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Who knew?

Remember that salmon that almost set my house on fire? Of course you do... it's right below.

Well, anyway, I just realized I got the recipe from Prevention magazine.

Hey, I'm as surprised as you are. One of the best pieces of fish I've ever prepared and it's from a magazine my mom reads? You never know.

Incidentally, I found this recipe using Google, which is probably the biggest cookbook in the world. All you have to do is throw together a couple of ingredients in the search bar and it brings up a ton of great options.

This one was the first response to "salmon + ginger." Mmmmmmmm, Google.

Fun with Fish

When I buy fish at the supermarket, I usually get two kinds: tilapia and salmon. This is not because those are my two favorite fish. This is because those are the two cheapest fish that I like and won't fall apart on me - yeah, I'm looking your way, flounder.

Anyway, I actually really like tilapia and salmon, especially when prepared right. The problem is, while I definitely make edible fish, I can't quite get the quality up to the same level as my other recipes.

Quick recap: I made both fish in the oven, even though I can safely say that I like pan-frying tilapia a lot more. When I baked it, I used a butter-based bath and a panko breadcrumbs. It was very tasty, but somehow too plain. I also can't get those panko crumbs to really crisp up. In my third attempt with them, it still didn't get that "crusted" texture I was going for.

The salmon, despite being a disaster for the household, was an unmitigated success. I don't think I've ever made salmon that good and I credit it to two things: fresh ginger and the broiler.

Despite putting up with the incessant squawking of the fire alarm for 10 minutes, the broiler helped make some of the most tender fish I've ever tasted. Ginger, in my first time using the ingredient, proved to be a good alternative to my usual flavors, and really complemented the salmon.

I think I've found my Excalibur of salmon recipes.

Mama's Vegetarian

The "Vegetarian" part of the title is a bit misleading. It's not like there's hundreds of unique, vegetarian dishes to wow your palette here.

It's a falafel place, nothing more. Granted, they make some mean falafel, but just because you also offer roasted eggplant and potato pancakes does not mean your food-shack is anything more than a falafel shack.

Regardless of the name issues, the food is really good. You can either get sandwiches, made in fresh-baked pitas, or contribute to global warming with a styrofoam platter. Honestly, both methods have the same stuff - hummus, veggies (including tomatoes, cabbage and cucumbers), sauce and your choice of main dish - but there's more of everything in the platter.

Two complaints:

1. The other day, the falafel balls were a bit too crispy.
2. There's this one guy that's given me the spicy sauce twice, even though I've turned it down twice. You can say he's busy and not paying attention, but he probably just hates me.

A Food Mill

COMMENTARY - Tomato Sauce

See, I told you: five ingredients. Unless you want to count salt & pepper separately, but that's just silly.

Anyway, the key to tomato sauce ("marinara" is something different in my book, even though most places and companies confuse the term) are the tomatoes. While that may be obvious, using canned tomatoes may not be.

Fresher is not always better, especially when it comes to tomatoes. Preparing fresh tomatoes to use in sauce takes an awful long time, a lot of work, and even then, will usually not come together as well as the canned kind.

I have a picture of Rosa tomatoes here, but you can use any kind, as long they're Italian. I know, it's snobby, but the Italian ones really are the best.

The tomatoes are usually packed in puree, and should come with basil. Make sure they do not have tomato paste (Death to tomato paste!) or are Italian style (meaning they are probably from New Jersey, not Italy: actually two different places, as opposed to what cable TV leads you to believe).

On a side note, my friend Lou maintains that the onions are dispensable, Sicilian addition. I can't bring myself to try it another way.

RECIPE - Tomato Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 32 oz. can Italian plum tomatoes (with basil leaf)
• 1 medium onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• salt & pepper
  

Directions

Chop onion and saute slowly in olive oil. Halfway through, add sliced garlic. Cook onion and garlic until soft, but not browned.

Meanwhile, empty tomatoes into a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer.

