Mark here... I originally saw this recipe on an episode of Food Network's show Party Line with the Hearty Boys. After watching the Mad Men episode where Betty Draper orders it, I thought it would be appropriate. Laurel doesn't eat shellfish (though I think some day I may be able to get her to try scallops) so I tried to find a firmer fish to substitute. In this case I used Sea Bass and Halibut. I also made more than enough and was able to give leftovers to friends.
Ingredients:
2 1/2 lbs of fish (Sea Bass and Halibut in this case)
Salt
10 Black Peppercorns
2 Bay Leaves
1 Large Shallot, chopped
4 tablespoons of flour
butter
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon curry powder
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of cayenne
2 cups milk
1/2 cup cream
tomato paste
dry sherry
parsley
asparagus
salt
pepper
olive oil
white rice
First poach the fish in boiling water with about a teaspoon of salt, the bay leaves and the peppercorns, for about 2 minutes.
In a separate pan, heat the milk, cream and add a tablespoon of tomato paste. Do not let it boil, but bring to a simmer.
In a large sauce pan, sauté the shallot in 4 tablespoons butter for a few minutes, until shallot softens but doesn't brown. Then add the flour. Let the flour cook about a minute then add the spices (paprika, curry, nutmeg and cayenne). Add 1/4 cup of the sherry, and let the alcohol cook off. Slowly add the milk and cream mixture to this. Finally, cube and add the fish.
Serve over white rice with a side of roasted asparagus (I just tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper and roasted on a sheet pan for about 15 min). Top with chopped parsley.
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Farfalle Abruzzese
This recipe was from Mario Batali. His original recipe called for ground veal. I couldn't find any and had to go with ground beef. While the result was definitely tasty, I think the veal would've been better.
Ingredients:
3 oz dried porcini mushrooms soaked in hot water to rehydrate
olive oil
5 thinly sliced garlic cloves
1 1/2 lbs ground beef (or veal)
salt
pepper
tomato paste
white wine
basic tomato sauce I used Mark Bittman, which can be found under the Eggplant Parmesan posting)
1 box farfalle
8 oz baby spimach
grated parmesan
First drain (set 1 cup of liquid aside) the mushrooms and chop them. In a large pan, add olive oil (about 2 tablespoons) and heat over medium high. Add garlic and cook a minute, then add mushrooms and the meat. Cook until browned evenly. Add salt and pepper and 2 tablespoons tomato paste, then cook another 5 minutes. Add a cup of white wine and the mushroom liquid. Cook until wine has evaporated and then simmer.
Cook the farfalle in boiling salted water, drop one ladle of the pasta water into the sauce, then add the spinach to the sauce. Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce, tossing it through. At this point I added some grated parmesan and let it melt through and then added sprinkled some more on each of our plates after serving.
Ingredients:
3 oz dried porcini mushrooms soaked in hot water to rehydrate
olive oil
5 thinly sliced garlic cloves
1 1/2 lbs ground beef (or veal)
salt
pepper
tomato paste
white wine
basic tomato sauce I used Mark Bittman, which can be found under the Eggplant Parmesan posting)
1 box farfalle
8 oz baby spimach
grated parmesan
First drain (set 1 cup of liquid aside) the mushrooms and chop them. In a large pan, add olive oil (about 2 tablespoons) and heat over medium high. Add garlic and cook a minute, then add mushrooms and the meat. Cook until browned evenly. Add salt and pepper and 2 tablespoons tomato paste, then cook another 5 minutes. Add a cup of white wine and the mushroom liquid. Cook until wine has evaporated and then simmer.
Cook the farfalle in boiling salted water, drop one ladle of the pasta water into the sauce, then add the spinach to the sauce. Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce, tossing it through. At this point I added some grated parmesan and let it melt through and then added sprinkled some more on each of our plates after serving.
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Baked Stuffed Potatoes
Mark here...this recipe was my contribution to the Mad Men pilot night...I believe I may have re-appropriated a Tyler Florence recipe
Ingredients:
2 Baking Potatoes
White Truffle Oil
Sea Salt
Pepper
Bacon
Chopped Broccoli
Butter
Flour
Milk
Grated Cheddar
Chives
Preheat the oven to 400. Coat the 2 potatoes with the oil, salt and pepper and bake for about an hour.
