I ended up adding the entire jar to the chicken and rice dish and finished cooking it off on a flat top grill to bring out the sweet mango flavor.  I did add just a small amount of fresh chopped ginger to brighten the flavor of the rice before I put everything on the grill. 

Traditionally sweet chutneys are served as an Indian accompaniment but this little jar of flavor certainly can hold it’s own over fresh grilled salmon or mahi mahi, and goes incredibly well with a bit of mayo for a spiced up topping for sandwiches.  Another nice perk is that the sauce is completely vegetarian and goes well with a wide variety of tofu dishes as a marinade or sauce on grilled tofu.  I’d suggest using extra firm tofu as it gives a better mouth feel when accompanied by the chutney and holds together well if grilled.

The possibilities for this Chutney are only limited by your own imagination.  If you can’t find a jar in your local grocery store then pick one up online, you won’t be disappointed

The blurb from QSL states - “It is a delicious blend of hot, cajun, garlic, and BBQ. It goes great with wings, chicken, burgers, seafood & ribs, and just about anything else! Scoville Heat Rating: 1,220* (Mild - Medium Heat).
I’ve not only used it on wings, but grilled chicken, smoked chicken, grilled ham, as a sauce with quesadillas and I’m continually working this particular sauce into a variety of salads and sauce combinations.  I know the purest in all of us shudders at the thought of jarred sauces.  However, as a chef that makes his own sauces this sauce has found a home in my line of blended sauces.  If you ever get a chance to swing by a Quaker Steak and Lube by all means, try as many sauces as humanly possible and then ask for your favorite to take home.  You will not be disappointed!

Don’t just take my word for it - check out these awards -

• Awards 2002 “Silver Award” International Scovie Award Winner Chile Pepper Magazine Fiery Food Challenge
• 2001 “Prestigious Bronze Award” Chile Pepper Magazine Fiery Food Challenge
• “Best Wings” Three Rivers Stadium Wing Fest Pittsburgh, PA.

Sauce em up!

The Santoku took on the challenge and went through the fresh tomatoes without an issue.  I then went through the cucumbers, onions, green peppers and switched to the Chef knife to mince the garlic due to it’s great balance and rocking ability.  The knives just kept performing without any fatigue and no slippage and they cleaned up perfect under hot running water and little soap.

Enjoy the recipe!

(Recipe after the jump.)
Gazpacho -
2 1/3 pounds tomatoes, peeled and diced
2 cucumbers, peeled and diced
1 onion, peeled and diced
2 green peppers, seeded and chopped
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
2 ounces fresh bread crumbs (optional)
1 pint cold water or tomato juice
3 ounces red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
*  *  *
Salt
Pepper
Tabasco
Basil and Leaf Marjoram
Lemon Juice
*  *  *
1/2 cup onions, small dice
1/2 cup cucumbers, small dice
1/2 cup green peppers, small dice
Combine first nine ingredients in large food processor and blend until desired consistency is reached.
Add salt, pepper, basil, marjoram and tabasco to taste, if necessary adjust the tartness by adding a little lemon juice.
Chill the soup thoroughly before serving.
Combine the garnish ingredients in a small bowl and serve along side the soup.
Serves 8-10

The hand-sharpened 6” blade is perfect for almost any cutting, chopping, slicing, or dicing task. Choisons Precision Series Ceramic Knives are made from zirconium carbide, an advanced material developed from the 2nd hardest naturally occurring element on earth. Even more heat and pressure is applied to Choisons Precision Series Knives to create an ultra-high-quality, durable blade. Using this special process allows Choisons Knives to be sharper and lighter than stainless steel knives – making repetitive cutting tasks easy on the wrists and arms. Choisons knives also retain their edge up to 10X longer than steel knives, so more time is spent cutting, and less time is spent sharpening. Unlike steel knives, Choisons won’t react with your food, preserving the natural flavor and appearance of your favorite ingredients.

This knife is very lightweight and it handled the demand of heavy usage when I worked on a variety of fresh vegetables from cabbage to mushrooms.  It has an extremely sharp edge and is a bit thicker than other ceramic knives on the market which lends itself to increased durability.  To finish off the knife it was hand-sharpened for higher quality service and unlike steel blades, are resistant to corrosive materials like juices and salts.  I’m looking forward to putting this sharp little knife through it’s paces to see what delicious dishes turn up on my cutting board.

.It’s golden creaminess goes well over granola, hot oatmeal, in herbal teas and with my new all time favorite, Pearson Orange Rice.

(Recipe after the jump.)
Pearson Orange Rice

Serves 6-8

• 2 fresh California oranges – juiced (approx 3/4 cup)
• 2 cups Minnesota Blend Uncle Ben’s Rice (Your favorite variety will work too)
• Zest from 1 orange
• 2 tsp Orange Blossom Honey
• 3¼ cups water
• ½ teaspoon Asian style spiced sea salt

1. Remove the zest from the orange and set aside in a small bowl.
2. Place the rice in a pan along with the water, honey, salt, zest and orange juice.
3. Cover pan, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer about 20-25 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.
4. Remove pan from stove; fluff rice with a fork and let stand covered for a few minutes then serve.

“Orange Blossom Honey, nature’s perfect food. As soon as the orange blossoms open in the San Joaquin Valley’s “Orange Belt”, the bees go to work to create the most delicious and delicately scented honey you can find anywhere.  After you try orange honey from Pearson Ranch, you’ll see why some call it nature’s perfect food.”

