Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Basil Gin or Vodka Gimlet.


This is a Favorite of mine.

8 basil leaves (Try using Thai Basil)

1 lime

1/2 Lemon

1/2 ounce Simple Syrup or Agave Nectar

2 1/2 ounces vodka or gin

Pinch of Salt.

Muddle first four ingredients. Add ice & Gin, Shake, Strain twice. Serve in Martini Glass. Pairs nicely with a Goat Cheese & Tapanade Crostini.

Eat These Three Things to Live Longer

1. Broccoli
Johns Hopkins researchers found that a broccoli compound, applied to the skin, helps cells fight UV radiation. You can’t buy such a product yet, but experts say it can’t hurt to eat more broccoli. Why? Another one of its chemicals seems to boost the immune system.

2. Grapes
This fruit has lots of resveratrol, a plant chemical that Spanish researchers found can lengthen the lives of flies and yeast. Will it work for you? It’s too soon to know, but red grapes (plus berries, peanuts, and a little red wine) are the best sources of this promising ingredient.

3. Salad
Vitamin K—found in lettuce and spinach—seems to boost skin elasticity in patients with a rare disorder that leads to severe wrinkling. Some researchers think the effect may be universal. Plus, leafy greens help you get more fiber and keep your appetite in check.

A Man of Taste. A chef with cancer fights to save his tongue.

Good Article. http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/05/12/080512fa_fact_max?currentPage=all

Here's my old St.Pats menu from Pintxo.

Pintxo Menu for (3-17) to (3-21)

COMPOSED SALAD

40 Shades of Green
green vegetable chopped salad with green garlic dressing

Roasted Fingerling Potato and Apple Salad
With brie dressing and bacon bits

SALAD BAR
R**Spring Mix
R**Romaine Lettuce
R**Baby Spinach
Grilled Chicken Breast
Roasted Tofu
**Roasted Cauliflower
R**Cucumbers
R**Baby Watemelon Radishes
R**Julienned Carrots
R**Sunflower Sprouts
**Dried Cherries
*Parmesan Reggiano
**Croutons
Roasted Hazelnuts
**Candied Pecans

DRESSING:
Pintxo Classic Vinaigrette
Chipotle-Lime Vinaigrette
Creamy Green Garlic Dressing
Meyer Lemon-Dill Buttermilk Vinaigrette
Pink Peppercorn Dressing


SOUPS

Beef and Guinness Soup
With toasted barley

Farmhouse Vegetable Soup
With a herb puree

Potato and Leek Soup
With roasted garlic

Gingered Carrot and Parsnip Soup
With a sage cream


CRUDO TARTARE CEVICHE

Weekly

Smoked Salmon Mousse
With Belgian Endive and a meyer lemon-dill creme

Poached Leeks Vinaigrette
With a pink peppercorn sauce

“Cheese and Crackers”
Irish Cheddar with Rhubarb Orange Chutney

BOCADILLO

Roast Beef Sandwich
With caramelized onion, horseradish and arugula

Tofu Salad Sandwich
On potato bread with pickled onions


TAPAS

Bocarones
Mixed Marinated Olives
Piquello Peppers
Marinated Chickpeas



PAELLA
All week
Colcannon Paella
Savoy cabbage, yukon gold potatoes and melted leeks

Monday
“Irish Breakfast”
Baked beans with back bacon, black pudding, fried tomatoes and an egg


Tuesday
Orchiette Pasta
With PEI mussels, fennel in a saffron-orange cream sauce


Wednesday
Roasted Broccoli Fideo
In a pesto broth with parmesan


Thursday
Butternut Squash Quinoa
Organic red quinoa with roast squash and sage

Monday

Corned Beef and Cabbage
With a parsley cream sauce

Roasted Steelhead Salmon
With a Vegetable “surf and turf”

