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August 27, 2008
Simple Cheese Pizza
Here's a quick pizza I threw together recently with some pizza dough I picked up at Sprouts. I had some marinara sauce in the freezer I made for our wedding, and some mozzerella, parmesan, and fontina cheese. I just panned it out on some corn meal, and threw it in the oven on a hot pizza stone. I got a little overcooked while I went for my camera, but it tasted just fine.
I love pizza. Too bad it's so fond of hanging around my gut...
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 08:36 PM | Comments (1)
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August 06, 2008
Whole Wheat Rotini Primavera
(Whole Wheat Rotini, squash, tomatoes, corn, pine nuts, shallots, red onion, thyme, chicken stock and asiago cheese)
In our quest to keep our carbohydrates down we've given up on pasta for the most part, but when I was scrambling for a quick dinner last night I found half a pound of whole wheat rotini in the pantry. Whole wheat pasta is considered a healthier alternative to standard semolina, but really, moderation will do you far more good than the actual pasta you choose. I just make sure to incorporate plenty of vegetables and/or meat to keep it all in balance.
Julie had bought some aged asiago cheese a while back, and it was absolutely fantastic when I shaved in a generous amount to the dish once it was on the heat, after I took the picture. It added a wonderful flavor, along with lots of Tibvrtini Olio Extra Virgine di Oliva, and a little chicken broth. Toasted pine nuts also added a bit of thickening, as well contributing depth of flavor.
We had this with some Scariyaki Salmon. Great tasting, and healthy. What a concept.
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 10:26 AM | Comments (0)
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July 29, 2008
The joy of a good pan sauce
(All natural top sirloin and Yukon Gold potato, smothered in a Shiner Bock- balsamic reduction, with red onions and crimini mushrooms)
Well, Julie's out of town again, which means I catch up on eating some foods we generally don't eat together. Steak is one of them, and I really did this one up.
I always prefer to use some good demi-glace or stock in a pan sauce, but lacking that I collected whatever juices I could once I seared the steak while I reduced about half a bottle of Shiner Bock, loosening the fond from my cast iron skillet to get every bit of meaty flavor. I added the juices to the pan along with a glug of decent balsamic vinegar and some dijon mustard, then added my diced red onions and sliced crimini mushrooms. After giving it a saute, I added a generous pat of butter off the heat, then seasoned the sauce to taste.
It's kind of a mess, in terms of plating, but the sauce was so unbelievably good I didn't want to save the leftovers.
Update: I was only able to eat half of that last night, and just had the leftovers. A fall apart sirloin with a sauce packed with flavor. Amazing.
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 11:55 AM | Comments (2)
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July 14, 2008
Pragmatic Guacamole
Here's the guacamole I made for the basa tacos we had recently. I know, everybody's got their own way of making guac, and everybody's technique is the 'traditional' way, but as long as you've got smashed up avocado and anything else, you've got guacamole.
I like a rustic presentation myself- diced in large enough pieces so you can see what you're getting. Avocados, small diced red onion, a concassed (box cut to eliminate the seeds and watery innards) tomato, though I don't bother to peel them; minced jalapeno, and lots of cilantro are my base. For quick flavoring I add some tomatillo salsa, otherwise I frequently reach for the Survival Spice®, which adds a ton of flavor, and is handy when you don't have a jalapeno handy or if you're making it at a friend's house when you don't feel like raiding their pantry. I would hope you would have given them a tin of Survival Spice®! Friends don't let friends eat boring food.
Cook something good over the weekend? Email me a few pictures!
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 10:29 AM | Comments (2)
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April 07, 2008
Survival Grilled Tofu
In an ongoing effort to "take care of ourselves", whatever that means, we've been eating more vegetarian dishes lately. To most people who have tried tofu, most think of it as a large pencil eraser in terms of a flavor profile, but it certainly doesn't have to be that way.
My technique for our weekly tofu night is still evolving, but lately a few days before we're going to eat it I've been slicing a package of extra firm tofu in half, then gently pressing as much moisture as I can. I rub all sides generously with our Survival Spice® barbecue rub, then put it in the fridge for a day or so.
The morning I'm going to grill it I slap together a simple of marinade of soy sauce, worcestershire sauce, which to me gives a more 'meaty' flavor, and Tibvrtini Olio Extra Virgine di Oliva; turning the tofu slices a few times to marinate them evenly.
Though it will never top some of the meat dishes I've featured here over the years I have to say, it tastes great!
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 09:59 AM | Comments (4)
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February 18, 2008
"Three S" chicken
Whoo boy, this was good.
I took a few minutes yesterday afternoon to marinate some chicken breasts in soy sauce, sesame oil, and Survival Spice® for about 3 hours, then grilled them off on our gas grill with a little pecan wood.
Not sure the picture does it justice, but they had a beautiful color, and they were incredibly moist. I made some basic fried rice and grilled some asparagus to go with it.
Fortunately, there are leftovers. Life is good.
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 10:47 AM | Comments (4)
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December 22, 2007
Easy Oven Roasted Chicken w/Rosemary potatoes and Asparagus
Unfortunately these days, it would seem, on the rare evening that I get to cook anything at home, my focus is more on words like 'simple', 'easy', and 'quick' than my old goals of 'astounding' and 'unforgettable', but the news isn't all bad. Indeed, as I do everything I can to minimize prep time and shopping hassles I'm rediscovering how good simple meals can be.
For this no-hassle oven fried chicken I replaced a traditional breading station like the one at the link with a zip-loc bag. The basic steps were the same, but simpler- for a change I started with some organic chicken breasts and some Tabasco sauce in the bag, coated them, hit it with some more Tabasco, then added a mixture of flour and Survival Spice®, tossing it well to coat it fairly evenly. I didn't use bread crumbs because, well, I didn't have any on hand and easy was the point here, remember?
I prepped some red potatoes, tossing them with kosher salt, Tibvrtini Olio Extra Virgene di Oliva, cracked black pepper and some dried rosemary and put it all in to roast. While the chicken and potatoes were roasted, I trimmed up some asparagus, coating it with some more of the amazing olive oil, and with about 10 minutes to go I popped them in the same cast iron skillet with the potatoes and gave everything, including the chicken, a good squeeze of lemon juice, which really makes all the flavors pop.
Two cast iron skillets, one EZ-Hook®, and a one quart Ziploc® bag. Simple. And really, really good.
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 06:21 AM | Comments (1)
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December 12, 2007
Stuffed Spaghetti Squash
Well, I was hoping this would be a longer post, but with the holiday crunch being what it is, I'll just have to hope that I'll have the time to add to this later. (UPDATE: I added some extra images and fleshed it out a bit more, for your dining pleasure.)
This is a spaghetti squash, halved, roasted along with some garlic, a small onion and a red pepper, then the good stuff flaked out with a fork and roughly chopped. I took the empty skins, which are quite robust, and ladled in some marinara sauce and some parm reggiano.
The veggies were tossed with some Survival Spice®, pine nuts, dry herbs, and more parm then stuffed into the skins. These roasted until it was hot, then I topped it with some home made bread cubes and a blend of mozz, asiago, provolone and more parm, then broiled it until it was brown and bubbly.
Served with a small steak on the side, it was great. I'd like to try this again soon with some crumbled sausage of some sort.
I will add to this, I took lots of pictures in the process. Really...
By the way, the seeds were terrific, roasted with some Survival Spice® and some of our Tibvrtini Olio Extra Virgine di Oliva.
