I am not a cook.

2008-12-20T16:48:00.003-05:00

I've been too busy this year to post, but I've been cooking a little:

Home-made pasta

Eggs in purgatory

Eggplant parmesan

2008-03-11T01:47:00.003-04:00

I'm not sure what this is really called, but it's soft tofu in a spicy clam broth.

12 oz extra soft tofu
3 oz clam broth
1 tbsp sesame oil
1/2 tbsp crushed red pepper (try to use the korean kind)
2 stalks scallion, chopped fine
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt & pepper

Heat sesame oil over medium low heat, being careful not to burn it. When the oil is hot, add red pepper, and fry for a couple minutes until the oil starts to turn red. Add garlic and stir fry until fragrant.

At this point, you could add 2 oz pork belly, for extra flavor. Stir fry pork until thoroughly cooked, then add broth, increase heat to medium high, and bring to a boil. Add tofu, bring to a boil, and boil for a couple of minutes. Add scallion, season with salt & pepper, and serve with some rice.

8/10: I ate nothing but this dish for the past 2 weeks until I could do it right.

2008-03-11T01:20:00.004-04:00

The Chinese take-out places in Ithaca made this dish called Singapore Mai Fun, but I haven't been able to find a place that does it in Texas. It's usually done with chicken, but I tried it with tofu instead:

1 (8 oz) package of mai fun noodles
1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth
1 block firm tofu
4 eggs
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 cup green onions, chopped (I used the ones with big bulbs)
6 oz snow peas
4 oz water chestnuts
3 tbsps vegetable oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp curry powder
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
3 tbsp soy sauce
salt & pepper

Cook rice noodles for a few minutes until soft, and drain. Chop tofu and pan fry in 1 tbsp oil until browned on all sides. Separately, lightly scramble eggs in 1 tbsp oil. Set noodles, tofu, and eggs aside, and heat remaining oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Add garlic, curry and red pepper flakes, and stir fry until fragrant. Add bell pepper, onion, green onions, snow peas, and water chestnuts and stir fry for about 5 minutes. Add tofu, noodles, broth, and soy sauce and cook for a few more minutes until most of the broth is absorbed. Add eggs, season with salt & pepper and serve.

6/10: I've tried this a few times before, and it's hard to get the noodles just right. I think you have to make them a little undercooked when you pre-boil them, since you will cook them further in the broth at the end.

2008-03-11T01:15:00.003-04:00

Here is a very green dish. It's pesto with some zucchini I cooked lightly in some olive oil. Fresh basil is a must. I use a little less cheese and a little more pine nuts than the recipe calls for.

2008-02-02T22:16:00.001-05:00

Long time no update. I made this dish, it's basically a roast beef cooked in chianti wine and tomatoes.

I made this a couple of months ago for Christmas. Between 4 guys, we managed to finish the 3 lbs roast, 2 lbs of potatoes, 1 lbs shrimp, an entire tray of baked ziti, 1 lbs of asparagus, and 1 lbs of mushrooms. We also finished 2 bottles of wine and a bottle of vodka. And 2 pints of ice cream.

2007-08-25T17:29:00.001-04:00

Also from the Dinosaur BBQ cookbook, this is Clam, Shrimp, and Scallop Pan Roast:

2 dozen littleneck clams
3/4 lbs large shrimp, deveined (about 14 shrimp)
1/2 lbs sea scallops
1 cup clam juice
1 cup dry white wine
6 tbsp Mutha Sauce (see post below)
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp heavy cream
1/4 cup olive oil
6 large garlic cloves, minced
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
10 fresh basil leaves, chopped

Purge and scrub the clams (you need to purge them in cold saltwater for about 4-5 hours). Discard any that are dead (not closed), and boil the rest until they just open (about 2-4 minutes), fish them out as they open, and keep warm. Discard any that do not open after boiling.

Heat oil over medium high heat. Saute garlic and jalapenos for a few minutes until fragrant. Add clam juice, wine, and Mutha sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce sauce over high heat for about 8 minutes, then add red pepper and Worcestershire sauce. Lower heat to medium high, add shrimp and scallops, and simmer until they are just cooked (they are done when they are opaque), about 4 minutes. Add heavy cream and basil, return clams, and stir gently, and serve immediately.

I made this dish for some guests, and served it with some baked ziti and Zuppa Toscana, along with rest of the white wine. You could also add some chopped parsley for garnish, as well as some lemon juice, but I did not do this. Make sure you serve with some fresh baked bread, to mop up the tasty sauce.

Hungry guests make a cook happy.

I don't much care for shellfish or shrimp, but the guests liked this dish a lot. I think the important thing in a dish like this is to cook the seafood very lightly, and to use some good white wine.

2007-08-25T17:04:00.001-04:00

From the Dinosaur BBQ cookbook, this is a Creole variation on Chicken Scaparello, a classic Italian dish.

