Mexican Lime Soup (with Spinach)

So the plan today was to wake up early and head down to Union Square to see what's available at the green market. Things didn't quite work out the way they were supposed to though, and the day slipped by rather suddenly. I soon found myself sitting in a darkened living room as the sun slowly disappeared, a low growl in my stomach serving as a reminder that I hadn't eaten all day.

I wandered into the kitchen to make something, but opening the fridge proved disheartening; it's been a while since I've done any proper shopping. An odd mishmash of condiments, a few limes, a head of garlic, and one pack of spinach was about all I had inside. I toyed with the idea of ordering something in, but then I took another look. Though it didn't seem like much, I realized that I had more than enough for a delicious and filling soup.

What I made is a quick variation of the Yucatan soup known as Sopa de Lima, traditionally made with chicken parts and served with tortillas. I started with a wonderfully flavored chicken stock that I had frozen in cubes in the freezer, however in a pinch some canned stock or bouillon will also work. If I'd had fresh cilantro, I would have added that too, but I found that the dried coriander worked just as well, lending the soup another layer of citrusy aroma. The brightness of the limes pairs unexpectedly well with the earthy bitterness of the spinach. A few dried chilis, plus a drop of chili oil, added just enough heat, and some smoky cumin rounded out the flavors.

Ladeled into my favorite (and slightly chipped) terracotta bowl, it was a perfect light supper. The only thing missing was some fresh avocado and a sprinkle of cotija cheese. Next time, definitely!
Here's the recipe, just in time for Cinco de Mayo!

P.S. Remember there is still time to get your orders in for Mother's Day cookie and tea cake gift boxes! Click here for details.

Mexican Lime Soup (with Spinach)

6 cups of chicken broth
1 tablespoon of olive oil
12 oz spinach (preferably fresh, but frozen will do!)
1 lime, juiced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
3 dried chilis
A dash of chili oil (optional)
salt
pepper

1.) Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Add the dried chilis, cumin, and coriander, and let cook in the oil for a minute to release the aromas of the spices.

2.) Pour in the 6 cups of chicken stock and bring to a boil.

3.) Add the spinach and cook for about two minutes.

4.) Add the lime juice, salt, pepper, and chili oil (if desired). Adjust the seasoning to your taste.

Serve with additional lime slices or fresh cotija cheese and cilantro, if desired.

Coconut Flour Pancakes w/ Lemon Curd and Blackberries

There really isn't a story for this one. More like a craving--an intense morning craving for something sweet and carb-y. I've been relying heavily on eggs and sausage, which as incredible as they are, can really do a girl in after so long. But I was good, and though there are bags and bags of flour in my freezer, I resisted and decided to whip up a little something delicious and still low-carb friendly.

The coconut flour makes a reappearance here. I realize that I've been using it in just about everything lately, but I hope you don't mind. It really is the most incredible, versatile (and delicious!) ingredient I've discovered this year. My friend Lindsay was visiting the weekend I made these pancakes and I spent all weekend expounding on the marvels of it. The morning before her flight, I enthusiastically pressed an unopened bag of coconut flour into her hands as a parting gift of sorts.

This recipe is incredibly quick and easy to make, but be warned that these are not the pretty perfect pancakes you might be used to. They're slightly odd shaped and no matter how neatly you pore the batter in, the coconut has a tendency to spread and crinkle at the edges. It toasts quickly, too, so keep your eye on it. Feel free to experiment with extracts for flavoring. When I made these for myself I sweetened the batter with Splenda, but skipped it for Lindsay's benefit as she's quite sensitive to the aftertaste (I don't taste it, but I'm sure that's because I've been using it for so many years now).

I topped mine with homemade lemon curd (another recent obsession) and a few fresh blackberries, but they're also lovely with syrup or even just a bit of butter.

The lemon curd recipe I used is a modification of Alton Brown's but made with Meyer lemons plus the addition of a bit of cream at the end for a slightly paler and thicker curd. Pairs perfectly with blackberries!

Flourless Coconut Pancakes

2 Large Eggs
3/4 cup coconut flour (ground dessicated unsweetened coconut)
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon sugar or Splenda (optional)
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 cup heavy cream
A pinch of baking powder
A pinch of salt


1.) Combine the eggs, cream, butter, sugar, and salt in a medium sized bowl.

