recipe: poisson de polenta

Corn meal mash is one of those seeming universal recipes that any culture discovering corn meal decided to make a variety of. The Italians have some of the most well known polenta recipes, many of which are stewed, chilled, rolled and then fried, but what you may not know is grits in the south are nothing more than the American variant of polenta. Add a little cheese, or some fish, or a pork product or eggs or a variant of salsa, honey, molasses, herbs, etc and you can take this from breakfast or desert treat and turn it into a wonderful savory or sweet dish. French have been doing both and you’ll find a lot of Delta variants not under the polenta name to draw from with an open mind. My first exposure to this was seared cheese grits with a prawn etouffee topping (fan-freakin-tastic, it was the fried version of grits with a butter-garlic and alligator-andoullie egg side-dish, argh, I’ll have to share that recipe another time… as I drool over my keyboard now). You can do great things with grits and these are some special grits…

onion
bell pepper
celery
garlic
cayenne pepper
black pepper
butter
corn meal
water (or veggie stock) *
bay leaf
rosemary
black pepper
house seasoning
cilantro
fish fillet **
chicory or collard (or other dark leafy green) ***
butter

Dice the onion, bell pepper, celery, garlic
Saute the veggies over low heat until the flavors begin to meld and they begin to brown
Add the stock (will be a 4:1 stock to corn, or as low as 2:1 for a thicker, heavier recipe – increase the corn meal slightly if using straight water in the ratio), dried rosemary, bay, bring up to a boil
Add the corn meal at the boil and bring to a simmer
Add the cayenne pepper, black pepper and allow to steep for 15-20 minutes, be sure to check on the liquid level to ensure the proper viscosity
** If serving with fish fillet, season both sides of the fillet with house seasoning, place over the fillets over the polenta to steam while cooking
*** If serving the dark leafy greens fresh, place the leaves above the fish fillets at the same time over the polenta to steam while cooking, you can use frozen and integrate it into the polenta, you can add them under the fish.

Once the whole thing is finished cooking, place the greens on the side (drench in ice water to retain the green leaves if necessary)
Remove the fish fillets to set
Place leaves of greens on the bottom of a bowl
Pour the polenta into the bowl
Set the fish fillets over the polenta
Garnish with sprigs of the greens and the cilantro
Serve with hot sauce, i suggest Crystal in this case

You can fry the polenta in this case, it’ll be just as good as the sausy dish, simply let your mash cool in the fridge to a thick pasty texture, roll out on a board using wax paper or your rolling skills, till you have a 1 inch or so log, cut about 1/2 to 1 inch patties out of it, preheat your cast iron skillet till just below smoking, drop each patty on the skillet for 1/2 to 2 minutes depending on your preference of doneness and reserve with above assets, a completely different treat and just as splendid. A really nice variant on this is to include the collard or chicory inside the polenta, which will be even that much richer a flavor. Also, with the fried version, you can do more sauce wise to go with it… so have fun!

recipe: burgers espagnole

Typically, when one makes hamburgers they simply slop together some ground meat and plop it on the grill. Mayhaps, they add some veggies and some seasoning to them and maybe then use what is called a filler to help bind it. However, there are some really deep flavors you can add to a burger recipe if you have people that enjoy rare to at best medium meat and don’t need ketchup as their primary topping.

This might seem like a lot but it builds on two principles of the typical mother sauces, the Espagnole and the delta cooking idea, I’ve blended the two and taken several liberties so you will have to accept it for what it is. Delta cooking, built upon a mixture of cultures and flavors is probably one of the truest forms of American cooking. The French influence in Cajun cooking is especially prominent and as all the Delta styles come together one of the most influential veins in it is Franco-American. Typically, this would be off a veal stock to be a real espagnole, but in this case, a solid beef stock or broth will do more than enough. If you are a really good meat worker you won’t need an egg to help in the emulsification nor will you use bread crumbs in the thickening process because a great roux and some really sweet cooking techniques for people that appreciate burgers done rare (do NOT try to serve these well done) you’ll enjoy.