4 lbs chicken, cut into pieces and skinned (I used drumsticks)
Creole seasoning
1/2 cup olive oil
1 large red onion, chopped
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
10 large cloves garlic, chopped
2 cups chicken broth or stock
6 pickled pepperoncini, chopped
1 1/2 cups Mutha Sauce (See post below)
3 bay leaves
1 tsp dried thyme
3 tsp white wine vinegar
salt and pepper

Remove skin from chicken, trim fat, and rub Creole seasoning (mostly paprika, onion powder and garlic powder) into chicken pieces. Heat half the olive oil over large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken pieces and brown all sides. Put chicken aside, and remove fat and oil from skillet. Replace with the rest of the olive oil, and saute garlic for a few minutes. Add onions and red peppers, season with salt and pepper, and cook until soft. Add chicken broth, Mutha sauce, vinegar, pepperoncini, bay leaves, and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Return chicken, and bring mixture to a simmer. Simmer partially covered over medium heat for 35-40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked. Skim oil off of surface, remove bay leaves, and serve over rice.

7/10: The sauce was really tasty because the chicken broth I used was a rich dark homemade one. I think this recipe could be changed to make a really good gumbo, adding just some celery, brown roux or toasted flour, and Andouille sausage.

2007-08-25T16:48:00.000-04:00

This is called "Mutha Sauce", from the Dinosaur BBQ cookbook. It is a sweet and spicy sauce that is used in all their recipes. I modified it a little so it wouldn't have so many ingredients for me to buy.

1/8 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup minced onion
1/4 cup minced green pepper
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 14oz can tomato sauce
1 cup ketchup
3/8 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup water
1/8 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/8 cup spicy brown mustard
1/2 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp cayenne pepper
3 tsp white wine vinegar
salt and pepper

Heat oil over medium high heat in saucepan. Saute garlic and jalapenos for a few minutes, then add onions and green peppers and cook until soft, seasoning with salt and pepper. Add all the other ingredients, bring to a boil, and simmer on low heat for 10 minutes.

2007-08-06T00:21:00.001-04:00

Potatoes Au Gratin:

4 russet potatoes, sliced (3/8 to 1/4 inch thick)
1 onion, sliced
1 pint milk
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (sharp)
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp salt
salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, and layer half of the sliced potatoes onto the bottom of a buttered 1 quart casserole pan. Layer the onions on top of that, add salt and pepper for seasoning, and layer the other half of the potatoes on top of the onions.

Meanwhile, melt butter over medium-low heat in a saucepan, and add flour and salt, whisking to an even texture. Do not let clump. After one minute, add milk and cook until thickened, stirring continuously to keep a smooth texture. Add cheddar, and cook while stirring for about another minute, until the cheese is completely melted and incorporated into the sauce. Pour sauce over the potatoes, cover in aluminum foil, and bake in oven for 1 1/2 hours.

7/10: This is an easy and delicious way to prepare potatoes. If you like potatoes and cheese, you'd definitely like this dish.

2007-07-31T00:46:00.001-04:00

Blackberry Upside-Down Cake:

12 oz fresh blackberries, cleaned and dried
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar
1 cup flour
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 7 inch square cake pan with parchment paper (2 layers) and butter parchment paper. Then, line bottom of pan with blackberries, and sprinkle 2 tbsp sugar on top.

Next, to make the batter, first mix flour and baking soda in a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together the butter with the remaining sugar, until the mixture takes on a fluffy texture. Add egg and vanilla, and mix until texture is even, then add flour mixture and buttermilk bit by bit, keeping a smooth texture. Spoon the batter over the berries, and bake in oven for about 35 minutes until a fork poked in the middle of the cake comes out clean. Remove from oven, cool for a few minutes, then place a large plate over the pan and invert, popping the cake out of the pan. Gently peel off parchment paper:

Serve with a scoop of ice cream!

I made this on a whim since I've seen a lot of blackberries in the grocery store lately. It's good cake, not too sweet, and the blackberries give it a sharp tangy taste. Like most cakes, it is not the most healthy thing in the world, however. Unfortunately now I have a giant cake and nobody to eat it for me.

2007-07-31T00:16:00.001-04:00

I tried a recipe for spaghetti with meatballs:

Sauce:

12 oz can tomato paste
28 oz can pureed tomatoes
1 medium onion, chopped fine
1 stalk celery, chopped fine
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
1/2 tbsp basil
1/2 tbsp oregano
1/2 tbsp thyme
1 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tbsp olive oil
salt & pepper
5 cups water

Meatballs:

1 lbs ground pork
1 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
2 tbsp grated Parmesan
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt & pepper

To make the meatballs, make sure the bread crumbs are moist, adding a little water if necessary. Mix all the pork, bread crumbs, egg, parsley, Parmesan, and garlic together in bowl, and season with salt & pepper. Form into meatballs about the size of golf balls.

