• 05Jul

    DC and Baltimore Cooks — Are You Ready for the National Oyster Cook-Off?

    Thank you John Shields for bringing this wonderful event to our attention.

    “This year the greater Chesapeake community will be celebrating the 53rd anniversary of the U.S. Oyster Festival, the home of the National Oyster Cook-Off and the National Oyster Shucking Competition. The festival is happening October 19 & 20, 2019 at the St. Mary’s County Fairgrounds in Leonardtown, Maryland. Both the Oyster Cook-Off and the National Oyster Shucking competition take place on Saturday, October 19.”

    Contestants will be coming from all over the country, however, participants from the Baltimore/Washington region are under-represented. Whether a home cook or professional chef, enter your family recipes or creative new ones, and show the world that nobody can compete with the oyster cooks in our area! Submit your recipe(s) to the 40th Annual U.S. Oyster Festival’s National Oyster Cook Off!

    Up to six recipes per contestant can be submitted, and the deadline is August 31, 2019. The three contest divisions are (1) Hors D’oeuvres, (2) Soups/Stews, and (3) Main Dishes. Here are the cook-off rules.

    -JAY

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  • 29Nov

    Chile Chef Challenge – Report

    Earlier this month, we were happy to attend the Chile Chef Challenge at the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington (RAMW) HQ in DC. Thank you ProChile for showing us how wonderful Chilean mussels, salmon, and beef can be! This annual event highlights how Chefs and mixologists can do incredible things with truly high-quality ingredients. I won’t say which, but we actually voted for one one of the winning dishes and one of the winning cocktails. And of course, one of the highlights of any Chilean event is the wine!Above are some images highlighting the event.

    I really enjoyed the mussel dishes, since it was excellent quality shellfish, but also because I just don’t order mussels enough in restaurants (or cook them at home). At the end of the event, one of the chefs (City Winery) asked me to help him finish off the last few plates, which I did.

    I didn’t actually try Slate’s dish, since I have an allergy to one of their ingredients.

    Event Winners:

    JUDGES FOOD CHOICE
    Executive Chef Jonathan Dearden of Radiator created a BluGlacier Aji Amarillo Spiced Salmon made with a quinoa-olive oil salad, avocado puree, and topped with pieces of salmon skin chicharron.

    JUDGES COCKTAIL CHOICE
    Mixologist Peter Grimm at Equinox created a masterpiece cocktail named Pisco Pomada, made with Waqar Pisco, ginger, turmeric, and lime.

    PEOPLES FOOD CHOICE
    Ype Von Hengst from Silver served a merqueen-spiced Range Meats Patagonian ribeye with Chilean pebre cilantro sauce, oregano and thyme seasoned roasted corn, and white beans finished with ulmo honey drizzle, pomegranate and pine nuts.

    PEOPLES COCKTAIL CHOICE
    Jo-Jo Valenzuela of The Barkeep Consulting gave guests something to truly enjoy with the Gobernador Otoño, using El Gobernador Pisco, pomegranate, Autumn-spiced citrus cordial, ginger beer, and bitters.

    -JAY

     

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  • 14Nov

    Products we can’t get enough of …

    We’ve written about Dizzy Pig‘s spice rubs many times, and cook with Peruvian-ish and Raging River often. But, now I’ve tried Mad Max Turkey, and since it is just around for the holiday season, it’s a good time to mention it. This spice rub contains herbs (including sage) and garlic, and is designed for turkey, stuffing and gravy. Oh, and try Mediterranean-ish in pasta sauce, pizza, or garlic bread! Chris really knows how to design spice rubs, which is one reason his professional grilling team has won so many awards.

    Bluefish Fillet with Onions and Raw Spice Bar’s Creole Seasoning.

    Also, I’ve been experimenting with Raw Spice Bar‘s Products. We are very impressed with the quality of their spices. We enjoyed the Creole Seasoning, Jamaican Jerk, Ras-El-Hanout, and Malaysian Curry. Ok, we were split on the last one, but personally, I liked it. The Creole Seasoning was great on bluefish fillets (which was impressive), the Ras-El-Hanout (a Middle Eastern spice mix) worked well on both cauliflower and turkey burgers, the Malaysian Curry created a star out of chicken thighs, and Jamaican Jerk flavored chicken drumsticks wonderfully. We haven’t had a chance to try the Turkish Cured Sumac (since we are waiting till we make rice or buy some hummus) yet but it smells great.

