THE DUDE OF FOOD – PHOTOGRAPHER / FOOD CRITIC

Gone but not forgotten: Cock n’ Bull, Santa Monica

Established in 1990 the pub was owned by Tony Moogan from Liverpool, England. It was voted the best soccer bar in the USA in 2002 by FSC.

Their web site claimed “British pub and restaurant in Santa Monica – we serve British beers and British Food such as Fish & Chips. All of our food is home-made in our kitchen. Try our delicious pies!
We are a renowned Sports Bar and have won many awards as the Best Soccer Bar in the USA – come and watch the live English Premier League games, World Cup, Champions League, NHL, NFL and International games on our large Hi-Def screens.
We are home to the Pittsburgh Steelers and have the NFL package.
Home to a friendly British staff and customers. Frequented by Santa Monica locals and visitors alike.”

This place was great. A typical Irish pub in that you could be from anywhere, walk in and enjoy a pint and bite while feeling like you’re in a local living room. They shared this experience with me. The staff was a family of friendly faces. Everyone was cool and got along well.
Davey was a cool bartender. He had a thick accent and I don’t think he heard as well as he could have but his mind was always going.
Barney was always cool with everyone and always hand his finger on the pulse of the neighborhood doings.
All the staff girls were locals and just lovely. All were strong, smart and driven.

I loved going there for Happy Hour and getting $5 pints. Rich, the road worker, would almost always be there along with all of the other locals.
For breakfast they offered King Size, English or Scottish Breakfast and all were a solid plate’s worth of food to help anyone feel better.

I’ve watched many big sports games in that place. The Kings winning the Stanley Cup was a good time as was any Sunday during the NFL season. During big English football matches the place could be so packed the crowd would spill into the parking lot and out onto Lincoln Blvd as seen below.

Sunday nights were reserved for the famous lamb dinners they prepared. Sometimes they would sell out if you arrived too late. The other option was the roast beef dinner. Personally, I much preferred the lamb and almost never asked for the roast beef. On a couple of occasions I actually stuffed 2 lamb dinners into my face!

They also had a low rise stage that many entertainers performed on. The photo below was the image painted on the wall behind the stage.

The Cock n Bull was an awesome place and is forever cemented into the history and souls of many south side Santa Monica locals.

Currently, after a couple years of closure, the old place is being renovated to become another Mexican restaurant. Oddly, there are a few well established Mexican restaurants within a couple blocks walk, so competition for Mexican food might swing in the favor of the consumer.

Thank you very much and forever cheers Cock n’ Bull.

Project Angel Food Hollywood really delivers.

In 1989 Project Angel Food was founded by a woman named Marianne Williamson. She was joined by David Kessler, Ed Rada, Howard Rosenman, Freddie Webber and dozens of volunteers who bonded to create a program that prepared and delivered food to folks living their lives with HIV/AIDS.

Their Mission Statement:
‘Project Angel Food nourishes the health and spirit of vulnerable people facing critical and life-threatening illness, by preparing and delivering medically tailored meals with love, care and dignity.’
Their service is an outreach of the Los Angeles Center for Living which helps people with life-threatening illnesses. The Center for Living provides numerous programs such as The Clean Team, Project Night Life and hospice care. They would also prepare lunch for drop-in clients, but as fewer and fewer were able to leave their homes, lunch was delivered to them.

It was then that Project Angel Food was born and 36 years later the program is still cooking and delivering.

After being court ordered to attend community service for running a red light scam supported by disgraced former LA City Council member Kevin de Leon at the 1st street bridge, I was ordered to do community service. Being interested in food I chose to help out at Project Angel Food. Their operation is set up in the old Otto Nemenz camera rental store on Vine St. in Hollywood.
Upon entering I noticed the place is organized and very clean.
In the kitchen the first thing you notice is a huge banner announcing the million meals prepared in 2020 spread across the wall. Their brochure claims they produce 2700 daily meals or 1.5 million meals a year. Once you see how this place operates you’ll see how they’re able achieve these big numbers. Project Angel Food can produce large amounts of food and they have technology helping the pro-active staff to package the numerous nutritious meals. There is a huge amount of kitchen activity and the team keeps this place extremely clean.

Project Angel Food operates by an extremely efficient kitchen staff led by Chef Juan who sees all and keeps all the plates spinning on time.

The people here worked really well together and everyone seemed genuinely happy. This operation is doing so well in their Hollywood location that they are expanding.

Check out their page https://www.angelfood.org

Thank you Chef Juan and the Project Angel Food supporters for all the good things you do for US.

