Brown Rice with Sauteed Onions and Kale

Sorta made this up the other night, and it was SO good.

Brown Rice with Sauteed Onions and Kale

Ingredients:

Organic short-grain brown rice

1 onion, chopped pole-to-pole

1 clove garlic, chopped

Compound herb butter

1 bunch kale, stems removed and broken into 2-inch pieces

Olive oil

Lemon juice

Salt

~~~~

Cook the rice. Add 3 medallions of herb butter and cover off heat.

Heat oil in a skillet. Saute onions until nicely browned, 8-10 minutes. Add garlic during last minute.

Transfer onion/garlic mixture to rice pot. Re-cover.

Heat more oil. Add kale in batches. Turn kale with tongs until coated with oil. It will pop and spit dramatically, so use a splatter screen if you have one. Continue turning frequently until just crispy, 5 minutes or so. Add a splash of lemon or lime juice and some salt and toss during the last minute.

Mix rice and onion mixture and plate. Top with kale.

Cucumber Salad

As summer approaches, I’ve been really into salads lately. On a hot day, or as a counterpoint to a rich, heavy dish, there’s nothing like cold, creamy, crunchy cucumber salad. There are a jillion different ways to vary them, too. Use sour cream instead of plain yogurt. Or add fresh dill, or mint.

Ingredients:

2 cucumbers, chopped

1 sm. red onion, chopped

1 tomato, chopped

1 cup plain yogurt

2 TB olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 tsp ground cumin

Salt & pepper

Chop first three ingredients into a colander set over a bowl.

Toss with 1 TB salt.

Weigh veggies down with a gallon-size Ziploc bag full of water. Let sit for 1 to 3 hours.

Combine remaining ingredients and add drained veggies. Chill before serving.

Tomato-Mint Salad with Goat Cheese

I just made this up the other day. It would make a fabulous chilled summer salad when its hot.

Tomato-Mint Salad with Goat Cheese

Ingredients:

One large heirloom tomato

5-6 sprigs of mint

4 ounces goat cheese (fruit-infused goat cheese is GREAT)

salt and pepper

Balsamic vinegar

I ended up not using the oil.

Chop tomato into a mixing bowl. Pull off mint leaves, create stacks, and slice.

Add crumbled goat cheese and mix thoroughly. I used a fig-infused goat cheese from Costco, and it was AMAZING. But regular goat cheese would work well, too. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Chill until ready to serve.

I served it with the ham, egg, and cheese cups.

Really, this was wonderful plain…

…or with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

World’s Worst Restaurant Names

Yes, they’re all real.

Easy Crab Cakes (Only Four Ingredients!)

Crab cakes without the fuss. Got this recipe from Real Simple magazine, from their now-defunct “Fake It, Don’t Make It” column. I stopped subscribing just because they dropped this one feature.

Easy Crab Cakes

(Makes 4 to 6)

Ingredients:

2.5 cups potato chips

2 cans lump crabmeat

1/3 cup tartar sauce (mayonnaise works fine, too)

1.5 TBS mustard

1/4 tsp black pepper

2 TBS butter, cut into thin slices or small chunks

In a mixing bowl, crush the potato chips with the bottom of a measuring cup.

Add the crabmeat, tartar sauce, mustard, and pepper.

Stir to combine well.

Wash your hands. Form into 4 to 6 patties and arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Top with pats of butter.

Place under broiler for 1-3 minutes, until browned. Serve with lemon wedges and salad. Or, lacking that, sour cream.

A Super Bowl Spread to End All

Enjoy the game (and commercials)!

Food as Alchemy

Homaro Cantu and Ben Roche come from Moto, a Chicago restaurant that plays with new ways to cook and eat food. Among other things, check out the edible “cigar,” sweet nachos, a bleeding veggie burger made from what cows eat, fruits that make sour things taste sweet and sweet things taste savory, and cooking with wild plants.

http://www.ted.com/talks/homaro_cantu_ben_roche_cooking_as_alchemy.html

 

