Tuna Italiano

Here are the facts:

1. As a pescetarian, I've eaten a lot of tuna sandwiches.  
2. Of the tuna sandwiches I've eaten, the best ones have all been Italian-style.  
3. Of the Italian-style tuna sandwiches I've eaten, the best ones have all been in Philly.  
4. Of the Italian-style tuna sandwiches I've eaten in Philly, the best ones are the Tuna Diablo at Primo Hoagies (#1), Ave Maria at Sarcone's Hoagie's (#2), and the Tuna Italiana at Paesano's (#3).  

So, yeah folks, Philly is a solid town that packs a mighty punch in the hoagie department!  Check out this guide from the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation http://www.visitphilly.com/philadelphia-hoagie-finder/

Every good sandwich starts with good bread.  Since Baltimore isn't particularly known for its sandwiches, my options were somewhat limited in that department.  Stone Mill Bakery would have been my preferred option, but they were closed on Sunday when I made this sandwich.  After a little searching around, I ultimately ended up getting a baguette from Bonaparte Breads to create this masterpiece.  This sandwich is probably most similar to Paesano's Tuna Italiana.

Tuna Italiano

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 teaspoon capers
• 3 cans chunk light tuna packed in water, drained
• 1 bunch broccoli rabe
• 1-12 oz jar hot cherry peppers
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1-8 oz jar roasted red bell peppers, drained
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon garlic
• 1/3 baguette
• olive oil, to taste
• 2 slices of sharp provolone cheese
• 2 hard boiled eggs, thinly sliced with an egg slicer

Directions:

Tuna Salad

In a bowl, combine first four ingredients.  Set aside.  Add drained tuna to a mesh strainer and press out any remaining water.  Combine with oil mixture.  Refrigerate and allow to marinate overnight if possible.   Note: Recipe will yield enough tuna salad for multiple sandwiches.   

Sauteed Broccoli Rabe & Hot Cherry Peppers

Thoroughly wash broccoli rabe and remove stems.  Set aside.  Chop about half of the hot cherry peppers.  Heat one tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat in a medium pan.  Combine broccoli rabe and hot cherry peppers in the pan and sauteed until just soft, about 5-7 minutes.  Add one teaspoon of minced garlic during the last two minutes of cooking.  

Marinated Roasted Red Bell Peppers

In a bowl, combine roasted red bell peppers, 1/4 cup olive oil, and 1 teaspoon of garlic.  Allow to marinate overnight.

Sandwich - The Good Stuff

Preheat oven broiler.  Using a sharp knife, cut the baguette down the middle, leaving one end intact.  Carefully press both sides of the bread flat so that the intact end doesn't break.  Brush both sides of the bread with olive oil.  Add one slice of cheese to each side of the bread, cutting if necessary.  Add tuna salad and marinated roasted red bell peppers to the bottom side and the sauteed broccoli rabe & hot cherry peppers to the top side.  Place on a roasting pan and broil in the oven for 2 or 3 minutes.  Remove from the oven.  Top with hard boiled egg slices.  Fold over to seal.  Enjoy!

Spicy Southern Collard Greens w/ Aunt Fadrie's Chow Chow

It's the end of another busy week and I'm beaming because I have something special in the refrigerator--collard greens.  I mean, honestly, there is no greater comfort than a bowl of spicy collard greens with my Aunt Fadrie's homemade chow chow.  I make it my business to pick up a jar of this delicious sweet, spicy goodness every time I go home.  I make several versions of collard greens, but today's recipe is most traditional and my personal favorite.

This recipe is one of the few times I commit pesceterian heresy and cook with meat.  I've tried smoked paprika, imitation smoked bacon bits, and liquid smoke several times for smoke flavor, but there just is no replacement for the smokiness of smoked meat in a pot of greens.  Since I wasn't cooking for anyone else in particular, I had plenty of leeway so I took the leap and grabbed some smoked turkey necks while shopping at the market.  

Right after cooking these, I came across this Commercial Appeal article on the most "southern" of all foods.  I was just as surprised with the foods mentioned on the list as I was with the ones omitted.  When their extensive panel weighed in, there seemed to be an overwhelming consensus that greens, potlikker, fried green tomatoes, okra, cornbread, barbecue, pork, chicken and dumplings, biscuits, and grits were the most southern of all foods.  I was very surprised that more people mentioned greens than any other food.  While I love greens and tend to associate them with southern food, I always thought they were eaten all over the country.  I was also quite surprised that there was no mention of catfish considering the South's dominance in catfish farming.  My list would also include chitlins, chow chow, sweet potato pie, sweet tea, pecans, muscadines, and fried chicken.  

