Tuesday : February 10, 2009

BLT

They should call it BLTMB. Only two more ingredients: mayo and bread. You think they could fit it in. It's like saying '09. We wouldn't wouldn't want it to turn into a Y2K type problem: "... ya know, if they would have just taken the time to put the M and the B on the end, we wouldn't have the problem of all these people eating bacon, lettuce and tomato soup."

UPDATE: This may be the toughest sandwich I ever made. It maybe able to beat me up.

Monday : February 9, 2009

Ranchero Breakfast

Scrambled eggs with Ranchero sauce and Queso Fresco cheese.

Sauce before blending. Roasted tomatoes, garlic, onion, pepper.

Friday : February 6, 2009

Tasty Orchids

You're probably asking yourself: what do orchids have to do with eating in Austin? Or: why do I love butter, yet it hurts me? If you are asking yourself the first question more, then you should check out the Heart O' Texas Orchid Society's 38th Annual Orchid Show & Sale this weekend at Zilker Gardens. You could pick up a Vanilla planifolia, the vining orchid that produces the vanilla bean. Mine grew so fast it took over the whole side of my house (your mileage may vary).

Thursday : February 5, 2009

Party Hat

This is a party! Chicken tacos with tomatoes, peppers, onions, cheddar cheese, guacamole and a party hat (lime wedge). All on a wheat tortilla. I usually eat pretty fast. This I ate very slow.

Wednesday : February 4, 2009

Restaurant Review: El Caribe

El Caribe Mexican Restaurant is what mom and pop food is all about. It's on a busy street and the parking is sketchy (not kidding), but once you get inside it's all worth it. There are a half dozen or so fresh salsas made daily and their Mole sauce is one of my favorites in town. What a great find.

Tuesday : February 3, 2009

Deep Freeze

Sometimes making food from scratch is a pain. Other times it's a song. Case in point: spaghetti and meatballs. I won't lie to you, making your own meatballs, sauce and pasta takes time. It's not quick. But, all three keep well. I have about fifty meatballs in my freezer right now (go ahead, check) and about four quarts of sauce. Fresh pasta will last for a week. And, when you are ready for an encore, it only takes about twenty minutes for a repeat performance.

Sunday : February 1, 2009

Protein and Two Veg

Roast chicken with potatoes and peas. Chicken juicy, potatoes crusty and peas crunchy.

Pan fried potatoes with red onions.

Friday : January 30, 2009

A Matter of Percentages

99% of the time, I pan fry scallops. So, I decided to try something new. Scallops baked in white wine and butter with a parsley breadcrumb topping. After this bold experiment I am proud to say that now, 100% of the time, I will pan fry scallops. I'm sure I could play with it and make it better, but pan frying lets you get that nice crust and you can tell the moment they are done. No one likes a rubber scallop.

Friday : January 30, 2009

Digging In the Dirt

Since we are on the subject of crusts, I broke into the Earth's to prepare for our Spring garden. Three by fifteen feet of Earthy goodness. Since I slacked and didn't start any seeds, I hit the farmers market for some starters. Sunshine Community Garden Sale is also coming up. It was a madhouse last year.

Thursday : January 29, 2009

Easy Repeat

I'm done fooling around with pizza dough. After a two month sojourn with other recipes, I'm going old school. Made the same old, same, old again. Wow. What was I thinking. Sometimes, you need to stick with the classics. In homage to the original, I went with the pep topping.

Wednesday : January 28, 2009

The Goods

From the garden. This is why it is worth your time to toil in the soil. Crunchy and sweet. I believe I even ate the basket.

Tuesday : January 27, 2009

Frozen Roads

If you happen to have your windows open right now, I recommend you close them. It is going to be, like, -700 degrees tonight. I don't even think the pizza delivery guy will be able to make it to your house. Hopefully, you have a well stocked fridge. As you can see from the above picture, I do. With these ingredients I can make... well, I will let you guess: A. Banana Daiquiri, B. Tuna Salad Sandwich, C. Something to do with Duck.

