Hello, my name is George, and I’m addicted to gadgets. It started off with the small stuff, like those little Avocet 20 cycling computers that just told you your speed and your distance…two data points, that was it. Then they came out with computers that also calculated average speed, max speed…more data, and I was hooked. Pretty soon I was scoring heart rate monitors from Polar, and it was all over. Now, thanks to triathlon, I have multiple heart rate monitors, GPS watches, cycling power monitors, aero carbon wheels, 4 bikes, cool sunglasses…you name it, I probably have it. And a bike ride is no longer a bike ride…no, it’s an excuse to gather data. After work I hopped on the bike and went for a nice 20 mile ride. No, strike that; I went for 20.05 miles in 58’03”, at an average speed of 20.7 mph, max speed of 35.9, elevation gain of 1,024’ during the ride, average power output of 214 watts, and max watts was 822. Yeah!! That’s what I’m taking about. Oh, almost forgot…average heart rate was 151 beats per minute, max was 164.
Cooking is also gadget intensive. There are so many things to lust after…nice knives, great cookware, blenders, mixers, scales, utensils, cutting boards, food processors, hand mixers…dozens and dozens of things to go gaga over at the local cooking store (and I have a pretty cool one….Cookswares in Springboro, Ohio). But, there are some gadgets that I turn to time after time, and some that I have pretty much given up on. I’m not going to go into necessities like knives and pots and pans here (that will be another essay), but I’d like to wax poetic for a bit about some of those single use items that have turned out to be singularly useful.
Possibly the absolute bestest, greatest gadget I own is my Chef’s Choice 130 electric knife sharpener. Oh sure, it was something like 130 bucks or something, but oh man, it was worth every penny. Before I got it, I would struggle with dull knives, and then I would grab the sharpening stone, and struggle to put a decent edge on my gorgeous Henckels knives. One Christmas, the Minister of Finance, also known as my wife, Susan, tired of my whining about sharpening the knives, allowed me to purchase the Chef’s Choice. Ever since then, I have had razor sharp knives. Knives that slide through a tomato without so much as stretching the skin…you cooks know what I’m taking about here. So sharp, it was an ½ inch into my thumb before I even knew what was going on. But I don’t care…5 stitches is a cheap price to pay for always perfectly sharp knives. Hate dull knives and hate breaking out the stone even more? Tired of trying to hold that perfect 30 degree angle and put a nice bevel on the edge? Disgusted that after 30 minutes it still won’t slice a piece of paper? Grab a Chef’s Choice and never look back. Just watch where you’re putting your thumb whilst cubing chili meat. Just sayin’….
While I was down at Tyndall AFB in 2005 working in the Air Operations Center for nearly 5 months, my wife bought me some cool stuff from the Pampered Chef as a “welcome home” present. The thing I turn to all the time? The freakin’ apple corer. Seriously. I love that thing. I used to dread staring at a boatload of apples that needed coring and peeling. It was such a pain to carve the core out…now, 2 seconds and that sucker is cored. And even better, it works great on tomatoes. I have a great recipe that calls for cooking halved tomatoes in some olive oil, but you have to core them first. Before the corer arrived, I had to do tomato surgery with my knife. Now, it takes two seconds. I love it.
Then there are those gadgets that appear to be the answer to cooking awesomeness, but then they leave you feeling empty and looking for more. Like looking for more heat. My crazy expensive digital meat thermometer, for example. Last year at Christmas I decided that no more would I wonder if my prime rib was done or not. I was tired of guessing, of timing, and checking, and timing some more, only to over cook the roast. So I again convinced the Ministry that this was a needed, nay, required expense, unless she wanted to eat gray and nasty beef. Susan, being a serious carnivore who likes her cow to flinch a little when she cuts it, gave in, and off I went to the cooking store. I returned, and ceremoniously plugged the little sucker into my beautiful rib roast, set the temp that I wanted it to beep at me, and turned to other important things, like drinking beer. Sure enough, it beeped, and I pulled the roast out of the oven, let it rest for a bit, and then began carving. What the??? It wasn’t even close to being done. The inside was blood rare and cold. Even Susan wrinkled her nose at how rare it was. That has now happened to a turkey, and I swear, that thing has to be at least 20 degrees off. I don’t believe I’ve used it since.
