Broccoli & Leek Soup

 Soup season is pretty much over here in Central Texas. With the swealtering heat of summer already upon us, soup just doesnt sound as good as it did back in February. Sure, I could tough it out, and serve an awesome soup on a hot day, but I would rather just visit the mountains of New Mexico and have this soup where it is still chilly. So this recipe is for everyone that still has yet to break 70 degrees.

Leeks are a great ingredient to use when making soups. Not packing quite as much punch as onion, leeks have a great flavor, and makes the soup unique. Usually, the soup I make most often is potato and leek, but I decided to try something new, and broccoli fit the bill.

For this recipe, well, most creamy soup recipes I make, I use my immersion blender. It is a great tool for minimizing the mess of using the blender. Using the blender to smooth the soup is quite a chore; pour as much as you can into the blender, blitz, pour into a bowl and blitz the rest of the soup, then combine again, leaving you with a filthy blender and a used bowl. The immersion blender works great, and it is pretty fun to use, too.

There are only a handful of ingredients in this soup, so feel free to modify it any way you see fit. I had a bunch of fresh thyme, so that was tossed in. I also like a spicier soup, so I use a bit of cayenne and red pepper flakes to give it some pizazz, but you can go middle-eastern, or just leave it creamy and friendly.

Broccoli & Leek Soup

1 head broccoli
2 medium leeks
1 bunch thyme, leaves pulled
1 cup heavy cream
3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to season
3 tablespoons butter, divided

Trim the broccoli head to get all the florets, and just a little bit of stem. Chop up the broccoli finely. Halve the leaks lengthwise, then wash. Leeks have a lot of dirt in them, and that is not too tasty. Once cleaned, trim off the very green parts, and finely chop the white to pale green portions. Reserve a small handful of the greener portion of what you just chopped for garnish.

In a large pot, heat up 2 tablespoons of butter on medium heat. Once bubbling, toss in the red pepper flakes, and stir around for a minute, and toss in the chopped leeks. Season with salt and pepper. Stir them around so they are coated nicely, and let cook for 5 minutes, until fragrant. Add the other tablespoon of butter, and toss in the broccoli with the cayenne pepper and thyme leaves. Stir around for a few moments, then cover with chicken stock. Season with salt and pepper. Let cook for 15-20 minutes on low heat (simmering).

Once the broccoli is softened, you are ready to puree. Using your blender of choice, blitz everything together until fine. Return to pot if using a regular blender, and turn heat back to medium. Once boiling, reduce heat and stir in heavy cream. Season to taste, and serve with reserved chopped leeks on top.

Side Dish: Fingerling Potatoes

I love some fingerling potatoes. They are funky, tasty and awesome. They cook fairly fast, and are entertaining to eat. For this recipe, I just toss the potatoes with some fresh herbs like rosemary, thyme and sage with butter. The key to making sure the potatoes are cooked is to boil them first for about 5-7 minutes, then let cool, then toss into hot pan with the herbs you choose. On the hassle scale, these are relatively easy to put together. The most difficult thing is halving the hot potatoes. That is easily remedied by letting them cool down before cutting.

Fingerling Potatoes

1 lb assorted fingerling potatoes (various sizes also make it fun)
3 tablespoons fresh assorted herbs (rosemary, thyme, tarragon, etc.)
2 tablespoons butter
1 shallot, chopped
salt and pepper to season

Start of by boiling a large pot of water. Once boiling, toss the potatoes in, and cook until softish, about 5-7 minutes at a hard boil. Drain, and let cool. Once cool enough to handle, cut into halves, or more, depending on the side of the potatoes.

Heat a large skillet or wok to medium-high heat. Toss in butter, and once bubbling, add the shallot, potatoes and herbs. Season generously with salt and pepper.

Cook on high heat until the potatoes start to brown slightly. Take care to keep mixing everything around, so nothing gets burned.


Serve with a good Greek yogurt sauce and your favorite cut of meat.

