Cooking Spaghetti Squash gratin

Ever since I saw this recipe for Spaghetti Squash gratin I've been looking for a chance to make it, and it did not disappoint. It does take about 3 hours, but a lot of that time is just waiting for the squash to initially bake and then for the gratin to bake.

The quick and dirty: Roast an entire spaghetti squash (after first making some small incisions)for an hour at 375, then remove the squash and let it cool. While cooling, chop up an entire onion, about 3 cloves of garlic, grate a few ounces of Gruyere, and rip up 2 tablespoons of basil. Once cool, you can remove all the seeds from the squash (and discard) and then scoop out the spaghetti squash. You only need about half the squash, so bag the other half and put it in the freezer for another time. Then start to sautee the onions for a few minutes, slowly adding in the garlic, spaghetti squash and some salt and pepper. Once everything is all nice and soft combine everything you've sauteed with 3 eggs and milk (beaten together) and the Gruyere and basil. Once everything is evenly distributed, pour the whole thing into a greased 3 quart pot and sprinkle shaved Parmesan on top of it all. Then toss it back in the oven for 45 minutes, take it out, and let it cool for 15...and voila!

Okay, so that was not so quick...or so dirty, but I do recommend the dish. I also recommend throwing in a little bacon or sausage (it only has 179 calories a serving, so you can do it and it will still be healthy).

Mussels a la Jose Andreas

Living in DC and having a bit of a ham/cheese (aka Spain) obsession, PB and I are big Jose Andreas fans (we went to Cafe Atlantico on our first date). The other day we were watching his tasty Galicia show on Made in Spain and he made this mouthwatering mussels and potatoes dish that I just had to try.

You need: mussels, fingerling potatoes, bay leaves, olive oil, albarino wine, pimenton (Spanish paprika).

Peel and then boil the potatoes for about 15 minutes (stick a fork in them to see if they are ready: if the fork easily pierces the potato they are done). Then use a fork to mash them and season with salt and pepper.

Then heat olive oil in a pan (one that has a lid) and once it's smoking hot toss in the mussels and 3 or 4 bay leaves plus about .75 cup of wine. and then cover. Jose said that you could count to cinco and the mussels would be open and ready to take out but I had to cook them a bit longer.

Once the mussels open, take them out of their shells and place them on top of the mashed potatoes. Then season the dish with plenty of olive oil and pimenton.

PB and I both felt this needed something a little sweet, some garlic or shallots would definitely do the trick. Happy eating!

Sushi at Kushi

This past Saturday, PB and I finally made it to Kushi over in Gallery Place-ish and we were...fans. First of all, I loved loved loved the space. We got to sit right up next to the huge open kitchen at their bar. And it's just very sparse but somehow warm and welcoming.

And more importantly...second, oh second the food. We tried this crazy Japanese custard with shrimp, and mushrooms, that was like nothing I've ever had. Also, highly recommended was the grilled pork belly and short rib. And then...almost as an afterthought, we ordered the sausage stuffed quail. Seriously?! yes, seriously! So finger licking good. You must go, it's totally affordable and delicious. And if the setting and the decor weren't enough, you can wash it down with delicious cocktails (Yuzu Martini anyone?) and cold Japanese beer.

Kushi

465 K Street, NW Washington DC

http://eatkushi.tumblr.com/

Casa Coupage

I'm not going to totally obsess over my trip... too much. But I do want to describe one of the best (and there were many) meals we had on the trip. The meal was awesome not just because the food and wine were exquisite but because it was at a private home. Casa Coupage is one of Buenos Aires' many puertas cerradas, or closed door restaurants. The restaurant is run by two sommeliers who more than know their way around Argentinian wines in an amazing belle epoch (I mean 18 foot ceilings) home. But even more importantly the food was 'effing delicious. I chose to go off one of the menus and order a la carte--if only because I had to have both the octopus and the duck with brussel sprouts. And then...the cheese course. I had a goat cheese that was...it was like eating a slice of home, it made me feel so happy and warm and affectionate. For dessert, I opted for this crazy zucchini (those are the cubes!) and cake and carmelized ginger option that was like nothing I've ever had. But dude...PB got the chocolate cake...heaven!

If you go to Buenos Aires, I absolutely demand that you email up Casa Coupage and make a reservation.

Güemes 4382,

54-11-4833-6354,

www.casacoupage.com

a new snack...

This weekend I made toasted bread with a little olive oil, heirloom tomatoes, avocado, and salt and pepper. It was soooo delicious. I think the key was this awesome olive oil we got from La Tienda. While it wasn't super cheap it was exponentially better than anything I've found in the store.

