The Southern Epicurean

Awesome Onion Hot Dog Relish

2012-01-18T11:24:00.000-05:00

The other day I was craving hot dogs, and since I like to eat caramelized onions on hot dogs (and pretty much anything else I eat), I decided to make some. But, I didn't stop there -- I wanted to spice things up a little, so I searched online and found this great recipe for a "New York Style" hot dog onion relish*. And, because I love you, I'm sharing it here with you today.

*- Notice the quotation marks. I know this probably isn't anywhere close to the real thing you can get from New York...but I don't live in New York, and probably never will, so bite me.

Anyway, here's the recipe:

Ingredients

2 tablespoons canola oil
2 medium onions, sliced thin
1/4 cup ketchup
1 pinch ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon chili powder
1 dash garlic powder
1 dash hot pepper sauce
1 dash salt
1/2 cup water

Directions

In a medium skillet, heat oil over medium heat.Add onion slices, and saute for about 7-10 minutes until golden & limp.Mix in the ketchup.Add the cinnamon, chili powder, garlic powder, hot pepper sauce & salt.Pour in water, and stir.Bring to a boil.Reduce heat and simmer uncovered about 10 minutes.

Notes:

-You can use any kind of oil (or none at all) to saute the onions. I used Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and it turned out just fine.

- If you want to add heat, you can add more hot pepper sauce, or even throw in a pinch or two of cayenne pepper. It's really up to you.

- This relish is freaking awesome on hot dogs. I don't know if it's good on anything else, but it's awesome on hot dogs.

That's all there is to it. It's really simple to make, and it only takes about 25 minutes of your time, depending on how fast you can chop two onions. I really hope you try this. You'll be glad you did, because you'll never enjoy a hot dog the same way again after you eat one (or more) with this relish. I know I won't.

Baked Tilapia with Saffron Rice and Spring Mix Salad

2012-01-09T12:41:00.000-05:00

The Wife has always been one of those types who doesn't like fish. She will eat shrimp (like pretty much everyone who isn't allergic to it*), she will eat crab, and she'll eat lobster, but she's never been one to eat fish.

* - Is it just me, or does it seem that shrimp is the true chicken of the sea? I mean, everyone eats shrimp, right?

I don't know and will never know why she isn't crazy about fish, because in my humble opinion fish is one of the most delicious meats you can enjoy. She's tried to explain her dislike of fish to me several times, and from what I've been able to interpret she had a bad experience with fish sticks when she was a kid. Either that, or she ate so many of them that she developed the "I don't care if I ever see another piece of fish again" attitude*.

* - I can totally understand and respect that.

Anyway, since we've been married, my pet project has been to break down the barrier between my wife and fish because I love to eat fish, and frankly I'm tired of having to order fish from restaurants all the time since it's always been the only way I could enjoy a piece of fish since I couldn't cook it at home because only one of us enjoyed eating it.

Whew. That was quite a sentence.

Anyway, I finally broke through the wall when I convinced her to try a piece of tilapia a few months ago, and surprise surprise...she liked it! We haven't tried other kinds of fish yet, as I don't want to overload her with different stuff when I just got her to like tilapia, but I have put her on notice that she will be trying other kinds of fish in the near future. But for now, we'll stick with tilapia.

As far as the tilapia we had for dinner last night, all I did was lightly drizzle olive oil on both sides, and put salt, pepper, dried thyme, and orange zest on top, set it on an oven sheet, and bake it at 350 for about 20 minutes (or until the fish is flaky). When it was done, I placed it on a bed of saffron infused rice (the store bought stuff) and finished it off with the juice of half the orange I zested. The other half of the orange's juice went in the spring mix salad that I served on the side with the fish and rice.

The spring mix salad was pretty much the same salad that I made a few weeks ago, but instead of using the red apple balsamic vinegar straight from the bottle, I added some dijon mustard and olive oil and made a vinaigrette to dress the salad. (It was worth the extra time to make the vinaigrette, by the way.)

