Monthly Archives: September 2009

Ghost Chili Jerk Chicken with Red Beans and Rice

September 30, 2009 by ericriveracooks

Feelin’ hot hot hot. I’ve been waiting a long time to use my ghost chili paste. I finally had the chance to use it with this recipe and it definitely set this chicken on fire in more ways than one. If you use the ghost chili properly you can get the right amount of fire and at the same time get a nice fragrant taste/smell to your cooking. Finding the right balance is the difficult part so I won’t bore […]

Categories: Chicken, Rice • Tags: Chicken, Cooking Blog, Food, Food Blog, Ghost Chili, Jerk Chicken, recipe, Red Beans and Rice

Monday Night Dinner

September 29, 2009 by ericriveracooks

I need to buy a presentation pan for fish…..yikes! Anyway, cooked some dinner up last night while I’m on my little break between quarters. I just need to keep up the practice so it doesn’t really matter who is there to eat it or not. The good thing is that there were people there to eat the food I made so that’s a plus! They left full and happy…..actually, they didn’t leave because it was for my wife and roommates…haha. […]

Categories: Becoming A Chef: Blogging about Culinary School, Dinner, Random Rants • Tags: Chocolate, Dinner, Pasta, Salmon, Soup

Ciabatta Garlic Bread with a Blood Orange Compound Butter

September 29, 2009 by ericriveracooks

Ciabatta is a great choice for garlic bread. It holds up to a lot of oil, butter, and will toast nicely. Equipment: Mixing bowl Ingredients: Blood orange zest with a little juice Unsalted soft butter Pink Peppercorn Murray River Pink Salt Fresh Tarragon Parmesan Cheese Ciabatta bread Procedure: Mix all ingredients together in a mixing bowl then place in refrigerator Spread butter over bread then toast in oven under broiler for a few minutes Enjoy, Eric

Categories: Appetizer • Tags: Blood Orange, Ciabatta, Compound Butter, garlic bread

Portobello and White Asparagus Pasta with a White Wine Cream Sauce

September 29, 2009 by ericriveracooks

Picture is a little fuzzy and doesn’t do it justice. I love serving stuff family style! It’s amazing what is possible when you get a chance to watch other Italian Chefs make pasta. Equipment: Stock pot filled with boiling salty water Medium Sauce pan Ingredients: 3 Portobello mushrooms, thinly sliced White asparagus, blanched 1 clove garlic, minced 2 tbsp. toasted pine nuts Parsley, Thyme, Oregano………..fresh and minced Parmesan Cheese White Wine Olive oil Heavy Cream Salt and pepper, to taste […]

Categories: Pasta • Tags: Cooking Blog, Cream Sauce, Dinner, Food Blog, Pasta, Portobello, recipe, White Asparagus, wine

Fried Spaghetti: Featured/Recreated/Made Better on Sippitysup.com

September 28, 2009 by ericriveracooks

Photo Courtesy of Sippitysup.com Greg over at Sippitysup.com has done it again! He took a recipe of mine and made it a piece of artwork. A few months ago I won a contest on his site and he passed out my recipe for this at the Los Angeles Garden Show which he said would be the prize but after seeing what Greg did with my food I can truly say that his work with my food is the biggest prize […]

Categories: Random Rants • Tags: Fried Spaghetti, Sippitysup

Festa Italiana 2009

September 28, 2009 by ericriveracooks

This event was a blast. I was working the event as a Chef assistant on Saturday and Sunday and I was able to work alongside the best Italians Chefs in Seattle. Getting to the big stage is a long journey so I had an immediate respect for every Chef that graced the stage. They know the work we were doing was the hard part so they were all very nice to us (culinary students). I cut about 35 pounds of […]

Categories: Events, Random Rants, Restaurants • Tags: Festa Italiana, Jim Taranto, La Fontana Siciliana, Luigi DeNunzio, Nick Stellino, Seattle, Tutta Bella

5 Spot: Seattle, WA. Puerto Rican Pig Roast!

September 28, 2009 by ericriveracooks

A few days ago I told you that I stopped by the 5 Spot to eat lunch and I noticed a sign announcing this pig roast (click). Well, after my shift at the Festa Italiana I made my way over to Queen Anne and waited anxiously for the pig to be ready. Mmmmmm, pig! Anyway, we were there a little early so we settled in and waited in line for the delicious piggy to be cut up for all to […]

Categories: Restaurants • Tags: 5 Spot, Pig, Pig Roast, Puerto Rico, Seattle

Chocolopolis: Seattle, WA

September 28, 2009 by ericriveracooks

Chocolopolis, in Queen Anne, has been open for a little over year. It’s a chocolate boutique style store that Mindy and I stopped at after dinner at the 5 Spot’s Puerto Rican pig roast (more on that in a minute). What kind of chocolate do they have? Pretty much everything and anything you can think of. There are lots of great flavor combinations and each little variation of chocolate has its own design…..it’s amazing! Check out this video of their […]

Categories: Recommended Places to Shop • Tags: Chocolate, Chocolopolis, Cooking Blog, Food, Food Blog, recipe, Seattle

Seared Scallops with a Black Truffle Vinaigrette served on Arugula and White Asparagus

September 26, 2009 by ericriveracooks

At the Cooking with Class event Chef DJ MacIntyre from Seastar created something similar to this. I decided I would recreate the meal with my own twists……My sister supplied the scallops, I supplied the awesomeness. Invite me over, buy some food, I’ll cook it for you, and you will have a great time…….I promise. Equipment: Saute pan Stock pot with salty water for blanching asparagus Bowl with icy water for blanching asparagus Mixing bowl Ingredients: Scallops Lard……..fat is a good […]

Categories: Seafood • Tags: Arugula, Black Truffle, Cooking Blog, Dinner, Food Blog, recipe, Scallop, Seafood, White wine

Savory Clams in a Blood Orange Butter Sauce WITH BACON!!!

