tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89039400241731493482024-03-12T20:45:05.029-07:00SeatFoodBecause SeattleFood was taken . . .El Capitanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12494962412929290738noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903940024173149348.post-57733359217718001432009-08-16T16:21:00.000-07:002009-08-16T16:23:17.124-07:00Fuck Paella.So for the last while or so I have been off in the land of people with better things to do than blog. Turns out I didn't belong. For an alternative account of my absence from blogging and twitter, see <a href="http://www.kanyeuniversecity.com/blog/index.php?em3106=231840_-1__0_%7E0_-1_5_2009_0_0&eM">this</a>. I think it speaks to my particular brand of creative genius. I'm something like the Kanye of the food blog world.<br /><br />Now that that's out of the way, here's a post which was actually written a while ago. It's filed under disasters.<br /><br />14" Stainless Steel All-clad pans are BADASS. All-clad is the kind of stuff that makes home chefs (read: me) all bothered and hot. They're either a symbol of knowing way to much about cookware for one's own (wallet's) good, or a symbol of being hideously wealthy. I wouldn't have one if not for the fact that my parents inexplicably (i.e., they fall into neither of the previous two categories) had one lying around in our basement. And for the further fact that I decided I would rather leave clothes at home and stuff my suitcase with pans and books and socks (just under 40 lbs, thank you very much JetBlue). It is a perfect pan for paella. Not non-stick, so you can get a nice, caramelized <em>sofrito</em> going, great heat distribution, and plenty of room for a large paella (mine fed 7 happily). They love the oven heat. Which means that they are hotter than a raging den of iniquity when they come out of a 450 degree oven after half an hour. It's like someone has emblazoned on the handle: "Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate." Well, some of us fail to take notice of such elegant warnings. This is why we can't have nice things:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiWnD-AjkHgR2sqfnzK5ooXGD-ZxBt4Pr1JAYW72r8Q8sJ6A6JKBTKVWT2gr6Hoc52fArTbJ_2C_F6fUUjc7yEAMZDs0pyQAqXO81bbaX52VD7xxfnCZwPdnIjtpA2q4O6KSxdvfjisYo/s1600-h/burn.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiWnD-AjkHgR2sqfnzK5ooXGD-ZxBt4Pr1JAYW72r8Q8sJ6A6JKBTKVWT2gr6Hoc52fArTbJ_2C_F6fUUjc7yEAMZDs0pyQAqXO81bbaX52VD7xxfnCZwPdnIjtpA2q4O6KSxdvfjisYo/s400/burn.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319134954565809842" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Panhandles != safe zones for touching. This I learned slowly as I held my hand in a pitcher of cool water which I kept in my crotch all night (<a title="Classic." href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbRom1Rz8OA">or did I hold an opponent's wife's hand in a jar of acid? hard to say . . .</a>). Now, lesson learned, I wear oven mitts everywhere. The Peter-Michigan-Hands jokes are getting pretty old. Not that they were funny in the first place.<br /><br />There are a couple of interesting things about making Paella, the first of which is the sofrito. I picked up my technique form watching my main man Jose Andres on <a href="http://www.hulu.com/made-in-spain">Made in Spain</a>. Essentially, you want to get your onions just carmelized, degalze the pan with a touch of white wine, and then mix in some grated tomato. The Spaniards seem to be all about the juicy innards of fresh tomatoes in a way that no one else is. I'm not sure who first had the idea to rub tomato halves on toasted bread, but this catalan mainstay is shockingly good (especially with a little olive oil and garlic joined in the rubbing). Grating tomatoes is kind of a brilliant little trick if you're looking to really integrate the tomato flavor without canned tomatoes or tomato paste. Simply cut a tomato in half and rub it on the coarse side of your grater over a bowl. You'll get a thick, fresh, tomatoey liquid in the bowl and a to-be-discarded tomato skin in your hand. Anyway, this goes into the pan with the caramelized onions and some slivered garlic and you've got my take on a sofrito. It's a fresh start for paella, soups, and light sauces.<br /><br />The other interesting thing is that it requires no stirring. This is only interesting if you've been in the habit of making risotto for large groups of people.<br /><br /><a class="blk" href="javascript:;" onmousedown="if(document.getElementById('plla').style.display == 'none'){ document.getElementById('plla').style.display = 'block'; }else{ document.getElementById('plla').style.display = 'none'; }">{+} Paella Vegetariana</a><br /><div class="mid" id="plla" style="display: none;"><br /><blockquote>Burn-hand Paella<br />(serves 4 to 6)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiPlXRK-sjssxmcDY9DR8e9ASFZQQk4K3rHpYpKqe5-vf4-tde9DEWg4Pfmy2zPNxqkhyphenhyphentyHa4ZPfh1YpLq4FWOoAC_ZZ0tLlcTacGeVBcjpSrXe4KfYB20_Nsq9LdjlXMYHqhSaaPCrw/s1600-h/IMG_2230.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiPlXRK-sjssxmcDY9DR8e9ASFZQQk4K3rHpYpKqe5-vf4-tde9DEWg4Pfmy2zPNxqkhyphenhyphentyHa4ZPfh1YpLq4FWOoAC_ZZ0tLlcTacGeVBcjpSrXe4KfYB20_Nsq9LdjlXMYHqhSaaPCrw/s200/IMG_2230.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370697096786954498" border="0" /></a><br /><br />1 large white onion<br />2 or 3 cloves garlic<br />3 tomatoes<br />10 cherry tomatoes (halved)<br />1 bunch asparagus<br />10 small mushrooms (I used cremini)<br />2 cups short grain rice<br />3 cups water (stock would be good too)<br />splash of white wine<br /><br />Veggie Prep: Dice the onion and mince garlic, half the cherry tomatoes, cut asparagus into 1.5" pieces.<br /><br />1. The first step is to get a healthy sofrito going. Take a moment to get your oven going as well. 450 is the target zone. Sofrito instructions are above, but here's a recap: caramelize onions and deglaze with white wine, add salt, pepper, and grated tomato innards.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRG8LqZ9rNHWMiGopCK_ilPRaK8kpiJ9Xo-vjv6mwpzCeRNnEQlMd5nohuWAATdCUeYQv1Tot45Ar-gVK73kCX2Qf7zjLBBApXQg7e-93mIWZwk6NwpPh5vk_h7zDVy1zvea7UvNTbh3A/s1600-h/IMG_2215.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRG8LqZ9rNHWMiGopCK_ilPRaK8kpiJ9Xo-vjv6mwpzCeRNnEQlMd5nohuWAATdCUeYQv1Tot45Ar-gVK73kCX2Qf7zjLBBApXQg7e-93mIWZwk6NwpPh5vk_h7zDVy1zvea7UvNTbh3A/s400/IMG_2215.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370699539936775762" border="0" /></a><br /><br />2. Next, add the rest of your veggies (except the cherry tomatoes) and saute. I went for asparagus and mushrooms.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyRf2RXFTN59Zlr_aO-_-BstR2mZueU7fLfoQSBSUGcIG7VWbIpEZR2FWi6j0RvKDewg5lahOp_d0uC_x5D8y2b5h3Q3OvTYWxI0tLm-terfjRydDpqyv0itDSWb22wqfHe23gHAhAYD0/s1600-h/IMG_2217.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyRf2RXFTN59Zlr_aO-_-BstR2mZueU7fLfoQSBSUGcIG7VWbIpEZR2FWi6j0RvKDewg5lahOp_d0uC_x5D8y2b5h3Q3OvTYWxI0tLm-terfjRydDpqyv0itDSWb22wqfHe23gHAhAYD0/s400/IMG_2217.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370702037075937362" border="0" /></a><br /><br />3. If you've got some saffron, warm the water that you're going to add to the dish and toss it in there. If you are both sneaky and concerned about your paella not having that healthy yellow glow, toss in some ground tumeric. No one will notice the flavor and the color is a decent saffron-approximator. Don't add the water/stock yet. Just get it ready.<br /><br />4. Add the rice to the sauteed vegetables. Most cookbooks say to toast the rice until it is "shiny." Whatever that means. With the amount of olive oil in my pan, everything is shiny and that's the way I like it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmTFXG72kdykoh_rUmvwnpvWsqttXoOdT71JIVKpgzBcsOKl5vCIQAjUaGXzpes_t3yk9t49LeTbVKj2PUy9oJI52JRmZCdPVoveXmVkH1LaPbCqLh_N2_ljlIn0wWeTnL9Es45kH2C6E/s1600-h/IMG_2219.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmTFXG72kdykoh_rUmvwnpvWsqttXoOdT71JIVKpgzBcsOKl5vCIQAjUaGXzpes_t3yk9t49LeTbVKj2PUy9oJI52JRmZCdPVoveXmVkH1LaPbCqLh_N2_ljlIn0wWeTnL9Es45kH2C6E/s400/IMG_2219.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370703035362338178" border="0" /></a><br /><br />5. Add the liquid.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWDgfP73OHR76JryAzA8LdYId-i6TfZatnN123WVVQ3eC9lsFqht_qx7GxEc6g5NyhgCwYhgXkLIp93RtivKKo5iTpmhTCJx-JWqYDGp1t6_wYzF1X0OBiNw5jCNQZQ-MTo7iA9iiBF_U/s1600-h/IMG_2222.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWDgfP73OHR76JryAzA8LdYId-i6TfZatnN123WVVQ3eC9lsFqht_qx7GxEc6g5NyhgCwYhgXkLIp93RtivKKo5iTpmhTCJx-JWqYDGp1t6_wYzF1X0OBiNw5jCNQZQ-MTo7iA9iiBF_U/s400/IMG_2222.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370703748483448466" border="0" /></a><br /><br />6. Put it in the oven!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHUfwgPLMsVrY7JdpfjUTQpPxgu7Ak-im2Q66v_NzWo-koj3DnudGj5Cs0Mc0x3Vv36yEHaPGTbD-s4H9b6iWyndwdLqC9gSqmyZeWZjwsqNJ-M-IP6lQkPwMRajg2ZfzqF-CJ0wtbpHo/s1600-h/IMG_2223.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHUfwgPLMsVrY7JdpfjUTQpPxgu7Ak-im2Q66v_NzWo-koj3DnudGj5Cs0Mc0x3Vv36yEHaPGTbD-s4H9b6iWyndwdLqC9gSqmyZeWZjwsqNJ-M-IP6lQkPwMRajg2ZfzqF-CJ0wtbpHo/s400/IMG_2223.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370704391547224690" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Finally, touch the handle of the pan with your bare hand. Serve sizzling.<br /></blockquote></div><br /><br />I'll sign off with a <a href="http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/2009/05/the_plate_is_political.html">video of my two favs chatting food "policy."</a> Long, but interesting.<br /><br />Pleased to meetcha,<br />Peter<div class="blogger-post-footer">[Note to RSSers: Unfortunately, reading posts via feedreader breaks footnote links and expandable recipes. If you want this technogeek candy, read the posts at <a href="http://seatfood.blogspot.com">Blogger</a>.]</div>El Capitanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12494962412929290738noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903940024173149348.post-8692640293917696032009-06-06T14:55:00.000-07:002009-06-08T13:30:45.898-07:00Ode on a Grecian RisottoThou still <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">unravished</span> bride of cheesiness,<br /> Thou foster child of broth and low heat,<br /> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Arborian</span> historian, who canst thus express<br /> A <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">winey</span> tale more sweetly than our meat:<br /> What olive-fringed legend haunts about thy sauce<br /> Of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">cukes</span> or basil, or of both,<br /> In Athens or the dales of Seattle?<br /> What veggies or fruits are these? What <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">tomoatoes</span> loath?<br /> What mad feta? What struggle to eat?<br /> What greens and olives? What wild ecstasy?<br /><br />The truly wonderful thing about both Risottos and the online availability of classic poetry is that the parts are, given a basic structure, almost wholly interchangeable with other ingredients, and the result is still, almost universally satisfying. That's probably stretching the metaphor a little thin, I admit, especially because my bastardization of Keats above is anything but satisfying, but the point stands: Copy and paste whatever you feel like into a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">pre</span>-formatted template, and you can do a Risotto of any style, with wonderful results. (Quick aside, for an hilarious example of this tactic taken with poetry, see <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Night-Without-Armor-II-Revenge/dp/0966204298">this book</a> of poems with their titles taken from Jewel's "A Night Without Armor," here's the author's introduction: <span class="maintext">Dear Jewel, I am writing this letter to thank you for your book of poetry. A Night Without Armor has been so inspirational to me that I’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">ve</span> written an entire book of poems in four hours called A night without armor II: the revenge.")<br /><br />At any rate, to execute the kind of copy-and-paste strategy that I'm talking about here, you need a template. There are many ways, I imagine, to make a good Risotto. I hear a lot about how people are afraid to make Risottos, this is probably because most people make Risotto in some way which is more authentic and thus more difficult than the way I make Risotto. Either that or there is some secret plot to keep Risotto out of the hands of the lazy. I haven't decided which of these I believe, but I do know that they are really quite easy to make, if a little time-consuming (do you consider 45 minutes time consuming? I would think that most chef's don't), and once you have the hang of it, they are an awesome way to get rid of whatever is lying around the kitchen which, as evidenced by my earlier posts, is a passion of mine. Where was I? right, template. My template comes from the good people (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Ithacans</span> like me) at <a href="http://www.moosewoodrestaurant.com/">The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Moosewood</span> Restaurant</a>, pioneers of vegetarian cooking and, in particular, vegetarian cookbooks (The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Moosewood</span> Cookbook and The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Moosewood</span> Cooks at Home remaining staples of nearly every vegetarian kitchen). Ray Ray and I are not vegetarians (see <a href="http://seatfood.blogspot.com/2009/03/chicken-curry-whateversinthekitchen.html">chicken curry post</a>) but we don't eat that much meat at home, and don't like to pay for it, so vegetarian cooking is pretty common. My mother, <a href="http://www.educause.edu/blog/mpasiewicz/AnInterviewwithJanetMcCue/166481">wonderful soul that she is</a>, gave us <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Moosewood-Restaurant-Simple-Suppers-Weeknight/dp/0609609122/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1244327293&sr=8-1">this cookbook</a> when we moved in, a collection of easy, weekday night dinners, sides, salads, etc, with shortcuts and easy to find ingredients built in. From here I lifted the basic Risotto recipe, which I won't reproduce in full, but which you will get the gist of from my recipe.<br /><br />Greek-Style Risotto<br />Serves 4<br /><br />3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed<br />3 tbs. olive oil<br />1 qt. Vegetable Broth<br />3 cups <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Arborio</span> Rice<br />1 cup White Wine<br />1 can Black Olives (or a 1/2 pint fresh black or <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">kalamata</span> olives)<br />1/2 a Cucumber chopped<br />1 Large Tomato chopped<br />5-6 Mushrooms, sliced, chopped or however you like 'em<br />1/4 cup Basil finely chopped (plus a few whole leaves for garnish)<br />1/2 pint crumbled feta<br />salt<br />pepper<br />paprika<br /><br />Start the vegetable broth in a medium sauce pot and bring to a simmer, in the mean time, chop chop chop.<br /><br />Coat the bottom of a large pot with olive oil and bring to medium high heat, add the garlic and simmer until golden. Add the rice and stir until each grain is coated with oil, then add the wine and stir in until it is almost all absorbed. Start adding the broth a large <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">ladleful</span> at a time, stirring periodically (every 30 seconds, minute, or so) until it is almost all absorbed, before adding the next <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">ladleful</span>. This is the bulk of your Risotto-making, adding broth and stirring, how anyone is daunted by this is a complete mystery to me. When you're a little more than halfway out of broth, you should stir in any firmer veggies you might want to soften, like cucumbers, carrots, zucchini, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">whatever's</span> clever, (in this recipe, only the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">cukes</span>). When you add the last of the broth, add all the rest of your veggies and stir them in. When the broth has been absorbed, remove from heat and quickly stir in the feta (spinach, if that's your thing, might be a nice addition to this recipe, and it would go in here, with the feta). Salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with a little feta, basil, and paprika.<br /><br />Serve with some toasted pita bread and that stuff next to your empty <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">brita</span> filter, have yourself some wine, and don't forget a shot of ouzo to cap off the night.<br /><br /></span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">Yiamas</span>!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe7i06Q7vbILBRqStYjOYGfh83I2Jatr0mS62GJNG53rZzKXvNnkXDWE8GikuSORmXhoXmcithLZdKwYx4sbR-7XGtwFv0RHQzuB6EqAa8rG1AoKIvl3sybFJblNny7kQy_2avJvpp64s/s1600-h/DSC02297.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe7i06Q7vbILBRqStYjOYGfh83I2Jatr0mS62GJNG53rZzKXvNnkXDWE8GikuSORmXhoXmcithLZdKwYx4sbR-7XGtwFv0RHQzuB6EqAa8rG1AoKIvl3sybFJblNny7kQy_2avJvpp64s/s320/DSC02297.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344351583197577714" border="0" /></a><br /><span class="maintext"><br />-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">Kribs</span><br /><br />PS I took a closer look at the photo here and noticed mushrooms which I had forgotten about (I have since added them to the recipe) but this is truly a testament to the versatility of Risotto, as well as to the fact that I made this a long time ago, and then made it again, but with different ingredients. Anyway, as long as you keep the liquid to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">Arborio</span> ratio equal, and you're willing to stir stir stir, all you need to do is pick your cheese and your veggies, add any kind of meat you want and it's your own recipe. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">Kribs</span> is spreading the word: Risottos are easy, go make them!<br /><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span><a href="http://www.moosewoodrestaurant.com/"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></a><br /></span><div class="blogger-post-footer">[Note to RSSers: Unfortunately, reading posts via feedreader breaks footnote links and expandable recipes. If you want this technogeek candy, read the posts at <a href="http://seatfood.blogspot.com">Blogger</a>.]