What''s the best way to make Iced Coffee?

27th Jun 2006

P1010004_3 When I started sweating heavily during my morning walk to the subway and began considering a set of "commute clothes," which I imagined would be composed of a pair of running shorts and a tanktop, I figured it was time to stop trying to drink a steaming hot cup of coffee on the way to work.  There is simply nothing more miserable than thick New York humidity, being full of sweat, descending on...

Subtract Three Ingredients: A Night with Batali, Bourdain, and Buford

22nd Jun 2006

Library

“So why did you write this book?” Bourdain began, gulping from a green bottle of beer.  On Mount Olympus we gathered, two gods of the (celebrity) cooking universe and the scribe who got to tag along, having a casual conversation over beers in front of a packed audience at the New York Public library, at 42nd st. and 5th ave.  It was billed as discussion of "kitchen secrets" as revealed in...

Penne with Smoked Trout and Sugar Snap Peas

15th Jun 2006

Paupered_chef_758 I’m a sucker for simple, easy-to-prepare pasta dishes that depend on an inspired combination of good, fresh ingredients.  The last revelation was from Diana Seed’s The Top 100 Pasta Sauces and involved, similar to this dish, a smoked fish (salmon) and heavy cream.  The way cream binds everything together and lends a richness to envelope the smokey-yet-fresh taste of the fish--to th...

Chicken Salad with Grapes and Dill

14th Jun 2006

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With half a chicken left and none of the dark meat in sight, I was left with two slabs of white meat and not one good idea.  Sure there are thousands of cookbooks dedicated to what to slap on boneless, skinless chicken breasts to give them some semblance of flavor, but I don't like lying to myself.  So instead of trying to figure out something creative, I decided to punt and completely d...

Chicken a la Veracruzana: Me and My $30

13th Jun 2006

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I'm tapping numbers into a junky-looking ATM in the back corner of some random bodega that hugs the BQE.  It's dropping those dollar bills down, one hundred, two hundred, as I get prepared to hand over some dear cash to the broker for a beautiful new apartment in Brooklyn, when I notice that I probably shouldn't probe the machine for any more.

I have thirty dollars.

Which is all well and...

Baja Fish Tacos

The best fried fish tacos we've ever had.

9th Jun 2006

Our own version culled from a few different recipes, an emulation of the classic recipe of homemade tortillas, lightly fried tempura-style fish, a dairy-based white sauce, and fresh, crunchy, gently spicy cabbage.

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Real Baja fish tacos are nothing like what you're used to eating when it comes to Mexican food.  In fact, true Mexican cuisine might be our biggest missed chance.  Satisfied...

Subscribing to the Paupered Chef

6th Jun 2006

The orange thing is for subscribing to this website with RSS.  I don't have any idea what RSS and "feeds" are, either.

It might stand for Really Simple Syndication, or it might stand for Rich Site Summary, depending on who you ask.  But I found a place that makes it really easy to understand.   It's called Feedburner .  It's really friendly and talks to you in a nice, conversational tone.

...

Kafka''s Herb-Roasted Chicken

How to roast a chicken at 500 degrees

4th Jun 2006

High heat has its positives and negatives, but one thing for sure is that it definitely tastes much different than whatever the Joy of Cooking will throw at you.

In fact, one of the only downsides is that this recipe is easy to the point of being rather boring.  For the busy this is a godsend, but we cooked it with some much more challenging melting potatoes , that upped the ante on the fat...

Melting Potatoes

Those on a diet should click away now

4th Jun 2006

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Those on a diet should click away now.  Those left will have their heart beat just a few ticks faster when these are finally removed from the oven, and even faster once the oil starts pumping through your system...

Barbara Kafka loves these, and we love her from creating them.  They are horrible for your health, use just a little less butter than a hollandaise, and look like burnt, mushy,...

Braised Short Ribs in Barolo

Tackling the art of braising

1st Jun 2006

When I got to the grocery store I had no idea what short ribs look like, so I simply asked for 2 pounds of them, and that amounted to 4 short ribs.  Thankfully the butcher didn't look at me funny or say "They're right in front of you, bub" (which they were).  They were only about 6 dollars a pound, amounting to 12 dollars of meat feeding four people.  This was looking good. It was time to learn...