Turkey Idea

Ok, so every thanks giving we are destined to have to watch the morning show bring on some local chef celeb who will explain how to roast a turkey and make gravy. People will swear up and down claiming the secret is some sort of crazy thing like putting it in a paper bag, roasting it upside down, deep frying it first.....well in reality they all work but the biggest trick of all is simply a hot oven, covered in the beginning then cover off to finish and brown. Button pops and ready to go. Some insist stuffing must be cooked separately then put inside the turkey at the very end. This is certainly a great idea in order to maintain even cooking of the bird and to avoid salmonella in the stuffing but every turkey I've ever had was stuffed at the start, cooked through, and it tasted good and no one got sick. I won't get too much into the gravy but lets just say you need to keep the pan dry at all times without burning. This means if and when you notice it burning add water otherwise let it get nice and brown and suck out any liquid.

My tip this year is for garlic lovers. Shove butter and garlic (fresh only please and by fresh I mean heads of garlic not jarred chopped garlic)....take several whole peeled cloves and shove it under the skin with the butter, fresh rosemary, thyme, Italian parsley (by this I mean flat leaf not the stuff you see as garnish at cheap diners-nothin against the diner). When done this way the garlic will infiltrate every aspect of the breast so this is definitely not for the garlic hater. De-glaze the pan with some good tomato sauce and red wine then finish with flour and stock or roux and stock. Enjoy-I would post a pic but I'm lucky enough to not be cooking a bird this year. Score one for me.

 
 

Suppers Ready Re-launch

Ok, I'm gonna try and bring supper's ready back to life. I had put the page together, made a few posts and then couldn't figure out where to go next. I mean, I hate cooking. I was a failure at it. What could I possibly have to say. Those that have experienced dinner at my house (or me cooking at their house which is more the case) will say I'm great. I know better though. If I were chefin it at a restaurant and had ten tickets hanging in the window and I hadn't yet gotten some appetizers together for the first few tables, I would be sweatin and probably suffering post traumatic stress. -Maybe that's why a lot of chefs smoke a bone by the dumpster before the rush- I don't know, well anyway, here goes my rebirth of suppers ready. An attempt to laugh at food rather than take it as seriously as some of the assholes I had to work with all those years ago in culinary land. Listen, don't invite me over to your house and serve me pumpkin bisque with pumpkin bread crouton with some fancy soft cheese draped over the top....In all honesty, that just isn't something that impresses me anymore. Now on the other hand, take some fried chicken bits and make a weird chicken salad with it -pow boy style knock off- then I'm hangin around till desert comes. That's just the way I fly now a days.

 
 

The PBJ Bacon Sub



Roaches, mold, and a leaking roof were among the many problems inspectors found at a Georgia peanut plant involved in a national salmonella outbreak. It was also reported that salmonella tainted peanut products may have been shipped over the past two years despite managements knowledge of internal test results. More than 500 people have gotten sick in the outbreak, which is continuing. So much for PBJ bacon subs every night. Good Appetite!

1 Sub Roll
generous amounts of peanut butter
Limp bacon (somewhat undercooked)
plenty of softened butter
jelly of your choosing

Accompany with a tall frosted glass of buttermilk.

Ya know, feel free to toast that sub roll if you wish. Don't worry, noone will accuse you of bastardizing an original. Go crazy!

 
 

Pork Loin

"Butterflied, stuffed, tied pork loin ready for dinner"
Back in 1987 I attended culinary school with someone who would later become a long term friend. We still see each other occasionally and I met my wife through him. In light of the fact that I had two PBJ sandwiches for dinner tonight, I figured I should blog his dinner instead of my own. Thankfully he just so happened to have a handy photo of his final preparation. He says it's butterflied pork loin.....I'll just have to take his word for it. Pork lion can be an excellent Italian dish. Seared in a hot pan and finished in the oven....stuff it with a wonderfully soft cheese, mushrooms, seasoned with fresh garlic/rosemary, and served over a bed of white beans...... The garlic rosemary combo is a real favorite of the Tuscan style. I love Tuscany and one of my great memories of living in Seattle was going to a little Italian Bistro called Bizarro, located in Wallingford. Their stuffed pork loin was great and always served with either white beans or risotto. Each time I would go it would be slightly different...either the stuffing or the accompaniment....I know I'm in my element when pasta is hard to find on the Italian menu. Think more Mediterranean and less meatballs. And if you've never seen the movie "Big Night" then watch it and you will understand the despair of a great authentic Italian chef as he watches his native food bastardized by a new Americana.
I'm looking at that pork picture again and thinking how disturbing raw food can look sometimes.
Have a great time.