</div>Kribshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18220346418099621475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903940024173149348.post-36275141172242787552009-04-09T21:27:00.000-07:002009-04-12T21:35:26.478-07:00In MiniatureI may perhaps be a little out of place, as I don't live in Seattle, and it's been months since I prepared anything more involved than cereal. I have an excuse, though, as I'm still in school and spend the vast majority of my time in the library basement, unlike these layabouts who have nothing better to do than flambe things. Not that flambeing is not wonderful, last year I had an excuse to caramelize a ramp leaf with a kitchen torch, and it was one of the greatest moments of my life.<br /><br />I did have lots of time last summer, though, being menially employed, and that meant lots of time in my friend's kitchen with improbable baking projects. The major discovery of the summer was the jar pie. They were a bit of a thing on baking blogs, and -loving pie and agreeing that <a href="http://www.theonion.com/content/news/area_woman_only_enjoys_miniature">everything is better in miniature</a>- we had to make them. I think <a href="http://www.notmartha.org/tomake/piesbakedintinyjars/">Not Martha</a> figured the technique out best, and between her an<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht5q5q8DlvMPA_aXcCsXjWZkaDi90Y53EZtUvkh7Qn0DtXUL0Qjyjm7ugMj3DYAtmv7VI-iDl7TSn_yvea5VkzPLTr2FFfoHkUk_bNwdm96Aldv9NRheF7zO1dVHk2U1q8UvDQA86WPQVx/s1600-h/jarpies.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 273px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht5q5q8DlvMPA_aXcCsXjWZkaDi90Y53EZtUvkh7Qn0DtXUL0Qjyjm7ugMj3DYAtmv7VI-iDl7TSn_yvea5VkzPLTr2FFfoHkUk_bNwdm96Aldv9NRheF7zO1dVHk2U1q8UvDQA86WPQVx/s320/jarpies.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322930378308977170" border="0" /></a>d Cook's Illustrated, it went swimmingly.<br /><br />First, you need jars. We actually used jar-like short drinking glasses that we knew were oven safe, but if you actually want to store these (because you can just screw on the lid and stick them in the freezer, if you want, which is wonderful) you need straight sided jelly jars, NOT the kind that narrow at the top.<br /><br />Next, you know that rule about not touching pie crust with your hands? Forget it. When you're putting pie crust in a jar, and trying to get it reasonably even, you're bound to be poking at it and smoothing it constantly. It probably shows, but we didn't even roll out the bottom crusts, and just pressed them in instead. We still managed to have perfectly flaky pie crusts, though, because we used the Cook's Illustrated Foolproof Pie Dough recipe, which is the only one you'll ever need. The trick is that it uses vodka instead of part of the water, which moistens the dough to hold it together without interacting with the flour to create the gluten that makes pie crust tough. Or something. The vodka evaporates in the oven, but we both have a tendency to eat the pie dough and discovered that it will, in fact, get you a bit loopy.<br /><br /><a class="blk" href="javascript:;" onmousedown="if(document.getElementById('fppd').style.display == 'none'){ document.getElementById('fppd').style.display = 'block'; }else{ document.getElementById('fppd').style.display = 'none'; }">{+} Foolproof Pie Dough</a><br /><div class="mid" id="fppd" style="display: none;"><br /><blockquote>Foolproof Pie Dough<br />Cooks Illustrated, November 2007</p> <p>Makes enough for one 9-inch double-crust pie</p> <p>2 1/2 cups (12 1/2 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour<br />1 teaspoon table salt<br />2 tablespoons sugar<br />12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch slices<br />1/2 cup cold vegetable shortening, cut into small bits<br />1/4 cup cold vodka<br />1/4 cup cold water </p> <p>1. Process 1 1/2 cups flour, salt, and sugar in food processor until combined, about 2 one-second pulses. Add butter and shortening and process until homogeneous dough just starts to collect in uneven clumps, about 15 seconds (dough will resemble cottage cheese curds and there should be no uncoated flour). Scrape bowl with rubber spatula and redistribute dough evenly around processor blade. Add remaining cup flour and pulse until mixture is evenly distributed around bowl and mass of dough has been broken up, 4 to 6 quick pulses. Empty mixture into medium bowl. </p> <p>2. Sprinkle vodka and water over mixture. With rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix, pressing down on dough until dough is slightly tacky and sticks together. Divide dough into two even balls and flatten each into 4-inch disk. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 45 minutes or up to 2 days.</p><p>Next, it is important to consider that there's a much larger crust to filling ratio in such a small pie, and you need a filling that will stand up to that. One of the blogs I saw had used apples, but I think that would be an unfortunate choice; it would just be bland and uninspiring. We did cherry, also with the Cook's Illustrated recipe, and it was delicious. I think any other kind of berry would also be wonderful, or possibly peach, if you happen to have particularly good ones. There's also less room for juice in a tiny pie like this, so we used a full 4 tbs of tapioca to thicken it.<br /></p></blockquote></div><br /><a class="blk" href="javascript:;" onmousedown="if(document.getElementById('cpf').style.display == 'none'){ document.getElementById('cpf').style.display = 'block'; }else{ document.getElementById('cpf').style.display = 'none'; }">{+} Cherry Pie Filling</a><br /><div class="mid" id="cpf" style="display: none;"><br /><blockquote>Cherry Pie Filling<br />Cook's Illustrated, July 1995<br /><table class="ingredientsTable"><tbody><tr><td class="ingredientSectionTitle" colspan="2"><br /></td></tr> <tr> <td class="amount">6</td> <td class="ingredient">cups sweet cherries (pitted), or 6 cups pitted frozen cherries</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="amount">3/4</td> <td class="ingredient">cup granulated sugar </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="amount">1</td> <td class="ingredient"> small lemon , zested to yield 1 teaspoon zest and juiced to yield 2 teaspoons juice</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="amount">1/8</td> <td class="ingredient">teaspoon ground allspice </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="amount">1/8</td> <td class="ingredient">teaspoon <a href="http://www.cooksillustrated.com/tastetests/overview.asp?docid=9826">ground cinnamon</a> </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="amount">1/8</td> <td class="ingredient">teaspoon almond extract </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="amount">1</td> <td class="ingredient">tablespoon brandy </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="amount">3–4</td> <td class="ingredient">tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca </td></tr></tbody></table><br />Toss all ingredients together, and let stand for 15 minutes before filling the pie<br /></blockquote></div><p>Make sure to leave some space from the top when filling them, so you can put the top crust on, cut vents in the top, and don't let them all fall on the floor from your slippery baking sheet when you take them out. We baked ours at about 375 until the bottoms had browned a little bit. How long depends on whether or not you froze them beforehand, just keep an eye on the first one.<br /></p><p>I'm excited to try these again this summer, once I have liberated myself from the library. I'm thinking marionberry, blueberry, and maybe a version of that really excellent lemonade-peach pie with a crumb topping I made a while ago. Obviously, the field of tiny pies is ripe for research.<br /></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">[Note to RSSers: Unfortunately, reading posts via feedreader breaks footnote links and expandable recipes. If you want this technogeek candy, read the posts at <a href="http://seatfood.blogspot.com">Blogger</a>.]</div>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18320582584992779669noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903940024173149348.post-56378785802785009862009-04-01T21:52:00.001-07:002009-04-01T22:51:19.471-07:00R2R March<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgokEOEeCN7kf71xxR88DewxEgdJ7_Igrq0Ymj8DKPLD8tPBlPpl1tJAWC7cF-M9fGQNEs8G26R8C4g8Ov1yRt68YUYmqUZrO2R9TuMpnRZNzqMotOlBHr7C9-DrdLlohsSLqIDUgKPTtA/s1600-h/IMG_2606.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgokEOEeCN7kf71xxR88DewxEgdJ7_Igrq0Ymj8DKPLD8tPBlPpl1tJAWC7cF-M9fGQNEs8G26R8C4g8Ov1yRt68YUYmqUZrO2R9TuMpnRZNzqMotOlBHr7C9-DrdLlohsSLqIDUgKPTtA/s400/IMG_2606.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319959659795440082" /></a><br />As a man with a near boundless appreciation of acronymic abbreviations (current favorites: LOLLUVIT, FTFY, GTFO and ROTFLMFAO), I was happy to join R2R or <a href="http://recipestorival.blogspot.com">Recipes to Rival</a>, a loose association of food bloggers which is more or less the post-1998 equivalent of a web ring. Each month, the members of R2R all cook the same recipe and release their success/failure to the blogosphere on the same date. Today is that date. This is no April fools. This month's challenge was something called "Steak Diane Flambe." If we go ahead and take a quick look at the name of the recipe, we realize very quickly that this is something that is way out of my zone: steak? No. Flambe? Hardly, I'm a Francophobe. Diane? Never 'eard of 'er. Then it came to me: Flambe = open flames. OPEN FLAMES. This realization reawakened within me the pyromaniacal thirteen year old that lit a plastic monster truck on fire and then sprayed it flame-thrower style with a can of WD-40 (sorry mom, but the ten year rule on this one is up!). I've got to be honest, the pictures we took of the flambe are not nearly as cool as the ones that I took of the flaming monster truck (those must be somewhere, right?), but I decided that Jim Beam probably tasted better than oil-based multipurpose lubricants.<br /><br />Anyway, Kibbee stepped up to do the original version of the recipe with steaks while I went the ol' portobello-substitution route. Rachel and Angel stood by, fire extinguisher at the ready (this is false). Safety always comes first in my kitchen (also, apparently, false as I nearly relived the near-catastrophic paella incident). At the very least we ended up with some smiling faces:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpwVLgYInL8-V5VEbR86CZFNdlbi5xqZiZSvqZVyV91jGMOLJ-puxQZCU9R1DW_rgPYo8es7Yf5vAkYk0jE1kopbY-DtQjhC2V5YB9bS5eunwPorvRHnZQf-WBAWqOGg28lcXLLA9nSeo/s1600-h/AandR.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpwVLgYInL8-V5VEbR86CZFNdlbi5xqZiZSvqZVyV91jGMOLJ-puxQZCU9R1DW_rgPYo8es7Yf5vAkYk0jE1kopbY-DtQjhC2V5YB9bS5eunwPorvRHnZQf-WBAWqOGg28lcXLLA9nSeo/s400/AandR.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319957192581758882" /></a><br /><br /><a class="blk" href="javascript:;" onmousedown="if(document.getElementById('flmb').style.display == 'none'){ document.getElementById('flmb').style.display = 'block'; }else{ document.getElementById('flmb').style.display = 'none'; }">{+} Here's my FTFY version of the recipe:</a><br /><div class="mid" id="flmb" style="display: none;"><br /><blockquote>Steak (and Portobello) Diane Flambé<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ7L6eaEm1_L1dVmrPin_p25veTXniSt1S_XUR00j34f97nuUcmMD29DpzWUYqMaPmHcoxxI7GVmWlPIGbosB-YYQdPSlPatXKywQmlYqI_wFdrBUxk3Pt_62JHfO4DbwCcwABlOuxO4k/s1600-h/IMG_2609.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ7L6eaEm1_L1dVmrPin_p25veTXniSt1S_XUR00j34f97nuUcmMD29DpzWUYqMaPmHcoxxI7GVmWlPIGbosB-YYQdPSlPatXKywQmlYqI_wFdrBUxk3Pt_62JHfO4DbwCcwABlOuxO4k/s200/IMG_2609.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319966704160349602" /></a><br />recipe by<br />Frank Bordoni from Great Food Live<br /><br />Ingredients<br /><br />For the steaks<br />4 <s>85g</s> 1/4 lb. beef medallions<br />OR 3 Portobello caps<br />1 tsp Dijon mustard<br />freshly ground salt and pepper<br /><br />For the sauce<br />1 tsp Butter, <s>clarified</s><br />1 tsp Worcestershire sauce<br />2 tbsp <s>Shallots</s> Onions, finely chopped<br /><s>50g</s> 1.5 cups button mushrooms, finely sliced<br />1 tbsp lemon juice<br /><s>125ml</s> 1/2 cup <s>double</s> heavy cream<br /><s>1 tbsp Chives, snipped</s><br /><s>50ml</s> 2oz (1 large shot) <s>Brandy</s> Jim Beam<br /><br />1. Rub the medallions of beef with the mustard, season with salt and pepper and set aside.<br />2. Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat and when hot, add the clarified butter and Worcestershire sauce.<br />3. Add the shallots and mushrooms, and push to the centre of the pan. Arrange the medallions around the edge. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring and tossing the mushroom mixture as you go. If you prefer your steak well done, give it an extra minute or 2.<br />4. Add the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.<br />5. Turn the steaks over and pour in the cream and chives. Tilt the pan slightly (away from you) and pour in the brandy at the far end. Now turn up the heat to high so that the brandy ignites. Swirl the sauce around in the pan and turn off the heat.<br /><br />Here it is with the 'bellos:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdfM7WxYhtBtVTpuQk02jpLuwgzryoq_YwJDzIFqsXnPqoTPgNHFbRjTgwYvzqRGwh_UpSLnoFLP386TaAqHkW8RiC5UPPPViufZLdUnRDdlpKznDLRCHdPJUPFWjUTCMxEjj2rmmzsXs/s1600-h/Bellos.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdfM7WxYhtBtVTpuQk02jpLuwgzryoq_YwJDzIFqsXnPqoTPgNHFbRjTgwYvzqRGwh_UpSLnoFLP386TaAqHkW8RiC5UPPPViufZLdUnRDdlpKznDLRCHdPJUPFWjUTCMxEjj2rmmzsXs/s400/Bellos.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319959864590603394" /></a><br /><br />And now, with the steaks:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhON8lxPyoBAQvsJrL8ivnHX6xJjKpqjLZzz3UjTLjoQtJAqPYrKriLGTp5HXaAy-hGwh2FOWgmQKELQSF1Ma-ryNlUFfzhDaDPKU7mrPU6Etqo01Sz2md3A5fO0ukGmLwCkliWHX4lhOU/s1600-h/steaks.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhON8lxPyoBAQvsJrL8ivnHX6xJjKpqjLZzz3UjTLjoQtJAqPYrKriLGTp5HXaAy-hGwh2FOWgmQKELQSF1Ma-ryNlUFfzhDaDPKU7mrPU6Etqo01Sz2md3A5fO0ukGmLwCkliWHX4lhOU/s400/steaks.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319964026750016962" /></a><br /><br />Enjoy!<br /><br /></blockquote></div><br /><br />If you're interested, the official R2R post is <a href="http://recipestorival.blogspot.com/2009/03/steak-diane-flambe.html">here</a>. Also, I can't resist signing off with a few more pictures:<br /><br />Kribs lights the steaks:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg1vBmnShecs20Tn_njTG1rNiXI0IfP1fukz2rlTRRghRK4e0I5995FoQXi-Vl7CeMfnUfAp7-6moH0fKggxBFAI_ZBROutLxmSJAfJR7un30wjo91CQydmM-S1gS_zgT0bWbogEntXE8/s1600-h/IMG_2579.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg1vBmnShecs20Tn_njTG1rNiXI0IfP1fukz2rlTRRghRK4e0I5995FoQXi-Vl7CeMfnUfAp7-6moH0fKggxBFAI_ZBROutLxmSJAfJR7un30wjo91CQydmM-S1gS_zgT0bWbogEntXE8/s400/IMG_2579.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319966398711665554" /></a><br />Flaming mushrooms:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFPU3SiSmh4fOYm-pOzQZIKhz6sHwGOGYAHPVK9E5-nE5XwZ4XViCJAxETGYxp6NX_PvjrABdKyjIH8L9A7MF29NYbq7MYSO-Jm6G7oR7kLqOKaBjJ-udGlGEAij4HK_xy3j_NGBViJ8A/s1600-h/IMG_2547.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFPU3SiSmh4fOYm-pOzQZIKhz6sHwGOGYAHPVK9E5-nE5XwZ4XViCJAxETGYxp6NX_PvjrABdKyjIH8L9A7MF29NYbq7MYSO-Jm6G7oR7kLqOKaBjJ-udGlGEAij4HK_xy3j_NGBViJ8A/s400/IMG_2547.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319966299745306146" /></a><br />The <a href="http://seatfood.blogspot.com/2009/02/merry-christmas.html">sprouts</a> we had with it:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNNTSskhvYfYDEAkYhE4xs22gLv0S8OFrw5qsekMVPsL2M1yrbMJl8BVCBsE24UuOoGdRDo_I3uU4KsZRncv4L0byvHNn2YJh8Pq4URnlcV8uVrgL7EHb2j5HEMXTAv67cGOUwrqYl-fI/s1600-h/IMG_2504.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNNTSskhvYfYDEAkYhE4xs22gLv0S8OFrw5qsekMVPsL2M1yrbMJl8BVCBsE24UuOoGdRDo_I3uU4KsZRncv4L0byvHNn2YJh8Pq4URnlcV8uVrgL7EHb2j5HEMXTAv67cGOUwrqYl-fI/s400/IMG_2504.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319966136801729858" /></a><br /><br />Flame on,<br />Peter<div class="blogger-post-footer">[Note to RSSers: Unfortunately, reading posts via feedreader breaks footnote links and expandable recipes. If you want this technogeek candy, read the posts at <a href="http://seatfood.blogspot.com">Blogger</a>.]</div>El Capitanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12494962412929290738noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903940024173149348.post-60642965065910533502009-03-11T22:46:00.000-07:002009-03-13T15:31:26.381-07:00The Stuff Next to an Empty Brita Filter1In case you didn't follow the title link, hummus, is that stuff.<a href="#snbf2"><sup>2</sup></a><a name="snbf2b"></a> The near-ubiquitous<a href="#snbf3"><sup>3</sup></a><a name="snbf3b"></a> garbanzo bean dip<a href="#snbf4"><sup>4</sup></a><a name="snbf4b"></a> is cheap, easy, and delicious. It may seem like some exotic middle-eastern spread, but that's about as full of stereotypes as these <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/03/07/jake-gyllenhaal-shirtless_n_172788.html">pictures of Jake Gyllenhaal as the (shirtless) Prince of Persia</a>. Yes, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_of_Persia_(1989_video_game)">video game</a> Prince of Persia (a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:ST_Prince_of_Persia.png">startling likeness</a>, indeed). Admission: those last two sentences were mere conduits for the JG near-nudie pics. Good thing they let me set my own desktop wallpaper at work.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUVNmmZV7zj6AxT3MhIDd8D84aVdHpL4Es-Ba2SpPQ3k9FFXS43-5p87NdMQrPPiiQuh4CIICEj4rbAb-tNyUFtkqvqklmzCHBuo5q28BNmbvXCPjnc2kLBzlEUBVfa7LgtN9uaR1ZU7E/s1600-h/Hummus.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUVNmmZV7zj6AxT3MhIDd8D84aVdHpL4Es-Ba2SpPQ3k9FFXS43-5p87NdMQrPPiiQuh4CIICEj4rbAb-tNyUFtkqvqklmzCHBuo5q28BNmbvXCPjnc2kLBzlEUBVfa7LgtN9uaR1ZU7E/s400/Hummus.