Dear Fellow Foodies,
Can you believe the change in temperature? Just in time for the fall flavors of tart McIntosh apples and pumpkin ravioli. I dream of turning off the air-conditioner, opening the doors and windows and planting my autumn herbs. I also dream of warm apple cider and short ribs braising in a rich hearty red wine.
It is the optimum time for comfort food and in these challenging financial times, staying in your own home and cooking with fresh garden vegetables from the local farmers market seems like a warm blanket around our soul.
I decided to toast the season with a simple recipe for turkey chili. Just log on to www.mysuncoast.com and click on the “recipes” link. Try pouring the turkey chili over warm cornbread for a tailgate get together that is both simple and hearty.
Chef Judi’s Favorite Foods of the Month:
The Watermelon salad and filet mignon with Oxtail reduction and oyster mushrooms at Big Sugar won my heart. A clear balance to the hot weather flavor in the salad and the cooler weather homage with the flavorful oxtail ragout.
The Greek Pizza at Jimmy Dimitri’s (in the former Big Kitchen Space) crust is luscious and the cheese melted into the peppers and artichokes hit the foodie happy place!
The sliced tomatoes at Word of Mouth deserve a medal of flavor honor. Recently, I stopped in for breakfast (not exactly my favorite meal of the day) but delighted in the sliced tomatoes served with my scrambled egg whites Trust me, without a plane ticket to Jersey- this is the closest you will get locally to a real jersey tomato!
Happy New Year to all those celebrating Rosh Hashanah-how fortunate I was to receive Ila Stone’s infamous homemade apricot rugulah. I did manage to share a few with my friend’s at John Carl Salon but also managed to finish off the box before I made it home. Oh well, some things are just too good to save.
Get ready for Chef Judi’s Dish- stay tuned to ABC 7 for all-new creative cooking segments and an interactive web page on www.mysuncoast.com
Suncoast Cuisine with Judi Gallagher, now in its 6th year welcomes a new format and change. Thursdays from 8:30-9:30 p.m. (replay Saturdays from 6-7 pm) Look for the creative talents of Marsha Fottler, Jonathan Kendall Slentz, Alix Redmonde, Mike Kradlak and the illustrious Dining Divas from www.thisweekinsarasota.com along with Larry Hoffman from www.dinesarasota.com to stir up some sassy restaurant news and add the flavors of healthy dining, guilty pleasures, table décor and more- Channel 21
Don’t forget to check out www.sarasotamagazine and foodies notebook. I will be blogging from Hawaii as we toast to Chef Roy Yamaguchi’s 20 years in the restaurant business with Roy’s special guests that include some of my all-time favorites like Marimoto and Ming Si.