I Couldn't Help Myself ... And Neither Could Joey

There are days when you just crave something and you can't get it out of you head until you get it in your stomach. For a week, I craved something sweet and I just continued to postpone the inevitable until I finally broke down the other night and rushed to the store for a container of Haagen Dazs Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream. Nothing tasted so good that night. I didn't eat the whole thing but it was like being on auto pilot. Spoon in container, spoon in mouth. A third into it I realized I needed to stop this and I threw it in the freezer. I've got to admit I felt a bit guilty.

Then this evening, I had another craving for French fries this time. When you live alone, you've got lots of time to crave. I had taken a nice thick little filet mignon steak out of the freezer earlier in the day and was thinking about having steak and salad; however, I saw the bag of Russet potatoes and the craving hit me.

The little steaks come in these sealed plastic pouches and you have to cut one end and then slide the meat out. I don't know how it happened because it happened so fast, but the next 5 minutes was spent chasing my damn dog, Joey with my meat in his mouth. Somehow, when I was taking the steak out of the pouch, it slipped through my fingers and my Min Pin was right there waiting. That dog must have been waiting months for a jackpot like this. I finally cornered him and grabbed it out of his mouth. He had only bitten into it, so that was good. I rinsed it well. One of these days, I'll have to tell you my salmon story, but that's for one of those days.

Anyway, I want to share with you my recipe for Steak Frites today. I came up with a new recipe for the frites and I don't care what anybody says, I'm going to make them again like this. They were good. I used my ginger paste as a seasoning. Let me tell you what I did. Here are the ingredients you'll need:

1- 6 ounce filet of beef steak
1 small Russet potato, skin on
1 small red bell pepper
1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
Salt (for the steak)
2 tablespoons of ginger paste (basically comes in a jar like crushed garlic does)
2 tablespoons of water
3 tablespoons of flour
2 tablespoons of olive oil
Enough vegetable oil to cover a 10 inch frying pan 1/2 inch deep with oil

First of all, slice your pepper and potato into 1/4 inch thick shoe string slices. Set aside. In a  bowl, add the ginger and water and mix well. If you need to you can add another tablespoon of water to the mixture. Now add the pepper and potato shoe strings into the bowl along with the black pepper. Mix well so as to completely coat the pepper and potato. Now heat your vegetable oil on high heat so that oil reaches 350 degrees. You can usually tell when the oil is ready by dropping a little flour into the oil and it foams and bubbles. Put your pepper and potato shoe strings into the bag, add the flour, and shake well so that all pieces are covered. You should have a starchy, pasty coating. Carefully add the shoe strings to the hot oil, spreading them evenly across the pan. If the oil gets too hot, turn your burner down a tad.

While the potatoes are frying, heat the olive oil in a small frying pan on high heat. Fry your steak for about 3 minutes on each side for rare. The steak I had was 1 1/4 inch thick, so keep that in mind. Once you turn it over to the other side, salt and pepper it. In the meantime, keep an eye on the potatoes and with a spatula, turn them over. Continue to fry until they get golden brown, which should not take  long. When ready, remove them from the oil and let drain on paper towels. You may sprinkle salt while they are still very hot, but taste one first to see if you really need to.

Steak should be done about the same time. Remove from pan and set on your plate and add your shoe string frites on the side. I can tell you, these were the best fries I made. They were crispy as were the red pepper strips and the two together had a great combination of flavors. There was a nice subtle flavor of the ginger that was not at all overpowering. Just look at the photo. Does that look like Burger King to you?? NO ! Enjoy this meal.

It's Time To Start Shopping For A Paella Pan !

OK, it's time to talk about Paella Pans. I want to talk about them because I am soon going to teach you how to make Paella and the first thing needed is the pan. I also want to talk about it because I don't want you to make the same mistake I've made in the past by buying the wrong one. I have purchased 3 in my lifetime and the first two presented problems for me. You see, I cook on electric smooth top and so it's important that nothing happens to the shape of the pan when cooking. Unfortunately, the first two began to warp and that was the end of that. Ideally, one would love to have a gas range so this problem would not be a problem. But I don't have that available to me.

