Author Archives: Dave

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About Dave

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Jambalaya and Cornbread

Posted by Dave in fish, meat and tagged with , ,

Jambalaya and Cornbread

Mon cheri belle!

This dish is a fusion of my usual simple bachelor-style mock Jambalaya (packaged Vigo brand red beans and rice prepared as directed, adding sauteed peppers and onions and hot italian sausage, hot sauce) with Emeril Lagasse’ proper Cajun Jambalaya: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/cajun-jambalaya-recipe2/

Prepare packaged red beans and rice with about 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce added. (Yes, I know beans are not a usual ingredient in Jambalaya. :-) While that is cooking, sautee celery, onion, green pepper, one serrano pepper, tomato, and 2 cloves garlic in olive oil. Combine meats, e.g., two sliced hot italian sausage (cooked) and about 1/2 pound of cooked Langostino tails (cooked) with seasonings: smoked paprika, salt, black pepper, cayenne (sparingly), oregano, thyme. Mix everything together for about 4 reasonably generous servings.

The Langostino is a prawn or shrimp-like crustacean that I used instead of shrimp or crawfish: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Langostino
The corn bread was from Trader Joe’s mix. It’s good (moist, yet crusty at edges), but on the sweet side.

Pita Pizza

Posted by Dave in meat, mediterranean, vegetarian and tagged with , , , ,

Pita Pizzas

I’m temporarily drinking fake (non-alcoholic) beer, so perhaps some ersatz pizzas are in order!  These two were prepared in a toaster oven on pita bread brushed with olive oil:

  • BBQ sauce, garlic, swiss and Gruyère cheeses, applewood smoked bacon, white button mushroom, red onion, and jalapeno.
  • Kyopoolu (sauce), swiss and Gruyère, bacon, mushrooms, red onion, oregano, and fennel seed.
Which was better?  Hmm, both were awesome, it’s a tie.
An aside: I find Clausthaler Golden Amber and O’Doul’s Amber to be the most palatable of non-alcholic beers that are widely available in the states.

Cornish Pasties

Posted by Dave in meat, potatoes and tagged with , , ,

Cornish Pasties

If you’re in need of a respite from foul weather and misery, try making comforting Cornish pasties. History has it that these originated in Cornwall, UK, and were popular with miners; subsequent immigration seems to be the basis for their popularity in regions of the U.S. Some sources claim that a miner would hold the pasty by the crimped crust, eat the center, and then discard the crust as it may have been poisoned by tin ore dust from the miner’s hands.
Here are two varieties I just made:

Traditional: beef, rutabaga, potato, and onion
Traditionally, the crust is filled with raw ingredients then baked, e.g.:
http://www.suite101.com/content/british-food-cornish-pasties-a48188

Beef with Caramelized Onions and Stilton Cheese
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Beef-Pasties-with-Caramelized-Onions-and-Stilton-Cheese-351530#ixzz1DYFbbbgY

These shown are halved as they were unusually large with 10″ pie crust. Next time I’ll try the pastry on my own and aim for serving-size. Feel free to have your own debate about whether the crimp should be on the side or the top. I used this video as a reference:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iuQMTEYLRM but there are lots of others on youtube involving people recording their grandmum’s version. :-)

Mirza Ghasemi

Posted by Dave in vegetarian and tagged with , ,

Mirza Ghasemi with White Rice and Yogurt Sauce

Here’s a Persian/Iranian green and gold dish that can be a main dish or served as a sort of dip.  This dish is green and gold from eggplant and turmeric/scrambled egg, respectively.

Here’s a video recipe: “Mirza Ghasemi Traditional Style”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0Ikl78Xd5k

I also used this as a guide, but added onion and used olive oil and oregano:
http://dinnercoop.cs.cmu.edu/dinnercoop/Recipes/sanjiv/MirzaGhassemi.html

I was introduced to this dish at a local restaurant with Iranian proprietors. I’ll need a little more practice to bring it up to their delicious level.

