Meat, Meat, and more Meat.

Vegetarians need not read.

My husband has been cooking for me all week. What did i do to deserve this honor? I think he's a little sick of all my mostly vegetarian cooking, because it was a week of meat. i think i still have some heartburn.

we did lamb, we did chorizo, i went to ribfest and got a bucket of ribs that i couldn't finish (ok, that one was my fault). Our buddies at the butcher counter have never wrapped up that much meat for us, nevermind the pound of tuna steaks that are thawing the fridge.

i'm sure some cookbook has a fancy name for this, but the first adventure of the week was what i'm calling Best Beefaroni EVAR. also, probably the most expensive beefaroni you will ever make.

one pkg chorizo (2 sausages)
one onion, chopped
approx 8 oz fresh mushrooms
approx 1/2 lb penne, or other pasta of similar shape.

put water up to boil for pasta. meanwhile, in large skillet, cook the chorizo, breaking it up as much as possible. when it has given up some fat, add onion. if pan seems dry (it shouldn't!!), add some olive oil. Once the onion has cooked down a bit, add the mushrooms. just before straining pasta, add about a ladleful of the pasta water to the meat mixture. strain pasta, then toss with meat mixture. Enjoy!

now for something slightly different - divine, delicious, incredible lamb. Proof that the cutest, cuddliest animals taste the best (although rabbit fits that bill too).

Straight out of my well loved and well used Mediterranean, a Taste of the Sun, by Jacqueline Clark, is her Turkish Lamb Pilaf recipe. Lambiness, Ricyness, Nuttiness, Tomatoeness, what more does one need? the approx measurements are because, well, i don't measure real well.

few tbsp butter, margarine, or oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 lb lamb, cubed
1 tsp cinnamon
3-4 tbsp tomato paste or puree
3-4 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped
3/4 cup pistachios, chopped (i didn't have a pistachios, but i did have Pecans. note to self: go buy some darn pistachios already! )
1 1/2 cups rice
salt & pepper
a little more parsley, to garnish (optional)

melt butter/oil in pan, add onion, cook till soft. add lamb, and brown on all sides. stir in the cinamon, stirring well. season with a bit of salt & pepper. cover and cook gently for 10 minutes. add the tomato paste and chopped parsley, and enough water to cover the meat. bring to a boil, then simmer, covered, for 45 min - 1 hr, until meat is cooked through and tender. add apricots, nuts, and rice, and about 1 1/2 cups water. stir and bring back to a boil, and simmer, covered, until rice is cooked. check periodically to see if you need to more water, otherwise your rice will burn (yes, this happended to me!). Serve hot or warm, garnished with parsley.

this dish was divine the night we ate it, full of incredibly lamby happiness. the nuts and the apricots melted into a sublime sweet blanket for the cinamon scented rice. apricots, cinamon and meat play very well together, like an ensemble of flute and bassoon (yes, i've heard that before. it's strange, but mesmerizing). This is a one skillet dish, and it pretty much takes care of itself. could be a good, if odd, thanksgiving side.

This weekend is Ribfest in town (it's exactly what it sounds like, a bunch of independent rib restaurants vying to become the cities favorite ribs place, loud country music, beer, and a good time), so we went there for lunch from work on friday. Having spent nearly 15 years of my life as a "no red meatetarian", i don't remember the last time i had ribs, i don't know if i like them, i don't know what they are supposed to taste like, and i sure as hell don't know how to eat them with out making a total mess on my nice work clothes. When a co-worker said "this place does a really good job!" i got in line with her, and randomly picked some rib tips off their menu. I'm still not sure if I like ribs. Sure, when ribfest comes along next August, i'll go, and i'll spend my $10 on something random and slathered in sweet bbq sauce, but i don't know if i need to eat them any more often than that. I brought the leftovers home to the husband, who said they were just average on his rib-meter.

tonight he's making me something with Tuna. i'm on side-dish duty, which is going to be something pearl oniony / italian beany, cuz that's what i got.

