Monday, September 10, 2007

Confessions of a Foodie
VEW

I love to cook. I love to eat. I eat just about anything and like most of it. But there are some things I have trouble with. Things that people who love food are probably not supposed to have trouble with…things that get me in trouble with fellow, more serious foodies. I write this in a spirit of gest, but I assure you it’s all true.

I have never professed an undying love of lobster. It all began when, as a 14 year old I had my first whole lobster and no one warned me that on top of water gushing everywhere upon cracking the beast open, there could also be a number of other unsavory looking things in there. So I eagerly cracked open the crimson crustacean only to lose my appetite upon seeing the green tomally that some consider the best part. I have only truly lost my appetite on two occasions, that was the first. Not wanting to disappoint my parents, who spent a considerable sum on this treat for the family, I managed to eat the lobster by dousing it in…ketchup. But that’s not the end of my lobster tale. I have grown to love lobster in stews, bisques, pastas and the like, but have never been a huge fan of whole lobsters until recently. On a weekend in Maine we had a fabulous outdoor dinner with farmstand corn on the cob, field greens just picked from the garden and Maine lobster. The lobster tasted fabulous, so much so that upon arriving home one day later, my husband and I bought some lobster to make again—our first time making them at home. The catch was that I would have to plunge them into the boiling cauldron.

Now, I have read all the recent debates about humane and inhumane killing of lobsters. I can’t say I really cared…it wasn’t going to change my mind about eating lobster and I had never actually cooked one myself…but when it came time to take the plunge, I couldn’t do it. And it wasn’t due to a twinge of guilt, it was again a fear of losing my appetite. I took the brown paper bag out of the fridge and opened it to take the first victim out…and the slow moving of the legs gave me the shivers. It is after all, a bit like picking up a giant spider, or rather looking at one because I confess I couldn’t even pick it up. It all makes me wonder who in the world originally looked at a lobster and thought, hmmm, that looks like it could have some pretty tasty meat under all that armor. Clearly not someone who was as far removed from the production of ready to prepare meats as I.

In the end I had to go back on my word and call in the reserves in the form of my husband, who being a man, did the job, but only this once he assured me with a sidelong glance that clearly said, Are you serious? It was a rare moment of weakness in the kitchen. I guess I have my work cut out for me.

Saturday, September 8, 2007

Weekly Menu 3
CLN

Chicken skewers with parsley-feta pesto and Greek salad

Beef and avocado tacos with beans and rice

Cuban burgers with mojo, grilled red potatoes and cucumber salad

Day 1
This is based on a Rachael Ray recipe, you can find it here. It's essentially a big salad but I find it tastes better with the components served separately. I serve the grilled chicken with the pesto on the side, the salad and toasted pita accompany the dish. I like to make the salad without the celery and make my make my own dressing using Lemon juice, olive oil, garlic and oregano. As a rule of thumb use 1 part vinegar( lemon juice) to 2 parts oil.

Day 2
Find the recipe here. This combination may sound odd but the crisp radish, creamy avocado and pickled jalapeno work really well together. I often use a flank steak in place of the skirt steak if that is all I can find. I like to use Emeril's Essence as a rub for the meat. You can make up a batch and keep it in the freezer. For the beans and rice I simmer a can of black beans, add chili powder and some fresh lime juice to liven them up and serve them over white rice.

Day 3
This burger is a twist on the cuban sandwich, which I love. The recipe calls for making a garlic mayo, I never do that and don't think it is worth the trouble, I just use regular mayo. To weight the burger on the grill, we usually use a brick or heavy cast iron skillet. I serve mojo to dip the sandwich in. Mojo is a citrus, onion and garlic marinade. You can find it in most grocery stores in the Goya or ethnic aisles. For a great side with this you can roast some red skin potatoes and when they're nice and crispy pull them out and pour mojo over them and garnish with scallions.
Mojitos-A traditional Cuban cocktail

Cucumber salad
This is very simple and you can just make it to taste. slice cucumbers and to them add white wine vinegar, olive oil and sugar. Depending on what is on hand you can also add onion and some dill. This is best made a few hours ahead so the flavors can meld and the cucumber can break down a bit.