A long hiatus!!
OK! Here we go again! I want to start blogging again on a regular basis. After winning the pie contest two years running, this year with my pecan-walnut pie with best looking pie to my cran-raspberry I feel inclined to experiment more and post my efforts. I hope to start working on more baking goods and learning more on decorating. I do very well in the taste area but perform badly in aesthetics.
Where the hell you been?
I am back!!! yea!!
OK, I made some Tostones yesterday! They were great, i may do some other plantain recipes!
I made spanakopita today, i used feta and a blue chees and pumkin spice. I overcooked them, but they came out great!
I will have to have them tried and see if they are liked, maybe pumkin spice is too strong.
I still have much too do!
Long time no Blog!! Geez i have been lost for a while!
Now as winter is starting, i am starting to really cook again.
I won 3 place in September Dessert contest for the Hospital picnic (although i was a judge).
My tasty dish i made tonight was based on the quick Cioppino recipe i found on epicurious.
I added 2 habenero instead of red pepper flakes and 2oz can of anchovie fillets (finely chopped)
And during the saute' i added a quarter cup of wine to deglaze a bit!
The flavors and heat were exxxelent (very sexy food)!!!!
Finally!!!!
Aki from
Ideas in Food tapped me for the following meme:
My thought in this meme is food items or events that changed your foodie life. Not some oh, its the first time I didnt put jelly on a peanut butter sandwich and used bananas instead sort of change, unless you truly feel that affected you profoundly. Thats the key - it affected you profoundly, in some manner. A moment you can look back at and say that was a defining moment. The questions are simple, the answers might be harder - an item, person, event, or place that had that effect on you, and why. They dont have to be big splashy things - sometimes its something very small and simple that changes the way we view the world - the famed butterfly effect (and Im not talking about the Aston Kutcher movie). So, to those who want to participate, copy this and pass it on (and, if youre so inclined, do a
trackback to the originating post). Here are your categories:
1. An ingredient
2. A dish, a recipe
3. A meal (in a restaurant, a home, or elsewhere)
4. A cookbook or other written work
5. A food personality (chef, writer, etc.)
6. Another person in your life
1.
Hops. I would have to say this was the ingredient that changed my life. I was learning to brew beer with a friend of mine and after making a stout, we made an IPA. We used Cascade hops and after tasting the hops before adding them to the tea, it was exquisite!!
2. WoW, so many to choose from, from the
chicken biryani i had in
Bahrain to
PHO soup (and to mention the simple cauliflower soup i make). Like music its hard to pick a fatheire because thier is so much to choose from, food sings to me!!
3. I spent 50 bucks to have racrestaurantin a resturaunt ( a little over $100 with my wifes meal also) in LA once, the place settings were extravagant and there were 6 servers for our party! But, the lamb had very littlvegetables the vegitables and potatoes Iere something i could have whipped up in 10 minutes. This experience made me realize that good food with lots of flavor could be had without pretention. (this night was saved because we then went to see
Kids in the hall live!!).
4. OI so manI, but i guess i would have to say
Vegetable Love, it has given me many thivegetables with vegavegetarian any vegitarian book has!!
5. This one is sooooo easy,
Alton Brown, he presents cooking in a simple and entertaining matter and does very well to present recipes!!
6. My second wife (sorry Suzy), she is the one that first started me in cooking. She loved my food when I made it (although this did not stop her from being unfaithful), i started my love for cooking because of her! Now with my fiance' Suzy I wanted to create food that pleases her and makes her happy!
Cardoon!! I saw you standing alone!!
Ok, well that was an experiment.
I deleaved and cleaned the Cardoon, cut it into 2 inch pieces and boiled them in lemon juice and salt for 30 minutes. I then put them in a pan, made a bechemel sauce with mustard powder and salt, covered the piece with the sauce and topped with Cheddar cheese, then baked at 375 for 15 minutes.
Well, the flavor is, how do I say, off. I usually like off flavors, but this one did not say to me "its pretty ok". It said "what the hell are you eating me for, jerk".
So, my motto being "I will try anything 3 or 4 times (not liver, don't like the liver eww uckk arrgh), I will do some more study of this plant and dishes and try one more time!!
Vicious shwas a way to e-scape!!
Scape Vichyssois!!! Recipe and Review at the end of farmer markets pictures!
Finally the Farmers Market opened up in town!!
This is Part of the table for Don's Waterfall Farms!!
They specialize in Peppers and Heirloom tomatoes.
They Did not have any produce yet (Still growing, but they had some Cardoon and Scape.
The following picture is the Cardoon. I will post later after preparing something from it!
And this is Scape. Below i make a great soup and will pickle the stems!
They were selling weird stuff at the market also.
