Meat

Chipped Beef on Toast

November 6, 2020 robiulo Leave a comment

Anyone who served in the military might wonder why I’d post a chipped beef on toast recipe. It’s a standard Army breakfast which was not particularly liked my most soldiers. The Army served hearty breakfasts – eggs, toast, potatoes, grits, sausage/ham/bacon, hot and cold cereal, etc. and also chipped beef on toast. I’d never seen it until I began basic training. No one told me that I wasn’t supposed to like S.O.S. (a nickname that any ex-military understands) so not knowing any better, I actually liked it.

Me in basic training at Fort Gordon, Georgia where I first had S.O.S.

It’s a pretty simple recipe (similar in style to biscuits and gravy) and you’ll either love it or hate it. I happen to love it. Chipped beef is beef that’s ground, formed and sliced something like salami or baloney but very salty. You can also eat it plain on a sandwich or fried with eggs.

Chipped Beef on Toast

Ingredients:

3 tbsp. butter
3 tbsp. all-purpose flour
Black pepper
Paprika – optional
2 cups milk
7 – 8 oz. chipped (dried) beef
4 slices of toast

Melt the butter in a heavy pan over low heat. Add the flour and make a roux. Stir until slightly darkened. Add pepper and paprika, if using. Stir constantly until smooth. Add the milk, stirring to avoid lumps. Cook until the gravy is smooth.

Slice the meat into 1 ½ inch long strips. Rinse in running water to remove excess salt and drain. Mix it into the cream sauce and stir. Since the meat is so salty you probably won’t need to add any more. Serve it over toasted bread.

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Drinks, Miscellaneous

Italian Hot Chocolate

November 4, 2020 robiulo Leave a comment

Italian Hot Chocolate

Hot chocolate season is coming up. There’s an article in L’Italo Americano that will make you want some Italian hot chocolate now.

ITALIAN CURIOSITIES: THE TRUE STORY OF ITALIAN HOT CHOCOLATE

“. . . The fall is the season of the queen of sweet delicacies, the creamiest of treats, the most decadent of the cold season’s offerings: la cioccolata calda. If you tried it, you know that Italian hot chocolate is on a different level: there is nothing else in the world that can compare to it, at least when it comes to hot cocoa drinks. You may find others that are nice, that taste delicious and that do hit the spot if you need a chocolate fix, but no Italian will in earnest say any of those are better than our beloved cioccolata calda. . .”

For the complete article click here.

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Sides, Vegetarian

Roasted Pumpkin

October 30, 2020 robiulo 2 Comments

Roasted Pumpkin

Whenever I see a pumpkin I think of Halloween and Thanksgiving. I wouldn’t normally think of Venice. I have a friend who spent some time there who told me that pumpkin (zucca in Italian) is a common ingredient in Venetian cuisine. He’s had it pureed in soup, with pasta, and as a side with meat or fish. Simple roasted pumpkin is even available from street vendors.

Ingredients:

1 pumpkin about the size of a cantaloupe
½ tsp. salt
A few sprinkles of nutmeg
3 tbsp. olive oil

Preheat the oven to 400^o.

Wash the pumpkin and cut off the top and bottom. Pull out the seeds * and scrape out the fibers using the edge of a spoon or a melon baller. Cut the pumpkin in 1 inch wide slices.

Toss the slices in a bowl with the salt, nutmeg, and oil. Place them in a baking pan skin side down and roast for 25 minutes. Serve plain or as a side dish. You can eat the skin.

* If you like you can also roast the seeds. Mix 1 cup of rinsed and dried seeds with 2 tsp. melted butter and a dash of salt. Place them in a single layer on a baking pan and roast at 300^ofor 45 minutes or until golden brown stirring occasionally.

https://youtu.be/HmA7ywx3lQk

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Seafood, Vegetarian

Swordfish au Poivre

October 23, 2020 robiulo Leave a comment

Swordfish au Poivre

I found this recipe in the New York Times a few weeks ago. Steak au Poivre is fairly common but that technique also works with swordfish. Swordfish au Poivre, same recipe, different results.

Ingredients:

1 swordfish steak (about 1 lb.)
1 kosher salt
1 ½ tbsp. crushed black peppercorns
2 tbsp. olive oil
1/3 cup finely chopped shallots
2 tbsp. butter
½ cup brandy
2/3 cup heavy cream

Blot dry and lightly salt the swordfish. Apply the pepper to both sides, pressing it into the fish. Heat the oil in a heavy pan and sear the fish on both sides. Remove it to a warn serving dish.

Add the butter to the pan and sauté the shallot for a few minutes. Add the Cognac carefully (it might ignite) and stir until the alcohol burns off. Then add the cream and parsley and stir for a few minutes. Pour the sauce over the fish, cut into portions, and serve.

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Drinks, Miscellaneous

Illegal Coffee

October 21, 2020 robiulo Leave a comment

Illegal Coffee – Gastro-Obscura has an interesting article on coffee’s long history in the Middle East.

