There's No "I" in team, but there is in IRON

Personal achievement is measured in many different ways, especially when you are a little older. Long gone are the days of little league trophies and ribbons for the paper mache' volcano we made for the school science fair.

For the guys in my neighborhood, recognition for personal accomplishment hasn't come in the form of a golf trophy or being part of a winning softball team. We don't do triathlons and none of us has been nominated for a Grammy, Tony, or the Nobel Peace Prize. Yours truly has not and probably will not be receiving Pulitzer for the mindless rambling of the blog you are reading. We haven't received notoriety or accolades from the wives for our ability to swing a hammer or build home made furniture. Quite honestly I'm not sure there's a complete set of tools on the street, and the tools we do own have been borrowed and forgotten, left unused in one basement or another. As I write this I realize that I'm generalizing and neglecting to note the one or two gentlemen who have rebuilt their front steps. They look okay but don't put too much weight on them.

Last month we had our one real competitive neighborhood event. It's called Iron Chef, Florence Street. It's a concept borrowed from the Food Network. The competition basically pits one chef against another. Each chef is required to create 5 dishes using a secret ingredient that is not revealed until the competition begins. They then have one hour to create the five dishes. Once time has run out, the dishes are judged by a panel of three notable foodies.

Our version of this competition is a little more simplistic as none of us are chefs. We're meatball cooks with no real formal training other than some experience in restaurants washing dishes or putting cheese on a griddle full of Big Macs. Our version has the women in the neighborhood gathering to select a secret ingredient. This is a painstaking ordeal that apparently requires a few nights worth of mulling, motions and martinis. In the past three years they've come up with challenging ingredients such as Bourbon, Cinnamon, and Coffee. None of these were easy, but the ingredients forced us to push the boundaries of our creativity.

This year we gathered for breakfast at our house, had a little something to eat and waited for the reveal. The girls narrowed the secret ingredient to three options and had them placed in a hat. The first selection, Maple, was met with a collective groan and put aside. A second slip was selected and the secret ingredient was finally revealed. It was....beef. Oh, but wait. There was a twist. Each of the ladies then presented us with a $20 bill and stated that we had to create our one dish for under $20. These women are sick sadistic individuals who deserved some form of retribution, but my mind was already wondering how I could manage 14 servings of surf and turf for under twenty bucks. Would I be violating the rules if I went lobstering and slaughtered my own heifer?

It was amusing to see each of the guys head out to the various markets scouring the aisles for the right ingredients. We passed each other in the aisles and protected our ideas from the curiosity of our former friends and current culinary nemesis'. We stayed in our own kitchens working on our dishes which had to be completed and presented for judging at 6:00. We were able to use any available spices or condiments from our kitchens without having to deduct it from the allotted cash. Lobster tails are a condiment, right?

for those of you who care to know, here is a listing of the dishes. My apologies to the chefs as I'm doing this from memory:

Contestant #1 and the current Iron Chef for three years running prepared marinated flank or skirt steaks that were skewered with leeks. Very yummy.

Contestant #2 made home made meatball sliders with sauce and I believe micro greens. Also very tasty

Contestant #3 made a massive pile of meatballs with a few dipping sauces. Delectable, and not to take anything away from their immediate appeal, but these were even better as the night wore on and the drinks were flowing. I think I was eating them by the handful by the end of the evening.

Contestant #4 made marinated teriyaki steak skewers that were wrapped around mushrooms. A simple, but solid approach.

Contestant #5 made the classic Reuben sandwich (Corned beef is still beef, kids...) with a home made American Slaw and hand cut fries. Oy, was it delicious.

Contestant #6 made seared tenderloin and crimini mushroom appetizers placed on garlic crostini with a a horse radish Creme Fraiche and capers.

The dishes were completed and the judging took place. There were three awards given. the Iron Chef, The Meathead award (second place) and The Chef's Choie award which as the name implies was decided by the chefs. In the end My good man Mark HS took the title and Iron Chef platter for his Corned Beef Sandwich. Meathead and Chef's choice went to yours truly for the tenderloin and crostini thing.

The whole event is a blast and it seems to get better every year. This summer we plan to add a second event called Florence Street's Best Burger Bash. As you can see we are fiercely competitive bunch, but if you want to keep up with the Jones' on Florence Street, all you need is a good chef's knife and $20.