For Julia Childs and Julie Powell

It’s a little crazy that I’m about to be writing on this blog for the last time that I actually have to. Past this, I’m on my own. I figure I’ll continue, after all, I really do enjoy this cooking stuff. It isn’t just some nanny-hoot B.S. that I’ve been preaching for almost four months; this is fun. And delicious. Don’t forget delicious. And expensive. How could I forget that part?

If I think about all things I could’ve done with my time and money, instead of cooking, none of it really adds up. I want to become a good chef. I have so much pride in being able to cook. And I’m not saying I have any intuition, but I am saying that I could make you any one of the dishes I’ve made during the past 4 months again, and probably better. That is fine by me. I’ll have a wife one day, and hopefully a family, and I want to be able to cook for them.

In honor of the reason I truly decided to get into cooking, the movie Julie & Julia, I’ll be making its penultimate dish: beef bourguignon. I can only imagine how many people saw this film and decided to make it. Because it was a special occasion for me, being the final necessary cooked meal of the year, I decided to make enough for about 10 people. The only way to know if your cooking is good is to give it to a bunch of different people, right? And not just people who you know will like it; people who come from different backgrounds and cultures and who like and dislike different things. My roommate Eric, he is a very simple eater. He’ll take the usual steak and mashed potatoes, corn, or some pizza, maybe some Chinese food here and there; you know, the usual American dining. I normally consider something good if I can get him to like it. As you can imagine, he disliked many of the things I’ve made so far. But I have a feeling about this dish.

Beef bourguignon; that’s a mouthful. Here are the ingredients I used to make it: salt, pepper, butter, carrot, yellow onion, garlic, mushroom, thyme, parsley, olive oil, cognac, dry red wine, beef broth, tomato paste, all-purpose flour, rye bread, Applewood smoked bacon, and chuck beef.

Before getting into it, I’d like to thank one of my good friend’s mothers for letting me borrow her large pot. Your generosity is greatly appreciated, Laura. Dylan Reddick has also been an amazing sous chef throughout this entire learning experience, and I’d like to thank him for that (even when he put steak seasoning on the steak when I specifically told him to just put salt & pepper, I still love you).

First, prepare. Cut up about a pound of carrots into 1-inch diagonals, two onions into strips and two cloves of garlic. Also, slice a good amount of uncooked bacon (you can never get enough bacon) into small squares or strips; a little unevenness is fine.

Start by taking your large pot and placing it atop a stove. Drizzle some olive oil in and set to high heat. When it’s sizzling, dump in the bacon. Let that cook until it is lightly browned; mix it occasionally to make sure nothing burns. When it’s done, take the bacon out with a slotted spoon, to take away any connected liquids, and set it aside in a plate. Leave about one tbsp. of bacon fat in the pot.

Next, dry your beef with paper towels, and then season them with salt and pepper. In groups of single layers, place the cuts into the hot oil so that it sears each side to a nice brown. Don’t let it cook the inside of the beef. When you’re done with each batch, place them onto the plate with bacon. Leave the fat renderings inside the pot.

Then, grab your onions and carrots and place them in the pot. Add some salt and pepper and stir frequently as you let that cook for about 15 minutes. Don’t cheat yourself; 15 minutes. Grab your chopped garlic and mix it into the veggies. One minute later, pour one cup of Cognac into the pot. Then, (be careful and stand back) get a match or lighter and light the concoction on fire. You’ll see you don’t have to literally put your hand in there, just have the flame get within 10 inches or so and it will catch fire with a bang. When the alcohol is burned off, place the meat and bacon back into the pot. Then, add an entire bottle of Pinot Noir and enough beef broth to fully cover all the solids. Add in a tbsp. or two of tomato paste, and a couple stems-worth of thyme. Then, cover your pot with a tight fitting lid and place it into a preheated oven at 250 degrees. Let that sit for an hour and 15 minutes and then take it out.

