Saturday, February 28, 2009

: frugal gourmet :

I am the ultimate frugal gourmet. I don't like waste, and if there is any leftover edible food in my fridge, I want to use it up. My parents follow the general food rule of "When in doubt - throw it out!". My own translation has always been, in fact: "When in doubt - smell, poke, prod, and then maybe throw it out."

That being said, ever since taking my Food Science course, I've been more diligent about tossing out questionable food (ie: when you buy a chicken carcass from Borough Market for 50p, it might be too good to be true).

A few weeks ago, I found a six-pack of mini V8 "shots" hiding in Christine's crisper. Neglected. Just begging to be used. So use I did. I decided that based on the concentrated, high sodium content of the drink, it would be interesting to see how it fared as the flavour base of a pasta sauce.


Two V8s, a tin of tomatoes, chicken breast and couple other flavour enhancers later, dinner was ready! Mixed in with some penne pasta, the total meal provides two daily servings of vegetables and a rich tomato sauce which is, frankly, pretty delicious.


An easy peasy dinner!

Serves 4:

Ingredients:
2 x V8 Original Blend 1 Shot Dose (156ml)
1 x Tinned Tomatoes, diced (796ml)
1 x small red onion, diced
2 x garlic cloves, minced
3 x birds eye chilli, deseeded and minced (optional)
2 x chicken breast, cubed
1/2 cup of basil leaves, torn
2 T olive oil
6 cups penne pasta, cooked
Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Heat up a saucepan and add 1 T of olive oil. Saute chicken until cooked through and set chicken aside.
2. Add remaining olive oil to the same saucepan, and add diced red onions. Saute on medium-low heat until translucent (approx. 3 min), then add garlic and chilli. Stir through, taking care not to burn the vegetable.
3. When the garlic is fragrant, add the tinned tomatoes and V8. Bring sauce to a boil, and then lower heat to simmer. Let sauce simmer until it has reduced by 1/3 (or your desired consistency).
4. Add chicken and basil leaves, and stir through.
5. Toss with cooked penne pasta, and add salt and pepper to taste.

Sunday, February 8, 2009

: take two :

Welcome to my second attempt at starting a food blog!

Who am I? I'm a culinary school student and amateur food stylist/photographer living in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. All recipes in this blog are my own creations or adaptations, unless otherwise indicated. All photos on in this blog are taken by myself and my roommate in our makeshift studio by our front door :)

Join me as I make some mischief in the kitchen, and follow along on my adventures (or mis-adventures) through the world of culinaria!