where the image is meant to titillate and inspire the cook
Lamb Rack Chops over Toasted Baguette topped with a Slice of Brie
Rice Wine Vinegar Blue Agave Mint Sauce and Walnuts
Recently in Las Vegas, we had an awesome tapas & sherry dinner at Julian Serrano which I wrote about here. One of the dishes was called “beef and cheese” prime tenderloin/ brie cheese/ honey/ walnuts (it’s pictured above).
Julian, I stole your concept for my lamb dish!
Yesterday I wrote about this Tunisian red-chile-pepper paste as a marinade for swordfish. Here the Harissa is tossed with broccolini and chickpeas, giving this simple pairing of a vegetable and beans a spicy exotic flavor.
Fresh Pacific Swordfish with Chinese Fermented Black Bean Garlic Marinade
Fresh Pacific Swordfish with North African Harissa Marinade
For a fresh twist, pair your common fish with uncommon flavors!
Try these two piquant marinades – from a jar and a tube!
stuffed piquillo peppers/ goat cheese/ mushrooms
Las Vegas
On this night we sat at the bar at Julian Serrano in the Aria Resort & Casino. Color, food, people, energy! Serrano wanted his eponymous restaurant to offer flexibility and comfort to all guests; from a quick bite to a long meal, small bites to larger portions, and what he calls economics – spend a little or spend a lot, he’s serving Spanish foods of his homeland with an International flair…
Back in December we made Frank’s recipe for Pasta e Ceci from his wonderful blog inspired by the home cooking of his Italian grandmother called Memorie Di Angelina. I had all the ingredients on hand; canned chickpeas, olive oil, garlic, pasta, vegetable broth, canned diced tomato, fresh rosemary, red chile flakes. Then in February we were equally impressed with Linda’s recipe for Zuppa di Ceci from her absolutely delightful blog about food and travel, Ciao Chow Linda.
I’ve enjoyed experimenting with the recipe for Italian chickpea soups. It’s high fiber and heart healthy, made with ingredients from the pantry plus fresh rosemary and garlic. The combination of these simple flavors produces an amazingly complex-tasting result. In about 15 minutes!