Archive for the ‘Food’ Category

THE BEST BEEF JERKY IS HOME MADE

Posted: October 19, 2014 in beef, Carnivore!, Food, jerky, marinade, Recipes
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Like hot dogs and Slim Jims, jerky is one of those “mystery meats” we love but don’t really know how it’s made or what part of the animal it comes from.
Really excellent beef jerky is a rare treat, and once you have it, you will never go back to that rancid, preservative-filled dog meat you find in a bag at the supermarket. And the best part is: it’s easy to make.
Shop around for a really nice slab of London broil or similar cut. You don’t need to buy an expensive piece of grass-fed beef, but the better the meat, the better the jerky. Remove all the gristle and fat that may be on the meat and then slice it against the grain and on a diagonal, into 1/4″ thick slices. Toss all the meat in a Ziploc bag. Once you’ve done that, all you need to do is make the marinade, marinate the beef overnight, and then dry it the next day. Your final product will be a flavorful beef jerky that is so good, you’ll find it very hard to stop eating it…or to share it.
If you use gluten-free soy sauce and teriyaki sauce (La Choy is the brand I use, found in any supermarket), this recipe can be considered gluten-free. Be careful: regular soy sauce, and even some tamari sauces, have wheat in them. Read the label!
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Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon salt
1 1/2 Tablespoons granulated garlic
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon fresh minced peeled ginger
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 cup Teriyaki sauce
1 cup soy sauce
8 lbs raw, lean beef, like London broil, cut into 1/4″ thick diagonal slices, against the grain of the meat
Mix all ingredients except meat in a large bowl. Place meat in a large Ziploc bag, pour marinade inside, seal, and refrigerate overnight. Squish the bag around once in a while, to make sure all meat surfaces make contact with the marinade. Keep the bag in a bowl to prevent any accidental spillage in your fridge!
The next day, pour off the marinade and discard. Using a food dehydrator or simply an oven at 140 degrees, dry the meat by laying strips on cookie sheets in a single layer. Drying could take several hours to half a day, depending on how dry and chewy you like your jerky.
This recipe makes a lot of jerky, but it stores really well in the freezer. I put small amounts into individual freezer bags, then place all of them in one large freezer bag. Thaw as needed.

ASIAN SHRIMP WITH SWEET AND SPICY GRAPEFRUIT SAUCE

Posted: October 15, 2014 in Food, seafood, shrimp
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Shrimp with an orange sauce is something you see on every Chinese restaurant menu. I didn’t have oranges, but wanted a citrus kick to my sweet and spicy sauce. I went with grapefruit and I never looked back!

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Ingredients:

 

For the rice:

1 cup basmati rice (I use Texmati brown rice)

2 cups seafood stock (I use homemade shrimp and fish stock)

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 scallions, finely chopped

splash of peanut oil

 

For the veggies:

1/2 Vidalia onion, finely chopped

1 lb fresh green beans, washed and cut into 1/4′ pieces

1 teaspoon soy sauce

splash of peanut oil

 

For the shrimp:

2 dozen thawed, peeled and deveined wild caught USA shrimp

2 tablespoons spicy Schezuan sauce

3 tablespoons hoysin sauce

juice and zest of 1 grapefruit

splash of peanut oil

 

Cook the rice according to the directions on the package. I substituted seafood stock for water for flavor. Once cooked, toss in the chopped scallions. Set aside.

Add peanut oil to a hot pan and saute the onions until translucent. Add green beans  and cook until al dente. Add the soy sauce, stir, and then pour the contents of the pan into the rice. Mix well.

Using the same pan, add a little more peanut oil and sear the shrimp on both sides. Do not overcook! Push the shrimp to the sides of the pan so that a circle remains in the middle. Add the Schezuan sauce and hoysin sauce and stir them together, then blending in the shrimp until the shrimp are covered with the sauce. Add the grapefruit zest and juice and stir until everything is combined and the sauce has thickened just a bit.

Pour the contents of the pan into the rice mix and combine. Add more soy sauce to the rice, to taste.

HOLIDAY BRISKET

Posted: October 11, 2014 in beef, Carnivore!, Food, Recipes
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This is my friend, Lori’s, recipe…and it rocks! It takes a couple of days to cook, and it’s worth it. image

I’ve had barbecued brisket, corned beef and pastrami. But this is the quintessential comfort food version that brings her family home for the holidays.

