Sausage, Cheddar, and Rosemary Buns

Autumn has arrived. This summer was fun, but I could not be happier to be wearing long pants, scarves, jackets, and light sweaters. Even when it's gloomy, I still love it. I'm excited to see leaves changing color instead of just going from green to brown like they did in Los Angeles. This weather  means me spending more time in the kitchen. With some more time on my hands, I have been wracking up some recipes that require the oven because my apartment no longer swelters when I turn it on. These savory buns are so easy to make and would be great at a potluck brunch party. Paired with a side salad, they can easily be turned into dinner.

One year ago: Fig Yogurt Cake
Two years ago: Momed
Three years ago: Beso
Four years ago: Easy Butternut Squash Soup

Sausage, Cheddar, and Rosemary Buns
(Adapted from Serious Eats)

*Notes: The original recipe called for 12 ounces of sausage which was way too much. I had plenty leftover. I also upped the amount of cheese. These buns would are great with plain pizza dough, but I imagine the flavor would be even better with a rosemary whole wheat or other flavored dough. Lastly, my version required much more time to brown than the original recipe's 18 minutes. I baked mine for closer to 30.

Makes 9 buns

1 tablespoon olive oil (for brushing the pan)
8 ounces bulk sage or breakfast sausage
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 pound pizza dough
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

Brush the inside of an 8x8 baking dish with olive oil and set aside.

Add the sausage to a large skillet and turn the heat to medium high. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the sausage has browned and is cooked through. Add the green onions and cook for 1 minute. Add the rosemary and remove from the heat.

On a floured surface, roll the dough out to an 10x8 inch rectangle. Brush the edges of the dough with the beaten egg.  Spread the sausage over the dough in an even layer. Top the sausage with an even layer of cheese. Roll the dough lengthwise to create a cylinder, tucking in the ends. Cut the roll into 9 equal pieces and place in the baking dish, cut side up. Cover the dish with a towel and let rise for 30 minutes.

Arrange the oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees.

Brush the tops of the buns with the remaining beaten egg. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the tops have browned. Let the buns cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Printable Recipe

Funfetti Cake

My sister was recently in town to celebrate her birthday. I was tasked with making a main dish and a dessert for a barbeque with a few friends. I was actually leaning towards cheesecake recipes because I have been craving cheesecake for months, but my sister was adamant about a non-chocolate cake. Eventually, we both agreed on a funfetti cake from scratch. It was a great night and I am fairly certain my sister had a memorable birthday. The cake was certainly a highlight. The light, sweet, and fluffy cake was accented with the best vanilla buttercream I have ever tried. I definitely am of the opinion that making the cake from scratch bested making it from a box. My cake frosting skills still need work, but they didn't take away from the tastiness of the cake.



The cake is from Kokocooks who adapted from Williams-Sonoma. I was a little lighter on the sugar and used bigger "jimmie" sprinkles, but otherwise stayed true to the original. The buttercream is adapted from Gimme Some Oven and the only change I made was to leave out the milk. You can find the cake recipe here and the buttercream recipe here.

One year ago: Street Eats at The Taste
Two years ago: Animal Restaurant
Three years ago: Chaya Brasserie
Four years ago: Fig and Bacon Salad

Greek Rice Bowls

There is a little fast food restaurant near my apartment called Tzatiki Grill. I haven't been, but I hear it is like Chipotle with Greek flavors. I was intrigued by the idea of a "Greek bowl" and after my recent success with Greek nachos, I was ready to try the ingredients in a more portable lunch offering. This is an excellent diversion from the chicken and rice and salsa I normally tote to work for lunch and it feels food to change things up. The rice is based on a recipe I used to make with my mom. She made it in a similar way to fried rice, stir frying day old rice with spinach and plenty of garlic, but I have found a simpler way to make it though chopping spinach never really gets easier. Instead of having the tomatoes, cucumber, olives, and onion as separate toppings, I whipped them together for a simple relish/salsa that is excellent on it's own with tortilla or pita chips.


