New Restaurant, Succotash, Salmon, and a Veggie Medley

This week I'm reviewing Fort Myers newest restaurant, which Sally and I stumbled upon by happy accident. 

BЯB

That's the logo. It's pronounced BeeArrBee -- Fort Myers newest foodie destination, on the grounds of the Butterfly Mansion off Fowler, near downtown.

Tuesday last, Sally and I were honored and pleased to be the first diners at this 70+seat American gastropub; brainchild of the owners of the R&R Pub 'n Grub at Fleamasters.

We were literally the first people to poke our heads inside to see what was there.

The menu is eclectic, and features a number of offerings that Fort Myers has never seen; but which I predict will soon become destination dishes: Cuba Libre Ceviche, the Antipasto Board, and the Truffle Bianchi Pizza to name a few.

I had the creamy-inside-and-perfectly-crisp-outside Proscuitto and Parmesan Croquettes, while Sally had the Truffle Bianchi pizette (which she graciously shared). Excellant choices, both! We would have had the ceviche and the ahi tuna tacos, which sounded fabulous -- but with the usual Opening Day problems, their seafood source had not yet delivered. Oh well, that gives us a good excuse to go back! And we will. Wishing them great success in their new venture!

Roasted Cauliflower & Red Peppers

BЯB might use this as a gastro side dish.  Or it could be a vegetarian main course. Whatever you do with it, you're gonna love it.  And it's easy to prepare.

1 Red Bell Pepper, seeded, veined and chopped

1/2 head of Cauliflower disassembled into florets and half-florets

1/4 cup Slivered Almonds

1/4 cup Kalamata Olives

1/4 cup Parsley

EVOO for Veggies

Cavender'stm Spice Blend, to taste

Juice of 1 Lemon

3 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

4 Tbsp EVOO

Place cauliflower and bell pepper on a baking sheet. A quarter cup of sliced onion and a stick of chopped up celery would not go amiss either. Drizzle the veggies with EVOO and dust with Cavender's. Roast at 425F for 18-20 minutes, until tender.

Meanwhile, make a dressing from the balsamic, lemon juice and oil. Place in a jar and shake to combine. Pit the olives if needed.

Place roasted veg on a platter, top with olives, almonds, and parsley. Don't have any parsley, mince some celery leaves instead. Drizzle with the dressing before serving.

Balsamic & Honey Glazed Salmon

Usually I make salmon with a dusting of dill; or with a couple of whole cloves stick in the fillet; either way, poached on a platform of 1/4" or thicker lemon or lime slices. But I happened to see this recipe the other day, and it sounded interesting. This adds another dish to my salmon repertoire, and a very tasty one, at that.

Two nice Salmon fillets, skin on

2-3 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

2-3 Tbsp Honey -- locally sourced, of course. I used Saw Palmetto Honey

You really want to do this in a non-stick pan, because the glaze is going to drip off and caramelize (burn) on the pan.

Place the fillets skin side down on a hot skillet or griddle. Brush with the glaze. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Repeat glazing as necessary until the salmon is flake tender.

Caribbean Chicken Succotash

Wacky name, eh? Shredded chicken, Rotel tm seasoned tomatoes with green chiles, and taco-seasoned Caribbean succotash of pigeon peas, green peas and corn. A simple low-cal dinner -- one quarter of the recipe below is right at a whopping 200 calories! Using canned peas, corn and tomatoes makes this easy and quick to prepare. 

If you have the time (I didn't the other day) cook the peas from dry, cut the corn from the cob, dice good tomatoes and green chiles, onions and garlic and make it from scratch. I guarantee that this recipe is good, but if you make it from scratch it will be exceptional.

2 Chicken Breasts

1 can Rotel with green chiles

1 can low-sodium Corn kernals (I like white corn)

1 can Pigeon Peas

1 Taco Seasoning packet

Simmer chick 20 mins in 5 cups of water. Shred. Reduce broth to 4 cups. Add the Rotel, peas, corn, and seasoning, return shredded chick. Cook another 20 minutes until flavors marry.

Need more of a spice kick? Add some of your favorite pepper sauce. Bajan yellow pepper sauce or Peruvian Aji Amarillo sauce would be my choice in keeping with the Caribbean theme.

Serve over rice, like I did; or salad greens. Put in soft tortillas, or crispy taco shells or boats. Even ladle it over a handful of Fritos tm or restaurant-style tortilla chips.