While the potatoes are baking, chop the bacon and fry in a frying pan. Blanch the broccoli in boiling salted water for about a minute or two.
To make the filling, melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large sauce pan. Add 1 tablespoon of flour and cook another minute. Add about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the milk slowly. Then add about 1/4 cup of grated cheddar. Add the bacon, broccoli and chives.
At this point, when the potatoes are done, I just cut them in half, scooped out some filling and mixed it with the sauce. Then I re-filled the potatoes, topped with some more cheddar and baked a couple more minutes.
Ingredients:
2 Baking Potatoes
White Truffle Oil
Sea Salt
Pepper
Bacon
Chopped Broccoli
Butter
Flour
Milk
Grated Cheddar
Chives
Preheat the oven to 400. Coat the 2 potatoes with the oil, salt and pepper and bake for about an hour.
While the potatoes are baking, chop the bacon and fry in a frying pan. Blanch the broccoli in boiling salted water for about a minute or two.
To make the filling, melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large sauce pan. Add 1 tablespoon of flour and cook another minute. Add about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the milk slowly. Then add about 1/4 cup of grated cheddar. Add the bacon, broccoli and chives.
At this point, when the potatoes are done, I just cut them in half, scooped out some filling and mixed it with the sauce. Then I re-filled the potatoes, topped with some more cheddar and baked a couple more minutes.
Demi-Glace / Foyot
This recipe is from way back when we watched the Buffy Season finale, "Prophecy Girl". I won't repeat the recipes for steak or fries. The Bearnaise recipe is also already posted, the difference with the Foyot Sauce is that I added about a tablespoon and a half of demi-glace.
This recipe uses Anthony Bourdain's recipe as a base, though I was nowhere near as exact as he is about it...:)
Ingredients:
Bones (I had beef/steak bones)
Tomato Paste
Flour
Peeled, roughly chopped onions
Peeled, roughly chopped carrots
Peeled, roughly chopped celery
2 bay leaves
peppercorns
fresh thyme
Bourbon
Peeled, chopped red onion
First preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. On a baking sheet toss the bones with about a tablespoon or so of tomato paste (depending on how many bones) and same amount of flour (just dust the bones). Roast the bones to a brown color.
On a separate baking sheet, add peeled onions, carrots and celery. The Bourdain recipe says to add about half as many onions as you have bones. I certainly didn't do that. I probably had equal as many onions, only a couple carrots and a quarter celery. Be careful about adding salt and pepper. I may have added a little but remember this will reduce.
When everything has roasted and is carmelized/browned. Dump into a large pot, top with water, add 2 bay leaves, a bunch of fresh thyme and some peppercorns. Simmer for several hours. When done, you'll have made stock.
This is where I deviated from the Bourdain recipe. In another stockpot, I added some Bourbon and chopped red onion, then added all the stock and reduced. It takes a while and you only get a little demi-glace in the end, but I only use a little each time. Again, for the Foyot Sauce, I only added about a tablespoon and a half. The rest can then be frozen.
This recipe uses Anthony Bourdain's recipe as a base, though I was nowhere near as exact as he is about it...:)
Ingredients:
Bones (I had beef/steak bones)
Tomato Paste
Flour
Peeled, roughly chopped onions
Peeled, roughly chopped carrots
Peeled, roughly chopped celery
2 bay leaves
peppercorns
fresh thyme
Bourbon
Peeled, chopped red onion
First preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. On a baking sheet toss the bones with about a tablespoon or so of tomato paste (depending on how many bones) and same amount of flour (just dust the bones). Roast the bones to a brown color.
On a separate baking sheet, add peeled onions, carrots and celery. The Bourdain recipe says to add about half as many onions as you have bones. I certainly didn't do that. I probably had equal as many onions, only a couple carrots and a quarter celery. Be careful about adding salt and pepper. I may have added a little but remember this will reduce.
