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Irish Shepherd’s Pie

Traditionally, the Irish did not eat beef.  You know that around March 17, the grocery stores pull out their haul of plastic coated, pre-spiced, corned beef and pair it next to a hug bin of cabbages, at dirt cheap prices.  Add that to a lovely Guinness display & you have an American marketing dream!

Truthfully, the Irish people could not afford beef.  Cow were used to work the fields and only slaughtered when they were too old to do so.  They were considered a wealthy man’s meal and also considered sacred due to legends passed down for hundreds of years of three sacred cows.  One of these was named Bo-Fin and was destined to fill Ireland with the greatest cattle ever seen.

Lamb was more likely a regular staple on an Irish table, along with potatoes and root vegetables in a hearty stew or pie.  When St. Patricks Day comes around, my Irish-Scot family prefer to celebrate with a tasty Shepherd’s Pie & an imported Irish beer!

Shepherds Pie

Filling:

• 1.5 lbs ground lamb
• 1 white onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 2 tbsp flour
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 cup beef or chicken broth
• 1 tsp Worcester Sauce
• 1 tbsp Rosemary, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp thyme, finely chopped
• 1.5 cups frozen peas & carrots mix, defrosted

Topping:

• 1.5 lbs peeled & cubed russet potatoes
• 1/2 -cup milk (or cream!)
• 4 tbsp butter softened
• 1 egg yolk
• salt & pepper

Boil the cubed potatoes for approximately 15 minutes until cooked then drain them.  Warm the milk, add the butter  & add to the potatoes and mash thoroughly. Stir in the yolk and add salt & pepper to taste then put aside.

Heat oil in a pan and brown onion.  Add garlic and cook until translucent.  Add ground lamb and cook thoroughly.  Add salt and pepper and then sprinkle flour over meat and stir thoroughly before adding tomato paste, broth, herbs and Worcester.  Bring all of it to a boil then reduce to low and let simmer 10 minutes until sauce thickens.  Add peas & carrots mix.

Pour meat mixture into 11×7 cooking dish or casserole. Spoon mashed potatoes on top, making sure to completely cover the entire top of the meat mixture to the sides, creating a seal, and smooth with a spatula or your hands.

Bake at 400, on a cookie sheet, for 20 minutes or until top of potatoes begin to slightly brown. Let cool 15 minutes before serving with a good Irish ale or stout!

Sláinte & Lá Fhéile Pádraig Sona Daoibh!

Continue reading »]]> Whenever I see a list of the top places to eat, the best burger list, foods you must experience before you die, I am like a moth flying towards the light bulb. I cannot resist clicking on the list, yet inevitably, I am burned. Either it is because I have never been to the city and restaurant in question or there is no way I would ever consider eating a delicacy that has gone through some arcane process that makes the experience more akin to an episode of Bizarre Foods.

Me with Alton Brown at a book signing at Barnes & Noble

Unlike many of these lists of foods you must try, I really do believe that my list is neither pretentious or bordering on food snobbery.  In no way is my list of food and drink comprehensive or definitive as an experience. It is more a of a list of foods that either I consider to be “comfort food”, an experience that provides me an image of a time and place other than right now, a food that I will never tire of eating or in some instances where the homemade version / made from scratch example is far superior to anything that mass produced in a food processing plant.

Bill’s List of Foods & Drink to Experience:

