Grilled Sausage-Stuffed Calamari – Squid Pro Quo

I usually go out of my way to simplify the recipes we post here, but for some things, like this Spanish-inspired, sausage-stuffed calamari recipe, there just are no acceptable shortcuts to take. However, your efforts will be rewarded with something that tastes every bit the effort it took to make…as long as they don’t explode in your face.

If you overstuff these, like I do every single time, they can burst open, sometimes violently. As you’ll see, the final results will still look great, and you do get to sneak a few tastes of the stuffing as you grill. So, be careful not to fill these too much, and/or wear your sunglasses while grilling these beauties.

As far as grilling time goes, you really should use a thermometer, and cook until you have an internal temp of 155 F. Especially since you’ll have squid of various sizes on the grill at the same time. If that’s not an option, look for when the juices and fat from the sausage starts bubbling out.

I was so hungry when I finally finished this batch I forgot to serve these with lemon wedges, which adds a nice, bright note to the smoky, spicy meat. A few platters of these, some ice cold beer (provided by friends you just taught what quid pro quo means), and you’re basically summering in Spain. I hope you give these a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 16 to 18 stuffed squid:

1 1/2 pounds cleaned calamari (tell the fish guy to give you mostly tubes)

For the stuffing:

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup diced onion

1/2 cup diced red pepper

salt and pepper to taste

6 oz Italian or other spicy, garlicky sausage

1 large egg

1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley

1/8 tsp smoked paprika

4 ounces chopped tentacles (grilled the rest separately and eat!)

- serve with lemon wedges

*Note: grill these over a medium-hot coals, or close your cover to keep the heat down

Spicy Coconut & Cashew Tuna Tartare – Big "Willi's" Style

Don’t worry; this delicious coconut and cashew tuna tartare recipe has nothing to do with Will Smith, although now that I think about it, the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air would have loved this. I’m actually referring to Willi’s Seafood in Healdsburg, where I lifted this version.

I tried to stay as close to the recipe as possible, with the one exception. They use lots of thinly sliced jalapeños, but I wanted a little more heat, I so went with minced Serrano chilies instead. While they are hotter, I missed the texture and flavor of the milder rings, so I recommend using those instead. I also will recommend that you toast the cashews, which will make them even sweeter and richer tasting.

Feel free to tweak this any way you want, including adding more coconut milk. Michele is on record as preferring twice as much as I used here, which will give you a looser, but much more luxurious mixture. This also needs a good amount of salt to bring the flavors together, so taste and adjust carefully. You could certainly use other salty seasonings like soy and/or fish sauce, but you already knew that.

Regarding the tuna, I used a frozen piece of  “Sushi Grade” yellowfin (aka Ahi). It may surprise you to learn that virtually all the sushi you eat, including that sashimi you love so much, has been sliced from recently thawed fish. Not only does this ensure freshness, as the fish is frozen just after being caught, but this also kills potentially dangerous parasites.

It’s the irrational fear of having one’s brain eaten alive that prevents many from enjoying this tasty raw treat, but if you use the tuna we’re recommending, you should be fine. Also, for maximum enjoyment, be sure to keep everything ice cold, and only toss right before serving. This is not something to make ahead and let sit in the fridge. I hope you give this unique tuna tartare recipe a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 portions:

8 oz frozen "Sushi Grade" Yellowfin tuna (aka Ahi), diced, kept ice cold)

2 tbsp chopped cashews

2 tbsp sliced red onions

2 tsp grated fresh ginger

1 lime, juiced, plus more to taste

salt to taste

2 tbsp thinly sliced fresh jalapeño rings or 1 tbsp minced serrano pepper

1/4 cup coconut milk, or more to taste

1 tbsp torn cilantro leaves

dried red chili flakes to garnish

Taro chip, optional (you can also use fried wonton chips, or sweet potato chips)

Savory Ricotta Tart – Thin to Win

I got a food wish for a ricotta cheesecake recently, which sounded fantastic, but with bikini season rapidly approaching, my love handles and I thought we’d compromise and do a savory, sugar-free version instead.

I love the simple combination of really good ricotta and fresh herbs, baked with just enough eggs to hold things together. I was in the mood for some heat, but things like pepper and cayenne are totally optional. 

As I alluded to in the video, I usually do this as a pie, which comes out about twice as thick, but I wanted to try it in tart-form and the pan I used was clearly too large. Next time I’ll simply double the ingredients, and add about 10 or 15 minutes to the cooking time, and I recommend you do the same.

