Chai... Why Not

            I was introduced to proper Chai from my buddy Alif, a half Indian, half Kenyan and all handsome kind of guy. We were nursing a brutal hangover and he went into the kitchen and emerged with this steaming cup of joy. He smiled as he handed me the cup and simply smiled. After the haze had lifted he went about showing me how to make the stuff. The thing about Chai is that it differs from region to region and even from house to house. It is kind of like red sauce in Italy or stuffing in the states. So this is Johnny’s take on how to blend your own Chai at home.

            Now I am the kind of guy that likes to make a concentrate and then mix it with milk and that is what I am going to show you how to do. However, if you just want to make a loose leaf tea and brew it in water I will let you know how to do that too. Now the thing about Chai is that it will only be as good as the spices that you put into it so you want to try and get your hands on the freshest ones that you can. The other thing that you need to know is that your Chai will be different from anyone else’s. Take great solace in this fact. It is yours because you created it. Mine differs from batch to batch as I may be feeling a little more anise on the day I make it or I may be leaning toward a more cinnamon flavor. You can’t really go too awry. Just have fun playing with the process.

Blending Chai to the tune of “Skinny Love” by Bon Iver

7ish star anise pods

2ish cinnamon sticks broken

12-15ish dried cloves

10-12ish cardamom pods

Sprinkle nutmeg

Tsp ish of whole peppercorns

3 tbsp full leaf Ceylon tea

1 heaping tbsp of honey

1 tsp of vanilla

2 pints of water

-Toss all of you spices into a frying pan and dry toast them over medium heat. Your house will start to smell super good that is when you remove them from the heat. You have to watch them as they will burn if you don’t.

-If you are making loose leaf tea, put the toasted spices into a coffee grinder and give them a buzz. Add your tea, mix everything up and you are done. Brew it like you would any other loose leaf tea.

-If you are making the concentrate, bring the water to a boil in a small sauce pan and then and your spices and all of the other ingredients except the tea. Let it cook down so it reduces by half. Remove it from the heat.

-Strain out the spices and then brew your tea in the concentrate using a tea ball or a tea strainer.

-Toss it into a jar and refrigerate it. Done, you now have Chai concentrate. Add an oz for every 8oz of milk and heat up on the stove. There you have it.

"Let's Make a Taco"

For Uncle John

            I distinctly remember the look that my Uncle John gave me when I was about 8 years old and I said that I wanted to have Mexican food for lunch. There was this spark of joy that was reserved for good booze or a great book in his eyes. The look I received as I pointed to a Taco Time restaurant was equally memorable but it was more, “I just took a swig of long expired milk,” kind of thing. Fast food and less than stellar were the only introductions that I had to Mexican food and this I think broke John’s heart a little. John I think has had a love affair with Mexico for as long as I can remember. He and my aunt and my cousins would load up their VW van and road trip down to Mexico and upon their return I would be regaled with stories about their adventures. I will admit that I was very jealous in a pre teen sulky kind of way. The First introduction that I had to more authentic Mexican food that I remember was us road tripping across the US border to eat at a place that we were positive was called Don and Ester’s. Turns out it was really called Don Ernesto’s, this became a running joke in my family. The food was great no matter what the name. So to send a little shout out to my Uncle John I decided to throw down and take on making tacos.

            Everyone who knows me knows my love for the spicy. I have made more than one person cry and according to two of them nearly killed them with how spicy I cook some of my food. For the record I really believe with all of my heart that it was Beer Run and Gregory Anne’s own weakness that hurt them the day I made the 5 alarm chilli not the spiciness of the food itself. Yet if you are looking for the root of my love of the spicy you need look no further than Uncle John. The man used to eat raw jalapeño just to show off for us. I wanted to be like him so I started to do it too. I hurt myself more than once but my love for the spicy was born in that crucible. So as always when I give you the proportions of the spices that I use feel free to tone it down. I give to you two fillings, one meaty the other vegetarian and a couple of fresh salsas, because they are so easy, for you to try. I finished them with a little sour cream, or you can add guacamole if you like. Build it the way you like. So here we go salsas first and then the fillings. All my love to you Uncle John, enjoy.

Mango Salsa to the tune of “Wild Night” by Van Morrison

1 mango, diced

½ onion finely diced

1 fresh raw jalapeño finely diced

4-5 sprigs of cilantro minced

Juice of 1 lime

-I do all of the chopping by hand but you can just chuck everything into a food processor and buzz it. Or, chop everything and mix it together. Mango Salsa is now done.

