This post is for my brother Andrew. He left last week for a 4-month public health research trip in Karachi, Pakistan. He has started a fascinating blog about living in Pakistan and working at the Indus Hospital. Anyway, when he isn’t being a public health superhero, it feels like he is sending me emails about why I haven’t blogged in 4 weeks and telling me that I need to blog. So Andrew, here you go and to boot, it would be a great recipe for you to make for your low carb dieting roommate!

The reason why I haven’t blogged in a month is because our lives have been a total whirlwind, an absolutely fantastic whirlwind. In a nutshell, Carlo started a new full time job that he loves, we decided to move back to Austin, I interviewed for a great position in Austin (fingers crossed!), we found the perfect house in Bouldin Creek that is a few minutes walk away from the hike and bike trail, Carlo graduated with his MBA with both of our families in town to cheer him on, and we are in the middle of packing up our house because we move next Wednesday!

Yikes it has been crazy, but it seems as though after fairly crappy year on many fronts, the universe is finally smiling down on us. Two months ago I was convinced that we would be moving to Portland, Oregon this summer and that we would never live in Austin again, but all of a sudden, it felt like we were meant to be back in Austin and that it was most the obvious choice in the world to make. The response from our family and friends about our decision to move back has been overwhelming and further proves that we made the right one. So this will probably be my last post in a couple of weeks as we drive back to Texas and settle into our new house and more importantly, our new life.

Like our recent life when a bunch of different and disparate circumstances came together to create a perfect opportunity, this Carrot and Chickpea Salad takes two main ingredients that I would never pair together and makes something fantastic with the addition of a few spices. The smokiness of the paprika, the heat of the cayenne, and the earthiness of the cumin combine with the texture of the carrots, chickpeas, and almonds to produce a really hearty salad with a complex flavour that will have you returning to the salad bowl for more. This recipe makes enough for 4 people at 64 cents per serving.

Carrot and Chickpea Salad, adapted from Food & Wine, May 2010
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1 lemon
1 garlic clove, minced
2 packed cups cilantro leaves and stems
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 15-ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 pound carrots, peeled and coarsely shredded

Start by toasting the almonds in a dry frying pan over a medium heat. Toast them for around 5 minutes until they start to turn golden brown.

In a small food processor, squeeze in the juice of 1 lemon and then add the garlic, cilantro, cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, olive oil, and half of the toasted almonds. Whiz everything up into a nice paste.

In a large bowl, place the grated carrots, rinsed chickpeas, and the remaining toasted almonds. Add the dressing and mix everything together. Finish off the salad by seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.

Baby octopus is one of those dividing foods: you either love them or you hate them. I fall into the lover camp as does Carlo. There is something strangely satisfying about popping an entire little baby octopus into your mouth. I first learned to enjoy them at the incredible restaurant Uchi in Austin, where they serve Tako Pops which are grilled marinated baby octopuses on a stick so they look like some kind of deranged lollipop.

We have never made baby octopus at home before, but since we have had positive experiences cooking squid at home, we decided to try cooking some octopus. You can find frozen packs of baby octopus at most Asian stores and they are really cheap: I paid $3.50 for a pound pack of frozen octopus at my local ethnic food store.

I like my baby octopus quickly grilled or sauteed so they get a nice crunchy char on them, especially on the tentacles. This recipe is a classic Spanish seafood treatment and can be used on baby squid too if you are a bit too freaked out to cook baby octopus at home. This recipe makes enough for 4 people as a starter at $1.06 per serving.

Baby Octopus with Garlic and Parsley, adapted from Jose Andres’ Tapas: A Taste of Spain in America
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 pound baby octopus, defrosted if frozen
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tablespoons finely chopped flat leaf parsley
salt to taste

In a griddle, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil over a medium heat. Place the baby octopuses in the pan and sear them, without moving them for 3 minutes, then turn them over and cook for another couple of minutes until they are a bit crispy and charred. If a lot of water starts coming out of the octopuses, just remove them and pour out the water and restart the process until the octopuses are cooked. Remove the octopuses from the pan and place them on a large serving dish.

Add the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil and the garlic to a small frying pan and saute for 20 seconds. Remove the garlic from the heat and squeeze the lemon juice over it and stir together. Add the parsley to the mixture, then pour it over the octopus and add salt to taste. Serve the dish immediately.

