Top 10 Easy Cooking Tips

                               Spring, Awright!              photo wbj

FOOD/LIFESTYLE:
Lately, several people (yo! Gordon, was listening) have told me they would cook more and eat healthier, if they had a guide.  Once you wrap your head around 'no need for a big production' and understand the basics, cooking a good meal is simple.  In New York City, people expect and accept near empty fridges. 

Eating in means calling out.  With subtle lifestyle adjustments, you can chow fresh food and feel full and satisfied.  Plus, you will save a chunk of change.  That's money for drinks later.  Go out; it's Spring.

Here's the Cooking Lounge Top 10 for Easy Cooking.

Top 10 Easy Cooking Tips

1. Olive Oil
2. Butter
3. Sea Salt and Black Peppercorns (buy a grinder)
4. Brown Rice, whole grains or other good carbohydrates (fiber, fiber, fiber)
5. Pasta
6. Garlic
7. Onions
8. Quality Herbs and Spices (buy a pre-filled spice rack)
9. Fresh produce (salad greens, tomato, zucchini, green beans, kale, spinach, whatever you eat or is convenient or is in SEASON).  Seasonal produce tends to be fresher, more local.
10. Fresh chicken, beef, pork, seafood (or a meat substitute if a vege... protein is the point)

With the above items on hand a 30-minute meal is within reach.  
Let's be real.  This is doable.  You can pick-up a meat or a veg on the way home from work, or stock up on items over the weekend.  Plus, there are companies like Fresh Direct that will deliver in a lot of metropolitan areas.  If you travel a bit or have an unpredictable schedule, buy high quality frozen vegetables and stick the meat or seafood in the freezer (in serving portions - so it's grab, thaw, cook). 

The bottom-line is have it in the house; so, you can cook a quick, easy, healthy, meal.
Suggest you cook a batch of brown rice in advance when you have a little downtime because brown rice can take 45 minutes or so. Or get the quick cook version (not my usual choice).  With the cooked brown rice on hand, all you need to do is microwave or reheat with a little water and a touch of oil or butter in pan.  Quinoa is a great side dish that is making its way onto more US plates.  Pasta is a no brainer and fast.  Add whole-wheat pasta to your choices for a change.  

Now, all you have to do is saute, broil or bake your meat or seafood.  Make a salad.  Wilt some spinach with slivers of garlic and squeeze lemon over it.  Saute green beans and toss with strips of red peppers. Broil some zucchini brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with herbs.  

Snap.  Done.  Minimal mess. Minimal fuss.  Minimal cost.  Give this a try!

Garden of Eden is one of my favorite food places in the New York City area.  They import a wide range of specialty foods; so if you look around, you will find bargains.  Check out the Garden of Eden with shelves and aisles ladened with goodness.  

Oh and as I have noted before, I am not a health or food expert; so, it is best to check with you doctor prior to making significant lifestyle changes.

MUSIC:

Spare beauty and a dark resonance haunts The xx's music.  The single "Crystalised" topped the UK charts in 2009.  I listened to several tracks on the debut release "xx" plus some Rough Trade bonus tracks.  "Heart Skipped a Beat" is my favorite at the moment.  Thought of the soulful, engrossing pull of Portishead on "Dummy" while listening to The xx.   "VCR" is the  latest single, released in January 2010.  Here's the video.

Enjoy!

Cooking Lounge

Beef Stew Slow Cooked in Red Wine with Bacon, Onions and Mushrooms - Beef Bourguignon

