Old Fashioned Footlong Hotdogs

When Eagles Nest opened and I wanted to put footlong hotdogs in the halfway house everybody thought I was crazy, until we sold about 5000 that year. Since I left Eagles Nest I have continued with the dogs on my own and last year went through about 3000 of them. This year at the Jammer I am guessing about 1500 of these classic dogs will go, maybe more.

What makes my dogs special is that the recipe calls for no fillers, additives, preservatives, MSG, sugars, syrups or colouring. What the dogs are made of - 100% beef, spices and salt(not to much).

How do you get your own dogs, you email me at goodeats2go@rogers.com and place an order for them. When I have accrued enough orders I have a batch of dogs made (usually a minimum of 100lb.) that usually takes a week or so for the order to be processed and then deliver is arranged.

Why buy your dogs from me? One reason they are the best hot dogs you will ever eat. When can you get dogs from me, I will be filling my first order the week after April 11th. There is a minimum order of 1 package(12 hot dogs) @ $23.00, but Good Eats has a minimum order of $50.00 so you can make up the order with either prepared foods or more dogs.

Jammer Field Lacrosse Tournament & BBQ

I will be placing an order for my dogs towards the end of March as I prepare for the 2nd annual 'Jammer' Field Lacrosse Tournament April 9 - 11. This year the tourney has grown to just shy of 1000 participants. It will be an excellent weekend down at Portland fields as the boys compete for Lacrosse supremacy.

Of course I will be there with my old fashioned hotdogs, homemade hamburgers, back bacon on a bun starting the Q early in the morning. I will also have my cookies there, chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, double chocolate chunk and drinks as well. The difference between my dogs and others, no preservatives, msg, additives, colouring, syrup or fillers. Just 100% beef that when cooked the first time is baked not boiled in some huge vat. My burgers are ground chuck and sirloin, bound with farm fresh eggs from a friends hen house, simply seasoned and 6oz. each. MY peameal bacon is made for me by the same guy who makes my hotdogs and is brined the old fashioned way. To go along with all the meat will be fresh Padas buns(Portugese sourdough) and traditional fixin's.

So the menu for the Jammer will be as follows

Back Bacon on a Bun
Old Fashioned Footlong Hotdogs
Homemade Hamburgers
Homemade Italian Sausages(if I have time to make them)
Homemade Cookies(assorted flavours)
Beverages


If you would like to piggy back on my order of dogs, burgers, sausages or peameal let me know and I will add you to the order.

I hope to see you there, a good time will be had by all who drop by to watch a great game and eat some great food.

This weeks menu February 15, 2010

Good Eats 2GO Menu




Soups & Sauces

Old fashioned Chicken Noodle Soup 10
Double chicken stock, chicken, vegetables, noodles, herbs & sea salt. This hearty
Soup makes the perfect lunchtime meal with some good crusty bread.

Cauliflower Soup 10
A simple, elegant soup with a delicate, singular flavour.

Mushroom Soup 10
Slow cooked field mushrooms with torpedo onion, garlic
thyme & a rich vegetable stock. Seasoned with sea salt, no butter, no cream.

Lunch

Burritos (packages of 5) 30
Homemade burritos filled with braised Breton pork, white bean puree, rice
chipotle aioli, guacamole & cilantro. Will freeze for 6 weeks

Quesadillas (packages of 5) 30
Roasted flank steak, black bean salsa, sharp cheddar, jalapeno peppers

Enchiladas with blistered tomatoes & braised chicken 24
Corn Tortillas filled with braised chicken. Ready to bake with a
green chile tomato sauce, sweet onion & sharp cheddar

Pasta

Traditional Lasagna 13/26
Layers of hand-made fresh pasta, Bolognese, 3 cheeses & béchamel

Fussili 14/24
Prima Vera with roasted peppers, cremini mushroom, grilled red onion
Slivered garlic and tossed in a basil cream

Penne Rigate 15/26
Pasta quills tossed with meatballs slowly cooked in a tomato ragu and topped with
Ricotta and parmesan cheese



Mains

Chicken Broccoli Cheddar Casserole 16/29
Pan roasted chicken breast, steamed broccoli, chicken velouté & lemony mayo
A touch of madras curry powder & cheddar cheese

Chicken Pot Pie 15/25
A traditional potpie with braised chicken & vegetables in a creamy chicken veloutè
My own butter short crust to top it off

Coq au Vin 32
Whole Chicken cut in 8, braised in wine and a rich chicken stock with fresh thyme
garlic, carrots, bulb onion, mushrooms, sea salt & pepper.

Du Breton Pork Loin Braised with Apples & Bacon 15/27
Loin of Du Breton Pork roasted and braised with local apples
sweet onion, bacon & cider.