Next week will be cross-cultural with Cuban Ropa Vieja and French Clafoutis among other things!

All Over The Map

"gOOD eATS" from around the planet. 

Cuban Breakfast Muffin

All the taste of a Cuban sandwich, in a different kind of 'hand meal'.   A guest at the Cabana last week needed a 'breakfast to go' as he was leaving about 4:30 AM to catch a very early flight back to California. This savory "muffin" is what I came up with. I made it the night before.  He kept it in the fridge until he was ready to leave, then had his gourmet breakfast while waiting for his flight to depart.

2 Eggs, beaten

1/2 cup Bisquick tm

1/2 cup Milk

1/4 cup diced Deli Ham

1/4 cup diced Deli Roast Pork

1/4 cup diced Cubanelle pepper (or New Mexico or Anaheim)

1/2 cup Shredded Cheese - Mexican blend

1/4 tsp Sazón Completa tm seasoning

4" Springform, sprayed w/non-stick or similar size bakeware to hold 5oz or so.

Pre-heat oven to 425F while preparing the mixture.

In a bowl stir together the milk and Bisquick. Add the other ingredients and stir again to combine.  Pour into a 4" springform pan or similar bakeware that will hold about 5 ounces.  You can also use cupcake papers and pan to make 2 or 3 smaller muffins.

Put pan in the oven. Reduce heat to 375. Bake 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Can be made the night before and or eaten at room temperature or reheated the next morning.

Beef & Beans (not chili!)

After my Bush's Beans entry last week, Sally decided I should make "chili" for Sunday brunch. Her "chili" has beans in it. Well I made a batch, and a pone of cornbread to go with it. Enough so there's leftovers for the week.

1-1/2 lbs Ground Beef -- coarse or 'chili' grind if you can get it.

2 ea 15-16 oz cans Kidney Beans, one 'light' and one dark, with spices

1 ea 28 oz can Diced Tomatoes, with spices

1 diced White Onion

2 whole Cubanelle chiles, diced

1 Poblano chile, diced

1 Red Bell Pepper, diced

1 can Diced Green Chiles

1 Tbsp Tabasco tm sauce or other pepper sauce, to taste

3 Tbsp Brown Sugar (helps cut the acidity of the tomatoes)

Beef broth and water to make 6 quarts.

Brown the beef first, then add the peppers and onion and saute them until fragrant. Add the hot sauce, sugar and liquid. Bring to a simmer and cook for 1 hour or so, until the liquid reduces to make the dish thicker.

For my pone of cornbread, I used a package of the Jiffytm Cornbread Muffin mix, according to package directions. Sprinkle a tsp or so of sugar on top for a slightly sweeter cornbread.

Butternut Latke

Sally found the basic recipe in a magazine for diabetics.  I 'made it my way' of course.  Latkes are usually made from shredded potato. These shredded butternut squash latkes make a great side dish/vegetable, and are a lot healthier for us diabetics.

2 cups shredded Butternut Squash

2 Eggs, beaten

2 Tbsp AP Flour

1 tsp Garam Masala Indian spice blend

1/2 tsp ground Cumin

1/8 tsp Cayenne pepper

Put the squash in a largish bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients, one at a time, tossing with a fork to distribute each addition.

In a medium hot skillet (I used an electric skillet on 350F), add a couple Tbsp of canola or olive oil. Then drop the squash mixture by heaping forkfuls to make 4-6 mounds. Don't smash them down.  Cook for 5 minutes or so without disturbing. Then turn each stack over with a spatula, and cook again. Continue turning every 5 minutes or so until you get a nice crispy exterior that's not burned black.

Serve 1 or 2 latke's as a vegetable side, and top them with a dollop of homemade Raita.

Raita

Raita is a dish of the Indian subcontinent, a sort of dip, usually cold or cool. There are hundreds of versions of Raita. To Americans the most common Raita is made with yogurt, diced cucumber and spices. The Greeks make a similar dish called Tzatziki (may have been introduced to Greece by Alexander the Great), which is usually seen as dressing in a Gyro sandwich.

This is one of those "process rather than a formula" recipes: 

 

Take 'some' plain yogurt, the thicker Greek yogurt works best, IMHO.   Add 'some' peeled, seeded, diced cucumber. I used about half a cup of yogurt and half a cup of small-diced cucumber. 

