Prime Cuts

One of my favorite dishes is rice and beans. Over the years I have created many variations of traditional red rice and beans.  One such variation is created in such a way that it can be a standalone dish or be used as a filling for burritos, fajitas or anything else you can think of.

Healthy Hamburg, Black Bean and Brown Rice Filling

Ingredients

*1lb 80-90% lean ground hamburg or turkey
*1 can black beans, drained
*1-2 cups dry brown rice
*1 small jar taco sauce
*Salt and ground pepper to taste

Optional Ingredients

*Sour cream
*Hot sauce
*Mixed shredded cheese
*Shredded lettuce
*Diced tomatoes
*Diced yellCow onions
*Flour tortillas
*Corn niblets

Preparation

1. Using a 2:1 ratio of water to dry brown rice, combine in a pot.  Bring water and rice to a boil over medium-high heat.  Once rice begins to boil, cover and reduce heat to a simmer.  Continue cooking for approximately 40 minutes.  Once rice has finished cooking, fluff with a fork.

2. Brown hamburg in skillet over medium-high heat. Lean hamburg usually takes approximately 8-10 minutes to cook thoroughly.

3. Combine cooked hamburg, black beans, taco sauce and salt and pepper in pot.  Stir together and cook for approximately 3-5 minutes over low heat to allow flavors to properly combine.

There are LOTS of ways that you can customize this dish to your liking with some of the optional ingredients above.

Keep it simple or make it as complicated with different layers of flavor as you want.  That is what I like the most about this dish…you can customize it to create many different dishes, all of which will taste a little different.

This dish is meant to be something quick, besides the time it takes to cook the brown rice, and it will produce leftovers which are quick to reheat and healthy.  I love making a large pot of this and then using it to make several different types of dishes over the course of the week.

Enjoy!

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Photo by: jessicafm

Here is a favorite spice rub of mine for chicken that is a great thing to do for summer barbeques.   I love to prepare this on the grill, but not really on the grill?!   I get my grill about medium hot (can hold hand over hottest part for at least 5 sec.) and place a thick cast iron skillet or thick metal tray, saute pan, or sizzle platter…directly on the grill.   Let this blackening plate heat thoroughly before you cook any food on it.  While waiting for the plate to heat up prepare your chicken by patting it thoroughly dry and preparing the spice rub, recipe follows.

Joe’s Bird Blackening Spice Rub

This spice rub should pack a lot of flavor without being too spicy.  I personally don’t care for food that is so spicy that the simple, natural flavors of the base food are masked.  This rub is full of flavor yet still mellow in terms of spiciness.

Ingredients

1/2 cup Spanish paprika
1/2 cup smoked paprika
1/4 cup chili powder
1/4 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup cumin
1/4 cup freshly/finely ground black pepper
1/8 cup cayenne pepper
1/8 cup garlic powder

Preparation

1. Mix all ingredients thoroughly with whisk, and store in an airtight container, taking out only as much as you need at a time.  Will keep fresh and flavorful for 1-2 months.

2. On a clean plate pour out enough spice rub mix to thoroughly coat both sides of however many chicken breasts you are cooking.

3. Place chicken directly on spice mix and pat down with spice to thoroughly coat all exposed surface of chicken breast.   This dry coating of spice rub mix will prevent the chicken from sticking to the blackening plate and become the outer crust of flavor that will keep the juices from the chicken locked in the meat.

4. Place the seasoned chickens directly on the hottest part of the blackening plate on the grill, turning every 5 minutes or so.  The chicken should develop a bit of char, but not as much as if you were to cook it directly on the grill bars.  If your chicken is blackening too much, remove it from the pan and relocate the blackening pan to a less hot part of the grill, giving ample time for the temperature to reduce before returning the chickens to the heat.  The even smoothness of the plate helps create the crust and keeps the crust on the chicken rather than sticking to the grill bars when you try to turn it.

5. Check for doneness by pushing down on the chicken with your index finger, when there is a strong bounce back and the chicken feels firm it is done.  Generally 20-30 minutes for medium to large chicken breasts, and it is always best to cook slow and long at low temperature than quickly at high temperature for foods that must be cooked thoroughly.  If you like, pound the thickest parts of the chicken breast prior to cooking to reduce cooking time.

Enjoy this chicken with a cool dipping sauce such as a chilled homemade ranch or chive sour creme.  These dipping sauces will contrast and refresh the palate against the smokey/spiciness of the blackening spice rub crust.

Enjoy!

P.S. This is great topped with some melted bleu cheese or Gorgonzola and put in a sandwich!