the espagnole:
red wine, burgundy is good, merlot on the lighter end works ok too, the better “quality” wine the better it should turn out, never cook with something you wouldn’t first drink
stock (beef or veal)
bay leaf
crushed rosemary
onion, garlic flakes
dried celery leaves
black pepper
flour
butter

Combine the wine and stock (1:1), bay, rosemary, onion, garlic, celery, black pepper allow all of the above to cure for between 2 and 24 hours
Combine equal parts, by weight, of flour and butter. Begin to brown them over low heat, do not allow to burn. Continue to mix until the mixture becomes between a dark peanut butter and light brick color.
Add the wine/stock and seasoning combination, mix thoroughly, bring up to a boil and then back down to a simmer and reduce by at least half.
Allow to cool, reserve some of it for sauce for the burgers if you’d like. *remove the bay leaf!

the burgers:
garlic cloves
peppers either a poblano or large Anaheim
celery stalks
onion
cilantro
black pepper
ground beef
Andouille sausage (de-cased – or other ground or shredded similarly spiced pork)
the espagnole
large mixing bowl

Above mixed veggies all finely chopped (finer the better, use a food processor if you’d like)
Put the veggies with the ground beef, sausage, cilantro in a mixing bowl and slowly add the espagnole. Do Not over-mix / overwork the meat. Only add enough espagnole to gain a wet consistency where the meat still sticks together itself.
Spit the meat into fist sized balls and lightly press the balls between your palms to form burger patties. Do not press the patties to be too thin. Season both sides of the patties with black pepper (and house seasoning).

You can grill the burgers or sear them off on a cast iron skillet. I suggest, either way, cook the first side 2/3 of the way and flip only once to complete the cooking for the balance of the time. Do no press the burgers while cooking, allow them to cook and keep the juices in, pressing the juices out just dries the burger out, it doesn’t really reduce the fat content or anything. Before serving allow the burgers to rest a few minutes for the juices to redistribute. Reheat the remaining the espagnole while the burgers are cooking, add Crystal Hot Sauce while it reheats to give it a little extra kick.

today i ate: state street

Wisconsin is supposed to be the land of beer and cheese. Well, they certainly haven’t been skipping on either, for sure. Spend the day on State Street hanging out. Stopped and got some nice aged Wisconsin cheddar and munched on that for a bit while getting my bearings. First reaction to it was it felt like something clean out of a Vonnegut short story with a circa 1950 is still the current year vibe. Honestly, though, despite the old school signage and quaint buildings, there were significantly less mom-and-pop shops than I was expecting. A few alright finds in an antique book store (and I mean antique, not used), a couple of over-priced used record shops and a small outdoorsman store.

Lunch was somewhat forgettable Italian-American cuisine. It was not bad, but I could have gotten it anywhere, including the 101 places in my town. However, for a mid-afternoon snack Myles Teddywedgers was on-point! They served up exactly what you would expect, hand crafted excellence in the old-school tradition of the pasty. It easily could be a meal itself and had I planned out the trip better, very well would have been. The top layer steak with potatoes and onion was the selection, but all the specials were making me drool just reading them, especially the breakfast pies. They absolutely do NOT mess around, and neither should you, go there!

Dinner that night found me making a return trip to Great Dane Pub and Brewing Co. Much the same as the first trip, the waitstaff was excellent. You never know what to expect as a solo traveler, but they went out of their way to make it enjoyable. Began the night with the APA, Old Glory. Big hops flavor and nice malt undertone support the brew. Followed it up with the IPA, Potters Run. Again, they didn’t miss on this at all, great traditional IPA flavors, nice hop top with a great undertone. Finished the night off with Black Earth Porter. Dark, rich and creamy with a great coffee underbelly to it made it a great desert. I also sampled the viessen wheat beer. Truth be told, I’m not really a wheat beer guy, but it looked to tempting not to try it and I will say, if the stuff normally tickles your fancy, I highly suggest it here. Diner was the Webster Street Chicken Salad and a side of the Beer Bread with Honey Butter. Hey, after eating and Italian lunch and a pasty snack did you really think I’d have a heavy meal? Salad was an interesting combination of flavors and textures and got the job done. Bread was full of flavor and the honey butter was the perfect accompaniment to it. Do it up if your there. Really, you’re already blowing the diet anyhow with the beer…!

