Florida Agenda

Alfredo is a sauce made from cream tossed with Parmesan cheese and butter destined to accompany pasta. As the cheese melts, it emulsifies the liquids to form a smooth and rich coating on the pasta. It was named by an Italian restaurateur at his restaurant Alfredo on the Via della Scrofa in Rome. Of course, it may be mixed with any other ingredients, such as broccoli, parsley, cream, garlic, shrimp, or chicken.

As the story goes, di Lelio’s restaurant became famous when Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks stopped in and fell in love with the dish “Fettuccine al burro” while on their honeymoon in 1927. To express their gratitude, they gave him a golden fork and spoon along with a photo of them eating in his restaurant. He proudly displayed the photo on the wall. Pickford and Fairbanks served his dish to their friends and associates when they returned to Hollywood. Word about the new dish quickly spread.

Alfredo di Lelio retired in 1938 and sold his restaurant. The new owner kept the restaurant’s name, menu, traditional recipes, photos on the wall, and everything else; as of 2011, the restaurant is still in business under the name Alfredo alla Scrofa.

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 1/2 cups freshly grated
  Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add cream and simmer for five minutes, then add garlic and cheese and whisk quickly, heating through. Stir in parsley and serve.

Use your preferred Pasta ‘cause “you are the chef!”

Jean Doherty is the Chef and Owner of Le Patio Restaurant in Wilton Manors (954) 530-4641

Chili con carne (often known simply as chili) is a spicy stew.

The name of the dish derives from the Spanish ‘chili
con carne’, “chili pepper with meat.” Traditional versions are made, minimally, from chili peppers, garlic, onions, and cumin, along with chopped or ground beef. Beans and tomatoes are frequently included. Variations, both geographic and personal, may involve different types of meat as well as a variety of other ingredients. It can be found worldwide in local variations and also in certain American-style fast food restaurants.

I got this recipe from a chef and customer in the West Saloon, our Tex-Mex restaurant in Vienne, France.

• 2 cans (15 ounces each) red kidney
  beans drained
• 1 tablespoon of good olive oil
• 1 large onion, quartered, sliced
• 2 red bell peppers, roasted,
  peeled & chopped
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 can (14.5 ounces) tomatoes
• 1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1/2 bottle of full bodied red wine
  (this gives a fantastic “earthy” flavor)
• 1 small can of corn (optional I think
  it adds nice color)

• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 bay leaf

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil & brown the onion. Then add the ground beef. Cook for a few minutes. Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, peppers, the wine and seasonings. Simmer for 1 to 2 hours. Check and stir frequently. Add the canned beans and corn and heat through. I usually serve with white rice & garnish with parsley, but, as I always say, you are the chef!

Jean Doherty is the Chef and Owner of Le Patio Restaurant in Wilton Manors (954) 530-4641

jean’s kitchen- Banana Bread

The Banana originated in Southeast Asia and spread from India, to the Philippines, New Guinea etc. It was cultivated by about 2,000 B.C., but these people were rice eaters, and wheat was unknown there, so breads were not part of their culture or diet.

Theophrastus (a Greek naturalist philosopher around the 4th century B.C.) describes the banana plant in what is probably the first scientific book on botany.

We know that the Greeks made bread with honey, spices and fruits around the time of Pliny the Elder (23-79 A.D.), and we also know that Pliny had knowledge of the banana (he described them in 77 A.D.) So, could the Greeks have made any banana bread? They made bread and had bananas, so it’s a good guess.

Quick breads (chemically leavened) – which most banana bread recipes are – were not developed until the end of the 18th century. This took place in America, where pearlash was discovered. Pearlash is a refined form of potash, and it produces carbon dioxide gas in dough. In ‘American Cookery’ (1796 – the first American cookbook), Amelia Simmons published recipes using pearlash, and America exported some 8,000 tons to Europe in 1792. (But she had no specific recipe for banana bread) Baking powder was not developed commercially until 1857 (phosphate baking powder). So the banana bread as we know it (a quick bread) could have been first made in America in the 18th century when housewives discovered pearlash as a chemical leavening agent and began experimenting in their kitchens. Feel free to experiment in yours.

