this, flipping through our cookbooks, scouring websites, and brainstorming ingredients.

~ The Salad ~


I don't think we have any tomatoes

Yes, this was a cop out. Throw tomatoes on a plate. *shrug* It tasted good.

Ingredients:
yellow tomato, sliced ($1.96)
hydroponic tomato, sliced ($1.41)
roma tomatoes, sliced ($0.60)
cucumber, sliced ($0.50)
grape tomatoes, sliced ($0.67)
kalamata olives ($1.12)
ciliegine mozzarella ($1.49)
basil ($0.44)
olive oil
salt
black pepper

At a total cost of $8.19 for 2 servings, I wouldn't consider this budget cooking, but it was pretty filling, easy, and the leftovers will carry us through a part of the week. Bug enjoyed it, as much as he is able to enjoy a platter without meat.

When the plate was finally made up, I began shuffling and singing, "Which vegetable doesn't belong here?" I was compelled to include some kind of crunch.

~ The Entree ~


No tomatoes here

For the main course, Ms. Michele Humes' Spaghetti all'Aglio e Olio with Marinated Summer Vegetables recipe posted on Serious Eats stood out. Her recipe is as follows (which I apparently didn't).

Ingredients:
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
6 plum (Roma) tomatoes, stem ends removed, halved lengthwise and seeded
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons white sugar
2 tablespoons minced Italian parsley
1-4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 small zucchini, cut on the bias in 1/3-inch slices ($0.88)
1 small yellow squash, cut on the bias in 1/3-inch slices ($0.70)
2 tablespoons canola or other neutral-flavored oil

Salted water for boiling
1/2 pound dry spaghetti or other pasta

1. Preheat oven to 250°F. Pour half of the extra virgin olive oil into a large glass or ceramic baking dish. Place tomatoes in dish cut side up.

2. Pour remaining oil over tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with sugar. Bake 1 hour. Using tongs, turn tomatoes over. Bake 1 hour longer. Turn tomatoes over again. Bake until deep red and very tender, 15-45 minutes longer, depending on ripeness of tomatoes.

3. Transfer tomatoes and 1/4 cup of the oil to a large bowl, reserving the remaining oil for another use. Sprinkle garlic and parsley over tomatoes and let steep until tomatoes are room temperature. (Can be done and refrigerated up to five days ahead. Bring up to room temperature before using.)

4. While the tomatoes are resting at room temperature, place yellow and green squash slices in a large mixing bowl. Add canola oil, salt, and freshly ground black pepper, and toss to coat.

5. Heat a large saute or grill pan over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Working in batches, arrange squash slices in pan in a single layer and cook for two minutes on each side or until well-browned. Remove and transfer to the bowl containing the tomatoes, coating the slices in oil. Repeat with remaining squash.

6. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and cook pasta until al dente. Drain and immediately toss with tomato, squash and olive oil mixture. If it seems a little dry, add some of the reserved oil until pasta is uniformly glossy. Serve hot or cooled to room temperature.

Silly me, I worked off memory, so I used:
3 roma tomatoes ($1.79)
2 cloves garlic, minced
basil ($0.44) -- instead of parsley
2 kielbasa ($1.58) -- Bug wants his meat!
peanut oil -- this was the only neutral oil we had
linguine -- our preferred pasta

I was lucky to have picked an amazing zucchini that was the sweetest I've ever tasted. The tomatoes were tasty, even though I added the garlic and basil in the beginning. More basil was added at the end, when I noticed that they turned a sickly shade of green partway through.

The big questions -- did Bug like it? Was it worth preparing and cooking for 3 hours? Bug liked the tomatoes, squash, and the addition of the kielbasa, but would have preferred a more substantial binder.

It was very easy and not very time consuming, despite the 3 hours needed to prepare and cook, since the recipe didn't require me to be in the kitchen for the duration. The tomatoes didn't caramelize as I expected.

The entree cost $5.39 for 2-1/2 servings, so this was inexpensive to make. We'll likely alter it to suit Bug's penchant for meat and heartier fare.

But wait, there's more...

~ The Dessert ~


Tomato cake with banana pudding ice cream and basil garnish

Just as a goofy thing to do, I looked online for a tomato dessert. My first thought was a sorbet. The recipes I found were either not what I intended - a savory sorbet - or required me to have an ice cream maker, which I do not.

I rummaged around for a cake recipe and found a Green Tomato Cake recipe on Allrecipes.

Ingredients:
4 cups chopped green tomatoes
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 cup butter
2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1. Place chopped tomatoes in a bowl and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon salt. Let stand 10 minutes. Place in a colander, rinse with cold water and drain.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch baking pan.
3. Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and beat until creamy.
4. Sift together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, soda and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add raisins and nuts to dry mixture; add dry ingredients to creamed mixture. Dough will be very stiff. Mix well.
5. Add drained tomatoes and mix well. Pour into the prepared 9 x 13 inch pan.
6. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes in the preheated oven, or until toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean.

Now for the deviations...

1. 2-1/2 [hydroponic] tomatoes ($2.52) were used, since we weren't able to get green tomatoes.
2. Pureed 2 c of tomatoes instead of chopping 4 c tomatoes.
3. Omitted 1 T salt, rinsing and draining the tomatoes.
4. The amount of butter was reduced.
5. Used slivered almonds ($0.61)-- Bug prefers almonds over walnuts.
6. Added 1/2 tsp of lime juice.
7. Instead of a 9 x 13" pan, I used a narrow, rectangular casserole dish. As a result, I adjusted for the density by baking the cake at 275 for 70 minutes.

The edges formed a perfectly textured and colored crust, and the cake was moist. There is a mysterious savory essence that, once told, the flavor of the tomato becomes evident. The predominant flavor of the cake is similar to a spice or carrot cake.

