Sunday, November 09, 2008

Stuffed Bell Peppers

"Americana Beef Peppers"
[American/Mexican]

Time to Cook: 30-45 minutes
Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:
*4 Green or red bell peppers
*Extra-virgin olive oil - 5 Tbsp
*1 Medium yellow - peeled and chopped
*1 Clove of garlic - peeled and chopped
*Lean ground beef - 1 lb.
*Rice - 1 1/2 cup of cooked rice or 3/4 cup of raw instant rice
*Tomatoes, fresh or canned - 1 cup
*Oregano - 1 tbsp chopped fresh or 1 tsp of dried oregano
*Fresh ground pepper
*Salt
*Ketchup - 1/2 cup
*Worcestershire Sauce - 1/2 tsp
*Tabasco sauce - 1 tsp.

Cooking:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Meanwhile, cut top off peppers 1 inch from the stem end, and remove seeds. Add several generous pinches of salt to boiling water, then add peppers and boil, using a spoon to keep peppers completely submerged, until brilliant green (or red if red peppers) and their flesh slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Drain, set aside to cool.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Heat 4 tbsp of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic, and cook, stirring often, until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove skillet from heat, add meat, rice, tomatoes, and oregano, and season generously with salt and pepper. Mix well.

Drizzle remaining 1 tbsp. Oil inside peppers, arrange cut side up in a baking dish, then stuff peppers with filling. Combine ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, and 1/4 cup of water in a small bowl, then spoon over filling. Add 1/4 cup of water to the baking dish. Place in oven and bake for 40-50 minutes (or longer, depending on how big the peppers are that you are stuffing), until the internal temperature of the stuffed pepper is 150-160°F.
(Pictured Version is w/o tomatoes)

Preferred With What?:
Drink: Goya Soda
Music: Latin Simone by Gorillaz

Friday, November 07, 2008

Spicy Shrimp Noodles

"Cantonese Noodles over Mexican Peppers"
[Chinese/Mexican]

Time to Cook: 20-25 minutes
Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:
*Chinese egg noodles - 12 oz.
*Vegetable stock - 2 1/2 cups
*Sunflower Oil - 1 tbsp.
*Green Pepper - 1 cut quarter
*1 Garlic Clove - peeled and finely chopped
*2 Jalapenos - deseeded and finely chopped
*Sesame sees- 2 tbsp.
*Dark Soy Sauce - 3 tbsp.
*Sesame Oil - 2 tbsp.
*
Shrimp - 6 oz. cooked

Cooking:
Pour the vegetable stock into a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the egg noodles, stir once, then cook according to the package instructions, usually about 3 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the sunflower oil in a small skillet. Add the chopped garlic and peppers and cook gently for a few seconds. Add the sesame seeds and cook, stirring continuously for 1 minute, or until golden.

Add the soy sauce, sesame oil, and a shrimp to the skillet. Continue cooking for a few seconds, until the mixture is just starting to bubble, then remove immediately from the heat.

Drain the noodles thoroughly and return to the pan. Add the shrimp, along with the dressing mixture, and season to taste with black pepper. Toss gently to coat the noodles with the hot dressing.

Tip into a warmed serving bowl or spoon on to individual plates and serve immediately garnished with sprigs or fresh cilantro.

Preferred With What?:
Drink: Anything
Music: Vein Meter by Herbie Hancock


Tuesday, November 04, 2008

Wheat Soba Noodles with Tuna

"Pacific Salt Over Southeast Asia"
[Japanese/Thai]

Time to Cook: 15 minutes
Serves: 2 (3 with appetizer-sized portions)

Ingredients:
*Wheat Soba Noodles - 2 oz. (Explore Asian brand works best)
*Fresh Tuna - 6-7 oz.
*Green Pepper - 1 cut quarter
*White Onion - Half
*Minced Garlic - 1/3 tsp.
*Olive Oil - 2 tbsp.
*Large Brown Eggs - 2 (Organic eggs tend to have more to them and almost always bigger)
*Tuong Ot Sriracha Sauce (Optional)

Preparing:
Cut the onion and green pepper into small cubes and put aside. Cut the tuna with a sharp, straight knife (that is not serrated) into several fat slices. And have your eggs out and ready.
*Quick Note: This is easiest if you have a toaster oven that can broil.*

Cooking:
Bring 8 cups of water to boil, then add noodles and stir occasionally. While the noodles are cooking have a skillet warming up at medium heat, use cooking spray or a very sparse amount of canola oil to coat the surface then put in the slices of the tuna. If your brave and you trust where you get your fish from only let the top and bottom of the tuna slices cook then take them out.
While the skillet is still hot put in the onion, green pepper and minced garlic. While the vegetables are sauteing put your tuna slices into a toaster oven on a bed of aluminum foil and set it to broil.
Continually check your noodles, it usually only takes 6-8 minutes for them to cook all the way through.
Add the olive oil to skillet and mix the green peppers and onion around in it. Let it cook for 1 minute then add the eggs. Increase the heat to medium-high and immediately stir the eggs in with the vegetables. Turn the heat off for the tuna and let it sit in the toaster oven while everything else finishes. If you were brave before it should still have a little bit of pink remaining in the center.
When the noodles are done strain them, then add them in a lump on the skillet with the eggs and vegetables. Then take the tuna out and serve around the noodles and enjoy.

Preferred With What?:
Drink: White wine or hot Green or Black tea
Music: La Mamma Morta (Opera) song by Maria Callas, composed by Umberto Giordano





Introduction

First I'd like to put out there that I know that there's probably millions of food blogs online, if not more. The idea of creating this blog came up after I spoke with a good friend who had become addicted to food blogs in the summer of '08. What I'm putting together is a specifically-designed blog targeted at a wide audience using a number of different countries' foods as a backdrop to these posts.
Most importantly it isn't food I go out and buy at a restaurant. Instead this blog is for the meals I've created, whether they are original recipes or not. I may be making a new dish or changing or (in my mind) improving on older, traditional meals. Or I may just write about an easy way to make a seemingly difficult meal.
With these things said, I hope that everyone takes something from what I've made or tried to make in the hope of spreading the wonder of cooking in your own kitchen. And I hope to have followers and other people helping me cook soon as well.

It's all about experimenting.