Best cocoa in the world

[narcimund 0]

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I love to make a beefsteak tomato sandwich on fresh italian bread and dip it in a mixture of olive oil, balsamic vinegar and ground pepper/salt...yummy..(that was actually my dinner a few nights ago!)

Here's our most common dinner: We get good bread, tomato, maybe some proscuitto or jamon serrano or salami, a nice raw vegetable or two, and slice it all up on a platter. Pour olive oil and a little balsamic in a flat plate and sprinkle tellicherry black pepper over the top.

Light candles and the fireplace, open a bottle of wine, and sit on the floor around the coffee table. Pick up bread, pile it with stuff, dip in the oil, and eat!

We probably do this three times a week.

First Class Citizen Twice Over

[f1freak 0]

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I was promised a dinner of grilled tuna but my date never came through for me!

Well, if your ever in VA I'll hook ya up....

HAVE FUN...
...JUST DONT DIE

[skygal3 0]

There is an italian restaurant where I used to live that made the absolute best bruschetta...the rest of their food was marginal, but we would go back everytime just for the bruschetta...I love tomatoes!!!
The meal you mentioned is perfect; I actually stopped eating mammal about 7 years ago, so keep the salami for yourself but invite me over anytime! (I do the whole coffee table thing too...it really is nice...I long for a fireplace where I am now tho.)

[skygal3 0]

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Too bad New Hampshire is so far away ...

*sigh* If I had a dollar for everytime a man in the pacific northwest has said that...

[narcimund 0]

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I actually stopped eating mammal about 7 years ago, so keep the salami for yourself

We can easily switch out something for the mammal for you. How about broiled prawns in olive oil and sea salt? How about sliced grilled duck breast? Or no meats at all.

Really, the base meal is the bread and the oil/vinegar plate. Everything else is optional. But add in a few extras like these and the assembly becomes fun and creative. "Hey, did you try the bell pepper with the eppoises cheese?" "No, not yet. But did you try the fresh anchovy with a prawn?"

This whole meal with exotic strange ingredients will cost less than $20 (well, leaving out the wine!), take 1/2 hour to assemble, be totally healthful, and could easily be a romantic moment you'd remember forever. Now do it all the time and life's good.

Oh! Speaking of wine, this is the cool part. ANY WINE WHATSOEVER goes with this meal. Oregon pinot noir, bordeaux, alsatian gevurtztraminer, italian barbaresco, champagne, australian semillon, god, what couldn't you drink with bread and oil?

Don't get me started about wine!

First Class Citizen Twice Over

[bobsled92 0]

Some cultures instill good cuisine.
I never have a bad meal in Suisse, at restaurant or at friend/relatives' house.

_______________________________
If I could be a Super Hero,
I chose to be: "GRANT-A-CLAUS". and work 365 days a Year.
http://www.hangout.no/speednews/

[skygal3 0]

I've tried to be a good vegitarian, but it is really hard...I basically stay away from mammal and anything on the bone...meaning I will eat fish, chicken breast and ground turkey! ( I like to feed the ducks outside of my condo, so there is a guilt thing associated there.)Sounds terrible, but soy protein always leaves me feeling hungry, and also I am allergic to metal and anything on the bone is too metalic for me to stomach. It was amazing; 3 months after I stopped eating beef I snuck a taste of my mothers famous meatballs and the metallic taste was unbelieveable!Never since then in 7 years have I had a craving. I learned my lesson. Yuckers. I think your meal is perfect without the meat...vegetables are wonderful on their own, and when you start eliminating things such as heavy fats or meats from your everyday palate, your tastebuds are heightened and you really start to appreciate the diff. flavors of veggies. I never enjoyed peppers before but now I will find myself snacking on raw peppers...and artichokes are my new fav! I love artichokes and broccoli (my fav veggie) in a salad with Paul Newmans olive oil dressing...mmmmm....yum yum. Oh and wine...I *love* wine....

[narcimund 0]

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Some cultures instill good cuisine.

Isn't that the truth? Oh, the stories I've read about the swiss, the french, the chinese, the mexicans. These cultures are about serious food and eating together and enjoying family.

America is mixed... We have mountains of garbage and the popular, interstate highway culture is absolutely vile. But get one mile away from the freeways and america begins. This is where a pig slaughter becomes an extended family picnic. This is where mom wears and apron and bakes pies. This is where homemade fruit and flower jams get sold at the county fair.

Or go to the city and discover 2 and 3 star restaurants where chefs wordship Julia Child and James Beard as messiahs. They're experimenting with oily fishes and artisinal cheeses and shaping food and sqeeze bottle sauces. Maybe it's a bit precious but jeez! It's not fast food!

Or go to the small hippy communities and discover slow food. Pots of beans and herbs simmering for hours next to progressive soups that might be 6 months old, eaten and refreshed every day. Not a single molecule of the original soup is left but it's the same pot of soup, more delicious and healthful than ever. Locally grown produce in season. That's it in a nutshell: "Locally grown produce in season."

