Thursday Lunch at the Culinary Academy (9/30/10)

This Thursday at noon will be the start of the academy lunches for parents, teachers, and the general public. This weeks theme will be based upon the culture of New Orleans, and their style of cuisine. So expect plenty of Creole style dishes and crayfish, as well as Turtle Soup. Of course since it is the first week there will be a capacity limit on reservations for the lunch, which happens to be seventy, so reserve a spot now or else you won't be able to experience the great talent and skill the Jacobson Culinary Academy has to offer; at least not until next week. Don't forget, crayfish and turtle soup this week, and I sure hope the turtle soup turns out good!

Also, I will be volunteering for the lunch as well, although dishes may not be so enjoyable as the hot-line would be, but someone has to do it!

Dinner at the Arco Iris in Tampa

Lentil Soup

This restaurant is a small, but great place to eat at. A Cuban and Chinese mixed style of food is incredibly good, no matter how strange it may sound. Last night I went to the Arco Iris with my family to enjoy the last night my cousin would be staying with us before she took a plane back out to California. Of course it was difficult for me to choose what to eat, as most things on the menu appealed to me greatly. I ended up choosing the Pescado a la Catalina, which is baked Creole fish, and a side of lentil soup and white rice. While I waited for my meal to be served, we were given appetizers of toasted buttered bread and plantain chips. When my lentil soup arrived, I couldn't help but dip a piece of bread into it, and it tasted amazing.

Baked Creole Fish

After clearing the bowl of any remaining lentil soup, I waited for my Creole fish to arrive. When it did though, my mouth began to water with how good it looked, and the first bite of it confirmed the appeal of it's appearance. It was topped with onions and peas, in a great tasting Creole sauce, all atop a mound of delicious white rice. When I finished eating it, I couldn't believe I was eating a corner restaurant that most people never heard of.

Location - 3328 W Columbus Dr, Tampa, FL 33607

Introduction into Josh's Mobile Food Web

I started as a student of the Jacobson Culinary Arts program at Tarpon High School nearly three years ago in my freshman year. And during those years I was exposed to a great variety of foods and styles of cooking. This year I was given a project from my culinary teacher, Chef Alinat, to create a blog based upon food related subjects, and I chose to blog about the different meals I may eat, create, or that I see prepared in restaurants or in school. For then next thirty-six weeks I will continue this blog in hopes that I may impress upon you, the readers, that I am a determined food connoisseur and I will deliver only the best pictures of dishes that I see, along with some recipes and descriptions of restaurants I see.




I have already posted two samples of what will be presented upon the blog, and I hope that I may have already gathered a small audience of readers. Although the blog is updated every few days, it may not be every day. Each blog post will include at least one picture, and a minimum of one paragraph in writing about the subject. If any of these pictures or photos is not taken by me, the proper credit will be given at the end of each blog post.



Once a month I will also have an event scheduled in which I will have pictures and about three paragraphs of text about the event, and some commentary by anyone involved in it. From food around the Tampa Bay area, in school, or at home, I will be bringing great information about restaurants and festivals involving food, as well as some pictures and descriptions on meals I will have eaten or prepared.



Below are some question and answers about what the blog is about.



Question 1: What kind of food will you mostly be posting?
Answer: Any kind, I do not restrict what kinds of food that will be shown.

Question 2: Will there be any videos?
Answer: Not very many, but once in a while I will have a video of something like a look into the kitchen.

Question 3: Will any information about your school, Tarpon High, be included?
Answer: Well, since I am in the Culinary program, I will most likely once I get permission from administrators or my Chef.

Question 4: Will anything from where you work/volunteer be inlcuded?
Answer: It depends upon if I am allowed to take out my phone or camera during work or when I volunteer.

Delicious Dinner

Tonight I had a great dinner; Rib-eye steak topped with artichoke hearts, Parmesan cheese, and garlic; baked Sweet Potato fries with Parmesan cheese and green bell peppers; and a small serving of yellow rice.

A wonderful dish, coupled with an amazing picture. The sweet potato was, well, sweet, which went well with the slight savoriness of the Parmesan cheese and green bell peppers. Along with that, the Rib-eye steak was amazing, cooked to medium rare and topped with artichoke hearts and garlic which made me want seconds of it. And then the rice, which was a great addition to the dish, although not my favorite, it did do a great job of enhancing the food.

Spanish Prawns with Garlic Oil Recipe

As I was looking through some items in my bedroom, I came across a recipe for prawns in garlic oil, and I read through it and decided it would be a great addition to my blog.

This dish contains ajillo, which is a garlic sauce containing large amounts of olive oil and chillies. In España(Spain), this dish would be prepared in an earthenware dish called cazuela; but it can be made in a normal frying pan if you lack it.

[Note: This serves for 2, you will need to double to serve for more; Estimated time for preparation is 10 minutes]

Utensils Required:
A cutting board,
Chef or utility knife,
A Frying pan or cazuela with a lid,
Measuring cups,
Measuring spoons,
A Ladle,
A clay dish

Ingredients Required:
16 king prawns
1 clove of garlic
1/2 red chili pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt to taste
1 tbsp lemon juice
A pinch of finely chopped parsley

Step 1 - Preparation:
Peel and slice the garlic, thinner the better. When completed with slicing the garlic, continue onto removing the seeds from the red chili peppers and then slice them into small rings. To prepare the prawns, peel them and remove the tail followed by de-veining them, which is done by removing the black vein on the back of the prawns with a knife or spoon.

Step 2 - Cooking and Serving:
You will need the frying pan or cazuela. Put in the 1/2 cups of olive oil into the pan, then add the thinly sliced garlic and red chili peppers. Saute over low heat until the garlic and chili peppers begin to caramelize and become fragrant. Then add the prawns and continue to saute, add some salt and stir the ingredients lightly for a couple seconds. Place the lid over the pan or cazuela and simmer the ingredients for roughly 1 minute. Remove the lid and add the tablespoon of lemon juice into the pan and simmer briefly. Then transfer the contents into a clay dish and warm it over low heat. You may garnish the dish with the parsley and it is ready to serve.







Photo Courtesy of asiaone.com