"I got 99 problems but a meal ain't 1"
Self-Taught Vegan Chef :: Food Network Champion :: TV Host
I got 99 problems, but Sydney Australia ain’t 1. Do you set any goals for yourself? I have goals across all aspects of my life. To me, something becomes more realistic and attainable if I set a goal and plan steps accordingly to achieve it. So about 2 years ago, I set a goal for …
I’m becoming a little obsessed with one pan or one pot dishes, but I ain’t complainin’. Look, I’m a workin’ girl who lives in a Manhattan studio – ain’t nobody got time for cleaning a million dishes! Plus, cooking with pan or pot challenges me to be a bit more creative. And we all know …
I work at Condé Nast – I think most of you knew that by now. When I started here, a lot of friends assumed that I snagged a role at Bon Appétit and Epicurious, but no! I’m still a dork working in Data Science & Business Strategy in corporate. That being said, I am a …
Us FOBs LOVE our peanuts. I don’t think many people here (i.e., in America) know that Indians love cooking with and eating peanuts. Most Indian food in restaurants is North Indian or Punjabi – they don’t cook with peanuts a lot. But us Southies cook with peanuts in a bunch of different ways! Snacks, sauces, …
You know how you go to Indian restaurants and order Chicken Tikka Masala? Oh, you don’t? Yeah right! I’m convinced that Chicken Tikka Masala is the mostly widely known and ordered dish at Indian restaurants in America. I don’t blame people – it is a very good dish, however its not vegetarian (obviously) and can …
And the toast trend continues. I’m kind of over avocados – I mean don’t get me wrong, I still love me some ripe avocado and guacamole, but this whole “avocado toast” thing has got to stop. I’ve said this so many times, but PEOPLE can you tell me WHY you are paying $15 for a …
Do you remember back to your college days when all you had was a microwave and Maggi Noodle packets? Oh wait, you don’t?! Well that was me. Just as my freshman year roomie (and now forced bff) would say about my Maggi Noodle days. We had one crappy microwave, but is was just good enough …
‘Nacho Average Cook’- said the girl with red glasses making a sandwich that’s about to “blow your mind.” I find it really weird to refer to myself in third person, so I’ll stop while I’m at it. But YES. I competed in Food Network’s Cooks vs Cons Season 5, Episode 12 and WON! It was such …
I went to Italy last month – hold up – you didn’t know?! You haven’t seen my 89485948 pics?! Haha!
I visited Italy with my family when I was 6 years old, and although it was a beautiful country then as it is now, we didn’t exactly have a ‘beautiful’ experience. We experienced quite a bit of discrimination because of the color of our skin – weird, eh? So I was left with a very bad taste in my mouth at a very young age. That being said, I was hesitant to travel to Italy this time, but figured I’d give it a shot. One of my good friends had been living in Bologna, and obviously my foodie 6th senses perked up.
Bologna is among some of the foodiest cities in Italy, next to Modena and Parma. I ate my way through Bologna and made my way down to the Amalfi Coast cities. Let me mention at this point – I did not face any discrimination. Italian thought I was either Spanish (Espanola) or Sicilian or just didn’t know, haha!
In Sorrento, we discovered a delicious store that specialized in products of Umbria. Some of Umbria’s specialties include truffles, and black truffles were in season for the summer. So obviously I had to buy some! What I really wanted to do was shave them in my mouth, but I decided to act like a civilized human being, buy a jar and leave.
Truffles are generally very strong, but these fresh truffles are very fragrant – have a subtle truffle flavor, softer texture, and are just all around delicious. I decided to make a simple orzo with these.
Lemon-Garlic Orzo with Black Truffle
1. Place water in a medium pot, spray with a bit of PAM and set over high heat to bring to a boil. Pour in orzo and allow to cook.
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, add in all of the ingredients except for the olive oil. Whisk together. While slowly whisking, pour in the olive oil until dressing is emulsified and combined.
3. Once the orzo is al dente, strain out the water (but save it!) and place the cooked orzo directly in the bowl of dressing, add in a couple of slices of truffle, and lemon zest and toss to coat. Taste for salt.
4. Serve on its own, with toasted ciabatta, or over arugula!
This might potentially be my fifth, sixth, seventh (?) French Toast recipe on chefpriyanka.com. I think its one of those underestimated dishes. It can be made sweet, savory, Indian – you name it! But what I hate about ordering French Toast at a restaurant, is that it most always is bettered in egg and definitely NOT …