Well all, I regret to inform you that this is our last post.
You might be all like "Hey, guy, why the quitting?" Well, I am busy, and so is Jake. Also, it won't exactly be two fat amateurs anymore. I am a sous-chef; training for the big leagues, kids. Plus, not many people were into this, which is fine since this was more self-serving than anything.
It was fun and I think it kind of helped me along with what I am doing now.
I am too distracted for this heart-felt goodbye.
Thanks to any and all of you that read this ever. I will keep it up so that I can reference it, and so you can look at all the dumb shit I thought was cool.
Later!
-Tim
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Monday, July 19, 2010
Quick and Dirty- thats' what she said
Howdy, y'all.
No, I am not in Texas anymore, silly gooses... or silly geese. Whatever. I am just extending friendly words for visiting. Hope y'all come back now!
Anyway, enough stereotyping and bad humor, it's time for a quick blog about a little something I made last night. It took like, 7 minutes total and was made by ingredients I had lying around!
So, I took a scali roll (a small roll from Walmart of all places that is like a dense croissant) and split it. I drizzled some olive oil, and sliced a few chunks of Jarlsburg Swiss on it. Jarlsburg is a mild Swiss; it melts well and is creamy with a good amount of that Swiss "bite" to it. I also have a jar of portabella mushrooms sliced with roasted red pepper and garlic in an oil/vinegar brine. They're pretty good. I did one side with the mushroom mix, the other with the cheese chunks, and put it on my pizzazz.
Now, I will tell you that the pizzazz is pretty sweet. It doesn't cook as well as the oven, but it's quick and efficient for browning where as we all know a microwave lacks. So after about 5 minutes on the pizzazz the cheese was melting and the sandwich edges were browning, so I plated it and closed it to let it melt together and meld in flavor. It was balanced in ingredients, the vinegar gave it a good bite while the cheese evened it out. The bread is pretty good for Walmart bread, and it baked up well.
I am not going to update with every sandwich I make, but I thought that this was a good example of throwing a few items together and making a good and quick meal. Explore your kitchens, use up some old stuff, spice away, and have fun experimenting. Coming up with good stuff is satisfying.
Anyways, thanks for reading! Later, y'all.
No, I am not in Texas anymore, silly gooses... or silly geese. Whatever. I am just extending friendly words for visiting. Hope y'all come back now!
Anyway, enough stereotyping and bad humor, it's time for a quick blog about a little something I made last night. It took like, 7 minutes total and was made by ingredients I had lying around!
So, I took a scali roll (a small roll from Walmart of all places that is like a dense croissant) and split it. I drizzled some olive oil, and sliced a few chunks of Jarlsburg Swiss on it. Jarlsburg is a mild Swiss; it melts well and is creamy with a good amount of that Swiss "bite" to it. I also have a jar of portabella mushrooms sliced with roasted red pepper and garlic in an oil/vinegar brine. They're pretty good. I did one side with the mushroom mix, the other with the cheese chunks, and put it on my pizzazz.
Now, I will tell you that the pizzazz is pretty sweet. It doesn't cook as well as the oven, but it's quick and efficient for browning where as we all know a microwave lacks. So after about 5 minutes on the pizzazz the cheese was melting and the sandwich edges were browning, so I plated it and closed it to let it melt together and meld in flavor. It was balanced in ingredients, the vinegar gave it a good bite while the cheese evened it out. The bread is pretty good for Walmart bread, and it baked up well.
I am not going to update with every sandwich I make, but I thought that this was a good example of throwing a few items together and making a good and quick meal. Explore your kitchens, use up some old stuff, spice away, and have fun experimenting. Coming up with good stuff is satisfying.
Anyways, thanks for reading! Later, y'all.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
A month after- Texas food blog!
Yes indeed, here it is. After my week vacation in Texas, I finally have time and motivation to let you in on some of my culinary experiences in my short time there. I was able to take a week vacation this year since I have a year in at a full time job and haven't been laid off or anything! So, I decided to visit some friends in Texas. I also wanted to see how habitable Texas would be for me, since I may have to move when the Summer is over. But that has nothing to do with food, so we won't go into all that now! On to what you came here for... my witty humor and fantastic writing, right?
Houston-
I spent a couple days in Houston, initially. I stayed with my friends Cole and Mia and they were kind enough to let me hang out on their couch and play GTA4 with them. It was really fantastic and they were terrific hosts. The first night Mia made a chicken/Alfredo dish that was terrific. The chicken was cooked in a terrific old cast-iron pan, and it was fantastic. The spiral pasta and sauce in gigantic portions made for a great meal after spending all day flying around the country.
I will spare you the little things like Jack-in-the-Box visits and such, since many of you know about it and don't really care how much I like curly fries and little fried tacos.
On my last evening in Houston we went to a Mexican restaurant called Mamacita's.
