Chef J. Looney

Invented in 1930 by Pat Olivieri in South Philadelphia, the Philly Cheesesteak has become a culinary icon, and a rather delicious one at that. There are just about as many variations on a philly cheesesteak as there are different kinds of pizza, and none of them are “wrong”. Some people like them with mushrooms and onions, come like them with provolone cheese, some (like Moochie’s) even smother them in marinara. Again, while none of these variations is wrong (and they’re all tasty, for sure), they’re also not the real deal. A true Philly Cheesesteak is pretty simple, and here’s how it’s done:

Ingredients
1 lb Sirloin, sliced paper thin
1/2 yellow onion, julienned
8 slices American cheese
4 hoagie rolls
seasoned salt

First, slice the sirloin. The easiest way I know how to do this is to put it in the freezer for about an hour. When you pull it out, it’ll be firm but not rock-hard. Use a very sharp knife and you should be able to get some pretty thing cuts without too much effort. Now, heat a large skillet or flat griddle over medium-high heat. Drizzle with a little olive oil, then sautee the onions. Once the onions just start to clarify, add the sirloin, and sprinkle fairly generously with the seasoned salt. Using a large spatula, move the meat around until evenly cooked and brown, about 2-3 minutes. Form the meat and onions into a long pile roughly the same size as the hoagie rolls you’ll be using. Place two slices of American cheese on top of the pile, and immediately place the hoagie roll on top of the pile, split-side down. Give it just a minute or two to warm. Once the bun is warm all the way through, carefully slide the spatula under the pile of meat, pick the whole thing up, and flip it over onto the serving plate. Tada.

Now, I’m aware that some purists will argue that cheez whiz is the true and authentic cheesesteak way, and onions are always optional. However, cheez whiz hadn’t been invented in 1930, and in reality, no cheese was added to the sandwich until much later, and it was actually provolone that graced the first cheesesteaks. Be that as it may, the top two Philly Cheesesteak proprietor’s in all the world, Pat’s King of Steaks and Geno’s Steaks offer all three options. That said, this is still what I consider to be the most authentic recipe. Enjoy!

Chef Rick Bayless shared the recipe for the complicated mole sauce he made at the White House for the state dinner back in May of this year – and it’s a doozy.

The Oaxacan black mole takes days to make from scratch and includes more than 20 ingredients.

“It’s a really laborious thing,” Bayless said in an interview earlier this week. “But for an event like this nothing is too difficult.”

OAXACAN BLACK MOLE WITH BRAISED CHICKEN

Serves 8 (with about 10 cups of sauce, which will mean leftovers to make enchiladas or more chicken with)

11 medium (about 5 1/2 ounces) dried mulato chiles

6 medium (about 2 ounces) dried chihualces chiles (see note in Variations and Improvisations below)

6 medium (about 2 ounces) dried pasilla chiles

1 dried chipotle chile (preferably the tan-brown chipotle meco)

1 corn tortilla, torn into small pieces

2 1/4-inch-thick slices of white onion

4 garlic cloves, unpeeled

About 2 cups rich-tasting lard or vegetable oil (for frying the chiles)

1/2 cup sesame seeds, plus a few extra for garnish

1/4 cup pecan halves

1/4 cup unskinned or Spanish peanuts

1/4 cup unskinned almonds

About 10 cups chicken broth (canned or homemade)

1 pound (2 medium-large or 6 to 8 plum) green tomatoes, roughly chopped

4 ounces (2 to 3 medium) tomatillos, husked, rinsed and roughly chopped

2 slices stale bread, toasted until very dark

1/4 teaspoon cloves, preferably freshly ground

1/2 teaspoon black pepper, preferably freshly ground

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, preferably freshly ground Mexican canela

A scant teaspoon oregano, preferably Mexican

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 ripe banana

1/2 cup (about 3 ounces) finely chopped Mexican chocolate

2 or 3 avocado leaves (if you have them)

Salt, about 1 tablespoon depending on the saltiness of the broth

Sugar, about 1/4 cup (or a little more)

2 large (3 1/2- to 4-pound) chickens, cut into quarters

1. Getting started. Pull out the stems (and attached seed pods) from the chiles, tear them open and shake or scrape out the seeds, collecting them as you go.

