Appetizers | culinary flights of fancy

July 3, 2015
by Craig 2 Comments

Off the Shelf: The Classic Italian Cookbook by Marcella Hazan

Asparagus with Parmesan Cheese and Fried Eggs

Enjoy this hearty dish as a starter or as a main course. Like the best of Italian dishes, this dish is simple and complex at the same time!

Roast the asparagus. I layered the asparagus spears with grated Parmesan cheese.

You know, there are a lot of great cookbooks released every day and most of them contain updates and new approaches to classic dishes and/or new flavor combinations that are both interesting and exciting. However, there is something to be said for the timelessness of classic cookbooks. So, from time to time, I’m going to highlight recipes that may have fallen out of fashion or slipped through the cracks from cookbooks past. Marcella Hazan’s classic cookbook, The Classic Italian Cookbook is a great place to start. I love the fact that the tagline beneath the title of this cookbook is: The art of Italian cooking and the Italian art of eating. Somehow lost in the various mounds of recipes we forget that eating and enjoyment of food is an art in and of itself but that wasn’t lost on Marcella Hazan.

This dish presents the best of Italian cooking in that it celebrates seasonality and simplicity while at the same time combining those simple flavors into something much bigger than its’ individual components. This dish is traditionally served as a starter but certainly could suffice as a main course. The book suggests serving two eggs per person as a main or one egg as a starter. In my copy of the book the exact recipe can be found on pages 356-357. The recipe below deviates from the recipe as written just slightly as she suggest to use an asparagus steamer and I skipped that step. Also, I reduced the amount of butter used to fry the eggs. I also reduced the roasting temperature from 450 degrees to 425 as I didn’t steam the vegetable prior to roasting so it needed a bit more time in the oven. At 450 degrees, the cheese would have melted very quickly and burned before the asparagus was cooked through. Other than that, everything else remained the same. Recipe follows after the jump… Continue reading →

May 13, 2015
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Roasted Portobello Mushroom with Spinach, Cream Cheese, and Sage

I thought I would stick with another easy vegetable recipe this week. Like last week, this recipe is both delicious and easy to make. It’s versatile as you can play with the flavors, the greens used, etc. Here, a simple roasted Portobello is stuffed with a mixture of wilted spinach, cream cheese, a few sprigs of fresh sage, and finished with fresh breadcrumbs for texture and crunch. The entire thing is roasted again until the cream cheese mixture is melted and browned to your liking. You can serve this as a main course or as a hearty appetizer. This dish is great served hot, warm, or at room temperature.

PS: All of these vegetables can be found at your local farmer’s markets and, luckily for us, most if not all area markets are now open. So, take some time and support local farms! You not only help the local economy but your taste buds will definitely thank you for the effort. Recipe follows after the jump… Continue reading →

April 22, 2015
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Salt Cod Fritters with Spicy Pimenton and Roasted Garlic Aioli

Salt Cod combined with potatoes, onion, and parsley

Fritters are fried at 350 degrees in safflower oil. Use a thermometer to monitor the temperature of the oil.

Salt cod is a rare treat around here. In fact, I don’t think I had cooked with it since culinary school. Salt cod, as the name implies, is simply cod that has been heavily salted and dried. It can then be rehydrated and used in a number of dishes including traditional fritters from both Portugal and Spain. Another favorite is a salt cod and potato dip or sorts called brandade that is also extremely good. Anyway, you can find salt cod on the Internet available for order or I’m sure you can ask your local butcher shop to order it if you prefer to go that route. Either way, I would definitely recommend giving this a try at some point. It’s great for a Saturday night with the family or a few friends.

One thing of note: when frying, use a pan big enough to accommodate the amount of oil called for in the recipe while still having plenty of room left in the pan because the oil will bubble up. That’s a good thing. It’s a bad thing if it bubbles up and the pan isn’t big enough because it will bubble over and, best case, cause a mess and, worse, cause a really bad burn.

Another note and this is sort of a pain, but you have to plan ahead with this as the rehyrdation process involves soaking it for a 12-48 hours depending on just how salty it is. Plan on a full 48 hours just to be safe!

Pimenton is simply a smoked paprika from Spain. It really is something special and definitely worth getting. it imparts a really unique flavor that isn’t captured by other smoked paprikas. Of course, if you need to, feel free to substitute smoked paprika or regular paprika in the aioli. It will be tasty either way. Trust me, though…get the pimenton. You won’t be disappointed!

The recipe for the salt cod fritters can be found here.

