Tandoori Chicken with Aloo Gobi and Rice

Raul has been working around the clock but he still insists on doing most of the cooking. "What do you feel like for dinner?" he asks rhetorically.

Drew had made a stew that was less than successful (which is why it is NOT included here) and had found a jar of half-used Country Masala Tandoori Paste that he was planning to experiment with. Raul decides to put it to a safe use. There are also some multi-coloured baby potatoes left that did not fit into the stew. And a head of cauliflower that Drew bought after reading an article claiming that, "Cauliflower is the new pork belly," so he wanted to be ahead of the curve. He was thinking of roasting the florets - it was a great solution for curing his aversion to parsnips - but the brain-shaped vegetable sparks Raul's memories of his days in a yoga-based semi-cult of vegetarians. "Aloo Gobi," he announces.

Raul caramelizes two onions while steaming chopped potatoes for 20 minutes and chopped cauliflower for 10 minutes. Following the advice of his new hero, Lidia Bastianich, he juliennes the cauliflower stems into strips and steams them along with the cauliflower florets. He adds a teaspoon of Country Masala Tandoori Paste to the onions, combines everything together, tosses it and keeps it warm for serving.

Raul rubs the chicken with shredded ginger, a chopped chili pepper, garlic powder, paprika and a teaspoon of tandoori paste. He heats a cast-iron frying pan, puts the chicken breasts in and covers with another cast-iron frying pan to mimic the effect of a tandoori oven. "It makes it super hot," he notes. It only takes minutes before the spicy and succulent chicken breasts are ready.

The meal is delicious with a heat that sneaks up after swallowing. "Is this celery in the Aloo Gobi?" asks Drew.

"No," laughs Raul, "that is the cauliflower stems. They're really tasty. Thanks Lidia!"

Outside Round Roast with Corn Bread

Raul finds a bargain but very tasty looking outside round roast at Food Basics. $5.32 for a lump of a roast that will make several meals. He decides to make a traditional pot roast dinner crossed with Julia Child's legendary Boeuf Bourguignon. The roast is rolled in flour and then browned on the bbq. "It has to be browned," notes Raul, "or it will just be boiled meat. The browning keeps the juices in. This cut has very little fat in it, partly why it was so cheap, but that also makes it better for us, so it will need to be cooked carefully to make it fall apart just from just the pressure of a fork."

The roast goes into the pressure cooker with a coarsely chopped onion, two carrots and one stalk of celery. This is doused in two cups of stock and a cup of red wine. He brings it to a boil, locks on the lid and cooks for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile he bakes three large quartered potatoes, carrots and parsnips in a half cup of oil, two cups of water, salt, pepper and oregano at 375 degrees for an hour.

The corn bread recipe comes from Food.com:

Southern Pride Sweet Corn Bread

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups sugar

1/4 cup honey

2 eggs

1/2 cup butter ( softened)

1 cup milk

1 cup water

2 cups white cornmeal (for less gritty) or 2 cups yellow cornmeal ( I use white)

2 cups flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan with shortening.

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Mix sugar, butter, eggs, milk, honey and water together in a large bowl.

Mix dry ingredients together in a separate bowl: cornmeal, flour,baking powder, and salt.

While stirring, add dry ingredients to sugar, egg, and milk mixture and mix thoroughly.

Mixture will be slightly lumpy.

Pour into greased rectangular pan.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Serve with butter.

Raul bakes the corn bread in an oiled cast iron frying pan and puts it in the oven alongside the potatoes and vegetables. All the jus from the roast is strained then boiled until it is reduced by about half and, voila! gravy. As Raul ladles the gravy onto the roast and vegetables on the plate, he explains, "The chef at the convention centre I worked at, taught me that. He said to just save all the juice and keep reducing it to get the most meaty flavour. He used it on the prime rib."

The roast may not be as expensive as prime rib but it is primo tasting. The bite of the wine in the gravy contrasts nicely with the sweetness of the corn bread and not a drop goes to waste - it also turns out to be perfect for absorbing the luscious liquid. "It's not as tender as I would like," notes Raul. "But by the time it sits over night and we re-heat it, it will be melt in your mouth."

