Defend Your Vegetables!

 

Vegetable Vexation?

I'm here to defend my vegetables, because one day I watched a video that popped up on Facebook.  The topic was: "Why don't the vegetables you prepare at home taste as good as vegetables from a restaurant?" 

Huh? I was perplexed. I have always encountered the exact opposite. Well, with rare exceptions. The vegetables from restaurants are usually sub par -- overcooked, treated as an afterthought, etc. Unless you are dining at a "high end" restaurant or an independent "farm to table" type of establishment, that's just the way it is - (and sometimes those are questionable as well, because paying more money does not necessarily equal good food).

Anyway, this guy reveals the "big secret." Get ready....it's...BUTTER! Restaurants use more BUTTER! Vegetables are practically swimming in it. That's why it tastes better, according to the dude. 

Well, that's just ridiculous. In the first place, most restaurants don't cook vegetables to order. They either blanch & then "refresh" them per order by sautéing, or giving them a quick dip in boiling water, or they simply hold them "as is" on a steam table (and hopefully they adhere to the time limit and change them out before they turn to mush if they aren't being consumed in a timely manner). There are some restaurants that used canned veggies as well. 

Not that there is anything wrong with cooking ahead of time & "refreshing," or using a steam table. These are lifesavers for busy restaurants, and if they keep up with them, then no problemo. BUT...the veggies prepared this way are in no way superior to veggies you can prepare at home. Quite the opposite. 

So I have to call BS on that dude. I wish I could remember his name but it escapes me. Maybe he just has trouble with vegetables himself, so he assumes that it is a problem for everyone else too. No. No. No. Not at all. And you DO NOT need a pound of butter to make veggies taste good. Some don't need any at all. The simplest preparation yields the best flavor for fresh vegetables. For frozen or canned, a little more "decoration" might be necessary. 😄

As an example, see the veggies below. Fresh spinach, green beans, and Brussel's Sprouts. (There were also fresh potatoes with this meal, just peeking out up there on top.) All of these were from Costco. The green beans, unfortunately, were a mixed bag, as you can see. Different shades of green. Some of the beans were not as fresh as the others. You don't see that when you pick them fresh from your own garden, but this was earlier in the year before Spring, so Costco filled the veggie bill.  

Fresh spinach: Use a large frying pan, medium heat. Add 1-2 tsps. of light oil (avocado or extra virgin olive oil). Spread the oil around so it coats the bottom of the pan. Add 1/3 of the spinach, let it wilt a bit. Repeat 2 more times. Make a small well in the center & add one clove of minced garlic (optional). Stir the garlic a bit & let it cook for 1 or 2 minutes, then mix it into the spinach. Add S&P to your taste.

 This is a short-cut method & it is very tasty. The moisture in the spinach will steam it. No need to add extra water or boil it first before sautéing. This was one of the giant containers from Costco. 16 oz., if I recall correctly. So the recipe fits for that, but it doesn't need much adjusting if you have a smaller amount. Of course, with spinach, you want to have as much as possible since it shrinks so much.  

Fresh green beans: Bring salted water to a boil & add green beans. Cook to your specifications. I like mine al dente. That part is up to the cook. Just fish one out for a test after 8-10 minutes. 

Brussel's Sprouts: Nice big bags of these at Costco, already removed from the stalk. Most of the time rinsing is all you need to do, but sometimes the bottoms need to be trimmed off a little. If they are pretty big, cut them in halves or quarters. Then place in a stainless steel bowl, drizzle with olive or avocado oil, toss in some S&P, then mix until they are coated. Roast in the oven until tender, checking them a couple of times and stirring (actually, I usually flip each one with tongs). They are spectacular with a little caramelization. I could eat the whole bag. 

The thing to remember with these is not to crowd them or you will have steamed Brussel's instead of roasted. I usually roast at 350 for 15-20 minutes. You can go higher if you are in a hurry, just keep an eye on them. 

Taters: For waxy, thin-skinned potatoes (red or yellow), no need to peel. Scrub well & place in a saucepan. Water to cover, add salt. Bring to a boil, then turn down to medium & cook 8-10 minutes. Test with a knife, it's the best way. Then drain, add a couple of pats of butter & some black pepper, and mix. You don't need a pound to get good flavor. Sometimes I add just one pat of butter & then drizzle a little olive oil in before tossing. Yum to the max! 

