Have you ever walked into your butcher shop and taken a look at the items in the far recesses of the display? You know, the “weird” and cheap items that make you wonder who would buy that and what would they do with it? Let me help you out with some examples of things I’m talking about:

1. Lamb, Beef or Veal Shanks

2. Beef Brisket

3. Pork Butt or Picnic Roast

4. And perhaps scariest of all, Tripe

Now I won’t lie, even for me tripe (essentially the lining of a cows stomach) is a stretch. I only include this because while reading Thomas Keller’s book (arguably the top chef in North America) he had a fantastic recipe for braised tripe which I tried and actually enjoyed. It CAN be done.

However for the rest of this list, and several others not included here, it can be done much easier and just as cheap. For a fraction of the cost of some high end steaks, you can take home some beautiful meaty lamb shanks and create something beautiful and delicious with just a bit more time. I’ll include a recipe a bit later, but first:

What is braising?

The best way I have heard braising described is as “stewing with a college education”. It is essentially a combination of dry and wet cooking methods, where meat is seared in a pan with a small amount of oil until the exterior is browned and caramelized, and then vegetables, stock, wine, and other flavouring ingredients are added and the mixture is simmered to allow the meat to tenderize and take on flavour. Even the toughest cuts of meat are no match for mighty braising, and can be turned into melt in your mouth tender dishes bursting with flavours.

Why Bother?

Well for starters, eating grilled steaks and chicken every meal gets boring, not to mention expensive. 4 or 5 high quality ribeye steaks will cost you at least double as the same amount of the above cuts. Another reason is experimentation. Let’s be honest, anyone can grill up some steaks with a little practice and have it turn out great, but with braising and experimenting with other tougher cuts of meat, endless flavourings, herbs, vegetables and stocks can be added to the mix to create something unique and delicious that any cook would be proud of. Many top chefs include a large number of these items on their menus, not soley in an effort to save cost, but to challenge themselves to turn an often overlooked cut of meat into something refined, beautiful, delicious and worthy of a spot on their menu.

Have I sold you on trying it out sometime? Great, here’s my favorite recipe and great one to start off with if you aren’t familiar with braising.

Braised Lamb Shanks

Ingredients:

- 4 meaty lamb shanks (ask your butcher, these generally cost around $3.99/lb or less)
- 1 lb fingerling potatoes, halved
- 4 large carrots, chopped into large pieces
- chopped celery, about 2 cups
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 3 cloves chopped garlic
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup red wine
- 1 cup diced canned tomatoes
- Olive Oil
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp flour
- Salt and Pepper
- Sprigs of fresh thyme and rosemary

Method:

Heat a small amount of olive oil  in a large heavy bottomed pot over high heat. Season lamb shanks with salt and pepper. Sear the lamb shanks in the hot oil, turning to brown and caramelize evenly on all sides. When all sides are browned, remove shanks from the pot and set aside. Add in potatoes, onions, carrots, celery and garlic to the pot and season. Add in the red wine to deglaze and use a wooden spoon to scrape the caramelized bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the lamb shanks back in and add in the chicken stock and tomatoes, along with a couple sprigs of fresh rosemary and thyme. Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer, covering the pot with a lid. Let simmer for approx. 2 hours until lamb shanks are extremely tender. In a separate pan, heat butter and whisk in flour to form a roux. Add to the pot and whisk to thicken the mixture. Do a final seasoning to taste with salt and pepper, and then plate the lamb shank in the center of a large white plate and arrange the potatoes and vegetables around it, ladelling some of the flavourful sauce on top to finish.

Enjoy!

You’re having some people over, or a date perhaps. You’ve found a great recipe and followed it with precision. Everythings ready to go, wine is poured, table is set.

Then, you spoon a mound of your masterpiece on a neon yellow plastic plate, splashing sauce and chunks of vegetables everywhere and plop it down in front of your guests. Bon Appetite?

