Hola Amigas Comidas (food friends)!
I am in beautiful Jaco, Costa Rica on spring break with six of my best friends, enjoying surf, the turf, and the many activities this country has to offer. Of course, this country is abundant with wonderful tuna, mahi-mahi, steak, mangos, avocados, and any other fresh produce you could imagine.
When cooking for a group of seven, you want to keep things simple and easy and not have too many things going on at once. So I went with tacos, where I prepare the separate ingredients and people make their own. It's easy and fast and works with everyone's taste buds.
The taco. Tacos can be found in many different variations all over the world--particularly in central and south american cuisine. You can use fish, chicken, beef, pork, beans and rice, or whatever else you have in your kitchen. And best of all, the tortilla (hard or soft) is great for holding it all together. Originally from indigenous peoples of central Mexico, taco just means a tortilla wrapped around a filling, much like the English "sandwich".
I went with shrimp tacos because my friends that hated fish still like shrimp and my friends that are vegetarians still eat seafood. This dish was great for a tropical vacation in particular, as seafood tacos are a very popular dish for beachy, hot weather places. The closest grocery store was a big super-mercado, much like Safeway, where I bought frozen shrimp (doesn't really taste different in flavor or texture than fresh shrimp, in my opinion).
I started the process by chopping and sautéing onions in butter because they take the longest to cook. Caramelized onions also taste good on everything and add a mixture of salty-sweet flavor to any dish. Next, I sliced red bell peppers and threw those into the pan with the onions, as they also take awhile to cook. I added about 4 tablespoons of butter (a hefty amount) and some salt, but you can go as light or as heavy with the amount of butter and salt you add to each dish.
While my wonderful sous chef and friend, MC, continuously stirred the onions and bell peppers, I began making the sauce for the shrimp. Given that we're renting a house and didn't have much in the way of grocery stores, I didn't have any spices to work with. But the sauce I created is very simple and can be made with ingredients you find in almost every kitchen.
First, I started by placing the frozen shrimp in a pan and turned the heat on to its highest in order to dissolve all the frozen ice still stuck (this process is not necessary for fresh refrigerated shrimp). Once all the ice is gone, drain the shrimp so that this "shrimp juice" doesn't affect the flavor (believe me, it is not very good). Next, take the shrimp and put in at least 2-3 tablespoons of butter. Now, pour a hefty amount of white wine in (any white wine will do) and top with lime juice (I squeezed in about half of a lime's worth, but it can use more, depending on the taste you're looking for). Last but not least, I sprinkled with salt and pepper. Shrimp cook very quickly, so stir the shrimp in this sauce for maybe 5 minutes, checking for taste only, as the shrimp will have already cooked in the first round (before I dumped the excess shrimp juice).
In the mean time, I put the tortillas on a plate and put them in the oven at around 350 degrees to warm them. In separate bowls, I placed chopped lettuce, shredded cheese, chopped tomatoes, and extra lime wedges. While everything finished cooking (the onions and bell peppers finished last) I put these bowls out in the middle of the table.
Now, just take a tortilla, put some shrimp on, a little of the white wine-butter-lime sauce, a spoonful of the now caramelized onions and bell peppers, lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, a squeeze of lime, and buenisimo! Everyone can just help themselves. Had I had the ripe ingredients at the time, I would have also added mango slices and avocado. And enjoy!
Still keeping it delicious in Costa Rica,
Love & Doughnuts,
The Mrakulous Kitchen
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Ay Dios Mio! Papas Bravas!
Hello my Fellow Food Lovers,
I was in finals for the past four days. And as many of you know or remember, finals is hectic, stressful, you don't get enough sleep, and you start feeling a little cold coming on...
But just because you're in a rush, this doesn't mean your food has to go down in quality! Here's a reaalllly simple recipe that only takes about 35 minutes to make.
Papas bravas. I first had this on my abroad trip to Spain. Following the tapas tradition, papas bravas is just fried chorizo and potatoes that are usually eaten with some bread on the side.
Chorizo. For those of you who don't know what chorizo is, it is a spicy pork sausage, originating from Iberia, Spain. Chorizo tends to be a slightly different color from other sausages as an orangish-red color from the dried smoked red peppers it is blended with.
So. First, I boiled the potatoes until they were soft enough to take a bite. Then, I cut up some chorizo in small sections and threw them on the frying pan. Wait to do this when the potatoes are done boiling, as you're going to want to fry the potatoes and chorizo together (that is if the chorizo is already cooked. If not, read the label, cook the chorizo while the potatoes are boiling, and the timing should be good). Then, I mixed in olive oil, a fairly large slice of butter (a little over 2 tablespoons), and crushed red pepper flakes (like the kind you put on your pizza). Throw some salt and pepper in as well. Mix this all together in your pan at a medium to high heat. Lastly, following in my bacon obsession, I fried some bacon until it was very crispy and then cut it into small pieces and threw that in as well. Stir and serve. Voila! Easy as that.
*While the red pepper flakes are common for papas bravas, the bacon is not, but it added a wonderful flavor as well as a crispy texture in contrast to the soft potatoes and chorizo. Remember, a little bacon never hurt anyone!
I served my papas bravas with toasted english muffins, but if you have a really nice baguette or loaf of bread that would be wonderful as well. These are also great for potlucks and parties as something that fills people up quickly, so a little goes a long way!
Alright now go out and try, my little spaniards, you won't be disappointed!
