commentary

Just like a velvet fog, this one is smooth…

~ Gary Bechard ~ Leave a comment

It is kind of early morning on a Sunday, the dog has had her walk and before I got into the rest of the day (it is supposed to be over 70 degrees and I thought there would be a bike ride for me today but I am still terrified to ride here in this area of western Pennsylvania, frack water trucks and well traffic you know), I wanted to post this spaghetti sauce recipe. This is another “long” cooking sauce but it made a hit right along side the “Super Tuscan” on the charity circuit which I will post at a later date. I do have some quick sauces which I will also post which use fresh tomatoes and take less than a good 4 hours of cooking time so stay tuned for those. I would like to think that this is a huge departure from my other sauces but it follows the same pattern and the consistency was born of necessity when I needed a sauce for my eggplant Parmesan and I did not have any prepared. It is also a sauce that my favourite “fungusphobe” liked because there were no mushrooms in it. Oops, my bad! They were just cleverly disguised in the rest of the sauce. On occasions, I like to bake with this sauce and when I am doing that I will purposely keep it on the “thin” side. There is no sense letting your sauce get all cakey and clumpy while baking. If I end up having to use a sauce that is thicker and I want to avoid the clumpiness I will tent the item while in the oven. I am sorry you may not be able to get ALL your servings of vegetables with this sauce but it is awfully good. The name was sort of inspired by the movie title “Escape from New York”, a sort of cheesy movie, I admit, and not to say that I have ever watched it (just like I never watched any of the Die Hard movies) but at least you know where I got the name. I hope you have as much success with this sauce as I have. It is my son’s absolute favorite to make for folks in NYC when he is having them over for dinner. So, without further adieu, let’s get cooking!

Escape from Marinara
Gary Bechard – The Well Fed Cyclist

Ingredients:

1 – 28 ounce can of tomato sauce
2 – 28 ounce cans crushed tomatoes
3/4ths – Medium sweet onion very finely diced
1 – Portobello mushroom cap (“fins” scraped out about 2 to 4 ounces wt) very finely diced
7 to 10 – Fresh basil leaves, fine chopped
1 handful (about 3/4ths cup) – Fresh Parsley leaves, finely chopped
6 – Cloves garlic, finely chopped
16 to 20 oz – Chicken stock (or vegetable stock if the spirit moves you)
1/3 cup – Red wine (I use a nice Cabernet but have also used Merlot or Chianti. If you use the Chianti, remember that this wine is very dry and the “sharpness” will have to be smoothed out with some of the sweeter ingredients)
1/8th cup – Extra Virgin Olive Oil (I say this amount but it should only be enough to cover the bottom of the pot in which you are making the sauce)
1 tbsp – Coarse ground black pepper
1 ½ tbsp – Lemon pepper
Note: You can substitute the zest of a whole lemon and increase the amount of coarse ground black pepper if you would like.
1 tbsp – Dried oregano leaves
1/3 cup – Grated Parmesan cheese (I normally use Parmesan-Romano for a greater depth of flavor)
Note: If you do not use the cheese, I would substitute a palm (a little more than a tablespoon) full of Kosher salt.

A brief note before the construction instructions: I normally chop my vegetables ahead of time because it makes for easier cooking and cleaning.

Construction Instructions:

In a big stock pot (I use a large ceramic covered cast iron pot for this one), pour enough olive oil to just cover the bottom (about 1/8th inch should do it). Turn the heat to mid range (5 or 6 on most electric ranges) and bring the oil up to temperature remembering that olive oil has a low smoke point and does not withstand high heat very well without breaking down. When the oil is hot, add garlic and onions and sauté until the onions are translucent (kind of clear) and without turning the garlic brown. This process should take about 2 to 3 minutes. Next add the mushrooms and continue to move around the bottom of the pot until they are a little soft (about a minute). Do not cook the vegetables until they are unrecognizable. Reduce the heat to 3 or 4 and add enough chicken (or vegetable if you are swinging that way) stock to just barely cover the vegetables in the bottom of the pot. Simmer until fine bubbles appear in the mixture (kind of looks like soup at this point). This should take another 5 minutes’ish. After the bubbles appear, add the tomatoes and stir mixture until it is fully pulled together. Next add your soft ingredients, basil, oregano, parsley and the black and lemon pepper and continue to stir. (Note: You have to keep the sauce moving because you do not want the mixture to be uneven and because of the low heat the bottom cooks faster than the top and you are trying to keep an even temperature throughout.) Allow these ingredients to become intimate (cover the children’s eyes if you have to). Simmer until you start to see small bubbles in the tomato sauce and once you see them reduce the heat to around 3. At this point, add the wine and the Parmesan cheese and mix until ingredients are fully pulled together. Simmer until you see the bubbles again and reduce the heat to 2 1/2, stir and monitor for 3 to 4 hours always making sure that you keep the mixture moving to keep the temperature even. If you see that the sauce is becoming thicker than you would like you can add either low sodium tomato juice or some stock to thin it out. NEVER use water to thin because that destroys the integrity of the sauce. After the cooking time is done, I normally allow the sauce to “rest” by turning off the heat and letting sit partially covered on the stove.

