Shhhpice It Up

March 30, 2011 • Product, Recipes • by
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osing control of your week is often unstoppable and unpredictable, even on your best weeks. The past few have kept Megs and I crazy busy with family emergencies and celebrations, band gigs, sports games, work schedules, yada yada yada… Through all the bustle it’s hard to catch a breadth, but come up for air one must!

Monday I awoke to sleet, yesterday to blue skies and warm rays…even mother nature is trying to throw me off. Fat chance hippy! With the clouds parted for a geologic instant I tossed all other plans aside and spent an hour or more in the kitchen prepping a spiced up dinner for the queen and I. Italian is comforting, asian exciting, but Greek or Mediterranean can awaken even the most weathered tastebuds.

I keep a fresh supply of spices in the pantry, especially spice mixtures like Zaatar that can transform a simple chicken thigh into culinary gold. Zaatar (left), a mixture of sumac, sesame, thyme, mint, oregano and other herbs is a Lebanese staple. Sumac (right)  on it’s own is delicious sprinkled over potatoes, mixed into breadings, or whipped into hummus. If you can’t find Zaatar try mixing up the mentioned herbs yourself and grinding very fine for a similar flavor. Let’s shhhpice it up:

Zaatar and Labneh Chicken Thighs

1lb Chicken Thighs (boneless are easiest on the grill)

1 Cup Labneh or Greek Yogurt

2 Tbs Zaatar

Handful of Mint (chopped roughly)

In a bowl combine the yogurt, zaatar, and half of the chopped mint. Mix to combine, add the chicken, toss to cover and allow to marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes to 1 hour or more (the longer the better).

Turn your grill to full whack and add the chicken once hot. Grill 5 minutes on the first side without touching. After 5 minutes the chicken should lift easily from the grates, flip and grill an additional 3-5 minutes or until juices run clear.

That’s it!  Stack the grilled thighs sky high and drizzle with a little Tzatziki, a lug of olive oil and sprinkle with the remaining mint. The flavors are fragrant and exotic, a combination of fresh herbs, tangy yogurt and warm spices.

The chicken is killer on it’s own, but even better complimented with a frigid cucumber salad, grilled giant shitake mushrooms, and a toasted piece of flat bread or two. The cucumber salad was so on point I’d be doing the chicken a disservice by holding back the recipe:

Cucumber Salad

1 Long Cucumber (british are good since they lack many seeds)

1 Ripe, Sweet Tomato

1/2 Handful of Mint, chopped roughly

Olive Oil, White Wine Vinegar, Chile Flakes, S&P

Cut your cucumber in half lengthwise and then on a bias to make long, spear-like pieces. I find they stay rigid much longer than half-moons. Cut your tomato into thin slices and combine in a bowl with the cucumber, splash of vinegar, drizzle of olive oil, large pinch of salt, pinch of pepper flakes and 2-3 grinds black pepper. Toss and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

The combination of hot, spiced chicken matched with the acidic punch and coolness of the cuke salad is stellar. Match the whole meal with a quick Sangria of Trebbiano, Sliced Plums and Oranges and you’re in all kinds of business.

…and that’s Tuesday…

Booze of the Month! – March

March 24, 2011 • Booze of the Month, Product • by
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ast month I was in Boston, so the only appropriate choice was Boston Lager. This month I haven’t left Cackalacky once so, following said logic, it’s only appropriate that my choice comes from the great state of NC. Let’s consider our options: Wine? Scuppernog…what are you kidding me? Hooch?  Yes please, but ‘shine is a drink best served in secret. Beer? Where to begin. Raleigh has it’s fair share of fine breweries, and god knows I’ve talked about them enough,  but my tastebuds drove me back to the first Carolina Microbrew I ever tried: Red Oak. From the moment it hit my lips some 7 years ago I knew I was in love, cold and smooth, it was a match made in heaven. And if we follow that logic heaven must be in Greensboro…how disapointing. On to a beer that knows no disappointment:

Red Oak Amber Lager

Product Details: Brewed in Greensboro, NC since 1991. Munich Urtyp Style Lager.

