The past week weeks have been cool in the evening but hot during the day here in Denver. When we lived in Philly I avoided cooking all together during the (smoldering hot) summer months because our little house would turn into even more of a furnace. It's the same here...No air conditioning yet we've managed to keep our home cool and I don't want to disturb that by firing up the stovetop. So its been eating out or pastrami and cheese sandwiches for us.
One of my favorite non-cooking dishes would have to be my gazpacho. It's so healthy and light and sure beats eating anything hot on a summer day. you can rough chop all of the vegetables in a food processor to make your job (a lot) easier. Putting a little love into a chop on the ol' board wouldn't hurt either though if you don't have a food processor.
Smokey Gazpacho
3 cups plain tomato juice
1 can fire roasted tomatoes
2 large vine ripened tomatoes
1 large seedless english cucumber
1 red pepper
1 whole shallot (minced)
1 garlic clove (minced)
1 stalk celery
1 medium carrot
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1/4 cup vinegar
1/2 lemon
1/4 cup chopped parsley
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 tablespoon salt
1/2 tablespoon pepper
In a large bowl (not metal), put all of the chopped vegetables and the canned tomatoes (including the juice) in (they should be chopped into small chunks. The Carrot and celery should be chopped into very small pieces especially). Add the minced Garlic and shallot followed by your seasonings. Parsley, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper and sugar. Stir the vegetables together and then add your liquids. The tomato juice and vinegar and juice 1/2 of a lemon into the mixture.
Cover and let the flavors mingle overnight and enjoy for the week. This soup gets better with time and it can be frozen for a few months too. I like to freeze single portions and enjoy it for lunch in the fall months.
Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and a crusty artisan bread.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Sunday, August 2, 2009
ditch the bag
I religiously ate popcorn from a bag for most of my life. Like twice a week atleast. I would eat a bag of popcorn for dinner A LOT while recording in the studio. And I got to thinking about a few things. A) its simplicity. corn kernels + really high heat = popcorn B) the funny film left on the inside of my mouth after devouring a bag of microwaved popcorn and C) the idea of exposing my body to chemicals in the 'butter flavored' snack
So I discovered very quickly that making my own popcorn was MUCH more affordable and SO MUCH MORE delicious than any popcorn I've ever had from a bag! You can literally put anything on your popcorn but I always make it how I love it. Movie theatre style.
Movie Night
1/4 cup yellow or white corn kernels
2 tablespoons of canola oil
1 tablespoon of real margarine (salted and melted)
2 teaspoons of ultra fine salt (you can usually find super fine salt in the same aisle as you will find your kernels) or however much salt you prefer.
In a large pot:
heat your oil and kernels on high heat while covered tightly with a lid. Once you hear the first 'pop', don't go far because you'll need to give a good little shake to the pot about every 10-20 seconds to keep your popcorn from burning. once the popcorn starts really popping, lower your heat to medium high to further prevent burning. After about 3-4 minutes of active popping, remove from heat and shake a few times until you stop hearing it pop.
Sprinkle your salt on top and your melted butter. Stir with a spoon and then pour into a large bowl. Sometimes I add a little fresh ground black pepper for a kick.
simple bliss.
So I discovered very quickly that making my own popcorn was MUCH more affordable and SO MUCH MORE delicious than any popcorn I've ever had from a bag! You can literally put anything on your popcorn but I always make it how I love it. Movie theatre style.
Movie Night
1/4 cup yellow or white corn kernels
2 tablespoons of canola oil
1 tablespoon of real margarine (salted and melted)
2 teaspoons of ultra fine salt (you can usually find super fine salt in the same aisle as you will find your kernels) or however much salt you prefer.
In a large pot:
heat your oil and kernels on high heat while covered tightly with a lid. Once you hear the first 'pop', don't go far because you'll need to give a good little shake to the pot about every 10-20 seconds to keep your popcorn from burning. once the popcorn starts really popping, lower your heat to medium high to further prevent burning. After about 3-4 minutes of active popping, remove from heat and shake a few times until you stop hearing it pop.
Sprinkle your salt on top and your melted butter. Stir with a spoon and then pour into a large bowl. Sometimes I add a little fresh ground black pepper for a kick.
simple bliss.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
entertaining
We had some friends over last night and I made this:
Sesame crusted Tuna with Coconut rice and pan seared Baby Bok Choy (and a honey soy lime sauce)
I cooked for 5 adults last night so the recipe is for a small gathering.
