Cookin No. 8 - Got the Mojo Rising

The severer heat has finally come to an end. Last night, the sky opened, and a ton of rain fell downward in the course of 5 minutes. After that, a sweet breeze came to the rescue, and my family and I sat on the back porch eating a wonderful meal. My father made a stake with Mojo sauce, (pronounced mo-ho). Apparently mojo is the name for several types of sauces that originated in the Canary Islands. The main base ingredients of all mojo sauces consist of, olive oil, loads of garlic, paprika or chili powder, along with cumin and a form of acid. Vinegar, lemon, orange or lime. The mojo that my father made was made with oranges. Mojo is usually used on pork dishes, but some mojo sauces contain more sweet ingredients like mango and those accompany fish dishes.

Last night, the mojo was poured over steaks, and grilled onions were pilled on top. The side dish was my favorite, Glazed fennel… mmm mmm mmm. Fennel is a great vegetable/ herb that tastes like licorice, it’s very refreshing when its served cold, and very tasty when its glazed like last night. Fennel also has some medicinal properties, fennel tea can help with indigestion, and stimulate the flow of breast milk.

So I found a Bobby Flay recipe for some mojo, I will have to try this with some pulled pork. Yumm.

Mojo

3 sour oranges
1 head garlic, cloves peeled and separated
Salt
Chopped fresh oregano leaves
Freshly ground black pepper

Slice the oranges down the middle and squeeze the juice. Mash a head of garlic in a morteros (a thick bowl with a mashing paddle used in Latino cooking). Add a little salt to the garlic (more than a pinch, less than a teaspoon). Add the sour orange juice to the mixture. Add oregano and pepper, to taste. Brush the Mojo Sauce on the food as it is cooking.

*This recipe is not my own.

Enjoy

Last night was also great because I got my uniform jackets. My mother, who knows that I would do a horrible job at hemming my uniforms, has offered to do them herself. Which I am so grateful for, because not only will they look nice and professional, but it will also save me the agony of sewing by hand, (she has a sewing machine). So the jackets are done, and they look wonderful. That wonderful mother of my even washed them a whole bunch of times, so the fabric is soft. I tried on the jackets, with my aprons, and looked at myself in the mirror. A great sense of pride and excitement washed over me. I can’t wait until I wear that uniform every day.

As I was laying in bed, I was thinking about how strange it is that I would choose this as my career. I was never a good cook, when I first moved out on my own, I lived on macaroni and cheese. But something changed with the first meal attempt, aside from the fact that it was undercooked, and tasted pretty bad, I thought, “I better start paying attention to my father. I should be good at this, I grew up with this. I better start paying attention”. And I did, and here I am, going to culinary school. My favorite job was waitressing anyway, so I knew that I would love being on my feet, and running around. I could care less about the pain or the stress, I love the environment of restaurants. I’m laying in bed thinking, “who knew” with a goofy grin on my face.

Bon Appetite

Cookin No. 7 - Viva La Brownie

This Saturday was a blast, a culinary blast, to be precise. My parents hosted a engagement picnic for my brother, who will be marrying my soon to be sister-in-law in October. I’m really happy for him, and Kim, (his bride to be), and I got to meet her family for the first time on Saturday. Like Kim, they are down to earth people, from Long Island. Kim’s mother, Rene is a fun loving person, her father, Jeff is a real riot, and her sister, Tara is really nice and easy going. The rest of the family was full of nice people too.

The menu:

Cold shrimp
BBQ Ribs with a dry rub
Sweet corn salad with cilantro, red onion and jalapeño pepper
Roasted peppers
Roasted halves of baby eggplants, also known as shoes
Tomato, basil and fresh mozzarella salad
Deviled eggs
Roasted rosemary potatoes with fresh orange

We feasted. Three long tables were set up outside to house us, and we just ate, and drank sangria. My father, the culinary genius behind the picnic had started to prepare for the day at 5:45 in the morning. Crazy man. But I know that he loves it, nothing would have made him happier than to cook all that food for everyone. And nothing made us happier than to eat and enjoy it.

