Two Great Books - One on Smoking Meat and One on Meat

Today, I was having my hair cut at Manny G's Barbershop in Novato, California.  We started talking about BBQ and cooking.  I mentioned that I use two great cookbooks for doing meats.  One is a complete cookbook on Meat while the other focuses on Smoking Meat.  So, here are the two reference books.  Enjoy.

The Complete Meat Cookbook by Bruce Aidells and Denis Kelly.

Of particular interest to me are these recipes.

• Prime Rib
• Rack of Lamb
• Veal Scallopini

The Essential Guid to Real Barbecue Smoking Meat by Jeff Phillips

Of particular interest to me are these recipes.

• Brining
• Smoked Chicken
• Smoked Salmon

Roy Choi's Spaghetti

A few years ago, John Favreau filmed the movie Chef.  Then, he filmed a cooking series called The Chef Show with Roy Choi who helped with the cooking elements of the original film.  One of the episodes focused upon Italian dishes.  

Roy shared his recipe for Spaghetti and meatballs.  Below his the recipe for this Spaghetti sauce.  Given that I had to estimate the amounts for each ingredient while viewing the film, I am not sure if this recipe perfectly matches Roy's.  But, here we go. 

Ingredients

• 1 - whole bunch of Basil - picked from stems but do not crushed or chop.
• 40 - whole cloves of Garlic.
• 2 - cans of whole San Marzano tomatoes.
• 24 - whole White Button Mushrooms.
• 1-1-½ Cups Olive Oil.
• 1 - pound Spaghetti.
• 1 - wedge of Parmigiano Reggiano.
• Chili Flakes.
• Salt.
• Pepper.

Procedure

• Put the White Mushrooms in a sauce pan (whole) and cover with water.  Simmer until soft.
• Put the Garlic cloves in a sauce pan (whole) cover with Olive Oil.  Simmer (confit) until soft under very low heat.
• Once the above are ready, put the confited Garlic and Mushroom stock (do not add mushrooms) in a sauce pan.  Add two cans of whole San Marzano tomatoes and cook until tomatoes start to break down.
• Boat motor the sauce fully until smooth.
• Add saltto taste.
• In a separate sauce pan, add pasta, then enough sauce to cover, add basil and transfer to a serving platter.
• Add Chili flakes, Pepper and Parmigiano Reggiano to taste.
• Serve immediately. 

Romoulade Sauce - John Shields

John Shields owns and operates Gertrude's Chesapeake Kitchen in Baltimore, Maryland.  He finally shared his receipe for his Romoulade Sauce, which he serves with his fried oysters.  But, you can serve them with most any seafood.  I have made this sauce and found it to be extremely tasty.   So, here we go.

Ingredients

• 1 - Cup Mayonnaise
• 6 - TB finely minced Celery
• 2 - TB finely minced Green Onion
• 1 - TB chopped Parsley
• 1 - Teaspoon minced Garlic
• 1 - TB chopped Capers
• 2 - TB Ketchup
• 1 - TB Worchestershire Sauce
• 1 - Teaspoon Tabasco Sauce
• ½ - Teaspoon Salt

Procedure

• Place all the ingredients in a bowl whisk together well.  
• Cover and chill for several hours before serving. 

Chicken Scallopini

Mary Ann just found a great recipe for Chicken Scallopini.  She found the recipe on Delish.com.  She served it with Whole Cooked Artichokes and Penne Pasta.

This dish has great depth and flavor.  It serves 4 people.  A really tasty dish.

Enjoy.

Ingredients

1. 3 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
2. Kosher Salt
3. Ground Black Pepper
4. ⅓ Cup All Purpose Flour
5. 2 Teaspoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
6. 4 Teaspoons Butter
7. 8 ounces Baby Bella Mushrooms, sliced (regular white mushrooms can be substituted)
8. ½ White Onion, finely chopped
9. 2 Cloves Garlic, minced
10. ¼ Cup White Wine
11. ¼ Chicken Broth
12. Juice of 1 Lemon
13. ¼ Cup Heavy Cream
14. Freshly Chopped Parsley for Garnish

Procedure

1. Place flour in a shallow bowl.  Pat chickeb dry and halve each breast horizontally to yield two thin pieces.
2. Season each piece with salt and pepper, then drip each in flour, shakign off any excess flour.
3. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat oil.  Add chicken and cook until deeply golden brown, about 3 minutes per side.  Remove from pan and set aside.
4. Reduce heat to medium.  Add to skillet butter, onions, and mushrooms and cook until golden, about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute more. 
5. Stir in white wine, broth, and lemon juice, season with salt and peppter, then let simmer until slightly redyced and thickened, 3 minutes.  Stir in cream. 
6. Return chicken to skillet and spoon sauce over to coat.  
7. Garnish with Parsley before serving. 

Shrimp Scampi with Linguini

I love seafood, period.  I am a big fan of pasta.  Years ago, I was asked to prepare Scampi and pasta for dinner. The following recipe is my final version of this classic dish.  Enjoy.

Ingredients

• ¾ lb. Linguini pasta
• 1 lb. Shrimp (21-25), shelled (no tails) and deveined
• 2 Cubes of Salted Butter
• 10 Cloves of Garlic, minced (do not use any proceeded Garlic - it just does not work for this dish)
• 1 Cup chopped Parsley
• White Wine, preferably Chardonnay

Procedure

• Prepare Linguini pasta according to package directions.  Cook to almost al dante. 
• Place butter, garlic and ½ cup of parsley in a saute pan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once at boil, immediately turn off stove.  Let msture stand for a minium of 30 minutes up to 6 hours.
• Warm a large serving platter in over or under a heating lamp.
• Bring butter mixture to simmer.  Add shrimp and ¼ cup parsley.  Stir to blend/  Add enough wine to just cover Shrimp.  
• Add cooked Lingini pasta to pan
• Cover pasta with Shrimp and pan sauce
• Cook for an additional 1 minute
• Empty contents of pan onto heated platter.  Add remaining ¼ cup parsley.
• Serve Immediately.