Too Many Steps

 

Supper, Wednesday May 19, 2019: pizza (pizza stuff, shrimp).

I'm getting better at this. I found a new tweak that solved a longstanding complaint I have had about my approach. It's soggy. 

We like a fair number of ingredients on our pie. I wouldn't go so far as to say garbage can pizza, but some might argue. Anyhoo, One of the problems with a lot of stuff on the pie is getting it all cooked before the crust or cheese gets too browned or even burnt. You could, counter-intuitively, turn the heat down. This stretches the cook time allowing time for the ingredients to soften before the fire starts. Unfortunately we like the dark browning that comes with the high heat and fast cooking. What's a poor boy to do? I have settled on precooking all the ingredients then adding them to the pie warm. (They don't have to be hot). 

The problem that I have encountered with this method is that pizza ends up soggy, particularly as leftovers, and we loooooove leftover pizza. (We paid our way through college. Capisce?) It is not so big a deal when the pie is hot from the oven.  The crust is firm but the ingredients are wet. When it cools down and sits a bit the juices from the veggies get down into the crust. One workaround that I have found helps, is heating the leftovers on a griddle instead of the microwave. By the time the top is warm the crust has firmed up a bit. That is all well and good for home use but when taking the slices to work the microwave is usually the only option. 

I realized, rather densely this time, that the solution is simply place the sauteed ingredients in a colander whilst shaping the crust. I was rather surprised by the amount of liquid that was left behind. We found no loss in flavor, and the texture was greatly improved. In the photo above there is no sign of a puddle in the center of the circle of yum.

I'm getting close to pifection.

Oh, and the shrimp, I coarsely diced them. Say three or four pieces per shrimp, about the same size as the sausage gobbets.

Back. . . Again

 

 Supper, Tuesday May 11, 2021: Surf and turf (seared round steak (steak of your choosing. I choose-ed a couple of round cuts that were in the reduced section. It is what I had on hand. salt, pepper, browned butter pan reduction from the lobster); lobster (shelled and sliced tails, butter, white wine, cooked in the steak pan); kohlrabi fritters (shredded kohlrabi, egg, flour, buttermilk, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pepper, avocado cream sauce (avocado, yogurt, sour creme,

salt lemon juice)); FGT (green tomatoes, breading of your choice, tomato chutney).

Life finds a way. . . of getting in the way. We finally moved to Savannah. I got busy with the house. Then I had a very bad run with my disease. Along the way I occasionally got lost in ennui. And so on. I am not going to even try to catch up. I haven't been taking a lot of photos lately anyway. 

Last night's meal is one of the best I have ever made. ( So much so that It inspired me to get back to writing. Yes it was literally life changing. It all just worked together so well. It was an experience to be savored, slowly. Actually I shouldn't equivocate. It was THE best.)

I had a procedure done yesterday. Let it suffice to say the procedure required fasting. I wanted a nice meal after. I originally planned on going out. I got the second shot about three weeks ago so I assumed I would be relatively safe if I went to a restaurant. Nope. I had the antibody test done a week ago. The vaccine did not take. I have no immunity. My immune suppressants are doing their job, just to well in this case. I decided to stay in.

I needed a few things at the grocer. While there the meal started to come together. The

lobster and meat were on sale. I hadn't had kohlrabi fritters in forever. The green tomatoes were be-au-ti-ful. 

We agreed, at the end, that we could not have purchased a better meal anywhere. That good.

 

It's Not Really Black

 

Supper Wednesday April 29, 2020: blackened mahi; farfale a bella (farfale, baby bellas, cream, butter, garlic, parmesan, black pepper).

The grocer we use has had whole mahi filets (frozen, cryovac) on sale for some time. (When does a sale time out and just become the new price?) We keep going in expecting the "sale" to be over but it doesn't end so we have been eating a fair amount of mahi. It works really well blackened. I'm not sure what about it makes that method turn out so well but it does. By contrast I tried cutting it into strips then breading and frying it. Fried fish right? Anggg! Try again. It is not good that way. The texture and flavor just don't work with frying. But hey, blackening is easier anyway. 

The thing to keep in mind about blackening is that it is not really black, in other words burnt. It is more like black-ish. The spice coating should be very browned. It looks at a glance as if it is burned but not quite. If truly burned the spices will turn bitter. The pan should have a little oil and hot enough to shimmer the oil well, but not quite smoke it. (If it's smoking just a little go ahead, but drop the heat just a skosh.) A cast iron or other heavy pan works best because it is more temperature stable from its large mass. 

Nice Buns

 

Supper Sunday April 19, 2020: cheeseburger (with all the stuff); sweet potato chips; italian green beans. 