When everything has roasted and is carmelized/browned. Dump into a large pot, top with water, add 2 bay leaves, a bunch of fresh thyme and some peppercorns. Simmer for several hours. When done, you'll have made stock.
This is where I deviated from the Bourdain recipe. In another stockpot, I added some Bourbon and chopped red onion, then added all the stock and reduced. It takes a while and you only get a little demi-glace in the end, but I only use a little each time. Again, for the Foyot Sauce, I only added about a tablespoon and a half. The rest can then be frozen.
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Little Girl I Want to Marry You
Mark here... We're on to the next episode, "Little Girl I want to Marry You". This was another really good episode with lots of character development. Laurel and I discussed how the show is so good with conveying even subtle points. One plot line here is Tyra trying to get her mom to stop being dependent on men and get herself a job. As it turns out there's a position at Buddy Garrity's for a receptionist. Tyra convinces Buddy (with Tim Riggins help) to give her mom an interview. On the way to the interview they have a flat tire and the mom can barely handle fixing a tire. Tyra has to convince her mom that they can change a tire without a man and the mom is barely willing to even try. When they finally arrive, it's after the big game and Tyra goes up to tell Buddy his mom is here. Buddy tells her he filled the position, but once he sees Tyra's mom he conveniently forgets this and hires her. With just a look Tyra conveys that she knows whats going on. We've seen the good and bad in Buddy but we can't help thinking the mom got the job because of her looks. When the mom tells Tyra she got the job, Tyra asks how her mom did with the typing test (it was supposed to be 50 words per minute) and what the salary was. Her mom responds it never came up. Tyra at first questions this while the mom is oblivious. You can see Tyra choose to just let it go...one battle at a time!
Separately Matt Saracen's dad has to go back to Iraq. Unfortunately he has to leave before the big game. It's the right decision for all, but it's too bad the dad can't express any emotion. Even leaving, Matt hugs him goodbye and he can barely manage a hug in response.
There's also a subplot of the Taylors going to dinner at the Mayor's house. The town mayor is a tough salty older woman, who apparently has a female partner the town is unaware of. Laurel and I talked about how the town doesn't see that the mayor is a lesbian. I think the town just sees what they want to see. Also the fact that the mayor is an older women means that (unfortunately), the town just doesn't see her as a sexual being, so it's easier to just see her as a single older woman. In any case, she wants Tami Taylor to be a part of her re-election campaign. I can't help but thinking trouble is ahead, this being a small town in Texas. The coach is clearly uncomfortable and thinks the mayor just wants the coach's wife on her campaign (probably true). But Tami's response is classic, "Get Over It". She knows this may be true but she sees potential for what she could get done.
Also, Smash's steroid use is finally discovered by his mother. It sorts itself in a not so dramatic way though. Eventually Coach and his mom forgive him and it seems like all are willing to brush it under the rug, provided Smash agrees to private drug testing. It's a bit anticlimactic to be honest, but Smash is an interesting character so its good he didn't get kicked off the team.
Hi Laurel here..I just wanted to add in the Smash situation what a tough position both the coach and Smash's mom are in...The mom immediately ran to the coach to chew him out when she found the steroids because she couldn't even imagine that her son would have done this on his own. This put coach in the terrible position of reporting this like he should and ruining Smash's football career, or keeping it to himself and sticking his neck WAY out in the process. We'll see what happens but it's not a good situation for anyone. It just goes to show how much pressure these kids are under, and that they don't see any other path besides being successful in football whatever the cost.
Also I think it's so awesome that the show is exploring a lesbian character. The whole town is obviously totally in denial about the Mayor's sexuality and it would be super easy for the show to not address this but I think it's a real credit to the writers that they are making this an issue, even if it doesn't go anywhere. At this point it remains to be seen...
Also Mark and me talked a bit about Tyra and her mom. I think their whole family (mom, Tyra, and sister) are stuck in a situation that they all decide to handle in different ways. They are all super hot, and of course they all want to use their feminine wiles to their advantage...The mom in just oblivious that men are trying to take advantage of her, the sister is fully aware and just goes with it, but Tyra is trying to walk the line somewhere between the 2. She is too smart to ignore her feminine powers completely but also knows she is much more than that and she shouldn't put herself in a position to be disrespected. I see both sides it's tough to know where to draw the line with that stuff. We'll see what happens...
