The Wine School of Philadelphia – Party Tonight!

The Wine School of Philadelphia is one of top go-to institutions for wine education in Philadelphia. And since its inception, they have had much for which to be thankful. They are thrilled to announce two incredible new ventures upcoming in 2009. Please join them to celebrate with Wine School members, senior instructors, and staff in a night filled with great wine, company, food, and exciting news!

Time: 7pm to whenever
Location: The Wine School of Philadelphia
Street: 2006 Fairmount Avenue
City/Town: Philadelphia
Website: http://www.vinology.com/

RSVP: beth@vinology.com or 800-817-7351, ext. 33.

See you tonight!

Chicken Marsala

You can never go wrong with chicken marsala – especially if you’re on a budget like my new housemate Gloria and I are. She snapped this pic before digging in.

Chicken Marsala ala Marilyn

P.S. I moved yet again – to the wilds of South Philadelphia. In the “Newbold” neighborhood. It’s not quite a foodie paradise right here, but it’s a hop, skip, and jump away from EPX (East Passyunk) where there is a lot of dining and shopping options and of course the famed Italian Market area! .

Geeks Who Give for Philabundance!

Geeks Who Give are hosting a Tweetup/food drive Tuesday at National Mechanics. Bring 5 non-perishable food items as your admission and enjoy drink specials and fun prizes plus a live performance by Fork You at 7.

There will also be a raffle of some food related goodies. The first five non-perishable food items get you a ticket, bring more items and get more tickets. The list currently includes:

• Dinner for two at Fork
• Gift certificate and t-shirt from Tattooed Mom’s
• $75 gift certificate to the Wine School of Philadelphia
• Seat at the table as the City Paper’s David Snyder reviews a restaurant
• A dozen cupcakes by Open Source Cupcakes

Philly Grub will be there!

Simple Avocado Sandwiches

I went to Trader Joe’s (again) last week and got a bag of four avocados which was priced at $3.79, IIRC.  I know it was under $4.00.  Whatever, you just can’t beat that with a stick.  I love avocados – either as is or in guacamole.  But lately I have been obsessed with putting them on sandwiches.

Nothing fancy, just multi-grain bread, mayo or hummus, sliced avocado, and creamy goat cheese!  So simple, yet so satifying.  I really need to remember to start taking pictures.

Pasture Raised, Oven Roasted Chicken

Sometimes it’s the simplest foods that can bring a smile to your face. Oven roasted chicken is one of those things!  A quintessential rustic meal fit for… anyone who enjoys chicken.

Kate picked up half of a pasture raised free-range grass-fed chicken from Mountain View Poultry Farm at Clark Park Farmer’s Market the other week.  Today I opted to squeeze some fresh lemon juice, salt, pepper, and olive oil on it and roast it in the oven, at 375°, along with some cut white potatoes and carrots.  One hour later we had delicious, juicy chicken and tender roasted veggies.

She made a tasty tatsoi (Asian green), orange bell pepper, and mushroom sauté to go along with our simple meal.  It hit the proverbial spot.

Happy grubbin’!

So “good” a nun would eat it…

Is there anything more delicious and satisfying than a cannele? Well, maybe there is, but right now I’m enjoying one and can’t think of anything else. Creamy custard infused with orange zest, baked until the outside becomes carmelized and slightly crispy… That’s a cannele. Sort of like creme brulee in pastry form and it’s utterly amazing.

According to the Metropolitan Bakery cookbook, cannele were first created by medieval French nuns to help raise funds for the convent. Those nuns were on to something!

I’ve been thinking (way ahead) about baking and such for the holidays- it seems like cannele might be the way to go. The recipe is straightforward and ingredients are simple… Just need to get my hands on some cannele copper molds.

Quick Note: Trader’s Joe Pasta

Trader Joe's

On my last trip to Trader Joe’s, I noticed they had Sprouted Wheat Pappardelle Pasta.  I love me some pappardelle pasta, but never tried sprouted wheat pasta before.  I figured what the heck.  I made it tonight along with a delicious chicken marsala.  The verdict: overall, not bad. Definitely edible, had a hint of sweetness even.  But I think I’ll stick to the regular pappardelle pasta or I’d like to try their lemon pepper pappardelle!

When I did a search for Trader Joe’s pappardelle, I found this recipe and this recipe, too – both sound pretty awesome. I will have to attempt them some time.  Though I will have to use goat cheese instead of the asiago on the latter recipe.

Rieker’s Prime Meats!

I work five blocks from one of Philadelphia’s hidden treasures, Rieker’s Prime Meats, a German butcher and deli. Rieker’s is located in Fox Chase, a section of Philadelphia nestled between Elkins Park and Northeast Philly. I feel incredibly lucky to work so close to this unique place. Not only do they make the wursts, sauerkraut, and rouladen in house, Rieker’s also imports European chocolates (mostly German and Swiss), pierogies, and German condiments. During the holidays the store is practically bursting with exotic sweets and pastries, or so I’ve been informed by my coworkers. I hope they are right about this one.

