Chef Pete' at the grill

Tuna, if you missed it before

On August 12, 2009 I described fresh tuna steaks bought at Costco. I won't be repetitive because the tuna was cooked as before. This time we placed it over spaghetti squash and pan sauteed tomato halves topped with shaved parmesan cheese and garnished with fresh basil. The squash is a good fall accompaniment. Delicious.

Florida Meals

As I'm preparing to head south for the winter my mouth begins to water. Sorry to the  meat and potato folks out there but Florida offers me, fresh Stone Crabs. The ones with the hard ceramic shell and dipped in a mustard sauce or (in my opinion better) melted butter. A side of cole slaw or baked beans is wonderful. Expensive, yes. Delicious, yes. Easy and a good hot weather meal, yes. Although I've never been there, Joe's Crabs in Ft. Lauderdale is the ultimate restaurant for "stonies". But I'm in  Ft Myers and we get some of the best right there. Smaller is cheaper, jumbo is much more expensive and although there are less claws the meat is more plentiful. Experience can tell you which you like best. There is no cooking. They are pre cooked on the boat. AND, the crab does NOT die. They are only allowed to cut off one claw, which grows back.

My wife of 23 years introduced me to Stone Crabs. We eat them once a week. I, on the other hand, introduced her to soft shell crabs. A neat contrast to Stone Crabs. These are " maryland style" crabs that you eat before the shell hardens.You eat the whole thing. No plucking of small bits of meat out of a shell.  You have to get them at the right time but frozen is okay. Breaded with panko and sauteed or braised is great. If you ever see it on a menu, try it. A friend of mine who is really skeptical about "fish" things loved a Soft Shell Crab sandwich with a bottle of beer.  Eat, learn, be brave.
          Chef Pete', last night, opted for strip steak when he could have experienced beet rissoto. I too, would have. Although I like seafood most and fish also, steak is always acceptable.
     So much for today. I'm already thinking of my next entry.

Mangia bene, vivi felice
Eat well, live happy

Cold weather comfort

With Fall a day away we decided last night  to have soup. Beef Barley Soup. It was wonderful. We had it last year at my sisters and she shared the recipe. It is very adaptable to most any ingredients you like. Peas, mushrooms, or any of your favorites or whatever you have on hand, etc..  Remember Mirepoux is a mixture of onions, carrots and celery. A must for a lot of soups.

This is my sisters recipe. I think you'll find it accurate as well as humorous. I too think it fed the masses.

Beef Barley Soup

 So I don't really have a a formal recipe but I'll try to put it in steps---


Pre-cook some stew meat(1-1 and 1/2LB)--I usually use round--

Remove from pan to cool and save the juices. Then throw in about a cup of barley, 2-3 cans beef broth and 1 env. Lipton beefy onion soup

Cook that about an hour or so

In the meantime, in the food processor, chop up the mirepoux--celery, carrot, onion and a little garlic, all in one big batch.

Saute that in some butter till tender. Throw it in the soup pot and cook about 1/2 hour more or so. Add a spoonful of beef stock(if you have it)

Chop the beef up really fine --I usually shred it in the processor. Add it to the soup.

Add more broth or water as needed---which it usually does, esp after it sits and cools. You can't overcook it and you can't wreck it.

Supposedly you could thicken it with a roux but NEVER have I had to do that--usually it gets thick enough to eat with a fork. I think this is what Jesus served to the multitudes!!

Good luck, Bon appetit, etc.

Dinner Tonight: Fried Egg Sandwich | Serious Eats : Recipes

I love eggs. We had leftover chicken enchiladas last night with a fried egg on top.
I saw this recipe at serious eats.com. I was intrigued by the photo and love the egg yolk running out.
Yum for comfort food.

Dinner Tonight: Fried Egg Sandwich Serious Eats : Recipes

15 second gourmet

Thanks to Ray & Pat for this recipe. A real time saver. A picture is worth a thousand words.  FIGURE IT OUT!  hint = salad to dessert in one easy step.

So Much to Say

Like the title, Every Day is a Banquet. I like menus, if you want a recipe, I’ll try to give it to you. Remember, many entrees are created or altered along the way and not necessarily written down. Always an adventure.

Friday

Grillades with Parmesan grits, accompanied with corn on the cob sections

Comment: tender squares of round steak in a thick roux based tomato and beef sauce made with the holy trinity of onion, green pepper and onion.



Saturday

Salmon filets encrusted in pistachio and toasted almonds. Served over sautéed baby spinach with red onion and red peppers. All was drizzled with a caper and scallion beur blanc sauce. Accompaniment was a homemade dill flavored bread.

Comment: Nice presentation on square plate. Flavor was mild salty yet buttery . Dill bread was a great adition, especially at the end when we used it to sop up the remaining sauce.



Sunday

Family Day at the Lake to celebrate Jackson’s 4th B’Day. Grilled inch thick burgers with an artery clogging ( but delicious) potato casserole. All the accompaniments were included and dessert was, of course, birthday cake and Peach Pie. Either one of each or more likely a bit of both.



