Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Crumbs and Scraps

It's been awhile since last I posted, and I apologize for that. It's been quite hectic around here, both at home and at work. When I finally arrive home at night, I hesitate to look at a computer again - I think I'm starting to show symptoms of internet-glow. I've been working straight through my lunch breaks, and coming home only to find things that need doing around the house. I haven't been food shopping in some time and I'm certainly scraping things together when it comes to dinner, or better yet, calling for takeout!

Last night, I got home late from meeting a friend for drinks and was already starving. I had no patience for a lengthy recipe so I made burgers that I had defrosted from my dwindling collection of meat in the freezer. I used some leftover pita breads, some blue cheese herb mustard, creamy gouda cheese, and some arugula to manage an upscale burger sandwich that I finished on the panini grill for a crispiness that you can't get any other way. Creativity at its finest!

Arugula and garlic
from Flickr - by the_babyladies
Finally, this weekend, I think we have some free time, and I'm going to focus my attentions on a new menu to get us back on track for both cooking, and for health. Takeout isn't the best thing for us, but in a pinch, it is delicious, and always enjoyable. I need to get back in the habits that I had been following so closely though, and the best way to do that is by cooking from scratch.

While it may be snowing outside right now, we are nearing the spring and that means farmers' markets, fresh locally sourced greens and beautiful produce. I can't wait! This is such a strange time of year, it's not winter, it's not spring, it's lighter longer, but we still don't want to hang out with the elements. I can only dream about the days that I can walk down the street and pick out some fresh ingredients that have been recently plucked straight from the ground.

Farmers' Market
from Flickr - by NatalieMaynor

I'll try and post another chapter of The Professional Chef tomorrow, as we are nearing the part of the book where recipes are incorporated into the lessons, and I'm very much looking forward to that!

Until later, then...there's Indian food on it's way!

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Part Three : Chapter Ten : Fish and Shellfish Identification


Fish and shellfish were once plentiful and affordable, but with increased popularity and more complicated fishing techniques, the prices of these delicious morsels have skyrocketed. Because of the high demand for these ingredients, many countries have passed laws and regulations regarding the times and methods of legal fishing. Each type of fish, and shellfish, must be cooked in a specific fashion and chefs, both professional and home, must know what those methods are to bring out the best flavors. 

When purchasing seafood, the person helping you should be able to answer any questions you may have about the freshness or origin of each item. I make it a rule to avoid fish departments that have any sort of smell emanating from them, as fresh fish should have little to no odor whatsoever. If a fish department smells a bit off, it's best to avoid it altogether as one bad piece could contaminate many more!

While storing fish in the correct temperatures allows it to keep for several days, it's best to use what you purchase within a day or two to assure it's freshness. If the fish takes on a "fishy" smell, or becomes soft, and doesn't respond to light pressure, you should probably avoid using it. If you are going to use frozen fish, be wary of white frost around the edges, as this is an indicator of freezer burn, and proof that the fish was improperly packaged.

Here's something I didn't know: "The more a fish swims, the darker its flesh will be. Darker fleshed fish have a higher oil content and, therefore, a stronger flavor." I found that extremely interesting! Considering the oil content of a fish before cooking is imperative to deciding on the best course of method to take.

In contrast to fish, shellfish are sold live, shucked, as tails, claws, and legs. When purchasing shellfish that is still alive, you want to see movement when choosing your ingredients. If you are looking at clams, mussels and oysters, you want to see tightly closed shells, and if they are open a bit, they should snap shut upon contact. Something else I learned in this chapter: "Do not allow fresh water to come into direct contact with lobsters and crabs, as it will kill them." That's the last time I put my lobsters in the sink and run a little water over them while they are awaiting dinner preparation.

This chapter spurned quite the conversation between my husband and I. We tend to eat a lot of seafood in general, but the way in which we've cared for shellfish has been wrong to date. I'm glad I have a new guide for tending to these delicate ingredients. I won't be icing my mussels, clams and oysters any longer...and now I know that if I'm to submerge lobsters in water before cooking, it should be salt water, or nothing at all! 


Thursday, February 16, 2012

Lobsters a'Boiling!

Last night, I arrived home bearing lobsters and Pernod, the final two ingredients needed for the Lobster Paella dish that I planned to make. Once I'd put my things away and changed into comfier clothes, the first thing I did was put a large pot of water on the stove. It was going to take awhile for it to boil, and I needed to cook the lobster before I started on the paella.


As the lobster boiled away, I gathered the rest of my ingredients so that I could begin to make my paella. I preheated the oven and went to town on the prep work.


When the lobsters were pulled from the water and cooling on a towel, I started the paella, cooking some onions, adding some red peppers, and then some garlic. 


