cooking

Curry Diary: Keep The Spread

by

Well I’ve made version #15 of the curry.  In this case I decreased the spread by 25% from my last version, Milestone #4.

The result . . . wow that was less interesting.

I figured the sweetness of the spread was contributing to the sweetness of the curry, and that cutting it would be worth it.  Well apparently I needed that in the curry roux, probably due to the flavor, fat, and ability to help fry the other ingredients.  Removing it made the curry notably duller – and when I add some in and reheat it, the taste normalizes.

So frankly I’m a bit puzzled/stumped.  It seems that these two ingredients were far more vital than I thought, which may mean I didn’t fully understand the complexity of what I was making – and may have more to learn.  It also means that the red wine may have to be my next target for reduction, and I really want to get it right because it’s addition really took things far.

My only other thought is I used a quickie broth this recipe this time, so maybe I’ll remake the last milestone again, using this broth, to just check to be sure.

Still, closer each time – and this may be a good warning that the roux of a curry is a lot more complex than we may think.  Now I’m starting to understand the tales of secret ingredients, of curry cooked and recooked to unlock flavors, and so on.  This is an amazing art and the further I go, the more respect I gain.

You can really understand how this has spread across Japan into so many versions.  It’s like chili in America in all its amazing variants.

Maybe I’ll never find my perfect curry.  I think by now I don’t care.  I’m loving the ride.

– Steven Savage

Steven Savage is a Geek 2.0 writer, speaker, blogger, and job coach.  He blogs on careers at http://www.musehack.com/, nerd and geek culture at http://www.nerdcaliber.com/, and does a site of creative tools at http://www.seventhsanctum.com/. He can be reached at https://www.stevensavage.com/.

 

Recipe: Savory Bread

by

A toned-down variant of a Taste of Home recipe, this is basically a tasty cheesy bread that you can vary all sorts of ways.  It’s a good mix that’s just easy to keep nibbling on.  No it’s not really healthy, but you could get the lowest-fat cheese possible and use spread to tone it down a bit.

Great for a party, sports or TV watching, and so on.  Also might be fun with a dip or hummus.

  • 1 1-lb round loaf of sourdough (or similar bread and shape)
  • 8 oz shredded cheese with a kick (I prefer Monterey Jack or a mexican mix)
  • 1/4 cup butter or spread, melted.
  • 4 tbsp dried chives
  1. Preheat oven to 350.
  2. Slice bread “grid wise” – cutting crosswise, cuts one inch apart, but not going all the way to the bottom – leave about 1/2-3/4″ bread, then do the same to create a “grid” (rotate the Bread 90 degrees, cut again).  This leaves you a bread loaf that is sliced but still whole with open slices forming a nice grid.
  3. Place bread on Tinfoil – enough to wrap the bread.
  4. Place shredded cheese in the cuts, evenly distribute them.
  5. Melt spread and pour evenly over bread. and cheese.
  6. Sprinkle chives over bread.
  7. Wrap bread fully in tinfoil.
  8. Place bread on cooky sheet and bake for 15 minutes.
  9. Unwrap bread and brake for 10 minutes or until cheese is well melted.
  10. Serve.

– Steven Savage

Steven Savage is a Geek 2.0 writer, speaker, blogger, and job coach.  He blogs on careers at http://www.musehack.com/, nerd and geek culture at http://www.nerdcaliber.com/, and does a site of creative tools at http://www.seventhsanctum.com/. He can be reached at https://www.stevensavage.com/.

Healthy Cooking: Magazines and Cookbooks

by

In the age of the internet, it may seem strange to emphasize people who want to cook well should subscribe to magazines and/or get and read cookbooks. Everything’s online, we’re up to our armpits in recipes, and you can search for anything. However, much like other forms of knowledge, there’s a value in personal curation.

That’s why I still subscribe to cooking magazines and scout books for cooking. Oh it’s rare I’ll get a new book, and I am reluctant to get too many magazines (I only get one right now), but I still do it. No matter how much I get off the internet, I get a lot out of print publications.

If you want to cook healthy, I recommend checking out the right magazines and books because they’re curated as I said – someone took time to get everything right.

That’s really one thing that’s hard to get in cooking, is recipes filtered, assessed, grouped, analyzed, and organized for maximum use and usefulness. That’s one thing a good magazine or book provides. Some one or someones made this into a coherent product for you based on theme, focus, interest, etc.

Especially when it comes to recipes? That’s important. There are themes and styles, personal touches and general truths, cultural knowledge and ingredient smarts. Those are needed to make a good cookbook or cooking mag, so when you find one you get a lot more than just some checklists of ingredients – you something focused on the big picture of cooking.

Ever looked at a recipe and gone “what the hell?” Yeah, me too. A good book or magazine helps avoid that.

When you find the right one or ones? It’s invaluable because you’ve found something that fits your needs and interests without having to wade through assorted sources. Plus you can read it in the bathtub which is always a plus.

Now with that in mind I actually don’t keep these per se:

  • With magazines I tend to go through and find the best recipes then either recycle them, or cut out the recipes for a folder and recycle them.
  • Some “bookazines” (you know those book like magazines that sum up recipe themes that big publishers release) I’m mixed on since some are so lovely.
  • With books I either have true keepers (especially historical, cultural, or collectable ones) and then when I’ve gone through them enough I donate them or sell them to used bookstores.

Really there’s few cookbooks I plan to keep long term. But using one for a year or two then giving someone else a chance is a great idea.

Not sure what to get? Hit the magazine rack at a bookstore or go to a bookstore or used bookstore for cookbooks and see what shows up. In general, your gut will tell you if something is right for you.

– Steven Savage

Steven Savage is a Geek 2.0 writer, speaker, blogger, and job coach.  He blogs on careers at http://www.musehack.com/, nerd and geek culture at http://www.nerdcaliber.com/, and does a site of creative tools at http://www.seventhsanctum.com/. He can be reached at https://www.stevensavage.com/.