Food For Thought

[Jimmy Cantiello]

Just finished cooking a cuttlefish stew for tonight. I had a little over a pound of beautiful cleaned cuttlefish that I wanted to do something with. Threw some evoo, thinly sliced garlic and sliced celery in a pot and sweated it out. Next came a large can of diced tomatoes and a 32oz. carton of chicken stock. I also added some dried herbs and salt & pepper. After cutting the cuttlefish into thick slices it went into the pot along with the tentacles. I let the mix simmer for a while then I added a bunch of chopped spinach. With about twenty minutes to go before finished time I dumped a half pound of lentils in. Last step was to turn the heat off and throw in a can of halved black olives and let the stew sit for a while. If I wasn't being good and staying away from starches I would definitely eat the stew with some crusty bread. Anyway...time to get a big bowl and mangia. Ciao!

[Ron Thorne]

Jimmy, I always think of you when Patti & I have pizza at Moose's Tooth Pizzeria & Pub. Today, we had a nice pie, salad, iced tea and one of their signature micro brews. I had my new camera along, so captured a couple of shots.



Sesame Soy Salad


High Protein Land Pizza w/ Red Onions & Black Olives

[steve(thelil)]

In keeping with our so far very successful low carb diets, Jan made pasta with meatballs and sauce the other day. The pasta was surprisingly good gluten free corn and rice penne. It was firm and excellent. Nothing at all negative. Partially out of creativity and partially to avoid using bread product in the meatballs, she chopped up fresh Italian sweet sausage and used it in the meatballs along with ground beef and seasonings. Delicious!

[bluenoter]

In keeping with our so far very successful low carb diets, Jan made pasta with meatballs and sauce the other day. The pasta was surprisingly good gluten free corn and rice penne. It was firm and excellent. Nothing at all negative. . . .

Well, except that pasta (including "gluten free corn and rice" pasta) is high carb (as one can see from the nutrition label). But maybe you're using and trusting in a pasta brand that claims to "shield" or "protect" some of the carbs from being digested.


However, if the purpose of your low carb diets is to lose weight and they've been successful so far, mazel tov!

[hornplayer]

A friend from AIWF is beginning to import a new chocolate (for baking, candy-making) into US from Dominican Republic. Today he brought me a sample to try. I'm going to make truffles with it this weekend, but of course I had to taste it! So far I'm impressed. It's 73% cacao and has less sugar added than what I've been using. The mouthfeel is really creamy.

Really looking forward to giving it a spin. Timing is great. Just thinking about what to make for holiday giving this year.

[steve(thelil)]

In keeping with our so far very successful low carb diets, Jan made pasta with meatballs and sauce the other day. The pasta was surprisingly good gluten free corn and rice penne. It was firm and excellent. Nothing at all negative. . . .

Well, except that pasta (including "gluten free corn and rice" pasta) is high carb (as one can see from the nutrition label). But maybe you're using and trusting in a pasta brand that claims to "shield" or "protect" some of the carbs from being digested.


However, if the purpose of your low carb diets is to lose weight and they've been successful so far, mazel tov!

Thanks for the info. We cluelessly thought it was low carb. I THINK that most of the allegedly "low carb" things we're eating are low carb. This pasta tasted way too good (and carby) to be low carb. In retrospect, I'm glad we didn't realize it was carb heavy when we decided to eat it!

[Ron Thorne]

It's time to revive this thread. I'm also hoping that Jimmy Cantiello will see it and make a return, and share some great food and a few wise cracks.

Yesterday, Patti & I headed north for a 50-mile drive to Palmer for lunch. It's an annual spring adventure, even though spring hasn't full sprung here quite yet. Palmer is a neat little community, formerly the heart of Alaskan farming, still a charming "old school", slower-paced town. They have a few really good eateries, one of which is a favorite of ours ... Turkey Red, named for a winter wheat variety. They use mostly local ingredients, organic ones as available.

I took some photographs on the ride home, though sky conditions were marginal. I'll post a couple later on the Cameras & Photography thread.


Patti: Bleu Ham, ham with a bleu cheese spread, caramelized onion & roasted red bell pepper. Cup of Creamy Tomato soup.

Ron: Philly, roast beef, caramelized onions, roasted red bell peppers, melted cheese.




Turkey Red Interior



Bleu Ham



Philly

[Ron Thorne]

Here's a backward glance at a local island eatery on Kauai, one with no frills, but great food and abundant Aloha. Patti & I were the only non-locals there, but felt entirely comfortable and welcome. It's proudly owned by Native Hawaiians.