FOOD:
Beef Slow Cooked in Red Wine with Bacon, Onions and Mushrooms
Craving food that envelops you in comfort?  Beef Bourguignon is perfect.  Sooo much snow the last few weeks, right as you start thinking, winter's end.  Bacchanal celebrations to chase away the dead season have waned.  Come oooon Spring.  Knee-deep snow still covering the ground, icy rain slicking streets, brisk sunny days turning into near freezing nights, make stews and soups seem more appropriate, more seasonal.  I used Julia Child's classic Beef Bourguignon recipe as a guide to making this beef stew slow cooked in red wine (a very traditional French favorite).  
Here's what I did:
Serves 6, easily stretched to 8.  
8 oz of slab bacon
3.5 lbs of lean beef.  I used a rump roast ( cut into 2 inch cubes).
2 diced carrots.  If you want, use whole baby carrots...nice presentation; guesstimate on amount 1/3 - 1/2 of a cup.
1 large onion diced
3 cups of hearty red wine.  Selected a liter bottle of Chilean Concho y Toro, the ubiquitous brand of choice at gallery openings for awhile.  Went with Frontera, a Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot blend...drinkable (yep!) and very reasonably priced around $12.00.  I marinated the beef over night in 1 1/2 cups of wine with thyme, garlic and a little salt and pepper. Some recipes marinated for two days.  Julia Child's not all.  Do your own thing.
2-3 cups of beef stock.  I made my own.  But a quality packaged stock works. 
1lb - 1 1/2lb Small boiling onions.  You want 18 - 24 according to Julia Child. I added more.
1 lb of small whole Crimini mushrooms
1 tbs of Tomato sauce
2 tsp Sea salt
1 tbs of cracked whole black peppercorns (use less if you like)
Garlic
Thyme
Bay Leaves
Olive oil
Flour
Sides Dishes
Green beans (threw in a few sauteed cloves of garlic and grape tomatoes for color)
Little Fingerling potatoes boiled in salted water w/ bay leaf
Hardware: Fireproof casserole dish (like Le Creuset) or a Dutch oven as most people know this type of sturdy stove top to oven cookware.   Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Drain the marinade from the beef and blot dry with paper towels.
Trim the rind from the bacon.  Cut into chunky strips.  Toss all into a quart or so of water and boil for 10 minutes.  Drain and place chunky strips on the side.  Then saute for a couple of minutes to brown in casserole/Dutch oven.  Remove bacon.   In same pan, brown small batches of beef in the bacon fat. Set aside with bacon.  Saute diced onion and carrots in bacon fat; you may need to add a little additional oil.  Remove the onions and carrots; place with the bacon and beef.  Empty the oil.  Return beef, bacon, onions and carrots to pan.  Sprinkle in salt and pepper then dust with flour, tossing all through these steps.  Place in the HOT oven (450 degrees) uncovered for about 5 minutes, toss, and return to oven for about 4 minutes.  Remove from oven.  Lower temp to 325 degrees.  Time for the wine.   Stir in the wine, beef stock to cover meat.  Add tomato paste, garlic, thyme and bay leaf (remember to remove bay at end).  Cover and place oven.  Slow cookfor approximately 3 hours until meat is fork tender.
Now the onions and the mushrooms:
Basically you need to braise, saute, boil or roast the onions and mushrooms because they are going to be added just before serving. Cook them how you like.
Finishing Beef Slow Cooked in Red Wine with Bacon, Onions and Mushrooms.
When beef is done, use a colander over a saucepan to drain off all the luscious liquid that will become the sauce. Skim fat from the top and reduce the cooking liquid. May want to add a little butter or cream, maybe a bit more wine. After thickened, the sauce can be refined by pouring through a sieve. Wash up the casserole pan because all the ingredients go back in and it can be used for serving. Add all the elements. Pour on the sauce and the Beef Slow cooked in Red Wine with Bacon, Onions and Mushrooms is ready to serve.
Here's a video impression of the process.

video:wbj
Enjoy!
Cooking Lounge

GQ Cooks Eat + Drink: GQ.com, 10 essential tips

LIFESTYLE:
Knowing how to cook warms hearts, stomachs and beds.  It's no secret women love a guy who knows his way around a kitchen.  Skilled hands are useful.  Eating is sensual.  
The GQ Cooks article/slideshow caught my eye.  Contains lots of helpful, practical information.  

GQ Cooks 10 essential tips, techniques, and secrets that every man should know.

Link: GQ Cooks Eat + Drink: GQ.com

Enjoy!

Cooking Lounge

VV Brown Hiro Ballroom "Shark in the Water"

MUSIC:

The invite only show on February 17^th at Hiro Ballroom was V V Brown’s NYC debut concert put together by Giant Step.  Click here to see the press release.  It was a frigid night. Though the room was not packed, an eclectic nyc crowd comfortably filled the main floor.  Seating was available on the upper levels and drink service was quick and friendly at the bars (true rarity at a club in the Meatpacking District).