Pour Me: Double Bastard

While Fat Tire may have been the beer of my awakening, Arrogant Bastard was the beer that transcended what beers could be. The first time I saw an Arrogant Bastard, it was at my friend Paulf's party. His older brother brought him one from the big city, and Paulf read the back of the bottle to us whilst drinking. It was awesome, and I knew as soon as I could, I needed to get one for myself.

Stone is a great brewery. Their beers are quite consistent, and for the most part, enjoyable. While a majority of their beers are in 22oz form, they do have some that come in 6-packs. However, I have never tried one of their sixers, I have tried many of their bombers. Double Bastard is the most recent one I have had.

Actually, I have had Double Bastard before, long, long ago. Spring of 2008. I had been drinking Arrogant Bastard's pretty regularly, and was shocked to see this new offering. Sure, the price was almost double what AB was, but I had to go for it. I am so glad I did. What AB did for me way back when, DB did it double over. It was great, and I planned on making it my regular beer. Well, we moved to Texas shortly after, and I never saw Double Bastard again. Until yesterday.

After a 4.5 mile run at the gym, I decided that I needed to get some beers to ease the pain. At the store, I glanced up at the Stone offering and was, once again, shocked to see Double Bastard. "Oh hell yes," I said to the guy next to me, who gave me an odd look. I popped a glass in the freezer, and showered. The glass was nice and frosty in 15 minutes, and the tasting commenced.

Double Bastard is rich, and full of flavor. There are some sweet and tangy notes sitting on the smooth and creamy beer.  I would even go so far as to say it is a bit buttery. The hops and malts are not overwhelming, but add to the overall flavor.

If you could not tell, I really dig it. However, you probably wouldn't like it. This beer is not for the timid or weak; this beer is in yo face, as they say. The ABV is 11.2%. So, if you have been scared off, maybe start with just an Arrogant Bastard, and work your way up.

"Ye shall know the Bastard, and the Bastard shall set you free."

Yeah. Buy a Stone beer, read the back of the bottle for the awesome wit, and enjoy. I should just get a job as a print buyer for Stone...5

Grillin': Kabobs

Kabobs are awesome. Who would have thought: take some meat, spear it with a stick, then toss it on a fire? That is what makes kabobs awesome. That, and a good marinade. Also, a dipping sauce. Yes, all these elements combine to create an epic meal that will impress guests, as well as the regulars. I was even impressed by these lamb kabobs.

For Easter this year, my wife and I debated doing a leg of lamb, but I ultimately decided that it would be to damn hot in the house if we did one, so grilling would be the order of the day. I wanted to lamb patties (kofta patties), but the store had no ground lamb. They did have something even better: cubed lamb. So, that made it kabobs for Easter. Jesus would be proud.

I have done different marinades for cubed meat, including Greek yogurt, and this time I decided to just do a typical marinade of Worcestershire sauce, ginger-soy sauce, Middle-Eastern spices and whole cloves garlic. Mixed it all together and let it all soak in for about 6 hours in the fridge.

In addition to the lamb, I skewered the prerequisite veggies: tomato, onion, mushrooms, jalapenos and bell pepper. Sure, pineapple would have been good, but unless its from a can, it's just too much damn work. After I got the veggies skewered, I seasoned them simply with salt, pepper and paprika, and drizzled olive oil over them.

Something neat that I have never tried before is actually skewering garlic cloves. It worked, but I really had to wedge them good in between the lamb bits. Once finished, I patted them dry with some paper towels and tossed them onto the hot grill. I charred the lamb just slightly, flipped, and added the veggies. It took about 10-15 minutes for everything to get done nicely. I highly recommend staying outside with a beverage to watch; sometimes fires or uneven heat needs to be attended to rather quickly. I also took out the olive oil to drizzle on the mushrooms and anything that started looking dry.

Once done, I just put everything on a cutting board, and served. My lovely assistant made a fantastic dill-Greek yogurt sauce for dipping, and we each took our own skewers. It was quite delicious, if I do say so myself.

