Fuego in the Prado: Fuego Mundo!

First of all, apologies for my tardiness in this post. Between working full time plus my commute plus my continuing education courses plus my part time housewife duties, I have fallen slightly behind on discussing the grilled perfection that Fuego Mundo has achieved.

At a food blogger's event, the owners of Fuego Mundo allowed us to step into their mindset of the 90% gluten free menu. When I first heard about this gluten free restaurant, I was skeptical. As a lover of all things wheat, I thought to myself how could a meal without gluten be delicious? I stand delightfully surprised. The dynamic duo of a South American woman married to an Israeli (pretty kosher) man has created an amazing menu of woodfire grilled meats as well as health conscious sides such as fried or -- get this -- BAKED plantains as well as rice or quinoa all combine with other veggies to make a delicious meal that feels like you're over-indulging but really is quite figure friendly.



Plantain chips and salsa



Baked and fried plantains, quinoa, rice, veggie stir fry, and beef and chicken kabobs



Chicken sausage



Grilled tilapia



Flan



Gluten free carrot cake (delicious!)

I was so pleasantly surprised by the delicious flavors of the meats and sides as well as the desserts. On the tables at Fuego Mundo, there is a hot sauce that is just the perfect blend of flavor and heat that adds an amazing flavor to everything in the restaurant.

If you're skeptical like I was, you owe it to yourself to try it out. As we were leaving, my hubby ordered the lamb chops...which were just delicious! Check it out and decide for yourself but I almost guarantee that the flavors and heartiness of your meal will make you -- at least momentarily -- forget about gluten!

Pacci -- With Recipes!

Being a food blogger has many benefits besides the obvious of going to really nice restaurants and ordering lots of food with the excuse of "it's for the blog." Another great benefit is amazing tasting events at some of the best restaurants in Atlanta. Last Saturday, Chef Keira Moritz of Pacci in beautiful Midtown, Atlanta served up some of her dishes to the Atlanta Food Bloggers' Alliance complete with recipes. I have recreated a couple dishes at home.

First: Grilled Caesar Salad with homemade dressing.



Recipe for the dressing:

1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/3 cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
8 Anchovy Fillets, chopped
1 1/2 T Worcestershire Sauce
1 t Dijon Mustard
Freshly ground mustard to taste
Juice of one lemon
1 "coddled" egg (1 minute in boiling water, cooled, and added in whole"

Incorporate all ingredients with a fork except for olive oil. Slowly drizzle in olive oil while whisking to whip the dressing. Dressing should be creamy when you're finished whisking.

When I recreated the dressing at home, I thought it was delicious but my husband felt that it was slightly too much dijon mustard - something that I love.

Cut a heart of Romaine lettuce in half, brush with olive oil, and grill until silghtly charred.

My homemade croutons that I add to my salads are very simple.

3 slices of any bread, cubed (sourdough is my personal favorite)
1 large garlic clove smashed (minced and then crushed with the back of a knife)
1/3 cup olive oil
Dried basil
Dried parsley
Salt and Pepper to taste

Using your hands, mix together all of the ingredients until the bread cubes are entirely coated. Bake at 225* for 10 minutes. Toss the croutons and then bake for 10 more minutes.

Second dish at Pacci: Strozzapreti (gnocchi) with sage brown butter, walnuts, and Gorgonzola.



I have only made gnocchi once and it is a VERY labor intensive dish that requires time and a lot of love. Mine was nowhere near the same taste realm as the Pacci dish. Stay tuned for my own recreation and the chef's recipe!

You can taste all of the love in this dish. The gnocchi is made with a skillful hand and all of the flavors work in perfect harmony! Can't wait to eat this dish again!

Last dish: Brown Butter Pear Crespelle



Crepe:
2 large eggs
3/4 cup of milk
1/2 cup water
1 cup flour
3 tsp melted butter

Incorporate all of the ingredients by adding them into a blender and pulse for 10 seconds. Then let the batter sit in the fridge for at least an hour to prevent tearing during the cooking process (batter can be made up to 48 hours in advance). To cook, heat your pan over medium heat, spray the pan with cooking spray and pour a small amount of batter into the pan. Swirl the pan so that the entire surface is covered with a thin layer of batter. In about 30 seconds, flip the crepe and let the other side cook for about 10 seconds.

Warning: It will probably take you 3-4 trials to get the perfect thickness of crepe if it's your first time and depending on how much color you want on your crepe, you may want to leave it in the pan a little bit longer.

Filling:
4 pears, peeled and diced
3 cups whole milk ricotta
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 stick butter

Combine the pears with the butter and cook over medium heat until the butter is brown and the pears are cooked through. Then, remove pan from heat and add the sugar and ricotta. Add the mixture to crepes, according to your desired fullness and fold or roll the crepes ad desired.

Garnish crepes with powdered sugar and micro basil.

The version I made this morning for breakfast had apples and although it wasn't as pretty or refined as Pacci's, it was still quite yummy!


Filling


Finished Crepe

My entire meal was fabulous! I can't wait to go back again and sample more things from the menu. Chef Keira Moritz has a true gift for making simple yet awesomely delicious food to leave your tummy full and happy. My experience at this event was truly unforgettable and I plan to continue to use these recipes in the future. Thanks, Chef!

First of the munches

Many words have been used to describe me, but creative is not one.  I am certainly not the kind of girl to re-invent the wheel by any means, but in my line of work (occupational therapist) I am often forced to get creative with unconventional items to maximize my patient's functional abilities.  But when I'm not backed into a culinary corner, I often turn to my wonderful husband, an avid food enthusiast to get my creative juices flowing.

At a recent family holiday event, I was assigned appetizers.  Through much thought (mostly by the old ball and chain) we decided on puff pastry "Reuben" rolls and chicken salad bites.




For the Reubens, roll the sheet of puff pastry out flat, layer with meat and cheese to your desired volume, roll, slice, and bake to the box's directions. When I first made these, I did one layer each of meat and cheese and everyone agreed that at least double the meat would have made all the difference in the world. Once baked and cooled, dress to kill with your choice of spicy brown mustard, thousand island dressing, and sauerkraut.



For the chicken salad bites, I simply unrolled the sheet of puff pastry flat and rolled it up into log form, just like the Reubens but naked. Slice and bake per the box's directions. You can use your grandmomther's recipe or make your own...of take the "energy efficient" route and hop over to your neighborhood Fresh Market and grab whichever salad suits your fancy. We chose the Waldorf chicken salad. Dollop the salad onto the baked and slightly cooled spirals, top with fresh chopped chives and dill, and enjoy!



Bon Appetit!

Welcome!

Welcome to Lunches and Munches!  As a young, working girl recently out of grad school, I find myself eating frequent lunches and snacks.  Lunch happens to be my favorite meal of the day and yes, we are indeed creatures of habit so I do frequent certain places, but I also like to try new things.  This is a way to chronicle some of my lunch adventures and favorite munchies (some store bought and some homemade).  Enjoy!

LnM