Quick Spaghetti Sauce

Much ink has been spilled over how to make the perfect spaghetti sauce (or Sunday Gravy for the more authentic readers), so I know that what I'm saying is not revolutionary. You can find the most simple of recipes or a long drawn out process with $50 worth of ingredients.

I, however, am an impatient cook (hence not a baker!), and I'm usually planning dinner the day of. Or when I get home from work. 

So while I wanted a recipe that has complex flavors, I also want a small, readily available ingredient list and a short cooking time. I think this recipe is close, but you can always choose to add half a rack of ribs or a whole chicken's worth of parts if you want. 

I started trying to use up my canned tomatoes from last summer and transforming them into something more flavorful- I think next year I'll can some quick tomato sauce rather than just plain tomatoes for more ready-to-eat meals. 

But I used a combination of crushed tomatoes and whole tomatoes in water for this recipe.

More Involved Tomato Sauce (meaty!) from Mister Meatball and the famous Meatball recipe too.


Quick Tomato Sauce


2 tbsp olive oil
4 garlic cloves, diced
2 small onions, chopped
3 carrots, shredded
3 celery stalks, diced
1/2 cup red wine
32 oz. canned whole tomatoes
16 oz. crushed tomatoes
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tbsp. dried oregano
3 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
salt and pepper


Chop all the veggies! The heat the olive oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add the onions and saute for a bit (be less like me and more patient). Add carrots, saute, add celery, saute, add garlic... saute!


Add dried spices now and then add wine to deglaze the pan. Stir around for a bit, then add tomatoes. Cook for a few hours on medium-low heat and then season to taste with salt and pepper.


I blended my sauce partially with an immersion blender, so it looked more like spaghetti sauce and less like vegetable soup. Add the butter and basil just before serving.


Makes a lot! Maybe 6 cups?

Potato Cakes

A totally respectable lunch. 

I made potato cakes with the leftover colcannon, after being inspired by Well Preserved's recipe.

Most importantly, on cooking the cakes: "Don’t touch them.  I know you want to.  Just don’t.  You only get one shot.  Wait until you’re not comfortable and itchy and then wait 15-45 seconds more.  You should feel like Kevin Bacon in Footloose – trying to jump out of the tractor while playing chicken but you can’t." Yes.

St. Paddy's Day Meal, Thirsty Pig Happy Hour

Just a few items for your Friday afternoon reading - I didn't tell you about the great St. Paddy's day meal I made last Saturday night. I never manage to photograph my Paddy's day meals, since we're all too busy drinking and carousing. But the colcannon this year was particularly stellar. 

Colcannon is mashed potatoes with lots of butter, steamed cabbage, and sausage or bacon mixed in. Um, delicious? I could pretty much eat it every day (woof). 

2010 Irish Feast

I also made a LOT, anticipating a lot of hungry revelers... I figured the ole Irish trick of stretching a meal with a lot of potatoes was in order! So between the leftover corned beef and the colcannon, I'm thinking there's some breakfast hash in my future. 

Colcannon

Adapted from Tyler Florence's Food Network recipe (why so complicated, Tyler??)

3 pounds potatoes, scrubbed

2 sticks butter

1 1/4 cups hot milk

Freshly ground black pepper

1 head cabbage, cored and finely shredded

1 (1-pound) piece ham or bacon, or 1 lb. sweet Italian sausage, cooked

4 scallions, finely chopped

Chopped parsley leaves, for garnish

Peel, chop and boil potatoes. Remove from water and let cool in a colander. Add shredded cabbage into remaining potato water and cook for 5 minutes. Drain.

Mash potatoes with butter and milk; stir in cabbage and fully cooked sausage. Stir until combined. Season with pepper and serve with scallions and parsley.

Hard to believe it, but the end of this week brings summer like temps. We've got happy hour on the deck of the Thirsty Pig planned. This photo was taken at the end of last September at the Pig. Six months later, in the same dress, I'll be out on the patio, sweating again! So crazy, but I'll take it.  

And since our happy hour is before a show today (Keller Williams at Port City), maybe we'll lay down some meat before our (many) show beers. I dined at the Thirsty Pig a few months ago with the food blogger clan and had a Lithuanian Kielbasa, topped with brown mustard and sauerkraut. 

