Somehow I managed to drive to my moms house, buy and make the meal and it was to celebrate my birthday. Now that is commitment to go food. Mom threaten to take something out of the "freezer". There is nothing wrong with freezer meat - I have a ton of it myself and it's economical - but I wanted a caloric bomb of mass carbohydrate destruction.
So, I made my puttanesca pasta sauce and it was so delicious and easy you should make it too. I will even put a variation below to make it even more time-friendly.
But, here is the thing... you use the shortcut you really must at least try and find Chento Sanmarsano tomatoes. They are amazing and they can take the place of par-boiling tomatoes, skinning them and gutting them. If you can't use find Chento then use Cantadina - but for gods sake don't use Huntz - they are NASTY. Meir Glen is also a good organic brand but not very well spiced. However, I will use their roasted tomatoes over any other brand and especially home made because in this case it just isn't worth the time and energy. But I need to say again - DON"T use Huntz. Huntz is the tinny, metallic, bland ketchup of tomatoes productions so stay away from it when you make this recipe.
And the second thing. This recipe contains Anchovy fillets. Don't be afraid I guarantee you ate them in many Italian sauces before without knowing it and it's the secret ingredient in this recipe. If you say "yuck I don't like fish" I will reach out of the Internet and slap you - because as I stated before - the recipe is killer, easy and it doesn't taste like anchovies or fish.
Please give this one a go -it's my birthday gift to you on my birthday!
3 lbs ripe tomatoes - the big round ones or 4 large cans of stewed tomatoes cut into reasonable size pieces.
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
*6 anchovies fillets
10 cloves of crushed garlic
1 tbsp fresh red pepper FLAKES - don't be a woosie
handful of whole green olives (garlic stuffed is awesome)
one jar of capers - they all come in about the same size jar - drained
1/2 cup of diced fresh flat leaf parsley
1-2 large jars of sweet roasted red peppers - drained
1 lb of pasta
In a large deep pan saute the garlic, olive oil, anchovies and red pepper until the anchovies melt into nothing. Then, add all of the rest of the ingredients and cook for 20 min. At the end put in the parsley so brighten up the color. Make the pasta, toss it into the sauce to coat and you are done.
If you have access to a ton of tomatoes you can use them by tossing them into a pot of boiling water (can be the same on as you will use for the pasta). Once the skin cracks take them out and set them to the side to cool. The skin will separate from the meat and you can easily peal it off. Also, take out the seeks on the inside.
* Look for the Italian anchovies that are in a jar. These anchovies are smaller, packed in good oil and the bones or small enough that they will disintegrate. You don't de-bone the little fillets - you just toss them in and go.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Jager Shitzle at the Glockenspiel
My in-laws are very mild mannered people and I try not to pick places to eat that are loud and obnoxious because we end up spending the meal asking each other to repeat ourselves and exercising politeness that absolutely nobody around us is exercising. Just isn't the right mix.
That's why when we went to Gastovs over in NE many years ago it was a TERRIBLE idea! We went with my whole family - people who are the quintessential opposite of mild mannered. In fact it is a complete and total prerequisite that das boot makes an appearance, at least a whole meter of sausage is eaten and snuff is a competitive event.
I told myself I could be a bridge between the two families. Ya, a bridge to hell. My poor in-laws were swallowed into a sea of loudness, booze and completely overwhelmed by the restaurant.
But, being a good German girl I wanted German food for my birthday so when we picked a restaurant i decide we should try the Glockenspiel in St. Paul. I remember being there with KG a while back and the food was good - we had a swine hawk - it was brazed and really delicious. The spatzle was good, the red cabbage was good and the German potato salad was good too. The atmosphere was relatively calm and it wasn't overwhelming in the least.
So, I probably wouldn't blog about this if everything went as planned. Instead we got the last table in the open area by the entrance, our appetizer - a $7 custard bowl of pickled herring and about a dozen ritz crackers before we got our drinks. When the food came they dropped it off and never came back. Fortunately everything was completely marginal and we didn't have any looming issues that would drive us to have to hunt our waitress down or sit and give her the stink eye until her back is warming from the shear determination and irritation my gaze.
I had the jagerschnitzle, it was marginal, not really tender, a bit gristly and bland, the spatzle was flaccid and totally flavorless. And my mother in law got the spagzle type mac n cheese and it looked like wall-paper glue and she said it was fine but a bit bland. Remember at this point that the family is a Midwestern Norwegian family so they know what bland is - and that was bland as bland could be.
Everyone else had the sausage.. it was fine but a plate of sausage with cabbage and nothing else is a little lite for the price - unless you are on an adkins diet in which case you would order two.
They ran out of hi-chairs and booster seats so the group behind us had their toddler on a chair with a pillow. What a bummer. That group also had the host come and apologize more than once about the long wait.
The menu was unremarkable - slight variations on the same ingredients. A lot of pork, sausage, spatzle and kraut.
The table just to their side told the waitress when she finally came back around that they were given the wrong dinner. By that time the other people in the party had already finished their meals and that poor guy hadn't had a bite. Apple strudel and a smile was not going to fix that.
Finally, the candle on top of the birthday cake happened when a little old guy left to his car and slapped his waitress on the tush so hard the crack actually caught my mother-in law's attention. My eyes were as big as saucers and when I told her what made the noise she thought it was pretty funny. The old guy had such a happy look on his face - he knew what he was doing. I hope to be naughty and get away with it when I am an old woman too.
So, all in all - I give the Glockenspiel a super C rating. In my husband's words - the price point did not massage the value.
Gastovs was loud but it was fun and the food wasn't too bad. Next we are going to the black forest in Mpls.
That's why when we went to Gastovs over in NE many years ago it was a TERRIBLE idea! We went with my whole family - people who are the quintessential opposite of mild mannered. In fact it is a complete and total prerequisite that das boot makes an appearance, at least a whole meter of sausage is eaten and snuff is a competitive event.
I told myself I could be a bridge between the two families. Ya, a bridge to hell. My poor in-laws were swallowed into a sea of loudness, booze and completely overwhelmed by the restaurant.
But, being a good German girl I wanted German food for my birthday so when we picked a restaurant i decide we should try the Glockenspiel in St. Paul. I remember being there with KG a while back and the food was good - we had a swine hawk - it was brazed and really delicious. The spatzle was good, the red cabbage was good and the German potato salad was good too. The atmosphere was relatively calm and it wasn't overwhelming in the least.
So, I probably wouldn't blog about this if everything went as planned. Instead we got the last table in the open area by the entrance, our appetizer - a $7 custard bowl of pickled herring and about a dozen ritz crackers before we got our drinks. When the food came they dropped it off and never came back. Fortunately everything was completely marginal and we didn't have any looming issues that would drive us to have to hunt our waitress down or sit and give her the stink eye until her back is warming from the shear determination and irritation my gaze.
I had the jagerschnitzle, it was marginal, not really tender, a bit gristly and bland, the spatzle was flaccid and totally flavorless. And my mother in law got the spagzle type mac n cheese and it looked like wall-paper glue and she said it was fine but a bit bland. Remember at this point that the family is a Midwestern Norwegian family so they know what bland is - and that was bland as bland could be.
Everyone else had the sausage.. it was fine but a plate of sausage with cabbage and nothing else is a little lite for the price - unless you are on an adkins diet in which case you would order two.
They ran out of hi-chairs and booster seats so the group behind us had their toddler on a chair with a pillow. What a bummer. That group also had the host come and apologize more than once about the long wait.
The menu was unremarkable - slight variations on the same ingredients. A lot of pork, sausage, spatzle and kraut.
The table just to their side told the waitress when she finally came back around that they were given the wrong dinner. By that time the other people in the party had already finished their meals and that poor guy hadn't had a bite. Apple strudel and a smile was not going to fix that.
Finally, the candle on top of the birthday cake happened when a little old guy left to his car and slapped his waitress on the tush so hard the crack actually caught my mother-in law's attention. My eyes were as big as saucers and when I told her what made the noise she thought it was pretty funny. The old guy had such a happy look on his face - he knew what he was doing. I hope to be naughty and get away with it when I am an old woman too.
So, all in all - I give the Glockenspiel a super C rating. In my husband's words - the price point did not massage the value.
Gastovs was loud but it was fun and the food wasn't too bad. Next we are going to the black forest in Mpls.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Sausage Pizza hold the Pizza
My family has a strange and intimate relationship with sausage. We get it at Ready Meats in NE - we get it as Morellies in St. Paul, we get it with our Bucca Pasta, we get pounds of it made when we order our buffalo. One of my friends heads straight to the fridge to get a beef stick as soon as she gets into the kitchen and I never travel for longer than 2 hours without stocking up. When dieting it's also great!
Did you know that the number one snack food in Minnesota is meat. Yup - meat pounds and pounds of jerky and sausage links. You can buy them individually at the gas station or you can buy a five pound brick at Gander Mountain. Because what goes better than camping and sausage. We are very tribal in Minnesota going back to our roots and eating sausage pizza hold the pizza.
So KG decided he wanted a meat grinder/sausage maker for fathers-day. I am enthusiastic about it and we both decided to get a really nice one from his work. I knew that we could give it away, maybe if it's good we can sell it to friends along with our pickled beans. Our house is going to smell like wieners and we are going to have feet upon feet of wieners hanging from the rafters.
