Month: January 2011 (Page 2 of 4)

      Re-post of an interview with Food Network’s Michael Symon

      January 20, 2011 /

      Last year I had the privelege of interviewing celebrity chef Michael Symon from Food Network and Cleveland, Ohio’s Lola Bistro as well as several other endeavors on Bullz-Eye.com. Here is a re-post of that interview….enjoy!

      Iron Chef Michael Symon rose to prominence in the culinary world in the ‘90’s, and even hosted a show on the Food Network called The Melting Pot. Fast forward thirteen years, and Symon has several successful restaurants in his native Cleveland, Ohio (Lola Bistro being the most notable). And he was the winner of the inaugural “Next Iron Chef” season back in 2007, joining the ranks of Bobby Flay, Mario Batali, Cat Cora and Masaharu Morimoto as Iron Chefs on the network. Symon also has published a book, Michael Symon: Live to Cook. We had the chance to talk to Symon recently about being a successful restaurateur, as well as being a Food Network star and a huge Cleveland sports fan.
      Michael Symon: Hello?

      Bullz-Eye: Michael?

      MS: Yes.

      BE: Hey, it’s Mike Farley with Bullz-Eye.com. Before we get to the interview, I wanted to tell you I lived in Cleveland for ten years.

      MS: Oh nice.

      BE: So you’ve really risen to national prominence in the last few years after winning “The Next Iron Chef.” How did it feel to essentially become a famous Food Network personality over night like you did?

      MS: It’s interesting. In the culinary world I was always pretty well known nationally. And the restaurant and myself have been fortunate enough to win a lot to national awards and get exposure in that way. Obviously we’ve always had some good success here in Cleveland. It changes a lot. I had a show on the Food Network from ’97 to ’99, so I got a little bit of a taste of it then, and walked away from it and continued to focus on restaurants again. I think having that early, (well, Food Network wasn’t nearly as big then as it is now), but getting some of that early exposure helped me understand and deal with what’s happened since “Iron Chef.”

      BE: OK. What show was that?

      MS: It was called “The Melting Pot.”

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      Chefs and Restaurants, Food TV

      Super Bowl Spread I

      January 19, 2011 /

      A couple years back, I posted some Super Bowl recipes on Grub For Guys. Since I did this in 2009 and 2010, I’ll post the first one for you here to make for the championship games this weekend, and the 2010 version for Super Bowl week. Enjoy!

      Grub For Guys’ Super Bowl Spread
      Slow Roasted BBQ Ribs, Spicy Salami Sliders, Killer Taco Dip, Veggie Panini, and Savory Cilantro Chili Corn Muffins
      By Mike Farley

      One of the best things about Super Bowl Sunday, aside from the actual football game and even the commercials, is the license to serve and eat great party food. If you like the standard pizza and wing fare, there is nothing wrong with that. But if you want to go a little above and beyond for your Super Bowl party, I’ve come up with some great finger foods that in some cases will leave you with another hand to hold a cold beer. Most of these are real easy, even the ribs, which are simple but time consuming. But with kickoff at around 6:20 ET, you have all day to prepare anyway. So with that, here we go…..

      Slow Roasted BBQ Ribs
      Does the thought of making ribs with homemade BBQ sauce intimidate you? I felt the same way, until I watched Guy Fieri and Tyler Florence do it on the Food Network. The key is patience, because the actual cooking process is pretty simple.

      Continue reading »

      Ingredients, Recipes, Your Kitchen

      A can a week: Muir Glen Chicken Tortilla Soup

      January 18, 2011 /

      Chef JimI’ve been really making an effort to eat better in 2011–and by that I mean healthier. You may remember I posted something about buying bigger pants just before the holidays, and I’m still wearing them–but trying to eat less carbs, eat more produce and get to the gym. Don’t worry…..I still love fatty fried foods and bacon, so there will be plenty of that in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, here is a review of a soup I tried today that tastes pretty damn good for being good for you, Muir Glen Organic Chicken Tortilla soup.

      It’s not like I go out of my way to eat organic, but I picked up this soup because it’s all natural–the ingredient list if fairly long but you won’t find any crap listed on it. It’s one large serving, though the can claims it’s two. But still, you’re eating quality food.

      This soup is a rich tomato/chicken broth with black beans, corn, and giant chunks of chicken meat. It’s also a tad spicy, but being me, I had to add some hot sauce. It wasn’t overly salty or not salty enough, and the only spice drawback is that the flavor of cumin kind of dominated-and cumin is not for everyone (just ask my wife, who calls it the “armpit” spice).

      Overall, this soup tastes great and is good for you, with 14 grams of protein and 6 grams of fiber per can. My only real complaint? There are no tortillas in it, and it’s called chicken tortilla soup. There is corn, and there is toasted corn flour to thicken it, but no actual tortillas. It didn’t affect the flavor, but still…why call it that?

      So if you’re looking for a healthy option for lunch that tastes great, pick up a can of Muir Glen soup…..I found it in the health food section of our local grocery store. And I’ll see you on the treadmill!

