The year was 2008, Kathy and I were on our way back from an awesome vacation to Florida and California. There are a few pictures posted below. To curb the boredom of the plane ride we were watching some of our podcasts of the man, the myth, the legend: Gordon Ramsay. He was showing some quick recipes and one particularly caught our eye: Chickpea and Feta Dip with Toasted Pita. P.S. This is around the time that I really started to like cooking. So I guess that you could say that Gordon Ramsay got me started on cooking.
Before I go into the recipe and further stories, allow me to stick up for the Gordster. Many people don't like him because of their exposure Hell's Kitchen and all they see is the Fox-version of 'entertainment'. Of course he is going to look like a hot-head monster, its' Fox. Fox ruins everything! Way too sensationalized, way too dramatic and don't even get me started on their cancelling of Arrested Development. If you want to see a balanced picture of Gordon Ramsay watch him on BBC's The F Word (the 'f' is for food). He is a real person, quick tempered yes, but a much more balanced person than stupid Fox portrays.
Back to it. The video looked sooo good that we decided to go shopping for the ingredients so we could make it that night....even if it was 10:00 p.m. after a flight from Florida. How hard is to find red Chilis? In the Northern suburbs of Chicago, very hard! We had to go two Dominicks, struck out and finally got to Target at 11:00 p.m. It was late but at least we had our chilis.
The flavor is amazing. The balance of the sweetness of the red onion and feta cheese with the spicy of chili (p.s. green jalapeno is a fine alternative) is one for the ages. The heat of the pan will soften the mixture enough to where it is still retains some bite but when combined with the toasted pita...absolutely brilliant (you'll have to imagine an English accent).
Chickpea and Feta with Toasted Pita- Gordon Ramsay
*Preheat oven to 350
*Tear up some Pitas and drizzle with Oil and Paprika
*Bake for about 10mins or until crispy.
Dip:
*Dice about half a red onion saute in oil until translucent.
*Add a diced Garlic and diced chile and saute for a minute.
*Dump a can of drained chickpeas into the pan.
*Add lemon zest and juice of one lemon.
*Dump about half of a 6 oz. container of crumbled feta cheese and let the cheese melt slightly.
Remove the pan from the heat.
*Add the remaining feta and a bunch of chopped fresh parsley. Stir mixture.
Picture time:
Palm Beach Florida
Big Bear, CA
The Mission, Santa Barbara CA
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