I'm sure all artists have had their shares of errors. Maybe Micheangelo painted a painting that looked like it was made for Bed, Bath and Beyond. Perhaps Wolfgang Puck food poisoned some people ( he actually did, I read an article about that once.) Today, I made a mistake. One of the biggest ones in my entire culinary career.
For those of you who know me, I am an avid reader. Lately I've been reading alot of books about Asia. The latest book I read was by Lisa See, called "Shanghei Girls." It was really good. And throughout the book, the protagonist kept making this dish called "Beef Tomato Curry Lo Mein." Now, besides the fact that I love books about Asia, I also LOVE asian food. I can eat it every single day and not get sick of it. The more I read the book, the more I wanted some Beef Tomato Curry Lo Mein. I googled the recipe after I read the book, waited patiently for some flank steak from the halal butcher, and happily made it today.
I followed the recipe EXACTLY. When it was done cooking, it looked absolutely delicious.I picked up my fork, scooped up a generous serving, and took a big bite. I swallowed, and then I gagged. It was the most disgusting thing I have ever eaten in my life. I had to go spit it out and gurgle in the sink to get the taste out of my mouth. My apartment REEKED of the smell. Curry powder and white wine vinegar DOES not MIX people! My husband came home and tried it, and thought it tasted good and ate from it. I'm starting to question his opinions on my food now, because if he could eat that, then he can pretty much eat anything.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Meat Drama
So I haven't blogged in FOREVER!
I've been busy these last few weeks, but everything is back to normal now. We have been pummeled by snow storms. Unfortunatly, this has effected my freezer. I only cook with halal meat, so I have buy it from a butcher shop. I usually get enough meat to last a month or two, and after the last snow storm, I have depleted our supplies. I decided to leave my cave last week and go to the dreaded butcher shop. Why do I dread it? Because it takes me six days to find parking, and after I leave the shop I smell like whatever they're cooking that day. ( The butcher shop has a tiny diner inside.)
After I headed over there on Friday, I was informed that they had run out of meat. The snow storms had delayed all their shipments. So I call them again on Monday, and hes like Yes we have meat come on over! So I get excited and leave the house. On the way there I decide to call my order in so that I don't smell for the rest of the day. They then informed me they ran out of meat. I mean are you serious? So I made an order that will be picked up on Wednesday at 12. Seriously, I have to make appointments now to get some meat? Isn't it also sad that I'm blogging about my meat dilema? I guess. What does this mean for the blog? It means I'm cooking seafood today. So I made the yummiest grouper ever.
I based it on a Giada recipe, except it was kind of bland so I jazzed it up:
Ingredients:
- 6 Filets of Grouper, tilapia or any white fish.
- 1 pound of peeled and deveined shrimp
- 1 12 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
- 4 cloves of minced garlic
- 1 diced small shallot
- 1 green pepper
- 2 roma tomatoes chopped
- 1 lime
- Old bay seasoning
- flour
- Olive oil
- Fresh basil, about a tablespoon
Take the tilapia and season it with the old bay seasoning ( I like the garlic and herb) and then a little salt and pepper. Dip it in some flour and coat it. Then, saute them in olive oil, about three minutes on each side, till they are golden brown.
Remove the fish, and cover it up to keep it warm. Take the same pan, wipe it with a paper towel, and add some olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and shallots and let them saute a lil bit till they are soft. Then add the green peppers and chopped tomatoes, and let them saute till they are soft. ( If you like it spicy, I'd throw in some diced jalepeno at this point.) Add the crushed tomatoes, and let it reduce a little bit, about 5 minutes. Add the shrimp and lime juice and cook them, and then put the fish back in the sauce with the basil. Cook it for two minutes. And its ready to serve!! It's DELICIOUS. =)
I've been busy these last few weeks, but everything is back to normal now. We have been pummeled by snow storms. Unfortunatly, this has effected my freezer. I only cook with halal meat, so I have buy it from a butcher shop. I usually get enough meat to last a month or two, and after the last snow storm, I have depleted our supplies. I decided to leave my cave last week and go to the dreaded butcher shop. Why do I dread it? Because it takes me six days to find parking, and after I leave the shop I smell like whatever they're cooking that day. ( The butcher shop has a tiny diner inside.)
After I headed over there on Friday, I was informed that they had run out of meat. The snow storms had delayed all their shipments. So I call them again on Monday, and hes like Yes we have meat come on over! So I get excited and leave the house. On the way there I decide to call my order in so that I don't smell for the rest of the day. They then informed me they ran out of meat. I mean are you serious? So I made an order that will be picked up on Wednesday at 12. Seriously, I have to make appointments now to get some meat? Isn't it also sad that I'm blogging about my meat dilema? I guess. What does this mean for the blog? It means I'm cooking seafood today. So I made the yummiest grouper ever.
I based it on a Giada recipe, except it was kind of bland so I jazzed it up:
Ingredients:
- 6 Filets of Grouper, tilapia or any white fish.
