You're a Viewer and Have a Choice: Please Vote for Chef John in the Tasty Awards!

One problem I've always wanted is not being able to keep track of which online awards I'm up for, and which contests I should be asking people to vote in. Well, my wish has come true.

As many of you may know, I was nominated for a 2011 Tasty Award in the "Home Chef in a Series" category, but I forgot to inform everyone that there is also a Viewer's Choice Award, which quite frankly is my best shot at heading down to Hollywood and taking home a trophy. So, if you would like to help make my Tasty dreams come true, please click here to vote! It's the fifth category. Thank you so much!

Lamb Caldero – A Shank that Won't Break the Bank

This lovely Latin lamb shanks recipe is the result of a little experiment I just did with the help of my friends from Imusa. You all know how much I love my Le Creuset Dutch oven, but I realize the high cost puts it over the budgets of most home cooks. So, I was interested to see how this "caldero," which costs under $30 would perform.

The model they sent me looked like a Dutch oven, but was so incredibly light that I really wasn't sure how it would work. I assumed the caldero would be fine for the browning step, and it was. My main concern was would the ultra lightweight lid be heavy enough to keep in enough moisture?

To my surprise it did very well. As you'll see, we only add a cup of broth to braise the lamb, and it didn't even come close to drying out. So, if you are looking for a really light and inexpensive Dutch oven, this one performed well in regards to cooking the food. Of course, I can't give any opinions on the durability, and how this would stand up to normal wear and tear, but you can check online user reviews for those issues.

The recipe itself is very straightforward. You don't often see lamb cooked with these spices, and I'm not sure why, as they really work together wonderfully. The final plate ended up being a sort of North African/Central American fusion thing, with the fragrantly spiced meat and peppers resting on a simple bed of couscous.

Please note: I was using relatively small lamb shanks for this recipe. If you are using larger hind shanks, then you will need a longer braising time, probably 30 minutes more at least. Either way, I hope you give this comforting lamb recipe a try. Enjoy!

Disclosure: Imusa sent the caldero to me free of charge, and also contributed to the production costs of this video recipe. For more information on this product you can contact Imusa directly, or check out the product page here. Thanks!




Ingredients:
4 lamb shanks
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
vegetable oil as needed
1 onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper
1 teaspoon ancho chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup chicken broth, plus more as needed
3-4 large jalapeños, seeded, cut in strips
1 red bell pepper, seeded, cut in strips
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Gluten-Free Gingersnaps Recipe

Gluten-free gingersnaps- a classic holiday cookie.

This time of year simply begs for gingersnaps- the classic and humble cookie that tastes old fashioned and elegant and post new wave all at once. A subtle, spicy, gingery bite that snaps with a crunch to awaken satiated taste buds soaked in a holiday sea of pumpkin martinis, cheese logs and peanut butter balls. Fancy cookies, these are not. Slathered with green icing and red sprinkles? Not exactly. Though, you could, I suppose. Slather these. And sprinkle with abandon. If you're of a mindset that more is more, and nurture not the minimalist mantra of Less.

The choice is yours. Go old fashioned and let the gingersnap goodness tingle on its own. Or go wild. And get your frosting on.

It's your party.


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All I Want for Christmas is a Few More Links

Hey, you can't say I'm not easy to shop for! As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I decided not to do a holiday donation fundraiser for the blog this year. Happily, because of all the new projects, I didn’t feel the urgent need to beg for money to keep afloat like past years. Also, I've decided I'd like something more important than money. I'd like links.

For a site that gets as much traffic as we do, there are relatively few other websites that link to Food Wishes. One problem with spending 95% of my time on production and the creative process is that it leaves very little time to surf the web, reading and commenting on other blogs, or even just doing basic networking.

So, if you're willing and able, I'd love some help getting a few extra links. If you have a blog, or know someone who does, and you think we'd be a valuable resource to them (for example, people that like food and cooking), then hook us up. If enough of you just got us one single extra link on another site, it would make a significant difference in our web ranking.

