The Hempie Chef: Cooking for Judah of Tru Reelz Productions

The Hempie Chef and Judah cook up some tasty grub - with a twist, of course - and discuss the documentary 'American Dream, Cali's Prop 215.'

Judah of Tru Reelz Productions and I first met at Dennis Peron's Castro Castle at a party we were throwing. He's a tall, soft-spoken, gentle, spiritual and soulful man. I kept running into Judah at various hemp festivals all over the world, from California, Oregon, Washington and Colorado to Amsterdam.

Tru Reelz Productions was co-founded in 2007 by Judah and Eddie Funxta. Frustrated with what was going on in the film industry, they felt as if they could make a change. The pair began traveling around the world, from America to Israel, Jordan and Holland, working on short films, documentaries and music.

Together, they have released a short film (One Day in Petra) and two music videos - Marlon Asher's Ganja Cowboy and Laow Dat Ganja with Tristan Palmer - plus two full-length reggae tour documentaries, Smoke Tree Tour and Legalize It Tour, both with Marlon Asher. In this year alone, Tru Reelz is promoting three releases: Amsterdam XXX, Konshens Live In California and the soundtrack to the highly anticipated documentary, American Dream, Cali's Prop 215, which hits film festivals in early 2014.

American Dream is about medical marijuana and how California - through the passage of Proposition 215 in 1996 - enabled the state's citizens to use Cannabis medicinally, igniting the fire for the rest of the country to open its eyes to the healing properties of medi-weed. The documentary stars Dennis Peron, Jack Herer, Rick Simpson, Ed Rosenthal, Tommy Chong, Redman, Keith Stroup, the DNA Genetics crew, Elvy Musikka, Eddy Lepp, Soma, Derry from Barney's Farm, Franco from Green House and Milo Yung from Big Buddah Seeds, just to name a few! Music on the documentary is provided by Marlon Asher, Josh Heinrichs, Yeti Beats featuring Tippa Irie, Junior Reid, Sizzla, Kurupt, Real One, Meen Green, Mendo Dope, Highdro, Rod Deal and The Ideals and Los Marijuanos.

In November, Tru Reelz Productions will debut the soundtrack to American Dream, Cali's Prop 215 and Asher will also drop his brand new studio album, Illusions; both will be available on iTunes. Be on the lookout for 'Ganja Farmer O.G.' - a new strain collaboration between Marlon and Loud Seeds - which also makes its November debut at the Cannabis Cup in Amsterdam.

You can keep up with Tru Reelz Productions on Facebook and YouTube, or feel free to e-mail Judah at trureelz@gmail.com with your questions. They would love to hear from you.

So, what kind of food does Judah like? "Ha, ha, that's easy," he responds, grinning widely, "fried chicken, mashed potatoes and lima beans for dinner, with a bowl of pomegranates for dessert!"

I'm-So-Fried Chicken

Ingredients:
1 (3- to 4-lb.) chicken, cut up into 10 pieces
Kosher salt
Freshly-ground black pepper
3 c. all-purpose canna-flour
2 T. garlic powder
2 T. onion powder
2 T. sweet paprika
2 t. cayenne pepper
1 qt. buttermilk
2 T. hot chili sauce
¼ bunch fresh thyme
3 big sprigs fresh rosemary
¼ bunch fresh sage
½ head garlic, smashed, husk still attached
Canna-oil (for frying)
Lemon wedges (for garnish)

Directions:
Put the chicken pieces into a large bowl. Cover the chicken with water by one inch; add one tablespoon of salt for each quart of water used. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours, or overnight.

In a large, shallow platter, mix the canna-flour, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika and cayenne until well combined; season generously with salt and pepper. In another platter, combine the buttermilk and hot sauce with a fork, then season with salt and pepper.

Drain the chicken and pat it dry. Dredge the pieces - only a few at a time - in the canna-flour mixture, then dip them into the buttermilk; dredge them a second time in the seasoned canna-flour. Set the chicken aside and let it rest while you prepare the canna-oil.

Put about three inches of canna-oil into a large, deep pot - the oil should not fill the pot more than halfway. Add the thyme, rosemary, sage and garlic to the cool canna-oil and heat over medium-high heat, until the canna-oil registers 350° to 365° F (one of those clip-on deep-fry thermometers is handy for temping your oil). The herbs and garlic will perfume the canna-oil with their flavor as the canna-oil comes up to temperature.

Once the canna-oil has reached 350° to 365° F, working in batches, carefully fry just three or four chicken pieces at a time. Turn the pieces once, until the chicken is golden brown and cooked-through, about twelve minutes. Total cooking time should be about thirty minutes.

When the chicken is done, take a big skimmer and remove the chicken pieces and herbs from the pot - shaking off as much oil as you can - and lay them on a tea towel or brown paper bag to soak up any excess grease. Sprinkle all over with more salt and a dusting of cracked black pepper. Repeat process with the remaining chicken pieces.

Once all the chicken is cooked, scatter the fried herbs and garlic over the top. Serve hot, with big lemon wedges.

Roasted Lima Beans

Ingredients:
1 c. giant lima beans (dried)
4 c. water
¼ c. canna-olive oil
1 lime, juiced
1 t. coarse salt
1 t. cayenne pepper

Directions:
Place the beans and water in a large saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cover; cook until the beans are just softened, about one hour. Remove from the heat. Drain the beans and cool them down under running water. Drain thoroughly again and spread on paper towels to dry.

Preheat your oven to 425° F. Toss beans with the canna-olive oil and season with salt, lime juice and cayenne. Spread them out on a baking sheet and place the sheet into the preheated oven. Roast until beans begin to brown slightly; serve warm or at room temperature. Increase recipe for more diners.

Mashed POTatoes

Ingredients:
20 large Idaho potatoes, peeled and diced
4 c. (2 pounds or 8 sticks) unsalted canna-butter
1 qt. heavy cream
1 c. chives, chopped
Salt and freshly-ground black pepper

Directions:
In a large saucepan, boil the potatoes until fork-tender; drain all the liquid and return cooked potatoes to saucepan. Smash together with a potato masher (or use your traditional method of mashing), removing all the lumps.

Stir or whisk in the canna-butter and heavy cream, a little at a time, until potatoes reach the required consistency. Season with salt and pepper and serve garnished with chopped chives. Reduce recipe for smaller gatherings.