I find nothing more relaxing than slow cooking on the weekends. Up until recently I would use my crock-pot and either search for recipes on the internet or just throw items in that worked well together. I’d set it on low, walk away, and 4-8 hours later I had dinner. All in all, not too shabby.

A friend of mine turned me on to the dutch oven and the wonders it can do. She boasts about how you can cook almost anything in it because of it’s enamel covered cast-iron. I’ve had it for a few weeks and also purchased the William-Sonoma Essentials of Slow Cooking (of which another friend has a copy). Today I had my first smashing success.

I don’t think I can post the recipe due to copyright laws but to get the idea, you braise a 3lb pork shoulder in beer, onions, garlic, lime, and orange for a few hours. The key to this all was browning the pork shoulder in my cast-iron skillet prior to braising in the oven.

You’ll see my two favorite kitchen tools above. 12″ cast-iron skillet and 5qt. dutch oven. Truly a match made in heaven.

The finished product was extremely tender and juicy with the best part being the citrus hints from the orange and lime. More or less the flavors were infused with the meat which created a tasty fiesta worth repeating.

The cookbook has dozens and dozens of other recipes which I now can’t wait to try out but, the big revelation today was that a dutch oven blows the crock-pot out of the water.

Dutch Oven: Time Saver. Flavor Enhancer. All Around Bad-Ass.

Pi In The Sky

I’ve been laying off the food trucks as of late. The new year brought a renewed self sense of worth which included exercise, less booze, and a healthy diet. BORING. Looking for nearly any excuse to break my diet I came across a wonderful tweet today from @PiTruckDC

“We’ll be in Penn Quarter, near F & 9th, around 5! We’ll have 36 free whole pizzas. Each Pi feeds 2. Hope to see you & sorry if we run out!”

Free pizza 3 blocks from my office?!?!?! On it.

I arrived shortly after 5 with the line roughly 15 people deep. Roughly 10 minutes later I was loaded up with an entire deep dish pepperoni pizza gratis.

Well what do we have here? A delicious pizza built for two. For the record, that’s not grease on the bottom of the box. Since it was 20 degrees out I had to hop on the train home to enjoy (deep dish pizza is messy, right?). 20 minutes of steam later and the bottom of the box was a tad soggy but, it didn’t harm the pizza.

The crust was exactly what I like in a deep dish pizza. Crisp and sturdy to support the ingredients with a subtle sweetness. The sauce delivered a tangy kick with a sweet undertone and the spices were well balanced. At the base you had layers of gooey cheese and a generous portion of pepperoni.

I also did a couple of tests to see how sturdy an individual slice was (this is street food after all!). The slice held up well and can be consumed while standing without fear of a mess landing on your shirt. What’s even better, the box converts into 4 paper plates and then can fold into a carrier for leftovers. You’ll notice perforated lines on the box with a set of instructions for folding near the top in the image below.

In short, this is an excellent pizza. They will be offering several options including some for vegetarians. It’s also the perfect amount of pizza for two people. If you can’t catch the food truck, try and hit their restaurant, District of Pi, coming to Penn Quarter soon.

Now that I’ve had my momentary lapse in diet-reason, it’s back to the regularly scheduled program.

In case you didn’t know, I’m originally from Detroit. More accurately I’m from the suburbs but I digress. Perhaps one of my favorite foods of all time are the Coney Island hot dogs served up all around metro Detroit. You can’t go more than a mile in the Detroit area without running into a restaurant serving them.  To get the absolute best however you need to head downtown.

The original Detroit establishment (circa 1917) is American Coney Island. There is a rich history you can read on Wikipedia if you want but, basically the original owners got into a fight and split the restaurant in two a la King Solomon (see Lafayette Coney Island next door). Many argue which is the best, however; I chose American Coney Island as it is the original.

