Quinoa In My Curry?

Its more likely than you think. Well. it was more like curry in my quinoa. Today was Vegetarian Tuesday at The Grind. The Yankeechef offered Vegetarian Yellow Curry. Curries are some of my favorite flavors. I've made red curry in the past, but today I went with yellow curry. Yellow curries tend to be milder than red curries. I decided to serve the curry over coconut quinoa instead of the more traditional rice. I cooked the quinoa in a mix of coconut milk and water. For the curry I sauteed (or stir fried) red potatoes, squash, zucchini, peppers, onions, carrots and fresh herbs. As the veggies were cooking I seasoned with coriander, cumin, salt and pepper, and yellow curry powder. After letting the spices toast for a few minutes of letting the spices toast I deglazed the pan with vegetable stock and added coconut milk and then let everything simmer. I was happy with the end result and sold quite well. I hope to offer it again.

Boom!

The Yankeechef cooks at The Grind Cafe. The Grind is a coffee shop and great place to stop for lunch. That's not all we are though. Upstairs is The Upper Wine Room where we have a wicked awesome music venue. Most weekends we have a band playing and serve dinner. When The Upper Wine Room is open for dinner we offer our everyday menu, the tapas menu, and I always have some special Chef's features. One entree that I've developed has become a signature item at The Grind. One thing I try to do is use everyday ingredients in creative ways. As a coffee shop we have coffee on hand. Profound I know. The espresso we use is Black Powder Espresso from the awesome Dynamite Roasting Co in Black Mountain, NC. I use the Black Powder espresso in a spice rub for The Upper Wine Room's signature Black Powder Steak. Most of the time I use Petite Beef Tender Medallions as the steak. I mix the espresso with chili powder and other spices. I coat the steak medallions with the Black Powder rub and pan sear the steak. If I need to I will finish the steak in the oven. The rub makes a nice flavorful crust on the steak. I serve the steak with my own take on the classic Maitre d' Hotel butter. Just a fancy name for compound butter. The side dishes that I serve with the steak changes from time to time depending on whats on hand and what else I'm serving that evening. On a recent evening the sides with my steak were: Candied Bacon and Cheddar Grits, and sauteed Green Beans. Definitely one of my new favorite ways to have grits. I was told that you couldn't even tell that the grits were made by a Yankeechef. 

Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler!

It's time for the Yankeechef to add an update on a recent Waffle Wednesday. In the 90s I lived in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana. In many ways the Cajun country of southern Louisiana is my culinary home. I have been thinking about how I could bring the Cajun flavors I love so much to Waffle Wednesday. I remembered that I had some Andouille sausage on hand at The Grind. Thinking about the sausage I thought of one of my favorite dishes: Red Beans and Rice. I made a Brown Rice waffle. I cooked some brown rice and cooled it over night. The next day as I was prepping for lunch service I made a savory waffle batter incorporating the brown rice. For the topping for the waffle I use cooked red beans. I processed about half of the beans in the food processor with some of the cooking liquid to make a smooth puree. I called it a Red Bean Coulis for lack of a better term. To serve the waffle I cooked the batter in a standard waffle iron. As the waffle was cooking I sauteed sliced Andouille, whole red beans, the classic trinity of Cajun cookery (bell peppers, celery, onion), the red bean puree, and seasoned it all with my own blackening spice blend. When the waffle was ready I plated it and topped it with the Andouille and Red Beans. It was well received and seemed to be popular. It will show up again in the Lunch Box.

Today's Waffle Wednesday

The Yankeechef was told that he had an over abundance of cucumbers on hand. I like to try to utilize items that I have on hand rather than buy extra supplies. So I thought about what I could make with the cucumbers. One of my favorite sauces is the classic Greek Tzatziki. So today's waffle was the Greek Roast Beef Waffle. I made a savory waffle batter using hummus, bulgar wheat and of course lots of oregano. As you may know Greek cookery utilizes oregano often. I topped my waffle with grilled Boar's Head roast beef, red onions, tomatoes, feta cheese, and my made from scratch Tzatziki sauce. It seemed to be well received. 

New Blog Home

Today the Yankeechef is trying out a new home for my Great Plates Blog. I'll be trying to post more often here than I have been at the old site. As I can I'll be giving an update on the popular Waffle Wednesdays at The Grind Cafe. But for now here's a picture of a fresh fruit display that I did for a wedding I catered a while back.