Moormans Menu

Roasted Curried Carrot Soup - Curing the Plague

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Moorman) — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 18:53:00 +0000

My slow recovery from the plague inspired me to use South Asian ingredients: curry, ginger and mint. Roasting the carrots add depth and warmth.
This takes under an hour from start to finish and there are four parts in making this soup.

The broth simmers while the carrots roast, the onions saute

The Broth: 6 cups chicken stock, 2 bay leaves, sprig of rosemary, chunk of peeled ginger, 1/4 chunk of onion

Simmer ingredients in large pot for 25-30 minutes, remove any scum that has formed on the surface then strain. Return stock to pot over low simmer.

Roasted carrots: 1.75 lbs baby carrots, 2 TBS olive oil , Salt

Toss in olive oil and salt on cookie sheet place under broiler until lightly charred, remove and rotate to roast other side. about 7 minutes per side. remove

Sauteed onions and potatoes: 1 medium onion - medium dice, 1 medium yellow potato - medium dice, 1 TBS curry powder (I used Madras Curry) pinch cayenne pepper, 2 garlic cloves minced, 1/2 cup white wine -sauvignon blanc or pinot gris

Saute onions in olive oil until translucent and turning light brown, add curry powder, pinch of cayenne and stir for 1-2 minutes until fragrant, add garlic and potatoes stirring for another minute, add wine scrape pan for a minute or two then remove from heat.

Garnish: 1/2 cup plain goat or regular yogurt 10 -15 mint leaves, green onion- green parts halved, sugar to taste.

Combine plain yogurt with mint chiffonade (Stack leaves, roll up then cut into strands to prevent bruising) and a pinch of sugar to taste. Taste it!

Finished soup garnished with mint yogurt and green onion.

Bringing it all together: Place carrots, sauteed onion mixture into the large pot with broth. Make sure that the bay leaves, rosemary, onion and ginger have been removed. Simmer for 10-20 minutes until potatoes and carrots are soft. Use an immersion blender to puree or transfer to a regular blender in small batches. Blend until smooth. Taste and season as needed.

Serve: Ladle soup into bowl, top with a dollop of the mint yogurt, a couple mint leaves and the spring onion.

Enjoy it is so good, feeling better already:)

From the mountains and the garden

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Moorman) — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 03:40:00 +0000

Tikin Xic Grilled Coronado - A Mayan Favorite

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Moorman) — Wed, 23 May 2012 03:34:00 +0000

The captain and the chef

One of the best meals on our trip to the Yucatan came quite unexpectedly and “almost free”. We had opted for an off the beaten path snorkeling trip which we had stumbled upon on a side street on Isla Mujeres. The crew who we ran into again the night after our trip over tequila and dancing, had only formed that very day. Our boats outboard operator or captain was on his second beer before our second dive. His first mate"Gypsy", our guide could not swim! In hindsight he was clinging on to his life vest as if he had never swam. This was his first day on the job and he, to his credit had people skills, unlike the captain who only nodded kindly to me after I ate the coronado’s eyeball before he had the opportunity.
We docked for lunch at a backyard, out of the way spot that a few good friends who liked booze, fish and the sea had made their very own tourist destination. The shark pen-with-shark which they thought was their biggest attraction was quickly overlooked by the giant, man sized, hot coal grill pummeling with smoke and exotic aromas. The tasty inhales were from the morning caught fish (Coronado) that is butterflied then marinated in achiote paste, placed between two wire grills connected and dropped directly on the hot coals. It is continually being basted and turned.
My first impressions were that this fish was being over cooked and burnt, but I was dead wrong. The whole idea of only turning something once flies out of the window with such high heat. By flipping the fish every 15-20 seconds it did something amazing, it created a kingly crust on the outside and a perfectly cooked and moist interior. We spent that evening in the small town on Isla Mujeres with Gypsy and his new friends mostly laughing, listening and making fun of everything. The same things we do with our good friends here.

Perfect everything

I found a few recipes online for Tikin Xic fish. Here is the link to the one I found most true to our experience.