For the sauce, heat olive oil over medium heat, and add garlic. Saute garlic for a minute, then add onion and celery and cook further until tender. Add the tomato paste, puree, water, herbs, pepper flakes and bring to a boil. When the sauce is gently boiling, add meatballs and cook without stirring for about 10 minutes, so that meatballs do not fall apart. Turn down to simmer, season with salt and pepper, and cook covered for at least 3 hours, stirring occasionally. Add extra water if sauce becomes too thick. Serve over pasta with some grated Parmesan cheese.

6/10: The sauce is very good, with all the herbs in it. It probably would have turned out better if I used fresh basil (1/4 cup chopped) and not the dried stuff. For the meatballs, it is recommended that you use half ground beef and half ground veal, but I used pork instead, which was not that great. Also, before you start to saute the vegetables, you could brown some pieces of meat (such as pork spareribs) and leave it to stew in the sauce.

2007-07-28T22:28:00.001-04:00

I saw this dish in an animated movie of the same name that was released not long ago. Most recipes (including the one in the movie) call for roasting the vegetables in an oven, but I'm not willing to turn on my oven in this Texas summer, so I used a recipe that uses a skillet instead.

Ratatouille:

1 medium onion, sliced thin
3 garlic cloves, minced
6 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 eggplant, cut into bite sized pieces (about 3 cups)
1 zucchini, sliced into thin pieces
1 red bell pepper, cut into bite sized pieces
3/4 lbs tomatoes, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups, I used 1 plum tomato and 10 cherry tomatoes)
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped or shredded
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp fennel seeds
1/4 tsp ground coriander
salt & pepper

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium low heat, and gently saute onions and garlic until onions are soft. Increase heat to medium, and add the eggplant along with rest of the olive oil. Cook covered about 5 minutes until eggplant looks soft, then add the bell pepper, zucchini, oregano, thyme, coriander, and fennel. Cook covered an additional 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, adding a little red wine if things look dry. Add tomatoes and parsley, and cook uncovered an additional 5 minutes until all the vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Season with salt & pepper, then add basil leaves and mix thoroughly. Make sure you add the basil leaves at the very end, as heat can kill their flavor. Serve with a little additional chopped parsley sprinkled on top.

8/10: I plan to be making this dish often from now on, it's the best vegetarian dish I've ever made. Fresh basil leaves are a must! I had it over some basmati rice, along with some fresh baked French bread and some Parmesan cheese. I recommend having the dish with some red wine, and watching the movie with a pretty date.

2006-12-31T21:34:00.000-05:00

Supposedly this is not a real Italian dish, but something made up in America by the Olive Garden... I wouldn't know because I've never been to that restaurant.

Zuppa Toscana:

4-5 links Italian sausage (I used the turkey ones to reduce fat)
1/6 lbs pancetta, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped finely
2-3 large red potatoes, peeled and cubed
3 cups chopped kale
4 cups chicken broth
1/3 cup heavy cream
3 garlic cloves, minced
pepper & oregano
olive oil

Heat a small amount of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, and lightly fry pancetta until crisp. Place pancetta in another dish, and without draining the oil, brown sausages on all sides, then add 1/2 cup water and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer over medium low heat until sausages are cooked. Remove sausages, add onions and garlic, and simmer until onions are cooked, about 10 minutes. Chop sausage into 1/2 inch pieces. Transfer the onion and garlic broth to a stockpot, then add chicken broth, chopped sausages, and potatoes and bring to boil. Season with pepper and oregano (salt is not needed, depending on the chicken broth you use). Lower heat to medium low, and simmer for about 10 minutes, then add pancetta and kale and simmer for another 10 minutes. Remove about 1/2 cup of potatoes to a bowl, mash, and stir in heavy cream until well mixed. Stir in this mixture into stockpot, simmer for another few minutes, and serve.

8/10: This is really good soup. I had it as an appetizer with some crusty bread and red wine before some baked ziti, but it could probably be served as a meal by itself. However, I dropped a little piece of paper towel into the stockpot near the middle and wasn't able to fish it out until the soup was done... minus 10,000 points!

2006-12-29T17:51:00.000-05:00

Straight from the tasteofcuba.com website, this is Coconut Chicken:

3 large chicken breasts, skinless
1 1/2 medium onions, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
7 oz coconut milk
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp crushed red pepper
salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Heat olive oil in large skillet. Add garlic and crushed red pepper flakes and stir for a minute until fragrant. Add chicken and fry until chicken begins to brown, then add onions, red and green peppers, and saute until vegetables are cooked. Stir in coconut milk and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, seasoning with salt & pepper. Remove from heat and transfer mixture to a baking pan. Bake in oven for 45 minutes, or until vegetables are soft and chicken is cooked.

I served this with some black beans and rice, and some chopped scallions.

2006-09-30T21:35:00.000-04:00

This is an easy one, Spicy Sauteed Fish with Olives and Cherry Tomatoes:

1 lbs tilapia
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup black olives, chopped
3 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon crushed dried red pepper
salt & pepper

Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Rub salt and pepper on tilapia fillets, and saute 2 fillets at a time until just cooked, about 3 minutes on each side. Remove from heat and keep warm, and repeat for remaining fillets. In the same skillet, add parsley and crushed red pepper, and saute for one minute until fragrant. Add tomatoes, olives, and garlic, and saute for 2 more minutes, until tomatoes are just cooked and tender and juicy (I added a little white wine to help the vegetables cook). Season sauce with salt & pepper, spoon over the tilapia, and serve.