I'm beginning to get much better at the bun thing. Ya gotta make the loop in the knot really big, bigger than you think it needs to be. That also means that the dough rope needs to be a lot longer than you think it should.

I have got to get my raised beds put together soon. We are beginnning to get low on some of the canned goods that we regularly eat. This might be the last jar of Romas. I have to create some garden space for next season.

Celery? Really?

 

Brunch, Sunday April 5, 2020: smoked sausage; french toast (whole wheat bread, milk, cream, egg, vanilla, almond extract, sliced almond, whipped cream);

banana; celery hearts.

I suppose there is nothing wrong with the celery on the plate. I do admit that it is a bit odd, perhaps not the go to accompaniment for most people. She really likes those little tiny celeries. That's all that really matters. 

I suppose also that we eat a lot of french toast. I really like it. That's all that really matters. 

Always With The Cilantro

Breakfast, Wed November 21, 2018, savory grains and fruit: savory grains (mixed rolled grains, vegetable stock, grilled chicken);
mixed fruit; cilantro garnish.

I've talked about this before. We like the savory grain thing sometimes in the morning. 

Well Since The Fryer Is Out. . .

Supper, Friday November 2, 2018: Fried oysters; fried taters; fried zucchini; fried mushrooms.

Sure that is a lot of fried food, but remember "everything in moderation including moderation." Live a little now and then. 

Lemme talk about breading. 

I'm persnickety about breading. 

1. My first rule is season the food not the breading. I want to have seasoned bread I will just get some herbs in olive oil and dip some crusty french pieces.
2. Flour the food. Coat the product, whatever it is, with plain flour. This is important because it gives the wash something to cling to.
3. Make sure the product is thoroughly coated in the wash. I like to use a wash that is half egg and half buttermilk. Some like one or the other. That's OK. There is one little quirk to my choice. When blending the egg and buttermilk together the egg often starts to gel. I think it's a ph thing. Whatever the cause it is reversed by adding just a little bit of water, an ounce or two depending on the amount of wash.
4. To transfer the washed food to the crumbs I like to handle as little as possible. If is is a large item like a piece of fish or a slab of green tomato I use a bamboo skewer. If it is a bunch of smaller things I use a spider.
5. Coat the food well by rolling and packing it into the crumb mixture. I like a 1:3 mix of flour and breadcrumbs. This is where I get really crazy. Plain breadcrumbs from the store are OK but they are too dense. The alternative then is panko, but I find it to be too greasy. So I literally bake french bread slice it dehydrate it and grind it in the food processor. The end result is crumbs that are a mix of sizes and shapes. A good second best is to buy day old french loaves at the grocery, slice them and let them dry out for a couple of days. finish them in a warm oven, 175 or so, then process.

That is why those mushrooms in the picture look like they are high end pre-breaded frozen.

Whadya Mean Too Much Cilantro?

Breakfast, Saturday Oct 20, 2018: verde eggs (eggs, verde sauce, cheddar, mushroom, scallion); goat cheese grits; side meat;

lots of cilantro.

Alexis likes cilantro. 

And goat cheese.

And mushrooms.

Yeah, pretty much all of this stuff. 

'cept the grits themselves. She's kinda cool on them. 

That's why I put on the goat cheese. 

Yeah, that's a lot of cilantro.

Supper, Saturday March 10: stir fry (cubed pork, shiitake, oyster mushroom, black fungus, carrot, green pepper, water chestnut, onion, sesame seed, soy oil, sesame oil, soy sauce, ginger, hot banana chili, mirin); wild rice and quinoa. 

So we are still going with the low carb thing. just 1/2 cup of the wild rice and quinoa. It would have been jasmine rice but I had this in the fridge. You gotta watch that black fungus when it is in hot oil. It pops rather explosively. A spatter screen is a good idea. I have seen that stuff launch itself out of the pan. 

It's Just Gonna Have To Be An Occasional Treat.

Lunch, Friday March 09: monkfish medallions (fresh monkfish, salt, pepper, clarified butter); lima beans; slaw.

Lemme tackle the sides first. The limas are about as simple as they get: a little pork stock, diced onion, butter, salt, pepper, and soaked large limas. There is a special something that happens when well soaked dry limas are simmered. They make a sort of gravy that is as good or in my opinion better than the beans themselves. They are really easy to make. They just require planning. Soak the beans overnight with a little salt. Next day saute onion in butter. Drain the beans. add the beans and pork stock (I suppose chicken or a vegetable base would also work) Simmer til tender. Watch for scorching as that gravy develops.

