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.

Cherry Tomato Pizza

Pizza time, by the beach!

Summer Pizza!


Pizza is America's adopted food; and luckily, for those of us who entertain a great deal, works for both vegetarians and omnivores alike. Cooking with cherry tomatoes is very popular in southern Italy.  In the summer, we use these incredibly fresh petite tomatoes for homemade pizzas that we cook in our outdoor oven.

On a typical summer day, we make the pizza dough in the morning (using Neopolitan 00 flour), and we let it sit and rise while we frolic at the beach.  To make it interesting, before guests arrive, we  encourage them to shop and bring their favorite toppings.  Together, we all roll out the dough (in the form of a painting palate) and each family creates their own pizza to their liking.

There are many great pizza ovens out there.  Our Kalamazoo is the Cadillac of pizza ovens, is used on movie sets for a famous Italian director, heats to about 800 degrees, and, I am very proud to say, is American made in my dad's home state of Michigan!  Here is a site that provides a practical review of the oven:

http://slice.seriouseats.com/archives/2013/08/pizza-lab-equipment-test-the-mighty-pizza-oven-and-the-kalamazoo-pizza-oven.html  

Tips for pizza making:

1. Make your own sauce!

Here is a fast, simple, crowd-pleasing recipe using cherry tomatoes:

Saute  2 cloves of garlic together with 2 tablespoons olive olive and a dash of hot pepper flakes for 1-2 minutes in a medium size pan.  Add in fresh cherry tomatoes, a tablespoon of oregano, salt and pepper.  Cook until cherry tomatoes pop and desired consistency is achieved.


2. Use Caputos 00 Flour (you can get it on Amazon):

http://www.amazon.com/Antimo-Caputo-Chefs-00-Flour/dp/B001TZJ3VC/ref=sr_1_2/178-1614285-2712166?ie=UTF8&qid=1440694766&sr=8-2&keywords=double+oo+flour

3. If short on time, save yourself a step by going to a pizzeria to buy the dough.

3. Use semolina flour on the peel for better transfer into the oven.  It also adds a nice grainy texture to the crust.  

4. Cut the pie immediately after taking it out of the oven.