Showing posts with label Fajitas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fajitas. Show all posts

Monday, September 26, 2011

P.E.I. - Part Deux

Back in the States.  It's nice to sit at home, enjoy a cold beer, and relax on the couch.  Yet, even with one night sans travel under my belt - I'm looking to get back out on the road.

A quick recap of a wonderful trip -

Thursday brought a 6 a.m. wake-up call.  After a few 'phoners' with local PEI stations, I was up and out on my way to Toronto, and on over to PEI.  All in all, a quick trip, and a true testament to the Nashville airport for offering a few direct flights to Toronto each and every day.  Ironically enough, I tend to meet more songwriters on this flight than any other.  After meeting Mark in baggage claim, I checked in to the historic Rodd Charlottetown.  Quite frankly, I had one thing on my mind - PEI mussels . . . and cold beer.  I decided to head down to the Gahan House for a few Island Red's (Great Beer!) and a pound of traditional mussels prepared with plenty garlic in a creamy broth - outstanding.  Better yet, the company of a few fine gentlemen - George Roberts and the hilarious Liam Maguire.  After a great meal, and plenty of NHL trivia, it was time to call it a night . . . sort of.  Upon walking out of the Gahan House, I'd remembered a great bar across the street, above Daniel B. Brickhouse, where I'd visited over the summer.  To my delight, this time around they carried Kentucky bourbon.  Did I say to my delight?  Perhaps it was to my downfall.  In the midst of great company and outstanding local music, I enjoyed a few too many bourbons than I'd like to admit to - leaving me with quite a hangover the next morning.

Nevertheless, life goes on.

Friday -

It was a pleasure to do the CBC "Spin Time" show with Karen Mair - the only problem was it was 10:00 a.m. and I was still feeling the pounding of a bourbon headache from the night before.  Yet, it turned out to be the perfect concoction to discuss Americana music from Athens, GA (Stewart and Winfield "Festival"), Nashville/Kentucky (Darryl Scott "You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive"), and my own tune "Tennessee".  Really a pleasure to be on such a great show, and you can catch my audio here.

After that, I was swept up by George for a great tour of the island.  I honestly cannot thank him enough for his hospitality.  Viewing the potato "production", including the farms, storage facilities, and processing plants (Cavendish Farms) was simply incredible.  After that, we passed the day in the company of many great gentleman on the golf course.  Yes, I'm terrible at golf, yet I suppose it was Canadian hospitality that allowed me to eek out a game of sorts for the day - or maybe it was just the Moosehead beer and Fireball shots.  Nevertheless, I had a great time playing with George, Liam, and Hugh-ey . . .  and it was also nice to meet Marcel Dionne.

After golf, it was off to George's farm to check out his new project.  I'll say one thing.  The beauty of P.E.I is truly within the landscape.  Like nowhere else I've ever traveled, P.E.I. has it all.  Undulating hills, spotted with historic farmhouses, crops, trees, and incredible landscapes - all with a view of the crystal blue Atlantic in the background.  Riding in George's dune buggy on his property was the best way to take it all in - truly incredible - I can see why he has a chair simply perched atop this peak of land to enjoy sunsets and the prophetic landscape that reaches all the way to the horizon on a beautiful fall day.

After that, a great hockey game in Summerside, and finally to bed - Thanks to Bryan for the ride back to Charlottetown.

Saturday -

What better to do when in a foreign country than to break into a a well established restaurant at 9:00 a.m.  Yes, that's what I did.  Hilarious?  Sorta . . . Embarrassing - Absolutely.  After getting down to Sim's Corner to meet the great Ross Munro, I found an open door - and an alarm that would make any man check his drawers upon getting out alive.  Oh well, an honest mistake I suppose, but nevertheless, a great way to 'wake up' a great day.  I was so fortunate to enjoy Ross' hospitality by allowing me to prep and utilize much of the equipment from his restaurant.  Seriously - one of the most incredibly generous people I've met in my lifetime.  Thankfully - Cory made it back to help out and assist in everything from prep to shopping to demos to tracking down local PEI girls (for him of course).  Good luck with her Cory!

The Great Big BBQ block party encountered some cloudy, rainy weather, but the turnout and enthusiasm remained high.  Honestly - a special thanks to Mark, Treena, Myrtle, and the many others who spent so many hours putting together such a great event.  For those who couldn't be there, I provided my recipe in my last post.  Overall, it was a pleasure to showcase local island beef, utilizing a cut (skirt steak) that seemed to be relatively unknown to most festival-goers.  My apologies to the butchers on PEI - I'm pretty sure you are gonna get a lot requests for 'skirt steak' from now on!!!  The demos turned out fantastic!

