A Tale of Two Veggie Dishes

I hit the Alhambra Farmer's Market the other day and spent a mere $15 on a whole week's worth of vegetables. I got salad stuff (romaine, red onion, tomatoes) and an array of other veg including carrots, red and yellow bell peppers, white onions and a kabocha squash.

I took all of my non-salad vegetables and cut them into large chunks. I simply tossed them with a bit of olive oil and salt/pepper, and roasted them in a hot (450) oven for 20 minutes. I threw half of the vegetables into the blender with some hot chicken stock and a chicken/tomato bouillon cube.

The result was an incredibly easy, healthy vegetable soup. It's packed full of fresh vegetable flavor and a perfect side dish, snack or main course.

I took the remaining vegetables and diced them into small cubes. I then tossed them into a saute pan with some hot chicken stock, a couple of teaspoons of curry powder and a cup of whole wheat couscous. Delicious, simple and very healthy. Not bad for an hour's worth of work!

Better Than a Monkey's Ass Baked in an Empty Clam Shell

Yesterday I had the pleasure of spending the morning with Top Chef's Fabio Viviani at his restaurant, Cafe Firenze, in Moorpark. He is as funny and enigmatic in person as he is on television, and his food is spectacular.

This Chicken Piccata with Prosciutto and Artichoke is just one of five dishes he made for the photo shoot and interview (yes, I got to try them all!!). You can see more photos and read the interview in Intermezzo magazine's All Italy issue, which will come out sometime in May. Oh, and Fabio provided us with recipes for all five dishes, which will also be featured in the story.

Hot Doug's, Chicago

I apologize for the lack of postings recently...I blame my forgetful nature (as in forgetting to bring a camera!) and also sheer laziness of late. Will try to be better about it, I promise!

Though I forgot my camera (again) when I was at Hot Doug's in Chicago the other day, I did manage to snap a couple of pics with my trusty Blackberry. I first heard of the famous hot dog restaurant on a recent episode of "No Reservations," where Bourdain sits down to a foie gras hot dog with the joint's owner, Doug Sohn. Apparently tired of eating bad dogs, Doug opened his place a few years ago and it's been a hit ever since. Not only does he serve the typical Chicago style (neon green relish, onions, celery salt, tomato, mustard - NO KETCHUP!), Doug also features a variety of encased meats including Italian sausage, Sante Fe chicken, vegetarian, Buffalo and a whole lot more.

After having a good 30 minutes to think about what I wanted (see line into Doug's, above), I settled on the classic Chicago-style hot dog. Doug makes his with caramelized onions, which is not traditional but is the perfect sweet compliment to the vinegary pickle and relish. I savored every bite with my side of crispy, skin-on fries. Unfortunately we were there on a weekday so we couldn't get the famous duck-fat fries that Doug makes on Fri-Sat only, but I'm still very happy I went. Oh, and Doug himself was manning the cash register and took our order, and he was very nice and cordial in spite of the 30+ hungry people in line behind us. If you find yourself in the Chi-town area, I highly recommend a stop at Hot Doug's!

Fresh & Easy

Not much to see here, really. Just a simple, easy seared Atlantic salmon and some wilted black kale with red peppers. Salt, pepper and a touch of chicken stock (for the greens) are the only other ingredients to this healthy dinner.

Simply Caramelized

It's truly amazing how a very hot oven, a few dashes of olive oil, garlic and salt & pepper can transform the otherwise boring broccoli and cauliflower into a sublime snack or side dish. Lately I've been eating way too many salads and wanted something worth craving. This caramelized cauliflower and broccoli mix is nutty and chewy and a little crispy in all the right places.

Simply preheat your oven to 425 degrees, toss the vegetables with a few teaspoons of olive oil, chopped garlic and salt & pepper and bake for 25 minutes. Enjoy!