Then there was the double-bladed herb mincing thing with the matching cutting bowl. Herb mincing heaven, or so I thought. Except for the small fact that the blades are too close together so that the herbs clog up in there, even garlic, and it’s a real treat to snake a finger up between the two über-sharp blades to unclog it. I’m not really sure where it is anymore.
But, being an addict like I am, I will inevitably fall victim to the next cool thing that catches my eye at the store. In fact, I think I’m already smitten. For some reason, I am convinced that life will not have much meaning anymore until I can snag one of those cool Santoku knives. Don’t ask me why, I just need one. Seriously.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Grilled Eggplant + Chickpeas = Yum!
So I did largely what I described in my last post. I dumped the grilled eggplant in the Cuisinart, 2 cloves of garlic, and a can of drained chickpeas. Swirled in some olive oil, and blended for about 30 seconds. Gave my wife Susan a taste, and she astutely suggested some lemon juice. Threw in about 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, copious salt and freshly ground pepper, some more olive oil, and blended for another 30-45 seconds. The result was a very nice flavor, with the smoky grilled eggplant coming through very nicely.
My pita bread puffed very nicely, and we had a nice dinner with the warm pita bread, the eggplant/chickpea mixture, and browned hamburger (with garlic and just a hint of cinnamon) on top. Add a nice Beringer Pinot Noir, a little jazz in the background, and it was very, very nice.
My pita bread puffed very nicely, and we had a nice dinner with the warm pita bread, the eggplant/chickpea mixture, and browned hamburger (with garlic and just a hint of cinnamon) on top. Add a nice Beringer Pinot Noir, a little jazz in the background, and it was very, very nice.
Cooking Simple, Part II
Yesterday I promised I would let everyone know how my "creations" turned out. The pasta with the pork was pretty darn good, if I say so myself. It had a tad less sauce than I would have liked, so next time I'll use a smaller baking dish and less noodles. The bread was also decent, but I forgot to slash the loaves before baking, so they sorta came out in some funky shapes. But, I thought the flavor was good, and what's better than fresh bread straight from the oven?
Tonight, I've got to do something with eggplant. Here's what I'm thinking...I'm going to slice the eggplant into 1" thick "steaks," brush them with olive oil, and dust them with salt and ground black pepper. Then I'm going to throw those bad boys on the grill and cook them. Once the eggplant is done, I think I'll cube it up and throw in the Cuisinart with a can of chickpeas and some olive oil, maybe some garlic (haven't decided yet). Susan also bought a pound of hamburger, so taking a cue from an article I read in Saveur magazine on hummus, I'm going to brown the hamburger in a little olive oil, maybe some garlic thrown in, and just a hint of cinnamon (sounds weird, I know, but its a very interesting flavor with meat). I've also got some pita bread dough rising as we speak, so I'm going to bake those up (first time ever...I hope they turn out), and then scoop some eggplant/chickpea stuff on top of warm pita round, and then spoon a dollop of the hamburger on top. That's the plan...we'll see how it turns out!
Tonight, I've got to do something with eggplant. Here's what I'm thinking...I'm going to slice the eggplant into 1" thick "steaks," brush them with olive oil, and dust them with salt and ground black pepper. Then I'm going to throw those bad boys on the grill and cook them. Once the eggplant is done, I think I'll cube it up and throw in the Cuisinart with a can of chickpeas and some olive oil, maybe some garlic (haven't decided yet). Susan also bought a pound of hamburger, so taking a cue from an article I read in Saveur magazine on hummus, I'm going to brown the hamburger in a little olive oil, maybe some garlic thrown in, and just a hint of cinnamon (sounds weird, I know, but its a very interesting flavor with meat). I've also got some pita bread dough rising as we speak, so I'm going to bake those up (first time ever...I hope they turn out), and then scoop some eggplant/chickpea stuff on top of warm pita round, and then spoon a dollop of the hamburger on top. That's the plan...we'll see how it turns out!
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Cooking Simple
Cooking simple…honest food…layering flavors…those are the words that I live by when I cook. I like to take good, flavorful ingredients, and try to create something using as few ingredients as possible. I think that’s why I like French cooking so much…tuck into a well-executed Boef Daube someday, and take in the exquisite flavors; then realize that they are created with just a few ingredients. Red wine, bouquet garni, some excellent bacon, and a relatively inexpensive beef roast. Cook it all correctly, serve over some hot egg noodles, and you have Provence in a bowl. Add some olives as a garnish if you will, but the basic flavor is complex and delectable. Sop up the fantastic juices with a hunk of crusty French baguette, and a sip of good red wine…heaven!
