There are few things more comforting than the unassuming soup. There are also very few foods that are as versatile. Whether you’ve got meat, poultry, fish or veggies, you’ve got the makings for a good wholesome meal.  Just about anything can be turned into a soup if you set your mind to it and leftovers are the perfect first choice for a soup-based face lift.

Such is the case with this dish.  After making a huge batch of Spanish rice I realized that we would never finish it off and honestly I just wasn’t in the mood for it anymore.  the logical conclusion was to jazz it up a bit and add a few extra flavors in for fun and a quick soup just sounded really good.  this is what I came up with.  A 100% Cooking by the seat of my Pants original.

Hope Y’All enjoy.

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Mario Batali has just placed himself in good company with Gordon Ramsay. In fact, he’s just done something I’m pretty sure that Ramsay himself would never do. He subjected the King and Queen of Spain to a series of profane outbursts at a dinner held in their honor in Florida during the south Beach Food and Wine Festival.

Batali is said to have appeared intoxicated and lost his temper when the crowd at the $1,000 per plate dinner didn’t wuiet down quickly enough. After a moment he addressed them in his own manner:

“All you weasel f***wads in the back corners, can I have ten seconds of your time?” said the chef, who appeared intoxicated.

He then swore again in front of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia when introducing chef José Andrés, who runs the Los Angeles restaurant, The Bazaar.

Mr Batali said his friend had received: “The most mother-f***ing stars of any Spanish restaurant in the US.” He finished by grabbing Andres’ bottom.

[From Celebrity chef rants in front of Spanish royalty - Telegraph]

The Queen is said to have balked at his choice of language, but the King took it in stride. His comment was priceless, but you’ll have to go see the original article to see what it said.

Cheers!

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It seems Top Chef judge Tom Colicchio has been bitten by the product placement bug, or perhaps he’s just come to find it normal after having to find creative ways to pitch products in segments on Top Chef. (A Dr. Pepper Challenge?)

Colicchio is now appearing in a TV ad for Diet Coke that emphasizes a need to “keep it simple”. having seen tom on Top chef, even that statement sounds a little strained. The commercial does very little to inspire me to buy any soda, but it is shot somewhat tastefully. I just hope this isn’t the beginning of the era of Tom Colicchio turns Billy Mays.

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The weather has been unseasonably warm in our neck of the woods lately. Temperatures have stayed in the 70’s for over two weeks and I’ve actually been having to run the air conditioner for short periods during the afternoon to keep the house cool.  With the warmer weather comes lighter foods and brighter flavors, sort of a fond farewell to winter, which seems to have left us alone for now.

This dish is a direct reflection of the weather. I made it at the end of a nice warm day with crisp blue skies and the slightest of breezes. A storm had passed to the north of us and the wind carried the scent of water.  The conditions were perfect, and as the sun started sinking over the plains it almost felt like we were near the ocean, not 300 miles away from it. It made me want shrimp and a good margarita.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough tequila in the house to make more than one drink and it would have been rude to have one without my wife.  Facing this truth, i decided to simply combine the flavors.  I marinated the shrimp in the margarita.  A little Spanish rice made from my wife’s grandmother’s family recipe and all was good with the world.  I couldn’t go to the ocean, but the flavors of the ocean came to us.  Perfect.

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I found this article in one of my notifications. I have to say that I think it says a lot about chef Ramsay.

London, February 22 (ANI): Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay has hired a nine-year-old to be a part of his show after being impressed with the lad’s hilarious mimicking of him on cyberspace.

Child-actor Felix Light had done three videos in a “Little Gordon” advertising campaign for restaurant recruiting firm Caterer.com.

The ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ host revealed he had a laughter riot after watching the kid shout at waiters, restaurant managers and dinnerladies with bleeped F-words in a spoof of his TV show, ‘Kitchen Nightmares’ on You Tube.

“When I saw the videos of Felix impersonating me I thought it was hilarious,” the Mirror quoted Ramsay as saying.

“I was with my son Jack, who is eight, and my wife Tana. I said, ‘Look, come and see Daddy when he was little’.

“We all sat there laughing our heads off. Felix had me down to a T. I thought we just have to get this kid on Hell’s Kitchen. He’s a star,” he added. (ANI)

[From Gordon Ramsay hires 9-year-old ‘Little Gordon’ for US show | Skyblue.in]

Honestly, if he can laugh at himself, or at others portraying his on-screen persona he’s got one up on a lot of celebrities. Many would have sued the company that originally employed “Little Gordon”. Ramsay hired him instead. That’s one series of shows I’m very seriously looking forward to.

If you haven’t seen “Little Gordon”, take a peek here.

