Crispy Honey Garlic Wings

Double fried wings tossed in sticky sweet deliciousness - good lord they’re sooooo good!

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup soy sauce

• 3/4 cup honey

• 4 cloves garlic, crushed

• 2 Tablespoons cider vinegar

• 2 tablespoons sriracha

• 2-3 pounds chicken wings

• 1 cup corn starch

• 2 tablespoons granulated garlic

• 3 cups neutral oil for frying

• Sliced green onion & toasted sesame seeds for garnish

Directions

1. Combine soy, honey, vinegar, garlic & sriracha in a small pot

2. Bring to a boil to over medium heat, then turn down and let simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes

3. White it simmers, dry wings well with paper towels and then toss with cornstarch & granulated to coat well

4. Heat oil to 325 degrees and fry wings for 5 minutes in batches so you don’t overload the pan

5. Remove to a cooling rack, and fry the rest

6. Turn heat to 375 and fry winhgs again for another 5 minutes

7. Remove from oil, let dry slightly then toss with sauce (not too much) plate and garnish with green onions and sesame seeds.

8. En-fricking-joy!

White Clam Flatbread

FEATURED ON PANTRY DAY TV EPISODE

Serves 2-4

You won't believe how good and easy this is until you try it. It's epic!

Ingredients

• 1 flatbread
• 1 can Progresso White Clam Sauce (most of the juice drained)
• 3 tablespoons sour cream
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1/8 cup Mozzarella
• 1 green onion, finely sliced
• fresh black pepper

Directions

1. Pre-heat the oven to 425
2. Heat a dry skillet on high heat, cook the flatbread for one minute on each side to crisp it up a bit
3. Spread the sour cream evenly all over the flatbread
4. Mix the clam sauce and fresh garlic and spread on top of the sour cream
5. Sprinkle on the mozzarella
6. Cook in oven for 10 minutes
7. Garnish with green onions and black pepper
8. Slice and serve

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Lobster Hollandaise Poutine

Serves 2

So maybe this isn’t textbook poutine: there’s no fries, no gravy and certainly no cheese curds - but it's crazy damn good.

Ingredients

• 3 cups onion tots

• Two 6 ounce lobster tails, out of their shells

• 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced

• Neutral oil (just means unflavored: as in no extra virgin, no sesame etc)

• 12 ounces beer, something preferably not dark - unless that’s all you have in which case it’s perfect

• 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter

• 2 eggs, poached, how-to video here

• Hollandaise sauce, see recipe

• Parsley & green onion for garnish

Directions

1. Cook tots according to package directions - but you want them crispy, so if the timer goes off and they’re not - put em back in

2. Cook mushrooms in a non-stick pan with a tablespoon of oil, until they begin to soften - about 5 minutes, then turn off the heat but leave in the pan

3. Melt butter in a small pot and add beer - allow to heat through and come to almost a simmer

4. Put shelled lobster tails in the beer/butter and cook until just done - 2 to 3 minutes - remove and slice into bite-sized pieces

5. While they cook, put the heat back on the mushrooms and add a couple tablespoons of the beer/butter - mix well

6. Then plate - and by plate I mean bowl: tots, mushrooms, lobster, poached egg, Hollandaise and garnish

Denver Omelet Nachos

Serves 6

Think Denver Omelet, but turned into nachos. Genius? Aw shucks, why'd you have to go and embarrass me by saying that?

1 pasilla or poblano pepper, diced

8 ounces white mushrooms, diced

1/2 yellow onion, diced

1 pound Black Forest ham, about 1/4 inch thick - diced

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons flour

Kosher salt & fresh ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 1/2 cups whole milk

1 1/4 cups shredded cheddar, colby-jack, monterey jack - up to you

3 big handfuls homemade tortilla chips, see recipe here (or store bought)

1 or 2 eggs, cooked sunny or over easy - just be sure there’s a runny yolk

• Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large non-stick pan over medium, and add the pepper, mushrooms & onion - cook until nicely softened, about 5 minutes

• While it cooks, melt butter in a small butter then stir in the flour - cook stirring about a minute