What can I say about slaw? Nothing actually. Slaw is one of those small class of foods that is regional down to the resolution of family tradition. It is very much like the meat that it often accompanies, namely barbeque. In both cases, one persons delicacy is the next's unpalatable refuse. So all I should say is: We had slaw.

Now for the sad news of the day. I went to the grocer 2 days ago. While cruising the seafood counter for no particular reason I saw they were offering monkfish at a moderate discount. I love monkfish. Alexis loves anything that has the word fish in it or near it. Add to that the realization that I have not eaten any for many years then the offering was to great a temptation to resist. I purchased about two thirds of a pound with the intention of sauteing medallions in clarified butter with some salt and pepper. One important note about using butter to saute: even clarified butter is not temperature stable enough to get hot enough for a proper saute. One should add some flavorless high temp oil like canola or soy to stabilize the butter. Also don't overpower the fish with seasoning. let the flavor shine on its own.

So what is the sad news? In seeking a little more info in the actual fish. (I like to be able to recognize my food.) While reading up on them I learned the current fishing technique is not sustainable. Dammit! Harvesters use the "beam trawling" method which damages habitat. Monkfish will have to remain a rare treat. 

Nooks And Crannies

Breakfast, Tuesday November 16: seared lamb chop; mixed fruit (apple, pineapple, dates, pecans); pumpkin bread; English muffin.

I find it a little amusing how the average American (whatever that means) wants bread that has a soft and very light crust with a crumb that is uniform and extremely soft, yet I recall an advertising campaign for a brand of English muffins that touted the "nooks and crannies." Now I understand that is so one can load up with more butter, but the demand doesn't go the other way. Hand most Americans a roll or loaf with a similar crumb and they would scoff.

Don't believe me? Sure there is an "artisan" bread section in most grocers. Sales there paltry compared to the "regular" bread aisle. Not only that but consider that artisan bread itself. My favorite example is the bagel. Bagels should be firm chewy and have an almost leathery crust. Most grocery bagels are kaiser rolls with a hole in the middle. I like to call them bageloids.

Wait, It's Not Friday

Supper, Saturday November 04: fried catfish; lima beans; pickle.

Fish Friday is a bit of a joke for us. We don't proscribe to any such dogma. We like fish though and I try to get it in as much as I can. Friday is as good as any other day, so I like to get it in at least on Friday. This time I missed it so Saturday it is. 

If you are not a fan of lima beans I suggest you try an experiment. Get some FRESH limas. Not canned. Not frozen. Simmer them in just enough water to cover until tender. Drain, add a little butter and a pinch each of salt and pepper. You might change your mind.

It Doesn't Look Like Leftovers

Lunch, Thursday November 02: re-task enchiladas (left over burrito filling from the previous nights restaurant, seared corn tortillas, verde, cheddar); mexi-rice; pickle.

The problem with a leftover burrito is that the tortilla transforms in places, particularly on the bottom, to a mushy goo. Technically edible, not palatable. I like to transpose the filling to seared corn tortillas for enchiladas. Much better.

I've said it before and I will keep on saying it, we, as in most Americans, throw away too much perfectly good food. Not just from the table, it starts in the field. According to the NRDC about 40% of the food grown here is doesn't make it to the table, mostly because it isn't pretty enough. 50 million Americans are food insecure and we are tossing millions of tons of food mostly because of unreasonable expectations vis a vie appearance. 

Does using my leftover burrito filling make a difference. No, but it is the principle. I don't get to bitch about food waste and then throw away half a burrito. 

A little more moral consistency in the world would make it a better place.

I'll Make You French Toast Again

Breakfast, Thursday November 02: french toast (home baked multigrain, egg, milk, vanilla, almond extract, slivered almonds); sausage; plantain.

I think that is a line from a song. Oh yeah, interwebs. It's actually "serve you French toast again." 

What the hell did we do before interwebs? Probably spent a lot less time worrying about inane trivia.

It's What's For Dinner. . .

Supper, Monday October 10: pot roast (ginormous ribeye, English roast spice blend, carrots, potatoes, cardoon, onion, parsnip).

Yes I said Ribeye. Hear me out. I was at the store scanning the meat dept for deals and spotted this ribeye reduced for quick sale. It was huge, nearly a pound and a half. That is way more meat then Alexis would eat at one sitting. Steak is good. Leftover steak is not. Then I got a funny idea, "That thing is the size of a small pot roast." I bought it. I put it in the crock for about an hour with a spice blend we got at some novelty spice store, a little garlic, a little water, and a bit of marsala. I added the vegetables save the potatoes then let that simmer til they were just tender then added the taters. It was scary good AND ALSO THE NEXT DAY.