Beef Bourgignon 17/29
Beef braised in red wine and natural jus with mushrooms, onion,
winter roots & herbs

Meatloaf 14/22
Lean meatloaf made with ground sirloin and smothered in mushroom gravy.

Braised Lamb Shank 26
Canadian lamb Shanks braised with cannellini beans and winter vegetables
in a natural jus (serves 2)

Southwest Spicy Chili (1lt tub) 15
Slow cooked ground beef, tomato & shell beans highly seasoned
with my own chili powder.

Sides

Yukon mash 10
Hand whipped Yukon potato with Stirling creamery butter, Hewitt’s cream & sea salt

Yukon Potato Gratin 10
Layers of Yukon potato with red onion, thyme and cream

Sweet Potato Puree 10
Hand mashed sweet potato whipped with maple syrup & vanilla

Steamed Jasmine Rice 5



Kids Menu

Mac ‘n Cheese 13
Rustic maccheroni tossed in a 3 cheese sauce & topped with parmigiano crust

This weeks menu, February 8, 2010

Good Eats 2GO Menu




Soups & Sauces

Old fashioned Chicken Noodle Soup 10
Double chicken stock, chicken, vegetables, noodles, herbs & sea salt. This hearty
Soup makes the perfect lunchtime meal with some good crusty bread.

Cauliflower Soup 10
A simple, elegant soup with a delicate, singular flavour.

Mushroom Soup 10
Slow cooked field mushrooms with torpedo onion, garlic
thyme & a rich vegetable stock. Seasoned with sea salt, no butter, no cream.


Lunch

New! Burritos (packages of 5) 30
Homemade burritos filled with braised short rib, Yukon potato, garlic spinach
Salsa verde in a flour tortillas. Will freeze for 6 weeks

Quesadillas (packages of 6) 30
Pulled pork, black beans, green onion, jalapeno, salsa & Monterey jack cheese.
Will freeze for 6 weeks

New! Enchiladas with blistered tomatoes & braised beef (package of 8) 24
Corn Tortillas filled with braised beef. Ready to bake with a
green chile tomato sauce, sweet onion & sharp cheddar

Soups (500ml tub) 6
Choose from a selection of this week’s soups (3 tub minimum)


Pasta

Traditional Lasagna 13/26
Layers of hand-made fresh pasta, Bolognese, 3 cheeses & béchamel

New! Fussili 14/24
Prima Vera with roasted peppers, cremini mushroom, grilled red onion
Slivered garlic and tossed in a basil cream

Penne Rigate 15/26
Pasta quills tossed with meatballs slowly cooked in a tomato ragu and topped with
Ricotta and parmesan cheese


Mains

Chicken Broccoli Cheddar Casserole 16/29
Pan roasted chicken breast, steamed broccoli, chicken velouté & lemony mayo
A touch of madras curry powder & cheddar cheese

Chicken Pot Pie 15/25
A traditional potpie with braised chicken & vegetables in a creamy chicken veloutè
My own butter short crust to top it off

Coq au Vin 32
Whole Chicken cut in 8, braised in wine and a rich chicken stock with fresh thyme
garlic, carrots, bulb onion, mushrooms, sea salt & pepper.

Du Breton Pork Loin Braised with Apples & Bacon 15/27
Loin of Du Breton Pork roasted and braised with local apples
sweet onion, bacon & cider.

Beef Bourgignon 17/29
Beef braised in red wine and natural jus with mushrooms, onion,
winter roots & herbs

Meatloaf 14/22
Lean meatloaf made with ground sirloin and smothered in mushroom gravy.

Braised Lamb Shank 26
Canadian lamb Shanks braised with cannellini beans and winter vegetables
in a natural jus (serves 2)

Southwest Spicy Chili (1lt tub) 15
Slow cooked ground beef, tomato & shell beans highly seasoned
with my own chili powder.

Sides

Yukon mash 10
Hand whipped Yukon potato with Stirling creamery butter, Hewitt’s cream & sea salt

Yukon Potato Gratin 10
Layers of Yukon potato with red onion, thyme and cream

Sweet Potato Puree 10
Hand mashed sweet potato whipped with maple syrup & vanilla

Brown Jasmine Rice 10
Steamed and then fried with vegetables, egg and scallion.
Lightly scented with yamaso soy & mirin

Steamed Jasmine Rice 5

Kids Menu

Mac ‘n Cheese 13
Rustic maccheroni tossed in a 3 cheese sauce & topped with parmigiano crust

This weeks menu - February 01, 2010

Good Eats 2GO Menu





Soups & Sauces

Old fashioned Chicken Noodle Soup 10
Double chicken stock, chicken, vegetables, noodles, herbs & sea salt. This hearty
Soup makes the perfect lunchtime meal with some good crusty bread.

Cauliflower Soup 10
A simple, elegant soup with a delicate, singular flavour.

