Foodie and the Everyman » sriracha http://www.foodieandtheeveryman.com A blog for gourmands and bon vivants everywhere... the Foodie (me) and the Everyman (my boyfriend) talk restaurants and food in the GTA Mon, 26 Jul 2010 11:30:06 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 http://www.foodieandtheeveryman.com http://www.foodieandtheeveryman.com/wp-content/mbp-favicon/favicon.ico Foodie and the Everyman Lookin’ For Some Hot Stuff (Baby) This Evening, I Need Some Hot Stuff (Baby) Tonight http://www.foodieandtheeveryman.com/2009/11/19/lookin-for-some-hot-stuff-baby-this-evening-i-need-some-hot-stuff-baby-tonight/ http://www.foodieandtheeveryman.com/2009/11/19/lookin-for-some-hot-stuff-baby-this-evening-i-need-some-hot-stuff-baby-tonight/#comments Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:04:58 +0000 mochapj http://www.foodieandtheeveryman.com/?p=4542

Eye-searing Paste

I’ve always loved hot sauce.

Chilies

From the way I used to rain Tabasco down on just about everything I cooked, to my bizarre desire for sriracha on ice cream, it’s clear that hot sauce holds a warm place in my heart.

Stewing Sriracha

Over the years I’ve definitely become more prodigious with my use of it, but I still certainly prefer a bit of kick to my chow.

But it wasn’t until recently that I even considered trying to make my own.  It’s kind of funny how we sometimes overlook the most mundane things we use in our daily lives (like condiments) and don’t consider how they came to be.

Around the time that it started to get colder in Toronto and the farmer’s markets were winding down, it occurred to me that I might want to try my hand at making a few of my own Foodie brand heat enhancers.

Results

I chose sriracha because I already adore it, but I also opted to make some tomatillo salsa as well, since they are a vegetable I’ve never really worked with before.

Tomatillos

I was amazed by how slimy the tomatillos were, and how much their texture reminded me of okra.

Roasted

Once they were roasted though, they took on a wonderfully smoky, charred flavour that was really quite enticing.

Salsa-fied

And after they stewed together for a little while, they became a deliciously tart, tangy and spicy salsa that’s the perfect accompaniment to tamales, tortilla chips, and just about anything else you can think of.

But the real lesson that came out of all of this hot sauce/condiment making was that preparing hot sauces is just as addictive as eating them.  Who knew?  I may never go back to bottled sauces again.

Until next time…

]]> http://www.foodieandtheeveryman.com/2009/11/19/lookin-for-some-hot-stuff-baby-this-evening-i-need-some-hot-stuff-baby-tonight/feed/ 0 Confessions Of A Corporate Drone http://www.foodieandtheeveryman.com/2009/11/13/confessions-of-a-corporate-drone/ http://www.foodieandtheeveryman.com/2009/11/13/confessions-of-a-corporate-drone/#comments Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:05:09 +0000 mochapj http://www.foodieandtheeveryman.com/?p=4492 Pasta, Wine And Cheese - The Dinner Of Champions

Work has been brutally kicking my ass lately, which is one of several reasons why I haven’t been updating as often as I’d like to.

It’s literally been so busy that it hurts; to the point that I’ve found it’s exacerbating an ulcer I’ve had on and off for nearly 10 years.  For the past few months I’ve been working on a huge project that takes up all of my time (and then some) and I live the project, eat the project and sleep the project.  It’s kind of exhausting.  Every couple of days I’ll be at my office and some coworker or other will tell me how I look like shit lately.  Well, duh!  Of course I do!!  I’m running myself ragged and not sleeping because of how worried I am over whether it will all get done.  And the funniest thing about it is I’m not even working as a project manager anymore, so I’m really not accountable for the success of what we’re doing, but I just can’t turn it off, per se.

Of course, after a tough day at the office the last thing I want to do is stand around and cook for an extended period of time, but since the Everyman doesn’t really cook, that doesn’t leave too many options, otherwise.  Especially when I’m trying not to do takeout or delivery more than once or twice a month.

So, what’s a mentally drained peon to do?  Come home and whip up a sriracha-laced, crumb-topped, roux-thickened cup ‘o mac and cheese, of course.

And, it wouldn’t be complete without a sweet, refreshing glass of Gerwurtztraminer on the side, either.

Having wine with homemade mac and cheese isn’t all that different from having wine with a glass of plain old pasta with parmagiano sprinkled on top, is it?  Or the classical pairing of the wine and cheese party?  This one’s just a little more fancy-meets-lowbrow, is all.

Not only do the fat and starch soothe my savage, overworked heart, but they also provide the immediate pleasure of performing (and getting lost in) a repetitive task.  Grate, grate, grate goes the cheese.  Whisk, whisk, whisk goes the roux.  Sprinkle, sprinkle, sprinkle goes the panko.  Then, nom, nom, nom goes foodie & co. when the finished plates of oozy, gooey gloop materialize before them.

KD it ain’t, that’s for sure!

And while my stress level and 2 week old tension headache haven’t managed to subside, for a few hours I felt the sweet release that comes from warm, homey, comforting food and obliterating alcoholic beverages.

And sometimes, that’s the best you can ask for.

Until next time…

]]> http://www.foodieandtheeveryman.com/2009/11/13/confessions-of-a-corporate-drone/feed/ 0