Enjoy!

There is a plot twist…

~ Gary Bechard ~ Leave a comment

You would think that there is some nefarious murder mystery going on with the title and all but it is just about the food and as always, everything is about the food. And, I know, I know, I am flip flopping more than a politician during election season, and I even posted a fish recipe in the midst of what should have been “chicken week”  but I consider this recipe a kind of “two-fer” so possibly it could count for both? So, I guess, in a way, this entry is kind of a plot twist.

This was not a recipe born of desperation or the result of my CADD but was the result of figuring out what to do with a ¼ pound of 31 to 40 count shrimp. That amount of shrimp does not really make a meal for 2 people and is more annoying sitting in the freezer partially open than being used in a recipe. The way I thought of it is I figured that if the Japanese steak houses can serve hibachi chicken and shrimp together, I could combine the two in one easy to carry package (not that you would want to carry it but you could). It does not take a whole lot more effort than the Bay Watch chicken breasts but it does have a distinctly different flavor and you really do not need a sauce.

Shrimp Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Asian style
(makes 3-4 servings)

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 – Green bell pepper fine diced
1/2 (or less) – Red bell pepper fine diced
1/3 – sweet onion, fine diced
5 – Cloves garlic, fine diced
2 oz – Fresh chopped ginger root
1/4 lb – Shrimp, fine diced
4 – Shitake mushrooms fine diced
2 sticks – Celery fine diced
Coarse ground black pepper (to taste)
Small handful fine shredded fresh parsley (use dried if you must about 1 ½ tablespoons)
7 – Basil leaves fine chopped (use dried if you must about 1 ½ tablespoons)
Peanut or Canola oil
Soy Sauce and/or Teriyaki Sauce

Filling:
In a large skillet, cover bottom of pan with peanut or canola oil and over low/med heat sauté peppers, onion, garlic and celery until softened and onions become translucent. Add mushrooms and ginger root, sauté on low heat for about 2-3 minutes, season to taste with pepper. Add shrimp and go until the shrimp pieces turn pink, then season with teriyaki and soy sauce (remember that there is a lot of salt in those sauces so be sparing). After shrimp is done, add parsley and basil and keep on heat for another 2-3 minutes while mixing these ingredients in. Turn off heat and set aside to cool.
Stuffing it:
Take chicken breasts and, from the side, make a pocket by cutting the long way the entire length and almost all the way through (should look like a pita pocket). Take a spoon and stuff chicken with filling (do not overfill) enough so that edge can be closed with a toothpick, cooking string or skewers. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes (add a bit of water or chicken stock to bottom of baking dish to keep moist).

This was served with sushi rice but can also be served with pineapple jasmine rice in addition to snow peas with mushrooms and almond slices. I also always serve a green salad with ginger dressing.

Enjoy!

It’s a Saturday Evening post…

~ Gary Bechard ~ Leave a comment

Literally, it is a post that is happening on Saturday evening. Get it?  Bad joke I know but I am full of them because  the whole day today was devoted to cleaning the house while it rained 2 plus inches. However,  I am stoked!  Well not really about cleaning but I am excited to put out a new recipe.

I guess you could say that this is “chicken week” but that originally was not the intent since I was thinking about finishing out my fish recipes. We can always go back to those when I am off my chicken kick (I guess my Cooking Attention Deficit Disorder (CADD) kind of kicked in.). Chicken is one of the staple proteins at my house and they are normally done in one of a few ways, fried, faux fried, baked, broiled or grilled. This particular recipe is for shallow frying and should be reasonably healthy because it uses boneless/skinless chicken breasts and olive oil.

