About jacky grace

I grew up in an Italian house with big meals, big flavors and big voices. My husband comes from an even bigger Greek and Armenian house with even bigger food and voices. Here in our tiny city kitchen, we adapt our family recipes for our small space without sacrificing any of the flavors, traditions or love.

Wings and Football. Because, well, why not?

Posted on October 15, 2013 by jacky grace

I’m into football.

I love a good game (like that Saints Patriots one on Sunday!) and I love the whole football culture- you know Sunday lazily loafing on the couch that really isn’t you being a lump because, you know, you’re watching the game. And let’s face it, Football snacks are the best.

One food that I think is inextricably linked with football has got to be wings.

Heck there was a wing shortage during the Superbowl not too long ago!

But here’s the thing. I hate Buffalo wings. I don’t what it is. There’s something in Buffalo sauce that just makes me wrinkle my nose and say no thanks. Me saying no thanks to food is rare.

So when I make wings, this is the recipe I use. It puts Buffalo sauce to shame. Sorry Buffalo.

And the flavors are so interesting and complex that it feels a little more … I don’t know… sophisticated? You know, so you can break out the china while you wear your jersey and scream at the TV.

Anyway. The sauce.

The sauce requires a bit of a history lesson.

It sounds really, really weird at first.

So I’m going to preface it by saying that this sauce won a contest in Delaware for best chicken recipe. My dad’s from Delaware. The chicken is the state bird (University of Delaware’s mascot is the blue hen). Delaware ran a contest where people submitted their best chicken recipes. This was the winner.

My great aunt Jane made the recipe for the family and we’ve continued to make it since.

SO here it is. Chopped garlic, spicy mustard, soy sauce and white wine.

I have no idea the amounts. I totally go by taste. But I tend to go fairly equal on the soy sauce and the wine and a little more on the mustard. It depends on your taste and the flavor you want to be the most prominent.

(As a side note, I didn’t have white wine and didn’t know that until I had already started mixing oops! I used red instead this time and it may actually be better. But I wanted to give you the recipe the right way. Try both, see which you prefer!)

So mix, the ingredients up in a large bowl. You’re going to have to rely on your tongue here. Add an mix until you like the flavor.

Next, dunk your cleaned and dried wings into the bowl and get those hands in there and mix them all around. You want them thoroughly coated.

Spread them out on a foil-lined cookie sheet and back at 400 for 45 minutes to an hour.

I promise you these are better than any wings in any sports bar. You won’t believe we didn’t fry them. The soy sauce gives you such a rich savory flavor and the spicy mustard is reminiscent of the spice in buffalo wings. And the wine is a nice hint of complexity.

I made these for Superbowl last year and we just nommed on wings and chips.

If you want to turn this into a well-balanced meal, add some greens and potatoes.

Here were our sides:

Sauteed escarole with garlic and prosciutto and roasted potatoes with garlic and thyme.

For the escarole, blanch your washed and chopped escarole in a large pot of oiling water. Drain, the sautee with olive oil, salt, pepper and prosciutto. The prosciutto does the same for escarole as say bacon would do for collard greens.

For the potatoes, we used these little red and white and purple guys.

Slice them in half and toss them in a baking dish with some sliced onions, garlic, olive oil and thyme. Bake alongside the wings for about 40 minutes.

Cream of Mushroom Soup – Or First Meal After a Cold!

Posted on October 14, 2013 by jacky grace

You know when you have a cold?

And you can’t breathe through your nose?

And because you can’t breathe through your nose, you can’t appreciate the delicious cooking smells in the kitchen?

And because you can’t appreciate the smells, you can’t savor the tastes?

Yup. That’s where I was all of last week.

I was cooking, because, well, a girl (and more importantly, her fiance, has to eat). But I wasn’t enjoying the process as much as I usually do. And so, I didn’t feel like writing about food.

But, thankfully, yesterday, I woke up and I was able to take a deep breath through my nose!

I was excited to be able to breathe and to smell, and of course, to eat.

Not just eat. Savor.

I started thinking about what to make as soon as I woke up and I kept heading back to childhood comforts.

One of my favorite foods growing up was Mushroom Soup. And not just any mushroom soup, but that cream of mushroom that could be found at Pal’s Cabin.

