La Estrellita Cafe and Bar

Chile Verde is my favorite dish in the 'Whole Wide World'. Chile Colorado is Ms. Goofy's favorite dish. The best place to get these two dishes is in Oakland California. Tijuana North this district has been called. La Estrellita Cafe is a great place to get both dishes. La Estrellitas's has close to 120 different tequilas. I have not tried them all yet. Tom was our Bartender. Tom has a very heavy hand on promoting Agave consumption . He gave us some killer chips and salsa to soak up some of the boozy tequila concoctions. The Verde salsa is to die for.

We got our two plates and boy oh boy. I want to say it again. Boy oh Boy they were huge plates of Meat,Chile's,Rice and Bean's. This is everything the doctor ordered. We both left half our plate for another delicous meal. My lips are on fire and my belly is full. What more can you ask for.
La Estrrellita Cafe and Bar
446 East 12th St.
Oakland, CA. 94606
510-465-7188

TAILGAITING IOI

TALE GATING 101. You have to be at the ball park to have a true“Tail Gate Party”. Ms. Goofy and I had everything ready to go. We were on our way to the’ Oakland A’s versus the San Francisco Giant’s” pre-season game. Everything was ' Mise en place'. We are having Chicken Wings with Chipotle Honey Barbeque Sauce and Bacon Wrapped Asparagus. Everything is place and lightning strikes. The weather threatens and the sewer backs up. I will spare you the details. We had to salvage the day. We stayed at home , cooked our appetizers and did not pay 10 dollars for a beer. These two appetizers are the bomb. I hope you give them a try.

Wings
1. 3- 5 pounds of wings
2. Rub (‘Wild Willy’s Number One-derful Rub)
3. Chipotle barbeque sauce

Barbeque Sauce
¼ cup honey
¼ cup cider vinegar
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/ 2 cup chipotlle puree
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt & pepper
Place all ingredients in blender. That’s it.

Rub your wings with rub and barbeque over medium heat. When they are almost done, coat with barbeque sauce.

BACON WRAPPED ASPARAGUS
1. 1 pound of Asparagus
2. ¼ pound of bacon thinly sliced. (I am lucky to have Schinken Speck) or Prosciutto
3. 1/8 cup lemon juice
4. 1/8 cup Olive Oil
5. 1 pinch of salt & pepper
6. 1/8 cup of Parmesan cheese
Take 3 Asparagus Spears and wrap 1 piece of bacon around the spears. Take a skewer and secure bacon and Spears. Place in pan and marinade with rest of ingredients for at least 1 hours.

Place Asparagus bundles on indirect heat for 10 minutes. It does not take a lot of time.

We did not make the game but we sure scored some runs with the Crackerjack Appetizers!!

BACON REVUE (DITTMERS)

"Tonight, we have a re-e-e-ally BIG SHEW!" On our stage tonight is a very Gifted and Talented Entertainer. Let me present a Friend and a Legend."The Reverend Dr. Biggles."

Picture a Norwegian Axe Murderer waiving at you. Dr. Biggles is here at Mad Meat Genius to bring you a most excellent slab of bacon. Holy crud Batman! It's almost exactly 2 years ago today that I posted CB's and mines Meat Adventure to Dittmers Wurst Haus in Mountain View. Dang, how cool is that? Lo and behold that's where CB and his wife Ms. Goofy meandered on down to a week ago. I remember waking up early Saturday morning to an email from him asking if I wanted anything from Dittmer's? Ha, YEAH I do! A slab of bacon and 6 garlic sausages please. He received the email in time. I was SET. The last slab I dove in to was good, but nothing to write home about. Good meat texture, decent fat to meat ratio, not much sugary cure and the smoke was light. But not this time, the smoke flavor was spot on. Not nearly as much as their double smoked pork loin, but right in there where you want it. The meat texture was quite firm and the fat stood its ground. When fried to a medium, no salty death. And the fact the slab comes in a little over 4 dollars a pound, I give it 2 Thumbsup with a broad smile to match.
XO Biggles.

Rating: 2 Thumbsup

Cost: 4.49/pound

Where: Dittmer's Gourmet Meats & Wurst-Haus, Inc.

400 San Antonio Road Mountain View, CA (650) 941 - 380

Thankyou Dr. Biggles!!! You can view more of the Reverend at Meathenge.

GET YOUR GRILL ON

“GET YOUR GRILL ON” (All the hot you can handle)

I will be a new contributor to this food blog. It is a conglomeration of different Authors that write about grilling and related subjects. I will probably have two or so articles a month. I am very much jazzed about it. I am only an infant in the Blogoshere. This will be a fabulous opportunity to mature and become more comfortable in posting. I have been having a lot of fun these last two months. I want to thank Family and Friends for all the encouragement I have received. I have met some new people through Mad Meat Genius. I am grateful for their comments and support.

Why is there a huge steak on the cover? I feel like celebrating. I would like a humongous steak for dinner. It is not going to happen tonight. I guess I will just have to look at a steak that was served to me at Alfred’s Steakhouse in the City. Alfred’s is one of my favorite steakhouses on the West Coast. When you walk into Alfred’s, it is like stepping back into time. I want to go out and buy a Fedora and learn how to smoke cigars. I am just waiting for Bogart to walk in. This steak weighed 64 ounces. It even has a name of the ‘Kingdom’. If you’re wondering if I ate it all, I did but it took three days.

