What Food is Your City Famous For?

I have given up my days as a sous chef, but for good reason. My wife has owned a dance competition business(VIP Dance) since before we were married, and ran it with her parents. This year, for the first time, she will be in total control. Now, more than ever she needs my help, and my job will be to drive across the country with a van full of music equipment and dance paraphernalia.

I chose to look at this not as an interruption to my culinary adventure through life but a window to new flavors that need to be discovered. I feel that the best food is not what you find at the most expensive restaurants around the country but in the recipes that are passed on from one generation to the next. So that is what I am looking for as I go out on the road this winter and spring. I am looking for the best dishes at the best mom and pops restaurants in cities all over the U.S.

Now this will take some research, but what I am really counting on is some feedback from you guys, my readers out there. My blog has been somewhat inactive lately so I realize not many people are devout followers. However, this new format should attract some new readers with some fantastic dining suggestions.

And of course since my first love is cooking, I will be writing about my attempts to recreate the treasures that I found while on the road. The first trip is form New Orleans to Macomb, Michigan. Cincinnati 5-way chili sounds like a winner for the first stop. Any suggestions?

Recipe: Parmesan-Garlic Buffalo Wings

Wow! Seems as though I got lost for a while, and couldn't find my way back to blogging. It has been a while so I will start back slowly with an easy recipe. This was something that I whipped up while some guests were over for a football game recently. Nothing goes better with sports than buffalo wings, but after the first batch of breaded wings dipped in Franks Red Hot wing sauce and ranch my creative juices got a little restless. At halftime I went digging in the fridge to see what might be fun to make. I always keep fresh garlic around, and there happened to be a block of parmesan cheese that couldn't wait to be grated up. The perfect companion for this variation of bar food royalty is, of course, bleu cheese dressing. All of your guests will love these wings, from the big bellied heavy eaters like my cousin Michael, and friend John to the little girls with surprisingly big wing eating appetites like my little sister,

To cook my wings I used a cast iron pot filled with peanut oil set over a small propane burner. The best temperature to fry is between the 325 and 350 degree area, and I use a fry thermometer with a long shaft to monitor my cooking oil. I used to use a meat thermometer that was a good bit shorter but the dial did not agree with being close to the heat source and told me so by exploding. On this day we had both breaded and naked wings, but decided that the naked wings are better for the parmesan garlic variety, so hold the flour for these. You will also need a little pre-made buffalo wing sauce, which helps bind all the other ingredients. Have fun Tailgating! Go Saints and Tigers!

Ingredients:

2-3 dozen chicken wings (drumettes, wings, or both)

1/4 cup of pre-made buffalo wing sauce

2 sticks plus 2 tbl. of butter

1/2 small onion - diced small

1 bulb of fresh garlic - chopped in food processor

1 cup freshly grated parmesan

Directions:

1. Fry the chicken wings in oil heated to 350 degrees for approximately 10 minutes. Chicken wings will float to the top of the oil when they are cooked through. After removing from the oil the wings should be placed on a wire rack to cool for about one minute. This will keep them from becoming greasy.

2. While your wings are cooking start the sauce by melting 2 tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan over a medium flame. Add the diced onion and chopped garlic and cook for 5 minutes until the onions become translucent.

3. Add the hot sauce and turn the fire down to low. Begin adding the butter in small cubes slowly to the mixture. Allow the cubes to melt two at a time before adding more butter.

4. Pour your cooked wings and the finished sauce into a large bowl and toss to coat the wings.

5. Add the grated cheese and toss a little more.

Recipe: Beef & Pork Red Chili

I recently noticed a small grocery store tucked into a strip mall near my house. The name is in Spanish so I have no idea what it means, but directly under the name on the sign it reads "Latin Grocery." The first thing I think of is peppers, and the best thing to make with a bunch of different peppers is chili. So I went shopping for some goodies to throw into my pot. Other than some spicy peppers, the best thing I found to add to my chili was chorizo.

You may have heard or even eaten this sausage before, but probably not like this. Years ago, I worked with a girl who was from Mexico and she always said that she could not understand why we called the sausage used for our "black bean and chorizo" soup chorizo. She swore that chorizo in Mexico was something totally different, and one day she brought some to the restaurant for me to try. It was spicy ground pork in something like a chili marinade and all rolled into a wax paper casing. She popped open the casing and cooked the filling in a skillet, then slapped it onto some homemade tortillas and served it as tacos. To this day that is one of the best mexican meals I have ever had. Since chorizo is largely known as a Mexican creation, I had to believe she knew what she was talking about. But every time I find chorizo on the menu at a Mexican restaurant, it comes in the form of a sausage and I am sorely disappointed. I was starting to find myself doubting my little mexican friend from many years ago until I came across the cooler section of my neighborhood latin grocer.

