Eating Video Games

Sushi-O

2012-01-22T17:48:00.002-05:00

Sushi o
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

I had lunch at Sushi-O in Midlothian. The food was very good, although expensive. I had the Yellowtail ceviche

The marinade was incredible, sweet, a bit spicy and paired very well with the fish and the radish garnish.

I also had the lunch menu 2 piece (octopus and spicy tuna) this was served with a cucumber salad. The salad was very refreshing, The spicy tuna was very tasty and the octopus perfectly cooked.

I enjoyed every dish, but still was a bit sticker shocked at the prices (notable on their menu) The host and waiter were great and the place is very cool.

IronFish

2011-12-31T15:50:00.003-05:00

squid
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

My wife and I went to IronFish for our 17th wedding anniversary. A Friday night, she had called ahead, but they don't make reservations so we braved it anyway. The wait when we got there around 7:30 was 45 minutes, which is not horrible but enough to get your attention and think of different options. We stepped outside and started calling other nearby restaurants, but within 20 minutes the hostess came out and called our name. We bypassed several larger parties that had been waiting longer than us, as a 2 person table had become available. I was a bit embarrassed but then figured out that they couldn't have sat those people at this table anyway. The restaurant is very nice with some booths and two table areas as well as a bar which was packed. My wife had seen the Richmond Magazine cover of best new restaurants with the fried squid and wanted to get that as an appetizer so we did. We also shared a bottle of wine (tempranillo, which we brought home and finished off the second half of the bottle at home, hey it is our anniversary)

The squid were very tasty and tender, there are banana peppers breaded and intermixed which add a nice tangyness, but my wife doesn't particularly care for that. I thought they were good. My wife ordered the crab cakes for her main course, (althought she vacilated between the lamb shank)

She liked them very much and actually brought one home and had it for lunch today, thought it was still very good. I ordered the whole branzino

Perfectly crispy with flacky meat. I love the crispy tail and flippers. I did not bring any home as none survived. We shared two desserts, the key lime pie with mango cream and the chocolate cake

both very good, but the key lime pie was the more tasty of the two. We had a very nice evening, the service was very prompt, casual and friendly despite what looked to be a very busy night. As we left we could hear the wait staff explaining that some items where sold out, but we did not run into that issue. This is another great addition to the RVA seafood restaurants, we will definitely be back.

Boricua in RVA

2011-12-25T16:31:00.002-05:00

done
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

I cooked up a puertorican christmas meal this year. Pork roast, rice and beans, bread and salad. The pork shoulder was seasoned with salt, pepper, oregano, olive oil and vinegar. I roasted it at 300 deg for half hour per pound till it came to an internal temp of 180 deg farenheit. Till it looked like this

after resting...

on platter

I served it with white rice and red beans. The beans began with a sofrito. of onions, garlic, carrot, later peppers, celery, pancetta, oregano, parsley, salt, pepper. pimenton and cumin

Then added tomato paste and chicken stock

This was simmered for an hour then the beans and some cooked yuca where added, and served over white rice

Very traditional, very tasty, and some leftovers to boot.

China Poblano

2011-11-04T16:45:00.003-04:00

china poblano
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

During my trip to Las Vegas I made a point of checking out Jose Andres' China Poblano. I loved it, so I ended up eating here twice, once alone the second time I dragged three friends with me. I have eaten tapas at Jaleo and the tasting menu at Cafe Atlantico in DC, both very good but I found China Poblano as a more fun dinner, the menu is amazing with both chinese and mexican dishes and some fusion of both.
They run 3 kitchens, the open chinese

The open mexican

and a closed kitchen in the back. I think they also service the Vegas version of Jaleo which sits one floor up. (both these restaurants are in The Cosmopolitan hotel)
Here are some of the dishes we had, Duck tongue tacos

very tasty but not very duck tasting, beef tongue taco with pork rinds

This was incredible.
A noodle and seafood dish titled shrimp nest, with veg and mushrooms

Su Mai, good, but not the stars of the night.

Beijing glass noodle soup, the broth was perfect.

Shrimp Mojo, I think this was my favorite

Seared scallops (i didn't try this but they looked good)

we got some greens, Green Beans with Lotus

Very tasty Tamal

Ok I was lying earlier, this was my favorite, the red pozole

Great food, accompanied by the house drink the salt foam margarita,

Would strongly reccomend a visit if in Las Vegas.

CarneVino Las Vegas Nevada

2011-10-23T20:06:00.005-04:00

Don't climb or sit
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

I went to a conference in Las Vegas, where I got to meet up with a lot of friends, but also got to eat at great places.

We ate at CarnevIno, one of Mario Batali's restaurants. Tremendous steak place with tremendous price ranges (expensive).
We started out with bread with either butter or lardo for toppings

We picked the beef cheek ravioli, (probably the best thing we had all night)

The gnochi bolognese

Foie gras

Scalopini

20 ounce pork chop

and the 8 month dry aged bone in reserva rib eye. This is only available once or twice a year, as you would expect for a cut aged so agressivly.

The steak was great, the taste of beef was accentuated, as was the funkiness of mushrooms and earth.

We had a couple of drinks, the service was outstanding, the food delectable and the price albeight outrageous we had a great time.

Bistro 27 Lunch

2011-09-15T17:23:00.002-04:00

Sausage salad
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

I had some time so I ran into Bistro 27 for lunch. Very nice space, the menu was interesting, (I may have to come back with my wife for dinner) I ordered the sausage salad, Locally produced by Sausage Craft, a pork and Pecorino cheese sausage with frisée salad dressed in a balsamic vinaigrette, served with french fries

The salad dressing on mixed greens was great the sausage was awesome with a great juicy bite. The fries where cut thin and crispy seasoned well. Great meal, the menu was very intersting making me want to go back.

The Blue Goat

2011-09-09T16:41:00.003-04:00

GLT
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

I went to lunch at The Blue Goat with my partners from work. Loved the interior and enormous bar area. I ordered the GLT (Goat lettuce and tomato sandwich)

It was very good with the braised goat bringing a great substitute flavor for bacon.
My partners both had the cow and pig burger topped with a duck egg

They both agreed that it was very good. I realized too late that we didn't order any fries with pork dust, serious mistake that will have to be remedied. Also Hank Shaw of Hunter Angler Gardner Cook will be there this month so sign up if you want to.

Sugarcane Raw Bar and Grill (Miami)

2011-08-31T12:38:00.003-04:00

waffle2
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

What I did on my summer vacation! Flew down to Ft Lauderdale with the family and met up with a friend (Mike) and his family that I haven't seen in person since 1986.

Despite this and thanks to Facebook I felt like I knew his wife and family. We had previously planned on a grand meal... and for heaven's sake we had one. Mike drove us down to Miami and we ate at Sugarcane Raw Bar and Grill. We had reservations for 8, 4 adults and 4 teens. We were promptly seated and mike proceeded to order the entire freaking menu in multiples of 4. We had other diners stopping by and ogling our spread, it was decadent and spectacular with the teens feasting as only teens can do. Here are most of the dishes.
We started with fried pig ears

crunchy and delicious, followed closely by edamame and fried shisito peppers

Food began arriving in rapid succesion after this, croquetas and bacon wrapped figs

a seafood tower, multiple views!

Then steamed pork buns (delicious) and ceviche

Cured meat plates

beef tartare with a quail egg

Wagyu beef sliders with a fried quail egg on top (also spectacular)

Bone marrow with veal stew trimmings

grilled squid and octopus

chinese barbecue spare ribs

Duck confit on a waffle, topped with a fried duck egg

and finally dessert, torrejas, rhubarb pie, ice cream

The whole affair was monumental and incredibly fun. Every dish was outstanding and the company supreme.

Hope not to go 25 years before the next get together.

Breakfast with no power

2011-08-29T10:49:00.001-04:00

breakfast smile
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

Sensi

2011-08-15T19:25:00.002-04:00

crab cakes
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

I went to Sensi with a large group of people and we had a tremendous meal, and a great time. I tried to document most peoples dishes but didn't succeed with some, here are some of the great dishes we had.

They offered us a mixed appetizer dish (for parties of 7 or more) which included fried calamari

very thick not gummi or hard, perfectly cooked.
Seared tuna with onions

Mini crabcakes

all where excellent (I may have missed some)
On the mains we had:
Lamb chops

Risotto with seared tuna

crab cakes

Fetuccini with pesto (for the vegetarian in the group)

and the ribeye

The food was tremendous, and the ambiance great. We put down a couple of bottles of wine and brought home a ton of food. a great place to eat as a group, but also one for couples as they seated us away from the 2 people tables.

Acacia Midtown - Wines of New Zealand

2011-08-11T19:37:00.004-04:00

agave honey
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo I went to dinner with some partners from work, we went to Acacia at one of their wine dinners.
I have been to Acacia before and really like it.

This time around we had Seafood Sausage as the first course.

paired with a 2011 Lawson Hill's Pinot Gris
The dish went very well with the wine, which most of us liked the most (the wine)

This was followed by a cucumber and melon salad

Served with a 2009 Lawson Hill's Gewurztraminer wine. The wine was shockingly fragrant and bold, but actually went very well with the melon

I went with the Porchetta main over the tuna

Nicely marbled cut of pork, it could have had a more crispy skin but it was still delicious. It was paired with a 2009 Momo Sauvignon blanc, that also went very well with the dish.

I had the cheese plate with agave honey for dessert

I was very happy with the food and wine pairings and as a group we had a great time.