While it was delicious, I probably won't order it again, as it gave me terrible indigestion! I love a spice-filled sausage, but woo. I'll stick to the lighter fare (um, a different sausage?) or just some hot dogs. 

At any rate, I hope you have a great weekend and are up to something fun- I'm headed to Sugarloaf for the weekend and will be back with some great recipes from the ski condo! 

"Chipotle" Barbacoa Beef

A coworker emailed me a recipe that sounded so easy to prepare and promised to yield Chipotle style results: beef barbacoa. It's my favorite filling at Chipotle, and again, sounded dead simple to prepare. Not entirely trusting the source (Boston Globe), I checked it against an Epicurious recipe and found it to be similar. 

So I combined the two and filled the crockpot. The results were spicy and great, but no where near the same as the fast food restaurants' version. My Mexican friend says this is not anything like the beef barbacoa her family eats for brunch on the weekends either. But with a few tweaks (namely a thicker sauce), I could see this being really great.

Can you recommend better Mexi meat fillings? I was pleased with this (spicy!) Slow Cooked Salsa Verde Pork recipe, but was looking for some Mexi beef barbecue-style meat.

Beef Barbacoa
Adapted from Boston Globe and Epicurious

3 pounds boneless beef shoulder (chuck)
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 jalapeno, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 can of chilies in Adobo sauce
1 tsp chili powder
1 ½ tsp dried ground cumin
1 tsp dried ground oregano
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp salt
2 bay leaves
4 cups chicken stock
juice of one lime
½ cup cider vinegar

Combine all ingredients except the cider vinegar in a crock pot. Cook on low for 6-10 hours. Check throughout to make sure meat is covered in liquid- add more chicken stock if it's not (mine always was).

Taste and adjust seasonings; add cider vinegar. Serve with corn tortillas, pickled red onions, cilantro, a dry crumbly cheese or grated Jack, and lime wedges for squeezing.

Serves 6-8.

Chowder-O-Rama: Much Ado About Nothing

Chowder-o-rama! Sounds scary, doesn't it? Like some sort of ill-fated small town festival with a dunk tank full of chowder (patent pending). Maybe some spinning rides to make things really interesting?

But no, just local bloggers singing stories of soup, chowder specifically. I chose to visit the Old Port Sea Grill, a restaurant that few under the age of 30 seem to know about. But many a summer sail have ended at the Sea Grill, and for some reason I was there during the non-hurricane of last August. 

But at any rate, I associate this lovely curved, poured cement bar with cocktails, fresh oysters, and good friends. So I happily took the chowder-o-rama as an excuse to visit the Old Port Sea Grill with my new hot date. 

Later in the evening on a Saturday night, the bar was almost full, with several people already well into their requisite weekend consumption of loads of liquor. A. and I ordered steak tartare and a bowl of New England clam chowder to share, as well as some local beers, the Moat Mountain pilsner and the Rising Tide American pale ale. 

Being that A. is actually from Maine (woooo), and therefore an expert on chowders, moose, and the ocean, I grilled him on his definition of a good chowder. He said, lots of seafood, thick (like can stand a spoon up in it), and a good tasting broth. While this chowder didn't meant the density criteria, it stood up on all other accounts. The broth was nice and flavorful, it had lots of bacon and clams, cute little slices of fingerling potatoes, and a nice little mince of carrots and celery on top.

However, then the other shoe fell. I don't actually like clam chowder. I mean, I'm from Maryland, where we have lovely, luscious, sherry laced crab bisque. Clam chowder is a sad, sad substitution. I just don't get the whole clam bubble gum thing. All the other food is gone from my mouth, and I'm left chewing clams.

But I do love the Old Port Sea Grill, and they've yet to do any wrong in my eyes. So while it may not offer you the quintessential Maine experience (I bet that can be had across the street at Gilbert's or Dry Dock), the raw bar and cocktails are worth a visit.

To see how other bloggers fared in their chowder reviews, visit the round up at Portland Food Map.