As always,
Love & Doughnuts,
The Mrakulous Kitchen
I was in finals for the past four days. And as many of you know or remember, finals is hectic, stressful, you don't get enough sleep, and you start feeling a little cold coming on...
But just because you're in a rush, this doesn't mean your food has to go down in quality! Here's a reaalllly simple recipe that only takes about 35 minutes to make.
Papas bravas. I first had this on my abroad trip to Spain. Following the tapas tradition, papas bravas is just fried chorizo and potatoes that are usually eaten with some bread on the side.
Chorizo. For those of you who don't know what chorizo is, it is a spicy pork sausage, originating from Iberia, Spain. Chorizo tends to be a slightly different color from other sausages as an orangish-red color from the dried smoked red peppers it is blended with.
So. First, I boiled the potatoes until they were soft enough to take a bite. Then, I cut up some chorizo in small sections and threw them on the frying pan. Wait to do this when the potatoes are done boiling, as you're going to want to fry the potatoes and chorizo together (that is if the chorizo is already cooked. If not, read the label, cook the chorizo while the potatoes are boiling, and the timing should be good). Then, I mixed in olive oil, a fairly large slice of butter (a little over 2 tablespoons), and crushed red pepper flakes (like the kind you put on your pizza). Throw some salt and pepper in as well. Mix this all together in your pan at a medium to high heat. Lastly, following in my bacon obsession, I fried some bacon until it was very crispy and then cut it into small pieces and threw that in as well. Stir and serve. Voila! Easy as that.
*While the red pepper flakes are common for papas bravas, the bacon is not, but it added a wonderful flavor as well as a crispy texture in contrast to the soft potatoes and chorizo. Remember, a little bacon never hurt anyone!
I served my papas bravas with toasted english muffins, but if you have a really nice baguette or loaf of bread that would be wonderful as well. These are also great for potlucks and parties as something that fills people up quickly, so a little goes a long way!
Alright now go out and try, my little spaniards, you won't be disappointed!
As always,
Love & Doughnuts,
The Mrakulous Kitchen
Monday, March 14, 2011
Eggs Benedict...Making you smile on Sundays since 1893!
Dear Fellow Food Lovers,
I don't know about you folks in the working world, but sundays suck for college students...a lot. It marks the end of your amazingly fun weekend that you wish would never end and brutally reminds you of all the homework you haven't yet started. And mondays always proceed it.
BUT! Now there is something to look forward to every sunday. Eggs benedict! First brought to you by Mrs. LeGrand Benedict at Delmonico's in New York City. Now, there is some debate over this origin myth--some argue that Mrs. Benedict created it first in 1893, and then there are those that say Mr. Benedict ordered toast, bacon, a poached egg, and a small pitcher of hollandaise sauce to treat his hangover at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in the year 1894. Either way, Mr. Benedict understood one thing: its medicinal values to the ever-so-present weekend hangover (or week day for some of you really ambitious college students). So ladies and gentlemen if you're trying to cure your saturday night hangover (as most of you college students are) AND you want something that will brighten your otherwise library-confined day, eggs benedict is the answer.
Now eggs benedict is my ultimate favorite breakfast/brunch food. I order it at almost every restaurant when I go out for breakfast. It always seemed to me like one of those foods that was way too impossible to make and only the elite chefs could do it. But then I learned a really easy way to poach eggs. And then tried to make benedicts. And it worked. And it's so simple you'll be amazed!
First I started by putting together all the parts except for the poached eggs. This I'll leave to your creativity but these are some things I've done that have worked really well. This morning, I had a bell pepper, avocado, sliced ham, and various left over goat gouda cheese (from all the other meals I've been writing about). I toasted the muffins and buttered them. In the mean time, I sliced the bell pepper and sauteed it in truffle oil and salt until they were soft and slightly charred. Then i put a sliced ham on each open-faced muffin, slices of the avocado, the sauteed bell pepper slices, slices of the goat gouda and a slice of a red heirloom tomato (basically a crazy looking mishapen tomato that doesn't taste any different than your roma or your garden variety tomato, but is really really pretty and comes in orange, green, yellow, and red variations--sometimes a mix of all 4 colors!)
Ok so everything is ready except for your eggs. So I have the easiest way in the world to poach an egg so that it's runny when you cut into it but soft and fluffy at the same time. First take a frying pan, one with high straight sides around it. Now put water in and boil the water in the fry pan. Once the water is boiling (at a very high temperature) crack the egg open into the water. Having the fry pan is important so that the egg is close to the heat. At first, the yolk will appear to separate from the egg white. But don't freak out! You'll see that eventually the egg white will become that opaque white color just like if you fried it (although you will probably have lost a portion of the egg white to the water). Now, preferably using a largish slotted spoon (i.e. a spoon with draining holes in it) flip the egg over so the other side cooks for a bit. Then, once the white part seems firm enough to pick up without breaking, take it out and put on your already prepared benedict!
Now I've tried making hollandaise sauce. But after I spent a solid 40 minutes whipping the eggs by hand so that it would be a creamy texture and then have it still turn out too runny I said the hell with hollandaise sauce until someone gets me a real egg beater (dear family, please click on link for grad present ideas). For now, I have some delicious and easy variations that you can pour over your eggs benedicts and will still make your benedict-os delicious.
Pesto sauce. Yep easy as pie-or pesto! (Ok that was definitely a joke my dad would say). Either use pre-made pesto or make your own.
