Another One for the Ages

a few weeks back, well... there happened to be crawfish boil in Red Hook. let me tell ya, bugs big as beer cans...


I got hooked up in the crawfish game down in Atlanta. My friend Jeff would throw great boil parties on an old railroad mail-drop platform. We'd get hammered and eat mud bugs all night and then walk home smelling like a bus tub from Seafood Shanty. It's a bit of a challenge, actually, there's a few processes that need to be followed from start to end for you to pull it off.
First, I had to find the crawfish in NYC. Hard to do. Nobody knew what the hell I was looking for. I found a lot of tail meat, but they need to be alive. Oh yeah, a-live! There isn't a lot of business for them even here in NYC, most of the restaurants serve the tail. The Fish Market in the Bronx couldn't help, either. The simplest way is thru the internet. There are two companies who share advertising and farm space from Maurice , LA called CrawfishStop and The Cajun Grocer. If you want the best product, go right to the source. I got 40 pounds shipped to my door. The crawfish are fished, packed and shipped within hours of being sent to me. Overnited by FedEx in a styrofoam coffin packed in ice bags and with all of the seasoning that you could ever use. When you get the box, make sure you hose them down for a few minutes, let them move around a bit, get a little feisty. Next, is the purging. Not the most pleasant time of the day. You need to salt out all of the evil. Empty bugs in the box, a tub or an oversized cooler. Cover them with a whole can of salt, either table or Kosher salt will do, save the good shit for your risotto or golden beets. It has to be a lot. You're purging its system clean of the pond. Fill the tub with water until they're covered and let them soak for 15-20 min. You can do it as much as you like. but once worked well for me. Drain the tub and hose them down again. Throw away any dead ones. I covered them in cold, wet towels until I was ready...to play with them, of course
...and dogs love 'em, too!
We had a whole case of sweet corn, 20 pounds of red potatoes and 10 pounds of kielbasa. That's a freakin' boil! You have to boil a lake of water with all the seasoning for a few minutes and then add the potatoes and corn and let it roll for 15 min.

Add the crawfish alive to the pot and try not to think about the karmic foot in the ass you'll be getting soon. As the bugs hit the water they make a sound like a faint cry, that says, "mmmmm corn". No,they don't, sorry. Anyway, you have to keep them down, they tend to float. I did this in batches and we were eating all nite. To serve, just dump. Right on newspaper. That shit was so goddamn spicy, the corn actually cleansed my body by burning my organs. Lovely. Scott helped out a lot, he lived in New Orleans and was all too familiar with the mojo of the mud bug. We had a lot of other food, too. I made Cuban tacos and peanut, garlic and scallion shrimp. Bill took hold of the grill and fed everyone shrimp and pork loin whilst me and Scott were busy with the boil. You got to let them cook for about another 20 minutes and then let them soak for and equal amount of time. The more they soak, the more you need an ambulance. We went thru about 35 pounds before we had no feeling left. Matt Rubendall was the relay between us and our friends who were working that night, like Paul Revere racing through the mist and moonlight, gallantly delivering the ruby shelled gems.
WIth the darkness came more beer and of course, s'mores! Everybody behaved themselves, too, which considering the blizzard of marshmallow a few months ago, was a added bonus to the feast.
It was a great nite. It was my wife's birthday a few days before so I wanted to have little soiree in the infancy of the new summer. I sneaked her brother Ben in from Chicago for the weekend, and some friends from Vermont, too. So if she thought she didn't have any plans that weekend, she was wrong.
You can find theses websites easily and can also talk to an individual human being, someone who has done this since the weaning. It can be kinda pricey if you want to go ape shit, but if it's just 10 or so friends, 15 pounds should do it. The next time I do this, I'm gonna do it exactly the same. I'll see you there next time, Carmen.
click on the pics for a better view...
Cheers!