Spicy Southern Collard Greens

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons canola or olive oil 
• 1 lb smoked turkey (any cut)
• 1 red onion, halved
• 1 quart vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon red chili flakes
• 1 teaspoon Creole seasoning
• 2 tablespoon white vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 lbs fresh collard greens, washed, stews removed, rolled, and chopped
• 3 teaspoons minced garlic

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.  Add the smoked turkey and brown on both sides, about 6 minutes.  Add the onion havles, cut sides down, and brown, about 5 to 6 minutes.  Stir in the vegetable broth.  Season with chili flakes, salt, vinegar, and garlic powder.  Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat to a simmer.  Adjust seasoning, if desired.  Add the collard greens and minced garlic.   Stir to combine and cover.  Cook until greens are tender for about 45 minutes.  Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with a teaspoon of chow chow.  Enjoy! 

Cook's Note: The longer your greens cook, the more nutritious the potlikker/broth/liquid becomes (assuming you haven't loaded it up with salt).  It's best to sop it up with cornbread or lap it up with a soup spoon.

Balsamic Caramelized Onions & How to Make Food Less Spicy

Did you get heavy handed with the pepper?  Is your favorite ethnic take out food unusually spicy this week?  Did that jalapeno pepper turn out to be a lot hotter than you originally thought?  Well, fret not! Cooking is an art and you can fix just about anything that isn't burnt.

After having quite a bit of Mexican Pesto leftover from the Hominy and Corn Chowder with Mexican Pesto, I thought I'd remix it by throwing it in the blender with some chipotle peppers and sun dried tomatoes.  I then used the pesto as a sauce for a box of whole wheat spaghetti.  When I tasted the final product, it was hot!  Like, so hot that my nostrils were tingling and I had to add cheese, drink milk, and take breaks to finish eating it.

That night, I went back to the drawing board and thought about how I would salvage this dish. As mentioned in this article, How to Make Hot Peppers Stop Burning, I knew I had the following options:

• Add dairy products such as milk, yogurt, cheese, or sour cream: The casein in dairy products breaks down the capsaicin in spicy food.
• Dilute:  Adding more food will change the ratio of spice to food and reduce the spiciness of the dish.  
• Acid: Acids such as citrus fruits, vinegar, and tomatoes will help to neutralize the alkaline activity in capsaicinoid.
• Carbohydrates: This includes bread, rice, pasta, crackers, tortillas, beer (it's made from grains), potatoes, corn, and sugar.  According to Dr. Helmenstine, "Carbs provide a barrier between your mouth and some of the capsaicin so less of it contacts your tongue, lips, etc. The sugars in the carbohydrates may also help to lessen the activity of the capsaicinoids" (2012, How to Make Peppers Stop Burning).

For my pasta, I decided to add balsamic caramelized onions for sweetness and acid.  I added about 3/4 cup of grated carrots glazed in a tablespoon of vanilla Greek yogurt for my dairy component and to dilute the dish with vegetables.  I added another box of whole wheat spaghetti to dilute the dish with more pasta (carbohydrates).  I added a large can of crushed tomatoes for more acid.  I also added sauteed spinach, diced olives, diced artichokes, and julienned red bell peppers to further dilute the dish.  The final dish was hearty, flavorful, and it wasn't even the least bit spicy.  I offered some to a friend who dropped by my house.  She added hot sauce to hers and raved about how good the spaghetti was.  Oh, the irony...

The methods applied here have universal application for making food less spicy. 

Balsamic Caramelized Onions

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves, chopped
• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions:

In a large skillet, melt the butter and olive oil.  Add the onion and oregano, cover and cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add 2 tablespoons of water to the skillet and cook over moderate heat until the onion is caramelized, about 10 minutes (add a few extra tablespoons of water to the skillet if necessary).  Add the balsamic vinegar and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until has evaporated, about 10 minutes.  Season the onion with salt and pepper.

Note: Balsamic caramelized onions are great in sandwiches and pasta, on pizza, mixed in with vegetables, or as a side dish.

Sauteed Okra

For you to understand my love for okra, I must go back to the beginning.  All the way back to my childhood in Mississippi where okra was a standard crop in my family's vegetable garden and a staple in our diet.  Well, at least for my mom and me. I've never been much of a picky eater and my mom and I indulged in okra as a companion food for greens, purple hull & black-eyed peas, and cornbread.  I rounded out those meals with a little chow chow relish and a few slices of raw onions added to the mix.  To this very day, okra is my favorite vegetable.  Eating it, I can't help but feel nostalgic for the days of old.

