Memorial Day – Celebrating Those Who Literally Fight for Your Right to Party

I always feel a little guilty grilling on Memorial Day. Being surrounded by all kinds of luscious food and ice-cold beer seems to be almost mocking the holiday's solemn meaning. Maybe we should really honor our vets by eating what they had to survive on while defending our country.

What if instead of lounging with a stack of slick, sticky barbecue pork ribs and potato salad, we dug a hole in the ground from which to enjoy something squeezed out of a pouch? Pop-Tarts notwithstanding, there are very few delicious things that come in pouches.

No one is less qualified to speak for veterans than me, but I don't think they would want us to go that far. I mean, what better example of what these brave men and women fought for, than backyards full of smoking grills and smiling faces?

So, if Uncle Jerry cooks the chicken breasts ten minutes past dry, and whoever made the beans was clearly just going through the motions, don't think of it as a poor meal, think of it as a meditation on what these heroes' sacrifices have made possible.

Photo (c) Flickr user Vince Alongi

Bread Pudding Recipe(Pouding de Pain)

Bread pudding is really easy to prepare and can serve as a great way to use up some unused bread that is going stale. You can substitute this for the French bread and still end up with a great dessert. This recipe is over 80 years old and when I compared it to more contemporary recipes for bread pudding, I found that it uses alot less sugar than many of today's recipes for bread pudding.

Ingredients:
4 cups of French bread, diced
3 eggs
1 cup raisins
3 cups of milk
1 1/2 tspn pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup of sugar

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
   
2. In a 9 inch by 13 inch baking pan, sprinkle 1/3 of the raisins across the bottom of pan.
3. Cover the raisins with 1/3 of the diced french bread.
4. Repeat steps 1 and 2, until all of the bread and raisins are used.
5. In a bowl, lightly beat the eggs.
6. Add the milk, vanilla, and the sugar. Mix until all of the sugar has dissolved.
7. Pour the mixture evenly over the bread and raisins.
8. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
   
9. Serve warm with ice cream.
   

France

Coming Soon - 2 New Meat-Free Videos: Nasturtium Butter and Broccoli Salad

Chicago Style Pizza Recipe

Chicago Style Pizza is the Second City's take on the dish made popular in New York. The Chicago style pie is a much thicker, heartier pizza designed to keep you warm through the cold Chicago winter. There are many variations of this style of pizza. This one is based on one that is served at a pizzeria called Gino's East.

Recommended Equipment:
deep-dish pizza pan


Ingredients:
dough
1 1/2 packages of dry yeast
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 cup warm water
3 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 tspn salt
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup warm water

topping
1 28 oz. can plum pealed tomatoes
1 tspn dried basil (I used 2 tspn fresh basil)
1 tspn dried oregano
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
10 oz. mozzarella cheese
1 pound Italian sausage
salt to taste
extra virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced

Preparation:
Dough

1. Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup of warm water.
2. Add sugar and mix well.
3. In a large bowl or mixer, combine the flour, salt, and cornmeal.
4. In the center of the bowl, make a well and add the yeast mixture, the vegetable oil, 1/2 cup of water.
5. Mix well until the dough cleans the side of the bowl.
6. Turn the dough out of the bowl onto a well-floured surface. Knead the dough, dusting it with flour for about 5 minutes until it becomes smooth.
7. Form the dough into a large ball and put it back into the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a towel. Let the dough rest in a warm place for about an hour and a half. The dough should double in size.
8. After dough has doubled in size, turn it out of the bowl and knead it again for 2 minutes.
9. Oil the sides and bottom of a pizza pan and spread dough across the bottom of pan and up the sides.
10. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees Fahrenheit.
11. Prick the bottom of the dough with a fork every 1/2 inch.
12. Bake the crust in the preheated oven for 4 minutes then remove from the oven.
13. Brush the crust with olive oil.
    

Topping

1. In a bowl, combine the tomatoes, basil, oregano, and salt.
2. In another bowl, combine the sliced onion and 2 tbsp olive oil. Mix the onions so that they are coated with the oil.
   
3. Slice the mozzarella into thin sheets.
   

Assemble the pizza

1. Cover the crust with the slices of mozzarella.
   
2. Flatten the Italian sausage and spread it across the layer of cheese.
3. Cover the sausage with the tomato sauce.
4. Layer the onions on top of the tomato sauce.
5. Dust the top of the pizza with Parmesan cheese.
6. Drizzle the top of the pizza with a little bit of olive oil.
7. Bake for 30 minutes at 475 degrees Fahrenheit.

