Entrees

Lobster Rolls – A Tale of Summers Past

June 28, 2011 By Steve Dunn Leave a Comment

This post was originally written as a guest post for my friend Greg over at SippitySup. He had asked a number of blogger friends to write some pieces on childhood summer memories that he could post in his absence while he vacationed. I know some of you read Greg's great blog, but for those who don't I thought I'd re-post this one here for you to enjoy. Cheers – Steve

My early childhood summers were fabulously routine, but never boring. I grew up in a typical New England “beach” town, so for me, summer travel required no more than a 4 mile trek.

Each summer vacation started the same, with Mom packing coolers of food and crates full of our summer duds (really nothing more than a few bathing suits and t-shirts), and loading them all into the Jeep. A quick stop in town for a tide chart, and a brief stint in the barber’s chair for a short, summer crew-cut, and we were on our way to Saquish.

Soy Braised Chicken with Star Anise and Orange

June 18, 2011 By Steve Dunn Leave a Comment

Remember a few days ago when I said that I didn't believe in food rules and that if I feel like cooking a braise in warm weather then I'm going to, rules be damned.

Well, here I am walking the walk, because while this dish would seem a natural today (it is about 55 degrees and raining as I write this post), when we made it a week ago it was in the upper 70s and the sun was shining brightly, not exactly the kind of weather that makes you think of a braise. I'm here to tell you though that this dish felt spot-on as we dined al fresco, watching the sun set over the beach, enjoying the chicken's Asian flavors along with a crisp green salad, some freshly baked bread and a glass of Sauvignon Blanc. Ain't no rules that can corral a dish as good as this, eat it when you want, with what you want, and with whomever you want.

Bangers and Mash with Guinness Onion Gravy – Charcutepalooza #6

June 15, 2011 By Steve Dunn Leave a Comment

It appears as though I jumped the gun and got a bit ahead of myself for last month's Charcutepalooza challenge when I made "stuffed" sausages. Marching orders from our lovely High-Preistesses of Pork, Cathy (Mrs. Wheelbarrow) and Kim (The Yummy Mummy) were for us just to "grind" meat into sausage, we were not required at that point to "stuff" said meat into casings, that is THIS month's challenge. If I were any good at all at following directions I would have caught that subtle detail, saved us a bit of work on this end, and formed our spicy merguez into patties rather than links. Oh well….I'm not complaining because our merguez-frites sandwich was an unqualified success and the practice we gained by stuffing the casings with our kitchen-aid meant that this month's challenge was that much easier, as we are now well seasoned stuffers.

As you've no doubt gleaned from the title of this post, this month's challenge takes us to the British Isles and one of the more famous of their silly named dishes.

What is it with these folks anyway, is it just me, or have they raised the craft of concocting strange names for dishes to a high art? Let's see there's "Bubble and Squeak", "Toad in the Hole", "Cullen Skink", "Black Pudding", "Bangers and Mash", and the ever popular "Spotted Dick". Excuse me?

Roasted Cod Caprese

June 2, 2011 By Steve Dunn 11 Comments

Given that we live within spitting distance of Cape Cod, you'd think finding a beautiful piece of the fish that lends it's name to this region wouldn't be too difficult a task. Sadly, most of the cod we see around here, even in the best retail fish markets, doesn't get me very excited these days. Sob….sob…sniffle…

Smoked-Tea Rubbed Steak with Mango Salsa

May 29, 2011 By Steve Dunn 15 Comments

I'm not a big fan of rules.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not some kind of anarchist or anything. I do believe in the rules that govern a civil society, and I'm not by any stretch a bad boy that flaunts our society's rules, or think myself above the consequences of breaking them.

It's food rules that I have a problem with.

Bacon and Egg Farro Risotto

May 25, 2011 By Steve Dunn 16 Comments

What is that old saying about dogs and tricks?

Oh yeah….”you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, and if by some lucky chance you do, you better be prepared to see him do the same stupid trick over and over and over, until he just about drives you to the nut house”.

You see, I AM an old dog, and ever since discovering a new egg poaching trick (first learned here), I’m staying up nights thinking of all the different ways I can use the lovely things. This dish, the second in as many weeks to highlight the eggs is, I’m afraid, just the start of my old dog doing a stupid new trick routine, ad-nauseum.

My apologies in advance.

Merguez Frites – Charcutepalooza #5

May 15, 2011 By Steve Dunn 23 Comments

“THE POWER AND THE GLORY: ANIMAL FAT, SALT, AND THE PIG COME TOGETHER IN ONE OF THE OLDEST, DIVINE-YET-HUMBLE CULINARY CREATIONS KNOWN TO HUMANKIND”………

So begins Chapter 4 of Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn’s fabulous book, “Charcuterie”, and to this, all I can say is…..amen, brothers. Never before has the beauty that is sausage been described more accurately and succinctly than Michael does here……I get goosebumps every time I read these words.

As you may have already guessed, the challenge this month laid down by the High-Mistresses of Charcutepalooza, Mrs. Wheelbarrow (Cathy), and The Yummy Mummy (Kim), was to craft homemade sausage. In doing so, we were to add to our growing list of experiences in all things charcuterie. So far we’ve hot smoked, brined, and salt cured, and for this month (at least for me), we’re breaking out the power tools for a little “grinding and stuffing”…..hallelujah!

Pasta Un-Carbonara

May 10, 2011 By Steve Dunn 13 Comments

As a cook, I’d love to be remembered as someone who took inspiration from my culinary heritage, but also relished making dishes my own, not feeling shackled by recipes, but rather enjoying the freedom to apply skills I’ve acquired over the years to bring new techniques and ingredients to my cooking. I’d also like to be remembered for the time I’ve spent cooking with my family, teaching my kids a few things about cooking before they head out on their own in the world.

Herb and Lemon Baked Shrimp

May 2, 2011 By Steve Dunn 22 Comments

Those of you searching for a delicious, easy and quick meal for your family tonight, click no further, because this is the dish for you. In under a half hour you can be spooning these tasty shrimp over a serving of your favorite rice, or if you have a few more minutes to spare, you may want to whip up a blue-cheese polenta as we did, and prepare to be WOWED.

Spicy Pork with Asparagus

April 28, 2011 By Steve Dunn 18 Comments

I knew immediatly upon seeing this recipe in a recent Bon Appetit, that I wanted to make this as soon as our first of the season asparagus arrived. My wife and I had a VERY RARE night alone during Spring vacation week, so I whipped this dish up for just the two of us, and let me tell you, it was terrific!

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