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xo, a

Roasted Brocollini with Leeks and Cranberries

Greetings from a lovely little studio apartment on west 14^th street in lower Manhattan. This week’s home away from home.

I’m eight days into sixteen days on the road. SIXTEEN DAYS. WHO AM I?

Let me stop you before you go on your internal rant on how lucky I am to travel for work. How can I be complaining while I’m seeing the country on someone else’s dime?

I am VERY lucky. I’m also very tired. Work travel is fun and exciting and stimulating. But its can also be lonely. There is a reason I do not live alone people!

It’s not all bad though. I get to see good friends and family and eat tasty food and pseudo live in places like New York and Colorado.

But in in the down moments, my mind always wanders to what Lish and her daughter Brielle are doing on this pretty California Saturday. Or to my spot on Wesley’s couch watching football between him and Junior. Or what Mom and Dad will have for Sunday dinner with out me. And now I’m tearing.

In these moments when I’m missing my life back home, I focus my thoughts back to what is really important after I get home.

ALL THE FOOD.

Of course the people are more important than the food, but the food is pretty damn important.

Thanksgiving this year will be at my aunt and uncle’s new San Clemente abode (they recently moved down south from northern California) and I’ve already gotten this dish approved to bring.

This is an easy twist on a festive Turkey Day side dish to take to a Thanksgiving dinner where you may not be able to do much in the kitchen. If you are making it at home it is perfect to pop in while the turkey is resting.

You will need…

1 lb broccolini, chopped into bite (you could sub broccoli if you can't find broccolini)

1 leek, white and light green parts julienned

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 tablespoons olive oil

½ cup dried cranberries

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees F.

In a large bowl, toss together the broccolini, leek, garlic, cranberries and olive oil.

Toss till everything is lightly coated with olive oil.

Spread the veggies out on a rimmed baking sheet and season well with salt and pepper.

Roast in the oven till the leeks are starting to brown. About 10 to 20 minutes, stirring once.

Remove from the oven and serve hot.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela

Roasted Brocollini with Leeks and Cranberries

1 lb broccolini, chopped into bite sized pieces (you could sub broccoli if you can't find broccolini)

1 leek, white and light green parts julienned

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 tablespoons olive oil

½ cup dried cranberries

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees F.

In a large bowl, toss together the broccolini, leek, garlic, cranberries and olive oil.

Toss till everything is lightly coated with olive oil.

Spread the veggies out on a rimmed baking sheet and season well with salt and pepper.

Roast in the oven till the leeks are starting to brown. About 10 to 20 minutes, stirring once.

Remove from the oven and serve hot. 

Tangy Coffee Barbecue Sauce

There have been some major new obsessions developing in the Samuels-Minichiello relationship. Yes, I realize that our last names together are quite a mouthful. For ease sake I’ll use our celebrity name.

Wengela.

Basically, we have deeply developed some new interests in our lives that have majorly changed the way we live.

Wesley has become completely immersed in all that has to do with coffee. The kitchen is not only full of cooking gadgets but along side the emersion blenders and stand mixers and food processors there are now weigh scales, hand grinders and special airtight containers. Oh and of course we have a coffee tree.

My new obsession is a little more mainstream but has nothing to do with the kitchen. Wes has officially turned me into a football freak. A weekly pool at his work coupled with a friends fantasy football league has me craving Sundays on the couch watching football and shit talking. Sorry mom.

My parents barely recognize this pigskin obsessed freak I’ve become. Dad’s not even that happy about it. He just seems confused.  What happened to his food, garden and fashion obsessed first-born?

But with limited time on my hands, I have to work hard to combine my loves. So football Sunday is also cooking Sunday. And the best part about cooking on Sunday is that I have all day to do it. Slow cooking and barbecue have become Sunday staples.

This sauce combines everything we love into one.

Barbecue? Love it.

Football Sunday? Can’t miss it.

Coffee? Nothing happens before coffee.

Basically this is an awesome recipe for success. This sauce is great on pretty much any red meat you can think of and is awesome with chicken. I may have just had some solo because it was that good.

You will need…

2 tablespoons butter

1 large onion, diced

6 garlic cloves, minced

2 jalapenos, most of the seeds removed and diced

2 tablespoons California chili powder

1 cup freshly brewed coffee (plus your own coffee brewer if you have one)

¼ cup ketchup

¼ cup white vinegar

1 tablepoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon molasses

½ cup water

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by heating the butter in a large heavy pot over medium heat.

