Keeping to Basics

First off for me rice is and will always be a basic necessity on the plate. But this dish is a good example of being resourceful, coming down to the last few items in my kitchen, really the last few, shouldn't be looked at as a dilemma but more of a simple task. To many people get caught up in so many ingredients and then get lost in the confusion. Ground turkey, can of diced tomatoes, Cilantro and Black beans. So the ground turkey was simmered in a kind of light tomato sauce with the diced tomatoes, which turned out to be really good. The sauce had Garlic, Salt & Pepper, a Mole rub, Oregano and Thyme. The end result was just amazing. The black beans can simply be heated up and salted to taste and the fresh cilantro is always a nice touch as a vegetable over everything.

Sticky Lemon Chicken

Just like it sounds, delicious. I saw a video online of someone making the chicken but intended it to be eaten with something else besides rice. The chicken was cooked with a combination of Soy Sauce, Lemon, and Honey. I would have also put in a bit of sherry wine to help with the texture, but didn't have any. The ending result is amazing, Honey and Soy Sauce is a combination I have used before and definitely stand behind it. I have seen many other cooks use the two items in a combination with other things as well and the results always turn out promising. The sweet tangy flavors soak right up into the chicken giving it some real good taste.

Current Ravioli Menu

Ok, so it has been a while since I have posted anything and for that I apologize. I have been extremely busy working on different ideas for the Ravioli Rover. The current ravioli that I have perfected are:

Cheese - which is my ravioli dough with Ricotta grated Pecorino cheese

Bolognese - This one I'm very proud of. It is my 3 hour ground beef meat sauce which is then put in the ravioli, and once it is cooked is like an explosion in your mouth with every ravioli

Carrot - A nice, light puree of carrots, salt & pepper, nutmeg and grated pecorino cheese

Spinach - A mixture of pureed garlic & spinach with ricotta and grated pecorino cheese

Strawberry - A strawberry puree with a little sugar on the inside, deep fried and then coated with cinnamon & sugar on the outside

Coming up & still in experimentation:

Mushroom

Sun dried tomato

Nutella

Potato

Asparagus

Pumpkin

Blueberry

Stay tuned for further movement in the ravioli laboratory!

Breakfast experiment

Certain aspects were good but others not so much. The omelette was a spinach and green onion omelette with Pecorino Cheese on top. That part was good, not to bad, the cheese definitely saved it. The potatoes were good, the had a mediterranean blend of spices on them that I have used before. The spice combination is good, it gives a pleasant flowery taste to the meal, with a natural sweet flavor. The last item are lion's head mushrooms, which did not turn out good this time. I have made them before and they were good, but for this picture they are not the best.

Persian Rice and Chicken

As basic as it may be, but sometimes the most basic meals can be the best. The chicken was cooked in a tomato based sauce, with cumin, garlic and saffron. The carrots and potatoes were baked in a similar same sauce. The most important thing about this obviously is the sauce. Once it was finished it tasted just like my grandmother makes, which always brings a smile to the fast.

Ravioli Laboratory

Some of you may have already heard and most probably not, but I am looking to start a food truck and join the new craze of street food in the San Francisco area. More details are to come of this exciting new career, however for now I will be perfecting my menu. Here I have some shots of the first ravioli that I perfected which is a carrot ravioli. Also in the two pictures are the different sauces that I am experimenting with, to try and find what works best with the ravioli. The other picture is the actual creation of the ravioli's themselves which I have been able to shorten the amount of time it takes to make them. More ravioli are to come soon, both sweet and savory!

Spinach Green Onion & Ricotta cheese scramble with Rosemary Garlic Potatoes

So another great breakfast option, to kind of mix things up, I added some butter to the potatoes and cooked them on lower heat this time and got the results I have been looking for. One common mistake that people make with breakfast is that they try cooking everything on high heat, which is what will lead to all that smoke in your kitchen. When it comes to potatoes cooking on low heat will get you better results.