The infamous shark pen, a bird view and moistest Tikin Xic Coronado

Gypsy

Peppers and paprika braised pork shoulder

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Moorman) — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 04:40:00 +0000

This is one of my favorite pork dishes other than the the ten others I like to make. It is a take off Hungarian goulash which is also heavy on the paprika. It very clean and pronounced and does not have to many ingredients. This is best made a few days ahead which makes it a quick weeknight meal that packs a mighty punch. This is also a relatively inexpensive dish, for around twenty American dollars you could feed six people or yourself six times. Or mix it up like I did and feed my one friend once and myself five times. I picked up a nice 4lb pork shoulder from the good chaps at Bill the Butcher in Magnolia for about seventeen dollars. It's happy meat and the service there is top notch.

I decided to brown the meat before braising, however you can skip this step for a richer paprika flavor. You will be searing it again later for a nice crust.

So here's what you need:
A happy pork shoulder from a farm where they care about there animals. (It tastes a lot better too)
2 med onions or a giant one
2 cups of preferably home made or market bought chicken broth
A jar of roasted red pepper or you can make them yourself, I didn't have the energy.
A couple cloves of garlic
Tablespoon of tomato paste
1/4 cup smoked paprika
1/4 cup sweet Hungarian paprika
1/4 cup red wine or apple cider vinegar
Some red pepper flake
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
rice
Day 1
Pre-heat oven to 200
While the pork is hanging out on the counter until almost room temperature cut onions to a large dice and set aside. Take all the other ingredients except for the broth and rice and place in a blender. Blend!
Now cut the pork into nice chunks like in the picture, while you are Pre-heating your dutch oven over medium high heat with some canola oil. Remove some fat if you desire. cover in salt and pat dry before browning. Turn and brown all sides. remove pork and add the onion sautee until it softens. Add the red paste mixture from the blender and stir for a couple minutes until the pot is clean and the paprika opens up a bit.
Add the broth and the meat to the pot, bring to a simmer, cover and place in the oven. for about 3-4 hours until the meat is quite tender but still holding together. Remove the lid and cook for another hour rotating meat once. This reduces the sauce and gives the meat it's second out of three crusts so far.
take out of the oven and let it chill then carefully place it in the fridge for a few days. I use two big plastic containers.
Day 2, 3 or whenever you are hungry
Place in pot over low heat, make some rice, then just before the rice is done pre-heat a nonstick pan.
Gently place a few pieces of pork in the pan. hear the sizzle until a nice crust forms about 2 minutes(There is sauce on the pork so it caramelizes and browns pretty quick, so try not to burn it). Now strain the sauce through a wire strainer into something that will pour nicely.
Presentation
Make a nice mold with the rice in a bowl, place the browned meat on top, pour the sauce over that and garnish with some cilantro leaves. Add a little fleur de sal (nice salt) if needed. I needed it because I tend not to salt much until the end
EAT. it is so good.

Octopus and Cucumber Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Moorman) — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 17:23:00 +0000

This octopus and cucumber salad can be made in under 10 minutes, however I made the vinaigrette ahead so the flavors would meld, I always try to do this and add the oil later if I have time especially when using shallots or garlic. I also cut the cucumbers right before serving so the don't get mushy. If you were going to make this ahead you can salt the cucumber, put them in a colander with paper towels on top and press them. This keeps them crunchy. I purchased the octopus from Uwajimaya in sashimi form, it has already been poached. The ingredients for the dressing are Meyer lemon juice (sweeter), rice wine vinegar, fish sauce, garlic minced, sesame seeds, sugar, dried seaweed pieces, salt pepper and water to dilute if needed. You can add more sugar if it's too bitter. I was going to ad sesame seed oil but I wanted to keep it light. I tossed it all together in a separate bowl then carefully placed it in the serving bowl and finally zested it with the meyer lemon peel. When adding the ingredients go with your gut if it tastes to fishy add more lemon, to bitter add more sugar, just have fun with it until it tastes good! Oh, and by the way lemon juice and fish sauce are awesome together!

leftover love

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Moorman) — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 20:13:00 +0000

I love leftovers, because all the hard work has already been done and those flavors have had time to get acquainted and really come together.
Just about everying from the previous pork and polenta meal are back. I simply sliced and fried the polenta, sliced up my last chunk of pork and prosciutto and gently warmed it, diced the black trumpets and added a poached egg in there to make it breakfast! Even the celery puree added another welcomed dimension. The only problem was that I only had enough leftovers for one helping.

Prosciutto wrapped pork tenderloin with black trumpet mushrooms over goat cheese polenta

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Moorman) — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 18:24:00 +0000

Other than pre wrapping the pork tenderloin with the prosciutto and letting it set in the fridge, this meal only takes around 45 minutes from start to finish. I'm sure you could find someone to wash the dishes for you after making this for them. My girl is out of town so I was not so lucky.

