I've received so many food wishes for coffee cake, which unfortunately I've not been able to grant yet. And yes, I do feel crumby about it. So, I was thrilled to see that my buddy and muse with different views, Average Betty, had posted a great looking video of a recipe she lifted from her mother-in-law.
I don't know Sara's mother-in-law, so I'll just go by stereotypes and assume she's a bitter psychopath who would break both her legs if she ever finds out her cherished heirloom recipe has been desecrated on a food blog. Thanks Sara!
Today's post was supposed to be the Seared Scallops with Orange Supremes and Jalapeno Vinaigrette recipe I teased a few days ago, but then I realized the deadline for a tuna recipe contest I had entered was just days away!
This "Tuna Ventresca" stuffed shells recipe is my entry in the Tonnino Tuna Chef Challenge. As you'll hear in the video, "Tuna Ventresca" is the crème de la crème of the canned tuna world. You can check the Tonnino website for more details on why this wild-caught, hand-picked, Yellowfin tuna belly is so yummy, but I'll just say it made for one incredible casserole!
What I was trying to do here was gourmet-up the good old tuna noodle casserole. While it may seem counterintuitive to "cook" such an expensive, premium quality tuna, I'm so glad I did.
The flavor of this particular type of tuna is outstanding, and while I do usually enjoy it cold, as-is, I have no problem using it like as well. A regular chuck burger is great, but sometimes we just have to grind up a dry-aged rib eye steak.
A few technical notes about the video… They gave us a 2-minute time limit, which is why the presentation is way too fast. I will be posting a longer, "director's cut" soon.
Also, the odd little intro and outro screens were for my peeps on YouTube, so they would know what was up. I hope you enjoy the video, and yes, this would work with any tuna, but if you can try it with the "Tuna Ventresca," I think you'll really enjoy it.
Ingredients: For the sauce: 3 tablespoons butter 3 tablespoons flour 3 cups cold milk pinch cayenne pinch nutmeg 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano 1/2 cup grated Fontina cheese
20 cooked jumbo pasta shells
For the filling: 1 tablespoon reserved olive oil from tuna jar 1/2 small onion, diced 1 clove garlic, minced 1/2 cup diced red pepper 1/2 cup green peas *1 jar Tonnino Ventresca Tuna in Olive Oil, drained 2 teaspoon lemon zest 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1/2 cup grated Fontina cheese 1 egg, beaten 2/3 cup ricotta cheese pinch of cayenne 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
*By the way, in the spirit of full disclosure, a while back I did receive a couple complimentary samples of Tonnino tuna to try out – just in case that kind of thing matters to anyone.
Michele and I had a great time at Primal Napa on Saturday, and here is a little recap with are some of our favorite photos from the day. For a little background info about this event, you can check out the post I did last week.
There was literally meat everywhere. If someone wasn't cutting up meat, they were cooking it. If they weren't cooking it, they were eating it. And so went this hot, smoky, magnificently meaty day.
In addition to live butchering demos, a dozen or more charcoal fires burned behind the service tables. Blessed with a press pass, and very little common sense, I made my way carefully through the gauntlet of fire pits to snap a few shots. One of the highlights was the VIP area, which sported long tables glistening with sliced meats and crispy bacon. I sampled four honorees in the Bacon Hall of Fame, all absolutely delicious in their own way.
Besides the impressive piles of cured beef, lamb, and pork, the end of the buffet featured grilled oysters, as close as we would get to a vegetable that day – unless you count bread, and people in meat comas do not count bread.
The event's creator, Brady Lowe, circulated through the crowd, discussing the day's noble themes and making sure everyone was being fed more than talking points.
While what he had to say was certainly compelling enough to garner most people's attention, Brady hedged his bets by carrying around a pan of beautifully grilled Pranther Ranch organic strip loin. Some of the tastiest, juiciest beef I've had all year. Of course, no one can survive on sustainably raised, humanely slaughtered, and artisanally butchered meat alone – I had a couple beers from San Francisco's Magnolia Brewery. My favorite was called "Pork Lord," which is actually brewed with Hog Island Oysters and bacon from Fatted Calf.
I wanted to hate it, since I've really been campaigning for people to stop just randomly adding bacon to stuff, but this was excellent. Balanced, delicious, and refreshing. I just added one more reason to my list of why I love living in San Francisco.
All in all, I thought it was a very enjoyable event, which seemed to be the general consensus among the other guests I spoke to. I think most everyone was cognizant of the event's mission, but this was first and foremost a foodie gathering.
