Woo Wee... Cajun Kitchen Tonight

Once in a while, the brainy gourmet likes to go Cajun crazy in a kinda crazy way...

Cajun craziness for me starts like this... taking a few left overs while adding something fresh and zesty. From this week's leftovers of: angel hair pasta with tomatoes, stir fry veggies and coconut chicken, I added fresh shrimp for a dish that turned out lip smacking good... topped with crushed jalapeno and lime chips not to mention some cayenne hot sauce.

It came together rather quickly. The pasta with tomatoes was microwaved while I stir fried the shrimp in red pepper infused olive oil, garlic powder and chili powder. To that, I added the left over stir fried veggies and diced up leftover coconut chicken breasts. Once, the pasta was done, all I had to do was wait for the shrimp, chicken and veggies to get a little black crispiness gathering around the edges.

The pasta was ladled onto a low lipped serving plate and topped with the Cajun 'ratatouille'. Lastly, the crushed chips were tossed on top and a good dash of hot sauce.

~ Tutti a Tavola!

Thai Meatball Stir Fry with Rice...

Thai meatballs... why not. Its brainy good!

For this dish, you will need: ground veal (or turkey +1 egg), onion, carrots, asparagus, and green pepper along with wild rice, honey, soy sauce and a thick sweet and sour sauce if you have.

To begin, make your meatball the brainy way using: dried bread crumbs, heavy cream, soy sauce, garlic powder, a tiny pinch of salt and dried herbs. Mix and form into meatballs. Set aside while you saute chopped onion and green pepper to be sauteed in olive oil.

Once browned, toss in baby asparagus spears and julienne baby carrots. Stir fry along with the onion and green pepper adding a bit more olive oil with a dash of soy sauce and a splash of beef stock.

After about 2-3 min. remove from skillet (set aside) and in that same skillet flash fry the meatballs in a drizzle of olive oil. When browned on all sides, reintroduce the veggies. Add 2 tbs of honey, a 1/2 cup of sweet and sour sauce. Let this bubble into a near sticky consistency.

Boil the wild rice in beef stock until tender. Make sure that the rice has absorbed all the stock. Ladle onto a low lipped serving plate and top with the meatballs and vegetables.

Brainy Beef Stroganoff for You...

When Beef Stroganoff is served, you think: rich and creamy and romantically delicious! You can even imagine that you are at some far off tucked in European bistro...

For this dish you will need: quality cuts of beef (stew meat or thick sirloin cut into chunks), one medium onion, dark brown Bavarian mushrooms, beef stock, heavy cream and wide egg noodle pasta - Tagliatelle.

To begin, marinate the beef in balsamic vinegar and pink Himalayan salt for 30-40 min. When that time is nearly finished, in a large skillet saute the onion in olive oil until dark brown on the edges.

Remove from skillet and in the same skillet, brown the mushrooms, adding 3 tbs of butter. Once the mushrooms are darker and tender, remove from the skillet putting them aside with the onion and sear the beef in chunks (drained) in the same skillet, adding a drizzle of olive oil.

Bring back into the skillet the onion and mushrooms, pour in about 3 tbs of beef stock, a half shot of either white wine or vodka, stirring on high heat. Then turning down the heat, add the heavy cream about 1/2 cup, cover and let simmer while you prepare the pasta and a side of blackened asparagus.

Boil the pasta in a large pot of salted water until tender, drain and ladle onto a low lipped plater. The asparagus should be flash stir fried in olive oil, then cover to simmer on medium high adding 1 tbs of beef stock.


 Serve all together, start the music and pour the wine...

~ Tutti a Tavola

Brainy Mashed Potatoes...

Few people think of potatoes as a 'gourmet' food. And, not too many people know that the French love a good 'mash' of potatoes besides their French fries...

The Ratte potato is famous for its 'mash or puree'. It is a small smooth fingerling potato with an amazing buttery nutty flavor and delicate texture. The nutty flavor is said to have come from rich French farm soils that the variety is grown in. 

The Ratte potato has an ovate shape, often with a slight curve and golden speckled skin. The flesh of this potato is a deep golden yellow and its delicate texture maintains even when cooking. Some say that the American Yukon Gold is similar.

For a gourmet mash potato dish, wash, peel, quarter and boil as many potatoes per person to be served of your favorite potato (not a baking potato) in lightly salted water. When they are tender, drain and rinse quickly with cold water. Return the potatoes to the pot they were boiled in. If you boiled about 8-10, once drained, immediately add 1/2 stick of creamy butter, 1/4 cup of heavy cream, and 1/2 cup of whole milk...begin mashing. *Sour cream can be used instead of heavy cream.

