Kitchen Conundrum

On a Stick! 80 Party-Perfect Recipes By Matt Armendariz, Cookbook Review

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On-A-Stick-CoverI seriously did a happy dance in my kitchen the other day when the mail arrived and brought me the new cookbook, On a Stick!, written by one of my favorite bloggers, the esteemed food photographer, Matt Armendariz, of Matt Bites.

I had the pleasure (and honor!) of meeting both Matt and his partner, Adam Pearson (famed food stylist) this past January at Food Blog Camp and have to say that they are even more awesome in real life!  They gave an incredible session on food styling and photography, sharing their immense talents with us.  But besides being generous with their knowledge, they are really super nice people with great sense of humors.  Matt truly has the most infectious smile that lights up the room and instantly improves the moods of all those around him!

His new book, On a Stick, 80 Party Perfect Recipes, was written for Ari and me. Well, not really, but it could have been, since we absolutely love food on a stick! We enjoy taking our family to fairs, and we find fair fare, irresistible!  The sausage pepper hoagies, the cotton candy, corn on the cob, fried turkey legs and of course, our favorite on a stick fair food, Corn Dogs! (Page 48!)

But this book isn’t just about all the cool foods on a stick you’ll find at your local fair, you’ll find those recipes too, like Spaghetti and Meatballs On a Stick and Fried Candy Bars On a Stick (HELLO!), it’s also about taking everyday foods and upping their fun factor by stabbing, skewering and piercing them with a stick. There is something for everyone in On a Stick!; sophisticated Stuffed Olives, Grilled Fruit Skewers, Caprese Sticks; Fun Fried Mozzarella, Pizza Skewers, Fudge Pops and Worldly Dak Sanjuk, Scotch Eggs and Lamb Souvlaki. But it’s tons more fun when presented On A Stick!

In the first section, Matt introduces readers to all kinds of things that can be used as the “stick”, from sugarcane and rosemary to cocktail picks and traditional wood skewers. He encourages you to “think off the plate” and employ a more portable, hand hold-able, convenient utensil that can be thrown away to make clean up a breeze!

If you are looking for the perfect dipping sauce to accompany your hand held treat, Matt includes several pages of recommendations and recipes to tantalize your taste buds including one for a Latin Green Goddess Dressing, a Mango Salsa and a Sweet and Sour Chili Sauce.

On a Stick! is divided into sections for both Savory and Sweet dishes, with each of the 80 recipes personally introduced and brought to life by Matt’s beautiful photography. (See more of his stunning portfolio here.)

While I am dying to test out every recipe in this entertaining book, here’s a list of my Top 5 to try right away:

1. Breakfast Pancake Dogs

2. Chicken and Waffles

3. Chinese Five-Spice Skewers

4. Deep Fried Mac ‘n’ Cheese

5. Molotes with Fresh Tomato Salsa (An Oaxacan street food of masa crusted potato and sausage filling)

6. Pizza Skewers with Garlic Butter Dipping Sauce (the kids and the child within will love these!)

7. Son-in Law Eggs  with Tamarind Sauce (Thai fried egg salad)

8. Suppli (Italian Rice Balls)

9. Chinese Meatballs with Sweet and Sour Chili Sauce

10. Tofu Tod (who’s Todd?) with Sweet Chili Sauce

Did I say 5? I really meant Top 10! This short list is only from the Savory recipe section! (There really are so many fabulous sounding recipes to choose from! How could I possibly just pick 5?!)

The Sweet recipe section should be recreated page by page as each recipe could only bring more and more joy!  There’s Deep-Fried Candy Bars, Chocolate Covered Cheesecake, Cinnamon Rolls with Creamy Vanilla Frosting, Frozen Elvis and even Margarita Jello- Shots. And yes, they are all On a Stick!

So if you are looking for incredible ideas for a party, or if you just want to bring out more fun in food, be sure to grab a copy of On A Stick! I guarantee you will have a blast with these and will definitely be a hit at your next gathering!

