Real North Carolina Q
Stopping for lunch in NC for the real thing. I wanted eastern NC Q (characterized by a vinegar based sauce with peppers) as opposed to western NC Q (characterized by a sweeter more tomato based sauce).
Purely by serendipity, we encountered Bubba’s. Ordered the platter, with beans, mustard based cole slaw, and the hush puppies that keep coming until you say stop.
Bubba’s had both kinds of sauce. The sweeter sauce was labelled for chicken (fried).
Needless to say, it was delightful.
On the way out, Maryann asked a guy who seemed to be in charge if he was Bubba. He admitted he was, and we spent 30 minutes talking with him in the parking lot. What does he do? “I cut up pigs for a living”. Awesome. In a bizarre twist, he admitted that his wife worked for Bank of America in Compliance.
A Small Theophany
Coincidence that this picture:
Was taken on the day of this entry:
And another example:
Berghoff Take Out
Still available at the stand up bar at The Berghoff
Hand carved corned beef on Berghoff rye:
Breaded cod with a side of creamed spinach:
Huevos con Chorizo
I decided to give Huevos con Chorizo a try.
Made this salsa with corn, black beans and cilantro added to TJ salsa.
Mmmmm, chorizo.
Cheated and used canned, diced potatoes.
Eggs and potatoes combined. If I had omitted the chorizo portion of the program, it would have been a Tortilla Espanola (i.e., Spanish Tortilla).
Final combination and plating.
The best pizza in Chicago?
Just kidding. That question is way too controversial to answer definitively, but Pequod’s definitely is one of the best. This particular pan-style pizza is known for its caramelized cheese crust (they actually add cheese to the outside of the crust!), baked in often used, well seasoned pans. A secret in Chicago is to ask for your pizza “well done.” It makes it extra crispy and brown and delicious. Our pie has roasted garlic and spinach.
Lokal Burger in Miami
While visiting my friend Sam in Miami, we ate many good things. One of my favorites was from Lokal Burger. Appropriately called “My Childhood Dream,” this burger uses a glazed donut as the bun. It is loaded with a fried egg, candied bacon, and American cheese. And then I spent the next week flushing out my arteries.
Grilled Shrimp, pasta and vegetables
Karen recommended the Argentinian Red Shrimp. I thought they would pair well with pasta and some vegetables. For the base pasta, I used TJ Garlic and Basil Linguine, along with some ever-popular chicken broth. For the vegetable component, I used some “broccoli slaw” mix.
I cooked the pastam and tossed it with some broth and olive oil. Then, I sauteed the brocolli in some oil with garlic and some white wine, adding some fresh herbs from the garden. Finally, I grilled the shrimp with some simple seasoning:
Grilled shrimp:
The final dish:
All performed under the most excellent influence of Bowie ’72 Santa Monica. Hear it all here. Ziggy and The Spiders From Mars live on in glory, and not just in the Venture Brothers.
Italian Sausage and Orichette
So, inspired by a Mario Batali tweet, I decided to put together a version of Orichette and broccoli di rabe.
I used TJ baby broccoli, which is pretty close. White wine and chicken broth sauce with Italian seasonings along with some garlic. I also decided to add ceci and cannellini beans.
Leftover corn tortillas. What to do?
So, I bought this Rick Bayless chicken with salsa verde kit from Costco. I mean, it’s from Frontera, right? We had leftover corn tortillas. I’ve always wanted to try Migas, but it looked like too much work. So, I thought, Huevos Rancheros !
Here is what came out of it. I cooked the tortillas in some sunflower oil. And I used TJ fresh hot salsa.
I did Mom’s eggs sunny side up.
I did mine over hard.
Mom really liked it. Therefore, I declare success.