you say potato...... i say boniato

We all know how good a piping hot bowl of mash potatoes can be on a cold winter day. Or the taste of a orange fleshed sweet potato right out of the over or drenched in marshmallows and maple syrup. I think allot of us are always searching for the middle ground. Sweet potatoes can be way to sweet, and str8 up mash can be just plain old dull. Yea i know we can dress them up with truffles, parmesan cheese. Well for you folks that need some thing new in way of a starch i introduce my friend the boniato (sometimes called cuban sweet potato or batata) This is not the sweet potato we know of here in the states.....ohhh no!!! this potato has more of a underlay of sweetness and does not have a punch of sugar like our American SP. Its the perfect balance of sweet and rich. When mashed it has a thick velvet texture that cannot be matched by the watery American SP. Ohhh no our latino potato holds its own.

For your first romp with the Boniato i suggest you take it easy!! just boil it and mash it with some cream and a touch of butter... i promise once you go boniato you will never go potato!!

Boniatos can be found in most latino markets and look for ones that are firm and not soft. They have deep red skin and can range in size from a american potato to a small melon.

A tree burn in Brooklyn and smoke the lands at home

So as many of you may know i have this new obsession with bbq, not just bbq but smoked foods. So i have set out to find some good old BBQ right here in NY. I have been to alot of bbq joints but most of them smother there ribs in a sweat BBQ sauce and lack any real smoke flavor. I did some research and heard of a place in Brooklyn... not just Brooklyn but in the heart of hipster land Williamsburg. Well needless to say i was very skeptical of any kind of "real deal bbq" coming out of this place. So i hopped in the truck and took the ride over to BK (i picked up a friend along the way) we soon arrived at Fette Sau (fat Pig in German). So i was expecting a full service restaurant but soon noticed we had to wait on line to get our grub then find a seat at a picnic table. Ok i can handle this. So my friend grabbed a seat an i waited on line. When i arrived at the counter i orders a bit of everything.... Burkshire pork belly, Ribs, Brisket, sausage and some beans.
The food was placed on butcher paper and on a metal tray... (this better be good, the metal tray thing kinda freaked me out and i was in the mood to be served) so i made my way through the sea of hungry hipsters to my pal sitting at a table. We started in on the ribs. They had a thick and rich smoke flavor and NO bbq sauce!!! this was "real deal BBQ" the ribs just melted in your mouth OMG heaven. The brisket and sausage where just as good. The pork belly was good but just a little too fatty.. (i know i know.. its pork belly.. I still ate it!!!!) So here in the heart of a land where on would think BBq was old news and not "hip" lives a place where the swine is fine.
I woke up this morning with the smell of smoke still in my nose and headed off to work. I need more smoke!! and driving to BK at 11:00 on a Wednesday was out of the question. So like any junkie i found a way to cop some more. I found a deep hotel pan and place it on top of 2 burners then put some wood chunks we use for our pizza oven in the bottom of the pan and put the burners on medium. I then searched my inventory and found some fresh chicken that came in for a party later today. I cut the chicken in 1/2 and patted then dry. I made a rub of smoked paprika, cumin, chili powder and black pepper. I rubbed the birds down with the magic rub. So i then placed a shallow hotel pan with holes in it (we use it for steaming things) ontop of the now lightly smoking wood. I arranged my chickens and covered the top with tin foil and another hotel pan to hold in all that fab smoke flavor. (Don't be too impressed i have done this before!!!) I let the birds smoke on low for about 1 and 1/2 hours. I then took them off and placed them on my gas grill just to get a little char and color. The end results where killer!!! well maybe not as good as i had in Sayville LI but they where hell-au good. So whats the point... IDk i guess its... yea i don't know!!!! i'm off to Vermont on Sunday and look forward to what they have to offer me on my search of culinary treasures.
MVP

The Under belly of BBQ

The names of all the people involved have been changed to protect there identity.

I was invited to be a judge at the Sayville Fall Festival in LI NY. I was contacted but Jim who said he was a member of an organization called the bbq-brethren . (wait maybe i don't need to change there names!!! the guys name was Eric) So Jim (or Eric) told me i would be a judge for part of a BBQ compation. So being the nice guy that i am (also a bit of a publicity whore) i was happy to help out. Little did i know this would lead me to the under belly of a secret world... the dark, smokey depths of the world of competitive BBQ!!!!

