Alright, for the Simpsons fans out there this one is for you.
Lisa: Good news everyone you don't have to eat meat! I made enough gazpacho for everyone! It's tomato soup served ice cold!
Crowd confused look whichs break into mocking laughter as Lisa sulks away. And overheard in the background is....
Barney Gumble: "Go back to Russia!!"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3glcHYn2hw
That was my feeling towards Gazpacho my whole life. Cold tomato soup? Go back to Russia!
Part of the reason I was hesitant to make it is because I don't really like tomatoes. There are people who eat tomatoes like apples. That makes no sense to me. If you were to bite into an apple and got the squishy consistency of a tomato you would be repulsed right?!
It was only within the past 5-7 years that I actually started to like hot tomato soup. For what it is worth, unless you want to roast the tomatoes or add some nice cream and basil I don't eat tomato soup. Isn't that a fun fact about me?
That is why this meal was actually at the suggestion of my wife who saw this recipe on Good Morning America courtesy of Emil Lagasse.
I have attached a link because I don't feel like typing it out. I am lazy, its true!
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/recipe?id=14270443
I am pretty sure that because I have never made gazpacho and didn't have all those pretty tomatoes, ours didn't taste as good as his....just a thought. It was good however, I would encourage you to make it. The watermelon and strawberries make a nice contrast within the soup.
On a side note, I can't make fried rice! I've tried......wasn't pretty.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Saturday, August 13, 2011
beauty in simplicity.
You don't a bunch of notes to make a beautiful melody.
You don't need a litany of words to make a powerful speech.
You don't need high priced entertainment when you are with the people you love.
You don't need expensive ingredients to make something taste good.
Here is what you need: cheese
Here is what you need to do with it: melt it!!
Folks, there is beauty in simplicity.
You don't need a litany of words to make a powerful speech.
You don't need high priced entertainment when you are with the people you love.
You don't need expensive ingredients to make something taste good.
Here is what you need: cheese
Here is what you need to do with it: melt it!!
Folks, there is beauty in simplicity.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Broccoli's cool younger brother
Since I had been gone for so long I figured it would it be in our best interest to make an easy dinner. A recipe that is the equivalent of dipping my toes in the water before I jump into the pool. On a side note, it is a myth that you need to wait 45 minutes before swimming after you eat. You're welcome America!
When I was a kid I hated broccoli.. and squash but that is a different story. It was only within the past few years that I have grown to appreciate it's strange flavor.
For you kids and parents of kids who hate don't like broccoli might I suggest broccoli's younger, leather jacket wearing, cool brother: broccoli rabe. It's a bitter green whose flavor might make your tongue's bitter sense pucker. Since I love the bitter (IPA beer especially) and savory (bacon..booyah!) broccoli rabe is the sonnet to my Shakespeare, the symphony to my Beethoven.
I could digress into a diatribe about the recently discovered, at least me by me, bitter green; broccoli rabe, mustard green, collard green, dandelion, radicchio etc.. but I must limit this blog to a most recent recipe: Spicy Sausage and Broccoli Rabe over Penne Pasta with Parmesan.
The beauty of this meal is it's simplicity.
What you need:
*Box of Penne or your favorite shaped pasta.
*3 Tb. of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
*16 oz. of Spicy Italian Sausage casing removed
*1 or 2 bunches Broccoli Rabe, chopped.
*4 cloves of garlic chopped.
(We love garlic!!! If you don't, I suppose you could limit it to 2 cloves or totally omit it if you want a sidelong glance from me!)
*A pinch or two of crushed red pepper
* Parmesan to taste (about 1/3 cup)
How to make it:
1. Boil a stock pot of salted water.
2. Add the Broccoli Rabe and cook in the water for 2-3 minutes. Remove and set aside
*Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook to Al' Dente.
3. While the Pasta is cooking: Heat the oil over Med. High heat. Add the sausage and brown.
4. After the meat is browned, add the garlic and pepper and cook for about 2 minutes.
5. After the garlic and pepper has been fused with the sausage add the Broccoli Rabe and stir to combine.
6. When the Pasta is done cooking, strain it, (reserving a cup of cooking liquid in case you need it) and add to the sausage/rabe mixture.
7. Add the parmesan and reserved liquid until desired consistency is reached.
Again, the beauty of this meal is in it's simplicity. Enjoy the bitter, rich flavor with your loved ones. If you have kids use this as an opportunity to teach the them that broccoli rocks!
When I was a kid I hated broccoli.. and squash but that is a different story. It was only within the past few years that I have grown to appreciate it's strange flavor.
