"Holden" On To The Wrong Advice...When Good Advice Gets Misinterpreted.. Salads & Sides.. Patatas Bravas & Chef Salad

Patatas Bravas W/ Sauce Diablo 

OParsimonious Chef Salad W/ Parm. Crisp & Boiled Quail Eggs

Have you ever had a situation broken down to you like science? Advice that seems so tailor-made to you or your particular situation that you readily embrace it and even choose to place it in your arsenal for later use. Well, the other day I was watching the movie "Chasing Amy", a movie from the late 90's that stared Ben Affleck, Jason Lee and Joey Lauren Adams. It's basically about the struggle of a young man (Holden) to come to grips with his girlfriends' (Alyssa) past sexual exploits. This is a Kevin Smith movie so it is quite clever and brilliantly humorous. He reprises his roll as Silent Bob along with his overly talkative counterpart Jay.

In a poignant scene in the movie Silent Bob speaks, I think for the first time in any of the previous movies (Mall Rats and of course Clerks) and what he says is jaw dropping. I won't try to paraphrase it but I'll set the scene up that I have provided for you. Holden, has been badgering his girl, Alyssa about his knowledge of her past and sets about trying to ridicule her in an attempt to seem more sexually adequate in his own eyes. He then meets Jay & Silent Bob to settle a debt and starts to wax poetic about his problems with his girlfriend. Men, take heed this is probably exactly what you are doing and women listen up you will learn a few things about the holding firmly to your guns on your past.   "Chasing Amy" in deed....  Silent Bob Speaks 

Having said all of that, the one aspect of this movie that is funnier still is how Holden, takes this advice in story form from Silent Bob and totally mis-applies it to his own detriment in both the relationship with his girl and his best friend. I wasn't surprised at all as we have all misconstrued the advice of a trusted friend and applied it perilously at some point. I just hope that we can all learn from our mistakes, past and even a well done movie from time to time.

On the menu today: Salads & Sides- OParsimonious Chef Salad & Patatas Bravas with Sauce Diablo

Crispy, Paprika & Cheyenne Dusted Patatas

For the Patatas Bravas we need:

• Red Potatoes (10-15 ea)
• Cayenne Pepper (1 tsp)
• Paprika (2 Tbs) 
• Salt & Pepper (TT)
• Fryer Oil (Fill deep fryer)
• Oil (1 Tbs)
• Ripe Tomatoes (4 each)
• Chili Flakes (2 Tbs)
• Lager (beer) (1/2 cup)
• Garlic (2 Tbs)
• Onions (2 Tbs)

Start out by cutting the potatoes in 1/4 length-wise and placing in a deep fryer set on high for 2 minutes. (This is called oil blanching and will make for crispier potatoes) Take out and place directly on a paper towel laced cookie sheet and place in a refrigerator to deep fry later. Now add the minced onions and garlic to a heated sauce pot with the Tbs of oil and cook until browned. Add the beer to deglaze the pan and then add the tomatoes cooking until juicy. Add the chili flakes and more beer if the cook tomatoes don't provide enough juice to make it saucy. Now you can place the mixture in a blender, food processor or hand blend it. You can even serve it as is if your prefer a chunkier sauce. Deep fry the potatoes for about 4-7 minutes and place them in a bowl, it's better if they are a bit oily as we are now adding the cayenne pepper, paprika, salt & pepper to coat. Serve with the sauce and you can also add sour cream to help with the heat.... Enjoy.....

   For the Salad We will need:

• Mixed Greens (8 oz)
• Carrots (1 ea)
• Ripe Tomatoes (1-2 each)
• Cucumber (1 ea)
• Quail Eggs (2 pp)
• Olive Oil (1/4 cup)
• Garlic (1 tsp)
• White Balsamic Vinegar (1 Tbs)
• Salt & Pepper (TT)
• Dijon Mustard ( 1 tsp)
• Grated Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese (1/4 cup)
• Flour (1 Tbs)

Slice all of the veggies and hard boil the eggs and peel when cooled. Make the dressing by adding the vinegar and mustard together and mixing the oil in add salt to taste. Make the Parm. Crisp by adding the flour and the cheese together and preheating an oven to 350 on wax paper or pan sprayed cookie sheet place this mixture on the pan in a circular fashion. Cook for 3-7 minutes or until browned and formed. Allow to cool and place on top of your salad.