1. Scrapple

2. Homemade Raviolis

3. Steak Tartar

4. Kischka (Polish Blood Sausage)

5. Bahn Mi (Vietnamese Sandwich)

6. Balinese Style Fish

7. Sea Scallops with Vermouth, Artichokes and Capers

8. Reuben Sandwich (Deli Style)

9. Rib Eye Steak

10. Sushi

11. Raw Oysters on the Half Shell

12. New York Style Thin Crust Pizza

13. Pot Stickers

14. Peking Duck

15. Bagels / French Bread & Lox

16. Barbeque Pork Ribs

17. Caviar

18. Chicken Poblano

19. Heirloom / Homegrown Tomatoes

20. Pastrami on Rye

21. Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich

22. Jack Fruit

23. Chicken Liver Pate

24. Marmite

25. Homemade Ice Cream

26. Pilsner Beer

27. Homemade / Artisan Italian Sausage

28. Bennachin

29. Bangers & Mash

30. Lamb Chops

31. Chicken Rice (Hainan)

32. Mashi

33. Falafel Sandwich

34. Broiled Portabella Mushroom & Blue Cheese

35. Fresh Picked Bing Cherries

36. Fresh Apple Cider

37. Crab Cake (Chesapeake Style – No Filler)

38. Calf Liver

39. Paella

40. Tapioca

41. Chocolate Malt Milk Shake

42. Amarone (Italian Wine – Sun Dried Grapes)

43. Italian Water Ice

44. Cannoli’s with Real Ricotta

45. Corned Beef, Cabbage, Carrots and Potatoes

46. Boudin

47. Garden Tomato, Mayonnaise and Cheese Sandwich

48. Canned Pineapple Juice

49. Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice

50. Gravlax

51. Egg Cream

52. Patty Melt on Rye Bread

53. Microbrewery Beers

54. Fresh Salad from the Garden

55. Homemade Bread

56. Chicago Style Hotdog

As I remember or experience a food that provides me with that mouthwatering experience, I will add it to the list to be shared or when an article is posted, create a link.

What foods or drink you have experienced that would go on your list?

Continue reading »]]> We recently had our first visitor (Bill) in Copenhagen, and I looked around for some uniquely Danish food we could have for lunch. I came across a few reviews of a place down at Nyhavn, called Nyhavn’s Færgekro (literally Nyhavn’s Ferry Inn) that serves a herring buffet (sildebord) at lunchtime and at this time of year, Nyhavn should be too busy as the tourist season hasn’t started yet.

A selection of herring

Nyhavn’s Færgekro is a tall light blue coloured building at the end of Nyhavn closer to Kongens Nytorv. The restaurant looked quite busy, and though there were seats outside, it was a bit chilly. Next time we should maybe make a reservation, because as well as a pretty full restaurant, there was a private function going on in part of the restaurant.

Nyhavn’s Faergekro

If the idea of 10 different types of herring (or sild in Danish) is not your thing, there are plenty of other things on the menu, including Smørrebrød (Danish Open Sandwiches), salads, and burgers, but were else were we going to try different types of herring. We ordered some beer, what else goes with herring, and walked downstairs to start sampling the array of herring. Given that it was quite busy, it took a little while to work our way around the buffet without bumping into our patrons.

The buffet selection included hot and cold options of marinated herring, herring in cream sauces with herbs, fried herring with horseradish and caviar, rullemops, smoked herring, baby potatoes, rugbrod, chopped chives, red onions, dripping, butter, crunchy pork rinds, etc. Since none of us know Danish, the menu is in English as well, to help us know the different types of herring we were eating. Apart from one type of cured herring, that was very salty, we enjoyed pretty much all the options, but I think we all agreed that the best was the ‘Sol over Gudhjem’, which was the smoked herring with a raw egg yolk, chopped red onions and chives.

Some more herring

After our 2nd helping I asked if we could sample some aquavit, which also goes well with herring. The waitress brought across a basket of different flavoured aquavits for us to choose from and filled the glasses to the absolute top.

If you’re ever in Copenhagen, I can certainly recommend Færgekro for experiencing a nice restaurant and as much herring as you could ever image, and at 119Kr it is pretty good value for money.

Aquavit

Continue reading »]]> Recently I had the opportunity to visit Lagos, Nigeria for work. As a part of any new experience for me, I like to sample the local food and try the locally brewed beer if at all possible. Without question, the most obvious locally brewed beer in Nigeria is Star Lager Beer. As with most breweries around the world, there is an affiliation to a larger, more well-known brewery company. Star Lager is no exception; it is brewed by a partially owned Heineken subsidiary named Nigerian Breweries.

Is Star Lager one of the Top 10 Best Beers that I have drunk? No, it is not. Is it one of the Bottom 10 Worse Beers that I have drunk? No it is not. So what makes Star Lager worthy enough to write a post?

