For The Love of Food

There's been a lot of talk about New York City cuisine's return to comfort food classics. Whether it's because of the poor economy, or actually some poetic return to the past, it's nice to eat things that make you feel young. Take the cookies at David Chang and Christina Tosi's Momofuku Milk Bar: they're buttery and completely decadent. They transport you to a time when cookies were analogous with caviar, and calories were inconceivable. The 10 year old in you just can't resist their "Compost Cookie" that's packed with pretzels, potato chips, coffee, oats, butterscotch, and chocolate chips. Take a trip back and try out the recipe here.

For The Love of Food

I am obsessed with gourds. I cannot get enough. Every time I see squash or pumpkin on a menu I can't help but order it. And when all I want is something warm and comforting, after a long day at the office and a cold journey home, gourds are on my brain. My latest discovery is the magical spaghetti squash. It's a tough one to wrangle (since it's strong and resistant like a pumpkin), but once it emerges from the oven it's well worth the work. The best way to trick your body into loving a healthy, vegetarian, low calorie, high fiber meal is to make my Spaghetti Squash Puttanesca - trust me on this one. As an added bonus, it also satisfies the need for a warm home-cooked meal in the dead of winter, without packing on hibernation pounds. I could seriously eat this all winter!

Ingredients:
1 spaghetti squash, cut in half, seeds removed
5 medium sized tomatoes, chopped
1/2 red onion, sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped
Kalamata olives, chopped
1 tablespoon capers
3 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375. Rub both sides of the cut butternut squash with one tablespoon olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Place squash flesh side down on to baking sheet. Put in oven for approximately 15-20 minutes depending on size of squash; when it's done you should be able to puncture the skin easily with a knife.

While the squash is cooking, sautee the onions on medium heat with remaining oil until soft and slightly browned. Add the fresh chopped tomatoes making sure to add any juice that may have escaped during prep. Add the kalamata olives (I like a lot, other don't so I'll leave the amount to your discretion) and capers. Let this simmer for about 15 minutes so the tomatoes soften and the sauce begins to thicken. When the sauce looks almost done, add the fresh chopped oregano and garlic. Let the sauce sit at low heat while you deal with the squash.

Remove the squash from the oven and let cool slightly. Once you can comfortably handle the heat of the squash removed the flesh by scraping the gourd with a fork horizontally - if properly cooked this should be very easy as the squash "spaghetti" will fall away from the shell.

Plate the "spaghetti" and then spoon the puttanesca sauce on top, adding a little parmesan cheese if desired.

For The Love of Food

We may have just barreled head first into a bitter winter, but my need for greens every single day has not waned. In the past, I've craved piping hot pastas and other comfort food, but for some reason I've managed to stay *gasp* healthy throughout these harsh months. Part of the reason is the fantastic salads I've come across, that are packed full of flavor and are surprisingly filling. Those who know me, are well aware of my ongoing obsession with a certain Grilled Halloumi Salad at my local haunt. For those who need a little background, Halloumi is a Cypriot cheese that's best described as follows: if Feta and Mozzarella had a baby, it would be Halloumi. It has the chewiness of Mozzarella coupled with the saltiness of Feta, but has a mild flavor that won't offend cheese unenthusiasts. I ate this salad at least once a week while I was unemployed, and was devastated when they told me that it was a summer item that would soon disappear from the menu. I don't know if it was due to my sales alone, but somehow the salad has made it's way onto their winter menu allowing me to savor it on occasion. But this isn't brain surgery people - it's just salad making, so this weekend I thought to myself it's about time I try my hand at conjuring up this lemony confection. It's incredibly simple, and oh-so-fresh so I recommend you try this Grilled Halloumi Salad for a light and refreshing winter pick me up!

Ingredients:

1 bunch of mixed greens
1 bunch of mint, chopped finely
1 cucumber, peeled and chopped
2 roma tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1/2 onion, chopped (optional, I hate raw onions in salads but others love it!)
4 slices Haloumi cheese (for each serving of salad)

For the dressing:
2 lemons, juiced
Olive oil, equal parts olive oil and lemon juice
Salt & pepper to taste

Preparation:

Combine the mixed greens and mint with the cucumber, tomato (and onion). Grill the slices of Haloumi cheese on a grill pan to warm the cheese through, and get those fantastic grill marks. Combine the dressing with the salad, plate the greens and arrange the cheese slices (3-4 pieces per serving) on top. Enjoy!

