FoodieCuisine.com

By Todd Barron @ FoodieCuisine.com

BBQ Pork Plate

Last Thursday I was visiting a customer in Memphis and met a few people for lunch at the Germantown Commissary BBQ restaurant.

The Commissary has been open since 1981 and used to be a small country store before it was purchased; hence, the name.  As you probably can tell, they cook BBQ, and they make it “Memphis style.”

They offer pork, beef, chicken, nachos, onion rings, tamales, hot-links, shrimp, burgers, desserts, a variety of side dishes, and salads.  Most everything is priced low except the BBQ ribs, which are costly to make.  On my visit I opted for unsweetened iced tea and the BBQ Pork Shoulder Plate ($8.65).

My food came out quickly and I was presented a plate full of BBQ pork shoulder, a side of beans, a side of slaw, a roll, and a deviled egg.  The egg is their signature item as every dish comes with one.  The BBQ was somewhat juicy, had a nice hint of hickory smoke flavor, and was tender.  It was pulled, without any large chunks, and had a few charred pieces mixed in to enjoy.

Since the BBQ comes without any sauce on it, I used the Hot BBQ sauce from the table.  It added a decent amount of heat but was not “hot”.  The egg had a good flavor to it with a hint of mustard.  The beans were a little runny and sweet for my tastes, but they did the trick.  The slaw, mayo style, worked well to cool my palette after eating the spicy BBQ sauce.

It was a quick business lunch; therefore, I do not have much else to add.  Overall, I enjoyed my visit to the Commissary and can see going back there in the future.

By Todd Barron @ FoodieCuisine.com

Hash, Eggs, and Grits

I am an avid viewer of Guy Fieri’s show, Diners Drive-Ins & Dives, and had the chance to stop at one of his destinations while in Boston a few weeks ago.  My wife and I took a cab to Mike’s City Diner to have a quick  breakfast and were not disappointed.

Mike’s City Diner is known for their turkey platters, complete with the sides you expect on Thanksgiving, but we were there for breakfast.  Given this, I opted for the Corned Beef Hash and Eggs ($7.50) and my wife had the sausage and eggs.

Our food came out quickly and looked like typical breakfast fare.  Me corned beef hash had a good texture to it and was not mushy.  It was seasoned well with just the right amount of salt.  I had to add butter and sugar to my grits for flavor, but it was to be expected and worked out fine.  The eggs, scrambled, were cooked perfectly and also had plenty of flavor.

Overall I was very happy with my food.  I cannot see taking the cab ride back to Mike’s in the future, as it was far out of the way, but it was enjoyable.  If I am in the area in the future I do want to try out the turkey.

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By Todd Barron @ FoodieCuisine.com

Homemeade Veggie Pizza

I love pizza but the trick is making one which is not bad for the waistline.  The other night I created a vegetarian pizza, substituting flavor for fat, and it tasted wonderful.

Both my wife and I thoroughly enjoyed it and I hope you do too.

Cooking the Ingredients

Wash and slice the yellow onions.  Cut the slices in quarters.  Heat your griddle to 400 degrees, add 1 Teaspoon of butter and 1 Teaspoon of olive oil, and then add the sliced onions.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Cook down, stirring to prevent scorching, for about 15 minutes.  You want them to brown, but not burn.  While you are cooking the onions, continue on to the other steps below.

Slice the sun-dried tomatoes and chiffonade the basil.  Wash and slice the tomato.

Wash and slice the mushrooms.  Heat a skillet to 400 degrees, add 1 Teaspoon of butter and 1 Teaspoon of olive oil, and then mushrooms.  Sprinkle the oregano over the top and season with salt and pepper.  Stir as needed and let cook down for 15 minutes.  Remove from the heat and drain.  You can proceed to the following steps while you wait for the mushrooms to cook down.

Spread the pizza crust on a round cookie sheet (or square if you do not have a round one.)  Preheat your oven according to the directions and pre-bake the crust for 14 minutes.  It will tell you to only prebake for 5 or so, but you need to make it crispy in order to hold up to the ingredients.  Remove from the oven and let sit.

Back to the onions…the goal here is to caramelize them.  Once they are translucent, and browned over 50% of the onions, add the red wine vinegar and stir.  The oil and butter will pop; therefore, be careful during this step.  Continue to cook them down for 5 minutes.  Once they are caramelized, remove from the heat and put in a food processor with the blade attachment.