Wednesday = half way

The weather in DC was so wonderful last weekend, I am really hoping for a repeat this weekend. Last weekend I took a run along the GW parkway. If you totally ignore the traffic on one side of you and just look at the river, it's absolutely gorgeous. We also finally finished painting our bedroom, "Manhattan Mist." And even grabbed some pho at pho75. Most importantly, I scored these awesome Sam Edelman sandals at the Nordstrom half yearly sale.

Can't wait for this weekend. Arcade Fire and Spoon on Friday, designing our wedding cocktail on Saturday and seeing some friends on Sunday.

We all scream...

I have been trying to store the gifts we've started receiving until after the wedding. I have this idea that we'll come back from our honeymoon and put brand new sheets on our bed, new silverware in the drawer, and new towels on the racks. But when some very generous wedding guests sent us a kitchen aid mixer (our my new baby) and an ice cream attachment, my patience was overly taxed....I gave in. And I am so glad I did.

I had no idea how waxy and also how fragrant vanilla beans would be. I also had no idea how much cream and whole milk would be involved in this whole process. Before you even get to the mixing part, you have to combine the ingredients and cook them to exactly 170 degrees and then freeze them for at least 8 hours.

Then you put them in an awesome lime green mixer. I think it needs a name...

Our first batch was a little bit runny, and had a little bit too much sugar but oh my god was it delicious. (and yes we just happen to have lime green bowls and green walls in the kitchen)

I eat carbs!

PB and I have about 93 cookbooks that we try to use...but rarely do so. We actually just love looking at food so much that they have become our coffee table books. But since we're finally at stage 2 of South Beach (and sort of getting bored with it) we decided to indulge in some whole wheat pasta this weekend courtesy of Urban Italian--a book we have been drooling over for like a year and have yet to make anything from.

We chose linguine with corn, bacon, and oyster mushrooms and it was delicious! (You're not supposed to have corn on south beach, but we don't need to tell anyone, right?) You need 8 ears of corn, a cup and a half of diced bacon, 2 lbs. of shiitake or other wild mushrooms, whole milk, cream, fresh parsley, parmigiana reggiano, and some cayanne, salt and pepper. Also very important to the cooking:

We broke out our special champagne flutes from the Crate & Barrel Registering Party (dude, you have to do those if you're engaged).

I love how corn can look like old lady teeth!

Doesn't PB have cute hands?!The sweetness of the corn just perfectly balances out the heat of the cayenne and the salty bacon. And honestly, I thought it worked really well with the whole wheat linguine.

You can find the full recipe and directions here.

Caesar Salad Search: My Own

On super hot days like we've been having all PB and I really want to eat are Caesar salads. So crisp and fresh but loaded with yummy cheese and spicy garlic. And since a Caesar salad is really all about the dressing I thought I'd post my favorite recipe here.* Basically you just need garlic, Worcester sauce, olive oil, Dijon mustard, an egg yolk and yes, anchovies. Simply chop up the anchovies and garlic and then whisk in the other ingredients, then season to taste.

Once the dressing is made add some croutons (the recipe for homemade croutons can also be found at the link), Parmesan cheese and maybe grilled chicken. Oh and lettuce.


*when you think about it, isn't the lettuce just a vehicle for the cheese, croutons and dressing?

Mahi Mahi and Bok Choy a la No.7

When I was in New York last weekend I had this amazing mahi mahi with bok choy, basil, and rhubarb that was so unexpectedly wonderful at No.7. I just had to see if I could recreate it once I got home.

Okay, ingredients necessary: mahi mahi (about 6 oz. per person), bok choy, one stick of rhubarb, ginger, 2 fistfuls of basil, canola oil, and some sea salt (fleur de sal). I also added bacon, which was not in the No.7 recipe, but I knew PB would like it. After cleaning the bok choy, remove the large white stem and discard them. Cut the remainder of the bok choy leaves into thirds on a diagonal. Then chop the large rhubarb into small thin rounds (the thinner the better).

Meanwhile season the mahi mahi with salt (a little of the sea salt) and pepper and grate some fresh ginger over the fish.

Heat some oil in a pan (I used my cast iron) and begin sauteeing the fish. At approximately the same time, heat some oil in another pan ( I used the bacon grease) and sautee the bok boy and rhubarb. Continue to cook the fish until white the whole way through (approximately 15 minutes). After approximately 10 minutes (as the bok choy begins to wilt and soak up the oil) add in the basil and continue to stir. The fish and the bok choy should finish cooking at approximately the same time. Then, nothing to do but plate it, sprinkle some bacon on it if you want to, and definitely add some sea salt and EAT IT! It was delicious, not quite as good as No. 7's but, good.