What To Do While You're waiting
Hi Laurel here...pretty good episode! Lot's of character development which me and Mark both like. First of all Julie really gets to see some of what Matt is going through. He stands her up for a date at he library so she comes over to his house to give him a piece of her mind. Instead she finds his house in total turmoil! He is in the middle of chaotic cleaning, making dinner, and dealing with his grandma. It gives her a little perspective and comes home to tell her parents how much she loves them and they are the best parents in the world! I'm glad she got to understand Matt a little better and understand that she has it really good in comparison. On the plus side Matt's dad decides to own up to his responsibilities and stay and help out with grandma, on the minus side it becomes obvious that he is totally miserable and it wont be good for any of them if he stays. But at least he tried, and everyone including Matt gets to see that the next best thing is for them to keep doing what they have been doing and try to make it work. Matt's dad will go back to Iraq and Matt will keep taking care of his grandma.
The second big thing this episode is Jason finds out he is suing Coach Taylor because he reads it in the paper at the local market. I'll let Mark tell you more about this because he seems to have a more balanced perspective than I do.
We also learn a little more about Tyra's situation. Her mom has a terrible boyfriend. They get into a huge fight and the guy ends up hitting Tyra's mom in front of her. Tyra is so awesome! She grabs a fireplace poker and goes after the guy, chasing him out of the house. Her mom is obviously sort of weak willed and one of these women who always has to have a boyfriend, whatever the cost. When he finds them at the rodeo and begs Tyra's mom to take her back the mom at first seems like she is going to take him back, but Tyra wont have it and tells the mom she will move out if the mom let's him move back in. She is literally packing her bags when the mom comes in and tells her she would never choose a man over her daughter. I don't have a lot of faith in their situation, I still think the mom is weak and may continue to make bad decisions but at least Tyra got through to her mom on this one.
Mark here...I agree with what Laurel said about Tyra. Its nice to see a bit of character development with her. We see why she's a bit of the town bad girl and why she's sort of used dating men as an excuse. We also see why she's drawn to town bad boy Tim Riggins. But when Tim tries to get back together she turns him down, determined not to fall into a destructive pattern. I don't feel like this is the end for them, but it's nice to see Tyra stand up for herself and say, no you can't just get back with me because Lyla is back with Jason.
Onto Jason...I agree with Laurel that the lawsuit is bad. However I sympathize with the parents. They are looking at crazy bills and clearly a lawyer has told them they can get more money. Faced with an uncertain future for their son, I can't really say I don't understand their decision. They decide to sue the school, against Jason's wishes. But they really aren't seeing other options. They live in Texas, where state help is minimal at best. Sure the town says they'll help them out, but Jason is facing years and months of rehabilitation. Can they be sure the town won't forget them when next season rolls around?
One more thing...the part with Matt Saracen and his dad...there's really no win here. Matt could get sent away to Oklahoma, his dad could stay and try to work in Dillon (his future as a car salesman was not looking bright), or dad returns to being a soldier. They chose the latter but I think Laurel's right in that Matt needed to see his dad trying to make it work to realize it wasn't going to. Soon Matt will be off to college and the grandmother will need to go to into some sort of assisted situation sooner or later. Meanwhile the dad will have given up the only career he was good at to live in Dillon. The best part of this storyline was after Julie sees Matt's life (as Laurel describes above), she goes home and declares to her parents, "I love you guys so much and you're the best parents and the world!" On hearing this Coach Taylor smiles and goes back to his football game...Tami Taylor's reaction is priceless! She turns to Coach and goes "No!" as in, no your daughter didn't just come home to say this because something good has happened. The two of them both get up to talk to Julie then, but Tami's reaction is amazing (as is Coach's).
Another plot line was we see a bit of Smash trying to make it work with the preacher's daughter. We're left not sure of their future. Smash is very into himself but seems willing to work on this relationship. She does seem into Smash, but she's still in the dark about his steroid use...
