Category Archives: Rice/Pasta

Eggs, Entertaining, Fruit, Rice/Pasta, Roasted, Special Occasion, Vegan

An Angelic Affair

Leave a comment

Last weekend, a group of friends decided to devote a Sunday afternoon to watching Angels in America: an HBO mini-series adapted from Tony Kushner’s play of the same name that focuses on the social and political consequences from the AIDs epidemic of the 1980s. Running at a total of 6 hours, we managed to watch only four the of the six chapters (watching the remaining 2 the next night). Seeing as how this 4 hours of material, we thought it could be fun to pair a meal with our viewing. Trying to be clever yet not too campy, we went for the following menu:

◊ Caprese Salad with Balsamic Vinegar
◊ Roasted Cauliflower
◊ Deviled Eggs with Curry and Paprika
◊ Angel Hair Pasta with Leek-Squash Purée
◊ Angel Food Cake with Lemon-Lime Curd and Fresh Fruit Assortment

While I would love to share all of these with you, I am only going to focus on three of the menu items, starting with the cauliflower – I love this recipe! The beauty of Roasted Cauliflower is that while it is utterly simple to do, the result is so addictive you’ll be going back for thirds. We paired it with this event given its “cloud-like” resemblance. Give this heavenly recipe a try by clicking HERE.
This next dish, Angel Hair Pasta with Leek-Squash Purée, will take a little more explanation than the cauliflower – let me start by saying, aside from being “Angel Hair Pasta”, this dish was an attempt to create a vegan pasta that even meatlovers could enjoy. I didn’t want the basic tomato sauce, and tossing the pasta with roasted vegetables also felt uninspiring. Walking through the aisle at my local co-op, I noticed all of the beautiful summer produce. It was then I happened on a thought: pureed vegetables…plus pasta…can it work? The answer is undeniably YES!
I chose a vegetarian warhorse: the leek. When sauteed, these onion-like vegetables take on a sweet, subtle taste with a butter-like texture; making them perfect for a “butter-less” sauce to go with pasta! Sort of sticking to the “angelic” theme, I wanted the second vegetable to also be light, making the summer squash that were buy 1 get 1 free an awesome coincidence! The rest of the recipe was pure improv – it basically was a soup that I added wine to for an extra edge of taste. I used my handy-dandy food processor, but feel free to an immersion or standing blender. Learn how to make this unique vegan pasta dish by clicking HERE.
You knew this last one had to be on the menu – it was too easy. A cake so beautifully white in color, with a texture equally light and fluffy, that is “must be fit for angels.” Angel Food Cake was thus the first pairing I came up with for this dinner. The cake is made with no butter or oil, only sugar, flour, and a TON of egg whites. The history of Angel Food Cake is relatively obscure, but most agree the cake’s origin was a frugal means of using up leftover whites (the yolks having been used for noodles, custards, etc).
Funny thing is, my predicament was the exact opposite. How was I going to use up 12 whole egg yolks?! The other half of this pairing was going to acknowledge the story’s prominent theme of same-sex relationships. Per the suggestion of my friend and CK regular Tim Wilfong, we selected a potpourri of colorful fruit to top the cake. Originally intending to just use whipped cream, I couldn’t shake the idea of wasting 12 whole yolks. The perfect solution was using the logic of its origins: custard. Having just bought a ton of limes and lemons from the store, a lemon-lime curd sounded all too perfect, and it was…almost too perfect…like we couldn’t stop eating the stuff kind of perfect. Click HERE to check out how to make this beautiful cake and custard duo (or to make use of an entire carton of eggs, in case you’re curious).
At first I thought I might pair an external work with these recipes, but then researched the actual soundtrack for the movie. It was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media. The soundtrack was both composed and conducted by Thomas Newman. Newman’s film repertoire is quite impressive, with titles such as The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, and Finding Nemo to his name. When I also saw that Steve Kujala (a jazz/contemporary flutist who I’ve long admired) is one of the performers, I knew I had to use this soundtrack for the musical pairing. Below is the opening title from the miniseries. Again, definitely check out this HBO series when you have the time – it is a beautiful story. Enjoy!

Sources Cited:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angels_in_America_(TV_miniseries)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Newman#Film_compositions