Now to the soup!! I browned the scape a little and this gave the soup a soft roasted garlic taste to it!
I also used Superior Touch "Better Than Bouillon", which gave it a nice rich taste.
I love this soup and it shows why fresh ingredients are the best!!
Scape Vichyssoise
A classic soup (served hot or cold) for garlic lovers. If scapes are not available at a specialty shop or farmer's market, use 1/4 cup sliced garlic. If you like spicy soups, add a few drops of chili oil.
4 servings
35 minutes 10 mins prep
1 tablespoon butter
2 cups chopped garlic scapes
1 cup sliced leeks
2 cups diced peeled red potatoes
4 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup whipping cream
salt, & freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
Heat butter in pot over medium-high heat; add scapes& leaks and saute for 2 minutes.
Add potatoes& saute until softened slightly, about 2 minutes longer.
Add stock& bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium& simmer for 10 minutes or until potatoes are cooked.
Puree in food processor or with a hand immersion blender.
Add cream& seasonings to taste.
Simmer for 5 minutes to blend flavours.
Stir in parsley.
COQ A VIN-A fancy way of saying chicken cooked in wine!
I signed up for
Cook's Illustraded to test recipes and the below coq a vin was the 1st! I have made this before using an
Alton Brown version from his show
cukoo for coq a vin.
Next time i make this, i will make the sauce a lot thicker, the sauce is the dfinitive part of this and i think pouring it over rice or a starchy noodle (or maybe a bread) will help one enjoy this better!!
Since finding boneless thighs is difficult and expensive to by boned thighs and deboning i used 2.5lbs of chicken breast!
The flavors were well blended, but the juice was more flavorfull, thats why there should be something added like a bread or rice that will absorb the juice.
Coq au Vin
Serves 4 to 6
Avoid bold, heavily oaked red wine varietals like Cabernet and light-bodied wines like Beaujolais. Serve the stew with egg noodles or mashed potatoes.
If you cannot find frozen pearl onion, substitute the same amount of peeled fresh pearl onions.
1 (750 ml) bottle medium-bodied, fruity red wine such as Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, or light Rhone Valley wine
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
10 sprigs fresh parsley plus 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
4 ounces bacon, preferably thick-cut, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch pieces
2 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat
Table salt
Ground black pepper
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
24 frozen pearl onions (evenly sized), thawed, drained, and patted dry (about 1 cup, or 5 ounces) 8 ounces white button mushrooms, wiped clean, trimmed, halved if small and quartered if large
2 medium cloves garlic, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1. In large saucepan, simmer wine, broth, 10 sprigs parsley, thyme, and bay over medium-high heat until reduced to 3 cups, about 25 minutes. Remove and discard herbs.
2. Meanwhile, cook bacon in large Dutch oven over medium heat until browned and fat has rendered, 7 to 8 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towel-lined plate and set aside. Pour off and discard all but 1 tablespoon bacon fat.
3. Fold chicken thighs in half and season lightly with salt and pepper. Heat remaining tablespoon bacon fat in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Brown thighs in single layer (thighs should remain folded in half to prevent overcooking) until just golden, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to large plate.
4. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in now-empty Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When foaming subsides, add pearl onions and mushrooms; cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are lightly browned, 7 to 8 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring frequently, about 1 minute. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter. When butter is melted, stir in flour and cook, stirring constantly, about 1 minute.
5. Add chicken thighs, reserved cooked bacon, reduced wine/broth mixture, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; scrape bottom of pot with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits. Bring to boil over medium-high heat, reduce heat to medium-low, cover pot, and simmer 25 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking time.
6. Using slotted spoon, transfer chicken to large serving platter and tent loosely with foil. Increase heat to medium-high and simmer sauce until it is thick, glossy, and measures 3 1/4 cups, about 5 minutes. Pour sauce over chicken and sprinkle with chopped parsley. Serve immediately.
**If frozen pearl onions are not available, you may substitute fresh pearl onions instead. Do not use jarred pearl onions, which quickly turn mushy and disintegrate into the sauce. To use fresh pearl onions, trim the root and stem end of each pearl onion and discard. Boil for 1 minute, shock in ice water, then peel a thin strip from root to stem. Remove any remaining outer skin—like peeling off a jacket.
Leap of Faith 2 or soup gone wrong!!!!
I realized my mistake when i looked at the recipe for yesterdays cauliflower soup, I did not see the 1lb before the 6oz. Even though i used a little more than 6oz of cauliflower it came out thin.
So i made it again tonight with LOTS of cauliflower and ohhh ohhhhhhhh, it was delicious. Thicker with more developed flavors!!
And this is Scape. Below i make a great soup and will pickle the stems!
