Slow Prime Rib

Another Christmas has come and gone. I hope all of you had a restful day, nothing too stressed, few family arguments, much laughter and memorable moments.

I spent my day with my immediate family and we enjoyed a classic Prime Rib Roast with the usual fixins' and some Greek touches.

For as long as I can remember, I've been doing Prime Rib as instructed by my father and his years of wisdom working in the restaurant industry.

My Pops & I have these "debates" about how to approach a dish or while watching a cooking show "if this dish goes with that ingredient".

Can you say generation gap?

Pops usual line is, "when I was working in the restaurant we NEVER did that, we would do it.....blah-blah-blah".

Yesterday, I had to keep him far away from the stove as the Prime Rib was roasting. You see, my dad likes to sneak into the kitchen and peak at what's being cooked and sometimes he make "adjustments" to a meal.

It could be anywhere from turning up or lowering heat, uncovering a simmering pot or opening an oven to check on a cake (Shreek)!

Prime Rib is one of those dishes whereby one always seeks to improve or perfect this wonderful, satisfying Sunday (or holiday) meal.

My inspiration for my Quantum Leap in Prime Rib came from recently watching an episode of Foodies, as shown here in Canada.

The hostess Lesia recently did her own Prime Rib and she too joined the chorus of those who prefer low & slow cooking.

I've read a myriad of methods or roasting Prime Rib, most divided into two camps: low and slow or fast & high heat. Oh there are cooks who combine a bit of both methods and I'd say I fall in the middle too.

You see, I'm still not convinced that roasting a Prime Rib entirely at 280F will give me a deep-brown Prime Rib that's juicy and cooked to perfection in the middle. During my Prime Rib experimentations, I've ended up with a Roast that ends up "Mcdonald's grey"...not a turn-on.

So, until I see or taste a better Prime Rib, I'm now going to go with this approach: a blast of high heat and then lower your oven for a slow gentle roast of your Prime Rib.

In my opinion, part of being a good cook (and offering delicious food) is to be pragmatic, not to be a 'know it all' and keep an open mind about improving upon family favourites. Pride has no room in the foodie's kitchen.

It's all about the "pursuit of delicious food", right?

Prime Rib Roast au Jus With Yorkshire Pudding

1 Prime Rib Roast, cap on - bone in
sea salt
black pepper
garlic powder
onion powder
1 tsp. of chopped fresh rosemary
1 tsp. of fresh thyme

Yorkshire Pudding
(makes 12)
4 eggs
2 cups of milk
2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 tsp. of salt
beef drippings
1 muffin tray

1. Ensure that the Prime Rib has been brough to room temperature before roasting. Season the cap only (not sides) of your beef with the salt, pepper, garlic and onion powders and rosemary and thyme. Pre-heat your oven to 500F and set the rack in the middle position (ensure an evenly cooked roast).
2. Insert a meat thermometer into the top of the roast, right in the center. Place your roast in the oven and turn the oven light on. Keep the oven closed (some smoking will occur) and watch for the moment when your roast turns a deep brown colour (20-30 minutes).
   
3. Once your roast has achieved that deep-brown colour, reduce the oven's temperature to 260F. About an hour into roasting, add enough hot water to just cover the rib bones at the base (this will create your roast beef jus).
   
4. Allow the roast to cook until the thermometer has reached an internal temperature of 130F for rare, 150F for medium-rare and 170F for medium-well.
5. Carefully take your roast out of the pan and place on a large plate/platter and tent with foil. Allow to rest for 50-60 minutes (don't worry, the meat will still be warm at service).
6. Use this time to make your jus and Yorkishire Puddings. Pour the beef drippings from the roasting pan into a fat separator and reserve the separated beef jus and fat (separately).
7. Drop 1 Tbsp. of beef drippings into each muffin cup and pre-heat your oven to 400F. Add your flour and salt in one bowl and your eggs & milk in another bowl. Whisk the wet ingredients to blend and then whisk dry ingredients into wet and set aside.
8. When your oven has reached 400F, place your muffin tray on the middle rack of the oven for 5 minutes. Remove the muffin tin and pour equal amounts of Yorkshire batter into each muffin cup. Bake for 30 minutes or until the Puddings have puffed up to a lovely golden brown. Remove from the oven and serve in a basket at your dinner table.
9. Pour the beef jus into a pot and add 2-3 bay leaves anf bring to a boil. Taste for to adjust seasoning (add water if too salty or add some beef base or boullion to enhance) and reduce by a third. Keep warm until dinner service and remove bay leaves.
   
