Month: April 2008

Finally, Arroz con Pollo

I have been thinking about Arroz con Pollo all week, but the madness of the end of the semester has kept me out of the kitchen. I have been subsisting on bad take out sandwiches, jarred spaghetti sauce, and Boboli. Well, tonight I decided that I’ve been out of the kitchen too long. I took a break from my frantic preparations for my presentation tomorrow to finally put together the dinner I’ve been dreaming of since I watched Jorge Ayala beat Bobby Flay’s ass on Throwdown with his delectable-looking Arroz con Pollo.

I’m not sure my version is anywhere near Ayala’s, but I’m pretty satisfied. The texture ended up more creamy and risotto-like than I expected, but is that ever a bad thing? I realized when I was cleaning up and putting away leftovers that I forgot to add the crushed tomatoes, but I don’t think the flavor was lacking anything for that. And I’ve discovered that adobo seasoning may be one of my new kitchen favorites. The only thing that pushed this a little toward the not-so-favorite dinners is that I’m not a huge fan of chicken thighs. I don’t know why I don’t just realize that once and for all and stop cooking them. I think using bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts rather than thighs would have made this just that much more awesome.

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No food, but some other stuff

Yikes, I have, once again, broken my once-a-week posting rule in the flurry and bustle of finals. I’ve been eating pasta and Boboli with leftovers and nothing impressive enough for the blog. (Well, there was that pork tenderloin Mr. X made last weekend, but I was too tired to take pictures and write about it.

Sadly, I’m not even sure when I’m going to be able to get back to you all with actual foodstuffs. The next two weeks are going to be mad busy: finishing the MySQL/PHP database project, doing a bunch of LC and Dewey classification, finishing up a presentation on our new OPAC for user instruction, and, you know, trying to figure out what the crap I’m going to do this summer. Actually, there are some good developments potentially maybe in the works, but all that stuff belongs on the other blog, and you guys don’t care about the library stuff. You care about the food, so I’ll get right to it.

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Shrimp and Red Pepper Carbonara; or, What’s the big deal about carbonara, anyway?

Shrimp and Red Pepper Carbonara

I tried to make fettuccini carbonara last year for Mr. X, and the result: scrambled egg pasta. I tried to make a very similar Chinese noodle dish a few weeks ago, and the result? Scrambled egg pasta. I have been having a hard time getting this egg sauce thing down, but this week, I believe I finally perfected it. I decided to jump in there and give it another go, and hey! No scrambled egg pasta! However, I did find myself wondering, What is the big deal about carbonara, anyway? I mean, it was good, sure, but was expecting transcendent, and it was not that.

That’s not to say it wasn’t good, and if you like carbonara generally, I’m willing to bit that you would really like this version, with shrimp and blackened red peppers and, of course, bacon.

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Spring Risotto with Gremolata

Spring Risotto

Boston is finally showing signs that spring might appear sometime soon. The trees are budding, the crocuses are blooming, and last Thursday the temperatures hit 72 degrees and I got to leave the house without a coat. The first warm days of the year fill me with a kind of joy I can barely express. I feel instantly lighter. Boston winters are HARD, especially for a wimpy California girl like myself, and I sometimes forget that they’re ever going to end. That first day of sunshine and light breezes gives me hope, and although I know it’s not quite over yet, that winter doesn’t truly end in Boston until mid-May, a 65 degree day here and there is like getting a little gift.

I celebrated the first warm day of the year last Thursday by making an excellent fresh vegetable and herb risotto. I adapted the recipe from something I saw in a recent Bon Appetit: a spring pasta full of vegetables and topped with a blend of parsley and lemon. I thought instantly it would make a great risotto. So I opened up the windows, put some music on, poured myself a glass of wine, and set about making the first risotto I’ve made in months.

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Southwestern Tofu Scramble

Tofu Scramble

I’m not always a big fan of tofu. The texture can be kind of funny, and if you aren’t liberal with the seasonings, you pretty much have a plate of bland. But I came across this recipe a few weeks ago and felt  drawn to it, probably because I am drawn to anything that has the word Southwestern in its title. And I liked it so much that I actually made it twice in two weeks, which is something that just does not happen in this kitchen, as Miss Crystal can well attest.

I will admit, however, that the first time I made it I changed it up a bit, and the second time, I followed the recipe pretty exactly. And frankly, it was a little bit disappointing the second time, even with the addition of homemade quacamole. I don’t know what I was thinking, fiddling with something that was so perfect the first time around, but you can bet I’ve learned my lesson, and I’m here to provide you with the altered and (to my mind) perfected version. Aren’t I just so kind and generous? (Ha!)

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I’m talking about some savory bread pudding

I promised it, and here it is: Spinach and Mushroom Bread Pudding. And it was just as awesome as I thought it would be. Of course, someone at work pointed out to me that it’s pretty much strata, so all my excitement about the crazy innovation of making a savory bread pudding was kind of depleted. But my excitement about eating it was not. Strata, bread pudding, who cares? It is delicious.

I want to experiment with other additions: different vegetables, different bread, different herbs and spices. Maybe some meat (I’m telling you, everything is better with sausage). The basic recipe can be a great blank slate for all kinds of wildness. I am thrilled with the possibilities, and for once, I’m actually kind of happy that we still have some cold weather ahead, because this puppy requires the oven to be on for over an hour, and that’s just not a good thing in August.

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Jambalaya Pasta; or, Everything is Awesome with Sausage

Jambalaya Pasta

When I first started getting into the cooking, I felt a bit of a fondness for Rachel Ray. Her recipes were always easy and creative, and I had a crush on her yellow and green 30-Minute Meals kitchen. But after awhile her overwhelming enthusiasm for pretty much everything started to grate on me. And as I started learning more about food and cooking techniques, I noticed that she occasionally does things to food that aren’t in its best interests. And THEN all of her pre-cut and packaged food started to REALLY grate on me and I haven’t been able to watch since.

But Sunday night, as I perused various cooking websites trying to plan my meals for the week before hitting the market, I came across a recipe that sounded intriguing: a cross between jambalaya and pasta. Yes, it was a Rachel Ray recipe, and I’m sorry but I can’t bring myself to call it what she calls it: Jambasta. No, I will not call anything in my kitchen Jambasta. I will, however, make this in my kitchen again, because it is pretty darn good.

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