Now I had my secret ingredient and the perfect recipe to put it to use. If the soft mexican version of chorizo proves hard to find and you need a substitute, make sure it has plenty of spice and a red color to it. The red color should signify that the chorizo has the correct seasonings for chili. I also grabbed a bag of masa harina, which is specially prepared corn meal used to make tortillas. This will be used to thicken the chili just a bit. If you can't get a hold of masa harina, using some fine ground corn meal substitutes just fine in this recipe.

I used some beef stew meat, which came already cut into 1 inch cubes. Any cut of beef is fine as long as it is cut into pieces of similar size. After cooking your chili for 2 hours, the meat should be tender and still in big pieces, but ready to eat. I prefer to break up the beef cubes by smashing them against the side of the pot using a big wooden spoon. I let it cook slowly for one more hour, giving the beef a chance to fall apart into shreds. Now my chili is perfect for burgers, hot dogs, or just in a big bowl with some grated cheddar cheese, chopped onion, and saltine crackers. With fantasy football drafts starting up, many hosts may want to put this on the menu and serve it with some ice cold beer. This chili can satisfy the biggest appetites and impress the most critical palates.

Ingredients:

1 oz vegetable oil

3 large yellow onions 1/2 inch diced

1/2 bunch of celery 1/2 inch diced

3 green bell peppers 1/2 inch diced

2 bulbs of fresh garlic peeled

5 jalapeno peppers seeds removed

2 habanero peppers seeds removed

2 serrano peppers seeds removed

2 banana peppers seeds removed

2 cherry peppers seeds removed

4 dried ancho chiles seeds removed

3 lbs of beef

2 lbs of pork chorizo

3 tbl chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tbl smoked paprika or regular paprika

2 tbl dried oregano

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

2 1/2 cups diced tomatoes

2 cups beef stock

4 tbl masa harina

salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a small pot heat the beef stock and the dried ancho chiles until it simmers. Continue to simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off the fire and allow the dried chiles to seep in the stock for another 20 minutes.

2. In a large heavy bottom pot heat the oil over a high flame for 1 minute. Add enough cubes of beef to cover the bottom of the pot, working in batches. Brown the beef on all sides then remove and place on a plate.

3. When all of the beef is cooked and removed, add the onions, celery, and bell peppers. Cook for 5 minutes and scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to release any bits of meat that have stuck.

4. Place the jalapeno, habanero, banana, serrano, and cherry peppers into a food processor with the garlic and rehydrated ancho chiles(not the beef stock). Finely chop all these ingredients and add them to the pot. Also add the chili powder, cumin, dried oregano, cayenne, and tomatoes. Cook for 5 minutes.

5. Add all the beef back to the pot and the pork chorizo. Stir all of the ingredients well, then add the beef stock to the pot. Turn the fire down to medium-low and cover. Cook for 2-3 hours stirring occasionally. For more shredded beef, break up the chunks after two hours of cooking.

6. Add the masa harina to the pot and cook for 15 minutes.

Note: For spicier chile leave some of the seeds in the peppers when cutting them open. Be careful though! The seeds will dramatically increase the heat, especially from the habanero peppers. By the way, any type of hot peppers can be used as long as you have a total of 12 -15 peppers.

Restaurant Review: Cuvee Beach in Destin, FL

It has become a family tradition of mine to take a week long beach vacation in Florida once a year. And it has become a tradition within a tradition to eat out at a new restaurant one night of the week. Over the years we have found that the Destin area has a handful of really great restaurants, and this year we found one that ranks high among my favorites. Cuvee Beach is located on the main highway through Destin and is easy to find. I enjoy restaurants that have an uptempo, vibrant type of atmosphere like Cuvee. The first thing I noticed is the beautiful wine bar located at entrance in the front of the restaurant, and as we made our way to our table, the decor in the rest of the establishment did not disappoint. Because we had a party of twelve, we were given the option of a private dining room or a table in the middle of the main dining room, of which we chose the latter, when we made our reservation . We fit comfortably at our table in the middle of the commotion of dinner hour which shows the versatility of their layout. Our service was also great. The staff was very friendly, knowledgeable, and eager to answer our many questions regarding the menu. The food came out in a very timely manner which is always impressive for larger tables.