Now add 'some' spice -- to taste. Cumin is good, ground Coriander too. A little White Pepper if you like. Perhaps a minced garlic, or mint or cilantro clove (I didn't, this time). Ladle the mixture into a serving bowl and dust with a bit of smoked Paprika. Chill. Great on those Butternut Latke, or as a dip for pita chips or crackers (home made of course).

Chiles Rellano

Most Americans think Chiles Rellano are cheese-stuffed chiles dipped in an egg batter and pan- or deep-fried. Truth be told, there are many versions of this stuffed, but never stuffy, dish that originated in Puebla, Mexico. Some are baked, some fried, some steamed.  With dozens of different fillings.

Elsewhere in this blog I described making Chiles en Nogada, which are Chiles Rellano  stuffed with a sauteed pork/vegetable/fruit mixture and topped with a walnut-crema sauce. This time I made a simpler version. To make four Chiles Rellano (2 servings):

4 Cubanelle or small Poblano chiles

1/3-1/2 lb ground Turkey

1/2 cup diced White Onion

1/4 cup Golden Raisins

1/4 cup shredded Carrot

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

1/8 tsp Cayenne

1/8 tsp Cinnamon

1 Roma Tomato, diced

Core, seed and vein the chiles. Roast under the broiler until the skins starts to blacken and the chiles soften -- about 5 minutes. Remove and reserve.

In a saucepan combine the rest of the ingredients with a splash of water and/or white wine. Brown the meat and simmer the mixture until the filling comes together and thickens.

Carefully stuff the chiles with the filling, then top with some Queso Fresca cheese or white cheddar, and serve.

Sazón Completa

 Above I mentioned a seasoning called Sazón Completa, made by the Badia company.  This is a great 24/7 or Universal seasoning for meats, poultry, fish, eggs and vegetables, which originated in Cuba.   It's a mixture of herbs and spices; not hot in the slightest.   I use it in many, many dishes just to take them up a notch from ordinary to exceptional.   

The Badia version does include MSG, so if you're allergic, or just don't care for it, you can make you own by combining the following and then buzzing it, in batches, in your coffee/spice grinder.

4 Tbsp Kosher Salt
6 Tbsp  granulated Garlic
4 Tbsp Onion powder
2 Tbsp Cumin powder
2 Tbsp Black Pepper
3 Tbso dried Lime zest
2 Tbsp dried Parsley 

Makes about 1-1/4 cups.

 

Swedish Spuds, Chili Entry, Pork Chops and yummmm

 Well the New Year is off to a good start.  Make it a good one!

Hasselback Potatoes

I had been wanting to try these for some time, and the right occasion arose the other day. The name comes from the Hasselbacken Hotel in Stockholm, Sweden, where the dish was invented and popularized. Here's my version.

2-3 baking Potatoes

1/4 cup Shredded Parmesan (not the tube stuff)

1/2 cup Panko or other bread crumbs

4 Tbsp melted Butter, divided

1 tsp Paprika

Kosher Salt to taste

2, 1/4" thick wood strips as cutting guides

Preheat the oven to 450F.

While that's going on, peel the spuds, and cut a thin strip off one side to make a stable 'bottom'. Place each spud between the two wooden strips and, using a long knife, slice down to the wood. Make the slices about 1/4" thick. The two wood strips prevent you from cutting all the way through, leaving a 'fan' of slices attacked along the bottom.

Gently flex the fans as you run the spuds under cold water to remove excess starch, and open up the fans a little. They will open more during baking.   Put the spuds in cold water, to prevent discoloration, while you:

Combine the cheese, bread crumbs, salt, paprika and half the melted butter or margarine in a small bowl.  Crush together or take the ingredients for a spin in a food processor.

Dry the spuds off week and lay them in a sprayed or parchment-lined baking dish. Brush the spuds with the remaining butter. Now pack the cheese mixture along the tops of the spuds; making sure to spoon some between the slices. Bake foil-covered for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and finish baking for another 15-30 minutes. 

 

Hot & Sour Soup

We actually got a couple of days of winter here (temps below 75F), and Sally wanted a soup for lunches this week. This isn't actually hot and sour soup, but it is an Asian-inspired chicken and vegetable soup.

2 Chicken Breasts

Seasoning for chicken -- your choice. I used Evergladestm, but Old Baytm or Cajun would do

1 bag frozen Veg -- Use your favorite. I used the Gumbo blend, as we both like that blend.

