Cooking With Miklb

Thanksgiving: Planning Ahead

2008-11-10T02:31:48+00:00

Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays, for obvious reasons. This year holds an even more special place as I will be celebrating it two days before I marry, with soon to be in-laws. I was put on notice by my mother-in-law to be that she was counting on me to be a full participant in this years dinner. Up to now, I have been just a guest only helping in the most minimal ways when visiting. I'm really looking forward to it, and have already begun racking my brain thinking of dishes I've done for previous Thanksgiving dinners, and dishes I think everyone will enjoy.

Like most people on Thanksgiving, the idea is for the dinner preparation to be as smooth and painless as possible, to allow everyone to spend time together, rather than be stressed out in the kitchen. Preparation and planning is the key to any good meal, whether it be one of the biggest of the year, or mid week family meal.

So beginning this week, I will be outlining steps anyone can take to relieve some of the pressure of the big day. This Thursday signals two weeks out, so I will focus on things that can be done this week, and leading up to the holiday. First up will be making chicken stock. Homemade chicken stock is far superior to the can/boxed variety you get in the store, and is invaluable for many Thanksgiving dishes.

So I hope you check back over the next two weeks for tips on planning as well as ideas and recipes for specific dishes.

Coffee 2.0

2008-10-08T04:59:51+00:00

Some time ago, I signed up for a "beta testing", but not the kind most people on the web are used to. This was for Joffreys" coffee. I never received my sample, and eventually forgot about it. However, yesterday in the mail, there was a package from Joffreys. Sure enough, it was another sample. Today I received an email outlining exactly what the sample was. As the original survey/sample was aimed at today's army of internet workers (for a lack of a better phrase), they took the responses and developed a flavor geared towards this crowd. Billed as "a highly caffeinated, yet smooth blend of java that would keep you working longer and buzzing stronger. We took your specs, and engineered a brand new flavor".

This morning I took it for a spin. In their talking points, they say it's engineered for both drip and espresso machines, which was immediately appealing to me, as I rarely use the drip coffee maker, and almost solely rely on my espresso machine. Mind you, it would take an knock your socks off coffee to get me off what I consider the standard in Cuban style espresso Naviera Blue. it is roasted right here in Tampa, and though I may be jaded by the shear fact I've been drinking it my whole life, I've yet to really find anything that is better. But that's not the point of this post! (though if someone wants to buy a t-shirt, I'd love it).

I must say, the marketing angle is very smart. The label, sporting an obvious unordered list:

Feedback incorporated from 1,500+ bloggers
Upgraded flavor and taste featuring smooth caramel and smoky overtones
Increased focus power for less distraction
Faster, more efficient mental processing
Amplified energy for blogging, coding or gaming output
Regular drip coffee and espresso capabilities
The ultimate gift for the Web 2.0 guru in your life

also has a sidebar with a list of tags and categories. All obvious catch-phrase elements geared towards the internet savvy, and work from home free-lancers. However, the proof is in the pudding, or in the case, in the demitasse.

First impression was that it was a bit thin compared to espresso, but not to the point of being watery. Aroma wise, again, first signs said coffee. Let me say at this point, I wouldn't say I'm a coffee connoisseur, I simply like a rich, dark, and strong coffee flavor. I couldn't tell you the difference between Kona or Blue Mountain, or anything in between. However, wanting to be somewhat pure in my review, I tasted it straight, without the organic natural cane sugar or plain soymilk I often use to create my own version of cafe con leche (that's a latte to you Starbuck's folks – I think).

Surprisingly, it did have a stronger overtone than regular coffee, and a well balanced flavor. It held it's flavor to the sugar, as well as the addition of the steamed soymilk, and made for a fine Tuesday morning cup of java. I'm not so sure it would handle a typical Monday ;-), though it did seem to pack a decent caffeinated punch.

Bottom line, it's fine coffee, with very smart marketing, and certainly would make a great gift for the tech heads in your life, but I'm not going to trade my locally roasted Cuban espresso for it, especially considering I can buy almost 3 pounds of my coffee for the price of one of the 2.0.

Casareccia Pasta with Sausage, Cannelini and Arugula

2008-09-17T23:30:52+00:00

As the first cool evenings in over four months descended upon the subtropics I call home, and the weariness of the long summer began to lift, a box of casareccia I had sitting in the pantry caught my eye. I had never actually used that cut of pasta before, but came across a De Cecco brand box in one of those "surplus" stores. In my opinion, De Cecco pastas are the premier brand of dried pasta, and always snag as much as I can when I find it on special. Anyway, the box had been calling to me from the pantry, and with the slightly cooler weather, I decided it was time to put it to use. Casareccia is Sicilian in origin, and is a twisted, tube shaped pasta, which I thought would lend itself to a brothy type sauce. So off to the market I headed, armed only with a vague idea of what I wanted to make.

On the drive to the market, I started thinking sausage, but wasn't in the mood to drive to a proper Italian market for it, so I knew immediately I was going to be taking a risk. I so rarely have been getting the urge to be creative in my cooking, I didn't want to squash the urge by a going on a long foraging run. I simply opted for our local chain grocer's "Green Wise" (for those who are familiar with Publix) spicy Italian (as it turned out, they were quite flavorful and sufficient for this dish). These were the large links, not small rope. Either way, I knew I was going to be cutting them into smaller chunks raw, and building the sauce from there. A note to vegetarians – this dish would we equally good without the sausage, or substituted with a commercial vegetarian sausage product like the Boca™ brand Italian sausages.

My next instinct was rapini, but alas none to be had in the produce section. I did a quick walk through, and nothing really jumped out. For a brief moment I had some broccoli flowerets in my basket, but quickly returned them. I often enjoy beans with my pasta, and decided to grab a can of cannellini beans. Knowing I didn't have any broths/stocks to speak of, I opted for a box of Swanson's organic vegetable broth. I knew I could build a lot of flavor with the sausage, and didn't want to over power the dish with chicken broth or worse, beef. (This proved to be a great decision.) I then headed back to the produce section to round out the ingredients so I could head home and cook.

I still wanted something green, but still nothing was jumping out at me, until I saw a bag of organic baby arugula. A nice big vine ripe tomato seemed to be perfect final touch. By this point, the dish had materialized in my head, so a quick mental inventory of what I knew I had at home (sweet onion, butter, and pecorino cheese), I knew I was ready to start cooking.

I'm sure I've written about it before, but I always like to put my pasta water on before i start the rest of the dish. This accomplishes two things. First, if I have any vegetables to blanch, I can use the water for both. Nothing will hurt cooking pasta in some water that's had a few green vegetables in it first. Second, this way, you're not having to wait around, or precook the pasta. In this instance, I wanted to peel and seed the tomato before using it. Certainly one could use can tomato for this, but I didn't want a lot of tomato, and there's nothing like fresh tomato. So I went ahead and cored the tomato, and scored the bottom so when the water came to a boil, I'd be ready.

As I mentioned, I wanted to cook the sausage from a raw state to build a base for the sauce. I wasn't looking for bulk sausage, rather, manageable, almost bite sized (after cooking) pieces. So I heated my trusty enamel coated cast iron dutch oven over medium heat with about a tablespoon of olive oil (just enough to help get the sausage started, there's enough fat to render out to provide the rest). I also julienned about a quarter of a large sweet onion and minced 3 cloves of garlic while the pan was heating.

I began to brown the sausage first, and as it began to brown, added the onions. I wanted a little caramelization on the onions, but not too much, thus I didn't add them at the beginning. As the onions and sausage browned, I added the garlic. Again, the same principle, I didn't want to brown the garlic, but didn't want it raw either.

At this point, I turned the heat up a bit, and deglazed the pan with about one and a half cups of the vegetable broth. If any bits of the sausage or onion are "stuck" to the bottom of the pan, gently scrap them with a wooden spoon to loosen. This really is where the foundation of the flavor comes from. Reduce the heat to low, add the can of cannellini beans, and by now the the pasta water should be at a boil, and you can put the tomato in.

If you've never peeled and seeded a tomato before, you are basically blanching the tomato until you see the skin begin to lift away from the flesh. Remove the tomato with a slotted spoon, allow to cool a bit, and then you should be able to easily peel away the skin. Cut the tomato in half around it's equator, and gently squeeze the seeds out. If you were doing a lot of tomatoes for a fresh sauce, or gazapacho for instance, you might squeeze the seeds out over a strainer and reserve the liquid to add back into your dish. In this instance, I only wanted to concasse (the "flesh"). Rough chop the tomato and add it to the sauce.