I’ve never really understood the chefs who try to create unbelievably complex food, using as many weird and unobtainable (to the home cook) ingredients as possible. I have a cookbook that features recipes by noted chefs, and there is one recipe for a smoked salmon napoleon that is fussy in the extreme. I’ll bet it tastes pretty good, but where the heck am I going to find pickled papaya, or the time to make it? Or spend the time and money just to make the herbal oils and herbal juices that are required? The dish has at least 40 ingredients and just about as many steps…this seems like total overkill to me, or maybe “showing off” (and growing up in Minnesota, bragging or showing off was either a federal crime or heinous sin, maybe both!). I’m sure a professional chef has all sorts of low-paid minions that can assist putting this thing together, but my admiration goes to the chef who takes easily obtained ingredients and creates magic with them. Like the French….
Oh sure, sometimes I like to get a little nutty and combine a lot of ingredients, like when I am experimenting with creating the perfect cassoulet (wait…that’s French, too, isn’t it? We seem to have a trend here…). But by and large, I like to start with a few ingredients, lovingly sauté, brown, or braise them, and slowly coax as much flavor as I can out of a cheap cut of meat, an onion or two, some garlic, and maybe some tomatoes. I am a big believer in slow food…you can take almost anything, and as long as you don’t try and cook it in 10 minutes, you can slowly extract the maximum flavor from each ingredient. It may take three hours, but it’s almost always worth it.
Take tonight for example….my wife and I have started a weekend tradition. She goes to the store and gets whatever suits her fancy…a red pepper here, a pork roast there, some onions over here. In our version of “Iron Chef,” I have to take what she has brought home, and using whatever we have on hand in the pantry and the refrigerator, cook something edible (and hopefully delicious). So today, this is what I did…I grabbed a boneless pork roast from the fridge, and sliced off the large hunk of fat covering the bottom. Knowing that pork fat is the best fat in the world, I threw the fat into my beloved La Crueset dutch oven (thanks Mom for this awesome pot!!) and slowly rendered it. I cut the pork into 1” cubes, and browned it in the pork fat, with salt and ground pepper (being careful to brown in batches, and not steam the pork into yucky greyness…one of the best cooking tips I’ve ever come across…never let your meat touch if you’re trying to brown it). After the pork was nicely browned and removed, I had a great fond built up on the bottom of my pot. I added 3 diced onions, 2 diced peppers, and 5 minced garlic cloves. I slowly cooked those for about 20 minutes, deglazed the pot with juices coming out of the onions and peppers, and continued to slowly saute until the fond had built back up and I had nice caramelized onions and soft peppers. I put the pork cubes back in, and dumped in 3 cans of petite diced tomatoes and a can of chicken broth (yes, I know I should be making my own chicken stock, but I’m just too damn lazy).
Anyway, that is simmering away as we speak. After a couple of hours of simmering, I’m going to remove the pork and shred it in my Cuisinart with the plastic blade, and then combine the shredded pork with the remaining tomato sauce, some cooked farfalle pasta, a bunch of Parmesan cheese, and bake it in the oven until the Parmesan is nicely browned. I’ve also got some home-made bread rising…I figured if I could invent a pork something-or-other, I could also try and make some bread on the fly. So I took 4 cups of King Arthur bread flour, 1.5 teaspoons of salt, 1 teaspoon of sugar, and a packet of rapid-rise yeast, and combined it in my Cuisinart. I put my water on hot, put about 2 tablespoons (I say “about” ‘cause I just eye-balled it) of extra-virgin olive oil (Colavita…the best deal in olive oil I can find) into a Pyrex measuring cup, and then added 1.75 cups of hot water to the oil. I started my Cuisinart, and slowly poured in the hot water, until I got a ball to form, and the dough appeared like it might come apart if I kept adding liquid (I had about a ¼ cup of liquid left that I didn’t add to the dough). Anyway, I let that knead for about 30 seconds, stopped the machine, then took the dough, put it onto the flour-dusted counter, and covered it with a bowl. In a little bit, I’m going to heat my baking stone to 500 degrees for 30 minutes, shape my dough into two baguette-sized loaves, and bake them on the hot stone.