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 04:19 PM | Comments (2)
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December 04, 2007
Barley soup with rosemary focaccia
I made some smoked turkey stock from our Thanksgiving turkey last week, and put together a veggie barley soup with some of the stock. We had eaten at Monti's Saturday night, and ate an absurd amount of their rosemary focaccia, so I decided to make some to have with the soup.
Good and good for ya.
The Gordon Biersch Marzen is a decent beer, especially on sale, but it would probably pair up better with a burger.
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 08:09 AM | Comments (1)
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November 12, 2007
Ommegang... Ohmahgod, it's good!
This is a great beer, and it added a wonderful dimension to the pan sauce I put together last night.
I was determined to keep this as simple as possible, in terms of flavors, so I decided to create an utterly simple pan sauce. Fortunately, I still had some of the "semi-glace" that I try to keep on hand, and that's really all you need, but rather than crust my top sirloin with crushed black peppercorns, ala au poivre, I figured that I could just deglaze the pan with some butter, a few cubes of semi-glace, and some crushed peppercorns.
The steak was simple, too, I used some amazing Hawaiian sea salt on the steak before pan frying it in our Tibvrtini Novello organic olive oil, and some butter. Pulled it once it was medium rare, and let it rest on a plate.
Happily, as it turns out, I didn't have enough sauce to deglaze the size of the pan I used, so I needed to add some more liquid. I was planning on drinking the Ommegang Abbey Dubbel anyway, so I splashed a bit of it in the skillet, swirled to deglaze the fond, and reduced it until it was nappé.
Serving it with the rigatoni and cheese seemed like an unlikely match, but it was great, and the sauce worked really well with the pasta, too.
This was almost unbearably good, and pretty simple to put together. Here's another picture of the finished dish:
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 09:00 AM | Comments (5)
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November 06, 2007
Scariyaki Salmon, Roasted Veggie Couscous and Asparagus
Nothing new here- the venerable Scaryaki salmon, along with some really good store bought couscous with grilled eggplant, peppers, onion and Kalamata olives. Some quickly roasted asparagus with a drizzle of Tibvrtini Olio Extra Virgene di Olive, along with a pat of butter. The whole thing took less than half an hour to whip up, and the combination of flavors was terrific.
Been cooking and want to share? Email me!
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 09:04 AM | Comments (2)
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October 30, 2007
Tons o' Mac and Cheese
I made a bunch of mac and cheese to freeze yesterday. Actually, it's rigatoni and cheese because that's what I had on hand, but any pasta that can hold lots of gooey cheese works great.
It's really worth the effort to make your own bread crumbs, it's a big part of the flavor.
The recipe is the same on I used before, but it's even better with Survival Spice®!
Been cooking? Email me!
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 11:44 AM | Comments (1)
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October 23, 2007
Apple Stuffed Turkey Breast w/Polenta & Brussel Sprouts
Well, it's finally starting to cool down here in Phoenix, and I've found myself cooking more meals inside that outside lately. Not that there's a foot of snow on the grill or anything, but it's usually dark when I get home, so cooking inside just feels right.
This dish was a piece of cake- I guess I could have made a pan sauce, but after stuffing a turkey breast seasoned with Survival Spice® with apples, it stayed nice and moist. I added some polenta wedges to the cast iron skillet during the last 20 minutes, and some steamed brussel sprouts finishied it off really well.
Been cooking? Let's hear about it!
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 07:53 AM | Comments (1)
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October 15, 2007
Fun with Food- Catfish, Polenta and Asparagus
(Cajun catfish, polenta cakes and asparagus)
I've blogged about all this stuff recently, so to keep it interesting (hopefully) I roasted everything in cast iron skillets under the broiler, and plated it up. Actually, it was functional- the asparagus was done first and was starting to cool, so I decided to plate everything on top of if.
When the face emerged, Julie added the olive eyeballs. Once we stopped laughing, we ate it. Good stuff.
How was your weekend? Email me pictures of something you feel like bragging about!
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 11:09 AM | Comments (2)
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October 10, 2007
Cajun Catfish, grilled sweet potatoes, and brocolli
Crazy day around here, so a picture will have to do of some Cajun catfish we picked up at Sprouts Market.
Uh, doesn't that count as 1,000 words?
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 12:33 PM | Comments (2)
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October 08, 2007
Creamy Fettucini alla Puttanesca with Salmon
Okay, I hate to start the week with something so racy, but let's get the juvenile part of this out of the way- "Puttan" means "whore".
To me, the most credible explanation of the origin of "alla Puttanesca" is that because it's a dish that can be thrown together using only pantry ingredients so quickly, the working girls could have a quick meal in between dates. I've also heard that the aroma would draw in customers. Maybe one led to another, who knows?
Our dinner last night is not the classic version. I make a classic puttanesca the way that I was taught- by sauteeing some roughly chopped tomatoes, garlic, chopped anchovy, capers, olives, with a chiffonade of parsley and basil. Then I add some cooked pasta, toss, then take off the heat, along with a good drizzle of Tibvrtini Olio Extra Virgine di Oliva.
I started out to do the classic version last night, but because we wanted to incorporate salmon with the fettucine, the Alfredo option came to mind. Being me, instead of doing one or the other, I decided to try to smash the two sauces together.
I was lucky enough to have some leftover artichokes on hand, so in they went into a saute pan with tomato concassee, black Greek olives, red bell pepper, green onions, and copious amounts of garlic. Once the veggies were done I browned off some cubes of a nice salmon filet. Once the fish was out of the skillet, I deglazed the pan with some white wine, reducing it 50%. I added a little chicken stock, reduced it a bit, then finished it off with some cream. I added back the veggies, seasoned the sauce and then added back my pre cooked fresh fettucine. Quick toss, then a few minutes with the fish back in the pan, and it was all done, ready for lots of Parm Reggiano.
It was really, really good and I didn't have to cook it under a red light...
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 09:23 AM | Comments (4)
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October 01, 2007
Polenta Cakes with Sauteed Vegetables
I picked up a package of polenta the other day, similar to the one I have linked here. I'd never worked with pre-made stuff, and Julie had never had polenta, so a side dish experiment was in order.
I had a sneaky feeling that Survival Spice® would pair up well, so I heated up a skillet, sprinkled some slices of the polenta, and fried them up while I sauteed a mix of red peppers, Chimayo chiles, yellow squash and white onion.
Man, it worked like a champ. Apparently you can puree this with liquid to make a smooth polenta, which is more what I'm used to. I'll have to try it, but having a few of these in the fridge sure makes life easy. Easy is good these days...
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 11:57 AM | Comments (1)
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September 26, 2007
Veggie Reuben and Tomato Soup
Julie introduced me to the concept of a Veggie Reuben. I was, of course, incredulous. "You mean, just Swiss Cheese, sauerkraut and Thousand Island dressing on rye?" She maintained that you don't need Thousand Island, either.
So, what the hey. The other night I prepped a few, adding some sauteed red onions to the sauerkraut, and I fired up the cast iron griddle, serving them along with some organic tomato soup.
It was good, I have to say. I did have some organic Thousand Island on the side, and I think it's better with it. It's also better with some corned beef or pastrami, but that's another post...
I do need to try my hand at a Southwestern Tomato Soup. One of these days.
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 08:48 AM | Comments (3)
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September 24, 2007
Beef Stew, with a slight nod to the Southwest
Well, the weather has dipped below 90º here, so soups and stews are on my mind again. To get the party started I made traditional beef stew, with some Hatch green chiles added to give it a little zip.
This was really, really basic stuff- all natural beef, Yukon Gold potatoes, red onion and organic carrots, along with Survival Spice®, some extra garlic, and some red wine.
