Armenian Baked Macaroni and Cheese (Poohree Macaron)

As you may have noticed from some past posts, I love macaroni and cheese.  I love it in the morning, and in the afternoon.  I love it in the evening, and underneath the moon ;-) Okay, but seriously, it would probably be my death row meal if it ever came to that (I'm hoping it doesn't come to that).  I've shared several macaroni and cheese variations in the past (here, here, here, here, and here) and I'm not quitting now!  One of my most personally comforting variations is the version my family usually makes, the Armenian one, which you cut into squares and serve.  The top gets all crunchy between the crispy noodles and the bread crumbs, while the noodles beneath are perfectly al dente, flavored simply with Feta cheese and herbs, and bound together with the addition of eggs.  My aunt makes this all the time, but uses dried breadcrumbs on top, which I'm generally not a fan of for topping casseroles and such, unless I have no bread with which to make fresh bread crumbs, or dried panko to use.  She also sometimes uses dill instead of parsley, but I basically despise dill, so I obviously will not be using dill in my version, but you can if you like.  I won't judge you, I promise!

I'd like to take a minute to also discuss Feta cheese.  In its ever-growing popularity, I think most Americans have "experimented" with Feta cheese at one time or another.  What some of you may not realize, is that there are other kinds out there other than those labeled "Greek."  While the Greeks made Feta famous, I personally don't care much for Greek Feta cheese, and won't waste calories on it, and here's why...

Greek Feta is generally pretty dry and salty.  If that's all you've ever had, then it's probably the only flavor you associate with Feta cheese, but there are other Feta cheeses out there!  My second favorite Feta is Bulgarian Feta.  It's slightly softer than the Greek version (better mouth feel), still a bit crumbly but not as dry.  It also has a somewhat briny, tart, and almost rancid taste.  I know that sounds like a turnoff, but trust me, it's not.  My absolute favorite Feta is also probably the most fattening (I've never bothered to actually check because I'm afraid of what I may find, haha). It's French Feta, smooth and creamy.  It too shares that briny, tart flavor profile, not the dry salty heap of cheese that Greek Feta is (sorry I'm biased).  If I could singularly eat French Feta as my Feta cheese of choice I would, but not only is it more fattening (as much as I chose to believe it isn't), it also costs more, which is why the Bulgarian variety is usually our go-to choice.  On the off chance my family goes for the cheaper Greek Feta, I abstain... I'm just that particular about my Feta :)  For the recipe below I used Bulgarian Feta, but you can use your favorite, whatever that may be...

Armenian Baked Macaroni and Cheese (Poohree Macaron)
Makes 12 Pieces

12 oz Homestyle Ribbons or other wide egg noodles

2 T. unsalted butter

12 oz Feta cheese, grated

2 eggs, beaten

1/3 cup chopped parsley

2 cups milk

2 cups fresh or dry bread crumbs

1 T. olive oil

Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 360 degrees F.  Grease a 13x9" baking dish or pan with pan spray or butter.  To a pot of boiling, salted water, add the noodles and cook for about 6 minutes, until it is very al dente.

Drain in a colander and then return to the pot, off the heat.  Add the butter and stir until melted.  Mix in the Feta cheese, beaten eggs, parsley, milk and some salt and pepper to taste (do not over-salt as the cheese is quite salty).

Pour the noodles into the prepared baking dish.  Use the back of a spoon to lightly spread and even out the noodles in the dish so they are fairly even.

Add the olive oil to the bread crumbs and lightly toss with your fingers.  Generously spread the bread crumbs over the top of the noodles.  Bake for about 50-60 minutes, or until the pasta has set up nicely and the bread crumbs are light golden.  Turn on the broiler and broil for a couple minutes to toast the bread crumbs further, so they are a dark golden brown.

Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before cutting into pieces and serving.  If making this dish ahead, let it cool completely before cutting it into pieces, and then reheat for service (it will cut more easily when cold).

Tastemaker Breakfast Reviews

Through the Tastemaker program at FoodBuzz, I recently received a couple Eggo Real Fruit Pizzas as well as a couple boxes of Kellogg's FiberPlus Antioxidants Cereal.  I figured I would share my thoughts in one post since both are breakfast items offered by Kellogg :)

Eggo Real Fruit Pizzas

I tried two different flavors of the frozen breakfast pizzas offered by Kellogg. One was Strawberry Granola and the other was Mixed Berry Granola.  Both feature a cinnamon-maple crust, fruit and toasted granola.  My first impression was that the crust seemed thinner than what was pictured on the box, which is not necessarily a bad thing, because a too thick crust could make the whole experience more doughy than preferable.

