The imposing performance graduates with my highlight.
The imposing performance graduates with my highlight.
yep. uh, huh.
Sopa Paraguay (cornbread)
Sopa Paraguay is not a soup, its not cornbread and its not a quiche. It is part of my childhood culinary vocabulary. My mother served this creamy cornbread with almost every meal. This and meat empanadas were the go-to foods in my home- always available for snacking.
This is my mother’s recipe as I remember it. It certainly tastes like my mom’s anyway…
Sopa Paraguay
1.5 cups or chopped onions (tahnk you david for pointing out that i left this off the ingredient list!!)
1.5 cups frozen corn
1.5 cups water
1 tblsp coarse salt
1/4 cup butter or margarine- softened
2 eggs
1 cup fresh cheese (1/2 queso fresco or ricotta salata or fresh farmer’s cheese & 1/2 queso chihuahua or mozzarella or oaxaca)
1 1/2 cups corn meal
1/2 cup milk
1 tblsp cream
Combine the onions and water in a pot, simmer. you can also do this in the microwave- set the onions and water in a bowl and cook for 5 minutes. Set aside until the water is room temperature.
Combine the corn meal with the butter and blend with your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal with some pea-size butter lumps wrapped in cornmeal.
Add eggs and mix.
Add milk and cream and mix.
Add cheese, and mix (for this particular pan I used a mixture of mozzarella and pepper jack)
Add the onions and water, and mix.
Add frozen corn, and mix. (Yes- frozen- as this cooks the steam from teh ice and butter will give it some lightness- otherwise this bread is as heavy as brick)
The batter looks like a soupy chunky unincorporated mess at this point. Don’t worry. When cooked, alot of the cheese will float to the top, and the interior steam from the frozen corn will lighten the dough.
Pour into a greased and floured 8 or 9 inch round baking dish. (I use Baker’s Joy)
Bake in convection oven (400 deg. F) for approx 50 minutes.
6 REALLY Helpful Articles About Photographing Food
I googled “food photography” to get a better understanding of what I want to accomplish. Below find synapsses of what I thought was the best of the best and most relevant to foodies cooking and blogging about eating.
I suggest you read the complete posts. They are full of useful information that may suit your particular needs or interests.
Photographing Food Like A Pro | Digicamhelp
Lighting: “Food is happiest under natural light, so get the food close to a window when shooting”- Hmm… Believe it or not, my kitchen is nowhere near a window. I could shoot outside though- that is definitely close enough but would require some setting up my porch to do so. The author, Lara Ferroni, also suggest your turn off your flash.
- Probably the most important thing I learned from this site is depth of field. Blurring the background will add to the interest to the subject and this is something I can accomplish in “post”…
- Set your white balance.
- Use a tripod.
- Shoot quickly before the food wilts.
Food Photography for Bloggers | Vegan Yum Yum
- Dishes: have a good selection of dishes for “presentation”
- Mise En Place: Layout out your prepped ingredients in a geometric way
- Simple Setups and Natural Light.
- Natural Lighting ( She stressed it…)
- Take Lots of Photos.
- The article extensively covers different cameras and settings. Probably the most helpful information for a shy dabbler like me.
An Insider’s Look At Food Photography | Shutterbug
This is an article about professional food photographers and includes food styling tips like:“One thing I always take to a food shoot is a bottle of glycerin and several sizes of artist’s paintbrushes. Glycerin can be purchased from larger pharmacies. Food dries out quickly sitting on a table under 500-1000w of modeling lights, and the glycerin makes it look wet, shiny, and fresh.”The writer goes on to describe using smoke pellets and dry ice and how to create 1 minute of steam. (Cotton balls soaked in water and microwaved will give you up to one minute of steam). Interesting reading but not exactly what I was looking for.
Food Photography – An Introduction | Digital Photography School
- Lighting: Natural Light
- Simple Props
- Be quick.
