Stuff to eat. Mostly around St. Louis.
Gioia’s Hot Salami Queso
I don’t know what I’m doing with my life.
I thought it would be a great idea to do a recipe post about one of my favorite Guy Fieri-ish dishes in St. Louis, the hot salami queso that Gioia’s puts on their Hilly Cheesesteak special. People love queso, Spencer. They love hot salami. This is a home run. You’re a winner.
I still think this post was a good idea, but what wasn’t a good idea was planning it for 10 AM the day after a meal at Twisted Tree Steakhouse with Gioia’s owner and Hulk-sized human Alex Donley.
Twelve hours before getting to Alex’s house, we were wrapping up a dinner that left me breathing and sweating like Tony Soprano. Onion rings. T-ravs. Way too much salad (that is a thing, apparently). Prime rib. A potato the size of a newborn. Cake. Ice cream.
(This feels like the kind of post the local news will highlight when I drop dead and people wonder how such a strapping young buck couldn’t make it to 35…)
But I do this for you. So does Alex.
We made a crockpot full of hot salami queso—and a Spicy Daggett variation—because we just want you guys to be happy. Think about how popular you’re going to be at all your winter potlucks and holiday parties when you bring in this semi-liquid version of St. Louis’ favorite sandwich! You’ll be the champ of your Super Bowl party. For the full Gioia’s experience, get yourself some bread from Fazio’s and make some crostini out of it. Brush it with garlic butter if you and your guests are wearing Depends.
If you really want to push the boundaries, I think you should make this then pour it in a terrine mold, refrigerate it, and then slice it for a charcuterie board. We all know the Velveeta will hold its shape…unlike us and our soft, squishy bodies.
You can stop by Gioia’s and order literally any of this from them right at the counter, but feel free to go to the grocery and pick up your favorite pickled jalapenos, coppa, and so on. For hot salami, just tell them you need a log for hot salami queso. They’ll hook it up.
INGREDIENTS
HOT SALAMI QUESO
10 slices hot salami, chopped
3 logs of velveeta, cubed
2 cans of rotel, opened
8 oz pickled jalapenos
Spicy Daggett Variation
All of the above, plus:
1/4 lb hot coppa, chopped
1/4 lb capicolla, chopped
8 oz giardiniera, chopped
METHOD
Chop everything.
Put it in a crock pot on low for 2-4 hours.
Switch to warm and serve.
For the Spicy Daggett version:
Sauté coppa and capicolla until crispy.
Add giardiniera, sauté a little more.
Add to hot salami queso.
*I am aware of the fact this is not, in any way, a traditional queso. This is Velveeta and Rotel. It’s Midwestern queso.
Summer Corn Bruschetta
I've had my share of haute cuisine, dishes with ingredient and instruction lists as long as the Torah, but I'm still more impressed by a simple dish executed perfectly. My first bite of Matt Daughaday's food came during my first meal at Taste when he brought out his sweet corn bruschetta. It sounded like something I'd whip together at home with leftovers. Corn, peaches, bacon, shiitake mushrooms, ricotta, cilantro, chilies—I almost always have these around. Yet, one bite in, I knew I had never made anything so simple and so perfect in my life. I hated it for reminding me that I am just some measly home cook and loved it because it was such an outstanding dish. I needed it again, but alas, it was not to be. A few days after my meal, I found out Matt would be leaving and starting his own restaurant, Reeds American Table.
For a very brief time, a risotto version of this dish popped up at Reeds, and it was glorious, but the Chef Matt giveth and the Chef Matt taketh away. Finally, a few weeks back, I got the text I longed for so badly: "Corn bruschetta is back on the menu. Come get it!"
I've gone three times just to have it, really. Matt was gracious enough to give me the recipe to share with you fine people—if you scroll to the bottom, it also includes his housemade ricotta recipe. It's easy to do, but if you don't feel like it, you can use store-bought stuff. Matt only makes it when corn is in season, but I have no qualms about making the creamed corn ricotta using the frozen stuff during the winter. Add peaches, add bacon, add whatever you'd like: just make sure the corn ricotta is on there.
Yield: 6 portions
Ingredients
CREAMED CORN RICOTTA
1 lb fresh ricotta (about 2 cups)
1 c fresh shucked corn
3 T canola oil
Salt to taste
CORN ‘RAGU’
3 T canola oil
4 c fresh corn kernels
1-2 red thai chili, sliced as thinly as possible
18 cherry tomatoes, halved
3/4 tsp marjoram, chopped
2 T butter
2 limes, zested
4 oz. queso fresco
6-8 sprigs of cilantro, picked
Salt to taste
6 slices fresh country loaf, 1/2” thick
METHOD
CREAMED CORN RICOTTA
Turn on sauté pan over high heat, add the oil and let it come a point where the oil just begins to smoke.
Turn off the flame to avoid a flare up from the moisture in the corn, add the corn to the pan and turn flame back on high. Season with salt and allow to cook till you see the corn begin to caramelize. Toss corn once and cook for an additional 30 seconds. Corn will begin to pop when done. (Not into popcorn, just loud pops, with the occasional kernel flying out of the pan and onto your neck like a tiny missile)
Place cooked corn on a plate to cool.
Once corn is completely cool, place fresh ricotta and corn into your food processor and turn on and let whip till the mix seems smooth and almost shiny. Put into a bowl and leave in the fridge to cool and set up.
CORN ‘RAGU’
Put sauté pan over high heat, add oil to the pan and let it come to a smoke point. Turn off the flame, add your corn, turn the pan back to medium high and let cook until you begin to see the corn caramelize. Add your butter, Thai chili, marjoram, and cherry tomatoes, toss to mix everything and cook an additional minute. Turn off the heat, add lime zest and season with salt.
Plating:
Add a little oil and salt to the bread and grill either on a grill pan or an actual grill if you happen to already be using one for your meal. Don’t be scared to get nice dark char marks.
Once bread is grilled spread a nice layer of the corn creamed ricotta on top of the bread, then top with a couple spoonfuls of the corn ragu and press it into the cheese lightly so it doesn’t fall off on you.
