It is that time again…June 1st is the next Trattoria da Vincenzo!  This is a supper you won’t want to miss. Amazing French Provincial food that will take you to a place where the scent of lavender permeates the air, the crisp rose quenches your thirst and the food warms your heart.

Please visit http://hearthandtable.com/vincenzos-reservations/ to make your reservation!

See you soon!

Heart, Hand, Table

Jess

As a resident of Fort Greene I am very excited and honored to be part of the Fort Greene Farmer’s Market.  The market for me is a beacon of inspiration for creating new recipes, and sustaining my love of food and community.  The colors and smells of the produce, the vibrancy of the people in the market and of course, the amazing vendors who are so passionate about what they do bring me such joy!

The first Saturday of every month I will be creating a recipe based on what the vendors are selling in the market that weekend.  Starting at 11am I will be doing a cooking demo of the recipe and handing out free samples for people to try.

This Saturday, May 5th, I will create a kale salad called, The Fort Greener Market Salad.  Please come out and give it a taste.  It is a sure fire recipe that will please all tastebuds.

Hope to see you there!

Until next time…

Heart, Hand, Table

Jess

I would like to thank the amazing guests that attended Vincenzo’s “Ramp It Up.”  It was a huge success!  It was a wonderful group of people.  We had so much fun.

The menu I cooked up was as follows:

Appetizer -

White Pizza with Ramp Pesto and Roasted Asparagus

Main Course -

Seared Duck Breast in a Raspberry and Red Wine Reduction

Sides -

Sauteed Kale with Garlic

Barley Salad with Apples, Carrots, Dried Cranberries and Walnuts

Dessert -

Frozen Greek Yogurt with Candied Grapefruit and Toasted Almonds

I had left over mushroom pate that I had made to serve at a cocktail party.  I just hate letting food go to waste,  so I decided to take my leftover mushroom pate and make a light and airy mushroom lasagna.

The mushroom pate is very simple to make.  I thinly sliced one shallot and 2 cloves of garlic.  I sliced one box of cremini mushrooms, two boxes of button mushrooms, and a handful of shiitake mushrooms.  Than I took some fresh rosemary, parsley and some thyme and chopped them all together.  In a large skillet, I melted one tab of butter and one tbsp. of olive oil over medium-high heat.  I added the shallots and garlic and cooked, stirring, until soft, 2 to 3 minutes.  I added the mushrooms and cooked, until wilted.  I deglazed with dry vermouth (it’s all I had) and added herbs, salt, and pepper, and cooked for five minutes until vermouth had evaporated.

I transferred the mushroom mixture and added 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese to my food processor and blended until creamy.  You can add a little olive oil while blending if you want the mixture smoother.

There you have it…mushroom pate.

I bought some fresh ricotta, mozzarella, parmigiano-reggiano, and fresh basil.  I seasoned the ricotta with freshly chopped basil, crushed red pepper flakes, kosher salt and black pepper.

I cooked my pasta for the lasagna (follow instructions on box).  I made sure to use a lot of olive oil when boiling the pasta so the strips of pasta would not stick.

I lightly coated the bottom of my aluminum pan with olive oil.  I placed a row of pasta down first, then my ricotta and pieces of the mozzarella, then a layer of pasta, then a layer of mushroom pate, then pasta, then cheese…and continued until I reached the top of the pan.  I sprinkled the top with some of my parmigiano-reggiano and some basil.

I cooked the lasagna until the cheese was bubbling and oozing.  I let it rest about 15 minutes until I cut into it to serve.  I drizzled a little olive oil once the piece of lasagna was plated.

It was really heaven on a plate.  Every bite was so flavorful and delicious!

Let me know what you think of it!

Until next time…

Heart, Hand, Table

Jess

Spring is here my friends!  What does that mean?  A plethora of new vegetables to cook with, which alone is reason to celebrate.

Please come join us on Friday, April 27th for a Vincenzo’s cocktail party, “Ramp It Up.”  Okay, so the title is a little cheesy, but I think we are all ready to have a good time.  Winter is fading…Delicious Food + Fantastic Wine + Great Music = SPRING.

Cocktails start at 7:30pm and various dishes will be served until you can eat no more.  I promise…this is going to be a great Vincenzo’s!

Please go to the webpage below to find details on Vincenzo’s:

http://hearthandtable.com/vincenzos-reservations/

I hope to see you soon!

Heart, Hand, Table

Jess

I really do enjoy eating healthy.  Of course I love a slice of pizza or a plate of nachos once in awhile, but in my home during the week, I try to cook super clean flavored and healthful dishes for my husband and I.  Recently, I have really been into grain salads.  They are cheap to make, filling and a great way to get whole grains into your diet.

This happened to be one Monday night that I wasn’t coming home late from work, so I had time to think about what I wanted to make.  I spend a lot of money on buying amazing vegetables, so I really try yo use every last bit.  I had some pearl barley in my cupboard.  Easy…barley salad with vegetables.

