Is cooking boring? Three suggestions for heating it up...

I'm pretty sure that most of the people who come to my cooking classes either enjoy cooking or enjoy watching the process of cooking.  But every once in a while, a remarkable thing happens...someone slips into class who thinks cooking is boring, at the least, and a horrible exercise in pain, at the most.  Frankly, I love that because it presents me with an opportunity.  It's not that I will necessarily convert that person into a cooking queen (or king) but a glimpse is provided into a cooking experience that may eventually lead to a shift in perspective.  The oven will become something more than a big box with fire coming out of it.  So, here are my suggestions to help make cooking a satisfying time for you. 

• Add some spice.  The fun of cooking is that it can be an adventure.  You can travel around the world without ever leaving your home.  Flavors from Asia, Europe and beyond are easily available.  If you make the same things, day in and day out...well, of course, it gets boring!  Who wants to always see the same thing on the plate in front of them?  I know, I don't!  So make a point of trying one thing new a week.  I'm not suggesting that you tackle pheasant under glass (does anyone even know what that is anymore?) but try a new herb or spice or vegetable.  Instead of grilled chicken with salt and pepper, try adding some smoked paprika and see what happens...not only to the flavor and fragrance but the beautiful color it produces. I, personally, think they should make a smoked paprika perfume.  I would buy it and wear it...just sayin'.
  
   
• Open a bottle of wine.  Yes, I am a big advocate of having a glass of wine while you are cooking, for several reasons.  The person bored with cooking is often out of ideas, had no ideas to begin with or worst of all, if afraid to make a mistake in the kitchen and so never makes anything outside of his/her comfort zone.  Let me assure you that having a glass of wine will help you with this.  I'm not talking about getting hammered...I'm talking about relaxing and making cooking in the kitchen an enjoyable experience.  We find that in the classes at Urban Kitchen, a group of complete strangers have a glass of wine, cook together and then end up leaving together as friends headed down the street for dessert at one of our local restaurants.  They become friends because they have created a bond over a glass of wine and cooking a good meal.  And, it was FUN!

• Turn up the music.  Just as tunes make exercise more enjoyable, they also make cooking more fun.  Think of your favorite music and you will often have a food memory associated with it.  Restaurants spend much time and money creating playlists that make their dining rooms more conducive to a pleasant, relaxing meal.  Do the same in your kitchen!  Richard Simmons sweats to the oldies...okay, maybe that's a bad analogy but you could cook to the oldies as well.  Your taste in music is personal just as your taste in food is personal so design your cooking environment to make yourself happy.  Spend a little time enjoying the time you spend cooking...see it as a creative time and not drudgery and you may just find that it's not so boring.
  

 Here's a fun recipe to get the juices flowing...easy to make and easy to change up with your favorite veggies...great for Meatless Monday!  Enjoy!!

Vegetable Calzone Roll

Serves 6

1 sheet of puff pastry

1 egg

1 tbsp water

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 red bell pepper , cut into strips

1 cup button or cremini mushrooms , sliced

1 medium zucchini, thinly sliced

5 oz baby spinach

½ cup grape tomatoes, quartered lengthwise

1 small onion, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp dried oregano

4 oz fresh mozzarella cheese , cut into 8 slices

¼ cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano, plus another 2 tbsp

Heat the oven to 400°. Whisk egg and water together in a small bowl.  Set aside.

Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat.  Add vegetables and oregano and cook until tender and the liquid is evaporated.  Let cool slightly.

Unfold the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface.  Roll the pastry sheet into a 16x12-inch rectangle. With the short side facing you, spoon the vegetable mixture onto the bottom half of the pastry sheet to within 1 inch of the edge.  Top with the cheeses.  Starting at the short side, roll up like a jelly roll.  Tuck the ends under to seal.  Place seam-side down onto a baking sheet.  Brush with the egg mixture.  Sprinkle with remaining grated Parmigiano.