Add roughly two cups (or in my case, two big handfuls) of the baby arugula, again, not to early in the cooking process, as you don't want to cook it to mush, just wilt it. To give the sauce a nice rich, velvety consistency, I finished it with a big pat of whole butter and a couple tablespoons of grated pecorino cheese. Adjusted the seasoning (a pinch of salt, a few twists of fresh cracked pepper and a pinch of oregano was all it needed for me), and tossed with the cooked and drained pasta.

Again, the goal is a bit of a brothy sauce, so bear in mind that pasta will continue to absorb liquid, so if you aren't planning to serve this immediately, you might want to hold off on tossing it until just before serving. You can always warm the pasta in the sauce if necessary, among other techniques, all of which have their proponents and detractors.

Some freshly grated romano, some crusty bread if you so desire, and a glass of red table wine would make a perfect meal, perhaps rounded out with a simple garden salad.

Doin' the Omlette Thing

2008-07-12T17:38:23+00:00

After sleeping in today and then checking my daily feeds/tweets/email, I saw Chris had made an omlette, I got the hankerin' for one too. Besides, since Sean turned me onto the lightbox concept, any excuse to play with the camera is a good one.

A quick glance into the fridge, and I quickly assessed that a Greek omlette was in order. Feta cheese, red onion, kalamata olives, and spinach ( I passed on tomato), 3 free range eggs, a pat of butter and I was set.

I prefer to give my vegetables a quick sauté before starting my omlette. I've seen omlette's made a million ways, and more turn out to be a frittata than an omlette in my opinion, where the "filling" is cooked in the pan, the eggs poured over and cooked until set, and then just folded over. Again, to me that's not an omlette. Once the filling is cooked, I remove it from the pan, add the pat of butter until it melts and bubbles (this is the water and impurities, think of it as a quick clarifying). The next secret to a great omlette is to whip the eggs as much as possible. Some people add a bit of milk or cream, I tend to skip that step, but it doesn't hurt anything, and may help smooth out the eggs when whipping. I've even seen people put the eggs in a blender before making the omlette. The more you whip the eggs, the more air you incorporate, and the fluffier the omlette.

Once the butter is melted and stops bubbling, pour the eggs into the pan, and let set for a minute or two. The eggs should start to firm up on the edges. This is where the next trick comes into play. As the edges set, gently lift up on an edge, and tilt your pan so that the still liquid egg setting on top drains under the set egg. You can do this on several edges. This also helps get that fluffy omlette-ty goodness, vs the flat, dense thing you often get in road house diners.I failed to pay attention to the utensil I was using, so the big black spatula I was using doesn't show up well in the picture, hopefully you get the idea of lifting a corner.)

Once you've tilted and drained the whipped eggs as much as possible, you can now add your filling just off to one side of the pan. You don't want to put it in the center, as you are going to fold over your omlette, and you don't want it to break. You also want an even coverage, as folding it over will help warm your filling, finish cooking the little bit of egg that didn't set, and if using cheese, melt that too.

I like to let it cook a couple of minutes on one side, then flip it over and cook the other side a few more minutes, depending on the amount of filling, the size of the omlette, etc. If you don't have a big spatula to flip your omlette, a secret is to put plate over your pan, put your hand on top of the plate and hold it firm against your pan. You can then invert the plate and pan together, in essence "flipping" the omlette over onto the plate. You can then slide the omlette back into the pan to finish cooking. It may take some practice, and works best with smaller pans, but it beats trying to do it with a tiny spatula or flipping it in mid air if you're not practiced, and watching the whole thing hit the floor for the dog to eat up. Pour your self a big glass of Florida OJ, (heck maybe even make a mimosa) and enjoy.

Food Links 6-25/7-11

2008-07-11T04:57:52+00:00

Seems I forget to activate a plugin that would auto post my food links from diigo, so here's a quick wrap-up of recent links.

Mr. Weber, Meet Mr. Brinkmann
Mama Meera's Cookbook - a Mac OS X cookbook software project
Rouxbe
Food Blog Log

Quick and Easy Fish Stew

2008-07-11T04:25:41+00:00

With my love across the Atlantic, I was slipping into bachelor mode – fast food, sandwiches, lots of eggs. So walking into the kitchen to make yet another sandwich, I fought the urge and fish stew quickly came to mind. I made a quick assessment of the pantry and fridge. Garbanzo beans, a can of whole peeled tomatoes, a bulb of garlic and not much else for such a dish, I decided to make a quick trip to the market to round out the ingredients.

A pound of firm white fish, a nice fennel bulb, a bunch of organic celery, a green pepper, sweet onion and a large can of whole baby clams later, I head home to throw together a big pot of fish stew to hold me over until the little lady returns, and stave off the fast food.

The baby clams were as much for background flavor as anything, certainly if you have some seafood stock stashed in the freezer (I have shells from shrimp and lobster in the freezer, just haven't made any stock yet and wasn't feeling that adventurous) certainly you could just use that. I've never had any luck with commercial fish bouillons, but if you have one that works for you, certainly that can augment the stew as well. Bottles of clam juice can be used in a pinch as well. Likewise, additional seafood could be added. Certainly shrimp or squid would lend themselves to the flavors of this dish as well.

I diced the onion, green pepper, half the bulb of the fennel, 3 stalks of the celery (including tops) and 4 cloves of garlic and tossed it all in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in my trusty enamel coated dutch oven. I big pinch crushed red pepper, and a few bay leaves round out the first phase.

Saute the vegetables over medium high heat until the vegetables are softened, but not mushy. Next add the tomatoes. I prefer to drain off the juice first into the pot, then crush the tomatoes by hand. I also like to add some filtered water to the can and swish it around and add that to the pot as well. Finally add the whole clams and their juice to the pot, as well as the garbanzo beans (I added roughly a cup and a half) bring to a simmer, cover and cook another 15-20 minutes to let the flavors develop and finish cooking the vegetables.

After 20 minutes or so, you can cut the fish up into chunks, depending on the type of fish, I tend to cut mine into pieces about the size of a die. This way, they will cook through, but hold their shape. I prefer chunky, and since it's more a stew, chunks seem more appropriate. However, again, we are improvising, and it's all about your tastes and preferences. There is no right or wrong. Just keep in mind, the smaller the pieces, the less time the fish needs in the stew, otherwise it will disintegrate anyway.

Before adding the fish, check for seasoning. Certainly salt and pepper, salt will be dependent on the type of stock, broth, bouillon clam juice, etc. I also like to add a little acidity to help round out and balance the flavors. A little dry white wine, or in my case, a few splashes of sherry vinegar, and some fresh ground pepper was all I needed.

Lower the heat on the stew, add your fish, and chop a few tops of the fennel, roughly 3 tablespoons, give or take depending on your tastes. I'm a fennel addict, and like the contrast of the slight anise flavor of the fresh tops, especially with tomato and fish. The bulb tends to sweeten as it's cooked, so the fresh tops round the flavors out nicely.

Depending on the size of chunks you cut your fish in, 5-8 minutes should be sufficient at low heat. Recheck seasoning, and your stew should be ready to serve.

A stew like this on a warm summer evening could certainly be served by itself, with a simple salad or some crusty bread, or some combination there of. If I were to pour a glass of wine, I'd probably opt for a viognier, or a light pinot noir.

Dijon Baked Spanish Mackeral

2008-06-27T03:53:17+00:00

Every Spring and Fall, the Spanish Mackeral make their bi-annual pass through the waters of Tampa Bay in their migratory cycle. To me, that means great days fishing, and better yet, wonderful meals. Most people think of mackeral as a "strong" fish, but with proper handling at the time of catching, a deft hand cleaning the filets, and some simple techniques, mackeral does not have to be relagated to just the smoker.

James Peterson's books, all of them, I consider invaluable, and you will find links to most of them on the Library Page. I loaned this one to a friend recently, who was asking about a cookbook to learn some basics from. While thumbing through it, I saw a mention of mackeral and mustard. So without really following the recipe, I took the idea, and adapted it to my Spanish Mackeral.

I took the filets out of the freezer (I read on a fishing forum a great method of using a vacuum sealer immediately after bringing the filets home, and it worked wonderfully, see my description at my Tools Page. I brush a tablespoon or two of dijon on each filet some, crack some white pepper on each filet, and sprinkle with panko (Japanese Breadcrumb). Just enough to coat the top of the filet and mustard. I then lightly rub some butter on the bottom of a baking dish, add the filets, and add some white wine to the pan. Just enough to help keep the filets moist while in the oven. Bake in the oven a few minutes at around 350 degrees, and then finish under the broiler to to brown the panko. Mackeral filets tend to be thin, so total cooking time really shouldn't be more than 10 minutes.

