Gnudi

After tasting some delicious gnudi during brunch at Philadelphia's London Grill on Sunday, we decided to attempt a re-creation.

Gnudi? You may be thinking. What IS that? A google search links to a thread on Chowhound.com entitled "gnudi- what is it, exactly?" and answers range from "I don't know, but gosh it sounds like fun" to "A dish that is precisely ravioli without the pasta wrapper."

We're still confused. Even while eating them, we likened them to mozarella sticks, dumplings and spinach cookies. But here's what we've devised: Gnudi are essentially dough balls of cheese and spinach. The recipe we found online called for boiling them, but skeptical, we divided the batch and baked half in the oven with far better results. These would make a great appetizer, but preparing them for dinner left us slightly wanting. Also, we dunked them in pasta sauce, but you could also dress them with pesto.

We found our recipe from the food network, but there are a few others floating around the interwebs as well. If you do use this one, instead of boiling the gnudi, bake them for about 30 minutes at 350. Additionally, to get the beautiful, round shape, put the each piece dough into a wine glass with a bit of flour and shake it around until it forms a ball. Happy gnuding!

Gnudi dough (egg, cheese, spinach, spices)

Forming gnudi in a wine glass...

Well-shaped gnudi, ready for baking

The final product! Crispy, savory gnudi

Dear Two Fat Als: A Thank-You Note

I am pleased to announce that a TFA recipe has facilitated the hook-up of a dear friend and loyal reader. The friend concocted our peanut-butter brownies, posted earlier this month, to top off a meal prepared for a potential suitor. Needless to say, he was swooning.

Read on for excerpts from the gchat:

dear two fat als

Sent at 11:21 PM on Sunday

Lilian: i'm writing to thank you for including the wonderful peanut butter brownie recipe. Without it, i don't know what I would have done last night

me: can I write that it helped you "get ass"?

Lilian: i was attempting to prepare a knockout meal in order to seduce a friend of mine/get some ass after two months of hanging out on a regular basis and not getting it on.

of course

me: thanks

Lilian: although we didn't get to the brownies (so perfect with the ganache!)

me: what?!

Lilian: until the very end of the meal

me: oh phew

Lilian: the aroma of the deliciousness permeated the entire evening

me: nice

Lilian: as you can guess, i got what i was looking for

thanks for helping to end my sexual frustration

Woot, woot!

Fig and Oat Scones

People fall in love with odd things sometimes.

Once, I read about a woman who married a snake, and I've witnessed my roommate become dangerously enamored with a pair of white Marc Jacobs pumps. I scoffed them, but now I fear I've joined them. I confess I've fallen utterly into love with a scone.

It wasn't love at first site. I was tentative of the commitment (the recipe calls for day-before prep work, and letting the dough refrigerate overnight), and I even doubted our compatibility -- I mean, I like figs, but I'm no enthusiast. But when we began to prepare the scones last night, I began to feel that "something" -- just a bit when I sampled the dough. By the time we arranged them so neatly on the trays this morning, I knew it was love, and tasting them with jam made me want to pronounce my vows then and there: Until death do us part, you will be my favorite scone.

Special thanks to the Metropolitan Bakery Cookbook for introducing the happy couple.

Ingredients:
4 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar, plus some to sprinkle
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
grated zest of two lemons
3 cups old-fashioned oats
2 cups (4 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1 1/2 cups dried black mission figs, stems removed, chopped
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 tbsp heavy or whipping cream

Instructions:
In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, lemon zest and oats. Add the butter and toss. On a low speed, beat the butter into the flour until it becomes a coarse meal. Stir in the figs. Add the buttermilk and mix (we used a spoon here) until it comes together as a dough. Scoop the dough onto a floured surface and press it together into a ball, then divide it in thirds. Press each third into a 3/4-inch disk, wrap each one with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (we left it overnight, which is recommended). After refrigeration, pre-heat the oven to 375. Unwrap the disks and cut each one into 6 equal wedges, place them on a greased or nonstick baking sheet (you will need two), keeping the scones 2 inches apart. Brush the cream over them, and sprinkle some more granulated sugar. Bake the sheets one at a time on the center rack for about 25-30 minutes, until lightly golden. Serve slightly warm.

Spinach and Cheese Strata

It's Homecoming at Penn! And since there is no superior way to celebrate than with a pre-Big Game brunch, we decided to host one. Go Team.

