Dateline: July 13, 2020 What's the Password? Swordfish!

asparagus and broccolini

My favorite summer salad, jicama makes it!

Got 2 beautiful swordfish steaks from FD and I am currently marinating them in garlic, salt, pepper, serrano chili, and olive oil.  The plan will be to grill it off later this afternoon along with some broccolini.  Our building manager also gave me some fresh caught tuna that I will grill as well.  I had given him some of the kielbasa and this was his return gift.  I am so stoked!

My other project today was the start of turkey sausage.  That will get finished off tomorrow and pix will be posted then.

This is the tuna in the upper corner and a piece of swordfish in the lower corner

2 beautiful swordfish steaks

Everything was fabulous tonight.  The fish was delicious on both accounts, and the veggies were crispy and salty and the salad was crunchy and juicy.  Who could ask for more on a lovely summer evening?

Dateline: July 4, 2020 Can you say KIELBASA -- Homemade

I was looking to do something interesting today and decided to check out what was left of my "sausage stash".  I had about 2200 g of pork and 1100 g pork fat.  Bingo, we have a luscious sausage in the offing.

I searched the web looking at recipes and decided on this one, and will, no doubt, tweak it in the future if it is any good.  How could it not be!  Kielbasa is a fav of my husband unit, so I am hoping that this turns out ok.  I have made kielbasa in the past, but it turned out that I ground it too fine.  I used the coarsest disc I had at the time, and subsequently, have invested in a coarser one that I used today.

Click on the link above to get the recipe I used.  I pretty much followed his recipe, but adjusted my seasonings and cure powder #1 according to the weight of the meat and water that I was using.

This is a time consuming enterprise, (see what I did there) plan accordingly.

Suggested Tools

1.  Meat grinder

You will need to cut the meat up into chunks that will fit in the feed tube of your grinder.  I strongly urge you NOT to use your KitchenAid as your grinder.  It is not powerful enough and will smear the fat rather than grind it up.  Also make sure your meat and fat is very cold, even on the verge of freezing.  This will prevent the above mentioned fat smear.  

2.  Stand mixer, or use your impeccably clean hands to mix to bind

3.  Sausage stuffer 

Again, your KitchenAid will heat up the meat and produce less than desirable results.  

If you start out with using your KitchenAid, that's ok, but if you get serious about making sausage and charcuterie then invest in a good grinder.

Soak your casings and don't forget to run water through them to flush out residual salt.  Set aside.

I cut the meat and fat up into about 3/4 inch cubes, which fit easily into the grinder feeder tube.

Prior to grinding add all the spices and cure to the meat cubes to infuse more flavor into the meat.  When I was grinding the meat, I put the "dump" bowl inside another one that was half full of ice to keep the meat cold and prevent fat melt.

I then returned the grind to the fridge and cleaned up, as the article stated.   I used the stand mixer to mix the ice water into the meat.  This was a bit problematic as the meat rose over the top of the bowl and coated all exposed parts of the mixer arm. In the future, I will do it by hand.  The purpose of this mixing is to get the meat "sticky" so that it will hold together in the casing and not be crumbly.

I got out the sausage stuffer and proceeded to stuff 5 lengths of casings.  I had 2 blow outs, so in all it was probably 4, 4-foot lengths that got stuffed.  I have a hand crank stuffer that I really like.  It works well, breaks down for cleaning easily and goes back together quickly,

I let the sausages rest on the counter with the AC cranked for about 40 minutes.  Then onto the smoker they went.  Since they should not touch each other as that interferes with the smoking, so I used a jerky rack that I bought.  Worked like a charm.

They will be hanging out on the smoker for 4 hours.  The internal temp needs to come up to 154-155°F and then they get plunged into an ice bath to quickly cool them down.  Into the fridge and we feast tomorrow!

After 2 hours at 200 degrees, the sausages were up over 155, so off of the smoker they came and into the ice bath they went.

They had nice color, not a deep red, but a nice brownish blush.

Addenda

The proof is definitely in the pudding.  The kielbasas were f*ing fantastic.  They were perfectly spiced, juicy, flavorful, great texture, and with a delightful snap.  Two opposable thumbs up and looking forward to the next time I make them.  All the work and steps were worth it.  

Grilled off a few links.  The flavor was even better and the snap of the casing, sooooo satisfying.  I'm already planning next foray into sausages!

Dateline: July 2, 2020 Enchiladas: M & T Mole with Turkey or Tofu

I have neglected making enchiladas.  I have never made them before, but thought I would give it a try.  I had the mole that I made in the freezer, some turkey tenderloins, and some roasted tofu from FreshDirect. 

