thedailychews.com

by Scott Ingenito

I worked for some amazing clients tonight, actually great friends and neighbors of mine here in Ocean Beach San Diego.

Taylor & Suzanne got engaged tonight! A few months in the planning, Taylor did all the hard-work, yard work, and planning then had me handle the food side. I have to say, I was really excited about the menu, and to be asked to cater such a special moment in both of their lives. Overall I was really satisfied with everything, and seeing their plates were totally clean, I could tell they enjoyed the menu as well. It is one of the crowning moments of my short time living here in San Diego, an honor to be included as a friend but also as a chef. Such an amazing night!

Taylor & Suzanne

Appetizer: Roasted Mediterranean Salad cups

Entree: Balsamic & Lemon Thyme Glazed Chicken Breast w/ Grilled Asparagus bundles, and Orzo Pilaf with roasted pine nuts, italian herbs, parmesan cheese and artichoke hearts, topped with Shaved Asiago

Strawberries 3 ways: Bride & Groom tuxedo dipped, Dark chocolate & nut dipped, and Fanned with Blue agave drizzle

Vegetarian pigs in a blanket, stuffed potato skins, roasted red pepper bruschetta, jalapeno poppers, swedish vegetarian meatballs, caprese skewers, deviled eggs, & a port wine cheese ball with chips with dip….

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by Scott Ingenito

I was wrapping my Christmas presents last night and was missing my family back east, and I also happened to be hungry. Not shocking as I am pretty much always hungry, but this time I wanted, or more so, needed a nice warm comfort dish that would remind me of home. I looked around the kitchen and realized I had all the ingredients for one of my favorites, a dish that is full of love and goodness, Minestrone Soup,and of course I had to make roasted garlic bread to dip in the italian goodness that is minestrone. This meal filled me up, and made my house smell like home. Just like mom and dad did back in New York; There was roasted garlic in the air, and the pot of minestrone just simmering through the crisp Ocean Beach night winds off the ocean. It was nothing short of spectacular.

Minestrone Soup

Ingredients

1 tbsp of  grape seed oil

1 medium onion, diced

4 ribs of celery, washed and diced

2 cups of baby cut carrots, sliced into rounds

1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 head of garlic, roasted & squeezed into a paste

2 tsp of each or more to taste: dried oregano, thyme, rosemary, sea salt, black pepper, red pepper flake

1-2 tbsp of olive oil

2 tbsp of pesto sauce

4 tbsp of tomato paste

5 cups of vegetable broth

2 16 oz cans of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

5 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced

1 lb of quinoa pasta shells, (cooked ahead and set aside with a drop of olive oil)

1/2 cup of basil, chiffonade

Step 1

Heat a large pot over medium-high heat, add oil. toss in your onion, celery, carrot, and garlic. saute until soft.

Step 2

Add in your spices, olive oil, pesto and tomato paste. saute for another 2 minutes.

Step 3

Add in your vegetable stock (can be subbed for chicken stock as well), Add in your beans and tomatoes, mix together and  bring to a low boil. Then lower heat, cover and let simmer 30-60 minutes.

Step 4

Add in your basil, stir. Top with shaved parmesan & Asiago cheese and serve.

Roasted Garlic Bread

Ingredients

3 heads of garlic

1-2 tbsp olive oil, high quality

1/4 cup of butter, room temp

pinch of each: oregano, thyme, rosemary, sea salt, pepper,

1/4 cup of parmesan cheese, grated

2 French whole grain baguette

Step 1

Preheat oven to 400*, slice the bottom of your garlic heads off, place cut side up in a baking dish or pan. drizzle with olive oil, cover with foil and roast for 30-40 minutes, or until golden brown and soft. (then squeeze out all the garlic and form a paste.

Step 2

Mix together your butter, spices and the roasted garlic paste.

Step 3

Slice bread in half, spread on your garlic herb butter, sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese and toast in the oven 8-12 minutes or until you reach desired toasting.

Step 4

Remove from the pan, slice into portions & serve

by Scott Ingenito

 With cooking all day at work, I haven’t been too interested in coming home and spending time in my own kitchen. So I needed something quick, healthy and flavorful for dinner. I came up with a near effortless stir fry.

