Holy Crepe, It’s a Crap! September 30, 2008
Posted by sicatmeow in Fun Gadgets, Recipes.Tags: butter, crepe, egg, flour, gruyere, lemon, milk, prosciutto
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I saw this beautiful and humongous copper frying pan at Housing Works and because it was so damn cheap, I just had to have it. I felt so french, I wanted to ride home with a baguette in the basket of my bike. It also gave me a legit excuse to drink half a bottle of red wine at 2pm. Holla. The whole frenchie thing was making me hungry for crepes. But none of that silly fruity stuff, mines was packed with cheese and pork. Check it check it out.
Crepe with Prosciutto and Gruyere
1 egg
1/2 cup of milk
1/2 cup and 3 tbs of water
the zest of 1/2 of lemon
pinch of salt
1 tbs of melted butter
1 cup of flour
butter for frying
prosciutto for draping
1/2 cup of gruyere, shredded
This serves 2. Take about 30 minutes total.
Combine the egg, milk, water, zest, salt, and melted butter. Wisk in the flour slowly and continue to beat until the batter is smooth. Let the batter chill for about 10 minutes while you shred the cheese and heat your pan. Add butter to your heated pan. Use a very wide and shallow frying pan, non-stick would be awesome but not essential – obvi I used copper. If your pan is less than 13 inches in diameter, you’re going to want to make 2 separate smaller crepes.
When the butter is melted in the pan, pour the batter and spread thin by tilting the pan. With the heat on medium to almost highish, the crepe will cook for about 2 minutes on each side. When the crepe starts to get little holes and you can slide the crepe around the pan, it’s time flip (yeah good luck with that, mine ripped in like, 4 different parts – smaller crepes will def be easier to flip).
So flip it foreal. Let it cook for 2 minutes. Sprinkle on the cheese. When it melts, slide you crepe onto a plate and roll a fatty. Drape your prosciutto along the top of the crepe. Share with your man with some wine on a rainy afternoon. (PS, this would be great served with a side salad of greens with fresh lemon juice.)
Hot Damn Risotto Balls September 23, 2008
Posted by sicatmeow in Recipes.Tags: lemon, olives, panko, parmesan, parsley, pine nuts, risotto, steak
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So, remember when I made the steak with the risotto and y’all got jealous? With the left over risotto, I made some banging balls, in the style of my italian brethren. Next time you’re making risotto, or fug it, rice? Do yourself a flavor and make some leftovers to concoct, what I feel, was a delish bite size side/snack/hors d’oeuvre. Guess what else? There was a special little treat in each and everyone one of them.
First, check this recipe for the leftover risotto.
Risotto Balls Stuffed With Steak
2 cups of cooked and cooled risotto
1/4 grated parmesan
a few inches of cooked and rare steak, chopped (If you aren’t bashful and finished that shiv, you can skip it)
1/4 kalamata olives, roughly chopped
1/8 cup of italian parsley, roughly chopped
pine nuts to your liking
salt and pepper
1 cup of panko flakes
fresh lemon juice for garnish
This makes 15-ish.
Mix all ingredients together except the steak, panko flakes and lemon juice, and form little balls about the size of golf balls. Grab a piece of steak and smoosh it right in the middle. Don’t be scared, this is still fancy. Throw the ball a bit between your hands to form a sweet, sweet roundness. Dredge through the panko flakes which have been salted and peppered. When evenly coated, lay on a cooking sheet lined with parchment paper. Continue to ball till there aint no mo. This should yield about 15. Bake at 300 for 20 minutes. You are looking to heat through, melt the cheese, and crisp the bread crumbs. When done, serve with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
One other thing, you can obvi make this with any leftover risotto or rice and throw in your favorite ingredients – just make sure they are small pieces. Try asparagus, mushrooms, bacon, shreemps, etc.
