Prime Cuts

I hope you enjoyed last weeks drink pick for Sangria and hopefully you tried it out for yourself.  This week, I wanted to share a drink that is perfect for a hot day because it is by far the most refreshing drink I have tried.  I can’t take full credit for this one, but when I was in New York this past weekend, this was a drink that I had to share with everyone, but modified with a twist of my own.

Gin and Lemonade

Ingredients

1 1/2 oz Hendrick’s Gin
1/2 oz Pimm’s # 1
1 oz Fresh Lemonade
Splash of soda water

Preparation

Shake well and garnish with fresh cubes of melon

I’m sure this is one that everyone will enjoy so have fun creating this one for yourself and friends!

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While not one of my healthiest recipes, this is surely one of my favorites… (it’s a family tradition too!)

Traditional Italian Sausage Recipe

Ingredients

1 package (5) fresh Italian sausage
1 can of Tomato Sauce
1 can of diced Rold Gold tomatoes
1 can of Italian paste
1 onion, diced
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
5 crusty rolls

Preparation

1. Poke three holes on each side of each sausage
2. Place sausages in water and bring to a boil
3. Once the water boils, bring to a simmer (low to med heat) for 30 minutes
4. Place sausages in a crock pot and pour the sauce, rold gold diced tomatoes and italian paste on top
5. Mix the sauce, add the diced onion and dash with salt and pepper to taste
6. Put crock pot on high and bring to a boil (approximately one hour)
7. Once boiling, change the temperature to low and let the sausages site for at least 6 – 8 hours (10-12 is best)

Enjoy with crusty rolls!

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As we continue rolling through Spring and into Summer, I always tend to think of lamb during this time of the year.  Lamb in general tends to lend itself to a few classic preparations and flavor combinations.  For the recipe I want to use those flavor combinations a little differently and in a way that the average griller can do at home and almost entirely on the backyard grill.

Joe’s Rosemary Scented Lamb Chops, with Four Bean Succotash

Ingredients

8, 4- 6 oz lamb sirloin chops at least 1″ thick (the ones that look like little porterhouses)
2 stalks rosemary
1 cup canned fava beans
1 cup french green beans, trimmed to 1″ pieces
1 cup yellow wax beans, trimmed to 1″ pieces
1/2 cup canned garbanzo beans
1/2 cup canned corn niblets
1/4 stick butter
1/8 cup chopped crispy bacon bits (homemade preferably)
1 tsp minced garlic
salt and black pepper
vegetable oil
water

Preparation

This is the type of recipe that, with the exception of some indoor prep by way of blanching the beans in advance, can be done entirely on the grill.  You will need a  grill large enough to fit all the lamb chops on half of the cooking surface.  You will also need an old can (from the niblets or beans), rinsed and paper label removed as well as a metal 9X9″ cake pan.

1. Blanch the green and yellow beans in boiling water quickly for just one and a half minutes, remove to a strainer, and rinse quickly with cold water to stop the cooking process and keep beans crisp.  Transfer beans to a bowl, some water will accumulate as the beans further drain and release moisture…this is a good thing, save the bean juice!

2. Get your grill going at a medium heat, nice and steady.  These chops are best served thick cut so it will take approx 10-20 minutes for medium rare.  Allow yourself enough coals to accomplish this if using wood or charcoal.  Rub the chops with vegetable oil and season thoroughly with salt and pepper.  Place on grill to begin cooking.

3. This is the rosemary scented part.  Fill the reserved can with water and break the rosemary stalks into sizes so that they will all fit in the can completely submerged.  Place the can of rosemary water on a good hot spot on the grill and close the grill cover.  As the water begins to boil it will release rosemary flavored steam which will penetrate the food very lightly.  I prefer this method of bringing the classic flavor of lamb and rosemary together, as personally I do not enjoy the texture of rosemary when simply chopped and added to food.

