Emeril's Stir-Fried Squid with Chili Sauce

My final recipe from Emeril Lagasse's new cookbook Sizzling Skillets and Other One-Pot Wonders is probably the quickest recipe to make from the entire book.  That's not why I chose it though.  While I've eaten calamari and squid salads at many restaurants before, I hadn't ever actually worked with raw squid.  That needed to change.  Emeril's recipe for stir-fried squid with chili sauce seemed intriguing so I decided to see what I could do.  I found everything I needed, including the frozen squid bodies with tentacles, at Calandro's Supermarket.  Once I got home, the time was right to cook something spicy!

The recipe had three main components.  First, the squid itself had to be sliced into rings, dusted with crushed red pepper and then stir-fried.  Second, the chili sauce had to be made with the vinegar, sesame oil, brown sugar, salt, Sriracha chili sauce and ginger.  The final component included the cabbage, green onion, garlic, jalapenos and chilies.

After all of the prep had been taken care I got the squid in my pan (a wok would have been preferable) to give it a quick fry.  It didn't take long in the canola oil to cook it off, then I set it aside to focus on the rest.  I quickly put the cabbage and accompaniments into the same pan to stir-fry them until soft.  Once the cabbage started to wilt I added the chili sauce and then returned the squid to the wok as well.

The stir fry had a great flavor and I was impressed at what I had been able to accomplish in just about 15 minutes of total time.  The spice ended up being rather intense but not too much for my palate.  The squid had an excellent texture.  I knew the most important part would be to cook it just right to where it wasn't overly chewy.

I really enjoyed my blogging party time with Emeril's new cookbook.  Having made nine of the recipes from the book, I'd definitely recommend it to anybody who is looking for some creative ideas for dishes to make in your own kitchen.  I certainly got to step out of my comfort zone with a few of these dishes and I encourage any chef, foodie, or fan to do the same!

Seared Scallops a la Emeril Lagasse

Scallops are one of those foods that seems to be over-glamorized by food based television shows... particularly those with celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay.  However, while they may mess a lot of people up on Hell's Kitchen, I knew that they really weren't that difficult.  The key to a properly seared scallop is the right amount of oil a very hot skillet.  After that, I suppose it's all about timing.  Emeril's recipe pairs the seared scallops with an interesting combination of cabbage, fingerling potatoes, apples, and golden raisins.  Bizarre... but it ended up being quite tasty!

I picked up my ingredients for the recipe at Calandro's Supermarket.  There were a few steps involved such as boiling the potatoes with thyme, bay leaves, and peppercorns; soaking the raisins in apple cider; toasting some pine nuts to draw out some flavor; and searing the scallops to a beautiful golden brown in grape seed oil.  After that, I cooked down the cabbage in oil, wine, and Emeril's chicken stock.  Soon the raisins were added along with the apple and some more thyme.

The final plating involved arranging the scallops over a bed of the cabbage, potato, apple and raisin mixture. Since I used some purple and green cabbage the dish really popped with color.  The toasted pine nuts were used as a garnish along with some fresh thyme just to add a little greenery.

The "Seared Scallops with Savoy Cabbage, Fingerling Potatoes, Pink Ladies, and Sultanas" from Emeril's new book Sizzling Skillets and Other One-Pot Wonders ended up being one of the most interesting recipes I've ever cooked.  It seemed odd yet somehow really worked.  I was amazed at how well the flavors and textures worked together.  Plus, this truly ended up being and extremely healthy meal.  While I'm not known for such things, it is always good to get such great depth of flavor in a dish that at least isn't terrible for you!  Oh, and the scallops were amazing.  Apparently I can sear scallops fairly well.  Kosher salt, fresh ground white pepper and grape seed oil.  That's it.  Bon Apetit.