People seemed fairly content to simply enjoy all the food and drink, but hey, if this was also going to help improve our meat-based food systems, then even better. Primal events will be held in other locations, so if you are interested in getting more info, you can check out the official website here.
If you want to see more meaty images from the event, my wife and talented food reporter in her own right, has posted a Flickr album for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!
When it comes to this penne pasta with spicy sausage ragu recipe, we aren't just cheating a little, were cheating all over the place. Thanks to two simple shortcuts, this recipe is nothing more than a basic "brown and simmer." Really, that's it – brown and simmer. Oh, you do have to boil some penne pasta, but I think you can find a way to work that into your busy schedule.
First of all, we're using ready-made marina sauce. Ideally, this is from a batch of homemade you whipped up after watching this video, but if not, I used a jar of Barilla, and you are free to do the same, guilt-free. Using a prepared sauce excuses you from the kind of mincing and dicing that can often turn a meal like this into a call to the local pizzeria. The second, and most ingenious cheat is using spicy Italian sausage instead of plain old ground meat. Any decent brand should be packed with an array of spices, herbs, and garlic that traditionally accompanies the pork into the casing. Think about it; if you like the flavor of the Italian sausage you usually buy, then I'm thinking you'd like the flavor of this ragu. I usually start this in a dry, cold saucepan, and cook over medium heat until it's ready for the wet ingredients. If your sausage seems particularly lean, you can toss in a glug of olive oil to get things going. Conversely, if there seems to be lots of grease in the pan, simply drain some off before continuing the sauce.
Of course, with all the options for different kinds of sauces and types of sausage, it goes without saying that you can embellish this a hundred different ways, and I hope you do. Who says cheaters never win? Enjoy!
Penne Pasta with Spicy Sausage Ragu Ingredients: 1 pound spicy Italian sausage 1 tablespoon freshly minced parsley, optional 1/2 cup dry white wine 3 1/2 cups (1 jar) marinara sauce 1 cup water (rinse the jar) 1/4 cup cream 14.5 oz dry penne pasta grated Parmigiano-Reggiano View the complete recipe
We're heading up to the wine country tomorrow to attend an event called Primal Napa, which is an outdoor celebration of wood-fired cooking, butchery arts, heritage breeds, and whole animal utilization.
I'm interested in all those things, but to be honest, it was seeing something on the itinerary called, "The Bacon Hall of Fame Tasting Bar," that really had me rushing to RSVP. Here is a little video montage of last year's event. I'll be tweeting pics from the event all day in case you're into vicarious meat-related thrills. Rumor has it, there are actual office pools regarding how many vegans unfollow me during the event (I imagine it will be quite a few). Stay tuned!
Whether you want to admit it or not, it's getting close to holiday entertaining season, and as far as I'm concerned there's really only one measuring stick by which all holiday parties are judged – the food.
You can have the best DJ, the coolest place settings, even those novelty ice cubes in the shape of shapes, but none of that matters if your food is lame. That's where these sausage-stuffed cherry pepper poppers come in.
The foundation of all great holiday party menus are the hors d'oeuvres and appetizers. Most people will be drunk by the time the main courses are served, but when the party begins, and senses are yet to be dulled, a bad or boring array of small bites will not go unnoticed.
These super-simple, but memorable cherry pepper poppers will get the party started right. The next day, instead of talking about you trying to moonwalk with a lampshade on your head, or how you spilled a Bloody Mary on the boss's wife, people will be raving about "those little, red, spicy sausage pepper things."
By the way, the hardest thing about this recipe is finding these Peppadew peppers. Except for a few annoying exceptions, you know I like to use easy-to-find ingredients, but these gorgeous peppers, from the Limpopo province of South Africa, have such a wonderfully unique, sweet/spicy/tangy flavor that I wanted to use the real deal.
I was having a hard time finding them myself, but it was my mother-in-law Peggy who came to the rescue (again), and mailed these down to us as part of our anniversary gift. You can get them online for sure, and they are often found at the better gourmet grocery stores, but if you can't find them, most supermarkets do carry some type of jarred cherry peppers. Enjoy!
UPDATE: While I was making this recipe, I couldn't for the life of me remember where I saw this done for the first time. Well, I just talked to my mom Pauline, who informed me these were my Uncle Bill's invention. I should have known! Thanks Uncle Billy!
Ingredients: 8 oz Italian sausage 2 jars Peppadew peppers (about 32) 1 tsp olive oil chopped parsley
I've received so many food wishes for coffee cake, which unfortunately I've not been able to grant yet. And yes, I do feel crumby about it. So, I was thrilled to see that my buddy and muse with different views, Average Betty, had posted a great looking video of a recipe she lifted from her mother-in-law.