This is a pretty straightforward recipe, so I think this post might be more about sharing the photos I took along the way than anything else, but nonetheless, this recipe was worth sharing. At this point, I added rice, chicken stock, saffron, crushed red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to the pot and brought everything to a boil. It went into the oven, covered, to bake for 15 minutes. 


Yum! That's lookin' good! This went back in the oven for another 10 minutes, uncovered, allowing the rice on top to crisp up a bit. After pulling my dutch oven from, well, the oven, I stirred a third of a cup of Pernod into the rice and allowed it to absorb over a medium heat before removing the dish from the heat altogether. At this time, I added the kielbasa, lobster meat, and frozen peas, and covered the dish, allowing everything to steam for about 10 minutes. What's great about this is that the lobster isn't sitting on the heat, overcooking. It's just re-heating slowly in the steam, and that's how we prevent that fishy, over-cooked lobster taste!

Garnished with some lemon wedges and chopped parsley, this was a dish that you ask for seconds of! And better yet, have for leftovers tonight as well! It's delicious, simple and really tasty! ...and pretty to look at, too!

Monday, February 13, 2012

Saffron and Salt

Moroccan night started off like any other. I began to gather my ingredients and prep the things that needed to be prepped. To make the rub for the chicken, I ground some toasted saffron sprigs and coarse sea salt into a fine powder in my mortar and pestle.


That, along with some ground ginger, turmeric and chopped parsley made the dry rub complete so I slathered my chicken pieces with ghee, a clarified butter that can be purchased in the international aisle of most supermarkets. I then rubbed them with the spice mixture and set to readying my tagine for the cooking process.


I put the chicken in the tagine, along with the pulp of a preserved lemon and some sliced onions, and turned the heat on. Not more than 3 minutes had gone by when I heard a loud pop, and then found a piece of red ceramic halfway across my kitchen. You wonder what's going on? Yea, so did I. Turns out, my tagine was cracking from the bottom up, and fast. Of course, I started to yell, and started flailing around the kitchen in an attempt to save my dinner! I grabbed another pot, transferred the chicken and onions, and set them to continue cooking over another burner while I tended to "the situation." By the time the tagine had cooled, and I had wiped it clean, pieces had started to fall out of the center of the dish.

               

I stopped taking pictures at this point because I was a bit flustered. Needless to say, the chicken continued to cook, the chickpeas were added, and cooked. The last thing added was just an ounce of rice...I can't really explain the necessity for this ingredient, but at this point, I was just following instructions.


The finished product was a rich and hearty stew of chicken, chickpeas and melting onions with a lemony-saffron sauce that was really satisfying. I served it with some couscous instead of the tomato dish that I had originally planned on in the Current Menu. After the "tagine incident," I figured it best to just go the straightforward and easy route! I'm still the hero though, for I SAVED DINNER! 

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Dinner : Late-Night

When my husband has his hockey game in the earliest time slot for his league, we eat rather late in the evening. I chose a pretty simple meal for this late-night dinner because otherwise, it's difficult to time it perfectly for when he arrives home. I had gotten another great deal on an Omaha Steaks package, which was delivered on Thursday, so I took the opportunity to use a couple of filet mignons. I turned on the Grammys and set to it.


While the Pan-Seared Beef Filet with Green Peppercorn Sauce recipe calls for a pairing of greens and mashed potatoes, I opted for Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Caramelized Onions and Sage, from a recent TastingTable email that I received. After gathering all of my ingredients, I realized that the side dish was going to take longer than the main course, so I set to caramelizing the onions first.



After a half an hour, the onions were perfectly caramelized, so I removed them from the pan and replaced them with my chopped slab bacon, and let it cook for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, I was also blanching the Brussels Sprouts in preparation for pulling this side dish together! I also put the steaks on the heat at this point, as well.


Once the bacon had properly rendered, I added the Brussels Sprouts, halved, with the cut sides down, allowing them to caramelize in the bacon fat before stirring everything up. After allowing the sprouts to fully cook, I added the onions back to the pan, along with some sage, lemon juice, olive oil and flaky sea salt for seasoning. I kept that on the stove on low while I finished the steak sauce.


After four minutes on one side, and three minutes on the other, I removed the steaks from the pan, allowing them to rest on a cutting board while I quickly made a sauce out of shallots, red wine, beef broth, a little bit of cornstarch, and some ground green peppercorns. The sauce was finished with a little pat of butter and we were ready to go!


I have to say, the Brussels Sprouts dish really shined tonight. I'm going to keep that recipe for sure! While the steak was good, it was a bit generic and I probably won't make it again...then again, do I ever make the same thing twice?!

