Every once in a while, an inspirational idea comes along that both simple and ingenious. Thus was the case with Over the Top Smoked Chili, conceived by Dawn and Johnny Barnes back in 2016. Once tasted, you’ll probably never go back to normal chili again. We haven’t.
Find out how to make a truly game changing dish with this simple technique.
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Take one Sous Vide Supreme. Mix in a Big Green Egg. Sprinkle with other kitchen equipment. Combine with tender chicken breast, vine ripened tomatoes, crisp asparagus tips, fresh basil and papardelle pasta.
The result was a meal truly greater than the sum of its parts. And the ingredient that bought it all together? Pickled celeriac.
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I saw a recipe for Hoisin Sriracha Chicken and thought “this looks lovely, I’ll make it tonight”. Sadly we were out of Sriracha sauce but did have ancho chili paste. So I used that instead.
And thus Ancho Chili and Hoisin Chicken was born. The spicy and vibrant ancho chili paste paired perfectly with hoisin flavours. The dish was completed with a tasty side of peppers stir fried in toasted sesame oil with a little pineapple juice.
I confess, there are a few steak posts in this blog … but heck, my wife and I enjoy a good rib-eye, it’s one of our favourite meals. How to improve on it, though? We recently found a way to enhance the flavour by several notches … twice searing with a bone marrow glaze.
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I made the classic dish of Vietnamese braised duck and pineapple a while ago. It was good, however my wife suggested roasting the duck to bring out more flavour. I agreed.
Discussions with a friend in Saigon revealed that Vietnamese roast duck and pineapple isn’t a traditional meal in his country. He also liked the roasting idea. So I created a recipe and named the dish Vịt Nướng Thơm (a literal translation). My wife approved.
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Burgers cooking on the BBQ are ubiquitous with warm, sunny summer days. Yet they can quickly become repetitive and ordinary. How to make them … well, less ordinary?
Through chance experiment we discovered that chestnut mushrooms, Dizzy Pig Red Eye Express rub and a little butter combine to exhibit an umami-like taste. Very left field and unexpected. So we used those ingredients in crafting some truly outstanding smash burgers.
We recently cooked some Vietnamese roast duck and pineapple for dinner. The baked pineapple rings were a harmonious blend of spice and sweet, and held its own in terms of texture and flavour.
My wife thought the pineapple (suitably paired with vanilla ice cream) would be a great dessert. She was right … as usual. And thus sweet ‘n’ spicy baked pineapple came to be.
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Wild garlic is in season at the moment, and I’m fortunate enough to have parents-in-law with this wonderful herb growing in their back garden. My wife picked some and used it to make a tasty, fresh wild garlic leaf pesto sauce.
We had this with some pappardelle pasta, which was served with smoked chicken and asparagus. Utterly delicious. It can also be used for vegetables, or as a dip.
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What do I enjoy most about cooking? Bread, Vietnamese food, fresh flavours and cooking gadgets … mostly the Big Green Egg. So how could I bring all of those elements together into a single meal, throwing in a good dose of tasty flavour enhancing rub?
Step forward the Simply Zensational Banh Mi roll.
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Steak is a popular starting point for sous vide cooking. It showcases how easy it is to achieve an even level of done whilst retaining both moisture and flavour. Our sous vide rib-eye steaks have been consistently delicious.
At a recent dinner party, we were served Beef Tagliata. An Italian dish of slices of rare steak with shaved Parmesan cheese and rocket salad, it is accompanied by a dressing with rosemary, garlic and lemon. And it was wonderful.
I was so impressed that I had to try making it at home. Served with a bottle of Fitou, this was (and still is) a meal to remember.
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My mother visited us, announcing she was on a vegetarian diet. She also wanted to see our Big Green Eggs that she’d heard so much about. So we made a delicious vegetarian pizza topped with her favourite herbaceous plants … smoked tomato, aubergine and mushrooms.
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