8/10: This tasty Mediterranean dish is very easy to make, and only involves about 10 minutes of cooking. The key is to cook everything very lightly, and make sure you use only the freshest ingredients you can find. When you go shopping for groceries, make sure you have a backup plan in case the store doesn't have fresh fish or cherry tomatoes that day.

Edit 10/4/06: I tried this again using orange roughy instead of tilapia, and it was much better. It's a little more expensive, but I recommend the roughy over the tilapia.

2006-09-30T21:21:00.000-04:00

I have a friend who is a big fan of potato salad, so I tried this recipe for Asparagus, Red Pepper, and Potato Salad:

1 lbs red potatoes
1 lbs asparagus
1 red bell pepper, seeded
1/2 cup slivered red onion

5 tbsp spicy brown mustard
6 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
1 clove garlic, minced
6 tbsp olive oil
tabasco sauce
salt & pepper

Cook potatoes in boiling water until tender, and cut into bite sized pieces. Lightly boil asparagus in a shallow pan of simmering water, then drain and splash in cold water. Chop asparagus into 1 1/2 inch pieces. Slice bell pepper and onion to same size as the asparagus.

For the dressing, stir together the mustard, vinegar, sugar, and garlic in a small bowl. Drizzle in the oil, whisking until the dressing takes on a creamy texture. Season with salt and pepper, and spice up with tabasco sauce as desired. Mix up the potatoes, asparagus, bell pepper and onion with the dressing, and serve.

6/10: I didn't remember that I don't like balsamic vinegar until I finished making this dish. Next time, I would leave that out. This is an easy dish to make, and quite healthy.

2006-09-17T23:37:00.000-04:00

Some new dessert, it's called panna cotta:

1 1/2 cups milk
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 envelope unflavored gelatin (about 3/4 tbsp)

For topping:
5 oz strawberries (frozen works fine, too)
1/3 cup sugar

In a sauce pan, combine 1 cup milk, 1/3 cup heavy cream, and 1/4 cup sugar, and bring to a light boil. When the mixture starts to simmer, remove from heat. Meanwhile, sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup cold milk, and let sit for a few minutes while it soaks. Stir in gelatin mixture and vanilla extract to the sauce pan, and pour into 1/2 cup custard cups. Chill in refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving (makes 3-4 servings).

For the topping, process strawberries and 1/3 cup sugar in a blender. Bring to a boil in a sauce pan, and simmer for about 5 minutes. Cool before serving.

To serve, run a butter knife around the edge of the custard cups, and gently pop it out upside down onto a plate. Drizzle with topping.

Maybe I did something wrong, but this dessert mostly tastes like cream flavored jello to me. However, it is fetching and easy to make, so it wouldn't be much of a chore to prepare this for a dinner with family or guests.

2006-09-17T01:54:00.000-04:00

Baked ziti:

2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp minced onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 carrot, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
4 links italian sausage
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
3 bay leaves
1/2 cup red wine
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 pound ziti pasta
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
3 oz grated parmesan
3 eggs, beaten

Brown sausages in heavy sauce pan, then remove and chop into bite sized pieces. Heat the olive oil, add garlic, and cook for a couple minutes until fragrant. Add onions, carrot, celery and cook until soft, then add wine and reduce by a half. Add tomatoes, oregano, basil, bay leaves, and return chopped sausages. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for an hour, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. While waiting for sauce to thicken, boil ziti and drain. Toss with some olive oil so ziti does not stick together while waiting for the sauce, and preheat oven to 400 degrees F. When sauce has thickened, remove bay leaves, remove from heat, and mix in ziti, stirring well. Move pasta and sauce to a baking pan, and cover with mozzarella, then pour beaten eggs on top. Sprinkle parmesan on top, and bake in oven for 20 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes, and serve.

7/10: Not bad for a first try. I over-baked the ziti by about 5 minutes, baking for about 25 minutes, so next time I will do better. The wine I used for the sauce was a merlot, and that went well with the meal as well.

2006-09-10T23:48:00.000-04:00

Roasted tilapia with vegetables:

2 lbs tilapia fillets
3 baking potatoes, diced to 3/4 inch cubes
9 plum tomatoes, chopped
1 8oz can artichoke hearts, sliced thin
3/4 cup black olives, sliced
2 tbsp capers
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp thyme
salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 400 deg. Fahrenheit. Peel and chop potatoes to 3/4 inch cubes. Combine in baking tray with 1 tbsp olive oil, 1/2 tsp rosemary, and season with pepper. Bake in oven for 20 minutes until browned and done. Remove from oven, and remove potatoes from baking pan. Add tilapia fillets to tray, about 10 fillets, side by side. Add potatoes, chopped tomatoes, artichokes, olives, capers, and the rest of the rosemary and thyme, layer by layer. Drizzle with the rest of the olive oil, season with salt & pepper, put in oven, and bake for about 30 minutes until fish is cooked and vegetables are tender. While baking, occasionally spoon the liquid that gathers at the bottom over the vegetables. I also drizzled a little white wine in the middle of the baking. Serve fillets with a pile of vegetables on top (serves about 5).

