In or Out?

Roy Lichtenstein's House I, 1996.

Do you prefer to cook at home or to dine out?  I like both. But, growing up, eating out was a treat. We must be in good favor, my sisters and I would think, if we were headed out for dinner.  For my daughter, who eats out far more than I ever did as a child, the preference is always to eat at home. Actually, unless there is a playdate somehow woven into the plan, she often complains about going out. Funny, how times have changed.

Below are 10 images that I snapped of food. Some are photos of food that I cooked at home and others are of food prepared in a restaurant.  Can you tell them apart?

Spicy Ceviche with pureed Avocado and Yams

Gnocchi 

Vietnamese Steak with Rice Noodles and Herbs

 Pizza

Tuna and Endive Hors d'oeuvre

Ceviche and Avocado

Endive with Smoked Salmon, Orange & Ricotta 

 Ricotta Cheesecake 

 Pasta Bolognese

String Beans with Garlic and Shallots

Chicken Fajitas

Chilled Summer Soup 

Answer Key:

All the of the photos, except one, are of food prepared at home.  

Which one was prepared out?

If you guessed the first one, you are right. The first picture is from my new favorite lunch spot in Manhattan, Mission Ceviche. Located at the Gansevoort Market in the fashionable Meatpacking District (353 West 14th St, Manhattan), Mission Ceviche delicately mixes the flavors of fresh fish, flash cooked in lime, with the perfect balance of hot pepper, red onion and micro cilantro; and each dish is made to order.  Popular with the budding tech crowd (the east coast offices of Google are just around the corner), Mission Ceviche proudly flaunts its Peruvian cuisine, and all the South American culture that goes along with its staple dish. 

Next time you are in the area, check it out! 

By the way, you can find the recipes for all the other dishes in prior Natty Dad posts.

Sorry Vegans, Three Meats are Better than None!

Winter Bolognese Sauce

For Sunday night dinner,  I prepared the perfect cold weather antidote -- a filling 3 meat pasta sauce with healthy sides of winter vegetables...

Succulent winter Bolognese sauce served over large rigatoni pasta. 

Enriching beat greens with stems peeled and sautéd in a garlic shallot base. 

Fresh, thin-sliced fennel relished with apple, blood orange, and pear in a tangy lemon/olive oil/black pepper dressing. 

It's the perfect time of year to share preparations of some warming, wintry meat dishes. In the coming weeks, I will post some of my most popular choices but today we'll start with my favorite - Pasta Bolognese! As the title suggests, Bolognese is named after the beautiful and romantic town in the Emilia Romagna region of Italy -- Bologna.

Not only is the regional capital of Bologna known for its stunning porticos, excellent university, irresistible mortadella, and gorgeous town center, it is also the one of the major food capitals of the world.  My fondest memory of traveling through northern Italy was spending a day eating my way through the markets of Bologna. Foodies delight!

Pasta Bolognese is by no means a simple tomato sauce dish.  Without a doubt, it is a hearty winter meat festa.  And while I wouldn't describe it as complicated to prepare, it does take some time.  On a cold January night, it will warm your house with a succulent aroma -- it's absolutely perfect. 

Here is what you will need:

2 stalks of celery

2 medium size onions

3 cloves of garlic

1/2 cup diced pancetta (optional and technically meat number 4, but what the heck, go for it!)

2 tbsp tomato paste

1 teaspoon of dried hot pepper flakes

1 lb of ground pork

1 lb of ground veal 

1 lb of ground sirloin

1 cup full-bodied red wine

2  cans of San Marzano tomatoes 28 oz

3 tbsp of italian seasoning (if not buying pre-mix and mixing at home, see tips below) 

1 cup of beef broth 

1 tbsp Better Than Bullion (see pict below)

4 dried bay leaves

3 carrots
olive oil

and, Parmesean, of course!!

Sauté pancetta in 2 tablespoon of olive oil for about 2 minutes.  Remove the pancetta and sauté onions, celery and tomato paste until soft, about 5 minutes.

Add hot pepper flakes and the 3 meats (pork, veal and beef). Stir constantly until the meat is browned and separates into small morsels.

Add the red wine and cook for another minute.

TIP #1 Use the same quality wine you will be drinking with your meal. And have a glass for yourself. You deserve it for putting on this show! 

Add the San Marzano tomatoes and the diced garlic. 

TIP #2 Putting the garlic in now gives the enriching garlic flavor without the risk of burning it in the base. 

In a food processor or a Vitamix/blender, puree 2 carrots with a tablespoon of water and add into the mix (this adds a gentle sweetness to the sauce and evens the texture). 

In a small sauce pan, combine the beef stock and the bouillon and cook on low heat until the bouillon dissolves. Add to the meat sauce. 

Season the sauce with Italian seasonings, bay leaves and salt/pepper.  An authentic Bolognese recipe will suggest adding some cream at the end (if using dried pasta), but I think the sauce is rich enough without any further milk fats. 

Cook the sauce for a least 2 hours.  The longer it cooks, the better. The local Bolognese nonne, or grandmothers, say that when the bolognese is ready "it calls you!"  Sweet! 

Tip #3 The pasta for this dish should be cooked al dente (meaning "to the tooth" or firm to bite).  My Venetian friend swears that a firmer, less cooked pasta may have a lower glycemic index and not get digested into sugars as quickly. 

Tip #4 Do not discard any of the oil that forms at the top of the pot while cooking.  This oil holds a considerable amount of flavor and should be used to coat the pasta, after it is strained. It also helps keep flat pastas from clumping. After coating the pasta with this delicious oil,  add the sauce and cook together for about 30 seconds. This binds the flavor,  saturates it evenly and marinates the noodle.   

Sprinkle pasta with parmesan cheese, a few drops of olive oil and some fresh parsley.  If you want to hit it out of the ball park, add some fresh ricotta!  Exquisite!

Honestly, you can't just have one bowl!

Italian Dried Seasoning Mix:

• If mixing the Italian Seasoning at home, here is what you will need:

Dried Basil
Dried Oregano or Dried Marjoram (these are ostensibly the same herb)
Dried Rosemary
Dried Thyme

Mix equal parts of each dried spice.

This website is fantastic for seasoning tips and DIY spice mixes:
http://mountainroseblog.com