Next, sprinkle with a little of the queso fresco and picked cilantro. Cut the piece of toast into three or four slices and you are ready to serve.
This is what happens when you don't turn your flame off. You don't want this to happen in your house. READ THE INSTRUCTIONS.
ricotta
Yield: 2lbs of Cheese
INGREDIENTS
1 gal. whole milk
2 c heavy cream
2 T salt
1/2 c distilled vinegar
METHOD
Place milk, cream and salt in a heavy bottom pot big enough to leave at least 6” of space from the top of the liquid to the top of the pot. Place on the stove over high heat.
Bring milk up to a boil (this is where you will need to watch it closely because once the milk reaches a boil it will climb quickly in pot and overflow, leaving a big mess on the top of your stove that is not fun to clean)
As the milk comes to a boil it will begin to rise to the top of your pot. As soon as it hit the top of the pot, turn off heat and pour in the vinegar and give it one good stir with either a wooden spoon or rubber spatula.
Pull the pot off the stove and let it rest on your countertop for at least 10-15 minutes before attempting to strain. During this time you should start to see your cheese coagulating on the top of the pot.
After letting the cheese rest and set up for the allotted time, set up a colander lined with cheese cloth over a bucket to catch the whey. Use a mesh skimmer, or slotted spoon if you don’t have a skimmer, and skim off the cheese and place it in the cheese lined colander to drain.
Place cheese in the cooler and let sit to set up for at least 1 hour, up to overnight. The longer you let it sit the drier your cheese will come out.
The Best Chicken Fingers. Ever.
It's early 2014 and I've just arrived back in the U.S. I haven't eaten fried chicken in at least 4 years. I've convinced myself that not only do I not need it, but I don't even like it that much. Then, at my mom's request, I join my family for Josh Galliano's fried chicken night at The Libertine. Like an alcoholic having his first sip of whiskey in years, I'm overtaken by the urge to keep eating. I nearly polish off my half bird, and then continue to go every month for almost a year. Some people aren't a fan of the heavier breading that Galliano used (in favor of something lighter, like what you'll find at Southern now), but I love it. The more crunch, the better. Since his chicken nights were only once a month and I was jonesing for chicken—and this was before the fried chicken boom of 2015—I had to return to an old favorite: Sportsman's Park. Their chicken "strips" are, from what I can tell, full chicken breasts, pounded out and fried. A much manlier cut than the puny tenders. I'm a man, not a toddler!
Last summer, Galliano left Libertine and so ended his fried chicken nights. Desperate, I started scrounging around the internet for his recipe. Like Robert Langdon in The Da Vinci code, I started putting together the pieces. First came a Weekend Project: Fried Chicken Dinner post from Sauce Magazine. Then came a Food & Wine recipe. Neither looked quite right, though. There were differences between them. I began prodding his former cooks and ultimately discovered Galliano's recipe is a combination of the two, which you'll find below.
Yes, this is a long process for chicken strips. But it's worth it, especially if you're a chicken finger lover like me. They taste almost exactly like Galliano's MIA chicken. Hell, you could go crazy and change it into a chicken nugget recipe. Whatever you choose to do, you'll thank me for helping to crack The Galliano Code.
Josh Galliano's Fried Chicken
Chicken Fingers
SERVES: 4-6 SERVINGS | ACTIVE: 25 MIN | TOTAL: 6+ HOURS
INGREDIENTS
CREOLE SPICE MIX, COURTESY OF JOSH GALLIANO/FOOD & WINE
4-6 large chicken breasts, halved lengthwise
6 c water
10 bags black tea (English Breakfast)
1/4 c salt
2 T sugar
2 12-oz bottles Louisiana hot sauce (Crystal)
Tabasco
2 c buttermilk
4 sprigs thyme
2 eggs
2 c AP flour
2 c cornmeal
1/4 c cornstarch
canola oil
METHOD
Sweet Tea Brine
Add water, sugar, salt, thyme, 1 bottle of Louisiana hot sauce, a few Tabasco drops, and 2 tablespoons of creole spice mix to a pot. Stir and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn off stove, add tea bags and let sit for 10 minutes. Remove tea bags and let cool (unless you enjoy half poached chicken strips).
Once cool, add the chicken and put in the fridge for 2-4 hours.
Buttermilk Soak
Add the buttermilk, second bottle of Louisiana hot sauce, eggs, and 3 tablespoons of creole spice mix to a bowl. Mix together. Add chicken, then set in fridge. Allow to sit for 4 hours or overnight.
Breading
Preheat the oven to 170F. Begin heating 1.5 inches of oil in a deep pot to 350F.
Mix flour, cornmeal, cornstarch, and remaining creole spice mix (about 1/2 a cup) well in a baking pan or plate. Remove the chicken strips from the buttermilk and shake off the excess liquid, then dredge in the breading mix.
Once the oil has reached 350F, put in chicken, being careful not to overcrowd the pot. The temperature will drop—keep it close to 300F. Cook the 3-4 minutes, then flip and cook for another 3-4. Remove and place on a baking rack so they can drain. If not eating immediately, place the rack in the oven.
Burnt Scallion Chicken Enchiladas
I'm always looking for ways to combine things I love—in this case, joining my love for enchiladas with my love for Sean Brock's grilled chicken wings with a burnt scallion BBQ sauce. The wings are a summertime staple at my house, and, if you make them, they will be at yours too. The smoky charred chicken skin topped with that BBQ sauce on steroids will shiver your timbers. Seriously, once you make this sauce, you'll want it all the time. Brock's recipe calls for his homemade Husk BBQ sauce, but save time and just use whichever BBQ sauce you have on hand (I know you have one that's been sitting in your fridge for months—use that). Funny story: a few weeks back I was making a batch of these and forgot about the scallions in the oven. I turned around and saw that, somehow, one of them had lit on fire. That was a first.
