The House of Marinara

What are some of your Super Bowl traditions?

For the longest time, I tried to make food representative of one or more of the teams participating in the big game. For example, if the Ravens were playing, I would have made something with blue crabs. If Philly was playing, I would make Roast Pork Italiano hoagies.

So with the given teams currently still play, let me hear some suggestions!

Here are some of my initial thoughts!

Indianapolis Colts- Fried Pork Tenderloin sandwiches
Minnesota Vikings- Smoked Fish
New Orleans- Jambalaya, Gumbo, Boudain,
NY Jets- Sour Grapes?

I recently smoked a nice brisket and decided to put a little spin on it. I tried using Bourbon Peat as my smoking agent and main flavoring. I have talked about using peat before on this blog and the Bourbon Peat is just another product that my buddy Peter Baker sells.

The Bourbon Peat that is shown above is processed into a very fine strands. It almost reminds me of some smokeless tobacco. What Peter has done here has combined peat and the char from oak bourbon barrels for a new wonderful flavor. Read more »

• The lamb rib chops at Whole Foods are amazing when coated in salt & Greek oregano and quickly seared on the outside.
• Tipo 00 pizza flour can be found European Market for $4 a lb. I cheated this week by buying my dough from Arianna’s.
• Made Gravalax with wild king salmon. Tried using thyme and sage instead of dill. Not quite as good.
• I do love me some Ledo’s pizza. Don’t ask me why.
• Had a hell of a chicken fried steak at Weezie’s Kitchen.

I had this gem a few weeks ago. This is a sea scallop from New Zealand with its roe still attached. The scallop could be eaten raw or cooked. I tried them both ways. When cooking, I just topped with salt and pepper with a nice pan sear. They were amazing. The roe added a perfect complimentary dash of sweetness.

Scallop with Roe

I am enamored with cheese steaks. Gooey cheese, soft rolls, mushy onions, crispy beef- heaven.

I do my best to grab at least one of the magnificent creations each time I pass through the City of Brotherly Love. Those times are few and far between so I have to find a way to make due. Yesterday, I came close to recreating the cheese steak. NOTE_ I am not so vain to think that I could actually compete with the likes of Tony Luke’s, Pat’s, Geno’s or Jim’s.

The Cheese- Cheese steaks are to be made with Provolone or Cheese Whiz. I tend to prefer the Whiz over the Provolone, but I could not find proper Cheese Whiz at Ukrops or the drug store. I had to settle for Kraft singles. They melt well but lacks in true meat penetration.

The Roll- Cheese steaks should be made with Amorosa rolls. They are made in Philly and very few other places, if any. The are soft, light and chewy. Fortunately we can find these gems in our neighborhood WaWa market. Make sure to warm them up in a low-temp oven.

The Onions- This is the easy part. I generally use yellow onions, but lastnight I mixed both yellow and red together with a bit of peanut oil in a non-stick pan over medium-low heat.

The Meat- I am not a fan of Steakums or really any other processed frozen meat. I went down the street to Belmont Butchery, where they gladly cut up some local, ethically raised beef in what they term “Japanese Style”. All that really means is that they slice it up similar to lunch meat and therefore perfect for cheese steaks. I cooked the slices on a griddle, topped with a dash or two of seasoning salt. That’s it.

I threw on some Heinz Ketchup and mayo (I was out of hot pepper relish). Great sandwich.

I have had a few more wonderful recipes come in this week so I thought that I would post them.

Russell T. Cook- formerly of Millie’s Fame
A simple straightforward grilled cheese I like requires a partial loaf of crusty baguette, olive oil, 1/2 clove of garlic, a few slices of comte or raclette and a broiler. I cut the bread, a little more than a 1/2″ thick, on a severe bias. (to give you a good bread::crust ratio) Oil each side and rub with garlic clove. Toast one side in broiler until GBD. (golden brown delicious) Flip and toast other side half as long. Cover that side with cheese and continue to broil until gooey and bubbly. Sandwich the two pieces together and go to town.
Sometimes, when I feel like a fancy-pants, I’ll add sliced apple and bacon.

Candace Nicholls- IT Recruiter
Start with 2 slices of a country-style white bread. Spread one slice generously with pesto, and the other with just a teeny bit of mayo. Add several slices of provolone or fontina cheese to the piece of bread spread with mayo(usually the former, the latter is harder to come by in New Kent County), and top with sliced Roma tomatoes (they taste better, often, and the smaller slices fit together better on the bread), then sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper. Top with the slice of bread spread with pesto, then dot the outside of the sandwich with butter (on both sides, but it’s usually easier to do the second side once it’s in the pan). I’ve been using the flat griddle plates of my waffle iron to cook this- it smashes it enough without smashing it TOO much- my Panini maker makes it too flat.

Billy Pillow- Graphic Designer
He suggested that I look at Welsh Rarebit recipes that use Guinness.

I am running a survey out there based on the perfect grilled cheese. This all started because of recipe and article I found in December’s Saveur magazine. The recipe was a simple grilled cheese made out of sourdough bread, unsalted butter, and comte cheese. I cooked that sucker up and it was amazing. Then I realized there has to better combinations that I am missing. So here are some of the results I found on day 1. I hope to get another onslaught of responses so that I may post a follow-up.

Tanya at Belmont Butchery

If I’m eating a grilled cheese… ham and gruyere on brioche/or some soft egg bread… a skim coat of mayo on the bread, mayo down on the griddle, when brown pull off griddle. Top browned side of bread with grain mustard, good sweet ham, gruyere, top with bread – again browned side to food. Finish on a griddle, with a skim coat of mayo on the outside of the sandwich – cook until browned and cheese is melty.