Above is a plate consisting of the classic coney hot dog and one loose coney. A loose coney is made with ground beef instead of a hot dog but has the same toppings as the regular coney hot dog. They are each served on soft buns and topped with an all meat chili, yellow mustard, and diced onion. The dog is in a natural skin casing  that has an incredible flavor and a distinct snap when you bite into it. The chili is meaty and it blends perfectly with the onion and mustard. Oh. So. Good.

My friend Winnie was in town for Thanksgiving and curiously I had never taken her to have a coney before. We decided to get chili fries as well and she put up with me snapping photos of her while she ate.

The giddy smile above is the delight of one having their first coney. It is something you’ll never forget.  Many cities have their version of the coney but to truly experience one you have to head to Detroit Rock City.

There is a new Chicago-style hotodog place in DC you say? It’s not a food truck? What’s it called? Chi-what-o? Ohhhh. ChiDogO’s!!

Today marked the opening of an actual brick and mortar restaurant serving a regional cuisine not of DC origin. One would expect a food truck dispensing such items, however; ChiDogO’s has opened up at 14th & U St. NW. Their tagline is: ‘Brining Chicago Style Hot Dogs and Italian Style Beef Sandwiches to The District!” If they’re brining it, I brought my appetite.

Reminiscent of a 50s diner, ChiDogO’s has a diamond cut steel counter with aluminum high top tables. You order your food at one end and pick it up at the other. The menu consists of two main items. Obviously the hot dog and the Italian beef sandwich. There are a variety of sides and combinations along with the ability to order two Goose Island Beers (312 or seasonal variety).

I went for dinner (apologies for the dark photos) therefore I was in need of a lot of food and a beer. None of the combos include beer so I ordered a la carte. One ChiDogO with the works, one Italian Beef Sandwich with hot peppers, and a 312 Goose Island Beer.

First up was the ChiDogO and it was excellent. The poppy seed bun was super soft. The sport peppers were hot. The tomato was crisp and flavorful. Most importantly, the Vienna Beef hot dog gave a perfect snap when biting. All the other standard toppings were there (mustard, relish, onion, pickle spear, and celery salt). While I haven’t been to DC-3 yet, this is a great benchmark.

Next up was the Italian Beef Sandwich and overall, I was not a huge fan. I found the beef to be chewy and there was not a great meat to bun ratio. I made a mental note that the larger bun used was probably to absorb the au jus in the ‘Dipped’ option. I went with ‘Juicy’ (a little extra gravy) so it seemed like too much bun. The hot peppers were good but to make this a great sandwich, the beef should be tender and the bun shouldn’t consume the meat.

Overall, I really enjoyed the hot dog and, having a Goose Island 312 was a nice touch. Next time, I would pass on the beef sandwich and get an extra hot dog or a side of fries. Something fun to offer in the future would be a happy hour combo that includes a beer as well.

Check it out next time you are at 14th and U St and let me know what you think in the comments.

DC’s ever expanding food truck scene received a new addition this week in the name of CapMac. While this week is considered their soft opening, you can count on them very soon to get you through the upcoming Winter season with their menu of creative comfort foods. I happened upon their Twitter account this afternoon and was fortunate enough to have them serving in my neighborhood.

While their menu will be rotating several items (click image above for readable menu), I decided to go with the namesake dish of CapMac’n Cheese. For $6 you get a medium sized container which after inhaling, is more than enough for lunch.  Other items were Chicken Parm Meat Balls and Beef Bolognese both served over Rigatoni for $8 a piece. Creatively, those two items were served in Chinese-style takeout containers.

Without a doubt, CapMac serves up a well balanced Macaroni and Cheese. The cheddar offers just the right amount of sharpness while the pimento provides the extra dimension to make it stand out on your palate.  The pasta is appropriately cooked to al dente which avoids the most common disaster in mac ‘n’ cheese. Adding crumble cheese-it as the crust is a nice touch to make the experience reminiscent of being a kid again.

With so many food trucks in the DC area, it’s getting harder and harder to make a decision about lunch. With CapMac now on the streets, I will likely be returning all Winter long when they’re in my neighborhood to shake off the Winter blues.

