the pragmatic chef™

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May 26, 2008

Happy Memorial Day!!!

Please take a few minutes to remember what this day is about.

P.S. Rubbed with just Survival Spice®, smoked/grilled over pecan wood. And yes, so good I got a little weepy.

Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 05:47 PM | Comments (0)

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April 14, 2008

John in Chicago's Slow Baked Survival Ribs

Apparently it's still too cold in Chicago for John to fire up his grill, but it didn't stop him from coming up with a great rib idea:

Its been a while since I've posted anything so here's 3 slabs I cooked off yesterday. I took the slabs and rubbed then w/ Survival Spice and wrapped them in Film and refriged for 24 hrs. I heated the oven to 280 and then dusted them again covered them with foil and popped them in with a pan of water (seperate of course)in the oven to add moisture. One and half hours covered then uncover , redust and pop back in checking every 20 minutes and marinate w/orange juice , pureed garlic (lots) , honey , and get this ............ a glop of Safeway's mango-curry sauce /// its 2.79 a bottle and really can add accent to a variety of dishes , no shit try it .............................. great w/ home made frittes ................... which I made along with a Thai Jicama salad.

I've been on a diet so this was a
treat , urp.......................I cooked them for 4 hours..... dusting them every hour w/ survival spice so
that it was embedded into the glaze.

Sounds like some serious flavor going down there! I like the idea of layering the Survival Spice®, too.

Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 09:26 AM | Comments (0)

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April 07, 2008

Survival Grilled Tofu

In an ongoing effort to "take care of ourselves", whatever that means, we've been eating more vegetarian dishes lately. To most people who have tried tofu, most think of it as a large pencil eraser in terms of a flavor profile, but it certainly doesn't have to be that way.

My technique for our weekly tofu night is still evolving, but lately a few days before we're going to eat it I've been slicing a package of extra firm tofu in half, then gently pressing as much moisture as I can. I rub all sides generously with our Survival Spice® barbecue rub, then put it in the fridge for a day or so.

The morning I'm going to grill it I slap together a simple of marinade of soy sauce, worcestershire sauce, which to me gives a more 'meaty' flavor, and Tibvrtini Olio Extra Virgine di Oliva; turning the tofu slices a few times to marinate them evenly.

Though it will never top some of the meat dishes I've featured here over the years I have to say, it tastes great!

Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 09:59 AM | Comments (4)

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February 18, 2008

"Three S" chicken

Whoo boy, this was good.

I took a few minutes yesterday afternoon to marinate some chicken breasts in soy sauce, sesame oil, and Survival Spice® for about 3 hours, then grilled them off on our gas grill with a little pecan wood.

Not sure the picture does it justice, but they had a beautiful color, and they were incredibly moist. I made some basic fried rice and grilled some asparagus to go with it.

Fortunately, there are leftovers. Life is good.

Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 10:47 AM | Comments (4)

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January 25, 2008

Can you make a sauce from this?

Today's food experiment included a desperate search through the pantry for something fast. I've never used canned soup in a sauce, so I figured I'd give it a shot.

I rubbed two chicken breasts with our Survival Spice® barbecue rub, which of course works like a champ, then roasted them along with some sliced onion and peppers, until they had some good color, then dumped in the cans, seasoned them with more Survival Spice®, then let it all simmer along until it was done. Made some smashed parsley buttered potatoes, and plated it all together.

How was it?

Answer:

Good. I knew it might be salty, so I took it easy on the salt when I seasoned the potatoes and it worked out fine. I might use less stock if I did it again, which is certainly possible.

Been cooking? Email me pics! I'll admit I've been getting to them slowly, but they're still around here somewhere...

Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 06:52 AM | Comments (1)

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January 17, 2008

Sauteed Cod with Red Pepper Beurre Blanc

This is a quick and simple dish, relatively speaking, with minimal prep required, which these days is about at the top of the priority list. A beurre blanc sauce, literally 'white butter', is done with whole butter, white wine, lemon juice, parsley and shallots at its most basic form, but is really easy to embellish with things like red bell pepper, capers and whatever else you feel like throwing in there. My ratio of butter to lemon juice wasn't high enough to make this a 'textbook' beurre blanc, but this slightly lighter version was still amazing.

The main trick to a beurre blanc is to not heat the butter to the point of splitting. I dimly remember that being around 137º from my culinary school days, but the basic technique to this pan sauce is to give your skillet a quick wipe after you've removed whatever meat you've cooked, then adding the shallots, and sweating them a minute or two. Deglaze with a shot of white wine, reduce this to 'au sec', or nearly dry, then add your whole butter. Alternate between on and off the heat, swirling your pan almost continuously, until the mixture emulsifies. Thin with lots of lemon juice, toss in some chopped parsley if you like, or cilantro, then plate 'er up.

The acidity of the white wine and lemon juice makes this sauce much lighter than you'd expect. As far as the fish goes, all I did was season it with a bit of Survival Spice® and sauteed it in our Tibvrtini Olio Extra Virgene di Oliva, then kept it warm on a sizzle plate.

If you want to keep playing with butter sauces after you've tried this, a beurre noisette, or browned butter sauce is absolutely amazing, but that's another day.

Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 08:00 AM | Comments (2)

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December 27, 2007

Christmas Survival Glazed Ham

I took a different approach to the glaze I used on our Christmas ham this year. In previous versions I made it more orange flavored, using frozen orange juice, but for this year I took a different approach, and I'm happier with it.

I used maybe a cup of brown sugar, a goodly amount of dry Colman's mustard- at least a tablespoon or two, about an ounce or so of our Survival Spice® barbecue rub, then just enough fresh orange juice to create a paste. I slathered it on in two layers about 15 minutes apart during the last half hour, keeping a close eye on it because of all the brown sugar, and it came out beautifully.

How was your Christmas? Did Santa bring you anything good?

Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 07:31 AM | Comments (2)

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December 22, 2007

Easy Oven Roasted Chicken w/Rosemary potatoes and Asparagus

Unfortunately these days, it would seem, on the rare evening that I get to cook anything at home, my focus is more on words like 'simple', 'easy', and 'quick' than my old goals of 'astounding' and 'unforgettable', but the news isn't all bad. Indeed, as I do everything I can to minimize prep time and shopping hassles I'm rediscovering how good simple meals can be.

For this no-hassle oven fried chicken I replaced a traditional breading station like the one at the link with a zip-loc bag. The basic steps were the same, but simpler- for a change I started with some organic chicken breasts and some Tabasco sauce in the bag, coated them, hit it with some more Tabasco, then added a mixture of flour and Survival Spice®, tossing it well to coat it fairly evenly. I didn't use bread crumbs because, well, I didn't have any on hand and easy was the point here, remember?

I prepped some red potatoes, tossing them with kosher salt, Tibvrtini Olio Extra Virgene di Oliva, cracked black pepper and some dried rosemary and put it all in to roast. While the chicken and potatoes were roasted, I trimmed up some asparagus, coating it with some more of the amazing olive oil, and with about 10 minutes to go I popped them in the same cast iron skillet with the potatoes and gave everything, including the chicken, a good squeeze of lemon juice, which really makes all the flavors pop.

Two cast iron skillets, one EZ-Hook®, and a one quart Ziploc® bag. Simple. And really, really good.

Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 06:21 AM | Comments (1)

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December 12, 2007

Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

Well, I was hoping this would be a longer post, but with the holiday crunch being what it is, I'll just have to hope that I'll have the time to add to this later. (UPDATE: I added some extra images and fleshed it out a bit more, for your dining pleasure.)

This is a spaghetti squash, halved, roasted along with some garlic, a small onion and a red pepper, then the good stuff flaked out with a fork and roughly chopped. I took the empty skins, which are quite robust, and ladled in some marinara sauce and some parm reggiano.

The veggies were tossed with some Survival Spice®, pine nuts, dry herbs, and more parm then stuffed into the skins. These roasted until it was hot, then I topped it with some home made bread cubes and a blend of mozz, asiago, provolone and more parm, then broiled it until it was brown and bubbly.

Served with a small steak on the side, it was great. I'd like to try this again soon with some crumbled sausage of some sort.

I will add to this, I took lots of pictures in the process. Really...

By the way, the seeds were terrific, roasted with some Survival Spice® and some of our Tibvrtini Olio Extra Virgine di Oliva.

Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 04:19 PM | Comments (2)

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December 04, 2007

Barley soup with rosemary focaccia

I made some smoked turkey stock from our Thanksgiving turkey last week, and put together a veggie barley soup with some of the stock. We had eaten at Monti's Saturday night, and ate an absurd amount of their rosemary focaccia, so I decided to make some to have with the soup.

Good and good for ya.

The Gordon Biersch Marzen is a decent beer, especially on sale, but it would probably pair up better with a burger.

Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 08:09 AM | Comments (1)

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October 23, 2007

Apple Stuffed Turkey Breast w/Polenta & Brussel Sprouts

Well, it's finally starting to cool down here in Phoenix, and I've found myself cooking more meals inside that outside lately. Not that there's a foot of snow on the grill or anything, but it's usually dark when I get home, so cooking inside just feels right.

This dish was a piece of cake- I guess I could have made a pan sauce, but after stuffing a turkey breast seasoned with Survival Spice® with apples, it stayed nice and moist. I added some polenta wedges to the cast iron skillet during the last 20 minutes, and some steamed brussel sprouts finishied it off really well.

Been cooking? Let's hear about it!

Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 07:53 AM | Comments (1)

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October 01, 2007

Polenta Cakes with Sauteed Vegetables

I picked up a package of polenta the other day, similar to the one I have linked here. I'd never worked with pre-made stuff, and Julie had never had polenta, so a side dish experiment was in order.

I had a sneaky feeling that Survival Spice® would pair up well, so I heated up a skillet, sprinkled some slices of the polenta, and fried them up while I sauteed a mix of red peppers, Chimayo chiles, yellow squash and white onion.

Man, it worked like a champ. Apparently you can puree this with liquid to make a smooth polenta, which is more what I'm used to. I'll have to try it, but having a few of these in the fridge sure makes life easy. Easy is good these days...

Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 11:57 AM | Comments (1)

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September 19, 2007

John's Torturing the Neighbors Again

(Photo: JB, of his "Neighbor Killer" Lamb Kabobs)

John in Chicago is killing his neighbors:

"time enough to live, time enough to cook"

I took a costco boneless leg o lamb and cut it up into grande cubes for brochette. I marinated 1/2 for 24 hrs in : olive oil , zest of 4 oranges , 6 lg garlic cloves smushed into a paste, fresh mint and rosemary minced, 1 nice pinch of saffron mixed w/ 3 parts survival spice - 1 part madras curry - and 1 part smoky paprika (el ray de la vera - delevera.com) I grilled these babies off, and as you can see I had more smoke than my faux fan could handle.

(Photo: JB)

Man, you're looking at a textbook sear right thar, folks.

I opened the winders and the big doors leading out of the loft and the smoke wafted out and up the stairwell 4 floors and within 10 minutes people were gathering outside the door like pod people , muttering "Carmelization"! I almost had to sic the dogs on em ! well here's a few pics just before they hit the plates and disappeared before I could take a pic, served w/ a mideastern rice dish and triple chocolate dove bars. I took the other 1/2 of the leg and ground it w/ pork shoulder and pancetta to make sausage and pot stickers to freeze.

I really like the way that John used Survival Spice® as a base, then Currified it up by adding saffron, curry powder, and some smoked paprika. That's really what Survival Spice® is all about. I developed it as a stand alone seasoning, but left plenty of room in the recipe for using it as a starting point for customization. I'm always flattered when I get an email from someone apologizing for adding other flavors, but really, it's totally cool, and it's gratifying as hell.

Fricking awesome, John. And triple chocolate Dove bars? Yer killing me.

Been cooking? Email me some pictures!

Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 07:57 AM | Comments (5)

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September 12, 2007

Chilebrown's making... well, Chile.

(Photo: Paul Brown, of his Grilled Tri Tip)

The aptly named Paul "Chile" Brown has entered a chile cookoff:

Well I am waiting for my trial batch to finish. I made over a gallon of chili. I am going to use Survival Spice... I will spike it with a little salt. I hope you do not mind.

I don't mind at all! I spent a lot of time developing Survival Spice™ to be great all by itself, or as a base for whatever fresh flavors you'd like to add- lemon/orange zest, toasted cumin seeds, etc. I put as little kosher salt in the blend as I could, and people on reduced sodium diets have thanked me for that. Also, I think it's a ripoff that most blends have so much salt in them, I'd much prefer that you added extra salt 'to taste' as Paul does.

Sorry to hear about your partner flaking out, Chile. I'd have been proud to be your sous chef.

Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 06:53 AM | Comments (2)

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September 10, 2007

Steeler Wings- Victory!

Well, the football season got off to a good start- my Pittsburgh Steelers beat up on the Cleveland Browns until they couldn't take it any more. And no, I'm not a fair weather fan; during the 60s I was a fan when they were far and away the worst team in football.

What's football without hot wings? Nothin'.

I like to grill my wings, but I was getting over some kind of bug, so I had to content myself with seasoning them well with Survival Spice™, then roasting them on a parchment lined sheet pan until they were crispy:

As they were in the oven, I mixed some hot sauce, butter, more Survival Spice®, and a bit of chipotle BBQ sauce in a sauce pan, got it all melted and bubbly, poured the sauce into a work bowl, then tossed the crispy wings with the sauce. Taking a fine suggestion from Julie, I plated them on a Steelers platter.

Mmmmm... spicy, crispy and full of flavor. They tasted great with a few cold beers.

Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 09:15 AM | Comments (10)

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September 04, 2007

Chilebrown's in A World of Dumplings

(Photo: Paul "Chile" Brown)

Paul "Chile" Brown is excited about a new dish:

Man I am alive!!!!!!!!!!!!! Zukerman potatoes and Three Twisted Sister's Bacon from Chandler. Going to fire up the smoker with some beef ribs and beef loin. I got some applewood chunks off of E-bay. The kroppkakor is a Swedish Potato and Bacon Dumpling. I have a new book called "A World of Dumplings "

The book looks interesting, making dumplings is something I've had decent success with, but I've never really taken the time to really make the effort to perfect my technique.

Here's Paul's finished dish, sadly he didn't invite me over... I got a lot of good emails, y'all have been cooking up a storm!!!

Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 08:49 AM | Comments (7)

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August 24, 2007

Lokkii here- Chilebrown's making Ribs

Looks like Paul's found himself a new BBQ toy to play with:

I saw it and said what the heck. I am always interested in new Barbeque products. The website http://lokkii.com/ says it is organic.(Whoopdiedoo). I think Mesquite charcoal is the same. I ordered a six pack. The shipping ended up the same as the product.

I had a Corned Beef Brisket and some Beef Ribs. I rubbed them with Survival Spice™ and started cooking it with one brick. I wanted to cook low and slow. When you first light these suckers it smells like pine. Maybe that is there secret ingredient. Once it is lit the smell goes away. I had to light a second log after an hour. They claim it will cook for two hours. I had it in a Weber Kettle.

What do I think?. Can you trust a product from China? Do you want to pay shipping? I give it a thumbs down.!! I would only recommend it you were backpacking because of the convience. It had a Pine smell when you lit it. I do not trust that this was an organic lighting system. There was some chemicals. The only plus I found was convience.

Now to the Highlights of the Dinner. Corned Beef and Beef Ribs rubbed with Survival Spice. Creamed Corn with Bacon (A&B Market,Bend Or,) Tomatoe with Pt.Reyes Blue Cheese, and a whole lot of Lovvin!!!!! Peace, Paul.

I wonder if that smell was resins they probably add as a binder, to keep it from falling apart during shippping. Interesting idea, if wonder if they're selling a lot of them? It is a great idea for campers, and people using public grills that don't want to haul around a bag of charcoal. Chile said that they're about 4 1/2" across.

Man, those ribs look good enough to eat!!! Ribs + Survival Spice® = good times.

Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 08:03 AM | Comments (2)

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August 16, 2007

Grilled Survival Garlic Chicken, Sweet Potatoes & Brocolli

In another of a long-running series of "What Did You Have for Dinner Last Night", here's a quick rundown of a quick dinner.

I threw a bunch of minced garlic in Ziplock bag, along with the ever present Survival Spice™ and a few all natural chicken breasts to marinate, while I fired up our gas grill. I took a nice sweet potato and cut it into 4 wedges and threw it in the microwave for about 2 minutes, so it could cook through while I got a steamer basket ready for some organic brocolli crowns.

Once the sweet potatoes were tender, I drizzled on a bit of our organic TIbvrtini Extra Virgin Olive Oil and seasoned them with some kosher salt and pepper.

Okay, brocolli's in the steamer and the chicken and sweet potatoes are ready to go on the grill. I grilled the taters on medium high, to get some grill marks and carmelize the sugars, then turned them down to finish cooking while the chicken was cooking. A few pecan wood chips made it all nice and smoky.

Sorry, nothing fancy about this, but it was wonderful.

Been cooking, especially with Desert Island Foods®.com products? Email me!

Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 08:25 AM | Comments (3)

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July 18, 2007

Grilled Survival Carnitas

(TPC's Grilled Carnitas)

As promised, here's a closer look at the carnitas I made over the weekend.

I like to double cook pork when it's a big piece like a shoulder or butt- a slow cook, to render fat and add a base flavor, then cooking it again on a higher heat to crisp it up. I've used this technique before- on the Masitas en Puerco I made for Cuban Night, and I do it for spare ribs occasionally.

I simmered a pork shoulder in orange juice and limes, along with some water and a sliced head of garlic, salt and pepper for a few hours until it was cooked through, then let it sit in the broth as I was prepping the rest of the meal. There's a picture of it just getting going below the fold, because some people are a bit squeamish about looking at raw meat.

After an hour or so, I took it out of the broth and sliced into pieces a little more than an inch thick, rubbing each slice with Survival Spice™. I grilled these pieces over some pecan smoke while I roasted a head of garlic and some jalapenos.

Wow. Just. Wow. It was a really great combination- pork simmered in a very Latin way, but with a great grilled flavor to boot.

Try this. I'm begging you.

Continue reading "Grilled Survival Carnitas"

Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 08:05 AM | Comments (4)

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July 06, 2007

Grilled Summer Salad with Shrimp and Eggplant

I hope you all had a great Fourth of July!

My menu planning for yesterday was dictated by the 116º scorcher we had. You know me- I love to take a day to smoke a big ol' hunk of meat, but after a day outside sunnin' and funnin', the last thing I wanted to do was spend a lot of time over a hot grill.

So... with operating parameters set, what to make? On hand- shrimp, leftover brown rice, tomatoes, a red onion, cilantro and a globe eggplant. Easily obtained at the market- red bell peppers, anaheim chiles, lemons, and jalapenos. Aha! I have a plan...

I cut the eggplant in wedges, removing about half the skin and salting them fairly liberally, then cut the peppers into wedges, too. Into a one gallon ziploc bag they went with the red onion, with an obscene amount of crushed garlic, some Tibvrtini Olio Extra Virgene di Oliva, a spash of Tibvrtini Aceto di Vino Blanco, and some kosher salt and black pepper. I left them at room temperature to marinate while I tossed the shrimp into another bag with some more garlic (okay, a lot more) and plenty of Survival Spice™, which absolutely rocks on grilled shrimp.

All that was left to prep was to concasse some roma tomatoes, and clean some cilantro. Into a work bowl they went.

I built a hot fire with pecan wood, and let it settle down a bit. Once everything was marinated, I emptied the bag of veggies onto the hot grill, then went about getting some serious color on the veggies. The eggplant got special attention, blackening the skins and filling the eggplant wedges with tons of pecan flavor.

Once the veggies had great color, but were still between al dente and fully cooked, I took them off the grill, chopping them coarsely and adding them to the cilantro, brown rice and tomatoes already in the work bowl. I added a glug of Tibrtini Novello, about half a lemon's worth of juice, and seasoned to taste.

While that sat, I grilled off the shrimp at high heat just long enough to change the color, and squeezed some lemon juice on them before I took them off the grill.

Plated it up, and man did it hit the spot. Light, but huge flavors, and just the right temperature on a scorching day.

Try this technique with whatever you have on hand. It's the perfect summer meal.

Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 09:01 AM | Comments (3)

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March 28, 2007

Sprouts Market Pork Tenderloin w/Survival Spice®

Nothing fancy here, but it was darned good.

This is an all-natural pork tenderloin I picked up at Sprouts Market the other day. I've been shopping there a lot recently. They have a nice blend of healthy stuff at a reasonable price point, which I find very pragmatic, indeed.

I oiled it lightly with our Tibvrtini Olio Extra Virgene di Oliva, then rubbed it with Survival Spice™.

While I preheated my oven to bake at 350º (convection), I got a cast iron skillet hot and seared the tenderloin, making sure I browned it all the way 'round. Once that was done, I popped it into the oven until it felt like it was starting to firm up, but not all the way there. Sadly (pathetically), a lot of people won't eat pork until it's the consistency of a baseball bat, and it's a shame. This was still just a tiny bit pink in the widest part of the piece, and was outrageously juicy.

I let it rest while I took some pictures, and sliced it to put on a green salad.

Fortunately, there are leftovers. Is it too early at 7AM to eat dinner?

Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 08:07 AM | Comments (5)

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March 19, 2007

Chilebrown's Corned Beef w/ Survival Spice

Paul sent some pictures of his St. Patty's Day corned beef that he rubbed with Survival Spice™, which I've never tried, I'm ashamed to say!

He also made some amazing looking jalapeño cheese corn bread. I wonder if he used any of the Novello version of the Tibvrtini Olio Extra Virgine di Oliva I see there?

Okay, Chile, give it up. How about a few recipes?

Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 11:39 AM | Comments (2)

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March 09, 2007

Friday Flank Steak

Happy Friday, everyone! Forgive the alliteration in the title, and the infrequent posting this week. There's nothing funny about this London Broil steak, but it was really good.

If you recall, I stumbled on a marinade of Tibvrtini Extra Virgine di Oliva, organic Tibvrtini Aceto di Vino Blanco, and some Survival Spice™ that I thought would work with this flank steak, and it did. I rubbed the steak with Survival Spice®, and put in a one gallon baggie, and made a mix of 2 parts or so Tibvrtini olive oil, and one part white wine vinegar, and poured it in to the bag.

I let it marinade for about two days, than pulled it out of the marinade. I'll rub it with more Survival Spice® before I cook it next time, because what the beef didn't absorb basically got washed away, but hey, it was a first attempt! I let it come to room temperature while I got the fire going, then grilled it over a medium hot pecan fire. I let it rest a few minutes, then sliced it across the grain, to cut as much connective fiber as possible.

This is really good stuff, and really simple- no chopping onion or garlic or measuring stuff, just rub it and give it enough marinade it to get it wet, then turn it twice a day or so.

Have a great weekend! Cook something good, willya? Email me a picture of something you feel like sharing.

Thanks for reading, and thanks for your patronage of Desert Island Foods®.com.

Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 08:20 AM | Comments (0)

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February 28, 2007

John's Leg of Lamb

(All photos: John in Chicago. The top one needed a little sharpening in Photoshop, perhaps John, who's a tremendously good photographer, got into the port a little early... ;©))

John in Chicago has been cooking again, and I can smell (and practically taste) it from here:

take leg o' lamb & slather survival spice allllll over the inside with fresh marjoram , tie up , sear the piss outa it on the grill pan , take off grill pan , slather the outside with survival spice and slow roast at 275-300 till the probe says 150degreez ............................... dust again w/ survival spice , rest for 10 minutes or 1 beer (samuel smith nut brown ale) then cut away the string and attack flanked by goat cheese basil garlic mashers, oh and a sauce from the pan drippings w/ the addition of a bit of Setubal. (TPC note: Setubal is a Portuguese fortified wine, and I'll bet it was incredible in the sauce.)

Great technique, John! So many people grab for the rosemary by default any time they're prepping lamb, and although it's a wonderful combination of flavors, frankly, it's been done and overdone, in my book. I know from experience that our Survival Spice™ barbecue rub complements lamb wonderfully. (End shameless plug.)

Awesome. Here's a few more pics:

Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 05:27 AM | Comments (2)

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February 26, 2007

Steak Kebabs with Survival Vinagerette

I like kebabs, kabobs, however you like to spell it, (both are correct, actually) don't get me wrong. They're really party friendly, easy prep you can do well in advance, and the simplicity of plunking down a kebab or two on a plate and not have to have a lot of side dishes is great. The problem with mixed kebabs, however, is that generally you get a bunch of burned and raw stuff on the same skewer, because each individual item takes different times to cook.

There are two ways to solve this: either make your kebabs seperately, entire skewers made up of the same ingredient, which I prefer; or par cook items to the same state of doneness, then make up mixed skewers. This was how I made these- I cut an onion in half and zapped it on the microwave for about 2 minutes, then cut it into wedges. The beef and the red bell pepper needed no pre-cooking, I knew they'd both be done in about 15 minutes.

I lucked into an amazing marinade for this, that I can't wait to try on flank steak. I combined our Tibvrtini Extra Virgine di Oliva, organic Tibvrtini Aceto di Vino Blanco, and some Survival Spice™, and was blown away by how good it was. It might even make a quick Italian-type salad dressing- I'll be playing with that soon.

These got about 15 minutes over a medium charcoal fire, and I served them on some brown rice. I'm going to be making these again, soon, and a flank steak is definitely on my shopping list.

Do any cooking this weekend? I got some great pictures in over the weekend that I'll be posting soon.

Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 06:16 AM | Comments (5)

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February 21, 2007

Survival Chicken Caesar Salad

This is not what you would call a traditional Caesar salad. Traditionally, a Caesar salad would have whole leaves of romaine lettuce, and the dressing would include a few coddled eggs. The nouvelle Caesar dressing I learned in culinary school only contains one egg yolk per cup of oil, and the egg is 'cooked' with a combination of lemon juice and vinegar, so the dressing tends to be more like a loose aoili.

To make this, I grilled off a chicken breast with Survival Spice™, and sliced it. I like a simple crouton with my Caesar, so they're just lightly oiled, along with some kosher salt and black pepper, then toasted.

I went high end with the ingredients in the dressing- an organic egg yolk, a few liquified cloves of garlic, TIbvrtini Aceto di Vino Blanco, our organic white wine vinegar, and a blend of canola oil and TIbvrtini Olio Extra Virgene. I also used lemon juice, parmagiano reggiano cheese, a bit of Worcestershire sauce, and some dry Colman's mustard.

It's not the lightest salad in the world, but it's one of my favorites.

Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 10:07 AM | Comments (7)

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February 19, 2007

This has great potential...

(Photo: Paul "Chile" Brown, of a pork butt rubbed with Survival Spice™)

Paul sent along this picture, along with this:

Guess what is going into my Smoker tomorrow. I do not know if there will be any follow through pictures. Ms. Goofy is taking the camera to our nephews first birthday. (Man, I am glad I am not going). We will probably have 200 pictures of the baby wearing a funny hat and drooling cake. I personally think a Pork Roast would make a better shot.

Geez, how about a compromise- a shot of your nephew eating the finished pork?!?

Thanks, Paul. I'll bet it was really, really good.

Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 03:15 PM | Comments (3)

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January 23, 2007

Jack Bauer loves Meatball Sandwiches

Okay, I have no idea if Jack loves them or not, since no one on that show ever eats, but that's what I made last night. There are lots of varieties of meatballs, along with meat choices- beef, veal or pork, but for a meatball sandwich I like straight 100% beef. I mixed the beef with some homemade bread crumbs, eggs, fresh parsley, lots of garlic, and enough salt that it doesn't taste bland.

I browned these off on a sheet pan while I buzzed up some crushed tomatoes with an immersion blender, then added uber amounts of garlic, some parsley, and seasoned it with dry thyme, kosher salt, and copious amounts of crushed red pepper and Survival Spice™, which adds a lot of flavor to tomato sauces, while keeping it recognizable as an Italian sauce. I added the meatballs to the sauce, and let it simmer for a few hours.

Got some good rolls from the bakery, and sliced them, along with some pepper jack cheese, making sure that the sandwich would sit flat on the sizzle plate. If you line the sides of the roll with cheese, the sandwich won't soak through as quickly, and don't overdo the sauce if you don't want to wear it! I topped it with a little greated parm cheese, got it hot in the oven, then turned on the broiler for a few minutes at the end.

