Duck Confit over a White Bean and Kale Ragu

Made this dish the other day. Duck confit is actually super easy, despite it's fancy heritage. Just cover the duck legs with some olive oil (traditionally duck fat, but I only bought duck legs, so wouldn't be able to render the fat from the carcass) to about 2/3'rd up the side of the duck legs, add some aromatics (I used celery, carrot, onion, whole garlic cloves, and some thyme sprigs) then bump it in an oven set to about 265 degrees. Let it cook low and slow for about 3 hours. Once the time is up, remove the legs, and strain the oil, removing the solids, but reserving the fat. Place the legs at the bottom of a bowl, and then cover with said fat so that it completely submerses the duck legs, this is what makes it a 'confit', i.e. to preserve in it's own fat. I am told you can keep the legs like this, shelf stable, for like 2 months....I have never let a duck leg sit uneaten ANYWHERE for that long, so I can't say for sure. When it comes time to eat, just take the leg out of it's fatbath, scrape off the excess oil, and then pan sear (I use a non stick pan for this) the legs, skin side down at first until the skin is dark brown and crispy, and then the other side until it is warm all the way through.
This is a seriously unctuous dish, full of flavor and richness, give it a try sometime!

Pastrami!

Okay, going to try something new this BBQ season, home made pastrami. For this experiment (I will be updating this post for the next couple of days with the progress), I am going to use a flat cut,red, corned beef brisket (trimmed). A little research (and a failed experiment last week that left me with 4lbs of inedible hyper-salty brisket) suggests that on this, day one, I should soak the meat in cold water, 2 hours per pound, changing the water at the end of each 2 hour cycle. So for today, I have done just that.

Next, in preperation for tomorrows smoking, I have prepared a pastrami rub. It is as follows.

4 tbls of freshly ground black pepper

2 tbls of freshly ground coriander seed
1 tbls of brown sugar
1 tspn of garlic powder
1 tspn of paprika

mixed thoroughly and stored in a dry, dark space (light can kill the flavor of dried spices).

Check back in with me tomorrow,for pictures of the smoking!

Shrimp and Pork Potstickers, with Fried Rice

Made this the other night, they were SOOOOOO good! Here's the recipe (for the potstickers that is, fried rice is whatever you have in the fridge chopped up, cold cooked rice, and soy sauce)

½ lb Napa Cabbage
½ lb Ground Pork
½ lb Shrimp (chopped)
2 Tbs Soy Sauce
2 Tbs Dry Sherry/Rice wine
1 tsp Fresh Ginger (microplaned)
1 tsp Toasted Sesame Oil
1 tsp Granulated Sugar
¼ tsp Freshley ground black pepper
1 large Egg
1 package Thicker cut potsticker wrappers (found in asian markets)

For the filling:

Place cabbage and salt in a fine mesh strainer and toss with your hands to coat cabbage with salt. Place strainer over a large bowl and let sit for 10 minutes.
1. After 10 minutes, squeeze any liquid from the cabbage with your hands, discard liquid, and place cabbage in the bowl used for straining.
2. Add remaining ingredients and, using hands, mix thoroughly, pressing mixture against the side of the bowl until it forms a sticky mass.


To form and cook:

Fill a small bowl with room-temperature water; set aside. Lay a wrapper on a clean work surface and place 1 tablespoon of the filling in the center. Dip your finger in the water and trace around the edge of the wrapper to moisten. Fold the wrapper in half by bringing the bottom up to the top, then pinch the midpoint to seal. To the right of the midpoint, and only on the top side of the wrapper, fold three pleats angling back toward the midpoint. Pinch each pleat to seal. Repeat with three pleats to the left of the midpoint, making sure the pot sticker is completely sealed (that last step is from the official recipe...my hands shake something awful, and did a piss poor job making the pleats, and it still came out great, so don't sweat it if they look kind of hinky). Lift the pot sticker off the work surface from the midpoint so that the pleats are vertical and facing you. Gently push down to form a flat bottom. Place on a baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Repeat with remaining filling and wrappers. At this point, the pot stickers can be frozen and cooked later (that's what I did, they freeze great!).
1. In a large nonstick pan with a tightfitting lid, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Place 12 pot stickers in a circle facing the same direction (they will look like the spokes of a wheel). Fry undisturbed until the bottoms are light golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes.
2. Reduce heat to medium and carefully add 1/4 cup of the room-temperature water (be careful because the oil may spatter). Cover and cook for 3 minutes. Uncover and, using tongs, turn the pot stickers onto their unpleated sides. Continue cooking until all the water has evaporated, the filling is cooked through, and the unpleated sides are golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes more. Remove the pot stickers to a plate, wipe the skillet clean with paper towels, and repeat in 2 more batches. Serve with a dipping sauce made with soy sauce, ginger, scallion, and toasted sesame oil.