-let it sit for a couple of hours in the fridge to let all the ingredients get acquainted then serve.

Fresh Tomato Salsa to the tune of “Get Back (Naked)” by the Beatles

2 tomatoes seeded and chopped fine

½ onion finely diced

1 clove of garlic minced

1 fresh raw jalapeño finely diced

4-5 sprigs of cilantro minced

A splash of apple cider vinegar

 -same deal as the mango salsa, just do it again.

Now for some fillings I give to you a Rajas recipe and a beef one too. Now you can please everyone if you are hosting a Mexican feast. Now the Raja recipe is my take on the one that I eat at my local taco stand, La Taquisa in Cook St. Village, and it is the one that I like. The beef is me screwing around until I found what I like it feels like Mexico to me anyway.

Raja filling to the tune of “Hold On” by Alabama Shakes

2 cups of fresh corn

6 mushrooms diced

1 pablano pepper diced

1 onion diced

3 garlic scapes diced

1 cup vegetable stock

Salt and pepper

-put all your veg. in a skillet, salt and pepper them, and get some color on them, a little char if you will.

-add your stock and let it cook down low and slow until the corn is nice and tender and you are done. Vegetarian filling is complete.

The beef is a little bit more involved but totally worth it.

Beef Filling to the tune of “The Woman I Love” by Jason Mraz

1 ½ lbs flank steak

2 tbsp chilli flakes

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp cayenne pepper

Pinch of cinnamon

1 tbsp of salt

1 jalapeño finely diced

1 onion diced

2 cloves minced garlic

1 cup beef stock

1cup beer

-put all of the spices in a food processor or I use a repurposed coffee grinder and buzz them until they are in powder form.

-dice your flank steak and rub it down with the spice mixture stick it in the fridge for a couple of hours.

-sear off the meat on high heat in a in a large skillet with the onion, garlic, and jalapeño. Add the stock and beer and reduce heat. Cook low and slow until the meat is tender. And there is the meaty filling for you. Combine them any way you like in a soft corn tortilla and you are set all my love to you Uncle John.

Johnny's Ruben

            So here I go back to my roots a little, just on the other side of the tree. You have all heard of the influence that I have had on my mom’s side of the family so here is a little something inspired by my dad’s side. I seem to be unable to break too far from my love of the sandwich so here is another classic that I have tried to make my own. Now, part of the joy that I find in cooking is being inspired by not only the great products that I happen upon on my walkabouts but also what I eat when I go out for a meal. So I guess this is actually part homage to my dad’s side, part inspiration from a recent visit to the Clay Pigeon Bistro, and part screwing around with a classic. So here we go Johnny takes on the Ruben.

Johnny's Ruben

            There is something about a good Ruben sandwich, it is delicious yet if you tell most people what is in a Ruben you get this kind of how could you eat that look. Like anything else, if you have had a bad Ruben it will put you off of them but if it is done well it is simply magic. There is something about the tart acidity of the sauerkraut, the saltiness of the corned beef the sweetness of the Russian dressing, the richness of the cheese and the tang of good mustard, that when they are in the right proportions they sing like a good five part harmony. Add into that a really good rye bread and, like I said, it is magic. Now for my little tweak on this dish I have used Montreal smoked meat instead of the traditional corned beef and it worked out pretty well. So here we go.

Johnny’s Ruben to the tune of American Slang by The Gaslight Anthem

200g Montreal smoked meat

100g smoked gruyere cheese, grated

3 heaping tbsp of sauerkraut

3 tsp of Russian dressing

3 tsp Dijon mustard, more on the side if you like

6 slices of marble rye bread

-Get your broiler started. Lay the bread out on a parchment lined sheet pan. On three of the slices smear the Russian dressing, on the other three smear the mustard.

-Split the meat into three portions and evenly lay it on the mustard smeared slices. Do the same with the sauerkraut on the Russian dressing smeared slices. Add the cheese and flip them together to make your sandwich.

-Fire them under the broiler until the top is golden and then flip them to toast the other side. The cheese should be oozing out the sides, what a wonderful sight. Let them cool for a couple of minutes and then cut them in half and serve.

The reason this is a three sandwich recipe that feeds two is that whenever I make it we always want just another half. It is a good thing. Enjoy it and give it a go.  

