Last Supper.

Wild Shrimp with a Golden Tomato Sauce over Purple Basmati Rice. 

Well I gotta say, this dish beats the hell out of bread & wine. It's my last full cooking venture for many suns and moons. I've been, as you can see by this blog, eating very well. Perhaps too well though. I've been feeling kinda gross and bloated lately. It happens to the best of us right?

I watched the documentary Fat, Sick, & Nearly Dead last Thursday afternoon. I was inspired to do a 30 day juice fast about a half hour into the film. It's going to be tough 30 days dudes, but I'm psyched for the challenge! I might do before & after photos but I make no promises.

Taco Time.

It's summer, it's grossly hot, there's so much cool shit going in the city. Who wants to sweat it out in the kitch all day? I made two different taco styles. The first is a steamed shrimp taco with yellow peppers and carrots. The second is a veggie beef taco with shredded carrots, sauteed red onions, and corn.

Both are topped with a simple fresh salsa made from plum tomatoes, red onion, cilantro, freshly chopped garlic, lime juice, and salt. Light, filling, and I barely broke a sweat. {Ha, yeah right. Not in my hot ass apt!}

  Lastly, let me say,what a difference 11 megapixels makes.

Shrimp Taco w Fresh Salsa

"Beef" Taco w Fresh Salsa

It looks like this blog is about to get a whole lot more delicious!

Brown is the Color of My True Love's Tomato.

Hey folks! So about a year ago a grocery store, Best Yet, opened let's say around he corner. I was very skeptical at first because as you can tell food is near and dear to my heart. Therefore, where I get my food is of the upmost importance. Fairway was my clear favorite back then. I could buy cheap veggies, everyday staples, and specialty items like pimenton. It's an amazing store. 

Needless to say, Best Yet had to really be the shit. Luckily it is. Okay so there are regular groceries of course. In addition to that you have the most random ass shit that food nerds such as myself cream their pants for. I've found purple potatoes, blood oranges, and the subject of this post, Kumatos. I'd never seen  nor heard of them before. Of course I had to try them. I didn't want to do anything too complicated because I wanted to get a sense of the tomato's true flavor. I made a simple sauce, see below:

1 1/2 Tbsp of Olive Oil

3 healthy heaps of chopped garlic

1 package of Kumatos {I think there were 5-7 tomatoes}

8-10 garlic & parsley anchovy filets 

A few dashes of kosher salt {not too much though b/c anchovies are oh so salty}

A few dashes of coarse black pepper

Italian Parmesan for garnishing

And it goes a little something like this:

Brown Beauties. Dice tomatoes, then add to a pan with chopped garlic and olive oil. 

Sim-Simma, who's got the keys to my Beamer? This is a good time to add anchovies. 

I think it got to this consistency after 12-15 minutes of cooking. The anchovies dissipated into the sauce. Well except for a few pesky little bones here and there. Hey man, it's so worth the flavor!

I added spaghetti to the tomato sauce, then bowled {not plated} with some Italian Parmesan Cheese. I tasted a difference in the sauce, but it may have been the anchovies. It was delicious either way.

http://www.sunsetproduce.com/product/speciality/kumato-tomato

Don't Call it a Comeback!

First and foremost, Happy 2011 peeps! To put it frankly, 2010 was a shitty year for a lot of people. But hey, we got through it right? One of my last dishes of the year was courtesy of Mark Bitman once again. I'm not the biggest fan of gnocchi, but there was something about Bitman's Ricotta Gnocchi recipe that appealed to me. Here's how it went down:

Scoop out pasta dough, I used a tablespoon and fingers. Add the dough to a large pot of boiling water.

Then transfer to a small pan and sautee in a pan with fresh sage. 

So you'll notice my gnocchi is darker than Mr. Bitman's. There is an awful lot of multi-tasking involved with this dish. I got distracted and the gnocchi started to brown. I thought they looked even more beautiful and it added another texture to the dish.  

I diced some campari tomatoes then simmered them in a pan for a few minutes. The lightness and sweetness of the tomatoes were a perfect contrast to the saltiness of the cheese. 

Superb!

Last Night's Dinner/Today's Lunch

This dish ain't no trouble at all. Boil some water with a bit of salt & olive oil. Then add the pasta once the water is boiling rapidly. Saute strips of tofu in some oil olive and season with kosher salt & sesame seeds. Cook until each side is crispy, then remove them from the pan. Add Italian chopped plum tomatoes, yellow peppers, and arrabbiata sauce. Simmer for about 7-10 minutes, add the tofu, and plate over pasta. Garnish with pecorino romano & black pepper. 

Color Blocking.

In honor of New York's fashion week I watched The September Issue. It's a brilliant documentary about Vogue's largest and most influential edition of the year. It's fascinating to watch even if you aren't deep into the fashion world. The Color Blocking shoot, which was quite contentious in the doc, inspired my cooking over the next few weeks. Peep the trailer and my take on the concept.

Mac, Cheese, & Tomatoes.

Flax Oatmeal w Dried Cranberries

Roasted Golden Beet, Carrots, & Purple Potatoes

Onions & Orange Pepper

Pimenton Perch & Purple Potato Hash

Teriyaki Tilapia w Steamed Spinach, Garlic, & Orange Peppers

On The Vine Tomatoes, Mesclun Lettuce, & Organic Ciabatta

Spicy Coconut Rice with Peas & Crispy Curry Tofu

Recent Eats.

Olive Oil & Bruschetta @ Franks

Organic Eggs, Zucchini, Cheddar, & Pimenton

Mesculun Greens, Plum Tomatoes, & Thessalia Feta

Vanilla Yogurt, Blueberries, Natural Almonds, Honey, & Cinnamon

RedQuinoa.YellowOnions.CollardGreens.Corn.OnTheVineTomatoes.SoyBeefStrips.