Last week I mentioned that I'm not a sports fan....but the Olympics are the exemption to the rule. Every two years, I live and breath sports for 2 weeks straight! Since Friday night I have been glued to the television set. Unfortunately, I had to go back to work, but thanks to the magic of PVR I'll be soaking up as much action as possible.
My Top 5 Olympic Moments - February 12th - 15th
1.Pang and Tong Dream the Impossible Dream
Shen and Zhao may have won the gold medal, but it was China’s other pair who brought the house down with their free skate on Monday night. Following a seemingly endless string of pairs who couldn’t stay on their feet, Pang and Tong glided onto centre ice and delivered a nearly flawless routine. The crowd roared each time they nailed an element, elated that someone was finally giving them something to cheer for. The energy kept building and the pair beamed as the Impossible Dream swelled up around them. They received a standing ovation and I clapped loudly enough to earn a strong look of disapproval from my boyfriend, who has half asleep on the couch at that point.
2. Alexandre Bilodeau wins Gold for Canada
It’s pretty self-explanatory. The first time in history that a Canadian Athlete has captured gold on home soil. Who doesn’t like gold medals?
3. Dale Begg-Smith is the devil
All of the athlete close-ups on CTV are melodramatic, but nothing made me laugh harder than the segment on Dale Begg-Smith. “Canadian by birth, Australian by choice”, Dale Begg-Smith yawns when he wins, appears aloof and doesn’t like interviews! Insert large gasp here. Complete with jarring close-ups of Begg-Smith looking cocky and a deep voice-over rivalling a negative political campaign, he is portrayed as a heartless villain who deserted Canada for his own selfish gains. Every mundane detail was made more ominous than a Behind the Music special. The segment stopped just short of accusing him of eating babies and torturing puppies in his spare time.
4. Brian Williams being awesome!
Brian Williams is the Olympics. Period. I was 7 years old when I watched him report on the 1988 Calgary Olympics. The big story was the “Battle of the Brians”, between Orser and Boitano, and I remember giggling at the fact that his name was Brian too! Williams is so synonymous with the Olympics that he quit the CBC in 2006, after CTV won the rights to broadcast the Vancouver games. He said he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to anchor the Olympic desk in Canada. Unfortunately, the network switch took him out of the broadcast for the Beijing summer games. I didn't follow the story, so I just kept thinking “Where the hell is Brian Williams!?” Well he’s back and as iconic as ever! Best moment so far? When Williams threw to an event with “you’re watching the Olympics on CBC” and later admitted “it was bound to happen sometime”. He’s Brian Williams – he can do whatever he wants!
5. Korean Collision
Apolo Anton Ohno was battling with three Korean skaters for a spot on the podium in the short track 1500. He was threatening for the lead, but the Koreans got really aggressive. They started skating dirty, using some questionable body contact. Apolo had fallen to 4th position, when the Korean in 3rd position tried to sneak ahead of the one in 2nd position, by sliding right in front of him. I have no idea why he thought he’d be able to fit into the tiny space between the first and second skaters, but he slid right into the guy in 2nd position and they both went careening into the boards. Apolo ended up in second place and looked a little extra satisfied that the Koreans were the architects of their own demise.
Honourable Mention
I would like to send a heartfelt thank you to any athlete who wiped out on the mogul hill, particularly the guy who bounced right through one of the flags. Also, thanks to CTV for replaying those moments in slow motion!
A Few least favourite Moments
1.Jean snow pants
American Snowboarders - “We’re so cool we could ski in jeans. We won’t…but we’ll make our snowpants look like jeans. Just to show how cool we are!”
2.Seeing the same moments a million times!
Admittedly, I am partly to blame, because I’ve been switching back and forth between 4 different channels for 3 days straight, but just on CTV the same moments were shown over and over again. Hey, I’m excited that we have a gold medal too. And I enjoyed Mike Robertson’s silver medal snowboard ride as much as anyone else…the first 5 times! But in this day and age, when everything is PVRrd and all content is easily available online, there's no reason for so many replays. And if people haven’t managed to catch an event the first 10 times, they probably don’t care that much.
3. Blood on the Ice
CTV replaying the video of Jessica Dube taking a skate to the face in a previous competition. File that under ‘things I did not need to see’!