This was a very light and refreshing meal, and a great way to enjoy a Sunday evening with The Wife. If you're looking for a way to enjoy tilapia, I suggest you give this one a whirl...you'll be glad you did.

Spring Mix Salad with Red Apple Balsamic Vinegar

2011-12-28T09:30:00.000-05:00

Since The Wife and I had the day after Christmas off from work and a few gift cards (and cash) in our possession we decided to spend a day shopping. We had one specific item in mind before Christmas (more on this later), so we decided to pay a visit to the store where we found it to pool our money together and make the purchase.

The store is called Oil & Vinegar, and it's located in Mt. Pleasant, SC. It's a small store that sells...you guessed it...oil and vinegar. But, this isn't your ordinary oil and vinegar. No...we're talking Red Apple Balsamic Vinegar here people. And it's delicious!

I made a small baby greens salad to try out the vinegar, and I must say that the results were positive. The salad is very simple to make, and it takes about 10 minutes to do.

Spring Mix Salad with Red Apple Balsamic Vinegar

Ingredients

spring mix (baby greens & radicchio)
1/2 bag baby carrots, sliced
2 anjou pears, sliced
1/2 red onion, sliced
Red Apple Balsamic Vinegar, to taste

*- Depending on your taste, you can add more or less of each fruit/vegetable.

Directions

Mix carrots, pears, and onion with spring mix, and dress with vinegar. Enjoy!

I made baked pork chops to go with this salad, but if you wanted to make enough for a meal the salad would be good enough to eat on its own. You can also play around with the ingredients, and if you wanted to use the vinegar to make a vinaigrette you could do that as well, but the vinegar makes a good salad dressing by itself.

Oh, and before I forget, the item we were looking for was a pasta machine. We bought one from Oil & Vinegar and made spaghetti from scratch with it, and it was delicious! I highly recommend spending the money to buy a pasta machine and making your own pasta...it's well worth the time and effort!

Nutty Fingers Recipe

2011-12-21T15:49:00.000-05:00

I wrote in a post a few days ago that I love holiday treats (and then I went on a tangent about foodgasms), and I linked a recipe for nutty fingers (or lady fingers), a delicious holiday treat that my mom used to make every single Christmas when I lived at home.

Since I wanted to experience some of the memories from my mom's cooking, and didn't feel like calling her up and begging her to make me some of her cookies, I decided to try and make them myself. Now, I will say up front that baking is not my strong suit, so naturally I was leery of even trying to make these things. But, they're so delicious that I had to give it a shot.

First, I'll post the recipe, and then I'll share my experience baking them.

Nutty Fingers

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup finely chopped pecans
Additional confectioners' sugar

Directions:

In a small bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in vanilla. Combine flour and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture. Stir in pecans. Shape tablespoonfuls of dough into 2-in. logs. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets.

Bake at 375° for 9-11 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Roll warm cookies in confectioners’ sugar. Cool on wire racks. Yield: about 2 dozen.

I made these last week, and as I expected, I burned the first batch. Well, I think burned is probably a poor choice of word...it's more like "browned them too much on the bottom". They didn't taste like I remembered them tasting when I was younger, and since I was trying to recreate that memory, the first batch wasn't good enough.

Because I'm stubborn I didn't give up after the first disaster, and I made another batch a few days later. With the help of The Wife, I was able to make a double batch of the cookies without burning them. This time, the baking process was a huge success. (I'm sure The Wife will say it's because she helped.)

So, how did they taste? Well, there's really no other way to put it than to say they are the bomb. I strongly suggest you try these...you'll be glad you did. They don't have to be just a holiday recipe either...these cookies will be good any time of the year.

Favorite Holiday Treats

2011-12-14T17:30:00.000-05:00

As you already know by now, the holiday season is upon us. (Actually, it has been for a while, it's just that I'm finally getting around to acknowledging it.) One of the best parts of the holiday season is getting to enjoy the foods that you're only allowed to indulge in at this time of the year (mostly because if you ate them year-round, you'd weigh more than a Volkswagen).