But chicken wings take time and effort, and most days of the week, you're just not going to spend the time making them. Plus, you have to worry about not giving your friends and family food poisoning due to undercooked chicken. My solution to this is to simply buy your favorite rotisserie or smoked chicken from the grocery and shred the meat off that. The smoked meat is mixed with sweet caramelized onions, always incredible roasted garlic, and then the BBQ sauce and stringy Mexican cheese.
For the tortillas, I highly, highly recommend using the TortillaLand flour tortillas. They're uncooked, so you'll find them in refrigerated area near the cheeses, and just require a quick trip to a hot pan. The flavor of both the corn and flour tortillas are top notch—better than what some of the restaurants in town are using. To say I have become obsessed with them is an understatement. For St. Louis readers, they're available at Schnucks.
These have become a freezer-staple for me—I just pop it out, microwave it, then throw it in the toaster oven for a couple minutes to crisp up the edges again. Enjoy!
tortillaland tortillas
tortillaland tortilla description
Chicken Enchiladas
burnt scallion BBQ sauce
Chicken Enchiladas with Burnt Scallion BBQ Sauce
YIELD: 8 | ACTIVE: 20 MIN | INACTIVE: 35 | TOTAL: 55 MIN
INGREDIENTS
BURNT SCALLION SAUCE
ADAPTED FROM HERITAGE BY SEAN BROCK
10 scallions, trimmed
1 T peanut oil
Kosher salt
1 bottle BBQ sauce (your choice)
1 T soy sauce
1 c cilantro leaves
FILLING
1 rotisserie chicken
Queso fresco/Chihuahua cheese
1 large onion, sliced
1 head of garlic
8 large tortillas
METHOD
BURNT SCALLION BBQ SAUCE
Turn on your broiler. Line a pan with foil, then using a brush or paper towel, coat the scallions in peanut oil. Broil until well-charred (your kitchen may get a little smoky, but it shouldn’t be too bad). Remove from oven and let cool for a couple minutes. Combine all sauce ingredients in a blender, then set aside.
FILLING
Peel the garlic cloves, then make a foil pouch. Coat cloves with olive oil, salt, and vinegar. Bake at 400F for 30-40 minutes. Once cool, mash together.
Pick the rotisserie chicken apart like a Viking warrior.
Caramelize the sliced onion. I use Kenji’s 15-minute recipe.
PUTTING IT TOGETHER
Preheat oven to 350F.
Mix the onions, chicken, and garlic in a bowl. Spread a thin layer of the BBQ sauce on the tortilla, then a spoonful of the chicken and onion mix, then as much cheese as you desire. Roll up the enchilada and place into a 9×13 baking pan. Repeat until the pan is full. Top the enchiladas with remaining sauce and cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, remove from oven and top with cilantro.
Stinging Nettle Pesto
Ah, the wonders of the spring time farmers markets: you never know what you'll find! And by that I mean you will find things you actually don't recognize. You've probably heard of kohlrabi, but have you actually seen it? It looks like a turnip on acid. Same goes for fiddleheads. Both look like something that hopped out of a Dali painting. Last spring, I got a bag of Stinging Nettles because I liked the name. I was warned that I should wear gloves to avoid getting stung, but I'm a man and I don't need gloves to handle some little mint-looking herb.
My hand went into the bag, expletives were shouted, then I smartened up and the gloves went on. What genius decided to put the plant that stings your hands into your mouth? Yeah, this'll be real tasty!
I'd long been holding onto a stinging nettle pesto from world famous chef and baker, Josh Galliano, so stinging nettle pesto is what I made. The flavor of the nettles is similar to spinach—it's a little bitter, a little peppery—but distinctly different. A lot of other websites mention it tasting like cucumber, but I didn't get that. I've thought abut this a lot, and I just don't know how to describe it. Used as a pesto, you get a completely different flavor from your typical all-basil variety - it's a little more earthy, and a bit more peppery. Adding some red pepper flakes takes it to the next level. It's much more assertive than any other pesto I've had.
I used it as a sauce for gnocchi, but it would be great for dips, bruschetta, pizza—whatever you normally use your pesto on. Just don't forget to wear gloves.
Stinging nettle pesto
Stinging Nettle Pesto
YIELD: ABOUT 1 CUP | 5 MIN
INGREDIENTS
STINGING NETTLE PESTO
RECIPE COURTESY OF JOSH GALLIANO
1/3 c toasted pistachios
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 c basil leaves
2 c stinging nettles, blanched and squeezed dry
1 1/4 c olive oil
6-8 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 c grated pecorino (optional)
pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
METHOD
To blanch the nettles, bring a pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Prepare an ice bath. While wearing gloves, cook the leaves for 10 seconds, remove, then shock in the ice bath.
You don’t have to wear your gloves once they’re blanched. Strain the leaves then squeeze dry.
Place all of the ingredients (except the olive oil) in a food processor.
Pulverize the ingredients, then slowly drizzle in the olive oil.
Beet and Lemon Gooey Butter Cookies
Beet & Lemon Gooey Butter Cookies
I wasn't planning on baking anything. It's not something I do very often. The precise measurements, the mixing, the waiting, the shaping, the baking, the cooling, then, finally, the eating. I will smoke a brisket for 20 hours, but I have no patience for cookies most days. I don't understand it, but that's just how I am. It was a perfect storm, really. I was perusing local blog Dessert For Two when Sherrie, the mastermind behind With Food and Love asked me if I had any quintessentially St. Louis recipes that were also vegetarian. I started to brainstorm—what are the St. Louis dishes? Toasted ravioli. St. Louis-style pizza. The slinger. We love meat.
Then, as I hopped between Safari tabs, Dessert for Two inspired me. Gooey butter cake is vegetarian (remember that next time you see a fat vegetarian: all they're eating is baked goods and carrots)! I found my mom's recipe, then started thinking how can I make these even more "St. Louis"? I channeled my inner Sarah Osborn/Nate Hereford (the Niche crew) and decided that beets would be the key. They were just about the only thing in season when I made these. Plus, they're colorful and I love their flavor.
Don't be turned off by the use of beets, you baby. I'm not even sure how much I could taste them in the recipe—I mean, gooey butter cake isn't exactly known for its subtly. It's just baked sugar, basically. But with beets and lemon mixed in, it's healthier...right?
