Enjoy the Delicious

Mini speck, fennel and dill pitas at Willow Fall 2010

The last post I wrote for my blog was of Christmas Day spent with my friends Ali and Mike McCarry. Since then the people of Haiti were hit by a devastating earthquake that has leveled the small country and we've all been consumed by it.

Both Mike and Ali work at Mt. Sinai Hospital and when they heard of the devastation and need for medical care there, Mike, along with several other Mt. Sinai medical professionals boarded a plane and spent eight days working out of a makeshift hospital, providing care, medication and even performing operations.

Their homecoming was covered by NY1 here. It's really heartwarming to watch as I know Ali spent the week very proud but also very worried about the safety of her husband and the team he traveled with. After watching it, I've realized that there are heroes out there and people that will help others, no matter what the personal risk.  It's motivated me to spend some time thinking about public service and what I can do to help others who are less fortunate.  I challenge you to do the same.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas celebration.  I certainly did!  Christmas 2009 was celebrated with my dear friend Ali and her family at their home uptown in Manhattan.  Ali and her husband Mike send their children to the same school as my son so over the years now we've celebrated Christmas, 4th of July, birthdays and First Holy Communions together.  They have a beautiful townhouse that is just made for entertaining and they are always so generous in opening their doors for celebrations and summer barbeques.

Ali is the most amazing hostess and cook and always makes it look so effortless and beautiful.  They love having a full house; invitations to their get togethers are coveted and I always love being their guest.

We spent early Christmas Eve at a cocktail party at the home of another school family and then off we went to Ali and Mike's.  We began celebrating with a champagne cocktail of bubbly mixed with strawberry puree and a platter of cheeses and foie gras.  It went down a treat and then we were off to bed before Santa made his appearance!

Christmas morning began with a traditional English breakfast of sausages and eggs - did I mention Ali is English? - and then the main meal preparations began.

With Christmas carols playing in the backgound, Ali prepared yet another outstanding meal.  It was started off with langoustine in a Mary Rose sauce (I'll never be able to go back to simple shrimp cocktail) and proceeded to roast turkey, ham, roasted and mashed potatoes, stuffing, brussels sprouts, glazed carrots, sausages wrapped in bacon, gorgeous cranberry sauce and creamy gravy.  It was all so delicious that I could have eaten 3 plates but I didn't want to seem like a piggy!

After a short break we indulged in a dessert of chocolate cake with raspberry sauce topped off with a dollop of freshly whipped cream.

We all just about passed out while finishing the evening watching Elf.  Another year over, another Christmas celebration and there's nowhere else I would rather have been.

Thanks again, Ali and Mike!

This light meal was completely random and unplanned.  Actually, it was meant to be something altogether different.  On this snowy Sunday, I had plans of caramelizing onions and throwing together a lovely tart topped with goat cheese, served before a little steak dinner.

I'm not sure what happened but I forgot to get the puff pastry for the tart and I didn't take out the steak from the freezer last night.  I felt like a right fool opening my freezer to find no pastry but a ziplock of beef.  I stood there dumbfounded.  I couldn't believe it.  I was really looking forward to that tart!

Not to worry, the steak is now defrosting and I'll pick up some puff pastry tomorrow...look out for that post!

Now, back to my sandwich.  Simply caramelize 1 red and 1 vidalia onion in some olive oil with a shake of salt and a pinch of sugar.  After about 30-40 minutes when it's almost done add a splash of balsamic vinegar and cook for another 10 minutes or so.  Two onions will yield you enough for two sandwiches plus the tart.

Slice open a ciabatta roll and pour a small amount of olive oil on it.  Add some of the onions and top with pieces of goat cheese.  Freshly grind some black pepper and throw some kosher salt over it.  Put into a 325F oven - keep the sandwich open - for about 10 minutes.  Simple as that.  You can pair it with a side salad or some fresh berries and a cup of yoghurt...whatever strikes your fancy.  I was extremely hungry.  I ate it as is, right out of the oven.

