JGE 39 – Harira

Good Day,

Thank you Emeril Lagasse. A short time ago I stumbled upon Emeril Lagasse’s recipe Harira: Moroccan Chickpea Stew with Chicken and Lentils on the Food Network site.  I’m always looking for something different, but in this case I filed the recipe away because I was not willing to spend 10 hours and 25 minutes working on something that maybe I could fix in at least 1 hour. Hell when Jim’s gotta eat, Jim’s gotta eat.

And so I tweaked Mr. Lagasse’s recipe a wee bit.

The tweaked part - I substituted a can of chickpeas. I have never had success soaking beans or peas from the dried stage. Mine, no matter what I do, always seem to be too, too raw, that is, hard. So I figured what the hell, there isn’t anyone judging my dish. There’s just the two of us.

And as I had pulled a chicken breast out of the freezer I figured I would replace the call for chicken thighs.

But wait I also exchanged dried orange lentils for the suggested dried green lentils.

My ingredients – Chickpeas, Olive Oil, Skinless Chicken Breast, Salt, Freshly Ground Pepper, Onions, Celery, Carrots (this was my add-in), Ground Ginger, Tumeric, Ground Black Pepper, Ground Cinnamon, Ground Nutmeg, Can of Roasted Diced Tomatoes, Chicken Stock, Dried Lentils, Long-grain Rice, Cilantro, Jalapeño, Lemon Juice, Plain Yogurt.

My secret – Prep before I start cooking. I have a tendency to pull things out of cupboards as I go along. It is ever so much easier to have everything in place and ready to go.

Mirepoix - Onions, Carrots, Celery

On low for 30 minutes.

Yes I had two helpings… and leftovers for lunch.

Hell, Jim’s gotta eat.

Enjoy.

Jim

JGE 38 – Pasta alla Norma alla Smith

Good Day,

A recipe that I have never heard of before...not that that means that I am a walking encyclopedia of cooking techniques and recipes. Pasta alla Norma. I saw a picture in The New York Times, Mark Bittman's recipe, and I decided about a week ago that Jim's gotta eat and definitely try this one.  (The picture to the right is my creation.)

An Internet Google search of the phrase "Pasta alla Norma" produced 228,000 results.

I got myself a great looking eggplant from Urban Oasis.  And I had, more or less, all of the ingredients here in the house.

Pasta all Norma is a Sicilian dish, purportedly named for the opera Norma by Vincenzo Bellini. One could say a vegetarian meal, is something I would make again.

My concoction - Pasta alla Norma alla Smith. Jim's Gotta Eat.

Ingredients: Linguine, Eggplant, Mushrooms, Chilies, Tomato Pasta, Olive Oil, Vegetable Oil, Parmesan Romano Cheese, Salt, Oregano, Parsley. Filling and delicious, and who’d a think that eggplant could be so deceptive…in a very positive way.

Sliced eggplant fried in olive and vegetable oil. Removed from pan and not drained.

Oh yeah, my early morning blood sugar count dropped 15 points to 99.

And who was Norma?

"Simple to make and yet classy enough for a first course in a serious dinner, Pasta alla Norma was so popular in 19th century Sicily that it was named after Sicilian composer Bellini's hugely successful opera Norma to honor both the dish and the opera, whose perfection matched each other in the eyes of Nino Martoglio, a famous Sicilian theater director. It kept the name."

And Jim's gotta eat.

Enjoy,

Jim

JGE 37 - Quiche in a Mug, Sort-of

Good Day,

You know that sometimes, a lot of the times, most times, I do not watch the clock and the time creeps up on me and it's time to eat supper and I say to myself

"Hell-I-just-don't-feel-like-doing-all-the-bloody-prep-work-that-I-should-have-started-at-least-a-couple-of-hours-ago-to-make-that-fantastic-meal-or-recipe-I-chanced-upon-and-now-I'm-just-gonna-order-me-some-pizza-or-get-some-take-out-or-just-get-in-the-car-and-get-to-the-nearest-restaurant-but-I-truly-do-not-want-any-franchise-meal-but-that's-all-there-is-cause-I-really-am-too-damn-tired-to-think-about-getting-something-ready-for-supper." 

You ever had one of those days?  (And I talk a lot to myself.)

Well last night was one of them.

And this time I was prepared for it. I had been researching and checking out a specific type of recipe on the Internet and on YouTube, a recipe to make a quick Quiche in a Mug. And I was shocked how many, 25,600 hits, I found on Google Web Search for the phrase "Quiche in a mug". The phrase "Quiche in a coffee cup" hit 1,760 results and "Quiche in a Cup" 14,500.