Beet and Lemon Gooey Butter Cookies
YIELD: 18-24 | ACTIVE: 20 MIN | INACTIVE: 2 HOURS 12 MIN | TOTAL: 2 HOURS 32 MINUTES
INGREDIENTS
1 box yellow cake mix
8 oz cream cheese, room temp
1/2 c unsalted butter, room temp
1 egg, room temp
1 t vanilla extract
1/4 c powdered sugar
1 red beet
2 T lemon juice
zest from one lemon
METHOD
Beet-Lemon Puree
Preheat the oven to 450F. You can peel the beets and quarter them now, or wait until after they’re cooked. Your call. Wrap in foil and bake for 35-45, until tender enough to put a knife through. Remove beets and let cool. Blend the beets and lemon juice together, then strain into a bowl. Stir in the zest. Set aside.
Cookie Time
Combine the cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer until well mixed, then add vanilla, egg, and as much beet puree as you have (or as you’d like). I added just over two tablespoons. Mix well, then add the cake mix. Once combined, put cover the batter and leave in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 350F.
Line a couple baking sheets with parchment paper. Shape the dough into ping pong sized balls, then roll in the powdered sugar and place on the tray. Bake for about 12 minutes—a few of my batches required more, a few less. Keep an eye on them. You want them to almost be underdone so they keep that airy, gooey texture.
Let cool, then consume.
Parsley Mojito
I presented Chelsea Little with a hypothetical: let's say there's a guy, roughly 28 years old, who makes terrible drinks at home, so he wants a recipe for a cocktail that has only a few ingredients, is spring-themed, and can easily be scaled for a group of people. Her solution to my my friend's request was something between a mojito and a julep, though I don't know the actual difference between those drinks. Wikipedia tells me it's kind of close to an "English mojito", a drink that no one has ever heard of before. Whatever. As long as it's not made with vodka, I'll drink it.
This creation is great for a spring afternoon. There's something about it that makes me want to put on a pastel sweater vest, talk about the stock market, and maybe even play a little golf. It's either that or it's like being transported to Ina Garten's house. You step out into her enormous Hamptons garden, pick the most perfect bunch of parsley, then go wait in the solarium for her to bring in a big pitcher of it and some immaculately plated smoked salmon. I'm not sure which one.
The eucalyptus adds an extra punch of heady herbal notes. That's Chelsea's thing. It's just like Traditional Chinese Medicine, except it gets you drunk and tastes good. This recipe makes one (1) cocktail, but if you're good at math, you'll figure out how to make a jug full.
Like most of us at home, Olive & Oak doesn't have a crushed ice machine, hence the photos of Chelsea beating a burlap sack with a mallet. You can beat your ice with whatever tools you'd like!
Parsley Mojito
Parsley Mojito
INGREDIENTS
PARSLEY MOJITO/JULEP
1/2 oz lime juice
1/2 oz eucalyptus simple syrup*
2 oz gin
parsley
club soda
ice
EUCALYPTUS SIMPLE SYRUP
dried eucalyptus
1 c sugar
1 c water
METHOD
EUCALYPTUS SIMPLE SYRUP
Go to Michael’s (yes, the craft store) and buy dried eucalyptus. Take equal parts sugar and water, bring to a boil, and stir until dissolved. Put in eucalyptus and let come to room temperature. Remove eucalyptus.
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
Fill a glass halfway with parsley, then stir/smash to release oils.
Pour in the liquid ingredients, then fill glass with crushed ice. Stir, then top with club soda.
Gyro Nachos
I know what you just did—you skimmed down to the recipe itself and saw lots of text. "I'm not putting in that much work for nachos!" you say to yourself. Settle down. The nachos are almost an after thought here. The Serious Eats Greek-American Gyro recipe (link below) has been a favorite of mine since they published it. No other homemade gyro recipe has even come close. So a few weeks back, when I was in my nacho making frenzy, I realized I had leftover gyro meat and boom: gyro nachos. The first part of the recipe is how to make my variation on the Serious Eats gyro meat, which you can serve as is, or slice and freeze for future lunches and dinners. Once you add it to your recipe repertoire, it won't leave. The second part is how to take that gyro meat and make the ultimate gyro nachos, giving you all the tastes of a classic gyro wrap. Using pita chips would make them even more like the real thing, but I'm a sucker for salty corn chips.
You could also skip all the greens and chips and just cover your gyro meat with the harissa cheese sauce. I wouldn't judge.
Gyro Nachos
Gyro Nachos
Yield: 4-6 | Prep: 1 hour | Cook: 5 Min | Total: 1 hour and 5 minutes
INGREDIENTS
HARISSA CHEESE SAUCE
(ADAPTED FROM SERIOUS EATS)
8 oz American cheese
1 c evaporated milk
1 T corn starch
3-4 T harissa
GYRO MEAT
(ADAPTED FROM SERIOUS EATS)
1 lb ground lamb
1 lb ground beef
3 slices bacon, diced
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
4 t kosher salt
1 t black pepper
1 t dried oregano
Pinch of dill pollen
YOGURT SAUCE
(ADAPTED FROM SERIOUS EATS)
3/4 c plain yogurt
1/4 c mayo
2 cloves garlic, minced
juice from 1 lemon
2 tablespoons parsley
water
TOPPINGS
1 c tomatoes, diced
1 c white onion, shaved
1 c mint, roughly chopped
METHOD
Make Ahead
Gyro Meat
Mix the ground lamb (Whole Foods always has it; or call Bolyard’s to order), ground beef, salt, pepper, and oregano in a bowl. Use your hands, so wash them first, you animal. Cover the bowl and put in the fridge overnight for best results.
Preheat oven to 300F. Take your meat mix out of the fridge and put it in a food processor with onion, garlic, and bacon. Blend until it becomes a meat puree.
Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with oil. Dump your meat puree (mmmm) on the sheet and form it into your favorite shape. Throw it in the oven, checking on it after about 40 minutes. The temperature of the meat should be 155F. Let cool for 15 minutes before slicing.
