The Steelers took on the Cleveland Browns this week. And by “took on,” I mean that they handed the game to the Browns in the form of a very generous 8 turnovers (including a fumble at the very last second of the game, for good measure.) Needless to say, the Steelers lost and it wasn’t pretty. So let’s just move on to the food, shall we? Cleveland isn’t exactly the first place we think of as a fine-dining mecca, but it has been garnering more respect from food critics in recent years (all the while proudly maintaining its notoriety as a blue-collar, burgers and dogs kind of town.) Cleveland native Chef Michael Symon is credited with helping to revitalize the dining scene in the city and has 3 restaurants there. He is possibly Cleveland’s most famous celebrity chef, so it seemed even more fitting that the recipe we chose for the Steeler Opponent-City Challenge this week is Chef Symon’s recipe for the “Polish Boy” sandwich. We didn’t find much information about the origin of the Polish Boy, but this kielbasa sandwich, topped with cole slaw and french fries, is definitely a Cleveland favorite, sold at BBQ joints and by street vendors all over the city. Chef Symon likes them so much that he featured the Polish Boy on an episode of “The Best Thing I Ever Ate” (“Between Bread” edition), and he put the sandwich on the menu at his Bar Symon restaurant in the Pittsburgh airport. We’re fans of the Polish Boy as well (what’s not to like about a sandwich incorporating both grilled sausage and homemade french fries?!), which brings the current S.O.C.C. record to Steelers: 6-5, Foodie Laywer 10-1.
Category: Main Ingredient
Turkey Mushroom Risotto (w/ leftover turkey)
It’s almost Thanksgiving, so here is another recipe transforming leftover turkey into a new dish. In the original recipe, the turkey flavor comes from turkey stock. We didn’t have any stock (nor any turkey bones to make it), so we used chicken stock and added leftover turkey meat for turkey flavor and a variance in texture in the creamy risotto. This isn’t exactly a quick dish (risotto requires a lot of stirring and patience), but it’s pretty easy to make with a few, simple ingredients: butter; a shallot; mushrooms; garlic; fresh sage; Arborio or other “risotto rice;” chicken stock; leftover turkey; pecorino cheese (Parmesan would also work) and salt & pepper. If you’re tired of turkey sandwiches (but not tired of spending some time in the kitchen), this dish is a richly decadent way to use your leftover turkey. And if you’ve got a lot leftover, here are some other recipe options: turkey barley soup, tex-mex turkey soup, turkey tetrazzini, king ranch, enchiladas, paella and stuffed shells. We hope you and yours have a very Happy Thanksgiving, with an abundance of good food, cheer and counted blessings!
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Baltimore Crab Cakes
The Steelers played the Baltimore Ravens this week, and I’m told that there is a huge rivalry between these two teams, although no one seems to articulate precisely why they are rivals. Dan gave me a few reasons — they’re in the same division and have knocked each other out of playoffs in previous seasons, each team plays a really physical defense, blah blah blah. I guess I was looking for a more juicy, soap opera-esque, “you killed my father, prepare to die” reason. But alas, apparently it is just a plain old football rivalry. I suppose there are some aspects of football I’ll just never quite understand. Like ugly throw-back uniforms. Or why Mike Wallace can’t seem to hold on to the football. Or the onside kick (I actually had to look up whether it was “onside, ” or “onsite” — the latter of which kind of makes sense to me, since the person kicking is there, on the field or “site.” But what do I know? Clearly, very little about football.)
I may lack knowledge of football, but I do know what I like in a crab cake (and a good segue): just the right crab-to-breading ratio; crispy outer layer; nice crab flavor (no fishy taste); and seasoning reminiscent of a crab or crawfish boil. The most perfect crab cake I’ve ever had can be found, strangely enough, at a little family-owned Italian restaurant in Altoona, PA called Lena’s. Our prior attempts to recreate the Lena’s crab cake at home have been largely unsuccessful. We decided to give it another shot for the Steeler Opponent-City Challenge this week, since Baltimore and the entire state of Maryland are known for crab, especially blue crab. We weren’t able to find blue crab, but we bought the best (most expensive) fresh crab we could find, adapted this recipe, and ended up with crab cakes almost as good as the perfect ones we get from Lena’s. Using panko instead of traditional breadcrumbs helps keep the breading light, while the flavor combination of Dijon mustard, Old Bay Seasoning, lemon juice, parsley, jalapeno and chives complements the crab flavor really well. Crab cakes so good that you don’t even need cocktail sauce equals a win in our book. Unfortunately, the Steelers weren’t so lucky against the Ravens, which brings the current S.O.C.C. record to: Steelers 6-4, Foodie Lawyer 9-1. And watch out Ravens — you beat us once this season, prepare to lose when we play you again in two weeks.