Books? finishing some stuff up and writing some reviews for SFRevu, as i mentioned in a previous entry, George R R Martin's 3rd Song of Ice and Fire novel is my reward for getting through all this other stuff, and writing reviews that i'm actually proud of.

Jeff Vandermeer is weird. Barley isn't weird.

Potatoes are so yesterday, barley is my new comfort food! Barley, all nutty and puffy, fills you up and keeps you warm. Like oatmeal, only way better. This recipe, from Serious Eats, for Barley Chorizo Skillet Pie is a keeper. (Vegetarian? Swap the chorizo for some Morning Star or Boca imitation ground meat, but add some salt and hot pepper flakes or diced hot pepper to add some of that chorizo kick. Kosher? Swap the chorizo for some spicy turkey sausage) This was my first experience with chorizo, a fresh (uncooked) sausage that has been spiced with dried smoke red peppers. It was hotter, and greasier than I expected, but gave this dish depth, and provided some much needed grease in the pan (and I didn't have chapped lips all night! Awesome!).

The night before, or earlier in the day, cook the barley. 1 cup barley to 2.5 cups water in a sauce pan with a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then simmer, uncovered for 45 minutes. When cool, refridgerate until needed.

Barley Chorizo Pie (adapted from Serious Eats)

8 large eggs
¼ cup chopped cilantro
olive oil (if needed)
salt (optional)
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 pkg chorizo (or other spicy sausage)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups cooked pearl barley
½ cup grated cheese (any kind you want)

Chorizo is quite greasy, so if you're using a substitute, expect to add a little more oil.

In a large, heavy, oven proof skillet cook chorizo, onion and green pepper over medium heat. Cook, turning occasionally, for about 5 minutes. Then mix in the barley and garlic, adding a bit more olive oil, if needed.

In a seperate bowl, whisk the eggs with the salt and cilantro. Lower the stove heat to medium low. Pour the egg mixture over the mixture in the skillet, and as it cooks, gently pull it away from the sides, so uncooked eggs can fall to the bottom of the pan. Cook for about 10 minutes, until the pie has firmed up, and most of the eggs have cooked.

Preheat the broiler. Sprinkle cheese over the pie, and broil for a few minutes, until the cheese has melted and begun to brown on top. Let sit 5 minutes before serving. Hot, delicious, (somewhat) healthy, and a great winter comfort food!

And, like I always say, nothing goes better with food than books!
I've renewed my obsession with Jeff Vandermeer thanks to City of Saints and Madmen, half of which is comprised of short stories of the rise and fall of Ambergris (go ahead, look that word up in the dictionary! I dare you!) and it's inhabitants, and the 2nd half is all appendices, which really are short stories unto themselves. Not only does Vandermeer write beautifully surreal fantastical . . . genre-bending fiction, he also relishes in literary puns. It's genius. If you are comfortable or curious about the fantasy subgenre dubbed “new weird”, get yourself some Vandermeer. City of Saints and Madmen is an excellent place to start, as would be Shreik: an Afterword, which takes place in the same city, with many of the same characters.

Thanks toWhitney Matheson, of Pop Candy, I've been introduced to Strangers in Paradise, the graphic novel series by Terry Moore. Two volumes in, and I'm hooked. This is a girly, romantic graphic novel, so if you're looking for superheroes or car chases, you might want to try X-Men, or G.T.O. or something. Katchoo is in love with, and lives with her best friend Francine. They are just two pretty normal 20-somethings, except Katchoo has a dark past involving prostitution and the mafia, and Francine eternally needs to lose a few pounds and gain some self confidence. Boyfriends come and go, but best friends are forever. Sounds cheesy, but this isn't “coming of age”, or “inspirational” or anything like that. It's just two best friends trying to make it in the world. And it's drawn just beautifully.

I also got a Thai cookbook from the library, can't wait to try some of these recipes!