BLOGHUNGRY

Umami Burger

Divinity is a concept that is thrown around a lot in the religious community. It's rare that we ever experience anything truly divine. Man isn't even sure if there is a god, but we do know that there is an Umami burger. With no exaggeration, I just had the greatest burger I have ever eaten. It was so juicy and filled with flavor that I'm still basking in its afterglow 2 hours later.

The Atmosphere: The restaurant is small and the tables are a little too close together. The decor is modern but casual.

The Food: I ordered the "Manly Burger": a fresh ground patty with thick chunks of bacon, beer cheddar, smoke salted onion strings, and a hint of wasabi. I also tasted the "Umami Burger": a fresh ground patty with roasted tomatoes, grilled shiitake mushrooms, grilled onions, and a parmesan crisp. The fries and onion rings were thick and good, but it's really all about the burger. For dessert they offer ice cream sandwiches from Milk and homemade snack cakes from Cake Monkey.

Bloghungry Rating: A+

Umami Burger
850 S La Brea Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90036-4810
(323) 931-3000

FOOD PARTY ON IFC

If you haven't been watching Food Party on IFC then get on it! The mix of high concept inedible food and surreal puppetry are truly amazing. Tivo it Tuesdays @ 11:15pm.

BH Meets Evan Kleiman

Ever since I moved to L.A. I have been obsessed with Evan Kleiman. She hosts Good Food, my favorite show on NPR and owns Angeli, my favorite restaurant in town. Basically she is the biggest celebrity in this town of so-called "A-list talent". I'd like to see one of those hacks make a ricotta beet gnocchi with  a sage brown butter sauce. Anyway, I met her yesterday and have since gained a calm sense of fulfillment in my life.

99 Cent Chef Jambalaya: Bloghungry Version

Bloghungry is looking to cut back on his day job hours a lot when the baby comes. That also means cutting back on the grocery bill a bit. I have been inspired by the food The 99 Cent Chef has been cranking out. For those of you in other areas of the country, California has 99 cent only stores that offer a surprising variety of foods. The 99 Cent Chef tries to use only ingredients that can be found at the 99 cent store.

If you don't have a 99 cent only store in your area, his recipes can still be cost effective and tasty. Watch the chef and his mom make an authentic jumbalya. Food network could learn something from the authenticity of these two. For my jambalaya, I added tomatoes and some wine and served it over sauteed spinach with my favorite skillet cornbread.

Bloghungry's Jambalaya (altered from 99 Cent Chef)

1 lb. boneless chicken breasts
1 lb. boneless pork
1 lb. spicy breakfast sausage links
1 onion choppped
6-8 cloves of garlic, minced or freshly chopped
1 green pepper, diced
2 cups rice (long cooking)
28oz can of diced tomatoes
3/4 cup white wine
3 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons of oil for browning meat
1 tablespoon of cajun seasoning (readily found at 99c only Stores)
Pepper to taste (add salt if you do not have cajun seasoning)

Cut or section meats into bite-sized chunks. Add oil and saute meat over medium heat in a large cast iron pot (any pot really - should hold at least 12 cups) until very brown for about 45 minutes; add sausage toward the end because it browns quickly (take out pork and chicken if too crowded for sausage.) Add chopped onion, garlic, cajun seasonings, pepper and sautee until tender. Add tomatoes with juice, wine, and water. Cover and cook all meat at low boil for about 45 minutes. Add rice and cook for 20 minutes more. Afterward, stir meat and rice, cover again, turn off heat and let stand for 15 minutes more while you have a glass of wine and set the table. Jambalaya freezes then reheats with a microwave nicely. It's a dish that tastes better the next day.

Bloghungry's Skillet Cornbread

I have made corn bread a lot of different ways and this is my favorite standby recipe. It's cheap and easy and full of moist sweet corn flavor and crisp buttery edges. I love corn in my cornbread. Sometimes I like to toss in a hand full of fresh or frozen corn if I have it on hand. You can also make this in a pan or as muffins.

Bloghungry's Skillet Cornbread

2 boxes Jiffy cornbread mix
2 eggs
8 oz can creamed corn
8 oz sour cream
3 Tbsp butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put butter in a cast iron skillet and place in oven until melted. In a medium bowl mix remaining ingredients. Swirl melted butter around bottom and edges of skillet and pour in batter. Bake accoring to the directions on the box and make sure to check with a tooth pick. This cornbread is very moist and a little sweeter with crisp buttery edges.

