Pizza Night!

Who doesn't love pizza?  In Italy, pizza night is usually Sunday night, after la "Mamma" has cooked for you all week, and Lord, does she need a break!  But, pizza is consumed world-wide, on every continent, with its toppings to match.  Case in point, a general (non-official poll done via Facebook by moi) my friends in the states, consume pepperoni or sausage and pepper pizza.  In Colombia, they seem to love pineapple and raisins.  Here in Spain, there is this abominable pizza called the bolognese, with full on spaghetti sauce on.  So, my point being, is that this amazing round of flat bread, can hold many, many toppings according to likes, cultures and tastes.

Anyhow, pizza nights come hand in hand with sports.  It is a fairly easy and crowd pleasing food when you have to have many people over, or even if it is just two or one at home.  But, Monday night Football in the USA usually has pizza (or wings), and Champions League in Europe, also has Pizza.

So, last night was the Iternazionale Milan vs. FC Barcelona Match.  Well awaited, and I also have to say, incredibly underrated.  Since FC Barcelona has been having such spectacular matches lately, thanks to our star "Messi, Messi, Messi, Messi........."  I think that most people thought it was an easy win.  Well it wasn't.  But, hey, we ate fabulous pizza at my house. 
I remember, a very long time ago, sans child, sans culinary degree, that I used to have this pizza at a local place in Miami, which served this amazing, non-Italian-topping pizza.  I fell in love with it.   Well, even though I am a stickler for the rules in what encompasses Italian cuisine, this one really,  really tickled my fancy.  So, I recreated it at home, and I will share with all of my lovely friends and family.

BBQ CHICKEN AND CARAMELIZED RED ONION WITH GOAT CHEESE, PINE  NUTS AND FRESH CORIANDER PIZZA

1 Italian pizza base
1/4 cup classic tomato sauce (recipe follows)
1/2 cup bbq chicken (recipe follows)
1/8 cup caramelized red onions (recipe follows)
1/4 cup goat cheese
1 tbsp toasted pine nuts
1 tsp fresh coriander

Roll out your pizza base, and put your oven to the directed instructions on your oven pan.  Ladle the 1/4 cup classic tomato sauce onto the pizza base, and spread it evenly in a very thin layer.  Spread half of the goat cheese onto the pizza.  Then place the bbq chicken evenly onto the base, followed by the caramelized onions, the remaining goat cheese and toasted pine nuts.  Bake in oven according to your pizza base instructions, usually 10-15 minutes.  When its done, sprinkle your fresh coriander leaves on top. Enjoy!!!

Classic tomato sauce:
2 tbsp. olive oil
1/4 yellow onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Dash of red chili flakes
1/ tsp. dried oregano, or 1/4 tsp fresh
1 tsp salt
1 14 oz can of peeled crushed tomatoes

In a med frying pan over low heat, add olive oil.  When slightly hot, add the onion, and saute for 10 minutes or until translucent.  Add garlic and saute until fragrant, approx 2 mins.  Add your chili flakes, oregano, and salt.  Now add your tomato sauce, and raise the heat to medium, and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until chunky. Yields 1 - 1/2 cup tomato sauce.

BBQ chicken - sauce and chicken recipe

My homemade barbecue sauce-

1/4 cup yellow onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp red chili flakes
1/4 tsp dry yellow mustard
1 cup tomato sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp molasses
1/2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp white distilled vinegar, or cider vinegar

In small saucepan, heat oil over low heat, add onions, cumin, chili and mustard powder, and sweat for about 10 minutes.  Add garlic, and cook for at least 2 minutes, or until fragrant.  Add tomato sauce and remaining ingredients and stir, raise heat to medium and cook for 20-25 minutes.  Take off heat and reserve.  Yields 1-1/2 cups.

