top of the world
watch the podcast
Our tour guides take you on a culinary adventure, with a box lunch picnic on a hike with an incredible view. From stunning views to self-exploration, the Funk fam takes you to the top of the world, with a fresh outlook, advice and even better mind-bending cocktails and food to help you pack the best meal possible to have your best adventure yet. Sometimes, you need to change things up to change your outlook, and we deliver the experience here.
Watch the full episode
The basket
Nirvana Sunset Sangria
A bright day deserves a bright drink, whether you’re taking in a sunset or climbing a peak to get a sunrise, you’ve gotta have a cocktail that lives up to the view. At the Funk, we’re all about taking in the sights, and tippin’ something that fits the mood. We threw together a fantastic sangria with a rosé base, some fresh pears, strawberries and some pink grapefruit for acid to balance out the sweetness. This drink tastes just like it looks – if you can imagine seeing the sunset with your favorite people, listening to your favorite music, you’ve got an idea about how this sangria gets down. This is great for adventuring to the beach or the mountains, and just as appropriate and fresh to sip with your girlfriends on your back porch in the summer. We’ve slung it at baby showers and barbecues, it just adds a little sunshine to any picnic, no matter what the forecast is. This time, you get to decide the weather and the mood, at least in your glass. Light, smooth and with just enough sugar and citrus to make things interesting, this drink will help you see the world in rosé-colored glasses.
- Yield: 1 cocktail
Ingredients (for batching)
- 1 cup of halved strawberries
- 1 cup of pink grapefruit sections
- 1 cup of bartlett pears, cubed
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- ½ cup orange liqueur
- 2 bottles of pink rosé wine
Directions
- Mix all ingredients evenly, until the sugar dissolves
- Refrigerate for at least 8 hours, but overnight works well too
- Pour and drink in the scenery
- Garnish with half a strawberry
Return of the Mac Salad
There’s something just plain dreamy about using something you either caught, grew or harvested yourself when you’re cooking, and this recipe is as dreamy as it gets, like that big ol’ beautiful moon on a starry night – it tends to steal the show from the other things you’re serving. This pesto mac salad uses a great homemade pesto we love, and we use garlic picked from our own garden. We blend in this garlicky dream with some mayo and a few other bright flavors to make a creamy, dreamy mac salad that can team up with anything you’re dreaming about for a perfect cookout or summer party. The key to a good mac salad is the right balance of flavors and textures. We want some creaminess from the mayo, a flavor shot from the pesto, and all the other cheeses and other tastes come together to make a salad your guests or family are gonna dream about for a long time!
- Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients
- ½ cup of homemade pesto (instructions/directions below, you can use store bought pesto too, and can add more to your liking)
- 8 ounces of Peruvian Pearl peppers (these can be found in the cheese area at Wegmans or Whole Foods)
- 8 ounces of sauteed and cooled sliced baby bella mushrooms
- 1 pound of cooked Quattrotini pasta, cooled ( can use elbow pasta if you would like as well)
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons of diced fresh chives
- 1 ½ cups of roughly chopped arugula leaves
- ½ cup of roughly chopped basil leaves
- ½ cup of chopped fresh broccoli florets
- ¼ cup – ½ cup of mayo (see how creamy you want it as you go)
Ingredients for Garlic Scape Pesto
- 6 cloves garlic minced or 12 good ol’ garlic scapes, clipped at the bottom, with the pointy end cut off (a little more than a ½ cup)
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil, set aside into two halves (might need more for storage)
- 1 cup grated parm cheese
- ½ cup crushed walnuts (you could use pine nuts too, but we like the walnut taste here and they’re cheaper, too)
Directions for Garlic Scape Pesto
- Throw the scapes, basil and that salt into a blender or processor and pulse it good, so it’s well chopped
- Slowly add in half the evoo, so it starts to turn into a paste (you might need a rubber spatula to keep pushing the stuff down the sides)
- Add more olive oil to your liking, to get the consistency you want (we like it thick for this dish)
- Once it’s at a level you like, add in the cheese and walnuts and pulse until you can’t see ‘em anymore
- To store this (it’s good for a week or so), put it in a container with a thin layer of evoo on top
Directions
- Mix everything but the pesto and the mayo together in a large mixing bowl
- In a separate, smaller bowl, add in ¼ C of the pesto and a ¼ of the mayo and mix evenly
- Add the pesto-mayo mixture into the mixed ingredients, and taste it, to see if you want more or not (we use a bit of it)
- Serve it ‘up and start dreamin’, there’s no scape from this dish!