The Empress

2011-08-10T17:34:00.003-04:00

Roasted Vegetables
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

I ate lunch at The Empress today. The menu is interesting with breakfast and lunch options available till 5pm. I ordered the vichyssoise soup and the Roasted Vegetable Plate.
The vichyssoise was had great flavor and was nicely cold on a hot day.

The Roasted Vegetables where outstanding. I think this is the best bunch of vegetables I have ever eaten, seriously. I have had great menestras de verduras in spain but those have ham in them, this was straight up tasty veg.

The hummus was garlicky, and paired well with the well seasoned vegetables. I had a great lunch, attentive service in a nice place.

OK Another Paella

2011-08-09T22:49:00.003-04:00

paella
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

I've posted these a couple of times, but they are easy and tasty, should be made by all, depending on the ingredients you have.

Started with chorizo

peeled shrimp, shells saved

bag of clams

roasted and peeled red pepper

Started out by sauteeing the shrimp shells in olive oil.

removed the shells and sauteed the chorizo

then added the peeled shrimp

sauteed for a bit and removed it all. Sauteed garlic with the bomba rice and added pimenton and sauteed for a couple of seconds more.

before adding the chicken stock (3 to 1 liquid to rice)

brought it to a boil and addd the peppers

I then added the clams

I added the shrimp and chorizo back when the rice began to show

Terrific dish, quite a few steps but done in under 30 minutes with all ingredients prepped.

padron pepper pizza

2011-08-08T19:52:00.004-04:00

piquillo pepper pizza
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

Pizza crust, pizza sauce, wilted spinach and whole blistered padron peppers. Tasty!

Geoduck harvests by Manny Howard

2011-07-21T17:18:00.001-04:00

Stuntfoodways founder Manny Howard writes about American Indian tribes in the Pacific Northwest dominating a rich trade in giant clams.

Bloomberg

Karen's City Diner - Great food

2011-07-14T17:32:00.003-04:00

Fried salted herring
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

Grabbed some breakfast at Karen's City Diner on Broad Street after dropping my daughter off at camp. I have driven by this place multiple times and thought about trying it but I'm glad I finally did. The staff was incredibly friendly. They clearly remembered the frequent customers and what they usually ordered. I checked out the breakfast menu and the fried herring stood out to me. I went with grits and a short stack as sides but there are obviously other choices. The fish was perfectly fried, crispy and flavorfull, the eggs also perfect sunny side up. Grits great, pancakes great (would consider coming back just for some pancakes.)

I really enjoyed this meal and will be back... maybe work my way into the regular circle.

latke and lamb

2011-07-06T22:44:00.003-04:00

latke brown
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

I cooked a quick version of latke and paired it with some grilled lamb. The latke I made with grated onion (1), potato (3), one tablespoon salt, one tablespoon granulated garlic, one (1) teaspoon lime 3 tablespoons of dry oregano. I grabbed a small bit of the potato mix and dropped it in an inch of hot vegetable oil.

I turned it multiple times, knowing where the hot spots on the pan where. till it looked like this

The lamb I cooked on indirect heat on the grill till it was nice and medium rare...

Really great home cooking not too hard although a bit time consuming, lamb and fried shredded potato

Kentico Cuban Bar & Grill

2011-07-01T19:38:00.003-04:00

logo
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

The boy and I were left alone for another weekend so we decided to eat out. Initially we shot for Comfort, but the drive by showed a line of people so we drove around the block and ended up at Kentico.

I ordered one of the specialty mojitos which was very good

The boy went with the cuban sandwich

I ordered the roast pork with yuca in mojo sauce

with a side of black beans

The boy thought the sandwich was very good. My pork was good, I prefer it when it is not shredded for me, but it was very tasty. The yuca was excellent, garlicky and well seasoned as were the beans.
I ordered the guava and cheese dessert

The candied guava was very good, but the pairing with cream cheese although complimentary on the salt and sweet front is not as good as using a harder cheese such as queso fresco.
The boy had the tres leches cake

Which he thought was also very good. I ended with an espresso.

A nice meal good friendly service.

Healing Potion: Dos Pistolas

2011-06-19T10:38:00.002-04:00

Dos Pistolas Gold
Originally uploaded by ericmonasterio

Banana infused whiskey by my brother. Although he sometimes makes a rum version

other limited editions

custom seals

wax seal of quality

and in emergency size

The recipe is secret but one picture from our spy camera reveals some of the early process, just this time with Rum

before and after

All pictures pilfered from my brothers flickr sets.

Paella negra con esparagos

2011-06-18T15:12:00.003-04:00

Paella negra con esparagos
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

Black rice paella with white asparagus.

I made a small paella for lunch. I wanted to make a very dark inky rice, some of my previous attempts yielded a rice much more on the grey side, so for this dish I used a much more generous amount of ink. This paella also ends up being meatless, vegetarian friendly if you don't mind seafood products.
The ingredients are few:

Asparagus, these are very high quality canned white asparagus

quality assurance tab

You should taste the liquid the asparagus come canned or jarred in. If it tastes good, not overly salty or metallic tasting then save it and use it as part of your liquid for the rice. This liquid was saved and used. (about 3/4 cup)

I also used a high quality cuttlefish/squid ink. I've used the little envelopes before and they are just ok, this really has a great squid aroma, and also I believe, a higher protein/collagen content. It is thicker and ends up being very unctuous in the finished product.

I used a cup and a half of bomba rice

I used hot pimenton as I figured the heat would go well with the ink and scarcity of ingredients

Chopped onions and garlic round up the ingredients.

Preparation; I heated up a small paella pan

Added olive oil and sauteed the onions and garlic

as soon as the garlic began to brown I added the rice and sauteed it with the onions and garlic

After half a minute or so I added the pimenton, about one teaspoon

I mixed it in and quickly added my liquid (the pimenton can burn and turn bitter rather quickly) which was just the asparagus water and regular water to make up 3 times the rice volume, so in this case 4 and a half cups

I then added two heaping teaspoons of the ink

I mixed to incorporate and tasted for salt.

The ink adds a bit of salt but it still needed a pinch more. I let it boil on the stovetop and the color began to set

It was very fragrant, smelling of the sea with clearly noticeable squid aroma.
When the rice was nearly dry I added the asparagus over top, they are already cooked so just need to warm up a bit.

Served the dish was excellent, a very unctuous mouth feel, almost silky awesome ocean taste with a nice texture and taste contrast from the asparagus.

Clearly the rice turned a deep shiny black which I really liked. The ink would also make a great base for a pasta sauce. May have to buy some squid bodies and stuff them with the leftover rice, they would be nice grilled. Excellent dish overall.

Black Sheep without the excess

2011-06-09T22:00:00.003-04:00

sausage and pork platter
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

We ventured back to Black Sheep for lunch, on a sweltering weekday afternoon, we arrived just about 11:45 for lunch and strolled right in. We where a bit surprised as previous visits it has been packed. Probably the heat keeping people out. Anyway better for us. We settled in and reminisced on our previous visit. We decided to avoid another giant battleship and ordered.
We went with the Sausage and pork platter (not really the name of the dish but I can't remember it officially)

The sausage was very tasty, but the pork was perfect, pulled but chunky perfectly flavored.
I went with a side of corn pudding.

just the right sweetness with great flavor.
My fellow lunchers ordered the
Green Eggs and Ham

described as awesome by the eater and by the menu "Three eggs scrambled with a basil pesto, spinach & pancetta.
Garnished with shredded parmesan & green tomato sauce. Served over grilled french bread"

and then the Barn and Bay breakfast sandwich
"Scrambled eggs mixed with crabmeat, country ham, green onion & swiss cheese on buttered & griddled texas toast."

Described as "by the way... this is awesome"
Even without the spectacle the food is great, service was prompt and we hesitated to head back out into the heat.

Drowning in Crawfish

2011-06-04T19:03:00.001-04:00

Nearly killed myself over memorial day

Crawfish

Continued Nerditude

2011-05-22T22:32:00.001-04:00

We followed up Wootstock and PAX with a concert at the Hat Factory, Jonathan Coulton and Paul and Storm. This was the second time they have come to this venue. They were great the first time and better this second time with new material on both sides.
We showed up ready for some Aperture Science

The show was great, with an awesome crowd. appropriate songs such as a Mother's day song

Mother's Day Song from Eugenio Monasterio on Vimeo.

In keeping with mother's day... the Vagina song

vagina song from Eugenio Monasterio on Vimeo.

and as usuall, another version of Fancy Pants by Jonathan Coulton

Fancy Pants from Eugenio Monasterio on Vimeo.

Great Show at a great venue.

A Season of Nerd

2011-05-22T16:51:00.004-04:00

This is a late post on geeking it up with my kids. I previously posted on taking my daughter to W00tstock in NYC, and in return I took my son to PAX East in Boston this year.

PAX (Penny Arcade Expo) is perhaps the most fan based gaming exposition in the country. It is run the way gamers would enjoy, the unoficial motto is "Don't be a Dick" the security is all volunteer force of "enforcers" cookies are sold to benefit Childs Play and concerts are held on the first two nights.

Welcome to PAX from Eugenio Monasterio on Vimeo.

We cruised through the exhibitor section,

and my son liked this the most so we spent a lot of time playing prerelease games.

3d games, kinect games, etc. I had planned on attending more of the talks and sessions but the boy was having too much fun, so I hung with him.

We did have great food though we managed our time between the conference and great food. We ate at the Legal Test food Kitchen, which is a test restaurant for Legal Sea Food.

(During happy hour oysters are a dollar),

The Barking Crab great seafood, although a very crowded touristy place.

In the evenings concerts dominated the expo.

But on the first night, The Omeganauts dominated the scene with a live giant Jenga competition.

PAX Jenga 1 from Eugenio Monasterio on Vimeo.