(One day I will set up a camera and film some of these methods. It's a lot easier than trying to explain it in text.) 

There you have it. Four veggies, all simple prep, no pounds of butter needed. I would send this to that dude, if I could remember who he was. 😄

Defend your veggies! What have been your experiences with restaurant veggies? Share your story in the comments if you have time. We all want to know where the good restaurant veggies are! 😄

Infamous BBQ is a Work of Art

 

Infamous BBQ 

Infamous BBQ was established in 2020 by Jose Picasso. Mr. Picasso and his family are all involved in the business. We were in the early stages of the pandemic at that time, so I made a mental note about it and filed it away for the future while we waited to see what would happen with the pandemic. 

One day not long ago, a post about it popped up on my feed again, so I thought now might be the time to finally order some Infamous BBQ. We discussed it, but it was a busy week and it slipped my mind until the deadline day for ordering, when I was on FB. I don't know what key I hit, my fingers stumbled on something and the Infamous BBQ page popped up. If that wasn't a sign then I don't know what is. It was just in time too. Deadline day, only a few hours left to order. 

We ordered brisket and ribs, 1# of each. We opted to prepare side orders at home since we made a trip to Costco during the week and we had some lovely vegetables that needed to be prepared. Mr. Picasso set the pick up time and we looked forward to Sunday with great anticipation. 

We were not disappointed! Both the brisket and the ribs were wonderfully tender and full of flavor. Pickles & onions accompanied our purchase and also received a 1/2 pint of sauce. The sauce portion was a nice surprise because the standard these days everywhere else is  usually a tiny condiment cup. 

BUT...great bbq does not need sauce, in my opinion, and Infamous BBQ definitely fits that description! 

Don't waste any time! Get some Infamous BBQ as soon as you can. At the moment, it is not a full-time venture & you must keep an eye on the Facebook page for information about days & times it is available. 

If we are lucky, one day this delicious BBQ will be graced with a great location & be open full time. I sure hope so! Mr. Picasso's BBQ blows the rest of the "competitors" in this town right out of the water! That is a fact!

Just look at that lovely BBQ!!! 

Try this link and get hooked up with some Infamous BBQ !!!

If the link is not working for you, just go to Facebook and type Infamous BBQ into the search box. 

Kitchen Tip: Stubborn Jar Lids and When to Apply TNT

Most of us have been there. The jar lid is too tight. The jar opener is not working or can't be found (and you swear you just saw it yesterday). 

Time to explore other methods: 

You bang it on the edge of the counter, tap the sides with a spoon, run hot water on it...but nothing is working! It is still not budging. 

The next step is to ask someone for help, but if no one who can help is around, you are stuck waiting. Well, before you activate the Bat Signal, try this out: 

Get out your bottle opener, if you have one. If you don't, then get one. 

The simple one. No bells & whistles. Pointy end; straight end. It looks like this:

These are still being manufactured and can be purchased at some department or grocery stores, but if you see one in the wild at a garage sale or estate sale, grab that thing! The vintage version isn't as flimsy. We actually have one of those, but it wasn't where it was supposed to be, so I had to grab the stand-in. 😆 

I am glad these are still in production. Pop tops cans are more prevalent now, but that pointy end still comes in handy for some cans, like evaporated milk, if you only want to use a small portion of it. (History note: I remember when we used to use these to open cans of motor oil. Big poke on one side, small poke on the other so the oil would flow freely.)  

And now, back to the lid: 

Place the jar on a flat surface. Gently work the pointed end underneath the side of the lid as depicted in the photo below. You might have to try a couple of spots before you find a void. Then, while holding the tip in place, just push down on the bottle opener. You don't need to strong arm it - just slow and steady until you hear the seal pop. After that you will have no problem unscrewing the lid. 

You could try the method with a flathead screwdriver, but using the bottle opener is much safer. If you use the flathead, you have to force the tip under the side and it can slip and possibly cause an injury (trust me on this - BTDT, got the T-shirt & a bandage too. 😁). 

And yes, we still get Pace Picante sauce from time to time. Go ahead and laugh it up. 😆 Nostalgia flavor. It's legit! It still tastes the same after all this time (at least the original does) and sometimes that's just the comfort we need. 

