The (almost) identical twins

Normally when someone tells me “I hate ____” when talking about vegetables, the phrase is usually followed by a carefully itemized and well-thought out list of why such-and-such a vegetable is horrible, and the oft entertaining if not rational diatribes end with “…and it tastes like $^&(!” Such was the rant I received today when, while discussing various food stuffs with a colleague, I started talking about asparagus, (which I oft refer to as "sparrow-grass" becuase I enjoy wordplay hehehe).

After plucking all the knives out of my hide that had been thrown at me from dagger-eyes after mentioning my apparently horrid conversation choice, I had an epiphany. “It tastes like %@#^” is always the last thing people mention, and words like “stinky, limp, soggy, mushy” are often used to describe the cooking and texture of this vegetable. So of COURSE it tastes bad. I decided to change that tonight not once, but twice, and do it using the exact same ingredient list (almost).

First things first: the main ingredients I would go for would be baby asparagus (that’s what was looking most fresh at the store today). Also some eggs, some smoked gouda cheese, salt and pepper, extra virgin olive oil, and parmesan cheese. A few extra bits would include red onion and romaine lettuce. To be extra-sneaky, I used the asparagus spear tips in one dish and the stalks in the other.

For the first dish, I decided to go with a frittata. The second dish would be a relatively simple salad, but in order to expand my cooking technique repertoire, the egg would be poached instead of hard-cooked this time. That’s right, I’m aiming high tonight!

Frittata is a great exercise in kitchen simplicity. Saute the filling a bit, toss in an egg mixture of milk, eggs, cheese, and stir it around. Then let it cook for a bit and finish the job under the broiler. Badda-bing Badda-bang! That’s all there is to it.

For the salad, I combined essentially the same ingredients as for frittata, trading the milk for a nice crispy Romaine lettuce leaf. The biggest challenge was poaching the egg.
I had expected some grandiose operation for egg poaching. I mean, any dish that requires acidulated, boiling water before anything else happens could understandably make anyone nervous. Then gently plopping an egg into this boiling acid-bath, killing the heat and letting it sit there is also a bit disconcerting because the darn thing resembles a big, watery booger at first. But a after a short bath in this Ph-imbalanced hot tub, the end product is a creamy yolk and fluffy white. Poached eggs, a true miracle of kitchen science.

On the plate, the dishes couldn’t look more different, in both looks and flavor! The pale yellow and slightly browned frittata slice looked like a piece of breakfast pie. Little flecks of green poked out here and there, and the cheese melded beautifully with the egg. There was an unexpected sweetness to the omelet, and it balanced perfectly with the saltiness of the parmesan cheese and crunchy little bits of delectable little veggies.

The salad looked great on the plate! I must say that the poached eggs stole the show with the rich yolk and fluffy white clouds of white. The asparagus tips and red onion melded surprisingly well. I think I lucked out with this onion because it was much more sweet than hot. In both dishes, the slightly musky quality of the smoked gouda cheese was a perfect compliment, enhancing the flavor as a whole but not overpowering any one element.

Sitting at my kitchen table, my thoughts returned to my conversation past. I imagined serving these two little culinary gems and reaping heaps of praise to my friend, only to reveal that asparagus was a component in both dishes. Would there be a pleased reception? I’d like to think so, and that makes even the slight bitterness of sparrow-grass oh so sweet indeed!

478 to go.

The King Salmon and I.

After all the heart-stopping dishes of the past few days (waffles, late-night quesadillas and such), I received a phone call from the United Nations Council on Cardiac Relations, stating that if I did not make SOMETHING healthy and delicious, that the U.N. as a whole would be very angry with me, and that they would write me a letter, telling me how angry they were…

In order to stave off an international culinary incident, I took it upon myself as a benevolent kitchen dictator to rectify this situation. But a dish that was heart-healthy AND delicious? Herbs, garlic, lemon, and extra virgin olive oil would work for the delicious side of things, but what about the healthy side of the coin?

Pork was out, I was tired of chicken, lamb was too exotic and fussy, shrimp was no good, and I don’t think there is enough lemon and rosemary on earth to save the can of sardines that’s been sitting in my cupboard since I moved into this place a year and a half ago….but wait. Sardines are fishies, and fishies are good for you… And a fish that tastes great (when properly prepared) is SALMON.

A quick visit to the frozen food section of my local mega-mart yielded me a nice big salmon filet. Taking it home, I thawed it using the chef’s trick of immersing it in water in the sink, then letting just a trickle of water fall into the sink. In 20 minutes, my 1.5 lbs side of salmon was thawed and ready for baking! Nifty trick, no?