Keep up the great work Chef Juan and Project Angel Food.

the Dude of Food

Deviled Eggs are delicious.

The above photos are from

https://www.seriouseats.com/great-deviled-eggs-variations-and-hacks

You may find it interesting that the ancient Romans actually began the deviled egg tradition. In Rome eggs were boiled and slathered with various spicy sauces. They eggs were served as an appetizer and usually served at the homes of wealthy citizens who could afford the eggs and the cooks to prepare them. Wealthy Romans had a saying for the starting a meal with eggs called “ab ova usque ad mala” meaning ‘from eggs to apples’. It meant the host could entertain with the best.

There is a reference to deviled eggs in a real old book titled ‘Satyricon’ where a wealthy Roman citizen throws a feast. The book states, “The meat of songbirds is marinated in peppered egg yolk and stuffed into the white part of boiled peahen eggs.”

In the 1200’s stuffed eggs began to appear in the south Andalusian regions of Spain. A cookbook from this era suggests grinding boiled egg yolks with cilantro, onion juice, pepper and coriander with a fermented fish sauce. 200 years later similar recipes were common across much of Europe.

The term ‘deviled’ first appears in 1786 Oxford English Dictionary used to describe dishes that included foods with very hot or spicy ingredients or foods that were boiled or fried. The original deviled eggs in the US were boiled and could be prepared spicy and the name stuck. It wasn’t until the late 1800’s that we started seeing deviled eggs that resemble the modern looking version.

In 1896, the Fannie Farmer cookbook was used by The Boston Cooking School. It was the first to mention using mayonnaise as a way to bind crushed yolks together which eventually led to today’s classic recipe that calls for mayo, mustard, and paprika.

Looking for great variations? Consider things like bacon, Sriracha, Kimchi, crab meat, salmon or dill relish as additions that can perk up your deviled eggs.

above photo from: https://www.theflavorbender.com/miso-ramen-asian-deviled-eggs/

At home my ‘go to’ deviled egg recipe is something I call “simple eggs”. I boil a dozen eggs at a time and then put them back in the carton so there are always hard boiled eggs in the fridge. In the morning when I desire a quick ‘simple egg’ I peel one, cut it in two and wipe a little relish and mayo onto each half. Next I top it off with a small squirt of mustard and pop it in my mouth. Simple and easy. Sometimes I squish a couple eggs up with the same ingredients and smear it on top of a warmed English muffin which is always delicious. I have even tried adding hummus to yolks with onion, celery, relish and mustard and a little mayo sprinkled with paprika or cumin.
In 59 years of living, doctored or deviled eggs are still right up there with quality fresh ground coffee, giant micheladas, free tacos, fresh sushi, ripe fruits and warm tapioca pudding for me regarding incredible, edible satisfaction. As long as there are chickens the Dude of Food will continue to enjoy these stylish and delicious egg treats.

Lastly, I liked the following Creole Shrimp deviled egg video by AB. Check it out.

Aloha, the Dude of Food

Try Spam for breakfast.

In these high tech times you might be surprised to hear that spam isn’t just for emails. Spam is a versatile ingredient you can find served a lot of ways in many fine dishes like eggs, stir fry and fried for example. I even saw a spam monkey bread recipe online.

For breakfast I decided to use up the spam in my kitchen cabinet and came up with the following delicious day starter, spam n eggs. I added a little white cheese on top to melt into the mix.

Try some. https://www.spam.com/

Love Santa Cruz Chili & Spice Co.

Spices have been a thing in kitchens since before Alexander the Great. The American Southwest is no exception as they are known for their chili’s among other things.

Located 49 miles south of Tucson, about 20 miles shy of Nogales and the border, is a small town called Tumacacori, AZ. The town was founded by Father Kino who established Tumacácori as a mission dating back to January 1691. Since roughly 1950 a family run company located in Tumacacori has been producing spices and sauces. The sign in front of this wonderful company says Santa Cruz Chili & Spice Co.

History: https://santacruzchili.com/

‘Jean England Neubauer’s family has influenced Southwestern cuisine with their Santa Cruz Chili & Spice Co. seasonings for more than 75 years and no Arizona kitchen worth its salt would be without a supply of their chili powder. I don’t think you can even create the flavors of the region without them.’ says Chef Janos Wilder.

The Neubauer family’s impact extends beyond the dining room table and deep into local history. The Neubauer family tree runs deep, from her 3X great-grandfather who designed the saddles used by Union soldiers in the Civil War, to the great-aunt who studied painting with a young Diego Rivera, to the great-grandfather who, while mayor of Nogales, lobbied to have a new US battleship named for the state of Arizona

— Helene Woodhams Arizona Daily Star Sept 1, 2019

My mother said she has crossed paths with Jean Neubauer at some local social events in the past and said Jean is a really nice lady, but my mom didn’t know her well enough to set up an interview.

