Erikurious

A few weekends back, Mike and I went out for dinner. Because we cook at home so much, we don't have the opportunity eat out as much as when we were dating. But going out and trying out new restaurants was always such a large part of what brought us together and something I forgot how much I truly enjoyed. So, this weekend really helped us rediscover the fun in dining out and renewed our sense of adventure. After dinner we both vowed not to allow this much time to pass without going out on more of these charming dinner dates that we love so much.

We went to an Italian restaurant. Michael ordered gnocchi or potato dumplings in red sauce with pancetta and topped with gorgonzola cheese I opted for goat cheese ravioli with pine nuts and asparagus. Michael is extremely fastidious about pasta, so he didn't find the gnocchi to his liking but we both agreed the goat cheese ravioli was pretty satisfying. The pine nuts with the creaminess of the goat cheese was so awesomely good! Here are some pics of that wonderful night...

Recently, I’ve become a huge fan of Jaime Oliver. His relaxed charm is hard to resist and his cookbooks are not only a filled with mouth-watering photos of the dishes featured, they are also a pleasure to read. His style of writing is witty and personal, lacking the condescension that can at times be detected in other star chefs. His cookbooks reflect an approach to food that focuses on fresh seasonal ingredients and stresses creativity rather than technique. So, his cookbooks possess impressive photography and engaging words. But those alone do not make great cookbooks. What about the recipes, you may ask? Well, the recipes do not disappoint either. I’ve only sampled one or two of his recipes (one from Jaime’s Italy and one from Jaime at home), however I was so satisfied with the results I feel nothing but optimism and eagerness to continue to try out more of his recipes. The one I want to share today was our dinner last Thursday as well as Friday. That in itself indicates how impressed we were with the recipe as we don’t usually eat the same thing two days in a row.

Here's the dish: It's a mediterranean beef kebab seasoned with thyme, cayenne pepper, lemon zest and juice and roughly ground walnuts. I must admit to straying from the original recipe quite a bit. Jamie made it with lamb and instead of the walnuts and lemon, he used pistacchio and sumac. However, the result was fantastic. This dish is definitely worthy of being added into my growing repertoire of go-to recipes!

This is a pickled salad of parsley and red onions in lemon juice and generous sea salt. It was so yummy and a perfect complement to the kebabs.

We served the kebabs on a fresh nan flatbread that we bought from a Pakistani restaurant around the area. I also added some greek yogurt and goat cheese, spring mix, the pickled salad and topped it off with some olive oil and cayenne pepper for some added spice. So delicious! Really!!

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I’ve been so busy lately that I haven’t the chance to update much. Mike and I just got back from visiting family in Alabama and are still recovering from all the socializing, eating, and drinking... mostly eating. Haha =P Actually, it felt good to go back. I got to revisit family and places from my past and experience how much has changed since I moved away. A lot it appears. Montgomery seems to be going through an evolution of sorts that is affecting all aspects of life. Diverse communities are bringing a more colorful and exciting cuisines to the once stagnant culinary backdrop dominated by fast food restaurants. Fast food is definitely very much present and thriving but for people looking for something more stimulating the choices have grown. Now you can choose from growing number of Mexican, Korean, and Thai restaurants as well as the regional BBQ and fried fish joints.

In addition to restaurants, the night scene seems to be improving as well. Niche bars and lounges have cropped up in the downtown area targeting the more cosmopolitan youth with much success. During our stay, we went to a bar featuring a live band that played old covers on popular alternative music (sorry, no country for us!) and although pretty small the atmosphere was pleasant. We sat outdoors and enjoyed the warm southern climate drinking beer and enjoying the company of family and friends. The nightlife differed much from what we’ve grown used to in NJ, but its laidback, unpretentious feel definitely has its appeal. Ultimately, it ended up being one of the best and longest impromptu nights out we’ve had in a long time!