Mmmmmmmmmmmm.

Gyros. Home made. Soooo good. First I minced some onion in the food processor, and then some garlic as well. I then took 1lb of ground lamb, and pulsed it in the old food processor with the onion and garlic, until it was a fine grind, then added a tablespoon or so of dried oregano, a teaspoon of marjoram, and a healthy bit of salt and pepper, and mixed it well. Press this mix into a loaf pan, and cook it at about 325 degrees in a water bath (see the photo above) for about 45 minutes, give or take a few, and then put a weight on top of the meat (I used another loaf pan, and then balanced my cast iron skillet on top of that, plenty heavy enough) and press it for about 15 minutes.
Gyros are served with a wonderful yogurt based sauce called tsajici. I get some Greek yogurt, an english cucumber (I like these better than a standard cuke, but if you use the standard, I would peel it, and scoop out the seeds with a spoon, as the seed bed in the standard is wetter and looser than an english, and can thin out you tsajici), a lemon, and salt and pepper, nice and simple. Take about one quarter of the english cucumber and peel the skin off, then dice the meat finely. With your veggie peeler, scrape off two strips of the zest of the the lemon, and mince it, add both to your bowl of yogurt. Squeeze the juice of the lemon into your mix, add salt and pepper to taste, and ta-daa!!! You have made tsajici! I let it set for at least an hour to allow the flavors to marry, and wouldn't recommend using it before that.
Traditionally served on warm, soft pita, I got this idea one night when we were enjoying Indian food.Naan bread is the perfect choice to simulate excellent pita (most pita from the grocery store tends to be stale and crumbly when folding, this fixes that issue). Just follow the instructions on the packaging, excluding the butter and water (both are not necessary) and brace yourself for Greek sandwich bliss.

When the meat has finished resting, slice it on long thin strips and place on your now warm "pita" bread. Dollop on your tsajici, and then add whatever toppings suit your fancy. I put fresh lettuce and tomato, but really there are no rules. Roll that bad boy up and get to work on one of the greatest sandwiches in the world.

I would have had a picture of the final project, but it was soooo good I lost control of myself and ate it all up before I could snap a pic. I have no self control.

Wow, is it Friends Thanksgiving already???!!?? How the time does fly!

Yep, you all might remember last year, around this very same weekend, me and a group of friends meet up and have 'Friends Thanksgiving', it's like real Thanksgiving, only without the fighting siblings and shreiking mother.

I have the turkey in the oven (last year I barbecued the turkey, and it rocked, but it's pouring rain outside, so no 'cue for me), and have made so much stuffing I could pack 4 birds. All's left for me to handle is the gravy, as we do this thing pot luck style.

Fortunately for me, we are doing this on a Saturday this year, as last years Sunday debacle went on entirely too late, with whiskey being shot to the wee morning ours and a very bleary eyed, and mostly drunk DeviledHam staggering into work on Monday morning smelling like a turkey on a 3 week bender.

Wish me luck this year, and maybe I'll snap some photos of the festivities!!!

Happy Friends Thanksgiving to everyone!!!! And lay off the whiskey this year, or wife's gonna leave you!

Foodie Meme!!!!!!

Saw this meme over at SamuraiFrog's joint, and it looked kind of interesting....and it's a post!

