Make "restaurant" food at home!

We usually cook dinner at home or bring food to eat at home. Going out for dinner is usually a treat or a necessary convenience. First, going out has to be worth it to me. I think of the quality, the investment towards more ingredients and the leftovers: is the meal I'm going to have better than all the perks of cooking at home? Second, am I going to be agitated with the service, cleanliness or the wait? I am usually auditing an establishment with my eyes, and I usually know exactly how long the food has taken. Don't get me wrong, I love a birthday celebration, a kitchen on its A-game, an inventive menu and a good deal like everyone else. Also, if I am sick, have a craving or am getting home late, I tend to eat out more.But convenience? Come on! Home is the most convenient to me.

One weeknight I was weighing my options. I really wanted Italian pasta, but the thought of going out and waiting and maybe not liking the dish gave me pause. Besides, I wanted ravioli and ragu sauce. I went to the Italian market of a local pasta store and bought almost 1 pound fresh ravioli, about 1.5 pounds fresh fettuccine and a package of ladyfingers. Then, I went to the nearest grocery store and picked up a baguette, milk, some cremini aka baby bella mushrooms, organic basil, canned tomatoes, an organic lemon, a red and green bell pepper and spring onions.

As soon as I arrived home, the tomatoes (26 oz), pepperoni, red and green peppers, onion, some pitted olives and olive oil went in the food processor. One pot had water boiling fettuccine; once that finished I saved the drained hot pasta water and cooked the ravioli. Another saucepan had the simmering sauce I made in the food processor. I added some parsley, basil and more snips of pepperoni with kitchen scissors. Meanwhile, I drizzled bread with olive oil and put it in the toaster oven. In the final saucepan, I sliced mushrooms and sauteed them in butter. To that I added some spring onion and a lemon, thinly sliced to get the lemon oil flavor, then added the cooked ravioli and 1/3 cup pasta water. While it simmered, I finished the ravioli with about 1/4 cup Romano cheese and snips of basil.

It was intense work, but we were able to sit down to eat in 40 minutes with two large bowls of delicious gourmet pasta, semi-homemade, and some bread. After our daughter went to bed, I made a "tiramisu" milkshake--a coffee-flavored milkshake that we dipped with ladyfingers.We kept the unused ingredients and made other meals. More importantly, We had at least 4 meals of leftovers. We spent about $40, but I took the ravioli to work for lunch, then we ate the remaining intensely flavored red sauce with tortellini and used it for French bread pizza. I made ricotta (eventually) with the milk, layered ladyfingers and made real tiramisu. What's the lesson in all of this? I think the $40 I spent on the ingredients and the effort to make the food in this case paid off more than paying the same amount (with tax and tip) at a restaurant.

Restaurants have their place and their value--inventive ideas, convenience, the chance to allow you to talk and catch up leisurely. I do challenge people to consider what place home has--budget-friendly, quality-controlled, stocking ingredients, learning and sharing at your own pace. Food for thought!

Food for thought: Bisque, quick!

When I saw a huge jar of roasted red bell peppers at Costco, I squealed in delight. Here is a flavorsome rich soup built around some great buys from Costco: roasted peppers, whipping cream and a stick (immersion) blender. This tastes wonderful with toasted sandwiches.

Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper Bisque

12 oz. heavy cream
1 packet chicken stock concentrate or 1/2 bouillon cube
2 cloves garlic (will be really strong the next day. 1 will balance flavors)
cracked white pepper to taste or dash cayenne
1/2 teaspoon salt (taste before adding due to variations of stock/bouillon saltiness)
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
12 grape tomatoes
12 oz. roasted red peppers, drained Note: this is measured by volume in a glass/liquid measuring cup, not measured by weight


Optional: dash sherry (when served warm) or vodka (when served cold)

Stick blender

Place ingredients in tall sturdy bowl or saucepan. Blend until smooth, about 1 minute. Serve cold-will be really thick, so add 2/3 cup water and 1 more packet stock. Or heat the amount you will serve/consume.


