knife...check...fork...check...gasmask??

Made some adobo steak tacos last night.  Let me just say that this is a dish that, while unbelievably delicious, is very dangerous if cooked indoors.  The recipe I had called for grilling the steak, but I just didn't want to go to the trouble of getting the coals ready and all that so I thought that I would just give it a good sear and that would be that.  However, I failed to realize that when dried peppers are reconstituted in oil that they might give off some deadly fumes when introduced to high heat.  Basically, I pepper-gassed wife and I and buddy.  From the second the meat heat the pan, all my breath was taken away.  Amy got it worse than I did because she was already battling tonsillitis and had to use her asthma inhaler.  Eventually, things cleared out and all was well.  We did have to eat outside on the back step, but it did not stymie the deliciousness of our meal.  

So, to the food...I marinated the beef (I used "flat iron" steak, which was incredibly tender once removed of tendons and silver skin) in a spice paste of olive oil, garlic, paprika, cumin, oregano, lime zest, chili flakes, and salt and pepper--also known as adobo paste.  It gave an incredible flavor to the steak.  It was spicy, smoky goodness with the clean tartness of the lime zest. 

Wifeshow and I made some tortillas (flour) to go with our tacos, and I cannot say enough about the difference between these and what you get at the store.  such a better taste and texture.  They don't take a lot of time, and they are worth the extra effort.  try it, you won't regret.

As far as toppings for the tacos, I wanted to have a nice textural experience so I julienned  some red and green cabbage, diced some tomato, and cut some scallions and cilantro.  a couple squeezes of lime juice later, and you have yourself a taco better than you can get anywhere.  Personally guarantee that...and I have had a lot of tacos.  peace

I was just going to have oatmeal, but I think I changed my mind

I wanted a really savory breakfast yesterday, and I just happened to have all the ingredients for croque madames.  Basically, it is a broiled sandwich consisting of thick slices of bread (brioche is very popular on these but I just used whole wheat because that's what I had laying around) spread with bechamel, one slice topped with ham and the other topped with cheese and then broiled.  after the cheese is melted, the pieces go on top of each other and then one more layer of béchamel on the top and then back into the broiler for a minute or so and finally topped with a fried egg.  I actually put a tomato slice underneath the egg because I love the whole tomato egg combo.  It makes for a very nice, good-looking breakfast.

Wife and I have figured out a basic layout for the book, as far as photo spreads and such and I have been trying to be diligent on spending as much time as I can on it,  It's tough though, there are so many things that I want to get done during the day that it is hard to concentrate on sitting down and typing.  Only two more markets left at work, which means that vacation is rapidly approaching!  I am really excited to visit some places in oregon.  I have been looking forward to it for a long time now.  It will be great to get some much needed time to relax.  Well, gotta go. Lots to do and little time to do it. peace

Are you here for the Equinox?

I really wanted risotto yesterday.  I was thinking about it all day long.  I don't really think that a lot of people make it and that's kind of a shame.  It is a wonderful, filling side, but a lot of the time I use it as a main course.  Last night's was a roasted tomato risotto that I served with some roasted green beans.  Risotto usually takes about 35 minutes.  It is rice that is sautéed dry with aromatics and then cooked with hot broth, a ladle-ful at a time, until it is al dente. one of my faves.  It is basically the same method every time with windows that allow for different flavoring.   I always add a little vermouth (tip from my sis, Erin) before the stock and it gives it a really nice perfume that hangs on throughout the dish.  

I had a dream during my nap that I kept breaking my new glasses and then getting them fixed.  weird.  hope it's not foreshadowing.  Autumn is upon us in date, however, I am still waiting for it to feel like autumn weather.  I love when the weather starts to turn chillier and I have my windows open, snuggling farther under the down comforter and feeling a slight chill on my face.  Ultimate sleeping weather.  I love that soup is a welcome meal multiple times a week.  I love sweatshirt weather, roasted food, chilly but not cold bike rides, and switching to drinking hot lattes at work.  I am ready for you autumn, bring it on.

Putting the Jazz in Jasmine

Made some tuna steak last night. Tasty treats!  Served with some jasmine rice and some steamed asparagus.  I also made a honey-soy glaze for the fish and it was really nice.  I got the idea from a cookbook I have on minimalist asian cooking.  There are some great ideas and concepts in there, I will be trying more in the coming posts.  That's one thing I love about eastern cooking, the ability to take few ingredients and turn it into really good stuff. So, as promised (to myself), I have started to eat more fish and I have to say that I am digging it.  It's a really good idea, actually.  Fish is one of the last great wild foods, I think that there is something to be said for that.  I have really been thinking a lot about the things that I eat lately, and trying to develop some sort of philosophy on why I eat the things (and the way) that I do.  I guess if I had to narrow it down it would be that I appreciate that the animals/vegetables I make were provided for me and want to make the best possible things that I can out of them.  Odds are, those animals were probably happier not on my plate, so I have really been thinking about that lately and not taking any of it for granted.  I'm not saying that I am going to give up eating meat (anyone who knows me, knows that is impossible), I think that I am just going to give up eating crappy meat, or food made without love.  I mean, this is the stuff that we put into our bodies, people!  Think about it!  I have to go.  sleepy treats await.

I've heard of people "dismantling" things, but how come nobody "mantles?"

Totally scored some heirloom tomatoes at the store yesterday.  I was really excited.  Yesterday was one of those days where you feel like you are doing about a hundred things and accomplishing less than one thing.  Oh well, it was still a pretty good day, all in all.  

Have made some great strides in laying out the cookbook.  Everything is somewhat organized and now just has to be written out and tested/finalized. I am leaving the design in amy's hands as she is wicked talented in that area.  I feel really confident that it is going to be really cool.  I am excited and that is good because it will definitely help me to get going on the thing, especially since I am really behind schedule.  I was reminded this weekend that I have been saying I would write this for years now but so far have not followed through.  This is totally off subject today, but I cannot type to save my life right now.  It's like I have hot dog fingers or something.  I should really post this message without spellcheck, you'd all be horrified.

so...about the pic:  I braised some lambshanks with leeks and root veg and served with an heirloom tomato salad.  Heirlooms are totally jem, dressed with a little herb chiffonade (basil, thyme, parsley) nice salt and peps and some fruity olive oil--exquisite.   The lamb was good, but I must confess that it was not my favsies.  while I really like lamb, I think that I needed to season the shank with stronger spices to offset the somewhat gamey flavor (usually the shanks of an animal, being surrounded with all of the fat and tough fibers have a high concentration of flavor).  In other newsworthy news, I have decided to try and eat more fish.  unfortunately, in my part of the world that either means that you pay huge premiums for the good stuff or you buy frozen.  I bought some frozen stuff.  However, just because it is frozen does not mean it is bad quality.  I actually picked up some nice tuna and salmon of respectable quality so I was pretty jazzed about that.  anyway, I had better go, time to start mantling dinner. peace