Foodventure Fail: The Corned Beef Fiasco

As loyal readers of this blog know, Katie and I each gave up all meat for Lent. Needless to say, this is takes a lot of willpower, and there are definitely a lot of temptations along the road (I suppose that’s the point of Lent, but I’m not a theologian, merely a cook). With that said, we both agreed that over the course of Lent we could allow ourselves one indulgence, especially if it made for a good Foodventure. St. Patrick’s Day seemed like a logical time to break down, and the plan for the Great Corned Beef Experiment was hatched.

There are plenty of critics of St. Patrick’s Day. Some say that its not really Irish, others bemoan the fact that corned beef and cabbage is about as Irish as lasagna. To those people I say this: get over yourselves. Corned beef is delicious, and St. Patrick’s Day is an opportunity to celebrate the Irish in America, Katie and myself included (25% each).

Like I said, to justify breaking our Lenten commitment, the St. Patrick’s Day meat Foodventure had to be pretty over the top. Corned beef was obviously going to be on the menu, but that somehow seemed too easy. For those who have never cooked it, corned beef is the easiest thing on earth: put it in a pot, cover it with water, and boil slowly for a few hours until it falls apart. In our minds, this was selling out, plain and simple. Read more »

Leftover Monday: Cod with Lemon Butter Sauce

Just like last week, I was confronted with some highly perishable leftover fish. Knowing that he seldom leads me wrong, I turned to Alton Brown. Read more »

Favazza’s Inspired Sunday Dinner

Venture into an American city that is new to you and you will more than likely encounter ethnic neighborhoods with distinctive cultures all their own. As new waves of immigrant groups replace the ones that come before, the neighborhoods develop a whole new character, and the food takes on a whole new flavor.

“The Hill” in St. Louis, MO bucks the trend. Since the days Italian immigrants first settled in St. Louis, The Hill has been the center of the community. To this day, there are many restaurants, delis, churches, and businesses that speak with a distinct Italian accent.
Katie’s family is a part of this proud tradition. Favazza’s restaurant has been a Hill mainstay for more than 30 years, and it continues to serve some of the best Italian-American dishes in town. Katie is justifiably proud of this history, and she’ll readily admit to missing it when she’s in Washington.

In that spirit, tonight’s Foodventure is a tribute to Favazza’s on the Hill. Meat-free Lent calls for a fish dish, and Katie instantly suggested sole piccata, sauted sole or other firm, white, fish topped with a lemon butter sauce. I am familiar with chicken and veal piccata, but this technique with fish was new to me. Read more »

Everybody’s getting in on the fun!

Excitement over The Foodventure is spreading all over the world, and people everywhere are sending us stories and photos of their own Foodventures!

Ok, so maybe The Foodventure isn’t as big yet as we’d like, but my mom is reading it, and she’s excited. This morning I awoke to an email saying she’s thinking of new Foodventures of her own, and she included a photo of her own. Check out this Roasted Tomato Caprese, from Ina Garten’s Back to Basics Book.

Mom says “it’s not ready for prime time yet, but still fabulous. Can’t wait to try it again out on the patio with a roll from Pic’s and a nice summer wine.”

I hope I get an invite.

Leftover Monday: Mussels Mariniere

Yesterday’s cioppino left me with a welcome bonus: leftover mussels. I decided to keep it very simple and make mussels mariniere.

First, a word about mussels: everyone should cook them more often. At the fish market yesterday, a two pound bag cost $4.50. At the grocery store I usually see them for less than $5 for the same two pound bag. The moral of the story here is that mussels are very affordable and dead simple to make. Since most people don’t make mussels at home, they assume they’re expensive, and restaurants use this knowledge to charge a lot for them.

Anyway, my mariniere started with a couple tablespoons of butter and two minced cloves of garlic in a stainless steel pan over low heat. When the butter melts, turn the heat up to medium and cook until the garlic is soft and fragrant, but not yet brown. I added a cup or so of leftover sauvignon blanc from Litteri’s (You’ll learn about Litteri’s after Lent), but any white wine would be suitable. Turn the heat to high and let the wine come to a boil.

When you reach a boil, throw in the scrubbed, debearded mussels. Cook them, shaking the pan every once in a while until the mussels start to open. Get rid of any that don’t once most are open, then transfer open mussels to a bowl with some of the broth, and serve with crusty bread.

This would have been better if I had used a higher quality wine, and if I had some fresh herbs to add at the very end when the mussels are in the bowl (I think parsley would have been very nice). Still, very good, and very, very easy.

Mussel monday might become a new thing.

Welcome to the Foodventure!

Hello Reader!

Welcome to TheFoodventure.com, the online home for the culinary stylings of Frank and Katie, two young cooks who are unfortunately saddled with unrelated day jobs.

What is a Foodventure, you ask? Foodventures can be any kind of project related to eating, cooking, or even thinking about food. Weeknight pasta can be a Foodventure, just the same as planning for and preparing an all day rib smoking session. The sky’s the limit.

Katie is a long-time blogger in the traditional sense, writing about the news, the world, the spiritual, and of course, food. In fact, in her blogging career, her food writing was a true audience favorite. With that in mind, we’re going to bring you the best of our adventures on this blog.

Katie, the creative one, loves writing and the art behind cooking. I am a man, and therefore like tools and the craft of cooking. We’re excited about this combination and believe that this blog is a great way for us to share this unique attitude with you.

Very soon we’re going to launch Foodventure TV, which will combine the best of videoblogging with entertaining food content. We’re very excited about it, and we hope you will be, too.

Katie will also be moving soon, and we’re both excited about the opportunity this affords her to outfit her kitchen with new toys. We’re looking forward to sharing this process with you.

Of course, all of this cooking and writing and filming will wear a person out. When that happens to us, like anybody, we hit the road in search of restaurants and travel adventures. We’ll be bringing the best (and at times worst) of all of that to you.

Thanks again for your interest in the Foodventure. Now let’s kick the tires and go!