Blend the onions in the food processor for 1 minute until smooth.  If you do not have a food processor, you can use a blender.  Just be sure and blend all of the onions.

Combining the Ingredients

1. Spread the onion mixture across the entire crust.  This is the foundation so do not be stingy with it.
2. Add the sliced tomatoes.
3. Crumble the cheese across the top.  It will not cover the pizza completely.
4. Add the mushrooms.
5. Add the garlic.
6. Add the sun-dried tomatoes.
7. Drizzle one tablespoon of olive oil over the pizza.
8. Add half of the basil.

Cooking the Pizza

Bake the pizza at 425 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until the crust is browned.  Your oven time will vary so be sure and watch the dish while it cooks.  The trick will be to have a firm crust without burning it.  It will be tricky but worth the result.  Let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

By Todd Barron @ FoodieCuisine.com

Pork Shoulder in the Smoker

My wife and I did not have our 12-year-running 4th of July party this year, but I did not let it stop me from smoking some BBQ!

I bought a 10 pound pork shoulder from the store and oiled it with olive oil.  I then coated it completely with dry rub consisting of paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, salt, pepper, sugar, and cayenne pepper.

I let it sit in the refrigerator overnight, most of the next day, and brought it to room temperature at 7pm.  I set my FEC-100 smoker on 224 degrees, put the probe to cook until 196 degrees, filled the hopper with apple wood, and started it up at around 8pm.

I checked the BBQ at around 10am the next morning and noted the probe was at 186 degrees.  This indicated the BBQ had another 4 hours or so to go so I started putting together the sauce.

Out of the Smoker, Resting

For the sauce I combined paprika, ketchup, molasses, brown sugar, cayenne pepper, the spice rub from earlier, worcestershire, and chopped jalapenos.  I cooked it down for about 30 minutes on low heat over the stove.

Once the sauce cooled, I removed the pork from the smoker, drained the liquid (fat, spices, oil, etc. had pooled by this time,) and poured the sauce over the top to cover completely.  I put aluminum foil over the top of the pan and put the pork back into the smoker.

Four hours later, the pork was done (196 degrees,) so I removed it from the smoker and let it sit for twenty minutes.  I removed the foil, shredded it, and mixed it in with the pan juices.

The meat was super tender which allowed me to remove the blade bone with my hands.  We put it on sandwiches, sided with baked beans, fresh corn on the cob, and potato salad.  A good way to start the 4th of July Holiday weekend. 🙂

Shredded Pork Shoulder

By Todd Barron @ FoodieCuisine.com

Shrimp Etouffee

I meet my wife for lunch the other day and  can not figure out where to go.  We try to go to Bossa Nova but can not find a parking space (even though there were many open tables inside.)  We decide to go to  The Oyster Bar close to Downtown Little Rock.

The Oyster Bar has been around since 1975 and serves a variety of Cajun style food including shrimp creole, raw oysters, po- boys, and fried fish.  You park in the back, walk in over a rickety wooden stair case, through a hallway, and into the open seating area.  The place looks old, complete with Ansel Adams prints along the wood panel walls, but has a very “dive” friendly feel to it.

We sit down and wait several minutes for our waitress to show up.  I have never really liked the Oyster Bar but think I just orded the wrong things.  This time around I opt for a large bowl of the Shrimp Etouffee ($6.95). My wife orders a small bowl of the daily special of Shrimp Creole ($4.75) with extra toast.

Our lunch arrives quickly and my etouffee confuses me at first.  The menu said it is creamy, but I did not expect it to be white in color.  I am used to etouffee which is red from the tomatoes, but it looks like the Oyster Bar uses a different recipe.  Although it is white in color, it looks delicious.

Sure enough, my etouffee tastes wonderful.  It has heat via spice, a rare occurrence in restaurants, and plenty of depth of flavor.  It is velvety in texture with small notes of onion and pepper.  The shrimp is well cooked, and has no fishy taste.  The rice at the bottom of the bowl is well cooked and has a nice bite to it.  Overall I am extremely pleased with the dish and wonder why I have missed it all these years.  The only small complaint I have is I wish my etouffee had more shrimp in it.  I am used to etouffees which are full of rice and shrimp, but this one has more sauce than shellfish.  Regardless, it tastes great.

