Carrot Cake Success

I am happy to report that my first carrot cake turned out great thanks to Lisa's recipe. The cake was very moist and the icing was fantastic. I will definitely be making this again.

Lisa's Famous Carrot Cake

This is without a doubt the best carrot cake on the planet. I hope I can do it justice. I will be making this for the first time this afternoon. I am not much of a baker. I tend to limit my sweet tooth cooking to pies. But after Dave brought some of Lisa's carrot cake to work, I knew I was going to have to give this a try someday and today is the day. Here is the recipe. I will let you know how it turned out.

Lisa’s Famous Carrot Cake

2 cups of flour

2 tsp. cinnamon

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

3 eggs

1 ¼ cups oil

2 cups white sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

2 cups coconut

1 cup crushed pineapple including juice

2 cups grated carrots

1.       Stir together flour, cinnamon, salt and baking soda and set aside.

2.       Beat eggs, add oil the sugar.

3.       Stir in vanilla. Add flour mixture.

4.       Blend well, add coconut, pineapple, juice and carrots

5.       Pour into buttered waxed paper 9 x 13in. pan.

6.       Bake just above centre in 350F oven for 50 minutes or until done.

7.       Let set in pan 10 minutes before removing to rack

Icing

½ cup butter

2 4oz. packages of cream cheese

3 cups icing sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

1.       Cream butter and cheese together. Add vanilla then the icing sugar.

2.       Blend well, spread over cake.

Antigonish Meat Pie (Tortiere)

This is my father's recipe for tortiere. It isn't traditional but it is damn good. The crust has sort of been a family secret but I am about to print it so that is does not just disappear. I think I will make that my Christmas present to all you bloggers out there and my friends at Serious Eats.

Meat Pies

3 lbs minced pork

2 lbs lean ground beef

salt and pepper to taste (adjust as it cooks)

3 or 4 chopped fried onions

flour and water to thicken up (about 1 cup of water and 1/3 cup flower

Italian Seasoning to taste (adjust as it cooks.

Brown meat in large pot add fried onions, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Cook until meat is cooked through. Add water and flour to thicken. Add mixture to pie shells and cook in oven at 350 until crusts are golden brown. The Italian seasoning is the secret ingredient in these pies. You adjust to taste as it cooks.

Fish and Chips

It was a rainy, miserable day here. I decided it was a perfect day for some homemade fish and chips. The batter was not as puffy as usual but it still had a great taste. The fries were perfectly done.

Friday Night Pizza

Made this veggie pizza on Friday night. Onions, mushroom, broccoli, red and green pepper, and basil pesto. The cheese was shredded mozzarela covered with slice of provolone. The pizza was topped with slices of tomato. Served this up with some good wine.

The Arrogant Chef's Clam Chowder

It was rainy and very cool here today. Decided to make some clam chowder. Got this recipe off the Internet last year sometime. Not sure where I got it, but it is delicious. Probably breaks the clam chowder purist's rules but hey I'm all about taste and this tasted fantastic.

Clam Chowder  

Ingredients:

1/2 pound bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

5 unpeeled new potatoes, diced

2 carrots, diced

salt and pepper to taste

2 (6.5 ounce) cans chopped clams with

juice

2 (1.8 ounce) packages dry leek soup

mix

1 quart half-and-half

Directions:

1. Place the bacon in a large pot and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until crisped and browned, about 10 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon, leaving the drippings in the pot. Set the bacon aside. Stir the potatoes and carrots into the bacon fat. Season with salt and pepper, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

2. Pour the juice from the clams into the pot, and add enough water to just cover the potatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the potatoes are just tender, 10 to 15 minutes.

3. Gently stir the leek soup mix into the potatoes until no lumps of soup remain. Stir in the clams, reserved bacon, and half-and-half cream. Cook and stir until the chowder returns to a simmer and thickens, about 10 minutes more



Steak Sandwiches with Shallot-Thyme Aioli

This is an outstanding sandwich. I got the recipe while visiting my son in Vancouver.

