It’s National Blueberry Pancake Day!
Mmm…piping hot pancakes, drenched in your favorite syrup, dripping hot sweet cream butter, loaded with delicious blueberries that burst in your mouth…a haystack of apple-wood smoked bacon on the side…oh, baby!
Here’s my favorite recipe for blueberry awesomeness…what’s yours?
-Perry
PS – If you missed out this morning, do not despair… the entire month of February is Pancake Month!
Filed under Misc Recipes
Okay, okay…I know I’ve been teasing ya’all, and tossing out a lot of cryptic comments and hints for the last couple of weeks.
So, finally, here it is…
The crew at Burnin’ Love BBQ has been working around the clock on a new program designed to assist the home chef in planning, shopping-for and preparing some next-level food in your own kitchens! Actually, we’re going to do those first steps …for you, and save you a bunch of time and dough (ha ha) along the way.
So, it’s with great pride that I would like to invite each of you to the grand unveiling of our new program, “HAUTEMEALZ.COM” (www.hautemealz.com) Please go take a look, poke around, and tell us what you think!
-Perry
Filed under Press Releases
The Chicago-style hot dog, or Chicago Dog, is a steamed or water-simmered all-beef frankfurter on a poppy seed bun, originating from the city of Chicago, Illinois. The complete assembly of a Chicago hot dog is said to be “dragged through the garden” due to the many toppings.
There is a widely-shared, strong opinion among many Chicagoans and aficionados that ketchup is unacceptable. A number of Chicago hot dog vendors do not even offer ketchup as a condiment. Many sources attribute the distinctive collection of toppings on a Chicago-style wiener to historic Maxwell Street and the “Depression Sandwich” reportedly originated by ‘Fluky’s’ in 1929. The proprietors of Fluky’s were Jewish, which accounts for the wieners’ pork-free, kosher-style character.
The Chicago area boasts more hot dog restaurants than McDonald’s, Wendy’s, and Burger King restaurants combined.
- Wikipedia
I was jonesing for a Chicago dog this week, so I gathered up the ingredients with the plan to make myself the iconic tube-steak for lunch today. Then, I saw a post on a friend’s blog, featuring a bacon wrapped hot-dog. I thought to myself… “Hey, I have bacon!” (I may not have electricity, or running water…but I always have bacon.)
Thus, the “Perked up” (bah-dum-bump) Chi-Dog was born.
Perk’s “Perked up” Chi Dogs
4 all beef sausages
4 strips of hickory smoked bacon
4 stadium rolls, warmed
2 Roma tomatoes, firm
1/2 cup minced onions
4 Tbs dill pickle relish
2 Tbs deli mustard
Celery salt
Preheat oven to broil.
Bring a pot of water to boil, drop in the sausages, and lower heat to simmer. Cook 5 minutes to warm through.
Remove sausages to a plate and allow to cook slightly, then wrap each in a slice of bacon. Put wrapped sausages in an oven-save dish, and broil for 10 minutes, turning once, until bacon has crisped.
Meanwhile, spread one side of each roll with 1 Tbs of pickle relish, and spread the opposite sides with mustard. Cut up tomatoes in a large dice, the onions in a fine dice, and set aside.
Place one dog in each bun, top with tomato and onions, sprinkle each with a dash celery salt, and serve.
Enjoy!
-Perry
NOTE: I know, I know…it’s supposed to be sweet relish, but I don’t like sweet relish, and it’s my recipe!
Filed under Off The Grill
So, in case you didn’t already know, my dad, Frank Perkins, was a professional chef (as was his dad).
Growing up with a chef as a parent is a mixed blessing. On one hand, my old man could throw down some amazing food. On the other hand, after putting in 60 or 70 hours a week on the line…the last thing he wanted to do at home, was cook.
That meant that if I wanted in on the good stuff, I had to go to the restaurant, which meant that my dad got free slave labor, and a grunt that couldn’t hire a labor-lawyer when he’d smack me in the head with a ladle for not having enough “hustle.”
Still, it must have been pretty epic food, ’cause I kept coming back for. more Maybe I just wasn’t too bright.
Let’s say it was the food.
That little rant has absolutely nothing with today’s post or recipe, but it’s my blog and if I want to whine about my childhood once in a while, I can.
One of the recipes that brought me back, time and again, was Dad’s clam chowder. This stuff was freakin’ famous. Dishwashers would work a second shifts, and owners would come in of their day’s off just to get a couple of bowls. A steady stream of compliments and tips always flowed from the front of the house, on chowder night.
Dad’s workin’ that big six-top in the sky now…so the threat of getting smacked with a kitchen implement has somewhat lessened, and I’ve worked up the courage to post his extremely popular and guarded recipe.
Just a note: it wasn’t a standard part of the recipe, but when the mood would take him, dad might add some saffron, a pinch of cayenne chili powder, to the mix, and maybe even finish the bowl with a sprinkling of crisp-fried cracklins. If he tossed in some fresh steamed baby oysters and green mussels, it became seafood chowder.
FYI…nothing even remotely healthy about this recipe, and if you try to substitute olive oil for the butter, low-fat milk for the 1/2 & 1/2, or some other act of sacrilege and profanation, I hope the old man comes back and smacks you with a ladle.
To quote my sweet old father…”You want healthy? Go home and make a ****ing salad.”
Enjoy!
-Perk
Dad Perkins’ Clam Chowder1 1/2 lbs Yukon gold potatoes
2 cups chicken broth
1 lg onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, diced
1/2 cup of butter (1 stick)
2 teaspoons coarse black pepper
dash of red pepper flake
4 anchovy fillets, diced
1/2 lb fresh bay scallops
1/2 cup flour
2 cups bottled clam juice
32 oz chopped clams
1 cup 1/2 & 1/2
1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped
Gen 4, gathering ingredients
Rinse potatoes, halve, cover with chicken broth, and bring to simmer. (Add water to cover, if necessary).