It may be cliche, but no one can deny it: we eat with our eyes. If it looks good, we want it! And you would definitely be surprised at how a few simple plating tips can jack up your next cooking experience and impress even the most distinguished of diners. Let’s start with some basics:

1. Pick the right canvas

The plate is your canvas, and that means you want the food to stand out, not your circa 1976 avocado green chipped plastic plates. Keep it simple; white, round, with no obnoxious designs to detract from your hard work.

2. Odd Numbers Look Better

This is a weird one, but trust me, it’s true. One of the best chefs I’ve worked for told me this and it’s something that has just stuck with me. Say you’re plating some beautiful grilled tiger prawns for example, plate 3 or 5 instead of 4 or 6. The rule applies to anything where you’re plating more than 1 of a certain item. Try it out for yourself and you’ll see.

3. A Little Colour Goes a Long Way

Say you’ve been building the perfect flavorful cream sauce for your pasta, you top it with a perfectly grilled chicken breast and what do you see on the plate? Beige, white, maybe some hints of gray and black, did I mention beige? A colourful and well suited garnish of some fresh flat leaf parsley, some sliced cherry tomatoes and some grated cheese will go a long way to splash some life into your dish. Just remember to keep it appropriate, meaning don’t throw a sprig of rosemary on a dish that contains none of it whatsoever. You know what I mean.

4. Keep it Clean

No one wants sauce or food splashed up to the very edge of their plates, coating the handle of their forks and knives each time they set them down (I hate that) for a moment. Keep your masterpiece a tight little package towards the center of the plate. A bit of sauce or reduction carefully drizzled around is more than okay, just don’t go nuts with it and make it a challenge to navigate without coating hands and cutlery while enjoying it.

5. Height

Chefs love to build height with their dishes. It’s impressive and visually appealing and can be done fairly easily. Try this next time for example you’re making that old pantry stand-by, spaghetti and tomato sauce:

- Instead of plopping down a flat layer of noodles and ladeling sauce overtop, coat the noodles with the sauce before hand. They’ll absorb more of the flavour and make it easier to build a little height with your presentation.

- Next, use a pair of tongs and grab some of the sauce-coated noodles. Lower them into the center of the plate, twisting the tongs as you do this so the noodles stay in a nice tall pile. Garnish with some parsley, some parmesan cheese and some fresh cracked pepper. Drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil around the whole dish to finish it off. Let me know how it turns out!

For those that are visual learners and have trouble putting together a recipe from a piece of paper, fear not! Drew Cooks! is now on youtube for your viewing pleasure:

Mediterranean Stuffed Chicken

Online Videos by Veoh.com

As promised, here is the full recipe and method that serves 4:

Stuffed Chicken Breasts

- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1.5 cups crumbled feta cheese
- 1/2 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes
- 3/4 cup chopped kalamata olives
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp fresh chopped oregano
- 1 tbsp fresh chopped thyme
- salt and pepper

Crumble the feta cheese in a mixing bowl, and add in the olive oil, oregano and thyme. Stir and let this mixture sit for about 30 mins to absorb flavour. Next add in the sun dried tomatoes, olives and salt and pepper and set mixture aside.

Cut a pocket in each of the chicken breasts, careful not to slice all the way through. Spoon the mixture into each chicken breast generously, then using butchers string, skewers or toothpicks, secure the chicken breasts closed to ensure filling does not leak out.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Using a hot saute pan, sear the chicken breasts for 4-5 minutes on either side, until nicely browned. Transfer the pan (if oven-safe) into the hot oven and continue cooking for approx 10-12 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Roasted Balsamic Carrots

- 10-15 carrots, peeled
- 3/4 cup good quality balsamic vinegar
- salt and pepper
- few sprigs fresh thyme

Place the peeled carrots in a pot of boiling water for 5-6 minutes. Drain carrots and place in a baking dish or roasting pan. Season them with salt and pepper and then drizle the balsamic vinegar until carrots are completely coated. Top with the fresh springs of thyme and roast carrots in the oven for 2o-25 minutes until tender.

Roasted Garlic and Thyme Mashed Potatoes

- 2-3 lbs boiled potatoes (skins on or off depending on your preference)
- 2 heads roasted garlic (see video for instruction on how to do this)
- 1 tbsp fresh chopped thyme
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp of butter (or to taste)
- 1/2 cup of milk (or to taste)

There you have it guys! Nothing to it!

