For Martini lovers, here’s a twist for Valentine’s Day:

A peppadew stands in for a red heart on the cocktail pick, along with anything else you like. (Or, you can stack two or three peppadews on a pick.)
 
 
ADDITIONAL MARTINI GARNISHES

 
 
RECIPE: PEPPADEW MARTINI

Ingredients Per Drink

 
Preparation

1. PREPARE the cocktail pick. Shake the gin and vermouth with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

2. ADD the cocktail pick and serve.
 
Variation

Although we love the visual of the clear Martini and the red peppadew, you can apply the Dirty Martini approach by mixing some of the juice from the peppadew bottle into the Martini.
 
 
WHAT ARE PEPPADEWS?

These bush fruits from South African add “pep” to food and drink. They are available in mild and hot versions.

Here’s the scoop.

More Ways To Use Peppadews

[1] Say “I love you” with a peppadew (photo courtesy DeLallo Foods).

[2] You can also use peppadews to garnish Bloody Marys, or as part of a relish tray or antipasto plate (photo courtesy Murray’s Cheese).

[3] Peppadew and brie crostini. Here’s the recipe from Castello Cheese.

[1] A favorite sweet treat: the Cosmopolitan. Here’s the recipe (photo courtesy Kitchen Swagger).

[2] For savory palates, the Bloody Mary is spot on. Here are recipes (photo courtesy Bonefish Grill).

[3] Pink sparkling: affordable and delicious (photo courtesy Martini & Rossi).

A couple of years ago, we proposed a Valentine’s Day dinner/buffet with all pink and red foods.

This year, we’re taking things easy: just cocktails and light appetizers. And we’re going one step easier:
 
 
THE DRINKS

 
You can also offer:

 
 
For the alcohol averse:

 
 
DRINK GARNISHES

We’ve omitted organic rose petals in favor of garnishes that everyone likes to eat.

 
 
Don’t forget the ice!
 
 
PINK APPETIZERS

If you’re inviting a cohort of friends who ask “What can I bring,” assign them a pink or red appetizer. Here are some ideas:

 
You can also assign a Valentine soundtrack to the group’s musicologist.

Next step: Send out a brief invite.

February 2nd is National Tater Tot Day. First, the legal stuff: Tater Tot® (photo #1) is the registered trademark of Ore-Ida. Everything else must be called, generically, a potato tot.

Here’s the history of Tater Tots: how the little nuggets came to be.

Now, how about an enhancement of the original: a yummy Potato Tot Casserole with braised beef—braised in stout?

 
This recipe (photo #2) comes to us from the Idaho Potato Commission.

It’s a time-consuming recipe, the kind you make on a Saturday afternoon to serve for Sunday dinner. If you make your own potato tots, you’ll need to prepare them a day in advance. Otherwise, you can purchase tots.
 
> The history of Tater Tots.

> The history of potatoes.
 
 
RECIPE: POTATO TOT CASSEROLE

Ingredients For The Braised Beef

 
For The Potato Tots

 
For The Casserole

 
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*If you cannot find truffle paste, substitute the gruyère for grateable truffle cheese (photo #6). Unfortunately, truffles are so unique that there isn’t a substitute, especially in a dish that already uses mushrooms.
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Preparation For The Braised Beef

1. PREHEAT the oven to 325°F. Season the short ribs with salt and pepper. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the vegetable oil and sear the beef on both sides, working in batches. Then remove it from the pot.

2. KEEP the pot over medium heat, add the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes. Add the onions, carrots, and celery; brown slightly. Add the stout. Turn down the heat to low and reduce the liquid slightly. Place the beef back in the pot and add the beef stock, thyme and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer, cover, and braise in the oven until tender, 30 to 40 minutes.

3. REMOVE the meat from the braising liquid and reserve it. Strain the liquid into a saucepan, bring it to a boil and whisk in the cornstarch to thicken slightly.
 
