recipephile

Weekend with Cathy

Last weekend my friend Cathy came over and we spent the whole day shopping for food (and shoes for Cathy) in preparation for a small dinner party we were having on Saturday night. I really wanted Cathy to see the "meat room" in Western Beef (1) and also Chelsea Market (2) so we headed downtown to get our shopping done.

If you've ever been to Western Beef you know how amazing the "meat room" actually is. Jam packed with just about anything you can think of, this room rivals jsut about any butcher shop and the prices are incredible. While we were shopping we came across 16 beautiful lamb chops just waiting to be grilled.

The lamb set us on a course. Cathy reached back into her Greek Heritage and devised a simple Meditteranean menu consisting of Grilled Lamb Chops, Tzatziki (3), Chopped Salad and Pita. The meal was delicious and the company was wonderful too.

Enjoy making these recipes and log on to www.recipephile.org to post your thoughts.

Have a great week!

Michael

Mom and Dad

My parents are the best. If it were not for my mom and dad food would not be such an integral part of my life. When my sister, brother and I were growing up, vacations and holidays were often planned around restaurants, food destinations and large parties with our relatives and friends. Several years ago, in celebration of my mother's 60th birthday, we spent 10 days traveling around Italy, eating amazing food at every stop. Rome was one of our favorite places - we loved the churches, the museums and of course, the food.

During our visit to Rome, my brother and I strolled into L'Enoteca Antica di Via della Croce (1) and had one of the best meals ever. The intimate wine bar also serves antipasti and boasts some of the most interesting combination of flavors in its tasty dishes. One of the tapas-style antipasto that we loved -- and make all of the time -- was Veal with Proscuitto and Sage. So when my business partner Kate and I were visiting my parents in Florida last week, we threw a party for a group of friends and served this tasty veal dish. Since all of our guests were not fond of veal, we made it with chicken as well.

We invited two good friends, Donna and Dave and two new friends Sheila and Jay. We met Sheila and Jay at Donna and Dave's about a month ago. Donna had made a shrimp dip for us that no one ate during the party. After tasting this delicious appetizer we all wondered why. In its finest 70's style, the dip was placed into a mold and served on a plate with crackers. A group of us talked for a while about ways to make this tasty dip look better and attract hungry guests. The conversation prompted my mother and I to experiment with the dish and its presentation. So we made the appetizer and dressed it up with radish garnish and Belgian Endive -- GONE. Thank Donna for sharing your secret shrimp dip recipe with us.

Both of these tasty recipes are included below and I hope you enjoy eating them as much as we enjoyed making them.