Simply Put... The Clay Pigeon, Ladies and Gentlemen

            Here I go again in grandly selfish fashion, I have found another joint to eat that I want everyone to love as much as I do. I want you to love it too so that it will succeed and I can keep going there. Such is the case with The Clay Pigeon, a little bistro that opened up a couple of months ago. One of the great and somewhat subversive things that bring a smile to my face is that I am able to shake off the shackles of my corporate job and use the money that I have earned to support good local eateries. I take too much pleasure in this fact. My days off are filled with farmers markets and amazing local places to grab a bite to eat. I love it. But that is beside the point. I am writing this to tell you about the Pigeon. Go there, go now, give it a try, you will not regret it.

            So there I was eavesdropping on a conversation as I sipped on a coffee and there was mention of the new bistro that opened up on the corner of Broughton and Blanchard (in Victoria BC for those who are not hip to where the Condor roosts) and that the food was fantastic. I am a firm believer that people are way more honest when they don’t know you are listening so I resolved that I would go and give this joint a try. I was not disappointed. A friend and I breached the doors to have a little lunch and see what the Clay Pigeon had to offer. We were greeted by our waiter, Christopher Vickers (you will know him by his truly epic mustache), and seated. Christopher’s service was great. Quick with a witty quip and able to make great suggestions about the menu, his service made eating there all the more enjoyable. We took some of his suggestions and he was dead on in how they would compliment what we ordered. He honestly seemed really happy to be there, a seeming rarity in the service industry. So I will say thank to him for that.

            On to the food, now I can only comment on what we ordered but if those two dishes are any indication of the level of tasty that comes out of that kitchen the world now has a little bit more light in it. I will start with my friends dish, she ordered the Porchetta sandwich. It was served up on a fantastic baguette with apples. It was crazy tasty. We split a side of Kale Slaw, thanks again to Christopher for the suggestion, which balanced the rest of the meal. It was smooth and fresh and pretty much fantastic. As for me I went for the Ruben, a sandwich that I will always have a soft spot for. It was tweaked a little bit but it is one of the best that I have ever had. The major tweak is that they use bison tongue that is corned in house. Now before you make that face that I know you are about to my Lovelies you need to know it is so good and you are not allowed to judge unless you have given it a try. Johnny would not lead you astray. Everything about this sandwich was great, the bread was good, and the sauerkraut added the acid that the dish needed and was not overpowering, the gruyere added a nice richness but was not too much and the Russian dressing was perhaps the best that I have ever had. It was a great sandwich, truly great. We finished our meal with an espresso and a house made apple fritter. The fritter evoked more than one, I want to be alone with this thing noises, though out its consumption by my dining partner. So I hope that this lets you all know how good the food was and I hope that it inspires you to go and check it out.

We were also fortunate enough to be able to chat with the head chef Genevieve LaPlante and it was an absolute pleasure to be able to chat with someone in the industry that loves the food that she is creating to the point that you feel it too.  She quite simply wants you to love what she cooks for you. In our short chat a few things became apparent. The first is that she has a commitment to bringing in locally sourced products, as much as she can. If you were wondering where one gets bison tongue, the answer is right here on the island. The second thing is that her standards are exacting. She spoke about the balance needed a simple dish and how if one component is off so is the whole dish. I was reminded of why I consider myself to be a serviceable cook and why I am not a great one. My big fix is to put more bacon on whatever it is, Chef La Plante solves those issues for real.

One of the signs of a good restaurant for me is, when I look at the menu after I have finished my meal and I start figuring out what I want to try the next time I am in the place. It stops becoming a question of if and turns into a question of when. The menu as a whole is bistro fare and I love that, you should too. There is something on it for both the adventurous eater and those who are less so. All of it is good. I have already planned out what I am going to try next. Just so you know it is the Crispy Pig Ear appetizer followed by the Basque Lamb Stew, and the house made marshmallows, nutella cookies, and chocolate chaud for dessert. It sounds fantastic and I can wait to go back and eat there again.

Did I mention that they are brewing their own root beer. How freaking cool is that? So my Lovelies be brave, go, eat there, fall in love with the place. It is worth both you time and your cash so give it a go.

