tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6163291691322607662024-02-20T05:00:21.854-08:00The Bachelor GourmetBleedingteddyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13901268988662102861noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-616329169132260766.post-91136684689616463422012-06-19T06:44:00.001-07:002012-06-19T06:44:48.885-07:00Wok's up man?<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>Wok's up man?</b></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
So I know its been a
while since my last post and believe me I have been meaning to post
more often but you know,...life gets in the way. Now this happens to
everyone, things we intend to get done end up being left undone due
to time constraints, work, socialization, life emergencies and the
like, the trick is to try to manage your time in such a way that it
doesn’t happen or at the very least happens a lot less often. Now
how can a blog about cooking help me with this you ask,...well simple
feeding ourselves takes time and if we can find a way to get food
made that is more conducive to our schedules it would obviously help
in such matters.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Often what happens in
our lives is we get stretches of time where we don’t really have
that much to do coupled with other times when we seem to be so
overwhelmed with various tasks that we have no idea what to do next.
One of my solutions to help mitigate this is from time to time, when
I am in the midst of one of those too much time on my hands periods,
I make large batches of food that will store well so that I can eat
on the run later when I am busy if need be. Many different types of
foods are ideal for this such as meatloaf and mashed potatoes as you
can portion them out into freezer containers, freeze them and keep
them for months on end but everyone makes meatloaf and quite frankly
I personally get kinda bored with the same American style comfort
food all the time.</div>
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<br /></div>
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BAM! The Chinese come
to the rescue...</div>
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<br /></div>
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Whats wonderful about
simple Chinese style food is that not only is it delicious but is is
fairly simple to make and usually doesn't make too much mess either
but you really need a wok to cook it properly. A great deal of
Chinese food especially that which we as North Americans are familiar
with is stir fry based and simply no cooking pot or pan can compare
to the wok when it comes to making stir fries. Two major things I
like,...no make that love about stir fries is that, A)They are
absolutely fantastic for stretching out your meat (proteins) and
B)For the most part they lend themselves fairly well to semi long
term storage. On top of all that due to the fact that you use a lot
of veggies and very little oil (most of the time) stir fries tend to
be quite healthy.</div>
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<br /></div>
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The thing is a stir fry
doesn't have to be a stir fry in the end, there is so much more you
can do with it. You can use a stir fry as the filling for a mushu
style dish, you can put it into steamed dumplings, but my personal
favourite is you can put it into eggrolls!!!</div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>Not quite Chinese
Egg Rolls</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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Note-
This recipe makes about 36 egg rolls so you either are going to have
to store them or have a lot of friends around to help you eat them.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Prep
time for this one is a bit longer than previous recipes at about
30-40 minutes. Cooking time comes in at about 20-30 minutes.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Dishes
dirtied- 1 large Wok, 2 Steel Spatulas, 1 Cutting board, 1 Chef's
Knife, 1 Grater, 1 large Frying Pan, 1 small bowl, and 1 Fork.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Ingredients</div>
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<br /></div>
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2
lbs. Ground Pork (Beef, Chicken or Turkey can be used instead if you
wish)</div>
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3
Baby Bok Choy Chopped</div>
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2
cups Grated Carrots</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
8
oz. Chopped Mushrooms</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
8
oz Bean Sprouts</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
10
Thai Hot Chilies Finely Chopped</div>
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10
Cloves of Garlic Finely Chopped</div>
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3
Tbsp. Of Grated Ginger</div>
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3
Tbsp. Soya Sauce</div>
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2
oz. Sesame Oil</div>
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2
cups Vegetable Oil</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
1
Egg</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
2x
1lb. Packaged Egg Roll Wrappers (Aprox. 34-36 Wrappers)</div>
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<br /></div>
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First
things first you need to prep all your ingredients because once you
start cooking things go fairly fast. So to this end make sure you
have grated the carrots and ginger, chopped the bok choy, mushrooms,
chilies and garlic, basically make sure everything is actually ready
for cooking.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Now
you take your Wok and put it on a medium-high heat say about 6 or a
bit more on a stove top that goes to 10.