1 can Baby Corn pieces, from the Ethnic aisle

3" piece of Diakon radish, sliced

4 oz. sliced mushrooms

Soy Sauce to taste

Teriyaki Sauce to taste

Hoisin Sauce to taste

Balsamic Vinegar

In your stock pot, saute the chicken for about 4 minutes per side. Season with anything you heart desires. But not flaming hot! Remove from pot. Add a cup or so of water and the frozen veg. Slice the chicken into bite-sized pieces, and return it to the pot. Add the baby corn, daikon and mushrooms. Add water to come up to 6 or so cups of broth.

Start adding soy sauce, teriyaki sauce and hoisin sauce, a tablespoon or two at a time, stirring and tasting until you get a flavor blend that you like. Let the soup simmer for 20 minutes or so, to allow the flavors to marry. Now add balsamic vinegar, a tablespoon at a time, stirring while you add -- until you get the amount of 'sour' you want to go with your blend of sauces.

Pork Chops Apples and Yams

This is one of the first dishes I learned as a Personal Chef, right after the Lemon Chicken Tagine that I discovered along with the USPCA. This is a perfect midweek dinner meal for you busy folks.

2-4 Pork Chops of choice

1 large Yam

1-2 Red Apples

Fresh Cracked Black Pepper

Smoked Paprika

Peel the yam and cut into 1/2" dice. Cut apple(s) (don't peel) into 1/2" dice as well. Dust the chops with pepper and paprika.

Brown the chops on both sides, then remove from the pan. Add the yams to the pan along with about 3/4 cup of water, and simmer, lidded, for 15 minutes or so, until the yams are getting tender. Remove yams. Place chops back in the pan, and top with the yams and apples, and another 1/2 cup of water. Replace the lid and cook 10-15 minutes until the apples are softening. Plate and serve.

Challah French Toast

Here's another of my AirBnB Cabana Breakfasts. Challah bread, sliced thick and left out the night before, so that it dries out and becomes more absorbent. Then I combine Half & Half, a beaten egg, freshly ground Nutmeg, and freshly ground Black Cardamon seed for their aromatic enhancements. Dredge the bread on both sides, and fry in a dry skillet, turning after a couple minutes. Served with a tropical fruit puree (I like Starfruit) and/or local Seagrape Honey. The breakfast also includes sausage or bacon, and here I've halved two 'sausage logs' sliced out of the styro-pack of sausage.

Bush'stm Best Chili Contest Entry #Bushs

Y'all know that I belong to the "chili does not contain beans" school, right? But when money and braggin' rights for a recipe are at stake (or steak), I can let them call it Chili if they want.

The point here was to take one of the many flavorful Bush's beans varieties, and create a "Chili" around it. I've seen some of the other entries, and frankly they are burying the beans under so many other flavors that the special ingredient (Beans) are lost. What I tried to do was enhance the flavor of my chosen beans with the other flavors, not smother the beans.

Vegan Chorizo and Green Chile Chili con Maize

1 sm can Bush's Vegetarian Beans

1/2 package of Tofurky tm or other brand Chorizo-flavored meat substitute

1 sm can Kernal Corn

1 can Diced Green Chiles (or roast and dice a New Mexico or Anaheim Chile)

1 tsp Cumin

Pinch of Cayenne

Combine everything in a pan and simmer to marry the flavors. Serves two.

  

Of course you can make this a carnivore chili if you want, 

by using real Mexican chorizo...

Leftover ChiliMac

This is for Suzanne Duplantis, who writes the blog MakeOver My Leftover. Suzanne and I cooked next to each other at the WFC Blogger's Challenge back in November.

After making and eating my Vegan Chorizo & Green Chile Chili con Maize entry for the Bush's contest, I had some leftover "chili" (chili doesn't have beans, remember). What to do?

Back in the day, there was a dish called Chili Mac. Macaroni to 'stretch' Chili, duh!  So I boiled up some Corkscrew pasta (any 3-D shape, not long strands, will do). Toss the leftover chili and the macaroni together and top with some shredded cheese -- I used 'real' shredded Parmesan, not that stuff in the can. Even tastier the second time around.

Cardoon, Scotch Eggs, Cookie Fail and more

Cardoon Gratin

Oh, the fun of having your grocery store managers know you're a chef and foodie!  I walked in the other day to pick up a couple things, and the Produce manager calls out "Hi Chef! Check this out!"