1. Venison: Oh, hell yeah, I loves me some Bambi
2. Nettle tea: No, not a big tea bagger (snicker)
3. Huevos rancheros: So. Freakin'. Good.
4. Steak tartare: Yes, if you love steak, you would love this.
5. Crocodile: No, but I have had alligator....it was overcooked sadly, so kind of tough.
6. Black pudding: Mmmmmmm. Love it with my Irish breakfast
7. Cheese fondue: Haven't had it in a long time, but what's better than melted cheese and bread?
8. Carp: Yeah, it's ok, not a favorite, but I ate it.
9. Borscht: A wondorful soup with an unfortunate name....the color is unbeleivable
10. Baba ghanoush: Yeah, but not a giant fan
11. Calamari: I love this stuff, I love to cook it, I love to eat it..my favorite is Rhode Island style, with jalapeno peppers and a spicy aoli to dip it in.
12. Pho: Ain't nothing finer than a giant bowl of Pho, so simple, so nice
13. PB&J sandwich: Was always just a straight up peanut butter man myself, I have always had a lack of a sweet tooth.
14. Aloo gobi: Never had this particular dish, unfortunately
15. Hot dog from a street cart: I love just about anything from a street cart.
16. Epoisses: I am at a loss, I have no idea what this is.
17. Black truffle: Oh yes, was a popular ingredient at the last real cooking job I had (the pub does not count, that was just pub grub)
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes: No. I'm more about beer, wine is for cooking
19. Steamed pork buns: My wife bought scads of these recently...the kind she bought are too sweet for my taste, but I did try them...I much prefer a pot sticker instead.
20. Pistachio ice cream: No, no sweet tooth
21. Heirloom tomatoes: Absolutely, one of the nicest things you can eat, really.
22. Fresh wild berries: Blueberries, but they were small and very tart where I grew up.
23. Foie gras: Sure, when I worked in haute cuisine I would have it, pretty nice stuff but it's about as healthy as eating a stick of butter (and maybe even worse than that)
24. Rice and beans: I make a mean Arroz con Frijoles, with home made saffrito and green olives (seriously, try it, you'll like it!)
25. Brawn, or head cheese: If you ever saw the first part of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, you would not be able to touch this stuff....besides, it's icky.
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper: Yup, me and the other cooks got into a pepper eating contest....I puked it got so bad.
27. Dulce de leche: No, but it's sweet, so I was never interested
28. Oysters: Like eating a bite of the ocean itself....in a good way.
29. Baklava: Again with the sweetness......now spanakopata (spelling?), that I love.
30. Bagna cauda: Yup, but not since my Grandma died.
31. Wasabi peas: Sure, wasabi is the best.
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl: Maybe not in a sourdough bowl, but in a bread bowl....I am from Boston, so the chowder flows like wine here.....and I wouldn't have it any other way.
33. Salted lassi: Here's another one I don't recognize....I am such a bad foodie.
34. Sauerkraut: Sauted with seared keilbasa, or served warm on a yummy ass reuban....I love the stuff.
35. Root beer float: While I have tried it, it's not to my taste.
36. Cognac with a fat cigar: I have had cognac, I have had cigars...never at the same time.
37. Clotted cream tea: No, and it doesn't sound like something I would like.
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O: Sure, I was young once too you know
39. Gumbo: Sure have.
40. Oxtail: Is their nothing better than an oxtail stew, all sticky and thick with marrow??? Answer: No, no their isn't.
41. Curried goat: If I go out for Indian food, I will almost ALWAYS order some sort of curried goat.
42. Whole insects: Not intentionally. (answer stolen from SamuraiFrog, sorry dude, it's a good answer)
43. Phaal: Nope, dont' recognize it.
44. Goat's milk: I don't drink cow's milk, why on earth would I drink a goats?
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$130 or more: Oh yes......yes indeed.
46. Fugu: This is blowfish correct? If so, than count me down as scared of it....probably wouldn't try it and probably couldn't afford it if I wanted to.
47. Chicken tikka masala: Yessiree bob, it's a great dish.
48. Eel: No, but only because I haven't seen a dish that appeals to me yet....I would if the dish is right.
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut: No.
50. Sea urchin: Yes, again, we prepared these at a resteraunt I used to work at, and served the meats in the hollowed out spiky shells, very dramatic presentation.
51. Prickly pear: Yes, tricky to use (flavor wise that is) but not unpleasent.