Blueberry-Blackberry Purses

I love that fancy people wrap something in pastry twist the top and call it a purse. I am on a mission to start making my own purses full of deliciousness. My first attempt went well, but they ended up a little bigger than I expected. They were more like grandma-sized pocketbooks really. Regardless, they were sweet, zesty, and loved by all. Serve with whipped cream and berries. I also added a white chocolate marshmallow sauce, because it was there, but it's not at all necessary.

Blueberry-Blackberry Purses

Filling:
1/2 cup blackberry preserves
 2 tablespoons cornstarch
 2 tablespoons brown sugar
 1/4 teaspoon grated lemon zest
 1/2 cup fresh blueberries
 1/2 cup fresh blackberries
 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Pastry:
2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 egg, beaten with 2 teaspoons water
2 tablespoons granulated sugar

For Serving
fresh whipped cream
extra berries

Heat the oven to 375°F. In a small mixing bowl, stir together the blackberry preserves, cornstarch, brown sugar, and lemon zest. Fold in the fresh berries and vanilla.Lightly flour a work surface. Roll out the puff pastry sheets into 12-by-12-inch squares. Cut each puff pastry sheet into 4 squares.

Lay a pastry square on work surface. Place 2 heaping tablespoons of berry filling in the center of the square. Brush the edges of the pastry with egg wash and fold up all four corners to meet to form a “purse.” Carefully press edges together to seal. Transfer to a cookie sheet. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Brush the tops with the egg wash and sprinkle with granulated sugar. Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes.

Top or side with whipped cream and extra berries.

Chicken in White Wine Sauce with Brie Mashed Potatoes

You all give Rachael Ray a hard time, but the proof is in the chicken and white wine sauce. She gives good recipe, kids! The chicken is rich and full of flavor and the mashed potatoes are creamy with the subtle flavor of brie. Plus the whole thing is sprinkled with crispy bacon. She serves the whole thing with warm crusty bread to sop up the sauce with. I added a side of sauteed spinach because I felt guilty not having any veggies. It was pretty great.

Chicken in White Wine Sauce with Brie Mashed Potatoes

2 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs and breasts
1/2 bottle dry white wine
2 pounds baby Yukon gold potatoes
Salt
1/2 cup cream
1 Golden Delicious apple, peeled, cored and chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus a drizzle
4 slices deli-cut bacon or thick cut pancetta, chopped
Freshly ground black pepper
Flour, for dredging plus 2 tablespoons
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped or 1 cup shredded carrot
1 bay leaf
1 tsp dried thyme
1/3 pound wedge brie, cut into pieces
Crusty, warm bread

For Chicken:
In a large bowl, add the chicken, cover with wine, and set aside.

Drizzle olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat, add the bacon and crisp 3 to 4 minutes. Remove to a plate.

While bacon crisps, remove the chicken to a work surface, reserving the wine. Cut chicken into large bite-size pieces, season with salt and pepper, dredge in flour then brown in bacon drippings. While chicken browns chop vegetables. Remove the chicken to a plate, then add 2 tablespoons olive oil to the skillet, season the vegetables with salt and pepper and add bay leaf and thyme. Cover pan to sweat vegetables 5 minutes then remove lid, stir in 2 tablespoons flour, cook 1 minute then stir in wine, add chicken back to pan and simmer together to thicken and the chicken is cooked through, a couple of minutes more.

For Mashed Potatoes:
Quarter the potatoes, leaving the skin-on. Place in a large pot, cover with water and bring up to a boil over medium heat. When the potatoes are cooked, drain and place in a medium bowl. Mash the potatoes, season with salt and set aside.

In a small pot, combine apple and cream and reduce over medium heat 15 minutes.

To a food processor, add the apple-cream and brie, process until smooth and season with salt. Combine apple-brie mixture with the mashed potatoes.

Serve chicken with wine over brie mashed potatoes.

Bloghungry Crashes

So I am officially over my diet. I don't see it as a failure because I did lose weight and have no intention of adopting a long term healthy lifestyle. Lets face it, a healthy lifestyle is a miserable cult and no way to go through life.

Apart from my unwillingness to part with tasty foods, the legal battles necessary for a gay man to have a baby and a marriage have driven me to eat.. a lot. I'm kind of blown away by how expensive and exhausting being gay can be.