Scrambled Egg with Kyopoolu

Posted by Dave in breakfast and tagged with , , ,

Scrambled Egg with Kyopoolu

Food pantry essential of the day: Kyopoolu

(or Kiopoolu or Kyopolou, a.k.a. Ajvar). It’s a relish from the Balkans made of bell pepper, eggplant and garlic. You can buy a red pepper variety, from Bulgaria, for ~$2 a jar at Trader Joe’s where they simply call it “Red Pepper Spread,” i.e.,
http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/trader-joes-pantry-essential-red-pepper-spread-129069

Here I made scrambled egg with Kyopoolu stirred in at the end – perhaps a tablespoon per 2 eggs. It’s delicious (resulting in a sort of sweet version of the Iranian dish mirza ghasemi), but I also love it on panini, as pizza sauce, mixed into hummus, etc.

I usually make my scrambled egg like Chef Gordon Ramsay’s Sublime Scrambled Eggs.  Rather than creme fraiche, I usually add a bit of sour cream and/or Kyopoulou or tzatziki (sans cucumber).

Beans and Rice

Posted by Dave in vegetarian and tagged with , , , ,

I just made this “Homeopathic Beans and Rice”:
When spicing the broth, so that you don’t kill someone, start with the amount of cayenne pepper that Dave would like to put in, then cut that in half and half again; stir or shake (for James Bond).
Non-believers: apply hot sauce as needed, e.g., Trader Joe’s Jalapeno Hot Sauce.
Based on this:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/black-beans-and-rice/Detail.aspx
I used ~3 tsp of cumin seed. (Cumin powder is for losers.)
Oh, and put in a can of spiced, diced tomatoes and top with sour cream or tzatziki and paprika, so it doesn’t look like a pile of sh*t.

Pan-Seared Cod with Creamy Fennel Ragoût and Quinoa

Posted by Dave in fish and tagged with , , , , ,

Pan-Seared Cod with Creamy Fennel Ragoût and Quinoa

This one is not my own recipe nor variation, but from here:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Pan-Seared-Cod-with-Creamy-Fennel-Ragout-108883

Tips: You can get everything at Trader Joes (currently), and if you use their Dijon mustard, that happens to be very sharp, I think it’s a bit better for this recipe than, say, Grey Poupon Country Dijon, a staple I always have in my kitchen.

Quinoa can be easily prepared in a rice cooker.
I use this one, that cost only about $15: http://www.amazon.com/Rival-RC61-6-Cup-Rice-Cooker/dp/B000ETXV94/
One downside of this super-cheap, small model is that the plastic handles on the lid and steamer tray aren’t dishwasher-safe.  Also, if you fill it to prepare its maximum capacity, the water will occassionally spit out the vent hole when it’s boiling, until some of it is absorbed.  This can be avoided by always placing the included steamer tray on top, even when you have nothing to steam. :)

Mediterranean Beef with Hummus

Posted by Dave in meat, mediterranean and tagged with , , , , ,

Meditterranean Beef with Hummus

ingredients: beef, e.g., lean ground, top sirloin (shown here), or top round sliced against grain (if possible), hummus, slivered almonds, garlic, oregano, paprika, tomatoes [, green and kalamata olives, onion, pepper.] sauce: goat’s milk or greek style yogurt, cucumber, dill, minced garlic [, vinegar]. directions: prepare yogurt sauce a day in advance if possible (quartered and sliced cucumber, peeled if you wish). sauté beef with garlic, spicy or smoked paprika, black pepper, hot sauce, e.g., Cholula [, add sliced green olives, serano peppers]; serve over warm hummus, top with toasted slivered almonds, garnish with tomatoes and/or kalamata olives, yogurt sauce and warm pita bread on the side; enjoy.

(This is also great made with lamb; that’s the dish that inspired it from a local restaurant.)

Sweet Potato Pad Thai

Posted by Dave in asian, vegetarian and tagged with , , ,

Sweet Potato Pad Thai

ingredients: sweet potato (in sticks), onion, garlic, sugar snap peas, mushrooms, rice noodles, salt & pepper; sauce: chicken stock, brown sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, five spice powder, a dash of cayenne powder. red pepper flakes and lime to taste.
directions: don’t measure anything; cook everything just the right amount in the right order; add sauce, reduce; enjoy.