 

Ingredients:

1 beef brisket, 5 to 7 lbs.

salt, pepper, garlic powder

1 large onion, chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

1 bottle (12 oz.) Heinz chili sauce

1 cup water

1/4 cup chopped parsley

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 packet Lipton onion soup mix

 

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees.

Rub brisket with salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste. Place fat side up in a pan.

In a bowl, combine onion, celery, chili sauce, water, parsley, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and soup mix. Pour over meat. Cover the pan with heavy duty aluminum foil to make a tight seal. Cook for 3 hours. (This is the first cook!)

After 3 hours, remove the pan from the oven (leave foil on) and let the meat cool to room temp, then place in fridge. Skim off the fat when the meat has chilled.

While the meat is cool, slice it as thin as you can and place the meat in a glass/Pyrex pan–a 9 x 13 works well–and pour all the gravy/cooked juices on top. If it looks dry, add a little water. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and cook at least one hour at 325. (This is the second cook!)

At this point, you can remove the brisket from the oven and keep it in the pan in the fridge until you’re ready to serve. When it’s time to serve, heat the brisket one more time at 325 until it has warmed all the way through.

MY BEEF WITH VEGETARIAN/VEGAN LABELING

Posted: October 8, 2014 in bacon, beef, Carnivore!, Food, Uncategorized
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Do vegetarians and vegans secretly want to be carnivores? Why do so many vegetarian foods need to look, taste and even have names that sound like meat products?
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 Is it because the real name: ” ‘Repulsive cubes of tofu’ salad” wouldn’t sell?
 
What about this one?
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Looks like dog food, with one difference: I wouldn’t give it to my dog.
Or perhaps my favorite:
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“Chick’n?” CHICK’N?! Are you effing kidd’n me?!
My vegetarian and vegan friends have legitimate reasons why they choose their lifestyle. Some don’t like factory farms or the way they treat animals and the environment. I don’t either. I buy grass-fed and pastured meats which come from small farms which use humane practices.

Some find the death of any animal for their food, even it’s done humanely, not acceptable. I feel that my manly omnivore cravings are nothing to be ashamed of, and obtaining animal protein in a sustainable way, whether farming, fishing or hunting, is the way to go. And for me, no plant protein can replace the quality of animal protein.

There are those that don’t eat red meat because of the negative effects on their health. Grass fed beef instead of corn and grain fed beef all but eliminates this problem. And we’re now seeing the negative health effects of meat substitutes like soy, even organic soy. Non-organic soy, which makes up 80% of the world’s crop, is Monsanto’s Round-Up Ready seed that gets oversprayed with herbicides.  Sorry…I’d rather have healthy beef, pork and chicken than GMO Frankenfood in my family’s diet.
If I was a vegetarian or vegan, I would write to the people who make these crappy products. They’re making them look bad. I’d be carrying that organic broccoli stalk high above my head and showing my pride, not hiding behind food disguised as quasi-meat.
Proud carnivores would never allow a piece of meat to be shaped to resemble a vegetable. A dinosaur chicken nugget, maybe. But never a vegetable. Now pardon me while I cook up some bac’n.

PORK CHOPS WITH BEET AND QUINOA SALAD (GF)

Posted: October 5, 2014 in beets, Food, Recipes
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Even the "breaded" pork chop makes this meal gluten-free. See below...

Even the “breaded” pork chop makes this meal gluten-free. See below…

Beet season is in full swing right now. They’re healthy and delicious…and they also store really well, so you can enjoy them all winter long. Combining them with quinoa, cheese and arugula makes a great salad that goes well with this pastured heritage pork chop.

To keep the meal gluten-free, I used all-purpose gluten-free flour to dust the chop after I dipped it in egg. Then I seasoned it with garlic salt, pepper, and some freshly minced sage and rosemary. I seared it in a hot pan with organic canola oil, then finished cooking it in a 350-degree oven.

 

Ingredients for the beet salad:

1/2 lb beets, cooked and sliced
2 cups cooked quinoa
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 clove garlic, through a press
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 scallion, finely minced
2 cups baby arugula
5 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

Prepare quinoa according to package instructions. I like to substitute half of the water with homemade chicken stock.