We had to wait to get it delivered and in the mean-time I decided to sharpen my charicuterie skills and enhance my sausage handling. And KG was totally up for it!
I decided to make sausage filled raviolis and I was going to make my own pasta dough too boot. The recipes as easy at it gets and I just knew it was going to be tasty so it was worth doing.
Here is my recipe for sausage raviolis - or any other stuffing you want. This recipe will make about 50 average size raviolis - enough for five people to eat a large portion. You can also freeze the raviolis or the dough and make some later. I approach this like pickling or making tamales - more than one person is nice and it will take some time.
Pasta:
16 oz of regular flour
12 eggs
2 whole eggs
2 tbsp milk
1 tbsp oil
You can either dump it into your mixer or you can make a pile on your counter-top put the wet ingredients in the middle and slowly incorporate it until you get a firm ball. Either way you want to eventually dust your counter with flour and work the dough over and over until everything is incorporated and you can exercised the dough. If you want to add some color/flavor go ahead and puree some spinach or roasted peppers but go easy on the eggs so that the dough doesn't get to mooshey. Cover it with cling wrap or a slightly damp towel and set aside for 30 min.
Stuffing:
1/2 lb spicy Italian sausage
1/2 lb lean ground meat or veal or turkey
1 cup bread crumbs
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup diced parsley
8 gloves of garlic
two eggs
Brown the meat - then add the garlic and parsley until cooked and wilted. Set aside and let it cool down. Once it is cook enough to add the eggs w/o cooking them put the meat into a food processor and then add all of the rest of the ingredients but set aside 1/2 of the bread crumbs and add it slowly until you get a firm but not hard texture of the mix.
Now cut you dough into 4 pieces and either press it through a pasta maker or use a rolling pin on our counter. Get it as think as you possibly can.
You can make what ever side or shape of pasta that you want - it all cooks the same. I like to use shot glasses to make a smaller size ravioli. You can also make squares and experiment with tortellini.
Remember to keep the dough covered so it doesn't dry out.
Once you finish raviolis either put them on a well dusted baking sheet to dry or put then on a cookie rack. Make sure to dust the heck out of the bottom. The ingredients will soak through the dough and make it gummy and pasty if you don't generously flour the bottom of the pasta. Furthermore you should try to source a baking cooling rack so you get air flow under the pasta and there is less flat contact between the pasta and the bottom surface.
Let the pasta dry out for 4 hours and then put away in the fridge. I like to use those large flat disposable containers and I am sure to dust was paper between the raviolis and try not to make then touch each other if possible. Until it is frozen you will want to handle with care.
When you cook them set them out on the counter for 30 minutes and then salt some water (see the pasta blog for pointers) and cook for three minutes each. Test a few first and then eat it to see if it's ok. Pull the raviolis out one by one - do not dump them into a colander. You can either put them right into the sauce you have chosen or you can put them on an oiled pan or dish. Do not let them touch until there is a good lubricant between them like sauce or oil.
After all of the work you put into this be sure to store, cook and serve carefully so you don't ruin all of your hard labor!
Enjoy-a
Did you know that the number one snack food in Minnesota is meat. Yup - meat pounds and pounds of jerky and sausage links. You can buy them individually at the gas station or you can buy a five pound brick at Gander Mountain. Because what goes better than camping and sausage. We are very tribal in Minnesota going back to our roots and eating sausage pizza hold the pizza.
So KG decided he wanted a meat grinder/sausage maker for fathers-day. I am enthusiastic about it and we both decided to get a really nice one from his work. I knew that we could give it away, maybe if it's good we can sell it to friends along with our pickled beans. Our house is going to smell like wieners and we are going to have feet upon feet of wieners hanging from the rafters.
We had to wait to get it delivered and in the mean-time I decided to sharpen my charicuterie skills and enhance my sausage handling. And KG was totally up for it!
I decided to make sausage filled raviolis and I was going to make my own pasta dough too boot. The recipes as easy at it gets and I just knew it was going to be tasty so it was worth doing.
Here is my recipe for sausage raviolis - or any other stuffing you want. This recipe will make about 50 average size raviolis - enough for five people to eat a large portion. You can also freeze the raviolis or the dough and make some later. I approach this like pickling or making tamales - more than one person is nice and it will take some time.
Pasta:
16 oz of regular flour
12 eggs
2 whole eggs
2 tbsp milk
1 tbsp oil
You can either dump it into your mixer or you can make a pile on your counter-top put the wet ingredients in the middle and slowly incorporate it until you get a firm ball. Either way you want to eventually dust your counter with flour and work the dough over and over until everything is incorporated and you can exercised the dough. If you want to add some color/flavor go ahead and puree some spinach or roasted peppers but go easy on the eggs so that the dough doesn't get to mooshey. Cover it with cling wrap or a slightly damp towel and set aside for 30 min.
Stuffing:
1/2 lb spicy Italian sausage
1/2 lb lean ground meat or veal or turkey
1 cup bread crumbs
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup diced parsley
8 gloves of garlic
two eggs
Brown the meat - then add the garlic and parsley until cooked and wilted. Set aside and let it cool down. Once it is cook enough to add the eggs w/o cooking them put the meat into a food processor and then add all of the rest of the ingredients but set aside 1/2 of the bread crumbs and add it slowly until you get a firm but not hard texture of the mix.
Now cut you dough into 4 pieces and either press it through a pasta maker or use a rolling pin on our counter. Get it as think as you possibly can.
You can make what ever side or shape of pasta that you want - it all cooks the same. I like to use shot glasses to make a smaller size ravioli. You can also make squares and experiment with tortellini.
Remember to keep the dough covered so it doesn't dry out.
Once you finish raviolis either put them on a well dusted baking sheet to dry or put then on a cookie rack. Make sure to dust the heck out of the bottom. The ingredients will soak through the dough and make it gummy and pasty if you don't generously flour the bottom of the pasta. Furthermore you should try to source a baking cooling rack so you get air flow under the pasta and there is less flat contact between the pasta and the bottom surface.
Let the pasta dry out for 4 hours and then put away in the fridge. I like to use those large flat disposable containers and I am sure to dust was paper between the raviolis and try not to make then touch each other if possible. Until it is frozen you will want to handle with care.
When you cook them set them out on the counter for 30 minutes and then salt some water (see the pasta blog for pointers) and cook for three minutes each. Test a few first and then eat it to see if it's ok. Pull the raviolis out one by one - do not dump them into a colander. You can either put them right into the sauce you have chosen or you can put them on an oiled pan or dish. Do not let them touch until there is a good lubricant between them like sauce or oil.
After all of the work you put into this be sure to store, cook and serve carefully so you don't ruin all of your hard labor!
Enjoy-a
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Fat Italian Gramma: Whoot Whoot - Nice Tots!
Fat Italian Gramma: Whoot Whoot - Nice Tots!: "A couple of years ago my then fiance and I decided to go down and visit his parents. They live in a rural area not a long drive from Walnut..."
Whoot Whoot - Nice Tots!
A couple of years ago my then fiance and I decided to go down and visit his parents. They live in a rural area not a long drive from Walnut Grove so we decided we were going to have some good clean fun and go to the original home of Laura Ingles Wilder.
Now that I am much much more mature I don't do this - but way back in the olden days I used to get a little bit cranky when I was forced to be good. Literally - and it's not that I am bad - I have manners and the whole nine - it's just that I wanted to be better - super good for his parents. Because they are really and truly good people. I have some growing up to do. So, when faced with the challenge of not swearing, eating like a lady, looking interested, figuring out small topics of conversation that do not include farts, my love for cocktails, the latest naughty shenanigan of one of my family members I don't tend to have much to add to the conversation.
I was particularly paranoid about talking about food - I didn't want to come off as being a pompass food-snob to people who knew the value of working hard for a meal - something our generation has absolutely no clue about. They also have good motivation for their good-behaviour. They live in a smaller community where every one knows if their neighbors drapes match their carpet, they are active in their religious and their civic community and in a smaller community you can't melt away into the social fabric like in urban settings - people really seem to know each other and I would imagine that respectfulness and gratitude is pretty key in such close quarters where minor offences can get you flogged - or at least stink-eyed when you come into the Wooden Shoe bar to get a boiler maker at 5:30 after you dropped off your first load of soy-beans. (I think I just typed the longest sentence on record).
So, to make this part of the story even longer - they are well-behaved, I am the demon seed and end up with a lot of bottled up bad behavior and a totally R rated inner-monologue.
So, with all do respect for the Wilder family, the dugout on plum river was such a let-down. We are literally talking about a bump in a field next to a tiny little stream that has about as much water flowing through it as my neighbor's boulevard when they drain their pool. Not to mention the freakin' bugs!!! Dude! We all stood around trying to be well-behaved trying to make small talk so we didn't seem like we were rushing each other - as if any one of us wanted to stand around in a field taking in the history even one more second. So, finally.. someone is like - well, I supposed we should maybe go into town and go to the museum what do you think? In chorus everyone was like " oooo yaaa - that is such a goood idea - ya well - ya then that just sounds like a good idea now.." (insert your best MN Norwegian accent here).
So we head into town and learned we missed the Laura Ingles Wilder pageant by about two months - I guess their marketing budget is pretty small and they leave the advertisements up year around save for a few dated ones off the highway. So, we head over to the museum and I'll be honest... to use corporate terms I was "non plus" about it - it was more of an homage to the show than to the actual person. I read all of those books as a kid and loved them. I DVR the episodes so I have something uplifting to watch in the middle of the *night when my mind is spinning. So I was looking forward to a little more history. But we got our money's worth and I got to check it off of my minor-minor-bucket list.
