Food Fails

So, I had planned to make a meal this evening that was nothing special, but it involved making some brown rice. So I went ahead and got it in the pot and set the timer for 35 minutes, so I could go in the other room and do some reading. Usually it takes a bit longer than that, but I figured I could check on it then. Well... apparently I had the heat a little to high because right in the middle of a paragraph I started to smell burning. "OH CRAP!" Well, there was no fire, but the rice was definitely burnt. And in case you don't know, that's an awful stench. Despite the cold, I have my window open to air the place out.

Yeah, poor timing, etc. on my part. But I thought this snafu was a nice lead into a post I've been thinking about for a while: Food Fails. I've had quite a few of them. They're always so disappointing, especially when I had high hopes for the dish and put in more effort than boiling water and pouring rice into the water. Here are just four of my recent fails...

Food Fail 1: Savory Stuffed Roasted Acorn Squash

I love acorn squash roasted after being tossed with some olive oil and balsamic vinegar and rosemary (and then sprinkled generously with blue cheese). Admittedly, I hadn't made this before, but it was similar to a stuffed portabella recipe I had made, and thought it would be good. First I cut the squash in half, cleaned it, tossed it in some olive oil, salt and pepper, and balsamic vinegar, and roasted the two pieces for 25 minutes (face down) at 400°. Then I turned them over and let them bake for another 10 minutes at 375°. In the meantime I made the stuffing, which consisted of diced garlic, diced shallot, chopped spinach, chopped walnuts, sliced crimini mushrooms, and gorgonzola cheese. I sauteed the filling (before adding the cheese) for a bit to try and cook down the garlic and shallot. I should have tasted the stuffing before adding it, but... well, this is a failure story. Once I stuffed the two pieces of squash, I sprinkled some more gorgonzola on top and put them in the oven on 375° for 15 minutes. Verdict: way too much garlic and shallot, which tasted raw and overwhelming, and the squash wasn't entirely cooked through... though I had managed to stick a fork in it easily before stuffing it... that spot must have been cooked through. I imagine if I cooked the filling a bit more and mixed the filling, maybe with some breadcrumbs or rice it would have been ok. So I may try this again with those alterations (and make sure the squash is cooked through before stuffing it).

This is how I normally make acorn squash and how I will continue to... 

Food Fail 2: Cabbage and Bacon Sauté

Seems pretty straight forward right? I mean I had a huge head of cabbage and though I typically love it raw dressed in a simple vinaigrette and salt and pepper, I wanted to try something new. I cut up a couple pieces of applewood smoked bacon and let it render, then I added some chopped garlic, the sliced cabbage, and about a 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar and salt and pepper and let it all cook down. I thought it would have a nice smoky, sweet, slightly acidic thing that would go well with pork or roasted chicken. Nope... Boring...  It wasn't terrible, but it was just totally meh. I guess I could have used some paprika or even dried mustard to give it a kick, but I think I'll just try and stick with my usual way of making cabbage for now... or until I find a recipe I want to try... where it's not total improv on my part.


Food Fail 3: Pesto Spaghetti Squash Bake

Yes, another squash... perhaps that's where I need to not experiment. I've made spaghetti squash numerous times and it always turned out pretty good. I had some pesto, ricotta, and some mozzarella cheese so I went for it. Cooked the squash, tossed it with the pesto and ricotta, sprinkled the top with mozz and parm, and baked it for about 25 minutes. Yuck... The textures were just off... and unlike pasta the squash doesn't absorb any of the pesto oil so it was pretty oily and just plain bleck. I guess I should mention, too, that it was then I had realized I've lost my taste for pesto. I used to love it, but for whatever reason it's something I have no interest in eating any time soon (or maybe even again).

Food Fail 4: Sauteed Chicken with Drunken Wild Mushrooms

This was perhaps one of my biggest disappointments. The recipe was basically an altered chicken Marsala recipe, but I used dried mushrooms and a dry white wine. When re-hydrating the mushrooms I cooked them in part chicken broth and part white wine. Despite my efforts I somehow over cooked the chicken and undercooked the mushrooms... it didn't taste bad, but the dryness of the chicken and the chewyness of the mushrooms left the dish... off. And it left me throwing out the leftovers. This is one I would try again, but I think I would just pay closer attention to the timing, etc. so I didn't over or under cook any of it.

So, though my grandma (and others) called me a good little cook, there is plenty of trial and error. Now to find a way to remove that burnt odor from my apartment...