The food tag “Deviled” was first used a few hundred years ago to refer to cuisine that was spicy. Makes perfect sense. Not sure how we got Deviled Eggs out of that because I’ve always found this dish boring; bland; and a last minute, thoughtless, pot-luck contribution of the unimaginative. Then I moved to Los Angeles and was introduced to “Rooster Sauce”. This Vietnamese Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce was resurrected from an old Thai recipe from a city south of Bangkok called Si Racha. To honor this clever word play, I’m repurposing “Deviled” and spicing up these eggs with this delicious hot chili sauce.

There’s something about food from this part of the World that appeals to every taste bud on my tongue. I usually lament the fact that I have to book a flight and navigate airport security just to get a decent Po Boy – but at least this travel is in the same hemisphere. I can’t imagine my limited attention span surviving a flight to the other side of the globe. Luckily, there are an increasing number of Laotian, Cambodian, Vietnamese, and Thai restaurants in most North American cities so I don’t have to dust off my passport and shoehorn my ass into the smallest and most uncomfortable seat in the air.

These ingredients are a staple and this simple sauce gets used with shrimp, clams, mussels, all three, poured over rice, tossed with noodles, and even drizzled over roasted or grilled corn on the cob.

If you’ve been anywhere on the Chesapeake Bay, you’ve had Old Bay Seasoning. It’s fantastic in seafood boils, sprinkled on crab, as garish to deviled eggs, a fry seasoning, or as a topper to Bloody Mary’s. This gem in the little yellow can is the taste-ticket to a culinary trip to Maryland. While these sautéed shrimp are buttery deliciousness that can be peeled and eaten on their own they’d prefer to be paired with your favorite crusty bread so that none of the garlic-lemon, Old Bay Sauce goes to waste.  

Grab your SCBA because this burger is a worker. Charring the jalapenos provides some nice color and texture but also allows you to control the level of spiciness. The less you leave it over the heat, the hotter it will be (if ya follow that logic). So like a BC, you get to call the shots. Attach pepper-jack cheese and some spicy mayo to build out the assignment.

As the old saying goes: “The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.” Back in the olden days, in Naples, the enterprising businesswomen of the evening took an approach to attracting their customers through their noses. They made a pasta sauce with the most fragrant local ingredients: garlic, anchovies, capers, and olives. While these women were more interested in a man’s income than his heart, they still created one of the best sauces in Italy, Puttanesca. You don’t need any ulterior motives to simmer this tasty sauce up. It’s easy, perfectly legal, and only takes about 20 minutes.

Leeks don’t seem to be the most popular vegetable but they should be. Part onion, part garlic, all tasty. Simmering them down into a sauce makes for a sweet and creamy topping that also adds some crunch. This is a great balance to seafood – especially salmon.

Resist the temptation to save money by purchasing farmed salmon. Go wild. In addition to supporting the Fishing Industry, the extra dollars you spend equate to better flavor and a healthier, happier fish. And don’t you want your fish to be happy?

What pairs better with stew than an Irish Stout? Why pair with beer when you can add the beer? This Irish Beef Stew is less of a soup and more of a beer flavored gravy. And who doesn’t love beer gravy?

To call this a ‘Southern’ recipe would be a misnomer. This is a recipe from as far south as you can go without a passport. If you’ve been to the intersection of Whitehead and South Street, then you’ve also probably had some of the best Cuban food outside of Cuba. The key to these delicious chops is searing a good crust into them by pan-frying over high heat. And the garlic-cumin seasoning. And the limes. That’s a lot of keys. But this is a lot of flavor.

After Wedge Antilles and Luke Skywalker blew up the Death Star, the second time, they returned to the rebel base on Endor and rocked out some of these delicious salad bites with Wicket and company while they sang “Nub Yub” over, and over, and over again. If you want to get your midichlorian count above 15,000, study the ways of these Salad Bite Appetizers. While they are no bigger than a womp rat, judge them not by their size. The Force is strong in Blue Cheese.

If you don’t know Old Bay, then you’re either not from the Old Line State, don’t vacation in Fell’s Point, or have never enjoyed Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab. But Old Bay need not just sit in the back of your spice cabinet waiting for your next crab feast. This spice is outstanding on… well, pretty much everything. I sprinkle it on tacos, pork tenderloin, mashed potatoes, grilled corn, even microwavable popcorn. So it was only a matter of time since it got worked up into a recipe for my beloved wings.