Friday, December 18, 2009
I'm Sooo Sorry
I have to apologize to anyone who is following this blog. I was going to have a new recipe posted today, but life just got in the way. You know I'm a "starving writer type". I'm trying to get provincial and federal arts funding in the form of a grant so that I can complete the research for a collection of short stories I'm working on, as well as a novel-length manuscript. That process has taken over my life over the past couple of days. Everything about my submission (begging) has to be perfect. I've resorted to borrowing money to pay for editors to look at my work and suggest improvements. My partner has the day off tomorrow, so we get to do together stuff. I'll try for posting the recipe on Sunday.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
OMG We're NOT Having Pasta Tonight!
I discovered that Stratford is an even more happening little burg than I originally thought. It actually has a not-so-small store that sells only certified organic products. They even have red curry paste! Do you realize how hard it is to find that stuff? But curry is not the reason for this post. Rather it is to give you another shopping list for a recipe. What is different with this recipe is the fact that it doesn't use pasta at all. No offence to the Italian people, but sometimes even I have to give pasta a break.
The list is as follows, and should feed two people easily:
Produce
2 or 3 medium red potatoes (white or Yukon Gold will be fine as well).
2 large or 3 medium red beets.
1 eight-inch carrot (utility grade is just fine).
1 good fist-sized head of broccoli. (or you can substitute a couple of palm-fulls of green beans).
Meat
1 pack of bacon, divided into three equal portions (freeze two, and use one).
450 g or 1 lb, of strir fry pork strips.
Incidentals
About 10 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil (seriously use olive oil, it tastes great, is good for you, and makes your kitchen guests think that you really do know what you're doing).
About a tea spoon of freshly ground pepper. Orinary pre-ground is fine, but if you can afford a pepper mill and whole black peppercorns then that's great.
Things to Think About
Do all of your slicing and chopping ahead of time and put the ingredients aside separately in small containers (whatever works) because most of them have different cooking time requirements, so you'll be adding each at a different point in time during the cooking process.
How Much Does This Meal Cost?
Without a word of a lie, and thanks to my strategic shopping method, this particular meal for two (using fresh vegetables) works out to about $4.25 for two people, or $2.12 per person. What can you get at a fast food joint for $4.25: two or three strips of overcooked mystery chicken. Hey, this is an easy decision to make. Stay tuned as I post the actual recipe/cooking directions in the next day or two.
The list is as follows, and should feed two people easily:
Produce
2 or 3 medium red potatoes (white or Yukon Gold will be fine as well).
2 large or 3 medium red beets.
1 eight-inch carrot (utility grade is just fine).
1 good fist-sized head of broccoli. (or you can substitute a couple of palm-fulls of green beans).
Meat
1 pack of bacon, divided into three equal portions (freeze two, and use one).
450 g or 1 lb, of strir fry pork strips.
Incidentals
About 10 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil (seriously use olive oil, it tastes great, is good for you, and makes your kitchen guests think that you really do know what you're doing).
About a tea spoon of freshly ground pepper. Orinary pre-ground is fine, but if you can afford a pepper mill and whole black peppercorns then that's great.
Things to Think About
Do all of your slicing and chopping ahead of time and put the ingredients aside separately in small containers (whatever works) because most of them have different cooking time requirements, so you'll be adding each at a different point in time during the cooking process.
How Much Does This Meal Cost?
Without a word of a lie, and thanks to my strategic shopping method, this particular meal for two (using fresh vegetables) works out to about $4.25 for two people, or $2.12 per person. What can you get at a fast food joint for $4.25: two or three strips of overcooked mystery chicken. Hey, this is an easy decision to make. Stay tuned as I post the actual recipe/cooking directions in the next day or two.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
A Really Easy Mediterranean Dinner For Two: Greek Style
This recipe uses some of the same ingredients as the Mediterranean Dinner For Two: Italian Version.
Take away the diced tomatoes, and prepared marinara sauce. You will need 3 - 5 good-sized garlic cloves, 3 large pieces of sundried tomatoes, 3 large (preferably extra large) eggs, the same fusili (rotini) pasta, and 1/3 of a pack of good bacon.