PAX Jenga 2 from Eugenio Monasterio on Vimeo.

PAX Jenga 3 from Eugenio Monasterio on Vimeo.

PAX Jenga 4 from Eugenio Monasterio on Vimeo.

PAX Jenga 5 from Eugenio Monasterio on Vimeo.

PAX Jenga 6 from Eugenio Monasterio on Vimeo.

PAX Jenga 7 from Eugenio Monasterio on Vimeo.

That was followed by a concert, so we never made it back to the hotel till very late. The next morning

we rallied

we chilled in the sumo lounge

and hung out at the Harpoon brewery

Tremendous collection of beer cans... billy beer

old school Schafer

Generic beer

We played some old school arcade games

The concerts where awesome, but our favorite was Jonathan Coulton

Mr Fancy Pants from Eugenio Monasterio on Vimeo.

I am glad to be shopping here with you + Mandelbrot Set from Eugenio Monasterio on Vimeo.

Go check out his songs at JonathanCoulton.com
We had a great time, check out PAX with your kids.

Mofongo de Yuca

2011-03-31T18:20:00.002-04:00

mofongo
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

I had a Yuca root sitting around and decided to make a mofongo with it. It's the same technique as when making a plantain mofongo. Frying the yuca in two steps and combining it with pork chicharron garlic and salt. So I cut up the yuca in pieces.

then fried the Yuca first at 350 deg till soft, around 10 minutes

Then at 400 for just a couple of minutes

I had a piece of roasted pork (head in this case)

I fried up the skin to make the chicharron

I then combined two cloves of garlic, some peppercorns, salt and oregano in the mortar and created a paste. The yuca was then pounded in the mortar in 3-4 batches and turned into a chunky mash. I mixed in the pork crackling and roughly molded it

Turned out very tasty with a garlicky pork taste.

Octopus Terrine

2011-03-26T10:16:00.003-04:00

octopus terrine
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

I had bought a pair if frozen octopi the last time I was at the fish store, The act of freezing the octopus actually makes it more tender after cooking. Defrosted the octopus in the fridge over a couple of days and tried to decide what to make. I was going to make it for escabeche with capers, olives, onion and peppers, or a traditional galician way but decided instead to make a terrine that either way if it fell apart or had leftovers I could still make into escabeche.

defrosted octopi

I set a pot of water to boil, with no salt (it's supposed to make the octopus more chewy) a couple of bay leaves, peppercorns, and a penny (traditionaly octopus is cooked in a copper pot which gives it a darker color.)

I then dunked the octopus into the water 3 times letting the water come back to a boil after each dunk.

We shot a bit of a ponderous video of the whole process

terrine of octopus from Eugenio Monasterio on Vimeo.

As you can see we cooked potato in the same water after the octopus was done. The octopus was seasoned and placed in the terrine with plastic wrap, and unmolded the next day.

My son says it looks like a fossil. We served up the potato with pimenton

and served it all up

Served with some olive oil and some sea salt on the side. Turned out very tasty and makes a cool presentation.

THREE MONSTER FISH HEADS IN A BROKEDOWN COOLER MAKE A DAMN FINE CURRY

2011-03-23T21:05:00.001-04:00

Fish head curry story on Stunt Foodways.

Stunt Foodways

Hot's Kitchen in Hermosa Beach California

2011-03-18T21:49:00.000-04:00

My brother in law's restaurant in Hermosa Beach. He now runs two restaurants in California. Working hard and doing good work.

Hot's Kitchen Hermosa Beach from Rima Lyn on Vimeo.

National Pancake Day

2011-03-08T17:31:00.002-05:00

National pancake day
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

In honor of National Pancake Day we had pancakes for dinner. It was a great succes.
We assembled topings

Heated up the griddle (dog looks on)

and cooked some pancakes

The boy ordered bacon chocolate chip

Fun night with the kids.

Low and high brow

2011-03-06T19:15:00.003-05:00

pork liver pate
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

On the high end of our weekend the boy and I hit Secco Wine Bar for our second visit as we had had a great time the first time around. The menu had changed a bit, but we still had great food.
we started with the cheese and salumi plate.

The cheese was excellent: Roncal, Ewes, Blue
The meats also tremendous: Jamon Iberico, and a Lomo for local producer Olio.
We also shared the Tortilla de Hongos (fritata with fungi)

We shared the Venison Sausage with white beans

and the pork liver pate

oh yeah and I had a beer (whatever was on the specials board)

Once again we had a very fun time, sat at the bar and shared small plates of interesting foods. Would reccomend to all.

High and low brow

2011-02-28T21:43:00.002-05:00

chili dog
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

The boy and I had the weekend free so we decided to have some meals out. Saturday for lunch we hit Sam's Hot Dog Stand on 301.
We ordered three chili dogs, one relish dog, fries and drinks. We arrived just before noon, and walked right up to the counter, but immediately after the place was packed with a line just to the door. Mixed crowd of what looked like grandparents, parents and kids.
The hot dogs where good but not spectacular, they lacked the bite/snap that a high end dog has. the toppings where OK but again not spectacular.

The bun was steamed and soft

Having said all that we had fun, enjoyed our lunch and didn't spend much money, the service was attentive and really well meaning, with staff working hard to move the crowd. I think I will be back as there is not a similar establishment near me for that chili dog fix every so often.

Stunt Foodways

2011-02-11T14:54:00.001-05:00

Interesing new site I intend to contribute to from the guy who brought us
My Empire of Dirt: How One Man Turned His Big-City Backyard into a Farm
A Website with a dedication to the fair and honest treatment of ugly and ungainly food, a fondness for feeding unruly crowds, and a commitment to cooking hard and well beyond your pay-grade.
Stunt Foodways
Check it out.
Up already some goat butchery.

Kale chips

2011-01-25T18:47:00.004-05:00

Kale seasoned
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

Many of the bloggers on eatingrichmond, have posted their versions of Kale chips or dehydrated kale. EatingBirdFood, CaramelizedOpinions are just a couple of examples. I had fried some kale to a crispy finish in another dish, but decided to bake it for this one. The Kale was accompanied by thinly sliced country pork ribs seasoned and thinly cut, cooked a la plancha or on a hot dry skillet.

I washed the Kale and cut out the main stem or rib.

after trimming

I dressed it with olive oil and seasoned salt (lowry's) and layered it on a rack over a tray. I then placed it in the preheated convection oven at 325 deg F. for 12 minutes. They shrink and get brown on the edges.

they end up very crispy and tasty, this is how we served it

great side dish, or snack as many other people serve it. It is easy and quick and certainly can be seasoned a million ways.

Slaughterhouse Christmas Special - Epic Meal Time

2011-01-21T17:33:00.001-05:00

Somehow missed this over the holidays, thanks to my brother for pointing it out.

White bean stew

2011-01-10T20:12:00.003-05:00

plated beans
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

This dish is a variation of a fabada which is an asturian dish (from Asturia Spain) which combines common or ingredients into a bean dish. These were family subsistence meals where in one pot you can feed many people and stretch the budget. The main ingredient is the bean. I bought some very large dried white beans "alubias judion" from La Tienda.

I soaked the beans overnight, and was a little worried as some of them split in half, some others lost their husk

but I got over it, after chatting with my mother and asking her if I should peel the beans or what. She told me to leave them alone. (mother is always right)
I then got my ingredients in order

One onion
2 bunches of green onion
one whole head of garlic
2 bay leaves

1 tbsp of thyme
2 tbsp of pimenton (smoked paprika) sweet
2 morcilla links (blood pudding sausage)
1 piece of hard cured chorizo
strand of soft non cured chorizo
1 piece of salt cured ham (prosciotto or serrano)
1 large slice of head cheese (I made this)
1 large slice of cured pork loin (la tienda)
1/2 cup of roasted red pepper
1 tbsp of capers
black pepper to taste

I cut a large piece of ham off my La Quercia Paleta

and began to render it in some olive oil in a large stock pot

I then added the onions, bay leaves and green onions and sauteed till only slightly brown

I added the morcilla to brown it and render some fat but then removed it so it wouldn't burst in the stew

I made a puree of roasted red peppers with capers by using an immersion blender and adding a bit of water.

then blended to form a sauce

at this point I added the pimenton to the onions sauteed quickly as it will burn and then added the pepper puree to deglaze the pan

I let it cook for a minute or two then added the beans and the meats

I added water to cover it all as well as the whole head of garlic and returned the morcilla to the pan

I cooked it for 4 hours which was when the beans were tender. I actually let it cool and placed it in the fridge at this point to let the flavors meld. The next day (what is this day 3 of this dish!) I blanched some kale

and added it to the beans as they reheated. The finished product was spectacular. the beans are soft but not mush, they retain their individuality, the pork flavor is perfect with the ham retaining it's flavor and melding with the head cheese and chorizo with the morcilla being perfect. The Kale adds some nice color and contrast. If you have the time I highly reccomend trying this or a variation on this dish.

I've got plenty of leftovers (as usual) so i'll be working my way through it.

Goofing around

2011-01-08T16:52:00.001-05:00

Playing around with the youtube search story creator. Very cool.