Now, do something that will seem very odd: scoop the seeds into an ungreased medium-size (8- to 9-inch) skillet along with the torn-up tortilla, set over medium heat, turn on an exhaust fan, open a window and toast your seeds and tortilla, shaking the pan regularly, until thoroughly burned to charcoal black, about 15 minutes. (This is very important to the flavor and color of the mole.) Now, scrape them into a fine-mesh strainer and rinse for 30 seconds or so, then transfer to a blender.

Set an ungreased skillet or griddle over medium heat, lay on a piece of aluminum foil, and lay the onion slices and garlic cloves on that. Roast until soft and very dark (about 5 minutes on each side of the onion slices – peel it off the foil to turn it; about 15 minutes for the garlic – turn it frequently as it roasts). Cool the garlic a bit, peel it and combine with the onion in a large bowl.

While the onion and garlic are roasting, turn on the oven to 350 degrees (for toasting nuts), return the skillet to medium heat, measure in a scant 2 cups of the lard or oil (you’ll need about 1/2-inch depth), and, when hot, begin frying the chiles a couple at a time: They’ll unfurl quickly, then release their aroma and piquancy (keep that exhaust on and window open) and, after about 30 seconds, have lightened in color and be well toasted (they should be crisp when cool, but not burnt smelling). Drain them well, gather them into a large bowl, cover with hot tap water, and let rehydrate for 30 minutes, stirring regularly to ensure even soaking. Drain, reserving the soaking liquid.

While the chiles are soaking, toast the seeds and nuts. Spread the sesame seeds onto a baking sheet or ovenproof skillet, spread the pecans, peanuts and almonds onto another baking sheet or skillet, then set both into the oven. In about 12 minutes the sesame seeds will have toasted to a dark brown; the nuts will take slightly longer. Add all of them to the blender (reserving a few sesame seeds for garnish), along with 1 1/2 cups of the chicken broth and blend to as smooth a puree as you can. Transfer to a small bowl.

Without rinsing the blender, combine the green tomatoes and tomatillos with another 1/2 cup of the broth and puree. Pour into another bowl. Again, without rinsing the blender, combine the roasted onion and garlic with the toasted bread, cloves, black pepper, cinnamon, oregano, thyme, banana and 3/4 cup broth. Blend to a smooth puree and pour into a small bowl.

Finally, without rinsing the blender, scoop in half of the chiles, measure in 1/2 cup of the soaking liquid, blend to a smooth puree, then pour into another bowl. Repeat with the remaining chiles and another 1/2 cup of the soaking liquid.

2. From four purees to mole. In a very large (8- to 9-quart) pot (preferably a Dutch oven or Mexican cazuela), heat 3 tablespoons of the lard or oil (some of what you used for the chiles is fine) and set over medium-high heat. When very hot, add the tomato puree and stir and scrape (a flat-sided wooden spatula works well here) for 15 to 20 minutes until reduced, thick as tomato paste, and very dark (it’ll be the color of cinnamon stick and may be sticking to the pot in places). Add the nut puree and continue the stirring and scraping until reduced, thick and dark again (this time it’ll be the color of black olive paste), about 8 minutes. Then, as you guessed it, add the banana-spice puree and stir and scrape for another 7 or 8 minutes as the whole thing simmers back down to a thick mass about the same color it was before you added this one.

Add the chile puree, stir well and let reduce over medium-low heat until very thick and almost black, about 30 minutes, stirring regularly (but, thankfully, not constantly). Stir in the remaining 7 cups of broth, the chocolate and avocado leaves (if you have them), partially cover and simmer gently for about an hour, for all the flavors to come together. Season with salt and sugar (remembering that this is quite a sweet mole and that sugar helps balance the dark, toasty flavors). Remove the avocado leaves.