Maybe we should have a Soup and Stew Food Fight.
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 11:33 AM | Comments (3)
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September 10, 2007
Steeler Wings- Victory!
Well, the football season got off to a good start- my Pittsburgh Steelers beat up on the Cleveland Browns until they couldn't take it any more. And no, I'm not a fair weather fan; during the 60s I was a fan when they were far and away the worst team in football.
What's football without hot wings? Nothin'.
I like to grill my wings, but I was getting over some kind of bug, so I had to content myself with seasoning them well with Survival Spice™, then roasting them on a parchment lined sheet pan until they were crispy:
As they were in the oven, I mixed some hot sauce, butter, more Survival Spice®, and a bit of chipotle BBQ sauce in a sauce pan, got it all melted and bubbly, poured the sauce into a work bowl, then tossed the crispy wings with the sauce. Taking a fine suggestion from Julie, I plated them on a Steelers platter.
Mmmmm... spicy, crispy and full of flavor. They tasted great with a few cold beers.
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 09:15 AM | Comments (10)
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August 21, 2007
Artfully Fried Tilapia
Here's a quick picture of some fried tilapia I did recently, along with an artichoke. I just dusted them with flour, added a touch of oil, then seasoned them with our Survival Spice™ barbecue rub, which is wonderful on any fish, from basa to salmon!
What really makes the shot though, I think, is the super cool piece of Indian art given to us as a wedding present by our friends Mary and Dennis. It got cut off in the picture a bit, but we're thrilled to have it!
Cook anything good lately? Go ahead, start bragging...
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 09:00 AM | Comments (2)
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August 16, 2007
Grilled Survival Garlic Chicken, Sweet Potatoes & Brocolli
In another of a long-running series of "What Did You Have for Dinner Last Night", here's a quick rundown of a quick dinner.
I threw a bunch of minced garlic in Ziplock bag, along with the ever present Survival Spice™ and a few all natural chicken breasts to marinate, while I fired up our gas grill. I took a nice sweet potato and cut it into 4 wedges and threw it in the microwave for about 2 minutes, so it could cook through while I got a steamer basket ready for some organic brocolli crowns.
Once the sweet potatoes were tender, I drizzled on a bit of our organic TIbvrtini Extra Virgin Olive Oil and seasoned them with some kosher salt and pepper.
Okay, brocolli's in the steamer and the chicken and sweet potatoes are ready to go on the grill. I grilled the taters on medium high, to get some grill marks and carmelize the sugars, then turned them down to finish cooking while the chicken was cooking. A few pecan wood chips made it all nice and smoky.
Sorry, nothing fancy about this, but it was wonderful.
Been cooking, especially with Desert Island Foods®.com products? Email me!
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 08:25 AM | Comments (3)
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August 13, 2007
Grilled Sockeye Salmon and Veggies
I love salmon, and sockeye salmon is a nice treat whenever you find it in the market.
If you're not familiar with the sockeye variety, its color is a hint of what makes it unique. Unlike other types of salmon- Coho, regular pink salmon, etc., sockeye salmon feed almost completely on a diet of krell and plankton, which gives it the beautiful deep red color for which it is famous. I learned this morning that this diet is also the reason why the mercury levels in sockeye are so much lower than other types of salmon.
Because sockeye live farther north, they have a higher fat content. Let's see- bigger flavor, lots of rich fats and omega-3 oils, can something be so healthy and have an utterly amazing flavor, too?
Yep.
I hit it lightly with Survival Spice™, some Tibvrtini Olio Extra Virgene di Oliva, and a little hot sauce. Grilled it off, along with some portabello mushrooms, red onions, and some yellow and Italian squash.
This stuff can't be healthy, it tastes too good.
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 11:09 AM | Comments (0)
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August 10, 2007
Friday Night Pork Pic
Here's a shot of a really simple rib technique, indirectly cooked over a gas flame with lots of pecan smoke. I kept just a touch of direct heat on them, then fired it up a bit at the end to get them crispy.
I love slow smoked wood fired ribs, but on the other hand, these were ready in a little over an hour.
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 05:34 PM | Comments (0)
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July 31, 2007
It's Rare that I eat Steak....
... or- "How The Pragmatic Chef™ Partied Down on His First Night of Bachelorhood since His Wife Went Out of Town to Visit Her Family for the First Time since they were Married."
I thought the second title was a bit long...
My wife left town to visit her family for a week yesterday, and I got wild and crazy.
I had a beer. Actually, a great beer. And a steak. A rare steak. And no veggies.
Ain't I wild?
A shot of the steak is in the extended entry. It's rare. Don't look at it, if you don't like looking at rare steak.
I warned you.
Continue reading "It's Rare that I eat Steak...."
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 09:04 AM | Comments (5)
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July 23, 2007
Blueberry Pancakes and Bacon
When life deals you blueberries, make blueberry pancakes...
Part of the fun of getting married (actually a month ago today), is having someone else come home with new things to play with in the kitchen. I tend to get into a bit of a rut with what's on hand, and though there are zillions of ways to combine them, eventually they start to resemble each other way more than they should. Sure, it's tasty and works out just fine, but it's generally not very blogworthy.
So when my new bride showed up with some blueberries last week, using them in pancakes came immediately to mind. So did things like making a blueberry demi-glace for some pork tendeloin, but pancakes seemed much more doable, with life being as busy as it is. Remind me to make the blueberry demi one of these days though, wouldja?
So here are the blueberry pancakes, with some crispy bacon on the side. Not a very original recipe, but I'd be glad to post it if you like. I would have used some buttermilk if I had it on hand, but regular ol' milk worked just fine.
There are a few tricks to great pancakes- don't overmix the batter, and let it rest, especially if you do. Lumps are fine, as long as they're not filled with dry flour if you break one open. Griddle heat is also key- a few dancing drops of water on the griddle is a good sign. You need a good amount of heat to activate the leaveners- baking powder, baking soda, and the eggs themselves, but too much heat will cook the 'cakes before they're done rising. Make some extra batter, so if you screw up a few you'll be covered.
Cook anything good this weekend?
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 01:05 PM | Comments (4)
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July 16, 2007
Poolside Taco party!
(TPC's Twice cooked carnitas, grilled Basa, jalapeños and roasted garlic)
(Pickled red onions and corn tortillas)
Hiya gang-
Welcome to another fun-filled work week. While I'm back at my desk now, we actually a real day off yesterday, and man, we got the most of it. Hours in the pool, a day of cooking, and a killer taco party to boot with an old friend who happened to be in town.
Too many adult beverages, maybe, but it was well worth it.
I'll focus on individual dishes throughout the week, but here's a few pics to get your mouths watering.
How was your weekend? Email me some pics and stories, if you've got something to share.
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 10:27 AM | Comments (0)
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May 21, 2007
Do you think Monet started out like this?
It's madness around here these day. Work, work, and getting two houses ready for moving. Cooking, while a great concept, is not feasible, so I've been making do while I spend late evenings and early mornings painting, packing and throwing out a ton of accumulated crap.
Last night's dinner, while I was painting a bathroom, was an Amy's Spinach pizza, supplemented by a ton of minced garlic and crushed red pepper. It's a decent pizza, especially for the frozen type, with lots of organic stuff.
I broke a very decent Burgundy out of the cellar, a 99 Volnay from Michel Lafarge, the last of a case I bought 5 or 6 years ago. It was always very laid back on the palette, but it had picked up some character since the last bottle I drank a few years ago.
Been cooking? Email me!