Search Stories

Thai Gourmet Restaurant

2011-01-04T15:22:00.003-05:00

Storefront
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

Thai Gourmet Restaurant is minutes from my house and we frequently get take out and occasionally eat in. There are always several tables occupied when I go in which makes me happy, keeping the restaurant busy and patronized gives me hope that they will be succesfull and remain so close. The staff and owner are very friendly and accomodating. I went for lunch with my wife and where once again very happy with the food.
We ordered the steamed pork dumplings

Very savory served with a thick dark soy sauce.
Also the Nuamtoc

Grilled sliced beef with chilies, lime juice and cilantro, over a bed of lettuce. (I love the Salad section of this restaurant, really dishes to be shared, but could double as a main for anyone)
My wife also ordered the Spring Rolls with Shrimp, served with an outstanding peanut dipping sauce (missed the pic)
I had the Tom Kha

Coconut soup with mushrooms, onion, cilantro and spring onion with tofu. This is really our go to restaurant in our family. The owner runs the front of the restaurant is pleasant and accomadating of tastes and strange requests (I bought a small bin of spring roll dipping sauce from him for a party once.)
chech out the RTD write up

Happy New Year

2010-12-31T17:36:00.002-05:00

salted dried pig head
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

Happy New Year to all! May the next year bring you excellent food and drink! Anybody know what to make with a salted pig head?

Cowboy Cauldron

2010-12-27T19:54:00.002-05:00

Cowboy Cauldron
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

My wife got me one of these for Xmas, more impressively she put it together and I managed to not see it for 2 days despite it being in the yard. Very cool, will cook in it and post about it (not from it) soon.

Christmas cookies

2010-12-17T15:13:00.002-05:00

teeth
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

My wife made cookies and the kids and I helped to decorate.

Fun and tasty

Hard not to lick your fingers mid decoration, finally my masterpiece...

If you are interested in a truly NSFW cookie decorating idea check out Penny Arcade's Annual Dickerdoodle competition. I've never entered, but it's still pretty funny.

Eating in Spain: a picture diary

2010-12-10T18:57:00.002-05:00

jamon iberico
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

My father and my brothers and I travelled to spain for the wedding of one of our cousins. We had a tremendously good time and ate better. Here are some representative dishes, but for the full food porn experience check out the Flickr Set.

Seriously take a gander through the set, feel free to comment or ask about stuff.

Just for fun...Playstation Badge

2010-12-10T16:51:00.001-05:00

Get your Portable ID!

Stuffed potato fritter, papa rellena

2010-11-19T19:47:00.002-05:00

papa rellena
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

This is a modified recipe from my well worn Puerto Rican Cookery cookbook. My mother gifted me this book when I moved out of the house. She wrote some of her own recipes on the blank pages. So it's never going away.

I followed the recipe, but I think I used more flour than the recipe calls for, and I made the fritters pretty huge. Potato boiling, with added pumpkin...

Potato and pumpkin mashed, mixed with flour and stuffed with savory meat filling.

Then fried, they where very tasty.

w00tstock 2.7

2010-11-18T23:15:00.002-05:00

Poster battle
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

This is a departure somewhat of where my blog has been headed for the last several years. Initially I imagined this would be more geek culture along with some food, but it has turned out to be way more food and cooking than gaming or geeking. So back to geeks and nerds. My daughter and I went to w00tstock 2.7 in NYC.

Just the two of us traveled to NYC, we did stay with my brother and his wife, and invited them to join us at the show. For the uninitiated w00tstock is a celebration of all that is nerdy, geek and otherwise awesome. Giving credit that in the real world we (geeks and nerds) run shit.
Jonathan Coulton stood in for Will Wheaton as the host at this show...

But we also had Grant Imahara (from Myth busters)

As well as Adam Savage (also from Myth Busters)

Most surprising and enjoyable was Marian Call

Marian Call at w00tstock 2.7 from Eugenio Monasterio on Vimeo.

MC Frontalot was there as well and rocked it out.

We got some photobombs with Coulton and Storm

and ultimately loved the show and total experience.

Some nice daughter dad bonding.

Full Kee Dim Sum

2010-11-15T17:32:00.003-05:00

Pork buns
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

Took the boy for Dim Sum on Sunday, we had not been since our original trip. It really is a great place, busy varied dishes, pleasant staff and large family groups. We really should go more often.
This go around we had Duck on Rice

Probably my favorite Lotus wrapped stuffed sticky rice

Shrimp is some sort of soggy tasty wrapper (don't think that is the official description)

and crispy shrimp rolls and stuffed pork buns

We ate as much as we really cared to everything delicious accompanied by some hot tea. Lots of fun and a nice finish to our culinary weekend.

Secco Wine Bar

2010-11-14T15:27:00.003-05:00

The boy
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

The boy and I went out on Saturday and we chose Secco Wine Bar for dinner. We sat at the Bar as all the tables where taken and checked out the menu. We Started with a cheese plate with one cheese substituted with Jamon Iberico.

We chose one VA cheese, one VT. It is served with toasted bread some quince paste and some berry compote. We enjoyed it very much. We then selected 4 small plates which we both shared.
We ordered the octopus

Which came with some potato and ink. Delicious.
Duck confit with pasta

Also very good, but not as lively a taste as the other plates.
Flamenquines, which are fried rolls of pork

excellent with the crispy potato strings
and pork rillete

served with dehydrated apple crisps and mustard. (The boy referred to it as a jar of lard, but didn't stop him from voraciously eating his half)
For dessert whe shared the bread pudding and the chocolate ganache ribbon. Both excellent

On the way back home we stopped in at One Eyed Jacques and bought a set of Zombie Dice, which we played a couple of rounds before bedtime. Great dinner and entertainment.

Black sheep...Good God

2010-11-13T11:26:00.003-05:00

Black sheep
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

For the love of all that is holy, I went to lunch at The Black Sheep, got there right at 11:30 as we had tried to go the previous day at noon and found it packed to the brim. The menu is an awesome selection of dishes, from brunch to dinner. I decided on the CSS Virginia, fried chicken liver with cabbage, apple and green onion. The most amazing thing happened next... the waitress asked me if I wanted the full or half battleship, there where a couple of college students next to us eating what appeared to be a large battleship, so I went with large. The waitress took the order with no hesitation, no pause, no warning, no "are you a f*(!ng idiot."
I had my back to the kitchen so when the sandwich was delivered what I witnessed was my friends eyes narrow as he delivered a "F*(k yes, that's a sandwich" and the waitress dropped a cutting board with a whole freaking loaf of bread sandwich in front of me.

We were laughing as the restaurant turned to watch what dimwitted fool had ordered the enormous sandwich. It came with a knife so you can cut it. Which you have to, to adequately eat it.

The lack of warning aside, the sandwich was awesome, the remoulade slaw tasty, the chicken livers perfectly cooked. I managed to eat about half and took the other half home (which they wrapped up in butcher paper very neatly) and the boy finished it off for dinner that night.

The boy wants his own visit so he can select a battleship, will go again, maybe brunch next time.

Kenn-Tico Cuban Bar & Grill

2010-11-09T17:57:00.004-05:00

Yuca
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

My wife and I went to Kenn-Tico for lunch today. We had seen the write up in the RTD, and I've walked by the food cart at VCUHS many times noticing the cuban accent of the owners, so we decided to try it. My wife grew up in South Florida (Ft. Lauderdale) and loves cuban cuisine, and is something of a black bean connoisseur, so I was excited to have her try the food and tell me what she thought. We arrived at 11:30 and had the place to ourselves, but by 12:30 a nice crowd had filled the restaurant. There was only one server/waiter, which was fine when we were alone, but it took him a bit to get the check as he was much busier at the end, but he was not harried and was always pleasant.

We had a very hard time picking a dish to order as everything sounded appetizing, we decided finally on an appetizer of fried yuca with mojo dipping sauce to start. The yuca was very tasty my only complaint would be that it was cut rather generously, maybe smaller strips would be easier to handle but even as a handfull they were delicious.

I ordered the chicken chunks (Chicharron de pollo)

My wife ordered the pork chop

we both had white rice and black bean soup as sides (plenty of others to choose from!)

Both dishes were excellent, the beans where very good, not the best she has ever had, but some of the best she has had in Richmond. (she ordered a side of chopped raw onions to eat with the rice and beans, which was graciously provided)
I can't wait to go back with the kids as both of them would enjoy the varied accesible menu. Check it out.

http://www.kennticocubanbargrill.com/
204 E. Grace St.
Richmond VA 23219
804 225 9216

La Quercia acorn edition ribs

2010-11-03T20:48:00.004-04:00

The Racks
Originally uploaded by ericmonasterio

My brother was the recipient of the ribs of our La Quercia acorn edtion pig share. He went full acorn edition on it. Smoking the ribs with cherry wood and acorn shells.

for six hours at under 275 deg

It was to be served with jalapeno corn bread from their garden

The final result moist, tasty with the fat full of acorn flavor

Roasted Garbanzo beans

2010-10-28T18:25:00.002-04:00

garbanzo pan
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

I got this recipe off of SteamyKitchen, and served it with lamb meatballs. It is incredibly easy and gives the garbanzo beans a nutty crunch and taste. Flavored with whatever spice you want to use. The recipe is linked above.

The meatballs are half ground beef half ground lamb, seasoned with salt, pepper, grated onion, garlic, oregano. Browned in the pan then finished in the oven at 400deg (same temp as garbanzo beans) with marinara and red wine.

I served them together in a bowl, the toasted garbanzo acting as the pasta or starch for the meatballs. Turned out great.

One Egg Tortilla de Patata... Ostrich Egg

2010-10-21T16:31:00.003-04:00

ostrich obligatory pacman
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

I received an ostrich egg for my birthday.

It was an odd but extremely funny gift and of course presented a bit of a challenge as to what to do with it. I was very wary of going too straight forward, ie scrambled or fried egg as I wasn't sure if it would taste just like a chicken egg. I chose to make a one egg tortilla de patata. A quintissential spanish dish served in homes and bars around the country.
Basically it is cooked potato, onion and garlic salt and pepper set in egg. I added some chopped chorizo, and pancetta as well as a tsp of pimenton.
The first job was to open the egg. The family threw out reccomendations, hole saw, screwdriver, mallet, but we ended up scoring the top with a saw and cracking it open with a wooden pestle.