Pal’s Cabin was an amazing little restaurant in my hometown that served up the most amazing cream of mushroom soup. Ever. How amazing? So amazing that my parents had it served at their wedding.

When I was sick, mom or dad would stop by Pals and pick up a container to bring home for me.

But living in New York, that’s not an option. Actually, even if I were home it wouldn’t be an option. Pals Cabin closed recently.

That thought made me realize I had a mission. I had to make a cream of mushroom soup that would be a stand in for my childhood cure for all ailments.

And so, here’s my mushroom soup recipe.

You will need

1 package white button mushrooms
1 package mixed mushrooms (mine had oyster, cremini, porcini and shiitake)
1 small red onion
2 cloves of garlic
a few sprigs of thyme
4 cups vegetable broth
1/4 cup heavy cream
olive oil
salt
pepper

Wash your mushrooms, chop them up into bite-sized pieces and toss them into a heavy-bottomed soup pot with some olive oil.

Sautee over medium heat until browned.

While the mushrooms cook, chop the red onion and the garlic.

You don’t want to let the mushrooms brown too much. Just enough that they have a little bit of a head start. Then add in the onion and garlic, a few sprigs of thyme and some salt and pepper.

Let everything cook until the onions are nice and soft and the mushrooms are browned.

Add in the vegetable broth and let the liquid come to a boil. The simmer for about 20 minutes or so.

Right before serving, add in the heavy cream and let it warm for a minute or two. There’s just enough cream to make the recipe have that taste of richness, but not too much that it overwhelms the mushroomy flavor.

Serve up in big bowls. Breathe in the earthy broth and savor the taste as it slides down your throat.

Butternut Squash Risotto

Posted on October 10, 2013 by jacky grace

Risotto.

MMM.

That word conjures so many thoughts. I instantly think of all the amazing risottos I’ve had at restaurants.

That’s right. At restaurants. Because until now, I’ve always watched chefs make risotto and thought, fussy, time consuming, so easy to mess up.

And then. I found this little gem on Martha Stewart. Instead of standing over the stove and slowly adding liquid, everything goes in a pot and into the oven! This was itty bitty city kitchen style risotto.

And butternut squash is in season right now, so this is the perfect way to use that yummy fall vegetable!

Martha’s recipe uses kale and thyme, but I tweaked it slightly:

1 shallot, diced,
2 garlic cloves, diced
1.5 cups arborio rice
white wine
1 butternut squash
4 cups vegetable broth
olive oil
salt
pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

In a fairly large (all of the ingredients are going in it) oven-safe pot, drizzle some olive oil and add the shallots and the garlic.

When the shallot has softened, add the rice. Cook for 3-5 minutes to toast, stirring constantly.

When the rice is toasted, add in about a half cup of white wine. Season the rice with salt and pepper and let cook until the wine is reduced.

Meanwhile, peel and dice your butternut squash

The dump the squash and the vegetable stock into the pot and give it a good stir.

Bake, covered, for about 25-30 minutes, until all of the liquid is absorbed.

Dish out into big bowls and top with parmesan cheese.

Oven risotto? Life changing.

Baked Eggs with Peppers and Tomatoes

Posted on October 9, 2013 by jacky grace

In an oven-safe pot, sautee two green bell peppers, diced and half a white onion, chopped in some olive oil until soft.

Add two tomatoes, chopped, salt, pepper and some smoked paprika and stir. Let this cook for about 10-15 minutes.

If you don’t have an oven safe pot or skillet, transfer the mixture to a 9 x 13 baking dish. Make 4 little divots in the vegetable mixture and crack an egg into each divot.

Bake until the eggs are set (about 15 minutes.

To serve, spoon a dollop of ricotta onto your plate and top with the vegetable and egg mixture.

I’m a sucker for a runny yolk!

Mom’s Meatballs

Posted on October 8, 2013 by jacky grace

Sundays at my house always meant two things: football and meatballs.

Mom would get up early and the whir of the blender would reach my ears through the blankets. The smell of gravy would make its way up the stairs and under my bedroom door. It would follow me to the shower and mingle with the smell of my vanilla body wash.