Lastly, I grilled up some asparagus with this, in addition to 2 halves of a lemon. They turned out great, but are not part of this recipe. Also, if you look closely, you will notice that the ends of the asparagus are not broken. I heard about just pealing the ends of them, so I thought I would give it a try. It worked out really nicely, and if you have the time, I highly recommend it. 

Lamb Kabobs

1 lb cubed lamb
6 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 large yellow or Vidalia onion
2 bell peppers (I despise green bell peppers)
2 jalapenos
10 mushrooms
1 cup Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon turmeric
salt and pepper
olive oil
lots of bamboo skewers

Start off by making the marinade for the lamb. Combine the garlic, Worcestershire sauce and spices, and mix well. Toss the lamb in and mix everything together really well. Cover with plastic wrap and let marinate for 6+ hours. At about 3 hours till you are ready, soak the bamboo skewers in water.

Once you are ready to cook, take the lamb out of the fridge. Cut the onion into quarters, and spear with skewers. Halve the bell peppers, and cut into sixths. Spear them as well. The mushrooms and jalapenos can be skewered whole, without any problems. Season everything generously with salt and pepper, and drizzle with olive oil.


Heat up the grill to nice and pipping hot (technical term). Remove the lamb from the marinade, and skewer. If you can, try to squeeze some of the garlic cloves in between the lamb pieces. Once all the lamb is skewered, pat them dry with some paper towels and toss on the grill. Try to char them just a bit on both sides, then turn the heat down, and add the veggies. I put the mushrooms on the top rack so they would not dry out as quickly. Bring your olive oil with you, and if anything starts looking dry, drizzle with some oil. The mushrooms will need it, as well as the jalapeno.

Once everything is done, about 10 or so minutes, set on cutting board and let cool. Serve with some awesome Greek yogurt.

Pour Me: Mama's Little Yella Pils

Oskar Blues is a Colorado brewer that does thing just a little bit different. All their beers are in cans. Personally, that is how I grew up drinking beers, and have no problem with it. Some people, on the other hand, would never be caught dead drinking a can of beer. The can, to them at least, represents inferior quality, and general lameness. I mean, PBR comes in a can too, so its just as good (bad), right? Well, it depends. If you are willing to try a beer out of a can after being bottle fed (drank) for so long, then no, you are one of the folks that would not drink out of a can if you were dying of thirst. However, if you are willing to try it, it can often be rewarding. Giving the can another try results in quite a few benifits. I did not know that modern aluminum is lined with a water-based coating to ensure that the beer never touches the aluminum. Also, aluminum cans are more recyclable than all those bottles, right? Plus, there are more reasons here. Pretty cool stuff.

Oskar Blues has several different beers that all sound pretty good. My first beer from Oskar was the Dales Pale Ale. It is a pretty solid pale ale, and apparently the New York Times thinks so too. Anyway, I have been looking for a good summertime beer, and decided to give the Mama's Little Yella Pils a try. I do like pilsners, with Blue Paddle from New Belgium being my absolute favorite. The first can I had was refreshing, but then the dullness of the beer actually set in. It is not awesome or mind-blowing, just decent. Fitting for the can, I suppose. The notes are light: somewhat malty, somewhat hoppy, somewhat enjoyable. Little Yella is something to try, but not a keeper. I will continue looking for a good summertime beer.

Pour Me: Bridgeport IPA

Since the Cafe Negro received a less than stellar review, I was eager to give this IPA a try. Truth be told, I have had this beer before: my buddy that lives in Portland had some over Christmas, and let me have a 6-pack. I thought it was really tasty, so I thought I would give it an honest review.

Bridgeport IPA is quite a good IPA. It is not a big, bold, ultra-hoppy West-coast IPA. It is subtle, lowish alcohol content, and not brazenly hoppy. It is smooth and easy drinking, with the bite of an IPA. It is better than Ranger, if only for the fact that there is no especially bitter aftertaste. I believe this is the easiest drinking IPA I have ever encountered. The 5.5% ABV lends to the easy-drinkingness of Bridgeport IPA. I highly recommend picking up a six-pack.