today i ate: the trollyway

Actually, to be honest today’s meals are split between Madison and Mt. Horeb so you’ll have to forgive the title being just regarding the Trollway.

While I was strolling the Trollway, Main Street, Mt. Horeb I stumbled upon quite a lovely find, the Grumpy Troll. Seriously, with a name like that, how could you possibly go wrong? You can’t, especially when you visit a pub that offers hand pulled casks along with normal taps. There’s just something to be said for traditional English hand pulls. I began with a Maggie IPA which had a great old imperial flavor, well hopped but a strong rounded body. It actually was one of the better IPAs I had. Next I had an Erik the Red. Bright, complex and clean finishing, just a hint of fruit on the underside. The most pleasant surprise however was the bartender recommendation, the Imperial Stout, served in a huge fishbowl of a brandy snifter. Heavenly rich and creamy brew wasn’t heavy at all and went down smooth as a baby’s bottom should feel. The meal was deep fried white cheddar curds, which were adorably rich and creamy on the inside while having a great texture to the breading and the honey mustard was a nice touch for the side. Would have had the pan-fried Walleye sandwich but it was off the menu for the day (booo) but informed the pulled pork was a good choice. It was pretty good, nothing to write home about, but I’m a bit of a pulled pork connoisseur so I could be a little over picky. The rest of the meal made up for it though.

That evening, back in Madison, I hit up the Great Dane Pub and Brewing Co. First off, this place does not mess around, the staff was great from moment one. Found a seat at the bar and hooked myself up with one of two IPAs they had on tap, which included something in the neighborhood of 15 brews including three hand pulls. The beer lived up to the billing, a complex and robust IPA with a huge hoppy overtone. Devils Lake Red was up next and it was a fantastic dry-hopped lager with a hint of sweet maltiness. Closed it out with my all-time favorite beer, the Scotch Ale, this one aptly titled Stone of Scone. Its lived up to it’s kingly title to say the least with a big, bold flavor that was every bit of a sipping inspiration. The menu was more typical pub grub and I was a little disappointed there wasn’t a bit more of a Wisconsin flare to it, but it did draw well on their beer brewing… started with the Brown Beer Onion Soup, a tasty take on the traditional French Onion. It more than got the job done with a subtle hint of the beer in the background. Brats and Mash were the meal. Brats were braised in beer adding a nice depth of flavor, the homemade sauerkraut has a great tangy flavor that really stuck with the meal and the baked apple sauce was a nice touch. All in all, a hearty meal perfect for after a long day.

recipe: pernil y patatas mexicana

So, for a pre-Father’s Day gathering the bourbon and tequila came out, so did the cigars and so did the cooking. Rain was not going to stop us from enjoying a wonderful meal despite it being entirely too wet out to attempt the BBQ. The pernil recipe is something my Dad had put together with Iberian friends that we’ve adapted here. It is, by no means, perfected, but you go with what’s available. The potatoes are something I put together from several recipes, it is, again, by no means meant to be “authentic” in any other way than what I’ve learned is some recipes come from what you can get fresh regularly. We had a joyful time cooking, and catching up on a way too short weekend to be what we are, a family, and really, nothing is better than a family spending time together. You know how a great meal like this really is great? One. Hours after everyone is still talking about it, not how ‘great it tasted’ but how much the ‘experience’ impacts them. Two. every distinct smell you cooked with comes back again and again and again, for hours on end after the last dish is put away. Three. You are still so adoring from how it felt you are inspired to do something like this… write it down! A couple of notes: Pork shoulder is the upper pork back on the bone, it may be called pork butt in some butcheries, not the butt is not the ass of the swine, it is the upper back, and that’s the piece you want. It is better if it comes with the fat and the skin included. Yes, I know, supposedly, fat is bad (but remember kiddies, fat IS flavor), and you’re probably used to me cooking low carb, low fat fish recipes, trust me, do this one right, please. You can do pulled pork in a slow cooker and replicate this recipe splendidly, no question, but would you want to, knowing that charred skin is waiting for you as a treat from under a broiler?