<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/317/1658795/restaurant/Downtown/The-Clay-Pigeon-Restaurant-Victoria"><img alt="The Clay Pigeon Restaurant on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1658795/biglogo.gif" style="border:none;padding:0px;width:104px;height:34px" /></a>

Thai Pork Slider which Won the Day

            Everybody that I know is a fan of the idea of a good grilled burger right about now. After writing about Johnny’s rock star sides I wanted to play with some different flavor combinations to add to your burger mix. One of the easiest ways to do this is to experiment on your friends. Invite some people over, fire up the grill and see which ones worked out the best. I decided to make up a few different mixes and do sliders so that we could all try all of the different types I put together. Now I am going to say right now that I am a huge fan of the basic burger but I wanted to try some new stuff so I did. So after we ate, we had a little impromptu vote about which slider won the day and a Thai inspired pork slider took home the prize. I know it is the furthest thing from a traditional burger but my people have spoken and that was the one that they liked the best, so we call it a twist on a burger.

            A little bit of a side note here. I have become a big advocate of the home grind. As you have seen from the sausage post I have, due to the kindness of my friends, the ability to grind my own meat. The fact that you can choose the cut of meat you use, control the fat content and put your seasoning in the mix are all great reasons to grind at home. There is nothing wrong with buying ground meat but there is something wonderful and, for lack of a better word, fresh about doing it yourself. It makes me smile and the results that I have had with doing it has been fantastic. If you have the means give it a try and I don’t think you will go back to buying the ground stuff in your supermarket.

            Another little piece of advice: Buy fresh baked buns. They are worth the scratch you will spend. Just saying.

Thai Inspired Pork Sliders to the tune of Thursday by Morphine

1 lb of freshly ground pork

1 tbsp Thai red curry paste

3 tbsp sweet chilli sauce

Salt and pepper

½ onion sliced and sweated

1 tbsp butter

8 small buns

-Mix up pork, curry paste, chilli sauce and salt and pepper in a mixing bowl.

-roll into balls (8ish) and then flatten into patties.

-fire them on the grill and cook them up. They are done when they are firm when you give them a poke with your finger.

-while the sliders are cooking sweat down your onions in a frying pan with the butter and a little salt and pepper.

-toast you buns on the grill while the sliders are resting. Bottom of the bun, burger, onions, top of the bun, Done. Enjoy.

Rock Star Sides for the Grilling

            Now is one of my favorite times of year. We are getting the freshest possible seafood and all of the glorious springtime produce is becoming available. Beyond that the farmer’s markets are beginning to hit full swing. Locally produced veggies and herbs are now at my disposal and man do I plan to put them to work in my kitchen. There is nothing really as cool to me as walking through a market on a beautiful day and seeing the stuff that I will be cooking with, laid out before me, knowing that it had been in the ground a few hours earlier. Fresh don’t get much better than this.  Now is the time that I instinctually try to start stripping down ingredient heavy recipes to the very basics. If you have fantastic products, baby, let them shine. So here we go with a couple of recipes for some very simple side dishes that will accompany your back yard grilling because as soon as the weather turns nice we should all be out cooking in the great outdoors; or at least the backyard.

            So for the first little dish I am harnessing the awesome power of my Grand once again. There are few things in this world that I know my Grand loved more than words: her family, a little nip of something before dinner and the glory of asparagus and bacon. So I give this to you in honor of the springtime and my Grand. This can be used as a side, an appetizer, or as part of a breakfast dish that I know that Toby drools over as soon as he hears that it is being made. The cool thing about it is that it has three ingredients and is wicked fast. You also look like a rock star when you serve it. How can you beat that? I am not sure but it rules.

Bacon Wrapped Asparagus to the tune of Fly Me To The Moon by Frank Sinatra

A bunch of fresh asparagus

1 lb maple smoked bacon

1 lemon

-Trim the bottoms of the asparagus. There is a bit of a debate about how to do this. One is aim for the change in color of the stem, tan to vibrant green, and cut there. The other is to flex the stem and it will break where the tenderness starts. Either way will work and I have no preference at all. Just do one or the other to get rid of the woody bits at the bottom.

-Wrap each stem with a slice of side bacon. You should not need to salt this dish as the salt from the bacon should do it for you.

-Slap them on the grill and let them work. You want the same look as you would if you were making bacon for breakfast. By the time that the bacon is done the asparagus should be too.

-Yank them off and finish with a squeeze of lemon and you are done. Killer.