On the morning of October 25th at 10 am i got into my truck and started my hour and ten minute trek to a little water front community named Sayville. I have been in this town before. Well maybe not in the town but i have cruised through it on my way to Fire Island. The ferry to FI is located on the coast of Sayville. So with the vision of gay sandy beaches in my mind i arrived at my destination. There was a smell in the air that i have never smelled before and this was nothing like my gay oasis across the bay. So with hesitation i went in search of Jim (or Eric). I found him in a corner of this very large field that was coved in tents and overhead lay a large cloud of very aromatic smoke. So we discussed the days events and he informed me that i was in the realm of Competitive BBQ. When i look more closely at the tent i realized they where more of a community of tents each one labeled with its own logo and insignia.

So as any fat kid with the smell of bbq in this nose would do, i went to inspect the tent town for some grub. I first came across a tent labeled bbq-brethren with all the curiosity of a young child i peered in. Little did i know this would be the beginning of a very interesting day that may change the course of my life forever (or the way i look at BBQ) In this tent was a weird looking bald dude who said hello then took a double take... He then approached me and said something along the lines of "hey your the guy who shit the bed on that food network show" ummmmm "yea thats me" lets see what he has to say about what's going on here. He went on to explain that this was a competition bbq event and he was one of the very proud members of the BBQ Brethren.

Lets discuss this BBQ Brethren for a moment. Its this group of people who label them selves BBQ enthusiasts and spread the word and teachings of REAL DEAL BBQ... This is not the bull shit BBQ you see in your back yard as a kid. This is a whole new game, a world of slow smoking and custom grills. A world where pork is king and propane is not heard of. This my friends is the under belly of americas favorite pastime (no not base ball ass hole) BBQ. Well bbq may be a favorite of most people but we the common man no nothing of the secret art that is being preserved by the Brethren!!! check out this link for a little more about them

Ok back to the bald freak!!! this guy chewed off my ear about BBQ for a good 20 min.... and i hung on his every word. He was truly a wealth of information (and of weirdness) and for the first time i realized i am missing out on a subculture i was made for. This is the tailgaters of tailgating. These people spend weeks preparing recipes and trying them out so they can join there fellow bbq enthusiasts here in the middle of a fucking corn field to see who is the true master of the grill. WOW at this point i'm totally blown away!! so weird bald guy finally lets me go and check out what's going down in BBQ land. He let me go after we took a picture together

So i wander around the tents peaking in to see what's going on. The first thing that catches my eye is the variety of grilles. Wow you got huge grilles custom made and pulled in by trucks, you got webber smokers, you got home-made smokers and grills, you got Kamados this is just to name a few. I then meet some guys who invite me into there weird tent world to try there ribs and pulled pork... so like any gay fat dude would do... i followed them into this dark tent hut. This guy then went into a corner and pulled out the most flavorful tend succulent pulled pork to ever grace my lips!!! OMG this shit was good and like nothing i have ever tasted. I realized all my life has been a lie!! i have never had true BBQ.. NEVER!!!!

i then felt like i needed more of this... my brain filled up with questions... what makes it so good, is there a rub on the meat, why have i never had this before, are you married?? so i set off to the next tent to try to get answers.

I passed a tend named "smoking Aces" and not only where the aces smoking but so where the boys so like any guy ... i stopped to say hi!! and it then became clear that not only was this a weird bald guys game but it was any man's game.. young and old, fat and thin this was a world open to any person with the love of smoked meat in there heart!!! this was a world i needed to be part of!!! so Smoking Aces gave me some of there tender ribs and agin i was in heaven.

I sit here remembering that day like it was yesterday, a day that will change my life forever. I wish that i could give you some more information but at this time i cannot. I need to keep my identify and my next move into this world as hush hush as i can. I will be purchasing a smoker/grill in the near future and will spend this winter honing my BBQ skill and learning the secrets that make this bbq-brethren true leaders in a world so unfamiliar to so may of us mere mortals.

MVP

Octopiggy !!!! Land sea and some Farfalle!!!!

You're probably thinking, “this is one weird recipe”. No - calamari and sausage go great together. This recipe is actually one of the most requested dishes at my restaurant, especially in winter. It is very filling and tends to be a whole meal. Me, you, this pasta, some crusty bread ….. Hello! Can you say heaven??

Bring 1 gallon of water to a boil and cook 1 pound farfalle. Drain from water and run under cold water to stop cooking. Hold the pasta on the side.

