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Friends Food Fun

FFF EP-35 TANDOORI CHICKEN VINDALOO (A FUNNY FUSION)

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Hey, Foodies,

We had to bump up the release of this episode as I am heading out of town on business and won’t be able to properly post during the week due to expected complete and utter exhaustion (I’m sure Helenka is going to insert something witty commenting on my predicament [And Helenka does not disappoint: Oh, poor Brian, see him jetting off and having lovely meals and, yeah, meetings all day long, so he’ll be a very tired camper by the end of each day, I’m sure! With a side order of yadda-yadda-yadda.]).

So, we are collaborating as I write this while she is sitting next to me on the couch, making wise-ass comments on what she is going to write in conjunction with what she believes I am actually putting down in this document. [Helenka sees Brian’s lips moving and fingers flying, but hears only, “Wah, wah, wah.” If you’ve seen any episode of Charlie Brown, it’s how the adults sound to the gang.]

Truth be told, this is all a game for her amusement (hmm, note that she’s not disagreeing), but now I shall return to our show….

I love Indian food (well, it’s no secret that I love many different kinds of food), so I thought I would make something quick by using a prepared cooking sauce, one that I personally find excellent, namely Patak’s Vindaloo Sauce which is quite spicy. Normally, one would use plain and boring chicken breasts with it, but that was not to be the case; when I went shopping, looking for said plain and boring chicken breasts, I found a box of frozen Tandoori chicken breasts which were cheaper (on sale) than the plain and boring chicken breasts. So, I said to myself, “Self! Perhaps we should try a variation and see what happens when I use these as a replacement for the PaBCB™.” I’m going to use this acronym from now on, as her Editorialshipness has stated that I am in danger of going over the word count for this post.

We decided to call this dish Tandoori Chicken Vindaloo – a funny fusion! Of course, I do hope that we do not annoy any food purists out there who believe that only PaBCB™ should be used to make Chicken Vindaloo.

At the end of another post, I just wanted to remind our viewers:
We love playing with our food.

Have yourselves a great week and don’t forget to have fun with your food, too!

Enjoy!
B&H =;)

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Helenka’s Notes:

Wasn’t it only yesterday (okay … 30-odd episodes ago, in fact) that Brian was clearing all sorts of jars and packages out of his kitchen cupboards and cooking with whatever he found? Yes, indeed. But the jar of Vindaloo Sauce must have been hidden really well (most likely by those mischievous kitchen pixies). Because … Brian found this jar recently. And, then, I found my jar of home-made Lime Pickle Relish, so we just had to (really had to) make something up.

First of all, I was confused at the beginning of the epi (if you remember, I had no recipe in front of me), as I couldn’t see Brian playing with the chicken, so I actually thought he had bought both kinds of chicken, the PaBCB™ and the Tandoori. I loved seeing the deeper colour of the raw meat and couldn’t wait to taste the final result, further transformed by the cooking. I was not disappointed. One of the best side effects of eating Tandoori chicken cooked in a moist heat was the fact that it was so amazingly tender. The other thing that amused me was that this was such a meat-and-potatoes (and don’t forget those peas) dish and yet the swirling flavours made it anything but predictable!

I’m also struck by how over-indulgence prior to cooking (aka Brian’s eye-balling measurements) doesn’t necessarily lead to an unpleasant outcome. In this epi, Brian went to town with the amount of chopped garlic (he really, really did); and, yet, when I tasted the dish, there was no in-your-face garlicyness. During the simmering process, the garlic was able to disperse among all of the other spices (from both the Tandoori and Vindaloo sources) so that we couldn’t even tell the difference that we’d gone overboard (if there even is such a thing between the two of us) with one of our fave flavour-enhancers. But, despite the splendid taste of the dish, oh, how I missed being in an Indian restaurant and crunching Indian pickles. [Stern note to self: Self … find Indian pickles in a specialty shop … and stop whining already!]

Variations:
I’m not going to suggest variations to the dish itself, as it was already a fusion to begin with. Though, yes, one could add all sorts of other ingredients such as chickpeas or lentils to up the fibre content while remaining true to Indian cuisine (and beans are terrific for absorbing all that lovely sauce). Or slicing okra or baby eggplant to add different textures. But I’d like you to look at these and other similar cooking sauces in a different light – and not only as the foundation for a traditional “Indian” dish.

