tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-968089327672936642024-02-20T06:22:20.646-05:00The Bearded ChefThe Bearded Chefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04811192478777566105noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96808932767293664.post-6826430563571368632009-08-04T09:51:00.002-04:002009-08-04T09:56:34.939-04:00Summer UpdatesHey all!<br /><br />Thanks for hanging in there waiting for my return. As promised, you will all hear of another great restaurant I have visited recently.<br /><br />Unfortunately, I will have to hold off on my posting of recipes until copyrights have been issued. Once this small hill has been climbed, you will get to see even more delicious, and easy recipes that you can cook right at home. I am full of impatience, wanting to post them now as I type, but I can't.<br /><br />Come join The Bearded Chef at two local Beer Festivals! Join us for the Sam Adams OctoberFest on Sept 12th located at the Beer Summit, and at the Ipswich Ale Festival on October 3rd! Information, tickets, and locations listed above under Upcoming Events.The Bearded Chefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04811192478777566105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96808932767293664.post-9384938238029240712009-06-15T11:38:00.004-04:002009-06-15T11:47:21.625-04:00The Bearded Chef is away from keyboard.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq354/Bearded_Chef/CHEF/fruit_home.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq354/Bearded_Chef/CHEF/fruit_home.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Hi All!<br /><br />I just wanted to give everyone a heads up apologizing for my lack of activity on my website. To make a long story short, I have moved into a new home!<br /><br />I hope to resume my creation of recipes and reviews of local restaurants starting July 1st.<br /><br />Stay hungry!The Bearded Chefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04811192478777566105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96808932767293664.post-80363928866323687482009-04-29T10:51:00.003-04:002009-04-29T11:52:34.617-04:00Tabasco Roast with Roasted Potatoes and Carrots<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq354/Bearded_Chef/FOOD/Tabasco%20Roast/100_1139.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq354/Bearded_Chef/FOOD/Tabasco%20Roast/100_1139.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>This dish is not only simple, but it is delicious. Now you will be able to stun unexpected guests or at the very least have a great, and healthy meal during the week, that will not take forever to prepare and cook.<br /><br />Another great thing about this dish is how effectively cheap it is. Lets start with the roasted potatoes and carrots. Nothing can be simpler. At a cost of less than 12.00, you can have a wonderful side dish, or even a nice vegan style dish if you wish to serve it as a main course.<br /><br />I typically love to use red potatoes, about 3 pounds worth. Just pick up a bag of carrots, organic or whichever you prefer. If you would like additional flavor, pick up a sweet onion.<br /><br />Preheat your oven to 350F.<br /><br />Take the biggest bowl you have and fill 3/4 full with cold water. Set aside. Take your potatoes, with the skins still on, and start to cube them into pieces that are roughly the same size. What this does is allows the potatoes to be cooked at the same time. Remember, bigger pieces take longer to cook and therefore you would have either pieces that are overcooked, or some that are undercooked. After cubing the potatoes, put them into the cold water and let them sit to remove any extra starch and dirt you may have missed when washing them before.<br /><br />Take about 10 carrots and chop them into roughly the same size as the cubed potatoes. Add them to the cold water.<br /><br />If you did purchase an onion, remove the outer skin and cut in half, then chop roughly.<br /><br />Drain the carrots and potatoes from the bowl of water, then add back to the same bowl. Add the onions and stir to combine. If you wish, you can also take a couple cloves of garlic, mince them and add them to the bowl. Add just enough olive oil to cover all the veggies, stirring to make sure everything is covered. Add your spices. I prefer my super secret spice mix, some garlic powder, and just some store bought Italian Seasoning spice.<br /><br />Move all the ingredients into a 9x13 baking dish. Move to the oven and bake for about 1 hour and 30 mins, depending on your oven. The time can be adjusted depending on how crunchy you would like your veggies. I wouldn't let them cook for any less than an hour.<br /><br />You can either serve from here, or let cool to room temp and move to a storage container. This will keep for a week in the fridge and is great for a quick meal or side for lunch, work, or as a dinner side.<br /><br />Now for the main course. This is so simple your going to love it. The only tool that you will need here is your digital thermometer. If you don't have one, go buy one, it's worth it, and can be used for anything that you place in your oven.<br /><br />I will be honest. I am not picky when it comes to cuts of meat, as long as there is protein on my plate, I am happy. You can walk into any supermarket and find a good roast. Go over to the Beef section and look around. You will find some good roasts for good money, and you will find some other roasts for cheaper. I personally look for a roast that does not have a lot of fat located on the outside of the cut. If the fat is mixed within the meat thats ok, it will add flavor to the meat when cooked, but that hard fat on the outside of the roast, thats not good stuff. I try to look for something around 3 pounds. Try to get something that is a couple ounces over what your target weight is, you don't want to forget the access fat you will be trimming off, and that will decrease the weight of your roast. Now for the last piece of advice, if your 3lb roast is more than 15 bucks, your paying too much ;)<br /><br />Alright, now that you have your roast, take it out of the package, wrap in some plastic wrap, and put it in your fridge. Let it sit there for at least 24 hours. Yes, I'm not crazy. No, it won't contaminate any other foods in your fridge if it is isolated properly. Try to store it on the bottom most shelf in your fridge, and no, it won't go bad.<br /><br />After letting it sit in there for a couple days, you may notice that the outside is no longer a red color, but more close to a brown. You may notice a slight smell. All this is normal. What we are doing by letting it sit is that natural bacteria located inside the roast is breaking down all the fat and connective tissues inside the meat, causing it to become more tender. The longer you let it sit, the more tender and flavorful it will be, but it will also smell more :) If it makes you feel more comfortable, when you are ready to prepare the roast, rinse it under cold water quickly.<br /><br />When you are ready to cook your roast, preheat your oven to 350F. Take an oven safe skillet or cast iron and place it over very high heat. As the pan starts to heat, take your roast and remove any access fat located on the outside of the meat. If you start cutting into the fat located inside the roast, it will fall apart and not keep its shape. Cover in olive oil and season with a little salt on each side. Place in pan. You want to cook all exposed sides for 1 min per side.<br /><br />This is the most important tool that you will need for the job, your digital thermometer. It should have an alarm that will sound when you reach a certain temp. Set it for 80F, remove the roast from the pan and pierce it into the exact center of your roast. Cover the roast in Tabasco or your favorite hot sauce. Add pre-roasted carrots and potatoes to the pan and place the roast on top. Move the entire pan into the oven and roast it until your alarm sounds.<br /><br />Without removing the probe, flip the roast over, cover with some more hot sauce and set your alarm for 115F. When the alarm sounds, remove from the oven, and wrap roast in aluminum foil without removing probe and let sit until thermometer reads between 125F-130F. Alot of people who cook roasts forget about carry over temperatures. There is enough heat leftover in the roast to cook it the rest of the way. If we let it cook in the oven until 130F, the roast will be overcooked and will become dry when cut. Taking it out of the oven when it's not completely done will not only let the carry over temp cook it the rest of the way, but it will also give the roast time to redistribute the juices through the roast.<br /><br />The temperatures can be adjusted for your desired doneness. Cooking it to about 115F-120F and letting it sit to about 125F-130F will produce a rare roast. If you desire medium-rare, you should remove your roast from the oven around 125F and let it coast over to about 135F.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq354/Bearded_Chef/FOOD/Tabasco%20Roast/100_1145.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq354/Bearded_Chef/FOOD/Tabasco%20Roast/100_1145.