A What If to Consider

If Satan were coming to speak at your Christian University for commencement, would you be for or against such a thing? (Could prove interesting, if the audience has a strong foundation in the Truth--if it werent for a simple and insignificant thing called temptation.)

But still...
I mean, he is the all powerful adversary of Good in the world, he was there in the Garden as the serpent, he was there when the temple and sky were twisted and split in two, and he's watched over Auschwitz--he's even been at the cold and calculating hands of ever doctor who has bent life to draw out death from the womb--therefore, wouldnt it be quite an honor to have someone so Grand and Old and Eloquent--my how he can speak and sound so intellectual--someone who has been around and has been so influential in all things of the world, a figure who stands for so much, to give the commencement speech?

First Things Blog
NRO Reports
The Scandal and Petition Here

For the good news I heard this week: Newt Gingrich will be converting into the Church this Easter. Congratulations Mr. Speaker and I wish you much luck. It is a great joy that more than 200,000 adults each year become Catholics. They don't want you to know that, because if they can convince us all that Catholicism is outmoded and dying, they have us--to put it vulgarly--by the balls.

Resister: It is our lot, our portion, and our joy.

Lentil Soup

This Lentil Soup was out of this world--or as a friend of mine says--off the hook.

Here it is:

6 cans chicken stock (or homemade stock--I used half duck stock and it was fantastic)
3 carrots
3 ribs celery
4 onions
one head of garlic
ham bone or diced ham (obviously works best if you've had spiral ham and have frozen the bone for soup--but you can substitute diced ham or smoked ham hocks if you can find them--bones do add a particular dynamic)

Easy as heck--in big pot, saute most of the onions for 5 minutes on high (I say most, because I don't like to sweat it all)--then add the rest of the vegetables--to really kick it up a notch, add two halved shallots. crush some of the garlic, smash the rest. Use the whole head. Let mix and add ham bone whatever. Let mix and go to town for about 5 minutes. Then add stock. Bay leaf, salt, pepper, spices--which ought to consist of thyme, rosemary, sage, oregano what-have-you. Mostly thyme. If you dont have the rest, dont sweat it. Bring to boil and reduce to simmer for 45 min-1 hour.

After 45-1 hour, add Lentils. A whole package. Let her mix in and simmer and let it go about another 2 hours. Finis. Check spices and adjust accordingly. If you find about 30 minutes before it should be done that it is too soupy and not enough flavor, add 5 more smashed garlic cloves and take off the loosely covered lid. Let it simmer away like that.

A new take on Bruschetta

Been making this since before I can remember. Bruschetta--pronounced with a hard "c"--contains tomatoes and garlic. For this recipe I added a few black olives mashed up and basil leaves. It's easier to chop garlic finely--adjust for your own enjoyment of garlic/tomatoes. Just remember, the more olives, the more salt taste, so when you adjust pepper and basil, dont add too much salt without tasting.

Clams Shrimp Scallops Bianco

This is an easy to make Italian meal. Buy scallops, clams and shrimp. For one person, 4-6 clams, 6 shrimp and dozen bay scallops are perfect, and if you serve over pasta, you dont need as many scallops.

Crush 8-10 cloves garlic. add 3/4 of it to bowl with shrimp and scallops, douse with olive oil, salt pepper and oregano. Mix thoroughly. Then slice 2 cloves garlic, add to hot oil in skillet, brown slightly, add clams and cup white wine. cover and let er go till clams open up.

While clams are going, heat another skillet with olive oil and remaining garlic. After garlic slightly browned, add shrimp and scallops. Cook till almost done. By this time, clams should be opened--add clams and juice they cooked in to shrimp and scallops, let finish. Voila. The more white wine you add to clams in beginning, the more sauce you will have in the end. Perfect over pasta or with good bread to soak it up. If you want to make sauce a little more rich, add slab of butter at end.

Joy in Steak

I like meat. I love steak. I've always been able to grill a steak easily, and without a grill, I have had to discover new and newer ways to prepare a great steak.

