Archive for the ‘south florida food’ Category

Lobster mac n' cheese with arugula

This recipe is enjoyable due to it’s simple yet complex nature; lobster mac and cheese is a pure comfort food with a little luxury thrown in. Ladies, if you make this meal for significant other, he will fall in love with you. Men, make this meal for your ladies and expect to get lucky. The final product is so divine you will grunt in satisfaction not once, but multiple times while consuming.

A consolation prize of sorts, I was admittedly acting a little crazy the week I chose to make this little piece of heaven for my fiance. I believe my stars were out of alignment or my biorhythms were quite off, but whatever the reason, I needed a redeeming dish that said “I’m sorry. Please forgive me for acting a little crazy lately.”

Let the Moaning begin:

ingredients:

• sea salt
• olive oil
• 1 lb .elbow macaroni
• 1 quart milk
• 1 stick butter (if reading out loud, say this in a Southern accent in honor of her buttery goodness- Paula)
• 1/2 cup all purpose flower
• 4 cups ***gruyere cheese
• 2 cups extra sharp cheddar
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper (more is always better!!)
• 1 1/2 lbs. cooked lobster meat (approximately 2 medium tails, 3 small tails), sliced into small pieces- (toss in 1/4 teaspoon old bay if you have it- this is optional)
• 1 1/2 cups panko (Japanese bread crumbs)

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Cook your pasta according to directions, about 6-8 minutes.

This dish is simple but is does create a lot of dishes. All in all, you will need 1)  a small saucepan for heating the milk, 2) a large pot for boiling the pasta, 3) a saute pan to cook the lobster, and 4) another medium sized pot for the cheese/mixture – the final pot used for putting everything together.

While the pasta cooks, heat the milk in a small saucepan on medium/low and DO NOT LET BOIL. In a large POT, melt 6 tablespoons (all but 2 tblsp. of the stick) and add the flour (essentially, you willl make a roux and then add milk). Stir with a whisk while cooking over LOW heat, slowly adding the milk and whisking at the same time until the mixture thickens and you have poured in all the milk. Heat another medium saute pan and drizzle with olive oil. Saute lobster in olive oil while the separate pots of cheese and pasta cook according to directions.

Take the rouxoff the burner and add the cheeses, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Stir gently to remove the lumps, then add the pasta and lobster and stir into a uniform mixture. Transfer into a casserole baking dish. You can also divide into 6-8 individual casserole/gratin dishes.

Melt the remaining 2 tblsp of butter and add the panko bread crumbs. Once toasted, add to the casserole dish (es). Bake for 35 minutes or until the casserole has browned and begins bubbling!

As Julia would say : “Bon Apetit!”

Lobster mac n' cheese is much more fun with fish pot holders.

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Sirloin Sliders, aka Mini Hamburgers

sirloin sliders- much more fun than your average burger!!

Well, this is not rocket science but it puts a fun spin on your standard hamburger. The mini burger idea is appealing because it is so versatile, depending on the occasion and setting. While one can make sliders as the main course, they are also a fun appetizer for entertaining and are great for tailgating as the burgers cook quickly due to their diminutive size. These are a low commitment burger- you get to satisfy your craving for a burger, but you still have room to sample a hotdog, eat large amounts of dip, and drink large amounts of beer. You may even have room for a guinness float afterwards.

Here’s a fun idea for your next gathering: make a “slider-bar”.

Cook the burgers (I prefer sirloin meat obviously) with various cheeses (cheddar, american, pepper jack) and some without; serve with toasted rolls- the kind that look like mini hamburger buns that you buy in the bakery at the grocery store.

Put out a variety of toppings for Southwest burgers, philly burgers, you name it:

• jalapenos
• guacamole
• salsa
• blue cheese
• bacon
• pepperoni
• various mayos- sriracha mayo, garlic mayo, etc
• arugula
• tomatoes
• grilled red onions
• roasted peppers
• (mustard, ketchup)
• pickles
• banana peppers
• sundried tomatoes

 The opportunities are endless and this puts a fun spin on your traditional cook-out. Happy Grilling and Happy eating!!!

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Grilled Chicken Enchiladas

Fancy footwork on the grill!!

Well, if you think about it, there really isn’t anything you can’t cook on the grill. In essence, the grill is a big oven you use outdoors. But, cooking over flames lends a flavor that cannot be accomplished from an oven. This recipe puts a Mexican spin on your average grilled boneless chicken breasts.

Ingredients:
4 boneless chicken breasts
2 poblano peppers
2 cans enchilada sauce
1 8 oz. block of pepper jack cheese, grated (or buy it grated cheese already- make this easy on yourself!)
2 8” X 8” aluminum pans for roasting the chicken
Corn- 4-5 ears
1 package flour tortillas, this recipe will utilize approximately 8

Heat the grill

After the grill is heated, make sure to add the poblano peppers first – they take the longest to cook

Put chicken and corn on the grill
cook chicken for approximately 6-8 minutes each side (this is going to vary depending on how hot your grill is so keep that in mind)
Put one can of enchilada sauce in each aluminum pan
Put the pans on the grill and let the sauce get hot
Transfer chicken once it is 3/4 done into the enchilada sauce pans
Pull the peppers off the grill and take them inside. Place them in a paper bag to steam them for a few minutes and this will make the skin easier to remove.
Now, slice the poblano peppers and divide them equally to be placed on each chicken breast.
Add cheese to the chicken/poblano creation.
While the cheese on the chicken melts, toast the flour tortillas on the grill.

Once the cheese is good and melted, the corn and tortillas should also be ready to take off the grill.

Serve chicken breasts with ample amounts of sauce, corn and grilled tortillas for mopping up all the yummy sauce. Massive amounts of hot sauce recommended.

Salud!

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There’s not too much to grilling oysters, and thank God for that. I like to leave the high maintenance stuff to other people (!!!) Anyway, preheat the grill to medium/medium high. Basically, get the grill hot. Throw your oysters on and shut the lid, grill the oysters until they pop open. As the first ones open up, I put them on the top basket/bread area of the grill so they stay warm but don’t stay on the direct heat.

Jalapeno Butter Sauce
1/2 cup white wine
1/3 cup butter
6 cloves garlic
1-2minced jalapenos, depending on how heatness desired
sea salt/pepper

Suate the onions in the butter. Add the wine and simmer for 7-10 minutes, letting some of the liquid reduce down. Add the jalapenos and garlic, simmer a little longer…

Pour sauce on top of the opened oysters. Enjoy!!

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As I mentioned in my previous blog, I said that Ricky’s Lounge and Restaurant was a former strip club. This is not technically true. We have never actually confirmed that it was, we only assumed (one of my former bosses used to say “never ASS-U-ME, it makes an ASS out of U and Me,”) that is was a strip club in its previous life. This is because it has no windows, you must enter through a side door, the bar is very large, the type where someone could do a dance and possibly a split/cartwheel on it, and well, there is a large POLE, yes, POLE, attached to the end of it.

So, as to not commit libel, I have no idea if Ricky’s lounge was ever previously a strip club or not. But, if it was, I would like it that much better because, well, Ricky’s is the bomb and that would just make it even more likable and funny.

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