Satchel's Pizza

My friend Satchel is a man of many talents, most of which glitter brightly at his jewel of the south- Satchel's Pizza. During a recent day trip to Gainesville, FL I was lucky to discover why this place is known as the pie paradise, the mozarella mecca, the shangri-la of sauce. I ordered a slice with tempeh, spinach and roasted red bell pepper. I'm partial to thin crusts and this one was at once crispy, rich and pillowy down to the last bite. The sauce was sweet and aromatic, yet did not overpower the fresh flavors of the toppings. Everything at Satchel's comes with a side of pure magic, which you're sure to experience at every turn and is 100% homegrown. Do yourself a favor: http://satchelspizza.com/

Cassata Siciliana

"Cassata or Cassata siciliana is a traditional sweet from the province of Palermo, Sicily (Italy). It is similar to the French gateau, and consists of pound cake moisted with kirschwasser or an orange liqueur and layered with a ricotta, candied peel, and chocolate filling, similar to cannoli cream. Most variants are also covered with a shell of marzipan or chocolate frosting. Sicilian cassata is made with a somewhat dry, light, and delicate cake called Pan Di Spagna and is used in thin layers to support the cheese and cream. It is unlike the thick, moist and spongelike pound cake of Northern Europe. To moisten the pan di spagna rum or other liquori are used. The ricotta filling is a sheeps milk ricotta, and if whipped or sweetend cream is added, it too will be made from sheeps milk." - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassata

Thanks mom!

Happy Nummy-days

We're each off to our families this holiday, but fear not, there is plenty of eating underway. Look for highlights of some of our favorite family nummies over the coming days.

Julie's Custard Pear Tart

We love having company over for dinner, especially when they come bearing nummy treats like the delicious custard pear tart.

Japanese Breakfast

Here at N3, we are fortunate to be surrounded by inspired individuals who share our gastronomical passion. Of those, surely our friends LB and Michael top the list. Last Sunday we had the enviable privilege of being invited over for Japanese breakfast, which, as you can see, is like a sort of tabletop festival of loveliness. There were egg custards filled with savory treats, sea urchin roe, sautéed burdock, rich dashi, sweet inari, multi-colored pickles, delectable mushrooms, sashimi, monkfish liver, steamed daikon and more and more and more....our favorite kind of meal. We were sent off with full bellies and a jar of homemade miso! Dōmo arigatō!

Comfort Couscous

If you hadn't noticed, we have an ongoing love affair with Israeli couscous. We taken to cooking it with braised root veggies in chicken stock, to make a sort of couscous risotto. Mmmm-hmmm.

Brussel Sprouts with Polenta and Aduki Bean

This jazzy Macrobiotic-inspired trio will make music on your lips. These gorgeous, yes, gorgeous brussel sprouts were found at the winter farmer's market. We sautéd/steamed in olive oil, red wine, garlic, salt and pepper. At the same time, while T cooked up a batch of polenta, I simmered a can, yes, a can of organic aduki beans to which I'd added chopped onion, garlic powder, tamari, and olive oil. We piled all three together and topped with fresh arugla- a true love supreme.

Orange Butternut Soup

This soup pushes the mild sweetness of the butternut squash into bold territory with strong spices and not-so-subtle heat. Begin by sautéing chopped red onion, garlic and ginger in a little vegetable oil and butter. Add chopped butternut squash and seasonings: cumin, nutmeg, cayenne, salt and pepper. Continue cooking until squash starts to sweat then add chopped roasted red pepper and chicken stock to cover. Add bay leaf and dried navel orange slices (found at Trader Joe's). Bring everything to a simmer and continue for 10-15 minutes, or until squash is soft. Remove bay leaf and oranges, scoop flesh from oranges and return to pot. Add 1/2 cup of 1/2 and 1/2 (optional) and purée in small batches. We served with thick slices of toasted walnut wheat bread and butter.