The polenta and mushrooms should be made while the pork is in the oven, then when the pork is resting you can set the polenta up in the cupcake molds.

I refrained from salting the tenderloin because the prosciutto does the trick. Rolling it all up using plastic wrap ensures a nice tight roll and leaving it in the fridge overnight keeps it tightly together without using toothpicks or twine.

Mushrooms - You could use most any wild mushrooms for this. Black trumpet mushrooms, fresh sage, fresh meyer lemon juice, chicken stock, brown bits (fond) from the pan, goat butter, salt and pepper. Sauteed with butter until nice, added sage and lemon then added stock and reduced and finished with a little butter.
Polenta -Corn grits (1/3 water ratio), goat butter, chevre (goat milk cheese), salt. Add to boiling water w/salt stir for consistently for about 30 minutes until rubbery, add 1/3 cup or so of chevre and butter, stir in well then place in oiled molds.
Pork - Locally grown tenderloin, prosciutto. Gently browned on stove top then baked until 140, allow to rest for 10 minutes. Save that unwashed pan for the mushrooms!
Parsley Puree - Parsley leaves, extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, pepper - blended
I put this together a bunch of different ways as you can see from the pictures.The picture at the top of this page was my favorite composition.
Bon Appétit!

Tartine Bread

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Moorman) — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 17:31:00 +0000

I was engrossed by the lengthy process Dagan Heavrin took to create this ancient bread. This time I got to sit back, observe, snap a few pictures then enjoy. Thanks Dagan for this post and for allowing us to enjoy your bread on the long trip home.

Bread made the old fashioned way. Using "Tartine Bread" by Chad Robertson as a guide its amazing how easy (if time consuming) making traditional artisan bread can be. The trick is to use natural fermentation from yeasts already present in the flour and in the environment to create a starter. This takes about a week of managing to get it to a useable stage but then can be used on a daily basis. The rising and baking of the loafs is also quite easy, but does take many small steps over a full day so its best to do when you will be available to turn the dough regularly. The final step is to cook the loaves in a dutch oven which mimics the professional steam ovens used in bakeries. The result is a true artisan bread with a crunchy crust made with nothing more than flour, water, and salt.

New Years Sushi Party

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Moorman) — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 17:27:00 +0000

Between indoor helicopter flights myself, Allen , Christy, Galen, Pavlina and Dagan put together this incredible sushi spread.
Thanks to Dagan for his sushi expertise in making this happen.

Making carpaccio with the octopus is a delicious way to make something tough and chewy, sweet and delicate.
Simply sliced thin with lemon juice, zest, scallion salt and pepper. TRY IT!

Duck Two Ways

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Moorman) — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 21:11:00 +0000

Nothing quite tops duck cooked in duck fat. I cooked it at 190 for about 3 hours to retain the integrity of the legs, and this way the meat isn't quite falling off the bone and it allows you to give the skin a nice sear afterwards. The breast was pan seared at medium to med/high until the skin rendered nicely and the skin was golden crisp. The breast were cooked to medium rare.

Ling Cod and Pork Tenderloin with Lemon Prosciutto Sauce

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Moorman) — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 16:30:00 +0000

Shallots, roasted red pepper, garlic, white wine, prosciutto, lemon juice and goat butter make the sauce . The cod is pan seared then baked .

This sauce also works even better on pork tenderloin, substituting the wine for chicken broth. This is accompanied by a scalloped potato goat cheese gratin, the best!

Butternut Squash Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Moorman) — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 19:54:00 +0000

Using the seeds and flesh that is normally tossed away is what really makes this soup delicious! Very basic

Breakfast Lunch and Dinner

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Moorman) — Sat, 14 May 2011 18:54:00 +0000

Here are a couple rando dishes from the last month or so.

Jowl bacon and herbed mushroom frittata

Jowl bacon, 5 eggs, cremini mushrooms, green onion, red pepper, cilantro, garlic, onion

Grilled New York with Chimichurri

Happy Pork Sirloin over greens

Pan Broiled cod with lemon goat butter glaze

Part 3 of a pot roast ..adding mushrooms to the reduction.

