Category Archives: Main Course

A typical Italian Summer feast: baked bread, olive oil, caprese salad, Cacio E Pepe and Rosé wine. How do you say “yum” in Italian?

Cacio E Pepe, which literally translates to “cheese and pepper” is a pasta dish ADORNED with just that. Cacio E Pepe celebrates the beauty of starchy pasta water, which, in combination with grated Parmesan cheese, creates a creamy sauce. COPIOUS amounts of freshly ground black pepper are added and voila! To keep with the RUSTIC edge of this recipe, I like to serve Cacio E Pepe in the pot in which it was cooked immediately after being prepared.

The Fab Five: 1lb spaghetti, 1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese, 50 turns in a pepper mill, 1 tbsp salt, 1 pint pasta water (taken straight from the pot after the pasta is cooked)

While the pasta is cooking according to package instructions, grate the Parmesan cheese.

After the pasta is finished cooking, save 1 pint of the water and set it aside. Drain the pasta and place it back into the pot.

Sprinkle in the Parmesan cheese.

Add in the freshly ground black pepper.

Pour in the pasta water and stir the entire mixture together.

You’re done! Eat up!

Up close and personal with Cacio E Pepe.

Buon Appetito,

Charis

• ADORN = decorate
• RUSTIC = typical of the countryside,
• COPIOUS = large amounts

A mirepoix, which consists of onions, carrots and celery, is the core group of flavors that add balance to most savory French dishes.

I’m heading off for a three-and-a-half week vacation to France, Berlin and Amsterdam, so last night, my dad prepared a French-themed dinner to prep our palettes for our upcoming PEREGRINATION. He made a delicious, broiled Icelandic salmon accompanied by a white sauce and vegetables. To bring out the French flavors, he sautéed a core group of flavors: celery, carrots and white onions, known as a “mirepoix,” and he built the dish from there. These ingredients are the holy trinity in French cuisine, because they combine perfectly together, INFUSE savory foods with flavor and add balance to soups, stocks, stews, meats and just about anything. Instead of using white onions, my dad OPTED for red and also added fennel and French sausage. Let’s just say that last night’s dinner got me so excited for France and the wonderful food that it has to offer!

• PEREGRINATION = travel, journey, adventure
• INFUSE = to fill, pervade, instill
• OPTED = chose

Stay tuned for upcoming blogs and updates about my adventures exploring Europe.

Bon Voyage,

Charis

One of my favorite scenes from one of my favorite "foodie" movies, Julie and Julia.

Inspiration for recipes can come from anywhere, including movies, books, TV shows and life. While I was home 2 weeks ago, I watched Julie and Julia, a movie based off of a book by the same name. Julie cooked her way through the cookbook, Mastering The Art Of French Cooking, written by the most SPRIGHTLY of chefs, Julia Child. (You probably figured out that this idea influenced Cook Your Way Through The S.A.T.) In one of my favorite scenes in the movie, Julia is served a sizzling fillet of Dover sole, which sparks her obsession with French food. I couldn’t help but want to make some wonderful Sole Meuniere for me and my family to enjoy. I followed Ina Garten’s recipe with a few of my own SLIGHT ALTERATIONS.

Ingredients: 1/2 cup flour, 4 sole fillets (3 to 4 ounces each,) 6 tbsp unsalted butter, 1 tsp lemon zest, 6 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 3 lemons,) 1 tbsp freshly minced parsley, salt and pepper.

Preheat the oven to 200ºF. Pat dry the sole fillets with paper towels.

In a bowl, mix together the flour, 2 tsp salt, and 1 tsp pepper. Sprinkle the sole fillets with the flour mixture and add extra salt to one side of each fish fillet.

In a 12" pan, heat 3 tbsp butter over medium heat until melted and slightly browned. Place 2 sole fillets in the pan (I put 3 fillets in...whoops.) Lower the heat to medium-low and cook the fillets for about 2 minutes on each side.

While the second side cooks, add 1/2 tsp lemon zest and 2 tbsp lemon juice to the pan. Once cooked, transfer the fish to an ovenproof plate and drizzle the sauce over them. Keep in the oven while you cook the rest of the fish.

Add minced parsley to the cooked fish and serve immediately! Julia Child would be proud.

• SPRIGHTLY = lively, full of energy
• SLIGHT = of small importance
• ALTERATION = a change, modification

Bon Appetit,

Charis

Forbidden rice is black when dry, purple when cooked.

Forbidden rice is an heirloom rice that, in ANTIQUITY, was eaten only by emperors.  Luckily, these days, anyone can partake in the nutty taste and chewy texture of this superfood, which is full of fiber, antioxidants, iron, amino acids and other nutrients.

Even more luckily, forbidden rice is not forbidden on the Clean Program, a 21 day detox cleanse, which worked out really well for my brother and parents. Clean allows a protein shake for breakfast and dinner, and a healthy meal of protein and vegetables for lunch. My family EMBARKED on a Clean Program DERIVATIVE when we returned from our spring break trip, substituting the Metagenics brand of medical food for the Clean protein powder.

Black rice is the new brown rice.

For one lunch, my brother decided to MODIFY the “Mediterranean Turkey Meatloaf” from Cook Your Way Through The S.A.T. because my recipe contains sun-dried tomatoes, feta cheese, eggs and a small amount of flour, all of which are PROHIBITED during detox. He prepared the black rice using a 1/3 to 2/3 ratio (1 cup of black rice cooked in 2 cups of chicken broth), simmering it for 60 minutes after it boiled. He only used a cup of cooked black rice for the meatloaf and saved the rest for another meal.

My family’s cleanse is over and they’re still enjoying black rice. Can’t wait until I’m home and can try some.

Charis

• ANTIQUITY = ancient past
• EMBARKED = began
• DERIVATIVE = copy, spin-off
• MODIFY = adjust
• PROHIBITED = banned

My recipe calls for the poached eggs Florentine to go on a buttermilk biscuit instead of this English muffin

It’s finally that time of year again…spring break! Words cannot begin to describe how happy I am to be able to take a short (but much needed) break from school, unwind, spend time with my family and do fun things. Tomorrow, I kick off my spring break by cooking on In The Kitchen, a segment of the Connecticut Style show!

I did the show during my Thanksgiving break and had a great time making my “Fish In Parchment” recipe from Cook Your Way Through The S.A.T. with the two hosts, Jocelyn Maminta and Theresa LaBarbera. They invited me back and this time I am making the ultimate breakfast to CONSUME before taking any ASSESSMENTS, especially standardized tests.

I will be making poached eggs with spinach on buttermilk biscuits. In addition to cooking, I will be talking about why eggs are one of the best things to eat before  taking a test, due to their high content of protein. My Dad cooked me steak and eggs before I sat for the SSAT and I am convinced the meal helped my score. I had scrambled eggs this morning before my math final. Wish me luck with that, and with the show!

Charis

• CONSUME = eat
• ASSESSMENTS = tests