Cuisine Capers

 

This summer, Saturdays have turned in to a leisurely meal outside on the deck, enjoying the shade of the 250 year old oak tree, the gentle breeze, and the mild early summer temperatures. And in such a relaxing, civilized setting, not just any lunch will do.

A recent Saturday morning found me watching FoodNetwork TV as I got ready to run my routine errands (like picking up the CSA produce box that we get weekly).  Tyler Florence’s show “Tyler’s Ultimate” was on, and while he tends to do food we like, I wasn’t paying extraordinary attention… until he began to discuss a dish called Gallina De Madre, or Mother Hen Toast.  I was immediately intrigued.

This dish consisted of a crusty, toasted slab of rustic bread, topped with serrano ham and an egg, then baked.  I knew that the chances of finding serrano ham were slim, but I also know that other high quality ham would work for this dish.

Gallina De Madre was offered up as a tapas, or even a nice breakfast.  It looked to me like the perfect lunch for that very day, and so I made sure that my errands for the day including picking up anything we might need.  As is usual, I modified the recipe that he presented to suit our tastes.

Recipe serves 2:

2 thick-cut slices rustic bread
Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 
4 slices shaved serrano ham (We used Boar’s Head Black Forest Ham)
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Lay bread out on a sheet tray and drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and toast lightly in oven. Arrange 2 slices of ham on each slice of toast and nestle it into a nest shape so the egg will rest in the center. Crack egg and drop into nest on each toast. Bake in oven until eggs are just cooked but the yolk is still slightly runny, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, if needed.

Served along side a bed of greens simply dressed with salt, pepper, olive oil and red wine vinegar, it was exactly what we were looking for that day.

Do you love Salmon?  Do you have a great recipe you want to share?  Then MarxFoods.com has the contest for you with their “Win a Summer of Wild Salmon” contest.  Now through Friday, June 20, submit your original recipe.  The winner receives three 5-lb. wild salmon shipments throughout the summer.  Click for more details.

Nothing screams Spring like asparagus.  By mid-spring it becomes the fresh go-to vegetable unlike any other.  Sure, by early summer you are so tired of asparagus that you are ready to scream, but that’s ok, because that is just the time that the season is ending for the year.With the prevelance of aspargus in early spring comes the necessity at creativity.  Steamed asparagus over, and over, and over just doesn’t cut it.  The Asparagus Spring Salad is just the answer.

Simple to make, it doesn’t even warrant a formal recipe.  Simply add your favorite freshly available produce to the crisply steamed asparagus and toss it with salt, pepper, olive oil and just the lightest touch of balsamic vinegar.  In the picture included here, I’ve added fresh radishes, scallions and tomatoes to the mix.

Spring hits in Wisconsin in a very welcome way.  After the brutal winter that we lived through in our area we needed Spring desperately.  Over 100 inches of snow was a hard memory to shake off, but somehow we managed to do just that. 

This process was helped along with a Spring Tradition of ourse - the enjoyment of a Hacker Pschorr Dunkel Weissen, a plate of artisan Wisconsin cheese, and farm fresh radishes.

 

Memorial Day weekend has special meaning in Madison, Wisconsin.  For the last several years, it has marked the weekend for Bratfest, the biggest Bratwurst-eating orgy in the World!  Thousands gather to buy bags of brats at bargain prices.  And that’s not all, there are major celebrities on hand, as shown below:

 

Yes, the Johnsonville Brat Truck and the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile is about as big as it gets in these parts.

This year a major World Record was set in the number of bratwurst consumed (191,712).  Here’s are some interesting facts from last year - when a record was not set!