- 1 pound of peeled and deveined shrimp
- 1 12 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
- 4 cloves of minced garlic
- 1 diced small shallot
- 1 green pepper
- 2 roma tomatoes chopped
- 1 lime
- Old bay seasoning
- flour
- Olive oil
- Fresh basil, about a tablespoon
Take the tilapia and season it with the old bay seasoning ( I like the garlic and herb) and then a little salt and pepper. Dip it in some flour and coat it. Then, saute them in olive oil, about three minutes on each side, till they are golden brown.
Remove the fish, and cover it up to keep it warm. Take the same pan, wipe it with a paper towel, and add some olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and shallots and let them saute a lil bit till they are soft. Then add the green peppers and chopped tomatoes, and let them saute till they are soft. ( If you like it spicy, I'd throw in some diced jalepeno at this point.) Add the crushed tomatoes, and let it reduce a little bit, about 5 minutes. Add the shrimp and lime juice and cook them, and then put the fish back in the sauce with the basil. Cook it for two minutes. And its ready to serve!! It's DELICIOUS. =)
Thursday, January 14, 2010
The Unappreciated Ingredient: Yogurt
One of my favorite ingredients is yogurt. And I love it with my other favorite ingredient, garlic. Yogurt & Garlic. A match made in heaven. Why haven't all those T.V chefs discovered yogurt yet? Its the most amazing ingredient ever. Syria has the best yogurt ever. It's kind of sour, creamy, and delicious. It's perfect for cooking. Most yogurt here on the other hand is watery and sweet, and falls apart completely when you try to cook it. I remember when I was younger my mom would spend hours making her own yogurt. Do I really want to do that? No. So I found an alternative. I discovered Greek yogurt. Its thick, creamy, and slightly sour. PERFECT for cooking. Today I'm making one of my favorite dishes, Greek yogurt pasta. It's similiar to shish barak, but easier.
Ingredients:
1) One container of greek yogurt ( usually found @ trader joes or other organic stores)
2) Box of shell shaped pasta ( the small one not the kind you stuff)
3) 1 lb of ground beef
4) 2 finely diced onions.
5) Minced garlic ( you have to determine how much you want, just add it to the yogurt and keep tasting until you get the flavor you want.)
6) 2 Tablespoons of ground coriander.
7) 2 teaspoons of cracked red pepper ( also, add as much as you want, whether you want a hint of flavor or spicy.)
8) 2 tablespoons of butter
Get a pot of water boiling, and add ALOT of salt but no oil, because you want the pasta to remain starchy so that the sauce will stick to the noodles.
Add the onions and saute them in some olive oil in a skillet, and add the ground beef. Brown the beef till its done.
In another pot, dump the greek yogurt into it and add as much garlic as you want. Put it on LOW heat and stir until it becomes a liquid and is warm. You have to stir non stop or else the yogurt will fall apart. If it does fall apart, put it in a food processor or use a hand mixer. This takes about 10 minutes, or longer, and is the most labor intensive part of the meal.
Finish cooking the pasta, drain it and put it in a large bowl. Add the ground beef mixture and yogurt.
Take a frying pan and melt the butter, and add about two tablespoons of olive oil. Put it on medium low heat, and add the coriander. Let it sizzle for a minute or two, until you start smelling it. Then, Lift the frying pan off the heat and add the red pepper flakes. They burn reallly fast, so just leave it for 30 seconds and then dump all of it on top of the pasta and mix it. And your done!!! =)
Ingredients:
1) One container of greek yogurt ( usually found @ trader joes or other organic stores)
2) Box of shell shaped pasta ( the small one not the kind you stuff)
3) 1 lb of ground beef
4) 2 finely diced onions.
5) Minced garlic ( you have to determine how much you want, just add it to the yogurt and keep tasting until you get the flavor you want.)
6) 2 Tablespoons of ground coriander.
7) 2 teaspoons of cracked red pepper ( also, add as much as you want, whether you want a hint of flavor or spicy.)
8) 2 tablespoons of butter
Get a pot of water boiling, and add ALOT of salt but no oil, because you want the pasta to remain starchy so that the sauce will stick to the noodles.
Add the onions and saute them in some olive oil in a skillet, and add the ground beef. Brown the beef till its done.
In another pot, dump the greek yogurt into it and add as much garlic as you want. Put it on LOW heat and stir until it becomes a liquid and is warm. You have to stir non stop or else the yogurt will fall apart. If it does fall apart, put it in a food processor or use a hand mixer. This takes about 10 minutes, or longer, and is the most labor intensive part of the meal.
Finish cooking the pasta, drain it and put it in a large bowl. Add the ground beef mixture and yogurt.
