Okay, tried an experiment tonight and failed miserably. I made spaghetti sauce from scratch, well, almost from scratch. Doctored up a jarred sauce so it no longer tasted like a jarred sauce. Just add your own fresh cooked peppers, garlic, onion, and meat to the jarred sauce. Add two cans of tomatoes and let it cook down. Sometimes I also add sauteed fresh mushrooms, but not often since my partner doesn't like them. Once it's reduced by half, you'd never ever know it started its life in a jar. Works every time.
Except tonight. I made it the way I usually do, then decided to do something different. I had a box of angel hair pasta and broke it in half and added it directly to the sauce.
BIG MISTAKE!!
The sauce turned pink and sludgy. There wasn't enough moisture to cook the pasta properly and all the starch from the dried pasta made the sauce icky. It looked like something from a baby's diaper, and was singularly unappetizing.
However, the pizza we ordered later was really good! Not from my favorite pizza place but good nonetheless. My favorite pizza place is the subject of my next post.
In review, my mistake was in not cooking the pasta before adding it to the sauce. Angel Hair pasta is probably not the best pasta for spaghetti sauce, too. So overall, a good learning experience, but a total disaster for dinner.
Take care!
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Thai Beef Jerky
I used to go to a Thai restaurant near where I lived that had an appetizer called Thai Beef Jerky. Basically, it was small beef chunks that had been cooked in some spices and lime and served warm. Very tasty, but not real beef jerky. I experimented and came up with this approximation that's easy and tasty.
Take some stew beef (or whatever beef you have on hand, but NOT ground beef)and cut into very small strips about two inches long and half an inch in depth and width. Sprinkle with a coarse salt. I use kosher salt. Put the beef in a bowl and pour two tablespoons of lime juice over it. Stir to thoroughly coat. Spread the beef in a shallow cookie pan and make sure that none of it is touching any other piece of beef. Place in 250 degree oven. Check in an hour and loosen any beef that is stuck to the pan. Sprinkle liberally with more lime juice. Check in an hour and shake the beef around the pan. Sprinkle more lime juice over. Check in half hour increments until the beef is at the stage you prefer. Some like if softer, and some like it more brittle. Try not to overcook. Add lime juice as personal taste dictates. Take out of oven and cool for ten minutes, then serve. Any leftovers can be put in a plastice bag and stored in the fridge.
Very good stuff and lasts a long time. Take care!
Take some stew beef (or whatever beef you have on hand, but NOT ground beef)and cut into very small strips about two inches long and half an inch in depth and width. Sprinkle with a coarse salt. I use kosher salt. Put the beef in a bowl and pour two tablespoons of lime juice over it. Stir to thoroughly coat. Spread the beef in a shallow cookie pan and make sure that none of it is touching any other piece of beef. Place in 250 degree oven. Check in an hour and loosen any beef that is stuck to the pan. Sprinkle liberally with more lime juice. Check in an hour and shake the beef around the pan. Sprinkle more lime juice over. Check in half hour increments until the beef is at the stage you prefer. Some like if softer, and some like it more brittle. Try not to overcook. Add lime juice as personal taste dictates. Take out of oven and cool for ten minutes, then serve. Any leftovers can be put in a plastice bag and stored in the fridge.
Very good stuff and lasts a long time. Take care!
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Tax Day Bean Soup
April 15, and everyone feels poor. In honor of that, I figured I'd share a recipe for one of the most inexpensive meals ever. There are as many versions of this soup as there are cooks making it. This is just the way it's evolved with me.
When we were growing up, my brother and I waited for the days when my mom would make this. She always served it with piping hot cornbread. Beans and Cornbread was our favorite! Over time, I've modified it so now it's uniquely mine and very versatile. You can use whatever beans you have, and add whatever you have on hand to the soup. Or just use beans, water, and salt. Anyway you make these will be good. You can cook them in a crock pot, or on the stove. I've even heard of one version where it's made in the oven, but I haven't tried that one yet.
Ingredients:
One pound of beans of any kind. I usually use white beans or else a 15 bean mix.
Salt to taste
8 cups of water
Optional:
One pound of salted pork (bacon, Virginia Ham, pork necks or shank)
Two large carrots grated or chopped fine
One large onion roughly copped into large pieces
Two garlic cloves roughly chopped
One celery heart roughly chopped
Four stalks of celery roughly chopped
One can unsalted and unseasoned chopped tomatoes
Soak the beans overnight if possible then discard the soaking water. Add 8 cups of water to a large pot and put the beans in. Bring to a slow boil, then turn the heat down to simmer. Try not to stir the beans too much, but don't let them burn. The beans will make their own stock as they cook. In two hours, take one bean out with a spoon and blow on it. If the skin breaks apart, the beans are close to done. Add salt to the soup until it tastes good to you. When the beans are done, take out half of the soup into a bowl and roughly mash the beans and stock together. Return to the soup pot, and stir to combine. Taste once more, then serve.
You can add any or all of the optional items at the beginning stage so the flavors blend well, but DO NOT add the tomatoes until just before serving. The acid in the tomatoes will keep the beans from getting tender. Do not add the salt until the beans are close to being done, particularly if you're adding salted pork. Taste often to keep from over seasoning the soup. Sometimes I add a bay leaf for about half the cooking time. I've heard some people add potato to the soup, but I've never tried that. I garnish the soup with grated cheese when serving. Other times I've put a big chunk of cheese in the bottom of the bowl and poured the soup over it. This will make enough soup to feed about 6-8 people, especially if you're serving corn bread or salad with it. Freeze the left over soup after it's cooled. Or serve it the next day by boiling up your favorite pasta and adding it to the soup.
