NJ 101.5 Radio host Dennis Malloy wears his Chef hat at Mrs G T.V. & Appliances game day cookout

When Hilary of Hilary Morris Public Relations, LLC  posted that Dennis Malloy, radio host from NJ 101.5 FM was doing a game day cooking show on January 22nd, 1-4pm at Mrs G TV & Appliances in Lawrenceville, NJ, I immediately registered for the event. I was even more excited to learn that I was picked to be VIP Foodie which meant that I would be one of 15 bloggers who got to witness Dennis' cooking from the front row and taste his cooking.

This event was interesting to me for several reasons: First, Dennis is a self-made chef and therefore easy to relate to. Second, he is an entertainer and storyteller. Third, this event showcased 3 family-owned and operated businesses that have differentiated themselves from mainstream businesses through quality, community outreach and customer service: Miele with over 110 years of innovation and history, Pennington Quality Market with over 50 years in business and Mrs Gs with over 75 years in business. As businesswoman myself and owner of a start-up food business, this particularly struck a chord with me. The event was sponsored by Miele and Pennington Quality Market and hosted by Mrs G T.V. & Appliances at their showroom on Route 1 in Lawrenceville, NJ.

With Food Network's John Sowienski as his sous chef, Dennis cooked many game day delights like stromboli, potato volcano, cheese steak roll-ups, and quesadillas (some of his recipes have been covered in this Examiner article). Throughout the demonstration, Dennis interacted with the crowd, sharing tips, anecdotes relating to his Italian and Sicilian heritage, food and travel, highlighting his radio personality. One of his questions for the crowd was "who is your favorite star chef?". The crowd and Dennis' consensus was "Bobby Flay". Given that Dennis frequents Philadelphia, I remarked that Bobby Flay had opened "Bobby's Burger Palace" in Philadelphia which Dennis agreed to check out.

Some tips shared by Dennis (and John) were:

1) Use regular olive oil for cooking not extra virgin olive oil

2) Use sea salt rather than table salt : sea salt retains all the sea mineral and freshly ground sea salt tastes better and is more potent than regular salt
3) Use pesto over chicken cutlet: Dennis grows his own basil for the fresh taste and flavor. He uses the commonly found Genovese basil variety usually.
4) Use parchment paper to store pizza dough or to cover and pound your chicken cutlet. You could use wax paper as well but not in the oven. Parchment paper is cheap and clean-up is easy.


For his cooking, Dennis used Miele appliances:
1) For baking: Miele's master chef line of convection oven with touch pad,  LCD display, context sensitive control panel and chef settings. Miele representatives demonstrated that if you identify the type of food you are cooking and the oven will automatically select the proper operating mode for perfect results every time.
2) For cooking: Miele induction stove top with touch pad controls, safety lock, and memory features. This technology uses a non-contact method of heating using magnetic fields to transfer energy directly to cookware so that the induction element stays cool, while the target object heats up rapidly for extremely efficient cooking so that the stove top can be used as extra counter space as soon as a cookware is removed.

Mike Rothwell of PQM and Debbie Schaeffer of Mrs G take a moment to talk about their family-owned businesses' support for the community

Mike Rothwell, VP and General Manager from Pennington Quality Market and Debbie Schaeffer, President & CEO of Mrs G TV & Appliances shared their philosophy and history as family-owned and operated businesses. Debbie talked about how Mrs G succeeded through generations by not only applying savvy business practices such as being part of a national co-op with $14 billion in purchasing power to offer low prices ton customers and offering exceptional customer service but also partnering with local businesses such as PQM to support their local community and each other. This event was another testament to the community outreach by 3 businesses: Miele, Mrs G, and PQM to bring foodies and Dennis' fans together to share laughter and fun over some good game day food! Audience was treated to food from PQM and some lucky audience members went home with raffle prizes: broadway tickets to Phantom of the Opera and a Miele vaccum.

It was good to see 2 members from my local foodie meetup group, New Jersey Foodies front and center in the VIP Foodie section (Robin Birkel and Bonnie Schultz). I look forward to many more such events that bring together local community members and businesses; and what better way to congregate than over food!

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus topped with HerbNZest Tomato Spread and garlic Bread

Yum...Yum is all I can say for this quick n easy recipe.

Ingredients: for hummus
1 small can of chick peas (cooked)
2 tablespoons of tahini
1 red Pepper
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup water
2 cloves of garlic
1/4 tsp paprika
1 tsp dry chives
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp kosher salt

Ingredients: for garlic bread
2 slices of whole wheat bread
1 clove of garlic
8-10 italian capers
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
black pepper and salt: use shaker to sprinkle on top

Method: for hummus
Baste the red pepper in olive oil and roast in the oven at 450F for 15 minutes until skin starts peeling off. Peel off the skin in cold water. In a food processor, add chick peas, tahini, garlic, water, roasted pepper and blend.Slowly add the olive oil, paprika, salt, and lemon juice and blend again. Serve in a bowl, top with more oil, and chives. Add a dollop of HerbNZest tomato spread on top to finish off.

Method: for garlic bread
Rub the garlic clove over the bread (for more garlic flavor, you can chop up the garlic and add it on top of the bread. Drizzle with live oil, sprinkle salt and pepper, add capers and toast in oven for 1-2 minutes until light brown. Serve over the hummus.

Enjoy!

Crispened Tofu Salad

This recipe is healthy, a good blend of crispy and spongy, and full of color, taste and freshness.....in essence, my mantra for a good meal!