Add in the onion, garlic and jalapenos and cook until the onions are softened. About 6 minutes, stirring regularly.

Add in the chili powder, ketchup, brown sugar and molasses and stir just until everything is combined.

Pour in the coffee, vinegar and water and bring to a boil. Season well with salt and pepper.

Reduce the sauce to simmer and cook on a medium low heat for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

When the sauce has reduced by about 1/4^th and has thickened a bit, remove from the heat.

After the sauce has cooled, blend in a food processor or in the pot with an emersion blender.

Use right away or store for up to two weeks.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela 

Tangy Coffee Barbecue Sauce

2 tablespoons butter

1 large onion, diced

6 garlic cloves, minced

2 jalapenos, most of the seeds removed and diced

2 tablespoons California chili powder

1 cup freshly brewed coffee

¼ cup ketchup

¼ cup white vinegar

1 tablepoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon molasses

½ cup water

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by heating the butter in a large heavy pot over medium heat.

Add in the onion, garlic and jalapenos and cook until the onions are softened. About 6 minutes, stirring regularly.

Add in the chili powder, ketchup, brown sugar and molasses and stir just until everything is combined.

Pour in the coffee, vinegar and water and bring to a boil. Season well with salt and pepper.

Reduce the sauce to simmer and cook on a medium low heat for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

When the sauce has reduced by about 1/4^th and has thickened a bit, remove from the heat.

After the sauce has cooled, blend in a food processor or in the pot with an emersion blender.

Use right away or store for up to two weeks. 

Lemon and Rosemary Grilled Whole Branzino

The thing I initially loved so much about NFT’z was the challenge.

I loooooooovvvvvvvveeeeeee a good challenge.

Sometimes I think the only reason I’m successful is because I love to win so much. I refuse to lose.

All the travel has taken its toll on my writing and cooking motivation. But when I saw these gorgeous whole Branzino (a European sea bass) my deep inner desire for a challenge was ignited.

A whole fish may seem completely intimidating. That’s natural. I was intimidated. That’s probably why it’s taken me almost five years to attempt it.

But in reality, it was a whole lot of hoopla for something that was really simple and stunningly fresh and delicious.

Now I don’t want you to be scared to try this at home. Your fish guy (or in my case gal) will gut the fish for you so it will be as simples as stuffing, grilling and serving. The only difficult part is the filleting of the fish, but if I can handle it you can handle it.

I even found a video to help get you through it.

Now you have no reason not to get after it.

You will need…

Whole branzino (I recommend ½ to a whole fish per person depending on how much they eat)

3 sprigs of rosemary per fish

4 lemon slices per fish

1 tablespoon olive oil per fish plus extra to brush the grill

Lots of salt and pepper to taste

Start by oiling the grates of your grill with olive oil. It is very important that your fish and your grill are well oiled so you don’t lose skin while grilling.

Turn your grill to a medium-high heat.

While your grill is heating, season the cavity of your fish well with salt and pepper. Stuff the fish with lemon wedges and rosemary and close the fish up tight.

Rub down each fish with about 1 tablespoon of olive oil per fish and then season the skin well with salt and pepper.

When your grill is nice and hot, place the fish on a pretty hot part of the grill. 

Cook the fish about twelve minutes a side filliping it gently once with a large spatula.

Once your fish has great grill marks and is cooked through, remove it to a warm platter to filet.

Chop off the head and tail of the fish and gently remove the fin bone and center bone. 

The flesh of the cheekbones is really tasty so you may want to get a bit of that action before tossing the heads.

Serve your filets hot on a platter topped with some of the grilled lemon and rosemary.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela

Lemon and Rosemary Grilled Whole Branzino

Whole branzino (I recommend ½ to a whole fish per person depending on how much they eat)

3 sprigs of rosemary per fish

4 lemon slices per fish

1 tablespoon olive oil per fish plus extra to brush the grill

Lots of salt and pepper to taste

Start by oiling the grates of your grill with olive oil. It is very important that your fish and your grill are well oiled so you don’t lose skin while grilling.

Turn your grill to a medium-high heat.

While your grill is heating, season the cavity of your fish well with salt and pepper. Stuff the fish with lemon wedges and rosemary and close the fish up tight.

Rub down each fish with about 1 tablespoon of olive oil per fish and then season the skin well with salt and pepper.

When your grill is nice and hot, place the fish on a pretty hot part of the grill. Cook the fish about twelve minutes a side filliping it gently once with a large spatula.

 Once your fish has great grill marks and is cooked through, remove it to a warm platter to filet.

