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Moules Mariniere
Moules Mariniere
Steamed mussels in white wine with fries(moules frites) is the national dish of Belgium. Since PEI mussels are small in nature, 1 1/2-2lbs is considered a serving if being eaten as your main course.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs PEI Mussels washed and bearded
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 rib celery finely diced
- 1 large shallots finely chopped
- 3 sprigs thyme
- 1/2 cup parsley finely chopped; divided
- 1 bay leaf
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 1 cup dry white wine
Instructions
- Wash and de-beard the mussels in cold water.
- In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Sauté the celery, shallots, sprigs of thyme, 1/4 cup of parsley, and bay leaf for 4 minutes. Add in the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Pour in the white wine and bring to a rolling boil.
- Add in the mussels. Cover and cook for 5 minutes; shaking the pot every minute to ensure the mussels are evenly cooked.
- Turn off the heat. Discard any unopened mussels. Garnish with the rest of the parsley.
Smoked Bone-In Short Rib Sandwich
Smoked Bone-In Short Rib Sandwich
This is the most monster of any sandwich that you’ll ever eat. In between a large mayo brushed hoagie roll lays a full bone-in smoked bbq short rib; layered with bread and butter pickles and crispy fried onions. Yes, a bone-in sandwich. Once ready to eat, that bone will slide out cleanly. This mammoth is enough for 2 giant servings. If you can eat this whole sandwich, then you are dare I say, a tubby. But that’s ok.To find this cut of beef will require you to go to a butcher counter. Call ahead of time. We will appreciate it. You will want to ask your butcher to cut you a full single bone short rib off a short rib plate. Some people call this a dino-cut short rib. You should also ask your butcher to remove the membrane on the bottom of the bone.
Equipment
- Spice grinder
- Electric Smoker
- mesquite wood chips
Ingredients
- 1 beef short rib dino rib cut; about 2 lbs
- 1 tbsp black and white peppercorns
- 1 tbsp fennel seed
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp sea salt
Sandwich
- 1 large hoagie bun or telera roll toasted
- bbq sauce
- mayonnaise
- bread and butter pickles
- crispy fried onions or shallots
Instructions
- Finely grind the whole spices together in a spice grinder. Mix in the garlic powder and salt.
- Rub the spice mixture all over the short rib. Place in the refrigerator uncovered for 24 hours. Remove from the refrigerator and let sit at room temp before smoking.
- Preheat your smoker to 250°. Place the short rib on the center rack, meat side up. Add in the wood chips.
- Smoke for 4 hours; replacing the wood chips when needed. The short rib will be ready when the meat feels like it will slide off the bone.
- Remove the rib from the smoker. Brush with bbq sauce.
Sandwich Assembly
- Brush both sides of the toasted hoagie bun with mayonnaise. On the top piece, add a mound of crispy fried onions or shallots. On the bottom piece, layer the bread and butter pickles.
- Place the short rib on the bun.
- Fold the top piece of the bun over. Take a picture; because nobody will believe what you just made. Then remove the bone and eat.
Calabrian Chilies and Arugula Pizza
Calabrian Chilies and Arugula Pizza
If you are a fan of gut rotting spice, this pizza is for you. The sauce is the same anchovy/olive oil sauce on my anchovy pizza with the addition of chopped Calabrian chilies. It simply is topped with mozzarella and fresh basil. Once out of the oven, the pizza gets topped with a citrusy/garlicky/peppery arugula salad. The salad ever so slightly wilts, cutting through the heaviness of the cheese and spice from the acidity of the lemon juice.
Equipment
- pizza pan or stone
Ingredients
- 1 pizza dough recipe or half for thin crust
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 6 anchovy fillet finely chopped
- 2 tbsp Calabrian chili peppers finely chopped
- 6 garlic cloves thinly sliced
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese shredded
- 1/4 cup basil roughly torn
- 2 cups arugula
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 garlic cloves finely minced
- 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Heat up olive oil in a small saucepan over medium low heat. Add in the anchovies and Calabrian chilies. Cook for 3 minutes.
- Add in the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Turn off the heat.
- Roll out your pizza dough to your desired thickness. Spread the sauce across the dough, leaving a 1/2” edge of crust.
- Top with mozzarella cheese and basil.
- Bake in a 475° preheated oven for 12-15 minutes.
- While the pizza is baking, mix together the arugula, lemon juice, minced garlic, and black pepper.
- Instantly top the pizza with the arugula salad as soon as it comes out of the oven.
Pizza Dough
For the last 8 months, I’ve been trying to perfect the perfect standard pizza dough. Through lots of trial and error, I think I may have done it. This recipe is basic and straightforward, yielding what I consider a really good medium thickness crust for a 14” pizza. If you divide the dough into two, you will have 2 – 12” thin crust pizzas. Once assembled, these pizzas bake at 475° for 12-15 minutes depending on the crust thickness and the type of pan or pizza stone you use. This dough can keep in the refrigerator for 3 days and can also be frozen.
Equipment
- upright standing mixer with dough hook attachment
- plastic wrap
- rolling pin optional
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 tsp dry active yeast
- 2 tsp sugar
- 3/4 cup warm water
- 2 cups flour plus extra
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Mix together the yeast and sugar. Dissolve in the warm water and let activate until bubbly; about 5 minutes.
- Mix the flour and salt in an upright standing mixer for 30 seconds on low. Pour in the yeast mixture and olive oil.
- Increase the speed to medium and continue to knead for 5 minutes. At this point, the dough will pull away completely from the side of the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise in a warm area for about 30 minutes.
- Gently flour a clean surface. Place the dough in the center of the floured surface and lightly flour the top.
- Using either your hands or a rolling pin, stretch out the dough to your desired thickness.