Like most of you out there, I have my favorite holiday treats that I must enjoy every single year. There are some that I can eat if they're in the room, but won't be heartbroken if they were skipped over for something else. But, there are also some that I absolutely have to eat and nothing will get in my way to prevent me from enjoying my annual holiday foodgasm.

I'm sure I have your attention now. There's something about the word foodgasm that just commands attention from the room. Personally, I like the word, because it says a lot about the quality of the food you're eating if you can relate it to a sexual experience. A lot of you have foodgasms all the time, and you probably don't even realize it.

Have you ever taken a bite of something that made you feel like you were in another world? Have you ever had that moment where you feel like you've tasted the nectar of the gods? If you answered yes to either of these questions, then you can say that you've had a foodgasm.

I have foodgasms all the time, but then again, I just really enjoy great food. I appreciate it, like many people appreciate fine art. In a way food is like a fine art. Anyone can cook food, but it takes a true artist to cook food that takes your breath away upon eating it. (And if we're sticking with the fine art analogy -- anyone can color with crayons, but it takes a true artist to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.)

Anyway, I'm getting off track here (talking about food tends to have that effect on me). Back to the original point of this post: my favorite holiday treats. I really love Christmas cookies, and some of my favorite memories growing up were eating my mom's chocolate/peanut butter balls, nutty fingers, and sugar cookies. Not to mention the plethora of cakes and pies that she always made too. (You know, come to think of it I'm amazed that I don't weigh 500 lbs. after eating that stuff for 20+ years.)

I've always held Christmas dear to my heart because of the family and food involved, and this year is going to be even better because I'm going to try and recreate all the treats that my mom used to make when I was a kid for the first time. At least that's the plan anyway.

If by chance it works out I'll be sure to share some recipes with you so you can enjoy the holidays the way I've enjoyed them my entire life thus far. Or, I could be mean and just keep them all to myself...I haven't decided which way I'm going to go yet.

Quick Spaghetti Sauce

2011-12-09T07:30:00.000-05:00

Last night for dinner we had spaghetti, which means I was able to use some of my homemade spaghetti sauce. Now, my sauce isn't something that your Italian grandmother would make for you after slaving in the kitchen for four hours, but for a spaghetti sauce that only takes 30 minutes to make, it's not bad at all.

Of course the three hour spaghetti sauce is the best stuff on earth, but how many of us honestly have three hours to spend making a sauce? Sure, we'd all love to have three extra hours in our day to spend making spaghetti sauce, but with work, traffic, kids, and everything else that we cram into our day, it just doesn't work out that way. Since we live in reality and don't have that kind of time, it's much better to make something that takes about a half-hour from start to finish instead of buying the stuff in a jar at your local supermarket.

I found a recipe for quick spaghetti sauce online, and I decided to tweak it a bit to my personal liking, and ended up with something that my family really enjoys. The best part: it's fresh, homemade, and keeps us from buying the stuff in a jar.

Anyway, below you will find the recipe for my quick spaghetti sauce.

Quick Spaghetti Sauce

Ingredients:

1 green bell pepper, diced
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
2 tbsp Italian seasoning
1 cup chicken broth
3 tbsp tomato paste*

*- The tomato paste can vary from 1 tspb to a full 6 oz can, depending on how thick you want the sauce. I use 3 tbsp because it is the preferred thickness for my personal taste, but your taste may vary.

Directions:

Sauté the bell pepper and onion on medium high heat for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for one minute. Stir in tomatoes, chicken broth, and seasoning.

Lower heat to medium-low and stir in tomato paste 1 tbsp at a time until desired thickness is achieved (see note above). Cook sauce for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve with your favorite pasta.

This recipe is really good for making batches and freezing for later use. (The batch I used last night was some that I made a few weeks ago.) The best thing about this recipe is you're not limited to one option. You can make it as is, or you can add more peppers, onions, or garlic if you want. You can also add mushrooms to this (I don't add mushrooms in the batches I freeze, but I do add sautéed mushrooms when re-heating the sauce.)