While the quinoa is cooking, combine olive oil, vinegar, sugar, garlic, salt and pepper in a separate bowl.

Once the quinoa has cooked, place it in a bowl and add half of the dressing, mixing gently with a fork to fluff up the quinoa. Place in the fridge to cool completely.

I like to use the product LoveMyBeets, where they come fully cooked and peeled, ready to slice. Slice the beets and place them in the bowl of quinoa. Add the scallions, arugula and cheese. Mix well.

When the mixture has cooled down, taste and add more of the dressing if needed.

CHINESE STYLE HONEY RIBS

Posted: October 1, 2014 in barbecue, Carnivore!, Food, pork, Recipes
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You don’t have to stand by your smoker and cook for hours to have amazing ribs. As the glaze cooks down, it gets sticky, gooey and delicious…but use a non-stick pot if you can or you’ll be scrubbing when you should be eating!
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 Ingredients:
Marinade: ¾ cup light soy sauce
                     6 Tablespoons hoisin sauce
5 lbs pork ribs
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 whole star anise
2 cinnamon sticks (3”)
1/2 cup honey
4 cups chicken broth
Mix marinade ingredients. Set aside.
If the ribs are large, cut them into pieces. If smaller, cluster 2 or 3 ribs together. Place in a large pot. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes. Drain.
Place ribs on a sheet pan with a rack and coat with marinade. Let sit for 10 minutes.
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Bake ribs in sheet pan with rack for 30 minutes.
While the ribs are baking, start sauce in a large non-stick pan or pot: combine lemon zest and juice, star anise, cinnamon sticks, honey and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
When ribs have finished baking, add them to the sauce pot and simmer (covered) for at least 15 minutes or until rib meat is tender.
Turn heat on high, uncover pot and cook until the sauce is reduced to a glaze that coats the ribs. Reduce heat as sauce thickens to avoid sugars in honey from burning. When the ribs are sticky and gooey, they are ready!

 

ROADTRIP: CRABAPPLE WHITEWATER IN THE FORKS, MAINE

Posted: September 29, 2014 in Cocktails, Drinks, Food, Maine, MARTINI, travel
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I’ve been rafting with Crab Apple Whitewater in Maine, Massachusetts and Vermont for 25 years, on close to 60 rafting trips: the Deerfield, Miller and West Rivers in Massachusets and Vermont…and the Dead and Kennebec Rivers in Maine. Family run, they are the best in the business. And if you’ve got the guts, you’ve still got a couple of weeks before the 2014 season ends! Contact them at 1-800-553-RAFT or go to http://www.crabapplewhitewater.com.

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CrabApple’s main building in the Forks: headquarters, offices, gift shop, restaurant and pub. Outdoor hot tub and heated swimming pool are around back.

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The interior of the main building:

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CrabApple offers rooms at their Forks location, from rustic to these: the luxury suites with jacuzzis for two inside.

 

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The pub is where everyone meets at the end of the day, to discuss important world issues.

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They’re even nice enough to feature one of my own cocktails! (at the bottom)

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The scenery on the way up…

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…and a couple of interesting stops along the way…

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All the necessary food groups!

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BABY BELL PEPPERS WITH FRESH CORN STUFFING

Posted: September 25, 2014 in cheese, corn, Food, garden, Recipes
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I came up with this crunchy tasty appetizer a few years ago, when I needed a tasty bite for one of our famous summer parties. I wanted something fresh that highlighted the veggies of the season, so when I spotted these baby bell peppers in the supermarket, I came up with this tasty, crunchy appetizer.

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Ingredients:

 

Baby bell peppers

6 ears fresh corn, removed from the cob…or organic frozen corn

1/2 Vidalia onion, peeled, quartered, grilled, chopped

1 cup mayonnaise

1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (I use Frank’s Red Hot)

6 oz feta cheese, or  Queso Fresco, crumbled

Juice of 1 lime

Pinch of white pepper

1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped

 

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Cut corn from ears, and saute very briefly in a little olive oil. Place in a bowl and let cool.

