Day before yesterday, Richie was thumbing through ""Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2" and said, "I think I'll make this Olive Garden Sicilian Scampi" tomorrow night." Accordingly he bought shrimp and a new baguette.
OLIVE GARDEN SCILIAN SCAMPI
2 T butter
1 T olive oil
1 teas. minced white onion
1 teas. minced garlic
1 T Chablis wine
6 fresh medium shrimp, butterflied
1 teas. lemon juice
1/2 teas. minced parsley
pinch black pepper
pinch crushed red pepper flakes
1 T heavy cream
1 T sliced black olives
5 toasted slices of baguette
Heat a small skillet and add the butter and olive oil. When the butter melts, add the onion and garlic and sweat them. Then add the wine.
Immediately slide the shrimp in and then the lemon juice and peppers. when the shrimp are done, add the cream and olives. Cook for 15 seconds or so and plate the shrimp on the baguette slices and serve.
Optional garnish - diced Roma tomatoe and Parmesan cheese.
The Olive Garden kitchen staff makes "scampi butter" - the parsley, peppers, onion and garlic in melted butter, re-shaped into sticks and set so that they can just whack two tablespoons of it off the log and start cooking.
Richie followed the recipe and only omitted the heavy cream - I suggested some of the sour cream he bought for another dish for the "cream effect." It didn't help it or make it worse. The whole thing just didn't have much flavor of any kind.
(Shrug) Another day, another dinner!
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Monday, July 30, 2012
Rick Bayless Annoys Me
Bayless has spent the last 40 years exploring the foods and cooking styles of Mexico. His book "Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchen" was 10 years in the writing. You may have watched him on "Mexico, One Plate at a Time" on PBS or known that he was named Chef of the Year (1995) by the James Beard Foundation and the International Associations of Culinary Professionals.
I am not in any way questioning his qualifications. His writing style is what irks me. His first shot across my bows (so to speak) was the beginning of the book when he lists and gives the recipes for ESSENTIAL sauces. Excuse me? How the hell does he know what is essential to me?
Then in the recipes, "Take 1 cup of ESSENTIAL garlicky achiote seasoning paste" (list of other ingredients follows.)
I like simplicity of construction in cooking. He says to chop 2 cups of onion, par-boil them and then drain them saving 2 T of the cooking water! How about this, dude -- chop the onions, cook them in 2 1/2 T of water and move on. The extra 1/2 T water will boil off.
Still and all, it is an interesting book if you can wade through complicated (and to me unnecessary) instructions.
PICKLED RED ONIONS are a staple condiment on Yucatan tables and whenever I've managed to run across them, I liked them so --
1 small red onion, peeled and diced
1/4 teas. black peppercorns
1/4 teas. cumin seeds
1/2 teas. dried oregano
2 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
pinch of salt
1/3 cup cider vinegar
Parboil the onions (sigh) drain and put the onions in a bowl.
Grind the peppercorns and cumin and add to the onions (why not start with black pepper and cumin powder?)
Add the rest of the ingredients, plus enough water to cover the whole thing and let stand until the onions turn pink. Cover and refrigerate; they'll be good for several weeks.
Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchen" by Rick Bayless with Deann Bayless and Jeanmarie Brownson Scribner 448 pages $35
I am not in any way questioning his qualifications. His writing style is what irks me. His first shot across my bows (so to speak) was the beginning of the book when he lists and gives the recipes for ESSENTIAL sauces. Excuse me? How the hell does he know what is essential to me?
Then in the recipes, "Take 1 cup of ESSENTIAL garlicky achiote seasoning paste" (list of other ingredients follows.)
I like simplicity of construction in cooking. He says to chop 2 cups of onion, par-boil them and then drain them saving 2 T of the cooking water! How about this, dude -- chop the onions, cook them in 2 1/2 T of water and move on. The extra 1/2 T water will boil off.
Still and all, it is an interesting book if you can wade through complicated (and to me unnecessary) instructions.
