Fare for the family table
No new recipe today, just a word of thanks to all of you "Oui, Chef" readers out there who are all such a big part of what we do here on our little blog.
We wish you all a fabulous holiday filled with family, friends, a great feast, and lots of love!
For those of you still doing some last minute Thanksgiving cooking, click HERE to get the recipe for the Gingered Cranberry Fig Chutney pictured above, a perfect addition to your Thanksgiving feast.
Cheers – Steve
The Farm Bill, yet another victim of our government shut-down.
On October 1st, the day when our do-little Congress decided to hijack the federal government and shut a chunk of it down like a kid throwing a tantrum, the Farm Bill also expired. Sadly, the bill's expiration garnered hardly any press as there were more exciting stories to cover, like watching Senator Ted Cruz reciting Dr. Seuss' "Green Eggs and Ham" ad naseum in front of an empty Senate chamber.
No, you aren't hallucinating, the title of this post is ONION Carbonara, and yes, I already know what you're thinking because I thought the same thing too when I first heard about this dish.
"He must be insane…there's no way anybody would eat a whole bowl of onions masquerading as pasta, I don't care how much bacon and cream you throw at it!"
That's right, I thought those exact same thoughts so I know where you're at, but stay with me because as odd sounding as this dish is, it totally rocks.
Ahhhh – Coq Au Vin, is there any dish more French than this one?
Well….yes, there are plenty of other foods that scream France, like Beef Bourguignon, Tartiflette, Confit de Canard, and Cassoulet, but when it comes to everyday fare few match the simplicity, deliciousness and charm of Coq Au Vin.
For those of you unfamiliar with Food Day you should go check them out, and join their ranks like I have. Food Day is comprised of a great group of individuals and organizations all working together to improve our nation's food policies as they relate to health and nutrition, hunger, agricultural policy, animal welfare, and farm worker justice…..yeah, they keep busy over there.
While you're on the site be sure to check out their blog where you'll find a just published interview with yours truly. Their terrific writer, Deanna Bryce, and I had a nice chat about cooking with kids, click HERE to read all about it yourself.
Cheers – Steve
Can anyone out there think of two words that go together better than the two in the title of this post?
No….neither can I.
Back in the heady days of Charcutepalooza, I missed the bacon making challenge as I was a few weeks late to the game. Ever since, I've been dying to try my hand at it and see how much better bacon could be when crafted at home, from scratch. As luck would have it I had two critical pieces of the bacon making puzzle fall into my lap over the past months. First, my parents bought me a cool, fire-engine red Brinkmann Electric Smoker for Christmas (thanks, M&D!), then my friend Alicia turned me on to a great new artisanal butcher shop in Somerville called M.F. Dulock. Everything looked so good at Dulock that it took all my will not to buy out the entire shop! I was a good boy and bought only the pork belly and a handful of delicious lamb rib chops for dinner that night. But in the words of our country's most famous philandering Governor, I've no doubt that…."I'll be back".
Jasper White is a culinary icon here in the Northeast. He was one of a handful of chefs back in the 1980s who helped to elevate Boston's restaurant scene from 2 star to 5 star status. His fine dining restaurant, Jasper's, quickly became the pinnacle of seafood dining in the city. When he tired of the Michelin Star demands of his success, he closed Jasper's and became the Executive Chef of the famed Legal Seafoods group, helping them expand their offerings from stodgy fish and chip fare to a more modern, healthy take on all things from the sea.
These days Jasper is at the helm of his Summer Shack restaurant chain, family friendly joints that once again highlight his mastery of seafood, but this time stripped of all the pretense of his fine dining days. Suffice to say, Jasper White has become a trusted source for us in all matters fishy, and his recipes never…ever fail.
No recipe today, just a quick note to wish you all a Happy Holiday Season and to let you know how grateful we all are that you choose to spend part of your busy cyber-life here with us at Oui, Chef.
As we settle in with family for a delightfully white Christmas, and we all take a few moments to count our blessings, we'll certainly take a moment to thank all or our Oui, Chef family for your enthusiasm and support, without you we wouldn't have nearly as much fun here as we do with you along for the ride.
This year, we'll also be sending special prayers to all in the world who are suffering greatly, even as we enjoy our most bountiful holidays. Whether they be in Newtown, CT. or Aleppo, Syria we extend to them our deepest wishes for a 2013 full of peace, healing and grace.
Signing off for a few days now, we'll see you next year!
Cheers – Steve
I'm sorry to be a few days late in announcing this, but out of the 34 commenters for our "Riley's Vinaigrette" post, Jessica has been randomly selected to win one of OXO's gorgeous new Salad Dressing Shakers.
Jessica, please write back to me through the "Contact Me" link at the top of this page and provide me with your shipping address so that I can get your shaker on its way to you.
For those of you that didn't win, don't despair. I just heard from my friends at OXO that they are going to make a couple more shakers available to us for another giveaway, so you may yet have a chance to win one. We are already busy working up a new recipe to showcase the awesomeness of the OXO shaker, and as soon as we have one we'll be back with another giveaway post, so stay tuned.
If it's just too hard to wait, OXO tells me that the shakers are now available on the market where all cool OXO goods are sold, or you can go straight to OXO and order one HERE.
Congratulations, Jessica, I'm sure you'll you enjoy many years of delicious salads with your new OXO Salad Dressing Shaker.
Cheers – Steve
It's been a while since we've had brussels sprouts around here so when I saw some small, lovely ones at the market the other day I just had to buy them. For those of you out there like me that HATED them as a kid, I urge you to give them another try. If your childhood experience with the little buggers was anything like mine, and you submitted to eating overcooked, sour, disintegrating slug-like morsels whenever your mom whipped them up (sorry mom, I know that's the way everyone cooked them back then), then it's time to give them another try.