Now let's get to the good stuff and talk food. To start dinner off we ordered a round of appetizers to be passed around the table. The Crab Cakes and the Spring Rolls were very good, but I like to be a little more adventurous when eating out. So I went for the Smoked Yellow Fin Tuna Dip since I had never seen one on any other menus. The smokiness was too overpowering and the tuna was well done chunks of meat which gives it a texture resembling something from a can. The Fried Oysters were as good as any I've ever had, which is saying a lot coming from a New Orleanian. If there were any other appetizers on the table I guess they never made it to my end, and I'm sure that's the case.

The entrees were treated in much the same fashion. Everyone ordered their favorite selection on the menu trying not to double up on too many dishes so that we could all have a taste of the various dishes. My brother, my dad, and I split a fourth entree because we noticed no one ordered the Fresh Gulf Fish of the day, which was Grouper. I didn't hear any complaints from the table during this course of the meal. Instead of writing about every one of the 8 entrees I tasted, I'll just concentrate on the ones that impressed me the most. The grits on the Shrimp and Grits were fantastic and contained an ingredient that I could not put my finger on, but I really enjoyed trying to figure it out. The succotash was more like a maque choux, but still added a great flair to the dish. Now on to the Grouper, which was served with mash potatoes. this is a combination that I usually don't agree with, however the fish was sauteed with such a nice outer crisp that it made for a wonderful contrast on the plate. My favorite was the Rack of Lamb. Everything on this plate went together perfectly from the kick of the Spicy Herb Pesto to the Bleu Cheese and Bacon Macaroni to the lamb which was cooked perfectly to med-rare.

My whole family loved Cuvee Beach in Destin. Even my daughter, who received a hula skirt and a pink lei for attending, was a fan of her meal. She got a cheese pizza that I sampled a slice of and agree I that it was delicious. Since these pizzas are on the bar food menu I can't wait to go back to Cuvee for a date with my wife and just sit at the wine bar for Happy Hour. Maybe we will finish the evening once again with a Ginger Creme Brulee that we se enjoyed as the ending to our wonderful meal.

Recipe: Lasagna Roll Ups

I am one of those guys who just can't help himself when he lights up the grill. Even if it is just my wife and I, I always find the need to throw a few links of sausage on in addition to the meal that is planned for dinner. The only problem with that is figuring out what to do with the left over sausage. Once sausage is grilled and refrigerated, it loses so much moisture that it is just not as appetizing as when fresh off the grill. With all the grilling holidays that have recently passed (Father's Day, the 4th of July, etc), maybe some of you have yourselves in a similar predicament.

I tossed about a pound of day-old jalapeno sausage into the food processor and turned it into ground meat. I also had some leftover tomato sauce in the fridge, and a craving for lasagna. After a little snooping around online I came across a recipe by Giada which I changed around a little to suit my situation. These little personal lasagnas can be stuffed with anything you might have in your fridge or pantry, just by using a little imagination. I ran to the market for some cheeses and was ready to roll.

Bechamel Sauce

Ingredients:

2 tbl. Butter

4 tsp. All-Purpose Flour

1 1/2 cups Whole Milk

1/4 cup Gated Parmesan Cheese

Melt the butter over a medium fire then add the flour and whisk together to form a white roux. Slowly add milk while whisking continuously. Cook the sauce for a couple of minutes then add your parmesan and a little salt and pepper and remove from heat. Keep whisking until all the cheese is melted and your sauce is smooth and creamy. Pour the sauce into the bottom of a casserole dish.

Roll Ups

Ingredients:

1 pound Ground Jalapeno Sausage (or any meat of your choice)

2 1/2 cups Tomato Sauce

8 oz. Ricotta Cheese

8 oz. Chopped Mozzarella (I put mine in the food processor to chop)

1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese

14-16 Cooked Lasagna Noodles

1 Egg

1/2 pound Bacon

1 box Frozen Spinach - thawed and squeezed

Directions:

After cooking your lasagna noodles lay them out on a flat working surface. Chop the bacon into 1 inch pieces and cook them in a skillet over medium fire until slightly crisp. Pour the bacon and the drippings into a large bowl, allow to cool. Once cooled add the ground sausage, ricotta cheese, egg, thawed spinach, and 2 oz. of the mozzarella and fold the ingredients together. Spread a thin layer of the mixture onto each noodle. Roll up each noodle with filling and place seam side down into the casserole dish with the bechamel sauce in the bottom. Pour the tomato sauce over the mini lasagnas and top that with the remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and place into a 425 degree pre-heated oven for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes until the cheese on top becomes golden brown.