The prep work is the same as well. Slice and dice the vegetables, and sundried tomato, as in the previous recipe, and do the same with the sausage. You'll cut the bacon cross wise into 1/4" segments and then chop it up coarsely. All of the chopped vegetables, with the exception of the onion and garlic can be put in the same bowl. Keep the onion and garlic separate from each other because they'll be added to the mixture at different times during cooking. Crack open the eggs and whip together so they are consistently smooth.
Cooking:
Coat the bottom of the frying pan with about 3 tablespoons of extravirgin olive oil on medium heat. Once heated through, toss in the bacon and mix about making sure to separate as many of the pieces as possible. Once the bacon is crisp, but not burned, take it out of the pan and set aside. Drain oil and bacon grease from pan and wipe with paper towel.
Add about 5 tablespoon of extravergin olive oil to pan and return to heat. Toss in the sausage balls, and cook until they are browned, but not burned. Once done, remove from heat and set aside with the bacon.
Using remaining oil in pan toss in the vegetables, except onion and garlic, olives, sudried tomatos, and artichoke hearts. Cover pan. Check occasionally ans stir. Once brocolli starts becoming bright green, add the onions. Cover pan. Once onions begin to turn milky white, add the garlic and stir the heck out of the mixture. Cover pan. Once the garlic is soft and turning yellowish, but not brown, take the vegetables out of the pan and put aside.
Cook up the pasta according to the package directions. Once done, drain, and put back into pot. Reduce heat to medium. Gradually stir in the eggs a bit at a time, making sure to coat pasta completely. Once all eggs have been stirred into the pasta, cover the pot for about 3 minutes to cook the eggs further.
Combining
Gradually combine vegetables, sundried tomatoes, meatballs, and bacon into the pasta. Stir well for even distribution. Add 3 to 5 tablespoons of drained sliced black olives, and the same with the artichoke hearts. Stir well for even distribution. Remove from heat. Put desired amount in serving bowls, and sprinkle each with a handful of crumbled feta cheese.
Go and eat!
Take away the diced tomatoes, and prepared marinara sauce. You will need 3 - 5 good-sized garlic cloves, 3 large pieces of sundried tomatoes, 3 large (preferably extra large) eggs, the same fusili (rotini) pasta, and 1/3 of a pack of good bacon.
The prep work is the same as well. Slice and dice the vegetables, and sundried tomato, as in the previous recipe, and do the same with the sausage. You'll cut the bacon cross wise into 1/4" segments and then chop it up coarsely. All of the chopped vegetables, with the exception of the onion and garlic can be put in the same bowl. Keep the onion and garlic separate from each other because they'll be added to the mixture at different times during cooking. Crack open the eggs and whip together so they are consistently smooth.
Cooking:
Coat the bottom of the frying pan with about 3 tablespoons of extravirgin olive oil on medium heat. Once heated through, toss in the bacon and mix about making sure to separate as many of the pieces as possible. Once the bacon is crisp, but not burned, take it out of the pan and set aside. Drain oil and bacon grease from pan and wipe with paper towel.
Add about 5 tablespoon of extravergin olive oil to pan and return to heat. Toss in the sausage balls, and cook until they are browned, but not burned. Once done, remove from heat and set aside with the bacon.
Using remaining oil in pan toss in the vegetables, except onion and garlic, olives, sudried tomatos, and artichoke hearts. Cover pan. Check occasionally ans stir. Once brocolli starts becoming bright green, add the onions. Cover pan. Once onions begin to turn milky white, add the garlic and stir the heck out of the mixture. Cover pan. Once the garlic is soft and turning yellowish, but not brown, take the vegetables out of the pan and put aside.
Cook up the pasta according to the package directions. Once done, drain, and put back into pot. Reduce heat to medium. Gradually stir in the eggs a bit at a time, making sure to coat pasta completely. Once all eggs have been stirred into the pasta, cover the pot for about 3 minutes to cook the eggs further.
Combining
Gradually combine vegetables, sundried tomatoes, meatballs, and bacon into the pasta. Stir well for even distribution. Add 3 to 5 tablespoons of drained sliced black olives, and the same with the artichoke hearts. Stir well for even distribution. Remove from heat. Put desired amount in serving bowls, and sprinkle each with a handful of crumbled feta cheese.