When we were done we decided to get some lunch and as luck would have it - there was a diner right across the road - by golly it was Nellie's Cafe! Go figure!
In restaurant evolution I have noticed the following: Really salt of the earth places do alla-cart food where you pick the sandwich, then you pick a vegetable like coleslaw or what ever and then you pick a start and you compose the whole thing yourself. Then you get to the mid-range where they toss a buch of stuff into a basket and then typically toss it into a friar full of old oil and then onto your table - food, fries and other odd items (liked deep fried pickle garnish) and you pay one price. Then you go up one more class of restaurant and you are back to Ala-cart again. This is a serious trip hazard for those unfamiliar with fine dining as you assume that the $21 chicken breast is a meal - but o that is not so - it's just the chicken. I secretly find it amusing when you see the meals being served to teenagers at prom and they have this confused look on their face like "what the hell is going on? Is this it???" "Ummmmm.... what is the difference between table water and flat water???". This is amusing because I am a bad person.
Back to the story - I see the wonder-bread through the kitchen door and know that this is going to be interesting. We get the bomb-ass table literally right next to the window air-conditioner - that was cranked way up because it was sweltering outside. This table came equipped with a hood and fly swatter and the first thing I had to do was fold up some napkin and put it under the table leg so that the fresh cups of water didn't slide off the side of the table. Did I mention how much we looked like interlopers??? Were were eye-balled by the rest of the folks for so long I had to bite my tongue not to yell out "take a picture - it lasts longer".
When we ordered everyone was trying to be on their ultra best behavior - screw getting what you want or indulging on something fancy. We need to establish our frugality and be sure not to look too indulgent or pushy. There could be an ambassador around that frequents their home town and would report back that they had desert before lunch. So, we ordered and of course there is a strange order to this process - the "no you first... no - you first... ooo - - nooooo - gooo ahead" so my husband starts and goes for the ham and cheese. I wanted to desperately explain that my intuition tells me it is going to be a tiny sandwich on a tiny part sitting alone. But I didn't. Then everyone else ordered their tiny sandwiches and I knew nibble on their sandwich for as long as it lasted so as not to look like the piglet of Walnut Grove. But, my mother in-law surprised me and asked if everyone would share an order of tots. We all agreed.
When the meal was served on wonder bread and little four inch in diameter plates (including the tots) we all sucked up our reaction and Ann distributed evenly the tots - one for each of us. And then there was one damned tot left. Hmmmmm... with our super-manners how were we going to handle the situation???? Of course we waited and waited for someone to grab it naturally, then we all fussed "no you have it, o no - I am stuffed you have it - no really please do"
This where I came to my breaking point... and couldn't help myself I had two options 1) reach across the table and flick it off of the plate onto the floor and across the restaurant so as to end it - or tell KG to freakin' eat it for gods sake!!! Instead of either 1 or 2 I said KG please go for it - and he did because I said "please" so politely.
Yes folks - I was a good girl. I minded my manners and everything. And from that point on we make sure to pack snacks on road-trips.
To honor the tot I have this recipe from my gramma:
One bag of tots
One can of cream of mushroom soup
One cup of milk
One can of green beans
One pound of burger
1/2 cup diced onions
1/2 cup of diced mushrooms (optional)
Seasoning Salt, Garlic salt or just good old salt (please no iodized if you can help it).
Grind the Burger and add the seasonings to taste. Combine this with the rest of the ingredients but the tots and milk. Now use the milk a little at a time until you get it to a smooth paste but not runny. Simmer for a few minutes until the mixture is heated through. Now line the top of the dish with tator tots until the whole top is covered in tots. Now read the the tot bag for the baking time and instructions as if you were just making the tots alone. Once it is done let it sit and cool for 15-20 min. so it can set-up.
I think you can add just about what ever the heck you want to this dish to fill it out or change it to reflect what you have left in your fridge or cabinets.
Enjoy!
Now that I am much much more mature I don't do this - but way back in the olden days I used to get a little bit cranky when I was forced to be good. Literally - and it's not that I am bad - I have manners and the whole nine - it's just that I wanted to be better - super good for his parents. Because they are really and truly good people. I have some growing up to do. So, when faced with the challenge of not swearing, eating like a lady, looking interested, figuring out small topics of conversation that do not include farts, my love for cocktails, the latest naughty shenanigan of one of my family members I don't tend to have much to add to the conversation.
I was particularly paranoid about talking about food - I didn't want to come off as being a pompass food-snob to people who knew the value of working hard for a meal - something our generation has absolutely no clue about. They also have good motivation for their good-behaviour. They live in a smaller community where every one knows if their neighbors drapes match their carpet, they are active in their religious and their civic community and in a smaller community you can't melt away into the social fabric like in urban settings - people really seem to know each other and I would imagine that respectfulness and gratitude is pretty key in such close quarters where minor offences can get you flogged - or at least stink-eyed when you come into the Wooden Shoe bar to get a boiler maker at 5:30 after you dropped off your first load of soy-beans. (I think I just typed the longest sentence on record).
So, to make this part of the story even longer - they are well-behaved, I am the demon seed and end up with a lot of bottled up bad behavior and a totally R rated inner-monologue.
So, with all do respect for the Wilder family, the dugout on plum river was such a let-down. We are literally talking about a bump in a field next to a tiny little stream that has about as much water flowing through it as my neighbor's boulevard when they drain their pool. Not to mention the freakin' bugs!!! Dude! We all stood around trying to be well-behaved trying to make small talk so we didn't seem like we were rushing each other - as if any one of us wanted to stand around in a field taking in the history even one more second. So, finally.. someone is like - well, I supposed we should maybe go into town and go to the museum what do you think? In chorus everyone was like " oooo yaaa - that is such a goood idea - ya well - ya then that just sounds like a good idea now.." (insert your best MN Norwegian accent here).
So we head into town and learned we missed the Laura Ingles Wilder pageant by about two months - I guess their marketing budget is pretty small and they leave the advertisements up year around save for a few dated ones off the highway. So, we head over to the museum and I'll be honest... to use corporate terms I was "non plus" about it - it was more of an homage to the show than to the actual person. I read all of those books as a kid and loved them. I DVR the episodes so I have something uplifting to watch in the middle of the *night when my mind is spinning. So I was looking forward to a little more history. But we got our money's worth and I got to check it off of my minor-minor-bucket list.
When we were done we decided to get some lunch and as luck would have it - there was a diner right across the road - by golly it was Nellie's Cafe! Go figure!
In restaurant evolution I have noticed the following: Really salt of the earth places do alla-cart food where you pick the sandwich, then you pick a vegetable like coleslaw or what ever and then you pick a start and you compose the whole thing yourself. Then you get to the mid-range where they toss a buch of stuff into a basket and then typically toss it into a friar full of old oil and then onto your table - food, fries and other odd items (liked deep fried pickle garnish) and you pay one price. Then you go up one more class of restaurant and you are back to Ala-cart again. This is a serious trip hazard for those unfamiliar with fine dining as you assume that the $21 chicken breast is a meal - but o that is not so - it's just the chicken. I secretly find it amusing when you see the meals being served to teenagers at prom and they have this confused look on their face like "what the hell is going on? Is this it???" "Ummmmm.... what is the difference between table water and flat water???". This is amusing because I am a bad person.
Back to the story - I see the wonder-bread through the kitchen door and know that this is going to be interesting. We get the bomb-ass table literally right next to the window air-conditioner - that was cranked way up because it was sweltering outside. This table came equipped with a hood and fly swatter and the first thing I had to do was fold up some napkin and put it under the table leg so that the fresh cups of water didn't slide off the side of the table. Did I mention how much we looked like interlopers??? Were were eye-balled by the rest of the folks for so long I had to bite my tongue not to yell out "take a picture - it lasts longer".
When we ordered everyone was trying to be on their ultra best behavior - screw getting what you want or indulging on something fancy. We need to establish our frugality and be sure not to look too indulgent or pushy. There could be an ambassador around that frequents their home town and would report back that they had desert before lunch. So, we ordered and of course there is a strange order to this process - the "no you first... no - you first... ooo - - nooooo - gooo ahead" so my husband starts and goes for the ham and cheese. I wanted to desperately explain that my intuition tells me it is going to be a tiny sandwich on a tiny part sitting alone. But I didn't. Then everyone else ordered their tiny sandwiches and I knew nibble on their sandwich for as long as it lasted so as not to look like the piglet of Walnut Grove. But, my mother in-law surprised me and asked if everyone would share an order of tots. We all agreed.
When the meal was served on wonder bread and little four inch in diameter plates (including the tots) we all sucked up our reaction and Ann distributed evenly the tots - one for each of us. And then there was one damned tot left. Hmmmmm... with our super-manners how were we going to handle the situation???? Of course we waited and waited for someone to grab it naturally, then we all fussed "no you have it, o no - I am stuffed you have it - no really please do"
This where I came to my breaking point... and couldn't help myself I had two options 1) reach across the table and flick it off of the plate onto the floor and across the restaurant so as to end it - or tell KG to freakin' eat it for gods sake!!! Instead of either 1 or 2 I said KG please go for it - and he did because I said "please" so politely.
