How to hull a strawberry

With strawberry season upon us a mistake many of us make is wasting about a fourth of a strawberry whenever we slice them up. Check out this video on how to hull strawberries for a better yield of fruit.

How to hull a strawberry

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All hail…the Caesar!

The word Authentic seems to be the latest buzzword out in the food world right now, you know, right after organic and all natural. You see this word all over the labels right now and I can only imagine they are referring to taste because the list of ingredients reads much the same as the product right next to it.
In my mind authentic means traditional, original or basic. This week I wanted to try to make an “authentic” meal. A dish that has become extremely popular as a side dish and as a meal would be my next venture. It’s time to make a Caesar Salad.

Up until this point the way I made Caesar Salad was with some Romaine, Parmesan and a bottle of “Caesar” dressing. There are countless varieties out there so finding a suitable replacement for ones favorite is not an easy task. After looking over the net and cookbooks there were many to choose from so where does one start. I wanted to make an authentic Caesar so I first started out with what constitutes a Caesar from the rest of the other salads. The answer was pretty easy to come by. The bottom line when making a Caesar salad is five ingredients; Garlic, egg, lemon juice, anchovies and REAL Parmesan. That seems easy enough so let’s run through how to make an authentic, basic Caesar salad. To make this an entree and not just a side were going to add a chicken breast atop our salad when finished made popular by American chain restaurants. Here’s what you’ll need for a dinner for 2;

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breasts
• 2 eggs
• 4-5 cloves of garlic
• 2 tbs fresh lemon juice
• 5 tbs olive oil
• 1 tbs minced anchovies or ½ tbs anchovy paste
• Worcestershire sauce
• Salt and Fresh ground black pepper
• Head of Romaine lettuce
• Croutons if desired
• 1 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
• A few large pieces of shaved Asiago cheese

Directions:
Start boiling a few cup of water or enough to cover 2 eggs. I then start cooking the chicken breasts then make the dressing while they are cooking. I like cooking my chicken in my cast iron pan (uncovered then covered). I start out on high heat, adding about a tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. I slice one clove of garlic and add to the oil. Upon the garlic turning brown I add the chicken breast to the pan and sear each side. I then turn down the heat to medium low and cover. When the dressing is finished I add about a half of a cup to the chicken and let it simmer in with it.
For the dressing, poke a pinhole in the broad side of the egg with a needle and place in the boiling water. Cook for 1 minute then remove from heat. Cut a clove of garlic in half and rub the inside of the salad bowl. Crack the egg and place in salad bowl. Scrape the inside of the egg with a spoon to get out all the egg white. Whisk the egg with a spoon then start to slowly wisk in the lemon juice and then the oil. Stir in the anchovies and a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce. Add a good amount of pepper and taste. At this stage in the game the Caesar is going to taste fishy and “dull”. There’s not a lot of kick but don’t worry yet just get an idea of your salt level. Anchovies and Parmesan (which hasn’t been added yet) are very salty and salt may not be needed here. I found I needed a few pinches of sea salt but use your own taste.
At this point you are supposed to add your lettuce, croutons and Parmesan but it looked as though I had too much liquid. I put the dressing in a separate bowl and added it to the Romaine instead of the other way round. I found I used just a bit over half and that was sufficient. Toss the grated Parmesan, Romaine and croutons as well as some crushed garlic if you like a kick to your meal. Plate the salad and check on the chicken. When the chicken is done cooking slice it into bite size pieces and place on the salad. Top with shaved Asiago cheese and a few more shakes of pepper. Serve immediately.
This one was a surprise to me. I had tasted the dressing before I tossed it with the Romaine and frankly I wasn’t impressed. There was no kick to it like I had been used to when ordering this and it was a bit fishy for my tastes. This is really a sum of the whole parts though. After tossing with the Parmesan and adding the garlic it really rounded the whole dish out for me. It all came together and blended almost perfectly. Now that I know what authentic Caesar is this gives me a whole new area to play around with. I can add more levels of flavors by adding different kinds of peppercorns, capers or vegetables. Once you know the basics it’s time to make it your own and improve on it however you wish. If you make this or have made this before, let me know what you think. Enjoy.