In batches in a loosely covered blender, puree the sauce until as smooth as possible, then pass through a medium-mesh strainer into a large bowl.

3. Finishing the dish. Return the mole to the same pot and heat it to a simmer. Nestle the leg-and-thigh quarters of the chicken into the bubbling black liquid, partially cover and time 15 minutes, then nestle in the breast quarters, partially cover and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, until all the chicken is done.

With a slotted spoon, fish out the chicken pieces and transfer them to a large warm platter. Spoon a generous amount of the mole over and around them, sprinkle with the reserved sesame seeds and set triumphantly before your lucky guests.

Advance Preparation: The mole can be completed through Step 2 several days ahead (it gets better, in fact); cover and refrigerate. Completele Step 3 shortly before serving.

VARIATIONS AND IMPROVISATIONS: Chilhuacle chiles are very difficult to find unless you’re in Oaxaca (even then they’re sometimes hard to obtain). Without them you can make a very respectable black mole with 6 ounces (12 total) dried mulato chiles, 2 1/2 ounces (8 total) dried pasilla chiles and 1 ounce (4 total) dried guajillo chiles.

from HuffingtonPost.com

In spite of many prevalent beliefs about the culinary habits of the French, they eat pretty normal stuff in their day-to-day goings on. Cassoulet, for example, with a bit of baguette. Nothing special about it. Oh sure, it SOUNDS complicated and fancy, but seriously, you could say “peanut butter and jelly sammich” in French and it’d sound like the greatest meal ever made.

Cassoulet is just beans and meat. The beauty of this dish, though (and probably what makes it so uniquely French) is the layering of flavors and the depth that is achieved with just a few simple ingredients and a little patience.

Cassoulet
1 lb. dry cannellini beans
1 lb pork tenderloin, cut into 1/2″ cubes
1 lb bacon, cut into 1″ strips
1 lb coarse ground pork sausage
1 lb kielbasa sausage, sliced into discs
four tomatoes, peeled, seeds removed, and cut into chunks
2 yellow onions, diced
2 large leeks, thinly sliced
1/4 cup italian parsley, finely chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 head garlic, cut into slivers
1 cup bread crumbs
2 tablespoons bacon, duck or goose fat
4 whole cloves
3 sprigs thyme
3 bay leaves
white wine
salt and pepper to taste

Place the dry beans in a large bowl and cover with 2″ of water. Soak for 4-6 hours or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 400.

In a large (6 qt. or larger) stock pot, casserole, or dutch oven over high heat, melt the fat. When rippling, sear the pork tenderloin, then remove from the pan and reserve. In the same pan, without emptying the rendered fat, cook the pork sausage. Remove and reserve. Again, without cleaning the pan, cook the bacon, remove and reserve. Finally, sear the kielbasa, remove and reserve.

Drain off the excess fat from the pan, leaving about 1 tablespoon. Reserve the fat for other cooking if you like (I always do, and this is GOOD fat!) Add the onions, leeks and garlic. Cook until the onions are translucent. Deglaze the pan with white wine. Add the tomatoes and tomato paste, along with 1 quart of water. Bring to a simmer and add cloves, thyme, parsley and bay leaf.

Drain the beans, and add to the pot along with another 2 quarts of water. Simmer for 1 1/2 hours or until reduced by 1/3.

Add all four meats back into the pot and stir gently until combined. Bake for 1 1/2 hours. Remove from oven, top with a generous sprinkle of bread crumbs, and return to oven for another 10-15 minutes, or until bread crumbs are golden brown.

Serve with a nice crusty baguette.

Southern cooking is a culinary culture unto itself – soul food, cajun, creole – it’s a very unique and distinct experience. Among the hallmarks of southern food are three items – fried chicken, collard greens, and grits. And believe me when I tell you, the whole is greater than the sum of the parts – these three together are a trifecta of delicious artery-clogging goodness!