In true Italian fashion, after dinner we sat back, refilled our glasses of sangria and lit some cigarettes, rubbing our bursting stomachs. The weather had calmed down from blistering hot, to a nice cool breeze. A conversation on politics started up among the long island people, and I just smiled at my father and told him that everything was perfect.

Personally I don’t think that politics should be discussed at the dinner table. Why ruin the nice relaxed feeling you get after a good meal, with arguing over who is ruining the country, and who could make it better? Maybe I’m a eating purist, I’ve been called worse.

After a few hours of digestion, it was time for desert. This is where I came in. a few years ago, my friend Chris and I formed a recipe for brownies, after eating them for the first time, we deiced that their proper name should be, Damn Good Brownies. Since that evening in the kitchen, after the food fight was subdued, the recipe has evolved into a monster. My parents requested these brownies to be made for the picnic. Until this occasion, Chris and I were happy to divulge the secret of our recipe, however with the popular demand, we have decided that it will now be classified information. More on that later. For now… the brownies:

Damn Good Brownies
Sweet cream ice cream from the purple cow creamery in Easton
Sautéed berries with triple sec and brandy.

Now normally I would use turkey hill ice cream, but this being a special occasion, I called in an order to a creamery near by. The purple cow makes their own delicious ice cream, and they have a fabulous selection. I was thinking, that instead of vanilla ice cream, which sometimes can be a little over powering to the other flavors of a dish, I would try out their sweet cream flavor. Sweet cream is ice cream before any flavors are added, so its just cream and sugar. It tastes a bit like whipped cream flavored ice cream. Makes sense right. So I thought that the nice subtle flavor of the sweet cream would go well with the brownie and fruit. It did.

The berries:

Cherries
Raspberries
Strawberries
Blueberries
½ cup of sugar
Splash of triple sec
Splash of brandy

Cut the cherries in half and pit them, then slice the strawberries into ½ inch thick slices. Add all the berries to a pan on the stove at medium heat. Add the triple sec and brandy and let them cook for a while. After a minute, add the sugar and stir. Keep them on the stove until the raspberries are mush, and the cherries are a deep color. Let cool for a moment and then spoon over the brownie and ice cream.

Eat and be Merry

Nothing special about this dish, but people loved it. They raved about the brownies. And I have decided to bring the brownies back. For too long the brownie has been over looked. If someone tries to make the brownie gourmet, it comes out like some mound of colossal chocolate. Almost too much chocolate (that statement coming from a confirmed chocola-holic). The brownie turns into some peasant that was gussied up for a ball, and the outfit is all wrong. Other times the brownie is ignored, just something to hold onto at a family function, just another plane desert that someone threw together at the last minute. It never gets raved about.

So I want to bring the brownie back, it will be a brownie revolution, an appreciated desert, something that can stand proudly next to the crème Brule and be admired. This is why I’m keeping the recipe secret, because Chris and I have decided to undergo the adventure of revitalizing the brownie, and so there is much testing to do. Don’t worry dear friends, we’ll be sure to keep you posted. It is not my usual practice to keep recipes from the world, I always maintain that they are free to be shared, because they wouldn't grow if you kept them to your self, and that is still true here. DGB won't grow just yet, but after a few months of testing, we will set it free.

Bon Appetite

Cookin No. 6 - Cold Cereal and laughter

Not much cookin happen here. Unless you count the bowl of cereal I shoved down last night before I headed out to do laundry. Just incase, I’ll give you the recipe:

Cold Cereal:

1 cup of milk, I use 1%
You favorite cereal (I used Kashi autumn harvest, and raisin bran)
One clean bowl
One clean spoon

Pour the cereal into the bowl. I like to pour one cereal at a time, and then mix then together with my hands. Add milk.

