Peruvian Cuisine Restaurant

Today Cindy and I tried a brand new restaurant in East Patchogue and it was delish. We both love a Peruvian place in Queens called Pio Pio well this place sure was up there. The Chicken was tender,juicy and tasty, the tostones and fries were cooked perfect and the rice and beans created a fight on who got the last serving. The authentic spicy green sauce added the extra zest! if you get the chance check out
Chicken Place- 82 E Main St, Patchogue

Great Restaurant Suggestion

I had the chance to sample some great dishes over a two day period with Cindy at this warm, family run Italian restaurant in Bellport Village NY. Wow there is nothing like having fine Italian food that has the old style homemade feeling. The feeling you get at the bar, or dining room has this cozy atmosphere, as the setting is in a huge house thats been converted into a fine restaurant. They also offer two private rooms for parties and catering. Enough with the setting lets get to the food!

Here are the dishes I had:
Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms
Stuffed with spinach, pancetta, parmesan and onions

Calamari Fritto
Crispy fried squid with hot peppers, garlic oil, lemon and spicy tomato sauce

The Italian Stuffie
An Avino Family Favorite
A crispy oven baked break bowl stuffed With Nana's giant meatball

Crab Cake Sandwiches with French Fries-

Lobster Salad- fresh lobster with a light tasty dressing over mixed greens, with fried pasta!

This place just jumped up our list of favorite places to dine, the prices were very fair and the flavors were making you take that extra forkful or two. Everything was fresh and perfectly made. I highly suggest if you are on Long Island, or visit and looking for a great meal you check out Avino's. We are already planning on checking out the Lobster Fest, and Sunday Brunch!!
http://www.avinostable.com/

The Best Rack of Lamb You Will Ever Eat!!!!

This recipe I got from my Aunt Sandy and I just tweaked it a little but I must give her the credit for it.








1 cup of bread crumbs
1 cup of chopped parsley
6 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp of chopped rosemary
sprinkle with salt & pepper to taste
3 racks of lamb
1 tbsp or more of olive oil
1-2 eggs
2 tbsp of mustard
2 tbsp of butter

Combine Bread crumbs, parsley, garlic, rosmary, salt & pepper in a food processor and grind to fine.

Preheat oven to 400

Season racks with salt and pepper, heat oil and brown lamb till brown evenly. Remove the lamb and let cool. Mix the mustard and the egg and brush on the lamb, then coat with bread crumb mixture pressing to help adhere to lamb. I make sure to get a full cover of the bread crumb mixture all over the lamb. Melt the butter and drizzle over racks. place the pan in the oven with the bones interlocking, cook to your liking, I prefer medium. Remove the lamb a few mins prior to it being cooked to your liking and let it rest. Serve and enjoy, goes great with some garlic mash!

Authentic Moroccan Food!

How far will you go for that authentic taste, look? Cindy and I love Moroccan food and I am big on real so I have been shopping for a real Tagine, handmade from Morocco. I found this great place in Kansas that imports them from Morocco and then learned about this additional item called a Majmar that allows you to cook with charcoal and wood chips NOW we are talking authentic! Well stay tuned for some of my first Tagine dishes! Anyone have any real Moroccan recipes to share? Here is where I ordered from, they were a huge help when I called telling me all about them and the differences between them.

Click here to see the website, or shop this store!

Restaurant Suggestion!

My wife Cindy and I always make it a point to stop in one of our favorite restaurants whenever we go to or through Queens NY. If you haven't eaten at this Top Notch Peruvian restaurant it's time you try it. Pio Pio has been serving great food since 1994 and has now expanded through out Queens, NYC, and the Bronx! The green sauce they have is a little taste of heaven with a small kick to it. The Chicken is juicy, with a taste of it's own. I really love the entire menu even the salad dressing on the avocado salad LOL! They have this dish salchipapa which is french fries and hotdogs, you say big deal I say it is GREAT! The tostones are always done perfect and a little dip in the green sauce yummmo!
Click here to visit Pio Pio website

Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Pecan & Marshmallow Streusel

This is one of my all time favorite side dishes, goes great on thanksgiving, or whenever you want a big hit! Its pretty simple to make but it is heavy but yummo!



12 large sweet potatoes
3/4 cup (11/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup toasted pecan pieces
1 cup miniature marshmallows
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Wash the sweet potatoes, scrubbing them well to remove any dirt. With a fork, prick the sweet potatoes in a couple of spots and place them on a sheet pan. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center goes in easily.

In a large bowl, mix the butter, brown sugar, and flour together until it's crumbly-looking. Add the cinnamon, salt, pecans, and marshmallows; fold the streusel topping together to combine.

Slice the sweet potatoes lengthwise down the center and push the ends towards the middle so it opens up. Stuff the sweet potatoes generously with the streusel topping and return to the oven. Bake for another 20 minutes, or until the topping is bubbly and brown.

Old Bay Crab & Shrimp Boil

I made this for the 4th of July. I changed it a bit so here it is.
4 qts of water
12 ounce can of beer
1 cup of old bay
2 tablespoons of salt
10 small red potatoes halved
2 large yellow onions quartered
1 lg andouille sausage sliced
8 ears of corn halved
2 lbs large shrimp (20-25 ct)
12 blue claw crabs

Combine water, beer, old bay, salt to a boil, add the potatoes and onions first, cook for 8 mins, then sausage and cook for an additional 5 mins, then add the crab and corn cook for an additional 10 mins, finally add the shrimp and cook for 5 more mins. Check crabs for doneness.

Enjoy

Morroccan Lamb Kebabs

Ok, so its been a real long time since I posted anything and Im going to be better with this. Here is one of my favorite dishes.

• 1 onion grated
• 3 tablespoons parsley chopped fine
• 3 tablespoons cilantro chopped fine
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 1/2 -2lbs of leg of lamb cut into cubes
• pita bread

1. combine the onion, herbs, spices, mix in lamb let sit overnight.
2. Grill to your liking
3. serve in pitas