- Get Down Low: Try to shoot at plate level or slightly above.
Food Blog Photography Lessons, Pt 1 | The Constables’ Larder
- Set for ”digital macro”
- Set the default focus point to center
- Manual white balance
- Turn off the Flash.
Food Styling From The Front Lines | Still Life With…
Coupons, Discounts, and GroceryPriceBooks.com
If you want to get an idea what groceries should cost, visit GroceryPriceBooks.com. The site has a database of over 6000 items listing Meijer, Giant Eagle and Kroger which pretty much covers the whole country for comparison purposes.
Personally, I am an HEB shopper but its good to know what prices are like at Kroger’s without actually going there.
Don’t miss the coupon section. If you buy a lot of brand names, its a place to start collecting coupons.
If you buy your groceries on Amazon, visit this webpage often. Updated monthly, you will find discount codes for the purchase of specific items and discounts of purchase totals.
Strawberry Mascarpone Tart with Balsamic Glaze
This past month, we have eaten more strawberries than ever before in my entire life. Honestly, strawberries are something I just didn’t notice as I wound my way around the produce section. In fact, I have to admit that the last time I ate strawberries was in London 10 years ago with clotted cream and Sainsbury scones.
Then the April Gourmet arrived.
And with the price of strawberries at 2 lbs for $3 at Central Market in Houston, I think we will keep eating…
I did have to make some adjustments. Mascarpone can be very expensive- depending where you buy it it can cost up to $5 for 8 ozs*. The recipe below has the full rich creamy mascarpone goodness recommend by Gourmet but the recipe doesn’t suffer much if you decrease the mascarpone by half.
I also substituted balsamic vinegar for the port. I like port but I don’t keep any around the house. And I hate confectioner’s sugar. I don’t keep it in the house. I used regular granulated sugar throughout.
{This photograph was enough to 1.) make me run out and buy strawberries and 2.) make me want to photograph food. Call it “Food Porn” if you must…}
Strawberry Mascarpone Tart with Balsamic Glaze
For tart shell:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons granulated sugar
Rounded 1/4 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 large egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons cold water
Make tart shell:
* Before you start the tart shell, this is probably a good time to sugar the strawberries and place them in a refrigerator. (See Below)
Blend together flour, sugar, salt, and butter in a bowl with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) just until mixture resembles coarse meal with some roughly pea-size butter lumps. Beat together yolk, vanilla, lemon juice, and water with a fork, then drizzle over flour mixture and stir with fork (or pulse) until mixture comes together.
Gently knead with floured hands on a lightly floured surface until a dough forms, then gently knead 4 or 5 times. Press into a 5-inch disk. Place in center of silicone pan and cover with plastic wrap. Using your fingers, spread and push dough to evenly cover bottom and side of pan. Prick bottom of tart shell all over with a fork and freeze until firm, about 10 minutes.
I don’t have pie weights so I covered the tart shell with foil, then placed a second baking pan. The result was a bit uneven but definitely edible.
Bake at 375°F in a convection oven until side is set and edge is pale golden, about 10 minutes (regular oven 20 minutes). Carefully remove foil and the 2nd pan and continue to bake until shell is deep golden all over, about 10 minutes more (regular oven 20 minutes). Cool in pan, about 45 minutes.
For filling:
1 1/2 pounds strawberries (about 1 1/2 quarts), trimmed and halved lengthwise
1/3 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
1 pound mascarpone (about 2 cups)
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Make filling while tart shell cools:
Stir together strawberries and granulated sugar in a bowl and let stand, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes.
Strain in a sieve set over a small saucepan, reserving berries.
Add Balsamic to liquid in saucepan and boil until reduced to about 1/4 cup, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl to cool slightly.
Meanwhile, whisk together mascarpone, confectioners sugar, lemon juice, zest, vanilla, and a pinch of salt until stiff.
Assemble tart:
Spread mascarpone mixture evenly in cooled tart shell, then top with strawberries. Drizzle Port glaze all over tart.