The day after thanksgiving on 11.28.24 our family packed the car including our chihuahua, Uno, and decided to visit Tumacacori and the Santa Cruz Chili & Spice Co. Upon arrival you get whiffs of the beautiful scents from the parking lot but as you enter is when you really get hit with the wonderful aromas. The scented experience is blissful. I’ve always loved the scent of fresh ground coffee and spices. This place is next level.

I ended up buying 12 sauces (there are 2 more flavors than pictured; Picante & BBQ Chili) as work gifts and a bunch of bags of various dry rubs for my home. Unfortunately 1 bottle of green salsa broke somehow on the way to work, but the Dude of Food will be back and looks forward to his return.

Muchas gracias Santa Cruz Chili & Spice Co.

Turkey Devonshire: An awesome Pittsburg comfort food.

Have you ever heard of a Turkey Devonshire sandwich? Well I hadn’t until Christmas 2024 when I found myself looking for a recipe for Turkey ala King and discovered the Devonshire sandwich recipe. The photos looked good and hearty and the sauce reminded me kind of eggs benedict, which I love.

The photos I saw featured layers of freshly sliced turkey, bacon and tons of cheese sauce delicately layered over some toasted sourdough bread. Some of the photos had sliced tomatoes jammed in the cheese sauce. None had onion which I think I’m gonna add as a side to my west coast version along with adding a couple of thin slices of ham. The traditional version is excellent but you are welcome to try my version and let me know what you think.

I’m still thinking about a name for my version as I tweak this classic recipe. (The Venician, a Cheesy Bird Sandwich, Turkey Lava, Cheezy P, the Gobbler, the Boardwalk, etc)
I may even create a version served in a roll or with eggs and/or potato’s on the side.

The Turkey Devonshire sandwich originated in 1934 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is typically served as a hot open-faced sandwich on toasted bread with hot turkey, bacon, tomatoes and a cheese sauce. The sandwich is similar to a Kentucky Hot Brown, which it will be compared with in a future post.

The Devonshire is credited as being created by Frank Blandi (1907-1999), a Sicilian American, who first served them at the Stratford Club located between Pittsburgh’s Bloomfield and Shadyside neighborhoods. The sandwich was named after Devonshire Street, located one block away. This sandwich was the ‘go to’ in the 1960s and still remains a local favorite 65 years later.

Some say this sandwich design was borrowed by the 21 Club’s popular chicken hash, which was a dish of diced chicken covered in Mornay sauce and then browned which leans towards the Kentucky Hot Brown sandwich.

Frank Blandi’s Original Devonshire Sandwich Recipe

Cheesy Cream Sauce

3/4 stick butter, melted
1 cup flour
1/4 lb cheddar cheese, grated
1 pint chicken broth
1 pint hot milk
1 tsp salt
a splash of Sauv Blanc      (optional)

Melt butter in deep pan and add flour, stirring constantly. Add chicken broth and then hot milk, stirring all the while. Add cheese and salt. Bring to boil, then cook slowly for 20 minutes, still stirring. Cool to lukewarm. Beat with wire whip until smooth before using. This makes enough sauce for 6 Devonshire sandwiches.

For each sandwich:

1 slice toast, crusts trimmed off
2 slices crisp bacon
4 thin slices cooked turkey breast
2 thin ham slices         (optional)
thick tomato slice        (optional) 
thin white onion slice    (optional)
sliced or shaved sharp cheddar
Cream Sauce
Melted butter 
Parmesan cheese and paprika

Preheat oven to 450.

In each flat, individual oven-proof casserole dish, place 1 slice of toast and top with 3 slices bacon. Add 5 thin slices of cooked turkey breast. Cover completely with cream sauce. Sprinkle with a little melted butter, then with the combined Parmesan cheese and paprika. Bake 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Layer slices of white toast at the bottom of a casserole pan. Layer Turkey, ham and/or crab meat. Cover that with tomato, onion and slices of cheddar cheese and stick it in the broiler to help the flavors blend together. When sufficiently heated pull and top with cheese sauce and bacon slices.

Bon appetit.

