Eatentions

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Michelle Michelotti-Martinez

Lemon, Ricotta and Almond Flourless Cake

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This is just one of those cakes that you can keep stashed at a continuum, the perfect balance of lemon, almond, and raw sugar. All to satisfy that mid-afternoon or late evening sweet tooth attack. Another awesome addition (if it’s a concern) it’s gluten-free. To me, that’s a free pass to “GO” for a second helping!

I stumbled across this recipe from Cakelets and Doilies (www.cakeletsanddoilies) while looking for inspiration to re-create a recipe my Italian great aunt used to make every summer during my childhood on our annual visits.

I fondly remember those trips and the family gathering at her modest home where she lived with my grandpa, her brother. Its one of those great little houses, yellow with a white picket fence, front porch, big backyard with a garden, and a basement. The basement was my grandpas “man cave” where he brewed wine and grappa but I’ll leave that venture for another post!

The inside was decorated with religious pictures and favorite saints and the doors were sliding accordion-style screens. The color was simple and the furniture was covered in fabrics of various patterns. She always had bowl after bowl of licorice candies with chewy coatings, the penny ones, pretty colors and all different sizes and shapes but in the middle was black licorice, my favorite.

There was always one evening where she invited the entire Italian side of my mom’s family to dinner and prayed for no rain; so thankful for those houseful of saints, I’m sure they pulled some extra weight when asking for the favor. There had to be 30+ of us and if we were to be forced inside, it would be similar to the game “how many people can you fit in your VW bug”? Yeah, you remember the one and some of them I didn’t feel like getting so “up close and personal” if you know what I mean.

The meal was always the same, homemade Italian red rice with meat sauce, roasted chicken, homemade bread, salad, and desserts. There were always 2 store bought cakes, a chocolate and a white with gooey Crisco frosting (a super artery clogger but a LOVE when you’re a kid) and then the lemon ricotta cake from her childhood. I always ate the frosting from the store bought cakes to not hurt her feelings but I was smart enough to hold out and be first in line for the homemade lemon wonder.

I still think my favorite part (other than the cake) was bolting through the front door to be met with the intense aroma of the red meat sauce that filled the air and brought me comfort and satisfaction immediately. Imagine waiting 365 days each year for the initial hit…now that’s a food addict.

It usually took her 2 days to make the dinner and we ate it in 2 minutes. Now I personally understand what a complement to a cook that really is, no wonder she never changed the menu.

So here’s to my Aunt Mary, I’m sure there was some different “secret ingredients” but this is as close to perfect as I remember. Hope you’re smiling from above….

Lemon, Ricotta and Almond Flourless Cake
 
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This is great the next day, after it’s completely chilled, and the flavor and texture seems to get better with time. Serve it with a glass of Vin Santo or Moscato.
Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Serves: 8
Ingredients
  • 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
  • 1⅓ cups cane sugar
  • 1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
  • ¼ cup lemon zest
  • 4 eggs, separated and at room temperature
  • 2½ cups almond meal
  • 10½ oz fresh ricotta
  • Flaked almonds, to decorated
  • Icing sugar, for dusting
Instructions
  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line the base and sides of a 9 inch round springform pan with parchment paper and set aside.
  2. Place the butter, 1 cup cane sugar, vanilla seeds and lemon zest in an electric mixer and beat for 8-10 minutes or until pale and creamy. Scrap down the sides of the bowl, then gradually add the egg yolks, one at a time, continuing to beat until fully combined. Add the almond meal and beat to combine. Fold ricotta through the almond meal mixture.
  3. Beat the egg whites in a clean bowl with a hand-held electric mixer until soft peaks form. Gradually add the remaining sugar to the egg whites mixture and whisk until stiff peaks form. Gently fold a third of the egg whites into the cake mixture. Repeat with the rest of the egg whites.
  4. Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin, smooth the tops with a palette knife, decorate the cake with almond flakes, and bake for 45-50 minutes or until cooked and firm to touch. Allow to cool completely in the cake tin. Dust with icing sugar to serve.

 

Beef and Lamb Meatballs with Fava Beans and Lemon!

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BEEF AND LAMB MEATBALLS WITH FAVA BEANS AND LEMON

This dish just makes me happy. I’m going to start this post with that statement because I can. It is just the BEST of all worlds when you bring in every element.

I found this brilliant gem in Yotam Ottolenghi’s book Jerusalem. This book is stacked full of simply delicious recipes and I find myself pouring through its contents on a regular basis.

