Friday, December 26, 2008

But what to do with the plantains?

Some recipes in my usual style: What looked interesting at the market, and what existed at home. Recipes are in the past tense for a reason: This is just something done this way once; the next time, it will probably be different. What person is the same at two subsequent meals? So use your judgement following any amounts/ingredients/techniques/life choices I might make; I'm not responsible for you, you baby. Enjoy!

Wei, You're Distracting Me Garlic Chicken


Chopped many cloves of garlic,
chopped a few chicken thighs,
threw in a tablespoon of Dijon mustard
about 1.5 t <powdered wasabi
to marinate ~1hr.

Cooked in a little oil (lightish olive oil) until tender and cooked.
Served with a small amount of molasses, which turned out to be genius.

The whole time I was chopping and researching uses for chard which would be tasty, Wei wanted to chat. Kept washing the garlic or chicken from hands so I could type back... sticky keyboards aren't my steez.

Lord Bless This Bacon-y Chard

In a pot, cooked Irish Bacon over high heat with some fresh oregano from a potted plant I bought earlier today, making a nice mess of the inside of the pot.
Added many leaves of chard, cut across the stem into inch-wide strips (thinner at the stems).
Stirred over high heat, wilting thoroughly. Lots of juice produced.
Added cider vinegar, butter, a little white whine.
Added slightly too much salt; don't do that, ok?
Cooked over medium-low heat, uncovered, to reduce the liquids away.

Christ Jesus, that was some tasty pork!

note: The oregano's probably completely unimportant, but looked nice while the bacon was still piles of pink flesh in a clean pot, and certainly didn't hurt. I'll add it after the meat is crisped, next time.

Sadly, the plantains I bought found no place in dinner tonight. They're sulking on the counter, but I've got some tasty plans for them, too. What about spicy, ginger-fried plantains? Crispy chips, maybe, since these little guys are a bit green right now.

_jmsj

Saturday, December 06, 2008

raw oysters and wine for breakfast

A cold, blustery, rainy morning at the market. Shared a dozen raw oysters (Gillardeaux, petite et moyens) with friends, standing by the seafood mongers' stand. White wine is complementary. My last Saturday morning market for the foreseeable future; glad I finally tried this.



yum,
_jmsj

Wednesday, December 03, 2008

resuming posts


Think I'll go back to posting here. Hello again.
_jmsj