Too cool. Just received in the mail a book called The Flavor Bible, and although I've only perused the first few pages I'm already hooked. There's a big part of me that's totally a list person, so I love the way authors Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg go about breaking down the experience of eating into categories, viz:
That, folks, was a "raisin sausage," a delicacy evidently delightful to Turkish people. Basically this magic wand is fashioned out of walnuts encased in a jellylike substance made from grape juice. Although purported to be aphrodisiac, I used mine as a fly trap: simply hang in a sunny window and it attracts many varieties of curious insect, which, drawn by the promise of sweetness (or potency) become perilously enmeshed in its excessively sticky surface. Unable to free themselves, at length they succumb -- a metaphor for something, I guess.
Um, John McCain's partnership with Sarah Palin? Hey, she's not a pit bull: She's a raisin sausage!
It's football season, folks, which mean it's time to bust out the propane grills, load up on ice, and hit the pavement for a little tailgating. Last week, we showed you how to craft spicy lamb chili that you could make ahead of time and then warm up at the game. This one is even easier: beer braised sausage hoagies.
Now, this is a dish born completely of convenience. It combines sausage, the epitome of tailgating goodness, with beer, something you're likely to have a ton of on hand.
Start by prepping some goods before the game. You're going to need:
1. A bunch of sausages. Any variety will do, in fact, the crazier you get the better. Spicy Italian with chorizo? OK! Andouille and bratwurst? Why not? There's nothing fussy about this dish, so use whatever variety of good quality sausages you can find.
2. Veggies. Yes, despite the fact that peppers and onions are not part of the meat food group, they do bring a lot to the table. I like the combo of one red bell pepper, one large yellow onion, and two poblano peppers, but you can use whatever mix of peppers and onions you like. I have made this with sliced jalepenos in the past. If you are so daring... have at 'er.
3. Bread. A quality hoagie roll that can stand up to an intense dousing of sauce is the key. You're looking for something soft, with a slightly elastic coating.
4. Beer. The brand matters not. Lagers work nicely, I find, just steer clear of flavorless ones like Bud or Miller, et al.
5. (Optional) Mayo. It's purpose is two-fold: It serves as a bit of a foil to the salty and savory sausages, and it helps protect the bread from soaking through with sausage juice. Yes, that actually works. I like to make garlic mayo by combining two minced cloves of garlic with about 1/2 cup of mayonnaise, a couple healthy dashes of hot sauce, and a grind or two of black pepper.
Hit the jump for instructions.
During which of the following world-famous events did the pizza industry report the highest number of deliveries?
a) the final episode of Survivor I
b) Superbowl XXXXVII
c) the O.J. Simpson Bronco chase
d) the opening night of the first Gulf War
This is one of numerous “Pop Quizine” queries that pepper the Polish Podleski sisters’ hugely popular diet cookbooks (the answer is at the end of this blog). Who are the Podleski sisters? If you resided in Canada you wouldn’t have to ask. Janet and Greta hail from St. Thomas, Ontario, and their first collaboration, Looneyspoons:Low-Fat Food Made Fun! (1996), spent 85 weeks on Canada’s national bestseller list. Matter of fact, altogether their books have outsold Harry Potter in the great white north.They’ve got a successful show on Food Network Canada as well.
The sisters’ most recent publication, Eat, Shrink & Be Merry!, is like the rest: a potpourri of cooking and nutrition tips, “funky factoids”, food histories, jokes, puns, illustrations, quotations, quizzes, cartoons, colored photos -- altogether a whirlwind of a book crammed with useful and/or fascinating information about all things culinary. Plus, of course, this being a cookbook, there are hundreds of healthy, uncomplicated, humorously named recipes: Celine Dijon Chicken, Titanic Salad with Iceberg Lettuce, and so forth.
I spoke with Janet and Greta by phone last week.
New Times: Tell us about St. Thomas, Ontario.
Greta: We’re famous for killing Jumbo the elephant from the Barnum & Bailey Circus. That’s what put St. Thomas on the map. There was a bad train accident.
I don't usually approve of chains, but Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza is definitely one of the good guys: Born in SoFla, where not long ago you couldn't get a decent slice of pie to save your soul, Anthony's has recently managed to put a coal fire pizza joint within reach of us all. Now that Anthony's has locations in Palm Beach Gardens, Boynton, Delray, Boca, Lauderdale, Weston, Pembroke Pines, Aventura, Pompano, Plantation, and Coral Springs, the famous "Our Pizza is Well Done" motto is much closer to the lips of purists who'll fight to the death over the question of crust consistency.
I go to Heidy’s Cafe (2804 NE Second Ave., Miami) for the $6 special. The portions are generous and the food delicious. Today, the daily special features carne asada, white rice, refried beans, and spaghetti. I add on Honduran cheese, mantequilla, spicy vegetables and habanero salsa.
If you ever needed any proof that the recession is hitting the middle class the hardest, just take a spin around Coral Springs. The sleepy burg - once the ultimate destination for budding family units - is literally covered with the sad little shells of failed businesses, most of which are restaurants. One such casualty is Springs' former Macaroni Grill, which, since its closure nearly a year ago, has sat in disrepair collecting code violations from the City for failure to maintain the property. (Coral Springs code enforcement is a ruthless bunch.) But as I was driving by this weekend I noticed a couple dump trucks out front as well as a sign announcing the location would soon be home to a brand-spanking-new Benihana.
This is good news for West Browardites, whose only other nearby option for teppanyaki-style cuisine is the ageless and insipid Peking Tokyo. Plus, Benihana is, if its (rather silly) new advertising campaign is to be believed, a special place to eat.