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>When the roast is ready, place roasted potatoes and carrots inside of a dish able to hold everything, slice the roast and place on top. Serve family style.The Bearded Chefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04811192478777566105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96808932767293664.post-61571558163810908972009-04-07T11:57:00.004-04:002009-04-08T10:33:01.039-04:00Shabu-Zen<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq354/Bearded_Chef/FOOD/Shabu-Zen/100_1116.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq354/Bearded_Chef/FOOD/Shabu-Zen/100_1116.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Places such as Shabu-Zen is wonderous, filled with food so delicious I never want to leave.<br /><br />Enter Shabu-Zen, at 16 Tyler Street, Boston, MA. A place I found wandering around Chinatown in Boston looking for warm food on my lunch break on a cold winter day. This is a place you wouldn't recognize from any advertisement, or would even know existed unless someone pointed it out to you. A favorite among the locals in the area, this is definitely a hidden treasure.<br /><br />Classified as a "hot pot" restaurant, also known as shabu-shabu style, you enter and seated either at a table, or in the center which is definitely the place I want to sit. All of the action is taking place in the center. All the locals eat, all the food is delivered, and all the staff are there constantly to ask you if you need anything else.<br /><br />In the table, or in front of you, is an individual electric hot plate in which a pot is set. You are given a simple menu containing a list of meats you would like to use. They offer a variety of meats, including; chicken, beef, lamb, and pork.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq354/Bearded_Chef/FOOD/Shabu-Zen/100_1119.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq354/Bearded_Chef/FOOD/Shabu-Zen/100_1119.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Now, me being me, I like things spicy. I ordered the Kim Chee soup stock as spicy as they had it. I decided to get some beef and lamb to go with some noodles. The stock was served with a side of Kim Chee, which is a spicy flavored pickled cabbage. The veggies included were cabbage, carrots, corn still on the cob, tofu skins, watercress, and mushrooms. As for flavor enhancers, they had a side of soy sauce, and a small amount of chopped garlic, hot bean paste, chopped chives, and some sort of dried spicy pepper.<br /><br />After dumping all the garlic, dried pepper, chives, and some of the red bean paste into the stock, I let it come to a boil before I added some of the veggies and noodles. See, this is what I love best about places like this. They serve you food, and you do what you want with it. You don't need to add things to the soup unless you want to, and you don't need to worry about whats already in there cause your adding it.<br /><br />Now, what I like to do is add the noodles last, so they don't get soggy that quick. Also, your supposed to add the meat last. And I don't like to add it all at the same time.. then, to me, it will cook too much. The slices of meat are very thin, like cold cuts, and rolled up. I like my meats with a little blood and not cooked too long, so I only add enough to fill the bowl I am eating out of at that moment. Let the meats cook in there for as long as you want, then serve yourself.<br /><br />Your given a bowl and you add whatever you want out of the pot into your bowl, add a little broth, then consume. The flavor is beyond words I can put together into a sentence. Ask the people around me. Many were wondering if there was something wrong with me.. or they wandered into the wrong place, due to my moans of "oh yeah" and "mmmmm" were very loud and constant.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq354/Bearded_Chef/FOOD/Shabu-Zen/100_1120.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq354/Bearded_Chef/FOOD/Shabu-Zen/100_1120.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />As if I was not having enough pleasure, we ordered some dumplings. The unfortunate part was they were frozen when given, but the idea is to let them cook in your stew. Oh man, were they good. The outside was doughy and chewy. The inside had the perfect balance of flavor, spice, and sweet. I was in heaven.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq354/Bearded_Chef/FOOD/Shabu-Zen/100_1122.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq354/Bearded_Chef/FOOD/Shabu-Zen/100_1122.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Coming to the sad, unfortunate end of my meal, I felt depressed. I knew I would have to leave soon. But alas! Desert! Nothing can end a meal like what I had, especially with the ability to cool you down after eating such a hot and spicy broth. Green tea ice cream surrounded by raw green tea dough, made into a ball. A nice, sweet, cool, calming dish.<br /><br />I believe Anthony Bourdain once said, one of the many reasons why Asian cuisine was his favorite is because, like everything else, they have been doing it for that much longer. While other countries and traditions may have existed for hundreds of years, China, and the surrounding Asian countries have been cooking for thousands of years.<br /><br />Nothing can be explained more about their rich culture and heritage than in the food they prepare and eat.<br /><br />Please, please visit this place. You will not be disappointed!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/4/54128/restaurant/Chinatown/Shabu-Zen-Boston"><img alt="Shabu-Zen on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/54128/biglink.gif" style="border: medium none ; width: 200px; height: 146px;" /></a>The Bearded Chefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04811192478777566105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96808932767293664.post-14250103753105962582009-04-03T00:27:00.003-04:002009-04-03T00:43:32.425-04:00UPDATES 4/3/09Well, I figure sooner or later I would have to rethink some of the way the page was put together. <br /><br />With recent contact from a couple local groups had me thinking of how to make the page a little cleaner, complete with new links and sponsors to local events and groups.<br /><br />Behold the updates:<br /><br />Moved Blog Archive located at the bottom of the site over to the right and configured it into a drop down menu organized by months.<br /><br />Created 3 lists separated into Recipes, Articles, and Reviews containing links to my archived posts. <br /><br />Configured settings to only display only the most current article posted on the main page. All other postings can be found via one of my 3 new archive lists located on the right of the page.<br /><br />Shrunk my Kirby Bearded Chef picture. <br /><br />Removed my "Enter the Beard" introduction. The introduction did not look good elsewhere on the page, and really extended the side of the main page, not making it look so nice and clean. Plus, everyone knows why I'm here :P<br /><br />The hardest thing to do: Removed my dad's obituary. Dad, you are not forgotten, I have created a post containing your obituary, and you will forever be a link located in the Articles section of my archives. <br /><br />STUFF TO COME:<br /><br />Soon, my postings containing recipes that I have created, will be available to download via a link in PDF format. Perfect for storing in your recipe books!The Bearded Chefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04811192478777566105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96808932767293664.post-7933831029248265772009-04-02T23:20:00.003-04:002009-04-02T23:23:07.205-04:00Rest In Peace, Father<BR><BR><center></center><center></center><center><img alt="Louis H. Miller Sr." src="http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq354/Bearded_Chef/FAMILY/louismillerobituary.jpg" width="150" border="0" /></center><br />Louis H. Miller Sr. passed away at the VA Hospital in W. Roxbury, on September 9, 2008; he was 71 years of age. Louis was born and raised in Chelsea and attended Chelsea Schools. Mr. Miller entered the US Air Force in 1955 and served during the Korean & Vietnam Wars. He lived in Chelsea most of his life and the last 6 years in Melrose. After his discharge from the US Air Force, he worked as a chef for the Chateau De Ville in Saugus & Stoneham and as a metal worker for Barwood Manufacturing in Everett, Red Dot & L.E. Mason in Hyde Park. Louis loved to spend time with his family, enjoyed working on his family tree, cooking, camping and watching the History Channel. Mr. Miller liked his trips to Vegas, Reno, Foxwoods, having fun with his friends and was a devoted member of the Melrose Elks. Louis was the former husband of Gilda Miller of Chelsea and the late Doris Miller. Father of Louis H. Miller Jr. of Peabody, Michelle Miller of Lynn and Anthony L. Miller of Salem. Grandfather of Cristina, Christopher, Robert & Samantha. Great grandfather of David Dorriety. Dear friend of Jo-Ann Bishop & Robert Sartori. Also survived by numerous nieces, nephews, family & friends. Memorial contributions may be made to Veteran Services @ VA Medical Center, 1400 VFW Parkway, W. Roxbury, 02118.The Bearded Chefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04811192478777566105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96808932767293664.post-84220168906791514822009-03-24T09:41:00.002-04:002009-03-24T09:53:33.808-04:00The Alfredo AttemptA good general must also learn from their mistakes in order to succeed in battle once more. That which does not kill us makes us stronger.