Remember that "It's what's for dinner" campaign for beef back in the 90s? A couple of different voice actors worked on that, eventually Sam Elliot got involved. he was the voice of beef. Listening to him made you want to run out and rope a steer, start a fire, and cut out a slab right then and there. 

Just Like Mama Used To. . .

Supper, Thursday July 13: meatloaf (ground beef, ground lamb, egg, cracker crumbs. pine-nuts, spinach, onion, black pepper, garlic powder); green beans (beans, olive oil, sliced almonds, garlic, soy sauce); garlic and parm mashed potatoes.

OK so maybe not just like mom's but the intent is the same. All the basic ingredients are there but this has the flavors turned up a bit. If you are like me your parents had relatively simple tastes. A dish was "spicy" if there was too much black pepper in it. Affluent tastes have filtered down the socioeconomic ladder. The mention of eating raw fish would make my mother shudder. I'm not exaggerating, a genuine physical reaction. Alexis and I have sushi for Christmas dinner. Really. Been doing it for years. 

So embrace your comfort food. Just update it a little (not too much) and make it your own.

Oh yeah, meatloaf. Say meatloaf today and most people think ground beef. There's a reason it's called meatloaf not beefloaf. Look for older or more traditional recipes, they often call for some combination of beef, veal, lamb, and pork. MEATloaf. Using just ground beef means missing out on the complexity and depth of flavors provided by the other cuts. Just sayin'.

It's Not A Fish

Supper, Wednesday June 28: cuttlefish, vegetables and farfale ( cuttlefish, farfale, zucchini, patty pan, red onion, garlic, parm, canned tomatoes, tomato sauce, fresh basil, thyme, oregano ); turnip greens.

We really like cephalopods. Octopus, squid, cuttlefish are always on the menu when we run across them. The Asian store we shop at has frozen, cleaned, cuttlefish in vacuum packs. This is a typical meal I prepare, red sauce, maybe some vegetables, and pasta. I also use them for Thai or other Asian fare. 

When I started this post I thought "Cuttlefish. . . cuttle? What's a cuttle? Is it a thing?" Yes Virginia it is a thing. The precise origin of the cuttle in cuttlefish is uncertain but there are three related linguistic candidates: Middle Low German küdel meaning container or pocket; Old Norse koddi which refers to a cushion or testicle; and my favorite Old English codd or scrotum. 

Improvise, Adapt, Overcome.

Breakfast, Saturday June 24: roasted roots; scramble (onions, spinach, cheddar, eggs); shredded beef gravy; toast.

I'm including this one because it is an example of trying to put something together for a crowd that has odd tastes with limited ingredients. We were visiting family.

The previous evening I needed to whip up something quick. Meat is kind of a requirement but the supply was limited to some home canned beef. I suggested making something like chipped beef and gravy since there was also an abundance of fresh bread. We had some root vegetables from the garden. Throw in some salad greens and it was a reasonable supper. 

In the morning there were just three of us from the previous evening. There was a bit of the roasted roots and the shredded beef gravy. A little bit of scramble and a decent, if not attractive, repast was had. 

The World Is My Oyster

Supper, Sunday June 18: oyster salad.

Only the leftmost two items didn't come from the garden.

Wonder Twin powers ACTIVATE!

Before oysters. Whaaangh whaaa.

After oysters. Queue music: "Tonight we're gonna party like its. . ."

We have to remember that for most of humanity's existence we have been routinely starving enough to eat whatever we could shove in our gobs that didn't kill us. If you want an example think Durian. That stuff is so nasty Andrew "Bizarre Foods" Zimmern couldn't choke it down. So hats off everyone, to the poor bastard who was hungry enough to try a little "rock snot." Thank you sir or madam for going down that road for us. Deeelicous. 

BTW. Why did the boy in the Wonder Twins always get the lame transformation. Seriously, they would be all:

(Both stand arms length apart facing each other.

Both fist bump to touch rings together.)

Both: "Wonder Twin powers, ACTIVATE!"

Girl: "Shape of a Bengal Tiger!"
Boy: "Form of a bucket of crap!"

Sure I understand that we have millennia of marginalizing women to make up for, but did it have to be every time? 

Sup with that?

OMG, It's Covered In Mold

Lunch, Monday June 12,  bagel sammich (Everything bagel, shredded kohlrabi, artisan mustard, brie, bacon, heirloom radish, salad greens).

Who was the guy (or gal more likely) who first thought "Hey I'm gonna store my nice new wheel of fresh cheese in that dank cave over yonder." Whatever their motivations, and inadvertently or not, pure fracking genius.