Food2

Ask and you shall receive.. Just as I announce that Food Network is losing it's edge and taste for food, Food2 is born. Food2 is younger spin-off of the Food Network offering web content on their own site and blog. It feels like the kind of cheap labor of love that Mtv was in its early years. It has the potential to be great, but only time will tell. In the meantime the site boasts, an inspiring mix of complex flavor profiles and recipes you can make in the coffee maker in your office cubicle. Who doesn't need that?

Message To Food Network

Dear Food Network,

Is everything okay? I am worried about you. As a former Food Network addict, I am concerned with the current state your channel. Your once food and recipe centered programming, has turned into an amateur hour of zombies and recipes not suited for check out lane booklets. If you need someone to talk to let me know. Until then, I have some tough love to share to help you out of your funk.

Here are some of my notes for your programming:

The Neely’s: Overbearing wife and gay husband neither of whom can cook. As owners of a southern BBQ joint, I don’t even trust them to make decent BBQ. Now they are awkwardly trying their hands at World cuisine and lettuce wraps? It’s a mess. Shut it down.

Cookin' For Real: Is the title implying that other shows are not really cooking, or is it a white person's idea of urban appeal? I like Sunny Anderson and believe that she actually likes food, but am bored by her. Her styling is a mess and seriously needs the help of hair and wardrobe people. She also needs a better overall look to the show and a gimmick or storyline for the segments for structure. Give her an occasion or someone to cook for that will make it feel less like she is just cooking for cameras in fake kitchen.

Chopped: My best guess is that this is meant to be Ted Allen's version of Top Chef. Ted Allen is off-putting. He is too tightly wound and passionless to get me excited about food. Stop hiring him to host. You need someone who can bring the food and flavors to life given that we can't smell or taste what is happening. The idea for this show is good, but poorly organized. I need some effort made into making the judges and contestants interesting. As it stands, I don't really care who wins or what feedback is given.

Ask Aida: A random skinny girl fields questions from her stuffy gay internet friend with his laptop. In a word, awkward. I feel like the hosts are from an amateur improv troop or public speaking class. At times it is painful to watch. I don't get the feeling that either of them loves food or being on television and it shows.

Ultimate Recipe Showdown: The show needs better production value and more personal stories to have me routing for contestants. The concept is good and the recipes generally look pretty good, but I am still bored. It should also be said that I had the Ultimate Recipe Showdown winning Mac and cheese recipe at TGIFridays and it was inedibly bad. I'm talking bland, watery, and overcooked. Food Network should be careful about putting its name on such horrible food.

Last Cake Standing: The concept is good and I am giving it a chance. I like that they are showing pastry chefs with talent rather than Duff and his band of Styrofoam jockeys, but the production is a little disjointed. I need a Tim Gunn type to come around and talk to the chefs about their work. I also want to feel more connected to the chefs as people.

Paula's Party: Paula is one of the few talents that exudes a love of food. She is clearly an asset to your channel. The show itself is a little awkward and relies too much on butter humor, but is better than your other attempts at shows with a studio audience. Still, Paula works best in her own surroundings as a real person. Get her back in her own kitchen as much as possible.

Barefoot Contessa: Bless that crazy lush. I love her life and her food. I don't even care that she keeps giving us the same recipes again and again. She loves food and makes good stuff. Find more people like her. I love a caterer. They make great food in simple and well-organized ways for the masses. I trust them. The Hardy Boys, while dull, made great food too. Hire more caterers!

Rachael Ray: She makes such consistently good and easy food that her sometimes-annoying quirks can be overlooked. She is the glue that holds your brand together. Even with one foot out the door, her own magazine, daily show, and all of the other crazy shit you are throwing at her she delivers. Without her you are in serious trouble.

Kogi Taco Truck

Taco Trucks have become an emerging trend for hipsters and foodies alike these days. The food is cheap and finding the best truck can be a rewarding challenge. In L.A. the Kogi taco truck has taken the food fad to the next level. Kogi offers a fusion of the Mexican taco truck tradition with Korean bbq. The truck's specialties include: short rib, spicy pork, chicken, and tofu tacos and burritos. Each item is served with sesame-chili salsa roja, lettuce and cabbage tossed in Korean chili-soy vinaigrette, cilantro-green onion-lime relish, and garnished with lime wedge, orange wedge or red radish wedge. They also offer daily specials and an assorment of canned beverages. To find the truck you will need to check the lower right collumn of their web site  for a schedule or track them on twitter.