<br /><br />Phrases like these are words to live by for a chef. People need to realize everyone is human, mistakes are made, and food doesnt always turn out the way you expect the 1st time. The problem with society today is that it wants to move too fast, or people dont make time to slow down and cook for their loved ones, or even for the health of themselves.<br /><br />I remember the 1st time I made a steak that was cooked in the oven. It was too dry, no flavor, and over cooked. Did I get frustrated and give up? Nope, I ate it and learned. The next time I shortened the cooking time, and got it right.<br /><br />Here's another lesson I learned hahaha. Alfredo. A creamy cheese sauce that is very traditional and usually served over pasta with some sort of protein.<br /><br />To bring you into the Beard a little more, first understand I come up with an idea for a dish. In this case, I wanted to build a simple alfredo recipe so I can work it into other complex dishes. Here was one recipe that I created for alfredo.<br /><br />2 garlic cloves, minced<br />3/4 cup grated parm cheese<br />3/4 cup mozzarella cheese<br />1/2 teaspoon pepper<br />1/2 cup butter<br />1 cup heavy cream<br />1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley<br /><br />Traditionally, you need to melt the butter in a sauce pan on Low heat. Take the pan off heat and add the cream and cheeses, When all cheese has melted, return to heat and add the rest of the ingredients.<br /><br />OK, so here we go, I know there are some of you out there that looked at that recipe and instantly cringed.. Yep.. the mozzarella. The parm cheese melted beautifully, the mozzarella, not so much. I returned the pan to the heat and cooked it enough to get the mozzarella melted. Problem now was it cooked on the bottom of the pan and burned.<br /><br />The sauce, served instantly over pasta, had nice flavor, but not so much of the cheese flavor. Storing the alfredo was worse. It solidified into one piece. On reheat, the mozzarella separated completely from the sauce and created a layer of oil. Ick.<br /><br />Lesson learned? Don't use mozzarella with alfredo. I have 2 other ideas for an alfredo for my next attempt. Either a 4 cheese alfredo, or a straight parm alfredo.<br /><br />Stay tuned!The Bearded Chefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04811192478777566105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96808932767293664.post-11050103029284604782009-03-17T10:54:00.009-04:002009-03-17T11:55:13.329-04:00Running Red<a href="http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq354/Bearded_Chef/FOOD/100_1132.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq354/Bearded_Chef/FOOD/100_1132.jpg" border="0" /> </a>Sauce. A staple in modern Italian cuisine, tomatoes were first considered a "botanical curiousity" instead of an actual food item. Many feared they were poisonous. Somewhere, someone got it right. Tomatoes can easily grow in the soils of Southern Europe, especially Spain and Italy. By the 17th century, tomatoes were widely used in Southern European dishes. <p></p><p>"The tomato, initially regarded as an ornamental fruit and later adopted as a food, was an exotic curiousity that first appears in the writings of P.A. Mattioli and Jose de Acosta, travelers and naturalists. Apart from these sources, allusions to its consumption are very rare. Costanzo Felici tell us...that the usual "gluttons and people greedy for new things" did not realize they could eat the tomato as they would eat mushrooms or eggplants, fried in oil and flavored with salt and pepper. Although we must not exclude the possibility that tomatoes were consumed at an earlier date by the common people, it is only at the end of the seventeenth century that we observe their inclusion in elite cuisine, thanks to the Neapolitan recipe collection of Antonio Latini. Iberian influences may be detected in their adoption for culinary purposes, since various recipes that call for tomatoes are designated as "in the Spanish style." Among these is a recipe for "tomato sauce," which is flavored with onions and wild thyme "or piperna" and subsequently adjusted to taste by adding salt, oil, and vinegar. With a few modifications, this preparation was to enjoy a remarkable future in Italian cuisine and in the industry of preserved foods. The custom observed in ancient and medieval times, as well as during the Renaissance, of serving sauces as accompaniments to "boiled foods or other dishes"--as Latini expresses it in this instance--facilitated the acceptance of the tomato by integrating it into an established gastronomic tradition. For the same reason, it gained widespread currence in Italian cooking in the eighteenth and nineteenth cneturies. Panunto in Tuscany, Vincenzo Corrado in Naples, and Francesco Leonardi in Rome all include it in their recipe books."---Italian Cuisine: A Cultural History, Alberto Capatti & Massimo Montanari [Columbia University Press:New York] 1999 (p. 42-3) </p><p>There even may be a few of you out there who use the term "gravy" to define a tomato sauce. Sorry, because of traditional culinary definition, a gravy needs to be meat based. Since this is a tomato base, you are out of luck.. call it sauce.</p><p>A sauce has so many complex flavors, and there is more than just one sauce, and one for every occasion. There are sauces for winter, sauces for weddings, sauces for summer. You name it. I have come to find that a good sauce is just like a good stew. Not one recipe should be written in stone, and should be changed to suit the needs of the person cooking it, or the ones consuming it.</p><p>Please take the recipe I am sharing with you and make your own variations. This sauce is made to my tastes, and if you like the same thing I do.. follow it to key, I won't mind :)</p><p>2 lbs large ripe plum tomatoes<br />1/2 cup olive oil<br />1/2 cup minced fresh basil<br />1/2 cup minced fresh parsley<br />3 tablespoons minced fresh oregano<br />1/2 cup freshly grated parmigiano<br />1/2 teaspoon sugar<br />1 teaspoon salt<br />1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper<br />2 bay leaves<br /><br />Now, I prefer a traditional style sauce. That means a nice chunky sauce, they didn't have blenders and food processors back in the 16th century!</p><p>The 1st step you need to do is blanch your tomatoes. Some people find this kinda difficult. It's quite easy, even though I don't have pics for you. Take your tomatoes and cut an X into the skin on one end. Once you have them all X'd, boil some water in a pot that will fit all the tomatoes and keep them submerged. When you reach boil, add the tomatoes and start your timer for 1 min. Prepare an ice bath. After 1 min, take the tomatoes out of the water and add them to the ice bath. Let them sit in there for another minute. The skin should fall right off, or come off with very little effort. From here, just slice them in half and remove the seeds. </p><p>Add to the sauce pot and start crushing and squeezing the tomatoes by hand. Ahh, love that feeling don't ya? Add the rest of your ingredients and cook on Very Low heat. Let it simmer with the cover on for about an hour. Make sure to stir every 15 mins or so. You can tell when the sauce is ready when it boils instead of simmers on Very Low heat. Time to remove the bay leaves and add to your favorite pasta or set aside and let cool to room temp. When it's cooled to room temp, remove the bay leaves and store in a container in the fridge. It should keep for a week in there.</p><p>This recipe is modified for around 2-4 servings depending. You will have enough sauce to cover about 1lb of pasta. If you wish to cook more, just keep the ratio of things and increase the measurements, but NEVER increase the heat. Always let it simmer on Very Low heat until done. So, worse comes to worse, your sauce will have a longer simmer time. maybe 2-3 hours if you double up.</p><p>Again, a sauce is not supposed to be written in stone. Every family has their own recipe, and every occasion has their own. Develop a sauce that you like. There are many ways to get the flavors and textures you are looking for. </p><p>Blend or puree the tomatoes after blanching them and removing the seeds to get a less chunky, more smooth modern sauce. Take half of the tomatoes and blend them if you want a slightly chunky sauce. Add some garlic or spice in there if you want to heat things up or get some garlic flavor. One friend actually suggested to replace the olive oil in the recipe with garlic oil (recipe coming soon) to get the flavor so the garlic cloves arent in there. </p><p>Mix it up, find what you like. As for the Bearded Chef's personal recipe? Sorry, that's trusted information. :)</p>The Bearded Chefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04811192478777566105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96808932767293664.post-18605546974634947002009-03-05T09:22:00.008-05:002009-03-05T10:25:13.479-05:00Chicken Stock<a href="http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq354/Bearded_Chef/FOOD/chicken_soup.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq354/Bearded_Chef/FOOD/chicken_soup.jpg" border="0" /></a>Stock. One of the best food creations I can think of. The story kind of reminds me of the history of beer, one in which a gentleman stumbles upon something wonderful. Just imagine, one day, someone decided to throw some leftover bones, meat, and veggies into some boiling water and let it boil away.