The day before I went to Tre for the first time to dine in, I heard no less than four random people talking about their food.  I wasn't a stranger to it and how delicious it is though, I'd ordered from them before and a friend of mine had been drooling over the food for months.

I live right around the corner from Tre and while walking my dog on a lazy Sunday, I saw their signs -   Tre offers a great prix fixe dinner special from Sunday - Thursday and on Monday nights they have an all you can eat pasta and meatballs dinner with unlimited sangria.  Both for just $19!  I rounded up the troops and we prepared to gorge ourselves on meatballs.

I must begin by saying that in order to take full advantage of this particular meal deal, come early and come hungry.  It's perfect for one of those long, languorous girls nights out when you just chat and eat and drink and then chat and nibble and drink some more.  For a larger group you can sit at a table but for two of you, I suggest sitting at the bar.  It's really cozy and you'll get your glasses of sangria refilled quickly!

The meal is started with some gorgeous, grainy, chewy bread served with olive oil and hummus.  Then onto the main course.  The spaghetti and meatballs are so yummy, I don't even want to admit to how many bowls I've eaten in a sitting!  The pasta is a perfectly al dente and the meatballs are big and juicy and plump and moist and it's all tied together with a beautiful tomato sauce and grated Parmesan cheese.  You'll be tempted to scarf it all down but don't do it.  I suggest eating very slowly, you'll enjoy it more and you'll set your pace for slow steady eating through the night.  It's a science.  Trust me on this.

It's the same with the sangria, slow and steady pacing please!  Tre serves unsweetened red wine sangria.  The absence of sweet is a blessing the next morning but it's pretty strong stuff.  I suggest asking for a side of soda water to top it with.

I love Tre!  It makes me so happy, really it does.  Every time I walk in there, something about it just makes me feel at home and I know the food will be delicious and nourishing. Everything is always so fresh too.  Of course, I love the Monday night special but it's definitely worth your while to go in and check out their full menu.  My favorite meal is the Insalata de Rughetta followed by the Pappardelle al Ragu.

I'm getting hungry just writing this...another girls night is in order soon!

I have to say, this was a doozy of a dinner.  It was unbelievably good!  It all came together pretty organically and was rounded out with an amazing bottle of wine.

I spent this blustery and cold New York City day running errands and catching A Single Man with my BFF Kim.  If you haven't seen this mastery of a film yet, you need to run yourself over to The Angelika and buy yourselves some tickets.  It is a completely beautiful and heartbreaking and charming and intelligent and at times, funny film.  You will spend 2 hours in grace, style and longing and it will be time extremely well spent.

Anyway, I digress...back to food.  On way my home, walking through SOHO back to the Lower East Side, I talked to my son on the phone.  We talked about food and how we are going to make homemade marshmallows on Christmas Eve for hot chocolate and I got motivated to cook something interesting for dinner.  I stopped off at Whole Foods and picked up a package of shrimp, capers and whole cream.

I had in my cupboard some Delverde tagliatelle nests that I bought upstate over Thanksgiving and figured I would throw it all together and create a luxurious cream sauce to pair with the shrimp and pasta.  I stopped by September Wines and picked up a bottle of Castel Venus Grillo and I was in business.

The final result was so amazingly delicious and so incredibly simple!

Pasta with Garlic Cream Sauce and Shrimp.  Serves 2.

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. heavy cream
• Splash of white wine, maybe 1/2 a cup
• 5 cloves of garlic, smashed
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• Capers and their brine
• 3 star anise
• 1tsp chili flakes
• Olive oil and a knob of butter (demonstrated below)
• Salt to taste
• 4 nests of tagliatelle pasta
• 1 ladle of pasta water
• 1 lemon
• 1/2 lb of shrimp

Preparation:

Begin by swirling some olive oil and a dollop of butter into your pot.  When the butter has melted and is bubbling throw in your garlic and shallots.  Cook them on medium heat for about 5-7 minutes.  Then add your wine and the juice of half the lemon and cook for another 15 minutes.  Take off the heat and allow to cool for a few minutes and add all 8 oz. of cream, the chili flakes, star anise, a splash of the caper brine and a sprinkling of salt.  Return to a very low heat and let simmer until it's reduced.  About 30-40 minutes.  Stir and taste often adding salt as necessary.

