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Originally posted on FineDiners.ca
In Italy there are only two legitimate uses for yesterday’s risotto: Risotto al Salto (risotto pancakes) or Suppli di Telefono (Risotto Fritters). I made some Mushroom Risotto last week, and surprisingly had a little leftover the next day, so I decided to try my hand at making the fritters. Hit the jump to see how!
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Mike Nelson (of Mystery Science Theater 3000 fame) is going to eat only bacon for a month:
Now for the fine print: “Bacon” shall hereafter refer to the cured and smoked fatty cuts of pork, either back, side or belly. In other words “American bacon”. No “Canadian bacon”, which is really just lunchmeat. No pork chops. No turkey bacon. No “tofacon” or any such horror. Just bacon.
No condiments allowed. No syrups, or hot sauces, or pureed vegetables in the form of ketchup. No sauces at all. Just nature’s finest bacon, all by its dignified self.
I am making allowances for the following beverages: beer, wine, martinis and water. No juices, no V8, nothing that could be construed as “healthy”. This is somewhat arbitrary, I grant you, but one bit of madness at a time, is my reasoning.
Anyone who’s been paying attention to our Recipe Box feature here at FineDiners.ca will know that we are nothing if not big fans of Bacon around here. But this guy is insane. Absolutely mad. But also awesome. A true Bacon hero.
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UC Berkeley is offering a course on The Wire:
“Discerning critics and avid fans have agreed that the five-season run of Ed Burns and David Simon’s The Wire was “the best TV show ever broadcast in America”–not the most popular but the best. The 60 hours that comprise this episodic series have been aptly been compared to Dickens, Balzac, Dreiser and Greek Tragedy. These comparisons attempt to get at the richly textured complexity of the work, its depth, its bleak tapestry of an American city and its diverse social stratifications. Yet none of these comparisons quite nails what it is that made this the most compelling “show” on TV and better than many of the best movies. This class will explore these comparisons, analyze episodes from the first, third, fourth and fifth seasons and try to discover what was and is so great about The Wire. We will screen as much of the series as we can during our mandatory screening sessions and approach it through the following lenses: the other writing of David Simon, including his journalism, an exemplary Greek Tragedy, Dickens’ Bleak House and/or parts of Balzac’s Human Comedy. We will also consider the formal tradition of episodic television.”
Loved this show! It really is the best thing that’s ever aired on tv. [via Kottke]
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The Recipe Box feature on FineDiners.ca features recently found recipes that have caught our eye from around the web. Some we’ve tried, some we hope to try soon.
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Ron Eade at The Ottawa Citizen Online writes:
“Charlotte Langley, formerly at The Wellington Gastropub, Beckta Dining & Wine, on-air cook with the TV show Road Grill with celebrity ex-quarterback Matt Dunigan, and most recently at the new Moonroom restaurant on Preston Street, has joined The Whalesbone Oyster House on Bank Street as executive chef.”
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Originally posted on FineDiners.ca by Eric Rochon
Busy night in the Kitchen – I was supposed to make Veal Stock. When I was working for Biagio’s they used to dispose of the VEAL bones, so I took some home one night and froze them. The freezer was full so I decided to make Veal stock – to my surprise, one of the two bags I pulled from the freezer was full of Chicken carcasses. So I ended up making chicken stock – I guess I’ll post about the Veal stock another time.
Anyways, onto the butchery. I love Costco’s meats. Today during my shopping I purchased a Strip Loin. The Costco meat section offers Canada AAA grade beef. When purchasing the strip, I always look for good marbling. It’s sometime hard to see through the Cryovac, but if you look closely at the ends you can see the content. The strip is one of my favorite parts of the “beef”. It’s fatty, flavourful and tender. I almost prefer this over the tenderloin. You can prepare it in several different fashions. In this article I cut NY style strip steaks and I also cut “Faux Fillets”.
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This is my first post @ finediners.ca
Just got back from Play food & wine, Stephen Beckta’s new “entreprise”.
This was it’s second day open to the public. The setting is quite stylish.
Being an industry person (cook) I immediately made my way to the kitchen to check it out. The kitchen is open concept, with all the bells and whistles. Spoke with the Chef (Michael Moffat and his crew). They were excited, told them I was looking forward to “play with their food”
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Foodtv.ca gets schooled in the basics of Irish Whiskey. I’ve been trying to develop an appreciation for Scotch and Whiskey over the past couple of years. I’m struggling, but working on it.
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Had the whole FineDiners.ca gang out on Saturday night at Moonroom on Preston Street, and the general consensus was that we’re going to have to hang out there more often!
This cool, funky little place is owned by Tracy Turnbull of Trio Bistro in Westboro fame. The place looks amazing with reclaimed barnboard floors and poured concrete bar, and a straight-out-of-the-70s juke box in the back (although it didn’t seem to be setup for use when we were there).
When we arrived, there wasn’t much more than a 2-top table open for our group of 6, but no matter – the place is setup for casual mingling with all high tables and stools and we just setup between a back table and the bar. The food lends itself to this casual style as well with a diverse selection of small sharing plates that were tasty and fun.
Some of the big hits: Sausage Pot (a mason jar of sausages served warm and topped with cheese – yum!), Stuffed Dates (make sure to get a double order!), the Moon Board (a small cheese/meat plate), and the Grown Up Smores (orgasmic according to the ladies in our group). The food portions are small – but so are the prices – keep in mind that this is not the place to go for a proper dinner. Late night drinks and bites is what this place is about.
The wine list seemed pretty decent, with most or all available by the glass, and on tap were several microbrews (including Beau’s!). The service was really friendly and the overall vibe in the place was great. Will definitely be returning for more!