Yes folks - I was a good girl. I minded my manners and everything. And from that point on we make sure to pack snacks on road-trips.
To honor the tot I have this recipe from my gramma:
One bag of tots
One can of cream of mushroom soup
One cup of milk
One can of green beans
One pound of burger
1/2 cup diced onions
1/2 cup of diced mushrooms (optional)
Seasoning Salt, Garlic salt or just good old salt (please no iodized if you can help it).
Grind the Burger and add the seasonings to taste. Combine this with the rest of the ingredients but the tots and milk. Now use the milk a little at a time until you get it to a smooth paste but not runny. Simmer for a few minutes until the mixture is heated through. Now line the top of the dish with tator tots until the whole top is covered in tots. Now read the the tot bag for the baking time and instructions as if you were just making the tots alone. Once it is done let it sit and cool for 15-20 min. so it can set-up.
I think you can add just about what ever the heck you want to this dish to fill it out or change it to reflect what you have left in your fridge or cabinets.
Enjoy!
Monday, June 13, 2011
What What in the Butt
Karl and I decided to make scramritos scrambled egg burritos. I love this name - something my good friend Rachel and Natalie introduced me to :-)
This recipe is made with pork-butt sometimes referred to as a pork shoulder. A little history on the Butt - back in the "olden days" they used to partition animal parts into larger quantities of meat by zone - so a Pork Butt usually considered of a number of other cuts of meat around the shoulder area of the pig - so you will find it under both titles. This cut is also the best option if you have a recipe for Green Ham - which is what you call a raw ham - this is used in a prolific Latino recipe on Christmas!
So this one you could even do while you are at work or have things to do that taker a while. The longer and lower you cook the better it will be.
We made the butt last night - it was about a 4lb butt so not all that big but just perfect for Karl and I and some left-overs.
First I brined it - brining infuses the meat with salt which then enables the protein molecules to obsorbe or bond with water and not let them go. You can brine for as few as 2 hours for a 4-5lb. butt of even over night.
I brined this butt in:
6 Cups H2O
6 tsp of chicken bullion
2 Bay Leaf
1 Tbsp Pepper Corns
Dump it together in a contain and refrigerate! I would not reccoment using a metal or cast iron pan as the salt will pitt the finish.
Once done brining take the butt out but don't rinse it off. Brining work for most meat - the smaller the cut the less time you need to brine so you can brine thin cut pork chops for a little as 20min. Or you can brine a turkey over night or up to 24 hours. The ingredients beyond the salt are totally up to you and add different flavors but are not totally necessary. BUT I have one total MUST - please do not use Iodized salt in the blue can - it is so acidic and nasty! Pick up a box or jar of Kosher Salt or Flake Salt - it's extremely cheep. In your other cooking you will need to salt and taste and use marginally more as it's volume is larger than Iodized.
MMKKK - Here is the But Recipe:
1 4-5 lb brined butt
6 cups chicken broth -
4 Orange juice - or Orange Pineapple
I use the bullion for the salt - if you do not you might want to add in salt - don't worry about the brine.
1 med. onion - quartered
6 cloves of garlic - place on the counter and wack it to break it up a bit and let out the essential oils
1 tbsp Dill Seeds
1 tsp Crushed Pepper
1 tsp Brown Sugar (There is a boutique on the north side of Grand avenue just west of Dale that has some really cool stuff like Cinnamon salt (good on sweet potatoes or yams) a dozen variates of salts from black smoked salt to rose hip salt to cardamom salt and pink salt. Great ideas for gifts of for your own kitchen. I decided to use my jar of Maple Syrup Sugar but that is not needed.
Combine everything into a baking pan/dish - the idea is that you are going braise the meat in the juice so you want to pick a pan that is just a little bit wider than the meet. Take some foil and tightly wrap it over the top of the pan and then put the lid on top of that so none of the juicy liquid evaporates. If you pan doesn't have a lid than just wrap it well with foil. I have actually made this recipe in our smoker - but you MUST keep the heat down to 250-275 that us key. Assuming you will be putting into your oven you will set the oven for 250 and put it in - don't worry about the warm-up time just put it in - the extra heat will caramelize the outside of the meat and that's just fine. You could probably use a crock but only if you know for sure how hot it gets.
Once you have cooked it for 6 hours take it out - do NOT uncover it and let it sit for 30min. Once that has passed take it out of the pan and put it one counter for another 20 min. When the heat reduced it will suck the liquid back into the meat so do not cut it! This is called capillary action and it does make use of the residual heat that is left in the butt once you are done cooking.
You should have a really hard time getting it out of the pot because it will fall apart all over the place!
I like to use it for Scramritos - but it makes anything you can imagine that uses pork - especially delicious pulled pork
When I make scramritos I scramble some eggs (a single fried egg is also good), dice some tomato and onion, maybe some cilantro and then add some hot sauce or salsa if you fear the delicious and life giving heat of spicy food. Possibly a cure to cancer.
Just a note - I buy Stacy's Organic flour tortillas from our co-op they probably sell then at other places - in a simple plastic bag with a green slip of paper that says Stacey's tortillas. I swear they have crack in them - they are the most delicious and durable tortilla I have ever eaten.
Jump in!
This recipe is made with pork-butt sometimes referred to as a pork shoulder. A little history on the Butt - back in the "olden days" they used to partition animal parts into larger quantities of meat by zone - so a Pork Butt usually considered of a number of other cuts of meat around the shoulder area of the pig - so you will find it under both titles. This cut is also the best option if you have a recipe for Green Ham - which is what you call a raw ham - this is used in a prolific Latino recipe on Christmas!
So this one you could even do while you are at work or have things to do that taker a while. The longer and lower you cook the better it will be.
We made the butt last night - it was about a 4lb butt so not all that big but just perfect for Karl and I and some left-overs.
First I brined it - brining infuses the meat with salt which then enables the protein molecules to obsorbe or bond with water and not let them go. You can brine for as few as 2 hours for a 4-5lb. butt of even over night.
I brined this butt in:
6 Cups H2O
6 tsp of chicken bullion
2 Bay Leaf
1 Tbsp Pepper Corns
Dump it together in a contain and refrigerate! I would not reccoment using a metal or cast iron pan as the salt will pitt the finish.
Once done brining take the butt out but don't rinse it off. Brining work for most meat - the smaller the cut the less time you need to brine so you can brine thin cut pork chops for a little as 20min. Or you can brine a turkey over night or up to 24 hours. The ingredients beyond the salt are totally up to you and add different flavors but are not totally necessary. BUT I have one total MUST - please do not use Iodized salt in the blue can - it is so acidic and nasty! Pick up a box or jar of Kosher Salt or Flake Salt - it's extremely cheep. In your other cooking you will need to salt and taste and use marginally more as it's volume is larger than Iodized.
MMKKK - Here is the But Recipe:
1 4-5 lb brined butt
6 cups chicken broth -
4 Orange juice - or Orange Pineapple
I use the bullion for the salt - if you do not you might want to add in salt - don't worry about the brine.
1 med. onion - quartered
6 cloves of garlic - place on the counter and wack it to break it up a bit and let out the essential oils
1 tbsp Dill Seeds
1 tsp Crushed Pepper
1 tsp Brown Sugar (There is a boutique on the north side of Grand avenue just west of Dale that has some really cool stuff like Cinnamon salt (good on sweet potatoes or yams) a dozen variates of salts from black smoked salt to rose hip salt to cardamom salt and pink salt. Great ideas for gifts of for your own kitchen. I decided to use my jar of Maple Syrup Sugar but that is not needed.
Combine everything into a baking pan/dish - the idea is that you are going braise the meat in the juice so you want to pick a pan that is just a little bit wider than the meet. Take some foil and tightly wrap it over the top of the pan and then put the lid on top of that so none of the juicy liquid evaporates. If you pan doesn't have a lid than just wrap it well with foil. I have actually made this recipe in our smoker - but you MUST keep the heat down to 250-275 that us key. Assuming you will be putting into your oven you will set the oven for 250 and put it in - don't worry about the warm-up time just put it in - the extra heat will caramelize the outside of the meat and that's just fine. You could probably use a crock but only if you know for sure how hot it gets.
Once you have cooked it for 6 hours take it out - do NOT uncover it and let it sit for 30min. Once that has passed take it out of the pan and put it one counter for another 20 min. When the heat reduced it will suck the liquid back into the meat so do not cut it! This is called capillary action and it does make use of the residual heat that is left in the butt once you are done cooking.
You should have a really hard time getting it out of the pot because it will fall apart all over the place!
I like to use it for Scramritos - but it makes anything you can imagine that uses pork - especially delicious pulled pork
When I make scramritos I scramble some eggs (a single fried egg is also good), dice some tomato and onion, maybe some cilantro and then add some hot sauce or salsa if you fear the delicious and life giving heat of spicy food. Possibly a cure to cancer.
Just a note - I buy Stacy's Organic flour tortillas from our co-op they probably sell then at other places - in a simple plastic bag with a green slip of paper that says Stacey's tortillas. I swear they have crack in them - they are the most delicious and durable tortilla I have ever eaten.
Jump in!