Above and beyond that, those of you that use sites like Digg, Stumbleupon, Reddit, and of course Twitter and Facebook, can also help spread the word there, where appropriate. Every little bit helps! A million thanks for everything you've already done to support the site this year, and if you have any questions or leads, and would like more info, please email me and we can discuss one-to-one. Cheers!

Chain Links Photo (c) John-Morgan's Flickr photostream
Hot Dog Links Photo (c) Stevendepolo's Flickr photostream

Minute Steaks with Barbecue Butter Sauce – They Only Take a Few Minutes

There is something comforting about the minute steak. It's probably the fact that the name of the recipe is also the recipe. You take piece of sirloin, pound it thin, and fry it for a minute per side. That's it. Simple, faster than fast, and easily repeated under pressure.

Of course, everyone knows that a minute steak is only as good as the pan sauce, and here we offer an ultra-simple barbecue butter sauce. Actually, there's only a very small amount of butter, but the way it emulsifies into the beef broth and tangy BBQ sauce somehow amplifies the effect.

Be sure to use a great barbecue sauce. The SFQ I used is a rich, classic American barbecue sauce with a touch of chocolate, hint of coffee, and balanced with aged red wine vinegar. It's subtly exotic spices and sweet heat made it a perfect choice here.

Ideally, you'll follow the link below and order some, but if not, make sure the sauce you choose has some personality to it. You'll also want to taste the sauce plain beforehand, so that you can adjust the seasonings in the pan. I hope you find the time to make this soon. Enjoy!


Give the Gift of Barbecue! Order Some SFQ – The Original San Francisco-Style Barbecue Sauce

As many of you may already know, my wife, Michele, makes what I think is a fantastic, and very unique barbecue sauce. Some of you actually got to sample it last year as we offered to all those loyal viewers who were able to make a donation to the site.

This year we aren’t doing any such fundraisers, but that doesn’t mean you can't experience the SFQ. Michele just launched her website, and I invite you to head over and take a look! By the way, if you order by December 18th, your order will arrive in time for Christmas. Thank you for your support!




Ingredients:
2 (5-oz) minutes steaks
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon grapeseed or vegetable oil
For the sauce:
1/2 cup beef broth
1 1/2 tablespoons barbecue sauce
1 or 2 teaspoons cold butter
hot sauce to taste
freshly ground black pepper

Ladoo recipe from Gud

Happy Winter with lot FUN!!

One of the blog friend Harsha ask me about the recipe of ladoo from GUD…

This is for you HARSHA.

We make this type ladoo in winter from leftover rotis. This is very good in winter and very easy to make with 2-3 minutes. Good lunch-box for kids in winter.

Ingredients:

4 leftover rotis

3-4 tbsp ghee

1\4 cup Gud

Method:

Step 1: Breaks the roti into small pieces otherwise crush into mixture. (I taken 4 rotis)

Step 2: Take a pan and heat the 3-4 tbsp ghee in law flame.

Step 3: Add ¼-cup gud and in ghee.

Step 4: Melt the gud in ghee in law flame and take care of that gud color is not change while that.

Step 5: when gud melt properly then add crush roti mixer in it.

Step 6: Turn off the flame. Take out the soggy mixer.

Step 7: Given shape of ladoo with hands otherwise press in bowl and given the shape as you like.

If you like to make the laddo from gud in another way …Just click here and in this process I use sugar. You use Gud instead of sugar and makes very good ladoo with dry fruit and coconut then it is best for health.

For My friend…

Coming Soon: Minute Steak with SFQ Barbecue Butter Sauce

I just filmed a video recipe for "minute steak," and for the pan sauce I used my wife Michele's amazing barbecue sauce, SFQ. When I post the video I'll also be giving more information, including how to order her sauce, just in case you're looking for interesting holiday gifts for the foodies in your life. If you just can't wait, follow this link to the SFQ - The Original San Francisco Style Barbecue Sauce homepage.