Jambalaya (w/ leftover turkey)
It’s that time of year again — Let’s Talk Turkey! More specifically, let’s talk turkey leftovers. While Dan loves the Thanksgiving Day roasted turkey with gravy and traditional trimmings, I usually prefer leftover turkey, creatively transformed into a unique dish. We’ve used turkey in lots of different ways: from soups (turkey barley and tex-mex turkey) to casseroles (turkey tetrazzini and king ranch) to unexpected dishes (enchiladas, paella and stuffed shells.) In light of the upcoming holiday, we’ve got a few more leftover turkey recipes to share, starting with Emeril Lagasse’s “Turkey and Sausage Jambalaya for a Crowd.” (Chef Lagasse isn’t kidding about the “for a crowd” part — we halved the recipe and still had enough for dinner and a couple of lunches.) The recipe is pretty easy to make with basic ingredients: vegetable or canola oil, onion, green bell pepper, celery, garlic, Emeril’s “Essence” (basically a Creole seasoning), salt, pepper, cayenne, bay leaves, kielbasa or andouille sausage, leftover turkey, tomatoes and rice. We used smoked turkey (thawed Greenburg Smoked Turkey from last year — it’s the best!), but regular turkey will also work. Garnished with hot sauce, green onions and parsley, this jambalaya is a deliciously Cajun way to celebrate being thankful.
Kansas City Ribs
When we think Kansas City, we think ribs. Not barbeque or smoked meats generally, but ribs specifically. We’re not sure why, since we’ve never been there. Maybe it’s because Kansas City is renowned for slow-smoked meats finished with a tangy/sweet sauce, and ribs in particular are at their best when cooked via those methods. No matter the reason, we knew we would be cooking ribs in the smoker for the Steeler Opponent-City Challenge when the Steelers played the Kansas City Chiefs. And since Dan prefers to go Flintstones-style with quantity on the rare occasions we have ribs, we made them when my parents were in town for a weekend visit so we could share the smoky BBQ goodness. And my parents were gracious enough to don some Steeler garb for that weekend’s game and the S.O.C.C. feature photo (thanks guys!) While they are not die-hard Steeler fans per se, my parents are definitely big fans of their son-in-law (as he is of them) and were happy to support the team. And we were all super-fans of the delicious, mouth-melting Kansas City ribs. We didn’t as much enjoy the tough game the Steelers had against the Chiefs (even less so after Big Ben got hurt), but they managed a win nonetheless (in overtime, which is so not my favorite), bringing the current S.O.C.C. record to: Steelers 6-3, Foodie Lawyer 8-1
Okra Tomato Side
Okra is still in season around here — at least in our garden. If you can get fresh okra where you live, this side dish is a great way to use it. And bonus if you also have garden-fresh tomatoes. As much as we love the simple saute method of cooking okra, we adapted this recipe to beef it up a bit with the added texture and flavor from the tomatoes, along with a sauce made with a base of sauteed onion, celery, jalapeno and garlic, simmered in a mixture of tomato paste, chicken broth, red wine vinegar and fresh thyme. The hearty result could be served over rice for a light lunch, and makes for a nice accompaniment to a fish, pork or chicken main course that needs a little extra zing.