</div>
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<br /></div>
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Once
the wok has heated up a bit pour in the Sesame Oil then put in the
Chilies, Garlic, and Ginger.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Once
the garlic has started to brown (about 10 sec) Throw in your
Mushrooms and Carrots. Toss them in the oil using your spatula to
stir it around until all the mushrooms are starting to turn a little
darker.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Now
we add in the Ground meat and Soya Sauce once again stirring
everything in the wok and trying to break up the ground meat into
smaller pieces in the process. You will notice as the meat cooks a
small amount of water and grease will begin to pool at the bottom of
the wok we will let this cook for a bit constantly stirring until
that pool begins to reduce a bit.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Next
comes the chopped Baby Bok Choy which we will add to the mix and
continue stirring for another half minute or so.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Finally
we add the Sprouts at which time just toss everything together so its
all well mixed take off the heat and cover as the heat of the wok and
the rest of the food will be enough to insure the sprouts are cooked
enough.</div>
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<br /></div>
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This
has to be allowed to cool for a while and any excess liquid that may
have pooled in the bottom of the wok needs to be syphoned or spooned
off.
</div>
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<br /></div>
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We
now have our Egg Roll filling,...YAY!!! Next comes the egg rolls.</div>
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<br /></div>
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We
now will take Egg break it into our small bowl and beat it with the
fork until the Yolk and White are thoroughly mixed together.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Take
a single egg roll wrapper place it down then take some of the egg mix
and with your finger or a brush put a little smearing of it around
the perimeter of the egg roll wrapper.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Then
take a small amount of the filling say about 2 heaping tablespoons or
a bit more and place it into the centre of the wrapper in an oblong
shape running lengthwise along the wrapper. Fold the sides of the
wrapper over the filling and squeeze the ends shut and you finished
forming the egg roll.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Once
you have formed your egg rolls you then have to cook them to fry up
the wrapper so we take our large frying pan and get it up to heat on
a medium to medium-high heat (about 5-6).</div>
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<br /></div>
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Once
the pan is up to heat we put in the vegetable oil (the oil should be
about 1 cm deep) and wait a few minutes for it to heat up.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Then
one at a time put in an egg roll using the 2 spatulas to flip it in
the oil until the wrapper has turned a nice bubbly golden brown.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The
Egg Rolls are now done and can be served either by themselves or as
part of another dish with some plum sauce or chutney as a side for
dipping.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
If
you are planning to store the egg rolls as soon as they are
completely cooled (important not to do this before they are
completely cooled) place them in covered containers. They will
freeze well but really have to be reheated from frozen in the oven or
refried when reheating. They will also store for about 3-4 day in
the refrigerator but once again you will want to put them in the oven
or refry them for reheating. Do not try to reheat egg rolls in the
microwave as the wrapper will end up kinda spongy and very rubbery.</div>Bleedingteddyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13901268988662102861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-616329169132260766.post-1752058818296709152012-05-29T08:14:00.000-07:002012-05-29T08:14:42.533-07:00KaBob's Your Uncle<br />
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<b>KaBob's Your Uncle</b></div>
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<br />
</div>
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OK
so there are a few simple facts that ring true for most people things
like,'we should eat more fruits and vegetables', and 'food on a
stick is good'. The problem is that usually vegetables are a distant
second or third choice after more alluring foods like meat and
chocolate and rarely come in some sort of undeniably delicious
packaging,...like being on a stick!</div>
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<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
This
is where I come in stating that I, yes I, have found that answer and
remedy to all your problems and that answer is the mighty Kabob.</div>
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<br />
</div>
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Now
I’m sure you all know what a kabob is and in fact have probably
seen them being eaten from time to time by friends and possibly loved
ones but for some reason when people are thinking of what they should
prepare for the BBQ they often seem to get lost in the shuffle of
burger, hot dogs and steaks. Why is this well it possibly, nigh in
fact probably, has to do with many reasons not the least of which is
the prep time required and although I do truly extol the virtues of
short prep time with little to clean up sometime a slightly greater
effort is well worth it.</div>
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<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
When
looking at how to make a good kabob in general you want to identify
foods that will not only cook well on a kabob but go well with the
foods you put on the kabob. Usually when making kabobs the base
which we will base the rest of our decisions around will be our meat
and while just about any variety of meat (lamb, beef, pork, chicken,
shrimp,etc...) can be used one should look for a more tender and less
fatty cut generally when picking meat for kabobs like tenderloin or
poultry breast meat. Then there is choosing the vegetables which
should be both veggies that will cook reasonably quickly but not too
quick and will also stay on the stick. Typically good vegetable
choices include mushrooms, sweet peppers, onion, pineapple (not a
vegetable I know but delicious grilled especially with pork or
shrimp) while some less wise choices would be things like carrots and
potatoes (take too long to cook) or broccoli and cauliflower which
have a hard time staying on the kabob skewer.</div>