Balsamic and brown sugar caramelized onions-

2 tbsp. olive oil
1/4 cup water
1 red onion, sliced lengthwise
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp brown sugar

Place all ingredients in frying pan, cook over medium heat, covered for 10 minutes, check to see if it doesn't burn, last five minutes uncover and stir until golden brown.
Reserve.

Chicken-
In the same pan where you cooked the onions, place one tsp of oil, and heat over high heat.  When hot, add boneless skinless chicken fillets, and cook, turning once after 2-3 minutes, until just done.  Take off heat, and wait until completely cooled.  Shred and add 1/ cup bbq sauce.

Recommended Route: Tarragona - Aragon. Pt. 1

Hello my lovely foodies, yes, I have been away for quite a while.  February has been a crazy month, what with wild weather, good friends going away parties and just the winter blahs making my days a little wilder than usual.  But amidst all this madness, my boyfriend and I decided to venture to another region in Spain, for a gastronomic, cultural and relaxing get-away.

The trip was planned around a gift that we received for Christmas, a one night stay in a hotel in Mora de Rubielos, in the outskirts of Teruel.  Since the trip was a four hour drive from Barcelona, we divided it into two sections.  The first night we made a stop in Tortosa, which is south of here, and it has a lovely Parador (government selected national monument, which has been turned into a hotel) where we decided to spend the night.  Since we always love a good restaurant reccomendation, we chose a colleague who enjoys food as much as we do to guide us in those murky waters far from our comfort zone.  He suggested we make a 15 minute drive to a town called Xerta, where there was a restaurant which had recently (2010) been given a Michelin star. 

After we dropped our bags off at our castle turned lodging for the night, we made our way to our destination with our stomachs empty, and I mean really empty, and our expectations high.  When we finally arrived at our little town, I was somewhat amused by its, well, smallness.  I mean, even the roads were small, so small that the car wouldn't fit in the road, and we had to drive it a la Starsky and Hutch with two wheels on the sidewalk.  It's incredible that we got lost, because when I say this is a one horse town, I mean it literally.  We could not find our restaurant, Villa Retiro, and stopped some teenage girls to give us directions.  They knew of the place, but told us, "Oooh, that is really far away!"  She gave us the directions, and a minute later, after turning down a side street about 20 meters away........ Voila!  There she was.  This large outcrop of a building in the middle of nowhere with dubious architectural style.  It was reminiscent of a scene out of Lost.....all of a sudden we were surrounded by tropical foliage, banyan trees, green iridescent lighting illuminating this pseudo colonial manse, with a large garden, pool and terraces straight out of Gaudi's Park Guell....All of this in the Ebro River Delta in northern Spain?!?  I felt like I had somehow entered the Twilight Zone.  But hey, I love these types of evenings, when nothing ceases to amaze you.

The restaurant itself is quite plain, what you would imagine an outdated seafood restaurant to look like. We were escorted upstairs to this blah dining room with a large tank of live lobsters at the back.  I was suddenly feeling a bit uneasy about the whole experiment.....if the food mirrors the environment, we were surely doomed.  But, the minute the Maitre came over to the table, my fears were immidiately dispelled, and I settled down for a lovely night, with my 2nd favorite person (1st being my daughter, of course) and let the magic happen.  We perused the menu, and my first impression was.....I want everything.  That happens to me often, so often that it happend to me last night, but alas, you will have to wait for another blog to find out!

I decided to go the Full Monty.  There was one dish that caught my eye, and my boyfriend's, but I remained adamant that it was to be mine.  And it was.  But, let me go in order.  We chose not to have the tasting menu, instead opting for an appetizer, main and dessert.  We were told that we had to order the dessert in advance, since the kitchen made them to order.  This is great for the restaurant, because they have a guarantee that you will have dessert, even if you are full.  But as I said, our eyes are bigger than our stomachs ( I really wish I could beleive that but for posterity's sake I will add this) and we would order anything.