52. Umeboshi: Don't know what this is.
53. Abalone: No, but would love to try it....It's pretty expensive these days though.
54. Paneer: Is this a bread? I don't know what it is.
55. McDonald's Big Mac Meal: Yes, absolutely....me likey special sauce.....try making your own big macs from scratch...it's awesome!!!
56. Spaetzle: Nice fluffy lumps of soft buttery dough....like little gnochi, I love em.
57. Dirty gin martini: No. Doesn't this have olive juice? That doesn't sound too good.
58. Beer above 8% ABV: Sure, in Canada they have this, and some specialty brews here in America.
59. Poutine: No, but I am DIEING to...cheese+gravy+frenchfries??? That sounds like what heaven is going to be like.
60. Carob chips: Nope
61. S'mores: No way.
62. Sweetbreads: Sure, surprisingly, very good.
63. Kaolin: Yet another unknown food item for me.
64. Currywurst: This does not sound like a sausage that I would want to eat.
65. Durian: Again, nope, don't know that one.
66. Frogs' legs: Yes, I liked them fine.
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake: Naw, not my style.
68. Haggis: I would try it.
69. Fried plantain: Delicous, yes, I have had them.
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette: Don't believe so, are these like cracklings?
71. Gazpacho: Hells yeah, my old co-worker Alonzo made the best, it was positively addictive.
72. Caviar and blini: Yeah, but I am not a fan
73. Louche absinthe: Not yet.
74. Gjetost, or brunost: Don't know either of these things.
75. Roadkill: Umm....no.
76. Baijiu: Yikes, another food I don't recognize, how embarassing.
77. Hostess Fruit Pie: I have had them as a kid, but it's just too sugary for me.
78. Snail: I freaking LOVE escargot, it's really just a butter and garlic delivery system.
79. Lapsang souchong: This is chinese sausage no? If so then I have had it.
80. Bellini: Yes, but not my favorite
81. Tom yum: Maybe.
82. Eggs Benedict: As a breakfast chef to the tune of six years, I make slamming eggs benny, my hollandaise is strong.
83. Pocky: ????
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant: No, but would love to (if I could afford it)
85. Kobe beef: Sooooooooooooooo good.
86. Hare: I love rabbit, and want to pick some up real soon.
87. Goulash: Yeah, it's pretty good. Their's a great Hungarian/French resteraunt in Boston that I love, and makes really nice goulash.
88. Flowers: Sure, edible flowers are a very popular garnishs, and crab stuffed squash blossoms are the bomb-diggidy.
89. Horse: No. And I wouldn't ever, horses are for riding, not eating.
90. Criollo chocolate: Nope
91. Spam: Absolutely.
92. Soft shell crab: One of my favorite things to eat, period. Prepping the little buggers is kind of sick, they are alive, and you have to cut off their faces and rip out their lungs.....prepping a crate provides a sick mantra of "cut of the face, rip out the lungs, cut off the face, rip out the lungs".
93. Rose harissa: I don't know what this is, either.
94. Catfish: Love's me some catfish.
95. Mole poblano: I love making Mole sauces, poblano, verde, etc. And they freeze wondorfully.
96. Bagel and lox: Certainly. Lox is great, but I prefer smoked salmon over it, it's like fish bacon.
97. Lobster Thermidor: Eh. I have had it, but don't see what all the hubbub is about.
98. Polenta: Polenta is amazing. I love it formed into cakes and then pan seared, served with butter and syrup like a pancake....or in it's loose form with butter, along side a nicely cooked piece of chicken, with a good sauce to stir into it. All around a great side dish.
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee: No.
100. Snake: Nope.
111. Elk: No. But I would try it in a heartbeat.
112. Ostrich: Very good meat, like steakbirds.
113. Moose: No. But again, would do it in a heartbeat.
114. Whole hog BBQ: One of my favorite kind of events. I just love it.
115. Wine @ >$400/bottle: No way, that's way too much money for a drink I don't particularly care for.
116. Home made bacon/sausage: No to bacon, yes to sausage. I was the chief sausage maker at the Boston Harbor Hotel for several years.
117. Chocolate and chilis: Nope.
118. Chittlins: Yes.
119. Moonshine: No, but I would try it.
120. Quail eggs: Yes, so elegant!
121. Monkfish liver: No, and it doesn't sound that appealing. Monkfish, however, is lovely.
122. Live scallop: No, but I would give it a shot.
123. Fried chicken giblets: Oh sure, but I prefer just regular fried chicken.
124. Duck cracklings: There are precious few parts of a duck I wouldn't eat, and this is one of my favorites.
125. Grappa: Nope, can't say that I have