Food Survey

Found this on AussieEmjay’s blog. I never considered myself an adventurous eater, but I got a few!

Bold all the foods you’ve tried:

1.  Abalone:  Even though I’m a certified diver, I’ve never tried abalone. Too expensive in restaurants.

2.  Absinthe:    Oh, yes. Does not live up to its reputation, lemme tell you.

3.  Alligator:   No,  but I’ve always wanted to try it. I hear it can have a slight fishy taste.

4.  Baba Ghanoush -  A must-order at Persian restaurants, along with hummus with extra olive oil and lemon juice.

5.  Bagel & Lox  -    Of course? Who hasn’t tried lox & bagel? Of course, it also has to have cream cheese, sliced red onion, and capers to be complete.

6.  Baklava -  Nothing bad in there. Just pistachios, honey, and phyllo dough, right? Totally healthful.

7.  Barbeque Ribs  -  Who are these people who haven’t tried BBQ ribs?!?

8.  Bellini -  My favorite cocktail is the White Russian. You are what you drink!

9.  Bird’s Nest Soup  -  Nope. It would break my heart.

10.  Biscuits & Gravy  -  EmJay doesn’t know what she’s missing. They’re filling, warm, savory, meaty…

11.  Black Pudding – EW.

12.  Black Truffle – Only just shaved into risotto or used as a flavored oil.

13.  Borscht  – Being Ukrainian, I am required to make this occasionally.

14.  Calamari -  I’ve had good calamari, and I’ve had bad. The bad tastes like deep-fried rubberbands.

15.  Carp -   I’m sure I’ve eaten this somewhere.

16.  Caviar  – Only as appetizers. Had this once: Bite-sized cooked new potatoes, with the inner part scooped out to hold a dollop of cream cheese and caviar. Delicious!

17.  Cheese Fondue -  Made it once when I was a teen. It’s fun. Add beer.

18.  Chicken & Waffles  -  Apparently, this is a big Southern thang. I don’t eat chicken, though.

19.  Chicken Tikka Masala – See above re: chicken.

20.  Chile Relleno  -  A big mild pepper stuffed with cheese and baked. Living in SoCal, I’ve eaten scores of these.

21.  Chitlins  -  EEEWWWWW!

22.  Churros  -  They are ubiquitous at tourist-traps in SoCal.

23.  Clam Chowder  -  I prefer Manhattan-style.

24.  Cognac  – Lovely.

25.  Crab Cakes -  I have a great recipe for easy crab cakes. Only four ingredients.

26.  Crickets – Not attracted to eating bugs. At all.

27.  Currywurst -  Nope.

28.  Dandelion Wine  – No, but I’ve had honey wine (mead).

29.  Dulce De Leche  -  Again with SoCal.

30.  Durian -  No, but it looks crazy!

31.  Eel  -  Another one of those that can easily be cooked badly.

32.  Eggs Benedict  – The ultimate brunch food, along with a good Bloody Mary.

33.  Fish Tacos  – Delicious! I’ve made them myself. Invented in northern Baja by road-side mariscos stands.

34.  Foie Gras -   Too cruel. It’s going to be banned here in California in about 6 months.

35.  Fresh Spring Rolls  – Delicious.

36.  Fried Catfish  -  With a creamy corn-garlic chutney, OMG.

37.  Fried Green Tomatoes -  Always wanted to try this.

38.  Fried Plantain  -   There used to be a Jamacian place near my work.

39.  Frito Pie -  No, I don’t do ground beef.

40.  Frogs’ Legs -  Too French.

41. Fugu – Better know your chef…

42.  Funnel Cake -  Overrated. Get the cinnamon roll instead.

43.  Gazpacho  -  I’ve made it. SO good on a hot summer day.

44.   Goat – Not yet, but I’d try it.

45.  Goat’s milk  – In the form of cheese…

46.  Goulash  -  Nope.

47.  Gumbo – At seafood restaurants.

48.  Haggis -  I’d have to be pretty smashed on good Scotch to even consider it. But I hear it’s delicious.

49.  Head Cheese -  EEEWWWW!

50.  Heirloom Tomatoes -  Whenever possible. They actually taste like tomatoes!

51.  Honeycomb  – I go to extra lengths to get honey with the comb in.

52.  Hostess Fruit Pie – Sure, but is this considered an exotic food?

53.   Huevos Rancheros  -  I make it at home all the time.

54.   Jerk Chicken -  Again with the chicken.

55.   Kangaroo  -  No, but I’d try it.

