Barbecue, Bloodys, and a "Blizzard"

Three day weekends rock  (Happy Birthday George)!  Three days untouched by the pressures of work, or office stress in and of themselves are enough to bring on the beginnings of an actual feeling of relaxation by the end of the third day, if I'm lucky.  But, having a fantastic trifecta come together on what is just the second day of this three day weekend, is enough to inspire me to actually write something.  Well, kind of - I do have a lot of pictures, but we all know how lazy I am, and I do have to get back to enjoying my current trifecta (or at least two of the three) of, you guessed it - barbecue, bloodys, and a "blizzard". 


Here is my attempt at sharing a tiny slice of my happy Sunday with you, dear readers.  :)

First up, it's 'Grizzly Jay' and his new beard at Alamo Barbecue in Church Hill, RVA.  Did I mention this is an outdoor venue?  Did I also mention the wintery weather today?  

Next, the 'standard' -- pulled pork bbq with coleslaw on a toasted bun.  Pretty?  No.  Pretty tasty?  Hells yeah.

Then, the heavily decorated Pulled Pork Soft Taco.

And who could forget, the magical Cuban Pressed Pork sandwich?  Magical because although it looks like a dry toasted frisbee here, it tastes like a Cuban revolution in your mouth.  Or, for those of you that lean towards the less dramatic, it was yummy, and I would have eaten it all, if Jay hadn't been the one that ordered it.  

Finally, as a side, the Jalapeno Mac and Cheese.  Jay made me split it with him.  He is lucky that I have jeans to fit into.

Did I eat all of this food myself?  Regretfully no, and unfortunately, I even forgot to take a picture of my own entree because I was apparently so excited about everyone else's food.  (It's a curse).  So, what did I have?  I indulged in the Pulled Chicken BBQ Burrito Bowl, which is quite a tasty little alternative to the standard.  Oh, and of course ...

What's better on a snowy Sunday than an Absolut Peppar Bloody Mary made with Zing Zang?  Yeah, not much.

Also, because I did mention the first, and only, sign of winter weather that we have had all season, I present to you The "Blizzard" of 2012 ... from my front porch ...

... and from my back patio.  Awe inspiring accumulation, right?  Yeah, I know DQ probably has more snow in their Blizzard frozen treats, BUT since it's supposed to be 65 degrees again two days from now, I suppose I'll take whatever little I can get.  :)

Happy Headcold ... er, I Mean Holidays!

The holidays are here, and how do I know this?  Might it be all of the hustling and bustling?  The light-up renegade reindeer that take over the town?  The social calendar bursting at the seams?  No, I know it's the holidays because I have come down yet again with my annual holiday head cold which makes me feel like my head is inside one of those bells that are ringing incessantly joyfully on high.  In the interest of spreading some holiday cheer though (instead of snot and bad karma), I thought I would share a little soup recipe that has me curled up and purring on the couch with a smile.  In full disclosure I should throw it out there that even though I am a self-proclaimed soup junkie, I did not make this soup myself, nor have I ever made this soup myself.  Apparently I am so pathetic that on every occasion I've had it, it has been fully due to Jay's efforts to ensure that I don't become a miserable bitch grinch.  He is a good man, and seems to know that the gift of a good soup will go far in benefiting my well-being, and subsequently, his as well.  So, here's to holiday colds, good soup, and the way they manage to point out the true gifts in our lives.  I hope you enjoy!

Roasted Garlic Tomato Soup 

Ingredients

• 
  4 whole heads of garlic
• 3 tablespoons olive oil 
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 medium onions, chopped 
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup to 1 cup heavy cream (per your preference)

1. Preheat oven to 375°F; line a small baking sheet with foil. Use a sharp knife to cut about 1/4 inch off top of each garlic  head. Place garlic cut side up on baking sheet and drizzle olive oil over heads. Roast garlic until softened, about 45 minutes. Allow to cool slightly. When cool enough to handle, squeeze soft cooked pulp from each clove into a small bowl. (You should have about 1/2 cup soft garlic pulp.)  Note:  We prefer to roast the garlic in peeled, separated cloves for convenience & exceptional garlic dipping oil for later. 