When you’re ready to use the meat, take it out of the fridge and slice it, then cut the slices into bite sized bits. Lay the gyro meat on a foil lined tray and broil on both sides until you’ve got your ideal level crispiness.
Yogurt Sauce
Put the yogurt, mayo, garlic, lemon juice, and parsley in a bowl and mix. It’s going to be pretty thick, like sour cream. I personally don’t like those heavy globs of sauce, so I thin mine would with water until it’s got enough viscosity that I can drizzle it off my spoon onto the nachos. Your call. You can also blend the sauce.
Toppings
Shave the onion (I use a mandolin slicer, but you can always do it by hand) and dice the tomato. Hold off on chopping the mint until just before serving.
Putting It All Together
Dice your mint so you don’t forget!
Cover all the plates you’re going to use with chips. Evenly distribute the meat onto the chips so that you get the most and everyone else gets nothing.
Put the shredded American cheese and cornstarch in a small pot and mix it up. Add the evaporated milk and cook on low, stirring with a whisk continuously. Once the cheese sauce has melted, dip a chip in and make sure that the taste of the cornstarch has cooked out. If it’s all good, add the harissa. Depending on how spicy you like things (and how spicy your harissa is—I like to use the hot Mina harissa), you can adjust the amount.
Pour the cheese sauce over the meat and chips, then put the onions, tomato, mint, and yogurt on top.
Buckwheat & Pecan Waffles
People often ask me, "Spencer, how do you keep such an amazing physique while eating out so often? I didn't know it was possible for a food writer to have such defined abs!" in my dreams. The answer is simple: I start the day off right! I wake up every morning looking just like Patrick Bateman, and while I do my stomach crunches (I can do 1,000 now), I heat up some waffles. Waffles?! you gasp. Yes, waffles. Buckwheat flour waffles with toasted nuts keep this machine running all day.
I'm a morning person, but that doesn't mean I want to spend time cooking right when I wake up. I want to have things that are easily crammed into my face so I can move on with my day without being hangry. Back when I worked a 9-5, this often meant toasting some kind of whole grain waffle I picked up at the grocery, but once I started reading the ingredient lists, I decided I'd be better off just making them myself. I make them, let them cool, then break them apart and freeze. All it takes is a quick visit to the toaster—or the microwave if you're really lazy—for these to be ready for a quick breakfast. Cover them with a little almond butter and honey and you're golden.
I set off on months of waffle research, ultimately finding my favorite recipe and waffle maker. My favorite base recipe for waffles came from all-time great Alton Brown. Whether you're looking for crispy waffles or softer Belgian waffles, it works great. This is an adaptation of his, which you can read here.
As for the waffle maker itself, I use this Chef's Choice 840 WafflePro Express. The packaging looks straight out of the 90s, but this thing spits out either wonderfully crispy waffles or puffy, Belgian style ones. I love it. Plus, it's super easy to clean and doesn't require any cooking spray.
So here you go, a relatively healthy addition to your breakfast portfolio. Also, waffles are 1,000x better than pancakes.
Buckwheat & Pecan Waffles
Buckwheat & Pecan Waffles
YIELD: 5-8 | PREP: 15 MIN | COOK: 10 MIN | TOTAL: 20 MINUTES
INGREDIENTS
1 C AP flour
1 C buckwheat flour
1/2 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
1 t salt
3 T sugar
2 eggs, beaten
16 oz buttermilk, room temp
2 oz butter, melted
1 C nuts (pecan/walnut)
METHOD
Toasted Nuts
Preheat the oven to 350F. Spread the nuts on a baking sheet and bake until lightly browned, 5-10 minutes. Remove and let cool. Chop (or HULK SMASH) into little pieces.
Waffle Time
Plug that waffle maker in and get it heating up.
Whisk all the dry ingredients together in one bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the eggs and butter, then add the buttermilk. Add the wet mix to the dry mix (not the other way around or you’re the worst) and stir. Let rest for at least 5 minutes.
The WafflePro recommends 1/2 cups of the batter, but I find just under 1 cup works better. You do you. Put the waffles on a wire rack when they’re done if eating later, otherwise you can go ahead and nom away.
Cocktail #1
The last time I went to Olive + Oak, literally every person at the tables around me had ordered the "#1" cocktail, which, fittingly, is their #1 selling cocktail. It, like many of the drinks that come from the mind of Chelsea Little, goes down a little too easy. It's not a drink that smacks you in the face and reminds you that it's going to get you drunk—it pretends to be your friend, then you get up to go to the bathroom and your legs are a little more wobbly than usual. The #1—which is the number at which it appears in Chelsea's drink journal—is bourbon based. Chelsea did me the honor of letting me pick which bourbon I wanted, so of course I went with Dickel. Not because it's good, but because the name makes me laugh every time. So you've got your bourbon, pineapple cordial (the version below differs slightly), lime, mint, and sage. Oh, and Byrrh, which is probably pronounced like beer or maybe burr. Or possibly bye-rr. I don't think anyone knows. It's like port with herbal flavors mixed in.
Your friends will be impressed by your cocktail making skills when you lay this baby down in front of them. It's a little sweet, a little savory, but it's still got the distinctive taste of bourbon. I think it would be a wise move to go ahead and make extra from the get-go. Everyone's going to want seconds (and thirds...)
Chelsea’s Cocktail #1
YIELD: 1 | TOTAL TIME: 2 MINUTES
Ingredients
1.5 oz bourbon
1 oz Byrrh
1/4 oz lime juice
1/2 oz pineapple juice
3/4 oz simple syrup
sage
mint
ice
METHOD
Pick your favorite bourbon for yourself. Pick your least favorite bourbon for your friends. Pour all ingredients into a shaker with sage, mint (a couple leaves of each will do), and ice.
Shake well, then double strain. Finish with a sage leaf on top so it looks classy.
