Cooking Up Cold Weather Foods

January 30, 2010 By Leave a Comment

When a day like this comes, it’s a great idea to cook up those traditional cold weather foods. As I write this from Southwest Virginia, we are getting 8 to 12 inches of snow. The high temperature is expected to get a whopping 21 degrees. It is cold. And very beautiful!



January 30, 2010 Snow Scene

January 30, 2010 Snow Scene – From My Back Porch



A snowy day is a great day to make a chili, stew, or bisque. Something hot and hearty. When you look outside and you see the scene above, one of the last things you want to hear is: “Hey honey, how would you like a nice cold salad?” Brrrr!

No thanks! For me, it has to be hot and hearty.

In my food shopping, I picked up a couple pork chops, a sashimi tuna steak, and some tilapia fillets. The pork chops I’ll be brining this evening to braise tomorrow. The tuna steak is for lunch today, where I’ll be making a yogurt dill sauce to pour over the top. And the tilapia will end up in a fish stew.

For beverages, days like these scream to me “hot tea!” I like the products from The Republic of Tea. What I’m drinking now as I write this is their Daily Green Tea Ginger Peach. It has a great green tea mellow flavor with ginger and peach. It’s very good. Another one of my favorites is their Pomegranate Green Tea. Very tasty!

And if you want to liven it up a bit, add a little blackberry brandy to it! Or Amaretto. Or any other of your favorite cold weather adult beverages! But I’ll let Corky write about his adventures in those areas.

How about you? What do you like to eat or drink when the weather is frigid outside? Do you have a favorite chili, stew, or bisque you like to make? Tell me about it in the comment section below.

I wish you great adventures having fun cooking!
Mark

PS. If you like tea, here’s some things I recommend:

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The State of the Union and Cooking

January 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Dear home cook,

Tonight President Obama will present the State of the Union. You might be asking what that has to do with cooking. I say… everything!

What is the state of the union speech? It is a reflection on the past year’s good stuff and not so good stuff. It is also a presentation of the plan for next year and what direction he wants to take us.

I am a big fan of personal development and goal setting. When it comes to cooking, a state of the “kitchen” perhaps, would be a reflection of what was good and not so good in the kitchen. It would also be a plan for the direction of kitchen activities for next year.

What would be considered in a state of the kitchen address? Well, if you’ve spent any time at all on this site, you know I am a fan of having fun in the kitchen, and being adventurous. So, how much fun did you have in the kitchen this past year? How were you adventurous? What new foods did you try? What new techniques or skills did you learn? And when it comes to planning, what would you like to do in this coming year? How many new foods would you like to try? How many new tips or techniques wold you like to learn?

For myself, I had a lot of fun in the kitchen this past year. I experimented with a lot of new techniques, and tried several new foods. For example, the first two foods I became much more aware of, and used a lot more, are kalamata olives and quinoa. A friend gave me a kalamata olive spread as a Christmas gift. I was very timid about trying it. An olive spread? Boy was I in for a wonderful surprise! Spread some on a French baguette, enjoy it with a glass of white wine, and I was in a very delightful mood! It was extremely tasty with a strong and slightly salty flavor. On good bread, it was a real treat. I started buying whole, pitted kalamata olives and eat them with some goat cheese. Now that is a real treat. The goat cheese mellows out the intense flavor of the olives.

When it comes to the quinoa, that is one I will enjoy for the rest of my life. I heard about quinoa being rich in protein, so I wanted to try it. I found it in my favorite store, and bought some. I was very pleased with the slightly earthy taste, and small size. Since I am more aware of it, I’m seeing it in a number of restaurants as side dishes mixed with black beans, corn, onions, squash, and other nutritional foods. If you see it somewhere, check it out.

For the coming year, I plan to introduce at least 5 new foods into my routine. I don’t know what those 5 are yet, but I’m excited to see what they are. I’m also looking to have some great adventures in the kitchen by doing more steaming, roasting, braising, and definitely more brining. I started brining this past year and have quickly become a raving fan of brining.

So what can add some adventure and fun into your kitchen? How many new foods would you like to try and add to your routine? What cooking tips or techniques would you like to do more of, or try for the first time?

Add a comment to this post with your “State of the Kitchen” plans for next year. I’d like to hear from you.

I’ll add more posts about this topic and how I’m coming along during the year. Until then…

I wish you great adventures having fun cooking!
Mark

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Tasty Rice Select Couscous with Chicken Stock

January 26, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Dear home cook,

I have to tell you, I am very impressed with Rice Select Couscous, made with the chicken/vegetable stock I made earlier in the week. This combination bursts with flavor. I poured a bunch over a braised pork chop that I brined overnight, and the combination was awesome.

Couscous is a very small grain. It has a very mild flavor. According to the nutritional info, each serving contains 150 calories, 0 fat, 0 sodium, 31g carbs, and 5g protein. It is not the superfood that quinoa is, but as a change of pace to regular white rice or potatoes, it can be awesome.

