Tuesday, June 24, 2008

3Qt All Clad Saute Pan

I had to replace our 3 quart saute pan. You can see that the non-stick coating is failing.

I brought the pan to William Sonoma and they did give me some resistance. They said that the damage was typical of excessive heat.

Thinking about it, there's a possibility that that may be true because we've now been cooking with gas for about eight months, whereas our old electric cook-top did not seem to give off that many BTUs.

I've had to replace various pans before, both All Clad and Calphalon. Laurie thinks I may be scamming the manufacturers, but I figure a lifetime guarantee is a lifetime guarantee!

Saturday, June 21, 2008

Kebabs and Skate

I've been working like a slave's dog lately and haven't had time to post some recipes. Hopefully things will get back to normal next week.

Last week we cooked beef and vegetable kebabs...


...and skate with capers. If you've never had skate, try it. It's fantastic. It tastes a little like scallops, only a bit sweeter.

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Ham salad

Ham salad is and interesting food. It doesn't taste a lot like ham to me, but I like it.

Grind up ham in a food processor until it's at the consistency it should be. You'll know it when you see it.

Add mayonaise and blend till smooth, scraping down the sides with a rubber policeman as needed.


I put in a pickled egg (and some pickled onions and beets too) to give it that unique ham salad taste.

It's delicious!

Ham

I don't know why we don't cook ham more often. It's cheap, simple, and delicious - way better than the deli ham we usually get at the grocery.

Score the surface of the ham and cook to an internal temperature of 140F. That's it.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Tenderloin & Vegetable Kebabs

We like kebabs a lot. Generally I prefer ground meat to chunk because you can be more creative with flavors, but chunk is tasty with the benefit of being simple.

Today we used beef tenderloin.

Cut the meat into chunks and skewer along the long axis, counterintuitive to what you'd normally be inclined to do. Oil, salt, and pepper them than grill for three minutes per side for tenderloin.

Don't grill vegetables with meat. Their cooking times are different.

Skewer the vegetables and season with olive oil and whatever else you like. Grill for about 12-15 minutes, flipping occasionally.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Grilled Rainbow Trout & Egg Plant with Pesto

I like grilled, whole fish a lot, although Laurie is not too keen on them. Something about the eyes, I think.
Slit the fish perpendicular to the spine. Stuff the body cavity with herbs - I used chives and rosemary for this trout.

Oil the grate of a hot grill and gently put the fish on it. Let it sit for five minutes, then gently move it so that it's loose from the grill. Let it cook for another three minutes and gently roll it over.

Cook on the flip side for eight more minutes.

I have mixed results with egg plant and want to master it this year. Egg plant has a very high water content which makes grilling a good technique and is also very porous, causing it to soak up oil like a sponge.

Peel and cut the egg plant into disks. Liberally salt in put into a colander to draw out the moisture. Let it sit for at least fifteen minutes, then shake off the water or blot with a towel.

Right before putting it onto the grill, coat with olive oil. Grill with indirect heat to prevent charring: easier said than done.

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Orange Roughy & Shrimp

Lightly bread the fish in cornmeal and season. I used cajun seasoning and salt. Saute 2 - 3 minutes per side until golden brown.

Season the shrimp with olive oil, garlic, and pepper flakes. Cook in olive oil and butter a couple of minutes per side and on their back. Smaller shrimp would take less time.
(Have you noticed that vertebrates have a nerve column on their backs and digestive track on their fronts, while arthropods have it reversed?)

I made the rice as a simple pilaf with shrimp stock. After it was done, I quickly tossed it in the pan where the shrimp cooked.

Outstanding!