Rapini, shrimp and pasta

Last night was a little crunch time - I also had to get rid of a bunch of things from my pantry.

Broccoli Rabe looked good at the store, so I got a one pound bunch - I have never been too successful at cooking this without conjuring up evil bitter flavors from this ugly vegetable. Well, the floret part of the rapini was already starting to flower, so I'd better get my culinary butt in gear. I also had some large shrimp, three lasagna noodles (From when? I don't know), and some white wine.

Here's what I used:

6 shrimp, tailless and shelled, butterflied, then seasoned.

1 pound of rapini (broccoli rabe)

1 large shallot

3 cloves garlic

3 sheets of lasagna - broken

1 cup white wine

1 teaspoon butter

1 teaspoon olive oil

20 leaves parsley

one can of diced tomatoes, drained and liquid reserved

I washed the rapini and trimmed about an inch from the bottom. After cutting the rest into bite-sized lengths, I brought an inch of water to a boil in a 6 quart stockpot and steamed the rapini for 8 minutes. After steaming, I shocked the veggies by rapidly cooling them with ice-cold water. Set the rapini aside. I added more water to the stockpot and brought it back to boil. While the water was heating, I finely diced the shallot, minced the garlic and minced the parsley.

In a very small shallow pan, I melted the butter with the olive oil. Over medium heat, I lightly browned the butter (just evaporating the water). I lightly browned the shallot and garlic in the butter then added the wine and tomato liquid (I just used my hand to drain the juice from the can right over the pan). Reduce the liquid by at least half over low heat.

Meanwhile, when the water in the stockpot returned to a boil, I dropped the lasagna noodles in. Since these noodles were probably old, they took almost 12 minutes to get al dente. Drain noodles from stckpot. Add drained noodles to sauce, then add the tomatoes from the can and cover. Remove from heat. It should get warm, but if it doesn't, you may reheat over medium flame for a few minutes.

Return the stockpot to the stove and spray lightly with cooking spray. Add the rapini back to the stockpot and gently reheat over low flame.

Line a small shallow dish with non-stick aluminum foil and place shrimp in hot oven for 4-6 minutes until just firm.

For serving, since it was just me, I used a mixing bowl and put half of the rapini in the bottom of the bowl. I put the hot shrimp on top, and then ladled a third of the pasta and tomato sauce over the whole thing. I had a glass of that same leftover wine with dinner and I ate too much!

You could use just about any pasta noodles you have on hand - I don't think Japanese buckwheat pasta would be too good. If you don't like shrimp - use something else - or omit the protein all together - I think even hardboiled eggs would be tasty.

Blanching the rapini got rid of that bitterness I think.

We made Mahi Mahi in Parchment a couple of nights ago. This is probably the easiest way to make fish and even bettre if you choose a fish that is dificult to overcook. I picked up some mahimahi from the frozen fish department a few weeks ago, so it had to be used soon.

Fresh Herbs: I use whatever fresh herbs are already in my fridge - this week it was some dill on its last legs, cilantro from last week, and fresh Italian (flatleaf) parsley.

Fish Filets or Steaks - mahi mahi is nice, so is sea bass. They're both mild meaty fish. Don't try to use anything that's been breaded!

Small lemons or limes - I used lemons from my mom's tree. She sent them to me via flat rate post.
salt and pepper

A generous serving or two of veggies, I made that cauliflower recipe (earlier post), but used asparagus instead of cauliflower.

A sheet of aluminum foil three times as long as as your fish portions.

A sheet of parchment paper twice as big as your fish or bigger. Don't use waxed paper or paper towels, but I have heard that unprinted and unbleached paper bags work well.

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

Lay the aluminum foil on a flat surface, place the parchment over it in the center. Make a nest at least as big as the fish portions in the middle of the parchment. Sprinkle the fish with salt and pepper (you can always add more later).

Place the fish in the center of the nest just barely touching. Squeeze a lime or small lemon over the fish.

Wrap the parchment up and around the fish and then wrap the foil around the parchment package. The parchment protects the food from the aluminum, especially because we're using an acid like citrus juice. At this point a carefully lay the foil-wrapped package in an oven safe dish and bake for 15-20 minutes depending on the thickness of the fish.

When the fish is done, be careful opening the foil because it will be steaming. I don't eat the herbs since they're all wilted and soggy. But if you like them, go ahead. Dig in!

Wheat Prices - or why you won't see a $3.00 artisan loaf for a while

Here is the official statement from King Arthur Flour on their web page about wheat prices

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To our valued flour customers:You've undoubtedly heard the news about rising foods costs; perhaps you've already felt the impact on your pocketbook. Global wheat prices are at an all-time high, well over triple the cost per bushel sincespring of last year.

The combination of poor wheat harvests in partsof the world, low carryover stocks from last year, and high energy and input costs have created a very grim situation for wheat prices, which leads of course to higher flour prices.