So guess what I made last night?

That's right I had a not so bad, actually quite good, Quiche in a Mug, sort-of supper last night.

Oh yeah I sprinkled it with some freshly ground pepper. Next time with a nice green and/or watermelon salad.

Jim's gotta eat.

Enjoy,

Jim

JGE 36 - Thai Chicken Curry - A Quick Method

Good Day,

By now you've probably got the impression that I like food.

Hell yes, I do. Period. It's a wonder that I could eat all day. And if I didn't cycle daily, (for you neophytes to Jim's Gotta Eat that's the Jim's Trek part), I probably would be a major CP. (Oh yeah Couch Potato). And more than likely I would have to use some sort of hoist to get me out of my chair.


I love to cook but I like fresh air. Let me explain.

I keep the house open most days. In Tampa around 4 o'clock, and the with the house and doors wide open there seems to be some sort of atmospheric heating. Yes it seems that with the beginning of the setting sun, this house just begins to get warmer and warmer. The heat and the growing humidity just does not make me feel like prepping and food or even cooking.  (Praise be that I have a pool just outside my kitchen.)

And this is where I find that if I can prepare a meal in 30 minutes with the minimal amount of effort the better. Restaurants, take-outs, frozen dishes are fine, but I do like a meal made from scratch. Hell Jim's Gotta Eat.

Don't get me wrong, I do eat out and/or order in at a somewhat considerable basis, but I do prefer to make for myself...and anyone else who's willing to sit down with me.

And this is where I may then check what's in my refrigerator. I also check and scope out my pantry regularly.

Last night - leftover grilled chicken, of the KFC species,  just sitting on a shelf in the fridge. A red and a white onion. Half a red bell pepper. Can of coconut milk in the pantry. Open jar of Panang Curry Paste. Fresh green beans and a couple of Cubanelle peppers from Urban Oasis. Dried red chilies.

Rice, the steamer, water and some sesame oil.

Mise en place. Wok on the stove. Total time 30 minutes -

Ta-da. Thai Shredded-Chicken Curry on Steamed Rice.

Jim's Gotta Eat.

Enjoy,

Jim

JGE 35 – Cambodian Pork Belly and Collard Greens

Good Day,

Well I’m trying something new and I’m not sure what part of the world I should be in. Did I ever say that I like to cook?

Got me some Pork Belly and I got me some Collard Greens. So why not try Cambodian Pork Belly and Collard Greens.

My ingredients – Pork Belly; Collard Greens; Mushrooms; Garlic; Onion; Peanut Oil; Fish Sauce; Sugar; Salt; and some Freshly Ground Pepper.

I scored the skin and the fat of the Pork Belly.

I then placed the Pork Belly skin-side down in my hot, hot wok with some almost smoking Peanut Oil.

I wanted to make sure that the skin got crispy without getting burned. Once I browned all sides of the Pork Belly, without overcooking, I took it out of the wok, to let it rest and cool a bit. At this point I cut up the Pork Belly.

Next the Collard Greens.

My preparation of the Collard Greens was to wash them and cut out the central rib. I then chopped them up into a decent size.

I quartered the Mushrooms. For this dish I used just regular White Mushrooms. I suppose you, based on your own preferences, can use any other type of mushrooms or combination thereof.

I also prepped the Garlic and the Onion.

I tossed the Garlic and the Onion into the wok. Something to remember – Overcooked garlic can impart a bitter taste to the overall dish. But if you don’t know any different and have been doing it that way for some time, hey it’s your taste buds. I just do not like bitter tasting garlic.

Once the Garlic, the Onion, and the Mushrooms were done to my liking I threw in the cut up Pork Belly.

Next the chopped Collard Greens. At this point I added some sugar, salt, pepper, and Fish Sauce to taste. Mushrooms tend to soak up oil and liquid so I sort of monitor whether or not to add some more Peanut Oil and Fish Sauce… And if you are allergic to peanuts you can always use some other type of oil. Even Coconut Oil, eh ZC?

I allowed the Collard Greens to cook down a bit while carefully mixing the fusion. I then placed a cover on top and turned the heat down to allow the dish to absorb the flavors.  I did about 5 minutes.

And then I plated the Cambodian Pork Belly and Collard Greens.

I took a fork full and stuffed it into my mouth. Different. Good. Great. I’m sold. This is "a make again".

If you have any thoughts, questions, comments, ideas, please free to contact me via email at Jim’s Gotta Eat.

Be healthy and enjoy,

Jim