Miami/Homestead Race day (Pre-Thanksgiving Practice)

A few friends got together on Sunday for the Miami/Homestead NASCAR race.  The last race of the season.  Being so close to Thanksgiving (and Chris needed to practice cooking for a group) we decided to have a “practice” Thanksgiving dinner.  We needed to see if Chris’ cooking would qualify for the big Turkey Day.  

Once we were all gathered at the house and the beers were flowing freely, we fired up the deep fryer.  Chris decided he knew how to roast a turkey and only needed practice with the frying.  No complaints here.  We got the oil on the flame (Note: Please follow all safety precautions when frying a turkey).  To prepare, Chris had soaked the turkey for 24 hours in a brine of water, salt, sugar, and fresh herbs and spices (He wouldn’t tell me, which means he couldn’t remember what he used).  After soaking, he removed the turkey from the brine and thoroughly dried it.  If the bird is still wet when you put it in the oil it can be very dangerous.   Once the oil was up to temp (350º) we slowly lowered the bird into the fryer.  Once fully submerged, we set the timer for 1 hour.  Then we returned to the kitchen to prepare the sides.

The side dishes included home made stuffing, corn casserole, and mashed potatoes.  All three were Chris’ own home made recipe.  Once the sides were complete and the bird was done it was removed from the oil and allowed to rest breast side down for 10-15 minutes.  Then the carving began.  Two guys worked feverishly over the turkey to get it carved up.

Once the turkey was carved and the sides were completed, the plating began.  Here is my plate with a dusting of black pepper over just about the entire plate.

The turkey was perfect.  The skin was nice and crispy with an earthy underlying flavor of fresh herbs from the brine.  Every bite was juicy and full of flavor.  The corn casserole was unique, and very tasty.  From what I can tell it was a mixture of corn and cheese (possibly several different kinds) and some seasonings.  The cheese was mild and creamy and every bit of corn burst in my mouth adding both texture and flavor.  The stuffing was made with toasted bread cubes, ground sausage, home made chicken stock, and seasonings consisting of salt, pepper, and herbs.  The stock was just poured over the top of the uncooked stuffing and not stirred in.  It was then baked until the top started to brown and it was hot all the way through.  Then it was stirred before serving.  This method added a very nice texture to the stuffing as some cubes of bread were soft from the stock and some were more toasted from the heat of the oven.  It was delicious.  Finally, the mashed potatoes.  They were smoother than I usually make them and the skins had been removed.  They were still very tasty, especially after topping them with some turkey gravy.

All in all, it was a good practice lap for Thanksgiving.  Even Sparky got to eat some! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

The Chowder Pot III - Branford, CT

The wife and I went out to the Chowder Pot III in Branford, CT for dinner.  We were joined by my mother.  I have worked at this restaurant in the past, so maybe my opinion is a bit biased.  But, I do have to say these few things before I get into the food.  First, this is one of the cleanest kitchens I’ve worked in.  Granted I did not work too many Friday/Saturday dinner shifts when the kitchen was the busiest.  Second, the wait staff here always seems friendly, although not too swift.  And third, you get what you pay for.  The prices may be a tad high, but you get extremely generous portions.  Some dishes are almost “family style”.

Now to the best part of eating out, the food.  Every sit down meal at the Chowder Pot III starts off with a loaf of freshly baked honey bread.  These loaves are baked fresh every day (from what I remember).  They are glazed with a sticky honey butter that is to die for.  They should give you a side to dip your bread in rather than butter.

We skipped appetizers and went straight to dinner.  My mother got the fried clam strip platter.  In case you can’t tell, that’s just a gigantic plate of clam strips.  These clams are not your run of the mill prefab frozen clam strips.  They are freshly breaded and fried to order.  As are the oysters, whole bellies, etc…  And of course, the baked potato and vegetable medley for sides. 

The wife got her usual chicken teriyaki.  We don’t go to this restaurant often, and she claims this to be the best chicken teriyaki in town, so when we go, she gets it.  You get two large breasts of chicken grilled to perfection and topped with a sweet and salty teriyaki sauce, fresh green onions, and an orange garnish.  And, the same sides as Mom.  The chicken was perfectly cooked with no pink in the center, yet was still extremely juicy and tender.  I don’t think they make the sauce in house, but it is 10x better than anything you can buy in the store.  It is thick, more like a glaze than a watery sauce.

As for my dish, I went with the Cajun catfish.  This dish was awesome.  The catfish was nice and fresh.  They pan sear it on the bottom of a cast iron skillet which gives it a unique flavor, almost like fire grilling, but doesn’t fall apart.  Chowder Pot uses a house blend of dry spices mixed with a touch of oil to create almost a paste.  They slather the Cajun paste on the fish and then cook.  Due to the high temperature of the cast iron, the spices form a crust on the fish, yet seal in the natural juices so the fish doesn’t dry out.  The more you chew it, the more flavor bursts into your mouth.  

I also got the same sides. The potato was your run of the mill potato.  Nothing special.  The vegetable medley, while good in flavor (can’t go wrong with butter), was over cooked.  The vegetables were soggy and had little consistency to them.  And, I didn’t get any broccoli.  

Over all, a good experience.  I realize that these pictures make the presentation look slightly unappealing.  Up close and in person the plating of these dishes are more appetizing.  Chowder Pot III in Branford, CT is a great place fora nice sit down seafood meal.  They can accommodate large parties, and even have live music a few nights a week.  To me, it’s a good “once in a while” place.  