I wanted the maximum amount of flavor I could get, without adding too much heavy ingredients. No cream or béchamel sauce, no hollandaise or mornay, no. This dish would rely on the raw culinary prowess of aromatics and some simple salt and pepper/

A quick rubdown with oil helped my seasonings adhere to the salmon during cooking, and the rosemary, lemon zest, onions, salt and pepper was almost immediately fragrant as the baking dish hit the oven. I put some lemon slices over everything just to keep the heat from drying the filet out so much, The little fishy was ready in just about 20 minutes, with nice, fork-flaky flesh, and no “fishy” smell at all.

I removed the onions and lemon slices, and served up the salmon with a little fresh lemon and rosemary sprigs, along with some fresh ground black pepper and a dash of parmegiano reggiano cheese. I served it with the veggies below.

For a side dish, I needed something that could give me some good kick. For this I chose onions and zucchini. The onions would complement the fish (which was cooked with onions also), and the zucchini gave a nice color to the dish as a whole. Since I had been fed countless rounds or half-moons of stewed, nasty zucchini through the years, I wanted to have something bright and different. So I went with a cut that gave me a lot of surface to mass ratio, RIBBONS! And the best tool I could find for the job was my trusty vegetable peeler. It made quick work of the zucchini, and my chef’s knife finished off the “seedy” part.

For extra flavor, I sweated some hot chile and garlic in some olive oil and just a small pat of butter. This helped up the ante quite a bit, and to help more I tossed in just a bit of garlic powder. I cranked the heat to high and sautéed the zukes and onions to perfection, tossed in a little white wine for brightness, and served it up with the salmon.

I am pleased to say that the dish did meet both requirements of the council, the salmon was flaky but not dry at all, infused with bright citrus notes and pungent rosemary. The onions and zucchinis had a detectable, but not overwhelming heat from the chile and infused garlic oil, and the bit of sweetness from the onions complimented the salmon nicely. Overall, the dish was a success, and a tragedy averted.

Now I can rest easy, knowing that not only is the world safe once more from the threat of a UN letter writing, campaign, but once again, the UN came sniffing around and never did find any WMD’s…this time.
480 to go!

Waffle me this.

Now, I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not much of a baker. Aside from my first experiments with baking soda and vinegar bottle rockets when I was a kid, baking, mixing, leavening, and measurements never had much interest for me. But I do respect how subtle variations in combining flour, sugar, butter and leavening can create such a vast array of different results. So I felt it best to wade into the wide world of baking with one of the simplest yet sublime and versatile creations ever imagined, the waffle.

My internet research led me to recipe after recipe, all precisely calculated. It seems that waffles (and I suspect, every other baked good) begins not as a recipe, but as a science experiment. I decided that what turns a baking experiment from science into a recipe is the flavorings that are added during construction, and also the techniques involved in bringing the ingredients together. This is why I decided to try two waffle recipes.

The first “application” (taking a cue from Alton Brown, I won’t call this a recipe) using a low-protein cake flour, and the “muffin method” (sounds like a nursery rhyme to me), with the added step of beating egg whites into the mix. I added pecans, nutmeg, and cinnamon for flavoring, so I feel comfortable calling it “my” recipe (though I have no doubt that countless others have likely come up with something similar before, it’s not exactly rocket science).

The result of experiment #1 was a very light, and not surprisingly, cake-like waffle with a light texture, but little to no crispness to the waffle exterior. It reminded me of strawberry shortcake really, with waffle impressions in it. The strawberries and cream were a welcome addition (but then again, I haven’t seen too many baked goods where Strawberries and whipped cream were persona non grata.)

For my second experiment, I was hoping to end up with a waffle that had more “oomph” to it. Something that was more than just a cake. Crisp exterior and soft, but not chewy interior would be nice. And since it was Valentine’s day, why not make it a little special. So I went with CHOCOLATE waffles. For these I followed a similar muffin method procedure, but I just combined all the ingredients together without beating the egg whites.

The difference in texture was very noticeable. The waffle had a nice body to it, but it was not chewey like a baguette. I think this was the AP flour’s doing, (but it may have been because I tossed in the whole eggs instead of whipping them first ?). And I think that French vanilla Ice cream never had a better friend than a warm chocolate waffle. Add a little shaved milk chocolate and some coacoa powder, toss on some strawberries and cream (why not?) and WOW. This was a dessert to remember.

This waffle thing is definitely worth the little bit of work that goes into prepping it. And it’s a good start for wading into the pool of baking without jumping into the deep end! I like the difference in textures that the different methods offer, and I may even include waffles in savory dishes if I get daring enough!
482 recipes to go!

Top Ramen, the way it should be

Ever since I found out that the "flavor packet" of my ramen noodles was primarily comprised of mono-sodium-glutamate and onion powder, I have tended to stay away from asian noodles, unless I go get them at a fine noodle house.

