FoodB

In an effort to update this website with a little more regularity, I asked my wife if she would want to do some updates. Here is the first of her posts.

Years ago my friends dad had gone on a month long fishing trip and invited some of us over to feast on his treasure. He had caught a bunch of yellow fin tuna and the last time I had indulged myself on that was when I had stayed in Hawaii. I will never forget the Parmesan Yellow fin Tuna Steaks he made. Even though I never got the recipe from him I tried the other night to replicate my own. It didn't taste anything like his but I can sure say that mine were good. He cooked his well done, as for mine, well I love it pink in the middle, brought out way more flavor I think.

Parmesan Yellow Fin Tuna Steaks

2 Yellow Fin Tuna Steaks
1 1/2 cup of Parmesan Cheese, shredded
Sea Salt
Pepper
Olive Oil

1. Rinse the Tuna Steaks and pat dry with a paper towel.
2. Season front and back of fish with Sea Salt & pepper.
3. Shred the parmesan cheese and lay out on a plate.
4. Lay the Tuna steak in the shredded parmesan cheese on both sides. You can lightly press the cheese onto the fish and it will stick to it, make sure that it covers with a good layer.
5. Take some olive oil and only put enough in to surface the pan and heat up the pan to medium-high.
6. Place steak on pan and sear for 4-5 minutes per side, or until cheese forms a golden brown crust on each side.

Note: The steak is going to be rare in the middle; you are only searing the outside of the tuna. If you don't like it rare, then go ahead and throw it in the oven for a few minutes. Also when cooking with sea food I usually find that it's a good idea and better to use sea salt instead of regular salt; however you don't have to do this.

Posted by Gordon at 10:44 AM | Permalink

Guess I missed a whole month there. That's what I get for bragging so much about how well I was doing, posting-wise, a few months back.

So what happened? Well we got poor for awhile there. If you read our main site you know all about our adventures finding a job for Jenn. So with that weighing on us, we just really couldn't afford much. But things are better now. Jenn is 2 weeks into a job she can turn into a career and I am having a little less of the stress related ailments that I suffer from.

Now that we are on our way to being back on our feet we have taken the last few budget reduced months as a lesson. Now when we shop for food we will be looking for as many deals as possible and crafting meals around what we are able to score. Also we are both becoming coupon hounds. Even though we have money coming in, we both remember all to well what it was like to be without.

So last night we made up some chicken. The recipe called for grilling the bird and the common thought when we heard that was that we would just end up pan frying it. For reasons I can't explain I decided that I really wanted to grill the dinner. Last night was really windy and all I had was charcoal, but I couldn't be stopped. Here is the recipe that Jenn found:

Grilled Chicken Breast with Ginger and Soy

2 cups soy sauce
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup dark sesame oil
1 lime, juiced
4 inches fresh ginger, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin

1. Combine the 1 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup olive oil, 2 tablespoons sesame oil, half of the lime juice, ginger, and garlic, and 1/4 cup cilantro in the bottom of each of 2 large freezer bags. Put 2 chicken breasts in each bag and get them coated with the marinade. Then set the bags on a work surface, force the air out and seal them. Allow chicken to marinade for 1 hour. You can also freeze the chicken right in the marinade at this point. To do so fold each bag over the chicken 3 times, tape them well, and date them. Put it in the freezer for up to 2 months.
2. Place a large grill pan on 2 burners over medium-high heat, or preheat an outdoor gas or charcoal grill. Fold a few paper towels into a thick square. Blot some oil on the paper towels and then carefully and quickly wipe the ridges of the gill pan or the hot grates of the grill to make a non-stick surface.
3. Remove the chicken breasts from the marinade and season with salt and pepper. Lay the chicken on the hot grill and cook 3 to 5 minutes on each side until charred and firm. Serve with the sesame noodles and cucumber pickles.

Good stuff here. Boy am I glad that I fired up the grill because I don't think it would have been half as good if we hadn't. We also had a bunch of this leftover. We decided to freeze it and we will use it whenever we don't feel like going though the motions of making dinner for the night.

Posted by Gordon at 09:52 AM | Permalink

Last night I made dinner. It's been pretty tough the last few weeks making dinner, what with our budget crisis and all. I wanted to break out of the funk we were in food wise and tried to make a fancy meal for the two of us. I'll split the two different items that I made into two posts so I can actually look like I am doing something with this website.

