this was a dish i prepared on halloween of 2007. naturally i apply my family's rule of cooking by having a nice bottle of something alcoholic. tonights choice was a little
shiraz from toasted head. in retrospect however, i should have gone with something a little more sweet, even though the bottle was empty before dinner began....
the dish prepared was something a little random, and can often be the best way to go about things. after all, how do you know you don't like something, or can't do something if you don't try at least once? that night i had walked through a local super market, picking up things that i felt would compliment a nippy october night, picking up and replacing items until my mind is set. this is usually how i go about my shopping, it's incredibly annoying im sure. i ended up deciding on a thick, creamy seafood bisque, and chicken breast with a caramelized garlic mushroom sauce on top of some gnocci. to balance all that creamy goodness, i threw in some fresh loaves of french bread with parmesan and butter.
this is clearly not your "dieting" dish.
now i don't consider myself a cook, but i do enjoy experimenting in the kitchen. prior to this night i have never before cooked gnocci, and have only made bisque once - 5 years before. i don't believe cooking is difficult. to quote the animated film
ratatouille, "anyone can cook." i mean if you can taste, you can cook right? trial and error naturally, one can't expect to make a perfect souffle your first time around.
a simple bisque: crabmeat, shrimp, carrot, celery, onion, tomato paste, milk, butter, salt and pepper
i usually don't follow a recipe, and mostly just use multiple recipes as guidelines. basically i mix and match and improvise until i get something i can be completely satisfied with. if not, then i can always try again! the below photo shows the pot on low heat, simmering some butter (i usually use
country crock spread). to the right of the pot i have prepared some chopped celery and carrots, and have a white onion standing by for further mutilation.
after the butter has begun to simmer (don't let it brown!) i threw in the carrot and celery bits. i start this way so the carrots aren't super crispy when the soup is done. the fresh carrot flavoring can overpower the subtle seafood flavor.
timing can be tricky, i usually work by smell. i maybe sauteed the vegetables for a few minutes before adding the onion. the juices from the onion will absorb into the vegetables as you let them simmer. don't forget to keep stirring to even out the cooking. the celery will obviously grow soft quickly, however it adds to the overall consistency of the end product.
in the measuring cup i have regular 2% milk. i have no recollection of how much milk i added, but use your best judgment! * the previous time i have made this soup, the recipe called for evaporated milk. once the vegetables are at a desired consistency (remember, not too soft - they still have to simmer in the pot still!), gradually stir in the milk. once stirred in, raise the burner to medium heat and let simmer.
while it simmered i prepared the seafood. i'm a little paranoid so in this time i scrubbed the shrimp and rinsed the crab meat. i chopped the larger pieces of crab meat, but that is up to you.
if i were to do this soup again i would have grilled the shrimp a little prior to putting it in. i also would have included corn and potatoes! in the photo above i have added the shrimp, and it will be shortly followed by the crab meat and can of tomato paste.
the finished product! and most time consuming, which is why i made it first. the longer a stew sits, the more vibrant the flavors end up being. next day soup is always the best! the stew was incredibly thick and hearty, and barely spiced with a little salt and black pepper. i think i added some peas near the end for more substance, but it is all up to you how you make your stew :)
on to the main course! which is incredibly simple to make, consisting of six ingredients: olive oil, chicken breast, garlic, mushrooms, gnocchi and parmesan cheese! chicken breast cooks relatively quickly, and since i knew i've be baking it on a bed of gnocchi i thought to caramelize the mushrooms with some olive oil and garlic first so i didnt overcook the chicken. it ended up still not being tender enough for my taste, but there is always next time! (next time, perhaps, a splash of white vinegar could help the flavor a bit?).
so here we have the dish, almost ready to be placed in the oven for a nice even heating, and melting of cheeses! i sprinkled parmesan on top of the chicken and mushrooms, and placed it in the oven at a nice low heat. i wanted to make sure it heated the dish and melted the cheese without burning.
while that's in the oven getting all nice and toasty, delicious mushroom juices dripping into the gnocchi, garlic flavors penetrating the chicken....etc...now is the perfect opportunity to butter up those rolls and throw them in the oven for a little crisping. i used a pizza stone, i enjoy the texture of the bread afterward.
finally we have the complete meal!! i think at this point i was too inebriated to actually try it, but i was told it was very good :) definitely filling, definitely fattening, but definitely flexible. hope you enjoyed!
I was given fresh blueberries, and spent the day wondering what best way to prepare them. i ended up deciding on an easy sleezy way to make a stack of deliciously pain free blueberry waffles.
i started this mixture with just some plain ole pancake mix. i personally thought a fluffy buttermilk texture would work well with the fresh blueberries. in the end it worked out perfectly. they weren't too fluffy, and were crisp and moist. as for syrup - i never use anything but pure maple syrup. it's not overly sweet and compliments the bitter flavor of the blueberries. 
after tenderizing the pork chops (prior to owning a meat tenderizer i used a fork and stabbed the hell out of meat), i spiced them (in this instance, simply adobo) and pan fried them in olive oil, as always. prior to pan frying the pork, i cut red potatoes. after sprinkling them with a little garlic salt, i placed them on a sheet pan with olive oil to bake at 350 degrees in the oven. growing up, my mother cooked very simple meals involving meat and potatoes. she has this way of perfectly salting, and using no other ingredient, to make the dish. in the end you were fed an authentically flavored, wholesome and filling meal.
soups are so simple to make, and such great all-in-one meals i don't understand why they aren't more of a big deal to society. especially seeing how most people are too lazy to chew. that being said, here are a few photos from a deliciously potent corn chowder.
ingredients: i cheat, and obviously fresh ingredients would be best. when i make a corn chowder i usually start with whole corn kernels as well as cans of creamed corn. bacon, and jalapeños are staple ingredients to this soup, but should only be added as the very last items! when bacon and jalapeños are cooked too long they lose their potency. i used baby spinach for this soup, but you obviously don't have to.
after the mixture to the right is simmered to your taste, gradually stir in milk and water (to your specification and taste). bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to simmer.
this was a dish i prepared on halloween of 2007. naturally i apply my family's rule of cooking by having a nice bottle of something alcoholic. tonights choice was a little shiraz from toasted head. in retrospect however, i should have gone with something a little more sweet, even though the bottle was empty before dinner began....
now i don't consider myself a cook, but i do enjoy experimenting in the kitchen. prior to this night i have never before cooked gnocci, and have only made bisque once - 5 years before. i don't believe cooking is difficult. to quote the animated film ratatouille, "anyone can cook." i mean if you can taste, you can cook right? trial and error naturally, one can't expect to make a perfect souffle your first time around.
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