#FoodForThought: The Adventures of Fanny and Olive (ode to a mango)

<editorsnote> Nerds, meet my buddy Fanny. No really - that is her actual name. She is a massive massive massive foodie, and would like to share with you all the adventures on all of the things she puts in her mouth. Wait, no - not like that ... I mean ... well, you know what I mean. Aw shucks, just hit it already Fanny ... </editorsnote>

#TalkNerdyToMeLover's @fannyslater

other than enjoying the presence of my family and friends, being back home for the holidays means three things: work socks are replaced with fuzzy socks, i'm not the only person making myself dinner, and i have to start peeing with the door closed.
when i flew back east last september--the sole purpose was to be with my best friend for her birthday.  however, back home in raleigh, something happened that would change future visits for years to come.
a few weeks before, we had found out that one of our sixteen and a half year old persian cats had a tumor in his lung.
i say cat.
but what i mean is--little brother.
i felt so blessed to coincidentally be coming home, but i had no idea how important my presence would actually be. not only did i get to spend time with mango, but i was able to help my parents and be there for them at the same time.  it may have been unfortunate circumstances--but we were still together. pets are not pets in my family. they never have been.
they eat at the dinner table with us and are lavished in hourly compliments such as,
"if you were any cuter, i'd have to arrest you!"

needless to say--they're family.
seeing my mom pour every ounce of love she had into taking care of mango reminded me how lucky i am to be a part of this family. sometimes i think that my parents are so full of love that if i squeeze them too hard--some will come out of their ears. how lucky we are--my sister and i, and every furry four legged animal that has ever graced us with their presence--to have always been so taken care of and protected. our cats may not be able to speak english, but i know that they have the exact same sense of appreciation for my parents that my sister and i do.

mango was one of a kind.
although it was extremely painful to know that he would be leaving this world--i felt such a sense of peace knowing that he would be out of pain. if a human is laying in a hospital bed, they can hold your hand and reassure you. they can tell you that they're ready to go, to leave this world and venture on into the next place.
other than roast chicken--mango loved nothing more than curling up in the fruit bowl on our kitchen table.  in his last few years, he had gotten so big for the bowl that he found plenty of other places to nap and spend the day. that porcelain dish may have filled up with avocados and heirloom tomatoes--but we all knew that it belonged to mango.

on his last full day, mango used every bit of strength he had to hop onto the table and squeeze himself into that fruit bowl one last time.  after having just peed on my carpet--his other favorite past time--we realized that he was re-living all of his cherished moments one last time. that was his way of saying,
"i'm ready to go."
 

 

the reason i've rambled on with this tail of a story is not only to pay tribute to the big orange lion who is MIA from this vacation, but because it leads me into one of my new favorite recipes.  roast chicken has always been a staple in our house--mostly because mango requested it at least once a day.  recently my dad has been messing around with his classically delicious chicken recipe of rosemary, garlic, and lemon and venturing out into new flavors like moroccan spices.  a few weeks ago he posted this mouth-watering picture of chicken with lemon and olives:

this was clearly unfair seeing as i was all the way across the country in california.  i decided i had no other choice.  i had to do it myself.  i had to teach olive how to make this for me.  okay, that didn't really happen.  but there was certainly an olive or two in this wonderful dish.

olive, get out of there!

chicken with olives, preserved lemons, and tomatoes:

-pat your chicken dry with a paper towel (i used drumsticks, a thigh, and a bone-in breast piece), dip in flour, shake off excess, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and sear on both sides (a few minutes per side) in a screaming hot pan with oil and butter.
*foodie note: the point of this is to sear in the juices and give you a nice crispy outer crust.*
-take your chicken out and set it aside.  add some more olive oil and butter to the pan, sautee onions, garlic, tomatoes, oregano, tomatoes, and olives (i used kalamata and greek marinated olives from whole foods olive bar).
-squeeze the juice from one lemon, and then add the entire lemon chopped up into the pan (peel and all).  OR if you can find preserved lemons (also on the whole foods olive bar!) chop those up and add them to the pan.
*foodie note: preserved lemons are lemons that are pickled in a brine of water, lemon juice, salt, and spices. they are mildly tart and VERY lemony.*
-deglaze the pan with a few splashes of white wine and add a few cups of chicken broth.
-put your chicken back in, spoon some of the liquid and veggies over it, cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes depending on the thickness of your chicken.
-the liquid will have reduced--season with salt and pepper to taste.
-let the chicken rest, and then cut into the white meat to make sure that there's no pink and that the juices run clear.
-top with fresh oregano and parsley.
-put your cat in the other room.
 

