Spicey Thai Metambre

For those of you who are wondering what the heck this is I will break it down for you. A metambre is a South American dish grilled on a bbq and is basically a stuffed roast beef. The name metambre translates into "hunger Killer". Traditionally it is stuffed with carrots, onion, celery and things like that. Going for Thai flavors I forgot about the carrots and celery and added my own twist.

Here is what you will need...

2-3 lb Roast beef (suitable for cutting into a roll)
2 large tomatoes
2 large sprigs of Thai basil
2 cloves of minced garlic
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 tablespoon minced lemon grass
1/2 teaspoon fish sauce
1/4 liquid smoke
juice from 1/2 lime
12 cremini mushrooms
2 green onions

First thing is to cut the roast, beef tenderloin may work very well for this. The roast is cut like a jelly roll and the ideal thickness is a half inch. Take some aluminum foil and grease one side with the olive oil so the roast won't stick to it while cooking. Now you can place your unrolled roast on the foil.

In medium non-reactive mixing bowl add the olive oil, minced garlic, grated ginger, minced lemon grass, fish sauce, liquid smoke and the lime juice. Dice the tomato, chop the basil and add them to the bowl. With a large spoon or a potato masher crush all the ingredients together. This should leave you with a rather fragrant tomato sauce.

Slice the mushrooms and place them on top of the meat and place strips of green onion about every inch. Now scoop the sauce onto the beef and spread evenly. Now roll up you meat like a jelly roll and wrap it in tin foil. Take butcher's twine and tie the wrapped roll every two or three inches. It is also a good idea to soak your twine in water for at least five to ten minutes before wrapping to prevent it from burning.

Place your metambre on the bqq, you want your grill set to medium heat and you can cook it indirectly. Every twenty minutes roll the meat a quarter turn. It should take an hour or two to cook, depending on the size of meat you are dealing with. The internal temperature should reach 170ºF when it is done. You should check it with an instant read thermometer just to be sure. Remove it from the grill and let it set for ten minutes before cutting and serving.

In the last twenty minutes of cooking you can crank up the heat and directly grill it to give the outside of the roast a more crispy texture. Also you can stuff this thing with what ever you want to change the taste to your liking.

Have fun and enjoy!

Tempting Butternut Squash Soup

Ever been to one of those fancy shmancy dinners where they bring you soup as an appetizer? And its this crazy squash soup that you would never think to order on your own but since its part of the meal you decide to try it anyway? It tastes so good and you are glad you had it. This is that soup!

So what you's gonna need is...
6-8 cups of chopped Butternut Squash
1 cup of chopped carrots
2 cups of chicken broth
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 cup of chopped spanish onion
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoons of grated ginger
2 tablespoons of Mango Chutney
1 tablespoon cumin
Sour cream

First things first, get yourself a pot. Not one of those soup pots that you warm your camble's soup in but not a enormous stock pot... how about something in between? Pour in your olive oil and saute the onion and carrot, when the onion begins to soften add the garlic, ginger and cumin. Cook and stir for about minute. Then add the mango chutney, chicken broth and the butternut squash and bring to a boil. Let simmer on medium heat for about twenty minutes. Next you put it all in a blender and blend!

Serve with a dollop of sour cream and some fresh cracked black pepper. It will serve about four as a meal or six to eight as appetizers. Its a great easy and tasty recipe that your friends will ask you for. Enjoy!

Some Cookie Recipe I Found in my Sock Drawer

So here I am in the middle of a move and I stumble accross this cookie recipe in my sock drawer. I have never made them but I am going to post this recipe here so I can throw out this piece of paper. So if this is actually your recipe, who ever you may be, thanks!

1/4 lb margarine
2 1/2 cups o' icing sugar
1 cup of white sugar
3 eggs
1/8 cup vanilla
1 1/2 cups peanut butter (caution may contain peanuts)
4 1/2 cups rolled oats
2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cups smarties

So whats you gonna do is cream the margerine, icing sugar and white sugar. Then you is gonna blen in the eggs. Now add the vanilla and peanut butter. Finally add the oats and baking soda. When that be a combined up add the smarties and chocolate chips.

Firm into balls and flatten with a fork to half their height.

Bake for approximately 12 minutes at 350 degrees.

So there you have it, someone elses recipe here so I wont forget it!

