Saturday, December 29, 2007
I've Become a "Foodie"
I don't know exactly how it happened, except that I found myself recording and watching Food Network (Memphis digital cable 69), Create TV (digital 910), and PBS (digital 10) cooking shows a lot.
Perhaps part of the attraction is the virtual eating, whereby I get to enjoy to some degree the preparation and consumption of so many different dishes, all without gaining a single pound.
Another benefit is that watching these shows gives me things and people to talk about with my sister, my girlfriend, and other people who surprise me by talking about celebrity chefs and cooking techniques. Not different from the same phenomenon for spectator sports, movies, and music, only we have to eat, pretty much every day, and we might as well eat great, so it makes way more sense.
Because we're coming up on New Year's Eve and Day, I'll share my most recent recipe research with you:
Hoppin' John
Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large ham hock
1 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup green [bell] pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 pound black-eyed peas, soaked overnight and rinsed
1 quart chicken stock
Bay leaf
1 teaspoon dry thyme leaves
Salt, black pepper, and cayenne
3 tablespoons finely chopped green onion
3 cups steamed white rice
Heat oil in a large soup pot, add the ham hock and sear on all sides for 4 minutes. Add the onion, celery, green [bell] pepper, and garlic, cook for 4 minutes. Add the black-eyed peas, stock, bay leaves, thyme, and seasonings. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 40 minutes, or until the peas are creamy and tender, stir occasionally. If the liquid evaporates, add more water or stock. Adjust seasonings, and garnish with green onions. Serve over rice.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Yield: 10 servings
User Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Perhaps part of the attraction is the virtual eating, whereby I get to enjoy to some degree the preparation and consumption of so many different dishes, all without gaining a single pound.
Another benefit is that watching these shows gives me things and people to talk about with my sister, my girlfriend, and other people who surprise me by talking about celebrity chefs and cooking techniques. Not different from the same phenomenon for spectator sports, movies, and music, only we have to eat, pretty much every day, and we might as well eat great, so it makes way more sense.
Because we're coming up on New Year's Eve and Day, I'll share my most recent recipe research with you:
Hoppin' John
Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large ham hock
1 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup green [bell] pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 pound black-eyed peas, soaked overnight and rinsed
1 quart chicken stock
Bay leaf
1 teaspoon dry thyme leaves
Salt, black pepper, and cayenne
3 tablespoons finely chopped green onion
3 cups steamed white rice
Heat oil in a large soup pot, add the ham hock and sear on all sides for 4 minutes. Add the onion, celery, green [bell] pepper, and garlic, cook for 4 minutes. Add the black-eyed peas, stock, bay leaves, thyme, and seasonings. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 40 minutes, or until the peas are creamy and tender, stir occasionally. If the liquid evaporates, add more water or stock. Adjust seasonings, and garnish with green onions. Serve over rice.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Yield: 10 servings
User Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
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