This recipe is the product of my cooking CADD because I was thinking of one thing and watching another and came to the conclusion that they could be done together with good result. You see, I was there in this restaurant having ordered chicken over greens while thinking of other ways I could use the Prosciutto I had leftover at home and it hit me (well not really) that if you could attach the Prosciutto to one side of the chicken it would provide salt and a savory flavors which I could compliment with other parts of the meal. The result is this recipe. Oh, I can attest to the quality of this recipe because bona fide Italians who were staying at my house loved this meal.

Fugetaboutit
Chicken over Greens
(makes 4 servings)

4 – Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
8 oz – Prosciutto (sliced very thin)
1/3 – Medium sweet onion (diced fine)
8 (or more) – Cloves garlic, (diced fine)
1 tbsp – Coarse ground black pepper (or to taste)
10 – Fresh basil leaves (fine shredded also called a chiffonade)
8 – Romaine lettuce leaves
Handful – Italian parsley (chopped fine; use dried if you must about 1 ½ tablespoons)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Balsamic vinegar (get the good stuff)

Ready – Preparing the chicken:
Pound the chicken breasts to about ¾ of an inch using the flat side of a meat tenderizing hammer. Next place thin slices of Prosciutto on the “smooth” side of the chicken breast enough to cover the entire top in about one layer. Then take the “prickly” side of the meat hammer and pound the Prosciutto on to the chicken. It should stick with no problem. Take and gently set these aside Prosciutto side up.

Set – Revving up the oil
In a large skillet, cover bottom of pan with olive oil (a little better than a third inch deep or enough that it would be up to half way up the edge of one of the pounded chicken breasts) and over low/med heat sauté onion and garlic until softened and onions become translucent. Add basil and parsley continue sautéing until basil and parsley have wilted.

Go – Cooking the chicken
Take prepared chicken breasts and place in the pan Prosciutto side down and lower heat (low – medium is good here). Now…drop your tongs and step away from the chicken! You will have to resist the urge to constantly flip the chicken breasts and will only flip them over once for this recipe. That is why the heat is kind of low. Cook these on the one side until you can see that they are almost fully cooked (about 5 to 7 minutes) you will see the top edges of the chicken breasts begin to turn lighter. After you see that they are almost done carefully flip them over to have them Prosciutto side up and complete the cooking (another 4 to 7 minutes). The chicken breasts will be done when they are firm when you press on them with the tongs. You will notice that small bits of garlic and onion will stick to the chicken and this is perfectly okay. Note: I can usually do 3 chicken breasts in my pan and set the ones that are done in the oven on warm until the others are ready to serve.

Prepare the plates
Take about 3 romaine lettuce leaves and place them flat on each plate and drizzle lightly with balsamic vinegar. When each chicken breast is done place them Prosciutto side up on the lettuce.

-Meal served with either angel hair pasta dressed with just olive oil and Italian seasoning or a cold pasta salad with roasted red pepper and olives (a recipe for another time) and green beans done with onion and Portobello mushrooms.

Enjoy!

Lest there be any doubt…

~ Gary Bechard ~ Leave a comment

You will notice the picture today is NOT food.  But, it IS my food furnace!  Regarding athletics, I am a first and formost a cyclist and built my first when I was 13 years old. Eat well, exercise, and commune with your inner cyclist, I always say. Yesterday I mentioned that we were changing the way we eat and just like that, Wham! we were hit with a 36 hour power outage and ended up losing all of the food in the refrigerator. Gone with the power were all of those food items that were contributing to not eating clean, slugishness and a general physical malaise.  I guess that the Power (no pun intended) in the universe was giving us a nudge in the right direction.  However, we were able to head to Trader Joe’s and fill the fridge with only the good stuff.  Since I did not have a whole lot of time since the power finally came on, here is one of my older posts. It is kind of aprapos since yesterday’s recipe was a fish recipe.  I hope you enjoy!

No harm no Fowl…

Sorry about that campers but work kind of got in the way again and I was not able to post any recipes for the past few days (needed to calculate those stats and do final reviews on contracts and other items). Things are a bit less hectic now and I have a few minutes to get something out on the site. I hope you like it.