America isn't a cuisine nation, but we have cuisine behind the billboards, in the house that doesn't have a TV.

First Class Citizen Twice Over

[blewaway5 0]

mein gott, narcimund, skygal, I'm really wanting to meet the both of you someday, get you two together for a cook fest, and sit back and judge the results in a totally competition free moment of pure sensory delight. I think you've both made me very hungry

Truman Sparks for President

[Jessica 0]

Oh God. I still have one arm left....

Skydiving is for cool people only

[SpeedRacer 1]

HEY narcimund, seriously, you should write a cookbook or something. This stuff sounds great!

I learned to cook pretty well because I've almost always lived in places that have a lot of great restaurants with all different types of cuisine, so I had to learn to cook or I'd be tempted to blow all my money in the restaurants. I cook some fancy stuff, some plain stuff. I live alone so I make a lot of one-dish meals.

What I don't understand is these college kids who eat that RAMEN noodle crap (I'm talking about the cheap dried shit, not real ramen like you get in a real Japanese restaurant). Damn, there must be some alternative to eating a styrofoam cup with nothing but starch, chicken fat, salt, and MSG in it. Probably the styrofoam would have about the same nutritional content.

Speed Racer
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[narcimund 0]

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What I don't understand is these college kids who eat that RAMEN noodle crap

Americans are being taught to admire and cherish the anti-cuisine culture. We're sold on the joys of tastelessness, factory production, unconnectedness from the soil to our bodies. We're taught to desire that very specific LACK of food in our food.

A friend of mine named Tig spent days building a red sauce for a special dinner with his young son who he doesn't get to see often. Cooking and providing deliciousness and nurishment soothed his aching soul which is torn apart by the distance to his dear son. From his description and my experience with his cooking, I can assure you it was a world-class red sauce.

When he served the 11 year old boy the plate of pasta, the boy asked what brand of sauce it was. My friend explained it wasn't store-bought, but came from Farmer's Market fresh tomatoes and herbs and three days of loving preparation. The boy said, (and I quote) "YUCK!" and wouldn't touch it. He refused to eat anything without a brand name, a sterilized jar, and a UPC code on the label.

Somebody out there is training the world to hate food and by all reports, they're being tremendously successful.

First Class Citizen Twice Over

[Jessica 0]

Could that also just be a kid thing?

When I was just a tot, I refused to eat anything that didn't come out of a can or bottle. I'm certainly not like that now.

Skydiving is for cool people only

[narcimund 0]

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When I was just a tot, I refused to eat anything that didn't come out of a can or bottle. I'm certainly not like that now.

It might be a kid thing, but it's a recent one. Kids certainly didn't demand cans and bottles before the invention of cans and bottles. They also don't demand that in France or the Amazon.

Or maybe they're starting to with the spread of cans and bottles and hyperefficient television marketing techniques across the world. I've read plenty of anecdotal reports that even France, the world's CENTER of true cuisine, is falling rapidly.

First Class Citizen Twice Over

[skydiverbrian 0]

I'm having trouble determining if your knack for cooking comes from the "gay gene" or do you just watch too much Martha? (I'm a baker, by the way)

I'll trade you one of my simple (read: skydiver-proof)baked recipes for your simple stovetop/grilled recipe.

In a world full of people, only some want to fly... isn't that crazy! --Seal

[skygal3 0]

ok, Narcimund, tell me how you really feel about purple ketchup and choc flavored fries... pink squeezy margarine aimed at the 3-9 year crowd...discuss...

[narcimund 0]

I'm torn about the novelty childrens' products. On the one side, they're all about teaching children to form lifetime associations between fun and the factory's logo.

On the other side, they're inadvertantly teaching the children to never be complacent and satisfied with the food in front of them. And that's all good. It might just become clear to these factory conglomerates that employ chemists instead of cooks that if the kids develop a taste for variety, they're going to grow up to be adventurous. And no adventurer gets their kicks from a supermarket's selection.

I ate pressed turkey loaf and luncheon meat with cheese bits and dehydrated astronaut ice cream and pop rocks when I was a kid and I turned out ok.

First Class Citizen Twice Over

[AggieDave 6]

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and I turned out ok.

Some would argue that you're a skydiver and thus not really OK, though. Atleast, not in the head.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[narcimund 0]

Mmmm. Breakfast was boiled polenta with poached summer strawberries, fresh pomegranete seeds, and cream. Life is good.

First Class Citizen Twice Over

[Pammi 0]

Oh my, I LOVE this thread! Step away Skygal..I'm kidnapping Narcimund until I learn all of his secrets

*scribbling notes quickly* Okay...more, more! Cooking is also my passion and hopefully I'll find the perfect beer recipe as well..my first couple batches were a bit sketchy, but I think I'm just not patient enough
Pam

[SpeedRacer 1]

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I'm having trouble determining if your knack for cooking comes from the "gay gene" or do you just watch too much Martha? (I'm a baker, by the way)

OK, now. lets explode some stereotypes here. There are some straight guys out there who DO care about what they eat!! (please, no oral sex jokes here!)

