Tales from the Wandering Cook

[echoes]

I am not really a basic bitch, I mean, I have my moment and all but for the most part I groove to the beat of my own drum. My midlife crisis has involved remembering my 90's roots and rocking old school goth t shirts instead of buying some hypo car or chasing after people half my age. Wish I had more hair, would totally do the silver and white just past the shoulders but that is not to be. If you were to ask about my body type I would tell you to check out Star Wars : Rebels Captain Rex with a bit more hair and a darker goatee.

So, with that as a beginning I'm going to drop you all a line on a white wine that really did live up to its billing. First off, I do not work in the food an beverage industry anymore so this is not a product drop for a company. Secondly, I'm here in the states and the wine I am going to talk to you about is from Argentina.

El Enemigo is the brand and the wine I am talking about is their Chardonnay. Now, I am not Chardonnay drinker, usually I like Sauv Blanc  or a Pinot Gris but if you are looking for an all around baller wine you need to try this. It usually runs you around $21, which is not a bad price, but the price hides a 97pt James Sucking awarded wine that is perfect in any situation. Table wine, check; meal accompaniment, check. The wine is not forward, perfectly balanced and leaves almost no lingering aftertaste after each sip. It is sweet but not so much so that it dominates the palate. This is honestly one of the most even keeled wines I have had and, wine I don't drink wines like I used to, I would go back and buy this one over and over again if I ever have to host a tasting. I mentioned in previous posts that I did the food and bar for a rather bougie event in Cincinnati Ohio back in October. This was one of the whites that I brought and after we cracked the first bottle we cashed our stash in about 15 minutes. The rating is legit and the wine was amazing. 

This all said, buyer beware, you can drink a bottle before you know it is done and that is a headache inducing thing if there was one. Now, I was busy working so I did not overindulge but you could really easily if you are not careful.

I look forward to trying more wines from this vineyard and I hope we get more at work because then I know the price I am paying is not more than a 15% markup compared to other places. I am also looking forward to cooking with this wine; I have a feeling it will really applying itself with pasta.

If you are a white wine person I can highly recommend this even if Chardonnay is not your normal style of wine. 

Cheers,

E.

[echoes]

Back in another life I worked in food and beverage for most of my misspent young adulthood. I did my time in the trenches as I think everyone else should as well. I really do believe that everyone should spend at least 1 year in a full service restaurant; 6 months in the back of the house and 6 months in the front. I say this so everyone can learn what the people who do this to pay bills go through on a nightly basis and so that you can be a better guest when you go out to eat. My last restaurant was a Tex/Mex joint that was active during the 90's and I spent 9ish years with that concept. When the store closed it broke my heart and I got out of the business to follow other pursuits. Part of the reason for it breaking my heart was that  I had 0% turn over for several years as a kitchen manager. Those of you in the bizz know that number is insane as turnover in food service is ridiculous. My entire staff was cross trained to do about everything that could be done in the kitchen. These guys, back then, were my second family so when corporate closed us because of their fuck ups I was furious, hurt, betrayed and mostly worried about my crew. I helped as many of them find new places to work but not everyone stayed in the industry and we all moved on.

I bring up the past because, due to it being Tex/Mex, I drank a lot of Tequila during my time with this concept. This a time before every: actor, music mogul, sports personality and so on had their specific brand of booze. Sammy Hagar and his Cabo Wabo Tequila was the first named celebrity that I remember but we didn't carry his brand. We had all the familiar, for then, brands: Cuervo, Sauza Hornitos and Tres Generacions, Patron and Don Julio to name a few. Even after leaving the bizz I still drank tequila for quite a while and I love it almost as I love Bourbon.

Recently we got in a tequila I had never tried before and I am now kicking my own ass for not buying three or four bottle of the stuff as we are already out. The tequila I am talking about is : Corazon. Specifically the Corazon finished in Blanton's Bourbon casks. You can check google and see that you can find this for around $70 but we were selling if for $23 and change.

This is one of the smoothest Tequilas I have had in a long time. A lovely color, refreshing aroma, and whether you wanted to sip, shoot or mix this tequila did it all. I can't even go into the complexities of the flavor but it was so balanced you could do just about anything with it. Top shelf style margarita; yep, its can do that. Tequila Sunrise or Sunset; yep, can do that as well. Shot, shot, shot, shot shot shot; oh you will pay in the morning but yes, this will get you there.

Have not tried it with cooking, was jealously guarding if for drinking, but I bet it would make a hella good Tequila Lime shrimp or chicken.

More Later,

Cheers,

E.