Ingredients

1 block of organic tempeh

2 tbsp of Soyaki sauce

2 tsp of sesame oil

1 tbsp of Sriracha sauce

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp of powdered ginger

t tbsp of orange zest

Coconut oil, to coat wok

8 oz of haricot vert, or other thin green been, trimmed and cleaned

8 oz of yellow wax beans, trimmed and cleaned

Pinch of each: Sea salt, pepper, fresh chopped basil, toasted sesame seeds, black sesame seeds,

Garnish with fresh chopped green onion

Step 1

Cut your tempeh into 1/2″ cubes. Toss with soyaki sauce, sesame oil, sriracha sauce, garlic cloves, powdered ginger, orange zest. and let marinate for at least 30 minutes.

Step 2

In a medium pot, heat up your water, add some sea salt, and blanch your beans to soften slightly. then set aside. (you can steam them if you prefer as well)

Step 3

Heat up your wok, add coconut oil, remove tempeh from marinade and add to wok. Reserve the marinade for sauce later in the recipe.

Step 4

Add in your beans, sea salt, pepper, fresh basil, toasted sesame oil, black sesame seeds and toss to combine. cook for about 3-5 minutes. Then add over your reserved marinade. Toss to coat, let simmer until sauce thickens. Remove from heat & enjoy!

 by Scott Ingenito

This year’s Thanksgiving approached with mixed feelings.  This is my favorite holiday and although I am excited, I am also a little sad. This will be my first ever holiday away from my family. With the insanity of everyone’s work schedules, private lives and time difference, it’s been tougher than expected to stay in touch with everyone, and when I was cooking today all the memories of Thanksgivings past flashed through my mind. My mom cooking all week, especially a lot the day before and early on Thanksgiving day has always been a family tradition for me. So this year, despite the distance, I went ahead and fired up that tradition, and started some new ones with my girlfriend and our friends here in San Diego. Here is what I came up with, some classics, and some different things to change it up. My friends handled the turkey, and I focused on some sides as well as dessert.

Vegetarian Holiday loaf

2 1-lb. blocks firm tofu

3 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 1/2 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
1 1/2 Tbsp. dry sherry
3 Tbsp. water
1/4 tsp. pepper

Step 1

Freeze the tofu for at least one day then thaw it and squeeze out the excess water. This changes the consistency of the tofu, making it chewier and more porous.

Step 2

Place the two blocks of tofu next to each other in an oiled loaf pan, making sure that they are as close together as possible.

Step 3

Combine the soy sauce, sesame oil, sherry, water, and pepper to create a marinade.

Step 4

Pour 2/3 of this marinade over the tofu, cover the dish, and place it in the refrigerator overnight. Cover the remaining marinade and refrigerate it.

Step 5

Remove the tofu from the refrigerator and pour the remaining marinade over the top.

Step 6

Bake at 350°F for 70-90 minutes, basting every half hour and flipping after 45 minutes. (When flipping the tofu, use caution so that it does not break apart.)

Step 7

Cool the tofu to room temperature or place in the freezer until cool, at which point it will have a firm meaty consistency

Veggie herb Gravy

2 shallots, minced

4 tbsp butter

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

4 cups organic, vegetable broth

2 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped

2 tbsp fresh sage, chopped

2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

Step 1

in a sauce pan over medium heat, add butter, shallots, cook until translucent.

Step 2

add in your flour, stirring constantly, until you form a rue

Step 3

Add in your broth and scrape the pan with your spatula as it deglazes

Step 4

As it simmers and reduces, add in your spices and let thicken. Remove from heat and serve

Mashed Sweet Potatoes

8 sweet potatoes

1-2 cups almond milk

salt, pepper, cinnamon, the enlightened chef’s sweet potato spice, to taste

Step 1

Fill a pot of cold water, peel your potatoes, bring to a boil and simmer until tender. then drain,

Step 2

spoon your potatoes into a ricer and squeeze into a large bowl, add all spices and stir. Then slowly add your almond milk in until the desired consistency is reached. (be sure to drain your potatoes properly as to not add any liquid to the mix. I like to add mine back into the hot-pot after straining to burn off all the excess liquid.)

Step 3

Taste for seasoning, then serve.

Candied Pecans

1 bag pecans,

agave, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg

roast in a dry pan over medium-low heat, then coat with all ingredients, toss until well coated and candied.