Well, that list was a little longer than I had thought it was, but now you can get a better idea of what my culinary tastes and experience entails.

Cooking with Devilham, the man, not the pork product

Here's what I made my wife and I for dinner (at her request) the other night, Fish Tacos, Nachos, and homemade Margaritas.


Fish tacos are dead easy, I used tilapia for the fish, cut it in strips and lightly floured it, then deep fried it. In a cast iron skillet on medium low I softened my corn tortillas by lightly brushing them with olive oil and searing them for a few seconds then covered them with a bowl and put them aside.

I made a lovely sauce with half mayonnaise, half sour cream and a chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (that's a smoked jalapeno in a tomato garlic sauce) blended in to both, and a salsa verde by roasting some tomatillas, jalapenos, onion, garlic, and a serrano chili under the broiler, then tossing them all into the blender with some lime juice and cilantro. Served up with some shredded cabbage and some cheese, it was a lovely meal.

Dinner guests tonight!

Couple of my friends are coming over tonight, and we are going to make home made Philly cheesesteaks!!! We've done this in the past when I used to work at the pub at the end of my street (actually, it was shortly after I left the pub, but was still drinking there and advising the new cook),after I had returned from a road trip through Philadelphia, and enjoyed the fare at the famous Pat's King of Steaks, the owner of the pub let me cook in the kitchen one last time (with the ingredients I brought) and I served up some cheesesteaks to my friends, and a couple of lucky bar patrons.

There are a couple of unique things about the Pat's steak that I feel are worth mentioning. First, the onions are diced, this is huge. At most places the onions are julienned, creating long wet, hot strands that drag grease and chease onto your chin, and not in your mouth where grease and cheese should go. Secondly the cheese of choice is Cheese Whiz! Now don't get your knickers in a twist over this, I love real cheese, all cheeses, but in this instance you cannot beat the dayglow orange goodness that is cheese whiz. The cheese sauce mixes with the meat juice and forms a flavor sauce that seeps into the bread (in a good way, not soggy) and is just unbelievable...you will just have to trust me on this one.

It's good fun to create home made versions of well loved fast foods. Someday I will blog on my home made Big Macs...there awesome!!! The secret is shredding your lettuce!

Ack! It's Monday already???!!??

Man do these one day weekends fly by, let me tell you.

Not a very busy Sunday as I have a firm policy in place during tax season that I do absolutely NOTHING on Sundays and only entertain people who understand that this policy is set in stone. You come over on Sunday, be prepared to sit on the couch in your PJ's and drink beer...and maybe I'll cook something nice, as that's pleasurable for me, so it doesn't count as 'doing something'.

Like what, you say? Why I'm glad you asked, as I made a pretty damn good dinner last night if I do say so myself, and I'm a gonna tell you all about it right now.

First, you should know that last week my wife bought a package of figs. I haven't used figs much, but told her I would come up with something, but to be honest, I hadn't up to yesterday afternoon thought of anything, until my wife came back from the grocery store (hey! Don't call me a cad, refer to the policy mentioned earlier in the post!) with something I could definitely work with. Two beautiful long island duck breasts!

A menu started to form in my mind from all the stuff we have had in the fridge...I had a bunch of brussell sprouts from the previous week that needed to be used up...some bacon in the freezer...half a block of muenster cheese left over from a casserole I made a ways back, and some shredded cheddar....yeah, yeah! This is shaping up nice!

Let me tell you, nothing gets me off like using up old stuff from other meals (well, not old, just in the fridge and not purposefully bought for this meal), I think all cooks love to do this, as it's frugality at it's best.

SOOOO, I sliced up some baker potatoes on me trusty mandolin, nice and thin, and float them in water so they don't discolor. Meanwhile I have a bechamel sauce going on the stove, that I thicken even further with about half of the shredded cheese. You see where I'm going with this don't you? Potatoes Au Gratin.....I could eat nothing but variations on this dish from now til the day I day. Which would probably be about two years down the road, this shit is rich.

The brussell sprouts I cut in half and blanched in boiling salted water, then shocked them in ice when they reached the correct color and tenderness. These I would pan sear with bacon (I rendered the bacon first, about one slice worth, at low heat to the point that is was cooked, but not crispy, yet, then I turn up the heat to full and add the sprouts, this crisps the bacon, and adds a nice caramelized sear to the flat parts of the sprouts...remember, they were halved).

The duck I kept simple, scoring the skin in a criss cross pattern, seasoned with just salt and pepper. I pan seared it on medium low in a cast iron skillet (I fucking love my cast iron pans, they rock when it comes time to sear something), rendering the fat out of the skin and making it dark golden brown and delicious. I flipped the breasts over and bumped them in the oven to finish cooking. Many chefs like to cook their duck rare to medium rare, I prefer it somewhere between medium and medium rare myself. There is still juices, still a blush of red, and it's still tender and good, but you don't have that raw meat texture that can be kind of a turn off in large quantities. It's nice to know you don't have to worry about salmonella with ducks, as they do not carry this food borne illness.

Lastly I prepared the sauce, I cut up the figs my wife had procured, and sauteed them with a minced shallot and some garlic for a minute or two. I then deglazed the sauce pan with some red wine, and added some chicken stock (I always have home made stock on hand, it's one of the things that I love to do for myself, and when you make it, it makes your whole house smell like awesome chicken soup, best thing in the world on a cold winters day), and after tasting, decided a splash of soy sauce was also needed. I reduced this down to a syrupy consistency and then strained out the solids with a fine sieve.

