Fresh From Paul's Kitchen

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

It Looks Like There May Be A Problem In The Kitchen!

Monday, July 30, 2012

Fresh & Flavorful; Zucchini Patties With Feta!

My friend Trixi recently asked me for a recipe which uses zucchini.

I like zucchini, but seem to seldom use it. Feeling inspired, I dug through recipes I had archived, and found this nice recipe I have enjoyed in years past.

These zucchini patties are very flavorful, and simple to make, and yogurt if the perfect garnish to top this fried delight.

Zucchini Patties With Feta

Skill level:

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups coarsely grated zucchini (from about 3 medium)
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1/2 cup (or more) flour
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (herbed goat cheese works VERY well, too)
1 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
1/2 cup chopped green onions (stems, and all)
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

1/2 cup (about) olive oil
1/2 cup (about) corn oil

Plain Greek yogurt

Preparation

Toss zucchini and 1/2 teaspoon salt in large bowl. Let stand 5 minutes. Transfer to sieve. Press out excess liquid; place zucchini in dry bowl.
Mix in egg, yolk, 1/2 cup flour, cheese, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Mix in parsley, onions, and dill. If batter is very wet, add more flour by spoonfuls.
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons corn oil in large skillet over medium heat.
Working in batches, drop batter by rounded tablespoonfuls into skillet. Press flat, so that the frying patties are 2 to 2 1/2 inches wide,
Fry patties until golden, 5 minutes per side, adding more olive oil and corn oil as needed.
Transfer to paper towels.
Serve with yogurt.

Additional Notes

Can be made 1 day ahead. Place on baking sheet, cover, and chill. Rewarm uncovered in 350°F oven 12 minutes.
Corn oil can be skipped, using just olive oil.
A dusting of paprika over the yogurt adds a splash of color and flavor.

Friday, July 27, 2012

Jeffrey Morgenthaler Makes The Best Amaretto Sour In The World

It is Friday, and I am craving a really nicely mixed (and flavorful) cocktail. Sadly, most of the bars in my town do not have a really great "mixologist."

I am a bit spoiled (and a bit snobby) with how I like my drinks, as I was extremely fortunate to know a phenomenal bar tender who influenced my taste in cocktails, who views a good cocktail how "foodies" view nicely prepared dishes; Jeffery Morgenthaler.

I first met Jeff many (as in many, many, many) years ago when I was working at a copy and print shop, and Jeff was an architecture student at the University of Oregon. Unlike most of the students coming in to the shop to copy their drawings, Jeff's work was interesting and well executed. His work had style, was sometimes unusual, and had clean lines. In general, he had a great sense for the visually appealing.

Being a talented architect, I was surprised that Jeff stayed with bar tending after graduating. That said, he is one of the best bar tenders I have ever met, and brings his sense of design and style with him when creating a cocktail.

Jeff is now internationally famous for his bar tending skills. He travels to liquor related events. He has also been featured in countless national magazines.

If you are in Portland, Oregon, visit him at Clyde Common for a finely crafted, and perfect cocktail.

When Jeff states that he makes the best amaretto sour in the world, he is absolutely correct.

Follows is content from Jeff's website.

__________________

Jeff Morgenthaler:

"I make the best Amaretto Sour in the world!"

Source: http://www.jeffreymorgenthaler.com/2012/i-make-the-best-amaretto-sour-in-the-world/

Originally posted on February 9, 2012

No, really. I’m serious. In case you think I’m joking, or that you read that wrong, let me go on the record right now:

Jeff, and his amazing Amaretto Sour.

I make the best Amaretto Sour you’ve ever had in your life. No ifs, ands or buts about it, my Amaretto Sour dominates and crushes all others out there. And now, I’m going to share my secrets with you.

There are two things that impede all other Amaretto Sours from challenging mine. First off, the obvious: they’re too sweet. One does not simply use an everyday sour recipe to make a world-class Amaretto Sour, it must be adjusted for this particular liqueur.

Second, and this is a big one: amaretto isn’t strong enough on its own to stand up to a bunch of other ingredients. It’s weak. It needs help. And for this, I enlist the assistance of an old friend. One that knows amaretto’s strengths and weaknesses. Or, mainly, its weaknesses. One that works with amaretto, to complete it like Jerry Maguire completes Rene Zellwiger’s character, whatever her name was. And that, my friends, is cask-proof bourbon.

Behold, the recipe:

Amaretto Sour

MAKES 1 AWESOME DRINK

1½ oz amaretto (I love the Lazzaroni amaretto, but DiSaronno works well here, too)
¾ oz cask-proof bourbon (I use Booker’s, from the Jim Beam distillery)
1 oz lemon juice
1 tsp. 2:1 simple syrup
½ oz egg white, beaten

Dry shake ingredients to combine, then shake well with cracked ice. Strain over fresh ice in an old fashioned glass. Garnish with lemon peel and brandied cherries, if desired. Serve and grin like an idiot as your friends freak out.

Regrowing Vegetables!

With food prices soaring, and the amount of chemical additives in food, I am not surprised that victory gardens, and urban farming has become so popular. In addition, nothing beats fresh and flavorful garden vegetables.