Tuesday

Traditional Shepherds Pie
Stewed lamb in a savory gravy with mash

Seared Day Boat Scallops
With Irish Cider Dressing and parsnip puree

Wednesday

Traditional Irish Stew
Meaty chunks in a yummy gravy

Seared Ling Cod
With a tomato-leek fondue

Thursday

Grilled Pork Tenderloin
With a rhubarb and ginger chutney

Roasted Sea Bass
With a beet-arugula salad and horseradish vinaigrette

Friday

Roasted Free-Range Chicken
With a Bushmills Cream Sauce

Roasted Idaho Trout
With sautee’d spinach, bacon and eggs


PINTXO VEGETARIAN

Monday

Beer Braised Brussel Sprouts
With garlic and onions

Mashed potato Champ
Russet potatoes with milk braised scallions and a tomato-watercress dressing

Tuesday

Creamed Savoy Cabbage
With spring onions and caraway

Roasted Root Vegetables
With fresh herbs and olive oil

Wednesday

Roasted Assorted Fingerling Potatoes
With clover honey, rosemary and sherry vinegar

Minted Roast Cauliflower

Thursday

Wild Mushroom Shepherdless Pie
Yum

Steamed Broccoli
With orange sea salt

Friday

Turnip and Apple Gratin
With caramelized onions

Monday, August 18, 2008

27 Tips to Optimize Your Brain Power

1. Avoid a big breakfast. Breads, muffins, bagels or pastries block your brain barriers.

2. Avoid eating big meals during the day. Big meals slow you down, and make you feel exhausted or sluggish.

3. If you are hungry or light-headed, eat small amounts of lean protein such as poached or boiled eggs, light cheese or yogurt. Proteins eaten alone (on an empty stomach) can pick up your neurotransmitters, such as dopamine and acetylcholine.

4. Minimize your eating during the day to mostly live raw fruits and veggies and their juices. This will help you detoxify and nourish your brain with essential nutrients and antioxidants to protect your brain from daily free radicals assaults

. 5. Eat fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, and swordfish or sardines. The fish oil contains essential fatty compounds Omega 3, DHA and EPA that play critical roll in brain development as well as improving memory, learning ability and metal capacity.

6. Flaxseeds are another excellent source of Omega 3 essential fatty acid (EFA). Most people today lack Omega 3 in their diet. EFA deficiency or imbalance is believed to be the cause of some brain diseases and mental aging.

7. Take EFA supplement to ensure essential fatty acid nourishment to your brain.

8. A glass of red wine with your evening meals can help protect your brain.

9. Avoid binge drinking. Excessive alcohol is toxic and is believed to destroy brain cells.

10. Eat lecithin granules. Soy lecithin is a great source of choline, inositol and phosphorus that are critical for optimum brain function.

11. Minimize your sugar consumption. Stay away from sweet cereals, candy bars or sodas. They cause blood sugar fluctuation, which leads to insulin insensitivity. Insulin insensitivity is believed to be the main cause of an inefficient supply of energy to the brain.

12. Supplement yourself with multivitamins and antioxidants to guarantee optimal brain function. Vitamins such as the B vitamin play a critical roll as catalysts in the production of essential brain neurotransmitters and hormones. A deficiency of even one vitamin may impair brain function.

13. Take ginkgo biloba (standardize for 24% ginkgo flavon glycosides) to improve brain circulation and memory.

14. Panax ginseng during the day works as a tonic and is believed to help boost mental activity. Siberian ginseng should be taken at the end of the day. This particular ginseng is believed to have a calming effect on the brain.

15. Eat carbohydrates at night. Complex carbs will relax your mind before going to sleep. Carbs boost serotenine, a brain neurotransmitter protein that is responsible for the feeling of well being and calming down.

16. Eat tryptophan-rich foods before bed time such as hot milk with honey or bananas. Tryptophan is a building block protein for serotenin and the melatonin hormone, which regulate healthy sleeping cycle. Melatonin is believed to protect the brain from aging-related diseases. It works as an antioxidant and anticancerous agent.

17. Make sure to supply your body with multi-minerals. Minerals such as calcium and magnesium play a vital roll in regulating optimum mental capacity, steady mood and protection from tension headaches. Minerals protect your brain from toxic metals such as lead or mercury.