Quick make-it-yourself-pesto recipe:
- A chunk of basil
- Olive oil
- Cheese (I like manchego or goat gouda or chevre, of course)
- Lemon juice
- Salt and pepper
Put in the blender until its smooth and creamy and your done! You can play with the portions of each of the ingredients to get the kind of pesto flavor you like.
Salsa. I had forgotten that I used all my pesto sauce last night and in a hurried frenzy I looked in my fridge and found salsa! So I used that instead of my usual pesto and it was very good. It gave it more of a southwest taste.
Feel free to try whatever else! To top it all off, I put a fresh basil leaf on each one to give it a nice color against the red salsa and a little added flavor.
California Benedicts
- Smoked ham / Turkey
- Bacon (optional but always delicious--probably better paired with the turkey)
- Gouda cheese
- Avocado
- Bell Peppers
- Pesto sauce
- Sun-dried tomato on top
Pacific Northwest
- Salmon (smoked or in lox form) / Crab could also be good
- Asparagus
- Chevre
- Homemade hollandaise (but could also be great with pesto)
- Sprig of rosemary (or thyme)
Sky is the limit! Try whatever combinations you like--I promise it can't taste bad!
Changing how you see sundays,
Love & Doughnuts,
The Mrakulous Kitchen
I don't know about you folks in the working world, but sundays suck for college students...a lot. It marks the end of your amazingly fun weekend that you wish would never end and brutally reminds you of all the homework you haven't yet started. And mondays always proceed it.
BUT! Now there is something to look forward to every sunday. Eggs benedict! First brought to you by Mrs. LeGrand Benedict at Delmonico's in New York City. Now, there is some debate over this origin myth--some argue that Mrs. Benedict created it first in 1893, and then there are those that say Mr. Benedict ordered toast, bacon, a poached egg, and a small pitcher of hollandaise sauce to treat his hangover at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in the year 1894. Either way, Mr. Benedict understood one thing: its medicinal values to the ever-so-present weekend hangover (or week day for some of you really ambitious college students). So ladies and gentlemen if you're trying to cure your saturday night hangover (as most of you college students are) AND you want something that will brighten your otherwise library-confined day, eggs benedict is the answer.
Now eggs benedict is my ultimate favorite breakfast/brunch food. I order it at almost every restaurant when I go out for breakfast. It always seemed to me like one of those foods that was way too impossible to make and only the elite chefs could do it. But then I learned a really easy way to poach eggs. And then tried to make benedicts. And it worked. And it's so simple you'll be amazed!
First I started by putting together all the parts except for the poached eggs. This I'll leave to your creativity but these are some things I've done that have worked really well. This morning, I had a bell pepper, avocado, sliced ham, and various left over goat gouda cheese (from all the other meals I've been writing about). I toasted the muffins and buttered them. In the mean time, I sliced the bell pepper and sauteed it in truffle oil and salt until they were soft and slightly charred. Then i put a sliced ham on each open-faced muffin, slices of the avocado, the sauteed bell pepper slices, slices of the goat gouda and a slice of a red heirloom tomato (basically a crazy looking mishapen tomato that doesn't taste any different than your roma or your garden variety tomato, but is really really pretty and comes in orange, green, yellow, and red variations--sometimes a mix of all 4 colors!)
Ok so everything is ready except for your eggs. So I have the easiest way in the world to poach an egg so that it's runny when you cut into it but soft and fluffy at the same time. First take a frying pan, one with high straight sides around it. Now put water in and boil the water in the fry pan. Once the water is boiling (at a very high temperature) crack the egg open into the water. Having the fry pan is important so that the egg is close to the heat. At first, the yolk will appear to separate from the egg white. But don't freak out! You'll see that eventually the egg white will become that opaque white color just like if you fried it (although you will probably have lost a portion of the egg white to the water). Now, preferably using a largish slotted spoon (i.e. a spoon with draining holes in it) flip the egg over so the other side cooks for a bit. Then, once the white part seems firm enough to pick up without breaking, take it out and put on your already prepared benedict!
Now I've tried making hollandaise sauce. But after I spent a solid 40 minutes whipping the eggs by hand so that it would be a creamy texture and then have it still turn out too runny I said the hell with hollandaise sauce until someone gets me a real egg beater (dear family, please click on link for grad present ideas). For now, I have some delicious and easy variations that you can pour over your eggs benedicts and will still make your benedict-os delicious.
Pesto sauce. Yep easy as pie-or pesto! (Ok that was definitely a joke my dad would say). Either use pre-made pesto or make your own.
Quick make-it-yourself-pesto recipe:
- A chunk of basil
- Olive oil
- Cheese (I like manchego or goat gouda or chevre, of course)
- Lemon juice
- Salt and pepper
**Sun-dried tomatoes (*optional for a slightly different taste)
**Artichokes (*also optional for an also differently-delictable taste)
Put in the blender until its smooth and creamy and your done! You can play with the portions of each of the ingredients to get the kind of pesto flavor you like.
Salsa. I had forgotten that I used all my pesto sauce last night and in a hurried frenzy I looked in my fridge and found salsa! So I used that instead of my usual pesto and it was very good. It gave it more of a southwest taste.
Feel free to try whatever else! To top it all off, I put a fresh basil leaf on each one to give it a nice color against the red salsa and a little added flavor.
The finished product! Bon appetit!