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 07:43 AM | Comments (0)
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May 02, 2007
Salmon Two Ways w/grilled vegetables
Busy around here, so I'll add to this post later, but this is both Scaryaki Salmon, and grilled salmon with Survival Spice™.
I also grilled some peppers- red, yellow and jalapenos, along with some yellow squash, after marinating them in a vinagerette of Tibvrtini Olio Extra Virgine di Oliva, Tibvrtini Aceto di Vino Blanco, and some crushed garlic. I only had about half an hour for the marinade to work, so I made the mix more acidic than I normally would. This is a good trick, if you're pressed for time.
Been cooking? Email me!
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 11:39 AM | Comments (1)
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April 23, 2007
Oh, how the Mighty have fallen...
I know, normally by April I'd be presenting you with the first ribs of the BBQ season.
I've been craving BBQ in the worst way, but with life being the happy bedlam that it is these days, firing up the smoker and spending the afternoon with spare ribs slathered away with Survival Spice™ just wasn't an option.
These are from a local joint called Hap's, that I like quite a bit. They do the real deal- rubbed, slow smoked in a blend of hardwoods, and they don't phone it in as far as their side dishes, either. They have a cool website, go check it out.
Okay, it's easy, very reasonable in price, and it satisfied the Q Jones, but my smoker has been looking at me in a jealous way since last night.
Soon, old friend, soon.
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 09:16 AM | Comments (5)
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April 11, 2007
Three Cheese Lasagna
I'm not a huge fan of a cheese-only lasagna, but this was good enough to give me hope!
This was a fairly basic cheese blend- mozz, riccota, and grana padano, which had more character that a straight parm. With ricotta, I always mix it with an egg or two and some grated cheese to keep it from being boring.
I also fooled around with not cooking the noodles beforehand, something I'm not a fan of, and I proved it to myself again- I think the noodles keep too much of the starch, so I'll go back to parboiling the noodles next time, or at least giving them a good soak in some hot water.
I still need to work on the cheese blend, though. I'm considering provolone, camembert, or even some mild blue cheese. Any ideas?
I was hardly disappointed in this, though. Hardly.
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 07:31 AM | Comments (2)
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April 09, 2007
Probst!
I'm working on a 3 cheese lasagna today, but for now it's a gratuitous beer picture I took of one of my favorite beers- Erdinger.
How was the weekend? Anybody cook anything good for Easter? Share some pictures!
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 09:44 AM | Comments (5)
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April 02, 2007
Poolside BLT
Summer's coming, and for me a classic summer sandwith is the BLT. Okay, I think it's a great sandwich in spring, fall and winter too, but a great BLT really shines on a hot day.
My prescription for decompressing at the end of a too-long work week?
Thick cut bacon, cooked slowly in cast iron, turned to perfection with an E-Z Hook®; some cold, crisp organic greens, vine-ripe tomatoes that actually smell like tomatoes, not some vaguely tomato-like substance that's been warehoused along with K-rations from World War II until duty calls, all cradled lovingly in 2 slices of all natural toasted whole grain bread. Slather some mayo on there if you want- better yet, make your own, but I don't need it.
Add a lounge chair, a cold adult beverage, and a good book. Repeat as necessary. Often.
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 06:47 AM | Comments (1)
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March 28, 2007
Sprouts Market Pork Tenderloin w/Survival Spice®
Nothing fancy here, but it was darned good.
This is an all-natural pork tenderloin I picked up at Sprouts Market the other day. I've been shopping there a lot recently. They have a nice blend of healthy stuff at a reasonable price point, which I find very pragmatic, indeed.
I oiled it lightly with our Tibvrtini Olio Extra Virgene di Oliva, then rubbed it with Survival Spice™.
While I preheated my oven to bake at 350º (convection), I got a cast iron skillet hot and seared the tenderloin, making sure I browned it all the way 'round. Once that was done, I popped it into the oven until it felt like it was starting to firm up, but not all the way there. Sadly (pathetically), a lot of people won't eat pork until it's the consistency of a baseball bat, and it's a shame. This was still just a tiny bit pink in the widest part of the piece, and was outrageously juicy.
I let it rest while I took some pictures, and sliced it to put on a green salad.
Fortunately, there are leftovers. Is it too early at 7AM to eat dinner?
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 08:07 AM | Comments (5)
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March 14, 2007
Sirloin w/mushroom demi-glace
It's pathetic how little time I've had to cook lately, but I had some mushroom demi at a local restaurant recently that tasted like it had been made from a commercial base, and I nearly sent it back because it tasted burned and overly salty. I knew I could do much better at home.
I threw this together, using some of the demi-glace I made last fall. It's a nice bit of all natural sirloin marinated in mustard, worcestershire sauce and black pepper that I cooked in a cast iron skillet in butter and a good glug of TIbvrtini Olio di Extra Virgene, which normally I don't cook with, but what the hey. Not too high of a heat to keep the sirloin nice and tender, then removed the steak to rest.
I tossed in some sliced crimini mushrooms, another pat of butter, some thyme and some parsley, then after the mushrooms had softened, added 3 or 4 ice cubes of the demi. I cranked up the heat to reduce the sauce, and plated it up.
Wow, what a treat. Note to self: stay home and cook more.
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 08:57 AM | Comments (1)
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February 26, 2007
Steak Kebabs with Survival Vinagerette
I like kebabs, kabobs, however you like to spell it, (both are correct, actually) don't get me wrong. They're really party friendly, easy prep you can do well in advance, and the simplicity of plunking down a kebab or two on a plate and not have to have a lot of side dishes is great. The problem with mixed kebabs, however, is that generally you get a bunch of burned and raw stuff on the same skewer, because each individual item takes different times to cook.
There are two ways to solve this: either make your kebabs seperately, entire skewers made up of the same ingredient, which I prefer; or par cook items to the same state of doneness, then make up mixed skewers. This was how I made these- I cut an onion in half and zapped it on the microwave for about 2 minutes, then cut it into wedges. The beef and the red bell pepper needed no pre-cooking, I knew they'd both be done in about 15 minutes.
I lucked into an amazing marinade for this, that I can't wait to try on flank steak. I combined our Tibvrtini Extra Virgine di Oliva, organic Tibvrtini Aceto di Vino Blanco, and some Survival Spice™, and was blown away by how good it was. It might even make a quick Italian-type salad dressing- I'll be playing with that soon.
These got about 15 minutes over a medium charcoal fire, and I served them on some brown rice. I'm going to be making these again, soon, and a flank steak is definitely on my shopping list.
Do any cooking this weekend? I got some great pictures in over the weekend that I'll be posting soon.
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 06:16 AM | Comments (5)
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February 21, 2007
Survival Chicken Caesar Salad
This is not what you would call a traditional Caesar salad. Traditionally, a Caesar salad would have whole leaves of romaine lettuce, and the dressing would include a few coddled eggs. The nouvelle Caesar dressing I learned in culinary school only contains one egg yolk per cup of oil, and the egg is 'cooked' with a combination of lemon juice and vinegar, so the dressing tends to be more like a loose aoili.
To make this, I grilled off a chicken breast with Survival Spice™, and sliced it. I like a simple crouton with my Caesar, so they're just lightly oiled, along with some kosher salt and black pepper, then toasted.
I went high end with the ingredients in the dressing- an organic egg yolk, a few liquified cloves of garlic, TIbvrtini Aceto di Vino Blanco, our organic white wine vinegar, and a blend of canola oil and TIbvrtini Olio Extra Virgene. I also used lemon juice, parmagiano reggiano cheese, a bit of Worcestershire sauce, and some dry Colman's mustard.
It's not the lightest salad in the world, but it's one of my favorites.