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<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Once
you have chosen your meats/vegetables you may decide to marinate some
or all of them depending but its really as simple as choosing your
marinades if any, cutting the food into more or less bite sized
chunks, putting the food on the kabob skewers and grilling them until
cooked.</div>
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<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>Bleeding Teddy's
Kick-ass Kabobs</b></div>
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<br />
</div>
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First
off this recipe makes a lot of food so make sure you have a decent
amount of people around to eat it.</div>
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<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Prep
time- 20 minutes for the marinade, 20 minutes for cooking.</div>
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<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Dishes
dirtied- 1 chef's knife, 1 cutting board, 2 marinating containers
(Tupperware style containers), 1 food processor, 1 pair of BBQ tongs.</div>
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<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Other
items required- Kabob Skewers</div>
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<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Ingredients</div>
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<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
1
Lb. Jumbo Shrimp Uncooked and Thawed</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
1
Lb. Pork Tenderloin diced into 1” chunks</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
1
good sized Sweet Green Pepper</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
1
good sized Sweet Red Pepper</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
2
medium sized Sweet Onions</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
12-14
good sized Button Mushrooms</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
1
Jalapeno Pepper</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
3
Serrano Peppers</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
4-5
Cloves of Garlic</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
¼
cup Lemon Juice</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
¼
cup Sesame Seed Oil</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
¼
cup Balsamic Vinegar</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
¼
cup Olive Oil</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Dash
of Oregano</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Salt
and Pepper to taste</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Take
your Jalapeno and Serrano Peppers, you Garlic, Lemon Juice, Sesame
Oil, Oregano, about half your Balsamic Vinegar, Salt and Pepper and
put it all into your food processor (if you don’t have a food
processor a blender will work as well), blend until fairly smooth.
Now take your Shrimp and Pork put it into one of your Tupperware
containers pour the marinade over everything put the lid on and give
a slight shake.</div>
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<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Next
Take your Mushrooms and slice them all in half and put them in your
other Tupperware container pour your olive oil and the rest of your
Balsamic Vinegar over them put the lid on and give them a bit of a
shake. From here we wait...</div>
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<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Let
the Meat and Mushrooms marinate for a few hours minimum but overnight
is better.</div>
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<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Once
the meat and mushrooms are marinated take your Onions Green and Red
Peppers and cut them into more or less bite sized chunks (about 1”
or so) and skewer everything together on the Kabob Skewers. One
little note about this is make sure to alternate the different
ingredients on the skewers well, I generally go 1 piece veg, 1 meat,
2 veg, 1 meat, 1 veg, 1 meat, 2 veg, etc...</div>
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<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
From
here finishing is as simple as cooking over a medium heat grill until
they are done (usually about 10-15 minutes) turning them fairly often
so no sides get overdone.</div>
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<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
I
recommend serving with a bed of rice or grilled potatoes and a salad.</div>Bleedingteddyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13901268988662102861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-616329169132260766.post-6032109734202649202012-05-28T12:33:00.000-07:002012-05-28T12:36:11.327-07:00The Quest for Fire<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>The Quest for Fire</b></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
In
honour of the impending long summer days with hours of outdoors time
that will be spent and the grills that are just begging to be used I
figured I would start off my second week of this blog with a little something
about outdoor grilling.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
I
just first off before I really get into any of the real meat of this
entry I should give you all the caveat that I do NOT ever use a gas
grill, I believe if you want to cook with gas get a gas oven or stove
top but leave the BBQ-ing to real burning wood and charcoal. Thus
everything I write will be under the assumption that you will also be
using a proper BBQ and although some of what I write may be adaptable
to a gas grill I assert that a traditional grill is not only tastier
but more versatile in many cases and just as easy for the most part
to use.</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>Getting started with
outdoor grilling...</b></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
OK
so we have decided we want to do some outdoor grilling now the
question arises what do we need? Well the list of required items is
fairly short but the are basically as follows.</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
A
BBQ- Now this can be as simple as a hole dug in the ground with a
grate over the top of it to one of the many variety of BBQ grills out
there on the market. But assuming you are going with a store bought
BBQ there are a few things you should look for in choosing what one
you want. The basic things to look for regardless of anything else
are; how heavy is the construction, generally heavier construction =
better product, how is it put together is it mostly welds or nuts and
bolts also if nuts and bolts are they flimsy or heavy nuts and bolts,
and finally is it deep enough to get a decent spacing and allow for
