The Louisville Chef

Firstly, I should say that I prefer a gin martini to vodka, so that is how I will list the recipe, but you can certainly substitute vodka if you prefer.

I think that preparation is critical to having a really good martini. A little prep will make all of the difference to the finished product.

Finally, buy the best gin or vodka you can afford, as the end result is going to be dominated by the spirit, so if you choose a cheap gin or vodka, you will definitely taste it.

Gin is a very personal thing and while some will like one over another, the key is to have a gin that is smooth and in balance. No one flavor should dominate in an unpleasant way.

Here are a few of my favorites:

No 3, London Dry Gin by Berry Bros and Rudd – Truly one of my favorites and a staple at Duke’s Hotel Bar in London, for making the world famous Vesper.

No Ten by Tanqueray – A close second and a real surprise, as I was not excepting it to be so good.

Plymouth English Gin- This makes a lovely martini and is how I think a good gin should taste. Crisp and balanced, as it should be.

Cadenhead’s Old Raj – Very nice old style gin made in Scotland. Quite strong, so use caution.

Preparation:

Note: Okay, so let’s say you want a martini tonight and forgot to put the gin and glasses into the freezer. First things first, put the glasses into the freezer as they will freeze up quickly. Set the timer for 30 minutes and go occupy yourself while awaiting your reward.

Now, take your cocktail shaker and fill to the very top with ice. Add your 1 Tbsp of vermouth, and swirl it around. Now strain off the vermouth. Add in your gin and stir for at least 30 seconds until very cold, then strain into your frozen glass and garnish as desired. I prefer lemon peel as it accents the gin nicely, but olives are good as well.

This is one of my all time favorites. It is perfect for a light salad, but yet it’s packed with flavor. I do think the key is the candied pecan, but you can substitute any other candied nut.

Ingredients:

6 cups cups of washed Rocket/Arugula
1 cup of sliced Strawberries
1/2 cup of Blueberries
1 cup of Candied Pecans or other suitable nut
1/4 cup of finely chopped Green Onion
1/2 cup of Crumbled Blue Cheese, omit if you are vegan or lactose intolerant

Preparation:

Wash and thoroughly dry the greens. I find a salad spinner is perfect for this. Portion out the greens into the individual bowls and then add all other ingredients. Finish with a salad dressing of your choice, but a strawberry vinaigrette would be perfect.

Strawberry Vinaigrette

6 Tbsp of Pecan, Walnut Oil or other nut oil
3 Tbsp of Red Wine or Champagne Vinegar, more to taste if desired
2 Tbsp pureed Strawberries
1-2 tsp Sea Salt

Add all ingredients into a bowl and add one half of the oil and then while whisking, add in the additional oil until emulsified.

Note: I always store my nut oils in the refrigerator. This has two benefits. One, it keeps the oil fresh and secondly, it makes the oil emulsify infinitely better.

One of the best things about summer is all of the fresh vegetables. One of the most challenging things about summer, is what to do with all of the fresh vegetables!

Faced with an avalanche of lovely cherry tomatoes, I decided to take action and created a simple tomato tart, which was easy to make and was a perfect use of my abundance of tomatoes.

Ingredients:

1 Pie Crust
1 1/2 cups of Cherry Tomatoes, sliced in half
1 cup of fresh Basil, chiffonade (rolled and sliced into thin ribbons)
1 cup of Heavy Cream
4 Eggs
1 cup of Gruyere Cheese, shredded
1 tsp Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper

If you can get these late summer perfectly ripe cherry tomatoes, here is my favorite raw, no cook tomato sauce for pasta. The Italians refer to this as a “crudo” sauce, because it is not cooked. Basically it translates as “raw”.

The beauty of this recipe is its incredible freshness and how you can quickly prepare it while your water is boiling.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb Pasta, Gemelli or Fusilli are perfect
1 cup of Cherry Tomatoes, sliced in half
Juice of 1/2 Lemon
1 clove of Garlic, crushed
2-3 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tsp Chili Flakes
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
Freshly ground Black Pepper
Parmesan Cheese, to finish

Preparation:

Start your water for pasta. Once your water is boiling, add 1 Tbsp of sea salt to the water and add in your pasta.

Prepare your “sauce” by slicing the cherry tomatoes in half and place into your serving bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and when your pasta is cooked, drain and pour over your sauce. Let it sit for 30 seconds, then toss with cheese and serve.

