Spaghetti Arrabbiata – A Spicy Treat

On August 2, 2017 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Germany, Recipes6 Comments

We went to our favorite restaurant, The Brasserie, at least three or four times per week for lunch or dinner. We usually ordered the special of the day because we really liked the variety and the fresh ingredients that they used. When we didn’t order the special, our typical fall-back plan was to order the Spaghetti Arrabbiata, which is a spicy red sauce served over pasta. They typically served it with chunks of grilled filet mignon, but during Spring they also served it with shrimp or prawns. As we continue to try and replicate special meals that we have eaten during our travels, this was an obvious choice since we had it so many times. It is a pretty simple dish to prepare, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t delicious. You can control the heat by adding more or less red pepper flakes, but it is meant to have a fair amount of heat. Obviously you don’t have to add the meat, but it really is a wonderful combination.

INGREDIENTS

28 oz Can of Tomato Sauce
1/4 cup Tomato Paste
1 tbsp Red Pepper Flakes
2 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tbsp Italian Seasoning
1 tsp Dried Oregano
1 tsp Sugar
8 oz Filet Mignon – cut into 1 inch squares
Thin Spaghetti
Parmesan Cheese – shaved into thin slices
1/4 cup Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

Combine the tomato sauce, tomato paste, garlic, Italian seasoning, oregano, and sugar in a large sauce pan and simmer over a low heat for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring frequently. Season the steak with salt, pepper, and a dash of garlic powder and let sit. Cook the pasta according to package directions, adding a tablespoon of the olive oil to keep the pasta from sticking. Before draining the pasta, reserve 1/4 cup of the pasta water. Heat the remaining olive oil in a medium skillet and add the chunks of steak. Sear the steak on all sides for a total of approximately 5 to 6 minutes until medium-rare. Add the reserved pasta water to the sauce, then toss the pasta with the sauce in a large bowl until the pasta is coated with the sauce. Plate individual portions with spaghetti placing the steak next to the pasta and garnish the pasta with parmesan cheese to taste. Serves two people.

Chicago-Style Hot Dogs

On July 26, 2017 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Chicago, Recipes11 Comments

We love visiting Chicago, it is one of our favorite cities in the United States. For a bigger city, people are friendly and it is easy to get around, at least the downtown loop area. Obviously, there are parts of Chicago that should be avoided and there is plenty of news about the violence in South Chicago, but as long as you are smart about where you go, as with any city, you will enjoy your time there. Having a Chicago-Style hot dog is definitely a must when you visit, whether at one of the hot dog specific restaurants or from our choice, a street vendor. We decided to try and replicate the Chicago-Style hot dog and we think that it turned out very well. We couldn’t get poppy seed buns or find the sport peppers, but that didn’t harm the taste, they were still delicious. We don’t usually boil hot dogs when we have them, but we did in this case to keep them as authentic as possible. Don’t even think about using ketchup, you won’t even find it available when you are in Chicago. Hopefully you enjoy them as well.

Ingredients

4 All-Beef Hot Dogs
4 Hot Dog Buns
4 tbsp Sweet Pickle Relish
1/4 Yellow Onion – finely chopped
1/2 Tomato – cut into wedges
1 Kosher Dill Pickle – cut into wedges
4 to 8 Hot Chile Peppers
Yellow Mustard
Celery Salt

Instructions

Boil or steam the hot dogs until heated all of the way through. Place the hot dogs into warmed hot dogs buns and then add the mustard, one tablespoon of pickle relish, onion, tomato, pickle spear, hot peppers, and a dash of celery salt. Be sure to tuck the tomato and pickle wedges next to the hot dog.

Moussaka – Greek Lasagna

On July 5, 2017 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Greece, Recipes8 Comments

One of the dishes that we truly enjoyed while we were staying in Europe was Moussaka. Although we went to Athens, Greece, it was in Frankfurt that we ended up trying Moussaka for the first time. Most of the staff at our favorite restaurant were actually Greek and although it was a French Bistro, they sometimes put something Greek as their special of the day. We are not typically big fans of eggplant, but this is one recipe that makes us forget that it is even in there. We are attempting to recreate some of our favorite meals from our time in Europe and this is one of our first attempts. We modified a recipe that we found on the internet and the biggest difference is that it didn’t put sauce on top of the moussaka. It may not be quite as good as what the Greek chef at the restaurant made, but it was really delicious. Because it is just the two of us, this is a smaller recipe, but you can easily increase the amounts to make a larger batch.

INGREDIENTS

2/3 lb Ground Lamb
1 Large Eggplant
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/3 Medium Red Onion – chopped
2/3 Clove of Fresh Garlic – minced
1 tsp Dried Oregano
1/8 Lemon – sliced into thin rings
1 Small Handful of Fresh Parsley – chopped
1/8 tsp Ground Cinnamon
2 tbsp Tomato Paste
8 oz Crushed Tomatoes
3 oz Feta Cheese Crumbles
1/3 cup Fresh Parmesan – grated
1/3 cup Bread Crumbs
Salt and Pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

Cut the stem off of the eggplant and peel the skin with a vegetable peeler. Cut the eggplant lengthwise into 1/2 inch slices (You should have 6 slices). Salt and pepper both sides of the eggplant slices. Heat about 2 ounces of olive oil in a large skillet and heat to medium-high heat. Cook the eggplant slices in the skillet until golden brown, about 3 – 4 minutes per side. You will likely need to do this in a couple of batches as you don’t want to crowd the slices in the pan or they won’t fry properly. Remove the slices from the skillet and let them rest on a paper towel to drain. Add some more oil to the pan and add the onion, lemon, garlic, oregano and parsley. Cook for about 3 minutes on medium heat until the onions are translucent. Add the ground lamb, making sure to break the meat up, and season with salt and pepper. Add the cinnamon, tomato paste, and crushed tomatoes and continue to cook until the lamb is brown and the liquid has evaporated. Remove from the heat.

Pre-heat an oven to 350 degrees. Select a casserole dish that is about the size of two of the eggplant slices laying side by side. Spray the bottom of the small casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray and layer two of the eggplant slices on the bottom, trying to cover as much of the bottom of the dish as possible, but ensuring that there are no gaps between the eggplant slices. Add half of the meat mixture, then half of the feta cheese, and finally half of the parmesan cheese. Layer two more eggplant slices and repeat layering the meat and cheese. Place the final two slices on top and sprinkle with the bread crumbs. Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes and the bread crumbs have turned golden brown.