My wife’s shrimp creole has depth of flavor, with hints of spice, and the tomatoes add a nice kick to the dish.  It is too mild for my tastes, but overall is good.  Our check clocks in around $21, feels well worth it, and the entire experience leaves me wanting to return in the future.  I really liked my etouffee and now have something to look forward to at The Oyster Bar.  Give them a try sometime.

By Todd Barron @ FoodieCuisine.com

Beef Lo-Mein

My wife, kids, and I wanted something quick but we also did not want any suprises.  Given the requirements, we settled on the chain of chinese restaurants called P.F. Chang’s Chinese Bistro.

I have seen several P.F. Chang’s around the country, and hold them in same regard as Chili’s, Olive Garden, and the like.  It should be consistent, it should have the expected menu items, and it should have a known price.  Quality is another issue as it can be hit or miss with the massive chain restaurants.  Luckily, P.F. Chang’s typically is of good enough quality and flavor.

We go on a warm summer evening and are seated off to the side, with no one around us.  I’m pretty sure everyone bathed, so I’m not sure why we are given the isolationist treatment.  Being alone on one side of the restaurant is fine though as our waiter shows up right away and takes our order.

Orange Peel Beef

We order the Orange Peel Beef and Beef Lo-Mein to split as the dishes are large enough to feed two people each.  The food comes out after a reasonable delay and is warm to the touch.  The Orange Peel Beef is a less than hot though and looks like it has been under a heat lamp for a while.

The Orange Peel Beef is a little overfried but I really enjoy the orange flavor mixed in with the chili sauce.  It is sweet, spicy, and savory.  It goes well with the supplied white rice and is something I would order again.

The Beef Lo-Mein is a little greasy but has plenty of flavor and is packed with slices of beef and vegetables.  The noodles are cooked just right, with a slight bite to them.  Overall I enjoy the dish and would not mind sharing it family style in the future.

All in all we enjoyed our time and the kids really liked the food. They offer a nice large-chain-style atmosphere, are clean, punctual, and of good quality.  I am sure we will be back in the future the next time we crave American-Chinese food.  I just wish there was an authentic but local place, like the Gourmt Dumpling House in Boston.  I would go there any time over a chain option.

By Todd Barron @ FoodieCuisine.com

Lamb Vindaloo

A few months ago I purchased a Groupon for $20 worth of Indian food for $10 from Amruth Authentic Indian Cuisine in Little Rock.  It is set to expire on June 28th so I go ahead and order some takeout today.  It’s not within my diet but the coupon is about to expire, what choice do I have?  I call at 11:30 am, and order Chicken Tikka Masala ($11.99) and Lamb Vindaloo ($11.99) to go.  They tell me 30 minutes.

I pick up the food which does not overtly smell like Indian food while in my car.  Typically, when I get takeout from the other Indian place in Little Rock, you can really smell the spices as it permeates my car for a day or two.  Although the smell is mild in intensity, it does smell good.

Both dishes come in plastic containers with a lot of sauce.  They also provide me a large portion of rice, although it is a bit on the dry side.  The first thing I notice is how I have to dig around the vindaloo to find any lamb.  It has 4-5 large pieces of potato in it, but only 2-3 tiny pieces of lamb.  The rest is sauce.  At $11.99 a shot, it is not a very good price for a container of mostly sauce.

Chicken Tikka Masala

The Lamb Vindaloo is tender and the sauce gives me the sniffles.  I really like spicy food so this is a good thing.  I just wish it were spicier.  I realize they have to adjust for the “American” palette, but I do wish somewhere in town would offer a lot of spice in their dishes, even as an option.  The vindaloo sauce is too watery for my tastes and lacks the consistency I have come to expect from such sauces.  It is mildly spicy, but the depth is just not there.

I switch to the Chicken Tikka Masala, which has a thicker sauce, but am struck by an immense amount of sweetness.  It is almost as if someone dumped a cup of sugar in my sauce container.  I realize the vinegar from the Vindaloo is still fresh on my tongue, but the sugar in the masala sauce is overwhelming.  The chicken is tender, the sauce is super sweet and mild, and overall I am not impressed.  It tastes okay but is not memorable.

When I picked up my food I did notice a rather decent looking buffet.  If you are into buffets it probably is worth checking out.  I just will not be back for takeout, especially not with Star of India right down the road, which has much better entrees (I do not care for their buffet btw.)

Overall, not memorable and not something I will revisit in the future.