When onions and garlic are done, add them to the tomatoes and position a food mill over the now-emptied saucepan. Put tomato mixture through food mill and strain through.

Cook slowly for 15 minutes to an hour, depending on your taste. During last few minutes, add salt and pepper.

The Standard: Qdoba's Chicken Burrito

Qdoba Mexican Grill. What exactly does that mean?

Somehow, I don't think many Mexicans have high-tech grills where they prepare pounds and pounds of chicken and steak every day.

Also, most of the food prepared at this burrito factory doesn't even involve a grill. They steam the tortillas, press the quesadillas, mix the pico de gallo and warm the beans.

I guess it's a marketing thing.

While I've graduated to shredded beef and shredded pork burrito, I occasionally return to the good ol' grilled chicken, like I did today at lunch.

I usually eat these things for dinner and I think I noticed why: they give you less stuffing at lunch. My burrito was a little smaller, a little lighter than usual.

Now, I know the stretchability of those tortillas: they could probably wrap a rotisserie chicken with one. So, I behoove you Qdoba lunch manager, is it too much to ask for your dinner portions at lunch?

Pietro's Coal Oven Pizza

You ever eat at some place the first time and it's great? And yet, the next few times don't quite live up to that first magic moment?

This was my third time eating at Pietro's, which is not far from where I live. I'm a big brick-oven advocate, which is what attracted me here in the first place. Unfortunately, unlike Bertucci's (one of my favorite chain restaurants of all time), Pietro's just can't keep things consistent.

Today, I went out with a few co-workers for a lunch celebration. We had salad and pizza, and both were meh. The salad, while good, did not have enough dressing and certainly not enough shrimp. The pizza was decent but the sauce strikes me as too thin and over-spiced. And instead of splashes of sauce and cheese, it was covered with both.

Of course, the first time we hit this place, it was fantastic. Go figure.

Crack Cookies

I know this might be considered heresy to some of you big-time bakers, but the most addictive chocolate chip cookies ever created are from Costco.

I try to convince myself that I buy them only for the big plastic case they come in... but that's just a cover. They consume my every thought and I can't help but consume them in return.

Weekend Update

Went up to visit the 'rents this weekend in Yonkers (NY). Here's what I ate:

Bagel with Cream Cheese
It's New York. Bagels practically grow on trees. The folks only had one left in the fridge and it was an "everything" - not my favorite, but a good start for the weekend.

Leftover Lasagna
Mom usually doesn't make this Garfield favorite, but when she does, it's oh-so-good. Truthfully, it could have used a splash more sauce, but you can't argue with six layers of pasta, ricotta and mozzarella. No meat allowed.

Fish Tacos
After helping a friend move into his new apartment in White Plains, we hit the Cheesecake Factory (which is now only a few blocks from him). Like most people, I have a 'usual' CF meal - Crusted Chicken Romano. It was hella late, so I tried something less filling. The fish tacos were pretty good: too much cabbage, but the fish was cooked perfectly. Very California.

Maple Mini Wheats
This was the only cereal in the house and I was definitely psyched to try them as I'm a big mini wheats fan. The new flavor was ok, but not really good enough to switch from the usual.

Cobb Salad
My folks wanted to show me the Yonkers waterfront, which is being developed into a yuppy heaven. There's already a fancy place called CXO (or something like that), but we decided to go to the pub next door. We got a great table overlooking the Hudson River and my dad and I both ordered the grilled chicken cobb salads. Pretty standard setup - lots of grilled chicken, hardboiled eggs, blue cheese, bacon, avocado, tomatoes. The only disappointment was the iceberg lettuce underneath. I also removed about half a pig's worth of bacon.

COMMENTARY - Greek Chicken & Orzo

Yes, I too am noticing that I use this skillet a lot. A frickin' lot.

That's ok; it just means the recipes are easy and use less dishes. Al Gore would be proud.

Now, this recipe I did not get from Mom. This one came from the back of a soup can - College Inn Light & Fat Free Chicken Broth to be exact. I still have the label.