Burger Time - Chipotle Bacon and Mushroom Burger

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Moorman) — Sat, 07 May 2011 18:32:00 +0000

I’d been thinking about hamburgers all week, probably because I had a pound of Skagit River Ranch ground beef thawing in the fridge. Good meat deserves simplicity in preparation because it has so much flavor.

There is a small process but nothing too crazy.

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients
4 slices of beef bacon or regular old pork bacon. I used beef because I had never had it before. I removed the fat at the end because it was really tough.
½ small Spanish onion sliced thin
3 tbs dry sherry

1 lb grass fed ground beef divided by 4 and gently pressed into 4 patties
Salt and pepper
¼ cup Mayonnaise
2 tbs ketsup
1 chipotle pepper finely chopped with adobe sauce from can about 1-2 tbs for preference
Whole wheat hamburger buns
Arugula

Pre-heat oven to 400

Form burgers and allow to get to near room temp. Salt and pepper.

Pan fry bacon and remove bacon leave fat.

In bacon fat over high heat nicely brown one side of your hamburgers, remove burgers and place in oven browned side up cook until med or med rare about 9 min. Do not clean pan.

In same pan that you cooked the burgers and bacon caramelize onions and mushrooms add sherry at the end and cook down for a minute or two.

Mix mayo ketsup an chipotle for sauce.

Toast buns last 4 minutes and assemble burgers. eat, smile

Sea Scallops with Arugula - Two nights in a row!

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Moorman) — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 05:15:00 +0000

Here is a recipe for sea scallops (Large) with arugula that is quick, ridiculously delicious, bright and simple. I would like to share it with you, because it is very tasty!

There are ten reasons why I had to make this dish two nights in a row:

Reason 1&2: The ingredients are in season and on sale. (At the Ballard Market, Ballard WA)

Reason 2&3: It takes less than 30 minutes, and it's relatively simple to make, but there is proceedure.

Reason 4-9: It's beautiful, delicious, succulent, healthy and if you where making this for someone they would fall in love with you~!

Reason 10: It is so mother loving good!

So here it is, I will try make this as simple as possible:

You will need the following apparatus to pull this off:

A stove

Preferably a sharp knife

Preferably a non-stick pan (I know, I know)

A cutting board

and a bowl

Ingredients (Use less or more as your heart sees fit) : TBS = Table spoon, Tsp= Tea Spoon

6-8 Sea scallops (Bigger than bay scallops) almost a pound.

1 bunch arugula – A spicy, aromatic green that makes this all come together.

¼ lb bacon chopped to a small dice – this is why you need a sharp knife or you will end up with bloody strands.

For the dressing you will need the following:

Mix these ingredients in this order, the first part can be made ahead before adding the olive oil.

2 tbs fresh squeezed lemon juice

2 tsp white wine vinegar

2 tbs maple syrup

1 tsp your favorite course ground mustard

1 tsp of mayonnaise (This keeps it all together like magic!)

Little salt and pepper

1/8^th of a jalapeno minced

1 garlic clove minced almost to a paste

1 small shallot minced

7-8 tbs Olive oil (added last and gently)

Garnish:

1tbs cilantro

Preparation:

Place thawed scallops on paper towels, salt and pepper,

Turn on oven to med/med high(a 7 on my range)

Cook bacon in pan until lightly crisped. Then transfer to bowl leaving grease in pan.

Remove pan from heat leaving stove on.

Allow scallops to sweat letting towels absorb the moisture.

Add all dressing ingredients except oil to a deep bowl. Stir and allow to sit until the scallops are done.

Return pan to med high heat and add the paper towel dried scallops one at a time around the pan in the hot oil. It should sizzle but not burn!

Cook for about 2-3 minutes until golden brown, then flip each one in the order they were placed on the pan. Allow to cook until they are medium firmness and solid white not translucent, about 3 more minutes. You don't want to over cook them, just make sure they are not in the pan over 7 minutes and you should be fine. If your pan is at Med to med high you will be fine. Remove pan from heat now!

Slowly drizzle olive oil into ingredients bowl stirring vigorously, then add bacon bits.

Place scallops over arugula on a nice plate, spoon dressing ove rit all add chopped cilantro for garnish, enjoy!

Below is from day 1, I put the callops on top of everything.

Boletists

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Moorman) — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 22:44:00 +0000

Mushrooms Everywhere!

