steak, tomato romesco & the magic bullet

steak, tomato romesco & the magic bullet

[TO MY ANIMAL LOVIN FRIENDS: I'm so so sorry. I love meat, and eat it very rare, moo-ing is absolutely normal. I hope it doesn't offend you nor deter you from reading the recipe for the tomato romesco because it's DELICIOUS and would be great with some tofu... 143]

My older sister, Lauren, introduced me to Mark Bittman a bit over a year ago. I adore his contributions to the NY Times in his MINIMALIST column and monitor it religiously. His style of cooking is non-intimidating and incorporates flavors from all over the world. Most importantly, his recipes are simple and don't demand the finest ingredients, he suggust them if you have them, however encourages subsitution when you don't want to leave your house ;) In addition, he includes short and charming videos to augment his writing. The following recipe is a very slight rendition of his steak with tomato romesco   simply because I subsituted ingreditents I didn't have.

steak, tomato romesco & the magic bullet

1 lb. of flank or tri tip steak

1 handful of almonds I have small hands by the way ;)

1 handful of cherry or plum tomatoes you want the small ones

5 garlic cloves

1/2 lemon

2 t olive oil

2 t balsamic vinegar

1 t white vinegar I used white vinegar and balsamic vinegar because I didn't have sherry

crushed red pepper flakes to your liking

salt and pepper to taste 

Rub down the steak with some salt and pepper. Heat up a skillet on high with some olive oil if you have a cast iron, it would be better, I only have steel so it'll have to do...  You want it to be really really hot, so turn on the kitchen fan before your roommates start to haller at you. When you see the heat, add the seasoned steak, almonds and tomatoes to the pan. Add some more salt and pepper to the almonds and tomatoes. There will be smoke and the tomato and almonds will get blackend...you want this for a smokey flavor that will come out in your romesco. Sear this side of the meat for about 4 minutes. Flip the steak and scoop the tomatos and almonds into a blender or food processor. In my case, the magic bullet ;) 

Turn the oven on broil and place the pan without the tomatoes and almonds into the oven. Broil for 7 - 12 minutes, depending on the thickness and likeness of your steak. 

In the magic bullet that now holds the tomatoes and almonds add the olive oil, garlic, squeezed lemon juice, vinegar and salt to taste and blend away. You want a good gritty consistency... and there you have your tomato romesco. mmmmmmmmmm

Once steak is done, let it sit, so the juices can settle maybe about 8 minutes or so slice, and serve with your tomato romesco. Very easy, and very yummy. Tell me what you think!

ENJOY!

much love,

faris

for real??

for real??

photos

I can't let you know how much I LOVE Kelis. I think she's fly as hell, I mean, I put her in the same vein as Aaliyah, if you know what I mean. But with that being said, we all have our moments of not-so greatness...  I love you Kel, but this is one of them...

Are you for real rockin a grey rat tail, with a irodescent pink lycra/patent leather suit, the McQueen shoes and some feather lashes..? Now each of those items are relatively fly on the individual level well minus the grey rat tail, but as a collective, its a no go my lady... 

More power to you for rockin some crazy ish... but I can't help but shake my head to this one.

much love, 

faris

Peter Callesen

Peter Callesen

This week was the beginning of my night classes at the local city college hence why I haven't posted with such frequency, soso sorry. On Tuesday, I attended what I thought was going to be 3D Design Drawing but turned out to be simply 3D Design class. At first I was a little skeptical mainly because of the intense attendance policy but I've settled with excitement that it's not just another drawing course. Through the semester we will be using a variety of mediums to create 3D art. Our first medium: Paper.

Via our first lesson, I learned to Peter Callesen. His work is world renowned so I feel that many people may already be aware of who he is, however it's my first introduction.



Most of his work simply uses A4 paper which is in between letter and legal. With the most simple medium, he's been able to transform paper something we can all relate to into something magical. His themes are laced with romanticism and tragedy, givin you that "ah-huh" and "how the hell did you do that" sensation. What's even more amazing and not to mention sustainable he only uses the paper that he cuts out for the shadow to construct his 3D forms. Pretty cool, huh?

Anyways, thanks for reading. I'm new to this blog world and love receiving all your feedback and the flattery that comes with ;)

much love and until next time,

farisita  

buttery lentils

buttery lentils

Lentils are one of those foods that I crave. They're a great way to get your dosage of legumes without the hassle of soaking PLUS the texture has me hooked. Here's a simple recipe that's a great starter that you can always build upon.

buttery lentils Mmmmmmmm

2 1/2 cups of dried brown lentils

3 carrots

1 shallot

1/2 stick of butter

2 T of olive oil approximation... you may use more

1/2 lemon

1 T balsamic vinegar or sherry vinegar

salt & pepper to taste

Throw the lentils and a pot and cover them with water, about 1 inch above the legume line. Add some salt about 1t & olive oil in about 1T and bring to a boil. Once boiling, place on low and cover you're gonna cook these for about 35-40 minutes, until tender... make sure you don't over cook because it becomes mushy You may have to add water while they cook, so check on them every 10 minutes or so.

While lentils are cooking, slice up the shallots. Melt the butter in a pan big enough to hold all the lentils because you'll be adding them in later and throw the shallots in with a dash of salt and olive oil.  Saute on medium/low...about 10 minutes. Chop up the carrots, and throw into the sautéed shallots towards the end of the 10 minutes.

Once lentils are tender, strain out the water and add them to the shallot/butter/carrot pan. Mix it all up the burner should be on low.  Make sure that all the beans are covered with the shallot butter.  Take off the heat, squeeze the 1/2 lemon over the lentils, mix in the vinegar, and add salt & pepper to taste, you might want some extra olive oil too.

And that's it. 

with love & a full belly,

farisita

soggy toes

soggy toes

It was just one of dem days today. Stormin like Seattle here in California, I was rushing like crazy to work due to my heavy thumb hitting the snooze twenty too many times and got the splash n drive up my hip, which wasn't all that bad since I was soaked through and through already, I conveniently forgot an umbrella. All I could do was laugh, and the dude behind me shared the giggle. It was funny minus the soggy toes...

I'll be back at it tomorrow. Much love y'all,


farisita

martha davis SS10

martha davis ss10

Martha Davis is to die for...

I was tempted to post all of her SS10, but didn't want to overwhelm visually, check her collection out here

Relatively new to the fashion scene but no stranger to good design & the importance of quality construction Made in Italy at the same factories of Cholé and Chanel & Martha is a former industrial designer. Martha Davis never fails to twist contemporary styles into timeless treasures that make you feel elegant and fly simultaneously. Most definitely a designer to watch, so take a look now and keep your ears to the street, you'll be hearing about her soon.

much love,

farisita

saturday farmer's market

saturday farmer's market

overalls: thrifted Levi's, wife beater: Hanes, cardigan: Old Navy, shoes: Converse, sunglasses: vintage YSL, purse: NYC boutique...can't remember

I love going to the farmers market. It's just one of those optimistic places that lifts my spirits. Not that I was down or anything, but I was definitely feeling last night's toxins. Anything to distract the temple pound is a good thing. Me and my girl, Hilary many of my photos courtesy of her, rolled thru to pick up some veggies for the week and a humble bbq. Selection is kind of slim this time of the year, but I was able to find some yummy beets, chard, satsumas, cauliflower & radishes.

We headed back to the house and made a feast: mini corndogs made by hil, sooo good, bbq chicken, beet orange salad, cauliflower ... etc ... and we capped it off with a backyard fire. It was a good day.

sweet dreams y'all,

farisita