Big Fluffies (Buttermilk Biscuits)

The weekend is a flurry of shopping and cooking because Nancy - one of Drew's oldest and dearest friends and now a new but dear friend of Raul's - and her partner Bruce are coming over for a BBQ. Nancy usually hosts dinners and they are always spectacular and lavish so Raul is feeling the pressure. 

Raul decides to go with the tried and tested: a cheese platter, steak, asparagus wrapped in prosciutto and a lemon meringue pie. He also decides to add Drew's Mom's potato salad and bean salad to give an extra summery kick to the proceedings. All easily organized except for finding the perfect steaks to satisfy all the carnivore cravings. R&D have many ingredients to pick up and every grocery store in the neighbourhood is visited and the meat is found lacking in all. The decision is made - which should have been made in the first place - to go to Ellas Meat Market on Pape just below the Danforth. Not only is the staff at Ellas friendly and chatty - Raul and the handsome young butcher who helps choose the steaks have a long, and possibly unnecessary though entertaining, discussion about Drew's unfortunate taste for well done steaks, the butcher likes to "be able to mop up the blood on the plate with bread" - but the steaks are perfection, cut to the flawless specifications that Raul always hopes for and seldom receives, and considerably cheaper than any of the other outlets visited in the morning. "We should have come here in the first place," repeats Raul with a contented smile. 

The steaks cook perfectly - Drew even consents to medium well and grudgingly admits that the flavour is better - and a fine time is had by all. Despite hearty appetites there is a lot of meat left over - the steaks were cut and trimmed that generously - and the next day Raul creates a hearty stew for recovery day. And what goes best with stew? Biscuits.

Drew's Mom is an expert at baking in general and biscuits specifically. Her biscuits are not only a family favourite but also the preferred, above all else, dining experience of the dog. He will shamelessly beg for her biscuits and his ears perk up whenever it is suggested that there is a visit to the "Tea Biscuit Lady" pending. Upon arriving at Drew's Mom's the dog races through the front door and sits facing the fridge in his classic "please feed me" position. 

Raul fires off an email request hoping she will share her expertise and Drew's Mom replies in minutes: I have no secret recipes, I love to share. Enjoy!

3 c flour (I use a combination of whole wheat and white)
1 T baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
3 T white sugar (the original recipe did not call for this)
3/4 c butter or margarine (I use Becel Original)
1 c buttermilk (if I do not have I put a T of lemon juice in a cup of milk and let stand)

Combine all the dry ingredients Add the butter or margarine and combine well - a food processor works well but I use my mother's little hand - can't think of the name at the moment but I will show you when you are here. You probably know what I am talking about, in fact you probably have at least 3 :)
Add buttermilk and combine to moisten the flour mix. Knead briefly.
Pat out to desired thickness, about 3/4", cut with cutter, bake 400'F for 10 - 15 minutes. You may or may not need to butter your baking sheet. (Raul uses parchment paper)
The original recipe also said that you could drop the dough by spoonfuls on the sheet.

The stew - a recipe for another time, this is all about the biscuits - is delicious and the biscuits sop up every droplet of gravy. And yes the dog is very very happy and heartily approves of Raul's first biscuit batch.

BBQ'ed Pork Tenderloin

The heat has been overwhelming and all are grateful for the salads that Drew's Mom has prepared. Raul is perfectly willing to brave the inferno to operate the bbq but simplicity is called for. Fortunately Drew's Mom has a marinated - teriyaki - pork tenderloin in the freezer. She purchased it when on sale at M&M's when it was heavily discounted because she purchased a massive amount of frozen chicken breasts. Raul is in envy of Drew's Mom's purchasing power due to freezer space that just isn't possible at the R&D homestead.

The cut of meat is a good one but Raul still has to cut away some silverskin, "I just don't like the taste - it is a bit bitter and definitely tough," and is surprised that it was marinated without a complete removal of the membrane. Raul also has to discourage Drew from adding to the marinade and is glad they are the summer home where there are not as many spicing options, especially NO wasabi.

The tenderloin is bbq'ed for 20 minutes - Drew likes his meat well done - and flips it once. Raul lets it cool and settle for five minutes before carving into thin diagonal slices with the newly-sharpened ancient knife. The pork is delicious with no bitterness or even a vague hint of toughness. It matches and accentuates the salads' flavour intensity. It is only when the platter has been devoured that Drew's Mom notices that none was saved for the dog. Drew, to everyone except the dog's disgust, pulls his last half-chewed bite out of his mouth and shares it with the mutt.