Related Recipes:
Buffalo Chicken Pizza
Chocolate Pizza
Basil Pizzas
Neapolitan Pizza

United States Chicago

Bacon Asiago Bread Recipe

Bacon Asiago Bread is another great tasting bread that originates in Asia. It can be toasted and served with an egg for breakfast or served warm to start off any meal.

Making this bread is a two part process. First, you make a mixture of flour and water known as tangzhong. This is added to the other ingredients of the bread so that the bread maintains a soft and moist. This mixture should be prepared the night before you plan to bake the bacon asiago bread.

The second step in making the Bacon Asiago Bread is to combine the tangzhong with the other ingredients and construct and bake the loaf.

Ingredients:
tangzhong
1/4 cup all-purpose baking flour
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup milk

bread
2 1/4 cup all-purpose baking flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tspn salt
2 eggs
1 tspn milk powder
1/2 cup of milk
3 tbsp butter, softened
2 tspn yeast
1/2 cup tangzhong
crispy bacon
asiago cheese, grated

Preparation:
tangzhong

1. Mix the flour with the water and milk until all of the flour has dissolved.
2. Cook in a sauce pan over medium heat. Stir the mixture continuously with a wooden spoon.
3. When lines start to form in the mixture and you can see the bottom of the pan, remove the pan from the heat and set aside.
4. Transfer the mixture to a clean bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a lid. Let cool in the refrigerator overnight.
   

bread

1. Mix the flour, yeast, salt, and sugar in a bowl.
2. Make a well in the middle of the bowl. Whisk together the tangzhong, milk, and one of the eggs and pour it into the well.
3. Knead all of the ingredients together then add the butter. Once the butter has incorporated into the dough, you may need to add a little more flour to prevent the dough from sticking.
4. Form the dough into a ball and place it in a greased bowl.
5. Cover with a towel and let the dough rest in a warm place for about an hour.
   
6. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
   
7. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Deflate the dough and divide it into 4 equal parts.
8. Flatten each of the four parts with a rolling pin.
   
9. Cover the middle of the dough with asiago cheese and bacon bits and wroll up the dough into log and place it in a greased loaf pan.
   
10. Repeat steps #7 and #8 with the other three pieces of dough.
11. Let the loaf rest for 30 minutes in a warm place.
    
12. Glaze the top of the loaf with egg yolk.
13. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes.
    

Related Posts / Recipes:
Ni Su Mien Bao (Milk Crispy Bread)

Japan

How to Make Grill Marks with the "10 and 2" Method – You Have to Give Me Marks for Trying!

I shot this grill marks tutorial before rushing off to New York in anticipation of the Memorial Day weekend, and all the grilling that traditionally goes along with it.

Now, I'm not saying that unattractive grill mark anxiety (UGMA) has ever prevented anyone from grabbing a pair of tongs and heading out to the grill, but it is a nice technique to know.

Invariably, if you're grilling in front of a group of people, and turn over a chicken breast sporting a nice set of diamond-shaped grill marks, someone will say, "Man, I wish I knew how to get those." Well, here's how.

Whether you’re doing the cooking, or are in charge of "quality control," I wish you all a delicious and wonderful long weekend. Enjoy!

Cuban Black Beans Recipe

Cuban black beans is a versatile side dish that goes well with almost any Latin American entree. Cuban black beans, combined with rice, provides all of the necessary amino acids that the body needs in order to produce protein. It is extremely economical and its popularity is unmatched throughout Central and South America.

The first time that I tried this style of beans with rice was at a restaurant called Pipos in Tampa, Florida. Tampa, with its large Cuban population has some of the best Cuban restaurants in the United States and Pipo's is no exception.

Cuban black beans is a great side dish for almost any meal. Definitely try them with rice, Carnitas or Ropas Vieja and fresh fruit and create an authentic Cuban meal.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 Serrano peppers, diced and seeded
1 large yellow onion, diced
3 green onions, diced
1/4 pound bacon, diced
4 cloves of garlic, diced
1 handful of chopped cilantro, stems removed
1/2 tspn ground cumin
1/2 tspn dried oregano
1 bay leaf
2 cans of black beans, drained
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 tspn sugar
2 cups chicken stock
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat.
2. Add bacon and cook until just crisp. Remove and set aside.
3. Drain off 1/2 of the bacon fat and discard.
   