10. To carve your Prime Rib, cut off the butcher's twine and place the roast upright on it's side to expose the rib bones vertically. Secure the roast with a fork and cut off the rib bones and reserve for making beef stock and a Beef Barley Soup.
11. Now flip the roast back to it's natural sitting position and remove the fatty cap. Carve your slices of beef and arrange on a platter. Serve with Yorkshire Pudding and the gravy boats full of jus.
    

Garidomakaronada With Ouzo and Fresh Tomato

Now isn't this title a mouthful?

Garidomakaronada is a compound word in Greek meaning "pasta & shrimp". Garides are shrimp, makaronia is general word, like pasta.

The bounty of fresh tomatoes is here and for this very short window of time, a tomato sauce can be made from fresh tomatoes and one can actually pull off a fabulously flavourful meal.

Like most of the great pasta dishes, the ingredients are few and the produce is at it's peak. The ingredients are all used in Greek cookery and the last minute splash of Ouzo gives this dish the "je ne sais quoi".

I've chosen some larger sized shrimp for their obvious presence in the dish and more & more I'm liking them with their heads on.

I know some people are going to get all "sucky-face" with me in the comments section but I now prefer shrimp with their heads on.

The heads (and shells) give the dish added flavour and when you tear the head off the the body, stick the open-end of the shrimp's head into your mouth and suck the juices out. Try it, then tell you don't like it.

Beyond peeling the shells and deveining the shrimp, this dish comes together in the time it takes for the water to boil to the pasta becoming "al dente".

This dish is Greek, right down to the pasta choice, "Misko Makaronia Trypita no.5" or...bucantini. I chose this type of pasta as it's hollow, which allows this aromotic, seafood tinged sauce to get right into the pasta.

Celebrate garden fresh tomatoes with this quick, easy Garidomakaronada.

Garidomakaronada With Ouzo and Fresh Tomato
(for 4)

1 pkge Miskos Trypita no.5 (500gr)
16 medium sized shrimp, heads on, body shelled & deveined
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, smashed
4 large, very ripe tomatoes, passed through a box grater
(skins discarded)
1 heaping Tbsp. of tomato paste
1 shot of Ouzo
1 tsp. of Boukovo (chili flakes)
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste

1. Place a large of water on the stove top to bowl. Add a good amount of salt and cook your pasta as per instructions.
2. Season your shrimp with some salt & pepper and place a skillet on the stovetop over medium-high heat. Add your olive oil and quickly saute your shrimp. As soon as they turn pink, remove them with a slotted spoon and reserve.
3. In the same skillet, lower the heat to medium and add the onions and garlic and then reduce to medium-low and saute for about 10 minutes to soften and become translucent. Now add the tomato paste and grated tomatoes and bring to a boil. Simmer until the most of the water from the tomatoes has cooked off and you're left with a flavourful, thick sauce.
4. Add the Ouzo, stir in and turn off the heat and keep warm until your pasta has been cooked.
5. When the pasta is cooked, strain and add to the sauce along with the Boukovo (chili flakes) and your shrimp. Toss to coat the pasta and to allow the shrimp to finish cooking through (about 5 minutes).
6. Add some chopped fresh parsley and plate hot along with lots of napkins and bowls for the discarded heads and shells.
   

