In Which My Love For Anthony Bourdain Grows Even More ... Again

In Which My Love For Anthony Bourdain Grows Even More

The latest Feedbag podcast features Josh Ozersky chating with Anthony Bourdain about the New York Wine & Food Festival, fried chicken, hyper-localism, mixology, and why tasting menus are like guitar solos:

I Heart The (Grass-Fed Beef) Taco

[Sent on the Now Network from my Sprint® BlackBerry]

I love the simple, old-school taco ... ground beef seasoned with Old El Paso taco seasoning, shredded cheddar cheese, salsa ... all contained in a crispy Old El Paso taco shell. I grew up eating them, and I still love to eat them today.

After Chuck made a quick trip to the new Schnucks' Culinaria at 9th and Olive for an Old El Paso taco kit, a red onion, two jalapenos, a bunch of cilantro, and limes, dinner was underway.

I made the seasoned taco meat with ground beef from American Grass Fed Beef.

Their cows are born, raised, and finished on open grass pastures in the rolling hills of southern Missouri. Their cows receive a forage diet free of pesticides as they are continually rotated to fresh new pastures, and they are never held in confinement, never fed antibiotics, and never receive synthetic growth hormones. In addition, American Grass Fed Beef practices a holistic approach to farm management that sustains and nourishes the environment through restoration and soil improvement techniques.

What does all this mean? We had tasty—and happy—meat for dinner!

As for the cheese, there are no bags of shredded cheddar in our house. Not only is it quick and easy to grate your own cheese, it's also cheaper than buying it pre-shredded. Tonight's cheese of choice? "Seriously Sharp Cheddar" from Cabot in Vermont; easily accessible and just right for old-school tacos!

In addition to loving the taco, I also love salsa, and one of my favorites is Chuck's simple salsa ... it's quick, fresh, and tastes great.

Just dice a few firm, red tomatoes (ours came from the Maplewood Farmers' Market so that may have something to do with the fresh taste!), half a medium red onion, two jalapenos, a handful of cilantro, then mix together with lime juice and salt ... bright, fresh, delicious!

Now that my tacos are beginning to digest, my mind is turning to dessert ... and I believe a big 'ole bowl of plain chocolate ice cream may be in my future!

It's International Bacon Day!

Yes, my friends, it's true ... today is International Bacon Day!

Apparently, International Bacon Day is held on the Saturday before Labor Day in the United States. Last year, International Bacon Day was celebrated in the US, Australia, Canada, South Africa, Switzerland, and the UK ... wow!

Truth be told, I didn't know there was an International Bacon Day (but I totally should have guessed there was). Since I'm not prepared to celebrate (no, I don't have any bacon in the house ... wait ... wait ... I'll give you a second to recover from that), I'll just share one of my favorite bacon recipes with you.

BSFGT (Bacon, Spinach, and Fried Green Tomato Sandwich)

Ingredients:

8 slices bacon
1 good sized green tomato
1 cup cornmeal
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup milk
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce (use your favorite kind)
4 slices whole wheat bread
Spinach leaves

Directions:

1. Fry bacon in a skillet; set aside on a paper towel to drain.
2. Slice the green tomato 1/2 inch thick.
3. Combine cormeal, salt, and pepper.
4. Dip tomato slices in milk and roll well in cornmeal.
5. Fry tomato in bacon grease until brown on both sides and drain on paper towel.
6. Stir together mayonnaise, lemon juice, and hot sauce.
7. Toast wheat bread.
8. Build sandwich: Spread one side of each slice of toast with mayonnaise mixture, top two slices of toast with spinach leaves, top spinach with fried tomato slices, top tomato with 4 bacon strips, top evenly with more spinach, then cover with the remaining slices of toast, mayonnaise side down.
9. Cut sandwich in half and serve immediately.

Enjoy!

What to Potluck?

pot·luck:
1: the regular meal available to a guest for whom no special preparations have been made; 2: a communal meal to which people bring food to share—usually used attributively, ie, a potluck supper

Around my office, the potluck is king ... and folks are always looking at me to bring something tasty. For a recent potluck, I whipped up a cold oriental noodle salad, and I thought I would share the recipe with you.

Kimberly's Oriental Noodle Salad

Ingredients:

15 ounces dried soba noodles
1 1/2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1/3 cup soy sauce
Juice from one lime
Zest of one lime
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes or to taste
1 medium carrot, sliced into long, thin ribbons
1 medium cucumber, sliced into long, thin ribbons
Sesame seeds to top

Directions:

In a large pot, cook soba noodles according to package directions. Once cooked, drain and rinse noodles with cold water then set aside. In a large bowl, combine the sesame oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, and lime juice, then mix in the lime zest, brown sugar, garlic, and red pepper flakes and stir until the sugar dissolves. Ad the carrot and cucumber ribbons to the dressing then add the noodles. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour. Toss salad before serving and if dry, splash with additional soy sauce and rice vinegar. Serve cold with assorted sesame seeds on the side.

I am a huge fan of the sesame seed ... regular sesame seeds, black sesame seeds, and the flavored ones; in my pantry right now, I have a jar of each of Roland's flavored sesame seeds (Bamboo Charcoal, Garlic, Plum, Soy Sauce, and Wasabi).

Bring this salad to your next potluck along with a few varieties of sesame seeds for a fun dish your friends or colleagues can customize!