Animal Style Nachos
St. Louis is getting a Shake Shack! Woohoo! To celebrate, I decided to make ShackBurger nachos—but then I happened to see a Facebook post talking about an In N Out double-double, Animal Style, and I changed my mind. If you're somehow unaware, In N Out and Shake Shack are the two coastal fast-food burger chains that people love because they treat their staff well, they don't buy disgusting meat and produce, and their food is mighty tasty. Here in the Midwest, we've got their fat, trashy cousin, Five Guys.
The main differences that I could discern from an Animal Style burger and a ShackBurger is the mustard-coated burger patty and addition of caramelized onions. Besides that, they're both just meat, bun, lettuce, tomato, "secret sauce". I know that the idea of cooking a burger patty that's been smeared with yellow mustard sounds gross, but it's vital for an accurate taste of In N Out. Even their own website says it: "a mustard cooked beef patty." So don't argue with me.
I have to say, I was quite impressed with the end result. It tastes almost exactly like a I remember an Animal Style burger tasting. I guarantee your friends and family will like you more if you make this for them.
Animal Style Nachos
Animal Style Nachos
Yield: 4-6 | Prep: 25 hour | Cook: 5 Min | Total: 30 minutes
INGREDIENTS
CHEESE SAUCE
(ADAPTED FROM SERIOUS EATS)
8 oz American cheese
1 T corn starch
1/4 t turmeric
1/4 t paprika
HAMBURGER
4-6 hamburger patties
yellow mustard
oil
salt
pepper
CARAMELIZED ONIONS
3-5 onions, diced
1 T butter
water
SECRET SAUCE
1/2 C mayo
2 T ketchup
1 T yellow mustard
1 T pickle relish
pinch of cayenne
pickle juice
TOPPINGS
1 c tomato, diced
1 c pickles, diced
1 head of romaine, shaved
METHOD
Secret Sauce
(Make Ahead)
Combine mayo, ketchup, mustard, pickle relish, and cayenne in a bowl. Add enough pickle juice (or water) to thin it out enough for easy nacho application. Set aside.
Caramelized Onions
(Make Ahead)
Melt butter in a larger, hot pan. Add onions. Cook until fond forms on the bottom of the pan. Add some water. Continue this for 15 minutes or so until the onions have really melted down into a spectacular onion jam.
Toppings
Dice tomatoes and pickles, set aside. Cut romain into thin slices, set aside.
Putting It All Together
Burgers
Heat a pan or grill. Season both sides of the burger and place in the hot pan. On the side facing upwards, apply a schmear of yellow mustard (I know this is odd, but it’s what In N Out does). After 3 minutes, flip the burgers. Cook mustard-side down another 3 minutes. Remove from the pan and chop into bite sized pieces.
Nachos
Cover all the plates you’re going to use with chips. Put the burger pieces over the chips.
Put the shredded cheeses and cornstarch in a small pot and mix. Add the evaporated milk and cook on low, stirring with a whisk continuously. Once the cheese sauce has melted, dip a chip in and make sure that the taste of the cornstarch has cooked out. If it’s all good, add the paprika and turmeric (this is just for color).
Pour the cheese sauce over the burger and chips, then top with tomatoes, pickles, caramelized onions, secret sauce, and romaine.
An Ode To Nachos
For as long as I can remember, there have been two foods that have held a very special place in my heart: pizza and nachos. They both offer a level of customization rarely found in other foods, they're both eaten with your hands, and they're both cheesy. So cheesy. Plus, both have the range of going from very classy (Pizzeria Mozza) to borderline disgusting (Sbarro), much like myself. In my young chunkster days, the pinnacle of my nacho eating was at the Blues games. Those salty, kind of stale chips; the plastic, neon orange cheese sauce; the world's crappiest pickled jalapenos. I loved it then and I love it now. I know that the KielSavvis Scottrade Center has fancy nacho stands now with gourmet offerings like BBQ meats and olives, but I have no interest in those. I want the crappiest $10 nachos I can get.
I got a craving for these nachos the other day, and deep in the recesses of my mind, I recalled seeing a Serious Eats recipe for nacho cheese sauce. I knew that once I started making cheese sauce, I would never stop, but resistance was futile. Recipe in hand, I headed to Schnuck's.
I grabbed the first bag of chips I saw, a jar of generic pickled jalapenos, evaporated milk, then headed to the deli counter to get cheese. I asked for roughly half a block of American cheese, to the horror of the man behind the counter. He made me repeat what I was asking for 2 more times before he finally, hesitantly, chopped it. I also grabbed about 1/4 of a block of sharp cheddar, just in case I decided to class things up a bit.
I followed Kenji's recipe and was quite pleased with the result. My American cheese lacked the neon orange color of Scottrade Center's cheese, which was fine. The texture and flavor was much more reminiscent of Shake Shack's cheese sauce, if you're familiar with that. Thinner and milkier than the plastic cheese.
As I sat there, munching away on my nachos, I started to get ideas. Crazy ideas. Wild ideas. Genius ideas?
I will make a series of out-of-the-box nacho recipes that are sure to blow minds. I've been in the nacho lab for days now, and I gotta say, there are some awesome things coming your way. Prepare yourselves. These will be perfect as the Blues march into the 1st round of the playoffs (and blow it) or for some summer time get togethers.
I advise you start playing around with Kenji's recipe, as it will serve as the basis for almost every cheese sauce I make in the coming weeks. In the mean time, if you have any genius nacho ideas, leave me a comment below. Blow my mind. Things like banh mi nachos.
Recipe: Beets & Mushrooms by Chef Nate Hereford
I am an obsessive watcher of Mind of a Chef, an avid reader of high-end cookbooks, and quite possibly a restaurant groupie. I'd rather sit at the Chef's Counter in a restaurant than the first row of a Cardinal's game. With that obsession comes a new addition to Whiskey And Soba: chef recipes. The best seat in town is at Niche's counter, watching executive chef Nate Hereford and his team effortlessly create edible art. Hereford's passion for continuous improvement and working with local ingredients is infectious. He's inspired me to forage for mushrooms around my yard, which has only resulted in a psychedelic experience once.