It had a typical "authentic" Mexican restaurant feel entering, with some Mariachi music playing and a faux margarita table set up. However, it was clean with a slight hint of "chain restaurant" to it. We sat down and were greeted by a friendly male waiter with the thickest accent I had heard at that point. We got the complimentary chips/salsa to begin, along with a "Blue Spider" (page 5 of link, it's a menu .pdf). The chips and salsa were good, perhaps not as fresh due to the late hour we attended, however. If you are in the mood for some chips and salsa, it was satisfying. The Blue Spider was terrific. Fruity, flavorful, not too much alcohol but it had a good kick if you weren't careful. The colodas and daquiris are great as well (we each tried each others). I ordered Enchiladas de Crema (page 2 of above link). It came with refried beans and rice with lettuce, tomato, and a bit of sour cream. I tried the rice first, which was cooked well and had a subtle 'tang' to it, but was a good palate-cleanser for other items on the plate. The beans were next, which were delicious. There was a strong cumin flavor with the creaminess of the beans and a peppery hint throughout. I finally made it to the enchiladas, trying the Crema sauce first. The sauce was light, bold, and delicious. The tortillas were fresh and perfect texture. However, the real standout part of this dish was the chicken. The chicken was some of the most tender and well-seasoned I have ever had. It was moist, with a hint of salt, cumin, and cilantro. It was fantastic. If you are ever in the Houston area, make sure you go here.
Austin-
Austin was the second destination of my week-long adventure. Austin is a beautiful city with obvious diversity and a laid-back atmosphere apparent nearly immediately. I stayed with friends Amanda and Marc for the rest of my vacation, and they were terrific hosts as well.I am very lucky to have such terrific friends!
Now on to the food. I will go about this chronologically or I will get all mixed up and forget everything.
Our first stop was at Buffet Palace (no official site that I found, link has info). Now, I know what you may be thinking- oh great, a generic Chinese buffet that has the same stuff every other buffet has since they have the same supply company. NO. My meal at Buffet Palace was one of the best buffet experiences in my life. Everything was fresh, there was a wide array of cuisines to choose from, and you can tell everyone who made it cared and tried to make a good product. I started with the "traditional" buffet fare, fried rice, egg roll, the fried chicken things, and it was all fantastic. The second plate I experimented a bit with some sushi (made with crab meat, but still deliciously done), Thai coconut chicken (chicken and mushrooms in a spicy coconut sauce), and a bit more rice. Dessert consisted of a small slice of chocolate cake (moist and flavorful), a small slice of strawberry cake (great too), and a bit of soft-serve with caramel sauce. I am not sure how the cakes/desserts are made, but they were tasty and moist, a change for buffet desserts. Overall a fantastic experience.
The next stop was Rudy's. This place was fantastic, even after all the hype that was given all day :). It is a barbecue shack and country store that smokes and cooks all it's own meats. If you are a first-timer, you get to try the various meats to determine what you want. I tried the lean brisket first, which was tender, smoky, and great. I tried the turkey next, which was melt-in-your-mouth fantastic poultry goodness. Finally, I tried the moist brisket (basically a choice of fattier or leaner cuts) and that was it. Some salt, smoke, and moist beef made this my choice of a 1/4 lb with some cole slaw and a drink. It didn't exceed $8 and was served in a large tray. The seating for Rudy's is a large dining area with picnic tables to complete the BBQ atmosphere. Large windows showed the back area with some flowers and other great landscaping. However, this all paled in comparison to the food. With your choice of meat you get a handful of sliced white bread. I made sandwiches out of my brisket, and after tasting the barbecue sauce available at each table, slathered that on as well. The sauce was a heavily-spiced tomato-y concoction with lots of coarse black pepper, vinegar, garlic, and lots of spices. It complimented the meat very well. The meat was fork-tender, and just plain out-of-this-world. A great meal.
Rudy's offers a number of meats and sides and while I could go into all of what they have, just go to the site linked above. A great time. Plus, they had this rotating hand washer that you stuck your hands in, and warm water rotated and cleaned you!
P. Terry's was a fast-food stop in the mid-day for us. This is a burger stand, typically drive-thru only. For fast food, this was simply great. I got a cheeseburger and fries, and it may have been the signs leading up to the window stating they use only real butter and that they cut their own fries and that they use organic tomatoes, or maybe it was the anticipation of sitting in a long line (popular place = awesome). It was a great meal. The fries tasted very homemade and were light but greasy goodness. The burger is California style with lettuce and tomatoes, along with some mayo and of course some cheese. The meat was quality, as were the toppings. I prefer a strongly seasoned burger, and while this was not, it was still a good and inexpensive meal done with quality ingredients. Top-notch fast food.
Finally, one of the last stops on my trip was at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. This was an interesting concept, as it is a movie theater with full-service dining in the seats. Instead of a row in front of you, it is a long table set up with menus and paper to order quietly. We saw the newest George Romero zombie flick "'Insert noun here' of the Dead." It was a typical, poorly done zombie movie but entertaining at least. The food there was quality, and consisted of typical fried appetizers to more upscale type. I got a salad with panko-breaded goat cheese medallions with candied walnuts in a raspberry vinaigrette. I also got it with an Arrogant Bastard Ale. The salad had many good qualities. The cheese was good; light and crispy with that tang of the goat cheese. The walnuts were sweet and plentiful. The greens were fresh. However, the salad was not only HUGE, but it just got to be too much. This salad would be good in a small portion, but as an entree it suffered being too rich and just kind of knocked me out. The Arrogant Bastard was a bit too stout for my taste (and I love Guiness) and I had a hard time finishing that as well.
