| This page is devoted to the stuff us manly men like to eat and drink. If you have any good ideas about food and drink, send it to us. We'll try just about anything with alcohol. So far we have not gone blind.
We have great cooks (notice we use the term cook. We don't like words like chef, gourmet, culinary arts and the rest of that garbage). They can stand up to the likes of Martha Stewart, Rachel Ray or any of those others. Yep our guys: Spoon, Tony and Essam are the worlds best cooks. In terms of food, we like that hot stuff and American food.
The Spoon's motto: "As long as it is not moving or has fur on it ... I can cook it!"
Drinks and other Alcholic Stuff
One of our favorite drinks is Maker's Mark. That stuff goes down real smooth. This recipe comes from one of our past "Grand Poobah" Essam.
Vanilla Old Fashioned
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1 part Makers Mark
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1 Slice of orange (muddled)
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Dash of bitters
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Simple syrup
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A teaspoon of vanilla extract
Start by muddling the orange, bitters, syrup and vanilla all together. Add your Maker's and ice shake and pour into an 8 oz rocks glass.
Note: this is a great project for our new member Hop Sing. If you have a new guy in your group, this is good drink to have make for the rest of the boys.
Chef Will’s Navy Breakfast
Recipe for 50 people
8 - 10 lb. Chopped Meat
6 Large Spanish Onions
6 bunch Celery
3-6 Red or Green Bell Peppers
1 Large Paprika
¾ - 1 tlb Cumin
5 - 7 tlb Worchestishier Sauce
1/3 cup Brown Sugar
4 tlb Garlic Powder
Salt & Pepper
4 Large Cans of Diced Tomatoes
4 Whole Tomatoes that need to be
Diced or lightly crushed
Starch as thickener
8-10 loaves of Bread – toasted
In a large pot or two. Brown the chopped meat then drain the fat (a must). While the meat is cooking, dice the onions, peppers and the celery. After you have drained the fat, add the diced vegetables, mix and cook on medium heat. Season with chili powder. I would use ¾ to the whole plastic container. I use the cheep stuff for .99 at shoprite. Then add the cumin, garlic powder, salt & pepper and mix well. Let cook for a while. Now add the Worchestershere sauce and mix. Let cook again. Now add the brown sugar. You may want more the mixture should be a little sweet but should still be able to taste the chili powder and cumin. A little sweet is OK because the tomatoes will cut that later. Again let this cook. Now add the diced tomatoes and mix well. Drain red beans and add them now and mix well. Let simmer on low for about 1 hour to let all the flavors blend.
I serve this dish over white rice and garnish with some cheddar cheese and sour cream. Ritz crackers also go real well with this dish. A couple other notes. This is best the next day and you can freeze what ever is leftover in freezer bags. Fill quart zip-lock bags and lay flat in the freezer, after they are frozen the store well for those crazy nights.
Happy Cooking
Will Nicholas
Tapenade
1 large Eggplant
1 16 oz. can Chick Peas (Garbanzo Beans) in water, drained
1 24 oz. jar Green Olives with Pimento, drained
1 each Red Pepper, roasted, peeled and seeded (1/2 cup canned roasted red pepper strips
is a good substitute)
1/4 bunch Parsley, roughly chopped
2 each Garlic Cloves, peeled
1 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
fresh Ground Black Pepper, to taste
Split eggplant in half, season with olive oil, salt & pepper and roast in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. When completely cool, remove pulp and discard the skin.
Take remaining ingredients, except the olive oil and black pepper - and make sure they have been well drained. Place all in a food processor in batches and pulse until well chopped. If you have a grinder attachment for your mixer this works well also.
Slowly drizzle olive oil into ground mixture while slowly stirring tapenade until the oil it totally incorporated.
Season to taste with fresh ground black pepper.
Serve with fresh baked ciabatta bread, focaccia or grilled garlic crostini and ENJOY!
Broccoli & chicken tortellini
1 head of broccoli cut into small pieces and blanched
1/2 large Spanish onion diced
1/4 cup of olive oil
1 1/2 tbls garlic diced
Dash of red pepper flacks
S & P
Good shake of Mrs. Dash
Celery salt good dash
1/4 cup bread crumbs - to be added at the end
2 tbls grated cheese
1 tbls Pignoli nuts
1 pkg of tortellini - chicken or sausage, cheese as well or a mix of all three
Start broccoli and water for pasta
Do not over cook broccoli al dente
Salt water for both pots
In skillet add olive oil and get to a medium high
add onions and sauté until translucent then add garlic
then add pignoli nuts
sauté until they start to turn light brown
lower heat and start to cook pasta
when pasta is almost cooked
add broccoli to onions and garlic
add bread crumbs
add extra olive oil so you have enough sauce
drain pasta when cooked
put drained past into large bowl
then add broccoli mixture and mix gently together
then sprinkle extra virgin olive oil and greased cheese and serve on a hot plate
WHITE CLAM SAUCE WITH LINGUINI
INGREDIENTS:
Butter 2 tbsp.
Onions, sliced thin ¼ cup
Celery, sliced thin ¼ cup
Garlic, minced 2 tsp.
White Wine ¼ cup
Clam Juice ¾ cups
Cockles 1 pound
CULINARY THICKENER 4 tbsp.