Ingredients for the salad:
1 packmedium firm Tofu: slice into 1/2 inch by 3 inch pieces
Plum Tomato 1 medium (could substitute with tomatoes of your choice) diced
Cucumber 1 small diced
Carrots diced
Lettuce 6-10 leaves chopped
Dry ginger powder 1tsp
Dry onion powder 1tsp
Sesame seeds 1 tsp
Salt pinch
Cayenne pepper 1/4 tsp
Orange zest 1/4 tsp
Vegetable Oil

Ingredients for the dressing:
Mayonese 3 tbsp
Extra virgin olive oil 2 tbsp
Water 2 tbsp
Salt 1/2 tsp
Lemon juice 1 tsp
Black pepper 1/4 tsp


Preparation Method (for salad)
Season tofu using all the spices and oil and bake in oven for 15 minutes at 300 degrees. Then turn up to heat to broil for last 5 minutes to crispen the top. Remove and place on a bed of chopped lettuce and vegetables.

Preparation Method (for dressing)
In a food processor, add all ingredients (other than olive oil) and blend slowly while adding olive oil slowly.

Pour the dressing over the salad slowly and you're ready with this wonderfully delicious heart healthy meal.

Cod with Thyme and Cranberries

This is the first time I have blended a savory taste with cranberries. I have to say, the results were fantastic: mild yet flavorful, tart, savory and herbaceous....just right! The preparation is simple and fast and the colors are wonderful for your holiday table.

Ingredients:

Cod fillets (thawed or fresh): 4 pieces

Fresh Thyme leaves

Fresh Cranberries (as desired)

Olive Oil 2tbsp

Kosher salt to taste

Orange peel

Cooking Method (Prep and cook time: total 8-10 minutes)

Heat oil in a shallow pan on low heat. Salt fish fillets and shallow fry for 2 minutes covered on one side and turn over, add thyme leaves and orange peel (adds the citrus essence) to shallow-fry for another 2 minutes covered. Add the cranberries and cover again for 30 seconds. And you're done! Take out the orange peel (it was simply added for flavoring), serve with thyme and cranberries on top. Enjoy!

Jamón ibérico Tasting (finest flavor of Spain right here in Princeton!)

I had the pleasure of tasting Iberico ham for the first time over this Thanksgiving weekend, courtesy of my guests in town for the weekend, my foodie cousin and her foodie hubby. We indulged in a tasting of Iberico ham (picture courtesy of my brother-in-law), followed by Manchego cheese (also from Spain, courtesy of my hubby Ravi) topped with Peach Spread and Rye crackers topped with Tomato Spread, both of which products I am developing under my condiment line, HerbNZest LLC.

I savoured the way the fat melted in my mouth releasing the nutty, mildly sweet, and exquisite flavors of Jamon Iberico. The first "jamones ibéricos" were released for sale in the United States in December 2007. It is in fact quite rare to find a purveyor that will carry this ham.  Luckily, for us we found it at Bon Appetit specialty stores, right here in Princeton, priced at $96/ pound.

Jamón ibérico, Iberico ham, also called pata negra, is a type of cured ham produced mostly in Spain and is at least 75% black iberico pig. It is the diet of acorn, herbs and grasses,the environment of Spanish counrtyside oak pastures, the genetic make-up and the traditional 2-4 year curing process of the iberico pig that lends to its unique taste. A good source of information about Iberico and the distinction between regular Iberico and Iberico Bellota may be found at http://www.jamon.com/iberico.html.

Try it sometime (sparingly of course) and Enjoy!

Baked Butternut Squash Topped with Gruyere

This was my contribution to the Family Thanksgiving dinner at my cousin's house this year. And even though this is the second squash recipe on my blog, this selection is well deserved for Thanksgiving due to its rich flavors that beckon the holiday spirit.

Ingredients:

2 large butternut squash, diced into cubes

1 5x1 inch slab of gruyere

1 tbsp fennel seeds

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 tsp salt

1 slab butter molten or 1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup cream (heavy or light) depending on preference

1 tbsp chopped chives for garnish

1 tsp lemon juice

Orange zest (optional) for garnish

 1tbsp toasted pine Nuts (optional) for garnish

Cooking Method:

Baste the baking tray with oil or butter. Season the squash with fennel seeds, salt and pepper. Line the squash cubes in rows and pour cream and molten butter in between. Cover tray with aluminium foil and bake in oven at 375 degrees for 40 minutes. Then uncover the foil, top with lemon juice and line with Gruyere shavings and broil on top rack for 10 minutes to crisp the top. Then add toasted pine nuts, chives, orange zest and heat right before serving. Enjoy!

Easy Twist on Tamago Nori Sushi Roll for Eggiterians

I love sushi and given my hubby is eggiterian, I love this twist on Tamago Sushi Roll. Its quick and easy to prepare and aesthetically  pleasing. And its healthy coz I didn't use tempura vegetables but rather fresh veggies and no sugar in my Tamago, just a plain egg omelette. Enjoy!

 

 
Ingredients: for 3 rolls
Sticky rice: 1 cup boiled
Egg beaters 2 tbsp
Baby carrots juliened 1/4 cup
Celery juliened 1/4 cup
Shitake chopped and sauteed lightly in oil
Cucumber juliened 1/4 cup
Sesame seeds, lightly toasted
Nori sheets 3
Vegetable Oil
Salt
Ginger, Wasabi, Soy sauce
 
Method:
In a small pan, heat 1 tsp oil to make an omelette using the egg beater. Lay the nori sheet on top of the rolling mat. Line the mushroom, veggies and egg slices starting at the end of the sheet close to you. Then lay a thin sheet of rice on the nori sheet leaving an inch on the far end. Sprinkle sesame seeds over the rice. Start rolling the mat away from you, careful not to roll it into the nori sheet, pressing the mat down to tighten the roll each time. You can dip your fingers in water, so as to prevent rice from sticking to your fingers. Slice the roll into 3/4 inch slices and plate. Serve with soy sauce, wasabi and ginger.