When it was ready to plate, I put a nice cut of the gratin in the center of the plate (at this point I had let it rest to allow the sauce and cheese to set up some, also the duck had been resting as well, best thing for a duck if you ask me), then scattered the sprouts around the nice square cut of gratin. Then I sliced the duck nice and thin on the bias, giving me nice thin slices with a crispy outer skin, and fanned that on top of the gratin. Lastly I drizzled the syrupy fig sauce on the duck and around the plate, it looked great, and as my old chef used to tell me, if the food looks good, it tastes good before it gets in your mouth.

It tasted awesome, the smooth creaminess of the gratin was nicely balanced by the tart sweetness of the fig sauce, and brussell sprouts and bacon are two of my favorite things, and they go awesome together. All in all, not a very healthy meal, but it was delicious. I wish I had pictures for you folks, but alas, I was too lazy to take them. I hope I painted a good enough picture with my words.

Why don't you make something interesting to eat this week and post about it?

Mukasey Applies for the Position

President Bush eagerly accepts the 'application' from now Attorney General Michael Mukasey.

Aaaaaaaaand speaking of turkey my friends and I got together this Saturday and celebrated a beautiful holiday we refer to as Friends Thanksgiving.

Many friends of mine don't have family who live close enough by that they can go home and have their prospective mothers fix them up a holiday turkey, and some of us that do have that luxury, kind of dread it because our families are crazy. It's a lose lose situation.

I happen to love thanksgiving (despite my crazy family), so I invented the holiday 'Friends Thanksgiving', a holiday so nice, I do it twice.

So the gang came over on Sunday and I barbecued a whole turkey (it came out amazing, slow smoked, dark mahogany color, deep rich flavor...unbelievable), brewed up some gravy, and made enough stuffing to feed all of Boston. We had a great time, I might have even had TOO good a time, as I had to work on Monday, but was still doing whiskey shots at 10 at night. That was a tactical error.

Riding into work on the train I bumped into two girls I worked with, and had to confess that I was still a little tipsy from the night before. Which as you professionals know, it just means the hangover is coming a little later on, as opposed to right when you wake up.

In the end, I recommend a day like Friends Thanksgiving, a lot less stressful than the real thing, and the holidays are far more fun when spent with the loved ones you chose, as opposed to those thrust on you (not that I don't love my fam, I do, it's just trying at times is all).

Hi! I've been busy, and I know it's been awhile, so I've cooked you some things to make amends!

First, I made a pan Pizza. This is easily done if you have the right kind of pan. In this case, it's cast iron....man, I love my cast iron pans.
In case you were wondering, that's salami on it, my current favorite cold cut.

Then (and I am sorry, I don't have a finished product shot of this), but I made shrimp scampi, my wife insisted. First I like to get all my ingredients prepped and ready to go.

You'll see I have some grated Parmesan, lemon zest, onion, garlic, tomato, parsley, and though you can't see it here, some white wine and cold butter cubed up. And of course, shrimp peeled and de-veined (and PLEASE, PLEASE, it's a pet peeve of mine, but if your going to serve shrimp in a dish (as opposed to 'cocktail style', where I have no problem with this) TAKE OFF THE TAIL SHELL!!!! it's the polite thing to do).

I saute the shrimp first, partially, then remove it. Add the onion until wilted and translucent, then the garlic. De glaze the pan with the white wine and then let it reduce. Once it's near depleted, add the COLD cubed butter and work it into the mix (your making a butter sauce, or a buerre blanc (I don't know how to spell it, just how to make it), making sure not to let it boil (this will cause your sauce to 'break', i.e. water separates from the fat...my old chef would make you throw it out). Now toss in your cooked pasta and shrimp, add the tomato and parsley, and cook til' warm. Serve with some crusty bread to mop it up.

What's this? It's been two days since the scampi and you still have left over bread??? I am glad you came to me then! Did you know for under $4 dollars (at least here in Boston) you can get 2lbs of muscles? You didn't? Well you can! And let me tell you, once you find that out, you'll make them twice a month for sure. Again, prepare your mise en place (everything in it's place..i.e. prep). Here I have some slices of that day old bread, drizzled with olive oil, salt and pepper, some onion, julienned, garlic, green beans, tomato and chopped parsley. Also some white wine (yes, a lot of the same ingredients as the scampi, I know, but it's how you save money, using the same ingredients, but making different meals), heavy cream, grainy Dijon mustard, and last, but certainly not least, some double smoked bacon...I love this stuff, it's slab bacon, that's been smoked twice so it has this amazing smoky flavor and a rich mahogany color... I would put it on ice cream (if I ate ice cream that is). I think it goes without saying that I have some muscles in my sink rinsed off and culled of the dead ones. A little trick I use to find the live ones is this (since it's not just that they have there shells shut, some live ones are open), give the open ones a flick with your finger, and then put aside as you rinse and inspect the rest, if when your done inspecting, the shell has not closed, then he is dead, if the shell is shut, then the sneaky bastard was just playing possum. We will have none of that. Render out your bacon first, then add your onions to soften and become translucent.