Make the sauce first:
In a small saucepan:
1 teaspoon garlic siracha
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup good quality honey
1 tspn fresh lime juice
1/2 tablespoon grated ginger
put all ingredients in the pan and simmer on very low heat for about 10 minutes stirring frequently so it doesn't burn!
The fish:
2 lbs fresh Tuna fish (its color must be bright red. If it appears to be browning or stinky, don't get it)
1 cup roasted black or white sesame seeds
salt and pepper
The rice:
2 cups jasmine rice
1 can of natural coconut milk (should equal 2 cups...if not, add a little water to make it 2 cups)
2 cups water
1 tbsn butter
The Baby Bok Choy:
1 tbsp veg or canola oil
5 baby bok choy
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
First, get your rice going. It will take about 20-30 minutes to cook. In a pot, melt the butter and add the rice. Toast the rice in the butter stirring together for about a minute. Add your liquid to the rice (coconut milk and water) and stir well. Bring the liquid to a rapid boil. Once boiling stir well once, lower heat to a simmer, cover TIGHTLY and leave it alone. Gently shake the pan every 5 minutes while leaving lid tightly over the rice. This prevents the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan and burning. You shouldn't have any issues with burning if the temperature is at a simmer.
While your rice is cooking, you can prepare your Tuna. Examine the tuna steaks making sure that they are patted dry and that there are no scales to be cleaned off. Season them with salt and pepper on both sides. On a plate, pour the sesame seeds and place each side of the tuna steaks onto the seeds to cover. This will create a delicious crust. Set aside.
I would wait until the rice has been cooking for about 15 minutes before I start pan searing the tuna.
In a large non-stick pan, drizzle a little bit of canola oil and heat the pan to high heat. Once the pan is hot enough, lower the heat to medium high and place the sesame covered tuna steaks in the oil. They should be sizzling loudly. For rare tuna (which is in my opinion the BEST way to eat it if it's really fresh), cook for only about 2 minutes on each side and then remove from the pan. Put aside and get started on your baby bok choy.
Halve and rinse each baby bok choy (you can use regular bok choy for this too if you would like). In the same pan that you cooked your tuna in, over high heat, sear the baby bok choy for about 4-5 minutes (until they start to caramelize) on each side. After they are cooked, splash your soy sauce over them and cook a little more over medium heat for just a few minutes and drizzle with sesame oil at the end.
To plate:
Fluff your rice with a fork in the pan and spoon onto a large platter. Slice your tuna steaks and place the bok choy around the fish. Spoon the honey soy lime sauce over the fish and put any that is left on the table for people to add to their dish. This is a family style meal that will be sure to please your guests.
Sesame crusted Tuna with Coconut rice and pan seared Baby Bok Choy (and a honey soy lime sauce)
I cooked for 5 adults last night so the recipe is for a small gathering.
Make the sauce first:
In a small saucepan:
1 teaspoon garlic siracha
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup good quality honey
1 tspn fresh lime juice
1/2 tablespoon grated ginger
put all ingredients in the pan and simmer on very low heat for about 10 minutes stirring frequently so it doesn't burn!
The fish:
2 lbs fresh Tuna fish (its color must be bright red. If it appears to be browning or stinky, don't get it)
1 cup roasted black or white sesame seeds
salt and pepper
The rice:
2 cups jasmine rice
1 can of natural coconut milk (should equal 2 cups...if not, add a little water to make it 2 cups)
2 cups water
1 tbsn butter
The Baby Bok Choy:
1 tbsp veg or canola oil
5 baby bok choy
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
First, get your rice going. It will take about 20-30 minutes to cook. In a pot, melt the butter and add the rice. Toast the rice in the butter stirring together for about a minute. Add your liquid to the rice (coconut milk and water) and stir well. Bring the liquid to a rapid boil. Once boiling stir well once, lower heat to a simmer, cover TIGHTLY and leave it alone. Gently shake the pan every 5 minutes while leaving lid tightly over the rice. This prevents the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan and burning. You shouldn't have any issues with burning if the temperature is at a simmer.
While your rice is cooking, you can prepare your Tuna. Examine the tuna steaks making sure that they are patted dry and that there are no scales to be cleaned off. Season them with salt and pepper on both sides. On a plate, pour the sesame seeds and place each side of the tuna steaks onto the seeds to cover. This will create a delicious crust. Set aside.
I would wait until the rice has been cooking for about 15 minutes before I start pan searing the tuna.