decent heat control when cooking. From there you would look at the
more personalized options like how big a cooking area will you
require and what kinds of cooking are you going to want to be doing,
will you just be grilling or are you going to want to try smoking
food as well. Personally I would always recommend going just a
little bigger that you think you are going to need as you never know
you may decide you want to grill that really big fish or a turkey or
something similar. If you want to do smoking you will want to go
bigger yet again or get yourself an offset smoker which is basically
a 2 chamber BBQ so you can keep you fire in one chamber and cook your
food with the smoke and indirect heat in the second chamber. I will
go more into Grills in a later post</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Something
to Burn- Usually when home grilling as it is a bit easier to control
we use charcoal but wood or a combination of the two can be used just
as easily. If using just wood in most commercial grills you have to
use only dense hardwood and the denser the better as it will burn
slower as a general rule. Now on the other hand if you are using
charcoal I would generally recommend going with a 'Natural Lump'
charcoal over a 'Pressed Briquet' style as it generally gives you
better tasting results. I find the 'Pressed Briquet' style of
charcoal sometimes imparts a bit of a “fuel like taste” which you
can also get if you use a petroleum based starter without giving it
ample time to completely burn off, therefore if using a petroleum
based starter you have to give it alt least 25-30 minutes to burn
before cooking to insure you don’t wreck your food even if the
grill is up to heat before then. This can of course be avoided by
using the “Chimney” method and using paper as a starter but this
also requires you to have a chimney starter which you must then
either buy or make yourself.</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Cooking
Utensils- I find in general unless using a larger grill that normal
kitchen spatulas and tongs will do the job just fine as long as they
are metal not not really flimsy but in the case that you have either
a very large grill, plastic utensils or flimsy utensils you may want
to go out and pick up a BBQ set. These can be picked up quite
cheaply at a wide variety places like dollar stores, grocery stores
and hardware stores.</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Now
that we have acquired the basics it's time to fire up the grill...</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>From Flame to Plate</b></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Lighting
the grill is very easy but it something many people put way to much
thought and consideration into often getting the job done
sub-optimally. Quite simplay the 2 easiest ways are either the
chimney method or the pyramid method. With the chimney method you
take a 'chimney which can be as simple as an apple juice can with the
top and bottom cut off and a few holes in the sides for air flow to
some reasonably fancy ones you can buy already made. You then
crumple up some paper put in under the charcoal grill (most BBQs will
have two 'grills one deeply recessed in the BBQ that the coals sit on
and one that goes above the coals that you put the food on), put the
chimney above the crumpled paper, fill chimney with charcoal, and
light the paper. It will take about 20 minutes for the coals to
catch completely at which time you use some tongs to remove the
chimney place down the cooking grill and get ready to cook. With the
pyramid method you pile the coals in a pyramid or cone shape and
either try to light from below with paper like the chimney method
(this can be hard) or with a small (note small) amount of petroleum
based fire starter. Once the coal have caught spread them out a bit
put the cooking grill into place and you are basically ready to cook.</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Now
all we have to do is wait from the grill to heat up a bit and make
sure out flame is at our more or less desired cooking temperature.
To regulate the flame in a fixed height open pit grill the only
method really is to have a spray bottle of water on hand and if the
flame is too hot them to spray the coals just a little bit. On a
typical closed grill we have more options though. On a typical
closed grill we have a set of vents one at the base of the grill that
regulates the amount of air intake possible to the grill and one on
the lid that regulates air/smoke exhaust. By opening these op you
can increase airflow thus increasing the heat of your flame and by
closing these you can reduce the heat by reducing airflow. The exact
amounts you have to open and close the vents will take some
experimentation and will vary but its fairly simple to get the hang
of.</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Everything
is finally ready to put our meat or veggies on the grill,...YAY!!!</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Depending
on what you are cooking times will very and if you haven’t done
much cooking you may find having a meat thermometer to be very
helpful in getting your food cooked correctly. You also may or may
not, depending on what you are cooking, want to sauce your food
during the cooking process but really the grilling itself especially
done with wood or wood chips should impart enough flavour on its own
that nothing else should be necessary (not that it can't add to the
experience).</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
We
have now covered a lot of the BBQ basics and will be ready to discuss
some more techniques and some recipes in our next instalment.</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Bleeding
Teddy – The Bachelor Gourmet</div>Bleedingteddyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13901268988662102861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-616329169132260766.post-32875214461769632482012-05-25T11:39:00.000-07:002012-05-25T11:39:55.964-07:00Deep Frying & the Golden Oil of the Gods<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>Deep Frying &
the Golden Oil of the Gods</b></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
As
every Bachelor knows Deep Fried foods are about as close to nirvana
as one can get. First off nothing seems to seal in flavour like a
quick bath in hot oil and second with the way fried foods clog your
arteries they leave you that much closer to kicking the proverbial
bucket, thus also bringing you much closer to nirvana. For the
following we will pretend that the artery clogging properties of deep
fried foods do not exist and only focus on the positive.</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Some
of you reading may or may not know that I live in Nova Scotia where
the only thing close to as abundant as unemployed fishermen is fresh
fish, albeit as the numbers of the former rise the numbers of the
latter seem to decline almost like there is some kind of correlation.