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Photo by: Chinkerfly

When Justin and I finally met at the Inbound Marketing Summit a few weeks ago, we celebrated with far too many glasses of champagne. This recipe is inspired by our celebrations, with a splash of peach to make the perfect delicious and refreshing summer drink.

Peach Bellini Recipe

You’ll Need:

- Blender
- 4 tall Champagne flutes (or other appropriate glasses)

Ingredients (Serves 4):

- 1 bottle of champagne
- 3 peaches (keep one sliced for garnish)
- 1 T Sugar (optional)

Preparation

Step one: Make peach puree. Remove skins and pits from two ripe peaches, cut into slices and blend on medium with one tablespoon of sugar (optional) until well blended.

Step two: Pour 3 tablespoons of peach puree (or about 1/4 of the glass) in the bottom of the tall champagne flutes.

Step three: Pour chilled champagne into each drink.

Step four: Garnish with peach slice, serve and enjoy.

Step five: Repeat steps one through four. (As if one glass was enough!)

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This week we just wanted to take a minute to say thank you.  With your support, our restaurant, Caminito Argentinean Steakhouse, won three awards in the Best of Pioneer Valley awards that we asked for your help with a couple months ago.  We won: 2nd place – Best Steakhouse, 2nd place – Wine List and 3rd place – Best Patio.  These were the big 3 categories we were focused on placing in and we did it.

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For those who have yet to stop by for a wood-fire grilled hand-cut steak, a little chimichurri or a nice glass of Argentinean wine, we hope to see you soon.

Again, thank you for the continued support of not only Prime Cuts but also of Caminito.

P.S. What are your thoughts on the new intro?  We’re always working on improving the quality of content we deliver to you.  Hope you enjoy!

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I recently was granted the opportunity to host a reunion of my freshman college dorm (7th floor Grayson, UMASS) at Caminito.  It was an informal, luncheon, and I was amazed at how many people showed up.  It was so much fun to cook for them all in my own restaurant.  It definitely got me thinking about the good old days at college, and how great that first year living in the dorms time was.

Well, I was then, much as I am now, very into food, and it’s kind of hard not to be into drinks when you’re a freshman at college.  The food I ate then wasn’t the sort of fare I prepare now by a long shot but a few brilliant culinary moments were had, including some excellent homemade raisins (don’t ask).   However it was my roommate Tim’s recipe that spared us from the dining hall food most often.  It is a hearty, satisfying, and easy to prepare sandwich, which was composed of just a few simple ingredients and I still make it today.

The following recipe is the sandwich that Tim came up with.  It was based on the few ingredients we had on hand that day and has been refined a few times since.  It is a classic flavor combination that I have seen in a Panini shop or two since first eating it in my dorm room.

Tim’s Turkey, Avocado, and Brie Sandwich

Makes 2 big sandwiches
(You will need a toaster and a sandwich press)

Ingredients

4 large slices of hearty multi grain bread
½ lb sliced deli turkey, smoked (not the sweet kind… no maple)
1 large soft avocado, roughly sliced
½ lb soft brie cheese rind removed, roughly sliced

Preparation

1.    Toast the bread slices lightly
2.    Lay the avocado slices ½ and ½ on 2 slices of bread
3.    Lay the sliced brie on the 2 remaining slices
4.    Bring together the avocado and brie halves and put turkey in the middle
5.    Further toast on the sandwich press until cheese starts to melt and turkey is warm
6.    Eat, and enjoy!

This seems like a very simple sandwich and it is, but it works on many complex levels.  The creaminess of the avocado acts as a lubricant for the dry toasted bread which should still be a bit moist in the middle due to the denseness of the multigrain dough.  To me it is the bread that makes a sandwich and in order for this sandwich to be perfect you must double toast the bread – once lightly in the toaster and then once again in the sandwich press.  This gives the perfect crispness while still retaining some moisture in the bread.  The slight tang of the brie contrasts nicely with the smoothness of the avocado and the mildness of the turkey.

It is an easy sandwich to eat due to the softness of the ingredients, yet the toasting gives a pleasant crispness.  And finally, it holds you down, plain and simple…eat one of these and you’re practically good for the day.

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Photo by: SimonDoggett

I hope everyone tried last weeks drink and enjoyed it on those hot days. This weeks cocktail is really great and refreshing so I hope you like it just as much!

Ruby Red Martini Recipe

Ingredients

2 oz Finlandia Grapefruit (If you can’t find that, you can also use Absolut Ruby Red vodka)
1/2 oz yuzu citrus (fresh yuzu is hard to find, but you can find the bottle version in most grocery stores)
dash of pomegranate

Preparation

Shake well and garnish with a lemon and strawberry

Enjoy this one and I promise it will become a favorite!

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Photo by: Steven Fernandez