Brian’s not the only one with a way-back-in-the-pantry situation. When I moved last summer, I kept finding all sorts of jars of stuff (so … not only the jams and jellies from antiquity). Many of them were Asian-influenced. Such as the spicy peanut sauce that found its way onto my plate of scrambled eggs. And, then, wanted to make friends with a whole bunch of other foods. Gee! Even my food is sociable!

Apparently (because I had so many jars of it, lol), one of my fave Patak’s sauces is Korma Cooking Sauce, a mild curry sauce full of delicate spices as well as coconut, ginger and coriander flavours. I’ve used it with different shapes of pasta (including delightful radiattore), potatoes or veggies, so you don’t even need to use a meat product with it.

There’s also nothing wrong with preparing your fave dish the traditional way (no matter what its heritage is) and then incorporating a sauce from the other side of the globe. Exercise your imaginations and pique your taste-buds. It’s especially fun to do during the winter time, when your mouth can feel as blah as the weather. We’re doing our best to banish boring winter eating and encourage you to do so, too. Happy fusions, everyone!

Tandori Chicken Vindaloo 1

Friends Food Fun, Party Tips, Special Videos

FriendsFoodFun! Christmas Special 2010

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Christmas Celebrations, Past and Present

For me, while growing up in Newfoundland as one of a pretty big family (seven including my parents), Christmas was always something of a huge event for us. Usually it started with Mom grocery shopping which, to feed a family of this size, was an event all on its own. Upon her return home, all five kids would have traipsed to the car several times to retrieve the many bags she had brought back. Still, those almost never-ending multitudes of bags of food would not last long and barely made it past New Year’s.

Over the years, I also remember friends of my parents coming to visit, dressed as “Mummers” – people who would disguise themselves with old articles of clothing. I remember some pretty weird costumes they made, using whatever they could find to cover their faces to keep their identities hidden. It would be a game to “discover” just who those costumed folks were; being from a small community helped tremendously. 🙂 I think alcohol may have been involved, but you didn’t hear that from me.

My paternal Grandparents who lived just next door would come over on Christmas Eve to spend time with us. My Dad and my Grandfather would sit talking over some fine whiskey. I am sure the rest of us, being a noisy bunch, entertained everyone. Oh … getting us to bed was another chore, though we finally would settle in.

The next day, we would open our presents (at the crack of dawn no less) and Mom would busy herself preparing the turkey for cooking or checking on it if she was having a lunch as it would have been cooked overnight. A traditional Newfoundland Christmas dinner consisted of turkey, potatoes, peas porridge, carrots, turnips, salt beef and doughboys. Except for the turkey, it would all be boiled together for what seemed like hours (and the best meal you were sure to have).

This was a traditional Newfoundland boiled dinner (sometimes called Jiggs Dinner) and also served during Thanksgiving and Easter as well (at least it was in our family). Occasionally, there would be a ham thrown in (not boiled). When I was a teenager returning home from boarding school, Mom would always ask what I wanted her to make for Christmas and my response was always bread pudding with raspberries. It was divine. Mental note: “MOM, can you make it again this year … please???” Trying to describe it would probably not do it any justice and using Google led me to many recipes for it (of course, there IS Mom’s version, too).

Helenka and I have added our own traditions when it comes to Christmas and this year was no exception. [Well, there was one: I filmed it all!] It all started many years ago as we used to celebrate what we considered pretty fine dining by choosing something from that year’s President’s Choice Insider’s Report (Winter issue). Then, one year, when it didn’t inspire us, we set out to cook for each other (this is the shortened version of a long story). Part of that deal was that we would host each other and decorate our respective places: I’d do it usually before Christmas and she in the New Year. [Devious editor snickers. Pretty smart of me, eh?]

I always loved going overboard and, as I lived in a very small place, that was quite easy to do. I always had Christmas lights attached around the perimeter of my apartment (like a Christmas disco). [The still-stunned editor reminds Brian that he’s forgetting to mention that the lights were at the really high ceiling!] One year, I decorated my fridge with wrapping paper and a huge bow, then plunked a 4-foot Christmas tree on top of it … and off we went.

Another year, I wanted to pretend I had a fireplace; so I took my desk and put my Commodore 64 monitor (my TV back then) under it and, along with a plastic brick tablecloth with a hole cut out for the monitor, created my own version of a fireplace complete with stuff one normally puts on a mantle. But it didn’t just have to look right, it had to sound real. And it did, with Fireplace in a Box (VHS tape of a real fire) and surround sound. [Very impressed editor adds, “With all those speakers, I heard every crisp snap and crackle.”]

