A wasted inspiration.

I guess looking back I should have known that taking cooking advice from the New York Times might not be the best idea. And on top of that from a guy who calls himself The Minimalist. But, boy did it look good on the web. Or maybe it was just because I was hungry at the time? So here is how it unfolded. I watched a video segment about how to make short ribs braised with chilies and coffee. What got me hooked was that he said that it was the dish he makes when he wants to tell someone that he loves them (I really hope they have low cholesterol or no plans for the rest of their lives). So, with Valentine’s Day coming up he had my attention. But it was the closing line that really took the cake – Chocolate is for wusses. I thought it would be the perfect dish since my wife relies on chocolate for survival and I am very impartial to meat. So I got inspired, and I chopped those onions like I’ve never chopped before. And what a waste of five hours it was. What’s worse, is the total waste of a valentines day dinner, with built up expectations and the perfect behavior of our daughter, who let us “enjoy” the ribs for as long as we could stand chewing the fat (and I mean the real cow fat, nothing proverbial here). So reserved to sour cream and onions Pringles (my wife Valentine’s present for me) to get of the taste of braised fat.

I have to take some blame though. I think I violated one of the most basic rules of cooking – start with good ingredients. I should have gone to a butcher store and got short ribs with meat on them. Or better yet bought a pound of rich creamy chocolate – if you are going to clog up your arteries at least you don’t have to wait that long. And that is what we are about – instant gratification.

Oh, yeah, I just realized that there was nothing about my daughter – well she is still cute.