V V Brown is an artist straddling genres and typecasting.  VV is an established songwriter and composer in the UK moving to center stage, very similar to what US artist, Santigold  did in 2008. The set was a short, mash-up that included retro tinged L.O.V.E. and "Crying Blood", along with poppy originals "Back in Time"and "Bottles", and a cover of Drake’s “Best I Ever Had”, plus an encore of "Crying Blood" that played to her Jamaican roots with a dub beat.  Will check-out V V Brown more.  Let’s see what V V’s sophomore effort brings.

Here’s a video for the last song of the show, “Shark in the Water”.

Enjoy!

Cooking Lounge

Recipe: Pickled Green Beans With Ginger and Lemongrass entered in contest

Here's a link to the previous post: Pickled Green Beans With Ginger and Lemongrass.

Sexy Sweet: Strawberry Dipped in Dark Chocolate with Grand Marnier

FOOD:
A strawberry dipped in chocolate conjures images of champagne and seduction.  A strawberry or two may have played a part in an off the chain night, but the sexy sweet is luscious anytime and easy to make at home.

Stopped by Trader Joe's and picked up a Pound Plus (weighs over 17oz) of Belgium (72% cocoa) Dark  Chocolate, a pint of heavy cream and a quart of untrimmed strawberries (Unfortunately, TJ's  did not have long stemmed in stock).  In the kitchen, I pulled out some unsalted butter to soften and grabbed a dusty bottle of Grand Marnier.  Years ago, Grand Marnier was the bartender's shot of choice poured in the Georgetown enclave of Washington, D.C.  The addition of GM was about adding old school flavor and a reminiscence.

We have all heard the drone of health media going on and on about the benefits of dark chocolate.  Okay, we all get the point.  Dark chocolate has health benefits! BUT come on y'all, chocolate tastes GOOD.  In fact, I think dark chocolate has a more complex flavor than milk chocolate. 
Here's the rundown for Strawberry Dipped in Dark Chocolate with Grand Marnier:
10 oz of Dark Chocolate
1 quart of strawberries with leaves, even better w/ stems.
1/4 cup of heavy cream
1 or 2 tbs of unsalted butter
1/4 cup Grand Marnier
The chocolate needs to be melted in a bain-marie or double boiler if you have these useful but fancy items.  I do not, so what I do is use a large stainless steel bowl that fits snuggly in a large sauce pan or small pot.  I fill the pot so that water line is about 1 inch below the bottom of the bowl.  This technique creates low even heat for melting the chocolate.
Add the chocolate to the bowl.  Stir with a fork as it melts.  When 1/2 of the chocolate is soft or melted, stir in a tablespoon of butter.  Continue to stir.  All melted.  Slowly add the cream while stirring.  Add the Grand Marnier while stirring.  You want the chocolate to be velvety. Depending on the chocolate you may want to add a little bit more butter and a bit more cream.  Individually, dip each strawberry into the chocolate; rotating the strawberry to evenly cover.  Sit on a tray lined with wax paper to harden, 30 min - 1 hour.  If you have stemmed strawberries, you can invert the berry and stick the steam in styrofoam to harden.  
Here's an impression of making the sexy sweet shot on a Flip Camera.

video:wbj
Enjoy!
Cooking Lounge

Funk,Taco,Speakeay,Pimps of Joytime,The Heavy,Kings Go Forth

FOOD:

Taco Mania

Growing up in Virginia a couple of decades ago, tacos were not standard fare.  Occasionally, tacos showed up on the school lunch menu and were a big hit. Old El Paso with ground beef was the idea of a taco dinner at home.

Plus I got to help make the tacos...shredding cheese, chopping iceberg lettuce, hothouse tomatoes and yellow onions.  Now the taco, often considered a Mexican staple, is becoming an American staple like Chinese food years ago.  The taco is gaining a foothold shore to shore by truck, by storefront takeout and by climbing onto an haute cuisine menu near you.
Tacos Everywhere

Taco taken to competition and spectator sport. Check out photos and article in Metromix.