Mushroom Soup 10
Slow cooked field mushrooms with torpedo onion, garlic
thyme & a rich vegetable stock. Seasoned with sea salt, no butter, no cream.


Lunch

New! Burritos (packages of 5) 30
Homemade burritos filled with braised short rib, Yukon potato, garlic spinach
Salsa verde in a flour tortillas. Will freeze for 6 weeks

Quesadillas (packages of 6) 30
Pulled pork, black beans, green onion, jalapeno, salsa & Monterey jack cheese.
Will freeze for 6 weeks



New! Enchiladas with blistered tomatoes & braised beef (package of 8) 24
Corn Tortillas filled with braised beef. Ready to bake with a
green chile tomato sauce, sweet onion & sharp cheddar

Soups (500ml tub) 6
Choose from a selection of this week’s soups (3 tub minimum)

Vegetarian Chili (500ml tub) 8
A medley of seasonal local vegetables and shell beans slowly cooked with tomatoes
and my own chili powder (2 tub minimum)

Southwest Spicy Chili (500ml tub) 8
Slow cooked ground beef, tomato & white kidney beans highly seasoned
with my own chili powder. (2 tub minimum)


Pasta

Traditional Lasagna 13/26
Layers of hand-made fresh pasta, Bolognese, 3 cheeses & béchamel

New! Fussili 14/24
Prima Vera with roasted peppers, cremini mushroom, grilled red onion
Slivered garlic and tossed in a basil cream

Penne Rigate 15/26
Pasta quills tossed with meatballs slowly cooked in a tomato ragu and topped with
Ricotta and parmesan cheese


Mains

Chicken Tetrazzini 16/29
Poached Chicken tossed with shallots, mushroom & peas in a light parmesan cream.
Served over penne rigate

Chicken Pot Pie 15/25
A traditional potpie with braised chicken & vegetables in a creamy chicken veloutè
My own butter short crust to top it off

Coq au Vin 32
Whole Chicken cut in 8, braised in wine and a rich chicken stock with fresh thyme
garlic, carrots, bulb onion, mushrooms, sea salt & pepper.

New! Stuffed Chicken Breast (package of 4) 29
Mushroom, goats cheese and herb stuffed breast of chicken
wrapped with bacon and slow roasted. Reheat for 15 minutes @ 350 degrees

Du Breton Pork Loin 17/29
Loin of Du Breton Pork stuffed with sausage roasted and sauced with
sweet onion, black pepper & jona gold apples.

New!Beef Bourgignon 17/29
Beef braised in red wine and natural jus with mushrooms, onion,
winter roots & herbs

Meatloaf 14/22
Lean meatloaf made with ground sirloin and smothered in mushroom gravy.

New! Braised Lamb Shank 26
Canadian lamb Shanks braised with cannellini beans and winter vegetables
in a natural jus (serves 2)

Southwest Spicy Chili (1lt tub) 15
Slow cooked ground beef, tomato & shell beans highly seasoned
with my own chili powder.





Sides

Yukon mash 10
Hand whipped Yukon potato with Stirling creamery butter, Hewitt’s cream & sea salt

Yukon Potato Gratin 10
Layers of Yukon potato with red onion, thyme and cream

Sweet Potato Puree 10
Hand mashed sweet potato whipped with maple syrup & vanilla

Brown Jasmine Rice 10
Steamed and then fried with vegetables, egg and scallion.
Lightly scented with yamaso soy & mirin

Steamed Jasmine Rice 5

Kids Menu

Mac ‘n Cheese 13
Rustic maccheroni tossed in a 3 cheese sauce & topped with parmigiano crust

What's old is new again - Coq au Vin

Lately I have been thinking quite a lot about the food we did when I was the chef at Rosewater for three years. A few days ago I had quite a lengthy conversation with a colleague about going back towards that type of cooking and how I used to approach the menus and individual dishes. One dish that seemed to have a recurring spot on the menu when the weather turned cold was Coq au Vin. Each time the dish appeared there would be a change to it somehow, someway. Maybe it would be the garnish, the cooking method, accompaniments, something.

To understand the process you first must understand the classic dish on itself. Coq au Vin is a braise of chicken that has been marinated in redwine and cooked with lardons(salt pork - cut crossway in strips), mushrooms, garlic. The bird is browned in its own fat, braised until tender and then thickened either with a roux or with blood.

Very much a farmhouse dish to bring it to a fine dining standard, one of the necessary elements is already there, flavour. The next step is to take some creative license to take what is old and make it new again. All the original elements of the dish would be kept with new twists added. The breast would be kept separate from the thigh and drumstick which would be marinated. We might use cornish hen instead of chicken or capon. The mushrooms, garlic and lardons would remain garnish for the finished sauce, sometimes we would add pearl or my preference cippollini onions.

So lets recap our ingredients;

Cornish Hen - broken down into, breast thigh, drumstick. Use the back and wings to make a stock for your sauce.