For this dish, I cooked basmati rice pilaf (I gave the rice its own post) and sauteed fresh spinach. For the spinach, I assumed I stll had a bottle of Anisette in the cabinet, however I discovered I had used it all up. So I ground up some fennel seed in my spice grinder, and added that to the olive oil I sauteed the spinach in. Get the oil hot, throw in the fresh spinach (keep in mind, 1 bag of spinach will cook down to almost nothing, so depending on how many you are cooking for, you may need a second bag or bundle).

Another note about the spinach. I usually buy the "triple washed" spinach, and just pull the big stems off the leaves. However, if the bunches of fresh spinach are available, I have a hard time passing it over. In that case, Strip the stems off (I just kinda hold the end of the stem, and pull upward toward the tip of the leaf. That tends to pull the thick part of the stem out of the leaf as well), and soak thoroughly, and spin in a greens spinner. When ever you soak fresh greens of any sort (watercress, arugula especially tend to be gritty), you never want to soak the green, and then just dump over a strainer. The grit settles to the bottom of the bowl, and if you dump into strainer, you are simply pouring the grit back over the greens. Lift out the greens into the spinner, and leave the sand behind!

Once the oil is hot, throw the cleaned spinach in, quickly tossing around, if you have the anisette or Pernod, now would be a good time to add a big splash, and lower the heat. The spinach will wilt quickly, season with kosher salt and pepper, and perhaps add a pat of butter. Remove from heat. I laid the spinach down and topped with the mackeral a nice scoop of rice pilaf, maybe a wheat beer or an Alastian Reisling, and another lovely dinner. Enjoy!

They Don't All Collect Dust

2008-06-27T03:49:34+00:00

So I'm not really sure what the whole "meme" thing is, nor have I the interest to find out, but while searching for other food blogs, I found someone who had done this one, and a link to the originator. As I hold my cookbooks near and dear to my heart, any reason to talk about them is a good thing to me. So without further ado:

1. Rationale behind what we are seeing.There is definitely not a rationale, or organization. As I became more and more comortable with the creative process, I sought more of food reference, and regional type cookbooks, versus the collection of "ideas". Don't get me wrong, I love to read what some chefs have to say about their dishes, or where they got the inspiration, but I really don't need to read a list of menu ideas.

2. Most recommended.That is tough. I definitely think everyone serious about the art and science of cooking should read Harold McGee's On Food and Cooking, the Science and Lore of the Kitchen. Anything by James Peterson is golden, especially Splendid Soups and Sauces.

3. Cookbook that made me who am I.
That would have to be the first Greens Cook Book. I bought it at the restaurant on my first trip to the west coast, and spent every waking hour for the next six months reading about flavors and techniques. I probably have recreated every recipe in that book a dozen times. I still fondly glance through it, and remember every stained page.

4. Porniest cook book.
Again, not quite sure what that means, but it you mean cook book proper, Norman Van Aken's New World Cuisine would have to be the "sexiest", a far cry from his first, Feast of Sunlight. But my many years of Food Arts magazine's definitely have the "money shots".

5. Sophie's Choice cook book.
Another enigma category, but using others' answers as a benchmark, I would have to say the 1950's edition of the Toll House Cook Book. Until I came across that gem one day thrifting, I didn't know the origins of the famous chocolate chip cookie recipe. Aside from that, it's filled with nuggets of a by-gone era, from jello dishes, to chow-chows.

6. If I were a cookbook, which one would I be?.
That's a tough one, but I'd have to say it would be one that feels comfortable everytime it's picked up, one that is inspirational, and one that is considered invaluable. So as I glance through my books, I see several that fit that mold, but one that hasn't been mentioned is Edna Lewis's Pursuit of Flavor, something I have always strived for first and formost in my cooking.

7. If your cookbook we're extremely valuable, so valuable you might hide it with other valuables, where would that place be?.
Though I would miss my books; my autographed first edition Clarita's Cocina that I honed my Tampa flavors with, my collection of the Holy Trinity of Southwestern cooking- an autographed Mansion on Turtle Creek by Dean Fearing, my first Coyote Cafe book, and the wisdom of Rick Bayless; or the hard to find, out of prints. But the truth is, I carry their wisdom and knowledge with me everytime I walk into a kitchen, or am asked about a dish or technique, so like all the truly valuable things in my life, they are tucked away in my heart, where not a hurricane nor an armed intruder could take them away. (That said, I would maybe tuck a few of them into the vegetable crisper, as I always see the 'fridge still standing after a hurricane, and I doubt an armed robber is looking for celery...)

Pan Grilled Salmon, Zucchini and Fennel over Angel Hair

2008-06-27T03:47:12+00:00

Have been doing some "under the hood" work on the site, but not writing, (or cooking much this week for that matter) but did put this together on Monday.

After a Memorial Day weekend of cookouts, and all you can eat corn at the Zellwood Corn Festival, I needed something light, and filling. Enter pasta dish. A quick glance at the vegetable crisper revealed some fennel left from an earlier meal, so I knew that would get tossed in. Hmm, ok salmon and fennel are a great marriage, so we are almost there. Angel Hair is the de facto pasta around here, as A, my muse loves it, and B, it works well as a leftover during the week. My muse turned me onto tossing it with olive oil, garlic and nutrional yeast (she actually turned me onto using the yeast for several things, it very well mimicks parmesan, without the fat and calories). Anyway, off to the market for the salmon, and something else to round out the pasta.

Lucky for us, salmon was on sale, so I zipped over to the produce area, snagged some some nice ripe tomato, and grabbed some zuchini. Done. Back home for a quick and easy light meal.

I like to go ahead and get the water boiling when I'm going to make pasta. It can stay covered in the back, out of the way, and ready for the pasta when you are. So that was step one. Step two, was to skin the salmon filet (you can always get your fish monger to do that for you) and cut into "fingers". It just will cook a little quicker, and since the salmon will eventually get "broken" up once its in the pasta, it doesn't really matter how its cut. I tossed it with a little olive oil, crack some pepper, and some dried oregano. The title says "pan grilled" which is exactly what it is. I use a big cast iron pan that has raised ridges. It really works great, as it gives the signature grill marks, allows some fat to drip off, but I don't have to mess with firing up the grill. I would recommend having two, if you eat other meats, as the salmon and seafood flavor really gets into the pan. I bring the pan to high, and the lower the heat to medium high, and it tends to be the right tempature, without smoking you out of the kitchen.

For the "sauce, I diced the bulb of the fennel, some onion, and some garlic, and put that on medium heat with some olive oil. A note about fennel. As it cooks, its flavor changes. As a raw vegetable, is has a crisp flavor. As it cooks, it softens, both in texture and flavor. It takes on a sweeter anise flavor. That is what I'm looking for, so you could almost put that on first, before the other steps outlined.

Once the fennel is getting close, you can put your salmon finger s in the pan. Again, they are going to cook fairly quickly, so you want to keep an eye on them and turn them fairly quickly, cooking all four sides evenly. Now you would add your pasta to the boiling, salted water.

To finish the "sauce", I add the diced zucchini, letting that cooking a couple of minutes, but I don't want it mushy, just warmed through, keeping it's texture. Raise the heat, then add about half a cup white wine, toss in a diced tomato (again, I want the tomato to keep its shape and texture) let simmer a minute or so, and add a few pats of butter, and a tablespoon of the fennel tops minced. Lower the heat. Check the pasta, drain, and toss with a little oil (I would use canola at this point.)

To finish, I simply laid some pasta on the plate, spooned the sauce over the pasta, and topped with a few fingers of salmon. To get "fancy" a sprig from the fennel top for garnish. Pour a big glass of chardonnay, and get ready for your week!

Seafood Risotto

2008-06-27T03:44:56+00:00

I've been quite lax in writing, as I've started a new cooking job, and haven't quite gotten into the swing of things just yet. That whole "life gets in the way" thing. Anyway, I wanted to keep the site some what up to date, so I had this dish set to do a few weeks back, and never got around to writing about it. It was done for an impromptu dinner party of sorts, and was served family style. One nice thing about risotto, is that contrary to popular belief, a lot of the work can be done ahead of time, and simply finished when you are ready for dinner. First thing first was to go to the market and get some nice medium sized pink shrimp and approximately half a pound of crab meat.