Last year, we saw this at a fair upstate and were mesmerized by this food on a stick and wondered how it could possibly be made (as well as eaten, but that’s another story!). Well, we were so happy to see this recipe in On a Stick! and wanted to share it with you:

 

Spaghetti and Meatballs

by Matt Armendariz

I know what you’re thinking: Spaghetti and meatballs on a stick? What was wrong with them on a plate? Well, you can relax. This recipe takes everyone’s favorite, pops it on a stick, fries it, and increases the fun factor by about a million. Seriously.

Serves 4

8 Popsicle sticks

Homemade Meatballs

Ingredients

1/2 lb lean ground beef
2 tbs minced yellow onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 egg white
2 tbs seasoned bread crumbs
Salt and pepper, to taste

5 cups plus 3 tbs vegetable oil, divided
1/2 lb cooked spaghetti
2 cups marinara sauce
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper

Method

1. Line a baking sheet and a shallow baking dish with parchment paper.

2. Make the Meatballs: Place all meatball ingredients in a medium bowl and mix until well combined. Shape into 1-inch balls and place on the prepared baking sheet.

3. Warm 3 tablespoons of the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add meatballs and cook, turning to brown all sides, until just cooked through. Remove from heat and let cool.

4. Gently toss meatballs, spaghetti, marinara sauce, and Parmesan in a large bowl until thoroughly combined. Place mixture in the prepared baking dish, cover, and refrigerate at least 12 hours and up to overnight.

5. Preheat the remaining 5 cups of oil to 350 degrees F. Cut chilled pasta mixture into 8 equal squares. Remove squares from baking dish and insert a pop stick into each. Carefully place spaghetti sticks in pot, one at a time, and fry about 6 to 8 minutes, or until golden and crispy. Drain on paper towels, season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve warm.

 

To find out more about Matt and this book, be sure to check out his blog, Matt Bites. You can also find Matt on Twitter.

Disclosure: We received a copy of On a Stick! to review. All photos and recipes have been reprinted with permission of Quirk Publishing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Green Market Baking Book and Giveaway!

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GMBB Cover ImageCongratulations to Lisa @FitintheMidwest! You have won The Green Market Baking Book!

With the incredible increase in interest in eating locally grown and health mindfully, The Green Market Baking Book by Laura Martin is a wonderful cookbook for any kitchen. This book gives people alternatives to baking with refined sugar and artificial sugar products, while encouraging them to support their local food communities. A contributional effort spearheaded by Ms. Martin, this book features 100 mouthwatering sweet and savory baked treats chosen from the best chefs and bakers from across America — all created from locally produced sustainable whole foods using natural sweeteners, and featuring dairy- and gluten-free treats along with vegan and low-fat variations.

The book is broken down into 11 sections beginning with the chapter, Answers to A Few Questions. This section does a great job of explaining why not to use sugar and why you should use organic. Additional sections discuss Ingredients, Stocking the Pantry and Substitutions. There is a great Substitution Chart, helpful in showing you how much natural sweetener to use to replace sugars in your recipes.

The heart of the book are the sections devoted to each season, aptly titled, Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter, featuring how to’s on selecting that season’s ripest produce and recipes highlighting those seasonal flavors we all love.

Some of the wonderful seasonal recipes included in the book are:

  • Alice Waters’s Whole Grain Waffles
  • Dan Barber’s Vegetable Frittata with Potato Crust (wheat-free)
  • Christine Carroll’s Plum–Walnut Upside-down Cake
  • Rozanne Gold’s Yellow Squash and Sundried Tomato “Quiche”
  • Carol Anne Wasserman’s Chocolate Cupcakes with Dark Chocolate Ganache Frosting (dairy-free)
  • Cynthia Wong’s Honey-Figgy Toffee Pudding
  • Terese Allen’s Rosemary Buttermilk Biscuits for Organic Valley
  • Meredith McCarty’s Toasted Almond and Orange Cake with Orange Glaze (dairy-free)
  • Shermer Pecans’ Apple Oat Pecan Drops (vegan)
  • Linton Hopkins’s Rosemary Olive Bread (dairy-free)

Near the end of the book are a few pages highlighting Growing Your Own and Preserving The Harvest. From soil tips to the best freezing and canning methods, this book really leaves nothing out! The Appendix points you to various suppliers for Organic Baking products and how to find your local Farmer’s Markets.