While you’re waiting, take out 2 separate pans. On one pan, you’re going to be making garlic rye bread and the other, you’ll be cooking mushrooms. Have your mushrooms cut without stems (leaving only the heads), and sauté them in 2 tbsp. of butter for 10 minutes. For the bread, drizzle some olive oil into the pan and throw a little chopped garlic in as well. Then, put as many pieces of bread as you can fit into the pan, and simply press down gently to get a nice grilling on one side.

After you’ve taken your pot out of the oven, add in 2 tbsp. of butter and a couple shakes of flour and stir the stew around. Bring the stew to a boil on top of the stove, and then let it sit for 15 minutes to collect itself. Dump your mushrooms in, and parsley as well.

To serve, place one side of bread onto a plate and then scoop out a healthy dollop of stew and put it atop the bread. This essentially makes bread that is too moist to hold, so make sure to give a fork and knife and napkin to each of your guests.

And that is all! What I hope you have is a delicious beef bourguignon filled with flavors that nobody could resist; my guests went for seconds.

Until next time; enjoy your meal!

P.S. Somehow, I forgot to take a picture. Take my word for it, I made it. And it was great

A story of Baklava

George was a shy man. He’d never ventured into the wilderness. He’d never taken a bunch of drugs with his pals. In high school, he simply went to high school. No sports, no extracurriculars. He just went and came back. Every day, coming and going. Like the breeze in the wind, everyone just let him fly by. He was effectively a ghost. He never made a name for himself, never did anything to stand out.

And he was content with that, because he had other things on his mind. And, to George, real life is within the mind. He was a successful man his entire life, in his mind.

In college, Myles studied business. He went about his days the same way he did in high school. He went to class, and came back. And so on and so forth. He never built a relationship with anybody. Not even his roommate freshman year could get a word out of him.

By the time he was 27, George had become a wealthy businessman. He’d perfected the art of buying and selling stock. It’s a job that doesn’t require leaving the house, doesn’t require any real communication with anyone, and so, George was living a pretty fulfilling life.

Each night, George would create a meal for himself. Cooking was his vice. He’d become a master chef over the years of living alone. He loved every bit of it. The high heats, the sizzling of steak on a pan, the aromas, rolling dough; he loved it all. Each and every night was something different. Yes, George was a simple man, but happy nonetheless.

Karla was the exact opposite. In school, she was the flame that kept on burning. She once got suspended for clogging every single toilet in the girls’ locker room with old pairs of shoes that she’d never thrown out because she thought it’d be funny. Another time, she even told her teacher that she was going to punch them in the face for telling her she got a math problem wrong. She was suspended for that too.

School wasn’t exactly her thing. And grades never really went in her favor. Karla was beautiful, though. She had a spice about her that most men could never ignore. And beyond her nonsensical violence and odd mannerisms, she was a kind-hearted girl. That’s what got her by, mostly.

She never went to college. Her parents didn’t want to put up with her failures any longer. So she began to work in a restaurant; her father knew the owner and got her a job as a food-runner.

For seven years she worked there. Without complaints, she brought food from table to table and the empty plates back to the kitchen. She’d never been promoted to waitress; her foul mouth was too casual.

When she turned 26, though, her boss decided to give her a new opportunity.

“Janet just left,” Boss man said. “I need someone new to go buy the groceries for me now; you interested?”

“Fuck yea!” Karla said.

So, the Boss gave Karla a list of over 50 items to go and pick up from the market. Each and every day she’d have to do this--no more food running.

One day in Stop & Shop, George laid eyes on a beautiful woman and her extremely filled shopping cart. It was Karla. He didn’t think much of it, like he didn’t most things, so he just trolleyed along.

The next day, George saw the same women, with the same big shopping cart, and he thought to himself, “Whoa this woman must have a big family.”

Weeks went by. Karla had become very proficient at her new work. George remained the same. George continued to see Karla around the grocery, but never thought much of it. Karla never noticed a simpleton like George.

Then, on one magical day, it was the 23^rd of August, George and Karla found themselves in the same aisle at Stop & Shop. It was the nut aisle. Karla looked over at this man a few feet away, and she saw his blank face putting a few bags of peanuts, pine nuts, almonds, walnuts and pistachios into his cart.

“So you like fuckin’ nuts do ya?” Karla said.

George looked around, bewildered. “Excuse me?” he said.