This sauce also goes well with ground beef, and even though I haven't tried it yet, I'm sure it pairs well with Italian sausage too.

Like I said earlier, this isn't your Italian grandmother's sauce. But, it's also not the overpriced sauce that you get at the grocery store, and it's much healthier for you too.

I invite you to try some, you'll be glad you did.

Stuffed Bell Peppers with Tomato Sauce

2011-12-04T08:00:00.000-05:00

Last night I decided to try a recipe that I found online for stuffed bell peppers, and when I told The Wife that we were having stuffed peppers for dinner, she was excited because a) she loves bell peppers, and b) it was something different.

Cooking stuffed peppers is a time-consuming process, but it's really not difficult at all to make them. (If I can do it, anyone can.) The whole process takes a little over an hour, but most of that time is letting the stove and oven do the work for you.

Anyway, the recipe is posted below:

Stuffed Bell Peppers with Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

6 large green or red peppers
1 lb lean ground beef*
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 or 2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup long grain white rice
1 1/4 cups chicken or beef broth
3/4 cup diced tomato (fresh or canned)
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp salt
pepper, to taste
1/3 cup grated parmesean, plus more for garnish
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3 cups tomato sauce

*- I used Italian sausage instead of beef. I highly recommend doing this. You won't be disappointed.

Directions:

Slice the top 1/4 inch off each pepper. Finely chop the flesh on the stem end; set it aside. Remove the seeds and white pith from inside the peppers. (If the peppers won't stand up straight, take a small slice off the bottom with a paring knife to make a flat surface.)

Put a steamer basket (or a colander) inside a large pot and add an inch or so of water. Place the peppers in the basket. Bring the water to a boil and tightly cover the pot. Steam the peppers for 8 minutes. Remove the peppers with tongs and set them on a wire rack to cool.

Combine the reserved chopped pepper, ground beef, onion, and garlic in a large skillet. Brown the meat over medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes, breaking it up with a wooden spoon.

Drain any visible fat from the pan, then return it to the heat. Add the rice, broth, tomato, paprika, Worcestershire sauce, basil, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer it, tightly covered, for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed. Remove the pan from the heat and let it stand for 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in the egg and the 1/3 cup of Parmesan.

(While the mixture is resting off the heat, pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees.)

Lightly oil a large baking or casserole dish and pour in 2 1/2 cups of tomato sauce. Using a large spoon, scoop about 3/4 cup of filling into each pepper. Set the stuffed peppers into the prepared pan, so they are evenly spaced and surrounded by sauce. Spread a spoonful of the remaining sauce over the top of each, to keep the filling moist, and cover the pan with aluminum foil.

Bake the peppers until they're heated through, about 35 minutes. Remove the foil and sprinkle the tops with Parmesan. Serve the peppers hot, in pools of tomato sauce. Makes 6 servings.

This recipe is absolutely delicious! It's really simple to make, and the result is really great food that you can enjoy with little money and effort. The Wife took a few snap shots of the peppers we made, and I must say they turned out pretty well (but I am slightly biased).

Don't they look delicious? Trust me, you want to make this recipe. It's definitely good eats!

Note: There are plenty of options for the stuffing. You can use beef (as the recipe suggests), or you can use sausage (as I did). You can use lamb, or turkey, or pork. You can make this vegetarian by leaving out the meat and adding more rice. The possibilities are endless.

Well, what are you waiting for? Get in the kitchen and make some stuffed peppers!

