Here is the tarter sauce recipe for the fish and chips. This is also good with fried shrimp, fried flounder, or any fried fish. To me, this beats out ANY store bought jarred stuff hands down.
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups mayo
3 tablespoon sweet relish
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1 teaspoon lemon juice
scant 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
DIRECTIONS:
In a small bowl put 1 1/2 cups mayo, 3 tablespoons sweet relish, 1 tablespoon yellow mustard, a squeeze from a 1/4 wedge of lemon (careful of the seeds), and a dash of onion powder.
Ahhh yes, good morning. It’s been dreadfully dreary and raining the last few days here on Long Island. Perhaps that’s why I’m feeling so tired, or maybe it’s that I am waking up at all hours of the night. I remember my mother complaining about such things, but never thought I would live long enough for this stuff to happen to me! Well, I’m awake and getting ready to go to work. BLAH. Thank the gods for coffee. Who invented this stuff anyhow? I should really look that up one of these days when I have nothing to do, which lately seems like it will be never. At least I have managed to keep cooking something every day.
Lunch yesterday was a salad of lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and grilled chicken with Green Goddess Salad Dressing . I don’t know if I even took a picture of it, but the recipe is surprisingly simple. That is provided you have a blender, otherwise I imagine it would be very difficult. I should start to put together a small appliance list, huh? Okay, maybe tomorrow’s post could be that. Let get today’s recipe —
GREEN GODDESS DRESSING
SPECIAL IMPLEMENTS
Electric Blender
Wooden spoon
Chef’s Knife
Cutting Board
INGREDIENTS
1 cup of watercress (stems removed)
1 cup flat leaf parsley (stems removed)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup Italian Salad Dressing (Vignette)
1 tablespoon Tarragon
3 tablespoons chives
1 clove garlic chopped
3 small or 2 large anchovy filets packed in oil
Fresh squeezed lemon juice (approximately 3 tablespoons)
1 tablespoon of cider vinegar
DIRECTIONS
Wash and destem the parsley and the watercress then add to the blender. Remove the tarragon from its stems and place it on the watercress. Next, layer on the chives. Add the chopped garlic and the three anchovies. Add the mayo on top. Now, pour over all your liquids, like the lemon juice, canola oil, and salad dressing.
Cover the blender with its top and PULSE the blend until it starts to chop up the greens. You may need to stop and stir the dressing using a long wooden spoon. Make sure the blades have stopped before adding the spoon to stir. Continue pulsing and stirring until it begins to blend smoothly. Continue to blend on low for one to two minutes. Pour into a condiment bottle and serve. Makes about a cup and a half of salad dressing.
This is one of Sam’s favorite salad dressings. I think it’s perfect for the spring and summer when all these fresh herbs are in the local farm stands abundance! Does it make a good dip for carrots sticks and celery?
Enjoy life, stay healthy, and may everyone be kind to you.
This past weekend, I grilled up some New York Strip Steaks. I could eat this every weekend if I had my choice, but these days beef is expensive. Plus, this is time consuming when compared to just throwing them on the gas grill. I just love the taste the charcoal lends to the steak. This is one of those meals I love making for friends and will have to do it again SOON!
I start my charcoal using this type of charcoal chimney starter with no lighter fluid. to get it stated I use rolled up newspaper with a little olive oil on it.
Add more charcoal.
Wait until the coals are ALL grey
In the mean time…season your steaks. Garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, salt.
Start by cooking the one you want most done. This one will be medium rare.
Turn 90 degrees for the crisscross effect and to cook evenly
This is a temp check. Yes, the grill is almost 900 degrees Fahrenheit.
This steak will be Medium Rare and is waiting in the wings.
working on the “bark or crust”
MMM sizzle
Second steak almost done
Finish cooking steaks in gas grill on low heat until they reach the perfect temprature
Looking good
Both perfect internal temperature
Two rare steaks for my mother in-law. No seasoning for her. She dislikes it.
I use this instant read thermometer to check the steak’s internal temperature.
Monday, Monday. I am for the three day weekend. The weekend was good but too short. My weekend started at BCH (Babylon Carriage House and then it continued on to Saturday with grilling steaks over charcoal and ended with heading over to see my sister for a couple of hours of pizza and old pictures.
Lets start with Friday night. Scott and Alison had returned from their Florida trip on Monday, and we were looking forward to seeing them and hearing all about their adventures. It helps that the Carriage House has some excellent food. Lets see if I can remember it all… We started with a cold bottle of Gabriella and macaroni and cheese with lobster meat (pictured below). There was also one of our staples, truffle mac and cheese. The truffle mac and cheese was as good as always. For starters they had a chopped tuna and avocado appetizer. We love this and don’t always see it so…. that was the first thing on our menu. The lobster mac and cheese was also a surprise on the specials menu. So we needed to order that. It was delicious from the first bite with just a hint of lobster on the palette. We were ALL lucky enough to get a least one nice big bite of lobster meat each and that out of a single serving. Considering there were five of us, including Alysa it was terrific! Next was the chopped baked clams. Three of us split one order of those. Having one clam each. I always love their baked clams and once again they did not disappoint me. Then there was the Cesar salad. I skipped the salad saving room for the main entre.