The only break from the recipe I make is with the spinach. I use frozen spinach, which is not as easy, but allows me to keep the spinach on hand whenever I need it.

When it's time to add the spinach, I just throw the frozen square in the middle of the skillet and flip it occasionally to melt the spinach down. This will take quite a while - probably about 15 minutes - but when the spinach is all broken up, it will taste exactly the same.

Actually, I'm not sure of that since I've never made it with real spinach. I should probably try that.

RECIPE - Greek Chicken & Orzo

Ingredients

• 2 cans of chicken stock (or 4 cups using bullion cubes)
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 3/4 TSP dried oregano leaves
• 2 cups orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
• 1 lb. boneless chicken breast, diced
• 3 cups packaged, washed, torn spinach leaves
• crumbled feta cheese

Directions

In a large skillet, heat stock, onion and oregano to a boil. Add orzo and reduce heat. Cover and simmer for about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add chicken and cook 6 minutes longer (covered) or until chicken and pasta are cooked. Stir in spinach and heat just until spinach wilts. Remove from heat and top with cheese.

Now, that's a sandwich!

A friend took me to PrimoHoagies the other day, and it definitely took me by surprise.

First of all, it's right down the street and doesn't look like much from the outside.

Second, the menu is suspiciously like this small chain called Planet Hoagie that I used to frequent when my job was in the Philly burbs.

I don't know which chain is stealing from which, but they both have the goods. As much as I love the sliced-on-premises meats and cheeses, the bread is what puts these hoagies over the top. It's a nice, seeded Italian loaf from South Philly that's just tough enough to make you chew, and just soft enough to give under pressure.

I had my old favorite, The Soprano: roasted turkey, sharp provolone and roasted red peppers. So good.

COMMENTARY - Bolognese Sauce

OK, first thing's first: this is not just tomato sauce with meat in it. Every time I see a crappy, low-rent Italian restaurant try pass off their regular marinara with some hamburger in it as "pasta bolognese," I want to vomit. Fortunately, I restrain myself.

This, again, is another one of my mom's recipes, passed down through the generations. Actually, I have no idea if she got this from a cookbook, but I like to think it was the generations thing.

I know you're probably tired of hearing this, but I use ground turkey in my sauce to appease the little lady. Yeah, it's not as rich or flavorful as veal, but I'm all about saving the baby cows. Come on, you know they're cute! Remember when Bill Crystal played midwife to that calf in City Slickers? Just hang on to that memory and you'll enjoy the turkey a lot more.

Anyway, I also use baby carrots because I'm lazy and they come pre-peeled. I find that filling up my 3-cup pulse grinder with them just about equals two full carrots.

As far as which pasta to use, this sauce goes best with the long noodles. I use fettucine or linguini, but the more traditional shape is tagliatelle. You can also use the smaller shapes, as long as they pick up the sauce - something like shells would do.

Top it off with a little Parmesan, and you've got a classic!

RECIPE - Bolognese Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 lb. ground veal (or beef, pork or turkey)
• 2 TBSP olive oil
  
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 medium-sized onion
• 2 carrots peeled
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/4 cup dry Vermouth
• 1 small can (4.9 oz.) tomato sauce
• salt & pepper
  

Directions

In a large, coverable saucepan, saute meat in olive oil until barely brown. Remove from pan.

Grind carrots, onion and garlic together in Cuisinart until finely minced. Saute in juices from pan until somewhat cooked.

Add meat back into pan and stir mixture together. Add bay leaf, tomato sauce, Vermouth and salt & pepper. Mix together and cover pan.

Cook mixture very slowly, stirring occasionally, until carrots and onions become very soft and "dissolve" into the sauce. This should take 15 minutes to a half hour.

The Staple - Olive Oil

If there's one thing you should always have on hand in mass quantities, it's olive oil. Of course, I'm bias because many of Mom's recipes start with this fruit of the gods, but, trust me, it's essential.

I know one TV personality who has popularized the acronym EVOO. As much as I like her, the word is like poison to my ears. It's four freakin' syllables and sounds like a DNA sequence. Can't we just call it oil?

