Monday : August 13, 2007

Rachael Ray Is Slow

Having ingredients ready to go in the fridge is the best weapon for "quick" meals. These were all leftovers from other meals. The above dish took around 2 minutes to prepare. Beat that Rachael Ray. Black bean (with cumin and chili powder) and caramelized onion tostada.

Friday : August 10, 2007

Comfort Digits

Every now and then you need a good hit of comfort food. Around our place that means chicken fingers (with Panko Breadcrumbs), mashed potatoes (with Truffle oil) and cream gravy (with whole cream). Its even good the next morning (sorry honey, the leftovers are gone).

Friday : August 10, 2007

Local Bird

Local chicken from Barnison Farm, with a side of rice and peas. I did a quick pan sauce with thyme.

Tuesday : August 7, 2007

Taqueria Aransas

How do you pacify belligerent fishermen? Feed them their own trout. Spotted Gulf Trout tacos with spicy aioli. I breaded the fish with lots of salt, paprika, garlic and chipotle.

Monday : August 6, 2007

Brisket Plate

We made this brisket lunch at the coast with sides: tomato and bread salad, potato salad. It worked out well for sandwiches the next few days.

Note the all steal knife. (A little rust never hurt anybody.)

Wednesday : August 1, 2007

Mud Island

Had so much fun catching fish, I'm on my way back to the coast today. The picture above is of where I fished last time, Mud Island. (It really was that blue.)

Tuesday : July 31, 2007

Curry Chicken Salad

I used the pan drippings from cooking the chicken to roast the curry. Then just mix with mayo, nuts and raisins. Roll it in tortillas.

Monday : July 30, 2007

Buffalo Kabobs

Grilled Buffalo tenderloin, spring onions and peppers on rosemary skewers with Thyme potato salad. I parboiled the onions beforehand to make sure they finished with the meat on time. I used the mayo, that I made earlier in the week, in the potoato salad.

Monday : July 30, 2007

Rockport

We went fishing in Rockport on the Texas coast this weekend. We were graciously put up by our friends the Stobaughs. And, to say the least, we did well. Caught a whole mess of spotted trout and blue tipped crab.

The guy in the background was not going 'gentle into that good night'. Needless to say, they were fresh and made a wonderful crab salad.

Friday : July 27, 2007

Pizza Construction

I get a lot of email about the pizza, so I thought I would break it down for you. The dough is the magic. If it is good, your 3/4 there. Instant Rapid Rise yeast packet, cup warm water, about three cups flour, pinch salt. I mix it slowly in a standing mixer, adding the flour a little at a time 'til it comes together in a sticky ball. Then I knead by hand so I can tell the consistency. It should still be a little sticky at the end. Let it rise to double it's original size, punch it down, let it rise again (aprox. 45 min each rise). This makes enough for two pizzas. Have the oven already going on 500+. Roll out one ball and let it rest for 10 min. This gets some air back into the crust (because you just rolled it all out). For the sauce, it's just canned crushed Italian tomatoes and salt and pepper. Spend your money on high-quality mozzarella. Bake it on a pizza screen that you bought at the restaurant supply place. Pizza above is chicken pesto and red onion.

Thursday : July 26, 2007

How Many Ingredients In Pad Thai

Answer: More than I have space on my cutting board. My count ranges in between 10 to 14. Man is it good though. Nice mix of sweet and hot. And, the Tofu, makes you feel like you are living on the straight and narrow.

I forgot to scramble the egg before I put the noodles in. I like to call this the side-scramble. The market had fresh sunflower sprouts so we subbed those in for the bean sprouts.

Wednesday : July 25, 2007

Chipotle Quesadilla

Chicken, red onion, cheddar quesadilla. Seasoned with that chipotle powder I made last week. Pretty quick and easy. I mix the main ingredients in a bowl to make sure they are well combined. Heat up the tortillas in a skillet and pile on the mix. Garnish with some salsa and sour cream.

Tuesday : July 24, 2007

You Are What You Eat

And I want to be a Buffalo. This really was an incredible meal. Thunder Heart Buffalo tenderloin. Local, free-range, grass fed. It has a wonderful texture and taste. Along with it I made pea salad with scallions and lettuce, cooked in chicken stock.

A mushroom cream sauce went perfectly with it. I sauteed the mushrooms, deglazed with white wine, added the cream and reduced.

Monday : July 23, 2007

Update: Lemon Confit

I started my lemon confit a few weeks ago. Everything is mellowing out. I minced some up for the chicken and crab dishes. Worked pretty good.

Monday : July 23, 2007

Old Bread

Panzanella. Bread and tomato salad with roasted pepper, red onion and basil.

Friday : July 20, 2007

Green Hornet

These guys worry me. Green mussels stay open (opposed to clams), so you don't have that built in thermometer, of them opening up, to tell you when they are cooked.

But, they are tasty, and damn sexy looking! Come on look at them!