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 cup butter

• 3/4 cup brown sugar

• 2 eggs, beaten

• 2 1/3 cups mashed overripe bananas

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan.

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten. You can add raisins, sultanas, other dried fruit, or nuts if you like… You are the chef!

Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Let the bread cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack to cool.

By Jean Doherty

The origins of vichyssoise are a subject of debate among culinary historians; Julia Child calls it “an American invention”, whereas others observe that “the origin of the soup is questionable in whether it’s genuinely French or an American creation”.

Louis Diat, a chef at the Ritz-Carlton in New York City, is most often credited with its (re)invention. In 1950, Diat told New Yorker magazine: In the summer of 1917, when I had been at the Ritz seven years, I reflected upon the potato and leek soup
of my childhood which my mother and grandmother used to make. I recalled how, during the summer, my older brother and I used to cool it off by pouring in cold milk and how delicious it was. I resolved to make something of the sort for the patrons of the Ritz. The same article explains that the soup was first titled crème vichyssoise glacée – then, after the restaurant’s menu changed from French to English in 1930, cream vichyssoise glacée. Diat named it after Vichy, a town not far from his home town of Montmarault, France. The proper French pronunciation is “vee shee swahzz” and NOT “vee shee swah” because an “e” after the final “s” signals a “zzz” sound.

• 2 leeks, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
• 2 big potatoes chopped
• 2 pints chicken stock
• salt & ground black pepper
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream

Gently cook the chopped leeks and the chopped onion in butter or olive oil until soft, about 10 minutes. Do NOT let them brown. Add the spuds and stock to the saucepan. You may need to add a cup of water to cover, and salt and pepper to taste.

Bring to the boil, and simmer very gently for 30 minutes. Puree in a blender or food processor until very smooth. Cool. Gently stir in the cream before serving. Garnish that with chives upon serving … I like to use fresh rosemary, but you choose, you are the chef!

Jean Doherty is the Chef and Owner of Le Patio Restaurant in Wilton Manors (954) 530-4641

By Jean Doherty

Cauliflower is the edible flower of Brassica olearacea botrytis, a variety of cabbage, with an edible head of condensed flowers and flower stems. It’s normally creamy white in color, although some cultivars have green or purple flowers. Broccoli is the horticultural variety; both were cultivated in Roman times. Varieties that mature in summer and autumn are called cauliflower, and those that mature in winter broccoli, but commonly both are called cauliflower. A 90 g portion is a rich source of vitamin C; a good source of folate; a source of vitamin B6; provides
1.8 g of dietary fiber and supplies 8 kcal.

This is an easy delicious way to eat  cauliflower.

• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large head cauliflower, separated
into florets
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Grease a large casserole dish. Place the olive oil and garlic in a large ziplock bag.

Add the cauliflower, and shake to mix. Pour into the prepared casserole dish, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bake for 25 minutes, stirring halfway through. Top with Parmesan cheese and parsley, and broil for 3 to 5 minutes, until golden brown. You are the chef!

Jean Doherty is the Chef and Owner of Le Patio Restaurant in Wilton Manors (954) 530-4641

The word scone may derive from the Gaelic term “sgonn,” meaning a shapeless mass or large mouthful. The German term “Schönbrot,” meaning fine bread, may also have played a role in the origin of this word. Or, perhaps, the word is based on the town of Scone in Scotland. The pronunciation of the word varies.

According to one academic study, two-thirds of the British population pronounce it rhyming with “con” and “John”, the rest pronounce it rhyming with “cone” and “Joan”.

The difference in pronunciation is alluded to in this poem:

“I asked the maid in dulcet tone
To order me a buttered scone
The silly girl has been and gone
And ordered me a buttered scone”

This is my mother’s recipe…she is the world’s best scone maker!

