Recipes

Rectangled Eggs

Hard Boiled Eggs

Butterfly Sirloin Sando on Thick Artisan Toast

Cinco De Mayo Juevos Rancheros

Tomato Basil Paste/Sauce

Cold Corn Salad

Seafood fra Diavlo

Sage Chicken L’Orange

Blend it Like Beckham

Pollo Enfuego

Pasta Thyme

Gumbo

Steak Sauce

Clam Chowda

New England Chilli

Maine Grilled Lobster

Fowl Bowl

Freitalian Toast Bites

Rectangled Eggs

I’m kinda hooked on using muffin tins for other things lately.

It started with a post Thanksgiving Gobbler Pastry.

I wrecked this by the way. These things fell like a soccer player in the World Cup.

If you know a trick to stop that you’re a better cook than me.

This is simple:

Spray the tin with olive oil.

In a mixing bowl take 7 eggs and a 1/4 cup of milk and mix it together until the consistency is smooth.

Pour the egg mix in the muffin tins no more than 3/4 full in each section.

Put whatever you want in there. I did black beans, onions, cilantro and cheddar.

A different batch I did was just bacon and cheese.

The simpler the better with these.

I’d skip the onions. When onions cook, they release tons of water so this kind of messed it up.

Put them in the freezer and just eat one for breakfast now and then. It’s easy food prep for the week.

Hard Boiled Eggs

Heat the water until you have tiny bubbles. Add 2 tablespoons of rice vinegar.

Gently lower the eggs into the water.

Do not boil the water.

Leave the eggs in for 20 minutes.

Turn the heat off.

Leave the eggs in for another 20 minutes.

Remove the eggs one at a time.

Place in bowl.

Place bowl of Eggs in refrigerator

Wait a day if you can.

Peel when ready to eat.

The vinegar softens the shell and allows it to separate from the egg. it’s a must if you want an egg to peel properly.

Butterfly Sirloin Sando

on Thick Artisan Toast

Ever defrost a steak and not use it….? All the time for me. So I invented this freakshow from what was in my fridge. I’m sure someone in some corner of the planet has made this, but this is my version. Guaranteed they didn’t have Basil Asiago bread.

So grab the steak and bacon.

Start the grill and put the griddle on the right side of it. I had the heat on high. But it may differ depending on your grill. Mine never got above 350°F the whole time.

Put the steak on the grill. Now at 350 with the cover opening frequently to tend to the bacon, my steak cooked low and slow.

I got a sirloin steak at a 2 3/4” cut. The time is like 3 minutes flip it, 3 minutes flip it….. I did that until the bacon was done.

When I took the steak off, I let it sit for at least 3 minutes before cutting it.

Cut the steak at 1/2 the length of the bread you’re using. Then butterfly it.

I toasted the romano basil bread slices until they were just crispy on the outside. I considered adding cheese to it, but it was already in the bread.

I love this dish. The topping options are endless. The egg I did sunny side up just for the color splash of this article. I usually do them over easy in browned butter. Putting an egg on a sandwhich is popular in the UK. I think it’s a substitute for mayo.

This is the 4th time I’ve done this dish. It takes practice to get the meat just right. After that the dish is just timing the bacon and egg to be hot when served.

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Cinco de Mayo Juevos Rancheros

Cinco De Mayo Juevos Rancheros

First time I had Juevos Rancheros was at 31000 feet over the Baja Peninsula on my way back to San Diego. It was an option on the flight I was on. I try to order whatever is customary for the country I'm departing. It's usually a great version of it and it's fresher due to the local abundance of its ingredients.

MAN do I love this dish. I took a shot in the dark with ingredients. It's not refried beans, but I stink at cooking refrieds. Not just that, but if you're not an hermano of the comer de Mexico, introducing some culture to your kids may make this look a little less scary if their beans aren't "mashed."

What you see is what's in it. 3 Eggs, sunny side up, with melted cheese, beans, sour cream, salsa, shredded cheese, cilantro and whatever hot sauce you like. Most use tortillas instead of toast, but this worked for me.