Steak Sandwiches with Shallot-Thyme Aioli

2 tsp. Whole peppercorns

4 tsp. + 1 tablespoon minced thyme

Kosher Salt

One thick sirloin

½ cup mayonnaise

1 large shallot minced

1 ½ tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon of sherry vinegar or fresh lemon juice

¾ teaspoon Dijon mustard

Olive oil for brushing

Freshly baked Italian crusty bread

1 bunch watercress

1.       Coarsely grind the peppercorn. Mix with 4 teaspoons of thyme and 2 teaspoons of salt. Pat the steak dry. Press the spice mixture into both sides of the meat and let marinate while you prepare the aioli.

2.       In a small bowl combine the mayonnaise, shallot, oil, vinegar or lemon juice, mustard, remaining one tablespoon of thyme and freshly ground pepper and mix to combine and set aside.

3.       In a heavy frying pan add oil add steak and cook to desired doneness. Transfer to a plate and let rest for five minutes.

4.       Meanwhile pre-heat the broiler. Brush one side of each bread slice with a little aioli and broil until brown. Place two to three bread slices on plates, spread each with more aioli and top with watercress.

5.       Thinly slice the steak on an angle across the grain. Arrange meat on top of watercress and serve immediately

"Tuppercook's" Gourmet Grilled Cheese

Grilled cheese has always been one of those simple to make comfort sandwiches. "Tuppercooks" takes the grilled cheese sandwich to a whole new level with this recipe.

Italian Bread w/ butter on the outside

Slice of American cheese

A slice of heirloom tomato that covers the whole thing

Fresh basil covering the 'mater

Sliced fresh onion on the basil

A slice of Swiss cheese

Toast that baby 'till it's golden brown.

Made this tonight and had with a cold Stella. Great sandwich.

Charcoal BBQ

I have just started BBQ'ing with a charcoal grill. I will never go back to propane. The taste is incredible. Much better than gas or propane. A little more time consuming (but only a little if you use a chimney starter) but the extra time is worth it. I am anxious to see how this works in the winter when it is minus twenty. Here is a picture of the burgers I made last night on the grill. The burgers were seasoned with Worcestershire Sauce, seasoning salt, and a little onion powder. They were delicious!

Sometimes You Have to Compromise

Veggie or Meat Lover's Pizza? If you can't agree then compromise. This delicious pizza was half veggie with onions, mushrooms, green pepper, broccoli, and on the meat side hot cappicolo, bacon, pepperoni with a base of onions and peppers. Turned out great.

Lobster Rolls and Fries

Lobster rolls are one of my all time favourites. There are many takes on how lobster rolls should be made. This is the recipe that I use to make my rolls. It is important to use top split hot dog rolls. Just butter them up and grill them until they are golden brown. I usually just use a frying pan to do this. The addition of fennel is somewhat different. It adds a nice little crunch and a very pleasant flavour.

As far as the fries be sure to always double fry your fries. For the first fry, I fry at low temperature for about 10 minutes. I then put them in the fridge for a few hours. The second fry is at high temperature for about 3-4 minutes or until they are golden brown. I use russet potatoes which I cut by hand. I leave the skin on for more flavour. Give these a try. I guarantee you will like them.

Lobster Rolls


1 tablespoon butter, softened
top split hot dog rolls
4 lettuce leaves
1 1/2 pounds cooked and cubed lobster meat
½ cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
1 dash hot pepper sauce
2 green onions, chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
1 pinch of fresh chives
½ cup chopped fennel

Instructions:

Remove lobster meat

Combine mayonnaise, mustard, green onions, celery, lime juice, hot sauce, and chives. Stir in olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Combine lobster meat and fennel and toss with enough mayonnaise to moisten.

Place lettuce leaves in the rolls and heap with lobster mixture.

Meat Lover

Well my new charcoal BBQ makes simply wonderful steaks. This is a man size steak I had last night with some fried mushrooms, onions, and zucchini fresh out of the garden. Although the charcoal BBQ takes a little more time, the taste can't be beat. The other key to making great steaks is to marinate them in olive oil over night. Nothing else. Remove from the fridge and let them come to room temperature before throwing them on the grill. The final touch is to dust them with sprinkles of your favourite seasoned salt. Steak perfection every time.

Summer Pasta

Seemed like a good night for summer pasta. I have all kinds of zucchini in the garden so I made up a linguine pasta with zucchini, tomatoes, mushrooms, basil, thyme, and garlic. This is a great summer time pasta.