Another thing that I want to talk about is depending on which paella pan you get, how to take care of it. The traditional and authentic Spanish paella pans are made of steel and therefore need to be "cured" before using. This is done by washing it well and  wiping it down with a cloth, finally rubbing a coat of cooking oil (olive oil) on the cooking surface. After every use, you will want to make sure you hand wash it and that it's completely dry in order to avoid rust creation. Before storing it each time, be sure to rub a thin coat of oil over the cooking surface and sides. If you see any rust, just wipe it off with a paper towel. This maintenance work is a small price to pay for the incredible rice and seafood dishes it will produce for you.

The traditional steel paella pan will absorb the flavors over time and give you years of use. There is also the stainless steel pan which also gives years of use but with minimal care. There is also the "Pata Negra", which is a double gage steel which will give you good even heating. Other paella pans can be found made of copper and cast iron with a porcelain coating which will make for easy cleaning. I highly recommend avoiding any pans made of aluminum (those dark charcoal anodized pans). That was the first one I purchased and after two uses, began to warp to a point where eventually only a 3 inch diameter circle in the center was hitting the heating element, bad news! I eventually purchased a stainless steel pan with a double sandwich copper bottom which I use to this day.

Size matters. It's important that your paella pan is going to be large enough to serve the number of guests you usually have over for dinner, which for most of us is 6 people. Be careful that you don't get one so large that it doesn't fit over your cooking element or your oven. I recommend a 13 to 15 inch pan. Anything larger than that will probably not fit evenly over your burner and certainly not fit in the average non commercial home oven. Remember, these pans have handles on each side that add an additional 4 to 6 inches to the diameter. So a 16 inch pan will actually end up being 22 inches. I didn't listen to me...... and bought an 18 inch pan, not counting the handles. I have to remove my stove top control knobs for it to fit over the largest element. It doesn't come close to fitting in the oven and I don't have a cupboard cabinet with a large enough opening to store it. What was I thinking??!!

There is a wonderful website that you should go to when shopping for a paella pan. It's called http://www.latienda.com/. It has a variety of pans at reasonable prices. I have purchased supplies from them time and time again and have never been disappointed. They also have the authentic rice that is ideal for making paella, which we will discuss later. So go out and get yourself a nice paella pan. Every kitchen should have one. Not only are you going to use it for making paella (which is coming soon) but other Spanish and Latin dishes.

Q & A MONDAY

Good morning everyone. Here we are again, it's Monday and we're all starting a new week, fighting the traffic and the rain all the way to the office. I hope you have all had a relaxing weekend and have taken the time to be with family. Our blog had its most active weekend to date and I want to thank all of you for having made that possible. We broke the daily on Friday, broke that record on Saturday, and nearly matched that record on Sunday. You must have been busy preparing some of the recipes I posted because your questions were on the lite side this week. I urge you to submit any question, concern, and suggestions to nicknpdx@gmail.com. I will answer all of them by Sunday evening and post them every Monday.

We had a lot of activity regarding several recipes that I posted this week. Among them, split pea soup, lentil stew, and the sesame noodle salad. I am delighted that you found these to your liking. All are wonderful dishes, very easy to make, and are sure to please your guests and family members. I will be posting more of these types of recipes as the cold weather gradually settles in for the season. Until then, here are your questions and my answers.

Nick, can you tell me what you like most about the art of cooking and what you dislike the most? (Bette, Santa Cruz, CA.)

Bette, what I like the most about cooking is the creation of the recipes. It's a constant learning experience. Some are good and some are bad; however, I never give up if something didn't turn out as expected. I love the challenge of figuring out what went wrong and make the corrections. Then I can pass them on to you. The thing I hate most about cooking? Two simple words come to mind, CLEANING UP! I hate that part, but if I don't do it, nobody else will. So I grin and do it. Sometimes it's put off to the next day.