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312176435174961906" /></a><br />Back to task: I've had Papa Bull's hummus recipe for the last couple years, and have used it basically any time that I intended to make hummus. "Hummus recipe" is a bit of a stretch. All it really requires is putting some basic and common goodies in a food processor in proportions that you find pleasing. I (barely) upped the ante by adding roasted garlic to this batch. Now, I may have mentioned during <a href="http://seatfood.blogspot.com/2009/02/opa-tzatziki-and-friends.html">my discussion of Tzatziki</a> that I was having trouble finding good tahina in Seattle. Joyva never has been up to snuff in my book. As it turns out, I was just looking for love in all the wrong places. The right place to look was the Latin American market down next to Pike Place. Obvi. That's where I found a container of <a href="http://www.latinmerchant.com/productdetail.asp?ProductID=SCM0110">Cortas</a>, which was right up my alley. Incidentally, that link to the Cortas tahina is from latinmerchant.com. I am confused. Nevertheless, the tahina is just what you want: creamy and sesamey (FWIW, I've had the best luck with lebanese tahina). Grab some and have at this:<br /><br /><a class="blk" href="javascript:;" onmousedown="if(document.getElementById('humm').style.display == 'none'){ document.getElementById('humm').style.display = 'block'; }else{ document.getElementById('humm').style.display = 'none'; }">{+} Papa Bull's Hummus</a><br /><div class="mid" id="humm" style="display: none;"><br /><blockquote>Hummus<br />1 Large batch<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdbxovqrS0KzuQMUfmVe4o6ZFcv6OniRcf8bjPCT-M9g40nU_OsowTiH4VVCxdGyCx3meliD8RmFqbAKKZhniiYenaje32Rw07rECsS2-7TCQ-mE0Wrwwv319OAxM70rsgp2QbxMWyknU/s1600-h/HumRecipe.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 128px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdbxovqrS0KzuQMUfmVe4o6ZFcv6OniRcf8bjPCT-M9g40nU_OsowTiH4VVCxdGyCx3meliD8RmFqbAKKZhniiYenaje32Rw07rECsS2-7TCQ-mE0Wrwwv319OAxM70rsgp2QbxMWyknU/s400/HumRecipe.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312177864709574690" /></a><br />2 15oz cans of Chickpeas<br />8oz (half 16oz jar) Tahina<br />1 head of garlic (for roasting)<br />2 Tbsp Olive Oil<br />2 Tbsp Lemon Juice<br />S & P to taste<br />Paprika and Parsley for plating<br /><br />1. Roast the garlic by cutting the top off of each clove (while leaving the cloves all attached), drizzling it with olive oil, and putting it in the oven @ 350 for 30 minutes or so (until the cloves are soft and can be pried out with a fork).<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhbudpjpTFhfajzo8dPRPiWI1BlNNkQ0ZGIPXPFvHw304mOU_LwKM2YbY1YONUNwXTXSDEpU-3VFHy05ez9bTrj2FCqKXy0wnwoBSxMyR3OQYgaOMF2MlwwEk9GOy0wOs8WXKA3lAI1iU/s1600-h/RoastGarlic.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 303px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhbudpjpTFhfajzo8dPRPiWI1BlNNkQ0ZGIPXPFvHw304mOU_LwKM2YbY1YONUNwXTXSDEpU-3VFHy05ez9bTrj2FCqKXy0wnwoBSxMyR3OQYgaOMF2MlwwEk9GOy0wOs8WXKA3lAI1iU/s400/RoastGarlic.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312177737021058514" /></a><br />2. While the garlic roasts, gather your ingredients. The only trick here is that when you drain your chickpeas, keep the liquid. You'll need it for adjusting the hummus consistency. Also, if you're using raw garlic, three large cloves should do the trick quite nicely.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJAm0rHjlUfaTOH73egUZGkn2zx4dUHoJJJBLM68pGrZkZi8oXV_jwOIKewoikLPcmPrRfJ8T5ZRZfmCWS-MmVXPwq7zu4EGeDYNd-Mxj2mHDfywXbwTjvn58P2yOxqXyYPDT9VtAntyE/s1600-h/Ingredients.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJAm0rHjlUfaTOH73egUZGkn2zx4dUHoJJJBLM68pGrZkZi8oXV_jwOIKewoikLPcmPrRfJ8T5ZRZfmCWS-MmVXPwq7zu4EGeDYNd-Mxj2mHDfywXbwTjvn58P2yOxqXyYPDT9VtAntyE/s400/Ingredients.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312177454136681826" /></a><br />3. Put it all in the food processor.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyx9X-ebOA7DTQChLkFCbnwTYTn62vUxdldrLmfpJet0BKnCUu5nyHCMtQm5a2x5BZUEw1A_O0Uqp6rN4VqwpbklFCmmF755xpuU8kia9UCJyxaiMR9Q8mheJHdXmqVYPrvFMWErfhqlw/s1600-h/HumInProcessor.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyx9X-ebOA7DTQChLkFCbnwTYTn62vUxdldrLmfpJet0BKnCUu5nyHCMtQm5a2x5BZUEw1A_O0Uqp6rN4VqwpbklFCmmF755xpuU8kia9UCJyxaiMR9Q8mheJHdXmqVYPrvFMWErfhqlw/s400/HumInProcessor.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312177335612227490" /></a><br />4. Process until smooth. Salt, pepper, and lemon to taste. Add chickpea juices until just a bit thinner than desired. It will firm up as it cools.<br />5. If you've got the time, let it sit in the fridge over night. The flavors become much richer and deeper, and the garlic will mellow out.<br /><br />Plate it with a sprinkle of paprika, a drizzle of olive oil, and a few leaves of parsley and serve it with crackers, pita, cheese, falafel, on sandwiches, or any other way you please. I big-spoon it religiously.</blockquote></div><br />There's also been quite a bit going on in the world of food politics these days. I can't help but reflect on some of it here, but I've collapsed it for your sake. There's a whole slew of good links in there, so I do recommend taking a look and seeing if any of it piques your interest.<br /><br /><a class="blk" href="javascript:;" onmousedown="if(document.getElementById('foodnews').style.display == 'none'){ document.getElementById('foodnews').style.display = 'block'; }else{ document.getElementById('foodnews').style.display = 'none'; }">{+} Four assorted hand-wavings at recent food news that didn't fit elsewhere</a><br /><div class="mid" id="foodnews" style="display: none;"><br /><blockquote><br />1. I resisted the urge to make a poach pun in my most recent post. Over at <a href="http://internetfoodassociation.com/2009/03/08/daily-food-porn-egg-poaching-not-animal-poaching/">IFA</a>, they were not so lucky. Who uses those egg poachers when you can have an adventure like <a href="http://seatfood.blogspot.com/2009/03/let-great-experiment-begin-1.html">this one</a>?<br /><br />2. I updated <a href="http://del.icio.us/pjbull">my del.icio.us</a>. Things I've cooked are now tagged 'cooked'. Things I haven't cooked but intend to are tagged 'cook', as in 'to cook'. Blogs I follow regularly are marked 'RSS'. This is great if you're a voyeur and want to see how I spend a good percentage my web-bound life.<br /><br />3. This very long, ostensibly academic <a href="http://www.hoover.org/publications/policyreview/38245724.html">article</a>, has been showing up on food blogs all over the internetz. The inattention paid to the underlying politics of the article has really raised my hackles. Overall, it's near-sighted, anti-progress, philosophy-abusing,<a href="#snbf5"><sup>5</sup></a><a name="snbf5b"></a> correlation-construed-as-causation idiocy. I can't decide whether it's worth it to respond to the article's central claim that the "moralization" of food (i.e., that there are 'right' and 'wrong' things to eat) is a byproduct rise of sexual freedom in the twentieth-century. The very basic <em>cum hoc ergo propter hoc</em> relationship between the moralization of food and sexual libertinism is plain fallacy; the actual arc of the application of ethics to the realms of food and sex is one that was dictated by <em>some</em> common ethico-historical roots, rather than any sort of brute causality. While the article makes some very true historical observations, what's been crafted out of them is at the very best disingenuous. Even giving this much of a response feels like affording the "policy piece" an undue amount of credibility. It feels like talking to a Fox News anchor. I'd be interested to hear other people's comments on the subject and the article.<br /><br />4. <a href="http://www.motherjones.com/">Mother Jones</a> has a number of great food related pieces: <a href="http://seatfood.blogspot.com/search/label/markyBman">MarkyBman</a> has a <a href="http://www.motherjones.com/podcast/mojo-5-questions-mark-bittman-food-writer">podcast interview</a>, which has a few interesting tidbits: when he's asked about why he decided to write his book now, he quips that it "has nothing to do with <a href=""http://www.amazon.com/Omnivores-Dilemma-Natural-History-Meals/dp/1594200823><em>Omnivore's Dilemma</em></a>;" he says schools should teach home economics again; and, he gives a shout out to fritatta recipes, which makes me excited because I've got some nice pics of a caramelized-onion, red pepper, gruyere fritatta that I made last week and should become a post pretty soon. Another MJ piece is an <a href="http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2009/03/michael-pollan-fixes-dinner-extended-interview">interview with Michael Pollan</a>, where he talks about being a journalist and activist, takes shots at the agribusiness-supporting <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Vilsack">Tom Vilsack</a>, who was just named Obama's Secretary of Agriculture, worries about the efficacy and pragmatism of biofuels, and speaks to something that I worried about in footnote 3, the democratization of local, organic, and sustainable food. Finally, MJ has an <a href="http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2009/02/spoiled-organic-and-local-so-2008">article about the complexities of the food industry</a> which go beyond mass production vs. local food sources--an important read, if you feel you lack perspective on today's food politics.</blockquote></div><br />Go make hummus. It's worth it.<br /><br />Love,<br />Peter<br /><br />Now I feel like I need another bit of food porn to balance things out. My haul from the Ballard farmers' market:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo2hqRWv43O5V3FOOU_92UIwHqp_A9IO0uOuPeI8om67JE_yHGJCaUmNU2Ozsyc630zfV3N1e7RC7wIinUYlNsh3vuuEv3IYbjIglH1UER9-OXDmIpEvZDT2-8tLuTEMUOoKLZ8Fw0PsY/s1600-h/ballardFM.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo2hqRWv43O5V3FOOU_92UIwHqp_A9IO0uOuPeI8om67JE_yHGJCaUmNU2Ozsyc630zfV3N1e7RC7wIinUYlNsh3vuuEv3IYbjIglH1UER9-OXDmIpEvZDT2-8tLuTEMUOoKLZ8Fw0PsY/s400/ballardFM.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312176715922389938" /></a><br /><br />Beets and carrots. Also in the image is a book I just received, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Food-Cooking-Science-Lore-Kitchen/dp/0684800012/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1236577345&sr=1-1">On Food and Cooking</a>, which is a classic on science in the kitchen. Look for more sciencey posts soon!<br /><br /><a name="snbf1"></a><a href="#snbf1b"><sup>1</sup></a> <a href="http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/2008/10/27/112-hummus/">Hummus</a>.<br /><br /><a name="snbf2"></a><a href="#snbf2b"><sup>2</sup></a> Full disclosure: I may or may not be posting to regain some face after Kibbee and Rachel showed me up with a phenomenal looking pizza.<br /><br /><a name="snbf3"></a><a href="#snbf3b"><sup>3</sup></a> That I call hummus "near-ubiquitous" not only shows the acuteness of SWPL's satire, it lends credence to the accusations of classism/elitism that have plagued the slow-food/foodie/organic/locavore movements. At least since the middle of the 20th century there has been a financial divide between good food and junk food. Nowadays, most of the members of these food-related movements don't want to admit that there is financial floor to being part of the club. In many ways, they should be right about this. Take hummus as an example: the ingredients are cheap and readily available. However, it takes time to find the ingredients at the grocery store, and it takes time to put them together into hummus. It seems like both time, and other social factors that influence the desire to make food at home serve to separate the slow foodies from the rest of the nation. How one goes about changing a situation like this is not entirely clear, but some suggestions and perspective is offered by the recent articles in <em>Mother Jones</em> that I link to later in the post.<br /><br /><a name="snbf4"></a><a href="#snbf4b"><sup>4</sup></a> In a bizarre case of planetary alignment Kevin over at <a href="http://foodjunta.wordpress.com/">Food Junta</a> just posted a <a href="http://foodjunta.wordpress.com/2009/03/08/white-bean-spread/">white bean spread</a> (read: hummus without chickpeas or tahina) recipe. Our moon cycles must be in sync. I confess to being too hummus-smitten to have made a white bean spread, but I will one of these days.<br /><br /><a name="snbf5"></a><a href="#snbf5b"><sup>5</sup></a> If you're going to mention Aristotle and Nietzsche, have more background than Bartlett's Quotations at your back. Especially if you're publishing in a policy journal. To say that Nietzsche's "transvaluation of all values" was about free love is about as stupid as saying that Einstein invented gravity. Furthermore, the oblique association of Nietzsche, Hitler, and Vegetarianism in the same <a href="http://www.hoover.org/publications/policyreview/38245724.html#note4">footnote</a> is about as calumnious as it gets. And please, if you're going to make gestures at having any idea what you're talking about in the realm of philosophy, spell <em>simpliciter</em> correctly.<div class="blogger-post-footer">[Note to RSSers: Unfortunately, reading posts via feedreader breaks footnote links and expandable recipes. If you want this technogeek candy, read the posts at <a href="http://seatfood.blogspot.com">Blogger</a>.]</div>El Capitanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12494962412929290738noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903940024173149348.post-14474020017881791012009-03-09T13:50:00.000-07:002009-03-09T17:33:10.253-07:00Food pornIf <a href="http://www.thisiswhyyourefat.com">this</a> is food porn, <a href="http://www.avclub.com/features/taste-test/">Taste Test (A.V. Club)</a> is food porn for S&M enthusiasts. As my good friends already know, the A.V. Club is a favorite site of mine, and in the spirit of making everyone in the world more like me (ya know, for their own good), I thought I'd pass this along. Taste Test is a feature, done once a week, I think, where the A.V. Club staff (usually interns) eat weird things and then talk about them. There is video, there is transcription, it's pretty funny, and will introduce you to things you will then wish you had never been introduced to.<br /><br />Enjoy!<br /><br />Kribs<div class="blogger-post-footer">[Note to RSSers: Unfortunately, reading posts via feedreader breaks footnote links and expandable recipes. If you want this technogeek candy, read the posts at <a href="http://seatfood.blogspot.com">Blogger</a>.]</div>Kribshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18220346418099621475noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903940024173149348.post-84723499303320701242009-03-09T11:00:00.000-07:002009-03-09T17:11:51.223-07:00When the Moon Hits Your Eye...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOAR5HGGBlD0ygCx6mY3RTqT2tS_xnytxLRajkntMWku28nOYPMybBBInljy7rAl3xtxvGqyvAfPLnXcGLiF1j1wVkrMt6Wg1QHK-qokCIbOg8GMHdv6zZEd6Q90bDf4A-56syzB9zuSk/s1600-h/DSC02171.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOAR5HGGBlD0ygCx6mY3RTqT2tS_xnytxLRajkntMWku28nOYPMybBBInljy7rAl3xtxvGqyvAfPLnXcGLiF1j1wVkrMt6Wg1QHK-qokCIbOg8GMHdv6zZEd6Q90bDf4A-56syzB9zuSk/s320/DSC02171.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311264134035862562" border="0" /></a><br />Oh my sweet, gentle readers, 14 hours later I can still taste the fresh, juicy tomatoes, feel the crunch of the bell peppers, smell the freshly toasted garlic, see the wonderfully browned tops of the one day old mozzarella, and, and, um, hear the olives, shaking in their aluminum can. You see, friends, last night, I stole Peter's idea, and Rachel and I made Pizza.<br /><br />OH it was glorious! It was fresh, it was flavorful, it was easy and it was fun, but most of all, it was Peter's idea, and I stole it.<br /><br />Before launching into the recipe (which, I know, is not the general practice in this space), a little background. Sunday began as all Sunday's do, Cafe Pettirosso and a Crossword, duly dispatched. Sitting around and shooting the breeze about the day's possibilities, the topic of the Ballard Farmer's Market was breached. Never mind that I had shot down that possibility when it was earlier mentioned, we were off.<br /><br />The very first booth of interest was a cheese booth (surprise, surprise, there are probably 17 cheese booths at the Ballard Farmer's Market), where Rachel and I picked out a Cow's Milk cheese which was a bit pungent and very good, and then grabbed a tub of Mozzarella, which the woman behind the counter duly informed us was yesterday's milk, which was pretty exciting to hear.<br /><br />We went in search of produce, but (it being winter and all) were unable to do better than beets, turnips, carrots, etc. which I vetoed on the grounds that I don't like beets, I don't like turnips, and we never use our carrots anyway. It was around this time that Pedro mentioned an interest in making Pizza that night. Now, normally I shy away from the labor intensive practice that is baking, especially seeing as I still work in a bakery, and don't particularly enjoy it. But for whatever reason, I had been thinking about baking that very day, cookies, bread, something, so Pizza piqued my interest. Long story short (I know, I know), rather than share my mozzarella with Peter, I stole his idea instead.<br /><br /><a class="blk" href="javascript:;" onmousedown="if(document.getElementById('pizz').style.display == 'none'){ document.getElementById('pizz').style.display = 'block'; }else{ document.getElementById('pizz').style.display = 'none'; }">{+} K and R's Italian Love Fest</a><br /><div class="mid" id="pizz" style="display: none;"><br /><blockquote>Rachel and Andrew's Sauceless Pizza<br />serves 4, or 2 with leftovers.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6IxVnA2ayqnEVdAru_TUkyzwvctxEcrYNAh8HPC3AKps6_-7uBKdkvn0fA61mFRkFUEdKNq_5QQnZymEKmUAsUPJc9zdIZ6KcUehWKlMJ_NpQXIwBKvqTNM8T2rnYsB9R5xYLRJGKnx8/s1600-h/DSC02068.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6IxVnA2ayqnEVdAru_TUkyzwvctxEcrYNAh8HPC3AKps6_-7uBKdkvn0fA61mFRkFUEdKNq_5QQnZymEKmUAsUPJc9zdIZ6KcUehWKlMJ_NpQXIwBKvqTNM8T2rnYsB9R5xYLRJGKnx8/s320/DSC02068.