Check out the video to see a plating example, or go nuts and do it however you want…it’s your meal

If you’re tired of making the same old burgers for every BBQ, dripping with boring condiments and processed cheese, then please allow me to share with you a personal creation of mine.

I call it the Easy Brie-zy Burger, and I’ve served it to many a guest with rave reviews. I’m going to post the full recipe below (I swore I would never share it, but I’ve been worn down), but here is a breakdown of what you can expect on this burger:

- A flavorful brie and pesto mayonnaise
- Crispy fried onion strings
- Juicy heirloom tomatoes (sure, you can use regular ones if you want, but why not go for the gold?)
- And an optional upgrade to slices of crispy maple bacon

If none of that sounds good to you, please, stop reading now. For the rest of you, here is the full recipe good for about 8 burgers:

BRIE AND PESTO MAYONNAISE:

- 1.5 cups mayonnaise
- 2-3 tablespoons pre-made or fresh pesto
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 3/4 of a cup small cubed brie (put in the freezer for 10-15 minutes to make it easier to cut)
- few dashes of Tabasco sauce
- 1/2 tsp brown sugar
- salt and fresh cracked pepper

Combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly, place in refrigerator until ready to use.

CRISPY ONION STRINGS

- 3 medium onions, sliced thinly
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 cup corn starch
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon pepper
- 4-6 cups vegetable oil or other suitable frying oil

Slice onions as thinly as possible, preferably using a mandolin, although a very sharp knife will do the trick also. Heat oil in a medium sized heavy - bottomed sauce pan over high heat. Using a thermometer, heat the oil until at 350F. Mix the flour, corn starch and salt and pepper in a mixing bowl and toss the sliced onions until evenly coated. Very carefully place the onion strings into the hot oil, and fry until crispy and golden brown, about 2-3 minutes. Place on a paper towel to drain excess oil.

PUTTING THE BURGER TOGETHER

Alright, I’m not going to post a burger from scratch recipe, because everyone makes it their own way and there’s nothing wrong with that. But here is how we want to assemble our burger now that we’ve gotten the individual parts done.

Step 1. Liberally apply the brie and pesto mayonnaise to both sides of a fresh toasted burger bun.
Step 2. Place a grilled burger patty on the bottom half, and top with a thick slice or two of tomato, followed by lettuce.
Step 3. Top with your crispy onion strings, and if you feel like indulging, top with a couple slices of crispy bacon as well.
Step 4. Finish with the top half of the burger, and eat! The heat from the bun and burger will slowly melt the chunks of brie in the mayonnaise, giving you flavor, texture from the crispy onions and just plain good stuff in each bite.

Optional beverage choice: A crisp Strongbow cider

I want to share something with you that I’ve discovered in practicing my recent obsession with true slow smokin’ BBQ. While at the end of the day, it’s all about the meat, any serious Q’er will tell you the appetizers and sides are just as important. If you’ve ever gorged on the Elvis platter (pictures below) from Memphis Blues BBQ on either Broadway or Commercial, you know what I’m talking about.

But the appetizer I’m about to share is not even a part of the Memphis Blues menu, it’s a cult favorite among backyard Q’ers and weekend warriors, an appetizer so unbelievably addicting it has been said that it is physically impossible to make enough of them no matter what size gathering you are hosting.

Now, don’t prepare yourself for something modern or revolutionary, fancy plating or exotic ingredients. You won’t find it here, what you will find however, are:

ABTs!

Now, stick with me for awhile on the name, I didn’t invent this, but ABT stands for:

Atomic.

Buffalo.

Turds.