Lafayette's Jolie's Bistro

Jolie's Bistro in Lafayette reminds me of what the true dining experience should be.  Chef Manny Augello and bartender Luke Tullos like to keep things "fresh, local, and seasonal."  The menu at Jolie's names several Louisiana farms where local products are sourced.  Chef Manny offers a Louisiana Artisan Cheese Assortment and a Charcuterie de Maison that highlight local goat cheese from Belle Ecorce Farm in St. Martinville, LA and house made patés, terrines, cured meats, pickles and condiments.  But those items barely get the menu started.  Each day there are various bar snacks that are modestly priced at $3, $5, and $7 each.  The bar snacks are always creative expressions from the chef based on the fresh, local, and seasonal theme.

I have been to Jolie's twice in the past month.  Geoff Daily of Lafayette's Fiber Corps introduced me to Jolie's in March, and I returned with Jeremy, Eric, and Mandy over the weekend.  Each time I left having to loosen to my belt as well as say thanks to everyone at the restaurant.  The staff is friendly with impeccable service, the cocktails from Luke are unique, playful twists on classics or inventive inspirations of Acadiana, and the food out of the kitchen... well, it is what similar restaurants should aspire to serve.  I'll give you a taste of the menu from my two trips, but to really get the experience, you'll just have to go!

St. Patty's Day Amuse Bouche and Bar Snacks:

Top Left: Amuse Bouche featuring ceviche with fresh drum and scallops marinated in Abita Amber

Top Right: Irish style cabbage and potatoes

Bottom Left: Fish and Chips - Tilapia from the Gotreaux Family Farms in Scott, LA

Bottom Right: Irish pork stew

St. Patty's Day Charcuterie, Cheese Assortment, Soups, and Cocktails

Top Left: Charcuterie de Maison - house cured salami, salmon, pickled brussels sprouts, caramelized onions

Top Right: Louisiana Artisan Cheese Assortment - local goat cheese, aged cheddar, marinated pear

Bottom Left: Turtle soup with sherry in the back, leek and scallop soup in front

Cocktails from Luke: Protestant - Bushmills, house made Guinness syrup, old fashioned bitters, and vermouth

Not pictured: Catholic - Jameson and more spirits with fresh, unsweetened whip cream to cover the guilt

April 9th Bar Snacks and Cocktail:

Top Left: House pickled fruits and veggies featuring Louisiana melontons (I could actually stomach them!)

Top Right: Kimchi hotdog with Chinese mustard

Bottom Left: Sheepshead sliders

Bottom Right:  I told Like to serve me a play on a Mint Julep, he came back with an Apple whiskey smash

April 9th Charcuterie Madness

Top Left: Jolie's bread topped with pork tongue rillettes and stone ground mustard

Top Right: House made Spanish chorizo, duck salami, and pickled pears

Bottom Left: House pickled okra, prunes, and pork tongue rillettes, among other things

Bottom Right: Italian terrine with Chinese mustard

April 9th Plates and Drinks

Top Left: Crispy pork ribs - flash fried and dressed with house made pepper jelly

Top Right: Artisan cheese assortment with goat cheese, aged cheddar, beets, and prunes

Bottom Left: Luke's digestif: Grapefruitcello - amazingly smooth, fruity, and deceptively strong! 

Bottom Right: I asked for Luke to make a drink featuring honey and bourbon. He came back with his play on a "sidecar" - bourbon, honey-lavender syrup, peach bitters, and champagne

April 9th Dinner and Desserts

Top Left: Sweet potato and andouille hash with some lemon-garlic fries

Top Right: Jolie's BBQ Shrimp in a rich Abita Amber BBQ Reduction

Bottom Left: Prince Edward Island mussels tossed with shallots, bacon, fries, and a touch of Pernod

Bottom Right: Finally room for dessert: house made cream cheese icecream on a Florentine cookie with Chantilly cream

Now I'm hungry again!  When you go, make sure to ask about the bar snacks are as well as what sort of specials Chef Manny might have.  Feel free to talk to Luke about some signature cocktails.  Finally, have fun, enjoy exploring the many items on the menu both new and old, and take some risks... your stomach will thank you... okay, maybe not your stomach, but your taste buds sure will!

