This turned out really well. I used organic corn meal, homemade chicken stock, and organic butter and the polenta was beautifully creamy. The anchovies in the vegetable marinade gave them a nice salty flavor. I could have cooked the endive a little more. I grilled a sweet Italian sausage and spread some fresh chopped basil over the polenta. Delicious.

Ingredients
4 heads endive
4 portobellos
6 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic
4 Anchovies finely chopped
1 bunch marjoram chopped
8 tablespoons virgin olive oil
4 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons salt
1 cup polenta
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon butter

Instructions
Preheat grill.

Split radicchio lengthwise and place in glass ovenware dish. Remove feet of portobellos. Split and place feet and caps in same dish. In a small bowl, mix vinegar, garlic, anchovies, marjoram and olive oil. Pour over radicchio and portobellos and let stand one hour.

In a 3 quart saucepan, heat stock until boiling. Drizzle in polenta in a thin stream, whisking constantly, until all polenta is incorporated and mixture begins to thicken. Switch to a wooden spoon, pull off heat and continue to stir until thick as paste. Add parmesan and butter, stir through and set off heat. Place portobellos and endive on grill and cook until just lightly charred on one side, about 4 to 5 minutes, and then turn. Cook 3 to 4 more minutes and remove, dredge in marinade and pace around perimeter of large platter. Pour polenta in center and serve.

I'm sorry I didn't have write-ups for the recipes last week. They were both fine meals - nothing spectacular. And, both evenings, I had other things I really needed to do after I had the kitchen cleaned up.

Tonight's meal, although seemingly basic, was spectacular. The boys got home from school and when I asked them what they wanted for dinner, Alex said, "You haven't used the fryer for awhile." So, I decided to make French fries. Naturally, they don't call them "French fries" in France. They're steak frites. I found this recipe in the terrific Les Halles Cookbook. It seems a little elaborate for "just" fries But damn, they were good. Back in June I bemoaned my inability to properly fry potatoes. These possibly couldn't have been any better.

I used up the last of my Tellicherry pepper on the hamburgers and they were spicy and delicious. I grilled them with swiss cheese and served them on pumpernickel rolls with fresh tomatoes from my parent's garden and a pickled hot pepper. Alex said this was the best meal that he's had "in weeks."

Ingredients
4 - 5 Idaho potatoes
Peanut oil for frying
Table salt

Instructions
Peel potatoes and cut them into 1/2 inch thick sticks. Soak in ice water for 30 minutes and rinse to remove all surface starch. Dry potatoes with a towel. Blanch potatoes in batches in 280 degree oil for 6 to 8 minutes. Let blanched frites rest for 15 minutes. Fry them in 375 degree oil for 2 to 3 minutes until browned and crispy. Remove from fryer, drain, salt, and serve.

Ingredients
2/3# ground chuck
crushed black pepper
kosher salt

Instructions
Combine all ingredients and form into two patties. Press more black pepper onto the surface of the patties. Grill until medium rare. Simple.

Ingredients
4 catfish fillets
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons chili powder blend
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons minced parsley leaves
2 tablespoons minced garlic
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup all- purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup vegetable oil
Lemon wedges

Instructions
Place the catfish in a shallow bowl or baking dish. Season the fillets with 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon of the chili powder. Add the lemon juice, parsley, and garlic. Turn the catfish several times to coat evenly. Allow mixture to stand at room temperature for up to 10 minutes.

Combine the cornmeal, flour, salt, and the remaining chili powder in a shallow bowl. Remove the catfish from the marinade and dredge in the cornmeal mixture, coating evenly.

Heat the oil in a large, deep, cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the catfish, in batches, and fry until golden brown on both sides, turning once, 3 to 4 minutes per side.

Remove catfish from the skillet with a slotted spatula and drain on paper-towels. Season with salt and serve immediately with additional parsley and lemon wedges.

Ingredients
2 red bell peppers halved lengthwise
2 tablespoons butter
1 bunch scallions
2 1/2 cups Corn
2 tomatoes, peeled seeded, and diced
1 fresh mozzarella cheese 4 to 5 ounces, finely diced
2 tablespoons finely sliced basil leaves
2/3 cup fresh bread crumbs
Salt and freshly milled pepper
Paprika

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly butter a baking dish just large enough to hold the peppers.

If the red peppers won't stand upright, slice them lengthwise in half, leaving the stem end intact. Steam them for 5 minutes and set aside.

Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the scallions, corn, and tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes over medium heat. Turn off the heat and stir in the cheese, basil, and half the bread crumbs. Season with salt and pepper. Fill the peppers and top with the remaining bread crumbs. Set them in a prepared dish, add a few tablespoons water to the dish, cover, and bake until the corn is hot and the peppers are cooked, about 25 minutes. Uncover and brown the tops under the broiler. Dust with paprika and serve.

Ingredients
3 T Curry mix
Tofu
4 tomatoes
1 green pepper
1 can chick peas
1 chopped onion
1 T olive oil

Saute onion and green pepper in oil. Add everything else. Serve over basmati rice with mint chutney.

This was totally simple. I used the leftover roast pork from Wednesday. I didn't want to use plain dill pickles and I was lucky to find Tony Packo's Sweet Hots.

These were delicious.

Ingredients
Cuban bread loaves
roasted pork
smoked ham
Swiss cheese
sliced dill pickles

Instructions
Preheat the panini grill. Slice the bread loaves in half. Build each sandwich with the roasted pork, ham, cheese and pickles. Place the sandwiches on the hot grill and squeeze it firmly to flatten the sandwich. Grill the sandwiches for 2 to 3 minutes until browned. Slice the sandwich in half and serve with mustard.

Ingredients
1 can black beans
4 plum tomatoes chopped
Salt
2 cups corn kernels
1/2 Red onion chopped
1 bunch cilantro chopped
Lime Juice
1/4 cup olive oil
Pepper
Cayenne

Instructions
In a serving bowl toss tomatoes with salt and set aside for 10-15 minutes to bring out juices. Add beans, corn, and onion and mix well. Add cilantro, lime juice and oil. Stir to coat. Season with salt, pepper and cayenne to taste. Serve immediately, or set aside for 30 minutes for flavors to intensify

I cooked my parents a big meal before my dad entered the hospital. Tonight's was the big meal to celebrate him leaving the hospital. This was supposed to be lamb chops. But, my mom's brother, Chuck is in town and I got a call from my mom Monday night that Chuck doesn't eat anything that begins with an "L." Oookay. No Lamb. So, I needed to change my menu. I considered making only things that begin with an "L" like Vichyssoise (leek soup), lasagne, lentils, etc... but I couldn't come up with a menu of "L" items that would actually be good together. I abandonded the plan. Chuck brought my grandma too, which is always a treat. (Look at my June 8th entry for more about my very sweet grandmother.) But, this also meant that I needed to be concerned about her dietary needs. I needed to avoid dairy and really spicy things. I was going to still make some unusual things and hope they weren't too weird for her. I figured pork loins were a safe (non-"L") alternative as long as I didn't use the word "Loin" around Chuck.



The Plum Soup was a terrific starter. It is pretty unusual but it was delicious. I made it Tuesday night so it was nicely chilled and I served it in chilled bowls. The skeptics were won over quickly. Nick even liked it (except for the almonds).

The Fennel and Orange Salad was the weakest link of the meal. No one except Alex and I had had fennel before. I used too much orange juice in the dressing so it didn't cling to the fennel very well. When I was plating it I knew that there was supposed to be something on top and it seemed natural that it was crushed black pepper. Actually, the recipe called for chopped mint - which I chopped and had waiting right next to me on the counter. Actually, the pepper was better. I should have put even more on. In fact, it should have been called "Peppered Orange and Fennel Salad."

I was very pleased with the flavor of the pork. I cooked it to 170 degrees just to make sure it was done enough for my Grandma and Uncle but it would have been a little juicier at 160. However, the bacon, garlic, and spices were delicious and I think it was some of the best pork I've ever made. I prepared three loins but we only needed two so I'll be making Cuban sandwiches in the next few days. I've got to find the right pickles.

The sweet potatoes were very lemony. I cut the glaze recipe in half and it still almost totally overpowered the flavor of the sweet potatoes (or yams - whatever). But they made a nice balance with the spicy pork.

The sorbet was terrific. The mint with the melon almost had a banana flavor. I considered just putting a few dots of balsamic glaze on the sorbet but instead opted for a (shamefully store bought) ginger crisp and some tasty small strawberries macerated with sugar and balsamic vinegar. Good.