Add the garlic, and let it go for about 15 seconds, then deglaze with white wine. Throw in your muscles and then put a lid on your pan. When all the muscles have opened, pull them out of the pan (don't worry if bacon and or onions stick to the shell, no big deal, they will go back in soon enough), and reduce the wine and muscle juice. Add the cream and about 2 tbls of grainy mustard and let simmer for about 2 minutes, then re-introduce the muscles.


I forgot to mention that while all this was happening, you would be toasting the bread in your broiler until golden brown and delicious.


Place your bread, well, now it's a crostini, in the center of your plate, and scoop a big heap o' muscles on top, and don't be shy with the broth neither, as it's unbelievable when it's soaked into your bread...er...crostini.

Grab a glass of that white wine you had there and enjoy! Can you believe it's only $4 dollars for 2lbs of these things??!!!?? I mean, that's just one serving right there!!!!

Boiled Dinner, one of my favorites

Tonight (or to be exact, today) I am making one of my all time favorite meals, Irish American Boiled Dinner, I say Irish American, because I have been told by actual Irish people from Ireland, that they don't eat this dish, they use another cut of meat.

But I'm not from Ireland, my great grandparents, yes, they were, but not me (my grandfather was even an Irish cop in Boston, Sgt. Joe McGill, he was the Sgt. of the Division 16 police station, so let it be known that my family embraces our stereotypes...I'm even a drunk!), so I'm using corned beef brisket for my boiled dinner.

Preparation is as simple as can be, cover the brisket with cold water, about an inch over the top of the brisket (mind you, it will float, so approximate), you could, at this point, just get it a' simmering (it's been corned, i.e. brined in a salty flavorful solution), but I like to add a couple of extra flavors here, so I added 4 bay leaves, one onion (approximately, I actually used left over onion ends I had from other dishes, and don't be afraid to throw em in skin and all, we will be straining the pot liquor later) and about a quarter cup of whole peppercorns. Set your stove to medium low, and let this thing simmer for at least 4 hours, or until fork tender.

I then pull out the meat, and rest it in a roasting pan, I strain the pot liquor (the left over water from the simmer) removing the peppercorns and spent onions. I use this liquid to boil the vegetable components of this dish, cabbage, potato, and carrot.

Lastly, I crank up my oven, and place the brisket in the oven at a very high temp, what I want is to get a quick brown crust on the outside (as far as I know, I am the only person who likes to do this step, but I do like it, it's just not the usual method is all). Once the crust is established, slice against the grain into luscious thin strips and serve with your veggies and a side of mustard, it's Irish American bliss.

I saw The Departed yesterday, and wanted to reconnect with my roots.

The Jeannie Jonston Pub

The last restaurant I worked in before hanging up my apron for good and retiring from professional food service was the pub at the end of my street. I was still kind of recovering from my broken leg, and wanted some part time work while I continued on with school (for the computers), so I walked on down the street and asked if they were looking for help. The bartender seemed very eager for me to fill out an application, but they were out, so he asked if I could come back later, which I did.

I rolled in again around 5:30 and the owner Hank had arrived, they wanted me to start right then and there! Okay, I said, why not, let me just get my tools (knives, spatulas, etc., I kept it all in a toolbox from my hotel cooking days), and we'll get this party started. You see, the head cook of the pub had gone MIA (turns out he was in the poky) and the owner had been cooking for the last 3 days.....and he ain't no cook, believe me.

It was a trial by fire, the kitchen was a disaster area, food was unwrapped and unlabeled, meats had turned, in short, it was a shitshow. However, I am a professional, and I cleaned up as I went along, threw out the bad foods, and wrapped and labeled the good, all the while cooking up a menu that was brand spanking new to me (not THAT big a deal, since it was pub grub, but still, when you don't know where everything is it can be hard, oh, and I also had to do the dishes too, the kitchen was literally too small for another body to be in there doing dishes).