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 5 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup butter
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup milk (my mam always uses buttermilk)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and lightly grease a baking sheet. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the butter. Mix the egg and milk in a small bowl, and stir into flour mixture until moistened. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead briefly. The less you touch, the lighter your scones will be. Roll dough out about 1/2 inch thick. Cut into rounds using a glass, or a cup, and place on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until slightly browned. Serve warm, buttered, and with raspberry jam and whipped cream …They are frickin’ delish … You are the chef!

Jean Doherty is the Chef and Owner of Le Patio Restaurant in Wilton Manors (954) 530-4641

Butternut squash (also known in Australia and New Zealand as Butternut pumpkin) is a type of winter squash. It has a sweet, nutty taste similar to that of a pumpkin. It has yellow skin and orange fleshy pulp. When ripe, it turns increasingly deep orange, and becomes sweeter and richer. It grows on a vine.

The most popular variety, the Waltham Butternut, originated in Waltham, Massachusetts.

It is a good source of fiber, vitamin C, manganese, magnesium and potassium. It is also an excellent source of vitamin A and vitamin E.

This recipe is so easy you’ll laugh!

• 1 (2 to 3 pound) butternut squash, peeled and seeded
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter or extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 6 cups chicken stock
• Nutmeg (a pinch)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cut squash into 1-inch chunks. In a large pot melt butter or olive oil. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the squash and the stock. Bring to a simmer and cook until the squash is tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Place in a blender and puree. Taste. Season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
Remember … You are the chef!

Jean Doherty is the Chef and Owner of Le Patio Restaurant in Wilton Manors (954) 530-4641

It is sometimes claimed that the ancient Romans, as well as medieval cooks, stuffed animals with other animals. An anonymous Andalusian cookbook from the 13th century includes a recipe for a ram stuffed with small birds; and a similar recipe for a camel stuffed with sheep stuffed with bustards stuffed with carp stuffed with egg.

British celebrity chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall has championed the ten-bird roast, calling it “one of the most
spectacular and delicious roasts you can lay before your loved ones at Yuletide”. A large turkey is stuffed with a goose, duck, mallard, guinea fowl, chicken, pheasant, partridge, pigeon and woodcock. The roast feeds around 30 people and, in addition to the ten birds, it also includes stuffing made from two pounds of sausage meat and half a pound of streaky bacon, sage, port and red wine!

Today I’m keeping it simple… we’ll just use a pound of meat and some tomatoes
• 6 big ripe beef tomatoes (or 3 and 3 green bell peppers )
• 1/2 pound Italian pork sausage meat
• 1/2 pound lean ground beef
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup parsley, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced basil
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat the oven to 325°. Cut across the tomatoes horizontally, leaving the top half slighter smaller than the bottom to create a lid. Set a strainer over a medium bowl. Scoop the tomato seeds into the strainer; press on the seeds to extract the juice.

Using a small spoon or melon baller, scoop out the center of the tomatoes and coarsely chop them. Add the chopped centers to the juice in the bowl. Add the sausage, beef, garlic, parsley, basil, salt, pepper and 2-1/2 tablespoons of the olive oil and knead to combine.

Set the tomatoes in a large baking dish and season with salt. Spoon the filling into the tomatoes, cover with the lids and drizzle with the remaining 2 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil. Bake for about 1 1/2 hours, basting occasionally, until the tomatoes are soft. You are the chef!

Jean Doherty is the Chef and Owner of Le Patio Restaurant in Wilton Manors (954) 530-4641

By Brad ‘Scoop’ Casey

New Times has come out with its yearly Best of Broward/Palm Beach awards and four gay owned businesses have made the list.

Congrats to Le Patio, that little cozy restaurant off Wilton Drive at 11th Avenue who won the Best Restaurant in Which to Close the Deal award. Small, cozy and cool, Le Patio is slowly making a name for itself, one customer at a time. Proud owners, Chef Vero and partner Jean, have worked very hard to make this restaurant a success.

