Thanksgiving Dinner 2014

Pedro and I really enjoyed hosting his family for Thanksgiving this year. Together we prepared all the fixings with some new twists on old classics.

Some of my favorite parts of the dinner this year include mashed potatoes with LOTS of garlic and a delicious homemade cranberry sauce that Pedro made with Grand Marnier. 

We served the meal buffet style on a beautiful set of china that Pedro inherited from his paternal grandmother, Cliceria Montemayor de Maiz.

We had a wonderful holiday!

Christmas Minestrone 2014

For years my family has enjoyed a Christmas Eve supper centered around a hearty minestrone soup alongside meats and cheeses selected from the Pennsylvania Macaroni Co. in Pittsburgh's Strip District.

This year Pedro and I hosted Christmas Eve at our home in Mt. Lebanon.

I made a version of Jamie Oliver's minestrone soup from his cookbook Jamie's Italy (one of my favorite cookbooks!).

The only adjustments I made to the recipe were to eliminate the fennel (my sister doesn't like it), eliminate the spinach (my mom doesn't like it), and add some ground beef. I also chose to use dried borlotti beans instead of cannellini, and I used a special pasta called fusilli pugliesi from the puglia region of Italy.

The two ingredients that I really felt made this soup so special are the cup of wine and the bacon. Both added an aged smoked flavor to the soup that was just delicious. The other accompaniment that this soup will never be the same without are Pedro's Holiday Caraway Poppers (a roll-like version of Pittsburgh's well-known caraway salt sticks).

I made a double batch of this soul and will enjoy thawing a few bowls throughout the winter. 

Buen provecho!

Holiday Caraway Poppers

Salt sticks with caraway seeds are a longtime Pittsburgh tradition. Pedro made a roll-like version for Christmas Eve dinner this year and they were so delicious. We enjoyed them with my homemade minestrone. My mother in particular really enjoyed the rolls and the family together decided this recipe is a keeper! 

Pedro used a Red Sea salt to make these rolls festive for the holidays. We came up with the name together - Holiday Caraway Poppers!

Mix the below ingredients and let rise in a warm dark place for hours:

4 c bread flour

2 c water 

2 tsp salt

3/4 tsp yeast

Caraway to taste

Make little mozzarella balls with the dough and brush with egg wash. We used a whole egg with a splash of mill for our wash. Sprinkle course Hawaiian Red Sea salt on top and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Poppy's Spinach Salad

I love this salad! Just make sure you use Heinz ketchup 😄

Pain Bagnat

I ordered this tuna sandwich from Bluebird Kitchen in Pittsburgh the other day and loved it so much that I had to make a clone for Pedro. It's really easy and unique.

Start with a fresh baguette, slices lengthwise. Line the bottom half with fresh kalamata olive tapenade. You can buy pitted kalamata olives and chop them up in a food processor or nut chopper.

Next layer on some canned tuna. I prefer tuna in water vs. olive oil. And top with some roasted cherry tomato halves. These are easy to roast up in the oven. They take about 30 minutes or so and the roasting really sweetens them up.

I paired the sandwich with my Poppy's famous spinach salad recipe with tomato vinaigrette (see salad section for full recipe).

Enjoy!

New, beautiful labels for our 2013 Cabernet Savignon

Merry Christmas from the Maiz-Waller home! Pedro created these custom 2013 labels using one of our engagement photos. The Cabernet Savignon grapes are from California and we're looking forward to sharing these bottles with family. 

Home Brew Saturday

It's the first day of November but feels more like December outside - cold and rainy - making this a perfect day to catch up on caring for our latest batches of home brew.

What a mess! Pedro racked the 12 gallons of Chardonnay juice we fermented this year. We're not going to induce malolactic fermentation in order to keep the raw, acidic crispness of the Chardonnay grape in tact.

He also racked the ~7 gallons of Sangiovese grapes we pressed and steamed 75 grams of French oak chips to add to the carboy. Steaming the French oak is an alternative way to sanitize the chips and enhance their flavor release vs. boiling them (more common method of sanitization).

As if all this weren't enough (Thanksgiving is coming up after all and we're excited to be hosting Pedro's family), next on the list of things to prepare is a ~5 gallon batch of American Amber Ale with a kit containing ore measured ingredients from South Hills Brew Supply. These kits are really convenient for making a limited number of basic brews.

Crepes two-ways ::: Sweet

Once you've mastered how to make a crepe (see previous post on savory crepes), you can now build kn the base to make anything!

Pedro and I hosted my parents for dinner recently and made these for desert. Fold a warm crepe into forths. Drizzle warm cajeta (caramelized goats milk) on top alongside toasted, chopped pecans. Enjoy immediately... Mmmm!

