Local barkeep heads for TGIF world championships

When playing barkeep, why just pick up a bottle and pour from it instead of tossing it over your shoulder first?

Why set a glass into a shaker when you could catch it in flight?

And why drop the garnish into the drink when you could pop it in there using the belly of your shirt?

For me (and most of us) it’s because we can’t. Yet. (I’ll get to that part later.)

For Lisa Montero, a rocking Virginia Beach barkeep who later this month heads to Texas for the TGIF world bartending championships, this flair bartending stuff is rote.

Over at the TGIF at Lynnhaven the other night, she didn’t just toss empty longnecks into the trash, she sent them spinning in an arc from one hand to the other and then into the garbage. Napkins, dishrags, slices of lime – to Lisa, anything is worthy of a twirl.

Lisa is one of nine finalists who emerged from a field of 8,000 (yes, eight thousand) TGIF bartenders worldwide, and she's the only chick in the lineup.

Check out this YouTube video to see how she wowed the crowd in one of the preliminary competitions. Help her out by clicking here and casting a vote for her as the “Favorite Bartender,” the only part of the competition not based on skill.

Believe me, this lady means to bring home the glory, even if she can’t gin up enough votes to take people’s choice. She practices for a few hours a day at this built-to-spec backyard bar. She spends hours memorizing more than 100 drinks on the TGIF cocktail list.

I’ve been hanging around Lisa lately for a couple of stories slated to run later this month. In one of them, she’ll give detailed instructions on a few basic flair moves.

Can’t wait to get my flair on! HBU?

Don't fear the fish head

These days, there’s an awful lot of fish heads hanging around.

Striper season rages on in the Chesapeake Bay, and fishing friends and markets boast a steady supply.

I recommend if you’re lucky enough to come into possession of a whole one of these mild, meaty fishes, that you don’t lose your head. Even if yours is a big, oversized head.

Heck, even if you don’t have a head at all, go and buy one at an Asian market. I saw whole striper heads laid out on the ice at the Asia Grocery in Virginia Beach a week or so ago.

These fishheads make excellent stock, which makes excellent fish chowder, which makes an excellent dinner on chilly evenings.

And it couldn’t be easier. The hard part is removing the gills, which requires sharp scissors, a quart of brawn and no fear of blood and slime. But after that, you just rinse the head, shove it into the biggest pot you have, add some water and veggies and seasonings, cover and simmer for a couple of hours. Then cool and freeze until you have a craving for chowder.

As you see, I was pot-challenged while making this batch. But no matter, the heavy lid of my Le Creuset pot eventually prevailed.

Want a more exacting recipe? Here you go . . . . from “101 Things I Learned in Culinary School,” by Louis Eguaras with Matthew Frederick and titled “A sauce is only as good as its stock.”

Take it away, fellows: “White stock is made from the bones of fish, chicken, or veal, or from vegetables only. . . .

“To make stock, use 5 quarts of cold water and 1 pound of vegetables (called mirepoix in French and sofrito in Spanish and Italian; typically 50% onions, 25% celery and 25% carrots) for every 5 pounds of bones. Substitute leeks or parsnips for carrots in white stocks so the stock doesn’t get too orange.

“Seasonings typically consist of bay leaf, peppercorns, garlic, and parsley. They may be wrapped in a sachet (a small bag made of cheesecloth) before being placed in the stockpot.”

Home-made pretzels for the big game . . . or movie

A while back, The Baby Girl and I made pretzels – big, fat, yeasty ones. Think food cart pretzels, not the gravely ones from the grocery store.

Since she was out the door to a birthday party, we fashioned pretzels in the form of the birthday girl’s initials and wrapped them in a Nordstrom box.

Oddly, it was a hit with the pre-teen set!

Sometime around the holidays, my sister, Crystal (an accomplished cook who taught me when yeast is DOA) came over and we made another batch of twisties.

This weekend, I would suspect that these go as good with the Super Bowl as they would with a movie. Just be warned, you need to start them the day before they’re served to give the yeast time to do its work.