Mediterranean Pt VI (Final)

This was the last stop on our trip and let me tell you, we saved the best for last.  The entire trip both the wife and I were looking forward to seeing (and tasting) Tuscany.  “Under the Tuscan Sun” is one of her favorite movies.  Wine and dried cured meats are some of my favorite foods.  Tuscany embodies everything I expected out of Italy.  At first I thought to myself “All those beautiful pictures you see of vineyards and endless hills must be the nice part of Tuscany.”  From what I saw (we drove for hours through the countrywide) it ALL looks like that with a vineyard visible on every hillside.  The beautiful farmhouses nestled in the hills amongst the cypress trees and fields of wild poppies filled the hillsides.  We passed by Andre Boccelli’s house and an outdoor amphitheater with posters announcing his show the following week … I love this place.

We started our Tuscan adventure in San Gimignano which is the home of the world’s BEST gelato.  Or, so the sign says.  We will get to that in a second.  Our first stop was at a café for a cappuccino and a cannoli.  I did not get pictures of them but this is the display case in the café filled with premade ready to grill paninis.

We walked around for a while trying to find places that my wife and Pam would recognize from the movie.  After searching we found a place called Pluripremiata Gelateria.  This was it!  This is what I had heard rumblings about on the trip here.  I thought Venice was supposed to have the best gelato but it turns out that it is right here in San Gimignano.

Being the food connoisseur that I am, I wasn’t going to take their word for it.  The flavor choices seemed endless.  With our friends Tom & Pam anxious to explore the tastes and smells of our discovery, Tom decided on the Nutella gelato, and so did I.  I had just eaten a Nutella crepe in France, but you can’t go wrong with chocolate and hazelnut.  Gelato is very similar to ice cream.  The difference is that it is not whipped so there is much less air in it making it a much more dense (read: heavy) dessert food.  Since I was sharing with my wife, I went for the medium.  It was an overcast rainy day but that didn’t stop me from eating this amazingly delicious frozen treat.  

Full hazelnuts were covered in fudgy dark chocolate and large chunks of chewy chocolate all throughout the dish.  Almost every bite had a hazelnut in it.  The ones that didn’t were filled with chocolate.  It was a remarkable midmorning snack.

As we headed to our next destination (a farmhouse in the countryside of Livorno), we passed several more vineyards and a prison.  If I were incarcerated this is where I would want to go.  The views were spectacular.  When we arrived at our meal location we were introduced to the owner and his family.  We sat at a family style dining table and were served fresh olives.  We then did a little wine tasting with three distinct wines made on the premises.  The first was a fruity Chardonnay.  It was very light and had a very nice slightly tart and very sweet aftertaste.  The next two were Cabernets.  The first was younger than the second one.  They were both full bodied and smooth, with the older one having a slightly earthier and deeper finish.  Then one of the most delicious meals I’ve ever eaten was served to me.  First came the pasta ragu, fresh penne rigate with a thick meaty sauce.  This is not your mothers meat sauce.  The ragu was mostly ground meat with very light tomatoes and fresh seasonings.  Next was the salad consisting of freshly grown lettuce (I believe it was from the family farm) with light vinaigrette dressing.  We were then served fresh bruschetta and Tuscan garlic bread.  The bruschetta tasted like I was eating it in the garden.  The vegetables were so fresh and full of flavor; I’m pretty sure they were picked that morning.  The Tuscan garlic bread was grilled fresh bread rubbed with garlic and olive oil.

Following that came the main course.  Although I was stuffed full of gelato, olives, pasta, and bread, I started to salivate when this came out.

The cheeses are two different aged pecorino cheeses made from goat milk.  They were aged 9 months and 18 months.  They were rich, creamy, and paired perfectly with the local prosciutto and salami that was served beside it.  These dried meats were by far the best I have ever had.  The owner of the vineyard worked with a local farmer who made the prosciutto and salami a few miles down the road.  The prosciutto was dry and salty, just like it should be.  The fat melted away in my mouth giving every bite of food a burst of flavor.  The salami acted in similar fashion.  The peppery seasonings hit the tip of your tongue as the fat dissipated into a flavor wave over my entire mouth.  I had found the most amazing food I had ever eaten in my life.  Maybe I’m a little biased because I am Italian.  Maybe I hyped up Tuscany in my mind so much that no matter what I ate, it would be amazing.  I don’t care.  I want to go back.

After the feast we were served an almond biscotti and an aperitif wine made from honey.  It was similar to mead but not milled with spices.  It was also much thicker and more concentrated.  As people were leaving the dining room to go and walk off the meal Tom and I went back for wine.  

The rest of our day in Tuscany was filled with excitement.  We went to Volterra and saw some guys dressed up as knights preparing to reenact some important historical event.  Tom and I both got shit on by pigeons and were told its good luck.  I could write a book on what I saw and learned in Volterra.  Churches, towers, wars, foot races, vampires, etc… Volterra is a very old settlement dating back to the Neolithic era.    The ruins date back to 700 B.C.There’s a lot that has happened here.  Let’s just leave it at that. 

Sadly, our Mediterranean vacation was over.  We headed back to Rome, hopped on a plane, and flew back to the States.  The memories that were made during this amazing trip will last a lifetime.  We met new friends, saw spectacular places, and ate some of the most amazing foods I have ever put in my mouth.  We hope to be able to travel like this again sometime in the near future.  Until then, I guess I’ll have to deal with American food.