Now that autumn is just around the corner, I wanted to share a great tip about storing tomatoes. One year I planted 3 San Marzano tomato plants and I had so many tomatoes, it was impossible to cook them all. I was still getting baskets of tomatoes in late September, so I had to find a solution.

After picking another basket of beautiful San Marzanos, I just took them and put them into a gallon freezer bag and put them into the freezer. No washing, no fuss and they were still warm from the garden.

About two weeks later I remembered them and was expecting the worse, but when I took them out to make a sauce, they were perfect. I put a little bit of lukewarm water on them and the skins came right off and I then chopped them and made a wonderful sauce. They had lost none of their flavor.

The only important thing to remember, is that this will only work for tomatoes you plan on using for cooking, as the texture will not be suitable for slicing.

I picked my last batch in early October and then used them up until March of the following year. They had been frozen for almost 6 months and they were lovely and had lost none of their freshness.

I love chili, and I am very committed to making it in an authentic manner. I really enjoy vegetarian chili. I like the bold tastes, but sometimes appreciate the lower fat and the no meat aspect.

I have a couple of versions of this, depending on what I have in the pantry. This is the basic recipe and then feel free to add whatever you like. I’ll include some optional items at the end to spur your creativity.

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
1 large Onion, chopped
3 tsp of Salt
1 tsp freshly ground Black Pepper
1 large Yellow Pepper, chopped into 1 inch pieces
1 large Red Pepper, chopped into 1 inch pieces
1 Large Orange Pepper, chopped into 1 inch pieces
4 cloves of Garlic, whole
4 Tbsp Chili Powder
1 Tbsp Ground Chipotle Peppers, optional
1 Tbsp Hot Smoked Paprika
1 Tbsp Ground Cumin
1 4 oz can of fire roasted Green Chilies
1 15 oz can of Black Beans, including juice
1 15 oz can of Pinto Beans, including juice
1 cup of fresh or frozen Corn
2 32oz cans of crushed Tomatoes
1 bottle of Dark Beer

Preparation:

Get out your large stock pot or cast iron pot, as you want this to cook slowly. Add the oil to the pan and heat it up and then add the onions, salt and pepper and sauté until the onions start to slightly caramelize.

Then add the peppers and do the same. When they are really soft, add the garlic cloves and sauté for one minute of so and then add the dry spices. Carefully cook and keep stirring until the rawness of the spices are gone.

Now add each of the remaining ingredients, stirring as you add each one. When they have all been added, bring it up to a simmer and then reduce the heat down and let it simmer gently for 2-3 hours. Serve with grated cheese or sour cream and some finely chopped green onions. Add hot sauce as desired.

Optional Ingredients:

Sweet Potatoes, cut into 1 inch cubes
Carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces
Lima Beans, 1 cup
Garbanzo Beans, 15oz can
Red Beans, 15 oz can

Allow to cool thoroughly before serving.

This is a fun dish to prepare and it’s great for kids. It’s more Tex Mex, than true Mexican, but it’s tasty, hearty, healthy. I have made a vegetarian’s version here, but you can certainly add ground meat if you want.

This can easily be prepared ahead of time and then popped into the oven when you are ready to eat. If it’s coming right out of the refrigerator, give it an extra 5 – 10 minutes in the oven.

Ingredients:

2 cups of Boca Crumbles or meat if you choose. Ground chicken, turkey or beef would be fine.
3 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
1 medium Onion, chopped
2 cloves of Garlic, chopped
1 tsp Salt, omit if Taco Spice has salt.
3/4 cup Corn, frozen is fine.
2 Tbsp Taco Spice, or Chili Powder
1 15 oz can of diced Tomatoes
1 15 oz can of Pinto or Black Beans
Corn Tortillas
Cheddar shreds

Preparation:

Preheat your oven to 375 and then add oil to a sauté pan. Add in onion, garlic, salt and sauté until translucent, then add corn. Sauté for 3-5 min.

Add Boca Crumbles or meat and taco spice. Sauté until heated through. Add in tomatoes and beans and cook until slightly thickened. Remove from heat.

Add a layer of the mix to the bottom of an oven proof baking dish, and then layer on the fresh corn tortillas, a bit of the cheese and continue layering until you reach the top.

Finish with additional cheese, cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Allow to rest for 10 minutes and serve.

Note: If you can not find fresh corn tortillas, you can substitute tortilla chips, but use unsalted chips.