Smash The Place

I can't believe I never knew how to make this because it is so easy and so tasty that I don't know if I could live without it again. If you decide to make it, you will feel the same way. Especially since we all have access to cheap hazelnuts via Trader Joe's, there really is no excuse. We used this at our World Cup Brunch on crepes with whipped cream which was so good it was almost too good. I have also been eating it with toast and that is such a nice treat. A word of warning on equipment: You really do need a food processor to make this. Trying to work with what they have here in Tom's apartment resulted in me frying his 7 dollar Target blender. As such, not all the hazelnuts were well ground, but the spread tasted great anyway. Also, it can be a bit hard to get all the skins off the nuts - I go by this percentage: if you remove at least 80% of the total amount of shell distributed over all the total amount of hazelnuts used, your spread will not be bitter.


1 c hazelnuts
1/2 c honey

1. pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
2. pour hazelnuts onto a cookie sheet, place in oven and roast for 10 - 12 minutes, until skins turn dark.
3. place the nuts in a tea towel (wait until they are cool enough to handle) and rub vigorously to remove skins.
4. place nuts in processor. Pulse until the nuts form coarse crumbs and release their oils.
5. add honey and process until smooth.

makes about 1 1/2 cups of spread

Here is another Italian dish from our World Cup Brunch Final. It is a Mario Batali recipe and it is easy and more importantly, one of the most yummy things ever. I love cannellini beans - they are my favorite of all beans. This is a great appetizer or snack - we used it to make crostini. You could also use it as a fun spread for roasted veggie sandwiches or something like that. I think it is the bee's knees. Mario says to use 1.5 c of dried beans for this recipe, but I used a can of Goya cannellini beans. If you did use the dried beans, you would have to soak them over night and cook them before following this recipe. This spread also tastes even better if you let the flavors combine for a few hours in the refrigerator before serving.




1 15 oz can of Cannellini beans, drained and rinsed well
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbs fresh rosemary, minced
2 tbs balsamic vinegar
salt

1. mash beans with a potato masher or fork. they should be well mashed but not completely mushed.
2. add garlic, rosemary and balsamic vinegar. stir well. season with salt to taste.

makes about 2 cups of spread and will be eaten all up before you can blink

The next set of recipes is from the World Cup Final Brunch. Hopefully, this will become an every four year tradition because it was such a success. We prepared foods from the two competing countries and a good time was had by all (except those of us supporting France. Je suis desole.) Anyways, this frittata was a delcious offering from the Italian side, proving that even jerks who probably say racist shit to Zizou that causes him to head butt them and get a red card and then they later say, what me, say racist things? i am but a simple italian villager and i do not even know what a this "butt fucked terrorist" means! etc. can come from a country that makes delicious egg based cuisine. I got the recipe off Recipezaar.




2 medium sized potatoes, boiled and mashed
1/2 onion, chopped
4 tbs butter
4 eggs
1/2 c diced prosciutto or salumi
1/2 c chopped basil
1/2 c grated parmesan
1/3 c grated mozarella
salt and pepper

1. fry onion in two tbs of butter until carmelized, about 10 minutes. Add potatoes and diced prosciutto and stir well.
2. pre-heat broiler.
3. beat eggs and add potato mixture, basil, parmesan, mozarella. mix well. season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. pour mixture into oven safe pan and cook until the eggs set and only the middle is still moist.
5. finish the frittata by placing it under the broiler for about a minute or two, until golden.

serves four, but it will go fast because it is so amazingly tasty!

I was never much a fan of chickpeas when I was growing up, mainly because chickpeas make you have smelly farts - But I guess I had to learn that such is the cost of deliciousness, no? Anyways, I was in Williamsburg the other night and I went into this hippie organic cafe to get coffee and the place really smelled of delicious chickpeas simmering in delicious spices so I decided to go home and make up a chick pea recipe. I have to say, I am estimating the amount of spices I put in - I usually just add and taste and add and taste when using tumeric and cumin and red pepper so I suggest doing the same until you get the right combo. I also reccomend dressing this with a little Maggie Hot and Sweet sauce which can be found in any Indian grocery store. Tamarind sauce would also be tasty.



2 15 oz cans of chickpeas
1 10 oz package of frozen baby peas, defrosted
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp tumeric
1 tsp chili powder
1 large tomato, chopped
4 large pita breads
salt and pepper to taste
vegetable oil
water

1. add a little glug of vegetable oil to a sauce pan and let it heat up. add chopped onions and cook until caramelized, about 10 - 12 minutes.
2. add garlic and sautee for 1 minute.
3. add all spices with a little bit of water and let cook for 30 seconds.
4. add chickpeas and cook for about 5 minutes (you can cover them up while they are cooking if you like your chickpeas a little softer).
5. add peas and cook for another 5 minutes.
6. divide the mixture onto four pita breads warmed in the oven, garnish with tomato and eat immediately.

serves three hungry boys and one hungry but small girl

Jacques Pepin's Fast Food My Way is fast becoming one of my favorite cookbooks. Nothing I've made out of it so far has been a dud - and it is all really quick and easy. The star so far has been this recipe for caramelized peaches not just for tastiness but also for the ingenious use of the peach syrup as base for the smooth, decadent sauce that makes these peaches so yummy. Jacques adds cognac to his version, but I don't because I hate weird alcohol tastes in my desserts. J. also says to serve this with pound cake or brioche, but it is good on its own, too.


1 29 oz can of peach halves in heavy syrup
1/2 c heavy cream
1 tbs lemon juice
2 tbs crushed pistachios

1. drain peaches while saving the syrup. pour the syrup into a fry pan and cook until it turns into caramel, 9 - 10 minutes.
2. add peaches to syrup and stir in cream. bring to a boil for 1 - 2 minutes.
3. transfer peaches and caramel cream to a bowl and cool.
4. add lemon juice and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
5. sprinkle with crushed pistachios and serve.

serves four people if they are polite, two if they are greedy.