Rice Select Couscous

Rice Select Couscous

Unlike many grains or rices that have a 2:1 ratio of liquid to grain, this couscous has a 1:1 ratio. I added a little bit more liquid, and it took it all. I made a pretty large batch to use for several meals. I heated nearly 3 cups of my home made chicken and vegetable stock, 1 tablespoon of butter, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Note that the nutritional info says no salt. Without some salt, it would be pretty bland. To this liquid, I added 2 cups of couscous. The end result is nearly 4 cups of fluffy tri-color couscous goodness.

The stock gave the couscous a rich flavor of chicken and vegetables. When used as a side to my braised pork chop, the flavors mixed exceptionally well. I braised the brined pork chop with onions and yellow peppers. The brining, in a salt and lemon solution, made the pork chops super tender, and full of flavor. I’ll write about the pork chops next.

So for now, if you are a little tired of the same old rice or potatoes, I encourage you to try other grains like couscous. The change in consistency and size will add life to your meals.

I wish you great adventures having fun cooking!
Mark

 

Filed Under: A Cooking Journey, Easy Cooking, Healthy Cooking, Quick Cooking Tagged With: , , , , ,


Home Made Chicken Vegetable Stock

January 24, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Dear home cook,

It’s late at night and I should be going to bed, but I’m just too excited. I have to tell you about the home made chicken vegetable stock I just made. It is so good, I can eat bowls of this stuff just by itself!

Earlier in the week I made the brined chicken. The plan was to make this stock with the bones and any remaining meat. That’s what I did. I picked up a bunch of celery, a large onion, and a bunch of carrots.

While I was preparing the veggies for the miropoix, I put the chicken bones on a broiler pan and cooked them in the oven at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. I made a miropoix with the veggies and cooked it with some of the chicken juices left over earlier. It smelled wonderful! I added about 2 tablespoons of salt, 1 1/2 tablespoons of minced garlic, and a tablespoon of pepper.

Once the veggies were sweated and started to turn translucent, I added the chicken bones, and filled the stockpot with water. I brought it to a small rolling boil, and kept it covered. After about 3 1/2 hours of stirring it up now and then, I strained the contents of the stockpot into another pot, squeezing out all essential goodness from the veggies and chicken bones.

It tastes fantastic! It is far better than any store bought stock. I can eat bowls of this stuff just by itself it’s so good.

The plan is to use this stock as the liquid for rices, quinoa, couscous, and some steaming. It will be an excellent adventure in cooking!

More to come later as I use this stock in other cooking.

I wish you great adventures having fun cooking!
Mark

Filed Under: A Cooking Journey, Healthy Cooking


Wine Review: Cavit Pinot Noir (2006)

January 24, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Dear home cook,

Hello, hello! Corky here with my first post for the Home Cooking Guide! I am happy to be here and I hope to provide you with plenty of great stories, reviews, and beverage updates.

Today I am coming to you from Clarkeville. It’s very quiet here. It gives me a chance to catch up on some reading and try some of these new beverages Mark snuck in for me!

I have a review of the Cavit collection Pinot Noir, 2006. Now, please understand that it has been my finding that inexpensive (under $15) Pinot Noir’s are not the greatest. Higher end Pinot’s are a real treat with their delicately smooth flavor, aroma, and satisfaction.

Here is the scoop from the Cavit website:

Cavit Pinot NoirVineyard
Grapes for the Pinot Noir are harvested in hilly areas throughout the province of Trento, Grave del Piave in the Veneto region and Grave del Friuli.

Grapes
100% Pinot Noir

Winemaking
The grapes are picked at peak maturity in the second and third weeks of September. Fermentation takes place over 6-8 days under controlled temperatures of 30°C in small stainless steel vats. The wine then is placed in larger oak barrels where it rests on its lees (skins) until release.

Wine Profile
This silky smooth red is medium-bodied with well-defined fruit redolent of red berries, cherries and soft, supple tannins.

Pairings
Enjoy with grilled or roasted red meats, chicken, fresh seafood and flavorful vegetarian entrees.

Sizes
Available in 750ml, 1.5L and 187ml sizes.

It’s fair to say that I have liked other Cavit wines. They tend to be great values for the money.

At our nearest Fresh Market in Roanoke, Va, Mark picked up a couple bottles of these Cavit Pinot Noirs for me to try. Suprisingly, they were in a discontinued lot, and on sale for a very reasonable $6.99.

I have to say I like this wine. It is quite smooth, though a little light, somewhat resembling a Merlot. (In my mind I’m replaying scenes from the movie “Sideways!”)

It’s hard to beat at the price Mark got it for. It would be a value for much more than that. It has enough body to let you know you are drinking a real wine, and yet light enough to not be so bold it hits you. It is smooth and tasty.

Give it a try. I think you will enjoy it.

I wish you great adventures in food!
Corky

 

Filed Under: Foods and Beverages, Wine Tagged With: , , ,
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