The Best Salad in the World

This is not your usual salad or a healthy salad but it is the best salad and is guaranteed not to have any left overs, no matter how much you make. This is a recipe that I got from my brother-in-law's mother. She's from Newfoundland. The secret ingredient is corn chips and there is no lettuce so lets keep that quiet because it is a secret!

A bag or two of barbecue Corn chips
Green pepper
Red pepper
Yellow or Orange sweet peppers
4 green onions
Russian salad dressing

So here's how you do it, dice the peppers and green onions. Mix the veggies with about a bag and a half of the corn chips and add about half of the bottle of dressing. Now toss! Voila, you have the best salad in the world. People will be asking you for the recipe so make sure you book mark this one!

Garlic Lover's Warm Tomato Salad

This dish has also come to be known as vampire repellent. If you love garlic, you can add as much as you would like and if you don't love it as much as others you can add a little less. This dish will take less than fifteen minutes to prepare and cook. It is also best enjoyed fresh off the heat and also with a nice glass of wine. I would have to recommend the Lindeman's Bin 95 Sauvignion Blanc or the Masi Tupungato Passo Blanco. Now that we got the important part done, picking the wine, lets get on to the salad...

24 Cherry Tomatoes
1/3 cup of Feta Cheese
2 sprigs of Fresh Basil or 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
2 cloves of Garlic
2 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

First of all, wash your tomatoes, cut them in half and set aside. Next, cube the feta cheese to roughly 1 cm. Roll the basil into a little ball and finely chop it. Rolling it makes it easier to work with. Now mince the garlic.

Pour the olive oil in the pan and add the garlic and basil. Heat the oil on low for about five minutes. You don't want to cook it but you want all the flavors to mingle and get to know each other. Now you may turn it up just a little and then add the tomatoes. After the tomatoes have warmed up then add the feta cheese. The cheese will start to melt and combine nicely with the oil. Now its done and you can serve it up.

It will serve about 4 people for an appetizer. You can add more cheese, basil or garlic to your own personal liking and preferences. It is excellent this way but you can drizzle some nice balsamic vinegar on it if you wish and you can garnish it with a basil leaf or two. Enjoy!

Back to the Med Moroccan Chicken

Up for something a little different? Tired of the usual Thai or Indian Curry? This is a nice and easy recipe that will taste great every time. The driving flavors are cumin and oregano, to use fresh oregano is ideal but the dried stuff works just as great. This is what you will need...

• 4 Chicken Breasts (cubed)
• 1 chopped medium Onion
• 2 cloves of Garlic
• 1 tablespoon of grated Ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon Turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon Paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon Cumin
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup crushed tomatoes
• 1 cup canned chickpeas, drained
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 cup Marsala Cooking Wine
  

So first things first, get a nice big sauce pan or wok and heat some olive oil or sesame seed oil and add the oregano and chicken. When the chicken starts to turn white all over add the onion and when the onion starts to soften add the garlic and ginger. After a minute or two add the cumin, paprika, cayenne and turmeric and cook for another two minutes.

Next add the Marsala wine and chicken stock, let it reduce. Then add the tomatoes and chick peas and simmer for another five to ten minutes, until the chicken is done. Stir in the lemon juice and serve with Spanish rice or even a couscous.

You can easily add zucchini, egg plant, carrots and/or celery to up the veggie content.

I was in a little cafe in Spain when i tried Moroccan chicken for the first time. It was invitingly warm and not too spicy. In my adventures to find and cook the tastiest food, this recipe is the closest to that little cafe with the fond memories and the best sangria.

El Mejor Sangria

Like wine? Love sangria. I have had some tasty sangria in my days, I can say that the best does come from Spain. I have spent a few nights in Malaga at a local cafe enjoying this tasty stuff. So in my cooking adventures and after many tries I have come up with the best sangria west of Spain. The first thing, if you want good sangria, you will need some good wine. I find that a Valpolicella works well, such produced by Folonari. Also a full bodied Cabernet Sauvignon works well too. Now here we go...

1 750mL bottle of tasty wine
1 cup of orange juice
1/2 thinly sliced orange, lemon and lime
1/2 cup frozen strawberries
1/2 cup frozen raspberries
1 to 2 cups of 7up or Sprite
2 ounces Triple Sec

Just mix everything together except for the pop. Let it stand in the fridge for a few hours. The longer it sets the more the flavors mix together and the tastier it gets. Top up some glasses with ice, pour is some sangria, top off the glass with Sprite and Bob's yer uncle! (actually my uncle is Herman but let that get in the way of enjoying the sangria)