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Thursday, February 11, 2010
February Dinners - Part 1
Here are some of the recipes I've experimented with in the last couple of weeks. All of them are delicious enough to share ;)
Tomato Soup
Ingredients:
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup peeled chopped tart apples
1 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
One 28oz can of crushed tomatoes
2 cups of vegetable broth
1 cup water
3 tbsp firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
Sour cream
Some green onions - chopped up
French bread
1. Heat up a heavy saucepan and add the onions and the apples. Cook until they are softened (about 3 min)
2. Add all the spices and stir until thoroughly mixed in
3. Stir in the crush tomatoes, broth and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 40 minutes
4. Add brown sugar, salt and pepper. Puree with an immersion or regular blender.
5. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with a dollop of sour cream. Sprinkle some green onions over top.
6. Sop it up all up with some fresh French bread
Notes: I was moving a little too quickly and I accidentally added a full tsp of cardamom thinking it was coriander. The soup was still delicious, but cardamom is such a strong flavour that it was a little overpowering.
The best part? It was my first opportunity to puree soup with my new Cuisinart Smart stick. It beats the hell out of transferring hot soup to and from a regular blender, in batches! I probably should have let the soup cool a little bit because I nearly killed myself when some of it splashed up. But it was so easy to achieve the perfectly smooth consistency that I love in soups.
Spinach Salad with Blood Orange Dressing
Ingredients
1/4 cup of blood orange juice
1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 tsp of honey
1/2 cup of olive oil
salt/pepper to taste
baby spinach, washed
strawberries, sliced
blueberries
walnuts
maple syrup
1. Mix the first 5 ingredients together to make the dressing
1. Mix the first 5 ingredients together to make the dressing
2. Heat a small skillet and toast the walnuts with some maple syrup
3. Arrange the fruit and walnuts over the baby spinach and sprinkle some dressing over top
Notes: All of the dressing amounts are just estimates. I just play around the ingredients until it is the perfect combination of sweet and sour. I've made this type of salad many times. The new variation was the blood orange juice, which I've been dying to try for awhile. It's really best to freestyle with whatever fruit you're in the mood for. It's delicious any way you put it together!
Southwestern Stew
Ingredients:
2lbs stewing beef, cut into cubes
4 tbsp canola oil
4 onions, peeled and sliced thinly
10 cloves garlic, peeled
2 red peppers, seeds removed and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed and minced
2 tbsp chili pepper
One 28oz can of whole tomatoes
One 15 oz can of pinto, red or back beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn
1 bunch of cilantro, chopped
1. Dry the beef on paper towels
2. Preheat a large heavy bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Generously cover the bottom with vegetable oil. Add a single layer of beef cubes and brown all sides evenly. Brown the remaining meat in batches. Remove from the pot and let it rest on a plate.
3. Add onions and garlic to the empty pot. Cook and stir until golden brown. Add red peppers and jalapeno. Stir in chili powder, canned tomatoes, beans and browned beef. Stir and bring to a simmer. Cover and continue to simmer over low heat for 1-3 hours (you'll know it's ready when the meat is tender and falls apart easily).
4. Stir in frozen corn and cilantro just prior to serving and heat through
Notes:This was my first attempt at a stew and I was paranoid about overcooking the meat. I didn't really believe that the longer it simmers for, the more tender it becomes. It just didn't sound right to me because I'm used to cooking with chicken, which gets tough so easily. The recipe called for an hour of simmering time, but I think I had the heat on too low because the meat was really tough. After another 2 hours the texture was PERFECT!
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Superbowl - The Important Parts
I watch sports like a girl and I’m not ashamed to admit it!
I don’t watch organized sports often, but when I do tune in, there are certain consistencies. I won’t know any of the players unless they’re dating rating reality TV stars or were caught up in a recent sex scandal. I will make arbitrary judgements about them based on their names, hairstyles and how they look in their uniforms (which I sometimes refer to as costumes, to the utter dismay of my boyfriend). And I will probably talk back to the TV with more eccentricity than an old lady during her favourite soap.
Needless to say, my experience with the cultural phenomenon known as the Superbowl is fairly limited. This is only the third time that I’ve watched one and frankly I consider it an accomplishment that I manage to remember most of the rules from year to year.
I don’t even know who is playing until the game starts, so I randomly pick a team to root for. This year I decided that the New Orleans Saints should win. Why? Among other pointless reasons, because I think Peyton Manning is weird looking and I’m not a fan of horseshoes. Also, the Saints got off to a slow start and I’ve seen enough sports films to appreciate the excitement of cheering for the underdog.