Wingman: Thirsty Camel

Thirsty Camel
394 W Ocean View Avenue, Norfolk, VA 23503
(757) 480-0874

This is the definition of a dive bar. Nice little restaurant located in West Ocean View near the Ocean View Fishing Pier.  Best 2-1 specials in town, large steamed shrimp not over cooked, but we're only talking wings here. 

Hot or mild with blue cheese dressing, Barbecue Mild or Hot your only options. $10.00 

Good wings - Hot is not crazy hot and the mild really are mild. Another large serving (no pigeon wings here) - good mix of flats and drums. 

Drbyte - Wingman 

Wedge Salads: Binga's Portland and Krista's in Cornish, Maine

The Wedge Salad returns! My associations are with my Virginian grandma; it seemed quaint to me, having grown up on Romaine lettuce, that Grandma sliced a head of Iceberg into quarters and covered it with bottled blue cheese dressing. Like just another anachronistic dish from the time when most women embraced packaged, processed, convenience foods. 

It is not to be overlooked, however, that the Wedge salad is delicious. A traditional steakhouse side, this salad is seeing a resurgence, as comfort food is dragged from the past and given a modern, local, artisanal, or high-brow spin. 

It's really the only thing that distracts my attention from the Spicy Redneck wings at Binga's. I order the salad when I'm especially hungry, and it allows me to pretend I'm eating something healthy to counteract all the fried chicken. 

After a snow-covered hike last weekend, I was treated to lunch at Krista's Restaurant in Cornish. Having heard much about the giant portions and quality comfort food, but never finding myself in Cornish (ever), I was excited to try lunch at Krista's.

And even more excited when I saw the Wedgie! As you can see, this salad is huge, plenty for me and A. to share. The house-made blue cheese dressing with plenty of additional cheese added was delicious. We also shared a giant turkey club and several local beers (Maine Beer Co.'s Zoe and Portland Lager). 

I absolutely loved Krista's and hope I get a chance to go back soon. If you find yourself out in the country and very hungry, stop by Krista's for the Wedgie, so you can feel virtuous about eating your vegetables, but not deprived of your bacon. 

When It Snows... I Go To Ruski's.

Wait, what what what!? I have never written about Ruski's?!? Shame. I spend enough time there. 

For those of you not familiar, Ruski's Tavern is located at 212 Danforth Street in Portland's West End. This summer, when A1 moved into our current place, I ended up hanging out at Ruski's a lot. Her then-roommate was a regular (his wedding photo now hangs over the bar), so we frequently had the regular treatment spill over onto us. There's always a colorful cast of characters on both sides of the bar. 

Recently, I ended up eating there for a late dinner and then a snow day breakfast the next day. But I have a love-hate relationship with Ruski's... I like its scrappy, dive bar qualities, but sometimes am straight up annoyed by the default shitty attitude coming from *some of* the bartenders (I stress—not all, just some). 

It's one thing to be rude to an obnoxious customer, but when I haven't done anything to deserve the ire, I get a little ruffled. Like, I'm a nice girl, patient, sympathetic to servers/bartenders, usually not too drunk. So check your attitude about little things, please. 

The food at Ruski's is only OK, but frequently serves a greater purpose than quality (soaking up all the booze). Unfortunately, despite being excited about the burger because of a recent glowing review, the one I had on Wednesday night was overcooked. Still serviceable, however. 

Snow day brunches at Ruski's are always fun, especially if there's day drinking involved. Last snowstorm, there was a big crew of mustachioed Portland firefighters in there, consuming loads of Miller Light. I prefer the brass monkey (cheap beer and orange juice), made with a Miller High Life. 

The Hangover Special ($8.95) with two eggs, corn beef hash, hash browns and a side of toast (biscuits in this case!) always hits the spot. Their Eggs Benedict is surprisingly good, and the pancakes always come out right, fluffy and rich in a way that can only be achieved through aged batter and a hot griddle.

I honestly can't say I'd recommend Ruski's for the food, but I enjoy drinking there. If you stay long enough, order something that comes out of the fryer; they'll even make you gangster poutine, by adding brown gravy and cheese to your fries. 

But really, the people watching is my favorite part.

Chicken Jambalaya

For Mardi Gras, I made Jambalaya for my two As. And A2 brought over Hurricanes, so we had a real Mardi Gras party!

