Lemon Sugar Cookies
by NICHOLAS AMMATURO on September 10th, 2011
I have not posted in a while, which is a combination of new job and computer crashed. The new job had me traveling every other week, so there was lots of take-out and not so much cooking/baking. The computer crashing was just frustrating and I was just lazy at re-installing everything. Almost a year later…here we are. I selfishly am only making these cookies because I bought an ice-cream maker and made fresh strawberry ice-cream and wanted to make ice-cream sandwiches. You could easily buy strawberry ice cream at the store and do this, but I had some extra time. Enjoy, these are perfect for the summer.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup butter, at room temperature
- 1½ cups sugar
- Zest from 1 lemon, about 2 tablespoons
- 2 large eggs
- Juice from ½ lemon, about ¼ cup
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cup flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fit with the flat beater attachment, cream together butter, sugar and lemon zest until mixture is light and fluffy.
This can also be done with a hand mixer and a large bowl.
Beat in eggs, one at a time, then mix in lemon juice and vanilla extract.
In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
With mixer set to the slowest speed, gradually mix the flour mixture into the butter and sugar mixture until combined.
Shape cookie dough into 1½” balls and place on cookie sheet 2″ apart.
Bake cookies for 15 minutes, until cookies are firm, they’ll brown slightly on the edges.
Cool cookies on the pan for a minute, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container for a few days.
Josh’s Margaritas
by NICHOLAS AMMATURO on August 23rd, 2010
Recipe courtesy of Josh W
I lie awake in bed some nights thinking about the next time I get to make these. They are so good and so easy that you will never go back to buying a mix or making your own from scratch, it will be hard to top these.
Ingredients
- 12 oz Corona
- 12 oz Can of frozen Limeade
- 12 oz Lemon/Lime Soda (Sierra Mist / Sprite / or 7-Up)
- 12 oz Tequila
- Lime for garnish
- Coarse Salt for rim
In a large pitcher, add the frozen limeade, beer, and Lemon/Lime soda. Use the empty limeade container to measure out exactly 12 oz of Tequila. Mix all ingredients well until there are no large chunks of limeade. Meanwhile, run a lime along the rim of your margarita glass and then gently press into a small dish of course salt.
Add a few ice cubes and pour the mix into the glass, serve with a lime wedge as garnish. Enjoy.
Strawberries & Cream Cake
by NICHOLAS AMMATURO on August 13th, 2010
I had mentioned in my post about Terry’s Strawberry salad, that I love using seasonal items and this is another perfect use for fresh strawberries. The recipe comes from The Hungry Mouse’s arsenal of recipe posts. I have never been unhappy with anything I’ve cooked off her website.
The best way to describe this cake is that its a strawberry shortcake party in your mouth, and no I am not referring to the cartoon character…although I wasn’t aware that she was a trademark of the American Greetings card company…who would have thought? Why the hell is her hat soooo big??
INGREDIENTS
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 4 Tbls. butter (that’s 1/2 a stick), softened
- 1 egg
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 2 cups flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 2 cups strawberries, sliced
Oven Temp: 375 degrees F
Bake Time: 30 mins
As the Hungry Mouse had done, I used my stand mixer, but this can all be done by a hand mixer, or by hand.
Using a pen, trace out the bottom of a 9” pie pan and cut it out using scissors. You can just as easily cut a circle free-handed and just place it in as well. It doesn’t need to be exact. Then butter the pie pan and place the parchment round into the pan. Set the pan aside and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Next, add the sugar into the stand mixer bowl. Slice up the butter and add to the bowl as well. Crack the egg into a bowl/measuring cup, then pour into the bowl too (I always do this to prevent shells going into the mix). Using the paddle attachment on the mixer, beat well to combine.
Pour the heavy cream into the mixture, along with the flour, baking powder and salt.
Beat on High to combine, until the dough begins to come together and resembles soft cookie dough. Over mixing will result in the cake not being as moist.
Once its mixed, stir in the sliced strawberries. Stir well to make sure the strawberries are throughout the whole dough, but try not to crush them. Pour out into the prepared cake pan and smooth out with the back of the spatula or a spoon.
Bake at 375 degrees for approx 30 mins. Test doneness with a toothpick (stick it into the middle and it should come out clean).