2. Melt butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and 1 tsp. each salt and pepper and cook, stirring often,until onions have softened, about 4 minutes. Stir in thyme (though fresh works best for flavor, dried can also be substituted successfully) and reserved garlic. Sprinkle in flour. Cook for about 1 minute, stirring, to incorporate flour. Pour in chicken broth and cream, increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Boil rapidly, stirring often, until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.

3. Remove from heat and puree soup with an immersion blender in the pot, or in batches with a food processor, or blender. Return to pot, if applicable, and bring to a simmer over medium heat.  Season with salt and pepper and garnish with thyme. 

P.S. - That garlic infused olive oil that is left in your roasting pan?  It's kind of like the stocking stuffer to the whole soup thing.  (Jay really is a genius sometimes).  I highly recommend topping it with a dash of crushed red pepper flakes and enjoying it with some rosemary foccacia bread alongside your soup. :) 

  

   

Drink of the Moment: Cinco de Mayo Margaritas (& more)!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!  I couldn't think of a better drink for Cinco de Mayo (& the rest of the Mother's Day weekend for those of us that need to take that extra edge off) than a good strong Margarita.  This may be cheating a bit, since I posted this same Drink of the Moment for my Superbowl Weekend post as well, but it really is just THAT good, and technically it is much more appropriate this time, right?   Also, because it uses real fruit juice there's no reason to be concerned with feeling like you're stomach has been hit with a small army of jumping beans like it tends to do with a lot of the nasty sugary mixes out there.  As an 'added bonus' for  my seeming lack of cocktail creativity this week, I've also included something great to fix with your margarita, just so you don't feel like it's still Superbowl Sunday instead of Cinco de Mayo.  Now let's get on with this fiesta!

MY FAVORITE MARGARITA
Serves: 4

        

2  Strips of lime zest
2  Strips of orange zest
6  Ounces (3/4 cup) good tequila
1/3  Cup Cointreau (or other orange liquer)       
1/2  Cup fresh lime juice
2  Tablespoons of water
2 Tablespoons of sugar5  Fresh lime wedges
Kosher salt or course sea salt (optional)
4  Cups of ice


Using a mortar and pestle, or drink muddler , pound the sugar, lime zest, and orange zest until fragrant.  Transfer the muddled mixture into a pitcher and stir in the tequila, Cointreau, lime juice, and water.  At this point, the mixture can be allowed to sit in the refrigerator while the flavors mingle, unless you have a room full of thirsty people.  (Jay usually includes an extra slice or two of orange or lime at this point to float in the liquid to amp up the flavor if we don't have time to wait -- and it makes for great presentation).  At the very minimum, you can allow the mixture to 'rest' while you ready your margarita glasses; using a lime to coat each rim and then dipping in salt if you'd like.


Just before pouring your margaritas, add the ice to the pitcher and stir (or shake) well for about 2 minutes.  Garnish each glass with an orange or lime wedge, and enjoy!



Because there should always be good food where there is good drink, I quite recommend fixing homemade burrito bowls with guacamole (if you don't mind sounding a little 'not-so-bright', don't pronounce the 'e' on the end so it rhymes).  It also works to remind any thirsty amigos around that they are not, in fact, headed out to defeat a French army after excessive tequila consumption.

It all starts with some white rice cooked in chicken broth, then tossed with olive oil, lime juice, and cilantro.

Carnitas start with chunks being braised in the oven at 350 degrees for three and a half hours with some cinnamon, garlic, oregano, chili powder, and cumin.

Once the pork is done, it then comes out and is shredded, while the pan is deglazed.  Then it all gets tossed back together and goes back in the oven on high heat until it gets a little crispy. 

Not only do you get to smell this wonderful aroma for three hours, the final product is divine.  Once it comes out of the oven, it's ready to top your rice!

Functioning as the 'cherry on top' is my homemade guacamole.    I use fresh avocado, lime juice, jalapeno, cilantro, onion, and occasionally some diced tomato mixed with some garlic powder and adobo - all to taste based on the amount of avocado used and my mood.

Then mush it all together in the molcajete, which is also works great for serving alongside chips.

