Thank You, Caullyn & Bex!

The loveliest of friends, Caullyn & Rebecca made us a DEE-licious meal last month. Here's our thanks on the Street Car ride home.... RO.

La Familia Galle - an Italian Meal

GRAZIE MEAL-EH!

What can you say about a meal? A meal of simplicity, of family, tradition & friends... Anema e core. Thank you Francesco Galle & Family for a lovely evening with delicious eats & excellent company! The truth & purity of italian cuisine... & Papa Galle's homemade Vino!

This was my experience. RO.

Beer Can Chicken

Mmmmmm Beer... oh yeah, & Chicken!

by Chef Tawfik Shehata

STUFF:

• One Beer (in a can, preferably tall, stupid.)
  
• A whole Chicken
  
• S&P
• 1 head of garlic
• 1/2 bunch EACH of fresh thyme, parsley, sage & marjoram

Chef Tip: I recommend growing fresh herb plants on a windowsill, this way they are there when you need them and you are not stuck with a fridge drawer full of wilting 1/2 bunches of herbs.

What to do:

• light the BBQ (stupid.)
  
• drink some of the beer
  
• take a break; you'll have to save some of the beer though, sorry. (Or you could just drink all the beer and have BBQ chicken, but that's not the point here.)
  
• pick the leaves off the herbs and peel 3 or 4 cloves of garlic. Save all stems and garlic peels.
  
• thinly slice the garlic, mix it with the picked herbs and some salt and pepper.
  
• work your fingers under the skin of the chicken starting from the bottom of the breast and around the thighs. (yeah, that's it Mmm... you like that?)
  
• take the garlic and herb mixture and spread it as evenly as possible under the skin.
  
• take all your reserved herb stems and garlic peels and the leftover garlic an put them into the can (there better be at least half a can left, lush!)
  
• go to the fridge and get yourself another beer because why not, do you really need an excuse.
  
• turn the BBQ down to medium; or if you're a real man who uses charcoals, spread out the so there is a bit of a crater in the middle.
  
• plop the chicken on the beer can that you are not drinking. (No lube necessary... ouch.)
  
• S&P the outside of the impaled bird
  
• sit the chicken in the middle of the BBQ (it's good to have a disposeable aluminum tray, if you don't, be industrious and I know this is tough 'cause you're lazy from all the beer, but fashion one out of foil, you'll need this to catch the drippings to avoid flare ups).
  
• Close the lid. Drink beer and wait.
  
• Check on the bird every 15 mins to make sure it is not scorching, while you're there baste that buzzard with the drippins. Cooking should take about an hour. Drink beer.
  
• Check the chicken by inserting a small knife where the thigh joins the breast. If the juices run clear when the knife is removed the bird is done and hopefully you still have some beer left to enjoy with your dinner. If there are still droplets of blood, go drink more beer and wait, remember to baste.  
  
• When its done drink beer AND eat chicken!

Tawfik Shehata is Executive Chef of Vertical Restaurant. He is also of Egyptian descent.

Webster's Egg Salad Sandwich

Our Very First Contributor!

6 large Eggs
1-2 tablespoons Mayonnaise (or Miracle Whip)
2 stalks celery, washed and chopped
1/2 bunch chives, chopped

A squeeze of lemon juice

S&P
2 small handfuls of lettuce

8 slices of whole grain bread, toasted

Place the eggs in a pot and cover with cold water by a 1/2 inch. Bring to a gentle boil. Now turn off the heat, cover, and let sit for exactly seven minutes. Have a big bowl of ice water ready and when the eggs are done cooking place them in the ice bath for three minutes or long enough to stop the cooking. Crack and peel each egg, place in a medium mixing bowl. Add the mayonnaise, a couple generous pinches of salt and pepper, now mash with a fork. Don't overdo it, you want the egg mixture to have some texture. If you need to add a bit more mayo to moisten up the mixture a bit, go for it a bit at a time. Stir in the celery and chives. Taste, and adjust the seasoning - adding more salt and pepper if needed.

Al Webster is a world-class drummer; who's performed with the likes of Jeff Healey, Colin James & Amanda Marshall; the list goes on.

Human Livestock

Corn & Cucumber Salad

Sweet, creamy, salty, tangy, juicy, oily, fresh, light, wow, the glory & diversity of CORN; booze, syrup, oil, cornmeal, chips, popped, heck they even made smoking pipes out of the cob! They say there's a zillion uses for it, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we'll be able to fuel our automotives by it someday... For now, I'm just gonna eat it.

Now there are a few ways to prepare the corn for this salad/condiment/side; any way you choose I'd recommend you start with the fresh stuff, right off the cob (If that's unavailable you can substitute your favorite can.) From it's raw state you can either char it on the grill, or stove (cut from the cob & into a hot pan with oil *careful POP-POP!) or as I like it, simply blanched.  

You'll Need - 4 cobs of corn, half of a standard cucumber, 4 sprig of fresh mint leaves, red wine vinegar, & some quality olive oil. S&P. 

Once the corn is removed from the cob & chilled add to large bowl. Dice the cuke to about the same size as a kernal of corn. Chop & add mint leaves, a good splash of red wine vinegar (3-4 tbsp... or to taste.) Drizzle olive oil as garnish upon serving. It's ideal to let this salad marinate in the fridge & let the flavors marry each other. 

I hope you enjoy this popping fresh mouth filler! RO.

If it's too Hot; get out of the Kitchen.

... to make a long story short...

For those of you who've never worked in a restaurant & have only the pleasure of enjoying the service & good vibes of a dining room. Here is a taste of what happens whilst you're sipping @ your Casanova Di Neri, Brunello di Montalcino 2001. In short, relax, enjoy, be patient, for great things come to those that wait. Cheers. RO.