Swing Eats

Onigirazu.  O-ni-gi-ra-zu. It's fun to say, right?  What is it? It's a Japanese rice sandwich. Perfect for any picnic, or as a portable snack.  And even better - it's gluten-free and everyone will love them.  No need for a fancy sushi mold or bamboo mat, just hand-folding this assembly will make a beautiful onigirazu.  However, do use a short grain/sushi/sweet rice variety as it's sticky and will hold it all together.  It can be white, brown, or a mix.  Another trick it to have all your ingredients tailored (cut) and mis-en-place (ready to go, in order).  See the picture in the upper left hand corner. This is so easy, fun, and quick to make.  Let your creativity go wild!  Maybe all veggies with some tofu or tempeh?  Or a tunafish sandwich style?  Or a bagel style with smoked salmon, cream cheese, green onions?  Or more of a traditional American sandwich style?  Go for it. The two "sandwich" varieties I went wit...

*(Sorry about the formatting, as Google Blogger is not cooperating with my format changes.) While working at Fundació Alicia in Spain, one of our last duties as an intern was to make a dish that is typical of where we live — that was an intimidating task considering that two of the staff were elBulli chefs. My Italian roommate and fellow intern, Michela, wanted to do a trial run of her dish, gnocchi, at the apartment. Again, we cooked side-by-side, as I made the gluten-free version of her gnocchi.  These pillows of deliciousness are worth the time and work, as well as the sauce. She taught me that gnocchi is a very basic ratio: 1 kilogram of potatoes to 100 grams of flour to 1 egg with a generous pinch of salt. While working at a restaurant in Bologna, she made 10 kilogram batches of gnocchi on a regular basis. (That is 22 pounds: a lot of gnocchi.) The secret to perfect gnocchi, she confided, was that half the potatoes should be starchy (russets/Idaho) and...

Watermelon seems like the perfect way to cool off on a hot summer day. We I went to Greece, the locals preferred to eat it with feta cheese. They thought the saltiness of the feta brought out the sweet flavor of the watermelon. It does. I decided to take it up a couple of more levels with mint, a drizzle of olive oil, and a sprinkling of sea salt. Try it. You may like it, too. Ingredients: Watermelon Feta Fresh Mint Leaves Olive Oil Salt to taste Directions: Cut the watermelon into large dice cubes, removing inedible seeds. Crumble feta on top. Cut the mint into very thin strips, sprinkle on top. Drizzle a small amount of extra virgin olive oil on top. Follow with a light sprinkling of sea salt on top. Enjoy! A little taste of summer.... -Erin Swing Swing Eats This is part of  Food Network's Summer Soiree . Check out   The FN Dish . The summer produce we're focusing on here is watermelon. On twitter, we're tagging   #SummerSoiree . Here are other delicio...

I have a small old-school Weber grill I haven't used in.... months.  Grilled peaches - something I've always wanted to make and I knew now was the time.  The assortment of peaches at the farmer's markets right now are amazing.  Grilling the peaches caramelize the sugars and make them even more juicy.  There are plenty of recipes of grilled peaches with either ricotta or mascarpone cheese.  To be honest, I never know which one to use.  I know I always have Greek yogurt in my fridge.  I'm sure you do, too.  I added a little bit of honey, vanilla, and a little vanilla to compliment the grilled peach.  (Note: if you don't have a grill, you can pan-sear the peach for caramelization.) Ingredients: 2 peaches, just ripe 1 cup Greek yogurt, plain 2 tablespoons honey of your choice 1/2 teaspoon vanilla (preferably paste) zest of 1 lime (reserve some for garnish) Directions: Preheat grill.  Cut each peach length-wise and remove pit....

I appreciate simplicity in food. I see it as a testament to how good ingredients truly are. I went to the farmer's market the other day and found a perfectly imperfect tiny basket of tiny tomatoes of varying shades of red and yellow. The tiny fresh mozzarella cheese balls happen to be the same size of the tomatoes. I find that ratio is key for a successful insalata caprese and using tiny tomatoes and tiny mozzarella works perfectly. Ingredients: 1 basket of tiny tomatoes 1 container of tiny fresh mozzarella balls 4-6 basil leaves cut into very thin strips (chiffonaded) 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil salt and pepper to taste Directions: Wash and dry the tomatoes. Cut in half. If there are large ones, cut into fourths. Place in a medium/large bowl. Drain the fresh mozzarella balls. Cut those in half and add to the tomatoes. Add in the cut basil and olive oil. Gently toss until somewhat combined. Give a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper. Serve immediately and e...

Right now corn and tomatoes are in prime peak at the farmers markets, and priced well.  I love corn on the cob, but it does a number on my teeth.  I thought why not cut the corn kernels off the cobb and saute them with my favorite corn pasta.  Corn on corn.  Top it off with some summer tomatoes (anything kind(s) that appeal to you) and chives to freshen it up and make it aromatic.  This dish is super light and easy to make.  Some protein toppers to add in to compliment this dish well would be grilled chicken or shrimp, feta cheese, any fresh crumbly cheese.  And for pasta - any kind will work, but I'm partial to my favorite Italian gluten-free corn pasta, Le Veneziane . Corn Pasta with Fresh Summer Corn, Tomatoes, and Chives Ingredients: Olive oil, 2 tablespoons Corn kernels, cut from 3-4 ears of fresh corn Salt and pepper, to taste Tomatoes, about 1/2 pound, cut into medium dice (half or quartered if using cherry tomatoes) Corn Pasta Fettu...