Patti had a bowl of Saimin, a local favorite. I got a Hawaiian Plate Lunch with Kalua Pork & Cabbage, 1 Scoop Rice, 1 Scoop Macaroni/Potato Salad. Huge!

I wish we had this lunch right now! Yum.



Anahola Cafe



Saimin



Kalua Pork & Cabbage

[Ron Thorne]

OK, here we go ... again. Now that Clint Hopson and Jimmy Cantiello are posting again, it's time to get this sucker active once more.

From Patti's birthday dinner at Simon & Seafort's Saloon & Grill last week.




Killer Sourdough Bread





Fresh Halibut Cheeks w/ Broccolini and Garlic Mashed Potatoes

[Jimmy Cantiello]

Spending quality time at Lou and Kathy's "Riva House" located on the Yeocomico river in the Northern Neck region of Virginia. The Yeocomico eventually leads to the Potomac. The setting at their river house is pristine and tranquil, very conducive to relaxation. We just finished grilled chicken and beef kabobs as well as a slew of grilled chicken wings. Nothing fancy but satisfying just the same.

Tomorrow the plan is to spend the day on the river with jet skis and on Lou's boat. He aims to get this city boy fishing before the day ends. We also hope to harvest some wild oysters as well. I'm told there's also a crab boil in our near future. I'm all in for sure. Life is good.

[Jimmy Cantiello]

Just got back to the Riva House from dinner. We went to a "down and dirty" local bar/restaurant that specializes in seafood. Mostly locals there lending a nice vibe to the joint. I decided on the Fisherman's Platter which consisted of mostly fried seafood with the exception of steamed snow crab legs. The rest of the seafood included fried shrimp, oysters, scallops, grouper and one beautiful soft shell crab as well as hush puppies (eh), cole slaw, fries and two salads. I asked our server what the deal was with the two salads. She told me that the Fisherman's Platter is supposed to be for two people. I told her since this was only going to be for me she should put the salad in a "to go" container for Joanne to take home. This way, without the salad, I'd be able to handle the platter by myself. I did handle it. Done deal. I noticed a couple of raised eyebrows just before I rode off into the sunset of the Northern Neck of Virginia.

[Ron Thorne]

... I noticed a couple of raised eyebrows just before I rode off into the sunset of the Northern Neck of Virginia.

My eyebrows wouldn't have been raised. Only my glass, Antonio.

[hornplayer]

Spent the day Tuesday at the Fancy Food Show and came home with a pound (yes, you read that right!) of Kelley's Katch Tennessee Paddlefish Caviar. It is delicious! We are making piggies of ourselves, putting it on everything from scrambled eggs to baked potatoes, to just plain toast (with sour cream).

If you're in the neighborhood holler and come over to enjoy some with some fine American sparkling wine (Iron Horse, of course. )

[moldyfigg]

Grilled mahi mahi last night with the best marinade/sauce I have found for it: crushed garlic, ground ancho, oregano, cumin in olive oil. Amounts are to your taste.

Salt the fish for about an hour before spreading on some of the sauce, saving some to serve over the fish. Grill and serve with the rest of the sauce, heirloom tomatoes, avocado slices and pickled onions and cucumbers.

[LennyH]

I have to say that I love Pinterest. Not a site that I care about, personally, but my wife finds a lot of recipes on there and it's pretty much changed my life.

[Jimmy Cantiello]

Kathy went shopping yesterday for the ingredients to a seafood boil. Unfortunately she was unable to get any fresh Maryland blue crab so late in the day. However, she was able to score 5 lbs. of Gulf shrimp. A bunch of fresh corns-on-the cob, 3 lbs. of cut up kielbasa, a slew of small whole creamy potatoes, and the shrimp went into a huge pot filled with beer and a generous amount of Old Bay seasoning. The pot filled with the liquid, or maybe I should say elixer, was set on a propane burner outdoors. A basket insert containing the solid ingredients was lowered into the boiling liquid. It wasn't long before we we're enjoying the feast. Beautiful.

[bluenoter]

I have to say that I love Pinterest. Not a site that I care about, personally, but my wife finds a lot of recipes on there and it's pretty much changed my life.

In addition to Food For Thought, there's a JT thread for Recipes. All it needs is to be filled with more posts to make its fare more "filling." I mean, it may not become a banquet like the Food & Drink aggregation at Pinterest, but it could become a nice little snack.

