French Bread Pizzas!

TWO POSTS ONE DAY!
My creative juices must be on heavy flow today...
French Bread Pizzas from Costco are always disappointing, unless you're really fucked up and hungry and its 2am with no one to drive to J-BO.  You pull em out of the freezer, have to re-arrange all the pepperoni's that have fallen off in transit, you microwave them and the outsides are dried out and over cooked, and the middle is deceivingly cold after burning the roof of your mouth on the cheese....I took a line from Wayne Tucker, and decided: "I can do better."

What you need:
2x french breads from the grocery store
1 pack of pepperoni (optional)
1 pack of Farmer John pork sausage (optional)
1/2 cup diced onions (optional)
1 pack of shredded mixed Italian cheese
1 jar of pizza sauce (I used Classico)
Italian seasoning (optional)
Red pepper flakes (optional)
Reggiano cheese (optional)
350˚ pre-heated oven

What to do:
Cut and brown the sausage in a pan, and let dry on a paper towel.  Split the loaves in half the long way and lay open side up.  Shake up the jar, and sauce the bread to the edges, sprinkle the cheese giving a nice covering to just barely tell there is red below.  I added the pepperoni first, sausage second then sprinkled the
diced onions.  I added a very light shake of shredded reggiano cheese over the top, sprinkled some red pepper flakes and Italian seasoning, then went into the oven straight onto the rack.  A pan can be used if you desire a less crusty crust.
Please note that if you only want to do smaller portions, a done bread will most certainly hold in the fridge, and possibly freeze if you seal it right.
Before:

After:

A generous portion would be one third of a half, so one loaf serves about 6, serve with beer.
Cheers!

Easy Peasy Date Meal!

So I actually made this last Sunday...but I'm lazy and had a turkey coma from eating this that lasted a week...I wish I could devote a week to sleep, I digress.

So Turkey Piccata.  Easily 15-16 a plate at a decent restaurant, but super easy to make at home, and relatively affordable (depending on your taste in wine).  This is extremely versatile also, you can use veal, chicken, or turkey, probably even pork.  Defiantly top on my list of go-to date meal ideas (so ladies, if you're eating this and I haven't soberly agreed to friendzone, you're on a date with the Swoop).

PS trying a new format recommended by Kurto-Winbig

What you need:
desired amount of protein (I used about 5x 3oz fillets of turkey)
seasoned flour-enough to dredge protein in
half tablespoon of butter
half tablespoon of olive oil
Italian seasoning herbs
white wine
juice of two lemons
tablespoon of capers & juice
julienne of onions (optional)

What you do:
What Piccata is in Italian means sliced, sauteed, served in lemon sauce.  which is pretty much what you do haha. First I sliced a few fillets off a turkey breast I had lying around the fridge, pounded em down into nice thin slices (important, because they will tighten up and get thicker when heated).

Once the turkey is flattened, dredge it in seasoned flour.  I'd like to say that I'm creative and do my own seasoning, but I've found something that is just as good as home made: Morton's Natures Seasoning which is celery powder, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.  Liberally add it to flour and dredge. 

While flattening and dredging, have in the pan warming the butter and olive oil, it should be hot enough to give a good sizzle when added to the pan.  (I posted a pic due to the interesting shape of the butter)

Okay.  So once your turkey looks like this:

and your pan is nice and hot, throw in the turkey and cook until its got some nice, crispy browning going on, then flip (about 4 min per side).  At this point, add the capers and onions (optional) to the pan and cook about 2 min, then add the juice of two lemons, and about 2/3 cup of white wine (I used Clos du Bois chardonnay), a pinch of Italian seasoning, and de-glaze the pan.  The resulting liquid should be a nicely mixed semi-translucent gravy that can be spooned over the fillets when served.

For sides, I did a cheese tortellini marinara, and blanched asparagus.  

Please note: if cooking for a date, I recommend against asparagus; it gives you stinky pee...do green-beans amandine, or a nice spinach salad instead.  

Until next time, bon-appetit

Happy Birthday Swoops!

So I entered my mid-20's officially this past Thursday, and spent the weekend following my birthday with my family in Orange County and Pasadena.  The LA/OC area is home to my favorite pastrami sandwich.  If you refer back to my first posting regarding the Mariposa Pizza Factory, I really love pastrami.

As a true San Diegan I hate everything LA: Dodgers, Raiders (circa 1994), Kings, Lakers (esp Kobe Bryant), Clippers (NBA in general), and since 2005 the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (the rest of Orange County is okay in my book, GO DUCKS!).  So it came as a surprise that one of my favorite sandwiches is located in this metro-area.

The Hat, as the restaurant is named, opened in 1951 in Alhambra and has since grown to ten locations serves up a variety of sandwiches, but is best known for it's "World Famous" Pastrami  Dip.  I chose the Brea location for this meal.

In traditional SoCal fashion, I opted to use the Drive-Thru (note the reflection of beautiful Betsy above).  The Drive-Thru is an invention of In-N-Out which first used it in 1948 in Baldwin Park.