Bake for 25 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown. Remove the pastry from the baking sheet and let cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

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Come join the fun and take a class with us!  Visit my website at Urban Kitchen on Cherry Street and check out the Class Calendar.

And, I'd love to hear from you so leave me a comment...let's have a conversation!

Limping along...

Between the crazy weather and some critter with a need to  maim my tomato plants, it's amazing to me that the garden is surviving at all.  I was so excited to have these beautiful little heirloom plants but they have hardly been given a chance.  This one on the left was cut off at the ground and this other one had a branch torn off.  Then they're just left there.  The thing is not eating the plant and it is only disturbing a few...not all of them.  What is up with this?!  I'm not able to catch it so I don't know what is doing these dastardly deeds but this is beyond annoying...this is starting to piss me off.
And, now it is Cinco de Mayo.  We are in to the first week in May.  Do you think we could work on some Springtime temperatures?  Please, God!?
But you know me, it doesn't take me long to get positive because negative just uses soooo much stupid energy.  Here are the bright spots!
The sugar snap peas, pumpkin hill, the peppers and the eggplants!  All are doing great.  We did some row planting last weekend and we have radishes, bok choy and arugula coming up and yes...beets, of course.  Get ready, cooking class folks!

Getting next to fish...in a land locked state

Fish Cookery is one of my most popular and most requested classes.
Initially, I was surprised by this but it makes total sense.  Many people in Oklahoma just aren't comfortable with fish unless it's something they pulled out of one of the area lakes, like crappy or bass.  Then, guess what?!  They fry it...I mean, what else are you going to do with it?  Hence the popularity, nay fascination with, cooking fish.  I hear everything from...I have no idea what to do with it to what the Hell is that? to I don't like fish!  Imagine that, taking a class about food you don't like.  Here's the thing...they end up liking it by the time the class is over!  I LOVE that!!
But before we get started...let me get some preaching out of the way.
TILAPIA...stop it!  It is the bane of my existence.  It doesn't make you a bad person if this is the ONLY fish you think you like or can cook or will order in a restaurant but let's examine this tasteless, character-less specimen.  Abundant?  Yes, because it is farm-raised.  Now, in and of itself, being farm-raised is not a bad thing unless the only reason for it is to create tons and tons of it (to meet consumer demand, I know).  People love that sh-t!  You know why?  Because it has no flavor!  It isn't "fishy".  But, wait a minute, it is fish...shouldn't it taste like fish?  Is "fishiness" a bad thing?  I guess it is.  That's another thing we tackle in class...hang on, I'll get to that, I'm not finished with this.  Tilapia is an overly available, tasteless food.  Sustainable does not mean that it has to be uninteresting and uninspiring.  Please don't pay $15 or $20 in a restaurant for it.  Please try something else!  OK...now I'm finished.

Cooking fish involves basic skills that anyone can learn.  It does not have to be breaded and fried.  In class, we do everything from grilling to sauteing to oil poaching.  But you do need to know your fish before you decide what to do with it.
I recommend finding a good fish monger.  Depending on where you live, you might have one at your local grocery (highly unlikely in Oklahoma, however).  A fish monger is someone who sells fish for a living; she/he eats, sleeps and breathes fish and should be able to recommend what's good/freshest/in season and best cooking methods for it.  For instance, if you buy sole (a fish with a delicate flesh and not "fishy"), it probably is not a good idea to grill it because it will fall apart before you get it off the grill....probably before you get it near the grill.  It needs to be quickly sauteed or baked with a light sauce, something like that.  Also, your fish source should get fish in at least once, if not twice a DAY not a WEEK!  Therein lies the smell factor.  Fresh fish does not smell "fishy"!  You should either smell nothing or the ocean but not old fish.  If you smell old fish, tell the person who is trying to sell it to you that it smells bad and pick something else...maybe the pork chops.  A whole fish should look like you just caught it.  Clear eyes, beautiful skin and NO SMELL!  If you are buying filets or steaks,  treat it like you were buying a piece of meat you're familiar with.  You wouldn't buy an old dry, brown, stinky piece of steak.  Same goes for fish, good color, moist, and not stinky!