Jack would be proud. I hope he wouldn't kill me for it.

Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 07:10 AM | Comments (4)

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January 15, 2007

Chilebrown's Beef Brisket

(Photo: Paul "Chile" Brown, of his beef brisket)

Chilebrown is a patient man:

I woke up at 3:30 am to put this baby in. It is only up to 152. I got the hardly can waits.

I'll bet it took a while. Brisket has lots of connective tissue, and it's not uncommon to cook one at low heat for 8 hours or more to fully break down the fibers. Follow the link to learn more, or just scroll down to drool over the finished dish...

I emailed him to ask him what rub he used on it:

Yours, of course. Man it was the bomb.

Pretty serious looking brisket, Chile, I'll bet it was worth the wait. How long did you end up cooking it for? Let's hear some details!

(Photo: Chilebrown's Smoked Beef Brisket)

Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 06:47 AM | Comments (4)

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January 09, 2007

Survival Tip with Onion, Portabello and thyme oil

(Crazy plating, I know, but ya gotta try stuff...)

I just had to have a steak for the Florida/Ohio State (blowout, as it turned out) game last night, so I grilled off a nice strip of tri-tip, rubbed with our Survival Spice™ barbecue rub. I've mentioned this before, but grilling tri-tip, even a strip like this where you're tempted to sear it off, is much better cooked over medium heat so you've got time to break down the connective tissue instead of tightening it up.

I was going to just grill the red onions and portabellos, too, but then I had a bit of inspiration. I sauteed them instead with a bit of thyme, using more oil than I normally would. What did I do with the oil after the veggies were done? Poured it over the steak, of course. You've got all this lovely infused mushroom, thyme and onion flavor going on, why waste it?

It was awesome. Survival Spice™ by itself is all you need, of course, but the extra flavor wallop from the oil was a nice change.

Been cooking? Email me what you've been making!

Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 08:18 AM | Comments (4)

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December 29, 2006

Pepper Jack Basil Burger

Happy Friday, everyone! I'm traveling this week in the wonderful MIdwest, but here's a shot of a burger I made recently. The basil really added a lot of flavor, and worked with the cheese and the Survival Spice really well.

Another 'made up' meal, but sometimes those are the best ones...

Sorry for the light posting, but it's been a fun and busy week. Enjoy the weekend, and cook something good, willya?

Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 06:33 AM | Comments (4)

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December 18, 2006

Weekend Wings

I had a hankering for wings over the weekend. Actually, I hanker for wings far more often than that, but I just happened to be at the grocery store when this particular hanker began, so it was an easy hanker to satisfy.

Wow. I just used the word 'hanker' three times in a sentence. Is that a record? Try it sometime, it's not as easy as you think...

I like to grill my wings, rather than deep fry them. Grilling them over wood imparts smoky flavor to chicken, as oppposed to deep frying, where the only flavor to be picked up is the delightful essense of the Mrs. Paul's fish sticks you threw in there the last time you used it. No, thanks.

I grilled these with our Survival Spice™ barbecue rub, low and slow, to render out the fat and get them nice and crispy. In a skillet, I whipped up a "kitchen sink" sauce of butter, Frank's Red hot, Tabasco, Sciracha, hot chipotle bbq sauce, and more Survival Spice™.

Quick toss in the sauce after the wings were done, and life was good.

Don't ask me why I cropped the photo so close, there was just something mesmerizing about the glaze on the wings.

Cook anything good this weekend? Give it up!!!

Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 04:13 PM | Comments (1)

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November 29, 2006

Bob's Southwestern Turkey

Bob, as part of his Thanksgiving feast, sent along this shot of his Southwestern turkey that he rubbed with our Survival Spice™ barbecue rub and smoked over mesquite. Mmmmmmm....

I really like the fact that he also incorporated our rub into his "Green Baby Beans"- sauteed with mushrooms, red onions, garlic, Survival Spice and a cabernet wine sauce over polenta. A lot of imagination and hard work went into this, Bob. Well done, sir!

Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 07:23 AM | Comments (1)

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November 16, 2006

Tri-tip burrito

Here's a thrown together meal that turned out pretty well, another of my "crap, it's dinner time what do we have in the fridge and what can i make out of it" situations, which sadly have become the norm.

I had some tri-tip cut into strips on hand, so I hit them with Survival Spice™ barbecue rub, and grilled them off with some onion, while I heated up some black beans, and sliced some Colby cheese. Threw some large tortillas on the grill after I removed the beef and onions, and made some quick burritos.

The trick with tri-tip cooked this way is to not overdo the heat, just a nice medium fire until they're medium rare.

The photo's not that good, I know, but the burrito was!

Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 06:19 AM | Comments (4)

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November 06, 2006

Easy Meat Loaf

I've made meat loaf a lot of different ways, but this is the easiest yet so far! As much as I like meat loaf with chopped onion, or celery, or carrots, or even pine nuts, after getting home from work late one night I knew none of that was going to happen, and the results were still terrific.

This is so simple, but packed with flavor. A couple pounds of 80/20 ground beef- don't use that stuff packed in a cylinder so you can't see what you're getting, get something you can look at, or grind it yourself. Add an egg, a good glug of dijon mustard, a handful or two of parmesan bread crumbs I always keep on hand in the freezer, and of course plenty of our Survival Spice™ barbecue rub. Mix it well together by hand, but don't pack the heck out of it, you don't want a brick, this stuff is dense enough as it is!

Pack lightly into a loaf pan, and bake at around 350º for 40 minutes, then take it out and pour off the released grease and juices, so it can brown and not boil. Top it generously with ketchup and more Survival Spice, then bake at 375 until the loaf is done and the ketchup/SS mixture is browned nicely. Let it rest for 5 minutes, slice and serve.

This stuff makes amazing sandwiches, if you've got any left over. Which is unlikely, so make two, just in case...

Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 07:17 AM | Comments (0)

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October 18, 2006

Simple Grilled Salmon and Asparagus

After a busy day, there's nothing simpler than firing up a good gas grill with a few wood chips and grilling your dinner. No pots, no pans, very little cleanup, and really delicious.

Last night was salmon filets, oiled and rubbed generously with our Survival Spice™ barbecue rub, which is fantastic on salmon. After the salmon was on the grill for a few minutes, I added some lightly oiled and seasoned asparagus. A good squirt of fresh lemon juice during the last 5 minutes of cooking, and that was it.

Healthy, amazing and easy. Three of my favorite words.

What did you have for dinner last night?

Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 07:58 AM | Comments (2)

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October 16, 2006

Taking Stock in Tortilla Soup

There's nothing like homemade soups, sauces and gumbos, but a critical ingredient to all of these dishes is starting out with a great stock. I know- it's time intensive, it's a pain in the butt, etc., granted; but if you make a larger quantity and freeze it, you'll find yourself enjoying a great bowl of 'whatever it is' far more often this winter.

I actually had an afternoon last week to do a little cooking, so while I was getting other stuff done around the house, why not make stock?

Continue reading "Taking Stock in Tortilla Soup"

Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 07:34 AM | Comments (2)

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October 10, 2006

Chicken Cacciatora

The good news- there was absolutely no Spam® in this...