Of course, shredded quesadilla cheese, salsa, and any other accoutrements of your choosing, can and should be included in your Cinco de Mayo mountain of food as well.  Once you've conquered your gooey mound of burrito bowl with guacamole, you should be feeling pretty festive.  Of course, there is always room for a dessert margarita to continue the celebration, that is, if you can overcome the impending threat of a fiercely invading nap on the couch- after all, this holiday is all about commemorating a victory!  Salud!

Mmmmmmm...Meatballs!

The other day while I was finishing off my coffee before schlepping miserably to work for the day, I happened to catch a 'Today Show' food segment where they were making meatballs with the owners of 'The Meatball Shop' in NYC.  These were not just your standard run-of-the-mill meatballs, but really yummy looking meatballs.  Now, I'm normally not a huge meatball aficionado, but these seemed like something I wanted to try.  So, after bringing Jay in on the idea (he was all over it), we set out to make these miracle meatballs for tonight's dinner.

Though both of us took to our tasks and were working simultaneously, the "Classic Tomato Sauce" was first underway so it could have time to simmer while the rest of the dinner was being prepped.  I was pleasantly surprised at how low maintenance it was for being so tasty. 

Saute some chopped onions & garlic with oregano,  salt, & a bay leaf.

Add a little tomato paste to the mix and let it simmer.

Pour in some canned crushed tomatoes to the onion mixture, let simmer, and season to taste.

Now on to the meatballs, which were Jay's charge and were just as easy to put together as the sauce.

Using the 'actual' recipe as a bit of creative inspiration, Jay used a butcher's blend of ground meats (from our local Belmont Butchery) and added egg, bread crumbs, and seasoning.

Into the oven on 450 for 15 minutes.

Then onto the plate over some creamy polenta and with a side caprese salad!

For being so easy and quick to make, it certainly was delicious and came off feeling like a slightly elevated comfort food.  More than one plate was had by one of our guests, though I won't name any names. ;) If you're interested in dishing up some of this in your own kitchen or being inspired by the original source, you can find the recipe for the sauce and the inspiration for the meatballs here.  I know I especially plan on trying out the chicken meatballs with the parmesan cream sauce myself!

Lebanese S.O.S.

Ever since moving away from DC, I have been dealing with a serious deficit in the fabulous Middle Eastern/Mediterranean food that is so readily available in the district.  It used to be a rare week when Jay and I did NOT enjoy at least a few of those fabulous flavors for dinner, and were even able to have them delivered to our front door.  Ah, the memories!  Unfortunately, around these parts, those food options are mostly limited to a lacking hummus appetizer and, if you're really lucky, a schwarma pita; and forget about delivery unless you are just looking for pizza, subs, or chinese.

Add to that initial status quo, the fact that there was a pound of ground beef sitting in our fridge that needed to be used.  I'm pretty sure Jay had picked it up with the intention of making chili or something, but once that didn't happen, the likelihood of it finding a home in the garbage was higher than me picking it up and making something with it.  I don't know what it is, but unless ground beef is pattied and ready to grill, I seem to have some sort of mental block about it.  I truly can't think of anything more mundane or less inspiring than the standard 'pound of ground beef', and of course the first and only thing I can usually think to make with it is everyone's 'favorite' S.O.S. (Sh** on a Shingle) - also less than inspiring.  Yet this time, after thinking about how much I miss my Middle Eastern/Mediterranean food in the midst of the ground beef reality in the fridge, I decided I was feeling up to a culinary challenge and bit the bullet.  What could I do to liven up that mass of mediocrity just waiting to become the main ingredient in a soggy flour-gravy and toast concoction?  With a certain amount of skepticism, I set out to create my very own Lebanese-inspired S.O.S.!

I took the principal of hummus with meat on pita (kind of paralleling the ground beef and gravy on toast), and added a little more depth to flesh this out as a dinner by adding a spiced rice pilaf and using more of a fatayer recipe for the ground beef.  It truly turned out more amazing than I could have ever guessed, and if you had been in my kitchen at the perfect moment, you may have seen me doing a happy dance.  I never would have thought my SOS 'help' signal for Mediterranean food would have been answered by a modified version of  Sh** On a Shingle - the most boring dish on the planet, but I do love the outcome!  I suppose when you set the bar low, you really can end up delightfully surprised with the results.  :)

Ground beef with chopped onion & tomato seasoned with mint, lemon juice, cinnamon, & pine nuts in the foreground; Basmati rice w/ broken vermicelli, golden raisins, & almond slivers seasoned with beef broth, Kabseh spice (dry mix of lemon, coriander, cardamom, cloves, cumin, & galingal), cardamom pods, & allspice in the background.