HOWEVER- I don't want anyone to think that this is a bad place with bad food- by no means. It was all prepared well and had great ingredients. It just didn't hit me that well, and I think that the concept of a theater with full meal service is a great idea to capitalize on.
My trip contained fun adventures and some of the best food I ever had. While I may just stay around the midwest, at least I know that Texas has some great destinations... now to go get some more of that barbecue...
Houston-
I spent a couple days in Houston, initially. I stayed with my friends Cole and Mia and they were kind enough to let me hang out on their couch and play GTA4 with them. It was really fantastic and they were terrific hosts. The first night Mia made a chicken/Alfredo dish that was terrific. The chicken was cooked in a terrific old cast-iron pan, and it was fantastic. The spiral pasta and sauce in gigantic portions made for a great meal after spending all day flying around the country.
I will spare you the little things like Jack-in-the-Box visits and such, since many of you know about it and don't really care how much I like curly fries and little fried tacos.
On my last evening in Houston we went to a Mexican restaurant called Mamacita's.
It had a typical "authentic" Mexican restaurant feel entering, with some Mariachi music playing and a faux margarita table set up. However, it was clean with a slight hint of "chain restaurant" to it. We sat down and were greeted by a friendly male waiter with the thickest accent I had heard at that point. We got the complimentary chips/salsa to begin, along with a "Blue Spider" (page 5 of link, it's a menu .pdf). The chips and salsa were good, perhaps not as fresh due to the late hour we attended, however. If you are in the mood for some chips and salsa, it was satisfying. The Blue Spider was terrific. Fruity, flavorful, not too much alcohol but it had a good kick if you weren't careful. The colodas and daquiris are great as well (we each tried each others). I ordered Enchiladas de Crema (page 2 of above link). It came with refried beans and rice with lettuce, tomato, and a bit of sour cream. I tried the rice first, which was cooked well and had a subtle 'tang' to it, but was a good palate-cleanser for other items on the plate. The beans were next, which were delicious. There was a strong cumin flavor with the creaminess of the beans and a peppery hint throughout. I finally made it to the enchiladas, trying the Crema sauce first. The sauce was light, bold, and delicious. The tortillas were fresh and perfect texture. However, the real standout part of this dish was the chicken. The chicken was some of the most tender and well-seasoned I have ever had. It was moist, with a hint of salt, cumin, and cilantro. It was fantastic. If you are ever in the Houston area, make sure you go here.
Austin-
Austin was the second destination of my week-long adventure. Austin is a beautiful city with obvious diversity and a laid-back atmosphere apparent nearly immediately. I stayed with friends Amanda and Marc for the rest of my vacation, and they were terrific hosts as well.I am very lucky to have such terrific friends!
Now on to the food. I will go about this chronologically or I will get all mixed up and forget everything.
Our first stop was at Buffet Palace (no official site that I found, link has info). Now, I know what you may be thinking- oh great, a generic Chinese buffet that has the same stuff every other buffet has since they have the same supply company. NO. My meal at Buffet Palace was one of the best buffet experiences in my life. Everything was fresh, there was a wide array of cuisines to choose from, and you can tell everyone who made it cared and tried to make a good product. I started with the "traditional" buffet fare, fried rice, egg roll, the fried chicken things, and it was all fantastic. The second plate I experimented a bit with some sushi (made with crab meat, but still deliciously done), Thai coconut chicken (chicken and mushrooms in a spicy coconut sauce), and a bit more rice. Dessert consisted of a small slice of chocolate cake (moist and flavorful), a small slice of strawberry cake (great too), and a bit of soft-serve with caramel sauce. I am not sure how the cakes/desserts are made, but they were tasty and moist, a change for buffet desserts. Overall a fantastic experience.
The next stop was Rudy's. This place was fantastic, even after all the hype that was given all day :). It is a barbecue shack and country store that smokes and cooks all it's own meats. If you are a first-timer, you get to try the various meats to determine what you want. I tried the lean brisket first, which was tender, smoky, and great. I tried the turkey next, which was melt-in-your-mouth fantastic poultry goodness. Finally, I tried the moist brisket (basically a choice of fattier or leaner cuts) and that was it. Some salt, smoke, and moist beef made this my choice of a 1/4 lb with some cole slaw and a drink. It didn't exceed $8 and was served in a large tray. The seating for Rudy's is a large dining area with picnic tables to complete the BBQ atmosphere. Large windows showed the back area with some flowers and other great landscaping. However, this all paled in comparison to the food. With your choice of meat you get a handful of sliced white bread. I made sandwiches out of my brisket, and after tasting the barbecue sauce available at each table, slathered that on as well. The sauce was a heavily-spiced tomato-y concoction with lots of coarse black pepper, vinegar, garlic, and lots of spices. It complimented the meat very well. The meat was fork-tender, and just plain out-of-this-world. A great meal.
Rudy's offers a number of meats and sides and while I could go into all of what they have, just go to the site linked above. A great time. Plus, they had this rotating hand washer that you stuck your hands in, and warm water rotated and cleaned you!