I thought the food was good, but it didn't live up to the hype. I liked the chicken taco the best, followed by the short rib taco, spicy pork taco, chorizo hot dog and the kimche quesadilla. Let's face it the kimche quesadilla was pretty gross. If you go be prepared to wait in line for a while and eat in a parking lot with juices dripping down your arm.

Zuni Chicken

Apparently the best roast chicken ever made has been discovered at the Zuni Cafe in San Francisco. The gays have been raving about Zuni chicken for months and have finally forced me to make it. The verdict: It's roast chicken. I don't feel like the effort put into this recipe really did anything special to the flavor of the bird. I'd much prefer a hickory smoked bbq chicken, fried chicken, or a pounded and seared chicken breast with a lemony buttery wine sauce. Let's move away from light subtle flavors and start craving food again. Furthermore, I encourage the gays of the world to eat more food to better understand the what truly delicious eats there are out there to get excited about. That said here is the recipe for those who want to be apart of the fad. Beware it's a 2-3 day process.

Homemade Zuni Chicken

1 small chicken, 2-3/4 to 3-1/2-pounds.
4 tender sprigs fresh thyme, marjoram, rosemary or sage, about 1/2 inch long
Salt
Black pepper
1 lemon or orange

1-3 days before roasting:
Remove and discard the lump of fat inside the chicken. Rinse the chicken and pat very dry inside and out. Be thorough—a wet chicken will spend too much time steaming before it begins to turn golden brown.

Approaching from the edge of the cavity, slide a finger under the skin of each of the breasts, making 2 little pockets. Now use the tip of your finger to gently loosen a pocket of skin on the outside of the thickest section of each thigh. Using your finger, shove an herb sprig into each of the 4 pockets.

Season the chicken liberally all over with salt and pepper. Season the thick sections a little more heavily than the skinny ankles and wings. Sprinkle a little of the salt just inside the cavity, on the backbone, but don’t otherwise worry about seasoning the inside. Twist and tuck the wing tips behind the shoulders. Cover loosely and refrigerate. put a quartered lemon or orange on the inside of the bird.

Day of roasting:
Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Depending on the size, efficiency and accuracy of your oven, and the size of your bird, you may need to adjust the heat to as high as 500 or as low as 450 during the course of roasting the chicken to get it to brown properly. If that proves to be the case, begin at that temperature the next time you roast a chicken. If you have a convection function on your oven, use it for the first 30 minutes; it will enhance browning, and may reduce overall cooking by 5 to 10 minutes

Choose a shallow flameproof roasting pan or dish barely larger than the chicken, or use a 10-inch skillet with an all-metal handle. Preheat the pan over medium heat. Wipe the chicken dry and set it breast side up in the pan. It should sizzle.  

Place the center of the oven and listen and watch for it to start browning within 20 minutes. If it doesn’t, raise the temperature progressively until it does. The skin should blister, but if the chicken begins to char, or the fat is smoking, reduce temperature by 25 degrees. After about 30 minutes, turn the bird over — drying the bird and preheating the pan should keep the skin from sticking. (If the chicken is closer to room temp, this also helps the skin not to stick.) Roast for another 10 to 20 minutes, depending on size, then flip back over to re-crisp the breast skin, another 5 to 10 minutes. Total oven time will be 45 minutes to an hour. Since mine was a larger bird, slightly over 4 pounds, it took an hour. I switched from convection to regular bake mode after the first 20-30 minutes of browning.

Finishing and serving

Remove the chicken from the oven and turn off the heat.

Lift the chicken from the roasting pan and set on a plate. Carefully pour the clear fat from the roasting oven, leaving the lean drippings behind. Add about a tablespoon of water to the hot pan and swirl it.

Slash the stretched skin between the thighs and breasts of the chicken, then tilt the bird and plate over the roasting pan to drain the juice into the drippings. If the chicken sits in any juice, the skin will get soggy again so make sure you drain ALL the juice.

Set the chicken in a warm spot and leave to rest. The meat will become more tender and uniformly succulent as it cools.

Set a platter in the oven to warm for a minute or two.

Tilt the roasting pan and skim the last of the fat. Place over medium-low heat, add any juice that has collected under the chicken, and bring to a simmer. Stir and scrape to soften any hard golden drippings. Serve in the warm platter.

Bloghungry's Weight Loss Challenge Continues

It's the end of my 2nd week of weight loss and I have already lost 13 lbs. It's a nightmare but its working out pretty well in terms of results. I'm very into fiber, protein shakes and bars, turkey, chicken, and roasted veggies. I'll work on posting recipes soon.