Taco Trucks

A google search for "taco trucks" yields nearly 100,000 results.

The whole Taco Truck phenomena started hitting the East Coast (NYC being my point of reference), to an nearly ubiquitous level about two years ago.  Now it seems in order to qualify as a hipster destination, in Brooklyn anyways, a Taco Truck has become a prerequisite.  Kogi Korean BBQ in LA became a juggernaut in the Taco Truck popularity wars by mastering a social media niche; and from the reviews, serving a tasty taco or two.

Kogi Korean BBQ, a taco truck brought to you by Twitter

Where will this unique taco truck park next? Only the tech-savvy know for sure.

February 11, 2009|Jessica Gelt

It started with a 4 a.m. glass of Champagne and a carne asada taco after a night of serious bar hopping. Thirty-year-old Mark Manguera was sitting with his 25-year-old sister-in-law, Alice Shin (his wife Caroline was already sleeping soundly), when the taste of L.A.'s most ubiquitous street food caused him to have a drunken revelation.  READ MORE.
LIFESTYLE:
Could we be ushering in a new speakeasy era?  Leave it to New York to take an economic crisis and turn it into an aesthetic touchstone. Moody, dark dens with obscure entrances, shuttered windows and low candles are hidden in nooks, back rooms and gritty streets across the city. Here's a New York Times piece from the summer.  READ MORE.
MUSIC:
I've noticed a definite trend lately that popular music is FINALLY getting more musical.  Full blown backing bands, rich lyrics and yeah singers that can SING.  Even some amazing vocal comebacks on the horizon with Sade's new release.  Sultry, get sweaty, make you want to holler new soul and funk are leading the way, funking in 2010.  Here we go!

"Keep That Music Playing" PTJ MP3 download.  The Pimps of Joytime are my favorite NYC band.  Their shows have an infectious good time, party vibe.  Been checking out there shows for about 4 years and every show is an energetic 'let's party y'all', throw down on stage.  Here's a video for "San Francisco Bound", a song PJT have been performing for a couple of years.  For PJT fans, it's a sing-along jam.  And keeping it hi tech but lo-fi and intimate, the video was shot on an iPhone while the band was touring on the West Coast.

The Heavy's bio on Ninja Tunes calls their sound "guitar-scorched hip hop soul"; but, I HEAR FUNK. 

"That Kind of Man" is what brought on the funk accolades with the shades of Curtis Mayfield in Swaby's vocals.  The funk fueled songs I heard is what attracted me to the band after a friend that is a Creative Director recommended the band.    "How Do You Like Me Now" growling soul/funk with memphis style backing horns has a catchy hook (you've heard it in a commercial for sure).  The drummer, Chris Ellul beats the hell out of the skins on the track. "Cause for Alarm" has a caribbean flecked lilt and a stuttered  ska beat that is a departure from what I have heard so far.  For me, The Heavy are more rocksters with a range of influences rather than funksters mining the 70's. Here's a link to a recent review of The Heavy's "The House That Dirt Built."

Here's the video for "That Kind of Man".

Kings Go Forth is a 10 piece combo set to expand their fan base well beyond Milwaukee now that they have signed with David Byrne's label Luaka Bop.  
You can hear some of their music on Myspace. "Don't Take My Shadow" puts horns out front from the start with a steady bass line and the lyrics pull me into the hopeful survivalist rebel spirit heard so often in funk.  "One Day" is steaming with retro funk.  The track channels the swing, swagger, positivity and vibe of 70's AM Soul radio.  Percussion and horns stand out along with a sweet guitar solo. Man, wish I could do a roll call of all the influences crammed into this song.  But the specter of Curtis Mayfield is never far away,"Move On Up" echoes and ripples throughout. Do we have a theme happening...Curtis Mayfield as unsung hero of Funk and Soul influencing a new generation?  The band is an odd assortment of characters, not exactly a marketers dream but their sound makes you want to close your eyes and dance. That is the heart of it all THE MUSIC not the machine.  Here's a video for "One Day."

ENJOY!
Cooking Lounge