Beer Can Chicken, Broccoli Salad, Bean Salad and Potato Salad

A summer is not a summer without a visit to Drew's Mom's summer place. It is a lengthy drive to a remote area - horror of horrors there is no cell phone service and one must rely on conversation, reading and contemplation - but relaxing and idyllic. Despite the dearth of grocery options - the nearest general store that sells more than canned goods, bags of chips and gasoline, is a 20 minute drive - Drew's Mom always manages to pack a hefty cooler and produce a series of spectacular salads. It always amazes Raul, though you'd think he would catch on, that she recycles the salads in different variations and in different bowls. Combining and mixing three basic salads this expedition (broccoli, bean and potato) makes each meal seem like a whole new menu. This evening the various salads are to accompany Raul's bbq'ed Beer Can Chicken.

Drew's Mom's Broccoli Salad actually has an explicit recipe (that she improvises within quite happily).

Dressing:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon white pepper
Mix the above ingredients and pour over:
1 head of finely cut broccoli
1/2 cup of halved grapes
1 cup of sunflower seeds or sliced almonds
1/2 cup chopped red onions
Combine and refrigerate.

The bean salad is created by slicing an onion, a red pepper and a green pepper into strips. Cans of beans - any combination of french cut, green, red kidney, cut wax, romano, lima, edamame, but ALWAYS garbanzo (they are Drew's favourite only because the name is so much fun to say) - are mixed with the sliced vegetables. A cup of red wine or malt vinegar is mixed with a half cup of corn oil and then brought to a boil. As soon as it begins to boil a cup of white sugar is stirred in. As soon as it melts the resulting sauce is poured over the bean mixture, stirred, shaken and refrigerated.

The potato salad is simplicity itself. Small unpeeled potatoes are boiled in salt water for 20 minutes and then cooled. The potatoes are cubed and then mixed with chopped green onions, white pepper, two chopped boiled eggs and whatever Drew's Mom feels inspired to accentuate with - in the past there has been garlic, more onion, diced pickles or olives, pickled red pepper, etc - and dollops of mayonnaise. Everything is mixed together and then refrigerated.

Once all the salads are in the fridge it is Raul's turn to tackle the chicken. "I just impaled the chicken on a beer can," he shrugs, "And stuck it on the bbq. The little rack is very handy - I've done it before just standing the chicken on the beer can but it sometimes falls over, a little three pound chicken can't handle an entire can of beer."

Much to Drew's chagrin and surprise - the evening before Drew had marinated chicken breasts in white wine, Jack Daniels, sweet chili pepper flakes and mesquite spicing for several hours before they were bbq'ed - Raul doesn't rub the chicken or give it any special treatment and it turns out moist and delicious. An hour and a half standing in the bbq and the skin is brown and crunchy and the meat falls off the bones. Raul has sharpened all of Drew's Mom's cottage knives (including the one brought over by Drew's great-great-grandmother that is still in use and has a mysterious handle made of a mysterious bone) so the chicken is elegantly and easily carved into multiple portions. The bones go in a pot for stock and the platter of meat joins the salads on the table on the deck overlooking the lake. It is a feast.

The only mishap occurs when the beer can, fragrant and rich with drippings and no longer held upright by the nether end of the chicken, falls on its side spewing hot liquid over the deck. The dog's paw is splashed but the flavour outdoes the pain and he has to be restrained from licking up more of the nectar until it cools. "We'll put the leftover beer into the stock," says Drew's Mom.

"Burp," hiccups the dog. Turns out an eight pound dog can't handle much beer either.

Breakfast Sandwich - Burrito-style

"Why don't you make Heuvos Fagiole and I'll take the morning off?" suggests Raul.

"No problem," says Drew. "I'll make it spicier this time. I don't really feel like pasta but maybe I'll get corn chips and put them on a bed of them. Or torilla chips."

"We don't have processed chips in the house," notes Raul.

"Have you ever had chili in a corn chip bag?" asks Drew while Raul heads to the kitchen. "I had it several times at that Cowgirl restaurant in New York. It was delicious but probably not at all good for you or practical. I could go and get tortillas and . . ." Meanwhile Raul is working the mini-food processor.  He blends up some of the fagolie sauce to create a paste and then fries it into refried beans Portuguese-style. Three eggs are beaten together with parsley and green onions and then fried into a verdant thin omelette. An avocado is whirred into a paste. The three elements are spread onto a pita and rolled up tight into tasty burritos. "Maybe tortillas would be too crunchy," muses Drew.

"Breakfast is served," says Raul.

Pantry Pizza

"What a week," muses Drew. "Heatwave after heatwave, a thunderstorm that turned into a flood, a spectacular gig . . . I'm exhausted. But hungry."

"It's still too hot to cook," notes Raul. "That's why we bbq'ed burgers for lunch. And have been eating the same big, but delicious, batch of pasta fagiole for dinner every night. Comfort food for sure but . . . What do you feel like having?"

"I'm good with pasta fagiole," pipes up Drew with sincere enthusiasm.

"Let's see what we have," says Raul. "We're going north in a few days so I want to empty the fridge and make a dent in the freezer."