Johnsonville Brats Consumed in 4 days:	189,432
Johnsonville Brats Consumed in lbs.:	37,886 lbs.
Brats Consumed stacked end-to-end:	17.94 miles
Brat Consumed per minute:	98.7 BPM(Brats Per Minute)
Average Brats per person:	Not Sure, But It’s A Lot
“Double Johnny’s” Consumed:	New This Year
Oscar Mayer Hot Dogs Consumed:	18,750
Boca Brats Consumed:	7,500
Village Hearth Buns Consumed:	201,000 Pre Sliced
20oz. Pepsi Bottles Consumed:	49,128
Onions Consumed:	1,700 lbs.
Mustard Consumed:	143 Gallons
Ketchup Consumed:	270 Gallons
Relish Consumed:	180 Gallons
Sauerkraut Consumed:	3,510 Lbs.
Number of 5′ Grills Used:	24 Grills
Grilling Capacity:	14,400 bph (brats per hour)
Number of FREE Live Bands	50 Bands
Hours of FREE Music	80 Hours
Number of Volunteers:	3,960 Volunteers
Volunteer Hours Donated:	12,192
Number of Participating Charities:	78 Charities
Brat Man:	1
Madison WI Population:	223,389
Brats eaten per Madisonian:	9.99 per person
Money Raised For Charities Since 1983:	$674,367
Brats Sold Since 1983 in Tons:	223 Tons
The Largest Elephant ever recorded:	13.5 Tons
Total Brats Consumed if stacked end to end:	211.23 Miles
Miles to Sheboygan, WI.:	141.7 Miles
Celebrity Cashiers:	63

There are MANY, MANY photos below. 

 

We here at Cuisine Capers know our cuts of meat. We encounter them often. So we don’t take it lightly when we announce that we’ve now named the tri-tip roast the perfect cut of grilling beef available.

This may sound silly, but we’ve made it to our advanced ages without ever really trying the tri-tip.  We’re old pros at the sirloin tip roast - in fact, we recently deemed our method of cooking the sirloin tip roast to result in the Best Roast Beef Ever.  Judging from the feedback of our readers, they agree - in droves.  We’re also old pros at tenderloin, strip steak, filet mignon and top sirloin.  Oh, let’s just admit it, we haven’t really met a cut of beef that we didn’t like, and didn’t become pros at.

But Tri-Tip?  This is not a cut that is easily found in our parts.  But fate was smiling down happily on me the other day at Jenifer Street Market in Madison.  I was gazing fondly at the meat counter, when what should appear in my line of vision but a Tri-Tip.  I scrutinized it for a moment or two, then made the plunge.

It was a mid spring’s eve, and it was a perfect night for grilling. So grill it we did. First, we through your basic spices on the roast - garlic, onion, cumin, salt, pepper…. anything you like to put on your beef works here.  It sat at room temperature for over an hour, getting ready to meet the grill.

The grill master made one side of the charcoal grill hot, while leaving the other side devoid of direct heat. The tri-tip was placed in the direct heat for about 5 minutes on one side, then flipped for about 5 more minutes on the other side. Then the beef was moved over to the other side of the grill, devoid of direct heat. The top was placed on the grill, and there it continued to cook away, until it reached approximately 125 degrees.  After resting, it was sliced into thin-to-moderately sized slices.

The end result was fabulous. Moist, tender, perfectly grill-roasted, with the most robust beef flavor imaginable, this has now entrenched itself into our repetoire as the go-to beef dish of the summer.  Served alongside a simple salad of spring greens, along with grilled spring onions and asaparagus, this made for a noteworthy spring meal.

Bolognese alla Carbonara Bucatini

I’m not too sure what to call this recipe, for it is not a traditional bolognese, and it is certainly not a traditional carbonara.  On the other hand, it combines elements of both of these dishes into a hearty, satisfying pasta fitting for Sunday dinner.

I start with a base of good quality Italian Sausage, crumbled.  Into that goes diced pancetta, onions and garlic.  This is browned, and the richness of this sauce starts right at the beginning with the addition of cream to the meat as finishes browning.  Allow the meat to absorb the cream completely.  Follow this by adding red wine and allowing the sauce to simmer.

 Add coarsely chopped tomato once the sauce begins to simmer.  The key to this sauce is that it is not a tomato sauce.  It is a sauce with tomatoes in it.  This is an important distinction, so keep it in mind as you add the tomato.  Let the sauce simmer for up to two hours, adding cream as you go to maintain desired consistancy.

The carbonara portion of the recipe comes as you being to put together the dish for serving.  In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and cream.  Add cooked, hot pasta to the egg mixture and toss thoroughly to coat the pasta.  Then add the sauce to the same bowl, tossing to complete.

Serve topped with grated parmesan cheese and chopped basil.

 

Just a heads up - it’s that time of year again!  If you are in the Madison, Wisconsin area and you are starting to plan your Farmers Market season, http://CookingOutOfTheBox.com is here to help!  Check out the 2008 season listing here!