A few weeks back, after enjoying a beautiful beet dish, I told him how hard it is for me to think of vegetarian recipes outside of your typical roasted/sautéed variety—that's when it hit me. Let's have the chef of St. Louis' James Beard winning restaurant create recipes using local and seasonal ingredients to help everyone cook better.
Hereford's first dish is beets with roasted maitake mushrooms, miso yogurt, candied pecans, oregano, and a quick spruce (rosemary for the home cooks) pan sauce. It may look complicated, but any decent home cook will be able to pull this off flawlessly.
"It's January, it's cold out, I wanted something vibrant but speaking to the season. Here we have beets, a great winter ingredient that grow really well around here in winter, as well as locally cultivated maitake (Hen of the Woods) mushrooms. I thought the earthy flavors of the two things would go really well together."
Something that struck me from my first meal at Niche was the huge variation of texture in every dish. "You want texture, but you want to balance the textures in every bite. The mushrooms have one texture, the two different kinds of beets have two different textures. When I construct a dish, I want to make sure I'm really focusing on the element you’re focusing on. The pecans are going to add sweetness as well as crunch, the yogurt gives you a creaminess, and the sauce on the plate ties it all together with acid. The oregano gives a background herbal note, refreshing your palate as you eat. Typically, when we think of dishes and start to construct ideas, we try to follow that pattern. We find that it allows constant excitement when you’re eating a dish. You’re always finding new flavors, new textures, cleansing your palate."
Beets
miso yogurt, mushrooms
by Nate Hereford
Beets with Miso Yogurt, Mushrooms
YIELD: 6 | PREP: 1 HOUR | ACTIVE: 10 MINUTES | TOTAL: 1 HOUR AND 10 MINUTES
INGREDIENTS
BEETS
12 red beets
salt
canola oil
BEET SYRUP
2 C maple syrup
2 C white distilled vinegar.
2 C water
MISO YOGURT
1 C white miso
1 C greek yogurt
1/2 C whipped cream
salt
CANDIED PECANS
1 C pecans
2 egg whites
1 C sugar
salt
MUSHROOMS
Hen of the Woods mushrooms
butter
salt
fresh oregano
1 rosemary sprig
2 T white distilled vinegar
METHOD
Beets
Preheat oven to 300.
Toss beets with just enough oil to cover, salt, then wrap beets in foil. Bake until tender, checking every 30 minutes. A knife should slide in easily. It should take roughly 1 hour. Once cool enough to handle, peel the beets (gloves are advised to avoid stained hands). Once peeled, set 3 aside. Using a mandoline, thinly slice beets about 1/16 of an inch (if using a knife, do your best to cut them very thinly). Set aside.
Dice the remaining 9 beets into assorted organic shapes. Whatever your heart desires.
Beet Syrup
Combine the maple syrup and the vinegar in a pan. Bring to a simmer. Turn the heat down and slowly reduce by about 1/2. Once brought down by 1/2, add the water, stirring to combine. Slowly reduce by 1/2 again. It should taste sweet and acidic. Brush on to or spoon over larger beet chunks.
Miso Yogurt
Whip the cream with a mixer. Blend miso and yogurt until a smooth puree is formed. Place in a mixing bowl and fold in whipped cream. Season with salt to taste. Set aside.
Whipped cream is optional if you’re short on time or lazy.
Candied Pecans
Whisk eggs whites with the sugar and salt until frothy. Add in pecans. Place on a sheet tray and bake at 325, stirring every 5 minutes until done (about 30 minutes).
Mushrooms
Tear the Hen of the Woods mushrooms into chunks and roast in a hot pan with canola oil. Finish with butter, basting until butter is browned. Season with salt.
Remove mushrooms from the pan and lower heat. Add rosemary sprig to pan and briefly cook to bring out aromatics. Deglaze pan with white distilled vinegar. Pour sauce in small bowl and set aside.
Plating
Plate at your heart’s content. To do it like Nate, spoon a dollop of miso yogurt on the plate, then use the back of the spoon to make a swoosh. Place the larger beet chunks on the miso. In between the beets, place the mushroom chunks and pecans. Place oregano in 2-3 places. Lay thinly sliced beets on top, as seen below. Drizzle with the rosemary sauce to finish.
Asian Smoked Ribs
Summer is upon us. The time of year when you're forced to eat terrible BBQ made by friends and family. Charred hot dogs and hamburgers, well done steaks, and chewy ribs. Men huddle around the grill, beers in hand, to discuss the secrets of their grilling prowess. "How do you get that wonderful lighter fluid taste on these burgers?" they ask each other eagerly. It's amateur hour in backyards across the nation - until now. You're going to be the catalyst for change. You're going to be the one whose BBQ is so good that you're no longer invited to the neighborhood pool party. You're going to do it with these ribs and your smoker.
I use the Weber Smokey Mountain. You don't need anything fancier. Buying a Big Green Egg or pellet smoker isn't going to instantly make you better, big guy. You've got to learn to walk before you run.
Unlike your run of the mill smoked ribs, these have an Asian spin to them thanks to a rub from chef Josh Galliano. Mix the ingredients below in a bowl - I typically double or even triple the amount so I can have some ready to go next time I get the urge for these. The amount below should still yield a little extra for next time.
When the ribs are almost done, you'll add Momofuku's Korean ssam sauce (For the Ssam Sauce, you can either buy it directly from Momofuku or make it yourself. Simply combine the ingredients in a bowl). By the end, you'll have fall-apart tender ribs with a little heat and a little tang. The ssam gives it an umami flavor that just takes these over the top. Full recipe for the ribs and sauce below.
I used St. Louis-cut spare ribs with the rib tips cut off, but you can use whatever you'd like.
