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VANILLA LATTE is a blog dedicated to food & travel with occasional random stuff thrown in. It is managed and written by me, Maggie Ha.


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Mmmm Mmmm Potatoes 23Jun08

maggie's special potatoes

Today I bring you my favorite potato recipe. I honestly don’t remember where I got it from or if I made it up myself.

Ingredients:
small potatoes – washed and ready to go
fresh rosemary leaves – chopped
1 chopped yellow onion
2-3 cloves of garlic – chopped fine
shallots – sliced thin
extra virgin olive oil
grey poupon
sea salt
fresh ground pepper

Step 1: The potatoes
Boil the potatoes until soft – not cracked! About 8-10 mins will do depending on the size. Drain the potatoes and slice in half or quarters.

Step 2: The spices
In a frying pan, drizzle some olive oil and throw in the onions. Let the onions sweat a bit and then throw in the garlic and chopped rosemary leaves.

Step 3: Mixing it all together
Throw in the cut potatoes, open sides down. Throw in 2-3 tablespoons of dijon mustard. And mix it around until it’s covering every potato. Let the whole thing cook until potatoes are brownish and crispy. Salt and pepper it up & it’s okay to have burnt garlic and onion bits!

Step 4: The best part
In a separate pan – i like using my cast iron – drizzle some olive oil and throw on the shallots. Cook until crispy brown. Throw this on top of the potatoes when serving.

I like to add a dollop of sour cream :)

Grilled Fennel Salad 9Jun08

Well I thought I’d explore fennel a different way this time… grilled! I think I liked it better raw even though it’s a bit licoricey, but I need to invest in a slicer. So here it is:

grilled fennel salad

Ingredients:
fennel – sliced as thin as possible
baby spinach – washed and dried
orange cherry tomatoes – sliced
cucumber – sliced
red onion – just a few slices
olive oil
fresh mint leaves
salt + pepper
honey
mustard
apple cider vinegar

Step 1: The grilling
Heat up a cast iron pan and drizzle some olive oil on top. Place the fennel as slices on the pan and grill on each side until wilted and crusty brown.

Step 2: The salad dressing
Whisk a spoonful of mustard and honey together with a couple splash of apple cider vinegar. Whisk in some olive oil. add more honey or apple cider vinegar depending on taste.

Step 3: The salad
Mix the dressing in with the baby spinach first. Then layer in the sliced cucumbers, onions and tomatoes.

Step 4: The fennel topping
Place the fennel in a bowl and drizzle with some olive oil. Add salt and pepper to your heart’s desire! Chop up the mint leaves and mix those in with the fennel. Place this mixture on top of the salad and there you go!

Oven Roasted Artichoke, Fennel Salad, Curried Vegetable Soup 1Jun08

I only have time for really crappy photos right now so here they are:

artichokes

fennel salad

curried vegetable soup w/ chili oil

I am having camera and lighting issues… ugh!

Latest Latte

Ground Support

My local favorite is currently Ground Support in SOHO. I go there almost every day for a smooth creamy soy cappuccino or if it’s hot out an iced soy latte. When I’m not in a hurry to run out, I try to take a few extra minutes to enjoy the coffee in the shop… you know, chat with the staff, catch up on some calls and best of all… people watch. Always some interesting characters in NYC!


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