2.) In a separate bowl, mix the baking powder and coconut flour.

3.) Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix gently until completely incorporated.

4.) Heat a heavy bottom skillet over medium heat and melt butter.

5.) Spoon batter into skillet one or two at a time. Take care to not let pancakes run into each other. let cook until edges start to frill and brown, then flip gently once and let cook for another minute on other side.

6.) Remove to serving dish and enjoy immediately as you would traditional pancakes.
Note: Leftover pancakes will keep in the fridge if covered with plastic wrap but will lose quite a bit of their "fluffiness." Definitely better if consumed right away.

Makes approximately 8 medium-sized pancakes.

Coconut Lime Torte, Three Ways

The five-pound bags of almond and coconut flour that I purchased recently have been taunting me mercilessly since their arrival. The giant blue and white striped bags have spent the past two weeks sitting in the middle of the coffee table waiting for me to turn them into something lovely. It's been a tough several days, though, and I admit that I've spent most of my evenings battling a case of Holly Golightly's "Mean Reds" that left me kind of teary-eyed and unmotivated to do little else but read recipes and watch movies. And so the bag has sat; frangipane tarts and financier officially on hold.

Until Wednesday. A evening dash to the grocery store to pick up a few staples proved to be just the thing to push me out of the slump. I arrived home, arms loaded down with the weight of my reusable grocery bags when I heard the phone ring. I dove into my purse to find my phone, knocking over a bag of produce in the process. Out rolled a calvacade of artichokes and asparagus followed by a few frisky limes. The limes rolled out across the table in the direction of the flour, where they stopped right at the bag; kelly green rind kissing the bulging bag of almonds. I looked it while I talked, my brain already racing ahead. Within minutes I was in the kitchen grating and mixing and humming the lime in da coconut song that my friend Lindsay used to drive me crazy with in college.

The end result was lovely: a moist, green-flecked cake with subtle hints of lime and coconut. Putting the lime and the coconut together did, in fact, make me feel better! The first night I ate the cake straight, a warm slice right out of the oven. The next day I had a slice for breakfast that tasted even better as the flavors had been given a chance to meld together.

That evening, I stopped by the bodega to pick up some some paper towels when I saw a whole bag of star anise on sale for a dollar. I snatched this up and decided to get creative. In a small saucepot, I mixed half a cup each of coconut milk and cream, and simmered with a few anise stars. I sweetened the cream and poured it over a generous slice of cake. Incredible! The anise brought out the warm, tropical flavors of the cake making for a delicious dessert.

This morning I decided to try the now slightly-stale cake (stale because I was lazy and didn't wrap it properly last night) as French toast! I beat one whole egg with a bit of cream and some cold star anise tea, and soaked the slices before frying in butter. I topped with a drizzle of anise-simmered syrup. Wow! It smelled so good that I didn't have the patience to photograph it properly, so I just dug in.

Coconut Lime Torte

Ingredients:
2 cups almond meal
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened coconut flour
1/2 cup fresh lime juice (about two limes)
Rind of 1 whole (unwaxed) lime
1 cup sugar or equivalent substitute
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 pinch of salt
6 medium eggs
1/2 cup olive oil

For the glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons freshly-squeezed lime juice
2 tablespoons water



1.Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9" round or springform pan.

2. Combine the nuts, rind, sugar (or substitute), salt, and baking powder in an electric mixer or food processor and pulse a few times until any lumps are broken up.

3. Add the eggs one at a time, followed by the oil and lime juice. Continue to mix at high speed for a couple minutes to work some air into the batter--it should grow in size a bit.

4. Pour into a greased springform pan and place in the oven. The baking time will vary depending on your oven and the humidity in the environment. Start checking it about 30 minutes into baking. It will be ready when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

5. When ready to glaze, mix the powdered sugar, water, and lime juice together until smooth. Drizzle all over the cake and allow to set. Serve immediately after glazing.

Additional Serving Suggestions:

**Serve day-old cake in "cream" puddle of 1/2 cup coconut milk and 1/2 cup heavy cream simmered for a couple minutes with 4 star anise and 2 teaspoons of sugar.