Valencia is the birthplace of Paella. Nestled in the eastern shore of Spain, Valencia is known as the intellectual center of the country. Highlighted by La Ciudad de Las Artes y Ciencas (the city of arts and science) complex, Valencia provides a modern refreshing ambience that is still deeply rooted in its Christian past. For example, one can find the Holy Grail at the Cathedral which is located only a short distance from their progressive technology based university and arts and science complex.

Central to Valencia’s past is Paella. Paella is a rice dish using bomba rice (medium grain) that is slow simmered, like risotto, over a wood fire in a paella dish. Accented by saffron, paella usually has meats (chicken, rabbit, duck) or seafood (snails, shrimp, langoustine, mussels).

The name of the restaurant escapes me but, we dined in the beach town Platja de la Malva-Rossa. Below are some pictures. If you are in Valencia, head to the beach and you will find several restaurants specializing in paella.

We drank sangria, ate seafood paella, and watched waves crash on the beach. It was so good, it took us only 15 minutes to finish the entire paella. For me, it was the best meal of the trip so far.

Food truck culture is in full swing in Washington, DC. I got my first exposure while visiting friends  in Los Angeles with Kogi BBQ in 2009. While the culture has been flourishing in LA for quite some time, DC has only recently been exposed to the wonders of gourmet food vending. DC now has (or soon will have) lobster rolls, pizza, korean tacos, Cuban sandwiches, and empanadas coming at you from a tricked out catering truck. These are the only the ones I can think of off the top of my head! Each day it seems a friend is telling me of a new one.

I had grand aspirations of eating a lobster roll today, however; when I stepped out of my office I noticed Yellow Vendor conveniently parked a block away. Seeing as how I hadn’t had good Korean food since I lived in Los Angeles, and the Lobster Truck was a 15 minute walk, I opted for Yellow Vendor.

Their menu is simple. For $7 you have the choice of bulgogi (spicy or regular), bibimbab (with egg and choice chicken/beef), and chicken teriyaki. Lunchboxes are served with a white rice, kimchi, and side salad.

What you see above is a spicy bulgogi lunchbox. The beef was sweet and tender with a good amount of spiciness. There was significant heat to the bulgogi but it did not overwhelm the other flavors. The kimchi was excellent and the salad was dressed in a sesame ginger vinaigrette. It’s enough food to induce a coma along with belly rubbing and contemplation of loosening the belt.

Does the chef recommend? Absolutely.

Now That’s What I Call Good Stuff

Ladies and Gentlemen of the Foodie Republic lend me your stomachs! I have been to hamburger heaven and it is delicious! Where is this place you say? Why it’s Good Stuff Eatery.

Good Stuff is the vision of Spike Mendelsohn who among other things was a contestant on Top Chef. Good Stuff is one of those places that always has a line out the door but is worth the wait. They specialize in hamburgers (basic to gourmet), fries (seasoned with rosemary and thyme), and hand spun shakes. This is a good example of when simple ingredients go right. Spike keeps his ingredient list short and fresh which produces some of the best food in DC. Sit-down, take-out, whatever.

The line at Good Stuff can get long so get there early if you plan on having lunch in a reasonable amount of time. When you walk in, immediately get in line. It’s sort of a ‘switch-back’ model that resembles waiting for a roller coaster. The line takes you by the griddle (shown above) where you can see the line cooks churn out burger after burger.

After placing your order you get a nifty buzzer to alert you when your order is ready. It comes in a classic looking bag (above) in just a few minutes. Today was a special day for my visit. My coworkers are doing a ‘Best of DC’ lunch group and today was our stop for ‘Best Milkshake’.

I decided to go all out and get a Farmhouse Burger with Bacon (made to order), Village Fries (the aforementioned season fries), and a chocolate milkshake. Good Stuff is also known for some excellent mayo combinations to give your fries an added kick. Above you can see Chipotle and Sriracha Mayo respectively.