8/10: This dish has a nice Mediterranean flavor that makes me think it is Sicilian in origin. It is healthy (low fat), hearty, filling, and cheap... you will probably spend more on the wine than the dish itself. I had it with a bottle of Yellowtail pinot grigio, which for the record, goes very well with seafood. I somehow managed to undercook the potatoes, but otherwise very good. Possibly serve with a green salad.

2006-08-22T00:36:00.000-04:00

Every cook has their own recipe for curry, so here's one I made up myself after looking at about ten different recipes. Lamb and mango curry:

1 lbs cubed lamb (shoulder works fine)
1 mango, chopped (a green apple will also work)
1 medium onion, chopped
4 small red potatoes, quartered
1/2 cup raisins
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbsp flour
1 can chicken stock (14 oz)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp curry powder
juice from half a lemon
salt & pepper

Lightly brown lamb w/ a little bit of olive oil in pan, drain fat, and remove. Heat rest of olive oil (add 1 tbsp butter, optional), add curry powder, and fry for 1 minute until fragrant. Add garlic and onions, and cook gently for 5 minutes. Return lamb to pan, add mango and raisins, and saute for about 10 minutes (add a little red wine if things look a little dry). Add stock, lemon juice, flour, and bring to boil. Cover and simmer on low heat for 20 minutes. Add potatoes, simmer for another 40 minutes or until potatoes are cooked and sauce has thickened. Add salt & pepper to taste.

Optionally, you can marinate the lamb overnight in this mixture:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp curry powder
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

I served this over some spiced basmati rice:

2 cups basmati rice
2 cans chicken broth (14 oz each)
1 cinnamon stick
4 bay leaves

You can bring the ingredients to boil in a large pot and then simmer covered on low heat until done. Or, you can throw it all in a rice cooker, which is what I did.

9/10: It's nice to start cooking again. I'm amazed by how well this turned out... best curry I've ever had. This is a really nice way to cook lamb, the raisins and mango give the curry a nice sweet flavor... serve with a fruity wine, such as zinfandel, the shiraz I had this with didn't go so well.

2006-07-10T23:55:00.000-04:00

This is kimchi, made the "gutjuri" style, which means it's not aged before it's served.

Chop about two cups of baby chinese cabbage, the most tender shoots, into bite sized pieces. Wet slightly and salt heavily, and let sit uncovered for about half an hour:

Meanwhile, combine one tablespoon of flour in one cup of water in a pan, bring to boil, and let cool. Take about 4 tablespoons of this cooled flour mixture, and combine with 2 heaping teaspoons of crushed dried hot pepper, 2 teaspoons minced garlic, and 2 teaspoons anchovy sauce. Rinse cabbage of salt, and combine with hot pepper paste, chopped onions, scallions, leeks, and sesame in a large bowl.

Very gently massage hot pepper paste into cabbage. Season with salt to taste, and serve.

This is the first time I tried making this. Kimchi is high in sodium and hence not very healthy, so serve sparingly.

2006-06-29T21:44:00.000-04:00

This is Chicken Marengo, a Piedmontese dish. Supposedly, it was invented for Napoleon before the battle of Marengo in northern Italy.

1/2 cup olive oil
8 chicken thighs, skinned
1 onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
12 oz plum tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 cup dry white wine
1/2 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
20 shrimp (about 1 lbs), shelled
salt & pepper
1 tbsp butter
8 triangles of thinly sliced white bread, crusts removed
chopped fresh parsley

Heat 2 tbsp of the olive oil in a large frying pan. Brown chicken thighs over medium heat, for about 5 minutes, and move them to a large casserole. Add onion and celery to the frying pan and saute until softened, about 3 minutes (I removed the chicken fat from the frying pan before doing this, but I think you're not supposed to do that). Add tomatoes, garlic, rosemary, and wine and bring to boil, stirring often. Season with salt and pepper. Pour tomato sauce over the chicken, and cook covered over medium-low heat until chicken is cooked, about 40 minutes. Add shrimp about 5 minutes before the chicken is finished.

10 minutes before chicken is finished, heat the remaining olive oil and butter in a frying pan, and lightly fry the bread triangles, until they are crisp and golden on each side. Serve chicken with the bread triangles and parsley as garnish.

5/10: Fit for an emperor, perhaps, but I thought this dish was kind of bland. I suppose it is northern food, at least in Italy... I had this with a nice salad and the rest of the white wine. Maybe I was doing something wrong, and I'll do better next time.

2006-06-24T22:16:00.000-04:00

Tonight, I made some lamb shanks braised in rosemary red wine bbq sauce, served on a bed of garlic & cheddar grits.