New Zealand - The 2010 FIFA World Cup Bites and Boozes

New Zealand

Finally Bite and Booze will cover the World Cup from the Oceania perspective.  The "All Whites" (because their soccer team wears all-white uniforms whereas their rugby team, the "All Blacks" wears all black uniforms, though today the soccer team is wearing black so maybe somebody can correct me here) have had a great run at the tournament so far including a dramatic draw with Italy which may have been the largest upset of the Cup so far.  However, their days in South Africa could come to an end today at the boot of Paraguay.  Perhaps, just maybe, they can pull out a miracle.  A victory today gives them a spot in the round of 16, and crazier things have happened.  Still, they should not be forgotten on my series of World Cup country bites and boozes, so let's see what this island nation has to offer!

First, Robert Romero, who is a good buddy of mine that writes the blog Dead End, is currently living in New Zealand.  Undoubtedly he is excited about today's match! Hopefully he's had a chance to wine and dine like a king over there. New Zealand cuisine is largely driven by local ingredients and seasonal variations. Occupying an island nation with a primarily agricultural economy, the Kiwis enjoy quality local produce from land and sea. Similar to the cuisine of Australia, the cuisine of New Zealand is a diverse British-based cuisine with Mediterranean and Pacific Rim influences as the country becomes more cosmopolitan.  However, before the British arrived the Maori (New Zealand's indigenous people) had a cuisine of their own with influence from the Polynesian islands.

Central to this cooking method is hāngi, or using heated rocks buried in a pit oven. To "lay a hāngi" or "put down a hāngi" involves digging a pit in the ground, heating stones in the pit with a large fire, placing baskets of food on top of the stones, and covering everything with earth for several hours before uncovering (or lifting) the hāngi.  Traditional hāngi food is pork, mutton, lamb and chicken, with generous portions of root vegetables such as kumara (sweet potato), pumpkin, carrot, potato, onions and cabbage.  With a hāngi, no special preparation of the food is needed besides peeling the root vegetables, but adding herbs such as rosemary, garlic, or stuffing the chicken can add exciting flavors. A Polynesian addition of taro leaves wrapped around some of the food gives it a peppery spice.

There are three main components to the cooking process, all of which can be affected by many variables including but not limited to earth type, amount of heat in the rocks, quantity of food and portion size, type of food and food placement.  Water added at the start of the process creates steam instantly. Once covered, the pit oven becomes a low pressure cooker. Pressures in excess of 4 PSI have been measured.  Direct dry heat from the rocks creates an oven roasting or baking effect. Temperatures in excess of 300°C have been measured.  Finally, fat and juices from the meat drip onto the hot rocks and burn causing smoke which appears to be the key to hangi appearance, aroma and flavor. Often there is also ash and ember smoke that can add to the flavor and appearance.  I want to do this in my back yard!!

Unfortunately the Maori people did not have any form of alcohol.  So for that, we'll have to fast forward to modern day New Zealand.  While it would be easy to discuss the robust and exceptional wine region in New Zealand, I'd rather focus on something else: whiskey distillation.

This fine profession started early in New Zealand's history. The British, and particularly the Scottish, had a large influence on alcohol in New Zealand.  Owen McShane is credited as the countrys first moonshiner turning out Chained Lightning at Oue near Riverton in Southland from 1850. His range of whiskies, gin, brandy and rum were all produced from Cabbage Tree root. Moonshine distilling became a cottage industry and grew mightily until the government of the day, alarmed at the potential tax loss introduced the Distillation Act in 1865. This effectively barred all distilleries that failed to produce 5000 gallons (23000L) annually. However, two companies did receive licences: the New Zealand Distilling Co of Dunedin and Crown Distilleries in Auckland.

The Dunedin distillers went to great lengths to make a good product, importing Islay peat, Spanish Oak Sherry casks and a three year maturation period. But mistakes were costly, the resin from Kauri Pine vats ruined the first 100,000L of spirit. Later the distillery added 8 foot and 4 foot diameter copper stills, used American Oak shavings for ageing and produced 400,000L in 1870.

In Auckland by 1872 the Crown distillery was producing 18000 gallons (80,000L) annually using 2000 gallon wash stills and 500 gallon copper spirit stills. Wholesalers apparently purchased this spirit in bulk then sold it in reused (and presumably already labelled) whiskey bottles as the Crown distillery never had a bottling line.