Nowadays, I have my own fireplace and mantle which I got to decorate in our Christmas Special. My friend Mary from work started me off, over a year ago, for my first party in my new place. It was fantastic plus everything I was hoping for. Mary left me with all the decorations you see here so that I could recreate it myself (and this was my first time doing it all on my own).

One thing I set out to do for our Special was to present some tried and true recipes we have used over the years and occasionally adapted (the roasted chicken for example was originally substituted with Cornish hens – yummy!). The Brussels with bacon is a new dish and inspired by the cookbook “Cook This Not That” while the stuffed tomatoes were invented on the spot from our own creative minds (though based upon the dish I made many years ago for Helenka).

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all our loyal viewers as we complete this fantastic year of celebrating great friendships, fantastic food and, of course, we cannot forget the fun!

Presented here is the special journey that Helenka and I take you on in our Friends Food Fun! Christmas Special. And we’re so proud to share our recipes with you.

Happy Holidays,

Peace and Long Life,

See you in the New Year!

Cheers!

B&H =:)

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Recipes are below Helenka’s post 

Helenka, on finding the true meaning of Christmas, even if it took me a while

I believe that my approach to (and recognition of) Christmas is unique. And I’m not just saying that for effect, either.

When I was growing up, there was absolutely no religious connotation to December 25th at home. In fact, there was no celebration of any kind at home that day. Instead, we piled into a car and drove to a family friend’s house where long tables were set up in the basement for dozens of people in the Polish community to gather and enjoy a huge meal. Everybody knew everybody else. Included was the daughter of the house, one of my childhood girlfriends to whom I wasn’t that close … simply because she lived too far away for us to have any regular interaction. [OTOH, she was Sharif Ali to my El Aurens (Laurence of Arabia) when we were riding our pretend camels to the well in the desert … um, okay … on her uncle’s raspberry/strawberry farm. And we did get to go real trail riding nearby (on real horsies) once. When I say I have a really good memory, you’d better believe me … because those particular ones are over 40 years old!]

Instead, the traditional Christmas celebration took place on Christmas Eve at home, with the table set in a specific manner (straw underneath the tablecloth to represent hay in the manger and an empty chair just in case Jesus stopped by … or an unexpected guest), as well as a completely meatless 12-course dinner. My fave courses were the pickled herring with sliced onions and carrots with rye bread and the tiny piroszki (miniature pierogi) with a dried Polish mushroom/cabbage filling served in a meatless beet soup. So, it was a balancing act, going from a semi-religious celebration to an ethnic one overnight. However, one of the unique bonuses of not celebrating Christmas Day itself was that I got to open presents legally ::giggles:: a day earlier!

However, all of that changed when my father died before I turned 16. No more Christmas. I couldn’t do anything about it because I was just a kid and an only child at that. So it wasn’t until I moved out on my own at 23 (after getting my university degree) that I was able to start to assemble my own Christmas traditions.

Over the decades, I’ve participated in several types of Christmas Eve/Christmas Day celebrations:

  • casual aka running off in bone-chilling cold with a friend’s boyfriend (?!?) who was away from his home and family, to catch the umpteenth viewing of Star Wars IV (as we had an unofficial competition going on), then returning to my place to warm up with hot tea, seedless green grapes, cookies and to play Scrabble.
  • work-related, with a colleague inviting me to spend it with her daughter and herself (and gifting me with an exquisite black satin caftan which I accepted with glee) before driving me to the subway station at the end of the line where I managed to miss the final train and had the unique experience of taking the night bus across town.
  • with a variety of close friends over the years with whom I spent very satisfying Christmas Days and usually prepared some festive or extravagant dishes (can you say lobster?).
  • after deciding that there was something missing in my life in 1990, I attended my first Christmas Eve church service ever and discovered a church home and acquired a chosen family to which I’ve been adding (and, sadly, subtracting from as well) for the last 20 years.
  • interestingly enough, spending a happy Christmas Day alone after that church service when I did a lot of equally happy crying. All I had to do was glance through the order of service, remember the way I felt surrounded by thousands of people and feel warm all over. So it’s important to realize that one can have the capacity to celebrate even when alone … if such are the circumstances.
  • continuing a church tradition of offering a warm and inviting place in our Social Hall for Christmas Day dinner, decorations (including my menagerie of pigs – because they insisted on being included), music and games to people who had no place else to go (and hosting it for more than a decade). In fact, last Sunday I approached Mum (of Mum & Dad renown, as they were a couple who accepted all of us without hesitation – we who were biological, situational or emotional orphans from our families, to the extent that we were proud to call them our “Mum & Dad”) to reminisce about the year when her own aunt died (a charming yet feisty, down-to-earth lady in our congregation) and they didn’t feel up to doing their own Christmas dinner, so asked if they could join us. What a question! It was my honour to have them be with us. Not only did they come and relax, they brought lots of little gifts for me to add to the raffle draw (because all I could usually afford from a few monetary donations was to get everybody a fancy Christmas cracker – and I always thought we all looked quite grand in our tissue-paper crowns).
  • bringing close friends even closer into my chosen family, most of them drawn from my church and giving them official designations (I had lots of uncles, brothers and sisters, as well as fairy godmothers).
  • falling in love (more than once, lol) and having intimate, romantic Christmas dinners that I cooked from scratch, even if the menu wasn’t exactly traditional. There may have also been a Christmas pizza … once or twice.

The only thing I never did was to volunteer at a Mission, serving Christmas dinner to the homeless, though I do have one close church friend who’d done that year after year, but first stopped in at the church to share ours before heading out and I always felt both grateful and humbled that she got to have Christmas while being of service to those in need.

In years past (though not forgotten), I managed to combine the Christmas Eve service, Christmas Day dinner at church and then stagger home to prepare my own romantic Christmas dinner. Is it any wonder I needed to sleep for a week after that? Or didn’t even want to think about food?

But, you know, whatever the form of your Christmas (or other religious or non-denominational) celebration, the food and decor aren’t the important things: it’s the willingness to reach out, to share even with those to whom you have no family ties at all. Hey, I created my own chosen family and so can you.

Brian’s mentioned some of the highlights of hosting me at Christmas, in terms of decor and food. I was so awed by his creativity, I tried to match it. When he had the fake fireplace arrangement, I responded with Aquarium in a Box and transformed my place into an outer space underwater research station. I met him at the door carrying a pewter lantern, as the light levels had to be diminished so as not to disturb the fish ! Whenever he created something spectacular, I was inspired (resulting one memorable time in my three-hour masterpiece of velvety cream of asparagus soup). The year he made the original stuffed tomatoes, I countered with a tomato/bread/onion pudding as well as quail legs. Another year, I made my own mushroom butter as well as Tequila-marinated shrimp. Even when something threatened to be a disaster (crème brulée refused to firm up). I poured it into my ice cream maker and turned it into exquisitely rich ice cream. Another planned and far more healthy dessert that did turn out was mango sorbet with a scoop of mango purée in the same cut-glass bowl. As for trees, I think one year I outdid even myself when I put 800 lights on my tree, had the programmable multi-coloured lights wound around my 19-foot long balcony railing and even around the base of my glass and black steel coffee table. Hey, I did say Brian inspired me!

The way we’ve played off each other has been one of the cornerstones of our nearly two-decade long friendship that blossomed even though we had so many differences even beyond our ages (he came from a large family and had living grandparents; I was an only child who never knew my grandparents). It just makes it even more precious to me.

In celebration of togetherness, I lift my glass. And dedicate this blog entry to “Mum”. “Dad” will have to excuse himself for a moment from his pals amid heavenly surroundings to know that he’s being equally honoured. Cheers, “Dad”!

And, oh, I guess I should say something about food, so I will admit that we may have gone a titch overboard with the red pepper flakes in the Brussels sprouts. Just a tad. So I took special editorial liberty to adjust the amount stated in the recipe. And, even then, you should use a gentle hand.

I hope everyone will enjoy a serene holiday season and a joyous New Year. See you when the calendar page is flipped over!