I started by cooking my barley.  I made a lot of barley so Zach and I would have lunch for a couple of days as well.  I covered 2 cups of pearl barley with 4 cups of water (you can use vegetable stock as well) and simmered for 30 minutes before fluffing with a fork.

While my barley was cooking I chopped all of my vegetables.  I had 5 carrots and 1/2 a red onion which I diced.  I had a bunch of swiss chard which I thinly sliced.  I had a half of avocado which I sliced and put to the side to put on top of the salad once it was done.  I also had some dried organic cranberries and chopped walnuts in my cupboard so I thought I would throw those in as well.

Once the barley was cooked I placed it in the a big serving bowl.  I added all of my vegetables, dried cranberries (about a cup) and chopped walnuts (1/2 a cup) to the barley and mixed.  Then I added 1/2 a cup of red wine vinegar, salt and pepper and mixed.  Then a drizzled about 3 tbsp. of olive oil as I mixed the salad.

I plated the barley salad in a bowl and placed a couple of slices of avocado on top.  It was very nutritious and most importantly…delicious!

Until next time…

Heart, Hand, Table

Jess

Hopefully this cold blast of winter air will end soon, but before it does, why not take advantage and make a final ragu for this winter’s season.

There are a couple components to making a delicious and complex ragu.  Always start with the onions and carrots.  They add tons of flavor and sweetness to the sauce.  Also, always use a mixture of meats.  I tend to add some kind of pork to every ragu I make.  Pretty easy, huh?

Here we go…

In a large sauce pan, heat olive oil until shimmering. Add diced carrots, onion and red bell pepper and cook over a medium heat.  Cook until tender and onion is glimmering.  Use a slotted spoon to place vegetables to the side.

Add the 3 oz. of diced pancetta and stir over medium heat until sizzling. Add 1/2 lb. of ground pork and cook until browned.  Add 1 lb. of ground lamb and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has evaporated and the meat is browned, 10 minutes. Return the vegetables to the meat. Add 1 cup of red wine and simmer until wine is absorbed by the meat, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add 1 large can of peeled coarsley chopped Italian tomatoes (San Marzano or Cento) and their juices, a bay leaf and a pinch of crushed red pepper. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, stirring occasionally, until meat is tender, 2 hours.

Fill a large pot of water and bring to a boil.  Salt water and add your box of rigatoni pasta.  Cook until al dente and drain water.  Plate rigatoni and add a heaping spoonful of the ragu on top.  Add a tablespoon of fresh ricotta on top of the ragu with a pinch of fresh mint to finish plating your delicious meal!

Thank you to my good friend and talented photographer, Eric Levin, who took these amazing pictures for my website.  I hoped you enjoyed this meal as my form of payment.

This recipe is one of my favorites!  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Until next time…

Heart, Hand, Table

Jess

Thank you to my dear friends Nell Love, Bridget Storm, Jamie K. Pipkin who worked so hard along side me for this catering job.

Was I successful? You’ll have to stay tuned until Friday to find out!

I just got back from visiting my Papapapa in Lima, Peru and it reminded me of why I love sharing food so much….

When I was little girl in Peru I would wake up and head straight to the kitchen table for breakfast.  I knew that waiting for me would be my Papapapa with delicious tropical fruits that he would be peeling for all of his grandchildren.  There was nothing better than eating the papaya he had just cut up. The fruit always tasted better when I was able to sit and listen to the stories of his youth.

His stories would always begin, “When I was a little boy growing up in the Amazon Rainforest…”  His life has been an adventure and we, his grandchildren, are so lucky to have stories like his that add to the history of our family.  My Papapapa has always been my hero.  A hero who knows how to make papaya the sweetest it can be.

Here is a little papaya salad my family eats after each meal.  Dice papaya, a tart apple and some banana and squeeze a little lime juice over it.  There it is…dessert!

Until next time…

Heart, Hand, Table

Jess

I really don’t like to eat alone.  It is not that I don’t like spending time on my own, but I really do love the experience of sharing food.  I love trying a bite of something that is out of this world and turning to a friend and saying, “You have got to try this!”  You know it is good when their eyes beam with delight…that is called a shared food moment!  A moment that will not be forgotten and will be talked about for years to come.

I recently had one of those moments while visiting my family in Peru.  I was having lunch with my cousin and we ordered Pulpo al Olivo (octupus with olive sauce).  It is a very typical Peruvian dish and it is definitely one of my favorites.  We ordered a plethora of food.  First came the ceviche de pescado and chicharrones de calamar and then came…the pulpo al olivo.

My cousin and I took a bite…HEAVEN!!!!!!!!!!  The pulpo was cooked just right.  It was nice and tender with the creaminess of the black olive sauce.  We just kept looking at each other as we exchanged mmm’s.  That my friends was definitely what I call a shared food moment!

Until next time…

Heart, Hand, Table

Jess