Keep this humble pie in mind when the “way too many vegetables” part of summer rolls around. This could be a great base for using up leftover veggies in a very fritatta-like way. I hope you give it a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 6 thin portions:

1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs, toasted in some olive oil

olive oil to coat pan

2 large eggs

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

cayenne or other hot peppers to taste

1/4 cup fresh chopped or torn basil

1 tbsp chopped Italian parsley

tiny pinch nutmeg

1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese

1 oz finely greated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (about 1/2 cup if the real stuff, otherwise 1/4 cup packed of the fake “stuff”)

*Bake at 325 for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until set.

Asian-Style Grilled Flap Meat Salad – You Heard Me, Flap Meat

Memorial Day marks the official opening of American grilling season, and what better way to celebrate than with this unique, and delicious flap meat? Hilarious name notwithstanding, this classic “butcher’s cut” is every bit as flavorful and tender as flank or skirt steak, and is usually cheaper as well.

This is not something they keep in the meat case, so you’ll have to ask them to cut you a few pounds, but it’ll be worth it, and they’ll think you’re cool. Most people haven’t heard of flap meat or flap steak, but it’s hardly an exotic cut. 

If you like Mexican food, and order carne asada,you’ve enjoyed grilled flap meat. While it did make for some extremely tasty Asian-style lettuce wraps, you can use this in so many other wonderful ways. Half the fun is playing around with different marinades and spices, but regardless of how you flavor yours, you should try this in tacos, as well as for an amazing Philly cheesesteak. 

Just be sure to get that grill really hot before you slap down your flap. This needs to be cooked hot and fast, and as close to the coals as you can get. Since everyone asks, I’m using a charcoal Weber “Q,” which is unfortunately not made anymore. Hey Weber, please make this grill again. Thank you. Anyway, if you’re looking for a fun, new meat for your Memorial Day cookout, I hope you give this grilled flap meat a try. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 4 portions:

2 pounds flap meat

2 tbsp green curry paste, or as needed

2-3 tbsp fish sauce

2-3 tbsp rice vinegar

2 tbsp coconut milk

freshly ground black pepper to taste

cayenne to taste

salt if needed
Lettuce, carrots, red onions, chopped peanuts, and cilantro leaves for salad
--Marinate for 4-12 hours in fridge, or an hour out at room temp.

*For the dressing, into the reserved meat juices, I added sambal, fish sauce, and rice vinegar to taste. I didn’t measure anything, and neither should you. Taste, adjust, repeat.

Green Goddess Dressing – Oh. My. God.

What's the difference between Green Goddess dressing and Green God dressing? Green Goddess dressing takes a lot longer to get ready. Sorry, but I couldn’t fit that joke into the voice over. Anyway, here’s my take on San Francisco’s very own, Green Goddess dressing.

This creamy, herby, addictively delicious sauce is not only my favorite salad dressing, but also one of my favorite dips as well. You can of course tweak the acidity with more or less lemon, as well as play with the salt and pepper, but please, do not change the trio of herbs. The way the parsley and chive play against the sweet tarragon makes this unlike any other herb dressing.

This is truly fit for a Goddess, and with Mother’s Day coming up Sunday, what better way to make your mom feel like one? That, and a complete spa package with extra long foot massage, and she should be set. I hope you give this Green Goddess dressing a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 2 cups of Green Goddess Dressing:

(all the following amounts should be adjusted to your tastes)

1 cup mayonnaise

3/4 cup sour cream

1 anchovy fillets

1 clove garlic, chopped

1/3 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

1/3 cup chopped tarragon leaves

1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, or to taste

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

cayenne to taste

Spicy Coconut & Calamari Salad, Formerly Know As Failed Squid Ceviche

There’s nothing quite as satisfying in the kitchen as snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. I was playing around with some squid ceviche preparations, and while it did “cook” in the acidic marinade, I really didn’t enjoy the texture. I actually hated it. 

I’m not sure if it needed more time, or more acid, but it wasn’t good. Not wanting to toss it, I decided to fry it up, and maybe hide it in some pasta, or something. I went with “or something,” and this cold, coconut-spiked salad was the result. I haven’t been this happy about a failed recipe in a long time.