Bottle and Glass of Star Lager Beer

The simple answer is the weather. The winter temperature for Lagos, Nigeria is a humid 90 degrees Fahrenheit / 32 degrees Celsius during the day and dropping down to 78 degrees Fahrenheit / 26 degrees Celsius at night. Not exactly weather where I am craving a Bock, Stout or even a heavy Lager. Star Lager is a Pale Lager that is light on the hops with a crisp and clean finish when drinking. What separated this beer from many other beers that I have drunk in warm weather is that even as the temperature of the beer rises, the taste does not go off. We have all drunk a beer that when it comes close to room / outdoor temperature, you are seriously considering opening a new bottle versus finishing the last few sips remaining in the bottle or glass.

Over the years I have sampled the local beers in climates that are considered more hot and humid then temperate and comfortable. Unfortunately, many of these beers even if drinkable when cold are closer to swill when the beer is warm. A few beers come to mind; Julbrew from The Gambia, Stella from Egypt, Gulder from Nigeria and sadly many of beers brewed by the beer giants in the United States.

There are two additional notes worthy of mention in this post. The first is that not only does Star Lager hold up in warmer weather, but it is typically served in a 500ml bottle, which makes for the chances of the beer becoming warm before you finish greater. The second note is that due to restrictions in importing barley into Nigeria, Nigerian breweries have had to substitute sorghum for barley. With Stare Lager I would not have known about this substitution if I had not read about it when researching for information for this post.

View of Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria from Hotel Balcony

So if you find yourself in Lagos, Nigeria and after navigating through Immigration and Customs and the unique traffic congestion of the city, asking for a Star Lager from the hotel bar tender over a locally brewed Heineken is a good choice and will not have you running to the bathroom to brush the skunk of a warm beer from your mouth.

Continue reading »]]> It has been a little while since I’ve posted anything on ‘We are not foodies‘, but I have just moved from Houston, Texas to Copenhagen, Denmark, and over the last couple of months I’ve been busy preparing for the move, as well as a quick trip to Mexico. However I’m not sure why Bill has been so slack with his posts

The day before I left Houston, I had to make one last visit to my all time favourite burger joint in Houston, Bubba’s Texas Burger Shack . Bubba’s is always in the top 10 best burger lists for houston and has stood the test of time for over 25 years. Bubba’s is literally under US-59 Southwest Freeway, and the first time I visited, I drove straight past, not expecting a shack under the highway. The name should have given me a clue, but don’t let this put you off. However the location isn’t the only unique thing about Bubba’s. As well as standard beef burgers, they serve highly recommended buffalo (bison) burgers, the serve bottled beer, old fashioned soda, but no fries. Not that you will need fries anyway, as the burgers are more than satisfying by themselves. On top of that, if you like the burgers you can buy some paties to take home for your freezer.

Bubba’s Texas Burger Shack

I had the buffalo bacon cheeseburger with everything on it. It comes out wrapped in paper and a small U.S. flag to hold it together. This is a two hand burger, i.e. you’ll need both hands to keep it together. Though buffalo meat is leaner than beef and similar in fat to turkey it is healthier for you, and Bubba’s manages to keep the patty moist without drying it out. Also buffalo meat tastes more like beef used to taste years ago, so you end up with a tastier burger.

Bubba’s Buffalo Burger

It will take a long time for me to find a burger as tasty as Bubba’s and a location with as much character.

Continue reading »]]> In most grocery stores, either positioned next to the packaged fresh cuts of pork or nestled near the bacon and breakfast sausage are these amazingly versatile, individually packaged, thick center cut, bone in, sliced, fully cooked ham steaks that are truly under appreciated. Whereas most of us are familiar with bacon and breakfast sausage, the ham steak is not only a great option for breakfast, but can also be used for a variety of other meals for any time of the day.

Packaged Thick Cut Bone In Ham Steak

Whether pan fried and served with eggs, diced into an omelet or placed between a split biscuit, a ham steak is great option for breakfast. A ham steak is also a great alternative to the typical deli meat for lunch. It is whole muscle versus formed and holds up extremely well in a heated sandwich. As an option for dinner, it can be used either as it is, served with steamed vegetables, a salad or partnered with a casserole. It also is great diced and added to homemade fried rice.

Regardless on when and how you choose to use a ham steak, because they are cured, they may be too salty for some people. The simplest way to remove some of the salt is to soak the steak in water for 5 – 10 minutes to extract some of the salt from the meat.