Monday : January 26, 2009

Al Pastor

They should give a medal to whom ever came up with Taco's Al Pastor. They are my favorite tacos. Two places in town do a great job making them: Guero's and Fonda San Miguel. Just a few simple ingredients, each standing on their own.

I also made tortillas. This is not as simple as it looks. I went down and purchased a press at Fiesta market. Finding the right liquid to Masa ratio was a challenge. They needed to be wet enough to flatten out to the right thickness, but dry enough to be able to get them out of the press.

Friday : January 23, 2009

Baked Toast

Say you have twelve people spending the night this weekend (it could happen). They are probably going to be hungry in the morning. You cast a weary eye towards your two slice toaster. Not to worry! Pull out a baking sheet (or a piece of tin foil), butter up some bread and whip it in the oven. You can make enough at one time to feed an army and the butter will have time to cook down into the bread. Wonderful stuff. Sometimes I make it this way when there aren't twelve people over.

Thursday : January 22, 2009

Restaurant Review: Bess Bistro

Unfortunately, food isn't the only reason I fall for a restaurant. Case in point: Bess Bistro On Pecan. There are some heroes on the menu (BLT, Chopped Salad and the Steak Frites) but, the majority of the menu doesn't sing for me. On the upside, the interior is wonderful. One of my favorite places to sit in Austin. Dark wood, cool bar, fish tank, low lighting and being set half below street level, it reminds me of places in New York. Hell, I even think the bathrooms are cool. How many places can you say that about! But, then the bartender walks over and its like Russian roulette. I either feel relief or like I'm attending a funeral.

Wednesday : January 21, 2009

MAYO

This has less to do with the clinic than the condiment. Though, the condiment may send you there. Chances are less if you make it at home. Nothing chemical here: egg, olive oil, lemon, salt and some mustard if you like. You can break your wrist making it or you can cheat (which I prefer).

Monday : January 19, 2009

Big Red and Soft Stuff

Making your own red sauce is easy. Make a ton, then freeze it. For the base, use canned tomatoes from Italy. Pass it through a food mill to get the seeds and skins out. My two favorite flavoring agents are red wine and oregano. At the end of the day, I try to have them stand out.

I can't believe how much I have fallen in love with making pasta. A cake walk really. Eat it immediately or keep it in the fridge for later. Very soft, very light, very lovely. Not unlike a unicorn.

Monday : January 19, 2009

Goat Enchiladas

I stole this from some guy from New York. Goat cheese enchiladas with cilantro rice. I add chicken to appease the carnivores. The real magic to this is the sauce: chicken stock, chiles and white wine.

Friday : January 16, 2009

Torn

I know Tuna is over-fished. But, man, I freaking love tuna! So, I am (at least) going to buy Big Eye. Here we have a app of cucumber, avocado, ginger and cilantro.

Wednesday : January 14, 2009

In Your Pocket

Having things ready to go to add to other dishes will make you a hero. It adds depth of flavor. Nothing dried in a jar can ever stack up to this. You can do it while you are cooking other things (or while alphabetizing your pantry). Above, tomato confit: crushed canned tomatoes, shallots, garlic and ginger. Cook it up, keep it in the fridge or freeze it for weeks till it calls to you.

Tuesday : January 13, 2009

Reason to Love Austin: #82

Gangs... roaming the town late at night... finding turf to claim. Sounds sinister, doesn't it? Nope, this is Austin. The Garden Posse is a collective that promotes planting gardens in neglected public spaces. I don't know if I should throw these hoodlums in jail or join them for some midnight weed pulling. This reminds me of some graffiti on buildings around town. Its an illustration of a carrot. The caption below it reads: Eat More Carrots. Hard-core criminals!

Tuesday : January 13, 2009

House of Pizza

I want to live in a house made of Pizza. I don't know if I need to elaborate on this, I think it speaks for itself. Basically, an edible house. A crust foundation and a roof made of cheese.