A Cook Way Better Than Me: Cree LaFavor and Her Magic Steaks September 16, 2008
Posted by sicatmeow in Recipes.Tags: fennel, lemon, olive, oregano, parmigiano, parsley, pine nuts, risotto, steak
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I don’t usually buy cookbooks but I was given one as a gift (thanks mom) and I’m sho glad about it. Cree lefavor’s the new steak offers 55 recipes for steaks with sides, grouped by region. Last night, R and I tore up some strip steak. Pretty sure I saw a tear in his eye at his first bite. Check this recipe. You’ll wanna be cree’s bff after this but because she is more famous than my ass, you can just try to be mines and maybe I’ll cook you a steak. But you have to buy them shivs – 2 strip steaks cost 23 schmacks at my dudes. One more thing before I get on with it. How much do you want to call this chick cree mcflavor? Why hasn’t she changed her name yet? I think I’ll write a letter.
I almost followed the recipe exact except I made 2 steaks instead of 4, as the recipe calls (you know R was sad) and I did not use oregano cause one time? I put oil of oregano on my tongue? and I gagged for 10 minutes and couldn’t eat pizza for 3 years. I should also say, before cree comes to my house and beats me with a heirloom tomato from her garden, I typed her recipe below in a much less professional and flowery way cause I’m lazy. Just didn’t want you think cree is as crass and unspecific as me. Her writing is soft and cookbooky, just as you would imagine.
Risotto and Strip Steak Scattered with Olives, Parsely, Pine Nuts, Lemon Peel, and Parmesan
Risotto first cause that takes the longest.
1 cup of italian arborio rice
2 tbl unsalted butter
2 tbs of chicken juices (I didn’t use this cause I wasn’t about to roast a chicken to get its juices. I just used a bit of chicken stock here, I’m sure it woulda been dope though.)
1/2 tsp of salt
2 1/2 – 3 cups of chicken stock at room temp (I’m haven’t fully jumped on the organic bandwagon yet – lemme get some chairs in my kitchen that aren’t plastic first. But, what I always do is buy products from chickens that are free range only. To me, it’s worth it.)
1 tbs freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano, plus more for garnish
2 tbs of your best olive oil
fresh black pepper
In a heavy pot, combine the rice and butter over medium heat. Stir constantly for 2 to 3 minutes until the rice is coated with the butter. Add the chicken juices (or stock) and salt, still stirring. Once it’s hot, add 1 cup of your chicken stock. Stir more, scraping the bottom as you go.
Reduce your heat to low and allow your risotto to absorb all the liquid. No need to stand over the stove like a sweaty obsessive – just keep an eye on it. When it starts to stick and most the liquid has been absorbed, add another 1/3 cup of stock . Keep doing this until you have added 2 cups of stock.
At this point, taste your risotto. It should be chewy, but you should definitely taste and feel the grain of the rice. But don’t get it twisted – it should not crunch in your mouth. Since the risotto is almost done, add even smaller increments of stock and let it absorb. Repeat until it’s the texture you want. When you have added the last of the stock, grate the lemon zest, parmigiano and olive oil. When you put it on the plate, finish with more cheese, olive oil and pepper.
At about half way through this process, you need to get your steak on.
2 strip steaks
1 tsp salt
1 clove of garlic, cut in half
olive oil for rubbing on your shteck
1/4 cup of pine nuts, toasted and salted
1/2 tsp of whole fennel, toasted and ground
1 or 2 tsp of peanut oil for frying (I didn’t use this)
2 tbs of chopped parsley (I used italian)
1 tbs of chopped oregano (ew)
1 lemon, zested
1/3 cup of kalamata olives, roughly chopped
1/3 cup of fresh parmigiano-reggiano, grated
fresh black pepper
1 tbs of your best olive oi
Prepare your steak by salting it and rubbing the garlic halves over it. When the steaks come to room temperature, rub em with olive oil. During this time, you should be gathering the rest of your ingredients cause this process goes really quickly. Cree gave detailed instructions for grilling over coals or pan frying with peanut oil, or even finishing them in the oven. But… I kinda crudely just slapped them on my stove-top grill when I thought it was hot enough. You know what? They turned out in a way cree would have been proud. Swear.