But while I may not bring valid conversation to the big game, I do bring food. And that qualifies me as good company!
I’ve probably been brainwashed by stereotypical commercials, but I feel like the Superbowl needs a Mexican themed feast. So this year my mission was three new dishes; Avocado and Corn Salsa Quesadillas, something I saw Michael Smith prepare on Chef at Home; Nacho Macaroni and Cheese, a basic mac & cheese dish with cilantro and salsa verde mixed in, covered in nacho chips instead of bread crumbs; and Sante Fe Pizza. Salsas are easy to throw together and Macaroni and Cheese is my speciality, so the challenge was the pizza.
The first step was making the pizza dough, which I’d never done from scratch before. I used a recipe from Martha Stewart, who has yet to steer me in the wrong direction.
Pizza Dough
Ingredients
2 cups warm water (about 110 degrees)
½ tsp sugar
2 envelopes active dry yeast
3 tbsp EVOO, plus more for bowl
6-7 cups all purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 tbsp salt
I stirred the sugar and yeast into the water until it dissolved and let the mixture rest until foamy (about 5 minutes). Then I put all the ingredients in my stand mixture and mixed them for 3 minutes with the paddle attachment, on medium speed. You can of course go old school and use your hands if you wish.
The dough came together really easily, although it was very thick and caused my poor stand mixer to shake. I kneaded it 4 times to form a ball, placed it in a mixing bowl brushed with some olive oil, and covered it tightly with plastic wrap.
After about an hour, the dough had doubled in size, so I punched it back down (which was a hell of a lot of fun) and kneaded if a few more times, folding it back into itself. I left the dough to rise again, while I made the pizza toppings
Sante Fe Pizza
Ingredients
2 cups (packed) grated cheddar cheese, divided (or more if you really like cheese)
½ tsp ground cumin
½ cup thinly sliced red onion
6 tbsp frozen corn kernels, thawed, drained and divided
6 tbsp fresh cilantro, divided
2 large jalapeno peppers, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 red pepper, cut into small chunks
I cut up all the vegetables and set them aside. I sautéed my red peppers in a little vegetable oil first, because I like the softer texture.
Tip: I long ago learned my lesson about seeding jalapeno peppers with my hands. They don’t seem that hot at first, but I’ve done it a few times and I always develop something I call “jalapeno fingers”. My fingertips will throb for as long as 12 hours. It’s really weird and uncomfortable. Also not a good idea? Attempting to put in or take out contacts while suffering from jalapeno fingers. Trust me…just use a fork to seed them!
Once the pizza dough had risen for a second time (about 40 minutes or so), I rolled it out and stretched it on a lightly floured surface, transferred it to a pizza stone and piled on the toppings. I saved 3 tbsp of the cilantro to add to the pizza after it came out of the oven...just to add a nice fresh burst of flavour. I baked the pizza at 425 degrees for about 20 minutes.
Result: The pizza tasted fantastic, but there were several structural issues. The dough was too thin in the centre and it became soggy under the weight of all the vegetables. Also it kind of stuck to the pizza stone and fell apart in places. I did some googling afterwards and it turns out you really need to spread some cornmeal on a pizza stone to prevent sticking. A good thing to know for next time.
But in the end, flavour prevailed, and so did the Saints! Probably not due to the colour of their uniforms or because their quarterback has nice eyes, but a victory nonetheless!
Sidenote: I have to get into the habit of photographing my food now...so I can use it to illustrate these blogs. By the time I remembered, it was practically all devoured ;)
I don’t watch organized sports often, but when I do tune in, there are certain consistencies. I won’t know any of the players unless they’re dating rating reality TV stars or were caught up in a recent sex scandal. I will make arbitrary judgements about them based on their names, hairstyles and how they look in their uniforms (which I sometimes refer to as costumes, to the utter dismay of my boyfriend). And I will probably talk back to the TV with more eccentricity than an old lady during her favourite soap.
Needless to say, my experience with the cultural phenomenon known as the Superbowl is fairly limited. This is only the third time that I’ve watched one and frankly I consider it an accomplishment that I manage to remember most of the rules from year to year.