[echoes]

I am still here, I promise.

That may be for better or worse.

I'm getting nice and bombed tonight so I will have to disappoint everyone who may read this by not posting anything about food or booze. Don't feel bad, I disappoint my parents on a regular basis so you can commiserate vicariously with them if you wish.

That said, I will post soon about 7 hour beef spare ribs in the near future and hopefully that will temporarily redeem myself in your eyes. Then again, it might not.

That said, until then...

guess what.

Cheers.

E.

[echoes]

Quick and Dirty Whiskey Sour with a a Twist;

1.5 oz. Bourbon ( I like Basil Hayden's Dark Rye)
.5 oz Amaretto
2 oz Lemonade
Optional splash of Grenadine

First things first will be the use of lemonade instead of Sweet and Sour mix. I find most pre-made mixes to be way too syrupy and I think that ruins the drink. Homemade lemonade, or store bought, will work so much better here than a bottled mix. You can use frozen can, powdered or lemonade already made and it ought to do you well.

Amaretto cuts the bourbon and also adds another flavor to the mix.

Choice of bourbon does come into play here and I am just a fan of Basil Hayden. You can use the regular Basil Hayden but I would not use their "toast" line. I also would not use a high end bourbon for a mixed drink like this so don't think using something bougie will make this any better. Mixed drinks like this are meant to take off the burn of the bourbon and so using a high end, with a deeper flavor profile, pretty much wastes the uniqueness of the high end bourbon.

Pour all the above into a shaker with ice. Shake and then strain into a fresh glass already waiting with ice and you will do just fine.

One note of warning for those of you who have not put 2+2 together to get 22. The sugar content in the drink is really going to affect your hangover the next day. yes, you can pound these all night if you wish but the tax collector will be coming for you in the morning and it may not be pretty.

Cheers,

E.

[echoes]

Simple brown sugar glazed carrots. Great side for people to enjoy and a mix of savory and sweet at the same time. I'm going to give you the low cost fast prep version for those who do not have the time, or the inclination, to go all in.

Ingredients:
Depending on how many people you are feeding---
2-3 bags of frozen sliced carrots ( $.98 a bag at the martia of walls.)
3 cups - vegetable broth ($1.78)
Splash of Lemon Juice
Salt to Taste
pepper is optional
3/4 stick of butter
1 Cup Brown sugar

In a pot throw the veggie broth and heat it up without the carrots on a medium high heat ( 6 0r 7 out of ten on an electric stovetop.) Thaw the carrots if you want but if you dont throw them in once the broth is bubbling. it will cool the broth but it will heat back up pretty quickly. As they are cooking add your first round of salt to taste, a few dashes here, don't over do it. You can add a dash of pepper here or, if you are feeling aggro, add some garlic powdered garlic or onion but just a dash.

Let this cook until the carrots are still firm but you are able to easily cut them with the side of a fork.  While this is happening melt the butter ( microwave wut?) and mix in the brown sugar with the butter. set it aside.

When the carrots are ready drain out all the liquid ( trust me, as the carrots continue to cook there will be more.)Put the carrots back into the pot and put it back on heat. Add the lemon juice and then the butter and brown sugar mix. stir and coat everything and then drop temp down to medium low ( three or four.)  Cook for about 5 minutes and taste. add salt, if needed, or more brown sugar depending on if you want it sweeter.

All in all this takes less than 20 minutes from start to finish and is a great side to add to many different style meals.

Now, once I sober up, I will go back and see if I posted this before. Until then...

Cheers,

E.

[echoes]

The whiskey sour is a traditional American drink that is a combination of Whiskey, lemon juice, simple syrup and cherries for a garnish. Some perverse people, and you know who you are, include an egg because they are simply weird. Im going to give you an alternative if you do not want to make simple syrup and then tell you how to bastardize it with another sour drink,

Whiskey sour +1

2 Ounces Whiskey ( or in my case bourbon)
.5 ounce Amaretto
4 Ounces of lemonade
Splash of Grenadine
Ice

Add all ingredients to a shaker and mix. You can either strain and pour this on fresh Ice or dump the entire thing into a glass. I usually, like tonight, poured everything into a carafe x3, or maybe x4, without ice and then poured it into a waiting cup with ice. You can garnish with cherries, or an orange slice, but I didn't do either because I wanted to get a buzz and because I don't give a fuck.

I read something a while back that I completely agree with and apply it to drinking and drink mixing liberally. Cooking is art and baking is science. With this in mind cooking is like this:

No Rules
No Gods
No Recipes
Now go!

