Cooking Night

Hi readers, if there still are any. I've started a new food blog, so if you're interested in some new recipies, check out callthisdinner.blogspot.com

Cheers,
George

We're Back, So are Fajitas!

George:
Since the last time I posted, spring has arrived, my reocurring leg injury is back, I've travelled to San Francisco with my job, and my sister had two cool kids, Eoanna and Nicholas. I was out on Long Island spending time with them, and with family visiting from Ottowa, when I cooked some great Skirt Steak Fajitas on the grill. People went crazy for it. Tooting my own horn? Yes, but they were really that good. There is hardly a greater joy.

Fajitas w/ Mango Salsa

red peppers
green peppers
skirt steak
red onions
yellow onions
corn tortillas
lime
cilantro


Marinade everything in soy sauce, olive oil, lime, cilantro, garlic, black pepper. Grill the peppers and onions over med/high until blackened nicely.They should be left in large pieces so they're easy to manage. The marinated meat can also be grilled on med high. Only cook it for a few minutes on each side. Do not over cook your meat!
It should blacken slightly on the outside, giving it that charred flavor you love. In the mean time, small batches of tortillas can be warmed up on the stove top. Simply put a few of them in a pan dabbed with olive oil, and flip them frequently to coat them all with oil(butter is better, shhh). Slice the steak right before serving. Cut the peppers and onions into thin slices as well. Serve it up with a slice of lime, radish slices, and Mango Salsa.

Mango Salsa

1 ripe mango
1/2 yellow onion
1/2 red onion
1 jalepenjo
1 1/2-2 limes
Ripe Ripe Tomatoes (Almost any kind will do)
1/2 head of cilantro
salt to taste

Cut up all the ingredients into a fine dice. Or slightly larger. Douse with lime and salt, and let it meld together.
Ciao! Vrooom........

It's a new day for the blog!

Hey fooders,

Yep, it's that time. It's been nearly 6 weeks since the last posting: a sad though not unusual time in a newborn blog's life. Both George and I have had a very busy couple of weeks (newborn babies take precedent over newborn blogs, etc.) but we've still been eating a lot.

Inspired after a long rainy day of walking in the woods of Larkspur, CA, George made a really tasty tortilla soup. I have never tasted anything so delicious in my lifetime! Also, California brought other notable food events including tacos from the Mission district in SF (though not nearly enough of 'em), and some delicious Northern Californian cheeses and bread. Acme, bitches! (Sorry for the swearing). So, look forward to a great abundance of spring-y recipes and food talk.

Along the same vein, I wanted to mention that on May 9 the Brooklyn Kitchen is having a cooking class featuring Spring Soups ($40)! I can't go but you should.

Also, in other news of the moment, there is supposed to be a lightning storm on Friday!

Yours in the cause,
Lu

One last hurrah for chicken soup

It saved you from the depths of despair, cured your common cold, and comforted you on the coldest of days. Well get lost chicken soup, spring's a comin', and we ain't got room for you anymore. But since you've been so good to us, I'll post your recipe here for memory's sake.

Chicken Soup
1 5-6 lb chicken
Hilopites (or another small pasta)
2 onions
green onions
garlic
carrots
celery root (if available)
turnips
red potatoes
celery
parsley
rosemary
salt and pepper
lemon

Wash the chicken carefully, and then simmer for about an hour and 15 min. Skim the junk off the top of broth. Take out the chicken and check to see that it's done by separating the thigh from body. If there is a little blood, that is okay. Shred the chicken in bite sized pieces. Add all of your vegetables, bring the soup back to a boil, and then lower the heat and cook for about 30 min. At this point, I add hilopites, which is a small square pasta from Greece (I find that smaller, more delicate pastas like this or orzo are much better than noodles or penne). Cooking the pasta separate and adding when the soup is served is a good way to assure that you do not have soggy pasta the next day. Cook for another few minutes on medium, and then add the chicken pieces. Add salt, pepper and lemon to taste.

You're saved! And I guarantee you will have leftover chicken for sandwiches tomorrow. The broth from a fresh chicken will always be far superior to store-bought broth. And it tastes amazing! Like chicken!

It's Thai'm for curry

Tonight I whipped up a vegetable red curry in the Thai tradition. It was another mild day here in Brooklyn, so a light vegetable dish seemed like a good idea.

Olive oil
1 red bell pepper
3 cloves of garlic
1 yellow onion
6 fingerling potatoes
Sugar snap peas
1 large carrot, cut in thin strips
1 1/4 teaspoon red curry paste
1 can of coconut milk
1 tablespoon fish sauce
Juice from 1/2 of a lime
Fresh basil

Sauté garlic with a little olive oil or vegetable oil. Add all of the vegetables and sauté for a few minutes. In a separate pan, add the curry paste and about 1/4 of the coconut milk. Incorporate well with a whisk, and then pour on top of the vegetables. Add the rest of the coconut milk as well as the fish sauce, and then cover and let cook down over a medium-low heat. I cooked this dish for about 20 minutes, because I wanted to turn it into more of a Thai stew. Add lime juice and basil near the end of cooking.

I served this dish with jasmine rice. It is a simple dish with bold flavors, and you can use any vegetables you like.

On an unrelated note, today was the fist day I rode my bike in about 4 months, and it was a happy reunion. Despite the impending doom of Brooklyn traffic, it's a pretty good way to get around.
-George

Deep Fried Brooklyn

It was a mild afternoon in Brooklyn. A perfect day for walking, eating and shopping. Well, when in NY, do as New Yorkers do. A new thrift shop opened in Park Slope, and Lu and I tore through it looking for the hot gear(please note irony and sarcasm). We both left with shoes; a pair of black loafers, and a pair of blue canvas wedges, respectively. We went to a dingy bar, changed into our new shoes, had a drink, and danced to rock and roll. All this by 6:30pm. What sweeter way to top off a day this good than with a deep fried snickers bar. At CHIPSHOP in park slope,modeled after authentic English food, you can choose from peanut butter cups, mars bars, twix, or the ever popular twinkie, battered and deep fried until golden brown, then topped off with powdered sugar. Everything else on the menu is repulsive. I imagine the English do not live very long lives.
-George

It's a wonderful loaf, life.

Here's a loaf of cinnamon bread that Doug baked. Unfortunately, he didn't forward a recipe. How 'bout it Doug? I'm sure it involves sourdough starter, flour, cinnamon and raisins. Then you mix it together, and voila! You get this. What an informational site!