I don’t even know who is playing until the game starts, so I randomly pick a team to root for. This year I decided that the New Orleans Saints should win. Why? Among other pointless reasons, because I think Peyton Manning is weird looking and I’m not a fan of horseshoes. Also, the Saints got off to a slow start and I’ve seen enough sports films to appreciate the excitement of cheering for the underdog.
But while I may not bring valid conversation to the big game, I do bring food. And that qualifies me as good company!
I’ve probably been brainwashed by stereotypical commercials, but I feel like the Superbowl needs a Mexican themed feast. So this year my mission was three new dishes; Avocado and Corn Salsa Quesadillas, something I saw Michael Smith prepare on Chef at Home; Nacho Macaroni and Cheese, a basic mac & cheese dish with cilantro and salsa verde mixed in, covered in nacho chips instead of bread crumbs; and Sante Fe Pizza. Salsas are easy to throw together and Macaroni and Cheese is my speciality, so the challenge was the pizza.
The first step was making the pizza dough, which I’d never done from scratch before. I used a recipe from Martha Stewart, who has yet to steer me in the wrong direction.
Pizza Dough
Ingredients
2 cups warm water (about 110 degrees)
½ tsp sugar
2 envelopes active dry yeast
3 tbsp EVOO, plus more for bowl
6-7 cups all purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 tbsp salt
I stirred the sugar and yeast into the water until it dissolved and let the mixture rest until foamy (about 5 minutes). Then I put all the ingredients in my stand mixture and mixed them for 3 minutes with the paddle attachment, on medium speed. You can of course go old school and use your hands if you wish.
The dough came together really easily, although it was very thick and caused my poor stand mixer to shake. I kneaded it 4 times to form a ball, placed it in a mixing bowl brushed with some olive oil, and covered it tightly with plastic wrap.
After about an hour, the dough had doubled in size, so I punched it back down (which was a hell of a lot of fun) and kneaded if a few more times, folding it back into itself. I left the dough to rise again, while I made the pizza toppings
Sante Fe Pizza
Ingredients
2 cups (packed) grated cheddar cheese, divided (or more if you really like cheese)
½ tsp ground cumin
½ cup thinly sliced red onion
6 tbsp frozen corn kernels, thawed, drained and divided
6 tbsp fresh cilantro, divided
2 large jalapeno peppers, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 red pepper, cut into small chunks
I cut up all the vegetables and set them aside. I sautéed my red peppers in a little vegetable oil first, because I like the softer texture.
Tip: I long ago learned my lesson about seeding jalapeno peppers with my hands. They don’t seem that hot at first, but I’ve done it a few times and I always develop something I call “jalapeno fingers”. My fingertips will throb for as long as 12 hours. It’s really weird and uncomfortable. Also not a good idea? Attempting to put in or take out contacts while suffering from jalapeno fingers. Trust me…just use a fork to seed them!
Once the pizza dough had risen for a second time (about 40 minutes or so), I rolled it out and stretched it on a lightly floured surface, transferred it to a pizza stone and piled on the toppings. I saved 3 tbsp of the cilantro to add to the pizza after it came out of the oven...just to add a nice fresh burst of flavour. I baked the pizza at 425 degrees for about 20 minutes.
Result: The pizza tasted fantastic, but there were several structural issues. The dough was too thin in the centre and it became soggy under the weight of all the vegetables. Also it kind of stuck to the pizza stone and fell apart in places. I did some googling afterwards and it turns out you really need to spread some cornmeal on a pizza stone to prevent sticking. A good thing to know for next time.
But in the end, flavour prevailed, and so did the Saints! Probably not due to the colour of their uniforms or because their quarterback has nice eyes, but a victory nonetheless!
Sidenote: I have to get into the habit of photographing my food now...so I can use it to illustrate these blogs. By the time I remembered, it was practically all devoured ;)
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Lost: Season 6...ummm what?
Where we left off:
Last season, there was a whole whack of time travel. Some of the Losties (Kate, Jack, Sawyer, Hurley, Sayid, Miles, Juliet and Jin) were stuck in 1977. The rest (Sun, Ben and Lapidus) were wandering around the island in 2007 (which is actually present time, because 3 years had passed since the 2004 plane crash). Jack decided that setting off a nuclear bomb, in the past, would stop the electromagnetism that brought down flight 815, in the future. Thereby changing their destiny and preventing all island related pain and suffering. In other news, some creepy guy posing as John Locke (who is actually dead) convinced Ben to kill Jacob; the great island guardian guru we finally glimpsed in the finale.
