La Platicona Habla: Tastes, Passions and Pursuits

Just add powdered sugar!

After eating a delicious roast beast and homemade Yorkshire puddings at a friend's house for Christmas, I decided to give the puddings a try. The trick, I was told, was to let the ingredients sit out to room temperature before baking. Armed with that knowledge and a couple recipes to compare, I began baking. The first attempt was a failure, but after adjusting ingredients, I had a success.

Simply whip up 3 eggs, 1 1/2 c whole milk, and 1 c flour (with pinch of salt, baking soda, and 2 tsp sugar mixed in), and whisk untul smooth. Put batter on top of fridge to warm up for a half hour. Pour into greased muffin tin and bake at 425 for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and eat immediately while it is still hot. Mmmmm!

Labels: bread, eggs

I decided to attempt a copycat recipe (from a great local northern Italian restaurant) with some calamari I bought the other day. For this recipe you will need 4 calamari tubes (heads of the squid, tentacles removed, and internal parts washed out).

For the stuffing:
- 2/3 c bread crumbs
- 2 minced shallots
- 2 minced garlic cloves
- 1/2 lemon
- handful of minced parsley
- 3 tbsp EVOO
- handful minced olives (green or kalamata)
- 1 tbsp pesto (you can replace this w/more spices and EVOO)
- handful of grated parmesan

Mix the ingredients around in a bowl. The mixture won't be paste, but it should stick together somewhat.

I had a request to add dijon mustard to the mix. I agree. I may alter this and repost.

Take the stuffing and use your hands to fill the calamari tubes. The stuffing expands when coked so don't worry if you can't fill it to the brim. Set aside.

For a simple ragu, set aside sliced 1/2 white onion, 2 tomatoes, chopped, 2 minced garlic cloves, 1 tbsp capers, 1/2 c chopped green or kalamata olives, and some fresh herbs like parsley or basil.

In a cast iron skillet, heat 1/4 c EVOO, and place calamari tubes down, browning each side. When browned, add ragu ingredients, and 1 c white wine. Simmer for 15 minutes, covered. Add s&p to taste.

You should feel free to tinker with the stuffing, but the basics are bread crumbs and EVOO. Eat hot.

Labels: calamari, olives, onion, seafood, tomatoes

Although you can't tell, this post is actually about peas, not that giant lamb shank on the plate.  In fact, I ate about 2 bites of lamb before abandoning it for peas.
So what is in this batch of frozen peas that makes them so delicious? Simply one whole yellow onion, chopped, and sauteed in 2 tbsp butter and EVOO, salt, pepper, and curry powder to taste. Add the peas after the onions soften and cook until tender. Simple and delicious.