For you kids and parents of kids who hate don't like broccoli might I suggest broccoli's younger, leather jacket wearing, cool brother: broccoli rabe. It's a bitter green whose flavor might make your tongue's bitter sense pucker. Since I love the bitter (IPA beer especially) and savory (bacon..booyah!) broccoli rabe is the sonnet to my Shakespeare, the symphony to my Beethoven.
I could digress into a diatribe about the recently discovered, at least me by me, bitter green; broccoli rabe, mustard green, collard green, dandelion, radicchio etc.. but I must limit this blog to a most recent recipe: Spicy Sausage and Broccoli Rabe over Penne Pasta with Parmesan.
The beauty of this meal is it's simplicity.
What you need:
*Box of Penne or your favorite shaped pasta.
*3 Tb. of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
*16 oz. of Spicy Italian Sausage casing removed
*1 or 2 bunches Broccoli Rabe, chopped.
*4 cloves of garlic chopped.
(We love garlic!!! If you don't, I suppose you could limit it to 2 cloves or totally omit it if you want a sidelong glance from me!)
*A pinch or two of crushed red pepper
* Parmesan to taste (about 1/3 cup)
How to make it:
1. Boil a stock pot of salted water.
2. Add the Broccoli Rabe and cook in the water for 2-3 minutes. Remove and set aside
*Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook to Al' Dente.
3. While the Pasta is cooking: Heat the oil over Med. High heat. Add the sausage and brown.
4. After the meat is browned, add the garlic and pepper and cook for about 2 minutes.
5. After the garlic and pepper has been fused with the sausage add the Broccoli Rabe and stir to combine.
6. When the Pasta is done cooking, strain it, (reserving a cup of cooking liquid in case you need it) and add to the sausage/rabe mixture.
7. Add the parmesan and reserved liquid until desired consistency is reached.
Again, the beauty of this meal is in it's simplicity. Enjoy the bitter, rich flavor with your loved ones. If you have kids use this as an opportunity to teach the them that broccoli rocks!
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Back in the Saddle Again!
After 3 1/2 weeks of being away from home I am back!
I was gone for 2 1/2 weeks in Omaha, NE at Offutt Air Force Base doing some of my reserve duty as a chaplain. I missed my wife terribly, my dog second most terribly and cooking third....or tertiary terribly. And for the past week I was in Seattle with the family....more to come on that later.
It is pretty lame not being able to cook for that long even though Omaha does have some really cool restaurants. I went to an Ethiopian restaurant attached to an African market, where not only was I the only white person there, I was the only male. When I walked in I was almost ran into 2 Sudanese women with their children and the Ethiopian shopkeeper/host. Needless to say I blended right in!
While waiting for my doro wat (a traditional, read spicy, Ethiopian dish) I got to watch some Ethiopian TV, which would have been fine if I spoke the language.
By the end of the meal I used about 30 napkins blowing my nose on account of spice. For those of you who have never tried Ethiopian food, I highly recommend it. The flavors are vastly different than most of the food you are used to eating. The food is served on what is called injeera. To visualize injeera, imagine a thin, sourdough pancake. Now put your food on it and you use it not only as a plate but also as your main utensil in eating. Tear, scoop and eat.
This is actually a picture from a different time we ate at an Ethiopian Restaurant. I could never eat that much injeera. Imagine a sponge made of bread...filling!!
Anyway, it would take too long to regale you all with the magical mystery restaurant tour that I took in Omaha. So in closing, stay tuned, eat Ethiopian food and be thankful for being home.
I was gone for 2 1/2 weeks in Omaha, NE at Offutt Air Force Base doing some of my reserve duty as a chaplain. I missed my wife terribly, my dog second most terribly and cooking third....or tertiary terribly. And for the past week I was in Seattle with the family....more to come on that later.
It is pretty lame not being able to cook for that long even though Omaha does have some really cool restaurants. I went to an Ethiopian restaurant attached to an African market, where not only was I the only white person there, I was the only male. When I walked in I was almost ran into 2 Sudanese women with their children and the Ethiopian shopkeeper/host. Needless to say I blended right in!
While waiting for my doro wat (a traditional, read spicy, Ethiopian dish) I got to watch some Ethiopian TV, which would have been fine if I spoke the language.
By the end of the meal I used about 30 napkins blowing my nose on account of spice. For those of you who have never tried Ethiopian food, I highly recommend it. The flavors are vastly different than most of the food you are used to eating. The food is served on what is called injeera. To visualize injeera, imagine a thin, sourdough pancake. Now put your food on it and you use it not only as a plate but also as your main utensil in eating. Tear, scoop and eat.
Anyway, it would take too long to regale you all with the magical mystery restaurant tour that I took in Omaha. So in closing, stay tuned, eat Ethiopian food and be thankful for being home.
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