Greek Vinaigrette

I came across a new recipe for a greek vinaigrette so I whipped some up this morning for my lunch time salad. It is wonderful. It reminds me of having a gyro salad at the Gyro House in Quincy. I loved those salads. I am not sure if they are open anymore.

1/2 cop olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1/2 tsp of oregano
1 tsp of sugar

Mix well

Breakfast at Tiffany's nope breakfast at Denny's

Denny's has taken over the restaurant at the Flying J in Wayland, Mo. They just opened. We decided to go there for breakfast this morning. We got there at the right time because soon after were arrived the crowd started to grow and there was a line waiting to be seated. It was a wet sunday morning here, a lot of the customers were coming from the mule festival in Kahoka.
It looked like they were maybe understaffed. It took a while to get our orders. While we waited a table over across from us got their orders. All four diners complained that their food was cold. A manager came out to talk to them then all four got up and left with their food on the table. I thought about raiding the food but the staff cleared the table pretty cook, naturally so because people were standing in line and that line was growing.
Our food came and it was wonderful, and yes it was hot. I ordered the ultimate omelet with hash browns and toast. It was delish. Everyone at our table got great food. There was plenty of it as well. I was the only one to clean my plate. My oldest son, Colton, tackled the double hamburger and and he was victorious, but he couldn't get thru the fries.
We were all satisfied with the service and the food. It was a gastro experience.

Tortas Ahogadas--- Who wants a drowned sandwich?

Some how, I came to be in possesion of 1/2 pound of dried arbol chile peppers. I hit the internet searching for a recipe to use them. I came acrossed a recipe for tortas ahogadas. One night I made two of them for dinner. They were wicked awesome. What made the whole dish was the arbol sauce, it rocked. So you are now wondering , what the hell is tortas ahogadas.
Let's travel down to old mexico. In the state of Jalisco, and the town Guadalajara, is the home to a wonderful, open face sandwich, submerged in arbol chile sauce. Tortas ahogadas translates to "drowned snadwich." The bread for this sandwich birote salado, it has a thick crunchy crust and a softer interior. They use this bread because it won't crumble when submerged in arbol chile sauce. The main protein is usually roasted pork.
They can be loaded up with several different fillings, such as tomatoes, refried beans, onions, or others. You can order different options, such as "media ahogada" which is half dipped and "bien ahogada" is well drowned or dipped. They are very messy but still eaten with bare hands.
This is a very popular street vender fare. You can also get one with tomato sauce rather than the arbol chile sauce.
Here is my recipe
Sauce
4 oz dried arbol chile peppers
1 cup vinegar
2 garlic cloves minced
kosher salt

Cut the top off of the chiles. Soak them in hot water for 30 minutes. Put all ingredients in a blender and puree. Some recommend straining the sauce to avoid large chunks of the chile pepper.
Sandwich
1-2 pounds of pork sliced thin
olive oil
4 rolls or buns
1 can of refried beans warmed up
1 big tomato
1 yellow onion

Saute the pork, making sure it cooked thru. Cut almost all of the way thru your bun. Spread the refried beans on the botton of the bun. Place the pork slices on top of the beans then add tomato and onion. Then depending on how much spice you like add the sauce. I always drown mine but I am a glutton for punishment.

This is an awesome sandwich, feel free to add any ingredients.

It's OK to play with your food.

Clam Chowder Part 2

Minorcan chowder is found in Florida. It is made with a datil pepper and has a tomato based broth.



Here is my clam chowder recipe:



3 ounces of salt pork diced

1 cup of yellow onion diced

4 or 5 russet potatoes cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 can of clams and juice

2 cups of milk

Kosher salt

black pepper

parsley for a garnish



Get you heavy stock pot and render the fat out of the salt pork. Remove the salt pork but keep the fat. Sweat the onion in the pork fat until tender. Add the potatoes and milk. Bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are soft. Drain the clams and add the juice to the pot. Now time to season with salt and pepper.



Finely chop the drained clams and add them to the pot. Check for salt and pepper seasoning and adjust accordingly. Continue to cook for a minute or two. Some cooks use a stick mixer to puree the soup but I don't, I want it chunky and hearty.



Serve hot, garnish with parsley.

Clam Chowder

Whether you call it chowder or chowdah, it's still a great thing. I can imagine some old salty dog coming back to port all cold, wet and tired. He stands by the fire to warm his bones but needs something to warm him up inside. Clam chowder to the rescue, it does a body good.

Ok then, what is a chowder? Michael Ruhlman writes in his book, "The Elements of Cooking" that " A type of soup that can also be thought of as a method of preperation. Traditionally, chowders are based on seafood and potatoes, contain salt pork for flavoring, and are packed with ingredients, almost like a stew."

To me, clam chowder is the ultimate comfort food. It has the warming property of a good soup, the texture and feel of a stew and has wonderful flavors. Anything that starts out with salt pork or bacon, can't be bad. I even cook it in the summer time just because I have a craving clam chowder. My wife and youngest son love it as well. I will confess I don't like the oyster crackers in my chowder, I would rather spoon it onto a saltine and enjoy it that way.

Needless to say, but soups have been around probably since man started eating. I have a bit of research for this article. The are some that believe that the word chowder comes from the Latin word calderia. Calderia meant a place for warming things. And then calderia evolved into "cooking pot." Then came cauldron and in French, chaudiere. Some thing the word chowder came from an English word jowter,which meant a fish monger.

The fishing villages of old would have a large cauldron and each fisherman would put part of his catch in the cauldron, hence fish stew or chowder. The Native Americans were already enjoy clams and chowders long before Europeans landed. It has been documented that Native Americans enjoyed clams and oysters so much that there piles of shells 10 foot high in some places.

Living in the Midwest, to me chowder is Boston or New England clam chowder, out East is another story. There are several varieties being made and each area claims to have the best clam chowder.

Boston/New England clam chowder

You have milk or cream, potatoes, onions, bacon or salt pork, and clams.

Manhattan

This chowder has a clear broth and tomatoes.

Rhode Island

This version has a clear broth. Some areas in Rhode Island serve a red chowder that has tomato broth as its base.

Outer Banks

This chowder has a clear broth, along with bacon, potatoes and onion.

Using Home Made Stock

I recently spent several hours making beef and chicken stock. It's easy to do and cheap. If you have left over bones and stuff, all you need is water and time. Last night I had a chance to use my stock. I cooked some filet mignons and then deglazed the pan with my beef stock while the steaks were resting. I made sure to scrape the bottom of the pan to get all those juicy and flavorful bits stuck to the skillet.

I added onions, mushrooms and garlic to the stock. I put in a little corn starch to act as a thickener. Then I let the sauce reduce by half then spooned it over the steaks. Very yummy indeed. It was worth the time and effort of making stock at home. I don't think I will ever buy broth again.