The biggest surprise was the roasted tofu.  In an enchilada, it was absolutely delicious.  Will do this more often.

Grilled Turkey with Mole for Enchiladas

2 Turkey tenderloins, tendon removed

2 cups Mole sauce, preferably homemade

1.5 cups chicken stock, or stock of your preference

1 sweet onion, sliced thinly

3 anaheim peppers, roasted, peeled, seeded, and chopped

tortillas, I used small corn tortillas and larger flour ones both by Vista Hermosa*.

2 cups grated cheese, I used a mix 50/50 mozzarella and sharp cheddar

1 packet sazon seasoning

2 t adobo seasoning

2 T One-derful Rub, separated

avocado oil, or other high heat oil

Method

1.  Set up grill for direct grilling.  If no grill, use broiler or pan fry.

2.  Sprinkle tenderloins with oil , sazon, adobo, and 1 T One-derful Rub on all sides.  When fire is ready, grill turkey tenderloins until just cooked through, no pink, but still juicy.  Remove and set aside.  

3.  In a saucepan, put in mole and stock.  Bring to a simmer, taste to correct seasonings, if necessary.   

                                              

4.  Put tofu in one bowl and shredded turkey in another.  Add onions and peppers to the turkey, add enough mole to each bowl to moisten and coat all the ingredients.  To the tofu, add other 1 T of rub and mix well.                                                            

grilled turkey and anaheim peppers

Shredded turkey, onions and peppers

5.  Either on stove top, or on grill, warm tortillas to make them pliable and perhaps add some charred bits.  Using one tortilla at a time, dip one side into mole sauce and put mole side down into oiled casserole dish.  (I chose to use 2 small dishes, one with corn and tofu the other with turkey and flour tortillas.)  Add your turkey or tofu.  If you are using small corn tortillas, do not over fill!  Roll the tortilla around the filling, and place seam side down .  Move on to next one, and continue on until all the tortillas are rolled and nestled tightly in the casserole dish.  

tofu corn enchiladas

turkey flour enchiladas

6.  Take remaining mole sauce and spread over the top of the casseroled enchiladas.  Top with cheese, and cover with foil.

7.  Since the grill is lit, I took the casseroles out to the grill and let them bake outside until the cheese was melted and they were heated through.

tofu 

turkey

I have to say, for the first go out of the box, I did pretty darn well.  These tasted great, and the big surprise was the tofu ones!  They will go into the rotation when I made more mole, for sure!

The big issue was in serving, the flour ones tended to fall apart. 

There was enough kick to make me happy, the mole was so flavorful there could have been anything in the tortilla and it would have tasted great!

*My notes on the Vista Hermosa tortillas

The flour ones were spectacular!  The reason for that is they were well oiled.  They were much thinner than other brands I have tried, but the taste was phenomenal.  They were a bit thin for this application and probably should have been doubled, or, since that would be a calorie killer, used in a different setting.  Preferably, one where their taste would shine.

The corn ones are good as well.  I will be using these with more frequency as time goes on. 

Dateline: July 1, 2020 Pasta with Clams

I have been recycling recipes lately, that is why there has not been a new post in over a week.  There is only so many times you can look at, read, etc the same basic recipe.  So I choose to not bore you!

Tonight, I decided I wanted seafood, and I wanted pasta.  Perfect, pasta with clams.  I did a mash up of Nigella Lawson and Mark Bittman's recipes.  I put my own twist on it by adding some clam juice that I had in the freezer as well as vermouth and white wine.

Pasta with Clams

2 lbs fresh cockles or small clams

2 cloves of garlic, thinly slivered

1/2 t red chili flakes

1 T chopped garlic scapes

1/2 box whole grain thin spaghetti

2/3 c Noilly Prat dry vermouth

1.5 c clam juice

1 c dry white wine

olive oil

1 c fresh English Peas

1 T chopped parsley stems

2 T chopped parsley

Method

1.  Choose a pan with a tight fitting lid that can also hold the pasta lying down in it.  You will be cooking the pasta in the pan with the steaming liquid from the clams.

2.  Scrub clams and discard any that will not shut when tapped.  Hold the clams to the side until pan is ready.

3.  Film the bottom of the pan with a generous amount of olive oil to taste.  Add chili flakes, garlic slivers, garlic scapes and parsley stems.  When garlic is fragrant, but not brown, add clam juice, Noilly Prat, and bring to a boil.  