 
For The Potato Tots

1. HEAT the oven to 350°F. Wash the potatoes well with water to remove all dirt. Lightly prick the potatoes with a fork and toss with 4 tablespoons vegetable oil and 2 tablespoons salt.

2. SPREAD the potatoes out on a large baking sheet. Roast until tender, about 1 hour. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature, about 1 hour. Discard the skins.

3. CUT the potatoes in half and press the flesh through a baking grate into a large mixing bowl. Season with 2 tablespoons salt and 1 tablespoon black pepper, then fold in 4 tablespoons olive oil.

4. LINE a half-sheet tray with parchment paper and lightly grease it with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Firmly and evenly, press the potato mix into the tray. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to chill overnight.

5. CUT the potato mixture into about 1-inch squares. Heat 2 cups of vegetable oil in a shallow fry pan to about 325°F. Carefully place the potato squares into the oil and fry until golden and crispy, flipping as needed and working in small batches so as not to crowd the pan. Remove from the oil and drain on a paper towel-lined plate.

[1] Tater Tots with ketchup (photo © Red Duck Foods).

[2] Potato tot casserole (photo and recipe © Idaho Potato Commission).

[3] Beef short ribs (photo © Omaha Steaks).

[4] Cremini (also spelled crimini) mushrooms (photo © Good Eggs).

[5] Black truffle paste (photo courtesy My Panier).

[6] Moliterno truffle cheese. If you can’t find truffle paste, use a grateable truffle cheese instead of gruyère (photo courtesy DiBruno Bros.).

1. PREHEAT the oven broiler to medium-high. Heat the braised beef in a large sauté pan with the thickened braising liquid, pearl onions, and mushrooms. Once hot, add the heavy cream and fold in the truffle paste.

2. DIVIDE the mixture between 6 metal dishes and top each with fried potato tots. Sprinkle gruyère cheese over the top. Broil until the cheese is melted. Garnish with chives and serve.
 
 
MORE TATER TOTS RECIPES

We’re making lots of these sweet potato chips (photo #1) for Super Bowl Sunday. It’s very easy.

The chips have a slight flavor kick over traditional sweet potato chips: flavored olive oil.

The Lucero olive oil company made them with their Mandarin Orange Olive Oil (photo #2). We have numerous flavored oils, so we’re making three different batches—with orange, chili and rosemary oils.

You can use flavored oils with white-potato chips as well. Basil oil is an especially yummy choice.
 
 
RECIPE: BAKED MANDARIN ORANGE SWEET POTATO CHIPS

Ingredients For About 6 Cups*

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 325°F with the rack in the middle. Scrub the sweet potatoes and slice them into very thin pieces using a mandoline.

2. COMBINE the olive oil and the orange zest. Brush 2 baking sheets with the some of the oil mixture and arrange one layer of sweet potatoes. Brush the tops of the sweet potatoes with oil mixture, and sprinkle with thyme, salt and pepper to taste.

3. PLACE the rack in the oven and bake about 20 minute, until they are golden brown and the centers are dry to the touch. Place the baking sheet on a wire rack and allow to cool for 3 minutes. Then carefully transfer the chips to a serving dish.

4. REPEAT the process until you use up the sweet potato.

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*Think level measuring cups. This is not a lot of chips!

[1] Thin, crisp sweet potato chips with a hint of orange flavor.

[2] (both photos courtesy Lucero Olive Oil.

[1] The bright colors of some mochi flavors add eye appeal (photo courtesy My/Mo Mochi Ice Cream).

[2] Mochi are ready-made for “portion control.” Eat one or the whole plate (photo courtesy My/Mo Mochi Ice Cream).

[3] Food fun: mochi on a stick (photo courtesy DeeDee Paris).

[4] A favorite flavor, Chocolate Sundae, is tied with Vanilla Blueberry (photo courtesy My/Mo Mochi Ice Cream).