Baking is very German and is like Eddie Izzard once said, " Eins , Zwei, now we build and Empire." It is very precise and it does not tolerate fools easily. Making drinks and cooking is different. You go with what feels and tastes good. Mess around, Fuck up or create a beast. Do you.

This is a cheat on a great summer cocktail, or an anytime cocktail if you like whiskey/bourbon.

NOTE!!!!!! You bougie fucks who buy high end whiskey/bourbon because you can taste all the notes that I can't. Do not waste your top end on this. Why drink a top end when you are muddling it with other things. This drink is for the mid range alcohol, non pricey shit, that doesn't mind sharing the stage with other ingredients.

Drink, be merry and always...


Cheers,

E.

P.S. and now for a post script and a little history about American Bourbon. It starts with the Scottish settlers her and the English, God save the Queen/King and they are amazing Bastards. The Brits took the Rum trade over because they wanted to ween their sailors off of French Cognac and Wine for their sailors. See, their fleet, like their army and ours, runs off of booze as much as they do orders. Their reasoning was simple, they fought with the French like two siblings; i.e : all the fucking time. So they take the Caribbean and they got their rum and and their grog ( diluted rum) to keep their sailors happy before Gin was their preferred drink. Now, this is just a story at this point, but, when us colonists decided to be uppity we had to make a booze to sometimes pay soldiers and so we did. Now, the grain mash combo would not get its name until the late 1700's and we named it after the French house of Bourbon ( prolly just to piss the English off) but this is part of a never ending argument that it may come from Bourbon street in New Orleans. Whatever the truth is, it was the first American Liquor and it is a lovely thing. If you ever get a chance, hop over to Youtube and watch " irish people trying... well... anything" but especially bourbon. Good times. As an American, I love their voices and their responses.

So anyways, Bourbon was an American response to the need for a homemade alcohol to make people ready to "Foight!"

I may be buzzed.

Cheers,

E.

[echoes]

Hey everyone,

Been a busy ass month and, for many, it is a time of holidays. So without picking one holiday or another to wish you well I will just say that I hope everyone has a safe and happy month full of food and drink of your choice. Have a great New Year's eve and celebrate with those you want to be around. 

Remember, all things in moderation... starting tomorrow. 

My thanks out to everyone who has stopped by and spent a minute reading some of the babbling I have posted here. I hope it that you may have tried one idea or another that I have posted here, or, better yet, you have been encourage to break out on your own and try something new. Remember, cooking is an art and baking is a science. Or, as I once read, "Cooking = no rules. no recipes, no gods... just cook."

With that I'm going to stay low key and be out of town as is my usual M.O. for New Years. When we come back it will be another 12 months of food and drink and I hope to have you all along for the ride.

Slainte Mhath,

E.

[echoes]

I'm still alive, more stuff coming soon. Sorry to have been so quiet. Will update in the near future.

[echoes]

Ok, Feb is over and thank dog for that. It was quite the month but I am hoping to get back to posting here soon. I've been trying to get the farm ready for spring and then I really get to go and have even less time to write.

See you all soon
Cheers,

E.

[echoes]

Here is something for those of you who are gluten free:

1 Head - Bib or Leaf lettuce ( romaine will also work )
1 Pack of precooked bacon - 12 pieces
1 bag - sundried tomatoes
12 piece of cheddar jack cheese (though you can change the cheese to something you like )
1 bottle of Blood orange Balsamic glaze

This is basically a BLT with cheese and without bread.

Pull of 12 spreadable leaves of the lettuce of your choice and wash them in cold water. You will want to pat them dry so they do not have excess water on them.

I included precooked bacon for expediency but you can cook you own bacon if you are a purist. Also, cooking a pound of bacon leaves you 4 pieces left over to monch on. if you use the precooked then you want to cook them to the desired crunchiness that you prefer.

If you want to make this vegetarian you can use tofu bacon or another substitute of your choosing. The bacon is there for the crunch aspect and for another flavor.

If the sundried tomatoes are in oil you will want to drain them and let them rest for the same reason you do not want excess water from the lettuce - it will make things soggy.

Assembly:

Lay out a leaf of lettuce.  Break a slice of the Jack cheese in half and layer them in a line offset to the center of the leaf. Bacon goes on top of the cheese and then sundried tomatoes on top of the bacon. you want to try and keep everything stacked in a line atop the lettuce. Finally drizzle the Blood orange glaze atop your pile of fillings. Finally, roll the lettuce, left to right or right to left depending on where your fillings are. Roll and set to the side. You can use a toothpick to hole everything together or you can leave them be.