PICKLED RED ONIONS are a staple condiment on Yucatan tables and whenever I've managed to run across them, I liked them so --
1 small red onion, peeled and diced
1/4 teas. black peppercorns
1/4 teas. cumin seeds
1/2 teas. dried oregano
2 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
pinch of salt
1/3 cup cider vinegar
Parboil the onions (sigh) drain and put the onions in a bowl.
Grind the peppercorns and cumin and add to the onions (why not start with black pepper and cumin powder?)
Add the rest of the ingredients, plus enough water to cover the whole thing and let stand until the onions turn pink. Cover and refrigerate; they'll be good for several weeks.
Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchen" by Rick Bayless with Deann Bayless and Jeanmarie Brownson Scribner 448 pages $35
Sunday, July 29, 2012
The Old Dudes Were 'Way Ahead of Their Times
"Man must rise above the earth - to the top of the atmosphere and beyond - for only thus will he fully understand the world in which he lives."
SOCRATES, GREEK PHILOSOPHER, 469 BC - 399 BC
SOCRATES, GREEK PHILOSOPHER, 469 BC - 399 BC
Saturday, July 28, 2012
The Oddities of Life ... and Death
From today's Daily Breeze -- "Sunken German U-Boat is found off Massachusetts" and the article goes on to detail how it was found in waters off of Nantucket. Of note to Richie, self and the Thursday Writers was this:
""On April 16, 1944, the U-550 torpedoed the gasoline tanker USS Pan Pennsylvania. The USS JOYCE saw it on sonar and severly damaged it by dropping depth charges. The Germans, forced to surrender, manned their deck guns ...The third escort, the USS PETERSON then hit the U-boat with two more depth charges. The crew abandoned the submarine, left."
JOYCE PETERSON was an adored member of the South Bay Writers Workshop. She died at 12:45 a.m., July 25th, 2012, aged 94. Her funeral rites will be conducted next Wednesday (viewing) and Thursday (funeral.)
h/t Richie Murphy
""On April 16, 1944, the U-550 torpedoed the gasoline tanker USS Pan Pennsylvania. The USS JOYCE saw it on sonar and severly damaged it by dropping depth charges. The Germans, forced to surrender, manned their deck guns ...The third escort, the USS PETERSON then hit the U-boat with two more depth charges. The crew abandoned the submarine, left."
JOYCE PETERSON was an adored member of the South Bay Writers Workshop. She died at 12:45 a.m., July 25th, 2012, aged 94. Her funeral rites will be conducted next Wednesday (viewing) and Thursday (funeral.)
h/t Richie Murphy
Friday, July 27, 2012
This'n That - Slow News Day
She really does love to dance!
Bob and Pat (Brodsky) introduced us to the fun at the South Bay New Orleans Dixieland Jazz Club (aka the jazz club and you can see why) and we have been partakers ever since. When they moved to a retirement community in Claremont, they quickly found and joined a club in nearby West Covina.
Pat was telling me about it last night on the phone and mentioned that our club president plays drums at their new group. "Oh! And that couple -- you know --that likes to dance? She wears culottes and has to pull him up out of his chair?"
"You mean Lou and Bernie?" I gasped. "Is that their names?" asked Pat, "Oh, yes, it was them." West Covina has to be at least 50 miles from the beach and requires three freeways to get there. God bless'em.
Summers Re-visited
"Beach books" are so-named because they tend not to be along the lines of "Einstein's Theory of Relativity and Why He Was Wrong," but much lighter fare.
When I came upon a section of the library that I hadn't noticed, I found it full of prolific authors -- people who had written 20 to 45 books apiece! Whole shelves stretched off into the distance -- Robert B. Parker, Stuart Wood, Lawrence Saunders, James Lee Burke (who veers dangerously close to the Einstein book,) Sidney Sheldon, Judith Kranz and the ever-delightful Jackie Collins who is about as frivolous as they come.
For a good beach read, take a look back at some of your favorite authors. You may even be lucky enough to find one that you somehow missed the first time around. That's a find!
Bob and Pat (Brodsky) introduced us to the fun at the South Bay New Orleans Dixieland Jazz Club (aka the jazz club and you can see why) and we have been partakers ever since. When they moved to a retirement community in Claremont, they quickly found and joined a club in nearby West Covina.
