Sunday, June 21, 2009

Alcohol Infusion

I'm infusing alcohol.

I used a 1.75 of PDX '88 Vodka (distilled in my very own SE PDX according to the label) & Metaxa Brandy (Greek).
I cut up some flavors and split the alcohol fairly evenly between four 16oz. jars.
I'm letting them steep for about a week.
I need some help coming up with some -names though. I'm open to suggestion.

Left to right:
*Ginger infused Vodka.
There's this drink at this bistro, Savoy, in the 26th & Clinton neighborhood, that makes a drink they call the Milwaukee Mule. Vodka, Ginger Beer & Lime are involved.
This would be good for that.
-There's a Ginger Vodka already on the market called Yazi or something.
That's a pretty good name. I think a 'z' definitely needs to be involved in the name somehow. 'X' would probably be good too. Something to give it a zing sound. Hygingxe...?

*Basil & Serrano Pepper infused Vodka.
I think this will make the best Bloody Mary's.
This friend of mine was seeing this lady a while back. At one of his parties she brought him a similar infusion, and I was raving about how awesome that was; a home alcohol infusion. So she gave it to me instead of to him, saying she would get him more later. I felt pretty bad.
I think it was his birthday party.
-Hot Redemption...?

*Valencia Orange, Cinnamon Stick & Damiana infused Brandy
The Sapphire Hotel infuses their alcohol and comes up with their own drinks. I would go there and see all their jars sitting on top of cabinets & shelves with fruit in it.
They kind of inspired me for this project.
On Sundays they have live music and a drink special. One time the drink special involved Orange & Clove infused Brandy (or was it Vodka? Or was it Bourbon?).
I can't remember what the name of the drink was either.
I'm thinking this would be fine straight or on the rocks, or maybe in an Olde Fashioned or a
Manhattan.
It should be noted that Cinnamon & Damiana are aphrodisiacs.
-Madame Brandiana...?

*Cherry infused Brandy
A friend of mine turned me on to Brandy Manhattans. But they range anywhere from $5-12.
That gets pretty expensive.
Plus no place makes them the same. Some establishments use Bitters, others use Sweet Vermouth only. And they almost always come in a Martini glass, which I am notorious for spilling.
So, ordering a Brandy Manhattan usually went like this:
Brandy Manhattan - Christian Brother's is fine, Grenadine instead of Bitters, chilled, no ice, in a tumbler/low.
Or something like that.
After a while I kinda got tired of ordering like Sally...


...and being the thrifty, yet discreet, lush that I am, I decided to just get the ingredients myself.
Well, Grenadine (and even Sweet Vermouth), as it turns out, have quite a bit of High Fructose Corn Syrup in them, and I try to avoid the devil's Nectar.
That's when I had the epiphany for the Pallbearer (or the pawlbear)...
Brandy w/ Dark Fruit Juice (Pomegranate, Cherry, Blueberry even Cranberry, or any combination) chilled, no ice, served low.
Delicious & nutritious.

Short story long.
-Low Maintenance...?

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Vegan Lasagna

Okay everybody's been doing pretty well so far with the recipes I've thrown at you, so now we're going to step it up a bit and do something a little more intense.
Vegan Lasagna.
And it's the real vegan, not like the vegan-except-for-the-chicken-and-the-egg kinda vegan.

So the Tempeh is optional, but if you're going to put it in you should start with it.
It's basically ground Beef in the form of crumbled Tempeh.
This is the recipe I use for Tempeh Tacos for our Spanish Immersion nights... or whenever, but especially then.
Start with these:
Tempeh, garlic, hot pepper, coconut oil (or whatever oil).

Heat oil, saute chopped Garlic & Pepper.
Crumble Tempeh as best you can, but don't worry it'll break down nicely as you cook it.

