Spork or Foon?

Homemade Southern Gravy

OK I know that the holidays are almost over and really, so in my last little bit of indulgence, I give you homemade Southern Gravy. 

Actually, I'm not going to lie. I don't know if this gravy is southern. It's probably not. But I don't care, I'm calling it southern because it sounds so much more homey and delicious. 

Now, I am not Southern. Not by any means. I live in Manhattan, I don't do well in nature situations, I often forget what stars look like, and I haven't smelled fresh air in years. I am a Northern city girl through and through. 

But I will say, I love the South. I love the accents. The people are so friendly (seriously, I sometimes have to remind myself when I am in the South that when someone smiles at me, it is because they are being nice, not because something is wrong with their face.). And the food. Well, the food is just something out of this world. The best pancakes I ever ate were at a Pancake House in South Carolina (near a Piggly Wigglys! Why don't we have fun supermarket names like that!). Tex Mex in Texas (although I think someone once told me never to call a Texan southern. Texans are Texans.) Ham in Virginia. Peach Cobbler in Atlanta. I could go on and on.

I tried my hand at gravy a few weeks back and it was one of those days where I ws making a million things and totally couldn't concentrate on one fully. So when I reached the step to add cornstach, I added baking powder. And I really wondered why the gravy started bubbling furiously and started to rise.  

Wow, I thought, this was some really strong cornstarch. 

After 10 minutes, the gravy wasn't thickening at all, so I checked my cornstarch to make sure it was still good. And then I realized that I put in baking powder. No wonder it started to rise. 

So instead, I just sifted some flour atop the gravy and it thickened up beautifully. 

So rich, creamy and delicious. Would go great with these real southern biscuits. Ya'll. 

Gravy:

• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped shallot
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons water
• 5 teaspoons flour, sifted
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

Heat reserved 3 tablespoons fat in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic, and shallot. Saute until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add wine to skillet. Boil until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 3 minutes. Add  2 cups stock. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer to reduce slightly, about 10 minutes.

Add cream to skillet. Mix 2 tablespoons water and cornstarch in small bowl until smooth. Whisk into gravy. Continue to simmer until reduced to desired consistency, whisking occasionally, about 5 minutes. Mix in parsley. Season gravy to taste with salt and pepper.

 

 

Chicken Meatball Sliders

 
 

Sometimes, leftovers create super awesome next day meals, similar to the meatloaf sandwich. Now, is there anything more unappetizing than the sound of a meatloaf sandwich? Not to this girl, there isn't. Until I tried it. Heaven in a leftover sandwich.

A few months back, I posted about chicken meatballs. Now, chicken meatballs are one of my favorite things to make.  Jack loves them and they are much leaner than their beef/pork/veal counterparts, and just as tasty. These were leftover from the meal I posted back then.

And no, I don't mean I just made them 2 months later.  That would be gross.  And slightly dangerous, I presume.

A friend had come over to hang out, see mine and Jack's new place, and meet our dog (I mean, really, who wouldn't want to meet our little Remy?) and I had lots of extra food to get rid of, so I made some of these sliders, hoping they would be ok and that he wouldn't even notice that I was hocking leftovers onto him.  

He didn't. Score. 

But I guess now I ruined that. 

Leftover or fresh from the oven, these sliders are awesome.  Tender meatballs packed with flavor from freshly chopped garlic, sharp parmesan, and lemony parsley, topped with gooey, melted fontina cheese and peppery arugula in between two doughy potato rolls. 

I feel doughy just thinking about it. 

Chicken Meatball Sliders

For the Meatballs:
1 pound ground chicken
1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1/3 cup finely chopped flat-leaf Italian parsley
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

For the Sauce:
1 35-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes (San Marzano, preferably)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/3 finely chopped flat-leaf Italian parsley
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

12 mini-potato rolls (or mini hamburger buns)

Fontina Cheese

For the Meatballs: Preheat oven to 350F. Line a two rimmed baking sheets with aluminum foil and spray well with cooking spray. Set aside.