Appearance: Red as a ginger with a sun burn! The head is foamy and thick with a pale yellow hue melding into a rusty red brew with intense clarity.

Aroma: Rich and floral with the obvious aroma of yeast, roasted malt, and brown sugar.

Taste: The flavor is rich and heart warming. By using a variety of yeast first used in 1080 AD and allowing the final mix to ferment for weeks rather than days, Red Oak has created a beer with unrivaled smoothness. The taste is somewhere between a brown ale and Irish red but with the mouthfeel of an unfiltered hefeweizen. It’s sweet, aromatic, and luscious without any of the payload, like fat free caramel.

Food Pairings: I find it no surprise that Red Oak pairs perfectly with our state’s finest food traditions: Pork BBQ, Ribs, Fried Fish, Bitter Greens, etc. The light sugaryness and crisp yeastyness compliment both basic and acidic dishes, like a bbq sandwich and vinegared collards. I also find myself craving a Red Oak whenever pretzels or peanuts hit the table, can’t beat salty and sweet dude.

Price: At the bar Red Oak should run no more than $4-$4.50 which is well worth it if you ask me. They have also begun selling 12 packs of bottles at the grocery store for $12-14. Now heaven can be found in the beer aisle of your local megamart!

Overall: Outside the limelight of the Raleigh or Asheville brewing scene, it’s easy to forget humble Red Oak bubbling away in Greensboro. Yet, even with the plethora of NC beers available at the local watering hole I find myself grabbing for a Red Oak 90% of the time. While others are trying new and experimental options, which I condone completely, I applaud the steadfast brewers of Red Oak and their ability to churn out keg after keg of some of the finest brew to ever grace this liver. Here’s to another 10 years of quality draft making and most notably to the recent addition of retail bottle service! Hear Hear!

 

Kitchen Tunes VIII

March 22, 2011 • Uncategorized • by
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elcome back to another amplified episode of Paulie’s Kitchen Tunes! My current band, Sheep Suit, in which I play drums for some reason played one hell of a show this weekend providing the crazy clientele of Black Flower with a collection of grungy tunage from the 90′s along with some originals. Faces were melted, ears blown to smithereens, and panties rained down in triumph as we thrashed our way thru 2 hours of pure rock n roll. In honor of a show well played and some creative cover choices all of today’s albums feature one of our notable covers. Tune in and drop out:

Muse: Absolution

Good things in music come out of the UK. That’s a fact. I don’t know what it is, maybe some volatile, tragic combination of rainy weather and hoppy brews that leads to musical genius. This british trio has the ability to generate more sound than a freight train full of symbol-banging monkeys! Absolution, the groups sophomore album, is the epitome of epic rock in all of it’s grandiose glory. Starting with the hauntingly beautiful piano of “Sing for Absolution” to the ridiculous bass stylings of “Hysteria” (which we cover…that’s right) the album is expansive and emotional. Band leader Bellamy sings with lingering sustain, belting lyrics riddle with chaos, revolution, praise, and tragedy. He may do it on every album, but once you get into these guys you can’t get enough. If there music wasn’t inspiring enough, these bri’ish rawk sta’s put on the greatest show Megs and I have ever seen…guitar laser beams, explosive eyeballs, elevating towers, and 20ft power slides!

Another cool note: I got the chance to hang out and talk about the album cover with the guy who made it, Rupert Truman, who also made the cover to “Dark Side of the Moon” in Milan one time. That was one crazy brit.

The White Stripes: Elephant

I will openly admit I’m not the biggest White Stripes fan. Gasp all you want, but everyone get’s there opinion when it comes to music and I don’t think Jack White is the next guitar god as many claim. HOWEVER, I do not deny that the man can right some amazing rock music. What I do love about him and his writing is the constant disregard for the rules. The songs may sound simple, including classic blues melodies and Megan’s caveman-esque beats, but the licks and lyrics are catchy and inventive. This album, more so than any of there others, reminds me of Black Sabath in their youth full of rage and reverb. Our cover from this album, “Black Math”, is and will remain my favorite – both to listen to and to play on drums.