This is my first post on this blog in over a year, not that I've slowed down with cooking, but I've changed directions a bit. Here are a few varieties of Boletes that we cooked into a Risotto with some sausage on a backpacking trip to Snoqualmie Lake this past weekend.

We brought a few home with us as well and sliced them up nicely to dry out for a few days. Looks like there will be a few mushroom dishes on the menu for the next few weeks!

Ginger, Honey Quinoa with Basil and Sundried Tomatoes..Oh, and Grilled Rib-eye

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Moorman) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 00:30:00 +0000

"I refuse to believe that trading recipes is silly. Tuna fish casserole is at least as real as corporate stock." ~ Barbara Grizzuti Harrison

Ok, so here's the recipe for this quinoa salad. Hands descending this is best quinoa salad I’ve ever had, and my extraordinary someone agrees, if only for the verity that it has addictive drug like traits without being bad for you. It’s actually soaring in everything good. The secret in my opinion lies in the sheer amount of dressing that’s added, and letting it bond overnight like new bff’s at a slumber party.

-Make the dressing a few hours before. Doing this tames the raw garlic, ginger and shallot.

Ingredients: 2 cups quinoa, 4 cups h2o. Dressing- 1 cup minced fresh ginger, 1 minced medium shallot, 1 tbsp mayonnaise, splash of champagne vinegar, juice and zest from 1 ½ large lemons, ¼ cup of honey, salt and pepper to taste, 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, 1 jar of sun dried tomatoes chopped and 2 cups fresh basil chiffonaded.

Wisk garlic, shallot, mayo (which keeps it all from separating), vinegar, lemon juice, honey, salt and pepper in your favorite bowl. Refrigerate for ½ hr+, meanwhile toast the quinoa until that nutty smell fills the air then cook 2 cups quinoa to 2 cups water for about 15 minutes. Removing the cover and taking off the heat and fluffing so it doesn’t over cook. Remove the dressing from the fridge and slowly add the olive oil whisking vigorously until well combined. Taste and add whatever you think might make it taste better. If it tastes good LEAVE IT. Combine dressing with the quinoa, allow to cool, then add the basil, sun dried tomatoes and zest. Refrigerate overnight and serve to anyone you want to win over. Oh, and the rib-eye........

I quickly grilled both sides of the rib eye room temperature, lightly seasoned rib eye and threw it into a pre-heated 250 oven for 15 minutes. I find this just makes a perfectly buttery medium rare steak. It breaks down the fat better than simply grilling it. You could always move it to a cooler area on the grill, but I was lazy and brain dead from the day and I wanted perfect results. You can always count on the oven. A little goat feta and pretty basil leaf tastes as good as it looks

Where there's Smoke theres Fire

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Moorman) — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 22:47:00 +0000

Much smoking kills live men and cures dead swine. ~George D. Prentice
What started out as last minute potluck turned into a full on meat smoke fest, and it was good. This happened a few months ago so I'll try re-collect of what all went down. Brad was the man of the day. He brought over his smoker and and a few secrets too, his phenomenal BBQ sauce made with yellow mustard and coffee.

Smoked beer can chicken from Couch Man, Spice rubbed pork loin from Brad and spicy smoked chicken legs from S-Dog.

Couch's chicken was ridiculous, moist and packed with enough flavor to make Snoop Dog blush. The spicy tequila garlic grilled shrimp were bionic and only lasted minutes and Micah's Dr Pepper Ribs made me eat my words, because I had no idea they would taste this good.

Uma and Ward arrived with a fresh salsa salad made with corn, peaches, cilantro and some mystery goodness. Uma's steak style seasoned rib's were so scrumptious that even though everyone was stuffed I still only got firsts. Appetizers for desert perfect! The fresh from the Ballard market clams from Oyster Bob only needed a cup of wine and they too were lost to a mere memory.

What would a Sunday afternoon be if a kid didn't get to play on the roof. More kids need to be on roofs than in living rooms. Bravo

The Hills Have Grills

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Moorman) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 22:25:00 +0000

In summer, the song sings itself. ~William Carlos Williams

Summer is here and so far it's been...summer, it's about time we had one here in Seattle. I threw together some rando pics from camping on Orcas, Cleulum and Winthrop. To tell you the truth my online time has mostly turned into outside time, and the batteries on my camera never seemed to be charged. I like it! It's like forgetting about your cell phone for a week because your main concern is whether you can keep the temperature right on your ‘we made it ourselves with sticks and tinfoil smoker’(picture below) and hoping the alder you have soaking in the lake doesn’t float away to become a raft for a dragonfly. ( I did see a dragonflie floating on a piece of bark in a lake)

This was day two of smoking ribs, and I believe we got the technique down to a science. Coals on one side, ribs on the other, a tin foil shield resists any direct heat, soaked wood chips and a carefully woven tinfoil veil to keep all that smoke confined. Five hours later these things were unbelievable. They were scandalously juicy, affectionately tender and had a perfect cherry crust. Oh! I did forgot to take a picture, but they were hands down heroic ribs.