18. Avoid rancid fats, hydrogenated fats and transfatty acids as found in margarine or hydrogenated oils additives to different food products. Bad fats impair optimum brain function and may causes brain damage.

19. Follow a progressive exercise routine. Exercise will help you with your blood circulation, stress, and overall mind and body performance.

20. Get The Warrior Diet book at www.dragondoor.com. The Warrior Diet, which is based on following a daily cycle of underrating and overeating, will help you reach your peak mental performance during the day and full relaxation followed by a healthy sleeping pattern at night. The Warrior Diet guides you to the best practical ways to nourish your brain and set you free from over-restrictive and over-controlling diet rules.

21. Coffee can boost your dopamine. The ideal time to drink coffee is on an empty stomach with a little or no sugar. Drinking coffee in moderation helps boost brain function and elevates your mood.

22. Green tea is one of the best beverages to boost mental power and protect the brain from toxins and free radicals.

23. Chocolate, YES! Some researchers believe that cocoa (chocolate) has a potent antioxidant, protective effect on your brain.

24. Eat blueberries, they have the highest ORAC (antioxidant value), thus considered to be one of the best brain foods.

25. Don't worry, be happy! Avoid anger. See your glass as half-full.

26. Be romantic. Love in your heart makes your mind blossom.

27. Make sure you sleep enough. Your brain is rejuvenating during those sleeping hours.

The Healthiest Supermarket Foods.

http://www.menshealth.com/eatthis/Best-Grocery-Foods/best_cereal.php

11 Superfoods.

1. Beets: Think of beets as red spinach, Dr. Bowden said, because they are a rich source of folate as well as natural red pigments that may be cancer fighters.How to eat: Fresh, raw and grated to make a salad. Heating decreases the antioxidant power.

2. Cabbage: Loaded with nutrients like sulforaphane, a chemical said to boost cancer-fighting enzymes.How to eat: Asian-style slaw or as a crunchy topping on burgers and sandwiches.

3. Swiss chard: A leafy green vegetable packed with carotenoids that protect aging eyes.How to eat it: Chop and saute in olive oil.

4.Cinnamon: May help control blood sugar and cholesterol.How to eat it: Sprinkle on coffee or oatmeal.

5. Pomegranate juice: Appears to lower blood pressure and loaded with antioxidants.How to eat: Just drink it.

6. Prunes: They are packed with antioxidants.How to eat: Wrapped in prosciutto and baked.

7. Pumpkin seeds: The most nutritious part of the pumpkin and packed with magnesium; high levels of the mineral are associated with lower risk for early death.How to eat: Roasted as a snack, or sprinkled on salad.

8. Sardines: Dr. Bowden calls them �health food in a can.'� They are high in omega-3�s, contain virtually no mercury and are loaded with calcium. They also contain iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper and manganese as well as a full complement of B vitamins. How to eat: Choose sardines packed in olive or sardine oil. Eat plain, mixed with salad, on toast, or mashed with dijon mustard and onions as a spread.

9. Turmeric: The �superstar of spices,'� it may have anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties.How to eat: Mix with scrambled eggs or in any vegetable dish.

10. Blueberries: Load up on fresh blueberries when in season and freeze for cold-winter months. Even though freezing can degrade some of the nutrients in fruits and vegetables, frozen blueberries are also available year-round and don�t spoil; associated with better memory in animal studies.How to eat: Blended with yogurt or soy milk and sprinkled with crushed almonds.
11. Canned pumpkin: A low-calorie vegetable that is high in fiber and immune-stimulating vitamin A; fills you up on very few calories.How to eat: Mix with cinnamon and nutmeg.

Sunday, August 17, 2008

The Bay Area's visionary chefs

http://www.sfgate.com:80/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/08/12/FDGG1268FP.DTL

Best part off waking up !!!



