Penne with Tuna, Tomatoes and Basil

It has been awhile, but I'm back with one of my old reliable meals.  This recipe is actually from an episode of Thirty Minute Meals I saw years ago, when I could stand Rachel Ray.  Since seeing it I have made it several times to happy diners.  It is basically a one pot meal, with the pasta cooked to al dente and added at the end.  I add the basil last and after really the cooking has been completed so it does not over cook.  You could also save some and sprinkle it on directly into the bowl or plate to keep the freshness of the basil.  This is one of those quick, but satisfying meals that uses simple ingredients and all the flavors marry well.

4 cans of tuna in oil (I prefer Genova)
2 anchovy fillet in oil
8-10 cloves of minced garlic
2 pounds grape tomatoes 
1 pound penne (or any tubular pasta, so the ingredients get in there)
1 bunch basil, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Serves 8-10 portions

Our assembled ingredients

Place the four containers of tuna in olive oil over medium heat, adding the anchovies for saltiness and depth of flavor.

Add the chopped garlic (I love tons of garlic, so use what you're comfortable using.

Mix the ingredients together for about five minutes.

While that's happening slice your grape tomatoes in half.

Once they are all sliced, add to the pan.

Before slicing the tomatoes, add your pasta to the boiling water (see background).

When pasta is al dente add it directly to the deep pan.

Add your chopped basil.

Stir it up, mixing all the ingredients!

Serve, without cheese.

Or with!  Enjoy folks.

Meeting Lidia Bastianich at Felidia

So, when one of your oldest and dearest friends is the GM at Felidia, a 3-star restaurant in Manhattan, where you have enjoyed the delectable cuisine of Lidia Bastianich, you get a little spoiled.  It is truly one of the best dining experiences one can have in NYC.  However, when Lidia is actually there and you get to speak with her, the excitement level grows exponentially.   That is what happened earlier this evening.  While I was having a Manhattan at the bar and catching up with Genji, I noticed her out of corner of my eye.  Genji introduced me and I immediately mentioned how enjoyable it was to see her make octopus salad with Christopher Walken and Anthony Bourdain on the NY holiday episode of the Layover.  She was very gracious and generous with her clientele and it was fun to get a chance to chat with her about cooking.  I will be making her octopus salad that she encouraged me to try out.

TUTTO CRUDO
Shaved raw seafood and vegetables with tomato water and crunchy puffed rice.

SCIALATIELLI
TRADITIONAL AMALFI COAST PASTA
WITH MUSSELS, CLAMS AND BROCCOLI DI RAPE

Getting to chat with Lidia was the perfect end note to a wonderful meal.

Cooking on Steinway Street - Salmon with Penne

Back at Aunt Fofi's today for a lunch and she threw down one of the tastiest quick and easy dishes I've witnessed.  I will be making this again for sure.  I did not see her assemble the ingredients as I stepped out to watch the Knicks-Celtics game.  C'mon KNICKS, win the damn game over these elder statesmen.  I swear that Paul Pierce plays five years younger when he's starring at NY jerseys, anyway I digress, and they lost in OT.  We hit pause on the DVR and in ten minutes, this dish was served. My aunt is no joke in the kitchen.  Lots to learn...

Ingredients

Wild Salmon - half a pound, cut up into bite sized pieces
Penne - about a third of the traditional container
1 bunch of scallions - chopped
6 Parsley stalks - chopped, along with the stems
4 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 Cup heavy cream or other lighter dairy option
Salt and Pepper

The assembled ingredients sans salt and pepper.

A small portion of the Salmon and Penne.

Sweat the scallions in the olive oil.

Add the wild salmon and cook on all sides.

Add the al dente penne, salt and pepper, then the cream.

Toss and serve.  Quick and tasty!  Thanks Aunt Fofi for another lesson.

  

A Paella dish grows in Harlem.

This Saturday, Cynthia and I had dinner with our good friends and fellow foodies, Reva and Talo.  Fellow Harlem residents, they are just a short walk from us so off we went to enjoy dinner on foot.  On the menu was Paella!  I was very excited to eat paella made by a true Spaniard and it was delish!  Originally I was going to bring a bottle of Albariño but ended with this great Rosé from the Greek Island of Paros.  It was a nice pairing.  Talo's paella featured slightly spicy chorizo, mussels, shrimp, calamari, clams and the rice was perfectly cooked.  That paella pan can produce some true magic.  I think I had three servings?!  The brownies with vanilla bean and ginger ice cream was divine for dessert.  The conversation was wonderful.  Their cool kitty, Sir Walter, was recovering from an illness but oh so sweet.  Cynthia's amazing Spanish accent was on display and we are now hooked on Spanish insurance commercials featuring the phrase, "Me Siento Seguro" featuring Pepe Reina.  Next time, I'll try to drink the wine your way!  Thanks Reva and Talo for a terrific meal and evening.  Our turn to cook.  Some I Phone pics...

The magic of the paella pan in full glory.

And here come the roasted peppers!  Great color!