The second big thing this episode is Jason finds out he is suing Coach Taylor because he reads it in the paper at the local market. I'll let Mark tell you more about this because he seems to have a more balanced perspective than I do.
We also learn a little more about Tyra's situation. Her mom has a terrible boyfriend. They get into a huge fight and the guy ends up hitting Tyra's mom in front of her. Tyra is so awesome! She grabs a fireplace poker and goes after the guy, chasing him out of the house. Her mom is obviously sort of weak willed and one of these women who always has to have a boyfriend, whatever the cost. When he finds them at the rodeo and begs Tyra's mom to take her back the mom at first seems like she is going to take him back, but Tyra wont have it and tells the mom she will move out if the mom let's him move back in. She is literally packing her bags when the mom comes in and tells her she would never choose a man over her daughter. I don't have a lot of faith in their situation, I still think the mom is weak and may continue to make bad decisions but at least Tyra got through to her mom on this one.
Mark here...I agree with what Laurel said about Tyra. Its nice to see a bit of character development with her. We see why she's a bit of the town bad girl and why she's sort of used dating men as an excuse. We also see why she's drawn to town bad boy Tim Riggins. But when Tim tries to get back together she turns him down, determined not to fall into a destructive pattern. I don't feel like this is the end for them, but it's nice to see Tyra stand up for herself and say, no you can't just get back with me because Lyla is back with Jason.
Onto Jason...I agree with Laurel that the lawsuit is bad. However I sympathize with the parents. They are looking at crazy bills and clearly a lawyer has told them they can get more money. Faced with an uncertain future for their son, I can't really say I don't understand their decision. They decide to sue the school, against Jason's wishes. But they really aren't seeing other options. They live in Texas, where state help is minimal at best. Sure the town says they'll help them out, but Jason is facing years and months of rehabilitation. Can they be sure the town won't forget them when next season rolls around?
One more thing...the part with Matt Saracen and his dad...there's really no win here. Matt could get sent away to Oklahoma, his dad could stay and try to work in Dillon (his future as a car salesman was not looking bright), or dad returns to being a soldier. They chose the latter but I think Laurel's right in that Matt needed to see his dad trying to make it work to realize it wasn't going to. Soon Matt will be off to college and the grandmother will need to go to into some sort of assisted situation sooner or later. Meanwhile the dad will have given up the only career he was good at to live in Dillon. The best part of this storyline was after Julie sees Matt's life (as Laurel describes above), she goes home and declares to her parents, "I love you guys so much and you're the best parents and the world!" On hearing this Coach Taylor smiles and goes back to his football game...Tami Taylor's reaction is priceless! She turns to Coach and goes "No!" as in, no your daughter didn't just come home to say this because something good has happened. The two of them both get up to talk to Julie then, but Tami's reaction is amazing (as is Coach's).
Another plot line was we see a bit of Smash trying to make it work with the preacher's daughter. We're left not sure of their future. Smash is very into himself but seems willing to work on this relationship. She does seem into Smash, but she's still in the dark about his steroid use...
Nevermind
Mark here...Laurel and I are watching the next episode of Friday Night Lights. This on is called "Nevermind" and Laurel has made us some delicious BBQ pork sandwiches (using part of the leftovers from the Pot Roast dinner with some homemade BBQ sauce), Blue Cheese Coleslaw and Corn Pudding. This episode opens with Jason Street rummaging through his house to find his Nirvana CD. When he can't find it he chooses to wheel down to the record shop to purchase a new copy. WHile there he runs into Lyla and one thing leads to another. Soon the two are back at his house trying to get it on, which doesn't go so well. Apparently, he's physically not capable. The rest of the episode finds the two of them trying to work this out (and figure out if they can actually work things out between the two of them). Lyla comes across as a bit too over eager to fix things, at one point suggesting they watch a video on sex with spinal injuries. This is too much for Jason, who after talking to his friend, realizes that there is no quick fix and that it may take quite a while before he can have a healthy sex life again. For Lyla's part it seems like she may be trying to get over her guilt by "supporting" Jason, but again she comes across as a bit too eager.