What I will include is, to check the doneness of your steak, jab a meat thermometer in the thickest part. Once it reaches 110/115 degrees, take them shivs off and cover with a loose tent of foil and let sit for 5 minutes. They will continue to cook to a lovely medium rare.
After they have sat, plate your steaks and your risotto and “scatter” your olives, parsley, oregano if using, pine nuts, and fennel. Grate your lemon and parmigiano, add your salt and pepper, and drizzle your olive oil.
One more thing, just because I typed this recipe here, doesn’t mean you don’t need the book. There are interesting bits before each recipe and lists of useful items that “everyone needs in a pantry.” I may differ on some of these items, but her list is ite. For a pro cook with a garden and a pantry.
Chicky Chicky September 13, 2008
Posted by sicatmeow in Health, Recipes.Tags: bread, carrots, chicken, chipotle, lemon, pickle, spicy, watercress
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In a short-lived attempt to eat less red meat, I been cookin the hell out of some chicken. Chicken is fun to cook with cause you can make it be anything you want. Blank freakin canvas, I always say. So, I thought I would get creative and make up a good ol sarnie. Check yourself before you wreck yourself.
Grilled Chicken Sandwich with Pickled Carrots, Watercress and Chipotle Yogurt
thin chicken breasts
juice of 1 lemon
carrots, shredded
the brine of your favorite spicy pickle
watercress
1 10oz plain yogurt (get the kind with active cultures cause they’re good for the vagina)
1 tbs chipotle seasoning
1 tsp cayenne pepper
delish bread of your choosing
salt and pepper to taste
oil for your grill
This serves 2.
Salt, pepper, and squirt lemon juice your chicken cutlets. Toss em on a stovetop grill. Now. This is very important, so listen up. If you want those cool ass grill marks on your meat like you see in the movies, drop your meat on the grill and let it chill for a few minutes. Don’t be all up in its face and moving it around and such or you’ll never sear those precious stripes. Leave it alone.
Anywho. If your chicken was pounded thin or cut thin, it will grill for about 4 minutes on each side, so you better get to workin.
Shred your carrots with the widest shredder you got. Grab your favorite pickles from the fridge. Mines For. Sure. are McClures Spicy Pickles. Hoe Man. Go Get urselves some now.
Anywho. Grab your favorite pickles from the fridges and pour some of the brine over your carrots. Ideally, you would have done this the day before. But, if you’re like me, you didn’t, and the carrots are more mild than you’d like. Set aside.
Grab your yogurt. Throw in the chipotle and cayenne. Mix well. Set aside.
Wash the watercress and dry well.
Cut your bread, throw on a healthy amount of watercress, add the chicken, then the carrots, then the yogurt. Eat and complain that the yogurt was only ALRIGHT. On the real, I would maybe try a different sauce for this. Got any good ideas? Maybe cayenne and paprika? Maybe substitute the yogurt with mayo and use less? Dunno, but don’t lie… that sammich looks real nice.
Another Shrimp on the Bobby September 9, 2008
Posted by sicatmeow in Health, Recipes.Tags: cilantro, corn, lemon, shallt, shrimp, tomato, tortilla
2 comments
This meal is gonna seem mo simple, and it is, but it is gotdamn flavorful. Its fresh, seasonal, healthy, cheap and the flavor crystals will knock you on your arse. Basically, this is the bomb summer meal. I suggest a delicate, aged, oakey, floral Corona and lime to accompany.
Beer Boiled Cayenne Shrimp over a Corn and Tomato Salad
almost 2 lbs of shrimp, I use small shrimp because it is cheaper and easier to create bites with other goodnesses from the plate.
tabasco (normally not a fan, but this works here)
cayenne powder
1 12 oz brown beer
2 vine tomatoes, chopped, seeds removed
juice of half a lemon
4 ears of corn, shucked
1 large shallot, chopped
salt and pepper
fresh cilantro, chopped
corn chips, for garnish
olive oil
This serves two.