My buddy Bob gave me a bunch of home-grown basil the other day. I wasn't in the mood for pesto, so I decided to make some pasta sauce with it. You know my M.O. for basic pasta sauce- lots of sauteed garlic in Tibvrtini Olio Extra Virgene di Oliva, crushed to order tomatoes, crushed red peppers and basil only- so I won't go into detail on that.

To make the cacciatora, I oven-roasted some chicken legs and thighs seasoned with our Survival Spice™ until they had a nice color and were nearly cooked through, and also sauteed some mini red and yellow peppers along with a chopped red onion. I deglazed these with some white wine, then added them to some of the tomato sauce. Once the chicken was ready, I added it as well, then simmered the whole thing for an hour.

Boiled some penned until it was al dente, then garnished with parmaseano reggiano and a sprig of Bob's be-YOO-tiful basil. Thanks again!

Bottle of red, and some crusty bread. Life was good.

Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 07:45 AM | Comments (1)

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October 04, 2006

Pork chops with Chipotle Cream Sauce

Wow, Chilebrown hooked me up. He sent me some home smoked chipotle peppers, and I knew immediately what I wanted to do with them.

Continue reading "Pork chops with Chipotle Cream Sauce"

Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 08:04 AM | Comments (4)

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September 20, 2006

John's Lobster with Ugga Bugga Lobster Sauce

John in Chicago sends along a really fantastic-sounding lobster dish using copious amounts of Survival Spice™:

I made a sauce by taking butter and adding fresh lemon verbena & garlic and warming it to infuse the lemon verbena ................................... I grilled the lobs w/ survival spice and redusted when they came off ........................... ugga bugga

Wow. Sounds like that hits all the right notes! I've mentioned Survival Butter and how amazing it is with crab, but John took it at step further by adding lemon verbena. Nice touch! He didn't mention if he clarified the butter, but you certainly don't have to.

I'm not sure exactly what "Ugga Bugga" meant, but I assume that means it was good!

Been cooking? Email me!

Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 08:01 AM | Comments (2)

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September 18, 2006

Roast chicken with Survival Stuffing

It's starting to cool off here in the desert, and I found myself craving a Thanksgiving dinner. By cooling, I mean temps under 100º, but it makes a huge difference here in Phoenix.

Well, it's not Thanksgiving yet, and I didn't have a turkey on hand, but this stuffed chicken dinner satisfied my "turkey jones" nonetheless.

Continue reading "Roast chicken with Survival Stuffing"

Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 01:30 PM | Comments (3)

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September 11, 2006

Whatchacallit

I have no idea what I made last night, but it was good.

Another of those market basket days, where I had a bunch of ideas what to make with what I had on hand. Pork chops and a French style mushroom cream sauce, maybe a Southwest influence with the addition of pasilla chiles; a simple pork and sausage gumbo; hot Italian sausage sandwiches with peppers and onions- my head was filled with possibilities.

I think you know this, but this is my favorite way to cook- inventory what's on hand, then make something up. What could you make with these ingredients?

Continue reading "Whatchacallit"

Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 07:58 AM | Comments (2)

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September 06, 2006

Grilled Corn on the Cob with Survival Butter

Grilled, boiled, whatever, I love corn on the cob, which to me is one of the best things about summer. I've talked about Survival Butter before, but until Ana mentioned using it on corn on the cob, and raving about the flavor, it really hadn't occurred to me to try it.

Here's a shot of the Labor Day feast, where I tried it for the first time, and I have to say I loved it, too. I'm all for being a purist with corn, even omitting butter most of the time, but try this for a great change.

Thanks, Ana!

Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 09:11 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

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September 05, 2006

Grilled Pork Chops and Corn on the Cob

Pork chops and corn on the cob- sure sounds like Labor Day to me!

There's a few ways you can go with pork chops- super thin, so you can cook them quickly on high heat, leaving a nice crispy bit of pork goodness. You can also go with a thick-cut pork chop that you can still cook quickly, or smoke nice and slowly.

These were grilled over pecan wood, which is my default grilling wood these days, at a fairly high heat. I lot of people like their pork cooked to death, but I'm not one of them. For them, go the thin/crispy pork route.

Sigh. I have to talk about this for a minute, so indulge me. I really, really hate to even bring it up, because it's such a rare thing anyway and a serious buzz kill, but seriously, it's okay to eat juicy pork chops. Really. They can even be a bit pink, and still have no chance of containing trichinosis. By the time your pork is medium rare to medium, it's fine. Want to hear numbers? Okay. Trichinosis, even in the incredibly remote chance of infection, is gone at 138º. Medium rare pork is right around 145º. Even medium, around 150º, is still moist. If in doubt, use an instant read thermometer, and relax. Sorry for digressing, but the whole "pork paranoia" is so pervasive, it makes me crazy, and I think knowledgable people don't talk about it enough because it's unappetizing. Hope this helps.

Where was I? Right, chops. I rubbed them well with our Survival Spice™ barbecue rub, which is so good on pork that even the chops will send you a thank you note!

After they came off the grill, I let them rest a few minutes. Pork chops, because they're generally so lean, really benefit from resting 5 or 10 minutes or so before service.

Man, they were good. The sauce you see on the side is from a friend's company that I'll talk a bit about later in the week, but suffice it to say it's one of the best bottled sauces I've had!

Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 06:41 AM | Comments (7) | TrackBack

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August 24, 2006

Paul's Talkin' Turkey

Paul, aka Chilebrown, sent me this terrific picture of a turkey that he smoked on his Weber recently. He didn't send any information, but grilling or smoking a turkey on indirect heat is a great variation from traditional birds, though I recommend that you don't stuff them. Many times on Thanksgiving I've both oven-roasted and smoked a bird to provide variety, and the smoked turkey was always gone first. The leftover meat and carcass makes an awesome smoked turkey soup, too, try it!

This doesn't look rubbed, but our Survival Spice™ barbecue rub is awesome on turkey, chicken, and Cornish hens, too!

If Paul checks in, hopefully he'll provide some details, but I'd say this picture speaks for itself. Well done, Paul!

Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 08:04 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

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August 23, 2006

How to cook a hamburger- or Survival Burgers, my way.

Who wants a burger? We had a cookout at a friend's house recently, and I whipped these Survival Burgers up. And yes, the way that I see it, a cookout is plain grilling- burgers, dogs, brats, etc. No smoke, no low and slow, that's barbecue, thankyouverymuch. Gas grills work fine for cookouts, but a handful of soaked wood chips makes a world of difference, try it. These were grilled by my buddy Tim, who did a great job of making sure everybody got the burger that they wanted, the way that they liked them cooked.

For these burgers, I started with 5 pounds of USDA Choice 22% fat beef, and about 2/3 of a tin of our Survival Spice™ barbecue rub, mixing it in with the beef. Nothing wrong with just sprinkling it on top, mind you, but if you're doing it ahead of time, it'll give it time to add some great flavors.

I like a fair amount of fat in my burger meat, because they basically become self-basting, the fat dripping through the meat on its way out. You end up with a moist, flavorful burger that really doesn't have much more fat that it would it you started with the 7% uber-lean beef that is remarkably similar to a hockey puck once cooked, especially if you proceed with the utterly charming "smash-the-crap-outta-it" technique with your turner.