Not only did it make a fantastic, sort of Thai-like salad, I can see this being quite versatile as well. It was very tasty hot, and would be great over rice with some of the cooked-down marinade. It would also be amazing over a big bowl of crunchy greens. Just don’t skip the toasted coconut, as it really does make the dish. I hope you give this delicious accident a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 Portions Spicy Coconut & Calamari Salad:

1 pound calamari, cleaned, cut into thin rings

1 small green Serrano pepper, minced

1 red Fresno pepper, sliced thin

2 tablespoons green onion

1 teaspoon palm sugar (aka coconut)

1 generous tablespoon fish sauce

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

1/4 cup lime juice

2 tablespoons Coconut milk

2 tbsp vegetable oil to cook calamari

- After calamari is marinated and cooked:

1 tsp Lime juice, or to taste

1 tbsp chopped green onions

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

2/3 cup toasted coconut flakes (unsweeted)

“Quick Cured” Salmon – 3 Minutes? But I Want it Now!

Whenever I hear people criticizing millennials for being self-absorbed, having short attentions spans, and for expecting to get what they want, exactly when they want it, I think to myself, “Hey, that sounds like my generation!” Well, if that’s the case, then they’re (and we’re) going to love this quick-cured salmon technique.

While the process is incredibly simple, the potential variations are endless. Whenever I show a new technique, I usually keep things simple, as to not distract people, but whether you’re talking about the brine, or post-cure seasonings, this is something that begs for adaptation.

Smoked salt, chipotle, or smoked paprika could be used before or after the cure to make things a little loxier, and don’t even get me started on the herbs. After the 3-minute cure, you can sprinkle your slices with dill, tarragon, chervil, and/or thyme, before the refrigeration stage. Speaking of impatient millennials; this is technically ready to eat after the three minute dunk, but you’ll enjoy this much more if you thoroughly chill it first.

Besides the flavorings, you can also play around with how thin/thick you slice the salmon, as well as how long you brine it. For me, if I slice the fish about 1/4-inch thick, three minutes is just about the perfect cure time for my desired texture and saltiness. However, you should experiment. Longer curing times, or thinner slices will result in a firmer, saltier product.

Of course, all that experimenting is going to make you hungry, and you’ll still need to decide how you’re going to serve it. I’ve suggested three delicious directions herein, but I’m fully confident you’ll come up with some stellar spin-offs as well. I hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

FOOD SAFETY NOTE: Much like rare meat, oysters, and raw eggs, if you’re concerned about the safety of eating homemade, cured salmon, you should do some research, and decide for yourself if it’s worth the risk. This technique works great with frozen salmon, which apparently kills potential parasites, so that’s one option. Anecdotally, I can tell you I’ve done this, and similar procedures, countless dozens of times with fresh salmon ("sushi grade" from a reputable, local purveyor), and have lived to tell the tale. Good luck.

Brine for to cure about 1 pound of salmon:

2 1/2 cups cold water

1/2 cup Kosher salt – I used Diamond Crystal brand

1/3 cup sugar

Black Lentil Soup – Always Bet on Black

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with green lentil soup, but once you start making it with black “beluga” lentils, you’ll have a hard time going back. These black beauties cook up melt-in-your-mouth tender, but still retain their structural integrity, which gives the soup both a thick, satisfying body, and a light, non-starchy mouthfeel.

The flavor is wonderfully meaty, especially when you toss in a handful of bacon, and they require absolutely no finesse to prepare perfectly. Just simmer until you have achieved lentil tenderness, adding broth as needed. That’s pretty much it.

I’m told black lentils are really good for you, which is weird, since I’ve never asked anybody. Nevertheless, this is a soup you can feel good about putting into your body, unlike that “Bacon Jalapeño Popper Chowder” recipe you got off Pinterest. We’re still right in the middle of soup season, so the next time you feel like a hot bowl, I hope you give this black lentil soup a try. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 large portions:

2 tsp vegetable oil

4 oz bacon

1 cup yellow onion, large dice

1 cup carrots, large dice

1 cup celery, large dice

1/2 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp dried thyme

salt and pepper to taste

cayenne to taste

1 1/4 cup black lentils

5 to 6 cups chicken broth, or as needed
1 bay leaf

1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
1 tsp extra good extra virgin olive oil

Simple Asparagus Tart – Sorry, Mom!

I don’t often buy puff pastry to make asparagus tarts, but when I find a piece in the back of the freezer, it’s one of my all-time favorite things to do. My only real regret with this video, was not finishing it with a poached egg, and calling it a Mother’s Day brunch special. As great as this was, it would have been even more so accessorized with a runny egg.

As long as you’re pretty good at making rectangles, and trimming things to the right length, this recipe is a breeze. By the way, I’ll give the specific ingredient amounts I used here, but this really depends on how much asparagus you have, and how long you want your tart to be.