Also, next time I make these, I’ll scale back a bit on the brown sugar. But do go wild with the toppings – just dig into your spice rack and let your imagine go crazy -- poppy seeds, cayenne, flaxseed, garlic, sesame . . . . .

Basic Pretzels

1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (100-115 F) or more if needed
4 tablespoons light brown sugar
3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup hot water
1 egg, lightly beaten
Toppings

In a large mixing bowl, combine t he yeast, water and 1 tablespoon brown sugar.

Add the remaining brown sugar and mix until well incorporated. Add the flour and salt and mix with your hands or a wooden spoon until the mixture forms a smooth dough. If the mixture is dry, add 1 or 2 tablespoons water. Knead the dough until smooth, about 7 to 8 minutes.

Place the dough in a bowl sprayed with nonstick cooking spray, cover with plastic wrap and let it rest overnight in the refrigerator.

Punch the dough down, then turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface and cut it into pieces, depending on the size and type of pretzel you want to make. Place the pretzels on a parchment-lined baking sheet, cover them with plastic wrap, and let them rise at room temperature for 45 minutes, or until they have doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 450 F.

Combine the baking soda and hot water in a bowl. Dip the risen pretzels in the baking soda bath, then return them to the baking sheet and brush them with egg. Sprinkle with the desired toppings.

Bake the pretzels for 15 minutes, or until they are g olden brown. Let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 to 10 minutes before eating.

Source: “The Pretzel Cookbook,” by Priscilla Warren

Super Bowl Championship of Chow - final score

The excitement of Super Bowl XLVI is behind me.

That’s because last Sunday, the New York Giants and the New England Patriots went head-to-head on my dining room table, complete with former pro players as refs. Four quarters of food, not a few penalties, and a big, fun party.

The final score: Giants 21, Patriots 14. Click here for the full play-by-play and the final score.

If I say so myself, this was an inspired idea for a party. But I learned a few things during my foray into football.

Next year, I’ll have some halftime entertainment. Anyone got ideas on that?

I also learned that you can’t really throw a Super Bowl food fight without some luck and a whole lot of help (thank you Deb and Mrs. Morningnoonandnight – I think we owe you both a free subscription but I’m unauthorized to do that.)

In the picture is ref Derek Allen, who played for the Giants, and Chef Mike Lee, a culinary arts student at Tidewater Community College, came bearing a pair of gorgeous and delicious Boston Cream Pies. Check the play-by-play link for his recipe.

or me, finding foods from afar posed the greatest challenge.

Take whole-belly clams, for example. They’re hard to find in Tidewater and substituting our native bivalves would definitely draw a penalty.

I suggest asking your fish dealer or ordering from one of New England’s purveyors such as The Fresh Lobster Company

If you’d rather skip the spitting heat that comes with home frying whole-bellies, call over Woody McGee’s, Virginia Beach’s newest pub-restaurant. Owner Don Stull has a limited supply that he’s serving up fried and otherwise – but call beforehand to make sure they’re still available.

I was anticipating a super headache finding the foundation for the lobster rolls, but shazaaam! New England Style sandwich rolls are made by Pepperidge Farms and sold locally at Farm Fresh supermarkets.

And those lobsters writhing in the tank at the Farm Fresh seafood counter? Ask, and they’ll steam ‘em in seven minutes flat. At home, just cool, crack and chop.

The New York deli food was a no brainer. I simply walked into The Route 58 Delicatessen in Virginia Beach at Loehmann’s Plaza, and told owner Jeff Goldberg my Lucille Ball-like scheme.

He loved it and completely took over menu planning for that side of the gridiron -- corned beef and pastrami sandwiches, Carnegie Deli cheesecake and pierogi at your fingertips.

A winning selection of Harpoon Brewery and Brooklyn Brewery beer is available in the wine corridor at Grape &Gourmet, which is conveniently located just a few doors down from the 158 Delicatessen.

Revolution in the tomato patch!