Don't do that! What the hail's wrong with you?

Sorry. I'm sure there's some logic to pressing all the flavor out of a piece of meat that you paid good money for, but it eludes me. Want it crispy? Make it thinner. As you pat it out, let there be some gaps in the edges, then use a super hot fire. The thinner bits will have a nice crunch to them, but you'll still have a moist patty where it counts.

And if you're making burgers for a gang, take the time to carmelize some onions, or saute some mushrooms and sweet peppers, and seek out fresh tomatoes and lettuce. Nothing wrong with a basic burger, but don't let the condiments be an afterthought.

Burgers. I love 'em. You?

Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 08:20 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

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August 22, 2006

Mixed Survival Nuts

Wow, I'm totally addicted to these already. Definitely a great snack, and really easy.

I preheated my oven on convection roast at around 250º, while I put some mixed nuts I've been buying at Costco on a sheet pan, and gave them a light spray of some canola oil. I'm not sure this was necessary, because the oils in the nuts are released when they're heated, but for a first effort I wanted to do all I can to make sure the Survival Spice™ adhered to the nuts properly.

Once they were hot, I dumped them into a work bowl, added some Survival Spice™, and tossed. I'll be curious to see if the flavor intensifies over the next few days, if it doesn't I'll add more next time.

Oh, and there will be a next time. Definitely.

Try this! Especially if you're watching carbs.

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August 17, 2006

Biggles does Tri Tip

(Photo: Dr. Biggles)

Biggles, the Bay Area's foremost meaticologist, sent me an email the other day that he was nice enough to let me share:

Hay,

Got my dinner meez in to place and at the last moment found a
fresh tritip in the fridge I'd forgotten about. Today okay,
tomorrow it would have been tossed. It was huge too, so I
couldn't let it go or freeze it. So, I swapped out the other
beef ball-tip roast (tough life, I know) and Survival Spiced
(TM) the sob.

From drab to badass in a few moments.

Thank you sir.

Guy didn't mention how he cooked it, but you get the idea. I love tri tip, and our Survival Spice™ barbecue rub does a great job of adding awesome flavor and creating a great crust on grilled meats.

Thanks, Biggles!!! You da man.

Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 08:37 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

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August 14, 2006

Pot Roast with Carrot, Green Chile and Mushroom Gravy

(The gravy is unusual looking, I'll admit, but tasty...)

Sometimes, I just like to make dishes up. Okay, I do it a lot, actually.

Part of what I love about cooking, other than the eating (of course), is starting a dish without a clear idea of how it's going to end. Having a clear idea of what you're making is naturally more efficient, and there's a certain comfort to knowing that you're going to have predictable results. This is particularly true when you've got company coming over.

There was none of that involved with last night's dinner, so why not 'take the gloves off' and make it up?

Continue reading "Pot Roast with Carrot, Green Chile and Mushroom Gravy"

Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 08:36 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

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August 07, 2006

Sunday morning Salmon Survival Scramble

TPC note: Oops, this didn't publish yesterday for some reason, sorry! Here's the post:

Okay, it's Monday. Let's make the best of it!

Here's breakfast from Sunday morning- forgive the alliteration, but it was good. A simple use of some leftover wild caught salmon I had grilled Friday night, with some organic brown eggs and green onions. Scrambled up with a touch of milk and some of our Survival Spice™ barbecue rub to add to what was on the salmon, and it was ready for some toast and jam.

How was your weekend? Cook anything good?

Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 09:03 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

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August 04, 2006

Survival Halibut with Veggie "Noodles" and Avocado Salad

Here's another in a series of healthy, yet utterly delicious dinners I've been making lately.

The fish dish, Alaskan Halibut (thanks, Lloyd!) was lightly oiled and seasoned with Survival Spice™, then just coated with fresh bread crumbs mixed with more Survival Spice™. Fried over medium heat in a cast iron skillet with a squirt of lemon juice, it had a great crunch on the outside, and was nice and moist throughout.

As for the side dishes, I was craving pasta but didn't want the carbs, so instead I sliced red onion, Italian zucchini and yellow squash in thin, noodle-like strips and sauteed them in Tibvrtini Olio Extra Virgene di Oliva and plenty of lemon juice. I talked about the Poolside Avocado Salad the other day, and the cilantro vinagerette I drizzled over the plate really gave it a nice fresh flavor, and brought the whole thing together.

The "noodles" were really a great alternative to my pasta craving, try it!

Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 10:30 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

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August 02, 2006

Cast Iron Pork Chops topped with Mushrooms and Red Onions

As you well know, I've been eating a lot of veggie dishes lately. There have been days recently that as I posted a dish I could just feel the carnivores begging for a nice hunk of meat.

I've been jonesing too, I guess, so last night I grabbed this nice thick-cut pork chop, basically a pork porterhouse because it has a nice sized tenderloin attached to it, and heated up a trusty cast iron skillet. As the skillet got hot, I lightly oiled the chop and generously rubbed it with Survival Spice™, which gives pork all the lovin' it will ever need. I roughed chopped a red onion and sliced some regular white mushrooms, and other than prepping a simple green salad, I was good to go.

I wanted this to be simple so I did everything in the same skillet, but if you want a nice crust to your chop, the last thing you want to do is dump everything in at once. Other than the fact that your veggies would be done far too soon, your mushrooms in particular are going to release a lot of liquid, which would keep your chop from getting beautifully browned. And we love a nice crispy crust, don't we?

So, into the medium hot skillet the chop went, nicest side down. I gave it plenty of time to get nice and crispy, and to let the Survival Spice™ work its magic. Once I flipped the chop, I added the onions to give them a head start, then the mushrooms a few minutes later. The chop was done, so I transferred it to a plate and then topped it with the mushrooms and onions.

Oh man, was it good. Juicy, crispy, and tender, and wonderfully complemented with the veggies on top. Don't forget, I had a salad, too...

Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 08:11 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

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August 01, 2006

Simple Appetizer- Poolside Avocado Salad

Busy, busy around here today, but I wanted to share something I made as a side dish yesterday- an modified form of guacamole.

I don't know what made me do this- I was going to make traditional guacamole, but the avocado halves kept their shape and looked so great after I cubed them, I decided to just fill the cavity where the seed was with diced red onion, lemon juice, cilantro and some Survival Spice™. If I had fresh tomatoes, I would have done a concasse, but I didn't. Such is life, I guess.

I was generous with the lemon juice, and to give it another dimension I made some cilantro oil with a bunch of fresh cilantro, some Tibvrtini Olio Extra Virgene di Oliva, which made it absolutely magical, and a little lemon juice and kosher salt. A quick drizzle of that, and it was good to go.

And it went. Quickly.

Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 03:15 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack

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July 27, 2006

Paul's Chicken Chilebrown Bleu

(Photo: Paul's Chicken Chilebrown Bleu. I had to sharpen this a bit in Photoshop, possibly something "went wrong" with Paul's camera lens during an afternoon at the grill, indulging in a few adult beverages...)

Well, Biggles started it. After sending me a sneak peek at the Grilled Chicken Cordon Bleu he had made, we got to emailing about how to do it differently, and through that afternoon we had convinced ourselves that not only should he post it, but that I was going to give it a try using a different approach.