Tempeh is kinda dry, or spongy or whatever, so you need to be adding oil as you go as it's needed.
That's what the white chunks of love are in the pan, un-melted coconut oil.
Season it.
I use: Black & White Pepper, Paprika, Turmeric, Tamari & Balsamic Vinegar.
That vinegar bottle has a spray top. That business only works with rabbit food. That's why my finger is over the top, because spraying is ridiculous and I don't want to flood the Tempeh.

So once it's seasoned you basically cook it like ground beef.
This is what ground beef looks like.
For the record, I do not vouch for, nor endorse 'pinch my salt dot com.'
First of all, they don't use iron skillets, and it looks like most of their ingredients come from the can.
meh.
They do have better lighting though.

On to the sauce!
Gather the Veggies & Fungi.
As you can see there is a jar of what looks like Trader Joe's Sauce. I have been assured that it is not TJ's, but rather the leftovers of another batch from scratch who happened to re-use the TJ's jar.
This is what actually inspired this week's dish.
Thanks Lee, you are such an inspiration.
Also thanks for the kick-@$$ vacuum & the paint.

Anyway, clockwise spiral into madness starting at noon; Shiitake Mushrooms, Zucchini, Asparagus, Jalapeno Pepper, Heirloom Tomatoes, Garlic.

Chop all but the Tomatoes & saute on low in another pan.
You don't want to over cook the stuff. It still needs to simmer with the Tomatoes and then bake for 40 minutes.

So, in theory, any tomato will do, it just depends on what you're going for.
I am going for no less than awesome, and that is why I am using Heirloom Tomatoes.
If you are unfamiliar with Heirloom Tomatoes, treat yourself & familiarize yourself with them.

They are beautiful...

...and tasty
Other than that I don't know much else about them. I'm sure there's a history and stuff behind them.
Yep, there is. Thanks Wikipedia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heirloom_tomato

Well, enough with the past, we're here, and the time is now.
Chop them Tomatoes, we're gonna make their ancestors proud.
I actually only needed the 2 big ones because we're also using Lee's homemade sauce.
I'm not sure what he put in it, but I spied a few Artichoke Hearts.
Mix it up real good and simmer.
You don't need to cook it much, because it will, like I mentioned above, be baking for 40 minutes.

Now add the herbs.
That's Basil at the top, left to right we have Tarragon, Sage and of course Arugala.

You may have noticed that there is no Oregano. That's because Oregano is cliche and only posers use it.
But of course everything is optional. It's your stomach, put whatever you want in it. No judgment.

So chop up & add the herbs and let simmer for a minute or two more.

Then give it a taste.

Holy bawls.
That is awesome.

Turn off the heat and move on to your final asset.
Vegan Cheese sauce.
Counter-clockwise starting with the Lime: Lime, Honey, Tofu (firm), Nutritional Yeast, Egg, Coconut Milk.

I'm just kidding about the egg.
I was just checking to see if anyone would notice.

Throw everything in the Food Processor.
If you don't have a food processor, a blender will do, but good luck.

Yeah. Where's my wish list?
I wish I had a food processor.

Now, we assemble the masterpiece

Grease the pan.
Again, I have no idea if this works or not.

I still don't know the dimensions, but it serves 4-6.

Contrary to popular belief, you don't need to pre-cook the Noodles.
The sauce is usually saucy enough to soften them.
However, you may have difficulty getting the Noodles to fit in the bottom of the pan.
Fracture as necessary.

Add Sauce.

Add Tempeh.

Another layer of Noodles.

More Sauce.

Another layer of Noodles
Generally, 2 layers of Noodles is enough, but there were exactly enough Noodles for one more layer.

Add faux Cheese Sauce.
Spread it around.
Cover.
Stick it in the oven.

Bake for 30 minutes at 375-400.

Check it after 30.
I usually poke it with a fork.
The top layer of Noodles are not quite as tender as I like.
Re-cover and put it in for 10 more minutes.

So, I think there wasn't enough Sauciness for the amount of Noodles that were put in.
So, let's say it's cooked to your desiring.
Bake for a bit with the top off.
In theory, you bake it with the top off to brown the cheese, since we're not using real cheese, it almost seem like a moot point.
But, meh.
May as well brown the faux Cheese.