• Preheat oven to 350

• Add milk, and continue cooking a couple minutes, using a whisk then add the shredded cheese and continue whisking until smooth

• Season with salt & pepper - keep warm

• Put a large layer of chips in an oven safe dish, cover with a layer of the cheese sauce, a layer of the ham/veggie combo, then more chips, more cheese sauce, the rest of the ham/veggei and top with remaining 1/4 cup of the shredded cheese

• Place in oven or microwave until the shredded top cheese has melted

• Top with eggs, and away you go

The Best Chicken/Egg Salad

Serves 4 - 6

This is a favorite in our house. I like to put it out on a plate with bagel halves and let everyone make their own.

Ingredients

• 6 hard boiled eggs, peeled
• 2 ribs of celery, diced fairly small (about 1/2 cup)
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 2 cups deli-roasted chicken, shredded
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• 2 teaspoons curry powder

Directions

1. In a bowl, use a fork to rough chop the eggs
2. Add the celery, Mayo , chicken, curry powder and salt and pepper to taste
3. Mix together well and serve

Tuna Casserole

Serves 6

This is old school food at it's best - one bite and you'll be thinking of lava lamps, the Dick Van Dyke show and shag carpet. Taste it again for the first time!

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 medium yellow onion, diced

• 8 ounces sliced mushrooms

• 2 tablespoons dry vermouth or white wine

• 16 ounces shell noodles

• 10 ounces frozen peas

• 12 ounce can solid tuna, drained and flaked

• 2 cups cheddar cheese, grated

• 14 ounce can cream of mushroom soup

• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

• 1 bag of salted chips

Directions

1. Heat oven to 375

2. Add oil to a pan on medium and cook onions & mushrooms until softened - about 5 minutes

3. Remove pan from heat (so it doesn't flame up) and add vermouth or wine - mix well and return to heat for a couple minutes, then put mixture in a large bowl

4. Cook shells about 2 minutes less than package directions - adding the peas in the last minute of cooking then drain and add to the mushroom mix with the tuna, cheese, soup and mustard - mix well

5. Put in casserole dish and top with crumbled chips

6. Bake 30 minutes and enjoy

Pho

Serves 4

That really good Vietnamese beef and noodle soup...and it's pronounced 'fuh', like duh.

Ingredients

• 1 16-ounce pack of Rice Noodles
• 32 oz low sodium beef broth
• 2 inch piece of fresh Ginger
• 3 limes
• 2 Star Anise stars
• 8 oz bag bean sprouts
• 1 bunch green onion light green and white parts only
• 1 big handful Cilantro
• 1 pound beef
• 1 small red jalapeno or chili, seeds removed and diced small
• 1/2 cup Hoisin sauce

Directions

1. 30 minutes before you're ready to serve - put the beef in your freezer
2. To a medium pot add broth, Star Anise, juice of 2 of the limes and ginger - bring to a boil and continue to boil about 15 minutes
3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add noodles and cook for 10 minutes
4. slice green onion into thin vertical strips
5. Slice beef into very thin strips and set aside
6. Drain noodles well and separate into 4 bowls
7. Cover noodles with beef slices, and top with broth
8. Then to each bowl add some bean sprouts, cilantro, green onion, red jalapeno, fresh lime juice and Hoisin
9. Mix in hoisin and eat - damn it's so good

Filet Topped with Crab & Bernaise Sauce

Serves 2

A super delicious and romantic dinner...unless you're my wife who doesn't like sauces. Bernaise (sort of a non-lemony Hollandaise) goes brilliantly with beef.

Ingredients

• Two 6 oz filet mignon, about 11/2 inches thick
• Olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Fresh ground pepper
• 4 ounces crab meat (notice I spell crab with a C, not a K)
• Package Bernaise sauce

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees
2. NOTE: remove filets from fridge 30-45 minutes before cooking
3. Rub filets with oil on all sides and season well with salt & pepper
4. Heat a cast iron (preferably) pan or other oven safe pan on high heat for 5 minutes - with nothing in the pan
5. Sear the filets until brown and crispy, about 3-4 minutes per side. Then put the pan in the oven until the internal temperature reaches 130 to 135 degrees - about 4-5 more minutes
6. Remove from oven, cover loosely with foil and let rest 10 minutes
7. Meanwhile, make sauce according to package directions
8. To serve, top filet with crab and drizzle with Bernaise

Bacon Stuffed Mushrooms

Makes 24 mushrooms

These little gems are perfect for anything. NO really - anything.