Throw yourself a Mimosa, or an orange juice in a fancy glass and all you need is Tito Puente, blasting through the speakers.

De nada

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Tomato Basil Paste/Sauce

I majored in desert with a minor in repurposed leftovers with a concentration on not so fresh food.

This is a recipe that resuscitates tomatoes and can stand in for sauce. I don't like throwing food out until it's absolutely done.

There's only so far you can take this though. I'm not scraping the fur off my deli meats. That's beyond my risk threshold. I just don't like wasting good food.

I had about 30 sweet tomatoes in the fridge... those little ones....getting a little beyond presentable. And although I compost a LOT, I don't throw stuff out until I've given it a really good chance at a dish.

Tomato Basil paste or sauce.

Sweet Tomatoes

Fresh Chopped Basil

Parseley

Minced Garlic

Olive Oil

White Vinegar

Salt

Pepper Medley

Put it all in a blender and purée it.

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Cold Corn Salad -(add the corn last)

All of these recipes are intended to be made with exact ingredients. Many are extremely dependent on the exact timing of when to combine ingredients. Specifically time before consumption. Flavors are enjoyed hot for some and cold for others. So combining the hot and cold immediately before consumption, not a moment sooner, is imperative. Good food is chemistry.

Cold Corn Salad

This is SO quick. And SO easy and SO delicious.

Combine following ingredients:

1 red pepper, diced

1 yellow pepper diced

Diced carrots

Diced red onion

1/4 c. Naranja(sour orange:avail at your local grocer)

Lime Zest

Juice of 1 whole lime

Mix in one bag of frozen corn with a straining spoon right before serving. This keeps the whole thing nice and cold.

Salt and pepper to taste.

You can add avocado and or cilantro and chili's to spice it up if you like.

I'm always looking for a creative way to present vegetables besides steamed with butter.

It's hot in summer! This dish will cool you off.

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Seafood fra Diavlo

Shrimp(medium cooked frozen)

Clams (Chopped) (I used canned)

Calamari (I didn't have any, but a must)

Ground sea salt

Pepper Medley

Corn Starch

Classico Classic spaghetti sauce

Sweet Tomatoes(little ones in the yellow cup)

Fresh Chopped Basil

Red pepper(save what I get with takeout Pizza)

2x4s or your choice of pasta

Olive oil

Prepare the Sauce

Fill a 2 cup measuring cup with a 1/4 c. water.

Add 3 tbsp cornstarch.

Stir until diluted

Add 1 1/2 c. spaghetti sauce

Add 1 tbsp red pepper flakes

Add 20 turns on a pepper mill

6 turns of a salt grinder(set to fine)

Place in medium saucepan

Add 1/4 cup water

Heat slowly to safe sauce temp

The reason for the corn starch is that I find just a tiny bit helps the sauce stick to the pasta.

Prepare the Pasta

Boil a giant pot of water.

Just before placing the 2x4s (Fettuccine)in, pour a splash of olive oil in to keep it from sticking.

Prepare the Shrimp

Thaw, Peel and chop 24 medium shrimp(that's an oxymoron)

if you do the next step too early, you get rubbery seafood and watery.....fra.....?

***about 5 minutes prior to pasta being ready, add clams and shrimp to sauce pan. Raise heat.

Chop fresh basil.

Strain the pasta.

Combine the contents in a deep pan or wok.

Mix it in.

Plate it. Sprinkle chopped basil to taste.

The measurements aren't exact. I'm very spontaneous with ingredients. You might consider having red pepper on the table instead for those who don't care for spicey pasta.

I love this dish. One of my all time favorites when I lived in Brookline Village in Boston. It's not exact, but it's the closest I've come.

Lavore Giocare Riunire

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Sage Chicken L’Orange

Chicken Thighs

Honey

Orange Zest

Salt

Pepper medley

Oregano

Sage

Rosemary

Thyme

Olive Oil

Flour

Cornstarch

Pour a 1/4 inch of olive oil into the bottom of a glass bowl.

