crab sans bibs & butter

hooray! crab! nice! by the end of this one, you'll have juice all over your hands and be the happiest little boy in the world.

This is like a Vietnamese crab thing. asia cooking rips as it's so easy, quick, and simple. just put it all together for a few minutes and it's done.

get some asian noodles as well, since they're good to soak up the juices.

1 Dungeness crab, parcooked and cleaned, claws removed, body cut in pieces
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 3-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and cut into slivers
1 shallot, minced
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
3 tbsp. rice cooking wine (shao hsing) or dry sherry
2 scallions, cut into 2-inch lengths
A good handful of fresh cilantro leaves

Preparation:

Clean the crab. If you don't know how, look online. It's easy. Messy, but no messier than cleaning a fish.

Heat the oil in a wok. Add the garlic, ginger and shallot and stir-fry until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add the salt, sugar, soy sauce, black pepper, and crab and stir-fry until the crab is evenly coated and the meat is opaque. Add the wine and scallions and cook for 3 minutes. Transfer the crab to a bowl, garnish with the cilantro and serve with hot cooked Asian flour-based noodles.

ravioli of eggplant and goat cheese, with a tomato cream sauce

This recipe is stolen, but they pretty much all are. Does anyone care? Probably not.

If you're not feeling dedicated enough to make the ravioli from scratch, just make the sauce and put it on regular store bought pasta. It's rich and creamy and fulfilling and really fuckin' good.

For the filling:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large eggplant, peeled and cut into 1/3-inch dice
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup minced shallots
1 tablespoon minced garlic
8 ounces mild soft Napa Valley goat cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup finely grated Parmigianno-Reggiano, plus more for serving, optional
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
1 pound fresh thinly rolled out pasta sheets, or 1 package wonton wrappers, defrosted

For the sauce:

2 tablespoons olive oil
2/3 cup finely chopped yellow onions
2 teaspoons minced garlic
3 cups peeled, chopped, and seeded tomatoes
1 sprig thyme
Kosher Salt
Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons chicken or vegetable broth
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Sprigs of fresh basil, for garnishing
Lightly toasted pine nuts, for garnishing, optional
For the filling:

Directions

In a large skillet or saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. When hot, add the eggplant and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until the eggplant is tender and lightly golden, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the shallots and garlic and cook until the shallots are soft, about 2 minutes longer. Transfer the eggplant mixture to a mixing bowl and set aside to cool before proceeding.

When the eggplant has cooled, add the goat cheese, Parmigiano Reggiano, chopped basil, minced chives, and toss gently but thoroughly to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Cut the pasta sheets into 4-inch squares. Place mounds of the eggplant mixture, about 2 tablespoons each, in the center of each square, then brush the edges with water. Top each square with another square of pasta, easing the sides over the mound of filling and trying to seal the filling with as little air as possible. Using a sharp knife or a rolling fluted pasta cutter, trim the ravioli so that the edges are even and, using a fork, press the edges to adhere firmly. Transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets and repeat with the remaining pasta and filling. (You should be able to make 18 to 20 ravioli using 2 tablespoons filling for each. If you opt to use wonton wrappers, your yield may vary.) Set aside, covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated, while you make the sauce. (Alternately, the ravioli may be made in advance and frozen for about 2 months until ready to use. Defrost before proceeding.)

For the sauce:

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and thyme. Season with salt and crushed red pepper, and cook until the tomatoes give up their liquid, about 5 minutes, stirring from time to time. Add the chicken broth and tomato paste, bring to a boil, and cook until reduced by 1/3 in volume. Add the cream and cook until reduced by 1/3 in volume, or until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Add the butter and basil and stir to combine. Remove the thyme sprigs. With an immersion blender, puree the sauce. (Alternatively, the sauce may be pureed, in batches, in a blender - be careful if the sauce is hot as it may splatter.) Taste and adjust the seasoning and consistency if necessary. Return to the saucepan and keep warm while you cook the ravioli.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the ravioli, in batches, until they float, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove using a slotted spoon and transfer to shallow serving bowls. Serve the sauce ladled over the cooked ravioli and garnish with fresh basil sprigs, pine nuts, and more Parmigiano-Reggiano if desired..

chili con carne (y cerveza)

Everyone likes their own flavor (of chili), so twist and stray from this as much as you'd like. Just do it... it's so easy and so good.

1. In your biggest pot, put some oil over a medium heat. Then add a chopped onion and a chopped bell pepper. Cook until the vegi's are soft but not brown.

2. Add like a half pound of ground meat, like turkey or beef. Start to brown that.

3. While that's going, add salt, pepper, like 2 tbs of cumin, like 2 tbs of chili powder, some herbs like oregano or thyme, and whatever else. Think mexican flavors. Stir well and break up all the meat.

4. When that meat is brown, dump in a full bottle of beer. 1st choice: something dark. 2nd: something mexican. 3rd: Coors. Reduce that until all the liquid is pretty much gone.