Farfalle, Sausage and Calamari

Cooked farfalle – 1 pound

Sweet Italian sausage – 6 links

Calamari cleaned and cut

into ½ inch rings – 1 pound

Extra virgin olive oil – 1 ½ cup

Garlic cloves – 20

Crushed red pepper flakes – ½ teaspoon

Parmigiano cheese – 1 cup

Heavy cream – 1 cup

Cut the garlic into thin slices. Remove the sausage meat from its casing. Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the olive oil then the garlic. Sauté for 1 minute then add the sausage. With a wooden spoon, break up the sausage while you cook it. When the sausage is cooked turn the heat up to high. Add the calamari and quickly sauté until cooked. Toss in the pasta. Sauté for one minute, then add the heavy cream and cook for 2 more minutes. Season with the red pepper flakes. Serve with warm Italian bread, your favorite wine and love.

Simple things for simple people

There is nothing better then some home style cooking. One of my favorite dishes (and the food i crave most) is a simple roast chicken. There is one requirements to being a great roast bird... first.. the skin has got to be crispy!!!!! this is so very important. The way to get a good crisp skin is to first wash your bird then dry it off very well (ohh i cut my bird in 1/2.. it cuts the cooking time down) I then let the bird sit in the fridge for an hour or 2 uncovered to dry a little more. I then make a mixture of olive oil and herbs. I mix about 1/2 a cup of olive oil, garlic, parsley, sage, rosemary, salt and pepper together and rub the bird down with it. OK heres the best part. I then cut up potatoes, carrots, parsnips, sweet potato and onions and whole cloves of garlic. Now i season the vegetables then lay the vegetables on the bottom of the pan and place my 1/2 chicken (skin side up) on top of them. The fat and flavor from the chicken helps to flavor and marinade the vegetables. OMG just thinking about this makes me hungry... There is nothing on this earth that says Fall better then the smell of roasted chicken. Well i hope i have inspired you to do some cooking TTY

MVP

:)

Snow White's Poison Apple

Hey just wanted to put up some pictures of the carmel apples made. I came up with some fun packaging for them!!! I put them in plastic party bags and label them"snow White's poison apple" i also burn the card to give it a vintage look.... hope u like them its easy and it a great party idea!!

I also made some other cool little thing... I mad a jar of "DIRT" its ground oreo cookies that i grind in a foodroses and mix with gummy worms... i then put it in a jar and top it off with coconut that i color with green food coloring... IT LOOKS LIKE THE REAL THING!!! and the kids (big and small... love it) i attache a pic of that too. Well i hope i gave you some fun Halloween ideas ......XOXOX

M V P

Carmel Apples

So i spend my evening making carmel apples and i cant believe how easy it is. Well at first it took me some time to find a recipe that gave a recipe for carmel... most of the recipes out there tell you to buy carmel squares and melt them (lame) So after i located the recipe i set off to make these sinful delights. I grew up on carmel apples (with nuts.... HELLO!!!!) i have made them before but always out of a package never from scratch...

This is the recipe i found and LOVE!!!!!! here is the link....

I did change it around a little bit!!!!!! I added almond extract and only added 2/3 cup butter

i make 3 batches one had pepper and cinnamon added to the recipe (they where so good) the second had kosher salt on the outside of the carmel (just a sprinkle... yum sweet and salty) and the third was plain.

This is not my recipe but i will post a new one (i think this recipe could use a tweak or two)

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter (no substitutes)
• 2 cups packed brown sugar
• 1 cup light corn syrup

• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 8-10 wooden sticks
• 8-10 medium tart apples

Directions

1. 1

   Insert 1 wooden stick into each apple.

2. 2

   In a heavy saucepan, combine the butter, brown sugar, corn syrup and milk; bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

3. 3

   Cook and stir until a candy thermometer reads 248 degrees (firm ball stage) about 30-40 minutes and for a softer caramel cook just to a few less degrees.

4. 4

   Remove from heat; stir in vanilla.

5. 5

   Dip each apple into hot caramel mixture; turn to coat.

6. 6

   Holding by the stick, sprinkle with nuts or whatever you desire while the caramel is still warm.

7. 7

   Set on generously buttered wax paper to cool (make certain to generously butter the paper).

8. 8

   Note: if making a double recipe make two recipes in two separate pots.