Clam Pizza

Well this was my first attempt at a seafood pizza. The crust was great. Super thin and crispy. But I am not sure about the whole seafood thing on pizza. I love seafood. I love seafood pasta. But somehow it just does not make it on pizza. This kind of reminded me of my attempt at poutine pizza. I love poutine but it just does not go with pizza. Anyhow here are a couple of pics.

Perch Rolls

It was a beautiful summer day here. Seemed like a perfect day for perch rolls, fries, and a Stella. It's lift off weekend here and we were treated to about 15 hot air balloons going directly over the house.

Coleslaw for Hot Dogs or Pulled Pork

Here is the recipe for the coleslaw for hot dogs or pulled pork. It is quite tasty.

1 head cabbage, shredded


1 large carrot, shredded

2 to 3 tablespoons minced onions

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar

2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice



Shred cabbage and carrots and place in a very large bowl. A food processor works well for this. Mix in onions.



Stir together the rest of the ingredients until smooth and toss with the cabbage mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours before serving.

Slaw Dogs

Maple Leaf Top Dogs with homemade coleslaw. These were really good. BBQ,d on the charcoal grill with just a nice char, served on super fresh buns with my homemade coleslaw, a little salt and pepper. And of course an ice cold Stella. Even hot dogs can take on gourmet status every now and then.

Pork Chops

For the longest time I always had trouble making decent pork chops. When I BBQ'd them they were often dry and if I pan fried them they were almost like shoe leather. I finally found a simple recipe that makes delicious moist and wonderful tasting chops. First start with good thick pork chops. Line a baking dish with tinfoil (makes clean up easy). Put the chops in the baking dish and pour over one small bottle of Kraft Sundried Tomato and Oregano dressing. Put in the oven at 350F for about 1hour and 10 minutes. It doesn't get any easier than this.

Rhubarb Snack Cake (From Something Edible)

I don't often make cake or any sweets for that matter but I had a lot of rhubarb from the garden and came across this recipe from Something Edible. Usually I just eat the rhubarb with a little salt. Yes, I know most people would rather use sugar but a friend of mine told me to try it with salt and since then I have been hooked. Today though, I decided trying my hand at making a rhubarb snack cake. Turned out very well. Here is the recipe as posted by Something Edible.

Ingredients:


The Cake

•1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar Packed tight into that measuring cup, of course.

•1/2 cup butter That's one stick; room temperature.

•1 egg A big one.

•1 tsp salt

•1 tsp cinnamon Fresh-ground if you can.

•1/4 tsp nutmeg Fresh-grated of course.

•1 tsp vanilla

•1 cup buttermilk

•1 tsp baking soda

•2 cups all-purpose flour (10 oz by weight for the persnickety.)

•8 oz rhubarb Fresh; sliced 1/8 in thick (Around 2 cups by volume using 2-3 stalks if i had to guess).

•2 Tbsps demerara sugar For garnish.

The Sauce

•8 oz rhubarb (Again, around 2 cups by volume).

•4 oz strawberries 1/4 inch dice; about 6 medium berries.

•1/3 cup sugar •1/8 tsp salt •2 Tbsps blush-style wine (Cranberry juice would do too.)

Instructions: For the cake, preheat oven to 375F. In a stand mixer cream butter and brown sugar, then add egg, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla and continue to beat on medium speed until the mixture lightens in color and in texture (about 2-3 minutes). Slow mixer to a stir; add buttermilk, baking soda and flour. Stir until integrated, then add the fresh rhubarb. Once the rhubarb is mixed in, spread the batter evenly into a lightly-greased 13x9 inch pan. Top with the demerara sugar and pop into the oven for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool to room temperature before slicing.



For the sauce (and you can do this while the cake bakes), combine all ingredients into a small saucepan over medium heat. When the mixture just comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 10 minutes stirring occasionally so as to make sure it doesn't burn. Sauce will thicken as it cools.



To serve, cut you a big ol' slice of cake, set it next to a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and top it with the sauce.



Notes: If you're a saucy person, you'd better go ahead and double that topping recipe. No worries if you got extra. It's swell by itself on ice cream on stirred into yogurt.