________________________________

Directions;

Fry bacon and remove from pan.
Drain.
Set aside.
Melt ¾ stick butter and add flour while stirring.
Add chicken broth.
Stir.
Add hot milk.
Stir.
Add cheese and salt.
Bring to boil.
Reduce heat.
Cook slowly for 20 minutes, stirring constantly.
Cool to lukewarm.
Whip cheese sauce with wire beater until smooth.
Place 1 slice toast in a casserole dish and top with sliced bacon.
Add slices turkey.
Cover with the cheese sauce.
Sprinkle with a melted butter, Parmesan cheese and paprika.
Bake 10-15 minutes until golden brown

The only options are tomatoes. Most writers who tried it both ways recommended adding the tomatoes, so I included them.
I also took the liberty of adding sliced ham and onion and possibly a few capers to this mix of flavors.

It wouldn’t be weird to prepare this dish on toasted english muffins or oven pop up rolls either.

Enjoy, the Dude of Food

Salted Cod aka Bacalhau, Portugal and Fishtory.

Did you know that Portugal consumes 20% of all cod fish caught on earth?! Oddly, cod is not found in the waters surrounding Portugal but the fish is so popular that the Portuguese people have more cod recipes than there are days in a year! Portugal has long had a love affair with cod, especially salted cod. The fish is more than just good food to the Portuguese, it is a part of their culture and everyday life.

Cod was introduced to the Portuguese people by Viking nomads. The Vikings captured abundant amounts of cod in the cold seas off the Nordic countries and tried to preserve the fish by letting it dry in the open air. During the Middle Ages the Vikings began preserving their cod with salt, which they learned from the Romans and the Basque. The Vikings obtained salt from Portugal and traded for cod. The Portuguese had plenty of salt to sell and cod fish became a solid source of food amongst the Portuguese people. Meat was expensive in Portugal during these times and supplying fresh meats and fish to the interior of the country was a complicated task. Salted cod was an easy and inexpensive food alternative, easier to provide throughout Portugal and became a popular thing to eat.

In the mid-1500s a Portuguese expedition heading to India saw Newfoundland for the first time and Portuguese cod fishing began. The Portuguese fishermen were eventually driven away by the English and French corsairs that dominated the fishing activities in the region during these times.

Cod fishing was a hard and dangerous job. These fisherman led a life of sacrifice, as cod fishing was done the traditional way. Sailing from Belém, Lisbon, the cod fishing ships were luggers and sailing ships, which towed dories used for line fishing and had the capacity to carry between 900 and 950 tons of cod. The fishermen were forced to row away from the main ship, sometimes two or three miles, to manually fish with lines and hooks. Each man fished alone for hours until their small boat was full of cod. While fishing they encountered freezing winds, fog, strong waves and icebergs. Some didn’t make it back to the fishing ships and died at sea. If they did make it back to the ship they would then unload, scale and salt the catch making for even longer work days.
After reaching land, the fish was washed to remove all the salt and dried until dehydrated. The codfish drying process took place outdoors in the Algarve, on the South Bank of the Tagus, in Setúbal, Figueira da Foz, Aveiro and Viana do Castelo.

On the 9th of July 1920, the Portuguese Fishing Company was founded by four small shipowners. They set up headquarters in the old facilities of the Lisbon Company Cotton Factory in Olho de Boi, Almada. To reduce foreign dependency and guarantee the country’s food supply, Antonio Salazar, Portugal’s leader at this time, centralized organized fishing activities, encouraged the creation of cooperatives and formed cartels that handled the supplies thus beginning the famous Codfish Campaign began in 1934.

During World War II, Portugal maintained its fishing activity. While crossing the Atlantic Ocean, two cod fishing ships, ‘Maria de Gloria’ and ‘Delães’ were sunk by Nazi submarines. An agreement with the Allies would state that these Portuguese cod fishing ships be painted white to signal Portugal’s neutrality in the conflict and allow them to safely sail the Atlantic, thus becoming known as the ‘White Fleet’.

In 1957, Portugal was already the largest salt codfish producer in the world and peaking. By this time, wheat and codfish were the commodities with the greatest impact on both the country’s diet and its trade balance.

The last three large cod fishing ships set sail for Newfoundland for the last time in 1974, coinciding with the fall of the dictatorship and the peaceful revolution of April 25th which brought democracy to the country.

The Portuguese still love codfish today and it is said they have 1001 ways of cooking it. Presently, 70% of codfish comes from Norway and the Portuguese are always taking sustainable consumption, climatic change and versatility into consideration.

SALT FACT: Portuguese salt (Flor de Sal) is internationally popular and is similar to French salt (Fluer de Sel). Portuguese salt is collected from evaporation pools of sea water like they do in Nicaragua. With an area of 360 hectares or just under 900 acres, the Samouco Salt Pans in Alcochete were the main source of salt farming near Lisbon.