I like my ham steak with fried eggs for a late Sunday morning breakfast. Since the ham steak is already cooked, preparing the ham is a simple activity that makes cooking breakfast that much easier.

Preparing a Ham Steak:

1. Open the package and drain the ham juices. If you believe that the ham steak will be too salty, soak the steak in water for 5 – 10 minutes.
   

   Thick Cut Bone In Ham Steak

2. Although a whole ham steak pan fried is a nice picture, I cut the ham steak along the natural lines of the muscle into smaller pieces.
3. In a skillet on medium heat, heat the ham for about 5 minutes.
   

   Ham Steak Pieces in a Skillet

4. Flip the ham steak over to evenly heat the meat.
   

   Ham Steak Heated in a Skillet

5. At this time, I typically add a little water top the skillet to distribute the flavors cooked out of the ham and provide a nice glazing from the curing juices.
6. After another five minutes, the ham steak will be thoroughly heated and can be served. At this point I will flip the ham steak on more time, turn off the heat and then cook the eggs for the meal.
   

   Ham Steak Fully Heated in a Skillet

On the east coast I grew up eating ham steak for breakfast on special occasions and have had my fair share of ham steak at breakfast in restaurants in the south. For me, of all the breakfast meats, a ham steak is the most versatile regardless of the meal and time of day.

Ham Steak Ready to Eat

Continue reading »]]> Walk through the grocery store and you will see an abundance of oils, vinegars and even alcohol infused with herbs and vegetables. Included in this vast selection of flavored liquids for food, are vegetable oils infused with a variety of chilies (hot peppers). The combinations are definitely enticing, but the price can be expensive. Honestly, I do not use vinegar and oil infusions that often to fill my pantry and refrigerator with numerous bottles of flavors that may be used at best a few times a year.

Recently at a restaurant on the table, there was a bottle of olive oil infused with chili flakes. I was looking to add a little flavor to the meal I was eating and was impressed with the warm heat provided by the chili oil. The effect of the chili infused olive oil was the subtle flavor and heat of the chilies without the sometimes overpowering result of using a hot sauce, Tabasco; a chili paste, Sambal, or too much vinegar flavor with Tapatio or Louisiana Hot Sauce.

Red Chilies Picked from the Garden

Recently, I was attempting to replicate the meal that I had eaten and knew that I wanted to include the chili infused olive oil with the meal. Since the molecule capsaicin is the active ingredient in chilies / hot peppers and is soluble in oil, vinegar and alcohol; I was curious on whether or not I could quickly make a small batch of chili oil for the meal that I was preparing?

Fortunately, I still have chili peppers growing in the garden so I picked the peppers that were red knowing that I would not use all of them for the chili oil. Those that I did not use were placed in the freezer for future use. If you do not grow your own chili peppers, then there is typically some variety of chili pepper available at the grocery store.

I selected about nine chili peppers (they were small, so you might want to consider using less if you are using larger chili peppers).

Chilies on a Cutting Board

With a knife, I chopped them small; flesh, skin and membrane with only the tops being discarded.

Chopped Chilies

In a small bowl I added the chopped chili peppers to about ½ Cup of Olive Oil (any vegetable oil would be fine) and then stirred the chopped chili peppers to speed up the process of infusion. I did not add salt, but I cannot think of a reason why you could not add some salt to expand upon the flavor.

Olive Oil Infused with Chopped Chilies

The infusion of olive oil and chopped chili peppers steeped for an hour with me occasionally stirring the mixture. Right before I was ready to use the chili oil with the meal, I strained the chopped chilies with a small wire strainer. The olive oil was infused with the heat and flavor of the chilies without being too overpowering, hot or spicy.

Chili Oil with the Chilies Strained

The success of this last minute creation of chili oil is that the effort of adding additional flavor to a meal does not require a kitchen full of purchased unique and special infusions of herbs, spices and vegetables in oil, vinegar or alcohol. Instead, with some planning, you can create the intended flavor and experience that you desire without spending a lot of money on specialty products.