Vogels Government in 1879 (perhaps in response to demands from the Scottish banks who were financing the countrys new railways) effectively closed both distilleries by increasing local duties to equal imported prices. For the next 83 years there was no official local distilling industry in New Zealand until in 1962 a gin distillery licence was approved. The plant was jointly owned by the two brewery giants Lion and DB (I'm sure you can read more about them on the BR Beer Scene. A new company, Hokonui Distillers Ltd (formed November 3, 1961) thinking they may get a similar licence also applied but Customs Minister Sheldon refused it stating ‘good Whisky needs blending’.

However just two years later after much lobbying by AO Davies of the Otago Development Council, Wilsons in Dunedin (known for their malting plant) and the Greggs Company obtained a licence on October 3, 1964. Stills were purchased in Scotland and installed by 1969. The first run used locally grown and malted barley and the peat was cut especially from the Winton area. After aging in Bourbon Barrels for the requisite 4 years ‘Wilson’ and ‘45 South’ went on sale in February 1974. That year Whiskey imports totalled 3.5 million litres and Wilsons target was 10% of this total.

History shows that they never did achieve this target, a glut of cheap Scotch Whiskey, hotel and wholesale licence ownership and brand loyalties all limited the success of the Wilsons and 45 South brands. Under Seagrams ownership, the last bulk whiskey was shipped overseas during the 1990’s and the plant was finally dismantled.  Today the scene is reminiscent of the 1850’s with many thousands of private stills quietly going about their task, in homes, workshops and small factories throughout the country, perhaps a small victory for free enterprise.  But significantly, Hokonui Whiskey is now legally available for the first time and its legend is celebrated every February at the Hokonui Moonshiners Festival in Gore.

Thanks and Credits:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Zealand_cuisine
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hangi
http://sites.google.com/site/nzsocietyscotland/about-us
http://www.travelpod.com/travel-photo/audrey.y.james/headeddownsouth/1152907320/dsc00544.jpg/tpod.html
http://www.hokonuiwhiskey.com/spirit.html
http://www.clan-macrae.org.uk/scotland/clannews.cfm?Task=display&ID=103
http://www.whiskymerchants.co.uk/#/southern-dist-nz/4533634596

Thai Kitchen with Megan

Thai Kitchen stands tall on the list of Baton Rouge Thai restaurants, though there are several other places that I like equally well for different reasons.  Thai Kitchen is the larger, more corporate feeling Thai location that always has a crowd and serves what I thought was consistently good food.  They are not a hole-in-the-wall like Rama and they do not offer a buffet like Thai Pepper.  Instead, Thai Kitchen serves their sushi bar and Thai cuisine in the well-known Southdowns Shopping Center, right next to Spectrum Fitness and around the corner from a popular watering hole, The Bulldog.  The tables at Thai Kitchen are made from carved wood with an Asian flair that matches the rest of the decor, and they also feature karaoke bar which is prominately advertised around the building.  Megan accompanied me on a recent trip to Thai Kitchen to see what we could find to satisfy our appetite. 

Neau Nam Tok

For an appetizer, our knowledgable server recommended the Neau Nam Tok.  This marinated and charbroiled beef came out sliced thin and seasoned with Thai herbs, hot pepper, and fresh lime juice.  The beef and herbs were served with crispy cabbage to make "cabbage wraps" out of the dish.  I have to say that this was my favorite part of the dinner (It was almost better than the company, but not quite!).  Not to say that everything else tasted bad, but rather, this appetizer is one that I can see myself getting over and over again.  The tender slices of tasty beef oozed with juices that brilliantly blended hot, sweet, and sour all together into one outstanding bit.  The hint of lime, the spice of pepper, and the tang of the herbs mixed in a symphony of flavors that orchestrated my taste buds.  Yeah, I'm getting that again!