So, on to the food.  We were first offered two mini bites:

One was a chicken and foi gras canneloni, with bechamel and black truffles.  This was spectacular, vey light, despite the richness of the ingredients.  It definately left me wanting more.

I really can't say the same about the second taste item.  It was goat cheese and apricot covered with sesame seeds, with an edible almond flower and placed over balsamic vinegar glaze.  When she explained this to us, I thought....there are too many ingredients to this whole dish.  But, unfortunately that wasn't the only thing wrong with it.  The sesame seed completely cancelled out any other taste that the dish had.   And I have to say that it would have probably been the same without them, because instead the balsamic glaze would have cancelled anything out. 

Now, please excuse the quality of the photo, but this is my starter.  The name is ESMORZAR DE RIC- which translates to Rich man's lunch.  Yes, they meant it literally.  Wait for it.....Creamed potatoes, with caramelized artichoke, sauteed foie gras, a fried duck egg, all topped with freshly shaved black truffles.  This is just, too good for words.  The only way to eat this is to cut it all up and mix it together.  The egg yolk, mixed with the foie and the truffles......oh, it is orgasmic.  My boyfriend's starter was delicious as well, although it had a softer, smoother quality to it.  If mine was the rich man's lunch, his was the noblity's lunch.  Kind of like new money vs. old money.

This is his starter, a gorgeous brothy rice with fresh lobster (maine lobster, but obviously not from maine.)  It was perfectly cooked, the rice and the lobster, in this divine broth made from crustaceans.  I think that this is a dish that its subtleties made it more enjoyable with every bite.

On to our mains.  By this time, to tell you the truth, I am quite full.  Nothing like a plate of cholesterol to take your hunger away.  But, we ordered fish as our mains, so it wasn't that bad.  I do have to say that I wasn't very impressed with my fish though.......... it was a bit of the same thing with the initial cheese tasting plate.  I think there were too many components.  It was a poached sole, stuffed with mint butter, with a caper cream sauce and fresh peas and bacon, topped with roast red pepper.  Honestly, it was cooked to perfection, but it was too much.  The mint butter was so cold it really made a noticeable contrast with the rest of the dish, and it wasn't harmonious.  I think that it would have been just perfect with just the caper cream sauce and the fresh peas.  I found the mint butter, bacon and peppers to be extraneous.  

Now this is my dessert.  It was called DELICIAS DE PLATANO, or, banana delicacies.  It was fantastic!!  It was a surprise in every bite.  The layers were, brandy flambeed banana, topped with nougat ice cream, with brownie chunks, whipped cream, chocolate pop rocks, and fried sweetened plaintains on top.  Look at this!  It was soooo much fun to eat, and delicious too!  The only thing I can complain about is, that outside of the U.S., they don't know how to make brownies.  They are always dry.  But everything else was a success!

I think that this little restaurant is a gem.  If you are anywhere near Tortosa, or fancy making a day trip or a night out of it, stop here.  You won't be disappointed.  My next blog will be about our dinner in Mora de Rubielos.  A 100% Black Truffle Tasting Menu.  YUM.MY.

http://www.hotelvillaretiro.com/

Carrer del Molins, 2

43592 Xerta (Tarragona)

977 473 810

Barcelona's best: Can Pineda

I've been to Can Pineda twice.  Even so, I still can't tell you how to get there.  It is tucked away in one of Barcelona's least popular "barrios" (areas), and even the directions given to taxi drivers illicit blank stares.  When you arrive there, you question yourself again.....uh oh, did I make a mistake coming here?  The decoration is, how should I put it? Kitschy, to be nice.  The wooden tables and chairs look like the ones your italian friends' grandmother had in her kitchen, and the walls are fully tiled in, oooh, let's see......a yellowish brown hue that can best be described as what you find in your baby's diaper.  Then all the plates and old pictures also remind you of "Luigi's" grandmothers house again.  Anyhow, you sit down, read the menu, and everything starts to feel alright......because in this little non descript place, magic happens.