Chicken Jambalaya
from Joy of Cooking

2 1/2 lbs. of chicken parts (I used skin on, bone in thighs)
2 tablespoons olive oil
12 ounces andouille sausage, sliced
1 cup chopped onion (I chopped one medium onion)
1 medium green pepper, seeded and diced
1/2 cup diced celery
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup long-grain white rice
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 to 1 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 cups boiling water
14 ounces of canned tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leaf

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large stock pot (a Dutch oven ideally) over medium-high heat. Sear chicken until nicely browned on both sides, about 15 minutes total.

Add sausage slices to pan and cook until browned. Remove meat from pan and reduce heat to medium. Sautee onions, celery, peppers, and garlic, stirring until softened, for about 8 minutes.

Add rice, tomato paste, and red pepper. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring to coat. Add boiling water, tomatoes, and remaining ingredients. Return meat to the stew and reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Remove cover and cook for 8 to 10 more minutes until stew is thickened.

Serves 6 to 8. You can add shrimp, ham or chorizo too. Enjoy!

Note: As my coworker said today, it's kinda hard to screw up.

Mardi Gras Recipes

Happy Fat Tuesday, everyone!

While I have never been to New Orleans, and despite my Virginian heritage, don't consider myself an excellent Southern cook, I really get into Mardi Gras. This is really for no other reason than that I need something to brighten up the month of February, I look forward to making some jambalaya tonight and celebrating (what, exactly?) with my friends.

If you need some recipe inspiration, check out Emril's gumbo, Bittman's Cheddar Biscuits (perfect with sausage gravy or alongside Shrimp and Grits), and King Cake Cupcakes.

Not looking to feast at home? Check out Po'Boys and Pickles for some excellent Creole food, and they're sure to have a celebration in the restaurant tonight.

BBF Travels: Pizza by Alex, Biddeford

I recently traveled to Biddeford (and got lost, natch) to teach a mustard making workshop. And since nothing sweetens travel like following up on a good food tip, when my friend A. suggested I hit his favorite pizza shop in the Bidde, I took a little extra time to seek out Pizza by Alex.

Pizza by Alex captures the lost-in-time nature of downtown Biddeford with its retro neon sign, its wood-paneled walls covered in thank you's from the local little league team, and the yellow cast from the overhead stained glass light fixtures. 

Now, I realize pizza is a divisive thing. Strong opinions abound. For some, Pizza by Alex symbolizes lazy, summer days spent at the beach, when a trip into town for that only-in-Maine pizza is the most pressing item on your agenda. Others attempt to compare this pizza to that from away- New York, Boston, New Haven... and of course, both approaches fail to appreciate this pizza on its own.

This is a unique pizza for sure. The crust is chewy and lightly sauced, and crusty burnt cheese ends spill over the edges. It only comes in one size, and other than the variety of toppings, is the only menu item.

I enjoyed Pizza by Alex; I think it'd be worth a stop if you're passing through town or looking for a lunch spot. If nothing else, it's an anachronistic experience. And who knows, you may find yourself drawn back out of nostalgia. It seems to generate that kind of response.

Buffalo Wing Cupcakes

With this year's Bufffalo Wing Cupcakes, I've started a tradition: Super Bowl cupcakes (last year's: Mardi Gras King Cupcakes). 

This idea came from Tosh.0 where he said you could be the grossest person at the Super Bowl party by bringing these. I clicked through his link, and thought, yeah, yuck! (Despite the note that they're surprisingly good.)

But then the idea stuck and spun around in the back of my mind all week. I decided, eff it, I'm gonna make them.

So Saturday, I made the cupcakes, and the batter and final product tasted terrible. But I pushed on.

Sunday, I made the blue cheese buttercream frosting, and my friend LBK spread it on the cakes, despite it being thick and not very spreadable. Doubtful.

Come game time, I topped the cupcakes with a popcorn chicken bite tossed in Frank's Red Hot. I then presented the platterful to a roomful of my friends, with no hopes or expectations. This recipe was so outlandish that I really didn't care if we found out collectively that they were only fit for spitting into your napkin.

But... surprisingly, the weird batter created a cornmeal-like taste and the sweet blue cheese frosting offset the spicy cake. It was great. Separately all the elements tasted gross. But together, they worked well. A Buffalo wing cupcake. Alriiiiight.