Here are some other great combinations I've used in the past for my eggs benedict:
- Smoked ham / Turkey
- Bacon (optional but always delicious--probably better paired with the turkey)
- Gouda cheese
- Avocado
- Bell Peppers
- Pesto sauce
- Sun-dried tomato on top
Pacific Northwest
- Salmon (smoked or in lox form) / Crab could also be good
- Asparagus
- Chevre
- Homemade hollandaise (but could also be great with pesto)
- Sprig of rosemary (or thyme)
Sky is the limit! Try whatever combinations you like--I promise it can't taste bad!
Changing how you see sundays,
Love & Doughnuts,
The Mrakulous Kitchen
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
The Bee's Knees of Chicken
Dear Fellow Food Lovers,
I had a revelation. I finally found the most amazingly delicious simple way to cook chicken so that it bursts with flavor in every bite and its so tender you could cut it with a fork.
First, set your oven to 410 degrees...or somewhere around that.
Stuffed chicken. I have to give credit to my friend Claire Preston for this one, as she put the idea in my head. Now I am tired of making the same pan-fried chicken where you try and add enough oil or lemon juice to make it moist and toss as many ingredients as you'd like just to bite in and find it's still too dry. But not this one. No, ladies and gentlemen, stuffed chicken has changed my life.
So here's what went down. I had two pieces of raw (organic) chicken breasts. I cut them open like you would cut a fish to make filets. Then I took a pie pan and coated the bottom with olive oil and some truffle oil (my favorite ingredient to put on everything). And by the way, I found a really good bottle of white truffle oil for $9 at Whole Foods, so it CAN be affordable.
Next, I fried 6 pieces of bacon--just a quick toast on each side, and put aside for later. Now your pan is gloriously covered in excess bacon grease. Mmmm. I took each filet of chicken and cooked each side in the bacon greased pan until it was white on each side, but still very raw in the middle.
Now for the yummy part. I opened up each filet of chicken. Here comes the "stuffed" part. And here's where you can get really creative. Like crepes, you can put ANYTHING in stuffed chicken. I had some raw spinach that was about to go bad so I threw in a handful of spinach, some raw onions that I cut up and then three kinds of cheeses.
My trifecta of cheese. If you've been reading my blog all along, then you'll recognize these three cheeses which are my go-to cheeses for everything I cook: the manchego, goat gouda, and chevre.
Ok so I sliced up the manchego and gouda and crumbled the chevre on top of the spinach and onions. Then I "closed" the chicken by putting one filet on top of the other. Now comes the really good part. I took the bacon that I had quickly toasted and wrapped three pieces around each of the stuffed chickens. Sprinkle some pepper and salt and voila! Now stick the chicken in the oiled pan in the oven and wait 10 minutes.
While the whole chicken process happened, I steamed some brussel sprouts on the side. I know everyone says "ewww brussel sprouts," but brussel sprouts are really just a crunchy medium to put whatever flavors you want on it, sort of like zucchini.
So first I steamed the brussel sprouts for 7-10 minutes with a little bit of olive oil and truffle salt sprinkled on top.
A quick note about veggies. Given that I'm working on an anthropology research paper about the origins of food and cooking with fire, I thought I'd add a quick little interesting tid bit I recently read about our relationship with vegetables.
Raw vegetables contain toxins. Maybe you knew this? Anyway, our foraging ancestors lived off raw veggies, berries, fruit, insects, and whatever else they could find. However, we were consuming so many raw vegetables that the toxins were building up in our system, leading to malnutrition and death. Then we discovered the wonders of fire. And fire changed everything. We started eating meat, which gave us the protein and energy to grow physically and mentally. We cooked our vegetables as well, which took out many of the toxins that was leading to our malnutrition, and allowed us to absorb more of the nutrients in veggies. Basically, our diet had more protein and complex carbs which allowed us to develop our brains and bodies. And now look at where we are!
Now I'm not saying stop eating salads and raw vegetables. Just make sure its in moderation and that you're still getting your protein and carbohydrates.
Ok back to the sprouts. While the chicken was in the oven, I took the brussel sprouts out of the steamer and put them in the greased pan (because bacon grease is great for cooking everything). While I tossed the sprouts around, I threw in some sliced almonds and this seasoning called "Carribbean Adobo" from a spice shop downtown. It had garlic, onion, pepper, cumin, salt, and Mexican oregano.
Quick note on spices. These kind of pre-made spices are AWESOME for these type of dishes where you don't wanna chop everything up by hand, AND it packs a lot of flavor in just a little morsel. Go to Penzey's or whatever spice shop is around and just smell everything until you find one you like. They're quick, simple, and incredibly flavorful.
So I toss the brussel sprouts in the Adobo seasoning and almonds for just a quick second and by that time the chicken was ready. I puledl it out of the oven and my lord it smelled good! All three cheeses were melted, the spinach soft, and the bacon crispy. Not to mention how tender the chicken became. I sprinkled some lemon juice and it was ready to serve.
All in all, the whole process only took an hour!
Other stuffed chicken ideas:
-stuff the chicken with other meats like ham or turkey and then add whatever else
-bacon and blue cheese (like a black 'n blue burger but a bit healthier)
-lemon wedges, capers, white wine, and olive oil.
-ground mustard, beer, and onions (I think this one will be the next one I try)
Ok there you have it! Good luck! And let your creativity run wild!
Love & Doughnuts,
The Mrakulous Kitchen
I had a revelation. I finally found the most amazingly delicious simple way to cook chicken so that it bursts with flavor in every bite and its so tender you could cut it with a fork.
First, set your oven to 410 degrees...or somewhere around that.