Continue reading »]]> Pin Wheel Cookies are self-explanatory in their appearance, but the one thing that I have learned over the years is that every family that bakes them for the holiday season has their own interpretation on the ingredients used. For the pinwheel cookies that have been made in our family, Dates and Pecans are the primary ingredients. All I know is that they are from my father’s side of the family, but at that point, I do not know if they are from either his French-Canadian or Polish heritage.

Whole Dates

The difficulty in determining their origin within the family history is that the two primary ingredients are Pecans and Dates. Neither ingredient is indigenous to either of these two cultures. Pecans originated in the southern United States and Dates have been cultivated throughout the Middle East and North Africa for thousands of years. It is very possible that at one time, in lieu of Pecans, Walnuts were used; but I cannot fathom what was the ingredient used prior to Dates. What I do know is that traditionally among European cultures in centuries past, more exotic ingredients were used to make cookies and treats during the holiday season for it was a special time of year.

Shelled Pecans

I may know my way around the kitchen, but a baker and dessert maker I am not. I have made these cookies many times and even the first batch was not difficult. All that is required is patience and to not deviate from the technique of rolling out the cookie dough. The pinwheel cookie in best described as a “jelly roll” cookie, where the dough is rolled out, the filling spread on top and then the entire cookie dough is rolled up into a log with the individual cookie be sliced from the cookie log.

Chopped Pecans

Although the recipe below is for one batch of pinwheel cookies, all pictures in this post is for a double batch.

Ingredients for the Filling:

• 8 – 10 Ounces of Pitted Dates (Whole or Chopped)

• ¼ Cup or Less of White Sugar

• ½ Cup of Water

• 6 Ounces of Pecans Finely Chopped (I like to chop whole Pecans. They tend to be more fresh)

Preparing the Filling:

1. In a sauce pan add the Dates, Sugar and Water on Medium Heat.
   

   Pinwheel Cookie Filling in Sauce Pan Before Heating

2. Stir until the Dates have broken down to a paste and the mixture has thickened. If the paste is too thick, then add one tablespoon at a time of warm water.
3. Add the chopped Pecans and completely mix the ingredients together.
   

   Pinwheel Filling (Dates, Pecans, Sugar and Water)

4. Set the sauce pan to the side.

Ingredients for the Cookie Dough:

• 2 Cups of White Flour

• ½ Cup of Butter

• ½ Cup of White Sugar

• ½ Cup of Brown Sugar

• ½ Teaspoon of Salt

• ½ Teaspoon of Baking Soda

• ½ Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract

• 1 Egg

Preparing the Cookie Dough:

1. Add the White Sugar, Brown Sugar, Butter, Eggs and Vanilla Extract in the Mixer.
   

   Pinwheel Dough Wet Ingredients Before Mixing

2. Mix the wet ingredients together.
   

   Pinwheel Dough Wet Ingredients Mixed

3. In a separate bowl, sift the Flour, Salt and Baking Soda together.
   

   Pinwheel Dough Dry Ingredients Sifted

4. Once the wet ingredients have been completely mixed, and then slowly add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl with the Mixer on low. In a few minutes the ingredients will have been transformed into cookie dough.
   

   Pinwheel Dough Mixed

Preparing the Cookie Roll:

1. Lay out a large sheet of wax paper, about 24 inches long.
2. Form the dough into a log in order to prepare equal size portions.
   

   Pinwheel Cookie Dough, 2 Batches

3. Cut the cookie dough into equal size portions.
   

   Pinwheel Cookie Dough, 2 Batches, 4 Portions

4. Place the first half of the cookie dough on the wax paper.
   

   Pinwheel Cookie Dough Portion to be Rolled Out

5. Fold the wax paper over the cookie dough and with a rolling pin roll out the dough until it is 1/8” – 1/4” thick with the width of the dough of uniform size for the entire length.
   

   Pinwheel Cookie Dough Rolled Out between Wax Paper

6. Pull back the wax paper and with a spatula, place an equal portion of filling on the rolled out cookie dough.
   

   Pinwheel Filling on Top of Rolled Out Cookie Dough

7. Spread the filling to a uniform thickness, leaving only a small edge at the top and bottom of the cookie dough sheet free of filling.
   