Photo by: Romulo Yanes

Food for thought: Let's Jam! And chutntey!

As they say, I have champagne tastes on a beer wallet. I do, on occasion crack and buy those $4 or $5 gourmet jams to slather on a toasted croissant or even to blend with butter for chicken, turkey, pork, fish, shrimp and lamb.

But if I want chutney, that's where I draw the line. My cheap gene kicks in and I turn my head away from store-bought chutney. I make it myself, always. I also make jams, preserves with leftover fruit or sweet vegetables that I need to use or if I want a special experience for a meal.


I use a food processor, but when some things are really ripe, you can mash with a fork or chop. For me, the chunkier the better. I make something with a consistency between jam and preserves-some pureed and mashed fruit combined with chunks (see definitions below.)I never make jelly, so I don't have tips to make crystalline concoctions. I tend to make my spreads in a small saucepan and store them in the refrigerator in jars run through the dishwasher for short-term use. I make these because I'm capricious and cheap, not to use large batches to put on a shelf.

As for jelling--making sure they are wiggly, not syrupy--lemon juice and applesauce are my jelling agents. They contain pectin, the jelling agent. I have pectin but have never needed to use it thus far.


RECIPES--Note: I have not tested these. They are more like suggestions!

Sweet Mango chutney

1 1/2 cups mangoes, either 2 fresh mangoes--ripe but still firm, peeled and cubed
or you can use Trader Joe's mangoes 1/2 package. They are the ripest. I like to crush a few pieces for more spreadable consistency.

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom or 4 whole pods, intact. Remember not to eat!

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/4 cup water

Juice from 1 lime plus 1/3 cup water or 1/3 cup vinegar

1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger or 1/2 tsp. ground ginger (adjust to taste)

Ground black or dash red pepper flakes to taste

Heat all ingredients over high heat until mixture reaches a rolling boil. Then simmer all ingredients on low/low-medium heat for 30-40 minutes in a medium saucepan, the heavier the better.

Suggestions: Marries well with spicy Indian dish


Red Pepper Jelly (but technically conserves)

2 cups red, yellow and/or orange sweet peppers, seeded and roughly chopped. Mince if not using a food processor.

2 tsp. dried onion powder or flakes

1 1/2 cups sugar (have some more handy, to taste)

1/3 cup vinegar

1/4 cup water

1/2 teaspoon black pepper and/or dash cayenne pepper

pinch salt

Heat all ingredients over high heat until mixture reaches a rolling boil. Then simmer all ingredients on low/low-medium heat for 30-40 minutes in a medium (3-quart) saucepan, the heavier the better.


Onion Confit
4 onions, quartered lengthwinse and cut into thin slices
1 1/2 cups sugar (have some more handy, to taste)

1/3 cup vinegar

1/4 cup water

1/2 teaspoon black pepper and/or dash cayenne pepper

Heat onions over medium-high heat, stirring regularly until onions become soft. This may take 5-10 minutes. Then add remaining ingredients and simmer on low/low-medium heat for 1 hour, 10 minutes in a medium (3-quart) saucepan, the heavier the better.

Pineapple-Banana Conserves/Chutney
1 cup diced fresh or frozen pineapple. Use juice.
1 very ripe banana, sliced or chopped
1 teaspoon lime juice
1 cup sugar
Dash nutmeg
Dash vanilla extract
1 tablespoon butter, optional
chopped walnuts, optional

If making chutney:
replace nutmeg with garam masala
add some cayenne or hot pepper sauce to taste
Use 2 teaspoons lime juice
add handful of raisins (around 2 dozen), optional
Omit vanilla
Add a little salt

Heat all ingredients over high heat until mixture reaches a rolling boil. Then simmer all ingredients on low/low-medium heat for 30-40 minutes in a medium (3-quart) saucepan, the heavier the better.