The aioli can be made by making a basic mayonnaise. I used a whole egg and one egg yolk as the whole egg gives it a creaminess that is better suited for dips. Otherwise, it’s pretty straight forward. The recipe for the aioli follows after the jump… Continue reading →

April 8, 2015
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Pea Pesto with Toasted Walnuts, Pecorino Cheese, and Mint

Use pea pesto as a dip or as you would in any dish that calls for traditional pesto.

Nothing says spring like fresh peas. Beyond simply enjoying peas cooked quickly on their own or tossed into salads, etc. peas also make a great pesto. The sweet earthiness of the peas really complement the saltiness of the cheese and they blend beautifully. Mint pairs nicely with peas as well to round everything out. Enjoy this easy dish as a dip with bread or crackers or toss it into pasta as you would a classic basil pesto. You won’t be disappointed either way! Recipe follows after the jump… Continue reading →

March 18, 2015
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Pioppini Mushroom Salad with Watercress, Soft Boiled Egg, and Pickled Red Onion

This is a great little salad that can be used as either a starter or a main dish. Pioppino mushrooms have a mild flavor with a long stem and small button on top and are light to dark brown in appearance. They can be found in farmer’s markets and at specialty food stores. If you have difficulty finding them, simply substitute your favorite mushroom. The watercress with its pepper flavor and almost vine like appearance provides a nice balance in color and flavor to the mushrooms. The pickled red onion simply adds a bit of color and a touch of acidity. If you don’t like pickled onions or simply do not feel like making them, chives or green onions would work well too. Finally, the soft boiled egg adds color and protein and brings a creaminess to the salad. It also adds another level of heartiness to the meaty mushrooms. If you prefer, hard boiled eggs would work as well, though I think the creaminess of a soft boiled egg or even a poached egg adds a nice touch that would be missed if you go that route. .

All of this produce (except the onion) came from Just Farmed…I believe they are accepting new participants for this year (which starts in May. Do yourself a favor and inquire as the service is very good! If you live locally in New Jersey, it’s a great way to bring farm fresh produce right to your door every week. Recipe follows after the jump… Continue reading →

March 4, 2015
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Ground Pork Lettuce Wraps with Vietnamese Caramel Sauce, Mixed Vegetables, and Radish Ginger Vinaigrette

Assembled Lettuce Wrap

This dish, though Asian influenced, does not really hail from any particular country or region. However, the caramel sauce is distinctly a sauce from Vietnam. The sauce both simple and complex imparts a subtle sweetness with hints of smoke and bitterness. There’s really only one way to make a classic Vietnamese caramel sauce and directions for creating it can be found here. It takes about a half hour to make but a little of it goes a long way and can be stored in a glass jar in your pantry indefinitely, so if you make it once, it will last a pretty long time. In addition, there is a ton of different things you can do with the sauce beyond this recipe so, go ahead and make it and experiment with it!

The pork and vegetable base can be used in many different ways. Here I simply used leaf lettuce as a wrap and garnished it with a few vegetables. However, this mixture would be great with steamed buns, as a filling for dumplings, tossed on top of rice, or simply combine all the vegetables and pork and add more lettuce for a hearty Asian influenced salad.

There are a lot of ingredients with this recipe, but don’t let that be intimidating. Beyond making the caramel sauce all the ingredients can be found at any grocery store and the whole thing should pull together in around an hour or so. Also I used ground pork but this basic recipe/technique would work with diced or ground chicken, turkey, or even shrimp.

As an aside, Tara told me this was one of her favorite things that I’ve made in a very long time. So, she really liked it. We both really enjoy Asian influenced food and perhaps I need to make more of it since it was such a hit with her! I thought it was great for dinner or you can certainly use it as an appetizer. Enjoy…Recipe follows after the jump. Continue reading →

February 25, 2015
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Classic French Onion Soup

I made homemade baguettes. You can find a good quality baguette at Biagio’s or Kings (they sell an organic version that is pretty good).

There are a couple of keys things to consider when making French onion soup. One, using a combination of beef and veal stock adds a depth of flavor that’s tough to beat. Two, the onions need to caramelized for quite a long time to really develop the flavor of the onions and to provide an even deeper flavor to the stock. With such a simple soup, it becomes really important to develop the flavors of the few individual components. Traditionally, the soup is accented with some fresh thyme and usually a splash of either Cognac, red wine, or dry sherry to finish. Personally, I’ve tried it with all of those and though they do add a punch of background flavor at the end, I really feel that it’s not all that necessary. However, if you try the finished soup and feel it needs a little extra something, certainly feel free to throw in a bit of one of those.

Note: This soup is better when prepared a day or two ahead of time, giving the combined flavors a chance to meld together prior to final serving.

