nonsense!

In my efforts to successfully complete the great no meat challenge 2010 I’ve been trying out some new meat-less recipes to eat at home (eating out on a no-meat challenge is hard, so say the least). Last week I prepared a coconut milk risotto that turned out fairly good, so I decided to share the recipe, in case a brave soul decides to risk it all and try out something I recommended:

Ingredients (makes for 2 big portions)

• 1 cup of Arborio rice
• 1 14oz can of unsweetened coconut milk (I used Thai Kitchen’s)
• 1/2 14oz can of diced tomatoes (or two finely chopped fresh tomatoes, seeded)
• 2 tablespoons of chopped shallots* (eyeball it)
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• A handful of fresh cilantro
• A handful of julienned carrot (optional)
• Chili paste (optional, but everything really tastes better with chili paste)

How to

1. Put a pan on medium heat, coat it with the olive oil
2. Once the olive oil is hot (but before it starts smoking) put the butter in the pan
3. Once the butter is melted add the chopped shallots and cook until they are transparent
4. Toss in the rice, moving it around the pan until everything is evenly coated with oil and the rice starts to brown (this is very important!)
5. Once the rice is starting to brown, incorporate about a quarter of the coconut milk and the tomatoes (feel free to use the whole can if you prefer a more tomatoey flavor)
6. Stir the rice until the milk has been absorbed (the rice will start to take a creamy consistence)
7. Repeat 5 and 6 until you incorporate all the milk (I only added ¾ of the can as the coconut was too sweet, but feel free to go all the way)
8. Let the rice cook through for about 15 minutes, stirring constantly, until rice is tender (feel free to try some rice to test for tenderness, just don’t eat the whole thing)
9. Once the rice is done, turn off the heat and remove the pan from the heat.
10. Wait for a couple of minutes for the rice to cool a bit, and stir some more
11. Add chili paste to taste (I recommend adding a bit even if you don’t like chili, it really improves the overall taste of the risotto)
12. Garnish generously with the cilantro and the julienned carrot and serve while it’s still hot

Extra points

I haven’t tried this yet, but adding some chopped peanuts or cashews sounds like a great idea (as they go really well with the whole Thai theme). Let me know how that goes if you give it a try.

Hope you like it!

* Feel free to replace the shallots with garlic or onions. I just like shallots a lot.

Ash Wednesday represents the beginning of one of the most important celebration for Catholics around the world, Lent.  Tradition dictates that during Lent one should make a sacrifice in commemoration of the death and resurrection of Jesus. While I’m not a devout catholic (heck, most of the people who know me will be surprised that I even consider myself a Catholic ;)),  I’m a big fan of constantly challenging myself, so every year I use Lent as the perfect pretext for some good old self-denial.

This year I’m taking the challenge to the next level, and I’ve decided I’ll give up eating meat* for the whole 40 days of Lent (Feb 17 to April 3). While I already made my challenge public through a couple of tweets I’m also writing this post as a way of giving myself some extra motivation ;)  (the power of  facing public shame FTW).

Here’s for a few weeks without meat!  Be sure to check back from time to time for my updates on how the challenge is going (tips and well wishes most welcome).

- Ramiro

*Note: I’m giving up red meat. I’m allowing myself to eat fish, and some chicken every now and then.

Ingredients (makes for 12 - 16 quesadillas)

             

Click here to download:

Mexican_quesadillas.zip (4756 KB)

Very tasty chocolate cupcake from Pinkalicious Cupcakes (redmond town center, second floor).

There was a coconut one as well, but it misteriously dissapeared on my way to work ;)

Nom nom!

Check out the new xbox controller, just in time for the holidays!

Sweet stuff.

Found this amazing 15-month old english cheddar cheese on Costco last week. Fantastic flavor, a bit on the strong side, went great with a french baguette and a glass (or two) of malbec.

Bought a pound for about $6 on Costco in Kirkland. If you're there this week, go to the cheese section and grab a piece. Your life will be better afterwards :P

Ramiro Berrelleza

 
Eggs benedict is one of my favorite breakfasts. Almost every time I go out, I'll order them if they're available. However, since reading Kitchen Confidential,  I've been a bit resilient in order them, specially in sunday brunch (people who've read the book will now why) .
 
That takes us to last night. At about 10pm I was home alone, and very hungry. I went to my fridge, almost empty if not for a few eggs, a couple of sticks of butter, half a pack of english muffins and bacon. OMG, what a serendipitous moment!  The only edible things in my fridge (other than beer), were the ingredients for a couple of portions of eggs benedict.
 
Never having prepared this before, I binged  for eggs benedict and ended up with this recipe from the food network. After reading it two or three times, decided it was simple enough for me to handle it. And voila, an hour later I was enjoying a couple of nicely done eggs benedict, with some left for the next day
 
I must say that the recipe was a lot easier to prepare than I though. The hollandaise sauce, which I always thought of as something only chefs could pull off, was actually fairly simple.  One lesson I learned this time is that bacon was not the best choice, its bold flavor tends to overpower the delicate flavor of the hollandaise. Ham, or Canadian bacon, would've been a better choice (one excuse to make them again in a couple of weeks).
 
While my benedicts weren't the best I've ever had (that honor goes to the Pomegranate Bistro in Redmond), they were (in my totally unbiased opinion ) pretty tasty. Add to that the fact that I made them from scratch, and you have a very happy late night diner.
 
Cooking is always fun. Done in the middle of the night, trying to make one of your favorite dishes from scratch, for the first time, is even better!
 
Enjoy the pics!

Ramiro Berrelleza

           

Click here to download:

Eggs_Benedict_take_one.zip (263 KB)

Just had the best Mexican food I've ever had outside of Mexico.
 
Right on Ballard Ave, "La Carta de Oaxaca" is the place to go for Mexican food in Seattle.
 
Try the Quesadillas and down them with a Bohemia. Good stuff!

             

Click here to download:

Amazing_Mexican_food.zip (2022 KB)

Nothing like a hot slice from my favorite joint, Romios, to replenish my strenght after the most excellent Bellevue Tweetup.