    We recently sampled a variety of Pacari‘s organic Ecuadorian chocolate. We loved the Manabi, Raw Chocolate, and the Nibs. We also are fans of the Andean Mint (which is not in the image to the right) and Passion Fruit. This is high quality organic chocolate, and they have raw options as well. We aren’t fans of the Chocolate Covered Golden Berries, but if they have any other chocolate covered fruit, we’d love to try it. Oh, we want to try the variety with cardamom, but they were out of it when we placed an order. Pacari is my pick for holiday gifts this year.

    -JAY

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  • 11Feb

    Lemongrass-Pepper Shrimp with Garlic Okra

    It was nasty out yesterday. I’d been up early and so had snuck out for breakfast and coffee before the rain started, but by early afternoon I was fairly well entrenched on my couch, alternately watching crappy TV and trying to care about a not-great book I’m probably not going to bother finishing. As dinnertime approached, I considered venturing out and finding some suitable ‘Saturday night’ activities (like not sitting on my couch), but a glance out my window at the cold rain made items I’d claimed to be “Interested” in on my events calendar decidedly less compelling than staying warm by my fireplace.

    As yet another rerun of the cooking show I won’t admit publicly to watching claimed its latest celebrity victims, my mind wandered to dinner. What would I make? I clearly wasn’t leaving the house then, but I am leaving town in a few days, and the ‘fresh ingredients’ section of my pantry is of course a bit sparse, and what’s there needs to get used up. I pondered the most vulnerable assets: a bag of lovely, bright green okra; an only-just still OK lime; slightly more than a quarter of an onion; half of a stalk of lemongrass; the last few cloves of garlic. How do they fit? In the freezer: the last of a bag of shrimp.

    As my mind meandered to Thailand, my eye grabbed a jar of extra hot Calabrese pepperoncino peppers. “Ithailian?” Sure, what the hell.

    As the shrimp thawed (and I began warming myself with a nip of DC’s own Chacho Aguardiente), I sliced the onion and got it started caramelizing with a couple grinds of black pepper and shakes of dried basil. While that cooked, I assembled the mini-blender, and puréed:

    • 4 cloves of garlic
    • About 5 inches of lemongrass
    • About 2 tbs pepperoncino
    • 1 tbs cumin seed
    • 2 tbs fish sauce (I use Squid brand, and top it up with a few drops of anchovy oil)
    • The juice of 1 lime
    • A couple shakes of dried cilantro

    Just as the onion started to brown (about eight minutes), I added about a tablespoon of olive oil to the pan, followed by the shrimp (six big ones), and stirred in my puréed sauce. Realizing at this point that it was going to cake like hell, I added about a quarter cup of (unseasoned) rice vinegar to loosen the sauce and integrate the elements. Cooking at this point only took a few minutes, as the vinegar cooked off.

    What about that okra, you ask? Super simple: I washed them (there were maybe 16) and tossed them with 2 very finely diced and smashed cloves of garlic, and steamed them over a small wok of water, into which I also muddled the garlic ends and peels. The result was a fragrant edge to the okra – I’m actually surprised this worked, but hey.

    I poured the shrimp and sauce over about half the okra (the rest is for lunch!), and it was really tasty. If I’d marinated the shrimp in the purée, it might have been even better, but for a 20-minute clean-your-cupboard dinner, I’m very happy.

     

    – MAW

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  • 01Nov

    A Tidbit on The French Press

    You may have used one, seen one, or even have one. Today I’ll be sharing a tidbit on the French Press. Personally, this is my favorite way to brew coffee, and I also find it the easiest compared to other methods. When using a French press, three easy steps are required for perfect, care free coffee. First, scoop out the desired amount of ground coffee and empty into the French press with the lid completely removed. Second, heat the appropriate amount of water and pour it into the French press. Third, let the coffee steep for four minutes with the lid on and plunge slowly. The only hassle of the process is waiting for water to boil. Other than that it’s a breeze.

