Hey there Florida Foodie friends,
It is I, the man who sold the world, Thomas Mates. Bet you didn’t realize Bowie was singing about me.
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I am back from vacation. Just as my vacation has ended, so has your vacation from me. I hope you enjoyed it while it lasted.
My lovely, wonderful wife and I took some time to head to Ireland. We spent a few days in Galway and then another couple in Dublin, and it was a blast.
That there is the Cliffs of Moher — which is just one of the many pretty sites we stopped at on our journey.
But enough about the natural beauty of the world. Let’s talk about the food.
It was great. I had an Irish breakfast; which was delicious, bacon and cabbage, doner, bangers and mash and lots and lots of beer, just to name some of the culinary delights.
We ran into some other Americans along the way who said they found the food to be bland, but that was not my experience. I found everything to be well-prepared and seasoned, especially after a long day of schlepping all over the Irish countryside.
Anyway, enough of me making you all sit through my vacation slides, let’s get into it.
Health struggles 🏥
Having a life-threatening health scare is no picnic for anyone, but it is made doubly difficult for a hands-on small business owner who is then forced to close up shop while working to stay alive.
That is the position A.J. Haines found himself in this year when he had a sudden attack of diverticulitis that caused him to need emergency surgery. His stint in the hospital forced Haines to close his restaurant, The Hen & Hog, for two weeks.
He’s had a couple more rounds of surgery since then, but he is still managing to keep his business open and afloat.
You can hear Haines share his story with Candace Campos 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🍩
Sushi & suds 🍺🍣: I love beer, and it is tearing my family apart. I also love sushi, which is having a slightly less detrimental effect on my personal life. These two great tastes that taste great together will be available at a new restaurant opening this month in downtown Orlando. Read all about it here.
Coming soon 🍗: Raising Cane’s has a cult following in parts of the country and soon that could include Central Florida. The chicken finger chain is getting ready to open its first location in our area next month. Here are the details.
Father & son serving tacos 🌮: The owner of Tijuana Flats is teaming up with his son for a new Tex-Mex concept called Big Taco. Here’s what we know about the new restaurant so far.
Growth & food 🏙️🍔: It is no secret that Orlando’s Mills 50 neighborhood is a foodie mecca. In our Boomtown series, we took a look at the development that has spurred that food boom. Check it out.
Sweet treats 🍪: A custom sugar cookie bakery has just opened its second location, this time setting up shop in Winter Garden. Here’s where you can have a taste.
Something to try at home 🍽️
Like I said, I am just getting back from vacation. So, I’m going to dip back into the archives for a classic recipe.
Here’s a recipe for baba ghanoush slightly modified from J. Kenji Lopez-Alt.
Ingredients:
- 2-3 eggplants (depending on size, roughly 2 pounds total)
- The juice and zest of 1 lemon
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons of tahini
- 1/3 cup of extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon of paprika
- salt and pepper
Step 1: Over an open flame (like a grill) or under a broiler, roast your eggplants on all sides until it is completely tender and blackened on all sides. Then place the eggplants in a bowl covered with foil for about 15-20 minutes.
Step 2: While you wait for your eggplants to cool, combine your lemon zest, juice, garlic, paprika and tahini in a separate bowl.
Step 3: Once cool, remove all of the skin from your eggplants and place the meat of the fruit into the bowl with your tahini mixture. Whisk it all together. You could also do this in a food processor for a smoother texture, totally up to you.
Step 4: While continuing to whisk, slowly stream your olive oil into the mixture. You want it all to emulsify into a smooth, creamy sauce. Once emulsified add some salt and pepper to taste.
I like to serve this with an extra glug of olive oil over the top of the baba ghanoush. You can also top it with some chopped parsley or mint. I think it is best enjoyed with just some warm pita for dipping, but you could also use it as a spread for a sandwich or with some falafel, the recipe for which I provided in the last newsletter.
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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