What's Cooking?
So, what's cooking? Well I'm planning a last-minute birthday get together at the Bambuddha Lounge!
5 Reasons to Visit the Languedoc-Roussillon in December
1) The Marché aux Truffes in Villeneuve-Minervois
2) Cassoulet. When the cold winds blow, there is nothing better.
3) Vin Chaud. Same as above.
4) Quiet, sunny seaside towns. The perfect place to enjoy a leisurely lunch of moules frites and a bottle of Picpoul de Pinet.
5) It's the south of France! Any time of year is a good time to visit.
Judging the National Beef Cook-Off 2009
Last week I was one of the judges at the National Beef Cook-Off. It's one of the top culinary contests in the United States, held once every two years with $70,000 in prize money. It was interesting to see what contestants included in their recipes. Trendy ingredients and "superfoods" like walnuts and pomegranates made it into multiple recipes. There were familiar flavors like balsamic vinegar, chipotle and blue cheese, and more exotic ingredients like pistachios and quinoa.
I tasted 15 dishes culled from about 2,000 entries. In each category there was a clear winner and a very delicious dish that anyone could make at home. Should you be interested in entering a cooking competition, the most common mistakes that contestants made were:
* Under seasoning the food, some dishes really needed salt
* Not paying attention to texture, some dishes were very mushy
* Not having a satisfying balance of flavors--too rich or too little acid
* Not cooking the beef for the right amount of time
* Using too many ingredients in one dish creating muddled flavors
In the end, simplicity won with a dish in the Live Well with Fast & Convenient Grilled Beef category. Sonoma Steaks with Vegetable Bocconcini combines Summer vegetables--zucchini, bell peppers and grape tomatoes with grilled steak and mozzarella. It would be great for a pot luck or barbecue dinner. It has very few ingredients but uses some innovative techniques including doctoring the herb marinade from the bocconcini mozzarella balls and microwaving the mozzarella balls to take the chill off and soften them just slightly.
Most of my favorite dishes came from the teen category. I enjoyed the Rustic Beef Caldo which I will cook longer than the recipe indicates, and the Southeast Asian Steak Salad. I also want to try the Sicilian Beef Short Ribs but I would replace the grape juice with a dry red wine.
I was honored to be included with the other judges, Betsy Wray, editor in chief (pictured), Cooking Pleasures magazine; Michael Bauer of the San Francisco Chronicle, Jackie Plant, food and nutrition director, Woman's Day magazine; and Niesha Lofing, food and family writer, The Sacramento Bee. Past judges of the contest include Julia Child and James Beard.
To learn more about how long to marinate beef and the best cooking methods for each cut, visit Beef It's What's for DInner
More:
Michael Bauer's blog post
"Beef ambassador's" videos
Sunday Activity
A typical day in our dog's life.
He wakes up, leaves the warmth and comfort of our bed, has breakfast, then snuggles under a blanket on the couch. Any other "strenuous"activity is avoided.
A typical Sunday in our life.
We wake up, leave the warmth and comfort of our bed, have breakfast, get dressed, then have a long lunch with friends. Any other "strenuous" activity is avoided.
NAPOLETANA PIZZA RECIPE homemade Pizza Napoli YouTube Video VIDEOGULP !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfAk2iO7Y38endofvid
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NAPOLETANA PIZZA RECIPE homemade Pizza Napoli YouTube Video VIDEOGULP !
GULP - HOMEMADE VIDEO PIZZA NAPOLETANA Naple Italy recipe - Pizza Napoli italian Cooking
Selection YouTube video Videogulp !
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[starttext]
NAPOLETANA PIZZA RECIPE homemade Pizza Napoli YouTube Video VIDEOGULP !
GULP - HOMEMADE VIDEO PIZZA NAPOLETANA Naple Italy recipe - Pizza Napoli italian Cooking
Selection YouTube video Videogulp !
[endtext]
French Lentil Soup
Being home provides several comforts and pleasures for me, the most obvious of which is being with my family. It is only with my mom, dad, and beautiful sister that I feel a sense of completeness which reminds me that life is short and meant to be enjoyed; this is something I do best with them.
However, there is another pleasure I feel while being home, and that is the thrill of having the best cooking equipment at my disposal. Two convection ovens, four gas burners (better than the two hot plates I'm working with in France), granite countertops, and cookbooks. Oh, what marvelous cookbooks! Upon my arrival home I may have hugged The New Best Recipe, a splendid cookbook I recevied at the end of my internship at ATK. In short, I am living in the lap of luxury here; with a kitchen about 5 times the size of my 2 meter-squared box in Paris, I will be sad to part ways with it.
Today's lunch consisted of french lentil soup, the directions for which I derived from the cookbook cited above. I have been in the market for a good lentil soup recipe, and I have to admit that initially I was wary of this one. About halfway through cooking it looked pretty watery and I wasn't sure how it would end up tasting like the lentil soup I had hoped for - rich, thick, with a creamy component that warms your belly and leaves you satisfied. However, this soup exceeded my expectations; I never knew that lentil soup could have so much flavor. Cooking the vegetables in bacon, adding white wine and a touch of balsamic vinegar create a complex soup which is filling but light at the same time.
French Lentil Soup - makes 2 servings
I made 2 servings of this soup because leftovers can be stored for several days in the fridge; I highly recommend making more than you can eat in one sitting and saving the rest for later.
1 slice of bacon, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 small onion, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
7 oz.-can diced tomatoes
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon chopped thyme
1/2-cup french green lentils, or lentilles de puy
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 1/4-cup chicken broth
1 1/4-cup water
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1. Fry the bacon in a stockpot over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until bacon is crispy, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the onion and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes
3. Pour in the tomatoes, bay leaf and thyme; cook for 30 seconds, or until fragrant.
4. Stir in the lentils, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until the vegetables are softened, 8 to 10 minutes.
5. Increase the heat to high, uncover, add the wine, and bring to a simmer. Add the chicken broth and water; bring to a boil, cover partially, and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for about 35 minutes, or until the lentils are tender.
6. Working in 2 or 3 batches, puree the soup in a blender. Return to the pot, add the balsamic vinegar, and cook over low heat until hot.
7. Pour the soup in two bowls; sprinkle with chopped parsley, and enjoy while warm.
Merci, bonne dégustation!
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