On top we have a wonderful Sturgeon fillet, kindly donated from the Wyatt and Theresa Stoppard family( We will miss you when you leave). Grilled with fresh garden herb, garlic, and lemon compound goat butter. Some ‘I forget what kind’ of breakfast sausage on the morning campfire, and some flank goodness that’s described in the picture below.

We returned to our campsite one afternoon after a leisurely ride up Mt. Constitution (not) to find a couple starting a fire in our fire pit. Turns out they were on there way out town and they just had to have some of their fresh little salmon they just caught. Lending a hand we grilled up some of the most succulent fish I have ever had. Adding only a dash of salt and pepper at the end, these smoked and grilled gifts were extremely delicate and moist. Once again food brings man together. Below that is the herb crusted flank steak with spicy Thai beans that Micah prepared to perfection.

At the top we have preparations for a very shiny desert which always tastes best under a full moon. We buried some marinated chuck in the ground with hot coals while we went on a five hour hike. When we came home..thats where my heart was, we were treated to fajitas en el suelo! The other picture is a sesame and shrimp cucumber salad that is actually crunchy!

"If I'm gonna smoke there better be ribs." jm

Lemon Pepper Lamb Chops with Fire Roasted Peppers

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Moorman) — Mon, 04 May 2009 20:47:00 +0000

"I have never had so many good ideas day after day as when I worked in the garden." ~John Erskine
click to enlarge
This was a thirty minute meal, but I let the lamb chops hang out for a few hours with the salt and lemon pepper. I always remove them from the fridge at least thirty minutes prior. This way they cook evenly and the area around the bone is warm after cooking. A good pat dry before grilling is key for that nice dark crust.
I figured out a cool way of grilling onions and it looks appealing as well. I halved the onion going through the root, I then cut each half into four or five wedges with the root end still attached. This kept it all together on the grill and it made it easy to flip. Tedious-free operation! I grilled the peppers, and then coarsely chopped them, a little lemon juice, a bit more olive oil, salt, pepper, the onions and fresh lemon mint from the garden. The lamb chops were not very big, but they were tender and succulent. I ended up eating all five of them and the left over relish made for an excellent omelet filler this morning.

Spring BBQ

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Moorman) — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 04:54:00 +0000

Spring is nature's way of saying, "Let's party!" ~Robin Williams

~You gotta click to enlarge this picture - Touqe and Peter Man~
Sunny spring days at home are the finest as long as you’re outside. A walk through the neighborhood foraging for herbs showed its bounty. Thyme, lemon mint, lavender and plenty of rosemary was all abundant fresh as the day itself. I like where I live, friendly neighbors that talk to each other , houses and gardens each as individual as the people that live there, and folks kind enough not to mind the occasional herb that finds it’s way onto my grill. I am lucky to live on my street.

White Beach Mushroom, Hen of the Woods, King Oysters and Beach Mushrooms together with neighborhood herbs, rose wine, grape tomatoes, garlic, shallot and a hit of the ‘ole balsamic made for an excellent accompaniment to the red meat. I guess it’s called mushrooms à la grecque, who knew?

Today was a fun cooperative endeavor. Jackie had her vision days before of seared scallops with a mango and walnut chutney sweetened further with a maple syrup pan glaze. Then there was Scottie’s marinated asparagus, Micah’s from-childhood-style flank steak and Hilarie’s excellent choice in wine and spot on instinct of the perfect vino for the mushrooms à la grecque. There is so much more to a great meal than just sitting down and eating. From the enjoyment of unearthing great local ingredients, learning somthing new from somone else or taking the dog for a walk to locate the thyme bush on 64th and 9th, these are all just parts of the bigger picture.