<br /><br />Stock not only is a staple and a base for an entire society of cuisine, but is also very easy to produce, I'll show you how.<br /><br /><strong>Recipe:<br /><br />5 pounds chicken parts (including bones and gizzards)<br />5 quarts cold water (this varies, you only need enough water to cover)<br />2 tablespoons salt (if you use rotisserie chicken, reduce salt by half)<br />(8oz) 1 large onion, peeled and halved<br />(12oz) 4 medium carrots, peeled and halved<br />(12oz) 4 large celery ribs with leaves, halved<br />1 leek, whites only, cut lengthwise and cleaned<br />(3oz) 1 large or 2 small parnsips, peeled, trimmed and cut lengthwise<br />10 sprigs of fresh thyme with stems<br />10 sprigs of fresh parsley with stems<br />2 bay leaves<br />10-15 whole peppercorns<br />2 large cloves of garlic, peeled<br /><br />This recipe can be adjusted, just keep the ratio the same. If you don't have a pot big enough (like what happened to me), half this recipe (IE 2.5 pounds chicken parts etc etc).</strong><br /><br />Place all ingredients in pot and set an open steamer basket upside-down on top and add the water until the steamer basket is submerged. This method keeps the ingredients submerged at all times and also makes it much easier to skim when needed.<br /><br />Cook on high heat until boil is reached. Reduce heat to medium-low to maintain a gentle simmer. Strain scum every 15 mins for the first hour. Continue to skim every 30 mins after. Keep a pot of boiling water or very hot water close by and add hot water as needed to keep the ingredients and steamer basket submerged. Simmer uncovered for 6-8 hours. Yes. It's easy, not fast.<br /><br />Remove from heat let sit for 1 hour.<br /><br />Strain into another pot and cool to room temperature. You can also do this by using an ice bath if desired. At this point, skim off as much of the fat as you can. Move pot to fridge to let cool overnight. In the morning, it may look a little strange. It may have turned into gelatin. That's what you want to see. That's a sign that the majority of the bone substance is now infused into the stock. That's all the flavor. Try to remove most of the solidified fat that is on top.<br /><br />Place pot on the stove top and cook on the lowest setting you have until it is in liquid form again. From here, you can split up the stock into various containers for storage. I like to store my stock into 1 quart containers. That is basically about 2 servings per container, a nice dinner for 2. 3 months in the freezer, or 1 week in the fridge.<br /><br />If you wish to make soup at this point, you can go about this 2 ways. You can re-add the chicken meat and vegetables from the original simmer, and add some noodles and cook until noodles are done.<br /><br />If it's too much of a mess in there to get anything tangible, you can follow your favorite soup recipe, or just chop up some more carrots, celery, cubed potatoes, parsnips, and any other veggies you like. Add some chopped chicken and some noodles, and cook until the ingredients and noodles are cooked through.<br /><br />This is well worth experimenting with and changing things around to your own taste. It doesn't matter to me, any homemade soup is always the best. Enjoy!The Bearded Chefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04811192478777566105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96808932767293664.post-41093187864490108932009-02-27T10:11:00.023-05:002009-04-08T21:20:05.097-04:00ZaZa<a href="http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq354/Bearded_Chef/FOOD/ZaZa/IMG00022.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; width: 320px; height: 240px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq354/Bearded_Chef/FOOD/ZaZa/IMG00022.jpg" border="0" /></a>What a place this turned out to be. Owned by Orzo Trattoria, ZaZa, located on Route 1 North in Saugus, MA. It's right in the same plaza as Jimmy's Steer House and IHOP. Please forgive the picture quality, I only had my camera phone with me that night. Then again, fuzzy pictures may help this place look a little better.<br /><br />We enter ZaZa to be greeted cheerfully by a person asking how many was in our party, then proceeded to tell us that it will only take about 10-15 mins to seat us, and asked us to have a seat. Just a minute later, our waitress came over with the alcohol menu and took our orders.<br /><br />I ordered the ZaZa Margarita, my friend ordered the same.<br /><br />Looking around, I noticed this place had an atmosphere and crowd of mostly cougars and older men looking for a quick score.<br /><br />About 20 mins later, we all heard this tremendous crash on the ground. One of us chuckled, "Watch that be our drinks." Funny thing is our waitress came over a minute after the Big Bang and apologized, stating that there were no more margarita glasses and it would take a little longer to wash some for us. We all laughed that uneasy and agitated laugh.<br /><br />Finally, around 30 mins after entering the restaurant, we received our drinks. I was happy at this point since the place had started to fill rather quickly, and as long as I have a bench and some people to watch, I'm pretty happy.<br /><br />The ZaZa Margarita was served in a tall curved glass with not much flavor other than waaaay too much alcohol, salt, whiskey sour mix and lime. It wasn't off to a good start in my book.<br /><br />45 mins after arriving, we were finally seated at a table. It felt good to not stand anymore, and actually have a place to sit my drink down. We were again given the alcohol menus and now the food menus. The dishes and appetizers all appealed to me, and sounded good. I decided to start off with some fried calamari, supposedly with a little hint of hot spice, along with another drink.<br /><br /><a href="http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq354/Bearded_Chef/FOOD/ZaZa/IMG00023.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; width: 320px; height: 240px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq354/Bearded_Chef/FOOD/ZaZa/IMG00023.jpg" border="0" /></a>To me, the calamari was actually delightful, very very spicy served with slices of jalapeno and chopped red and green bell peppers. The lettuce could have been fresher and the calamari could have been fried to a less oily and greasy texture.<br /><br />The drinks took awfully long to get to our table and we were promised to be amazed, a promise they couldn't keep.<br /><br />The Fruity Pebble Martini smelled exactly like Kool-Aid Cherry. Served with a slice of orange, it was still unable to achieve a nice balance in taste due to the overpowering taste of too much alcohol.<br /><br /><a href="http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq354/Bearded_Chef/FOOD/ZaZa/IMG00025.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; width: 320px; height: 240px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq354/Bearded_Chef/FOOD/ZaZa/IMG00025.jpg" border="0" /></a> The Cookies N Cream Martini was rimmed with pieces of broken chocolate and smelled a little bit like coffee. It tasted like a bad chocolate shake made with waaay too much booze and very little taste of cookies or chocolate. A very dissapointing drink especially when the menu listing states Godiva chocolate was supposed to be used.<br /><br /><a href="http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq354/Bearded_Chef/FOOD/ZaZa/IMG00026.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; width: 320px; height: 240px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq354/Bearded_Chef/FOOD/ZaZa/IMG00026.jpg" border="0" /></a> The Classic Margarita with chambord served with a slice of lime smelled like a Cherry Yankee Candle. It was very well balanced with a nice amount of sour mix and fruitiness. At least they can make custom drinks right.<br /><br />The salad I was served smelled like it was taking a bath in vinegar, at least the veggies were fresh and the dressing was creamy.<br /><br /><a href="http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq354/Bearded_Chef/FOOD/ZaZa/IMG00027.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; width: 320px; height: 240px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq354/Bearded_Chef/FOOD/ZaZa/IMG00027.jpg" border="0" /></a> The cheese ravioli were covered in sauce. The sauce was nice and sweet, and tasted of real tomatoes and basil. The ravioli were cooked to al dente and the stuffing was too salty with strong tastes of ricotta and parmesean cheese. With no sauce this dish would be too salty, no wonder they dumped so much of it over the ravioli.<br /><br /><a href="http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq354/Bearded_Chef/FOOD/ZaZa/IMG00029.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; width: 320px; height: 240px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq354/Bearded_Chef/FOOD/ZaZa/IMG00029.jpg" border="0" /></a>The chicken parmesean was covered in the same, sweet tomato sauce, that being covered with parmesean cheese and served with a side of ziti. Even with the gallon of tomato sauce on this dish, the chicken remained terribly salty. The chicken had a lingering taste that can only be described as being fried in oil that was overused or should have been changed at least a week ago.