I've  been pining away over seed catalogues for the past couple of weeks, daydreaming of spring. There's lots of that  -__- (or meh) stuff out there.

But there's one I've got to try.

It's called "Big Daddy," and don't you love that name?

The Burpee seed people call this "an all-around game-changer tomato.

It's hailed as a breakthrough for taste, size, disease-resistance and yield.

Big Daddy's daddy is the "Big Boy" tomato that lots of us grow. Burpee promises that Big Daddy produces a mighty harvest of round, meaty fruits, nearly a pound apiece, over a long harvest season.

You can order plants or seeds.

I'm in!

When slacking off pays off

This morning, I had a really nice harvest of juicy, red tomatoes.

From my freezer.

Remember me, Slacker Girl? How last summer – when my garden boomed with ripe tomatoes – I bypassed the bother of canning and instead stuffed my harvest into the freezer whole?

I hope you followed my slovenly lead. Because check this out! I had forgotten how many tomatoes were in there!

Mmmm. Now what to do with them?

I think this thick ragu is worthy from this gorgeous new cookbook, “Ciao Italia Family Classics,” by Mary Ann Esposito.

I’ve never cooked a beef shank, but I’m sure one of our local butchers can fix me right up. If you didn’t follow my slovenly lead, just make this recipe with canned tomaotes – I like Furmano or Muir Glen (which, incidentally, also offers some fabulous, limited edition, canned heirloom tomatoes.)

And stay tuned. In the next day or two, I’ll post some exciting tomato news for us dirt diggers.

Now, here’s the recipe:

Oven Baked Beef Shin Tomato Ragu
Makes 3 ½ to 4 cups ragu sauce

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
¼ pound pancetta, diced
1 medium onion, peeled and diced
3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 ¼ pounds beef shin (center cut)
1 28-ounce can pureed plum tomatoes
¼ cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
4 tablespoons minced basil

In a Dutch oven or other heavy-duty ovenproof casserole, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the pancetta and onions and cook until the pancetta renders its fat and begins to brown.

Stir in the garlic and continue to cook for one or two minutes, or until the garlic softens. Stir in the tomato paste, coating the pancetta mixture well, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Transfer the mixture to a small bowl and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 325 F.

In the same pan, over medium-high heat, brown the meat well on both sides and season with salt and pepper. Turn off the heat.

In a medium-size bowl combine the tomatoes, vinegar and sugar. Pour the mixture over the meat. Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and bake for 2 1/3 hours or until the meat is fork tender.

With a slotted spoon remove the shank to a cutting board and, when cool enough to handle, shred the meat into small pieces and add back to the pot with the sauce. Discard the bone.

Stir the basil into the sauce. Check the seasoning and add more salt and pepper if desired.

Two cups of the sauce is enough to coat a pound of ziti, rigatoni, or fusilli.

The Sauce can also be frozen for future use.

Baking contest! Big prizes!

As if.

As if Girl Scout cookies weren’t good enough on their own.

As if.

As if you didn’t crave a box in every flavor, or perhaps you want free tickets to the Samoa Soiree, a creative black-tie event held Feb. 17 and featuring local chefs creating Girl Scout cookie desserts and appitizers at The Westin Virginia Beach Town Center.

Win one or the other by sharing your best recipe using Girl Scout cookies. Heck, you don’t even have to bake for this contest.

Think of it as an amateur, sans-black-tie version of the elegant soiree.

To enter: Share the name and a short description of your favorite recipe - using Girl Scout Cookies - in the comments. Then, email the full recipe to hrshare@pilotonline.com

Selection: We'll select three recipes based on the number of "thumbs up" on each comment, Feb. 3. Our judges, including moi, take the top three recipes, bake them and taste them. The best tasting of the three wins the contest!

The big day: We'll announce the winner Feb. 10.

Tidewater restaurant scene: Great or just meh?

I had the pleasure this week of speaking with two learned gents.

One, a local media executive. The other, a respected culinary educator.

What they said seemed puzzling.

Both were musing about the Tidewater restaurant scene.

The media exec, an avid cook and frequent restaurant patron, basically said meh.