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#FoodForThought: The Adventures of Fanny and Olive (Thriller)

<editorsnote> Nerds, meet my buddy Fanny. No really - that is her actual name. She is a massive massive massive foodie, and would like to share with you all the adventures on all of the things she puts in her mouth. Wait, no - not like that ... I mean ... well, you know what I mean. Aw shucks, just hit it already Fanny ... </editorsnote>

#TalkNerdyToMeLover's Fanny Slater

there is nothing more exciting in the cooking world than stumbling onto something unexpected. sometimes in the regular world, this is not always the case. the unexpected discovery of gum on the bottom of your flip flop is not always a welcome surprise. although i'm a big fan of traditional flavors, sometimes it can be fun to change it up once in a while. i once had this dish at a los angeles restaurant that completely blew my mind. i've lived in california for about 425 days now, so you can imagine how many meals i've consumed on the west coast. this one, however, stood out from all the others. a guy who knew that eating was my passion thought it would be impressive to take me out on a date to a restaurant owned by a food network star. this restaurant is called "street" and the owner and chef is the delightfully quirky TV personality susan feniger. the idea behind street is that every dish is based on street foods that chef feniger has experienced all over the world. it is also served tapas style--which is spanish for small appetizers to share. my date had eaten here once before and he wouldn't stop raving about their signature dish: "kaya toast." before our asses hit the chairs, he had put in an order for one. ten minutes later when this beautiful plate was slid under my nose--i immediately regretting going to a restaurant where i was expected to share.

on the menu, kaya toast is described as toasted bread spread thick with coconut jam; served with a soft fried egg drizzled in dark soy and white pepper." it may sound like the strangest list of ingredients, and it may look like a grilled cheese paired with an egg--but it was one of the most interesting and unique flavor combinations i've ever experienced in my life. what appeared to be a grilled cheese tasted more like crusty white bread with a soft, creamy and sweet spread in the middle. this coconut essence is your sweet factor. using the corner of your toasty bread, you break the egg yolk and drag your sandwich through the dark soy sauce river. as the yolk spills onto the soy, the velvety richness combines with the salty soy sauce. this is your salty factor. when you first see the dish, your brain says, "what in the hell do i do with all of this?" but when you combine all of those flavors together in one single bite, your entire mouth immediately explodes with flavors. sometimes boring or bland dishes can be described as one-note. this is the opposite of one-note. in fact, it's a freakin' orchestra. not only are the flavors complex and interesting as they blend together harmoniously in your mouth, but they are constantly changing and growing in depth as you continue to chew. like i said--i love a simple, traditional dish. but when you're looking for something different, something surprising, something that stimulates every taste bud sensor on your palate--ones that you didn't even know you had--unexpected flavors are the way to go.

as for the date, let's just say the only thing that came home with me was another order of the kaya toast.

speaking of the unexpected, i happen to live with a food critic who surprises me every so often with her taste buds. olive loves the standard cat favorites--chicken, turkey, fish--but every now and then i catch her attempting to chow down on something completely out of the ordinary.

Fanny's cat Olivea few days ago, i set down my plate of roasted vegetables to walk into the other room. i came back in minutes later to find that olive had eaten every parsnip off of my plate. last night, as my eyes were glued the country music awards premiering live on TV, i left my totino's pizza unguarded for about thirty to seconds only to look down and see olive licking tomato sauce and pepperoni off of her paw.

the point is--in the foodie world, sometimes unexpected things can make for the best stories. that being said, don't think i'm going to let you leave today without a recipe that falls into that very category. because i've already rambled on for quite some time, i'll just keep this part short by starting off with one simple word:  bruschetta. bruschetta is traditionally tomatoes, basil, olive oil, and garlic on a crusty piece of toasted bread. i will offer you this piece of advice: next time you make a meal for someone and include brushchetta on your menu--go outside of the box a little bit. bruschetta just means some form of toppings on top of some form of a crostini. the crostini, or toasted baguette, or crispy cracker is simply just a vehicle for your toppings. the toppings are the star. ladies--when you're driving down the street and see a good looking guy in a nice car--how often do you shout, "nice ride! what year?" never, because the car isn't what you're interested in. you instead pull out something much smoother like, "what kind of conditioner do you use?"

...i completely forgot what we were talking about.

oh right, bruschetta. my recipe for you today is an interesting twist on a classic that will absolutely knock your socks off. the bottom for the bruschetta can be any form of crostini. i found a dark honey oat french loaf in the bakery section of a grocery store and thought that the brown color would be a nice contrast to the bright shades on top. after toasting your crostini pieces (sliced into circles and drizzled with a little olive oil or butter), spread on a layer of room temperature goat cheese. then top with fresh sliced strawberries, basil, cracked black pepper, candied walnuts or pecans, and a drizzle of reduced balsamic syrup.

if i had a nickel for every time i've made these and heard someone say to the person next to them, "what the hell is that?"...well, then i probably would be living a bigger apartment. but let's face it--michael jackson's "thriller" didn't become a huge success because anyone had a clue what the hell he was doing at first. like i explained to you in my last post, the whole idea behind easy, impressive, inexpensive, fun cooking is all about a unique blend of fresh ingredients. the strawberries and basil are your sweetness and make the dish bright. the sweet, syrupy flavor from the reduced balsamic and the sugary crunch from the candied nuts pair up perfectly with the goat cheese--your creamy factor. now here comes the most unexpected twist of all: the cracked black pepper...are you ready for this? is actually what brings the dish together as a whole. with sweetness, creaminess, and a lot of fresh bright flavors already present--you need some kind of spice that holds up as a contrast to everything else. it's all about balance!

now throw on some MJ and get cooking.

*foodie note: to make reduced balsamic--boil down half a cup of balsamic vinegar with a tablespoon of honey (or agave) until it's thickened up like a syrup. then pour over EVERYTHING. trust me.*

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