Pernil mojo
garlic
onion
pepper
cilantro
sour orange (naranja agria – though, fresh orange can work, zest skin squeeze juice keep separate)
pepper – black and white corns (lightly heated, coarsely ground)
cumin
paprika
olive oil
large mixing bowl

Finely dice the onion, pepper, garlic, cilantro.
Zest the orange skin, just the pulp and the dice up the left over pulp.
Combine all the above ingredients in a large mixing bowl along with the cumin, paprika
Toss with olive oil
Allow the ingreds to meld for a few hours in the fridge.

Pernil Recipe
Mojo
Pork Shoulder
baking dish

Lightly slit under the skin with a knife and slip your fingers between the fat and the flesh of the pork.
Once most of the skin and flesh are separated, massage the mojo in between.
Anywhere there is exposed flesh, create deep punctures in it with a knife and massage the mojo into the slits.
Place the pork in a bag with the rest of the mojo to marinate for several hours to a day.

Once the pork is marinated allow to come up to room temperature in a baking dish while your oven (or smoker or crock pot) preheats. You are looking for about 225-275 degrees tops.
Once the cooker is preheated, transfer the meat to the appropriate cooking vessel and allow to very slow cook for between 4-8 hours, until the internal temperature is about 185 degrees. Baste, as necessary and appropriate with the mojo, do not disturb the slow cook too often. Once maybe twice might be enough while checking the temperature.
During the last 5 minutes of cooking if under a broiler or if you have an open flame grill to transfer to, char the exterior skin over the high heat.

Patatas Mexicana Recipe
potatoes
cubanella peppers
jalapeno peppers
onion
garlic
Chroizo (charisse sausage, although linguisa will work too)
olive oil
broiler or grill
large skillet or fry pan

Char all of the pepper in the broiler. This is done by placing the peppers in high heat in the broiler, turning frequently, until the outer skin turns black. Place the blackened peppers in a bag, seal the bag and allow the peppers to steam themselves for a minute or two. This will help separate the skin from the flesh. Be very careful handling the peppers as they are very hot from broiling. Peel away the pepper skin and then coarsely chop the flesh. The charring is done to give the peppers a fuller and more rustic flavor, plus, it rids us of the tough skins.

Coarsely chop the onion and garlic
Slice the potato into thin rounds (crosswise circles so they look like potato chips)
Slice the charisse
Preheat the skillet with a bit of olive oil. It should be hot enough that the potato when they hit the oil begin to fry up immediately.
Add the potato, all the veggies and the charrisse to the skillet in that order.
Once everything hits the skillet, allow it to cook through to the point of becoming crispy on one side, then turn everything once to brown the other side.
If you do it right, you can probably remove the whole skillet worth as almost one large flavorful piece, serve on a platter garnished with fresh cilantro and serve it family style.

