Lamb Kebabs With Pomegranate Glaze

Ben and I first heard about Aarti Sequeira when we watched her on The Next Food Network Star last year. We loved her charm, the Indian influence in all of her recipes, and her accent of course! This is a recipe that Aarti is famous for, as she won a challenge with this tangy, tasty dish. We ate the kebabs with some roasted winter vegetables, but Aarti recommends eating Basmati rice and cucumber Raita with the dish. Either way, it was delicious!

Ingredients
1 pound ground lamb
3 quarter-size slices ginger
2 large cloves garlic or 4 small
2 medium shallots
Zest of 1 lemon, and separately, its juice
4 sprigs fresh mint
Handful fresh cilantro
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
4 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon garam masala, optional
Lots of freshly ground pepper
Oil, for drizzling
Cucumber Raita:
1 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons minced fresh mint
1 large English cucumber, grated
1 clove garlic, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Directions
Special equipment: Food processor if you have it, 8 bamboo skewers, stovetop griddle or big nonstick pan or outside grill


Directions:
Bring the lamb to room temperature. If you're going to cook your kebabs on the grill, soak bamboo skewers in water for at least 30 minutes, so they don't burn.


Grab your food processor. You can chop all this by hand too; just make sure to chop it all up very finely.


Throw the ginger, garlic, shallots, lemon zest, mint, cilantro and salt into the processor. Grind until very finely chopped.


Throw the lamb into a big bowl. Add the shallot mixture, 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses, baking soda, garam masala if using and pepper to the meat. Using your hands, knead 2 to 5 minutes until the meat lightens in color, taking on the appearance of knitted fabric. It will also be very sticky. Perfect!


Divide the meat in half, then in half again and then half again, until you have 8 mounds.


Have a platter ready for your completed kebabs. Drizzle a little oil on the platter so the kebabs don't stick.


Have your bamboo skewers standing by. Take one ball of meat and roll it into a short stump. Thread the skewer through it, and then begin shaping the kebab with quick strokes, pulling the meat down. It should be a little over 1/4-inch thick. Roll the kebab between your hands to seal the meat. Repeat.

Preheat a griddle over medium heat, drizzling oil over it, so that when it starts to smoke, you'll know it's ready. Meanwhile, mix the juice of half the lemon with the remaining 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses in a small bowl.


When it's hot, place the skewers on the grill. Cook about 2 minutes, then turn a quarter of the way. Brush with the lemon-molasses glaze and cook another 2 minutes. Continue in this way until you've cooked the meat 8 to 10 minutes.


Enjoy!
xx, 
Penelope Anne

Penne With Treviso and Goat Cheese

I found out about this recipe while watching Giadda DeLaurentis' show, Giada At Home, (yes...I am an admitted Food Network Junkie...please no judgements). I love this dish because it is so colorful, and contains one of my favorite ingredients; Balsamic Vinegar! This is a nice way to dress up your ordinary pasta dinner. I used feta instead of goat cheese, and radicchio instead of treviso, as treviso can be hard to find. The raddichio was a little bitter, so I would recommend using the treviso if you can! You can also use whole wheat or multigrain penne. Enjoy :)


Ingredients

1 pound penne pasta
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, halved
1 pound treviso or radicchio, chopped (about 4 cups)
3 packed cups (3 ounces) baby spinach
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken stock
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan
1 1/2 cups (11 ounces) goat cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup basil leaves, torn


Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water.


In a 12-inch skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant and golden, about 1 minute. Remove the garlic and discard.

Add the treviso, spinach, chicken stock, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of salt, and red pepper flakes. Cook until the treviso and spinach until wilted, about 6 to 8 minutes.


Add the pasta and Parmesan. Toss well and thin out the sauce with a little pasta water, if needed. Season with salt, to taste.