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311256794790925954" border="0" /></a><br />The pizza dough recipe I cannot take credit for and neither can Rachel. We pulled it from that oh so useful of Kitchen Resources: <span style="font-style: italic;">Th</span><span style="font-style: italic;">e Joy of Cooking</span>. Rather than reproduce it here, I'll just give you a <a href="http://www.thejoykitchen.com/recipe.lasso?recipe=1116&menu=one">link</a>. The only variation we made, not being comfortable enough with the process to experiment a lot, was to toss some thyme and some snipped chives into the dough, just to add something interesting. I'm not sure you could taste them, so next time we'll add more. anyway, here are some dough pictures.<br /><br />Rachel's dough turned out much better than mine, possibly because we let it sit for a little longer after having risen and been separated (the state the dough is in below), <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidg4Sd0nNWVrcuLjWTonSTXfaFz4RIxr_VsukAp3WMKxtVvD1I999z5UGQhteSV8HsIzu6qLJqXO0bU4W1qW6GiXEGSv8iUPqMR5T4yRYkvYyBXg5AQRwqNpJ9mJBY-UhF8Ohx4pJ04sE/s1600-h/DSC02114.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidg4Sd0nNWVrcuLjWTonSTXfaFz4RIxr_VsukAp3WMKxtVvD1I999z5UGQhteSV8HsIzu6qLJqXO0bU4W1qW6GiXEGSv8iUPqMR5T4yRYkvYyBXg5AQRwqNpJ9mJBY-UhF8Ohx4pJ04sE/s320/DSC02114.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311291313549360610" border="0" /></a>or possibly because she is less of a screw-up than I am (show of hands on which is more likely....). At any rate, her experience as a pizza girl at a small town grocery store in rural Michigan helped her infinitely in making a nice, round basis for her pizza. Below right.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY2GpaK7tnTy8LLigPYRsri9xQPeYf8vfgN_k17rZuDgdxAjVkFqPJ2paBLuSVyVN0fxRaAni3HE7V5Wu6S0i1OoCIOKt3RuURM2iy2S4nzWCZnFU7sg7ge8F6wLfaciu_i76R0fSvqnE/s1600-h/DSC02118.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY2GpaK7tnTy8LLigPYRsri9xQPeYf8vfgN_k17rZuDgdxAjVkFqPJ2paBLuSVyVN0fxRaAni3HE7V5Wu6S0i1OoCIOKt3RuURM2iy2S4nzWCZnFU7sg7ge8F6wLfaciu_i76R0fSvqnE/s320/DSC02118.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311258597312679074" border="0" /></a><br />As is implied above, this is a sauceless Pizza, meaning we were way too lazy to make a tomato sauce, and way too stuck up to buy a prefabricated one, so we just chopped and chopped and chopped our little hearts out. There's no point listing our ingredients, because there's no reason not to use whatever you want on your pizza, but I'll list them anyway, then show you some pictures of chopping, some pictures of pre and post-baked pizzas, and some pictures of what a cute, classy, little Italian couple we are.<br /><br />2 whole tomatoes, chopped<br />3 cloves garlic, minced<br />1 can olives, sliced<br />1/2 each of red, yellow, orange and green bell peppers, chopped<br />3 scallions, chopped<br />1 ball super-fresh mozzarella, sliced<br />6 or 7 mushrooms, chopped<br />1/2 a white onion, chopped<br /><br />when you do all that chopping you will have this:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhti-YgWYBAPgJ1F3OOnjpco_aomRXbuBbgby16I3yaptP4CRLyfKeRx54Th8w_YU7rx095KNHZTD0qzs2Rq70CT1Diz1e4soKEq43zvip8HCblzIxvQ8kw6Wj97H3PaoirHMhKTEEsDlU/s1600-h/DSC02104.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhti-YgWYBAPgJ1F3OOnjpco_aomRXbuBbgby16I3yaptP4CRLyfKeRx54Th8w_YU7rx095KNHZTD0qzs2Rq70CT1Diz1e4soKEq43zvip8HCblzIxvQ8kw6Wj97H3PaoirHMhKTEEsDlU/s320/DSC02104.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311261658168538498" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3GtSAdQb0MUB1Uh1oKcRhO84TU36AUVXuPgBNEin9SlN03vIaD5_SS_z-bWdRuz2phyphenhyphenLX5VUlne786eNq4OQifbWIuUMNELQJz2msgF5fUziLg1lbrLXrDfnWCFtaPkLrQ3nq1mUcvs8/s1600-h/DSC02142.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3GtSAdQb0MUB1Uh1oKcRhO84TU36AUVXuPgBNEin9SlN03vIaD5_SS_z-bWdRuz2phyphenhyphenLX5VUlne786eNq4OQifbWIuUMNELQJz2msgF5fUziLg1lbrLXrDfnWCFtaPkLrQ3nq1mUcvs8/s320/DSC02142.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311262761902726130" border="0" /></a><br />So after coating the dough with olive oil, just add as much or as little as you want to add, as artfully or haphazardly as you want to add it, and throw it in the oven at 475 for 12 minutes. If you live in an incredibly small apartment, like we do, a 475 degree oven will set off the fire alarm every time you open it, so be prepared for that. We only baked one at a time, because that's all we could fit on the bottom rack of our oven, these are 12" Pizzas, nothing to shake a stick at, but you could probably finagle it such that you baked them simultaneously. We knew we weren't going to eat both in one night, so it was no biggie.</blockquote></div><br />Serve with bread, olive oil and balsamic, with some red pepper flakes and thyme, pour some deep glasses of Chianti, and you are in for an adorable provincial Italian date meal.<br /><br />oh friends, <span style="font-style: italic;">that's</span> amore.<br /><br />Kribs<br /><br />PS: terribly sorry to steal your proverbial thunder, Pedro, but I have a feeling your spirit of one-up-manship will see you though, no?<div class="blogger-post-footer">[Note to RSSers: Unfortunately, reading posts via feedreader breaks footnote links and expandable recipes. If you want this technogeek candy, read the posts at <a href="http://seatfood.blogspot.com">Blogger</a>.]</div>Kribshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18220346418099621475noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903940024173149348.post-63002175733308505182009-03-08T20:55:00.000-07:002009-03-09T17:33:30.728-07:00The Great Chicken AdventureGreetings Foodies,<br /><br />I know it's been some time since I've posted. Apologies, apologies all around. This time I'm back with a vengeance, which means two posts back to back. At least that's what I'm thinking at the moment. Either way, some of you may recall the food odyssey that was <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Bowl_XLIII">Super Bowl XLIII</a>. I experimented, rather successfully if I say so myself, with frying chicken wings and turning said wings into delicious hot morsels. I'd like to tell you a little bit about my experience, and perhaps share with you some words of wisdom. I had never butchered chicken wings before February 1. It required a sharp knife, nerves of steel, and well, wings. Being raised a vegetarian I have, sadly, little to no experience in preparing meat. Removing the tips and cutting each wing in half was definitely a strange adventure. That step made me somewhat squeamish, especially the part when I took the wings and moved them like they were still attached to the chicken. Ewww-hahaha-ewwwww. Either way, be glad to know I showed no mercy.<br /><br />Anyway I guess I'll just kind of go over what I did. I can't say this recipe lends itself to a step-by-step sort of thing.<br /><br />After you get over yourself and cut through bones (you will in cutting the wings, or you could buy pre-cut wings, I won't judge you....yes I will) you will get a "drummette" and a "double-bone"<br /><br />Lay out the <span style="font-weight: bold;">thawed </span>(important step, take them out hours before doing this) drumettes and double-bones (the wings you cut in half) and salt them to remove some of the moisture.<br /><br />You'll also want to heat your oil to 375º (note: Many recipes I read stressed the importance of having the oil at a certain temperature. Initially I thought that was going to be easy, but once I started throwing wings in hot oil I could barely see through the haze of smoke that emerged. What I'm trying to say is that I had a thermometer (see right) and I tried to keep it around that temperature, but shit, it certainly didn't and the wings tasted fine.)<br /><br />Once the oil reaches 375º you're ready to fry! Put a decent number of wings in, I started with around 6. You want to be careful not to put too many wings in at once because that will cause the oil's temperature to drop.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1X3gAI6TA1I4L4Xie0PoBwn1GXBqNvWxNZjkzaW9QtpJ_UsAnCKp63IOx1W5KSOSsvvMfp1-BeUmOeK77DPBTGgKSKxPk8uCqI0gNEFvD-EV6Ms5wvHn9XgdouVYpSwtlxq3M84t4BL0/s1600-h/IMG_1678.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1X3gAI6TA1I4L4Xie0PoBwn1GXBqNvWxNZjkzaW9QtpJ_UsAnCKp63IOx1W5KSOSsvvMfp1-BeUmOeK77DPBTGgKSKxPk8uCqI0gNEFvD-EV6Ms5wvHn9XgdouVYpSwtlxq3M84t4BL0/s400/IMG_1678.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311039702792002514" border="0" /></a><br />Anyway, use a wooden spoon (see right) to make sure they're getting fried all over. I would highly recommend tongs for placement and removal.<br /><br />Once they are done, meaning they've been in the oil from 6-8 minutes and are golden brown, carefully remove them with the tongs. I made sure to cut at least one in each batch open to make sure that they wee completely done. I blame the paranoia of poisoning one of my guests on the overcookedness of my first few batches, better safe (and charred) than sorry, that's what I always say. Please notice the sheer terror in my face.<br /><br />Place the golden brown wings on top of some paper towels to remove some of the excess oil. Once they've rested for a few minutes, I just put them directly into the sauce.<br /><br />Let them soak up the hot fiery goodness and then plate them with blue cheese and celery.<br /><br />The sauce is a simple affair: two ingredients. In a saucepan combine equal parts <a href="http://www.franksredhot.com/">Franks Red Hot</a> and butter. That's it. Seriously. The two will combine into your standard wing sauce. <br /><br />Let's see, some take-aways from this recipe:<br /><ul><li>Oil temperature, although important, can be inconsistent without terrible results.</li><li>Make sure you have the right tools (read: tongs). <br /></li><li>Don't be intimidated by a large CAULDRON of BOILING HOT oil. Apron is recommended.<br /></li></ul>Thanks for reading. <br />-El Pollo Loco<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwQnFWJnwErbjuu8kFtqGKDIIbu1R2OOL-g_1ymMEYnhfG5mlumMydkmeLud98ARhHAYNyiNq8RK7tps4u2gBNOzbC27ch5EZjrLLPBf2VbMZa7C7-FPhLCCZ_YhDRf_AF6B2X69F-s_U/s1600-h/IMG_1687.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwQnFWJnwErbjuu8kFtqGKDIIbu1R2OOL-g_1ymMEYnhfG5mlumMydkmeLud98ARhHAYNyiNq8RK7tps4u2gBNOzbC27ch5EZjrLLPBf2VbMZa7C7-FPhLCCZ_YhDRf_AF6B2X69F-s_U/s400/IMG_1687.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311040192910381506" border="0" /></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">[Note to RSSers: Unfortunately, reading posts via feedreader breaks footnote links and expandable recipes. If you want this technogeek candy, read the posts at <a href="http://seatfood.blogspot.com">Blogger</a>.]</div>Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00363602917606054482noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903940024173149348.post-63910495069744700562009-03-07T12:58:00.001-08:002009-03-09T10:42:58.022-07:00Chicken Curry(the whatever'sinthekitchen version)Hi-ho there strangers. This is a second attempt at what was once the greatest debut Seatfood blog post in the (albeit brief) history of the blogosphere. Once upon about a month ago Kribs sat at his computer, in his comfy green chair, having just supped upon a lovely, lovingly improvised Chicken Curry dinner, which he and his loving girlfriend had made that very evening. Rather than his usual Internet <a href="http://www.hampsterdance.com/classics/originaldance.htm"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">diversions</span></a>, Kribs thought to himself "Kribs, you lazy sack, write it up for the foodblog before you forget what you put in it!" Knowing good sense when he heard it, Kribs set to the task of composing a deliciously clever write-up of his cleverly delicious meal. Long story short ("too late" you say?, "fuck you" I say"), I wrote it, lost it, swore, slammed my laptop shut, and never thought about it again.<br /><br />Along comes Saturday afternoon, the little lady is darning some sweaters, Bruce is covering Woody on the turntable, and I felt like writing something.<br /><br />This, like all good dishes, is a meal in which just about all of the ingredients can be substituted for whatever you have lying around the pantry or for whatever your dietary preferences may be. I, unlike certain other members of this posting community, am not a vegetarian, so I threw some bird in there, but there's no reason not to do it with Tofu if that suits your fancy.<br /><br /><a class="blk" href="javascript:;" onmousedown="if(document.getElementById('ccur').style.display == 'none'){ document.getElementById('ccur').style.display = 'block'; }else{ document.getElementById('ccur').style.display = 'none'; }">{+} Chicken Curry</a><br /><div class="mid" id="ccur" style="display: none;"><br /><blockquote>Chicken Curry<br /><em>For Two (or Four if you don't know how to eat)</em><br /><br />Two boneless, skinless chicken breasts<br />Salt<br />Pepper<br />Tony's Cajun Seasoning<br />2 Tsp Curry Powder<br />Cayenne Pepper<br />2 cloves garlic, chopped<br />A couple carrots, coined<br />A tomato or 2, chopped<br />A Chili pepper of some kind, diced<br />1 pint Vegetable Broth<br />Some Oil<br />A little flour or cornstarch<br /><br />The first thing you do, after rinsing off and patting dry the chicken, is beat it up a little bit, either with a frying pan or, if you're a purist, a mallet. Try to get the breast about an inch thick or so, just so it cooks nice and even (and a little quicker). Next, on a plate, sprinkle some flour (or cornstarch) and add most of your seasonings, this means pepper for sure, Tony's because it's a wonderful shortcut to flavor, salt, a little bit of your curry powder, some cayenne (all of this depends on how spicy you like your curry). Drop a chicken breast on this plate, so both sides are evenly coated in your rub, then do the same to the other breast, replenishing what's on your plate if necessary.<br /><br />I started cooking this meal the way I believe every meal cooked in a frying pan (with the possible exception of pancakes) ought to start: enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan pretty liberally, and your chopped garlic, on medium heat. If you're gonna add onions and chili peppers (never a bad idea with curries) this is a good time to throw them in too. Let your garlic get gold and add your carrots and any other firm veggies (cauliflower, broccoli, peas, scallions, bell peppers are all great ideas) and the vegetable broth and curry powder. If you like a thicker sauce, you should leave this uncovered and let it reduce a little, or to shortcut add some cornstarch. we did neither. Throw the chicken in, up the heat, cover, and cook till the chicken is cooked through (10 min, maybe a little more), and add your tomatoes for the finish.<br /><br />We served it over Basmati, not for any particular drive at authenticity but because, going with the theme here, it was what was lying around.</blockquote></div><br />Anyway, Tofu for chicken makes this vegetarian, Cauliflower or Potatoes makes it a little heartier, an extra chili makes it a little spicier, and coconut milk makes it a good deal thicker. No pictures, because I don't have a DSLR and a 700,00 Watt bulb above my kitchen table, so they didn't come out so good.<br /><br />love,<br />Kribs<div class="blogger-post-footer">[Note to RSSers: Unfortunately, reading posts via feedreader breaks footnote links and expandable recipes. If you want this technogeek candy, read the posts at <a href="http://seatfood.blogspot.com">Blogger</a>.]</div>Kribshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18220346418099621475noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903940024173149348.post-7625521206603405542009-03-04T10:09:00.000-08:002009-03-09T17:34:04.777-07:00I've got fantastic news1. "<a href="http://www.hulu.com/made-in-spain">Made in Spain</a>" is now on hulu. What a glorious day today is. I get goosebumps every time José Andrés says "eh-spain." His accent is disgustingly adorable.<br /><br />2. Mark Bittman was on the Colbert report. Check it out. For more info on MB, check out my <a href="http://seatfood.blogspot.com/2009/01/food-matters.html">Food Matters</a> post, which has a bunch of links to other MB internet goodies.<br /><br /><style type='text/css'>.cc_box a:hover .cc_home{background:url('http://www.comedycentral.com/comedycentral/video/assets/syndicated-logo-over.png') !important;}.cc_links a{color:#b9b9b9;text-decoration:none;}.cc_show a{color:#707070;text-decoration:none;}.cc_title a{color:#868686;text-decoration:none;}.cc_links a:hover{color:#67bee2;text-decoration:underline;}</style><div class='cc_box' style='position:relative'><a href='http://www.comedycentral.com' target='_blank' style='display:inline; float:left; width:60px; height:31px;'><div class='cc_home' style='float:left; border:solid 1px #cfcfcf; border-width:1px 0px 0px 1px; width:60px; height:31px; background:url("http://www.comedycentral.com/comedycentral/video/assets/syndicated-logo-out.png");'></div></a><div style='font:bold 10px Arial,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif; float:left; width:299px; height:31px; border:solid 1px #cfcfcf; border-width:1px 1px 0px 0px; overflow:hidden; color:#707070; position:relative;'><div class='cc_show' style='position:relative; background-color:#e5e5e5;padding-left:3px; height:14px; padding-top:2px; overflow:hidden;'><a href='http://www.colbertnation.com/' target='_blank'>The Colbert Report</a><span style='position:absolute; top:2px; right:3px;'>Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c</span></div><div class='cc_title' style='font-size:11px; color:#868686; background-color:#f5f5f5; padding:3px; padding-top:1px; line-height:14px; height:21px; overflow:hidden;'><a href='http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/220493/march-03-2009/mark-bittman' target='_blank'>Mark Bittman</a></div></div><embed style='float:left; clear:left;' src='http://media.mtvnservices.com/mgid:cms:item:comedycentral.com:220493' width='360' height='301' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' wmode='window' allowFullscreen='true' flashvars='autoPlay=false' allowscriptaccess='always' allownetworking='all' bgcolor='#000000'></embed><div class='cc_links' style='float:left; clear:left; width:358px; border:solid 1px #cfcfcf; border-top:0px; font:10px Arial,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif; color:#b9b9b9; background-color:#f5f5f5;'><div style='width:177px; float:left; padding-left:3px;'><a target='_blank' href='http://www.comedycentral.com/colbertreport/full-episodes'>Colbert Report Full Episodes</a><br /><a target='_blank' href='http://www.indecisionforever.com'>Political Humor</a></div><div style='width:177px; float:left;'><a target='_blank' href='http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/220268/march-02-2009/michael-steele-gets-served<br />'>Rap Battle</a><br /><a target='_blank' href='http://www.jokes.com'>Joke of the Day</a></div><div style='clear:both'></div></div><div style='clear:both'></div></div><br /><br />In a somewhat related addition, I made <a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/main-dish/recipe-velvety-broccoli-and-feta-pasta-046428">this</a> last night (sorry, no pics). Public service announcement: you cannot use <a href="http://volcanolemonburst.com/">Volcano Lemon Burst™</a> as regular lemon juice. Things become eruptingly lemony. Which led me to the conclusion that "volcano burst" is an accurate moniker. I have seared my taste buds with lemony-magma. This is a mistake that I will never make again.