Clean your shrimp, douse with tobasco, sprinkle with cayenne, cover and refrigerate. It depends on how spicy you like your shrimp, but I used about 3 tbls of tabasco and maybe 1.5 tbs of cayenne, maybe more. But I like fire mouth.
Heat your olive oil and start to cook your chopped shallot. Add your shucked corn. Cook till the shallots can’t take it no mo. Add salt.
While the corn is cooking, chop your tomatoes and remove the seeds. Don’t be a freak about it – its fine if some make it through. Add to a bowl along with the lemon juice and add fresh pepper.
Boil your beer in a small sauce pan. When it starts to boil, add your shrimp and the marinade. Cook for 4 minutes.
Assemble your plate: with a slatted spoon, place a big o pile of corn on the plate, add the tomatoes, add the shrimp. Garnish with chopped cilantro and several corn chips. The corn chips are meant to be slightly crushed and et with a fork with the rest of the meal.
mm mm good.
Grampa Nick All Up In My Belly: Lahmajun August 21, 2008
Posted by sicatmeow in Recipes.Tags: lamb, lemon, middle-eastern, pita, tomato, yogurt
3 comments
Tonight the parents came over to ours for dinner. Thought I would do a little root connecting and cook a lebanese meal. Since i dont normally cook in such a style I had to follow recipes. I did a Chilled Cucumber Soup (sounds gross, I know) and a Minced Lamb Pizza called, Lahmajun. Alright, I’m not going to lie to you. I don’t think the Cucumber Soup is lebanese. It just sounded good to say the whole meal was themed-out. Donit? See the next post for that recipe.
I found both recipes online. The Lahmajun called for making dough and baking pizza foreal, but I just made a meaty topping and put it on toasted pita bread. And you know what? That’s just fine, so shut up. Plus, since they like, raised me up, they’re gonna think I’m cool whether or not I’m baking my own dough. Anyway, after a good swath of yogurt, them pizzitas were magically delicious. Try this:
1 small white onion, finely chopped
1 small red pepper, finely chopped
1 lb of finely ground lamb
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp all spice
1 tbl of fresh lemon juice
1 tsp of red pepper flakes (or to taste)
2 cups of tomatoes, seeded and chopped
2 tbls tomato paste (omg, those tubes are the bizzle)
finely chopped flat leaf parsley, (1 cup?)
salt to taste
olive oil
lemon and yogurt for garnish
Suate the onion and red pepper in the olive oil for 3 minutes. Add the lamb. Stir the meat up with a spoon constantly so that it breaks up. (although, there is a fine line here cause you don’t want your meat to be tough > be gentle to those morsels). Cook for 3 minutes. Before the lamb browns, add cumin, chili powder, all spice, and lemon. Immediately add the tomatoes, tomato paste and parsley.
If you are going to bake this into raw dough, set it aside and let cool. Find some other site about pizza dough making cause you’re not going to find it here.
OR
Place your hot lamb mixture on toasted pita bread. Serve with a squeeze of lemon and swath with yogurt. Eat and think about Grandma Nick.
I Suck: Baba Ghanoush August 12, 2008
Posted by sicatmeow in Recipes.Tags: crostini, eggplant, lemon, pickled
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So basically, I improvised on some homemade baba ghanoush and I failed like above. R and I toured Lawn Guyland a few days ago and stopping at farm stands was a priority. I found these perverted looking asian eggplants so I had to have them. Making the baba was an afterthought. Shoulda been a neverthought.
So, basically, I did all the things you would think was right. I swathed in olive oil, a roasted with mo garlic, and when charred, I scooped out the silky/stringy insides and mashed the hell out of it. Don’t quite have a food processor yet, so I was going for a country look (ugly look). But then, cause I have no self control, I kept adding stuff. And the more I added, the worse it got. Into the baba went salt, pepper, cumin (all good so far), but then I added my weight in lemon. And in the end, an entire bulb of garlic turned out to be way too much for two tiny peeny eggplants.
I toasted some delish bread and dumped some of the baba on the crostini, and topped with pickled roasted red pepper (the best part, by far), served, and watched R out the corner of my eye to see him gag.