For the lamb:

4 lamb shanks (about 3 lbs)
Kosher salt and black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 1/3 cups dry red wine
1 1/3 cups beef broth or stock
2 sprigs rosemary
2/3 cup Mutha Sauce (I used Dinosaur BBQ Sensuous Slathering Sauce instead)
1/3 cinnamon stick

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut a few shallow slits through the silver skin on both sides of each shank. Sprinkle each shank on both sides with a generous amount of salt and pepper. Heat 1/4 cup olive oil over medium heat in a large heavy skillet. Brown shanks in oil, cooking for about 4 minutes on each side. Remove shanks to roasting pan, clean pan, and heat remaining 1/4 cup olive oil over medium-high heat. Saute onions in oil until tender, season with salt and pepper, and add garlic and cook for an additional minute. Add wine and beef broth, bring to a boil, then add rosemary, Mutha Sauce, and cinnamon stick. Pour sauce over the shanks into the roasting pan, cover tightly with foil, and put in oven and braise for 2 hours, flipping shanks after the first hour.

Once shanks are tender, remove from pan and keep warm, and strain the remaining braising liquid and skim the grease. Reduce the braising liquid in a small pan by about half, until the sauce thickens. Serve each shank over a bed of grits, with some sauce spooned on top.

For the grits:

1/4 cup butter
1 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped green pepper
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
salt and pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 quart whole milk
1 cup quick grits
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup grated pecorino romano cheese
tabasco sauce

Melt half the butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat, and cook onions, peppers, and jalapenos until tender. Season with salt and pepper, add garlic, and cook an additional minute. Add milk, bring to a boil, and turn heat down to medium-low. Slowly stir in grits and cook, covered, for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to get a smooth texture. Remove pan from heat, and stir in cheeses and 2 teaspoons of salt plus 1 teaspoon black pepper. When texture is even, spice with tabasco sauce and serve.

9/10: Another heavy dish, thanks to the Yankee grits, but very good. The only problem is it took me a week to find any lamb shanks, and 3 hours in the kitchen to prepare this meal, so don't try this when you just want a quick fix. I also made some roasted asparagus and baby portabella mushrooms to have something green to go with this, but it wasn't the best match. Maybe you can suggest a better side, and I will make it for you.

2006-06-24T21:56:00.000-04:00

This dish is Chicken Scarpariello. Scarpariello apparently means "shoemaker style" in Italian.

1 (about 3 lbs) chicken cut into pieces
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon oregano
4 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine
juice from 1 lemon
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix together flour and oregano, seasoning with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken pieces in this mixture and brown them in a large ovenproof skillet over medium heat in the olive oil. Remove chicken pieces to a plate, and add the onion to the skillet, cooking until soft. Add garlic and cook an additional minute, then add wine and reduce by half, stirring often. Add chicken broth, bring to boil, and add rosemary. Return chicken to skillet, spoon sauce over top, and bake until chicken is fully cooked, approximately 20 minutes.

When the chicken is done, remove and keep warm. Bring the remaining sauce in the skillet to a boil, and add lemon juice. Season the sauce with salt and pepper, remove rosemary, and add butter to the sauce, mixing well. If the sauce is thin, stir in an additional tablespoon of flour and whisk. Once sauce has thickened, add parsley, pour over chicken and serve.

6/10: This was pretty good chicken, but on the heavy side. I had a salad on the side, which is probably a good idea, and served with some stuffing. Potatoes would probably go well with this dish, also.

* Made on 6/13/06

2006-05-06T17:02:00.000-04:00

Key lime pie:

For the crust:
1 1/4 cups ground graham crackers
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
5 tbsp melted butter

For the filling:
4 large egg yolks, beaten
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 tsp grated lime zest
1/2 cup key lime juice

This desert is easy to make, once you've squeezed the limes and scraped the peels for the zest.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar, cinnamon together in a bowl. Add melted butter and mix until moist. Press this mixture into the bottom and sides of an 8" pie pan to create the crust.

For the filling, mix together the lime juice, zest, condensed milk and egg yolks in a bowl. Pour this mixture into the crust and bake for about 25 minutes, until the center sets. Let cool, and refrigerate overnight.

Serve with whipped cream. This is a tangy, zesty desert I think you'll like.

2006-04-28T21:13:00.000-04:00

I tried a basic alfredo sauce tonight:

1 3/4 cups heavy cream
6 tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 lb fresh pasta
1/2 lb shrimp
1/2 lb scallops

For pasta:
2 1/4 cups flour
3 eggs

For fresh pasta, you need a pasta machine, it's a lot of fun to use:

I used the pasta machine to make fresh fettucini.