I tried one using the oven method, and the other using the microwave method to heat.  The pizza I baked in the oven turned out a lot better, and had a somewhat crisper crust even though it still wasn't super crispy.  The one in the microwave did not crisp up at all, even using the special microwave crisper tray.  It was chewy and somewhat unpleasant in texture, pretty doughy.  I prefer the oven method by far, even though it takes longer to heat.  If you're rushing to eat breakfast in the morning, these are not for you.  Heating them in the oven will take time, and even if you forgo texture, and microwave it, it will take a few minutes to actually eat it (you can't easily stuff it in your face on your way out the door like toaster pastries and other fast breakfast items).

I was pleasantly surprised to find that it shockingly filled me and kept me full for a lot longer than I thought it would.  I imagined I would want a snack an hour later (based on its size) but it definitely kept me full until lunch time.  I will give it credit for that! Would I buy these on my own? Probably not.  They were pretty tasty, but I don't think I would seek them out in the future, especially since the microwave (faster) method yielded poor results (in my opinion).  I do give Eggo lots of credit for creating a unique breakfast product.  I've never seen frozen breakfast pizzas in the freezer section, so I think it's great that they are branching out and trying new things.

Kellogg's FiberPlus Antioxidants Cereals

I received two flavors of the cereal as well, Berry Yogurt Crunch and Cinnamon Oat Crunch. They contain 40% and 35% of your daily fiber requirement respectively.  I can honestly say I really enjoyed them both.  The Berry Yogurt Crunch stayed crunchy for a long time in my milk, and had a nice light non-sugary sweetness that wasn't overwhelming (like some other too sweet cereals).  I liked the yogurt bits and the "fruity crunch" element in there with the flakes, and wouldn't have minded at all if they had included more :) I loved the Cinnamon Oat Crunch as well.  It reminded me of a less sweet Cinnamon Toast Crunch, which is a personal childhood favorite.  This is obviously much healthier, full of fiber, and a lot less sugar.

Given an option of eating the Real Fruit Pizzas or either of these cereals, I would find myself choosing the later.  The cereals are also a lot healthier than the Real Fruit Pizzas... less calories, less fat, less sugar, more fiber.  Even my absolute favorite cereal, Frosted Shredded Mini Wheats is less healthy than these two options, which beat it out in every department on the nutritional label.  I would definitely buy these in the future for a satisfying and healthy breakfast cereal.  And I won't feel guilty having seconds :)

Fried Green Tomato Parmesan

I was recently the lucky winner of a cheesemaking kit from Panini Happy!  Upon receiving my awesome prize, I ventured out to buy some "special milk" (not ultra-pasturized, preferably local) to make my first attempt at mozzarella cheese, ended up with some local Rhody Fresh whole milk from Whole Foods, and then took my cheesemaking kit and got to work.

I was nervous, but followed all the directions to a T.  My milk curdled beautifully, though it took a little longer than it said in the recipe to get a firm enough curd and clear (not milky) whey.

I cut the curds and then continued heating my curds and whey for the specified amount of time while slowly stirring.

I drained off the whey, split my curds into two halves (to shape two mozzarella balls), and got a hot water bath ready on the stove to heat and stretch my cheese.  This is where I had some issues.  My first batch that I heated started to come together and stretch, but I thought it wasn't quite stretching enough so I heated it more, and apparently too much because it completely fell apart.  Oops!  Time for my second attempt.  I heated it in the water bath just long enough to soften up the proteins enough, bring the curds together and stretch the cheese, added some cheese salt, and stretched and worked it just long enough to form it into a smooth ball.