Pat was telling me about it last night on the phone and mentioned that our club president plays drums at their new group. "Oh! And that couple -- you know --that likes to dance? She wears culottes and has to pull him up out of his chair?"
"You mean Lou and Bernie?" I gasped. "Is that their names?" asked Pat, "Oh, yes, it was them." West Covina has to be at least 50 miles from the beach and requires three freeways to get there. God bless'em.
Summers Re-visited
"Beach books" are so-named because they tend not to be along the lines of "Einstein's Theory of Relativity and Why He Was Wrong," but much lighter fare.
When I came upon a section of the library that I hadn't noticed, I found it full of prolific authors -- people who had written 20 to 45 books apiece! Whole shelves stretched off into the distance -- Robert B. Parker, Stuart Wood, Lawrence Saunders, James Lee Burke (who veers dangerously close to the Einstein book,) Sidney Sheldon, Judith Kranz and the ever-delightful Jackie Collins who is about as frivolous as they come.
For a good beach read, take a look back at some of your favorite authors. You may even be lucky enough to find one that you somehow missed the first time around. That's a find!
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Backstage in Chain Restaurants
"Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 - More Amazing Clones of Famous Dishes from America's Favorite Restaurant Chains" by Todd Wilbur Penguin 395 pages $15
This would be a very handy book for people who live in small towns and don't normally have access to such as Chili's, P.F. Chang, California Pizza Kitchen, Tony Roma's, Houston's or Joe's Crab Shack, to mention only a few of the kitchens included in this book. It would also suit bone-idle lazy people like me; too blase to sling on my cleanest pair of dirty jeans, get in the car and actually go there.
In addition to the cloned recipes, I learned that Chevy's motto is: No cans in the kitchen." Now either they mean "from scratch only" or they have a separate building to store the cans.
I did like the sound of this -- Chevy's Sweet Corn Tomalito (aka "Sweet Corn Cake" at Chi-Chi's and El Torito.)
CHEVY'S SWEET CORN TOMALITO CLONE
4 cups frozen corn ("frozen" - crafty devils)
1/3 cup softened butter (2/3rds of a stick)
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup masa harina
1/2 cup corn meal
/2 teas. baking powder
Preheat oven to 325.
Cream the butter and sugar together, then beat in the milk and masa harina and mix well.
Puree two cups of the corn and add that to the butter-masa mixture.
Add the corn meal, baking powder and the rest of the corn and stir together.
Pour this into an un-greased 8 x 8 in. baking pan, cover it with foil and then put it into a 9 x 13 in. baking pan. Fill the second pan with hot water to about the 1/3 full mark and bake it all for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until it's firm in the center. Let it sit for 10 minutes and then scoop out half-cup portions and serve.
This would be a very handy book for people who live in small towns and don't normally have access to such as Chili's, P.F. Chang, California Pizza Kitchen, Tony Roma's, Houston's or Joe's Crab Shack, to mention only a few of the kitchens included in this book. It would also suit bone-idle lazy people like me; too blase to sling on my cleanest pair of dirty jeans, get in the car and actually go there.
In addition to the cloned recipes, I learned that Chevy's motto is: No cans in the kitchen." Now either they mean "from scratch only" or they have a separate building to store the cans.
I did like the sound of this -- Chevy's Sweet Corn Tomalito (aka "Sweet Corn Cake" at Chi-Chi's and El Torito.)
CHEVY'S SWEET CORN TOMALITO CLONE
4 cups frozen corn ("frozen" - crafty devils)
1/3 cup softened butter (2/3rds of a stick)
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup masa harina
1/2 cup corn meal
/2 teas. baking powder
Preheat oven to 325.
Cream the butter and sugar together, then beat in the milk and masa harina and mix well.
Puree two cups of the corn and add that to the butter-masa mixture.
Add the corn meal, baking powder and the rest of the corn and stir together.
Pour this into an un-greased 8 x 8 in. baking pan, cover it with foil and then put it into a 9 x 13 in. baking pan. Fill the second pan with hot water to about the 1/3 full mark and bake it all for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until it's firm in the center. Let it sit for 10 minutes and then scoop out half-cup portions and serve.
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