Anyway, when I'm out of olive oil, I don't mess around. I go to Costco, get a gallon (like I did today) and use it to refill a smaller dispenser. Believe me, you don't ever want to run out of olive oil. That's just a bad scene.

Oh, and if your excuse for not having olive oil is that the pan is non-stick and doesn't need it, then you're technically right; but you're no fun.

Why I'm Not a Vegetarian

I'm not a big steak eater. That probably goes without saying, considering my wife has shunned anything that doesn't fly or swim.

However, when we go out to eat, I usually take a good long look at the beef and pork dishes. I don't always order them, but it's usually the only time I get to eat the stuff so I at least consider them.

Such was the case at one of our favorite local BYOBs (Is that sign big enough, or what?), Caffe Casta Diva the other night. We had been to this Italian place a number of times and have never been disappointed by the food. The restaurant may not be the total package that Melagrano is, but I have never had a bad meal there.

This one was the best. A New York strip steak grilled to perfection, sitting in a balsamic vinegar (25 years old) and red wine reduction, with fresh string beans and potatoes. I literally ate everything on the plate. There was barely an ounce of fat on the steak and I almost mistakened it for the Filet Mignon which was the special that night. I've never seen or tasted a steak that competed with the Filet until that night.

There was only one problem - no leftovers.

COMMENTARY - Pasta Ceci

OK, not such a great picture, but you probably get the idea.

Pasta Ceci (pronounced "chay gee") is really one of the most simple, yet comforting dishes in my arsenal. Instead of mashed potatoes or mac & cheese, this is my family's go-to comfort food.

My mom always told me that this was a kind of peasant's sauce. The story goes that in Italy, all of the leftover pasta shapes accumulated during the week are cooking together and tossed with the ceci for a nice simple warm meal, or a warm-up for another main dish. I almost always use a full pound of pasta for my dishes, meaning that I don't have the fun menagerie of shapes that is traditionally required. Instead, I usually use shells, farfalle or campanelle. Again, this is probably not a good recipe for long noodles.

Without the chickpeas, this is can also be considered a basic Italian pasta sauce. Some of the old-school folks will simply saute the garlic in the oil, toss with pasta and throw a little bit of Parmesan over it.

I always need at least that one other ingredient (try broccoli, mushrooms or other things) to keep my tastebuds happy.

RECIPE - Pasta Ceci

Ingredients

• 1 can chickpeas
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup olive oil
  
• 1 medium-sized onion
• 1 - 2 cloves garlic
• salt & pepper
• grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

In a basic saucepan, heat olive oil. Cut onion into quarters and then slice width-wise to produce strips. Saute the onion in the oil. After softening for a few minutes, add sliced garlic. Saute onion and garlic until fully wilted.

Add chickpeas with fluid to saucepan. Mix together and let simmer until beans are soft. Add salt and pepper to taste and simmer until done.

Mix sauce with just-drained pasta. Serve with sprinkle of fresh, grated Parmesan and ground pepper.

Oops

This is what happens when you get a little overconfident.

It was my second time making a pizza at home. I had the pizza stone in the oven heating up at 500 degrees. I was preparing my dough on the pizza peel (that big wooden board used to slide pizzas in and out of the oven), when things started going wrong.

I was trying out whole wheat dough and I used a little flour to help make it manageable. Stupidly, I did not re-flour the peel before I started topping the pie. I did my usual ritual - a little olive oil, some sauce, fresh mozzarella, a few mushrooms, salt, pepper and a sprinkle of parm - and was ready to throw it in when, whoops ... the pizza would not move.

Of course, I panicked. I removed the stone from the oven delicately and placed it on my stove. I tried to flour underneath the pizza by lifting it up like a carpet and chucking some flour underneath. After a lot of back and forth, I managed to push the pizza onto the stone where it immediately began to cook.

Did I mention that it had mutated from a very loose circle to a unbalanced, amoeba-like shape?