A note about crab meat- generally what you find is the blue swimming crab from South East Asia, and is some way pasteurized, either in a can or a pouch. I prefer lump meat to the claw, even though it's more expensive, the flavor you get from meat is far superior. If you are lucky, you might find what is called "special", which is simply the lump crab meat, but "broken", that is, it's not the whole lump, but still white meat. Either way, experiment, and find what is best for your taste and budget.

I had been saving my shrimp shells and a couple of lobster tail shells in the freezer, and made a quick shellfish stock by bringing the shells, some parsley stems, a little celery and onion, a lemon and some white wine and water to a simmer for about 15 minutes, and then turning off the heat, and let sit another 15 or so. A few good rules of thumb on any stock making is you never really want to allow the pot to boil, a gentle simmer is all you really want. Also, you only want enough liquid to cover the ingredients, otherwise, you wind up with weak stock. Seafood stocks only need 15-20 minutes, chicken maybe 45, and beef, depending on the size and kind of bones, maybe 1-2 hours. Also, during the initial heating, a foam, or "scum" usually rises to the top, and you want to skim that off. It's coagulated proteins, and can give off flavors if allowed to roll back into the stock. I usually make a gallon or two, and then freeze in small containers so it's there for soups or the like. If you don't have the shells, or time, some seafood and specialty markets sell frozen stock, either shellfish or fish stock would suffice. Worse case scenario, a few bottles of clam juice or some fish bullion would work.

The first step to the risotto is to par cook the rice (if you are really adventurous, you can skip the cooling step, and go right into the finishing the dish.) Start by dicing a small onion or leek (preferred) and sweating in some olive oil. To that add your risotto. A quick note about the rice. Aborio is the general type found in the US, however some specialty markets will have other small grain rices that are preferred in Italy. But generally speaking, every grocer now at least will stock Aborio. For my dinner party, I used 2 cups of dry rice. Keep in mind it grows in size, so for two people, I would use no more than 1 cup. The idea behind risotto is to draw the starch out of the grain, to help create the creaminess that is associated with the dish. Some restaurants will short change you by simply boiling the rice, and using a ton of cheese and cream to fool the guest. Sure, cheese is an ingredient, but only the worst hack uses cream, however, I digress.

Saute the leek and rice a few minutes, and you will begin to slowly add liquid to your rice. I prefer to start with water, and then eventually add stock. However, one could start with stock from the beginning with no adverse effects. This is the part that requires full attention, which is why I like to do it before the guests arrive, so as to not be distracted. Start by adding just enough liquid to cover the grain, and lower your heat to a simmer, or medium heat. You are now going to stir the grain continually, as the rice begins to absorb the liquid. As the liquid is absorbed, add more. But never too much at a time. Depending on the amount of rice, this process can take upwards to 25 minutes. Each time you add a little liquid, the rice gets starchier, or in our case, "creamier". You are going to cook the rice until it's "al dente", as with pasta, firm to the bite. An sure fire way for both is to look at the center of the item. A good indication the grain or pasta is done will be a white center surrounded by the translucent, cooked, outer part. Once your grain reaches this point, you are going to spread it out on a small cookie sheet, and put in the freezer to cool quickly (you don't want to let the residual heat continue to cook the rice too much, that's why spread out and the freezer).

At this point, you can prep any other dishes, peel your shrimp, have a glass of wine, and shower and finish getting ready for your guests. If it's just you and your partner, you could skip the cooling part, and go right to finishing the risotto (I'd still have the glass of wine though).

To finish the risotto, we want to put the rice back into the pot, and this is where I begin using the stock. Since the rice is cold, I would warm the stock in a separate pot, and add it the risotto, which I start on a low flame. You will be stirring this just as you did during the first part of the process. You could add a little chopped garlic at this point, but as I did this a little different, I did not. (You will find that I cook the shrimp separate, and put over the top, that's where I use my garlic.) Add your crab now, and continue to add a little stock and stir until you can bite into the risotto and find it's cooked to your liking (I say this, as some I've met like there risotto almost crunchy, I do not, I prefer cooked through, but not "mushy".) At this point, you can now add grated cheese. Generally speaking, any hard, grating cheese can be used. For this dish, I had found some Spanish Manchego (a sheep's milk cheese), and used that, but Romano and Parmesan would equally work. I've often finished with some other cheese as well, sometimes a Gorgonzola or Stilton, depending on the ingredient. You will also want to fold in some whole butter with the cheese. Fresh herbs are now a good ingredient to add. Whether it's simply chive, or parsley, or depending on the ingredient, thyme, basil or even rosemary. You really can not go wrong experimenting with herbs and cheeses in your risotto. Season with kosher salt and white pepper, and turn off the heat.

For my version, this time, I sauteed the shrimp separate, and simply added them to the top of the risotto. You could easily add the shrimp directly to the risotto 3/4 of the way through the process, you just want to be careful not to add too early, so that don't over cook, and not to late, so they don't wind up raw. Since I was cooking about a pound of shrimp, I opted to do it separate, so the shrimp would be cooked perfectly. I also grabbed a dozen little neck clams, mostly for garnish, but a couple of bites of clam with the shrimp and crab was nice. You could easily increase the clam, and put more around the dish, either with or without the shrimp. Risotto really is a versatile dish that can be infinitely altered.

So I sauteed the shrimp and clams in garlic, white wine and butter, some fresh chive, and spoon over the risotto that's been put on the platter. Since the risotto is a bit heavy, and we are entering summer, I served a simple salad of mixed greens, shaved fennel bulb, red onion and sliced papaya with some more shaved Manchego. A light dressing of virgin olive oil and white balsamic vinegar finished the dish. Again, the sides can be just about anything, from grilled vegetables to some type of gratin. As always, a nice big glass of wine, for this, a Sauvignon Blanc would be perfect. Enjoy!

Fettucini Alfredo with Creole Shrimp

2008-06-27T03:42:41+00:00

Well, mark that experience up to bad judgment, but what was I thinking getting a job in a country club? I should have known when they used the words "fine dining" and "bargain to our guests", that they where not serious about putting out the best food possible. I just didn't want to believe the generalizations about country club food. Live and learn.

Couple the failed job, and add into that the blistering heat, and odd schedule the household has been under, and you get very little cooking, and very little writing. Until today. I had a craving, a fairly odd one for me, to have fettucini alfredo and shrimp. Rarely do I cook anything other than angel hair, and almost never do I do cream sauces, especially in the middle of summer. Perhaps it was a way of nature telling me to fill up before the hurricane, but there was no turning back, off to the market for the fixings.

First section, seafood, and some nice looking domestic pink shrimp. As you may or may not know, those numbers that they now advertise with the shrimp, indicates the number per pound. So instead of guessing what my jumbo is versus your medium, we see the same measurements that restaurants have been using for years. These were 41-50s. Nice little bite size pink shrimp.

A quick spin through the produce section for some broccoli florets, a big ripe tomato, and a bulb of garlic (a didn't really do an inventory of what was in the pantry). A shot down the pasta and rice aisle for the fettucini (not a pasta I normally keep on hand), and then off to the dairy section to get some cream. I knew I had some sort of Parmesan in the fridge, but that would really be the only other main ingredient needed.

As I've stated before, I like to put the water on sooner than later, as it can sit on simmer, and be ready to go when you are, rather than waiting around for the water to boil with everything else ready. An added advantage in this situation, is you can blanch the broccoli florets in the water, scoop them out, and keep the water (don't worry, the little chylorophyl let out by the broccoli won't color the pasta). Another note about the broccoli, since you are cooking it ahead of time, its going to sit, so either cook the broccoli to your liking, and run under cool water to stop the cooking, or under cook the broccoli a little, to account for the fact it will continue to cook a little after being removed from the water.

To start the alfredo, dice half a medium onion, and few cloves of garlic. Sweat the two in a little butter (remember, to sweat means to saute lightly to get the moisture to release from the onion). Add the heavy cream (a pint is a good amount, if just for two with no left overs, half pint would do). I recommend doing this in a non-stick saute pan, for two reasons. One, it'll be easier to clean up, and more importantly, it will reduce faster in the saute pan. The wide surface area allows for quicker reduction. Be very careful as the cream comes to a boil, it will, and can, boil over. You ideally want to stir occasionally while coming to a boil. Lower to a simmer, and go ahead and peel and devein your shrimp (you may want to think about saving the shells in the freezer. A couple of times of that, and you can make a quick broth to have for soups, stews, sauces, etc- see my risotto recipe).