I know that you have most likely been looking at the fish recipes and saying to yourself “Self?” you are saying, “This fish stuff is DAMN expensive! So, what in the world am I supposed to do make one of these recipes a year?” I would like to let you know that I have other fish recipes with less expensive types of fish but I thought you people could use a break. You also may be yelling “Foul!”, so for today, here is one of my favorite chicken recipes.(terrible pun I know) It still has an ocean type theme (if you can call it that). And, without further adieu, here is the recipe.

Baywatch Stuffed Chicken Breasts

(makes 3-4 servings)

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 – Small jar (3 oz.) artichoke hearts (use 3 or 4 finely shredded)
½ (or less) – fine diced red pepper
2 ¼” slices – sweet onion, fine diced
5 – Cloves garlic, fine diced
4 – Baby bella mushrooms, fine diced
Coarse ground black pepper (to taste)
Small handful fine shredded fresh parsley (use dried if you must about 1 ½ tablespoons)
Good olive oil

Filling:
In a large skillet, cover bottom of pan with olive oil and over low/med heat sauté pepper, onion, garlic until softened and onions become translucent. Add mushrooms and artichoke hearts, sauté on low heat for about 2-3 minutes, season to taste with pepper. Add parsley and keep on heat for another 2-3 minutes. Turn off heat and set aside.
Take chicken breasts and, from the side, make a pocket by cutting the long way the entire length and almost all the way through (should look like a pita pocket). Take a spoon and stuff chicken with filling (do not overfill) enough so that edge can be closed with a toothpick, cooking string or skewers. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes (add a bit of white wine to bottom of baking dish to keep moist).

Sauce:
¼ cup dry white wine
¼ cup chicken stock
Whole wheat flour
Fresh chopped parsley
Diced portabella mushrooms
2 Tbsp. Unsalted butter (or Smart Balance)
Diced sweet onion or green onion
Coarse ground black pepper

Use pan that filling was sautéed in, add white wine and cook on low heat for about 5-10 min. Add chicken stock and other ingredients and cook for another 5-10 min. I thicken with whole wheat flour to desired consistency.

-Meal served with garlic mashed baby red potatoes, steamed broccoli and cauliflower florets.

Enjoy!

Early in the morning, uh huh, before you eat your breakfast, uh huh…gotta run around, round, round

~ Gary Bechard ~ Leave a comment

Sorry, old Army PT running song was kind of in my head and I had to get it out and, yay, verily a title for this blog post was born. Before I get into the food part of this, I remember vividly when I was first in the Army, almost 40 years ago, and sometimes miss it terribly.  Back then, the Army food used to get a bad rap but I met some soldiers who were the cooks that would match even some of the best chefs I see in this area.

Exciting things happening here on the old ranch especially when it comes to the way we are eating and possibly to the way I will do my future recipes. Now, as we ease into the Mediterranean inspired food and away from what we were eating on a regular basis (Pittsburgh “chunk-o-rama” type food), I feel a whole lot better.  My son and daughter would say that we were “eating clean”, not quite paleo but good enough, and we should have done this much, much sooner.  Besides having a ton more energy, the side benefit is the 5 pound drop in weight and one inch off the waist since starting this a week and a half ago. Climbing hills on the bike will be much easier without having a 3 year old strapped to my front. That is not to say that my other recipes are bad but they are not quite as clean as the ones we have been having lately. I am going to start today with a quick recipe for my version of cole slaw which uses three types of cabbage and NO, that’s right, NO mayonnaise. It is terrbly simple but oh so good.

My Way (mixed cabbage cole slaw)

Ingredients:

Slaw:

5 – Tuscan cabbage leaves, fine shred

1/2 –  Savoy cabbage head (very small), fine shred

1/2 – Red cabbage head (very small), fine shred

1/2 – Sweet onion, sliced very thin

2 – Whole carrots, peeled and sliced very thin, or run them through the “spiralizer”

1/3 cup – White raisins

Dressing:

1/4 cup – Olive oil

1/8 cup -White balsamic vinegar

1 tsp – Thyme leaves

1/2 tsp – Coarse ground black pepper (or to taste)

1/2 tsp – Lemon peel

1/2 tsp – Soy Sauce or liquid aminos (the stuff that tastes like soy sauce but has no salt)

1 tsp – Toasted sesame seeds

Construction Instruction:

In a large bowl, combine the salad ingredients and fold them together so that everything is evenly distributed. In a separate bowl, combine the dressing ingredients and whisk together until smooth. Toss the slaw with the dressing until evenly coated and place in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.  The time in the fridge will help all the ingredients get to know each other and will help break down the Tuscan cabbage a bit.