Stuffed chicken. I have to give credit to my friend Claire Preston for this one, as she put the idea in my head. Now I am tired of making the same pan-fried chicken where you try and add enough oil or lemon juice to make it moist and toss as many ingredients as you'd like just to bite in and find it's still too dry. But not this one. No, ladies and gentlemen, stuffed chicken has changed my life.
So here's what went down. I had two pieces of raw (organic) chicken breasts. I cut them open like you would cut a fish to make filets. Then I took a pie pan and coated the bottom with olive oil and some truffle oil (my favorite ingredient to put on everything). And by the way, I found a really good bottle of white truffle oil for $9 at Whole Foods, so it CAN be affordable.
Next, I fried 6 pieces of bacon--just a quick toast on each side, and put aside for later. Now your pan is gloriously covered in excess bacon grease. Mmmm. I took each filet of chicken and cooked each side in the bacon greased pan until it was white on each side, but still very raw in the middle.
Now for the yummy part. I opened up each filet of chicken. Here comes the "stuffed" part. And here's where you can get really creative. Like crepes, you can put ANYTHING in stuffed chicken. I had some raw spinach that was about to go bad so I threw in a handful of spinach, some raw onions that I cut up and then three kinds of cheeses.
My trifecta of cheese. If you've been reading my blog all along, then you'll recognize these three cheeses which are my go-to cheeses for everything I cook: the manchego, goat gouda, and chevre.
Ok so I sliced up the manchego and gouda and crumbled the chevre on top of the spinach and onions. Then I "closed" the chicken by putting one filet on top of the other. Now comes the really good part. I took the bacon that I had quickly toasted and wrapped three pieces around each of the stuffed chickens. Sprinkle some pepper and salt and voila! Now stick the chicken in the oiled pan in the oven and wait 10 minutes.
While the whole chicken process happened, I steamed some brussel sprouts on the side. I know everyone says "ewww brussel sprouts," but brussel sprouts are really just a crunchy medium to put whatever flavors you want on it, sort of like zucchini.
So first I steamed the brussel sprouts for 7-10 minutes with a little bit of olive oil and truffle salt sprinkled on top.
A quick note about veggies. Given that I'm working on an anthropology research paper about the origins of food and cooking with fire, I thought I'd add a quick little interesting tid bit I recently read about our relationship with vegetables.
Raw vegetables contain toxins. Maybe you knew this? Anyway, our foraging ancestors lived off raw veggies, berries, fruit, insects, and whatever else they could find. However, we were consuming so many raw vegetables that the toxins were building up in our system, leading to malnutrition and death. Then we discovered the wonders of fire. And fire changed everything. We started eating meat, which gave us the protein and energy to grow physically and mentally. We cooked our vegetables as well, which took out many of the toxins that was leading to our malnutrition, and allowed us to absorb more of the nutrients in veggies. Basically, our diet had more protein and complex carbs which allowed us to develop our brains and bodies. And now look at where we are!
Now I'm not saying stop eating salads and raw vegetables. Just make sure its in moderation and that you're still getting your protein and carbohydrates.
Ok back to the sprouts. While the chicken was in the oven, I took the brussel sprouts out of the steamer and put them in the greased pan (because bacon grease is great for cooking everything). While I tossed the sprouts around, I threw in some sliced almonds and this seasoning called "Carribbean Adobo" from a spice shop downtown. It had garlic, onion, pepper, cumin, salt, and Mexican oregano.
Quick note on spices. These kind of pre-made spices are AWESOME for these type of dishes where you don't wanna chop everything up by hand, AND it packs a lot of flavor in just a little morsel. Go to Penzey's or whatever spice shop is around and just smell everything until you find one you like. They're quick, simple, and incredibly flavorful.
So I toss the brussel sprouts in the Adobo seasoning and almonds for just a quick second and by that time the chicken was ready. I puledl it out of the oven and my lord it smelled good! All three cheeses were melted, the spinach soft, and the bacon crispy. Not to mention how tender the chicken became. I sprinkled some lemon juice and it was ready to serve.
All in all, the whole process only took an hour!
Other stuffed chicken ideas:
-stuff the chicken with other meats like ham or turkey and then add whatever else
-bacon and blue cheese (like a black 'n blue burger but a bit healthier)
-lemon wedges, capers, white wine, and olive oil.
-ground mustard, beer, and onions (I think this one will be the next one I try)
Ok there you have it! Good luck! And let your creativity run wild!
Love & Doughnuts,
The Mrakulous Kitchen
Monday, March 7, 2011
Crepes...Where ANYTHING is possible!
Hello my fellow food lovers,
I have yet to meet any person on this entire earth who doesn't love crepes. Whether you're stuffing your crepes with salty savory yumness or getting your sweet tooth fix, crepes allow for endless possibilities. Which is why I love them.
But I feel like a lot of people are scared to make them. Is it 'cause people believe you need french blood running through your veins in order to make a decent crepe? Or that only a french restaurant can make it right? Who knows what it is, but I'm here to get you to get over your fear of making crepes! They are so so simple.
All it takes is:
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Sort-of-maybe-kind-of important: when looking at these recipes make sure to look at the "Yield"! Because this recipe yields four crepes, and I was cooking for two hungry people, I doubled the recipe.
I really liked how this recipe turned out: the crepes were thick, a bit sweet, and a little spongy. My mom makes her crepes much thinner and less sweet, but you really can't go wrong as long as you use the basic ingredients above.