Am I currently full? Did Grizzly Adams have a beard? Let’s just say I’m in an epic food coma and If I were a bear I would be all set for winter hibernation.

Before we headed back to the office we presented Spike with our ‘Best of DC’ award for his milkshakes. He deserves one for his burgers as well in my opinion. If you’re in the area there is no excuse for not stopping by.

The Doctor Is In

One of my favorite things to make is pizza. It’s quick, easy, and freaking delicious. The most difficult part is making the dough but, it’s so simple even the most inept chef can come out looking like a pro. I’ll walk you through a simple dough recipe using basic ingredients you can find at any market and then show you some tips on baking a tasty pie.

Dough-rae-me

You can roll over to foodnetwork.com, search for pizza dough, and get about 1,000 results. They’ll tell you to use three different kinds of flour, water, special salt, honey, sugar, cornmeal….way too complicated. We’re not trying to make pizza to serve at a $500 per plate fundraiser are we? No. We’re making pizza at home. I have tried several of these recipes and guess what? One isn’t that different from the other. Basically you are going to need water, flour, yeast, sugar, salt, and olive oil. That’s it.  Here are the rough measures:

• 3/4 cup warm water
• 1/4 tsp table salt
• 1/4 tsp granulated sugar
• 1/4 ounce of active dry yeast (one envelope)
• 2 tbsp olive oil plus more for coating
• 2 cups all purpose flour plus more for dusting

This recipe makes 4 personal thin crust pizzas or two hand tossed pizzas.

First, warm the water in the microwave for about 20 seconds. It should be warm but not scalding hot. While the water is warming place the salt and sugar in a large mixing bowl. When the water is warm, pour it over the sugar and salt. Quickly, pour the yeast on top of the water without stirring and let stand for 7-10 minutes. This process basically wakes up the yeast and gets it ready for the flour. You’ll notice that 5 minutes in, the yeast will now be foamy and fragrant. This is good. It should look something like this:

Once you get to this point you can add the two tablespoons of olive oil and whisk around once or twice. Now, add one cup of the flour and stir with a spatula or spoon. Once it’s combined add the second cup of flour and stir to combine. At this point you can ditch the spatula or spoon and get right in there with your hands. We’re trying to have fun aren’t we?

A lot of recipes will call for a stand mixer with a dough hook or some other fancy contraption. Really all you need is your two hands. After about a minute of hand mixing you should see something like this:

It’s not pretty but it’s a good sign you’re on the right track. If after combining the flour into the water/yeast/sugar mixture it appears too dry or too sticky, feel free to add more water (dry) or flour (sticky). After kneading the dough in the bowl for 4-5 minutes you should have a ball that is smooth, well combined, and not overly sticky.

Continuing, coat a fresh bowl with olive oil, transfer your ball of dough into it, roll the dough around to coat in the oil, and cover with a damp towel (or cover in plastic wrap). It’s now time for the dough to rise. Generally I wait an hour but you can let it go longer if you like. Also, keep it in a warm place. 70 degrees or warmer is better. Once the dough has risen you can work with it right away or seal in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator. It’ll last for 3-4 days.

This whole process should take no more than 20 minutes with roughly half of it involving you waiting. Not too shabby eh?

The Waiting Is The Hardest Part

The two photos below show the dough pre and post rise. This was just over an hour. See the difference? It doubled in size and is light an fluffy as opposed to dense.

Use the hour of rise time wisely. Generally I crack open a beer before getting started on heating the oven and prepping the toppings. Tonight I chose Sierra Nevada Torpedo. Hoppy and good. It went well with the pizza.

Next, I put my pizza stone in the oven and cranked up the heat to 550 degrees. I use a $15 round pizza stone you can buy at Target or Bed, Bath, and Beyond. Again, nothing fancy here. There are debates about using ceramic tiles, rectangular vs. round, and a whole bunch of other stuff. This is probably the one area where I feel doing your research and paying for quality will payoff. Honestly, I don’t have a car and the Bed, Bath, and Beyond near my house had the $15 pizza stone so I bought it. Someday I’ll go for something better but, my $15 stone does the job just fine.