Grab you spoon and enjoy.

Aside from that, I have just been getting ready for school. I am beginning to find myself at the point where I can’t wait to leave work, and find myself in a kitchen, completely confused and overwhelmed. Sweat running down my face, my uniform seems to heavy, and I’m staring at the barrel of potatoes that I have to peel. That just sounds like fun. Laughing and enjoying everyone in the kitchen.

I have been listening to old Prairie Home Companion shows, it’s a radio show that is broadcasted on NPR. Its like having a good friend next to you, and I can’t help but have a big smile on my face. If you have never heard the show, you should give an ear for a moment. http://prairiehome.publicradio.org/

Well, there was actually no point to my ramble today. I want to keep updates consistent, so look at this just as a filler entry.

Bon Appetite

Cookin No. 5 - Spindini or something like it

Ah. A nice hot muggy day.

Things have been a little busy lately, but everything is moving along perfectly. I have 6 weeks left before school starts, and its crunch time. Got to get myself prepared to leave a job that I have been working at for the past 4 ½ years, have to find a new job… hopefully in a kitchen somewhere…

Aside from all of that, I have pretty much stayed out of the kitchen this week, though I have had dinner out on the town almost every night.

Wednesday night was awesome though. My father, who is my main inspiration for cooking, made something wonderful. I grew up in an Italian household, and my father was the cook. He has made his mistakes, I won’t ever forget the first time he ever made hummus, I refused to eat hummus for about 6 years after that, it was, to say the least, horrible. But most of the things that come out of his kitchen, his domain, are just superb. Like the rolled eggplant that he made on Wednesday night. He likes to call it Spindini, or Rollatini… I call it scrumptious.

Spindini or Rollatini:

A lot of good sauce
One eggplant
One egg
Some chopped basil
A handful of grated Romano cheese
Small container of ricotta
Fresh mozzarella
Salami sliced thin

First the good sauce. However you make your red sauce, then go for it. I don’t really have a recipe for it, I usually just imitate what I have seen done in my family for years. It consists of my big cast iron pan, two cans of San Marsano Tomatoes, fresh basil, garlic, salt, sugar, fennel seeds, ground pepper and an onion. I cook the garlic and onion in some olive oil until they begin to look translucent, then add the tomatoes, basil, salt, sugar and fennel seeds. The fennel seeds give the sauce a slight meaty flavor, without the meat.

Then the egg plant. Slice the eggplant about ¼ of an inch thick, long ways. Grill or broil the slices, until they are brown and almost cooked. Then lay out the slices, and lay the salami on top. In a bowl, beat one egg, chopped basil, some grated roman cheese, ricotta and mozzarella until everything is mixed together. Then plop a layer of the mixture on top of the eggplant and salami. After that, roll the eggplant and place into a covered container with the good red sauce. Bake in the oven at 350o for 40 minutes.

Plate and enjoy.

I know that this is not a conventional recipe, but nothing in my family is written down, we usually talk in terms of handfuls and pinches. If you have any specific questions about this dish, comment and I’ll try to answer your questions. I can tell you now, that if you like eggplant, then you will love this dish.

On to today.

My friend AS and I took her little sister to see Charlie and the chocolate factory. It wasn’t bad, but I still love the original with Gene Wilder. Afterwards, we went to a restaurant/ pub in Easton called Pearly Bakers. The food there is good, and they always have good beer. But the part about eating there that made me excited is that I found out they have an opening in their kitchen, and I got an application to fill out, and a recommended time to visit the manager. They don’t have a huge turnover, most people keep their jobs there for years, and I heard that their kitchen is fun, so lets keep my fingers crossed, and yours too if you please.

Tonight I had a beer called the Middle Ages Wailing Wench… a dark hoppy beer, rich flavors, I think there might have been some bitter chocolate in the process, because it had that flavor. Not a bad beer, but I don’t think I would run out and buy a whole case just yet.