Artichokes are one of those vegetables that have always frightened me a bit. They look so beautiful, but what the hell do you do with them? For years, I would only eat artichokes in restaurants, awkwardly sucking out the tasty flesh of the leaves, but last year at a farmers’ market in Oceanside, California, I fell in love with the cutest little baby artichokes that I had to buy. We brought that back to Vegas in a cooler bag and learned how to trim them so we could saute them up for a pizza topping. They were delicious and surprisingly easier to trim than we both thought. Artichokes are currently in season and this Mario Batali pasta recipe highlights their delicious taste with a little bit of pancetta thrown in there to add some extra flavour. This recipe makes enough for 6 at $1.17 per serving.

Spaghetti with Artichokes and Pancetta, from Mario Batali in Food & Wine, April 2010
1 lemon, halved
8 baby artichokes or 2 large artichokes (about 1 pound)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 ounces pancetta, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1/2 cup dry white wine
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 pound spaghetti
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving

Fill a large bowl with cold water. Squeeze in the juice from the lemon halves, then add the lemon halves to the water. Working with 1 artichoke at a time, peel off the dark green outer leaves. Cut off the top fourth of the artichoke; peel and trim the stem. Slice the artichoke lengthwise into 1/8 inch thick slices and drop them into the lemon water. Repeat with the remaining artichokes. If you need help figuring out how to trim artichokes, check out this great tutorial.

In a saucepan, heat the oil. Add the onion, garlic, and pancetta and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until softened, about 10 minutes. Drain the artichokes; discard the lemon. Add the artichokes to the saucepan, cover and cook over moderately low heat, stirring, until almost tender, about 10 minutes. Add the white wine, cover and simmer over moderately low heat until tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the spaghetti until al dente. Drain the pasta, reserving 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking water. Add the pasta and the reserved cooking water to the artichokes and toss over moderate heat for 1 minute. Remove the pasta from the heat, stir in the Parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper. Serve the pasta with grated cheese to top.

Now that the weather is warming up in Vegas, I’m starting to crave crunchy and cool salads for lunch. As much as I enjoy salads, it is sometimes pretty easy to get in a salad rut, especially since most nights we have a green salad as part of our dinner. While this Chopped Greek Salad might not be the most innovative salad out there, it sure looks pretty and colourful, which makes filling up on all your veggies an easy and enjoyable task. This recipe makes enough for 2 large salads at $2.41 per serving.

Chopped Greek Salad, adapted from Health Magazine, April 2010
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 small garlic clove minced
salt and black pepper
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 cups lettuce, preferably Romaine
1 cup canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 small red or yellow bell pepper, diced
1 cup tomatoes, diced
1 cup chopped cucumber
1/2 small red onion, chopped
1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped

Whisk together the lemon juice, garlic, and honey in a small bowl. Season the dressing with salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper, and then slowly whisk in the olive oil until well combined.

Place half of lettuce on each plate, and arrange the chickpeas, bell pepper, tomatoes, cucumber, onion, olives, and feta on top in sections. Sprinkle the mint leaves over the salad and then drizzle the dressing over everything.

Often when you order spaghetti and meatballs in a restaurant, you get a ginormous meatball–hard as a hockey puck–in a generic red marinara sauce, which is why I never thought I really liked spaghetti and meatballs. I thought meatballs were just a poor substitute for a rich bolognese sauce, which is how I preferred my meat to top my spaghetti.

This recipe by Campanile’s Mark Peel helped change my view on meatballs: By using a mixture of three different kinds of meats, he manages to create the most tender and light meatballs I’ve tasted. The sauce isn’t your average bland marinara either. The flavour of the olive oil and the freshness of the basil make for a bright and tangy tomato sauce that tastes like it has been made from fresh tomatoes. This recipe does take a while to make, but is a perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon, especially if you have a good glass of wine in your hand. The meatballs and sauce freeze really well for up to 1 month too if you needed an added incentive. This recipe makes enough spaghetti and meatballs for 8 very generous dinners at $2.56 per serving.

Spaghetti and Meatballs, from Mark Peel’s New Classic Family Dinners
For the Sauce:
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 large garlic cloves, halved and thinly sliced
3 28-ounce cans diced tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted
about 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
about 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 large fresh basil sprigs, plus 1/2 cup leaves

For the Meatballs:
about 1/4 cup olive oil, divided
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 ounces mushrooms, chopped
2 teaspoons cracked fennel seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
About 2/3 cup cold dry white wine, divided
4 ounces crusty bread, crusts removed, cut into 1-inch cubes
3 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley
3/4 pound cold ground pork
3/4 pound cold ground turkey, dark meat
3/4 pound cold ground beef
2 tablespoons flour

1 1/2 pounds spaghetti
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

To make the sauce, get a 5- to 6-quart pan and cook the oil and garlic over medium-low heat until the garlic softens, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Cover the sauce and bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat and simmer it, stirring often, until thick, 45 minutes to 1 hour. If needed, crush the tomatoes with a spoon to break them up. Stir in the basil sprigs and then turn off the heat.