4 turns on the salt grinder

Couple turns on the pepper grinder

Drizzle of honey and some orange zest

Add a layer of chicken.

On top of the chicken, add rosemary, oregano, sage, and thyme.

Drizzle some honey

Scrape some orange zest

4 turns of the salt grinder

4 turns on the pepper grinder

Add a layer of chicken.

On top of the second layer of chicken:

Add rosemary, oregano, sage, and thyme.

Drizzle some honey

Scrape some orange zest

4 turns of the salt grinder

4 turns on the pepper grinder

Put the cover on and put it in the fridge.

Tomorrow.

Pour 1/4" vegetable oil into large fry pan.

Place fry pan on medium heat while battering chicken.

Pour some flower in a flat pan.

Add an egwhite and some water until it's liquid. Add teaspoon of veggie oil, some salt and pepper, and toss some cornstarch in there to make it crispy.

WITH ALL Herbs still adhering to the pieces of chicken, place in pan and spoon batter over the herbed, zested chicken.

When covered completely, use a spatula to gently place chicken in fry pan UN covered.

(This prevents "popping" from water that builds up on lid and drips into oil.) Straight water and hot oil are a dangerous mix.

Allow to brown on bottom, then flip. Brown other side. Flip occasionally until cooked through.

Remove from pan and place on bed of pasta, rice or risotto.

Enjoy.

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Blend it Like Beckham

Cucumber Raspberry Smoothie

Raspberries

Ice

Cucumber

1/2 teaspoon of sugar

Blend it Like Bekam

Banana Blast

5 frozen Strawberries

1 Banana

1 Tablespoon of Peanut Butter

Fill the space with skim or almond milk

Blend it like Beckham

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Cucumber and Watermelon Salad

Dice peeled cucumber

Dice watermelon

Put em together

I like to add pine nuts. But that's only if I have an extra thousand bucks laying around. Things are insanely expensive.

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Pollo Enfuego

1 serving

1/2 cup Jasmine Rice cooked.

2 chicken strips. Fried or Blackened

1/8 cup black beans

1/2 cup home made pico

1 lime wedge

Sour cream

1/2 fresh peeled, pitted, chopped avocado

Tablespoon fresh chopped cilantro Ground Sea Salt

Your favorite hot sauce

2 plumb tomatoes

Cook the rice and the chicken. Combine in the bowl you’ll eat out of.

Mix the chopped onion, chopped tomato chopped cilantro together. (This is how I make pico).

Slice the avocado

Do not do the next steps too early.

Add the black beans to the bowl of chicken and rice. Add the pico to the bowl.

add the avocado to the bowl.

Squeeze the lime wedge into the bowl. Shave some of the pulp into it as well.

Apply Franks Hot Sauce or your favorite to taste.

This is one of our favorites!!!!!!

Do the Dishes Tomorrow

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Butterfly Sirloin Sandwich

stay tuned

Thick Sirloin Steaks grilled to your liking.

Buy a Thick Cut Sirloin steak. Grill it to your liking. Cut it in half.

Then take one half and filet it. Bend it in half. Place on a toasted hoagie roll.

I like it with smoked Gouda, lemon zest, Kalamata olives, and a slice of prosciutto. Add brown mustard for a little spice.

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Pasta Thyme

Linquini, the 2x4 of pasta.

Cook it how you like it. Smoked Gouda. bit less than a 1/2lb

pint of heavy cream

fresh thyme

cooked chopped bacon

sweet tomatoes sliced in 1/4s. (I know it’s time consuming.) suck it up.

pepper medley grinder (not black pepper, that’s boring)

sea salt grinder. Fine if you can find it.

this is all timing so pay attention.….

combine the cream and Gouda in a sauce pan. Low heat and stir until consistent. I use a cheese grater for the Gouda. Melts quicker.

I said pay attention.

Boil the pasta to your liking. Strain.

plate the pasta

drizzle the cream sauce over the pasta. mix in the fresh diced sweet tomatoes(cherubs)

sprinkle the Thyme.

sprinkle bacon.