There is another plot line with Matt Saracen's dad coming home for leave for 2 weeks. At first this seems like a godsend. He will come home and take care of everything. It quickly becomes clear that the dad isn't equipped to deal with what's going on at home. His mother, Matt's grandmother is suffering from alzheimers and the dad has no idea how to cope. At the same time he offers Matt little support, leading Matt to blow a football game and blow up at his dad afterwards. The impetus for this is his dad's idea of sending Matt away to live with an aunt in Oklahoma and putting the grandmother in a home. By the end of the episode, things are still unresolved.
One last plot line is that Tim Riggins has apparently been skirting by his studies by getting others to write his school reports. Tami Taylor picks up on this right away and lets him know he won't be cruising through anymore. To her credit she sees Tim is smarter than he lets on, but he's never challenged himself. He also seems to realize people expect little of him. Tami assigns Landry to work with him. At first Tim is reluctant to do anything, but as the episode goes on he starts to pull through. By the end of the episode, he thanks Landry for his help (showing up to see Landry's band, Crucifictorious, who sound as band as their name!)
Hi Laurel here..I agree with Mark on all points. I feel sort of bad for Lyla because she's a teenager and your partner having a traumatic spinal injury is a lot for anyone to deal with, but she is handling the situation all wrong. She keeps trying to fix things and this situation is just unfixable. She needs to start empathizing with Jason instead of trying to make everything OK. Everything is not OK.
Poor Matt Saracen! He thinks his Dad coming home is going to be a blessing, and he's finally going to get some help with his tough situation but the Dad is just trying to delegate all of his responsibilities so he doesn't have to deal with anything. It's really disappointing. Also Matt has really become a man while his Dad has been away but his Dad still treats him like a kid. It's really disrespectful considering what Matt has been going through.
Tami is totally right about Tim Riggins, he really hasn't been living up to his potential, and is way smarter than he or anyone else gives him credit for. Side note Tami and Eric have a fight about Tim's academics and how to proceed...they are so good at fighting! They both get heated but the whole time they are really communicating and hearing what the other has to say. It was very constructive. I wish I was so good at fighting.
There is another plot line with Matt Saracen's dad coming home for leave for 2 weeks. At first this seems like a godsend. He will come home and take care of everything. It quickly becomes clear that the dad isn't equipped to deal with what's going on at home. His mother, Matt's grandmother is suffering from alzheimers and the dad has no idea how to cope. At the same time he offers Matt little support, leading Matt to blow a football game and blow up at his dad afterwards. The impetus for this is his dad's idea of sending Matt away to live with an aunt in Oklahoma and putting the grandmother in a home. By the end of the episode, things are still unresolved.
One last plot line is that Tim Riggins has apparently been skirting by his studies by getting others to write his school reports. Tami Taylor picks up on this right away and lets him know he won't be cruising through anymore. To her credit she sees Tim is smarter than he lets on, but he's never challenged himself. He also seems to realize people expect little of him. Tami assigns Landry to work with him. At first Tim is reluctant to do anything, but as the episode goes on he starts to pull through. By the end of the episode, he thanks Landry for his help (showing up to see Landry's band, Crucifictorious, who sound as band as their name!)
Hi Laurel here..I agree with Mark on all points. I feel sort of bad for Lyla because she's a teenager and your partner having a traumatic spinal injury is a lot for anyone to deal with, but she is handling the situation all wrong. She keeps trying to fix things and this situation is just unfixable. She needs to start empathizing with Jason instead of trying to make everything OK. Everything is not OK.
Poor Matt Saracen! He thinks his Dad coming home is going to be a blessing, and he's finally going to get some help with his tough situation but the Dad is just trying to delegate all of his responsibilities so he doesn't have to deal with anything. It's really disappointing. Also Matt has really become a man while his Dad has been away but his Dad still treats him like a kid. It's really disrespectful considering what Matt has been going through.
Tami is totally right about Tim Riggins, he really hasn't been living up to his potential, and is way smarter than he or anyone else gives him credit for. Side note Tami and Eric have a fight about Tim's academics and how to proceed...they are so good at fighting! They both get heated but the whole time they are really communicating and hearing what the other has to say. It was very constructive. I wish I was so good at fighting.
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