      Healthy, Product Reviews, Your Kitchen

      Chipotle Mac & Cheese and Tex-Mex Meatballs

      January 14, 2011 /

      This is another great dish (or two dishes) to try during cold weather months, and is especially great for football-watching-food. I posted this on Grub for Guys a couple years ago. Enjoy and let me know what you think….

      Two Spicy Dishes That Explode With Flavor:Chipotle Mac & Cheese and Tex-Mex Meatballs w/Spicy Tomatillo Sauce

      Guys, if you like spicy food the way I do, I’ve created two dishes that you’re going to love. Skill level is easy to moderate on the mac & cheese, and a bit more complex for the meatballs, but worth it. I’ve tried to give you a classic mac & cheese with a twist, and a summery, fiery meatball dish that is different and made for the bold taste buds of the common dude. Enjoy!

      Chipotle Mac & Cheese

      Ingredients:
      8 oz. macaroni
      4 small to medium chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, finely chopped
      1 cup whole milk
      8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese
      8 oz. Monterey Jack cheese
      ¼ cup flour
      ½ stick butter

      Directions:
      Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook macaroni, drain and set aside. Melt butter in large skillet, then add flour and stir for about 20-30 seconds. Add milk and whisk to break up chunks of flour mixture. When mixture is warm and starts to thicken, add cheese. Stir until cheese melts, and then add chipotle peppers. Put cooked macaroni in a large bowl, and pour cheese mixture over it. Stir to combine and then pour into a greased casserole dish. Bake for about 20 minutes or until top is lightly browned. Serves four, or like previous recipes I’ve posted here, two very hungry guys.

      Tex-Mex Meatballs w/Spicy Tomatillo Sauce

      Ingredients:
      For Meatballs
      1 lb. ground beef
      2 medium ears cooked corn on the cob
      2 jalapeno peppers
      ¼ cup chopped cilantro
      1 Tbsp. chili powder
      1 tsp. kosher salt
      1 tsp. black pepper
      1 slice white bread, cut into cubes and soaked in ½ cup milk

      For Sauce
      3-4 tomatillos, papery skin removed and rinsed
      1 jalapeno pepper
      ¼ of a large red onion
      ¼ cup chopped cilantro
      ½ medium avocado
      ½ tsp. kosher salt
      ½ tsp. black pepper
      juice of one lime

      Directions:
      For the sauce, spray the tomatillos, two jalapenos (one for sauce, one for meatballs) and red onion with cooking spray and grill over medium heat until the skins on tomatillos and pepper turn brown and begin to blister and onion lightly browns. Cut off tough core of tomatillos and remove the stem and seeds of jalapenos. Throw the vegetables in a blender, saving one jalapeno for the meatballs, and add remaining sauce ingredients. Blend for a few seconds until smooth.

      For the meatballs, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut the corn off the cob, and chop the remaining grilled jalapeno. Combine in a large mixing bowl along with beef, cilantro, chili powder, salt and pepper. Then take the soaked bread and add to the bowl, discarding the milk. Mix thoroughly with your hands and shape into 1 ½ inch meatballs. Brown meatballs in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat for about 3-4 minutes. Then move meatballs to a baking sheet and bake in the oven for about ten more minutes, or until cooked through.

      Pour some sauce on a plate and top with a few meatballs. You should have about 20 meatballs in all, which will serve between two and four people. Serve with a frosty Mexican beer, and trust me, you’ll need it to wash down both of these dishes!

      Recipes, Your Kitchen

      DVD review: Bitter Feast

      January 13, 2011 /

      Chef JimLet me preface this by saying I’m not a horror flick guy. I think you either are or you’re not, and I’m not. But that said, when “Bitter Feast” was pitched to me, it was pitched as “a horror flick for foodies.” And of course, they hook you in by telling you Mario Batali, the same Mario Batali who is an Iron Chef on Food Network, stars in the film. Well, okay, why not then?

      So the story, created by Joe Maggio, takes place in what appears to be New York City, but I’m not sure that is ever referenced. Chef Peter Grey’s (James LeGros) world starts caving in around him when his TV show is canceled, and then he receives a bad review by notorious food blogger JT Franks (Joshua Leonard), which then leads to poor attendance at the restaurant where he is executive chef, owned by a fellow named Gordon (Batali). Gordon fires Grey, which is hilarious only because we get to see Mario Batali drop F-bombs like nobody’s business. And he fires him mostly because of that review.

      Of course, this sends Grey into a tizzy and he can only suppress his rage for so long. We also find out along the way that Grey killed his older brother as a young boy in self-defense, so we know what he’s capable of. Franks, meanwhile, is having his own problems at home after his 2-year old son dies from cancer, and he and his wife are having problems coping and also getting along themselves. Grey knocks Franks out in a dark alley and drags him to what appears to be a cabin in the middle of nowhere, probably meant to be upstate New York.

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      Chefs and Restaurants, DVD reviews, Food TV

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