[5] Traditional mochi (filled but no ice cream) can be turned into little works of art. This little pumpkin is filled with sweetened pumpkin purée. You could also use chocolate, red bean or Nutella filling.Here’s the recipe from The Woks Of Live.

Mochi (MO-chee) is a Japanese treat that’s ancient—reference go as far back as 794 C.E.* It’s also modern, adapting itself to ice cream in the early 1990s—in Los Angeles.

The pillowy rice dough that’s the base of mochi is eaten year-round, but is especially enjoyed for special occasions and around the New Year, as a symbol of good fortune.

And it’s our good fortune that mochi ice cream is now trending across the U.S…that more grocers carry it…and that companies like My/Mo Mochi Ice Cream tempt us with such high-quality, yummy flavors.
 
 
ABOUT CLASSIC MOCHI

First, allow us to go back to the beginning of the mochi tradition.

Mochi is one of 10 traditional Japanese sweets, or wagashi (wah-gah-SHE).

Cooked sticky rice is kneaded and pounded into a slightly chewy paste that can be made sweet or savory. The rice “dough” is mixed with flavorings and/or food color and molded into the desired shape. There are numerous varieties, for example:

 
Some pastry artists turn the balls of mochi into little pieces of art. See the pumpkin mochi in photo #5.

If you find yourself in a city with a Japanese focus, look for a wagashi store and have your fill. Minamoto Kitchen, our first introduction to the wondrous world of wagashi, has locations in London, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Singapore and Tokyo, and offers online shopping.

But no ice cream mochi. These are an American invention that was first launched commercially launch in 1993 in L.A., when the husband of a Japanese food store owner snacked at home on spoonfuls of ice cream wrapped in plain mochi cakes.

The rest is history: Here’s the story of mochi ice cream.

The rice dough surrounding the flattened balls of ice cream is colored to reflect the flavors inside (photo #1): chocolate, cookie dough, green tea, mango, mint chocolate chip, salted caramel, strawberry and vanilla.

If you’re old enough to remember the joy of ice cream bonbons at the movie theater, these are the updated version of joy.
 
 
NEW TRIPLE-LAYER MOCHI FROM MY/MO MOCHI ICE CREAM

The My/Mo Mochi Ice Cream brand is a favorite at THE NIBBLE. The company has just launched the first triple-layered mochi ice cream.

Traditional mochi have two layers: the rice dough wrap and the ice cream inside. The new triple-layered products add an extra flavor in the center, the first “triple tastes” on the market.

My/Mo Mochi Ice Cream’s triple-layer versions debut in four flavors:

 
The most vivid flavors are the Chocolate Sundae and the Vanilla Blueberry, but all four are welcome in our home (and office!).

The company also makes eight “two layer” flavors, non-dairy/vegan mochi, and ice cream five flavors of pints with mochi bits.

The line is gluten-free, soy-free, and certified kosher (dairy) by OK.

Discover more at MyMoMochi.com

And if you like to create desserts, there are plenty of recipes online for both regular and ice cream mochi.
 
 
HOW TO ENJOY YOUR MOCHI

Each mochi is two or three bites. They can be eaten casually, or presented in a rainbow of colors as a festive dessert.We love them for:

 
MOCHI TIP: Before eating, let them soften until you can press them gently like a ripe pear. Gnawing on frozen-hard mochi doesn’t give you the real experience.

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*This is the beginning of the Heian period, the last division of classical Japanese history. It spanned 794 to 1185 C.E. The period is named after the capital city of Heian-kyo, which is modern Kyoto. During this period in Japanese history, Buddhism, Taoism and other Chinese influences were at their height.

†Ice cream novelties are single-serving frozen treats such as ice cream bars and pops-on-a-stick, Popsicles and frozen juice bars, frozen Twix and Snickers bars, packaged ice cream cones and ice cream sandwiches. “Bonbons” like mochi fall into this category.