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Taking A Big Pea
Trying before you buy is totally acceptable and most of the gardeners really respect the fact that you are choozie - unless you are crap in which case they call you names in a different language as you walk away - just like the ladies at the nail shop who I KNOW ARE TALKING SHIT about me right in front of my face! Or perhaps talking about all of the strange crap under my nails and conversating about what I could have possibly been doing with my hands in order to corrupt the nails to such a degree. For that reason I am going to get Rosetta Stone for Vietnamese.
I have missed cutting my own finger tip off on more than one occasion - I have fake nails to thank for that - buys listen up!!
The last time I got my nails done I was trying to make small talk so I asked Mai where she does her shopping and if she makes a lot of traditional foods - she said yes and I recommended the huge Asian market off of Dale in the Como Neighborhood - I believe it's called the flower dragon??? I'd have to check - it's about a half mile north of university on Dale - on the west side of the street.
Let me tell you about this joint. If you are insecure about being a minority (assuming you are whiter) then this is good place to fix that because you will definitely be a minority. And you know they sell fish when you get out of your car. Their sea-food is so fresh it's actually living!
The folks are so helpful you will be blown away at how accommodating they are and their willingness to explain and interpret the titles on the cans/bottles. On of my favorite brands is the Big Red Cock brand. Red can with Yellow righting and their mock-duck is pretty darn good. he he he I just can't get over the name. Karl doesn't see the humor but that's because he isn't a total juvenilely like I am. Fun police!
So back to what I was writing about before - i found this delicious cold spring salad when watching Everyday Italian with Giada De Lurentis (is it me or does she have a giant melon??). So I made a couple of minor changes but essentially it's her recipe and delicious! I will also put some short cuts.
8 cups chicken broth (Wylers dry bullion is fine unless u are watching your salt)
2 cups dry orzo (this is one that you can use what ever brand BUT Creamette - based on the principle of it)
1 -15 oz can of garbanzo beans aka chick peas drained and diced (do this the packing sauce is disgusting and will add a weird taste to the salad)
1.5 cups Tear Drop Tomatoes - or cherry or whatever cut into 3/4 inch pieces
3/4 cup fine diced scallions or red onion
1/2 cup fine diced fresh basil - FRESH
1/4 cup fine diced mint FRESH
*1 cup shucked sugar snap peas
1 diced red pepper
3/4 cup red wine vinaigrette (recipe go follow)
Salt and Pepper
You can buy a pre-made red wine vinegar if you want or the lite Italian but the lite Italian really does change the recipe and had a weird taste but is a good way to save on some calories.
Vinaigrette:
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tsp honey
2 tsp salt and pepper
1 extra virgin olive oil
Directions:
Boil the orzo in the chicken broth and drain - but do NOT rinse. Put it into a container and toss it into the fridge to get it cold.
Mix together the peppers, peas, tomatoes, onions, herbs, beans and add back the chilled orzo. Season with salt and pepper but taste it first because the chicken broth does add salt.
Mix the vinaigrette: combine vinegar, lemon, honey, salt and pepper in a blender preferably. Or use an immersion blender - you can get one for $15 at walgreens - it is also called a "stick" blender. You can make delicious creamed soups with it too.
However, you can totally mix it vigorously.
If you can let it sit for a day that is even better - the ingredients meld together nicely.
Combine everything - toss - chill and eat!
*Keep your eyes out at the market for pre-shucked peas - you can find them from time to time. I like to sit in front of the TV and watch Real Housewives of New York! You can rinse frozen peas but honestly the taste of the fresh peas and the texture is what makes this salad really work - so try at all cost to get fresh peas. You can find them at the store in the spring and at Trader Joes in the spring.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Dude...I have crabs!!
Yesterday Karl, Alex and I went down to Coastal Seafoods at the Snelling/Grand crossing - a great little spot with seafood, a wonderful cheese shop literally called The Cheese Shop and a Breadsmith. You can get a whole meal (sans vegetable) in one stop. I particularly love their Eauforia Sheep aged Gouda - it's marvelous!.
So we went to Coastal, it was packed and my favorite fish monger was working! This guy is so nice - he gives me the "best", cheery picks the clams/oysters and usually gives me a bakers bakers bakers dozen of muscles. When I first purchased oysters he brought me back behind the counter and showed me how to open them. I am sure it had nothing to do with the fact that I was only wearing a g-string and some pasties. He also showed me how to scale a fish, he dispatches the lobsters for me and picks the best females so they are sweet and juicy. In this regard size doesn't really matter. lol
Anyhizzle - the place was packed and it was late on Thursday so I was worried about what was going to be left. They get their weekly shipment on Thursdays and it seems the only time I can get Kumomoto Oysters or blue-shelled crabs. Today rolled the dice and only won once on the crabs.
Here is the diva part of the story: the place was packed but when I walked in Jeff yells over the crowd "Heya Brandie! How you been? What's going to be on your menu today?". Dude - I know it's totally juvenile and basically socially unacceptable to skip to the front of the line - but hey - I have spent more money than I can freely admit and I totally take their advice so what I can say? They like me.. they really like me!!! Whoot whoot!
I grabbed one of their baguettes (they are the best I have ever had in my life) and some pate (Nueske's) and as we checked out we both held our noses in the air and had a brief discussion about how wonderful Hotel Crabs are, how it was going to be prepared and why charcuterie is so popular. I mean who doesn't like a good wiener right?
So I had my total snobby foodie diva moment and if the idea is stroke people's ego in order to keep them coming back I am totally 100% on board!
So what did we do with the crabs? It's so simple it's crazy and they are unbelievable!!!
The cool story with soft shelled blue crabs is that once a year these little crabs shed their hard shells and for a very very short period of time when they have their old shells off and their new shells have not hardened you can literally eat the whole damn thing - legs and all. I do however recommend dressing the crab by taking out the eyes and gills- but leave the yellow stuff it is really tasty.
Once the crabs are clean (they come that way at Coastal but I do check to make sure it is clean) heat up your grill to med, melt a half stick of butter for 4 crabs and then add 1 tsp. tobasco sauce to the butter for basting.
These crabs will cook super quick and the legs will char first so keep a close eye on thins and bbq then for no more then 5 min. on each side at most - for Hotels or the larger crabs I do 5 min, but if you get smaller ones you will need to reduce the cooking time. Throughout the bbqing you will baste the crabs with the butter mixture.
You can serve then as an appetizer - fun and a good topic for conversation or you can use them in a main dish - if you do that two or three for each person. Or, in order to hide the texture a bit you can brown bread (chibata is good) and eat them as a sandwich - they are really good like that. I would recommend either one large one or two med/small if you do that.
This is absolutely delicious, easy relatively inexpensive at $3-5 per crab and easy to cook - go for it! If you like crab you will love this.
So we went to Coastal, it was packed and my favorite fish monger was working! This guy is so nice - he gives me the "best", cheery picks the clams/oysters and usually gives me a bakers bakers bakers dozen of muscles. When I first purchased oysters he brought me back behind the counter and showed me how to open them. I am sure it had nothing to do with the fact that I was only wearing a g-string and some pasties. He also showed me how to scale a fish, he dispatches the lobsters for me and picks the best females so they are sweet and juicy. In this regard size doesn't really matter. lol
Anyhizzle - the place was packed and it was late on Thursday so I was worried about what was going to be left. They get their weekly shipment on Thursdays and it seems the only time I can get Kumomoto Oysters or blue-shelled crabs. Today rolled the dice and only won once on the crabs.
Here is the diva part of the story: the place was packed but when I walked in Jeff yells over the crowd "Heya Brandie! How you been? What's going to be on your menu today?". Dude - I know it's totally juvenile and basically socially unacceptable to skip to the front of the line - but hey - I have spent more money than I can freely admit and I totally take their advice so what I can say? They like me.. they really like me!!! Whoot whoot!
I grabbed one of their baguettes (they are the best I have ever had in my life) and some pate (Nueske's) and as we checked out we both held our noses in the air and had a brief discussion about how wonderful Hotel Crabs are, how it was going to be prepared and why charcuterie is so popular. I mean who doesn't like a good wiener right?
So I had my total snobby foodie diva moment and if the idea is stroke people's ego in order to keep them coming back I am totally 100% on board!
So what did we do with the crabs? It's so simple it's crazy and they are unbelievable!!!
The cool story with soft shelled blue crabs is that once a year these little crabs shed their hard shells and for a very very short period of time when they have their old shells off and their new shells have not hardened you can literally eat the whole damn thing - legs and all. I do however recommend dressing the crab by taking out the eyes and gills- but leave the yellow stuff it is really tasty.
Once the crabs are clean (they come that way at Coastal but I do check to make sure it is clean) heat up your grill to med, melt a half stick of butter for 4 crabs and then add 1 tsp. tobasco sauce to the butter for basting.
These crabs will cook super quick and the legs will char first so keep a close eye on thins and bbq then for no more then 5 min. on each side at most - for Hotels or the larger crabs I do 5 min, but if you get smaller ones you will need to reduce the cooking time. Throughout the bbqing you will baste the crabs with the butter mixture.
You can serve then as an appetizer - fun and a good topic for conversation or you can use them in a main dish - if you do that two or three for each person. Or, in order to hide the texture a bit you can brown bread (chibata is good) and eat them as a sandwich - they are really good like that. I would recommend either one large one or two med/small if you do that.