And besides, chicks really like it when a man cooks her dinner! (and of course, the man really likes it when he can cook her breakfast, too!)

Speed Racer
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[jfields 0]

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There are some straight guys out there who DO care about what they eat!! (please, no oral sex jokes here!)

And besides, chicks really like it when a man cooks her dinner!

That's the truth! I cook, and I'm sure it was a factor in my wife's decision.

I like to cook and eat good food. I had a good role model for that growing up, and I've tried to expand on what I've learned. By reading recipes, watching cooking shows, taking cooking classes, and a whole lot of in-the-kitchen experimenting, I've gotten to be pretty good.

Of course, what each person defines as good is different. Some of what Narcimund was describing sounds great. Other parts don't appeal to me. It is all about making what you like to eat. When you learn to cook, you can more easily make meals that _you_ like. You can avoid flavors you don't prefer and emphasize or add the things you do. It doesn't all have to be fufu things that require foriegn language skills.

Take a simple steak 'n cheese sandwich:

You can use Wonder Bread, Steak-Ums and yellow American cheese. Barf.

Or....

Buy some nice bread (Ciabatta works well), a good cut of steak, some mustard (either Dijon, or grainy whole-seed), fresh rosemary, fresh mozzarela, etc.

Warm the bread up while you cook the steak to medium, maybe fry up some crisp bacon, some peppers/onions. Add the rosemary and cheese to the top of the steak when it is almost done. Smear the mustard on the good bread. Add the steak, bacon, peppers, and assemble your sandwich.

Instead of a greasy ball of muddled flavors and soggy mess, you have a sandwich with fresh ingredients, differentiated textures and distinct tastes. I can taste the bread, rosemary and bacon in my head now. Damnit, it is only 8 am, and I have a long time until lunch!

Or try making homemade pesto instead of buying the kind in the plastic or jar. It isn't that hard, and the fresh ingredients really do make a substantial difference. That is one where you can replace the jar without adding a lot of time. Making pesto is really quick.

Here is another super easy recipe idea that I use a lot.

Mix the following in food processor, adding in the following order (I don't have exact quantities at work, but experiment):

Heap of fresh dill
sugar
dijon mustard
white wine vinegar
olive oil

Pour the mixture over salmon, then bake at 400. Use extra sauce for dipping. It is easy to make, but beats the hell out of any fish sticks you'd buy.

Okay, one more recipe, then I need to get back to work.

Justin's Quickie Fried Mozzarella & Procuitto:

Ingredients:
mozzarella & procuitto roll from grocery store
leftover french bread
corn meal
bran cereal (raisin bran, special k, whatever)
egg
spices (basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, whatever)
milk
flavorful hot sauce (not just fiery)
canola oil

In a food processor, mix/chop the spices, bread, corn meal & cereal.
Mix the egg, hot sauce and milk in another bowl.
Slice the mozzarella/procuitto roll into discs.
Get the canola oil really hot in a fairly shallow pan.

Dip each disc into the egg/milk mixture, then coat with the dry mixture. Do all the discs the same way. Once you've finished them all, start on the first one, and carefully do them all a second time.

Fry them in the oil, flipping after a couple minutes. They don't take very long to cook. Let them sit for just a minute on some paper towels, then serve them piping hot, with marinara if you want.

They are way better than restaurant mozzarella sticks. You'll see the difference a home-made coating makes. As a cooking tip: if you want to make more than one pan full, use two pans, or change the oil between batches. Otherwise, the burned bits can add an unpleasant note on subsequent batches.

Yeah, straight guys can like to cook and eat too.

[jfields 0]

Narcimund,

I totally agree with you about getting past the apparent high cost of some ingredients. It is absolutely worthwhile to buy certain ingredients. People fall into the mistake making unrealistic comparisons. Either they say, "x dollars per pound is insane", not realizing that very little is needed, or they compare home cooked fine foods to store-bought convience foods.

Cost of the following meal for two:
good bakery bread
1-1.2 lbs dill mustard salmon (see earlier post)
fresh steamed green beans with rosemary & cracked pepper

$12-14?

A meal for two people at a generic chain restaurant like Bennigans would cost twice that, and not be half as good. An equivalent restaurant meal would cost two people at least $50 at a place good enough to cook the food properly.

[ladyskydiver 0]

Wow! Men that cook (and don't think that cooking is just grilling out)? I didn't know that such a species existed.

This thread did end up inspiring me to make some Malted Milk Brownies over the weekend (not the healthiest thing but hey...it's the holidays). Ended up getting some rave reviews.

Life is short! Break the rules! Forgive quickly! Kiss slowly! Love truly, Laugh uncontrollably. And never regret anything that made you smile.

[Pammi 0]

Ah well Merrick can cook very well...he just doesn't enjoy it like I do.