Steak! And Potatoes

Some times, you just feel like a slab of beef. For me, that is about once a week. Since my wife is not quite as enthusiastic about slabs of beef as I am, we usually have steak nights twice a month. So, every time we mark steaks on the calender, I always start the preparations in my mind. How should I make it... On the stove? On the grill? Marinated? Au pov? Special sauce?

This week, I just decided to roast up a red bell pepper to top the steaks, and serve them with grilled red potatoes. Now, the trick to roasting peppers is to get them thoroughly charred on all sides, and let the pepper rest in a brown paper bag. The pepper steams itself, and when you take it out after about 15 minutes, it will be cool enough to scrape off the char. Once char-free, the pepper can be served with anything. A good burger, on a salad, bruschetta, or on top of a well seasoned steak.


The potatoes on the grill can be tough. I use a grill basket for veggies, but the tough part is flipping. There is no lock on it, so I have to be very careful not to spill out the contents onto the ground (although the dog wouldn't mind that). If you are working without a grill basket, and just straight on the grill, just be careful to not drop them though the grill grates. Use wide potatoes is probably a good key to success.

I also tossed some mushrooms on the grill because they were starting to go, but I wont include the in this recipe. 

2 Ribeyes
2 good pinches fleur de sel
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 red bell pepper
6 red potatoes
2 pinches Kosher salt
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons tarragon
2 teaspoons herbs de provence
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary
pepper
olive oil

Start off by opening up the ribeyes, and seasoning with either really good salt, or fleur de sel on both sides. Let rest for at least one hour. After an hour, season with whatever spices you like on the steak (I used a pinch of cayenne pepper).

Scrub up the potatoes and cut into 1/4" thick rounds. Toss into a bowl, and season with salt, cayenne, tarragon, herbs de provence, rosemary and pepper. Drizzle a good amount of oil and toss thoroughly.

If you have a gas stove, you can char the red bell pepper on it. If not, go ahead and start the grill, and set it to high-heat. Toss on the bell pepper and char the pepper on all sides. Once charred, set in a brown paper bag for at least 15 minutes. Once cool enough to handle, split down the middle and cut the stem off. Using the knife at a 45 degree angle, scrape the charred skin off.

Once the grill in nice and hot, go ahead and toss on the steaks as well as the potatoes. If you are doing the potatoes straight on the grill, take care not to drop any though the grates. Turn the heat down to low, and flip both the steaks and potatoes after 10 minutes. For medium rare, cook the steaks for another five, and remove. For medium well, cook steaks for another 10, flip, and cook for another 5. While the steaks are still on the grill, and after the last flip, go ahead and toss on the bell pepper. Cook the potatoes for another 10, then flip. If the potatoes are starting to brown and blister, they are good to go.

Now, you can serve the potatoes with any kind of sauce you like, but we just used ketchup. Yeah, no fancy aioli or chipotle mayo, just ketchup. What can I say? We simple!

Pour Me: Bully! Porter

"The intense flavors of dark-roasted barely malt in Boulevard's rendition of the classic English porter are perfectly balanced by generous and complex hop character. Bully! Porter's robust nature makes it the ideal companion to a variety of foods, from seafood to chocolate."

I love reading the brewers notes about their beers. Sometimes I get exactly what they are saying. Sometimes, not so much. This Bully! Porter is one that is vague enough to pique my curiosity. We are coming out of stout and porter season, and entering the spring/and summer light-beer season. Sure, I may be weird, but I like my stouts and porters, even in the heat of summer. Anyway, I decided to give the Boulevard porter a try.