"This" was a Cardoon. Cardoon? you ask? Looks like celery to me.  But it's not. 

 Cardoon, cardoni, artichoke thistle, cardone, carduni, or cardi, is a thistle-like plant in the sunflower family. It sort of looks like celery, but it's a relative of thistles. 

Cardoon is popular in Europe -- Spain, Italy, France -- where they often boil it first to remove some inherent bitterness, and then apply a second cooking technique.

Separate the stalks from the base, trim off any leaves, then use a peeler or knife on the ridges along the centerline and sides, to remove the stringy bits. Now cut into about 6" lengths and boil for about 40 minutes in slightly salted water.

To make the gratin, sprinkle a couple handfuls of shredded Italian Blend cheese on top, and throw it under the broiler for a couple minutes until the cheese melts and just starts to brown. Yum! Tastes sort of like artichoke.

Florida Snowball Cookie -- FAIL!!

"Uncle Charlie" Kellenberger, a.k.a The Cookie Man, has a "cookie ministry" here in the Fort Myers area which he has been doing for something like 30 years. Uncle Charlie makes thousands and thousands of cookies of several kinds every year, and gives them to fellow veterans and others in the community. This year he submitted a recipe to the local newspaper's Christmas Cookie contest, and his Florida Snowball recipe took Second Place! This is a great no-bake recipe that is fast and easy, and very tasty.

1 box (12 oz) Vanilla Wafers, crumbled fine

2 Cups Powdered Sugar

1/2 can Frozen OJ Concentrate, thawed

1/2 cup Pecans, finely chopped

Additional Powdered Sugar for rolling

Combine everything except the rolling sugar. Form into small balls and roll in the additional sugar.  

The problem is, I bought the wrong Vanilla Wafers. I bought these:

 

and I should have bought these:

The result (because of the sugary cream filling) is a cookie so sweet they almost make your teeth ache!  They're good, but you can't eat more than one.   I'm sure the "Nilla" version is less sugary!!

Rustic Barbados Cherry Tart

I got this recipe from a lady named Lois Sharp, from Cape Coral, via an article in the Orlando Sentinel. Much easier than my previous Ascerola pie. Still, the hard part (well, not hard, just time consuming) is pitting the cherries.

3 cups pitted Barbados Cherries

1 cup Sugar (You can use sugar substitutes such as Splenda.)

3 Tbsp flour

1 tsp Cinnamon

Mix the cherries with the sugar, flour and cinnamon. Put the cherries on the bottom of a 9-inch unbaked pie crust. Dot with butter and put on top crust. Bake at 350F in a preheated oven, for 30-35 minutes, until well browned.

I used about half the amount of cherries. They were ones that were not fully ripe, and thus a bit more tart, and a lot less red. By the time I added cinnamon and the flour the result was brown. In a rustic tart, who cares. It tasted good! 

 

Scotch Eggs

London department store Fortnum & Mason claims to have invented Scotch eggs back in 1738, but they may have been inspired by a Mughlai (Indian) dish called nargisi kofta, meaning Narcissus Meatballs. The Indian dish would have been brought to England by returning administrators and soldiers of the East India Company.  Eaten hot for breakfast, or cold as a picnic item, the Scotch Egg is a quintessential British food consisting of a hardboiled egg wrapped in sausage meat, rolled in breadcrumbs and then baked or fried. The baked version is a lot more heart-healthy.

2 Hardboiled Eggs (you can even buy them at most megamarts rather than boiling them yourself)

1/4 lb bulk Sausage (your choice of flavor/meat), divided

1/4 cup flour

1 Egg, beaten

Breadcrumbs or Panko for breading

This one is 'easy peasy' as they say. Shell the hardboiled eggs. Roll the shelled eggs in the flour. Take half the sausage and pat it out about 3/8" thick, on a lightly floured or non-stick surface. Put an egg in the middle of the meat and wrap the meat around the egg. Totally seal the hardboiled egg in the meat. Dredge in egg. Roll in breadcrumbs. Place in a muffin cup or similar container. Bake at 400F for 35-440 minutes.

As a breakfast item at Sally's Cabana, I offer these with slow-cooked oatmeal and Marmite Soldiers (toast 'fingers' schmeared with a bit of Marmitetm.

Cajun Omelet

This is another Cabana Breakfast menu item. Sauteed Andouille sausage, mushrooms and shrimp, with mixed cheeses folded inside two eggs to make a tasty omelet.