First BBQ with Charcoal

Bought a little Aussie charcoal grill. It is portable and has a pretty good cooking surface. At the price if I need more room to cook I will buy a second one. The first thing I made was my Ultimate Burger. Burgers turned out fantastic. The recipe for these burgers can be found on this site. Thanks to my friends at Serious Eats who put me on to cooking with charcoal.

New BBQ

Off to buy a new BBQ today. I think I am going to go with a charcoal BBQ. After doing quite a bit of research it seems coals are the way to go. I will post a picture of my first BBQ on the new grill.

Pulled Pork Phase One

I am beginning my annual summer food quests. Going to try to perfect the pulled pork sandwich. This one turned out fairly well. The pork was super tender but the sauce was a little too sweet. I will have to work on getting a sauce that is a little more tangy. Suggestions are welcomed. Sauce recipe was two cups of Diane's Regular BBQ sauce, 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, 1/2 cup of water, 4 teaspoons of granulated coffee. I slow cooked the pork in a slow cooker with one can of root beer. Stay tuned for phase two.

Cavanagh's Crappy Weather Pasta Recipe

Got home from work last night and actually had to turn on the heat in the house. Feeling somewhat depressed by this cold rainy weather I went to the Serious Eats community looking for a crappy weather recipe that would raise my spirits. dmcavanah of the community posted this recipe for a true comfort meal. The end result was great. I do think I would up the heat a little with medium hot sausage and maybe some red pepper flakes. Served this with some good red wine and bread.

Here is DMC's recipe:

Cavanagh’s Crappy Weather Pasta Recipe


Here’s one I did the other night, and I wound up sharing it with some friends at work. Saute 3 cut up peppers (I like reds) in a little oil oil. Set those aside and then saute some sweet Italian sausage which I remove from the casing and break into small chunks. Remove the cooked sausage from the pan and lightly saute 2-3 chopped garlic cloves. Add a 28 oz. can of good quality crushed tomatoes, a teaspoon of oregano and salt and pepper to taste. Heat for just a couple of minutes to make a nice sauce. Now, add the cooked sausage and peppers back to the sauce along with some baby spinach and some already cooked cavatelli ( or any cut of pasta you like. penne works well) and heat through until the spinach is cooked down. You can also add some fresh basil leaves if you like. Serve with a generous finish of parmesan.

Chicken Stir Fry

I came across this stir fry recipe at http://alittleyum.com/2011/01/20/stir-fry-of-chicken-vegetables/ I made some modifications since I like more veggies in my stir fry. This is an excellent recipe. Since I am watching my carbs, I did not add any rice or noodle.

Ingredients


1/3 cup chicken stock

3 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp cornstarch or more to thicken

2-3 tbsp vegetable oil

½ tsp red chilli flakes (optional)

2 cloves garlic, minced

vegetables I used 2 carrots chopped, 8oz mushrooms sliced, broccoli about 2 cups, snow peas, 3 green onions chopped, one green pepper sliced, one red pepper sliced.

1 1/4 lb skinless, boneless chicken thighs or breast cut into ½ inch cubes (have the butcher at the store do this)

salt and pepper

Method

1. Whisk together water/stock, soy sauce, sugar and cornstarch till cornstarch and sugar are dissolved

2. In a large frying pan or wok heat the oil. Add the chilli flakes, is using and garlic and fry for 30 seconds. Add chicken and cook for 4-5 minutes

3. Remove chicken and fry the vegetables for 2-4 minutes (depends on vegetable you are using and how much crunch you like - I would add the carrots, mushrooms, green and red peppers first then the broccoli and green onions right at the end.

4. Add chicken and basil to wok and stir-fry for 30 seconds

5. Pour over the whisked mixture and bring to a boil and simmer for a couple to minutes. Ready to eat!

Quest for the perfect Nachos

Friday nights are always cheat nights for me. I eat healthy all week long but on Friday's I like to take out the deep fryer cook up some wings, onion rings or zucchini or cook up some stuffed hamburgers with my homemade specialty fries. This Friday I decided to go with Nachos. The basic recipe is seasoned cooked hamburger, onions, green peppers, jalapeno peppers, salsa and a tex-mex cheese mix. The problem I have is keeping the nacho chips on the crispy side. They tend to get a little soggy. I have also noticed this in restaurants. My quest is to get the chips to stay crispy. I will let everyone knows how this goes.