So were the Losties bound for a future free from plane crashes or doomed to continue their island hardships?
Where we are now:
It turns out the answer is…both. I think? Juliet set off the nuclear bomb and Jack and the gang woke up at the site of the explosion, somehow transported back to present time.
And yet, in 2004, somewhere over the Pacific Ocean, flight 815 cruised safely past ‘the island’ landing at LAX with all the Losties alive and well on board. Ian Somerhalder (Boone) and Dominic Monaghan (Charlie) even made cameo appearances; on loan from The Vampire Diaries and Flash Forward respectively.
I wish I had an explanation, but unravelling all the weird science and complex philosophical theories related to Lost, has never been my forte. I’ll leave that to even bigger nerds (well...if not bigger, then at least more ‘science-y’).
So there are now two stories being told simultaneously:
Story 1
The Losties are still stuck on the island, dealing with the aftermath of a plan they assume was a bust. Juliet is dead, but Sayid was healed in a magical temple recommended by the ghost of Jacob. Evil fake Locke is freaking the hell out of Richard and his merry band of ‘others’ and he apparently also moonlights as Smokey the Monster.
Story 2
Flight 815 has reached its destination. Kate escaped the Marshall’s custody and is holding a cab driver at gunpoint; the airline managed to lose Locke’s infamous knife set as well as Jack’s father’s body; and Jin is being detained for traveling with a suspicious amount of cash.
I did have a few minor problems with the episode. I wasn’t a fan of the ‘temple’, a giant pyramid like structure, home to a Chinese kung fu master, an airline stewardess and 2 missing children (yes, it does sound like the beginning of a bad joke). Has the temple really been there all along? How would the Losties not not have stumbled on it before? And how many crazy communities are living on this damn island?! Realistically, they would all be having jungle run-ins on a daily basis.
Also, it frustrates me that the Losties are suddenly able travel everywhere, in seemingly no time at all. Remember in season 1 when they had to hike to the caves or camp out overnight while tracking a boar? Now they’re popping back and forth from the Dharma barracks, to the beach, to the Swan, and to the Orchid in a single episode. If there were really a giant temple they hadn't discovered yet, it would require a longer journey.
But, nitpicking asside, it was a thrilling 2 hours. I gasped, I squealed, I yelled things at my TV in vain hope of a response. That's really all I can ask for. As usual, I'm not sure how I'll survive until the next episode!
Unanswered Questions:
It would probably be a lot faster to list the questions that HAVE been answered, since there is a never-ending supply of unresolved issues. But here are a few specific things that I found appropriately frustrating:
1. Desmond sat down beside Jack on the Oceanic flight. If the hatch was never built, then he never got stuck inside pushing ‘the button'…so I guess that’s possible. But what was he doing on flight 815? And even more bewildering, why did he go MIA mid-flight? We never saw him return to his seat or exit the plane with everyone else.
2. Since John, Sun and Lapidus were in 2007 when the nuclear bomb exploded in 1977, shouldn’t it have changed their future? If the plane never crashed in 2004, Sun would never have come to the island in the first place, so why would she be back there in 2007 to search for a husband who's probably at home in front of the television?
3. Also, in 2004, as the plane flew over the potential crash site, there was a swooping shot out the cabin window and down into the ocean, which the entire island appeared to be at the bottom of. So how can ANYONE be hanging out there in 2007...without a scuba tank?
I asked my boyfriend these questions (because I somehow assume he has the answers to everything) and he asked me if I was operating under the assumption that that all events existed on a single timeline. Well they obviously don’t, but excuse me for assuming time should be linear!
Bottom line…my head hurts. I love you Lost, but you’re giving me a serious Advil dependency.
Last season, there was a whole whack of time travel. Some of the Losties (Kate, Jack, Sawyer, Hurley, Sayid, Miles, Juliet and Jin) were stuck in 1977. The rest (Sun, Ben and Lapidus) were wandering around the island in 2007 (which is actually present time, because 3 years had passed since the 2004 plane crash). Jack decided that setting off a nuclear bomb, in the past, would stop the electromagnetism that brought down flight 815, in the future. Thereby changing their destiny and preventing all island related pain and suffering. In other news, some creepy guy posing as John Locke (who is actually dead) convinced Ben to kill Jacob; the great island guardian guru we finally glimpsed in the finale.