An alarm clock that wakes you up with the smell and sizzle of cooking bacon.
WHY: No one likes to wake up, especially by an alarm. This clock gently wakes you up with the mouthwatering aroma of bacon, just like waking up on a Sunday morning to the smell of Mom cooking breakfast. Unless you're Jewish.
HOW: A frozen strip of bacon is placed in Wake n' Bacon the night before. Because there is a 10 minute cooking time, the clock is set to go off 10 minutes before the desired waking time. Once the alarm goes off, the clock it sends a signal to a small speaker to generate the alarm sound. We hacked the clock so that the signal is re-routed by a microchip that in responds by sending a signal to a relay that throws the switch to power two halogen lamps that slow-cook the bacon in about 10 minutes. Buy it NOW.

The Best Damn Pancakes EVER !!!


1 cup bread flour
1 1/2 T baking powder
1/2 t kosher salt
2 T sugar

1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1/4 t vanilla paste or extract
2 T Vegetable oil

Whisk dry together. In a seperate bowl mix wet ingredients. Add wet to dry, cook and enjoy. Let me know what you think.

A few kind words....

Jimmy,
Just a short note to let you know how much Annette and I have enjoyed all of the meals you have prepared for us and our family. Your culinary mastery never ceases to amaze us – from your Chipotle sauces to our Chocolate Wedding Cake. We so appreciate the extra time and effort you put in to providing the freshest ingredients available. Besides your food tasting terrific, we also appreciate the energy you bring to our family gatherings and social events. Thanks for providing us with great food and great fun! We both look forward to many more dining experiences with you and our family in Chicago and Scottsdale.

Warmly, Dr. Frank & Annette Wolf

Jimmy,
How dare you move to California…how are we going to have the Annual Lobster Fest up in Northern Wisconsin? The cooking and food are only out done by how much fun you make the event.Thanks for all of the great cooking you have done for me over the years.
Warmly Terry Graunke.

Jimmy's cooking:
Well crafted, sophisticated, layers of flavor, stylish or earthy as the dish requires; this has been my experience of Jimmy's cooking. As an employee he was a superb leader also reliable, economical and high spirited. My only complaint is that he left Chicago!
Lisa Gershenson Former owner of J & L Catering Director of Greater Chicago Food Depository Community Kitchens.

5-22-08 From Eddie O' Sullivan
Jimmy,
Thanks for spoiling me on my Birthday! The Peaches were amazing!

Bacon Scented Bacon Print Tuxedo


Next time i renew my vows I'm slipping in to this bad boy.
There's a theory that everything is better with bacon. We believe that theory with all of our heart. To that end, we are introducing our line of bacon formal wear with Uncle Oinker's Bacon Scented Bacon Print Tuxedo. You can get married in bacon, get confirmed in bacon or go to the Oscars in bacon! Wait until Joan Rivers gets a whiff of you. Each Tuxedo is tailored from chemically treated latex print fabric in one of four different sizes. Best of all, it smells just like bacon sizzling in the pan. Dry clean only. Click here to buy!!!

Lazy man food.

Going Camping have no fear. Take along your Can Opener and one of these. Or one of these Or lastly what everyone loves by the campfire, one of these.

Google Chefs In The News Again.

About two months ago, Food Gal reported here that Google’s John Dickman had quit his job as global food services director for the search engine dominatrix.
Sources tell us that he didn’t go far. Dickman has joined Apple in Cupertino. Apparently the makers of the nifty iPhone and iPod not only want to feed their hard-working employees better, but want to give Google a run for its money in the gourmet cafeteria arena. Oooh, let the food fight begin.
Nate Keller, a former executive chef at the Google Mountain View campus, had recently moved to the Google facility in San Francisco to oversee Google’s Bridges cafe near the Embarcadero. Guess killer views weren’t enough, as Keller now has resigned from Google, according to sources. No word yet on what his plans are.
And what about Charlie Ayers, the first Google executive chef who set the original high bar for food there? Besides promoting his first cookbook, “Food 2.0, Secrets From the Chef Who Fed Google” and working on opening his Calafia Cafe & Market A Go Go in Palo Alto’s Town and Country Village, he’s joined the political fray.
Well, sort of. Ayers, former private chef to the Grateful Dead, has been asked to do the culinary honors for a July 10 political campaign fund-raiser in Minnesota for former Dead Head/comedian/actor-turned U.S. Senate-candidate, Al Franken. The buzz is that Ayers is already hard at work, contemplating dishes using Minnesota’s famed wild rice, walleye pike, and blueberries.