With the cake still in the pan, cool on a wire rack. When completely cool, run a knife around the edges of the pan and the cake should easily come out. You can also keep it in the pan and serve it from there. I topped it with a little powdered sugar and served with whipped cream.
“Close” Week @ Work – Baking Tradition
by NICHOLAS AMMATURO on August 11th, 2010
If you’re in the Finance industry or Accounting…then you will appreciate this. Every month we have to “close” out all our financials, a process which takes a week, every month. It’s very labor intensive and we spend lots of late nights ticking and tying all the numbers. People stress out and go nuts…myself included. I am not sure how the tradition started, but when I first started working, my mom would bake goodies for my team during “close” week. It was a nice break from the day and something to look forward to during this time of stress.
She makes things effortlessly and loves feeding people; the food just tastes better when you love cooking. When I moved out, I had to figure out how to continue this tradition. We would even go as far as meeting half way and she would pass off the “goods” to me. However, our schedules got busier and the bake goods started diminishing.
I just recently started to venture into baking and I have been trying to fill the void that I feel during “close” week. There are still some occasions where she will surprise me and drop cakes or cookies off, but those have been rare (Mom, if you’re reading this, take the hint and start baking more….haha jk). I have been resourceful and have been starting to bake every other month and sometimes every month.
So to my Mom, Thank You and to everyone else, the next few recipes will be dedicated to “close” week
- Torta di Ricotta
- Apple Crostata
- Strawberries & Cream Cake
Enjoy.
Big Green Truck Pizza – New Haven, CT
by NICHOLAS AMMATURO on August 11th, 2010
Who doesn’t love pizza? Who doesn’t love wood fired brick oven pizza? Who doesn’t love a travelling pizza truck that cooks on site? Ok so you get the idea. The Big Green Pizza Truck is located out of New Haven, CT and although their website says they don’t offer their services outside of CT, they catered an anniversary party in NY today (so call them to see if they will come to your area).
My co-worker was celebrating 30 years of service and had an amazing party at one of our companies “houses.” Let’s just say the house is a small mansion and the grounds include a pool, tennis court and full basketball court. Those weren’t as impressive as a 1946 Antique truck that has been fully restored and converted into a mobile kitchen fully equipped with; pull out wooden picnic tables, cappuccino machine, sink, refrigerator, generator, sound system, and most important, a wood fired brick oven.
The Menu included a fresh salad and of course, fresh pizza. They come with all their toppings and will cook custom pizza’s to order based on your preference. The pizza’s just keep coming.
A few of my favs were the traditional plain pizza, bacon with mashed potatoes & caramelized onions, white clam, and bruschetta pizza. If that wasn’t enough, they finish the meal off with fresh ice-cream and gelato.
They have 4 trucks and their website includes all the details for pricing and the specifics. Impress people the next time you’re having a party and consider calling the truck in for some pizza. It was an awesome experience and memorable. For information you can check out their website:
http://www.biggreentruckpizza.com/
If your interested in booking:
Office hours are Tuesday – Saturday, 9am – 3pm
E-mail: doug@biggreentruckpizza.com or phone 203-752-9547
Navy Beach – MOntauk, NY
by NICHOLAS AMMATURO on August 9th, 2010
It’s that time of the year again; my families annual vacation to “The End,” also known as Montauk. Located at the very tip of Long Island, NY, lays this quaint surfer town that has somehow kept its traditions intact. It’s the site of the largest commercial and recreational fishing fleet in New York State and the first lighthouse in the state. The best part about Montauk is that town zoning regulations forbid hotel/food chains. This may be the perfect recipe for creating great restaurants. The locals are fortunate to eat here all year round, but for me, it needs to all get done in a week.
My family has it down to a science, we know exactly where we want to eat, what nights, with who and what time. We know the in’s and out’s of how to book a reservation, what time to call, who doesn’t take them and we’ve even gone as far as baking cookies for the hostess to get a table. I mean, its ridiculous, but we take food very seriously. I could skip the sun and beach and just eat here all day.
A delightful surprise for me was venturing to a newly opened up restaurant, Navy Beach. Please take note that it’s very rare for us to try a new Montauk restaurant in it’s infancy, we need to make sure to check with our local friends first, to see if they give it the thumbs up, its like taking a car for a test drive. My cousin Anna also read a good review about this place and booked it for us, so 9 people deep, we showed up to taste as much as we could and then decide if this would be a keeper.