Tonight while walking to the train station right behind Rieker’s, I decided a German-style meal was in order but that I didn’t feel like cooking too much since I was only cooking for myself. I walked back to the butcher, bought one single rouladen, 1/4 pound of the succulent sauerkraut (yeah, I love the stuff), and a bag of dried spaetzle. Under most circumstances I would make my own spaetzle, having been coached by my Berks County relatives I am fairly good at it, but tonight was not the night for making noodles. I opted for the rouladen because I figured it wouldn’t take long to cook as it is a pre-portioned amount of food.

German rouladen is delicious, if you like meat that is– this particular one was comprised of a beef shank pounded and flattened, meatloaf, bacon and mustard rolled into a little pouch of… well, meat. Some folks will add cheese to the roll, but really it isn’t needed. To prepare dinner, I seared the unholy alliance of meats on my beloved cast iron skillet, deglazed the pan with some Williamette Pinot Noir, added shallots and garlic to the mix, then returned the roll into the pan and braised it in the oven at 350 degress for 30 minutes. I served it over hot, buttered spaetzle and the pan gravy.

Rieker’s did not disappoint, the meat roll was delicious! I’ve also had their Oktoberfest Bratwurst which was clearly homemade, but amazingly tasty and herbal. It’s definitely worth the jaunt up to Fox Chase to grab reasonably-priced gourmet meat and German chocolates!

Rieker’s Prime Meats
7979 Oxford Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19111

Rigatoni with Hot Italian Turkey Sausage, Swiss Chard, and Goat Cheese

Inspired by purchases from Clark Park Farmer’s Market, Kate made us another phenomenal meal tonight. It was so delicious, I ate until it felt my stomach was going to explode!   Between last night’s grilled lamb dinner and tonight’s dinner – I am feeling rather spoiled and happily sated.

I’d like to share the recipe and a picture with you all.  Honestly, you must try this for yourself.  You’ll thank me!

Note: as always measurements are approximate  Please use your best culinary judgment and adjust to your taste when preparing this recipe.

Rigatoni with Hot Italian Turkey Sausage, Swiss Chard, and Goat Cheese

Heavenly turkey sausage and pasta dish! This photo does not do it justice!

Ingredients:

Hot Italian Turkey Sausage
Extra virgin olive oil
Medium white onion
1 cup sliced baby bella mushrooms
Several leaves of fresh sage (chiffonade)
Bunch of swiss chard (cleaned and stalks removed of course)
Grated nutmeg
Kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper
Cabernet Sauvignon (red wine)
Balsamic vinegar
1/2 can tomato paste
1/2 cup pasta water
Fresh chives
1 box Rigatoni
Crumbled plain goat cheese (chevre)

Directions:

1. Brown sausage in small amount of olive oil in skillet.
2. Remove browned sausage from skillet.
3. Saute diced onion and mushrooms in skillet.  Add sage chiffonade.  Add swiss chard.  Cook until ingredients are softened.
4. Season with salt, pepper and grated nutmeg.
5. Add Cabernet Sauvignon, balsamic vinegar, and tomato paste.  Stir to combine.  Simmer until slightly thickened.  Add pasta water to thin out sauce.
6. Cook rigatoni according to package.
7. Add browned sausage to veggie/sauce mixture.  Cook on medium while pasta is cooking.
8. When pasta is cooked, add to sausage mixture, and warm through.
9. SERVE & ENJOY!

We recommend adding crumbled goat cheese after you have plated the dish.  It will melt and add creaminess to the decadent sauce.

This dish gets 5 NOMS easily.

Easy balsamic reduction – borderline food porn?

It’s been a while! I’ve been running ragged during the my “job adjustment period”. Things are finally starting to fall into place!

So, on to the foods. Fall brings all sorts of splendid items flowing into the Clark Park Farmer’s Market. The huge cornucopia of in-season ingredients, along with the beautiful weather, have inspired me to engage in sinful culinary pursuits. Thankfully Marilyn has been kind enough to do most of the cooking for the past couple weeks, so I thought I would return the favor.

Last night I prepared a farmer’s market feast: grilled lamb chops, roasted Brussels sprouts and steamed Beauregard yams for Marilyn and Eric. The meal was delicious, though fairly straightforward and simple. I usually make a yogurt/mustard sauce for lamb-dipping, but have become fairly bored with that, so this time I tried a different sauce as well. Lamb seems to go well with fruit and red wine, so I concocted a reduction of sorts. It was very simple:

1 cup of red wine
3/4 cup of balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup of Chambord liquor
4-6 sprigs of fresh sage
1 tablespoon of butter
cracked black pepper

I combined the first three ingredients in a saucier and simmered on low until it reduced to half. After removing the pan off the heat, I added the butter and pepper, then spooned the reduction over the grilled meat. The consistency was that of chocolate syrup and almost just a sweet. After deciding the reduction was too decadent a sauce to be limited to savory delectables, it was poured over vanilla ice cream for dessert. The Chambord’s velvet raspberry flavor and the sharp bite of the pepper was an amazing compliment to the frozen cream. I would have added some strawberries to the sauce if they had been in season. Perhaps I’ll do that in the spring.

The reduction was borderline food porn, honestly. The thick sauce was slightly spicy from the pepper and naturally dark and sweet. It coated the back of my spoon seductively, marking the perfect ratio of butter to liquid. I imagine that this sauce could be employed for other recreational uses, but that is a post for another blog, methinks.