Enjoy!

The Well Fed Cyclist

Now that IS a “Proper Burger”…

~ Gary Bechard ~ Leave a comment

I interupt this blog post with a very important message. No, I do not believe you will see the emergency warning symbol on your television but I wanted to remind you of the meaning of this holiday, Memorial Day.

I have a certain thoughtfulness  every Memorial Day. Having been a soldier, both enlisted and officer, I have a soft spot in my heart for all of those that currently serve or have served and for all of the families that supported them in their endeavors.  I know, I know, I should be more upbeat as in my other posts, and I will get to that, but I believe that everyone should pause at least one moment to reflect on the freedoms we have today, the men and women currently serving, their families and those that have gone before us.  With that complete, fire up the grill, crack open a cold one and let’s get ready to eat!

As an aside, it is with a bit of sadness I  say that the rescue effort from the old blog site was only partially successful. Trapped in the ether are quite a few posts which I was not able to salvage from the oldest site but I was able to retrieve the more recent (or semi-recent) and will be able to post them here.  This post was another one from “Burger Week” and it is not quite the healthiest of recipes but sometimes you just have to “Throw Caution to the Wind” which by some coincidence is the title of the former post.

Throwing caution to the wind…

I would like to consider myself a pretty healthy eater (not in quantity but in quality) but today’s offering does not quite fit in the healthy eating category. This burger is more the decadent, throw caution to the wind, hope I do not have a cardiac arrest category. The ingredients are not really that bad but I use a fattier kind of beef more cheese and some bacon to round it out with a bread that has enough sugar to power a hundred toddlers for a couple of days. Why, you may ask, would I do this? Well, first, because I can and second, sometimes you just have to have something that just tastes really good without worrying about all that diet stuff. It’s okay once in a while, right? Just don’t tell your doctor and I will surely never tell. Your secret is safe with me because I am as trustworthy as the Bush bean dog. (wink, wink, nudge, nudge, say no more, say no more)

The recipe for this burger was first thought of on a drive home from work on a Friday, stuck behind a cattle truck, in the summer while the Highway patrol was clearing an accident knowing that I was going to have to feed some real “meat eaters” (you know Marines, English footballers and the like). I wanted something decadent (in the “meat eaters” sense) but something that would taste good. The idea for what to use as the bun kind of hit me as I was trying to figure out how I was going to balance out the savory flavors in the burger and voila the Hawaiian sweet bread hit me! Well the idea hit me not the actual sweet bread but you probably already knew that. The burger was named by Simon (the English footballer). It was after his first bite and he exclaimed, ”Now THAT is a proper burger!”

Here is the recipe:

A “Proper” Burger
(makes 4 – 5 servings)

1 1/2 lbs –Ground sirloin (I did 90/10)
1/3 – Medium sweet onion (medium diced)
½ tsp – Garlic powder
¼ tsp – Kosher salt (if you are into measuring things and if not a couple of good pinches)
1 tbsp – Coarse ground black pepper (or to taste)
1 tbsp – Worcestershire sauce (don’t be stingy with this and make sure it is a generous tablespoon)
1/ cup – Cabernet wine (make it a good one because I give you permission to have the rest)
10 slices – Crispy bacon (I used some apple smoked bacon)
Sliced Vermont white cheddar cheese
Sliced provolone cheese
Romaine lettuce leaves
Hearty tomato slices
Loaf of Hawaiian sweet bread (this will become the bun) cut into 1 1/2 inch slices

*Note – a loaf of Hawaiian sweet is kind of round and you may have to start in the center and work your way out with the slices but you want them to be about bun or regular loaf of bread sized.

In a large bowl combine beef, onion, garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, salt and your luscious Cabernet. Mix thoroughly making sure all ingredients are distributed evenly through the mixture. Take and make into 4 to 5 patties (depending on who you have eating) and refrigerate for about 15 to 20 minutes (you want the flavors to get to know each other). I made the patties pretty thick. Cook these on a low heat grill (300 to 350 degrees) to slow cook them to desired doneness. Also, don’t get all “flippy” on these burgers because you can let them sit on one side for about 5 – 7 minutes before flipping. Melt one slice of each type of cheese on each burger

Serve the burgers on grilled slices of the Hawaiian sweet bread topped with a couple slices of bacon, a slice of tomato and some lettuce.