Now to the stove. I started with a medium heat, but realized that a high heat was much more successful in keeping the crepe in one piece when I flipped. For some crazy chemical reason that I can't even begin to explain, the higher heat coagulated the crepe better...basically the liquid stops being a messy goo and turns into an edible mass to hold and cherish in your hand. So! Turn stove to high heat and spray pam, butter, or whatever you like to use on the pan (preferably a non-stick pan).
Now, using a cup (in my case a 1/4 measuring cup which I found to be the perfect amount for my needs), dip in batter and pour over your hot pan.
Important! Move the pan in a circle slow enough so that the batter covers the entire bottom of the pan (and thins out evenly) but not too fast as to leave the batter dripping around the pan...unless you want really cute mini crepes the size of your thumbnail. And don't freak out if it's not perfectly circular! It will still be delicious (remember, presentation only counts for 1/3 in the judging of Top Chef).
Now comes the creative part. You literally can put ANYTHING in this crepe. Anything at all. Sweet or savory. I decided to do both. Now, flip your crepe over to cook the other side (the timing of this should be determined based on how well the crepe is staying together and how brown it's getting, also how toasty you like your crepe.) For my savory crepe, I went with my left over asparagus, which I steamed for 7 minutes (with lemon and truffle oil to flavor a bit) over boiling water and then chopped into one-inch pieces.
I want to interject really quickly here to say that timing for cooking is not absolute. It's probably my biggest frustration with following recipes. If you're constantly checking the exact time for everything you'll drive yourself into an OCD frenzy and forget all about taste. So my advice is this: get a sense for time, how long things cook in general--5, 15, 30, 45 minutes? General increments. But more importantly get to know the timing that works best for your palette. Get to know what YOU like. Yes the professionals and the Food Network have been around the block, but only YOU are the professional of your own taste buds. So check your dishes constantly and consistently until you get it to where you like it.
Now, back to crepes! Ok so easiest recipe ever. I had my asparagus ready to go. I then shredded two kinds of cheese: a goat chevre (which I've already exclaimed my love for) and manchego.
Manchego. An AWESOME sheep cheese. It's a Spanish cheese that is fairly hard in texture, very dry, but incredibly flavorful. And apparently it's such an ancient cheese that Cervantes wrote about it in Don Quijote. So yeah, it's been around. It's great for shredding as the hard texture makes it easy. Again, you can find it at stores like King Soopers (but not Safeway last time I checked, unfortunately).
So I've flipped my crepe. Now all I do is sprinkle some asparagus, both cheeses and then fold it like an envelope. Flip the little package and throw it on a plate in the oven to keep warm until you're done cooking all the crepes (the oven is set to "warm" or a low 200-level heat).
And Bon appetite!
Other savory crepe ideas:
-Breakfast!! -- Eggs, hash browns, salsa, cheese
-Ham and cheese
-Chicken, spinach, cheese
-Mix all the cheeses in your fridge
...Can you really go wrong?
For sweet crepes, I love using jam. Or awesome melted dark chocolate from Ghiradelli...but only when you're at home and you have an awesome mom who picks up things like that.
For now, jam will do. I used a strawberry rhubarb jam that was great--not too sweet for my taste buds. (The jam happened to be homemade from Lucille's--an incredibly delicious cajun restaurant in Denver that also has great po' boys, beignets, and bloody mary's...if you're ever around the southern, Denver University, part of Denver you HAVE to stop by before 2 pm when they close).
Other great sweet crepe ideas:
-Berries and whip cream (blackberries, boysenberries, huckleberries?)
-Banana and nutella
-Raspberry jam and chocolate
-Strawberries, bananas and whip cream
...And I could go on...
And there you have it! The French definitely knew what they were doing...and somehow stay thin after eating all of them...but that's for an exercise specialist to discuss. Remember, butter never hurt anyone...in moderate amounts.
Love & Doughnuts,
The Mrakulous Kitchen
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Bruschetta, It's Not Just A Snack Anymore
Greetings fellow food lovers,
First I want to give a warm thank you to all those of you who have started reading and follow my blog. The support is much appreciated!
Now enough of the gooey stuff, on to the cookin'.
Bruschetta is a wonderful little Italian snack commonly made of toasted bread, tomatoes, basil, onions, garlic and mozzarella. It's simple and easy. But it's commonly thought of as a snack or appetizer. So how can you make it more?
Here's what I did. I had left over chicken I had cooked and seasoned two nights before. I also had a few pieces of bread left over and I wanted to finish off the bag. In an effort to get rid of food before I went on vacation, I decided to take all the perishable leftovers in my refridgerator and mesh them all together, similar to jumbalaya in New Orleans, or paella in Spain.
First, preheat the oven between 350 and 400 degrees (depending on your impatience level).
I had half an onion just sitting in my fridge. So I chopped it up into long thin slices and threw them on the frying pan. Add a little bit of olive oil and just saute them until they sweeten, otherwise known as caramelized onions. While sauteing the onions, I threw in raw garlic cloves to toast the outsides. Boom. The difficult part is over!
I took the chicken, conveniently sitting in its tupperware and threw it in the oven for 30 seconds to warm it up. Now, take your pieces of bread, melt some butter in the microwave for 15 seconds, and using a brush, brush the butter evenly over both sides of the bread. Melting the butter isn't a taste issue so much as an ease of time and energy...
