Monthly Archives: February 2014

Soup-erpower!

Soup!

Here is a delicious bowl of soup Shamiq made.

Kale (de-ribbed), potatoes (quartered), pre-seasoned Adobo Chicken from Safeway & lots of spices from the cabinet.

Served with bread for extra noms (and carbs).

Bolognese Sauce

bolognese bowl

Apparently bolognese is also a kind of dog.

1.8lbs 20% fat beef (delicious fat…)
1 small onion
2 sticks of celery
3 cloves of garlic
a heavy shaking of black pepper
several pinches of fennel seed
a few pinches of herbs de provance
1 bay leaf
a heavy shake of chili powder
water
1tbsp chicken broth powder things (original recipe used red wine, but I had none, so instead I used broth)
2 small cans tomato paste
some quantity of salt
pasta (duh), parmesan cheese (optional)

1. Puree the onion, celery and garlic. Brown in olive oil. Until brown. (Probably 10 minutes)
2. Add beefs! Brown again. (15-20 minutes)
3. Add tomato paste, then broth/wine
4. Add herbs and salt
5. Simmer for 4 hours. As it reduces, add small amounts of water

Total cost: ~$13
Feeds: 8 meals

Bolognese bottles

Cauliflower Mac & Cheese

Cauliflower Mac

I’m behind on posts… But above is the cauliflower mac and cheese I made a couple weekends ago.

Recipe is originally from Serious Eats, with some modifications:

1 head cauliflower, roughly cut
2 cups chicken
12 ounces macaroni
1 cup cup grated cheese, such as cheddar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese + 1/2 cup cheese of the type above
1/2 cup panko

1. Preheat the oven to 400F
2. Boil the cauliflower until soft, 15-20 minutes (don’t overboil or it starts to smell funny…) then move it to a food processor
3. Cook the macaroni for 5 minutes (partially cook)
4. Puree the cauliflower with cheese, oil, mustard and nutmeg. Add stoc to make a thick sauce. (Mine was a bit too thick…)
4. Transfer pasta to a 9in square baking dish, pour califlower sauce over
5. Top with breadcrumbs, parmesan and any extra cheese
6. Bake until brown and bubbly, approx 30 minutes

Citrus Mochi Pancakes

Pancakes?! Yep. Not waffles. Also, I have a backlog of other things… But before I forget.

Mix in bowl:
1/2c normal flour
3/4c glutinous rice flour
2.5tsp baking powder
2 tbsp brown sugar
sprinkle of salt
zest of half a lemon
~2/3rds of 1/4c of cooking oil
2/3c soy milk
splash of vanilla
dash of nutmeg

Cook over medium heat in a buttered pan. Eat with delicious marmalade. Forget to take pictures.

Belly Burgers

Belly Burgers

Now that I’ve left the land of composed salads and everything-buffet, I’ve eaten something I’ve never tried before — a pork belly burger! It was quite tasty, though I felt like I was eating a less seasoned sausage. I also split a chicken burger, which was surprisingly juicy and flavorful — I wonder if it’s a mix of dark and white meat? Maybe with some skin or chicken fat thrown in?

Food at Sift is a combo of ordering in and catering. It’s proven to be quite tasty, and I think I’m eating less than I was at Google. Less choices means fewer piles of food! Not sure about healthier though.

Moving!

I’m moving this weekend! Woo!

And to track the things I’ll need to buy — an Amazon list!

Plus a trashcan for which I need dimensions.

Sous Vide 7 Bone Roast

Last weekend, 3lbs of “7 bone roast” was purchased. Apparently it’s named as such since the bone resembles the number 7, not because it contains 7 bones. Mine did not, and I was confused.

What was done:
– Chop up into smaller pieces, put in 3 zip locks
– Sear
– Sous vide for 24 hours at 140F
– Resear

Eaten as:
– Thin sliced, seared & salted
– Seared in chunks, eaten like steak

Thoughts:
– This is awesome. I love the gristly bits of rib eyes, which this has lots of, but is much cheaper.
– Next time: throw a little salt in the bags, or perhaps before the first sear
– Perhaps sous vide at a lower temp? Maybe try 135F

Will try again.