Melt 1/2 cup of butter in a large skillet over medium heat, and saute garlic and onion until softened. Add red and black pepper, scallops, and anchovies, and continue to cook, stirring, until scallops are just done, about 5 minutes.
Remove scallops and set aside. Increase heat and add flour to skillet, stirring to create roux. Allow flour to cook, stirring often, until four begins to brown and smells nutty.
Slowly add 2 cups of clam juice, stirring constantly to keep the roux smooth, next add 1/2 & 1/2, again stirring.
If you’re using canned clams, reserve the liquid and add it now, to bring broth to desired consistency. If not, add enough water to do so. Add parsley, and cook at a bare simmer, 10-15 minutes.
While broth is simmering, remove cooked potatoes from water, and allow to cool slightly. Quarter.
Add cooked potatoes, scallops, and clams to broth and stir. Cook 5 more minutes, and serve hot with hot baguette slices.
Filed under Misc Recipes, Uncategorized
“Typically occurring in late January or early February, it is considered a de facto national holiday in the United States. On Super Bowl Sunday many people gather to watch the Super Bowl. Such gatherings are known for the large amount of food that is consumed by attendees.” Wikipedia
Okay, SuperBowl Sunday is coming up, and what better time to get our smoke on?
A quick confession (before my friends rat me out anyway)…I’m really not a spectator sports guy (I’m not much of a participatory sports guys either, but let’s not open THAT can of worms…)
However, the annual Superbowl party is my exception to the rule.
A bunch of my best friends, tons of great food…sure, I have to watch some football…but there are some great commercials to break THAT up, so…three outta four awesome elements…I’ll take that percentage any day!
As much as I’d like to think that I get invited to these parties every year for my witty banter and cutting-edge heckling of the event at hand, I know the truth…it’s my food that gets me in the door. I’m okay with that.
So, I thought this year we’d take a look at three specific ways that “Game Day” can play out, and how we can do some grilling and/or Q for each.
Most parties, where we would be offering our goods, fall into one of three categories:
1. Party at my place! – Hosting a Superbowl party at you own home offers the most flexibility in what you can prepare and serve (‘course, it also means cleaning bean dip off the ceiling, finding wing-bones behind the couch next summer, and two-weeks of lethal dog flatulence because your best friend won’t stop feeding ATB’s to Rover …).
2. Invitation to the pot-lick. – My personal favorite, lots of new dishes to try, and my place stays (moderately) clean. Watch the game (commercials) in comfort on my pals cushy garage home-theater. Nice!
3. Pull in & Pig out! – Ah, the pièce de résistance for armchair quarterbacks everywhere. It’s a ball game, it’s a picnic, it’s a camp-out…it’s the Tailgate Party…how can that be anything but awesome?
Over the next couple of weeks, we’re going to take a look at each of these game-day favorites, some killer bbq and grill recipes adapted to each, and some tips on how to participate as a pit-master. Oh, and I have a great homemade cleanser for getting out those bean-dip stains…
So, let’s take a look at three next-level recipes for hosting a Pig Skin party at your own crib…
Party at My Place
Hosting the party at your own place allows for a lot more freedom in recipes and preparation. All of your own toys, spices, and gear, are close at hand. This is your pit-master backyard…awesomeness should be a given!
For the main dish, let’s go all-out with Luau Party featuring a whole Kalua pig, or pork shoulder, with a Big Island Luau Party!
Kālua is a traditional Hawaiian cooking method that utilizes an imu, or underground oven. The word kālua literally means “to cook in an underground oven” and also describes the flavor of food cooked in this manner – e.g. the kālua pig, kālua turkey (Hawaiian puaʻa kālua) which is commonly served at luau feasts. – From Wikipedia
Traditional Kalua Pork
8 pounds pork butt
4 tablespoons liquid smoke
4 tablespoons Hawaiian salt
8 to 12 large ti leaves, ribs removed
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. After scoring pork on all sides with quarter-inch deep slits about an inch apart, rub with salt, then liquid smoke.
Wrap the pork completely in ti leaves, tie with string, and wrap in foil.
Place meat in a shallow roasting pan with 2 cups of water and roast for 6 hours.
Dissolve 1 tablespoon Hawaiian salt in 2 cups boiling water and add a few drops of liquid smoke. Shred the cooked pork and let stand in this solution for a few minutes before serving.
Man…that’s makin’ me hungry!
Aloha!
If you’re lucky enough to have a La Caja China, and want to take this recipe to the next level, knock the socks off your party guests with a Whole Roasted Kahlua Pig.
Hawaii plate-lunch-style macaroni salad.
The beauty of macaroni salad is that it is quite forgiving and welcomes a wide range of personalization and experimentation. It’s a casual dish that easily adapts to any type of food or occasion—it is, in other words, quintessentially local.
Island Mac Salad
To make a basic macaroni salad, you don’t need a recipe; just follow these guidelines:
The pasta: Cook 1 pound macaroni (for really local style, cook until soft and fat, but you can go al dente if you prefer).
The flavoring: Stir in ¼ cup very finely grated onion. Not minced, chopped or sliced—grated. It should be liquidy (this is how they do it at Diner’s, a local eatery in Kalihi).
The mayo: At least 2½ cups for real local style. But there are no rules, so use less if you like. Or more.
The add-ins: Carrots, watercress, celery, hard-boiled eggs, pickle relish—whatever suits you.
The finale: Salt and pepper, to taste. Stir well; refrigerate.
Filed under Misc Recipes