Take whatever cheese you have in your fridge. In this case, I had left over goat gouda cheese (delicious by the way, you can pick it up at King Soopers and is a great mild tasting melting cheese) and chevre (a dry soft goat cheese also good in literally everything). I sliced the gouda and crumbled the chevre onto the toast. Next, I took the chicken and chopped it into little pieces, laying it over the cheese. I had some tomatoes so I chopped those up in pieces and threw them on. I also had some dried rosemary in my spice cabinet so I sprinkled some on. Lastly, I took the hot caramelized onions and roasted garlic from the stove and put those on as well. Voila! Actual cooking complete.
Now just throw the complete product in the oven (make sure they're sitting on cookie sheet or some sort of oven-safe carrying device) and wait about 7 minutes. Just keep checking until the bread is at the desirable toasted level, and the cheese is melted. If your toast is ready, but the cheese is not, I would just throw it in the microwave for 10-15 seconds, and the cheese will melt immediately.
I ate 2 pieces of this bruschetta and was full, so it definitely can be a meal!
Love & Doughnuts,
The Mrakulous Kitchen
First I want to give a warm thank you to all those of you who have started reading and follow my blog. The support is much appreciated!
Now enough of the gooey stuff, on to the cookin'.
Bruschetta is a wonderful little Italian snack commonly made of toasted bread, tomatoes, basil, onions, garlic and mozzarella. It's simple and easy. But it's commonly thought of as a snack or appetizer. So how can you make it more?
Here's what I did. I had left over chicken I had cooked and seasoned two nights before. I also had a few pieces of bread left over and I wanted to finish off the bag. In an effort to get rid of food before I went on vacation, I decided to take all the perishable leftovers in my refridgerator and mesh them all together, similar to jumbalaya in New Orleans, or paella in Spain.
First, preheat the oven between 350 and 400 degrees (depending on your impatience level).
I had half an onion just sitting in my fridge. So I chopped it up into long thin slices and threw them on the frying pan. Add a little bit of olive oil and just saute them until they sweeten, otherwise known as caramelized onions. While sauteing the onions, I threw in raw garlic cloves to toast the outsides. Boom. The difficult part is over!
I took the chicken, conveniently sitting in its tupperware and threw it in the oven for 30 seconds to warm it up. Now, take your pieces of bread, melt some butter in the microwave for 15 seconds, and using a brush, brush the butter evenly over both sides of the bread. Melting the butter isn't a taste issue so much as an ease of time and energy...
Take whatever cheese you have in your fridge. In this case, I had left over goat gouda cheese (delicious by the way, you can pick it up at King Soopers and is a great mild tasting melting cheese) and chevre (a dry soft goat cheese also good in literally everything). I sliced the gouda and crumbled the chevre onto the toast. Next, I took the chicken and chopped it into little pieces, laying it over the cheese. I had some tomatoes so I chopped those up in pieces and threw them on. I also had some dried rosemary in my spice cabinet so I sprinkled some on. Lastly, I took the hot caramelized onions and roasted garlic from the stove and put those on as well. Voila! Actual cooking complete.
Now just throw the complete product in the oven (make sure they're sitting on cookie sheet or some sort of oven-safe carrying device) and wait about 7 minutes. Just keep checking until the bread is at the desirable toasted level, and the cheese is melted. If your toast is ready, but the cheese is not, I would just throw it in the microwave for 10-15 seconds, and the cheese will melt immediately.
I ate 2 pieces of this bruschetta and was full, so it definitely can be a meal!
Love & Doughnuts,
The Mrakulous Kitchen
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
The Glories of Cumin...and Steak
Last night, I tried to make steak for the first time. Yes I know, everyone is probably saying, "Haven't you ever worked a barbecue?" The answer is, no. I even went through a period of time last semester where I hardly made any sort of meat believing it to take far too long and too much effort. However, what I realized is that by not eating protein, I filled up instead with carbs--pasta, bread--things that don't fill us up efficiently, so we eat more.
I read in a health article that when our body doesn't get the nutrition it needs, it tells us we are still hungry and then we over-eat (which is also very very bad for our body and consumes more energy than we can give). So! Moral of the story is eat meat! Or if you're a vegetarian eat eggs, rice AND beans (only by mixing do you get the complex protein), or whatever other crazy fake meat concoction they've got going on at Whole Foods.
On to the cookin'. I had two raw filets I picked up at King Soopers. Your fairly average cuts of meat--lean, a little marbled. I have no idea what temperature to cook it at, for how long, whether to braise, baste, steam, fry, saute, smoke...or what else? Beef has been a hallmark of U.S. meat with our regional barbecues and a prominent cattle industry. So every once in awhile, we're bound to come across some raw beef with potentially no idea what to do with it. So. Here's what I did:
I made a rub. A rub is a great way to go if you don't have the time to marinate or have no idea what else to do. Just look in your spice cabinet and throw some things together, rub it evenly on the steak and throw it on the grill or on the stove. This rub comes from Sharon Lee in Seattle.
Combine equal parts of salt (I used garlic salt), ground black pepper, and cumin. Rub evenly on all sides of each filet. Easy right?
Then, to add something extra, I wrapped it all in bacon. Yes, a meatlovers ultimate dream. Like butter, everything is made better by being wrapped in bacon. So, throw your diets out the window and indulge yourself in bacon-wrapped-anything at least once! It's like how Texans view deep-frying. You will probably become addicted. Just don't start wrapping your carrots in bacon, ok?
The bacon helped add a lot of flavor to the steak, and a heavy dose of fat which is the key ingredient in many delicious meals, unfortunately. Then, I fried the steak in a pan, continuously checking until it reached a pinky medium.