Ingredients

• 24 mushrooms: white, cremini, brown, whatever works for you
• Olive oil
• 6 green onions, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
• 1 cup smoked Gouda, grated
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• Kosher salt and fresh ground
• 1/2 cup bacon, cooked and finely diced

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400
2. Remove stems from mushrooms, set caps aside and chop stems finely
3. Preheat non-stick pan on low/medium heat
4. Lightly drizzle mushroom caps with olive oil and place bottom-side up in pan
5. Cook until softened and just beginning to color - about 5 minutes - remove, gently turn upside down on a paper towel to drain any liquid then put face up on a lightly greased baking sheet
6. Cook chopped stems with a little oil over medium heat in a non-stick pan about a minute
7. Add green onions and continue to cook until all is softened, 4 to 5 minutes more - remove and put in a bowl
8. Add panko, gouda, Worcestershire, parsley, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper & bacon - mix well
9. Put some of the mixture into each mushroom cap
10. Bake 20 minutes or until slightly crispy on top - serve

SPICY NOODLES WITH CRAB

Noodles are an important part of Chinese New Year because they stand for longevity and we made a delicious and spicy version with crab. So does that mean a spicy & crabby new year?

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 2 garlic cloves, diced
• 1 tablespoon ginger, finely diced
• 6 green onions (dark green parts removed. 3 finely diced/3 roughly sliced - garnish)
• noodles
• 1 cup chilled cooked crab meat, flaked
• 2 tablespoons chili sauce

Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons tomato ketchup
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 3 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon corn starch  

DIRECTIONS

1. Prep EVERYTHING first: chop, mix your sauce, get big pot boiling water going, then preheat your wok on high
2. Add noodles to boiling water... while they cook, get cooking in the wok...
3. Add oil to hot wok, add ginger, garlic and crab, chill sauce, cook for 1 minute, then stir in sauce mix - cook 2 minutes to thicken
4. Noodles cook in 4-5 minutes, drain, add to wok ingredients, coat in sauce, cook for 1 more minute. Serve, garnished with chopped spring onions.

Palmiers

Two ingredients never tasted so good together. 

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

• Puff pastry sheets, defrosted
• 1/4 cup sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. Roll out pastry sheet into rectangle, trim edges
2. Sprinkle surface with half the sugar, lay pastry on top, coat top with remaining sugar, using a rolling pin again to flatten and press the sugar into the pastry, flip, do the same
3. Roll shorter ends towards eachother to meet in the middle
4. Wrap in plastic wrap chill in fridge for 30 minutes 
5. Preheat oven 400
6. Slice 1/2" rounds, position 1'' apart on a lined cookie sheet (using parchment paper) 
7. Bake for 15 minutes until golden

WATCH SAM MAKE THIS >>> 

Chicken Parmesan

Serves 4 

This classic is way easier than you think to make, try it this way and you can have it on the table for the fam in under 30 minutes. 

INGREDIENTS

• 4 chicken thighs, bone removed, flattened 
• 1/2 plain cup flour
• 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1  1/2 cup MY EVERYDAY TOMATO SAUCE (but any marinara will do, I used leftover homemade tomato soup in the video below)
• 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Bread the chicken (in this order) using 3 separate bowls for flour, beaten eggs, panko/parmesan 
3. Preheat oil in large deep skillet on medium, gently add breaded chicken cook for 3 minutes each side, remove excess oil place on paper towels
4. In 9'' oven proof dish, get layering… chicken, then sauce, then cheese, cook 15 minutes

WANT TO WATCH SAM MAKE IT?