I honestly barely worked the cheese once it was pliable, and I feel that was the reason why my one and only successful cheese ball was actually such a great success.  It was soft and the perfect texture for fresh mozzarella.  I've heard people complain that their homemade mozzarella sometimes comes out dry (I've even tasted this misfortune in the past), and I believe that is from overworking the cheese at this point.  I will definitely keep that in mind as I make more batches of mozzarella!  Hopefully they will all be successful :)

Now what to do with that delicious homemade mozzarella, you ask? Well, last summer I tried a really amazing dish of Fried Green Tomato Parmesan at Oleana in Cambridge, MA.  I got a signed copy of the cookbook from the restaurant, Spice: Flavors of the Eastern Mediterranean, which contains lots of really great recipes, aside from this particular one, and finally got my hands on some green tomatoes from my backyard this summer!  I also had a bunch of ripe red tomatoes from the yard, which I used for the sauce, adapted from the book as well (I changed it to use fresh tomatoes, among a few other adjustments).  The final result, a Southern meets Italian masterpiece.  When green tomatoes are available, I would prefer to make this as opposed to another favorite, Eggplant Parmesan, since eggplants are available through most of the year, while green tomatoes must be picked by you or a nearby farm during summer months only, limiting the time frame to enjoy this dish.

**Note: Although the sauce is called "Tomato Sauce with Caramelized Butter" in the book, I'm thinking I should call it "'Radioactive' Tomato Sauce" due to it's unnaturally bright (and awesome) orange color.  What do you think? haha...

Fried Green Tomato Parmesan with Heirloom Tomato Sauce, Local Mozzarella and Pistachio Pesto at Oleana

Fried Green Tomato Parmesan
Serves 6 to 8
(Adapted from Spice: Flavors of the Eastern Mediterranean by Ana Sortun)

For the Fried Green Tomatoes:

1 1/2 lbs medium to large green unripe tomatoes

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3 eggs, beaten with 1 T. water

2 cups fresh bread crumbs or panko

1 to 1 1/2 cups olive oil, vegetable oil, or a mixture of the two

Salt and pepper to taste

For the Tomato Sauce with Caramelized Butter:

3 lbs tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced

1 T. olive oil

1/2 T. minced garlic

Pinch of chili flakes

1/2 stick (2 oz) unsalted butter

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 to 3/4 lb fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Fresh basil leaves

To make the sauce, heat a large saucepan or pot over medium heat.  Add the olive oil, garlic, and chili flakes, and sauté for a minute.  Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper, and simmer for about 20 minutes until the tomatoes break down and become soft and saucy.

Meanwhile, in a small skillet, melt the butter on low heat and simmer until the butter turns nut brown and smells like hazelnuts.  The solids will begin to separate and then fall to the bottom.  Butter burns very quickly so watch closely.  Immediately remove the butter from the heat and strain through a fine sieve into a dry container.

When the tomatoes have simmered for 20 minutes, add the caramelized butter into the sauce and then puree in a blender until smooth.  Reseason with salt and pepper and set aside (this will make a scant quart of sauce).

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Trim the top and bottom of each green tomato and then slice it into 1/3-1/2 inch thick rounds.  The slices should lie flat.  Lay them on a cutting surface or tray and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.

Set up three deep trays or mixing bowls, as follows: add the flour to one and season with salt and pepper, add the beaten eggs to one and season with salt and pepper, add the bread crumbs to the last bowl.  Dredge a slice of tomato in the flour, shake off excess, then dip it in the egg, shake off excess, then finally into the bread crumbs, coating both sides nicely.  Set aside and bread the rest of the tomato slices the same way.

Heat 1/4 cup oil in a heavy, large, nonstick pan over medium-high heat.  Brown the breaded tomatoes for about 4 minutes on each side, until dark golden brown, adding more oil as necessary to fry all the tomato slices.  Remove the tomatoes to a paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain.

To assemble, place a layer of fried green tomatoes in a casserole dish in an even layer, slightly overlapped (or arrange one or two tomato slices, depending on their size, in each of several individual baking dishes).

Top with about half the tomato sauce and some fresh basil leaves.

Then add slices of mozzarella cheese.

Add another layer of fried green tomatoes, the remaining sauce, and more mozzarella cheese.  Finish with a touch of grated Parmesan.

Place the casserole or individual baking dishes onto a sheet pan and into the oven to bake for about 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the casserole is hot and bubbly.  Garnish with more basil leaves and serve immediately.

A "Crazy" Good Time!

Most people draw hearts in the sand. Or write their names. But I write my blog name, and conduct an impromptu mini photo shoot, because I'm just that cool.  When the "photo shoot" was over, my assistant Alex helped me clean up the mess.  Don't you just want to bite him?  I do!