I apologize for this taking so long as I promised this recipe a while ago but once again time got away from me as I juggled not feeling super well with leaving for a few days to meet Tara in Phoenix. In the middle of that, I tried a basic Asian pork belly recipe and thought that would be ready to roll but it turns out that it’s not really ready for prime time so I will have to play with that particular dish a bit more and post the resulting recipe once I arrive at one I think is both doable and delicious. So, stay tuned for that at some point soon! Recipe and more photos follow after the jump… Continue reading →

February 18, 2015
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Classic Spanish Tapas: Shrimp with Garlic and Garlic and Tomato Toasts

Shrimp with Garlic served on Classic Garlic Tomato Toasts.

Shrimp with Garlic in a classic cazuela or Spanish earthen ware bowl.

Classic Spanish Shrimp with Garlic with Garlic and Tomato Toasts:

I love Spanish cuisine and one of the great things about it are the various Tapas or small plates that are available at most Spanish restaurants. Not only do they taste great individually but they also allow you to sample a few different things which affords the opportunity to get to know the cuisine a little faster. This shrimp dish is very simple with just a few flavors taking the driver’s seat. The bread is prepared very similarly to classic Italian garlic bread but with tomato dredged across it at the last minute. Placed together, you get a tasty garlicky toast with which to sop up all the great tasting olive oil and garlic from the shrimp dish. Pair this with a few tossed greens and you can make a meal of the whole thing or simply make them a tapas and enjoy the two together with friends or family as small plates. Recipe and more pictures follow after the jump… Continue reading →

February 1, 2015
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Baked Chinese 5 Spice Chicken Wings with Honey, Sriracha, and Black Sesame Glaze

Toasted Black Sesame Seeds

The finished product!

Quick post before the Super Bowl. If you are looking for an interesting way to cook your chicken wings for the big game, this is a basic recipe I landed on. The sauce is spicy, salty, and sweet with a bit of crunch from the black sesame seeds. The five spice adds a nice warmth with it’s mix of cold weather spices. I’ll post a picture of the end result later today when I finish mine up. Enjoy. Recipe follows after the jump… Continue reading →

January 28, 2015
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Butter Bean and Roasted Butternut Squash Dip with Lemon, Garlic, and Sorghum

This is a special post as this marks the 100th post of this website experiment that we share together!

When I started culinaryflightsoffancy and food writing in general I did so rather reluctantly. I was unsure of so many things, worrying about whether people would read it, whether I could create recipes that were interesting but yet doable for home cooks, whether I could continue to be creative on a regular basis, whether I could be consistent enough with this project that I could sustain an audience, and whether I had or have a voice that represents something unique to add rather than just simply adding to the volumes of things available on the Internet and in cookbooks.

I think the jury still may be out with regard to some of those issues, but I really have enjoyed doing this…way more than I ever thought. Thank you so much for reading and responding and I really hope you have enjoyed and continue to enjoy these little recipes that I work on throughout the week as inspiration strikes. I’d like to especially thank my wife, Tara, for encouraging me to do this and being patient with me while I worked through what something like this would look like for me. It took me quite a while to go from thinking about the look and feel of the site to actually making it a reality and she gave me the space to be able to create while still being encouraging, which is something special.

I haven’t counted, but given this post marks the 100 point, I would have to guess there are probably 80 original recipes now on this site…some more original than others. There are also a handful or so recipes that come from other places and other people that I decided to cook and include here because I enjoyed the recipe so much that I wanted to share it and my experience with it.

Anyway, thanks again for reading and for your support in the past, now, and continuing on into the future as I likewise continue on this creative adventure in our Berkeley Heights home kitchen. Okay, enough! Let’s move on to the recipe at hand:

Recipe Begins here:

So, let’s keep the healthy Super Bowl dips theme going with this one. This again, is super easy and very fast to make. I like this dip as it really tastes great and it adds another vegetable and other healthy elements into Super Bowl festivities that otherwise may be fairly unhealthy. It takes about 30 minutes or so to roast the butternut squash and that can be done a few days ahead of time. Otherwise, this takes about ten minutes to pull together. If you don’t have sorghum (or if you don’t care for it), you can use molasses (which would be what I recommend) or honey. Also, if you don’t like or don’t have butternut squash, you can certainly use any winter squash including pumpkin and it would work great. If you do so, you would likely need to change the roasting time and it may require more or less lemon juice and oil depending on the texture of the squash used. Recipe, etc. follows after the jump… Continue reading →

culinary flights of fancy

Home Cooking Adventures in Berkeley Heights

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