Two of the things I really liked were the Sample Menu page, featuring recipes for nearly every occasion, and the drawings. While I usually love to devour cookbooks because of their beautiful photographs, this book features very lovely hand drawn pictures of fruits and vegetables. It suits the cookbook well.

Here is a very easy recipe from the book for a delicious topping that can be used over Shortcakes, Ice Cream or Pancakes:

 

Honey Strawberry Topping

Ingredients

3 cups local organic strawberries, hulled and sliced

1/3 cup local mild flavored honey (such as orange blossom or wildflower)

Method

Pour honey over fruit and let stand 30-40 minutes until ready to serve.

Reprinted from Green Market Baking Book © 2011 by Laura C. Martin, with permission by Sterling Publishing Co., Inc.

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See? EASY! And yet, so delicious!

There is a delightful recipe for Shortcakes in the book that would go perfectly with this sauce!  You can buy the book HERE, or I happen to have one copy of the book that you can WIN! Yes, win!

Mandatory entry – just leave us a comment here telling us a recipe that you make that uses locally grown produce.

Additional entries can be earned by completing these steps and leaving a comment telling us you did so with your links. Please be sure to leave a separate comment for each entry!

  • ”Liking” Kitchen Conundrum on Facebook.
  • Recommend this giveaway in your status update on Facebook.
  • “Following” @kitchconundrum on Twitter
  • Tweet about the giveaway
  • Subscribe to Kitchen Conundrum’s RSS feed

That’s a total of 6 entries you can earn!

Good luck!

One random winner will be chosen via ‘And the winner is’ plugin. Once the winner is chosen, the winner will be contacted via email and if winner does not respond within 48 hours, winner forfeits prize and another winner will be chosen at random.

This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only. Please be sure to leave a separate comment on this post for EACH entry. All entries will be checked and verified. You must enter a valid email address or Twitter handle so we can notify you of your win, otherwise you forfeit the prize and another winner will be chosen. You have until 11:59pm EST on Saturday, May 28, 2011 to enter.

Disclosure: We received one copy of this cookbook to review and one copy to give away. We did not receive any other compensation for hosting this giveaway.

Good Luck!

Soave, One of Italy’s Favorite White Wines Makes a Splash in the U.S.

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soave_classico_doc_rocca_sveva_bottigliaLong regarded as one of Italy’s favorite white wines, Soave is regaining some popularity with wine drinkers across the U.S.  Wine that once had a bad rap for being mass produced and sadly mismade, is coming back in it’s rightful glory as a respected contender in the world of wine.  It could be due in part to the efforts of one of the wine’s biggest fans, Lidia Bastianich and her popular “Lidia’s Italy” television show, or it could be that this wine is really quite good and exceptionally affordable!

Soave is produced in the eastern part of the province of Verona in Italy’s Veneto region and is made from Garganega grapes (pronounced Gar-gah-nay-gah) either as a blend or as the principal grape varietal. The majority of the vineyards are located amongst the rolling hills including the historic “Classico” zone, which lies between the charming medieval town of Soave and Monteforte d’Alpone, the oldest orginal zone.  This area features stunning centuries old castles, chruchs, bell towers and age old villas as part of the rich history and traditions of this area and are indicative to the region’s primary products, Soave wines, Monte Veronese cheese, Vialone Nano rice, Veronese Radicchio and chestnuts from San Mauro. With all this and more, Soave is recognized as one of the great destinations for art, culture and history among the townships of Italy.