P. Terry's was a fast-food stop in the mid-day for us. This is a burger stand, typically drive-thru only. For fast food, this was simply great. I got a cheeseburger and fries, and it may have been the signs leading up to the window stating they use only real butter and that they cut their own fries and that they use organic tomatoes, or maybe it was the anticipation of sitting in a long line (popular place = awesome). It was a great meal. The fries tasted very homemade and were light but greasy goodness. The burger is California style with lettuce and tomatoes, along with some mayo and of course some cheese. The meat was quality, as were the toppings. I prefer a strongly seasoned burger, and while this was not, it was still a good and inexpensive meal done with quality ingredients. Top-notch fast food.
Finally, one of the last stops on my trip was at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. This was an interesting concept, as it is a movie theater with full-service dining in the seats. Instead of a row in front of you, it is a long table set up with menus and paper to order quietly. We saw the newest George Romero zombie flick "'Insert noun here' of the Dead." It was a typical, poorly done zombie movie but entertaining at least. The food there was quality, and consisted of typical fried appetizers to more upscale type. I got a salad with panko-breaded goat cheese medallions with candied walnuts in a raspberry vinaigrette. I also got it with an Arrogant Bastard Ale. The salad had many good qualities. The cheese was good; light and crispy with that tang of the goat cheese. The walnuts were sweet and plentiful. The greens were fresh. However, the salad was not only HUGE, but it just got to be too much. This salad would be good in a small portion, but as an entree it suffered being too rich and just kind of knocked me out. The Arrogant Bastard was a bit too stout for my taste (and I love Guiness) and I had a hard time finishing that as well.
HOWEVER- I don't want anyone to think that this is a bad place with bad food- by no means. It was all prepared well and had great ingredients. It just didn't hit me that well, and I think that the concept of a theater with full meal service is a great idea to capitalize on.
My trip contained fun adventures and some of the best food I ever had. While I may just stay around the midwest, at least I know that Texas has some great destinations... now to go get some more of that barbecue...
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Molten Chocolate cakes w/photos
Ahhhhhhh...
My sigh of relief is echoing the halls of my apartment. A near full-time internship and full time work has left me with about 6 hours of sleep at night and no "me" time. Oh well, this isn't about me bitching, is it?
Probably.
Anyway, in my madness of a life, I managed to make molten chocolate cakes. I have been meaning to make these for a long time since I found a recipe here. I will admit that I typically find recipes from other places, but the point of this blog isn't to give you just full on recipes. Anyone can find those. I want to give you my fat amateur experiences so that you can learn or make fun of me or whatever it is you do.
I had gotten four small ramekins that hold about 3/4 - 1 cup apiece. I thought they were super cute and perfect for what I was going to do. So, I made the batter according to the recipe. If you don't have an electric mixer then you are going to have sore arms, I had tried hand-whipping the egg whites. This recipe contains no flour, by the way. Butter, eggs, cream of tartar, chocolate, and VANILLA. I totally forgot the vanilla in the recipe, and I was pumped since I had just gotten a really good authentic vanilla.
To prep the ramekins I buttered and sugared liberally, but it could have been heavier. The recipe says go heavy, so make sure you do. This is not a recipe for those watching their diets... butter and eggs comprise most of the recipe, not to mention more than a couple ounces of semi-sweet chocolate per serving. It is important not to open the oven often, either, or it will fall. So, after following directions (except for the damn vanilla), I put them on a baking tray and baked two away. I saved the other two in some plastic in the fridge.
Baking didn't take long, the directions said about 15 minutes and that's what I did. In the mean time I whipped some cream and powdered sugar (homemade whipped cream FTW). I prefer freshly whipped cream for toppings, as it has that real cream taste, and it's as fresh as you are able to make. I had also purchased chocolate sauce (I had some that was homemade but it had crystallized since I had not cooked it long enough). I cut up some blackberries and strawberries (a technique that I had seen done at Tony's Trattoria in Waterloo, IA). When the cakes were done I did the whole upside-down-plate-trick to get them upside down on the plate. Run a knife on the outside of the cake before doing so. After a little coaxing they slid out on the plates.
I had gotten some 1/2 fat Breyer's Vanilla Bean for the dessert. I did this since the cake was heavy and hot, the ice cream is cool and lighter, and the whipped cream is like air in comparison, and a bit less sweet than the rest. The berries brought a tartness that broke up the sweet bombardment. I had it all plated, and did a drizzle of chocolate sauce for effect on each. The end result was pretty sweet, and it tasted pretty excellent. It is like a pudding in the center, which is a bit strange but still very good. The cake wasn't extremely rich like I had expected, but the fat and sugar elements were very strong as were the chocolate notes. The ice cream contrasted the cake a good amount, and the berries gave the whole thing a break when needed.
But, enough talking about it, here are pictures
and also
Nevermind my dirty stove. The sauce was used a little too heavy, but I blame Hershey for their generously-endowed container openings. I liked the berries fanning them a bit, but how you do it is up to you.
Questions or comments? Let us know!!
My sigh of relief is echoing the halls of my apartment. A near full-time internship and full time work has left me with about 6 hours of sleep at night and no "me" time. Oh well, this isn't about me bitching, is it?