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It looks like Gordon Ramsay’s former mentor isn’t too happy with the image he portrays or the light that it puts other chefs in:

Marco Pierre said he only starred in ITV’s Hell’s Kitchen to repair the damage done by foul-mouthed Ramsay, who stars in Channel 4’s Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares.

He felt Ramsay’s bad language and huge ego were destroying the reputation of talented chefs who work outside the spotlight.

He said: “When I did Hell’s Kit­chen it was because I did not like the way certain people were portraying my industry.

[From Daily Express | UK News :: Marco Pierre White: Ramsay's filth has dragged us into the gutter]

What do you think? Is Marco right, or do you think the public in general can see past Ramsay’s shouting and cursing to the talented chef?

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There are quite a few places I’d like to visit in my lifetime. Some of those places are exotic, some are due to my heritage, but lately I’ve been adding locations based on the food bloggers that live in the area. These wonderful people are supportive, engaging and more than a little wacky at times, which to me is the perfect recipe not only for a great weekend, but for a great time. What could be better than meeting some virtual friends, sharing good times, good food and good fun?

Miami tops my list these days for that very reason. The list of food bloggers that I know in Florida is fairly extensive and includes some truly amazing people, but Florida itself is more than worth the visit. Not only are the hotels in Miami Florida some of the best in the country, there’s the beach, sun, sand and the FOOD! What I wouldn’t give to grab some authentic Cuban from a mom and pop shop or eat gulf seafood that came off the boat just hours before service. That in itself is heaven.

If I got to add a visit with friends while I was there the experience would be truly complete. I wonder if they’d all be up for a crab boil or if they’d prefer to visit one of the more upscale restaurants that dot the city? With foodies this is a topic that’s always up in the air, but food bloggers tend to like to cook their own meals rather than sampling a chef’s, at least in polite company.

So Miami, consider yourself firmly placed on my list of places that I have to visit. You’re harboring friends of mine and I intend to bring a bit of Texifonian their way. It should be memorable to say the least.

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Who says meat and potatoes has to be boring?  With just a little thought and a touch or two, the basic american plate of beef and starch can become something exciting.  It becomes an experience, rather than just something you eat.  That’s what good food is all about and I think that this dish qualifies nicely as an adventure in cooking, even though each part of the dish is utter simplicity to prepare.

The petit fillet is not a very tender cut, so either marinade well, cook rare (as we did) or braise for preparation. I use it not only because it’s inexpensive, but because it has a ton of flavor that some better cuts of beef simply can’t compare to.  Since we prefer our meats under the medium mark, just a few minutes sitting in seasoning was enough.  Had I been shooting for medium rare or above I would have marinated the cut for at least two hours.  If you’re still a bit frightened of this cut, try switching it out for a more tender chuck cut or new york strip, but stay away from mild cuts like fillet mignon, as the sauce will overpower the beef.

Add some roasted potatoes and greens of your choice and this is a complete meal in the greatest of American tradition.  My presentation is obviously a more refined take, but there’s nothing wrong with just plopping everything on a plate and drizzling with sauce before going wild with it.

Hey, it’s your kitchen and your family. Do it your way. It will taste just as good no matter how it’s plated.

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I just received my copy of Working the Plate: The Art of Food Presentation, by Christopher Styler and I have to say definitively that this is a book that can help anyone who’s just starting to really think about plating as what it is, an art form.

This book won’t be of much help to the serious food stylist, as it specifically covers the art of plating from a chef’s perspective and not a photographer’s perspective (I’ll be getting a few of those soon), but if you’ve ever wanted to get a good feel for the plating style of a fine restaurant this is a great place to start.

The author covers 8 istinct plating styles in the book, each of which comes with a recipe for the dish so that you can practice the plating if you’d like.  The photography is excellent and I found that the step-by-step plating instructions were concise enough for me to follow. In fact, if you notice a difference in the photos in this site over the next few weeks, it will be due in large part to this book.

It’s not often that I go out of my way to recommed a product here at CBSOP, but i think that this is one of tose that you really need to see for yourself.  It has inspired me to be better at what I do in the kitchen and to make my presentation reflect the care and passion that I put into the food itself. Do yourself a favor and go get a copy of Working the Plate: The Art of Food Presentation for yourself or the cook in your life. you’ll be glad you did.

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Not food related but worth sharing. Ted Murphy, CEO of IZEA is giving away a trip for 4 to SeaWorld to ride the newest and most intense roller-coaster in the history of forever, the Manta. All you have to do to get your chance is visit Ted’s blog ted.me for the rules and sundries. It’s well worth the time it takes to leave a comment or write a quick twitter tweet to get you in the running for what could be the ride of a lifetime for you and three friends or family members. Just shoot over to http://www.ted.me/manta and check it out.

No, Really, go get in on the fun, because i’d rather you get it than me. roller coasters scare the cr@p out of me!

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