Love Del Rosario

Love is in the air during Valentine’s month. The couple that graced the lovers' seats in The Artist Chef intimate dinner were newly weds Love Del Rosario and her husband. Nicole Ardeña, boyfriend of Love's sister, arranged everything for the couple as her post-wedding gift.

The Gerbera flowers that Reggie gave me became the couple's centerpiece.

Boy Alnajes

A lot couples still try to find unique ways to celebrate Valentine's Day. Sweet guy Boy Alnajes and the lovely Jakki Blanco are among those people. Another addition to the roster of couples who have experienced the special Valentine's dinner at The Artist Chef's table.

I'm wearing my Sicily apron for the first time. From my dear friend Pedi who is now based in Europe. Shuffling from one country to another.

Baked Kibbeh - الكبة بالصينية

Serves 4
1 pound/lb or about 500g of minced lean meat
2 cups of fine bulgur wheat
1 onion chopped/diced
1 teaspoon of allspice or 7 spices
Salt & pepper (about half a teaspoon of each)
1/3 cup of vegetable oil

For the filling:
2 cups of minced meat
1/3 cup pine nuts
1 cup of chopped onions
Olive oil

Prepare the filling and let it cool while layering the kibbeh, so in a pan, add some olive oil, onions and pine nuts, after 1 minute add the minced meat and the spices, salt and pepper and mix. when the meat is cooked, set the cooked filling aside.

Preparing the kibbeh:
Wash the bulgur and drain, mix with the lean meat, onions, spices, salt & pepper and place in the food processor on low until the ingredients get mixed up together then place in a bowl and divide into 2 equal portions. Damp your hands in cold water (keep a small container next to you while layering the kibbeh, cause wet hands help even layering the kibbeh in the tray). When you finish the first layer add the filling, distribute evenly, then add the second layer of kibbeh, even the layer with your wet hand. Add 1/3 cup of vegetable oil on the top, and bake in a 375 degrees F oven until it's golden and the meat is cooked. Before serving you can get rid of the excess of oil. Kibbeh needs to have enough oil to cook and brown otherwise the surface burns quickly. Serve with plain yogurt or a salad (or both :D like I do).

Frasca

April 23

I turned 41 years old yesterday. Still in Denver for Passover, I convinced my family that dinner at Frasca Food & Wine in Boulder was in order.
Frasca is perhaps the hottest restaurant that Colorado, outside of Aspen, has ever seen. The chef, Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson, is one of the hottest chefs in the country and you reportedly need to make reservations two months in advance if you want to eat there on weekends.
Even on a Tuesday, three weeks out, I was given the option of 5:45 or 8:45 for a party of 8 (mom, dad, brother, sister-in-law, sister, niece Tahirah and nephew Harrison — and me).
My family is not impressed by a restaurant’s hotness, but 5:45 is actually a good time for them, because Tuesday is a school night, after all, and Tahirah, 12, and Harrison, 8, need their rest (Alia, who will be 2 in July, stayed at home with a sitter).
The dinner was a huge success for me because I introduced sister-in-law Helen to Moscato d'Asti for dessert, which she loved, and gave my mother her first taste of amaro as a digestive, which she also loved. And what greater joy is there than introducing people to something they like?

What I ate and drank:

Salumi of prosciutto di San Daniele, speck (from Alto Adige) and Fra'Mani Salame Toscano (from California).
Asparago bianco fritta (tempura-fried white asparagus)
Frico caldo (a sort of potato-and-cheese pancake)
Hawaiian big eye tuna crudo with pickled ramps, English peas and lavash
Tamarack Farm veal-stuffed mlinci (Frasca draws its inspiration from Friuli-Venezia-Giulia, on the border with Austria and Slovenia, and so they use terms from those countries, too) with olive oil-poached fennel, oregano and watercress
Snake River Farm Berkshire pork belly with warm farro salad and apple
Tasting of house-made chocolates

Corte Sant’Alda Valpolicella “Ca Fliu,” Veneto, Italy 2005, which my parents found a bit light, so we got a super-Tuscan of Cabernet, Merlot and Syrah: Tenuta Argentiera “Poggio Al Ginepri,” Tuscany, Italy 2006
Then I had Meletti Amaro

Kebabs & Watermelon

One of my favorite concoctions is my famous Chicken Kebab. I love all the strong flavors of the spices I mixed together for the marination. It goes well with grilled tomatoes and yoghurt garlic sauce. Yum, yum, yum! This dish really makes me to eat mountains of rice. Whether eaten with Thai Jasmine rice or Basmati rice, it makes my meal a carbo-overload. I know you guys can't wait to find out how this dish is done.

Chicken Kebabs

You will need diced chicken breast fillet, paprika, curry powder, salt, pepper, turmeric and yoghurt. Mix all the spices, yoghurt and the diced chicken. Marinate for at least 3-5 hours . For extreme flavor, marinate the chicken overnight. Then the next day, ready your barbecue sticks and place four diced chicken on each stick. Heat the grilling pan to medium temperature and grill chicken and tomatoes until tender. Everything is ready. Serve hot with your basmati rice with butter plus the yoghurt and garlic sauce.

Look at these yellow watermelons in my bowl. They look so mouth-watering. I stumbled upon them in a supermarket and brought home a few pieces. Did you guys know that "watermelon" refers to both fruit and plant of a vine-like herb originally from southern Africa? There is a subtle difference between the red and yellow watermelon. When I close my eyes and eat a yellow one, it tastes just like a sweet red water melon. So I therefore conclude that the yellow watermelon is sweeter than the red ones. I've read the same opinions on the internet.

I gained a few pounds after lunch.

There is a sweetness in every bite of the yellow watermelon.