**Serve slightly stale cake as French toast using a batter of 1 whole egg, 3 tablespoons of heavy cream, and 3 tablespoons of cold-brewed tea (I used leftover black leaf & star anise tea, but feel free to get creative!). Soak a slice in the batter on each side and fry in 1 tablespoon of butter. Serve with warm syrup (simmer with star anise, if desired).

Italian Lessons: Three-Meat Meatloaf Arrabiata

Sergio was short. Handsome, but very short. I didn’t notice this at first, however, as when I met him I was sitting down. By the time I stood up and realized my mistake, it was already too late.

I was at a private club called Lochness located just a few blocks from my Florentine flat. Private clubs are common in Italy, where the "members only" policy allows the bar owners to skirt one (or a dozen) of those complicated Italian government regulations. The term is used casually in this city, though, and I was able to offer un sorriso (a smile) in lieu of the 3 Euro membership fee. I still have my card in my wallet; a green laminated rectangle featuring a cartoonlike image of the famous monster inviting me to “get messy with Nessy.”

The night I’d met Sergio, I’d been stood up by my wonderful, albeit flaky, roommate who’d promised to meet me after running an errand. I quickly realized that errand had turned into a sleepover with the boy she was not-so-secretly shagging, and so I was left alone at the bar chatting with the cute barman who kept generously refilling my wine glass each time the owner looked away. He spoke Spanish and English, but I preferred to use my newly-acquired Italian to chat away about cooking school and living in the city. He convinced me to stay until closing and offered to drive me the few blocks home in his funny-looking little Italian car.

I met him at the bar again the next night(this time in flats)and again the following evening. But I was quickly starting to realize that the problem with dating the bartender is that he can never leave the bar. That, and the fact that a cute bartender fluent in English in study abroad-saturated Florence is never a good idea. After a week or two of copious text messaging and side-street kisses, I arrived a few minutes later than usual one night to find him kissing the neck of a willowy blonde who giggled as she loudly massacred the Italian language. Furious and humiliated, I shot him a look of death and quickly turned to head out the door. He darted past me, blocking my exit, and in a pleading ménage of languages explained that he was just "helping her with her Italian." I stared at him in stony silence, prompting him to ask me nervously:

“Sei arrabiata??”

I laughed despite myself. Though it was a word I’d not yet officially learned, I recognized it from countless dinner menus back home. Arrabiata. I instantly understood the way my feelings at that moment mirrored the fiery, spicy red sauce.

“Si!!” I shouted angrily, as I pushed him out of the way and walked out the door.

That was the end of Sergio, but as it just so happened, arrabiata sauce was on the menu in my class the following week. It was then and still continues to be one of my favorites.

******

This very simple, spicy tomato sauce comes from Rome and is wonderful over pasta for a quick afternoon meal, but I think it is even better over a savory three-meat meatloaf made from pork, veal, and beef (feel free to replace ground Sergio, if you can find it).

You don’t have to be angry to serve this dish; it's a pretty great comfort dish no matter how you feel! But trust me when I say that when you’re mad at a man (or woman), there are few things more satisfying that pounding one’s hands into a large bowl of ground meat.

Arrabiata
You can adjust the spice in this dish by adding more or less red pepper. I, as I'm sure you've guessed, like it hot...

Ingredients
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 28 oz canned crushed tomatoes with their juice*
1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup chicken stock
salt
pepper

*Remember to use canned, not fresh. Tomatoes aren’t in season now so canned is going to taste much better.

1) Place a heavy saucepan over medium –high heat and add the olive oil. Sauté the minced garlic until it starts to turn golden, but not toasted.

2) Add the tomatoes (along with their juice), chicken stock, and pepper flakes to the garlic and reduce your heat slightly. Season with salt and pepper, and allow the tomatoes to cook down for about 30 minutes, until the sauce is thick. Lower the heat if it starts to boil—you want to keep it at a gentle simmer.

3) When the sauce has thickened and the tomatoes have broken down. Turn off the heat and either serve over meat or pasta (or both) or allow to cool before refrigerating

Three-Meat Meatloaf
This is basically a giant meatball for the lazy. Instead of lots of little balls you just shape the meat and bake. The replacement of breadcrumbs with bran and flaxseed dramatically ups the fiber content and lowers the carbohydrates. How perfect is that?!

