Dubs Rub

1 1/2 Tbsp Paprika
1 1/2 Tbsp Smoked Paprika (can be hard to find, but I have gotten it at whole paycheck)
1 Tbsp Cumin seed (toasted and ground or pre-ground)
1 Tbsp coriander seed (toasted and ground or pre-ground)
2 tsp Dried garlic (or garlic powder if no spice grinder available)
2 tsp Dried onion (or onion powder)
1 tsp Ground white pepper
1/2 tsp Ground black pepper
1 Tbsp Oregano (Leaf or powder)
1/2 tsp Cayenne pepper (or more if you like it spicier)

Add salt when you put on your meat to your taste

A work in progress

Here is a sample of what I do on a daily basis. Unfortunately, there are no ingredient amounts yet or pictures. However, if you have some knowledge of cooking you might use this as a guideline or inspiration for a snazzy asian dinner.

Ahi Tuna Poke with Sesame crackers and spicy garlic mayonnaise

Ahi tuna, diced (got my inspiration for this from the islands)

Macadamia nuts, toasted, lightly crushed

Green onions, diced

Avocado, diced

Sea salt

Chile sauce

Sesame seeds, toasted

Crackers

Chili garlic sauce

Mayonnaise

Mirin-Sake butter poached fish with Garlic Soba Noodles and Ginger fried Broccoli

Mirin (This is a gread way to cook delicate fish like halibut)

Sake

Shallot

Butter

Garlic Head, roasted

Soba noodles

S and P

Green onions, sliced

Black sesame seeds, toasted (these can be harder to find, but add a nice color contrast to dishes)

Ginger

Broccoli (I like to use the stems and florets)

Peanut oil

Soy sauce

Upside Down Fig Tartlets with Cardamom whipped Crème Fraiche

Figs

Crème Fraiche (whipped with cardamom seeds and sugar)

Cardamom

Sugar

Puff dough (I found a good product at wholefoods that doesn't have transfats)

As Promised....A vinaigrette recipe

Citrus Herb Vinaigrette

3 Valencia oranges
1 Shallot, minced
4-5 Fresh thyme sprigs
1 Bay Leaf
1 Tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
chopped parsley
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 C Extra virgin olive oil

Juice the three oranges.

Set a skillet on medium heat and pour in the EVOO. Then add the minced shallots, thyme sprigs and bay leaf. Lightly sweat for a few minutes to soften up the shallots and reduce heat to low. Sprinkle in just a little salt. Pour in the OJ. Slowly simmer the juice, stirring periodically, until slightly reduced. Remove from heat. Strain into a measuring cup; try to shoot for about 1/4 C to 1/3 of strained liquid.

Pour the strained juice into a glass mixing bowl. Add the Dijon and then whisk in about 1/2 C of Extra Virgin olive oil. Mix in the fresh parsley. Taste for seasoning. Add more salt and pepper as necessary.

This recipe is great on roasted Beets for a salad or drizzled over grilled halibut. But play around with it and try it on all kinds of stuff. It's easy and yummy to make!

Yeah, Meatloaf Rocks!!!

A lot of times when I tell people what I do they end up asking me the question, "What do you like to cook?" Or some version of that question. I love to cook all kinds of foods. Sometimes, though, the best foods are the simplest comfort foods. So keep that in mind when I give you this recipe for meatloaf. Yes, that's right, meatloaf. But this meatloaf is no wimpy meatloaf, and I will write in a few variations if you get tired of the original.

Kevin's Pepper Meatloaf

Ingredients:

1/2 tsp Red Peppercorns

1/2 tsp Black Peppercorns

1/2 tsp White Peppercorns

1 Tbsp Extra virgin olive oil

1/2 White onion, diced

2 Garlic cloves, minced

1/2 tsp Rosemary, Fresh, chopped

1/2 tsp Thyme, Fresh, chopped

1 LB Ground Beef, 10% fat

1/2 LB Ground Buffalo

1/2 LB Ground Pork

2 Eggs, beaten

1/2 C Panko Bread crumbs

1/2 C Parmesan cheese, finely grated

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Get out your loaf pan usually 9" x 5" x 3".

Place whole peppercorns in a medium skillet over medium heat and heat until fragrant. Set aside to cool for a few minutes. When the peppercorns have cooled slightly place them all into a spice grinder and pulse to grind. Wipe out skillet with a paper towel.

Place skillet back on medium heat and add the Extra virgin olive oil and diced onions and garlic. Season with some salt and gently sweat the onions for about 5 minutes until translucent. If the heat is too hot, turn it down, because you don't want to brown the onions. Add the chopped thyme and rosemary, stir gently and remove from the heat to cool.