What makes it fun is to read his memories of the dishes and go then back to the archives of my travel ventures and compare notes. While I haven’t been to Jerusalem, I have had the pleasure of eating many a delish meal heavily influenced by the Jewish traditions and ingredients.

So this trip down memory lane brings me to Spain, if you can believe that. Yeah, I know, it’s a bit FAR and I’m not even in the same arena but hang with me, there’s a story.

If you have ever had the chance to go to the Andalucía area of Spain, the food simply rocks, really. We ate our way through the cities, villages, train stations, wherever. Nowhere was disappointing.

On one of our gluttonous jaunts, we stumbled across a Moroccan restaurant in Rhonda, Spain. We found it off the beaten path from the old town center. The outside tables were across a small street in a park so of course we chose to sit there. Plus it was fun to watch the waiters carry food and drink out while dogging the cars zipping through the square. It was impressive and I wondered how they interviewed for their staff? “Looking for waiters who are talented in stunt work”.

The menu itself was an inch thick and I immediately thought, HOW can they be this good at ALL of this? Well, we were here and if nothing else, the entertainment was worth it and I can always drink wine.

I decided we would need 3 days to study the menu so we asked the stunt man, I mean waiter for his recommendations. As he started page by page, we quickly realized we just needed to entrust this multi-talented man with the task of satisfying our pallets.

He was very calculated as he chose the dishes he felt would please our curiosity and us; he didn’t disappoint. Three hours later, we were filled with the most exquisite combinations of spices, herbs, nuts, and fruits emulsified into sauces and dressed over appetizers, salads, and then fish and lamb. The flavors were so complex and their layers lingered through the entire experience of the dishes.

One of the highlight dishes we had were lamb meatballs laced with almonds, herbs, and various spices and then placed in a delicate sauce of lamb stock, beans, and onion. I dreamt of the restaurant and this dish for days and returned twice in hopes of conquering the menu but always ended up with this favorite.

This recipe takes me back to the park across the street from the little restaurant.

Beef and Lamb Meatballs with Fava Beans and Lemon!
 
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Pair up the fava bean with another springtime delicacy, lamb and finish it all with the brightness of lemon and you have the PERFECT dish! Mop this up with fresh pita bread OR serve it over basmati/orzo rice…perhaps do BOTH, which is my favorite! I also add a yogurt-tahini sauce to the top which mixes in a creaminess to the complex flavors.
Author:
Recipe type: Entree
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • For the meatballs
  • ½ lb minced beef
  • ½ lb minced lamb
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 1 cup breadcrumbs
  • 2 tbsp each chopped flat-leaf parsley, mint, dill and coriander, plus ½ tbsp extra of each to finish
  • 2 large garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 tbsp baharat spice mix, recipe below
  • 1 tbsp ground cumin
  • 2 tsp capers, chopped
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 4½ tbsp olive oil
  • 1½ cups fava beans, fresh or frozen
  • 
4 whole thyme sprigs
  • 6 garlic cloves, sliced
  • 8 spring onions, cut at an angle into 2cm segments
  • 2½ tbsp lemon juice
  • 
2½ cups chicken stock
  • salt and black pepper
  • Baharat spice mix:
  • 4 tablespoons ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons ground coriander
  • Fresh cinnamon stick
  • 2 tablespoons ground cloves
  • 3 tablespoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 4 teaspoons fresh nutmeg, grated
  • 4 tablespoons paprika
Instructions
  1. Put all the ingredients for the meatballs in a large bowl. Add three-quarters of a teaspoon of salt and plenty of black pepper, mix with your hands and form into balls about the size of ping-pong balls. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in an extra-large frying pan for which you have a lid. Sear half the meatballs over a medium heat, turning them until they are brown all over – this will take about five minutes. Remove from the pan, add another half-tablespoon of oil to the pan and cook the other batch of meatballs. Once browned all over, remove these from the pan, too, then wipe it clean with paper towel.
  2. While the meatballs are cooking, throw the fava beans into a pot with plenty of salted boiling water and blanch for two minutes. Drain, refresh under cold water, then remove and discard the skins from half the fava beans.
  3. Heat the remaining oil in the meatball pan, add the thyme, garlic and spring onion, and sauté over a medium heat for three minutes. Add the unshelled fava beans, 1/1/2 tablespoons of the lemon juice, ⅓ cup of the stock, a ¼ teaspoon of salt and plenty of black pepper. The beans should be almost covered by liquid. Pop on the lid and cook over a low heat for 10 minutes.
  4. Return the meatballs to the pan, add the remaining stock, cover again and simmer gently for 25 minutes. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning. If it is still very runny, remove the lid and reduce a little. Once the meatballs stop cooking, they will soak up a lot of the juices, so make sure there is still plenty of sauce at this point. You can leave the meatballs now, off the heat, until you're ready to serve.
  5. Just before serving, reheat the meatballs and add a more broth, if needed, to get enough sauce. Gently stir in the remaining herbs, lemon juice and the shelled fava beans and serve immediately.