You can either grate the Parmesan directly into the sauce, or ahead of time, and whisk in, either will be fine. Now there may be some recipes floating around that call for an egg to added to alfredo, but I don't play around with that. If I want a cream sauce, I want a cream sauce. I'm not going to thicken it with flour, starch, egg, anything. Just cream and cheese. A note about consistency of the sauce. You don't want it too thin, and not too thick, but keep in mind the other ingredients are going to give off a little moisture, so it will thin the sauce just a bit. As far as quantity, about 1/4 to 1/3 of a cup of cheese should be good. Just whisk in the grated cheese, and lower the heat. Season with salt and white pepper.

For the shrimp, I just tossed the peeled and deveined shrimp with a generous amount of Paul Prudhomme's blackening spice. I don't normally use commercial spice blends, but this one, I can vouch for. Unless you are going to be cooking a lot of blackened dishes, then I might buy the numerous spices to mix up my own (hint, the main ingredient of blackening spice isn't cayenne, it's onion powder, then paprika, add to that some thyme, white pepper, garlic powder, then some cayenne, you'd be close). Saute the shrimp over medium heat in a little butter. I wasn't really trying to "blacken" the shrimp, but if you prefer, by all means. Just know that blackening isn't about charring, it's about caramelizing the onion powder and other spices.

Toss the fettucini in your boiling water, another hint, generous amounts of water and a good splash of canola/olive oil is needed with the wider noodles. Also rapidly boiling water, and the slow addition of the pasta, and you won't find your self with all the noodles stuck together.

To finish putting the dish together, I added a few florets with the hot pasta, a couple spoonfuls of the sauce, and tossed them together. Put that in the bowl, spoon some shrimp over top, some of the nice diced tomato over that, and a fresh grate of Parmesan, and dinner is served. A big glass of oaky chardonnay, and the table is complete. Enjoy!

Rapini and White Beans over Angel Hair Pasta

2008-06-27T03:40:07+00:00

So a weekend of dodging falling branches, and continuous downpours, all the while watching the weather channel disbelieving the forecast, the moment the sun peaked out, off to the market to see what I could scrounge up. As soon as I cruised through the produce section and saw the rapini, I knew what was for dinner. A staple around the house, in some fashion or another, rapini with white beans over pasta. I'm not really sure when and where I grew to love the dish, it's not as if I grew up eating it. It may have been inspired by some reading I did on the early days of Ybor City. For those not familiar with that neighborhood in Tampa, it was the home of Italian, Sicilian, and Cuban immigrants who were the backbone of the cigar industry in Tampa. I just remember reading about the humble dishes, and some of the Sicilians relying on dishes like white beans over pasta. The rapini simply fits right in. Anyway, a fresh tomato and basil to lighten the dish, and off to the kitchen to get my fix.

As with the fettucini alfredo dish, I put water on right away, as I'll use the water to both blanch the rapini as well as cook the pasta. I trim the stalks off the rapini, but be sure to leave the leaves. Rapini is, for those not familiar, not really like broccoli at all, as some confuse it. It's closer to the cabbage family, and can, at times, have a slightly bitter flavor. Nothing a little extra salt and garlic doesn't balance however. A few minutes in boiling water, and removed and rinsed under cool water for a minute, and it will be ready for the finishing touches.

As far as the beans go, I prefer the smaller "navy" beans, but at times use the larger cannelini beans. I'm lazy when it comes to things like this, and since I'm always cooking at home for two, it doesn't make sense to cook a large amount of dried beans. I just use the canned. I'll usually add a little vegetable base, as well as more garlic, and some sort of herb. For this, I add fresh basil, to lighten it up some, in the fall and winter, rosemary or sage would be more appropriate. For this dish, I also caramelized a little onion before adding the beans, just to give a sweetness to them as well. Maybe half an onion, sauteed in olive oil until golden brown, then add the garlic, saute another minute, then add the beans.

Truthfully, this dish is quite simple, as the beans simmer a few minutes, you can now cook the angel hair, which only takes a couple of minutes, and in a third skillet, heat a little more olive oil and garlic, and warm the rapini. I prefer the garlic to be fairly raw for the rapini, I like the contrast, but that is somewhat personal preference. I quick chop of the tomato while the pasta is draining, and dinner is almost done.

For this dish, I actually left the basil out of the beans, and thinly sliced it to go atop the dish, but either way, add the basil at the very end, as you want the freshness, too early in the cooking process, and the basil would lose its pungency. To finish, I mound some pasta in the middle of the bowl, top with the beans, then some fresh tomato and basil, and some shaved Romano (or Parmesan) cheese. A dish like this would stand up to a light red wine, or a crisp white, such as a Pinot Grigio. Enjoy!

Moroccan Shrimp

2008-06-27T03:38:26+00:00

Well, summer's coming to an end, at least in regards to schedules, meaning the homestead is getting back to normal and my muse is back to work molding the minds of the next generation. So I wanted to make something different, but nice, as her work days are long starting the year. We had seen the local grocer had shrimp on sale, and she remarked how she's been wanting some. Easy enough, I'd start with that. I wanted something that wouldn't be too labor intensive, as my day had been full as well, so cous cous is always a great quick side. So I thought, hmm, what else. I new I had some limes just itching to be used, and kept that in the back of my mind. A tour of the produce section revealed some nice yellow tomatoes and fresh fennel, as well as broccoli on sale, so I threw them in my basket and headed home, to figure out how to finish the dish.

I wanted to keep the cous cous simple, so just the requisite equal parts dry cous cous and boiling water, with a little salt, a tablespoon of olive oil, and a little powder vegetable base was all I needed. I've mentioned before, I use a base I get at the health food store, but any base could work. Also, Swanson sells both a canned vegetable broth as well as box of organic vegetable broth. Those could be substituted for the boiling water. What's nice with this side is it's served at room temperature, so you can do it first, cover it, and just let it sit until your done with the rest of the meal

I still wasn't sure what I wanted to do with the shrimp, but I started the vegetables nonetheless. I wanted to highlight the sweetness of of fennel bulb, so along with some sliced onion, I sliced half the bulb and began cooking them slowly over medium heat in olive oil. As with onions, as they caramelize, they sweeten, so I just let them cook, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile I blanched the broccoli, and diced the yellow tomato, as they would be added at the end, seasoned with salt and pepper, and that would complete the vegetable.

While I was finishing the vegetables, it hit me what to do with the shrimp. Since I had the cous cous, which is Moroccan in origin, and the flavors of the vegetables were very Mediterranean, why not carry that out with the shrimp and do a harissa lime butter? Harissa is a Moroccan spice blend in the vein of curry, as it's a mixture of ground spices, with the addition of red chile paste and garlic. I didn't have a red chile paste of sorts, so I sort of improvised by using Sirracha for that part of the flavor. Sirracha is the garlic chile sauce you often see in Vietnamese and Thai restaurants. For the harissa, the predominant spice is caraway seed, along with coriander and a little cumin seed. A touch of white pepper, a quick spin in the spice (coffee) grinder and it's good to go. Figure 1 tablespoon of caraway, 1 tablespoon of coriander, and half a teaspoon cumin. I juiced the two limes, had a 1/3 of a stick of butter cut into pats, and the shrimp was ready to prepare. A medium hot saute pan, with a touch of olive oil, and you're ready to add the shrimp. Quickly add the ground spices, a few dashes of chile paste, or Sirracha in this case, and stir/toss around the shrimp to coat. As the shrimp are almost cooked, but not quite, add the lime juice. Let simmer a minute or two, and then add the pats of butter, stirring them in to emulsify with the lime. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, maybe add a little chopped fresh parsley, and remove from the heat. To serve, I simply mound the cous cous in one corner, the vegetables in another, and then spoon the shrimp and sauce onto the remaining portion of the plate. A dish such as this with a little heat, a little sweetness from the lime and fennel, would be great with a Riesling or Gewertzaminer. A crisp Sauvignon Blanc could work as well. Enjoy!

Shrimp and Scallop Pasta with Lemon Fennel Broth

2008-06-27T03:35:29+00:00

Well, as the week winds down, I wanted to enjoy a nice dinner with my muse, so after a failed trip fishing in the morning, I head to the market. Some nice looking bay scallops and small white shrimp seemed just the ticket. I had some fennel bulb left over from the Moroccan shrimp, so I decided to grab a couple of lemons and make a broth. A can of artichoke hearts, and some perfect pencil sized asparagus rounded out the dish.