The width of your tart is always going to be a little wider than the asparagus are long, as you see above; but the length is up to you, and you can use as many spears as will fit across your pan. If you’re not quite clear on what I’m saying, simply Google “asparagus tart” and you’ll see what I mean. They’re like snowflakes.

While we got a surprisingly positive response on our raw asparagus salad recipe (I really should have more faith in you), I did want to do a more classic, hot preparation as well. Asparagus is bountiful and beautiful right now, and I really hope you pick some up, possibly along with some eggs, and give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

6 x 9 inch rectangle of puff pasty, thawed

6 asparagus spears, blanched in well-salted wated

2 tsp melted butter

grated Parmigiano-Reggiano as needed

For the mustard sauce:

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 1/2 tsp crème fraiche

freshly ground black pepper and cayenne to taste
- Bake puff pastry shell at 400 F. for 10-12 minutes, or until puffed and golden-brown.
- Fill and bake another 10-12 minutes or until the pastry is browned and asparagus are tender (but not mushy!).

Shaved Asparagus Salad with Fried Pastrami and Mustard Dressing – Keeping it Raw

This shaved asparagus salad actually started out as an asparagus wrapped with pastrami recipe, but when that didn’t work out, my wife Michele saved the day, and convinced me to go raw – and I do mean convince.

I really dislike under-cooked asparagus, and in virtually every video I’ve used it, I’ve pleaded with the audience to make sure the spears get to the sweet and tender stage. I’ve always felt that the main reason most people who don’t like asparagus, is that they grew up eating it crunchy, barely warm, and bitter.

However, when you shave it thin with a peeler, and give it a quick curing/pickling in the dressing, those harsh attributes mellow out substantially, and the sweet, grassy flavor comes through. In fact, it was so delicious that I contemplated serving it without the fried meat.  Happily, that passed.

Thanks to the pastrami’s aromatic spices, subtle smokiness, and peppery finish, it was a perfect match. Of course, you can substitute with bacon or ham; but the cured beef brisket was a nice change of pace to those much more common, pork-based choices.

Just be sure to not dress your raw asparagus until you’re ready to eat. The couple minutes it takes to fry the meat is all the marination time you’ll need. Anyway, peak asparagus season is almost upon us, and if you’re looking for a new way to enjoy it, I hope you give this shaved asparagus salad a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 portions:

24 large asparagus spears (save bottoms for soup)

salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste

4 oz pastrami, sliced thin

For the dressing:

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

2 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar (or regular rice vinegar with a pinch of salt and sugar)

3-4 tbsp olive oil, or to taste

Trout Caviar “Fish & Chips” – And the Oscar for Best Hors d'Oeuvre Goes to…

Sure, you could serve some high-end Beluga or Ossetra caviar at your Oscars viewing party, but the problem with that plan is you’d have to get rich first. I’m not saying you won’t eventually be rolling in it, but the Academy Awards are Sunday, and we don’t want to rush you.

Instead, you can go with a more affordable option like the gorgeous trout roe seen glistening herein. This was only $25 for a 2-oz jar, and that’s purchased in San Francisco, one of the most expensive places on earth, so I’m hoping you can do even better than that.

It’s so obvious that I didn’t even mention it in the video, but of course this will work with any type of caviar. Having said that, when you consider value, it’s hard to beat these golden beads. Trout roe has a fresh, clean, briny flavor, and an absolutely beautiful texture. The feeling of those little, subtly salty eggs popping on your tongue is one of life’s great food experiences.

As far as portioning goes, if you use as much as I did on the first batch (pictured right), which was about 1 gram per chip, you’ll get between 50-60 hors d'oeuvres. If you want to stretch things a little further, then do smaller 1/2-gram portions, and get 100-120 still amazing tasting bites.

If you’re like me, and haven’t seen any of the movies yet, the only good reason to go to an Oscars party is for the food and drinks; and getting to enjoy something like these caviar “fish & chips” will make sitting through all those acceptance speeches almost worthwhile. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 100-120 bites (using 1/2-gram of roe per chip)

2 oz golden trout roe (or any other caviar or roe)

120 potato crisps or chips (I used original flavor Popchips)

about 1/2 cup sour cream

chives as needed

Pancetta-Wrapped Leek Gratin – Simply Amazing

I’m all about simply prepared vegetables, but every once in a while I need to cover them in caramelized pork and cheese, and this stunningly delicious pancetta-wrapped leek gratin was one of those times. I love those times.