   Pinwheel Filling Layered on Top of Cookie Dough

8. Using the wax paper, lift the bottom edge of the cookie dough sheet and roll the dough onto itself until you have made a “jelly roll”.
   

   Rolling the Pinwheel into a Jelly Roll

9. Wrap the cookie log in the wax paper and place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours.
   

   Pinwheel Cookie Rolled into a Jelly Roll

10. Repeat the steps above for the second half of the cookie dough and filling.
    

    Pinwheel Jelly Roll Wrapped in Wax Paper

Baking the Pinwheel Cookies:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Remove the first cookie log from the refrigerator and unwrap the log onto a cutting board.
   

   Chilled Pinwheel Jelly Roll

3. Slice cookies, about 3/4” thick from the log. One log will generate about 15 cookies.
   

   Pinwheel Jelly Roll Sliced into Cookies

4. Place the raw cookies on parchment paper on a baking sheet.
   

   Pinwheel Cookies Ready to be Baked

5. Bake for about 10 – 12 minutes until the top of the cookie is light brown. The bottom of the cookie will brown quicker because of the sugar content in the filling and dough.
   

   Baked Pinwheel Cookies on Parchment Paper

6. Remove from the oven and allow the pinwheel cookie to cool prior to storing.
7. Repeat the process for the second cookie log while the first batch is baking.

Pinwheel cookies are a sweet remembrance of when with a little effort and the use of special ingredients not always available was made for the holiday season. They are not dipped in chocolate, nor covered in crushed candy canes. Pinwheel cookies are simply a cookie whose origin is lost in history, but representative of the time and effort made in kitchens decades ago to fill the holidays with a dozen or more home baked cookies to celebrate the season.

Pinwheel Cookies on a Cooling rack

Continue reading »]]> One of the great things about chicken is that the meat provides a perfect median in which to absorb the flavors of the seasoning applied. Now add to this the hours needed to roast or smoke a whole chicken and the ability for the meat to embrace the flavors is even more impressive. There was no time to brine the chicken nor did I have fresh herbs. I was staring at my spices and condiments then the idea of using hot sauce came to mind. I was seeking a subtle flavor versus a knock off your socks experience so when staring at the Tabasco Hot Sauce and the Tapatio Salsa Picante, I went for the Tapatio Salsa Picante.

Ingredients for Pollo de Tapatio in a Bowl

For those that have never used Tapatio, it is a mild hot sauce with a pleasant flavor, that can be used liberally when cooking but not so hot that the experience goes from enjoyable to too hot because of a few too many drops were added to the meal. A part of my decision was that in addition to the main meal itself, I was going to be making a chicken pot pie with the leftover meat and did not want the heat from the hot sauce to overpower the contents of the pot pie filling.

After removing the giblets for the gravy, thoroughly washing the bird inside and out and patting it dry I prepared the hot sauce mixture:

• 3 Tablespoons of Butter (softened)

• 3 Tablespoons of Tapatio Hot Sauce

• 3 Garlic Cloves Minced

Instructions to Prepare the Chicken:

1. Mix the ingredients together into a paste.
   

   Mixed Ingredients for Pollo de Tapatio

2. With the sharp point of the knife, make a couple of slits through the skin of the breasts, legs and thighs. This operations is far from neat, but the purpose is to insert as much of the mixture as possible under the skin. The intent is to distribute as much of the mixture between the skin and the meat.
   

   Tapatio, Garlic and Butter Under the Skin of the Chicken

3. Once you have placed as much of the mixture under the skin, then spread the remaining mixture on top of the chicken and liberally sprinkle more hot sauce on the skin of the whole chicken.
   

   Pollo de Tapatio Ready for Roasting

Roasting the Chicken:

For detailed steps on the time required and how to oven roast the perfect chicken, go to the following post: Roasting a Whole Chicken is Easy. The basic instructions are the following:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Cover the whole chicken with aluminum foil and place in the oven
3. For each pound of bird, roast for 20 minutes
4. 30 minutes before the bird is planned to be fully cooked, remove the aluminum foil.
5. Once the whole chicken is cooked, remove from the oven, cover with aluminum foil and allow to rest 15 – 20 minutes before carving.
   