One year ago: Brunch at Cecconi's
Two years ago: Grilled Sausages with Figs and Mixed Greens
Three years ago: Cubano Sandwiches
Four years ago: Sweet Chili Shrimp with Sesame Soy Rice


Greek Rice Bowls
(By Esi)

Makes 4 servings

2 cups spinach rice (recipe follows)
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
8 ounces ground turkey
1 tablespoon ground cumin
Salt and pepper

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sprinkle with salt. Cook until the onion has softened, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the ground turkey cumin. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook until the turkey has cooked through, about 7 minutes.

Spinach Rice
(By Esi)

Makes 2 cups

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup white rice
1 3/4 cups water or low sodium chicken stock
Salt to taste
1 cup finely chopped fresh spinach (you can use frozen spinach, but make sure the water is completely squeezed out)

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook until the onion has softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the rice and toss to make sure it is coated in the onions, garlic, and oil. Stir constantly until the rice is toasted, about 2 minutes. Add the water and season to taste with salt. Let the mixture come to a boil then reduce to a simmer over low heat. Cover and cook for 20 minutes until the rice is cooked through. Add the chopped spinach to the pan and use a fork to simultaneously fluff the rice and mix in the spinach.

Toppings:
Tomato, Cucumber, Olive relish (recipe follows)
Tzatziki (homemade or store bought)
Crumbled Feta
Sliced pepperoncini

Tomato, Cucumber, Olive Relish
(By Esi)

Makes about 2 cups

4 Roma tomatoes, seeds scooped out and diced
1 cup peeled, seeded, and diced cucumber
1/2 cup diced red onion
1/4 cup roughly chopped black olives
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Juice from 1 lime
Salt to taste

In a large bowl, mix the tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, olives, parsley, and lime juice. Season to taste with salt.

To assemble the bowls: Place 1/2 cup cooked spinach rice at the bottom of each bowl. Top each bowl with 2 ounces of the turkey mixture. Top each serving with tzatiki, tomato relish, feta, and sliced pepperoncini.

Printable Recipe

Bacon and Egg Farro Risotto

This recipe is kind of an oxymoron. You make risotto a little healthier by using farro and then completely defile it by adding bacon. I was inspired to try making a risotto without the traditional arborio rice after my trip to Mo-Chica. I had some farro sitting around my pantry for a while so this was a great way to use it up. This very creamy risotto gets a salty and smoky punch from bacon with the lusciousness of the fried egg. Peppery arugula keeps the dish from feeling overwhelming. The leftovers help up surprisingly well for a couple of days and the dish is good with either a poached or fried egg. I prefer the texture of a fried egg. I am definitely an "alternative" risotto convert now!


One year ago: Bacon Lettuce Peach Sandwich
Two years ago: Chicks with Knives Hatchi Dinner at Breadbar
Three years ago: Vaca Frita and Croquetas de Jamon
Four years ago: Slow Food Nation


Bacon and Egg Farro Risotto
(Adapted from Oui, Chef)

Makes 2-4 servings

4 slices bacon, cut into lardons
1/2 small yellow onion, chopped
3/4 cup farro, soaked for 8 hours and then drained
2 tablespoons dry white wine
2 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 cups arugula leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
2-4 poached or fried eggs

Cook the bacon in a large skillet heated over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove the bacon from the pan with a slotted spoon and drain on towels. Add the onion to the pan and cook in the bacon fat until it has softened, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the chicken stock in a sauce pot until it is simmering.

Add the farro and white wine to the skillet with the onion, stir to combine. Add the heated chicken stock to the pan a half cup at a time until the stock is mostly absorbed between additions. Stir often until the farro is tender and suspended in a thick, creamy liquid. Add the Parmesan and butter to the pan and stir well to combine. Stir in the arugula and remove the pan from the heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve the risotto warm topped with a fried or poached egg.