I just wanted to tell you about ‘Get Your Grill On”. Please come by and take a look. The Meat Adventure has only just begun. Hey, you ever break out into song? I am so excited I am going to sing. (Karen Carpenter). “ We’ve only just begun to live, White lace and promises, A kiss for luck and were on our way, and yes we have “, Hey Mojo & Oscar, GET OFF THE COUCH!!!!!!!!!

Hey Mojo, Did you hear anything? Oscar, go back to sleep, Chile is on the computer.

ASPARAGUS QUICHE

‘Real Men Don’t Eat Quiche’. How many times have you heard that line? It always runs through my head when I break out the quiche pan. I think the saying should be changed to ‘Real Men Don’t Eat Brussel Sprouts.’ Well, that won’t work because; I have had Brussel Sprouts cooked with Bacon. I enjoyed it! How about, Real Men will not set the table with Cloth Doilies. Today I am making Asparagus and Beef Bacon Quiche. A simple pie dough has to be made. It is then filled with Eggs, Cheese and your choice of fillings. It is baked in the oven till it is ready to be displayed on your Cloth Doily.
Pie Dough
1. 1 ¼ cups all purpose flour
2. ¼ teaspoon salt
3. 1/3 cup shortening
4. 3 to 4 tablespoons cold water
In a mixing bowl stir together flour and salt. Cut in shortening till pieces are the size of small peas. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time and mix gently. Form into ball and wrap in plastic and chill in refrigerator.

Filling
1. 3 beaten eggs
2. 1 ½ cup milk
3. ¼ teaspoon salt and pepper
4. ¾ chopped cooked beef bacon (Meat of Choice)
5. 1 ½ cups of shredded Cheddar (Cheese of Choice)
6. ½ to 1 pound Asparagus. Cut to fit pie pan in spoke design
7. ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

Roll out your chilled dough to fit pie pan or quiche dish. Sprinkle ½ Cheddar and bacon in bottom. Arrange Asparagus to look like a wagon wheel spokes over cheese mixture. Sprinkle rest of cheese mixture over top. Combine eggs, milk, salt and pepper in a measuring cup. Pour this mixture over cheese and asparagus mixture. Sprinkle the parmesan cheese over top. Bake in 325 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes. The quiche should be slightly brown and the eggs should be set. You can insert a knife and if it pulls out clean you’re done.

I really do not have anything against cloth or paper Doilies. If I had any I would probably use them. I think, maybe!

BACON REVUE (SCHINKEN SPECK)

Schinken Speck, Schinken Speck, Schinken Speck. Yeah, I got you huh? This is the act that has been in the Green Room for the bacon theater. This is a heavy hitter. It is a double smoked Pork Sirloin. It is from the best Meat Market in the Bay Area, Dittmer’s. You may be wondering why Emeril is the background. I have no idea! Well maybe because this bacon is kicked up several notches. It is the smoke Bomb! This is already cooked so you just need to add just a little bit to your dishes. I do not know if you can call it a true bacon (Cookiecrumb). It is definitely something special.
I have not fried it so I can not tell you about the texture. I did put some in Scalloped Potatoes and some Asparagus. It just rocked both dishes. It is a little salty. It has smoke for a new generation! The fat to meat ratio does not really apply on this little gem. It is going to receive a 4 out of 5 stars.

Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Cost: 10.98/pd (and worth every penny)
Where: Dittmer’s 400 San Antonio Road Mountain View, CA
(650) 941 - 3800

BARBEQUE CHOW MEIN

There is no reason to adjust your T.V. set. Yes, you read correctly. Barbequed Chow Mein with Asparagus and Beef. I have a fancy gadget made by Weber for a Weber. It is a Wok insert that is built to fit your Weber barbeque kettle. Asparagus is in season and I am, “Radio goo-goo,Radio ga-ga” over the Green Shafts of Spring. I made a short trip to our local International Market to buy fresh Chow Mein noodles and then to the Farmers market for asparagus. I add some marinated beef and a few other ingredients. It is a fairly simple recipe. The secret is in your preparation. You need to slice, chop, marinade, precook and put everything in place. (Mise En Place) Toss everything in your Wok and cook away.

Ingredients

Fresh Chow Mein Noodles
1 lb top sirloin beef (cut into strips 1 1/2inch by ½ inch)
1 lb bean sprouts
¼ mushrooms (thinly sliced)
1 lb asparagus (cut into 1 inch lengths on diagonal)
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 bunch green onions (cut into ¼ inch lengths on diagonal)
1/2 cup soy sauce (divided use)
2 tablespoons sherry wine or vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
3 cloves garlic finally chopped
2 stalks celery (cut into 1 inch lengths on diagonal)
1 small onion (sliced )
12 ounces beef stock
2 tablespoons corn starch

The first step is to marinade the beef. Take a large zip lock bag and add your beef, garlic,2 tablespoons green onion, sherry, ginger sugar, 1 tablespoon of corn starch and ¼ cup soy sauce. Mix and place in refrigerator for a couple of hours.

Boil your noodles in salted water. When they hit the surface, take them off the fire and rinse under cold water.
The secret to Wok cooking is to have all your ingredients ready. Chop and slice all the vegetables and place next to your cooking area.

Get the Wok steaming friggin hot. Place a dollop of oil in the pan. You should see it start to pool and shimmer. Place your meat into the hot Wok. It will seize and start to shimmy and shake. This is when you need to Stir and Fry with your Utensil. Stir that baby well.. Only cook it for a minute or two. Take it out and reserve is in a covered pan. Repeat with all the rest of the vegetables. except bean sprouts

Put all the ingredients back in the Wok with bean sprouts, stock,cornstarch,1/4 soy sauce and cover with lid Simmer for 10 minutes.

You have one great Chow Mein.