A Few of My Favorite Things

2011-12-02T13:04:00.001-05:00

Here's a short list of some of my favorite foods:

The Wife's lasagna
pizza (pepperoni, sausage, and mushroom)
crispy bacon
cheeseburgers
hot dogs
sautéed onions
sautéed mushrooms

Here's a short list of some of my favorite food shows:

The Chew
Hell's Kitchen
Chopped
Iron Chef America
Restaurant: Impossible
Diners, Drive-Ins, & Dives
Unwrapped

And, to complete the set, here's a list of some of my least favorite foods:

uncooked tomatoes
bleu cheese
feta cheese
potato salad
deviled eggs
pickled beets
sour cream

Cleaning Out the Fridge, Vol. 1

2011-12-01T23:55:00.000-05:00

The plan is to start a series of posts about the stuff that I cook for dinner with ingredients that I use out of the fridge to prevent from throwing them away. I do this all the time, and I'm sure that you do it all the time too. Let's be honest, we all do it. It's much easier to cut the moldy corner off the half-block of cheese and make homemade mac-n-cheese than it is to throw the moldy cheese away (and it's better for the budget too, since you get full use out of the cheese).

On Tuesday I noticed that I had half of an onion in the fridge (in a Ziploc bag, of course) and a bag of red delicious apples on the counter that were almost two weeks old. Well, instead of throwing them away and being wasteful, I decided to make something up out of thin air to go with the pork chops that we were already having for dinner.

What I came up with was something that The Wife absolutely loves (in fact she wanted me to make it again tonight), and I must say I was proud of myself because it actually tasted pretty damn good. I haven't decided what I want to call it yet, because I honestly don't know exactly what it is. It's not a compote, it's not a marmalade, it's not a salad, and it's not a relish (wait, actually it could be a relish).

That's it...it's a relish. It's cooked vegetables and fruit, and it's used as an accompaniment for a meat. Well, Food Network may or may not consider it a relish, but in my book (and let's not forget, this is my book...err, blog) it's a relish. Anyway, if you're interested in trying this "relish" for yourself, the recipe is as follows:

Onion-Apple Relish

Ingredients:

2 medium onions, chopped
3 medium apples*, peeled & chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup ginger ale
salt and pepper, to taste

*- I used red delicious apples because I had them at home, but you can use any kind of apples you want.

Directions:

In a medium sauté pan, cook onions over medium heat until soft (about 5 minutes). Add apples and cook for another 5 minutes. Add wine, and cook for 5 more minutes. Add ginger ale, and cook another 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and let sit for a few minutes. Serve warm.

Depending on how much salt you prefer to use you may do this differently, but I salt the onions when I put them in the pan, just before I put the apples in, and after I add the wine. I put pepper in the onions when I add salt the first time, and if I feel it needs more, I add more pepper at the end of the cooking process (but I like a lot of pepper, so you may not want to add more).

The cooking times are approximate. I waited until most of the wine evaporated before adding the ginger ale, and then waited until most of the remaining liquid evaporated before taking them off the heat. While the onions were cooking I used water to prevent them from scorching, but you could use any liquid you want instead of water.

This "relish" is really good with pork chops, and (as you can see by the directions) is very simple to make. It only takes about 30 minutes of total time (depending on how long it takes you to chop onions and apples). If you decide to try this please share your results (and if you make any, your tweaks) in the comments section. Don't worry, I won't be offended if you change something in the recipe, because just like my mama always says: "A recipe is only a guide".

Horses for Human Consumption?

2011-11-30T12:57:00.001-05:00

In a recent article on Yahoo!, it was reported that our highly esteemed members of Congress have lifted the 5-year-old ban on funding horse meat inspections*, a move that could allow slaughterhouses to open for the sole purpose of slaughtering horses for human consumption.

*- I'm glad that they're spending their time on the important issues. Who cares that the economy is in the tank, we're still in an unwinnable war, and we have a 10% unemployment rate? Nah, that stuff will work itself out. Let's talk about allocating money we don't really have so we can resume slaughtering horses, even though we don't eat them.

What I fail to understand is why they decided to do this. It just doesn't make any sense to me, even for Congress. (Not that they've ever done anything stupid before.) The last time I checked, and granted it has been a long time since I did, horse meat is not consumed in the US. (At least not knowingly. I mean, who really knows what's in that taco you ate for lunch from Taco Bell?)

