But Wait There's More. . .

Supper, Sunday July 28, 2019: super salad (romaine, avocado, blackberry, red onion, cucumber, sprouts, blood orange olive oil, balsamic); fried blue potatoes; fried cauliflower.

This started out as an attempt to make something for the oil we bought. We were visiting family and while there went to one of those indoor markets that are popular in big cities right now. Big open converted space. Lots of food vendors, particularly international. Some specialty shops and groceries. One of the shops was a purveyor of infused oils. Like more than a few people I am on a little bit of a blood orange kick. We bought a couple of gifts and then treated ourselves. 

I was just going to post the picture of the salad, but then I decided that the potatoes looked too good to pass up.

Fried And Boiled, See Balanced

Supper, Monday June 24, 2019: shrimp and cauliflower. 

This ended up being a late dinner. I was going to make something more complicated with the shrimp. I had the cauliflower ready to bread early in the evening. Then two things happened. Alexis had a late/bad close to the shift. She had fires to put out that held her up an hour and a half. Even before that I started to run out of steam. So by the time I got the notice that she was going to be very late I didn't have the energy or the desire to execute anything complicated. 

Riffing on that I decided that I had enough energy for the cauliflower 'cause it is a gift from the angels. Plus some of the prep was already done. Boiling scrimps is quick and easy. If the fryer is hot and you have some water simmering then you are only a few minutes away from eating. This was beneficial since I did not know when she was going to get to leave. Finally, we both like these two foods VERY much. It would make us feel a little better.

No, we did not eat all of those shrimp. We saved some for breakfast. It was difficult to not eat all the cauliflower, but we managed to hold back enough for her to take for lunch the next day.

Silly Rabbit, That's Not Chorizo

Breakfast,Tuesday June 4, 2019: not huevos rancheros (not chorizo; refritos; cheddar and jack; scallion; romaine yogurt).

No eggs. I am honestly not a huge fan of chorizo. It is super greasy and way salty. Maybe I'm getting the cheap crappy kind? I don't know. I've talked about tortillas before. This time though I wanted them crispity so they would shatter under the fork. I left them on the flat grill until they got aaaaalmost there. When they cool off they end up crispy. 

Daisy, daisy. . .

Breakfast, Monday June 3, 2019: smoked sausage; German toast; fruit.

That's what the French call it. Seriously. 

If you don't get the title reference, watch 2001: A Space Odyssey. It is hard to believe that film was made in 1968!  

Captain Beefheart

Supper Sunday June 2, 2019: heart stew (beef heart, garlic, onion, celery, mushroom, roots).

If you are looking for a strong beefy flavor, look no further. We have a grocery that caters to the latin and hispanic communities. It has a large section of imported foods from spanish speaking nations. At one end of the meat counter is the "weird stuff." Chicken feet, honeycomb tripe. . , and heart. They are vacuum wrapped halfs (a whole heart is as big as your head).

I trim off the sinewy parts and fat. Just wait before you go off about fat and flavor. Cube the remains and toss with salt and pepper. 

The fat et al goes into the pot to render. I let the dogs have the rendered gobbets. At this point they are losing their minds 'cause the the house smells like beef blood. For obvious reasons the metallic odor of blood is strong.

Brown the meat in the rendered fat. Add oil as necessary. 

Add the onions and garlic to sweat.

Cover with water and/or vegetable stock/bullion. There is plenty of beef going on here. Toss in a little thyme and parsley. I like a tiny pinch of tarragon - been kinda into tarragon lately. Now heart is tough (duh). It needs to simmer a bit. This is why I don't flour the meat to make the roux with the browning meat. I don't want to chance the gravy sticking during the extended simmer. Time? Depends on the simmer heat, the age of the meat. . . It can take a few hours. It's like cooking goat curry. Simmer until it is starting to get tender then add the veggies. Whatever vegetable you like. I didn't have parsnips this time. I like them in this. A little barley is good too. 

Finish with a light brown roux salt if necessary.

Hit It With A Hammer

Various: salmon patties and stuff.

I have in the past called these croquettes (as opposed to croquetes which instead of eating, you hit with a hammer). That is not really correct. It sounds more appetizing than "patty" but what is pictured is held together with egg and bread crumbs. A croquette uses a thick bechamel or mashed potatoes as a binder. It's a detail, but details are sometimes important.

That's A Big Sammich

Lunch Sunday May 26, 2019: BLT.

No that was not the sandwich. I sliced the bread off of this loaf. You can see that we probably had pineapple also. Anyhoo, the only reason that I wanted to post this is to point out the rack that the bread is on. It is perfect for the boules that I bake. The funny part is that it is not the intended use. That rack, and a taller one, came with a microwave convection oven that I got last year. I was torn on whether to get a $450 microwave. Did I really need it? 

A year later I love it. I can heat up my cold coffee and bake the lovely pictured above. The little rack came with the oven as a baking rack. It does well also as a cooling rack. I like multi-use tools. Makes for less clutter.