Feeling nostalgic🤔

Hey there, Florida Foodie friends,

It’s your good buddy, and a possible figment of your imagination, Thomas Mates.

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How are we doing this week? Is your mom OK? Have you called her recently? I bet she misses you.

Me? I’m doing pretty good.

I’ve been watching “The Bear” recently. For those who haven’t seen it, “The Bear” is a show that follows the staff of a small restaurant in Chicago. It also features one of my favorite chefs, Matty Matheson.

It really nails what it feels like to be in a kitchen, or at least the way I remember it.

I worked back of the house in restaurants all through college.

There are a lot of people screaming and tense moments when the tickets come flying in but, eventually, everyone comes together.

Sometimes things just work though. When a kitchen is really humming, it can feel like a Swiss watch.

Live TV can feel that way too. At any second a million little things can go wrong, but when it all works perfectly it’s really gratifying.

Of course, the show overdramatizes the whole thing, but it’s very good.

My lovely wife is not a big fan. She recognizes that it’s a good show, but it makes her tense. Still, she watches with me because she’s great and she knows I enjoy it. I’m lucky.

OK, enough about me and my perfect spouse. Let’s get into it.

Hail to the king👑

Eric Godfrey has had a long and varied professional life. He’s been a stand-up, a realtor, a teacher, a dean of students, co-owner of a comedy club and he also runs his own gourmet bacon business.

Bacon King USA makes custom batches of bacon. The company also offers an educational component where people can come out and learn how to make their own bacon.

Godfrey tells Lisa Bell and me all about his business on the latest Florida Foodie.

> You can listen to the episode here <

And you can also find every episode of Florida Foodie on YouTube, as well.

Small bites 🍭

Meat in the mail🥩: There are all kinds of subscription box services for food these days, including ones for steaks and other meats. But are they really worth the money? Consumer Reports put some of them to the test. Click here to see which of them fared the best — but you will need to be an Insider. Just click here to sign up. It’s free and it gives you access to exclusive contests and content.

Winging it🍗: Chicken wings are a quintessential party food. There are a lot of great spots around Orlando to find some good wings. Here is a list of the best wing spots around The City Beautiful, according to Yelp users. Again, you’ll need to be an Insider to read it.

Closing up shop☕: Downtown Credo is getting ready to close its location at AdventHealth’s Health Village. Click here to see the reason for the closure.

Opening soon🍷: More than two years after first announcing plans to open Orlando’s first meadery, Zymarium’s taproom is getting ready to hold its grand opening in August. Find all the details here.

Something to try at home 🍽️

Today’s recipe is a little odd, but I promise it is delicious. Odd in that it combines Spam, American cheese and ramen in one dish. Delicious because it is sweet and spicy and very rich.

It is Budae Jjigae, also known as Korean Army Stew.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons gochujang (Korean fermented chili paste, which can be found at Publix)
• 2.5 teaspoons gochugaru (Korean red pepper flake) (optional)
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon distilled vinegar
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 1.5 cups water
• 2 ounces dried shiitake mushrooms
• 1/2 pound button mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 3/4 cup chopped kimchi
• 1 can spam, sliced thin
• 1/2 pound smoked sausage, sliced into medallions
• 2 packs ramen noodles
• 1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
• 2 slices American cheese

Step 1: Combine the gochujang, gochugaru, soy sauce, sugar, garlic and vinegar in a bowl. Whisk together and set aside. Then, in a separate bowl, add your shitake mushrooms, along with hot water and cover for about 10 minutes.

Step 2: Remove your mushrooms from the water, but save the liquid. Remove the stems on the mushrooms, then slice the caps. Combine with your button mushrooms and set aside.

Step 3: Heat a large pot, like a Dutch oven, over medium heat. Once hot, sear your spam and sausage separately. No oil is needed as the meat should render plenty of fat. Set aside the seared meat.

Step 4: Add your mushrooms and some of the green onions to the same pan. Be sure to scrape the bottom. Let the mushrooms release a good amount of liquid. Once they start to brown, add your kimchi and your gochujang mixture. Let it cook for about two minutes.

Step 5: Add your chicken stock along with the liquid from your shitake mushrooms. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add your Spam and sausage back to the pot along with your ramen noodles. Lastly, place two slices of American cheese on top of the mixture, cover and let it cook until the noodles are tender.

Right before your serve, be sure to place a generous heap of fresh green onion slices over the top of the soup for an extra punch of herbaceous flavor.

My partner was very skeptical about this soup at first, but she ended up cleaning out her bowl. This soup is delicious and you can add virtually whatever you have lying around to it.

That’s it for today.

Please, send me your recipes so I can share them with everyone. My email is tmates@wkmg.com.

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Also, please take the time to rate and review the Florida Foodie podcast.

- Thomas