The Serial Thinker Blog

List Day - Monday

10 Foods that Must Be Served at the Correct Temperature

1. French fries – cold fries are greasy and disgusting
2. Coffee – I like hot coffee AND iced coffee. Tepid coffee sucks
3. Phò – When it’s first served the broth has to be boiling to infuse all of the herbs and other flavors and soften the noodles.
4. Meat – Should be served at the proper internal temperature. Have you ever bitten into a cold, pink in the middle chicken breast? YUCK!
5. Sushi – Chilled or no thanks
6. Cold soups like Gazpacho or Vichyssoise – Cold soups that have become tepid lose their punch.
7. Tortillas – Fresh and warm, with butter.
8. Scrambled eggs – Hot or Not at all.
9. Smoothies – Immediately after blending or the ingredients settle
10. Oatmeal – Hot. Cold oatmeal is like eating mortar.

Breakfast Shakshuka

Delicious and so easy to make. 

 

Bocadillo

A bocadillo is a little snack. One of my favorites is Pa amb Tomaquet. It is a simple dish prepared with crusty bread, garlic, tomatoes, and olive oil. Here is a link to the recipe:

Pa amb Tomaquet

 

Fun With Bread

Dusky Goose Rambouillet Vineyard Pinot Noir 2007

 

Santa brought me a really cool wine journal for Christmas so that I could keep track of the wines we opened this year and also to write down our thoughts about them. Here is the first entry: (By the way, apart from the technical aspects the comments are my own and are not from the winemaker)

Name: Dusky Goose Pinot Noir
Vineyard: Rambouillet Vineyard
Vintage: 2007
Region/Country: Oregon, USA
Alcohol Content: 14.5%
Tonight's Pairing: Grilled Steak, Mashed Potatoes and Brown Gravy, Tossed Green Salad
Ideal Pairing: Cioppino, Prime Rib, Stuffing or Herby Artisan bread, Swordfish or Salmon
Color: Deep Ruby
Nose: Blackberries, Redwood, Dark Cherry
Taste: Initially I felt a little bit of pepper on the front of the tongue, it was also just a bit earthy, there were crouton spices present, the finish was a bit tannic and left just a hint of pepper on the front of the tongue. The texture was absolute silk, maybe the smoothest wine I've ever had.
Taste Part 2: As a taste experiment I wanted to see if/how the wine would change when paired with dessert. So, I took out a couple of morsels of Christmas mint fudge that Dawn made and gave it a whirl. Truly I was stunned at the difference in the wine when paired with the chocolate. The first thing that happened was a burst of dark cherry flavor, much like the experience of eating a cherry cordial, next was the absolutely beautiful texture of the wine and the chocolate together, and finally, to my huge surprise, the chocolate eliminated the tannin completely and the finish was very dry.

Conclusion: This is a Very Nice bottle of wine. I like it because it goes well with foods that I enjoy eating. I also like it because it is a wine that can be carried through dessert if you order dessert mindfully: Dark Chocolates, YES, Apple Pie, NO. We were fortunate to have received this bottle as a gift, however, it is a wine that I would consider buying despite its $74.00/bottle price tag.

My Rating: 3.5/5

My Wine Journey

I've spent most of my adult life as a wine cynic. How can you be cynical about a beverage? By discrediting it mentally as something in the domain of things valued by poseurs, sissies, and dudes named Chaz with perfect hair and trophy wives. Ugly guys who watch contact sports and eat food with their hands do not swirl wine and discuss "mouthfeel". Or so I thought.

Last spring Dawn took me, begrudgingly, to a wine tasting class while we were on the Disney Cruise. What an enriching experience! I learned that there was a legitimate reason why wine is swirled around in the glass (it wasn't simply to make the drinker look sophisticated). I learned also that much of the pleasure of drinking a good wine is gained through the aroma emitted by the wine, so sticking one's gob in the wine glass is actually purposeful. Then the wine itself varies depending upon how it is being paired. But you all knew that because you're far more cultured than your Cro Magnon friend here.

As a result of that really cool experience I have begun digging into the science and art of beverage pairing. Wine, yes, but also non-alcoholic beverages and different types of beer. What drinks pair well with what foods and why is it so?

Some people subscribe to the notion of regionality, "If it grows together, it goes together." Others play kitchen chemist and seek to match the acidity in the food to the acidity in the wines that are served with them. And a third group leans toward the aesthetic components of the wine and it's paired dish to create culinary harmony and avoid dinner dischord.

So, in the months to come I will jot down the pairings that have worked, the pairings that have not, and will do my best to explain why.

Curried Chicken and Rice

Another really easy, really tasty recipe. Great for sandwiches, pita, roll-ups, etc.

Ingredients:

2 1/4-pound rotisserie chicken

1 cup coconut milk

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

4 ounces paneer (a firm Indian-style cheese), diced (I substituted extra firm tofu)

1 medium red onion, diced (I used 1/2 an onion)

2 cups cooked basmati rice

Preparation:

1. Remove the meat from the cooked chicken, discarding the bones and skin. Chop any large pieces of meat into bite-size pieces.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, curry powder, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Add the chicken, tofu and onion, tossing to coat. Mix in the rice.

3. Serve on tortillas, pita, naan, etc. with mango salsa or mango chutney.

While I was preparing this I thought that all or some of the following condiments might be nice to have on the side so that guests could add them to taste:

Sweet-hot mustard
Golden raisins
Chow Mein noodles
Sri Racha sauce
Crushed Peanuts
Cardamom Seeds

Enjoy!

Southwestern Vegetable Soup

This is the easy version where a lot of prepared ingredients are used. Fresh products can always be substituted.

Ingredients:

6 cups chicken broth
One 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes with juice (I sometimes use Rotels for an extra kick)
1 cup water
1 cup canned dark red kidney beans with liquid
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup frozen cut green beans
1 small bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup red onion
1/2 cup tomato sauce
6 corn tortillas, minced
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
Pinch of garlic powder

Garnish
Shredded Cheddar cheese
Crumbled tortilla Chips

Preparation:

1. Mix the soup ingredients in a pot over high heat.
2. Bring the soup to a boil, reduce the heat, and let simmer for about an hour
3. Serve in soup bowls over tortilla chips, sprinkle shredded cheese on top.

Personal Note: This is the one star (heat-wise) and very basic version of this soup. Additional spices and ingredients can certainly be added to add stars or change the flavor to your liking. Try the basic version first and then go from there. If you have the patience, make it on one day and eat it on the next. It is much better on day two.

Uncle Gabe's Chicken Adobo

Thanks to Dave Door for this recipe. In addition to being absolutely delicious, it brings back many fond memories.

Uncle Gabe's Chicken Adobo

7-8 cloves of garlic
1/2 yellow onion
1/2 cup shoyu
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
black pepper to taste (I like coarse ground black pepper)
aji to taste
Paprika for color to taste (about 1 tsp)
Whole Chicken cut up
2-3 bay leaves
a handful of brown sugar

Use 10 inch pot

Chop chicken with cleaver into squares. Cut wings at joints. Toss in the drumsticks whole.
Chop garlic, toss in.
Chop onion, toss in.
Add all other ingredients.
Cover and cook over medium heat for about 40 minutes to let vinegar cook into meat. As you know, it's a Filipino Cardinal sin to lift the lid on the pot while the vinegar is cooking; kinda like it's a sin to lift the lid off the rice pot while it's cooking!
After about 40 minutes, lift the lid and cook to desired whatever.

Pile over a heap of steamed rice, put on your goggles and fins, and dive in.