Printable Recipe

Mo-Chica

On my birthday, I ended up having two dinners. It was unintentional and definitely gluttonous, but the sort of thing I have come to expect during a press trip. The first of those dinners was at Mo-Chica, the newish restaurant by Ricardo Zarate in downtown Los Angeles. This is actually Mo-Chica 2.0 which opened in May after a smaller concept also in downtown. The restaurant has a modern casual feel and serves beautiful Peruvian dishes. Since we were there for the dineLA trip, we ordered everything on the special menu as well as a few cocktails. It was a great sampling of the normal fare that the restaurant offers. For $35 per person, dineLA diners were able to pick two appetizers, one entre, and one dessert. The portions were generous and you didn't feel like you were getting cheated out of a regular meal. Again, our hosted group had one of everything.



I started with a Oaxacacalifornia cocktail ($12). This spicy and smoky cocktail is made with mezcal, tequila, fresh lime juice, and pineapple rocoto gomme. It packed a delicious punch with just the right amount of sweetness from the pineapple.



The Cesarin is a Peruvian version of a Caesar salad with grilled romaine, Parmesan cheese, and huacatay anchovy dressing.



The antichucho de pulpo was one of two versions of octopus I was presented over the weekend. This grilled version was definitely my favorite. The tender octopus was served with roasted potatoes and a bright jalapeno sauce.



The albacore ceviche was like a work of art with sealed albacore, leche de tigre, Japanese cucumbers, and spicy rocoto. It was definitely not like any other ceviche I have had before.



Steamed clams (almejas) are served pancetta, aji Amarillo butter, and a generous chunk of grilled bread to mop up the juices.



The artichoke was a favorite for those of us craving vegetable matter. The artichoke is grilled and topped with a huacatay butter which gets into all of the leaves. It is served with a slightly spicy rocoto aioli dipping sauce.



Several of the dishes on the dineLA menu came topped with a fried egg which no one at our table objected to. The first was the bistek a lo pobre. Tender grilled pieces of skirt steak are served with pan fried banana and chickpea tacu tacu. The whole dish is topped with a crispy fried egg.



Estofado de Alpaca is another egg topped dish with fresh tagliatelle pasta topped with an alpaca stew and that beautiful fried egg. My first experience with alpaca was a success.



Quinoa is still having it's moment. The seed originated in ancient Peru so it makes sense that Zarate uses it in a variety of dishes. This quinoa risotto was super creamy and served with wild mushrooms and a parsley infused oil. It got me thinking about "alternative" risottos and I made one a few weeks ago (more to come on that later).



Next up were the fish dishes. Roasted black cod (Carapulcra) was served with Peruvian sun dried potato stew, peanuts, and chimuchurri. The flavors are bright and fresh.



My favorite entree was the paiche (an Amazonian fish) which was served ajiaco de arroz and a cherry tomato escabeche. It has similar bright flavors as the cod, but with a bit of a spicy kick and the dish feels lighter.



For dessert we were treated to a quinoa creme brulee which had the crisp top as a regular creme brulee with the added texture of quinoa in the custard.



And lastly these sweet alfajores which were served with a birthday candle for me.



Mo-Chica is a fabulous addition the vibrant downtown LA dining scene.  It's easy to see why Ricardo Zarate won Food & Wine's best new chef award in 2011. His food is exciting, bold, and approachable. I'm excited to see what he will come up with next.

Mo-Chica
514 W. 7th St.
Los Angeles, CA 90014
(213) 622-3744
Website

Blueberry Cucumber Granita

There were some blissfully cool weeks in August where the temps were about 80 degrees and I was able to wear pants for the first time in months. Unfortunately, temperatures are creeping back up so I am looking for new ways to cool down. Long time readers know, I love combining cucumbers and fruit. There is just something so cooling about a fresh cucumber with a juicy fruit and I keep coming back to the combination. This time it's with blueberries which I love because the season lasts longer than other berries and the flavors are so versatile. This is the perfect end of summer refreshment, and I may make this again over the weekend while I escape Chicago to my first midwestern summer retreat in Michigan. I won't tell you how to live your life, but we may or may not be adding some vodka to our granitas to give it a little kick.