4. Add the Serrano peppers, onion, green onions, garlic cilantro, cumin, oregano, and bay leaf.
5. Cook for about 5 minutes until onions start to change color and are translucent.
6. Stir in beans and wine and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
7. Stir in sugar and chicken stock.
8. Reduce heat back to medium for 5 minutes.
9. Simmer on low heat until ready to serve.
   
10. Remove bay leaf.
11. Season with salt and pepper.

Related Articles / Posts:
7 Most Efficient High Metabolism Foods

Cuba

Heading Back to San Francisco After Making it Here

Weather permitting, we'll be back in San Francisco tonight after a great trip to New York City. The meetings with the publisher went very well, and I got to check the final proofs of the cookbook. By the way, I'll be posting soon with much more specific details. There are some very exciting things in the works.

Here you see my newest food obsession, Venezuelan sandwiches called Arepas. We enjoyed these at a place called Caracas Arepas Bar in New York's East Village, and I was completely blown away. How is it possible I've only now just discovered these amazing buns? If you have any information, recipes, tips, or tricks you'd care to pass along, please do. Thanks, and stay tuned!

Spam Musubi

You are not likely to find Spam Musubi at your average sushi bar. The thought of using Spam in a dish may seem strange to most people, but it is extremely popular and common to find it used in various recipes in Hawaii and other Pacific islands. It is also very popular in China, Japan, the Philippines, and Korea.

Spam was introduced by the Hormel Company back in 1937 and its name was derived from "shoulder of pork and ham." It was standard issue for US military personnel during World War II which eventually lead to it becoming popular with many of the civilian populations in the Pacific region.

Spam Musubi features the classic nori wrapper with sticky white rice. The savory marinated spam provides a great contrast to the sweet slices of pineapple providing a taste that is distinctly Hawaiian.

Ingredients:
medium grain rice
1 can of Spam
slices of fresh pineapple
nori seaweed wrapper
4 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tspn sugar

Preparation:

1. cook the rice
2. cut the spam into about 10 square slices.
3. combine the soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sugar in a bowl and mix well.
4. Add the spam to the bowl and marinade for 30 minutes at room temperature.
5. Fry the spam in a skillet over medium heat along with the marinade until the sauce caramelizes. Remove from heat and set aside.
   
6. Use the empty spam can to mold the rice. Fill the can 1/4 of the way full with rice and use a spoon to pack it down.
7. Cut a piece of nori wrapper in half.
   
8. Turn the can upside down on the nori wrapper and tap the top of the can.
9. Put two pieces of Spam on the rice and two pieces of pineapple on top of the Spam.
10. Wrap the nori wrapper around the Spam and the pineapple. You can use water to seal the nori wrapper. Cut the roll in half and serve.
    

United States Hawaii

The Web's Most Camera Shy Chef Introduces YouTube's New Moderator Feature!

YouTube's "Moderator" feature allows a YouTube publisher (me) to collect commentary, questions, or ideas (hopefully in the form of very creative videos) on our channel, and then watch the best ones rise to the top, as voted on by the Food Wishes faithful.

To celebrate the launch I'm running the first ever official Food Wishes contest, called "The Summer of You." What is that, and how do you play? Watch the video, and then do what the guy with the mustache says. Enjoy!



If you would like to submit an idea, click here! Good luck, and please, no side bets.

Stay Tuned for an Important Announcement!

Later tonight I will be posting a video and making an announcement about an exciting new feature that's launching on YouTube. I can't say anything yet, but be sure to check back later tonight for details!

Michele and I are having a great time in the big city, and will be back in San Francisco on Thursday. By the way, I was at Parragon Publishing today, proofing the final layouts for the cookbook. Everything looks great, and it should be going to press soon!

We dropped in last night to Pulino's, the city's hottest new restaurant, where our cousin, Tony, is the sous chef under star chef Nate Appleman.

We had an incredible Margherita pizza, and the photo you see was the view from our booth, out the front door of a Shepard Fairey mural across the street on E. Bowery and Houston. You may know him as the creator of the now famous Obama "Hope" poster. Thought it was a cool shot. Enjoy and stay tuned.

Picanha

Picanha is made from the tri-tip (also known as rump-cap or rump cover) and is considered the best cut of beef available in many South American countries. Here in the United States tri-tip is often divided up among other cuts for pricing reasons. However, you can find tri-tip at many butchers or you can pre-order a custom cut.

If you go to a Brazilian churrascaria (or steak house) like Boi na Braza, Fogo de Chao, or Texas de Brazil, you will find picanha in abundance. The first time that I tried this dish was at a churrascaria in Rio de Janeiro called Porcão. I haven't been able to duplicate the taste of the picanha at Porcão but this recipe comes close.