Almost (In)Edible Photo: Krispy Kreme Bacon Cheeseburgers

from a Google cafeteria in New York. Apparently they serve Krispy Kreme bacon cheeseburgers, a.k.a Luther Burgers.



Tuesday, August 12, 2008

1935 Cognac for Desert at Les Nomades.

Back in the good old days when i could afford to eat fine dining I had the privilege of sharing some 1935 Cognac with my good chef friends Jason & Kevin Kelly from J & L Catering, Chicago. On thinking of this experience of having the oldest wine I have consumed to date I thought you should check out this wine list at Les Nomades.

Cook your Life Movie

This is a pretty cool movie. It does a good job with marrying Food and Spirituality.

Beer batter bread

Servings: Makes 1 loaf.

3 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 bottle (12 ounces) beer, at room temperature
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients. Add the beer all at once, mixing as little as possible; the batter should be lumpy.
Pour the batter into a 9-x-5-x-3-inch loaf pan and brush with the melted butter. Bake in the oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Turn out onto a rack to cool.

Brulee French Toast


Make this the night before and pop it in the oven the next morning and treat yourself to a wonderful Brunch item.

Servings: Makes 6 servings.

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons corn syrup
8- to 9-inch Brioche or Challah (you can use French Bread if you can't find a sweet bread)
5 large eggs
1 1/2 cups half-and-half
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon Grand Marnier (Opt.)
1/4 teaspoon salt

In a small heavy saucepan melt butter with brown sugar and corn syrup over moderate heat, stirring, until smooth and pour into a 13- by 9- by 2-inch baking dish. Cut six 1-inch thick slices from center portion of bread, reserving ends for another use, and trim crusts. Arrange bread slices in one layer in baking dish, squeezing them slightly to fit.
In a bowl whisk together eggs, half-and-half, vanilla, Grand Marnier, and salt until combined well and pour evenly over bread. Chill bread mixture, covered, at least 8 hours and up to 1 day.
Preheat oven to 350° F. and bring bread to room temperature.
Bake bread mixture, uncovered, in middle of oven until puffed and edges are pale golden, 35 to 40 minutes. Let it rest and then flip it over on a serving platter and serve.
*Try using Crossiants for a richer result.

Mrs. Dich's Snake wine. (Vietnamese Viagra)



Okay this is the most adventurous thing I have drank to date. I had it at my friends Vietnamese restaurant in the Argyle District of Chicago in October 2003. It is poisonous snakes fermenting in rice wine. YUMMY!!!

Succotash

Ingredients:
2 cups fresh lima beans (about 1 pound)
4 cups fresh corn cut from cob (about 6 ears)
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup Heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/8 teaspoon pepper
Preparation:Cook lima beans in boiling salted water about 15 minutes or till almost tender; drain. Add corn, butter, Heavy cream, salt, and pepper; mix well. Cook over low heat, stirring frequently, 7 to 10 minutes, or until corn is done. Makes 6 servings.

Saba Balsamic Vinegar

Try this condiment with Meats, Fish, Salads,Vegetables or just on its own.
Modena's Saba consists only of the cooked must of grapes characteristic to Modena, 100% Lambrusco grapes. Cooked directly over a fire in an uncovered stainless steel cauldron and bottled immediately to block fermentation and the ensuing process of becoming vinegar. Saba is distinctive because it is organoleptically sweet and harmonic. We suggest you use it as a replacement for sugar in cooking sweets, jams, and fruits salads, and to make foods more aromatic. It is also used traditionally in Italy as an aperitif, by mixing it with soda water. Saba has been known since the time of the Romans who called it "Sapa".

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Eddie O' makes a Celeb Appearance at Google.

Eddie O' Filled his belly with free Pintxo 47 grub and jumped on the bicycle for a tour of Google.

O' Sheas Irish Pub.Opening Week !!!