4. As you are grilling your lamb chops, notice when they are approximately half way done and place a 9 X 9 metal cake pan on the grill and add the butter (this is going to be your saute pan a la grill). When the butter has begun to melt, add the minced garlic, and stir for just a minute to awaken the flavor, add all the bean components, corn niblets, bacon bits, and reserved bean juice, and toss thoroughly, season with salt and pepper.  Cook this succotash approx 6-8 minutes, or until tender.  The guideline I use when preparing vegetables in this way is when the water (in this case bean juice) has almost all evaporated and a glaze of vegetable sugars, butter, bacon, and garlic has been left on all your nicely sauteed veggies, they are done, and if at this point they are not done to your liking, add some more water and continue cooking until they are.  You can even go so far as to add the rosemary water from the grill can for increased flavor enhancement.

5. At this point the lamb should be about done.  Remove it from the grill and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.  This type of food is best served family style on platters.  Add some simple roasted red potatoes to the mix and you have got yourselves a great first grill of the year meal…sure to get you feeling like spring is finally here!

Enjoy!

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Photo by: pieterjanviaene

Being my first week and with the summer and warm weather right around the corner, I thought I would begin my initiation to Prime Cuts with a drink that I learned to make while working at Caminito with Joe and Justin. This Perfect Summer Sangria is easy to make and especially perfect to enjoy in these upcoming months.

Ashley’s Summer Sangria Recipe

Ingredients

1 Bottle chilled red wine (Choose a wine that isn’t too sweet because sugar is going to be added later. Blends such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot are great to use because they don’t overpower the other ingredients.)
1/4-1/2 cup confectioners sugar (use to your desired sweetness)
1/4 cup Orangina
1/4 cup Sparkling water

Mix all ingredients to dissolve sugar then add:
1 cup fresh fruit, diced (some great fruits that I use are apples, strawberries, grapes, cantaloupe, pineapple and kiwi)
1/2 of an orange, cut into small chunks

Preparation

Stir all the ingredients and let sit for a hour so the fruit can absorb the wine! Serve in red wine glasses and Enjoy!  It’s as simple as that!

Check back next week for a new drink recipe!

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Photo by: CRLS

I am a big fan of Eric Ripert.  Most people know him from his appearances on Top Chef but for those that don’t know, Eric Ripert is a renowned four-star chef and restaurateur.  Eric has recently published his third book, On the Line and has a new TV series this Fall on PBS.  Recently he sat down for an interview with Samantha Ettus of Obsessed TV.  What I loved about this interview was some of the behind-the-scenes kitchen stories that Eric talks about.  Anyone that has worked in a kitchen for any amount of time could sympathize.

I hope you enjoy the interview as much as I did…

I’m curious…how many of you have worked in a kitchen?  Let me know in the comments if you’ve worked in a kitchen before and what type of restaurant you worked in.

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Over the past couple months we have been working on this announcement and we’re happy to finally share with all of you

In the next couple days you will see a new section created for our contributors bio and contact info and you’ll start to see posts from them.  If you missed Amber’s first post here, check out this simple recipe for Greek Hummus with Kalamata Olives.

We’re very excited about the growth of Prime Cuts and hope that you continue to learn and have fun as well.  We promise that we will never compromise the quality of the information we provide you.  We just want to be able to bring you more content and a more well-rounded place to come to have all of your food and cooking questions answered.

Now, we want to hear from you.  What are your thoughts on today’s announcement?

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Last night I got an email from Justin saying something to the effect of “Hey bro it’s national grilled cheese month, lets do a post on that”.  Well I knew right away what I would write about for this one.  In fact it’s something that I do everyday in the restaurant, and no, there isn’t any steak in it.  It’s not grilled cheese in the sense of some melted butter between two toasted pieces of bread-type sandwich.   It is, in essence, a deconstructed grilled sandwich, with much nicer cheese and bread as well as a few other subtle flavors.  Now that you’re curious I will tell you the name of the grilled cheese that I’m beginning to wax poetic about – Provoleta.  Unless you have an Argentine background, or a well traveled palate, you may not know what this is.

Provoleta is a favorite appetizer or first course in many Argentinean asados or barbeques, and it literally is grilled cheese…provolone to be specific.  The best provolone is aged in the form of a roped cylinder which is hung to dry for certain lengths of time.  As it dries the flavor intensifies and becomes a bit sharper.  The provolone we use at Caminito is dried almost to the hardness of a young Parmesan.  We use this type of provolone because it’s easier to grill.  The provolone is sliced into ½” thick discs, coated lightly with vegetable oil, and then over a hot and clean fire is grilled for anywhere from 15 seconds to a full minute to achieve a crisp grill marked surface.  The density and hardness of the cheese allow it to be grilled without melting through the grates, and also play a role in the ultimate goal of achieving melted cheese with a crispy surface.

