NEW RECIPE: Blistered Tomato Caprese

© Constantine William Spyrou

I love having the opportunity to cook with friends because it makes fun times, adventures, and tales to tell. Not to mention great food! 

Just yesterday, three of my friends and I had the first of our planned monthly cooking nights. We had plans to make sponge cake, grilled chicken, ravioli, etc. However, our plans were thrown a curveball when the power in our neighborhood went out. However, we were able to pull off variations of those dishes utilizing a firepit, some bricks, and a lot of flashlights. 

This dish was the appetizer to our adventurous meal. It's a unique spin on one of my favorite salads: Salad Caprese. Normally just fresh basil, ripe tomatoes, and fresh mozzarella, this one utilized oven-dried tomatoes instead to add some savory and extra sweet notes. Combined with the flavors of a true Modena balsamic imported from Italy, this appetizer was an amazing treat! 

Recipe serves 4 people.

Ingredients:

3 Roma tomatoes, sliced into 1/2-inch thick rounds
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to season
12 fresh basil leaves
12 ounces fresh mozzarella (We used small ciliegni balls for ours, but slices work as well!) 
Balsamic vinegar to garnish

Cooking/Assembling:


1. Layer the tomatoes on a baking tray and preheat the oven to 150 degrees F.

2. Drizzle the tomatoes with olive oil, then season well on both sides.

3. Bake in the oven for 4 hours. Let cool, then plate.

4. Plating can be done however you like. Here is how we did it: The tomato rounds went on the bottom. The basil leaves then rested on top of the tomato, with the mozzarella resting inside of the basil leaves.

5. Drizzle the plate with balsamic vinegar, then serve! 

This dish is super simple, but very elegant and complex. It really is the simplicity that makes it so great, because each element gets a chance to shine through in each bite - the fresh creamy mozzarella, the sweet yet savory tomato, the bite of the balsamic, and the fresh aromatic notes of the basil all combine to make a great mouthful to cherish!

I hope you enjoyed this recipe! Let me know what you think and what you would change. If you make it at home, let me know how it turns out! Enjoy! =) 

NEW RECIPE: Spiced Caramel Popcorn

© Constantine William Spyrou

It's a shame to wrap up this summer, because for me, it was one of the best summers of my life. I discovered a lot about this new field that I've begun studying - food science - and a branch within it known as culinology. I've worked with a great group of people who taught me a lot in this field, and I hope I can carry what they've taught me through the rest of my career in this industry. 

On one of my final days of my internship, I gave a presentation to my department and the company executives on my time spent there. As part of it, I made this snack to demonstrate my cooking ability as well as make something tasty. Thanks to some critique from one of the chefs, this recipe is a more updated version and works a lot better at bringing the levels of spice and flavor through the caramel. 

Recipe serves up to 12 people.

Ingredients:

1 stick butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 recently used vanilla bean (split open with most of the seeds removed)
1 thai chili, thinly sliced
1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons nutmeg
1 teaspoon cardamom
1 pod of star anise
1 bag popped popcorn

Cooking/Assembling:

1. Place the vanilla bean, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, star anise, and chili into the sugar. Mix, and let infuse for at least 12 hours.
2. Place the sugar into a large pot on medium heat. Let the sugar brown and DO NOT MIX it.
3. When about half of the radius of the sugar circle at the bottom of the pot is completely liquid, add the butter in small quantities. Stir to combine until the butter is all melted and the caramel is fully formed.
4. Add in the popped popcorn and stir well to combine. Pour onto a sheet tray, then leave to cool. Serve when cooled!

This popcorn has an interesting twist because of the heat and spice combination that gets balanced out by the sweetness and darkness of the rich caramel. Together with the popcorn, it forms a brittle that is crunchy, sweet, spicy, and tasty!

I hope you enjoyed this recipe! Let me know what you think and what you would change. If you make this at home, let me know how it turns out! Enjoy! =) 

NEW RECIPE: Chili-Ouzo Grilled Pork Tenderloin (Pork Four Ways, Part 4)

© Constantine William Spyrou

I'm very excited for this weekend because I get some extra time with my family and my older sister is home! To celebrate, we are having a barbecue this Monday, and I'm making the menu. Since I have four pork tenderloin pieces to work with, I wanted to do something unique with each that I think the whole family will enjoy! =)

This recipe is based off of my love of heat and ouzo. Its a common combination in dishes that Ive put on the blog before (like the Turkey Ouzo-Poblano Meatballs). In this case, I utilized chili flake with the ouzo and tied them together with the smokiness of Hungarian paprika. This marinade is extremely simple, but very delicious! This was one of the most loved pieces of meat at my family's Labor Day barbeque.

Recipe serves 4. 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup ouzo
1/2 tablespoon dried chili flake
1 pound pork tenderloin, sliced and pounded into 1/4-inch thick rounds
1/2 tablespoon Hungarian paprika
Salt and pepper to season

Cooking/Assembling:

1. Combine all of the ingredients together and let the pork marinate for at least an hour.
2. Grill on high heat for about a minute on each side, then let rest and serve! 

Wow... that had to be the shortest recipe I've ever written. Each of these four pork recipes was meant to be simple, easy, but extremely effective. The pork becomes really tender thanks to the breakdown of its tissue by the alcohol, allowing the flavors to really permeate through and make it delicious, despite having to do little to no work to make this dish! 

I hope you enjoyed this recipe! Let me know what you think and what you would change. If you make it at home, let me know how it turns out! Enjoy! =) 

NEW RECIPE: Marinara-Salsa Stewed Pork Tenderloin (Pork Four Ways, Part 3)

© Constantine William Spyrou

I'm very excited for this weekend because I get some extra time with my family and my older sister is home! To celebrate, we are having a barbecue this Monday, and I'm making the menu. Since I have four pork tenderloin pieces to work with, I wanted to do something unique with each that I think the whole family will enjoy! =)

This pork tenderloin piece got cut into pieces, lightly floured, and then simmered for a bit in a sauce consisting of marinara and salsa. It's really simple, but its also customizable and fun because you can play around and pick your favorite marinara sauce and salsa to put into it! It makes the pork incredibly rich and tender, and deepens the flavor to a whole new level! 

Recipe serves 4 people.

Ingredients:

3/4 pound pork tenderloin, cut into 1/2 inch-thick rounds
1 1/2 cups marinara sauce
2 tablespoons salsa 
1 cup flour
Salt and pepper to season

Cooking/Assembling:

1. Season each of the pork pieces and lightly cover with your flour. 
2. Sear on each side in a pan on medium high heat for a minute, then add into a pot with the marinara and salsa mixed in. 
3. Turn the pot onto a low heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes after all of the pork is added in. 

This pork dish is so quick to make, but again, it really has a deep flavor that comes from the stewing of the pork meat. It's not too spicy because there's not much salsa, but the kick really livens up the dish and brings the pork and marinara together.

I hope you enjoyed this recipe! Let me know what you think and what you would change. If you make it at home, let me know how it turns out! Enjoy! =)