<br /><br />In total, with all of the drinks and food we ordered and couldn't finish, the bill came to roughly around 144.00 for 4 people.<br /><br />I can say with a closing, that this place in particular is not one that you want to go to unless you are already drunk. The food is terrible, the alcohol is purposely filled with too much alcohol, the music is loud, and there are plenty of cougar drunks around to chat with.<br /><br />If this was my restaurant, I wouldn't even call it that. Lets save some money during this economic crisis and fire all the food staff, and stop serving everything but bar food. Just call it a martini bar, because this is exactly what it is.<br /><br />ZaZa, you havent even passed puberty yet. You still have a face as smooth as a baby's bottom. I would not send anyone here unless they wanted to get drunk and pick someone up.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/4/1437462/restaurant/Boston/ZaZa-Saugus"><img alt="ZaZa on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1437462/biglink.gif" style="border: medium none ; width: 200px; height: 146px;" /></a>The Bearded Chefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04811192478777566105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96808932767293664.post-18061392957075935412009-01-01T13:11:00.007-05:002009-04-16T13:49:11.891-04:00PDF Recipes<a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Egundarak/chef/Beer%20Battered%20Fish%20and%20Chips.pdf"><img src="http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq354/Bearded_Chef/MISC/pdfLogoblack25.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Egundarak/chef/Beer%20Battered%20Fish%20and%20Chips.pdf">Beer Battered Fish and Chips</a><br /><a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Egundarak/chef/Cashew%20Butter.pdf"><img src="http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq354/Bearded_Chef/MISC/pdfLogoblack25.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Egundarak/chef/Cashew%20Butter.pdf">Cashew Butter</a><br /><a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Egundarak/chef/Chicken%20Stock.pdf"><img src="http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq354/Bearded_Chef/MISC/pdfLogoblack25.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Egundarak/chef/Chicken%20Stock.pdf">Chicken Stock</a><br /><a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Egundarak/chef/Chicken%20Wings.pdf"><img src="http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq354/Bearded_Chef/MISC/pdfLogoblack25.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Egundarak/chef/Chicken%20Wings.pdf">Chicken Wings</a><br /><a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Egundarak/chef/Egg%20Nog%20%28Pastureized%29.pdf"><img src="http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq354/Bearded_Chef/MISC/pdfLogoblack25.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Egundarak/chef/Egg%20Nog%20%28Pastureized%29.pdf">Egg Nog (Pastureized)</a><br /><a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Egundarak/chef/Egg%20Nog%20%28unpastureized%29.pdf"><img src="http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq354/Bearded_Chef/MISC/pdfLogoblack25.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Egundarak/chef/Egg%20Nog%20%28unpastureized%29.pdf">Egg Nog (unpastureized)</a><br /><a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Egundarak/chef/Loose%20Leaf%20Iced%20Tea.pdf"><img src="http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq354/Bearded_Chef/MISC/pdfLogoblack25.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Egundarak/chef/Loose%20Leaf%20Iced%20Tea.pdf">Loose Leaf Iced Tea</a><br /><a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Egundarak/chef/Newfoundland%20Chocolate%20Chip%20Orange%20Bread.pdf"><img src="http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq354/Bearded_Chef/MISC/pdfLogoblack25.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Egundarak/chef/Newfoundland%20Chocolate%20Chip%20Orange%20Bread.pdf">Newfoundland Chocolate Chip Orange Bread</a><br /><a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Egundarak/chef/Pancake%20Batter.pdf"><img src="http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq354/Bearded_Chef/MISC/pdfLogoblack25.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Egundarak/chef/Pancake%20Batter.pdf">Pancake Batter</a><br /><a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Egundarak/chef/Peanut%20Butter.pdf"><img src="http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq354/Bearded_Chef/MISC/pdfLogoblack25.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Egundarak/chef/Peanut%20Butter.pdf">Peanut Butter</a><br /><a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Egundarak/chef/Realistic%20Blood.pdf"><img src="http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq354/Bearded_Chef/MISC/pdfLogoblack25.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Egundarak/chef/Realistic%20Blood.pdf">Realistic Blood</a><br /><a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Egundarak/chef/Simple%20Sorbet.pdf"><img src="http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq354/Bearded_Chef/MISC/pdfLogoblack25.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Egundarak/chef/Simple%20Sorbet.pdf">Simple Sorbet</a><br /><a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Egundarak/chef/Simple%20Syrup.pdf"><img src="http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq354/Bearded_Chef/MISC/pdfLogoblack25.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Egundarak/chef/Simple%20Syrup.pdf">Simple Syrup</a><br /><a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Egundarak/chef/Tea%20Ice%20Cream.pdf"><img src="http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq354/Bearded_Chef/MISC/pdfLogoblack25.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Egundarak/chef/Tea%20Ice%20Cream.pdf">Tea Ice Cream</a><br /><a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Egundarak/chef/Tomato%20Sauce.pdf"><img src="http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq354/Bearded_Chef/MISC/pdfLogoblack25.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Egundarak/chef/Tomato%20Sauce.pdf">Tomato Sauce</a><br /><a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Egundarak/chef/Triple%20Cheesecake.pdf"><img src="http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq354/Bearded_Chef/MISC/pdfLogoblack25.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Egundarak/chef/Triple%20Cheesecake.pdf">Triple Cheesecake</a>The Bearded Chefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04811192478777566105noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96808932767293664.post-33133886440725594962008-12-07T11:27:00.006-05:002009-03-05T10:25:22.705-05:00Der Dunkel Kreuzzug<a href="http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq354/Bearded_Chef/FOOD/Dunkelweizen_BBB.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 250px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 356px" alt="" src="http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq354/Bearded_Chef/FOOD/Dunkelweizen_BBB.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div></div><div>Many a two or three years ago, our beloved Sam Adams Brewery had a contest with two sample beers you could taste test and vote on your most favorite. One sample was an Irish Red style beer, and the other being a Dunkelweizen ale. Upon tasting the Irish Red, I thought that’s what I was going to vote for. It was something that I recognized, had before by other brewers and I was familiar with the flavor. I had no idea what a Dunkelweizen was or where it came from. I gave it a little taste. I loved it. The aroma was sweet, and the flavor was smooth, dark, caramel taste.<br /><br />I don’t think I need to tell you which beer I voted for (Dunkel!) and which beer won the contest (Irish Red). Don’t get me wrong, the Irish Red is a good beer, and I am glad that it is out on the market, but don’t you think I am a little right on this? Yeah, the flavor is great, but Americans are more familiar with an Irish Red more than a Dunkelweizen. What do you think the majority is going to vote for? Some weird worded dark looking scary beer, or something that reminds them of Killian’s.<br /><br />Anyways, on that day, my bearded eyes gazed upon a new style of beer that hit my palette the way it likes to be hit, with a hammer... of flavor. My crusade to find the best Dunkel had started.<br /><br />First of all, I need to thank the German Beer Institute for having such a wonderful website available to the American public. In great detail, this site displays a listing of over a dozen different types of German styled beers, including methods of production, ingredients, and the history behind each one. Thank you GBI.<br /><br /><strong>Dunkel VS. Dunkelweizen:</strong><br /><br />The first mountain I had to climb during my crusade was that of Dunkel VS Dunkelweizen. At first, I had no idea that two different styles of beer could share such a similar name. For the sake of this posting being several pages long, I will keep things simple.<br /><br />Dunkel in German is basically another word for “dark”. Weizen is another word for “wheat”.<br /><br />A Dunkel beer is a Bavarian lager made with barley and dark malts. It is made using the traditional lager brewing process, using colder temperatures and bottom fermenting yeast.