Got my copy about two weeks a go at a local bookstore. This concept is interesting but I am still going through it. Looking forward to what the other issues cover as well as the soon to be released IPad app.
I made these this past weekend for a small get together we had with friends. This is probably the third time I have made this recipe and I think every time I put a different twist on it 
The recipe is based on one I saw in Saveur magazine awhile back. I fried these just once at 350 for about 6-8 minutes. For the sauce I added equal parts chile paste and ketchup(Americanized this),omitted the sesame oil and added a little bit more rice wine vinegar. Since last Thursday I have been battling a summer cold and sinus headaches. After eating a plate full of these, standing outside in the Louisiana heat to fry them and drinking a cold beer or two (okay several) I pretty much cured myself
I have made this dish a couple of times recently and it really hits the spot for a weekday meal when you do not have a lot of time or want to eat something light. You can add or subtract any of of the veggies called for in this dish if you like. Some good additions would be tomatoes, thinly sliced fennel bulb, yellow squash,corn,roasted red peppers,etc……you get the picture.
All you need to to is boil a box of your favorite pasta, I prefer Fettuccine or Linguine. While pasta is cooking,thinly slice some red cabbage, zucchini and carrots. Place veggies in separate bowls and season with salt and pepper. Once pasta is done drain but set aside about 1/2 cup of the pasta water. In a large skillet bring the pasta water to a boil and add some chopped garlic, dried or fresh basil, dried or fresh thyme and a few red chile flakes. Add the pasta and the veggies and toss to combine and warm through. Taste for seasonings and add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice if desired. Top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and you are ready to eat.
You will notice there are no measurements (besides water) in this recipe. Everything is to your preference and individual taste. How easy is that.
Some tips though :
- For added flavor boil the pasta in a mixture of water and chicken or vegetable stock.
- Do not be tempted to steam the veggies especially the cabbage, it loses some of the crunch you want and intensifies the “cabbage smell”
- Place zucchini and yellow squash (if using) on paper towels after salting to absorb some of the moisture that will leak out.
For your Friday viewing pleasure. This is a recipe I created for the Louisiana Seafood Promotion & Marketing Board’s Seafood Fitness promotion. If you don’t want to do a wrap you could also make into a salad and use those pre-baked tortilla shells for taco salads.
Go here for the Recipe. Enjoy
These are grilled on one side then used to make a sandwich with mozzarella, basil mayo and Parmesan.
Here is my latest creation for the Louisiana Seafood Promotion & Marketing Board,its been awhile since the last one but there are lots more to come.
Head on over to their Facebook Page for the recipe or their main site.
Charred Corn – Piquillo Peppers – Pearl Couscous – Parsley – Garlic – Basil Mayo
For my birthday back in April or as HBO’s Game of Thrones puts it – my Name Day – my wife surprised me with the news that we would be enjoying a short trip down to New Orleans. Normally we try to get down to NOLA at least twice a year but unfortunately we have not been able to schedule a trip since way back in January of 2010 when I tried out for Fox’s 1st season of MasterChef. We lucked out and got a pretty reasonable rate on a hotel right on St Charles ave,surprisingly since this was the same weekend as Jazz Fest. We drove down to Baton Rouge on Friday and stayed with her sister, Saturday morning we woke up bright and early and headed into New Orleans. Although early early early check in was not available we were able to leave our car in the Hotel’s parking lot. The weather was warm but not as hot and humid as Louisiana can get We decided we would walk a bit up St Charles towards downtown and when we got tired we would just hop on the streetcars that run up and down St Charles. Well we never got tired (till much later anyway) and walked from Uptown to downtown,all around the Quarter and back to Lee Circle where we caught a streetcar back to our hotel. In between all that walking though we did a lot. Our first stop of the day was at Cochon Butcher for a quick bite to eat and cold beer. They were pretty busy when we got there so we snagged a small table outside. Ann wasn’t too hungry yet so I ate alone, not arguing though. I had the Sweet & Spicy Brisket Sliders with a nice cold Pale Ale to wash them down with. Although there were just two sliders I had trouble finishing the second one due to how much meat was piled on them, these were really tasty.
After Butcher we set off towards Canal St. and the French Quarter. We walked all around the Quarter with Daiquiri and Beer ( Crescent City Brewery) in hand. Even though we were all over the Quarter I don’t think we ever stepped foot on Bourbon st (this is a good thing). There is just SO MUCH MORE to the French Quarter than that one street. I am not going to go into every little detail of what we did but you should get a pretty good idea from the photos.
