My son, Eli, and his friends took up fishing a few years back. He has an awesome fishing rod, but he has since retired it. He has replaced fishing for varsity football, work (yes, he works – in a restaurant), and girls. He is 16 1/2 after all! Although he has given up the sport, his friends haven’t. And every time his friend Owen catches something wonderful, he calls me up and asks if he and I can cook together.
This past summer he caught massive amounts of blue fin tuna. I became the lucky recipient of pounds of tuna and when he called, I knew exactly what I wanted to make. Tuna Tartare! Most of the ingredients can be found in the pantry, all that was missing was the fish. I made the ginger oil before he arrived, but waited to chop, cut, and assemble the rest of the ingredients until he arrived.
Upon assembly, I realized that I didn’t have any won ton skins on hand (not really one of my pantry staples), so I sent the teenagers to the market. They couldn’t find the won ton skins(never thought to call and ask…boys), but they managed to bring home 2 pints of ice cream and some other crap, that I NEVER buy and is way too disgusting to mention. I improvised with some tortilla chips. I ate it sans the chips and when the tartare disappeared, they asked for more. With a fridge full of freshly caught blue fin tuna, I couldn’t refuse.
If you’re looking for a more sophisticated dessert to impress your friends at your next dinner party, try this Austrian classic. America’s Test Kitchen updated the recipe and it’s pretty easy to do.
Ribs are undoubtedly a cornerstone of American summer barbecues, especially in the South where it's practically an art form. Die-hard 'cue masters will argue there's a difference between barbecue and grilling. And there is: Barbecue is a low and slow process of cooking meat in a smoky humid environment.
When I think of casseroles, I imagine layers and layers of meats and
vegetables slowly cooking together until fork tender. Baeckeoffe is
that casserole; it beats all other casseroles. Beef, lamb, and pork are
combined with onions, leeks, and carrots, then drowned in wine, and
slowly braised for hours in the oven until just perfect. Baeckeoffe,
which translates to baker's oven, originates from Alsace, France, a
region that has changed hands many times between France and Germany. In
many ways, especially gastronomically, it maintains a German identity.
Here you will find beer, sausages, sauerkraut, and vineyards growing
typical German grapes like Riesling and Gewürztraminer. Many dishes are
specific to this region, Baeckeoffe being one of its most famous
traditional foods.