<br /><br />Also, I added a link to my del.icio.us account in the right-hand column, which I have been a bit lax about using but have resolved to keep organized. Check it out for recipe ideas, and feel free to ask my thoughts on anything tagged "recipe[done]."<br /><br />Taste of eh-spain,<br />Peter<div class="blogger-post-footer">[Note to RSSers: Unfortunately, reading posts via feedreader breaks footnote links and expandable recipes. If you want this technogeek candy, read the posts at <a href="http://seatfood.blogspot.com">Blogger</a>.]</div>El Capitanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12494962412929290738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903940024173149348.post-12423763983760662652009-03-01T21:00:00.001-08:002009-03-09T17:34:23.104-07:00Let the Great Experiment Begin!1I watched curling<a name="ge2b"></a><a href="#ge2"><sup>2</sup></a> on TV today for the first time. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curling">Curling</a> is that silly sport with the brooms that is the official snack-break of winter olympics watchers. I can't say that it holds a candle to ski-jumping or <a href="http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=4753868">this</a> (thanks, Will), but it is unequivocally more interesting than the biathlon, and here's why: (1) It's a strategy game--"rocks in the house," "he's got the hammer," "hard line," "let it curl"--all of the best strategy games have great, impenetrable idioms ("Sicilian defense, dragon variation" comes to mind). (2) You actually get to see what's happening, unlike the biathlon. I'm waiting with bated breath for the bullet-cam. You know, biathlon matrix-style. It's the only chance they've got. Watching a nice curl is kind of like watching a great ping pong or tennis game in slowmo where you get to appreciate all the spin put on every shot. (3) Finally, curling is a mixture of extreme concentration and at times--here's what I love about it--absolute panic. Sometimes they let the rock slide and the ice is completely silent, and sometimes the skip (please excuse my novice errors in curling terminology) is screaming at the absolute top of his fucking lungs at the sweepers to stop being such lazy assholes and sweep the goddamn ice. This panic on the part of the skip paired with the zeal and enthusiasm with which the sweepers comply with his panicked hollering is inherently hilarious. If the skip has botched his throw the most the can do is yell at the sweepers to clean up his mess. As if the skip's inability to do anything once he releases weren't tense enough, there's something that is fundamentally anxiety inducing in being forced to watch someone else do what you think you can do better. That's the kind of relationship I imagine between the skip and the sweepers.<a name="ge3b"></a><a href="#ge3"><sup>3</sup></a> <br /><br />One reason that curling has showed up here is that after watching it, I had to get it out of my system. I just couldn't not talk about it. The other reason is that it has a vague, tenuous relation to poaching eggs, the actual subject of this post. I liked curling for the same reason that I liked a little egg-poaching experiment that I did a few weeks ago. A subtlety of motion and careful technique is essential to curling, and to well-poached eggs. However, there's also that oh-my-god-what-have-i-done, everything-is-going-to-hell, my-beautiful-egg-is-losing-it's-shape moment of panic that makes things so exciting as you try to coddle your poorly-curled egg into some sort of togetherness. This is part of the reason that people think that egg poaching and curling are difficult. Well, egg-poaching isn't really that hard, or so I discovered.<br /><br />First of all, I know that doubling up on the eggs is poor form; however, you need to stop whining and poach yourself some. It'll be worth it. The light satiny texture of poached whites with the umami goodness of warm, runny yolk is glory incibuate.<a name="ge4b"></a><a href="#ge4"><sup>4</sup></a> <br /><br />As it turns out, there's a lot of cooking that has to do with science and a lot of cooking that has to do with "science." I happened to be in the presence of a scientist (or "scientist"?) last weekend who mildly tolerates my food experimentation. Nicole was visiting me in Seattle and when it came time to make some brunch, she and I decided to have a friendly little competition between to egg-poaching virgins. Actually, saying that we "decided" is a bit disingenuous. Nicole strong-armed me with her spirit of antagonism into having a competition. Here are the results. You be the judge:<br /><br /><em>Nicole's Egg:</em><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm6rclDM1NtksArgLcn2HtE0xCarOi-PHUydfenRMd76sD1JaN8DGMS96MPQOSQ4nIfYDQUnZNsERH5OE16hg7lHz4yw8r5Krnzh3BUq6jN1rTw_TdClG55iqxgL1qgnynhwCADZIFZus/s1600-h/nicoise.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm6rclDM1NtksArgLcn2HtE0xCarOi-PHUydfenRMd76sD1JaN8DGMS96MPQOSQ4nIfYDQUnZNsERH5OE16hg7lHz4yw8r5Krnzh3BUq6jN1rTw_TdClG55iqxgL1qgnynhwCADZIFZus/s400/nicoise.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308443150385522690" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEF7YbHPjg1FN1kxiRYwMcj2ShE8xsLCDWfSYaWvSiB_kko8pRWd7Djy-qR2t4ppYy_qfLzXOt8Dn1QSvdit0O24CNTPuVp7TANKF9cokj4IEYxZowtKgADXP50gp0HHUVTpmcuDqKtgs/s1600-h/ncut.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEF7YbHPjg1FN1kxiRYwMcj2ShE8xsLCDWfSYaWvSiB_kko8pRWd7Djy-qR2t4ppYy_qfLzXOt8Dn1QSvdit0O24CNTPuVp7TANKF9cokj4IEYxZowtKgADXP50gp0HHUVTpmcuDqKtgs/s400/ncut.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308444145750109682" /></a><br /><em>Peter's Egg:</em><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2BK-bkvNc2kAgoB_XehvLJJYOQeXk0MvMPYaOrjVXeHJYS-db_Ipjzyt3PtmB_VGsOZO-xZjaiDyRjeOiaRUu00GvK6VMMwHwDrgnqMveCSEWPRQvIwdAdXJLodefGG8p0UdBLMMYQsg/s1600-h/pjb.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2BK-bkvNc2kAgoB_XehvLJJYOQeXk0MvMPYaOrjVXeHJYS-db_Ipjzyt3PtmB_VGsOZO-xZjaiDyRjeOiaRUu00GvK6VMMwHwDrgnqMveCSEWPRQvIwdAdXJLodefGG8p0UdBLMMYQsg/s400/pjb.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308443533261657346" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilr3mf1efz-_flm0-yCdcL5b3rIrJ4CDCOUKJu371ZFgi5guNXdxN0oq0jTHVxSED3-j2gbJpOmsmTVTLZeEMTdhD9edSk0FCzXldUuViEfe6pfS76zcoeStjGqYIYl0zP_2V4M5fBWPI/s1600-h/pcut.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilr3mf1efz-_flm0-yCdcL5b3rIrJ4CDCOUKJu371ZFgi5guNXdxN0oq0jTHVxSED3-j2gbJpOmsmTVTLZeEMTdhD9edSk0FCzXldUuViEfe6pfS76zcoeStjGqYIYl0zP_2V4M5fBWPI/s400/pcut.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308444290017397010" /></a><br /><br />In the interest of full disclosure (and not sore-loserness) I took the picture of Nicole's egg and she took the picture of mine. And you can't really judge from pictures anyway, so whatever. It's not like anyone's judging. But, if you are, notice that beautiful runny yolk oozing out of my egg's glorious dome, and think <a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3306/3276591934_ff425468fe_o.jpg">Hagia Sophia</a>. Here are the thoughts that we gathered on technique:<br /><br /><a class="blk" href="javascript:;" onmousedown="if(document.getElementById('poach').style.display == 'none'){ document.getElementById('poach').style.display = 'block'; }else{ document.getElementById('poach').style.display = 'none'; }">{+} Poach an Egg</a><br /><div class="mid" id="poach" style="display: none;"><br /><blockquote>Poached Egg<br /><em>For one</em><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcpNSsE1ws61uRQRqhVWV4DwH5qY39aTcZm1_RI9B10JdjzWaGidvZTxtY9wah7wwKG5Emb5MKDoZ3ctPmiIBBDlGFiIolVaX_V26lhkmdJXwUUSAnYw5qozLAHWqKsUYsWRhUvGUfJN0/s1600-h/poached.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 108px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcpNSsE1ws61uRQRqhVWV4DwH5qY39aTcZm1_RI9B10JdjzWaGidvZTxtY9wah7wwKG5Emb5MKDoZ3ctPmiIBBDlGFiIolVaX_V26lhkmdJXwUUSAnYw5qozLAHWqKsUYsWRhUvGUfJN0/s400/poached.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308447066609110690" /></a><br /><br />1 egg<br />1 tbs vinegar<br /><br />This is less a recipe than an explanation of technique. So here's the step by step that we came up with:<br /><br />1. Boil water in a small pot. We used my <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Calphalon-Commercial-Hard-Anodized-2-Quart-Saucepan/dp/B00004WYJU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1235965263&sr=8-2">2.5-quart pot</a> filled with 2 inches or so of water.<br /><br />2. While the water is boiling, get your egg ready. One of the tricks to keeping the egg together is to place it as gently as possible into the water. To do this, Nicole and I cracked our eggs into a small mug.<br /><br />3. Once the water boils, turn off the heat. You want to get the water hot enough, but it needs to be still when you put the egg in. Add the vinegar now. From what we read on the internet, vinegar helps to keep the whites around the yolk because of some "chemical reaction." We used unseasoned (meaning, unsweetened) rice vinegar. Any clear, mild vinegar should be fine. <br /><br />4. When there are no longer any more bubbles in the water (not even small ones) ease your egg with the gentleness of an expert curler into the warm water.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPgqhp14j6sI7767it424riqxD1nacy-nPIj2ivvwhUinm7fG3rbOAy6y1MWDyOIpE6Ct8xJ8LpkfYYK9P9S6E1EbxIPkhq8RX7VkToeKYY0tI8w3-NZp-7QwOg96CGsO3Czz9H0MeT90/s1600-h/intowater.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPgqhp14j6sI7767it424riqxD1nacy-nPIj2ivvwhUinm7fG3rbOAy6y1MWDyOIpE6Ct8xJ8LpkfYYK9P9S6E1EbxIPkhq8RX7VkToeKYY0tI8w3-NZp-7QwOg96CGsO3Czz9H0MeT90/s400/intowater.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308445046167451090" /></a><br />5. When you ease the egg into the water, you should be ready with a large spoon. Use the spoon to coddle the egg and stop the white from dispersing itself in the water. In our experience, some strands of white are unavoidable, but unproblematic.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFTdMvPDa8Avj4uML6DRZjIHQNyJvZtNoLdkgPXoU6SU1ekmssp8PT4ZcDBY0ixgHb0tw0Fmggss7oTHJDB1v6xAWELQEL71IS0ZyFibcHOOPA5Ed_YnA1q2PY3I_rwm-SUYobE6skkjk/s1600-h/coddle.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFTdMvPDa8Avj4uML6DRZjIHQNyJvZtNoLdkgPXoU6SU1ekmssp8PT4ZcDBY0ixgHb0tw0Fmggss7oTHJDB1v6xAWELQEL71IS0ZyFibcHOOPA5Ed_YnA1q2PY3I_rwm-SUYobE6skkjk/s400/coddle.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308444813621483154" /></a><br />6. Once the egg has stopped spreading (20 seconds, maybe) cover the pot and let sit off the heat for 4 minutes. You want the white to be cooked, but the yolk to be runny. <br /><br />7. Top with S and P.<br /><br />Finally, we read some bologna about making a whirlpool in the pot to poach your egg. This seems unnecessary. It essentially serves the same function as coddling with the spoon. I imagine that the whirlpool helps to keep the white together by pressing it up against the edge of the pot. It's probably cool if you can get this to work, but by no means an essential technique.</blockquote></div><br />We ate our silky little nubbins atop a bed of garlicky sauteed kale and wheat toast. Like eggs florentine, but with kale. And minus the hollandaise due to my unflagging laziness. Here's the scoop<a name="ge5b"></a><a href="#ge5"><sup>5</sup></a> on that:<br /><br /><a class="blk" href="javascript:;" onmousedown="if(document.getElementById('kalentine').style.display == 'none'){ document.getElementById('kalentine').style.display = 'block'; }else{ document.getElementById('kalentine').style.display = 'none'; }">{+} Eggs Kalentine It</a><br /><div class="mid" id="kalentine" style="display: none;"><br /><blockquote>Eggs Kalentine<br /><em>For one</em><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ47KwaxiBM7PwggNmv5Bhji531-_6_DKF1LNjlYn7FNfijWfX5xPsJjn5Qafi-xxEkFb3oHVa38I49sLmIXoxkkAhgr1uUHsgdmL9TDr3pWK9oDTkJIigdzrVVFsY_JaZm2PPFGNWnB8/s1600-h/kalentine.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 135px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ47KwaxiBM7PwggNmv5Bhji531-_6_DKF1LNjlYn7FNfijWfX5xPsJjn5Qafi-xxEkFb3oHVa38I49sLmIXoxkkAhgr1uUHsgdmL9TDr3pWK9oDTkJIigdzrVVFsY_JaZm2PPFGNWnB8/s400/kalentine.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308447510852814978" /></a><br /><br />1 Poached egg (see above)<br />1 Cup chopped Kale<br />1 clove garlic<br />1 tbsp Olive Oil<br />1 Piece of bread (or English Muffin)<br /><br />Not much to this, really:<br />1. Sautee the Kale with the EVOO and the garlic (minced or crushed).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgioi7f5RknP2jpfm2F92zJXWSI9seY8UTlYhMl5xTpjY8NTXippbRysTrisZGCy60kmbCzl_tGnuFv2y7MaVxTOHhcj3xeDmBQvvwt2afhiQ50TC4IUJmCLA6PUtJCubvL8OtZRr-mF1E/s1600-h/kale.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgioi7f5RknP2jpfm2F92zJXWSI9seY8UTlYhMl5xTpjY8NTXippbRysTrisZGCy60kmbCzl_tGnuFv2y7MaVxTOHhcj3xeDmBQvvwt2afhiQ50TC4IUJmCLA6PUtJCubvL8OtZRr-mF1E/s400/kale.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308445354547063410" /></a><br />2. Toast the bread.<br />3. Egg on kale on bread.<br /><br />This whole section was probably overkill. Whoops.</blockquote></div><br />However, the kitchsperiments don't end with poaching eggs. You may remember that in <a href="http://seatfood.blogspot.com/2009/02/opa-tzatziki-and-friends.html">my tzatziki post</a> I mentioned that straining regular yogurt could yield something that approximates the consistency of greek yogurt. At the time, I didn't <em>know</em> that. Now I do. After doing some egg cleanup, we moved on to kitchsperiment 2: thickening yogurt. We infused some ginger and ate it as a sweet, tangy treat with honey. It was creamy and spicy and wonderful. Here's the lowdown:<br /><br /><a class="blk" href="javascript:;" onmousedown="if(document.getElementById('gyogs').style.display == 'none'){ document.getElementById('gyogs').style.display = 'block'; }else{ document.getElementById('gyogs').style.display = 'none'; }">{+} Strained Ginger Yogurt</a><br /><div class="mid" id="gyogs" style="display: none;"><br /><blockquote>Straining Yogurt<br /><em>Yields half of whatever you start with</em><br /><br />Plain Yogurt (as much as you want)<br />Chopped Ginger<br />Butter<br /><br />The essential technique is this: put yogurt in layered cheese cloth (you should be able to get cheese cloth pretty easily at the gstore--they had it at the Safeway in Seattle). Hang it in the sink for a few hours until the volume is about half of what you started with. That's all there is to it.<br /><br />We chopped some ginger and heated it briefly with the butter in order to tone down it's kick a touch. Then we mixed it with the yogurt before hanging it in the sink.<br /><br />Before:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjx6bawolSm_7Rwv1FJr90lNNCCLPTZunQrg5amGfnbz6sRL3dJsZZ357aHPDOcltKjFNGZ710W2ggq80_tgRYswGVojt4loEbViWdDNoZTWEM5C5aUVptT18yrK7ExnY7NFiQuJ-9lVo/s1600-h/before.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjx6bawolSm_7Rwv1FJr90lNNCCLPTZunQrg5amGfnbz6sRL3dJsZZ357aHPDOcltKjFNGZ710W2ggq80_tgRYswGVojt4loEbViWdDNoZTWEM5C5aUVptT18yrK7ExnY7NFiQuJ-9lVo/s400/before.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308445934857315922" /></a><br />After:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwuZKjZV44ucHcjlqKZiHkoD4PkqZD0Qezwv1lmblK6MthjNo8uCt5JGXwHYoI0IHl0FInuZDFQr3__ShD1RearhjQGy_h_P3LVeHWk2JWuec8nkkbXh8YbL69Z6k3NJWF9Vx2HNwkYvk/s1600-h/after.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwuZKjZV44ucHcjlqKZiHkoD4PkqZD0Qezwv1lmblK6MthjNo8uCt5JGXwHYoI0IHl0FInuZDFQr3__ShD1RearhjQGy_h_P3LVeHWk2JWuec8nkkbXh8YbL69Z6k3NJWF9Vx2HNwkYvk/s400/after.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308446146535496514" /></a> <br /><br />I highly recommend doing this if you can't find/don't have greek yogurt. It may or may not (because of the volume loss) be more cost-effective than buying the Greek Yogurt straight.<br /><br />Also, it's handy to have cheesecloth on hand. Just in case you want to make Ricotta...</blockquote></div><br />Well, friends, that's all I've got for now.<br /><br />Keep on brunching,<br />Peter<br /><br /><hr><a name="ge1"></a><a href="#ge1b"><sup>1</sup></a> <a href="http://www.hulu.com/watch/6641/arrested-development-the-one-where-michael-leaves?c=499:589">Fünke</a>. <em>[Note: Clicking the footnote number here in the footnote now brings you back to where the footnote is in the text. How cool is that?]</em><br /><br /><a name="ge2"></a><a href="#ge2b"><sup>2</sup></a> The only reason that it caught my attention is that a dear friend of mine, let's call him Bideon (something so embarrassing must be treated with the requisite anonymity in this public forum), has joined a curling league. It's a fascinating study in despair to ponder how far in to the abyss you must have descended to think sweeping ice is fun.<br /><br /><a name="ge3"></a><a href="#ge3b"><sup>3</sup></a> This is almost certainly my projection rather than any sort of fact of the matter about the personal dynamics of professional curling.<br /><br /><a name="ge4"></a><a href="#ge4b"><sup>4</sup></a> Gid, you may have to correct my bastardization of Latin here. I'm not even close to making a real word. It's just that incarnate was not quite right and grated on my vegetarian sensibilities.