CRABLESS CRAB CAKES

Do you ever get those cravings sometimes that just don't go away until you satisfy them? You know...the "I gotta eat that or else I'll die" cravings? Well, the other day I had a craving for crab cakes something fierce and I just had to make some. I think it was the crab cake recipe Lola had hanging on the fridge that did it to me; it's been there since January and I've been looking at it ever since. Anyway, the situation finally came to a head and I had to do something about it. I had to make some crab cakes!

Unfortunately for me, I shopped for all of the ingredients I needed to make crab cakes before discovering that the store had no crab. Can you believe it...no crab! So, I decided to combine shrimps and salmon in place of the crab meat. Improvise when necessary I say!

Here, some white shrimp, shallots, garlic, scallions and parsley are ready to be minced for the cakes.

The shrimps are minced roughly...

...and combined with the other ingredients.

The salmon fillet awaiting mincing.

The minced salmon added to the rest of the ingredients fleshes out the shrimp. Any other fish can be used as well.

A bit of grated potato adds filler to the cakes . I also added some chopped cilantro, cayenne pepper, Old Bay Seasoning and lemon juice.

Stir it all up....

...add some mayonnaise....

...stir it again....

...add bread crumbs to dry it out a bit...

...ball it out the same as you would for hamburger patties...

...press it down and VOILA...fish cakes ready for the pan! The cakes are fried in olive oil and butter until golden, flipped and fried on the other side until golden. I finished them in the oven for five minutes to ensure they were cooked through. These babies are big!

Lola made a really nice salsa/salad of charred corn, pepper, avocado, jalapeno, olive oil, lime juice and cilantro to go with the cakes.

Up close and personal.

The cakes with chile chipotle mayo!

In your face!

Done deal! And this is soooooooo goooooood!

Give it a try!!

THE PERFECT STEAK

There are a lot of opinions on how to grill the perfect steak. I have mine too. But no matter what the thought on the matter is, it's the final product that wins the argument. So, here I will lay out my version of the perfect steak and you can decide for yourself.

First of all, we have to decode on the perfect cut. Some like the New York Striploin or the Fillet the best, but I like the Ribeye. I like this cut because of the fat content present in the rib. It makes for a jucier steak than all the others at the end of the day in my opinion. But if you're looking to grill a great steak, choose from one of these three cuts if you want something tender.

As you can see, this rib steak is well marbled. That is, it has a good amount of fat within the muscle which will disolve during cooking and add moisture to the steak. Yeah...fat is desirable sometimes!

So...there's a juicy little mama waiting for someone to come along and set her free. I think I can handle it!

First I like to make a marinade of rosemary, shallots, garlic and olive oil to soak the steak in before grilling. This combination adds flavor to the steak by infusing it with the aromatic shallots and garlic and the oils in the rosemary permeate the surface of the meat with savory perfume. The olive oil coats the steak and helps to sear the surface during grilling as well as adding flavor.

Here are the three ingredients - shallots, garlic and rosemary - minced and ready to use as a marinade.

The steak is coated in olive oil.......

....and the aromatics are sprinkled over both sides. The steak is then allowed to soak up the flavors for a few hours.

Now what I like to do is prepare a baste for when I grill the steak. This particular baste is one I like because it's simple and it adds a decent amount of flavor the the steak as it sizzles over a bed of hot coals. This is a mixture of red wine, balsamic vinegar, shallot, garlic, rosemary and olive oil. I also add sugar to the mix to assist in the caramelization process.

I just allow this baste to "come together" for an hour or two before I lite the coals. This allows a bit of time for a glass or two of wine too.

As the steak is cooking over the coals, I just baste it with the mixture and allow it to caramelize on the surface of the meat. There are many bastes you can make to add flavor to your steaks and chops and you can purchase a lot of different ones in the grocery store. Just remember that the function of a baste is to cook onto the surface whatever it is that you're cooking and that continuous basting is essential.

Here, the finished product is served with a few sauted Shitake mushrooms and a simple spinach salad. The steak is so large that nothing much else is needed to satisfy even the hungriest person on your list.

So...some would say I'm wrong, but I think this is a pretty good way to grill steaks. The ingredients may not suit the taste of every individual, but the process is what is most important. Play around a little...do some research...and above all...have fun!!!

Happy grilling!!!!!

RISOTTO WITH ROCCO

Rocco's Plum Tomato Trattoria is a restaurant we found quite by accident. It is a place we have been passing again and again as we go to and fro grocery shopping, and because the sign looked so interesting combined with the fact that it just looked like it served up some decent Italian grub, we decided to stop into this restaurant one evening after shopping. We were glad we did.