<br /><br />A Dunkelweizen is a Bavarian wheat beer made with at least 50% dark malted wheat. According to the laws put into effect by Germany, ales need to be at least 50% malted wheat, and the rest of the percentage is made of malted barley. If the percentage of malted wheat becomes less that 50%, according to Bavarian (German) standards, it is not a real Weizen. Just like their cousins, the Dunkel, a Dunkelweizen uses dark roasted or caramelized malts that they mix with their wheat and barley. Just like the process for making ales, they use top fermenting yeasts and slightly higher temperatures.<br /><br />As a small closing, around the 19th century, the term Weissbier became reserved exclusively for wheat ales. In other words all Bavarian barley brews are lagers and all wheat brews are ales.<br /><br /><strong>Names:</strong><br /><br />Ok, so for now, the path I set for with my crusade is one leading me towards Dunkelweizen. The first thing that needs to be done is find the beer. After reading so many articles and looking at all different brewers and styles, I have found about a dozen or so different ways to tell if the beer you are holding is a Dunkelweizen. Check this list out:<br /><br />Weisse Dunkel<br />Dunkelweiss<br />Dunkelweizen<br />Weissbier Dunkel<br />Hefeweizen Dunkel<br />Hefeweissbier Dunkel<br />Dunkel Weissbier<br />Ur-Weisse<br />Weizen Dark<br />Ur-Weizen<br />Shwarze Weisse<br /><br />Now, looking at this list, you see a lot of repeated words arranged in different ways and spelled slightly differently. THAT’S IT. It basically is telling you the same thing. Either its saying something like dark beer, white dark, or dark white, or yeast wheat dark. The two strangers are Ur or Shwarz. Ur basically means “original” in German. So, in these instances its translating to "original beer". If you look at the history of beer in Germany, they were using roasted malts for all of their beer up until the 16th century, making all beer dark, the original way for making beer. Shwarz, “black” in German, mainly talks about styles of lager. However, there is a contradiction that Bavarians seem to accept, which labels a very dark Weizenbier as Schwarze Weisse, which I think is a form of Dunkelweizen, since it is dark wheat ale.<br /><br />If you would like to go up one more to a stronger version of a Dunkelweizen, then try out a line of Weizenbock or Weizendopplebock. Weizen, again meaning wheat, means that these are ales, which falls to the family of Dunkelweizen, as long as somewhere it says Dunkel, dark, Ur, or even Shwarz!! The bock line are some of the strongest beers that you can find, ranging from 8% to 25% in alcohol content per bottle.<br /><br />Please stay tuned as I update the site with more information regarding my travels on Der Dunkel Kreuzzug!!!<br /><p></p></div>The Bearded Chefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04811192478777566105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96808932767293664.post-26824534811483492482008-10-01T21:11:00.008-04:002009-03-05T10:25:22.706-05:00Grilling 101<a href="http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq354/Bearded_Chef/FOOD/grilledchicken1024768.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq354/Bearded_Chef/FOOD/grilledchicken1024768.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Alright, I decided to grill tonight, so I am going to pass on the knowledge to you. I know most of you (especially the men) are going to yell at me and be all like "I'm a man, I can grill!" I'm pretty sure you can buddy... calm down, have some dip. There IS a difference between grilling, and just putting the flame on High and burning everything.<br /><br />You have to look at a grill like it's a type of oven. If you just cook it on High heat, you'll make the surface look pretty (or not if you char it too much) and the inside will still be raw or uncooked. Not yummy. All you peeps out there need to learn how to control the heat, and sometimes cooking things the quickest, isn't always the most delicious.<br /><br />Tonight I decided to grill chicken. I will go over the steps that I took to get this delicious, perfectly cooked meal.<br /><br />First of all, no matter what grill you have, I will try to explain it best to set it up like what I have. I like to cook on Low heat first, thus cooking the inside of the food, and not even charring the outside. After, blast the heat on High and char the outside. No need to worry about cooking the interior, your just working on the body work till you like what you see. I have a propane grill with 2 line burners inside. You want to make direct and indirect heat. This can be achieved on a grill such as mine by turning one burner on Low, and leaving the other burner off. On a charcoal grill, simply pile all the charcoal on one side, and leave the other half empty. On a gas grill that has 3 burners, shut off two of them.<br /><br />Ok, so what I do is I run outside with a couple of items. I have a bottle of Canola Oil, a sponge, and some matches. Now fire up that baby! Remember to create direct and indirect heat. Scrape off all that gunk on there from what you had created before, and don't forget to wire brush after scraping. A clean grill is a happy grill and is more efficient. The sponge is used to apply the Canola Oil. Why? Adding a little bit of oil to the cooking surface will prevent any of the meat from sticking to the grill, and also preventing some of the meat to tear off if you move the pieces around. After applying the Canola Oil, just bag the sponge and use it for the next time you want to use the grill. No need to wash it, you'll only cause a greasy mess. Make sure to change the sponge every month or so.<br /><br />Close the grill cover and go back inside to prepare. Make sure the meat is either at room temp or at the very least raw and cold. For chicken, I like to use about a pound of boneless skinless chicken breast I find at the local supermarket. I trim all the extra fat off, throw them in a zip bag and pour on the marinade or BBQ sauce... whatever you like. I leave the bag in the fridge to marinate raw for a day. Make sure to leave the bag in a container so cross contamination doesn't happen. Leaving the meat in the fridge to marinate raw is ok... as long as it isn't for more than a day. After that, the bacteria in the meat may start to turn the BBQ sauce sour. If you aren't going to eat it right away, let it marinate for a day, then throw it in the freezer until you're ready.<br />Ok, so dump the chicken and all of the leftover sauce into a bowl and grab your tongs, we are going outside. By now, your grill should be sufficiently warm enough to start cooking. Make sure the temp gauge reads Medium or at least Low, it will heat up after you close the lid again. Place the chicken on the grill over the indirect heat. For my grill, all I need to do is close the lid and walk away for 5 mins. After 5 mins, I come back and flip them, cooking the other side for another 5... don't forget to close the lid.<br /><br />After the other side has cooked for 5 mins, now we can start the body work. Turn up the heat to Medium or High and place the chicken over the direct heat. You can decide to leave the lid open or not. Cook for at least 1 min on each side... longer depending how charred you want it. Remove the pieces from the grill and throw in the remaining sauce to get another coating on there.<br /><br />Make sure you let the pieces rest for at least 2 mins. No, they won't get cold. What happens when you cook meat is the meat expands, also releasing important juices that it can no longer hold. Letting them rest for a couple will return some of the juices to inside the meat, making them nice and moist.. and not dry.<br /><br />Cooking in this method also takes into consideration a note that I have made for almost all foods. Always take the food off the heat a couple mins BEFORE it's completely cooked... it will cook itself to done off of the heat. If you leave the food on the heat until it is fully cooked, then by the time you cut into it, it may be a little overdone (and possibly a little drier).<br /><br />Please remember that every grill is different, so the times may be different for you. These are the times it takes me to cook my food. You may need to add or subtract a minute or so. Also remember, if you are cooking with room temp meat, then it will cook faster, so shave off 30 secs or a min.<br /><br />Above is my finished product, topped with my special uber super secret spice mix. There are somethings the Bearded Chef needs to keep secret haha!<br /><br />Of course, since I cooked this, I think I deserve a Beard Rating of Lumberjack. Happy grilling!The Bearded Chefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04811192478777566105noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96808932767293664.post-77408375097499318392008-10-01T19:56:00.003-04:002009-03-05T10:25:22.706-05:00Chinese WeddingRecently, I went to a wedding with my co-worker Kim to honor the marriage of our friend Bill, who was also a co-worker at one point.<br /><br />The restaurant was located in Dorchester, MA, and was called Chau Chow Seafood Restaurant.