There's no concrete date set as of yet for when shrimp will start being flung into open mouths with abandon; just leave your calendar open for sometime in early 2009.
-- John Linn
TMQ is back, folks, and today we've got a good one for you:
If you're like me, you go out to eat at least 4-5 times a week -- once or twice for dinner, and about two to three times to grab lunch while at work. That adds up to a lot of dining out; but most of those experiences are at places I'm already familiar with. And for as long as I've been eating in South Florida (How long have I been truly eating? Sort of an existential question, isn't it?), I still haven't tried all the places I want to. Not that I don't try. I definitely crave new experiences, but sometimes, dining at an old standby just feels more comfortable than testing the waters at a new joint. Still, I try to make at least one of those 4-5 meals out per week a trip to somewhere I haven't been before.
So how often do you try new restaurants? Do you try one a week also? One a month? Do you stick to the places you are familiar with? Or do you only check out a new place if the word of mouth is so good you simply can't miss it?
-- John Linn
I recently received an email from the New York publisher of an upcoming cookbook featuring American recipes and accompanying backstories from all 50 states. The writer is a well known cookbook author and longtime food columnist for a major publication, and it seems as though she isn’t happy with the conch recipe they have from South Florida. So I was asked if I knew anyone with a great conch fritter recipe from their family, preferably somebody with roots in either South Florida or the islands where conch is prevalent, and who would be willing to share information about it -- whose recipe it is, how it came about, etc. There is no money involved, but rather the chance to get your family history/recipe in a very prestigious book.
If you fit the bill, or know of someone who does, please contact me either on this page or, if you prefer privacy, by clicking my name below.
-- Lee Klein
This morning, I erroneously reported that Michy's was moving into the Domo Japones space. Michelle logged on to set the story straight:
Hi Lee,
Just so you and everyone knows, Michy's is not and never will be moving. We are opening a Tapas Restaurant, a dream for my husband David and I for a long time. One of our sous chefs at Michys, Berenice Dearaujo is going to be the chef. We are traveling to Spain and finishing menus this month!!!
Cant wait to see you all there.
Michelle B
My apologies to David and Michelle for the mistake, and look forward to sampling those tapas.
-- Lee Klein
The Grateful Garden has been flitting around like a psychedelic butterfly for the last couple of years in search of a permanent home. Gayle Coursol and friends have been trying to get this market/cafe/meeting place/music venue/spiritual retreat a place large enough and cheap enough to encompass their grand vision -- and it looks like they've finally found it in a former Big Daddy's on the corner of Lucerne and Dixie in Lake Worth.
Big News: Domo Japones, the chic Asian bistro in the Design District, closed its’ doors for good after last night’s service.
Bigger News: I have heard that Michelle Bernstein has taken over Domo’s lease and is going to move Michy’s into the space.
Stay tuned for details. Read our update here.
-- Lee Klein
Recently I remembered how much I love pie. It happened at a tasting for Purple Pie Company, the cutest little independent pie company ever to come out of Miami. Alex Van Clief, the PPC's Chief Officer of Pies, was selling little sample pies in tiny mason jars – adorable, inventive, and tasty.
Over the weekend I decided to experiment with the same concept: I figured that I could stash half in my freezer for dinners/desserts and give the rest out as gifts to friends. Also, since chicken pot pie is the best thing to ever discover hiding in your freezer, I opted to make that as the entrée and fresh blueberry pie as the dessert. I wanted each to be a hearty serving, so I used my Kerr pint jars (plus, it’s what I already had.). If you don’t have tiny little puppet hands like me, I strongly recommend using a wide-mouth jar or one that’s about as wide as it is tall, otherwise you’ll never get the crust to line the bottom. It’s a fun project, if a bit time consuming, and totally worth it since you wind up with an increased crust-to-pie ratio.
Hit the jump for instructions.
We're now a few weeks into an interesting NFL season, one in which the lowly Dolphins have already won a game! Their victory two weeks ago against New England was a celebration-worthy event, and will no doubt fuel the fires of many a tailgater heading to Dolphins Stadium this Sunday to see the Fins take on the San Diego Chargers.
Yes, the tailgating should be fierce this weekend, if only because the Dolphins have only had one home game so far this season. And this ultimate expression of fandom is, to me, the best aspect of going to a game. No matter if the home team sucks horribly, it's always fun to pile your friends in the car, show up to the stadium five or six or seven hours early, and drink yourself silly whilst ingesting an absurd amount of enormously unhealthy food. There's an art to a good tailgate, one that takes years of practice to master. But once you've honed your skills on a portable propane stove or grill, you'll be a parking lot force of nature.
Over the next couple weeks I'm going to share with ya'll some of my favorite tailgating recipes. I'll start today with an easy one, my spicy lamb chili. I say easy, because you can make it ahead of time and simply warm it up on the stove or grilltop at the tailgate. Ladeled into Dixie bowls, this hearty chili will cut the beer nicely, and also ensure you're wide awake until at least the third quarter (the third quarter, as every good tailgater knows, being nap time).
Hit the jump for pics and step-by-step instructions.
Last week the food giant Unilever recalled Lipton Green Milk Tea brand from Taiwan stores because one of the ingredients was milk from China. On Tuesday, the Associated Press reported that “according to Unilever Hong Kong Ltd, internal tests have found four batches of Lipton milk tea powder contaminated with melamine." Unilever then recalled that product from Hong Kong and Macau stores. On Wednesday, Unilever claimed that its milk tea powder products are made in Indonesia, so there should be no worry.
Unilever worries me for all sorts of reasons.