Ingredients
1/2 cup chicken or beef stock
1 diced medium-sized yellow onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 handful of Italian parsley, chopped
1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 lb ground veal
1/2 lb ground pork
1/3 cup course unprocessed bran
3 tablespoons ground flax seed
1 egg
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup Extra Virgin olive oil


1) In a heavy saucepan, heat the olive oil and sauté the onions until transluscent.
2) Add the garlic and cook until golden. Remove from heat and let cool
3) In a food processor, blend together the stock, cooked onions and garlic, parsley, red pepper, and salt.
4) In a separate large bowl, combine the three meats and knead until combined evenly.
5) Pour the stock mixture over the meat and combine well with your hands
6) Add the bran and flax seed and mix in well
7) In a separate bowl, beat the egg slightly and then pour over the meat mixture. Again knead until everything has been distributed evenly.
8) Turn the meat mixture onto a large roasting pan and mold into a loaf in the center, allowing room on all sides.
9) Bake at 450 degrees for approximately 35-40 minutes.
10) Raise the oven to broiler, and broil for an additional 3-5 minutes until the top is golden and develops a nice crust.
11) Remove from oven and let sit for ten minutes before slicing so as to not lose all the juices.

To serve, place a thick slice on a plate topped with a couple heaping tablespoons of the arrabiata sauce. Shave Pecorino cheese on top and garnish with more parsely if desired.

Coconut Meatballs with Coconut Rum Dipping Sauce

As a little girl I had a weird hatred of meat in any form other than ground or buried in sauce. I was terrified of tasting or seeing anything even slightly pink or grisly or otherwise indicative that what I was chewing had once belonged to a living, breathing creature. So I had my mom bury my meat in thick sauces or grind it until it was barely recognizable.

One of my favorites during this (thankfully) brief perioud of questionable edible judgment, was meatballs. I'm not talking about the big, tender Italian-mama meatballs the size of a fist that simmer all (Sun)day in a giant vat of marinara sauce. No, these were Puerto Rican-mama meatballs--small (about an inch in diameter) and almost crispy on the outside, salty and sweet with mushy raisins and strong hints of peppers and onions. My mom would make them and serve them with rice or vegetables and then leave a plate of them on the counter top for my dad to munch on when he got in late from the 11pm broadcast. If I didn't eat them all before he got home, that is.

Those were my favorite. Cold from sitting out on the slightly grease-soaked paper towel covered plate. Covered with another plate and stolen one-by-one while leaning against the counter in the darkened kitchen. What more could you want?

I still whip up a batch of these for myself those nights at the end of the week when I'm exhausted and craving meat, but have had no time to do groceries. I always have a pound or two of ground beef in the freezer and this is precisely why. I'll usually eat half for dinner and then place the rest in a Ziploc to take to work for lunch the next day.

The savory sweet combo is key, but never really having been a fan of raisins, I decided to use coconut flour (ground unsweetened dessicated coconut) instead. I put it in the mix and then coated them before frying in olive oil in a hot skillet. When you're all done, use some rum and coconut milk to deglaze the pan making for a delicious little dipping (or "pouring all over") sauce.

I served these with roasted Brussels sprouts the other night, not because of any particularly good paring between the two, but just because I love Brussels sprouts. Serve yours with whatever you want--whether it's pasta or cornflakes. It's not about creating a killer menu. It's about what tastes good to you. And that's the whole point of these single girl dinners.

Coconut Meatballs with Coconut Rum Dipping Sauce
I used pork and beef to make thse because it's what I had, but you can use any combination that you'd like--experiment! Lamb and veal are both two fabulous options to try.

Ingredients

For meatballs:
1 large onion, chopped fine
1 large green bell pepper, chopped fine
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound ground beef (not lean)
1 pound ground pork (not lean)
2/3 plus 1/3 cup coconut flour (unsweetened)
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley leaves
1/4 cup minced fresh oregano
1 large whole egg

For sauce:
1/4 cup dark rum
1 cup coconut milk
1 tablespoon brown sugar or equivalent
2 tablespoons butter
1 pinch red pepper flakes
salt

To make:
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy cast iron skillet (preferably well-seasoned) and add the chopped onion and bell peppers. Cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened. Remove from heat and let the mixture cool.