Go and eat!
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Nice Thoughts For Crappy Weather
It looks like winter finally hit South Western Ontario. It has been blustering for the last 12-hours, and there is actually snow on the ground (not much, but enough to make it look like winter). I thought that instead of popping hadfulls of anti-depressants for the rest of the season, I'd post some spring and summer photos of Stratford. You can see what my little town looks like.
The court house at Ontario and Huron St.
The East side of Ontario St. down town.
Some kind of flowering fruit tree behind the court house.
In spring and summer, this is the view from my window.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Mediteranean Pasta Dinner For 2: Italian Version (With Leftovers For Lunch)
Ok this is a very easy recipe to prepare. I don't use the full list of items that I purchased. I'll use 1/2 of this, 2/3 of that and so on. I tend to use the rest of the ingredients as I experiment in my kitchen. There is another version of this recipe that doesn't use diced tomatoes or tomato sauce, and it is even faster to prepare. Stay tuned for that post: coming really soon.
Let's start with the really easy part: slicing, draining and straining.
Take out 4 or so artichoke heats. Cut them lengthwise into quarters, and then chop them up into decent sized pieces (enough to give a bit of a bite, but not to choke you). Set them aside in some sort of small container.
Rinse the heck out of the head of broccoli, and snap, or cut off about 6 -8 decent sized florets. Chop these as you did the artichoke and put them aside in a different container.
Do the same with the cauliflower (you shouldn't use more than 1/2 the head). Put in same container as broccoli.
Slice the green bell pepper open lengthwise, take out the seed part and the spongy white bits. Rinse under cold water, and slice lengthways into 1/4" strips. Chop it coarsely and put in same container as broccoli.
Slice the sausage into small meat-ball sized pieces. Place in skillet/frying pan that has about 5 table spoons of extra virgin olive oil in it already preheated over medium. Make sure to separate the sausage balls or they'll cook funny and take a bit longer. Cover, but keep watch over them as it's easy to burn them, so you might wish to lower the heat at this point.
Trim and peel, slice/chop the red onion while the sausage is doing its thing on the stove. (I do the onion last so that my house doesn't stink too much.) Put in small container separate from other veggies and cover to reduce smell.
Every now and then stir and check on the sausage. You'll know it's done when you cut one in two and it's not pink inside. Try to get the outside a little crisp and brown without burning it. Once it is done, remove from heat and scoop out into a separate container or microwave safe bowl... stick it in the micro, but don't turn it on just yet.
Now is the time when you should have a pot of boiling water handy. I usually set it on medium as I'm chopping and slicing, and crank it up to high once the sausage is done. If the water is boiling, toss in the pasta.
Quickly drain the frying pan/skillet of used oil, and put in the same amount of fresh. Add all of the veggies except the onion, stir them around to coat them with oil, and cover the pan. Stir a couple of times over 5 minutes. When the broccoli starts turning a vibrant green, throw in the onion and stir the whole shebang again a few times. Don't over cook the onion. It's done when it sarts to take on a slightly pale/whitish colour. Once that happens, take all the veggies off the heat and transfer to the sausage bowl that's in the microwave. Don't turn on the microwave though.
The pasta should take about 8 - 10 minutes to get ready, so you'll have to work fast here. You'll use about 1/3 to 1/2 of the can of diced tomatoes, rinsed please, put them back in the same pan as the vegetables were in (no worries about draining the oil this time). Stir them about, keeping the stove on medium low. Pour in about 1/3 to 1/2 of the jar of prepared marinara sauce, stir together and continue heating.
The pasta should be ready about now so drain it and put it back in the pot, but not on a hot element. Nuke the stuff that's in the microwave on 50% power for about 40 seconds: put it in the frying pan with the sauce and stir together well. (If you like sliced black olives which this recipe really does need, scoop out about 5 good tablespoons out of the can, and drain as much of the liquid from them as you do so. Put them in the pan and stir them up.)