Spetsofai (σπετζοφάϊ)

Spetsofai is a Greek dish made of sausages and peppers. Think of it as a Greek stir-fry, a one pan dish.

The first time I tried Spetsofai was in the city of Volos. It's a dish that's native to the province of Thessaly, which lies between Macedonia and Attiki.

Traditionally, this sausage stew is spicy but I've accommodated for those who might like the heat toned down in their dishes.

I used Macedonian sausages which are spicy to begin with and I've topped the stew with one long, hot pepper for anyone wanting a little heat for their Spetsofai.

Obviously this is a cold weather dish that's served as a meze or appetizer with wine or ouzo. I chosen to use different colours of peppers for presentation and to balance the spicyness of the dish with some natural sweetness.

This dish comes together in no time, the plate will be soon emptied and and you'll to make a second order as you get up to refill the drinks.

Turn up the Greek music, pour the ouzo and let's talk about life, thank God for good health and the good fortune of being Greek!

Spetsofai (σπετζοφάϊ)

3 Macedonian sausages
1 Tbsp. sunflower oil
1/3 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp. sweet paprika
1/2 red pepper, sliced
1/2 green pepper, sliced
1/2 yellow pepper, sliced
1 hot pepper
1 medium tomato, concasse & diced
1 medium onion, sliced
1/2 Japanese eggplant, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, sliced
salt & pepper to taste
1 tsp. dry oregano

1. Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and add your sunflower oil. When it's about to smoke, add the hot pepper and fry until lightly brown on all sides then reserve. Now brown your sausages in the same skillet and also reserve.
   
2. In the same skillet, add your olive oil and the onions, peppers, garlic, eggplant, tomato and paprika and some salt and saute over medium-high heat for a few minutes. Reduce to medium and simmer while stirring constantly for a couple more minutes.
3. Cut your sausages into bite-sized pieces and add them to the skillet and stir often to cook through and blend with the other ingredients. Simmer for another 5-7 minutes.
   
4. Check for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper.
5. Serve on a platter and drizzle some extra-virgin olive oil, sprinkle some dry oregano and top with your fried hot pepper. Serve with bread, feta, a salad and some wine or ouzo.
   

Strapatsatha (Στραπατσάδα)

In 1492, any Jews who did not convert to Christianity were obliged to leave Spain, their homes and belongings behind.

Exiled Jews were accepted in different parts of the Ottoman Empire and many Jews settled in Thessaloniki, Greece's 2nd largest city, in northern Greece.

What little the Jews could bring with them was their faith, sense of survival and culture. A big part of anyone's culture is their food.

Up until the beginning of WWII, Thessaloniki had a thriving Jewish population of over 50,000.

As long as I can remember, my family and relatives have enjoyed Strapatsatha as a brunch as Greece, a late night supper. A 6Pm dinner in Greece is unheard of!

Strapatsatha was a dish brought to Greece by the Sephardic Jews from Spain. It's a loose omelet of tomatoes and feta and there are many variations of ingredients in between.

What you have here is my family's interpretation and you may certainly take the basic premise of the dish and run with it. I like adding thin slices of fried spicy sausage. Try some Chorizo, Kielbasa or even Pepperoni...all fantastic!

The key to this dish is having very ripe, tasty tomatoes otherwise, don't bother! This dish is also similar to the Greek omelet called Kagiana. Strapatsatha is a loose omelet and perfect for mopping up with some good, rustic bread.

Strapatsatha (Στραπατσάδα)
(for 1)

2 Tbsp. olive oil
Slices of Chorizo sausage
1 ripe tomato
1/4 cup diced sweet banana pepper
3 scallions, diced
handful of crumbled feta
2 eggs

1. Pour your olive oil into your skillet and heat up on medium-high heat. Add your sausage and and saute for a couple of minutes to brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and reserve. Wait 5 minutes for your oil to cool in your skillet
   
2. Using a box grater, grate your tomato into the skillet and reduce to medium to simmer for a couple of minutes or until most of the water is gone. Now add the scallions and saute for a minute or two.
3. Add your crumbled feta and let it heat through for a minute. Now add your eggs and sausage and stir the eggs to scramble them until you have cooked your eggs to a loose mixture of an omelet. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
   
4. Plate your omelet, drizzle some extra-virgin olive oil and serve with crusty bread.
   

A Soup With Soul

This soup has come a long way since I was inspired years ago by a delicious spiced cabbage soup I enjoyed at a soup and sandwich stand.