4.  Add clams  in a single layer and cover pan tightly.  Set timer for 2 minutes.  After 2 minutes the clams should all have opened.  Remove clams to a bowl and hold to the side.  Any clams that do not open, after another minute of cooking, discard.

after the clam steam bath

                                                    

5.  Remove clams from shells and reserve with any juices that have accumulated in the bowl.

6.  Into the pan that held the clams, add the white wine and bring to a boil.  Add the pasta and swish it around in the pan to get it all under the juices.  Cover the pan and set timer for 2 minutes.  Peek into the pan and add more wine if pasta is sticking to the bottom of the pan.

7.  Stir the pasta around and scrape up any of it that has stuck to the bottom of the pan.  Add back in the clams and also the peas.  Stir well and get any pasta unclumped that may be sticking together.  Cook for another minute to 90 seconds.

Add water or more wine, if necessary.  Add the parsley and mix well.  The pasta will give off quite a bit of starch which will thicken up the sauce nicely.  You should not need any salt or pepper in the dish, but this is where you would add it if you needed to.

8.  Serve immediately.

Dateliine: June 21, 2020 Happy Father's Day, Happy Summer, Happy Smoked Beef

I defrosted a big ole hunk of chuck roast last night to smoke today.  I have outlined this in a previous post, Pit Beef.

I seasoned everything the same with a 50/50 mixture of salt and pepper only.  Put the meat into the smoker by 7:45 am and removed it from the smoker at 6:45 PM.  A neat 11 hours.  What was different?  This was much juicier than the first one because 1)  I did not put it into the oven to attempt to get it up to 200° F.  I took it off the smoker at about 187-190° F and 2)  I wrapped it earlier as the stall seemed to be happening at about 150° F, so I wrapped in butcher's paper about 3 o'clock when the temp was stuck at 152° for over an hour.  

I unwrapped the beef around 6 pm putting the beef onto a sheet pan and pouring the juices and fat from the paper into the pan as well.  The chuck went back onto the smoker and I jacked the heat to 350° to firm up the outer crust.  The pan and the beef came into the house and the beef was put on a board to rest and the sheet pan was put to the side.

To go with this I made yucca with peas and a side of green beans.  I had a particularly inspired idea when it came to the yucca.  I drained the fat from the sheet pan, leaving all of the yummy salty beefy bits and then tossed the yucca and peas in these yummy bits.  Absolutely genius!  Yucca is very plain, so this really amped it up.

A plate full of goodness

Yucca

1.5 lbs frozen yucca, thawed

1 12 oz package of fresh english peas

1 large onion, peeled

6 or 7 cloves of garlic, minced

1 qt chicken stock

salt and pepper

avocado oil

Method

1.  Slice the onion in half and cut parallel to the root end into 1/8-1/4 inch slices

2.  Heat a large sauce pan and add a film of avocado oil.  Add onion slices and some salt and pepper,  Saute until they start to soften up.  Add the minced garlic and continue to saute.

3.  Quarter each piece of yucca and try to remove the strings as much as possible.  It may be easier to do that after it has boiled.  Add to the pot and add chicken stock.  Stir to coat and add salt and pepper.  Put a lid on the pot, but keep it ajar to allow for some evaporation.

4.  Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer until yucca is tender and cooked through.  Add the peas.

5.  Drain the fat from the sheet pan that held the beef and juices.  Add yucca to the pan and stir around to coat each piece.

The beef was very tender and held together quite well during slicing.  It was very moist as well.  

So what did I learn?

1.  Wrap the beef at the start of the stall and let it ride slowly through those 10-15°.  Wrapping kept the meat moist as well.

2.  When a fork, or probe, goes into the meat without resistance, it is done.  Don't worry if the temp is not what you believe it should be.  The meat is talking to you, keep cooking it and you will squeeze all of the juice out of the meat and it will be dry and jerky like.

3.  Unwrap the meat, but let it stay in the butcher's paper so you retain all of those juices.  They will add a wonderful dimension to any side dish you are making.  This will also allow the crust to firm up again.

Dateline: June 19, 2020. Mole Concentrate to share with friends

We had some chicken that needed to be cooked, so I decided to make a big batch of mole concentrate  and share with friends.

Ingredients

3 medium to large onions, cut into eighths, no need to peel, but do cut off stem and root ends a bit

6-10 garlic cloves, depending on their size, again no need to peel

24-30 dried peppers, a mixture of guajillo, ancho, pasilla, chipotle, etc.  What ever you can find and/or have on hand, stemmed and seeded as best you can.