Monday

A new recipe. Korean style flank steak salad with a very unique and tasty dressing. YUM! We also sautéed halved tomato’s seasoned with S&P and olive oil. 3 minutes per side then topped with gorgonzola cheese, placed in oven at 325 degrees for about 6 minutes until cheese melts. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar prior to adding to the salad.

Comment: Unbelievable. Check out Epicurious.com for recipe at http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Korean-Style-Grilled-Flank-Steak-238936

Buck Run Salad by Chef Pete

He claims it was over the top, and healthy. Who am I to criticize? I'm going to try it in my test kitchen.



Buck Run Salad


1 lb. red potatoes (about 6), cut into 1-inch chunks

2 carrots, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices

1 small red onion, cut into thin wedges

1 Tbsp. olive oil infused w/ peppered sun-dried tomatoes

2 yellow squash

2 Tbsp. Pesto

1 Tbsp. minced garlic

1 pkg. (10 oz.) torn romaine lettuce

1/3 cup Light Ranch Dressing

2 Tbsp. Grated Parmesan Cheese



HEAT oven to 425°F.

COMBINE first 7 ingredients in 15x10x1-inch pan.

BAKE 25 min. or until tender, stirring after 15 min. Cool 5 min.

TOSS lettuce with dressing; place on 4 serving plates. Top with vegetable mixture and cheese.

Sprinkle salads with freshly ground black pepper.

Farmer Fred

Years ago a friend of Jim P. showed up with an appetizer that was still in the skillet and served over crackers, if I remember correctly. Whatever, it was great, different and addictive. So much so that Jim P., with his perverse cooking skills adopted it as his favorite recipe. Making all kinds of alterations to it depending on available ingredients.

I too have adopted it. Make it ahead of time. The flavors intensify. The veggies can change. Try it as a side dish, as an appetizer, serve it over pasta or rice. It's colorful, healthy, good tasting. Never skimp on the garlic.

Fred Holden’s Farm recipe June 2005

1 lb. Italian ground sausage or chicken
Cook sausage: drain.
Italian Olive oil (infused w/ sundried tomatoes)
Carrots chopped
Garlic minced > sautee
Cook on stove, covered for 10 to15 min.
Then add; yellow squash & zucchini sliced
Crushed tomatoes/ & cut up tomatoes
alternate also add potatoes/ pasta
Splash of red wine
Splash of Spicy bloody-mary mix
Sea Salt & fresh ground pepper
Cook covered 30 min. then cook as long as desired, longer the better
Sprinkle w/ Asiago cheese

As with many chef's recipe, there might be a few ingredients missing. Add as you'd like.



An interesting explanation and variation is provided by Wikipedia for Ratatouille (similar)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ratatouille

Enjoy

.

If you need organization

This article was posted in our local newspaper. I thought it was worth sharing. I have numerous folders and binders with recipes as well as my wifes index card system from ages ago. I need help, but do you think I'd accept it?

AP release by Deborah Yao
The Kitchen Software Cook-Off


08/23/09 4:00 AM PT

Recipe software is a great solution for home chefs who want to organize their recipes and learn to cook new dishes. There are a lot of programs out there to choose from, but BigOven's software is relatively inexpensive, and it features some unique social networking options.

For years, I have tucked away recipe cards of all shapes and sizes in nooks and crannies of my kitchen, determined that one day I would actually use them. Sadly, for many recipes, that day never came, partly because they were so disorganized.

However, cooking has been on my mind lately, thanks to Meryl Streep and her hilarious rendition of Julia Child in the new movie "Julie & Julia." Streep became my inspiration to get organized -- and in this digital age, what could be more fitting than using software to create a virtual recipe box?

Finding the right program took time, however.

Trial Tribulations

Some free programs were surreptitiously loaded with advertising and user-tracking software, while trial copies of a few others didn't provide enough access to the paid version's features to let me try before I buy. In one trial copy, an annoying window kept popping up urging me to buy the full version for US$79.95.

Furthermore, some software programs had no download option. With so many recipe software choices out there, I had no patience to wait for a CD by mail.

In the end, I narrowed my choices to three downloadable programs for Windows-based computers: Living Cookbook, eChef and BigOven for Windows Deluxe Edition. All three let me test most or all of the features for 30 days before buying.

The $39.95 eChef software was the simplest to use, but it lacked some features I wanted, such as automatic nutrition calculation.

Living Cookbook, available for $34.95 though its Web site, had good training tutorials and the ability to create a cookbook for free, complete with a glossary of recipes. It was my second choice.

BigOven edged ahead with its extensive social-networking features. At $29.95, BigOven also was the cheapest of the three finalists.

Recipe Sharing

BigOven -- the brainchild of Steve Murch, an entrepreneur who previously held management positions at Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) -- is easy to use and versatile enough for even the most exacting cooks.