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Zucchini Carbonara

Before making this dish I was unsure what Carbonara actually was.  I have had it before but was completely unsure about what was in the recipe.  With a little research I found that Carbonara is a pasta dish that focuses on the use of eggs, Parmesan or pecorino romano, black pepper and bacon.  Yes that’s right a pasta dish with bacon, this has to be good.  In Italy Guanciale is used as this is the traditional unsmoked bacon coming from the cheek or jowl region of the pig.  In America pancetta is much easier to find and will be used in finer restaurants but in our case classic bacon will treat us just fine.   Carbonara is also known as coal miner’s spaghetti due to its dark appearance after being profusely peppered.  It is not known if this was a hearty meal for coal miners or that it was first cooked over charcoal or even had squid’s ink added but all are rumors of its beginnings. The first recorded recipe for Carbonara was in a 1927 Italian cookbook.  It is thought to have been invented up when the Americans supplied eggs and bacon during World War II.

I saw this particular dish featured on Jamie Oliver’s Jamie at Home, a great show about using fresh ingredients and many things from your own garden, and had to try it.  Once you make this dish you will find that making a Carbonara is a technique and you will be able to “Carbonara” just about any kind of pasta dish as long as you stick to the four base ingredients.  It’s important when learning to cook that you pick up techniques and not just blindly follow a recipe.  When you start to see how ingredients compliment one another you can start to create your own dishes and make whole meals without looking at a recipe.  Here is what you’ll need for the Carbonara (if making 3-4 servings);

Ingredients:

• 6 Slices of Center cut Bacon
• 2 egg yolks (let them come to room temperature)
• ½ – ¾ cup Parmesan cheese finely grated
• Black Pepper
• 1/8 cup fresh basil and oregano
• 2 cups of your favorite Pasta
• 2 small yellow squash
• 2 small zucchini
• 1 cup mushrooms

Directions:

Start by giving the bacon a rough chop until you get about ½ inch by ½ inch little squares.  In a large pan start to brown your bacon until it starts to become crispy, medium to medium high heat.  Start to boil your pasta.  While pasta and bacon is cooking slice zucchini into quarter inch coins leaving on the skins.  Quarter your squash lengthwise and cut out the middle seeds.  You then want to cut your squash at an angle making little penne pasta looking shapes. Slice your mushrooms and grate the parmesan.

When the bacon has started to crisp add your veggies, basil and oregano and turn up the heat to medium high and cook the veggies down.  You’re looking to soften them up a bit but leaving a little crunch to them when there done.  We don’t want soggy mush so higher heat, stirring frequently, uncovered until they reach your desired liking.  While the veggies are cooking down add the Parmesan to 2 egg yolks and gently whisk until thoroughly mixed.  If there is too much cheese the sauce will clump up and be almost impossible to whisk.  If this happens add a little heavy cream or water to the mixture until it comes to a mayonnaise consistency.  Drain the pasta while reserving about a cup of the pasta water (to be used at the end).  Toss all the pasta in with the veggies and remove from heat.  Pour the egg/cheese mixture over the pasta and veggies and toss.  Add ¼ to ½ cup of the pasta water while stirring or tossing until the sauce becomes silky and coats everything evenly (be careful not to add too much water as you don’t want soupy pasta).  Add copious amounts of freshly ground black pepper.  You’ve now made your first Carbonara and it couldn’t have been easier or tasted better.  This is such a great meal that has the potential to wow your guest or just be a great comfort food dinner.  Now that you know how to “Carbonara”, you can substitute any of the veggies for you favorites or add steak, chicken or fish.  Enjoy.