<br /><br />Upon walking towards the entrance to the restaurant, I peeked inside a window and noticed a full house. I thought to myself “this place is packed, I wonder where we will be sitting.” After entering, I then realized that the place was packed with all of Bill’s friends and family. Haha, I had no idea that there would be around 100 people!<br /><br />The entire place was decorated with pictures of the newly wed couple. I couldn’t help but notice how professional all of the photos were and how many there were. A pretty penny was probably spent on all of them. In a later conversation with Bill, we did mention to him that we have never seen so many pictures and so many being taken. He replied with “This only happens once in your lifetime, so you need to remember every moment. I don’t mind all of the pictures”. Along the walls were LCD TVs that displayed Chinese music with Chinese and English subtitles, which also turned out to be a giant karaoke machine.<br /><br />We were seated to our table to find a couple bottles of soda and a bottle of red wine. Unfortunately, I don’t remember the name of the wine nor had the chance to taste it, all I remember is that it was 12.5% alcohol.<br /><br />Before the dinner was served, there was a small procession of the bride’s maids, best men, and parents of the new couple. There was lots of applause and picture snapping, then we were seated and the food was brought to us.<br /><br />The lights were dimmed and the music was nice and subtle Chinese. I enjoyed it even though I had no idea what was being said. The LCD monitors displayed a bunch of photos of the bride and groom together, and as they were as children. I had a good laugh out of a couple of them. All in all, they were all very beautiful.<br /><br />The 1st dish was brought. A “cold” platter that consisted of slices of ham, some other meat, hot boneless spare ribs, ginger, and in the center was a big pile of what was considered noodles, and underneath the noodles were white carrots. I started off with the stuff on the border. I grabbed a little of everything. The spare ribs were great. Tender, sweet, still warm. Not off to a bad start. Next I had the ham; nothing special here, just your typical thick cut ham. Next was the mystery meat. To me, this tasted like a sort of salami, yet kind of gamy with a lot of fat. Not too thrilled, but it wasn’t something that was turning my stomach. Next were the noodles. I put some onto Kim’s plate and watched her take the first bite as I was putting some onto my plate. She mentioned to me it tasted ok, but the noodles were kind of rubbery. My turn! The noodles were indeed cold and I thought to myself “Wow. Kim is right, they are very undercooked.” Not only were they a little rubbery, but a little crunch was in there somewhere in my opinion. They had a taste of their own that tasted kind of fishy, and had a nice ginger and spice flavor. After finished my plate, a very nice Chinese couple sitting across from us asked us if we were enjoying our jellyfish!! Haha! Joke was on us!<br /><br />Next was a course of an edible basket thingy that was broken open to reveal a bunch of steamed sea critters. The edges of the basket were lined with broccoli. Squid, shrimp, and scallops are what I noticed. I had a small smile on my face when I finally saw something that I knew the flavor of. I grabbed myself some shrimp and scallops. Both were very tender and had a nice refreshing taste to them. The scallops were very tender, and had no need for a knife, but still, I prefer my scallops fried with some onion rings :P I felt it was time to order my first beer. I asked the waitress what they had, and was a little disappointed to find out that they were only serving rice beers; Bud Light, Heineken, and Tsingtao. I ordered a Tsingtao, and Kim ordered a Bud Light.<br /><br />The next course was what I would describe as a crab cake of sorts. It was a round ball, the size of a typical baseball, with the crab claw sticking out of it, still in the shell. Now, Kim and I were both very confused on how to eat this. We looked around and saw people breaking it open with chopsticks, picking it up by the claw and eating it like a candy apple, etc. So we decided to do what we do best, use a fork and knife! Cutting into it, you can definitely smell the crab and that usual seafood smell that follows. The flavor was nice, and I don’t know about anyone else, but I had a good amount of crab meat in mine. I did enjoy this dish.<br /><br />Next was Shark fin Soup. This was an interesting dish. Kim had to tap out on this one. A huge bowl was dropped into the center of the table and our little soup bowls were filled. The soup itself smelled rather tasty, but eating was a different story. Looking around in my bowl I noticed little strands which I have seen on multiple Food Network shows and identified them as the shark fins. The person next to me was trying to tell me that they substitute crab for shark fins in America. I don’t know.. we all can believe what we want. Removing the spoon from the soup was rather difficult. The soup was so gelatinous that it was hard to keep some of it on the spoon. Finally after getting some, I was able to eat. My friend next to me was able to best describe it. It tasted like a really thick and heavy egg drop soup with tones of seafood. The dish and flavor itself wasn’t bad at all, and I did not mind it minus the crunchy strands of shark fin.<br /><br />The worst was over at this point, at least that's what I was saying in my mind. The next course came. Finally something I can associate with again... in it's own way haha. Lobster cut into sections like claw, tail, head, deep fried in what it looks like a light batter and minced garlic. They were served still in the shell, but at least it was cracked open. I put my chopsticks down and grabbed my fork... no way I was getting in there with chopsticks, I'm a novice with those things. The lobster was cooked great and the flavor went well with the taste. I have no problem with this dish, other than how hard it was to get it out of the shell.<br /><br />My smile widened when the next two courses were delivered at the same time. Steamed Jasmine rice and some lo-mein noodles. Both were cooked in a light oil and lightly seasoned. Great flavor that any American can enjoy, and really cleans the palette of the previous meals.<br /><br />The final two meals were also delivered at the same time. Another soup and just some orange slices on a plate. The soup had a greenish color with some stuff floating in it. Kim made the remark that it looks like pea soup. I really wasn't paying attention. To me, it looked like that it would have been a cold soup, but I was wrong when I tried it. The taste unfortunately is indescribable, and not in a good way. I put it down after one sip. A couple orange slices rid myself of the taste I really didn't like much.<br /><br />The wedding cake itself was very simple, and a nice finish to an interesting meal. A 3 layered vanilla sponge cake with some caramelized apples and sauce between the top and middle layers.<br /><br />Overall, I really did enjoy myself. Meeting past friends I haven't seen in a while, and seeing a happy newly wed couple. The food was an experience. I didn't mind what was served, and I am perfectly happy with trying new foods and traditions that I am not accustomed to. Some things I would prefer to not eat again haha.<br /><br />I guess on my Bearded Scale, I would give this wedding a 5 o'clock shadow... and not the scrubby looking type. You know, one of those well kept high profile 5 o'clockers.<br /><br />May your new life together bring you lots of happiness!! Glad to see you both again!The Bearded Chefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04811192478777566105noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96808932767293664.post-49320116589931768702008-09-29T22:01:00.008-04:002009-03-05T10:25:22.707-05:00Fruit Sorbets<a href="http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq354/Bearded_Chef/FOOD/sorbet1024768.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq354/Bearded_Chef/FOOD/sorbet1024768.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Well, I guess it's about time that I atually posted more than just a review. Let me begin by sharing with you a summer favorite of mine that I discovered only this year. My inspiration for this actually came from a popular TV show on a popular network channel, I'm not saying who or what to avoid anyone coming after me ;)<br /><br />So watching this show had me intrigued about sorbets. I was recently given an ice cream maker as a Christmas present a year ago, and all it was doing was collecting dust in the basement. I needed to put it to use. The recipe and procedures were extremely simple, and the only piece of hardware that was expensive was the ice cream maker... and possibly my food processor, but I don't see why this can't be done in a blender.<br /><br />So to make the story short, pieces of watermelon were cut and thrown into a food processor along with some lemon juice and vodka. You process it all together and chill before churning in the food processor.<br /><br />I can't say this enough, and you'll be hearing it from me a lot on this site, just like all my friends do. Cooking is NOT BAKING. No recipe is set in stone! Experiment will ya?