Austin Food Journal

Something I forget to do when I am cooking is to taste along the way. Books tell you to do that so you can see how flavors are developing, or at least to see if what you made tastes any good before you serve it to someone else. I was making chicken salad with apples and cumin when this practice hit home for me. I thought I was about done making it and I took a taste. It wasn’t very exciting. So, I started asking myself questions: does it need more seasoning, is there a good acid/sweet balance, does it need a complimentary flavor? I ended up toying with it for another half hour. It was one of the best things I made in months and taught me a good lesson along the way.

I’m not sure, do these look fresh to you? I think they are, because the holes are still in the yard from where we picked them. Now, that’s eating local. You pay property taxes for that yard, you might as well use it for something besides Lawn Darts.

The real deal is hard to find. If you’re looking, and you are running low on fuel over the South Pacific, you should probably stop at a place my grandfather told me about. People find fancy ways to dress things up, new names to call things, but the original is the best. The Colonel told me that if I really wanted a good Scotch Rocket, Drifters Reef was the place. I am inclined to believe him. The classics never go out of style.

Cher made this in the movie Moonstruck. Pan fried steak (bloody, to feed your blood…) with buttered pasta, Parmesan and parsley.

“Cookbooks will give you ideas, but the market will give you dinner.” BAM! I’m sold. Another great book that tells you the way to cook, instead of how to impress your friends with obscure ingredients. I love it. It’s not chock full of glossy photos, but ample knowledge about how to find gems in the fresh market, simmer a stock and salt your food.

After over 14 days of brutal Winter, it is once again grilling time in Austin. Hell, there are even tomatoes at the farmers market! In honor, I fired up the coals in the cast iron grill. Pictured above is grilled chicken with roasted corn, red onion, red pepper relish on Napa cabbage.

Big shout-out to B&B Charcoal. It’s nice to find a company not using 2×4’s.