No Boloney.......

Nothing better than a good sandwich. The most versatile, diverse, and evolving creation in cooking.... EVER! There is a version of a sandwich in every city in every country in the world. They can be vegan, vegetarian, with as little as spread on one pice of whatever kind of bread you desire, to a pound of ground beef, smothered in cheese and onions, jammed into an under sized bun.

 Well, you won't see any of those here.

Nothing against peanut butter sandwiches, and burgers or any that lye between just that, I don't want to write about them anymore that you want to read about them. So not going to focus on them and start with  my top 5 list of favorite sandwiches and take it from there

1.Porchetta on crusty Italian bread with whole grain mustard
2. KentuckyHot_Brown
3.Smoked Brisket on Texas toast with Kansas City BBQ sauce and Carolina slaw
4.Vietnamese Banh Mi with Spicy Pickles
5.Philly Cheesesteak Whiz with.

Now instead of just writing out the procedure for these five sandwiches and taking some pictures, I am going to draw inspiration from 2 of the the five and come up with an original.

I will take the baguette and the pickles from the Vietnamese Banh Mi and will make a Pork loin in the style of .Porchetta to create what I call a Banchetta w/ my own spicy pickle recipe.....

 

Spicy Pickle

Ingredients

• 1lb shredded Cole slaw mix
• 1 medium shredded daikon radish
• 1 cup Shredded Carrot
• 1qt water
• 2 qt cider vinegar
• 1 qt rice vinegar
• 4 cups granulated sugar
• 1 onion sliced
• 7 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 tsp Asian five spice
• 2 tablespoons chili flakes
• 2 tablespoons sirancha chili sauce
• 2 tablespoons hot sesame oil
• 6 sprigs Italian Parsley

Mix your vegetables in a bowl with sirancha, and sesame oil....

In a pot add vinegars, spices, sugar, and parsley, then bring to a boil...

Simmer for 20 minutes then strain the liquid into the bowl with the vegetables and allow to cool to room temperature...

Once room temperature cover and refrigerate..

Pickles can be made days ahead, and hold for weeks.

Porchetta Style Pork Tender Loin

Ingredients

• 3 pounds boneless pork tenderloin
• Salt and pepper 
• 1 bunch Italian parsley
• 13 slices smoked bacon
• 1 pound ground pork sausage
• Wax Paper
• Aluminum Foil

We start with a typical pork tenderloin that can be bought at any grocery store. It should come in two pieces.

Clean, butterfly and overlap the two pieces, and season with salt and pepper...

 Cover entire surface of the butterflied loin evenly with pork sausage....

Then cover and press with whole leaves of Italian Parsley....

Now roll the loin tightly but gentle...

Set the loin aside and lay out a sheet of wax paper, then shingled your bacon onto the wax paper...

Place the rolled loin in the center of the sheet of bacon....

Now lift the side of the wax paper closest to you wrapping the loin with the bacon...

Be gentle but make sure it is tight, and do the same with the other side...

Now wrap loin in aluminum foil making sure to keep the loin and the bacon in tact....

Now cook wrapped for 2 hours on a covered charcoal grill or 1 hour in a 300 degree oven, then open the foil and cook another half hour or until bacon reaches desired crispness...

Remove from heat and rest for 20 minutes before slicing...

 Slice nice thick slices and serve on French baguette with mayo or mustard with spicy pickles...

 Seems like a lot of work for a sandwich, but it really isn't and it is so worth it if you take your time and do it right. And choose the right beverage you got some real love working here. Me and the guys chose a brew from the Philippines called San Miguel..

A pale Lager with decent but not over powering flavor works great with this sandwich.

And a similar Vietnam brew Called Saigon..

Give this recipe a try I promise you will be so happy that you did. Thank me later..