Thursday : July 19, 2007

Automatic Watering System

It has been raining around here. A lot. Like, 'close the lake, there's too much water in it' a lot. I have yet to water this year. Everything is growing like crazy. The picture above is of a crazy ribbed tomato my wife planted.

I bought a book on canning. Thought I might try to put-up some things from the garden to have in January.

Wednesday : July 18, 2007

Flavor Agent

I have been keeping soffritto on hand to spike up dishes. It is basically a fine dice of cooked down red onion, carrot and celery. (I know, my fine dice could be finer.)

I cook it to a medium-golden. I put some in the couscous to give it some flavor and texture.

Wednesday : July 18, 2007

Chicken with Couscous

Pan cooked chicken with a thyme white wine sauce, goat cheese couscous and shaved summer vegetables. The chicken was brined and dredged in a little seasoned flour.

Wednesday : July 18, 2007

Semi-Not-Really-Cooking

This is a TV show about a person who opens cans of food and dumps them into bowls. There should be a distinction made between a cook and a can-opener attendant.

Tuesday : July 17, 2007

Seafood Sandwich

What to do with that extra crab cake mix you had from the other night? Crab cake sandwich. Put some of that mayo you just made on it.

Tuesday : July 17, 2007

Odd Couple

Summer sandwich season is in full swing. Better make some mayo. Egg and oil. You would think something made up of two main ingredients would be easy to make. I have tried a few ways to get them together and have ended up going old school. Bowl and a whisk. I use local eggs that give it a great pale yellow color.

Monday : July 16, 2007

Pesto

It's that time of year. Not only are tomatoes falling out of the sky, so is the basil. Pesto time.

Great on pizza with some goat cheese and red onion. I even threw some in our scrambled eggs this morning. Not bad.

Sunday : July 15, 2007

Spice Trade

I just had to go get some spices and was killed by the prices. They ranged from $3 - $6! Plus, I don't even know how old they are. They could have been sitting there for a year.

So, I do what any outraged citizen would do; I went and bought a coffee grinder at a garage sale ($1). Then, I went and bought some dried chipotle peppers ($1.29). Two minutes and $2.29 later...

Friday : July 13, 2007

Green Goddess

Vintage salad. The Green Goddess. Like a Caesar, except with handfuls of fresh herbs, avocado and cucumber. Throw a couple crab cakes with aioli on top and you got yourself a dinner.

Friday : July 13, 2007

Edible Austin

edible AUSTIN magazine. Wonderful resource for Austin. Local stories and information. One could be in your city too.

Thursday : July 12, 2007

Red Heaven

The tomatoes are coming in hand over fist around here. As we all know, the ugly ones are the best.

Wednesday : July 11, 2007

Gallo Pinto

I first ate this dish in Costa Rica. Simple local dish. Beans, rice, onion, coriander and hot sauce. I make the beans with tomato, onion and garlic.

Wednesday : July 11, 2007

Site Update

I have added a few new things to the site. The Austin Food Journal: Page links are now (hopefully) easier to find at the top and bottom of the site pages. I also added a handy Share A Meal: email a friend link a the top and bottom of each page so you can make your friends hungry. Thanks for looking and check back often, I update the site just about every day.

Tuesday : July 10, 2007

Birthday Pie

You know you're doing something right when you ask your wife what meal she would like for her birthday and she says: pizza! I wasn't aware, but she just informed me, that it isn't really pizza unless it has red onion on it. Interesting.

Monday : July 9, 2007

Chili Eggs

Char-roasted Poblano pepper scrambled eggs with tortillas, salsa and cheese.

Sunday : July 8, 2007

Bring Out Your Bread

Here and now: I am reinstating Sunday dinners (to all of you who don't or have stopped). Break some bread with family or friends. I like the idea of food bringing people together. In good times, slow times, boring times good times and bad. Food is the connection. Births, weddings, workdays and holidays. Food marks the time.

Saturday : July 7, 2007

Company

Made up a little supper for a friend of ours that is in town from Colorado. Warm tomato and mozzarella salad (below), roasted new potatoes and onions, lemon thyme chicken with a white wine reduction. Everything was from the farmers market except the chicken. It is satisfying to buy produce from the person who grew it. We had been buying organic black beans that we found out were from China. Nothing against China, but if they can't make dog food right, how can I trust their beans?

The tomatoes are from our garden and Boggy Creek Farm. The mozzarella is made daily at Mandola's Italian Market. Some basil, salt and olive oil and were good to go.

Saturday : July 7, 2007

Hot Chicken

I have been experimenting with making my own chili oils. My newest is with Ancho chili, which I used to cook this chicken. It gives it a nice smoky heat.

Friday : July 6, 2007

Lemon Confit

A mix of lemons and shallots broken down over a few days with sugar and salt. The mix gets mellowed out. You can then mince the lemons up and use them as a flavoring agent.