Nonchefnick, can you suggest what cuts of meat are best for making pot roast? I want pot roast that will retain its flavor and moisture. (Tracy in AZ.)

Tracy, I have found that what you want to remember when selecting a cut of meat for pot roast is to stay away from the high end cuts and lean cuts. What makes a pot roast meat juicy, flavorful, and tender, is a good fat content. That is why I use beef chuck roast. It's got the right amount of fat tissue. When buying it, make sure it's a good 3 or 4 inches thick. Another thing to remember is this is not fast food. Pot roast is slow cooked at lower oven temperatures. It's a form of braising, which is slow cooking meat in some liquid with the lid on. I will soon be posting a very good recipe for pot roast. It's the way I've been making it for years.

Nick, for those of us that are calorie watchers, will you please suggest some recipes and dishes that are low calorie? (Jody in OR.)

Yes, I will certainly come up with some good recipes with limited calories. I am also planning to list the calorie count per serving on certain recipes that I think would interest those who are keeping track of calorie intake. I will try to do this as time permits.

I am a beef eater and love a good steak. I am a novice when it comes to cooking. I love a nice steak that is medium rare, but nice and charred on the outside. When do I know how long to fry it to achieve this? I seem to always get it charred but then it's too done for me. Please help! (David P., Raymond, WA)

David, the secret in achieving what you are looking for in your steak is a very hot frying pan to begin with. I too, like that charred outside and rare to medium rare inside. You want to heat your pan on high heat for a couple of minutes before adding anything to it. If you add your oil before heating your pan, you'll get a lot of smoking and burning, so add your oil when the is hot enough that a drop of water will sizzle and bounce around. Then add your oil and make sure the pan is coated nicely. Drop your steak and cook on high for about 3 minutes on each side for a medium rare doneness (steak should be one inch thick). When you turn it over, salt and pepper it. If you need to, add a little more oil. I think it'll turn out nice if you do it this way.

Asian Sesame Noodle Salad.... An inspiration from a friend

I love creating recipes and trying them out on my dinner guests. I do a lot of reading so that I can continue to sharpen my knowledge of the culinary arts and by doing so, I am able to be inspired to come up with new ideas. For the most part, my guests have never been disappointed. My inspiration doesn’t stop at the book cover’s closing, however. People around me have been very inspirational in opening my mind to new ideas, flavors, ingredients, and preparations.

The recipe that we are about to prepare today is an inspiration from a long time friend of mine. She introduced me to Asian style salads more than 20 years ago. Although I have made changes, added this and subtracted that, I would certainly be remiss if I didn’t share the creation of this recipe with her. To this day, this is still one of my all time favorite salads. Thanks Ms. H.T.

I call this recipe pure and simple, Asian Sesame Noodle Salad. There are many versions of noodle salads out there; however, I think you’ll find this one to be absolutely delightful. If you like a bit of hot and a lot of Asian, you will certainly agree. Furthermore, I have found that you can heat this up and serve it as a side dish, making this salad very versatile. Finally, I can safely say in continuing with our theme of simplicity, this recipe is very easy to put together. Here’s what we need:

1 package of Chow Mien Noodles (12 oz.)
2 shallots, finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup of green onions, finely chopped
1/2 cup of fresh baby spinach leaves, rolled and julienned
1/4 cup of fresh parsly, finely chopped
1/4 cup of pimientos
1/4 cup of sesame oil
1/8 cup of rice vinegar
1/4 cup of low sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons of dry pepper flakes (for heat)
1/2 teaspoon of garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
1/3 cup of toasted sesame seeds
1 tablespoon of ginger paste
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil

Get all your ingredients together and get all your chopping out of the way. In a large pot, boil water with a tablespoon of vegetable oil and add your noodles. Chow Mien noodles, even though they are dry, tend to cook much faster that regular noodles. With that said, you want to boil them for only about 4 to 5 minutes because you want them to be al dente, not overcooked and mushy. While noodles are cooking, get a bowl of ice water ready. At the 4 minute mark, check the noodles for doneness. If ready, immediately strain them and then transfer them to the ice water. You may need to add more ice to keep the water cold. Set the bowl aside to allow for complete cooling.