Tonight I opted for a steak au poivre with my own twists. Last night, a friend of mine told me that all my dishes have a particular flavor so that he always knows it was my invention. I think this steak recipe has same:

I used grass-fed rib-eye, but you could use any cut.

I crushed lots of pepper on both sides, sea salt, packed it in and some crushed garlic and dashes of cane vinegar.

I let it sit for few hours like that, then scraped off garlic, more pepper, pat dry with paper towel and into skillet with hot butter/oil.

Let brown, add garlic when turned over, garlic browns with steak, remove steak after browned.

Deglazed with bourbon and added slices leeks and some beef broth. More pepper. bring to simmer add back steak. I put in a few leaves of basil here too (experiment) Cook through to desired temp. Remove steak, add two tblsp butter, reduce sauce by half and serve.

It has just the right amount of pepper without too much (normally steak au poivre takes away from the meat with too much pepper). If I had a little cream, I might have added that to the sauce in the end--but, it was perfect as was.

Red Beans

Today decided to make a real authentic scratch red beans and sausage. Soaked 2 lbs of beans last night. Strained and rinsed. drop beans into boiling water--let them cook 1 hour like that.

Everything else:
3 onions
2 heads garlic
3 ribs celery
1 bell pepper
2 dried chile peppers
4 cans chicken stock
2 lbs andouille
2-3 smoked ham hocks

First I browned the andouille in the dutch oven, removed and added 2/3 vegetables to simmer in fat from sausage (chopped onions, peppers, celery and crushed half the garlic). I think I added a little bacon fat here too (though not much, because the hocks have tons of fat). After vegetables softened, I threw back in sausage. Threw in ham hocks and let cook a little while until the vegetables released more liquid. Then I sprinkled on liberal amounts of creole spice (always Konriko and my own blend), and fresh ground pepper--added 4 bay leaves here. Then 4 cans chicken stock. This should cover everything. I brought this to boil and simmered on low for 30-45 minutes while beans were finishing. Then add beans to pot and enough bean liquid to make sure the beans are covered completely. A few dashes Worcestershire and Tabasco (to taste).

Let her cook for 1.5 hours. Add in remaining vegetables. Adjust seasonings.

After 3 hours, some of the beans did not cream--I think this was an old bag of beans--so I smashed some, mixed, let her go a little longer and turned off. Now let it sit overnight and Mondays are Red Beans and Rice day.

Gumbo Pages suggests to add pickled onion next day to each dish--sounds great. (By the way--Gumbo Pages is by far the best online source for Louisiana/New Orleans recipes. And as soon as I sell enough of this red beans, I'll send them a donation--you should too.)

Aioulade

This is an easy recipe for my make-shift remoulade. I'm calling it an aioulade, because it is derived from aioli (and I know most remoulades have aioli as base--I just wanted to invent a new name). This is a minimalist recipe for those days when you're craving a dipping sauce for your fried shrimp or fried jambalaya cakes.

Two tbls spoons mayonnaise. crush 1-2 cloves garlic. 4 dashes worst-ista-shire. 3 dashes tabasco. paprika for color. cayenne for heat. secret: strong french moutarde. about 1/2 tsp. (I guess there is no more secret to it now I've let it all out). Mix all thoroughly. Voila. An Aioulade.

Mushroom Wrap

Mushrooms are perfect. Bought Baby Bellas yesterday--decided to cook em up last night. Squeezed individual mushrooms in paper towel to release juices and plopped em in hot skillet with butter and olive oil. Salt Pepper. Let brown and added 3-5 cloves crushed garlic. Let garlic simmer and added herbes de provence. Then when garlic thoroughly browned, added 1/2 cup vodka. This has the benefit of adding a flavor enhancer without imparting a fruity or grape-wine flavor. let cook covered in vodka for 15-20 minutes until tender. I ate them last night out of the bowl with crackers. Could do anything with them, in pasta, add to steak, mix with vegetables, etc.

Then today I used the few left-overs--heated them up, placed on wrap with cheddar cheese and heated wrap up to melt cheese a little. Then sprinkled a little cajun spice and smeared mayonnaise over it, wrapped it and ate it. Damn good.