myherobobhope Food Journal

I was e-mailing with a friend, and she discussed the fact she was trying to learn how to cook. This made me start to think about easy things to make, and "building block" recipes... I find that cooking one thing will help me learn how to cook other things, and that certain skill sets transfer across the cooking realm.

I also like knowing how to make my own pasta sauce, as it's easy and delicious.

All I do is:
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
1 large onion
1 green pepper (color doesn't really matter)
Optional:
Meat

Added Flavors:
Garlic
Red Pepper flakes
Italian Seasoning
Basil
Oregano

Start by browning the meat. If you aren't using meat, start with the onions and the peppers and sauté them in olive oil (basically, low heat, cut them up into little bits, wait until they turn transluscent). Add in the tomatoes and the paste and any other seasonings you want, and bring to a simmer.

Reduce down to medium low heat, and let some of the excess moisture boil off. Basically cook it until it is the consistency you want.

This is a great recipe to put over pasta, and is quick and easy. You can also add pretty much ANYTHING you want to it.

Add in eggplant, zucchini, squash instead of meat, and cook them with the garlic, bell pepper and onions.

Chop up some italian sausage and brown it, then add in the onions and peppers.

It's a good base recipe to start from, and can be used in many different ways.

As I cook more, I slowly build out a list of things I want to cook. I figured I'd toss it up here, so I'd have it for reference and see if anyone had any tips or tricks for me.

1. Learn to cook better Chinese food. I can make some things, like dumplings... but I can't really make things like orange chicken or General Tso's chicken. I know I would use better ingredients than delivery Chinese, but I just can't get the texture and flavor down the way I want to. It's not something I try to do often... I go back and try to cook it occasionally, but need to get back into trying to cook it more often.

2. Barbecue well. This involves purchasing a smoker, and developing my own BBQ sauce recipe. I have some experience making sauce (and one failed attempt to make a mustard based sauce), but I want a sauce that I can call my own (The Bob Hope special, if you will.) I also want to learn the basic principles of smoking. I've never owned a smoker (as I don't have a backyard), but I understand the principals, and look forward to experimenting with woods, heat and meat. This is my long term goal.

3. Make something new. I don't expect to take the culinary world by storm with my moderately unique way of cooking chicken, but I would like to be able to cook a meal for friends and family that they have never tasted before.

4. Master Carne Asada. This is a dish I've tried to cook, and a dish I order anytime I see it on a menu. Carne Asada burritos in San Diego fed me for the year I lived there. To be honest, I don't know why I haven't figured out how to make it right. I've tried and failed on this particular recipe many times. It's my Moby Dick... I've contemplated trying to work in a mexican restaurant simply to learn how to cook this dish. It's an obsession, and something I still need to master.

5. Make vegetables that I enjoy. Asparagus wrapped in bacon covered in parmesan cheese is delicious. It somewhat ruins the point of eating vegetables, though. I am always looking for recipes that are enjoyable and nutritious. I enjoy fresh vegetables plain, but prefer them with some added flavor.

6. Write down more recipes. I never write down anything. I don't really keep track of portions, or measure them when I am cooking. I prefer this style, but I usually don't manage to repeat results. Sometimes this is good, other times this is bad. I don't like to cook the same thing twice, but I'd like the ability to at least attempt to repeat some of the better dishes I have made. I try to remember the mistakes I have made, and maybe I should write those down too (I don't think I will ever put Parm in Mac'N'Cheese again... too many texture and flavor problems)

Those are about all I can think of right now. I think it's a good jumping off point for the rest of my cooking career.

(Promoted from the Diaries - Kate)

In my quest to try to learn how to cook something new, I went to my butcher (and I'm not sure butchers exist for most people anymore, but these people know their stuff*) and picked up a shoulder of pork to cook. I also picked up a variety of their spice rubs, as they are all magnificent.

So I came home with a pound and a half of pork shoulder, and no real idea what I was doing. This is the sort of challenge I love, getting a cut of meat, having a vague idea what I wanted, and then cooking it, through some online research and personal general knowledge of cooking.

That night, i rubbed the shoulder down with seasoned salt, steak seasoning and a BBQ rub (all from the butcher) tossed on a little oil, and let it refrigerate for a day.

The next day at about 2pm, I heated a pot (and I have a small apt, so I really only have one... I use it for everything from spaghetti to popcorn) and seared both sides of the meat. I'm not sure why I did this, but I enjoy the taste of seared meat, so it seemed like a good place to start.

From there, I added apple juice, apple vinegar, honey, garlic powder and onion powder. I assume the dry rub from the night before would add in enough flavor.

I brought the liquid to a boil, reduced it to a slow simmer, and then every hour I flipped the meat (which was not fully submerged). After about 3-4 hours, the meat was tender and perfect... I put it in a bowl, and pulled it apart with two forks.

The only mistake I made was we were low on barbecue sauce. I should have made my own, but didn't get around to it. The meat still ended up tender and juicy, and the bbq sauce (what little I had) added a nice amount of flavor.

I think the next time I cook pork shoulder, I'm going to make a more "cuban" dish... start with lime juice, add in cumin, paprika, some cayenne pepper... I'm hoping to get the same delicate meat with a different flavor.

Eventaully, I will have a smoker but for now, it's nice to know I can "barbecue" without one. (Also, some might suggest liquid smoke, but that goes against my morals, for some reason)

*I live in the DC area, and the butcher is Wagshals ( http://www.wagshals.com/Default.asp ). I don't even remember how I found it, but I can tell you that having a knowledgeable butcher, and a store that is focused around selling meat, is a boon to anyone who wants quality meat. Their hamburger meat alone makes them worth the drive for me. I'm slowly working my way through their meat display with the help of Pam. When I move away from DC, I can tell you the first thing I am looking for is a store like this. I suggest you google "gourmet butcher" and your area, and see if you can find something similar.

I find myself stymied. I want to experiment with new cooking, but I am not sure exactly what I want to make. I am currently living in a small apartment with an extremely limited budget, so purchasing new cooking equipment (read: a grill) is not an option. I find myself looking at classic recipes, and things I cook well and trying to find new ways of cooking them. With a picky eater for a girlfriend, I still have to be cautious, and with the aforementioned limited budget, failures need to be avoided (in other words, I'm not going to try to cook duck, something I have never cooked before, but I would be willing to make odd additions to something I have made before).

The problem is, I have run out of inspiration. I wanted to make enchiladas, and succeeded in making some delicious ones... but now I'm not sure what I want to do.