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 10:07 AM | Comments (7)
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February 14, 2007
Scariyaki Salmon with Broccoli fried rice
Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!!! Busy day around here, but here's another version of the Scariyaki sauce on some really nice salmon filets, pan fried in a cast iron skillet. A simple veggie fried rice, using some left over brown rice, an organic egg, fresh garlic, onion, some broccoli, and a bit of the sauce finished it off nicely. Search the archives for 'scariyaki' to see some other versions.
Treat yourselves to something good tonight!
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 07:08 AM | Comments (0)
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February 12, 2007
Who says, "Don't Play with your Food?"
I say, play all you want! Just because I haven't had time for much serious cooking these days doesn't mean I can't goof around with stuff, does it? I didn't think so. Now that I look at it again, some red onion eyebrows would've been cool.
Cook anything good this weekend? Email me some pictures and words, so we can check it out!
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 07:32 AM | Comments (2)
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January 23, 2007
Jack Bauer loves Meatball Sandwiches
Okay, I have no idea if Jack loves them or not, since no one on that show ever eats, but that's what I made last night. There are lots of varieties of meatballs, along with meat choices- beef, veal or pork, but for a meatball sandwich I like straight 100% beef. I mixed the beef with some homemade bread crumbs, eggs, fresh parsley, lots of garlic, and enough salt that it doesn't taste bland.
I browned these off on a sheet pan while I buzzed up some crushed tomatoes with an immersion blender, then added uber amounts of garlic, some parsley, and seasoned it with dry thyme, kosher salt, and copious amounts of crushed red pepper and Survival Spice™, which adds a lot of flavor to tomato sauces, while keeping it recognizable as an Italian sauce. I added the meatballs to the sauce, and let it simmer for a few hours.
Got some good rolls from the bakery, and sliced them, along with some pepper jack cheese, making sure that the sandwich would sit flat on the sizzle plate. If you line the sides of the roll with cheese, the sandwich won't soak through as quickly, and don't overdo the sauce if you don't want to wear it! I topped it with a little greated parm cheese, got it hot in the oven, then turned on the broiler for a few minutes at the end.
Jack would be proud. I hope he wouldn't kill me for it.
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 07:10 AM | Comments (4)
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January 17, 2007
Whole Wheat Penne w/Pesto and Hot Sausage
Pesto is such a versatile sauce, and although there are a bunch of variations out there- mint, cilantro, parsley, etc., I prefer the classic basil recipe myself. It's a no-cook sauce, which is great on a hot day, and you can dress veggies, or even meat with it. Try the pesto infused chicken in the link, it's really good.
For a quick weekday dinner, you can't beat it. The fact that I had some leftover whole wheat penne meant that all I had to do was saute up some hot italian sausage, throw the rest of it in the pan to heat up, give it quick toss, and that was it.
This is the second pesto picture I've posted, and I still haven't figured out how to plate and shoot it right. Anybody have any ideas? I tried to hit it with more light this time, but it just looks washed out to me.
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 07:07 AM | Comments (0)
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January 09, 2007
Survival Tip with Onion, Portabello and thyme oil
(Crazy plating, I know, but ya gotta try stuff...)
I just had to have a steak for the Florida/Ohio State (blowout, as it turned out) game last night, so I grilled off a nice strip of tri-tip, rubbed with our Survival Spice™ barbecue rub. I've mentioned this before, but grilling tri-tip, even a strip like this where you're tempted to sear it off, is much better cooked over medium heat so you've got time to break down the connective tissue instead of tightening it up.
I was going to just grill the red onions and portabellos, too, but then I had a bit of inspiration. I sauteed them instead with a bit of thyme, using more oil than I normally would. What did I do with the oil after the veggies were done? Poured it over the steak, of course. You've got all this lovely infused mushroom, thyme and onion flavor going on, why waste it?
It was awesome. Survival Spice™ by itself is all you need, of course, but the extra flavor wallop from the oil was a nice change.
Been cooking? Email me what you've been making!
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 08:18 AM | Comments (4)
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January 03, 2007
Japanese Style Salmon and Brussel Sprouts
Travel Day again today, but finally I'm headed home, ready to get back to work!
This was a pan-fried salmon filet that I marinated in soy, mirin, lemon juice and some chili/garlic paste. I'll admit, brussel sprouts weren't exactly the traditional Japanese accompianment, but they tasted good! I just steamed them, and added some butter and S&P.
Now, if I had eaten like this the whole time I was in the Midwest, my jeans wouldn't be so tight.
Say, are those Christmas cookies?...
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 07:12 AM | Comments (0)
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December 18, 2006
Weekend Wings
I had a hankering for wings over the weekend. Actually, I hanker for wings far more often than that, but I just happened to be at the grocery store when this particular hanker began, so it was an easy hanker to satisfy.
Wow. I just used the word 'hanker' three times in a sentence. Is that a record? Try it sometime, it's not as easy as you think...
I like to grill my wings, rather than deep fry them. Grilling them over wood imparts smoky flavor to chicken, as oppposed to deep frying, where the only flavor to be picked up is the delightful essense of the Mrs. Paul's fish sticks you threw in there the last time you used it. No, thanks.
I grilled these with our Survival Spice™ barbecue rub, low and slow, to render out the fat and get them nice and crispy. In a skillet, I whipped up a "kitchen sink" sauce of butter, Frank's Red hot, Tabasco, Sciracha, hot chipotle bbq sauce, and more Survival Spice™.
Quick toss in the sauce after the wings were done, and life was good.
Don't ask me why I cropped the photo so close, there was just something mesmerizing about the glaze on the wings.
Cook anything good this weekend? Give it up!!!
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 04:13 PM | Comments (1)
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December 11, 2006
Meat Lasagna for wussies
(Photo: TPC's family meat lasagna, shot with my new Canon Powershot A530
I'm working on a simple, inexpensive, family friendly meat lasagna recipe. The ground rules- no fancy ingredients- sob, no San Marzano tomotoes, parm reggiano, fresh herbs, etc.
I'm using a mixture of ground beef and mild Italian sausage, so it isn't too spicy, and because a lot of people don't care for ricotta I'm mixing it with eggs and parmesan cheese to firm it up and give it more of a parm flavor profile. I also put the ricotta mixture on its own layer, so it stays in pieces that can be picked away by fussy diners.
The first attempt was successful. I think I'm going to up the garlic a bit and use a touch more crushed red pepper next time around. It's tough cooking for all ages, but I'm feeling pretty good about this approach. Next- a 3 or 4 cheese version.
Cook anything good over the weekend? Let's hear about it, and email me a picture to share, if you're so inclined!
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 08:50 AM | Comments (0)
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November 24, 2006
Traditional Thanksgiving plate
(Photo: Thanksgiving plate '06)
Instead of a Friday Funny this week, here's a shot of Thanksgiving dinner last night. Basic, traditional stuff, but really good- it's funny, but after working really hard to create more exotic and elaborate dishes, sometimes getting back to basics is a really great change in and of itself!
I roasted the turkey with Survival Spice™ rubbed inside and out, then stuffed the bird with apples and sweet onions. I roasted it at a pretty low temp this year, 325º until the last half hour or so, so the skin didn't get quite as crispy as usual but the meat was really moist.
The stuffing this year was simple- a light brown bread with onion, garlic, celery, apples and raisins, with lots of sage and thyme.
We had a old fashioned green bean casserole, only I used fresh green beans. It was a fun change, normally I'll do my green beans with crispy bacon, then thinly slice shallots and fry them to provide some crunch.