September 26, 2009 by ericriveracooks

My sister invited me over to cook dinner for her and her fiance Dave. She supplied the seafood, I supplied the awesomeness. Equipment: Large saute pan Small sauce pan Ingredients: Savory Clams Clarified Butter and Whole Butter Blood Orange and Zest of Blood Orange Apple Wood Smoked Bacon, sliced thick Murray River Pink Salt Crushed black pepper Procedure: In large saute pan pour in clarified butter and blood orange zest on medium heat Place savory clams in pot and remove […]

Categories: Seafood • Tags: Blood Orange, Butter Sauce, Cooking Blog, Dinner, Food, Food Blog, Savory Clam, Seafood

Carrot Soup

September 26, 2009 by ericriveracooks

Psychedelic carrot soup………I’m seeing things man!!!! AHHHHHHH!!!! FREAKING!!!! OUT!!!!!!!!!!!! Equipment: Stock pot Small sauce pan Ingredients: Carrots…..about 3 pounds Celery Onions Sugar Dill Parsley, minced Turmeric Cumin Lard (The Swinery) Tarragon Crushed Red Pepper Water or Chicken Stock Salt and White Pepper, to taste Heavy Cream Procedure: Place a little lard in the stock pot and heat it up then sweat onions Add celery and carrots then cook them down a little bit stirring frequently Toast cumin in small sauce […]

Categories: Soup • Tags: Carrot soup, Cooking, Cooking Blog, Food Blog, recipe, Soup

Quarter #1 is done!

September 25, 2009 by ericriveracooks

That’s my class after an extensive cleaning session in the kitchen. I’m going to throw my clothes away…..so……much……grease. Learned a lot of great stuff and I was able to work with a lot of fun people throughout the way. I’m ready for quarter #2. American Regional Cuisine here I come! Eric

Categories: Becoming A Chef: Blogging about Culinary School

Killer dipping sauce for those late night frozen gyozas

September 25, 2009 by ericriveracooks

My dog smiles. Are you surprised? Anyway, about that sauce! Equipment: Small sauce pan Ingredients: Powdered ginger 1 star anise 1 garlic clove, smashed 2 japones peppers Red chili paste Arrowroot Fish sauce Sesame oil Water Soy sauce Plum sauce (click here) Procedure: Toast powdered ginger, star anise, and garlic clove in pan Add soy sauce, fish sauce, and sesame oil Add chili paste and peppers In a small bowl mix together a small amount of water and arrowroot then […]

Categories: Sauce • Tags: Cooking, Cooking Blog, Dinner, Dipping Sauce, Plum Sauce, recipe

Black Bean Soup

September 24, 2009 by ericriveracooks

The weather is starting to change here so I’m here to help you out. A little black bean soup never hurt anyone unless you remember the Great Black Bean Wars of 1340……so many lost…..so many Equipment: Stock pot Ingredients: 4 cups black beans 1 gallon chicken stock 2 tbsp. lard (The Swinery) 2 cloves garlic 1/2 white onion, medium diced Celery, medium diced 1 yellow bell pepper 5 or 6 pimentos……….from my front yard…….that makes it hard for you to […]

Categories: Puerto Rican Style, Soup • Tags: Black Bean Soup, Cooking, Cooking Blog, Dinner, Food, Food Blog, Puerto Rican Style, Soup

Weekend Events!

September 24, 2009 by ericriveracooks

Let’s work backwards! Sunday evening I will be at the 5 Spot’s Puerto Rico Pig Roast. I’ll probably be the only Puerto Rican person there so that will be amusing. I’m not expecting much but I am excited that someone is actually making this kind of food in Seattle. I will have pictures and a recap that I will post. http://www.chowfoods.com/five/index.aspx On Saturday and Sunday from 11-3Pm I will be at the Festa Italiana at the Seattle Center. I’ll be […]

Categories: Random Rants • Tags: 5 spot queene anne, Events, Festa Italiana, Seattle

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Eric Rivera's Cooking Blog

Food, because I just want an excuse to cook.

Monthly Archives: September 2009

Ghost Chili Jerk Chicken with Red Beans and Rice

Monday Night Dinner

Ciabatta Garlic Bread with a Blood Orange Compound Butter

Portobello and White Asparagus Pasta with a White Wine Cream Sauce

Fried Spaghetti: Featured/Recreated/Made Better on Sippitysup.com

Festa Italiana 2009

5 Spot: Seattle, WA. Puerto Rican Pig Roast!

Chocolopolis: Seattle, WA

Seared Scallops with a Black Truffle Vinaigrette served on Arugula and White Asparagus

Savory Clams in a Blood Orange Butter Sauce WITH BACON!!!

Carrot Soup

Quarter #1 is done!

Killer dipping sauce for those late night frozen gyozas

Black Bean Soup

Weekend Events!

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