Spaghetti con Aglio e Olio d'Oliva e Petti di Pollo Impanati con Arrosto Aioli Aglio Limone

"Spaghetti con Aglio e Olio d'Oliva e Petti di Pollo Impanati con Arrosto Aioli Aglio Limone" or "Spaghetti with Garlic and Olive Oil and Breaded Chicken Breasts with Roasted Garlic Lemon Aioli".

You need to try this traditional Italian pasta dish, said to originate from the region of Abruzzo, and popular across the rest of Italy.

The dish is made by lightly sauteeing minced or pressed garlic in olive oil, with the addition of dried red chili flakes, and tossing with spaghetti. Finely chopped parsley can also be added as a garnish, along with grated Parmigiano Reggiano making a simple, yet tasty sauce. I served it on my own "handmade" spaghetti pasta.

A pounded boneless, skinless chicken breast is then breaded and pan-fried until golden brown and drizzled with a "Arrosto Aioli Aglio Limone" or "Roasted Garlic Lemon Aioli".

East African Berbere Chicken and Chickpea Wat

Remember my East African Berbere Chicken and Chickpea Wat from a few weeks ago?

A client wanted to try this delicious ethnic dish .. Here's a little more info on it.

Ethiopian cuisine is "home-style cooking" at its best. It transforms the humblest ingredients into something extraordinary. 

The "berbere" spice blend is the heart of this cuisine. It's chile-based blend is earthy, sweet, and hauntingly aromatic, with notes of fragrant cardamom, fenugreek, and clove. But beware .. there is heat to be sure with some versions being wildly spicy. 

The "Chickpea Wat" or stew is equally delicious and features a blend of berbere spice as well as chicken stock, tomato, onion, carrot, potato and sweet peas.

This is a dynamite stew and when eaten with flatbread instead of a spoon brings the cultural experience to life.

For more, go to facebook.com/BaldFoodie

Campanelle e Fagiole

I went back to Italy tonight with my "Campanelle e Fagiole" .. or Campanelle Pasta with Beans!

It's a traditional meatless dish, where the beans were the main protein. Like many other Italian favorites .. including pizza and polenta .. the dish started as a peasant dish, being composed of inexpensive ingredients.

For more, go to facebook.com/BaldFoodie

White Rascal

Avery Brewing Company's "White Rascal" .. an authentic Belgian style wheat or "white" ale .. (witbier), that is unfiltered and spiced with coriander and Curacao orange peel.

White Rascal pours a slightly cloudy straw gold pour with a thick foamy head and great lacing. It featured a nice spicy Belgian nose .. yeasty, fruity, with a slight hint of bubblegum.

On the palate I noticed the brew was medium bodied with that immediate coriander spice. Slightly fruity at first, but it quickly dropped off and became a little rough around the edges. I thought it was quite good and once it warmed a bit .. you get more hints of coriander and that orange zest in the nose and taste.

For more, go to facebook.com/BaldFoodie

Apricot Oatmeal Cookie Bar

The ole sweet tooth is in full swing with my "Apricot Oatmeal Cookie Bar". Sweet and tart apricots in between layers of oatmeal cookie crumble.

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Bistro Burger

Made my "Bistro Burger" tonight with "Chateau Potatoes". The "Bistro Burger" is a custom grind of grass fed beef including 1/3 Chuck, 1/3 Sirloin and 1/3 Top Round. 

Cooked to medium rare, I layered a moisture barrier of "Red Lettuce" followed by my own "Thousand Island Dressing" .. the burger .. Fulton Creek Jersey Cheese's "Churchill Cheddar" (Delaware County Ohio) .. Vande Rose "Applewood Smoked Bacon" .. my "Carmelized Balsamic Onion Jam" .. more "Red Lettuce" with a toasted "Potato Bun".

For more, go to facebook.com/BaldFoodie

Abita Brewing Company's Turbodog

I had the chance to try Abita Brewing Company's "Turbodog" Ale tonight at Easy Street Cafe (soon to become Craft Corner???) in Powell. Turbodog is a dark English-styled brown ale brewed with Willamette hops and a combination of pale, crystal and chocolate malts, then fermented with German Alt yeast. The combination gives it a rich body and color and a sweet chocolate toffee-like flavor.

Being an English Brown Ale, I wanted to let this beer warm up a bit before drinking. So when the server brought it to me I let it sit until my main course arrived. The hops aroma definitely became apparent as it warmed up.

Turbodog's taste was reminiscent of molasses, coffee and caramel malts. It also had a mild spicy hop bitterness.

The brew pairs well with most meats and is great served with hamburgers or sausages .. I paired mine with a flavorful "Greek Gyro" and it's depth proved a great choice to stand up to both the gaminess of the lamb as well as the richness of the tzatziki sauce.