Crushed Red Pepper 1 tsp.
Salt To taste
Pepper To taste
Linguini, cooked 1 pound
Parsley, chopped 2 tbsp.
Pecorino Romano, grated 3 tbsp.
PREPARATION:
1. In a large hot sauté pan add butter and sauté onions and celery.
2. Add garlic and deglaze the pan with white wine.
3. Add clams and juice cover the pan and allow to steam approx. 5 minutes.
4. Stir in CULINARY THICKENER and crushed red pepper.
5. Allow to simmer another 3 minutes and season to taste.
6. Toss with pasta and serve garnish with parsley and cheese.
SERVES 2 – 3 FAMILY STYLE
| | Uncle Will’s
Wild Wild Best Chili
4lbs 80% Lean Ground Beef Simmer till no more pink.
Then drain grease.
3-1/2cups Coarse diced white onion
3-1/2 cups Coarse diced celery with greens
3-1/2 cups diced bell pepper green/yellow/red/orange mixed
Simmer 5 minutes medium heat and stir.
6 TBL Chili powder
1 TBL Paprika
1 TSP Cumin
1 TBL Celery salt
2 TSP Black pepper
5 TBL Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
2 TSP A1 Sauce
2 Habaneros seeded and diced small
Mix after adding each, and continue to simmer another 5-10 minutes.
7 TBL Brown sugar Mix and simmer 5 minutes.
1-1/2 cups Catsup Mix and simmer10 minutes.
********** STOP HERE FOR TACO/NACHO MEAT *****
If not then add
2- 28 oz Cans Diced tomatoes
2- 28 oz Cans Whole tomatoes crushed by hand
3- 40 oz Cans Dark or Light red kidney beans
Mix all together and simmer for 1 hour or more for better results.
Recipe by: William J. Nicholas, III (Uncle Will)
Two-time runner up at the “Chili for Children” contest at COMDEX in Las Vegas, NV. 25 Gallons of this Chili was the first to go of them all. Documents to back this up if requested.
Will Nicholas aka Spoon/Uncle Will
Bourbon Chicken
Grocery List for recipe
4 chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces
Full 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
4 tablespoons bourbon
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons flour
Directions for dish
In a medium bowl, combine the ginger, garlic powder and brown sugar.
Next add the soy sauce and then the bourbon using a wisk.
Still using a wisk, add the vegetable oil and then flour.
Continue to wisk until blended completely.
Add chicken pieces to bowl and thoroughly coat the chicken in the sauce.
Place chicken and marinade in SOLID SHALLOW TRAY and place in steam oven on
poultry setting for five minutes.
You may stop half way through cooking and stir once, making sure to press
start once you close the door.
Fish Tacos
1 piece of grilled swordfish - with lemon/lime and pepper
White or red cabbage
Salsa recipe to follow
cheese (optional)
Fish Taco Sauce
Mayonnaise - low fat if you like
minced garlic - according to taste
2 tbl of olive oil extra virgin for flavor
2-3 tbl each fresh lemon & lime juice
blend or whip should be some what thin but you can experiment
Killer Salsa
3-4 firm but ripe tomatoes diced with juice
4-6 scallions
white ends chopped fine
green chopped not so fine ( for color )
2-3 jalapeno chopped fine & without seeds (unless you like pain)
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 extra virgin olive oil
dash of salt & fresh ground pepper
a fair amount of chopped fresh parsley (I like a bunch)
a few chopped sprigs of cilantro
Make salsa and taco sauce ahead of time and chill. While the aforementioned is
chilling you chill with a cold adult beverage, it's required.
Thinly slice your cabbage and set out on paper towel and let weep.
Then season and grill/broil your swordfish. Remember don't over cook fish.
You could be put to death for doing this. Don't forget to have an adult refreshment
while cooking the fish. When fish is done let stand for a few minutes to firm up a little,
then chop into small pieces.
Heat your flour or corn tortillas, micro is fast but hot flat pan is better.
Add fish, cabbage, fish taco sauce then salsa and cheese if you like.
But before the first bite make sure you have a refreshing adult beverage.
Enjoy!!
Fall Apart Brisket
Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder and celery salt.
Wrap in heavy foil, twice add some water first.
Put on grill for 3-4 hours based on size. Low heat or not direct.
You can pull it, and add BBQ sauce or just enjoy.
Will Nicholas aka Spoon
SHRIMP FRA DIAVOLO
INGREDIENTS:
Olive Oil 3 tbsp.
Shrimp, peeled and de-veined 1 pound
Garlic, minced 2 tbsp.
Onions, diced ¼ cup
Tomatoes, diced 2 cups
Red Wine 1 cup
Crushed Red Pepper 1 tbsp.
CULINARY THICKENER 4 tbsp.
Salt To taste
Pepper To taste
Parsley ¼ cup
Angel Hair Pasta 1 pound
PREPARATION:
1. In a hot pan add oil and sauté shrimp, browning on both sides.
2. Add garlic and onions and sauté until onions are translucent.
3. Deglaze with red wine and add tomatoes, bring to simmer.
4. Reduce heat and add crushed red pepper.
5. Stir in CULINARY THICKENER and season to taste.
6. Spoon over pasta and garnish with parsley.
SERVES 4 – 8OZ PORTIONS
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