Monday : January 12, 2009

Naming Issues

Why do they call it Chicken Parmesan when you put mozzarella on it? Here we have it with oregano and red pepper dusted pasta. The tomato sauce is tucked up under the cheese. Mmmm.

I don't know what is more attractive, the cheese or the cast iron.

Friday : January 9, 2009

Tortilla Soup

Remember those chicken bones you froze yesterday? Get 'em out. Put them in water and simmer for a few hours and you have the base of your Tortilla Soup. Cook with pureed onion, cilantro, jalapeno, garlic, cumin. Garnish with fried tortilla strips, chicken, avocado, and cheddar cheese.

Thursday : January 8, 2009

Chicken Salad

Roasted chicken on goat cheese salad. Simple. Freeze the chicken bones to make stock later.

Thursday : January 8, 2009

Restaurant Review: Asti Trattoria

Emmett and Lisa Fox created (and maintain) a gem. I want to move to Hyde Park, just so I can be closer to it. I like the simpler menu items best: White pizza, Capellini Neopolitano, Grilled Trout. The flavors really sing. Emmett does a wonderful job of keeping his eye on the food and service. We always feel at home and special when we are there.

Tuesday : January 6, 2009

Are You Seeing This

Start eating this immediately. Do you see this! Look up! It's duck! I don't even care what I served this with. It doesn't need anything. Immediately call your butcher.

Monday : January 5, 2009

Pancakes!

Flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, milk. Forget Bisquick. This is not rocket science.

Sunday : January 4, 2009

Big Bang

What happens every year yet never gets boring? Wrong! It's New Year's Eve dinner! I love to support local restaurants, but man, usually they are generic Disney: Big hype... mechanical let down. I stay closer to home on this holiday (not that some restaurants aren't swinging a big bat). Beef tenderloin seared in clarified butter, roasted mashed parsnips, braised Brussels sprouts with bacon and shallots, all with a Madeira mushroom sauce.

Per request, as usual, beef tenderloin. I went with Whole Foods organic this year. After a comparison, I think their local variant eats better (but is not organic). It's always fun cooking with clarified butter. Makes a lovely pan sauce.

Thursday : January 1, 2009

Stick A Fork In It

Well, that's it. 2008. It was a pretty good food year. I feel like my cooking skills progressed. No fear in straying away from a recipe or correcting one that I know won't work. 2009 should be tasty. I am going to volunteer for the Sustainable Food Policy Board. Hopefully, it won't have too much politicking to it. The garden will be expanding this year. In fact, I should be out there right now digging. I hope this site has inspired you to spend more time in your kitchen. Thanks for following along.

Tuesday : December 30, 2008

Chop Salad

Chop Salad, Cobb Salad, Clean Out Your Fridge Salad. What ever you like to call it, it's usually all the stuff that is hanging around your refrigerator.

This one has avocado, bacon, feta, tomato, cucumber, hard boiled egg and red onion with a creamy honey vinaigrette.

Friday : December 12, 2008

Way To Go Austin

With help from Edible Austin, Austin now has a advisory board for the local food movement.
Sustainable Food Policy Board

Thursday : December 11, 2008

The Big Three

As we huddle inside our homes with the winter winds blowing (stock simmering) and it's the perfect time to re-watch our (my) favorite food movies. Babette's Feast, Big Night and Eat Drink Man Woman. Favorite scenes being (in order of left to right): Babette preparing a meal for the entire village during the whole second half of the movie, the brothers cooking an egg for their final scene and the father making lunches for the girl down the street.

Monday : December 8, 2008

Seasonal Color

With the cold weather on us, a good slow braise is always a welcome sight/taste. This one is beef and lamb braised in red wine with tomatoes, peas and parmesan.

I did a spinach pasta with it. Green and red on the table. Very seasonal.