This is absolutely delicious, easy relatively inexpensive at $3-5 per crab and easy to cook - go for it! If you like crab you will love this.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Saucy Bit$h
I have a really simple pan sauce recipe that can refine a basic piece of meat and make you look like an extra special cook w/o taking a lot of time or work. The nicest part is that you can add different things to it to change it up. It's basic stuff - but I tend to forget about having it up my sleeve.
Here it goes:
2 cups Flour
Dash Gravy Thickener
Salt/Pepper
2 tbsp Butter
1 tbsp Oil
1 lb Meat
1 1/2 cup chicken/beef broth
Other items listed below
Trim your meat of fat. Salt and Pepper it (like you would do when you bbq).
Put a cup of flour in a plastic bag - or what ever amount it takes for the meat to freely roll around. Toss the meat in the bag and tumble until the meat is dusted.
Take a frying pan and heat it over med/hi heat. If you have a non - non stick pan that is best because you DO want the meat bits to caramelize and stick to the bottom of the pan. This is called "fond" and it's going to be the flavor base for your sauce. If you don't have a pan like that then just use one of your older non-stick pans or what ever you have on hand.
Add 1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp oil. Once it is nice and hot add the meat. Don't skip the oil - it keeps the butter from burning. You want to keep the meat fairly thin - not like super thin - but less than 3/4 inch. You can do this by filleting your meat in half the long way.
You will have to use your own judgement on how hi to cook it and how long. If it seems like it is browning too fast and dark than turn the heat down. The idea is to cook it through as part of the Browning/residual heating at the end. When I have a 1/2 inch thick cut It takes me about 5min. on each side. Don't flip the meat if it is sticking - if it sticks it means it is not ready yet - once it is browned and caramelized it will release from the bottom of the pan. You can always check it w/ a thermometer.
When the meat is done place it on a dish and put it in your oven - don't turn your oven on. This will keep it slightly warm w/o over cooking it and keep the crispy crust.
Now you are going to de-glaze the pan. Keep the pan on med-hi and add the chicken broth - be careful because it will pop and splatter. Take a rubber or wooden spoon and scrape the bottom of the pan to release the fond and stirr it into the chicken broth. You can choose chicken/beef broth based on the meat - I tend to use chicken on chicken and pork.
Cook the sauce for 5-10 min until it reduces to about 1/2. If it seems too thin then either add some gravy thickener (nice to keep on hand and can be found near the baking section) or add a bit of flour but be careful not to get lumps - perhaps you want to take a bit of chicken broth in a separate container and mix in the flour and then add it into the sauce. Just before you serve it add the last 1 tbsp butter. You can skip that if you don't want the extra calories - the butter makes it velvety.
Done!
So here are some other things you can add to fancy it up -
Mushrooms
Capers
Peas
Onion
Fine diced Green Peppers
Chives
Thyme
Oregano
You can also add a few tbsp of heavy whipping cream or half and half to make it creamy
You can also omit 1/4 cup of broth and replace it with wine. If you do this then add the wine to the hot pan first and let the alcohol burn off then add the broth and continue.
Here it goes:
2 cups Flour
Dash Gravy Thickener
Salt/Pepper
2 tbsp Butter
1 tbsp Oil
1 lb Meat
1 1/2 cup chicken/beef broth
Other items listed below
Trim your meat of fat. Salt and Pepper it (like you would do when you bbq).
Put a cup of flour in a plastic bag - or what ever amount it takes for the meat to freely roll around. Toss the meat in the bag and tumble until the meat is dusted.
Take a frying pan and heat it over med/hi heat. If you have a non - non stick pan that is best because you DO want the meat bits to caramelize and stick to the bottom of the pan. This is called "fond" and it's going to be the flavor base for your sauce. If you don't have a pan like that then just use one of your older non-stick pans or what ever you have on hand.
Add 1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp oil. Once it is nice and hot add the meat. Don't skip the oil - it keeps the butter from burning. You want to keep the meat fairly thin - not like super thin - but less than 3/4 inch. You can do this by filleting your meat in half the long way.
You will have to use your own judgement on how hi to cook it and how long. If it seems like it is browning too fast and dark than turn the heat down. The idea is to cook it through as part of the Browning/residual heating at the end. When I have a 1/2 inch thick cut It takes me about 5min. on each side. Don't flip the meat if it is sticking - if it sticks it means it is not ready yet - once it is browned and caramelized it will release from the bottom of the pan. You can always check it w/ a thermometer.
When the meat is done place it on a dish and put it in your oven - don't turn your oven on. This will keep it slightly warm w/o over cooking it and keep the crispy crust.
Now you are going to de-glaze the pan. Keep the pan on med-hi and add the chicken broth - be careful because it will pop and splatter. Take a rubber or wooden spoon and scrape the bottom of the pan to release the fond and stirr it into the chicken broth. You can choose chicken/beef broth based on the meat - I tend to use chicken on chicken and pork.
Cook the sauce for 5-10 min until it reduces to about 1/2. If it seems too thin then either add some gravy thickener (nice to keep on hand and can be found near the baking section) or add a bit of flour but be careful not to get lumps - perhaps you want to take a bit of chicken broth in a separate container and mix in the flour and then add it into the sauce. Just before you serve it add the last 1 tbsp butter. You can skip that if you don't want the extra calories - the butter makes it velvety.
Done!
So here are some other things you can add to fancy it up -
Mushrooms
Capers
Peas
Onion
Fine diced Green Peppers
Chives
Thyme
Oregano
You can also add a few tbsp of heavy whipping cream or half and half to make it creamy
You can also omit 1/4 cup of broth and replace it with wine. If you do this then add the wine to the hot pan first and let the alcohol burn off then add the broth and continue.
Monday, June 6, 2011
A burning desire to pour smokey cumin in her eyes
I really kind of like the new cooking tv channel. Food TV has started to suck so bad in the last few years..... I don't find anything interesting anymore - a few greasy spoon recipes and maybe one or to from Giada to keep me at least looking to see what is on - but otherwise I really don't like watching some food nauvice slop around the kitchen, someone instructing you on the most basic skills that you would know how to use if you event walked past a kitchen or people who are using already-created items to make it super easy.
I have nothing against super easy but really??? Saundra Lee? They make fajita seasonings in a package???? God I would have never guessed.... I totally needed you to show me how to open the package, add meat and some water!!! I am sick of being treated like a moron.
But there is one show and "food network star" that totally drives me nutz and has me jumping around the couch bouncing around and bitching.... I will give you a few hints:
1) Yummmoooo
2) prolific use of smokey cumin
3) creating "healthful" food
4) smiles like the Joker from the original batman
5) uses dumb ass names like stoup for a thick stew like soup
6) uses acronyms all of the time but then immediately defines them - over and over in the same episode....
7) says she is using a "bit" of something and then dumps in a half cup
8) turns herself into a pack-mule and hauls everything for her whole meal in one load to her work counter
9) single handedly takes responsibility for creating a "trash bowl"
10) pre cleans, pre cuts and pre-packages her produce and then tells you that the meal can be made in just 30 min.
11) ALWAYS leaves out ingredients in her recipes and/or adds things to the recipe that are not in the recipe originally
Can you guess?
Yes it's Rachel Ray or as her number one anti-fan site calls her raytard. I don't love that word... but sometimes she is so... so...
So I am not a total hater - I know a lot of people like her and her show - I just have to put my foot down when they have her on their new more refined cooking channel. I might actually just stop watching the channel all together - especially if they put even one!! even one!!! dump competition or food war show on the station!!! Can't we the people who have basic cooking skills and like to try something new have even one little corner of the world to ourselves? Without dumbing things down??
For you that like her feel free to keep on envisioning her wrapped in chocolate and sprinkles - I really don't care.... but if you ever refer to anything you have made as containing smokey cumin I will likely flick my fork across the table at you forehead (like gramma did to Tom which does explain certain things)
Amen
So in honor of extending an olive branch I will offer the one recipe for from her show that is actually really good... I have made a few modifications but not enough to call it my own. And of course she gave it a ridiculous title:
Doctor Pepper Ribz
2 racks baby back ribz
2 liters of Dr. Pepper
1/4 cup salt
1 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tbsp olive or veg. oil
1/2 med. onion minced
1 clove garlic fine-chop
1/2 cup ketchup - heinz please
2 tbsp Worcestershire
2 tbsp cider vinegar
1/8 cayenne pepper
put the ribz in a large baking pan, pour in the dr. pepper and reserve 1/2 cup for the sauce. - add the salt and soak ribz over night or at least 3 hours.
*Heat oven to 350 remove ribz from dr. pepper, dry, rub with chili powder, place on a baking dish meat side down, add 1 cup h2o and tightly cover with foil, cook for 2 hours or until the meat nearly falls off the bone. And it will.
The sauce: heat the oil in a saucepan over med. heat, saute onions and garlic till soft, add ketchup, worch. vinegar, Cayenne and the 1/2 cup of reserved dr. pepper. Simmer for 15 - 20 min. or until the sauce reduces and thickens.
Fire up the grill, brush the ribz with sauce and grill it on high heat for 10-15 min. basting with the sauce until it is caramelized!
*I think you can probably use a tin-foil pan and do this on the grill as long as you cover it tightly and mind the heat so it doesn't get over 300.
I have nothing against super easy but really??? Saundra Lee? They make fajita seasonings in a package???? God I would have never guessed.... I totally needed you to show me how to open the package, add meat and some water!!! I am sick of being treated like a moron.