I tricked Alex into agreeing to the idea via text message Thursday ("Oh my god I have the best idea let's have a brunch Saturday please please please!"), and upon his consent, I became obsessed with executing the perfect meal. I feverishly consulted the blogs and all of my cookbooks for recipes, changing and revising the menu hourly. Alex was scared.

Eventually, I settled on a Spinach Cheese Strata for the main dish, accompanied by scones (will post next!) and the vanilla mint fruit salad that we wrote about earlier. Plus mimosas. Now, we are not shy about complimenting ourselves on this blog -- sometimes deservedly, and sometimes not. But today, we really were awesome. Everything tasted delicious, and we polished off every last bite.

The recipe for the Strata is on Epicurious, but it was my mother who suggested it. And as per her recommendations, we doubled the spinach and the nutmeg. Also, we used fresh, local spinach from the market instead of a frozen package. If you do that too, just be sure to chop it. Also, because we were slightly pressed for time, we turned up the heat and cooked it for slightly less time -- it became so golden and delicious that I totally recommend it. This dish is perfect for crowds and it really really tastes amazing.

Whole Wheat Pizza, Two Ways

We wanted something easy to serve to a few friends before heading out to a concert, and you can't get any more classically collegiate than pizza and beer.

But, in typical Als fashion, we couldn't let it be that easy. We decided to make our own whole wheat crust, and settled on two varieties: mushroom leek and sun-dried tomato with fresh basil and pesto. We found the crust recipe online at All Recipes, and though we had doubts about our ability to pull it off, the dough came out great. Our only regret was that we perhaps did not knead it enough. Still, came out nicely chewy, and the whole-wheatness did not overpower the toppings at all.

Also, though both were yummy, the sun-dried tomato version was the superior pie. We used our own homemade pesto that we had frozen a few weeks ago. So if you have to choose one, that's it.

Ingredients (Sun-dried Tomato and Fresh Basil Pizza with Pesto):
pizza dough (enough for 2 pies)
1 1/2 cups sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
1 1/2 cups basil, chopped
1/2 cup pesto
8 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded (so good fresh from the market!)
tomato sauce

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425. Stretch and flatten the dough over a large pan. Spread tomato sauce over the dough, leaving about an inch around the edges. Sprinkle cheese, and top with basil and tomatoes. Drop dollops of pesto across. Bake for 16-20 minutes, until lightly brown.

Ingredients (Mushroom and Leek Pizza):
pizza dough (enough for 2 pies)
1 1/2 cups mushrooms
1 1/2 cups leeks
8 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded
tomato sauce
olive oil

Instructions:
Cook leeks in about 1 tbsp of olive in a large pan, about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook for another two. Spread tomato sauce over the dough, leaving about an inch around the edges. Sprinkle cheese, and top with mushroom/leek mixture. Bake for 16-20 minutes, until lightly brown.

Apple Bread

We met Alex's parents in New York this weekend, and they spoiled us like crazy: fancy brunch, a shopping spree at Zabar's, a case of awesome wines... it was paradise. But the gift that truly set our hearts aglow (besides their wonderful company!) was the bag of fresh Connecticut apples.

We wanted to keep some of them for snacking, but a few begged to be baked into a delicious dessert, so we obliged. Of course, we turned to Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything and his apple bread recipe did not disappoint. We made it our own healthier version with the usual whole wheat flour and smart balance substitutions. Moist and nutty, warm and aromatic, sweet and easy to bake, this could even work as a side dish or toasted for breakfast.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp baking powder
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup melted smart balance
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups skim milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup apple, peeled and grated
1 cup walnuts, chopped

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350. Combine all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, beat eggs, milk and butter together. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients, apples, and walnuts into it. Using a spatula, mix everything the batter together. It should be pretty lumpy. Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan and bake it for about an hour, until a knife comes out clean. Let it cool, then serve.

Chicken Portabello Caesar Success

We are so redeemed right now.

Alex's Caesar salad is one of his classics -- it's perfect. The recipe, a secret until now, has been passed down in his family for at least one generation. We'd made it a few times before, but this time we added balsamic-marinated portabello mushrooms to balance tangy lemon dressing with a touch of sweetness. All of the components are important -- the chicken, mushroom and crutons, but the beauty of this recipe is in the dressing. Keep tweaking until you love it.