Singha, Thai Lager Beer

Naturally when I eat at a Thai restaurant, I like to get a Thai beer.  For the selection available around here, it doesn't get much better than Singha.  Singha is a light lager beer with a sweet, distinguishably Oriental taste that is common in many East Asian beers.  The head quickly disappears from the glass and it can easily be mistaken for cheap American swill with many of the same tendencies.  All in all, the beer is good, but I don't really drink it except for when I'm eating Thai food.

Panang Curry

One traditional dish in Thai cuisine is curry.  Megan and I shared the panang curry with shrimp.  The dish featured a panang curry paste with coconut milk, green beans, and Kaffir lime leaves served with steamed white rice.  The panang curry is rather mild and the coconut milk and lime flavors stood out and very much complemented the shrimp.  I thought it was pretty good and would certainly recommend it or eat it again.

Pad Thai

The other quintessential Thai dish that you find in America is Pad Thai.  The popular dish at Thai Kitchen has stir fried rice noodles with shrimp, bean sprouts, scallions, tofu, ground peanuts, and eggs.  This particular Pad Thai did not impress Megan and I much at all.  I like Pad Thai a lot, but the taste of Thai Kitchen's dish on this night seemed a little off.  It remained edible, but not the special, delightful dish that it usually is.  Oh well, I guess you can't win them all.  I'm sure that I'll still go back and when I do, you can bet that I'll order the Neau Nam Tok.

Lucy's Retired Surfers Bar and Restaurant - Baton Rouge

Lucy's Retired Surfers Bar and Restaurant is another venue on the list of places to get its start in New Orleans and then open another location in Baton Rouge.  This most certainly is not a problem though, as Lucy's has brought a new type of establishment downtown.  Sitting right next to the Roux House on Third Street, Lucy's took over the space previously occupied by D'Agastino's.  With a complete renovation, Lucy's now serves lunch and dinner thoughout the day and stays open for bar patrons at night.

Lucy's Retired Surfers Bar and Restaurant, Third Street, Downtown Baton Rouge

I went to Lucy's twice during the week that it opened to check out the menu and the overall vibe of their new location.  It definitely has a surfer theme with surf boards hanging on the wall and surfing videos playing on the TVs that are scattered around. 

Chips and Salsa from Lucy's

On my first visit I sat at the bar (unfortunately it was my lunch break so there was no drinking this time) and ordered the chips and salsa appetizer while I waited for Eric to meet me.  The salsa was made made fresh and the tortilla chips were home-fried, which is always a good way to start a meal.  The salsa contained fresh chunks of tomato and a lovely mixture of spices that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Lucy's Floral and Surfer Themed Menu Cover

Lucy's Assortment of Hot Sauces

Lucy's keeps three different hot sauces on the table for their customers who want to add a little extra kick to their meals.  They have Tabasco which is a staple in Louisiana and all over the world that needs no introduction.  The other two sauces are produced exclusively for Lucy's.  One is a vinegar based hot sauce which is very similar to other Louisiana hot sauces, but the other is a truly unique blend of sweet and spice that uses molasses and various chilis.  It took a couple tastes to decide if I liked it or not, but the end I really did!

Lucy's Club Sandwich With Fries

Lucy's club sandwich came double-decked with turkey, ham, and bacon as the protiens which were complimented nicely by cheese, tomatoes, and cucumbers.  The cucumbers added a twist to the sandwich that I enjoyed, though it certainly did not blow me away.

Havanna Tacos with Pulled Pork, Grilled Pineapple Relish, and Crisp Red Cabbage

The Havanna Tacos grabbed my attention on the first visit that I made to Lucy's and I most certainly did not regret that decision.  I ordered my tacos on soft flour tortillas and they came stuffed with juicy cuban-style pulled pork, grilled pineapple relish, and some crisp red cabbage.  Along side the tacos sat a generous portion of black beans and rice.  The tacos offered a good twist on latin food that were certainly not pure tex-mex like most places in Baton Rouge that offer tacos. 

I'm going to make sure to go back Lucy's during the evening on Tuesdays because, like any good taco stand that wants to get close to my heart, they have a Taco Tuesday special that deals out $1 tacos from 4-10 pm.  How you can you go wrong with that?!