5. Add a can of drained chopped tomatoes. Or, a can of drained whole tomatoes, crushing the tomatoes with your bare hands as you go. The texture is way better that way. Also add like 3 cups of chicken broth. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and let it go for 20 minutes while you drink a beer.

6. Then, add a few cans of beans. Dig on 2 cans of black beans, but sub in kidney, white, navy. Let that go for at least 30 minutes, or more. Just let it simmer while you relax.

7. Serve with grated cheese, sliced radishes, and/or sour cream mixed with ground cumin.

I like food, food taste good!

I like food, food tastes good!
I like food, food tastes good!
Juicy burgers, greasy fries,
Turkey legs and raw fish eyes
Teenage girls, with ketchup too!
Get out of my way, or I'll eat you
I like food, food tastes good!
I like food, food tastes good!
I'm going to turn dining
back into eating
I like food, food tastes good!
I like food, food tastes good!
—Descendents

eggs, flour, practice

Make Pasta. it's easy, and once you get the hang of it you'll be doing it every week. maybe sundays.

it's really more technique than recipe. so all you need are eggs, flour, a pasta machine and some practice. so get to it.

recipe to follow.

Them Wangs

Throw your other wings out the f-in door. These are dry rubbed, then baked, then grilled.

First make bleu cheese for dipping:

1 cup bleu
1.5 cups mayo
6 tbs white wine vinegar
2 tbs sugar
.25 cups crea
Chives

Blend that. If you can, let it sit for a few days so it gets good.


- Get like 4 pounds of wings, wash them in water, and pat them dry with a towel. Throw towel away.
- Rub them wings with dry season of lots of chile powder and not so much of paprika, brown sugar, cayene, garlic salt, old bay, pepper, salt. Just toss them in a bowl with all this.

- in a baking dish (you need 2 minimum), rub it with a stick of butter to lube it up, and put 1/2 cup water each pan. Add dry rubbed wings to the pan.
- Bake those for 45 minutes at 350, covered with tin foil

- while that's going, make hot sauce in a sauce pan on the stove. Over a simmer, mix Store bought Franks, four tbs butter, scallion, and chives

- while that's simmering, also put 1 cup water, a grated jalepeno, garlic, thyme on a simmer

- Pull the wings out of the oven, and throw them on the grill for a few and char them a bit. While charring, baste them in the jalepeno liquid. Spicy!

- After charring, toss the wings in the buttery Franks. Done! Messy! Epic!

tool talk

do work with these babys. http://www.rachev.info/

onion soup, the french kind

not sure why the french get this fucking delicious soup with their name out front. maybe because, like the french, it smells bad. it's damn good though... it's got a certain, Je ne sais pas.

disclaimer: i do not make soups (unless they have both beer and meat as principal ingredients) or desserts (unless they have liquor as a principal ingredient).

melt 1/3 stick of butter in a big soup pot or freaky deaky dutch oven.

add 2 C onions, 2 cloves garlic, a bay leaf, a few springs of thyme- cook on medium for about 20-25 min.

add ½ C red wine, scrape all the good stuff off the bottom of the pot and into the mix. cook until unions are almost dry. add a big spoonful of flour and cook for 5 more minutes- until the flour taste is gone, but before the flour burns. what you just made with the flour--it's called a rue. it makes it thick.

add in a quart of chicken stock , stir, simmer until you feel hungry.

spoon into two bowls that are safe to put in the oven. cover with crouton and gruyere. broil until cheese starts to turn brown. the more brown, the more better. gimme my fuckin' sooooop!

tools - part 1

Most tools for the kitchen are bullshit. a waste of money. space. brain power remembering how they work.

some are not. with 10 tools, you can do damn near everything. here's the first three.1. 8" chefs knife. $100. keep it sharp.

2. mortar and pestle. $30. grind garlic, herbs, and pepper like the injuns usta.

3. tongs. $3. don't buy the expensive ones. use them to stir, flip, grab, split, poke, lift, and serve.

brussel sprout hash

• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter, divided
• 1/2 pound shallots, thinly sliced
• Coarse kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 4 teaspoons sugar
• 1 1/2 pounds brussels sprouts, trimmed
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup water

Melt 3 tablespoons butter in medium skillet over medium heat. Add shallots; sprinkle with coarse kosher salt and pepper. Sauté until soft and golden, about 10 minutes. Add vinegar and sugar. Stir until brown and glazed, about 3 minutes.

Halve brussels sprouts lengthwise. Cut lengthwise into thin (1/8-inch) slices. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sprouts; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté until brown at edges, 6 minutes. Add 1 cup water and 3 tablespoons butter. Sauté until most of water evaporates and sprouts are tender but still bright green, 3 minutes. Add shallots; season with salt and pepper.

thanks mom.

its not always fancy

nachos: Put good stuff on a plate plus chips, put in the oven, and put more stuff on after. eat.

better nachos: potato chips, goat cheese, bleu cheese, chives, grilled chicken or shrimp, bbq sauce, sour cream, chives. eat better.