BBQ Chicken with Dirty Mashed Potatoes, Carrots and Corn on the Cob

There is a big sale on chicken breasts at Food Basics. And when the sale is over there is a 40 percent off sale of the remainder that is about to reach its "best before" date. Raul grabs four trays of 10 breasts each (average price per breast is 60 cents) and the freezer is filled. And there are lots of breasts ready for a feast on Justin's second visit. And lots for him to take home to eat for the week.

Raul rubs the chicken with pepper, Greek oregano and  paprika, and leaves them to marinate overnight. Justin is skeptical about "dirty" mashed potatoes until Raul notes that it just means that the peel, where most of the better nutrients are, is left on. By the time the potatoes are mashed (actually blended) they are so creamy and rich that the peel is more garnish than anything resembling dirt.

The corn is left in the husk and soaked for two hours in water. After that it is just a matter of placing them on the bbq and as the husk steams, the corn is cooked to perfection.

Everyone is eating happily when Raul notes that he didn't put any salt on the chicken and that he will not be offended if anyone feels they would like some.

Drew pops up, grabs the shaker and sprinkles his breast. Justin demurs that his is delicious and perfect and then surreptitiously puts a small amount in the palm of his hand and sprinkles it on the chicken. Raul just takes the container and shakes some onto his plate.

"Is the chicken ok?" asks Raul. "It tastes bland to me. But whenever I cook corn on the bbq the flavours are overwhelmed by it."

"The corn is overwhelmingly good," says Drew. "But the rest is just as good."

"Agreed," says Justin who has very generously saved some chicken for the dog who is also very complimentary in his gobbling.

BBQ'ed (almost) Pork Chops, Broccoli, Carrots and Mashed Potatoes (and an apology for the photos)

It is Justin's first visit to the R&D kitchen so R&D are determined that everything will be perfect. So, of course, everything goes wrong.

Justin has picked the menu including his favourite meal from his childhood: mashed potatoes and Raul's special pork chops. Lunch goes fine with Raul bbq'ing burgers. The burgers turn out just fine and Justin is kind enough to leave a healthy portion for the dog who decides that Justin is his new best friend.

Dinner starts out well. Raul has purchased a dozen prime pork centre cut chops and he slathers them in Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce before they go in the grill. The broccoli is steamed, the carrots are boiled and the mashed potatoes are mashed (the only secret to Raul's mashed potatoes is that he uses an ice cream scoop to serve them to give that diner fancy look). The chops go on the grill and catastrophe strikes. "We're out of propane!" screams Raul as he tears at his hair.

"Propane, propane," laughs Justin, referencing a cult Trailer Park Boys episode while Drew begins an anticipatory dread of the process of hauling a refilled propane tank up the six flights (bbqs are allowed but it is illegal to transport propane in the elevator).

There is a lot of banging in the kitchen as Raul goes old school and pulls out two large cast iron frying pans to finish off the chops. At the last minute he reluctantly adds some Sensations Tequila Lime Habanero Barbecue Sauce to substitute, sort of, for the distinctive flavour of outdoor grilling.

The meal turns out just fine and Justin rates it a ten out of ten and everyone eats heartily - even the burger-bloated dog.

The second disaster is more minor but has repercussions that will live forever on the web. The camera battery is low so the photos of this momentous occasion are out of focus. So out of focus that no amount of Photoshop can salvage them beyond the embarrassing.

Dinner and a Show: Dining at Mysteriously Yours

R&D do not dine out at restaurants very often - partially budget constraints but mainly because Raul enjoys cooking so much. When there is an opportunity it is embraced whole-heartedly and when, for work purposes, there happens to be a meal involved: all the better. This is R&D's fourth visit to Mysteriously Yours Mystery Dinner Theatre, 2026 Yonge St and Raul begins planning his choices before they have even left the apartment. Or he has even seen the menu. "Salmon or chicken, salmon or chicken," he ponders. "I know you'll go for the beef."

R&D began attending Mysteriously Yours when Drew was invited to do theatre reviews of their productions but this is the first time that they will be casting critical eyes and tastebuds on the culinary offerings. Dinner theatre has a bad reputation for the food being an afterthought - the show takes precedence, everything must be prepared and served in large quantities and quickly, the average dinner theatre patron is not gastronomically adventurous, etc - but this has never proven to be the case at Mysteriously Yours. Executive Chef Rossy Earle takes pride in her offerings and also sells a line of specialty products under the banner SupiCucu including a popular Diablo's Fuego hot sauce. Officially the food is labelled "fusion" reflecting Earle's Panamanian heritage, unofficially it means that familiar dishes have just a little more bite.