Did someone say Cacciatore?

The old adage about ‘nice guys finish last’ comes to us from the world of baseball by Brooklyn Dodgers manager Leo Durocher in 1946. In the cooking world it’s a bit different as a nice dish can finish first and be very popular. Having just returned from 2 weeks of hell in the Pacific Northwest I was craving a nice, easy home cooked meal and decided a chicken cacciatore style plate is what I’d like to eat to bring some joy back into my life.

Many things in life start with desire and once I set my mind on this plate it was easy to pull together.

Sauce is a big part of a pasta dish and making a good one from scratch usually takes the better part of a day or a second day to have it set right. I decided to cut corners and use Private Selection sauce made in Italy and distributed by Kroger of Cincinnati. I actually used 2 jars of sauce. The first jar was Porcini Arrabbiata and the second jar was Tomato and Black Truffle.

Below is the simple ingredient list and procedure for preparation.

Kroger Private Reserve sauce – 2 jars
1 Porcini Arrabbiata and 1 Tomato Black Truffle
1 chopped yellow onion
6 chopped garlic cloves
1 tray of rubbed chicken: 8 legs
salt
pepper

Mushrooms, grated carrots, celery, olives or any other favorites are ingredients that could also be added to this dish.

Start by chopping up the onion and garlic. Put a small amount of wine in a pan and warm. Once the wine has warmed and the alcohol will lift. Then add a little olive oil into the pan with a touch of butter and salt and the onions. Simmer the onions on low to medium heat. When the onions begin the clear up add the garlic and let them warm up. Once the garlic has had a chance to expand and begin to release its flavor it’s time to add the 2 jars of sauce. Stir, cover and let simmer on a low heat, stirring occasionally.

As the sauce does its magic it is time to start heating the rubbed chicken. Get another pan and add a small amount of olive oil and a touch of water and heat. As the pan heats add the 8 rubbed chicken legs, lightly salt and cover. Pan fry the chicken on stove top over low to medium heat. You are trying to heat the chicken thoroughly but not overcook or dry out. Low and slow is the way of the heat.

Time to check the sauce and stir.

Next add a pot of water to the stove top to boil the pasta and begin to heat. Salt can be added to this water if you salt your pasta water. Some folks do.
Boil enough water for 1lb of fettuccine or your favorite noodle shape.

Now you have all the moving parts working and it’s time to clean up as you monitor and stir the heating pans.

The noodles will be ready first. Drain the pasta and add a little of the starch water to the sauce. Cover the drained noodles and let sit.

Once the sauce has simmered enough to be considered ready and the chicken is cooked enough to eat turn all of the heat off and prepare to plate these items.

Start by adding a lump of pasta in plate center.
Surround pasta lump with chicken legs.
Scoop sauce over noodles with plenty for the chicken too.
Sprinkle the top with grated parmesan cheese and serve.

Bon appetit.

Herdez Avocado Hot Sauce is bueno.

The Dude of Food can’t remember where he crossed paths with the Herdez sauce representative but when he did he was given a few bottles to try by the agent.
Since I had a few bottles to play with I tried experimenting and discovered that this product is a great addition to my Croc Pot with a pork roast and some onions. After a few hours of slow cooking you’ll pull the top off the Croc Pot and you have a pretty amazingly concocted Chile Verde. When the Dude of Food tasted this product he realized that this little bottle of green sauce contained a kick.

The avocado hot sauce can simply be used as a dip for tortilla chips but is pleasantly spicy and might be too strong for some on its own. Splashing some hot sauce into freshly crushed avocados works well. Spooning some into a fondue or as a side dip next to a plate of chicken nachos or chicken fingers would also be good options.

Herdez did well when they came up with this product. If you click on the image or Herdez name you will be redirected to Amazon to where you can purchase your own. As a new Amazon Associate I can earn from qualifying purchases and am happy to share a recommendation of a product I believe in.

The Dude of Food loves his Krups bean grinder

I bought a Krups bean grinder for our truck office as our crew was making many espressos during our night shoots. Like all Krups products the design is simple and functional. This Krups grinding machine is small but mighty. It doesn’t take up very much space on our countertop and has been totally reliable since the first use. It grinds the espresso and coffee beans perfectly and has been used to grind homegrown Rosemary and some smoking herbs too. One of the Dude of Food’s favorite things to take in is the rich scent of freshly ground coffee beans and the linger of good dank but I digress.

To get your very own Krups bean grinder click on this highlighted area and you will be linked to an Amazon page where you can have one delivered to your team. The Dude of Food has been accepted as as Amazon Associate and can earn from qualifying purchases.