Usually, a porter is very malty and velvety. This porter is not. It is quite bitter, and the bitterness lingers on the tongue for a long time. It is okay for a maltiness to linger, but a hoppy bitterness is not that pleasant. I found the hops to be overpowering in this porter. That is something that I would crave in an IPA, but with a porter, it just does not work. The beer itself is deep and somewhat complex, but the aftertaste is somewhat foul. It is generally a bland porter, with no real "oh, wow" moments. In the description, Boulevard suggests having it with seafood. Perhaps I should have had this with fish and chips instead of casually. 


Yet another Boulevard beer that I cannot recommend. Their beers are so hit and miss, it is amazing. We will see if there is another one that I will opt to try. However, the box is still really cool.

Avoidance is Advised: Genghis Grill

Any place that has the audacity to charge for water gets an automatic thumbs down. Seriously, the bill for our fancy pants bottled water was over $4USD! When ordering waters, the wait staff should note that it comes in a bottle, and is imported from the French alps, and comes from the last glacier in continental Europe. Seriously, just let me know that it is not free, and I will order a beer for the same amount.

Genghis Grill just opened right in our neighborhood, and there has been a full blitz in advertising. From the poor kids working on the corners, waving signs stating that "Genghis Grill Now Open!!!" to the signs on the side of the building stating the same, it was hard to not be drawn into. So we tried it for lunch.

Personally, I have never been to a Mongolian grill before, but am familiar with the concept: you pick ingredients, and they cook it. Simple. Yeah, right. You walk in, are seated with one metal bowl. The server stops by, takes your drink order, and, if you are new, they show you how to "build the perfect bowl." The server brings you around back to a buffet-like line, and you are guided through the process. Pick a protein, pick some seasoning, pick some veg, pick some starch and finally pick a sauce. There are some recommendations on the wall, that are color coded to make it dead simple. You want a seafood explosion, just pick everything labeled #6(blue) or whatever. Basically, you are in charge of making your lunch, without having to wok it yourself. Oh, and pay $8USD for the pleasure.

There was a very friendly person who did not know what they were talking about behind the buffet trying to help us out. She called the marinated beef, pork, and the scallops, shrimp. Maybe I was just not following along closely enough. Anyway, I had the marinated beef, and made it spicy with "Dragon Seasoning," a bit of salt and a bit of cayenne (just like I would do at home), and picked up some bell peppers and onions to go on top. The choice of starches was pretty varied, from fried rice to udon noodles. I picked the udon noodles, well, because I love them. The individual working behind the buffet was very eager to help us get a perfect blend of sauces. They grabbed several spoons, and mixed and matched 3 different sauces, and let us try it. All of these sauces were incredibly sweet and salty. I combined a ginger sauce with a spicy sauce, and called it good. "Oh, that is going to be spicy!" Yeah, thanks. Once finished with the buffet, you bring your bowl to the grill, and set it down with your number, and let the chef do magic to it (read: cook it).

It took about 10-15 minutes to receive our orders. It was impressive how much the raw food cooked down. I am familiar with this, and that is why I stacked my bowl so high, but I was still surprised that my bowl was so shrunken. Anyway, dive in! I was under the assumption that the only thing they add to the food is oil when grilling, but it sure tasted like loads of salt was added. Maybe I am sodium sensitive, but, man, it was pretty bad. My perfect bowl was not that good. I ate it all, to be sure, because I was getting my monies worth.

The concept is unique, sure, but it feels like a rip off. Maybe that is because, for feeding 2 people, the total was almost $30 after tip. For that amount of money, I could have bought my own stir fry ingredients, and replicate an even better meal, and only have to worry about doing dishes. It just seems way to easy to mess up your "perfect bowl." Certainly, I did not feel like I got any kind of value out of that meal. However, they do give you a free bowl on your birthday. Even so, I doubt I will go back. It is just too much work. Lastly, if Genghis Khan had to pay for water, I do believe he would have beheaded some fools.