But there is one show and "food network star" that totally drives me nutz and has me jumping around the couch bouncing around and bitching.... I will give you a few hints:
1) Yummmoooo
2) prolific use of smokey cumin
3) creating "healthful" food
4) smiles like the Joker from the original batman
5) uses dumb ass names like stoup for a thick stew like soup
6) uses acronyms all of the time but then immediately defines them - over and over in the same episode....
7) says she is using a "bit" of something and then dumps in a half cup
8) turns herself into a pack-mule and hauls everything for her whole meal in one load to her work counter
9) single handedly takes responsibility for creating a "trash bowl"
10) pre cleans, pre cuts and pre-packages her produce and then tells you that the meal can be made in just 30 min.
11) ALWAYS leaves out ingredients in her recipes and/or adds things to the recipe that are not in the recipe originally
Can you guess?
Yes it's Rachel Ray or as her number one anti-fan site calls her raytard. I don't love that word... but sometimes she is so... so...
So I am not a total hater - I know a lot of people like her and her show - I just have to put my foot down when they have her on their new more refined cooking channel. I might actually just stop watching the channel all together - especially if they put even one!! even one!!! dump competition or food war show on the station!!! Can't we the people who have basic cooking skills and like to try something new have even one little corner of the world to ourselves? Without dumbing things down??
For you that like her feel free to keep on envisioning her wrapped in chocolate and sprinkles - I really don't care.... but if you ever refer to anything you have made as containing smokey cumin I will likely flick my fork across the table at you forehead (like gramma did to Tom which does explain certain things)
Amen
So in honor of extending an olive branch I will offer the one recipe for from her show that is actually really good... I have made a few modifications but not enough to call it my own. And of course she gave it a ridiculous title:
Doctor Pepper Ribz
2 racks baby back ribz
2 liters of Dr. Pepper
1/4 cup salt
1 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tbsp olive or veg. oil
1/2 med. onion minced
1 clove garlic fine-chop
1/2 cup ketchup - heinz please
2 tbsp Worcestershire
2 tbsp cider vinegar
1/8 cayenne pepper
put the ribz in a large baking pan, pour in the dr. pepper and reserve 1/2 cup for the sauce. - add the salt and soak ribz over night or at least 3 hours.
*Heat oven to 350 remove ribz from dr. pepper, dry, rub with chili powder, place on a baking dish meat side down, add 1 cup h2o and tightly cover with foil, cook for 2 hours or until the meat nearly falls off the bone. And it will.
The sauce: heat the oil in a saucepan over med. heat, saute onions and garlic till soft, add ketchup, worch. vinegar, Cayenne and the 1/2 cup of reserved dr. pepper. Simmer for 15 - 20 min. or until the sauce reduces and thickens.
Fire up the grill, brush the ribz with sauce and grill it on high heat for 10-15 min. basting with the sauce until it is caramelized!
*I think you can probably use a tin-foil pan and do this on the grill as long as you cover it tightly and mind the heat so it doesn't get over 300.
Friday, June 3, 2011
A noodle by any other name is just not theb same
I reserve the right to be a pretencions cook because I have respect for the ingredients - and conversely I also have great disdain for things that I deem to suck. Those are strong words I realize but it's from the heart.
Here is a list of a few:
Creamette Noodles
Garlic in a Jar
Most things that are fat free
Frozen Onions
Cheep Balsamic Vinegar
Off-brand condensed soups
Spices that are less than a dollar
Mushrooms in a jar
Canned Ham
Asparagus in a jar
If it takes as much time to tear open the bag of onions then to cut one up - for GOD SAKE cut up an onion. By far the one that gets on my nerves the most has to be creamette noodles. Now I know that some of you use them - and I don't blame you - they are cheep. But here is the deal - a Barlla noodle lays Creamette to wast - specially if you boil it too long. So, again, for GODS SAKE spurge and buy Barlla - you are slaving away on a meal so you have earned it.
Here are a few pointers when making noodles
1) DO read the cooking time
2) Check your noodle for done-ness a minute before it is time to pull them out
3) When you pull them out rinse them first with cold water to cool then down and then use hot if you want - unless the recipe calls for it to be drained and put right back in. Your noodles will continue to cook if they sit there in the hot steam
4) Wait until the water is boiling to add the salt so that you don't pit the bottom of your pan
5)When you add salt - you should probably double it. It's a crap-ton of water ad is diluted. Adding salt gives you an opportunity layer flavor into your meal.
6)Yes you can add a bit of olive oil o your water in order reduce the chance of noodles sticking together
7)Use a lot of water - the more room the noodles have the better they will turn ou
8) If you are making spaghetti, linguine or any other long noodle break it in half so that when you put it into your pan half is not sticking out - when you do that you end up over-cooking the bottom half of you noodle and it really reduces the chance of the noodles sticking together
9)Take your noodle timing seriously. It kills me when someone puts a hand full of noodles in, then hovers or chit-chats for a few minutes and then puts on the timer. Also, don't get lost in conversation and think that finishing your story is acceptable - it's not!!
10) Noodles are like avocados and pears - you have a very small widow in which they are perfect/ripe and after that time they are crap
In honor of the Barilla noodle here is my favorite pasta salad recipe! A well guarded secret up until this point.
1 lb. Barilla noodles - large or medium shells
1 1/2 cup Miracle Whip
A package of dry ranch dip
A jar of pickles
1 Cup Frozen Peas
1 small White onion
1 cup Small pieces of cauliflower
3/4 lb Salad shrimp - or larger if you want to zip it up a bit
Cook the noodles and rinse then off in cold water. In a separate bowl dice up the vegetables and add the rest of the ingredients. In a separate bowl add together the Miracle Whip and the ranch dressing - then add the pickle juice slowly until it is creamy - it's ok if it is soupy because it will firm up. Stirr, chill serve!
Yum
Here is a list of a few:
Creamette Noodles
Garlic in a Jar
Most things that are fat free
Frozen Onions
Cheep Balsamic Vinegar
Off-brand condensed soups
Spices that are less than a dollar
Mushrooms in a jar
Canned Ham
Asparagus in a jar
If it takes as much time to tear open the bag of onions then to cut one up - for GOD SAKE cut up an onion. By far the one that gets on my nerves the most has to be creamette noodles. Now I know that some of you use them - and I don't blame you - they are cheep. But here is the deal - a Barlla noodle lays Creamette to wast - specially if you boil it too long. So, again, for GODS SAKE spurge and buy Barlla - you are slaving away on a meal so you have earned it.
Here are a few pointers when making noodles
1) DO read the cooking time
2) Check your noodle for done-ness a minute before it is time to pull them out
3) When you pull them out rinse them first with cold water to cool then down and then use hot if you want - unless the recipe calls for it to be drained and put right back in. Your noodles will continue to cook if they sit there in the hot steam
4) Wait until the water is boiling to add the salt so that you don't pit the bottom of your pan
5)When you add salt - you should probably double it. It's a crap-ton of water ad is diluted. Adding salt gives you an opportunity layer flavor into your meal.
6)Yes you can add a bit of olive oil o your water in order reduce the chance of noodles sticking together
7)Use a lot of water - the more room the noodles have the better they will turn ou
8) If you are making spaghetti, linguine or any other long noodle break it in half so that when you put it into your pan half is not sticking out - when you do that you end up over-cooking the bottom half of you noodle and it really reduces the chance of the noodles sticking together
9)Take your noodle timing seriously. It kills me when someone puts a hand full of noodles in, then hovers or chit-chats for a few minutes and then puts on the timer. Also, don't get lost in conversation and think that finishing your story is acceptable - it's not!!
10) Noodles are like avocados and pears - you have a very small widow in which they are perfect/ripe and after that time they are crap
In honor of the Barilla noodle here is my favorite pasta salad recipe! A well guarded secret up until this point.
1 lb. Barilla noodles - large or medium shells
1 1/2 cup Miracle Whip
A package of dry ranch dip
A jar of pickles
1 Cup Frozen Peas
1 small White onion
1 cup Small pieces of cauliflower
3/4 lb Salad shrimp - or larger if you want to zip it up a bit
Cook the noodles and rinse then off in cold water. In a separate bowl dice up the vegetables and add the rest of the ingredients. In a separate bowl add together the Miracle Whip and the ranch dressing - then add the pickle juice slowly until it is creamy - it's ok if it is soupy because it will firm up. Stirr, chill serve!
Yum
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Will the tomatoes burn my face off?
About a month ago I posted that I was going to sprinkle Cayenne pepper all over my garden to see if it keeps the animals out. I had made my problem worse when I installed a new bird-feeder and bath and created a nice cozy environment for those furry little rats. My bad.
So the pepper must have worked! So far I have not had one single nibble on any of my plants. Granted - I had to sprinkle a whole bottle of pepper on my plants in order to do the whole garden. But that seems cheaper than replacing the plants and totally freaking out in the morning when I look out back and see that my garden has been ravaged. I can only run out the back door screaming and waving my arms around like a freak of nature so many times before the neighbors turn off their lawn mower, put down the wrench (yes there is a chop chop across the alley - I am totally sure of it!!!) and look over at me to see what the hell is my problem.
So, this weekend I noticed an advertisement for Repellex - a capsaicin product (the stuff that makes peppers hot). It was invented by a chemist who's wife had cancer and he was looking for a better delivery method for her meds - then one day she was bitchin' about her garden being ravaged by animals and decided to see if he could use the same delivery method for her plants.