So were the Losties bound for a future free from plane crashes or doomed to continue their island hardships?
Where we are now:
It turns out the answer is…both. I think? Juliet set off the nuclear bomb and Jack and the gang woke up at the site of the explosion, somehow transported back to present time.
And yet, in 2004, somewhere over the Pacific Ocean, flight 815 cruised safely past ‘the island’ landing at LAX with all the Losties alive and well on board. Ian Somerhalder (Boone) and Dominic Monaghan (Charlie) even made cameo appearances; on loan from The Vampire Diaries and Flash Forward respectively.
I wish I had an explanation, but unravelling all the weird science and complex philosophical theories related to Lost, has never been my forte. I’ll leave that to even bigger nerds (well...if not bigger, then at least more ‘science-y’).
So there are now two stories being told simultaneously:
Story 1
The Losties are still stuck on the island, dealing with the aftermath of a plan they assume was a bust. Juliet is dead, but Sayid was healed in a magical temple recommended by the ghost of Jacob. Evil fake Locke is freaking the hell out of Richard and his merry band of ‘others’ and he apparently also moonlights as Smokey the Monster.
Story 2
Flight 815 has reached its destination. Kate escaped the Marshall’s custody and is holding a cab driver at gunpoint; the airline managed to lose Locke’s infamous knife set as well as Jack’s father’s body; and Jin is being detained for traveling with a suspicious amount of cash.
I did have a few minor problems with the episode. I wasn’t a fan of the ‘temple’, a giant pyramid like structure, home to a Chinese kung fu master, an airline stewardess and 2 missing children (yes, it does sound like the beginning of a bad joke). Has the temple really been there all along? How would the Losties not not have stumbled on it before? And how many crazy communities are living on this damn island?! Realistically, they would all be having jungle run-ins on a daily basis.
Also, it frustrates me that the Losties are suddenly able travel everywhere, in seemingly no time at all. Remember in season 1 when they had to hike to the caves or camp out overnight while tracking a boar? Now they’re popping back and forth from the Dharma barracks, to the beach, to the Swan, and to the Orchid in a single episode. If there were really a giant temple they hadn't discovered yet, it would require a longer journey.
But, nitpicking asside, it was a thrilling 2 hours. I gasped, I squealed, I yelled things at my TV in vain hope of a response. That's really all I can ask for. As usual, I'm not sure how I'll survive until the next episode!
Unanswered Questions:
It would probably be a lot faster to list the questions that HAVE been answered, since there is a never-ending supply of unresolved issues. But here are a few specific things that I found appropriately frustrating:
1. Desmond sat down beside Jack on the Oceanic flight. If the hatch was never built, then he never got stuck inside pushing ‘the button'…so I guess that’s possible. But what was he doing on flight 815? And even more bewildering, why did he go MIA mid-flight? We never saw him return to his seat or exit the plane with everyone else.
2. Since John, Sun and Lapidus were in 2007 when the nuclear bomb exploded in 1977, shouldn’t it have changed their future? If the plane never crashed in 2004, Sun would never have come to the island in the first place, so why would she be back there in 2007 to search for a husband who's probably at home in front of the television?
3. Also, in 2004, as the plane flew over the potential crash site, there was a swooping shot out the cabin window and down into the ocean, which the entire island appeared to be at the bottom of. So how can ANYONE be hanging out there in 2007...without a scuba tank?
I asked my boyfriend these questions (because I somehow assume he has the answers to everything) and he asked me if I was operating under the assumption that that all events existed on a single timeline. Well they obviously don’t, but excuse me for assuming time should be linear!
Bottom line…my head hurts. I love you Lost, but you’re giving me a serious Advil dependency.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
The Search for the Perfect Kabab
A couple of years ago, my boyfriend came home from visiting his parents, carrying a mysterious paper bag. He'd been eating dinner at Bar-B-Que tonight, a restaurant in Mississauga, and he was thoughtful enough to bring home the leftovers.
What he pulled from that paper bag, were Indian style kebabs, which turned out to be, no exaggeration, one of the best things I'd ever tasted! My kabab experience, up to that point was limited to Shish kababs; cubed meat on skewers, often interspersed with vegetables. But these were ground meats, stuffed with spices and packed into cylindrical shapes. They were incredibly succulent and spicy, with a flavour I still can't describe. My taste buds were doing a happy dance and I resorted to making orgasmic eating noises ("mmmm..mmm...oh god!"). After that first taste, I begged my boyfriend to bring home Bar-B-Que tonight takeout every chance he got.