Crepes two ways ::: Savory

First thing's first. Make a good crepe. Pedro follows a consistent recipe for his crepes, which involves a simple mixture of 1 c. Bread or all-purpose flour, 2 eggs, ~1.5 c. milk (depending on consistency you may need a little less), 1 tbsp. butter and a pinch of salt. The trick with this batter is to incorporate all of the dry ingredients with the eggs, butter and a splash of milk to eliminate any lumps. Use a wooden spoon to avoid frothing the batter. Once you have the batter incorporated start adding the rest of the milk slowly and keep incorporating.

Let this mixture sit for a couple hours.

Once it's time to make the crepes, we use our electric, hand-held crepe maker (available at target or amazon for around $40). After about 1 minute, the crepes are ready to peel off the crepe maker and can be stacked on a plate until you're ready to use them. This recipe makes 10 -12 medium sized crepes.

Keep the crepes fresh in a ziplock bag and resuse them for up to 3 or 4 days after making them... They're much easier to reheat, and much more versatile then pancakes.

For the savory crepes, we put a finished crepe in a skillet like a tortilla and grated just a little sharp cheddar (gruyere would be delicious), a slice of prosciutto and some arugula, and sprayed some truffle oil on it before folding the crep on itself until everything was warm and gooey. Enjoy immediately. Eat with your hands like a sandwich to keep the arugula from falling out. Basically one of the best snacks you'll ever have.

Thai Mahi Mahi Filets

Pedro made these and they came out like a thai restaurant dish - but without all the msg and vegetable oils.

Of course the Mahi Mahi filets we used are from Costco (wild caught). Once thawed, place them in a skillet with about 1.5 tbsp of coconut oil. Spread some crushed garlic and coriander on top of the filets with salt and pepper. Cover the skillet to allow the filets to steam for about 6 or 7 minutes depending on their size.

To finished the filets add a few sprigs of thai basil and let steam for another 30 seconds until the basil is just tender. Once you plate the filets, sprinkle roasted almond slices on top for a garnish.

A couple of additional ingredients we decided would go well in addition is some fresh crushed ginger mixed with the garlic, and maybe some crushed chile flakes.

We served these with baked sweet potato chips as a side. Yum!

Antojitos Mexicanos

Best translated as "Mexican Snacks," the Spanish word "Antojitos" literally means "little cravings." When I lived in Mexico, I used to eat antojitos every Sunday night. I'd enjoy them with a cold tequila or Tecate Rojo beer, and the experience was always very comforting to me and got me ready for the work week.

I guess in my mind, antojitos are sort of like tapas (but think more fried, and less healthy) in that they come in any number of varieties and differ greatly by region.

Pedro made these antojitos as an appetizer, but they were so yummy that we just kept eating and skipped dinner.

Here's what you do for this particular antojito. Buy instant corn masa from your local Mexican grocer. The great thing about this flour is that all you have to do is add water until you achieve the desired consistency. Add salt to taste. Then form small golf-ball sized pieces and press them with a tortilla press to make a corn tortilla.

Trick: use ziplock bags for the perfect nonstick surface.

Stuff the tortilla with sharp white cheddar, bacon pieces and mozzarella. Fold the tortilla on itself like an empanada or pot sticker. Pan fry in olive oil until golden brown on both sides.

Enjoy plain or with your favorite salsa, and tell me that salty warm crunch isn't addictive.

2014 Wine Season

Pedro and I look forward to wine season every year. We typically wake up extra early on a Saturday and head down to Consumer's Produce in Pittsburgh's Strip district. 

Ron Castletano is Consumer Produce's Italian wine guy. He's notoriously difficult to get ahold of, but always friendly once you find him. On Saturday, Sept. 27, Pedro and I ventured downtown for our grapes. The California harvest was a little late this year. We bought ~110 lbs of Sangiovese (red Italian variety) from Lanza Musto vineyards on California's North Coast. We bought this grape in honor of our recent trip to Italy where we learned about the Chianti wine-making process (must contain at least 80% Sangiovese). We also bought two buckets of Chardonay juice.

In the Consumer's Produce warehouse, bees hum around the sweet grapes, Ron takes customer orders from atop a wine barrel, old Italian men discuss wine-making secrets passed to them from their fathers, and free home made Italian sausages, cured meats and cheeses are available to those who rise early enough to beat the crowds.

This year, Pedro built and ingenious destemmer with a perforated metal sheet, cutting the grape prep time down to one hour exactly including destemming and crushing. Last year destemming alone took about three hours. Quite an improvement in process efficiency!

While we finished up the crushing, Pedro opened a bottle of 2013 Cabernet (we think! - lots of bottles got shifted around during my move in and so we're not entirely sure which vintage is which in some bottles now). That wine tastes VERY promising.

After killing the natural yeasts in the grapes on Saturday Pedro added the red wine yeast to the three buckets last night. I will be in charge of punching the caps this week while Pedro is in Chicago.