I like serving this with a warm three green salad and a corn salsa and some bread to sop up all the juices (there are some nice unleavened flat breads or corn bread to use, I’m not a bread maker so you’ll have to figure them out on your own)

recipe: green rice with mahi mahi

There is actually a reason I did not name this arroz verde… it is because, if I were going to do this as a true verde sauce, in my mind, should probably include some tomitillios, of which this recipe does not include (see my chili verde recipe). It is closer to perhaps a riz vert insomuch as it is built on a base of the color green and is rice based in a Delta cooking style. This version includes steaming the mahi mahi over the top of the cooking the rice. The fish (as well as some of the other ingreds) are interchangeable, as usual, but this was truly inspired by the fact that there were all these pretty colors of green in my fridge to draw from along with the fresh fish I picked up. I have fresh made veggie stock at home that has this great deep green brown color that came from some really nice veggies I had and has a brilliant flavor to help set the base flavors (being it was born out of them), but a fish stock or broth might work well too. I am not a huge okra fan, but it adds to the green, and it helps give the rice a nice, thick, sticky consistency. These are always the best reasons to invent new dishes and always my faves in the way they come out.

Poblano pepper
green bell pepper
yellow onion
garlic
jalapeno pepper
celery
okra
chicory
collard greens
brown rice
cilantro
mahi mahi
fresh cracked pepper (black and white corns if possible) and / or house seasoning
stock pot
veggie stock
butter

Chop all three pepper types, garlic, celery, onion and okra
Combine the veggies in the stock pot over low heat and sweat to combine flavors
While the flavors meld, coarsly chop the cilantro, collard, chicory (and/or other dark leafy greens)
Add a bit of butter to the pot and add the rice. All the rice to become translucent
Add stock to the rice, typically about a 2:1 ration, bring to a boil and back down to a low simmer.
Season with pepper, house seasonings.
Season both sides of the fish filets with house seasoning
Allow the rice to cook 15-20 minutes then add the chopped greens to the pot and mix.
Once the greens are integrated with the rice place the fish filets on top of the rice.
Add any additional liquid necessary at this point, cover and allow the filets to cook through and the rice to finish cooking until it is completely tender.
Remember, the rice should have a sticky and thick consistency around it, it should not be dry and separated.

I serve with a leaf or two of the greens on the play, with the rice then piled partly over and the fillet of fish offset on the rice, maybe a leaf or two of cilantro for good measure.

recipe: porchini mushroom salmon

I don’t really know what inspired this meal, it just kind of came together by accident. I was lucky to find fresh caught salmon for this, as opposed to the usual farm raised fish. Combine that with fresh spinach and mushrooms and it really did come together nicely. I realized after I finished eating it, it was one of those meals I really should have taken notes on what I was doing. A really good sized fry pan will allow you to actually cook the whole thing in one pace rather than having to dirty a bunch of dishes. Don’t feel obligated to follow the directions exactly though, because it would be equally as well to serve the elements separate too.

Salmon fillet
porchini mushrooms
spinach
shallot
garlic
black pepper
large skillet

Dice the mushrooms, garlic and shallot and cut the spinach
Place the salmon fillet skin down in the skillet and begin to cook it over medium heat
Season the top of the fish with black pepper
Once the fish begins to cook place the veggies on either side of the fish in the skillet and season the veggies with black pepper
Allow the spinach to wilt and the mushrooms to reduce in size (right to the point of browning)
If necessary, cover the frying pan to help combine flavors and speed cooking, also (such as using a non-stick pan) add a little bit of oil to prevent sticking
Once the veggies are reduced and the fish is cooked through and its skin crispy, remove from heat.

I served by plating the fish and then topping the fillet with the veggies, the favors came together surprisingly well and offered different mouth textures during each bite rather than eating the veggies and fish separately. As stated earlier though, they can easily be done separately.

recipe: garlic-tarragon flounder

Fancy this, back-to-back recipe posts. After returning from a long, exhausting hike up north, there wasn’t much energy left to cook and this is a super easy, super quick meal. Any white fish will work with this, flounder was just how I came up with the basic recipe and it is still my preference for cooking it. It is important when working with a delicate tasting fish like flounder not to go too heavy on the complimenting flavors, however, feel free to get a little more potent with it if you opt for cod or other more bold white fish. As for the peas, I highly suggest the frozen ones over canned, or even really, fresh. Believe it or not, they seem to keep that sweet flavor much better when flash frozen than when sent to the market “fresh” – if you have to use canned, be forewarned, there’s no cooking, just re-heating so be careful timing things.

