Tune in today for the Mexican Fiesta episode!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Starting November 5, 2009, Capital Cooking with Lauren DeSantis began airing on Colours TV Network. It now airs every Thursday from 2:00-2:30 p.m. Find all of the schedule at: http://www.colourstv.org/site/schedule.php.

CoLours offers multi-cultural and multi-ethnic programming highlighting educational and cultural issues of African, Asian, Latin, and Native Americans. For further information visit their website at www.colourstv.org. Watch Capital Cooking on the Dish Network channels 9396 and 9407. CoLours is currently available on cable from the following carriers: Time Warner, Comcast, Insight, NCTC and Cox .

This week check out our Mexican Fiesta episode. Chef Connie Johnson from Connie’s Authentic Mexican Catering will join me in preparing authentic Mexican cuisine including: guacamole, empanadas, sopaipillas and mango margaritas. This was one of our very first shows.

Watch each episode and learn from the pros how to make delectable food right in your home. Lauren makes recipes fun and easy to prepare for anyone with any level of cooking.

For more information about this episode or the Capital Cooking series, please contact Lauren DeSantis at capitalcooking@gmail.com.

Planning your Thanksgiving Menu

My in-laws are coming and I want to make a memorable meal for Thanksgiving. With everything I've learned from Cooking 101, I'm hoping to bring a delicious meal to the table. I enjoyed a pre-Thanksgiving warm up on Sunday with friends. You can't beat the never ending supply of comfort food during the holidays. I'm thankful for that!

First Course
Creamy Butternut Squash Soup

I usually don't use all of the squash in the soup so I can try some of these other Butternut Squash recipes to use the leftovers.

Cranberry Chutney

Mixed Greens with Cranberries, Apples, Carmelized Walnuts and Fig Balsamic Vinaigrette

Main Course

Turkey with Maple Syrup, Bacon and Sage Butter
Potato Gratin
Sweet Potato Casserole
Green Beans Casserole
Corn Bread Stuffing

Parmesan Herb bread

Desserts

Still deciding...Maybe Chocolate Pecan Tart

Cocktails
Cranberry Sangria
Pumpkin Pie Martini
Bourbon Furnace
Cran-Apple Cobbler

What are you making?

Review: Kellari Taverna

There's a new Greek restaurant in town and I got to check it out yesterday. After my presentation earlier this month about the Mediterranean Diet, I tried to practice what I preached by heading over to Kellari for a Mediterranean inspired meal. Kellari Taverna is based out of New York and specializes in seafood. If you are planning an event, they have a great party room in back.

Chef Gregory Zapantis (*Look for Chef Gregory on an upcoming episode of Capital Cooking) presented us with our first course of delicious appetizers including:

Greek Salad –The authentic Greek salad consisting of red & yellow beefsteak tomato wedges, red onions, green peppers, hot house cucumbers, black Kalamata olives, black pepper and tossed lightly with ex virgin olive oil red wine vinegar and balsamic vinegar. Garnished with imported Dodonis feta cheese.

Grilled Seafood Platter – with Calamari, U10 Gulf Shirmp, and Octopus - Sushi grade from the Mediterranean roasted with red wine and black peppercorn and cool. Served with diced grilled peppers, capers, sliced red onions with extra virgin olive oil and red wine vinegar (one of our signature dishes).

Main:

Wild Striped Sea bass, pan seared served over a Lobster Risotto with Mint and Lemon Zest, garnished with bulls blood and lemon emulsion. The large chunks of lobster melt in your mouth.

Dessert: (*My favorite part of every meal.)

Galactoboureko – vanilla and citrus flavored custard pie

Classic Greek dessert; semolina, vanilla bean and citrus custard, sandwiched with layers of phyllo crust and honey syrup, garnished with fresh seasonal fruit, choc sauce and powdered sugar.

Almond Baklava–

Almonds are chopped and mixed with granulated sugar then wrapped in phyllo pastry, baked, then soaked with honey and rosewater syrup, only enough for phyllo to remain crispy.

I'd recommend Kellari Taverna for a business lunch or corporate event.

(202) 535-5274

Downtown
1700 K Street NW
Washington, DC 20006
www.kellaridc.com

Tune in to Capital Cooking today on Colours TV: Taste of Morocco

Starting November 5, 2009, Capital Cooking with Lauren DeSantis began airing on Colours TV Network. It now airs every Thursday from 2:00-2:30 p.m. Find all of the schedule at: http://www.colourstv.org/site/schedule.php.

CoLours offers multi-cultural and multi-ethnic programming highlighting educational and cultural issues of African, Asian, Latin, and Native Americans. For further information visit their website at www.colourstv.org. Watch Capital Cooking on the Dish Network channels 9396 and 9407. CoLours is currently available on cable from the following carriers: Time Warner, Comcast, Insight, NCTC and Cox .

This week Lauren will start off with the famous, Chicken Tagine, a chicken entrée based on a Moroccan spicy stew that simmers in a special pot called the tagine. The stew will consist of tomatoes, garlic, onion, preserved lemons, and chicken stock that makes this Moroccan dish authentic. As a complement for the Chicken Tagine, DeSantis will make cous cous with chicken broth and some of the juices of the tagine.

As the chicken dish simmers, Lauren will teach how to bake the famous Moroccan Serpent Cake. This famous Moroccan dessert is a crescent-shaped pastry coiled like a snake and made of an almond paste finely rolled up in filo dough. Lauren will also show how to make Amlou, a typical Moroccan breakfast dish that consist of a roasted almond paste spread over pita bread. DeSantis will bring it all together by serving these dishes with the Casablanca Cocktail, a distinctive Moroccan drink.

Within the upcoming weeks of November, tune into episode Mexican Fiesta. Watch each episode and learn from the pros how to make delectable food right in your home. Lauren makes recipes fun and easy to prepare for anyone with any level of cooking.

For more information about this episode or the Capital Cooking series, please contact Lauren DeSantis at capitalcooking@gmail.com.

Photo by Shauna Alexander
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Recipe: Roast Beef with McNulty's Chutney

The night before filming is always a challenge. I'm preparing the ingredients for the upcoming episodes, but I still have to get dinner on the table. I planned ahead and got my roast beef ready to go in the slow cooker in the morning before work. When we got home, it was ready to be served in no time at all. With our busy schedules, this is my kind of meal!

Ingredients

• 2-3 lb of Top Round Beef
• Bacon, thinly sliced
• Garlic (cut into slivers)
• Herbs (thyme, rosemary)
• Salt and pepper
• Clarified butter or olive oil

Using a paring knife, poke a couple holes in the meat and stuff each with a piece of garlic. Try to do it relatively evenly. Line the beef with the bacon and secure with kitchen twine. Tuck in some rosemary and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Heat a pan over high heat and add olive oil. Make sure you use a pan that is appropriate for the size of the piece of meat you’re cooking, otherwise you may end up burning the pan juices before the meat is done. Sear the meat to get good browning on the first side and continue to brown all sides. From here, roast in the oven or add to your slow cooker.

I cooked my beef in the slow cooker for 8 hours on low with some chicken stock in the bottom of the dish. When it was ready, I pulled the beef into shreds with 2 forks. Then add :

¾ cup of McNulty’s Chutney and ½ Cup of McNulty’s Marinade. Serve over rice or with pureed parsnips. We enjoyed this beef with a salad and fresh rolls.
Photo by Bryn Barber