grilled or roasted eggplant appetizer or side

Choose some nice medium sized eggplants (the really big ones often times are bitter and have larger seeds), peel them with a potato peeler and slice them across into discs about 1/4 inch thick. Lay them flat on a baking sheet covered with aluminum foil and sprinkle with salt and a drizzle some olive oil and stick them in the broiler -OR- season them the same way and lay the on the cooler parts of a hot grill. Cook them [in either case] until they just start to char then remove from the heat, let them cool in a bowl, add some freshly chopped parsley, a fair amount of chopped garlic, some fine sea salt it you have it, olive oil and some balsamic vinegar. DEEEELICIOUS!

berries and cream

A decadent way to enjoy your summer berries- choose the ripest ones in season, divide them among 4 or 5 wine glasses then in a separate mixing bowl add a small carton of whipping cream and 2-3 tablespoons of sugar. Whisk the cream and sugar by hand for maybe 2-3 minutes until it JUST thickens and comes to a peak. If the texture starts to change and it get a bit gritty stop cause you went a little too far but its still fine. Pour over the berries, garnish with mint and refrigerate for an hour or two till you're ready to serve.

roasted tomato and onion salad

Healthy, simple and a fun twist to your meal. Quarter a couple plump, ripe tomatoes (try different types, sizes, colors and shapes) then slice up some onions and lay them flat on a baking sheet covered with aluminum foil. Drizzle some olive oil, sprinkle salt and throw'em under the broiler till they start to roast and slightly char. Remove from the heat and let them cool, add a few more drops of oil, some vinegar, loosely chopped basil and serve. Prepare this a couple hours in advance or 5 minutes before. Leftovers are great tossed in a salad or over pasta. For an extra kick, add a hot pepper or two for the added heat!

chilies rellenos (peppers stuffed with all kinds of goodness...then fried)

This isn't very difficult- just a couple more steps than the norm. Use whole fresh Poblano (Ancho) or Anaheim peppers. They're available at almost all grocery stores. Wash them well, make a small vertical slit near the stem and put them on the grill on low heat, in a nonstick pan on low-medium heat or in the broiler away from the flame. Keep turning them until most of the pepper is blistered. Remove from the heat and start to cool. At the same time in a food processor eyeball 1.5 parts of your favorite cheese (pepper jack, chedder, even mozarella- depends on how 'sharp' or 'smooth' you want it) and one part boiled potato (the potato will add much desired texture, flavor and will slow the cheese from running- a trick often not used in restaurants). Some cilantro, garlic, and jalapeños if you so desire. Blend them together till you start to get a smooth thick paste/mixture then divide that evenly among the peppers. Trying to squeeze everything through the small slit you made earlier (its OK if it tears larger just try and keep the seam going vertically), stuff the peppers as much as you can without letting them burst. Then gently roll the stuffed chilies in one or two beaten eggs and then into all purpose flour and carefully lower them seam side down into a shallow pan with 1/2 to an inch of hot oil. Keep it there about 2 minutes until golden brown and repeat with the rest. Try to serve these hot, guacamole or a green salad is a great compliment. I also added yellow rice and chicken kebabs (see previous post) as well. Its a couple more steps than my usual meals but so worth the effort and very impressive!

kebabs

Use lamb, steak, chicken, shrimp or even leave it all vegetarian. Cut everything into bite size pieces. Marinate or season them well, skewer them and throw'em on the grill, griddle or even in the broiler. If you're not positive when they'll be done, make one extra "test" kebab that you can gently remove pieces while cooking to check their progress. I always thought a perfect kebab had few contrasting yet complimentary flavors and textures. Like shrimp and pineapple, or steak and mushrooms, or even grilled peach, melon and tomato kebab for dessert! Experiment and enjoy.