2. In a large glass bowl, combine the ground meat with the onion and peppers, 2/3 cup of the coconut, oregano, salt, nutmeg, and parsley.

3. Use your hands to form the mixture into 1 to 1.5 inch meatballs (you'll get about 65 or so).

4. Roll each meatball in the remaining coconut flour and set aside on a separate plate.

5. In the same skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and brown the meatballs in batches (about 10 - 12 at a time), adding the oil as necessary.

6. Transfer meatballs with a slotted spoon as browned to a baking dish and once all are in, place in the oven for 20 minutes until completely cooked through.

For the sauce

1. While the meatballs are in the oven, bring the skillet up to medium heat again and add the rum. Use a wooden spoon to stir and scrape all the bits of coconut and other good stuff in the sauce. Once the rum has reduced by about half, add the coconut milk, sugar, and red pepper, and continue stirring. Let this reduce again to half and add the butter to thicken the mix a bit. Let this cook down about a third, stirring continuously. You'll end up with an amazing, creamy golden colored sauce. Add salt to taste and remove from heat.

Serve the meatballs over a bed of lettus as an appetizer with the sauce on the side, or serve as a main course with the sauce drizzled over and your favorite vegatable on the side. Or just eat them one by one straight from the pan while leaning against the counter and watching Grey's Anatomy reruns. That works too...

Spicy Roasted Cauliflower with Italian Imported Tuna

When I decided to lower my carb intake about three months ago, I needed something to fill the void left by the lack of potatoes. I quickly figured out that cauliflower is an incredibly versatile potato substitute. For Thanksgiving I even served it mashed and whipped with roasted garlic, grated pecorino, butter, and a bit of cream. It was so creamy and smooth that my dad actually told me that he "loved the mashed potatoes."

I'd been planning on making a similar mash tonight to serve with some beef stew, but when I got home I was so hungry that I decided to quickly roast them in the oven instead. I washed and chopped them into florets then coated them with olive oil, cracked pepper, coarse sea salt, and some Asian chili oil (for a little kick). I popped them in a 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes. I would stir them up once about 10 minutes into cooking just to make sure they roast evenly. You'll know they are ready when the cauliflower turns a golden brown with the edges just starting to crisp.

While they roasted, I threw together a simple tuna salad using imported Italian canned tuna (yellowtail packed in olive oil--I refuse to eat anything else), a bit of salt, pepper, some fresh thyme, and a squeeze of fresh blood orange juice drizzled on top. The Italian canned tuna is so flavorful straight from the can that it really doesn't need much else to dress it up. I highly recommend trying it out if you haven't yet. The secret to imported tuna is that its usually packed right on the docks before it has a chance to dry in the sun a bit. This keeps it from getting that "fishy" flavor that we are used to with conventional brands of canned tuna. The yellowtail also has a much lighter flavor and the olive oil makes it taste all the more rich. If you can't find the real imported kind (which is usually at least 4 times as expensive as domestic), I would suggest trying the Genova brand "Tonno." It's manufactured by Chicken of the Sea, but is branded to look Italian (which I find a bit sketchy), but I have to admit that it's pretty good for American tuna and is probably the most widely available--and also not quite as pricey.

If you eat bread, I would suggest getting a good thick piece of crusty whole grain bread or perhaps some ciabatta to soak up the extra oil from the tuna. I admit that this might seem like a bit of an odd dish, but the spicy sweetness of the cauliflower really contrasts well with the salty tuna, and the blood orange adds a nice depth.

Meyer Lemon Custard Ice Cream

What do you do when you have two big juicy Meyer lemons and a craving for something creamy and sweet? Well, if you are anything like me, you make ice cream! A rich, lemony custard serves as the base for this lovely dessert. Try and use the ripest Meyer lemons that you can find; the juice will be even sweeter. And if you're looking for something to serve the ice cream with, make sure you save your egg whites and try it with my Coconut Financier-Madeleines.

Meyer Lemon Custard Ice Cream
Instead of grating the lemon zest for the infusion, I sliced off large pieces with a potato peeler and left them in. The peel candied in the custard and made for a great little flavor surprise in the finished dessert. They look pretty too!

