Love in a bowl – Serrano Parmesano Risotto

Posted on November 1, 2011 by petitedecadence

Remember that time when you ate risotto for lunch and dinner and next day lunch? No? You’ve never done such a piggy-like thing before? Hmm. Weird. Maybe that’s because you haven’t made risotto with a nice and old, freshly grated Parmesan cheese, jamon serrano, tons of butter, and avocado. This kind is the second best risotto I’ve ever tried (it was here), the first one being a Black risotto with calamari, which you can enjoy right here in Mexico City, but which I’m not adventurous enough to try and make myself yet. (How do you go about using squid ink? Where do you even buy it?) For this recipe though, I did feel bold enough to try it with a recipe I made up myself, using good ingredients as the secret for good results. I chose jamon serrano, which one could say is the spanish version of prosciutto, but which tastes quite different. And then I did something (if you’re squeamish/vegan/a health nut , I would suggest you stop reading) quite naughty; I toasted the rice in those white slices of fat. I know. I’m terrible. But you can really justify it to other people once you present them with a hot bowl and a spoon. They won’t be complaining once they the get tiny bits of golden, delicious, cheese covered goodness. Read more for the recipe!

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Cry your eyes out – French Onion Soup

Posted on October 25, 2011 by petitedecadence

Yesterday I came home and popped into my laptop Rossini’s Barbieri di Seviglia (I know, I’m getting stranger by the day) and then set on to search for a classic french onion soup, which I did not have to do for long since Smitten Kitchen, as usual, had the answer for me quite soon. So I grabbed 4 big, shiny, smooth onions and set them on the chopping board. I grabbed the knife, I sliced once, I sliced twice. And then I stopped. What on earth was I thinking???? I’d completely forgotten that onions, or any of their cousins (red onions, shallots, garlic, spring onions, chives, you name it!) will have me in tears within seconds. And I’m not talking about watery eyes or a runaway tear. I’m talking grab-the-tissues-now stuff. I don’t know why so much, but it’s always been that way. I’ve tried super ultra sharp knives. I’ve tried cold onions straight from the fridge. There’s nothing that can help it. In fact, I remembered as I held the onion with great hatred in my hand and cried in between bouts of Figaro Figaro Figaro coming from my computer, when I worked in cooking school and I had to prepare for recipes which included onions, I would always trade with the other assistants for anything else. I’d much prefer to remove the scales from your smelly fish! So why would I subject myself willingly to all that slicing of the stinky critter?? The reason, of course, is that there is nothing quite like french onion soup. Even if I had to eat it with puffy eyes and a red nose. Deb uses Julia Child’s recipe, which she kindly provides with friendly measures. The only thing I changed was the bread, which I changed for American pumpernickel since I didn’t have any other, but it was actually an incredibly good twist. The caraway seeds such a pleasant surprise in the hot, caramelized goodness of the onions.

Recipe here: French Onion Soup at Smitten Kitchen

Tiny Dinner – Baby burgers with caramelised onions

Posted on July 11, 2011 by petitedecadence

This weekend I ate waaay too much. It all started with Friday night dinner, to which none of my friends confirmed in time except for a couple, leaving me with that old question, “How much am I supposed to cook??” I had in mind an oven-roasted chicken with mushrooms and potatoes, but if I made that and only two showed up then who was supposed to eat all the rest? And so baby burgers came to the rescue! If I made too much (which indeed I did) I could just store the meat for the day after. Which brings me back to why I ate so much this weekend. Yeah, of course I had leftover burgers for lunch on Saturday! I know, two days in a row? But they’re just so cute and delicious that you would have done the same.

See? They’re too cute. Anyway, they’re actually rather easy to make, you just have to be organized with your timing. I served mine with small salad bowls and oven-baked french fries. (which I’m sure don’t qualify as french fries ’cause they’re not fried?). The result was platters with the small burgers, small salads, and also small servings of the fries, letting everyone have as much as they wanted. Don’t let the tiny cuteness fool you though, as is often the case with small food, you’ll son be more full than you expected! Read more for the recipe!

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Wawi – Amaranth fish sticks over broccoli salad

Posted on July 4, 2011 by petitedecadence

Wawi – Isn’t that a cute word? It is what the huichol or Wixarikas, the indigenous people of western central Mexico, call this lovely grain. It is my favorite to croute things in. This plant, of a sacred quality to the prehispanic peoples of Mexico, can endure drought, thus providing them with food even when corn died due to lack of water. Through a long process, they managed to produce an abundance of the white seeds, and then “pop” the result into those little grains, which make them easier to digest and easier to get at all the proteins.

Now imagine fish sticks coated in this delicious grain, which not only absorbs less fat when frying, it’s also incredibly rich in flavor and nutrients, such as A, B, C, B1, B2, B3 vitamins, calcium, iron, phosphorus and folic acid. It contains much more protein than other cereals; twice as much as rice, and over 70% more than wheat. And imagine those fish stick sitting on top of a delicious broccoli, wilted arugula, and goat cheese salad. Sounds delicious and nutritious? On to the recipe then (It’s quick and easy, too!):

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Blue cheese and onion souffle – Homemade Crackers

Posted on June 29, 2011 by petitedecadence

Today I spent most of the morning sitting in traffic. This is not a remarkable thing in Mexico City, I know. But it doesn’t happen all that often to me, I try to stay away from known problem areas and rush hours. And yet today…the reason was so crazy that I shall let the pictures speak for themselves:

See that bus? It’s driver chose to go, all the way from the leftmost lane, to that side street. Which is under construction. Meaning about 1 car per hour goes through it. And so we waited, me thouroughly amused by the fact that these things actually happen in this city, for about 20 minutes (I am not exaggerating) until there was enough space on the side street for the bus to let us pass. But don’t think that was it! See that white building? That’s the way home. But as I pass the Oh-I-So-Not-Care bus and approach that glorious traffic-free path homeward…behold:

Oh yes. It’s stuck. And I’m behind it. This truck took about 10 minutes to get itself out of the jam it was in. And meanwhile, I have a huge line of cars behind me, honking, of course, because that apparently helps the truck slim down and fit better wherever it’s attempting to get itself into. Sigh. But all this chaos just gave me a horrible urge to get the groceries home and make something to eat with the homemade crackers I’d prepared yesterday. (Recipe in the next post, promise). So here it is; Red onion and blue cheese souffle!