Classic Fried Chicken
NOTE: I recommend chicken with the bone in and the skin on. A bone-in piece of meat will always be juicier and more flavorful, and you just can’t beat a crispy skin on a piece of fried chicken.

2 lbs of chicken pieces
2 cups flour
1 quart buttermilk
oil
salt
pepper

Place the chicken and the buttermilk in a Ziploc bag to marinate for at least 8 hours, but preferably 24. In a large skillet, add about two inches of oil and heat until rippling. Place the flour in a wide shallow baking dish or pie tin and add salt and pepper to taste. Empty the chicken and buttermilk into a large shallow bowl, and one piece at a time, coat the chicken in the flour. For a heartier crust, dip the chicken in the buttermilk and coat in the flour a second time. Using tongs, carefully place the chicken in the oil. Turn occasionally to ensure chicken is cooked on all sides. When the crust is golden and crispy, and the juices from the chicken run clear, remove it from the oil. Serve immediately.

Collard Greens
3 bunches collard greens, finely chopped
1 pound bacon, chopped
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 cups chicken stock

in a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the bacon until crispy. Reserve the bacon, leaving the fat in the pan. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion, cook until the onions are clarified, then add the greens a handful at a time, adding a new handful every 5-10 minutes as the greens reduce in size. Add the chicken stock as necessary to keep the greens moist and prevent burning. Cook the greens until very tender, about 45 minutes or up to several hours.

Classic Grits
There are endless ways to cook grits, and every southerner has their own. This is simply the most basic recipe, and can be used as a foundation for whatever you’d like to add to make them your own.

1 cup grits
4 cups water
2 tablespoons bacon fat
salt to taste

In a large saucepan, bring the water to a boil. While whisking vigorously, add the grits a little at a time until all the grits have been added. Stir every few minutes to prevent clumping. Cook for 20 minutes or so until grits are the desired consistency. Whisk in 2 tablespoons of bacon fat just before serving.

Now, I LOVE me some hot sour soup of the Chinese variety, but who knew that Thai hot sour is every bit as delicious, albeit in a more different way?! Not me, but I’m here to tell you, this is fantastic stuff! Spicy, savory, tart and delicious.

Tom Yum Gai
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 white onion, diced
2 green onions, cut into 2″ lengths and sliced lengthwise
2 small tomatoes, cut into eighths
1/2 lb skinless chicken breasts, diced
1 1/2 cups button mushrooms, quartered
4 cups chicken stock
3 stalks lemongrass, cut the stalks diagonally 2-inch long, scored lightly
10 fresh kaffir lime leaves
2″ piece of ginger, peeled and sliced
3 tablespoons fish sauce
1 1/4 teaspoons thai chili garlic paste
5 bird’s eye chili peppers, sliced
1 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
2 teaspoons sugar
juice from 5 limes

In a 5 quart stock pot, heat the sesame oil until rippling, then add the chicken, white onion and ginger. Sautee until chicken starts to brown and onions are translucent. Add the stock and remaining ingredients except the green onions and cilantro. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add green onions and cilantro, simmer another 2-3 minutes, then serve immediately.

And what would Thai food be without fried rice? This one turns out creamy and rich, almost like a risotto.

Khao Phat
3 tablespoons sesame oil
1 boneless skinless chicken breast, diced
1 small yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped1 medium onion, sliced
2 eggs
4 cups cooked white or brown rice
1 tomato, rough chopped
1/2 cup basil, minced
2 green onions, diced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablepoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon sugar

In a large wok, heat the sesame oil until rippling. Add the chicken and onion, and cook until chicken begins to brown and onions are translucent. add the rice, and sautee for 2-3 minutes. add remaining ingredients except eggs, and continue to sautee and move the ingredients in the pan. Just before serving, crack the eggs into the rice mixture and let set for 1-2 minutes. Stir once more to incorporate the egg, then serve.