I have no idea what i made. Yesterday i was talking to Mojtaba about Persian food and i was like damn i should make some Persian Food. I usually do the generic saffron rice but i wanted to play with some spices today. I went through a bunch of different spices and smelled them and tasted them to see if they fit into what i thought of Persian food. Well at the end i came up with Allspice, Cloves, Cumin and Cardomom seeds. It worked out great but i have a feeling they all had similar flavors. I don’t know if that’s suppose to be a good thing or a wasteful thing.
I first preheat the oven to 400F. I didn’t really take pictures of everything this time but basically i made a dry rub of all the spices (minus the shell of the cardamom) and also some fresh peppercorns and salt. I have a spice grinder which is one of the best things i’ve ever bought. I put the dry rub all over some chicken thighs and then let it sit for a while. I then browned the skin of the chicken and then put it aside. I used the left over oil and threw in a bunch of sliced onions. I added some more of the rub mix to the onions. Then i threw in basmati rice, and some blanched almonds. I really like eating basmati with almonds. After tossing it for a while i poured the water to cook the rice. I then put the chicken back in. I grinded a small pinch of saffron with sugar and then melted it in some hot water. This brings out the most of the saffron. After the water in the rice has boiled for a little i poured in the saffron mix. I swished the water around once and then threw it with the top on in the preheated oven. I let it stand for like an hour. I took it out cut up some roma tomatoes. I took out the chicken and then mixed up the tomatoes with the rice. The nice thing about this is that you get a nice crust of rice on the bottom that isn’t burnt but when you stir the rice the crust comes off and you get a really nice crunch with the almonds and rice in the rice. That’s basically it. You can try it and see how it goes. But it was really good. Next time i make it i’ll take pictures. This time it was really just a test.
(I actually did this on Thursday but i was busy so i couldn’t write this up)
So i wanted to make something fast and good. The first thing i could think of was Greek Salad in some Pita Bread. I had all the ingredients except the feta. I usually get my feta from Zingerman’s because it is the best place to get feta… (I stopped getting bread from them). Today i decided to give Whole Foods another chance. Last time i got feta from Whole Foods it tasted like ass but I gave it another try because i was too lazy to go to Zingerman’s because i had to pick up some other stuff at Whole Foods.
Here are the pictures!
This is so simple to make. It’s healthy and tasty! (As long as you like feta)
- 1 Tablespoon of Red Wine Vinegar
- 3 Tablespoons of EVOO
- Cherry Tomatoes sliced in half (As many as you think fit)
- Cucumber peeled, deseeded and cut into little disks then sliced into quarters
- Bell Peppers Chopped (I used Red but you should use Green)
- Red Onion Chopped (About half to a whole one or whatever you like)
- Red Radishes sliced into little disks
- Handful of Chopped Parsley
- FETA CHEESE (make sure to get real feta not some crappy fake feta)
- Pita breads
That’s basically it. There isn’t much else to do other than chop the pieces up. Then toss them together. Put the Red Wine Vinegar in another bowl and slowly whisk in the Olive Oil to make the Vinaigrette. Then pour the vinaigrette over the salad and mix. Finally add the Feta and mix again. I usually then wrap the pitas in tin foil and let them bake or toast for a while so they are hot and soft. Then i place just enough Greek Salad in them and EAT! Sometimes i add some homemade Tzatziki. (I’ll show how i make mine in the next post when i make Beef Souvlakis)
I’ve been somewhat busy recently so i didn’t update yesterday. But here is what i made yesterday.
So i found this recipe from Epicurious.com. I picked this mainly because the picture looked so good. (Also people that reviewed it liked it) So i did it. It seemed quick and easy and it was. There were only 4 main ingredients: Lamb Chops, Quince, Balsamic Vinegar and Apple Cider. One thing i learned while cooking this is, taste your Apple Cider first! I added sugar as the recipe said but the Apple Cider I bought was really nice and sweet. I’m sure the sweetness of the Cider could of carried the flavor all the way. So i had to water down the final sauce. (But it still worked out great). Also I would have to say maybe wait for the pan to cool down before you reduce the Apple Cider poach juice. I think i was rushing a little and poured the Juice right after i took out the lamb chops and the juice reduced a little too quick. (So it was a good thing i added water). O yea i’d assume people don’t use Quince a lot. Quince is basically what you’d get if a pear and apple had a child. It smells really nice and also tastes really good when cooked.
Here are the pics of this little adventure.
The ingredients were
- 1 Quince sliced into small wedges
- 1 Cup of Apple Cider
- 3 Sprigs of Thyme + a good amount of thyme leaves
- 4-5 Lamb Chops
- 1 Tablespoon Aged Balsamic Vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon Butter
- Bunch of chopped Oregano and Rosemary Leaves and Basil (I used dried but of course fresh would be better)
That’s basically it. First cut up the Quince. You’ll feel the texture of it but it’ll be nice and soft and smooth after you poach it. Then put the apple cider in a medium-high heat pan and bring to a boil. When it’s boiling throw in the thyme sprigs and and the quince and reduce heat and bring to a simmer. Leave it simmering for around 15-20 minutes until tender and soft. At around 15 minutes start the Lamb Chops. Take some of the Oregano, Basil, Thyme, Salt and Pepper and rub it all over the lamb chops. This will give the Lamb Chops a very very nice taste. Then heat up a medium-high skillet and throw the chops in. It takes around 2-2.5 minutes on each side to get a nice medium-rare. But cook it however you like it. Take out the Chops then let the pan cool down a little. The Quince should be done so take out the Quince and strain the juice into a bowl. Put the pan on medium heat and throw in the poached juice and start mixing up the browned bits on the pan with the juice. After a minute or so take it off the heat and throw in the Butter, Balsamic Vinegar and a good amount of the Rosemary, Oregano and Thyme. Stir it around and the sauce should be formed. Season with salt and pepper to your liking. Add some water if the sauce is too thick. Also strain it too. I didn’t strain it but i think you should now that i think about it. Then Plate! Bon App!
