Chia's Breakfast and lunch Counter in Golden

And the Grub Chub Award goes to...

Chia Burger – ground beef and smoked bacon patty with gruyere, red onion marmalade, garlic mayo, lettuce, tomato & Hotchup  

Hold on a minute wha wha what?

I said "Chia Burger – ground beef and smoked bacon patty with gruyere, red onion marmalade, garlic mayo, lettuce, tomato & Hotchup"

Ok Drew and I had lunch there Tuesday which also was their opening day. Holy moly it was awesome. Besides the amazing burger we also had a Chicago Beef with home made giardiniera which was de-frickin-licious.

Eric and Jamie really know their stuff they are both well trained chefs so these guys making sandwiches is like Steve Jobs making calculators. They are way better then they need to be and that's the way I like it. You have got to give this place a try. - Shannon

P.S. The Chicago Beef is a serious Grub Chub but the Burger is a Raging Grub Chub.

We may have to change the name from Grub Chub to Grub Chia-b



http://www.chiaslunchcounter.com/our-menu/

 

Stupid Simple Stupid Good

Oh yeah I also made a crazy good and and easy as hell bread pudding with a butterscotch schnapps sea salt sauce. I had a bag of rolls left from Easter and this seemed to be the perfect use. It's just eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and a touch of allspice with some raisins. I didn't follow a recipe. The ratio I think was about eight eggs, four cups milk and two-ish cups of sugar. Bake at 350 for about 45 min or so. - Shannon

Weekend Grub

This weekend was a grilling weekend for sure. Friday was Chilean sea bass and Saturday was beer can chicken. I'm using this new thing called a chicken setter by Grill Dome. It makes the chicken unbelievably moist on the inside. My Grill Grate are making it so easy to grill fish, even fish that you might not usually grill because you're afraid it's going to fall apart. - Shannon

Esca in New York with Chef David Pasternack

I have been very lucky in my life to have been able to dine at some amazing establishments but this was the absolute most epic by far. I was in New York on business last week. It was my fist trip to the Big Apple. I'm not in love with the city but I'm in love with Esca. I will go back to NYC just for this restaurant. I was lucky enough to have met and spent some quality time with chef David Pasternack aka The Fish Whisperer. I have always considered myself pretty knowledgeable about sea food. Well I don’t know jack, so I found out. This guy is amazing and probably for me the most interesting person I have ever talked to. His passion is contagious for fishing as well as preparing fish. I have always compared my love for fishing as almost a sickness, that being said Chef Pasternack might be sicker than me and I love that. He actually asked little ol' me what I thought of his restaurant and really seemed to give a @#!*% about what I had to say. I'm going to post the pictures of what I ate that night and let them speak for themselves. I would love to be able to express in words how amazing this dinner was but every adjective I come up with doesn't seem to be big enough to make you understand. David's partners in Esca are Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich, you may have heard of them. There is a statement from Anthony Bourdain on the back cover of his cook book. The cook book is a must read. In it he talks about where he gets his salmon, from Frank the Eskimo Man. The mystery man in some remote part of Alaska that David has to pay the guy by sending his checks to the local Laundromat 50 miles from Eskimo Man's house, he doesn’t even have a phone. This amazing fish comes from a place called the cooks inlet and is 150 miles from civilization. This evening with Chef P changed the way I look at seafood. I have cooked fish twice this week and both times it was really good. Most of the dishes I had at Esca where raw which is right up my alley. People how know me have heard me say the best way to ruin a good piece of fish is to cook it. I know that's not all true now but I still prefer it raw for the most part. I forgot to mention there was a wine pairing with each course and I think I left out about seven courses because it would have been way too many pictures. - Shannon

Fresh sea urchin

Local Porgy with olive oil from Calabria

Triggerfish ceviche

Sea urchin Crustini (aka biscuits and gravy)

Grilled local monkfish

Sorbet celery and lemon, sasafras and rubarb





Me with Chef David Pasternack in front of Esca NYC

Chianti

Just mention "Chianti" to me and I begin to drool. The region, the food, the wine, the people. I'm not sure there's anything I don't like about it. If I can't go to Italy, then Chianti in the DTC is the next best thing (or the sister restaurant, Venice).

Chianti is one of my favorite Italian restaurants in Denver. The waitstaff are excellent (love their accents), the dining room is intimate and everything I've ever had there is lovingly prepared and absolutely delicious. In fact, one of Shannon's favorite dishes in town is the Chicken Cacciatore.