The nice feature that certainly sets this blender above the competition is it’s ability to use glass mason jars as the blending, serving, and storage containers. “It is compatible with most* regular-mouth mason jars, making the possibilities for upgrading limitless.“  Imagine processing your own mayonnaise right in the container it’s stored in or preparing fresh strawberry freezer jelly right in the container that goes into the freezer.  It’s that simple.  Just add the ingredients into your mason jar, screw on the rubber gasket with blender, flip, turn & press.  In minutes you have jelly!

It also works well with frozen fruit to make the ultimate smoothie and it helps eliminate the need to go to the grocery store to purchase expensive jars of baby food.  Save time, money and gas and simply prepare fresh wholesome baby food on your time in the comfort of your own home.  The TriBest Personal Blender is one stop piece of equipment that offers a wide variety of options, and helps bring fun back into the kitchen without any additional mess and cleanup.

The basic package that arrived on my doorstep included:

In preparing the vegetables I used Friedr. Dick 1893 paring knife to separate the broccoli stems from the florets.  With the razor sharp cutting edge the knife went to the task and allowed me to handle the freshly rinsed broccoli without the wet knife slipping out of my hand.  To dice up the onion I switched to the Chef knife to give me more heft for the cutting and balance for dicing the onion uniformly.

Having the right Friedr. Dick knives during preparation will cut your prep time in half.

(Recipe after the jump.)

Cream of Broccoli Soup
Serves 12-16

1 gallon water
2 heads of broccoli
1 onion, small dice
1/3 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
1 pint half and half
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 cup chicken base
Grated Cheddar cheese

Separate broccoli stems from florets and cut up stems.  Place stems, onions, and water into a large stock pot and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and continue cooking for about 40 minutes or until stems are mushy.  Strain through a colander into another stock pot and discard stems and onions.

Place stock back on stove and add salt, pepper, and chicken base and florets;  bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 1 hour.

In a separate sauce pan add flour and butter and cook until it forms a peanut butter colored roux with a slightly nutty flavor.  Then add to the stock after it cooks for one hour, stirring until soup thickens.

Then slowly add the half and half, stirring constantly while doing so, be sure not to boil soup.   At the time of service place a small amount of cheese on top of each bowl of soup.

I know this may sound like I’m repeating myself, but when you run across a quality product you certainly want others to hear the good news.

The Premier Plus Chef Knife makes cutting a pleasure instead of a chore.  This knife is forged from a single piece of steel and developed for ideal balance, cutting edge retention and ergonomic properties.  Utilizing the alloy X45CrMoV15 which contains chromium for wear resistance, carbon for hardness and molybdenum for corrosion resistance, these knives are build to last.  When you pick it up you can feel the weight balanced through out the blade and with the Chef knife being the most important kitchen utensil you need a knife that will last.

I like the ability to mince and sliced small vegetables with the front section of the blade while utilizing the back section to chop and dice when needed.  The knife is perfectly balanced and lends itself to either rocking or slicing with little wrist and hand fatigue.  I utilized it next to Dexter Russell and Wusthof Grand Prix II knives and there was no comparison in sharpness and over all knife feel.  The Premier Plus knife out cut and continued to do so long after I had to sharpen my Dexter Russell.  The Wusthof certainly had the feel of the Premier Plus when balancing and weighing in on slicing and dicing but it too need to be sharpened sooner than the F. Dick knife.

If you are looking for a knife that will go the distance for a great price with less stopping in between jobs to hone or sharpen then the Premier Plus line from Friedr. Dick is for you.  It has many of the features of their top notch 1893 line but will be easier on your wallet.  This knife will outlast any generic to average name brand knife you currently use and will remain a staple in your cooking arsenal for years to come.

It’s small versatile and sharp and has made small work of many vegetables in my kitchen.  From intricate details work to slicing lemons or limes the knife is remarkable.  The extreme hardness of the blade - 61 degrees HRC lends itself to a long blade life.  Once I used it I tossed away my cheap Russell and Chicago Cutlery paring knifes and gave away my above average Wusthof Grand Prix II paring knife.  With over 33 layers of rust-free stainless steel (FD VG 10-33) the Officemesser looks like a samurai sword as you remove it from your knife kit.

All in all this knife is up to the task of any high production kitchen or simple preparations for the budding gourmet chef.  I highly recommend this knife and every knife in the 1863 line.  Pick one up and try it out, you will not be disappointed and when you take it home it will last you a lifetime.

Give a chef and average knife and he will prepare an average meal; give a chef an Friedr. Dick Knife and he will prepare a bountiful feast.

Photo: Friedr. Dick

“Friedr. Dick, with its headquarters in Deizisau, has been competing successfully with international competition for centuries as Swabian manufacturer of precision tools.  Knives, files, special tools, and grinding machines have been manufactured here to the highest quality standards for over 225 years.”

The overall design of the Utility knife lends itself to a wide variety of options in the kitchen and you can feel the quality in the build when you first take hold.  It fits comfortably in your hand and its extremely sharp edge allows you to cut proteins evenly into very thin slices with one draw of the knife.  The sharpness makes for less work and less fatigue in preparing good food and can cut your time in half when used correctly.  Give a chef a knife and he can prepare a meal, give the same chef a Friedr. Dick knife and he can prepare a bountiful feast and make it look simple in doing so.

In looking at the performance of this knife it certainly provides top notch quality at a great price!  You can create mouthwatering displays utilizing less time and effort when you choose and F. dick knife over other knives.  You may save money in the short term by buying less lesser quality steel knives but you’ll pay higher in replacements and time spent in resharpening in the long run.  Time is money and spending time forcing your way through food with a dull awkward knife will set your job back to the stone ages.  Take my advice and pick up a Friedr. Dick knife and work with it for a day, you will not be disappointed.