IPPY awards

This week I should find out if Wicked Good Food qualified as a finalist in the Independent Publisher Book Awards. Find out more at www.independentpublisher.com Ill keep you posted!

Wine, Beer and Food Fest.

Good times last night at the Hoboken Club in Milford, MA to support the MHS booster club.
I promised I's post the recipe for the chili I was serving....here it is as it appears in "Wicked Good Food"

Matt’s championship chili

This is a chili I created over a period of a couple of months with the intention of entering it into a chili competition. It was my first contest like this and I was literally the only one of twenty two competitors without a tent….and it rained all day. I almost went home before setting up, but decided to stick it out. I certainly didn’t win for best booth, but this recipe won for best restaurant chili. The recipe makes about a gallon and freezes really well. It will take about half an hour to put together and another hour to cook. I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:
4 oz. Bacon fat
1 ½ lb Ground beef
1 ½ lb Coarse ground pork
5 Onions
56 oz. Tomato juice
¼ c. Molasses
¼ c. Dark chili powder
3 Limes, juiced
48 oz. Canned, diced tomatoes with juice
2 T Garlic, fresh, minced
1 oz. Adobo sauce
2 T Cumin
2 t. Cayenne pepper
2 oz. Honey
2 oz. White masa harina

Method:
In a large pan, brown beef and pork with bacon fat.
Add onions and cook until onions are translucent.
Add all remaining ingredients except masa harina. Simmer 1 hr.
Add masa harina to adjust thickness.
Adjust with salt and pepper to taste.

More books

Still some money left on the gift cards. This is what I got...

Pork and Sons. I had heard of this one before and it seemed cool, but I couldnt open it in the store because it was shrink wrapped. I still think its good, but I was hoping for more cool pork recipes and pictures and techniques.

On the other hand, The River Cottage Meat Book is great. Written by a guy who truly love food and animals and cares for them for their own well being as well as for them to produce the best tasting meat.

The Bouchon Cookbook is Thomas Keller's follow up to The French Laundry Cookbook, which helped to change the way I think about food. The detail and refinement of techniques and products helps us to see what great ingredients can become in the hands of someone who truly understands food and all the processes involved in transforming it as it comes from the farm to the plate. If you are into good food, you should have these books!

I also got The Bread Bakers Apprentice. This is a very good book about baking bread. It goes into some of the science behind why things happen and ingredients while sharing bread formulas that actually work great.

Chinatown

So a few days after Christmas my dad, by buddy Chef Jim and I went into Chinatown with the goal of eating. We reached our goal.

We found some on the street parking, but needed quarters for the meter so I went into Mei Sum bakery and got some change...as well as a sweet bean bun and a barbecue pork bun (pictured)

We then went to China Pearl and ate dim sum. I think we tried fifteen different items and almost all of them were very good. We were there at a good time because the restaurant was almost full and the food on the carts that we were served from was all hot and fresh. While there Jim was kind enough to treat us all to a round of waters, which was nice.

After walking around a bit and doing some shopping at C Mart on Washington st. (when we found out that it was the year of the cat) We decided to get some pastries...they were terrible. I dont know what we were thinking geting some strawberry cake and chocolate cake thing at an Asian bakery...our bad.

To make ourselves better we went to East Ocean City and had Fried Squid with Spicy Salt, Spicy Salted Spare Ribs, and King Tou Spare Ribs (basicaly the salted ones with an asian type barbecue sauce on them). It was all awesome and we were wicked full now so we decided to go home

Christmas Presents

Look what my wife got me. I got a fantastic Le Creuset terrine mold. I cant wait to put that to good use. She also made me a mug for my tea and a bowl for my morning oatmeal that says "Wicked Good Oatmeal" Isn't she sweet!

Wine and Food pairing

This is the menu from a wine and cheese pairing I went to at Assabet sponsored by our local chapter of the American Culinary Federation. It was a great time. Chef Trudeau and everyone from Assabet were great hosts and Rick from the Vin Bin came up with some awesome pairings. My favorite was the first one on the menu...the reisling spatlese with the Stilton. Good times

Halloween

They say imitation is the best form of flattery. This made me laugh.