Chop off the head and tail of the fish and gently remove the fin bone and center bone. The flesh of the cheekbones is really tasty so you may want to get a bit of that action before tossing the heads.

Serve your filets hot on a platter topped with some of the grilled lemon and rosemary. 

Fennel, Radish and Butter Lettuce Salad with Zesty Chive Dressing

From the appearance of this here blog… I’ve been pretty lazy lately.

And I will admit, I was pretty lazy in the last week and half. 

Wes and I went on a much-needed little Hawaiian vacay to the north shore of Oahu. 

This was after my five-day work trip to Vegas. Which was right after my eight-day dork trip to New York.

So I’m not sure if I’ve been lazy as much as I’ve been exhausted.

When I’m not on the road, I should be writing about any of the tasty dishes in my pretty large backlog of things I’ve cooked lately. But more and more I’m finding myself with my new food love. The garden.

I turned over about fifty square feet of pretty crappy earth on the side of Wes’s place back in April and I have been working my developing green thumb on that little patch hoping for some yummy goodies to come out of it.

Naturally, there have been successes and failures. I seem to be able to get squash blossoms just fine, but no actual squash want to come my way. 

The basil is out of hand but my cilantro super sucked. 

Just like my early cooking days, it is trial by fire out in that little dirt patch but I’m as determined now as I was then. Maybe more so.

This dish features on of my favorite garden goodies and one of my most successful first crops. The radish. In my opinion, a highly underrated little root veggie that adds a ton of zest and flavor to anything it is served with.

You will need…

1 head butter lettuce (also known as Bibb or Boston) chopped into bite-sized pieces

8 radishes thinly sliced

1 cup croutons

1 bulb fennel, halved and light green part thinly sliced

½ cup olive oil

¼ cup red wine vinegar

1 tablespoons whole grain Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon finely chopped chives

1 tablespoon honey

Salt and pepper to taste

In a large bowl, combine the lettuce, radishes and fennel and set aside.

Then in a small bowl or jar, combine the oil, vinegar, mustard, chives and honey and season well with salt and pepper. Whisk or shake till the dressing is completely combined.

Drizzle the dressing over the greens and top the salad with croutons.

Toss well and serve.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela 

Fennel, Radish and Butter Lettuce Salad with Zesty Chive Dressing

 1 head butter lettuce (also known as Bibb or Boston) chopped into bite-sized pieces

8 radishes thinly sliced

1 cup croutons

1 bulb fennel, halved and light green part thinly sliced

½ cup olive oil

¼ cup red wine vinegar

1 tablespoons whole grain Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon finely chopped chives

1 tablespoon honey

Salt and pepper to taste

In a large bowl, combine the lettuce, radishes and fennel and set aside.

Then in a small bowl or jar, combine the oil, vinegar, mustard, chives and honey and season well with salt and pepper. Whisk or shake till the dressing is completely combined.

Drizzle the dressing over the greens and top the salad with croutons.

Toss well and serve.

Grilled Green Bean and Heirloom Tomato Salad

When I was twenty-two and a few months into my first job as a sales assistant in the fashion industry, the VP of my department sat me down to tell me that she had to let one of the sales assistants go and that she didn’t think that I had what it took to be in sales. And in the matter of twenty-minutes I lost my job and most of my confidence.

Lucky for me, other people saw something in me and I was hired back the next day to a different department.

And while owning my own restaurant is the ultimate goal, I’ve spent the last six years trying to prove that woman wrong. There is nothing I love more than proving people wrong. And foodie friends, I have.

August 1^st was my first day as the northeast sales representative for all four of my companies brands. I will be toting my lines all over New York and the surrounding areas and spending ten days a month on the east coast.

Chachachachanges.

Of course my favorite part will be the food, but proving to myself and ahem… certain other doubters that I can do whatever I put my mind to will be pretty awesome too.

Now I know I’ve been bad at writing. I do have to sleep after all. But that doesn’t mean I haven’t been cooking up some tasty delights.

We are about to hit one of my favorite times of year. That special few months when the heirloom tomato is readily available and at its most delicious. So as usual during August and September I’m trying to stick them in every dish possible.

This one happens to be the perfect blend of cool and crisp. I have no doubt it will end up in your summer rotation.

You will need…

1lb green beans, ends trimmed and halved

1lb heirloom tomatoes, diced into large but bite sized chunks

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 lemon, juiced

¼ cup blue cheese

¼ cup pine nuts

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by preheating your grill pan to a medium heat.

In a medium bowl, toss together 1 tablespoons of olive oil and the green beans and season well with salt and pepper and set aside.