Paul, aka Chilebrown, of course got wind of this, and deciding that a venture involving poultry, pork and cheese was a noble undertaking indeed, sent me this:

You guys were killing me with your Cordon Bleu. I am giving it a stab. I am kicking it up a notch. I boned the chicken and stuffed it with "Paul Bertoli's Italian Sausage". I then put a layer of home smoked 'Buckboard Bacon"with a center of Jack Cheese. I then rolled and tied it. I finished with a sprinkling of everybodys favorite rub. (TPC note: Survival Spice™, of course!) It will be baked in the barbeque tonight.

Nicely done, Paul! This was another approach that we had talked about, but I decided to do the "stuff the skin" method first. There are more pictures below the fold.

Continue reading "Paul's Chicken Chilebrown Bleu"

Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 09:44 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

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July 21, 2006

Stuffed Grilled Squash

I made these to serve along with the Grilled Chicken Cordon Bleu last weekend, and I'm going to do it more often.

It was a busy weekend geeking on the chicken technique, so I was really scrambling for a side dish. Fortunately, I had some Parmesan bread crumbs in the freezer from the Kid's Parmesan Chicken Strips I made a while back, which made my job a lot easier. Once again, making extra and freezing it saved the day!

I just halved some yellow squash, then scooped out the middles, saving it to mix with the bread crumbs. I lightly oiled the squash lightly and seasoned them with Survival Spice™. Next, I just rough chopped the squash bits, mixed it with more Survival Spice™ and the bread crumbs that had already been mixed with parm and some dried herbs, then filled the squash.

They took about 15 minutes on a hot grill, and were amazingly good. Try it!

Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 07:00 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

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July 19, 2006

Pork Shoulder Salad

Busy days don't doom you to a horrible dinner death, as long as you cook when you can and keep the basics in your pantry and in your fridge. This was a 5 minute dinner I made last week that was not only amazing, it was healthy and inexpensive, too.

Starting with some of the BBQ pork shoulder I made over the weekend with Survival Spice™ and a basic BBQ sauce, I halved a head of butter lettuce and rough chopped a few scallions on the bias.

A quick drizzle of Tibvrtini Olio Extra Virgene di Oliva and Tibvrtini Aceto di Vino Blanco provided the most basic and the most incredible vinagerette imaginable, then I topped the greens with a scoop of the reheated pork. Season and serve.

Easy. Amazing. Healthy. A great combination.

Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 10:09 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

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July 17, 2006

Grilled Chicken Cordon Bleu

Dr. Biggles really outdid himself last week when he smoked a Chicken Cordon Bleu on the grill. In the comments, we discussed alternate ways of creating a smokey, gooey, delicious combination of chicken, ham and Swiss cheese. Dr. B noted that he lost quite a bit of cheese during the cooking process, so I thought about different ways of addressing that. Here's the approach I tried first.

Continue reading "Grilled Chicken Cordon Bleu"

Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 10:09 AM | Comments (7) | TrackBack

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July 10, 2006

Porking out by the Pool

I can just hear you: "Okay, you've been busy. Okay, so what? You still have to eat, right?"

Mea culpa. It's been a bit crazy around here, a lot of good things going on, for which I have all of you to thank. I have been eating, but truly, with the Arizona heat in the summer, plus having no time for anything but the essentials, it's been pretty meager pickings as of late.

I picked up this pork shoulder during my last dash through the market. I didn't have a clue what I was going to do with it, but I decided to take a day off on Sunday and do some much-needed swimming and grilling, so why not combine the two in one picture?

I rubbed this generously with our Survival Spice™ barbecue rub and all purpose-seasoning, which wraps pork tenderly in its spicy arms, and let it hang out on my gas grill with lots of pecan chips all afternoon. It spent the last 3 or 4 hours wrapped in foil, for about 6 hours of total cooking time.

Was it good? Yep. I'm going to slice it and make sandwiches with a few new barbecue sauces I'm evaluating.

How about you? What did you cook this weekend?

Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 10:00 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack

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June 01, 2006

John's Survival Frites

(Photo: John's Survival Frites)

I'm finally getting around to posting the Survival Frites from the great dinner party I attended in Chicago in May. These amazing frites were dreamed up by John, who also made the veal piccata that night.

The potatoes were deep fried until really crispy, then dressed with olive oil, minced garlic, Survival Spice™, extra kosher salt and parsley. I shot this picture while they were still in a work bowl, the oil and flavor soaked into the potatoes as they sat.

They were unbelievably, mind-blowingly good. When I raved about them as we were eating, John mentioned that the secret ingredient was the Survival Spice.

I didn't know until he told me. Amazing what a little of this stuff will do to a dish. I'll definitely be making these, soon. I just hope I can do John's idea justice.

Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 11:59 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

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May 03, 2006

Paul's Methuselah Ribs and Marinated Tri-Tip

Paul, aka Chilebrown, has sent in another really creative dish. Naturally, I have to applaud anyone with the good sense to use Survival Spice™ on ribs, of course...

This is a creation I call Methusela. It was ribs coated with Surival Spice. I baked it in a spiral, in the oven. and served it with Fresh Asparagus and Rice Pilaf. The Tri Tip came marinated from the butcher. It was a sweet marinade with flavors of Soy Sauce. The Truffled oil was served over the Pilaf and Asparagus.

Nice, Chile! His truffle oil was made from Oregon truffles and our Tibvrtini Olio Extra Virgene di Oliva. Truffle oil is a great thing to have in your pantry, it gives a lot of dimension to a dish without being too intrusive, plus it's much more cost effective than buying truffles, though Paul mentioned that they were pretty reasonable.

Here's his marinated tri-tip, cooked just right:

Email me your food pics! We love to see them, especially because I'm going to be too busy to be cooking much for the next few weeks.

Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 08:43 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

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April 21, 2006

Survival Spice™ now available at Amazon.com!

Desert Island Foods™ is happy to announce that we've formed a partnership with Amazon.com to sell selected products, starting with our "Six Pack" of Survival Spice™. It will sell for the same price as at our site, but you'll be able to add non- DIF products to your shopping cart as well. Our full product line, including individual tins, will always be available at Desert Island Foods™.com, but really, isn't it time to grab a six-pack for your summer grilling anyway?

We've spent a lot of time looking for a web partner, and one of the biggest reasons we decided to proceed was the remarkable Amazon feedback and review system. We've built a great following just by word of mouth, and we believe that we can accelerate this by exposing our products to an even larger market. We aren't afraid to go toe to toe with anyone!!!!

If you care to leave a review by following the link I'd appreciate it, but please, be totally honest and don't refer to our Desert Island Foods™.com website by name. That's kinda like taking your eggs to Denny's® and asking them to cook them for you, I think.

Thanks again for all your support, whatever you can do to help keep spreading the word is really appreciated!

Update: We've gotten some great reviews, please feel free to add you own!!!

Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 07:28 AM | Comments (10) | TrackBack

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April 18, 2006

Pecan Grilled Pork Chop with potatoes and green salad

It's nice to have all day to put together a meal with great sauces and creative garnishes, but here in the real world it just doesn't happen during the week very often.

This was a simple dinner that took only 45 minutes to put together. I started with some thick cut pork chops, which were rubbed with Survival