Fish Tacos!

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For me, they first time I had a love affair with the mahi mahi was in Cancun, Mexico. No, I wasn’t on a wild spring break fling but coming through off of a cruise ship excursion. We had been on the high seas for about 4 days I think and had my fill of the endless buffet gorging festivities backed by the crew making sure my wine glass NEVER hit under half full. It is certain you will never starve on a cruise ship or be sober, quite a makeup for the ultimate vacation extravaganza.

Needless to say, I was ready for something fresh, of excellent quantity, local, and away from the floating city on the sea. I was longing for a table just for the two of us instead of two thousand of my now closest friends.

Because my better half can speak Spanish, we were able to find some locals to strike up a friendly conversation and learn about the happening hotspots where tourists don’t trespass. Apparently, we passed some sort of test that got us carte blanche service inclusive of an escort taking us to the secret location where my love affair began.

We arrived at the locale and I looked to Enrique and said, “we are never going to make it alive, he has taken us to our demise.” The building was wooden, almost like a barn, worn down and with two huge doors and no outside windows. He opened the rickety old door and bowed down waving us through as if we were entering his personal castle. We reluctantly entered and the closing of the door sealed our fate, we were in and no turning back.

Apparently someone had phoned ahead to expect us because as soon as the door slammed, Jose the proprietor greeted us with a welcome hug. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw there were actually tables and people in them, laughing. Okay, this was an eating establishment. Whew…

Jose led us through the maze of tables and suddenly we around a corner and both of us gasped in disbelief, the restaurant opened to the whitest beach I had ever seen leading into the endless aqua blue Caribbean Ocean. Dotted all along the beach front were palapas with white wicker tables and chairs and each one had it’s own waiter/waitress. If you wished, you could chose to have a massage while enjoying the view, after all the table was yours for the afternoon. We froze in awe, no wonder this was disguised as a warehouse; the entire country would descend daily to drink in the perfection. How did hit this jackpot?

At this point, I don’t think either of us cared if the food was good and probably would have been fine missing the sailing time; this was heavens oasis and we were going to stay to the very last possible moment. We traded off with a massage between our starter of mariscos and the main event of fish tacos. I sipped a cerveza and the sea breeze kept us cool and refreshed, it was simply magical.

We were so lost in time that we almost forgot the whole reason for the excursion, to experience the renowned fish tacos. It was time and we were ready. We were given two choices, either grilled or fried and we decided on one of each.

They arrived on a simple black platter, piled on house made corn tortillas and a plethora of fresh garnishing’s from the owners garden. Red and green cabbage tossed with a little limejuice, roasted corn and bell peppers, sautéed green onion with jalapeno, and queso fresco. The sauce was a simple tomato wonder and complemented everything perfectly. This is as close to paradise as I will ever get…

So here is my rendition of the dish. I chose to do a marinade on the fish to mimic the spice and depth of flavor I remembered on those sandy shores of Mexico. I finish it off in the oven to ensure the fish stays moist and flake and the rest is up to you to decide…..

Enjoy your trip to the Caribbean Sea and make sure you take in a cerveza or two….

Fish Tacos!
 
