Cracked Eggs

In the universe of absurd ideas, we have a new entry. The BBC reports on how Hi-tech ink perfects egg boiling.

Presumably, people can't boil eggs. So they need a hi-tech ink embossed on those eggs which will progressively spell out, "Soft", "Medium", and "Hard"-boiled.



How fucking hard can it be to pop an egg into boiling water, and time it?

Niederegger

They make the best marzipan.

Fairway just started carrying it at a reasonable price. I'm a happy camper.

Eye Candy

I've been informed that Mexican slang for the above is un taco de ojo.

As in tacos made with meat from the eyes of a cow.

Nifty, eh?

Tandoori Chicken

The CC is sick of being asked for this recipe, and since I'm making it for a grilling event tomorrow, in the spirit of summer, I'm just going to document it once and for all.

The "magic" of the recipe is in the double marinade. You really can't speed up this process. It has to marinate two nights.

Also, for the "germ-phobes", the recipe was designed to work in a hot climate without any refrigerators. I wanna see what can grow in this absurd level of acidity.

For the record, I'm not going to use that vile food coloring that makes this chicken "pink". This is the real deal. Enjoy!

Marinade 1

8-10 tbsp lime juice or vinegar
1 tbsp red chilli powder (the "Indian" one)
1 tbsp salt.

Marinade 2

yogurt (the sour, greek, strained one not the crap you get!)

1-2 inches of ginger (peeled)
4-6 cloves garlic
5 green chillies (the "Indian" ones. Use serranos as a substitute.)
cilantro

2 tsp cloves
2 bay leaves
4-8 green cardamoms
1 tsp mace
1 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp black peppercorns
2 tsp caraway seeds
2 tbsp salt

Recipe

Mix the first marinade. Rub all over the chickens. Leave overnight.

For the second marinade, grind all of "group 3" in a coffee grinder, grind all of "group 2" in a blender, and mix all three together. You should get greenish-white glop with black flecks from all the spices.

Take each piece of chicken from the first marinade, coat them all over with the yogurt marinade. Pour the rest of the stuff over the chickens, and marinate overnight. (The first marinade gets discarded. Yes, this is correct!)

Grill. Keep basting it with the marinade. (It's not the same as a "tandoor" but it's damn close.)

For the eternally harangued-by-their-job-I-have-no-time-to-cook, the bare minimum is 4 hours for the first, and 8 hours for the second (but don't expect it to taste as good as the real deal.)

Corn Chowder

After a short work week, the CC had a hankering for some corn chowder. But it's too hot here in New York to have a heavy meal.

What follows below is not a "true" chowder (no bacon or cream), but it's so unbelievably good that the CC rushed to blog it.

Ingredients

4 leeks (diced coarsely)
12 corn cobs (shucked, kernels removed -- keep 3 cobs, cut in half)
2 yellow bell peppers (diced)
1 potato (diced)
1 bunch parsley
broth (or water)
1 tsp caraway seeds
1 tsp celery seeds
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Recipe

Fry the leeks until they are soft. Add in the caraway seeds, celery seeds, and black pepper, and fry for 30 seconds or so. Toss in the bell peppers and the potato, and fry for 2 minutes or so. Add the corn cobs, and 4/5th of the corn kernels, and the broth.

Bring to a boil. Skim. Turn down the heat, and simmer for 20 minutes.

Blend the entire mixture with the parsley in a blender. Add it back to the pot, throw in the rest of the corn, and simmer for another 15 minutes.

Serve with crusty bread.