A few days later the full time guy got out of jail. The owner told me since I helped him out of a pinch, that I could pick which days I wanted to work, I chose Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and noooo weekends (I had school on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and every other Saturday), for awhile there life was sweet.

The head cook, however, was a slob...oh, and a crack addict, and he didn't like what I was doing to his little world. One day I stopped by for a beer on one of my off days, and he tried to tell me to stop wrapping and labeling the prep work on my days because it's too difficult for him to unwrap it for use!!! I just looked at him for a few seconds, and then said "yeah, I can't do that".

Let me tell you something about myself, in the kitchen, I am a bit of a control freak. It's my nature to fix what's wrong in a kitchen and get the ship steering right, this was not to the liking of the head cook, so he did what any sane person would do, smoked a ton of crack, beat his wife and got thrown in jail for 6 months, problem solved!

I told the owner Hank "look man, you need a head cook, school is wrapping up for me, let me do one year here for you, fix your kitchen, fix your menu, and make this a place where people would want to eat", he was happy to take the offer. That following year I did all the ordering, cooking, cleaning and menu retuning for the pub, it was a pretty good time, and when my shift was done, he let me drink for free, which was HUGE (well hugely dangerous, I kinda drank too much during that period).

All told, I worked there for one year (plus a few months extra as a favor while we looked for a suitable replacement), and still drink there to this day, in fact, less than 24 hours ago to be exact. I met people who I will be friends with for life, and some folk who I never want to see again, all told it was a fun year, and a great way to hang up my hat on the cooking world. I will leave you with a picture of me, in the window of the Jeannie J, screaming to be let out (you can see this photo and more on the Jeannie Jonston's web site where I am still (it's been 3 years now Hank, change the site!) listed as an employee...I am Unkle Joe)

Who wants a slice of Calzone???

Okay, let's talk about an easy no fuss dinner that you can make yourself, you can serve it for dinner, or slice it smaller and serve it as an appetizer or hors de vors at your next dinner party.

While you could make your own calzone/pizza dough (they are identical), I have found that your local supermarket or bakery can provide you with a perfectly portioned parcel of dough for very little er, dough. Lame joke I know.


Buying your dough will save you HOURS of time, believe me. Pizza dough is easy to make, but the rising process is time consuming, I would just assume buy it than wait that long. HOWEVER, you will have to wait some, as if you try and roll out cold pizza dough, you are fixing up a recipe for frustration (believe me, in my restaurant days I had been known to have meltdowns and throw uncooperative dough across the kitchen, but what can you do when the orders are up?). So do yourself a favor, let the dough rest at room temperature (or even a bit warmer), in a flour lined bowl, covered with a damp tea towel. You can use it when it's room temperature.

In the meantime, whilst you wait patiently on your dough to proof and get pliable, you can prep the fixins. I want to stress that you can stuff these bad boys with anything you want, healthy things, unhealthy things, hard things, soft, you get it, I have even heard tell of desert calzones...but that sounds gross to me (I have no sweet tooth).



So I started by searing up some of Tony's awesome sausage links (Tony is the butcher of my local Italian butcher shop, he is a sweet genius of meat). Once the sausage had cooked out I threw in some onions and peppers to carmelize in the lovely pork juices.



Once my dough is ready, I rollout it out on a floured surface into a big oblong oval (is that redundant? I think it might be), I roll it out pretty thin, less than a centimeter thick, but not much thinner than that, think a thin crust pizza. Then arrange the fixins in a line down the center of the oval and liberally apply your favorite cheese, I like good ol' mozzarella for this, fold in the ends and wrap er up like an envelope. I like to tuck the excess underneath, so it looks neat and seamless.



Place the whole rigamarole onto a lightly greased cookie sheet, at this point I also like to cut slices in the top of the calzone, it looks nice, and releases excess steam while cooking, it's a good thing. Brush all exposed sides of the calzone with an egg wash (merely a beaten egg, with a splash of water to loosen it up some), season the outside with some salt and pepper, and I like to grate some fresh Parmesano Regiano on the top, it melts nice, and looks pretty, but you can sprinkle poppy seeds, or sesame seeds, or nothing at all, it's your calzone bub, not mine.

Pop it in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy. I like to give the ends (where the dough is thickest) a good tap, if it sounds hollow, I know the dough has cooked through to the center. Allow it to cool for at least 10 minutes, as the cheese will be MOLTEN hot, and the fixins will spill out on you if you don't. Slice it up nice and enjoy with a cold beer or a glass of wine, yumm!