The egg cracked presented the contents still safely hidden behind a thick membrane (amniotic sac) which I cut into and then poured the egg into a large glass bowl. My wife about lost her lunch at that moment as the egg gurgled, squashed and slithered out of it's shell. I will post video at the end of the post cause it's not a very appetizing moment. Having said that she did take my daughter and go out to dinner instead of waiting for the tortilla. The white and yolk are very intermingled with an orangy color, It smelled sweet, almost with a hint of vanilla, strange but pleasant.
Ok then I was on my own from here. I peeled 4 yukon gold potatoes 2 onions and 6 cloves of garlic and diced them. I sauteed them in olive oil some chorizo and a tsp of pimenton.

and pancetta

I sauteed it till it was almost done, the potato still had a bit of crunch but barely. I seasoned this with salt and pepper.

I initially thought I could cook all this in my large cast iron skillet, but the side isn't very high... and I had a ton of egg. I decided to transfer it all to the oven and use my relatively new clay pot from La Tienda.
I put the empty cazuela in the oven and preheated the oven to 350. When both the oven and cazuela were at 350 I added another bit of olive oil to the pot, half the potato, the now scrambled egg and the rest of the potato.

I then increased the temp to 400 and cooked for 10 min. At 10 minutes I mixed the ingredients which were partially set and cooked for another 10 minutes. After the total 20 min it was set so I switched to low broil for 4 minutes till it looked like this.

I flipped it onto a serving platter (the tortilla is 12 inches in diameter)

I summoned some pac-man vibe with a slice

It tasted great, very close to a chicken egg, no longer sweetly fragrant as it was before but with a nice pimenton aroma. Clearly have a bunch left over for breakfast and some snacks.

The egg cracking video is below, sorry if it is gross

ostrich egg open from Eugenio Monasterio on Vimeo.

Vegetable paella

2010-10-16T17:49:00.002-04:00

Vegetable paella
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

We had a small gathering of friends to celebrate the week of birthdays. I grilled some lamb, my wife made some great hummus and seeing as we had some vegetarian guests, I made a vegetable paella.
Ingredients
3 cups bomba rice
9 cups of salted water (should taste like the ocean) (including the water from the asparagus)
1 lb of roasted red pepper, sliced into strips
4 cooked artichoke hearts
1/4 cup of pine nuts
1/2 cup of cooked large white beans
one jar of white asparagus
2 handfulls of fresh green beans
2 tablespoons of pimenton
pinch of paprika
one large grated tomato
4 cloves of garlic
1/3 cup of olive oil
2 cups of assorted wild mushrooms

I sauteed the garlic and mushrooms and pine nuts in the olive oil, the added mushrooms and when soft added the paprika and quickly mixed and added the grated tomato.
After another several minutes I added the water, paprika and the rice.
when the water came to a boil the green beans went in followed by the red pepper strips and large white beas.
when the water level lowered to the rice then I layered the artichokes and white asparagus on top. I kept it on the burners till a slight char developed on the bottom, then served.
Turned out great!

Geeking it up some

2010-10-02T15:54:00.001-04:00

I have finalized my plans for two trips to geekdom. the first, I am taking my daughter to W00tstock in NYC. Jonathan Coulton is headlining. Should be a great time. Staying with my brother and his wife in Brooklyn for that one. My older brother asked how one gets into this subculture. It is a combination of music and celebration of geek and gaming culture. We ended up in it probably a combination of our video gaming lives + my wife and I grew up with They Might Be Giants. We saw Coulton open for TMBG and loved the show. He then played at The Hat Factory with Paul and Storm and we loved that show as well. They both play PAX regularly and I've been dying to go to a PAX show with the kids for several years. This year the plan is to take the boy to PAXeast in March, (as long as he takes care of business in school.) PAX is the Penny Arcade Expo, mutant child of Penny Arcade where they created the gaming show they would like to attend. Penny Arcade has also spawned my favorite charity Child's Play . Child's Play funds therapeutic recreation and child life services (two generally underfunded nonbillable servcies in many hospitals) which help with leisure skills, and general play and distraction for hospitalized children. Overall this is going to be a great pair of trips, hanging with my kids one on one seriously geeking out with "my people."

Squid and Rice in Ink

2010-09-29T20:07:00.002-04:00

Squid close up
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

My son really likes squid and particularly dishes cooked with squid ink. We where facing an all men meal, as the girls had eaten earlier so we went with a seafood rice dish in squid ink.
Ingredients:
For 2
4 mussells
6 small shrimp
2 scallops sliced into three pieces each
8-12 squid depending on size
1 cup of rice
squid ink (usually comes in a packet, but if you get fresh squid you may be able to harvest it)
1/2 an onion
3 cloves of garlic
2 cups seafood stock if available.

Sautee the onion and garlic in olive oil till soft and fragrant.
add all the seafood and sautee till barely cooked at high heat.
add rice and mix till rice is coated in oil.
add 2 cups of liquid and packet of squid ink (you may want to mix the ink in the liquid prior to adding)
bring to a boil then turn to low heat and cook for 12-15 minutes

Very tasty

Pulpo a la gallega (Galician Octopus)

2010-09-17T21:41:00.005-04:00

pulpo a la gallega
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

This is a variation on the preparation of Galician style octopus (pulpo a la gallega) the main variation is I had canned octopus rather than fresh. Typically one would boil the octopus first then the potato in the same water. I boiled 5 yukon gold potato in salted water for 10 min,

After 10 minutes I drained the potato sliced it, and placed it in a pan with 6 cloves of garlic and covered it with olive oil (including the oil from the octopus cans)

The potato and 6 garlic cloves was then confited for 15 min at low temp till the potato is done (checked with a wooden skewer)

the dish is finished layering the potato

An aioli is made from the confit oil, and egg yolk, confitted garlic, lime, mustard, lime juice, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper.

then the octopus is seasoned with pimenton and salt

the final product was incredibly tasty, potato, aioli, octopus and crusty bread

make some

The Ben Heck Show - Adapted Access

2010-09-14T10:19:00.000-04:00

Ben Heck is one of the stars of hardware modification and has produced both one of a kind and production models of adapted controllers. He has a new show and if you are into this sort of thing it's fascinating.

The Ben Heck Show Adapted Controller

Fideua

2010-09-05T21:26:00.002-04:00

done fideua
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

Fideua is the pasta based alternative to a paella. cooked in a very similar manner either with thick or thin short noodles. This one has chorizo, pork and butter beans. The stock was made from beef bones.

The ingredients

Butter beans about 3/4 cup
small chorizo sausage (from La Tienda)
Pork Shank meat
grated fresh tomato and garlic

Pimenton
short thin dry noodles (I think I may have bought this at Olio)
Preparation
Heat olive oil in your pan, and sautee the ingredients step wise

The meats

the grated tomato and garlic

The beans and some sofrito

2 tablespoons of pimenton went in sautee for 30 sec then
I then added the beef stock and seasoned with salt to taste

I did not measure the liquid but filled the pan to just underneath the handle rivets, then once the liquid began to boil, I added a single line of pasta across the diameter of the pan till the pasta was about a centimeter above the water line. Then mix to distribute.
15-20 minutes later it was done and looked like this

The noodles are a much different texture than a regular rice paella, crispy on the bottom, creamy in the center and firm on the top. The butter beans were a good choice here adding a nice sweetness and crunch.

Sancocho

2010-09-04T14:04:00.002-04:00

sancocho
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

I had been craving sancocho for some time. This is a soup/stew starch heavy and typically made with multiple lesser cuts of meat, and mixed meats, chicken, pork , beef all comingling. I went with straight pork, but used a homemade chicken stock for the base.
Ingredients
(chop all roots + vegetables into cubes)
1 large yucha root peeled
1 sweet potato
6 small yukon gold potatoes
2 large carrots
2 large turnips
1 large onion
2 large leeks cleaned and chopped
6 cloves of garlic
4 pork shanks rubbed with salt, garlic, oregano, black pepper and left overnight in fridge

1 large can (20 oz) of hominy (this is not a typical ingredient, but I had been saving it to make pozole and said what the hell. Normally a couple of corncobs would be substituted)

3 cups chicken stock
1 cup white wine
1/2 cup of sofrito
salt and pepper to taste

I cooked it all outside as it was summer, and I could jump in the pool between doneness checks. The shanks were browned on the grill

We had bought them at the farmers market

Once browned the sofrito is sauteed in the cooking vessel (oven safe) and all the roots and vegetables (except the hominy) are added. I then put the shanks on top of the vegetable mix and cooked at approximately 350 degrees for an hour.

This way the fat and rub drips down onto the roots. After an hour I added the liquid ingredients and the hominy tasted and adjusted for salt and pepper and cooked for another half hour. After that I boned out the pork and returned it to the pot. You should have a very thick broth from all the starch with contrasting textures from the different roots and corn. The meat should be soft and easy to chew.

Makes for great leftovers as well

Beet ice cream

2010-09-02T20:36:00.002-04:00

beet ice cream
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

Probably not going to break into Baskin Robbin's flavor profile, but still a fun experimental flavor.

2 cups of cream
1 and 1/4 cup sugar
4 egg yolks
2 tsp vanilla
2 cloves
1/2 stick of cinnamon
6 med/small beets roasted, peeled and pureed (about one cup)

place the cream, cloves and cinnamon and 1 cup of sugar in a sauce pan and heat till steaming but not boiling

beat egg yolks with 1/4 cup sugar till pale yellow

Temper eggs and combine eggs with cream mixture, bring to a boil while stirring constantly then take off heat.