“I was just wondering if you think you have enough nuts in your chariot.”

George was so confused. Why was this woman who he’d been able to avoid for months talking to him?

“Ma’am, I believe that’s not your business,” he said. “But if I had to elaborate, ma’am, I’m making Baklava.”

Karla was looking into this weirdo’s face and could tell he doesn’t get out much. She was pleased to mess around with him.

“Did you say there’s something wrong with your back?” Karla said.

George spoke up a bit. “No, ma’am, baklava. It’s a dessert pastry that’s quite delicious. I need nuts to make it. If you just wouldn’t mind letting me be, I could go on my way and you could go on yours.”

“Back Lava, huh. Where you from, Irania or something?” Karla asked.

“Ma’am, that isn’t even a place. Now please, go away.”

This may not seem like it was going anywhere, but, amazingly, Karla was fascinated by the man. Something about him was different. She especially liked how he didn’t want to talk to her, and that kind of challenge is the kind she’s interested in.

“Now wait a minute,” she said. “I’ve been working for a restaurant for eight years now and I don’t know a lick of cooking. Now, I’m tryna eat some God damn Back Lava. Do you think I could join you?”

“Listen, ma’am. I’m more a solitary man, and you’re a rather disgusting woman, so I’d rather not.”

“But, say now, I think you can warm up to me. I wanna learn how to cook, and you seem to know a shit or two. Now, lemme learn witcha.”

George had no choice. No one in his life had ever even spoken to him this much, nonetheless want to talk to him more.

“Ahh heck, why not,” George said. “Alright, meet me at my car and we can cook together tonight.”

And, wouldn’t you know it; Karla had a knack for cooking. She was the ying to Georges yang. The baklava came out delicious and the two cooks got along splendidly in the kitchen. It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship between two mismatched people and it all worked out. Their lives perfectly intertwined and from then on, they cooked together each night. Just like George had always done, except now, with a crazy partner.

George became a little more outgoing, and Karla became a little more mature. The End.

 

Famous

 

My aunt described this dish to me as the famous chicken. The illustrious and all-consumed chicken (besides vegetarians). It's like that event or holiday that you can always remember going to because they make sure to always prepare that famous something. There's an annual First Pitch Dinner my baseball team holds at the Marriott and I know we all look forward to it because of the unlimited Caesar salad, penne vodka, steak and mashed taters. Whether its meatballs or lobster linguine or corn on the cob, a smile is on everyone's face with the pure enjoyment of food. 

And so it leads me into my aunt's famous rice with meat and chicken. It's a classic Middle-Eastern dish with simple flavors that never disappoint. 

The ingredients I used to make this dish are: salt, pepper, butter, olive oil, lemon, all spice, 7-spice mix, cinnamon, pine nuts, whole chicken, ground beef, and white rice. 

Start by preheating your oven to 420 degrees. 

Then, take out 2 whole chickens and place them in a sheet. Rub allspice and 7-spice mix onto the chicken so it is evenly distributed. Throw on some salt and pepper as well. Finally, squeeze adequate lemon juice and drizzle olive oil onto the chicken and around the pan. Place that into your preheated oven and let it cook. It should take around 45 minutes. Keep an eye on it!

Next, grab 2 pounds of chopped ground beef and season it with the same things: allspice, 7-spice mix, salt and pepper. Place it in a pan that's already sizzling with butter and cook until the meat is brown and tender. Drizzle in some lemon, too, it tastes great. Drain the meat in a colander and let it sit until you need it again. 

In another pot, get water boiling and put in enough rice for about 8 people. That will take about 15 minutes to cook through. Make sure to continually mix so nothing sticks to the pan. Drizzle in some lemon, too, it tastes great. 

When the chicken is done cooking, take it out of the oven (use mitts!) and place the pan on a safe surface. With a sharp knife and large fork, begin to pull the chicken meat off the bone. It should rip off easily, the smells should be great and the meat should look juicy.

Now that all three components of the dish are complete, throw them all into one large pan. Mix it all around and drizzle some more lemon atop and some more spices too.

As you can tell, it's a simple dish in terms of ingredients. 