I roasted some Guatemalan coffee for after dinner but wanted something to go with it. I didn't think that the melon sorbet would go good with coffee. So, I made the Chocolate Chipotle Brownies I made a few weeks ago. I made them Tuesday night so I had a few that I took to work too. When I made them for the pig roast, I wasn't able to get many people's reaction to them. This time, I was able to watch 12 different people try them.

Their reactions were so similar as to be comical.
1) Skepticism and doubt
2) A Reluctant taste
3) Mmm, good chocalately brownie
4) Puzzled because they taste the cinnamon but not the pepper
5) Relief that they survived the experience
6) Oh wait! It's getting hot - "I taste it now."
7) Wow, that's really good

I don't think I've ever made something that generated such entertaining reactions. My grandma was watching the reactions and decided to try one so she had the unenviable position of EVERYONE watching her reaction. She reacted just like everyone else.

This was a pretty elaborate meal but I really enjoyed making it. I had been looking forward to it for over a month. Both my grandma and uncle said some very kind words to me and I was gratified that they appreciated the meal. Chuck mentioned several times that my cousin Karen and her husband would really like cooking with me. So, Karen, I'm looking forward to it.

Ingredients
1 small honeydew melon
1 cup minted simple syrup
1/4 cup packed fresh mint leaves
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 cups packed fresh mint leaves
1 cup sugar
1 cup water

Instructions
Chop mint. In a saucepan bring sugar, water and mint to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Simmer syrup, undisturbed, 2 minutes. Pour syrup through a fine sieve, pressing hard on solids, and cool. Syrup keeps, covered and chilled, 2 weeks.

Remove and discard rind and seeds from melon and cut enough fruit into 1/2-inch cubes to measure 2 1/2 cups. In a blender puree all ingredients until smooth. Chill puree, covered, until cold, at least 1 hour, and up to 6. Freeze puree in an ice-cream maker. Transfer sorbet to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden.

Ingredients
1 head garlic top sliced off
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pork tenderloins (about 1 to 1 1/2 pound each) trimmed of excess fat
Salt & pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
12 fresh sage leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
12 slices Bacon
2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Place garlic in a small ramekin, drizzle with 1-tablespoon olive oil, and wrap in foil. Bake until soft, about 45 minutes. When cool enough to handle, squeeze garlic flesh from head into a small bowl.

Arrange tenderloins on work surface. Rub the top each tenderloin with 1/2 of the roasted garlic and season with salt and pepper. Mix together the herbs and scatter half of the mix over the garlic on each tenderloin. Wrap 6 strips of bacon around each tenderloin and tie bacon in place with kitchen twine.

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Heat oil in a medium, skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the tenderloins until golden brown on all sides. Transfer seared tenderloins to medium roasting pan; place in the oven and cook to medium doneness about 8 to10 minutes. Transfer tenderloins to cutting board and let stand 10 minutes. Remove twine before carving.

Ingredients
2 cups fresh lemon juice
2 cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon finely chopped lemon zest
5 large sweet potatoes peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt & pepper

Instructions
Combine juice, sugar and zest in a small non-reactive pan and reduce to 1/2 cup. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Toss sweet potatoes in oil and roast in a large ovenproof skillet. Roast until lightly golden brown and just cooked through. Remove the pan from the oven and place on a burner over medium heat. Add the glaze to the potatoes and toss to coat evenly. Saute potatoes until all are glazed.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons olive oil

1 large fennel bulb
3 large navel oranges
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves

Instructions
In a bowl, whisk together all the first four ingredients. Dressing may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.

Trim stalks from fennel and with a mandoline, thinly slice fennel bulb crosswise. With a sharp knife, cut a slice from top and bottom of each orange to expose flesh and arrange cut side down on a cutting board, cutting from top to bottom, remove peel and pith. Cut oranges crosswise into 1/4-inch thick slices.

Arrange fennel and orange decoratively on a platter and scatter with mint. Whisk dressing and drizzle over salad.

Ingredients
2 1/2 # black plums, pitted and chopped
1 qt apple juice
1 slice gingeroot
1 berry allspice
1/2 stick cinnamon
1 T lemon juice
3/4 cup honey
6 T sour cream
2 T toasted slivered almonds

Instructions
Combine plums, apple juice, spices, and honey and heat over medium heat. Simmer until plums are tender - about 20 minutes. Remove ginger, allspice and cinnamon stick.

Puree the soup until it is very smooth. Add lemon juice.