Although all King Arthur Flour is milled from wheat grown here in North America, where the harvest was plentiful last year, global demand on our domestic supply has forced the price of wheat sky-high. We're doing all we can to keep the cost of flour down by making our business as efficient as possible, but there's simply no way for us to absorb entirely the impact of current record-breaking wheat prices.

Despite recent increases in prices for our products, you can be assured that King Arthur Flour is not compromising on product quality. We're still providing the best-performing flour you'll find. While the unstable market may convince other suppliers to use lower-quality wheat, King Arthur Flour will continue to maintain the highest and most consistent standards for protein content and product performance.

Our flour will continue to be the best-quality flour in America, as it's been since 1790.We appreciate your understanding of raised flour and mix prices during these difficult market conditions.

Michael T. Bittel
Senior Vice President/General Manager
King Arthur Flour Company

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Introduction to healthier cooking

I am trying to increase the amount of veggies and fruits (and fiber) to my diet while reducing the total calories and salt. Sometimes it seems overwhelming, but as my tastebuds adjust, I find it gets easier. I have several tips, but none will work if you aren't motivated enough to give up your bad habits for at least five days a week:
Fridays are my cheat day - or at least I get to give myself a break - alcohol, sugar, fatty treats, etc are allowed.
Eat a piece of fruit in the morning and another in the afternoon - apples and oranges seem to be my favoritem nostly because I can buy many of them and they last a while without getting overripe or mushy.
I also love the little $2.00 steamer that fits in a lidded pot. On mondays I have time in the afternoon to steam tons of veggies until they're mostly done. Then they're ready for oven roasting, soups, dipping, or whatever I want. I like the Ziploc brand steamers, too.
I recently bought the new book "In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto" by Michael Pollan. I haven't read it yet. But the book addresses one of my bigest pet peeves regarding the modern diet of processed, fake-tasting, convenience food. And I am an eater!


Easy Cauliflower Bake
4-6 cups cauliflower, about a head
2 tablespoons bread crumbs
1/2 - 1 teaspoon salt-free seasoning, any flavor
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Steam cauliflower florets until just al dente - they should still be firm. This can be done up to 5 days in advance and stored in the fridge. No time to steam? You can also use frozen cauliflower too, just let it thaw first in a colander. Toss with breadcrumbs and seasoning to coat evenly.



Arrange the cauliflower in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. I used a small broiler pan. Sprinkle the grated parmesan cheese over the whole thing and bake for 10-15 minutes.







The cauliflower should just be getting golden brown on the edges. If you didn't drain the vegetables enough, it'll take too long to brown, or might not brown at all. That's okay, next time consider toasting the breadcrumbs separately (in a small pan on the stove).


I hope you enjoy this as I do - I guess it could make four servings if you're using it as a side dish for a sit down dinner. You can eat in on the couch while blogging if you want to be like me. Confession? I added too much spicy seasoning to mine tonight

Margaritas

After much urging from fans of the blog, I finally broke away from usual beer-hunter status and agreed to a margarita taste test.
Not your premium margaritas - which is preferable since you can alter the flavors to your personal taste. These are the well drinks that unsuspecting patrons get when they say, "I'll have a margarita, please."
All of the margaritas tasted were on the rocks and had salt. I'm going to retain water for a few weeks, thank you. All of them were also made with a prepared mix of some sort. Some were sweet and sour, others were bar-specific concoctions. All drinks tasted are available in Kokomo, Indiana and all of the bartenders said they haven't made any adjustments to their standard recipe.
In fact, nearly all the locations said they have better margaritas if I wanted to pay more. All the servers wanted to know how they ranked especially after they saw my camera. Some servers were much better than others and all servers knew when I placed my order that I was going to be blogging this, so you think they'd be putting their best foot forward.

I enjoyed each margarita on its own. If I were going to a restaurant, any of these drinks would be fine with food and friends. It was a disservice to me that I had to be taking notes and comparing one experience to any other. None were awful, but I wouldn't order most of these on their own merit.

Things you need to know up front:
Margaritas aren't something I crave in the middle of winter,
I rarely buy margaritas , I usually make them at home from scratch, and
I did all of these tastings in one afternoon which resulted in an uncomfortable waste of alcohol.

At 2 pm on Friday, I began my margarita hunt at Hacienda on Plate Street. That's the first photo. My first thought was, "When was this lime cut? Last Friday?" If the garnish was to make it appetizing, then they did just the opposite. But the taste was excellent, it was cold, the tequila flavor was apparent as was the lime. I was informed that they squeeze lime over the drink before serving. Very nice. It was the freshest non-premium margarita of the night.
For $5.75, I got the mug, 12-18 ounce maybe. I could not find a printed price in any menu, so I waited until my bill arrived to find out.
The server was a little put off by my comments, saying the limes are cut daily and that she could get me better lime. But, she got me two $4.00 grilled shrimp as a little protein buffer in my belly before I ended up under the table. She also admonished me that I should have got the smaller portion (a glass) since I wasn't going to be finishing what I ordered.
The balance of tart and sweet was great and there wasn't any of the staleness that sometimes happens with mixes. Hacienda offers premium margaritas (Arriba!) with your choice of 25 call tequilas and 3 citrus liquors. My server informed me that they don't use mixes for those.