Horseback Steak Sandwich Award Winning Recipe

This recipe for a steak sandwich by Sylvain Girard of The Arrogant Chef recently won a BBQ challenge cook off at the Cornwall Spring Home Show. Although I was only taking pictures, I did get a chance to sample this outstanding steak sandwich. Great job Sylvain!!!

Horse Back Steak Sandwich – Award winning recipe – Sylvain Girard


Steak Sandwich with Balsamic Onions, Mushrooms and Sun-Dried Tomato Basil Cream

Ingredients:

½ cup sour cream

1 ½ oz. sun-dried tomatoes, well drained and finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tbl finely chopped basil leaves

2 tsp. lemon juice

2 white sweet onions, Vidalia or Spanish

1 cup of sliced Cremini mushrooms

2 tbl spoons of olive oil or as required

2 tbl balsamic vinegar

2 tbl of sherry

1 tbl brown sugar

Triangle shaped focaccia bread(white…I would not use grains)

14 oz. of filet steak, 1 inch thick. Marinate in olive oil overnight. Let stand 40 minutes before cooking.

Quail eggs, 1 per serving

Season salt

Serves 4

1. Preheat bbq to medium-high direct heat. Mix the sour cream, sund-dried tomatoes, garlic, lemon juice in a small bowl and season the mixture to taste.

2. Thinly slice the onions and mushrooms and toss with olive oil. Sauté for a few minutes on side burner in a frying pan. Combine balsamic vinegar, sherry and sugar and add to frying pan. Sauté for approximately 10 minutes or liquid is gone. Remove and keep warm.

3. Brush the steaks with some olive oil. Season with season salt and crack pepper. Grill the steaks for 3 minutes per side for medium to medium rare.

4. Lightly brush olive oil on the bread and warm in foil packs on the bbq or oven(you can warm prior to bbq the steak).



5. Remove bread and plate the steak. Lightly butter the buns with sauce. Bread-Sauce-onion/mushrooms-Steak-quail egg. Can Serve open face or as a sandwich.



6. Small amount of butter in a frying pan. Fry quail eggs sunny side up. Do not overcook. Have the sandwich plated and ready. Remove the egg, place on top of the steak and serve immediately. Make sure the egg is just cooked. Do not make the egg over easy. Quail eggs are tough to break, I use a paring knife and slowly remove the top. Empty each egg into a small ramekin or bowl. Pour into frying pan.

7. Most importantly….Enjoy!!

Wings and Rings

There is just something wonderful about the smell of deep frying on a Friday night. I know some people take offence to the smell but how can you not like it when you know the wings and rings that are being prepared are going to be delicious. Here is a picture of my Friday night wings and rings. The wing recipe is already on the blog. Here is the onion ring recipe.

Onion Rings

2 large sweet onions sliced and separated into rings
1/2 a quart of buttermilk
1 tsp of cayenne pepper
1 cup of flour
1 tsp of celery salt
1/2 tsp of garlic powder
1 tsp of paprika

Soak the rings in buttermilk mixed with the cayenne.
In another bowl mix the flour, celery salt, garlic powder, and paprika.
Drain the onion rings and drop them in the seasoned flour.
Remove and deep fry a few rings at a time until golden brown and crisp.

Scallops with Tarragon Cream and Wilted Boston Lettuce

As promised here is the recipe for Syl's scallops with a few more pictures.

Ingredients:


2 tbl unsalted butter

¼ cup minced shallots

¼ cup red bell pepper

½ cup of Late Autumn Riesling (Inniskillin)

1/3 cup whipping cream

4 tsp. chopped fresh tarragon

1 ½ tsp. Pernod

8 large sea scallops(rinse well and pat dry)……do not use the cheaper bay scallops. No matter what!!

1 small head of butter lettuce, leaves separated.

I usually serve 2 to 3 scallops person depending on the size

Melt 1 tbl of butter in small skillet over medium heat, Add shallots, red peppers and sauté(few minutes). Add wine and reduce by half(2 min). Add cream and 3 tsp. of tarragon, Pernod. Simmer until the sauce coats back of spoon. Season with salt and pepper.