Of course, animal rights activists are not thrilled with this decision, and I'm not so sure I'm thrilled with it either. I mean, I don't really have a problem with killing and eating animals, because I eat animals all the time. The problem I have is that it crosses the fine line between eating animals that are "designated" for consumption, and eating animals that are "designated" as pets. I surely wouldn't call Fido to the tool shed and turn him into Sunday dinner, so I don't see the point in doing the same to a horse.

I know the counter argument here is that no animals should be designated for consumption, and that's an understandable argument, even though I do believe that non-domesticated animals are provided to us for consumption. The main problem I have is that this sets a precedent for future animals to be added to the menu. Will we see a day when it's legal (and funded) to slaughter dogs and cats for consumption? (Save the Chinese food jokes.)

What about pet fish? There's a commercial (I forget the product being advertised) where a couple turn their daughter's two goldfish into sushi, and she rushes into the kitchen looking for the fish just as dad is enjoying his first bite. The commercial is designed to be funny, but will we one day see the US allow this to happen, and not only allow it, but to fund it with government funds? I surely hope not, but I have a feeling that horses aren't going to be the last of the animals that suddenly are allowed to be slaughtered for consumption. It's only going to get worse as time goes on.

And, if anyone is curious as to why the government is going this, it's not that hard to figure out. They're going to start slaughtering horses and selling the meat to countries that eat horses for a premium price. It's all a money game, and it's unfortunate that Seabiscuit and his friends have to pay the price for our government's greed. But then again, when has it ever mattered who was affected by the corrupt officials' decisions that helped fill their coffers?

On Vegetarian and Vegan Diets

2011-11-29T11:30:00.000-05:00

I figure it's best to get my thoughts on vegetarian and vegan diets out of the way early in the life of this blog just to have a point of reference going forward when I discuss eating and/or cooking certain foods (i.e. - meat).

First of all, I would like to point out that I have nothing against anyone who wishes to follow a vegetarian or vegan diet. I have friends who adhere to these diets, some of which I have the utmost respect for, so please note that my stance on the issue isn't personal at all. It's about the diet, not the dieter.

It's probably obvious by now that I'm not a vegetarian or a vegan, but that doesn't mean that I look down on those who are. I don't believe the lifestyle is for me, but I don't knock anyone who feels the lifestyle is for them. In fact, I can somewhat understand why some would choose to live a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle, and I have respect for anyone who can turn away from a perfectly cooked steak, or anything made with bacon in it. (Note: you'll read a lot about bacon if you stick around here.)

The reason I'm not a vegetarian or vegan is simple: I love eating meat too much. I feel that eating meat is an essential part of my personal diet, and therefore I cannot give it up. This doesn't mean that I eat red meat and potatoes for every meal, but rather that I can enjoy pretty much anything that I want to eat without having to worry about dietary restrictions.

With that being said, occasionally I may discuss vegetarian and/or vegan dishes that I've tried, because every once in a while I do enjoy eating a meatless meal.

Just don't expect me to talk too much about tofu. I don't think I'll ever travel down that road.

An Introduction

2011-11-28T23:00:00.000-05:00

This blog is going to be my place to discuss one of my favorite passions in the world, and that passion is food. Food is something that everyone can identify with, because we all need it to survive, and most of us enjoy consuming it. We all have our specific tastes and preferences, and we all have a different definition of the term "good food".

Using this blog as my canvas, I hope to share with you what I consider to be "good food", and I hope that through reading my ramblings you will find an appreciation for the interpretation of what "good food" is through the eyes (and taste buds) of a Southern Epicurean.

In case you don't know, an Epicurean is a person who cultivates a refined taste, especially in food and wine. Or, more simply put: a connoisseur of food. Since I grew up (and still live) in the South, it's only logical that my "refined taste" for food is of the Southern variety, and through this blog I plan to share the delicacies of the South with you.

I'm going to do other stuff too; such as talk about my favorite food shows on tv, favorite recipes I've made, favorite restaurants I've been to, and I may even dabble in the not-so-great places I've been and foods I've tasted.

So, grab a chair and let's discover some great food together.