I was fortunate to be taken to lunch there today by two wonderful ladies (thanks Lea Ann and Stacie!). I highly recommend you go. You won't be disappointed! -- Drew

My dish - Sea Bass with Cherry Tomatoes, Mushrooms and Spinach

Lea Ann's dish - Salmon with a White Wine Sauce

Stacie's dish:

Square ravioli filled with buffalo mozzarella, fresh tomato and 

parmesan cheese tossed in gorgonzola cream sauce

One of the best desserts I've had in a LONG time - 

Profiteroles covered in chocolate mousse...  INCREDIBLE!!!

Mushroom Risotto

On many occasions, I've mentioned to someone that I'm making risotto and they have two reactions... "mmmmm, that sounds good" usually followed by "I wish I knew how to make it".

I was a little intimidated when I first tried making it, but it's really very easy. The only thing it really needs is attention. Not even constant attention, just a stir or two every couple minutes. You can be cooking something else while you're doing this.

Here are pictures of the last time I made it. The recipe is at the bottom. I hope you'll try it and let me know how it goes! -- Drew

I've sauteed the shallots, rice and wine and have added my first ladle of stock.

Add more stock when it looks like this!

When it's close to being done, add your mushrooms (or whatever)

Eat up!!

Risotto by Drew Schneider (Grubology.com)

Serves 2-4 (depending on portion size)

4 C Vegetable or Chicken stock

1 T butter

2 T extra virgin olive oil

2 shallots, minced

1 C Arborio rice

~1/2 C dry white wine (Sauvignon Blanc is always a good choice)

Cremini mushrooms, sliced and sauteed for 7-10 minutes (you can use just about any kind of pre-cooked meat or vegetable)

~1/2 C Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino Romano cheese, grated

Warm 4 cups of the stock and keep warm with a ladle at the ready.

Meanwhile, in a large saute pan over medium-high heat, add 1 T olive oil and saute your mushrooms until browned, about 7-10 minutes. Set mushrooms aside. (Some vegetables may not need pre-cooking. If you use meat, be sure to cook it first.)

Using the same pan, adjust heat to medium, add butter and the rest of the olive oil. Add shallots and sauté 3-4 minutes. Using a wooden spoon to stir is preferable. (It’s tradition!)

Turn pan up to medium-high. Add rice and stir for ~1 minute or until you can see the “eye” of the rice and rest of it is translucent. Add wine and reduce for 1-2 minutes.

Add a ladle or two of the stock and stir. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Using the wooden spoon, push some of the rice back. If the pan looks almost dry add another ladle of stock. If the pan still has liquid showing, wait another 30 seconds or so and then add the stock and stir. Continue adding stock, one ladle at a time and stir. When the rice is close to done (starting to puff up but still too hard), add your mushrooms or other choice of vegetable or meat (pre-cooked). Continue adding stock (and stirring) until the rice is tender, with just a touch of bite too it (al dente).

Serve in pasta bowls and sprinkle with grated cheese.

Enjoy!

Pork Hatch Chili

I love green chili. It's comfort food for me. The spicy, savory broth. The hunks of juicy pork. Mmmmmm. So a few months ago I thought I would cook up a batch. I checked my usual spots (Bon Appetit, Food Network, Google) and found that most of the recipes out there were worthless. How did I know that? Not sure, but I knew I wasn't getting excited about any of them. So I did the next logical thing and posted a request on Facebook. I ended up getting a great recipe from a fellow foodie (thanks Justin!) and tweaked it just a bit for my own tastes.

The recipe is below, but here are a few thoughts first:

-- Green chili is all about personal preference, so use whatever chilis you like.

-- My version would probably be considered "medium" heat for most people, so adjust accordingly.

-- I've made this twice now and there's a HUGE difference between using the skin from the roasted chilis and peeling all the skin off and only using the "meat" of the chili. If you like a really rich chili, use all the skins. If you like a more approachable  chili, use just the meat. Either way, it will have lots of flavor.

-- This last time I used the frozen bag of roasted/peeled/seeded mild green hatch chilis from Costco and they worked well, but would probably want more roasted skin next time. Hey, what are you gonna do in the middle of winter?!