Anywho my friends, I bid you a good night, I am going to curl up with a book and enjoy a Dixie beer.

Bon Appetite

Cookin No. 4 - Sea Salt

So last night was more of a chill out and watch a movie night. The dish, chicken czar salad. The movie, Tortilla Soup (the Spanish version of Eat, Drink, Man Woman).

Chicken Czar Salad:
(for one person)

1 chicken breast
salt and pepper
1 large pat of butter
1/2 bag of arugula salad greens
some Briannas Czar salad dressing (I know, I was too lazy to make my own dressing)

Melt butter, rub salt and pepper into chicken breast and place into pan. Sauté until cooked through. Remove, and cut chicken into slices, let the slices cool and add to the salad.

Pop in movie and enjoy.

About salt, I am a bit of a salt snob now-a-days. I use French sea salt, and I have to say, that the taste is noticeably different than regular table salt. Sea salt is much more costly than regular table salt, but that is because of the unique process that goes into creating the salt. In Tibet, salt farmers travel for miles to harvest salt beds. They can only work a few times out of the year, and it takes them about a month of processing to gather the salt. In other cultures, women are the only people who are allowed to cultivate the salt, it is considered bad luck for a man to go near the salt while it is drying in the sun.

French Salt however is usually more unrefined than American salts, and it retains more minerals from the sea. Which means, this kind of salt, really brings out the flavors of meats and other cooked vegetables. I have tried chicken using both table, and sea salt, and I have found that the chicken has more of a delicious and juicer flavor when its cooked with sea salt, compared to the chicken cooked with table salt.

Salt has a very fascinating history. Throughout religions, salt has been considered a very powerful tool. The word “salvation” came from when scriptures of Catholicism were sealed with salt. In Buddhism, salt repels evil spirits, that is why its customary to throw salt over your shoulder when you enter a house after a funeral. Many other cultures consider salt to have spiritual purifying qualities.

Viva la Salt!

Cookin No. 3 - Picnic Fun

Sunday was a gorgeous day. Hot, sunny with a slight breeze… this means, perfect picnic day!

To make a perfect picnic you need some very key ingredients.

Picnic:

1 Beautiful day
2 or more awesome fun loving people (for this event I used 10)
1 squirt gun per person
1 bucket of water
5 bags of ice
Some beer and soda
1 food dish prepared by each person
2 picnic tables
1 dog (if you don’t have a dog, no worries, I assure you that you will have fun)

You don’t need to cook anything for this recipe, just throw it all together, and enjoy.


+On Sunday the Kung Fu school that I take Tai Chi at, had their summer picnic. It was a pot luck affair, and we had a great time. I think the water guns were what really topped it off. Let me add, that I was the youngest person there, most of my classmates are 40 and over, and I think that we proved that squirt guns are not just kids toys. In the hot hot sun, we stayed nice and cool squirting each other. You can’t be afraid to get wet though, that takes all the fun out of it.

The pot luck dish I brought was a southwestern chicken salad.

Southwestern Chicken Salad:

For 10 people I used:
5 Boneless Chicken breasts
1 can of black beans
1 cup of sweet corn
1/2 jar of salsa (I used Wegman’s organic, what a great flavor)
1 packet of organic fajita seasoning
1 red onion
2 bags of Arugula salad mix
3 tomatoes quartered
1/3 stick of butter

Melt the butter in a frying pan, and rub 1/2 of the fajita seasoning onto the chicken. When the butter is melted, fry the chicken until it is cook all the way through. Take the chicken off the pan, and cut into strips or chunks (which ever you prefer for you salad). In the skillet add the rest of the fajita mix, black beans, corn, and salsa and cook until the salsa has reduced slightly and everything is mixing well. Let cool.
In the salad bowl, mix the greens, red onion and tomato. Add the cooled salsa dressing, and toss well. After arrange the chicken on top of you salad.

Eat and enjoy!