 
Serve topped with dried herbs or grated cheese. Mash can be eaten alone or as a side with any meat. 

~ Tutti a Tavola!

The Brainy Gourmet ~ A Ministry of Food and Family!

The Brainy Gourmet is a ministry of food and family; which is about being frugal and brainy in the kitchen for your family. In this way, by serving your family, you serve God. You demonstrate His love with your actions... preparing a meal and gathering around the table.

You don't have to be a 5 star chef to be frugal and brainy in the kitchen. You just have to be in love with God, and your family. Why in love with God first? Because, He is the Creator of all things seen and unseen (COL 1:16). He holds all things together (COL 1:17). In Him, we live, breathe and have our being (Acts 17:28).

Being a brainy gourmet also means understanding your own God given talents (no matter how simple or extraordinary) and tastes (in terms of preferences for sweet and savory) and putting them to use. Don't bury your talents...(Matthew 25:18).

You don't have to be wealthy either to be a brainy gourmet. The most basic of foods can be made into a 'gourmet' meal. There is a basic pantry list on the right margin of this blog from which one can begin to be frugal and brainy.

Alongside of this blog is the Brainy Gourmet Webpage where you can find additional meal archives and Brainy Tips.

www.thebrainygourmet.com

Cooking at home is therapeutic...

How can cooking at home be therapeutic? Its comforting in a way that may not be so apparent. It calms the soul stirring the creative imagination that sings to the spirit...This is especially good for us when faced with the daily stresses of life, let alone during extreme weather conditions as we have now in the North and Midwest.

When you cook at home you should always cook what you like and keep it simple by not getting all tied up in this or that recipe. Why? Following a recipe 'going by the book' is often stressful and you can end up buying and using ingredients as well as spices/seasonings that you will likely never use again. And, worse yet when it does not turn out as it was suggested.

The Brainy Gourmet has always advocated to keep a simple basic pantry stock and go from there. And, I have always said that soup is a good place to start being brainy. Soup is not stew in my book and soup can not be thick because of it is you have either porridge of stew.

Soup should be treated as a starter but it can be the main meal if you serve bread with and a meat (usually that which can be taken out of the soup stock). Soup should have liquid so that you can dunk the bread. And, whenever you make a stock using whatever meat or vegetable base you prefer, always strain out the meat/vegetables and never add small vegetables to it unless you are on the last days of the stock.

You see, once added, it is often very difficult to strain out smaller bits like peas and corn. Also, never add rice or pasta or even potatoes to the stock; unless, its the last day of the stock and you are going to make potato soup. Once you add potatoes, pasta or rice to a big pot of stock, that's it... you have a big pot of either potato, rice or noodle soup.

You want the stock to morph into different soups all week long. And, that has been demonstrated here on the Brainy Gourmet over the years. But, if you are a first timer here, consider making a meat/veg. stock. Once you have, strain out the meat (large piece of pork shoulder or beef or a whole chicken). Strain out any vegetables (left long i.e. carrots/celery/leek) and set aside. Now, you are ready to create the first soup of the week.

If you boiled a chicken and have decided you want chicken noodle, stain out the chicken and vegetables, boil noodles on the side and serve to individual bowls to which bits of diced chicken and vegetables (that which was strained out) can be added; again, to the bowl and not the pot.

Tomorrow, that same stock can become another kind of soup or used to cook a dish, even a stir fry or to make a gravy. When you cook in this way, you are in charge as you base your kind of cooking on your taste buds, your food preferences, your creative imagination... don't be a slave to recipes and foodie hype. Be a Brainy Gourmet!!!!!!!!

Italian Chicken Soup with Rigatoni and Pesto...

What's better than Italian ice and snow? ~ Hot Soup!!!

You know that chicken stock you made earlier this week and set aside to create soups from... well, now is the time to retrieve for the final soup of the week. This soup is very good and very simple to make. The basic ingredients are: Chicken stock 4 cups, 2 large chicken breasts (boneless and skinless), onion, garlic clove, red pesto and rigatoni pasta... arugula to top it off.

To begin, saute onion in a combination of olive oil and butter. Once browned, add 4 tsps of balsamic vinegar (4 good shakes from the bottle); set aside and prepare the chicken breast meat. Slice and or dice each breast into small pieces.

As the stock comes to a rolling boil, add the diced chicken and then add the sauteed onion, along with dried herbs: rosemary, mint and oregano along with a bit of sage and parsley.

On the side, boil in salted water one box of rigatoni pasta. When the pasta is tender, drain and ladle into bowls pouring the soup over the pasta topping with a dollop of red pesto and fresh chopped arugula.

*Serve with wine, crusty bread and cheese!

~ Tutti a Tavola!