blog hiatus

Hey y’all! Greetings from Austin, TX where the high has been 104* for the past week.

So I’ve been pretty lame lately (don’t argue otherwise, you know it is true). I am working 2 summer jobs and have a busy chunk of summer still ahead of me, including a tearful Father’s Day remembering my Dad, my 23rd birthday, a mystery vacation with the boyfriend, making money, studying for my master’s exam, and other big changes. I am not able to dedicate the time I’d like to towards the blog, so I’m taking a brief summer hiatus.

Please don’t forget about me! I promise I’ll be back sporadically throughout the summer and by the time school starts and I get back to a regular schedule, I’ll be able to blow your minds with food, humor, stories, and other happenings.

Check back periodically to see if I’ve updated, or just subscribe to my blog in your reader or through WordPress to get updates when I write a post!

In the words of Schwarzenegger, I have an illegitimate son…. I’ll be back!

another date night dinner for 2

I’ve definitely enjoyed having a hungry guy around because I can make real dishes and have someone to help with the leftovers! While big meals, like my lasagna, meatloaf, turkey burgers, and spaghetti and meatballs are delicious, sometimes a simple recipe for two is just what the evening calls for.

In celebration of my new job situation (I got 2nd, really awesome summer job!), I decided to cook us a nice dinner over the weekend, complete with fancy wine. And when looking for inspiration for our meal, I looked no further than the summer I lived in Argentina.

In summer 2009, I headed way down south to work for my undergrad university in Córdoba, Argentina. Of course, it was winter down there… But what most people don’t realize about Argentina is that Argentina is famous for Italian food. Aside from their delicious beef, the huge population of Italian immigrants that has flooded my beloved Argentina have created what is called the best Italian food outside of Italy — in the big cities, Italian is still spoken by a lot of the population!

I thought of one of the best combinations of Argentine cuisine — the merge of beef and pasta — in beef braciole (pronounced “bra-cho-lay”). Rolls of beef stuffed with parmesan, braised in tomato sauce, and served over pasta? Sign me up! And it makes a perfect dinner for two!

Braciole with Mushroom and Pasta (serves 2)
2 slices beef top round, sliced thin and pounded lightly
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/3 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1 T fresh oregano leaves
salt & pepper
olive oil
2 cups sliced mushrooms
2 T fresh basil, chopped
2 cups diced tomatoes (with their liquid)
1 cup crushed tomato
1/3 cup dry red wine
tooth picks
spaghetti or angel hair pasta
In a sauté pan, sauté the mushroom slices in a drizzle of olive oil until tender. Remove from heat and set aside. Slice the 2 cuts of top round in half, making 4 slices. Pound a few times with a meat mallet (or rolling pin). Using your fingers, rub a small amount of olive oil on one side of the meat as well as a sprinkling of salt and pepper. In a small mixing bowl, combine bread crumbs, parmesan, and oregano together. Using a spoon, divide the mixture evenly onto each slice of the meat, then press it into the olive oil on the meat to help it stick. Roll the meat gently and secure with toothpicks (don’t use broken kebab skewers like me!). Heat a drizzle of olive oil in the same sauté pan that you used for the mushrooms and over medium-high heat, sear the beef rolls, about 2-3 minutes per side. Turn the heat down to medium-low and return the mushrooms to the pan along with the diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, red wine, and basil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover and let simmer for 35-40 minutes. In the last 10 minutes of cooking, cook the pasta and drain. Serve the braciole along with its sauce on top of the pasta with a generous sprinkling of parmesan cheese!

a meal of remembrance

In January, I was told that my Aunt Nell passed away. She’s not really my aunt. In fact, I don’t know her relation to me, no matter how many times my grandma has explained it to me. All I know is that she lived in my hometown, was a fairly close relative, and she constantly called me by my mother’s name. She was kind, sweet, and fiercely independent. She contributed such recipes to my life as apple pie and sour cream pound cake.

I was feeling a little homesick and flipping through the family cookbook when I stumbled upon a picture of Aunt Nell and realized that I have been meaning to make her crab cakes and think of her since I got the news of her passing. As Rahul and I wandered the grocery store in debate of what to make, it seemed clear: Aunt Nell’s Crab Cakes.

These crab cakes are loved by all who cross their path. They aren’t filled with breading and unnecessary stuff. They are crab cakes in their most natural form and I am obsessed with them.

Please, for my sake and for Aunt Nell’s sake, treat yourself to this meal. It was a delicious way to remember someone dear to my heart and enjoy a food that truly reminds me of growing up in the Tidewater of Virginia.

Aunt Nell’s Crab Cakes (makes 8 )
16 oz jumbo lump crab
1/3 cup evaporated milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup flour plus extra
salt & pepper
vegetable oil
Pick through the crab meat to make sure it does not have any stray shells. In a mixing bowl, combine crab, evaporated milk, eggs, and the salt and pepper until well combined. Stir gently so as not to break up the crab too much. Add in the flour slowly, mixing gently until the mixture begins to hold together lightly. You may need to use more or less flour, depending on the moisture in your crab. Using a cast iron or heavy skillet, coat the cooking surface liberally with oil. Heat on medium to medium high until the oil is glistening and sizzles when you drop water into it. Be careful with hot oil! Form the crab mixture into loose patties and carefully place into the hot oil. Cook each cake for 3-4 minutes, then flip and let cook for another 3-4 minutes. Remove to a paper towel to absorb excess grease. The cakes should be brown and crisp, but not over fried. Remember: the crab is cooked already so don’t overcook! Serve with lemon slices as crab cakes or on a roll as a crab cake sandwich!