Suggestions: Eat with curried pork chops, toasted buttered bread, chicken biryani and yogurt

Blueberry Goodness
1 1/2 cups frozen wild blueberries (Never used fresh. Probably because I would eat 1 1/2 cups of fresh blueberries)

1 lemon, seeded and diced, juice included

1 1/2 cups sugar

Heat all ingredients over high heat until mixture reaches a rolling boil. Then simmer all ingredients on low/low-medium heat for 30-40 minutes in a medium (3-quart) saucepan, the heavier the better.

Suggestions: Serve with scones, ice cream, pancakes, waffles & crepes, pound or angel food cake, as shortcake topping with fresh fruit and whipped cream.

Now what's the difference?
Confit, which is the past participle form of the French verb "confire" or "to preserve", is most often applied to preservation of meats, especially poultry and pork, by cooking them in their own fat or oils and allowing the fats to set.[1] However the term can also refer to fruit or vegetables which have been seasoned and cooked with honey or sugar until it has reached a jam-like consistency.[2] Savory confits, such as ones made with garlic or tomatoes, may call for a savory oil such as virgin olive oil as the preserving agent. Source: wikipedia.org

Jelly: Jelly is simply sweetened and jelled fruit juice, a clear, bright product. It is generally made by cooking fruit juice and sugar with pectin as a jelling agent and lemon juice as an acid, to maintain a consistent texture. Jelly is firm and will hold its shape (it “shakes”). Generally, jelly contains no pieces of fruit, although specialty jellies, like pepper jelly, may include pieces of jalapeño or other pepper.

Jam: Jam is made from crushed or chopped fruit cooked with sugar, and often pectin and lemon juice. Jam can be a purée of fruit or have a soft pulp, but it does not contain chunks of fruit.

Preserve or Preserves: A preserve differs from jam in that large or whole pieces of fruit are cooked (with sugar) to the point where the fruit is suspended in a syrup base. The texture of preserves is not smooth like jelly or jam.

Marmalade: Marmalade is a soft jelly, often citrus-based, that includes the flesh and often the peel of the fruit suspended throughout the jelly base. The sweetness of the jelly is offset by the bitterness of the peel offsets. Some products that are called marmalade—onion and tomato marmalades, for example—are actually misnamed jams and preserves.

Conserve: Conserve is a generally mixture of more than one fruit, often with added nuts and raisins, that is cooked until it becomes thick. It is used as a spread for breads, pastries and meats, and in the latter use is closest to chutney. Other producers refer to a thickly-stewed preserve as a conserve.

Chutney: Chutney is a spiced condiment of Indian origin (chatni is the Hindi word for strongly spiced) made of fruit or vegetables. It is typically served as an accompaniment to food, not as a spread. The spice level can range from mild to hot, and the consistency from a fine relish to a preserve or conserve. Fruit chutney consists of chopped fruit, vinegar, spices and sugar cooked into a chunky sweet-tart-spicy mix: according to one explanation, it “blurs the Western distinction between preserves and pickles.”

Fruit Butter: Fruit Butter, such as apple butter or prune butter, is fruit purée or pulp combined with sugar, lemon juice and spices, slowly cooked down to a smooth consistency. The “butter” refers to its smooth consistency: there is no actual butter in the product.

Fruit Curd: Fruit Curd is a creamy spread made with sugar, eggs and butter, generally flavored with citrus juice and zest. Lemon curd is the classic variety, but lime curd and blood orange curd can be found, as can other fruit curds such as the strawberry. A citrus curd is refreshingly tart, as opposed to more sugary jams and preserves. Unlike lemon custard, for example, lemon curd contains more lemon juice and zest, which gives it a more piquant flavor. The butter creates a smoother and creamier texture than jam. Curd also can be used to fill tart shells, and as a garnish.

Fruit Spread: Fruit Spread is generally a reduced-calorie product made with fruit juice concentrate and low-calorie sweeteners replacing all or part of the sugar.
Source: lifted verbatim from thenibble.com

picture from Simon Law