The preparation of picanha is very simple using only a few ingredients. After the picanha has been cooked, you can use the remaining juices in the skillet to make a dark rich gravy that goes well with potatoes. You can use the gravy recipe described in the recipe for Loco Moco under preparation (step #6). I also like to serve this with the Brazilian vinaigrette relish.

Some recommended sides include:
Couve
Farofa
Cuban Black Beans


Recommended Equipment:
cast iron skillet

Ingredients:
1 to 2 pound tri-tip
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp kosher salt
4 cloves garlic, chopped

Preparation:

1. In a mortar, combine the garlic, salt, and olive oil.
2. Crush these ingredients into a paste.
   
3. In a large bowl, apply the paste evenly on both sides of the meat. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour.
   
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
5. After oven reaches 350 degrees, put cast iron skillet (greased in olive oil) in oven for 15 minutes.
6. While skillet gets hot, turn stove top burner to medium - high.
7. Remove skillet from the oven and place on pre-heated stove top burner.
8. Put picanha in the skillet and cook for 2 minutes.
   
9. Flip picanha and cook for another 2 minutes.
10. Cover skillet with aluminum foil and place in oven for 25 minutes. (Do not cut into picanha to check if it is done).
11. After 25 minutes, remove the skillet from the oven and let the picanha rest for 10 minutes before you cut into it. Cut the meat perpendicular to the striations in the meat (see below) as this will provide more tender cuts of meat.
    

Need a wine to go with the Picanha? Try this one: Main Street Winery Cabernet Sauvignon


Brasil

We're in New York!

Michele and I are in New York City! I had to fly in to do some PR for the book with my publisher at the BEA Bookfair. The event will be in the Javits Centre on Wednesday. I'm happy to announce that I'll be checking the final proofs for the book, and soon thereafter it will go to press! The standard Food Wishes travel advisory is in effect, so any unanswered emails and comments should be forgiven and/or resubmitted. We'll be back Thursday. Probably won't have time to do a real post from here, but as always, you can follow along on Twitter. Thanks, and see you soon!

Brazilian Vinaigrette Relish

Brazilian Vinaigrette Relish is an excellent side dish for any type of steak. It provides a healthier alternative to steak sauces or butter.

The first time that we tried this dish was at a beach side restaurant called Picanha in Baja Tijuca, Brazil. Picanha is actually a type of steak that is extremely popular in Brazil and will be featured in tomorrow's post.

Anyway, Brazilian vinaigrette relish should be prepared within an hour of when you plan to serve it as the vinegar tends to break down the vegetables over time and compromise the flavor.

Ingredients:
1 cup diced tomato (I use romas)
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup diced green pepper
3 tbsp white wine vinegar
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
combine all ingredients and let sit at room temperature for 45 minutes.

Brasil

Banana-Apricot Hemp Smoothie

Frosty banana apricot smoothie with hemp milk.

It's been a week of bland soft foods. I've dubbed this week the No Pointy Foods Diet. Mashed potatoes. Creamy rice. Squash puree. No nuts, seeds, or chips. No crunch. No snap. No spices. Talk about not sexy. Suddenly, I'm the Goddess of Bland. Slurping tiny bites of baby food.

Lucky for me, bananas are doable. Especially if they're frozen and whipped into a frothy silky smoothie.

Continue reading

Ricotta Gnocchi with Fresh Peas and Morel Mushrooms – A Tale of Two Recipes

This lovely bowl of spring is a perfect example of when recipes are, and are not, important. The ricotta gnocchi part of the plate requires a fairly precise formula. If any of the three main ingredient amounts are altered, you could be looking at quite a mess. That's certainly not the case for this sauce.

If I made this same combination of ingredients 100 times, each version would be different, which I how I believe these things should work. When I buy peas at the farmers market, I'm not thinking I need 2 cups, I'm thinking I need to buy some peas. The same goes for the mushrooms. Grab a handful and keep moving.

Here's the recipe. Take some mushrooms, preferable wild morel, and saute in olive oil until they smell meaty and delicious. Add some garlic and cook for a minute. Add some vegetable broth, about a 1/2 cup per person, and bring to a boil. Add some peas and cook until tender. Season, add a little cheese and fresh herb, and use as a sauce for the gnocchi.

Besides a general guess at how much broth you need, there's no reason to measure anything else. You could halve or double what I used and argue either way that your sauce is better than mine. Of course, we'd both be right.