When the sauce is nearly done, begin your pasta and shrimp.  Cook the pasta simply in salted water until al dente.  For the shrimp, cook in a swirl of olive oil, a splash of the wine and a squeeze of the other half of lemon.

If you need to thin out the sauce, use a small amount of the pasta water.

After draining the pasta, combine it all together and add the capers when tossing.  I forgot to add the capers and could kick myself.  I'm sure it would taste incredible though that's why I'm telling you to do it.

The result is a completely luxurious and comforting meal.  Pair it with a glass of the Grillo and there you have it.  Perfect weeknight dinner!

I love birthdays, especially my own!  I love a celebration and by the time everyone gets a piece of me, I've usually had about 4 parties.  I'm a lucky girl and sometimes at these celebrations I get presents beyond having a cocktail bought for me.

This year the #1 gift on my list was a pair of roller skates.  That was until my 10-year-old son presented me with his stash:  The Top Chef Cookbook and a super heroes birthday card!!!

My little guy assured me that he picked it out all by himself and it's not at all surprising to me.  He knows I'm absolutely obsessed with Top Chef and when it comes to me pursuing my culinary goals, he's my #1 cheering squad.  In fact, he was the one who initially suggested I start a food blog and pursue a new career in catering.  He's always been my little sous chef and we've spent countless hours in the kitchen together making everything from brownies + hot chocolate to pizza from scratch.

I can't wait to start trying out all the wonderful recipes I've seen created over the past seasons and I look forward to sharing them with you.

Shame on me, but I never realized how many great friends I had until I sat down here at my computer to write them all a love letter.  Don't get me wrong, I love my friends and appreciate them more than you know but along with the besties there are the friends that support you along the way.  There are the girls who see that you're in need of a shoulder and offer up a coffee date, there are the moms that know you are in a bind with childcare and have no one to help you so they offer a playdate.  There are the friends that plainly see that you're being done wrong and offer to do anything they can to help you.

Never in my life did I think that I would be as lucky as I am with my friends.

Every girl out there knows what I'm talking about.  Your girls, your crew.  The girls that come through for you when life deals you a cruel hand.

The girls that are there with you when life is good for you.  The girls that are there for you when people knock you down.  The girls that are there for you when you start your life all over again.

I'm in love with my girls.

These are the girls I cook with, these are the girls I eat with, I enjoy wine with, these are the girls I laugh with, these are the girls I celebrate with, these are the girls I live with, these are the girls I road trip with, these are the girls that every other woman out there would be lucky enough to spend time with.

So I'm giving a huge shout out to Penny, Kim, Ali, Kim, My beloved cousin, Nadine, Jenny, Marcela, Michel, Zoe, Merin, Pam, Ros, Yetta, Kristina, Renee, Alice, Kelly, Anne, Lisa, Annette, Elizabeth, Deirdre, Kate, Ricardia, Katherine, Catherine, Sheila, Oksana, Cathleen, Heather, Sue, Lauren and Kristin.

I'm not prejudiced to the boys and I'm lucky enough to have some pretty cool guys around too: Jake, Ted, Mike, Murphy and Mario.  You prove to me that there are still good guys out there!

So on this Thanksgiving, 2009, I'm most thankful for the wonderful and caring people in my life.  The people that have shown me the meaning of true friendship but most of all, true love.  Every single person I've named has given me a part of themselves and shown me that, even though we may doubt it sometimes, there are people out there that will come through for you, that will take time to listen, that will not only help you when you're down but make sure to lift you back up again.  They have shown me that there are people out there that believe in you and through thick and thin they will pull through for you and love you and I'm proud to say that they are my friends.