Drew walks the dog - despite the threatened round two of the storms - while Raul ponders and pores over the kitchen contents. By the time the duo, return the kitchen is a hive of activity. "Pantry pizza!" enthuses Raul.

A pita bread is split in half lengthwise and coated with a mixture of ketchup and anchovy paste to add a blast of umami. Raul then layers on a thick bed of shredded basil from the balcony garden - all the rain has turned the basil plants into huge leafy bushes - and mozzarella cheese grated in a brief blast in the mini-food processor. He briefly fries thinly sliced chorizo sausage to squeeze out the fat and they places the glistening discs on top. The pizzas are placed in the toaster oven until the cheese starts to bubble. The final touch is a sprinkling - or a smothering in Drew's case - of Onion Crunch which is a really versatile and useful flavouring R&D use frequently in salads or atop soups.

The result is light, delicious, cheap and easy. "Gourmet flavour for a bargain price," enthuses Raul. "Why go to an overpriced pizza place when you can use fresh ingredients, toss it in the toaster oven and it only costs 50 cents? Good taste should not be expensive."

"Well it was delicious," says a happy Drew while he sneaks a nibble of chorizo to the dog.

"It was fun," says Raul. "I like pulling stuff together and the cheese was a breeze with the mini-processor and now that we have the sharp knife I could get the chorizo really thin. Maybe we shouldn't admit that we just used ketchup?"

Steak Sandwich with Roasted Peppers, Avocado and Basil

"Well that was time consuming but delicious," says Raul while chewing. "It all goes back to taking a two dollar cut of meat . . ."

The sandwiches' genesis began when Drew, realizing they were out of staples, milk for the coffee and dog food beyond boring kibble, raced to Food Basics at the crack of dawn, despite the pouring rain, to prepare for the day. While racing through the supermarket he noticed deeply discounted round steaks. On a whim he purchased two plump looking steaks for only $2.75. Raul shook his head and warned that round steak is not a prime cut. "But if we marinate," he mused.

The steaks are sliced into thinner slices and immersed in red wine, pepper, mixed herbs, a dash of hot sauce and garlic, and left for close to six hours. As the afternoon progresses Raul creates the other fillings while Drew is sent, in the pouring rain, to the corner store for fresh crusty buns. Raul takes two whole peppers, one yellow and one red, and pops them on the bbq. When they char black he removes them and places them in a covered bowl for 20 minutes to steam them internally. "It is traditional, and best, to put them in a paper bag," says Raul. "They steam more evenly and don't dry out. But where do you get paper bags these days?" Raul scrapes the blackened skin off the peppers, it slides off with ease, and chops them into slices. He caramelizes onion slices, fries chopped mushrooms and blends an avocado with a spoonful of Miracle Whip in the mini-food processor. The avocado spread is slathered on the crusty buns and covered with large basil leaves from the balcony garden.

The steak slices go on the bbq and quickly cook through. Raul layers them on the waiting bun and then piles on the peppers, onions and mushrooms. The result is messy but delicious with the basil adding a fragrant but very subtle kick.

"Should the steak have marinated longer?" asks Drew who notes that, though it in no way affects the taste, it is a tiny bit tough.

"Next time we'll leave them overnight," suggests Raul. "But you don't seem to be having a problem finishing yours." Drew is about to retort but his mouth is full.

The dog insists he could not possibly wait overnight, he has already waited too long for the few scraps R&D are deigning to save him.

Huevos Fagiole

For the second day in a row it is out of bed and to work without thought of food beyond coffee as fuel. Drew finishes his review writing first and realizes he is starving while Raul is still buried in literally thousands of photos that must be sorted, sifted and processed. "It's way past time for breakfast," says Raul just after noon has rolled by. "What do you feel like having?"

"I'll make something," volunteers Drew. "How about Huevos Fagiole?

"What?" says Raul, skeptically raising an eyebrow.

"There is Fagiole sauce left in the fridge," Drew thinks out loud. "I'll put it over pasta and poach an egg on top."

"Not too spicy," says Raul absently. "And the avocados are a perfect ripeness."

Drew heats the sauce to a slow boil while the pasta cooks at a fast boil. And the avocados do slice nicely with a squirt of lime juice keeping them from turning brown. Because the eggs, pasta and avocado will all be bland Drew does sneak some fresh grated black pepper into the Fagiole sauce as it heats. When the pasta is almost done he creates two little indents in the boiling sauce and ladles in the eggs, puts on the lid and crosses his fingers. He strains the pasta and divides it between the serving plates before grating on a heaping helping of Parmagiano-Reggiano (and a little more black pepper). One egg, for no discernible reason beyond a desire to be aggravating, poaches at twice the speed of the other so it is plated and served. The second egg, though taking longer, is more visually appealing.

"Just what I needed," raves Raul. "I can't believe you boiled pasta."

"And poached eggs perfectly despite Julia Child saying it is difficult," says Drew between mouthfuls. "Get back to work."