Work, work, work 👨‍💻

Hey there Florida Foodie friends,

It’s Thomas Mates your pal and future blackmailer. Yeah, I saw what you did, but don’t worry. I can keep my mouth shut... for a price.

But, we can talk business later.

When we last spoke, I was getting ready to blow out my eardrums at Rockville. It was a blast and I still have some hearing left.

You can see some pictures I took at the show on our PinIt! page.

You can also see some great Foodie pics as well, like this delicious-looking treat from MOlife.

MOlife said that it is an “Orange Bird liege waffle at EPCOT.” I need some insulin just looking at that, but it is definitely triggering my sweet tooth.

You can share pictures of all of your favorite treats on our PinIt! page, too.

Anyway, since I got back from my time off, it has been nothing but work for me. Lots of meetings and training sessions and editing and on and on and on.

Despite all that, I’ve managed to have some fun as well. I recently had lunch at Swine & Sons in Winter Park and it was delicious. Keep an eye out on our Florida Foodie page because the owner, Lexi Gavlak, will be showing up as a guest in the coming weeks.

But, we also had a great guest on this week’s episode. So, let’s get into it.

Soulful Seafood🦀

Quinisha “Q” Bredwood took a big risk opening her restaurant, Q’s Crackin Crab & Seafood Kitchen, in Cocoa Beach right at the height of the pandemic.

She signed her lease in March 2020, just as the world was shutting down. Despite that adversity, she has been able to keep her business alive and thriving. Being located near Port Canaveral and Cocoa Beach Pier certainly doesn’t hurt either.

She runs the business with her husband and oldest daughter. Speaking of daughters, she has seven with the youngest being nearly 1 year old.

Bredwood has a great story and she shared it with Candace Campos and Lisa Bell on the latest episode of Florida Foodie.

> You can listen to the episode here <

And you can also find every episode of Florida Foodie on YouTube as well.

Small bites 🧆

Sandwich struggles🥪: The pandemic was tough on a lot of restaurants and some are still struggling to recover. Now, the owner of Pom Pom’s Teahouse and Sandwicheria is pleading with the community to support her businesses. You can read all about her situation here.

Opening and closing🍕: After six years, the Ace Cafe in downtown Orlando has abruptly closed its doors. Read all about it here. At the same time, a fan-favorite pizza place in Orlando’s SoDo neighborhood is looking a little further north with plans to open a second location in Winter Park. Find out what we know about the opening here.

Food and culture 🍜🍛🍣: Food is an integral part of everyone’s heritage. May is Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Heritage Month. To mark the occasion, we put together a list of every Asian-American chef we’ve featured on Florida Foodie so far. These are some great interviews. Check them out here.

Something to try at home 🍽️

This week, I thought I would do something a little different. We are making a salad. Now, I know that sounds boring, but this is a meat salad. I bet that sounds a little more intriguing.

It’s a dish called laab (also sometimes spelled larb). This is a dish that exists in a few Southeast Asian cultures, but today’s recipe is a Thai version. It is surprisingly simple to make. In fact, I plan to make it for dinner tonight.

This recipe comes from Jet Tila.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon tamarind paste
• 1 1/2 pounds ground turkey breast (ground pork also works)
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup palm sugar or brown sugar
• 2 1/2 ounces fresh lime juice
• 2 ounces fish sauce
• 1 to 2 teaspoons Thai chili powder
• 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced, plus more for serving
• 1/4 cup roasted rice powder, plus more for serving (You can buy this in a store or make your own. I’ll explain how to make it.)
• 2 green onions, chopped, plus more for serving
• lettuce leaves for serving

Step 1: If you can’t find it in a store, I would start by making your roasted rice powder. Place a sauté pan over medium heat, then add a cup of uncooked white rice to the pan. Toast the rice for about 5 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until the rice is golden brown and fragrant. Then transfer your toasted rice into a food processor or blender and blitz it until it becomes a course powder.

Step 2: Now, mix your tamarind paste and ground turkey and let it marinate for about 10 to 15 minutes.

Step 3: While your meat is marinating, heat a pan over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, add your oil. You should start seeing wisps of smoke coming off the oil. Once that happens, sauté the garlic and shallot until translucent, about 1 minute. Then, fold in your turkey and allow the meat to fully cook.

Step 4: Reduce your heat to low, then add your sugar, lime juice, fish sauce and chili powder. Adjust any seasonings to your taste preferences. Once, everything is mixed together, add in half your mint, onion, roasted rice powder and scallions. Stir it until well combined and the onions become translucent.

Step 5: Just as you are about to serve your laab, add in the rest of the onions, scallions, mint and roasted rice powder. This add some extra texture and flavor to the dish.

Step 6: Serve your laab with some lettuce leaves on the side. The dish is traditionally eaten by spooning the laab into the lettuce and eating both with your hands. You could also serve it over rice if you prefer.

The dish is delicious and it has a little bit of everything. It is sweet and sour and salt with a great crunch from the lettuce, the fresh veggies and the rice powder.

That’s it for today.

Please, send me your recipes so I can share them with everyone. My email is tmates@wkmg.com.

Don’t forget to send in your foodie pictures as well through our PinIt! program.

Also, please take the time to rate and review the Florida Foodie podcast.

- Thomas