The smell of meatballs and gravy would take over the whole house, and, no matter how chilly or rainy of a fall day it may be, it would give the house a cozyness. A warm blanket wrapped around you as you padded around the living room.

And a bowl of meatballs with some bread was the perfect food to cheer on your team or to drown your sorrows when the Giants start the season at 0 and 5.

So at long last, here they are, mom’s meatballs.

My mom makes the best meatballs. Period.

I know there’s these trendy places like the Meatball Shop that do all sorts of combinations of meats and ingredients. But you know what, mom’s are better. You know why? Because they are simple and simple food is always the best.

Mom’s meatballs have just three ingredients: ground beef, Italian seasoned bread crumbs and an egg.

Her gravy has two ingredients and one secret (I’ll get to the secret later): 1 can of tomato puree and 1 can of crushed tomatoes.

The only other thing you need is vegetable oil for frying the meatballs. No baking allowed here!

Ready?

Get out a big pot and have it ready on the stove.

Pour your can of crushed tomatoes into the blender and buzz. Why buy crushed tomatoes only to blend them up? I don’t know. Never questioned my mom on this. If you had her gravy you wouldn’t question either.

Pour the blended crushed tomatoes into the big pot with the can of tomato puree. I usually add like a 1/3 of a can of water if it looks to thick.

Okay, that stays in the pot while we make the meatballs.

In a large bowl, add 1 pound of ground beef and one egg and mix to begin combining.

Make a well in the center of the meat and pour in some bread crumbs.

Now, this is really not a measuring recipe. This is a feel recipe. You want enough bread crumbs to soak up the egg, but not too much that the meatballs are dry and dense. Start with a small amount and add as you mix.

Also, be careful not to overmix, because you’ll get a tough meatball.

When the meat is mixed, roll into balls and place the meatballs in a frying pan with a thin layer of vegetable oil. Meatball rolling trick: slightly wet hands with warm water.

Fry the meatballs over medium heat, turning to brown all sides. You aren’t going to cook the meatballs all the way through, that will happen in the gravy later.

You just want the meatballs nice and brown on all sides.

Go in batches if you need to. You don’t want to overcrowd the pan. As the meatballs are browned, drop them into the pot of gravy.

When all the meatballs are added, turn the heat to medium low and let the meatballs cook in the gravy.

Also, here’s the secret.

See that?

That’s the oil we fried the meatballs in. And all the little brown bits from the meatballs. That goes in the pot of gravy with the meatballs. Stir.

Let the meatballs cook in the pot of gravy for a few hours. Figure 5 or 6. Stir occasionally so the meatballs don’t drop to the bottom and burn.

The longer the better. The next day is even better. Though I’m not at all suggesting you wait an entire day to eat them. Nobody has that kind of willpower.

You can make pasta and top it off with the gravy and some meatballs. Or you can just fill up a bowl with meatballs and gravy and grab some crusty bread.

Lemon Cheesecake Squares

Posted on August 31, 2013 by jacky grace

A few years ago my cousin Diane gave me this fantastic book called the Cake Mix Doctor.

Every recipe in the book begins with a box of cake mix. I can’t tell you how fantastic this is if you entertain a lot or if you have kids and have to bake for school function a lot. A box of cake mix and some extra ingredients and you are on your way to a great dessert!

We’re heading to a family Labor Day barbecue. And we were asked to bring a dessert.

This means two things.

1. We’re engaged and so are adults and need to contribute

and

2. We’re engaged so I’m part of the family and can’t just hang out anymore (which is not a bad thing!)

SO I turned to the Cake Mix Doctor. And found this recipe for Lemon Cheesecake Squares.

I like lemony desserts at barbecues because they’re light and cut through all the richness of all the foods you ate throughout the day.

So here it is.

You will need

1 box classic white cake mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup of sugar
1 8 oz package of cream cheese
The juice from 1 lemon

Preheat the oven to 350 and grease a 9×13 baking dish.

Pour the cake mix, vegetable oil and one egg into a large bowl.

Stir until combined. The mixture will be crumbly. Almost like sugar cookie dough.

Pour the mixture into the baking dish and press it down. This will be the crust. Pop it in the oven and bake for about 13 minutes.

While that bakes, stir together the cream cheese, sugar, remaining egg and the lemon juice until the mixture is smooth.