I know, I know. Moving on, an ABT is, essentially, a jalapeno which has been cut in half and seeded, filled with cream cheese (Q’ers often add their own seasonings to the cream cheese mixture), then, a mini sausage is placed onto the cream cheese, and the entire thing is wrapped in bacon and smoked. I don’t know about you, but any sentence with both the words bacon AND smoke in it, I pay attention. Here is a full tutorial:

Start by halving and seeding the jalapenos:

They should look like this when you’re finished:

Fill the halves with cream cheese, and at this point you can mix anything you want with the mixture. Shredded cheddar cheese, cumin, paprika, brown sugar are all nice additions:

Place one mini sausage in the middle of the halved peppers:

Wrap the entire concoction in bacon and secure it with a toothpick:

Place them in a pre-heated smoker at 250F or a gas grill with wood chips and smoke slowly for approx 2 hours. In a pinch you CAN do these in the oven, but seriously, the smoke flavor really makes them what they are. When they come out, they should look like this:

Here is a delicious cross-section:

The slow cooking will also remove nearly all of the jalapeno’s heat, and they are just ridiculously delicious.

I may take some flack for this, as this is about as far away from quote unquote “gourmet” cooking as you can get, but let’s just relax a little bit, and realize that some of the best tasting food out there can come from backyards and homes, and not from over-priced over the top restaurants. Keep it simple!

If you eat red meat, odds are you enjoy a steak as much as the next person. Some of you may have mastered the grill, or can rattle off stats about the fat content and flavor levels of various cuts, or have a shed in your backyard with hundreds of pounds of steer dry aging to obtain optimum flavor. Okay, maybe not that far.

But I’d be willing to bet most of you couldn’t tell me much about a hanger steak without rushing off to google.

Just so we’re clear, this is not an alternative name for another common cut, this is an often-overlooked cut of beef that very recently is starting to creep its way back onto some menus. Here are some fun facts:

- Perhaps my favorite fact, there is only one hanger steak per steer. That’s right, one cow, one hanger steak weighing about a pound.

- It is unbelievably flavorful. Cut from a section of the plate, between the  brisket and the flank, some believe its close proximity to the kidneys give it a unique and delicious flavor.

- It has a very unique texture. Almost stringy, but in a good way. It is almost a necessity to have this cut cooked rare or medium rare at most. Anything more and it can become a little tough.

Are you sold on trying one yet?

If you have a good butcher, odds are he can get you one, though they can be tough to find. Luckily, I’ve come across a great place that serves them in our beautiful city.

The Hamilton Street Grill serves a terrific grass-fed organic hanger steak. Go check it out and try something new.

There it is Vancouver! The scorching long weekend that we’ve been waiting to come along for quite some time while enduring our longer than normal winter this year.

If spending time in front of a hot stove on a 30C degree day is not your idea of a good time, check out this unbelievably refreshing chilled summer soup and this great cocktail to serve to your sun-parched guests:

Chilled Avocado and Citrus Soup

Ingredients:

- 1 cup diced onion
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 3 large ripe avocados
- 1 quart fresh orange juice (or fresh from 12 oranges if you’re feeling particularly ambitious)
- 1 cup fresh lime juice (about 6 limes)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 3/4 lb small diced plum tomatoes
- 1 cup small diced radishes
- 1 cup finely sliced mushrooms (optional)
- Garnish: fresh chopped cilantro

Rinse chopped onions under cold water and drain thoroughly. Pit and peel avocados and cut into 1/2 inch cubes. Whisk together the orange juice, lime juice, olive oil, sugar, salt and black pepper until sugar is dissolved. Gently stir in onions, avocados, tomatoes, radishes and mushrooms.

Chill covered, for 1 hour before serving cold with chopped cilantro as a garnish.

Now, with our beautiful local strawberries just hitting the stores, cool off with one of my favorite cocktails:

Strawberry Tequila Mojito

- 1.5 ounces good quality white tequila ( I know mojitos are usually made with rum, but trust me on this)
- Dash of triple sec
- juice from 1/4 of a lime
- Two local BC strawberries
- 10 mint leaves
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 ounces club soda

Pour tequila in a shaker glass filled with ice. Muddle the strawberries, mint, sugar and lime juice in a glass and add to the shaker. Shake vigorously and pour into a cocktail glass, then top it up with the club soda.

There you have it, and of course, remember, when all else fails in summer time, throw a few thick bone-in ribeyes on the grill and have at ‘em!

