True Love

The ultimate 'Hallmark Holiday' was upon us, Valentine's Day. Many people scoff at this day or reluctantly abide by the pressures and demands from society to shower their loved ones with copious amounts of fine chocolate and floral arrangements. Siege and I, silly romantics that we are, embrace it with reckless, I mean, romantic abandon.

It was suggested that I take the holiday day off so she could express her love for me in a most impressive fashion by making me dinner this time around. It should be noted that Siege considers herself only somewhat capable in the kitchen...but she's just being modest. No, she's more than capable and this dinner was a prime example of her skills.

Let me preface by saying that Siege doesn't even like pasta very much, especially big, "clunky," as she puts it, pasta. But she knows that I am a straight up "pasta fiend" and rarely get to devour the starchy delight. So it was with true love and thoughtfulness that she set out to make me Baked Ziti with Meatballs.

Well what did you expect? This is Sunday Gravy.

This is a dish I've talked about having for quite some time, but for one reason or another have never gotten around to making. This version was just as I had imagined it, a beautiful concoction of tart tomato sauce balanced out by the creamy awesomeness of whole milk ricotta cheese, which gave the dish a surprising fresh texture and almost a lightness. The moist flavorful meatballs were also a nice touch that added just the amount of "heft" to put this meal in the "kick ass" category.

We decided to keep our Valentine's day dinner rooted in Italy with our wine choice for the evening. The 2004 Castello di Monastero is one of the finest examples of Chianti Classico I've had. The Dark Cherry bouquet, subtle tannins, and lively fruit flavors melded nicely with our ziti.

We finished our V-Day on a high note with a truly seductive chocolate hazelnut tart, Siege baked, that was the perfect blend of toasty nuttiness and chocolate decadence. It was truly a night to savor and remember.

The Mighty, Mighty Panino

I've long been a fan of the famed Italian sandwich, the Panino (Panini for plural). It's like the ultimate grilled cheese sammy amplified with a Euro twist. Now I'll admit it, I'm one of those people that hates to get caught up with the latest and greatest. Whether it involves food, music, movies or otherwise, I'd like to think of myself as someone who doesn't follow the mindless mob mentality. Panini certainly has become one of the 'hot' (bad pun) new food items over the past few years. It seems like everywhere you turn it's Paniniville! From grocery stores, slick bistros and fast food chains, these grilled melted treats are all the rage.

I won't be a part of this lunacy, enough is enough!

But fate had other ideas. Much to my surprise and delight I received my very own panini press for Christmas from my in-laws.

You see? I had no choice... I had to give in! What kind of son-in-law would I be if I didn't fully explore the wonders of the Mighty Panino? That's rhetorical, you don't have to answer that.

The possibilities are endless with panini. You can go Philly Cheese Steak style. Perhaps travel to Paris and put a french twist with a croque monsieur. Or just go with a classic Italian version as I did my first time out. That's right, I was playing it safe and I didn't care. My first Panino was filled with thinly sliced prosciutto and Fontina cheese. I drizzled a mixture of olive oil and balsamic vinegar for the dressing. The addition of a few basil leaves gave the sammy a nice fragrant brightness that was seriously OTH. This is a version I will definitely revisit soon.

But alas, I must press on. Next up, oven roasted turkey breast and Havarti cheese...good combination. I tossed in sun dried tomatoes for some tangy/sweet goodness and it worked really, really well.

Panini is extremely versatile, but the one thing I would strongly suggest is to only use cheeses that melt well: mozzarella, Jack, Fontina, etc. I tried Smoked gouda and it just wasn't the cheesy wonder I thought it would be. Your bread options are pretty much limitless. Rye, Ciabatta, good ol' white bread....you name it!

So yeah, I jumped on the proverbial panini bandwagon...and I'm a happier person for it. Do yourself a favor and get in the kitchen and grill up some tasty treats for you and your friends!

New Years Eve Dinner

New Years Eve was upon us and it was time to pull out all the stops for dinner. Well, sort of. The wife and I decided to avoid the crowded nightlife, expensive prix fix restaurant menus and chill at home. After all, many of our newly unwrapped presents were food related: Panini press, various cookbooks, and kitchen tools, all ready to be christened. But what to make? There was no shortage of ideas given the thousands of recipes at our disposal from our 'Christmas Cookbooks' alone. In the end something simple rather than sophisticated and stately seemed to fit our mood. Low key was the phrase of the night. Sometimes all you need is a piece of perfectly cooked meat and some ruffage to satisfy. Such a meal would come in the form of Chicken Roulade with a salad of baby romaine, feta, and a rasberry balsamic vinagarette.

This was my first attempt at a roulade. It sounds complex and fancy, "rooo- Laaaaahhhhd," but it's really nothing more than a thin cut of meat rolled around a cheese, vegetable, or in this variation, sage. Of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the roulade came from the super big, ultra comprehensive, Italian Bible of cookbooks: Silver Spoon. The book boasts over 2000 recipes, but the chicken roulade was calling my name. Any recipe that includes pancetta is a friend of mine. This porky wonder will always have a place at my dinner table. The thin fatty pieces of italian bacon were wrapped around a gently pounded chicken breast. Inside the breast were just a couple fresh, fragrant sage leaves, salt and pepper. After a little browning and a quick 15 minutes or so in the pan, it was time to throw down. We stared at our plates with wide-eyed ravenous intent until we could no longer hold back. Much to our delight it turned out pretty well. The crispy pancetta worked well with the tender chicken breast and the clean herbal sage helped to brighten the dish a bit. Simple, tasty, and start to finish the meal took about 45 minutes to prepare. It was exactly the type of hassle-free dinner on the last night of 2007 that I needed. The night ended on a high note with a spirited game of scrabble, a good flick, "Hot Fuzz," and super awesome peppermint bark courtesy of my beautiful wife. Not a bad way to wind down the year.

Happy New Year!