Mashed taters, gravy and a fresh cranberry sauce I make by pureeing fresh cranberries, oranges, and apples, with enough orange juice to sweeten it a bit.
How about you? I'm starting to get in some good Thanksgiving pics that I'll post next week, if you've got one, email me!
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 07:34 AM | Comments (2)
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November 20, 2006
"Scaryaki" Salmon w/Sauteed Veg and Barley
Dinner was simple last night- more of the Scaryaki Salmon I posted about, plus some pearl barley and sauteed veggies- a selection of bell peppers, mushrooms and red onion in Tibvrtini Olio Extra Virgene di Oliva, glazed with a good balsamic vinegar.
How about you? Cook anything good this weekend?
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 11:18 AM | Comments (3)
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November 16, 2006
Tri-tip burrito
Here's a thrown together meal that turned out pretty well, another of my "crap, it's dinner time what do we have in the fridge and what can i make out of it" situations, which sadly have become the norm.
I had some tri-tip cut into strips on hand, so I hit them with Survival Spice™ barbecue rub, and grilled them off with some onion, while I heated up some black beans, and sliced some Colby cheese. Threw some large tortillas on the grill after I removed the beef and onions, and made some quick burritos.
The trick with tri-tip cooked this way is to not overdo the heat, just a nice medium fire until they're medium rare.
The photo's not that good, I know, but the burrito was!
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 06:19 AM | Comments (4)
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November 13, 2006
Honey Scaryaki Salmon
Here's a refinement on the Scaryaki sauce I've posted about a few times here so far, with an adjustment for the salmon I had on hand.
I wanted something a little more traditional in terms of the sweetness a typical teriyaki sauce has, but with the heat in my "scaryaki" version, so I added a touch of honey to the usual blend of soy, hot chili garlic paste, and Sriracha hot sauce, with just a touch of sesame oil. After letting the fish marinade for about half an hour, I drizzled a bit of canola oil on the fish as my skillet was heating up. Why do I oil the fish, and not the skillet? Because if you do it this way, you'll have far less spattering, because there's no extra oil in the pan.
The honey I added this time forced me to change my cooking technique somewhat- instead of being able to sear the salmon at high heat, which of course would burn the honey, I settled on medium to medium high heat this time.
I served this with brown rice and a salad similar to the one in the Scaryaki Halibut post. Mmmmmm.....
So, cook anything good this weekend? Give!
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 06:29 AM | Comments (0)
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October 30, 2006
Gumbo- Before and After
Here's a before and after shot of the chicken, sausage and shrimp gumbo I made yesterday, using some of the chicken stock I made recently. I've described my gumbo technique before, so the only thing I'll point out is how thick the roux is as it begins to cook. Dark rouxs use more flour because the starch cooks out over time, so don't panic and add more oil, it will loosen up as it cooks.
Lots of chopping and whatnot, but it was worth it!
(Photo: Mary)
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 09:30 AM | Comments (0)
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October 23, 2006
Sunday Morning Fritatta (revisited)
I've blogger here about fritattas, but fritattas are an easy and classy way to make brunch, plus they're a great way to use up leftovers. This one included asparagus, onion, red bell peppers and fontina cheese, but use your imagination! I like to put a layer of cooked potatoes at the bottom, but didn't do it Sunday.
Pre-cook your fillings while your oven's heating to about 400º in the same pan, then add your egg mixture, give it a few minutes on the stove to get it hot, then pop it in the oven. Once your eggs have risen a bit, are cooked through and the cheese is nice and bubbly, take it out. Let it rest a few minutes, then slice and serve. I had sliced Roma tomatoes and avocado with this, along with some whole grain toast.
If you have leftovers the next day, take the time to reheat them in the oven, rather than in the microwave.
Cook anything this weekend? Let us know, and email me a picture!
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 08:13 AM | Comments (3)
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October 18, 2006
Simple Grilled Salmon and Asparagus
After a busy day, there's nothing simpler than firing up a good gas grill with a few wood chips and grilling your dinner. No pots, no pans, very little cleanup, and really delicious.
Last night was salmon filets, oiled and rubbed generously with our Survival Spice™ barbecue rub, which is fantastic on salmon. After the salmon was on the grill for a few minutes, I added some lightly oiled and seasoned asparagus. A good squirt of fresh lemon juice during the last 5 minutes of cooking, and that was it.
Healthy, amazing and easy. Three of my favorite words.
What did you have for dinner last night?
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 07:58 AM | Comments (2)
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October 10, 2006
Chicken Cacciatora
The good news- there was absolutely no Spam® in this...
My buddy Bob gave me a bunch of home-grown basil the other day. I wasn't in the mood for pesto, so I decided to make some pasta sauce with it. You know my M.O. for basic pasta sauce- lots of sauteed garlic in Tibvrtini Olio Extra Virgene di Oliva, crushed to order tomatoes, crushed red peppers and basil only- so I won't go into detail on that.
To make the cacciatora, I oven-roasted some chicken legs and thighs seasoned with our Survival Spice™ until they had a nice color and were nearly cooked through, and also sauteed some mini red and yellow peppers along with a chopped red onion. I deglazed these with some white wine, then added them to some of the tomato sauce. Once the chicken was ready, I added it as well, then simmered the whole thing for an hour.
Boiled some penned until it was al dente, then garnished with parmaseano reggiano and a sprig of Bob's be-YOO-tiful basil. Thanks again!
Bottle of red, and some crusty bread. Life was good.
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 07:45 AM | Comments (1)
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September 18, 2006
Roast chicken with Survival Stuffing
It's starting to cool off here in the desert, and I found myself craving a Thanksgiving dinner. By cooling, I mean temps under 100º, but it makes a huge difference here in Phoenix.
Well, it's not Thanksgiving yet, and I didn't have a turkey on hand, but this stuffed chicken dinner satisfied my "turkey jones" nonetheless.
Continue reading "Roast chicken with Survival Stuffing"
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 01:30 PM | Comments (3)
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September 11, 2006
Whatchacallit
I have no idea what I made last night, but it was good.
Another of those market basket days, where I had a bunch of ideas what to make with what I had on hand. Pork chops and a French style mushroom cream sauce, maybe a Southwest influence with the addition of pasilla chiles; a simple pork and sausage gumbo; hot Italian sausage sandwiches with peppers and onions- my head was filled with possibilities.
I think you know this, but this is my favorite way to cook- inventory what's on hand, then make something up. What could you make with these ingredients?
Continue reading "Whatchacallit"
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 07:58 AM | Comments (2)
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September 05, 2006
Grilled Pork Chops and Corn on the Cob
Pork chops and corn on the cob- sure sounds like Labor Day to me!
There's a few ways you can go with pork chops- super thin, so you can cook them quickly on high heat, leaving a nice crispy bit of pork goodness. You can also go with a thick-cut pork chop that you can still cook quickly, or smoke nice and slowly.
These were grilled over pecan wood, which is my default grilling wood these days, at a fairly high heat. I lot of people like their pork cooked to death, but I'm not one of them. For them, go the thin/crispy pork route.
Sigh. I have to talk about this for a minute, so indulge me. I really, really hate to even bring it up, because it's such a rare thing anyway and a serious buzz kill, but seriously, it's okay to eat juicy pork chops. Really. They can even be a bit pink, and still have no chance of containing trichinosis. By the time your pork is medium rare to medium, it's fine. Want to hear numbers? Okay. Trichinosis, even in the incredibly remote chance of infection, is gone at 138º. Medium rare pork is right around 145º. Even medium, around 150º, is still moist. If in doubt, use an instant read thermometer, and relax. Sorry for digressing, but the whole "pork paranoia" is so pervasive, it makes me crazy, and I think knowledgable people don't talk about it enough because it's unappetizing. Hope this helps.