A few years ago, I created this recipe for okra.  It's quite different from the lightly steamed okra I grew up on.  It's quick and easy.  The okra is slightly crunchy and the seasoning provides a surprising pop of flavor.  I once made this okra dish for a carb-loving friend who struggled to eat vegetables and she had two helpings of it.  The following week, she called me three times to let me know that she had made my okra recipe.

Sauteed Okra

Ingredients:

• 1 pat of butter
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 small jalapeno chile, thinly sliced
• I mess of okra (roughly 15 pods)
• Creole seasoning, to taste
• Garlic powder, to taste
• Fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced

Directions:

Wash, gently scrub, rinse, and clean the okra thoroughly.  Shake off excess water and set aside in a container.

Heat butter and olive in a large skillet over low heat.  Add jalapenos and okra pods to the skillet and cook about 2 minutes, thoroughly tossing the okra in the oil mixture.  Sprinkle the Creole seasoning, garlic powder, and cracked black pepper over the okra and continue cooking for another two to three minutes.  Then, added the minced garlic and cook another minute or two, being sure not to overcook the okra and garlic.  Garlic burns easily and when overcooked or cooked at too high a temperature, it will turn bitter.  

The final product should be coated in garlic and spice with a slight crunch.

Gulf Coast Faux BLT Salad with Mussels

I bring it back to the bottom of the map (Ooowee)
I bring it back to the bottom of the map (Ooowee)
I bring it back to the bottom of the map (Ooowee)
I bring it back to the bottom of the...
- Lil' Wayne

This salad is a homage to the U.S. Gulf Coast, the mysterious and quirky region at the bottom of the map.  While the Gulf is admittedly still reeling under the destruction of Hurricane Katrina and the recent oil spill, tourist and locals in many parts of the region continue to "laissez les bons temps rouler," otherwise known as, let the good times roll.  This is most evident in the food and passion for cooking throughout the Gulf.  After all, the Gulf is a region with an abundant food supply that also loves to eat.  Chef Mario Batali once exclaimed, "The Gulf Coast has the potential to create a culinary raw ingredient paradise that smart cooks can capitalize on."  I would most definitely agree and that's exactly why I thought back to the Gulf Coast as I created this salad.

Pork, fish, and shellfish were the first three ingredients that came to mind as I began to think of regional foods from the Gulf Coast, and I thought how much fun it would be to create a faux BLT salad with shellfish.  And viola... This salad is an explosion of flavor with smoky, garlicky charbroiled tofu, juicy green roma tomatoes, citrusy mussels, and crisp frisee and arugula lettuce tossed in a lemon and pecorino dressing.

Gulf Coast Faux BLT Salad with Mussels

Ingredients:

• 1/2 dozen fresh shucked mussels
• 3 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon liquid smoke
• 1 tablespoon garlic
• 1 package smoked tofu
• 1/4 cup water
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 2 tablespoon lemon juice
• Fresh cracked black pepper
• 1/2 cup finely grated aged Pecorino
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt
• 1 green roma tomato, cubed
• 3/4 cup frisee lettuce, loosely packed
• 3/4 cup arugula lettuce, loosely packed

Directions:

Toss mussels in 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.  Set aside.  

Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to broil on high temperature setting.  In a small bowl combine liquid smoke and garlic.  Set aside.  Cut tofu in 1" thick rectangular strips.  Toss tofu in liquid smoke mixture and broil on a baking sheet for 4-6 minutes on each side until lightly charred.  Allow to cool and cut tofu strips into smaller pieces, about the size of bacon crumbles.  Remove from oven and set aside.  

In a mixing bowl, combine 1/4 cup water with lemon zest, lemon juice, and black pepper to taste.  Stir while slowly incorporating grated cheese to create a slurry-like consistency.  Finish with olive oil.  Add salt to taste.  

In a large bowl, combine salad, tomatoes, 1/4 cup of tofu, mussels and 2 - 3 tablespoons of salad dressing.  Mix to combine and transfer to a dinner plate.  

Servings: 1 with leftover salad dressing and tofu 

Salad dressing recipe from Lupa in Manhattan by way of GQ Magazine: http://www.gq.com/how-to/rest-of-your-life/201206/dinner-party-guide#slide=8