Bon Appetit!!!
Follow me on Twitter..@MrChefCorey

Mardi Gras

Tuesday is Mardi Gras , aka Fat Tuesday. A day celebrated in many cities, in many different ways all around the world, and unbeknown  to me has strong religious history. Now here in The States, when we think Mardi Gras we think of New Orleans,  the state of Louisiana, and it's people. Cajuns, with their, down home, rustic Cajun cuisine, as well as, Louisiana Creole people, and their elegant, aristocratic Creole cuisine.  Feel free to follow the links that are provided throughout the post to help you get an idea of what you are cooking, because a recipe is just a recipe, but knowing where a recipe comes from, why certain techniques are used in a recipe, and who was cooking the recipe in it's earliest form, will allow you to elaborate on it and make it your own. And that is exactly what I am going to do in this post, and I hope everyone will be able to follow me as I do some dishes that are takes on classic dishes from the region as well as some inspired by the culinary history of the area, but are totally made up in my own head.

Now before I get to the main recipes, there are a few things, you will need that help you with your getting a hold to these unique cuisines. Blackening Spice, Creole Seasoning, and Cajun seasoning. These can all be purchased, in any grocery store, but if you want to keep it real the recipes for each are right here....

Creole Seasoning

Ingredients

 2 tablespoons onion powder

 2 tablespoons garlic powder

 2 tablespoons dried oregano

 2 tablespoons dried basil

 1 tablespoon dried thyme

 1 tablespoon black pepper

 1 tablespoon white pepper

 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

 5 tablespoons paprika

 3 tablespoons salt

 Directions

1. In a small bowl, combine onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, basil, thyme, black pepper, white pepper, cayenne pepper, paprika and salt. Store in an airtight container.

Cajun Seasoning

2 1/2 tablespoons salt

 1 tablespoon dried oregano

 1 tablespoon paprika

 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

 1 tablespoon ground black pepper

 Directions

1. Combine the salt, oregano, paprika, cayenne pepper, and black pepper in a plastic bag and shake to mix.   Store in an airtight container

Blackening Spice

2 teaspoons ground paprika

4 teaspoons dried leaf thyme

2 teaspoons onion powder

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons black pepper

1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, or to your taste

1 teaspoon dried leaf oregano

3/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Preparation:

Place all ingredients in a jar and store in a cool dark place. Shake jar well before each use. Store in an airtight container

Notice the differences in the three recipes, how complex the Creole is, with the number of ingredients, versus the simplicity of the Cajun seasoning. Then look to the Blackening spice and notice that it has sugar, and added  more aromatic, spices like nutmeg and cumin. So which of the two (Cajun or Creole) do you think blackening spice belongs to......

One more recipe I would like to introduce before we get any deeper is my recipe for Creole Tomato Sauce. It is a recipe that will give the gist of Cajun and Creole cooking because the technique is Cajun, and Creole combined, and it starts with something that is known in Louisiana as THE HOLY TRINITY!!! It is onion, bell pepper, and celery, and it is in everything. 

Creole Tomato Sauce

1 quart canned of chopped tomatoes (with the Juice)

¾ cup chopped onions

¾ cup chopped celery

½ cup diced green pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

1 bay leaf

½ tsp dried oregano

Zest of 1 lemon (if u Like)

Kosher salt, to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Cayenne pepper, to taste

Preparation:

 1. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, saute the onions, green pepper, celery and garlic until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.

2 .Add the tomatoes, bay leaf, oregano and lemon zest. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes.

3. Remove bay leaf, season with the salt, pepper and cayenne and serve chunky or pureed.

4. Can adjust seasonings, with Creole, or Cajun seasoning

 Makes about 1 quart of Creole Sauce.

Now you are ready to do some cookin!!!!

First up is an interpretation on a classic Cajun dish that many have probably had before, but never really in the traditional way. And that is Cajun Red Beans and Rice..

Red beans and rice is an emblematic dish of Louisiana Creole People, that has been adapted by Cajuns.Traditionally made on Mondays withered beans holy trinity, Cajun seasoning, bay leaf and pork bones as left over from Sunday dinner, cooked together slowly in a pot and served over rice. Meats such as ham, sausage (most commonly Andouille), and Tasso ham are also frequently used in the dish. It is an old custom from the time when ham was a Sunday meal and Monday was washday. A pot of beans could sit on the stove and simmer while the women were busy scrubbing clothes. Now don't think what you are getting at Popeyes or Bojangles is the real deal, those are sides, this is a meal.

Before you even get started, You have to soak your beans overnight.