What I do wrong, yo?
I Am Not A Secret Beet Farmer. July 27, 2008
Posted by sicatmeow in Health, Recipes.Tags: beets, lemon
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C recently accused me of being a secret beet farmer – as if I could ever be as cool as Mose Schrute. Alls I was saying is that beets are damn good and good for you and good looking. I love that combo. People, eat your beets. Eat em raw, boiled, sliced or shredded, juiced or borscht-ed, in a salad, or in a pasta. (Now I’m going to have to do a borscht and a pasta – see how it’s all snow balls?)
As many people before me have claimed, beets do the following goodness to your body:
1. Think of beets as red spinach, Dr. Bowden said, because they are a rich source of folate as well as natural red pigments that may be cancer fighters. (NYTimes, 6.30.08)
2. Beets contain folic acid, which is recommended for pregnant women because it may lower the risk of spina bifida and other neural tube defects in newborn infants. (Aim For Hearbs, date unknown.)
3. Beta vulgaris roots contain significant amounts of vitamin C, whilst the leaves are an excellent source of vitamin A. They are also high in folate, soluble and insoluble dietary fibre and antioxidants. It is among the sweetest of vegetables, containing more sugar even than carrots or sweet corn. The content of sugar in beetroot is no more than 10%; in the sugar beet it is typically 15 to 20%. (Wikipedia)
And don’t forget to eat them greens. Saute them in butter or olive oil and drown in fresh lemon juice with salt to taste. (My mouth is watering.)
Stone Soup Sunday July 14, 2008
Posted by sicatmeow in Projects, Recipes.Tags: broccoli, dip, heart of palm, lemon, ricotta, sausage, sesame, stone soup, swissh chard
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It was time to clean out the kitchen and do something with those leftovers. But as usual, I went overboard and ended up cooking all sorts of things to supplement my meal. In the end, B and I ate, what we have come to refer to as, A Little Bit of This and A Little Bit of That. Including, sesame broccoli, sauteed swiss chard with garlic and lemon, heart of palm salad with sausage, and a heart of palm and swish chard dip. I also served goose liver country pate (shut up), marinated mushrooms, pickled curried tomatoes, corn tortilla chips and country sour dough bread. Obvi, there are repetitions of ingredients here, this is because I wanted to play as much as I could. Check the recipes below. They are in the order of what I enjoyed best.
Read on and cook on…
Sauteed Swiss Chard
1 half bunch of of thoroughly washed swiss card
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
fresh lemon juice
olive oil
salt
Toss olive oil into a large sauce pan. Add heat. Throw in garlic and swiss chard. Give a little stir. Add a bit more olive oil on top of the swiss chard. Cover and let wilt. Once wilted, remove cover, stir well. Cook until the stems are chewable. Just a cut a piece and try it. Remove swiss chard from pot, put in serving bowl, and salt and lemon juice to taste. I, of course, add a ton of juice.
The inspiration for this dip came from your traditional artichoke and spinach dip. Thought I would just funk it up a bit and see what happens. I thought it was great, B thought it could use some salt. Try how you like.
Heart of Palm and Swiss Chard Dip
1/2 can of heart of palm, drained and finely chopped
half bunch of heart of palm, steamed
3 heaping spoonfuls of ricotta cheese
After the swiss chard is steamed, squeeze really well so that the loose liquid drains. Chop finely and add to mixing bowl with heart of palm. Add ricotta cheese and mix well. Serve with tortilla chips or bread.
This also is an easy one…
Sesame Broccoli
broccoli, how ever much you want to eat, cut small and steamed
sesame oil, hot or not
cayenne pepper
sesame seeds
salt
After the broccoli is just steamed, meaning, it has some firmness to it still, remove from steamer and let cool. Add sesame oil, and garnish with sesame seeds, salt and cayenne pepper. It’s hard for me to tell you how much cayenne to use cause I’m a freak about spice, so use your best judgment. Just know that most people find it pretty hot, so a slight sprinkling should do it. Serve at room temp. I didn’t add it this time, but some soy sauce might be a good addition to this salad.