The location is a little hard to find, but worth the adventure…just take find Second House Road and follow the signs. The restaurant is located on a 200 foot private beach and is full of lounge chairs and picnic tables, for people to eat and grab some drinks. Its a popular spot to come to watch the sunset.
The drinks are worth the trip alone. We had ordered the “Madoff,” which changes frequently, so you’re really never sure what you’re going to get. The night I went, it was a mixture fresh raspberries, vodka, St. Germaine, and sweet vermouth.
The menu features everything from cebiches to fried buttermilk chicken. A few highlights I need to point out:
- Truffle Mac & Cheese / Mexican Corn – you need to order for the table to split, they’re so good
- Seafood & Chips – lightly battered and fried shrimp / cod / scallops
- Pan Roasted Salmon – w/ garlic noodles & tamarind glaze
- Buttermilk Fried Chicken – w/ cheddar jalapeño cornbread
- Navy Burger – onion bacon marmalade / cabot cheddar / hand-cut fries / house pickles
The Burger was one of the best I have ever tasted and the fried chicken was incredible. Surprising to say this in a town known for its seafood.
Restaurant Info:
Navy Beach
16 Navy Road
Montauk, NY 11954
(631) 668-6868
Swiss Chard Two Ways
by NICHOLAS AMMATURO on July 29th, 2010
My co-worker has been generous enough to share some of the harvest from a farm co-op she belongs to. On my desk this morning was a bag of purple cabbage, lettuce, mariachi peppers, and Swiss chard. I am immediately picturing a light salad with the cabbage and lettuce and then using blanched Swiss chard leaves to roll up ground beef & the mariachi peppers.
In case you don’t know much about Swiss chard, here is the information from the farms website:
Chard is harvested as a green, leafy vegetable. Chard is in the spinach family but contains no oxalic acid which makes it easier for us to absorb the nutrients from the chard. These greens are high in vitamins A, E, & C and the minerals iron & calcium.
Cooking Tips
- If leaves are large & mature, remove the stem to cook separately.
- If the greens are young, cook whole.
- Use in place of spinach in most recipes.
- Sauté the leaves in garlic butter or olive oil & garlic.
- Steam large stem pieces for 8-10 min. & leaves for 4-6 min.
- Raw baby leaves are great in green salads.
- Toss steamed leaves with olive oil, lemon juice, salt & pepper. OR with sesame oil, rice vinegar or soy sauce.
Let’s try these Italian inspired stuffed/rolled Swiss chard leaves
INGREDIENTS
- 2 TBLS Canola Oil
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 bunch of Swiss chard, stems removed
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 1/2 cup cooked white rice/brown rice
- 1 Red/Green bell pepper (I am using mariachi pepper, which is hotter), diced small
- 1 cup prepared tomato sauce (homemade – take can of plum tomatoes, blend in blender, then cook on stove top to reduce by a 1/4)
- 1/2 tsp Salt
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
In medium frying pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add minced garlic and diced peppers. Cook 3-4 mins until pepper softens. Remove from heat, transfer to a large bowl, add ground beef , cooked rice, salt, and 2 TBLS of the tomato sauce. Mix well.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Fill a large bowl with ice and water. Take about 4-5 Swiss chard leaves at a time and blanch in boiling water for a minute and then transfer to ice bath. Remove from ice bath and pat dry with paper towels.
Spread 3-4 TBLS of Tomato Sauce onto bottom of Pyrex dish (enough to have a thin layer of sauce on the bottom)
Lay out leaves, smooth side down and place 3-4 TBLS of beef mixture on largest end of leaf. Roll towards the smaller end, until completely rolled up. Place seam side down in Pyrex baking dish. Continue with the rest of the leaves. Drizzle the remaining sauce over each roll.
Place seam side down in Pyrex baking dish. Continue with the rest of the leaves. Drizzle the remaining sauce over each roll.
Bake in oven 35-40 mins. Enjoy
So there was extra Swiss chard because some of the leaves weren’t big enough to make into rolls. So I removed the stems from the leaves and roughly chopped them.
