Another Dough Fear Conquered

    Above, is what captured my eye as I sauntered to work through the French Quarter.  It is the alley to the left of St. Louis Cathedral between Royal Street & Jackson Square.  The picture has almost nothing to do with the dough fear, except, it is what inspires me to cook.  Simple natural beauty is overwhelming, as is dough, to me.  Cooking, like sports, is mostly mental.  Yesterday I made gnocchi for the first time in my short life, and was enthusiastically happy about the outcome.  Little details, roasted versus boiling, yielded a light airy dough that took well to the San Marzano tomato sauce and arugula which accompanied it.  The first step to cooking, is throwing out any fear of failure.  Allow yourself to make mistakes, learn from them, and make it better.  Learning about life from a potato dumpling seems to be insane, but it is this insanity that pushes progress.  Confidence is tasted in food, so next time you cook, enjoy the process of cooking, and your guests will thank you for it.

 For those people who have stopped by for a meal at PRAVDA!, I appreciate your time and business.  

FOOD

interpreted 

by 

Matthew Elliott Kopfler

@

1113 Decatur Street 

Amazing, Louisiana 70116

New Orleans Uptown Lunch Club

    It was the good fortune of mine to be able to cook, enjoy the company of friends, and meet new friends this afternoon at the Shrimp Creole Cooking Luncheon.  Morning was spent gaining caffeination and walking with Breaux to the Uptown Square Farmer's Market, in order to cook with the Wagner Family.  Food was bought, food was chopped, conversations were shared, food was cooked, food was eaten, and again, conversations shared.  Eating and conversating is a simple formula, that we as people, should slow down and appreciate.  And don't forget, as I sometimes do, conversating well involves listening well. 

 Menu

Rocket, Scallion, Quail Egg, & Sprout Salad

Shrimp Creole & Jasmine Rice

Beverage

Chateaux Du Sink

(New Orleans Tap Water)

Video

    As you can see, or may have noticed, I have discovered stop action photography.  It seems to be an interesting way of telling the food story with pictures.  While it is a new discovery, like most things good, it can only get better with practice, so bare with me as I learn to tell the story of food from my perspective. 

Each Year Is New.

    At this point last year, I was on an island off the coast of South Carolina making Grand Marnier souffles.  This year, I will be in a great city making pierogies.  Same date, different city, different food, same old Matthew.  Not sure why people look towards a certain day, or event, to spark a change they see so evident in their lives.  The moral of the story is do not wait until the next New Year's Eve to change something in your life, do it as it comes, and let the worries of life fall by the way side. A thought becomes an idea, an idea becomes words, words lead must lead to action.  We are at the beginning of an American Cuisine Food Evolution, and look forward to smelling the winds of gastronomy as they feed the fire for progress in cuisine, and my life.

And in this new year, I will continue to cook food and live.

When the sun goes down, build a fire.

YoBreaux...

 

Food Narrative

    The plot line is simple, find good stuff, meet good people, then cook a meal.  Illustrating just that, the above image is what yielded from a walk to the Uptown Farmer's Market.  The catfish were caught in Des Allemands, Louisiana just ten hours before my purchasing, and eleven to twelve hours before they were consumed.  To the left of the main character, we have a plate of supporting ingredients.  Mizuna and Spring Onions from Garyville, Louisiana; Radish Sprouts from St.  Francisville, Louisiana; Shrimp from MR.GO (courtesy of the Army Corps of Engineers).
    The meal came together, and conversation followed.  The conversation then yielded a fresh Daikon Radish from a farmer down the street, who I have yet to meet, but can attest to the degree of product...Amazing!
If you happen upon this, keep checking back for details of upcoming PPX Dinner Club menu and reservation instructions.  Merry Christmas from Me & Food.

Pictures of What I Like