[Jimmy Cantiello]

My idea for dinner for our first day back home was centered around grilling. The day was sunny and warm with low humidity. I decided to grill some meat and fish because I can never make up my mind. I picked up a center cut boneless pork roast, a couple of swordfish steaks and a few zucchini. I took the pork roast and broke it down into one inch thick steaks. I threw a marinade together that included evoo, vermouth and lemon juice for acid and minced garlic (of course) along with a bunch of dried herbs as well as the requisite salt and pepper. That sat and rested for a few hours in the fridge. The swordfish steaks were ready to go from the start. However, I had some butter, parsley and lemon juice in a pan ready to be warmed to pour on the swordfish as it grilled. I split the zuchs in half, scored them on the flat side in a diamond pattern then drizzled them with evoo and let them sit.

When the grill was screaming hot the pork steaks and zuchs, salted and peppered, were put down on the first side. At this point I walked away. The pork would let me know when it should be turned. Within a few minutes it was time. I turned the pork, then I turned the halved squash to the skin side, then I dropped the swordfish. In another few minutes the pork and squash were ready. Soon after that I turned the swordfish to finish it. It was probably no more than 5 minutes total for the fish. A drizzle of balsamic vinegar on the squash, after it was pulled, set it off nicely. Stuffed and satisfied for sure. The post meal grappa as I watched the sun go down was satisfying as well.

[Jimmy Cantiello]

Ah, the perks of being retired. Got up this morning and decided to go out for breakfast. After breakfast I decided to hop on the Harley and see where it would take me. What do you know? It took me north and then east until I arrived in Providence, Rhode Island. Before I knew it I had arrived at Olneyville New York System on Plainfield St. Don't ask. It's a Rhode Island thing. Okay, okay, the New York System in R.I. means a joint that sells what they call wieners. Most of us call them hot dogs or frankfurters. No matter, they're basically the same thing.

Anyway, the R.I. New York System of cooking and serving wieners has a specific protocol. You can google it or check out the website below.

Bottom line, I drove to Providence, had three wieners "all the way", which means served with all the toppings they offer including their specially seasoned ground beef. I had a ball talking with the people who run the joint. They could not believe that I came so far to eat a few wieners, and on a motorcycle no less. They were astounded. In Rhode Island people think driving 20 minutes is a long haul.

All told, I biked 273.2 miles for 3 N.Y. System wieners. But not really. It's not about the destination, it's about the ride. Oh, and by the way, the wieners were fantabulous.

On further reflection, I'm regretting that I didn't order a "cabinet" (milkshake) or a "coffee milk" (not coffee but milk made with a sweet coffee syrup). Go figure. I don't know where they came up with these terms but it's interesting to this food geek just the same. Oh well, I can always hop on the bike and head to Providence to sample those as well.

http://olneyvillenewyorksystem.com/

[Jimmy Cantiello]

Yesterday for date night Joanne and I went to a local joint for Indian. While waiting for our pre-dinner cocktails to arrive we started off with some of the house naan served with three dipping sauces. For an app I decided on shrimp poori. Joanne went with lasuni gobi. I also ordered a couple of vegetable samosas and an order of aloo paratha for the table. I decided on a lamb vidaloo which was nice and spicey hot. Went perfect with my Indian lager. Joanne chose the shrimp tandoori which was mildly spiced.

Our accomodating host Kandel

[Jimmy Cantiello]

Visited Chamard Vinyards in Clinton, Ct. yesterday. Had lunch at their restaurant, The Bistro. I had a Croque Madame made with black forest ham and Swiss cheese. It was topped with a perfectly cooked egg and Mornay sauce. The dish came with a side salad that tasted surprisingly good to this carnivore. I also got an order of killer pommes frites with rosemary salt and roasted garlic aioli. Joanne got grilled flatbread with fig and olive tapenade, chevre ricotta, Serrano ham and baby arugala. We shared a bottle of chardonnay that went for all of ten bucks. Excellent!

[Cem]

As usual, a pleasure to eat vicariously through you, Jimmy… hope we can sit and enjoy some decent grub together someday. I enjoyed the bourbon (?) you treated me to 8 or 10 years ago.

[Jimmy Cantiello]

Damn, Cem. Has it really been that long? I still have the poster you gave me that night. It's the one for Yells At Eels when they appeared at rime. Good memories!

[Cem]

In that case, 8 years ago… crazy, eh? I think we should arrange a big 'meet' soon, around some music and food, naturally. NO jazz fest would be the safe bet…

[Jimmy Cantiello]

Music? Food? Two of my favorite things. It could happen!