<br /><br />Looking at this recipe, I asked myself... why not other fruits? I discovered a marvelous thing indeed. Pictured above are 2 of the 4 sorbets I have created using this simple recipe. In the bowl are a raspberry and pineapple sorbet, my two favorites, and my friends all agree. What you see in the raspberry are the seeds. I didn't bother to strain them out, but if you wanted to, you can do it with a fine mesh strainer. I don't recommend using cheese or tea cloths. Push the pulp through leaving only the seeds. The pulp adds depth, texture and flavor to the sorbet. Without it, you essentially made juice. The raspberries were hand picked by my lovely female and myself. Can't beat fresh. The pineapple was purchased from a local supermarket and cut down, a little over the required amount for this recipe. Perfect. Also, those are the real colors. None added. Nope.<br /><br />Here is the original recipe.<br /><br />1 pound 5oz watermelon<br />3 tablespoons lemon juice<br />2 tablespoons vodka<br />9oz (1 1/4 cup) sugar<br /><br />Let me explain 2 of the ingredients briefly. The lemon juice does not serve to add flavor, nor will you be able to taste it. The lemon juice is added to provide the acidity to maintain the fruit's color and freshness. It's kind of like how you add lemon juice to a water bath and stick some apple slices in there and they don't brown. The vodka is added not to get you drunk. What does vodka do in the freezer? Right. Sit there. When vodka is added to the equation it doesn't allow the ice crystals to form into big clumps. In doing so, it keeps the ice cream / sorbet nice and smooth and fluffy, allowing for easy spooning... even after a couple of months.. trust me ;)<br /><br />Please make sure to take the newly blended mixture directly to the fridge and let it chill to a temp of about 40F, or no less than a couple hours. Start your ice cream maker before adding the mixture. If you don't, the mixture will freeze on contact and jam up the machine.<br /><br />All you really need to do is experiment with different fruits and see what you come up with. Keep the quantity the same, just substitute with a different fruit. So in my case, I used 1 pound 5oz of pineapple or raspberries. Again, my two perfections are the pineapple and raspberry sorbets. I have also tried blueberry and watermelon. The blueberry did not come out the best, as again, I didn't strain anything and the skins are an unpleasant presence in the sorbet.<br /><br />I also would not recommend taking any of those fruit smoothie drinks and trying to create that into a sorbet. I tried. It didnt work. I wasted 10 mins of my time and a smoothie drink. It left me 10 mins older and thirsty.<br /><br />This simple recipe does indeed deserve a full beard. I would definitely say Lumberjack, but not ZZ Top.<br /><br />Create and enjoy!The Bearded Chefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04811192478777566105noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96808932767293664.post-63988630560521870642008-09-02T12:02:00.009-04:002009-03-05T10:25:22.708-05:00Let the Beerfests Begin!<a href="https://beersummit.com/images/OctoberFestLogo.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 286px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 164px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" height="191" alt="" src="https://beersummit.com/images/OctoberFestLogo.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.mercurybrewing.com/harvest.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://www.mercurybrewing.com/harvest.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />I can't tell you how excited I am to see that all of the seasonal beers are being released, on top of the fact of all the local harvests and beer festivals that go along with it!<br /><br />Just last week, my g/f, my friends, Steve-O and Rando, and myself were at the local Rt 114 Kappy's buying some boozages, when I noticed that there was something in an orange 6 holder labelled "Harvest Moon", by the same company that makes Blue Moon. I didn't know what the hell it was, so I read it. After reading that it contained assorted spices and pumpkin, I realized that the time I love best is here.<br /><br />I rushed around the store looking around for signs that I was correct. BAM! I spotted a stack of towering 12s of Sam Adams OctoberFest.<br /><br />I was really psyched now. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted what I was looking for. That lucious blue box that had two of my favorite words on it... Shipyard, and Pumpkinhead. YES.<br /><br />We drank nothing but Pumpkinhead all that weekend. Now, only 2 weeks since its release, we have probably gone through about 6 or 7 12s of Pumpkinhead. I'm in heaven!<br /><br />Speaking of heaven, there are two upcoming beer festivals that I am completely head over heels for. One being the annual Ipswich Harvest Festival. This year they are doing things a little different. They are going to be hosting at a local farm located in Hamilton. It's gunna be the same old stuff, but a classic nonetheless. Hope to see you there!<br /><br />The second, and what I'm looking foward to, is the Beer Summit Octoberfest (Sam Adams Octoberfest). For a measly 15 bucks, you'll get your 1st pint free, and a commemorative glass to stumble home with. But this is what I'm interested in. They will be serving 15 of their awesome Sam Adams creations, including their Black Ale, 2 brand new sample beers (a blackberry ale, and a coffee stout)! I am under the assumption that if they are serving sample beers, that you would be able to vote to which is your favorite. They are also bringing back the loser of the last sample competition, the Dunkelweiss!!!<br /><br />Here is a <a href="https://beersummit.com/index.php?main_page=page_2">link</a> to the different brews of awesomeness that Sam Adams will be presenting.<br /><br />Check the links that I have listed above for the dates, times, locations, and ticket info.<br /><br />I really hope to see you all there!!!The Bearded Chefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04811192478777566105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96808932767293664.post-21811793927564808582008-08-13T21:46:00.011-04:002009-03-05T10:25:22.710-05:00The Rusty Nail: Stowe, VT<img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://rustynailbar.com/site/uploads/images/rn_commercial3.jpg" border="0" /><br /><BR><br /><BR><br /><BR><br /><BR><br /><BR><br /><BR><br />I think people would find it rather odd if I started a shiny new blog with a bad review for a restaurant. But I have to share my experiences with this place. <div><br /></div><div>In Stowe, VT, they have an annual antique car show that I try to go to every year. I don't understand why there are people living there. When I go every year, there are only 3 things to do, eat, drink, and watch all the antique cars drive around. This is a ski town, so I can see a lot of peeps coming here in the winter, but hey, this is August. </div><br /><div>It's a very nice, laid back place, and I love going up there. Up in the mountains is the Boyden Valley Winery that we go to every year, and sometimes we want to go up there just to visit this place. Their wines are excellent, but thats another blog.</div><br /><div>Anyways, this place... The Rusty Nail, is the 1st (and hopefully last) time I have ever walked out of a restaurant without ordering anything, not even appetizers to eat. </div><br /><div>We arrived around 8:30-9ish to find it surprisingly empty. The place inside has a nice low light ambiance which I am a fan of, but they have a lot of space going to waste. Only half of this wide open barn is used, and people dining can see the dark eerie side of the restaurant that isn't used.<br /><br /></div><div>We were seated immediately, but it did take a while for our waiter to finally arrive at our table. After handing us our menus, he took our drink orders, 3 Sam Adams, 1 Smithwicks, and 1 of their signature beers, all on tap. </div><div><br /><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://rustynailbar.com/site/uploads/images/rn_commercial4.jpg" border="0" /> </div><div>Studying the menu, I realized there isn't much on it at all for main courses, and nothing that is suiting my mood. After 15 mins of looking it over, I decided I can try out their "Ragin' Cajun" meal (grilled Cajun chicken breast, spicy Andouille sausage and sweet bell peppers in a Cajun cream sauce, with farfalle pasta). Everyone else was having a tough time with entree desicions, but everyone reached a compromise with a heavy sigh. </div><br /><div>Then the drinks came, bleh. One flat Smithwicks, 3 sour Sam Adams, and a "specialty beer" that tasted like a sour Sam Adams with some generic IPA mixed in. </div><br /><div>That was enough. We asked for the check and thats all we were going to have. We had no problem paying for the drinks, bad or not. The waiter took his sweet time getting us the check, a whole 20 mins of his sweet time. I will admit that when we were throwing down our money, we did not leave a tip.</div><br /><div>The Rusty Nail, you don't deserve a beard rating from me, it will take a while for your beard to grow, and you will probably never have a manly beard worthy of being classified as Lumberjack. </div><br /><div>Besides, there was nothing good to look at in there except the pair behind the bartending counter.</div>The Bearded Chefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04811192478777566105noreply@blogger.com2