Recently in What did you have for dinner last night? Category

This was a recent pie featuring lots of garlic, green onions, pepperoni, and red peppers.

Dang, it was good!

It was Curry Night at the Pragmatic Manor again, and this week was veggie only- just eggplant, cauliflower and onions in a hot curry/tomato sauce with some basmati rice, garnished with a bit of cilantro and some toasted sesame seeds.

As the sun was setting I got the idea to take a shot of what's become a staple dish around here with a different backdrop. We have quite a few of the bushes around our place, but I have no idea what they are. Sure are purty this time of year, though. I wish the sun would have been a bit stronger once I got out there, but it ducked behind the clouds. You get the idea, I'm sure.

Here's the hot curry paste I've been using in these dishes. I've tried their Korma and their Tikka Masala and they're really good. I'm also looking forward to checking out their vindaloo paste, but so far this is my favorite:

Man, I love living in Arizona.

Just being able to walk into my nearest grocery store and see bags of freshly roasted Hatch chiles just makes me smile. Taking a bag home and using them on everything from fish sandwiches, egg dishes, and this pizza. Just peel whatever skin is remaining, chop or slice and toss 'em in.

I really need to do some kind of pork dish with these. Which makes me smile, too.

I decided to treat myself to a steak this past weekend, so I picked up a nice 12 oz. all natural ribeye at Sprouts, along with some shallots and crimini mushrooms. After some internal debate on the merits of grilling vs. cast iron frying I opted for the indoor style. I suppose 'the lazys' got hold of me, but I really like the ability cooking in a skillet gives me to make a pan sauce once the steak is cooked.

I seasoned the ribeye generously and let it come to room temperature while I sweated the mushrooms and shallots first, then put them aside and cranked up the heat. There was enough oil left so that I didn't need to add more to get the steak going, so I started getting a nice crust on the beef immediately. Once I flipped it, I moved it to the side, added a few pats of butter and the mushroom/shallot mixture, along with a bit a parsley.

It was medium rare, barely, and delicious. It's been a long time since I haven't been able to finish a steak, but it was so incredibly rich I put some away for later.

The title says it all, I s'pose...

Our internet has been really spotty tonight, so I'll post this quickly while I can, and tweak it later. These were marinated in soy, rice wine vinegar, and tons of fresh ginger and garlic all afternoon, baked in the oven, then tossed in homemade teriyaki sauce that I reduced with the leftover marinade, along with some Scirachi hot sauce, scallions, and toasted sesame seeds.

I made a few veggie sushi rolls that I've posted before, too, nothing new but fantastic nonetheless.

Been cooking? Let's hear about it!

I spent yesterday morning at the Lee Lee Oriental Supermarket that opened this year out in Peoria, AZ with some friends. There's also one down in Chandler across the street from the legendary C-Fu Gourmet dim sum restaurant we used to go to on Sunday mornings when I was in culinary school, but this is quite a bit closer.

It's a huge place, and I had a pantry that had been sorely depleted of Oriental staples, but holy crap! Long, long aisles- one each for Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese staples, plus a great selection of Asian produce, fresh and frozen fish, and meats. A few places to eat as well inside, but my friends and I were too busy gawking at all the merchandise to feel hungry.

I grabbed a bunch of stuff, and I was thrilled with being able to find the same brands of condiments I used to buy in L.A. when I used to make sushi every Sunday night with some equally fanatical friends. Good times, good times...

I made a few veggie sushi rolls and broiled some halibut with ponzu sauce, scallions and fresh ginger that I'll post tomorrow, but the rolls I made last night were every bit as good as anything I've ever had in a restaurant, and I'm a sushi snob from way back. Our su-meshi (sushi rice) came out perfectly, and it's not as easy as it might sound, especially since I've mangled more rice than I like to admit. The trick is, of course, is to leave it alone, which I have a hard time with. Once you add the sou (rice vinegar/sugar/salt) mixture, it's important to mix it carefully with a wet wooden spatula while fanning the rice, so that it has the right amount of stickiness, and to give it a beautiful shine.

I prepped lots of cucumber, avocado, scallions, toasted sesame seeds, and made some wasabi while the rice was cooling. It sounds like a lot of work, but the toughest thing is just keeping your pantry stocked.

I've got lots of other stuff to make this week, but so far so good!

I suppose my "Irish Posole" was much closer to a stew than posole, with a tip of the hat to the Southwest. A nice hunk of beef, seasoned with Survival Spice®, then slow cooked in the oven on top of some carrots and onions. After about 90 minutes I added a bit of stock and braised it for another hour or so. I added some hominy and let it go for another hour.

During this time, I roasted some butternut squash, a head of garlic and a few jalapenos. Once the garlic and jalapenos were done, they were chopped and added to the rest of the ingredients, which were removed and chopped as they were tender. The squash was chopped and added to each bowl for service.

This was one of those smashed up techniques that very often result in something that's either really great, really bad, or a really good lesson. This was a pleasant surprise on the up side. I guess having a can of hominy on hand was the impetus for this in the first place- use what you have on hand, and develop the cooking chops to bring it to the table.

Have fun with cooking, and eat your mistakes!!!

I whipped up a simple but delicious brunch on Sunday, just a quick scramble of some organic brown eggs with a bit of milk, tomatoes, scallions, yellow bell pepper, and some parmesan and asiago cheeses. Some homemade toasted focaccia and a bit of fruit on the side.

Poor Julie. Just as I plated this for her, I decided to run outside with it so I could shoot it in the sun.

That girl eats a lot of cold but tasty food...

I threw together a quick calzone using some frozen dough for dinner recently, and it turned out great. It's a great way to use leftovers and whatever you've got on hand. In this case it was pepperoni, yellow bell peppers, scallions, mozzerella and provolone cheese, along with a little pasta sauce.

I really wish I could eat pizza every day.