Recipe: Roasted Chicken in a Fig and Clementine Glaze

Ingredients

Main Ingredients:

  • 1 whole roasting chicken
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 small cooking onion, finely sliced
  • 1 oz Brandy or orange liqueur (we used Cointreau)
  • 6 dried figs, halved with stems removed
  • 6 clementines, peeled and segmented

Marinade:

  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 2 tbsp Spanish paprika (or regular paprika)
  • 1 tbsp course black pepper
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh thyme and oregano, combined
  • 2 tbsp finely chopped garlic
  • ¼ cup lemon juice
  • salt, to taste
Orange Glaze:
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 1 cup orange juice, good quality (like Tropicana Grovestand)
  • ¼ cup sugar (or Splenda)

Directions

  1. To prepare marinade, whisk together all ingredients. Pour over chicken and marinate 4 hours, or overnight, in refrigerator.
  2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees (for crispy skin). Roast chicken, about 90 minutes (depending on size of chicken).
  3. Meanwhile, prepare orange glaze. In medium saucepan, over medium heat, combine all ingredients, cooking slowly, about 5 to 8 minutes, or until reduced by half.
  4. In large skillet, over medium heat, sauter onion in 1 tbsp of olive oil about 3 to 5 minutes, or until brown. Add Brandy or Cointreau and deglaze skillet. Add orange glaze and dried figs and continue to cook until slightly reduced and thickened, about 5 minutes. Add clementines until just heated through. Cut chicken into pieces, arrange on plate or platter, then pour glaze over chicken.

Variations

For a more spicy orange sauce, try some of these variations:
Fresh ginger slivers, chopped cilantro, crushed garlic, dried hot peppers.

Recipe: Stuffed Tomatoes

Ingredients

  • 4 medium to large tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • ½ cup Panko breadcrumbs (increase up to 1 cup for larger tomatoes)
  • ⅓ cup fresh Italian flat leaf parsley
  • ¼ tsp dried basil (fresh is better, if available)
  • 1 tbsp chopped garlic
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 F
    Cut tops off tomatoes; scoop out pulp and seeds and reserve. In a bowl, mix Parmesan cheese, Panko breadcrumbs, parsley, basil, garlic, salt and pepper and reserved pulp and seeds.
    Spoon mixture into each tomato, then place on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Depending on size, time may have to be adjusted.

Recipe:  Rosemary Roasted Potatoes

Ingredients

  • 12 small red potatoes, quartered
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • ¼ tsp sea salt
  • ¼ tsp black pepper
  • 1-½ tbsp dried rosemary
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, toss all ingredients together until potatoes are lightly coated with olive oil. Place potatoes on a baking pan, and roast for 25 – 35 minutes until lightly golden.

Recipe: Brussels with Bacon

Ingredients

  • 4 strips precooked bacon
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp chopped garlic
  • ½ tsp red pepper flakes (adjust to taste according to desired amount of heat)
  • 1 pound Brussels sprouts, bottoms trimmed and cut in half
  • Salt and black pepper to taste
  • 2 tbsp chopped walnuts

Directions

  1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add garlic, pepper flakes, Brussels sprouts and a pinch of salt; sauter until sprouts are lightly browned on the outside and tender but still firm 10 – 12 minutes. Add the walnuts and sauter for another minute or two. Season with salt and pepper.

Recipe: Cookies’n’Cream

Ingredients

  • Whipping Cream:
    1. Begin with thoroughly chilled cream.
    2. Chill mixing bowl and beaters beforehand.
    3. Whip the cream on medium speed.
    4. Add sugar (2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup granulated) and any flavourings like Framboise, Rum, etc. I used Butter Ripple flavoured liqueur (Schnapps).
    5. Cream is whipped when soft peaks form.
    6. For vanilla-flavoured whipped cream, add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Directions

  1. For this recipe, you can use either canned whipped cream (which can be fun and fancy – sprayed in swirling patterns) or make your own (see above). Use a good-quality favourite cookie (once again, store-bought or home-made), studding them around the perimeter of the dessert dish and then artfully arrange some fresh fruit over the top in the centre. Voilà: an instant dessert using your own variations and imagination.
Friends Food Fun

FFF EP-29 PORK CHOPS WITH A GRILLED FRUIT & CHEESE DRESSING

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httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGH5Tyf4u0g

Hey, Food Friends!

Interesting episode this week in that perhaps I should have shown it before Halloween as it has a suspenseful introduction. I won’t ruin it here, but I did something to Helenka – then again, I’m always doing something with Helenka [Helenka rolls her eyes]. Oh, well, you will just have to watch it to see what I mean. 😉

We filmed this just before the summer was completely over, so we are calling it our last gasp of summer, hence all the tropical plants you will see cluttering up the counter and, just to the left of the screen, you may catch a glimpse of Helenka’s designer purse which is also quite colourful (I’m mentioning it because she purposefully brought it on set as a festive prop to use).