Black Eyed Pea Salad

Serves 4

This culinarily ambiguous healthy salad…dip... side dish…or, as the south call it, "Cowboy Caviar" (which was highly recommended to me by my SIL, Danna) is so versatile, it's perfect for any potluck party.

INGREDIENTS

• 2/3 cup green onion, sliced
• 2/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 15 oz can black eyed peas, drained
• 11 oz can White Shoepeg Corn (or reg corn), drained
• 2 avocados, diced
• 1/2 cup tomato, de-seeded, diced
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix everything up in a big bowl, eat!

TIP: Make a bunch, keep it in the fridge, it'll be good for 4-5 days. I would serve this with a burger, steak or grilled Tuna. If you don't have BEPeas just use cannellini beans.

WATCH SAM MAKE THIS>>>

Noodle Kugel

Serves 10-12

If there’s anything I know – it’s that I’m an old-school noodle kugel guy. That means no rosemary, no crème fraiche and no matsutake mushrooms. But it does mean sour cream, cottage cheese and corn flakes. And old-school delicious flavor.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 package (12 ounces) wide egg noodles
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
• 16 ounces sour cream
• 16 ounces low fat cottage cheese
• 1 cup sugar
• 5 eggs, beaten
• ½ cup raisins
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 cup corn flakes cereal

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cook noodles according to package directions, drain.
3. In a separate bowl combine melted butter, sour cream, cottage cheese, sugar, eggs and raisins – mix.
4. Add drained noodles to bowl and combine well. Spoon into a greased 9”x13” pan. 
5. Combine brown sugar with corn flakes and sprinkle over the top, pushing down just slightly. 
6. Bake 60 minutes or until center is set. Let cool a bit before serving.

Sausage & Mixed Pepper Flatbread

Makes 4 flatbreads

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound hot Italian sausage
• One each red & yellow or orange bell pepper, cut into thin, 1 inch pieces
• 1 large clove garlic
• 5 ounces baby spinach
• 4 Naan bread, flat bread or whatever (instead of pizza) aaprox 4x 8 inches each
• ½ cup basil pesto
• Shredded mozzarella
• 1/3 cup Parmesan Cheese, shredded

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 425
2. Cook sausage until almost done and add peppers – allow to soften
3. Add garlic, and when fragrant after about a minute add spinach
4. When spinach has wilted, add salt & pepper to taste and remove from heat
5. Spread ¼ of the pesto on each naan, add some mozzarella, the sausage mixture, more mozzarella and finely the Parmesan
6. Bake until crispy,  melty and gorgeous – about 15 minutes

 

WATCH SAM MAKE THIS...

Kalua Pork

Serves 4

Bruddas & sistas – I made this when on vacay in Maui. It’s way damn delicious – and simple of course.

INGREDIENTS

• 3-5 lb pork butt or shoulder, it’s the same thing

• 2-3 tablespoons Hawaiian Alea Salt or Kosher Salt

• 2-3 tablespoon liquid smoke

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 325

2. Cover pork with liquid smoke and apply salt generously

3. Cover in tin foil and place on baking sheet cook for or 4 1/2 - 5 hours, until approx 200-205 degrees

4. Serve everyway you can think: in a sandwich with crispy cabbage, as a taco, the filling for a cheesy quesadilla or in place of the ham on a benedict – it’s all good

Turn them into Kalua Pork Sliders - why the hell not!

PASTA FAGIOLI

Serves 4

Sort of an Italian leftover dish of pasta and white beans, this goes from pantry-to-table in about a delicious 15 minutes.