Enjoy!

Il cavolo nero idea vita!!!!! (Translation…The Tuscan cabbage idea lives!)

~ Gary Bechard ~ Leave a comment

I told everyone yesterday that I had some ideas rolling around in the old noggin on how to use the Tuscan cabbage and well, it just happened. I found at least one way to incorporate the cabbage/kale into a recipe.  I really thought it was going to take me a lot longer to come up with something but sometimes, when the wind is right and the planets are aligned, it happens, so I went with it.  Cruising through the memory banks while building a small table for the basement fridge, I went through a bunch of recipes in my head where I incorporated cabbage. At first I thought of using the leaves for stuffing, like my shrimp stuffed Bok Choy recipe (I may still figure out something to stuff them with but I digress) and remembered a stir fry recipe where I used shredded brussel sprouts in addition to the vegetables to add kind of a smoky flavor.  Having tasted the Tuscan cabbage and knowing it had a similar but not as bitter flavor profile as brussel sprouts, I thought that it might go well with sweet Italian sausage.  Originally, I thought of just doing the vegetables and cabbage with the sausage and serving the mixture over rice or pasta but not wanting to dirty more than one pan, I decided to make this a “One Skillet Wonder” (the name of another recipe which will be posted at a future date).  The one skillet idea led to the addition of the potatoes. I hope you try this and let me know how it turns out.

The Well Fed Cyclist

Gary Bechard

Sweet Tuscan Stir fry

One skillet sweet sausage with Tuscan Kale

(makes 3-4 servings)

5 – Sweet Italian sausages (cut into slices)

1/3 – Sweet or Red onion, sliced (then quarter the slices)

1/2 – Red bell pepper, rough diced

1/2 – Green bell pepper, rough diced

1 – Small zucchini, rough diced

1 – Small yellow squash, rough diced

12 oz – Baby red, yellow or white potatoes quartered (I used a baby potato bag that had yellow, white, red and purple)

1 cup – Cremini Mushrooms, sliced

1 can – Black olives (pitted, 6 ounces dry weight)

5-7 leaves – Tuscan cabbage/kale, washed and rough shredded

1/4 cup – Fresh parsley, chopped fine

6-7 leaves – Basil, chopped

1 tsp – Oregano, dried or fresh (fresh use the leaves of 3 to 4 sprigs)

4-5 cloves – Garlic, fine diced

Extra Virgin Olive Oil – A few good turns around the pan will do

1/4 cup – Vegetable Stock

Coarse Ground black pepper to taste

Extra Virgin Olive Oil – About 1/4 cup more or less

Note: I always dice my vegetables before I start so that I can add them at the appropriate time while cooking.

Construction Instruction:

First, in a large skillet (one that has a cover), do a few good turns on the bottom of pan with olive oil and over low/med heat sauté onion and garlic until they begin to soften. Next, add sausage and stir (hence the name “stir fry”) until the sausage is done. (about 7 to 10 minutes since they are sliced) While still over low- medium heat, add peppers, zucchini, squash and olives and sauté until the vegetables begin to soften. To the pan, add the vegetable stock. Let the mixture warm and then add the potatoes. Fold mixture together until everything is evenly distributed and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Next, add the basil and oregano plus pepper to taste. Lower the heat and cover the skillet. (This will steam cook the potatoes). Stir the mixture occasionally until the potatoes are fork tender. When the potatoes are done, add the shredded Tuscan cabbage, re-cover the skillet and allow the cabbage to soften slightly. (about 5 to 7 minutes)

Since this meal is a “one skillet wonder” serve with nice, rustic, crusty bread.

Enjoy!