Bring a large pot of water to boil, for pasta. In a separate pot, bring butter and cream to boil over medium heat, then lower heat and keep hot. Lightly cook scallops and shrimp in butter over medium heat in a pan, and set aside. When water is boiling, briefly boil pasta until al dente, do not overcook. Drain pasta and return to pot. Add cream and butter mixture to pasta along with the cheese to the drained pasta, and toss over medium heat until the cheese melts and the sauce thickens. Add shrimp and scallops, season with salt and pepper, and serve. I sprinkled some freshly chopped parsley to give the dish a little color, and served with some fresh baked bread and a local chardonnay.

8/10: I don't really like dairy products, but if you like cheese I think you'll love this dish.
The scallops and shrimp are optional, next time I would replace the scallops with calamari, since I like calamari a lot more.

2006-04-21T20:21:00.000-04:00

I got ambitious enough to try cooking some squid:

1 lbs cleaned whole squid
5 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp basalmic vinegar
2 fresh red chilies, finely chopped
1/4 cup dry white wine
salt and pepper

For risotto rice:
2 cups risotto rice
6 cups chicken broth
4 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp butter
1 cup chopped onion

To prepare squid, open each body out flat by making a lengthwise cut down the side. Score flesh on both sides with the tip of a knife, and chop up tentacles. Whisk olive oil and basalmic vinegar together, season with salt and pepper, and pour over squid. Marinade for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, for rice, melt butter with olive oil, and saute chopped onions for 3 minutes. Add rice and continue to stir for 2 minutes, then add 2 cups chicken broth. Bring to boil, stirring often. When broth has been absorbed add another cup of broth, and stir while liquid is absorbed. Repeat, adding broth one cup at a time, until all the broth has been absorbed, and rice is cooked and creamy.

To finish squid, heat a pan until hot, and grill each squid body one at a time, holding it flat with a spatula to prevent it from curling from the heat. Grill each side for 2-3 minutes, and cut the cooked body in diagonal strips. Keep warm, and add chopped chilies and tentacles to the pan, cooking on high heat for 2 minutes. Add wine, stir briefly, and drizzle over the chopped bodies on a bed of risotto. Serve immediately, garnished with fresh chopped parsley.

7/10: I didn't buy enough squid, because the recipe I looked at calls for 1 squid per serving, but apparently not all squid are created equal. I think about 1/2 lbs per serving would be good. The roasted asparagus and baby bella mushrooms I served this with was a last minute idea, and turned out well, but the two dishes don't really go that great together. Using a good wine is what saved me: the Finger Lakes region is known for its white wines, so I used a dry local riesling which cost more than the rest of the meal combined, and served the rest of the bottle with the meal. All in all, this was not bad for my first time cooking squid. I think I should be able to get this really good after a few tries.

2006-04-18T15:47:00.000-04:00

I've never made desert before, so I tried some coffee creme brulee:

4 cups whipping cream
1 cup plus 8 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons coarsely ground espresso coffee beans
2 teaspoons instant coffee powder
1 cinnamon stick
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
6 large egg yolks
1 large egg

Bring 1 cup sugar, cream, ground espresso beans, coffee powder, vanilla extract and cinnamon stick to boil in a heavy saucepan. Stir until sugar and coffee powder dissolve, and remove from heat. Cover and let stand for 30 minutes, then strain through a fine sieve. I found that a reusable coffee filter works well for this, since the idea is to filter out the coffee grinds.

Preheat oven to 325 Fahrenheit. Whisk egg yolks and egg in a large bowl, and slowly whisk in strained cream mixture. Divide among eight 3/4-cup custard cups, and place custard cups in a baking pan. Fill baking pan with hot water up to half the height of the custard cups, and place in oven for about 55 minutes. Remove cups from pan, cool, and refrigerate uncovered overnight.

The next day, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of sugar over each custard, and use a cooking torch to brown the sugar until it caramelizes. The cooking torch is quick and fun to use. Here is a picture of my housemate playing with the blowtorch:

Once sugar has been caramelized, chill custards for 1 hour before serving. This recipe makes 8 servings, provided you don't drop any like I did.

Creamy and bittersweet. These are great, you'll love them if you like coffee.

2006-04-16T21:05:00.000-04:00

Another southern dish tonight, this time gumbo. This recipe doesn't have the traditional okra, but that's what you get when an Asian guy from Ohio makes a Cajun dish.

1/4 cup flour
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon thyme
1 bay leaf
3 Italian turkey sausages, casings removed
1 can diced tomatoes in juice (28 oz)
1 cup chicken broth
2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
1/2 lbs shrimp
3/4 lbs catfish fillets, cut into 10 pieces
salt & pepper

Brown flour in a sauce pan over medium low heat with a little olive oil, stirring often, and set aside. In a large heavy pot or skillet, saute onions and bell peppers in olive oil until tender, then add garlic, thyme and bay leaf and saute an additional minute. Add sausages with casings removed and brown, breaking apart the sausage meat. Add browned flour, chicken broth, tomatoes with juices, and Cajun seasoning. Bring to a boil and simmer covered on reduced heat for 20 minutes, stirring often. Add shrimp and catfish and simmer for 5 more minutes, or until catfish is cooked. Remove bay leaf, season with salt and pepper, and serve over long grain rice with tabasco sauce.