We did manage to drink bottle and a half of this before switching to the red wine.
Truffle Mac and cheese left Lobster mac and cheese tot he right
Scott had brought with him a red wine from BV. At the very beginning of our dinner, even before the first appetizers came, Scott had the waiter open the red wine and pour it for three of us to let it open up. By the time we were ready to order our main course the wine was ready. We decided to order the steak and rack of lamb. Now when I say “we decided” that means Jennifer and I let Scott suggest what pairs well with the wine. Even though Jennifer doesn’t drink she always loves his choices in food selection. I enjoy not really having to make a decision. So we are both very thankful for the fact Scott does this for us and does it so well. The lamb was a special this Friday and since most of don’t eat lamb often that made it an easy choice.
I started with the steak and the red wine. OMG. The steak was cooked perfectly! It was heavenly with he wine. Seasoned perfectly! Even though I love salt, it didn’t need any. I sipped the red wine before and after eating each bite. It was a slice of heaven. I took a break from the steak to try two of the lamb chops. To me, they were also cooked perfect. On the other hand Scott liked his lamb a little less well done, more rare. It did come out exactly how we ordered it, I thought. The lamb to was seasoned nicely just like the steak. Not the same seasoning of course. The lamb was season with garlic. It had more of a lamb taste for a chop then I’m am used to but if you like lamb then that’s what you want. It was nice with the wine but not a perfect match like the steak. Scott said: “The BV wine was a classic Bordeaux blend and perfect for the steak. The lamb would have been better served with a French Southern Rhône wine like a Grenache, Syrah or Mourvèdre.” I decided to end the meal by going back to that steak and a second glass of the wine BV “Bordeaux blend”.
This wine went great with the steak
Thats all for today. More happened this weekend but Im tired and need rest tonight so I will leave off here for now.
Where did the week go? I’m even a little bummed that it went by SO very fast. I need to take the time and slow down. It just seems I have been so busy lately. The weekend is here and I have a full schedule. I think I’m sad too because Sam is going camping this weekend and won’t be home.
Well that means beef and pork are on the menu since those are two things Sam does not like. Tonight will be a trip to the Babylon Carriage House or as we like to call it, “BCH”. Our friends are back from Florida and it will be nice to see them again. It will also be fun to here all about their wonderful culinary and wine experiences.
Yesterday for lunch we all had tacos (see below). Everyone seemed to like them or they were just being nice and said they did. Either way at least they ate and went back for seconds, so it could not have been terrible.
Last night I didn’t eat anything amazing. After a short early evening Scout meeting, I made plain old cheese ravioli and heated up my left over meatballs and sauce to go with it. We all (Jen, Sam and my mother -in-law) all watched Jeopardy and Samantha Brown’s vacation spots to love. Then we called it a night and went to bed.
Up early this morning to get ready and come to work.
Welcome Wednesday, even if this does not post until Thursday. So, let’s see what I’ve been up to. Lunch was a Chef’s Salad. To make that, I was up early making hard boiled eggs. As you can see by the picture below, even a chef doesn’t always make a perfect hard boiled egg, so don’t beat yourself up if they don’t always come out perfect.
Two eggs had a crack I didn’t see
Last night, I made Jennifer meatballs and spaghetti with garlic bread. You have seen that before. I guess I tend to repeat myself, but heck who can only eat meatballs and spaghetti once a year?
Baked these meatballs in a 375 degree oven for 20 minutes
Below is my bottle of olive oil, not a liquor bottle. The pour spout makes pouring out the olive oil a little more controlled then straight from the bottle. Plus, I just think it looks cool sitting on my counter.
Olive oil
Tuesday, I made Brats with sauerkraut. I like my sauerkraut a little “al-dente”, not that mushy stuff from a can. So, I buy mine in a bag and it seems to help, but I have yet to find the stuff they have at good kosher delis. Maybe, I should just make it from scratch?
Monday, I ate at my sister in-law’s. She is an EXCELLENT cook. She made the dish below. They are chicken enchiladas, and they were amazing. The only things that I know are in them is cheese and chicken, duh, and sour cream. Otherwise, I have no clue.
Debbie’s Enchiladas
Tonight is sandwiches. You have to have them for dinner at least once in August during the heat of the summer. The one below is an American hero with roast beef, turkey, ham, lettuce, and tomato. My sister-in-law got me the tomato at a farm stand, and I have been savoring it.
Doesn’t that tomato look yummy?
Well, that gets you all caught up until tomorrow.
Enjoy a good beverage or three, enjoy food, and enjoy life.
The Drunken Chef (Russ)
P.S. I will post any official missing recipes, i.e., the Chef Salad soon.
The alarm went off too early this morning. No, seriously. It went off half hour earlier then normal. I thought I fixed that from a power outage we had days ago. Anyhow, I’m up and its dark out. That’s saying something in August when sunrise is at 6:00am. At least the coffee is on.