You put ghe pills in the soil round your plant in the spring before they grow and the plant draws in the capsaicin and makes it unattractive to varmints. If the Cayenne works then this should work too right??? So I am going to get some and give it a whirl. Apparently you only need to use it twice a year - so hopefully it's inexpensive. It is also natural which is a very good thing as my garden is organic and I want it to stay that way (accept for the weekly miracle grow treatment ;-).
My one major question is this: if I put this on my veg. garden then will my vegetables come out all hot and spicy??? hard to know! Until I try it.
So in honor of my peppered garden I am going to post this lovely simple healthy recipe I call my really freaking good simple summer pasta.
My Really Freaking Good Simple Summer Pasta:
Salt
2/3 lb of Rigatoni
2 lbs plum tomatoes coarsely chopped
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves thinly sliced
1/2 tsp red-pepper flakes (or more if you like it hot)
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 tbsp chopped fresh oregano
8 oz of fresh mozzarella cheese diced
* any other veg. or meat you like - a short list is provided below
OK here is the deal.... you have to use fresh ingredients - not dried herbs, no other type of tomatoes, none of that shitty frozen or jarred garlic and for god's sake alive use FRESH mozzarella - you can find it just about everywhere.
And finally, man up - use the red pepper flakes. 1/4 won't make it hot and if it's hot to you when you are done you are a total wimp because I have family members that have the most white-toast tender mouths and can't tell there is any in there so you won't either. If you like even a little bit of heat then double the pepper flakes - it will only be a background flavor.
So here is the drizzle:
Make your pasta and set aside
In a skillet or pan large enough to hold all of the ingredients including the pasta you will want to add the oil and garlic is soft and just starting to brown. About 4-5 min. Remove from heat and stirr in the pepper flakes.
Now you stirr in all of the rest of the ingredients - the whole lot. If it seems dry then add a tad more balsamic and/or olive oil. The mozzarella will not melt completely - which is what you want because you don't want a sticky mess of pasta - the mozzarella is to have a little bit to it.
I like to add other vegetables to round out the meal like asparagus, broccoli rab, maybe even chicken or turkey/chicken sausage (not not sweet). Kids love this dish too and don't worry about burning their face off with the pepper flakes they will be just fine.
Don't forget to taste it before you serve it - if it seems like it lacks flavor then add some salt or a bit of garlic salt or more balsamic.
Enjoy!
So the pepper must have worked! So far I have not had one single nibble on any of my plants. Granted - I had to sprinkle a whole bottle of pepper on my plants in order to do the whole garden. But that seems cheaper than replacing the plants and totally freaking out in the morning when I look out back and see that my garden has been ravaged. I can only run out the back door screaming and waving my arms around like a freak of nature so many times before the neighbors turn off their lawn mower, put down the wrench (yes there is a chop chop across the alley - I am totally sure of it!!!) and look over at me to see what the hell is my problem.
So, this weekend I noticed an advertisement for Repellex - a capsaicin product (the stuff that makes peppers hot). It was invented by a chemist who's wife had cancer and he was looking for a better delivery method for her meds - then one day she was bitchin' about her garden being ravaged by animals and decided to see if he could use the same delivery method for her plants.
You put ghe pills in the soil round your plant in the spring before they grow and the plant draws in the capsaicin and makes it unattractive to varmints. If the Cayenne works then this should work too right??? So I am going to get some and give it a whirl. Apparently you only need to use it twice a year - so hopefully it's inexpensive. It is also natural which is a very good thing as my garden is organic and I want it to stay that way (accept for the weekly miracle grow treatment ;-).
My one major question is this: if I put this on my veg. garden then will my vegetables come out all hot and spicy??? hard to know! Until I try it.
So in honor of my peppered garden I am going to post this lovely simple healthy recipe I call my really freaking good simple summer pasta.
My Really Freaking Good Simple Summer Pasta:
Salt
2/3 lb of Rigatoni
2 lbs plum tomatoes coarsely chopped
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves thinly sliced
1/2 tsp red-pepper flakes (or more if you like it hot)
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 tbsp chopped fresh oregano
8 oz of fresh mozzarella cheese diced
* any other veg. or meat you like - a short list is provided below
OK here is the deal.... you have to use fresh ingredients - not dried herbs, no other type of tomatoes, none of that shitty frozen or jarred garlic and for god's sake alive use FRESH mozzarella - you can find it just about everywhere.
And finally, man up - use the red pepper flakes. 1/4 won't make it hot and if it's hot to you when you are done you are a total wimp because I have family members that have the most white-toast tender mouths and can't tell there is any in there so you won't either. If you like even a little bit of heat then double the pepper flakes - it will only be a background flavor.
So here is the drizzle:
Make your pasta and set aside
In a skillet or pan large enough to hold all of the ingredients including the pasta you will want to add the oil and garlic is soft and just starting to brown. About 4-5 min. Remove from heat and stirr in the pepper flakes.
Now you stirr in all of the rest of the ingredients - the whole lot. If it seems dry then add a tad more balsamic and/or olive oil. The mozzarella will not melt completely - which is what you want because you don't want a sticky mess of pasta - the mozzarella is to have a little bit to it.
I like to add other vegetables to round out the meal like asparagus, broccoli rab, maybe even chicken or turkey/chicken sausage (not not sweet). Kids love this dish too and don't worry about burning their face off with the pepper flakes they will be just fine.
Don't forget to taste it before you serve it - if it seems like it lacks flavor then add some salt or a bit of garlic salt or more balsamic.
Enjoy!
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
If you don't like this you are dead inside - cobbler
Just like the title says - this is soooo goooooddd and really easy to make. It lasts for a fairly long time on the counter-top. But it's so good you don't have to worry about how long it will last.
I am not a huge fan of peaches - I think it's the rich buttery flaky crispy stuff that is all around the peaches. Honestly, I am sure you could omit peaches and use any other fruit you like and it would be just fine.
Here you go!
Trust me on this one - I have never had even one person not like this stuff -
And that has nothing to do with all of the pressure I put on people to try it - so much so that they would be totally cold-hearted to say anything bad about it - for fear that it would break my spirit~
Cobbler
4 cups peaches
1/2 cups water
2 cups sugar
8 tbsp butter
1 1/2 cups self rising flour
1 1/2 cups milk (at least 1%)
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Vanilla
Preheat oven to 350.
Combine peaches, vanilla and Cinnamon, and one cup of sugar in a sauce pan - mix and bring to a boil and gently boil for about 5 min. or what ever it takes to turn the peaches soft (you can use slightly under-ripe or even frozen peaches or fruit)
In a separate bowl combine the rest of the sugar, flour and milk. Go slow and gentle so you don't get lumps
Melt the butter and place it in a baking pan - something around 9x12 or what ever pan you have that is around that size. I use glass - if you use metal or disposable you will need to watch it while it cooks so it doesn't burn on the outside and stay mushy in the middle.
Spoon the fruit ontop of the melted butter - DO NOT STIRRRR
Spoon the bread mixture onto that - DO NOT STIRRRR - the idea is that the fruit will come up in random spaces around the dough to create a variegated surface.
Sprinkle a little Cinnamon across the top.
Bake for 30-45 min. There is a big gap in there but for what ever reason I have had it done at those times and some in between. To check for done-ness use a tooth pick and poke it into the bread/dough area and when it comes out either clean or with cake like pieces instead of wet/doughie pieces you are done.
Let cool for a while - it is the BEST when it's warm. yummm. Also good garnished with cool-whip or ice cream.
I am not a huge fan of peaches - I think it's the rich buttery flaky crispy stuff that is all around the peaches. Honestly, I am sure you could omit peaches and use any other fruit you like and it would be just fine.
Here you go!
Trust me on this one - I have never had even one person not like this stuff -
And that has nothing to do with all of the pressure I put on people to try it - so much so that they would be totally cold-hearted to say anything bad about it - for fear that it would break my spirit~
Cobbler
4 cups peaches
1/2 cups water
2 cups sugar
8 tbsp butter
1 1/2 cups self rising flour
1 1/2 cups milk (at least 1%)
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Vanilla
Preheat oven to 350.
Combine peaches, vanilla and Cinnamon, and one cup of sugar in a sauce pan - mix and bring to a boil and gently boil for about 5 min. or what ever it takes to turn the peaches soft (you can use slightly under-ripe or even frozen peaches or fruit)
In a separate bowl combine the rest of the sugar, flour and milk. Go slow and gentle so you don't get lumps
Melt the butter and place it in a baking pan - something around 9x12 or what ever pan you have that is around that size. I use glass - if you use metal or disposable you will need to watch it while it cooks so it doesn't burn on the outside and stay mushy in the middle.
Spoon the fruit ontop of the melted butter - DO NOT STIRRRR
Spoon the bread mixture onto that - DO NOT STIRRRR - the idea is that the fruit will come up in random spaces around the dough to create a variegated surface.
Sprinkle a little Cinnamon across the top.
Bake for 30-45 min. There is a big gap in there but for what ever reason I have had it done at those times and some in between. To check for done-ness use a tooth pick and poke it into the bread/dough area and when it comes out either clean or with cake like pieces instead of wet/doughie pieces you are done.
Let cool for a while - it is the BEST when it's warm. yummm. Also good garnished with cool-whip or ice cream.
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