Cool soup in an ice bath until cool and transfer to the refrigerator for 2-3 hours to fully chill.

Serve the soup in chilled bowls, garnished with a dollop of sour cream a few toasted almonds.

After my weekend of licentiousness my system needed something a little lighter. This turned out great. I used the same ahi tuna that I normally use for sushi. I crushed the macadamias by putting them in a zip top bag and smacking them with the back of a wooden spoon. They browned nicely on the tuna and gave it a buttery richness. I added sesame seeds to the dressing and it was wonderfully sweet with a subtle wasabi flavor. The cucumbers and tomatoes were both locally grown and were juicy and flavorful. This was a terrific meal - I could have eaten 5 servings. Yesterday, I probably would have. This was just about as far from a garbage plate as a meal could be - just what I wanted.

Ingredients
2 tuna steak
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup macadamia nuts coarsely chopped
Cooking spray
Salad Greens
1/4 cucumber thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon wasabi paste
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoon Sesame Oil
3 tablespoons virgin olive oil
Salt & pepper

Instructions
Coat the tuna with salt and pepper and press into macadamias. Heat a pan over high heat. Spray grill surface and add tuna steak to the hot cooking surface and sear tuna 2 minutes on each side. Remove tuna from heat.

Combine greens, cucumber in a bowl. In a smaller bowl, whisk wasabi, vinegar, and soy sauce. Whisk in oils to combine dressing. Drizzle dressing over your salad and toss to coat evenly. Slice tuna on an angle and arrange on the salad. Scatter browned macadamias over tuna.

This past weekend, my baseball team played in Rochester, New York. My good friend Scot, is an alumnus of Rochester Institute of Technology and he has always ranted about this place called Nick Tahou's and their signature dish - the garbage plate. He and I made our own garbage plates back in May and they were delicious. But something wasn't quite authentic. You can read about our attempt (and a little more back-story) here. Saturday night, a few teammates and I visited the birthplace of the garbage plate so I could try to analyze what I did wrong so I could give Scot a more authentic taste of his college days.

This is Nick's. Um, how do I put this? Nick's is not in the nicest of neighborhoods. It is definitely better visiting Nick's when the sun is shining. Apparently, the management agrees. They close at 8:00 p.m.


This was the staff. They were very friendly and very busy. We were going to the Rochester Red Wings game and there were dozens in there getting a G.P. to take to the game. We’re eating in. I doubt that the interior of the restaurant looks much different than it did fifteen years ago when Scot was there. It was pretty sparsely decorated but it was certainly clean enough.


The manager could tell we were tourists and told us what to get: “Five cheeseburger plates with everything.” But, of course! That’s what we were there for. When she set these on the counter Drew was giggling like a little girl.


I’m just getting ready to dig in.


Here’s a closer shot. On the bottom is hash browns and macaroni salad. Two cheeseburger patties are next. Yellow mustard is spread on the cheeseburgers and raw onions are spooned on the mustard. On top of everything is Nick’s Special Sauce. It is served with bread and butter.


We really had to wolf these things down. We were being introduced on the field before the Red Wings game and I had promised Mark, our team captain, that I would get the five of us there on time. I was the only one who finished my meal. Both, Jason and Bob got close but Matt and Drew are a couple of bantams.
(l-r) Matt, Drew, Jason, Bob (sitting) and Me


The manager was really a good sport and very friendly. Do I look noticeably heavier in this picture? I feel like it.


We made it to the game on time and were on the field. Mark and Rich look like they could have used a garbage plate.


Heather (pictured with husband Shane) and Mark threw out first pitches before the game.


Okay, I know this isn’t about food but this is too cool not to share. This kid got TWO foul balls in the first inning of the game. He was just a section away from us. Drew almost got the first ball. He seemed like a good kid. Check out his mom. She was laughing uncontrollably.


Check out how far their seats are from home plate. I love it.


This isn’t about food either, but again, it’s too good not to share. The Red Wings won the game 10-6 and we went back to our campground. Across the street from the campground was a small race track and it was loud – really loud. No one in the campground was going to sleep until the racing was over. Several of us went over to peek through the fence but we got separated and I sneaked though an unwatched gate. I got up to the top of the stands and struck up a conversation with several of the exceedingly friendly and excessively fervent people there. They were incredulous that I had never been to a race like this. When I asked them what they called this type of racing they looked at me like I was an alien. The finally told me after they all had a good laugh – sprint cars. It was very exciting and the people were hilarious.