In a large bowl, place the ground meats, eggs, bread crumbs, and Parmesan. When the onion mixture is cool, add that in, too. Gently mix with your bare hands. You want to incorporate all the ingredients, but not mix it too vigorously. The more you "work" the ground meats the tougher the meatloaf can become. When it is thoroughly and gently mixed, place the mixture into the loaf pan. Gently push it into the corners and even it out....you know to make it look like a loaf ;-).

Place meatloaf in the 400 degree oven and bake for 60 minutes. Rotate the loaf once, a half turn, half way through baking. After 60 minutes check the internal temperature and make sure it's 145 degrees at a minimum. This may take longer than 60 minutes depending on the exact proportions of your loaf pan. When the meatloaf reaches the desired temperature, remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Do not drain the juices that are around it. Some of that will suck back into the meatloaf.

Carefully remove the loaf from the pan with a spatula and slice with a sharp knife. Enjoy!

I make this a lot at work and usually serve it with steamed broccoli and double backed potatoes. but serve it with whatever you like.

Some variations that I have tried that are also very tasty involve changing the proportion and types of meats.

A more standard proportion would be:

2/3 LB Ground Beef, 10%

2/3 LB Ground Veal

2/3 LB Ground Pork

A more adventurous combination would be:

1 LB Ground Beef, 10%

1/2 LB Ground Pork

1/2 LB Ground Lamb

A word about ground meat. Find a good butcher that butchers their own meats. Freshly ground meat is far superior to some of the pre-packaged stuff I have seen in some stores. Usually, the butcher has some "bulk" ground beef on display; this is usually stuff they grind themselves. And most butchers with grind stuff fresh for you if they don't have any on hand.

Hummus among us....

Greetings Hummus fans! Here are two other hummus recipes to try if you get tired of the original.



Edamame hummus:



2 15 cans of garbanzo beans, drained, rinsed (you can make your own fresh, but I can't tell a difference and canned is a big time saver)

1/4 C Tahini (toasted sesame butter, usually you can find it near the peanut butter)

zest and juice of one lemon

3 cloves garlic to taste

Salt and pepper to taste

Extra virgin Olive oil

1. Fill a medium sauce pot with water and bring to a boil. Carefully add frozen edamame to boiling water and cook following the directions on the bag.
2. While you cook the edamame, place tahini, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, and drained garbanzo beans in a food processor with the blade attachment.
3. When the edamame are tender remove from heat and use a slotted spoon or spider to remove the edamame from the water and transfer them to the food processor. Reserve the cooking liquid for later.
4. Puree all ingredients in food processor and make sure to periodically scrape the sides. Season with salt and pepper to your personal taste, but remember that when it's cool/cold, you'll notice the saltiness less.
5. At this point add the reserved edamame cooking liquid and Extra virgin olive oil to adjust the consistency to your desired thickness. When the hummus cools, it slightly thickens, so I usually make it a little looser than I think It should be. Use your own taste and preference here.
6. Puree some more. I have found that even with a powerful and sharp food processor this can take some time to achieve the smooth texture of a nice hummus. So expect some serious pureeing and stop when it's the texture that you like.
7. Check the seasoning and consistency one last time. Add more salt, pepper, tahini, or cooking liquid as you like or need and puree some more.
8. This recipe usually makes enough for me to fill up three 2 cup plastic tubs and it easily freezes with nice results.

Red Pepper Hummus:

Follow the same ingredients and directions as the edamame hummus but omit the edamame and instead add on 12 jar of fire roasted red bell peppers that have had their juices strained. This one is actually even easier since you don't have to cook anything. Just put everything in the processor and go for it.

Don't forget that hummus is personal and forgiving so play around with the amounts. If you like it garlicky use more and always use fresh when you can. Add or subtract the tahini if you like the tang. You get the picture.

Both hummus' make a healthy dip for vegetables. We like to use zucchinis, broccoli, snap peas and bell peppers.

Get some pitas or naan bread and dip that stuff too. The hummus is even good with blue corn tortilla chips. I found that out when I ran out of pitas ;-).

Portland, OR Restaurant Review: Beast

Beast PDX is a small restaurant in North East Portland. It is located on 30th Ave just South of Killingsworth.

I had originally heard about Beast after reading an article about women chefs with wonderful restaurants around the country. Since I am a Portland, OR native I thought that a visit would be in order on my next visit home.