Cooking Scallops:

Rinse and pat scallops dry. Season with kosher salt on both sides.

Melt 1 tbl of both unsalted butter and vegetable oil in a non-stick frying pan. Heat on high until just about smoking. Do not overcrowd scallops. Use several frying pans if need be. Add scallops and cook for about two minutes…they should turn a golden brown, develop a little crust. Do not touch them within that couple of minutes. Turnover and cook another minute. DO NOT OVERCOOK SCALLOPS. Better off undercooked…it is ok. They will turn to rubber if they are overcooked. Once again, DO NOT USE bay scallops as you will be wasting your money…they taste like garbage. They will be a third of the price, fight the temptation.

Remove from frying pan with a slotted spoon. You will cook the lettuce in the drippings. Add lettuce and cook until wilted….maybe a minutes, maybe.

Now plate the lettuce and scallops and add a generous portion of sauce next to the scallops…ENJOY!!!

Scallops in Pernod Sauce

My good friend Syl and his wife invited us over for supper. We always try to out do each other when it comes to cooking. I must say that Syl did a pretty good job at impressing us with his culinary talents. The scallop dish that he prepared was done to perfection as you can see from the photo below. I will be including the recipe for this as soon as he sends it to me. I will be posting more pictures from this supper later this week.

Deep Fried Zucchini

This is my first attempt at deep fried zucchini. Cut them into sticks, dipped in egg then flour then egg again and the seasoned bread crumbs. Not sure how these will turn out. On Fridays I like to deep fry. My favourite is wings and onion rings. Someone at work asked if I ever made zucchini. Well now I have. I will post pictures and my review on this experiment later. If anyone out there has suggestions for this it would be much appreciated.

Slow Cooker Ribs

Well since my BBQ died, I decided that I would try to make ribs in the slow cooker. I used the same basic recipe that I use for BBQ ribs. Rubbed the ribs with paprika, chili powder, salt and a little cumin. I ligned the slow cooker with sliced onions (which by the way came out tasting really good). Placed the racks on top of the onions and then added my BBQ sauce which is two cups of Diane's Regular BBQ sauce, 1/2 cup of water, 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, and 4 teaspoons of instant coffee granules. Poured in 1 1/2 bottles of beer and let cook for 7 hours on low. Turned out great. They were not nice and sticky like they are on the BBQ but the taste was there and they were fall off the bone tender!!!

All Dressed Meat Lovers' Pizza

A while back I posted a recipe for gourmet hotdogs. After posting I thought the ingredients for hot dogs minus the dogs of course could be great on a pizza.So here is my all dressed, meat lovers' pizza. I really do need to come up with a better dough recipe. This one is good, but not outstanding.

Ingredients:

hot mortadella
hot cappicola
pepperoni
mozzarela
provolone
pepperoncini
green pepper
yellow pepper
onion
mushrooms

First I began by putting the dough with the sauce in a 500 degree oven for about 5 minutes. While the dough was in the oven I quickly sauteed the meats. I then removed the dough from the oven, topped with the meats and onions,  then the cheese, then the peppers, pepperoncini, and mushrooms. Returned to the oven for about 12 minutes. Result: A nice spicy meat lovers' pizza. Enjoy.

More Pizza

Tonight I am going to make a meat lover's pizza. Actually going to use many of the same meats I used for my gourmet hotdogs except of course for the hotdogs. Pics will be posted later. I really need to work on my pizza dough. I have many different recipes. I am just too lazy to try them out.

Perch Rolls and Fries

I love perch rolls and fries. The best perch around of course is St. Lawrence River Perch. The best perch sauce is... well Shirley's. Got the recipe from Shirley years ago. My second mom. Take a look at the pic above. Really outstanding meal.

The Godfather: A Gourmet Hotdog

While browsing Serious Eats I came across a recipe for a hotdog. It included spicy mortadella, spicy cappicola and pepperoncini. It was submitted by "intense foodie". Since it was rather unusual I thought I would give it a try. Here is a picture of the final product. This recipe makes a great hot dog if you like spicy food. The only change I made to the recipe was to add a slice of provolone cheese and I broiled the dogs in the oven for a couple of minutes to melt the cheese and further brown the buns. I could not find poppy seed buns so I used hot dog rolls.