            Now you have one of the sides done. I always like to do a salad as part of any grilling meal that I put together. This one worked out great and was super tasty and fresh. A couple of little hints for you all first of all. For the dressing that I make for this salad I use a Balsamic Vinegar reduction, sounds fancy huh? Basically you take some moderately priced balsamic and chuck it into a pot and let it cook down for about 45 minutes or until it is reduced by half. This intensifies the sweetness and the subtle flavors of the vinegar and you are left with something that is amazing for salad dressings or even for finishing veggies. It keeps in fridge for a long time. The second little tip is that I sort of pseudo candy the nuts. Basically you toast your almonds, sunflower seeds, walnuts or whatever you are using and in the last couple of minutes add in a tbsp of brown sugar, a squeeze of honey, and a touch of water. Let it cook down so they are sticky and no longer wet. Remove from the heat and let them cool. You will be tempted to give them a try hot out of the pan. Resist. Trust me after many burns to the fingertips and tongue, I now know to let them cool. A special thanks to my friend Fyfe for constructing this salad while I was ripping around do other things. So we will call this salad a la Fyfe.

Spinach Salad with Strawberries and Goat’s Cheese A La Fyfe to the tune of Baba O’ Reilly by the Who

Salad Part

Big bowl of well washed spinach

8-10 strawberries sliced the way you like them.

Some crumbled goat’s cheese

Pseudo candied almonds and sunflower seeds

-Chuck everything in a bowl and toss... Done.

Dressing Part

Equal parts olive oil and Balsamic reduction

Salt and pepper

-Toss everything in a bell jar and shake the crap out of it. Dress the salad like you are going out for a night on the town. Done.

Jilly and Johnny's Seafood Chow Dah

            In my youth we used to go on epic camping trips. The one that stands out to me even now is when my family rolled down the Oregon coast. Tenting in the rain and reading every Hardy Boys book I could get my hands on, I was nine. There are two food things that stand out in my mind when it came to this trip. The first is getting super sick due to the massive consumption of salt water taffy and the second, and seemingly more profound, is the discovery of chowder. My Uncle John took my cousin and I to this little hole in the wall place that he had heard about in Portland. They had three things on the menu and two of them were chowders. I had my first encounter with New England style clam chowder and fell in love with it. I have been screwing around with recipes for a good chowder for quite a while and finally landed on something that at the very least is close to the memory I have of that place in Portland.

            Joining me on this journey into chowder is my friend and sometime student Jill. Jill and I set out into the world to collect and gather our ingredients for what turned out to be a pretty darn good bowl of soup. Now the recipe that I have come up with is one of those things that is a little fluid when it comes to ingredients, specifically the seafood. What you want is the freshest things you can get. Halibut happens to be in season now so we used that but you can use any sturdy white fish. The clams need to be fresh or omit them completely. I am not a fan of the canned variety. So here we go with Jilly and Johnny’s seafood Chow dah. This is the correct pronunciation of the word Chowder as explained to me by watching the Simpsons. Enjoy.

CHOW DAH

Jilly and Johnny’s Seafood Chow-Dah to the tune of Blunderbuss by Jack White

4 leeks (small dice)

2 ribs celery (small dice)

2 carrots (small dice)

2 potatoes (small dice)

4 cloves of garlic (minced)

¼ cup butter (melted)

4 tbsp flour

500ml 2% milk

500 ml vegetable or fish stock (low sodium)

200g steamer clams

200g uncooked prawns

200g scallops

200g halibut cheek (cut into bite sized pieces)

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Salt and pepper

1 tbsp olive oil

-In a stock pot over medium heat add oil and vegetables and let them sweat down until they are tender. 10-15 minutes. Stir frequently.

-While that is working heat stock in a sauce pan and then using a steamer, par steam your clam so the just start to open up. Remove from heat and reserve the stock.

-Add the butter and the flour to the stock pot and make a roux.... stir it until it is pasty.

-Dump in milk and the reserved stock and whisk until it is smooth and there are no lumps. Reduce the heat to a simmer.

-Add in your halibut and your scallops and let it work for about 20 minutes

-Pop the clams out of the shell and add to the mix with the prawns. Let it work for another 10 minutes or so.

-Taste and season this recipe as you go as it reduces it may get a little salty so a light touch is required at the start. I F’ed up a batch earlier and it was inedible due to salt content... I almost went blind so be careful my people. Serve it up with some biscuits or some crusty bread. It is Major Fantastic. Give it a go.