As for the frosting, I made a standard cream cheese frosting and added cinnamon.

Ingredients:
1 8 oz package of cream cheese ($0.89)
1/2 c butter
2 c sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon

1. Beat butter and cream cheese until fluffy.
2. Slowly add sugar, then vanilla and cinnamon.
3. Refrigerate the frosting so it firms up.

I became impatient waiting to take a picture of the cake. Despite Bug's warning, I was a moron and put the frosting on the cake 30 minutes after pulling the cake out of the oven. This was the first time I made a cake with frosting from scratch.

The frosting oozed everywhere, so I ate more cake and frosting than I really wanted to get the perfect slice, which I ultimately didn't acquire, just so I could take a picture. I threw the cake in the refrigerator to speed things up.

Bug loved the cake and the frosting. I was quite surprised with the outcome of the cake, but it'll be a while before I make this again having had my fill of the frosting. It is a good cake to make for a funky party, and for $4.02, quite affordable.

- Cassaendra

Eat Fresh

Pasta and salmon

This week's focus on Weekend Cook and Tell at Serious Eats is seasonal pasta.

My plan was to make a dish that is simple, light, and to learn something new.

Since we shopped working off memory and a number of items were unavailable, I had to reassess our meal once we got home from grocery shopping.

We didn't find any fresh artichokes at the markets we visited. I would have loved to have learned to cook artichokes to make a salad with artichokes, cucumbers, tomatoes, bocconcini, and pine nuts.

We forgot to get pine nuts.

Bocconcini must have been a popular item for the weekend, since we didn't find any, so we opted for the next best thing, mozzarella.

Portobello mushrooms were sold out.

Corn was pitiful. The batches we went through had kernels that did not form.

No fresh beans.

Bug was not in the mood for kalamata olives nor radishes.

Tomato Mozzarella Salad
We have bought numerous bottles of infused oils and given them as gifts through the years, but we have never infused our own oil. Infusing basil with olive oil felt like an appropriate combination to attempt.

Ingredients:
1/2 c fresh basil
1/4 c olive oil
1 tsp white wine vinegar
chili pepper flakes
black pepper
1 tomato, sliced
8 oz bocconcini or mozzarella, sliced

Infused basil olive oil:
1. Puree basil with olive oil.
2. Simmer basil and oil for 1 minute.
3. Strain, then set aside to cool for 1-2 hours.

Sediment from the basil infused olive oil

Basil oil

Basil vinaigrette:
1. Mix oil, vinegar, pinch of black pepper and chili pepper flakes until well blended.
2. Refrigerate.

Basil vinaigrette

Salad:
1. Alternate tomato and mozzarella slices on a platter.
2. Drizzle vinaigrette over the slices.

Sliced tomatoes, mozzarella, with basil vinaigrette

Steamed Salmon Filet and Pasta
We are in the midst of Copper River salmon season. As a result of its distinct flavor, color, and texture from its farm-raised cousins, I decided to steam the salmon without any added seasoning.

Raw salmon filet

I deliberated over with what to top the pasta. Should we do a pesto, tomato sauce, or no sauce? Oops, no pine nuts.

Ingredients:
1/2 lb Copper River salmon filet

1/2 red pepper, chopped
1/2 c sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
2 c mushrooms, sliced
1/4 c capers
2/3 c olives, sliced
1 tsp garlic, minced
1/2 c basil, chopped
1 c baby spinach
olive oil
ground black pepper
sea salt
rotini

1. Prepare rotini and steam salmon.
2. In a skillet with olive oil, fry garlic, red peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, olives, and capers for 5 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.
3. Turn off heat, add basil and spinach. Mix until basil and spinach are wilted.

Vegetables after turning off the heat and adding basil and spinach

Kiwi with sorbet
I can't take credit for dessert other than purchasing everything, slicing the kiwi, and scooping two Archer Farms sorbet pints into cups.

Kiwi and sorbet

This was arranged with a slice of kiwi at the bottom, a scoop of pomegranate blood orange sorbet, then a scoop of blueberry lavender sorbet, a slice of kiwi, and so forth. Despite most of these fruits not being in season, it was a pleasant end to a meal.

The entire meal prepared above would serve 3 people well, or 4 people adequately.

The experience was interesting...

The infused oil was easy to make. The vinaigrette was crisp and spring-like. Not wanting to compromise flavor, I didn't make more oil fearing we would run out of basil for the pasta. We had more than enough vinaigrette. I'll definitely make this again.

I must come clean and confess that I saved the pureed basil that was strained to make the infused oil, and cooked it with the vegetables.

Having used sun dried tomatoes as is in the past, I had never minced them. I learned that I could not mince them in a food processor. They just ended up getting the crap kicked out of 'em with nothing to show for it but abrasions. Being a little oily and meaty didn't help matters, so I ended up chopping them instead of mincing.

Chopped sun dried tomatoes

I wanted to use orecchiette, because they reminded me of cute little Ferengi ears but Bug preferred the way rotini chews. [I refuse to use that word that begins with mouth and ends in feel.] As it turned out, we needed a fairly hefty pasta. The poor little orecchiette would have drowned...or more appropriately, would have been muffled.

The big oops - I miscalculated the timing, so I neglected the salmon, which resulted in a rubbery and dry fish, by first overcooking it and then letting it sit for 20 minutes while I finished preparing everything else. Hey, but I made sure the rotini was al dente.

Sad salmon

Bug enjoyed the meal, even the rubbery salmon. He loved the vegetables. His suggestion for the next time was to cook thin slices of beef with the vegetables as the meal lacked a hearty meatiness.

- Cassaendra