I want to state that this recipe is one of the most delicious meals I've ever had. Not only is the recipe simple, but feeds you for a few days. You too can eat like a champ. Just follow my simple steps and summer jamz. With a z.
We begin with "Time to Pretend" by MGMT. Here's what you need to cook:
Ingredients:
Onion: 2 Red
Garlic: 4-6 Cloves
Tomatoes: 2
Green Bell Pepper: 1
Serrano Pepper: 1
Green Onion: 4 (just buy a bundle)
Creole Seasoning/ Cajun Seasoning: 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp)
Oregano: 1/2 Teaspoon (Tsp)
Cayenne/ Red Pepper: 1/2 Tsp
Tomato Paste: 2 Tbsp
Canned, Diced Tomatoes: 1 - 12oz to 16oz can
Chicken/Vegetable Broth: About 30 oz (give or take a few oz)
Butter: 1/2 Cup or 1 Stick
Rice: 3 Cups
Meat: I did 1/2 pound shrimp and a pound of veggie sausage. You can do shrimp, sausage, ham, or chicken. It will all work!
Now we're hitting "Surf Wax America" by Weezer.
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| Honestly, wine is not one of the ingredients. But to be even more honest, wine is the most important ingredient of all. |
Procedure:
Let's hear it for "Georgia" by Yuck.
1. Chop Some Veggies Man...
This meal is 90% prep, 10% actually cooking. The recipe calls for the onion, garlic, green onion, tomatoes, bell pepper, and serrano pepper to be chopped, thrown in a bowl, and eventually cooked together. As usual, there's no trick to chopping. Just make them a size that you feel comfortable with. Here's what I did while listening to "Learning the Ropes" by Ludique.
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| Red Onion! |
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| The wine glass helped. |
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| I tried laying the knife in the middle of the veggies as a change of pace. C-. |
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| Green Onion. |
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| Chopped Green Onion! |
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| Don't forget to peel it! |
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| Someday I will be married in a church of garlic. |
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| Serrano pepper. I put in the seeds and all. |
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| Just shove it all in the bowl. |
2. Other Prep
Okay. So that should have taken you a pretty long time. I hope you listened to more than just the song I apparently listened to. Perhaps the "Civilization IV Medley" by Video Games Live. The first song from a video game to ever get a Grammy nomination.
Next, You need to cut up your tomatoes have them on deck with your canned tomatoes. It also doesn't hurt to open your tomato paste either. I mixed them together in a single bowl, but it's no big deal if you keep them separate. Check it:
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| Chopped tomatoes, plus the canned stuff. |
You'll also need to prepare your meat at this stage (and hopefully your life with the cutting board will be over at this point). The thing you'll have to decide is if you want to precook your meat. If it's frozen, then do it. If not, it's up to you. I didn't precook my shrimp or veggie sausage. As a heads up, you cook this meal in a pot for about an hour. So, unless you're really paranoid, you'll probably be fine. Now listen to "I Hope I Didn't Just Give Away the Ending" by the New Radicals.
Finally, while this isn't mandated, I recommend getting your spices ready. Just get out your measuring spoons and have them on deck.
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| PS. I despise measuring... |
3. Finally, We Cook
We save the best songs for the best part. Please turn on "Do You Realize" by the Flaming Lips.
Begin my melting your butter in a pot. Hopefully, you have a big pot because this recipe makes a lot of food. Once the butter is melted, add all your veggies with the exception of the tomatoes/ tomato paste. Then add your spices. Mix and let that cook for about 15 minutes. At this stage, you want sizzle, but not burn. At what level your stove does that, your guess is as good as mine. Test! Here's what it should look like:
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| Yep. That's vegetably. |
Next, you'll be adding... well... basically everything else. I did it in this order: Meat, tomatoes, tomato paste, broth, rice. I actually didn't, but my foibles are your benefit. Putting the broth in first invites every subsequent ingredient to splash salty broth all over you. So, pro tip, put the broth in last. Just log that away for your own personal use. Listen to "Manchester" by Kishi Bashi. Here's where you should be:
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| Damn shadows. |
Putting all of this in is going to take a lot of the heat out of your pot, so I turned my burner up for a minute or two. However, after that, I turned it way down. The reason is that I put a cover on the top of my pot and that kept the heat in really well. You're going to let this cook for about an hour. This is another scenario where depending on your stove, you'll have to stir as often as every 5 to 7 minutes or every 10 to 15. I was doing every 7, but you'll just have to check.
Finish off your evening with "The Bleeding Heart Show" by the New Pornographers.
4. The Aftermath
And wallah! You should have your finished product.
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| I feel as if this picture is misleading. It really is delicious. |
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| And this recipe will make enough that you'll be able to eat lunch for days! |
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do. Mine turned out pretty spicy (not a problem for me). I attribute that to the serrano pepper. To tone this down, leave out the seeds (as much of the heat comes from there).
On the music, "summer jamz" is just a funny phrase that I picked up this summer. I listened to a podcast where the hosts were trying to determine what can qualify for a summer jam. Many of my songs didn't undergo such scrutiny. In the alternative, all of these songs made it on today's post because they earned some kind of emotional place with me this summer. Maybe they will for you too, so I encourage you to give them a listen.
Wrap Up:
Ingredients:
Onion: 2 Red
Garlic: 4-6 Cloves
Tomatoes: 2
Green Bell Pepper: 1
Serrano Pepper: 1
Green Onion: 4 (just buy a bundle)
Creole Seasoning/ Cajun Seasoning: 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp)
Oregano: 1/2 Teaspoon (Tsp)
Cayenne/ Red Pepper: 1/2 Tsp
Tomato Paste: 2 Tbsp
Canned, Diced Tomatoes: 1 - 12oz to 16oz can
Chicken/Vegetable Broth: About 30 oz (give or take a few oz)
Butter: 1/2 Cup or 1 Stick
Rice: 3 Cups
Meat: I did 1/2 pound shrimp and a pound of veggie sausage. You can do shrimp, sausage, ham, or chicken. It will all work!
Procedure:
2. Prep work: Open cans, measure spices, cook meat (if necessary)
3. Cook: 1. vegetables and spices, 2. tomatoes, meat, rice
4. Let it sit for an hour, but watch it closely
5. EAT!
Enjoy!
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