Take the pan off the heat, and while it is cooling a bit, chop up a couple of handful-sized portions of feta cheese. Once this is done, add the artichoke hearts to the cooling pasta mixture. Place desired portion amount on plates and sprinkle the feta cheese over each portion. If you have some nice crusty bread, with unsalted room temperature butter, have some as an accompaniment.
Go and eat.
If anyone on the planet ever reads this, let me know what you think. Oh I nearly forgot to mention that you can add a small amount of really flavourful red wine to the sauce (buy some really cheap plonk and use maybe half a cup or so) as it's cooking. It'll really punch out the flavours of the meat and vegetables.
Let's start with the really easy part: slicing, draining and straining.
Take out 4 or so artichoke heats. Cut them lengthwise into quarters, and then chop them up into decent sized pieces (enough to give a bit of a bite, but not to choke you). Set them aside in some sort of small container.
Rinse the heck out of the head of broccoli, and snap, or cut off about 6 -8 decent sized florets. Chop these as you did the artichoke and put them aside in a different container.
Do the same with the cauliflower (you shouldn't use more than 1/2 the head). Put in same container as broccoli.
Slice the green bell pepper open lengthwise, take out the seed part and the spongy white bits. Rinse under cold water, and slice lengthways into 1/4" strips. Chop it coarsely and put in same container as broccoli.
Slice the sausage into small meat-ball sized pieces. Place in skillet/frying pan that has about 5 table spoons of extra virgin olive oil in it already preheated over medium. Make sure to separate the sausage balls or they'll cook funny and take a bit longer. Cover, but keep watch over them as it's easy to burn them, so you might wish to lower the heat at this point.
Trim and peel, slice/chop the red onion while the sausage is doing its thing on the stove. (I do the onion last so that my house doesn't stink too much.) Put in small container separate from other veggies and cover to reduce smell.
Every now and then stir and check on the sausage. You'll know it's done when you cut one in two and it's not pink inside. Try to get the outside a little crisp and brown without burning it. Once it is done, remove from heat and scoop out into a separate container or microwave safe bowl... stick it in the micro, but don't turn it on just yet.
Now is the time when you should have a pot of boiling water handy. I usually set it on medium as I'm chopping and slicing, and crank it up to high once the sausage is done. If the water is boiling, toss in the pasta.
Quickly drain the frying pan/skillet of used oil, and put in the same amount of fresh. Add all of the veggies except the onion, stir them around to coat them with oil, and cover the pan. Stir a couple of times over 5 minutes. When the broccoli starts turning a vibrant green, throw in the onion and stir the whole shebang again a few times. Don't over cook the onion. It's done when it sarts to take on a slightly pale/whitish colour. Once that happens, take all the veggies off the heat and transfer to the sausage bowl that's in the microwave. Don't turn on the microwave though.
The pasta should take about 8 - 10 minutes to get ready, so you'll have to work fast here. You'll use about 1/3 to 1/2 of the can of diced tomatoes, rinsed please, put them back in the same pan as the vegetables were in (no worries about draining the oil this time). Stir them about, keeping the stove on medium low. Pour in about 1/3 to 1/2 of the jar of prepared marinara sauce, stir together and continue heating.
The pasta should be ready about now so drain it and put it back in the pot, but not on a hot element. Nuke the stuff that's in the microwave on 50% power for about 40 seconds: put it in the frying pan with the sauce and stir together well. (If you like sliced black olives which this recipe really does need, scoop out about 5 good tablespoons out of the can, and drain as much of the liquid from them as you do so. Put them in the pan and stir them up.)
Take the pan off the heat, and while it is cooling a bit, chop up a couple of handful-sized portions of feta cheese. Once this is done, add the artichoke hearts to the cooling pasta mixture. Place desired portion amount on plates and sprinkle the feta cheese over each portion. If you have some nice crusty bread, with unsalted room temperature butter, have some as an accompaniment.
Go and eat.
If anyone on the planet ever reads this, let me know what you think. Oh I nearly forgot to mention that you can add a small amount of really flavourful red wine to the sauce (buy some really cheap plonk and use maybe half a cup or so) as it's cooking. It'll really punch out the flavours of the meat and vegetables.
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