One year ago: LudoBites 7.0
Two years ago: Watermelon Cucumber Cocktail
Three years ago: End of Summer Cuban Feast
Four years ago: Bacon and Tomato Hash


Blueberry Cucumber Granita
(By Esi)

Makes 4 servings

1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
Zest from 1 lime
1/4 cup mint leaves
1 pint blueberries, washed
1/2 large cucumber, peeled, seeded, and roughly chopped
Juice from 1 lime

Heat the sugar and water over medium low heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and add the mint and lime zest. Let the syrup steep for twenty minutes.

Meanwhile, blend the blueberries and cucumbers in a blender until smooth.

Discard the mint leaves from the syrup. Once the syrup  has cooled completely, mix it with the blended blueberries, cucumber, and lime juice.  Strain the mixture into an 8x8 pan. If would like a little more texture to the granita, add 1-2 tablespoons of the pulp to the strained mixture.

Place the dish in the freezer and freeze for 4 hours, scraping the mixture with a fork every hour until it is frozen.

Printable Recipe

Spaghetti with Stuffed Roasted Tomatoes and Bacon

As with every year, I am gobbling up as many summer tomatoes as I can before the season ends. I am trying to find new ways to use them besides my usual suspects of pico de gallo or slow roasted tomatoes. I found this recipe via Pinterest months ago and wanted to wait until the perfect tomatoes were in season to make it. Now that the temps have (temporarily) cooled to below 80 degrees for the first time in two months, I am more prone to turn on my oven and make something more interesting than a turkey wrap. The anchovied bread crumbs and bacon give this dish an intense savoriness which is balanced with the sweet roasted tomatoes. I followed the recipe as found on the blog The Italian Dish. A few notes though: I used whole wheat spaghetti and whole wheat breadcrumbs. I used bacon instead of pancetta which renders a lot more fat. If you use bacon, I would suggest either draining some of the fat from the pan or omitting the olive oil when toasting the bread crumbs. Also, I scooped out the entire inside of the tomato instead of just the seeds. My oven is smaller and cooks food a little faster so my tomatoes were done at 25 minutes. I suggest checking them early on to make sure they don't fall apart.




One year ago: Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Bread
Two years ago: High Tea at Jin Patisserie
Three years ago: Greek-ish Salad with Spelt Berries
Four years ago: Honey, Pistachio, and Chocolate Chip Biscotti

Greek Nachos

Sometimes I find a recipe and make it right away. Other times, I hold on to recipes for years and a memory will spark my desire to make it. Lately, I have been looking way back into my archive of saved recipes and I have had some fun playing around with them. This recipe isn't that old. It dates back to the summer of 2009, but that was a time in my life when I wasn't doing much cooking. The summer mix of ingredients made me hang on to it until now. It is a quick and fun dinner and absolutely great for a party. I couldn't find ground lamb at my market so I used ground turkey. Beef would work as well. Store bought pita chips ensured I would not have to turn on my oven on a hot day. The tangy feta and yogurt sauce is great, and the toppings were just as good on spinach rice the next day. Summer is quickly winding down so I encourage you to find the best tomatoes and cucumbers and not wait three years to make this recipe.



Other bloggers who love Greek nachos:
Closet Cooking
Vanilla Sugar
Macheesmo
Not Without Salt

Greek-Style Nachos
(Adapted from the New York Times)

Makes 4 servings

For the sauce:
4 ounces crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup Greek yogurt (I used 2%)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup chopped mint leaves
Zest and juice of one lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

8 ounces pita chips (homemade or store bought)

Toppings:
1 tablespoon virgin olive oil
1/2 medium white onion, chopped
1/2 pound ground turkey (or ground lamb or beef)
1 tablespoon cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup tomatoes
1/2 cup cucumber
1/2 cup red onion
1/2 cup sliced black olives (or kalamata olives)
Sliced pepperoncini
Crumbled feta

To make the sauce, combine the feta, Greek yogurt, olive oil, mint, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a food processor or blender. Mix until smooth and season with salt and pepper.

In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the turkey and cumin. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until the turkey is cooked through, about 7 minutes.

Divide the pita chips among plates. Top each plate with a bit of turkey, the feta sauce and a mix of the other toppings.