Last night, we made the pilgrimage to Can Pineda.  Two of us having been there, and two virgins.....Emmanuel whom has been to several restaurants with me and always expects the best, and my other friend, Fernando, who is also one of the worlds biggest food lovers and critics.  It took us a good 10 minutes to decide what we wanted to eat, not because we were unsure of what was on the menu, it was because suddenly we all became 5 year olds at a candy shop.  Hardly containing our excitement, we wanted to order everything.  Emmanuel, knowing not a stitch of spanish, let the recently converted children choose the menu....and he was very, very happy indeed. 

Of course, we ordered a bottle of Enate Sotomontano Merlot, from Fernando's beloved region of Aragon.  Then out comes the plate of pan con tomate, tomato bread, which was eaten almost in its entirety by Emmanuel.  Then another plate of bread with Iberian Ham.  I usually don't gush about ham in my blogs because it is kind of a staple here, but this one deserves a mention.  The hue of the ham was darker than I am used to, with large edges of fat.  I was dubious of its quality at first, but as I sampled the first bite, those doubts all fled immidiately from my mind.  Umami.  That is the only way I can describe the sensory sensation that can best describe this ham.  It just dissolves in your mouth, coating your tongue in this inexplicable feeling of pure joy.  Before we could finish the ham, our second plate was brought out.
Pulpo con papada, Octopus and pork cheeks.  We chose this dish for the unusual combination, and also because it reminded Fernando of his childhood when they celebrated the day of St. Martin, which is when they massacre the pigs here in Spain.  He said that after the massacre, they would extract the pork cheeks, which is the best part, and make sandwhiches.

I have to apologize for the quality of the picture, because in our excitement, we dived straight into this marvel of a dish.  The delicate sweetness of the octupus, balanced out the saltiness of the pork cheek, topped with crunchy thin slices of yuca and drizzled with a balsamic reduction.  The octupus was fork tender, and the pork cheeks just melted in our mouths.  All the flavors balanced each other, it just combined perfectly, no one flavor outdoing the other.




After this came the dish that we ALL agreed we would have, Huevo poche con foie, butiffarra y trufa negra,  Poached egg with foie gras, blood sausage and black truffles.

Do you see the mountain of truffles?  This was, as Emmanuel put it, orgasmic.  The waitress explained that we should cut it all up and mix it together, and she was right.  Every single bite cause us to moan with pleasure.  It was a sensory overload.   Every single plate was left clean, and our intrepid diner, Emmanuel, promptly ordered a second dish.  He stated that basically, he would come back here just for this dish, and we said, well, the place might be booked.  Emmanuel quickly answered, " I don't care, I'll eat this on the sidewalk outside, in the rain, under an umbrella" as he quickly devoured the second one in two seconds.

On to our mains.  We chose three different things.  Paolo chose Entrecote de vaca vieja, Entrecote of old cow,  Fernando and I chose the Oxtail with truffled mashed potatoes, and Emmanuel the Gambas de Palamos, Prawns from Palamos (a city in the Costa Brava).

This is Paolo's Entrecote.  Perfectly cooked, on a sizzling plate of oil and it's juices.  Juicy, tender, moist.  It was perfectly seasoned, and accompanied by roasted red Piquillo peppers.  This plate of aged beef was one of the best that I have tasted in Barcelona.  After Paolo was done, everyone was sopping up the pan juices with bread, and as Emmanuel rightly stated, it should be served with a side of Lipitor.

This was what Fernando and I ordered.  The taste was incredible, but we both agreed that the oxtail was a bit dry.  It was disappointing, because done properly, this had the workings of being something superb.  We also found that they had skimped a bit on the truffles, which I personally think that they had given them all to Emmanuel, who had ordered a side dish of just the potatoes and truffles.  His came with the equivalent of Mt. Everest of truffles on top......oh well, perfect it isn't. 