56.   Key Lime Pie  -  Oh, GOD, yes. I have an easy recipe for this, too. Only 4 ingredients.

57.   Kobe Beef  -   Nope.

58.   Lassi  -   No, but it looks yummy.

59.   Lobster – Oh yes, with melted butter.

60.   Mimosa -  The alternate brunch drink for people who don’t like Bloody Marys.

61.   MoonPie -  When I was a kid…

62.   Morel Mushrooms -   Hard to find, but yes.

63.   Nettle Tea  -  I doubt it.

64.   Octopus -  Got to be tiny and chopped up.

65.   Oxtail Soup  – Nope.

66.   Paella  – Had it for the first time in Madrid. Very authentic. Included whole prawns, complete with legs, antennae and eyeballs!

67.   Paneer  -  Probably. I love Indian food.

68.   Pastrami on Rye  – A classic.

69.   Pavlova  – No, but they look divine.

70.   Phaal  -  I don’t think so.

71.  Philly Cheese Steak  – Nope.

72.   Pho – I love Vietnamese food.

73.   Pineapple & Cottage Cheese  -  When I was a kid…

74.   Pistachio Ice Cream – Not my favorite.

75.   Po’Boy – Probably not an authentic one, but yes.

76.   Pocky -  MIL’s Japanese neighbor used to give her all sorts of Asian food, which she was afraid to eat.

77.   Polenta – Sliced, fried, and served with butter and syrup? HEAVEN.

78.   Prickly Pear – Common in SoCal. Often in salads.

79.   Rabbit Stew – Nope.

80.   Raw Oysters – Once. It was an exotic treat.

81.   Root Beer Float  -  Yum. I’ll have one right now, barkeep!

82.   S’mores  -  Sounds great on paper, but they’re really just a mess.

83.   Sauerkraut – Only on a good bratwurst.

84.  Sea Urchin  – I believe so.

85.  Shark  -  Nope.

86.   Snail -   EW!

87.  Snake  – Nope, not yet, anyway.

88.  Soft Shell Crab -  Too gross.

89.   Som Tam  -   Saw a recipe for this in Bon Appetit, but who can find green papaya?

90.   Spaetzle  -  Nope.

91.   Spam  – My dad used to like it. I couldn’t stand the jelly clinging to it, or just about anything else to do with it, either.

92.   Squirrel  -  Nope.

93.   Steak Tartare -  I’ll eat raw tuna, but not beef.

94.   Sweet Potato Fries  – Overrated.

95.   Sweetbreads  – EEEEEWWWWWWW!

96.   Tom Yum  -   LOVE Thai food, especially when I’m sick.

97.   Umeboshi  -  It’s a salted, fermented plum from Japan. It’s better than Pepto or Alka-Seltzer for upset stomach. Just swallow a spoonful of it and feel immediately better. Find it at Asian markets or herb stores.

98.   Venison – We got some one winter from a local. I slow-cooked it, and it was GOOD.

99.   Wasabi Peas -  Great snacks.

100.   Zucchini Flowers – Just recently made them myself a couple times, when I spotted them for a buck a bunch at the farmer’s market.

Brand Identity

Brilliant! Anyone else remember those generic plain-wrap items with the white wrapping and black block lettering, back in the eighties?

From XKCD.com:

How to Chop an Onion and Avoid Tears

I haven’t posted any recipes lately. Not that I haven’t been cooking, just nothing new. So I thought I’d post something basic that not everyone might know: the hands-down best way to chop an onion.

First, chop both ends off. (The “poles.”)

Score three lines down the outsides, about 1/8 to 1/4 inch deep. Peel off the outer one or two layers of onion.

Cut onion in half, down the poles. Lay one half flat on chopping board. Slice down from pole to pole.

Now slice against your first cut, creating little blocks. You’re done! The little blocks will fall apart on their own, along their layers, when you cook them.

This method makes it really easy to pick up the entire half and move it to your prep bowl.

TIP FOR AVOIDING TEARS:

Place a small votive candle on the near end of your chopping block, so it’s underneath your eyes. Don’t burn your clothes. When the onion is cut, it releases sulfur-based compounds into the air. When those compounds land on your eyes, they create sulphuric acid, making you tear up temporarily. The open flame burns off some of those compounds before they hit your eyes, allowing you to chop longer.