Reva, serving up the love!

It was the best paella I've had, hands down.  Perfect execution and great flavors!

Talo! Talo! Talo!

Greek Rosé and Spanish Paella, a perfect pairing!

Cooking on Steinway Street - Spanakopita (Spinach Pie)

Spanakopita is one of my all-time favorites.  As a snack, part of a meal, on the run, it is savory delight that can be made in a variety of ways.  I fondly remember spinach pies in Greece to the ones at Damascus Bread and Pastry next to Sahadi's on Atlantic Ave. growing up in Carroll Gardens.  My aunt makes it from scratch, the pita is rolled out and then the spinach mixture is folded into the dough and comes out in a long "calzone like" shape.  This was the second, and most labor intensive dish we took on that morning.  We made them with and without dairy.  "Don't be afraid of the flour" was my aunt's mantra while rolling out the dough. As you read the ingredients, understand this was for 5 spinach pie "loaves" and it could have been for another easy.

Ingredients

Dough
4 cups of all purpose flour
1 cup semolina flour
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Water, use as needed

Filling
2-3 packages of spinach - quickly softened in some water and drained
2 bunches of chopped scallions
2 chopped leeks
8 stalks of chopped dill
8 stalks of chopped parsley
1 pound of crumbled feta cheese 
3 eggs lightly beaten and added to bind the mixture
1 cup of olive oil 
salt and pepper to taste

Ingredients for the dough

Add all ingredients and slowly add water until right consistency

Knead it until ready and let sit covered for thirty minutes

Chop up the scallions and leeks to sweat in a pan, while chopping up the spinach, dill and parsley and set aside.

Three eggs were used once everything came together, including the feta to the mixture of herbs, leeks and scallions.

Scallions and leeks sweating under medium heat with olive oil.

Aunt Fofi rolling out the dough.

My turn.

Preparing the unrolled dough for the mixture.

The finished product was delicious!

Cooking on Steinway Street - Gigantes

Mid-Winter recess allows a vacationing principal some freedom, just as his faculty and students.  Usually, I take to the air and fly away from NYC.  This year, I decided to stay in my hometown and enjoy the city.  I spent more time with my family as well and visited my aunt, uncle and cousin in Astoria.  Over lunch on Monday, featuring spinach pie and stuffed cabbage leaves, we got to talking about food, this new blog and that I would appreciate learning her interpretations of some classic Greek dishes.  I had the pleasure of enjoying Greek cuisine as a child, spending two years living in Athens and over several long summers (how I treasure and miss those days).  She agreed and yesterday we had our first Greek culinary class in her small (but potent) kitchen.  She asked me what I wanted to learn and I replied that Gigantes (Greek Baked Lima beans) were always a favorite and now that my girlfriend has embraced a vegan diet would make sense as one option.  I added, Spanakopita (Spinach Pie - with and without dairy), Yiouvetsi (Beef Stew with Orzo) and Yemista (Stuffed Tomatoes and Peppers) to the request list for day one of "Cooking on Steinway Street".  We're going to dedicate this post to the Gigantes dish.  Let me start by staying that usually the dish is prepared in the oven but due to our schedule we used the pressure cooker to speed up the process.  There are many good recipes for this dish online if you want to use the traditional method.

Ingredients:

1 package dried large white beans - soaked overnight
2 tomatoes - diced
1 leek - sliced into small pieces
1 small onion  - sliced
3 garlic cloves - sliced 
5-6 stalks of parsley  - chopped
1 tablespoon vegetable bouillon powder (use a substitute for salt)
1 cup olive oil
1-2 cups of water (use amount as needed)
Pepper to taste 
Piece of Greek feta, for added flavor and some peasant bread to soak up the goodness
     

The ingredients assembled (sans olive oil and veggie broth)

Aunt Fofi cutting the onion "old school" style.  No cutting board needed, but be careful.

Dicing the tomato

The assembled vegetables.  This could be the vessel that is used from beginning to end.

Due to the fact that we were making several dishes, we used the pressure cooker.  Beans in water to a boil for 10 minutes.

The beans were in the pressure cooker for another 15 minutes.

Start by adding a little olive oil, sweat the onions, leek and the garlic, then add the tomatoes and parsley.

Add the vegetable bouillon and then the drained beans from the pressure cooker when soft.

Add a cup of water and then one cup of olive oil.  

Add pepper and then salt to taste.

The feta is traditionally added for the need for salt (and taste!) and enjoy.

Was an exciting beginning to "Cooking on Steinway Street".  Thanks Aunt Fofi!

Tomahawk Steak with the fixings at The Palm

Martinis, raw seafood and baked clams set the evening off in the right direction.

"Blooming Onion" for gentlemen.  Iceberg wedge with blue cheese and fried onions.

The Tomahawk steak brought table side for carving.

Close up of the beauty.

Go to it Chef!

How good does that look?

Definitely a terrific meal. My good friends Alex (the GM) and Sid were the perfect dining partners, as usual!