Transfer the penne to serving bowls. Top each portion with the crumbled goat cheese and garnish with basil before serving.

xx,
Penelope Anne

Chicken Marsala

This is a great, easy weeknight dinner recipe. It is lighter and healthier than traditional Chicken Marsala, and doesn't use any cream. I tried it last week and it was delicious! If you want a thicker sauce, just mix a little cornstarch and butter into the sauce. Enjoy :)

Skillet Chicken With Mushroom Marsala Sauce
(From Good Housekeeping)
Ingredients:

- 4 medium (1 1/4 pounds) skinless, boneless chicken-breast halves
- Salt and pepper
- 1 tablespoon(s) olive oil
- 1 package(s) (10-ounce) sliced cremini mushrooms (or any mushrooms of your choice)
- 1 large shallot, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup(s) reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 cup(s) Marsala wine
- 2 tablespoon(s) chopped fresh parsley



Directions:
Place chicken-breast halves between 2 sheets of plastic wrap. With meat mallet or rolling pin, pound breasts to an even 1/2-inch thickness; sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper.
In nonstick 12-inch skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add breasts and cook 6 to 7 minutes or until browned on both sides and chicken loses its pink color throughout, turning over once. Transfer breasts to platter; cover with foil to keep warm.
To skillet, add mushrooms, shallot, and 1/4 tsp. salt. Cook 3 minutes or until mushrooms are browned, stirring frequently. Add chicken broth, Marsala wine, and any juices from chicken on platter. Cook 4 minutes to reduce sauce by half, stirring occasionally. Stir in parsley.

xx,
Penelope Anne

Fall Faves

It has been an extraordinarily busy summer, and I am so happy that fall has begun! Not only is fall the season of changing leaves and brisk air, it is also the season of cooking, baking, and lots of eating! Here are some of my fall faves :)

Pumpkin. Enough said.

Apple Pie

Butternut Squash Soup

Halloween Candy. Can Never Get Enough!

Chai Tea...A New Fave

Iced Pumpkin Cookies

Hungry Yet??

xx,

Penelope Anne

Baby Shower Labels

 This week we had a baby shower for one of the registered dietitians at work. The health educator, Susan, made the cutest labels to put on the mom-to-be's favorite chocolates. The theme for her baby's nursery is "jungle", so Susan found pastel animal graphics to put on the labels. I thought this was such a cute idea for an office baby shower, and so easy too!

xx,

Penelope Anne

Nic's Martini Lounge

I love cute lounges, especially when they offer a broad range of fruity drinks. We found a little gem in Beverly Hills a few months ago that not only offers ample "frou frou" drinks, but delectable desserts as well. (dark chocolate bon bons with coconut anyone?) It is called Nic's Martini Lounge, and we went there last week with Ben's brother and his girlfriend, who were visiting from Denver. But Nic's doesn't just offer you the standard cosmopolitan and chocolate torte, they have a vodka tasting room as well. Yup, that's right, vodka tasting! It is called the "Vodbox", and is basically a freezing cold room filled with any kind of vodka you could ever imagine. Before you go in, the boys dress in black fur coats and russian ushankas (fur hats), while the girls don leopard fur coats with white fur hats. It is really hysterical. Once you enter the Vodbox, you can taste any kind of vodka, from Russian Water to Acai Berry that tastes like gummi bears, to espresso, a rich dessert vodka with the warmth of an  afternoon cup of of this caffeine fix we all know and love. We had so much fun in the Vodbox, and each of us was able to personalize the tasting according to our preferences.  I learned a lot about how the taste of a certain vodka is dependent on where it is distilled, and vodka tastes best when it is at the perfect cool temperature. I would absolutely recommend this as a fun activity to do with friends, but pace yourself, you may come out a little tipsier than intended :)
xx,
Penelope Anne

All of us in the Vodbox

Poutine

Ben surprised me on Saturday night with a reservation at a quaint little French restaurant near our place. It is called Soleil, and appropriate to its name, has a sunny yellow awning outside. It was there that I tried Poutine, a French Canadian specialty that originated in Quebec. This dish that combines mild cheese curds, french fries, and a brown gravy. It sounds like a bit of a strange combination, but it was SO delicious!! I loved the way the gravy made the french fries just a little soft, and it felt like a whole meal. Soleil actually has a separate menu for Poutine, and offers it with various meats and other toppings, so you really could order it as a meal.

I also ordered Beef Bourguignon, another French dish, that is basically a stew with beef braised in red wine. If you have ever seen Julie and Julia, the character Julie spends the whole night making a perfect Beef Bourguignon, only to fall asleep while it is the oven causing her to burn it it (very cute movie). I definitely want to try cooking this at home. I was really impressed with Soleil, and it was really great to get a little taste of French cuisine in the middle of LA :)

xx,
Penelope Anne