Tag: Taste With The Eyes

Fresh Fig Salad with Fig Vinaigrette

Fresh Fig Salad with Fig Vinaigrette

Fresh Fig Salad with Fig Vinaigrette
Arugula, Prosciutto, Bleu Cheese, Toasted Pine Nuts, Basil

It’s fig season! Fresh figs combined with peppery arugula, crispy prosciutto, pungent bleu cheese, toasted pine nuts and a fruity vinaigrette –  this fig salad offers a harmonious balance of sweet, salty, peppery, nutty, and tangy flavors. And the figs add vibrant color to this salad. Their deep purple or green skin and the rich, pinkish flesh insides are perfect for creating a stunning summer dish.

There are hundreds of varieties of figs in the world with several grown in California:

  • The Black Mission Fig was named after the mission fathers who planted the fruit as they made their way north along the California coast. It is famous for its distinctive flavor and deep purple hue.
  • The Kadota Fig is the American version of the original Italian Dattato. It is thick-skinned and is a beautiful amber color when ripe.
  • The Brown Turkey Fig is purplish-brown in color with green shades around its neck. The pulp is an amber color and it has a very mild flavor.
  • The Calimyrna Fig is known for its delicious nut-like flavor and tender, golden skin.
  • The Sierra Fig has a light-colored green skin with a fresh, sweet flavor like a Riesling.
  • The Tiger Fig has a light yellow color with unique dark green stripes and a bright red-purple interior fruit with fruity, raspberry, citrus flavor.

If possible try to compose this salad with a few different varieties.

Fresh Fig Salad with Fig Vinaigrette Recipe

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Chicken Noodle Soup with Calabrian Chili Matzoh Balls

Chicken Noodle Soup with Calabrian Chili Matzoh Balls

Chicken Noodle Soup
with
Calabrian Chili Matzoh Balls

Over the years I’ve made hundreds of matzoh balls, usually in the Traditional style, but often with a twist with different flavors or techniques such as: Saffron, Mexican, Horseradish, Fried, Vietnamese, Turkey, Edible Flowers, and more!

This time, I added Calabrian chili to the mix to make fabulously flavorful and somewhat spicy matzoh balls with a distinct Italian flair.

Trader Joe’s Italian Bomba Hot Pepper Sauce is made with Calabrian chili peppers sourced from a trusted pepper cultivator in Calabria, Italy (the “toe” of Italy’s “boot”). Their Italian Bomba Hot Sauce is a tribute to a centuries-old culinary tradition.

Since the 1500s, Calabrian hot chili peppers have been a staple of Southern Italian cuisine, especially when crushed, fermented, and mixed into a fiery hot condiment, just like this Bomba Sauce. The natural fruity notes of the peppers are amplified by the slightly pickled flavor and texture they take on during fermentation, making it particularly suited for pasta dishes and pizzas, and who knew, matzoh balls too?

Chicken Noodle Soup with Calabrian Chili Matzoh Balls Recipe

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Breaking All the Rules for Cacio e Pepe

Breaking all the Rules: Cacio e Pepe

Breaking all the Rules for Cacio e Pepe

This isn’t a traditional Cacio e Pepe recipe, nor does it claim to be authentically Italian. It’s not meant to be classic, but I created this spaghetti and shrimp dish with my nephew in mind…and boy oh boy is it good!

He had enjoyed a delightful Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe at Chef Roma’s Kitchen, a local Las Vegas restaurant. Being a cheese lover, he also adores shrimp, plenty of butter, and a hint of spice.

So I dedicate this dish to Jett. To which he said, “that shrimp dish looks AMAZING, it looks so flavorful and it looks like the best shrimp I would ever taste.” I ❤️ you, dear.

Cacio e Pepe is a classic Roman pasta dish that translates to “cheese and pepper.” Despite its simplicity, it delivers a remarkable depth of flavor and a comforting, creamy texture. The dish is traditionally made with just three main ingredients: pasta, Pecorino Romano cheese, and freshly ground black pepper.

Breaking all the Rules for Cacio e Pepe

Breaking the Rules

If you strive for an authentic dish, don’t make this one!

The beauty of Cacio e Pepe lies in its simplicity, achieved through the emulsion of cheese, pasta water, and pepper. Adding butter, cream, or oil can make the dish overly rich and detracts from its true flavor.

Similarly, adding extra cheese at the end can disrupt the balance. The emulsification should occur as the pasta is being mixed with the sauce, not as a final touch.

Cacio e Pepe is deeply rooted in Roman culinary tradition. Introducing ingredients like red chili flakes alters the dish’s character, steering it away from its classic origins.

While adding basil can bring a fresh, aromatic note that complements many Italian dishes, it’s still a departure from the traditional Roman recipe. Basil introduces a herbal, slightly sweet flavor that, while delicious, isn’t typically part of Cacio e Pepe.

In traditional Italian cuisine, pairing cheese with seafood, such as shrimp, is generally avoided. The reasoning is that the strong flavors of cheese can overwhelm the delicate taste of seafood.

It’s highly recommended to use finely hand-grated Pecorino Romano rather than pre-grated cheese. While pre-grated cheese worked fine here and is convenient, freshly grated Pecorino Romano can make a significant difference in a dish as simple and ingredient-focused as Cacio e Pepe.

Pronounce it CAH-choh eh PEH-peh, now that’s authentic.

Cacio e Pepe with Shrimp Recipe

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Morimoto’s Black Cod

Morimoto's Black Cod

Morimoto’s Black Cod
Gindara Nitsuke

Nitsuke is a Japanese technique of simmering food, especially fish, in a combination of soy sauce, sake, mirin, and sugar. Gindara is the Japanese name for Black Cod or Sablefish.

Chef Morimoto says, “Simmered doesn’t sound very exciting, does it? It certainly doesn’t entice like the words charred or broiled do. Well, simmering in the Japanese way should get you salivating, because it produces some of my favorite dishes of all. The secret is creating a cooking liquid that highlights the flavor of the main ingredient and strikes the right balance between sweet and salty.”

Morimoto’s Black Cod Recipe

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Salade de Chèvre Chaud

Salade de Chèvre Chaud

Salade de Chèvre Chaud
Warm Goat Cheese Salad

Salade de Chèvre Chaud is a classic French salad that features warm goat cheese as its star ingredient. It starts with a bed of mixed greens and herbs topped with cucumber and radish for added texture and flavor and color.

Medallions of fresh tangy goat cheese are coated with panko breadcrumbs and fried in oil to a golden crunchy exterior and creamy interior. The dressing is a classic Dijon vinaigrette. And the addition of edible flowers makes the salad pop!

The Salade de Chèvre Chaud can be served with two or three medallions for a main course or with a smaller salad and one medallion as a starter course. Crusty baguette is always welcome on the side. And rosé is the perfect accompaniment.

Salade de Chèvre Chaud

Recette de Salade de Chèvre Chaud

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