    Believe it or not, the French Press has been around since the early eighteen hundreds, but only caught attention in the nineteen hundreds. Perhaps the reason could be due to its various names it went by such as cafetière, press pot, coffee press, and many others. It had even been through many changes through the time period of the 1800s to the1930s. Various materials and designs were passed through until it was patented by Attilio Calimani in 1929. Even then, the design was constantly renovated and changed.

    When drinking coffee brewed through a French press, make sure you’re using a courser grind in order to avoid a bitter taste. Its also important to note that the french press brew is stronger than drip coffee. Overall, the French Press proves to be more flavorful due to the minimalist design and coffee filtering technique.

    -JMG

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  • 30Sep

    Eat Spain Up! Showcases Spanish Gastronomy

    Eat Spain Up! is a month-long annual cultural event celebrating Spanish food and heritage. It rotates cities, but we are lucky enough to have it in D.C. this year.

    I visited the Former Residence of the Ambassador’s of Spain in Columbia Heights to attend a talk and tasting that kicked off the program. The talk, given by Manuel Estrada, 2017 winner of Spain’s National Design Award, delved into the design process and looked at how design intersects with culinary arts.He designed the core creative for this program. The residence had been transformed into a gallery, highlighting Estrada’s works and important ingredients in Spanish cuisine.

    The tasting featured appetizers from Jaleo, Taberna del Alabardero, Mola, Pamplona, and more. It also featured Spanish cheese and wine, anchovies (boquerones), and Iberian ham, all of which were fantastic. The Iberian ham was rich and delicious, and one of my favorite offerings of the evening. Jaleo’s quince and manchego cone was not only fun to eat, but the sweet, salty combination made it crave-able. I also really liked the ceviche from Mola, which was light and refreshing. It was a bit disappointing to see that two places offered ceviche, while yet another offered octopus (pulpo). While representative of the cuisine, more variety would’ve been appreciated.

    Eat Spain Up! has events for the rest of September and October, including additional tastings, gastronomic discussions, and exhibitions. I love Spanish cuisine, and if you do as well, or want to learn more about it, you’ll be happy Eat Spain Up! is happening in the district this year.

    -LEM (Lia)

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  • 06Aug

    German Spice Company Launches Line of 12 Seasonings in US Market

    Chicken Thighs with Just Spices’ Blend, Chicken Seasoning

    Just Spices launched 12 new spice blends in the U.S. market on June 22. This follows the German brand’s initial launch into the States late last year. We sampled three of their spice blends:

    Hash Brown Seasoning: This was our favorite of the three products. We tried it on French fries and sliced oven-baked potatoes and sweet potatoes. Next time, we will try it on actual hash browns or latkes. The blend includes sea salt, salt, fenugreek seeds, paprika, garlic, cilantro, natural smoke flavor, nutmeg, turmeric, cumin, fennel seeds, black pepper, cloves, and chilli. It is odd though that they use both sea salt and salt in two of these three products, where sea salt alone would do.

    Chicken Seasoning: This blend worked well on skin-on baked chicken and includes sea salt, salt, natural smoke flavor, brown cane sugar, tomato, paprika, garlic, chilli, rosemary, thyme, sage, coriander, turmeric, fenugreek seeds, cumin, fennel seeds, and black pepper.

    Flavors of India Seasoning. This salt-free blend includes fenugreek seeds, ginger, paprika, onion, cilantro, cardamom, and turmeric. It did not seem as well balanced as the other other two seasonings, and in the DC market (or NYC) we have an immense number of Indian spice mixes, products, and restaurants with which to compare this product’s flavors. Odd that they didn’t include coriander in the mix. Maybe the spice blend reflects what Indian food tastes like in Germany?.

    We recommend trying the Hash Brown Seasoning, and Chicken Seasoning  if you run across them in the states.

    Other products in this line include: Tofu Seasoning, Berry Yogurt Seasoning, Blossom Mix, Clean Eating Allrounder, Herbs de Provence, Pasta Alfredo Seasoning, Ranch Dressing, Sweet Love, and Vegetable Seasoning.