Braised Swiss Chard w/ Feta & Craisins
INGREDIENTS
- 1/2 bunch of Swiss chard
- 1/4 cup of dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup of diced feta
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 TBLS Canola Oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
Heat oil in frying pan over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté. Place stems into pan first, 3-5 mins to soften them up. Then add leaves
Cook for 5 mins until wilted and then remove from heat. Add 1/2 tsp salt and make sure to taste it because chard can be quite bitter. Stir in feta and craisins.
Serve as a side dish or as a snack.
Red Hat Bistro – Irvington, NY
by NICHOLAS AMMATURO on July 26th, 2010
Located on the Hudson River 30 minutes outside NYC, is the picturesque and nostalgic Red Hat Bistro. The former location of the Lord and Burnham Company, a noted American green house manufacturer and builder of major public conservatories in the United States. The factory has now been converted and the restaurant is housed in what used to be the boiler room. The smoke stack with the Lord & Burnham initials protrudes out of the building and the combination of glass and brick maintains the industrial feel.
The Red Hat offers patio dining which gives you views of the Tappan Zee bridge and all the way south to Manhattan. In the warmer months, you can enjoy the trendy/chic rooftop terrace which features a full service bar and teak lounge chairs.
The menu is bistro style and features local seasonal ingredients. Constantly updated with the seasons, the menu is perfectly paired with the atmosphere and signature cocktails.
Appetizers: Pictured above to the right is the Red Hat salad, with imported burratta cheese, haricots verts, cherry tomato confit, cerignola olives, toasted croutons in a sherry-basil vinaigrette. In the upper left corner is the House-made Gnocchi, made with sheep’s milk ricotta, topped with shitake & cremini mushrooms and asparagus, finished off with toasted herb breadcrumbs.
Entrees: Pictured to the left is Grilled Atlantic Salmon, with asparagus and roasted fingerling potatoes, served on top of a pommery mustard-shallot vinaigrette. Grilled Swordfish pictured on the upper right with braised artichokes, spring vegetables in a lemon-saffron broth with pearl couscous.
The full menu can be found here: MENU
Click picture below for the restaurants website:
Restaurant Info:
Red Hat Bistro
1 Bridge Street
Irvington, NY 10533
(914) 591-5888
Loosen Bros. “Dr.L” Riesling 2008
by NICHOLAS AMMATURO on July 24th, 2010
I have just recently been exploring German Rieslings and realize that they all aren’t just sweet, sugary syrups. I subscribe to a local wine stores email list and one of the writers for them, loves German wines. In one of his June letters, he mentions the Mosel region, which specializes in dry wine. Because of the northerly location of Mosel, the Riesling wines are often light, low in alcohol, crisp and high in acidity, and often exhibit "flowery" rather than "fruity" aromas.
Now, here I am a month later and we go to the wine store to find something that can be paired with Indian food, I am handed this Riesling, which just so happens to be from the Mosel region. Coincidence? Who knows, but the Chicken Tikka Masala went perfect with this wine and as I sit here and type, I want Indian NOW!
Dr. L comes exclusively from traditional vineyards with steep slopes and slate soil. The estate has been in the same family for over 200 years. When Ernst Loosen (pronounced loh-zen) assumed ownership in 1988, he realized that with ungrafted vines averaging 60 years old in some of Germany’s best-rated vineyards, he had the raw materials to create stunningly intense, world-class wines.
Average price for a bottle is $10.00, how could you go wrong?
St Michael-Eppan Pinot Grigio 2008
by NICHOLAS AMMATURO on July 24th, 2010
This Pinot Grigio comes from the St. Michael-Eppan winery, situated along the Wine Route and is considered one of the best wineries in Italy.
Since 1977, Hans Terzer, Master Winemaker of the Winery, has been regarded as one of the most respected connoisseurs of white wine in Italy. The “Gambero Rosso“, Italy’s prestigious wine guide, named him one of the “Best Ten Master Winemakers in the World.”
The Vineyards website describes it as: “Light green luster’s run through the straw color of this wine whose aroma is rich in fruits, the most striking of which are pears. An excellent acidity balance gives this wine strength and structure . It is dry and smooth on the palate, and leaves a long, pleasant aftertaste. The Pinot Grigio goes well with many dishes, especially lighter foods, to which it is an excellent accompaniment. It is served chilled and also bestows a fine taste following longer ageing.”
The average price per bottle is approx $16.00, which is extremely reasonable for such a great Pinot Grigio.