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl until just incorporated. Season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Roll meatballs into 12 balls, approximately 2" in diameter. 

Arrange meatballs approximately 2" apart on baking sheets. Bake for 20 - 30 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through. Remove from oven and let cool on the baking sheet and keep the oven on. 

For the Sauce: Remove the whole tomatoes from the can.  Reserve the juice for another use.  Roughly chop tomatoes (keep the juices that come out of the tomatoes for the sauce). Set aside. 

Heat 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat.  When glistening, add garlic and cook until garlic is brown and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes (and their juices) to pan and let cook for 2 minutes, until the sauce is slightly thickened.  Add parsley and red pepper.  Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.  Set aside until ready to use. 

To Assemble:  Lightly toast the potato rolls. Separately, top chicken meatballs (that are still on the tray) with a small slice of fontina cheese and place in the oven for 5-7 minutes, or until the fontina is nice and melted.  Carefully place the meatball on the bottom half of the potato roll, top with 1 tbsp. sauce and a small amount of arugula, and top with the other half of the potato roll. Serve immediately. 

Spaghetti tossed with Spicy Tomatoes and Arugula with Chicken Meatballs

I need to come up with a catchier, less wordy title for this dish. 

Friends and family often say to me, "Teanna, you need to post simpler things on your blog. Your recipes are too complicated."

And to them I say, "What? You mean people don't like to sweat, curse, and cry in their kitchens while trying to juggle tons of ingredients, 3 burners and an oven like I do?"

But my friends and family are right. Sometimes simple is best.  Yes, I like challenging recipes, but there are nights where I just want to throw something together with what is in my pantry.

Oh, and when I say "pantry", I mean "make-shift shelving that hovers between my kitchen and living room". This is New York City. There are no pantries in New York City unless you are a bajillionaire. 

Last night, I opened my freezer and stared into its meager depths.  Frozen fruit, veggie sausages, ice, frozen mocha buttercream (Seriously. I don't even know if you can freeze buttercream, but I did), short ribs... ah! Ground chicken.  I always keep ground chicken on hand to make my favorite go-to, simple dish: Chicken Meatballs.

I normally serve these chicken meatballs as a salad atop arugula and sprinkled with fontina cheese with a basil pesto vinaigrette, which was inspired by a favorite lunch place of mine, Penelopes (I love to adapt salads that I have at restaurants).  But this time, I wanted something different. I rummaged through my make-shift shelving.  I have 15 different types of pasta (all people should have 15 different types of pasta. You'll never know when the mood will strike for trottoloni. I'm still not even sure what trottolini is, but I bought it because it looked cool), but grabbed what tugged at my heartstrings: spaghetti. I plucked a can of San Marzano pomodori pelati (whole peeled tomatoes) from the shelves, grabbed some fresh arugula and a half a ball of mozzarella from the fridge, and, finally, a head of garlic.  I didn't know where I was going, but I knew wherever I ended up, it would be delicious. 

I ended up making a quick sauce out of the tomatoes (sans juice), garlic, and a bit of olive oil and tossed my al dente spaghetti with said sauce and some fresh arugula.  I shaved some fresh mozzarella on top and topped my dish with three tender chicken meatballs.  I was in heaven. 

So no crying, cursing, and very little sweating went on in my kitchen that night. Maybe I'll start to like the simpler things. 

 

Spaghetti tossed with Spicy Tomatoes and Arugula with Chicken Meatballs

For the Meatballs:
1 pound ground chicken
1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1/3 cup finely chopped flat-leaf Italian parsley
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

For the Sauce:
1 35-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes (San Marzano, preferably)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/3 finely chopped flat-leaf Italian parsley
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

1- pound spaghetti (or other type of macaroni)
1 cup loosely packed asparagus
1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese

Directions:

For the Meatballs: Preheat oven to 350F. Line a two rimmed baking sheets with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. Set aside.

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl until just incorporated. Season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Roll meatballs into 12 balls, approximately 2" in diameter. 

Arrange meatballs approximately 2" apart on baking sheets. Bake for 20-minutes or until meatballs are cooked through. 