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup sugar (or Splenda if you're low-carbing it!)
Zest of one whole Meyer lemon, peeled into strips
Pinch of salt
6 large egg yolks
1 cup fresh Meyer lemon juice


1. Combine the cream, lemon peel, salt, and sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Bring to just a boil and let simmer for a few minutes to infuse the cream with the scent of the lemon peel.

2. In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks until creamy in color.

3. Temper the eggs by slowly trickling in a portion of the cream mixture, stirring until well blended. This will warm up the eggs slowly so that they don't scramble when you pour into the hot cream. Pour the egg cream mixture back into the saucepan containing the rest of the cream, stirring continuously.

4. Continue to cook over medium heat, stirring until the custard thickens and coats the back of a spoon. (About 7 minutes.)

5. When ready, remove from flame, pour into a clean bowl, and stir in the Meyer lemon juice. Let cool for a few minutes and then place in refrigerator to chill. (Or the freezer, if you're impatient like I am!)

5. Once cool, pour the chilled custard into your ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's instruction.

The ice cream will be thicker than most. It actually is quite perfect straight from the ice cream maker, but can be stored in an air-tight container in the freezer for up to a week. Note that it will likely freeze very hard due to the high fat content of the cream (yum...), so be sure to take it out a couple minutes before serving. This recipe can be easily converted to low-carb with the substitution of Splenda for the sugar.

In which Alejandra goes to the grocery store and discovers a new kind of mutant lettuce

The wind was biting when I left the office today so I skipped my usual six-block walk to Whole Foods, and instead popped into the nearby Morton Williams. For those of you who don't live in New York City, you should know that the grocery stores in Manhattan are a dismal lot. The big specialty stores, like Whole Foods are wonderful, but twice as expensive and always packed to the gills. The other stores—Gristedes, C-Town, D’Agostinos—all seem to exist in constant states of disarray, with employees perpetually restocking, sweeping, mopping, and doing just about anything they can to make the shopping experience as inconvenient as possible.

The Morton Williams near my office isn’t as bad as some of the others, but I’m completely puzzled by their stock. They boast an olive oil and imported Italian product selection enviable of most gourmet specialty stores. They sell just about every kind of ice cream flavor known to man (Acai Berry! Mexican Chocolate! Pinot Noir!). They even have an entire aisle devoted to British products like tea, Cadburys chocolates, and two different kinds of Marmite (ugh). And yet, they always seem to lack the most basic of products. Necessities like skim milk, toilet paper, and sour cream seem to never be available.

But perhaps this is the reason why I actually enjoy this store. I am not a quick food shopper. I browse supermarkets much like I do bookstores: going around and around the same aisles surveying my options and usually leaving with much more than I planned to buy. I rarely shop with a list or preset recipe in mind, preferring to base my meals on whatever is in season or simply strikes my fancy. It’s a creative process (an adventure, even) to walk into the store knowing that I have a completely blank slate on which to experiment.

Lately, I’ve been drawn to the oddball products on the grocery shelves; the dusty, imperfect things found up high or way down low, all but obscured from plain view. Morton Williams is perfect for this with its weirdo stock. Somewhere in the back of my head I seem to have decided that any items produced outside of the US must be better than their American counterparts. For this reason, I regularly come home with bags full of slightly more expensive imported products like unsalted Danish butter in lopsided little bricks, slightly dented cans of Israeli tuna, and jars of clotted cream covered with tiny British flag stickers.

Accustomed to strange little discoveries in the inner aisles, I was surprised to be surprised in an entirely new part of the store today: the produce section. There, nestled among the tightly cellophaned balls of iceberg lettuce and the lush, wet bouquets of romaine, was a plastic clamshell package containing what it proudly proclaimed to be a: “New Lettuce!”

"A NEW lettuce?!" I thought. I had no idea they were still making new lettuces! It's called “Cosmopolitan ™ Lettuce,” and claims to be the “Best of Iceberg and the Best of Romaine.” I stared at this for a while. Turning the package over and over in my hands, trying to figure out the magic behind Cosmopolitan ™ Lettuce. I’d never really seen a trademarked lettuce before, so that was exciting in itself.

