Well, here it is. A quick tour of the GGF as captured on my little spy cam. If you want to know why there is a giant pink stamp across every frame, please refer to the previous post regarding this horrible example of techno-extortion.
The vocalist's wailing in the soundtrack perfectly captures and conveys the pain I feel thinking about how great this film was going to be. I'm pretty sure it would have won awards at Sundance, Cannes, etc., and now it's just a four-minute eyesore I didn't even bother to narrate. Enjoy!
Soundtrack: Pink Flyod's "The Great Gig in the Sky" from the album, Dark Side of the Moon
As I downloaded the Gilroy Garlic Festival video files, I was positively giddy at how well they turned out. For a cheap little pocket cam, the clips were crisp and colorful. I had captured some great moments - a perfect flame-up, a garlic-basting rosemary broom, and someone walking in heels. I was really impressed with myself. As I opened iMovie to edit the clips, my euphoria was replaced by intense feelings of anger, shame, and sadness.
A month ago I got a free trail for software that quickly and easily converts the files from the camera to a format that iMovie can edit. I had 30 days to try it and see if it was something I wanted to buy. I've tested a lot of these free trails over the years, and without exception, when the trial period is up, they simply stop working.
In this case, much to my horror, the program didn’t just stop working; it placed a huge scarlet stamp over the frame of every clip I downloaded! Since I had seen the previews, and they looked fine, I had cleared the camera as usual. So, now my wonderful footage is forever desecrated with these scarlet letters. I will further my public humiliation by posting some of the film tomorrow anyway, if only to spite my digital oppressors.
Michele and I are headed south, to the world-famous Gilroy Garlic Festival. The festival is celebrating its 30th year of fragrant foodie fun. An incredible two tons of fresh garlic will be used in everything from garlic bread to free garlic ice cream…yes, free garlic ice cream.
Sporting press passes (yes, legitimate ones), we'll be strolling the festival's Gourmet Alley, to cover the event for About.com. Of course, I'll also try to capture some the event's flavor, literally and figuratively, to share on this blog.
I'll leave you with a short clip of the beloved Pyro-Chefs, one the festival's most popular draws. They entertain the masses with their famous flame-ups, as they cook huge pans of garlic-drenched calamari, scampi, steak, mushrooms, chicken, pasta, and, well, you get the idea. That they probably all lose their eyebrows seems like a small price to pay for getting to cook all that amazing food. Go garlic!
During culinary school I worked at a Mexican restaurant in Saranac Lake, NY, called Casa Del Sol. Which, as we used to joke, means "Casa of Sol." My favorite dish was the Chile Verde. Large chucks of pork shoulder simmered slowly in an exotic green sauce of tomatillos and chilies. The tomatillos we used were caned - and I was fascinated by the mysterious tomatillo graphics that decorated the label - but it wasn't until I arrived in California that I saw the real thing.
What an odd vegetable, or is it a fruit? As you will see in video, it sort of looks like a green tomato, which it isn't. It has this strange, veiny, paper covering, like a giant green gooseberry - and the flavor is even more perplexing. It's sort of tart, kind of sour, with hints of citrus and green apple. I sound like one of those wine geeks (no offense). Paired with sweet onions, and savory chicken, this recipe a great way to experience tomatillos for the first time. The real way to spell this recipe is "Chile" verde, not "Chili" verde. But, both spellings are used, and since this particular recipe is more about the chicken simmered in spicy sauce, than the green peppers, I used the Americanized "Chili." Enjoy!
Ingredients: 1 chicken, cut up in 6 pieces 8 tomatillos 2 jalapenos 6 cloves garlic 1/2 bunch cilantro 3 cups chicken stock 1 onion 2 tbsp cumin 2 tsp oregano 1 bay leaf 1 1/2 lb potatoes salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste yogurt or sour cream
This video demo, of a chicken being broken down with kitchen shears, was down with the hopes that some of you will start buying fresh whole chickens, instead of previously frozen chicken parts.
Everyone's trying to save a few dollars at the store these days, and what better way than buying a whole chicken; always cheaper than the same amount of chicken parts. If you haven't been buying organic, free-range chicken, because it costs more, this new skill will allow you to get a healthier whole bird for about the same price as the regular package of pieces.
I'm assuming that most people have a bit more experience using a pair of scissors, than a razor-sharp boning knife. So, this method of butchering a chicken is much less intimidating for obvious reasons.
Hopefully for some, the scissors will act like training-wheels on the path to eventually using a knife for this procedure. Sturdy scissor do work nicely, but nothing can match a boning knife for maximum yield. Enjoy!
Photo Credits: chicken guy (c) Fuzzy Gerdes; goatee (c) I'm Claude; chicken case (c) jem
This red pepper scallop dish is sort of a rarity for me. I usually don't shoot after dark, as the food looks much better when I have a combination of natural and overhead lights. It's also rare for leftovers to star in these video recipes, since I don't bother setting up all the equipment when I'm just throwing something together. But this time, for some reason I had a feeling, and I'm glad the camera was rolling.
I had a little bit of mashed potato, half a roasted red pepper (see bonus clip below), and a pound of scallops left over from a ceviche recipe I'm doing for About.com. I do have to admit I'm guessing at the ingredient amounts below. This was fast and fun - no recipes, no measuring - just intuitive cooking. The sad thing about cooking like that is I will never have the exact same dish again. Which is what made it so good. Enjoy.
Ingredients for 4 small or 2 large portion: 3/4 cup cold mashed potatoes 1 egg 2 tbsp bread crumbs salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste olive oil 1 pound scallops cayenne pepper to taste 1 tbsp butter 1 tbsp capers 1/2 roasted and peeled red bell pepper whole fresh basil leaves Watch this clip if you need a fire-roasted pepper refresher:
Well, here it is. A quick tour of the GGF as captured on my little spy cam. If you want to know why there is a giant pink stamp across every frame, please refer to the previous post regarding this horrible example of techno-extortion.