As normal, angel hair pasta is the de facto pasta around my home, and, as normal, I like to get the water going right away, as I will use the same water to blanch the asparagus as well as cook the pasta. This asparagus is so tender and thin, it could actually skip the blanching, but since I want to make things quick, I'll give a quick trip to the boiling water anyway.To make the lemon fennel broth, I zest 2 lemons (for those not familiar with "zesting" a handy tool can be used, that only scrapes the yellow rind, leaving the white pith behind. The "zest" is where all the oils are that hold the flavor. A sharp vegetable peeler can also be used to take the zest off the lemon. Since we are making a broth, and will be discarding the solids, nothing else needs to be done if using a peeler. Other preparations, the peel may need to be then to be cut into thin strips or minced.) Anyway, zest the 2 lemons, and cut one in half and squeeze the juice into the sauce pan. Add the two halves as well as the zest. Cut up the fennel bulb (I had the remaining half left from my dinner earlier in the week) and add to the pan along the tops. I also added a little onion and a bay leaf. Cover with water, bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer.

For the main dish, I simply cut the artichoke hearts into eighths, and sauteed them with a little onion and garlic. As the onion gets a little color, add the shrimp and cut up asparagus, and saute a minute longer. The shrimp were smaller, so they only need a few minutes, like wise, the tiny bay scallops cook quite quickly, so add them just at the end. Strain the broth directly into the seafood to deglaze, and add a couple of pats of butter. To finish, I had reserved a few stalks of asparagus for garnish, and sliced the remaining lemon. Ladle the seafood and broth over the pasta in a shallow wide bowl, garnish, and enjoy. A big glass of crisp stainless fermented Chardonnay could easily round out the meal.

Blackened Catfish with Cheese Grits and Stewed Okra

2008-06-27T03:32:39+00:00

With the events of the last few weeks, and a busy schedule, (well, not really, busy)I haven't been up to writing here. I have prepared a few meals for posting, and will do so in the next few days, so check back soon. That said, this is one dish I had in the bag, and under the circumstance in the gulf coast, felt it appropriate to bring out first.

When I first started cooking professionally, I had the pleasure and honor of working with two chefs in Denver who had cut their teeth on the New Orleans restaurant scene. Andy and Bruce both had worked for Susan Spicer at Bayona, Andy having also worked at Mr. B's Bistro, among other places. Our love of the south, being displaced in Denver, brought us together, and I wouldn't be the chef I am today without that experience.

One of the first dishes they taught me from their menu was a blackened catfish, fancied up with an avocado lime beurre blanc. We made the blackening spice from scratch, me learning that the secret isn't the oft executed charing and burning of the meat, rather the caramelization of the spice, led by onion powder as the main ingredient, followed by paprika, garlic powder, white and cayenne pepper, and dried thyme. From there, it can vary by cook. Just as an onion will get sweet and golden, then dark as it cooks, so will its powder.Anyway, one evening I was craving some of that comfort food, and flavor. A venture earlier in the week to the farmers market I scored the beautiful okra, which I'm sure set things in motion. A trip to the market for some catfish fillets, and well, grits are always a staple in this homes cupboard. Regarding grits, I've cooked the old-fashioned stone ground grits from scratch, and they're enjoyable, but for dishes such as this, instant hominy grits are the key. If you're not familiar with hominy, it's the white center of a corn kernel. Therefore, these grits are the white variety, not yellow, as more associated in this kitchen with polenta.

Fittingly, the okra was the first to begin work on. Add half a medium sweet onion sliced thin, a few garlic cloves chopped up, a couple of bay leaves, a teaspoon of crushed red pepper into a dutch oven with some olive oil, on medium heat, and sweat the onion and garlic. I prefer to slice the okra slightly at angle into 2 or 3 pieces each, depending on the size of the okra, but if you find small, tender okra, then there would be no need to slice it. Add the okra to the dish, and stir to mix and coat the okra with the onion mixture. To that add a large can of whole, peeled tomato, breaking up the tomato in to chunks, don't worry about size, as the dish simmers, the tomato will soften and breakdown more. Once the dish comes to a simmer, keep the heat just a low simmer, stirring occasionally. Once the okra is tender, season with salt and pepper.

For the grits, the key is to properly measure the grits and water. For really the best creamy grits you've ever had, substitute whole cream for the water. You won't need to use any cheese, and you'll never look back. For the standard water based grits, I use 1/3 dried grits to 1 cup water. A pinch of salt and pat of butter is added to the water. Bring the water to a boil, slowly stir in the grits, lower the temperature, stirring regularly. I sometimes will simply use nutritional yeast in the grits instead of cheese, but for this dish, half a cup or so of grated cheese, cheddar, white cheddar, or what ever you're feeling like stirred in at the end. Adjust the seasoning with salt and white pepper, fresh ground white pepper if possible. (I keep two grinders in the kitchen, one with black pepper corns, one with white.) You can turn off the heat, cover, and the grits will keep for the few minutes needed to cook the catfish.

Obviously any fish can be substituted for this dish, and it was most made famous by Paul Prudhomme using redfish. I haven't been successful lately in my pursuit of redfish here in the Bay area, but if you are, or want to substitute some other white fish, the option is yours. However catfish is economical, and its texture lends itself to this dish. Speaking of Prudhomme, I cheat and use his ready made spice mix. I can not really beat it, it's not too salty like many blackening spices on the market (Tony Chachere's comes to mind). The other reason is onion and garlic powder is rarely available at the standard market. Either way you go, the preparation will be the same. I only coat one side of the fish, the "rounded" side, that is, the side that would have been at the bone, versus the "flat" side, or the skin side. Preheat the skillet (a heavy bottomed skillet, be it cast iron or not) on high, but just as you add the fish, you'll lower the heat to medium. I use whole butter to blacken with, it will smoke some, if it smokes too much when you add the butter or oil, the pan is TOO HOT, in which case you want to lower the temp some, before adding the fish. Remember, we are trying to caramelize the seasons, not char the fish. Depending on thickness, 4-5 minutes on the seasoned side, until you get a nice dark color, but again, not burnt. Flip the fish over, and cook another 3-4 minutes, check for doneness, and cook a few minutes if the fish doesn't want to flake or isn't a translucent white in the center.

For me, I like to mix everything up, so to plate up, I simply put the grits down in the center, flank that with some of the stewed okra, and plop the catfish on top (yes, I said plop). Some may want a little Tabasco on the side, and to drink, an ice cold beer would be fitting, but if wine was your desire, a California or Oregon Reisling would work well. Enjoy!

Missing In Action - Back to Blogging Food

2008-06-27T03:27:33+00:00

So I've been MIA from cookingwith, and for that I feel bad. The single greatest adventure in my life has been through cooking, and I had all the intentions in th world to share that via this site, but alas, as usual, life gets in the way, and it takes a boink on the head to get me steered in the right direction. The boink on the head this time was a proverbial smack to the head with a frying pan. A cast iron one at that. There is something completely primal yet soothing in cooking in a caste iron skillet, preferably with a wooden spoon. It just feels right. Regarding the site, I have big plans, and now that I've gotten off my keyboard and actually posted to the site, perhaps I'll start implementing those plans. A new look is right up there on the list, as well as retro fitting posts with ingredients outlines- feedback from one of my 2 readers, (albeit lo-tech, that is, he told me in person) asked for more of a traditional recipe format. I'm not keen on dropping the narrative, but perhaps a printable, outline at the end will be the result.
Obviously, more dinner ideas is number one, and that will happen sooner than the design overhaul. So if there's something you've always wanted to make, and aren't quite sure how, use my contact form and let me know. Or, you can tell me in person. :)
And if you love your skillet like I do, and want a fun read on food, cooking, and life, you might want to look at

The Perfect Boiled Egg

2008-06-27T03:20:14+00:00

With summer upon us, boiled eggs are a very versatile element that can be used in many places. Part of a composed salad, the ubiquitous deviled egg, the comforting egg salad, or just a quick snack that can be prepared ahead of time. Which ever is your preference, knowing how to boil an egg properly is important. There are a few skills that any good cook should know, and surprisingly, boiling an egg is one that I see many professionals not possessing. A properly boiled egg will not have that green surface on the yolk (over cooked) or be a very bright yellow, and not completely solid (undercooked). It also makes the task of peeling them effortless. There's nothing worse than trying to peel a bunch of eggs where the shell is stuck to the egg, and you wind up with as much in the garbage or compost pile as you do in the salad, or worse, embarrassment at the family picnic, as people eye the pitted and pathetic plate of deviled eggs, and only turn to them when everything else is picked over.