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Now without MSG- Chicken stir fry

If your anything like me when you’re at your favorite Chinese buffet your loading up your 3rd plate feeling great.  You justify all the food because everything has vegetables so it can’t be that bad for you. Well it can.  Between almost all the dishes containing some fried element or loaded with sugar and oil, MSG is also still present in many dishes.  MSG is a food additive that is added to foods to enhance flavors and there is still much controversy of its relative safety.  My viewpoint is that if you need to enhance your foods flavor unnaturally then you’re not making good food.

It is pretty easy to mix up an Asian style stir-fry with relatively few ingredients.  Tonight I made a chicken stir-fry in under an hour including prep time.  Here’s what you’ll need to make your own;

Ingredients:

• 1 lb of chicken
• 4 cups stir-fry vegetables (mushrooms, onions, bell peppers etc.)
• rice

Sauce/ Marinade:

• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tbs scallions of green onion
• 1/2 tsp salt & pepper
• 1 tsp corn starch
• 3 tbs rice wine vinegar
• 1 tbs soy sauce
• 2 tbs dark brown sugar

Directions:

First we’ll make the marinade.  Add cumin, turmeric, scallions, corn starch, salt, pepper and sugar to a bowl.  Mix in rice wine vinegar and then add soy sauce.  Cut chicken into about 1 inch pieces and place in marinade.  With the chicken cut the marinade only needs to marinate for about a half hour.

First prepare your favorite white or brown rice.  If you have a wok now is the time to use it.  Cooking this meal is relatively quick with a wok but a regular non-stick pan will work.    Heat about a tablespoon of peanut oil in the wok or pan on high heat.  Remove chicken from marinade while keeping the sauce for later use.  When the oil starts to smoke your ready to cook the chicken.  Place chicken in pan and stir-fry for a about 5 minutes or until chicken is slightly underdone and remove from wok/pan.  Add another tablespoon of oil to wok/pan and add vegetables.

Stir fry until you start to see browning.  Add marinade to the vegetables along with the chicken and cover for about 5 minutes stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat and serve on rice immediately.  You can spice this up by adding red pepper flake for some heat or chopped peanuts for additional flavor.  Let me know if you try this and if you change it up at all. Enjoy.

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Recipe request – Red and White Shrimp

For my first recipe request here’s my Red and White Shrimp dish.  Granted it’s not “mine” as I got it from Chinese the essence of Asian cooking by Linda Doeser (now on Amazon for only $5).
This is an easy recipe for the most part but preparedness is of the most importance as the cooking process goes extremely fast.  I like to have all my ingredients measured out and put in some prep bowls (thanks Colleen).  So lets start.

What you need:
1 lb shrimp
1/2 egg white
1 tbs cornstarch paste (1/2 tbs cornstarch 1/2 tbs water)
1/2 lb snow peas or sugar snap peas
1 tsp light brown sugar
1 cup vegetable or peanut oil
1 tbs scallion
salt
1 tsp fresh ginger
1 tbs light soy sauce
1 tbs Rice wine
1 tsp chili bean sauce (recipe to make your own-add half a fresh jalapeno to recipe if you want some heat )
1 tbs tomato paste (recipe to make your own)

Directions:
Peel and devein the shrimp and mix with cornstarch paste and egg white and add a pinch of salt.  Trim snow peas if needed.
Heat a tablespoon of oil in a preheated wok or fry pan and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes.  Add the brown sugar and a little salt and stir for 1 more minute. Remove and place on a warmed serving platter.
Add a tablespoon of oil to the wok/fry pan and cook shrimp for only a minute on high.  Remove and drain. Add scallion and ginger to the wok/ fry pan.  Return shrimp to the wok/ fry pan and stir-fry for 1 minute then add soy sauce and rice wine.  Blend the mixture and cook until the shrimp are all cooked through.  Transfer half of the shrimp to the warmed plate with the peas.  Add the chili bean sauce and tomato paste to the remaining shrimp in the wok/ fry pan.  Blend well and place the red shrimp on the opposite side of the platter.  Enjoy.