There are many fruits and vegetables that can be regrown from scraps. Follows, is a post I saw on my friend Sue's Facebook page, with links on how to actually regrow these tasty plants.

Thanks, Sue, for your Facebook post!!

15 Foods You Can Regrow From Scraps!

Source: http://pandawhale.com/convo/3695/15-foods-you-can-regrow-from-scraps

Various plants (in no particular order) that you can regrow from the food you already have! Woot! Way to reuse and recycle! I constantly have green onions and celery growing. (And potatoes/sweet potatoes but that just because they decided to do that in my pantry.

Apples http://www.ehow.com/how_2135774_grow-apple-seeds.html
Tomatoes http://www.ehow.com/how_5581958_grow-tomatoes-fresh-tomato-seeds.html
Potatoes/Sweet Potatoes http://www.gardenguides.com/117543-plant-cuttings-potatoes.html
Green Onions http://www.17apart.com/2012/02/how-to-grow-green-onions-indefinitely.html and http://tipnut.com/nifty-food-plants/
Leeks same technique as green onions
Carrot Tops http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/children-in-the-garden/grow-carrot-tops.htm
Pineapple http://www.rickswoodshopcreations.com/Pineapple/pineapple.htm
Romaine Lettuce Same technique as celery
Cabbage Same technique as celery
Celery http://www.17apart.com/2012/02/growing-celery-indoors-never-buy-celery.html
Avocado http://www.thehungrymouse.com/2009/09/09/how-to-grow-an-avocado-tree-from-an-avocado-pit/
Lentils http://foodstoragemadeeasy.net/2009/02/19/how-to-grow-sprouts/
Pumpkin http://pinterest.com/pin/98375573080950437/
Ginger http://www.gardenswag.com/2011/12/5-foods-you-can-grow-from-kitchen-scraps/
Garlic http://www.gardenswag.com/2011/12/5-foods-you-can-grow-from-kitchen-scraps/

Bonus: Bok Choy http://www.17apart.com/2012/02/how-to-regrowing-bok-choy.html

Attention Gazpacho Lovers, Try Making Chilled Tomato Bisque Soup!

One of my favorite summer treats is gazpacho; I absolutely love it on warm summer evenings. I make a couple of batches every summer.

Chilled TomatoBisque Soup, garnished
with olive oil and balsamic vinegar,
served with toasted French bread.

Last year, while searching got new gazpacho recipes, I found this recipe for Chilled Tomato Bisque Soup, which is extremely easy to prepare. I absolutely love this tomato delight, and have added it to my summer cooking rotation.

The creamy texture of this soup is fantastic, and comes from the cashews. It is really amazing, as if dairy products were included in the recipe!

Like a good gazpacho, this recipe is great alternative on hot summer days. It is completely raw, requiring no time in front of a hot stove. It is also both vegetarian, and vegan!

Skill level:

Chilled Tomato Bisque Soup

3 cups chopped fresh tomatoes, de-seeded

1/4 cup raw cashews, soaked 4 hours

1/2 cup water

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 clove garlic

1 tablespoon lemon juice (fresh squeezed is best)

1 teaspoon agave syrup

2 tablespoons fresh basil, roughly chopped

Place all of the ingredients in the blender and blend for 2-3 minutes, until creamy. Serve immediately or store in a tightly covered container (for up to 3 days) in the refrigerator.

Serves 3-4

Additional Notes:

I do not mind traces of tomato seed in my soup, so I often skip deseeding the tomatoes. A good blender will reduce most of them, anyway.
If you do not have agave syrup, substitute honey or brown sugar. It just adds a bit of richness to the soup.
I garnish my soup with a splash of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. It looks pretty, and really accents the flavors.
If you do not have time to soak the raw cashews, boil them for about 20 minutes. Soaking is preferable, as it gives the best creaminess, but boiling works well, too.
I store left over soup in the refrigerator, in the blender container. When ready to serve, I just but the blender container back on the motor base, and give the soup a couple of quick pulses to recombine any ingredients which may have separated.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Kitchen Dial; One of My Favorite iPhone Apps

I spend a lot of time reading recipes online, and often, when I am visiting European websites, recipes are in metric units, in need of US conversion. Let's face it, two facts make metric recipes difficult for me; school was a long time ago, and metric units never took hold in the US.

While browsing the iTunes App Store, I found this handy, and free conversion app called Kitchen Dial. It has simple dial controls, and works wonderfully. I use this app all the time, and thought it may be useful to my readers.

With a little practice, I figured out how this app can even be used to scale recipes, if you with to make larger (or smaller) quantities of a dish.

Get the Kitchen Dial app here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/kitchen-dial/id448558628?mt=8

The Kitchen Dial app on my iPhone.

Easy to use interface.

Explanation of the easy to use "dial controls."

15 Ingredients Every Kitchen Should Have At All Times

Browsing the internet this morning, I stumbled upon this list from Rick Bakas' website, "Back to Bakas; A Sommelier Guide to Wine & Food." I stock these items in my kitchen, and think he has distilled essential ingredients (for cooking well) into a tidy list.