Friday, October 16, 2009

Oh No He Di'nt...

Since it's essentially all I'm thinking about these days (ok, sleep too. but talking about sleep is boring), I have decided to designate every Friday as Food Day here. Food fascinates me. People's tastes fascinate me too. So off we go.

When I was growing up I thought I had a fairly developed palate. I ate clams and oysters. What could be grosser than that? One day when I was not yet 20 my then boyfriend Mike (hi Mike!) took me out for Middle Eastern food. Falafel sounded ok. Chick peas? I loved chick peas. FRIED chick peas? I'm there.

He ordered stuffed grape leaves and offered me some. I think I made a face. I'm pretty sure I made at least a small face. It was probably a split second, but he noticed. And when I declined he literally snarled, "You are SO fucking pedestrian."

Wait. Whoa. Back the fuck up there dude. Me? Not on your life. So I glared at him and grabbed one and ate it. And then I ate another. And his nasty little dig was one of the best things ever said to me.


It took some practice. A friend tried to talk me into sushi and I thought he must be joking. But I tried it. And I loved it. Miso soup? Oh yes. It has tofu in it? Alrighty then. Not a problem. The first time I tried Indian food I thought my body would melt into a wet spot on the chair.

There are things I do still refuse to eat. I will not eat anything that I have baited a hook or crab trap with. That means no squid. No octopus. No sardines because they look like minnows. I will not eat organ meat because I actually paid attention in bio and remember that the organs are where the body's toxins are processed.

Ok, that's a lie. Once every few years I absolutely must have a liverwurst and onion sammich with yellow mustard or I will die. And I do very much love the giblet gravy that BFF made.

I dated a douchebag guy who made pizza for a few years and learned to try odd things on pizza. I still prefer regular old boardwalk style pizza that you have to blot with a paper towel to avoid a coronary, but he made some pretty good pizza. My favorite ever was a regular cheese and tomato sauce pie with pepperoni, banana peppers, and feta cheese crumbles. Try it. Seriously.

For about a year Livvie survived on soy chik'n nuggets and some form of potato, and I was terrified. But then one day she was watching us eat and she wanted some. I can't even remember what was for dinner, but it was a step. She kept trying new things. If we ate it, we offered it to her. Currently her favorite vegetable is brussels sprouts. Seriously, if I ask her what veggie she wants with dinner she asks for those. It took me 26 years to like brussels sprouts. She eats green and black olives. She picks onions out of food to eat them. I'm so thrilled I could plotz.

So my tastebuds are currently eager for the new. I'm going to ask for recipes. Each Friday I will toss out an ingredient (allez cuisine!!!!) and request that you respond with something for me to try.


Today's ingredient is... the lowly russet potato. Honestly. What, you thought I was gonna say chard? Lob some potato creations in my direction. I have a billion potatoes that need going into something.

9 comments:

Betsy said...

Here's a soup recipe I haven't tried yet, but WANT to try.

1 lb ground Italian sausage
1½ tsp crushed red peppers
1 large diced white onion
4 Tbsp bacon pieces
2 tsp garlic puree
10 cups water
5 cubes of chicken bouillon
1 cup heavy cream
1 lb sliced Russet potatoes, or about 3 large potatoes
¼ of a bunch of kale


Sauté Italian sausage and crushed red pepper in pot. Drain excess fat, refrigerate while you prepare other ingredients.
In the same pan, sauté bacon, onions and garlic for approximately 15 minutes or until the onions are soft.
Mix together the chicken bouillon and water, then add it to the onions, bacon and garlic. Cook until boiling. Add potatoes and cook until soft, about half an hour.
Add heavy cream and cook until thoroughly heated.
Stir in the sausage.
Add kale just before serving.

Julie said...

BACON!!!!!!

I will absolutely try this. But I will stick the kale in when Rich isn't looking and fake like it's cabbage.

Hi Rich.

Betsy said...

PLEASE make it soon and let me know how it is! To be honest, I would think it would be fine without kale - especially since I can't exactly remember what kale even tastes like, and it only calls for a little bit.

HeatherGroves said...

I am going to have to vote for roasted breakfast potatoes. I don't use a formal recipe, but it is something like this: Take well scrubbed, unpeeled russet or small white or redskin potatoes and boil in salted water until tender. Cool potatoes and roughly chop. Refigerate until the next day. Get a very hot oven going (400 or 450 degrees would be best). Dice a red bell pepper, a green bell pepper and an onion. Throw in a few peeled whole garlic cloves. Toss all this with the cooled potatoes. Add a nice swig of olive or veg oil, lots of salt and fresh ground pepper, paprika (really key here)and a little celery salt. Mix all together and put in a non-stick pan unless you like your potatoes crusty on the bottom. Cook until pepper and onions are done and potatoes are nicely brown and crisp. Fish out garlic cloves. Serve with eggs, pancakes, bacon, what have you...

Julie said...

Ok. Got some sausage. Did not get kale because Rich walked into the store right when I hit produce and I couldn't sneak it past him.

Heather, that sounds really good. I think Livvie would be all over it.

Chuck Wendig said...

May I recommend the new Mega Good Eats cookbook? "The Early Years?"

I only became adventurous with food only a handful of years ago.

-- c.

Julie said...

Chuck, is that Alton Brown? I have a nerd crush on him.

Cyn said...

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Ultimate-Twice-Baked-Potatoes/Detail.aspx

Let me know if that link does not work for you.

Julie said...

Yep. it worked. Those look goooood.