Certainly not rocket science, nor a major task, there are just a few simple steps to boiled egg nirvana. First, you need to make sure you are using a pot big enough for the amount of eggs you are boiling. A few eggs, a small sauce pan will suffice, a dozen, you need something bigger, a stock pot, dutch oven, the pot you boil pasta, in, you get the idea. With out enough water, the eggs will crash into each other, bang against the pot, and crack before they full set. Also, due to the cooking time, you need plenty of water to start with otherwise it will evaporate away, and the eggs will not cook evenly – tops will extend above the water line.

Second, start your eggs in room temperature tap water (filtered water really isn't required, you will be boiling it long enough). Again, this is to ensure even cooking time. I like to fill the pot with at least half as much water as I'm going to use, then add the eggs, then top off. This helps prevent cracking. Putting a dozen eggs in an empty pot, carrying it to the sink and then filling it up again allows the opportunity for the eggs to bang together, cracking, and then making a mess in your pot.

This is probably the most important step. Bring the eggs and water to a full boil. Once the water is at a full boil, set a timer, check your watch, what ever works for you (keep in mind what else you are doing. With any cooking times, if you are stepping away from the kitchen, a timer is best. It's very easy to get distracted only to come back to a scorched pot) for twelve minutes. Only after 12 minutes from boiling (and not just when you start to see the first few bubbles in the water, but a full boil), should you remove the eggs from the heat.

The final step is almost important as the previous. That is to cool the eggs down immediately. All too often, people will simply turn off the burner, move it away, and call it a day. Like most foods (particularly vegetables), the residual heat will continue to cook the egg, despite the burner being off. My routine is to pour off the hot water, and run the eggs under cool water for a few minutes. Sometimes, I'll pour off the water a second time, and run cool water over them again, especially if I didn't use a timer and am worried they cooked more than 12 minutes. The faster they cool, the better the end result.

At this point, you can either peel the eggs immediately, or refrigerate them in the shell for later use/consumption.My egg salad is very simple, using just a little whole grain mustard, real mayonaise, salt pepper, and a little chive (or minced scallion top if chive isn't available). For that matter, that would be how I do deviled eggs for a barbecue or picnic. I believe I have a draft for my version of salad nicoisé floating around, which I'll try to get finished, as it is an perfect example of using boiled eggs in a composed salad.

Final note, these instructions assume you are using regular chicken eggs you can get at your local market, not quail or duck (or ostrich for that matter). Cooking times obviously would need to be adjusted, though I don't have much experience doing hardboiled duck eggs so I can't give a time for them.

Chocolate Sushi

2008-06-27T02:33:29+00:00

Koo Ki Sushi. Real life looking sushi, however it's made from chocolate, crisp rice cookies and sweet flavorings. If it tastes anything like it looks, it's a real treat. If you are in the San Jose area, I'd love to hear if you've tried it. I might order it for a special occasion regardless.

Alessi Pasta Pot

2008-06-27T02:30:34+00:00

I'm quite intrigued by this piece of equipment, but not so much to spend the $238 on it. Basically it was designed to replicate a cooking style of Olive Pickers, who, limited in their supply of water, cooked their pasta in a similar fashion as risotto, versus our traditional manner of vast amounts of boiling water. I'm sure it was meant for more macaroni type pastas, and Earthier types of dishes, but nonetheless, I'm sure it yields a delicious meal. I'm very fond of simple, rustic dishes, and this seems right up my alley.

Add to that the developer is Alain Ducasse, on of the world's most renown chefs, and it becomes a piece of art, as much as a utilitarian tool. I might have to test the concept with my enamel over cast iron dutch oven.

Hat tip to Uncrate

New Favorite Snack

2008-06-27T01:00:20+00:00

These Wasabi Soy Almonds have to be the single most addicting snack I have come across in a long time. If you are a big sushi lover, and bastardize it like most Americans by mixing copious amounts of wasabi with your soy sauce before dunking your sashimi or maki, then you know this flavor all too well. I've long been a fan of wasabi peas, but this is just completely on another level.

And nutritionally speaking, they're not the worst ever, though the sodium is a bit high, however, compared to many other snacks, they aren't that bad. 115g of sodium per ounce of nuts (they say that's about 28), which is roughly five percent of an average daily allowance, so even if you eat a few handfuls, you'll be OK, plus the added benefit of a protein boost. Also, from my education, "good" fats like that found in nuts are a great hunger suppressant, so eating a handful or so of nuts is always better than scarfing down a big bag of chips, etc.

disclaimer - though the link is to their site to purchase a case of these, it's not an affiliate link or paid review, just the only link on their site I could find

Social Food and Cooking Sites

2008-06-24T06:40:08+00:00

Just about every website has jumped on the social network bandwagon, ala MySpace and Facebook, and now cooking and recipe sites are fully on board as well. Equally, there's no shortage of sites trying to be the Facebook of food, and these are just a few I've recently run across. I have not actually registered and tried to use any of these, so they are not full reviews, just first impressions based on having explored many of these types of sites.

First up is Group Recipes, in the mandatory beta status, sporting the very clichéd web 2.0ish diagonal stripped background, tags, and user profiles. From their about page they aim to be

world's neatest food site. From meeting other food lovers to nifty recipe predictions and taste compatibility, Group Recipes has your grub needs covered. The project's goal is to harness the tastebuds of the masses to create a really useful resource for food lovers.

One interesting feature is "Roger" the robot, that is supposed to analyze your recipes and tastes and make recommendations based on your profile. Also included is a recipe stumbler, for those with no clue what to make for dinner, which could come in handy on those nights nobody can make a suggestion for dinner.

Next up is , Family Oven also in the ubiquitous beta status, and honestly, my exploration was cut quite short by the overwhelming amount of adds on the home page. The goal appears to be to allow cooks of all skill levels to create a profile page (think food blog ala wordpress.com) to share their love of food and recipes, including having videos. They've also incorporated a digg like feature "chomp it" (lame, huh?) to rate recipes, as well the ability to save for later, and create shopping lists based on recipes you've collected. The overall UI leaves me with something to be desired, so perhaps a second run might sway my opinion.

Following up that is Open Source Food, from the same developer who brought us the now deceased 8apps. Also a way for users to share their recipes, Open Source Food seems to have a larger emphasis on photos with recipes. One very interesting element with the recipes is that you can license your recipes (Creative Commons seems the most popular, and there's a link to "blog this" for a recipe, which you can embed in your own blog.

Example

Definitely a neat feature, and one I may explore.

Another site I recently came across is Super Cook allows you to "finds recipes you can make with the ingredients you have at home." I haven't tested this site, but will keep it bookmarked for those I just don't want to head out to the market.

Finally, not so much a social food and cooking site is Culinary Seductions which aims to show "food is the key that unlocks hearts, minds and a whole lot more. Our mission is to entertain and educate all those who are interested in winning their dates over with food." Obviously aimed at the bachelor/husband looking to impress the woman in the life, this site's goal is to share seductive recipes and techniques to achieve these dishes.

If you've come across other similar sites, or have one of your own which you'd like featured here on Cooking With, leave a comment and I'll be sure to take a look and share my thoughts.

Elegant Vegetarian Dinner

2008-06-20T00:54:34+00:00

First, let me say this isn't a quick, week night meal. It was a meal undertaking for a Saturday, where I had time, and patience. Late in the week, I knew I wanted to make a nice dinner for my muse, and while cruising the market, saw one of the first signs of summer...nice shiny globe eggplant, and juicy vine ripe tomatoes. Some further wandering, and some baby arugula and portobella mushrooms, I knew I had a dinner. Asparagus was on sale, so I threw some of that in to the basket, and wandered off in quest for some fresh mozzarella.

I grabbed a couple of bunches of fresh herbs, basil and thyme, and figured I had everything I needed (well, I did grab a couple bottles of wine).

First, I needed a plan of attack. When I found the fresh mozzarella, I knew I wanted to make a stack, or napolean, or what ever new age culinary term you want to use. Don't get me wrong, professionally I've used both terms, as well as seen "lasagna" tossed in when layering vegetables and cheeses for an entree. Let's just call it a stack for arguments sake.

I decided I was going to grill the portobella, as I had some ears of corn that I wanted to grill off any ways. The eggplant, bread and fry crispy. The tomato, fresh, with just a little garlic, salt, pepper, and basil. The asparagus, I wasn't so sure, but I knew it wasn't going to be in the stack. So for the time being, I just wanted to steam it, and think about it while doing everything else.

