Archives for May 2007
Geeks eat fast food too
I was deep into database-world today at work. Part of my day job is to make maps that are graphical representations of underlying databases. I love this part of my job because it is such a cool mix of design and database manipulation. On the way home I stopped by Trader Joe’s to get Double Rainbow ice cream for the guys and while I was there I scrounged up a quick, easy, and healthy dinner. Fast food for geeks. I didn’t keep track of the cost but I’m sure it was under $10 for the two of us (the boys scarfed down my homemade chili before returning to their gaming lair).
I took one bag of jumbo shrimp, in shell and, after thawing them under running water for 5 minutes and letting them sit for 10, I dumped them into a ziploc with 1/2 cup mango/chili vinegar, 1/4 cup olive oil, and 1 tablespoon Penzys Adobo Spice mix. I let that rest for 10 minutes while I read the paper and sipped a well earned glass of chardonnay. Then GH lit the grill and I heated a medium skillet on a medium flame and added a tablespoon or so of canola oil, and a tablespoon of Penzys Singapore Seasoning. A minute or two later I added a bag of Trader Joe’s Nasi Goreng Indonesian Rice Dish.
I walked out the door, put the shrimp on the grill, walked back into the kitchen and stirred the rice, walked back to the grill, flipped the shrimp, back to the stove, stirred the rice, back to the grill to remove the shrimp, turned off the grill (yes, it’s gas…we’re not certified for real fire…we’re geeks!), back to the stove where I plated the meal.
That meal took less time to make than I would have spent in the Culver’s (substitute Sonic or whatever) Drive-Thru lane. Fat per serving was from olive oil and canola oil, protein was good, a little fiber, even a little iron for those of us with iron-poor blood. Beyond that it was simply tasty. The shrimp were tangy yet smoky, the Nasi Goreng was spicy and had a nice texture.
Okay fellow geeks and random readers…what is your version of fast food and why. Don’t be shy, we all need the inspiration. And by the way if you’re lurking and not sure about commenting…jump on in, the water’s fine and the geeks don’t bite.
Two pastas, one quick and easy meal
What is better than pasta? Two pastas! This is an easy solution for those nights when I know everyone needs a good meal but I’m really short on time and inspiration. This is so quick that it’s prepared in the time it takes to boil the water and cook the pasta …about 20 minutes. One pasta is served up with Italian sausage and Parmesan and the other is roasted peppers, green onions, and goat cheese. Both are delicious.
Two Pastas - One Meal
2 packages of your favorite fresh pasta shape, mine is Campanelle
1/2 pound of fresh Italian sausage
8 - 12 miniature bell peppers or 2 normal sized
6 - 8 fresh scallions
6 oz. of fresh goat cheese (Chevre), cut into chunks
Parmesan for grating
Reserved pasta water
Salt and pepper
Put a pot of water on to boil for the pasta. Salt the water well.
Heat a skillet on medium and start browning the sausage. While you’re doing that roast the peppers over another burner. Once they are roasted wrap the bunch of them in a paper towel and set aside. Once the sausage is cooked and broken into small chunks set it aside, drain the fat if necessary.
Slice the scallions into 1/4″ slices on the diagonal. Rub the roasted skin off the peppers with the paper towels. Remove the stem and any seeds and slice into 1/4″ slices.
Cook the pasta according to package instructions. When it is done cooking reserve 1 cup of the pasta water before you drain the pasta.
Using two bowls put half of the pasta in each bowl.
Add about a 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water to each bowl of pasta. Add the sausage to one bowl and stir it up and grate some Parmesan into it.
Add the peppers, onions, and goat cheese to the other bowl and stir it well. If the consistency of either bowl is too tight add some pasta water to loosen it up.
Serve family-style and let everyone help themselves.
Muffin + Smoked Pork Jowl = Crack Muffin
I wish I had a dime for every time I’ve thought “this would be so much better with bacon”. It is an almost universal thought among devotees of pork fat that the inclusion of bacon or some other smoked pork product, will make anything better. These muffins certainly prove the truth of that cliche…they’re crack muffins…sweet, savory, smoky, porky…a complete roll through the omnipotent tastes that make life here on earth something special. When you’re done eating one, you’ll start looking for the next one immediately…no restraint, no control, you’ll just have to have another.
Smoked Pork Jowl Muffins with Maple Glaze
1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
1/2 cup of coarse cornmeal
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
3/4 cup half and half
1/4 plain yogurt
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup of finely grated mild cheddar
1/2 cup pork jowl, 1/4″ dice
confectioners sugar
maple syrup
Preheat oven to 400 F. Cook the smoked pork jowl in a heavy skillet over a medium flame. When it’s crispy but still chewy remove it from the pan and drain on a paper towel.
Sift the flour, corn meal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Add the sugar to the butter and stir to dissolve. Add the egg, half and half, yogurt, and cheddar to the butter mixture. Stir to combine. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Add the pork jowl and mix lightly. Don’t over mix.
Spoon into muffin cups and bake for about 12 to 15 minutes or until a knife inserted into a muffin comes out clean.
Mix up a glaze with confectioners sugar and maple syrup and once the muffins are warm but not hot drizzle them with the glaze.
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