Ok so I ordered my usual, the Pastrami Dip, and decided that since it was my birthday weekend I would indulge; an order of onion rings.  So I pulled up to the window, paid, and noticed two bags waiting for me...I was a little surprised, and thought Maybe they're giving me the car-behind-me's order too, SWEET!.  This was not the case, I looked back, NO CARS!!  I receive the order and proceed out of the lot, when I notice my gas light turns on...I know for sure I will be passing two gas-stations minimum on the drive back to my aunt's house, but my car is full of the aroma of hot pastrami and fried onions!  I decide to pass on refueling and drive strait to the house to eat.

I arrive at the house, famished after a late night of drinking, not eating breakfast in the morning from whiskey-gut, and a four and a half hour drive from Merced to Fullerton, get in, sit down and open the bags.  First the greasy one, turns out to be a lunch-size paper bag full of onion rings, like a lot, like three orders of rings from Applebees.  I was amazed at the quantity; but only for about 3 seconds until my gut redirected my hunger to sandwich.  I open the other bag and sure enough is the behemoth of a sandwich, cut perfectly in half, with pastrami hanging out all sides.  I was so into this sandwich, that I finished half before remembering the blog and taking a picture!

 So let me break this Legen-wait for it-dary sandwich down for you.
Pastrami Dip:
-8 inch french roll
--splashed with au jus on one side, slathered with mustard on the other
-pickles (cant have a good sandwich with out pickles)
-1/2 pounds, yes, half a pound of deliciously moist, perfectly marbled pastrami
-DONE
So, finished half the sandwich when I decided to break out the ketchup and start on the rings. These were probably the crispiest fried food I've ever tasted (I dont say that lightly, especially because I'm more of a battered fried rather than dredged fried kind of guy) .  These were so crispy that when I ate them cold for a midnite snack, they were still crunchy!

All in all, this was one of the best sandwiches I've eaten in a while, it had been well over 8 months since I had had it last, and well exceed my cravings for it that started a week before when I finalized the trip to SoCal.  It took me two showers and a 2 mile run for me to fully process this sandwich, and not feel greasy anymore (and yes those two showers were in the same 24 hour period, who do you think I am, Jaron?).

This was so good, I had to go to the Pasadena location on Sunday for lunch before I left, and forwent getting Bah Minh while I was in the region.

I leave an open challenge to anyone to find a better Pastrami Sandwich in California, if you do please PLEASE get me on facebook or text me up or something and we'll have lunch.  Please check out their menu and if you're near a restaurant go in for a sammie.  If you're a vegetarian you're probably SOL and should stop reading my blog.
Check out their webpage at:
http://thehat.com/index.htm
Until the next time, I bid you adieu and good eats!
Swoops

A P.B.R. in a Can

So the New York Times Magazine publishes an annual edition dedicated to food.  Unknowingly to me this started four years ago, so my first one was this years, the 4^th volume.  I was quite obviously blown away in the work and realism provided in this literary depiction of food. 

I’ve never really been a truly huge fan (maybe more a believer) of culinary literature, as it most often strikes me as unattainable.  The very few books I’ve delved into have never struck me as applicable to the average person.  I know that literature is supposed to be a portal into fantasy lands; but I mean can Tom Hanks really single handedly take down the Catholic Church, does Christian Bale really think he can pull Katie Holmes?  Does Michael Pollan really think its feasible to hunt and forage your meals in 2011?  I think not, although it would be quite the sight to see all the idiot hipsters from SF trolling the woods for porcinis…

The best food novel I’ve read before this article was probably Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations; but even Tony’s journey through food as interesting as it is, I’d probably have to win McDonalds Monopoly (an AMAZING game in itself) then re-invest the prize money in lotto tickets (yes Little Bro I did swoop your idea) to barely scrape by with enough change to have a comparable food adventure.

None the less, this is a good compilation of essays and articles and recipes; kind of what I aspire this blog to someday be the redheaded stepchild of (forgive me this article kind of gave me a chubby as to what I aspire to be half the food writer of).

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/10/02/magazine/29mag-food-issue.html?ref=multimedia#/intro

Making up for the NFC South's Terrible Week 1: GUMBO!

So, in light of the NFC South's terrible opening week (all four teams lost), I thought I should feast on something to remind me of how much I love the South...Gumbo.

Starting out with about a pound of andoille sausage, sliced into about 1/4 inch pieces in the pan, brown until fully cooked.  Once cooked drain off about 2/3's of the drippings, then add 1 cup of the trinity (1/4 inch diced celery, onion, bell pepper), a teaspoon of finely diced or crushed garlic and brown in sausage drippings.

For the shrimp I used a pound of 21-25 count, (a little larger than I desired, but they were on sale!), heavily seasoned with Zataran's Creole seasoning.  PS, I de-veined/shelled/tailed the little basterds before seasoning.

Once the trinity is tender, add in the shrimp, and cook until bright pink.  Once the shrimp are done, add in a cup of water, and a cup of stock.  Because of availability in my fridge, I used chicken, but pork or shrimp stock would do fine.  Once the liquids start to boil, add in your thickener.

Being the good southern man that I am, I chose to use okra.  Okra is a plant that's seed pod (the part you eat) produces mucilage, a soluble fiber that in a neutral pH will cause it's surroundings to thicken.  If you prefer otherwise, a simple  blond roux will suffice.