flounder fillets
butter
garlic
shallot
tarragon
white wine
black pepper
skillet
peas (frozen)
small pot
metal collenar or steamer insert

Finely chop the garlic and most of the shallot cloves, coarser chop and reserve the rest of the shallot
Begin boiling water in the small pot
Place the finely chopped in a skillet with a small pad of butter and melt over low heat allowing butter to melt and the flavors of the garlic and shallot to combine
Place the peas and the shallot in the collenar
Pepper one side of the fillet, place in the skillet, pepper the other side of the fillet
Place the collenar over the boiling water and begin to steam the peans and shallot
Turn the fillet only once during the cooking to cook through, do not allow the garlic / shallots to burn!
Remove the fillet from skillet and set aside
Deglaze the skillet with white wine
Add the chopped fresh tarragon to the skillet
Add additional butter as necessary to achieve consistency while reducing the liquid by at least half
Remove the peas and shallots from the steamer when the peas are warmed / cooked through and the shallots are soft
Serve the fillets with the sauce over the top, peas on the side… I found it a nice touch of flavor to include few tarragon leaves with the peas

recipe: chipotle queso pollo y tequila camarón aguacate

The last few years, my sister and treat our mommy to dinner and desert that we prepare for her. More times than not, we let her go shopping and whatever she picks up fresh is what we craft together into a meal. There seems to be a southwestern / Mexican flare running as yearly theme at this point, so, when my sister suggested this chipotle dish, I just couldn’t refuse. After all, the smoked halipeno is a personal favorite and since she just discovered it’s beauty she was all too eager to test it out. This is a slight variation on the recipe itself which includes the hor’dourves and the meal itself. My sister’s mastery of both art and baking produced a wonderful cake in the shape of a half a wine barrel sprouting with roses. Stunning, to say the least.

Shrimp
Shrimp
Olive Oil
Tequila
cilantro
cayenne pepper
shallot
avocado
lime
yogurt (Greek preferably, something thick, hearty and plain)

Combine equal parts olive oil and tequila
Zest the lime into the liquids
Shred the cilantro into the liquids
Add the shrimp and allow to marinade for 10-20 minutes (don’t go too long or it will begin to cook in the alcohol)
Very finely dice the shallot
Skin and de-pit the avocado and then mash
Combine the mashed avocado and shallt with the yogurt (about a 2:1 or 1.5:1 ratio would be good depending on your preference) and add a splash of tequila and the line juice
Season with cayenne pepper and fresh shredded cilantro
One a wooden skewer soaked in water, shift 4-5 shrimp separated by 1/8th’ed lime wedges (the ones you’ve already “zested and juiced”
Grill the shrimp, use the marinade to help keep the shrimp moist and from sticking, they will cook fast on a hot grill, do NOT overcook. Shrimp come with a “built in” thermometer – as they change color they are ready to turn, when they go to reddish-orange they are done!

To serve, take the avocado mixture and place it in a bowl in the center of a large platter, line the platter with chips, then place the skewers of shrimp along the edge of the platter over the chips with a few fresh sprigs of cilantro. People can dip the shrimp into the avocado, they can use the grilled lime if they’d like to drench the shrimp with an extra flavor level (esp. because once grilled they take on an extra flavor level) and of course the chips will finish up the dip.

