Prickly Pear

 So I am sorry but this weeks is going to be shorter then normal. So the prickly pear is also know as the cactus pear. It has little spikes all over it so be careful if you use it. It is most commonly used in desserts, salads, or drinks (after being made into a syrup). I made it into a sauce with some blackberries we had in the freezer and marinated some chicken in it then I cooked the chicken on a skillet on the stove and make some rice with cumin in it to give it a more savory flavor because the prickly pear is sweet tasting.  Sorry it is so brief next weeks will be longer I promise. 

 

Okie Dokie Artichokie

The artichoke is one of the oldest know vegetables. It has been used as a source of food for centuries. It originated in the Mediterranean area. Being so old the artichoke comes with a long list of tales and stories. Some of the interesting ones are... in the 1500's women were not allowed to eat artichokes because artichokes were thought to be and strong aphrodisiac, artichokes grown in the United States were first grown in Louisiana but today 100% of artichokes commercially grown in the US are from California, artichokes were outlawed in New York for a total of one week because the mafia had taken over the industry. There are many more there are many more, seeing as the vegetable has been around for so long, but those were some of the best.
So now that we have had our history lesson a little bit about me and my history with the artichoke. I have had artichoke before, artichoke hearts from a can, but the real artichoke is nothing like that! Fortunately I bought two artichokes because the first one was definitely an experience. When you are picking an artichoke you want one that is deep green with a tight leaf formation. Also you should check for freshness, squeeze the leaves together and if they squeak it means it fresh, and just like the chayote you want the artichoke to feel heavy for its size. Once you get home with your artichoke you are suppose to sprinkle it with water and refrigerate in an air tight bag. Then use within a week.
First attempt:
There were a lot of different recipes for stuffed artichoke so I thought I would give that a try. I prepared my artichoke (a timely process of washing, sniping, and de-choking) and stuffed with spinach, an onion soup packet, and olive oil. Then, as bar the recipe, I wrapped it in foil and baked for about an hour. (Tip #1 only use glass and stainless steel pans and utensils other stuff will change the color of the artichoke to an ugly brownish black color, and never use foil). It smelled relatively good after baking so I grabbed my fork and knife and dug in. I was sure to get some spinach and an artichoke petal in my first big bite. ( Tip #2 to properly eat an artichoke hold the petal from the top place in mouth, bite down and scrape along your teeth, you don't actually eat the petal just the "meat" on the inside) It was terrible! The taste was disgusting the texture was chewy and gross. It was a FAIL! I threw it away and tried to figure out what in the world I was going to do with another artichoke.

Second try:
I told my mom I felt like I was David and the artichoke was the giant. I didn't want to prepare, cook, or eat another artichoke but I did it for you guys. This time I boiled it in lime and garlic water for about 25 minutes. Then I cut of the bottom and peeled of the leaves; I coated the bottom disk and the leaves with a mixture of flour, salt, cumin, and garlic powder and fried them in a pan of oil. I made a honey ginger sauce with some butter honey and ground ginger, salt and pepper. And I made a chicken and pear filling (this part wasn't the best).
This dish turned out a lot better then the first the petals were actually pretty good and it is something I would definitely eat again; but all in all I think the artichoke is a lot of work for not a lot of food. The whole artichoke is something that won't, any time soon, become a regular in my diet. But go try it for yourself!

Chayota anyone???

The chayote squash goes by many names: christophene, vegetable pear, mirliton, choko, chow chow (my favorite) and many more. There are two different types of chayote, a prickly kind and a smooth kind, I used the smooth kind. The squash in a good source of fiber and is packed full of amino acids. The peek season for chayote is between November and April making it a good veggie to use in the winter. Chayote originated in  Mesoamerica and was a staple the the Aztec and Mayan diets, but now days chayote it is grown and eaten everywhere. It is a very versatile vegetable used in everything from appetizers to desserts. I found recipes for soups, salads, stuffed squash, and even some for apple/chayote pie! I decided to make a pasta dish with butter sauce topped with chayote and chicken.

Chayotes keep for about a month, just store them in a bag in the refrigerator. The chayote you use should be green (like an apple) and should have very few brown spots. You want it to be firm and dense , so when you pick it up it should be a little heavier then expected. The skin of the chayote can be eaten or you can peel it. A couple tips; you are suppose to peel the chayote if it was grown in a desert or sandy area and when peeling the squash it is a good idea to do so under water because the it leeks a sticky sap after being cut or peeled. I would equate the inside of the chayote to an apple. It had about the same texture and feel, but unlike the apple the chayote has a soft white pit in the center which is edible. It is suppose to have a nuttier flavor then the rest of the squash. For my recipe I took out the pit and minced it with some garlic and green onions; added a pinch of salt and sauteed all of that in butter before adding the chayote slices. After slicing the chayote I sprinkled it with Italian seasoning and added to the pan with the garlic and onions once the squash was tender I removed them from the pan ( I used a fork to leave as much juice and seasoning in the pan as possible) and sprinkled them with Parmesan and set them in the oven while I made the sauce for the noodles. For the sauce I added butter and some grape juice to the pan the squash was cooking in and let that reduce and then tossed my noodles in it. While all this was going on I also had a peppered chicken breast cooking in the George Foreman.
Chayote was a very good veggie and I can't wait to use it again! Next time I think I want to try a dessert with it but that's all the chayote for this week and next week it's a different food. If there is any suggestions as to what I should try let me know, but for now go get a chayote and try it out for yourself!

The Start of Something Wonderful

I am starting fresh. I have deleted my old blog, came up with a new idea on what to write about, and now I am finishing the hard part and STARTING! So get excited because I am going to write weekly, or at least I am going to put in a valiant effort. Another thing I am going to be doing weekly is cooking, but not ordinary cooking and none of the "Julie and Julia" stuff. I am going to cooking my way and exploring all the food the world has to offer. For the last couple of weeks I have been buying foods that I had never heard of let alone eaten and tried to cook with and given it a go cooking a made up dish. It has been so much fun that I have decided to keep it going and to write it down. The way my eatable explorations goes is:
1) Pick up something new and unusual (something I have never eaten or cooked with, may be something I have never even heard of)
2) Research (figure out what I just bought how it is used and where it is from)
3)Recipes (look up recipes that contain the new ingredient, how is it cooked what is it generally cook with)
4)Cook and Create (Make up a fun recipe with the new information I have and the stuff in my kitchen)
5) Share it
More info. I am a college student so it all has to be done on a low budget with limited supplies. I am excited to get this going and I can't wait to get cooking... this is definitely the start of something wonderful!