One last thing… warm up pine nuts in a pan (no butter, no nothing) for about five minutes until they're a nice golden-brown. When that done, throw them in. A perfect addition, you'll see. 

All this makes for an amazing dish that some would call, famous. I hope you enjoy!

 

 

Sugar Sugar Sugar

 

I'm the type of person who thinks adding nine spoonfuls of sugar into a cup of coffee is amazing. Why not make it ten? I'm also that guy who orders water with a side of lemons at Applebees and then uses all the sugar packets on the side of the table to make lemonade. To me, there is no limit on sweet. From cotton candy to rock candy to caramel and rum, sugar has many forms and they're almost always delicious.

If you've ever seen of tried Middle-Eastern desserts, you'll notice there is plenty of sugar (like any dessert). Middle-Eastern desserts normally use dough and a mixture of honey and syrups. The dessert we'll be making tonight is a mixture of those two things and, surprisingly, cheese. Alright, well, maybe not so surprising, I mean, there are inventions like cheesecake and easy-to-reach pages like this and this to make it seem common, but… ahh who am I kidding? Cheese is used everywhere.

The dessert we'll be cooking tonight is called Kanafeh. It's heavy on the stomach but sweet and delicate as can be. It's, truthfully, a taste I cannot describe other than to say, try it yourself. Hopefully through my explaining how I did it, you can imagine how it tasted. 

Start by heading to a special Middle-Eastern grocery. There, you'll have to pick up shredded phyllo dough, Akawi cheese and rose water. I must say, it was a challenge walking up and down the isles of a foreign grocery; I couldn't read anything. Luckily, the not-so-enthused cashier extended his role to shopper-assistant.

 

The ingredients I used to make this dish was: water, milk, sugar, lemon, rose water, phyllo dough, butter, ricotta and Akawi cheese, and pistachio. 

To begin, prepare. You'll need a pan, oven sheet, spatula, and large bowl.

Start by making your syrup. This is a thickened mixture of sugar and water. On a hot stove, place 3 cups of sugar for every 1 cup of water into a pan. So, I used 6 cups of sugar and 2 cups of water. Stir continuously. It should take about 10 minutes to reach a good thickness. Add in some lemon juice and a tspn. of rose water, and thats it. When you feel like the consistency in the syrup is just right, dump it all into a carafe (or any adequate receptacle). This mixture can last for months in the fridge, by the way. Set this aside. 

Next, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Then, take out your phyllo dough and place it in a large bowl. Melt about 3/4 of a stick of butter and pour it onto the dough. Add in a half cup of milk. Mix the three ingredients together until they are evenly distributed. 

Next, grab a baking sheet and begin to place some of your dough mixture inside, this is the bottom layer of your dessert. Spread it evenly and then, firmly press down on it with a spatula to make a solid layer with no holes. 

Next, take out Akawi cheese and cut it into small cubes; about 4 cups worth. Then, in another large bowl, mix the Akawi cheese with 2 cups of ricotta cheese. Mix it manually until the cheeses are combined evenly. 

Your cheese mixture is going to be the middle layer of the pastry, so, begin to place it in. When you've covered the entire pan with the mixture, firmly press down on it to make a solid layer with no holes (haven't you read that already?).

Lastly, spread the dough mixture atop as it is the final layer to the dessert. And again, once it is evenly distributed, firmly press down on it with a spatula to make a solid layer with no holes. 

Throw the pan into the oven for 40 minutes. When you take it out, let it settle for at least 10 minutes. And then, to take the pastry out of the pan, flip it onto another plate. Place a plate onto the open side as you flip it, so there is no mistakes. You don't want all your hard work to end up on the floor!

And that's it. Once it's alone on a plate you'll see an aesthetically pleasing and soon to be delicious pastry. Take your syrup from the fridge and drizzle it onto individually cut slices. Then, for final touches, sprinkle ground pistachios atop the dessert. If you don't have a mortar and pestle, like me, good luck. I used the back of a spoon in a bowl. 

Enjoy the sweetness!