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Day 16 – Squash

Today’s spotlight…Spaghetti Squash. About once a week we start getting an appetite for pasta. A great alternative to spaghetti is the suitably named spaghetti squash. This squash is easy to make and goes great with a red sauce or Alfredo. On another note all squash seeds can be roasted just like pumpkin seeds, a great snack. Here’s how to cook your spaghetti squash:

Find a squash that is nice and yellow without soft spots. The squash can sit at room temperature for about a month. To prep cut the squash in half and remove the seeds. Place the squash rind facing up in a casserole dish with 2 cups of water. Bake for 30-40 minutes at 400 F. Let sit for 10 minutes. Pull a fork lengthwise through the squash to make long strands like spaghetti. Serve with your favorite sauce. Enjoy.

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Day 12 – Sweet Potato Fries

A great treat we like to make to eat alone or to accompany another dish is the sweet potato.  Sweet potatoes are not actually potatoes at all, though they are a tuber.  The are also mistakenly referred to as Yams but are not.  Yams originated in Asia/ Africa while Sweet Potatoes are from South America.  The sweet potato is as delicious as it is misunderstood.

Tonight we will make baked sweet potato fries.  The recipe is easy and eating them is even easier. Recipe below.

Ingredients:

4-6 sweet potatoes cut into french fries

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper/ chipotle chili powder (whatever your preference)

1 tsp paprika

1 1/2 tbsp olive oil/ grape seed oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 F.  Mix dry ingredients with oil.  Place oil, spices and sweet potato in a ziploc bag and mix thoroughly.  Place potatoes on a cookie sheet spread evenly.  Place in oven for 30 minutes until the bottoms of the potatoes are crispy.  Flip and cook for another 30 min or until desired crispness.

Enjoy your South American tuber fries!

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Day 11 – Smoothies

Finally got over my recent sickness and am trying to catch up on my day count.  I recently watched one of my favorite shows Good Eats. The show pairs science, history and food, three of my favorite things.  Alton Brown also has a blog here. On this particular episode Alton had showed how in 9 months he had lost 90 pounds from changing his diet alone.  It was quite impressive and the ideas, very straightforward.  Lists of stuff you must eat, list of sparingly foods and a list of never eat foods.  The hardest part comes from self-discipline, an obstacle that always gets in the way.  I picked up a great smoothie recipe that I can use as a breakfast substitute and stay all natural and single ingredient.  Here it is;

Ingredients:

4 oz Acai juice or grape juice or pomegranate juice

4 oz soy milk

4 oz blueberries or blackberries

4 oz strawberries

4 oz peaches or mangoes

4 oz bananas

Directions:

All fruit can be fresh or frozen, if frozen let sit overnight in refrigerator and it will be ready in the morning.  Start blending at about 1/3 power for 30 seconds.  Increase speed until you see a vortex forming. Blend for 30 seconds.  Increase speed up 25% for 1 minute.  Done.

Quick and easy breakfast and delicious also.

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Day 7 – Scallop Salad

Today I made scallop salad in the inspiration of Macaroni Grill.   This is my favorite salad recipe and I cut out about 850 calories from the restaurant style recipe. Seared sea scallops are extremely easy to make.  Instead of reinventing the wheel and making my own video I found a great video on how to sear the perfect scallop (link here).  The only difference when I sear my scallops I use garlic and scallions in the pan before I add the scallops.  These are used only to infuse the flavor into scallops.  Once the scallops are done they can be added to any type of salad you’d like.  Here’s my favorite to feed two;

Ingredients:

1/2 head romaine lettuce

1/2 white onion

1/4 cup chopped walnuts (we like whole walnuts chopped as needed)

handful of dried cranberries

1/4 cup feta cheese

1/2 cup grape or cherry tomatoes

Any mild homemade dressing, we prefer a balsamic vinaigrette

Directions:

Toss all salad ingredients in a large bowl with salad dressing.  Plate the salad in a bowl or small plate.  Place seared scallops on top of salad and serve.

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