Best Bloody Mary award went to Rosie’s Bar & Grill. Rosie’s needs no description and continues to pack them in every day. We like their frozen Strawberry Margaritas, thank you, and especially on weekends. Congrats to Cliff and John for making our community proud.

Antonio Dumas’ To the Moon took the Best Gift Shop award and we agree. If you can’t find something in this store, then stop shopping, ‘cause you won’t find it. This is Wilton Drive’s most unusual, eclectic business. If you haven’t gone in, do so – you will enjoy! Congrats, Antonio!

LIPS continues to dazzle South Florida. They won the Best Drag Show category. New Times describes LIPS this way: “Hips will swivel, pelvises will thrust, lines will be crossed, wigs will be thrown across the room, dollar bills will be wedged into bustiers and you will go home with glitter in your hair, frozen cosmos churning in your blood, and a smile on your face.” Congrats to GM Mitch and the girls.

Footnote: What we found unusual in this year’s New Times Best of Awards Broward/Palm Beach, they neglected to have a Best Gay Bar award! Hmmmm …

Community Turns Out

The retirement party for Mona’s John ‘Mary’ Lyons was awesome and heartwarming. Hundreds and hundreds of well-wishers gathered at Mona’s on Saturday, the 11th, to send John into retirement after at least 20 years serving thirsty customers at some of Fort Lauderdale’s busiest bars … can we say the infamous 825, Bus Stop, Haymarket and, finally, 12 years at Mona’s.

John was recently diagnosed with bone and lung cancer … damn it.

Jerry Schultz, one of Fort Lauderdale’s great people, wanted to help John, not only spiritually, but financially, as well.

Thus, the retirement party and John’s friends heard the call.

From my perch I spotted many movers and shakers, like Joe McCallion and Jim Rapherty, former owners of 825, Scandals owners Lloyd and Ken, real estate guru Larry Rowe, famed attorney Arthur Smith, my good friend Rich LoPrimo of Hotspots!, Mike Terrazzi, master mixologist from Tropic’s Restaurant and Lounge and that handsome man from Monkey Business, Gus Sanchez, helped raise money for the raffle. David Snyder of the classic Marlin Beach Hotel was also there, as were so many, many good people of Fort Lauderdale – the ones who paved the way for the rest of us.

It was a pleasure and honor to help a friend.

Thanks for picking us up this week and remember: To have a friend, you must first be a friend.

If you have a “scoop” for Brad Casey, please e-mail your information to BradC@jumponmarkslist.com

By Jean Doherty

In my opinion, the best mashed potatoes are made with “floury” types of potato (like russet), although “waxy” potatoes are sometimes used for a different texture. Butter, olive oil, milk or cream is usually added to improve flavor and texture, and the potatoes are seasoned with salt and pepper, and any other desired herbs and spices. Popular ingredients and seasonings include: garlic, cheese, bacon bits, sour cream, crisp onion or spring onion, mustard, spices such as nutmeg, chopped herbs such as parsley or rosemary, or fresh thyme. A French variation adds egg yolk for pommes duchesse; piped through a pastry tube into wavy ribbons and rosettes, brushed with butter

and lightly browned. In low-calorie or non-dairy variations, milk, cream, and butter may be replaced by soup stock or broth, as in this recipe where I use the water used to boil the spuds and then a little butter.

• 6 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cubed

• 1/4 cup butter (in fact, use as much or as little as you like)

• Salt

• Fresh ground pepper Place potatoes in a saucepan and cover with water.

Cover and bring to a boil; cook for 20-25 minutes or until very tender. Drain, but don’t discard the water. Add butter, salt and pepper. Mash, adding some of the water until light and fluffy, or to the consistency you want. You are the chef.

Jean Doherty is the Chef and Owner of Le Patio Restaurant in Wilton Manors (954) 530-4641