1850: A servant serves coffee to a group of Yemeni coffee merchants who have set up camp in the desert on their way to Mocha. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

In Istanbul, Drinking Coffee in Public Was Once Punishable by Death

Rulers throughout Europe and the Middle East once tried to ban the black brew.

By MARK HAY

“. . . Odd though it may sound, Murad IV was neither the first nor last person to crack down on coffee drinking; he was just arguably the most brutal and successful in his efforts. Between the early 16th and late 18th centuries, a host of religious influencers and secular leaders, many but hardly all in the Ottoman Empire, took a crack at suppressing the black brew. . . “

Read the complete article here.

Some other COFFEE posts:

Vietnamese Iced Coffee

Italian Coffee Pots

Café Cubano

Manhattan Special

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Seafood, Vegetarian

Sea Scallops with Brown Butter

October 16, 2020 robiulo Leave a comment

Sea Scallops with Brown Butter

This is an adaptation of Chef Lomonaco’s sea scallops with brown butter recipe. He was the chef at Windows of the World at the World Trade Center until September 2001.

Ingredients:

1 lb. sea scallops (about 14)
Salt and black pepper
¼ cup olive oil
3 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. finely chopped shallot
2 tbsp. capers
Juice of ½ lemon
½ cup chopped parsley

Pat the scallops dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a pan on high heat. Sauté the scallops until browned. Don’t crowd the pan. If the pan isn’t hot enough or too crowded the scallops will over-cook without browning.

Remove the scallops from the pan and add the butter. When it melts add the shallot and capers. Cook for 2-3 minutes and add the lemon juice and parsley. Return the scallops to the pan and coat with the sauce.

I would serve 3 scallops for an appetizer and 7 for a main course.

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Miscellaneous

Microscopic Salt and Pepper

October 13, 2020 robiulo Leave a comment

MICROSCOPIC SALT AND PEPPER – If you’d like an extremely close look at what salt, sugar and spices look like, check out this article in Gastro Obscura.

The Microscopic Majesty of Sugars, Salts, and Spices

A molecular biologist turned food writer put kitchen staples under the microscope. BY ANNE EWBANK

For the complete article, click here.

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Meat

Beef and Ginger

October 10, 2020 robiulo Leave a comment

Beef and Ginger

Once all the slicing and chopping is done this is a quick meal. If you’ve got a wok, use it. If not, a large frying pan will work. If you can’t find ‘toasted’ sesame oil for the marinade, use olive oil.

Ingredients:

1 lb. skirt steak, trimmed, sliced against grain into 1/4 inch strips
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. toasted sesame oil
1 tsp. plus 1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. kosher salt
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 medium Vidalia onion sliced into 1/2 inch rounds
3 inch piece of ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
Black pepper to taste
3 tbsp. room temperature butter
1 tbsp. lemon juice

In a bowl, toss ingredients 1 to 5 and let sit at least 20 minutes. Place the vegetable oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the steak in a single lawyer, cook about 2 minutes until the edges a lightly browned.

Turn the steak over and add the onions, ginger, black pepper, and 1/3 cup of water. Cook, tossing until the onion wilts.

Turn off the heat and add the butter, lemon juice, and the remaining 1 tbsp of soy sauce. Stir until everything is coated with the sauce. Serve with rice.

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Miscellaneous

Pennsylvania Snacks

October 7, 2020 robiulo Leave a comment

If you like snacks, there’s an interesting article in Gastro Obscure about how so many of them come for Pennsylvania.

Why Are So Dang Many Potato Chip Brands From Pennsylvania?

By Dan Nosowitz

“. . . More potato chips (and pretzels, candy, ice cream, and chocolate) are produced over these few counties than anywhere else on Earth. Pennsylvania leads the country in production of all of these products, and each individual snack has its own fairly standard story of why it came to be so successful in the Keystone State. . .”

You can read the whole article on Pennsylvania Snacks here.

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Desserts

Bananas Foster

October 2, 2020 robiulo Leave a comment

Bananas Foster

This is an old desert recipe that’s not too common in most restaurants today but still very popular in New Orleans, especially Brennan’s where it was invented. It’s prepared and served table-side and the flaming presentation is impressive. Be careful when you light it – use a long reach lighter or wooden match.

Ingredients (1 banana per serving):

1 tbsp. butter
2 tsp. brown sugar
1 banana cut lengthwise and in half
A sprinkle of cinnamon
1 tsp. banana liqueur
1 oz. light rum
1 scoops of vanilla ice cream

Melt and mix the butter and sugar in a pan on medium heat. Brown the banana pieces lightly on both sides, sprinkle with cinnamon and remove for the pan to a dish with the ice cream. Pour the banana liqueur and rum to the pan and carefully light it. Spoon the sauce over the bananas and ice cream and serve it while it’s hot.

Banana Rum Old Fashioned

If you’d like something else to do with your Banana Liqueur, try this variation on an Old Fashion. I got this a recipe in Food & Wine magazine.

Ingredients:

1 oz. Bourbon
1 oz. white rum
1/2 oz. banana liqueur
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
Orange peel garnish

Put all of ingredients except the orange peel in a mixing glass and stir with ice. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice and garnish with the orange peel.