Read more on facebook.com/BaldFoodie

Spaghetti alla Puttanesca

One of my favorite "quick Italian sauces" is "Puttanesca". A combination of salty anchovies, garlic, Kalamata olives, black olives, capers, basil and San Marzano tomatoes finished with rich Parmigiano Reggiano, parsley and a fragrant finishing olive oil. 

Delicious, the sauce has more than a couple historical differing origins. And one of those isn't so glamorous. "Spaghetti alla Puttanesca" means "Spaghetti in the style of the harlot" and this legend began in Naples. 

The name derives from the Italian word puttana which means harlot. Puttana in turn arises from the Latin word putida which means stinking.

Now I’ll bet your wondering how this tasty dish became associated with such sordid content. As is often the case when sifting through culinary history, there are multiple explanations. 

The first interpretation is that the intense aroma, (harking back to the “stinking” Latin definition), would lure men from the street into the local house of ill repute. Thus, the Napolese harlots were characterized as the sirens of the culinary world. 

Three additional accounts all hinge on the fact that "Puttanesca" sauce is easy and quick to make. The first is that the prostitutes made it for themselves to keep the interruption of their business to a minimum. The second is that they made it for the men awaiting their turn at the brothel. And the final version is that it was a favorite of married women who wished to limit their time in the kitchen so that they may visit their paramour (illicit lovers). 

Whatever its origins, "Puttanesca" is a tasty and vibrant sauce best served spaghetti or on top of chicken.

For more go to facebook.com/BaldFoodie

Chateaubriand-Style Hash

"Leftover Night!" .. Yes I love leftovers because I turn them into tasty treats. Tonight it was "Chateaubriand-Style Chuck Roast" from Sunday turned into a "Chateaubriand-Style Hash" complete with potatoes, onions, dijon mustard and worcesterhire sauce topped with an soft cooked egg.

For more go to facebook.com/BaldFoodie

Chateaubriand Style Chuck Roast

Want to learn to eat like a "French King" for a fraction of the coast? 

One of the first lessons I learned in cooking was .. "You can take the simplest ingredients and elevate them to gourmet standards." That's exactly what I did tonight.

I took a common "Chuck Roast" and cooked it similarly that I would the French Classic "Chateaubriand" and turned out a fantastic meal I would be proud to serve to anyone! The key was low and slow cooking as opposed to sear and finish.

Traditional "Chateaubriand" means taking center cut beef loin (around $75) and searing in a cast iron pan on all sides .. then finishing it in the oven til the center of the loin reaches 130 degrees.

While the loin is resting, prepare a shallot, red wine, tarragon sauce and serve over the beef.

Instead, I took a $4.99 a pound Chuck Roast, seared in my dutch oven and then braised it in a raw shallot, red wine, tarragon sauce .. thus imparting flavor throughout the meat as it cooked and got tender, all-the-while creating a deeper flavored base for my sauce. This sauce then was turned into my very own "Demi Glace" after the roast was done cooking. Gourmet cooking for quarter or less of the cost!

Accompaniments for the meal tonight included my signature "Beef Demi Glace", "Chateau-Style" Potatoes and "Browned" Garlic Brussel Sprouts.

You don't need a fortune to eat like a French king .. just quality ingredients, a little determination and a love of great food!

Bon Appetit

Check out my latest creation on facebook.comBaldFoodie

Scampi al vino bianco e aglio e Spaghetti aglio e olio

It was back to Italy tonight with my "Scampi al vino bianco e aglio" e "Spaghetti aglio e olio" or "Prawns in White Wine and Garlic" with "Spaghetti with Garlic and Olive Oil". Yes it was a "garlic" kind of night! For more go to facebook.com/BaldFoodie 

Berbere Crispy Chicken with Chickpea Wat

I took a trip to eastern Africa tonight with my Ethiopian favorite .. "Berbere Crispy Chicken" with "Chickpea Wat" and "Flatbread". Ethiopian cuisine is "home-style cooking" at its best. It transforms the humblest ingredients into something extraordinary.

The "berbere" spice blend is the heart of this cuisine. It's chile-based blend is earthy, sweet, and hauntingly aromatic, with notes of fragrant cardamom, fenugreek, and clove. But beware .. there is heat to be sure with some versions being wildly spicy.

The "Chickpea Wat" or stew is equally delicious and features a blend of berbere spice as well as chicken stock, tomato, onion, carrot, potato and sweet peas.

This is a dynamite stew and when eaten with flatbread instead of a spoon brings the cultural experience to life.

Tagliatelle alla Bolognese

On the plate tonight .. "Tagliatelle alla Bolognese". For more go to facebook.com/BaldFoodie

Grilled Avocados

"Grilled Avocados" with "Blistered Cherry Tomato Salsa"! See more on facebook.com/BaldFoodie 

Pan Seared Chicken Breast

Went into my own head tonight with French twist .. Pan Seared Chicken Breast with Olives & Cherry Tomatoes in a Sherry/Dijon Mustard Reduction. Accompanied by Romaine and Vegetable Salad with Sherry Vinaigrette and Pecorino Romano.