Peel and quarter the Vidalia onion, and throw it on a hot grill with a little olive oil to get some nice grill marks on it, leaving the onion still crispy, not soft. If indoors, throw the quartered onion in a hot pan with a little olive oil, and cook until you get some brown marks on it. Remove, let cool, then place in a food processor and pulse until the onion is chopped into small bits, just smaller than the corn kernels. Add onions to corn.

In a separate small bowl, combine mayonnaise and Frank’s Red Hot. Pour in crumbled cheese and mix well. Pour into corn and onion bowl and mix well.

Add lime juice, white pepper and parsley to the bowl and mix well again.

Cut the baby bell peppers in half lengthwise, and remove the seeds and membrane. Stuff the peppers with the corn mixture and garnish with cilantro or parsley.

 

If preparing ahead of time, refrigerate until ready to eat, but allow some time for them to warm up to room temp a bit.

 

BOTIN, MADRID: THE OLDEST RESTAURANT IN THE WORLD

Posted: September 22, 2014 in Carnivore!, Food, pork, restaurants, Spain, travel, Uncategorized
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Restaurante Botin, in the great old city of Madrid, Spain, is a must-visit. At first, I thought it might be more of a tourist trap. But this establishment, which holds the Guinness Book of world records for oldest restaurant (it opened in 1725), has some fantastic dishes that you just can’t get anywhere else.

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The suckling pig at Botin is world-famous. If you’re a vegetarian, you’ll probably be freaked out to see the row of little pigs on plates, waiting to be placed in the almost-300-year-old wood burning oven. These suckling pigs were only 20-something days old when they became dinner, and the slow-roasted flavor of this pork is like nothing you’ve ever had before. The roasted baby lamb, a gamier lamb than most Americans are used to, thanks to its grass-fed upbringing, was also exquisite.

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imageCroquettes are big in Spain, as popular with the kids as nuggets are here in the states. And the croquettes at Botin, breaded and fried to a perfect crisp on the outside, with an oozy, creamy cheesy center, are addictive.

The servers, handling three levels of dining rooms, are fast and efficient, but also have time for a sense of humor.

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Just around the corner from the Plaza de Mayor, the city’s best people-watching location, Botin is my kind of attraction: a food museum where they still create many dishes like they did hundreds of years ago. In fact, the famous artist Goya was a dishwasher here in his youth, back in 1765.

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Walk around the restaurant, and check out the different rooms that have been renovated over time…and the ones that have been there all these years. It’s a fascinating trip through history.

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LAMBURGERS WITH FETA CHEESE DRESSING

Posted: September 18, 2014 in barbecue, burgers, Carnivore!, CHARCOAL, Food, lamb, Recipes
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Re-posting this on National Cheeseburger Day!

When it comes to grilling, lamb is often overlooked. Yet it’s a wonderful, flavorful meat that makes a great burger. The taste of lamb can be a bit strong, however, so I mix 1 lb of ground lamb with 1 lb of ground grass-fed beef.

Ingredients:

1 lb ground lamb
1 lb ground beef
2 Tablespoons + 2 teaspoons extra Virgin olive oil
4 Tablespoons minced Spanish onion
2.5 teaspoons whole grain Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon each fresh parsley, mint, and dill, finely chopped
1 teaspoon dried Greek oregano
.5 teaspoon cumin
1 large clove garlic, squeezed through a garlic press
1 scallion, finely chopped, green part only
1 teaspoon salt
.5 teaspoon black pepper

Heat 2 Tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over high heat. Add onions. Cook until browned, about 6 minutes. Transfer onions to a plate. Let cool.
In a bowl, mix onions, lamb, pork, mustard, herbs, spices, garlic, scallions, salt and pepper.
Form meat into slider-sized patties. Place on baking sheet covered with non-stick foil, and place in fridge.
Prepare a medium-hot charcoal fire.

lamburger

To keep the Greek flavors going, I came up with this feta cheese dressing that works great with the lamburgers.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
1  cup mayo
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper sauce, like Franks Red Hot
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
4–5 ounces crumbled feta cheese

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Mix well. Cover and refrigerate. Best the next day.

Don’t let the lamburgers get too cold in the fridge…just enough to firm the meat up a bit. If it gets too cold, give it a few minutes at room temp to warm up again.  Grill burgers until cooked to medium. Place on slider buns with lettuce and tomato, and smear the bun with the feta cheese dressing.

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