This said I felt being from Nova Scotia that it behoved me to talk
at least somewhat about fish or at the very least food from the sea.</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Seafood
is something that people generally seem to love or hate for the most
part with one real exception, Fish & Chips which just about
everyone I've ever known seems to love or at least like a lot. Now I
suspect from what I have written so far that you now expect me to go
about how to make a great fish and chips but you would be wrong as it
takes years to perfect how to truly make a great fish and chips and I
have had neither the time or the inclination to do the learning and
recipe testing required. This is probably because I've never
personally been a huge fan of wither Haddock or Cod which at least
here are the 2 main types of fish generally used for fish and chips.
What I do love on the other hand is Clams and they can be found in
huge abundance here plus they fry up divinely.</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Now
frying clams is quite a bit different than frying fish as you have to
use a dry batter or breading due to the fact that a wet batter just
wont stick to clams at all and what you end up with is bits of fried
clam with nothing on them and bits of fried batter with nothing in
it. That is why I chose a recipe using breading which personally I
find makes better clams than any dry batter I've ever had. Also in
the following recipe I use Peanut Oil which I find due to its flavour
properties and ability to take a very high heat makes the best deep
frying oil ,although I will admit that pure beef lard is even better
but a bit beyond my price range to use as a frying medium, but if you
are not wanting to use peanut oil for any reason (allergies, taste,
etc...) you can always replace the peanut oil with either vegetable
oil or canola oil.</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
I
should also probably mention that unlike my recipes up to this point
this recipe makes way more food than one person can or at least
should eat in one sitting but what you do is with this recipe is
between you and whatever god you choose.</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>Spicy Breaded Nova
Scotia Clams</b></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Dishes
Dirtied – 1 mixing bowl, 1 small bowl, 1 deep fryer or large wok, 1
steel spatula or tongs</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Ingredients</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
1
lb. Clean shelled clams (Make sure to wash these thoroughly before
using)
</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
1
Egg</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
2
Cups of fine breadcrumbs</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
2
Tbsp. Chili or Cajun spice mix</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Salt
and Pepper to taste</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
¾
Qt. Peanut oil if using a wok or as much as needed if using a deep
frier (this will depend on what brand/model you are using)</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Start
by making sure your clams are really well washed to make sure you
don't end up with gritty fried clams as they are kinda gross. Once
this is done dry off your hands put your oil on at a medium/high
(about 7 on most stoves) temperature and we are ready to begin.</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Take
all your dry ingredients and thoroughly mix them together in the
mixing bowl making sure you have as homogenous a mixture as possible.
Then in your small bowl beat your egg until it is bubbling up a
little.</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Dip
all the clams into the egg mixture if they won't all fit then do a
few at a time. Then take a clam out of the egg mix shake it off a
little roll it in the breading shake it again and then put it in the
oil. If the Oil is hot enough it should start instantly bubbling if
it doesn’t then wait another few minutes before going to the next
one. Once the oil is at the right temperature just start repeating
this process but don’t try to do more than about 5 clams at a time
because they cook very quick and you could burn them.
