Cow Nose Ray and another Chicken

Photo: Grant Palmer Photography, Flickr

So yeah... Um... Dr Food and I went and did our weekly grocery shopping at Wegmans. On our list of what to buy was fish. Simple enough you say? I suppose, but when we got to the seafood counter the selection and prices were really out there. Wait! what is the cheap "fish" over there? It is only 7.00/lb. "Chesapeake Ray" aka "Cow Nose Ray" Ew, if I knew it was called "Cow Nose" not sure I would have bought it. The woman at the counter waxed poetic about how it taste like "Meat". Uh yeah. Ok. How do I make this? She assured me that I made it just like steak but to be sure not to cook at high heat and not to overcook. Ok, we were game.



I forgot to take a picture of it before I dredged it in dried mushroom powder. I know this stuff is being marketed as saving the shellfish etc. I am all for it. Hell, I am a card holding member of the the Oyster Centry Club but I have to pass on this one.



Ooops. I got the artichoke in the foreground by accident. Could be that I was trying not to barf. I couldn't get Mr. Palmer's picture of the cute little ray out of my head. Look how cute the little guy is. I want one.



Now THIS was amazing and I loved it. I will make it again for sure. It is so simple yet so so tasty. It is a seafood stew that we made this weekend. I found the recipe online at Cook, Shoot, Eat…a food photographers journey



This would not be my blog if I didn't give you ANOTHER chicken recipe that I found. This one comes from Fine Cooking and it was really good. Not the best chicken ever but really good.



Really simple to make and doesn't take that long to brine.



Thank god for chicken. I don't care if it taste like "steak". I don't even like steak.

Oh, and in case you were wondering. I named the little Cow Nose guy "Moo".

Beer-Brined Butterflied Chicken
by Elizabeth Karmel - Fine Cooking

1 3-1/2- to 4-lb. chicken
3/4 cup plus 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
3/4 cup plus 1/2 tsp. packed dark brown sugar
1 Tbs. plus 1/4 tsp. freshly ground coarse black pepper
6 bay leaves, crumbled
2 12-oz. cans or bottles cold lager beer
1 tsp. smoked sweet Spanish paprika (pimentón)
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. celery salt
1/4 tsp. chili powder
Large pinch dried oregano, crushed
Pinch cayenne
2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil


Place the chicken, breast side down, on a flat surface. Using poultry shears, cut along each side of the backbone and remove it. Flip the chicken over and press firmly on the center of the breast to break the breastbone. You can see a video of this technique, called butterflying, here.

In a large bowl, combine the 3/4 cup kosher salt, 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1 tablespoon pepper, and bay leaves. Add 4 cups very hot water and stir to dissolve the salt and sugar. Add the beer and stir well to remove the carbonation. Add about 4 cups ice cubes to cool the brine rapidly. When the ice has melted and the brine is cool, put the chicken in the brine, adding more cold water if needed to cover. Refrigerate, covered, for 2 to 4 hours.

In a small bowl, mix the 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, 1/2 tsp. brown sugar, and 1/4 tsp. pepper with the paprika, cumin, celery salt, chili powder, oregano, and cayenne.

Remove the chicken from the brine and let it air dry for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, build a charcoal fire or heat a gas grill with all burners on high. For a charcoal grill, when the charcoal is covered with a white-gray ash, divide it into two piles and set a drip pan between the coals. For a gas grill, turn the burners that will be directly underneath the chicken off and the other burners to medium. (If your grill has only two burners, turn one off and set the other one at medium. You may need to rotate the chicken periodically so that both sides brown.)

When ready to cook, if the chicken is still very wet, blot it dry with paper towels. Brush or rub both sides of the chicken with the oil and sprinkle with the spice mixture. Tuck the wingtips under the breast. Set the chicken, skin side up, in the center of the grill (or not directly over the heat). Cover and cook until the juices run clear and a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh registers 175º­ to 180ºF, 40 to 50 minutes. Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before cutting it into quarters and serving.


Seafood Stew
Bill Brady - Cook, Shoot, Eat…a food photographers journey



This recipe serves: 4

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 large yukon gold potatoes cut into 2 inch cubes
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon minced, fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried
3 bay leaves
1/2 cup white wine
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
2 cups fish stock or clam juice
1 dozen littleneck or cherrystone clams
12 medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 pound mussels, scrubbed
3/4 lb sea scallops
3 Tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped

1. Heat the olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, potatoes (par boiled or microwaved) and garlic, salt and pepper to taste and cook until the vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes.

2. Add the thyme, bay leaves and wine and bring to a boil. Cook until the wine is almost gone.

3. Add the tomatoes and fish stock (or clam juice ) and cook for 5 minutes more.

4. Rinse the clams and add them to the pot, covered cook for 5 minutes.

5. Add mussels. Cover again and cook for 1 minute. Stir in shrimp and scallops. Cook until just translucent, 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from heat, add cilantro

6. Season with salt and pepper if needed and serve hot.