Yo! Matt here. I got a quick recipe that's killer for the impromptu gathering of friends for a little summer seafood fest. This is an appetizer but can easily be stretched for an entree. Curried Mussels!!!
This is super easy and you can use one pan for the dish. Start out with these ingredients:
butter--1Tbsp
chopped shallots
chopped garlic
curry powder/garam masala(indian curry seasoning)
white wine/veg or chicken stock--1 cup
heavy cream-1 quarter cup
cleaned live mussels(beards removed)-1 dozen for you
salt and pepper to taste

Get your pan nice and hot until slightly smoking and add butter and swirl until coated. Add the shallots and garlic being careful not to burn them as it is very easy at this point. Sweat the veg until soft and translucent. Shock the pan with the wine and stock Add the curry powder, sifting over pan trying not to create any lumps. When three-quarters of the liquid has evaporated, add the cream and swirl until incorporated. Now add the mussels and cover. While the mussels are steaming, chop some flat-leaf parsley or chives if you like. The mussels, like all other mollusks, will open when cooked. Coat mussels with sauce by, yes, even more swirling and transfer to a large bowl. Anoint with parsley and serve with crusty bread and an ice cold beverage of your choice, I prefer a Pinot Grigio or even a California Sauvignon Blanc. Dip the bread in your sauce and use the shells as tiny spoons for dirty hands...I love dirty hands! See? Quick and painless!
Thanks for reading and I'll be back soon. Vajra, don't be a stranger!

Matt here...
I just got back from the Yucatan and had the freshest fish and seafood I ever lived to tell about. We(my wife Edie & me) stayed in Tulum, about 100 miles south of Cancun. Paradise! Our place was right on the beach with a outdoor kitchen that was rocking all day. I had fresh shrimp at least once a day and it wasn't that store-bought fresh, it was actually reading the morning paper before I could get a chance to. Lots of fresh chilies, lots of citrus. We drove down thru the Mayan ruins and jungle along the coast to the Sian Ka'am reserve. The jungle down there is thick and prickly, but drier and dustier than the jungles of the Caribbean and Central America. It's much more shrubbery than viney. Anyway.. we took a boat to a tiny village where 90% of the lobster business gets it's business. The building was not what I expected at all. It was the size of a small house in a field of small houses. The village housed about 200 people with roads not much more than bike paths. Perfect, serene, releasing all of my NYC stress. Ahhhhhh... Of course, I had the lobster and tried to persuade the 8 year-old sitting next to me to order one for her and then, well...you know. No deal. Parental resistance. This lobster was as good as it got. Plantains, beans and rice and a scorching salsa made this one of the greatest lunches of all afternoon drinking, ever.
When we got back home I just had to have some more of that food. So, right out of the gate, I made some Veracruz with Lake Victoria perch. Que fantastico! Here's how it goes: Get yourself some nice perch or another lighter fish like snapper or even tilapia and rinse with cold water for a few seconds and pat dry. To prepare the fish:
2 fillets of fish
1 half white onion
1 TBSP dried basil
Extra virgin olive oil
Cracked black pepper
lemon juice...fresh, of course
Put fish in the pan that you want to cook it in and season with salt and pepper.
combine onions, pepper, basil, oil and lemon juice and mix together until onions are well coated with marinade.
Layer onions over fish evenly and drizzle with remaining marinade.
Bake fish in a 375 degree oven until firm but not hard, about 17-20 minutes
While that's in the oven, now's the time to jump on the stove..


Here's the recipe for the sauce:

1 half white onion minced
3 cloves garlic minced
1 large fresh jalapeno chopped
2 cans diced tomatoes with juice
chicken or vegetable stock
green martini olives
2 TBSP capers
Spice mix of white pepper, cumin, cinnamon and kosher/sea salt...you can mix up and keep your spices in a shot glass for less clutter
Fresh oregano

Begin by sweating out the onion and garlic with a little olive oil until they start to brown, just a little bit
Add chopped jalapeno with seeds and saute for 1 minute
stir in the tomatoes and juice and bring to a boil...add stock if sauce is too dry
add in remainder of ingredients except the fresh oregano
season to taste with more salt of you like
cook for few minute longer until saucy

Take fish from pan with all of the onions and drippings and drizzle sauce over top of both fillets and anoint with oregano.
Serve with fluffy white rice and watch the boats go sailing by! Enjoy this dish with a fruity Pinot Grigio, a light Beaujolais or even your favorite ice cold ale! MMMMMMMMMMMMMM!
Happy Eatin'
I'm gonna go to the fridge now,

Matt

Yo! I'm in NYC now! Food stuffs on the way....stay tuned...

oh yeah, I got married, too! I'm back!