</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
As
the breading on the clams begins to turn a really deep shade of
golden brown using the tongs or spatula remove them from the oil and
place them on a plate for serving. Cooking about 5 at a time it
should still only take you about 6-7 minutes or so to cook the whole
pound of clams.</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The
clams are now ready to be served with your choice of sides which
would usually be fries (I will discuss these in a future post) or
maybe a salad or coleslaw. I personally also recommend dripping a
bit of lemon juice on the clams before eating.</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
One
final note,...make sure when buying your clams that you are getting
whole clams and not 'clam strips'. Clam strips are cut from giant
deep sea clams and are not nearly as tasty as whole clams, they have
a much less pleasant texture as well.</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Bleeding Teddy - The Bachelor Gourmet </div>Bleedingteddyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13901268988662102861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-616329169132260766.post-15888618039114513022012-05-24T10:21:00.000-07:002012-05-24T15:25:31.747-07:00The Implements of Construction<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>The Implements of
Construction</b></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Today
I have decided to take a brief departure from recipes to discuss
those items which you need to implement said recipes. We are all
aware of the utter plethora of various kitchen gadgets and devices
that are available on the market but money and space is limited so
the question is what to get and as money doesn't grow on trees (I
know this as I tried planting a loony) how much to spend.</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
I
guess the first thing that should be determined first is what is the
single most important tool in the kitchen. Well for that we are
looking for the most versatile piece of equipment that we have that
can perform the largest number of functions in the kitchen, and when
looked at from that angle the answer is obvious (if it wasn't
already) that this tool is the chef's knife.</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
This
isn’t because because knifes are so f'n cool (although we both know
they are) but the knife is in fact so important in the act of cooking
that I would suggest being willing to spend at least half your
kitchen budget on a top quality knife and steel if you are shopping
on a limited budget. One of the things is if you are patient enough
most of the other really necessary tools can be found in an
acceptable shape and quality at places like thrift and second hand
stores but that rarely if ever goes for knives.</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
So
the next question arises, well how does one choose the right knife?
Well there are few major things to look for to see if you have the
right knife. The first and most important is of course the quality
of the steel from which the knife is made. The thing is I could get
very technical and try talking out of my ass about number grades and
whatnot that I don’t really know anything about or I could quite
simply just breakdown for you what I do know.
</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
First
off look at where the steel is from as there are some countries that
are well known for making great steel blades such as Germany, France,
Spain, Portugal, and Japan. Conversely there are other countries
that are known for producing low or consumer grade steel knives which
are softer and can be prone to 'pitting' such as much of eastern
Europe and China thus steel from these locals is generally to be
avoided.</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Second
check the balance of the knife on your standard 10”-12” chef's
knife the balance point should ideally be about 1/2”-3/4” down
the blade from the handle. If the balance on the knife is off that
often will indicate problems or irregularities with the blade
construction.</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Third
look at the 'Tang' of the blade, the tang is the portion of the knife
steel that extends beyond the blade into the handle. Does the tang
run all the way through the handle? If not it may indicate a weak
point in the knife.</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Fourth
look at the 2 profiles of the blade. The first is simply the front
to back profile, does the blade have a nice curve to the edge without
being too extreme so that the knife can rock back and forth nicely
using a minimum of up and down hand movement. The second profile is
the back profile of the blade. Look at the very back of the blade
holding the knife out in front of you. If the blade remains the top
thickness for the first third of the way down before the bevel to the
blade begins this is ideal.</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Finally
look at how well the edge is ground. A brand new top quality chef's
knife should be razor sharp, with a small but barely noticeable
'hollow' at the edge (like the curves on the bottom of a valentine's
heart).</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Now
that you have the right knife the question is how to properly care
for it. The easiest and most important thing I can stress as far as
this goes is getting a decent knife sharpening steel and sharpening
the blade a few times every use or every other use, as long as the
blade is kept sharp it shouldn’t need major sharpening which can
really shorten the blade life. Also never use 'scotchbrite' pads or
anything else that is abrasive to clean your knife, really as long as
you clean your knife right after use it should require little more
than a rinse of water and a wipe with a towel.</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
So
you ask now Why in gods name did you just bore us with all this
useless crap about knives? Well simply the knife can take the place
of almost every kitchen gadget out there on the market and do the job
just as well as the specialized gadget and often better. When you
have a good knife you don't need a garlic press, a food processor, a
meat grinder, a grater, and the list goes on.</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Now
of course a knife alone won't cook you a meal other implements will
be needed. Probably next on your list after the right knife is a
small selection of pots and pans. For this your most important piece
is probably a 4-6 qt. Saucepan because if you have no other pots and
pans you can still do just about anything you want that can be done
on a stove top in a medium saucepan. Next you would want a 12”-14”
frying pan and finally a small saucepan around 1-1.5 qt. You will
also need some sort of oven pan but nothing special just a simple
ceramic or corning ware oven pan will do and you can get them all the
time at thrift stores for next to nothing. Once you have these pots
and pans you are fairly well set, sure sometime a few others here and
there would be really nice but you should be able to accomplish just
about anything you want with these.</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
I
don’t have too much more to say about picking out your pots and
pans other than to stress AVOID NON-STICK AT ALL COSTS!!! Go with
stainless steel or cast iron or even glass/ceramic over non-stick any
day because I’ve yet to find the food mess that soaking in hot
water for a half hour wont solve with the exception of burnt rice and
that will destroy your non-stick pots as well.</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
You
will of course want to finish out your collection of tools with some
of the standard fare such as spatulas, cooking spoons, cutting boards
etc... but all that should be fairly easy to come by at a fairly
inexpensive price (once again thrift and second hand stores
hint,...hint,...)</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Bleeding
Teddy – The Bachelor Gourmet</div>Bleedingteddyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13901268988662102861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-616329169132260766.post-20022886962252000452012-05-23T17:58:00.001-07:002012-05-24T12:02:09.178-07:00The Perfect 15 minute Steak...Indoors!<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>The Perfect 15
minute Steak...Indoors!</b></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Contained
within the culinary diversions of the bachelor few food are as highly
prized as the steak. Now although a perfectly grilled steak is often
considered about as close to the divine as can be found on the earth
that is an option available to many during only short periods of the
year where outdoor grilling is reasonably feasible. That is where I
step in with the admitted inspiration coming from celebrity chef
Anthony Bourdain.</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
First
off a little history on how I came up with this recipe. A while back
I was watching a lot of Top Chef (one might say I was becoming a bit
of an addict) which is where I first became aware of Anthony Bourdain
and while I was web surfing for more crap about the show I
encountered a steak recipe that he used to use in his restaurant.