High Praise: The Highball

Some time ago, I wrote a friend telling them that, while The Highball was a spectaular place to have drinks and appetizers, I bemoaned the fact that their entree fare was pretty terrible. The Ceaser salad was mediocre at best, and the lamb tips were remnisint of a certain "chunky stew." The redeaming quality was the delicious Baller's Plate and Quail Wings, in addition to the astounding amount of drinks both on tap, and prepared by the barman.

So, The Highball was a great place to go to after a long week at the old 9-5, but you would have to find your main course elsewhere. That has changed since the last time I visited. Now, the menu items are slightly refreshed, and there are new offerings. Still present is the awesome cheese plate and the mind altering sriracha and bacon emulsified sauce on the quail wings. In addition to these amazing appetizers are a daily special and a new hamburger, in addition to several other things I paid no mind to since I read the burger is topped with prosciutto. Case closed.

Instead of going the typical route and order a beer, of which they have a fantastic selection, I decided to have a cocktail, since it was still happy hour. I had a Mint Juelip, made with Bulleit Bourbon, mint and a simple syrup. Quite delicious. My lovely assistant and I came just for the appetizers, but once we sat down, we both realized that quail wings would not be enough to overcome our hunger, so we both ordered new entrees. She had the blackened snapper, and I had the hamburger.

The quail wings, as always, were simply amazing, and I cannot affirm how awesome they are. They could use a bit more veg with the plate, but on the whole, the wings are a great deal. It is tough to wash the spice down with a Mint Juelip, but I managed. The entrees were out shortly after we polished off our wings. The snapper looked fantastic, and my burger was damn stacked. My wife was kind enough to let me try a bit of her fish before I dove head first into my burger. The fish was excellent, and an excellent alternative to the greasy, diner stuff on the menu. Speaking of which...

I have been on a bit of a burger kick lately. Something about reading A Hamburger A Day over on Serious Eats may have something to do with it. Anyway, I had a pretty bad hamburger at Sullivan's, downtown, and needed to make ammends. And make ammends, this Highball burger did. It was cooked perfectly, and the prosciutto was simply divine. The bun was excellent at soaking up the juices too. The fries at The Highball are outstanding, and you can even order them as an appetizer. This burger pretty much changed my opinion of The Highball from casual appetizer place to excellent diner. However, the one grievance I have is the price. A $15 burger, this is not. Sure, you get more prosciutto on the burger than you would paying $6.99 for a package at your grocer, but that should be an option.  That said, the burger is probably the best $15 burger I have ever had the joy of eating.

Pour Me: Boulevard Pale Ale

Boulevard and I have had a very up and down relationship. Some of their beers are really quite good. Some, not so much. Boulevard Pale Ale is great! So, the next Boulevard I try will probably be terrible. Hey, if every beer was awesome, we would all be drinking PBR. It makes life interesting. You have to have some bad stuff once in a while to really make you appreciate whats good.


The Pale Ale is one of the better pale ales I have ever had. The reason is because I have yet to try too many pale ales, outside of Sierra Nevada's. Truly, pale ales are often glossed over for their amber contemporaries. With Boulevard's Pale Ale, this changed my perspective. My tastes have changed from the softer, maltier notes of amber ales and crave the hops of pale ales. Now, IPA's are still one of my favorite styles of beer, but when I need a six-pack of something smooth and tasty, I will now favor a pale ale. 

Boulevard Pale Ale is creamy and enjoyable. Golden color with a smooth and creamy head, the Pale Ale is delightful in a glass. The body is smooth and crisp, making quite refreshing on a hot day. Oh, and the hot days are just starting, so it is nice to have something drinkable during the heat. There is a good amount of hops: slightly bitter, but not overpowering. Boulevard bottles with yeast in the bottle, to continue fermentation, so it is best served in a glass to get all the yeast flowing.

Like I said, this is a great recreational beer. I would take a six-pack to a party, if I ever got invited to parties. Also, the packaging is quite cool. Once you open it up, you can close it again, making it quite transportable.

So, my next Boulevard might be funky, but at least I know that their Pale Ale is a sure thing.