Next, I made a salad with raw spinach, roma tomatoes, asparagus (which I steamed first for about 7 minutes to make crunchy), and threw in some humbolt fog crumbles.
Humbolt fog. No not the term for a widespead fog in Humbolt county, California caused by too many pot smokers. Humbolt fog is an AWESOME blue cheese made entirely from sheep's milk (for all you lactards or goat/sheep cheese enthusiasts as I am both). It comes from my hometown, Washington, and the middle blackish-blue line that runs down the middle of each cheese slice is the ash from Mt. St. Helens eruption. Pretty cool, eh? And by the way, you do not taste the ash, in case you were wondering. It's a wonderful dry blue cheese that has a consistency like brie cheese and is great for salad or just plain munchin'.
Lastly, I took the bowl with the extra dry rub (salt, pepper, and cumin) and mixed in fresh lemon juice, olive oil, some white truffle oil, and a little bit of balsamic vinegar to make the dressing. Toss, and enjoy!
I want to talk about Cumin. No this is not a sex talk. Cumin is a completely underrated and underutilized spice in my view. It's often found in middle eastern cuisine, specifically in hummus, and gives this earthy, spicy, totally fragrant smell. Throw it in guacamole to give it some extra zest, in your salad dressing like I did above, on meat, or anywhere else you can find. It's potent, so make sure to start with just a little at first and build up from there.
In final, I paired the whole meal with a nice $8 bottle of Yali Cabernet, my favorite wine that I drank in Chile this past winter and just happens to be the cheapest (and you can find in the U.S.!). Also try their Sauvignon Blanc.
Oh! And for dessert, made pre-mix Ghiradelli brownies from Costco. But! Little secret of mine is that I threw in butterscotch morsels and salted cashews to give them a sort of salted caramel taste. Try it!
Love & Doughnuts,
The Mrakulous Kitchen
I read in a health article that when our body doesn't get the nutrition it needs, it tells us we are still hungry and then we over-eat (which is also very very bad for our body and consumes more energy than we can give). So! Moral of the story is eat meat! Or if you're a vegetarian eat eggs, rice AND beans (only by mixing do you get the complex protein), or whatever other crazy fake meat concoction they've got going on at Whole Foods.
On to the cookin'. I had two raw filets I picked up at King Soopers. Your fairly average cuts of meat--lean, a little marbled. I have no idea what temperature to cook it at, for how long, whether to braise, baste, steam, fry, saute, smoke...or what else? Beef has been a hallmark of U.S. meat with our regional barbecues and a prominent cattle industry. So every once in awhile, we're bound to come across some raw beef with potentially no idea what to do with it. So. Here's what I did:
I made a rub. A rub is a great way to go if you don't have the time to marinate or have no idea what else to do. Just look in your spice cabinet and throw some things together, rub it evenly on the steak and throw it on the grill or on the stove. This rub comes from Sharon Lee in Seattle.
Combine equal parts of salt (I used garlic salt), ground black pepper, and cumin. Rub evenly on all sides of each filet. Easy right?
Then, to add something extra, I wrapped it all in bacon. Yes, a meatlovers ultimate dream. Like butter, everything is made better by being wrapped in bacon. So, throw your diets out the window and indulge yourself in bacon-wrapped-anything at least once! It's like how Texans view deep-frying. You will probably become addicted. Just don't start wrapping your carrots in bacon, ok?
The bacon helped add a lot of flavor to the steak, and a heavy dose of fat which is the key ingredient in many delicious meals, unfortunately. Then, I fried the steak in a pan, continuously checking until it reached a pinky medium.
Next, I made a salad with raw spinach, roma tomatoes, asparagus (which I steamed first for about 7 minutes to make crunchy), and threw in some humbolt fog crumbles.
Humbolt fog. No not the term for a widespead fog in Humbolt county, California caused by too many pot smokers. Humbolt fog is an AWESOME blue cheese made entirely from sheep's milk (for all you lactards or goat/sheep cheese enthusiasts as I am both). It comes from my hometown, Washington, and the middle blackish-blue line that runs down the middle of each cheese slice is the ash from Mt. St. Helens eruption. Pretty cool, eh? And by the way, you do not taste the ash, in case you were wondering. It's a wonderful dry blue cheese that has a consistency like brie cheese and is great for salad or just plain munchin'.
Lastly, I took the bowl with the extra dry rub (salt, pepper, and cumin) and mixed in fresh lemon juice, olive oil, some white truffle oil, and a little bit of balsamic vinegar to make the dressing. Toss, and enjoy!
I want to talk about Cumin. No this is not a sex talk. Cumin is a completely underrated and underutilized spice in my view. It's often found in middle eastern cuisine, specifically in hummus, and gives this earthy, spicy, totally fragrant smell. Throw it in guacamole to give it some extra zest, in your salad dressing like I did above, on meat, or anywhere else you can find. It's potent, so make sure to start with just a little at first and build up from there.
In final, I paired the whole meal with a nice $8 bottle of Yali Cabernet, my favorite wine that I drank in Chile this past winter and just happens to be the cheapest (and you can find in the U.S.!). Also try their Sauvignon Blanc.
Oh! And for dessert, made pre-mix Ghiradelli brownies from Costco. But! Little secret of mine is that I threw in butterscotch morsels and salted cashews to give them a sort of salted caramel taste. Try it!
Love & Doughnuts,
The Mrakulous Kitchen
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