REVIEW: Duccini's Pizza

So I've blogged a bunch already on different traditional pizzas in DC (remember they do not all deliver), and I did mention once already that Radius [202-235-0808] is my number one quality brick oven to have delivered but sometimes that just doesn't cut it.  When you just want to be lazy and fat, maybe drink a bottle of wine and watch a trashy movie you need some real american cheesy pizza.  Well, for me that's Duccini's.  They're fast, reliable, and their pizza is fantastic with a delicious crust.  I love ordering pineapple with canadian bacon (better than ham), the have a pretty good meat lovers pizza, or meat buster or something like that and its rumored they have a vegan option (which I wouldn't dare touch).  Granted this still only holds a candle to ordering a slice in Union, NJ but on DC terms Duccini's is the way to go.  Duccini's Pizza 1778 U St NW, Washington, DC 20009 (202) 483-0007

sausage, peppers and fried potatoes

Choose your favorite sausage, cut it into bite sized pieces and toss in a pan with a touch of olive oil over medium heat.

Just as they start to brown but before they're fully cooked throw in some thickly sliced bell peppers and sprinkle with salt.  At the same time drop loosely chopped potatoes into in inch or two of hot oil* to quickly fry.  Once the peppers soften remove from heat and set aside.  Once the potatoes start to turn golden brown, drain on a paper towel and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  

Toss everything together and serve warm as a great side dish OR for appetizers get medium sized bamboo cocktail skewers, and thread on one crispy potato, one or two folded strips of bell pepper, one or two leaves of basil and finish with a piece of sausage on the end.  Sure to impress. 

*delicious tip:  fry a habanero pepper or two in the oil before your potatoes so they'll be crispy and HOOOOT

stuffed sardines

If you say you don't like sardines just because you remember smelling them once as a child when your Grandfather was eating them out of a can then you need to refresh your taste buds. Sardines are a delicious, delicate, meaty and incredible sustainable fish to eat.

  Buy them fresh just like any other fish, have them cleaned ahead of time if you don't want to get your counter top dirty and then the key for this recipe (and a handfull of others is to debone the fish, simply by running your fingernail (or a knife) down the spine and removing it from the meat leaving one large flat fillet.

Its quite easy actually.  Then make the stuffing of mashed potato, a fresh egg, some grated parmiggiano or other hard salty Italian cheese (some people say never to combine cheese and fish but I come from a family of shepards- cheese was always around so it was often used and its delicious),  fresh parsley, hot pepper, black pepper and some fresh garlic if you have it.  Mix everything together by hand- you'll see it has a great consistency- the grab a handfull and gently pack it into the cavity of the sardine. After they're all stuffed, roll them in some all purpose flour and then drop them into hot oil.  Fry until golden browm like the photo above. If you're afraid of frying, brush them with some olive oil and bake in the oven on 400 till the get the same color (15 or so minutes).  These go great as a part of a FRITTO MISTO, or a mix of fried seafood like calamari, shrimp, other white fish, or just by itself with a side of rice some lemon or maybe even some linguine.  Buon appetito!

REVIEW: Spices, DC.. eeeeeeeh

Weeeeell. I don't know. There wasn't anything terrible about this place, but there certainly was not anything fantastic. I got the Mu Shi vegetables and Steve got the Lemmongrass Chicken from the grill. The Mu Shi was okay thanks to the pancakes and plum sauce (not like you tasted much else) and Steve's chicken was all right but all dark meat, slightly too fatty and tendonous, and the vegetables were totally raw (not bad but totally raw). It was GOOD, or OKAY, rather and I would go there again if it was the only Asian restaurant in Cleveland Park but its not. SPICES asian restaurant and sushi bar. Cleveland Park, Washington, DC.

big baked mussels

Baked mussels are one of my favorite dishes (clams are just as delicious). Get a bag of nice fresh mussels, wash and brush them, debeard them and with a dull non serrated knife open them up. To open, hold the mussel and knife in the same hand while wedging the knife against the hinge of the shell. Squeeze with both hands (as if you had two walnuts in your hand and were cracking them) and one side should slide open. It takes a while to master it and if you didn't understand exactly how I can try to expain it better later. I do believe these days you can purchase fresh mussels already opened if you have a proper fish market- I've also seen them [but never tried them] frozen. Anyway, look in the half shell and be sure to remove any small bits of broken shell. Line them up in a large oven safe pan then sprinkle fresh parsley, grated parmesan cheese, chopped garlic black pepper, hot pepper flakes, a touch of tomato sauce if you have some and finally drizzle a bit of olive oil over the top. Throw it in a preheated 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes till they start to brown. These are fantastic, should be eaten warm and be sure to savor the juices at the bottom of the pan. It takes a while to make but you can prepare and refrigerate them raw in large batches a few hours ahead of time before entertaining. Hands down one of my favorite treats.

NEWS: Top Chef Comes to DC?

So rumor has had it on a number of food blogs and on the street downtown that Top Chef will be filming in DC. There have allegedly been cast and crew sightings at and around Restaurant Nora on R Street in Dupont Circle and rumored that the cast residence will be across the street from the restaurant. Glad to see that Real World DC didn't completely ruin the city. A New York Time's article confirmed the location of season seven while DCist.com reported a rumor that the Quickfire kitchen will be at the Washington Hilton.

READER CONTRIBUTION: what are YOU cooking?

H. Lee from Washington, DC wrote in, "Ahi tuna tartar with sesame-asparagus vineigrette. This was for my friend Cris's first (or was it second) going away party. It was small, easy and simple to present."

GIACOMO: This looks fantastic! I love the idea of serving entire "dishes" in one bite. Looks like a fair amount of work but I'm sure it paid off.

READER CONTRIBUTION: what are YOU cooking?

So what are you cooking these days? Email me your latest recipes, photos, restaurant reviews, family secrets, good finds, hints, ideas or even questions and I'd love to post them!

swiss chard with onion, garlic, hot pepper and tomato

Now that the weather's getting warmer you'll find all sorts of greens available (and cheaper) at your local farmers markets and grocery stores. Some people traditionally cook collard greens, or kale, some swiss chard and others even broccoli rabe. I know certain recipes call for bacon grease or ham hocks or some kind of fatty flavoring but the way my mom and dad always did it was to get a large panwith a touch of olive oil over low heat, add your cut washed greens, chopped garlic, onions and hot pepper with a bit of salt (if you like add a few fresh tomatoes to sweeten it up) and simmer for 20 minutes or so till the greens reduce and the stalks become tender but still al dente. This is an extremely healthy meal or side dish and I love bringing leftovers to work the day after for lunch. I personally prefer more bitter greens but I say to experiment since there are so many options out there.

REVIEW (kinda): i love myself a good paella

Probably one of my favorite dishes. Personally, La Tasca holds my number one paella in DC with Jaleo a close second. I have yet to try it from Lorial since they warn you the wait is 40 minutes. This one pictured above and on the left is from the Cardozo in Miami Beach. The chorizo was exceptionally tasty here. Hands down though the best ever was on the beach in Barcelona (pictured on the right with my mom and dad)- there you have dozens of varieties, all the ingredients are as fresh as the ocean air and the demand is so high that restaurants cant afford to mess with their quality. A while back I blogged about an easy paella to make a home (see here) and I think now that spring is in the air I might finally buy myself a proper paella pan and make a night of it. My number one tip with paella: sandy shellfish will ruin your meal leaving you with gritty unappetizing rice. Be sure your clams and mussels are fresh and washed well and if you are unsure of the quality, steam them seperately, then after checking them, add (with their juices) to your completed paella- don't risk a sandy clam ruining your masterpiece.