At 5 dollars a pop, Cosmopolitan ™ Lettuce is twice as expensive as the other kinds, which I suppose is what one would expect of mutant lettuce. There were several packages on display, all baring a “Best By 1/24” stamp on them. Checking my watch for the date, I suddenly grew a little concerned for the Cosmopolitan ™ Lettuce, picturing it meeting an early demise in a stinky Hell’s Kitchen dumpster. I thought, "that’s no way for Cosmopolitan ™ lettuce to end its days."

So I rescued it. I adopted the Cosmopolitan ™ Lettuce, vowing to bring it home and bathe it in Meyer lemon cilantro dressing and serve topped with pieces of spicy, citrus marinated flank steak and avocado.

So that’s exactly what I did.

A bit more about Cosmopolitan ™ Lettuce*:
I may have purchased this wierdo x-lettuce out of some kind of strange sense of yuppie food guilt, but I can honestly say that I’m glad I did. The lettuce really does bring together the best parts of iceberg and romaine—the crispness of the former with the sweet, leafy flavor of the romaine.

The leaves are long, and almost taco-shaped, so they work perfectly for wraps or sandwiches. (Ideal for the low-carber who can't eat bread.) The crisp leaf holds its shape really well even when stuffed with steak and avocado (like I did), and the flavor really is a cut above.

Though a bit overpriced, I would still recommend trying it out. I couldn’t help thinking that the smaller inside pieces would be great with dips or fillings as an hors d’oeuvres.

Meyer Lemon Marinated Flank Steak with Lemon Cilantro Dressing in Cosmopolitan ™ Lettuce Wraps
This recipe would work just as well as a normal salad, but I wanted to see just how much these Cosmopolitan ™ Lettuce wraps could hole. The answer is a lot. Please note that the flax seed in this recipe is completely optional--I just like to toss it in everything as it's an amazing source of fiber and also adds a lovely (and subtle) nutty crunch.

Ingredients
1/2 lb flank steak
1 bunch of cilantro with stems cut off
2 Meyer lemons, juiced
1/2 cup of olive oil
1/4 cup of pine nuts or almonds
3 tablespoons of ground flax seed (optional)
2 cloves garlic
course sea salt
black pepper
Cosmopolitan ™ Lettuce leaves (or other kind of lettuce)
1/2 large avocado
3 tablespoons homemade or packaged mayonnaise


1. In a food processor, puree the cilantro, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, nuts, and flax seed. Season to taste with course salt and freshly ground pepper. The final mixture should resemble a loose pesto in texture, with a brighter (almost neon) shade of green.

2. Set aside about a third of the dressing. This will be used at the end to dress your salad so keep away from the raw meat. The rest of the dressing will be your marinade. Place the steak in a glass dish and pour the marinade over. Let marinate for at least 45 minutes, covered, in the refrigerator.

3. Broil the steak for approximately 5 minutes on each side, or to desired doneness. After removing from the oven, let sit for a few minutes (covered) so that the juices sink in. While waiting, mix the portion of dressing you originally set aside with the mayonnaise (or sour cream if you prefer).

4. When ready, slice the steak thinly against the grain (meaning perpendicular to the natural lines of the meat), and pile into your lettuce leaves. Top with a few cubes of avocado and drizzle on the dressing according to taste.

Enjoy!

*Please note that the opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own and that I am in no way affiliated with the makers, producers, or other evil geniuses behind Cosmopolitan ™ Lettuce. Nor do I believe is Cosmopolitan ™ Lettuce affiliated with the magazine of the same name. Or with the cocktail. Or that new resort they're opening in Vegas.

Coconut Ricotta Rum Ice Cream

My little brother and I are pretty weird about gift giving. Since our birthdays, which are in February, are only two weeks apart, we tend to view the process as more of a business transaction than anything else. We have a tradition (much to our parents' dismay) of making deals like "How about you just buy yourself something and I'll buy myself something and we'll call it even?" For Christmas we'll sometimes just pick items of similar value off Amazon and have them shipped to my parents house for exchange.

This year, I got Gab Guitar Hero III for his PS3 and he got me the kitchen gadget I've been lusting for all year: a Cuisinart ice cream maker.