This is a simple and quick appetizer and is there for the gluten free peebos ( and possibly vegetarians ) at any party.

Cheers,

E.


Lay out your  

[echoes]

Sorry it has taken so long to get words out, it's been a crazy two months here and I have not spent any time writing anything. I've been doing a bathroom remodel that gets paused every time we have good weather as I rush outside to get the farm ready for spring. I've done everything from: tree branch removal, grass seeding, flower planting and fence repair when the weather has been nice and the weather, currently, is bipolar. Today we are close to 30 degrees and on Wednesday it will be 80 (0-26 degrees for the rest of the world.) we have also had rain, all the rain, so much rain and, accordingly, there is mud. Yes, the one thing I grow here is mud....all the mud.

That said, the bathroom is almost done, the farm is starting to take shape, and my first round of flowers have exploded up so I should have tulips soon. I might even add pictures of all the work that has been going on.

I will try and be more active as best I can, I miss writing and I need to get back into it.

Cheers,

E.

[echoes]

A simple meal that will seem much more bougie than it should.

Carbonara - This is a pasta that eschews the use of cream when making a sauce for a pasta dish. The staples of the dish are simple: Pork, Pasta, cheese and eggs. After that pepper is the main spice but we all know that we will edit to our different tastes. I had never made carbonara before so I did some reading and checked out some different recipes before I just started cooking. Here is my take on a classic Italian Dish.

1 lb Thick cut or center cut bacon
2 cups Pecorino Romano cheese
3 egg yolks
1 cup Veggie broth
1 splash of lemon juice
1 cup chopped spinach
Rough ground pepper to taste 
Salt and garlic powder to taste
1/2 box of Fettuccine - I know spaghetti noodles are more traditional but I think the larger width of the fettuccine holds the sauce better.

Prep:

slice the bacon into 1/4 inch strips ( 4 mm ) known as lardons. Fry these in a pan until they get the desired texture that you prefer. I went for crispy.
While you do this start your water and drop a pinch or two of salt into the water. You do not need to add a lot of salt because the bacon will more than make up for that. Once boiling add the pasta and cook for 12-14 minutes.
While the pasta cooks regular stir the bacon and the noodles.
Also, while the bacon and pasta cook, grate 2  cups worth of the pecorino and place in a bowl. separate 3 yolks from their whites and set aside in another bowl.
Once the bacon is done, which will take a good 10 of your 12-14 minutes of pasta cooking time, set aside and drain of all fat.
Once the pasta is done drain and leave in the strainer for just a minute.
Place veggie broth in the pasta pot back on medium heat until warmed. turn off heat, add the noddles and cheese to the broth and stir.
Add the egg yolks directly to the noddle, broth and cheese mixture. Do not add the yolks directly to the broth without the cheese and noddles. If you do the eggs could curdle.  Continue mixing until a sauce is formed. You can add more cheese, or more broth to adjust the consistency to something you are looking for.
Add the sliced fried bacon and the spinach and continue to mix until all cheese is melted.

Here you add the pepper and, if you want, add the garlic to taste.

Plate and there you go.

I think I know how to add a picture for this one so I will try and do so later.

Cheers,

E.

 

[echoes]

I have been cooking a bit but nothing crazy or fun to share with everyone. I did do a coconut cake, and I do not like coconut but the GF wanted one. I guess maybe I should do a review of said recipe, she said it was bomb and I am not a baker. I will bring the book down and post a review of it here in the future.

Cheers.

E.

[echoes]

Happy Cinco de Mayo to everyone who is celebrating this holiday. I am lame and did nothing but have a margarita for the Holiday. I spent 9 years or so working in a Restaurant called, "Don Pablo's" so, as you might guess, Cinco was a pretty big deal. I will say that I have had my fair share of tequila; and maybe some of your shares as well ( there was a lot of tequila drinking back then.) Luckily for me, and for a few others, most of my time there was spent as the Kitchen manager and I happen to remember many of the recipes from my misspent youth. Maybe I will have to put one or two of those up here in the future.

Till then, happy holiday to all.

Cheers,

E.

[echoes]

Man I have been amiss not being here and that is all on me. Hope everyone is doing well in their respective parts of the world. Its been quite the Spring here and I say that because we actually had a Spring this year. We had several months of windows open and fans on instead of what happened last year which I will quickly summarize as : Cold as Balls... All the Rain ... Walking outside is like stepping into a wet sock. Yes, last year went from Winter to summer and skipped Spring entirely so it has been nice up until this week when Summer finally went, "Hold my Bourbon."

