Hey there Florida Foodie friends,
It is I, the wise old hermit of the internet, Thomas Mates.
Recommended Videos
November is an eventful month for me.
[ADD YOUR BUSINESS TO THE FLORIDA FOODIE DIRECTORY]
For starters, my birthday is coming up next week and I can already feel the skeletal hands of death inching closer, ready to choke the life from my rapidly decaying body. So, I have a lot to look forward to there.
I kid, mostly. My wonderful spouse is planning some outings for us to take part in this weekend and I know that will include some tasty food. The one thing she has asked me, that I do not as of yet have an answer to, is what kind of birthday dessert I want. Cake is classic, but I’m not really jonesing for it.
Let me know if you have any local bakery favorites you think I might enjoy.
Of course, after my birthday, comes my favorite holiday: Thanksgiving. My wife and I are starting to ponder our menu.
Turkey is a must, but I haven’t quite landed on how I’m going to prepare it. By the way, News 6 Insiders can win a free turkey this year. Click here to enter.
Stuffing and some type of potato is also important, but again, I’m not sure exactly what the preparation will be. Everything else is wide open.
What are your must-have dishes at Thanksgiving? Email me your thoughts at tmates@wkmg.com.
OK, let’s get into it.
Nostalgic pizza 🍕
I can tell you that Rob Bair makes a mighty fine pizza. However, he is probably more well-known around Central Florida for tacos and burritos.
Bair is also the owner of Gringos Locos and Tin & Taco, but during the pandemic, he set about recreating the Detroit-style pizza he grew up eating. He eventually landed on a recipe that impressed his wife and decided to turn his passion into a third restaurant concept, SoDough Square.
Bair told Lisa Bell and me all about it 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🍩
Chili on spaghetti🍝❓: The Midwest has a lot of unique culinary exports such as fried cheese curds, toasted ravioli and Detroit-style pizza, but none are quite as unique as Cincinnati chili. Perhaps the most well-known purveyor of this Ohio treat, Skyline Chili, just opened its first Central Florida location. Read about it here.
What cluck🐔: Another popular chain also opened its first Central Florida location this week. This one comes from Louisiana. Here are all the details on Raising Cane’s.
Head downtown🏙️: There are several new restaurants opening up in downtown Orlando, each offering something different. Click here to learn about three that are coming soon.
Bagel boom continues🥯: Jeff’s Bagel Run is continuing its rapid expansion across Central Florida. The small chain just announced a new location set to open soon. Click here to see where.
Something to try at home 🍽️
It is fall, even though it may not feel very fall-like here in Central Florida. Regardless, fall calls for soup, at least in my book. It does get chilly here every now and then, so this is a good recipe to have in your back pocket, potato and broccoli soup.
This recipe is adapted from Food & Wine.
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons butter, cold
- 1 onion, diced
- 4 rashers of bacon, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 3/4 pounds broccoli, thick stems peeled and diced (about 2 cups), tops cut into small florets (about 1 quart)
- 1 1/2 pounds potatoes (about 5), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 3 cups canned low-sodium chicken broth or homemade stock
- salt & pepper
- 6 oz grated sharp cheddar
Step 1: Fill a stock pot with water and season generously with salt. boil your potatoes until fork-tender. Then drain and set aside.
Step 2: In your stock pot, cook your chopped bacon until crispy. Remove the bacon and set aside to drain on a paper towel. Add your diced onions along with a pinch of salt and cook until translucent. Now, add your garlic and simmer until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Step 3: Add your broccoli stems and chicken broth. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cook until the broccoli stems are softened. Then add your potatoes and cold butter. With an immersion blender, blend the soup together until smooth. The cold butter will help give it a silky consistency. You can do this in a normal blender, but be extremely careful. Blending hot liquids with a conventional blender can cause an explosive release of steam. Go slow and use a towel to hold down the lid.
Step 4: Continue simmering your blended soup. Add the broccoli florets and cook until they are softened. Taste for seasoning and add salt & pepper as needed.
Step 5: Serve topped with bacon and shredded cheddar cheese.
This soup should take about half an hour to make. It is hearty and delicious. It can also easily be made vegetarian or vegan, just skip the bacon, skip the cheese and sub in olive oil for butter.
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.