2-3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, depending on size

2 T adobo sauce

1-2 c white wine, preferably a semi sweet one, I used a riesling

1 T cumin seeds

1 T coriander seeds

2 small sticks cinnamon

3-4 allspice berries

1 T chili powder

1/2 package of Baker's bittersweet chocolate, chopped

2-3 heaping T of cocoa powder

1 T salt

2 t Mexican oregano

agave syrup

Additional salt and pepper to taste

Avocado oil

Method

1.  In a spice grinder, add cumin, coriander, cinnamon sticks, allspice berries, and 1 T salt.  Grind to a fine powder.

2.  Heat a cast iron griddle or pan until very hot.  This can also be done outdoors on a grill.  When pan is hot, put the onions cut side down along with the garlic cloves.  Sear the onions on both cut sides as well as its back.  Flip the garlic cloves over and brown on both sides.  Remove from heat.  

3.  Put the peppers on the pan.  Heat them until they are pliable and have changed color a bit.  Most of the peppers will go from a dark red or brown to a brighter red.  Turn them over the soften on both sides.  Remove from the heat.

4.  Put peppers into a bowl and cover with warm water.  You may need to weigh them down with a plate.  They should soak until the peppers are very pliable and fully saturated, this could be 10-20 minutes.

5.  Put onions into a blender jar.  (The more powerful the blender, the less straining will be necessary.  I used a Vitamix).  Peel the garlic cloves and add them to the blender.  Add the chipotle peppers and white wine to the blender and grind to a fine paste.  You may been to add more liquid in order to get the blender to grind properly.  

6.  Heat a pot up and film with avocado oil.  Add contents of blender and stir fry.  It will splatter, stand back!  Reduce heat.

7.  Take soaked peppers leaving the soaking liquid and add to the blender.  You will need to add some more white wine or some soaking liquid to allow the blender to do its job.  Grind to a fine paste and add to the onion garlic chipotle mixture in the pot.

8.  Stir to combine ingredients in pot.  Add oregano.   Taste, remember, this is uncooked at this point.  It will be a bit bitter and raw tasting.  Add 1 t of agave syrup to calm the bitterness.  Bring to a low simmer.

9.  Add bittersweet chocolate and cocoa powder and stir to combine well.  Do not walk away from the pot, the chocolate has a tendency to burn if left unattended.  Taste again, you may need more agave and salt again.

10.  Cook down until the mole starts to thicken.  This should make 3-4 pints.  Package up and distribute to friends.

How to Use the Mole

To use the mole concentrate, saute up the protein of choice, chicken or turkey goes well with this mole, as would tofu or tempeh.  When meat is almost cooked through, add 1 cup of the mole sauce.  Scrape up any crusty bits on the bottom of the pan.  Thin the mole with 1 cup of chicken stock and cook until slightly thickened.  Taste, and adjust seasonings.  If bitter, add agave syrup, if bland, add salt with additional chili powder, if too spicy, add agave syrup.  Mix well and serve with the tortillas of your choice.  This will also make fantastic mole enchiladas.

Dateline: Jume 18, 2020 Shrimp and Soft Shelled Crabs in a Chinese manner

I have a problem when I order from FreshDirect hungry, I order too much for any single meal.  I had in the order that arrived today, 1 lb of large shrimp and 4 soft shelled crabs.  What was I thinking?

So I had to really dig deep and figure out is there a way I can combine the two into a single dish?  The answer is, of course you can.  The remaining question will be does it taste good?  That will need to be decided.

I am going to stir fry this and top rice stick noodles with it.  Seems simple enough, but the issue is how to cook the crabs crispy without the shrimp getting over cooked.  The solution is to do them separately, and then combine them together with the savory, salty, umami rich sauce.

Ingredients

1 lb large (10-15) shrimp in shell

4 soft shelled crabs, cleaned

1/2 c cornstarch

salt and white pepper

4 garlic scapes, sliced thinly

1 large, or 2 smaller scallion, sliced thinly

1 shallot, minced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 inch ginger, minced

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

1 T rinsed, soaked, and drained fermented black beans

1 T shaoxing wine or sherry

1 t dark soy sauce

handful of green beans, cut into 1/2 in rounds

1/2 c shelled fresh peas

1/2 lb asparagus sliced into 1/2 in rounds, tips reserved

1 to 1.5 cups chicken stock

2 heaping tablespoons of Lao Gan Ma chili crisp

neutral oil for stir frying, divided

2 large handfuls of rice stick noodles

Method

1.  Rinse all seafood and dry thoroughly.

2.  Mix together cornstarch, salt and white pepper.

3.  Dredge crabs in cornstarch and shake off excess, hold to the side.

4.  Heat oil in large saute pan or wok.  Fry the crabs until crispy on both sides, adding more oil as necessary.  Remove to a plate lined with paper towels.  Clean out the pan to remove any burnt cornstarch.