*Please note: This method works for one-piece lids. If you need help with a two-piece Mason jar lid, go ahead and activate that Bat Signal. 😆 Just kidding! Go into the garage and get that oil filter remover. That should work. No incendiary devices necessary. 😆

Kitchen Tip: Avocado Storage - Keep Your Guacamole Green

Sometimes in life you end up with leftover guacamole. What?! Say it ain't so! How can that be? 

Even the most avid guacamole lover, who seeks out the very last speck with dogged determination, has this problem from time to time. 

 Question: What is the best way to store mashed avocado or guacamole to prevent browning (oxidation)? 

What I started doing a while back was this: 

Find a container with the smallest diameter that will be big enough for your leftovers with some headspace left after the guacamole has been placed inside. You don't need a lot of headspace: 1 to 1 1/2 inches is enough. 

For the leftover portion of mashed avocado below, (1/4 to 1/2 cup), I used a small, vintage serving bowl. It has about a 3" diameter on the top part but it's "fluted," so the bottom part is slightly smaller. The little ramekins used for single servings of creme brûlée or lava cake are of similar size and would be ideal for a portion this size. 

Put your leftover guacamole or mashed avocado in the bowl and smooth out the top with a spoon so it's nice & flat.  

Add a layer of your favorite salsa to cover the guacamole. It won't take much to cover it. (You can't tell from the pic but the layer of salsa on this batch was about 1/8"-1/4" deep.) Cover the bowl with plastic wrap (or a lid if it has one).

The picture below was taken the next day, 12-18 hours after the protective layer of salsa was added. If you zoom in you can see that the specks on the inside near the top are brown. (I should have left a larger schmear or a small glob o' guac uncovered, but I didn't think about that until I was taking the picture the next day. Of course!)  😁

Remove the layer of salsa to consume separately, or mix it in. Look at this lovely green color. No oxidation. No altered flavor. Oxidation does affect the flavor too, btw. But I am blessed (cursed?) with so-called "super receptors," so I can always tell. (P.S. - let's call it blessed rather than cursed. lol)

Placing a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the guacamole and maneuvering it around so it's airtight is also an option, but you do lose some during removal, and unless it's super airtight, you will still experience some oxidation. (Also, I'm not a huge fan of using plastic wrap, so if I can find an alternative method, I'm all in!)

You can do the same thing if you only need half an avocado for a recipe. Leave the skin on the other half. Place it on the flattest plate you have, nestled in a small puddle of salsa. You can do it without the salsa, but unless it is completely level, air will get in. Wrapping the plate with plastic wrap is optional because the intact avocado skin will protect the rest of the avocado.

I once read (and I don't remember where) about someone putting water on top of guacamole to keep it from oxidizing. Okay, but then you lose some of that good green gold when you drain it off. It may also make your guac too watery. 

Don't use water. If you're not a fan of salsa, there are other things that can be used: mayo, sour cream, hummus, a thin layer of olive or avocado oil, etc.

This would also be a good option if you make a batch for a potluck or a party. You can make ahead of time and not have to worry about it turning on you before the party gets started. 

This method may have already been posted on the internet 10,000 times. I didn't check, but one more won't hurt. So in case you missed the other 10,000 posts, here it is again. 😄 

The amount I saved is roughly the same amount that Chipotle gives you if you decide to order it as an extra. I don't know what the current price is, but the last time I was there, it was still a pretty penny.  

Restaurant Review: Yellow Étouffée? It's an "Etouffail"

 Take a look at the picture above. Does this look like étouffée to you? Yellow étouffée. I have never seen yellow étouffée. When they brought this dish out, my face must have fallen 1,000 miles. WTH?

This pic is from a local restaurant here. I'm not going to name it. People from around here might recognize this "etouffail." Any other inquiries can be made via email.

We decided to stop in for lunch one day. It hasn't been around that long, but forgive me because I can't recall exactly when they opened. We were a party of three. One other person besides me ordered this monstrosity. We both ate what we were served because we don't like to waste food. 

Don't get me wrong though. It was palatable. It wasn't bad. It didn't have much flavor at all, really. It tasted like white sauce with some spices (?). It didn't taste like crawfish at all, and there weren't many in there. I ordered a meal and the "étouffée" was used as a sauce over a blackened filet of unknown origin. I dodged a bullet there, because I almost ordered the standalone étouffée option. 