After 5 minutes, I looked in on the pie, only to find a gurgling, cheesy mess. I couldn't tell where the pizza stopped and where the stone began. I panicked again (sense a theme here?) and got the pie out of the oven only to find that it wasn't cooked. It only looked nice and brown because, duh, it was whole wheat dough.

After slicing it up, I had to throw the slices back onto the stone. When all was said and done, we had a decent-tasting, but odd-looking pizza and a pizza stone that looked like it had barely escaped the Anbar province.

Lesson: when eight thousand pizza people tell you to use cornmeal on the bottom of the dough, listen to them.

COMMENTARY - Chicken Marsala

This is some good stuff. I've made two upgrades to the original recipe given to me by mamasito. First, the preparation of the chicken helps keep the meat juicier and gives it a nice little taste boost. In fact, I've used this technique - pound, salt & pepper, flour - to make a number of other chicken dishes and it always makes for a more positive experience.

The second thing I've added from another recipe: the lemon juice. You can add up to two tablespoons, depending on your preference. But definitely add a little; it really makes the chicken dance in your mouth.

As far as pasta shapes, I usually go with farfalle, gemelli or penne, although you can probably do just about anything. I'm not really a pasta snob, but I generally stay away from the long shapes (like spaghetti and linguine) for this dish. I'm also lazy and just make the whole pound of pasta, even though it's probably more than you need.

Enjoy!

RECIPE - Chicken Marsala

Ingredients

• 1 lb. chicken breast (or tenders)
• 2 TBSP or olive oil (or butter)
• 1/4 cup flour
• salt and pepper
  
• 1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms
• 1 small onion (chopped)
• 1/2 cup Marsala wine
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1 TBSP cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 garlic powder
• 1 TBSP lemon juice
• 3/4 lb. pasta
  

Directions

Pound chicken until 1/2 to 1/4 inch thick. Salt and pepper both sides of each piece. Dredge through flour, shake off extra and place in large (coverable) skillet with oil. Brown chicken pieces on both sides and remove from pan.

In remaining oil, saute mushroom and onion until fairly tender, but not browned. Meanwhile, mix broth, cornstarch, garlic powder, salt and lemon juice in separate bowl. When mushroom and onion are ready, return chicken to the pan and add Marsala. Bring to a boil.

Add cornstarch mixture to pan and bring to another boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer everything 10 minutes or until sauce thickens and chicken is properly cooked through. Serve over your favorite pasta or rice.

Stuffed Peppers Redux

After storing, reheating and storing again, stuffed peppers can take a beating. It's especially difficult to microwave them, because they will not heat through in their natural form. So, you'll probably end up cutting them into little pieces and mixing everything together.

Yeah, I know ... it looks messy. But it still tastes like a little slice of heaven.

Best. Tomato Sauce. Ever.

Nothing like a little hyperbole to start your engines!

Anyway, I'm not going to pretend that homemade sauce will ever be equaled by a bottled sauce. (You will get my recipe for that later.) However, if the sauce in question has the same ingredients and tastes oodles better than that average Ragu swill, well, you've got something special on your hands.

When, during the course of human events, one must actually used a bottled sauce, you should look for not more than seven ingredients:

1. Tomatoes (duh!)
2. Olive oil
3. Onion
4. Garlic
5. Basil
6. Salt (preferably Sea)
7. Pepper

Everything should be fresh. But, even more important is what should not be in the sauce: tomato paste. When you see this on a bottle, go home and cry. You're seriously better off frying up some tomatoes in olive oil with a sprinkle of Parmesan.

So, I've always been a Rao's man. Great sauce, no doubt. But this new one is a contender and the price is a few bucks cheaper than the big R.

It's called Paesana Marinara and it just blew my mind.

Ciao!

Fuji Mountain Celebration

The wife surprised me with a financial windfall tonight: two scholarships that will help keep our heads above water in her final year of vet school. A cause to celebrate, no?