To grill the mushrooms, I fell back on a standard preparation. The old saying, "if it ain't broke...", one thing about portobellas- when they are sold in packages, the gills, the underside, tend to get wet, and mushy. Likewise, if they've set in the crisper too long, they can get the same way. Anyway, I like to scrape the gills out, especially when they've gotten mushy. From there, toss with fresh chopped garlic and rosemary, kosher salt, cracked pepper, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. Just a few splashes of vinegar, but it really lends to that "meaty" flavor that portobellas have the reputation of. One note about the olive oil. Mushrooms tend to act like a sponge, so be careful with the amount, as when it hits the grill, the oil will leach back out, and cause big flames.

While the mushrooms are marinating, the next step is to peel and salt the egglplant. Just like the mushrooms, eggplant can be like a sponge, so salting the eggplant helps mellow the bitterness that some feel eggplant can have, as well as prevent from soaking up so much oil. For this dish, I cut the eggplant fairly thick, maybe an inch. Another note, I like to peel the skin on the big globe eggplant. I leave about 1 inch wide strips, and peel wide swatches in between. As far as salting, a good dusting of kosher salt, let sit about an hour, and then rinse.
While eggplant sits, and the portobella marinates, you can go ahead and blanched the asparagus. The fancy way of doing aspargus is to trim the ends, and peel the thick end, the second fanciest way is to hold each end of the aspargus and bend, and let the asparagus break at the weakest point. I just eyeball the toughest part, and chop it off. Similarly, some people will own an asparagus steamer, that is a basket that keeps the tips up right, steaming the bottom longer. Which is fine, but ample amonts of lightly salted water at a rolling boil, with the asparagus thrown in, works fine. Remember that when items come out of boiling water, the item continues to cook, so don't let the asparagus get too cooked. Also, keep in mind if you intend to introduce the asparagus to heat again, allow for that as well.

OK, the eggplant is sitting, the mushrooms are ready for the grill (I got the fire started when I started working on the eggplant), and the asparagus is blanched. Now we want to grill the portobellas. We won't need to keep them hot, so this actually could be done at anytime. For instance, if you were grilling on Thursday, and knew you wanted to make this dish on Saturday, they can easily be grilled in advance (keeping from eating them is another thing).

As the mushrooms come off the grill, we can rinse the eggplant, and bread them. I used a mixture of regular seasoned breadcrumbs, and panko, a Japanese bread crumb, available at most Asian markets. Panko tend to not absorb as much oil, are slightly bigger, and help give more "crunch". Any breading follows the same technique. Flour, egg, and breading. The flour is needed to give the egg something to stick to, otherwise, as you may have experienced, the egg just slides off the item. I like to add pepper to flour, and in this case I used white pepper. Salt just as it comes out of the oil.
So I bread all the egglplant, get my cast iron skillet hot, add enough olive oil and canola oil (canola has a slightly higher smoking point, so by mixing it, I can get it hot, without too hot and smoking.) Brown one side, flip and brown the other. Season with kosher salt as it comes out of the oil, and drain on paper towels to soak up the extra oil.

We are just about to finish the stack, and I've decided to take the blanched asparagus, and make a white bean salad. So I drain a can of small navy beans, cut the aspargus into small pieces, and toss both with a little garlic, some of the fresh thyme, salt and pepper, olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, and the special touch, a drizzle of white truffle oil. I highly recommend keeping a small bottle around. Don't let the high price tag scare you, a very small amount goes a long way. Just a slight drizzle over the salad, and a very rich element is added with little effort.

For the tomato, a nice thick slice, again, a touch of salt and cracked pepper, some minced garlic, and thinly chopped fresh basil. Just let the ripe tomato be the star.

To assemble, I started with one slice of eggplant, thin slices of eggplant, and one slice mozzarella. Top that with another slice of eggplant, then the tomato, and finally more cheese. Put that into an oven, (I had it around 375 to start), and finish under the broiler to melt and lightly brown the cheese.

While that's in the oven, lightly toss the baby arugula with a little olive oil and white wine vinegar, a lay a bed down on the plate. A small mound of the white bean asparagus salad to the side, and remove the stack from the oven, set atop the arugula, poor a big glass of wine (for me it was chardonnay, but a viogner, or fuity red would equally be satisfying). Enjoy!

Color and Food

2008-06-19T08:57:58+00:00

Color + Design Blog / Color and Industrial Food by COLOURlovers

Testing diigo and their send to blog feature, as well as pointing out how food not only inspires at the table, but can also inspire design.

See also the Colors of the Kitchen for more color inspiration.

Daily Food Links 04/21/2008

2008-06-18T23:00:36+00:00

Necessary Ingredients
tags: food, kitchen, design

Weekly Food Links (weekly)

2008-06-18T22:59:38+00:00

vegtaste: your friendly veggie community
tags: food, vegetarian, community
Necessary Ingredients
tags: food, kitchen, design

Weekly Food Links (weekly)

2008-06-18T22:58:53+00:00

Peak-Season Map at Epicurious.com
tags: food, peak season

Weekly Food Links (weekly)

2008-06-18T22:56:10+00:00

SmarterFitter Blog » Blog Archive » Grocery List Templates For Healthy People
tags: food, shopping, lists

Weekly Food Links (weekly)

2008-06-18T18:28:31+00:00

Daily Food Links 04/22/2008

2008-06-18T18:24:52+00:00

vegtaste: your friendly veggie community

tags: food, vegetarian, community

Top Chef Season 3

2008-06-18T04:59:20+00:00

So it seems Top Chef is coming back around for a third season. But before it kicks off June 13th, a mini "grudge" match between the top two chefs of the first two seasons will fill the time slot.

I've been generally pleased with the quality of the show, despite the overwhelming commercialization. (I'm sure a drinking game could easily be made, every time Padma says, "Sears Kenmore", or "Glad" you take a drink of Viogner). I do think less emphasis is put on professional cooking skills, and more so on ability to think outside the box (convenience store food quick-fire challenges, making an amuse bouche from snack machines), but sometimes that can really show a cook's creative side, and true understanding of flavor.

From a professional standpoint, which wouldn't fly with the soccer mom crowd, I would like to see more emphasis on skills, and not just culinary ones. Sure, give them all a whole fish, of about the same weight, and see who can yield the most usable product (bonus points for cheeks, collars, etc), or more budget oriented dish creation. Heck, take them into a typical person's home, and see who can produce the most elegant meal. But for the same reasons The Donald didn't have people balancing ledgers, you will not see those challenges on Top Chef.

This season's cast does seem to be of a higher caliber, at least from their small bios. Hailing from kitchens of the likes of Mark Milletello (a chef I admired while learning my chops, and still do) and Jean George, the profile of the types of kitchen's they've worked in seems to be on a much higher scale.

All in all, I find it quite entertaining as reality TV goes, and look forward to the escape.

How to Cut Off a Finger or Worse

2008-05-07T21:31:46+00:00

How to Chunk a Pineapple Like a South Seas Island Boy - Instructables - DIY, How To, food - Annotated

Island Boy Tip: Please be careful when using a knife for any purpose. You must respect the blade. It can cut you.

I highly recommend not following that tutorial. The first comment, second link, to an about.com page, is far safer for the average home cook. Anytime you are not keeping a flat surface on your cutting board, you are asking for stitches. Specifically step 11, which I'd bet one out of every 4 people who try it will wind up with a cut of some sort. If an "island boy" were to be working for me using that technique, it'd be a short lived experience on their part.

I'd also argue that follow the about.com link would result in less waste, as you can control the amount of the outer "skin" being cut off.

What People Eat

2007-06-05T01:03:01+00:00

My new roommate subscribes to Time, and I had begun reading the latest issue, meaning to take some time to blog about it. The cover story is The Science of Appetite, and one of the interesting accompanying articles is what typical families from around the globe eat in a week, including a picture of the family with the all the groceries from that week. Jason Kottke linked to the Time site, What the World Eats, so I figured I'd share the link as well.

It's quite amazing some of the differences between cultures, and the differences in my own eating habits (though I might rival the Mexican family in their consumption of Coke).

Geek Chefs?

2007-06-04T04:12:50+00:00

Rather than just book mark this one, I figured it would make a great first post for my new Habari powered cooking site. Some may know that I've made a transition from full time chef to full time web geek, and if there was one job I'd take to get out of my desk chair, it might be one discussed in this article. What better way to marry geeky-ness with cooking? Being a chef at Google....EditFor some reason, this nearly two year old article just showed up in my feed reader. I didn't realize until after I started the post. Ah well...

Getting Back Up

2007-05-20T08:38:16+00:00

Take two. Getting the ol' cooking site up, and figured it was as good a time as any to switch one of my sites over to Habari. More soon to follow. Gotta figure out some permalink issues and what not.