On the food side, we are featuring pork chops. I had a tough time, though, choosing which fruit to use (peaches or nectarines) and choosing between our favourite Goat cheese or Blue cheese; so, in our typical fashion, we chose both fruits and both cheeses to create a completely different dish than the one we were following – and quite yummy too. I also swapped out pine nuts for almonds too (just to be completely different, of course). For the salad, we used Romaine hearts with baby spinach, red pepper, grape tomatoes drizzled with a honey mustard dressing. It was very good.

Well, that’s it for this week for notes because I’m sure the video portion will prove how easy and yummy-tasting this recipe was. So, until next time, have more fun with your food and invite some friends to join in, too!

Enjoy!
B & H =;)

P.S. We are working on a Christmas special, so stay tuned. We hope that it will be our best show to date!

Please note: We try and review the recipes in the cookbook. However, in an effort to respect copyright, we are not able to reproduce the actual printed recipes here. If you do have the book, please follow along with us.

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Insight on: Pork Chops with Grilled Fuit

Notes from the Chef’s Sidekick (Helenka)

Oh, my stars. Brian wasn’t kidding about the other-worldly aspects of this episode. We had {duh-duh-duh, cue creepy music and creaking doors} mystery (what), suspense (where) and panic (um, obviously me). But, luckily, the missing ingredient ::giggles:: was found just in time to proceed with the show.

So, yes, we were intent on celebrating the tastes, textures and colours of summer … dragging them out beyond the date on the calendar to enhance our pleasure. And Brian was right: I did want my handbag to be a part of the set decor; I also wore a designer scarf (uh … different designer). The funny thing is that yellow and especially orange are not my colours, but they certainly are most reminiscent of summer. [Moreover, curiously, my native spirit colour IS orange.]

Okay, enough with the extraneous details. It’s time to talk food. One of the many surprising changes during my long existence on this planet is what’s happened to pork. When I was growing up, pork chops had quite a lot more fat in them. I remember being banished to the small stove in the basement when I wanted to fry a couple. Which did take some time and were very messy with fat sputtering all over (like me!). But the taste was sensational. I’m mentioning this because, nowadays, lean pork is more likely to be cooked in the time it takes to grill a steak. If you’re not careful, you end up with dried-out cardboard. And that’s one memory I’d like to forget, thank you very much.

Variations

If you’d rather avoid the need to provide such attention to cooking time for individual chops (and especially if you’d like to make this stunning dish for a crowd), I would highly recommend getting a boneless, rolled and tied pork roast that you can prepare in the oven. I happen to love making pork roasts because the meat is so amazingly tender from the controlled indirect heat source.

If you prefer something other than pork, then I believe boneless chicken breasts would be your best choice (perhaps even the ones for the barbecue that come with skin attached … more unique tastes of summer). For plating and presentation, I would suggest slicing on the diagonal and laying across the salad in a rough approximation of the original shape before adding the fruit/cheese adornment – perhaps in a ) shape alongside the chicken. And, although I do often suggest variations in fruit, I wouldn’t change a thing this time. Peaches and nectarines are luscious fruits, both in their raw state and when grilled to perfection.

By now, I’m sure you must be getting used to me assessing the authors’ finished product with an intense focus (yup, picky, picky, picky me). This time, I believe that chopped peaches/nectarines would have been easier to mix (er … glomp) than sliced. I would also like to have tried to smush the cheese(s) together with the balsamic to create a more cohesive paste before adding it to the chopped fruit.

In any case, though we may have begun the episode with a scary mystery, the end result was a very satisfying conclusion (Whodonit? Who else but the Chef!). At the end of which, we were most pleased to take our final bows (before scurrying off to enjoy our simply sensational dinner).

Microformatting by hRecipe.

Friends Food Fun

FFF EP-28 GRILLED CHICKEN CAESAR

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httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7Q2gnewfu8

Hey, Food Friends,

This week’s episode is about that classic salad which just so happens to be a classic drink, too. Any guesses??? It’s the Caesar, of course!

One of my favourite salads, it is also one that I like to order at various restaurants, though none can compare to the one from a local restaurant I have frequented for many years. They make their own dressing which is slathered over the lettuce leaves … and you have to love garlic, too!

