My blog is about the beginning of Cat's Cooking Catering. I have decided to finally do this and what better way to capture my progress, or lack there of than by blogging about it. So keep coming back to see how my project moves along.
Add the peanut oil to a cast iron pan, wait until the pan is quite hot. Add
the lamb and brown for 5 minutes, then add all the other ingredients and cook
for 2 hours in a cast iron pan at 350 degrees in the oven.
Cover with aluminum oil for the first hour. Serve this dish with flat bread.
I was able to find a Tagine the other day, so now I will have to play with
the temperate and cooking time.
Add the corn oil and salt to the pan. Let it heat up for about 1/2 a minute,
then add the water and bring to a boil. Add the Quinoa and lower fire to
medium. after 15-17 minutes after the water has evaporated add the finely
chopped thyme. Turn Quinoa off and add the lemon juice. Add pepper and salt as
needed.
In our last lesson I worked on my butchering skills, I
bought a nice piece of rib eye steak. It was heavenly. We cook one steak in
class, and the rest I brought home. Needless to say I have been enjoying great
meals this week.
We also worked on a great Pinot Noir Sauce with Portabella
Mushrooms, and a tomato sauce for the chef’s class the next day. Both sauces
were delicious and not too difficult to make, although they took a long time to
reduce. We then worked on the Hasselback potatoes, those were my favorite, I
bought red bliss potatoes, garlic, salt and pepper. They are amazingly easy to
make but very tasty.
I can proudly report that I ate broccoli rabe, (me, hater of
all things green) it was surprisingly moist and delicious. We cooked them in
the oven, with olive oil, minced garlic, salt and pepper. Overall the meal was
fantastic and I got to practice my knife, butchering, and sauces skills. I have
no class this Saturday but will be helping my sister with an event she is
putting together for her church (I will be slaving away all day, more on that
after the event).
Can you blame me for wanting to chop and dice at two hundred
miles an hour? Yeah, I move fast in the kitchen, in fact I look like a Tasmania
Devil on steroids. But I want to chop like the big boys and girls do on the food
network. I want to make chopping look pretty. Is that too much to ask? Therefore,
I have enlisted the help of a trained chef. He is showing me how is done.
We started yesterday as a matter of fact. He asked me to
chop some thyme, and after my very sad and pathetic attempt, he took over and
pulverized the poor herb. It was a thing of beauty. I just need to practice
some more and lose the irrational fear or inadvertently chopping a finger two.
We also made some delicious Gnocchi, from scratch, it was my
first time eating it; it is easy to make and cook. He also showed me how to
make a very delicious and pretty salad that he dubbed “too pretty”. It was in
fact very pretty, but his wife did not think it was “too pretty”, neither did
I.
I had a great time and allowed myself to eat things I have
never tried before, and guess what? I liked all, stinky cheese and all. There
was no meat in sight and still I found it all delicious. We will of course
remedy that next week, I figured one meatless meal would not kill me, but is
about enough for me. I am going to BJs and getting myself a big hunk of ribeye
steaks large enough to feed a small army for next week’s adventure.
I tried to duplicate the Gnocchi at home earlier today and
the result I am pleased to say, was very satisfying.
I am learning fine cooking skills and at the same time I am
letting myself experience new things; a few months before my thirty-fourth
birthday and I am still growing and discovering new things about myself. What
more can a girl ask for?
Hi, I am Cat Storing, Self proclaimed fashionista, non-writer who likes to write about love, life and the darn hard pursuit of happiness. I love to cook, but more than anything I love to feed people and see their faces when they eat my food. One of my favorite things is having my kitchen full of my friends and family and enjoying the moment.
I love to help people celebrate special occasions by providing a great meal. Anniversaries, birthdays, or couple's night. Please contact me to discuss your next event.
Cat Storing
cstoring at msn dot com