+The main thing I have to say about this is, if you are eating outside on a really hot day, like yesterday, leave the salad part out. The Arugula just melted outside, and it looked like a cooked salad. Nice and wilted. People will enjoy the chicken and black beans just as much as they will enjoy it with the salad. So next time I will leave out the lettuce part, and just bring the spicy fun.

This was also a good beer dish. I was enjoying a Dog Fish Head apricot beer during the festivities, and it was very sweet and refreshing. There was also a absolutely delicious ginger peach ice tea with honey and ginseng. MMMMMMMMMM I will get the recipe for you all, because that was just… yumm.


Bon Appetite

Cookin No. 2 - Tarragon Chicken

I am always amazed when things come out right in the kitchen. Though, my mind was with the civilians in London who have suffered a great deal today, I couldn't help feel some shame for my joy in the kitchen. Sometimes I think that listening to NPR is like a soap-opera, I am glued to my radio driving to and from work, and on my way home, I cried during the reports of death and causality. I couldn't help but think back to 9/11, that day was like a sour taste in my mouth, today I felt something similar, dread and compassion for the people who have to face the harsh reality, and realize that an arm missing is not a dream. I can imagine how England is feeling, and I certainly hope that humanity is not in a downward spiral.

My heart and prayers go to those who are suffering in the world today...

After a moment of silence, lets go back to the kitchen.
+++



Realizing that I am a little short on cash, I decided to cook a reasonable dinner for A and I.

Chicken in a Tarragon vinegar sauce with string beans and onions.

The chicken:

Two chicken breasts, with the skin and bone
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup tarragon vinegar
3 shallots, chopped
1/4 stick of butterfresh chopped tarragon

In a skillet melt the butter, rub salt and pepper onto the chicken, and then add the chicken to the pan. Cook the chicken, on a medium/ high heat until it is brown on both sides, about 4 minutes. Take the chicken out of the pan, and put it on a plate. in the skillet, add the shallots and sauté` for about 30 seconds, then add the vinegar and reduce to a glaze. After that, stir in the broth, and then place the chicken in the skillet skin facing up, and put a lid on it. Let simmer for about 12 minutes on a medium/ low heat, until the chicken is cook through. Take the chicken out of the skillet, turn the heat back to a medium/ high temperature, and add the fresh tarragon, let the liquid reduce a bit, and then spoon the sauce over the chicken.

The String beans:

1 pound string beans
1/2 stick of butter
3 cloves of chopped garlic
salt and pepper to taste
1 Vidalia onion chopped

Blanch the string beans by adding them to a pot of boiling salt water for about 2 minutes, and then shock them in a basin of ice water. This will bring out the green of the string beans, and make them nice and crispy. In a pan, melt the butter and add the garlic, sauté` until the garlic appears translucent, and then add the onions. Do the same with the onions, and then add the string beans. Add the salt and pepper, and sauté` until the string beans reach your desired level off cooked. Usually about 5 minutes.

Plate and enjoy.



Like I said, I am always amazed when something comes out of my kitchen that is great. It’s as if I wasn't cooking, but someone else took my place. The chicken was so tender and juicy, and the vinegar left a slight bitterness that really made the sauce. The string beans were delicious, and I gave most of the onions to A, who loves onions and butter. If you are not a huge onion fan, you should use about 1/2 of the onion, for the sting bean recipe.

I finished off 1/2 a bottle of Chilean wine, and I’m feeling pretty good and satisfied right now. A simple dish, but a quite excellent dish, I would recommend this as a fall dish, but it was good for tonight.Now the rain begins, and I am going to take my drunken ass to bed.

Bon appetite

Cookin No. 1 - The Begining

Testing Testing... is this thing on?

oh... oh... hello! sorry didn't see you there.

Aghem. So i'm still setting all this stuff up. But here you will hear about the happenings at culinary school, and working in hell (behind a hot stove). I will also be adding recipies to this site.

Bon apetite