Like many of you, I watch Iron Chef America. It’s a guilty pleasure of mine. I love how over-dramatic it is (though not quite as much so as the arguably more awesome Japanese version), I love the unveiling of the secret ingredient, and I love watching the more creative challengers freeze things with liquid nitrogen, make ice-cream out of everything imaginable, and still end up creating delicious food.

The other day Mario Batali created a beautiful dish with some perfectly seared sea scallops. Most people aren’t a huge fan of regular judge Jeffrey Steingarten, but normally I both respect him and like the digs he gives the other judges. Hey, makes for good tv right?

Not today. His comment after eating Mario’s dish was, “Aren’t seared scallops kind of over?”

What? Sure, everyone uses them, including me, but he spoke of them as if they were Nike Pumps or “No Fear” clothing (don’t pretend like you don’t remember). There is a reason everyone uses them, they are succulent and delicious, best enjoyed simply like most good food is.

I figured Mario might be a little baffled by this, but like the clogged genius he is, his response was, “I prefer to not think of certain food as trends, but as classic preparations that can be enjoyed and very rarely be improved upon.”

Put that in your pipe and smoke it Steingarten!

“Collected varietal cuts, usable trim, scaps, and bones.”

That is how Chef Anthony Bourdain describes the collection of articles and stories that make up his book, “The Nasty Bits”.

I recently finished reading this after loving his first and hugely successful book, “Kitchen Confidential”. Now, Anthony has officially cemented his place as my favorite culinary author. You won’t find any recipes, tips to wow your next dinner party or get the most out of your home garden in here. It’s a gritty and often hilariously accurate gathering of industry stories, traveling tales and surreal dining experiences.

He makes no effort to hold back his opinions on fusion cooking, steakhouse chain restaurants, Jamie Oliver and even Sting.

My favorite sections of the book are him describing his dining experiences with his trademark acerbic tongue. Describing the nature and style of his sweating, as well as the intestinal warfare to follow, while eating in an area of China renowned for their powerful chilis. Choking on carrot foam while eating an uber modern multi-course meal, or the very first chapter of the book which details his participation in a seal hunt with inuit guides in such a way that the gory, PETA-nightmare details, sound almost warm, beautiful and above all necessary.

With or without a cooking background, you can appreciate that Bourdain’s passion for food is infectious and his writing style is engaging.

Despite his couple light jabs at Sting, I’m still going to rock out to The Police.

Mark Twain once said, “Twas a brave man indeed, who first ate an oyster.”

True, maybe, but aren’t we all glad he (or she, I suppose) did? With most people, oysters are a love ‘em or hate ‘em type of food. The reasonings behind the latter I’ve heard over the years are nearly all to do with their texture, though my personal favorite was “Um, I don’t eat things out of their homes.” Touche.

Personally? I can’t get enough of them.

As a chef there is something so intriguing about an ingredient as “pure” as an oyster. You can gather them from the ocean, shuck them open and shoot them down and they taste fantastic and exactly as you would expect, ice cold, salty, and depending on your oyster of choice, varying levels of sweetness and other subtle flavours.

For inexperienced oyster shoppers, shuckers or tasters, I encourage you to visit your local seafood and fish monger and buy some fresh ones to experience the art (aka the frustration) of learning to shuck oysters. Here is a great youtube video with a demonstration:

Oysters are great on their own or with a simple squirt of lemon, but here are a couple nice mignonette recipes. A mignonette is a classic french accompaniment for oysters, but here are a couple of my favorite variations:

Blood Orange Mignonette

1/4 cup blood orange juice

1/4 cup champagne vinegar (white wine vinegar or even rice wine vinegar works as well)

1 tablespoon finely diced shallots

1 tsp finely chopped flat leaf parsley

Pinch of salt and pepper

Sweet Chili Mignonette

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons white wine or champage vinegar

2 tablespoons Thai sweet chili sauce

1 tablespoon finely diced shallots

Pinch of salt and pepper

Simply shuck your oysters and top each with about 1 tsp of the mignonette. Shoot ‘em down like normal!