Intellectual Poison Recipes

Intellectual Poison Bruschetta
I had a bruschetta at lunch today and it was the only part of the meal that was less than satisfying. Because I prefer the way I do a Bruschetta to the way other people do it. To me, its a spicy, garlicky mess with strong flavors melding together into a potent and delicious brew
What you'll need:
-- a variety of tomatoes, all cut into small chunks
-- fresh basil, chopped into tiny peices
-- onion, red, white, yellow, whatever you prefer, sliced as thin as possible and then chopped into small, squares
-- three to four cloves of garlic, mashed, chopped into tiny bits, however you like just small, I use a press because I like getting the juice of the garlic into the liquid, peel a couple extra cloves for use on the bread later
-- olive oil, again use the good stuff
-- salt and pepper to wake up the juices
--season with Spike
-- for bread, use a crusty sourdough or italian bread, something with some body to it, not too hard or overly crusty, sliced into anywhere between a half and a full inch thick
-- optional: some people think this is crap but I sometimes go for some mozzerella on my bruschetta, it completes an already excellent appetizer, I'll include when to do it in the directions below
Toast the bread, just to the point of a slight crust on the surface, remove and use one of the peeled garlic cloves to quickly (note, it is easily possible to overdue the garlic here so be gentle) rub across the surface of the bread
Return to the oven to add a little more color and burn in the garlic flavor just a bit, half way through, if you are going to use the mozzerella then now is the time to lay strips or a shredded layer of cheese on and broil it to bubbling or wait until later and put it on top
Pull the toast out, pile it up with the tomato goodness, toast for another minute or two
You can also use the mozzerella here and get a different kind of bruschetta
You can sprinkle a little oregano over the final mix as a garnish and to finish it, or just plate it up and serve it, warm is good

Tomato, Mozzarella, Basil, Etcetera Salad
this is a slight variation on what I used to make quite a lot last summer, updated at my family vacation a few weeks ago (and yes, if I were really on the ball I'd reference the archived blog posting here but I'm just not all over it like that).
--fresh tomatoes (mix of regular, romas, heirlooms and cherries works nicely) chopped into small sizes (about a half inch to three quarters of an inch)
--a couple of fresh ripe avocados (cut into small pieces, same as toms above)
--one red onion, quarted and then sliced very thin
--some fresh mozzarella cut into small cubes
--crumbled feta (flavored feta works very, very well here, go for a tomato infused version or some other complimentary flavor)
--basil, chopped or ripped into small, small bits
--high quality extra virgin olive oil (use your good stuff) to lightly coat everything
--salt and pepper to taste and then a little more of both
--optional other vegetables that would likely work, some small cubed mushrooms, sliced black olives, maybe artichoke hearts
--optional: splash with balsamic vinegar or (my favorite) Annie's Shittake and Sesame Vinagrette.
Mix all ingredients together in a big bowl, being sure to thoroughly mix it all together. Chill for at least a half hour, season again and serve.

Marinated Grilled Skirt Steak with Grilled Fresh Sliced Pineapple
Quite possibly my favorite single dish I've ever tried. And its actually quite easy to make, given a few basic ingredients. There is some confusion about skirt steak, sometimes people think that flank steak is the same when they are completely different. Read up on it if you want. If you find a good butcher shop that marinades it properly then get it there, otherwise make a strong and sweet teriyaki marinade.
You'll need:
--marinated skirt steak, as much as you think you need times two, maybe three, or marinate your own
--one big ripe fresh Hawaiian pineapple, or two smaller ripe pineapples, sliced into half inche slices with cores still in
Get your grilled good and fired up, I like a slightly less than really hot fire to cook over, you don't need mesquite for this, it's too hot and will char the meat quickly which is fine if that's what you're into
Slice the long thin strips of skirt down some and lay them across the grill, close together to form a sort of meat cover over the flames
Cover the meat with the juicy pineapple and let it cook for a few minutes or more depending on how you like your steaks cooked
Pull all the pineapple slices off to the side to flip the skirt steak over and place the pineapple back on but flipped over but don't worry about getting things quite so close together, let the heat get at the pineapples more
When the meat's cooked to your happy point, try it at various stages to see what you like best, pull it all off but lay the pineapple straight on the grill itself, flip it after about a half minute to quick char the other side
Slice the skirt steak up into bite size pieces and quarter each slice of grilled pineapple. You can serve it jumbled together or apart but it is one of the most intensely flavorful dinners I've ever had.
The best part of the pineapples on top of the meat is that the juice not only flavors the meat but its also tenderizes it because of the citric acid action.