Meg and I have a bad habit when we go to do our grocery shopping over any given weekend: most people will draw up a list of what they're out of, a few things they need for any meals that they're planning ahead for, and head off to the grocery store. They go to their local Kroger-themed franchise, Fareway, Safeway-themed franchise, Dahl's, or what have you and knock out what they have on their shopping list and go home.
This, at least, is what Meg and I think as we make our way from store to store, collecting various meats, vegetables, spices and sauces in order to replenish our cupboards and prepare for any recipes we've eyed for the coming week. On any given weekend, I'd guess we hit three to four different grocery stores on average. We hit one of the big chain grocery stores - Carr's or Fred Meyer, make a quick run by Costco to pick up bulk items and meat, a quick run to Natural Pantry or New Sagaya Midtown Market to pick up a few organic or specialty items, and finally through one of the smaller ethnic markets, to grab some Asian ingredients, or to Red Apple for dulce de leche or other odd items. Plus a trip to Target, if our better senses don't hold us back. Maybe everyone is this way and it just never comes up in conversation, and we're not as crazy as we wonder if we are.
Crazy or not, we made our usual rounds today, returned home and dove right into our vague plans for cooking domination. A couple of weeks back whilst wandering through Costco, Meg saw The Food of India: A Journey for Food Lovers and picked up a copy. Thus far, our results have been quite good. We've made naan, lamb kofta, chapati, pork tikka and more. Today was the chapati (indian tortillas?) and the pork tikka. Additionally, Meg made up tandoori chicken from the January issue of Cooks Illustrated. I made up about ten pounds of baked ziti with sausage from another of the Cooks Illustrated books, The Best Make Ahead Recipe, and we got through with peeling our big bag'o'turnips to make this. Meg also cranked out some Pumpkin Spice Muffins yesterday from the pumpkin we roasted and froze from my office Halloween festivities.
(side note - still greatly enjoying having a full sized food processor. makes quick work of everything)
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Sunday, December 28, 2008
The year in food - a belated review
So we've dropped the ball here for a while. I, for one, apologize for that. The past year has been a bit of a blur. Meg and I haven't managed to keep the blog updated (as noted above), but we did get the gourmet group together a number of times. Cocktails, favorite foods, and more made up the schedule. We'll update the gourmetnight.org website in short order with details and pictures.
Travel plans were cut short this summer with both our work schedules and subsequently, unrelated injuries. Meg's ankle is on the mend, though it (and the 9th circuit court of appeals) did keep us from visiting Montreal.
Random ongoing projects:
We recently mixed up some grapes and flour to bring a sourdough starter of our very own to life. Thus far, it's done little more than ooze some colorful fluids and, just today, come up with a distinctively sour smell. Combined with one of my christmas gifts from Meg, a ceramic pizza stone, we may have some fine bread here soon. If you want to make your own starter, we cribbed some notes from here - Grape Starter Procedure - which is more or less the starter made famous by Julia Child.
Recent readings and ongoing cookbooks:
Roast Chicken and Other Stories - tried a few recipes from this one - the roast potatoes are fantastic. Roast Chicken at Amazon.
The Essential Cocktail: The Art of Mixing Perfect Drinks - nary a complaint here. Finding uses for raw eggs and rye in drinks makes, er, for some tasty results. Worth every penny. Cocktails by Mr. Degroff.
More details to follow.
Travel plans were cut short this summer with both our work schedules and subsequently, unrelated injuries. Meg's ankle is on the mend, though it (and the 9th circuit court of appeals) did keep us from visiting Montreal.
Random ongoing projects:
We recently mixed up some grapes and flour to bring a sourdough starter of our very own to life. Thus far, it's done little more than ooze some colorful fluids and, just today, come up with a distinctively sour smell. Combined with one of my christmas gifts from Meg, a ceramic pizza stone, we may have some fine bread here soon. If you want to make your own starter, we cribbed some notes from here - Grape Starter Procedure - which is more or less the starter made famous by Julia Child.
Recent readings and ongoing cookbooks:
Roast Chicken and Other Stories - tried a few recipes from this one - the roast potatoes are fantastic. Roast Chicken at Amazon.The Essential Cocktail: The Art of Mixing Perfect Drinks - nary a complaint here. Finding uses for raw eggs and rye in drinks makes, er, for some tasty results. Worth every penny. Cocktails by Mr. Degroff.More details to follow.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Blog Name Change
In case you noticed the title of the blog has changed to "Anchorage Gourmet" from "Anchorage Gourmet Night." The name change comes after one of the gourmet night participants pointed out that the blog has expanded much beyond just covering the gourmet night group and recipes. We'll still post the goings on of the Anchorage Gourmet Night group, but continue to post all things "gourmet" that we find interesting and tasty.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
In Honor of the Caucuses
Tonight Zach and I ate like we were in Iowa. A dinner of salad, pork chops, sweet potato fries and applesauce.Yes, people in Iowa do eat like this, however, I hope its only occasionally.