You do not have to buy wild fish but if you do, make sure that it is "running" that means in season.  Halibut runs from March to December but Pacific salmon runs mainly in the summer months (June, July) so the rest of the year, you're stuck with Atlantic, typically farm raised, salmon which just does not have the oil content or flavor of the wild varieties.  Also, it is usually colored by the distributor to make it look red like its wild cousins...just sayin'.  I'm just providing information, here.  There are many other wild fish, again, check with your fish monger for seasons.

What you put with your fish is just as important as your fish itself.  Your fish is fresh so don't mess it up with frozen or canned vegetables.  Fresh goes with fresh.  I know you have to shop more often but fresh, seasonal produce is (typically) less expensive and certainly more flavorful and the texture is better than the canned and frozen varieties. Most importantly, do NOT overcook your fish.  That will turn you against fish in an instant!  It will dry out and the mouth texture will be similar to desert sand...just don't do it.  Delicate fish should flake.  Firm fleshed fish should be opaque, nothing more.  And, if you're talking seared ahi, well, that's doesn't mean much more than just showing it the grill or saute pan.

Since I know you're wondering (I'm psychic that way), personally, I like fish with a firm texture and richness, such as, halibut, grouper, swordfish, tuna, and salmon.

So let's look at Candace's five tenets of successful fish cooking:

• Do not buy smelly fish...that means it's old and should have been thrown out
• Wild fish should be "running" - that means in season
• Match fish with cooking method - a sole is not a swordfish
• Do not overcook your fish - delicate flesh should flake, firm flesh should look opaque
• DON'T BUY OR EAT TILAPIA, EVER!

*A final note about shrimp because I can't help myself.  Unless you live on a coast and I mean right on the coast, the shrimp you buy, no matter where you buy it, will have been frozen.  Typically, raw frozen shrimp is just fine out of the freezer case at your local grocer.  You don't need to pay high dollar for "fresh" shrimp from your fish monger...sorry, guys, I love you, but you know this is true.  And, don't buy cooked, frozen shrimp that's just wrong!

Here's your recipe bonus...oh, and the next Fish Class is Thursday, May 16...

Pan Seared/Oven Roasted Halibut

Serves 4

1 pint grape tomatoes, halved

2 tbsp chopped fresh oregano

2 tsp balsamic vinegar

2 medium cloves garlic, thinly sliced

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1½ lb thick skinless halibut fillet (or other mild white fish, like cod), cut into 4 equal pieces

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

In a medium bowl, mix the tomatoes, oregano, vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper.

Season the fish with salt and pepper.  Heat the oil in a 12-inch nonstick, ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering hot.  Add the fish and cook until it browns and releases easily from the pan about 3 minutes.  Flip the fish, pour the tomato mixture around it and transfer the skillet to the oven.

Roast until the fish is just firm to the touch and opaque 3 to 6 minutes.


If you liked this post, please share it on Facebook, Twitter or any other social media that you fancy!  

Come join the fun and take a class with us!  Visit my website at Urban Kitchen on Cherry Street and check out the Class Calendar.

And, I'd love to hear from you so leave me a comment...let's have a conversation!

It's the garden update!

 You gotta love Oklahoma weather, NOT!  If I have to cover my tomatoes one more time because there's a freeze warning in the middle of April, I will not be responsible for the aftermath.  It's hard enough to grow things with the typical weather patterns being typical.  You may or may not know but the last threat of frost is supposed to be somewhere around April 5 so the third week in April is kinda pissing me off!  But enough of my little temper tantrum.  As you can see, the beautiful little heirloom tomatoes are doing quite well, thank you.  First picture, here on your right is from April 7 ( a day or two before our first frost warning) and the one below it is from today so they are coming