Radius in Mount Pleasant

We took a walk over to Radius pizzeria in Mount Pleasant yesterday and I've decided to make the official switch to Radius for my #1 pizza delivery. With their pies only a dollar or two more than the industrialized delivery brands, the toppings are fresh, local and even taste healthy. There was ZERO oil leaching out through the slices, a testament to their quality ingredients and preparation. For that extra dollar, its worth ordering something you don't have to feel guilty about. For a sit down pizzeria experience though, I might have to stick with Redrocks (or 2 Amy's) for now. Generally I give a thumbs down to a restaurant who adds a surcharge to substitutions or the similar since I view that as poor customer service- but Radius more than makes up for theirs with the cozy friendly atmosphere, great happy hour specials ($5 for a slice and a pint) and great food. PS, they have 1/2 price pasta specials and their fried calamari was quite good- no heavy, overpowering batter here!

mr. chen's NOT SO organic

So every now and again, in a very ritualistic manner, I like to order a huge helping of General Tsao's chicken, fried rice, hot and sour soup, dumplings and an eggroll. Usually eaten on the floor with a bottle of cheap wine and a trashy movie. I've been dedicated to Mr. Chen's Organic ("*Organic vegetables are subject to availability and may be substituted.") for the last few years but boy oh boy have they been messing up. Not only do they serve you last nights tough reheated chicken if you make an 11:30 am order on a Saturday morning, I found a large, very long, thick black hair on the BOTTOM of my chicken the LAST time I ordered. This was AFTER I finished eating EVERYTHING else!... I then ran to the bathroom and literally puked out the entirety of my meal.

They are OFF my list. I heard North Sea is organic and Panda Express in my neighborhood is new, very clean, with an open kitchen. Yuck yuck and yuck, Mr. Chen.

granita di caffe

This is one of my mother's favorite summer treats. She makes a pot of espresso, let it cool a bit then pour it in a large glass or bowl and sticks it in the freezer. You can add a little sugar if you like but the bitter coffee is just so refreshing in the heat. My mother says that basically every time she remembers (every 15, 20, minutes or so) she takes out the espresso and stirs it with a fork. Continue to do this over the course of preparing brunch or dinner, and by the time youre ready for dessert you have a perfect granita di caffe (which sounds mush better than a coffee slushy). My cousin Toscia varies her method of preparation by pouring her espresso in a bottle and in the freezer and vigorously shakes that every 25 minutes or so. It's fun to garnish your granita with some vanilla or hazelnut gelato, or maybe even a chocolate covered coffee bean but any way you do it, this becomes a perfect dessert after a great meal.

grilled tequila lime calamari

If you like fried calamari you'll LOVE grilled calamari. If you're not used to the way squid looks, then you can buy them already chopped in rings, you can cut them yourself, or even open up the long head and make calamari steaks-- my family prefers them whole. My favorite marinade is the juice from a lemon or 2 limes, a few heavy shakes of paprika and cayanne pepper, a generous amount of crushed garlic, and at least half a cup of tequila (I've done this same recipe with whiskey instead and gotten a completely different but delicious result.. both are great and worth trying). Marinate the squid from 30 minutes to two hours, then after your grill is good and fired, place the squid over the heat. If you have lots of small pieces be sure to use a grill basket so you wont loose any in the fire and brimstone below. Cook them as charred as you like and serve with some more fresh lemon juice. This smoky aromatic treat is sure to impress anyone at your table.

fare la puttana

There's a couple different stories on how this puttanesca sauce got its name. Some are silly and most don't even make sense... since the main ingredients for the sauce (tomato paste, anchovies, olives dried hot pepper and capers) are all salted or preserved ingredients that act as staples in any Italian kitchen- I was told when you wanted to make this sauce, you could do it any time you wanted and "si va fare la puttana" or you go do like the prostitute and you go from here to there to there, taking a pinch of all the ingredients to make what you want. Its a fiery briny salty sauce that brings water to my mouth just thinking about it. At lunch or at midnight, whenever you crave this, in the time it take to boil pasta, in a shallow pan cook tomato paste (or diced fresh tomatoes), garlic, olives, capers, anchovies (you can leave them out if you insist), and lots of hot pepper. As always I like to loosely chop lots of fresh parsley over the top.