Probably.
Anyway, in my madness of a life, I managed to make molten chocolate cakes. I have been meaning to make these for a long time since I found a recipe here. I will admit that I typically find recipes from other places, but the point of this blog isn't to give you just full on recipes. Anyone can find those. I want to give you my fat amateur experiences so that you can learn or make fun of me or whatever it is you do.
I had gotten four small ramekins that hold about 3/4 - 1 cup apiece. I thought they were super cute and perfect for what I was going to do. So, I made the batter according to the recipe. If you don't have an electric mixer then you are going to have sore arms, I had tried hand-whipping the egg whites. This recipe contains no flour, by the way. Butter, eggs, cream of tartar, chocolate, and VANILLA. I totally forgot the vanilla in the recipe, and I was pumped since I had just gotten a really good authentic vanilla.
To prep the ramekins I buttered and sugared liberally, but it could have been heavier. The recipe says go heavy, so make sure you do. This is not a recipe for those watching their diets... butter and eggs comprise most of the recipe, not to mention more than a couple ounces of semi-sweet chocolate per serving. It is important not to open the oven often, either, or it will fall. So, after following directions (except for the damn vanilla), I put them on a baking tray and baked two away. I saved the other two in some plastic in the fridge.
Baking didn't take long, the directions said about 15 minutes and that's what I did. In the mean time I whipped some cream and powdered sugar (homemade whipped cream FTW). I prefer freshly whipped cream for toppings, as it has that real cream taste, and it's as fresh as you are able to make. I had also purchased chocolate sauce (I had some that was homemade but it had crystallized since I had not cooked it long enough). I cut up some blackberries and strawberries (a technique that I had seen done at Tony's Trattoria in Waterloo, IA). When the cakes were done I did the whole upside-down-plate-trick to get them upside down on the plate. Run a knife on the outside of the cake before doing so. After a little coaxing they slid out on the plates.
I had gotten some 1/2 fat Breyer's Vanilla Bean for the dessert. I did this since the cake was heavy and hot, the ice cream is cool and lighter, and the whipped cream is like air in comparison, and a bit less sweet than the rest. The berries brought a tartness that broke up the sweet bombardment. I had it all plated, and did a drizzle of chocolate sauce for effect on each. The end result was pretty sweet, and it tasted pretty excellent. It is like a pudding in the center, which is a bit strange but still very good. The cake wasn't extremely rich like I had expected, but the fat and sugar elements were very strong as were the chocolate notes. The ice cream contrasted the cake a good amount, and the berries gave the whole thing a break when needed.
But, enough talking about it, here are pictures
and also
Nevermind my dirty stove. The sauce was used a little too heavy, but I blame Hershey for their generously-endowed container openings. I liked the berries fanning them a bit, but how you do it is up to you.
Questions or comments? Let us know!!
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Risotto? I'm Ron Burgundy?
I will spare you apologies for the lack of blogs, and will just say that life is lame for the time being. However, in my various endeavors, I did have a chance to make a few things that were pretty damn tasty.
I finally tried my hand at a risotto. I had heard about it a long while ago, and began researching them a few months ago. I had purchased all of the necessary ingredients, and after a few drinks decided to try my hand. Since I had been studying them so intensely I did not use a set recipe, but went with how it all looked as well as the taste.
For this, I will describe the ingredients along with the process, so you can look up your own recipes since your taste will vary (or if you want one like mine comment me). If you are going to recreate this, read this entire entry, as I will go back and forth hap-hazardly and ruin you. I sauteed a frozen chicken breast on both sides in a bit of olive oil with a touch of fresh cracked sea salt and pepper. I then moved it into a 400 degree oven to finish it. While the breast was cooking, I sauteed a chopped onion (a medium yellow onion, for its pungency and sweetness) in a mix of butter and olive oil until they were translucent but not quite carmelized (using med-high heat). I sat those off to the side and started sauteing or toasting (not sure of the term) the arborio rice in that mix of butter and olive oil.
Before I began, I began slowly heating a pan of chicken stock. The amount you will use will vary, but make sure you have enough (read recipes to find out why). Make sure to only put warm or hot ingredients in your main risotto pan. While the rice was toasting, I deglazed the chicken pan with some pinot grigio (about a cup or so worth) and heated it up to a nice warm temperature. When the rice was getting translucent, I put in the wine and let it absorb. I think I either used too much wine, or I used too cheap of a wine, as I will point out later. I then re-added the onions, and went from there.
When the wine had all absorbed/cooked out, I started putting in the stock, a ladle at a time. I consistently stirred the rice as I did this, and kept adjusting temperature to make sure it was staying at a consistent temperature. I kept adding ladles of stock until it could barely hold more. I had pulled the chicken from the oven and cubed it as well. I pulled it just a bit early to cook in the end with the rice. I will mention that I had gotten a small wedge of a Parmesan (not Reggiano, to my dismay). I shredded a half-cup or so into a bowl before-hand. When it was about finished, I added my Parmesan. When that had melted, I added a TBS of butter, and when that was heated, about a 1/4 cup of cream. I turned off the heat then, and kept stirring to make the whole mix super creamy. It was fairly thick and a golden color.