    -JAY

     

     

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  • 12Jun

    Lamb Jammed Last Week at Eastern Market

    Congrats to Federalist Pig on winning the DC Lamb Jam for Best in Show and People’s Choice! Kudos to the judges!

    This was a great year for the Lamb Jam with most dishes being stand outs. BBQ is apparently a GREAT theme for lamb! We are already looking forward to next years event!

    Now that I’ve tried the Urban Butcher ‘s lamb salami with coriander and orange, I need to make another trip to the restaurant (or farmer’s market) in Silver Spring. Meat Crafters’ Skinny Salamis (the lamb versions) were also delicious, and are available at the Silver Spring Farmer’s Market.

    -JAY

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  • 05Jan

    Delicious, Easy, Not Even Remotely Authentic: Al Pastor Pork

    I’ve been a bit obsessed with Mexico City recently following a trip in November. It’s pretty fantastic (if you can handle the smog  and speak at least a bit of Spanish) – great art, great culture, amazing food, etc. – I’m going back this month. But in the meantime, back up here in the cold, I wanted to bring myself  back to a bit of a warmer state of mind, and what better excuse to use everyone’s favorite  winter warmer, the slow cooker?

    So I decided to try a spin on a DF classic – al pastor. So I polled a couple Mexican friends  (ok, exactly two) for a recipe, and combining them got a semi-coherent list of ingredients with vague proportions. But it sounded good, and I’m not big on precise measurements anyhow.  Also note that al pastor is generally defined by use of the guajillo chili, which I didn’t
    have handy. I used chipotle. I also had no pineapple juice, so that got mucked about a bit,  and obviously I slow-cooked instead or spit-grilling.Tasty, not authentic

    You read the title, right?

    I also added the onion because I thought it seemed right. It was.

    I used:

    Product:

    • 2 lbs. pork butt country ribs, separated and stabbed repeatedly
    • 1/2 yellow onion, quartered
    • 11 oz. cubed fresh pineapple

    Marinade:

    • 2 tbsp. achiote (anatto) seed, ground
    • 2 tbsp. ground chipotle
    • 1 tbsp. garlic powder
    • 1 tbsp. oregano
    • 1 tbsp. cumin
    • 1 tbsp. salt
    • 1 tbsp. pepper
    • 1 cup cider vinegar
    • 3/4 cups water
    • 1 tbsp. agave nectar

    Preparation is wonderfully simple: put all the ingredients in a glass or ceramic bowl, cover and marinate overnight. In the morning before leaving for work, I poured everything into my trusty slow cooker, and set it on low for 9.5 hours (its longest setting, just because it’s not like I was getting home in less than 11) . I arrived home that evening to a gorgeous aroma from the pot, now happily keeping things warm, from which I heaped lovely, fall-apart tender pork. It was truly delicious alone, but over some rice (I suspect hominy would be good too) it was really awesome.

    The cooked marinade, by the way, is a keeper: this may become a go-to barbecue sauce for me: transfer it to a saucepan and let reduce. Thicken with cornstarch or flour, and toss the pork back in, you could make tacos. I’m just sayin’.

    Buen provecho!

     – MAW

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  • 31Jul

    Wildfire Pairs Crab with Union Craft

    John Shields is author of Chesapeake Bay Cooking, host of the PBS series Coastal Cooking, and owner of Gertrude’s in Baltimore (which is soon to open a second location). John hosted a crab and beer dinner a few days ago, where he lead guests through the technique of opening their own steamed Maryland Blue Crab. Wildfire Executive Chef Moreno Espinoza designed and executed the several dishes that followed the crab picking and showcased crab in a variety of uses, each paired with a beer from Baltimore’s Union Craft Brewing.

    I was impressed with each of the courses and the beer pairings. The crab was fresh and delicious. My favorite dish of the evening was the crab tostada. This was my first time sampling Union Craft Brewing’s beer; Wildfire picked a great brewery to partner with, as usual.

    If you are interested in attending one of Wildfire’s themed dinners (such as wine, beer, scotch, martinis, etc.), check this event page. The upcoming Port City Brewing beer dinner is on August 26th and the Glenfiddich Scotch dinner is on September 16th.

    -JAY

    Wildfire Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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