Take a frying pan and melt the butter, and add about two tablespoons of olive oil. Put it on medium low heat, and add the coriander. Let it sizzle for a minute or two, until you start smelling it. Then, Lift the frying pan off the heat and add the red pepper flakes. They burn reallly fast, so just leave it for 30 seconds and then dump all of it on top of the pasta and mix it. And your done!!! =)
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
The Cilantro Nastiness
Since I got married, I have turned my kitchen into a laboratory. Ever since I was younger, I had an urge to cook like no other. When I was 13, my parents went away for two weeks, so I decided to make a green bean stew for my siblings. I made a long distance call to Syria to get the recipe from my grandma, the Queen of Syrian cuisine, and started cooking. Due to my lack of experience in the kitchen, I dumped in whole tomatoes into the sauce without chopping them up. My grandma told me to add tomatoes, so I assumed to just dump them in. I did not factor in that she has been cooking for 40 years and has developed a short hand way of giving recipes. ( Note to self, do not follow nana's recipe's word from word.) To this day, anytime I mention cooking to my brother and sister they recall the green bean stew.
Now my cooking has improved significantly ( although for some reason my green bean stew still isn't that great) and I have made great strides in the kitchen. My husband hails from Damascus, and their food is slightly different then food from my city, Aleppo. One major difference --> The use of cilantro.
I hate cilantro. My Mexican restaurant visits are always a disappointment because of their love of this herb. Unfortunately for me, my husband loves cilantro. To him, okra stew is inedible without it. Here's the recipe for it:
Okra Stew
1) 2 lbs beef stew chopped
2) 1 bag of chopped frozen okra
3) 6 whole tomatoes ( large ones, not vine)
4) 1 teaspoon of butter
5) 4 tablespoons of olive oil
6) One onion roughly chopped
7) Two cloves of minced garlic
8) teaspoon of tomato paste
9) 3 freshly squeezed lemons
10) Teaspoon of sugar
11) Optional ingredient: chopped cilantro
Ok I know what your thinking, it looks like a lot of ingredients, but it's really not. You have most of this stuff in your kitchen.
Now, first things first. Take the frozen okras and put them in a strainer. Run some hot water on them, and sprinkle them with salt. Let them sit out for an hour or two, until you cook the stew. This prevents the okras from getting mushy.
Take the tomatoes and put them in some boiling water. Let them boil for about 10 minutes till they are soft. Remove them and let them cook. Once they are cool, remove the skin and the hard white part inside the tomato. Then, put them in a food processor and puree them. ( I usually just use my hand mixer in a bowl, b/c it's amazing. Best kitchen tool ever.)
Voila! Move over Julia Child, you now have fresh tomato sauce. Whenever I make it I truly feel gourmet and organic. Take the stew meat and onions, and saute them together with olive oil and butter till the stew meat is browned in a large pot. Then, add about 5 cups of water, tomato sauce, tomato paste, sugar, and lemon juice. Let it come to a boil, and then lower the heat to simmer. Beef stew needs to cook slowly in order for it to become tender, so I usually leave it slowly simmering for about an hour and a half, two hours. Then near the end, dump in the okra and minced garlic and let it cook for another half hour, and add salt and pepper. And there you have it, Okra stew. Oh ya, and if you want, you can add the nasty cilantro at the end too. =) This tastes good with rice or bread.
Now my cooking has improved significantly ( although for some reason my green bean stew still isn't that great) and I have made great strides in the kitchen. My husband hails from Damascus, and their food is slightly different then food from my city, Aleppo. One major difference --> The use of cilantro.
I hate cilantro. My Mexican restaurant visits are always a disappointment because of their love of this herb. Unfortunately for me, my husband loves cilantro. To him, okra stew is inedible without it. Here's the recipe for it:
Okra Stew
1) 2 lbs beef stew chopped
2) 1 bag of chopped frozen okra
3) 6 whole tomatoes ( large ones, not vine)
4) 1 teaspoon of butter
5) 4 tablespoons of olive oil
6) One onion roughly chopped
7) Two cloves of minced garlic
8) teaspoon of tomato paste
9) 3 freshly squeezed lemons
10) Teaspoon of sugar
11) Optional ingredient: chopped cilantro
Ok I know what your thinking, it looks like a lot of ingredients, but it's really not. You have most of this stuff in your kitchen.
Now, first things first. Take the frozen okras and put them in a strainer. Run some hot water on them, and sprinkle them with salt. Let them sit out for an hour or two, until you cook the stew. This prevents the okras from getting mushy.
Take the tomatoes and put them in some boiling water. Let them boil for about 10 minutes till they are soft. Remove them and let them cook. Once they are cool, remove the skin and the hard white part inside the tomato. Then, put them in a food processor and puree them. ( I usually just use my hand mixer in a bowl, b/c it's amazing. Best kitchen tool ever.)
Voila! Move over Julia Child, you now have fresh tomato sauce. Whenever I make it I truly feel gourmet and organic. Take the stew meat and onions, and saute them together with olive oil and butter till the stew meat is browned in a large pot. Then, add about 5 cups of water, tomato sauce, tomato paste, sugar, and lemon juice. Let it come to a boil, and then lower the heat to simmer. Beef stew needs to cook slowly in order for it to become tender, so I usually leave it slowly simmering for about an hour and a half, two hours. Then near the end, dump in the okra and minced garlic and let it cook for another half hour, and add salt and pepper. And there you have it, Okra stew. Oh ya, and if you want, you can add the nasty cilantro at the end too. =) This tastes good with rice or bread.
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