Every now and then I get the hankering to enter a recipe contest.  It doesn’t happen very often, mind you, but I’ll point out that according to the Wisconsin State Journal, I have the best potato salad in the kingdom of Madison… even if they didn’t understand what it meant when I called for a chiffonade of basil.  Heh. 

That honor won me top billing in a potato salad story along with a cookbook.  Clearly, I won’t get rich off of recipe contests. 

At any rate, Cuisine Capers was sent a press release about the latest recipe contest hosted on the FoodNetwork.com, featuring Bobby Flay and Columbia Crest wine.  While I haven’t decided if I’ll enter it, I’ll pass along the info for those how might be interested:

COLUMBIA CREST WINERY AND FOOD NETWORK STAR BOBBY FLAY PRESENT THE “FLAYVORS OF WASHINGTON” RECIPE CONTEST

Acclaimed Washington State Winery to Sponsor Contest on FoodNetwork.com with World-Renowned Chef

Paterson, Wash. (January 24, 2008) – Columbia Crest Winery, in conjunction with Chef Bobby Flay, today announced the upcoming launch of the “Flayvors of Washington” recipe contest. The month-long contest, which launches April 15, 2008, will be hosted on the Food Network Web site. The contest is part of a partnership between the Washington-based winery and Flay that highlights the unexpected rewards of dining with Columbia Crest Grand Estates wines.

The “Flayvors of Washington” contest challenges food and wine lovers throughout the United States to create and submit an original recipe inspired by Columbia Crest wines and utilizing ingredients from Washington state. As one of the leading agricultural producers, the state offers an abundance of flavorful and fresh ingredients from which to draw culinary inspiration. The entries will be reviewed and the top-10 recipes will be narrowed to a selection of five finalists by Columbia Crest Winemaker Ray Einberger and Seattle Times restaurant critic and local NPR food commentator Nancy Leson. Flay and Food Network Executive Chef Robert Bleifer will then judge the top-five recipes and select a first-, second- and third-place winner.

“As a chef, I understand how pairing the right wine and food can enhance the overall dining experience,” said Flay. “I use regional ingredients in my cooking, so I’m eager to see what recipes and pairings people will create using the flavors of Washington.”

The winner of the contest will enjoy a trip to New York City, where he/she will have the opportunity to cook his/her winning dish with Flay and then enjoy a special dinner at one of his restaurants, featuring wine pairings from Columbia Crest.

“We encourage fans of Bobby Flay and Columbia Crest, as well as anyone who is passionate about food and wine, to explore all the delicious and inspiring flavors Washington state offers,” said Miles Johnson, senior product manager for Columbia Crest.

In May 2007, Columbia Crest and Flay announced their partnership to demonstrate how simple it is to have a great food and wine experience, everyday. In addition to the contest, the partnership includes a Columbia Crest Grand Estates print advertising campaign starring Flay, as well as holiday and spring menus created by Flay to be featured on the Columbia Crest Web site, and wine pairings that he will develop exclusively for the winery.

The contest will begin on April 15, 2008, and all entries must be received by midnight on May 31, 2008. To submit an entry or find out more about the “Flayvors of Washington” contest, please visit www.foodnetwork.com/columbiacrest beginning April 15.

About Columbia Crest

In 2008, Columbia Crest Winery celebrates 25 years of winemaking in Washington state. Columbia Crest has grown from a small winery in a relatively unknown wine region to one of the most significant wineries in the United States and a major force behind Washington state’s emergence as a world-class wine region. In 2007, the Grand Estates Merlot was selected from a field of 15,000 90+ rated wines as one of the “Top 100 Wines of the World” by Wine Spectator, marking the 14th “Top 100” placement for Columbia Crest in the past nine years. More information about the winery can be found at columbia-crest.com.

About Bobby Flay

Chef Bobby Flay’s critically acclaimed restaurants include New York’s Bar Americain; Bobby Flay Steak in the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City; and three outposts of his famed Mesa Grill in New York, Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, and The Cove Atlantis in the Bahamas. A graduate of the French Culinary Institute, Flay also shares his enthusiasm for food through his cookbooks, most recently The Mesa Grill Cookbook, and a variety of national programs on the Food Network including the Emmy-winning “Boy Meets Grill.” Flay regularly informs audiences about seasonal, fresh dishes and ingredients as a food correspondent for “The Early Show” on CBS.