Oh, I almost forgot – we won our two baseball games – 30-10 and 14-0. It was a good day.

This is a great sandwich. Basically, it's a ham sandwich on French toast. I put some pepper in the egg wash so the French toast had a nice spiciness. For the mustard, I had some cranberry horseradish mustard. This sandwich is sweet and savory at the same time. I loved it.

Unfortunately, the picture doesn't show how nicely browned the goat cheese was. The cheese is slightly sour. The apple turned a little sweet under the broiler. The dressing had a strong vinegar and mustard flavor. The mâche was tender and wilted slightly from the heat of the apples and cheese. This was a really nicely balanced salad. Alex didn't like it.

Ingredients
2 large eggs beaten
1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
2 tablespoons butter
8 thick cut sliced soft bread
1/2 cup brown mustard
1/2 cup whole berry cranberry sauce
1/2 pound sliced havarti cheese
1 pound sliced ham
1 pound sliced turkey breast

Instructions
Beat eggs with pepper. Add 1 tablespoon butter to the griddle or pan and melt. Turn 4 slices bread in batter, then add to griddle or pan. Turn bread after it browns, 2 to 3 minutes. Top half of the bread slices with mustard, the other half with cranberry sauce. Add 1 slice of cheese on the cranberry covered bread. Add ham, then turkey to the mustard covered bread. Use a spatula to assemble 2 sandwiches and turn and press gently to set sandwiches in place.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoon Red raspberry jelly
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 small garlic clove minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 Mâche
1 Granny Smith apple sliced
4 ounces mild goat cheese
1/4 cup Pine nuts

Instructions
Combine the vinegar, jelly, mustard, garlic, salt, and pepper, and shake well to blend. Add the oil and parsley and shake.

On 4 plates, arrange the mâche. Preheat the broiler, and arrange the sliced apples slightly overlapping in 4 fan shapes, place in broiler pan. Cut the cheese into 4 slices and top each apple fan with slices of cheese. Broil until golden for approximately 5 minutes. Using a spatula, carefully place the apple slices and cheese on top of the endive. Drizzle the dressing over the salads.

This was a meal I had planned to make while we were camping. It was ridiculously easy to make and was a nice light meal. Nothing tricky here. I served the honeydew with a little chili oil drizzled on it.

Ingredients
1 cucumber
1 C ripe red tomato, diced
1/2 C red onion, finely chopped
2 T fresh lime juice
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 tsp. granulated sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 C dry small shell pasta, cooked and drained

Instructions
Peel the cucumber and cut in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to gently scrape away the seeds. Cut in half again lengthwise and dice the cucumber. Place cucumber, tomato, red onion, lime juice, cilantro, sugar, salt and pepper in a bowl with pasta. Toss gently. Transfer to a serving bowl; chill at least 15 minutes before serving.

I took the boys camping on Kelley's Island. The last time we went camping, all we ate was pie-iron food and s'mores. Even though it was very fun, it got old quick. This time, I was deteremined to make something a bit better. I made basic vegetable fajitas with guacamole and saffron rice over charcoal. I had a great time doing it and it was the best camping food I've ever had.

This is the rice just starting to simmer.


The fajitas. This is the worst pan ever. I've been using it while camping for years but it is almost tinfoil thin. If you ever NEED to burn water - this is the pan for you. I hate it and never remember to replace it until I'm actually camping. I will replace it before I go camping again. It actually did okay on the fajitas but on Thursday morning I used it to make the ugliest pancakes ever. I would have happily included pictures of the pancakes here but I didn't think of it.


Toasting the tortillas for the fajitas over charcoal. Delicious.


For me, one of the best things about camping, is cooking coffee outside. If I'm sleeping on the ground, I'm making coffee over fire.


Thursday morning on Kelley's Island.

Instructions
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup chopped white onions
1/4 cup chopped green bell peppers
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 cups long grain rice
1 large tomato, peeled, seeded and chopped
4 cups chicken stock, or water
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon saffron
1 teaspoon chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1/4 cup chopped green onions

Instructions
In a medium, heavy saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and bell peppers, and cook, stirring, until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the rice and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the stock, salt, and saffron, and stir well. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat to low, cover, and cook undisturbed until all the liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes.

Remove from the heat and let sit, covered, for 10 minutes. Uncover and fluff the rice with a fork. Add the cilantro, and stir to incorporate.