Szechuan Ma Po Tofu

Continuing on with my (almost) daily cooking, I discovered this great tasting, easy-to-make dish based on a recipe originally posted by Linjo on AllRecipes.com.

Ingredients:
1/2 lb ground turkey
2 T cooking sherry
1 tsp cornstarch or Wondra

1/8 C black beans, mashed
1/2 T chili paste with garlic
1 tsp cayenne pepper
4 T soy sauce
3 tsp crushed garlic
1 tsp minced fresh ginger

1 package tofu (14 oz), drained and cubed
Dash sesame oil
1 C frozen green peas
1/2 C chicken broth
1 T cornstarch or Wondra
1 sprig green onions, chopped

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, mix ground turkey, sherry and Wondra. Set aside.
2. In a separate bowl, combine mashed black beans, chili paste, cayenne pepper, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger.
3. In a Pyrex cup, combine chicken broth and Wondra.
4. In a large skillet on medium high heat, brown the ground turkey mixture.  Meanwhile, in another large skillet on medium heat, simmer the tofu in 2 Tablespoons of soy sauce and a dash of sesame oil.  
5. When the tofu has absorbed most of the soy sauce, pour the tofu in with the turkey, and add in the black bean mixture, peas, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 8 minutes. 

--The Daily Fitchett

"Mom's" Lasagna

Usually Mark and I clash in the kitchen (he claims I'm "too slow"), but this time we teamed up.  The result is: Lasagna!

This dish is easy to make, and tastes great - full of flavor, well balanced, good texture, and substantial - not too meaty, not too cheesy, not too watery, and not too dry. The key ingredients indicated by a (!) give our version of this dish its taste and texture, and the real secret is don't be stingy with the organic parsley. * Time saver option: Replace the starred items with a jar of spaghetti sauce that contains basically the same thing.

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground turkey (!)
2 tsp. crushed garlic (!)
1 can tomato sauce (15 oz) *
1 can tomato paste (6 oz) *
1 tsp. dried oregano *
fresh ground pepper to taste
12 lasagna noodles, cooked and drained
2 cups ricotta cheese
1/2 cup cottage cheese
4 cups shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
organic parsley (!)

(!) Key ingredients

Directions:

1. In large saucepan, cook turkey over medium high heat until meat is no longer pink.  Stir in spaghetti sauce, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
2. In a large mixing bowl, mix ricotta cheese, crushed garlic, and minced organic parsley.
3. Ladle one third of the meat sauce mixture into a large Corning ware baking dish.  Then layer as follows:  Noodles,  ricotta cheese mixture, shredded mozzarella, meat sauce, grated parmesan. Repeat layers twice. Towards the top layers, substitute cottage cheese for the ricotta cheese mixture.
4. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for approximately 45-50 minutes or until bubbly and lightly browned on top.

Serves 6-8. The wine pictured here is a 2008 Trader Joe's "Grand Reserve" Meritage from Napa Valley.

Buon appetito!

--The Daily Fitchett

Fennel Salmon

Mark Fitchett's fennel salmon with parmesan asparagus

I came home and Mark had fried up his own version of a lightly breaded fennel salmon with roasted Parmesan asparagus and new potatoes. Yum!

Ingredients:
1/4 C. Cornstarch or Wondra
3 T. Olive Oil
1 lb. Salmon filets
1 bunch asparagus
8 new potatoes
1/4 C. chopped onion
1/4 bunch spinach leaves
1/2 C. grated parmesan

Serves 2. The wine pictured here is 2009 California Red Wine Menage a Trois (a blend of Zinfandel, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon) - not necessarily a "correct" pairing for a salmon dish, but we like it anyway.

--The Daily Fitchett

Chicken Vindaloo

Chicken Vindaloo with link to recipe on Epicurean web site

It was highly ambitious - you might say naive or even stupid - of me as a relatively new cook to even attempt to make this dish with it's dozen or so freshly ground spices.  Note: If you're going to cook Indian and Pakistani recipes, make sure you've got an electric spice grinder. I foolishly pushed on with this recipe with only a Japanese-style mortar and pestle, and it took over 4 hours.

In any case, it turned out great, and Mark was really surprised! He considered it an early Valentine's day dinner. Now I know when most people think of Valentine's day dinners, they don't necessarily think of Indian food, but I think Mark was impressed by the well-balanced variety of full flavors in this dish, not to mention the effort that went into it.

See for yourself...Here's the link for this particular Chicken Vindaloo recipe on Epicurean. This dish goes perfectly with sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, yogurt and Fu-Ki, a Japanese plum wine.