First was the side dish I made. I have never had it before and have always been curious. I am okay in the kitchen and have had more successes than failure recently, so I thought would try making risotto. Risotto can be considered a main dish in most cases, but I wanted it on the side so I would have a main dish in case this crashed and burned like it so easily could have. So for an Italian meal like Risotto I decided to try a Mario Batalli recipe. Here was the easiest one I found.

Risotto Milanese

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 teaspoon saffron threads
3 1/2 cups chicken stock, hot
2 cups arborio rice
1/2 cup white wine
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for sprinkling

1. In a 12 to 14-inch skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened and translucent but not browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile add the saffron to the stock, stirring to infuse. Once the onions are translucent add the rice and stir with a wooden spoon until toasted and opaque, 3 to 4 minutes.
2. Add the wine to the toasting rice, and then add a 4 to 6-ounce ladle of the saffron-infused stock and cook, stirring, until it is absorbed. Continue adding the stock a ladle at a time, waiting until the liquid is absorbed before adding more. Cook until the rice is tender and creamy and yet still a little al dente, about 15 minutes. Stir in the butter and cheese until well mixed. Portion risotto into 4 warmed serving plates, serving with extra cheese.

Cool thing about this dish was that all I needed to buy was chicken stock. I had already bought the arborio rice at Trader Joe's some time back with grand ideas in my head. Luckily the package was vacuum sealed because it took some time to get around to that original plan.

If you have never made risotto before I have to warn you that it is a pretty intense meal to make. Not that it was overly tricky in the making, there is just a lot of standing and stirring involved. So make sure and wear some sensible shoes before attempting this one.

At first taste, I wasn't overly impressed. It just tasted like mushy rice with some flavor. Some reason I couldn't stop eating it though. By the end of my portion I actually enjoyed it. This is probably going to out me as someone that know very little about food, but I kept thinking that it tasted like a grown up version of mac and cheese. There was no nuclear orange flavoring involved and the consistency of the rice was like a macaroni noodle when cooked right.

With a little effort and more testing, I think I can grow to really like risotto. All in all I think I did pretty well for a first try (I didn't burn anything and it was edible). That was the least of what I was hoping for.

Next post: Fish! Not something I am used to cooking.

Posted by Gordon at 10:38 AM | Permalink

My wife tried to kill me last night...

Not really, but that statement doesn't quite reflect the amount of shock I am in today after her actions last night. What horrible thing could she have done to make me question her motives you ask?

She served me a sandwich with mustard on it!

I'm sure the look of horror on my face was worth a good laugh once I realized what was in my mouth. She made both of us a couple of panini's last night and decided that she wanted mustard and tomatoes on hers, which I asked to be omitted from my sandwich. Once served, I joked that she had given me the wrong sandwich and proceeded to bite into it. Jenn noticed that her sandwich was missing tomatoes and pointed this out. I made it to the bathroom in 2 seconds flat.

All in all, I didn't even taste the mustard. I was only on the first bite and it wasn't the really nasty yellow mustard (which in my eyes is equal to eating sulfuric acid). I lived through the harrowing tale but now have to cast a suspicious eye on anything my wife puts in front of me. Maybe I can hire one of those tasters that kings used to have in their courts to detect any poisons.

On more realistic news, there has been a real dry spell at foodb lately. Jenn has been out of work for some time and we had to really tighten our budget in the last few months. Unfortunately this means we have to really rely on a lot of recipes that we know are relatively cheap and that we have already covered on this here web site. So don't think I have abandoned this site entirely, I'm just waiting until we get back on our feet in some form.

Posted by Gordon at 11:13 AM | Permalink

Look at that, a genuine inflatable matzah ball. Man there are some weird pictures on the internet. Can't imagine why I don't already own a genuine inflatable matzah ball.

Speaking of which, this entry covers (as you might have guessed) matzah ball soup. Jenn and I watched a special on the customs of Passover feasts from around New York, and it got me interested more in kosher food and various Jewish meals. One of the main meals that I know of from Jewish culture is matzah ball soup.