For months on end, I’ve had to endure the Food Network talk of nothing else but BBQ. So, taking the opportunity that we were going to be smack dab in the heart of the South, the one must-do thing on my list was to experience some REAL Southern BBQ. I’m referring to mouth-watering ribs, crispy fried okra, cornbread, gooey yummy macaroni and cheese, corn nuggets… the works. However, due to some bad planning, we waited until the weekend when they’re all shut down (who knew they would be closed??), so in the end I didn’t get to satisfy my appetite for juicy delicious fall off the bone Southern BBQ ribs. But, we DID get to enjoy sweet, juicy deliciously tender Korean BBQ, so all in all it was a wonderful, great trip. Oh, I made my family teach me a couple of Korean recipes to incorporate into my repertoire, so I can’t wait to try them out for myself and share all I’ve learned!

After a long week filled with the everyday stresses of work and life, I like to have my Sundays free from social obligations and open to relaxation! Weekends are usually the time when I feel most inspired to cook and on any given Sunday, you can find Mike and I busy in the kitchen. So much of our lives revolve around cooking, enjoying and searching for good food that it's so nice to share that part of lives with the other. However, lately our schedules have been so so hectic, we haven't had the opportunity to cook much in the weekend. (T_T) This past weekend was particularly draining and feeling hazy and completely exhausted after a long night out, we felt at a loss at what to do to appease our growingly grumbling, demanding stomachs. I was scrambling around the kitchen encouraging my quickly failing brain to kick in and save Mike and I from our hunger when it dawned on me. Wrap! I love the ease of wraps and their charm lies in that anything goes!! So, I did just that threw a bunch of ingredients together and finished product was surprisingly yummy and oh so simple! ^.^

So, that was our dinner…. A simple but deeply satisfying wrap made of ground beef seasoned with thyme, lemon and cayenne pepper with potatoes and scrambled eggs. It was very good served with a side of greek yogurt and sprinkled with creamy goat cheese.

I hate when recipes don’t include pictures so please don’t hate me now. I didn’t think it would be as good as it turned out so I didn’t think ahead and took pictures. I will be sure to upload one soon though!

Mediterranean wraps

Ingredients

8 in. flour tortillas
1 lb ground beef
5 small red potatoes, diced into bite-sized pieces
1 tsp. thyme
3 tbsps. of lemon juice or as desired
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced or finely chopped
cayenne pepper or paprika
kosher salt
2 eggs, scrambled and seasoned with salt black pepper
greek yogurt
goat cheese for sprinkling

Boil potatoes until almost cooked but still slightly firm, depending on the size of the chopped potatoes that should range between 5-7 minutes. While the potatoes are cooking, heat a large skillet and add olive oil. Sauté onions for a few minutes then add the garlic. Cook until onions are translucent and garlic has softened, around 3 minutes. Raise the temperature to medium high and brown the ground beef. At this time, drain the potatoes and add into the skillet. Season with thyme, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper/ paprika and sprinkle in lemon juice. Lower temperature to medium and continue to cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add scrambled eggs and cook until just set and well combined with other ingredients. Sprinkle a little more cayenne pepper/ paprika for added smokiness and pop of color. Serve over warmed tortillas with a side of green yogurt and a bowl of goat cheese for sprinkling as desired.

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We had leftover soondooboo jjigae, pan-fried potatoes (kamja bokkum) and the pickled peppers and garlic last night. Finally! My first impression was that I had underestimated the heat of long green peppers. For seasoned spice eaters like Mike and I, it wasn’t enough to bring tears or urge us to reach for our water but it definitely took the breath out of me. This is surely a banchan to be savored in small doses if you don’t want it to affect the flavors of the rest of your meal. We shared half of a long green pepper and that more than enough.