Hope this year's vintage is a good one! It was made with lots of love (and a little quality control from Taco Garcia since we were dog-sitting him for the weekend).

Grilled Baby Portobello Sandwich

An early fall treat for your taste buds. Remove the mushroom caps and marinate them in a cup of red wine with 3 tbsp of soy sauce, 5 tbsp of red or cider vinegars, pepper flakes, 2 or 3 cloves of garlic, crushed thai basil and olive oil.

Grill the caps for 3 minutes per side. Place approx 3 caps on a toasted bun with light smear of Dijon mustard, lettuce, tomato and a thin slice of sharp, hard cheddar.

Enjoy this earthy, vegetarian friendly masterpiece.

Bell Pepper Slaw

A delightful side dish raw or cooked. Use a food processor to slice up a variety of colors of bell peppers. You may want to consider adding chopped celery and or a few thinly sliced sweet onions to the mix.

In a separate bowl mix the dressing. 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp white vinegar, dash of salt and pepper. Dash of dried chives and dried oregano.

Once you incorporate the dressing, add the desired amount of bell peppers and serve room temperature.

For an excellent left-over snack, leave remaining bell peppers to marinate in the dressing and sautee the next day for a warm version of this salad.

I served last night with chicken and a bed of white rice. Yum!

Pan-tossed asparagus spears

I know this seems too easy. It's cause it is.

Grab a bunch of fresh asparagus and snap of the bottom ends at their natural breaking point, one stalk at a time. Toss in a pan over medium heat with some olive oil, salt and pepper. Let cook until just slightly tender, but still with a fresh, firm snap when you bite into them (roughly 10 min). I share this recipe because I used to be a victim of the mistakenly held believe that you had to blanch asparagus before grilling or sautéing them. 

Thanks to a recent trip to Michigan to visit Pedro's sister Viviana Maiz, I learned that this is by far the most delicious way to prepare asparagus. 

Top with a balsamic reduction drizzle for added interest.

Blue cheese basil hand tossed pizza

I'll mess with explaining the dough in a different post (Pedro is the bread master in this house!), but for anyone out there making their own pizzas, this topping combo is to die for.

Start with a can of Italian whole tomatoes (la Valle is one of our favorites - we buy this brand at Penn Mac in Pittsbuegh's strip district). Blend the tomatoes with fresh crushed garlic, a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper. Use this very thin sauce as a base.

On top of the marinara base, add about 3/4 c. shredded mozzarella. Bake until crust starts to bubble. While still hot, cover the pizza with fresh basil and blue cheese crumbles. Adding the blue cheese before popping the pizza into the oven really takes the blue cheese stinkiness away. And I mean, who wants to add blue cheese to anything unless it's gonna stink? (In that delicious way that only cheese can)

Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies

The extent to which I bake. And the humidity made them flat like pancakes. Pedro ate them anyway. :)

Chamomile Infused Gin Cocktail

This cocktail (a Kimmy original) gave my sister and I hours of nonsense to talk about. It was literally that strong, err... good. That good.

Start by making the chamomile concentrate. Steep 2 heaping tablespoons of loose chamomile tea in 6 tbsp of boiling water. Once this steeps for approximately 5 minutes, add 2 tbsp of honey to turn the concentrate into a chamomile simple syrup. Cool the mixture by adding 1/3 c. fresh squeezed lemon juice.

Mix this concentrate with 1 c. Gin in a pitcher with ice. Stir and serve in a cocktail glass of your choice, perhaps with a mint garnish.

Otherwise, kimmy and I think it might mix well in a cocktail shaker with 1 part concentrate to two parts gin.

This picture is of Kimmy's rendition in front of her raised garden in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Capresurger

Here's a Pedro and Christine summer original. If you're hungry for a burger and caprese salad at the same time, this is the perfect meal for you!

Serves 2:

Mix 2 cloves of crushed garlic and a dash of salt and pepper and Worcester sauce into a half pound of raw hamburger. Separate into 2 quarter pound patties.

As the burgers are grilling, assemble the rest of the toppings and toast the sour dough bun.

Additional toppings can include (but are not limited to) buffalo mozzarella, fresh tomato slices and basil. Top this with a bit of olive oil and balsamic vinegar reduction (Costco sells a great product called "blaze" which is a squeeze bottle of pre-prepared balsamic reduction). We chose to add some sliced green onion on top as well.

Enjoy with a cold beer or lemonade to fuel up for an afternoon of summer yard work! 

The Greenbrier's Fried Green Tomato Sandwich with chèvre and bacon

This recipe is a near-perfect clone of the Greenbrier's classic sandwich, available at Dorothy Draper's Cafe. 