Ahoy Food Fans!!!!!
I'm coming back to Earth after a brief absence. I've done some fantasic cooking lately and I can't wait to share. The show (cOOl fOOds) is coming back to PeopleTV soon and I've got some cOOl episodes. I also met some very motivating and inspiring people that I hope will be a very important addition to cOOl fOOds! There will be a breakfast show will all your favorite hangover remedies and eggs, eggs, eggs....Fresh pasta is on the way, too. There's nothing like having home-made pasta ready for you when you get home. So much better than Ramen(unless, of course it's 3a.m.) It's an easy recipe, really it is. Read on--
Take 4 cups of Semolina flour(found in any quality grocer, this Durum wheat is best for producing sturdy yet pliable pasta of any shape), 3 cups All-Purpose flour, 3 whole eggs, about 1-2 T of EVO(extra virgin olive oil) and a little cold water, and of couse salt. Make a mound of the sifted flours and crack the eggs over the flour. Start making a "well", bring in the flour to the center and work the eggs out to the edges, add your oil and salt. When mixed wet your hands with the cold water and form a nice yellow ball of pasta. Chill or freeze. When ready, roll out 2 or 3 times until it stretches enough to roll thru pasta roller and boil for 2 minutes or until the pasta becomes "al dente". Serve with anything you seem appropriate or edible, after that you're on your own!!!
Unrelated Quick Recipe!! Baked Chicken a la Bonano:
Large split breast (bone in)
1 yellow onion
Balsamic reduction or viniagrette (thicker and more syrupy is better)
3 T minced garlic
2 T Italian salted capers(salt left on)
Cracked black pepper and hot chiles dried and crushed
Sea salt
EVO
Fresh Oregano
Add all ingredients to baking dish(hopefully you own a glass one)
*remember to season the whole piece of meat, front and back, inside and out*
Cover and bake on 355F for 1.5 hours or until done
pull from the oven and let rest for 10 min.
serve with anything.....really!

Check back soon for another dose of cOOl fOOds for recipes and commentary.
Thanx fer readin' y'all.....
Matt

What up, my fine, feathered fOOd fans?!
Matt here from Venice Beach, CA. I'm burning up out here and loving every minute. I had the priviledge of having Dim-Sum yesterday in China Town, downtown L.A. The food was more than I can handle but of course we made it out alive. Shrimp, and your typical assortment of meats including Octopus and Duck were outstanding. Me and Eric were literally eating before we even sat down. The service brought carts around and kept stuffing us full of pickled salads and tender meat wrapped in rice pasta. I'm going back before I leave L.A.
I'm paying by the minute right now at some cyber-cafe on the beach and got to get in the water(tough life...). A full report will be on your desk when I get back. Until then.......

Matt
P.S. Casey is a Rock Star!!!

What up food fans?!
Just got done with show#1 of season#2. Tonight we had to pull one out of the fire. My guest never showed up, the asshole that he is. I'm sure he got drunk with a few teen-age girls and forgot about the show, but hell, can we really blame him?. Sure we can. Anyway, I marinated a swordfish steak in a Margarita and served it over a Summer slaw of Red Pepper, Yellow Heirloom Tomatoes and Red Cabbage on top of sliced Yukon Gold potatoes. I used the marinade as a sauce after I reduced it by half. It was fantastic! The meatiness of the fish and the crunch of the crisp slaw along with the perfect coating of the red wine vinegar and the sour cream. Heaveness! And the potatoes served as a nice sauce-catcher, almost like having some bread in your hand to finish it off. MMMMMMMMM.
I will be out of town next week. Taping shows in L.A. ( you're supposed to say it like Thurston Howell III). If all goes well, I'll make it home in one piece. I need a break anyway. It's been raining in Atlanta since Easter and I'm friggin' sick of it. Where's the sun?!?
P.S. My Margarita marinade was Tequila, sugar, sea salt, honey, sherry vinegar, cayenne and peanut oil.
Happy Eating...
Matt