The Fire

One of the things I have enjoyed the most during this summer is cooking. Most of the time I've only managed to cook some rice to act as a side of whatever leftover protein I had in my fridge. But every once in a while Matias will give me the chance to get creative. I've made some short ribs with a rub I invented (mostly paprika). I also made some chicken with a cashew butter based sauce. Yesterday, I made a delicious couscous with orange juice, cranberries and walnuts. Last time I went to the supermarket I bought a couple of filet-mignons and I decided that today I was going to make them.

I had just finished feeding Matias, so I set him up on his pack and play and started seasoning my filets with just some salt, pepper and olive oil. While I was doing this I turned the oven on at 400 degrees and put a cooking pan set on high on the stove. I placed the meat to sear it on the pan and the temperature was very high so suddenly there was a lot of smoke. I quickly turned the kitchen fan on and opened a couple of windows but it was too late, the smoke detectors started ringing. It got really loud with more trhan one activated by the smoke so I go check on Matias. His eyes are wide open but he sees me and smiles, he's ok. I finish searing the meat so it won't burn and place the filets in the oven so they will cook evenly. The alarms are still on so I'm waving some papers under the smoke detectors until finally they go quiet. I go back to Matias and he is relaxed, luckily he never freaked out with the noise.

After 10 minutes I take my steaks out of the oven and check them. A perfect medium rare. I serve it with some of yesterday's couscous and I have a delicious lunch. Those two minutes of loud stress were definitively worth it.

What did I watch?
The Country Girl: Nice little movie about an actor struggling with alcoholism. Interesting to see Bing Crosby on a serious role and Grace Kelly was really beautiful, even when she tried not to be.

F For Fake: Orson Welles's last movie is some sort of documentary about the life of two fakers, as he calls them, Elmyr de Hory and Clifford Irving. There is a nice twist in the end of the movie that plays a little with your mind and makes you question if any of the "facts" that were presented to you during the whole film where actually real or  conveniently fabricated by Welles to fit his story.