Pixies: Surfer Rosa

This album is so much more than titties and crucifixes. They may sound like a weird punk garage band from the mid 90′s, but in actual fact this Boston 4-Piece was churning out stellar tunes full of treble and fuzz starting in the late 80′s. Surfer Rosa was a rocky listen at first, but after many long nights in the dark room working thru rolls and rolls of film I found myself bobbing along like a lost Ramones sibling. “Where Is My Mind”, undoubtly the bands most well known song, sounds like the theme song to a troubled high school youth – thumpy, mysterious, and full of contradiction. Our band kills this song, but “Cactus” and “Oh My Golly” are also great choices. Mr. David Bowie seems to think so as well, covering “Cactus” on his album Heathen.

The Allman Brothers Band: The Allman Brothers Band

I wrote about the Allman’s in my first Kitchen Tunes, and there are few guitarists I admire more than Duane Allman. Add in the sweet licks of Dicky Betts, Gregg’s raspy soul and whirling organ, 2 drummers, an insane bass player and you’ve got a group that has never been eclipsed by any other Mason Dixie country bums. As you can tell, I have a soft spot and deep admiration for the Allmans, and no song better symbolizes that love than “Whipping Post”.  It’s the culmination of the band’s complex mixture of styles: deep blues, sweet melodies, synchronized guitar leads, forever-walking bass lines, dueling drum beats, and lyrics describing the very essence of life in the south. 2 motorcycle wrecks later and the band was reduced to a mere fraction of it’s earlier self, but Duane and Berry live on every time we rock our way thru this song.

 

Taters

March 17, 2011 • Product, Recipes • by
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appy St.Patty’s Day folks! In honor of the fighting Irish and their love for potatoes I thought a easy, quick potato dish would be appropriate. Plus, I got to use some of that flashy Lemon Thyme I was telling you about.

We’ll be partying in high Irish fashion at Megs parents place tomorrow, piling down some corned beef, cabbage, Kathy’s Irish Soda Bread and polishing it off with a Guiness or 5.

Megs is half Irish, but I’m not so this recipe is a riff on a traditional Calabrese Potato Salad I saw a long time ago on Lidia Bastianch’s tv show. For those who don’t know, Calabria – the tip of the Italian Stiletto, is known for their peppers and feature sweet, spicy, dried, or powdered peppers in almost every dish.

NOTE: On a train from Napoli to Reggio di Calabria an adorable nonna once told me to only purchase sweet peppers with 3 chambers or nodules on the bottom. Why? I don’t know, but I’ll put my money on that lady’s pepper knowledge any day.

Insalata di Patate Calabrese

8-10 Red Potatoes

4 Red Peppers (cubanelle or longer peppers work best)

Handful of Fresh Thyme, Oregano, or Basil

Olive Oil, High Quality Red Wine Vinegar, Salt, Pepper

Start first by boiling your potatoes in salted water. In a large pot add enough water to cover the potatoes and bring to a boil with the potatoes in the cold water to start. This will keep them from becoming mealy. Turn off the heat once the potatoes can be easily pierced thru with a knife. Leave them in the warm water until you’ve completed the other steps.

For the peppers, crank up your grill and throw the peppers onto the hottest section with no seasoning at all. Turn to char on all sides, allowing the skin to bubble and wrinkle.

Once charred on all sides, about 5 minutes of high heat, remove and place into a paper bag. Seal tightly and relax for 10 minutes.

Sit back, have a Manhattan’s Special, and allow the peppers to steam in the paper bag. This step will help separate the charred skins from the supple flesh and make peeling the peppers that much easier.

After 10 minutes, remove the peppers and peel off their outer layer like it’s prom night! This may take a little practice but they should slide off easily with a light scraping from your knife. When the skin’s removed cut off the tops, remove the seeds and cut the pepper into thin strips.