Set a small frying pan on a burner set to high. Once heated, add 1 tablespoon of the sesame oil to the pan and quick saute your shallots and garlic for only 30 seconds. Remove and pour into a large mixing bowl. In the mixing bowl, add all the remaining ingredients, EXCEPT THE SESAME SEEDS, and whisk briskly so that ingredients are well blended. Once noodles are cooled, drain liquid through a strainer and rinse noodles with cold running water. Add noodles to mixing bowl with ingredients and toss well so everything is completely blended. Finally, add the sesame seeds and toss gently. Pour salad into a nice serving platter and sprinkle of few more sesame seeds and serve. There you have it. It's that simple. And it tastes so good, your guests won't believe how quick it was to make.

Serve with a nice Saki, chilled prawns with a dipping sauce of of ginger vinegrette and finish with a green tea sorbet. For the dipping sauce, use 1 part sesame oil, 1 part rice vinegar, 1/2 part water, 1 teaspoon of ginger paste, 1 teaspoon of honey, and whisk until well blended. Enjoy.

Have A Bowl Of Lentils - It's The Perfect Season

Legumes, as dry beans are called, are a wonderful staple during this time of year. They are an incredible source of protein.  lentils, with 26% of their calories coming from protein, make them the 3rd highest level of protein by weight of any plant based food source. Lentils originated most likely from the Near East. It is a major food item in vegetarian cultures such as the Indian Sub Continent. With vegetarian in mind, I have come up with a perfect recipe for lentils that I believe is lip smacking for all you meat eaters as well. This recipe is very easy to prepare and execute. Here are the ingredients you'll need:

2 cups of French lentils (they're more round and stay firmer than flat traditional ones)
1/2 cup of long grain wild rice
4 cans of vegetable stock
1 med red onion, chopped
1 med yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced (that means chopping them into tiny tiny pieces)
2 med carrots sliced lengthwise and then chopped
6 med white or dark mushrooms, cut in halves and then sliced
2 med ripe tomato, chopped, seeds and all
1/2 cup parsley, finely chopped
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp Dijon style mustard
1 tbsp tomato paste (I buy a tube and store it in the fridge and use it when I need a little)
1/4 cup of olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

As always, get all the vegetables prepped and other ingredients together. In a pot, add 1/2 of the olive oil and heat over medium. Add the onions, garlic, and carrots, and saute, stirring frequently. Continue to saute until onions are translucent and just beginning to brown at the edges, usually a few minutes. Now add your mushrooms and tomatoes and stir well. Add the lentils, stir, and saute for a minute. Next, add the rice and stir well for another minute. Now, add the vegetable stock, bring to a boil, then add the mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and tomato paste. Stir well so that all ingredients are well incorporated into the vegetable stock. Decrease heat to low, cover, and slow cook for 1 hour. Stir occasionally during the hour.

After an hour, add salt and pepper to taste and add the parsley. Cover and continue to cook for 15 more minutes. Your lentils and the rice should be ready now. Taste for doneness and if desired, you may slow cook for an additional 15 minutes, but I don't think it'll be necessary. Before serving, take the rest of the olive oil and stir it into the lentils. Remove from heat and let stand in the pot for about 5 minutes. Serve with a nice loaf of warm potato bread or some slices of old fashion hearth. Finish off in the French fashion with a nice chilled salad of Romaine leaves in a light vinegrette. Bon Appetit !

MY FIRST TOMATO !