<br /><br /><a name="ge5"></a><a href="#ge5b"><sup>5</sup></a> I am currently reading <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Scoop-Evelyn-Waugh/dp/0316926108/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1235964765&sr=8-2"><em>Scoop</em></a> by Evelyn Waugh for a little book-gathering that I am part of. It's a dry and humorous satire of British journalism and politics in the first half of the 20<sup>th</sup> century. Also, it is unrelated to the Woody Allen movie. It is related to the new <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0412536/"><em>Brideshead Revisted</em></a> movie in that Evelyn Waugh wrote <em>Brideshead</em>. Y'all can thank Kribs for the recommendation.<div class="blogger-post-footer">[Note to RSSers: Unfortunately, reading posts via feedreader breaks footnote links and expandable recipes. If you want this technogeek candy, read the posts at <a href="http://seatfood.blogspot.com">Blogger</a>.]</div>El Capitanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12494962412929290738noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903940024173149348.post-45489924451043650662009-02-22T17:16:00.000-08:002009-03-09T17:34:38.641-07:00Eggs Clean. Eggs Dirty.David Foster Wallace <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122178211966454607.html">was right</a><a href="#edec1">*</a> that one of the repercussions of being a college graduate (and particularly, in his case and mine, a philosophy degree holder) is the gnawing desire to intellectualize all of the banalities of life.<a href="#edec2">**</a> And it's a temptation that's hard to resist. I was in the kitchen two weeks ago with the aim of an eggy Sunday brunch. Now, before I get too deep into this I want to state the simple truth of things: I could not decide if I wanted a robustly flavored brunch (think garlic-onion-feta omelet style, maybe some red pepper flakes, buttered toast), or something more delicate (avocado-fresh mozz-tomato poached egg on an english muffin). So, I went both ways. Actually, I went a third way, which may or may not deserve to be indicted by the "over-intellectualization" accusation. The third way, and the subject of this post is Eggs Clean, Eggs Dirty.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgDYE1AhExym6aev0L6N2lZvqNqtxBDKzYKbrMNrqr1MUn9fVlwfV7eSgiQHDysFK90hWH8GDT9fKXkjMfQJ3zX0IwHj0GqV1bxjDkZc2LmOtP5nGSM8t9cb_10gkuSJ8a1vdb7ClCb50/s1600-h/ecedBOTH.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 211px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305881239802293810" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgDYE1AhExym6aev0L6N2lZvqNqtxBDKzYKbrMNrqr1MUn9fVlwfV7eSgiQHDysFK90hWH8GDT9fKXkjMfQJ3zX0IwHj0GqV1bxjDkZc2LmOtP5nGSM8t9cb_10gkuSJ8a1vdb7ClCb50/s400/ecedBOTH.JPG" /></a><br /><br />It's a standard solution to any dichotomous but non-mutually-exclusive problem: choose both. I had the time. I had the resources. I had the ganas. I would have some eggs clean (subtle, delicate, fresh flavors), some eggs dirty (halitosis-inducing). A yin and a yang on my breakfast plate: o, beautiful balance. The Apollonian and the Dionysian, if you will.<a href="#edec3">***</a> My breakfast had a guiding principle, a metaphysical foundation, a real theme that I planned to repeat in variation in weeks to come. This, for the skimmers, is where the "over-intellectualization" comes into play. For Chrissake, it's an omelet. As I cooked I flipped and folded and kneaded and tossed around in my mind the now-titled Eggs Clean Eggs Dirty approach to brunch. From there, it grew. (In the interest of full disclosure, no one loves a two-for-one like I do.)<br /><br />Now, what makes it worse is that I proceeded to preach Eggs Clean Eggs Dirty. Will heard about it. He was unimpressed. Not to let this crush my enthusiasm, I brought it to Kibbee and Rachel. They let me down a bit more gently, "It's amazing you've got the energy to cook two kinds of eggs..." (Note, ellipsis, not exclamation.) I didn't think this was a question of energy, I thought it was a question of an idea having power. It had balance, it satisfied all sorts of urges, I never had to settle on a single flavor set for my eggs again. These more abstract qualities, however, proved less than compelling in the world of dishwashing (sometimes I rationalize K&R's tepid response by imagining doing dishes in their 8" x 10" dribbly-faucet sink). In response, I've backed off the Eggs Clean Eggs Dirty as a brunch for everyone, and rationalized it to myself as a good way to get two brunch recipes on the blog at one time.<br /><br />Enough thinking, time to eat. Egg brunch, for me at least, somehow has this wonderful ability to become very complicated without becoming too messy or too time-consuming. I really believe that doing two kinds of eggs at one time is less burdensome than it first appears. You don't have to take my word for it, you can try it. If you're sappy, it's a great love brunch: one person makes eggs clean, one eggs dirty, and you split!<a href="#edec4">****</a> But you have to call it Eggs Clean Eggs Dirty.<br /><br />Here it is: a case study, theory in action:<br /><br /><a class="blk" onmousedown="if(document.getElementById('ying').style.display == 'none'){ document.getElementById('ying').style.display = 'block'; }else{ document.getElementById('ying').style.display = 'none'; }" href="javascript:;">{+} Yin</a><br /><div class="mid" id="ying" style="display: none;"><br /><blockquote>Eggs Clean I: Avocado Mozzarella<br /><em>Makes 1 Servings</em><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig4axoVFhAyd6842TgJx-eVoWG20TCsN5VdLhpZwmejObu0z6WGCL53Gy22dleOwQ55i-r1wUfj6mBj1rX6KXQqprZkvpyykonPBAKerFj5-y09fWZGPjTAZEDn5LV_-Cn0J98fdubXQE/s1600-h/eggsclean.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 150px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 141px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305881575934088834" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig4axoVFhAyd6842TgJx-eVoWG20TCsN5VdLhpZwmejObu0z6WGCL53Gy22dleOwQ55i-r1wUfj6mBj1rX6KXQqprZkvpyykonPBAKerFj5-y09fWZGPjTAZEDn5LV_-Cn0J98fdubXQE/s400/eggsclean.JPG" /></a><br /><br />1 Egg<br />Half Avocado<br />Ball of Fresh Mozzarella<br />1 Piece Toast (an Eng Muff seems apropos)<br />Salt and Pep to taste<br /><br />1. Toast your toast!<br />2. Slice your Avocado and your fresh Mozzarella<br />3. Prepare your egg cleanly: fried, sunny side up, poached (more about egg poaching in the next post).<br />4. S and P on Avocado on Egg on Mozzarella on Toast.<br /><br />And, we're done.</blockquote></div><a class="blk" onmousedown="if(document.getElementById('yang').style.display == 'none'){ document.getElementById('yang').style.display = 'block'; }else{ document.getElementById('yang').style.display = 'none'; }" href="javascript:;">{+} Yang</a><br /><div class="mid" id="yang" style="display: none;"><br /><blockquote>Eggs Dirty I: Spinach Feta Omelet<br /><em>Makes 1 Servings</em><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxIdQivLr4qkaMivHNISnQMXlRvBnWhE9Uxk4D2Rd4GZ8fCohApN0M8bN9Ra1-oZhY_q4NiKNzKFIXwAW6pvsNMmAPSbHNR6-SF8BvCuPceGIYCnBYzVuu5QAPvlklcdJOhwHciBPYYNs/s1600-h/eggsDirty.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 150px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 88px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305881663388378898" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxIdQivLr4qkaMivHNISnQMXlRvBnWhE9Uxk4D2Rd4GZ8fCohApN0M8bN9Ra1-oZhY_q4NiKNzKFIXwAW6pvsNMmAPSbHNR6-SF8BvCuPceGIYCnBYzVuu5QAPvlklcdJOhwHciBPYYNs/s400/eggsDirty.JPG" /></a><br /><br />1 Egg<br />1/2 Cup frozen Spinach<br />1/4 Onion<br />1/4 cup crumbled feta<br />1 Piece toast (I opted for nine grain)<br />2 Tbs Grated Parmesan (optional)<br />Salt and Pep to taste<br /><br />1. Toast the bread.<br />2. A bit of oil and the onion into the pan! When the onions are translucent, add the spinach. Feel free to add some red pepper flakes. When things are soft, put them on the toast and keep it in the warm oven.<br />3. Do your egg up omelet-style. I just went for the fold-over method with the feta inside.<br />4. Parmesan on Egg on Spinach on Toast.<br /><br />Take note: I did Eggs Dirty first as omelets stand up much more readily to staying warm in the oven.</blockquote></div><br />Regretfully Yours,<br />Peter<br /><br /><a name="edec1"></a>* The 'was right' link is required reading. Here is some <a href="http://harpers.org/archive/2008/09/hbc-90003557">suggested reading</a>.<br /><br /><a name="edec2"></a>** I'm pretty sure that DFW says "over-intellectualize." I don't want to commit to "over" yet because it seems unnecessarily pejorative to me. I expect my reluctance is nothing more than a knee-jerk defense of my default behavior. Whatever the case, what Wallace is actually after isn't a standard, cut-and-dry, conservative anti-intellectualism. Far from it (see: any non-fiction piece Wallace ever wrote). Instead, Wallace is worried that it's so incredibly easy to become absorbed in our own intellectual life. It's so easy to become caught up in the monologue in our heads and not pay attention to (1) what is happening around us, and (2) whether we are spending these moments of onanism thinking about things that really matter. For the real gist of it (and some better-crafted prose), read the linked speech. I just wanted to point out that Wallace thinks there's nothing wrong with a lot of the abstraction and intellectualzation that we do; and, I wanted to point this out mostly to defend my own habits. On an unrelated note, DFW coined one of my new favorite words in his essay "A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never do Again": niagaracal. Like Niagara falls. This word is so money, but lamentably so rarely appropriate.<br /><br /><a name="edec3"></a>*** An abuse of terms, if ever there was one. But (1) I couldn't resist, and (2) we were talking about over-intellectualizing . . . <br /><br /><a name="edec4"></a>**** I'm convinced that this really sappy here's-how-to-make-it-if-you're-in-love tone comes from reading too many other food blogs. If I offended you, I apologize. If I embarrassed myself, ignore it.<div class="blogger-post-footer">[Note to RSSers: Unfortunately, reading posts via feedreader breaks footnote links and expandable recipes. If you want this technogeek candy, read the posts at <a href="http://seatfood.blogspot.com">Blogger</a>.]</div>El Capitanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12494962412929290738noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903940024173149348.post-31708948049943729422009-02-12T21:42:00.000-08:002009-03-09T17:34:51.084-07:00Merry Christmas!Happy Valentine's Day, everybody! And a merry Christmas! So, I've already confessed to being a little delinquent in getting posts up on the ol' blogalog,<a href="#mc1">*</a> and this is one of the more tardy (though, there may or may not be a post about an August paella...) Since the Brothers Bull have moved in triplicate to Seattle, Papa and Mama Bull decided that they would visit their children for the winter holidays. We made a nice week and a half of it, including a trip to Whidbey Island (glorious in the cold light of the northwest winter sun).<br /><br />M & C arrived in the evening on Christmas day, so we had our Christmas dinner on the 26th, and, as is only appropriate, all of the dishes were themed to be Christmas colors: red pepper risotto with lime, roasted garlic brussels sprouts with paprika, and pomegranate parsley tabouleh. Unfortunately, my pictures of the food are less than satisfactory. These were my young, naive, pre-DSLR days. This may be the best shot that I got:<br /><br /><br /><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 300px; display: block; height: 400px; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302153733071222194" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXnM9un4tu7TVVG_ftPjZNUg2xql42YLUiaqpLqlwmOu-FIO0j5sepgxY0kDTPJKhxBfWMNDj4JKqAZXjOZA4v97kgVZo0dUe9h0h-x9nVGXfyhtyF4NnsaRQN8Teho7a-vy1Yk5IIoyo/s400/CIMG0020.JPG" border="0" /><br />The sprouts recipe is dead simple, and is essentially my aping the way that my aunt makes b-sprouts for every Thanksgiving. If you think that you don't love brussels sprouts, you're wrong. You do. If you need convincing, try <a href="http://orangette.blogspot.com/2006/12/best-thing-since-brussels-sprouts.html">this recipe</a>. Or, if you don't need heavy cream to convince you (hell, it convinces me that nearly anything is delicious), try them roasted:<br /><br /><a class="blk" href="javascript:;" onmousedown="if(document.getElementById('sprouts').style.display == 'none'){ document.getElementById('sprouts').style.display = 'block'; }else{ document.getElementById('sprouts').style.display = 'none'; }">{+} Sprouts Recipe</a><br /><div class="mid" id="sprouts" style="display: none;"><br /><blockquote>Roasted Garlic Brussels Sprouts<br /><em>Makes 4 Servings</em><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX6MHIx5-cHbQOUN5So4lo3-_9IAQjL9Qv6GC3RLOyLe1xbGedJDw0g5LZZUE8JFkQnlzK6HAZr64AHLun8H_3UUMLz3LXU7vWQv0kycV-DafIvQ5-cvI1QqHXZ569dzROl0o8r4co8QQ/s1600-h/brusSprout.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 120px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX6MHIx5-cHbQOUN5So4lo3-_9IAQjL9Qv6GC3RLOyLe1xbGedJDw0g5LZZUE8JFkQnlzK6HAZr64AHLun8H_3UUMLz3LXU7vWQv0kycV-DafIvQ5-cvI1QqHXZ569dzROl0o8r4co8QQ/s400/brusSprout.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305355930235494978" border="0" /></a><br /><br />24 Brussels Sprouts<br />2 tbs. EVOO<br />4 cloves garlic<br />a dash of paprika<br />S&P to taste<br /><br />1. Preheat oven to 450. Roasting things like to be hot.<br />2. Prep the sprouts: get rid of any the stems and any unsightly outer<br />leaves, then cut the sprouts in half.<br />3. Put the sprouts, and the garlic (minced or pressed) into a casserole<br />dish and coat with the EVOO, S&P.<br />4. Bake for 15min or until tender.<br />5. Sprinkle with paprika when serving.<br /><br /><br />Really, that's all there is to it. <a href="http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/goldencrusted-brussels-sprouts-recipe.html">Here</a> are some great tips for picking out your sprouts at the g store or farmer's market. Easy. Delicious. Persuasive. Green. Garlicky. I can't imagine that there's anything else you'd want from these little guys.</blockquote></div><br /><p>Will and I have been eating our share of Brussels sprouts recently, and it's been grand. Just the other day we had Kribshire over for some spinach-feta-ricotta calzones, and had some of these on the side. I'll post soon about calzones--Will and I have been using a no-rise pizza dough to make our calzones, and it's damn easy. Also, calzones are brilliant cheese delivery devices, so you gotta love 'em.</p><br /><p>I've always loved tabouleh, and got the idea for a bulgur-based salad with a pomegranate kick <a href="http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/bulgur-celery-and-pomegranate-salad-recipe.html">here</a>. I made swapped the walnuts for almonds, bailed on the celery, and added a touch of lime juice to the dressing. I think it came out quite nicely as a way to spice up your regular old tabouleh. Also, for some reason pomegranate seeds, those tart little explosions of joy, remind me of that scene from RotK where Denethor goes all <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tknGg6pi4A">NOM NOMs</a> (@25s) on that cherry tomato. Hilarious. Anyway, here's the salad:</p><br /><a class="blk" href="javascript:;" onmousedown="if(document.getElementById('tabouleh').style.display == 'none'){ document.getElementById('tabouleh').style.display = 'block'; }else{ document.getElementById('tabouleh').style.display = 'none'; }">{+} Pomegranate Tabouleh</a><br /><div class="mid" id="tabouleh" style="display: none;"><br /><blockquote>Pomegranate Parsley Tabouleh<br /><em>Makes 6 Servings</em><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGV0pNQpOh0v8vgqlApyj9tIU7PKYyMHi6-D3bz5m1hUBvPXLS-BGVeebl9dk5ZMNwZdW4dt7fqEADdNGXMthmWYc7YqXQ8zFdQ6lFOZZlf1FfeR-FrnwQ6Jb8Adq71l1oqPYQo8UShgI/s1600-h/pomTab.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 131px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGV0pNQpOh0v8vgqlApyj9tIU7PKYyMHi6-D3bz5m1hUBvPXLS-BGVeebl9dk5ZMNwZdW4dt7fqEADdNGXMthmWYc7YqXQ8zFdQ6lFOZZlf1FfeR-FrnwQ6Jb8Adq71l1oqPYQo8UShgI/s400/pomTab.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305354950898854626" border="0" /></a><br /><br />2 Pomegranates<br />1 Cup Bulgur<br />1 Bunch Parsley<br />A handful of mint<br />Roasted Almond Slivers<br />Squirt of Lime Juice (<a href="http://www.dreamfoods.com/volcano_lemon_lime_burst.php">this</a> also has<br />lime oil, and adds great flavor)<br />Salt, Pep to taste<br /><br />1. Soak your bulgur: Cover it in an inch or so of cold water. Let it sit for an hour or so until it is soft. You'll end up draining/squeezing out the extra liquid, so don't worry about things being too wet. In fact, do that now. Use whatever method you deem fit to squeeze the liquid out of the bulgur. Wrap it in a cloth or press down on it with a plate and drain the bowl or put it in a colander or strainer--really, whatever you've got on hand. You want the liquid in the tabouleh to come from the dressing rather than water logged kernels of bulgur.<br /><br />2. Chop your parsley and your mint finely.<br /><br />3. We've been avoiding it, but you're going to have to deal with those pom poms. You can go ahead and buy pomegranate juice if you don't want to juice one of the poms. So, the trick that I picked up somewhere on the internets is to peel the pomegranates underwater: the glory-nubs (also called seeds) sink, the pith floats. Cut an X in the skin of the pomegranate and submerge it in a bowl. Rip it open and knock the seeds loose and let the pith float. Eventually you'll have a whole bunch of seeds and not too much in the way of pith (I scooped it off the top of the water as I went).<br /><br />4. Juice half the pomegranate seeds. I crushed them in a bowl with a large spoon and dumped just the juices into a cup. This will be for the dressing. Give the juice some lime flavor and that should be good to go.<br /><br />5. Combine!! Bulgur. Pomegranate seeds. Mint. Parsley. Almonds. Toss all these goodies with the pomegranate juice and lime mix. Add more of either to taste. S and P that jam. DONE.<br /><br />Also, feel free to adjust proportions. Some like very green taboulaat, some like very bulgury taboulaat. I'm not a hater.