“The time has come,” the Walrus said, “To talk of many things: Of shoes–and ships–and sealing-wax– Of cabbages–and kings (Lewis Carroll, “The Walrus and the Carpenter”)

~ Gary Bechard ~ Leave a comment

I am not so sure about the shoes, ships and sealing wax and,  I am pretty sure I will not be talking about kings but cabbage, well, that is a different subject altogether. I have been eyeing a particular green bunch in the produce aisle for quite some time. I guess you could say that I was kind of stalking it? (no pun intended, really). Its deep green leafy leaves called to me, so, I bought some.  Over the years, I have worked with a wide variety of different cabbages from Bok Choy to Radicchio and have done them grilled, sauteed, stuffed and other assorted ways but this is a new one on me. The picture is of Tuscan Cabbage or sometimes referred to as Tuscan Kale or, if you prefer (to impress your friends),“cavolo nero” in Italian. The green has a flavor profile much like kale only without the slight bitter aftertaste and  seems like a sort of a cross between a Napa cabbage and Kale. I am not quite sure how I am going to approach this one but I have a couple of ideas rambling around in the old noggin. While I try to figure out a direction with this new ingredient, here is the third post from “Burger Week” off the old site. This recipe is the second of the turkey burgers and is quite tasty.

Gotta love a burger with a hula skirt…

Well maybe no hula skirt but it does have sort of a Hawaiian flair. Also, sorry, there are no alcoholic beverage ingredients in this recipe so you will have to fend for yourself and come up with a good excuse to buy extra at the grocery store like, “Honey, you never know when we will be in a beer emergency and since there are solar storms erupting we should be prepared.” There is also the ever popular, “I really thought the recipe called for lots of (insert name of favorite beverage here).” With the follow on, “Since we already have this stuff we might as well drink it because we would not want it to go to waste.” I am certain that even the least creative among you can come up with an excuse. You could even blame it on the dog, if you have one.

I am not sure if I can tell you the exact origins of this particular burger (it may have originated because I was bored and wanted something Asian’esque for the grill or perhaps because I had a fresh pineapple and was not jiggy grilling something in the pig family) but needless to say people liked it. I served this with a nice green salad (fresh baby greens with arugula to tie it to the burger) with a ginger dressing and crispy rice noodles on top for texture and squash sautéed with onions, sliced ginger and red bell peppers.

Here is the recipe:

T2 (Hawaiian) Burger
(makes 3 – 4 servings)

1lb – Ground turkey breast
4 tbsp – Teriyaki sauce
¼ cup – Vegetable stock
1 tbsp – Dried basil (you can substitute with fresh if you have it about 5 large leaves chopped fine)
1handful – Fresh chopped parsley
1 tbsp – Coarse Ground black pepper
¼ tsp – Ground ginger (you can also do fresh grated ginger but go easy because this is a strong spice)
4 slices – Fresh pineapple

In a large bowl combine turkey, teriyaki sauce, vegetable stock, basil, parsley, pepper, and ginger and mix thoroughly making sure that all ingredients are distributed evenly. Take and make into 3 to 4 patties (depending on who you have eating). Because turkey can have a tendency to dry out quickly, these should be grilled on a relatively low temperature (300 to 350 degrees) until done. At the same time grill the pineapple slices until they are warmed through and have those nifty looking grill marks on them.

Serve the burgers on a toasted bun with some spicy arugula.

Enjoy!

The road to…well you know…is paved with –

~ Gary Bechard ~ Leave a comment

Good intentions, the things that drive some of us who are a bit OCD to do things they would normally not do, like light up the computer after spending 12 hours with spreadsheets at work. That’s right boys and girls, 12 hours, of tedious, formula writing, updating and auditing.  It is enough  to make a grown man scream! but, I won’t, because it might wake the neighbors.

Today, however, I had the fortunate chance to be at the dentist with, what I will say, is one of the nicest group of individuals I have run into in a very long time.  The attention to their patients I witnessed is unparallelled. Not quite what you expect from the dentist, eh?  They are great and if anyone needs a recommendation for a good group of professionals, please let me know. You most likely are wondering what in the world a trip to the dentist has with food but for me today it was everything. In my conversations, while waiting, I came to realize just how passionate I am about making great food and sharing that passion with anyone who will listen.

But, I digress, I have been cogitating (kind of a technical term) on how people should approach food. For me, simplicity in ingredients executed wonderfully is the key. I had the opportunity to be in Italy on a deployment with the Army and had the great fortune to eat at some of the smallest, off the beaten path, hole in the wall places Northern Italy had to offer. All of the dishes I ate were simple ingredients combined together in a way that complimented each other like the members of an orchestra. I cannot say that I always am able to reach this goal but it is what I strive for with every recipe.

I will post more from Burger Week tomorrow!

Enjoy!

The Well Fed Cyclist