Category Archives: Cheese

“Whether the chicken crossed the road or the road crossed the chicken depends upon your frame of reference. “ Albert Einstein (probably not!)

Posted on by

Spatchcock?  Really?

Wikipedia defines spatchcock or “spattlecock” as, “poultry or game that has been prepared for roasting or grilling by removing the backbone, and sometimes the sternum of the bird and flattening it out before cooking.”  So now that you know, let’s just call it flattened or butterflied.  Do we have to give outlandish names to simple acts? Do I go for a meander? Do I quaff beverages? No I go for walks and I drink beer.  We like to attach big words to simple tasks. Confucius said, “Life is simple but we insist on making it complicated.”

So Butterflied Chicken! This method is wonderfully tasty and keeps the chicken moist with another dimension added.

After cutting out the backbone, flatten the chicken and pull, but don’t break, the skin from the flesh.  Mix together ricotta cheese with sage, basil, thyme, oregano, garlic, onion, and salt and pepper. You want enough ricotta to cover the chicken and enough herbs and garlic to satisfy your taste buds. Loosen up this mixture with a little olive oil and pack it under the skin of the chicken. Massage the whole bird with olive oil, garlic powder and salt and pepper.

Place the bird offset over your preferred outdoor appliance with a drip tray underneath (water filled), to catch the drippings. I used the #BGE with the extension grill and the water filled drip pan underneath.

The ricotta (#trestelle) kept the chicken moist and added a surprise under the skin that seasoned the chicken. The bird was served on Roasted Tomato Linguini. Tasty!

So as an effectual stratagem to develop an enticing aftermath, the spatchcock technique is a convention that I would advocate!

In other words, try it, it works! Isn’t that easier!

Be well and eat well.

Scott

Spatchcock chicken

When the spatch hits the fan

 

Ricotta stuffed Spatchcock Chicken on Roasted Tomato Linguini

Ricotta stuffed Spatchcock Chicken on Roasted Tomato Linguini

 

“Many’s the long night I’ve dreamed of cheese – toasted, mostly.” Robert Louis Stevenson

Posted on by

If I was told by a doctor that I could never have another piece of red meat it would hurt, but I could do it. If he told me that I could never have another glass of wine it would hurt, but I could live with it. If he said that I could never have another piece of #cheese, I would say, “How much time do I have left.”

Cheese is wonderful! Cheese is glorious! Cheese is my favourite food! Every kinds, every texture, the stinkier  the better!

Here is what I came up with last night, Roasted Squash rigatoni using #TreStelle mascarpone and Grana Padano with pancetta and kale.

The Butternut squash was roasted over coals with garlic and rubbed with olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper. The warm, soft squash was blended with the garlic, mascarpone, Grana Padano, and cream.

I wilted the kale by adding it to the freshly boiled pasta.

Once tossed with the rigatoni, the pan fried pancetta was mixed in with the luxurious sauce and baked for 20 minutes.

Did I say I love cheese! This mixture with the pasta is sweet, sticky, and so tasty that your kids won’t know they’re eating squash and kale.

Be well and eat well!

Scott

Cheese and squash! Happy, Happy, Happy!

Cheese and squash! Happy, Happy, Happy!

“Youth is like a long weekend on Friday night. Middle age is like a long weekend on Monday afternoon.” Richard Nelson Bolles

Posted on by
Alabama White BBQ Sauce heaven!

Alabama White BBQ Sauce heaven!

So this weekend ended with a bang. Not just the fireworks but the thunderstorm that came minutes after it. Watching all the soaked sightseers running up the street was like a scene from a disaster movie. There used to be a few signs down here that said “Welcome to the Beach. Get out of my parking spot!” I must admit that when I moved down here 20 years ago the crowds that would show up on long weekend were miniscule compared to the amounts that show up now a days.  Sometimes I feel like putting those signs back up or just hightailing it out of here. We have Victoria Day, Canada Day, Simcoe Day, Labour Day, and the Jazz Festival where 100,000 people show up to wander the street. It’s nice living here but when you can’t move your car for fear of losing your parking spot you start reevaluating.

So food, because that what this is all about was large, tasty, and fun.  Sunday we started with grilled Rib Steaks on the BGE, Grilled asparagus and a Caprese salad. First time we could eat outside this year. The surrounding trees are sharing their pollen and seeds all around and you need to dust the table once an hour, but being outside was nice and relaxing. Enough was left over for baguette sandwiches on Monday.

Victoria Day was orgasmic. I finally made Alabama White BBQ Sauce. Phenomenal on the hickory smoked, bacon wrapped drumsticks! Also embraced slow smoked ribs with sauce, roasted potato salad in a yogurt base, and field greens with strawberries red onion, and almonds courtesy of Vicky and her culinary skills. The appetizer was the trolls favourite, smoked brie.

I hope everybody enjoyed good food, good times and family and friends.

Have a great week and be well.

Scott

Best flavour!

The trolls favourite!

The trolls favourite!

Because you gotta graze sometime!

Because you gotta graze sometime!

Here piggy! Your so tasty!