Brodie’s Recipes

My favorite place for pizza in Orlando is Rico’s Pizza. It’s what comes closest to what I enjoy for pizza.
http://ricopizza.intuitwebsites.com/
Urban Spoon entry

Rico’s is worth the trip to the south end.

A close second is House of Pizza, across from Gatorland.
http://www.orlandohouseofpizza.com/

While I have enjoyed Pizzeria Valdiano and Mellow Mushroom, Rico’s is tops. Though, in all honesty, Mellow Mushroom has no competitor, as it’s in a different category: gourmet non-traditional wacky-neat-flavor pizzas.

Kudos do go out to Pizza City in Kissimmee. That is good pizza.
Google map
UrbanSpoon entry

I’ve used the coupons at Restaurant.com with success. 80% off is the most I’ve seen for discount there. 50-70%off is more common.

For ClearChannel radio station links for their 50% off deals, this is a list of stations for the Orlando area: [link]

Orlando Sentinel also offers dining deals: [link]

WDBO reports the Rosen College of Hospitality Management are offering buffet brunches for $6-$10 as part of coursework. Hours are 10a-1p Sundays through March 22 (except March 15). Four four-course gourmet dinner sessions will be hosted (Feb 14, Feb 24, March 26, and April 16).

Reservations by phone (407-903-8196) or email (gpage@mail.ucf.edu)

(Excerpted from WDBO article: http://wdbo.com/localnews/2009/02/rosen-students-provide-bargain.html

Event website: http://www.hospitality.ucf.edu/dcs/

UPDATE: 090212: As of today, all sessions are sold out for this spring series.

A great resource for good eats in Orlando is the Orlando Sentinel’s Foodie Awards map

Purchased: 1 pack of pork chops from Costco. So they are the 1.5″ thick ones.

Use a stainless steel skillet.
Add ground pepper, red pepper flakes, kirkland no-salt seasoning, and salt to the bottom of the pan.
Set temp on 7.25, 5-7min later, add pork chops to pan.
Season top of pork chops with ground black pepper and ground white pepper.
Flip pork chops after 13min; they should not be sticking to the pan.
Once flipped, cook for another 12min.

Remove from the heat and place pork chops on a plate to rest.
Serve in 10min (once rested).

—-
Goes well with:
-tzatziki
-hommus
-hot sauce
-brie
-In a sandwich (the whole chop with a slice of brie and hot sauce on Publix chicago rolls! My favorite!)

Brown 1lb ground beef. Season from the start with black pepper (0.5tsp), red pepper flakes(2tbsp), Kirkland no-salt seasoning(3-4tbsp), 1/2tsp oregano (finger ground/pulverized), 1/2tsp basil (finger ground/pulverized). Temp: 7-7.5 (of 9)

Add 1 jar Eucavani Pomodoro Sauce. Stir to mix. Add 1/2 (sauce) jar of half&half, 1/4 jar of 1% lactaid milk. Stir immediately to prevent milk/cream curdling. Stir regularly (every 3min; keep the stuff from settling). Drop in 1/4 small head of garlic, raw, sliced.
Temp: 5.5(10min), 5(5min), 4(5min), 3.5(5min), 2.5-3(10min) (times are estimates; just keep turning things down to keep it cooking, but not over cook or burn off too much water; trying to time it to match it with when the pasta is done)
Cook for at least 30min.

Wash 1lb fresh spinach.

Bring water up to a boil and keep at a rolling boil. Add rogatoni. Box cooktime to al dente is 14min. Cooked 10min, then drained. Just a thin white line left.

Add 1tbsp olive oil to the pasta pan, heat on 6. add the rest of the garlic to the oil; cook for 3min or till done (just sauteing here) (as soon as it starts to smell a little nutty or dark(er), add 3/4 can of mandarin oranges, no sauce. Then add the spinach, and toss. Once homogeneous, add pasta, toss again. Then add sauce and mix completely.

Done.
Probably doesn’t need it, but can be served with grated pecorino romano.

——–
This one got rave reviews from the fam.

Brown 1-2lbs of ground beef, heat on 7, season as soon as beef is in the pan with 3tbsp Kirkland No-Salt Seasoning, 2tbsp mccormick’s italian seasoning, 2tbsp red pepper flakes, 1tsp ground black pepper, poking/chopping to as small as possible. Drain, and cook about 3 more min, until meat starts to crisp (and stick to the bottom of the pan).