While the sauce is cooking, make the meatballs by heating 1 tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute longer. Add the mushrooms, fennel, salt, and pepper. Cook everything until the mushrooms are tender, 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in 1/4 cup wine and the bread crumbs until the liquid is absorbed.

Transfer this mixture to a food processor and pulse to finely chop. Scrape everything into a bowl and let it cool. When it has cooled down, add the parsley, meats, and 1/3 cup wine and mix everything together until well blended, 1 to 2 minutes.

Using wet hands, shape the meat into 1 1/2-inch balls. Be sure to use both hands and firmly press the meatballs into shape so they won’t fall apart later. Heat 2 large frying pans over medium heat with 1 tablespoon of oil in each. Brown about a third of the meatballs in each pan, turning once and adding more oil if needed, 6 to 8 minutes per batch. With a slotted spatula, transfer the meatballs to a platter. Repeat with the remaining meatballs and oil.

Scrape all the meat drippings from the pans into 1 pan. Whisk in the flour, then cook it over medium heat until bubbling, 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in 2 cups of sauce to loosen up the browned bits then scrape everything into the pan with the rest of the sauce and stir.

Return the sauce to a simmer. Gently stir in the meatballs; simmer, covered, until the flavors are blended, about 20 minutes. Discard the basil sprigs, and cut the remaining basil leaves into fine slivers and stir into the sauce. Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti according to the packet directions. Drain the pasta and serve by topping with meatballs and tomato sauce with lots of freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Tonight is the season premiere of Top Chef Masters 2. Carlo and I thoroughly enjoyed the first season of the show, especially watching the chefs, who had previously been judges on the regular Top Chef, realize that those quick fires weren’t so easy and perhaps they were a little too critical of the contestants.

I was definitely Team Rick Bayless last season, who proved to be one of the smartest and most thoughtful chefs that I’ve had the privilege to watch on TV. Perhaps the art history dork in me loves that he was an anthropology PhD student studying in Mexico City who realized that he was more interested in the street food, and then used his academic background to delve into the history and culture of regional Mexican cuisine. While I long to visit Chicago and eat at all of Rick Bayless’ restaurants, I’ll settle on snacking on some of this incredible Crunchy Tomatillo-Avocado Salsa with tortilla chips while watching tonight’s Top Chef Masters. This recipe makes 2 1/2 cups of salsa which can feed 4 people as a snack at 53 cents per serving.

Crunchy Tomatillo-Avocado Salsa, from Rick Bayless
8 ounces (about 4 medium) tomatillos, husked and rinsed
1/2 cup loosely packed coarsely chopped cilantro
1 small jalape?±o, stemmed and roughly chopped
1 ripe avocado, pitted, and flesh scooped from the skin
1 small onion, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
salt

Roughly chop half of the tomatillos, and put them into a food processor with the cilantro and jalape?±o. Measure in 1/4 cup water and whiz everything to a slushy, coarse puree. Roughly chop half the avocado, add it to the processor and pulse until it is incorporated into the salsa.

Place the salsa into a serving dish and add the finely chopped onions. Finally chop the remaining tomatillos and avocado and stir them into the salsa. Taste and season with salt as needed.

There are some days when you just crave a creamy pasta dish. Ever since I discovered alfredo sauce when I first moved to America in 1989, I’ve had a bit of a weakness for creamy sauces, even if I first got hooked on sauces that came out of the jar or a packet. In fact, the thought of how many packets of Knorr Parma Rosa sauce I ate during college kind of frightens me, which is why I’ve only gotten my creamy pasta fix these past few years when I ate out at good restaurants (Enoteca Vespaio in Austin has a divine carbonara pasta if you are ever in Texas).

This past year I’ve discovered just how easy it is to make delicious creamy sauces at home, like these recipes: Orrechiette Carbonara, Zucchini Carbonara, and Pappardelle with Tomato and Pancetta. Not only do homemade sauces have no nasty processed stuff in them, they are also much healthier for you since you can control how much cheese, cream, or butter goes into the recipe. In fact, homemade carbonara tastes pretty light and incredible, unlike the goopy and heavy versions that you see at most chain restaurants or find in a jar. This recipe for Pasta with Creamed Leek and Spinach is the perfect way to indulge your creamy pasta fix this spring. The sauteed leeks lend a silky freshness to the dish, and adding some pasta cooking water to the sauce makes the creamy taste go even further without adding a ton more calories. This recipe makes enough for 4 dinners at $1.77 per serving.

