This Week in Food

I really would like to post more often, but if I did, I would not be much of a slacker, would I? Oh well, here is the week in food:

Thursday S and I met some friends at Pizzeria Paradiso to support Dining Out For Life. If you missed it, try to support them next year. It is a great cause and it is the easiest donation you will ever make: Just eat! Pizzeria Paradiso used to be my favorite pizzeria in DC, until I tried Two Amys. I don't know if 2A's just raised the bar, or if Paradiso has declined, but in the last few visits I have not been very satisfied. It doesn't help that they ROLL out the dough. That is a D.O.C. no-no for La Vera Pizza Napolitana. Be that as it may, the pizza was surprisingly good Thursday, and the company was excellent. I had a Botarga with tomato sauce, mozzarella, egg, and yes, botarga. Maybe Paradiso will satisfy a craving after all. They certainly did Thursday.

Saturday, The Lovely S and I tried our hand at making falafel. We love these and have always wanted to try making them, but it was a recipe we somehow never got around to. We used Tyler Florence's recipe. In general I have had inconsistent luck with his recipes, but this one was a winner. We tried baking ours to make them as healthy as possible, but they were a tad on the dry side. I think we will stop short of the full-on deep fry and just saute them in a bit of, "EVOO," as you-know-who would say. We stuffed them in pita, slathered on The Pretty-Boy's yogurt-tahini sauce, and served with tabbouleh (also The Pretty-Boy's recipe). Excellent stuff. A little carb-heavy, but S and I are hardly the Atkins type.

For packing to work this week I mixed up a quick extemporaneous salad with canned tuna, pasta, chopped mint, olive-cured black olives, garlic, red onion, EVOO, and champagne vinegar. Note to self: brush teeth before talking to co-workers. This turned out well and I love the healthy quotient. Good fats from the EVOO and omega-3-packed tuna, lots of flavor, and very hearty after a lunch-hour workout. I also like the fact that it took about 15 minutes to prep.

S and I plan to eat some left-overs for week-night dinners and perhaps whip up a pasta dish or two. Cacio e pepe, I think.