Cooking has definitely become my coping mechanism, which I'm pretty happy about. I mean, think about it. Some people cope with tough times by drinking. Getting angry. Other non-productive actions.
I throwdown in the kitchen. Not too bad, I think.
So when Roommate asked me if I felt like cooking for some (now mutual?) friends tonight, I was happy to do what I do and take it to the next level.
Gametime started with some mini appetizer fajitas. (PS-many props to Guests 1, 2, and 3 for the role they played). We soaked some chicken, shrimp, bell peppers, and onions in a mixture of lime juice, rum, salt, pepper, cumin, red pepper flakes, and chili powder. Tossed the shrimp into one frying pan and everything else into a second. While it was cooking up a bit I tossed together some freshly chopped onion, tomato, and cilantro, some lime juice, and a dash of cayenne to make a little pico de gallo. Finished the two skillets with a bit of flambe to get that crispy feeling on the outside. The fajitas were definitely a major victory and will enter rotation as part of my personal dinner cookbook.
Up next was a salad. Much credit to Roommate #2 for putting together the bulk of it. In fact, I don't even really know what was in it, except that it was fantastic. I can recall peaches, sun dried cranberries, a mix of phenomenal greens, goat's milk feta cheese, onions, and cucumbers. But I know I'm not doing it justice.
The only role I played was in the from-scratch vinaigrette. My new blender got balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, brown sugar, salt, pepper, basil, and olive oil. Top notch. I'll be looking to perfect that into a recipe sometime soon, because this was a huge favorite.
Main course was chicken stuffed with prosciutto and herbs. I butterflied some chicken breasts, smashed them down a bit with some salt and pepper, laid a slice of prosciutto on top, and covered with grated romano, parsley, and basil.
Then rolled them up, fastened them with a couple of toothpicks.
Sprinkled some freshly chopped rosemary and italian parsley on them and baked them with some cremini mushrooms and a garlic chicken stock, basting often.
Removed the toothpicks, sliced them, and finished with some freshly ground pepper and grated romano cheese.
Yeah. Food was definitely 100% on this Sunday evening.
0 comments
Post a Comment