Printable Recipe

Wassada

My trip to LA was a wonderful, fantastic blur of food, cocktails, friends, more cocktails, and more food. I have a ton to share about the places I ate and experiences I had and I will be sharing parts here as well as on the website The Daily Meal. It was fun being a tourist in a city I lived in for so long and I certainly discovered some new places during my time there. One of the most...interesting dinners I have ever had was our last hosted dinner at Wassada in Koreatown on Sunday night. By this point in the weekend, I was very tired and full from two full days of stuffing our faces. I knew what we were in for at Wassada, but I was still greeted with a bit of sensory overload. Perhaps you can see why in this video I was able to capture:



Wassada is known for serving live seafood. As far as I know, there is no menu. You choose what kind of seafood you want and for how many people and then they bring you out whatever they have made for the day. All you have to do is sit back and enjoy...well, as much as you can enjoy squirming seafood on your plate. This isn't everything that we had, but hopefully you can get a good idea of the experience from this post.

When you first sit, they bring you a spicy salad and a series of mostly forgettable banchan.





Then the seafood starts. They brought us two plates of octopus. One plate was quite calm, but the other plate was not so much. I was actually set to try a piece from the calm plate, but then the squirmy plate was put in front of me and I just couldn't do it. I'm not the best at chewing my food properly and knowing I would have to thoroughly chew the little buggers combined with the fact that they were practically climbing off the plate was just too much for me and I wimped out.



I also opted out of the live shrimp.



But once they took the shrimp heads to the back and fried them, I was all about that seafood goodness.



They also brought out live lobster. I honestly didn't even realize this was on the table until they were taking it away to be steamed.



I treated myself to a steamed lobster claw.



We were served some of the biggest oysters I have ever seen.



As well as presented with the biggest sashimi platter I have ever seen.



The monkfish liver was thick and smooth and went down easily (unlike the octopus in some people's case)



I think everyone's favorite dish of the evening was the rice bowl with different types of roe, bonito flakes, and a sweet and slightly spicy sauce.



There are some other accompaniments to the meal like a platter of garlic and onions, potato and onion fritters and kimchi handrolls. I wasn't quite sure what to eat the garlic and onions with so I didn't. The potato and onion patties were nice and crisp, but lacked seasoning. The kimchi handrolls were nice and spicy and a welcome change from all of the fish.







Just went I thought dinner was about to wrap up, the fried mackrel was brought to the table. I tried just a bite of the crispy fried fish and the accompanying baked clam casserole.



I had a few spoonfuls of the spicy fish soup. It was quite comforting and reminded me of something my mom used to make whenever I got sick as a kid.



There was also a burnt rice soup which I think was meant as a palate cleanser, but was just unpleasant. Again this dinner was overwhelming mostly because of all of the food I had consumed prior, but also because everything comes out really, really fast and it is hard to keep track of what is what. Wassada is a fun experience that everyone should try at least once. There are many braver souls than me that have tried the live seafood and lived to tell the tale. Plus, who can beat those bragging rights?

Wassada
377 N. Western Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90004
(323) 464-3006

Tin Roof Ice Cream (Birthday) Cake

Today is my favorite day of the year. As a single woman, there are very few days to celebrate just me. I love celebrating my birthday. Whether it’s going out for fried chicken and beer with a few friends, to going out to dinner and a movie with just myself, I always find a way to make my birthday fun for me. Despite a recent setback, I am still going to make the most of it. Today I am heading on a plane to Los Angeles to escape the heat and humidity of Chicago (never thought I would say that). I’m going for a press trip for dineLA, but I am also going to squeeze in as much time with friends as possible. It will be weird to be a tourist in a city I lived in for ten years, but it should be a fun weekend and I am so excited. For my birthday, I normally bake a cake or cupcakes, but this year the thought of turning on the oven frankly, scares the crap out of me. Thankfully, there is ice cream cake, which is fun and easy to assemble and requires no oven. It has the addictive peanut butter and chocolate combination and the salty peanuts put it over the top. This recipe comes from Aida Mollenkamp’s fantastic blog and can be found here. 




One year ago: Thirty One
Two years ago: Dirty Thirty
Three years ago: Root Beer Cupcakes
Four years ago: Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes