Kale with Pancetta and Cannellini Beans

Now for something a little more seasonal. We all know kale rocks because it's so healthy, but this dish is also really delicious. I swear.

2 slices pancetta (chopped into cubes)
1 1/2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 small red onion (chopped)
3 cloves garlic (crushed)
1 bunch of kale (roughly chopped)
1 can (15 oz) cannellini beans
Salt

Microwave the chopped pancetta for 3 minutes, until pancetta is crispy. Drain the drippings. Set aside.

In a very large frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft. Add the garlic and cook a minute or two more. Stir in the chopped greens. Add salt to taste, but be conservative as the kale will wilt down considerably and absorb a lot of flavor. Cover the pan partially and let cook until greens begin to wilt. Stir in the pancetta and cannellini. Partially cover again and cook for another 5 minutes. The dish is ready when the kale is nice and tender.

Thai Red Curry

This is probably my favorite thing to make (and eat), and I make it more regularly than anything else. It's taken this long to get it on the interweb because I never seem to get a good photo of it. At this point, I surrender. I'll post some photos now, and maybe update at a later time if I ever do capture it appropriately. So, for now, here it is - the legendary Thai red curry!

1 onion (chopped)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
Olive oil
1 can (14 ounces) coconut milk
2 Tablespoons Thai red curry paste
1 teaspoon fish sauce
Chili paste (or chili oil)
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon fresh ground ginger
1 lime
4 chicken breasts (cut into bite size pieces)
Vegetables (cut into bite size pieces)
Rice
Basil

What makes this recipe so awesome is that it's very flexible. All of the ingredients for the sauce are really to taste, so proportions are not set in stone. Different curry pastes can be very different (especially in the hotness-factor), so add slowly and taste your way to the best flavor. I usually use chicken, but any meat/seafood/tofu would work. Also, all sorts of vegetables are good in this dish. Some of my favorites are broccoli, cauliflower, romanesco, red peppers, string beans, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, mushrooms. Whatever you can find. Get creative!


Okay. Start by sauteing the onions and garlic in olive oil in a wok until translucent. Add the coconut milk and let everything warm together. Slowly add the curry paste until you reach a flavor that you like. Next add fish sauce, stir everything together and let it simmer for a few moments. Add chicken and let everything simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes. Stir dish and let simmer another 10 minutes. Add sugar and chili paste to sauce until desired flavor is achieved. Next add vegetables. Let everything simmer together until vegetables are cooked. The longer everything simmers, the thicker the sauce will get. If the sauce gets too thick, add some more water. Keep in mind that the vegetables will release a lot of water once they start cooking, so wait to add any water until after veggies have been added.
A few minutes before finishing, grate some fresh ginger into the wok. Stir to incorporate. Immediately before serving squeeze lime juice over curry and tear some fresh basil on top. Serve over rice. And there you have it!

Spicy Grilled Shrimp

This one was a first for me on a few fronts. My first time grilling and my first time deveining shrimp. The grilling part was fun and I hope to explore it further while it is still the appropriate season. The deveining part was tedious but definitely a good learning experience. After a while it was a somewhat meditative process. After hours of prep work, the shrimp cooked really quickly and were delicious. I will definitely be marinating and grilling again soon.

1 1/2 pounds shrimp
2 cloves garlic
1 lemon rind (finely grated)
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
6 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon chili paste
3 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon tomato paste
Salt
Pepper

Start by shelling and deveining shrimp. This is the time consuming part, but you can buy shrimp that are already cleaned to make this a whole lot easier.

Whisk together the garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, chili paste, soy sauce, and tomato paste. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss the shrimp in the marinade and mix them around to get good coverage. Place in refrigerator and let the shrimp soak in the marinade for about 2 hours.

When ready, heat the grill. Secure shrimp on skewers by poking through each piece twice. Once at the head and once at the tail. Place shrimp on grill. Brush each side with remaining marinade while grilling. Grill for about 4 minutes on each side.

White Bean Dip

This is the easiest recipe yet. It takes about 5 minutes to prepare and is so fresh and flavorful that it is hard to resist. You don't even really need a blender, but it makes the process a lot quicker.

1 can white beans
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 medium cloves garlic
1/2 a lemon
2 Tablespoons fresh rosemary
Salt
Pepper

Toss the beans, olive oil, whole garlic cloves, and juice from 1/2 a lemon into the blender. Blend until creamy and smooth. Stir in rosemary, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle some rosemary on top and voilà! You have yourself an awesome dip. Great on pita bread.

O Mangalica!

This post has been a really long time coming. But, better late than never. Last winter I had the privilege to attend the annual Mangalica festival in Budapest. Mangalica (or Mangalitsa as it is pronounced in English) is an heirloom breed of pig that is native to Hungary and a crucial part of the Hungarian cuisine. They are also referred to as Wooly Pigs because of their thick coat of curly hair.


Some live Mangalica relaxing at the Mangalica Fesztival in Budapest

Due to the high maintenance required for raising these pigs, breeding of Mangalica was discouraged under communism, causing them to nearly die out. But over the last few decades, a renewed interest in these heritage hogs has increased the population once again. Importation to countries like Spain has also helped their survival. The popularity of the Mangalica breed has experienced a renaissance recently, as foodies in the states and elsewhere have discovered the delectable, marbled meat of this creature. Mangalica meat has an extremely high fat content, making it more juicy and flavorful than your average piece of pork. It is hard to find, and even harder to afford Mangalica in the States, but in Hungary it is everywhere, and I had the opportunity to enjoy it in many different ways.


Mangalica pieces cooking at the festival

This breed has become such a hot item for food lovers that the New York Times even had an article on them recently. Link here. They may be rare and expensive, but if you have the chance to try this succulent pork, I strongly suggest you do.

After tasting grilled Mangalica steak, petting the live hogs, and nibbling on a multitude of cured Mangalica sausages, I walked away from the festival with some sausage of my own. I paired it with a simple tomato cream sauce over pasta so as not to distract from the meat's luscious flavor. But consider yourself warned: this meat is so rich that a little bit goes a VERY long way.

Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce and Mangalica Sausage

1 box pasta
1 1/3 cups cream
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
1 onion (chopped)
2 cloves garlic (chopped)
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Parsley
Mangalica sausage (sliced)
Parmesean chesse (grated)

Saute onions and garlic in olive oil until translucent. Add cream and simmer for a few minutes. Add chicken stock and tomato paste. Simmer for several minutes to let flavor develop. In a separate pan cook sausages without any oil, as they will release lots of fat. Add sausages and fat to sauce. Flavor with salt and pepper and let everything simmer together for a few minutes. Cook pasta al dente. Mix sauce with pasta and top with grated cheese and parsley. Egészségedre!

Mussels in White Wine Sauce

My life has been quite chaotic recently, traveling between Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, and Germany since I last posted. Now that I am back in New York, I should find myself with plenty of time for activities such as digital communication and blogging. w00t w00t! So here is a recipe from my travels. Rovinj, Croatia enchanted me thoroughly with its island views, seafood and truffle laced cuisine, and Venetian architecture. On one fine day we made a trip to the fish market to scout the bounty.


After much deliberation, we settled on mussels for our dinner. And the results were phenomenal.

1.5 kilo of mussels
3 cups white wine
3 big cloves garlic (chopped)
3 large tomatoes (chopped)
Olive oil
Pepper
Fresh herbs (parsley, rosemary, sage)
1 box linguine

Be sure to wash each mussel thoroughly. These guys can be full of bacteria, so it's worth the effort to scrub. Also, only use mussels that are closed. If it is open, poke it to see if it closes its shell in reaction. If it doesn't, it is dead, and you do not want to eat it.

Pour the wine into a large pot with a lid. Add garlic, tomato (keep some aside for topping the final dish), fresh herbs, pepper, and a small amount of olive oil to the pot. Let cook over high heat until boiling. Add mussels to pot and cover. When steaming, reduce heat. After about 5 minutes, mussels should begin to open up. Remove each mussel immediately after it opens so as not to over cook it and cause it to be rubbery. Some mussels may take much longer than others to open.


Once all the mussels are open, serve over some al dente linguine and cover with the sauce that the mussels cooked in. The shellfish will release all sorts of juices into this broth, so it will be salty and flavorful and amazing. Be sure to have some bread on hand for sopping it up. Top your linguine and mussels and sauce with some fresh tomatoes and herbs. Adriatic ecstasy.

Kebabche Meatballs with Tzaziki

I finally got it together to make some Bulgarian kebabche, which I loved so much while touring the country. These are incredibly easy to make, and they are so flavorful that they are sure to be a hit every time.

Disclaimer: These are not really AUTHENTIC kebabche. The real deal are oblong shaped and are made from a combination of pork, lamb, and veal. Also, I have heard varying opinions on whether onions are part of the traditional recipe. So, to be culturally sensitive to the integrity of regional cuisine, I will call these kebabche-inspired meatballs. Anyway, for my first foray into Bulgarian cuisine, I think this dish was a dazzling success.

For meatballs:
1 pound ground pork
1 small onion (diced)
3 Tablespoons parsley
2 Tablespoons cumin
1 Tablespoon salt
1 Tablespoon pepper

Mix all the ingredients together well with a wooden spoon. Adjust seasonings to taste. Form the mixture into patties. Cook in a pan on the stove top or grill until cooked through. Makes about 8 patties.

For tzaziki:
2 cups plain yogurt
1 small cucumber (finely cut)
5 cloves garlic (minced)
Olive oil
Salt

Mix yogurt, garlic, and cucumber together. Add a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Mix well.

Serve meatballs and tzaziki with pita bread and salad. Your breath will be strong enough to keep the vampires away for the rest of the day, but it's definitely worth it.