I've been tinkering with ingredients, amounts and I'm finally content with the flavour, aroma and colour of this soup. I was never satisfied with the outcome of this soup until this past weekend.

This cabbage soup can certainly be made into a vegetarian one but I doubt one will achieve the same great flavour as this version.

The deal-breaker for this soup, the star, the highlight...Chorizo sausage. All it took was one Chorizo to turn this soup from ho-hum to yum-yum!

I used a mild Chorizo but I did make this spicy with the use of just 1 teeny red chili. Cabbage is the main vegetable here and much like a Minestrone, you can use what other vegetables you have at hand.

However, I would recommend this combo...it works real well and you'll have to take my word for it.

Another aspect of this soup I'd like to underline is the use of V8 vegetable cocktail. This veggie juice is a great way to pack flavour into a soup and it's also a time saver. This soup was ready in 45 minutes.

If you take a look at the progression of photos...I went back into the pot for a generous refill!

Spiced Cabbage Soup

1/3 cup olive oil
1 Chorizo sausage, casing removed and diced
2 medium onions, diced
1 large carrot, halved lengthwise then sliced
1 large stalk of celery, diced
1 potato, peeled and diced
2 cups of shredded cabbage
3 cloves of garlic, minced
3 bay leaves
1 tsp. fresh thyme
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced
1 Tbsp. smoked paprika
2 tsp. cracked black pepper
1 whole red chili
1 cup fresh or frozen green beans (cut into 1/2 inch pieces)
1 1/2 cups of V8 vegetable cocktail
7 cups of chicken/vegetable stock
2 zucchinis, halved lengthwise then sliced

1. In a large pot, add your olive oil over medium-high heat. Add your onions, carrots, celery, bay leaves and Chorizo and saute for 7-10 minutes to soften.
2. Add your smoked paprika, cabbage, thyme, garlic, black pepper, red peppers and potatoes and stir to coat all the ingredients with the paprika for a couple of minutes.
3. Add your V8 cocktail, stock, chili and bring to a boil. Cover ajar and reduce to a simmer on medium heat for 30-40 minutes.
4. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Add your green beans and zucchini and simmer for 5 minutes to cook. Serve hot.
   

Macedonian Sausages

My family comes from Greece's northernmost province, Macedonia. It's capital city is Thessaloniki.

Like much of Greece, Macedonia has mountains, flat lands and sea. Macedonia also has lots of pig.

One of my favourite things to eat is sausage and I mean quality sausage. It could be Italian, Polish, Bratwurst or even Chinese!

My favourite has to be our very own Macedonian Sausage. I'm not expecting everyone of you to go out and make your own sausages but if you enjoy them as much as I do and you want to know what's in them...making them yourself is the only sure way isn't it?

If you live in a city with a sizeable Greek community, ask for Macedonian sausage from your butcher.

I've seen Macedonian sausages at St. Lawrence Market, on the Danforth, Kostas Meat Market and at Highland Farms.

I like sausages on the grill, I like them fried up, I like them baked or...I like them done over the fireplace!

If any of you have made sausages before, you know there's some work involved and at the very least, an assistant is needed (one to plunge the sausage mix into the machine, the other to guide the sausage into the casings, twist the links and replenish casings as they run out).