Salmon Run Salad
- Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients for the Crostinis
- 1 french baguette, sliced thin (1/4-1/2 inch)
- 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves of minced garlic
- 1/4 cup of chopped parsley
- 2 tablespoons of Italian Seasoning
Directions for the Crostinis
- Mix all ingredients except the bread in a mixing bowl
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees
- Baste each side of the slices of bread with the basting mixture
- Bake for 5-7 minutes and flip, checking for doneness, they should be golden brown and crispy
Ingredients for the Salmon Salad
- 2 ½ pounds of fresh salmon from the seafood counter at your local market
- Cooking spray
- 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh dill
- 1/4 cup coarsely chopped green onion
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 3 cloves of freshly crushed garlic
- Dash of salt and pepper to taste
- 2 teaspoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
Directions for the Salmon Salad
- Spray cooking spray onto a baking sheet
- Lay the salmon, skin-side down on the baking sheet, and bake at 375 degrees until just cooked through, for 10-12 minutes
- In a large mixing bowl, flake the salmon into the bowl being careful to discard the skin and grey flesh under the skin
- Place the cooked salmon into the fridge for at least a half hour to chill
- Mix the rest of the ingredients into a separate, smaller mixing bowl, making the dressing for the salad
- Once the salmon has chilled, mix the dressing into the salmon, and stir evenly
- Let sit and chill for at least 30 minutes
- Serve with crostinis and friends
Bird’s Eye View Sammy
When you’re on an adventure, you need a sandwich that will travel well, and fuel you right – plenty of bright flavor, and a bite that eats well served cold (which is usually the way to serve revenge, but a good sandwich, too). A nice, juicy, roasted turkey breast nestles up just right against some creamy taleggio cheese, a bright, tangy cranberry mayo and fresh tomatoes on a nice, grilled ciabatta bread and some peppery arugula gives you a texture mix and mouthfeel that is only outshone by the great flavors that really compliment each other – like sunshine someone’s beautiful hair on a picnic, our the mist from a secret waterfall. You want to have a sammy that’s as memorable as the place you’ve taken some risks to get to, but this sandwich isn’t risky, guaranteed to be great rain or shine, and at any elevation.
- Yield: 2 Sandwhiches
Ingredients
- ¼ cup of cranberry mayo (ingredients/directions below)
- 8 ounces of taleggio cheese (or brie can work just as well)
- Olive oil
- 1 lb of cooked duck bacon (reserve the duck fat to make something fun with later, like home fries)
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
- Pinch of salt
- 5 ripe plum tomatoes, sliced to ¼ inch thick
- 1 cup fresh arugula
- ½ pound of freshly cut roasted turkey breast (or thickly sliced turkey deli meat)
- 1 loaf of ciabatta bread, halved diagonally and lengthwise
Ingredients for Cranberry Mayo
- ¼ cup of mayo
- ¼ cup of canned whole cranberry sauce
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
- Dash of salt
Directions for Cranberry Mayo
- Mix all ingredients evenly
Ingredients for Roasted Turkey
- Turkey with bone
- 1 ½ cups of EVOO
- 1 tablespoon of minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon orgenio
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1 teaspoon parsley
Directions for Roasted Turkey
- Mix the EVOO in a bowl with the garlic, paprika, orgenio, thyme and parsley in a bowl
- Use a meat injector to and insert the marinade into the fatty parts of the turkey ( if you don’t own a meat injector you can use a knife to add holes and a turkey baster)
- Basted the top of the turkey with the marinade as well
- Let it sit in the fridge overnight but minimum of 4 hours
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
- Cook 20 minutes per pound of the turkey
Directions for the Sandwich
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
- Mix the EVOO with the granulated garlic and salt
- Brush the inside of the top and bottom of bread with oil
- On the inside of the top of the bread, generously spread the cheese into a nice, thick layer
- Slide into the oven and bake for 3-4 minutes, until the tops crisp a bit
- Once the bread has cooled, slather the cranberry mayo across the bottom
- Layer the arugula across the mayo
- Place the turkey across the arugula
- Place the slices of duck bacon across the top of the turkey
- Make a fine layer of the tomatoes
- Place on top
- Wrap tightly in foil or paper so it can travel well
- Do some adventurin’
That’s Us. Want to Hang?
© 2023 Spatchcock Funk. All Rights Reserved