Ben at Belmont Butchery

Grilled cheese shouldn’t be gussied-up. It’s american and it’s simple. In fact, it should be a rule that you can’t add any more than two toppings to it, anything beyond that is bullshit. SO, with that in mind…

• white or wheat (personal preference white)
• unsalted butter
• 2 slices kraft american cheese
• If I’m “Going Big” I’ll add one slice of tomato and chopped jalapeno. If I’m drunk I’ll sub the jalapeno for Texas Pete

Julia at River City Cellars

Mine is not so much the traditional, I prefer to call it the heart attack snack–it was my celebration for when I FINALLY got my cholesterol checked and found out it was absurdly low. I love genetics!

• Take a cakey bread like challah and slice off a 1.5-2″ chunk. slit the side open enough to stuff with salty ham or prosciutto. grate a meltable alpine cheese or combo (aged gruyere+appenzeller, or just comte) and stuff that in, too.
• heat a griddle or cast iron pan. add butter.
• in a shallow bowl beat an egg, a pinch each of salt and white pepper and a bit of milk (or if you’re really thumbing your nose at the gods, half and half) and coat the stuffed sammy like french toast. not so much it starts to fall apart but enough to soak in a bit.
• fry that 6,000 calorie delight until golden on both sides and melted inside.
• open a yummy white (Loire chenin or better yet, brut Champagne).
• cancel all plans for the rest of the evening because in 22 minutes you will have face-planted into a carb coma.

Sarah at River City Cellars

Crusty bread, butter, Meadowcreek Farms- Grayson, pickles

I wish I could cook

For me, thick, spongy bread, lots of butter, basic Cheddar-esque singles, tomato and sometimes ham when I’m feeling kinky.

In vino veritas

sourdough bread brushed with REAL unsalted butter grilled with swiss and tomatoes. and smushed. for some reason, i have to smash it with a spatula

RVA Foodie

Butter, bread and cheese.

• The bread should be thin sandwich style (white/wheat/whichever).
• The butter should be unsalted (Karen says to put it on both sides of each piece of bread! but I think that might be overkill).
• The cheese should include “american processed cheese food” and maybe one other variety from the fridge (but not too fancy).
• The sandwich should be pan fried until golden, then flipped and pressed flat with a saucer so that there’s a little circle in the middle of the bread. Both sides need to be crunchy and butter-logged.

variations:

• sauteed thinly sliced onions and fresh homegrown tomatoes
• sauteed apples and thinly sliced onions, and brie tween white bread
• nabulsi cheese. it stands alone
• fresh mozzarella, steamed greens lightly sauteed in garlic and butter or olive oil

Josh from Ch’ville

From the pan: butter, sweet potato bread, sharp honey mustard, fresh chopped basil, s & p, cheese blend (last time was chevre, sharp cheddar, havarti dill, smoked Gouda)

Carol from Cap1

Cooked in a frying pan, 2 pieces super thick white toast with butter, cream cheese and thickest velveeta slice ever with pepper sprinkled on top

Zuppa

Fresh basil pesto, tomato, mozzarella, dill havarti and prosciutto ham

Café Caturra

Sharp cheddar, provolone and vine ripe tomatoes grilled on panini bread

So I am proud to say that I have mastered a dish, albeit a simple dish- The Refried Bean!

So the basic process of making frijoles is taking the dried pinto bean, cooking it in water over a period of 3 hours, mashing them, and frying them up with some onions and fat*. I used duck fat the first time and bacon fat the second time. I also used generic taco seasoning. And really, both times, the beans were good but not great. I was really disappointed in the in the consistency. It was very chunky and husky. I tend to like creamier beans.

So last night, I made some major changes. After cooking the beans in water, I dumped them into the blender with some additional water and went to town. I then fried the blended concoction with onions and duck fat. I seasoned them with salt, Penzy’s Adobo seasoning, and Hungarian Paprika. They were heavenly and by far the best thing on the table last night. Thank goodness I will never have to subject my guests to canned or freeze-dried frijoles again.

*Note- any fat will do. Olive Oil is fine for those vegetarians out there. I love the meat fats because they provide great flavoring.

Since returning from my trip, I have been fairly adventurous in my cooking. This initially started with Greek food, but it has extended into other cuisine. Last week, I thought I would give gravlax a try. I have been fascinated in trying it ever since Bookstore Piet was telling me about how well it turned out. A few months later, I was fortunate enough to try the actual goods from the man himself. So without further ado, here are Piet’s gravlax instructions.

Ingredients:
Salmon (high quality, preferably sushi grade)
Salt
Sugar
White Pepper
Fresh Dill

Instructions:
-wash the salmon, pat dry, remove pin bones
-combine salt and sugar (1 part salt to 2 parts sugar) and add 2 tablespoons white pepper
-place salmon in a dish or pan. pour a shot or two of akavit over and let sit for 10 or 15 minutes
-remove excess liquid and pat dish dry
-pour a small base of sugar/mixture into dish a place salmon (skin side down) onto mixture.
-place several sprigs of fresh dill on top of salmon
-cover salmon with remainder of salt/sugar – make sure the salmon is completely covered
-let sit on counter for 30 minutes to an hour
-cover and place in fridge and wait 36-48 hours to do it correctly
-when you remove it rinse under cold water, make sure you do NOT rehydrate the salmon.
-after rinsing pat dry and wrap tightly in saran wrap until ready to use. I find it best to remove from the mixture at least a couple of hours before serving
-slice thin at a heavy bias

Oh, it turned out perfect!