Not You're Mothers Meat Loaf
Posted at 11:16 AM, Mar. 30, 2009
THIS IS NOT YOU’RE MOTHER’S MEAT LOAF
I really appreciate comfort food and am constantly looking for something new and different. Inspiration always seems to pop up in unusual places and this meat loaf recipe is no exception. Suzy and I were reading the San Francisco Chronicle one morning and we found an article about three local restaurants that served meat loaf. The one recipe that caught my eye inspired me to create this wonderful tasting treat. As a word of caution, the secret is the fresh sage and thyme.
BACON REDUCTION SAUCE
2 Strips thick bacon
5 cloves garlic
3 cups chicken broth
1 shallot
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup white wine (do not use your wife’s Chardonnay as I did)
Step 1 This slice garlic and shallot and add to a sauce pan with the olive oil. Sauté till garlic and shallot clarifies.
Step 2 In a separate pan cook the bacon and save the drippings.
Step 3 Crumble the bacon and add to the garlic and shallot.
Step 4 Add the chicken stock and white wine and simmer till about ½ is left.
NOT YOU’RE MOTHER’S MEAT LOAF
1 pound ground beef
½ pound ground pork
2 tablespoons bacon drippings
7 cloves garlic
1 cup bread crumbs
2 teaspoons fresh sage
3 teaspoons fresh Italian parsley
1 tablespoon Cardwell Farms Honey Mustard
½ cup milk
2 eggs
3 dashes Sontava habanero sauce
1/3 cup ketchup
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons kosher salt
Step 1 Add all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix thoroughly.
Step 2 In a large baking dish make a loaf free form style.
Step 3 Pre heat your oven to 350 degrees and cook for 45 minutes.
Step 4 Serve two or three slices with the reduction sauce on top.
As a side note you can substitute the Cardwell Farms Honey Mustard with Dijon. Also, use Tabasco or cayenne pepper instead of Sontava. This will easily serve six people and you still should have some left for wonderful sandwiches. If you are serving this for dinner guests I would suggest that you prepare everything in advance and just pop it in the oven when they arrive. There is no doubt that you will enjoy this recipe as Suzy gave it the “Ambrosia” award. She is a tough critic so this is high praise indeed.
ENJOY!
Dave & Suzy Cardwell
Cardwell Farms
Three Hot Sauces
Posted at 12:35 PM, Feb. 20, 2009
THREE HOT SAUCES
Sontava
Sriracha
Chulula
Scoville Scale
Before we visit the above three hot sauces, a quick review of the method that is used to rate heat is in order. Please understand that heat for the sake of heat in a sauce is not desired. Rather, the correct amount of pungency combined with flavor is what works with a wide varsity of foods and beverages.
The Scoville scale is named after it creator, American chemist Wilbur Scoville, who developed the test for heat in peppers in 1912. It starts at zero and goes up to 1,050,000. A bell pepper would rank as zero while a Habanero pepper would rank up to 580,000. For out purposes I will just reproduce the scale threw the Habanero pepper range.
SCOVILLE # PEPPER EXAMPLE
350,000 to 580,000 Red Savina Habanero
100,000 to 350,000 Scotch Bonnet Pepper, Datil pepper
50,000 to 100,000 Thai Pepper, Pequin Pepper
30,000 to 50,000 Cayenne Pepper, Tabasco pepper
10, 000 to 23000 Serrano Pepper
2,500 to 8,000 Jalapeno Peper, Anaheim pepper
500 to 2, 500 Poblano Pepper
100 to 500 Pimento, Pepperoncini
0 Bell pepper
Sontava
This is without question one of the best hot sauces around and is produced in Belize with a lime juice and carrot-puree base. The first flavor that comes to my mind is a sweet salty taste that is followed with a “POW” from the habanero pepper. It is not available in stores in our area so I purchase it on the web from the importer, D.L. Jardine of Buda, Texas (near Austin). In my world I enjoy the XX as it has just the right amount of heat for my tastes while the XXX is too hot for my wife. We enjoy this sauce on many dishes and even use it to make a mean Bloody Mary for our Sunday brunches.
Sriracha
For the longest time I thought that this was a hot sauce that was centered on the Vietnamese community. To my surprise it was named after the Thai seaside city of Si Racha. In our home we use only the Huy Fong brand that can be found in most grocery stores. This Sriracha is a garlic and chili base that is great on most sandwiches, especially meat loaf. Other uses are for buffalo wings, French fries, pasta sauces, egg dishes and even mixed with parmesan cheese on hot popcorn.