I plated it, with a large portion :). I tried it, and I realized I shouldn't have had the couple drinks while cooking it, as I killed a little of my tasting power. I first felt the texture of the warm rice and the abundant creamyness and resistance of "al dente" rice. I then tasted initially the sharp taste of the wine, then the pungent Parmesan, then the creamy/stock sauce. It was good, except the sweet/sharp tones of the wine were a bit overpowering. The chicken added some good protein and broke it up a bit.
Next time I do a risotto, I will add more vegetables than just the onions. Also, I will feature the protein separately, in this it felt like a cheap rice-a-roni dish and didn't really contribute. As mentioned above, I will not use quite so much wine as well, and a better quality wine. Otherwise, this was a fun and relatively easy dish. The prep time was short, but very important as timing is key in this. Make sure stock is ready and hot, the wine is hot, the cheese is shredded, and that all is cut and ready to go when the time comes.
So, until next time, enjoy!
I finally tried my hand at a risotto. I had heard about it a long while ago, and began researching them a few months ago. I had purchased all of the necessary ingredients, and after a few drinks decided to try my hand. Since I had been studying them so intensely I did not use a set recipe, but went with how it all looked as well as the taste.
For this, I will describe the ingredients along with the process, so you can look up your own recipes since your taste will vary (or if you want one like mine comment me). If you are going to recreate this, read this entire entry, as I will go back and forth hap-hazardly and ruin you. I sauteed a frozen chicken breast on both sides in a bit of olive oil with a touch of fresh cracked sea salt and pepper. I then moved it into a 400 degree oven to finish it. While the breast was cooking, I sauteed a chopped onion (a medium yellow onion, for its pungency and sweetness) in a mix of butter and olive oil until they were translucent but not quite carmelized (using med-high heat). I sat those off to the side and started sauteing or toasting (not sure of the term) the arborio rice in that mix of butter and olive oil.
Before I began, I began slowly heating a pan of chicken stock. The amount you will use will vary, but make sure you have enough (read recipes to find out why). Make sure to only put warm or hot ingredients in your main risotto pan. While the rice was toasting, I deglazed the chicken pan with some pinot grigio (about a cup or so worth) and heated it up to a nice warm temperature. When the rice was getting translucent, I put in the wine and let it absorb. I think I either used too much wine, or I used too cheap of a wine, as I will point out later. I then re-added the onions, and went from there.
When the wine had all absorbed/cooked out, I started putting in the stock, a ladle at a time. I consistently stirred the rice as I did this, and kept adjusting temperature to make sure it was staying at a consistent temperature. I kept adding ladles of stock until it could barely hold more. I had pulled the chicken from the oven and cubed it as well. I pulled it just a bit early to cook in the end with the rice. I will mention that I had gotten a small wedge of a Parmesan (not Reggiano, to my dismay). I shredded a half-cup or so into a bowl before-hand. When it was about finished, I added my Parmesan. When that had melted, I added a TBS of butter, and when that was heated, about a 1/4 cup of cream. I turned off the heat then, and kept stirring to make the whole mix super creamy. It was fairly thick and a golden color.
I plated it, with a large portion :). I tried it, and I realized I shouldn't have had the couple drinks while cooking it, as I killed a little of my tasting power. I first felt the texture of the warm rice and the abundant creamyness and resistance of "al dente" rice. I then tasted initially the sharp taste of the wine, then the pungent Parmesan, then the creamy/stock sauce. It was good, except the sweet/sharp tones of the wine were a bit overpowering. The chicken added some good protein and broke it up a bit.
Next time I do a risotto, I will add more vegetables than just the onions. Also, I will feature the protein separately, in this it felt like a cheap rice-a-roni dish and didn't really contribute. As mentioned above, I will not use quite so much wine as well, and a better quality wine. Otherwise, this was a fun and relatively easy dish. The prep time was short, but very important as timing is key in this. Make sure stock is ready and hot, the wine is hot, the cheese is shredded, and that all is cut and ready to go when the time comes.
So, until next time, enjoy!
A second blog? Wow!
Two blogs in one night? How swell!
As you saw from my previous blog I haven't had a ton of time to make spectacular dishes (har har), but I will share the few notable items with you. Lucky you!
This is an example of the fat amateur being creative. It was 2am, I didn't feel like going to the store, and I didn't have a whole lot of stuff to work with. Now, I know not everyone has this lying around, but... hey, it was fun. This is a casserole style dish, which I rarely do since I live alone. But it sounded amazing. I call it Tortellini Alfredo Bake! WHOOOOOO
I made the alfredo sauce from scratch, which is easy to do if you know how. The basic ingredients are butter, cream, and Parmesan. I started with half a stick of unsalted butter (no substitute will do! It must be real butter). I melted that in a large sauce pan. When that was melted, I slowly stirred in a little over a cup and a half of cream (leftover from my risotto). You must continually stir to ensure it does not separate. When that was hot, I added about 3/4 cup of shredded fresh Parmesan. You must constantly stir this, and it may take a while to melt the Parmesan. When the cheese is fully melted in the cream, you can add spices. You don't want to add the spices until the end, or you may burn them up. I used a very powdery organic garlic powder, fresh cracked pepper/sea salt, and a bit of parsley flake. I was conservative on spicing since this was the first time I used hand-grated Parmesan. When the heat was off, I stirred in a couple teaspoons of all purpose flour to thicken it a slight bit.