Add pureed beets and mix to combine.

Chill in fridge overnight.

Follow directions for your ice cream machine, to make ice cream out of chilled mix.

This has a very strong beet flavor, which I like, it's got a bit of a vegetable texture too, I guess the mix can be strained after combining with the cream to minimize that.

Grilled lamb with eggplant and green beans

2010-08-31T20:04:00.002-04:00

lamb.1
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

My daughter fell in love with some rack of lamb we had on vacation and wanted to try and make it. The one she had eaten came with a demiglace sauce so we tried that too. We first marinated two frenched racks of lamb. The marinade we made in the blender out of the following:
6 large figs
2 sprigs of rosemary
4 cloves of garlic
¼ cup of olive oil
2 tablespoons of apple juice
2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
1 tsp of salt
4 black peppercorns
1 tsp of capers
1 tsp of Dijon mustard
We coated the racks and let them sit overnight in the fridge.

The next day we started the sauce with some beef soup bones that we bought at the SOJ market. We painted them in tomato paste.

and roasted them on the grill (but it can be done in the oven, just it's summer and all...) till well browned.

In a stock pot we covered the bones in water, added some carrots, half an onion, a head of garlic, and a bay leaf. Brought it to a boil, skimmed the foam and then turned to a simmer for 45 min.

For the demiglace sauce we reduced one bottle of red wine, 2 cups of beef stock and 2 cups of chicken stock all down to one cup of liquid. (Kind of interesting effect of causing it to hard boil when a skewer touches the bottom of the pan)

The sauce was then finished with a tablespoon of butter, salt and pepper to taste, a little honey to balance the acid.

For sides we roasted some eggplants (SOJ market) with oregano, salt, pepper, olive oil and whole heads of garlic

and we steamed some green beans (Also SOJ)

The lamb was grilled to medium rare

and cut into two rib pieces for serving

It turned out very good particularly the lamb with crusty edges and pink center. The fig can be just tasted in the marinade. The sauce took forever but was incredibly rich and meaty tasting. We had fun start to finish with probably one of the more complicated meals my daughter has cooked with me from sauce to meat, and two sides we made everything together. And enjoyed it!

Go cook with your kids!

Pupusa redo

2010-08-29T15:44:00.004-04:00

frying the pupusa
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

I tried a quick redo trying to make a pasable pupusa. This time I again used Maseca
but I added water till the dough was pliant rather than the package instructions, and after that I added 2 tablespoons of pureed aji amarillo to the masa
I kept them small, and stuffed them with cooked potato and some leftover beef from a previous meal and fried them in a bit of oil.

They were much better, with a great smokey corn flavor and underlying heat from the aji puree. Going to keep trying and working on my technique.

R-Home photo shoot

2010-08-27T18:53:00.003-04:00

We had a great dinner and great fun with great friends.
Check it out!

T-bone Tagliata and Salad (Rachel Ray recipe)

2010-08-22T18:07:00.003-04:00

salted T-bone
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

My wife saw this recipe on Rachel Ray's TV show and wanted to make it. She typically (well actually rarely) takes control of the kitchen, so it was exciting to watch.

The whole recipe is here
T-bone Taglita

The steaks where grilled with a rosemary, garlic, salt and olive oil marinade

Garlic was roasted

The salad and bacon where put together, by the way the salad dressing is great, (Tricia typically doesn't like mustard/mayo/ketchup but this combination was great)

We cooked everyting on the grill. The chopped potato

and the T-bones which I cleaned off the bone and sliced for the table

The meal was great. Not only as it was incredibly tasty, the salad, the meat the seasoning everything perfect, but also my wife gained some culinary confidence, which is great.

Carrot Corn in Pesto Side dish

2010-07-26T19:18:00.002-04:00

side dish
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

We needed to take a dish to our summer league swim team banquet, I went with a cold side dish to beat the 105 deg heat. I had just seen a recent episode of The Perennial Plate and made a similar dish.
Ingredients
Two bunches of carrots with leaves
the same amount in volume of baby corn
For Pesto
4 cloves of garlic
1 cup or more of basil
the carrot leaves cleaned
2 tablespoons of toasted sunflower seeds
1/4 cup of olive oil
2 tablespoons Sherry wine vinegar
Salt and Pepper to taste

The carrots and corn I cooked in salted water

I cooled the corn and carrots in ice water, then I cut the carrots to the appoximate size of the corn.
I cleaned and sorted the carrot greens

and the basil

And pureed it in the food processor with the rest of the ingredients

I then combined corn, carrot and pesto in a bowl and placed in the refrigerator. We took it to the party and it all disappeared.

The Perennial Plate Episode is below, a great, interesting video log of a year of sustainable eating in Minnesota.

The Perennial Plate Episode 19: Summer Vegetables from Daniel Klein on Vimeo.

Blackberry Ribs

2010-07-24T15:41:00.002-04:00

rub Ribs
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

The Girl picked a recipe for baby back ribs and we made them this weekend.

For 5 lb of ribs we created a rub using
5 tablespoons of chili powder
8 garlic cloves minced
8 peppercorns crushed
2 tablespoons of salt
2 tablespoons of dry oregano
2 tablepsoons of cumin
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon of soy sauce

We rubbed the ribs in this paste

and rubbed

on all sides including the bone side

We then covered them and let them rest in the fridge for 3 hrs while we made the sauce. Ingredients

close to 3 cups of blackberries (ours where fresh)
1/4 cup ketchup
2 roma tomatos
3/4 cup of honey
1/2 cup of fresh ginger

This was all put in a blender and blended

We then strained and cooked the suace till it reduced by half

taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper (and or hot sauce) as needed

The ribs were cooked on the grill at around 250-300 degrees for 2 hours We added some smoke from dried thyme and rosemary that had succumbed to the heat. Finally se basted with the sauce till they looked like this

We served it with pimiento de padron fried and served over salt

Which makes a great tapa by the way... these were from La Tienda

Even the dog got a taste of ribs

but mostly we enjoyed them, and the fun of cooking with my kids!

My daughter is a stickler for following the recipe and deserves all the credit on not letting me screw up.

Eating Out - Pescados China Street

2010-07-21T22:55:00.003-04:00

EAT
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

The boy and I recovered nicely from our visits to Stuzzi and Acacia, and headed to Pescados on China Street. The original on Midlothian has been a favorite of mine since the first time I went there. Having grown up in Puerto Rico, I am generally loathe to try dishes I grew up with anywhere else, but at Pescados those dishes shine.

We drove up and parked and was immediately alerted that I had parked in a high risk of towing area by a man who identified himself as the owner. I left the boy and moved the car. On my return the boy was on a first name basis with the owner of Pescados.

We took a seat and waited for a table, all the time the staff where incredibly nice and pleasant (maybe cause the boy was tight with the owner). The restaurant was full with again a good mix, many older couples and groups of couples where finishing up dinner (around 8pm) and younger couples and groups where filtering in. Several women from my neighborhood came in and said hi.

Eventually we were seated and we ordered some appetizers, the conch fritters and some ceviche.
The ceviche was mixed, squid, scalop, shrimp and fish

It was served with Yucha chips. I love ceviche, I make it and have had it across the caribbean, and this was very good, but not the best I've ever had. The conch fritters were also very good.

A nice taste of the ocean without the sauce overwhelming them.
For entrees I went with the whole fried fish, which I will say, I never order without some trepidation. In PR I can get whole fried fish on the beach from a gazillion places, always fresh always perfect. In Richmond not so much... unless the place is called Pescados. I have had this three times, now at both locations and each time it has matched or exceeded my expectations.

Crispy in all the right places, garlicky and moist flesh. Perfect in my opinion.
The boy ordered the halibut with yucha

The fish was again perfectly cooked, the yucha in tomato sauce was outstanding. I don't know if it requires growing up eating these foods as comfort foods to appreciate how great they are, but trust me this yucha dish is as good as I have ever had.

for dessert the boy had the chocolate tart, which he liked,

I thought it was good but certainly not the highlight of my meal.
I ordered the avocado tart, which I had had before and liked

It is tangy, like a key lime pie, but creamier with the avocado.
We laughed it up during dinner, compared dishes and overall had a great time. As we were leaving we were met by a loud, "Hey Dante (the boy) how was dinner?" from the owner, the boy exclaimed his approval as the owner bade him (not me) goodnight. We had a great time excellent food in a very comfortable setting. I was very impressed with how comfortable they made us, especially the boy, who felt like a rockstar.

Eating Out - Stuzzi and Acacia

2010-07-17T14:18:00.004-04:00

happy
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

The boy and I spent a day of eating out. We had read multiple Stuzzi posts online so we figured we would check it out for lunch. On a Friday it was busy, but not crazy, good mix of people, several families with kids, couples, larger groups... a good mix like I said. We checked out the oven and ordered the oven roasted olives, and the calamari fritti from the appetizer menu, a roasted pepper and anchovies salad and a carnivori pizza all for both of us to share.
I only got a picture of the pizza

the pizza was very good, (as many have pointed out the pies get a bit moist in the center, apparently from cooling on the plate, ours had a little puddle of water in the plate. But I think this added to the contrast of the charred bottom crust) We both loved the calamari, the salad was excellent colorful and tasty as were the olives, that when baked in the oven take on a more luxurious texture. Certainly will go back.