Now you’re ready for your potatoes. Cut the taters roughly into bite sized pieces and toss into a bowl with the pepper strips. Toss lightly. To complete add a generous drizzling of good olive oil and a splash or two of quality vinegar. This creates something like a salad dressing for the potatoes instead of a clunky, heavy mayo-based lubricant. Lightly chop your herbage, whether it be Lemon Thyme, Basil, Oregano or whatever, and toss the salad thoroughly, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.

A rough estimate would be 1/4 Cup Oil to 2 Tbs. Vinegar but mix to your liking, everyone’s preferances are different. Me, I like the vinegar to shine thru making each bite tangy and sharp. The use of Thyme, something untraditional but stellar, adds a lemony-hum to the party that fits seamlessly. The potatoes, warm and absorbent, suck up the vinaigrette like a sponge while the peppers add a smoky, fruity flavor to balance everything out. This is best served room temperature but is just as tasty out of the ice box the next day, maybe even more.

Hope you lads and lassies like me taters, they’re proper eating them is!

Paulie’s Spark Notes: 1. Boil Some Taters 2. Grill Some Peppers 3. Drizzle with this, Splash with that 4. Nosh

Life Will Find A Way

March 15, 2011 • Product • by
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r. Ian Malcolm couldn’t be more correct. He may have been referring to the artificial creation of 65 million year old dinosaurs to the shigrin of one John Hammond, but the message is simple: when given the opportunity (or no other choice) life will find a way to succeed. This weekend I was met with two such examples, neither of which were regenerated dinosaurs…bummer.

Example 1: 127 Hours. If you haven’t seen it go rent it. It’s face melting good and Franco does an incredible job of portraying Aaron Ralston’s epic fight to save his life from a cavernous grave. I won’t say more, this is a food blog after all, but I think Dr. Malcolm would be both inspired and terrified by Aaron’s heroic actions.

Example 2: Last spring I planted a variety of herbs to last me thru the summer and fall (right’cheer). I expected a few of the herbs like rosemary, thyme, and sage to make it thru the winter no problem but thanks to the unpredictable ice and snow flurries we saw this winter I was nervous. As I watched my pots toppe over with pounds of snow and bitter frost I feared for the life of my tasty little friends.

I almost came to terms with their impending demise until this weekend when I eagerly jumped back into the backyard for some grilling and mid-day vino. The warm weather got me excited about this springs crop and I started to inspect my remaining herbage to find a welcome surprise. Thru all the frost, frigid winds and heavy snows not only had the little guys lasted but some flourished.

My Lemon Thyme (top pic), tipped with golden edges and smelling of pure zest, doubled in girth and has begun sporting a new magenta-tipped look. Maybe it’s trying on a new outfit for this year’s pollinators.

My Rosemary made it thru, no surprise considering it’s a small pine tree, but the little bugger hasn’t grown an inch since the day I bought him. Way to under achieve you lazy evergreen, you don’t even get a picture.

Even my Sage managed to weather the harsh winter, turning dark and rigid all over except for one tiny cluster of new growth from the largest stem. Whats that you say winter, give up? Never heard of it!

But the Rudy award goes to my soft and tender Pineapple Mint. He was one of my tallest plants last spring but dried out rapidly during the winter months. I had absolutely no hope for this delicious multicolored sensation, yet on further inspection I found new sprigs popping up from the rim of the pot. Bravo little buddy, daddy’s proud.

With a fatherly sense of pride I jumped into action preparing a killer potato salad featuring my “made-over” Lemon Thyme. Above is a sneak peak but stay tuned tomorrow for the recipe. I’ll leave you with another quote from the brilliant Dr. Ian Malcolm:

“If there is one thing the history of evolution has taught us it’s that life will not be contained. Life breaks free, expands to new territory, and crashes through barriers, painfully, maybe even dangerously.”

Let’s hope his predictions don’t come exactly true and my enraged Rosemary plant, hurt and outraged over my previous slanderings, comes crashing thru my bedroom walls to seek revenge! Bring it on you pine-sol scented slacker, I’ll turn you into a car-freshener so fast you’ll wish you were being sloshed across a floor!

Wanna hear the weirdest part of all? Jurassic Park was on TV later that night…spooky.

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