Kosher Dosher...“I am a culinary Heretic"

I am a massive fan of Pasta Puttanesca , and I often make it for the family. Having the essential ingredients on hand to make this flavor-packed pasta dish makes it very convenient. You know what I mean: You have a craving at Midnight, or a friend drops by you want to make a savory and memorable dish that protrudes with flavor. The boldness and powerful aromas that come from the dish sing OMG!!!  This dish is not exactly a Puttanesca, but it has similar ingredients. Why the meatball? I love meatballs so much I've dedicated a whole article to this delectable ball.  I am going to keep this recipe very simple. This is mostly about taste which is subjective and needs to be adjusted to suit your palate. I've taken notes and weighed just about everything, with some additional tweaks along the way. This recipe is a base and can be modified to suit your needs. The percentages are there for replication and ratio modifications to make fewer or more meatballs.  How to use the ...

Click to Enlarge I've been fiddling around with Sous-Vide since about 2006 but only got serious in 2008-2009. Processing proteins using Sous-Vide with Delta-T is relatively new, although discussed in the Modern-Cusine books published in 2011. I am very familiar with this method, but I only started playing around with this process after purchasing a ThermaQ® Blue Thermocouple, Needle Probe (Diameter is .04"), and their Foam Tape about 2-Years ago. I'll admit since purchasing the HydroPro-Plus, I use probes with 90% of all my cooks. The advantage of the HDP-Plus is the built-in function with NO-Blue tooth. Yea, blue tooth is fantastic, but having to set it up with Thermaworks to your phone and worrying about losing a connection is a constant concern. If you lose your link, you lose DATA. I've lost a few logs this way, not to mention your phone has to be within 30-feet.  Why use Probes? I love being precise, and when you can flawlessly cook a protein with the least amount...

I have written a lot about Bacon before on previous posts. I've used many cuts- Beef (Short Ribs and Point Bacon), Lamb (Belly and Leg), Duck Breasts, Turkey, etc. The list of different flavors is never-ending.  Some of you may not know the history of Bacon, but it refers to all pork products (I don't eat Pork). To most people, Bacon refers to Pork (the belly of the pig), and a small percentage of us now know that it can be any meat that is cured and smoked. There is Lamb Bacon, Turkey Bacon, Beef Bacon, and several other cousin varieties. Canadian Bacon, which comes from the eye loin, which comes pre-cooked. There is a bacon square that comes from the pig's jowl, also called Guanciale. The Italian version called Pancetta, cured but not smoke and is rolled like a salami.   Bringing home the Bacon is a collective term that refers to getting a paycheck and or money, but that was not always the original meaning. For example, in the 12th Century, a church in the English town of...

What am I, chopped Liver? When I think of chopped Liver, I have four connections or rather memories. One fond memory was my Mom and Bubbe (Yiddish for Grandmother) making Chopped Liver. The second memory took place with my buddy RC. My buddy and I went to Seattle for an excursion, and we had an inkling for some Classic Jewish Chopped Liver. We found a great place that served quintessentially profound Jewish Food. Oh, man, that opened a floodgate of fond memories. The third memory, of course, was the Jewish Deli I grew up with in NYC.  My other Bubbe was not a cook at all. When I was ten, she decided to make some beef tongue, stereotypical Jewish deli meat. It was my first (that I know of) introduction to beef tongue. She boiled it for who knows how long and tossed it on a plate. She did not attempt to disguise what we were about to eat, nor did she appear to care either. Taste buds and all were intact too!! To say it did not look appetizing is an understatement. I refused to eat it...