And here are Emmanuel's prawns.  How can I describe these?  Better than lobster is what comes to mind.  Succulent and sweet, and tasting freshly caught from the sea.  Perfectly grilled and topped with just a smidgen of fleur de sel, you are hard pressed to find prawns like this anywhere else in the world.  Gambas de Palamos are reknowed to be the best,  mainly because every two to three years, they disappear.  This is a natural phenomenon that happens when there are extremely cold winters in Cap de Creus (northern Spain) that provoke underwater "waterfalls" that push the prawns to unfishable depths.  These currents also carry a variety of nutrients that feed the prawns, where they proliferate untouched by fishermen.  Then they slowly make their way back up to the coastal areas, in abundance and we have our Gambas again for a short time.  It is said that in 2011 the prawns will "disappear" again, so I am extremely happy that we were able to eat this bounty from the sea.

Now, on to dessert.  I wish I could say we were too full to order dessert, but you know me better than that.  Also, because at Can Pineda there is a gorgeous dessert called Bombetes.  This translates to little bombs.  It's basically filo pastry filled with cream or chocolate, then deep fried.  The result is an explosion of flavor in your mouth, as the cold liquid tempers the hot pastry in your mouth.  You have to eat them in one bite to get the full effect!

So, today, I don't think I will be able to eat anything until dinner time.  But it was well worth it.  I can't wait to make our "pilgrimage" to Can Pineda again some time, because I am sure that it will only surprise me once again.

If you want a break from your Barcelona nightmare of tourist restaurants, and would like to try excellent traditional Spanish cuisine, come to Can Pineda.  You won't regret it.

Can Pineda

St. Joan de Malta, 55

+ 34 933 083 081

Restaurant "Sense Pressa".....No hurries indeed!

Anniversaries, birthdays, after holiday reunion dinners.....yes, that is what has kept me from blogging.  Oh yeah, and a little something called exercise....yuck.  But don't worry, I have managed to go eat at a wonderful restaurant that I would like to share with all my foodie friends.  This is one of those places that when you discover it, you are happy to be amongst those "in the know".  This tiny little place, is called "Sense Pressa", which literally translates to "No Hurries".  Isn't that how all food should be enjoyed?   I mean, it is an obvious concept, but I think that more and more each day, we take our food for granted.  I know, I know, I am one of the lucky ones who doesn't have to be in a car, or office and wolf down food as if tomorrow will never be, never knowing what or how much you are putting in your mouth.  An act to just fuel your body instead of your soul. 
Anyhow, if you are in my part of the world, secure your reservations here well in advance, they are ALWAYS fully booked.  And for good reasons too:  10 tables, amazing, delectable food.

For my boyfriends birthday, we were lucky enough to get a table (actually, he had booked it waaaay in advance without my knowledge) and we promptly arrived at 9pm anxious to sit down all night and sample their delights.

Their menu is quite extensive, but as all my favorite places here, it has a daily off the menu selection.  Which is what we ordered from.

Of course, the meal started off with a bottle of wine.  We tend to stick to whites, only because I have adverse reactions to very strong reds (and most spanish wines are strong and full of tannins, which cause me to have an itchy rash.)  The sommelier recommended a full bodied white to go with our meal.  He explained that it was almost like having a red, that it could accompany meats such as lamb or pork......so much so that it had to be decanted.....VALLEGARCIA   VIOGNIER 2007.  Lovely, subtle, yet with a woody finish.

As our appetizer we ordered a plate of Cecina de Leon, which is  cured beef leg, almost like a spanish ham but with a smokier, meatier taste.  It is usually served with some ground black pepper and a dash of extra virgin olive oil.  Of course, accompanied by Pa amb tomaquet, toasted bread with tomatoes.  This is not a recent discovery, but somehow, if there is a good spanish ham on the menu, the Cecina is usually overlooked.  I think this is a mistake, since good Cecina can be just as good or even better than the ham, especially since most places won't spend the money to get a good quality ham because it can cost over 130 euros per kilo.  ( I am sure this place isn't one that will skimp on good ham, but I have that almost every day.  Yes, I am spoiled.)