Remove the cake from the oven and pour the cream cheese mixture over top.

You get a cakey crust on the bottom and a tangy lemony cheesecake on the top. Two desserts in one.

Pop the pan back in the oven and bake for another 13-15 minutes, until the cheesecake is set.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Then slice up into bars. I got 24 out of the pan. (The below is only half)

Red Wine Mushroom Ragu

Posted on August 30, 2013 by jacky grace

It’s been a long week. I don’t know why. It hasn’t been particularly busy or stressful, but it just felt never ending.

Maybe it’s the anticipation of hanging with family over the Labor Day Weekend.

Whatever the case, we needed a comforting meal.

When I think comfort food, I always first think pasta. I’m Italian. I can’t help it.

The second thought is usually some kind o warm and earthy sauce.

In this case, it’s a chunky red wine and mushroom ragu.

You will need one pound of mushrooms (I’m using baby portabella, shiitake and oyster mushrooms) olive oil, black pepper, red wine and parmesan cheese.

Give the mushrooms a rough chop and toss them in a large skillet with some olive oil. Let them brown and cook down and then add a few grinds of black pepper.

Pour in about a half cup of red wine. If you wouldn’t drink it, then don’t use it is the general rule for cooking with wine. You want a nice red that can stand up to the mushroom flavor.

Let the wine reduce. Then top your pasta. Add some parmesan cheese. I used penne because it’s what we had. Any kind would do. Though I suggest staying away from angel hair as it’s a bit flimsy for these hearty flavors.

Roasted Tomato and Poblano Soup

Posted on August 28, 2013 by jacky grace

It’s in the air.

This time, I’m not talking about Fall (It’s a hot sticky humid day here in the city!)

Nope. This time I’m talking about Back to school.

That’s right, it’s the time of year for notebooks, paper, pencils and cool backpacks. (And papers and tests and detention boo!)

I’m not just feeling nostalgic. I’m actually heading back to school myself.

And that has me in the mood for a childhood favorite. Something warm and comforting as I face the terror of first day and making sure to pick out the right outfit and not sitting in the front row.

What’s more reminiscent of school days than tomato soup and a grilled cheese?

My parents will tell you that I pretty much subsisted only on grilled cheese during the first years of my life. I liked other foods. I wasn’t a picky eater. I just had a favorite and wanted as much of it as I could get.

There’s nothing like some Kraft singles melted between two pieces of white bread and dunked into a steaming bowl of Campbell’s tomato soup.

But I’m an adult now. So I wanted a more grown up version.

So here’s my take – roasted tomato and poblano soup.

It has the smoky flavor of a tortilla soup but the classic tomato bursts of the bowls we lived on as kids.

This is also a super fast and easy recipe, which makes it perfect for those nights shuttling between school and football practice and play rehearsals.

You will need:

1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 pint cherry heirloom tomatoes (you can also use yellow tomatoes or just 2 pints of regular cherry tomatoes. I like the complexity of flavor the heirlooms give)
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 poblano pepper, seeded and chopped
2 cloves of garlic, halved
olive oil
salt
pepper

Cover a cookie sheet in aluminum foil and lay the veggies and the garlic on the cookie sheet.

Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and black pepper. Pop the veggies under the broiler for about 15 to 20 minutes until the skins of the peppers and the tomatoes start to blister. This will give the soup a smoky taste.

Now, you have two options. You can dump everything in a blender or a food processor, add some water or broth and whir it up. Or, you can dump the vegetables in a pot, add some water and hit the mixture with an immersion blender.

The immersion blender’s my favorite kitchen gadget so I went with the latter.

Either way, blend until smooth. If you used a blender, pour the mix into a pot to warm it up and let the falvors bubble together.

Even if you didn’t have to face a pop quiz and an oral presentation today, this soup will calm you after a long day.

I don’t know what Shawarma is, but I wanna try it!

Posted on August 27, 2013 by jacky grace

We’ve been on a comic book/ action movie kick lately and last night was a Thor night.

I was trying to figure what to make for dinner that would be fitting when watching the story of the god, and bam! It hit me like Thor’s hammer! (Only not really, because I wouldn’t be conscious to write this post if Thor’s hammer hit me.)

Shawarma!