INGREDIENTS

• 6 bacon strips, diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 3 celery stalks, diced
• 14oz (1/2 can) San Marzano canned tomatoes, crushed
• 15oz can cannellini beans, drained
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed dried red pepper
• 1 cup leftover cooked pasta, whatever type
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• Extra Virgin Olive oil for garnish

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat deep large pan on medium/high
2. Cook bacon until golden, for 2 minutes
3. Add onion, carrot and celery, cook for 3 minutes
4. Add tomatoes, beans, broth, Kosher salt, pepper, red pepper and pasta 
5. Turn up heat bring to boil, then reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for 10 minutes
6. Garnish with parsley, top with Parmesan and drizzle of EVOO

LAMB MOUSSAKA

Serves 6

Essentially Greek Shepherd’s Pie, this is not only is this stupid good, but takes me back years ago to a Greek restaurant in Vancouver where I’d have it. It’s perfect shitty weather food. Bring on the rain.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 large globe eggplants
• Olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, diced small
• 3 garlic cloves, minced 
• 2 pounds ground lamb 
• 2 cups tomato sauce 
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
• 1/3 cup chopped Italian parsley
• Kosher salt & fresh ground pepper
• 5 tablespoons butter 
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour 
• 3 cups milk, warmed 
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Slice eggplants to get 12 – ¼ inch slices, put them on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt & pepper and bake 20-25 minutes or until nicely softened 
3. While the eggplant cooks, heat a tablespoon of oil over medium in a large pan and put in onions and garlic – cook until softened, about 10 minutes
4. Add lamb and cook until no longer pink – pour off any fat that accumulates
5. Stir in tomato sauce, cinnamon and parsley - combine well and turn off heat
6. Melt butter in a pot over medium heat, then add flour and stir well until it makes a thick smooth paste – 3-4 minutes
7. Add the warm milk one cup at a time and whisk continuously until smooth
8. Bring to a boil, season with nutmeg, salt & pepper and cook for 2-4 minutes or until thickened
9. In a buttered 9x12 baking dishing, put a layer of eggplant, the ground lamb mixture, rest of the eggplant and then the white sauce 
10. Smooth sauce over the top and scatter wit breadcrumbs
11. Bake about 45 minutes or until getting golden brown, let cool a few minutes and serve

Cullen Skink (hearty Scottish soup)

Serves 6

Cullen is a small town in Scotland and home to this delicious fish chowder.  But it’s traditionally made with smoked haddock that I couldn’t find, so I used smoked salmon and it was fricking delicious. 

Try it mate, I think you’ll love it. 

Recipe donated by a proper British person, Kate (my assistant Georgie's Mum) who lives over the pond, in the smallest city in England, called Wells (see video below).

INGREDIENTS

• 2 ½ cups milk
• 1 small bunch parsley
• 1 bay leaf
• 1lb smoked salmon (or smoked haddock)
• ½ stick/55g butter
• 1 medium yellow onion, cut into a medium dice
• 1 large leek, cleaned, sliced lengthwise and chopped into half rounds
• 1 cup mashed potatoes
• Kosher salt & fresh ground pepper to taste
• 1/3 cup bacon, cooked/crispy/crumbled

DIRECTIONS 

1. Put the milk, half a dozen parsley stems and bay leaf into a small pot and simmer about 5 minutes
2. While it cools, put 1 tablespoon each butter & olive oil in a small pot and with the onion & leek – cook about 5 minutes until nicely softened
3. Break up salmon, add to milk and continue to simmer about 5 more minutes – then strain and add milk and salmon to the onions & leaks
4. Carefully stir in mashed potatoes – you don’t want to break up the salmon too much
5. Add salt and pepper as needed and serve topped with bacon & chopped parsley.

THE BRITISH CULPRITS THAT DONATED THE RECIPE, GEORGIE & KATE, FROM ENGLAND.

Shrimp & BBQ Sauce

Makes about 2 dozen large shrimp

My great friend 'Tommy the Fishmonger'  whips this up in seconds and clearly it's as easy and delicious as it gets.  

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 pound large shrimp (21/25's would be ideal), shelled, deveined and butterflied
• 1/4 - 1/3 cup Hungry Chef Original BBQ Sauce or whatever bbq sauce you like
• Fresh rice for serving
• Lemon wedges
• Green onions, diced for garnish

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat cast iron skillet or wok on high add butter and shrimp and cook until shrimp are almost done, 2 to 3 minutes
2. Add bbq sauce to shrimp and heat until sauce is bubbly about a minute
3. Serve shrimp on rice, with a squeeze of lemon and garnished with green onions