</blockquote></div><br /><p>Finally, we've made our way to the risotto. I've actually made this a number of times. Damn, risotto is good. Also, I used leftovers to make <a href="http://foodjunta.wordpress.com/2008/09/14/arancini-or-amazing-fried-balls-of-deliciousness/">Arancini</a>, which are unequivocally one of the greatest creations of Western civilization. My god, these are genius. I've got a pic, so maybe I'll add a post about them, but I more or less followed the recipe from <a href="http://foodjunta.wordpress.com/">Food Junta</a> anyway. So, on to the red pepper risotto and the conclusion of Christmas dinner.<br /></p><br /><a class="blk" href="javascript:;" onmousedown="if(document.getElementById('risotto').style.display == 'none'){ document.getElementById('risotto').style.display = 'block'; }else{ document.getElementById('risotto').style.display = 'none'; }">{+} Red Pepper Risotto</a><br /><div class="mid" id="risotto" style="display: none;"><br /><p></p><blockquote>Red Pepper Risotto<br><em>Serves 5 (with leftovers)</em><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9dmvKO9oLigQ_E_1_iXBGxInhqPCtjriabOlRzzu2z4loge_iBvNl_ekhQiKv1v_ZwkHTuBqNyTpm7z-IYP03h0e6oMO8iZ6-8vwwJ87YMaOxcgkVREtHk-gdm7ZVPdmcaCyxnnjmnJI/s1600-h/RedPepperRisotto.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 165px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9dmvKO9oLigQ_E_1_iXBGxInhqPCtjriabOlRzzu2z4loge_iBvNl_ekhQiKv1v_ZwkHTuBqNyTpm7z-IYP03h0e6oMO8iZ6-8vwwJ87YMaOxcgkVREtHk-gdm7ZVPdmcaCyxnnjmnJI/s400/RedPepperRisotto.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305357213611159058" border="0" /></a><br /><br />3 Red peppers<br />2 Cups Arborio rice<br />1 1/2 Cups Grated Parmesan (Grab a block and grate your own. Please.)<br />1 Box stock<br />2 Cups Dry white wine<br />1 White onion<br />3 Tbsp butter<br />1 Tbsp Pimenton (Smoked Paprika)<br />2 Limes<br /><br />N.B.: Risotto may be labor-intensive, but it's not hard. Also, it's delicious. You'll want to use a large thick-bottomed pot to decrease your chances of burning rice. If you use a smaller pot, prep your wrists for a workout. Unless you already have formidable wrist muscles--I mean, who knows what you do with your free time (God knows, you hairy-palmed sinner!).<br /><br />1. Start by roasting the peppers. Cut in half, deseed, and broil with some olive oil until the skin on the peppers is black and blistered. Peel off the skin so you're left with some nice, soft pepper-meat. Dice it up.<br /><br />2. From here on out it is essentially basic risotto steps. Vary the ingredients, and you can end up with any kind of risotto that you want (Kribshire made a baller beer and cheddar risotto like this; Ricardo puts together a divine tomato basil risotto the same way). Here's how it goes:<br /><br />a. Dice onion and saute it with half the butter and half the pimenton in the bottom of your risotto pot. You'll leave the burner at medium heat for the whole time.<br /><br />b. At the same time, but the stock and a sauce pan and get it up near boiling. You'll want it to be very hot before you add it to the risotto.<br /><br />c. Add the rest of the butter. When it melts, toss in the rice. Toast it for a few minutes while you stir. This gives the rice a nice flavor and helps the grains stay whole. If you're doing the red pepper risotto, add the peppers now.<br /><br />d. Put two ladlefuls of warm stock into the pot with the rice. Stir the rice as it absorbs the stock.<br /><br />e. Continue to add a ladleful of stock and stir.<br /><br />f. When you feel like it, add the wine instead of the stock. It doesn't have to be warm, since the alcohol content ensures that it evaporates quickly enough.<br /><br />g. If you are running out of stock, add some water to the stock pot.<br /><br />h. You'll want to stop when the rice is cooked. Taste it continuously when it is getting close. That way you can stop right before al dente, if that's how you like it. It will cook up to al dente before you serve it.<br /><br />i. Add the Parmesean, salt and pepper to taste, and the rest of the pimenton now.<br /><br />j. Serve it! I like to put a lime slice on top of the risotto because the acidity helps to balance the creaminess of the risotto.</blockquote></div><br /><p>Look forward to hearing about some kitchsperiments that took place this weekend soon.<br /></p><br /><p>Taste of Italy,<a href="#mc2">**</a><br />Peter<br /></p><br /><p><a name="mc1"></a>*I can't believe I've never thought of this before. IX points to whomever correctly remembers the book that I read this summer which features prominently the Guosim warcry.</p><br /><p><a name="mc2"></a>** Eric may or may not have signed a drunken e-mail that I received from him about taking olive oil shots with this. Hey, it's in his blood.</p><div class="blogger-post-footer">[Note to RSSers: Unfortunately, reading posts via feedreader breaks footnote links and expandable recipes. If you want this technogeek candy, read the posts at <a href="http://seatfood.blogspot.com">Blogger</a>.]</div>El Capitanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12494962412929290738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903940024173149348.post-44458234928087401562009-02-08T17:51:00.000-08:002009-03-09T17:35:06.560-07:00Opa!: Tzatziki and FriendsI discovered the wonder that is a real, assertive tzatziki (i.e., not what is generally served on your falafel or souvlaki at that vaguely Mediterranean sandwich place) while on the Hellenic leg of my summer sojourn this year (for curious folks, there was also a Flemish leg, an Iberian leg, and an Ottoman leg--and they were referred to as such to the consistent confusion of other native (and non-native) speakers of English). At the outset of our aforementioned Hellenic leg, we encountered "herbage cheese balls" (which bore my two favorite characteristics of Greek cuisine: being drowned in olive oil and being delicious) and, the subject of this entry, authentic tzatziki. Served as an appetizer with fresh bread, Greek tzatziki is the absolute jam. It's got a yogurt tang, a garlic kick, the comfort of dill, some lemony love, and, made right, the added subtlety of some extra virgin olive oil.<br /><br />After a middling-at-best attempt to recreate that Greek delight in Istanbul, I came back to the states and worked the recipe into shape. It is my go-to dip these days (which used to be hummus, and then was guacamole--both of which still turn up pretty often when Will and I are entertaining--actually, hummus less so these days because I can only find Joyva tahini in Seattle, which just does not do it for me; there's little sesame kick, and it's insufficiently creamy). It's not nearly as quick to make as hummus since there's some knifework involved, but in this eater's estimation,<a href="#tz1">*</a> the extra work is well worth it.<br /><br />I don't have any great pictures of the process at the moment, but I'll add some next I make it, which will be soon. As matter of note, you don't need Greek yogurt (Fage, Oikos, and Greek Gods are the brands I've seen in supermarkets) to make tzatziki, but it REALLY helps. It's much thicker than regular yogurt and keeps the dip from being runny. If you can't get your hands on Greek yogurt, I've heard that you can approximate it with regular yogurt. The essential process is to strain more of the whey out of the yogurt so that it has the same sort of thickness. You should be able to do this with a couple layers of cheesecloth. Put the yogurt in it, squeeze, and then hang it for a bit from the faucet to let more of the whey drain. In fact, I'm planning on trying this soon and using the hanging time to infuse the yogurt with some other flavor (ginger, perhaps?).<br /><br />Anyway, on to the recipe.<br /><br /><a class="blk" href="javascript:;" onmousedown="if(document.getElementById('tzatziki').style.display == 'none'){ document.getElementById('tzatziki').style.display = 'block'; }else{ document.getElementById('tzatziki').style.display = 'none'; }">{+} Tzatziki Recipe</a><br /><div class="mid" id="tzatziki" style="display: none;"><br /><blockquote>Tzatziki<br /><em>For one, if you love it as much as I do</em><br /><br />1 container greek yogurt<br />1/2 large white onion<br />1 medium cucumber<br />2 gloves garlic<br />1 handful dill<br />1 lemon (the juice--you can add zest too if you are feeling fancy)<br />salt & pepper to taste (also, a touch of paprika if you want)<br /><br />1. Prep your veggies! One of the things that made tzatziki so interesting for me in Greece is that it had these long paper-thin strands of onion in it that, while disconcerting at first, are actually kind of fun to eat. This is totally doable with a good knife (see the post below for my recommendation), but I happened to grab one of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Kyocera-Adjustable-Mandolin-Slicer-Red/dp/B000HZBXOA/ref=pd_sim_k_1">these little nubbins</a> on Amazon, and it makes my life orders-of-magnitude easier. I usually half my onion and then run it through the mandoline, then cut the result in half again to end up with thin quarter-onion crescents. I also mandoline the cuke then use a knife to make matchstick-sized pieces of cucumber. If you're a lazy ass, you can probably just grate it.<br /><br />2. Chop your dill!<br /><br />3. Mince (or press) your garlic!<br /><br />4. Mix it all together! Yogurt, onions crescents, cuke matchsticks, lemon juice, dill, garlic.<br /><br />5. Salt and pepper it to taste!<br /><br />6. When I plate it, I usually add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil (highly recommended). If you're feeling fancy, put an olive and a sprig of dill in the middle and dust it with paprika.</blockquote></div><br />So, as I said, I don't have any pictures of straight tzatziki these days. I will soon. I do, however, have a picture of my Greek-themed open-faced eggplant & kale sandwich which sprung out of my mind and onto my plate last Monday. A bit heavy for a pre-soccer meal, but holy hell, it was delicious:<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYoj7hN2ae6ckyGqObRVfyvbOLn5aVozQ8nYWUU7GW-jiU7GRyEjRS2RlZ5QFU-K_wOBdF4OXxSzWYPlHNnFIx99Pc8JoYiAd_xE6NailthjdCDKa7FG8javvb9hyphenhyphensDNAx_8ZGTzXcvLA/s1600-h/eggplantkale.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 176px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYoj7hN2ae6ckyGqObRVfyvbOLn5aVozQ8nYWUU7GW-jiU7GRyEjRS2RlZ5QFU-K_wOBdF4OXxSzWYPlHNnFIx99Pc8JoYiAd_xE6NailthjdCDKa7FG8javvb9hyphenhyphensDNAx_8ZGTzXcvLA/s400/eggplantkale.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300625441879407186" border="0" /></a>Might as well give you the "recipe" for that as well. It was really just the results of what was in the fridge:<br /><br /><a class="blk" href="javascript:;" onmousedown="if(document.getElementById('eggpsand').style.display == 'none'){ document.getElementById('eggpsand').style.display = 'block'; }else{ document.getElementById('eggpsand').style.display = 'none'; }">{+} Eggplant Kale Sandwich Recipe</a><br /><div class="mid" id="eggpsand" style="display: none;"><br /><blockquote>Greek-themed open-faced eggplant kale sandwich<br><em>Serves One</em><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0_m7kSPZOuNOhKrlZQXE-Ms0dSCa1Ih9z23mguIubtQXqE4EGk77n_Td-jYVT2SwlckHrVi8jWhvQ4TUpDt-8tOckmtiGJ_n2lPYwArxFGmx59nUtGo0n4F1PlmtyE6SV_PiVoed3f_M/s1600-h/eggKale(small).JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 132px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0_m7kSPZOuNOhKrlZQXE-Ms0dSCa1Ih9z23mguIubtQXqE4EGk77n_Td-jYVT2SwlckHrVi8jWhvQ4TUpDt-8tOckmtiGJ_n2lPYwArxFGmx59nUtGo0n4F1PlmtyE6SV_PiVoed3f_M/s400/eggKale(small).JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305359473188576130" border="0" /></a><br /><br />1 Greek Pita<br />Some Tzatziki<br />A couple slices eggplant<br />Some Kale<br />Some feta<br /><br />1. Toast the pita.<br /><br />2. Put the tzatziki on it.<br /><br />3. Roast (15 mins or until soft @ 400) or grill the eggplant slices with some oil (I opted for sesame, which was interesant). Put it on the tzatziki.<br /><br />4. You can roast the kale alongside the eggplant with some olive oil and garlic too. Put it on top of the eggplant.<br /><br />5. Put feta over everything. Mmmm, feels good.</blockquote></div><br />Chau chau<a href="#tz2">**</a> for now now!<br />Peter<br /><br /><br /><br /><a name="tz1"></a>*I've incorporated this construction into my idiolect after picking it up from one of my favorite purveyors of idiosyncrasies, Harold Bloom. E.g., "In this editor's lifelong judgment, Wallace Stevens is the principal America poet since Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson." I'm not sure everyone finds Bloom as funny as I do, but I've got a real soft spot for the man.<br /><br /><a name="tz2"></a>**You can thank the Chileans for this spelling. Also, <a href="http://flickr.com/photos/oye-pero-oye/487412262/">poke</a>m<a href="http://www.hipsterrunoff.com/2008/11/part-of-the-altino-nvr-dies.html">ones</a>.<div class="blogger-post-footer">[Note to RSSers: Unfortunately, reading posts via feedreader breaks footnote links and expandable recipes. If you want this technogeek candy, read the posts at <a href="http://seatfood.blogspot.com">Blogger</a>.]</div>El Capitanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12494962412929290738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903940024173149348.post-19005939576121842402009-01-25T17:48:00.000-08:002009-03-09T17:35:23.730-07:00RECIPE RAMPAGE™<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpEKcO5M_prt2VVFxokYoG-eZC584fMLnetVxnSurEcDwbPgpYCcggultJdxCqaJfwf4Ax_jMV_CjjRWBEemGkbISVzHETdBcJKmPF19m_RaPoDCTD-yppMzZSXpx9VfLCf7pDITz-GY4/s1600-h/img_1507.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpEKcO5M_prt2VVFxokYoG-eZC584fMLnetVxnSurEcDwbPgpYCcggultJdxCqaJfwf4Ax_jMV_CjjRWBEemGkbISVzHETdBcJKmPF19m_RaPoDCTD-yppMzZSXpx9VfLCf7pDITz-GY4/s320/img_1507.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297555201056674002" border="0" /></a>I've been cooking and eating a lot (because, hey, gotta survive), but not posting any of the recipes (because, hey, I'm kind of lazy). There's a backlog of dishes with pictures and recipes that I need to post in order to get the tubes working again, so I'm off on a Recipe Rampage™. This is where I post a whole bunch of recipes in a short period of time, in the frenetic, slathering rampage style.<br /><br />I'm starting with what I cooked last Saturday, which was a precursor to the monthly (or so) Guild of Young Seattle Ale Brewers beer drinking get-together. The brew was dubbed the "Weber Porter" (in honor of the lovely Katie Weber, girlfriend of Wilson, and friend of all living creatures). It was widely touted as "a complex and chocolatey <span class="nfakPe">beer</span> with a subtle nuttiness and overtones of fresh coca." Ok, I wrote that before I even tasted it, but it was still good. Next up is a brown ale that may or may not be nutty. As of yet, the nuts are undecided.<br /><br />On to the the recipe, which was a variation on eggplant parmigiano--well, sort of. It was panko-breaded eggplant with fresh mozzarella, tomato, and basil, drizzled with a balsamic reduction. I guess it was more like the bastard love child of caprese and eggplant parmigiano, and it's something that has been brewing in my head since this summer. If the eggplant is fried properly, this ends up being a light and fresh dish<br /><br />Jonah and Lauren came down early to have dinner with us before the beer gathering began, so the five us macked on this little number: <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-tHUR2qCa0VxE7ve19oVswwx6-LoZrCy2qGBncDhQ5CL44EqNsWSpjhVwYl7LuFwFgpxv4UqgMOJ-P5-hX2z7JPZv1GHL2Dn0bDTBfoLzFDtsQ0Ol3H21b-bNY-ljMcW8Pm1hZlDEPlI/s1600-h/img_1495.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-tHUR2qCa0VxE7ve19oVswwx6-LoZrCy2qGBncDhQ5CL44EqNsWSpjhVwYl7LuFwFgpxv4UqgMOJ-P5-hX2z7JPZv1GHL2Dn0bDTBfoLzFDtsQ0Ol3H21b-bNY-ljMcW8Pm1hZlDEPlI/s400/img_1495.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300156507188253314" border="0" /></a><br />Here's how I made it:<br /><br /><a class="blk" href="javascript:;" onmousedown="if(document.getElementById('capregiano').style.display == 'none'){ document.getElementById('capregiano').style.display = 'block'; }else{ document.getElementById('capregiano').style.display = 'none'; }">{+} Eggplant Capregiano Recipe</a><br /><div class="mid" id="capregiano" style="display: none;"><br /><blockquote>Eggplant Capregiano<a href="#rr1">*</a><br><em>Makes enough for five</em><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGM9b2wTAAuglxsw4TfJUpWEOKJQk3kE2MJC9lZB6PXGNTWgrEgM_jHj408hVulxYvPt53hV4wzPVTKGutsVYyLcr2qnV6w01uLC3vVi2VFymn59UzUj5LAWFKWmTepBsOGGJVRvHelmQ/s1600-h/eggParm(small).jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 135px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGM9b2wTAAuglxsw4TfJUpWEOKJQk3kE2MJC9lZB6PXGNTWgrEgM_jHj408hVulxYvPt53hV4wzPVTKGutsVYyLcr2qnV6w01uLC3vVi2VFymn59UzUj5LAWFKWmTepBsOGGJVRvHelmQ/s400/eggParm(small).jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305360963969199154" /></a><br /><br />2 Medium Eggplants<br />2 Cups flour<br />3 Eggs<br />2 Cups Panko Breading<br />4 Medium Tomatoes<br />2 Large Fresh Mozzarella Balls<br />1 Bunch of Basil<br />2 Cups Balsamic Vinegar<br />Your choice of frying oil (I opted for canola).<br /><br />1. First, cut those lil eggplanters into slices as you see fit. I like mine a little thicker. Actually, why not just get all the slicing over with and do the tomats and mozz now too. This will be especially fun if you are the proud owner of the <a href="http://americastestkitchen.com/testing/product.asp?docid=14123&testingid=320">America's Test Kitchen Best-Buy-Rated</a> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/R-H-Forschner-Victorinox-8-Inch-Fibrox/dp/B000638D32/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1234042842&sr=8-1">Victoronox Chef's Knife</a>.<br /><br />2. Weep the eggplant. Ever since I learned that one could "weep" an eggplant, I've been saying this as often as I can. What it entails is salting the eggplant slices in order to draw some of the juices out. Some people say that it makes the eggplant less bitter (e.g., "weeping the bitter juices"). I can't say that I've noticed that, but what it is going to do is make your fried eggplant a touch less soggy. Let the salted slices sit for half an hour or so if you've got the time. You'll learn relatively quickly why it's called weeping. Then, wash the salt off and pat the eggplant slices dry.