I cooked the tortellini for a short time. I did not cook it fully, as I did not want it to overcook while baking. I used the tri-color cheese tortellini. When the frozen pasta was hot, I pulled it, strained it, and put it in a greased baking dish. I added the sauce to it, and incorporated it throughout. I added pre-shredded mozzarella on top and baked it in a 400 degree oven. When it barely started to brown, and the sauce was boiling, I pulled it out.
The flavor was ok. I definitely overdid it on the cheese aspect. I think if a different pasta or tortellini was used it could have broken it up a lot more. The overall experience was good, and it made for great leftovers. It was a good example of how finding a bunch of crap in your place can be put to some good. I didn't have to go to the store or anything :).
My hands are tired. I am done with this, but if you have any questions/comments let me know. Later, y'all.
As you saw from my previous blog I haven't had a ton of time to make spectacular dishes (har har), but I will share the few notable items with you. Lucky you!
This is an example of the fat amateur being creative. It was 2am, I didn't feel like going to the store, and I didn't have a whole lot of stuff to work with. Now, I know not everyone has this lying around, but... hey, it was fun. This is a casserole style dish, which I rarely do since I live alone. But it sounded amazing. I call it Tortellini Alfredo Bake! WHOOOOOO
I made the alfredo sauce from scratch, which is easy to do if you know how. The basic ingredients are butter, cream, and Parmesan. I started with half a stick of unsalted butter (no substitute will do! It must be real butter). I melted that in a large sauce pan. When that was melted, I slowly stirred in a little over a cup and a half of cream (leftover from my risotto). You must continually stir to ensure it does not separate. When that was hot, I added about 3/4 cup of shredded fresh Parmesan. You must constantly stir this, and it may take a while to melt the Parmesan. When the cheese is fully melted in the cream, you can add spices. You don't want to add the spices until the end, or you may burn them up. I used a very powdery organic garlic powder, fresh cracked pepper/sea salt, and a bit of parsley flake. I was conservative on spicing since this was the first time I used hand-grated Parmesan. When the heat was off, I stirred in a couple teaspoons of all purpose flour to thicken it a slight bit.
I cooked the tortellini for a short time. I did not cook it fully, as I did not want it to overcook while baking. I used the tri-color cheese tortellini. When the frozen pasta was hot, I pulled it, strained it, and put it in a greased baking dish. I added the sauce to it, and incorporated it throughout. I added pre-shredded mozzarella on top and baked it in a 400 degree oven. When it barely started to brown, and the sauce was boiling, I pulled it out.
The flavor was ok. I definitely overdid it on the cheese aspect. I think if a different pasta or tortellini was used it could have broken it up a lot more. The overall experience was good, and it made for great leftovers. It was a good example of how finding a bunch of crap in your place can be put to some good. I didn't have to go to the store or anything :).
My hands are tired. I am done with this, but if you have any questions/comments let me know. Later, y'all.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Special Treat: "Philly" inspired Cheesesteaks!
Hello all,
Today is a special day. Jake and I got together and cooked for the sake of the blog! Great, right? Anyway, we decided to make "Philly" inspired cheese steak sandwiches, and they were awesome. We will have pictures up soon, but let's get started on the magical beefy journey.
So, in shopping, we chose items based on how good they would be while trying to be frugal and labor intensive. So, we got a large loaf of flat ciabatta bread (take and bake style, where it's partially baked and you brown it at home). We also got about a pound of stir-fry style pre-cut beef. This saved on time, and saved us from remembering what cut of beef fares well to fast, hot cooking. We bought a green pepper, and while Jake had mushrooms and onions, keep in mind to get the styles you like. We used the generic button mushrooms, but a portabella and steak sandwhich is pretty rockin', too. As far as onions go we like a strong and sweet onion, so white and yellow varieties do well. Yellow is my favorite, but white has a bit more "bite" to it, but gets sweet while sweating or carmelizing.
ANYWAY, we chose provolone cheese, and I think that mozzarella would have been a bit less stringy and with a bit more flavor. At any rate, here is the way we did it:
We started by cooking the beef in about a tablespoon or so of canola oil. We had a cheap bag of flavored rice, so we started the water boiling for that as well. These sandwiches help to have a couple saute pans, but it is not necessary, as you can cook the beef first and have it sit while you cook the vegetables, this will all be baked as well. We chopped the veggies fairly coarsely, and dropped them into about a tablespoon-tablespoon and a half of hot oil. We were going for a caramelized effect, so medium heat with fairly frequent stirring. When the beef was almost done, we seasoned with a bit of salt, pepper, and garlic powder, (it should be at temp or slightly below) we turned it off and set it aside.
The vegetables should have been started earlier than we did, but oh well. We kept turning them in the oil and got them to a point before caramelization, but after sweating, so they were tender but not quite soft. What you do is up to you, if you like crunch do a quick saute, otherwise set aside time to properly caramelize.