   Roasted Pollo de Tapatio

The Pollo de Tapatio when I removed the bird from the oven had such an amazing aroma of spicy chilies, sharp garlic and warm butter. It was difficult to be patient and allow the roasted chicken to rest, but forced myself to not burn my fingers. Once the bird had rested, I began to carve the breast meat from the bone. The rubbing of the hot sauce mixture between the skin and meat and worked perfectly and with each slice there was the hint of hot sauce and garlic both visually and with each bite. It was a success contrived from wanting to do something different to season the chicken.

Roasted Chicken with Tapatio being Carved

There are an infinite number of seasoning combinations and I think it will be difficult to go back and repeat any one specific seasoning combination for the flavor options are without limits. Whether your whole chicken is brined with jalapenos, roasted with herbs or smoked with an aromatic wood, the results typically are better than average. Take a chance, look at the spices, herbs and condiments that you have in the kitchen and inspire yourself to make a great whole roasted chicken from non-traditional flavorings.

Continue reading »]]> One of the results of some recipes using eggs is that there is the need for the yolk, but not the egg white; i.e. making homemade ice cream. My personal issue is that I really dislike the idea of discarding the egg whites. Whether you call it frugal, thrifty or cheap, the reality is that you have paid for the entire egg so why discard half of what you purchased?

There are scores of uses for egg whites; souffles, macaroons, angel food cake or a meringue; but for a simple cook such as me, an egg white omelet is a perfect use for those leftover egg whites. It is only fair to disclose, that under no other circumstances would I ever consider making or ordering an egg white omelet unless there was egg whites leftover from another dish. Frugal I am, militant healthy eating I am not.

The flavor of egg whites is essentially neutral and when cooked are light and with incorporation of air through whisking make egg whites fluffy. With this knowledge, the question became what type of omelet should be made? Aside from the fact that there were green onions and some remaining Watonga Green Onion Cheddar Cheese in the refrigerator, I decided to make a Green Onion & Cheddar Cheese Omelet. If I had spinach, feta cheese and fresh tomatoes, I would have made a Greek Omelet. My thought is that an egg white omelet requires a subtlety of flavors, but then this is just my opinion.

For this omelet, there was 14 egg whites being used, but even I now know that this was too many egg whites to make into one omelet regardless of the size of the frying pan. In retrospect, a 6 egg white omelet would have been perfect.

Green Onion White Cheddar Cheese Shredded

Ingredients per Omelet:

• 5 – 7 Egg Whites (lightly whisked)

• 4 – 6 Green Onions (chopped)

• ½ Cup of Shredded White Cheddar (I used the Green Onion White Cheddar from the Watonga Cheese Factory)

• Butter or Bacon Fat

• Salt & Black Pepper to Taste

Instructions:

1. In a skillet / frying pan with a little bacon fat or butter, quickly sauté on Medium the chopped green onions for a few minutes so that the green onions have wilted.
   

   Green Onions Sauteed with Bacon Fat

2. Remove the sautéed green onions, wipe down the skillet and add a little bacon fat or butter and heat the skillet on Medium-High heat.
3. Once the bacon fat or butter has melted, pour in the whisked egg whites and allow them to set. Preparing an egg white omelet in reality is no different than a traditional omelet.
   

   Egg White Omelet Setting Up in a Skillet

4. Reduce the heat to Medium and carefully flip the egg white omelet over. There are those that prefer to cook the omelet from one side only, but my personal preference is to flip the omelet.
5. Add the sautéed green onions and shredded white cheddar to one half of the omelet and season to taste with salt and black pepper.
6. Fold the omelet over on itself and then if desired flip the omelet one more time to even distribute the heat.
7. Remove from the heat, serve with toast and sliced tomatoes if available.
   

   Green Onion, White Cheddar Cheese Egg White Omelet Served on top of Toast

As mentioned earlier in the post, I have never eaten an egg white omelet and I was pleased with the results. Not only was the omelet light and fluffy, but the neutral flavor of the egg whites allowed the subtle flavor of the green onions to be enjoyed. Aside from egg whites being high in protein, egg whites can also be frozen for an indefinite period of time allowing you to save your egg whites until you have enough to make an omelet or another recipe asking for egg whites only.