Bloghungry's Weight Loss Challenge

I am in an Oprah-sized weight loss panic. I have gained crazy weight this year and it's time to regain some control. I am vowing to lose 40 lbs before my baby is born in mid July. I'll post updates in the coming weeks and months.

Last Night Ru's Drag Race Saved My Life

I am a former reality t.v. junkie who hit rock bottom about a year ago counting gold tiki points for teams of sluts and assholes on Mtv/Vh1 Survivor spin offs. The pulse of reality television was flat-lining and I was ready to smother it with a pillow. My life was sent spiraling toward hgtv and internet porn. I even started reading books and working on household projects. Those dark days are behind me now because RuPaul's Drag Race has given reality shows meaning again. It's everything you dreamed gay reality tv could be without a trace of AIDS or Lezbo political dogma. Set your Tivos to RuPaul's Drag Race Mondays at 10pm EST on Logo.

WATCH A CLIP

WATCH ENTIRE EPISODES

Britney Taco Salad

If Britney could be any taco salad recipe this would be the one. I got this recipe from Popmuse's mom who has been setting Boca Raton Jewish golf communities ablaze with it's unbridled zest.. With Britney and the Jews behind this salad, can Madonna be far behind?

Britney Taco Salad

1 head of lettuce
1 lb. Ground beef
1 pkg grated cheddar cheese
1 pkg Ortega taco mix
2 tomatoes chopped
7 oz bag of  Doritos (Nacho Cheese) crushed up
1 bottle Catalina dressing 16 oz (this is reddish russian dressing)

Cook beef and drain fat. Add taco seasoning, follow directions on pkg, let cool.
Add this to chopped lettuce. Add cheese, tomatoes, Doritos. Add dressing just before serving.

Food Party Episode 1 Parts 2-5

Food Party is an amazing phenomenon that I was told about a few months ago. They have their own site and merchandise and multiple videos on Youtube.

Here are links to the last 3 parts of the first episode:
Episode 1 Part 3/5
Epidode 1 Part 4/5
Epidode 1 Part 5/5

Potatoes Gratin

Even in the best steakhouses, Potatoes Gratin often fall short of their potential. Too often the lose their cheesiness to a bland and muddled potato creaminess. This recipe adds a little blue cheese to the mix to help retain just the right amount of cheesy sharpness. I promise it's not too overpowering for those afraid of blue cheese. It's a pretty solid recipe.

Potatoes Gratin

3 pounds potatoes, sliced 1/4-inch thick
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup shredded Gruyere
5 oz crumbled blue cheese
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a 9 by 13-inch baking dish or similar sized casserole dish.

Arrange the sliced potatoes in the prepared dish and set aside. In a medium saucepan, saute the minced garlic in butter over medium heat until softened and fragrant. Stir in flour and cook for 3 minutes. Gradually whisk in the cream until smooth and thick. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheeses. Season with salt and pepper.

Pour cheese sauce over the potatoes in the dish. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 15 minutes until browned.

Ham & Gruyere in Puff Pastry

This recipe from the Barefoot Contessa is a simple hors d'oeuvre. It is also a great with soup or salad for lunch or dinner. Start with layer a sheet of puffy pastry with Dijon mustard, ham, and cheese. Then seal and egg wash the pastry and bake it until its beautiful and delicious.

Ham & Gruyere in Puff Pastry

1 (2 sheet) package frozen puff pastry, defrosted (recommend Pepperidge Farm)
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/4 lb black forest ham, sliced
1/2 lb swiss or gruyere cheese, sliced
1 egg, beaten with
1 tablespoon water, for egg wash

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Place a piece of parchment paper on a sheet pan.

Lay 1 sheet of puff pastry on a floured board and carefully roll it out to 10 by 12 inches. Place it on a sheet pan and brush the center with the mustard, leaving a 1-inch border around the edge. Place a layer first of ham and then cheese, also leaving a 1-inch border. Brush the border with the egg wash.

Place the second sheet of puff pastry on the floured board and roll it out to 10 by 12inches. Place the second sheet on top of the filled pastry, lining up the edges. Cut the edges straight with a small, sharp knife and press together lightly. Brush the top with egg wash and cut a few slits in the top to allow steam to escape.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until puffed and golden brown. Allow to cool for a few minutes and serve hot or warm.

Food Party Episode 1 Part 1