Hope you enjoy. If you have any questions, let me know!
When we were growing up, my brother and I waited for the days when my mom would make this. She always served it with piping hot cornbread. Beans and Cornbread was our favorite! Over time, I've modified it so now it's uniquely mine and very versatile. You can use whatever beans you have, and add whatever you have on hand to the soup. Or just use beans, water, and salt. Anyway you make these will be good. You can cook them in a crock pot, or on the stove. I've even heard of one version where it's made in the oven, but I haven't tried that one yet.
Ingredients:
One pound of beans of any kind. I usually use white beans or else a 15 bean mix.
Salt to taste
8 cups of water
Optional:
One pound of salted pork (bacon, Virginia Ham, pork necks or shank)
Two large carrots grated or chopped fine
One large onion roughly copped into large pieces
Two garlic cloves roughly chopped
One celery heart roughly chopped
Four stalks of celery roughly chopped
One can unsalted and unseasoned chopped tomatoes
Soak the beans overnight if possible then discard the soaking water. Add 8 cups of water to a large pot and put the beans in. Bring to a slow boil, then turn the heat down to simmer. Try not to stir the beans too much, but don't let them burn. The beans will make their own stock as they cook. In two hours, take one bean out with a spoon and blow on it. If the skin breaks apart, the beans are close to done. Add salt to the soup until it tastes good to you. When the beans are done, take out half of the soup into a bowl and roughly mash the beans and stock together. Return to the soup pot, and stir to combine. Taste once more, then serve.
You can add any or all of the optional items at the beginning stage so the flavors blend well, but DO NOT add the tomatoes until just before serving. The acid in the tomatoes will keep the beans from getting tender. Do not add the salt until the beans are close to being done, particularly if you're adding salted pork. Taste often to keep from over seasoning the soup. Sometimes I add a bay leaf for about half the cooking time. I've heard some people add potato to the soup, but I've never tried that. I garnish the soup with grated cheese when serving. Other times I've put a big chunk of cheese in the bottom of the bowl and poured the soup over it. This will make enough soup to feed about 6-8 people, especially if you're serving corn bread or salad with it. Freeze the left over soup after it's cooled. Or serve it the next day by boiling up your favorite pasta and adding it to the soup.
Hope you enjoy. If you have any questions, let me know!
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Really Good Barbeque
Sorry, I'm not a dedicated blogger. My writing journal has gaps of months and years in it too.
Okay, I make the best barbeque around. I smoke the meat for a couple of hours, then slow roast it to falling apart doneness. Then I shred it and put it back into its juices, add the sauce (either home-made or jar), simmer, and serve.
Recently, Tim and I found a barbeque spot near Winchester, VA that was really good and very home-style. It's called Bob and Dave's Barbeque Pit. It's on Rt50 just East of Winchester. From where we are, we drove west on Rt 50 to the restaurant which is located near the US81 junction. It's a nice drive which takes you through horse country, mountains, over the Shenendoah river, and through many little villages.
The restaurant itself used to be Hoss's Ponderosa but that closed down several years ago. Bob and Dave's has a real family style to it. All the servers say Hi when you walk in. We were sat immediately since it was just before lunch time. Our waitress was fun and funny. She kept calling us Honey and Sweetheart. The menu was predominantly beef and pork, but they also had a fried catfish sandwich which surprised me. The sides were standard sides, but done really well. I had a brisket sandwich, and Tim had the brisket platter. The barbeque sauce was on the side which I appreciated. It allowed me to put as much or as little sacue on the meat as I wanted. I wimped out and ordered the crinkle cut fries as my side. They were the standard OreIda fries, but the best part was they weren't seasoned! I get so tired of places seasoning my fries for me. Tim got a corn cole slaw which had a mustard and vinegar sauce on it instead of the standard slaw dressing. He enjoyed it a lot. It was all standard fare, but the combination of good food that was served quickly and hot, with great servers raised the level to above average.
Take care and enjoy eating!
Okay, I make the best barbeque around. I smoke the meat for a couple of hours, then slow roast it to falling apart doneness. Then I shred it and put it back into its juices, add the sauce (either home-made or jar), simmer, and serve.
Recently, Tim and I found a barbeque spot near Winchester, VA that was really good and very home-style. It's called Bob and Dave's Barbeque Pit. It's on Rt50 just East of Winchester. From where we are, we drove west on Rt 50 to the restaurant which is located near the US81 junction. It's a nice drive which takes you through horse country, mountains, over the Shenendoah river, and through many little villages.
The restaurant itself used to be Hoss's Ponderosa but that closed down several years ago. Bob and Dave's has a real family style to it. All the servers say Hi when you walk in. We were sat immediately since it was just before lunch time. Our waitress was fun and funny. She kept calling us Honey and Sweetheart. The menu was predominantly beef and pork, but they also had a fried catfish sandwich which surprised me. The sides were standard sides, but done really well. I had a brisket sandwich, and Tim had the brisket platter. The barbeque sauce was on the side which I appreciated. It allowed me to put as much or as little sacue on the meat as I wanted. I wimped out and ordered the crinkle cut fries as my side. They were the standard OreIda fries, but the best part was they weren't seasoned! I get so tired of places seasoning my fries for me. Tim got a corn cole slaw which had a mustard and vinegar sauce on it instead of the standard slaw dressing. He enjoyed it a lot. It was all standard fare, but the combination of good food that was served quickly and hot, with great servers raised the level to above average.
Take care and enjoy eating!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