Where was I? Right, chops. I rubbed them well with our Survival Spice™ barbecue rub, which is so good on pork that even the chops will send you a thank you note!
After they came off the grill, I let them rest a few minutes. Pork chops, because they're generally so lean, really benefit from resting 5 or 10 minutes or so before service.
Man, they were good. The sauce you see on the side is from a friend's company that I'll talk a bit about later in the week, but suffice it to say it's one of the best bottled sauces I've had!
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 06:41 AM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
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August 10, 2006
Grilled Ribeye and Corn
I took this picture in front of the chiminea by the pool. Chiminea's are a sort of ceramic outdoor fireplace, great for taking the chill out of the nighttime Arizona air during the winter. I'm looking forward to firing it up again soon!
Ribeye's are one of my favorite steaks- packed with flavor, and incredibly tender and juicy when cooked properly. I marinated this in worcestershire sauce, Colman's mustard, and tons of freshly ground black pepper, which enhances the flavor of the beef while adding a nice zip and depth of flavor. I grilled it, along with an ear of corn, over mesquite until medium rare.
I cook corn in different ways, depending on my mood and how many ears I'm grilling. Often I'll flavor the finished ears with butter and Survival Spice™, which does a great job of bringing out the natural sweetness. This time, though, I just peeled back the husk and removed the silk, removing the outermost husks. I then wrapped the corn up with one of the husks, tying a clove hitch to hold it together. Geeky, but effective...
A small green salad, and a nice bottle of Burgundy on the side. Big flavors, good times.
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 09:26 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
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August 02, 2006
Cast Iron Pork Chops topped with Mushrooms and Red Onions
As you well know, I've been eating a lot of veggie dishes lately. There have been days recently that as I posted a dish I could just feel the carnivores begging for a nice hunk of meat.
I've been jonesing too, I guess, so last night I grabbed this nice thick-cut pork chop, basically a pork porterhouse because it has a nice sized tenderloin attached to it, and heated up a trusty cast iron skillet. As the skillet got hot, I lightly oiled the chop and generously rubbed it with Survival Spice™, which gives pork all the lovin' it will ever need. I roughed chopped a red onion and sliced some regular white mushrooms, and other than prepping a simple green salad, I was good to go.
I wanted this to be simple so I did everything in the same skillet, but if you want a nice crust to your chop, the last thing you want to do is dump everything in at once. Other than the fact that your veggies would be done far too soon, your mushrooms in particular are going to release a lot of liquid, which would keep your chop from getting beautifully browned. And we love a nice crispy crust, don't we?
So, into the medium hot skillet the chop went, nicest side down. I gave it plenty of time to get nice and crispy, and to let the Survival Spice™ work its magic. Once I flipped the chop, I added the onions to give them a head start, then the mushrooms a few minutes later. The chop was done, so I transferred it to a plate and then topped it with the mushrooms and onions.
Oh man, was it good. Juicy, crispy, and tender, and wonderfully complemented with the veggies on top. Don't forget, I had a salad, too...
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 08:11 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
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July 31, 2006
Veggie Stuffed Red Bell Peppers
I know, another vegetarian dish, blah blah blah, but when you can pack a dish totally full of great flavors and make it healthy, it's just good, period.
Did I just say that?
I mean, I'm such a carnivore-- stuff me full of spare ribs, a Cowboy Ribeye, or a grilled chicken and I'm a happy guy, believe me.
But I've always enjoyed veggie dishes that are packed with flavor- a great veggie curry, or spinach and garlic pizzas, that don't make me aware that I haven't had any meat in the entire meal. So when I saw beautiful red bell peppers with a perfect shape for stuffing, I knew what was going to be on the menu.
Continue reading "Veggie Stuffed Red Bell Peppers"
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 09:43 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
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July 26, 2006
Pesto and Chicken with Whole Wheat Rotini
Here's a simple dish I made last night, after seeing bunches of fresh basil at the market. It's fun to just shop, then let whatever I find inspire my meal ideas, because most of the time I don't really crave anything in particular.
In keeping with the low-glycemic lifestyle that reality has thrust upon me, I found some whole wheat rotini that were really good. The idea behind eating whole wheat, as opposed to a pure white flour, is that the bran tends to slow down the conversion of the starch to glucose, so that your blood sugar levels don't spike as much.
While I was pan-frying some boneless chicken breasts in Tibvrtini Olio Extra Virgene di Oliva, lemon and S & P, I mashed 5 cloves of garlic in my mortar and pestle with a little kosher salt. I added a few handfuls of the fresh basil and pounded my frustrations away. I toasted a small handful of pine nuts, beat the crap out of them as well, then added a handful of grated parmesano reggiano, a generous glug of the wonderful Tibvrtini oil, salt and pepper.
I drained the pasta, put it back into the pot, added the diced chicken, gave a quick toss with the pesto, and dinner was good to go.
What did you have for dinner last night?
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 10:06 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
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July 19, 2006
Pork Shoulder Salad
Busy days don't doom you to a horrible dinner death, as long as you cook when you can and keep the basics in your pantry and in your fridge. This was a 5 minute dinner I made last week that was not only amazing, it was healthy and inexpensive, too.
Starting with some of the BBQ pork shoulder I made over the weekend with Survival Spice™ and a basic BBQ sauce, I halved a head of butter lettuce and rough chopped a few scallions on the bias.
A quick drizzle of Tibvrtini Olio Extra Virgene di Oliva and Tibvrtini Aceto di Vino Blanco provided the most basic and the most incredible vinagerette imaginable, then I topped the greens with a scoop of the reheated pork. Season and serve.
Easy. Amazing. Healthy. A great combination.
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 10:09 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
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July 14, 2006
Ravioli with Sauteed Zucchini, Scallions in Tibvrtini Vinagerette
(Not my best picture, but whatcha gonna do?)
When faced with just a few ingredients, and dinner time looming, do you shake in fear, or do you see it as a challenge to be conquered?
This was one of my typical "raid the fridge/freezer and make something up", or "market basket" dinners, but it turned out really well. Plus, the one skillet prep is always a bonus.
I just boiled enough water in a skillet to hold a half dozen 3 cheese ravioli that I had in the freezer. Once they were hot, I removed them to a plate and dumped the water. After heating some Tibvrtini Olio Extra Virgene di Oliva, I did a quick sauté of some Italian zucchini and green onions.
I added back the ravioli to fry them a bit, seasoned with S & P, then drizzled it with more of the organic oil and some Tibvrtini Aceto di Vino Blance, their unbelievably good organic, unfiltered white wine vinegar, and plated it.
Topping it off with some grated Parmesan Reggiano, it was a quick, easy, delicious meal that I would have never thought of when planning a menu. To me, that's the fun of 'market basket' cooking, it forces you to appreciate what you have to work with, and by painting yourself into new culinary corners, it makes you a better cook.
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 11:04 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
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June 15, 2006
Masitas de Puerco- Cuban twice cooked pork
(Photo: Mary)
I love pork. There, I said it. Of course, if you find that shocking you probably haven't been reading very long, because we've all cooked quite a bit of pork around here over the last year or so.
One of my favorites is Masitas de Puerco because it combines multiple cooking techniques- a slow braise that renders fat and tenderizes the cut, and frying, which results in a crispy bit of pork with a moist, succulent center. As with any good braised dish, the braising liquid is used as a finishing sauce. Serve with white rice, black beans, fried plantains and white onions.