Pork Hatch Chili – Courtesy of Drew Schneider (Grubology.com)

1 pork shoulder (~3 lbs)

• Poke holes in it. Rub with olive oil and BBQ rub

• Wrap in plastic and let sit overnight

10 tomatillos

7 Roma tomatoes

3 jalapenos

Roasted hatch chilies (I used 2 lbs Big Jim medium)

2 medium onions, diced

5-6 cloves crushed garlic

3-4 Tbs butter

AP flour

2 Quarts stock

4 Anaheim chilies

Fish sauce

Cumin

Coriander

Chili powder

1. Smoke the pork shoulder ~2.5-3 hours at ~220 degrees on the Egg.

2. Braise the pork ~1.5-2 hours in the stock

3. Meanwhile, roast the tomatoes, tomatillos, jalapenos and Anaheims on the Egg. Remove most of the skin and seeds. Puree, along with the hatch chilies.

4. Lightly caramelize the onions and garlic in olive oil.

5. Remove onions and garlic. Melt butter and add flour to make roux.

6. Add braising liquid and pureed veggies.

7. Cut up the pork and add to pot, along with additional stock, if needed

8. Add additional premade roux, if necessary, to thicken.

9. Add seasonings as needed.

10. Add 8-10 drops of fish sauce and then season with salt (if necessary) and pepper.

Greatest thing EVER?!

I ran across this and just had to share. It's possibly the greatest thing I've seen in my whole life! -- Shannon

How to make bacon salt...
http://www.wishfulchef.com/2012/02/how-to-make-bacon-salt/

Thanks to our friends over at Tactical Grilling!

Regular Old Red Chili

My sister called me this morning asking me about "good old regular chili". She hadn't found much online and thought I might have something. Well, of course I did!

Drew’s “regular old red chili”

• Olive oil
• 1 lb ground beef (NOT super lean, you want fat… 80/20 or 85/15 is fine)
• 1 lb Italian sausage, casings removed (I like Boulder Sausage or Canino’s… both local)
• Dried herbs… Mexican Oregano, Chili Powder, Ground Cumin, Cayenne (if you like more heat)... and whatever else sounds good to you.
• 1 large onion, peeled and diced
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed or minced
• 2 28 oz cans of diced tomatoes (I like Muir Glen)
• 1 14 oz can of white kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 14 oz can of red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 bay leaves
• 2-4 cups Vegetable or Chicken stock (to get the consistency you want)

Pour a couple tablespoons of olive oil in the pot and get it nice and hot over medium-high to high heat. Add the ground beef, add dried herbs and break up the ground beef. Now leave it alone so it caramelizes. Once that’s nice and brown, give it a good stir remove it from the pot and put it on a plate. Add some more olive oil and brown the sausage the same way, adding more dried herbs. After the sausage is brown, remove it. Turn the heat down to medium and add more olive oil. Add the onions and garlic and sauté for ~5-7 minutes or until the onions are softened.

At this point, you should have lots of “fond” (good dark stuff) on the bottom of your pot. That’s where all the flavor is!

Turn the heat back up to medium-high. Add all the meat back in. Add the tomatoes and stir, breaking up the fond. Add all the beans. Add the bay leaves. Add 2 cups of stock or more if you want a “soupier” chili.

Bring to a boil and then simmer on medium-low for a couple hours uncovered. The chili should reduce so you can add more stock if you want. Remove the bay leaves.

Serve and enjoy!

Porcini Mushroom Soup

I love this soup! I've made it a couple times and it always tastes SO good. There weren't any porcinis around so I used dried shiitakes instead. Worked great. The only thing with this soup is it doesn't really translate via pictures. Oh well, here goes...

Onions, Garlic, Leeks, Fennel

The addition of potatoes thickens the soup and makes it a complete meal.

Simmering goodness

Ready to go!

Here's the recipe, from New England Soup Factory Cookbook:

3 T butter

4 whole cloves garlic, peeled

1 large onion, peeled and diced

2 leeks (white part only), trimmed and sliced

1 bulb fresh fennel or anise, diced

3 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch chunks

1 cup dried or 2 pounds fresh porcini (or shiitake) mushrooms

6 C chicken or vegetable stock

1 t dried thyme leaves

1/2 C sherry or dry marsala

2 C heavy cream

1/2 t Worcestershire sauce

Salt and pepper

In a stockpot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, onion, leeks, and fennel. Saute for 10 minutes. Add the potatoes, mushrooms, stock, and thyme. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until the potatoes are soft and tender, ~30 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the sherry, cream, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Puree in a blender (in batches... I like to leave some chunks). Place back on the stove and simmer an additional 5 to 7 minutes to warm through.