For the Sauce: Remove the whole tomatoes from the can.  Reserve the juice for another use.  Roughly chop tomatoes (keep the juices that come out of the tomatoes for the sauce). Set aside. 

Heat 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat.  When glistening, add garlic and cook until garlic is brown and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes (and their juices) to pan and let cook for 2 minutes, until the sauce is slightly thickened.  Add parsley and red pepper.  Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.  Set aside until ready to use. 

To Assemble:  Cook spaghetti according to package directions.  Drain and add arugula. Toss with sauce until arugula is just wilted. Sprinkle mozzarella atop spaghetti and serve immediately. 

Homemade Pesto

 
 

I love pesto, but oftentimes, ordering food with pesto scares the crap out of me. I sometimes believe that eating even a drop of pesto will cause me to gain copious amounts of weight, distributing fat throughout my arms, legs, stomach and hips as I enjoy it's nutty, sharp, garlicky, oil-filled flavor. 

But sometimes, I just like to have it. Some of my favorite salads have a basil pesto vinaigrette and I wanted to re-create those salads in home in all of their glorious wonder.  I know it has become common, but I am totally a "dressing on the side" girl, and I still feel like a jerk for asking that. But believe you me, in New York City, that is the least of the special requests. You have no idea. If the dish is grilled trout with crispy potatoes, bitter greens, and anchovy vinaigrette, you'd better believe that the order will go something like this:  

"I'll have the grilled trout, but instead of grilled, I'd like it steamed.  And I'd like the potatoes to be boiled instead of crispy.  How are the greens prepared?  Sauteed? No, no, no, I can't have that. I'd like them roasted, but absolutely NO BUTTER. I'm allergic. And no vinaigrette. Thank you."

If you think I'm kidding, you are sadly mistaken. I can't tell you how many dinners I have been to with requests like that.  And the waiters all take it in stride... at the table. I'm sure they, along with the chef, are cursing the diner as they enter the order. 

Sometimes, it's just better to make the food that "scares you" at home, so you know exactly what is in it. Food like pesto is a prime example: I know that it is fresh, there are no secret preservatives deterring my body from metabolizing it. 

I definitely like to make pesto the old fashioned way: mortar and pestle. There is no fun tossing stuff in a blender and letting the blender do all of the work. No!  I want to pound that pesto to a pulp!  Release any pent up stress!  Beat that beat! RAWR!  And the end result is so worth it. Creamy pesto filled with the fresh, sweet flavor of basil, nutty pine nuts, pungent garlic, sharp, freshly grated parmesan cheese, and quality olive oil. Just a little taste goes a long way. And not on my hips. 

Homemade Pesto

In a mortar, pound 1 garlic clove and a pinch of salt to a paste.

Add 1/4 cup pine nuts and continue to pound that to a paste.

Add 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese and pound that in. 

Transfer the mixture to a bowl. Coarsely chop 1 lightly packed cup of basil leaves.

Place the leaves in the mortar and pound the leaves until they become a paste.

 

Return the pine nut mixture to the mortar with the basil mixture.  Slowly drizzle in 1/3-1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil as you continue pounding the mixture.  Adjust salt, if necessary. 

  

 
 
 
Homemade Pesto adapted from Alice Waters: The Art of Simple Foods

1 bunch basil (about 1 lightly packed cup), coarsely chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled
1/4 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 - 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt, to taste

In a mortar and pestle, pound 1 garlic clove and a pinch of salt to a paste.  Add the pine nuts and continue to pound.  Add the parmesan cheese, pound until the mixture is well-combined.  Transfer mixture to a bowl.

Add the basil leaves to the mortar and pound them until they become a paste.  Return the pounded pine nut mixture to the mortar. Pound the leaves and pine nut mixture together.  Continue pounding as you gradually pour in 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil.  Taste for salt and adjust, if necessary.

Shrimp Enchilado

I am traveling (again) this weekend for (another) wedding, so this one will be short and sweet.