along and it makes me happy!  I have not planted any killer cucumbers (yet) but I'm hearing that a lot of people (including, Kornell) are having problems getting the cucumbers to sprout.  So I may hold off on those.  Has anyone heard what that might be related to?  I would be interested to know!  Gotta share these little cuties with you, though...take a look at this next picture below on the left.  Sugar snap peas!  Aren't they the cutest little things you've ever seen.  You can sow and grow now and then you can do it again as a late summer/early fall crop.  You must trellis them and I am happy to say that I have lots of those left over from last year's garden.  I love this re-using thing.  Works so great!  I will have lots of sugar snaps to share in my Seasonal Vegetable Class so watch the calendar (hint:  Wednesday, May 22) for the next one.  That also reminds me that I forgot about one of my favorite crops...beets!  How could I do that?  Ummmm...I think I ran out of room but I've got to get me some of them!  I don't have good news on the Brussels sprouts front.  My seedlings are gone so we'll have to give them another try.  Same goes for spinach...oh well, it is gardening and sometimes gambling!  In thinking back to last year's successes (unexpected! and I think I mentioned them in my garden update from two weeks ago) but the sage and the rosemary just have me blown away!  I had to include a pic from two weeks ago and then one from today.  

The rosemary is holding its own but is not nearly as lush as the sage.  On the other hand, I cut the rosemary down to nothing at the end of last year for a lamb class so it has a long way to go.  And, trust me, these two herbs looked like long gone dead at the end of last year.  I had no hope of them returning.  So learn this lesson...don't give up on your plant friends, they will surprise you.  Seems like there should be some kind of life metaphor in there but I don't know...I think plants are much more likely to surprise you than people...

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Get your Asian on....Gangnam style?

 I think everyone knows I have a penchant for Italian cooking, especially, authentic regional Italian...I could wax poetic for-evah.  So!  What is up with this need to go Asian?  I actually love to cook Asian almost as much as Italian.  Fact of the matter, the person I was hooked up with for 20 years didn't like it and would get supremely cranky when I tried to bring it to the dinner table so guess what happened!?  I stopped cooking Asian-style for, yes, 20 years!  Stupid, right?  RIGHT!  So I have been getting my Asian mojo back with cooking classes and various caterings.  As a result, I like to share my knowledge with my peeps so here you go...a few tips on bringing Asian flavors into your food.  First, get thee to an Asian market and spend some time wandering the aisles.  It should smell like old fish when you walk in the door and there should not be anyone who speaks English. You will see everything from the recognizable (soy sauce) to the super weird
(pig uterus, yes, I'm totally serious and no, I don't know what to do with it...yet).  Anywho, you can find almost anything for your authentic recipes and anything to help you add some Asian thang to your cooking.  I rest my case with the pig parts.
Here are my recommendations for making some small inroads into the Asian realm.

• Fresh ginger.  If you haven't already used this, get some now!  Grated, chopped, sliced, raw or cooked...it adds the essence of Asia.
• Fish sauce.  Again, if you haven't tried it, get some now!  I know it smells gross...it IS fish sauce after all but used properly, it adds that little umami* that you can't identify in the authentic cuisine...it leaves you asking what is that?
• Cilantro.  It's not just for Mexican cooking!  It is a critical herb in most Thai and Vietnamese dishes.
• Daikon.  Also known as a Chinese radish, it is very large, kind of carrot shaped, white tuber that when pickled makes your basic Banh Mi sublime.  Pickling is easy with rice wine vinegar, white sugar and a little salt.
• Star anise.  Looks like a star, smells like licorice and adds a complex fragrance and flavor to soups and braises.  Short ribs, especially love star anise.

I could go on and on but those are some of my favorites.  I have also included the recipe for my favorite sandwich, a meatball banh mi.  It uses most all of these ingredients and is a true expression of Vietnamese street food.  Speaking of which, Asian Street Food is one of our classes this week.  We'll be making shrimp summer rolls (the top picture) as well as Dan Dan Noodles and more...
Oh and here's the explanation of umami for those of you who have been living under a rock.
*  A savory taste.  Umami is one of the five basic tastes (yes, there were only four when I was growing up, too) with sweet, sour, bitter and salty.  Borrowed from the Japanese, umami can be translated as "pleasant savory taste" or just freaking delicious!  Examples of umami-rich foods are fish, mushrooms, tomatoes and fermented or aged products like fish sauce, soy sauce, etc.
Happy Cooking!