This recipe is absolutely one of our best. We feel much better now. And much fuller. I've divided the recipe into its components here, and recommend making the baking the croûtons first, then making the dressing and leaving it in the bowl. Toss in the lettuce in with the dressing before you serve, and top with everything!

Ingredients/Instructions:
(croûtons)
1 french roll
2 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic
salt

Cut up the roll into small chunks. Drizzle the olive oil over it and toss, adding in crushed garlic and salt. Roast on a baking sheet at 325 for about 20 minutes.


(dressing)
2 tbsp light mayonnaise
2 cloves garlic
2 lemons
worchester sauce
salt and pepper

In a large wooden salad bowl, crush two cloves of garlic into kosher salt and rub it all over the bowl. Then, dump it all out. Put in the mayonnaise and squeeze the juice of two lemons over it and wisk it together. Add a few dashes of worchester sauce and season with salt and pepper. You can also add anchovy paste here if you want.


(sautéed chicken and portabellos)
4 chicken cutlets
3 portabello mushrooms
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper

Wash the portabellos and slice them. Drizzle the balsamic vinegar over them, and let them sit. Meanwhile, sprinkle salt and pepper on the chicken and cut and sauté it in a pan. We used non-stick spray instead of olive oil. Transfer to a plate, let cool, and slice. Then, sauté the portabellos.

(greens)
3 heads of romaine
Parmesan cheese

Cut up and toss into dressing, sprinkle with cheese!

Cauliflower Catastrophe

It was gross. We wanted to make cauliflower puree, basically a low-cal version of mashed potatoes. The spaghetti squash had subbed in for carbs so well that we thought we were golden, but we were wrong. We even found the most beautiful yellow and purple cauliflower in at a farmer's market in Brooklyn this morning. They were so lovely steamed, but we ruined them in the food processor and by adding wasabi and ginger flavoring. Never again.

We weren't even going to post such a disaster, but smitten kitchen botched her latest attempt too and inspired us to fess up.

Also, the photos are too pretty to waste. Maybe we'll post some peanut butter fudgies later to compensate.

Cinnamon and Walnut Sweet Potato Waffles

Breakfast for dinner: We may be converts.

Sweet potato adds a savory element to a typically sweet dish and the cinnamon and orange rind add a tinge of spice. The flavors blend so smoothly, and they come out a beautiful rusty orange. I love when our food makes the apartment smell like flavored candles, except it's the real thing. That happened.

Also proud because we quasi made up the recipe, i.e. compiled it from various similar ones on the interwebs. Love these, and freezing them for Sunday brunches.

Ingredients:
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups skim milk
1/4 cup smart balance (butter, butter substitute, whatever)
4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp apple pie spice
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted
1 tsp orange rind
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups sweet potato, cooked and mashed
maple syrup and bananas for topping

Instructions:
Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and apple pie spice in a large bowl. In a small bowl, wisk together milk, eggs, sweet potato, orange rind and melted smart balance. Pour the liquid batter over the dry mixture. Mix in walnuts. Pour the batter into a lightly greased waffle maker, and cook until slightly brown -- about 5 to 7 minutes. Top with sliced bananas and maple syrup.

Pesto Spaghetti Squash with Chicken

There's something alluring about deceptive foods -- purple peppers, white eggplants, and now spaghetti squash.

What to say about this carbohydrate imposter? It's kind of weird, kind of awesome. Only 142 calories per 155 grams. It tastes like whatever you dress it in. It's in season, according to the kind Amish boy at Penn's farmer's market.

We decided to go pesto. Armed with a bunch of basil from the market, we decided to make it oursleves, a "classic pesto" a la Epicurious. Added some chicken to the mix, and poof: way lower calorie pasta pesto with chicken.

Ingredients:
2 spaghetti squash
4 cups basil leaves
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup parmesean cheese
4 chicken cutlets
1 tsp salt

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350. Halve each squash and place the pieces face down on a greased baking sheet. Bake them for about 30 minutes, until it feels tender when you stick a knife in it. Meanwhile, make the pesto by blending (in a blender or food processor) the basil, oil, pine nuts, cheese and salt. It makes about a cup, and freezes well. Throw some salt and pepper on the chicken, cut it into strips, and cook it in a pan. After the squash has cooked and cooled slightly, remove the seeds from the middle, then use a fork to scrape out the flesh -- it should come out in little spaghetti strips. Throw the chicken in with the squash, and mix in about 3-4 tbsp pesto.