7/10: A spicy, but healthy low-fat dish. Not sure what would go well with it.

2006-04-15T20:28:00.000-04:00

I'm going to be moving to the southern United States soon, so I made some jambalaya:

2/3 lbs shrimp
1/2 lbs andouille sausage
3/4 cup long grain rice
1 can chicken broth (14 oz)
1 can diced tomatoes, drained (14 oz)
1 large onion, diced
1 large green bell pepper, diced
3 ribs celery, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp thyme
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp tabasco
1/4 tsp crushed cayenne pepper
2 tbsp butter
salt & pepper

Stir fry shrimp and andouille sausage in a skillet. Drain fat and set aside. Melt butter in large skillet and cook onion, pepper and celery with salt and pepper until tender. Add garlic and cook a few more minutes. Add tomatoes, rice, chicken broth, thyme, bay leaves, cayenne pepper and tabasco. Bring to a boil, and reduce heat to low, simmering for 20 minutes until rice is cooked. Add shrimp and sausage, remove bay leaves, stir and serve.

I had no idea what to serve jambalaya with, so I made some fresh guacamole and served with that and tortilla chips.

7/10: This dish has quite a kick. Be careful with the cayenne pepper next time.

2006-04-11T00:01:00.000-04:00

I haven't had time to cook lately, so I did something easy:

I cooked the burgers on a charcoal grill because it was a nice day today. For burgers, I usually saute some onions and baby portabella mushrooms in olive oil and bourbon. I had them on a toasted bun with fries.

6/10: Burger was more well done than I would have liked.

2006-03-20T21:33:00.001-05:00

Roast rack of lamb with garlic sauce. Served with asparagus and baby portabella mushrooms.

Lamb: Preheat oven to 475 Fahrenheit. Season a rack of lamb with crushed black pepper and coarse salt. Cover bone ends of lamb with foil to prevent burning. Broil for 10 minutes with a sprig of rosemary. Add half cup of white wine and roast a further 15 minutes. Drizzle with garlic sauce.

Garlic sauce: Add half cup of chicken broth to pan after removing lamb. Scrape bottom of pan and reduce for a few minutes. Boil 10 cloves of garlic in salted water and puree. Add garlic to broth with fresh chopped parsley. Season with salt and pepper and reduce further in sauce pan.

Asparagus and mushrooms: Cook 1 lb asparagus in half cup olive oil for 10 minutes. Add 1 lb sliced baby portabella mushrooms, 3 cloves chopped garlic, fresh chopped rosemary, thyme and fresh chopped parsley. Recipe calls for balsamic vinegar, but I used half cup red wine instead. Season with salt and pepper and cook on low heat until asparagus and mushrooms are tender.

Serve with fresh baked bread and a dry Italian red wine. Only thing missing is a pretty Italian date.

10/10: Heaven on earth.

2006-03-19T22:28:00.000-05:00

Tequila Sunrise: Fresh squeezed orange juice, tequila, and grenadine. Shake 4 measures orange juice and 2 measures tequila in ice, and strain into cup. Add 1/2 measure grenadine by pouring slowly down the back of a spoon to get a nice red-yellow gradient.

I've noticed some of the classier bars in Korea will substitute blue curacao for orange juice, due to the unavailabilty of fresh oranges. Blue curacao is an orange flavored liquour. This results in a sweeter, but (much) more potent cocktail, with a red-blue gradient. Drink after sunset, not during sunrise.

2006-03-18T19:11:00.000-05:00

Pasta sauce with Italian sausage, red peppers, onions, garlic, crushed tomatos, olive oil, white wine (a lot), oregano, bay leaves, salt and pepper. Served over pasta fried in olive oil, garlic, and fresh chopped parsley. Served with fresh baked bread and "Birra Del Vecchio".

9/10: Gianelli sausages were not so good, otherwise superb. Next time I will try Wegmans wine & cheese sausages.

2006-03-11T20:13:00.000-05:00

Camera broken. Updates when fixed.

2006-02-24T19:14:00.000-05:00

Italian sausages with peppers.

Italian sausages, onions, peppers, garlic, olive oil, oregano, red wine, salt and pepper. Served with fresh chopped parsley and fresh baked bread.

8/10 - Added onions too early, otherwise good.

2006-02-20T19:34:00.000-05:00

Ma Po tofu. Tofu, ground pork, scallions, peas, black bean garlic sauce, chilli sauce, salt and pepper. Served over rice.

4/10 - Too much garlic sauce.

2006-02-19T19:24:00.000-05:00

Done on 2/16/06.

Fried rice with pork, carrots, onions, eggs, scallions, oyster sauce, salt and pepper. Served with miso soup.

5/10 - Not enough oyster sauce.

2006-02-19T19:20:00.000-05:00

Done on 2/12/06

Pasta with hot italian sausage, red and yellow peppers, onions, crushed tomatos, olive oil, oregano, bay leaves, red wine, salt and pepper.

5/10 - Ingredients not fresh.