So, once again I came across a recipe in our big soup book and asked Jenn if she could make it sometime. Here is what the recipe looked like:

Matzah Ball Soup

4 large Eggs
1/4 cup Vegetable Oil
7 Tbsn. of Water
1 cup matzo meal
1 1/2 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. Black Pepper
2 Quarts Chicken Stock
3 small Carrots, peeled and cut into round 1/8 inch thick
2 Tbsn. finely chopped fresh dill or parsley

1. Lightly beat the eggs with a whisk in a medium bowl. Whisk in the fat, then the water. In a separate bowl, mix together the matzo meal, salt and pepper. Stir the matzo mixture into the liquids. The consistency will initially be like pancake batter, but it will immediately begin to thicken. After 2 to 3 minutes the batter will be like soft mashed potatoes or soft polenta. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours.
2. Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large stockpot of Dutch oven over medium high heat. With moistened hands, form 1 level tablespoon of matzo mixture into balls about 1 inch diameter. Drop the balls into the boiling water so that each falls into the pot in a different place. When all of the balls are added, reduce to a simmer over medium low heat and cook covered for 20 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove one matzo ball, cut in half and check for doneness and seasoning. The matzo ball is done when the inside is not dark or wet. If more seasoning is desired add 2 teaspoons salt to the water. If necessary cook 5 to 10 additional minutes, or until the color is uniform throughout and the texture is light and fluffy.
3. While the matzo balls are cooking bring the stock to a boil in a large saucepan. Add the carrots, reduce the heat to medium low and cook until tender, about 6 minutes. Use slotted spoons to transfer the matzo balls to the soup. Stir in the dill or parsley and serve immediately.

Man was I impressed. I helped Jenn a little in the making of the soup and I thought it was going to be horrible. It was basically dough balls that consist of flour, eggs, water and some spices for the matzah itself. Just sounded bland. Then the broth was just chicken broth and carrots. Again, nothing earth shattering there. I was happily surprised that the matzah balls themselves have a lot of flavor and made for a really good soup. It was still good the next day as leftovers.

This week we are making it again (this recipe should have been posted about a month ago). This time Jenn says she wants to add some celery to the broth. Either way, I think this one is going to be a staple for us.

Posted by Gordon at 10:20 AM | Permalink

Silent round here. Been busy. School. Work. The usual.

A few weeks back, Jennifer's mom was having another open house. She offered to buy the food if I was willing to cook it. Always one to step up to a challenge like that, I accepted. I had my heart set on smoking a big ole chunk of pig.

Just a quick info session on the process of smoking. Smoking is cooking (in a BBQ looking device) at less than 250 degrees for long periods of time. Generally you only smoke larger pieces of meat this way because: a) smaller pieces will finish too quickly, therefore negating the reason for smoking; adding flavor b) larger pieces have more fat and can withstand the long cook time better, and c) it's just more fun to say that you stayed up all night cooking. So the main recipients of the smoking method are beef brisket, beef or pork ribs, and pork shoulder.

All that being said, I had yet to try smoking a pork shoulder. So we all went to the market and I settled on a picnic roast (mainly because they did not have the more sought after pork butt which I wanted). So here is the recipe as far as I can remember:

Pulled Pork (picnic roast)

1 Pork Picnic Roast (approximately 7-10 lbs.)
Generous amount of spice rub (I used a BBQ rub we get from Plowboys)
4-6 Baseball sized wood chunks (I used apple)
Hamburger buns or large kaiser rolls
BBQ sauce
Cole slaw

Basting Sauce
2 cups apple cider vinegar
1 cup water
3 Tablespoons ground black pepper
2 Tablespoons table salt
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 Tablespoon paprika
1 Tablespoon pepper

1. Fire up you smoker according to your directions. The temperature of your smoker should be between 200 and 250 degrees.
2. Remove any skin and excess fat from the roast. Apply a generous amount of spice rub to cover (it should look like the spices are caked on. Don't worry about over spicing because it cooks into the meat and that is good eating).
3. Place roast on smoker. Cook for about 1 1/2 hours per pound. Your desired temperature is 188 degrees so your cooking time may vary.
4. About halfway through you cook, mix the basting sauce in a pot. Warm over a low flame and mix together. Flip the roast on the smoker and baste with the sauce.
5. Once roast hits 188 degrees, remove the roast and let it rest, covered in foil, for 30 minutes to 2 hours. Once the rest is up, pull the pork into small bite size pieces with your hands. Mix some of the basting sauce into the pulled pieces of pork. Serve with buns, BBQ sauce, and cole slaw.

Can't believe I waited this long to cook this guy. Really good stuff here. Next time I will try a full pork butt instead of the picnic. Supposedly the picnic has more of a ham-like flavor. I didn't notice any of that but I would like to try at least once.

