Three BitesBonjour, Mr. Delicious
Marilyn HawkesAugust 1, 2017
Say hello to the croque monsieur – a delectable Gallic twist on the classic grilled cheese.
RecipesRecipe Friday: CM2 Rustic Pizza
Marilyn HawkesJuly 28, 2017
Two years ago, Nantas Sodano quit his day job and joined the family restaurant business. He opened CM2 Pizzeria & Bake Shop right next door to Casa Mia, his family’s eatery in North Scottsdale.
To make a good pizza crust, Sodano says you must give the dough time for the gluten to develop, but don’t over handle. “Allow the dough to rise and rest,” he says.
If you’ve ever tried to make ice cream at home, you know it’s pretty easy – just combine the ingredients in an electric ice cream maker, churn and freeze. The same simple directions also apply to making frozen yogurt, says Kody Harris, chef/owner of Fresko Mediterranean Kitchen.
Keeping with Fresko’s Mediterranean theme, Harris whips up a batch of tahini frozen yogurt that her guests are wild about. “Even though tahini is a savory ingredient, once it’s added to the yogurt with a little bit of sugar, it’s got kind of a peanut butter flavor,” she says.
If you missed National Fried Chicken Day (July 6) and didn’t get a chance to feast on fabulous fowl, don’t fret: Lo-Lo’s Chicken & Waffles is celebrating all month by offering a free side dish for the table with the purchase of any “Hood Classics” meal.
But if you’d rather try making your own, Larry White, the Valley's king of fried chicken and founder of Lo-Lo’s Chicken & Waffles, has rustled up a variation of his secret fried chicken recipe.
If you’re looking for a quick summer dish to serve at your next barbecue, chef Michael Goldsmith of Joe’s Midnight Run shares a flavorful chicken recipe that he also makes at the funky restaurant housed in an old liquor drive-thru on 7th Street. The secret to the dish is the Ras el Hanout, a Moroccan spice mixture of cinnamon, clove, coriander and a few other ingredients, which Goldsmith says you can pick up at Mediterranean markets across the Valley. (Or, here's a recipe on Epicurious.) “I like to try to get out of the box a little bit and incorporate flavors from around the world and keep them as traditional as possible,” Goldsmith says. The recipe also includes a couscous salad and a tangy yogurt dip and can be served as an appetizer or entrée.
Local life coach Barbara Goldberg turns the fairytale trop on its head.
Veg OutFried Cauliflower Crêpes
Marilyn HawkesJuly 1, 2017
Vegan, gluten-free fried cauliflower crêpes don’t lack for depth of flavor at Proof American Canteen.
Three BitesWedge Formation
Marilyn HawkesJuly 1, 2017
Outflank summer heat fatigue with crisp, cooling, reliably refreshing wedge salads.
Whether you’re having friends over for the long holiday weekend or taking food to a gathering, you probably want to find a recipe that’s quick, easy and doesn’t heat up the kitchen. Chef Danny Valdez of Luci’s Healthy Marketplace has the perfect solution for you – lahvosh.
RecipesRecipe Friday: EVO Pork Milanese
Marilyn HawkesJune 23, 2017
When the temperature rises, most chefs in the Valley will sprinkle their menus with summer-friendly dishes to help us ease our way into blistering days and sweltering nights. At EVO, Executive Chef Steven Fowler has swapped out a hearty porchetta dish for a lighter pork Milanese.
This recipe calls for a bone-in pork porterhouse (available at AJ’s or a specialty butcher), but you can also use pork chops or pork loin, Fowler says. And if you don’t have a deep fryer, you can pound out the pork and fry on the stove top in 3-4 tablespoons of canola oil. “It’s quick and easy,” Fowler says. “You can have this completed in less than 15 minutes.”
For the past few years, The James Beard Foundation has sponsored a contest called The Blended Burger Project to entice chefs into making hamburgers by blending ground meat with chopped mushrooms. The result: burgers that are not only delicious, but also healthier and more sustainable for the planet.
When the mercury rises, many Valley restaurants bust out lighter menus to entice customers to brave the heat and dine out. At Grimaldi’s Pizzeria, they’ve introduced a strawberry spinach salad that goes well with pizza, says Grimaldi’s Corporate Chef Cory Lattuca. The vinaigrette is made with real strawberries rather than an extract or syrup, which “gives the dressing a nice color and some structure,” he says. “It’s a great summer salad.”
According to chef Aaron May of Over Easy, too many items on Arizona’s breakfast menus are inundated with Southwestern flavors. “Everything is jalapeños and ranchero,” he says. “You make it spicy. You make it cheesy and then you put it under the broiler and melt the cheese and everybody loves it... It’s a cheap thrill.”
Three BitesMarsh-ing Orders
Marilyn HawkesJune 1, 2017
Diet-busing gourmet s’mores make a mess of things from Phoenix to Gilbert.
Veg OutSpicy Grilled Corn
Marilyn HawkesJune 1, 2017
Get fired up with elote, or spicy grilled corn on the cob, from Pomelo executive chef Javier Perez.