Seeing that the book we are reviewing (“Cook This Not That “) had its own version, I was excited to try it to see if I could replicate the flavours that I so enjoyed elsewhere.

We put a wee bit of humour into this episode (yeah, right; like we don’t have fun in every episode) with the orgasmic hearts of romaine (the classic lettuce used in a Caesar – ahh, more classics). [Editor sighs: it’s “organic”, not orgasmic, but I don’t think I’ll be able to change Brian’s mind on this one. He can be so stubborn. I know, I know, I’m equally stubborn.]

I also used a squeeze tube of anchovy paste which is an alternative to the whole version, and much cheaper; plus, we were blending it all up anyway, so it was a no-brainer. If I were making a pizza on the other hand, I would definitely use whole ones as squeezed anchovy paste is not quite appealing on a pizza (your choice though, lol).

My verdict was that, although not the same as the salad from my favourite restaurant, it is a very decent alternative and one that you can make quite easily at home.

So, till next time, have more fun with your food and invite some friends to join in, too!

Enjoy!
B & H =;)

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Please note: We try and review the recipes in the cookbook. However, in an effort to respect copyright, we are not able to reproduce the actual printed recipes here. If you do have the book, please follow along with us.

Insight on: Grilled Chicken Caesar

Notes from the Chef’s Sidekick (Helenka)

Well, you already know from a previous episode’s notes that one way to my heart is to make me a classic Caesar salad, whole anchovies and all.

But this approach intrigued me. I’m always curious to see how fresh lettuce (or spinach) can be transformed when heated (because we’re all so used to the concept of a salad as being something refreshingly COLD).

I loved the taste of the grilled lettuce and thought that the home-made dressing was terrific. And the way it was mixed – incorporating so many flavours – would have been difficult to identify (if I hadn’t been sitting right there and watching). Of course, I probably would have added more garlic as, by the time the chicken was added, there was much more of a neutral component to every bite. And, if you know me even a little bit, “neutral” and I are not best buds.

Variations

Call me crazy (as if I didn’t give Brian enough opportunities to do so, lol) [B falls right into the word trap: She is CRAZY but, then again, we both are and that is what makes it fun!], but I wish the lettuce had been more grilled. What do I mean? Well, the authors’ presentation concept left a lot to be desired, in my view. You’ve read how I dismiss chefs who create something that isn’t easy to eat, especially in public (though I will make an exception for lobster … or crawdads – of which Brian and I have very fond memories). This was one of those dishes. Heaping two enormous romaine lettuce halves on a plate before adding even more ingredients on top may make for a striking picture, but a messy dish to tackle.

So, I could really envision slicing each whole lettuce into one-inch high ROUNDS and then grilling them (imagine pretend lettuce pancakes, though trying to flip them would most likely result in a big mess). Of course, because each round would have significantly less mass, the grilling period would be shorter (though the entire grilling session lengthened). I know it’s not expedient to suggest a technique that takes longer but, sometimes for the sake of the taste and presentation of a dish, I think it’s very much worth it.

The end result, then, would have been a plate piled with a riot of crinkly romaine (with all of it being warm), then adorned with the array of sliced chicken and sprinkles of sun-dried tomatoes and sliced olives. And I wouldn’t need a dangerous pointy implement (knife) with which to attack my dinner.

If you’re a fan of grilled calamari (squid), then I’m sure you could also see it in place of the chicken. Mmmm. Calarami. Caesar dressing. Yum to the max!

In any case, my curiosity was satisfied and so were my taste-buds. Grilled lettuce (especially a seriously crispy one such as romaine with large leaves) is a Very. Good. Idea!!!

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Friends Food Fun

FFF_Ep4 – Sweet & Sour Ribs!