The original dish called for lobster tail and crab legs, but this soon-to-be-unemployed-and-moving-back-to-NYC-in-a-down-economy-girl was not going to spend the money on such delicacies. So shrimp it was. 

This stew, of Cuban origin, is basically seafood cooked in a mildly spicy tomato sauce.  It was to be served with rice and fried plantains, but I forgot the plantains.

The amount of traveling I have been doing has sucked out all of my brain capacity.  

This is a solid dish. A rich tomato sauce is flavored with a complex sherry wine, sweet paprika, and briny clam juice and a little bit of heat from the cayenne pepper. 

This is one of those dishes where you'll go back for seconds asking "Please, sir, can I have some more?" in your most feeble Oliver Twist voice.

Or will that just be me next month?  

Shrimp Enchilado - Adapted from Bon Appetit

Serves 4

• 1 lb uncooked shrimp, shelled and deveined
• 1 tablespoon lime juice 

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2/3 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 4 large plum tomatoes, seeded, diced
• 1 cup canned tomato purée
• 1 cup bottled clam juice
• 3/4 cup dry Sherry wine
• 2 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
•   
  

• Heat olive oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add chopped onion and chopped bell pepper to pot; sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add chopped garlic cloves, fresh parsley, and paprika and sauté 1 minute. Add diced tomatoes and tomato purée. Cook until juices thicken, stirring frequently, about 8 minutes. Add clam juice, dry Sherry, and bay leaf. Season to taste with salt. Add cayenne pepper. Bring mixture to boil, then shrimp and lime juice.  Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until lobster meat is cooked through and tender, about 10 minutes.   Serve with rice and fried plaintains.

Latin American Barbeque

Every so often, I will dedicate a weekend to Jack as a way to show him how much I appreciate and love him.  I know it may seem cheesy, but he really is the best boyfriend in the world, and although I thank him everyday, it's nice to have a few days to do things that make him so happy!  

This weekend, we had a "Jack Weekend" to celebrate his recent graduation from his MBA program at GW University and his 3.87 GPA!  Friday night, we started out with some Jazz in the Sculpture Garden of the Smithsonian National Gallery of Art.  Sadly, it downpoured from the start to the end of the Jazz show, so that didn't go so smoothly.  We ended up heading over to one of our favorite restaurants in DC, called Matchbox, where we ate and drank and he somehow convinced me to get another dog, a German Shepherd this time, and name him Gryffindor. 

I don't know how it happened.

On Saturday, we took our dog, Remy, over to the National Mall and walked around to all of the various monuments and war memorials.  On that walk, we plotted what we wanted for dinner.  We were both itching for something fun and summery and I remembered that my most recent Gourmet Magazine featured recipes from a Latin American Barbeque.  

Perfection. 

We decided to make a menu of Tortillas with Mexican Style Salted Beef, Grilled Pork in Guajillo Adobo, homemade refried black beans, guacamole, Oxacana cheese, Peruvian Red Cabbage Slaw and Rancho Chile Verde Salsa with a side of grilled onions and cactus paddles and Red Chile Shrimp with a Peruvian Miso Sauce.

Sounds like a mouthful? It was. 

My favorite parts of this dinner were the Peruvian Miso Dipping Sauce, which was a sweet, creamy dipping sauce with hints of cumin that paired perfectly with the succulent pan-roasted shrimp, the sweet and crunchy Peruvian Red Cabbage slaw that was the perfect addition to the tacos, and the deliciously creamy and spicy refried black beans.  These additions topped succulent pork and deliciously salted beef. 

This is a meal that deserves to be enjoyed by a lot of friends and family and filled with great laughter.  But for Saturday, I had myself one happy boyfriend whose smile stretched from DC to LA.

Beef and Pork Taquitos

Mexican Style Salted Beef

Miso Dressing

Grilled Pork in Guajillo Adobe

Guatemalan Red Cabbage Relish

Refried Black Beans

Maricel's Guacamole

Jalapeno and Onion Saute

Rancho Chile Verde Salsa

Not the Daring Bakers Apple Strudel, But Close Enough: Flank Steak with Chimichurri Sauce

This is starting to become a theme.  Maybe I should start my own group called the "Not The Daring Bakers Such-and-Such, But Close Enough...", because for some reason, I never make the dish on time. And we have a MONTH to finish it.

