Spaghetti AFRAID-O with White Carrot Phalanges

Spaghetti AFRAID-O with White Carrot Phalanges

Spaghetti AFRAID-O with White Carrot Phalanges

Are you wondering what to serve for dinner on HALLOWEEN night? Something delicious and nutritious to counter-balance all that candy? SCARE your family with Spaghetti AFRAID-O!

It is a downright DISTURBING dish where alfredo and marinara sauces depict DEATH or at the very least, some SEVERE INJURY as FINGER BONES are MANGLED among BLACK bean spaghetti.

The idea for this dish came to me in a NIGHTMARE, it is the second in a series of three original FRIGHTFULLY fun and flavorful BLACK bean spaghetti recipes developed for my friends at Explore Cuisine.

The challenge was to create three HORRIFYING recipes. They needed to be GORY yes, but also DEVILISHLY delicious. This one is organic, meatless, gluten-free, and lower-carb too.

Spaghetti AFRAID-O with White Carrot Phalanges

Spaghetti AFRAID-O Recipe

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Deviled Eyes Buried in Garlicky Black Bean Spaghetti Spoons

Deviled Eyes Nestled in Garlicky Black Bean Spaghetti Spoons

Deviled Eyes Buried in Garlicky Black Bean Spaghetti Spoons

Happy Halloween! DEVILED Eyes BURIED in Garlicky Black Bean Spaghetti Spoons are the first in a series of three original FRIGHTFULLY fun and flavorful BLACK bean spaghetti recipes developed for my friends at Explore Cuisine.

The challenge was to create three UNNERVING recipes with a GHOULISH bent. They needed to be CREEPY yes, but also DEVILISHLY delicious with a unique presentation – the first ones to DISAPPEAR from the halloween buffet.

To keep the VAMPIRES at bay, dish #1 is quite garlicky. BLACK spaghetti is tossed with olive oil, GARLIC, fresh herbs, red chile flakes and crumbled egg yolk, while EERIE eyeballs are flavored with GARLIC mayonnaise. BLOODSUCKERS BEWARE!

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Korean Chili con Carne with Red Beans and Kimchi

Korean Chili con Carne with Red Beans and Kimchi

Korean Chili Con Carne
Red Beans, Kimchi, Shishito Peppers
Sesame Garlic Yogurt, Yellow Pickled Radish, Scallion

How’s your Korean food vocabulary? Gochujang, gochugaru, kkwarigochu, pat, kimchi, danmuji, pachae, chamgireum and bokkeun-kkae are some of the ingredients that transform a traditional chili con carne into this super-flavorful Korean Chili with a unique topping.

Gochujang and gochugaru are sold in varying degrees of spiciness. For this recipe, I use medium-hot heat level as shown on the packaging. Gochujang is a Korean red chili paste with sweet heat and a fermented umami richness. It has a balanced fruitiness, slight smokiness and depth of flavor from the sun-dried Korean red peppers. Gochugaru, also made from sun-dried red peppers, is a coarse-ground chili powder. Together, they give this chili its distinctive Korean spiciness. Kkwarigochu (shishito) are thin-walled mild peppers with a fresh green vegetal flavor and just a whisper of heat. But beware, every once in a while, there’s a hot one in the bunch! Kkwarigochu stand in for green bell pepper used in standard recipes.

Korean Chili con Carne with Red Beans and Kimchi

The usual Western chili toppings of onion, cheese, and sour cream are replaced with a Korean flair. Pachae (curled green scallion) stands in for the diced white onion. Yellow cheddar is replaced by danmuji, a yellow pickled radish that is sweet, sour and crispy. Thick tangy yogurt gets a punch from garlic and rich toasty notes from sesame oil. Finally bokkeun-kkae (toasted sesame seeds) add visual appeal, nutty notes, they are a common Korean garnish.

Korean Chili con Carne with Red Beans and Kimchi Recipe
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Palos Verdes Pastoral Featuring Basque Cuisine

Palos Verdes Pastoral, A Garden to Table Dining Experience

Palos Verdes Pastoral
A Garden to Table Dining Experience
Featuring Basque Cuisine

The art of good eating and culinary style are at the heart of Basque culture. Basque cookery is influenced by the landscape featuring both cuisine from the coast and cuisine from the mountains and fertile valleys.

Terranea Resort’s Executive Chef Bernard Ibarra prepared dishes inspired by the land of his childhood at a dinner where the hills and coastline of Palos Verdes, California mirror the terrain of his beloved Basque Country.

The Chef brought a true garden-to-table concept to the event introducing diners to the flourishing textures, colors, flavors and aromas of the charmed Basque region with predominantly French and Spanish influence.

Palos Verdes Pastoral is a fundraising event that brings people together amidst nature for an exclusive al fresco dining experience with magnificent views of Catalina Island on a warm Autumn evening. The enchanting meal created by Chef Bernard, showcased the best of California-grown, hand-crafted, organic, and sustainable food and wine.

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Pumpkin Ricotta Wontons, Maple, Pomegranate, Lime

Pumpkin Ricotta Wontons, Maple, Pomegranate, Lime

Spiced Pumpkin Ricotta Wontons
Maple Syrup, Pomegranate, Lime Zest, Powdered Sugar

Sweet creamy ricotta is mixed with pumpkin puree, a bit of sugar and salt, plus a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and cloves. Wonton wrappers are filled with this heavenly mixture and fried to a puffy golden brown.

The warm wontons are drizzled with two syrups – maple and pomegranate, dusted with powdered sugar, and sprinkled with pomegranate arils and lime zest for a delightful autumnal dessert. ‘Tis the season for pomegranates and pumpkins!

Pumpkin Ricotta Wonton Recipe

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