Continue reading "Masitas de Puerco- Cuban twice cooked pork"
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 09:43 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
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June 13, 2006
Cuban night
(Photo: Mary, of Cuban Night)
Over the weekend, some foodie friends and I got together for another internationally themed food night. This time the theme was Cuban food, which I love. Hearty, flavorful and like all the cuisines of the world, influenced by the indigenous crops of the area. Things like onions and limes are familiar, of course, but many Americans have never had varitions of familiar fruits such as plantains and Seville oranges, which are staples in the cuisine of Cuba.
Plantains are a larger, starchier version of bananas. Less sweet to begin with, the starch factor increases the longer the picked plantains are stored as the sugars convert to starch. Sliced on the bias and fried, I like to lightly salt them as they rest on paper towels. Good stuff.
Seville oranges are a tart variety. Naranja agria (sour orange) juice is a key ingredient in mojo, a "mother sauce" of Cuban cuisine. If you don't have the real deal, a fine substitute to add lime juice to orange juice, roughly 1 part lime to 3 parts orange juice.
I made fried plantains, a garlic chicken dish, some masitas- fried pork, and the traditional onions that accompany them. My friend and ace photographer Mary made some really good red beans and rice to go along with it.
I'll post some individual dishes this week, but you owe it to yourself to try Cuban food if you've never had it. I just wish I would have had a Cuban cigar for dessert...
What did you have for dinner last night? Email me!
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 09:56 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
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June 10, 2006
Old Fashioned BBQ Chicken and Grilled Veggies
I'm trying to watch what I eat these days, but there's no reason that healthy food can't be delicious, too.
Here's a Saturday night dinner, boneless, skinless chicken breasts rubbed generously with Survival Spice™, grilled then basted during the last 10 minutes with a BBQ sauce that I'm evaluating. I'm not a big fan of boneless and skinless chicken and I prefer my BBQ with sauce on the side, but I find that if you don't overcook it, it does absorb flavors really well. Plus, it's something different, which is refreshing in and of itself...
The veggies, a red bell pepper, Italian zucchini, yellow squash, and a red onion were marinated for about a half an hour with Tibvrtini Olio Extra Virgene di Oliva, Tibvrtini Aceto di Vino BIanco, kosher salt, and a little bit of Survival Spice™. Take your time with them, especially the onions, so that you carmelize your veggies well.
As I proved to myself with the Scaryaki Stir Fry and the Scaryaki Hallibut Salad, I think it is actually possible to eat well and still be satisfied at the end of your meal. I think big flavor is the key to achieving satisfaction. There's nothing more frustrating than pushing back from the table after suffering through a bland, "healthy" meal, then berating yourself a few hours later after you've binged on ice cream.
Quality ingredients, simple yet well executed preperation. I can live with that.
Are you trying to eat better? Share your tips!
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 08:27 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
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June 07, 2006
Scaryaki Stir Fry
(Photo: TPC's Scaryaki Stir Fry)
Dinner last night was a fairly simple but really good stir fry I threw together, using what was on hand. Hmmm, I say that a lot, don't I? I guess it's just my M.O...
While I cooked some brown rice, I marinated a few chicken breasts in soy, Sriracha hot sauce, chili garlic paste and sesame oil while I chopped a red pepper, some scallions, washed some bean sprouts and opened a can of water chestnuts. Heating my wok on my hottest burner, I heated some canola oil and stir-fried the chicken, then removed it to a bowl. You should always add the whatever's going to take the longest time to cook first, so in went the red pepper. A few minutes later I added the scallion, then the water chestnuts and finally the sprouts.
I added the chicken back in and added some chicken broth, reduced it and some more of the marinade ingredients. Some toasted sesame seeds finished it, and it was ready in 10 minutes.
Proper stir fry requires high heat, so prep everything ahead of time, because your dish will come together quickly.
What did you have for dinner last night? Email me pics, if you have them!
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 09:52 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
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May 31, 2006
"Scaryaki" Halibut Salad
(Photo: TPCs Scaryaki Halibut Salad)
This is one of those "Here's what you got, make something up" dishes that totally kicked butt. I call it "Scaryaki" because it was spicy and flavorful enough to peel paint!
I started by marinating some halibut filets (thanks, Lloyd!!!) in more or less equal parts of soy sauce, chili garlic paste, and Sriracha hot sauce, stuff that should be in your refrigerator at all times, I think. Make extra, so you have some to use as a dipping sauce.
I got a cast iron skillet really hot, added a touch of oil to it, then fried my halibut filets. Warning: you might want to stand back a bit, the spicy aroma is a bit intense. I, of course, breathe it in like Vapo-Rub...
The salad couldn't be simpler. A small head of butter lettuce, washed, outer leaves removed, and broken in half. An amazingly simple but incredible oil and vinegar from two parts Tibvrtini Olio Extra Virgene di Oliva and one part Tibvrtini Aceto di Vino Bianco, kosher salt and pepper. I still haven't topped this extraordinary combination and I've tried, believe me. A few snipped organic chives from the herb garden and then plated it all up.
It blew me away. I'm really trying to watch my diet these days, eating healthy stuff all week so I can splurge a bit on the weekends, and this dish really reinforced the idea that big, bold flavors can do a good job substituting for a lack of fillers.
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 08:19 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
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May 30, 2006
Tiramisu
(Photo: TPCs Tiramisu)
I made some tiramisu for a party Saturday night, and it turned out really well.
Tiramisu, which means "pick me up", is a classic. Savoiardi, or lady fingers, are dipped in expresso and some sort of alcohol, generally marsala wine, brandy, amaretto, coffee liquor, or rum, then layered in a dish or parfait glass with a decadent blend of marscapone, which is an Italian cream cheese; egg yolks, sugar and whipped egg whites. Alternating layers of bittersweet chocolate make it something to savor.
Though incredibly rich, a good tiramisu is lighter than you might imagine it. The lady fingers, if dipped or brushed properly don't become compacted under the weight of the egg/cheese mixture, and when the egg whites are folded in properly to the marscapone, it gives it a light, fluffy texture.
There's a lot of bad tiramisu out there, don't let it keep you from seeking out the real thing.
What did you cook for Memorial Day?
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 12:30 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
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May 25, 2006
Penne Arrabbiata con Pollo
(TPC's Penne Arrabbiata con Pollo)
Here's another delicious and easy dish. This is great baked in an over for an hour or more, but I'm giving you the quick version.
I used chicken thighs because I had them on hand, and I really like them. They work well in a simmered dish like this because they have enough fat to keep them moist. If you make this with breasts, you'll want to cook them off almost entirely then remove them while the sauce comes together, adding any juices from the meat to the skillet, of course. Adding peppers and onions (some add mushrooms as well) would make it a cacciatora, but I didn't go that route.
To define a few terms, Arrabbiata means "angry", referring to the spiciness in the dish. Cacciatora is an Italian word for "hunter", inferring a rustic style of cooking.
Easy, easy, easy. Here's how it came together.
Continue reading "Penne Arrabbiata con Pollo"
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 11:41 AM
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May 05, 2006
Mega Pepperoni, Garlic and Fresh Mozzerella Pizza
(Photo: TPC)
I haven't had much of a chance to do much cooking, let alone take pictures of it, because I'm heading out of town tomorrow for 10 days. I had to cook something before I left, though, and you can't go wrong with pizza, right?
Here's the latest in a series of pizzas I've been making, and this one is a twist on a classic. It might be hard to tell from the pictures, but the entire pizza is covered with sandwich sized slices of pepperoni.