In his opinion, the local restaurant scene has gone “stale.” He’s familiar with the restaurant “Renaissance” that took place in the early 1980s when Monroe Duncan debuted Suddenly Last Summer and upped the ante.

And, he considers the development of Granby Street’s restaurant row another mini-Renaissance. But since then, he’s not been wowed and has taken to cooking at home more these days.

On the other hand . . . .

The former chef and culinary arts instructor who moved to the area a few years back, was surprised at the depth and number of locally-owned restaurants in the area. The restaurant scene is particularly vibrant for a metropolitan area this size with our demographics, he said.

It’s not New York, he said, but it is impressive.

For now, I’m staying out of this. But why not cast a vote for what you think is correct? Comments are welcome, too!

Here’s the ballot:

A) “Meh,” or in the texting lingo I’ve learned from The Baby Girl -__-

- or –

B) Better than expected, or : )

And that cute pinup is from Gil Elvgren, one of the most important pin-up artists of the twentieth century.

Beignets vs. Buffalo sliders - what to serve at Super Bowl 2012

This scrap of newsprint?

It’s my Super Bowl 2012 menu planning roadmap.

See, while you all were cheering over the weekend for the Denver Broncos or the Baltimore Ravens or the New Orleans Saints or those boys from Wisconsin, I was rooting for beignets, buffalo sliders and a whole lotta cheese.

Why? As a dedicated food writer, I view all things through an epicurean lens. And that means a “food fight” story to run in advance of Super Bowl 2012.

For that piece, I’ll cook up eats from either side of the gridiron and (hopefully) get a couple of retired NFL players to decide which side wins when it comes to food.

Although I’m charged with absolute neutrality on all things, I admit to rooting hard for the New Orleans team. Not only do they have those handsome fleur de lis on the hip of their uniforms, but it’s the land of beignets and gumbo and Sazerac cocktails.

That last-second touchdown . . . so depressing.

Meanwhile, the Ravens v. Texans game was a win-win for me; I didn’t even watch it. Surf or turf. Crabcakes or red meat on the grill. Like I said, win-win.

So this morning I’m assessing the possibilities.

The Ravens remain a no-brainer.

But what food to feature if New England makes it to the finals. Chowda? Pie?

A New York win will be even more perplexing. I mean, there’s not a food on the planet you can’t get in NYC. What dishes are quintessentially New York? Something to go with the Manhattans!

Then there’s San Francisco. I’m old enough to recall that Rice-A-Roni is the (sing with me) San Francisco treat! I’m not going there. But if not there, then where?

Help a food writer out, will you?

Virginia Beach, Norfolk restaurant weeks await

Drop the dishrag, step away from the stove and kick the diet to the curb.

Back-to-back restaurant weeks await.

Starting Monday, Jan. 15, nibble, gnaw, sip and slurp your way through specially-priced, multi-course lunch and dinner menus at a total of 92 restaurants in Virginia Beach and Norfolk.

The lineup includes high-brow, low-brow and mid-brow eateries, something for everyone.

Virginia Beach Restaurant Week heats up first, starting Monday and running through Sunday, Jan. 22. Norfolk Restaurant Week gets going on Jan. 22 and wipes up the last crumbs on Sunday, Jan. 29.

In Norfolk, 22 restaurants had signed on as of this morning. They’re offering three-course dinner menus for either $20 or $30, and some locations are also offering a 2-course lunch for $10.

In Virginia Beach, where 70 restaurants will participate, lunches are $11.12 and dinners $20.12 or $27.12.

There’s Romanelli alla Vodka at Aldo’s in Virginia Beach and Crispy Wild King Salmon at Byrd & Baldwin Bros.  Steakhouse in Norfolk. There’s Guinness Cheddar Soup at Jack Quinn’s in Norfolk and Franks in a Blanket at the Route 58 Deli in Virginia Beach.

Websites include full menus. Click here for Virginia Beach and here for Norfolk.

Get your bold on and try something new. And boldly tip your server.