And, hey!  
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Vietnamese Meatball Banh Mi Sandwich

Serves 4

Meatballs:

¾ lb ground pork

¾ lb ground turkey

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tbsp minced onion

1 tsp kosher salt

2 tsp sugar, divided

2 tbsp fish sauce, divided

1/3 cup coconut milk

Sandwiches:

4 baguettes, split and cut into four inch lengths

¼ cup unsalted butter, softened

Mayonnaise

Sambal (garlic chili paste)

1 – 2 fresh jalapenos, thinly sliced

16 Vietnamese Meatballs, cut in half

2 cups daikon and carrot pickle (recipe follows)

2 cups loosely packed cilantro sprigs (no hard stems)

To make the meatballs:  combine garlic, onion, salt, 1 tsp sugar and 1 tbsp fish sauce and mix.  Add meats to seasonings and mix until just blended.  Do not overmix.  Form mixture into walnut to golf ball size meatballs.

In a small bowl, combine the coconut milk with the remaining sugar and fish sauce.

Preheat oven to 425°.  Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place meatballs on the baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.  Brush the meatballs with the coconut milk mixture and return to the oven for another 20 minutes until the meatballs are browned and the coconut milk is caramelized.

(Meatballs can be wrapped in foil and refrigerated overnight.  To reheat, place the foil-wrapped meatballs in a 425° oven for 15 minutes.)

To assemble the banh mi:  On a rimmed baking sheet, place the baguette halves, cut side up.  Brush with softened butter and toast until they begin to brown around the edges, about 5 – 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.

Combine mayonnaise with sambal and spread on the baguette halves.  Cut meatballs in half and place cut side down on half of the baguettes.   Top the meatballs with the daikon and carrot pickle, followed by a few slices of fresh jalapeno, and a handful of cilantro sprigs.  Top each sandwich with the other baguette half.

 Daikon – Carrot Pickle

1 cup shredded daikon radish

1 cup shredded carrot

½ cup rice wine vinegar

¼ cup sugar

Mix vinegar and sugar until sugar is dissolved.  Add shredded daikon and carrot and toss to combine.  Allow to marinate for at least 30 minutes or store in the refrigerator overnight.

Here we go again...The Garden 2013

The garden is back!  I was going to say "in da house" but that would be kinda stupid so TA DA!!  Yesterday, Kornell (for those of you who don't know, he's my guy and the reason I have such a beautiful vegetable patch) and I went out to see the Tomato Man's Daughter and I absolutely controlled myself...only bought 8 plants compared to last year's attempt at 14!  Aren't you proud of me?  Lisa (the daughter) is super knowledgeable and can recommend the right plant for the right purpose so I am really excited.  Combine that with the amount of love she showers over these beauties and it's a no-fail situation.  That is, if I can keep the dang critters out of the beds!  I included one picture where you can see the footprints or digging or free-for-all that somebody was having last night after we finished putting everything into the ground.  ARGHHH!!
We discussed the critter issue with Lisa and she said the only way to get rid of the squirrels was a shotgun.  If I see another one running across the top of my fence holding onto one of my beauties...I may be inclined to pull out the firepower!  Anyway, we're going to think positive.  The tomato variety is mostly heirloom with tried and true Oklahoma standbys like the Arkansas Traveler (had to have one of those in honor of my granddad).  So I've got one cherry variety along with a black, green and yellow pinkheart.  She also had an Italian frying pepper that I cannot wait to try!  As you can see in the first pic, I started a fair number of seeds inside.  Those included Brussels sprouts, tomatillos, jalapenos, eggplant, cauliflower and red bells.  Put sugar snap peas into the ground along with pie pumpkins (that's in case Reasor's doesn't have any for Thanksgiving!  Then take a look at my last picture...those are last year's herb holdovers.