If you’ve seen Avengers, you know the scene at the end where they’ve just saved the planet and are all sitting around eating shawarma.

Tony Stark, after almost dying, gets up and rambles on “Alright. Hey. Alright. Good job, guys. Let’s just not come in tomorrow. Let’s just take a day. Have you ever tried shawarma? There’s a shawarma joint about two blocks from here. I don’t know what it is, but I wanna try it.”

And so, off for shawarma they go.

Shawarma is seasoned meat, chicken, beef or lamb, that is seasoned and then cooked on a rotating spit. The term also refers to the sandwich or wrap made with that meat.

Now, I don’t have a spit in the apartment, so this was made in the oven. But with the seasoning mix, you still get the flavor.

SO let’s start with the spices. I’m usually not one for a spice concoction, but trust me, you need it if you want this to have that Middle Eastern flavor.

In a small bowl, mix together 1 tablespoon each of smoked paprika, ground ginger, and coriander and one teaspoon each of ground cinnamon and all spice.

This spice rub is good for 1 pound of meat. If you’re making more, adjust accordingly.

I decided to make chicken shawarma pita sandwiches. This is a great weeknight dinner because the chicken cooks in about 20 minutes, during which time you can chop up the toppings for the pita pockets. This is a build your own dinner night, which we tend to do a lot, so I’m going to share our topping bar, but feel free to adjust to your tastes.

To get started, preheat the oven to 350.

Place your washed and dried chicken in a foil-lined baking dish. You can use breasts, but I used 1 pound of these tenderloins. They’re thinner so they cook faster. Which means we can get to Thor battling Loki faster.

Drizzle the chicken with vegetable oil and the spice mixture and bake for about 20-25 minutes. When it’s done, the chicken will take on an orangey reddish color from the spices. Shred the chicken into bite sized pieces, small enough for pita stuffing.

Then, it’s just a matter of laying out your spread. We used whole wheat pita pockets, shredded cabbage, tomatoes, cucumbers, hummus, and yogurt lemon sauce (squeeze the juice of one lemon into a small container of Greek yogurt, add a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt).

Cut the pita in half, open up the pocket and stuff away.

Hey, saving the world works up an appetite!

Ok. Watching the super heroes save the world works up an appetite. Sort of.

Adrenaline. Or something.

Right?

Caprese CousCous Stuffed Tomatoes

Posted on August 23, 2013 by jacky grace

It’s in the air.

You can smell it.

You can feel it.

Fall is coming.

There’s that hint of a chill when the sun goes down that has me grasping at summer.

And to me, summer is a bowl of peaches and some ripe juicy Jersey tomatoes. While I would be satisfied with peaches for dinner, I know my fiance would not.

So I turned to Giada DeLaurentiis’s cookbook and found a lovely recipe for tomatoes stuffed with rice.

I used my creative license and switched out the rice for couscous and so was born Caprese Couscous Stuffed Tomatoes!

One of the best things at an Italian restaurant in the summer is a caprese salad with ripe, bright red tomatoes and fresh mozzarella.

I took that concept and, instead of layering it nicely on a plate, decided to stuff it into a tomato.

For this recipe you will need

Tomatoes (I did 2 per person plus one extra as a lunch for someone the next day)
Couscous (I used the quick cook kind because, well, who wants to use long cook couscous?)
Basil
Mozzarella
Black pepper
olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350.

Prepare the couscous according to the package directions and set aside in a bowl.

Cut the tops off of the tomatoes.

Run your knife carefully along the edge of the tomatoes and then use a spoon to scoop out the insides. Be careful not to pierce through the bottom.

Squeeze the seeds and pulpy bits into the couscous. You can chop up some of the insides as well, but don’t do too much.

Tear some basil leaves and add to the couscous and tomatoes. Drizzle with some olive oil and add a grind of black pepper. Mix well.

Stuff the mixture into each of the tomatoes. I overfilled a little bit. Place the tomatoes in a foil lined baking dish. Look no clean up!

Top each tomato with a slice of mozzarella cheese.

Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes until the cheese melts over the top.

And there is a caprese salad that is a meal by itself!

Mangia.

Itty Bitty City Kitchen

tiny kitchen, BIG CULINARY ASPIRATIONS

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