Macedonian Sausages

20 lbs. medium ground pork
(from pork shoulder)
1/2 case of leeks, cleaned and chopped
1/2 cup black pepper
1/2 cup Boukovo (red chilli)
250 gr. Vegeta seasoning
1 Tbsp. ground cumin
1/8 cup dried oregano
1/4 cup garlic powder
1/4 cup sweet paprika
2 little tubs of hog casings

1. Soak the hog casings in cold water for 30 minutes and then rinse. Replenish the cold water and leave them in a bowl of water.
2. Mix all the above ingredients in a large Rubbermaid container and mix well with your hands.
3. Take a handful and fry it off on your stove to taste test. Adjust seasoning.
4. Take a hog casing and place it on the bottom nozzle where your sausage mix will come out.
5. Place the sausage mix on the top entry point of the sausage maker and start pumping out sausages (I have an electric sausage maker).
6. Twist the sausages into links of your desired size.
7. Replenish hog casings to the nozzle of the sausage maker as they run out. Repeat until all of your sausage mix has been made into links.
8. Hang your sausages for a week in a cool, dry place like a cellar or if you have a spare fridge.
9. Freeze the sausages in zip lock bags. They are good for one year (beyond that you're tempting freezer burn).

Baked Rigatoni With Eggplant and Sausage

It looks like my hopes for a little bit more of Indian Summer are fading. Global warming has abated and the usual, seasonal, cold Canadian weather is here. We're expecting our first major snowfall here in the Toronto area. This means I won't be posting any dishes made on my grill anytime soon!

However, I do have a He-Man, stick to your ribs, macho Italian, satisfy the man's hunger kinda' dish. Before I proceed, I've gotta tell you that this is not a dish that's ready by the time your pasta is cooked. It's not a difficult dish but it does take a little more time but it's worth the trouble.

Baked rigatoni would be a good offering for a pot luck or if you want to bring something to a family gathering. It's big, hearty and you'll surely go back home with an empty tray and none of the lame excuses one gets trying to get their cookware back!

This recipe comes from Tyler Florence as part of his Ultimate series. You can view Tyler's approach here or view it below.

Baked Rigatoni With Eggplant and Sausage

Sea Salt
olive oil
6 links Italian sausage (about 3/4 pound)
1 large eggplant (about 1 1/2 pounds), cut into 1-inch pieces (or small ones are fine)
1 large onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 large can (28 ounces) peeled whole tomatoes
Leaves from 1 small bunch basil
1 pound rigatoni
1 pound fresh mozzarella
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat for the pasta. Get yourself a 9 by 13-inch glass or ceramic baking dish.

1. Heat a 2 count of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausages and toss in the hot oil for 3 to 4 minutes, you want them nicely browned on the outside but still rare on the inside. Put the sausages in the baking dish.

2. Turn the heat down to medium. Add a generous 1/3 cup of oil to the skillet and get it hot. Add as many eggplant pieces as you can comfortably fit in a single layer and sprinkle well with salt. Cook, turning, for 7 to 8 minutes, until the eggplant is nice and browned, crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. Use a spatula to put the eggplant into the baking dish with the sausage. Cook the rest of the eggplant pieces, adding more oil to the pan, as needed, and putting the finished eggplant into the baking dish.

3. Add another 2 count of oil to the skillet, then your onion and garlic, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until translucent. Dump the whole can of tomatoes and their juices into a bowl and crush the tomatoes with your hands to break them up; add that to the pan with the basil and cook it down until pulpy and relatively thick. This will take about 15 minutes.

4. By this time your pasta water will be boiling. Add the rigatoni, give it a stir, and cook for 6 to 7 minutes, it should be slightly firm as it will cook further in the oven. Ladle out 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water and reserve; the drain the rigatoni.
5. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Chop the sausages into nice big, bite-size chunky pieces and return the pieces to the baking dish. Add the tomato sauce, rigatoni, and the reserved pasta water. Break up half the mozzarella over the mixture, season with salt and pepper, and gently mix with your hands or a spatula. Dust with the Parmigiano and drizzle with more olive oil. Bake for 15 minutes. Spread the remaining mozzarella in an even layer over the top and continue to bake for another 10 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.