Now yesterday I was just feeling like something quick, so I decided to get a little familiar with ramen noodles again, but this time I was going to make them better than that dubious looking preservative "flavor pack" could ever dream.

Now, not having any home made stock on hand with which to make concomme, I did go with chicken broth here. But to make it more flavorful, I tossed in some crimini mushrooms, baby bok-choy, beef, green onion, black pepper, ginger and celery. I gave it all a nice sear in my saucepan to create bit of fond. Deglazing this with some chicken stock, I then tossed in some EZ-peel shrimp ("veins" removed) and simmered them with the noodles. It all came together really quickly, the shrimp cooking in about the same time as the noodles.

Now while this is certainly not a made-from-scratch consomme based dish, it was fast, and it tasted a world better than the MSG-laden foil pack ever would. The shrimp were succulent and sweet, while the savory chicken stock took on a life of its own from the aromatics and beef. The harmonious zen of flavor was completed with the subtle yet clean taste of ginger, cleansing the palate on its own with each bite.

I think I like this soup-making stuff. I'm going to try a consomme next. It seems to be labor and time intensive, but if the final result is a truly shining example of this type of cuisine, I figure why not go for it! That is what I'm here for after all!
484 to go.

Late night refrigerator-pillaging quesadilla!

Now what could be the motivation for a dish like this? Well, quite honestly, there wasn’t one, I just had the munchies reeeallllyyy baaadd last night and I spied with my little eye a package of tortillas and a hot dog…the rest was all just a happy accident of late night kitchen chaos! Don’t underestimate the power of a few frosty brews to inspire the need to acquire some yummy-foods with a quickness! With that in mind, here is what happened last night, about 10:30 pm in my kitchen…It was all over by 10:40.

In the small village of frostyville, the poor hot dog wasn’t doing anything to anyone. He was just sitting there in his package, flirting shamelessly with the sassy Dijon mustard container, when out of nowhere a big hulking ogre snatched him and chopped him up (on the bias) in front of everyone. Panic ensued in the refrigerator village, but none were safe from the ravenous giant. “Fe-Fi-Fo-Fum, I got the munchies and I needs me some….good eats” Yelled the giant as he snatched an entire package of tortillas that tried to take refuge behind the apple juice bottle. Tortillas, Hotdogs, the poor package of shredded cheese, the last of the cilantro crop, and a hapless avocado all were taken by the giant ogre man who reeked of Samuel Adams Pils beer. By the time the mayo jar and the sliced onion defense force could organize, the attack was over and nothing could be done…

The giant slathered the tortilla with some melted butter, tossed on the other ingredients, and broiled them in his Mt. Doom signature series mountain fortress broiler until everything was a heap of bubbling, melty deliciousness. Then the giant tossed in the avocado which had been mercilessly cut into chunks, folded over the tortilla on itself, brushed it with more butter and tossed on some more cheese and broiled it AGAIN until it was lightly browned.

At this point, the giant cut his meal into pieces and enjoyed a feast of good eats. The melty cheese, salty sausage hot dog, creamy avocado, perky cilantro and slightly crisped tortilla all melted in the giant’s maw, driving away his midnight hunger and helped him drift off to sleep.

Meanwhile, the inhabitants of frostyville are all sleeping with one eye open, Mayo jar and the sliced onion stand guard over the crisper drawer, watching…waiting..and preparing for the next attack.

485 to go!

Sirloin and Onions por los amigos.

It’s days like this that make kitchen failures all worthwhile. Experimenting with a recipe and having something come out ho-hum, then going back to the drawing board and coming up with a new battle plan and ending up with a dish that is really wonderful, using the same ingredients, but just a different technique. Such was the case today with my sizzlin’ steak fajitas with onions and roasted chiles; served alongside some nice Maize in a garlic and chile infused butter.

I switched from rubbing the steak with chile powder to a marinade of Worcestershire, white wine, and spices. I think this is a better move because the meat is so thin and cooks so fast, having flavor already inside the meat from the liquid helps a lot. Also, not dousing the meat in powder means there’s more direct contact with the meat and pan, so it makes for a better sear.

With the onions, caramelization was out for this dish. I wanted them done hot and fast! This would let them cook a little bit, but would prevent them from developing an over-sweet character. For the peppers, I didn’t want to use big honkin’ chunks of bell pepper, but I didn’t want to sear my mouth off from a habanero either. My solution? To roast a red chile and a jalapeno, then remove the skin, seeds, and inner membrane with a paring knife so sharp it could be used as a surgical implement. This way it let the fruity essences of the pepper come out, while removing a lot of the outright heat. Plus it gave the dish some nice “tex mex” colors.