From the minute I opened my Amazon box (sans wrapping paper and with receipt enclosed, mind you), I was completely consumed with the prospect of making fantastic new ice cream recipes. Nearly everything that crosses my path is considered for freezing: a perfectly ripe avocado given to me as a gift by the cute bodega owner's son, a pot of leftover ginger tea, even a savory almond gazpacho recipe I saw on Padma Lakshmi's Food Network travel show, which I thought would make a really interesting savory sorbet to serve along with a grilled shrimp salad.
I'm sure that at one point or another I'll try those recipes out, but for now I've been sticking with the sweet stuff. I just made my fourth type of ice cream last night, and have to say that it is my favorite.

The recipe for this ice cream is based on a quick coconut pudding I often make myself when I'm craving something sweet, but don't want to go to too much trouble to bake or run out to the store. I'd write the recipe out for you, but there really isn't much to it: just a scoop of ricotta thinned with a couple tablespoons of coconut milk and sweetened with half a packet of Splenda. I pop this in the microwave for thirty seconds and then sprinkle a bit of cinnamon and nutmeg on top. The flavors are warm and nutty, and very reminiscent of a traditional Puerto Rican beverage called Coquito. Coquito is to Puerto Ricans what Egg Nog is to everyone else. Made with a blend of coconut cream, milk, egg yolks, spices, and dark rum (lots and lots of dark rum), the drink is traditionally served at Christmas and New Years parties or prepared and given as gifts to friends and family members.

I decided to build off of these nostalgic flavors and turn the pudding into a base for a frozen ricotta ice cream. Ricotta is wonderful in desserts. Not really a cheese, Ricotta is Italian for "re-cooked," a reference to the two-step process of recooking the leftover wheys strained from the production of other cheeses like Mozzarella and Provolone. In Italy, a typical store will carry dozens of fresh ricotta. Here, we're usually limited to store brand ricotta, although the fancy stuff is available. If you can find it, use it. It'll make an incredible difference.

The genius of ricotta is that the creamy curds retain their texture even after processing and freezing, giving the final dessert a rich mouth feel very different from that of the milk or cream-based ones. In this recipe, the naturally low fat content of the ricotta is off-set by the richness of the coconut milk, producing a perfectly creamy balance.

A word about sugar:
For the past few months, I've been making an effort to reduce the amount of refined sugars and flours I consume while also keeping the carb count low. You'll see this reflected in many of my recipes where I offer you options for using substitutes like Splenda, ground nut meals, or high-fiber whole grains.

For those with glucose regulation concerns, Ice cream can be one of the best low carb treats available since it can be (and actually tastes best) made using whole ingredients like heavy cream, egg yolks, and nuts or berries as flavoring. Keep in mind that when using Splenda (or any other sugar substitute) in custard based or infused recipes, it should be added after any heating has already occurred so as to avoid the breakdown of flavor.

Coconut Ricotta Rum Ice Cream
The addition of rum to this ice cream is not just for the kick; the alcohol content also serves to keep the ice cream from freezing too hard when stored in the freezer thereby eliminating the need to set on the counter for a few minutes before serving. I like to serve myself a scoop straight from the ice cream maker and then pack the rest right into the empty ricotta container for storage. A dusting of nutmeg and cinnamon on top before serving makes for a lovely presentation. I sometimes like to sprinkle a bit of lime juice on top before serving--it brightens the flavor and makes it taste a little bit like a cocktail!

Ingredients
15 oz of part-skim ricotta
1 can coconut milk (check to make sure no sugar has been added or adjust recipe accordingly)
1 cup sugar or equivalent Splenda sweetener (24 packets/1 cup granulated)
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup dark Puerto Rican rum
1 tablespoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon vanilla extract


1. In a blender or food processor, combine the ricotta, coconut milk, sugar, cream, water, and spices until smooth. About 3 minutes. Place in refrigerator and chill until cold.

2. Pour mix into your ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's directions.

3. Once the ice cream reaches your preferred thickness, slowly drizzle in the 1/4 cup of rum into the ice cream maker and allow to process for an additional five minutes.

4. Remove from ice cream maker and either serve soft or pack into an air-tight container and freeze for an hour or two to harden.

Store ice cream in the freezer. It will keep for up to one week (that is, if you don't eat it all first!)