Spiked Cider

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

5 black peppercorns

8 whole allspice berries

5 whole cloves

2 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks

6 cups apple cider

1 tablespoon honey

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 (2-inch) orange rind strips

2 (2-inch) lemon rind strips

3/4 cup applejack brandy

Add together all ingredients in a large pot over medium heat, let simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat, strain, and store at room temperature.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

4 bags Brussel sprouts

1 red onion

Olive oil, to coat

garlic powder, salt, pepper, sweet curry, red pepper flake

Toss sprouts with grape seed oil, and all spices. Layout on a sheet pan and roast in the oven at 400* for 40-60 minutes, depending on the size of your sprouts.

Scott’s Sweet & Savory Stuffing

3 tbsp butter substitute

1 1/2 cups celery

2 white onions, large dice

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup golden california raisins

3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 cup fresh fennel, chopped

1 cup sweet corn kernels

1 tbsp thyme

2 tbsp fresh sage

1 1/2 cups broth, 1 egg beaten

4 cups (1 loaf) rich italian bread, dried or toasted

1 cup roasted walnuts

1 lb mushrooms,crimini,bella,shitake, pulled

step 1

in a pan over medium heat, add in butter, onions, celery and fennel. saute until translucent then remove from the pan and set aside.

step 2

toss your mushrooms in the pan, add some salt to sweat out all the moisture, cook until dried and condensed.

Step 3

add ALL ingredients, together in a bowl except your egg and broth. toss to combine.

Step 4

Add in your whisked egg and broth. stir, then press into a buttered loaf pan. Bake at 350* for 40 minutes or until top layer is browned nicely.

Pear Gorgonzola Salad

1 bag of Kale

1 bag of Dried cranberries

1 container of gorgonzola cheese

1/2 cup dried cranberries

2-3 pears, peeled, cored, sliced (soaked in lemon water)

balsamic vin, olive oil.sea salt pepper.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Crust:

1 1/2 cups graham crumbs

5 Tbsp. butter, melted

1 Tbsp. sugar

Combine all ingredients and press into a pie dish. or square dish if you want to make cheesecake bars.

Filling:

1- 8oz.pkgs. cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 egg

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. allspice

Step 1

Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla together.

Step 2

Beat together pumpkin, spices and egg and combine with cream cheese mixture.

Step 3

Pour into crust, and bake at 350* for 40-60 minutes.

Step 4

cool to room temp and place in fridge for at least 12 hours before portioning.

Step 5

Remove, top with candied pecans and vanilla ice cream

Apple Crumbles

4 apples sliced, leave in lemon water to preserve color

1 cups vanilla almond granola

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup almond milk

1  cup raw sugar

1/2 lemon, juiced

1 cup walnuts

cinnamon, nutmeg, agave nectar (for drizzling)

step 1

combine all ingredients except the walnuts and granola.

Step 2

Fill your ramekins with the mixture. Top with walnuts and granola. Drizzle agave nectar.

Step 3

Bake at 350* for 30 minutes.

WELCOME TO THE ENLIGHTENED CHEF’S NEW BLOG

 It was time for change my friends. Since we last chatted I changed many things in my life and I felt that the other blog had run its course, and so The Daily Chews was born. Although it was a brainchild of mine long before I changed careers, It was with the help and motivation of my amazing network that fueled me to craft my new culinary adventure. Just as this site was a collaboration of talented people coming together toward one goal, so is the point of The Daily Chews.

It’s simple; Cook – Eat – Spread the chews! Wether you are cooking it yourself, eating someone else’s food, sitting in your favorite restaurant, or even ordering from your favorite take-out restaurant. Eat, then tell me about it. I want this blog to be a hub of foodies and chef’s alike to come together and search out the best food, the best chefs, and the best restaurants on the planet. Feel free to comment on my posts and if you have a picture, recipe or review email me and I will post it up for all of us to see.

I hope together we can make The Daily Chews.com a huge success and inspiration for people in their kitchens. OK, that’s enough chews from me, Now log off and go cook, then come back and brag about it!

DON’T FORGET TO SIGN UP for email updates on your right before you leave. There is also an RSS feed on the top right of the page.

With your help we made The Enlightened Chef’s Blog a top 50 blog in 2010, Together we can get The Daily Chews top ranked this year!

Thanks for following me on my new blog, I can’t wait to get started.

- Scott