The original recipe: Strawberry Mascarpone Tart with Port Glaze published in Apr 09 Gourmet.
* Phoenicia has the best price I have found for mascarpone- a 16 oz tub was just under $5.00 and they carry specialty items I have not foudn anywhere elese, like rose petal preserve and young walnut preserves. I don’t much like their prepared foods but their bakery is top notch and they carry the very best selection of imported pasta and spaghetti in Houston.
Art School Bullies
When I decided to start this blog, I realized that I would need to start photographing my food. You would think that wouldn’t be a big deal but I am friends with some professional photographers and, to be honest, I am cowed by their talent. While I am a pretty good painter (been in some shows), a good draftsman and graphic designer (it is how i make my living), and a great cook (if I do say so myself)….
But, to be able to capture a moment in a blink of an eye and be confident enough to accept the content of that frame? I was just never that confident.
So I decided today to join the online photog community and reach out and try to breathe in their rarified air for a bit so that I can suck it up and start shooting my own food. Not a bad plan, at least until I made my big mistake- joining DPCHALLENGE to ask about a photoshop plugin Roach had written about.
Wouldn’t you know that my first post I run into a bully? If I wanted to deal with Art School Bullies I would have sought to become an academic.
The worst? When I called him on it, his response was.
“Maybe I’m wrong. But still….”
Bite Me- Bear_%$#@!
Better yet. I wish you all the happiness you deserve.
Shithead.
I hold said bully personally responsible for the loss of my favorite tea cup from Golden Food Supermarket.
(BTW- Golden Food Supermarket on Bellaire is the place for really cheap asian ingredients. The ginger there is lessthan half the price anywhere else and the selection of soy sauces and specialty cooking oils is as impressive as their low prices)
Aloo Paratha in Houston
There are two Indian dishes I love above all others: Aloo Paratha (multi layered grilled whole wheat bread stuffed with potatoes, onion and spices) and Mutter Paneer (sometimes Mattar Paneer).
They are actually ahrd to find in Houston, most Indian restaurants don’t make a wide selection of the breads and most of them prefer to make Palak Paneer and leave Mutter Paneer of the menu. I am not sure why.
I got a hankering and I got lucky last night. Madras Pavillion on KIrby makes the absolute best I have had in Houston. Their menu has a wide selection of Indian breads and they have samosas and pakoras and their raita is to die for.
And they are certified kosher.
Madras Pavillion
3910 Kirby Dr., #130
Houston,
Texas 77098
ph: 713-521-2617
I Spent $100 At Central Market Today.
For anyone who thinks they are getting a good deal shopping at Walmart’s grocery store, let me tell you what I got for my $100 Dollars at Central Market today:
2 lbs of peeled and deveined 41-50 uncooked shrimp @$8.99/lb – (if you plan to freeze, ask for the still frozen as they are thawed for sale)
2 lbs of Tilapia (6 filets) @ $5.99/lb
3 lbs of Ground Sirloin @ $4.49/lb
2 Pork Tenderloins @ 3.99/lb - (I split each in half to freeze)
4 pints of strawberries @ 2 for $3
3 lbs of organic baby spinach
12 pre-fab personal cookie tart shells ( At $12 for the dozen, they were the single most expensive item on this list but it allows me to make mini desserts tarts on demand)
2 gorgeous mangoes @ 99 cents/ea
2 tomatillos
basil, rosemary, and sage
AND
The Salisbury Steak and Mashed Potatoes Family Pack from their prepared food counter. I wouldn’t normally buy prepared foods (especially since it cost $15) but it’s my sister’s favorite. It easily has 4 servings, add a salad and dessert and you have a family feast for 4.
This purchase covers most of our protein for the next month. Plus- I get foodie points which means Dollars Off coupons with purchase in the mail. I don’t think Walmart can beat these prices and they certainly can’t beat the quality.
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