Eat it.

Do the dishes tomorrow.

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THYME FOR LUNCH

This is great as finger sandwiches or a game day buffet style feeding.

Extra Virgin Olive oil

salt

pepper medley

Fresh dried Thyme

fresh green cilantro

lime

avocado

sub roll

red onion

plumb tomato

chicken strips

Honey mustard

Mix the avocado, cilantro and a 1/4 lime wedges juice in a small bowl.

Heat the olive oil in a large fry pan

*before* adding the chicken, liberally sprinkle the salt, pepper, and thyme in the pan.

immediately place the chicken in the pan on top of that. Sprinkle more thyme, salt and pepper on top of the chicken.

Fry to your liking, flipping the chicken occasionally.

Towards the end of the cooking, add strips of red onion And sauté them with the chicken.

place the sub roll in the toaster oven and toast until just barely brown.

remove and place on a sheet of tin foil.

spread the honey mustard on the bread. And place the tomatoes on the bread top.

place the chicken on the bottom roll and spread the avocado mix on top of it.

wrap it in foil and bring it where you want.

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Gumbo

I am Not from Leeeziannah. Haa-evah....I LOVE gumbo. So this was an attempt.

Ingredients????

Ocra

Andwooooooolie sausage

Shrimp

Jasmati Rice(no relation to Condoleeza, nor Jim)

Texas Pete (No relation to Ree)

Mustid (I prefer yellow)

Cook the rice. Leave it in a separate pot.

Introduce the other ingredients to eachotha. Chop the sausage, peel the shrimp and put the rest of the ingredients in a deep fry pan long enough to talk about the weather, go through 6 degrees of separation and then exchange business cards.

Then....individually build your bowl....like rice? Add a bunch..

Don't like rice? Add just a little.

Also, pick your favorite hot sauce….if you’re not sweating after the first bite, it’s not spicy.

I'm a huge fan of this process. Keeps all the flavors active until consumption.

Put it in a bowl and eat it. Fall asleep in the chair.

Do the dishiz tomorrow.

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Steak Sauce

This one is kinda strange, but I like it. I marinate the steaks in this before I cook it. Don't eat it if you're getting up early. It's got dark fresh ground coffee in it.

In a metal mixing bowl. No it doesn’t have to be metal….I dont care what shape it is…glance at the stuff below and figure it out Cagney.

Ketchup

Yellow Mustard

Apple cider vinegar

Ground Smoked Salt

Ground pepper medley

Worcestershire sauce

Soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/2 cup of Honey

Teaspoon fresh ground dark roast coffee

Mix it all together in a blender

Pour it into a Freezer bag. Add meat...

Place in refrigerator. Let set 2 days

Cook it.

Eat it.

Recommended sides

Grilled Asparagus

Grilled red potatoes

Mashed red russets

Broccoli

No peas

No carrots

Do the dishes tomorrow.

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Chowda

I don't think we know each other that well yet. This one's pretty complex. And it only tastes good if the directions are followed prah----sicely.

Ok. Check back...it's chilly out there so.....OH!!! Chili!!! I got a good one for that too!!

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Chilli

Look I know you're thinking Connecticut is paht o' NewEngland...but there's fah too many Yankees, Jets, Bills and Rangiz fans down there. This is New England Style Chilli. Pipe down, Connecticut and go back to yah fake meat canned chilli. You're voted out of New England....that stealing the Pats from Foxboro thing way back was just the straw that broke the needles haystack ah right? Whatevah.

Not VEGAN:

Meat is in this ..not your buddy, "Meat" that drives the pinto with the CD chanjah in the back that he gawt on clearance when tweetah went beaks up. And look. I like animals as much as anyone else. But they got their place. I saw a lady hit a deer and break 3 out of it's four legs in half......I pulled over and helped the deer. The lady didn't make it.......I'm jokin num nuts, you get what I'm sayin. The deer didn't make it. Did CPR on Bambi for like 5 minutes, then stuffed it in my coolant. The lady had some fractures I think but she was ok after we popped the balloons. There's more airbags in these cars than that kid in "Up" had.