There's a common belief that chefs never use recipes, which in the case of the sauce is totally true. But, when a specific texture, density, or viscosity is required in a dish, like for these delicate dumplings, chefs have no problem whatsoever following a formula.

What's my reason for pointing all this out? I don't really have one. You should make this. It tastes good. Enjoy!




For the ricotta gnocchi:
1 pound really good ricotta cheese
3 large eggs
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
pinch of fresh nutmeg
Makes enough for about 6 servings

For the sauce:
Splash of olive oil
handful of mushrooms
some fresh peas
few cloves of garlic
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
about 3 cups of vegetable broth
grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
chopped parsley, mint, and/or basil

Macaroni Salad

Macaroni Salad is a popular side dish for plate lunches in Hawaii. It is a "must have" when you are making Loco Mocos, Huli Huli Chicken, or just a simple dish for picnics or cook outs.

Ingredients:
3 cups elbow macaroni
1/4 cup grated carrot
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup milk
salt & pepper

Preparation:

1. Cook macaroni in boiling water until tender.
2. Add mayonnaise, milk, and carrots. until well coated.
3. Add salt and pepper to taste.
4. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
   

United States Hawaii

Coming Soon: Ricotta Gnocchi with Morels and Fresh Peas

Salmon Baked on (inspired by one baked in) Aromatic Salt

If you read my Vegas Uncork'd recap, you heard me raving about the fish baked in an aromatic salt crust as demonstrated by Chef Paul Bartolotta at the All-Star Interactive Luncheon, held at the Wynn/Encore.

It was truly amazing, and I will be showing that ancient seafood technique sometime in the future on Food Wishes. While I didn't go for the full fish-baked-in-salt thing here, Chef Bartolotta's recipe reminded me of a salmon dish Michele used to make for me years ago.

Thick center-cut salmon filets, skin-on, are simply placed over coarse salt, which has been liberally studded with aromatic spices, such as cinnamon, clove and star anise. As the salmon bakes on the heat absorbing and distributing salt, the aromas from the spices subtly permeate the fish.

As you'll see in the video, this is so easy and makes for a pretty impressive presentation for a dinner party. You can bring the salmon, still sitting on the aromatic salt, out to the table to serve. You can even dress up the salt more creatively than I've done here, as almost any dried herb or spice is a candidate.

This is a fun technique to play around with and see if you can come up with your own signature blend. I really hope you give it a try. Enjoy!




Ingredients: (makes enough salt mix for 4 pieces)
7-8 oz center-cut salmon filets, skin-on
2 cups coarse kosher salt
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
2 teaspoon whole cloves
8 whole star anise
4 cinnamon sticks, broken up

Basil Pizzas

If you do any cooking at home, you should take advantage of the warm weather and keep a couple of basil plants on hand. You can get them at Home Depot for about $2 a piece and they will keep you supplied with fresh basil throughout the spring and summer. They don't require alot of space so you can grow them in the back yard or out on the fire escape. It really doesn't matter. However, they grow pretty fast so you will need to harvest the leaves regularly. These three pizza recipes should help you thin out the crop.

For all three of these pizzas, I used the Neapolitan Pizza Dough recipe and the tomato sauce recipe listed below:

Ingredients:
1 15oz. can of tomato sauce (I use Red Gold brand)
1 tspn dry oregano
1 tspn dry basil
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
Sauce

1. Add all of the ingredients to a small sauce pan.
2. Cook over medium heat.
3. Spread a thin coat of sauce over pizza dough using the back of a spoon.
4. Add toppings listed below.

Pizza

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Form dough into a thin oval.
3. Add the toppings below.
   

basil and pine nuts

Toppings:
tomato sauce
minced garlic
extra virgin olive oil (on crust and drizzled across pizza)
Parmesan cheese
chopped pine nuts
chopped fresh basil (1/2 on pizza before baking and 1/2 as garnish after pizza comes out of the oven)


basil and zucchini

Toppings:
tomato sauce
mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese
extra virgin olive oil (on crust and drizzled across pizza)
thinly sliced zucchini
chopped fresh basil (1/2 on pizza before baking and 1/2 as garnish after pizza comes out of the oven)


basil and red peppers

Toppings:
tomato sauce
minced garlic
chopped red bell pepper (cooked in a skillet with olive oil over medium heat until soft)
Parmesan cheese
chopped fresh basil (1/2 on pizza before baking and 1/2 as garnish after pizza comes out of the oven)

Related Recipes:
Buffalo Chicken Pizza

Italy