Rocco's is really casual and even the decor reflects that. It has a rustic theme which is reflected in the wooden floors, tables and chairs as well as in the wooden art work which hangs on the walls. The carvings are magnificent and intricate, not to mention huge. And tile mosaics adorn the walls and ceilings.

The menu and sign out front are designed with the same hand-painted theme.

Some of the wooden carvings and tile mosaics.

Another very cool carving.

The candles on the tables provide a relaxing atmosphere.

First thing's first...VINO!

Complimentary olives, breads and oil/balsamic dip.

Caesar Salad. Actually...I rarely order Caesar when I go out because most are nothing exceptional (and I prefer my own) but I was in the mood for one when I was at Rocco's. It was good.

I had the Seafood Risotto. Here you see it is served in a tomato cream. It was very rich and satisfying as a good risotto should be. It was packed with flavor too. Very tasty!!

Lola had the Orange Roughy with a side of risotto The Roughy comes topped with shrimps in a creamy tarragon sauce. I had this dish my first time at Rocco's and can attest to the fact that it is very tasty. Above is the side of tomato risotto.

Here, a very blurry picture of the Roughy topped with shrimps. Sorry the shot is so blurry but it's the only one I had. The wine must have gone straight to the camera!

So, Rocco's is a good place to go for a relaxed atmosphere and some comfort food. They make pizzas, which look amazing, and a variety of pastas and mains as well. I recommend it for sure

ROCCO'S PLUM TOMATO TRATTORIA
156 THE QUEENSWAY, ETOBICOKE,

SMOKING ON THE PATIO

Summer awakens a primal urge in most of us to eat foods that are slowly grilled over an open flame; the urge seems to quicken when we begin to catch the smoky, mouthwatering scent of choice cuts of meat charring close by as neighbors take part in the summer ritual. Yes, summer is barbeque season.

Personally, I barbeque all year around; I don't think good food should be weather dependent. Actually, unless it's snowing or raining hard...why not barbeque all year around?

The barbeque below is the one I have been using for the past few years. I love this barbeque! Actually, when I was contracting in British Columbia I did a small job for a customer who owns a barbeque store. We ended up swapping my services for this barbeque. At the time, this Enviro sold for just under $1800.00. It has three burners plus a rear burner for rotisserie. I also had him install one side burner.

As great as this barbeque is, I really like the flavor of meat and vegetables cooked over coals. The flavor that coals deliver via the smoke created during the burning process is superior to that delivered on a gas barbeque. The little barbeque below cost just $20.00 and food tastes better cooked on it than on the $1800.00 barbeque. The only drawback is the waiting time involved in allowing the coals to burn down to a nice bed of even heat that is perfect for cooking over. But, patience is a virtue as they say, and it give me time to sit down and have a glass of wine before manning the grill!

As you can see in the photo above, the smoke produced is immediate upon lighting the coals. Here, I have just lit the coals and have allowed the fire to burn down (burning off the lighter fluid) and there is a small burn going. There isn't enough heat to cook over at this point. By shutting the lid and fully opening the damper, I allow the coals to breath and this increases the heat.

Here the fire has picked up steam and the heat is pretty much ready for cooking over. The smoke produced is what will flavor the meat and vegetables. The charring from the direct heat will obviously flavor the food as well.

Another cool, smokey action shot!

Now you see that I have closed the top vent which keeps most of the smoke IN the barbeque. I have left the bottom damper open wide to feed the fire however. If I closed both...the fire would cool down too much for what I want to grill, but it would be great for slow cooking.

Beef tenderloin slow roasting over the coals. This is a large section of tenderloin which requires a lower heat than, say, steaks. So I close the damper half way and close the top vent half way and allow for a slow smoke.

The tenderloin gets a nice charred exterior - naturally smoked flavor - and remains juicy inside.

I like to baste meats on the grill as they cook with infused olive oil (wine, olive oil, garlic, herbs) which adds flavor and helps th char the surface of the meat.

YUM!

Above, dry spiced ribs sizzle along side some Portugese sausage and corn. These are cooked over a high heat.

Scallions getting a tan!

A squeeze of fresh lime over dry ribs sends the flavor to skyrocketing to etheral heights.

Close up on the corn.

The corn gets lime too.

Look at those ribs!!

There you have it. The finished product ready to devour!