Friday : December 5, 2008

Fast Scones (The Slow Way)

Scones are great on a slow Sunday morning. But, by definition, you probably aren't looking to do a lot of work on said morning. The CIA baking cookbook has a few things that can help with this. First, their recipe doesn't call for any butter (they use cream) and recommends you make them ahead of time, freeze and re-heat when hungry (can be done half asleep). They will be hibernating in the freezer until you need them.

Friday : December 5, 2008

Avocado and Black Bean Tacos

I seems like avocados are sticking around a little longer than normal. Great as the main bite in a black bean taco with Irish cheddar and Crystal.

Wednesday : December 3, 2008

Pizza Night Just Got Fatter

I read an interesting article about how high-temperature pizza ovens work. The high heat actually turns the moisture in the dough into steam, giving you a nice rise and crispy crust. Since I don't have a pizza oven and my own oven only goes up to 550 (not 900), I am starting to give up on making that perfect wafer-thin crust. What does that mean to you if you randomly stop by my place on pizza night? My dough is getting fatter.

Monday : December 1, 2008

The Big One

If you were ever going to tie on an apron for a holiday, this one is it (sorry Bastille Day). The Show. Bird Day. The Feast. Big Eat.

A twist on a classic, I did a rolled and stuffed breast with sausage, carrot, celery and onion.

Cornbread dressing with backyard pecans, celery, raisins and mushrooms. Pearl onions braised in cream with Thyme and Irish cheddar.

Wednesday : November 26, 2008

Start Your Engines

The Times has a good article about strategies for building a successful Thanksgiving day. I am already rolling with my prep work. Good luck to everyone out there. Be bold. Stay strong. Start early.

Monday : November 24, 2008

Twice As Lucky

Moms rule. Even if you stole the recipe from them, put a few new tricks on it, fancied it up: it will never (shouldn't ever) outshine the original. That's not the point. A building needs the corner stone. It wouldn't still be standing without it.

Friday : November 21, 2008

Magic Egg

I don't mean to start a panic, but I just went through a carton of eggs and each egg had a double yolk. Spooky! What's up with that? I checked with a friend who has chickens. She said that is not happening with her's. I am trying to figure out if this is a good thing or not. Twice the fat - same low price.

Wednesday : November 19, 2008

Kids Food

Bison and pork meatballs with oregano, parmesan and mozzarella.

Hand-cut pasta. Quite lovely.

Tuesday : November 18, 2008

Unexpected Guests

We had some friends, who just happened to be walking by the house at dinner time, stop in. Lucky enough, I was roasting a whole sheet pan of vegetables and grilling up a NY Strip (Sale: $9.99 at Central Market). It worked out great. Even had leftovers. I used the potatoes and onions for breakfast burritos the next morning. On a related note: I'm thinking seriously about making meatballs tonight.

Friday : November 14, 2008

Yelper

Just did my first Yelp review. It's a site where you can read reviews about restaurants. I posted about Siena, which we ate at this week: Expensive, but the food is good (some great, some not) and nice staff. We always feel pampered going there. Great bar to sit at. Favorite dishes are the Primi (small portion) pastas: spinach ravioli, mushroom and cream, Bolognese. Misses: grilled bread is more like burnt and the figs wrapped in prosciutto underwhelmed.

Thursday : November 13, 2008

Party Apps

Cucumber, avocado, big eye tuna with ginger sauce and cilantro. Grilled rosemary cheddar cheese and ham with orange aioli.

Wednesday : November 12, 2008

Recycled Jack-o-lanterns

Roasted pumpkin seeds with olive oil and salt.

Friday : November 7, 2008

Happy Chickens

Happy chickens lay better tasting eggs, this I believe. Prop 2 passed in California which will improve living conditions for commercially raised animals. If you have ever been to a beef feed lot or a poultry plant, you would have voted for this (or became a vegetarian). If the price of eggs goes from 12 cents to 25 cents an egg, I still think they are a bargain. People spend $3 - $4 on a bottle of energy water (or regular water), why is it crazy to spend a few more cents for one of natures perfect foods.