This was definitely an adventure. I started cooking the roast around 10 p.m. the night before. I have a remote thermometer that I can program to wake me up if the temp gets too high/low and will warn me when the meat hits a certain temp. That little remote is one of the best investments I ever made. We also had to speed up the cook at the end because I hit a temperature plateau. Butts and picnics sometimes hit a temperature and stay there for a long time. I had a hungry houseful of people, so I had to speed the process up a bit by increasing the temp of the smoker.

Just a word of warning also. I drink beer when I BBQ. When I am grilling that means I will have about 2 beers when cooking because most grilling takes only up to 30 minutes. With smoking the time moves up to 10+ hours. Don't be a Gordon and start drinking early. It only leads to bad things.

Posted by Gordon at 01:18 PM | Permalink

I am starving. I am sitting at work and thought it would be a good idea to get out another post for this here blog. I am realizing that it probably wasn't such a good idea.

Last week we our usual recipe for Cornish Game Hens. We both really like it and haven't felt the need to expand on it really. When you buy game hens though, you typically get a pack with two of them in it and usually we just throw the extra one in the freezer for a future retread of the same recipe. This week we decided to go ahead and find another recipe that involved our favorite little bird. So after much searching, it Emeril to the rescue:

Bulgur, Herb, and Feta Stuffed Cornish Hens

1 1/2 cups chicken stock
3/4 cup medium-grain bulgur
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill, plus generous sprigs for garnish
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus generous sprigs for garnish
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint, plus generous sprigs for garnish
3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more as needed
4 scallions (white and green), chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
Freshly ground black pepper
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 cup crumbled Greek feta (about 3 ounces)
4 Cornish game hens, backbone and breast bone removed (butterflied)
Charred Tomato Coulis, recipe follows

1. Bring the stock to a boil in a small saucepan. Meanwhile, toast the bulgur in a medium skillet over medium heat until fragrant and nutty, about 4 minutes. Stir in the bulgur, lower the heat, and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside for 5 minutes.
2. Transfer the bulgur to a medium bowl and fluff with a fork. Add 1/4 cup of the olive oil, chopped herbs, pine nuts, 2 teaspoons salt, scallions, and garlic and season with pepper, to taste. Cool slightly and add the egg and feta, and mix to combine. Set the stuffing aside.
3. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
4. Lay the hens on a work surface. Starting from the neck of a hen, slip a couple fingers between the skin and breast, and loosen the skin. Take a large spoonful of the stuffing and slip the spoon between the skin and breast. With your free hand, hold the stuffing in place and gently pull the spoon out, leaving the stuffing behind. Press the skin down to evenly distribute the stuffing over the breast. Repeat until the hens are evenly stuffed. Cross the legs of the birds at the breastbone and tie them with a piece of kitchen twine.
5. Arrange the hens breast-side up on a baking sheet. Brush all over with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper.
6. Roast the birds until well browned and crispy, and an instant-read thermometer registers 160 degrees when inserted into the thigh, about 40 minutes.
7. To serve, split the hens in half lengthwise. Pour the coulis onto a platter and arrange the hens on top. Garnish with the herb sprigs and serve.

Charred Tomato Coulis
4 medium ripe tomatoes
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Put the tomatoes over 2 gas burners on high and cook, turning occasionally, until charred and peeling. Alternatively, broil the tomatoes until charred. Put the tomatoes in a bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Set aside to steam for 5 minutes. Peel and seed the tomatoes.
2. Transfer the tomatoes to a blender with the vinegar and garlic and puree until smooth. While the motor is running, drizzle in the oil until incorporated. Season with pepper, to taste.

Pretty intense recipe. The bird and the stuffing were both good stuff. As for the tomato coulis, there was a little accident and I ended up cleaning more of it off of the counter than ended up on our plates. I'm not really a sauce person myself so I let Jenn have the bulk of what could be salvaged. As for the stuffing, I was very surprised that the feta or the dill didn't overpower it. I'm not a big fan of either so I was a little worried when I saw that both of them were involved. Since there was only two of us, we decided to split the recipe by 4 (which made for some interesting fractional measurements). Also we avoided the pine nuts due to possible allergic reactions as always. The recipe may seem intimidating just looking at the amount of ingredients and steps, but I think Jenn had a pretty easy time of it. All and all, another keeper.

Posted by Gordon at 11:12 AM | Permalink