For The Love of Food

With all the salads I've been consuming this summer, I had a hankering for some pizza (carbs!) last night. I've been tightening my belt lately, both metaphorically and physically, so I decided to forgo a decadent pie from Lombardi's in favor of a homemade version. I've never made pizza before, so this was an experiment in patience and control - rolling out dough?! how many toppings is too much?! So many questions. Instead of following a recipe, I decided to heed my friend's advice, and create something from the heart. I'm a chronic recipe follower, so this was a little daunting at first, but once I got to the grocery store I found some choice ingredients. The key ingredient of the pizza was the inclusion of plump organic mushrooms, both baby portabella and shiitake. Once I had mushrooms in hand, I built the rest of the pie around them, and was back home at the chopping board in no time. My Baby Portabella, Shiitake Mushroom Pizza with Fresh Mozzarella and Asiago Cheese was on its way! I was amazed at how easily the whole process went, and the final product was cheesy, and crispy - with a hint of earthiness from the mushrooms. Mission accomplished!

Ingredients:
1 ball of whole wheat pizza dough
4 tablespoons of olive oil
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
5 baby portabella mushrooms, sliced
5 shitaake mushrooms, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1/2 red onion, sliced
5 tablespoons pizza sauce
1 medium ball fresh mozzarella
1/2 cup shredded asiago cheese

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Position one rack at top of oven. Roll out the pizza dough on a floured surface, starting in the middle of the ball and extending outwards. Dough should be rolled out to your desired thickness (the thinner the dough, the crunchier). Brush rolled out dough with 1 tablespoon olive oil, and transfer onto floured baking pan for cooking. Add desired amount of pizza sauce (5 tablespoons makes a less saucy, crispier pie). Let stand at room temperature while preparing the vegetables.

Mix 3 remaining tablespoons of olive oil with chopped garlic, then toss with mushrooms. Slice the fresh mozzarella into rounds, and place cheese on pizza dough. Arrange your vegetables as desired, as a final touch add asiago cheese as final layer of pizza. Place pizza in oven and let cook until cheese is melted and bubbly, and crust is golden (approx 15-20 minutes).

For The Love of Food

There's nothing like watermelon on a hot sticky day. Today is one of those days, so in anticipation of the heat I whipped up this Chopped Veggie Salad with Watermelon and Feta Cheese last night. Honestly, it is one of the easiest and tastiest summer salads I've ever had - and it'll impress the pants off of anyone (not like I've tried). Although it's popular for breakfast in Israel, it can be eaten at any time of day, and it also works really well as a BBQ side dish. I adapted this recipe from one I found featured in Bon Appétit last summer, but nixed their yogurt dressing in favor of simply delicious olive oil. This sweet and savory combination hits the spot every time...

Ingredients:
1 large tomato
1 cup seeded watermelon, cut into cubes
1 large red or yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into cubes
1/2 large seedless cucumber, cut into cubes
1 cup cubed feta cheese
1 green onion, chopped
1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh mint leaves
3 tablespoons olive oil

Preparation:
Toss all ingredients together in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with a smile.

Note: This salad gets pretty juicy as the salt works its magic on the veggies, so drain it on occasion to keep the salad as crunchy as possible. Say no to soggy veggies.

For The Love of Food

It's no secret that I've become quite the gastronomic wizard in the past two years, with a little help from Bon Appetit, SmittenKitchen and Epicurious. I have a few favorite recipes that I bust out when I want to impress or titillate, but I'm forever searching for new ones to test out. I'm slowly becoming comfortable enough in the kitchen to let loose and create my own dishes, but I still find comfort in following a recipe meticulously and savoring the results. Lately I've been craving light summery fare, so I thought I would try an oldie but a goodie: Grilled Tuna & Mango Salad published in the October 1995 issue of Bon Appetit. The results were fantastic - the cool mango salad was flavorful and zesty, and when paired with the seared tuna the combination totally hit the spot. Try it for yourself:

Ingredients:
1 Mango, pitted and chopped
3/4 cup red onion, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
Chopped fresh cilantro (as much or as little as you like)
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil

Tuna steak
Olive oil or vegetable oil for grilling tuna

Preparation:
Mix first 6 ingredients in a bowl, season with salt & pepper.
Grill tuna about 4 minutes per side (I don't have an outdoor grill so I have a grill pan that works nicely). Plate the tuna with the salad and serve - easy and delicious!

And so it begins...

This blog has been in the works for a few months now, and thank goodness it's finally seeing the light of day! After finishing my website (Google Analytics and all) I'm ready to start blogging, but some may ask 'What will an unemployed writer blog about?' Great question - I'll be blogging about all the things I get excited about while my friends are at work. Whether that means writing about the Werewolf Boy in Russia, a new item my inner shopoholic craves, or a recipe I can't wait to try out, brace yourself for a look into the inner workings of my mind grapes.

Also in case you're wondering, the blog is called 'Big Hair, Small Hips' for a reason. As a self-proclaimed haircentric, those who know me can attest to my love of volume and height - and just like the legendary Dolly Parton I abide by the golden rule: The bigger the hair, the smaller the hips!

Onward & upward,

.Laura.