Chicken
Chicken – thighs are better but breasts will work just fine*
Tequila
Lime (both zest and juice)
onion
garlic
montery jack cheese (shredded)
heavy cream
cilantro
chipotle peppers (they usually come packaged in an adobo sauce, which is tomato paste, onion and the pepper’s natural juices)
butter
flour

Marinade the chicken in the tequila and the zest and juice of the lime, you can shred a little fresh cilantro. Anywhere from 30 minutes to 3 hours would be a good start.
* Thighs come with a darker meat, usually a little bit more fat content and will grill much more evenly on the grill, but breasts will work just fine too. I would suggest, with thighs a bit lower heat and a longer more generous cook that includes a good hot burn right at the end to give texture, with the breasts, thttp://en-us.www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/central/he fatter the breast the more I’d probably cook it like a thigh, but the smaller ones, super high heat on the first sear and then put them on the top rack and let them cook through. If you can get with skin, I would because it will protect the flesh, but you don’t need to eat it or serve it if you don’t want.

The topping you are creating is a derivative of the Béchamel mother sauce, which is a light roux combined with a dairy. In this case, you are augmenting the mother sauce with a few southwestern concepts to bring it together as a sauce, but it follows a very basic principle

Very finely dice the onion, garlic
Combine equal parts lipid and starch (oil and flour) in the pan over low heat and keep them moving until they combine and become a rich yellow color
Add the veggies to the mixture and continue to keep the mixture moving until the roux begins to turn a light brown and the veggies themselves go to browning
Add the finely diced chipolte and a adobo sauce (1 tbsp per pepper used, to taste)
Add the tequila and allow it to thin out the mixture
Add the heavy cream and allow to combine into the mixture
Bring up to a low boil and immediately back down to a simmer to allow the roux to take shape
Beginning mixing in slowly the shredded montery jack cheese to combine completely
Do not allow anything to burn and continue combining adding the lime as desired
Finish the sauce with the fresh cilantro

Remove the thighs to cooking preference
Serve with the sauce in a bowl or gravy boat that is warmed (with a tea candle or other small candle would be typical but any heater would work)
Allow guests to select their meat and drench in sauce as desired

A nice side is to include an additional lighter version, or as an undergarment to the original recipe is to take the flour and butter and put it in a fry pan and allow it to come to a blond roux, add the tequila and finely chopped garlic and onion and bring to a boil and reduce immediately add the lime juice and zest and some water or stock and reduce by half, add the cilantro bring back to a boil and then back to warm and serve

Veggies
Vidalia Onion
Multi-colored bell peppers, poblano pepper, anaheim pepper
Tomatoes
Squash (summer yellow, zucchini, etc)
olive oil
lime
black pepper
cayenne pepper
wood dowels

combine the olive oil, lime and both ground pepper into a vinaigrette
soak wood dowels in water min of 20 minutes
allow the veggies to soak in the vinaigrette for between 20 min and 2 hours
skewer the veggies on the dowels
sear over high heat on the grill until each veggie reaches desired tenderness

note the higher the heat the greater the char but the less done the veggies and this is a quick cook, the lower the heat the less carmalization but the more tender the veggies will be on a longer cook. use the vinaigrette / oil to keep the veggies from sticking and burning.

obitar dictum: smiling while I cook

On my other blog I quite often keep a list of some of the better spam emails I receive. This one happens to be regarding cooking and I just had to share because the spam poetry nu-skool keeps getting better!

i was chuckling while i cooked thinking about how my irish grandparents always had a plaque on their wall with this prayer on it: “may you be in heaven a half hour before the devil knows your dead” ha!
i love her style.
when she does these weekends she fills up really fast so don’t wait- if you need color and/or cut and/or face waxing at very reasonable prices email her promptly and she’ll get you booked and give you directions.
this image of silke stoddard’s knitting is burned into my mind and tatooed on my heart.
where you can get great steak and shrimp
i told cate about st. patrick’s day and ireland- she has a lot of irish ancestors through me.
the devils is coming.
the more i cook, the more i need to clean. why can’t i find someone to clean while i cook. that would be grate, and great, and probably be great hate too.
happy happy days.
and totally not what you are supposed to be eating when you need to be home, may you find your way.
your blood pressure is high. your health is low.
you are who you are. that’s what is important, right?
be happy, be.