My Mom set up the reservation for the three of us on a Wednesday evening. Beast has two seating's nightly; the first seating is at 6pm and the second is at 830pm. We opted for the earlier seating because I don't like to eat that much food that late. Upon arrival we were sat at our table with six other people. At the other table there were sixteen seats as well. This is community fine dining; once everyone arrived they promised to start serving the food. The menu is simple; six courses are served for $52 and add wine tasting to each course for $35. That's it. No exceptions. No requests. The menu changes each week. Perfect.

The Menu from July 15th, 2009 with wine pairings followed by my opinions and insight:

Chilled Cream of Carrot Soup, Nasturtium Salsa Verde
Domaine D'arlot Nuits-St Georges La Gerbotte Blanc-2005

This soup was great starter for the summer, because it was cold. However, the creaminess was a bit over powering for me. I would have preferred something lighter as a first course. The white Burgundy (chardonnay) did, however, offset a lot of the richness and also provoked the sweet flavors out of the soup. The soup was flavorful and nicely seasoned.

Charcuterie Plate
Knebel Riesling Trocken Von Den Terrassen-2007

At the top of this place is the chicken liver mousse followed by the Foie gras bon-bon, pork sausage, pickled vegetables, steak tartare, and sour cherry and pistachio pate. The Mousse was excellent. It was salty, creamy and ethereally smooth. I was blown away by the bon-bon. The foie gras was unbelievably smooth and rich. The Sauterne Gelee was sweet and the shortbread was crispy. The Pickled Vegetables nicely cleansed the palate and brought me to the tartare which was fine, but underwhelming and under seasoned. I couldn't taste the beef or anything in the tartare. It was presented nicely, but had weak flavor. The wine was an interesting pairing with everything, but went very well with the mousse and pate and foie gras.

Braised Sonoma Farms Duck Leg, Green Tomato Confiture, Buckwheat Sweet onion and Spinach Crepe, Duck Demi-Glace

Les Vins Contes Gama Sutra-2007

The duck was our favorite dish of the evening. After a long braise with red wine and spices, this leg came out exceptionally succulent; almost like a baby back rib. The spices on the duck were reminiscent of an "urban" bbq sauce; salty, sweet, and tangy. We were left with the buckwheat crepe filled with spinach to sop up all the lovely sauce. Everyone at our table was itching to the lick the plate.

The wine was quite interesting as it was an old vine Gamay grape from the Loire valley of France. I thought that it reminded me of tart sour cherries on the palate and had nice acidity to cut through the richness of the duck. Definitely an interesting wine and a nice pairing.

Shaved Fennel & Cherry Tomato Salad, Parmesan Crisps, Nicoise Olives & Mint, Lemon Vinaigrette

Texier Brezeme Cote Du Rhone Villages Blanc Pergault-2006

I really liked getting a nice crisp, and refreshing salad after some rather heavy courses. This course was simple but with a great combination of flavors. The keys were the mint and Parmesan crisp as they played off the tartness of the tomatoes and the subtle licorice notes of the fennel. The wine accompanying this course was Roussane from the Rhone and enhanced the herbal qualities of the mint and the earthiness from the Parmesan.

Selection of Steve's Cheese, Anise and Fleur De Sel Shortbread, Poached Fruit, Candied Hazelnuts

Domaine De Roally Vire-Clesse-2007

Unfortunately, I forgot a photo of this course, but it was a nice course. We were served three different cheeses: a hard cow's milk cheese from Idaho, a washed rind brie from the Cowgirl creamery, and an aged goat cheese from France. The plating was similar to the Charcuterie so you could dabble and mix and match all the parts. The wine was very interesting as it was another unique pairing. This time we had a late harvest chardonnay from the Macon region of France. The wine had enough acidity and a light sweetness to complete but not overpower the cheese. I have never had a wine like this and thought that the choice was unique and clever.

Sour Cherry Tartlett, Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream, Aged Balsamic Caramel
Spreitzer Riesling Auslese Oestricher Lenchen-2005

Our final course was delicious as it was petite. A perfect portion and finish to a wonderful meal. There was a nice balance of acidity and tartness from the sour cherries to offset the creaminess and the sweetness from the carmel sauce. I gobbled mine up in two bites and honestly thought the wine pairing was subtle and distracted. The Riesling got lost in the upfront flavors of this dish, but kept it's flavor nicely.