Once you create a recipe, you can share it on the BigOven Web site, from which you can also add the recipe to Facebook . You can upload videos of yourself cooking, and perhaps be the next Internet star chef. BigOven even has a free iPhone app that links to your free BigOven.com online account.

BigOven offers a tutorial that walks you through the basic features, similar to other recipe programs.

Creating a recipe was a snap, although you have to type them all in, one by one. There is no option for scanning recipes in, though even if there were, converting handwriting could be problematic and potentially more time-consuming because of corrections you might have to make.

I made a digital recipe from memory for my home rendition of pasta puttanesca, my best effort at replicating the divine version I once ate in Positano, Italy.

I could e-mail the recipe or share it on Facebook, but I opted to post the recipe to BigOven.com. It was my first time ever to share a recipe online, and I felt a rush. People can try the recipe and comment on it, but alas, after five days, still nary a response.

Import Madness

To create a virtual recipe box to store my favorite recipes, I simply clicked on "file" followed by "new recipe box" -- which I named "French Cooking and more."

I wanted to fill it with other people's recipes from BigOven.com, but only those given five-star ratings by other cooks like me. Why waste time on something substandard? In keeping with the French theme in "Julie & Julia," I chose duck confit, bouillabaisse and Coquilles St. Jacques. After I try their recipes, I'll be sure to leave feedback.

I must confess that I got hooked on the "import" button. I find a recipe and click on "import" and -- bam! -- it magically saves to my recipe box.

Recipes can be tagged for easier searching. There are preset tags or you can create your own, like "Billy's favorite," giving you an easy way to pull out Billy's favorites whenever Billy's a bit fussy. One downside: Custom tags only give you 15 characters, so "Billy's favorites" actually came out as "Billy's favorit."

There are several search options to find a unique recipe. You can narrow down a recipe by rating, ingredient, cuisine, title and tags. So a search for mom's special turkey meatball recipe that was rated five stars by the family, and is Billy's favorite, will float to the top if these terms were used in the search.

Custom Cookbooks

BigOven also sports a shopping list that is a notch above those found in rival programs. I like the fact that it categorizes ingredients by grocery department.

So before I prepare a meal, I simply click "Add Shop" to get all the needed ingredients and their quantities onto my shopping list. I then can delete items I already have. Alternatively, I can drag and drop a recipe into the shopping list. Before heading to the grocery store, I can print the list out or send it to a Palm (Nasdaq: PALM) or Windows mobile device.

Meal planning is easy: Clicking "Add Cal" inserts the recipe into a calendar.

BigOven lets you create a custom cookbook as well, complete with a dedication page and colorful picture covers. It's $29.95 and up, through BigOven.com, on top of the price for the software.

Other recipe programs let you make a personal cookbook without an additional charge, but they can look like the amateur efforts they really are. BigOven's custom cookbook is nice enough to be given away as a gift.

It's about time I organized my recipes and BigOven makes it inexpensive, easy and engaging. "Julie & Julia" got me jazzed about cooking again. I still have that collection of French Provencal recipes somewhere around the house. I think I'll start there.

Herb & Veggie Greenhouse Options

Pictures submitted by Jim P.

 I'm not sure he thought of them as greenhouses but they are definitely unusual.

Sort of puts his "Door to Nowhere" (that he constructed in his back yard earlier this year) to a much smaller scale.  Needless to say, I appreciate Jim P's contribution as CGE.

He also came up with a novel weight loss/sous chef option this morning.  Think about it! A stationary bike that provides power to a food processor. Lose weight, get fit, and puree your veggies. Why didn't I think of that?

Comment on this one. I'm thinking gourmet, Jim P. thinks gourmet. I think bourbon infused sauce, he thinks bologna sandwich on blueberry bagel with Miracle Whip. True story. I'm shocked that he left off the pesto and sun dried tomato's. Always interesting to share recipes with him.

French and Kentucky Paired

I'm talking about some influence from a French sauce (Bordelaise) and a Kentucky Bourbon (Old Forester). It's something I do. I cook off the cuff and combine various recipes to end up with something that, in my mind, is appetizing. Sometimes good, sometimes okay. Here is last nights menu. Something that doesn't really have a recipe but well, it is high on my list based on last nights experience.


Sauteed Pork Medallions served with Parsley Mashed Potato's, a medley of sauteed peas, pea pods, garlic & onions and (See Deb's T-shirt inscription) a Bourbon infused Bordelaise sauce spiked with rosemary and a touch of butter. Presentation included a garnish of chives and a sprig of rosemary.


Salad was a simple fresh lettuce with halved red and yellow cherry tomato's, thin slices of red onion, pine nuts, Kalamata olives, shaved white cheddar cheese, all topped with a creamy poppyseed dressing.










Bon Appetit.

Dream location

Such a beautiful scene, could you begin to imagine the food and wine that accompanies it?

Photo shared with me by my friend Gary. Thanks.