This “umami bomb” is so flavorful and satisfying, it almost seems disrespectful to serve it as a side dish. Pair this with a slice of buttered bread, hedge your bets with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc, and enjoy a truly special lunch.

For extra credit, after you finish your meal, call your best French friend and describe what you had. They will love and hate you for it. So, whether you make this for lunch, or use it to upstage a steak or grilled piece of salmon, I hope you give this great leek gratin a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 2 portions:

3 large leeks

about 4 oz pancetta

2 tsp olive oil

salt, pepper and cayenne to taste

1/4 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup drinkable white wine

1/3 cup heavy cream

finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese as needed
chives to garnish

The Food Wishes' Chicken Wing Collection

Just in case you haven't decided on a chicken wing for tomorrow's Super Bowl party, maybe this will help. Here, for the first time, we've pulled together every single Food Wishes' chicken wing recipe into one, convenient post. Enjoy!

	Jerk Chicken Wings In the spirit of full disclosure, these will be the wings I'll be enjoying for the game.
	Garlic Parm Hot Wings If casual dinning restuarants have taught us anything, it's that people love garlic-parm whatever.
	Original Buffalo Chicken Wings There's no way to prove this is the original recipe, which is a probably good thing.
	Clifton Springs Chicken Wings By far, our most popular and highest-rated chicken wing recipe.
	Pastrami Chicken Wings Sure, pastrami sandwiches are awesome, but they don't have any bones! Now, these on the other hand.
	Spicy Orange Chicken Wings I can't say who I stole this spicy orange glaze from, but it rhymes with "Panda Express."
	Peanut Butter & Pepper Jelly Chicken Wings This is no gimmick! Okay, it is, but it's an incredibly delicious gimmick.
	Sweet and Hot Mustard-Glazed Chicken Wings Hey, there's a reason honey-mustard is the second most popular chicken nugget sauce in the world.

Bacon Jam – Take That, Fruit!

At the end of the video, I joke that if this bacon jam were the only thing you served at your Super Bowl party, people would still leave raving about the food. That wasn’t a joke. Such is the profound deliciousness of this magical, spreadable bacon.

I’ll have to admit that the first time I heard about bacon jam, it didn’t strike me as a very good idea. I loved the part about frying tons of bacon crispy, but then you want me to add it to a bunch of wet onions? Why would I do that? As usual, I was wrong. Despite losing its crispiness, the intense caramelized bacon flavor, and sweet/tart/peppery punch of this “jam,” more than make up for it.

While I'm officially posting this as another Super Bowl snack idea, its potential uses go way past the big game. One taste and the mind reels with possibilities. While impressive served simply on a chip or crisp, this stuff will turn a grilled cheese sandwich into something beyond our world…and don’t even get me started on the hamburger applications.

Such pleasure does not come without its price, however. This takes some time to make, and there is expert-level stirring involved, but what a small price when you consider the final results. Whether you do this for your Super Bowl party, or other festive occasion, I hope you give this amazing bacon jam a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 3 1/2 cups of Bacon Jam:

1 1/2 pound bacon, cooked crisp, chopped fine

2 tsp butter

2 tsp reserved bacon fat

4 large yellow onions (about 3 pounds), diced

1 tsp salt, plus more to taste

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup sherry vinegar

1 1/2 tsp fresh picked thyme leaves, divided (1 tsp cooked in, 1/2 tsp at the end)

1 teaspoon black pepper

pinch of cayenne

1/2 cups water

2 tsp balsamic vinegar

2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

Jerk Chicken Wings – Classic Jamaican Super Bowl Food

I’m not sure why I hadn’t thought of this before, but what more perfect marinade and glaze for a Super Bowl hot wing than a Jamaican jerk sauce? These jerk chicken wings were so flavorful, so different, and so additively delicious, that I may have eaten my last Buffalo wing. 

Okay, I didn’t mean that, but these really are amazing; a perfect balance of sweet, sour, salty, and spicy. I'm usually pretty casual about you changing my recipes, but I’m going to have to insist you not change any of the key ingredients, which are, every one of them. 

I guess this could work with other hot peppers, but the fiery, super-fruity Habanero (or Scotch Bonnet if you can find it) is critical for achieving true magic here. You’ll find them in any decent market, and they are very expensive per pound, but they’re very light, so three or four certainly won’t break the bank.