The razor thin slices were complex and delicate all at the same time, and with a crusty slice of bread, it is a pairing made in heaven.

Then we moved on to our next appetizer, Foie gras carpaccio with black truffles vinagrette.  I have two complaints.  1. Too much foie.........crazy huh?  2. There was too much vinegar in the vinaigrette, so after a few bites, it started to cancel the sublime taste of the foie.  Oh well, perfection is hard, but I expected more from a place like this. 

We decided to have fish as our main, since it was fresh off the boat, and the fact that it was Turbot.  Turbot is one of my favorite fish, its delicate and meaty texture is highly prized in these areas.  I love it "a la donostiarra" which is basically pan fried with just a smidgen of oil, garlic, chili pepper and a drop of vinegar.  This is typical of "Donosti" or San Sebastian (Donosti is how you say it in Basque).  I was so delighted when my plate came out, not only was the turbot incredible, it was accompanied by what at first inspection looked like a vegetable tart:

After a closer look and my first bite, the crust was actually razor thin potato slices cooked to perfection.  It was spectacular.  The bottom slices were perfectly crusty, like having a potato chips crust, and the second layer of potatoes were so tender and juicy, all topped with onions and peppers, and carrots.  The two paired perfectly, the slight acidity of the vinegar in the sauce complemented the sweetness of the onions and peppers from the tart.  I have to say.....I cleand my plate. ( But really, when don't I clean my plate?)

After this, I think we had dessert, but honestly, I don't remember.....I think I was so pleased with this meal that the dessert was definately not center stage!

So, once again, I reccomend this restaurant to all my friends.

Sense Pressa

Enric Granados, 96

Barcelona

+34 93 218 15 44

Tomorrow.....Emmanuel is back! Sooooo.....that means I HAVE to eat out again.  Awwww.

Recipe: Mario Batali inspired Raviolone

I have a bone to pick with Mr. Batali.   For our anniversary dinner, I chose to recreate a recipe that I had seen on Iron Chef America.  Since it was his creation, I decided to use his pasta dough recipe as well, and boy was that a HUGE mistake.  I did exactly what he said, and it turned out to be a big pile of mess.

Here's why, his recipe called for

3 1/2 cups flour
4 xtra large egg yolks

That's it.  I should have seen the warning signs........like there is way too much flour, and no oil.   So, I tried it anyway and just ended up using up six egg yolks, because I didn't have extra large eggs, and then getting this sand-like mass of dough, and having to throw it all away.

So, I decided to pull out my notebook from culinary school, and searched for the recipe we used to make pasta dough, and it was quite different.

100 grms flour ( 1 3/4 cups flour approx)
1 egg
1 tbsp. oil
Salt

Perfect.  Perfect, perfect.

Now, the fun part, is coming:

Pile your flour on a clean counter or board.  Mix in the salt.  Make a well in the center, and crack the egg and add the oil.  With a fork, mix the egg and oil, and then start incorporating the flour from the top sides of the well, working inwards until all the flour has been incorporated and you have a ball.  With well floured hands, knead the dough approximately for 12 minutes, using the heel of your hand to push forward and then gather back in with your fingers.  You'll know its done when you make an indentation with your finger and it springs back into shape.  Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest at room temp for 15 minutes, or a few hours in the fridge, but bring it back to room temp when you are going to roll it. 

So, Mario's recipe didn't work, but the filling was very promising.....but I did end up changing a few things.
His raviolone was like this:
Sweet potato and egg yolk stuffed raviolone with pork guanciale and shaved white truffle.
1.I bloody wish I could buy a white truffle.  But alas, no $$.
2. I think pork guanciale is very strong, so I omitted it.