--The Daily Fitchett

Live at Alva's

Video footage of live performance at Alva's Showroom. The band are: Lisa Kato Fitchett (piano), Craig Roth (keyboards), Allen Ellis (vibraphone), Mark Fitchett (guitar), Stephanie James (flute), Gregory Scott Alban (drums), Anthony Alvarez (bass). Watch Video

Link to video performance of Mark Fitchett Live at Alva's

Jonathan "Sugarfoot" Moffett

Jam session on Super Bowl Sunday with Jonathan "Sugarfoot" Moffett

Thanks to Brian Daly for hosting this party, and to Gregory Scott Alban (Morgan Stanley) and Rockwell Sheraton (The Cinedicate) for putting together the jam session! Pictured here: Mark Fitchett (guitar), Jimbo Ross (violin), Shari Puorto (vocals), Dan Malouin (bass), and of course Jonathan "Sugarfoot" Moffett on drums. Read Modern Drummer's exclusive web interview with Jonathan Moffett here. --The Daily Fitchett, 2/6/11.

David Sanborn at The Floridian

David Sanborn in Ft Lauderdale

At the end of the jazz cruise, we ran into David Sanborn on the way into The Floridian - the best diner in Fort Lauderdale, where all the locals go. Pictured here, left to right: Claudia Krikorian, Lisa Kato Fitchett, Jim Hale, Dorothy Axelrod, with David Sanborn (center).

--The Daily Fitchett, 1/30/11.

Meditation at Sea

Mark Fitchett on Caribbean jazz cruise. The Daily Fitchett, 1/25/11.

Pictured here: Mark Fitchett relaxing in the piano bar on the third deck of the ms Noordam.

--The Daily Fitchett, 1/25/2011.

Mark Fitchett

Guitarist Mark Fitchett

On the way back from the Bahamas, guitarist Mark Fitchett on the starboard side of the 10th deck with his "travel" telecaster. It looks windy, but the warm Caribbean temperature made it feel perfect.

--The Daily Fitchett, 1/29/11.

George Duke

Mark Fitchett, George Duke, Lisa Kato Fitchett

Jazz cruise snapshots: Here we are with gracious keyboard legend George Duke...Grateful thanks to Corinne Duke for taking this photograph!

--The Daily Fitchett, 1/29/11.

Marcus Miller and The Axelrods

Marcus Miller with friends Ron and Dorothy Axelrod

Will the real Marcus Miller please stand up?? Ron grabbed Mark's hat for this fun snapshot. Marcus Miller is very gracious and is friends with the Axelrods. He's got some great stories about what it was like starting out as a 17-year-old studio musician in New York City, the recording session where he met pianist Richard Tee, working with Barry White, and producing Miles Davis's Tutu album. --The Daily Fitchett, 1/27/11.

Half Moon Cay, Bahamas

Half Moon Cay, Bahamas

This is seriously one of my favorite photographs ever.  Mark is wading out into the Caribbean waters off the beach at Half Moon Cay, a private island in the Bahamas. The waves are literally only inches tall, the white sand is as soft as sifted flour, you can wade out 50 feet and still touch the ground, and there are little silver colored fish darting about two feet from your legs.

--The Daily Fitchett, 1/29/11.

Joey DeFrancesco

Organist Joey DeFrancesco

Jazz cruise snapshots: Joey DeFrancesco after his headlining late night jazz trio performance. Also performing with Joey's excellent trio was guitarist Dwight Sills and drummer Rayford Griffin.

--The Daily Fitchett, 1/28/11.

Larry Braggs

Lisa Kato Fitchett with Larry Braggs

I was really thrilled to run into Larry Braggs, Tower of Power lead singer extraordinaire, in between concerts on the jazz cruise. Aside from the fact that he's a brilliant singer, he's also the nicest guy in person.

--The Daily Fitchett, 1/28/11.

Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands

Friends on the famed beaches of the Virgin Gorda "Baths", BVI

After a semi-arduous journey through narrow caves and grottoes, we found ourselves on the beach of the Virgin Gorda "Baths", British Virgin Islands.

--The Daily Fitchett, 1/27/11.

St John, US Virgin Islands

View from the grounds near the governor's mansion

Wish we were still there! This photograph was taken while hiking near the governor's mansion on the beach at St. John, US Virgin Islands.

It was weird to see US Coast Guard vessels, Obama bumper stickers, and American flags clearly visible as we sailed about this part of the world which seemed so far from home.

--The Daily Fitchett, 1/26/11.

St Thomas, US Virgin Islands

View of the port of Charlotte Amalie on St. John, US Virgin Islands

Photograph of the port of Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, taken from the ferry boat to St. John, US Virgin Islands

--The Daily Fitchett, 1/26/11.

View From The Third Deck

After stopping at the Bahamian capital city of Nassau, we sailed for a full day. The third level of the ms Noordam has an outdoor deck wrapping around the entire ship. This was the view from the starboard deck.

--The Daily Fitchett, 1/25/11.

Nassau, Bahamas

View of the Bahamian resort Atlantis from the cruise ships gangway

View from the cruise ships gangway going in to the Bahamian capital city of Nassau.  The luxury resort Atlantis can be seen across the water.

--The Daily Fitchett, 1/24/11.

Fort Lauderdale

View of Fort Lauderdale from jazz cruise ship. The Daily Fitchett, 1/23/11.

View of the harbor at Fort Lauderdale from the balcony of our stateroom on the seventh deck, on Sunday, January 23rd, the day of departure.

--The Daily Fitchett, 1/23/11.