It was pretty hilarious...actually, hideous and hilarious at the same time. The first thing our friend said was: "What are they hiding?" Indeed. 

What are they hiding? It must be flavor because we didn't find much of that. That has the be the blandest "Cajun" meal I ever ate. Even the dirty rice was too clean. Frozen green beans. I don't mind those in a restaurant (or at home sometimes), if they are prepared the right way. These were acceptable. 

So I'm guessing they just took a powdered sauce, rehydrated it, and added some S&P, maybe some turmeric, curry, or a bit of saffron. Probably not saffron though. Or maybe it was simply a bagged powdered concoction and they added nothing extra. This is pure speculation on my part -- all I know for sure is that it wasn't true étouffée prepared from scratch. The blackened filet was okay, at least it had some flavor. It had no real heat though, unfortunately. 

But that yellow étouffée...I thought it was going to taste like mustard. Thank goodness it didn't. But...yellow? For those who have experienced the real thing: Have you ever seen yellow étouffée...ever? 

I am not an expert at Cajun cooking or Creole cooking -- I can pull off a few dishes really well and I'm always willing to try my hand at others -- but I know étouffée, and Honey, that ain't it! Justin Wilson would have had a coronary if he saw that stuff. 

I completely understand about wanting to add your own twist, but they added so many twists to this one that it spun out of existence. There wasn't even a hint of the "Holy Trinity" present. They didn't use it. 

Frankly, I was appalled; but I held my tongue. We were hungry and exhausted after a busy morning of parade duties in a neighboring town. We ate our meal and tried to drown our disappointment with copious amounts of water & iced tea. 

Cajun étouffée is one of my favorite dishes; sometimes I enjoy the Creole version too. I have had both many, many times over the years. Sometimes I make it at home, if I have time. I have eaten it in restaurants in Texas & in Louisiana. I have eaten it at potlucks. Never out of all those times, have I ever seen yellow étouffée. I did an extensive internet search and I never found any that had even a hint of freakin yellow. I don't know where they got the idea that it is yellow. 

It's pretty much a universal thing, like with other famous (or infamous) dishes. Étouffée has a certain flavor profile. People who order it are expecting that. I don't know how much of this stuff they sell, because people who have had the real thing before are only going to order that crap one time. 

I had high hopes for the restaurant itself, so it was a disappointment. We have been back since then. Once. This time we experienced woefully undercooked shrimp & some pretty terrible coleslaw. I had catfish & shrimp that day. The catfish was passable, but again, hardly any spices at all. If you're going to serve Cajun, DO IT. Especially if it is listed as Cajun. The best thing out of the second meal? French fries. 

I don't order fried food very often, so I was doubly disappointed on our second visit. And that coleslaw...UGH. We had better coleslaw at a chicken joint I worked at in my youth. (Finely shredded, fresh ingredients, good recipe.) This one...well...the salad itself was slightly discolored, but there was no bad odor, so I ate mine. The cabbage had a strange cut, and the coleslaw had a lot of the thicker leaf stems in it, which would have been fine if the cabbage had been shredded properly, but as it was...no. 

So at this point, we don't really want to go back again. They call themselves a steak & seafood joint,  but after all of that, I'm afraid to order the steak, or even a burger. 

It's too bad. They pretty much cornered the market on seafood here. Aside from them, there's a fast food seafood joint that's independently owned. Other than that, we have about 42 Tex-Mex restaurants 😆, and some other offerings unrelated to seafood. Oh yeah, and too many fast food joints. 

We'll either enjoy seafood when we go out of town or we'll prepare it at home. I am not planning to go back there again. Oh, it could happen, but it is less & less likely the more I think about it. 

Mainly because they just don't seem to care. They open this restaurant, knowing that they have an advantage opening one here. Then they serve subpar food. I'll bet a lot of it is pre-made too. It's a damn shame. 

My scathing(?) review will not affect their business. I am not an "influencer" on Instagram or on any other platforms. But I decided to speak up about it anyway. Bottom line is, don't waste your money. Unless fried food is your thing, but they even screwed that up as far as the shrimp were concerned. I can't speak about the steak, but if the seafood is any indication, then the steaks aren't much better. They might be like the ones people used to sell door to door. Yeah, I bought some of those. Once. Decades ago. 😆 I don't know if anyone does that now, but don't buy any if they do. 😄