WOW! I went out on my balcony today to check up on my two tomato vines and wouldn't you know it, I found my first ripe tomato of the year! Now this wouldn't be historic for me were it not for the fact that I bought these two vines back in June for $5 each and didn't start producing little tomatoes until September. Oh yes, they flowered all summer, but no tomatoes followed. I was convinced that I had purchased sterile plants. So, early September I decided to get the big ole scissors and teach those vines a lesson and cut them down to the stump, when what did I see but several tiny green tomatoes! I could only conclude that they must have heard me grabbing the scissors and like little constipated vines, popped out these little buds. I was delighted.

I watched them carefully each and every day, pampering them all the way. I watched them grow bigger and bigger. Finally, I noticed a green one had turned red! This was going to be a great day, for I was about to harvest my first tomato. All of 1 1/2 inch diameter, I carefully pulled it off the vine. Cupping it gently in the palm of my hand, I transported it on foot through the living room and then the dining room, finally reaching the kitchen.

There she was, unharmed, unbruised, having made the long trip without a scratch. I had a $10 tomato that must have weighed in at a whopping one ounce and I was going to let the world know! The paparacci came in as cameras were flashing like an electrical storm on a hot, sultry Spring afternoon in the Deep South. Surely this event had to be posted, I told myself. It's not everyday that one can hold a tomato at $160 a pound. This was surely the greatest purchase I had made, only eclipsed by my purchase of 100 shares of Enron some years back that to this day I still cringe when reading anything that starts with E.

The Best Split Pea Soup You'll Ever Taste

There are few things that comfort me more during the cold Autumn and Winter months than my split pea soup. I have been making it for years and it just doesn't get any better. What's wonderful is how simple it is to make such a delicious dish so healthy and warming. I'm so convinced that you'll agree that I've decided to share my recipe with you. OK, here's what we need:


4 cups of split peas (2 lbs)
3 cans of chicken stock
2 cups of water
1 cup of half n half
1 1/2 cups of dry white wine
1 large smoked ham hock (2 lbs)
4 thick strips of bacon, chopped

1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
6 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1 large shallot, finely minced
1 large carrot, chopped
2 celery sticks, chopped
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of pepper
1/2 teaspoon of garlic salt
1/4 cup of olive oil

Start by preparing your ingredients before you start cooking. With a sharp knife, cut deep slits into the ham hock. Doing this will bring out the flavors of the ham hock while cooking. Chop the bacon and saute in a frying pan on medium high until semi crisp. Remove, let the bacon sit on a paper towel. Take 1/2 cup of the white wine and deglaze the pan. Set aside. Chop your vegetables as instructed above.

In a large pot, heat the olive oil on medium heat. Saute the garlic, onion, and shallots until translucent. Next, add the wine and stir, continuing to cook for a minute or so. Next, add the carrots and celery, stir and saute another minute or so. Now add the chicken stock and water, stir and bring back to a boil. Reduce heat to low and add the ham hock, continuing to cook covered for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, remove the ham hock and set aside to cool. Now add the split peas, stir and bring back to a boil. Cover and continue to cook on low. When ham hock has cooled enough to the touch, begin to debone, removing excess fat and cutting the meat in 1/2 inch pieces. Once that's done, return meat and bone to the pot, cover and continue to slow cook for about an hour, stiring every 10 minutes so peas don't stick to bottom of pot.

After an hour, the split peas should well be on their way to producing a nice creamy consistency. Now add the sauteed bacon and the juice from the deglazed pan. Stir and taste for flavor. At this time you may add the garlic salt, salt, and pepper. Stir and while stiring, slowly add the half n half, making sure that it is well blended. You may, if you wish, take 2 cups of the soup and puree it in a food processor and add it back to the pot. Continue to slow cook, stiring frequently, for another 20 minutes. Make sure you don't forget to stir frequently, as this is the time when the split peas can begin to stick at the bottom and if not attended to, can burn.

When finished, turn off the burner and set the pot aside for about 5 minutes to cool a bit. Serve in a bowl and sprinkle with minced parsley and a little grated parm or swiss, along with a couple of slices of old fashion crusty hearth bread. Enjoy!