Fantastic to have on hand if you can find it.

The final result, minus the pita "shingle" that was toasting at the time.  Spreading the hummus on the pita, then topping with the ground beef and rice mixture was truly heavenly.

Battling Beef Stew: The Ruin and Rediscovery of Winter Comfort Food

So, with all of the cold and ice around I usually find myself questing for creature comforts like the furry leopard throw on my couch, warm chunky knit sweaters, and the perfect pair of soft slippers.  Along with these, I seem to find myself looking for food that makes me feel just as warm and comforted;  like a stew should.  This said, I run into an annual dilemma, because I really don't like most stews (especially of the beef variety).  After being forced to eat the stuff as a kid every year on Halloween before heading out for the annual candy grab, I think I can say without hesitation that I have had enough beef stew for a lifetime and am properly scarred by it.  (Side note - quickest way to engrain a certain hate of a particular food item into your children is to serve something completely non-appetizing that they MUST finish before going out in drag to get candy.  Longest. meals. ever).  This being the case, I usually find myself on a quest for that oh-so-warming 'stew replacement' every winter at about this time.  Imagine my surprise when I was actually inspired by a recipe I came across that I got excited enough to make it ... and on a weeknight after work no less!

Willing to take a gamble on whether or not my time making this new concoction would lead to stew nirvana or further ruin my life, I proceeded to chop, boil, and simmer away.  This little recipe, as it turns out, is not really a stew at all, but a vegetable curry ... sigh of relief.  While covering the bases of a stew in warmth, comfort, and one pot cooking, it by far surpasses the sad, watery, lackluster of a stew.  The aroma of the spices cooking will do wonders to improve the happy factor in your humble abode, and watch out for the perky bright color of the dish, which will liven up any bleak winter evening.  Imagine my shock when it turned out to be incredibly tasty as well.  (Take that beef stew)!  Though the version made last night was vegetarian, even my die-hard carnivore Jay loved it enough to say it should be made again sometime, and though he did have a side of chicken, you could certainly include the chicken in the dish should you wish.  I've included the recipe basics below (with pics) for all of you other stew haters out there that need a different inspiration.  Now you can cling to the idea of a winter infatuation with stew and be able to eat it too!

Fry up some diced potatoes in about half a cup of veggie oil until golden brown.  (You could use chicken here instead if you prefer, or mix it up a bit and use both).  Once golden, remove potatoes with a slotted spoon and set aside.   Add two sticks of cinnamon (or one broken in half), 4 or 5 crushed green cardamom pods, 3 or 4 whole cloves, and about 2 teaspoons of cumin seed  into the remaining oil and simmer until very fragrant.

Once your spices have made your kitchen smell like the only place you want to be in the world at that moment, add one medium chopped onion and cook until soft.

To your onion, add crushed garlic and shredded ginger to taste (I used 3 cloves or garlic and about 1 tsp of zested ginger); generously shake in some ground coriander, salt, and pepper, and add one can of UNdrained diced tomatoes.  Add your potatoes/chicken/paneer cheese back into the pot along with a chopped carrot or three (depending on how much you like them - I used 2), some spicy green chiles (depending on how hot you like it - I used 2, but could have gone for more), and a cup and half of water.  Bring to a boil, then simmer until all of the veggies are tender.

Once your veggies are tender, pump the heat back up to medium and toss in MORE veggies - this time about half of a small green cabbage, chopped; some cauliflower florets, and a bag of frozen peas.  Mix these around until soft, adding water as needed.  Once you're happy with the tenderness of the veggies, and the consistency of your mixture, toss in a generous handful of chopped cilantro, and mix well.  At this time, you also might want to pull out the cardamom, cinnamon sticks, and cloves if you can find them.  In my house, we just called them 'prizes' though.

Dish up your gloriously colorful pile of goodness over some basmati rice (or Uncle Ben's if that's what's in the cabinet), and serve with some naan or whatever type of flatbread you have available.  Nom nom nom...