<br /><br />3. Now, you'll want to heat your oil up. I opted for pan frying rather than deep frying, and it will work just fine as long as you get your oil real hot and shimmery. The hotter your oil is, the less soggy your final product is going to be.<br /><br />4. While the oil is making its merry way up to 400 degrees (watch your smoke point, especially if you are Kibbee and Rachel), prepare your dredging station! I put the frying goodies in this order: flour, eggs, panko. Things worked beautifully.<br /><br />5. Balsamic reduction! You can leave this out if you want, but I think it's delicious and adds a nice tang to the eggplant. Reducing vinegar is as simple as evaporating out some of the liquid, which concentrates the wonderful balsamic flavor and makes it sweeter. If you like your reduction sweeter, add a bit of sugar. Just put your vinegar in a pan<a href="#rr2">**</a> and off you go. Whisk it every now and again so it doesn't burn and once you've got about half the original volume it will be syrupy and delicious. I had the vinegar reducing as I cooked the eggplant slices.<br /><br />6. Get frying! Not too many slices at a time, you want to keep the oil nice and hot so it doesn't penetrate your eggplants and make them greasy. When they're nicely browned on both sides, put them on some paper towels to help absorb some the extra oils. You can keep the done pieces warm in the oven as long as you let them dry for a bit on the paper towels and don't stack them in the oven.<br /><br />7. Once the eggplant is done, stack your goodies: eggplant, tomato, a pinch of salt, mozzarella, balsamic reduction, basil leaf. Mmmmmm. While, the plating may be nicer with a whole basil leaf, Katie preferred to rip the basil up a bit and sprinkle it on so that it was easier to get with your fork.</blockquote></div><br />A couple more pics for your enjoyment:<br /><br /><a class="blk" href="javascript:;" onmousedown="if(document.getElementById('pic1').style.display == 'none'){ document.getElementById('pic1').style.display = 'block'; }else{ document.getElementById('pic1').style.display = 'none'; }">{+} Expand to see the pictures...</a><br /><div class="mid" id="pic1" style="display: none;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcNL3x2yHoYM7BaGDKZRY36HOGAdeiPGa4cwGmlrT9uqJre_GuBaI3wzfqISbhks1PFJQ6Oju2NtFITcY1X7exGvSWPJxVcq3olsaaO0m0bB00MtEhz9Xph7_OcR231MBb0gvLudCx2bc/s1600-h/img_1486.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcNL3x2yHoYM7BaGDKZRY36HOGAdeiPGa4cwGmlrT9uqJre_GuBaI3wzfqISbhks1PFJQ6Oju2NtFITcY1X7exGvSWPJxVcq3olsaaO0m0bB00MtEhz9Xph7_OcR231MBb0gvLudCx2bc/s400/img_1486.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300180935717514434" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmaky2Ledo3UjtBdnGbbnWIcn3AWXlAX6RG1FdNAR144dBs08LJMwFR4KIcI4c93_fKC1g220-BHYfWwvRfrSwJNsqrjGenp07K5A-VsZQOfujnhMqi84HW33gBBhfSSAOoJRnSlznWLc/s1600-h/img_1492.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmaky2Ledo3UjtBdnGbbnWIcn3AWXlAX6RG1FdNAR144dBs08LJMwFR4KIcI4c93_fKC1g220-BHYfWwvRfrSwJNsqrjGenp07K5A-VsZQOfujnhMqi84HW33gBBhfSSAOoJRnSlznWLc/s400/img_1492.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300181327442595154" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbtAVRrcze2R6_iqihSeoGVTrnZmXyHPO5BYz6_dudps2eBCCZCkWBFIbouCNoX0VaHtvNUhnPt85GtFloJUjuz3Ze4-p-SqfiPSPfnqbknXfacuOU6n-sHfo5kz8ljJAOkF2ShUFY2dg/s1600-h/img_1505.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbtAVRrcze2R6_iqihSeoGVTrnZmXyHPO5BYz6_dudps2eBCCZCkWBFIbouCNoX0VaHtvNUhnPt85GtFloJUjuz3Ze4-p-SqfiPSPfnqbknXfacuOU6n-sHfo5kz8ljJAOkF2ShUFY2dg/s400/img_1505.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300181564756192002" border="0" /></a></div><br />Much more, very soon.<br /><br />Lovies,<br />Peter<br /><br /><a name="rr1"></a>*Excuse my dumb names. Please.<br /><br /><a name="rr2"></a>**Note to people who may be as silly as I am: Do not make your balsamic reduction in a cast iron pan. Obviously. Putting acid on cast iron is asking to ruin your seasoning and engender oxidation. N00b.<div class="blogger-post-footer">[Note to RSSers: Unfortunately, reading posts via feedreader breaks footnote links and expandable recipes. If you want this technogeek candy, read the posts at <a href="http://seatfood.blogspot.com">Blogger</a>.]</div>El Capitanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12494962412929290738noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903940024173149348.post-61449546483438542802009-01-12T16:10:00.000-08:002009-03-09T17:35:39.906-07:00FOOD MATTERS.Mark <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Bittman</span>, of <a href="http://bitten.blogs.nytimes.com/">Minimalist</a> fame, is coming to Seattle! A little biopic--including, his lilliputian kitchen--<a href="http://www.observer.com/2008/o2/making-minimalist">here</a>. In this <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">blogger's</span> estimation, Mark <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">Bittman</span> is the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">friggin</span>' man: good eats, good politics, and a touch of New York <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">cynic</span>-sass. Watch his <a href="http://video.nytimes.com/video/playlist/style/the-minimalist/1194811622323/index.html">videos</a> on the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error">NYT</span> site for a taste of his style. He'll be talking about his book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Food-Matters-Conscious-Eating-Recipes/dp/1416575642/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1231807496&sr=8-2">Food Matters</a>. I'm going and you should too if you are in Seattle. If you can't make it, check out his <a href="http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/mark_bittman_on_what_s_wrong_with_what_we_eat.html">TED talk</a> for similar stuff.<br /><br />Mark <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">Bittman</span> on Food Matters<br />Wednesday, January 14<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-error">th</span><br />7:00 PM<br />University of Washington, Kane Hall, Room 120<div class="blogger-post-footer">[Note to RSSers: Unfortunately, reading posts via feedreader breaks footnote links and expandable recipes. If you want this technogeek candy, read the posts at <a href="http://seatfood.blogspot.com">Blogger</a>.]</div>El Capitanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12494962412929290738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903940024173149348.post-1946996174676864542008-12-20T16:50:00.000-08:002009-03-09T17:36:05.879-07:00Scones and Snow<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzbD3splXcyldJWUUScJ7QvTDpHPdJTJWHvFCqDp0zNFHhLjrF386Ui7Am2sdqLFW_0BUa_hVjUuDs8aIzqTl9TIfus48NEsBpDPUUnJ42Jr-4zMwT3C7w0G8yRIvqQt3ZNapesIl-zS4/s1600-h/SCONEY.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 224px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282041532682185906" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzbD3splXcyldJWUUScJ7QvTDpHPdJTJWHvFCqDp0zNFHhLjrF386Ui7Am2sdqLFW_0BUa_hVjUuDs8aIzqTl9TIfus48NEsBpDPUUnJ42Jr-4zMwT3C7w0G8yRIvqQt3ZNapesIl-zS4/s320/SCONEY.JPG" /></a><br />SCRONES!<br /><br />So, today it snowed. And I made scones. And they were fabulous. The fact of the matter is that the success of the scones rests entirely upon the shoulders of a dear friend of mine: Angel. On our way home from the Pike Place Market as the snow began to drift down from the fluffy clouds, Angel said, "You know what else is fluffy and delicious, much like the snow clouds? Whipping cream when whipped. Freshly whipped. And I have strong wrists. This means that I can whip the whipping cream until it is whipped."<br /><br />"Genius, Angel!" I responded. And off we went on an adventure. The result was the perfect compliment to a snowstorm.<br /><br />Now you get the dull part, which is just the recipe. I adapted it from <a href="http://www.amateurgourmet.com/2008/11/cream_scones_1.html">here</a> and added a little kick of cinnamon and ginger.<br /><br /><a class="blk" href="javascript:;" onmousedown="if(document.getElementById('scrones').style.display == 'none'){ document.getElementById('scrones').style.display = 'block'; }else{ document.getElementById('scrones').style.display = 'none'; }">{+} Scones Recipe</a><br /><div class="mid" id="scrones" style="display: none;"><br /><blockquote>SCONES:<br />2 cups flour<br />1/3 cup sugar<br />1 tbs cinnamon<br />1 tbs ginger<br />powder<br />1 tbs baking power<br />1/2 tsp salt<br /><br />1-1/2 heavy cream<br /><br />Preheat oven to 400<br /><br />Mix the dry ingredients thoroughly. Make a well in the middle and add the heavy cream, mixing as you go. If you've still got some dry bits, add more heavy cream and keep mixing. You want the scones to be light, so don't overmix. Just mix until it all sticks together. Go ahead add plop about 8 balls of sconey goodness onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Roll 'em in your hand to make them roundish, but don't squeeze to hard! Scones are sensitive. Paint the scones with a little extra cream, and dust with a bit of sugar, cinammon, and ginger powder.<br /><br />Pop those nubs in the oven for 15 minutes or until they are golden brown. You don't want gooey scones.</blockquote> </div><br />Now, this is where it's handy to have a partner. While one of you is sconesin' (and you are both jonesin' for some sconage) the other should make the whipped whipping cream.<br /><br /><a class="blk" href="javascript:;" onmousedown="if(document.getElementById('whipCream').style.display == 'none'){ document.getElementById('whipCream').style.display = 'block'; }else{ document.getElementById('whipCream').style.display = 'none'; }">{+} Whipped Whipping Cream!</a><br /><div class="mid" id="whipCream" style="display: none;"><br /><blockquote>WHIPPED WHIPPING CREAM:<br />2 cups heavy cream<br />1/3 cup sugar<br />1 tsp<br />vanilla (or extract)<br /><br />Whisk the cream in a bowl. When you feel like it, add the sugar and vanilla. Keep whisking. Eventually you will have whipped whipping cream! Don't whip too long or things will get "weird and chunky." I'm taking Angel's word for that. She didn't whip too long.</blockquote></div><br /><a class="blk" href="javascript:;" onmousedown="if(document.getElementById('drizz').style.display == 'none'){ document.getElementById('drizz').style.display = 'block'; }else{ document.getElementById('drizz').style.display = 'none'; }">{+} Honey Ginger Drizzle</a><br /><div class="mid" id="drizz" style="display: none;"><br /><blockquote>GINGER-HONEY DRIZZLE:<br />1 tbs butter<br />1/4 cup honey<br />1/3 cup fresh<br />ginger (finely minced or grated)<br />1 tsp ginger powder<br /><br />Once the sconezors are in the ovzors, you need to get your driz on. Over low heat melt the butter in a pan. Add the chopped ginger and ginger powder and squish the ginger nubs with a fork to get the gingery goodness out. When the ginger is softish, add the honey and warm it until it is smooth. </blockquote></div><br />Top a scone with a dollop of whipped cream and a drizzle of the honey-ginger drizzle. Accompany with a cup of warm coffee (with its own touch of heavy cream if you are feeling decadent).<br /><br />Enjoy.<br /><br />Signing off,<br />El Gran Caballero Don Pedro del Toro<div class="blogger-post-footer">[Note to RSSers: Unfortunately, reading posts via feedreader breaks footnote links and expandable recipes. If you want this technogeek candy, read the posts at <a href="http://seatfood.blogspot.com">Blogger</a>.]</div>El Capitanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12494962412929290738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903940024173149348.post-33802134553307375892008-12-01T10:23:00.000-08:002009-03-09T17:36:19.180-07:00Mama's Sweet RollsI guess this is the format that the posts are in then. Great. So I've unfortunately left the recipe at home (I'm at work, duh) and yeah I'll just tantalize your taste buds with some pics. Apparently my great grandmother made these rolls and good old uncle Tony introduced them to me Easter 2007? Anyway, the rolls themselves are made up of<br />6 cups all purposed unbleached flour (I used bleached and they were still delicious)<br />a lot of butter (all told at least 2 sticks)<br />2 packets yeast<br />some brown sugar<br />2 eggs<br /><br />I'll add recipe steps later. There is also a delicious brown sugar + butter topping that really puts these rolls over the top. The topping consists of<br />1 cup brown sugar<br />a stick of butter<br />1 tbsp karo syrup<br /><br />(I will double check and confirm what the recipe calls for later)<br /><br />Well, as I said this is mainly to show off how the rolls came out and to hope that all who tasted can vouch for their deliciousness (even when they were a couple days old). They really are best about 3-5 minutes after you put the topping on. They're still warm and the spirals just pull apart. Trust me, they're really damn good.<br /><br />Before baking and topping:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik_-F17oRkMEY9JoYlixzp6FYsUj66MtrP8O5JBdNizM_7Ye3d9quvZxtuVJPz6wWmiA7PD3b5WCDE2KZ3IelQg2USz4dK3vKkyTyuP2Rj8LPONCwIz1pV2HateR6eZRE_gOyKHFp77rk/s1600-h/11272008288.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik_-F17oRkMEY9JoYlixzp6FYsUj66MtrP8O5JBdNizM_7Ye3d9quvZxtuVJPz6wWmiA7PD3b5WCDE2KZ3IelQg2USz4dK3vKkyTyuP2Rj8LPONCwIz1pV2HateR6eZRE_gOyKHFp77rk/s400/11272008288.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274892845526464178" border="0" /></a><br />After baking and topping:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIyPdSmqS5oMsRipUqiUS-IqkGzK6TsELJAHus6IEU6_eIl2DH_dRLRz9wUg-oRW7AlWuLltNa9NGO2XaPxai7gIKl-lSp2vb0OQUUfUrH6jG41LmZ6QRCiYEBozKLw6cNufrXd5f09bA/s1600-h/11272008298.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIyPdSmqS5oMsRipUqiUS-IqkGzK6TsELJAHus6IEU6_eIl2DH_dRLRz9wUg-oRW7AlWuLltNa9NGO2XaPxai7gIKl-lSp2vb0OQUUfUrH6jG41LmZ6QRCiYEBozKLw6cNufrXd5f09bA/s400/11272008298.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274893496713652258" border="0" /></a><br />Check out my other post to read up on no-knead bread progress.<br /><br />Bone appaTIGHT<br /><br />--Will<div class="blogger-post-footer">[Note to RSSers: Unfortunately, reading posts via feedreader breaks footnote links and expandable recipes. If you want this technogeek candy, read the posts at <a href="http://seatfood.blogspot.com">Blogger</a>.]</div>Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00363602917606054482noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903940024173149348.post-69160833816382690032008-11-21T18:17:00.000-08:002009-03-09T17:36:53.480-07:00Omelet SandwichFor the past couple months or so, my go-to breakfast has been this egg sandwich cooked in the style of late-night Ghanaian street vendors. It is also ridiculously simple. You need:<br /><br />A good sized omelet pan (about 10 inches is ideal, maybe a little bigger).<br />Eggs (however many you want, I find 3 is best).<br />Bread.<br />Some butter.<br />Fixins (whatever you like).<br /><br />This is how it goes: Whip up the eggs in a small bowl like you would if you were making an omelet. Grease the pan with butter or cooking oil, turn to just below medium heat, and throw on the fixins. It can really be whatever you want. Onions are always a good call. I normally like a little bit of meat--chunks of sausage are quite delicious. My favorite fixins besides that are habanero and red chili peppers. I normally dice up one whole pepper of each variety to put in the omelet. For maximum spicyness, I throw the peppers in right before I pour the eggs onto the pan. Once you pour the eggs on, make sure the fixins are evenly distributed about the omelet, then don't touch it. Prepare your bread--I prefer small hoagie rolls here, but again, you can use whatever you like. Once the base layer of the omelet is cooked, go around the sides with a spatula and make sure that it is not stuck to the pan. Right before you put the bread on, you might like to throw on some cheese, or some gourmet lunchmeat. Trust me, it's delicious. When the egg on top of the omelet is still uncooked, put two pieces of bread that will make up your sandwich on top of it. Let them cook like that for a while, then fold the omelet in half between the two slices and cook the outsides of the bread for a little while until all the egg is cooked. Feel free to take liberties with this recipe--make the omelet however you like. It is always delicious.<div class="blogger-post-footer">[Note to RSSers: Unfortunately, reading posts via feedreader breaks footnote links and expandable recipes. If you want this technogeek candy, read the posts at <a href="http://seatfood.blogspot.com">Blogger</a>.]</div>I Like Your Folkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01316472244666885934noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903940024173149348.post-41886681120027843402008-11-21T12:53:00.001-08:002009-03-09T17:37:26.868-07:00Italian Cheese and Bread Soup for a Cold Winter Night1 quart of vegetable broth<br />2 cups of cheese - fontina, gruyere or chedder<br />1/2 loaf of good, hearty bread - whole grain, pumpernickel or rye<br />3 cloves of garlic - minced or pressed<br />1/4 cup parsley<br />1 tablespoon of olive oil<br />1 small fresh lemon<br />black pepper, paprika, thyme or cayene pepper to taste<br /><br />Start off by placing the garlic in olive oil and cook till golden brown in the pot. Then slowly pour in the vegetable broth, add onion salt and pepper, and bring to a boil. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice into the broth. Once the broth is boiling nicely, bring to a simmer. Now that the soup is ready to go, toast the bread till it's nice and crispy, then place directly in the serving bowls. Shred 1/2 cup of cheese for each person who is partaking in the deliciousness and place on top of the bread. Slowly pour or ladle the vegetable broth over the bread and cheese. Flavor to taste. Garnish with a dollop of sour cream and parsely. Enjoy!<br /><br />I got this recipe from the Moosewood Quick Dinners cookbook and served with a baked lemon pepper chicken. Delicious.<div class="blogger-post-footer">[Note to RSSers: Unfortunately, reading posts via feedreader breaks footnote links and expandable recipes. If you want this technogeek candy, read the posts at <a href="http://seatfood.blogspot.com">Blogger</a>.]</div>Berkshirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05317421535680295103noreply@blogger.com0