A Dinner Party for 25

The reason I became a chef is that I have a great passion for food and an urge to share it with others. The best way to do that is by entertaining guests, which is what I did last weekend. My dad invited some of his cousins over for a five course dinner complete with wine pairings. The number of diners was set at 25. I have done plenty of parties this size in the past, but never out of a residential kitchen. Thanks to Hurricane Katrina, my dad got the opportunity to remodel his kitchen and now he has a pretty nice setup, so no worries. 

In New Orleans many go by the motto "We don't eat to live, we live to eat." That being said, our menu will probably sound too heavy to most. I thought it was a bit much myself, but I was just the "hired" help this time so I went along with my dad's plans. The first course was smoked turkey and andouille gumbo which was made the day before to lighten the load. Besides, soups usually benefit from a day of refrigeration anyway. The second course was shrimp and grits with a local twist. Instead of the traditional brandy based sauce, we made a New Orleans style barbecue shrimp sauce which is a highly seasoned emulsified butter concoction. Since there is a lot of butter in the sauce, I didn't feel like I needed any more in the grits. To make the grits creamier I substituted half of the water in the recipe with heavy cream. The next course was redfish on the halfshell and butter bean succotash. In case you are not familiar with the term "on the halfshell," here it means the skin and scales were still on the fish fillets. To cook this dish you must place the fish on to a gas grill over a high flame with the skin side down, then season the fillets. Cook for about 5 minutes just until the meat around the edges begins to turn white. This will release the meat from the skin making it very easy to eat. Finish the fish under a broiler for another 5 minutes. To finish off the main courses, we roasted two beef tenderloins to an internal temperature of 130 degrees. We served the roast sliced thin over a small portion of potatoes au gratin and topped with a duo of sauces. A bernaise and a red wine reduction sauce made a great contrast from opposite sides of the plate. The dessert was store bought cheesecake so my day was done.

Now I have to ask. Do you feel full just from reading that or what? Well everything went off without a hitch and everyone really enjoyed the meal. My dad took care of the wine pairings as that is his area of expertise, and he was smart to have extra on hand. In true New Orleans style the wine drinking continued well after dinner into the early hours of the morning. Even though we broke a sweat this was a really good time for me and my sister who helped serve the food (and would be upset if I did not acknowledge her hard work). I will eventually get these recipes posted with more detail for each dish for all those interested.

Whats In The Pot Cooking Show - Pulled Pork

This is the first installment of my new project. I will be teaching my wife how to cook, and if she can learn, so can anyone else that follows along. I always learn better by being hands on or at least having a visual aid, so we decided to video our antics for your benefit. My goal is to have a little something for everyone. Amateur cooks can pick up some tips while watching, while all cooks get some great recipes to add to their portfolio.

This recipe is perfect for football season which is right around the corner, or just to have some leftovers around the house during summertime when the kids are out of school. A five pound bone-in pork shoulder or butt is called for in this recipe. But if you use a larger piece of meat, allow for an extra hour of cook time per pound of pork. For larger gatherings use multiple five pound cuts of meat so you are not cooking for two days. My favorite way to dress this sandwich is with some simple savory cole slaw made of chopped cabbage, mayonnaise, and creole mustard then topped with fried, thin cut onion rings.

The first step is to season the meat with the rub provided below. This can be done the night before, wrapped, and refrigerated if desired. While searing the pork, it may appear to be blackening which is fine. Turn down the fire a little after searing the first couple sides of the pork. Once all of the ingredients are in the slow cooker sit back and relax for a few hours.

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cooking Time: 4 to 5 hours

Inactive Prep Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

● 5 lb. Bone-In Pork butt

● 5 carrots, peeled and chopped

● 1 large red onion, small diced

● 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

● 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

● 1 cup stock (Chix, Pork, or veg)

New Ingredient Group: Dry Rub for meat

● 1/4 cup chili powder

● 1 tbsp. salt

● 1 tbsp. cracked black pepper

● 1 tsp. crushed red pepper

● 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

● 1 tbsp. parsley

● 1 tbsp. granulated onion

● 1 tbsp. granulated garlic

● 1 tbsp. creole seasoning (Tony's, zatarains, etc.)

● 1 tsp. dry oregano

● 1 tsp. dry basil

● 1/8 cup paprika

Directions:

Coat pork butt with meat rub generously and set aside. Then chop your onion and carrots. Put a skillet or frying pan over high heat and add a little oil to coat the pan. Sear the pork on all sides. Once the searing is done move the pork to a slow cooker or stock pot. Now add the carrots and onions to the pan used for searing and cook for a couple of minutes, mostly to deglaze the pan. Place all ingredients in slow cooker, cover, and cook at a slow boil for 4 to 5 hours, or until the bone can be easily removed and the meat falls apart.