Spicy Arrabbiata Sausage

So here's a very simple, "cheater" meal for weekday nights when you don't have a lot of time to cook. My presentation above isn't too good because I couldn't get the pasta to work for me. Ah well, it still tasted pretty good... :)

Ingredients

6 hot Italian sausages
1 bottle of pre-made pasta sauce (yes, there's the cheater part)
1 medium sized onion, diced
6 cloves of garlic, diced
6 tbsps fresh basil, chopped roughly
4 tbsps fresh oregano, chopped roughly
3 fresh chilies, seeded (more if you're feeling brave)
2 cups of penne (or whatever pasta you like)
3 tbsps olive oil
Grated parmesan cheese for garnish

Directions

1. Grill the sausages on the BBQ until done then reserve to the side.
2. Heat the olive oil in a skillet to medium.
3. Add the onions and garlic and sweat them for a couple of minutes. Add the chilies to the onion and garlic mixture and allow to soften.
   
4. Add the pasta sauce, basil and oregano and heat through.
5. Slice the sausage and add it to the sauce. Allow to cook for about 10 minutes to get the flavours to combine.
6. Cook the penne al dente and serve.
7. Add parmesan to taste.

Dinner at 360

Last night Pete & Sue honoured us with dinner at 360 (a.k.a The Restaurant at the CN Tower) for helping them with their recent wedding. Incidentally, this furthered their reputation in my mind as two of the most generous people I have ever met. Discussions about friendship are probably best saved for its own post - I'll just stick to the food here... :)

360's best asset is obviously the view which goes between breathtaking and spectacular depending on which way you're facing. Unfortunately, getting up the tower reminds one of going through airport security with unending lines, tourists, and security personnel. This long walk is ended with a kitschy sit-down picture in front of a green screen (which is later doctored-up and offered to you for the oh-so-low price of $23). Yikes. This definitely doesn't get the appetite sparked for what is meant to be a "fine-dining" experience.

Anyhow, on to the food. My meal started off with Spanish Tapas ($17) which was 4 different tapas dishes accompanied by spiced almonds and pickled olives. (Note to self, in future, I really need to take a pen and paper with me so that I can write down exactly what I'm eating). The fingerling potatoes with heirloom carrots topped with anchovies weren't exactly Spanish but were delicious. The scallop ceviche and chorizo-manchego were also top-notch. The fourth element, some sort of unidentified seafood puree wrapped in a pickled red pepper was entirely too vinegary for my tastes. I never did figure out where in the taste-spectrum the spiced almonds and olives were meant to fit - they definitely could have been left out.

For the main course, the Lamb Two Ways ($37) was very well executed. The lamb chops were perfectly medium-rare and the braised sirloin was moist and delicious. This was accompanied by a variety of roasted vegetables that all combined together well.

For dessert, a cheddar cheese plate with summer fruit ($14) was very satisfying and generous. The warm brown water with froth (a.k.a. cappucino), however, could have been a lot better.

As for ambiance, what can you really expect from a restaurant overrun by tourists and family outings? The service too was sub-par for a restaurant of this caliber (we waited 40 minutes to place our food orders).

Nevertheless, the occasion and company were more than enough to overcome any lackings at 360. Would I go back to 360? Probably not. The view almost single-handedly makes it worthwhile but given the price and quality, there are far better values around the city.

Recent Addition

Here's a picture from la Sainte-Chappelle in Paris that I took last year. It will be the latest addition to the "artwork" (yes, I'm using that word as loosely as possible) that decorates our walls at home. Personally, I like the composition and the way I managed to capture (even in the smallest degree) the incredible lightness of the walls. Sure, the picture pales in comparison to actually being there... but you take what you can get... :)

Tomato Steak Salad

Here's a nice simple steak salad that I made tonight. Tasty and light, here's the recipe:

Dressing

2 cups of Clamato (I'm sure tomato juice would work but it's got a bit more bite)
Olive oil - I'm not sure how much, keep pouring until it looks right
10 peppercorns, ground and happy
5 tbsps of fresh basil, finely diced
2 tbsps of fresh oregano, finely diced
1/4 onion, very, very, very finely diced
Tobasco sauce to taste
Kosher salt to taste

Salad

2 80z sirloin steaks
10 peppercorns, ground
3 cloves, ground
3 coffee beans, ground
1 cup of goat cheese, cubed roughly
20 cherry tomatoes (I'm sure plum tomatoes would work too - as long as it's not those horrible "made for transport, not taste" tomatoes)
1/4 cup of olive oil
Add dressing to taste


Directions

1. Add all the ingredients for the dressing and whip the hell out of it until it blends well. Put it in the fridge and let it get happy for at least an hour. (The longer the better).
2. Grind the peppercorns, cloves, and coffee beans. Cover the steaks with the rub. Put them in the fridge for an hour.
3. Take the steaks out of the fridge about 20 minutes before cooking to allow them to come up to room temperature.
4. Fire up the grill. Get the grill to about 400F. Brush some olive oil on the steaks before putting them on the grill.
5. Grill for 2 minutes, quarter turn, 2 more minutes. Flip. Repeat. (This will get you a meduim-rare steak).
   
6. Once the steaks are off, cover them with some foil for about 10 minutes to let them rest.
7. Plate the salad, slice the steak thinly and place it on the salad. Enjoy!

Old Blog

Well, I just found my last (and first) attempt at creating a blog. Yikes. It seemed like a good idea at the time - strangely, it does this time too.

The Lamb Osso Buco at the Epicure Cafe

Well, just got back in from the Epicure Cafe. As usual, it was reasonably good - but not excellent. Unfortunately, ever since they moved a few doors down they've never been the same. (That and the fact that they dropped the voodoo chicken from their menu was probably one of the greatest crimes against humanity in our time).

Anyhow, as to the lamb osso buco: not bad. The jus was balanced - heavy, soulful, delicious. The lamb was cooked well albeit the cut was slightly on the fatty side. (Oddly, the waitress asked how I would like it to be cooked - is it possible to braise lamb so that it's medium-rare?!?) The vegetable garnish was tasty and paired well with the lamb. A good dish but not earth-shaking in any way. The Epicure really is no longer what it once was. Overall, I'd give it 6 on 10.

P.S. Now this is getting crazy - three posts in one day?!? Can I keep it up?

Losing Your Home

I've moved this post from PiaGoneWild because I think it's worthwhile and, frankly, the pictures tell the story:

At a time when there is so much loss around the world it’s easy to become indifferent. It’s easy to ignore all that is lost every day.

And then once in a while something happens to remind you of the personal aspects of tragedy. Flames in the air. A house burning. A home lost.

If you lost everything, what would you do? If you could save one thing, what would it be?

We often say at times like this: “at least no one was hurt”. True. No one was. Life is, obviously, more valuable than an armchair, a DVD player, or a favourite painting. But what must it be like to go to bed one night and wake up to the knowledge that much of what you’ve worked for and many of your memories are gone forever?

Starting Over

Yikes, here we go again with another blog. Is this just another test or will it lead to more? Time will tell I suppose. Now to figure out how to link this with PiaGoneWild... :)

J.