Last Gastro Adventure of 2010

Thursday December 30, 2010, the family headed South to St. Louis to attend a Trans Siberian Orchestra show at the Scott Trade Center. Parking at North Hanley, we boarded the Metrolink, our destination, Union Square. The original intent was lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe then wander Union Station until time to head to the show. We had tickets for the early show which began at 3:00 pm.
Upon arriving at Union Station and seeing Landry's Seafood, I made a bee line and the family scurried behind. Over the last few years, the boys have gotten a lot more cordial with shell fish. They both love shrimp, crab and lobster. Rob and I are converts from way back.

Immediately after establishing communication with our food bringer, I bucked staright out of the gate hoping for an 8 second ride with some raw oysters. I had been craving them for a while and thay are not very available in fly over country. It wasn't long after the drinks arrived that the pearls of the ocean appeared. Six lovely oysters on the half shell on a platter full of crushed ice is a beautiful thing. Everything looked as pleasing as punch until I spied a small container of horseradish. Yes sports fans I said horseradish. Not to be diswayed, I bore onward, a raw oyster, fresh lemon juice, cayenne hot sauce and yes, horseradish. Im in heaven, I'm in heaven. Yea I know, The Green Mile. So I have some of my favorite things, I was happy, my wife on the other hand just had to have lime juice after our culinary cavorts in Mexico.

I sing praises to horseradish and now I have a flavor for my raw oysters. Man, I love food. I am in food porn euphoria right now. Once the dream bubble above my head pops, I tell you about the mondo gumbo.

Grilled Portobello Shrimp Scampi

4 large portobello mushroom caps
Kosher salt fresh ground black pepper
1 pound peeled and deveined shrimp tail left on
olive oil
2 tbs fresh minced garlic
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 c white wine
2 tbs cold real unsalted butter
2 tbs fresh minced parsley
1 fresh chile pepper

Start by cleaning the mushroom caps. Wipe the top with a damp cloth, remove the stem and the gills. Preheat a stove top grill. Drizzle the musroom caps with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill until each side has grill marks. Set aside. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper. Heat a large saute pan over medium high heat. When the pan is hot add enough oil to coat the pan. Add the shrimp and quickly saute until they are just starting to turn pink. Remove the shrimp and set them aside. Add the mince garlic and briefly saute, do not burn the garlic. Add the lemon juice and white wine. Reduce the sauce to 2/3. Add the shrimp back to the pan and add in the butter.

Scoop a portion of the shrimp into each mushroom cap. Garnish with parsley and thin slices of the chile pepper. Serve and enjoy.

John's Peppers

Ingredients

2 bell peppers any will work but I find that red and yellow make for a better presentation
1 fresh chile pepper, choose based on your heat preference
grape or cherry tomatoes, 5 or 6 per pepper half sliced in half
2 cloves of garlic thinly sliced
1 tbs capers. Don't be afraid of capers, a little goes a long way
1/4 cup fresh basil
2 tbs red wine vinegar
olive oil
5 or 6 green or black olives per pepper half
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup pancetta or bacon diced
mozarella

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Cut each pepper in half thru the stem so you have a handle. Clean each pepper half of seeds and membranes. In a seperate bowl mix the tomatoes, chiles slices, garlic, capers, salt, pepper, vinegar, olive oil and olives. Mix well. I get both hands in there and squish but not too fine, keep it kind of rustic. Salt and pepper each bell pepper, fill each half with the salad you just made. Pour the salad juice over the pepper halves. Divide the pancetta eaqually among the peppers. Place the pepper halves in a baking dish and cover with foil. Bake covered for 15 minutes. Bake uncovered for another 15 minutes. Top with shredded mozarella, thinly sliced chiles, salt accordingly and drizzle with olive oil.

Enjoy

Hashbrown Casserole

1 package of frozen hashbrowns
8 oz. sour cream
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1 stick of real unsalted butter
1/2 cup finely diced onion
2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 X 13 casserole dish and add the hash browns to the dish. Season with salt and pepper. Melt the butter in a microwave. In a large bowl add all of the ingredients except the hashbrowns and cheddar cheese. Mix well and pour over the hashbrowns, spreading evenly. Sprinkle the cheddar cheese over the top. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Serve and Enjoy.

Three Cheese macaroni

Three Cheese Macaroni
1 large egg 1 12oz. can of evaporated whole milk
Pinch a cayenne pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Kosher salt and fresh black pepper 1 1/3 cups of muenster plus 4 slices
½ cup grated cheddar cheese ¼ cup freshly grated parmesan
4 cups of pasta shells

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk together the egg, evaporated milk, cayenne, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Combine the egg mixture and cheese to a clean sauce pan and heat on low until the cheese melts. Cook your pasta according to the package instructions. Toss the cooked pasta with the cheese sauce. Adjust seasoning for salt and pepper. Transfer the cheese and pasts mixture to a shallow casserole dish. Spred it evenly then top with the slices of muenster. Place in the oven until the cheese on top is bubbly. Enjoy.

Curing meat at home.

Today i am embarking on my first attempt to cure meat at home. I have a 3 pound pork roast thawing out now. I will be using 3 tbs of Morton's Tender Quick and 3 tsp of sugar. Once the meat is thawed completely, I will pat it dry and apply the dry cure mixture. I will then store it in a ziploc bag in the bottom of the fridge. I will shake the bag and turn it over every day.

After 7 days I will remove it from the bag and rince it off well. Once again I will dry then put it into my. I am going to try and do a cold smoke, because of that the temp will be below 200 degrees. I will smoke it until I get an internal temp aroud 150-160.

When all that is done I will run it thru the slicer and pack it into ziploc bags and put it in the freezer. Then I will just use it like I would bacon.

I will keep the blog updated.

Wish me luck!

Chicken Cacciatore

Ingredients

2 medium onions sliced
2 cloves of garlic minced
2 tbs cooking oil. I use canola.
2 to 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 16 oz can of diced tomoatoes
1 8 oz can of tomato sauce
2 green red or yellow bell peppers julienned
8 ounces of fresh mushrooms
1/4 c white wine.

Herbs
2 bay leaves
2 tsp dried oregano or basil crushed. I smash mine in a mortar and pestle
1/2 tsp dried rosemary crushed

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. For a cooking vessel I use an enameled cast iron dutch oven. That way it is a one pot meal. Set your heat to medium, add some oil, when the temp is up add the onions and sweat them for a few minutes then add the garlic. When they are soft remove them and set aside. Add more cooking oil and brown the chicken breasts on all sides. Now return the onion to the pan. Add the rest of the ingredient except the win. Cover and simmer 30 minutes.

Add the wine and cook uncovered for 15 minutes or until the chicken is tender. Taste for salt and pepper. Skim off any fat that accumulates, remove the bay leaves and serve. The chicken goes well with pasta or rice.

Pickled Red Onions

Pickled red onions are a great addition to any meal. They add a wonderful flavor to sandwiches and salads and are very easy to make.

1 large red onion
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tbs honey
2 tbs olive oil
salt and pepper.

Place all ingredients in a bowl, season with salt and pepper. Mix well and let sit at room temp for one hour.

Good stuff.