Half the fun of fajitas is the fireworks when the meat hits the pan. That strong, fast sizzle could only be more grand with the 1812 overture playing in the background. It’s the unmistakable sound of “something’s cookin’!” It took less than a minute to cook the meat, and the whole dish came together in about 5 minutes once I started cooking.

Now for serving, there was a dilemma. Every fajita I’ve ever had has come with two things. First they come on an insulated iron plate that is sizzling violently.
Secondly, they always came with a Mexican waiter who would warn me that said smoking, sizzling, steaming plate was very hot.” Having neither of these two essential items, and thinking better of placing a rocket-hot cast iron fry pan onto my table, I elected to plate them up on a warmed flour tortilla, lightly buttered, served alongside my chile-buttered maize.

Speaking of Maize, I’m trying to use that word instead of “corn” simply because I understand that the entire rest of the population of the world calls it maize, or masa, and I’m just international that way. Plus Maize sounds more exotic, like I’ve “done something” to the corn using super-secret-jedi-master-chef skills. Really I’m a minimalist when it comes to cooking maize. For me, the biggest part of the dish is the sauce, which is nothing more than some chile peppers and garlic steeped in a little butter. I boiled the corn only long enough to warm it through, then tossed it with the spicy garlicky goodness and served it next to my fajitas, garnished with a little cheese and fresh cilantro.

These might just be the best fajitas I’ve ever had! The fruitiness of the roasted chiles had a bit of spice left in them, but it certainly was not overpowering. Roasting them first was a good call because it took off the waxy skin and made for an almost velvety texture. The heat itself was offset a little from the saltiness of the meat, which was just enough to add flavor to the meal, but was not overpowering. The onions gave everything a nice pleasant crunch, and had cooked down just enough so that they began to get traces of sweetness, but still had some nice bite to them.

All this combined with the chile-garlic buttered maize made for a well-tied together dish. It was such an improvement over the chile-rubbed ho-humness of a few days past. I served it up with a frosty Sam Adams Pils beer, now that’s what I call good eating!

486 to go!

Bear-den, Home-invasion Porridge

My grandpa Frank used to tell me the story of Goldilocks and the three bears. As much as I loved attention from Grandpa, I never understood what was so special about “porridge” (essentially boiled oats) that it would lead anyone into a bear-den to burglarize a food supply. Anytime I had eaten oats(or more appropriately, been “force-fed”), they had been globby, gloppy masses of unidentifiable cereal-like substance. It was always….nutritious.

In my recent experiments with Irish oats, I have noticed potential in their chewy texture and slightly nutty flavor. Some experiments worked but were uninspiring, and others were just plain awful. So before I relegate the Irish oat can to the deep, dark recesses of my pantry, never to be seen or heard from again, I felt it appropriate to give them one last chance at redemption. After all, Goldilocks got to sample three bowls of “porridge” before she got busted by the rightly indignant bears, so I’d try three attempts before moving on to higher culinary ground. This called for assistance from some culinary heavyweight champions; butter, brown sugar, milk, and raisins for backup.

Melting some butter in a saucier, I thought it would be a good idea to “toast” the oats to develop some more of that nutty flavor I had liked from last time. So this I did, and once my keen olfactory sensors detected the smell of nuts and butter in the air, I then added raisins and some water and let the oats cook at a simmer, until they were ready for the next additions.

Once the oats were ready (al dente, you could say), I added in a tablespoon of brown sugar, some freshly ground cinnamon, and some whole milk for a velvety consistency. Once everything was combined, I garnished it with a couple strawberries and somewhat nervously sat down at my table with my porridge.

I will never think about “oatmeal” the same way again. This was a far cry from the pasty bowl’o’doom oatmeal I was forced to choke down in my youth. These oats were fantastic, in fact, if it were being served in a formal setting, you could get away quite easily in describing it as a sweet breakfast risotto! The oats were creamy, yet held a nice texture that actually required some chewing (think about it, when was the last time you HAD to really “chew” oatmeal?). Toasting the oats really did intensify their flavor, which balanced perfectly with the brown sugar and raisins so that it was in the forefront of flavor, but not overpowering like brown rice might be. The butter and the milk made for a sleek and velvety flavor delivery system. Oh yes, this was a very hearty bowl of breakfast porridge, and saved my Irish oats from the dungeon of my pantry.

Now with this new perspective, I can see what would drive little Goldilocks to a life of crime. Home-invasion, burglary, and evading arrest is a big-rap sheet for such a young one, but if the Bear’s porridge was anything like this one, I can completely understand why poor Goldilocks was driven to brave the dangers of a bear den.
488 recipes to go!