Aside from the 2#s hamburger meat, this dish is totally vegetarian. Oh. And the sausage.

Ingreeds:

Hamburgah 2 #s (that's pounds, not hashtag ya genzie)

One sweet Italian Sausage, skinned

Salt

Peppah

Chilli Powdah

1 Onion(white)(I usually like red, but white is sweetah aftah it simmahz.

Sugar(1/8 cup)

1 Sammy (Sam Adam's Boston Lagah ( recipe is 21 or oldah)

1 red peppah

1 green peppah

1 -2 cans white (pinto) beans

OR 1-2 cans normal beans....whatev....the red ones...

OR 1 can NORMAL beans and 1 can pinto beans

1 can Diced Tomatoes

Stuff ya need:

Big Fry Pan

Big Freakin Pot

Wooden spoon

Ladel

Put the meats in the pan on medium heat and staht fryin it.

Stir in the chilli powdah.

When the chilli powdah is worked in and the meat looks CLOSE to done, not totally done….

Add the peppahs, onions, salt peppah.

When that salty greasy goodness is done, (when I say “done” here, its ahbjective…if you like veggies al dentay, put it in a pot when they’re al dentay. If you like em like slimy worms….wait longah.

put the whole thing in a pot.

Add the Sammy.

Add the diced tomatoes

Add the beans.

Voila! You got Chilli! Add some cheddah, throw some Tortola chips in there, and and happy cinco de mayo.

What? I didn't think so.

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Lobstah

Grilled...yeah. You'll like it.

Cut the claws off,

Separate the head and the tail.

Straighten the tail with a skewer.

On a cutting board, place the tail on its back and use a carving knife ....well preferably scissors, cut it lengthwise those little cartilage half hoop things down the middle. Slice the meat very slightly.

Don't cut it all the way through. Like a bread top.

Chop or press 1/2 clove of garlic

Squeeze juice of a lime into a bowl.

Add 1/2 stick of butter and the garlic.

Place the tail on the grill on its back.

Drizzle some of the butter mix into the slice you placed in the tail. As it cooks keep adding more.

This recipe is best with larger lobsters. It's a Caribbean citrus, grilled type food.

Good sides would be grilled pineapple,

Grilled asparagus

Grilled tomato.

Cold cucumber and watermelon salad(yeah Ritchie Rich, you can add pine nuts).

And hot awesome clam chowdah (still not sharin my formula for that one….)

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Fowl Bowl

Ooooooo....Quincy! You figuid it out! Yah it's chicken.

But whats in it?

Yah.......

Hang on a sek!!

So this chicken is not necessarily what I'd call a smoked chicken. But it's smokey flavor.

You need a legit oak wood fire to cook it on. Or get some of them brickets with the horse and the cowboy on it. This is not a gas grill recipe.

For juicy chicken or duck, you can consider brining it. But why bother really, just don't over cook it.

Anywho....grill the bird....frankly however you want....but I'm a medium well guy when it comes to chicken. But remember. When you take it off the grill, it continues to cook for about another minute or 2.

Once it's cooled down, start chopping it up. I do chicken dark meat and light meat together. Then the

.....be right back.

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FreItalian Toast Bites

Buy fresh made loaves of bread from the Tybee Island Farmers Market(EVERY Monday at the lighthouse)(or yours I suppose).

Crack 4 eggs into a mason jar

add a teaspoon of watah

a teaspoon of maple syrup

A splash of milk

Shake until scrambled...... Wait.....put the cover on.....THEN shake until scrambled. Always forget that step.

Cut thick slices of bread or dice them into cubes. Soak for 3 minutes(in fridge if you’re worried about temperature).

Melt apple button or maple buttah in a pan. Toss slices or cubes in the pan.

I added a slice of smoked Gouda and sliced tomatoe to mine. You’ll need to decide how sophisticated youpalates are.

serve with bacon and hot strong coffee from Stahbucks.

Do the dishes tomorrow.

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