I am a slacker.  

But I will make it and post it this weekend.

Also, Top Chef with Teanna will be posted tomorrow - the weekend threw me off a bit and the recipe is a bit involved, so I'll finish it up tonight.  It's a good one!  

Think boobs.

Instead, I present to you last night's dinner. Our friends Chelsea and Chris and their son Kip came over last night for our weekly dinners.  I knew I would be working late and that Jack probably would not feel like cooking, so I needed something quick and easy that was packed with flavor.

Chimichurri Sauce.

It is a sauce and a marinade from Argentina.  If you are not familiar with this glorious sauce, please, introduce yourself.

Chimichurri, meet my wonderful blog reader.  Wonderful blog reader, meet chimichurri.

It is a match made in heaven.

Chimichurri sauce is a mixture of herbs and garlic (and sometimes onion) with vinegar and olive oil that amps up the flavor of any dish.  

I had Jack taste it when I was making it and he looked unsure of it.  He actually thought there was too much flavor (and that is saying a lot for Jack). I had to remind him that it was a sauce for the steak and that it would compliment the meat very well.  He didn't look convinced.

Fast forward to Jack's empty plate.  He nodded and said, "You're right, this works."  He had sauce on his chin.

If you don't want a pesky steak getting in the way, just grab a loaf of bread and dip away. Or bathe in it. 

I won't judge.

Flank Steak with Chimichurri Sauce

Serves 4

1 bunch parsley

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons oregano

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

3 cloves garlic, peeled

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

1 1/2 pounds flank steak

For the Sauce

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Mix parsley, oregano, red pepper flakes (if you are using) and garlic in a food processor or blender and mix until combined.  Drizzle in olive oil and red wine vinegar and process until combined.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  If you have time, let set for at least 1 hours.

For the Steak

Season steak with salt and pepper.  Grill over medium high heat for 5 minutes on each side for medium rare.  Let rest for 5 minutes.  

Orecchiette Carbonara

In my next installment of "Who needs to spend $88.95 on a pasta maker when you can make it by hand just like an Italian great-nonna?", I present to you "Homemade Orecchiette in a Carbonara Sauce".

This is one of those dishes that makes you shout "Holla!!!!"  It is the only carbonara recipe I have found that is not heavy.  Instead, it is light, yet deliciously creamy. I added shiitake mushrooms and green peas to the recipe which already included leeks and smoky bacon.  If you are not making the orecchiette from scratch, this dish takes all of 10 minutes to prepare.

TEN. MINUTES.

HOLLA!

Making homemade orecchiette is turning out to be second nature.  The more I make homemade pasta, the more I live in delusions of grandeur, where I close my eyes and transport myself to a small flat in Rome, standing over my counter, covered in flour, with my windows opened wide as  listen to the sounds of the streets below.  I spent some time there one summer as I learned to teach English to foreign learners and ever since, I dream about one day returning to the city that I love so much.

But for now, dishes like this are the next best thing.

I wonder how to say "Holla!" in Italian...

Click here for the homemade orecchiette recipe.  

Orecchiette Carbonara adapted from Bon Appetit

4 slice applewood bacon, diced

2 medium leeks (white and pale green parts only), halved lengthwise then cut crosswise into 1/3" slices

10 ounces orecchiette

2 large eggs at room temperature

1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus additional for serving

1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley

1 cup sliced shiitake or cremini mushrooms

1/2 cup freshly shelled green peas

1 tablespoon olive oil

Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Cook bacon in large skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towel to drain. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from skillet if necessary. Add mushrooms and saute over medium heat about 3 minutes.  Add green peas and saute for 2 more minutes.  Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and add leeks and sauté over  about 6 minutes. Set aside.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup pasta cooking liquid.