I swung the boy into The Belmont Butchery and we bought some foie gras for another time. Satisfied we returned home did some reading, played some video games and headed off to dinner. I wanted to hit a nice place, somewhat in defense of fine dining (Just messing with you RVAfoodie)
We chose Acacia, one I've never been and many proclaim it as one of the best restaurants in Richmond.
We showed up around 7:30 without a reservation and decided to sit at the bar rather than wait for a table. The boy hid from the paparazzi.

We ordered two appetizers, pork belly with mushrooms on seaweed

and the beef tongue

Both where very good, but it is hard to compete with the pork belly fatty and unctuous the tongue tasty but understated.
For our main course we both went with crab, I had the soft shell crab

and the boy had the crab cakes, which were served with a bacon cream sauce and some of the best polenta I have ever tasted.

We decided to finish out the night with dessert, he had the almond cake pastry

I had the chocalate ganache, but was more impressed with passion fruit panacota accompaniment

We had such a great time, yes we spent a lot of money but the food was excellent and the company better. We where treated well which isn't always the case when one dines with a kid and we laughed and talked into the night.

short ribs with celeriac and beets

2010-06-27T19:13:00.002-04:00

plated
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

I bought some meaty spare ribs and butterflied them as to decrease the cooking time. It is a well marbled piece or meat, and butterflied (with the bone on) one can grill it relatively quickly as opposed to having to braise it for several hours.
This is the technique

I marinated the beef with salt, pepper, sugar, fish suace, wine, lime, and soy sauce.
I chopped the celeriac or celery root into cubes

and cooked it with two small potatos also cubed, garlic and onion.

When cooked I mashed it.
The beets I wrapped in foil with a garlic clove and two carrots and salt and placed it on a hot grill for an hour.

I steamed the beet greens

and served them with the beets and carrots chopped it into cubes

I grilled the short ribs

till done

Then plated with mashed potato and celeric, beet and green salad and the grilled short rib. that menu and the pool rocked.

Ground Turkey Crispy Rolls

2010-06-26T12:20:00.002-04:00

in the frier
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

This takes a little prep but came out great. I browned ground turkey with the whites of some chives, onion, and garlic, It was flavored with hoisin, rice wine vinegar, fish sauce and lime.
I let it cool and then added the green part of the chives, shredded carrot and celery.
Two large tablespoons went into each roll with a piece of lettuce (to keep the wonton from getting too moist)

Then I fried them at 375 till brown

Served them with some steamed asparagus

They turned out very tasty.

Father's day Paella

2010-06-21T23:13:00.004-04:00

a comer
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

My wife made the trek to williamsburg to get a special father's day sale item from La Tienda, a paella burner with an extra pan. she also bought some rice and a long spatula.

I put it together (My wife went out and bought the gas line to connect to a propane tank)

the boy was excited

Father's day we cooked a rice dish with shrimp and squid and some assorted leftovers. A video follows, most memorable for the boys comments on labor relations and poisonous frogs as much as for the cooking commentary.
But first:
Rice... short grain bomba rice

Parsley, garlic and red pepper

Grated tomato (I covered it against flies and missed sauteeing it, which should be done to decrease water content)

Green beans cleaned and chopped

Shrimp, squid and red pepper.

Full video here

Cooking paella with the kid from Eugenio Monasterio on Vimeo.

I love the new setup, bigger pan. Thanks to the family for the present

Cherry Braised Pork Chops

2010-06-19T11:04:00.003-04:00

with thyme
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

This is a variation of the jam braised pork chops, but instead with fresh cherries and thyme as the main flavoring. I had about 2 cups of cherries in the fridge that where starting to loose their firmness so I decided to cook them for dinner. I pitted them by cutting them in half and removing the stone.

I pureed half of them (one cup) with a hand blender, with a quarter cup of white wine, half and onion, a clove of garlic and a pinch of salt.

I then sauteed the remaining half an onion with another clove of garlic and some guanciale till soft.

I then removed the onion, garlic and guancialle leaving just a bit of fat behind and seared the pork chops in the same pan.

As is usual I was flying by the seat of my pants and had not planned any specific side dish, I was about to send out my wife for some spinach when the door rang and the neighbor dropped off two big bunches of asparagus

I put it in a microwave safe bowl, sprinkled with fleur de sel (salt), olive oil and a teaspoon of water. I microwaved it a minute at a time till they where steamed and crisp (less than 3min)

When the porkchops where well browned on both sides, I removed them and deglazed the pan with the pureed cherry mix

I let the liquid reduce a bit then returned the porkchops, onions and garlic and added the remaining cherries

This cooked for another ten minutes or so and then I added fresh thyme over top

The dish was well received by the family, the fresh thyme adds great aroma and earthiness to an already very rustic dish. I thought the cherries were very good, not too sweet and the sauce was great. Thanks to the neighbors for the unexpected veg delivery.

Purple and Yellow Cauliflower

2010-06-09T19:22:00.003-04:00

purple and yellow
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

I bought two head of cauliflower at Broad Appettite. They were standing out from the table of one of the vendors. The purple color an obvious draw, but for the yellow the fractal arrangement of the florets is stunning.

(quick aside great Jonathan Coulton song "Mandelbrot Set" describes albeight erroneously the formula for fractals)

Anyway... I briefly steamed the cauliflower, less than 10 minutes and then put it in a bowl and doused it with 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil with toasted garlic and covered the bowl.

I served it with chicken breast which was pan seared and Mac and Cheese (yes from a box)

It was delicious, try it out

Mandelbrot Set By Jonathan Coulton

BroadAppetit

2010-06-07T19:27:00.003-04:00

BroadAppetit hot crowd
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

Another post on Broad Appetit. I swung down on Broad around noon and quickly ran into RVAfoodie and his wife (darling octopus) and the internet famous Jasper. They gave me the skinny on what to hit and they were right. The Thai pork belly from Six Burner was great, soft and fatty with an excellent savory sauce.

I had never eaten at Croakers, although I always have wanted to.

They by far had the most generous serving of food for $3

A large piece of perfectly fried catfish, cornbread, sauces to choose from, (the hot sauce was so great) onion and peppers and fries. I actually didn't finish the fries because I wanted to hit some other sites.

I got a blurry photo of the pastrami slider from Balliceaux, It was incredibly tasty the pastrami falling apart under the bun.

I had the ribs from Haligans pub and then scored some Macarons from Petits Bouchees

I said hi to Kitchen Musings and was awestruck at how tasty the Macarons were with contrasting textures and tastes, somehow cold on a blazingly hot day. My favorite was the passion fruit one.
I had a great time, and wished that I could have tasted more, but I was stuffed. Great fun and food, very proud of the Richmond restaurants that participated the great bands and crowds that braved the heat.

Morcilla

2010-06-05T14:08:00.002-04:00

Morcilla
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

Another quick lunch post. Browned some morcilla blood sausage. These were from La Tienda. Only bread I had wasn't up to the test.

Would have been better with better bread and a glass of wine.

Online Gaming

2010-06-03T22:08:00.001-04:00

Ok it's been forever since I covered anything video game related but I have had a recent resurgence of play.
I played a fair amount of the Halo Reach Beta, I enjoyed it very much. It is reminiscent enough of Halo 3 but not so much that it feels like an expansion pack. New weapons, loadouts and tactics make it feel like a new game. I am looking forward to the full game.
I just got a copy of Red Dead Redemption and have played for a couple of hours. The single player is very fun, with lots of sandbox missions and options. Not as hard (at least initially as GTA 4) My current gripe is with the implementation of multiplayer. I don't think it's an XBOX live issue as I have never been unable to log onto a game for "network" issues but Red Dead consistently denies me some multiplayer cowboy action.
I've got Super Mario Galaxy 2 in my mitts but do to a recent grounding of the boy, I haven't played it yet. Hopefully will fire it up this weekend.

Oh and I cooked a rib eye roast today on the grill it was good.

Rabbit Terrine

2010-05-28T14:18:00.003-04:00

rabbit terrine
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

Bought it at the Belmont Butchery. It is perfect for a quiet lunch with some crackers.

Had been thinking about since Cochon 555.

Rabbit fricassee

2010-05-18T16:42:00.002-04:00

polenta and rabbit
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

For dinner yesterday I made a fricassee of rabbit, in which I also mixed in some chicken (as I didn't have as much rabbit as I thought.)
I started by browning the chicken and rabbit in the same pot I planned on cooking them in. then removed them.

I then rendered some lardo (which added a ton of flavor and a good deal of salt so the dish really didn't need any extra.) and two tablespoons of flour to make a roux.

I cooked it on low heat till it was good and brown. I returned the chicken and rabbit to the pan and added some store bought sofrito, (which is basically onions, garlic, pepper, cilantro, parsley, oregano salt and pepper, so you can make your own but this stuff is pretty good.)

and I added a tablespoon of tahini on a whim for a thicker more interesting sauce

I added white wine almost to cover and a tablespoon of capers, and a handfull of small carrots. I brought it to a boil and then simmered it for an hour. I added two pinches of sugar as I thought it was a bit on the acid side.

I pan fried some polenta slices (I bought one of those premade polenta logs from the grocery store... still haven't bought corn meal)
and served it.

The rabbit was great and the sauce was rich and thick which worked great with the polenta. I think the tahini as a thickening agent did a nice job adding depth of flavor to the roux.

Pupusa, failed gordita

2010-05-12T21:01:00.002-04:00

done pupusa
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

I wanted to make something different as a side dish for dinner, and initially was leaning towards polenta but upon inspecting my flours, the yellow bag I thought was cornmeal was actually bread flour. Fortunately I also had a sack of Maseca or Masa Flour, so I thought I might make some stuffed fried tortillas. A quick aside, the basics of this dish permeate Latin America with slight variations in both recipe and name (Arepas, pupusa, gordita, etc) I don't mean to slight any cultural preference of these, but this is how mine turned out.
I followed the package instructions on making a tortilla dough, probably my first mistake, I should have gone back to the great recipe compendium and food blog Sazon Boricua for her recipe, which uses quite a bit more water than the one I used.