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httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onLuUSaLffw
This blog was meant to be a weekly one so, in addition to that, I’ve added my twitter account for micro blogging outside the regular schedule (@TheRealBrianU) plus I’ll add some video specials along the way.
Editing video: One of the issues I came up against recently is that these things take up a tremendous amount of hard disk space, especially seeing as iMovie converts the high definition files into the mov format (geek speak!). My poor lil Macbook pro was getting all stogged up (Newfie slang)… so a la Frankenstein I created something….
Being extremely fussy (like that’s new), I wanted an external hard drive that was very robust, but it had to have the following:
1/ Firewire 800 (my macbook pro did not have eSata which is faster – more geek speak!)
2/ Very fast and robust (so no backup drive would do unless you wanted to spend gobs of money)
3/ Minimum 2 terabytes (otherwise why bother)
Using parts I found at my favorite computer store (hence the Frankenstein reference) here in Toronto (Canada Computers – love them), I now present to you TeraZilla (Helenka helped confirm the name I had chosen was the best one of the bunch)!
It’s a NexStar MX shell with two 1-terabyte Western Digital Caviar Black hard drives (yay me!).
I do proclaim that I’m a GEEK and I love FOOD (really … hmm, that’s interesting; one would never know those two go together).
So now off to one of my favorite subjects, RIBS! I have traveled far and wide, ok just far — I became wide just from eating the things, but I’m working on that, down more than 21 pounds (updated) since January (another yay me!) — looking for the best bbq ribs I could find. I’ve been to parts of the bbq belt, and have sampled some great ribs. I also discovered locally that we Canucks can cook ribs (and make sauces too). Plus celebrate them with our very own ribfests (plural, as a lot of towns and cities have their own) during the summer.
Now I know Helenka shares my love of ribs (though I think sometimes I’m more likely to take it to extremes – noooo boiling) so I thought, as I’m cleaning out my cupboards, I would serve ribs my way in a sweet & sour sauce.
Enjoy B&H!

Recipe: Sweet & Sour Ribs

Ingredients

  • Ribs

    1 rack of Ribs (baby back are best) Salt and Pepper to taste Ribs in Sauce 1 bottle Sweet & Sour Sauce

Instructions

  1. Ribs

    Using a sharp knife remove the membrane on the back of the ribs (I cut just under the membrane then pull it off – takes practice but worth it). Place the ribs on a baking sheet (a rack on the sheet works well). Add salt and pepper to taste. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 2 hours (low and slow is best – lower the heat and add more time if you wish). Ribs in Sauce Cut your rib rack into pieces of two ribs each (helps to keep them together) In a large pot, heat your sauce; then add in your rib pieces. Boil for a few minutes (keeping a careful watch as you can scorch the sauce).
    Once the sauce has reduced, remove from heat and serve with your favorite salad (we used baby spinach with yellow pepper dressed with dijon mustard, olive oil and balsamic vinegar).

Notes from the Chef’s Sidekick (Helenka)

Dinner was pre-dawn roasted ribs, simmered in a jar of VH Sweet & Sour Sauce, accompanied by an organic baby spinach salad with strips of yellow pepper and dressed with dijon mustard, olive oil and balsamic vinegar (with ratios acquired through experimentation because that’s also a part of the fun of cooking). Once again, the ultimate taste sensation of the dish transcended its humble beginnings (aka from a jar). What made the taste of the ribs splendid was that they’d been sprinkled with the Salish smoked alder salt (which I’d given him two years ago, so it’s time it got used up) and grindings of mixed peppercorns (not even a fancy brand) before roasting. With the addition of the fruitiness of the simmered sauce (think along the lines of honey paired with jam), the ribs blossomed and burst on the palate, leaving behind multiple notes (think of a wine tasting where you have the initial aroma and flavours but, after you swallow, you’re left with subtle lingering nuances that are a welcome reminder). In this case, it was the meat falling off the bone (and ravished … er … ravaged by my fingers), the glistening, fruity sauce clinging to every morsel, with the base note of the taste of pepper after I’d swallowed.

Variations

That last note took me by surprise. And it brought back some really old memories of Graham Kerr’s show, The Galloping Gourmet, produced in – at the time – gastronomically sleepy English Canada in the 1960s. [Not only the country, but also television, as it was considered shocking that he not only cooked with wine but drank it on screen! Plus the outrageous double entendres!] I’d embraced his tip of grinding black pepper onto fresh strawberries, because the pepper enhanced the sweetness of the fruit. So the fact that these ribs could evoke such a strong reaction from me – even after I’d swallowed – took me by surprise. It’s not the first time Brian has made excellent ribs but, thruthfully, these were exceptional (seriously, they’re “will you marry me” ribs!). The cooling sauce (which I did lick off my fingers) even complemented the mustardy dressing on the spinach (and that is another thing to consider when cooking, that the side dishes shouldn’t be warring with the main on the plate or in the mouth). My only regret: there was no doggy bag. I know: greedy much?

Cooking time (duration): 150
Number of servings (yield): 2
Meal type: dinner
Culinary tradition: USA (General)