With a pre-heated oven of about 400 degrees (450 would have worked better, it doesn't matter really, a good broil would do too), we assembled the sandwiches with meat on the bottom of a split/buttered/garlic ciabatta roll, veggies on the top, and cheese over the whole thing. We baked them until the cheese was translucent and the oils of the cheese were released, with the edges browning. We could have left it longer, but we were hungry fatties and gobbled them up like crazy.
The sandwiches were delicious. The meat was great, the bread was good (could have been browned more), the cheese was superb and melty, and it all worked well together. We chose a rice and butter sauce to go with it (one of those cheap Lipton ones) and it was a good quick meal. The cost was kind of expensive (around $20), but, the portions could have fed a family (the fatties strike again), and we could have been a bit more cost effective if we had tried harder. The meat was about $5 a lb, the bread was $4, and the cheese was $4. You could probably get vegetables for about $4-5. So, if one really wanted to save, it's possible. However, we thought the cost of the sandwiches was outweighed by how freakin' good they were.
Seriously, they were amazing, easy, and while probably not great for us, it was a good indulgent meal if you want something of substance in ya. If you feel badly, you can justify yourself by saying it had vegetables in it. The combinations that you could do with this sandwich are endless, you can do different breads, cheeses, vegetables, meats, etc etc etc. If you want a french dip-style, try making an au jus (simple, google it) and before your meat is fully done, put it in the hot jus to finish it. Then use the au jus for dipping!
Anyway, this happened last night and I am getting hungry again... perhaps another fat amateur adventure is upon us. Anyway, if you have any questions/concerns/comments, let us know!
-Tim and Jake
Today is a special day. Jake and I got together and cooked for the sake of the blog! Great, right? Anyway, we decided to make "Philly" inspired cheese steak sandwiches, and they were awesome. We will have pictures up soon, but let's get started on the magical beefy journey.
So, in shopping, we chose items based on how good they would be while trying to be frugal and labor intensive. So, we got a large loaf of flat ciabatta bread (take and bake style, where it's partially baked and you brown it at home). We also got about a pound of stir-fry style pre-cut beef. This saved on time, and saved us from remembering what cut of beef fares well to fast, hot cooking. We bought a green pepper, and while Jake had mushrooms and onions, keep in mind to get the styles you like. We used the generic button mushrooms, but a portabella and steak sandwhich is pretty rockin', too. As far as onions go we like a strong and sweet onion, so white and yellow varieties do well. Yellow is my favorite, but white has a bit more "bite" to it, but gets sweet while sweating or carmelizing.
ANYWAY, we chose provolone cheese, and I think that mozzarella would have been a bit less stringy and with a bit more flavor. At any rate, here is the way we did it:
We started by cooking the beef in about a tablespoon or so of canola oil. We had a cheap bag of flavored rice, so we started the water boiling for that as well. These sandwiches help to have a couple saute pans, but it is not necessary, as you can cook the beef first and have it sit while you cook the vegetables, this will all be baked as well. We chopped the veggies fairly coarsely, and dropped them into about a tablespoon-tablespoon and a half of hot oil. We were going for a caramelized effect, so medium heat with fairly frequent stirring. When the beef was almost done, we seasoned with a bit of salt, pepper, and garlic powder, (it should be at temp or slightly below) we turned it off and set it aside.
The vegetables should have been started earlier than we did, but oh well. We kept turning them in the oil and got them to a point before caramelization, but after sweating, so they were tender but not quite soft. What you do is up to you, if you like crunch do a quick saute, otherwise set aside time to properly caramelize.
With a pre-heated oven of about 400 degrees (450 would have worked better, it doesn't matter really, a good broil would do too), we assembled the sandwiches with meat on the bottom of a split/buttered/garlic ciabatta roll, veggies on the top, and cheese over the whole thing. We baked them until the cheese was translucent and the oils of the cheese were released, with the edges browning. We could have left it longer, but we were hungry fatties and gobbled them up like crazy.
The sandwiches were delicious. The meat was great, the bread was good (could have been browned more), the cheese was superb and melty, and it all worked well together. We chose a rice and butter sauce to go with it (one of those cheap Lipton ones) and it was a good quick meal. The cost was kind of expensive (around $20), but, the portions could have fed a family (the fatties strike again), and we could have been a bit more cost effective if we had tried harder. The meat was about $5 a lb, the bread was $4, and the cheese was $4. You could probably get vegetables for about $4-5. So, if one really wanted to save, it's possible. However, we thought the cost of the sandwiches was outweighed by how freakin' good they were.
Seriously, they were amazing, easy, and while probably not great for us, it was a good indulgent meal if you want something of substance in ya. If you feel badly, you can justify yourself by saying it had vegetables in it. The combinations that you could do with this sandwich are endless, you can do different breads, cheeses, vegetables, meats, etc etc etc. If you want a french dip-style, try making an au jus (simple, google it) and before your meat is fully done, put it in the hot jus to finish it. Then use the au jus for dipping!
Anyway, this happened last night and I am getting hungry again... perhaps another fat amateur adventure is upon us. Anyway, if you have any questions/concerns/comments, let us know!
-Tim and Jake
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