I actually found this salad to be a little odd, but B loved it. But then again, you put some sausage in his face and he’s pretty much just going to like it. Fine… me too.
Heart of Palm Salad with Sausage
1/2 can of heart of palm, drained and sliced
1/2 cup of dried Italian Sausage, cubed
handful of fresh flat leafed parsley, chopped
So, since everything that you buy here is prepared already, this is the easiest thing to make. Just assemble the three ingredients, and shiv, you got yourself a salad. By the way, I thought about adding lemon (duh) but doubled back when I thought about the mix with the sausage. Dunno, what do you think? Try it and let me know? Also, I used a spicy dried sausage, but feel free to use a sweet, or even a chorizo. Ooh, that’s what I shoulda done…
Here is what else I added to the schmorgas (say it our loud, you know you want to):
Pickled Curried Tomatoes: By the way, these bad boys came from Rick’s Picks. Def check them out cause their creative blends will make you popular at a bbq.
Pickled Mushrooms: These shrooms came from a whole different pickler (yes, so trendy right now) in the farmer’s market. I can’t for the life of me remember their name. Dr Pickle, Dr Pickler, Mr.Pickleman. If you know, lemme know so I can give credit where credit is due, cause, damn, these were good. (My mouth is literally watering as I type this.)
Fancy Bread: And finally, some damn good bread B brought home. (By the way, he ate that whole bowl.)
And that’s it folks. But, I’m not going to lie to you. Not all of this was from my cupboards. It all started with the broccoli going yellow. I bought almost everything else. The pate we had, the pickles we just always have, but the swiss chard, sausage, heart of palm, parsley, bread, was all bought for this meal. It’s just that I get so carried away and excited when I get to not only cook, but cook like, 6 different things. Also, you’ll notice I didn’t feature the pate. Mostly cause I feel shame. :(
Anyway.
BIG TV means more Netflix: Stuffed Grape Leaves July 6, 2008
Posted by sicatmeow in Health, Projects, Recipes.Tags: chickpeas, lemon, middle-eastern, rice, vegitarian, yogurt
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Since R and I spent all our money last week on a new flat screen that we don’t need, we decided on a rainy afternoon to return home to watch a rented movie instead of go to a matinée. That’s good for me anyhow cause you know it means a cooking project at home.
Sahadis it is. Originally, I was going to do a homemade ravioli cause I discovered some dried wild mushrooms in the kitchen but I was too temped by the huge barrel of fresh grape leaves to ignore it. I got me a handful, some rice, a can of Goya garbanzos. On to the Met for some parsley and, of course, lemon.
As usual, I perused the world wide web to check out how others were doing it. Interestingly, most people put cinnamon and/or mint. Both these flavors have their place for me. This, however, is not it.
What turned out was 20 or so delish stuffed grape leaves which we then dragged through salted organic yogurt, drinking Rioja, and watching Jumper. (Keep the food and wine, def leave the movie behind.)
20-25 fresh grape leaves, (you can probably find them jarred if you aren’t spoiled like me who gets them fresh)
1 cup rice
1 can of garbanzos
3 lemons, zested and juiced
1 medium yellow or white onion, finely chopped
1 bunch of parsley, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
tomato paste
salt and pepper
olive oil, lots
Steam the rice along with the olive oil, garlic, and the zest and juice of one lemon. While the rice is cooking, finely chop the onion and roughly chop the parsley. When the rice is done cooking, cool it by adding it to a wide mixing bowl. Add more olive oil (don’t be afraid), the zest and juice of a second lemon, the garbanzos, parsley, onion, salt, pepper and a TOUCH of tomato paste. I’m talking about half a teaspoon here. It should turn your rice into a light pink.
I learned how to roll a grape leaf by watching a video on line. Here is a video of someone’s mom rolling some leaves. Don’t get confused, totally different recipe, just the same method for rolling. And, I think it’s a cute video.
Garnish with the juice of the final lemon and serve with plain yogurt seasoned with salt and pepper. Goes great with beer and wine.