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Me in basic training at Fort Gordon, Georgia where I first had S.O.S.

It’s a pretty simple recipe (similar in style to biscuits and gravy) and you’ll either love it or hate it. I happen to love it. Chipped beef is beef that’s ground, formed and sliced something like salami or baloney but very salty. You can also eat it plain on a sandwich or fried with eggs.

Chipped Beef on Toast

Ingredients:

Melt the butter in a heavy pan over low heat. Add the flour and make a roux. Stir until slightly darkened. Add pepper and paprika, if using. Stir constantly until smooth. Add the milk, stirring to avoid lumps. Cook until the gravy is smooth.

Slice the meat into 1 ½ inch long strips. Rinse in running water to remove excess salt and drain. Mix it into the cream sauce and stir. Since the meat is so salty you probably won’t need to add any more. Serve it over toasted bread.

Italian Hot Chocolate

Hot chocolate season is coming up. There’s an article in L’Italo Americano that will make you want some Italian hot chocolate now.

ITALIAN CURIOSITIES: THE TRUE STORY OF ITALIAN HOT CHOCOLATE

Roasted Pumpkin

Ingredients:

Preheat the oven to 400o.

Wash the pumpkin and cut off the top and bottom. Pull out the seeds * and scrape out the fibers using the edge of a spoon or a melon baller. Cut the pumpkin in 1 inch wide slices.

Toss the slices in a bowl with the salt, nutmeg, and oil. Place them in a baking pan skin side down and roast for 25 minutes. Serve plain or as a side dish. You can eat the skin.

* If you like you can also roast the seeds. Mix 1 cup of rinsed and dried seeds with 2 tsp. melted butter and a dash of salt. Place them in a single layer on a baking pan and roast at 300o for 45 minutes or until golden brown stirring occasionally.

Swordfish au Poivre

I found this recipe in the New York Times a few weeks ago. Steak au Poivre is fairly common but that technique also works with swordfish. Swordfish au Poivre, same recipe, different results.

Ingredients:

Add the butter to the pan and sauté the shallot for a few minutes. Add the Cognac carefully (it might ignite) and stir until the alcohol burns off. Then add the cream and parsley and stir for a few minutes. Pour the sauce over the fish, cut into portions, and serve.

Illegal Coffee – Gastro-Obscura has an interesting article on coffee’s long history in the Middle East.

In Istanbul, Drinking Coffee in Public Was Once Punishable by Death

Rulers throughout Europe and the Middle East once tried to ban the black brew.

Read the complete article here.

Some other COFFEE posts:

Sea Scallops with Brown Butter

This is an adaptation of Chef Lomonaco’s sea scallops with brown butter recipe. He was the chef at Windows of the World at the World Trade Center until September 2001.

Ingredients:

Pat the scallops dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a pan on high heat. Sauté the scallops until browned. Don’t crowd the pan. If the pan isn’t hot enough or too crowded the scallops will over-cook without browning.

Remove the scallops from the pan and add the butter. When it melts add the shallot and capers. Cook for 2-3 minutes and add the lemon juice and parsley. Return the scallops to the pan and coat with the sauce.

I would serve 3 scallops for an appetizer and 7 for a main course.

MICROSCOPIC SALT AND PEPPER – If you’d like an extremely close look at what salt, sugar and spices look like, check out this article in Gastro Obscura.

The Microscopic Majesty of Sugars, Salts, and Spices

A molecular biologist turned food writer put kitchen staples under the microscope. BY ANNE EWBANK

Beef and Ginger

Once all the slicing and chopping is done this is a quick meal. If you’ve got a wok, use it. If not, a large frying pan will work. If you can’t find ‘toasted’ sesame oil for the marinade, use olive oil.

Ingredients:

In a bowl, toss ingredients 1 to 5 and let sit at least 20 minutes. Place the vegetable oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the steak in a single lawyer, cook about 2 minutes until the edges a lightly browned.

Turn the steak over and add the onions, ginger, black pepper, and 1/3 cup of water. Cook, tossing until the onion wilts.

Turn off the heat and add the butter, lemon juice, and the remaining 1 tbsp of soy sauce. Stir until everything is coated with the sauce. Serve with rice.

If you like snacks, there’s an interesting article in Gastro Obscure about how so many of them come for Pennsylvania.

Why Are So Dang Many Potato Chip Brands From Pennsylvania?

You can read the whole article on Pennsylvania Snacks here.

Bananas Foster

Ingredients (1 banana per serving):

Banana Rum Old Fashioned

If you’d like something else to do with your Banana Liqueur, try this variation on an Old Fashion. I got this a recipe in Food & Wine magazine.

Ingredients:

Put all of ingredients except the orange peel in a mixing glass and stir with ice. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice and garnish with the orange peel.

Reveries and Recipes

Preheat the oven to 400^o.

* If you like you can also roast the seeds. Mix 1 cup of rinsed and dried seeds with 2 tsp. melted butter and a dash of salt. Place them in a single layer on a baking pan and roast at 300^ofor 45 minutes or until golden brown stirring occasionally.