You’ll have to figure out the placement on your own. I have a small apartment oven that provides heat from the bottom so I aim a little low. If I had a better oven I’d probably place it square in the middle. Oh and all that grit on the stone? Pizza Love. It’s scraped clean but previous cooking experiments have left it stained. Not to worry. Heat for 45 minutes to an hour before putting the pizza in.

Ingredients

At this point your dough is rising and your stone is heating in the oven. You’ll have this time to gather your ingredients for your pizza. I’m of the mindset that you should put whatever you want on your pizza. My only suggestion is choose ingredients that aren’t too wet. This will cause your pizza to ooze thus staining your pizza stone and causing unwanted smoke.  For this recipe I chose simple crushed tomato, fresh mozzarella, Sopressa, and fresh basil. That’s it.

When the Moon Hits Your Eye Like A Big Pizza Pie

Once the dough has risen, transfer it to a floured surface and divide into two (hand tossed) or four (thin crust) portions. For this demo I did hand tossed. Ball up one portion of the dough and flatten with you hands or rolling pin remembering not to overwork the dough. When done you should have a circle about 8 inches across (more or less).

Now that the dough is ready, layer your ingredients onto the dough and get it ready for the oven.

Place the pizza onto the stone and cook for 8-10 minutes but keep an eye on it. Once the cheese is bubbly and brown and the dough get’s a dark  golden brown it’s ready.

Behold!!

From start to finish the entire project took about 1 hour and 30 minutes but most of it was waiting around. I’ve made this dinner for family and friends and it’s always a hit. Gathering eclectic ingredients, good drinks, and good friends will make your pizza night one to remember.

Well folks, today was interesting. After I had finished my delicious lunch, my banana decided to take on a life of its own. It was completely unexpected turn of events. Usually I just eat my banana and go on with my day. Today Mr. Banana pleaded for his delicious life. The following played out in real time between 12:30PM and 2PM. Names, events, and locations are reflected as accurately as possible.

12:30PM

Nearing the end of my nutritious lunch, I began to eyeball my banana with a deliciously murderous intent. As I contemplated my plan of attack, Mr. Banana promptly pleaded for his life. He has a wife and baby son who live in my fridge and wants to see them grow up big and strong. Since I’m a reasonable fellow, and mostly full from the rest of my lunch, I decided to delay the decision on his fate until 2PM.

1:30PM

Now I’ve given Mr. Banana a solid hour to plead his case while I digest the rest of my lunch. He really doesn’t have anything more to add other than wanting to see his kid grow up and something about there will be consequences if he is killed. Just when I am about to provide him a stay on his execution guess who shows up? None other that Nutella. If you are not familiar, Nutella is a scrumptious badass. Basically he jumps on almost any food and makes it even better. He likes his job. He’s good at his job. When someone questions eating something he gets rather upset.

Well friends, Nutella pulls out a knife and puts it up to Mr. Banana’s throat and says: “If you don’t kill this banana, I will.” That sounded pretty serious and tasty to me.

1:45PM

At this point, Mr. Banana had to know it was not going to end well. He had a terrible start to his day when he got into my lunch bag and then watched as I devoured a PB&J sandwich, 20 baby carrots, and some crackers. Nutella and I prepared his execution William Wallace-style. Blindfolded, Mr. Banana makes one last plea for his life:

2:00PM

I’m not going to lie. He was delicious and full of potassium. Mr. Nutella added a little extra sweetness to the story as well. I am afraid however that there will be consequences to my actions. As he lay split open on my desk he let out his death rattle:

I fear the worst that tomorrow I will encounter his kin looking to avenge his death. Will Nutella and I be up for the challenge? Stay tuned to find out!