Entertaining, Quick/Easy, Rice/Pasta, Seasonal, Shellfish

Summer’s Finest: a Rich Delicacy

Leave a comment

Summer: a season filled with the joys of nature and a fresh alacrity. Heavy coats and snow boots are replaced with classy shades and breezy shirts. Summer also sees rise to some of the year’s freshest, most lively tastes. The culinary possibilities are endless, though beating the heat can make them limited – dishes that take hours to cook (such as stews and braises) are the last thing anyone wants in 100-degree weather. This is especially true when hosting for a number of people. Such was the case a week ago while I was throwing a dinner party for a group of guys. I needed a dish that could be both light and filling. Such a anomaly led me to the ever-reliable classic, Shrimp Scampi.
Shrimp and summer are as compatible as Fred and Ginger. The lightness of shrimp pairs beautifully with the seasonal timbre, and scampi is one of the simplest ways to fulfill this potential. The flavors are simple: garlic, parsley, lemon, and wine. This dish takes a matter of minutes to make, yet packs a LOT of taste! It is a complexity that is difficult to describe, as this dish achieves both a richness and subtlety of taste. The recipe I used for this had no pasta, just shrimp. This meal had to feed a group of guys, so I needed substance, and pasta can always take a meal that extra mile. In order to make enough sauce, I quadrupled the sauce with amazing results! I also added a pinch of red pepper flakes to give this dish an extra kick. Check out how to make this perfect summer entree by clicking HERE. 
For the musical pairing, I wanted to feature this dish’s seasonal charm, but also acknowledge its greater depth in flavor. The unusual blend of ethereality and substance fits beautifully within the style of Claude Debussy. The music of Debussy is characterized by harmonic freedom and tonal ambiguity, a “vagueness” that has often aligned his musical style with that of the Impressionists (though Debussy himself detested this term). One of his most renowned works is perhaps La Mer: “Three Symphonic Sketches for Orchestra,” composed in 1905. This work explores the lush, powerful nature of the sea, yet also captures its more delicate qualities. I have included a video recording of the first movement: “De l’aube à midi sur la mer” (From dawn to noon on the sea”).* The performance is by the Chicago Symphony, with Daniel Barenboim conducting (ps. 0ne of my favorite moments takes place at 5:15) – enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtk7baAtVs8&feature=related

Sources Cited:
* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_mer_(Debussy)

Fish, Rice/Pasta, Seasonal

Rain, Risotto, and a Romantic

Leave a comment

This menu was inspired by a season that we New Englanders have become accustomed to NOT seeing: Spring. It is said that March in Boston can be as unpredictable as the stock market, and 2011 was no exception. The day I made this lovely meal (April 1st) just so happened to be a day of freezing sleet and snow – April Fool’s? Unfortunately not…nonetheless, I wasn’t about to let the slushy sidewalks chill my springtime spirit. Such is life in New England, and the reason (I believe) that warm, hearty dishes are an essential asset to surviving the final days of winter’s tyranny. So I turned to one of my greatest cooking inspirations, the Barefoot Contessa (though I wouldn’t be caught dead barefoot in this weather…). As always, she had the perfect dish: Spring Green Risotto – even saying that title made the sky seem less bleak. Unless going for a meatless main, I suggest pairing this with roasted salmon – trust me, you won’t regret it.
While the bulk of food history is “bland” (no pun intended), Risotto does provide a colorful story. Wars of expansion by North African states in the 9th century placed parts of southern Italy under Arab control. Though short-lived, Islamic rule in southern Italy left a strong impression on regional agriculture. Evidence of this can be found through two notable introductions: Asiatic rice and saffron (according to Wikipedia).
(Even though this next part is urban legend, it makes this dish ten times cooler) Jumping ahead to the 16th century, we meet a young apprentice named Valerius. Valerius had been given the task of creating stained glass windows for the Cathedral of Milan. The vivid colors and bright palettes he produced for the windows invoked ridicule from local townsmen – they claimed he was using “saffron” to achieve such a brilliant effect (not sure why this was teasing material, but it was the 16th century I guess…) Vowing revenge, Valerius decided to add an excessive amount of the spice to the main rice dish at his master’s wedding! You can imagine Valerius’s surprise when, expecting disgust and outrage, it was unanimously proclaimed as the best dish of the meal (according to eHow.com).
While this particular recipe exempts the traditional use of saffron, the spice is not missed. With every spring vegetable imaginable, this risotto is a fantastic way to bring back memories of warmer days – fennel, leeks, asparagus, and peas. A word of caution: risotto is a dish best made slow. Arborio rice is starchier variety than its long-grained cousin, and produces a creamy, flavorful result when paired with broth and aromatics. Ensuring the rice absorbs the liquid at the proper rate is thus a crucial part of the process. Treat this dish like you would a three-year-old: with patience and constant supervision. You can find the recipe HERE. As I mentioned, the flavors of this dish pairs beautifully with roasted salmon. I also made a side of Braised Carrots and Parsnips with Crispy Sage – excellent recipe! You can find that recipe HERE.
In the spirit of “spring”, I could only choose the composer whose interpretation of nature even Disney couldn’t ignore (see Fantasia, the original): Beethoven. His Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Op.68 is evidence to his love of the outdoors. Additionally, the first movement Erwachen heiterer Empfindungen bei der Ankunft auf dem Lande (Awakening of cheerful feelings upon arrival in the country) pairs beautifully with such a bright, vegetable-laden dish. I imagine there are those who wonder why I didn’t choose Gewitter, Sturm (Thunderstorm; Storm) given the dreadful weather, but this post was a wish for the sunnier days of spring. Now I don’t believe in miracles, but the gorgeous weather of April 2nd made me believe that my prayers just might have been heard. A note about the video link: the orchestra is not listed, but it was the best quality recording I could find (such is the consequence of having to use YouTube). They do pair it with pictures of “nature” though, so that’s an added bonus to my blog’s theme I guess. Enjoy!