 

 

Ta-boo-YAH

 

What better way to refresh the palate than with a cool, delicious salad? Tabbouleh is an amazingly simple mixture that is still powerful and tasty. It's important to use fresh ingredients, like always. The dish originates from Lebanon and Syria. 

The ingredients I used in my tabbouleh salad were: parsley, mint, cilantro, tomato, onion, lemon, garlic, bulgur, olive oil, salt and paper.

To start off, make sure to have cutting board, a large bowl and a sharp knife. Also, set up a pot with boiling water.

You're going to put a cup of bulgur into that pot. Bulgur is a "cereal food made from the groats of several different wheat species, most often from durum wheat." I had never heard of this stuff before buying it at the grocery specifically for this salad. It's rather plain, but, oh well, I'll stick to the traditional recipe. The bulgur will cook for about 12 minutes. Continually mix the pot and occasionally take some out to test its taste and toughness. You want it to be soft, almost so there's no need to chew it. 

In the mean time, grab 2 bushels of parsley and mint, and 1 bunch of cilantro. With the addition of cilantro you can throw away the "traditional recipe" label I gave this earlier, but it's a nice fresh touch that makes the dish better. Anyway, chop up the greens until they're very fine. Remove stems as well. 

Then, cut 2 ripe tomatoes into compartments. Take away any unnecessary juices and then chop the slices into smaller pieces. Take half an onion and chop it up into similar sized pieces. Add in 1 clove of chopped garlic. 

Then, drizzle in the juice of 2 lemons. Also, pour in a tbsp. of olive oil. At this point, all of your veggies are taken care of. 

Take your bulgur and, after draining it in a colander, add it to the mixture. 

Finally, and most importantly, let the tabbouleh sit in the fridge for at least an hour before serving, so all the flavors can congeal. 

Bring it out in a large bowl and let all of your eaters dig in!

 

 

Inspiration Shoula

Alright, so, after much ado, I'm headed into a self-described Middle-Eastern cuisine week. The food that we'll be cooking comes from the Levant region, which now consists of the countries Cyprus, Egypt, Israel, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, and Turkey.

The reason behind all this hullabaloo is simple: I miss this food. As a young boy whose family lineage dates back to Lebanon and Egypt, my youth was spent at the dinner table eating delicious Middle-Eastern dishes. 

I never cared for seeing how the food was made, though; I was just a beneficiary of many hard hours of preparation, usually by the women in the family. But, now, being the newfound chef I am, I'd like nothing more than to learn how whip-up Middle-Eastern food. 

I called my aunt, who still makes this cuisine like it's her job and consistently has flocks of friends and family line up at her apartment door to eat her food, to discuss with her the beauties and techniques of cooking, and, more specifically, the dishes that she prepares for her family. Here's what she told me…

In response to being asked when she started cooking, she said: "I never did anything until I was in my mid-20's. At that point, I was in my first apartment and needed to take care of myself. So you start dabbling with a few ingredients, seeing what works with what… just follow your taste. After a while it became second-nature.

On some informal education, she said: "The Food Network is a great way to learn. On their shows, there's always a happy ending. No stress. You see how an experienced chef cooks and how it always comes out spectacularly; you learn and then you try making it yourself. Following recipes is fun."

On the role food plays in life, she said: "Cooking is a way to get the family to sit together. And when you're together in good spirits because the food and drink is delightful, anything is possible. It's wonderful watching people enjoy my food, too. When you see that the food you took so long to prepare is making other people happy, it makes you happy."

On recommendations, she said: "And you can't be a stubborn chef either. You have to think about your audience much more that yourself. If you like spicy but other people can't handle it, leave it on the side. I'm always taking suggestions. If my husband says it could use a little more of this or a little less of that, I'll do it. Whatever makes other people happy, is best."

On Middle-Eastern cooking, she said: "It's a very clean cuisine because it uses the same spices over and over again. A bunch of lemon, garlic, butter and some nuts, and it's always delicious if done right."

My aunt Shoula and I spoke for over an hour about the various dishes I'd have to concoct to truly capture the essence of Middle-Eastern cuisine. She gave me her recipes and techniques and, now, it's time to put them to use. Here we go…