Although I rarely cook from a recipe I decided to make an exception
in this case as just reading the recipe was making my mouth water but
low and behold his recipe called for cognac something which I
miraculously didn't have on hand so to the rescue came some very nice
blended aged scotch.
</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
It
was amazing one of the best steaks I had ever had definitely better
than any I had ever had in any restaurant save one or 2 maybe but at
the same time I knew I could improve on this. So over the next few
weeks I tirelessly tested new tweaks using different varieties of
steak, alcohol, seasonings and other additives and here is the final
result...</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>Whiskey sauce seared
butter steak</b></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Dishes
Dirtied- 1 Frying Pan, 1 Kitchen Knife, 1 Cutting Board, 1 Spatula, 1
Oven Pan</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Ingredients</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
1-
12 to 14 oz Bone in Strip loin Steak</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
2-
Ounces of Bourbon</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
1/8-
Cup of Butter</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
2
Cloves of Garlic</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
4-
Ounces of Mushrooms</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
1-
Bundle of Green Onions</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Salt
and Pepper to your taste</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
First
thing to do is get the prep work out of the way so we take the
mushrooms and onions and slice them up keeping them separate then
finely chop the garlic. While you are doing this prep preheat your
oven to 350F and put the pan on to get hot at a medium/high
temperature (around 7 on most stoves). Once this is done you are
ready to begin cooking.</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Now
we go over to the frying pan and place in our butter, while it is
melting we take a sprinkle of salt and pepper and put them into the
butter along with the garlic. Once the butter is completely melted
wait another 3 or 4 seconds or until the garlic begins to sizzle then
place in the steak. Sear the steak on each each side for about 3-4
minutes or until some nice browning appear then take your steak put
it into the oven pan and place it inot your preheated oven. The
steak is now basically done depending on how well you like your steak
leave it in the oven for 6-7 minutes for rare, 8-10 for medium rare,
and 10-12 for medium any more than that and you are just cooking the
steak to death.</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
With
the steak in the oven we go back to the frying pan and put in our
mushrooms and then carefully pouring in the whiskey (be very careful
as you are pouring alcohol to a hot pan so as to avoid flare ups).
We now just saute the mushrooms until they are about done and the
liquid in the pan has started to reduce. Just before the mushrooms
are done add your green onions to the frying pan as well.</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Now
that the mushrooms and onions are done and the steak is out of the
oven garnish the steak with the mushrooms and serve with the potato
or salad side dish of your choice. If you are anything like me you
will find yourself in culinary bliss.
</div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
There
are few really fun ways to play with this recipe as well. If you add
a dry rub of chillies to the steak before cooking and replace the
bourbon with 1-1/2 oz of Tequila and ½ oz of Lime juice and you have
a lovely Margarita steak. Also using Sherry with a touch of cream
instead of the Bourbon is fantastic as well and tastes very french.</div>
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<br /></div>
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As
a final note I will add a few pointers on picking out the right steak
as not all steaks are created equal.<br />
</div>
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</div>
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The
first thing to look for and that which most people already know about
is Marbling. Marbling quite simply is the fine lines of fatty tissue
inside the muscle (meaty) tissue of the steak. What you are looking
for here is thin veins of fat that are somewhat common and dispersed
evenly throughout the steak.
