Mahi Mahi

Just your basic Grilled Mahi Mahi with coconut rice, black beans, mango relish and mashed plantains.

Ant Eggs in Cabo

Last week I was in Cabo. We went to an amazing restaurant called La Fonda. The appetizer was Escamole aka ant eggs a dish that was voted one of the 6 most terrifying food in the world by Cracked.com They were ok but not much flavor. Really you tasted onion more then anything. They are the larva of a very venomous ant that live in the roots of the Agave plant so they cant be all that bad. My main course was a pork shank that was worth the trip. The fishing was pretty good. I caught the biggest Dorado (Mahi Mahi) of my life a 55 lb monster. The deck hand on the boat made us some ceviche from one of our fish about 45 minutes after it was caught. There is nothing like super fresh ceviche. It was a great trip and I can't wait to get back down there in November.

 

55lb Dorado

Crazy good pork shank

Mahi Mahi Ceviche can't get any fresher.

Escamole aka ant eggs

Pesto, Sausage, Mushroom Pizza

Anyone who reads this blog knows I love to cook homemade pizzas on my Big Green Egg. Well, I had a hankerin' for some this weekend so I made pizzas for my boys and me and my wife. The inspiration came from using what we had around and it turned out great!! -- Drew

Here's how I made mine...

• Homemade dough (mine makes 3 14" pizzas)
• Pesto (happened to be the really good stuff they have at Costco)
• Shredded "Pizza" Cheese
• Precooked Boulder Italian Sausage
• Sauteed mushrooms
• Buffalo mozzarella
• Salt and pepper

After heating the Egg to about 450 (with the plate setter in and a spare rack under it with some foil on it to displace some of the direct heat), form a pizza on a floured pizza wheel and poke all around with a fork. Top with the toppings above and cook 1 pizza at a time, ~10 minutes per pizza. Enjoy!

Blueberry-Lemon Oatmeal Bars

I saw these over at Noble Pig and decided to try them last weekend. SOOOOOO good. I could have even cut the (white) sugar in half and they would have still been great. Recipe at the bottom. Enjoy! -- Drew

Blueberry-Lemon Oatmeal Bars

Inspired by Cooking Light
Makes 20 Bars

Crust:
4.5 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 Tablespoons butter, melted
3 Tablespoons lemon juice
Cooking Spray

Filling:
1-1/3 cups dried blueberries (6 ounces)
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 large egg white, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 325 F.

To prepare crust, weigh or lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife.  Combine flour, oats, brown sugar, salt, baking soda and cinnamon in a medium bowl, stirring well to combine.  Drizzle butter and juice over flour mixture, stirring until moistened (mixture will be crumbly).  Reserve 1/2 cup oat mixture.  Press remaining oat mixture into the bottom of an 11 x 7 baking pan coated with cooking spray (13 x 9 pan works too).

Prepare filling by combining blueberries, sour cream, granulated sugar, flour, vanilla, lemon zest and egg white in a medium bowl, stirring well.  Spread blueberry mixture over prepared crust; sprinkle reserved oat mixture evenly over filling.

Bake for 40 minutes or until edges are golden.  Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.

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!