Mine went a little something like this:
Roasted pumpkin, ricotta, pancetta and egg yolk stuffed raviolone, with white truffle oil.

I know, the oil is a crude and completely fabricated substitution (the oil, that is) but hey, beggars can't be choosers.  Let me tell you, IT ROCKED.

To roll your dough, roll it out in your pasta machine until setting 5, which is the second to thinnest setting.  If you don't have a pasta rolling machine, with a rolling pin, roll it out to 1/4 inch thick.

So for the filling you need:
250 grams roasted pumpkin
125 gr. ricotta cheese
30 gr. diced and cooked pancetta
3 egg yolks
egg white
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all your ingredients together, except for the egg yolks, which should be on separate plates or bowls.
Cut your pasta into 5 inch squares, and place 1/3 of the filling, and one egg yolk.  Top it with another pasta square, and seal the edges with egg white.  Do the same with the remaining 2 squares, and the rest of the pasta you can freeze it for up to a month.

In a large stockpot, bring 3 liters of salted water to a boil.  When it is boiling, reduce heat to med high, you want a less vigorous boil, and drop in your raviolone, and cook, turning, for 4-5 minutes.  Carefully take out of the pot, straining it on a paper towel if you like, place on a plate, drizzle it with as much truffle oil as you like, shaved parmesan and a fresh sprinkling of fresh cracked pepper.
When you cut the raviolone, your egg yolk starts to ooze out and mixes with the truffle oil to make your sauce, absolutely sublime!
We had it with a wonderful bottle of Laurent Perrier Cuvee Rose Brut Champage, but you can pick and choose what you like!
Buon appetito!

 
 

Recipe of the day: Beef and shitake stew with Spaetzle

Aaahh....sundays.  Doesn't everyone love a lazy sunday?  I made this dish on saturday, so I would just have to reheat it on sunday.  Not gonna write too much, because I actually have to make something a little more complicated today, as it is my 2 year anniversary with my boyfriend.  Today I am tackling a little recipe I saw on Iron Chef America, created by Mario Battali and Emeril Lagasse.  They had to make things out of sweet potato, and this dish made me salivate.  It was a Raviolone stuffed with sweet potato and one raw egg yolk, boiled for a few minutes, and when they served it, as you cut into the raviolone, the perfectly cooked egg yolk became your sauce along with some pork guanciale and freshly shaved white truffles.
Tonight, I am going to TRY, and recreate the recipe adding my touch, and suffice to say, it will be on the blog, wether it worked or not. 

Anyhow, back to my stew.  This is probably one of the easiest dishes to make, but it really knocks them out.  It is soooo stick to your ribs yummy, that I beseech all of you to make this on a cold winter day.  Or as my friend Miki in Dubai said, turn your aircon as high as it will go, and pretend. 

500 gr. Beef chunks for stew
Oil, for sauteeing
3 onions, chopped
200 gr. fresh shitake mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup red wine
4 tbsp. Hungarian paprika
Salt and pepper to taste
Water
Sour cream for garnish
Spaetzle

In a large dutch oven over high heat, drizzle a little oil.  When the oil is hot but not smoking, add your beef chunks and sear them until they are golden brown.  Remove from heat, and add a little more oil to the pan if necessary.  Add your shitake mushrooms and saute, until soft, about 4 minutes.  Add your red wine, and deglaze the pan using a wooden spoon to break up any brown bits.  Let the wine evaporate, and remove your mushrooms, set aside.  Lower the heat to low, and add some more oil if necessary.  Add your onions and saute until soft, about 10 minutes.  Add  your paprika and stir, then add your beef and mushrooms, salt and pepper and fill the dutch oven with water, until it fully covers the beef chunks.  Bring to a boil, and then lower to med heat and let simmer, stirring ocassionally, for at least two and a half hours.  Keep checking it to make sure the water hasn't evaporated, and that your beef is cooking through until it is fork tender.
You want there to still be some sauce, so not too dry.
When it is done, place your cooked Spaetzle on the plate, spoon over some of your stew and garnish with some sour cream......yummy!
I served it with a lovely Rioja red wine, but any full bodied red will do.