Pedro and I spent July 4th this year at The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va. We enjoyed time at the Greenbrier Classic (a stop on the PGA Tour) and Sam Snead's club, but didn't have a chance to eat at Dorothy Draper's for my favorite sandwich, so I came home this afternoon determined to make a clone. Thank heavens The Greenbrier generously posted their delicious recipe on Facebook. Here's a picture of my rendition and a copy of their recipe. The only additional note I'd make is that you can quarter these for a super yummy appetizer or small plate.

Bon apetit!

Green Cabbage Asian Crunch Salad

Pedro really enjoyed this salad! I made it as an experiment after receiving a head of green cabbage as part of a recent consumer supported agriculture (CSA) delivery. 

I used my food processor's thickest slicing blade to shred half the head of cabbage. In a bowl I mixed the cabbage with half of a minced red onion and two green onions that I combed my fingers through to separate the mini onion rings from the stalk.

In a separate container to mix my dressing I combined:

1/4 c. soy sauce

1/4 c. fresh lemon juice

1/4 c. vegetable oil 

2 tbsp. dark brown sugar

2 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp salt

20 grinds of fresh pepper

2 tbsp fresh grated ginger

1 crushed clove of garlic

Dash of cayenne pepper

2 tbsp white vinegar

I tossed the dressing with the cabbage mixture and added 2 packages of crushed raw ramen noddles to add the crunch. I also included about 1/2 c. raw sliced almonds. Garnish with a sprig of Thai basil from the garden. 

This salad would be excellent served as a bed under pot stickers. Or add sliced, cooked chicken to this salad and it's a perfect one-bowl meal.

Scrambled eggs with aged cheddar and green onions

This super easy, but sophisticated tasting breakfast has been a favorite of Pedro and mine recently. I experimented with this recipe because of a consumer supported agriculture (CSA) shipment that we picked up containing bunch of green onions.

The key to this recipe is to wait until the eggs are half set before adding the green onion. This will keep the green onion nice and fresh tasting once the eggs are fully scrambled. I also sprinkled in just a touch of garlic powder at this point.

The cheese I used is a three-year aged Vermont cheddar from Costco. (We almost always have a block of this on hand).

I served the eggs with CSA delivered Pa. strawberries that I macerated with 2 tsp raw sugar.

Pan seared scallops with white wine garlic pasta

Have you noticed a theme on this blog? Pedro and I love Costco. We recently purchased a bag of ~25 scallops for about $20. This bag has lasted for a few great meals including our latest pan seared rendition with white wine garlic pasta.

Start by cooking 1 lb. of any kind of pasta al dente. Be sure to add plenty of salt to the boiling water to season the pasta.

Simultaneously for the sauce, cook 4 cloves of galic crushed into 1/4 c. olive oil. Add 1 tbsp of crushed pepper flakes to the oil garlic mixture. Once the garlic begins to brown, add two tbsp butter and then 1/2 c. white wine and cook for three minutes until the alcohol is cooked off from the wine. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Toss the cooked, drained pasta with the sauce. Add chopped parsley and Parmesan cheese to the pasta mixture and allow to cool slightly.

In a cast iron pan, sear the scallops for approx 2.5 minutes per side with a bit of butter. Do not over cook the scallops and  plate them on top of the pasta once ready.

Late night meatballs

Pedro made these meatball jewels on a busy work night. He started with a pound of ground meat (we buy 6 lb packs from Costco). In the meat he mixed 1 c. Bread crumbs, 1 egg, 1/4 c. Water, 2 cloves garlic, salt and pepper, 2 tsp. dried rosemary, 2 tsp. dries basil, 2 tsp. dried oregano.

Then he seared the meatballs until brown and nearly cooked through. To the meatballs he added a jar of Kirkland marinara sauce and continued to cook. To the meatball sauce mixture, Pedro added a pinch of garlic powder, a dab of Siracha, a tbsp of olive oil, a pinch of cayenne pepper, black pepper, a pinch of dried rosemary and basil and allowed to summer for 5-7 minutes.

Once finished, serve the meatballs and sauce over desired sized bed of farro.

Lebanese Inspired Keftas ::: roasted tomatoes and tahini yogurt sauce

Not for nothing, but this West Virginia cook found herself transported to Lebanon via Jeff Mauro's kefta recipe.

Pedro and I love keftas. He has tried them in Turkey and I've had variations in Greece. We both experienced the Moraccan rendition in July 2012 on a trip to Fez for a college friend's wedding. All delicious, and this recipe competes with the best.

The only changes we made to the below recipe were to substitute nutmeg for the suggested allspice (we didn't have allspice readily available), and we didn't have any coriander so we didn't include. I'm sure these ingredients would only make the dish better.

This meal is fun to prepare and would make a great small-plate appetizer for a crowd depending on serving portion. It's also great for an afternoon middle eastern BBQ. As you can see - we didn't opt for the ball-park presentation, and instead chose to plate a bit more traditionally.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/jeff-mauro/kefta-dog-with-roasted-tomatoes-ballpark-style.html