As you all know I have a small farm and so I have been outside, a lot, because I had to get work done before the heat came in. Now it is work in the morning and the evening when you can. A lot of the outdoor stuff fell behind because we have 2 or 3 days of rain every week for the last month. I don't think we have had seven straight days of sun since April but I don't mind the rain. In fact, according to Shirly Manson of Garbage, "I'm only happy when it rains."

So, for now, I am doing stuff inside while it is hot out and then later I will be taking a pruning saw, walking a mile and a half, and trimming back trails on the property behind my farm so that 4 wheelers and horse riders don't get taken out by branches. Before we get to the cooking part of the program and I happy to report that I have a lovely Mandeville and Hibiscus that are blooming very nicely right now. I have Dahlias starting to bloom and my Tulips did well until my SO's eldest accidently brought them to an early end. I have 2 more flowers left to bloom in the above ground planter I built so the project of all spring flowers is working. Now I just need to get to planting my herbs that I have never gotten to.


So, cooking:

Oddly enough I have been experimenting more with baking, if you want to call it that, and I have been on a tear of making cookies from scratch. I've always used premade mixes before because I was not a big dessert person but for the last month and change I have been making one style of cookie each week or so. The list has been:

Butterscotch Oatmeal
Red Velvet 
Peanut Butter
Sugar 
Coconut and Chocolate chip
A second round of Peanut Butter
Espresso Chocolate chip
and tomorrow will be snickerdoodle.

So far My favorite has been a The Red Velvet Cupcake style Cookie. I did not write my own recipe, as I have been learning how to make things from scratch so I used one off of the interwebs. I am not sure of the policy regarding posting links to other sites here at El because I have never done that before so I'm going to play it safe, but also walk the line. I used the first google search hit for my choice and it was a recipe that came from SimplyRecipes and it involves Cream cheese in the batter. So, if you go hunt it down, you did so without a link and I am also giving credit where it is due because I didn't create this; I filched it.

One thing I did learn: I should have chilled the batter a bit because the cookies spread out due to being so liquidy. I think a little chilled would have had them be puffier but my cook on them was amazing. I had a slightly firm edge with a chewy center that was A+. My S/O said she liked them and she took them to work and shared with her nurses. I also took several to work share with both my work spouses and some other coworkers.

Yes, I have 2 work spouses but before you think I am a manwhore, and I'm not saying I'm not, I need to explain. My first work spouse is like my my co-gremlin in charge and she and I are not allowed to laugh about anything together for more than a few seconds or we are going to get in trouble. I send her memes and wish her husband happy birthday every year. We are cut from the same bolt of cloth and it is mostly dyed Black. We have been friends since we started together at our job so this is going on 12 years. She knows my partner and we hang out once or twice a year outside of work. My second work spouse, well, I am part of reverse harem and I am her THIRD! work husband. I was adopted one day when she looked at me and said, "Ok, you are now my work husband number 3." Now, this said, I asked who her other two work husbands were and then I just grinned and the conversation went like this:

Me: "So, J is your 1st husband and he is the safe one He is the one you watch a movie with, chill out, nothing much to worry about, low key/ straight and narrow."

Her: "Sounds about right.

Me: "And J2 (both names begin with J) is your fun one, he is the one to go out and do stuff with, can be exciting out or at the crib."

Her: "Also sounds right."

Me: "Well then, I know my role."

Her: "What's that?"

Me: "I'm Mrs. Jackson. I'm the one you call when you want to be nasty."

Not lying, that was the conversation which had her blush and laugh and say, "Sounds right."

Good times.

I hope to have some more stuff up for everyone soon. Until then, I hope everyone is able to enjoy what they can in their day. Maybe it is the weather, maybe it is a book. Take a nap if you want to or eat the entire pint of ice cream. remember, if you eat the entire pint you can tell people you were clearing out your freezer and that always sounds better.


Cheers,

E.

[echoes]

It's been a month, a busy month, but also a long month. I've been cooking but I dare say that I have not been crazy in doing anything new and exciting. I did make a pistachio, coconut and lemon cake for my GF's birthday and I finally got a great texture on the cake according to he; so I have that going for me. 

Been an odd month for my headspace, and I have never been good about sharing, so this thread has always been an interesting struggle for me. I'm very boring in reals and so to share and tell people about what I do is actually really weird for me. For those who check this out; sorry I have been lame and I will try and get back in the sharing saddle here soon.

Cheers,

E.

(I really need to stop dragging ass and I need to get better about posting as well as getting pictures up here.)