Asian Smoked Ribs
YIELD: 1 | PREP: 15 HOURS | ACTIVE: 5 MIN | TOTAL: 15 HOURS AND 5 MINUTES
INGREDIENTS
ASIAN RIB RUB
Recipe by Josh Galliano
1 rack of ribs
5 T brown sugar or honey
3 T salt
1 t ground coriander
3 t chinese 5 spice
1 t onion powder
1 t garlic powder
1/2 t cayenne
1/4 t chili flakes
SSAM SAUCE
Recipe by David Chang
2 T ssamjang (fermented bean and chili paste, available at Asian groceries)
1 T Chili Paste (Gochujang, found next to the Ssamjang above)
1/2 C sherry vinegar
1/2 C neutral oil (like grapeseed)
METHOD
Ribs
Liberally apply the rub to both sides of the ribs and refrigerate overnight.
Light your smoker and get it to a temperature between 230 and 250 F. I like to use cherry wood primarily, but will add in apple and hickory if I feel like it. If using an oven, heat to 250 F.
Place ribs on the rack and smoke for 3 hours. At this point, brush both sides with Ssam sauce and cook an additional 30 minutes. I sometimes remove the water bowl at the very, very end and put the ribs just above the coals.
If cooking in the oven, place ribs in a foil packet and cook for 1.5 hours. After 1.5 hours, unwrap the packet and cook for an additional hour or until ribs are tender.
Bring inside and eat ribs like an animal.
Asian Smoked Pork Ribs
Asian Smoked Ribs Close Up
Recipe: Chili
I feel like I failed you last week with my cornbread recipe. You undoubtedly ran to your kitchen upon reading it, made yourself a loaf, then realized you had nothing to eat it with. Perhaps you tried pairing it with some roasted chicken or a hamburger, but it just didn't feel right. I have the solution for you, friends. This may appear to be your run of the mill chili, but it's not. It's the best basic chili recipe I've come across. It's not too spicy, not too tomatoey, just the right amount of meat and beans. People like chili for the same reason they like yoga instructors: they're both hot and flexible. You can modify chili based on what you've got in your fridge or pantry at any given time, which I did. For the recipe below, I swapped out one can of red kidney beans for white beans. Because I am a wild man, I used 1 pound of ground beef, 1/2 pound of ground chorizo chicken and 1/2 pound of ground lamb. The lamb's flavor was a bit stronger than I'd prefer in a chili, but it was still better than whatever chili you're making now.
Just a few weeks ago, I judged a chili competition at work, which allowed me to try 17 different chili variations. The differences were astounding. No two chilies tasted alike. Some were good, some were great, some made me wonder if I was being Punk'd with dog food. Some key issues I noticed:
People tend to make their chili far too watery for my liking.
People don't include beans, or if they do, it's a small amount. Poor form.
People do not brown their meat. No Maillard reaction, no smiles.
People put ketchup in their chili. A lot of ketchup. Gross.
This recipe solves these issues. My recommendation is that you try the recipe below as-is your first. After that, go wild and swap all sorts of stuff in and out. I just don't want you to come here like a www.foodnetwork.com commenter and leave angry notes about how the recipe sucks when it was you who decided to swap out the cumin for Nesquik and the diced tomatoes for V8 juice.
On to the recipe!
Chili
Chili
YIELD: 4-6 | PREP: 20 MINUTES | ACTIVE: 2 HOURS 20 MIN | TOTAL: 2 HOURS AND 40 MINUTES
INGREDIENTS
2 T vegetable oil
2 medium onions, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
6 garlic cloves, minced/pressed/microplaned
1/4 C chili powder
1 T ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 lbs lean ground beef
2 (15-ounce) cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with liquid
1 (28 ounces) can tomato puree
salt
2 limes, wedges
METHOD
Heat oil in large heavy-bottomed nonreactive Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering but not smoking, 3 to 4 minutes. Add onions, bell pepper, garlic, chili powder, cumin, coriander, pepper flakes, oregano, and cayenne; cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. I like to cook them until they’ve got a nice dark color on them for a more intense flavor.
Increase heat to medium-high and add half the beef; cook, breaking up pieces with wooden spoon, until no longer pink and just beginning to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Add remaining beef and cook, breaking up pieces with wooden spoon, until no longer pink, 3 to 4 minutes. Add beans, tomatoes, tomato puree, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; bring to boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour.
Remove cover and continue to simmer 1 hour longer, stirring occasionally (if chili begins to stick to bottom of pot, stir in 1/2 cup water and continue to simmer), until beef is tender and chili is dark, rich, and slightly thickened. Adjust seasoning with additional salt. Serve with lime wedges and condiments if desired.
Slow Cooker Option: At the end of step 1, transfer the cooked beef mixture to a slow cooker; add the rest of the ingredients as directed in step 2. Cook the chili on the high setting for four hours.
Cornbread
After nearly 70 posts criticizing all your favorite restaurants, I've decided its time for me to expand my horizons and add some new content to the site. Welcome to In The Kitchen with Whiskey & Soba. Okay, that's probably not going be what I call this section. I just haven't come up with a great name yet. While I have absolutely no formal cooking training, I have watched a huge amount of Food Network & Cooking Channel, plus I've eaten a lot of food. Once I came up with an idea that chef Josh Galliano said was "cool".
More importantly, both my mom and grandma included me and my siblings when they cooked and made it fun. I still remember the first time I ever cut my finger cooking. I was spending an afternoon with my grandma and she had awesomely allowed 11 year old me to pick my pizza toppings. Being the gourmet kid I was, I opted for hot dogs. I think it was about 5 minutes into slicing the hot dogs before I missed and got my finger. I haven't had a hot dog pizza since.
Since fall is rolling in, I decided that my first cooking posts should be on two of my fall staples: chili and cornbread. We'll focus on cornbread today.
Mom’s Cornbread
Cornbread
Yield: 1 | Prep: 10 minutes | Active: 25 Min | Total: 35 minutes
INGREDIENTS
1 C AP flour
1 C cornmeal
1/2 C sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 egg
1/4 cup melted butter, fatty
1 cup milk
METHOD
Preheat oven to 400 f.
Grease a 8-9” pan.
Mix dry ingredients together, then stir in wet ingredients.
Pour into pan and bake 20-25 minutes. Stick knife in to check for doneness. If batter doesn’t stick, it’s done!
Mom's Cornbread Recipe
My Mom's Cornbread Recipe