Cholula
Cholula is my favorite sauce for egg dishes and Mexican food. This hot sauce has been made for three generations by the same family in Jalisco, Mexico, and is a special blend of red peppers, piquin peppers and spices. In my world it has a medium heat and a flavor that adds to the food without taking any of its characteristics away. Cholula is widely distributed in our area as I have yet to find a store that does not carry it.
A Great Cup Of Coffee
Posted at 10:22 AM, Feb. 3, 2009
A GREAT CUP OF COFFEE
Some time ago I was in the restaurant profession working for a national chain whose headquarters was in Chicago. One of the positions that I held was Director of Purchasing which afforded me the opportunity to become self-educated on any number of unique and interesting areas in the food and beverage industry. This is how I was introduced to Hawaiian coffee in general and Kona Coffee in particular. I soon discovered that a blend of Columbian and Kona coffee beans resulted in a smooth cup of java. Kona by itself was just not the answer for my taste until Suzy and I had a vacation on Maui. We were shopping for provisions when I purchased an eight ounce bag of 100% Kona whole bean coffee. Gone was the slight bitter aftertaste that I experienced with other cups of coffee. This wonderful, smooth, rich cup of brew is a coffee lover’s delight.
This whole bean treat is roasted and produced by the Maui Coffee Company. Two brothers founded this very small company in 1992 and market a full line of Hawaiian products. However, if you are looking for a great cup of coffee, then settle for nothing less then their 100% whole bean Kona.
Maui Coffee Co.
Lahaina, Hawaii 96761
(800)909-5662
www.mauicoffeeco.com
Great Vegatable Soup
Posted at 10:53 AM, Jan. 25, 2009
This is a Minestrone style soup that finds its inspiration from Northern Italy. Perfect for the winter when the days are cold and we all could use a bowl of comfort and warmth. I discovered the basic recipe when I was perusing an eight year old Sunset magazine. The whole presentation just leapt off the page and seemingly begged me to give it a try.
There are a few things that should be pointed out to you before you embark on this soup adventure. First, there will never be an ingredient or recipe step that is conveniently left out. This is an old restaurant trick that chefs would use so that the finished product is never quite is like the original. Second, I will try to walk you through the process so that the results are satisfactory.
With this recipe I have always used my own chicken stock. This is easy to do as I soak the beans over night before cooking. As a result, you can make chicken stock at the same time and use for the soup the following day. You should not worry over much about the exact amounts of vegetables for the soup as a little more than called for will not make a large difference. (Buying one leek as opposed to a bunch is a bit of a problem.) If you use more pancetta you can reduce the amount of olive oil. Increasing the potato amounts will add more texture. Adding some garlic during step three is up to you. Last, I like to prepare this soup and let it sit for three days in the refrigerator, resulting in the flavors settling together. At this time you should taste for salt and add as needed.
The yield should serve eight people and of course it can be frozen for later meals.
Genoese Vegetable Soup
Ingredients:
¾ pounds dried lima beans
1 leek
¼ pound of thin-sliced pancetta finely chopped (I used ½ pound)
12 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (Who measures olive oil?)
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1/3 cup finely chopped Italian parsley (Regular works find)
50 oz can chicken broth (I used my own)
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes with Italian seasonings
1 Yukon Gold potato cut into ½-inch chunks (about ½ pound-more is ok)
2 carrots cut into ½ inch pieces
3 cups finely shredded cabbage
3 cups thinly sliced chard
1/3 pound green beans cut into ½ inch pieces
½ pound zucchini cut into ½ inch pieces
Salt and pepper to taste (I added no salt and it was fine with the ½ pound of pancetta
1. Soak and cook lima beans
2. Cut leak and thinly slice crosswise
3. Cook pancetta in 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add leek, onion, celery, parsley till vegetables are clarified.
4. Add 2 ½ cups bean-cooking liquid, drained beans, broth, tomatoes with juice, potatoes, and carrots. Cook at simmer for about 10 minutes.
5. Add cabbage, Swiss chard, green beans, and zucchini. Cook covered about 20 minutes on low heat.
6. Serve or refrigerate for later.
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