In a large non-stick pan, drizzle a little bit of canola oil and heat the pan to high heat. Once the pan is hot enough, lower the heat to medium high and place the sesame covered tuna steaks in the oil. They should be sizzling loudly. For rare tuna (which is in my opinion the BEST way to eat it if it's really fresh), cook for only about 2 minutes on each side and then remove from the pan. Put aside and get started on your baby bok choy.
Halve and rinse each baby bok choy (you can use regular bok choy for this too if you would like). In the same pan that you cooked your tuna in, over high heat, sear the baby bok choy for about 4-5 minutes (until they start to caramelize) on each side. After they are cooked, splash your soy sauce over them and cook a little more over medium heat for just a few minutes and drizzle with sesame oil at the end.
To plate:
Fluff your rice with a fork in the pan and spoon onto a large platter. Slice your tuna steaks and place the bok choy around the fish. Spoon the honey soy lime sauce over the fish and put any that is left on the table for people to add to their dish. This is a family style meal that will be sure to please your guests.
Indian Summer
This past week was unusually cool (high 50's to low 60's) and dreary here in Denver. But as they say here in Denver (Thanks Cassandra) "If you don't like the weather, just wait a minute." The weather turned lovely again within just a few days. :)
I honestly enjoyed the cool spell though after a week of 95 degree weather and sun that burnt my skin instantly. Seriously...
So this inspired a classic. Nothing fancy, just plain old comfort food. I really, REALLY don't enjoy tomato soup out of the can so I always prefer to make my own with whole tomatoes (out of a can...does that make me a hypocrite?). And I also like sprucing my grilled cheese up a little with some nice cheese and some good quality ham.
Rainy Day Lunch
Soup:
1 large can of whole tomatoes (good quality)
1 large clove garlic (chopped)
pinch of red pepper flake
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup chicken or veg stock
1 tsp of both salt and pepper
drizzle of good Olive Oil
Take the tomatoes out of the juice from the can (reserve the juice for the soup as well) Put tomatoes in food processor and pulse until chunky consistency. If you want a smoother less rustic soup, blend until smooth.
In a soup pot, drizzle about 2 tablespoons of good olive oil over medium heat. Add the shopped garlic and the red pepper flakes and let cook for about a minute until slightly golden (not brown!) Add your tomatoes and all of the juice from the can and the stock to the pot and bump heat up to high so it comes to a boil. Add the salt and pepper and lower to a simmer for about 20 minutes so flavors can combine. At the end, add the fresh basil and a little shredded parmesan cheese if you want, and grilled cheese of course!
Grilled 'Panini'
2 loaves potato bread
2 slices of black forest ham
sharp cheddar cheese
Apple or pear slices (optional)
1 tbsn butter
Melt butter in a pan and place assembled sandwich on pan and smash down with a piece of foil topped with a cast iron pan. cook over medium heat for about 3-4 minutes until golden. Turn and smash again and cook for another 3-4 minutes..
Enjoy with the soup. YUM.
I honestly enjoyed the cool spell though after a week of 95 degree weather and sun that burnt my skin instantly. Seriously...
So this inspired a classic. Nothing fancy, just plain old comfort food. I really, REALLY don't enjoy tomato soup out of the can so I always prefer to make my own with whole tomatoes (out of a can...does that make me a hypocrite?). And I also like sprucing my grilled cheese up a little with some nice cheese and some good quality ham.
Rainy Day Lunch
Soup:
1 large can of whole tomatoes (good quality)
1 large clove garlic (chopped)
pinch of red pepper flake
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup chicken or veg stock
1 tsp of both salt and pepper
drizzle of good Olive Oil
Take the tomatoes out of the juice from the can (reserve the juice for the soup as well) Put tomatoes in food processor and pulse until chunky consistency. If you want a smoother less rustic soup, blend until smooth.
In a soup pot, drizzle about 2 tablespoons of good olive oil over medium heat. Add the shopped garlic and the red pepper flakes and let cook for about a minute until slightly golden (not brown!) Add your tomatoes and all of the juice from the can and the stock to the pot and bump heat up to high so it comes to a boil. Add the salt and pepper and lower to a simmer for about 20 minutes so flavors can combine. At the end, add the fresh basil and a little shredded parmesan cheese if you want, and grilled cheese of course!
Grilled 'Panini'
2 loaves potato bread
2 slices of black forest ham
sharp cheddar cheese
Apple or pear slices (optional)
1 tbsn butter
Melt butter in a pan and place assembled sandwich on pan and smash down with a piece of foil topped with a cast iron pan. cook over medium heat for about 3-4 minutes until golden. Turn and smash again and cook for another 3-4 minutes..
Enjoy with the soup. YUM.
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