Easy Pork Chops from The New Best Recipe
Serves 4
4 bone-in rib or center cut pork chops, 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick (about 7 ounces each), patted dry with paper towels and scored - Using a sharp knife, cut two slits about 2 inches apart, through the outer layer of fat and connective tissue. [We used some slices from a larger pork roast we bought over the weekend so we had no bones and didn't do the additional cutting.]
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
Salt and ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1. If using an electric stove, turn the burner to medium heat. Rub both sides of each chop with 1/8 teaspoon of the oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle the meat portion on one side of each chop evenly with 1/8 teaspoon of the sugar, avoiding the bone.
2. Place the chops, sugared side down in a nonstick 12-inch skillet. [We used a cast iron one and it worked great!] Position the chops so that the ribs point to the center of the pan. Using your hand, press the meat on each chop into the pan. Set the skillet over medium heat; cook until lightly browned, 4 to 9 minutes. Using the tongs, flip the chops, positioning them in the same manner as before. Cover the skillet, reduce the heat to low, and cook until the center of each chop registers 140 to 145 degrees; the chops will be barely brown on the second side. Transfer the chops to a platter, tent loosely with foil, and let rest for 5 minutes.
All in all a quick and tasty meal. We just took applesauce from the jar, poured it in a pan and put it on low heat while the chops and fries cooked.
My favorite, however, are the sweet potato fries. They're really simple to make.
Sweet Potato Fries
4 yams or sweet potatoes or a combination
2 tablespoons olive oil
Sea Salt
Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Cut the potatoes into sticks. I usually get about 8-10 sticks per potato. Toss with oil or use a spray bottle and spray the oil on the potatoes once they're on the foil lined baking sheet. Bake 30 minutes. Be sure to keep an eye on them since they cook at such a high temp. If you prefer them more crispy, turn the broiler on at the very end, but really watch them closely as they will burn quickly. It only takes a minute or two.
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
Salt and ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1. If using an electric stove, turn the burner to medium heat. Rub both sides of each chop with 1/8 teaspoon of the oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle the meat portion on one side of each chop evenly with 1/8 teaspoon of the sugar, avoiding the bone.
2. Place the chops, sugared side down in a nonstick 12-inch skillet. [We used a cast iron one and it worked great!] Position the chops so that the ribs point to the center of the pan. Using your hand, press the meat on each chop into the pan. Set the skillet over medium heat; cook until lightly browned, 4 to 9 minutes. Using the tongs, flip the chops, positioning them in the same manner as before. Cover the skillet, reduce the heat to low, and cook until the center of each chop registers 140 to 145 degrees; the chops will be barely brown on the second side. Transfer the chops to a platter, tent loosely with foil, and let rest for 5 minutes.
All in all a quick and tasty meal. We just took applesauce from the jar, poured it in a pan and put it on low heat while the chops and fries cooked.
My favorite, however, are the sweet potato fries. They're really simple to make.
Sweet Potato Fries
4 yams or sweet potatoes or a combination
2 tablespoons olive oil
Sea Salt
Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Cut the potatoes into sticks. I usually get about 8-10 sticks per potato. Toss with oil or use a spray bottle and spray the oil on the potatoes once they're on the foil lined baking sheet. Bake 30 minutes. Be sure to keep an eye on them since they cook at such a high temp. If you prefer them more crispy, turn the broiler on at the very end, but really watch them closely as they will burn quickly. It only takes a minute or two.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
A Post About Parsley
As we are working our way through the recipes in The New Best Recipe, parsley has been an ever present ingredient. So, we are really getting some use out of the parsley mill my mother gave Zach for his birthday this past fall. I must admit when Zach received this gadget, I thought, great another piece of kitchen equipment that will clutter the shelves and go unused. I was so wrong. It works really great for mincing parsley. You just put the parsley in the top, secure the lid and then turn the handle. Cleanup is easy too; just give it a rinse.
Another word on parsley. When you buy a bunch of parsley, but perhaps don't need all of it at once, just cut the bottoms of the stems and put the parsley in a cup of water in the fridge. It'll stay fresher longer. We do it with all our bunch herbs, like cilantro.