I added in about a cup of okra and simmered for another 45 minutes, and I had a great looking stew that was just thick enough to cover the back of the spoon.

I served it up over a bowl of rice, with a side of Kings Hawaiian Sweet-rolls, and voila!

Best part about this meal is that it can be easily customized, a variety of seafood or meats and veggies can be added, chilies for more heat etc.  If you ever find yourself exploring the cuisine of New Orleans, please do drop me a line and tell me what you think!
Thats all folks!

Hot Dogs from around America

So today I was craving a hot dog, and due to the town where I live's lack of a Der Wienerschnitzel I figured I'd have to make my own.  Yes, Costco is there but I didn't want to spend money I don't have on things I don't need.  I digress.

So I went to the store and bought a pack of hot dogs and buns, then decided to get creative.  I ended up purchasing a few additional toppings.

So I decided that this Californian would cook and eat four hot dogs (I was really hungry).

There was the:
-Chicago style: a dog served up with a pickle spear, tomato juliennes, mustard and onions.  Not a bad combination, but I think I need to dry out the pickle because it really overpowered the dog.
-Seattle style: a dog split then cooked served atop a toasted bun with cream cheese, grilled onions, and cock-sauce (sriracha).  My least favorite of the three...sort of expected, leave it to a bunch of Seattle hippies to ruin a good ol' fashioned meal.
-Coney dog: an American classic, a dog served on a bun with mustard, chili (NO BEANS of course), topped with cheese (I used sharp cheddar), and diced onions.  Always hits the spot
-Carolina dog: a hot dog topped with coleslaw, chili, and onions. MY FAVORITE, no surprises here I should've expected it from the name alone, I mean everything is  bigger in Texas, but its better from the Carolinas.

Surprisingly, the vinegar content in the slaw was more mild than that of the mustard as compared to the coney dog.  The partially broken down cabbage also provided a sweetness that complimented the mild heat in the chili so I would say it was a sweet-heat combination on the dog.

Total cost of this recipe <$20.  Total time (prep/cook) <30 minutes.
It was a good day in the kitchen.

St John's Festa-Portuguese Sopes

Being from San Diego, I thought myself to be pretty well exposed when it came to foreign gastronomy, but I experienced one of the most delicious meals I've had that I didn't prepare myself.  With my past Portuguese cuisine limited to linguiça and eggs (fake I know), I had no idea what to expect.  I was told that it would be a day of eating slow cooked meat and day-drinking.
Day-drinking has been a past time of mine pretty much since I relocated from San Diego to Merced.  Remembering back to my college days of good-beer-Sundays, spending Sunday at a festa sounded like a good idea.
Upon arrival at the church, we parked our booties in a picnic bench and proceeded to open up a few silver bullets.  Werewolves be ware.  

Aside from the shady picnic area surrounded by the kitchens the next sense that was awakened was my olfaction.  The air was filled with the scent of cloves, cumin, and bay but more importantly, cinnamon.  My stomach immediately started to growl.  I was hungry.  I was curious.  I asked a friend who is a veteran festa-er to take me into the back.  It was quite the spectacle.  I've worked in a production kitchen before, and this is nothing like I've ever seen before.  There were at least three generations of men working the kitchen.  I was amazed at how efficiently the machine was working.  (For perspective purposes the dude with the shovel-tool was like 6'1")

So after about an hour of good company and good conversation, a pair of sixty-something Portuguese men start at the end and unroll butcher paper the length of the table.  They're followed by another two who bring out two huge metal bowls.  In the bowls contain the Sopas.  Sopas in Portuguese is different than Soaps in Mexican.  Instead of a soup, its more like a stew, which is even a stretch, Id say most like a pot-roast.  
So back to the food.  One pan had cabbage blanched to perfection in the spice-meat juices, as well as what I presume is a french bread sliced and also in the bowl.  They called it "soggy bread" the bread like the cabbage is soaked in these tasty juices.  Accompanying the cabbage and bread is another bowl filled with the meat.  From the size and color it is very obviously beef but I imagine chevon or mutton could be easily substituted.

The food was amazing!!  Best part about this meal: it's served family style.  The one drawback about the family style was the jackass sitting across from me, who insisted on using a clean utensil to grab.  Note to the jackass: family style means you grab what you eat from the common plate; don't be a doucher about germs, its 2011 there's no such thing as microbes!  

For each bite I took a little beef and cabbage and a morsel of soggy bread, and my whole mouth was engaged.  The acidity in the broth started to breakdown the bread so it was sweet and sugary, the cabbage provided just the right amount of sour and bitter and the meat balanced it out with the salt and umami.  
Following the meal, the bowls are pulled, and the same old men that laid the paper, come by and fold up the edges and roll it back up and away.  In a matter of seconds the table is cleaned and bused.  Right after the paper is lifted away, in the background a band can be seen unpacking.  The band set up and started playing covers of popular country songs.  This country boy transplant was happier than a pig in shit!  If given the opportunity to attend another festa, I would do it in a heartbeat.  This is one cultural event that you cannot take a pass on!