How to be the Best Home Cook on the Block
…..Sorry Karen, but i’m about to ruin your secret.
Hear that?
Thats the fluttered chattering of neighbors and passerby’s who caught wind of those restaurant quality lamb chops you whipped up the night before. A seemingly impossible feat it is to manifest such a delicate meat to medium rare perfection from a measly old home kitchen, yet you pulled it off. Sorry Karen, but i’m about to ruin your secret. That’s because, it’s actually very easy and affordable to be a great at-home chef these days. Commercial grade kitchen tools are advancing and becoming more readily available for the aspiring at-home chef. I want to tell you about one of my favorite products on the market. Don’t even worry about making room next to the slow cooker. You won’t notice a dent in your pocket either. That’s because the Sous Vide, also known as an immersion circulator, is here and it’s one of the cheapest and easiest kitchen tools that will take you from a “B- Chef” to an “A+ Chef instantly”…..i’m so serious….
Sous Vide, French for “Under Vacuum”, is a method of cooking food at a very precise temperature by, you guessed it, vacuum sealing the food and letting it cook in a water bath. Don’t let the sound of that intimidate you, though. Sous Vide is a very simple method that allows you to cook food, usually in its own fats/juices, at a very controlled temperature, yielding perfect results every time! …and you don’t need a professional grade vacuum sealer either…
The Sous Vide I use at home is the Anova Nano Precision Cooker . It’s only $129 and can be paired from bluetooth to operate with your phone, or manually. Just fill a soup pot up with water, stick your sous vide in, let the water preheat, and you’re off! Anova also offers a mobile app with tons of great recipes to try. Use it as a launching pad, and the opportunities are truly endless!
Go pick up yours now! Let me know about all of your creations or questions you have in the comments or at darlasbagels@gmail.com.
PRO TIP: If cooking a protein, once you finish the sous vide method, pull out your cast iron and crank up the heat. Lightly oil the pan. Wipe the flattest surface of your protein dry to avoid the oil from splashing. Place the protein in the pan with the most even/flat surface down on the pan. Allow the protein the get a nice caramelized skin (this is called the maillard reaction!). Remove from the heat and let rest before serving.
Keep spreading love, good people!
Best,
Chef Jake
Spaghetti Squash & Turkey Meatball Recipe
This versatile root vegetable is known for its uniquely stringy texture and traditional squash flavor. Follow along for a healthy spin on spaghetti & meatballs.
Hey friends,
Fall is here! That means squash of all varieties can be found in grocery stores across America. Today, we’re going to talk about a type of squash you’ve probably already heard of before. Spaghetti Squash. This versatile root vegetable is known for its uniquely stringy texture and traditional squash flavor.
For our recipe, we took an Italian staple, “Spaghetti & Meatballs”, and lightened it up a bit for a feel good alternative to a carb heavy classic. Just follow these easy steps below to make this delicious dish!
Yields: 4-6 Servings
Ingredients:
1 Spaghetti Squash
1 Package of Ground Turkey
1 Can Crushed Tomatoes
2 Tbsp. Tomato Paste
1 Sweet Onion
2 Tbsp. Minced Garlic
1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
2 Tbsp. Honey
3 Tbsp. Salt
2 Tbsp. Pepper
Red Pepper Flakes, to taste
Bonus: 2 Tbsp. Calabrian Chili Pepper Powder, if you have it
For the sauce:
Dice half of the onion. Reserve other half for turkey meatballs
Place onions in lightly oiled pot on medium high heat. Sweat onion
Add the can of crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, minced garlic, honey, half the salt and pepper, and Calabrian chili powder, if you have it. Mix together and taste. Adjust seasoning to taste.
Once sauce begins to bubble, adjust the heat and bring sauce to a very gentle simmer. Allow to cook, stirring occasionally so sauce doesn’t burn the bottom of the pot.
When ready to eat, add lemon juice and mix in.
For the meatballs:
Preheat oven to 375 Degrees Fahrenheit.
Grate other 1/2 onion into a bowl.
Mix ground turkey with 1/2 the salt, pepper, and grated onion. Add any additional seasonings to taste.
Make approximately 3 oz. meatballs. Rolling in your hand, then placing on a sprayed cookie sheet.
Place cookie sheet in oven and cook for 15-20 minutes.
Once the meatballs have browned, remove from the oven and add to the sauce to finish cooking.
Turn pot up to medium and cook while spaghetti squash finishes cooking
For the squash:
Preheat oven to 425 Degrees Fahrenheit.
Cut Spaghetti squash in half. Scoop out the seeds and season with EVOO, pinch of salt & pepper.
Place squash in a baking dish cut side up. Wrap the dish in aluminum foil and place in the oven for 20 minutes. Then remove foil and cook for additional 30 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow to cool enough to handle.
Once cooled, grab a fork and scrap the spaghetti-like inside of the squash into a bowl.
Assemble all of your ingredients, top with parmesan and/or red chili flakes and enjoy!