The most present flavor was as expected, the vinegar followed by the saltiness of the soy sauce and I could almost detect a slight kick from the liquor at the very end. The one element I felt was missing from this recipe was sweet. To my disappointment, it was barely discernable so next time I think I will experiment with the proportions of the ingredients. Maybe adjust the vinegar and sugar just to mellow it out a bit. Or perhaps substitute the regular sugar for light brown sugar to provide a richer, deeper sweetness that will withstand the sharpness of the vinegar. However, I am actually pretty happy with the peppers and I know they will draw in the even more flavors sitting in the refrigerator. So, I am very excited to see how they continue to mature.

Kamja Bokkum is one of the simplest and tastiest banchan. This dish is one of Mike’s favorite; he loves the nutty and saltiness of the potatoes. This is perfect for when I don’t feel like making too much of an effort in the kitchen, so it was fitting for last night’s meal. Hehe

A lot of people make it with just potatoes but I prefer to add onions as well to bring a little more complexity to the dish. This recipe allows for flexibility so feel free to alter it a bit with the addition of carrots or green or red hot peppers. You can also substitute green onions for the onions for a more refined delicate dish. But, I really enjoy the uniformity of the julienned potatoes and onions and the textural element that the onions bring are awesome as well. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Kamja Bokkum (Pan-fried Potatoes)

Ingredients:

4 medium potatoes, julienned 1 medium onion, julienned

1 tbsp vegetable

1 tbsp sesame seed oil

sesame seeds for sprinkling

coarse sea salt

black pepper

Heat skillet and add both oils. Once the oil is hot, add potatoes and cook stirring often. After 5 mins, add onions and continue cooking at low medium temperature. It is important to stir often or they will brown and stick together. The desired consistency is tender and fluffy. A few minutes before removing from heat, salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to plate and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve warm or at room temperature.

I cook everyday (on weekdays only dinner due to my job), but in the rush of getting food ready before Mike gets home, I don’t take as many pictures as I would like. So, for the sake of posting I figured I might as well share my newfound interest in the world of pickling… Korean-style!

I love banchan, the small plates filled with a wide array of side dishes that accompany entrées in a Korean restaurant. They can be as simple as seasoned vegetables, egg dishes, or as elaborate as cooked tofu, meat dishes and pickled vegetables. It’s really hard for me to select my favorites. It all depends on my mood and I love the idea of having something new and different each bite. Yum… It’s such a culinary experience.

I usually make most of my banchan except for the pickled ones like kimchi. I tried making kimchi a few years ago with horribly bland results and it was traumatic enough that I haven’t tried since. So, when I found a simple recipe for pickled peppers and garlic, I decided to go for it. I added all the ingredients into a tall jar and let them sit. After two weeks, you can refrigerate and eat as desired.

Due to my impatient nature, I checked on it after a week and it smelled of sweet soy sauce and vinegar combined with fragrant garlic….. I think these are going to turn out soooo good!! ^.^ I can’t wait to try them and update, but for now I leave you the recipe.


Pickled Long Green Peppers and Garlic

Ingredients:

It’s been a while since my last post and due to personal responsibilities I all but abandoned my dear blog and along with it the chance to document life experienced by me and interpreted through my eyes. I’d like to keep this medium alive and I still so have the desire to share my culinary experiences with others and record them for my own benefit. I am embarrassingly terrible at keeping written records of the recipes that I create or borrow from others, so every time I step into the kitchen is just like the first time and inevitably the end result is different from the last. This time I am intent in remaining faithful to this blog (really!) and becoming more organized with my recipes, recording food discoveries and in fact just sharing anything that leaves an impression on me. My personality does not allow for rigidness and thrives when given the freedom to experiment and trying new things all inspired by my emotions and my particular moods. So, I will remain true to my nature and just offer myself on print. One day it might be the me who is fixated on perfecting a particular dish or the me that is feeling introspective and wanting to share some silly musings about who knows what. Anyways, just because I haven’t been posting, it doesn’t mean that I haven’t been cooking or eating or engaging on some fun travels so I will be definitely uploading pictures and writing more…..

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