After our meal we had a nice cup of French pressed Stumptown coffee. We all agreed the that service at Beast was exceptional; the kind where you feel well taken care of, but not intrusive. The staff was very knowledgeable of the food and wine and were able to answer any questions. Our only complaint was the chairs. For a two and half hour meal I expect much more comfortable chairs. By the time we left everyone was stretching the legs and walking around. I have sat in more comfortable chairs at airports, doctor's offices, and thrift stores. Please, Beast owners, if you ever read this, I hope you will make the investment in some new seats!

Las Vegas Restaurant Review: Los Molcajetes

Los Molcajetes, 1553 N. Eastern Ave, las Vegas, NV

May 23, 2009

I first read about this spot in Norm's column in the Review-Journal. He is a gossip/celebrity columnist and his spies had seen some local chefs head to this restaurant. If you would like to see the entire column.....check out: http://www.lvrj.com/news/44579597.html. It has always been my opinion that great chefs are worth following when it comes to good restaurants even if they don't carry a heavy price tag!

We made the drive to this little place to a part of town that we would never have explored otherwise. The interior of the restaurant was clean, bright, and felt like your Mexican mother's kitchen table. There were some pictures of the food on the walls, cute little lights, and shiny and warm Spanish tiles on the floor. We chose a table near the wall so we could check out the scene. I think we were the only white people in the place and that's usually a good sign when judging a restaurants authenticity.

Our waitress was friendly and attentative. Upon our arrival she brought chips and salsa right away. The salsa was a little watery, but had huge chunks of onion, tomatoes, and green chile's amongst the little red chiles that gave it so much heat. The salsa was pretty to look at and enjoyable with the crunchy chips; the heat definately increased with each bite.

After looking through the menu we decided to try two of the molcajetes and a chicken mole. Our waitress was helpful in pointing us in the right direction and answering our questions. The Menu was also written in English and Spanish to make things a little easier. Our conversation was lively after our beers arrived and we anxiously awaited our food.

When the food did come out it was quite a sight to see. Large black calderons (Molcajete's) of bubbling red liquid filled with or chosen fillings. The two molcajetes looked so big next to the chicken mole, but it's deep dark brown sauce looked very inviting as well.

I ordered the shrimp and octopus molcajete and it was loaded with both items. The hot calderon also was accompanied with corn/flour tortillas served warm and wrapped in a towel. It also came with a salty square of cotija cheese, roasted napales (cactus leaves), an avocado slice, and some green onions. The star of the molcajete is the red chile sauce that is literally bubbling out of the pot. The sauce acts as the cooking liquid for the seafood and meats. All that is needed to eat is a spoon and plenty of the napkins. The flavor was unreal, with deep, comforting, chile flavors that were spicy, but not overwhelmingly hot. The dish was perfectly seasoned and the shrimp was totally succulent. There was one bump in the road and that was the octopus. It was definately chewy. I guess that needed more time than the shrimp to cook and soften up.

My cousin ordered the mixed molcajete and was just like mine, but it was filled with roasted chicken, shrimp, and beef. Equally delicious as mine but with meatier fillings!

My wife ordered the chicken mole and was not dissapointed. The mole was the star that enhanced the chicken roasted on the bone. The sauce was perfect with chile and peanut overtones but also smooth and silky.

After a few more cervezas and cleaning our plates we left very happy and fully packed! We will definately make the trip back as this spot is gem worth travelling to.

Vinaigrettes are quick and easy.....here's how

One of the easiest and quickest sauces to make is an emulsified vinaigrette. Emulsified just means that an oil and water (in this case something acidic-vinegar) are mixed together so that they bond. Okay, enough science, let's get to the good stuff.....



First, there is a general rule of thumb for any vinaigrette: 1 part acid to 3 parts oil plus emulsifying agent plus seasonings.



Let me clarify and give examples of each part.....



Acid: Usually a vinegar, but also could be a fruit juice. Red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, champagne vinegar, lemon juice, orange juice, lime juice, grapefruit juice are all examples of ACID.



Oil: This is pretty self explanatory, and feel free to experiment but examples include: extra virgin olive oil, canola oil, grapeseed oil, walnut oil, avocado oil, sesame oil, etc.



Emulsifying agent: This is the science part, but it's easy to understand. Water and oil don't like to mix so an agent is needed to help them bind together when they don't naturally want to do so. Egg yolks, Mustard powder, and Dijon mustard are common examples.



Seasonings: Let's say these are ingredients that you add to give the vinaigrette character. This list is endless, but some examples could be: fresh herbs, citrus zest, bacon, cheese, onions, garlic, hot sauce, dried herbs, nuts, cheese, honey, garlic....you get the picture.



Second, vinaigrettes dont have to be used just for salads, they can make a great sauce for fish, meat, and vegetables.