Sauce - red wine, stock from back and wings of the hen, mire poix, thyme sprigs, sweet butter

Garnish - bacon lardons(thick sliced bacon slice crosswise into matchsticks), mushrooms, cippollini onions, picked thyme

Accompaniments - Yukon potato, butternut squash. At Rosewater we would cut the potato into a cylinder and prepared as a fondant potato. The squash would be slowly cooked in butter to a silky smooth puree and reserved to make a quenelle.

Cooking methods

Breast - roasted and finished in the sauce
Thigh - confit(rendered chicken fat is your best option, but you can use duck fat or even a vegetable oil) and then crisped up on final preparation
Drumstick - braised and reheated in braising jus that is also used as the base for the finished sauce.
Potato - fondant. To make the fondant potatoes at Rosewater the entre metier would first braise the potatoes in stock with onion, leek, celery, carrot, stock and sea salt, black peppercorns, thyme. In a s/s hotel pan the potato would be covered in foil, brought to a boil on top of the stove and then finished in the oven until just becoming tender. The potatoes would then be allowed to cool and rest in the braise for one day. The next day they would be lightly deepfried just to form a skin. Final preparation they would be cooked on the stove in a good amount of butter with a thyme sprig until they had a golden crust with a soft buttery texture inside.
Butternut squash - peeled, seeded, cubed and place in a sauce pan with a good amount of sweet butter and place on a low flame, cover, season with sea salt and allow to slowly cook stirring regularly.

this taking longer than I thought so I am going to finsh on my next post

Salami, Capicolla, Sausages (Italian Sausage & Sopressata recipe)

This past year I had the opportunity to make my own salumi, capicolla, pancetta, tessa and sausage. I made soppresata, tuscan, genoa, hunters loop, and cacciatore salamis. These were made without the use of nitrates for the most part and the recipes I came up with are actually quite simple. You just need time, patience quality ingredients and a place with a constant temperature and humidity to age your meats. Lucky for me I had the use of a full butcher shop, state of the art aging coolers, but all this isn't necessary. I have many friends who around this time every year put up there own charcuterie.

One of these friends is still extremely old school. His father who is about 75 still picks up 2 pigs every January brings them home in through the trap door in the garage floor to the cantina in the basement where he butchers the hogs and breaks them down. The hind legs for prosciutto, belly for pancetta, loins for lonza, cheeks for guanciale, the head for testa, etc, etc. Oh, did I forget to mention, he brings the pigs home live. It is something his father and the men in his family have done for generations.

Now for some recipes. These are a combination of learning from others, reading and practice.

Italian Sausage

Large hog casings, well rinsed
Ground Pork Shoulder 10lb.

Spice mixture
Sea salt - 80 grams
Butcher grind black pepper - 15 grams
Rubbed Sage - 4 grams
Cayenne - 1 gram
Crushed Chiles - 5 grams
Fresh Garlic - 15 grams (finely chopped)
Wild Fennel Seed - 10 grams
Dextrose - 15 grams
Ice Water - 140 grams

Combine all the salt and spices into one mixture. Add all the ingredients together and mix well. Make a test with a couple of ounces of sausage mixture by cooking a small patty to check the seasoning and adjust to your preference. Let the sausage mix
rest for a couple of hours so the flavours can develop.

You are now ready to stuff your sausages. If you are lucky enough to have an attachment for a kitchen aid use that. If you are not so lucky and do not have any type of sausage stuffer you can use a piping bag with a large tip. Stuff the casings until firm, but not over stuffed. Once you have stuffed the sausages let them hang for 12 to 24 hours before you cook them to; 1 let the flavours fully develop and 2 to let the casings set up.
Notes
-When I prepare my meat I separate all the lean meat and fat to insure the proper ratio of fat. A sausage that is to lean will be dry and so I recommend 20% fat by weight. It is also very important to keep the meat very cold at all times. A good butcher will make sure you get the right ratio of lean to fat and that proper grind.
-I prefer to use Atlantide from Portugal, but any quality sea salt will do. If sea salt is not available to you, Diamond Kosher salt is a reasonable substitute - you may need a little extra in this case.
-Substitute anise seed or regular fennel seed if wild fennel is not available). I also lightly toast my fennel and then grind it slightly in a coffee grinder.
-Dextrose is a simple sugar that is available in health food stores, wine making shops and some bulk stores. Dextrose is not nearly as sweet as regular sugar, so if you are going to substitute regular sugar, use organic cane sugar at about 5-6 grams.

Sopressata

10 lb. ground pork (25% fat by weight)

Spice mixture
sea salt 125 grams
dextrose 45 grams
crushed chiles 20 grams
butcher black pepper 30 grams
2 grams thyme
35 grams fresh garlic, finely chopped
2 grams nutmeg, grated from whole
125 grams spring water