The Recipe: Godfather Hotdogs

Adapted From: Intense Foodie

hot dog rolls

mayo

mustard

sliced pepperoncini

thinly sliced tomato

dried oregano

spicy mortadella sliced

spicy cappicola sliced

pepperoni sliced

chopped sweet onion

slices of provolone cheese

all beef hotdogs

Pan fry the hot dog in a tiny bit of oil.

Add the mortadella, pepperoni, cappicola and fry until fragrant and lightly browned.

Remove hotdogs and other ingredients and brown the buns in the same pan until golden brown

Spread the mayo, and mustard on the bun and lay the mortadella, cappicola and pepperoni in the middle of the bun. Add the hot dog and garnish with pepperoncini, and chopped onion. (You can also add tomatoes and sliced black olives. Top with a slice of provolone cheese and put under the broiler until the cheee is melted. Sprinkle with a little oregano, and enjoy!!!

Friday Night Treat

A club sandwich and fries is one of my favourite Friday night meals. No real need for a recipe just bacon, lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise and chicken or turkey meat. Be sure to double fry your fries and voila a great Friday night treat.

The Arrogant Chef's Fish and Chips

One of my favourite meals is fish and chips. The key is the beer batter and this one is very good. The recipe as written produces a very thick batter that really puffs up in the deep fryer. I always add a little more beer to thin it out a bit. Takes a bit of practice to adjust the batter to personal preference. Oh and be sure to use pastry flour it really makes a difference. As far as the fries, I use russet potatoes, unpeeled which I hand cut. I deep fry for about 10 minutes at about 320F and then I take them out and put them in the fridge for about two hours. The second frying is done at about 375F for about 3-4 minutes. This double fry method makes great french fries. Serve this up with a premium beer and your favourite tartar sauce and you have a great meal.

Beer Batter for 2 Servings


INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)

1 egg
1/4 cup beer
1/2 cup milk
1-1/3 cups pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cornstarch
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 pound haddock fillets
deep fryer and vegetable oil for frying
In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cornstarch.

In a large bowl, beat together eggs and milk. Mix in beer. Stir in flour mixture. Season with salt, black pepper, and garlic powder.

In an electric deep fryer, heat oil to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Coat fish in batter, and submerge in hot oil. Fry until golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. Serve.

The Arrogant Chef's Game Day Chili.

This chili has it all. Although there are many ingredients it is relatively easy to prepare and is made for slow-cooking. You can adjust the heat of the chili with the peppers, cayenne, and hot pepper sauce. I find if you let it slow cook on low for about 4 hours then you can adjust the seasoning to your taste and let it slow cook for about another 2 hours on low.

 The Arrogant Chef’s Chili

Adapted from Boilermaker Tailgate Chili by MIGHTYPURDUE22

2 pounds ground beef chuck

1 pound bulk hot Italian sausage

2 (15 ounce) kidney beans

2 (28 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with juice

1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste

1 large yellow onion, chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

3 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped

4 cubes beef bouillon

1/2 cup beer

1/4 cup chili powder or more to taste

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon dried oregano

2 teaspoons ground cumin

4 tablespoons Frank’s hot pepper sauce or more to taste

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon white sugar

1 (10.5 ounce) bag corn chips such as Fritos®

1 (8 ounce) package shredded Cheddar cheese



Directions

1.. Crumble the ground chuck and sausage into a hot pan, and cook until evenly browned. Drain off excess grease and transfer to large slow cooker.

2.Into a large slow cooker pour in the kidney beans, diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Add the onion, celery, green and red bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, bouillon cubes, and beer. Season with chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, oregano, cumin, hot pepper sauce, basil, salt, pepper, cayenne, paprika, and sugar. Stir to blend, then cover and cook on low heat for at least 5 hours, stirring occasionally.

3.After 3 hours, taste, and adjust salt, pepper, and chili powder if necessary. The longer the chili simmers, the better it will taste. Remove from heat and serve, or refrigerate, and serve the next day.

4.To serve, ladle into bowls, and top with corn chips and shredded Cheddar cheese.