Then one day, he returned with some flat patties his mom had made instead. Although constructed differently they had the same distinct flavour. That convinced me it was possible to replicate them myself, so I told my boyfriend to get his mom to part with the recipe. Her response? "It's on the back of the box". Turns out the recipe came from a package of spice mix, from some company called Shan.
What he pulled from that paper bag, were Indian style kebabs, which turned out to be, no exaggeration, one of the best things I'd ever tasted! My kabab experience, up to that point was limited to Shish kababs; cubed meat on skewers, often interspersed with vegetables. But these were ground meats, stuffed with spices and packed into cylindrical shapes. They were incredibly succulent and spicy, with a flavour I still can't describe. My taste buds were doing a happy dance and I resorted to making orgasmic eating noises ("mmmm..mmm...oh god!"). After that first taste, I begged my boyfriend to bring home Bar-B-Que tonight takeout every chance he got.
Then one day, he returned with some flat patties his mom had made instead. Although constructed differently they had the same distinct flavour. That convinced me it was possible to replicate them myself, so I told my boyfriend to get his mom to part with the recipe. Her response? "It's on the back of the box". Turns out the recipe came from a package of spice mix, from some company called Shan.
I tracked it down at a local Indian grocer and was finally able to make my own kababs. And there it was, that elusive flavour, available on a whim! They've become my go-to meat dish. I've made them for dinner parties, brought them to a friend's cottage and even served them at a thanksgiving feast. I usually make them with ground beef, but they work just as well with ground chicken . The spice mix is so flavourful that it stands up to a blander meat. Here's what I need to make the kababs come together.
Ingredients
1.2 lbs of ground beef/chicken
3 tbsp. of ghee (Indian style clarified butter you can find in most grocery stores)
3 small onions, food processed
3-4 green chilies, finely diced
3 tbsp. of grated fresh ginger
3 tbsp. of grated garlic
1-2 eggs, whisked
1 packet of Shan Chappli Kabab spice mix
Just mix all the ingredients together with your hands, as if you were preparing hamburgers. I swear the spice mix is so aromatic it makes even raw meat smell tasty!
Then shape them into small patties and fry them up in a generous amount of oil (not enough to deep-fry, but more than a regular sauté. The mixture makes enough that you should be able to freeze some kebabs for later.
I always serve mine with raita, a traditional Indian yogurt sauce that helps combat the heat of the spicy food.
1.2 lbs of ground beef/chicken
3 tbsp. of ghee (Indian style clarified butter you can find in most grocery stores)
3 small onions, food processed
3-4 green chilies, finely diced
3 tbsp. of grated fresh ginger
3 tbsp. of grated garlic
1-2 eggs, whisked
1 packet of Shan Chappli Kabab spice mix
Just mix all the ingredients together with your hands, as if you were preparing hamburgers. I swear the spice mix is so aromatic it makes even raw meat smell tasty!
Then shape them into small patties and fry them up in a generous amount of oil (not enough to deep-fry, but more than a regular sauté. The mixture makes enough that you should be able to freeze some kebabs for later.
I always serve mine with raita, a traditional Indian yogurt sauce that helps combat the heat of the spicy food.
Raita
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups of yogurt
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and grated
1-2 tbsp of fresh mint, finely chopped
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
salt/pepper to taste
The important thing to remember is that after you grate the cucumber, you need to squeeze it in a paper towel or dish cloth to get rid of excess moisture. Otherwise it'll water down the raita and ruin the consistency.
For an even tastier raita you can take 1/2 tsp cumin seeds and 1/2 tsp coriander seeds, toast them in a small frying pan for 5 minutes or so and then grind them up by hand with a mortar and pestle. I rarely have time for that, so I take the shortcut and use pre-ground spices.
Finally, you can scoop the kababs and raita up with Naan, an Indian flatbread that is now available at most major grocery stores. If you can't find Naan, pita bread would be an acceptable substitute. I throw a few pieces in a 400 degree oven for a couple of minutes to get them nice and toasty.
If it's not kabab perfection, it's a pretty good approximation!
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