Braised Five Spice Short Ribs

6 Beef short ribs
2 yellow onions sliced
6 whole garlic cloves
1 thumb size piece of ginger
2 cups Chicken stock
1 cup tamari
1/2 cup mirin
1/4 cup sweet soy sauce
4 T Brown Sugar
4 T sesame oil
1 stick cinnamon
2 star anise pods
i T Szechuan peppercorns
5 whole cloves

marinate beef with a drizzle of tamari, mirin S & P and refrigerate ( 1 or 2 days ). Brown meat in skillet, pull out and hold. De glaze with onions, garlic and ginger & cook until golden brown. add the remaining ingredients. If necessary transfer to braising dish. Cover with lid or foil and cook for 8 hours at 200 F or until tender. Remove beef and let it rest. Strain and reduce braising liquid until it becomes syrup like consistency and pour back over beef.

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Lomi Lomi Salmon at Pintxo.




1 pound side of salmon, sliced 1-inch thick
Hawaiian or kosher salt
5 tomatoes, chopped
1 Maui onion, chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
2 red Hawaiian chiles, chopped
1 pineapple 1 lime, juiced
2 tablespoons macadamia nut oil
Fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
1 head butter lettuce, leaves separated

Cure the salmon in salt by putting a layer of Hawaiian salt in the bottom of a glass dish. Lay a salmon in it and gently press down. Sprinkle more salt on top and rub it all over the salmon. Top with even more salt, cover, and place in the refrigerator for 24 hours to pull out the water. Table salt is not recommended for this process. Rinse the salmon thoroughly in cold water to wash away a lot of the salt then blot dry. Cut the salmon in cubes and place in a bowl and add tomatoes, Maui onion, green onion and chiles. Cut the pineapple in half lengthwise. Make crisscross cuts in the flesh and scoop out the inside pineapple chunks; add to the bowl. Squeeze in the lime juice, add oil and black pepper, then toss the mixture to combine all the ingredients. Cover and chill for 1 hour. Scoop the mixture into the split pineapple shell and display as a decorative bowl. To eat, spoon the salmon salad into a lettuce cup.

Really Good Cornbread

Ingredients (Serves 8)
¼ cup bacon fat
1 ½ cups stone-ground organic yellow cornmeal
½ cup flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1 cup whole milk
3 scallions, minced
¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
Preheat oven to 450°F
Heat the bacon fat in a 10-inch cast iron skillet in the middle of the oven for 5 minutes. While the fat heats, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk together the egg and milk in a small bowl. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients. Stir to combine.Carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven and stir the scallions into the hot fat. Add the melted butter. Stir all of this into the batter until just combined, then pour the batter into the hot skillet. Place the skillet back into the middle of the oven and bake until golden, about 10 minutes. Remove and allow to cool.

Cubby's BBQ Sauce

Could be the best BBQ Sauce I've had to date.
Yield 1 Gallon
2oz olive oil
2 cups onion minced
4 T crushed garlic
1/2 can chipotles in adobo
4 T Ancho or Pasilla Chile powder
2 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
4 cups ketchup
2 cups molasses
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup honey mustard
2 cups water
1 T cracked black pepper.

Heat the oil in a stainless steel saucepan and sweat off onion and garlic till soft and sweet. Add chile powder and chipotles and let bloom. Add cider vinegar and bring to a boil. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for 30-45 mins. Pass through a food mill or china cap, cool and refriderate.

Monday, August 4, 2008

Best Burger so far in SF.

Magnolia Gastropub & Brewery, Haight St. San Francisco.
Kristin & I had a great experience here and downed a couple of cold 20 oz pints. Sampled Pork Crackling for Apps and split a Blue Cheese Burger. I think they used Point Reyes Blue. They had Headcheese on the menu but Kristin wasn't Interested. Good Service and neat Bar.
On Saturday we caught an hour of the Farmers Market at the Ferry Building. This place blows me away everytime. Peaches...Peaches...Peaches they are everywhere and so many different varieties. I picked up some Sea Pods recently they were tasty, salty little treats. Planning on buying some Goat next time I'm there.