Hey there Florida Foodie friends,
It’s I, Thomas Mates, the mad scientist of food podcasting.
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I have always been a fan of classic monster movies and I now know the joy Dr. Frankenstein felt when his creation moved for the first time.
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I told you in my last newsletter that we were trying out an experiment with taking Florida Foodie on the road.
Well, I am happy to say that it worked!
We managed to record a full episode in two special locations. It looks and sounds great. I am super excited for you all to see it.
Even more than that, I am hyped to get out into Central Florida more often to show off the diverse food scene we all live in.
As I said last time if you know a great eclectic spot that we should check out, drop me a line: tmates@wkmg.com.
OK, let’s get into it.
Brownie bakery🧁
Like a lot of people, Austin Blake found himself with a lot of free time on his hands at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
He and his family decided to use that time to develop a business. They wanted to do something that had not been done before. They landed on a brownie-focused bakery. Stackd Brownies has been a big success for Blake and his family. It now has four locations and the family is looking to franchise across the state.
Blake shared the whole story with Lisa Bell and me on the latest episode of Florida Foodie.
>You can watch the episode here<
And you can also find every episode of Florida Foodie on YouTube, as well.
Small Bites🍯
Celebrate with food🥪: It is Hispanic Heritage Month. Hispanic influence and culture can be seen all over Central Florida, especially in the food. One of the most ubiquitous cuisines in the area is Cuban. Some of our great Cuban coworkers here at News 6 put together a short list of some of their favorite spots in the area. Check it out here.
Disney dishes🐭: Disney World is rolling out some new culinary delights for guests to enjoy. It’s all part of the Disney100 celebration at EPCOT. Check out all of the specialty food and drink offerings here.
More Midwest treats🌭: Everyone’s favorite Chicago export Portillo’s is looking to expand even further into Central Florida. The chain is planning another location in our area. Here are the details.
Something to try at home 🍽️
Today, I have a recipe that my lovely spouse recently made for me. It comes from a cookbook by a New Orleans restaurant, Turkey and the Wolf.
We are making spicy friend chicken salad on roti paratha. That sounds super fancy-schmancy, but you can buy the roti paratha, which is kind of like a cross between a tortilla and a croissant, frozen at most Asian markets and the fried chicken can be bought premade at from Publix.
Ingredients
Spice mix:
- 1 tablespoon granulated chicken bouillon
- 1/4 cup seasoned salt
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons cayenne pepper
- 3 tablespoons smoked paprika
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
Wraps
- 4 friend chicken thighs (store-bought or homemade)
- 1 cup mayo
- 6 frozen roti paratha
- arugula
- 1 red onion, thinly sliced (you could also use the pickled red onions I showed you how to make here)
- 2 ribs of celery, thinly sliced
- the juice and zest of 2-3 lemons
Step 1: For the spice mix, combine everything into a bowl and stir together until homogenous.
Step 2: Cut up your fried chicken into bite-sized pieces and then mix them in a bowl with your mayo and set aside.
Step 3: Place a nonstick frying pan over medium-low heat and melt some butter in the pan. Take your roti paratha and cook it in the pan, one at a time, flipping often until both sides are golden brown. Set them aside on a plate covered by a tea towel until you are ready to use them.
Step 4: Now, it is time to assemble the wraps. Put down a roti paratha on a plate, followed by some arugula, celery and red onion. Then, a healthy helping of your chicken and mayo mixture. Add a healthy dusting of your spice mix (you will not use all of it) followed by the zest and juice of half a lemon. Repeat until everything is used up. You should get roughly six wraps out of this recipe.
This is a zesty and delicious meal. It is very easy to make and tastes great. Plus, that spice mix can be used in all kinds of dishes.
That’s it for today.
Please, send me your recipes so I can share them with everyone. My email is tmates@wkmg.com.
Don’t forget to send in your foodie pictures as well through our PinIt! program.
Also, please take the time to rate and review the Florida Foodie podcast.