Whisk eggs and 1/2 cup Parmesan in medium bowl to blend; gradually whisk in 1/4 cup pasta cooking liquid. Add pasta to leeks and mushroom mixture in skillet and stir to heat. Remove skillet from heat. Pour egg mixture over pasta and stir until sauce is just creamy and eggs are no longer raw, about 2 minutes. (Return skillet to very low heat if egg mixture is runny; do not overcook or eggs will curdle.) Add some of remaining 1/4 cup pasta cooking liquid to pasta if needed to moisten. Stir in bacon and parsley. Serve pasta, passing additional cheese separately.

Spiced Lamb-Burger with Grilled Eggplant and Tomato and a Minted Cucumber Dill Yogurt Sauce

Get it? Lamb-BURGER? Like Hamburger but with Lamb?

Thanks folks, I'll be here all weekend.

I love Greek food, and I especially love Greek burgers.  These are easy to put together and transport me straight to Santorini, if Santorini was an alternate universe where they ate American cuisine that tried to hock itself as Greek food.

Dig in!

Note: I like to chop the cucumbers to a larger size.  The crunch adds for a nice textural change. Make sure the yogurt and cucumbers are drained well, or the yogurt sauce will be quite watery.

Spiced Lamb Burgers with Minted Cucumber Dill Yogurt Sauce

Serves 4

Lamb Burgers

1 lb ground lamb

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp cumin

1 tablespoon fresh mint, chopped fine

Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper to Taste

1 small eggplant, sliced into 1/2" rounds

1 vine tomato, sliced into 1/2" rounds

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

4 pitas

Yogurt Sauce

1 12 oz. container Greek Yogurt (I used 2%)

1 small clove garlic, crushed

1 cucumber, seeded and chopped

2 tsp fresh mint, chopped fine

2 tsp dill

1 tsp red wine vinegar

Directions:

Oil grill or skillet (if using skillet or indoor grill, heat over medium high heat). Lightly brush eggplant and tomato with olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Grill until tender, about 7 minutes, turning halfway. Set aside.

Handling the lamb gently, in a bowl, combine lamb with cinnamon, cumin and mint and form into 4 equal sized patties. Season burgers lightly with salt and pepper to taste and grill 6 minutes on each side for medium rare.  Let rest for five minutes.

For Tzatziki

Drain yogurt. Drain cucumbers in a small colander lined with a paper towl for 30 minutes.  Squeeze excess water.  In a medium bowl, combine yogurt, vinegar, cucumber, mint, and dill; season to taste with salt and pepper. Refridgerate until ready to use.

To serve, set pitas in skillet or on the grill until warm and slightly toasted. Halve pitas and place lamb patty in the center of the pita, top with 1 or 2 slices eggplant, 1 slice tomato, and yogurt sauce. Serve immediately.

Mango Chutney

The previous recipe calls for "store bought" mango chutney. I do not like buying anything store bought if I don't have to! It's always so much more rewarding to make it yourself and then brag about it but act humble at the same time.

Guest: "This is so good!  You made this yourself? How impressive!"

You: "Oh really, you like it? I'm so glad! I didn't know how it would turn out."

Inner Monologue: "Of course it's good. I'm amazing. I need to open my own restaurant."

I'm KIDDING, of course! Usually, I'm so insecure when I cook that when people tell me they like it, I really think they hate it and are just being nice.

I made this for my memorial day barbecue and it really is delicious.

Mango Chutney adapted from Food and Wine Magazine

ingredients

• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
• One 2-inch cinnamon stick
• Pinch of ground cloves
• 1 small bay leaf
• 4  cups finely diced mango ( 1/2 inch)
• 1 small garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
• 1/2 small Scotch bonnet or habanero chile, minced
• Salt and freshly ground white pepper

directions

1. In a large saucepan, combine the vinegar, honey, brown sugar, coriander, cinnamon stick, cloves and bay leaf and bring to a simmer. Add the pineapple, mango, papaya, garlic, ginger and Scotch bonnet and season lightly with salt and white pepper. Simmer over low heat for 30 minutes. Let cool. Discard the cinnamon and bay leaf. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

MAKE AHEAD The chutney can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks