Atlanta Day 3: The Chatahoochie and Her Forest

Wandering through the heavy serenity and inhaling fragrant breaths of moist air perfumed by oak, I am awed at the beauty of this place. We wind adjacent to the shore of the Chatahoochie River and listen for the squawks of geese bathing in its cool running waters. Eric and I marvel at our chance encounters with the many rock caves and plateaus that look like abandoned spaceships and imagine what it would be like to camp out in their cool, dark depths. It is such a treat to visit this National Park at Island Ford*, and fall back into a time when Georgia was hushed and uncluttered with people. To truly explore a place, is to know its calm as well as its commotion, and standing here sheltered by the mighty magnolias and oaks, I feel that we are one step closer to knowing Georgia.

* http://www.nps.gov/chat/

Atlanta Day 2: Family and Friends and Tapas, Oh My!

Roasted figs topped with bacon and herbed goat cheese and roasted spiced almonds

Today was a day of feasting. We awoke to the promise of a fulfilling southern breakfast at a jubilant little restaurant called The Flying Biscuit, a place not unknown to locals as evidenced by the 30 minute waiting list and hoards of satisfied people coming and going through the front door. Once our happy moment arrived, we slipped through the hungry crowds, weaved between brightly colored tables radiating cheerful chatter, and installed ourselves at a pleasant little table draped in a bright blue and pink floral oil cloth to the rear of the room. The menu was crammed with tempting treats and I went with the first to catch my eye: The Southern Scramble, which was a heavenly marriage of collard greens, caramelized onions, spicy eggs, and cheddar accompanied by a bowl of “creamy, dreamy grits” and a biscuit so tall and fluffy I almost thought that it would begin to fly! Naturally, I stuffed myself sick, but could find no morsel of remorse, for the food was so satisfying and delicious that to regret tasting even one bite would be unthinkable!

Cumin Chickpea Spread and Crostini with Tomato Jam

We returned to Chez Nightingale just in time to help my talented and beautiful sister-in-law, Lindsay, prepare her most exquisite menu for the tapas party later that evening. The Nightingale women bonded together in a cooking frenzy to braise, slice, dice, sauté, grill, taste, drink, and laugh over an infinite mess of splatters and spills that covered the kitchen from ceiling to floor. This scene is always the one I am most eager to meet during our visits to Atlanta- three determined and focused women learning about each other and becoming a closer family through cooking. Finally the dishes were topped with their final garnish and set on a most inviting table amidst sunflowers and candles and the invités swarmed around the feast like moths to a flame exhaling mmm’s and oooh’s between bites. They coddled their crostinis with cumin chickpea spread and tomato jam, Spanish meatballs in saffron sauce, rioja-braised chorizo, caramelized mushrooms, toasted spiced almonds, grilled summer vegetables, garlic prawns, and red or white sangria like precious treasures and nibbled them with such care and attention that we beamed with fulfillment at the compliment. By the end of the feast, all were drunk with joy (and sangria too!) and laughed together amidst the intoxicating aromas of sweet spices and food carefully prepared for the ones we love and make us whole.

Grilled Summer Vegetables and Spicey Garlic Prawns

Atlanta: Day 1

A thick blanket of fragrant humidity envelops my body in a familiar and comforting grasp; I happily find myself in a paradise where night’s cloak reveals the melodious treasure of a forest orchestra serenading me through pianos and fortes of chirps and hisses. This place vibrates with music and color; the dazzlement of my senses is only dampened by the heavy moisture that lingers on the air, compressing my soul in on itself like a heavy brick, a sensation not altogether unwelcome, for it permits me to look inward, for a change. To say that I feel, “in my element” here might be a gross understatement. All life seems to thrive here and so why should I be any different? I long to go out into the night and dance through the heavy sky, if only just for a moment to feel the temperature collision that arises between my naked skin and the sweet warm air. I feel like a flower on the verge of bloom; excited and trembling at the curiosity of my unknown fate. This is it. I am grateful for it. The future awaits.