Pasta with Creamed Leeks and Spinach, adapted from Food & Wine, January 2010
3/4 pound pasta, preferably fusilli or any other curly shaped pasta
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 large leeks, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
1 cup heavy cream
6 cups packed baby spinach (6 ounces), coarsely chopped
1/2 cup lightly packed basil leaves, finely chopped
salt and freshly ground pepper
grated Parmesan cheese to top

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until it is al dente. Reserve some of the cooking water for the sauce, and then drain the pasta.

Meanwhile, in a large, deep skillet, heat the olive oil up over moderate heat. Add the leeks and cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the cream and let the sauce simmer over a moderate heat until it slightly thickens, about 5 minutes. Lastly add the spinach to the sauce and cook everything until it wilts, about 2 minutes.

Add the cooked pasta to the skillet and toss over a moderately low heat until the noodles are coated with the leek sauce, about 1 minute. Add some of the pasta cooking water to the skillet to thin the sauce as needed. Remove from the heat, add the chopped basil and toss. Season the pasta with salt and pepper, and serve with some freshly grated Parmesan cheese to top.

One of my favourite comfort foods is cheese on toast. No matter how crappy the bread or cheese that you use, the end result of lots of gooey cheese on a crunchy piece of toast always hits the spot. This recipe for Brussels Sprouts and Smoky Onions on Cheddar Toast is an adult version of this comforting classic that ups the perfect combination of cheese and bread by adding some sauteed brussels sprouts and onions spiked with smoky paprika. This recipe makes enough for 4 lunches at 93 cents per serving.

Brussels Sprouts and Smoky Onions on Cheddar Toast, from Food and Wine, January 2010
1 pound brussels sprouts, thinly sliced lengthwise
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, finely diced
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
4 slices of good bread, toasted
4 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, thinly sliced

Preheat the oven to 350¬?. In a saucepan of boiling salted water, cook the brussels sprouts until they are just tender, about 5 minutes, then drain and pat them dry.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onion, season with salt and pepper and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until just softened, about 5 minutes. Add the paprika, cover and cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until the onion is tender, about 10 minutes. If the onion starts to dry out, add a little bit of water to the pan. Add the brussels sprouts to the skillet and cook until they are tender throughout, about 5 minutes. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper to taste.

Arrange the toasts on a baking sheet and top with the slices of  cheddar. Bake them for 2 minutes, or until the cheese is melted to your liking. Serve the dish by mounding the brussels sprouts and onions on top of the cheesy toast.

I made up this recipe for Moroccan Couscous Soup after seeing a couple of different recipes that used couscous as the base for a soup flavoured with harissa. Basically I emptied the fridge and pantry of all the things that needed to be used up and tossed them in the soup. You can follow this recipe, or use it as a loose guide for your own fridge cleaning soup. Just add more stock or water depending on how thick you want your soup, or if the couscous really swells up during the cooking process.

I’ve decided that I like couscous much better in soup than pasta because it holds its shape a lot better, especially when the soup is reheated, and adding couscous makes the soup making process a lot faster too. The harissa (my new favourite condiment again since we just got a new jar) adds a nice spicy zing to the soup, so you can add as little or as much as you want. This recipe makes enough for 6 bowls of soup at 97 cents per serving.

Moroccan Couscous Soup
glug of olive oil
2 medium zucchini, halved and sliced into 1/2 inch slices
4 green onions, thinly sliced including the green tops
4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
2 14-ounce cans diced tomatoes with juice
1 14-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
small jar of marinated artichoke hearts
1 cup couscous
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon harissa, plus more to taste
salt and pepper

Heat up the olive oil in a large pot and saute the zucchini and green onions over a medium heat. When they have softened, add the stock and the remaining ingredients minus the parsley, salt, and pepper. Bring the soup up to a quick boil and then reduce the heat and let everything simmer uncovered for 7 to 10 minutes, or until the couscous is fully cooked. If the soup is too thick, add some extra water or stock until you get the desired consistency. Taste the soup and add more harissa if needed, then season with salt and pepper. Throw in the chopped parsley at the last minute and serve.

If you have leftovers, you might need to add some extra water when you reheat it because the couscous absorbs a lot of the soup liquid when it is in the fridge.