We had brought my nephew Alex to the beach for the first time! He's 21 months old, and he absolutely loved it!  Splashing around in the water, playing with the sand, pouring water into holes that were dug.  It was a new and exciting experience for him, and I'm so happy I was there to share it :)

After our morning at the beach, we headed to Crazy Burger, also in Narragansett, RI. I had heard really great things over the years (it had also been featured on the Food Network before), but hadn't managed to actually get my butt here, so we finally planned on going this time around.  We got a little lost, but that was probably our fault :) I opted for their Loco Burger, which features a beef burger, black beans, avocado, and cheddar cheese, grilled into a flour tortilla and topped with salsa.  It was like a cross between a burger and a burrito.  I loved it!  It satisfied the Mexican food craving I always seem to have (and who doesn't love avocados?!), balanced with a juicy, meaty burger cooked exactly as I had requested.  Perfection! I look forward to trying some of their other "crazy" burger creations :)

 Loco Burger with Sweet Potato Fries

A Taste of Cambridge (and Boston!)

Once upon a time, I lived in Boston.  As a young and impressionable college student, I experienced some enlightening and some not-so-enlightening culinary encounters.  Though I don't live there anymore, I look forward to all of my visits to try new places, and of course revisit some of my favorites.  Most recently I visited some friends living in Cambridge, a part of town I rarely visit (my alma mater is on the other side of the river =)).  It was a nice, relaxing, and incredibly nostalgic experience catching up with old friends.  And fortunately, all of our food experiences were without fail!

First, my friend Sarah and I made a trip into Boston proper and indulged in some dim sum for lunch at China Pearl.  It was my first time in Boston's Chinatown (believe it or not) and only my second official Chinatown dim sum experience (carts and all).  Everything we tried was delicious, and we could barely finish all our food!  I love all the different textures and flavors of the various dumplings, even those that appear to be similar.  For example, we enjoyed two different steamed shrimp dumplings.  One had a somewhat thicker, chewier dough layer, while the other had a thinner skin and was filled with shrimp and scallions, adding the exact amount of mild onion flavor to set these apart from their friends.  Both were great, but just different.  I also think they did a great job with my favorite dim sum treat, the char siu bao, or steamed bbq pork buns.  These were incredibly fluffy and chewy, with the perfectly sweet pork meat inside.  Heaven!  The only downside is that the whole shrimps in the rice noodles visibly had their poop chutes intact, which I'm told is completely normal at dim sum restaurants.  Eww, but I'm sure we all eat shrimp poop without realizing it right?  The whole meal cost about $22 (including tea), an incredible deal for the sheer quantity of delicious food (which we couldn't even finish)!  Poop and all :)

Steamed Shrimp Dumplings (these had thicker and chewier dough! Great texture contrast)

Steamed Shrimp and Scallion Dumplings 

Inside Steamed Shrimp and Scallion Dumplings 

Sticky Rice in Lotus Leaves 

Pork Siu Mai (very juicy!)

Steamed Char Siu Bao (BBQ Pork Buns) 

Inside Char Siu Bao 

Rice Noodle with Shrimp (despite the visible shrimp poops which I avoided, these were good)

After lunch, we popped into Bao Bao Bakery one street over for some bubble tea.  When I was in college I frequented the bubble tea shop on campus, so often in fact that my photo is (last I checked) still hanging on the wall along with the other wall of fame-ers :) The bubble tea at Bao Bao definitely quenched the craving I've developed in the near decade since I last enjoyed it.  I went with taro (a classic bubble tea flavor) while my friend Sarah opted for honeydew.

For dinner, many hours later, we decided to try the tapas at Dali in Somerville.  I'm pretty sure it's owned by the same people as Tapeo on Newbury Street, mainly because so many of the menu items are identical, but don't quote me on that.  The decor was also very similar, the same pair of lady's stockinged legs protruding from the wall, among other fun thematic decor :)  It seemed that the day was meant to be filled with casual "tasting menus" of Asian and Spanish influence, between the dim sum and tapas we inhaled.  Our waiter here was not only efficient, but had a great sense of humor! We questioned his ability to remember our entire order without writing it down (it just seemed impossible to us) and he responded by making up a fake order as a joke, and then following with the exact order we had just placed, just to prove us wrong.  Needless to say, all of the food that arrived was exactly what we had chosen.  Without further ado, here are our tapas choices of the evening!!  And PS, once again, not a single disappointment, except maybe the "boring" bread!

