Splash

San Diego is not short on wine bars, and I am not complaining. I am lucky to have met a close group of treasured friends who all enjoy three of my favorite things: wine, cheese, and talking. The excitement I feel when first walking into the chosen establishment to meet these lovely ladies is palpable. So when asked what I wanted to do to celebrate my birthday, it came natural to suggest a girls' night at a new wine bar. My specific request was that the setting be new and mellow but also fun. Jody, who has her finger on the pulse of San Diego, found Splash Wine Lounge.

Set in the up and coming North Park community, Splash sits among an electic street where recently opened boutiques and restaurants sit next to a payless shoe store. It is the combination of old and new that makes this small San Diego neighborhood intriguing.

Their concept is simple and unique: Self-serve machines that beautifully display close to 100 wines from around the world. So, how does this work? You purchase a pre-paid card for any amount you choose. You then browse the many wine stations (shown below) and choose from which you want a "splash", or one ounce taste. With some splashes costing as little as .99, $20 can take you on a long and spontaneous journey.



Compared to simply purchasing a full glass or bottle at the typical wine bar, Splash makes the process interactive and social. The layout seems deliberate and genius. The round wine stations are strategically centered throughout the bar - from the entrance to the back. Couches and tables are set to the sides. There is enough space where you do not feel crowded, but close enough that when you look up there are people standing and sitting throughout the long and narrow room. Browsing for your wine forces you to move about the room, thus the opportunity to interact with others.

To balance the wine, there are small bites to eat. We ordered the goat cheese boat. You cannot go wrong with warm goat cheese, topped with olive oil, pesto, and sun-dried tomatoes. This appetizer was served with warm bread and each bite was more flavorful and fulfilling than the last. The flat-bread pizzas also do not disappoint, and neither does this entire experience.

Splash stands out among the Wine Bar genre as a hip, yet modest establishment that is well worth a visit and highly recommended.

Potatoes Baked with Tomatoes

During a conversation with one of my Italian student's about lasagna I learned there is a difference between what she refers to as "Italian food for Americans" and authentic Italian food. She explained, "The-ah lasagna should-eh not have-ah mozzarella or ricotta. Only Béchamel and very little Parmesan-ah on de top-ah." With an accent like that, how could I not be enticed? I rushed home that day and looked in my only Italian cookbook: The Cook's Encyclopedia of Italian Cooking. To my amazement, both lasagna recipes in this book were true to Benny's word. It was at this moment that I decided that this cookbook is legit.

Needing a break from meat, I found this recipe which Jason has dubbed a "poor man's lasagna". I tend to agree. There are layers, cheese, tomatoes and you can buy the main ingredients for under $10. While intended as a side dish, I thought it would be hearty enough to serve as the main dish with a side of salad. It turned out very flavorful and I recommend eating it on its own, as a side, or over rice or risotto.

Potatoes Baked with Tomatoes (Patate e Pomodori al Forno)

2 large red or yellow onions (I used on of each)
2-3 large potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
3-4 fresh tomatoes (the freshest and most flavorful you can find)
A few leaves of fresh basil
6 tblsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup of freshly grated Parmesean
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup of water

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Brush a solid amount of olive oil on the bottom of a medium-large baking dish. Arrange a layer of onions on the bottom of the dish. Next, arrange a layer of potatoes and then a layer of tomatoes on top of that.



Pour olive oil, salt, and pepper on top of all of it. For the final layer, overlap potatoes and tomatoes (ratatouille-style). Garnish with torn pieces of basil, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and the remainder of the oil. Pour on the water and bake for 1 hour or until all layers of potato are tender. The top should be lightly browned and have crisp edges. Buon Appetito!

Caprese Fusilli

Our vegetable garden gave us beautiful vegetables and herbs this summer. Of them all, the yellow-gold cherry tomatoes was the best. With so many bite-sized, subtly sweet tomatoes, I had enough to last a couple of months. I wanted to use them for something other than salad, but still within a cool and light meal for our hot summer nights. The result was this spin on a caprese salad.

Caprese Fusilli

1 lb. Fusilli pasta (or your favorite pasta)
2-3 cups yellow cherry tomatoes
1-2 handfuls of fresh basil
Shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (the better the olive oil, the better this will turn out)
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
Red pepper flakes

Slice tomatoes in half and place in a large bowl. Coarsely chop basil and add to the tomatoes. Add a good amount of mozzarella - the amount is ultimately your choice. I like things cheesy so I add a lot. Add the salt, pepper, and a few shakes of red pepper flakes on top. Drizzle the olive oil over the mixture and fold ingredients together. Taste this mixture and ensure that the olive oil, salt and pepper dressing has a bold enough flavor to coat the pasta. Cover while cooking the pasta.

Fill a pot with water and add a dash of kosher salt and a few drops of olive oil. Bring water to a boil over high heat and add pasta. Cook for about 8 minutes, or until al dente. Strain pasta in a colander but do not rinse the pasta with water! Shake the colander back and forth to drain as much water as possible. White still steaming hot, pour caprese mixture over the pasta and toss.

Enjoy!

Summer Fruits

Since I was a little girl, one of the first signs of summer that would always excite me is seeing summer fruit for sale. Watermelon, peaches, plums, berries, and cherries! Because I grew up on the East coast where there are four distinct seasons (that I miss very much), our produce was also seasonal. One of my favorite childhood memories is our summer day trips to the berry farms to pick our own raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries. We would pick pounds and pounds of berries and it was so much fun!

Recently, we had a large amount of strawberries that had become slightly bruised and too ripe. Rather than throw them away, I thought that this batch of ripened red berries would make a delicious jam that could accompany our bread and butter for weeks. After all, why waste and when you can reinvent?

Typically, I only post recipes that I LOVE. Although I would have changed a few things (I have already amended the recipe below based on my desired changes) this recipe is so simple I had to share it. Adding to my excitement is that this was my first attempt at making jam. I very much look forward to trying this again with other varieties of fruit and replacing my store bought preserves with homemade jars.

Strawberry Jam

1 cup sugar
1 lemon, zested and juiced
3 cups fresh, ripe strawberries, hulled and quartered

Combine the sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a small saucepan and cook over very low heat for 10 minutes, until the sugar is dissolved. Add the strawberries and continue to cook over very low heat for 20 minutes, until the strawberries release some of their juices and the mixture boils slowly. Cook until a small amount of the juice gels on a very cold plate (keep plate in freezer for testing). Pour into clean glass jar of your choice and keep refrigerated.