Whoah, look at that shadow.
Trippy.

Serve.
Whoah.
Trippy.

Okay here it is in normal lighting.
Serve with Beer & Garlic Bread.
Or Wine.
Ya know whatever.

And viola.

It was pretty good actually. The Tempeh really added to the mix.
The texture/consistency wasn't quite what I usually get, and I think it was because of the extra layer of Noodles.
The idea, as it makes sense to me, is that there is a layer of Sauce on top of each layer of Noodles, so the moisture from the sauce cooks the Noodles as it's baking.
More Sauce next time.

So the layers should basically be like this:
Noodle - Sauce - Cheese.

You do that twice.
That's basic lasagna as I understand it.

Most people put the (faux) Meat in the Sauce rather than having it's own layer like I did, but ya know, it really doesn't matter.

You do whatever you can get away with.
Noodle - Sauce - Meat - Noodle - Sauce - Noodle - Faux Cheese

Whatever works.

Monday, June 8, 2009

Stir Fry - Classic

Stir frying is pretty easy.
It's kind of the first real meal I learned to cook, once I moved past that Ramen, Rice-a-Roni & frozen TV dinners phase in college.
It's like the Pythagorean Theorum of cooking.
Hm.
Actually, I think it's more like a + b = c... there's nothing squared in this recipe.

If a = Rice and c = Stir Fry, solve for b.
b = Veggies, but I have to show my work:

Chop garlic & hot pepper

Heat oil in wok (or iron skillet... or whatever pan)
Saute' Garlic & Peppers

Gather the Veggies & Fungi
Clockwise: Shiitake Mushrooms, Red Pepper, Purple Kale, Green Peas, Green Asparagus.

Chop & toss them in with the Garlic & Pepper.
So colorful.

Season.
Black & White Pepper, Paprika, Turmeric.
Do not salt. Use Tamari, or soy sauce, or Bragg's.

For the record I did not cut my finger while chopping veggies, I actually cut my finger on a tape measure in a style very similar to how one would receive a paper cut, while working on this trellis:
For to grow Hops.
mmm... beer

Okay then, gather your herbs.
Tarragon.

Sage. Thyme.
Chop & add to the mix.

I've also recently started adding a nice tart fruit to accent the flavor.
Some of the peaches out here in pdx have had some pretty good flavor to them.
However, this one does not.
That Peach is white... of course!
Not bad though, I'll save this one for the breakfast burritos.

Pineapple & Oranges fare pretty well in this mix, but today we're going with Mango.
Eesh.
A little bruised, and feels a little funny... texture-wise.
But it tastes alright.. it'll do.

Also pictured is Arugala & Basil
Not pictured is Coconut Milk. I added it because it goes well with Mango.

Mix it all up and give it a taste.

Hm.

The Mango needs a bit of help.
Add a bit of Lemon.
I've been trying not to add lemon because I kinda got carried away for awhile there, the Lemon, Garlic, Tamari, Ginger & Basil kinda overwhelmed everything, so I'm doing my best to cut back from using those ingredients all the time.

I also forgot to add Tamari.
Tamari is a staple in this dish, despite what I just said above, and stands out quite nicely when it's not competing with all the taste sensations listed immediately above.

And another taste.

That'll work.
Ta-daa.

Serve with Rice (which was pre-made).

This, I would say, is B work at best.
Turns out I wasn't so in the mood for the Coconut Milk.
If I add the Coconut Milk, I would also usually add a nice licorice tea to thin it out and make it a soup, but I think I'm kinda getting burnt out on that as well.
But whatever, it's still way better than Ramen.

This should go without saying, but most of these ingredients are optional.
The Coconut Milk & fruit are the most unnecessary.
And you could probably get away with a minimum of 3 Veggies.
And ya know the herbs are just fresh seasoning.
So really, the equation in it's simplest form is 3 Veggies & Rice.

okay then

good luck