That mango, cucumber, walnut salsa, and whatever other goodness Jackie threw in was amazing, but the best accompaniment to any meal is the people your with. Oh..and Rock Band 2 on Wii for desert.

Slowing things down..just a bit.

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Moorman) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 01:58:00 +0000

"Noncooks think it's silly to invest two hours' work in two minutes' enjoyment; but if cooking is evanescent, so is the ballet."
Julia Child

I'm going to slow things down a bit on Moormansmenu. I love the kitchen more than ever and I truly put my heart into most everything I make, but that's just it, I just feel I need to slow down because I don't want to feel pressure from myself to put something on this blog. I love food and require the therapy that time in the kitchen gives me. So on that note, I'm going to sit down and eat this Warm Asparagus and Lamb Salad with Raspberry and Walnut Vinaigrette and leave the camera in the camera bag. Salute! Let’s do dinner soon!

~Picture taken the following day. I just had to make it again.

Sayulita Mexico

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Moorman) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 16:05:00 +0000

“The cure for anything is salt water - sweat, tears, or the sea.”~Isak Dinesen

Sunday

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Moorman) — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 03:09:00 +0000

Do not let Sunday be taken from you If your soul has no Sunday, it becomes an orphan.~
Albert Schweitzer
P.D was on the guest list.. wait he always is. Below top left.

Food is always freshest on Sunday's, I dare not say the same for myself. It is the Lords day, and a day of rest, and should always be. Assembling provisions can be the most calming and unwinding thing to do. This is habit forming. Sunday night dinner with great friends is my sunny beach that I can't have on a dark February morning in Seattle. When a groggy friend calls and says, He has two fresh trout, and my only reply being that I have a braise in the oven, leaves only one question: "Where are we eating at!?" Executive decisions need to be made, because this late into the weekend the idea of a plan has long left with the 19 year-olds trying to get into the local bars. Last minute, my-house, sounds great.

Here we have the pan fried trout over a leek, homemade pancetta, apple, parsley, shallot, morojam and radicchio ensalade hit at the last minute with balsamic vinegar. Muchos gracias Big D. Below that a simple pork braise, made with left-over braising liquid from my last braise, a little more red wine, the last of the veal stock and chicken stock reduced nicley to a delctable sauce. A carmalized butternut squash with mint and basil dish was also present but my camera wasn't. Good food is always great, but superb friends, tired eyes and full belly's make it all taste a little sweeter.

A mixed Menu

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Moorman) — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 20:57:00 +0000

The lazier a man is, the more he plans to do tomorrow.
The quote says it all. I have a bunch of dishes that i just haven't gotten around to posting. I have even forgotten what I actually did in a lot of these dishes. So I'm just going to post some pics and try my best to remember what I did. Click to enlarge.

Pork Tenderloin, accompanied with roasted brussel sprouts, fingerling potatoes and a rich red wine pan sauce. The tenderloin was my reward for an impromptu pasta lunch for 17 on the set of a new film Mike and Nick are working on. It was worth it. Thanks Nick and thanks to your Mom for hooking that up. Freaking Delicious.
Sunday Market Roasted Potato Salad with Cayenne Aoli. I used kalamata olive oil in the aoli which gave it a uniquely fresh taste and green appearance. Very tasty, plus making mayonnaise or aoli is really fun.

Orange Ginger Red Quinoa Salad w/ Arugula and Cherry Tomatoes.
I let the ginger and shallot marinate in lemon juice for about 45 minutes. I then added fresh squeezed orange juice, olive oil, lemon & orange zest, salt and pepper. I combined this with the quinoa while it was still warm reserving a little for the finished salad. Very light, fresh and vegetarian if you can believe that! ...now on to the lamb.

Roast Leg of Lamb
S-Dog in the Kitchen! Scottie has the passion, and patience to make things come out perfectly, here He demonstrates that with a flawlessly prepared leg of lamb. I'm looking forward to summer where we'll spend most our time outside on the Q, smoking ribs or boiling freshly caught crabs. I know Scottie will make the perfect baby backs with some S-Dog Extra love BBQ sauce! I can't wait!

Back to the Past - Many of us grew up with that dreaded-for-some or anticipated-for-others, Liver Night. I was one that actually really loved it. But I realized I had forgotten what it tasted like and I was having that. Excitedly, I purchased some locally grown calf's liver and prepared just like my mom did. It was great! And best of all it brought back many fond memories of my family sitting around our dinner table devouring liver!