Friday, February 10, 2012

Part Three: Chapter Nine : Meat, Poultry, and Game Identification


Apologies for not having written in a few days! It's been a busy week, and on top of that, I've been home sick the past two days with something that's been going around my office! Fever, aches and pains, it's awful, and I haven't been in the mood to do anything but lie on the couch and watch old Lifetime movies - one of my favorite pastimes! 

I did find it in me today to read a chapter of The Professional Chef, though. This is an interesting chapter because it has given me a bit more insight into the different kinds and cuts of meat available to us in the markets. It's useful to know what each of these cuts looks like, and where it comes from! It's important to know what cooking procedures are best for each cut of meat so that you can enjoy it to the fullest.

Because meats have such a short shelf life, it is wise to always cook your purchased meats as soon as possible. When I go for a large food shopping trip and buy multiple cuts of meat for different meals, I tend to immediately freeze what I won't be using right away, preferring to defrost later than risk the chance of spoilage in the refrigerator.

In this chapter, numerous cuts of meat are displayed in large pictures, something that I will definitely refer to in the future. It's good to have a reference so that when a recipe calls for a certain cut, you will be knowledgeable about what you need when you get to the store or butcher. There is also a chart mentioning the common cooking techniques for each cut of meat. This is a fantastic reference for the home chef that might not have this information at an arm's reach, otherwise.

When shopping for meats, you want to look at coloring, marbling, and smell, depending on the cut. Even coloring and lack of scent are preferred...if the meat smells a little funky, it should be avoided. (Hopefully, I'm not telling you something you didn't know before!) That's another reason I recommend freezing it, if you aren't going to use it directly after purchase.

That was a fun chapter to read, with lots of images to help me understand the different cuts of meat out there on the market. While my appetite isn't quite up to par right now, this chapter has encouraged me to start working on next week's menu, feeling confident that when I show up in the meat department, I'll be on my game!

Monday, February 6, 2012

Tailgating at Home

Well, the Super Bowl has come and gone...and not with the outcome we would've liked to have seen...at least not here in the Boston area! Nonetheless, it was an exciting game, and a great opportunity for some good food and great company! I decided to take the route of tailgating recipes. They were easy to make at home and set out for the night, but would be just as easy to bag up and bring to the parking lot of your favorite arena, as well!

I spent the afternoon cooking, and trying to keep the kitchen as clean as possible at the same time. I cooked one thing at a time, and finished up right as our friends arrived. The table was full of goodies, and I was free to enjoy, have a beer, and watch the game!

It wouldn't be a "tailgating" party without chili, so first up on the menu is a very straightforward chili, but what intrigued me about it was the molasses and balsamic vinegar I was asked to add at the end of the cooking process. It added a lot of depth to an otherwise normal chili. I served it in mugs, with some sour cream and grated sharp cheddar garnishes, and the spices were spot-on!


We needed to have some dips so I whipped up some guacamole and hummus to go with the delicate tortilla chips I bought from the gourmet section of the grocery store. I also cut up some veggies (fennel, radicchio, radishes, celery, carrots and broccoli) and paired them with a delicious and tangy Roquefort dip, which I'm enjoying the leftovers of as I write this, right now. Yum!!



While the chili was simmering away, I made some Mediterranean meatballs! Now, these aren't just any meatballs. The seasonings are distinctly Mediterranean, but on top of that, the recipe called for chopped currants and pine nuts to round out the mix. The flavors meshed so well together, and the meatballs had a really nice bite to them, because of the substance of each one. They were simmered in a simple tomato sauce after being browned on all sides in some oil! I'm so happy I've got leftovers of these too!


If you looked at the current menu, you'd see a line mentioning some mini tuna burgers on pita bread, but it's apparently very difficult to find tuna these days. I went to a few different stores, before deciding to scrap this menu item. Don't worry, I will definitely be making them in the future, because I was very much looking forward to trying them! So, all that was left was to make a few side dishes to round out the table. I made a green salad with a red wine-Dijon vinaigrette. I also made an orzo salad with caramelized onions, spinach and shiitake mushrooms. The soy sauce and sesame oil-based dressing gave this salad a nice Asian twist, but still went with the mainstream flavors of everything else on the table!


All in all, a successful spread, I'd say! I enjoyed having everything done in time for kickoff, so I could pick at all the goodies, just like all of my guests! The guests may leave at the end of the night, but we get to enjoy all the leftovers for days to come...and these leftovers, they're delicious!

Thursday, February 2, 2012

January Giveaway: And The Winner Is...

It's time to announce the winner of the January giveaway!


Cez, we loved your comment, and you were drawn as the winner of a bottle of MonaVie (M)Mun. It will give your immune system a nice boost, and there's nothing wrong with a dude in a scarf! Enjoy, and be on the lookout for a giveaway for February. I'm still working on it, but I hope to have something in a few weeks!