The wonderful thing about Soave wines is that they pair so well with many foods. I instantly think of them as the perfect summer, outdoor bbq wine or a match made in heaven to fish, pasta and light sauces. They also pair well with spicy Asian cuisines. Soave is typically a light, dry, white wine with citrus aromas, lemon-lime and tart green apple flavors. They are meant to be drunk within a year or two after the vintage date.

We recently tried two bottles Soave and here are our notes:

Our first wine is the Soave DOC “Danieli” 2009 wine produced by Fattori (Veneto, Italy).  It was awarded a Bronze Medal in the Decanter World Wine Awards 2010.

– Color: Bright straw yellow with a hint of green

– Nose: Floral notes of jasmine and wisteria, fruity with notes of peaches, pears, apricots and oranges. There is also a hint of nuttiness, like almonds, with a bit of cedar, rosemary and thyme.

– Taste: Medium body, crisp dry finish. Soft with a generous weight and well balanced.

Overall, this was a lovely bottle of wine and one that I would recommend to lovers of unoaked Chardonnay or to those that enjoy Sauvignon Blanc but want a wine with a bit more weight. I know this one is on our “drink again” list.

The second bottle is a Soave DOC Classico “Rocca Sveva” 2009 produced by Cantina di Soave (Veneto, Italy).

– Color: Light straw

– Nose: Light tropical fruits with mineral, apple and light honey with hints of lemon and almonds

– Taste: Full-bodied, fresh acidity with lively fruit, especially tart apple with nuts and a long finish.

Overall, this was a good bottle of wine. It’s a bit lighter weight than the other one we tried, but I really liked the acidity and burst of fruit. Because this wine quite affordable, it is perfect to buy a few bottles of for larger groups or to bring to a party. It is certainly crisp and refreshing!

To learn more about Soave wines, please check out the Soave Consortium’s new blog at  http://blog.ilsoave.com/en/ and you can like them on Facebook too!

May is Soave Month!

If you should happen to be in NYC during the month of May, it is officially Soave Month at Eataly, the oasis of artisan Italian food and wine products, in the heart of Manhattan.  Located at Fifth Avenue and Broadway, Eataly opened last year and has already become one of the top five destinations in the Big Apple for New Yorkers and tourists alike.
Soave will be exclusively featured for the whole month in all Eataly restaurants and at a dedicated Soave Bar in Eataly’s bustling La Piazza.  Eataly Vino will also offer free Soave tasting every Friday and Saturday, and La Scuola will offer ticketed Soave seminars to those who wish to learn more about this dynamic category from the producers, themselves.

Soave Corner and Restaurants
Throughout the month, Soave wines will be poured by-the-glass in all restaurants and at the Soave Bar.  Different wines and producers will rotate every week in order to give consumers the chance to taste different vintages and appellations of Soave.

“La Scuola”
Usually an area dedicated to “gastronomic classes” led by the TV chef Lidia Bastianich, this space will host Soave seminars and tastings with the winemakers. Traditional food from Veneto will be served to attendees as well. These are ticketed events. Register online for the classes on May 3rd and May 5th.

Eataly Vino
In the friendly space of Eataly’s wine store, consumers will have the chance to taste Soave wines, purchases bottles and chat with the winemakers in-person every Friday (6-8pm) and every Saturday (4-6pm).

“Soave Style” Exhibit
Throughout the month, an exhibit will showcase the photos of fashion photograpgher Giò Martorana, who has departed from his usual beat to explore Soave’s dynamic region. The fine black and white photographs have been compiled in the book “Soave Style”.

The wineries
Cantina di Soave, Cantina di Monteforte, Cantina del Castello, Cantine Riondo, Enoitalia, Fattori, Le Albare, Montetondo, Vicentini Agostino, Villa Canestrari.

You can find out more on the EatalyNY website or at  ILSoave.

Disclosure: We received the two bottles of Soave wine mentioned above to review from the Soave Consortium. We were not otherwise compensated to write this post.