In order to achieve the melted half of the equation, the grill marked cheese is simply placed in a shallow casserole dish, grilled side up, and baked in a 350 degree oven for 5-10 minutes (again depending on the hardness of the cheese) until thoroughly melted, but not dry.  The provoleta is then sprinkled lightly with oregano, diced tomato and then drizzled with extra virgin olive oil.  It’s served while still meltingly soft with ample amounts of crusty dinner rolls (the good kind of crusty of course).  The overall flavor is naturally that of a pungent provolone but it is mellowed comparatively by the intensity of the char from the grill marks and smoothed by the addition of the olive oil.  The tomatoes and oregano play what I call a “friendship role” in the overall flavor as they tend to compliment any Italian cheese nicely.

The way I like to eat my provoleta is to break a dinner roll in half, place inside a nicely charred and seasoned piece of melty provolone and then use the top half of the roll to mop up a little oil and cheese juice from the dish thus completing my personal favorite grilled cheese sandwich!  Now that I told you what my favorite grilled cheese is, what’s yours?  How are you going to celebrate National Grilled Cheese month?

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So, now that we’re a couple weeks into Spring, it is really starting to feel that way for us at Caminito.  What are some of the signs that Spring is here for Justin and I?

• Another icefishing season has drawn to a close,
• The tarps have come off the tables on the patio,
• Thoughts of spring produce and the coming changes to the menu have been wafting through my brain, and
• Little signs of green plant life have started to make themselves noticed

Thinking of all these things has made me think of how the signs of Spring affect the home chef… and those who know me from reading my blogs know that when I think of food I inevitably think of the grill.  I of course have the luxury and privilege of having a 12 month a year wood fire grill in my restaurant kitchen,  but for those home grillers, I think if you have not yet this year, it is time to resurrect the backyard barbecue from its winter slumber.

In doing this I want to just give a few bits of advice along to get everyone thinking spring…

When you take out the grill for the first time of the year, whether gas, charcoal, or converted wood burning grill, follow these easy steps to wake your grill up from its winter slumber:

1. Uncover it carefully.  The little creatures of nature often like to make their over winter homes in the nooks and crannies of a grill and its cover.  I usually find evidence of a small mammal and a spider nest or two (my grill spends the winters in an old barn behind the house).
2. Shake the cover out carefully and give the grill a good once over to wipe down the cobwebs, and dust.
3. This is a good time to empty any ash and accumulated grease, also a good time to check the gas tank and connecting hoses (if using gas).
4. Give the grill grate a good thorough scraping, preferably after the heat has been applied to loosen any carbonized material.
5. Then, before using the first time, carefully put a few splashes of vegetable oil on an old kitchen towel and thoroughly wipe down the grill grates while warm or on low heat (be extra careful not to light the towel or yourself on fire).

Now you have a properly lubricated and ready to go grill for the season the season, provided regular scraping and brush downs after uses.  You, my friend, are now ready to start grilling….

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Photo by: Mr. Usaji

After a few weeks off, Prime Cuts TV is back in full swing!  Today we wanted to talk about something so simple yet for many, so complicated…mashed potatoes.  Mashed potatoes are used in a lot of dishes and for a lot of holidays so it’s important to understand how to make proper mashed potatoes.  I think we would all agree that we’ve had some pretty bad mashed potatoes in the past.  Well, today Joseph explains how to make them properly so you can wow your guests next time!

Enjoy!

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As I came back from vacation and started looking through all of my “food and drink” feeds in Google Reader I got to one of my favorite sites: Wine Library TV.  Not only is Gary Vaynerchuk a friend but the show rocks for anyone who wants to learn more about wine.  As I scrolled through I came to episode #647 and fell in love when I saw the title was: “What wine goes with bacon?”  So, I just had to share it here because my guilty pleasure is all things bacon (especially the concept of chocolate-dipped bacon).

Enjoy!

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