A few more beers, dinner, and good conversation at Gahan House was the perfect way to end a fabulous week.

Sunday -

Well, air travel can be amazing, but also frustrating.  Unfortunately, I met some resistance from an asshole working the gate for Air Canada at the PEI airport who insisted I had to check my guitar - his sarcasm was embarrassing, but I was ready to get home, so I sucked it up, payed the $35 fee, and sent my Martin Guitar off on a hope and a prayer . . . and sure enough - it was lost in the Toronto airport.  Oh well - I finally got her back into my hands (3 hours later), and made it safe back to Nashville.  Definitely not the best way to end a great trip, but then again, I think Karma will come back to pay for that gate agent who got his rocks off by asking me to show him how my guitar would fit into the "carry on" space.  Get a life dude.

Anywho!

A special thanks to Charles for hanging out - and taking these great pictures!

Keep peaceful!

MM








Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Skirt Steak Fajitas

What up?  It's been a few busy weeks around here.  Working on some new ventures, writing new recipes, getting ready for upcoming events, and always trying to enjoy some cooler temperatures down South.  I'm excited that my return trip to Prince Edward Island, Canada is almost just a week away!  It's going to be a great time at the Fall Flavours festival.  For those that can't make it - I wanted to provide my recipe for skirt steak fajitas, which I'll be demo'ing a few times throughout the day on Saturday, Sept 24th in downtown Charlottetown.  These make for great game-day fare for entertaining your guests over football season.  Enjoy!

MM


Skirt Steak Fajitas - Serves 4

Skirt Steak/Marinade
1/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Limes, Juiced
4 Cloves Garlic, finely minced
2 lbs Skirt Steak
Kosher Salt
Fresh Cracked Pepper
1 Tablespoon Chili Powder
1 Teaspoon Cumin Powder

Onions/Peppers/Tortilla's
1/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Large Red Onion, sliced into thin strips
1 Large Green Bell Pepper, sliced into thin strips
1 Large Yellow Bell Pepper, sliced into thin strips
Kosher Salt
Fresh Cracked Pepper
8 - 10 Large Flour Tortillas

Toppings/Garnish
Pico de Gallo/Salsa
Sour Cream
Guacamole
Cilantro


First:  At least 30 minutes prior to grilling, whisk together the first three ingredients into a mixing bowl, set aside.  Next, season the steaks liberally on both sides with the remaining ingredients.  Add the seasoned steaks into a large plastic bag and cover with the wet marinade.  Marinate for at least 30 minutes at room temperature, or overnight in the refrigerator.

Next:  Prepare grill.  Preheat half of the grill to high heat, with the other half devoted to low heat.  If using coals, pile coals on one side to create a direct and indirect heat surface.  Place a small cast iron skillet over direct heat; add 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil.  Add onions and peppers to the skillet and season with kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper.  Sauté the mixture until ingredients are slightly charred and just tender, 3 - 4 minutes.  Move skillet to indirect heat and sauté until tender and caramelized, about 20 minutes.  As onions and peppers are finishing, remove skirt steaks from bag, shaking off excess marinade.  Grill steaks over direct heat for 2 minutes.  Flip steaks and grill for another 1 - 2 minutes for medium/medium rare depending on the size and thickness.  Remove steaks from grill, tent with foil, and rest for 3 - 4 minutes.

Last:  Grill tortillas over direct heat until warmed and slightly charred, about 30 seconds to 1 minute, keep warm.  Thinly slice skirt steak across the grain and place a generous portion onto a warmed tortilla.  Next, top with onions and peppers.  Finally, finish with any of the desired toppings and serve immediately.

Friday, October 1, 2010

Taste of Atlanta

Howdy -

A few months back I got invited to participate in Taste of Atlanta.  Seeing as though the great city of Atlanta was my childhood home, I couldn't be more excited to be a part of this years event.  Couple that with the fact that I'm leading a class on one of my favorite cooking devices - The Big Green Egg - and I'm a happy camper. 

So, I'll be manning the fire on Oct 23rd at 5:30 p.m. showing off one of my favorite recipes, Grilled Skirt Steak Fajitas.  Can I get a cold SweetWater to go with that?  Yes, thank you.

To make the deal even sweeter - my friends over at Lodge Cast Iron have donated some skillets that I'll be giving away to the top participants. 

Great food, cold beer, and free stuff - come see me!  Don't forget about Rock4Research the night before! 

MM