Fresh Herb and Parmesan Frittata
Waking up and apparently ambitious in the new year, I cooked breakfast. This is maybe a three to four time a month event. I was frying up some sausage and Zach said he wanted eggs as well. So, I was getting ready just to scramble some up, but took a minute to look at The New Best Recipe, which we are working through to see if there was something I could knock off the list. Alas, almost as easy as just scrambling some eggs, we had this tasty frittata for our first breakfast of 2008.
Serves 2 to 4
(We halved the recipe and it was just enough for two with a sausage patty a piece and some toast for Zach)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 small onion
2 tablespoons mined herb leaves, such as parsley, basil, dill, tarragon, or mint
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
6 large egg, lightly beaten
1. Adjust an oven rack to the upper-middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Heat the oil in an 10-inch ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium heat. Swirl the skillet to distribute the oil evenly over the bottom and sides (Note: This is important, you can see in the picture above where ours stuck in the front). Add the onion and saute until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the herb (We used parsley).
3. Meanwhile, beat the Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper into the eggs with a fork in a medium bowl.
4. Pour the egg mixture into the skillet and stir lightly with a fork until the eggs start to set. Once the bottom is firm, use a thin plastic spatula to lift the frittata edge closest to you. Tilt the skillet slightly toward you so that the uncooked egg runs underneath. Return the skillet to the level position and swirl gently to evenly distribute the egg. Continue cooking about 40 seconds, then lift the edge again, repeating the process until the egg on top is no longer runny.
5. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until the frittata top is set and dry to the touch, 2 to 4 minutes, removing it as soon as the top is just set.
6. Run a spatula around the skillet edge to loosen the frittata. Invert the frittata onto a serving plate. Serve warm, room temperature or chilled.
2. Heat the oil in an 10-inch ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium heat. Swirl the skillet to distribute the oil evenly over the bottom and sides (Note: This is important, you can see in the picture above where ours stuck in the front). Add the onion and saute until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the herb (We used parsley).
3. Meanwhile, beat the Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper into the eggs with a fork in a medium bowl.
4. Pour the egg mixture into the skillet and stir lightly with a fork until the eggs start to set. Once the bottom is firm, use a thin plastic spatula to lift the frittata edge closest to you. Tilt the skillet slightly toward you so that the uncooked egg runs underneath. Return the skillet to the level position and swirl gently to evenly distribute the egg. Continue cooking about 40 seconds, then lift the edge again, repeating the process until the egg on top is no longer runny.
5. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until the frittata top is set and dry to the touch, 2 to 4 minutes, removing it as soon as the top is just set.
6. Run a spatula around the skillet edge to loosen the frittata. Invert the frittata onto a serving plate. Serve warm, room temperature or chilled.
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Chicken Noodle Soup
Serves 6 to 8
2 tablespoons of chicken fat (reserved from making stock) or vegetable oil
1 medium onion, cut into medium dice
1 large carrot, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 celery rib, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 recipe Chicken Stock (note: and the left over meat)
2 cups (3 ounces) wide egg noodles
1/4 cup minced parsley leaves
Ground black pepper
1. Heat the chicken fat in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery; saute until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the thyme, along with the stock and shredded chicken meat (note: don't forget to do this unless you did it when you finished making the stock); simmer until the vegetables are tender and flavors meld, 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Add the noodles and cook until just tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the parsley and pepper to taste, adjust the seasonings, and serve.
When I first read this recipe, I didn't realize it took the entire recipe of chicken stock from the previous post. Good thing I just stuck it in the fridge and didn't get it bagged and put in the freezer.
Once the stock is made, this is a quick 20-30 minute recipe. Perfect for a weeknight dinner.
2 tablespoons of chicken fat (reserved from making stock) or vegetable oil
1 medium onion, cut into medium dice
1 large carrot, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 celery rib, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 recipe Chicken Stock (note: and the left over meat)
2 cups (3 ounces) wide egg noodles
1/4 cup minced parsley leaves
Ground black pepper
1. Heat the chicken fat in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery; saute until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the thyme, along with the stock and shredded chicken meat (note: don't forget to do this unless you did it when you finished making the stock); simmer until the vegetables are tender and flavors meld, 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Add the noodles and cook until just tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the parsley and pepper to taste, adjust the seasonings, and serve.
When I first read this recipe, I didn't realize it took the entire recipe of chicken stock from the previous post. Good thing I just stuck it in the fridge and didn't get it bagged and put in the freezer.
Once the stock is made, this is a quick 20-30 minute recipe. Perfect for a weeknight dinner.
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