The current production is Upton Abbey which could loosely be described as Downton Abbey played for farce and with the addition of a few murders and a character based on Columbo. To this end the menu - and cocktails - have been tweaked to reflect and upper class British sensibility, more Upstairs, Downstairs than Coronation Street or pub fare. It is a warm summer evening so both choose to start with a Baby Spinach Waldorf Salad ("cherry tomatoes, grapes, celery, walnuts & apple vinaigrette"). "Fresh and lively," enthuses Drew though he notices that both eat the grapes first rather than blending all the flavours. They can be picky eaters.

Raul has the Chicken Lyonnaise ("with caramelized onion gravy, buttermilk red potato mash & green beans") while Drew, as Raul predicted, has the Braised Beef Pot Pie ("boneless beef rib, potatoes, mushrooms & vegetables braised in stout, topped with pastry"). The chicken is moist and tender and the gravy has a nice little after bite. The green beans absolutely glow with goodness and are cooked just the far side of al dente so that they are firm but don't quite crunch. The pot pie bursts with flavour and is packed with more meat and mushrooms than potatoes - no filler - and somehow the pastry remains flaky and light despite mass production.

Desserts arrive during the first intermission and Drew is extremely pleased, for the fourth time, with the Chocolate Brownie ("served with Triple Sec chocolate ganache"). He muses that he should have perhaps got into the theme of the evening and gone for the English Trifle but a chocoholic has to do what a chocoholic has to do. Raul is equally pleased with the Apple Crumble Tartlet ("with caramel sauce & whipped cream") and announces loudly, with a pat on his stomach, that it is surprisingly filling.

The service is, as always, impeccable, efficient and friendly (thanks Adrian) and the show is hilarious. Add in a delicious meal and Mysteriously Yours turns out to be a bargain. Raul crunches the numbers and pronounces the evening a smashing success.

Sirloin Tip Steak, Greek Potatoes, and Asparagus wrapped in Prosciutto

The grey skies have turned into a downpour but the steak was rubbed - simple coarse ground black pepper and a sprinkling of Mrs Dash - yesterday and is at its prime eating potential. "I don't know about bbq'ing in the rain," says Raul.

"We can always just broil it," says Drew.

"That would be wrong on so many levels," insists Raul. But upon venturing out onto the balcony he reconsiders. "There's a lake on the bbq side of the balcony. We may have to broil after all."

Drew investigates and then commiserates on the terrifying quarter inch deep and maybe a foot square puddle. "We'd better broil. I wouldn't want you to drown. Or I could run over the dollar store, I have been out twice already in the rain with the dog, and get a pair of water wings. Or are you afraid of melting?"

"I'll wear a raincoat," compromises Raul. Dinner is early today because Drew has a reading in the early evening so there isn't time to wait for the skies to clear or the balcony flood to recede.

The asparagus is blanched for five minutes before being dunked in cold water to stop the cooking. It is wrapped in prosciutto (that Drew ran over to Food Basics - in the rain - to pick up, along with more photogenic hamburger buns just in case the steak is postponed again) and is ready for bbq'ing.

The Greek potatoes have been in the oven for four and a half hours. "You can never cook them too long," insists Raul. "Best to have them soft and flavourful on the inside, crunchy on the outside." The recipe Raul favours can be found here: food.com/recipe/greek-potatoes-oven-roasted-and-delicious. Raul proudly uses authentic, "And the best," Krinos Pure Greek Oregano ($2.25 for a large 85 gram jar at Adventures in Cheese, 377 Danforth Ave) and garnishes with fresh chives from the balcony garden that Drew harvests, in the rain.

"Do you need steak sauce?" asks Raul. "It's a little overdone but I was thinking of you." Drew is not much of a carnivore and is physically unable to eat meat that is still bleeding even though he knows that is the proper way to enjoy a fine slab of flesh.

"No thanks," says Drew. "It's deliciously peppery. And done perfectly."

"And the asparagus has been perfectly salted by the prosciutto," says Raul with contentment.

And Mickey paces while he waits, with his usual utter lack of patience or manners, for the inevitable bits of steak pushed to the side of the plate for him.