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Here Fishy Fishy! What is better than a FABULOUS fish taco on a warm summer evening with a cold cerveza, some great music and lots of friends and laughter? Personally, it is one of ALL time favorite meals! Light but flavorful, healthy and quick to prepare. All it takes is a perfect combination of fish, garnish, and salsa…….and your imagination! (Of course, a seaside backdrop doesn't hurt)!
Author:
Recipe type: Entree
Cuisine: Mexican
Serves: 8
Ingredients
  • Tacos:
  • 1 pound white flaky fish, such as mahi mahi or orata
  • ⅛ cup canola oil
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • 1 tablespoons chipotle chili powder
  • 1 jalapeno, coarsely chopped
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
  • 8 corn tortillas
  • Garnish:
  • shredded napa cabbage
  • queso fresco
  • 1 bunch thinly sliced green onion
  • 1 corn, grilled and cut off cob
  • 2 bell peppers, red and orange, diced
  • chopped cilantro leaves
  • roasted tomato salsa, recipe follows
  • Roasted tomato salsa:
  • 6-8 tomatoes, placed on parchment paper and on cookie sheet
  • 1 small red onion, coarsely chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place fish on a medium size pan with sides. Whisk together the oil, lime juice, chipotle, jalapeno, and cilantro and pour over the fish. Let marinate for 15 to 20 minutes.
  2. While fish is marinating, cook corn on grill and take off cob. Heat a sauté pan over medium and add a little oil, green onion, and bell pepper. Cook until blistered and season with salt and pepper, add corn.
  3. Put in oven and cook the fish for 15 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes then flake the fish with a fork.
  4. Place the tortillas stovetop and grill both sides for 30 seconds
  5. Roasted Tomato Salsa:
  6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put tomatoes on a baking tray and cook for 30 minutes or until soft. P Heat oil in medium saucepan, add onions and garlic and cook until soft. In a food processor, add tomatoes and onion and garlic mixture and puree until smooth, salt and pepper, to taste.
  7. Assembly tacos by dividing tortillas among plates, put fish on top and then garnish with desired toppings and roasted tomato salsa.

Brussels Sprout Salad with Pomegranate Seeds, Pecorino Cheese, and Honey Roasted Almonds

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When I was growing up, I used to curl up my nose when my mom fixed us brussels sprouts. All I remember is they were boiled to oblivion, bitter, and served plain with a little butter, salt, and pepper.

Nothing about the baby looking cabbages was fashionable. They hadn’t hit the gastronomic scene yet and it certainly didn’t’ put me on the “most desired house” list for Friday night slumber parties.

I’m sure your wondering what changed? Why the miraculous turn around to even remotely give them a chance? Could it be that the culinary scene became obsessed with them and I just couldn’t allow myself not to be a part of the intrigue? Maybe……but nonetheless, I decided to venture out.

Before I knew it, I was a connoisseur. Ordering them roasted and combined with pancetta, shallots, and a mustard-vinegar dressing or blanched, cut in half, and blistered in a cast iron skillet with red pepper flakes, lemon, and a little honey. I was a forever fan.

Going from ordering to preparing was a natural passage. I experimented with so many marinades, ingredients, and seasonings along with various different preparation methods. I definitely have “honed” in on some favorites and this recipe is one of them; they even have become a staple on the Thanksgiving Menu…..a true “ode” to the brussels sprout.

Now that we are coming up on brussels sprout season where you find the monstrosity looking stocks with little cabbages dotting out from the sides, load up! First off, they are too fun look at and buy and secondly, when you push them around in your shopping cart, they are quite the conversation piece and rubber-neck starter.

On that note, this version a change from the traditional roasted, pan-seared, or blistered methods, it’s fresh, bright, and accompanies any dish PLUS it’s easily sold to any brussels sprout opponent…I promise, it is tried and tested.

Brussels Sprout Salad with Pomegranate Seeds, Pecorino Cheese, and Honey Roasted Almonds
 
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my version of a salad not “raw” instead par-boiled and served with a fresh and light dressing, pomegranate seeds, pecorino cheese, and honey roasted almonds. While there is a bit of labor intensiveness in obtaining the leaves, this version converts even the “skeptic” Brussels sprout critic and is WELL WORTH the effort! Sure to please, anytime of year! Enjoy!!!!
Author:
Recipe type: Salad
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
  • 1½ teaspoons fresh lemon juice
  • ¼ teaspoon grated lemon zest
  • 1 teaspoon whole-grain mustard
  • 1 small clove garlic, minced
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
  • For the Salad:
  • ½ pound Brussels sprouts, blanched and leaves only (3½ cups leaves)
  • ½ cup pomegranate seeds
  • 2 tablespoons honey roasted shaved almonds
  • pecorino, shaved
Instructions
  1. Make the dressing: Whisk the olive oil in a small bowl. In a large bowl, whisk the honey, vinegar, lemon juice, lemon zest, mustard, garlic, ½ teaspoon salt and a pinch of pepper.
  2. Slowly whisk the oil mixture into the vinegar mixture until combined. Refrigerate at least 1 hour; store in an airtight container up to 1 week.
  3. Make the salad: Blanch the brussels sprout leaves for 5 minutes and immediately put in ice water to stop cooking. Peel leaves off and put in a bowl.
  4. Toss the Brussels sprout leaves, pomegranate seeds, almonds and ¼ cup dressing in a large bowl. Pile the salad onto a plate. Top with the pecorino and season with pepper.