Next stop was Chili's on US31. The bartender was taking my order before I had a seat. This is an advantage to mid afternoon tippling. My first thought was,"Is this the color of antifreeze?" The flat and fake taste of the margarita mix was off-putting and even though the tequila was added before my very eyes, it wasn't a flavor I could detect. It was nice that the drink passed briefly under mixing impeller before being poured over a mug of ice and that the mug looked to be 20-22 ounce. For $4.99, it seemed watery. This is a little less than I expected from a chain that specializes in Texas Chili.
Service was attentive and the bartender informed me that the best tasting and biggest selling margarita was their "Presidente Margarita" that comes in a shaker that you can purchase afterwards. The lime was generous, a little oxidized and wax-coated, but squeezing it into the margarita helped doctor the flavor. Surprising, the drink wasn't sticky when spilled.
I also enjoyed the southwest eggrolls (not your traditional eggroll) and found that the spiciness of the appetizer enhanced the flavor of the Margarita as well.

Third on my quest was a 4 pm trip across to Don Pancho Villa's on Dixon Road south of Markland. After noticing that they offered $1.99 margaritas (12 oz) Monday through Friday from 3 to 6 pm, I beelined it to the cozy bar in the back. I was finally making it my mission to taste like a trooper. Happy hour or not, I was the lone person in the bar. Only three other tables in the dining side were occupied and no one was having a margarita. Uh Oh, what was I going to get?
The results were just fine. The margarita was served warm, but over ice, so a little stirring was necessary. Even though it was a generous pour of Cuervo Gold, I didn't think it packed a tequila flavor punch as strong as Hacienda's did. The garnish was fresh. I even commented in my notes that it was too bad I couldn't drink the whole thing and stay the evening. I wonder if that was the cumulative effect of tasting for two hours. I was feeling a little flushed and ordered some choriqueso dip to help me maintain my wits. If I could have had them package the drink in a doggie-cup, I would have. Even so, I noted that it had that fake-lime flavor of sno-cones and Popsicles. This is definitely the place to go for inexpensive food and drink even though the restaurant gets loud when crowded.

Disappointed because I hadn't found any outstanding specimens, I did a little reconnaissance by consulting with a few experts. Uniformly I heard that the only great margaritas in Kokomo were made in private homes. And I noticed I wasn't invited.
I stopped by Soupleys to get bottled margaritas, thinking that some of these would be better than restaurant quality. Just add ice and shake. After urging the sales clerks, I was informed that Applebees and Outback had great margaritas, too. Well, 5 times out of 5 visits, Applebees has failed to actually bring the correct order to my table so I have never returned. Great margarita or not, I will not abide appalling service. So off I ventured to Outback before the place filled up.

When I arrived the bar was empty and the bartender took my order after I explained my mission of city-wide margarita tasting. Although I was encouraged to try a premium margarita, I continued on my mission for the house drink on the rocks with salt. This is called the Gold Coast Rita $5.75 and the biggest seller followed closely by the Top Shelf Patron margarita for $8.50.
The first thought was best garnish award. A generous 1/8 of a lime that was by far the freshest and cleanest. A little sweet for my taste, but the flavor was improved by shaker-induced aeration. I wish the bartender hadn't floated mix on the top of the glass, but with these beautiful oversize hand blown glasses, who can estimate their capacity?
The tequila was very subtle when tasted, but was more apparent on the exhale. I squeezed the lime and that brought up the lime flavor to an appropriate level. Another Cuervo Gold margarita gets abandoned on the bar just as the place starts filling up. On a stranger's advice, I was directed to include one final destination.

My last margarita was in an unusual and unexpected location. Olive Garden offers a couple of margaritas including their Italian Margarita (their regular margarita with a dainty shot of Amaretto DiSaronno on the side for an extra 40 cents). Woo Hoo, I can fulfill my obligation of one more tasting and also have a premium option just for me?
My first thought was, "Ooooh, yummy!" And I wasn't disappointed. This is not a traditional margarita and it is unfair for me to compare the others to this, but since it was so tasty and refreshing, I feel I must include it. It was well balanced, a tiny bit more sweet than I prefer, but the best margarita of the evening. The subtle scent and flavor of oranges is traditionally Italian, even though many Americans are unaware of that.
I am not an amaretto fan, but I was surprised at the sensation that occurs when alternating sips of margarita and amaretto.
Bummer that I had to abandon this drink, too, when I added the amaretto into the glass. It made the drink cloyingly sweet and detracted from its refreshing quality. It's a large drink for $5.95 (plus 40 cents) and I would be curious to find out what food it pairs well with.

Okay, I got home with a few minutes to spare and zero desire for those prepared margaritas from the liquor store. Maybe later.