Crispy Baked Wings in D.C. Mumbo Sauce
Wearing their “throw-back” jerseys, the Steelers played the Washington Redskins this week. Despite looking a bit like bumble bees dressed in prison inmate costumes (or maybe because of it), the Steelers made a strong showing and won with ease. Finding a culinary specialty from the D.C. area for the Steeler Opponent-City Challenge was not quite as easy. Our nation’s capital may be known for partisan politics, cherry blossoms and American monuments and memorials, but the district doesn’t seem to be famous for any particular food item or cuisine. After considering (and rejecting) an Obama vs. Romney favorite-food-face-off and briefly entertaining the culinary possibilities for donkey or elephant (not really), we settled on a D.C. “carryout” specialty — wings and “mumbo” sauce. According to our sources, D.C. has an abundance of Chinese carryout restaurants, and a staple of those eateries is a tangy, sweet sauce with a bit of spice that is typically served with fried chicken wings. A lot of our research described mumbo sauce as a cross between BBQ sauce and Chinese sweet & sour sauce, which didn’t really sound all that appealing at first. But we persevered and the mumbo sauce beat our expectations, much like the Steelers beat the heck out of the Redskins (unfortunate jerseys and all.)
Greek Panzanella
Sometimes a new recipe from a tried-and-true cookbook is a bit like the promise of a new day after a particularly trying one. Feeling confident that a dish is going to turn out delicious, even if you’ve never previously cooked it, can be as comforting as knowing that frustrations or disappointments of a previous day won’t seem nearly so grim after a good night’s sleep. We have that kind of confidence in Ina Garten’s recipes and cookbooks. The Barefoot Contessa knows her way around the kitchen, and she is often our go-to source when we want to try out a new recipe. This panzanella recipe is just one of many we have tried from her book, “How Easy is That?” and we have to say, not only is it pretty darn easy, but it’s addictingly good with fresh ingredients (rustic bread, cucumber, red bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, red onion) and Greek flavors (olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, dried oregano, Dijon mustard, feta cheese and kalamata olives.) And just like that, we have a new favorite salad to add to our rotation.
Cincinnati Chili
When we saw the Steelers’ schedule and found out that they played the Cincinnati Bengals, we knew we would be making Cincinnati Chili for the Steeler Opponent-City Challenge. Cincinnati is famous for its chili — so much so that during the pre-game hoopla, they played a clip of this peculiar chili being spooned over spaghetti and hot dogs, we suspect from one of the most famous Cincinnati chili restaurants, Skyline Chili. Cincinnati chili is different than any other chili we’ve ever had, from the flavor (a mix of sweet, warm cinnamon, and spicy) to the way it is served, over spaghetti. We affectionately refer to this chili as “peculiar” without intending any offense — we liked the chili a lot, but initially had our doubts when we saw that the recipe we adapted called for boiling the ground beef and combining a pretty unusual mix of ingredients (e.g., cocoa powder and Worcestershire??) We had similar initial concerns about the football game (and Mike Wallace’s seeming inability to catch a pass), but both the chili and the Steelers ultimately turned out to be winners, bringing the current S.O.C.C. record to: Steelers 3-3, Foodie Lawyer 5-1.
Nashville Hot Chicken
In the Thursday game last week, the Steelers played the Tennessee Titans. Coming up with a food for which Tennessee is particularly well-known for the Steeler Opponent-City Challenge wasn’t easy. And apparently neither was playing the Titans, since the Steelers lost the game that they were heavily favored to win. Since the Titans play in Nashville, we focused our search on that city and discovered Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack, which is famous for, you guessed it, their “hot chicken” — fried chicken sauced with a very spicy paste. Prince’s is also famous for the story behind the chicken. The current owner of Prince’s explains that she had a great-uncle who was quite the ladies’ man and once got caught by his live-in girlfriend after cheating on her with another girlfriend. To get back at him, the jilted girlfriend made him a breakfast of super spicy fried chicken. Her hot dish of revenge backfired, however, because he loved the chicken so much that he started serving it in his restaurant (and reportedly continued sleeping with other women.) The dish was a hit with the locals and became so popular that there is an annual city-wide festival and competition honoring it. Understandably, the actual recipe for Prince’s Nashville Hot Chicken is a closely-kept secret, but we found this recipe, which we adapted by using coconut oil instead of lard to make it a bit more healthy and about half the amount of cayenne pepper to make it tolerable for our delicate constitutions. Continue reading “Nashville Hot Chicken”