Add 1 jar Eucavani (tomato basil?) sauce per 1-2lbs ground beef. Stir. Add 1/2 jar of 1%milk. Add 5 shots of tobasco. Cook on 4.5-5.5 for 20-30min, stirring occasionally, making sure nothing is sticking to the bottom. It’s ok if it reduces too much, we’ll add some pasta water later (by not fully draining the pasta).

Start boiling the water for pasta. It takes about 15min anyway, and the
pasta will take 2-3min less than the box says, so… start.

While the sauce is cooking thaw 4 aidell’s sausage links (chicken and apple flavor this time). Cut on bias about 1/4″ thick slices, and start browning in their own pan on 6-7. slightly blacken on each side; the char brings out the flavor. When done on both sides, reduce heat to 4, clear the middle of the pan and dump in 1-1.5 cups of raisins. Continue cooking for 2min, then add half a can worth of Del Monte Gold pineapple chunks, some juice is ok to deglaze the pan. Mix and cook another 8min.

Have cleaned at least 1lb of fresh spinach.

By this time, the water should be boiled. Add the pasta and cook until there’s just a little white left when you bite into the pasta.

When done, drain the pasta into a colander. Leave it in the colander as you put the pasta pot back on the stove. Turn that burner off. Put the spinach into the pot and let (blanche, is it?) (the leaves turn greener and wilt. Ah, wilt, maybe that’s what it’s called.) wilt. This should take about 2min. Add the pineapple/sausage/raisin mix into the pan with the spinach. Fold in until uniform. Add the pasta. Fold again. Finally, add the sauce and fold/stir until uniform.

Serve with grated parmesan or pecorino romano.

I think that’s it!

Boil 5qts water
Add 1lb pasta : shells
Cook for 5-6min (box says 8min)
drain
clean 1lb fresh spinach
chop 2 heads of fresh garlic
open a can of chicken. drain and smoosh contents.

once above are all prepared:
after dumping pasta from pan, reduce heat from hi (9) to 4. (next iteration is going to be 3)
let the water burn off
then add 1-2cups olive oil (using kirkland)
let heat for 10min (should become very thin but not smoke)
add garlic
cook and stir vigorously for 30-45sec but take care not to splash the oil
then add the raisins
add any spices (oregano, red pepper flakes, italian seasoning)
add the spinach
and fold into the oil
fold about 3-5x
then add the pasta
and the chicken
continue folding until all are coated
take it off of the heat and turn off the burner(s)

Serve with light sprinkling of grated pecorino romano cheese (1 tbsp per 3oz serving)

-Brown 1lb ground beef (this time, the organic stuff from costco), seasoning with black pepper, oregano and red pepper flakes. Drain fat.
-Pour in Victoria’s Marinara sauce. Add 1/2 jar of 1% milk, about a cup of Archer Farms somethingpepperandpineapple sauce (for the heat), 1-2 cups of wine (this time a muted australian Shiraz). let cook around 5 for 20min stirring occasionally to keep the meat from burning to the bottom. Verify flavors are blending. Heat may need to drop to 4 to keep from boil/splattering
-Clean about 2 colanders worth of fresh spinach. (~3/4lb?)
-Start boiling the water for the pasta
-halfway through the water boiling (with ~15min left to go) add 1/2 can of Dole Gold pineapple chunks, no juice, and 1-2 cups of raisins. Stir occasionally and turn up the heat to 5.5 or 6.
-boil pasta until white center almost gone (but about .5mm left), drain in a colander
-turn off the electric stove, but put pasta pan back on the heat (the burner you just used; for you gas folk, put it on low), to boil off the thin layer of water, dump the fresh spinach into the pot, followed by the pasta, then the sauce. Stir until well mixed. Turn off the heat and serve!

Brown 1lb of ground beef, poking out all chunks (get uniform small stuff), seasoned with black pepper and italian seasoning. Once water/fat burned off or cooked in, add about 1/2cup Spicy Vinegar Sauce (from BigLots), and reduce again. Add Victoria Marinara sauce (from Costco), half jar of 1% milk (also to rinse out sauce jar), 10oz frozen spinach (heated in microwave), 3-4 squirts of tabasco, 1-2tbsp red pepper flakes, half can of Del Monte Gold pineapple chunks with juice. Stir to mix, then stir every 10min to keep stuff from burning to bottom, cook total of 30min or till flavors blended.

Cook rigatoni pasta ~7min, ’til some white left in middle of pasta (about 2min from being done ; done=white just disappearing from cross-section). Immediately drain, return pot to heat, return pasta to pot, dump sauce on pasta and toss/mix. Remove from heat. Serve.

This didn’t seem to need cheese. Or tzatziki (great cheese substitute).