But one was enough!

Buffalo Wing Cupcakes
from Cupcake Project

1/2 cup Frank's Red Hot
1/4 cup unsalted butter

1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons sour cream
1 egg
1 cup flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

2 oz. blue cheese
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350*F. Melt hot sauce and butter together in a small pan. Stir in blue cheese and whisk until melted. Remove from heat and stir in brown sugar. Whisk until combined. Let cool until not hot to the touch.

Stir together egg and sour cream in a small bowl, and stir into cooled hot sauce mixture. Mix together dry ingredients and fold into hot sauce mixture until just combined. Pour into lined cupcake tins.

Bake for 20 minutes.

For the frosting, blend butter and blue cheese until smooth and fluffy. Gradually whip in powdered sugar.

Pipe (if you can) frosting onto cooled cupcakes. Top with a hot chicken wing bite.

Makes 10 cupcakes for 10 of your lucky friends.

Love Stinks: Drink Beer Instead

Valentine's Day: a holiday that has been discussed to death in the blogosphere, for sure. If you're looking to avoid the prix fixe affairs, but don't want to sit at home on Tuesday night like a shunned single, come check out this first pouring of Bunker Brewing Company.

Apparently this new brewery is a project of Jay Villani's of Sonny's and Local 188. In addition to the beer, I'm looking forward to some man spotting. I was disappointed by the clientele at the last Local 188 beer event I went to- the Estrella Dam release was just a lot of suits talking to each other. Hopefully the later hour and the hipper location will draw a younger crowd that's looking to talk (helloooo, I'm cute, and I like beer!!).

If, however, you need to find some of that prix fixe shit, check out the Maine Today round-up and, as always, the ever comprehensive Portland Food Map.

This is the first installation in the O-rama series, a collective project in which food bloggers write on a theme.

Baked! Pop-up Sale

This Saturday, February 4th, come get your baked goods for charity at Akari Salon. All proceeds will go to Good Shepherd Food Bank, thanks to Sharon at Delicious Musings and your need for sugar. 

After all, what better way to kill time until the Super Bowl?

Canning Hot Pepper Jam

Hot pepper jam is one of the best things to come into my life as a result of learning to can. It's totally superfluous- no one would ever say it was necessary to make it through the winter.

But damn if it doesn't make winter all the much better to be inside, cozy, having the old lady snack of hot pepper jam warmed over cream cheese, eaten with crackers.

While that looks like wine in the background,
I was actually not drinking and canning (for once).

Vrylena and I got together at her beautiful, new house on Saturday to do some out-of-season canning. We bought our produce at the grocery store, and I didn't feel guilty about it at all. V. bought organic (on sale even!) sweet peppers and I bought the jalapenos. The whole recipe probably cost us $20. 

Some times you need a little mid-winter (48 days until spring!) pick-me-up. We ended up with 12 jars of beautiful, red and green flecked, spicy, sweet jam.

We left the seeds in the jalapenos, and the jam was actually pretty spicy. It was nice, but mellowed when eaten with cream cheese.

Hot Pepper Jam

From Pomona's Pectin                                                  

1 cup finely chopped red and green bell peppers

1/3 cup  finely chopped jalapeno peppers

1 1/3 cups cider vinegar (5% acidity)

2 1/3 cups sugar                          

2 tsp calcium water (included in Pomona's pectin)

1-1/2 tsp Pomona's pectin powder

Wash 4 half-pint jars or 8 4-oz. jars, lids, and screw bands. Place jars in hot water bath canner and fill with water. Bring to a simmer.

Bring peppers and vinegar to a boil in a large stock pot. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes.

Measure sugar into a bowl and remove 1/2 cup into a small bowl. Add pectin powder and stir to combine. 

Add calcium water to pepper vinegar mixture and slowly stir in sugar-pectin mixture. Bring to a boil and stir constantly for 1-2 minutes. Add remaining sugar while stirring. Return mixture to a boil for 1 minute.

Pour hot jam into hot jars to within 1/2-inch of top. Wipe rims. Apply warmed lids until finger tip tight. Process for 10 minutes in a hot water bath.