</div>
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<br /></div>
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Second
is the grain of the meat. The grain should be reasonably fine while
still having texture. A grain that is too fine will lead to a
texture less steak and a grain that is too coarse will lead to a
steak that is too tough.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Finally
and this should go without saying if the option is available to you
get your meat directly from a farmer or from a farmers market. A
local farmer (non factory farm) is going to treat their meat and
prepare their meat the way they would want done for themselves thus
you usually get meat that is better bred, raised, slaughtered, aged,
and butchered. If getting directly from a farmer isn't an option
then maybe a traditional style butcher is available in your area and
they are a great second option.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Simply
a well chosen and cooked steak truly is the king of all meat dishes
and is something that should be in the cooking repertoire of any self
loving bachelor so enjoy and until next time keep your food close and
your liquor even closer.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Bleeding
Teddy – The Bachelor Gourmet</div>Bleedingteddyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13901268988662102861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-616329169132260766.post-84350019568972182162012-05-22T10:14:00.002-07:002012-05-22T18:22:23.475-07:00Introductions and the basic burger<b>The Bachelor Gourmet...</b><br />
<br />
First off what is Bachelor Gourmet? Well simply it is food that goes beyond your simple reheated spaghetti, Kraft dinner or a microwave TV dinner while taking a minimum of preparation time and dirtying a minimum number of dishes. Some call them one dish wonders but regardless of what you call them it simply comes down to the fact that lazy people want to eat well too.<br />
<br />
In different posts on this blog I will go into such subjects as ingredient quality, food handling, food storage, eating out, flavour experimentation, and calorie counting/low calorie cooking but I will begin with a post on what I believe to be one of the easiest ways to elevate one of the most basic and common dishes to a true culinary experience. The basic Burger.<br />
<br />
Traditionally the basic burger is a fatty slab of ground beef smothered in processed cheese, sickly sweet and 'tangy' sauces, lettuce, and tomato, slapped between to halves of a cheap white bread bun, not necessarily a bad meal but definitely not fitting of calling itself anything even close to gourmet. Now while ingredient selection can do some to help this such as going with local free range or organic beef (I always think you should buy locally grown/produced food whenever possible) and using real cheese rather than processed crap it still comes a way from being considered gourmet. So without further ado, here is the recipe.<br />
<br />
<b>Lumberjack Burger Provincial</b><br />
<br />
Prep Time- 15 minutes, Dishes Dirtied- 1 frying pan, 1 spatula, & 1 plate<br />
<br />
Ingredients<br />
1/3 lb. Lean Ground Sirloin<br />
1 Egg<br />
1-1/2 Strips of Bacon<br />
3-4 Slices of Brie<br />
Worcestershire Sauce<br />
<br />
First preheat your frying pan to a high medium temperature (about 6 on most stoves) you then take the bacon and cook it in your frying pan until it has achieved the desired level of crispiness. While the bacon is cooking form your burger patty from the beef and once the bacon is done remove it from the pan and place it on paper towel to drip.<br />
<br />
You now begin cooking the burger by placing it in the pan you cooked the bacon in without changing the temperature. Cook for about 2 minutes on the first side and when you flip it put a few drops of the Worcestershire sauce. The second side you cook for about 4 minutes then flip again. Now you place the Brie and the Bacon on the burger and cover for about 2 minutes. The burger is now done take it and put it on your plate but there is one final step so don't eat it yet.<br />
<br />
Now keeping the frying pan at the same heat we fry our egg sunny side up or over easy/hard if you prefer. I recommend sunny side up but the choice is yours. The simply place the egg on top of the burger serve with some chips or a salad, the beverage of your choice and enjoy.<br />
<br />
You will find the complexity of all the flavours mingling when you break into the yolk and in runs over everything absolutely delicious and at the end of everything you only have the 3 dishes to clean.<br />
<br />
Just a couple notes on this recipe. First off if you are using grocery store or frozen ground meat you will have to cook your burger for about 2-3 minutes more per a side to insure it is totally cooked through as it tends to be not as safe as locally grown and acquired beef is. Second if you wish you can swap out just about any variety of cheese you want for the brie although I would generally recommend either a very rich cheese like brie or a very flavourful cheese like very old cheddar or swiss.<br />
<br />
Well I hope you've enjoyed this little introduction and please check back from time to time to see what new recipes I've been able to conjure from the recesses of my mind. Also please do not hesitate in the slightest to give me your feedback on what you think of this blog on your ideas of how I might improve it.<br />
<br />
Bleeding Teddy – The Bachelor GourmetBleedingteddyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13901268988662102861noreply@blogger.com0