In a small pan, heat the pine nuts over medium heat until they are lightly browned and toasty. About 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

When the grill is hot, place the green beans in a grill basket or directly on the grill. Be carefully to make sure your beans do not fall through the grill grates.

Grill the beans just until they are slightly tender. About 8 to 10 minutes. You still want them to be crisp. Remove them from the heat and allow them to cool to room temperature.

When the beans have cooled, toss together the pine nuts, blue cheese, tomato and green beans.

Drizzle the salad with the remaining olive oil, lemon juice and season well with salt and pepper.

Toss well and serve.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela  

Grilled Green Bean and Heirloom Tomato Salad

1lb green beans, ends trimmed and halved

1lb heirloom tomatoes, diced into large but bite sized chunks

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 lemon, juiced

¼ cup blue cheese

¼ cup pine nuts

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by preheating your grill pan to a medium heat.

In a medium bowl, toss together 1 tablespoons of olive oil and the green beans and season well with salt and pepper and set aside.

In a small pan, heat the pine nuts over medium heat until they are lightly browned and toasty. About 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

When the grill is hot, place the green beans in a grill basket or directly on the grill. Be carefully to make sure your beans do not fall through the grill grates.

Grill the beans just until they are slightly tender. About 8 to 10 minutes. You still want them to be crisp. Remove them from the heat and allow them to cool to room temperature.

When the beans have cooled, toss together the pine nuts, blue cheese, tomato and green beans.

Drizzle the salad with the remaining olive oil, lemon juice and season well with salt and pepper.

Toss well and serve. 

Balsamic Lamb Tenderloin and Fig Kabobs

I got the blues. The Monday after a super fun and indulgent three day weekend kind of blues.

And I’ve got them bad.

You know your weekend is pretty badass when you lead off with Friday night fire works and surf and turf. Follow it up with multiple trips to the beach and some at home beer tasting and sausage smoking and you have the recipe for a kick butt weekend.

And then comes Monday. Crashing down on all your weekend glory.

The only thing that can get me through a brutal Monday such as this? A bike ride and a tasty meal. This twist on a summer favorite is just the ticket.

You will need…

1 ½ lbs lamb tenderloin, chopped into 1 inch pieces

2 cups figs, quartered

½ cup balsamic vinegar

¼ cup olive oil plus 2 extra tablespoons

1 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary

3 garlic cloves, minced

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by whisking together the vinegar, ¼ cup olive oil, garlic and rosemary. Season well with salt and pepper.

Pour the marinade over the lamb in a shallow dish.

While the lamb marinates for 30 minutes up to over night, soak 8 wooden skewers in water so they will not burn.

Preheat the grill to a medium high heat.

Brush the figs with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper and set aside.

When the lamb has marinated, skewer the meat and figs alternating. Reserve the marinade.

Grill the kabobs over a high heat until the lamb is cooked to medium rare. About 4 minutes a side. 

When the lamb is cooked, remove from the heat and cover with aluminum foil. Let rest for 5 minutes.

While the lamb is grilling, pour the marinade into a small saucepan. Simmer the marinade over medium heat and allow it to reduce. When the sauce has thickened and reduced by half, remove from the heat. About 15 minutes.

To serve, drizzle the reduced marinade over the kabobs and serve hot.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela

Balsamic Lamb Tenderloin and Fig Kabobs

1 ½ lbs lamb tenderloin, chopped into 1 inch pieces

2 cups figs, quartered

½ cup balsamic vinegar

¼ cup olive oil plus 2 extra tablespoons

1 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary

3 garlic cloves, minced

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by whisking together the vinegar, ¼ cup olive oil, garlic and rosemary. Season well with salt and pepper.

Pour the marinade over the lamb in a shallow dish.

While the lamb marinates for 30 minutes up to over night, soak 8 wooden skewers in water so they will not burn.

Preheat the grill to a medium high heat.

Brush the figs with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper and set aside.

When the lamb has marinated, skewer the meat and figs alternating. Reserve the marinade.

Grill the kabobs over a high heat until the lamb is cooked to medium rare. About 4 minutes a side. When the lamb is cooked, remove from the heat and cover with aluminum foil. Let rest for 5 minutes.

While the lamb is grilling, pour the marinade into a small saucepan. Simmer the marinade over medium heat and allow it to reduce. When the sauce has thickened and reduced by half, remove from the heat. About 15 minutes.

To serve, drizzle the reduced marinade over the kabobs and serve hot.