Is New York the only place we refer to a BIG sandwich as a hero? I think in Chicago they are called hoagies. There are “subs”, hence that fast food place “Subway”, and Grinders farther up in the North East. Here, where I live, the BIG three foot sandwich is popular during Super Bowl Sunday and parties for teenagers and college students! Here it’s called a three foot, four foot, or six foot hero.
So, here is the American Hero Recipe:
1 loaf of Italian bread, hoagie, or hero
1 pound of sliced roast beef (depending on bread size)
1 pound of sliced turkey breast (depending on bread size)
1 pound of ham (depending on bread size)
1/2 pound American cheese
Lettuce
Tomato
DIRECTIONS
Slice the bread lengthwise in half. Begin on the bottom half by layering on the roast beef. Then add the turkey and last the ham. Add a layer of American Cheese. Now, cover that with shredded lettuce. This is lettuce that is cut into thin strips. Most delis use their meat slicer to cut the lettuce and tomatoes. Cover the lettuce with the tomato. Place the top on and slice into 2 1/2 inch slices, unless you are making a single smaller sandwich as I did. Then, just cut it in half.
These big three foot heroes get served with Italian salad dressing, mustard, and mayonnaise on the side, so people can have a choice of the condiment they want to put on their slice of the sandwich. I used mayo on mine. I use Italian dressing on my Italian hero, but that is a recipe for another day. You can see one of the Italian big sandwiches I made for Jennifer and her class below.
Until next time. Be well, be happy, and have a great day!
Happy Tuesday Morning. I should get you caught up on the goings on at the Drunken Chef’s house. There was a lot going on here this weekend. The hard part is trying to remember it. Maybe I need one of those memory supplements. What are they called? I think they need a more memorable commercial.
Friday, I remember working and getting out of work. Let me look at my phone, maybe the pictures will help me remember. Ahhh yes, Friday was clams on the grill and shrimp. Some of you may have seen the pictures on INSTAGRAM. I also made Old Fashioned Lemonade.
The clams were easy peasy. I watched as someone else cooked the clams standing up. I have always cooked them laying down. It was cool to watch them open this way (see below). She also made drawn butter with garlic to put on top. I made a batch of Ma’s Cocktail Sauce.
Grilled Shrimp is always fast and easy unless you have to peel, devein, and clean the shrimp. Someone had already done the cleaning, marinating, and skewering for me so all I had to do was grill them.
Then, I grilled a top round London broil(see below). I have been spoiled in the past by the exquisite London broil I was buying at Meat Farms and my local King Kullen grocery stores pre-pandemic. Now the meat seems to be tougher. I need to find a new store for my London broil purchases since Meat farms was sold to Lidl and King Kullen closed most of it stores. This was also an easy to grill protein.
Then, I made cheeseburger sliders and buffalo wings on the grill. That’s a recipe I will post later this week. Maybe tomorrow, as I am not cooking tonight.
Until tomorrow, be well, be happy, and have a nice day.
August is not my favorite month, but is still summer so it has that going for it. What I don’t like about August is it is the last month of my favorite season, summer. However, since we’re at this point in the season, we should make the best of it with lots of BBQ’s, although Jennifer is in pain and not up for much company. I even have to cancel a much anticipated get-together for this weekend. I don’t feel well this morning myself. I think it’s just too much stress. I hope it gets better soon.
Cooking. Let’s see, I am still behind on my recipes. I still owe you a cheese burger slider recipe. Pfft. Its just a hamburger. We have made them before. Only I made them smaller because their was so much other stuff to eat and not enough people to eat it.
I started with 80% lean ground beef. I like this grind for this hamburger as it needs the extra fat to keep it juicy. I made little meatballs and pressed them flat. Then shaped them into squares. Why? They needed to be square because the buns, which were Kings Hawaiian Rolls, were square.
Next, I seasoned them with garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and fresh ground pepper.
Surely by now you are are asking yourself, “how many damn photos of food can one man have?” The answer is simple: it’s a lot. I have been writing a cookbook now for twenty something years and I’m still not done. I can now sympathize with Tolstoy on writing a never ending book. At least he finished his. I don’t think I will be so lucky.
Now, it’s time to get those burgers on the grill.
I am kind of a geek when it comes to making the grill marks. No one saw them anyhow.
See, no grill marks…He HAHA
Yes, I added cheese and closed the lid so it got all nice and melty. Then I added pickle slices and ketchup. They are thicker then they look so they are still juicy with just a hint of pink. No one wanted rare a hamburger this day. Except maybe my mother in-law….
So, let’s see what’s next? Oh YES! Next time is Grilled Buffalo Wings.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream together the butter, sugars and vanilla. Then add the eggs. Next, add all the dry ingredients and mix in the chocolate chips.
I cut the cookies with a heart shape cookie cutter while warm and let the cookies cool. Once the cookies are cool, allow vanilla ice cream to soften slightly. Scoop ice cream onto one cookie, then top with another. Press gently together. Return ice cream sandwiches to freezer for one hour before serving.
The Magic of a Perfect Pairing 