I mention in the video to marinate at least 8 hours in the fridge, which is the preferred method, but if you’re in a hurry, like I was, you could just leave it out on the counter at room temperature for two hours instead. Keep it covered, and give it a stir every 15 minutes or so, but that will get you pretty close to the colder, slower refrigerator method.

So, if you’re looking for a little change of pace this year, why not take a break from those same old wings (sorry again, Buffalo), and give these tasty jerk wings a try instead? Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 24 Jerk Chicken Wing Drumettes:

3 lbs chicken wings

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

6 garlic peeled cloves

1/2 cup green onions, sliced

3 Habanero chili peppers, seeded, chopped

2 tablespoons freshly picked thyme leaves

1 tablespoon kosher salt

2 teaspoons black pepper

2 teaspoons ground allspice

1 tsp dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoon packed brown sugar

1/3 cup fresh lime juice, about 3 juicy limes

Blend all ingredients and marinate 8 to 12 hours in the fridge; or 2 hours at room temp.

- Bake 20 min at 450 F.

- Paint and turn, bake 15 minutes more

- Turn and paint, and bake 10-15 minutes more, or until well-browned and tender.

Kentucky Beer Cheese – Love at Third Bite

Very few love Kentucky Beer Cheese at first bite. As you crunch your first taste, the palette quickly identifies a sharp cheddar cheese spread, but then stale beer fills the nose, and you instantly think, “I should have gone clam dip.”

But after three or four bites, you stop thinking about your college dorm room carpet, and your palette adjusts to the unusual flavor profile, and this humble cheese spread becomes as addicting as any I’ve ever had. In a way, it’s sort of analogous to drinking your first beer, but that’s a whole other post.

The texture is much smoother and creamier than it looks, and that little hint of raw alcohol provides a fermented funkiness in the background that is the key to the recipe. Well done, Bluegrass State. Well done. By the way, you can upgrade the beer if you wish, but then you will not be eating real Kentucky Beer Cheese.

People around those parts may argue about the amount of pepper, or if you should throw in a chunk of cream cheese or not, but everyone agrees that this spread requires a cheap, domestic beer. Preferably from a can.

So, if you’re looking for something a little different for your Super Bowl party, I hope you give this Kentucky Beer Cheese recipe a try. If it’s a big hit, you can bring it back for your Kentucky Derby party. I’m sure it’s fabulous with mint juleps. Enjoy!

Ingredients for  about 3 cups Kentucky Beer Cheese:
16 ounces of cheese

2 cloves garlic, minced fine

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/2 tsp cayenne powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp Tabasco sauce

1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 cup flat beer

Chicken & Mushroom Chimichanga – A Thingamajig of Beauty

As legend has it, many years ago in Tucson, AZ, a woman accidentally dropped a burrito into a deep fryer. She started to blurt out a common Spanish swear word, but remembering her kids were in the kitchen, yelled out “chimichanga!” instead. She let it fry golden and crisp, and the rest is culinary history.

If you’re wondering, Chimichanga translates to “thingamajig,” which is fitting, since that’s kind of what this is. A thingamajig stuffed with whatever. In this case, whatever was a very tasty mixture of chicken, mushrooms, poblano chilies, and pepper Jack cheese.

While that particular combination is highly recommended, this is more of a technique video, so when it comes to the filling, I encourage wild experimentation. We used raw chicken here, but Chimichangas are also great for using up leftover, cooked meats. Just cube it up, toss it in when the vegetables are done, and proceed as shown.

And don't feel like you have to stay in the Tex-Mex zone. This versatile, folded and fried tortilla could make a fantastic delivery system for all kinds of ethnic foods. Anyway, no matter what kind of filling is used, or how it’s seasoned, I think everyone will agree that it’s never a good idea to curse in front of children. I hope you give this delicious son-of-a-gun a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 portions:

(exact measurements are not critical, as you can stuff these with anything that fits)

For the filling:

1 tbsp vegetable oil, divided (half for veggies, half to cook chicken)

1/2 cup diced onions

1/2 cup diced poblano peppers

1/2 cup sliced mushrooms

12 oz boneless skinless chicken breast meat, cut in 1/2-inch cubes

salt, freshly ground black pepper, cayenne pepper to taste

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp chipotle, smoked paprika, or other hot or mild ground chili pepper

pinch dried Mexican oregano
1 or 2 tbsp cold water to deglaze pan once chicken is browned

4 ounces grated pepper Jack cheese

Also:

4 large flour tortilla (at least 10-inch wide)

1 egg white

2 tbsp vegetable oil for pan-frying

sour cream, guacamole, and salsa to garnish, optional