I used 2 cups of water to 2 cups of masa and my dough was pretty crumbly (Jeannette uses 3 cups of water), 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon dried and ground Aji Panca a peruvian spicy pepper, with a great woody earthy taste.

I managed to form a ball with the dough and flatten it in my hand to the size of my palm, I then scooped a tablespoon of salsa with some cheese mixed in. I then wrapped the masa around the filling into a ball again.

I then put them in a hot pan with olive oil and flattened them with the spatula down to about a centimeter in width. I oiled the spatula after the first one came right back out with the spatula, that worked better.

I pan fried them till they were good and brown I scoope a small bit of salsa and cheese over top and put them all in the oven at 300 deg for two reasons, I wasn't done cooking the rest of the meal (turkey breast) and the other reason is that I was afraid that the inside would be undercooked. So they sat in the oven for about 12-15 min.
When they came out they looked like this

They had a nice roast corn smell, they were cooked through and had a very nice afterburn of heat. (I had been tempted to add more of the chili powder but I'm glad I didn't)
What could have been better?
Well for one they didn't rise at all. In San Antonio the gorditas get fat and plump then they are split and stuffed (If you look at the last picture the failed gordita at the top is pretty flat)
Second is my filling was fairly weak in flavor, this really required a more saucy type filling, such as a carne asada stew, green chili pulled pork or similar filling to compete with the corn
I will definitely try again though, lots to be learned here.

Chocolate Shell in Milk Experiment

2010-05-12T19:56:00.000-04:00

The boy will not stand for the lack of chocolate milk.

Chocolate shell experiment from Eugenio Monasterio on Vimeo.

Cochon555 Washington DC 2010

2010-05-03T17:29:00.003-04:00

Cochon flyer
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

In retrospect, I'm not sure where I heard of Cochon555 first. But I knew I wanted to be involved, contribute and try the many wines and dishes to be prepared in part to preserve heritage breeds of pork.

I signed up for the VIP version with access to the vip lounge for 2 hrs prior

It was not uncomfortably crowded with a very varied group of people, some clearly restaurant people, vendors, but also some people with cameras and some with dates.

In the VIP area we had a great selection of wine and appetizers. Steak Tartare

oysters from the choptank oyster house

Awesome cheeses from the Cowgirl creamery

and what I thought was the best spread by Richmond's own Belmont Butchery. They had great pate and terrines, which by far where the best to this point, and would have competed for sure with the final meal.

I did not get pictures of all the dishes but here goes some of presentation and finished dishes

towards the end of dinner they had a butcher demonstaration with a red wattel pig

the entire beast was butchered and raffled, unfortunately I didn't win any.

stuffed head, notice the wattle

I was hoping for some of this monster chop

the night ended with bacon again provided by the belmont butchery

and then a whole roasted hog

I had a great time, tasted some great dishes and wines. The list is below

Chefs
Joe Palma
Westend Bistro

Daniel Singhofen
Eola

Nicholas Stefanelli
Bibiana

David Varley
Bourbon Steak

RJ Cooper
Vidalia

The Butcher demonstration
Ryan Farr
4504 Meats

Wines
Conn Valley Vineyards

Donkey and Goat Winery (my favorite)

Twomey Cellars

Chehalem Winery

Domaine Drouhin Oregon

Beer
Heavy Seas Beer (also my favorite)

Again a very fun night and filling night. Check it out in the future!

The Smokey Pig

2010-04-29T21:25:00.003-04:00

The Smokey Pig
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

The kids and I ate at The Smokey Pig in Ashland VA.
We have never eaten here despite passing it multiple times on the road. The boy was hungry

the girl was in judge mode

We started with some hush puppies, which were great

They were crisp and bready with corn and apple taste

The boy considers himself a soup critic and thought the tomato soup was incredible.

The girl ordered a steak which came to the table perfectly grilled with a smokey exterior, medium rare interior.

The boy went with a burger (he shares my antipathy of pulled pork)
the burger was huge and tasty

I ordered the pork ribs

They were meaty, perhaps a bit dry, and not as smoky as Buzz and Neds but still very flavorfull. The house sauce is sweet and tangy and complimented the ribs very well.

We left very full, very happy with the food, and great personal service.

http://thesmokeypig.com/

Mofongo

2010-04-27T20:13:00.003-04:00

Mofongo
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

The fortunate combination of fried green plantain and crispy pork is a delicious dish. I deep fried pieces of green plantain till cooked but not crisp then combined them with pieces of pork sauteed till crispy. This is actually pieces from my baked pork head.

I added a homemade chicken stock

mixed in the food processor till it all came together I molded it in a bowl and served it.

It is great with a saucy shrimp scampy (as I served it) or roast chicken or pork.

Strawberry Jam

2010-04-27T18:22:00.005-04:00

strawberry jam
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

Remember the jam braised pork chops, well my daughter made that jam, and this (her favorite) strawberry jam. All I can say is that it is chopped strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, and water. I always forget the quantities and proportions which clearly signifies that my wife and daughter are much better bakers, candy makers, jam makers than I am. I am much more likely to vary and inevitably screw up a candy, jam, bakery recipe. (cooking is much more forgiving).

She combines all the ingredients and cooks them down

till they get sticky and gooey (my terms)

the girl actually spoons it onto a chilled plate and draws a line in it to test doneness

and when it is done to her satisfaction she cans it.

When I say she does it she is in charge, I supervise but this nearly 12 year old calls the shots. To her credit it is very good... (I would add some black pepper and strawberry brandy but that would probably screw it up).

2010-04-24T17:25:00.003-04:00

I love food curated and her videos, but I am so jeleaous of the pizza oven, as I would love to build my own.

Retiring to Make Pizza: Paulie Gee's from SkeeterNYC on Vimeo.

Tostones again

2010-04-17T18:14:00.003-04:00

bullet hole
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

I know we have cooked fried plantains multiple times but here we go agagin.

the plantains are fried at a low temperature (325 deg) for 10 min then taken out to rest and flattend

in my house using the mortar

Making Tostones from Eugenio Monasterio on Vimeo.

then refried till crispy

My Empire of Dirt

2010-04-16T19:22:00.003-04:00

Acorn Edition Salumi

2010-04-15T16:28:00.002-04:00

la Quercia box
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

I received our second shipment from La Quercia today (Acorn Edition hog share). This box contains cured items.

I am probably the most excited to try the Lardo

But we also got some Coppa

Nicely marbled

Guanciale (cheeks!)

Pancetta

Looking tasty

Somehow I missed a picture of the Lonza (cured loin) but it is in there.

Now to portion it out amongst the shareholders (my brothers) and feast!

Jam braised pork chops

2010-04-13T12:31:00.002-04:00

weekend cooking 005
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

This was an easy dish that turned out great. Sweet and savory.
I started with a couple strips of bacon on a cast iron pan

I then added some thin pork chops seasoned with salt and pepper, and then painted liberally with a mixed berry jam (mostly blueberry).

I then layered some chopped onions on top

and reseasoned with salt and pepper. I put it in a 375 deg oven for 40 minutes, till It looked like this...

The carmelized and charred onions went well with the sweet jam, and the chops were very tasty. I served it with mixed vegetables on the side.

Garlic Fried Rabbit

2010-03-26T15:27:00.003-04:00

garlic
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

This is my mother's recipe for fried rabbit marinated in garlic and herbs. While she was visiting she mentioned that my brother Eric likes this dish and since he and his wife where coming in a few days we decided to prep the dish. She cleaned two heads of garlic (she wanted FOUR, but I only had two at the time.)

I crushed the garlic with two tablespoons of salt and 4 black pepper corns in my favorite mortar.

We added about a:
tablespoon of fresh rosemary,
teaspoon of fresh thyme
1/4 cup of olive oil
1/8 cup of sherry vinegar

We marinated two rabbits cut into pieces (marinate at least overnight and then freeze if needed)

I asked my mother whether I should deep fry or pan fry and she said either was fine... I went deep as it presents less cleanup.

I fried in batches till golden brown and kept them warm in the oven

We served it up on a platter, with rice and beans or garbanzo stew, and bread. The rabbit remains moist with the quick cooking with great flavor.

Try it it's easy.

Updated Garbanzo, finished pictures

2010-03-25T23:23:00.001-04:00

Check it

Hot Pot

2010-03-23T16:28:00.002-04:00

Hot Pot set up
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo

I wanted to plan a fun meal, but also one where everyone in the family would and could eat what they wanted. We settled for a hot pot. I took my mother to Tan Am where we bought most of our ingredients.

beans and sprouts

Spinach and some chopped mixed seafood

chinese suasage and kelp (kelp cooked in the broth first)

baby bok choy and sliced tilapia

Egg noodles (I boiled them then rinsed to cool)

Precooked pork meatballs

Mushrooms (sauteed with garlic and sesame oil)

The stock I had previously made and frozen pork bone stock to which I added some shrimp shells, then flavored with lemongrass, lime, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce. sugar and salt to taste.

I had lent out our single electric burner so I placed the hot pot on a griddle. Everyone chose ingredients cooked or warmed them, armed with baskets.

The bonus of having the pot on the larger griddle is that you can also cook on the griddle teppanyaki style

At the end of the meal the stock has taken on more flavor and the noodles are added to the pot and eaten. We had great fun and discovered what is likely to be a new standard meal in our house.