Recipe of the day:My Dark Chocolate Orange Rosemary Muffins

Hello my fellow foodies and Happy New Year!  I hope 2010 is a better year all around, and that I am fortunate enough to taste many many more delicious treats!  Sorry about my absence, I have been in Miami on Holiday, and yes, I did go to many delish (and one completely forgettable) places, but truth be told, I was just so relaxed, and so gosh darn hungry most of the time that I would take the picture of the place when we sat down.  Then after I was with a very very very full stomach, I would realize, huh.....I forgot to take a picture of the foods I ate.  Oh well, I go to Miami often, so don't worry, you'll get yours yet.

So, on to 2010!  This year I have made a few resolutions.  One, was to quit smoking, which this year, I am 13 days in and 13 days sans smoke!  The other was to exercise more, which I have been doing as well (because if I didn't, I would probably have to sign up for the Biggest Loser next year) and the third kind of stumped me for a while.  But, I figured it out, and I am pretty excited about it!  I'll let you know later on.  So anyhow, since before I got back to Barcelona, I've been toying around with this idea for a Muffin.  I know people love the combination of Chocolate and Orange, I'm not so keen myself, but everyone else seems to love it.  So, Monday morning bright and early, I decided to tackle it. 
Bought the oranges, the chocolate, all the basics........and started cooking.  The first batch turned out, well, let's say less than stellar.  The taste was there, but it was kind of dry.  So, the second batch I decided to just use egg whites.  Disaster.  They just tasted like eggs.  Then, I tried a combo of egg whites and yolks, more liquids and fats......and VOILA!  I DID IT!!!  It helps to have a very very picky audience on what Moist and Tender and Fluffy should look and feel like.  So my fellow readers, I will share my recipe with you, and hope that you will try these at home.  You will make quite a few people happy, of that I am sure!

 Makes approx 12 muffins.

2 cups cake flour
1/8 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. Baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg + 1 egg white
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup orange juice
Zest of 1/2 an orange
1 cup milk
1/2 stalk fresh rosemary, leaves chopped and 12 leaves reserved
3/4 cups good dark chocolate, at least 60% Cacao, chopped into 1/2 inch chunks




For the orange garnishes:
12 orange triangles, thinly sliced
1/4 cup orange juice
 1/4 cup sugar
 1 Tbsp. Butter
 1/4 cup marsala wine, or port wine

For the chocolate ganache topping:

1/2 cup dark chocolate, at least 70% cacao, roughly chopped
1 tbsp. butter, cut into pieces

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line your muffin tin with paper holders, or butter the tin.  Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powderand salt, set aside.  Chop the chocolate into chunks, set aside.  In a non-reactive bowl, mix your eggs with the oil until emulsified.  Add the orange juice, zest, milk and rosemary.  Fold carefully the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, you don't want to overmix and it will be lumpy, stir in the chocolate chunks.  Spoon into the muffin tin, and set on the bottom rack for 20 minutes, approx.  When done, place a knife or toothpick into the center and make sure it comes out clean.  Place on a rack to cool.

Meanwhile, for the caramelized orange slices, place all ingredients in a deep saute pan over high heat.  When it starts to boil, reduce heat to med high, and swirl sometimes just to make sure your orange slices don't stick to the bottom of the pan.  When the liquid is almost all evaporated, turn off heat and place slices on paper towels to drain some of the liquid.

Now, over a double boiler, melt your chocolate and butter.  Mix thorougly.  When the muffins are cool enough to handle, with a spatula, coat the top with the melted dark chocolate, add a reserved rosemary leaf and and orange slice.  Continue for all of them.  Don't coat too much, you want a thin coating of the chocolate.  Now, ENJOY!!!!!