The somewhat boring breads with the much less boring, tasty chickpea puree! At least the spread made up for the mediocre bread :) 

Plato Mixto - Spanish Cheeses, Serrano Ham, Roasted Red Peppers, Olives (classic, what more can you say?)

Patatas Bravas - Potatoes with Piquant Tomato & Alioli (an old favorite of mine)

Gorditas - Bacon-wrapped Prunes stuffed with Goat Cheese (absolute lust! I'd love to drown in a bathtub filled with these...minus the toothpicks, that might hurt) 

Butifarras Con Brevas - Pork Sausage with Figs (I love sausage with a side of sweet! These were great!)

Pato Braseado - Roast Duckling with Berry Sauce (though the sauce seemed very sweet on it's own, it was a perfect accompaniment to the duck)

Codorniz de Castilla - Broiled Herb and Garlic Quail stuffed with Bacon (anything with a bacon surprise inside has my vote!)

Vieiras al Azafrán - Broiled Scallops in Saffron Cream (fyi, I've been known to drink this sauce when all the scallops are gone... just sayin') 

Our tapas meal hit the spot, and although there were so many different flavors, proteins, fruits, and spices reflected in our dishes, every single item went so well with the others.  The one dish I didn't photograph was the garlic soup, which one of my friends ordered.  I did taste it, however, and it was total and complete nirvana.  Next winter, when I am desiring some soup, I will need lots and lots of garlic soup (and I'll probably enjoy it alone because God knows I won't want to share... and also there's of course the breath issue, haha).

Dinner was followed by a bit of ice cream at Toscanini's Ice Cream in Central Square.  Along with the necessary traditional flavors, there were tons of unique ones like blueberry pancakes, flower power (I believe it was rose water, hibiscus, and lavender?), and mango black tea, which just happen to be the flavors my two friends and I ordered (there were so many unique flavors, I can't even begin to remember them all).  My mango black tea ice cream tasted exactly like the mango black tea I purchased in the Caribbean.  I still have a bunch of tea bags left,and may need to recreate this one at home!  Sooooo good, yet we had some issues with melting in the heat outside.  Messy, but delicious :)

Ooops, did I make that mess? 

Man, writing about all this food is making me hungry again, but unfortunately for both of us, I'm not finished!  I still have to discuss breakfast the next day!  We headed to Sofra in Cambridge, the sister bakery to Oleana, a higher end Middle Eastern restaurant also in Cambridge.  Sofra is small, and during busy times, it may be a challenge to find a seat, but it's worth the wait.  Sofra offers lighter fare than it's formal sister, as well as some of the salads and specialties offered at Oleana (in the refrigerator case), lots of wonderful pastries, sandwiches, breakfast items, along with many of the spices that are used in the cooking, all for purchase in one great spot!  I made off with some Aleppo chilies, Urfa chilies, and smoked salt, along with some pastries to eat later.  For breakfast I had a dish of eggs poached in a tomato sauce.  Although tasty, my eggs were overcooked for my taste.  Otherwise, the concept of the dish and the flavors were great.  I also tasted the fried feta cheese component of my friend's Turkish breakfast, which was amazing!  Especially slathered in some of the accompanying tomato salsa.  The zucchini turnover I enjoyed later was flaky and delicious, filled with zucchini and summer squash, feta, tomatoes, and sumac.  I also tried the Persian spice donuts, which were great.  The dough wasn't sweet at all and tasted somewhat eggy, but the sugar-spice mixture on the outside was just that perfect touch! A great balance without being overly sweet like a lot of other donuts tend to be.

Spices and such for sale! 

Dunia's Iced Tea (flavored of dates and rose water and garnished with toasted pine nuts) 

Turkish Breakfast - Soft Boiled Egg, Cucumber, Tomato, Olives, Feta, Thick Yogurt with Spoon Sweets 

Egg and Bacon Sandwich 

Shakshuka - Eggs Poached in Tomato with Curry & Pita Crumbs (I also wished their choice of accompanying bread was more "Middle Eastern" than a hot dinner roll)

Zucchini Turnover (enjoyed at home!) 

Persian Spice Donut (also enjoyed at home)