Of course. So, having not had sushi in months (that shit be expensive, yo!), we strolled down the street to our favorite raw fish place: Fuji Mountain.

Did I mention it was only 5:45? I felt like we were an old, married couple in Florida. Alas, Fuji did not have an early bird special.

Although it is Restaurant Week here in Philly (three courses for $30 at select restaurants), we bypassed the specials in order to split a sushi plate. Sixteen pieces of sushi, a spicy tuna roll, and a shrimp tempura roll. Mmmmmmmm, rolls.

As usual, all was excellent. I even got a bonus when the wife didn't want to finish her share. That's right: extra sushi for me.

There was one weird piece which I couldn't quite identify. It looked to be the consistency of squid, but it was definitely softer, like fish. I expected to hate it, but it turned out to be my favorite of the plate.

Don't you love little surprises?

COMMENTARY - Stuffed Peppers

So, have you all tried this recipe yet? If so, you will have discovered that it's the bomb! Seriously, it's just about my favorite meal.

Like most of the recipes that will appear on this blog, it's a hand-me-down from dear, old Mom. Although, I hope she's not reading this, because she wouldn't appreciate being called "old." But I mean it in the most endearing way possible.

Anyway, since the wife is a semi-vegi (no cows, no pigs), I usually substitute ground turkey for the meatloaf mixture. Maybe I'm too used to it this way, but it's damn good. Of course, the original formulation will yield a more rich stuffing. You may also need a crash cart.

Generally, I'm a Parmesan freak. I only use the real stuff on pasta (procured from DiBruno Brothers, natch). But when I'm using it more as an ingredient, I have been known to use the tube stuff. I know my Italian relatives are spinning in their grave, but I've made my peace with it.

Biggest danger in this recipe: the sauce. Mine tends to be on the soupy side. I need to let the water evaporate off in the last ten minutes to get it back down to an acceptable viscosity.

Let me know how yours turn out.

RECIPE - Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients:

Meat Mix

• 1 LB mixture of beef, pork & veal (meat loaf)
• 3/4 cup Italian-style breadcrumbs
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup milk (adjustable)
• dash salt & pepper

Other

• 3 large red bell peppers
• 2 TBSP olive oil
• 1 - 2 cloves garlic
• 1 - 2 TSP oregano
• 1 small can tomato sauce (Contadina 8 oz.)
  
• 1/2 cup water

Directions:

In a small bowl, combine bread crumbs, cheese, egg, salt & pepper and enough of the milk to moisten the mixture. It should be the consistency of cooked oatmeal. Add meat into breadcrumb mixture and combine together with fork or clean hands. Put aside.

Wash peppers. Cut out steam, leaving a round hole big enough to spoon in meat mixture. Clean out all seeds and soft tissue. Stuff peppers with meat.

In a large, coverable skillet or pot, heat olive oil over medium flame. Brown stuffed peppers on all sides. Add sliced garlic to pan and saute until softer. Add oregano, tomato sauce and water. Mix ingredients together and reduce heat. Simmer for 1/2 to 1 full hour.

If the sauce is too soupy, cook a little more uncovered until sauce is thicker. To keep sauce from burning, add water a little at a time.

Serve over rice.

An Introduction

This is my food blog. For your reference, this intro will give you a little personal information that may affect how you read and respond to my writing:

1. I am 29. I consider myself Gen X because Uncle Jesse will always be from Dukes of Hazard, not Full House.
2. I am married. But only recently, and my wife does not cook. That's a whole other blog.
3. I am a writer. Don't challenge me on grammar.
4. I am a geek. I will sprinkle in random references to comic books and science fiction. Don't be scared.
5. I love movies almost as much as food. Expect more references.
6. I am ok writing for myself and nobody paying attention. However, a few comments and questions might make for a more interesting blog.

Only one more thing. If you are a designer/programmer and would like to help my site look less ugly and be noticed more, I want to hear from you. I will give you much props and we can work on other projects together until we both make a lot of money, retire and never speak to each other again.

Remember, eating is fundamental.