Why a calf's foot? I'm making Beef Burgandy today (Boeuf à la Bourguignonne). The recipe calls for it, and I figured I'd give it a try (it's just for flavor and maybe gelatin or something). A lot of classic french food derives from peasant roots and use cheaper cuts of meat. I was hoping to go a little upscale and use beef that was well cared for (free range, fed with grass, rather than fed corn and antibiotics), but I guess it wasn't meant to be.
I've actually been cooking a bit in my new kitchen. In the last week, I've made:
- Larb Gai
- Panang Chicken (with a home-made curry paste)
- Lamb chops with a fennel relish
- A Roast Chicken with Prosciutto, butter, lemon zest, and thyme stuffed under the skin
- Rogan Josh, Khatte chhole (sour/spicy chickpea dish), and Rice pudding
In the week or so before that:
- Fusili Carbonara
- Rigatoni con Salsiccia
- Penne in Pumpkin Sauce
- Chile Verde
- the Panang chicken again
Lots of what have become old standbys. (The chicken and beef are new dishes, though.) I've got a bunch of recipes I want to try, but I've got to sort through them. I am simultaneously working on the house and trying to develop software to keep track of them and present them on the web. (Actually, I'm doing a bunch of semantic web related stuff, but that is one aspect of it.)
My other big problem is picking a direction to head in - I have done a lot of italian in the past, and was planning on learning more mexican stuff. I got Rick Bayless' book for christmas and figured a lot of ingredients would be available in the new neighborhood. Then, I bought a Wok, which needs to be used more (to give it a good seasoning). And, finally, I'd like to gain a mastery of french sauces.
No comments:
Post a Comment