Roasting In the Heat

My adoring hubby has been so supportive of my recent obsession with discovering more traditional Italian recipes, that he recently contributed to my ever-growing food library with a most wonderful book: The Italian Farmer's Table by Matthew Scialabba and Melissa Pellegrino, in which I discovered this surprising recipe for roasted veggies. I think I may have stumbled upon a new way of making my beloved Ratatouille- the vinaigre lends an especially delightful tang that is mellowed by the sweetness of the carrots and peppers. Eric and I let the veggies cool to room temp and ate this as a topping to toasted day-old baguette… YUMM! What a way to eat your veggies and roast in the heat!

Tomato Roasted Veggies- Adapted by me from The Italian Farmer's Table:

1 small eggplant, julienned (matchstick cut)

1 bell pepper of your choice, julienned

1 sliced onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

3-5 Tomatoes, puréed

Extra Virgin Olive Oil to coat veggies (~1/4 cup)

2 Tbs red Wine Vinaigre

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1 cup chopped fresh basil

½ cup chopped parsley

1. Preheat the oven to 425 Fahrenheit

2. Toss the veggies with the olive oil, vinaigre, seasoning, and tomato purée and pour onto a sheet pan in an even level (for even cooking)

3. Roast until the liquid is all evaporated and the veggies are soft (40-75 minutes)

4. When done roasting, remove from the oven, and top with the chopped parsley, basil, additional seasoning (salt and pepper if needed), and drizzle of olive oil

5. Let cool to room temperature and serve over toasted bread, aside your morning omlet, or over pasta

Happy Eating!

Luv,

Andreya

Thursday Taco Cravings

So it turns out that today, Thursday, is an amazing day for tacos. Eric and I have been suffering from taco cravings for at least the past three days, made several failed attempts to procure them, and finally decided to satiate our search today at not only one meal, but two! I got home from work to sadly discover that there were no tortillas to be found in the kitchen and rather than venture out into the noisy, overly-populated city, I decided to try my hand at hand-made corn tortillas, which turned out a little less than perfect, but when topped with smoked salmon and parsley were delicious nonetheless! I'm definitely determined to get those tortillas perfect... stay tuned for that! Yumm!!!

And then later, for dinner, we made the most delicious steak and corn salsa tacos that inspired every single taste bud in my tongue to tingle with delight and.. well.... the taco cravings are now gone!

Craving-Satiating Steak Tacos:

1 lb steak of your choice

Pinch of Cinnamon, Pimentòn, Cumin, Salt, and Pepper

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 red onion, diced

1 stalk corn, steamed in it's stalk and the corn cut off

2 scallions, chopped

1 tomato, diced

1/4 fresh lime juice

1 Tbs cilantro

6 corn tortillas

1. Marinate the steak in the spices, garlic, and 1/4 cup of the onion (let it sit for at least 1 hour)

2. Make the salsa by combining the corn, 1/4 cup red onion, scallion, tomato,cilantro, and lime juice

3. Sear the steak and cook about 4-6 minutes on each side. Remove from heat when it's just under the desired done-ness and let rest for a few minutes

4. De-glaze the pan with water and add the marinating ingredients to the liquid while it reduces

5. Slice the steak and add back to the reduced sauce just to glaze

6. Cook the tortillas and add meat and salsa

Happy Eating!!!

Luv,

Andreya

Not that long ago, Eric and I found ourselves finished with the day's work and discovered a magnanimous void in the pit of our stomaches... What was that? we wondered. Could it be hunger? Yes, indeed! A mighty hunger so great that minstrels from near and far would sing of it's endless greed. There was but one solution, and being that it was so near the end of a very long day, we scrounged through the fridge and pantry to find, much to our joy, a zucchini, onion, tomato, parsley, fresh mozzarella, and same day-old baguette. Without much ado, we hastily sliced and diced our treasured objects, gingerly caramelized the onions, quickly sautéed the zucchini, and neatly dressed the tomato in balsamic vinaigrette. After the baguette came out of the oven all oozing and goozing with melted and browned mozzarella, we adorned its scrumptiousness with a crown of lovingly prepared veggies and feasted a meal so full of delicate and powerful flavor, that the mighty hinger void was satisfied and forever silenced... well... at least until the following morning.

Stomach-Void-Satisfying-Bruschetta:

Serves 2-4

1 day-old or toasted baguette cut in half lengthwise

1-2 balls fresh mozzarella, sliced

2-4 fresh tomatoes, diced

1 onion, sliced and caramelized

2 zucchini, diced and sautéed in extra virgin olive oil until just softened (1-2 minutes)

Freshly chopped Parsley to taste

Salt and Pepper to taste

2-3 Tbs Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling and the vinaigrette

1-2 tsp Balsalmic Vinaigre

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and then add the baguette topped with the mozzarella. Toast until the cheese is nicely browned

2. Put the cut tomatoes into a large bowl and coat with the vinaigrette (1:3 ratio Balsalmic to Olive oil)

3. Add the zucchini and caramelized onions and right before the bread comes out of the oven, toss together being sure to taste for seasoning

4. Once bread is removed from the oven , immediately add the chopped parsley and drizzle with olive oil. Cut into desired-sized pieces, and top with the veggie mix (be sure to use a slotted spoon for the veggies so that you don't end-up with a soupy mess).

5. Eat already!

Hope you enjoy!

Luv,

Dre

First Official Cooking Class: Bread and Tomatoes

Alison and I reviewing the menu and recipes for class

Last Friday, I hosted my very first official cooking class to my very first official student, Alison, and all I can say is that it was bliss! The menu was a bit over-ambitious, but Alison toughed it out like a champion and made some the most beautiful and tasty food I have ever experienced! The pièce de résistance was a completely made-from-scratch pizza topped with a sweet and spicy tomato sauce, Crimini mushrooms caramelized in Port, caramelized red onion, fresh mozzarella, and freshly-chopped Basil and Parsley all accompanied by a red and green leaf salad dressed in walnut-sherry vinaigrette (all crafted by my star pupil!). The lesson lasted nearly 4 hours, but by the end of the evening, we feasted like two queens and a king (Eric) and I can honestly say that I've never tasted food that touched my heart the way Alison's did. Thanks Alison, for letting me be a part of your journey through the kitchen and, hopefully, to a newly-found enjoyment in cooking.

Alison and her masterpiece!

Sweet & Spicy Tomato Sauce:

1 28oz can Fire Roasted Tomatoes, puree

1 red onion, minced

2-3 cloves of garlic, minced

2-3 pinched red pepper flakes

Pinch of cinnamon, freshly-grated nutmeg, cloves, and pimentòn

Salt and Pepper to taste

Extra Virgin olive Oil

2-3 Bay leaves

Fresh basil and parsley

1. Heat a large sauce pan, add olive oil to coat the bottom, then add the onion, pinch of salt, pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and red pepper flakes then mix together

2. Add garlic and another pinch of salt

3. Mix again and then let the onions sit for a few seconds until a brown syrupy-type liquid begins to form on the bottom of the pan

4. De-glaze with the puréed tomatoes, being sure to scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan

5. Add the bay leaves and a few stalks of the basil and parsley, cover, and let simmer for at minimum 1 hour, but the longer the better.

6. When done (should be a thick consistency), taste for seasoning and adjust (add more salt and pepper if needed) and add freshly-chopped basil and parsley to your liking.

Serve over pasta or as a pizza sauce.

Happy Learning, Cooking, and Eating!!!

Luv,

Andreya

Simply Green Dinner

Despite the rampant love affair with cooking and baking that consumes my nearly every thought, I sometimes just don't feel like getting out the pans and knives and tonight is one such night... the ideal night, in fact, for a simply green dinner! Perhaps not as greenly locavore as some might want, but an unmistakable green all the same. Behold What's-In-My-Fridge-Guacamole, Not-Yet-Stale Tortilla Chips, and yesterday's bottle of Kiona 2006 Lemburger- Yumm! Tired simplicity at it's tastiest!

Ingredients:

1 Ripe avocado, diced

1 small shallot, minced

1/2 freshly-squeezed lime juice

1 green onion, chopped

1 Tsp fresh cilantro, chopped

Salt and Pepper to taste

Preparation:

Throw it all into a bowl and crush with a fork to the desired consistency

Happy Eating you lazy slobs!

Luv,

Dre