So get creative, get cooking, and get going.....check back for vinaigrette recipes.

Saturday Wine Night

On Saturday we got together with our Vino friends and had our four bottle tasting. Usually, we end up drinking a lot of reds, but that night we had two whites and two reds.

1. 2005 Jordan Chardonnay, Sonoma, CA-full bodied with lemon peel and honey. Lots of acidity and very little Oak. This wine was purchased on a trip to sonoma and was about 25$ at the winery


2. 2007 A to Z Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley, OR- Light, Mineral tones, and tangy; Tart. Purchased this one at Costco for $17. Good cheap summer wine. Food Friendly (we had Thai curry that night)


3. 2005 Zenaida Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles, CA- Medium bodied with Leather and blackberries. Medium Tannins and nice lingering finish. For some reason I didn't remember it being this good at the winery, but we'ed been tasting wine all day and this was our last stop. $15 at the winery. Nice Value.


4. 2006 Siduri Clos Pepe Vineyard Pinot Noir, Sonoma, CA- Thanks to our friends for bringing this show stopper out. Full bodied beauty with tons of cherry and cola flavors. Silky smooth tannins and acidity. Nice lingering finish of blueberries. This was purchased at the Siduri Tasting room in Sonoma, CA and was $53. The year and a half of aging was definitely a plus.

Homemade Ricotta Cheese

I just wanted to let everyone know that the homemade ricotta cheese came out really well. I got the recipe from a cheese magazine at wholefoods. I had been wanting to make the cheese for sometime because I knew there couldn't be much to it.

I doubled their recipe using:

1/2 Gal Whole milk
1 C Heavy cream
4 T Lemon juice
salt to taste

Heat the first three ingredients at medium heat until they reach 205 degrees. Remove from heat and let stand for 15 for the curds to form. When I did this the milk mixture actually started to boil (being at 2700 ft) but the pot still made it to 205 on my insta-read thermometer.

Place a cheese cloth or coffee filter in a strainer and then scoop the curds out of the pot and into the strainer. I used a fine sieve and a chinois to let the whey drain out in this step. allow the liquid to drain. Transfer to a bowl add salt to taste and then place in an airtight container.

I served this with Port Poached Figs:

1 bottle of Port
1-2 Cups Dried Black mission figs, cut in half
1 cinnamon stick

place port in a medium pot with the cinnamon stick and bring to a simmer. Add the figs and reduce heat to low for about 20 minutes. Using a slotted spoon remove the figs and place in a storage container. Continue simmering the port until you have about 1/2-3/4 cup of reduced liquid. Pour reduced port over figs and cover. I let mine marinate overnight.

Serve the figs with a quenelle of fresh ricotta and some nice seeded crackers for a quick and satisfying dessert.

A Food Loving Blog Virgin

I decided that maybe, just maybe, I might have something valuable to add to this large space known as the Internet; or blog-o-sphere.

Hopefully, this blog turns into one about food, recipes, restaurants and maybe some travel. My profession lies in cooking, creating, and enjoying food. I am allowed to dabble, in my current position, with pretty much whatever I can get my hands on food wise. Sometimes creating a menu can be a challenging and difficult because the creativity just isn't always "ON". So I try to rely on print and online resources, past eating experiences, and new ideas that have been floating around.

For example, my most recent "project" is a book club luncheon. The challenge is everyone is served the same meal. This one will be 3 courses with an amuse bouche to be served prior to the meal; possibly at the bar with a class of wine or cocktail. But, this can be a difficult task when dealing with food restrictions: No seafood (allergies), no pork (religious), and low fat (women are always worried about weight). This usually leads me to chicken since it is leaner then beef and lamb.

In addition to dietary restraints I also have to consider textures, cooking techniques, and flavors so that there is some variety of the courses. Currently, I have planned these courses as follows:

Amuse bouche: Roasted Lamb Kabob with Yogurt dipping sauce

First Course: Mixed Green Salad with Shaved Apples, Meyer lemon-honey-herb vinaigrette, Shaved Manchego cheese and Candied Walnuts

Main Course: Moroccan spiced Chicken "pie", Crispy phyllo, with roasted Cauliflower and Cilantro oil

Dessert: Homemade Ricotta cheese with Nut Crackers and Port Poached Figs

This menu definitely has a Mediterranean twist to it and I think it will satisfy any pallete. I hope that by keeping the portions tight and trim, that even with some rich ingredients, this won't be too indulgent and rich. For this event I try to use ideas that I have made before, however, I have not made homemade ricotta before and look forward to the challenge.