 You've got to love that sage!  Can you believe it?!  Talk about beleaguered during last summer!  I held out no hope of seeing anything like that but sage is a hardy perennial obviously...standing in good stead next to it is last year's rosemary.  I really cut it back a lot at the end of last summer so I'm anticipating that it will go ca-razy this year.  And, I was reminded that it does help to water it.

I do have some tarragon, thyme and chives started from seed...we'll see what those will do.  So tales from the vegetable garden begin this weekend.  look for blog updates weekly interspersed with as much wit and wisdom as I can muster in between.  Next week, I'll give you the rundown on Thursday's Blank Canvas competition.  Think happy thoughts...I really want to win!!

Musings on a Sunday morning....

I love Sunday mornings.  It is typically a day off to stay in my jammies, get caught up on food magazines, write an occasional blogpost or email blast, have a Bloody Mary and generally, chill.  This is the day the Lord hath made, rejoice and be glad in it.  I, obviously, rejoice in my own way.

I am rejoicing today as I had to work all last weekend at a trade show (Tulsa Women's Living Expo) but I really can't complain because I won the Celebrity Chef Cook Off.  It was quite a surprise, to say the least.  I think you can tell in that last goofy picture that I allowed to be taken.  I have to defend my title next year but, in the meantime, long live the Queen!  HAH!  On a more serious note, it is more than gratifying to have your cooking recognized as "good enough" by more than family members.  But back to Sunday.  The sunlight really does stream in the windows in my front room and gives it such a warm feeling.  The sun was very bright this morning and it made me extra happy to look upon it (how's that for poetic!).  Just makes me want to stay home and admire it and so I do...most Sundays.  I made perfectly poached eggs with the freshest of eggs from my boyfriend's hens.  Frankly, there is nothing like seeing that almost orange yolk pour out over the toasty English muffin.  No, I don't have a picture...I used to take pictures of my eggs but realized it was silly to have a photo album of nothing but poached eggs.  That, in light of the fact that most of the photos I have on my phone or computer are of food or cooking classes!   Speaking of cooking classes, this is the day of the week when I review the class schedule and figure out which ones I need to repeat so I don't have Mutiny on the Bounty and then new ones to add so I don't get so bored teaching the fan favorites that I want to poke a fork in my eye!  Here are a few pics from the last class...Date Night for Valentines was super fun...Lobster Thermidor and Drunken Chocolate Dipped Strawberries.  Wednesday, we're making and stuffing ravioli (again).  It is a really good class that fills up VERY quickly so, yes, we will be repeating it in the next month or so (if you're not one of the lucky ones).

And, I will make every effort to NOT get near the forks.  We'll just change up the ravioli fillings...maybe we'll make that egg yolk one.  You know, the one where you nestle the raw yolk in a kind of basket of ricotta and spinach filling then cover with the top sheet of pasta.  You gently boil, I would say poach, the ravioli so the yolk doesn't break.  Then when you serve it, the ravioli kind of makes its own sauce.  Very fun.  OK, so I like making ravioli.  What I REALLY like is watching the people in my class make it and revel in their abilities.  Now, that's fun!  You may or may not know that I self-published my first cookbook and, notice I didn't say, first and last.  I will have a book signing and open house at the Kitchen this spring so stay tuned for more information.  You can buy it on Amazon and I would appreciate it!  It is full of favorite recipes from past classes and from my family (read, my mom).  Here's a picture...it's on Amazon!

I found a quote this morning as I was catching up on my food reading.  It's from Tim Ferriss, he's one of those new entrepreneurial types, but very interesting and the book I got as a Christmas gift is called, The Four Hour Chef.  So my new favorite quote is:  "You don't need more recipes, you need to learn to cook without them."  My theory entirely, in spite of having just written this cookbook.  Take my recipes and make them your own...then, you really won't need them!  Happy Cooking!!