Red Beans and Rice

Ingredients

1 pound dried red beans, rinsed and sorted over and soaked

3 tablespoons bacon grease

1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions

3/4 cup chopped celery

3/4 cup chopped green bell peppers

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Pinch cayenne

3 bay leaves

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

2 teaspoons fresh thyme

1/2 pound smoked sausage, split in half lengthwise and cut into 1-inch pieces

1 pound smoked ham hocks

3 tablespoons chopped garlic

10 cups chicken stock, or water

4 cups cooked white rice

1/4 cup chopped green onions, garnish

 Directions

 Place the beans in a large bowl or pot and cover with water by 2 inches. Let soak for 8 hours or overnight. Drain and set aside.

In a large pot, heat the bacon grease over medium-high heat. Add the onions, celery and bell peppers to the grease in the pot. Season with the salt, pepper, and cayenne, and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are soft, about 4 minutes. Add the bay leaves, parsley, thyme, sausage, and ham hocks, and cook, stirring, to brown the sausage, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the beans and stock or water, stir well, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender and starting to thicken, about 2 hours. (Should the beans become too thick and dry, add more water, about 1/4 cup at a time.)

Remove from the heat and with the back of a heavy spoon, mash about 1/4 of the beans against the side of the pot. Continue to cook until the beans are tender and creamy, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and remove the bay leaves.

Serve over rice and garnish with green onions, and Cajun or Creole Seasoning on the side.

And that's that, if you can cook red beans and rice, you can make 90% of the dishes of this region of the country ( maybe exaggerating a bit).

Next up is My take on what might possibly be the most popular dish next to Gumbo in all Louisiana cuisines, Jambalaya , please read the link before proceeding, because this is a complete over haul of the classic jambalaya recipe technique, and knowing the history and original style of the dish if you are not already familiar will help you with this complex take on the dish. I will also like you to check out Risotto My Jambylaya will be in the style of risotto, using a short grain Italian rice called arborio rice . I will take the Louisiana rice dish and make it my own by combining ingredients that are typical for jambalaya, and applying a classic Italian technique to it creating a rich, flavorful interpertation of two of my favorite things to cook. The trick to pulling of a good risotto at home is the par cooking of the rice to just al dente. (use Your Links)

Par Cooked Aborio Rice

3/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped celery
2 12oz. packages of Goya Arborio Rice
2 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1 qt water
1 cookie sheet lines with wax paper or foil

Directions

1.In a medium sauce pan, over medium high heat, add olive oil and allow to warm just before smoking point.
2. Add onion , green pepper, and celery and saute until onion and celery are translucent.(DO NOT BROWN)
3. Add arborio rice and saute stirring constantly with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. (DO NOT BURN OR BROWN THE RICE) adding water a cup at a time still stirring until  rice is midway cooked through (soft enough to bite but yet still firm.)
4. Empty rice and vegetables onto lined cookie sheet and spread out evenly so rice can cool.
5. once rice is cool cover and reserve.

 Now as for the actual dish the recipe is as follows, for 2 servings, start out doing small batches at a time. Risotto is a fickle dish so learn to get it right before you do to much. Hope these videos and photos help you along.

Step 1 Risotto Video

Step 2 Risotto Video

Jambalaya Risotto

4 cups par cooked arborio rice (with the vegetables still mixed in)
1 cup Creole tomato sauce
1 cup water/ or chicken stock
1/2 cup diced andouille sausage
1 cup picked lump crab
6 each shucked oyster
2 tsp oil for sauteing
1 tbsp whole butter
Creole seasoning as needed

Directions;

1. In a medium saute pan, over medium high heat, add your oil, and sausage and saute until sausage starts to crisp.
2. Mix water and tomato sauce together, and add half of it to the pan with the sausage and bring to almost a simmer.
3. Add your rice and stir constantly with runner spoon or spatula ,adding more tomato sauce mixture as needed until rice is almost to your desired texture,
4. stir in oysters and butter, adjust seasoning if needed.
5. Stir in half of the crab and serve immediately in shallow bowls and garnish with remaining crab.