Hopefully, it will all work out in the end. I’ll post tomorrow on the final results.
I’ve never really understood the chefs who try to create unbelievably complex food, using as many weird and unobtainable (to the home cook) ingredients as possible. I have a cookbook that features recipes by noted chefs, and there is one recipe for a smoked salmon napoleon that is fussy in the extreme. I’ll bet it tastes pretty good, but where the heck am I going to find pickled papaya, or the time to make it? Or spend the time and money just to make the herbal oils and herbal juices that are required? The dish has at least 40 ingredients and just about as many steps…this seems like total overkill to me, or maybe “showing off” (and growing up in Minnesota, bragging or showing off was either a federal crime or heinous sin, maybe both!). I’m sure a professional chef has all sorts of low-paid minions that can assist putting this thing together, but my admiration goes to the chef who takes easily obtained ingredients and creates magic with them. Like the French….
Oh sure, sometimes I like to get a little nutty and combine a lot of ingredients, like when I am experimenting with creating the perfect cassoulet (wait…that’s French, too, isn’t it? We seem to have a trend here…). But by and large, I like to start with a few ingredients, lovingly sauté, brown, or braise them, and slowly coax as much flavor as I can out of a cheap cut of meat, an onion or two, some garlic, and maybe some tomatoes. I am a big believer in slow food…you can take almost anything, and as long as you don’t try and cook it in 10 minutes, you can slowly extract the maximum flavor from each ingredient. It may take three hours, but it’s almost always worth it.
Take tonight for example….my wife and I have started a weekend tradition. She goes to the store and gets whatever suits her fancy…a red pepper here, a pork roast there, some onions over here. In our version of “Iron Chef,” I have to take what she has brought home, and using whatever we have on hand in the pantry and the refrigerator, cook something edible (and hopefully delicious). So today, this is what I did…I grabbed a boneless pork roast from the fridge, and sliced off the large hunk of fat covering the bottom. Knowing that pork fat is the best fat in the world, I threw the fat into my beloved La Crueset dutch oven (thanks Mom for this awesome pot!!) and slowly rendered it. I cut the pork into 1” cubes, and browned it in the pork fat, with salt and ground pepper (being careful to brown in batches, and not steam the pork into yucky greyness…one of the best cooking tips I’ve ever come across…never let your meat touch if you’re trying to brown it). After the pork was nicely browned and removed, I had a great fond built up on the bottom of my pot. I added 3 diced onions, 2 diced peppers, and 5 minced garlic cloves. I slowly cooked those for about 20 minutes, deglazed the pot with juices coming out of the onions and peppers, and continued to slowly saute until the fond had built back up and I had nice caramelized onions and soft peppers. I put the pork cubes back in, and dumped in 3 cans of petite diced tomatoes and a can of chicken broth (yes, I know I should be making my own chicken stock, but I’m just too damn lazy).
Anyway, that is simmering away as we speak. After a couple of hours of simmering, I’m going to remove the pork and shred it in my Cuisinart with the plastic blade, and then combine the shredded pork with the remaining tomato sauce, some cooked farfalle pasta, a bunch of Parmesan cheese, and bake it in the oven until the Parmesan is nicely browned. I’ve also got some home-made bread rising…I figured if I could invent a pork something-or-other, I could also try and make some bread on the fly. So I took 4 cups of King Arthur bread flour, 1.5 teaspoons of salt, 1 teaspoon of sugar, and a packet of rapid-rise yeast, and combined it in my Cuisinart. I put my water on hot, put about 2 tablespoons (I say “about” ‘cause I just eye-balled it) of extra-virgin olive oil (Colavita…the best deal in olive oil I can find) into a Pyrex measuring cup, and then added 1.75 cups of hot water to the oil. I started my Cuisinart, and slowly poured in the hot water, until I got a ball to form, and the dough appeared like it might come apart if I kept adding liquid (I had about a ¼ cup of liquid left that I didn’t add to the dough). Anyway, I let that knead for about 30 seconds, stopped the machine, then took the dough, put it onto the flour-dusted counter, and covered it with a bowl. In a little bit, I’m going to heat my baking stone to 500 degrees for 30 minutes, shape my dough into two baguette-sized loaves, and bake them on the hot stone.
Hopefully, it will all work out in the end. I’ll post tomorrow on the final results.
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