Mia Cucina Su Cucina

Now that you have read the title of my blog, let me explain. I have a bunch of post started and I have not finished. I am really good at carrying around a bunch of posts that I write in my head and then struggle to get them out on paper. They sound so good in my head & then sound really corny on paper. Any way on that note let me start with onions.
 I was going to write a post on onions because I love the history behind them & I will finish it sometime soon. But for now this is my favorite line that motivated me to do a post.  In ancient Egypt, an onion was placed in the right hand upon taking an oath. Its round shape and layers were a symbol of eternity. Ok, moving right along to carrots.

I have been on a special diet the last 3 weeks. I am not eating carbs, sugar (includes fruit) & dairy. When you are a chef and have to eat this way, it really stretches you to keep your interest in food and still stay true to the diet. On a side note, it will go another 3 weeks, but I am adding in brown rice & red skin potatoes. Now, I need to explain carrots. I found a recipe that fits the diet and tastes so good. It’s colorful, tasty and light. I have been eating it as a main course, but it was label as a appetizer.

Carrot Pillows
(about 12) 
Mix together in a medium bowl
5 carrots (medium) peeled & shredded
1 tsp fresh lemon juice or balsamic vinegar (to taste)
a pinch of salt
a few grinds of pepper

Slice 6 slices of prosciutto in half (vertical) 
12 fresh basil leaves, washed

Take a piece of prosciutto; place a liberal tablespoon of carrots in the middle, place a basil leaf on top. Starting on a side roll them up and insert a toothpick to hold. They look so bright & pretty.

Enjoy!

Now on to Church & State Bistro,

Church and State Bistro 

(213) 405-14341850 Industrial St., Los Angeles, CA  90021 

Friday night, Sweet heart and I went to dinner at Church and State Bistro. It opened in September 2008. In December they hired a new chef, Walter Manzke, from the now defunked Bastide . There are many things on the menu: oysters on the half shell, house-made charcuterie, cheese plates and salads. The menu mostly concentrates on the classics — tartes, onion soup, escargot, steak tartare, pommes frites. 

We went down for dinner and parked in the secure parking lot. We walk over to the restaurant and were seated at table 44, our favorite, right away. We were warmly greeted by one of the owners, Yassmin Sarmadi (the other owner is Steven Arroyo), and the house manager, Josh. To be continued…………

The food is amazing, atmosphere is fun and the whole experience is so worth it. I will finish this post and give you more details about the food in the very near future. They are doing a wine dinner, Thursday (3-19-09) night, which sounds out of this world. Give them a shout & go on down. It is so worth the drive.

Ok, moving right along to pizza.
 I went to Sur La Table the other day and finally got my hands on a Mario Batali cast iron pizza pan. I love it! I washed and oiled it, rolled out the pizza crust & placed it on the pan. I placed on the toppings & popped it in to a 450 degree oven. I baked it for 14 minutes and got the most beautiful pizza. It was a golden brown on top & the bottom was the same way. The pizza came off the pan with zero stick. I have since used it twice and the results have been the same. I am sure the pan could be used to bake free form bread. I love it, but one word of caution, it is extremely heavy as is any cast iron piece. It retail for about $69.95 and is worth every dime. Give the pan a try and let me know what you think.

Whew, I got it all out on paper and now I will go back & make an honest effort to do a post for each topic because, I have a lot more to say & hope you don’t mind reading it.