Hint**
**The Cioppino broth can be used in rosotto like the Cerole tomato sauce**

 I hope You guys like these recipes, They really are a glimpse into what can be done with a certain cuisine without losing it's own integrity.


Now we don't want to forget the beer part of this blog, so two brews I will be serving that are also native to New Orleans. Both are mild in flavor, and not very hoppy, perfect for dishes such as these that are bursting with flavor.

Bon Appetit!!!

abita amber
abita purple-haze

1st official Post

After being urged by many people that I know in and out of the culinary field, I have decided to give the idea of blogging another try. When I first decided to give it another go I sat down trying to figure out what exactly I had to offer people in a blog, and much to my own surprise... I was stumped!! Why would anyone want to hear what I have to say about anything, since my experience with blogs and bloggers, is that they are very opinion driven and I didn't want to be that guy at all. After a week of brainstorming I decided to approach things in a way that I would like to hear or read about something. I am sticking to what I know, writing good recipes, that are easy to follow, introducing techniques that translate well to home kitchens, food and dish history,and talking about what I like to eat and drink (i.e. This Blogs title).And lightly sprinkle my opinions on sports and music... With all that being said,I have had numerous questions about some of the food I prepared for this year's Superbowl. Mostly my Superbowl Cioppino...

Cioppino is a fish stew originating in San Francisco developed in the late 1800s by Italian fishermen who settled in the North Beach section of the city . It is considered an Italian-American dish, and is related to various fish stews of Italian cuisine like Cacciucco and brodetto Cioppino is traditionally made from the catch of the day, which in the dish's place of origin is typically a combination of dungeness crab, clams, shrimp, scallops, squid, mussels and fish. The seafood is then combined with fresh tomatoes in a wine sauce, and served with toasted bread. But like every dish you make, you have to use what you got on hand, so It is easier for me here on the east coast to find things like crawfish, blue crab or king crab legs. This recipe in particular uses crawfish, King crab, and local clams instead of squid, scallops, shrimp, and dungeness, and i choose to spice mine up just a bit but that is a a personal preference. Feel free to exclude the heat or crank it up, thats the beauty of a dish like this. You can caterer it to you and your guest, without compromising the integrity of the actual idea.

Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil
  1 onion, chopped
2 teaspoons salt
  4 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
  3/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes, plus more to taste
  1/4 cup tomato paste
  2 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes in juice
  1 1/2 cups dry white wine
  1 cup dry vermouth
  4 cups clam stock (clamato Juice is fine, look for it in the juice aisle)
  1 bay leaf
  1 pound Long neck clams scrubbed
  1 pound mussels, scrubbed, cleaned
  2 pound cooked king Crab legs
1 pound cooked whole crawfish
1 1/2 pounds fish fillets such as halibut or cod, cut into 2-inch chunks
Fresh Basil Chopped (use as needed)
Cracked Black Pepper
Directions
  Heat the oil in a very large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, and salt and sauté until the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and 3/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes, and sauté 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste. Add tomatoes with their juices, wine, vermouth, and clam juice and bay leaf. Cover and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until the flavors blend, about 30 minutes. Add the clams and mussels to the cooking liquid. Cover and cook until the clams and mussels begin to open, about 5 minutes. Add the crab legs, crawfish, fish filet. Simmer gently until the fish is just cooked through, and the clams are completely open, stirring gently, about 5 minutes longer (discard any clams and mussels that do not open). Season the soup, to taste, with more salt, red pepper flakes, cracked black pepper, and fresh basil. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve.

This dish can always be made a day or so ahead if you just make the broth, and do not cook the seafood until right before you are ready to serve. The broth also freezes very well so feel free to make alot of broth. freeze some, and just by the seafood as you need it if cooking for just your self.

There it is my first attempt I hope to all who asked about it i hope it helps you, and for those who didn't I hope it helps you to... Don't be scared to play with it and make it your own,  Change up the ingredients, using fish and shellfish that you like or are familiar with. Play with the heat, kick it up, or take it down. Add some cooked spicy Italian sausage, or andouille. Make this your own cioppino.

Bon Appetit!

Chef Corey

Be sure to follow me on Twitter...https://twitter.com/#!/MrChefCorey