5.  Heat new oil in the same pan.

6.  Add ginger and stir about for a bit until fragrant, then add garlic, scallions, jalapeno, shallot and garlic scapes.  Fry until softened.  Add black beans.  Add shaoxing and dark soy. 

7.  Add shrimp and fry without turning for 2 - 3 minutes, then add green beans and asparagus (but not peas or tips).  Turn shrimp over to the second side.  

8.  Add in chicken stock, and bring to a simmer.  Taste.  Add light soy if not salty enough, only a little bit to taste.  Add asparagus tips.

9.  Soak noodles in hot water for 5 minutes.  Then drain well and using a scissor, cut noodles in half or into smaller pieces depending on their size.  

10.  Add noodles to the pan along with the peas.  Taste again.  Mix thorough so that the noodles soak up the sauce and add in the Lao Gan Ma and mix again.

11.  Add crabs on top and serve immediately.

Aromatics and veggies

Dredged crabs

       

Frying crab

Cleaned pan

Frying aromatics

Frying first side of the shrimp

Flipped and stock added

Noodles, peas and chili crisp added in

Stir around to mix everything together

Place crabs on top and serve

Verdict:  

For a made up recipe, this turned out really well.  The star of the show were the crabs.  Sweet and succulent with a nice crunch.  Fabulous.  The chili crisp went very well with the crabs too!

I was lazy and didn't shell the shrimp.  The shells never got crispy enough to get that lovely crunch, so they needed to be peeled at the table.  All in all, this was a success!  the greens added color interest  and the chili crisp added a spicy dimension that I always crave.

Dateline: June 16, 2020 Mapo anything, but with tofu this time!

I have been hankering for spicy food lately, I think to off-set the heat.  So, I have some tofu, and some ground pork, so it will be mapo tofu.

I really liked the Lucas Sin recipe and will use that one again.  Here it is again, Mapo Tofu.

I originally followed what he did in the video cast on YouTube.  I downloaded the recipe and realized that it did not match exactly what he did on video.  

Mapo Tofu/Mabo Dofu by Lucas Sin, altered by Clarissa Coffey

12 oz tofu, cut into cubes (soft tofu preferred, but firm is fine too)
1/2 pound pork, beef, or mushrooms minced*
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon ginger, minced*
2 scallions or 1/2 medium onion
2 tablespoon doubanjiang or miso, or a combination
2 tablespoon chili oil*
1 tablespoon fermented black beans, washed and soaked*
1/2 cup stock or bone broth
1 tablespoon each mirin and Shaoxing wine.
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon water
neutral oil
salt
sugar
1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorn or sansho, ground*
3 scallions or Chinese chives, sliced fine*

*optional ingredients

Directions

Boil tofu in salted water for 10 min. Carefully drain in a colander and set aside.

Over high heat, heat oil in a hot pan and scallions or onions. Stir-fry until fragrant. Add minced meat. Fry until brown and add garlic, fermented black beans, ginger, and doubanjiang and stir-fry until fragrant. Deglaze with wine and mirin.

Turn down to medium heat and add stock or bone broth. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently.

Make a slurry with cornstarch and water. Add boiled tofu to mix and mix until combined. Thicken sauce with the cornstarch slurry to desired consistency.

Taste and adjust seasoning.  Add a pinch of sugar if the spice level is too high for you.

Add scallions or chives and Sichuan peppercorn or sansho to garnish. Serve immediately with warm rice.

I was very happy with tonight's version.  It was super tasty, had the right amount of spice and was immensely satisfying when served with quinoa.  Along with a glass of nice riesling to temper the heat.  When I was browning the meat, I threw in a handful of green beans.  An inspired touch, I might add.  

Provided some color and vegetal interest as well.  I didn't have soft tofu, I had silken.....worked out ok, tasted delicious, but left a little something to be desired on the plate.  A bit baby-food-esque.

browning meat

boiled and draining silken tofu

I keep saying I will try it with beef, but just can't make myself do that!  Maybe some day.

Dateline: June 15, 2020 Ribs and Veg or is it Veg and Ribs?

rub components, minus cumin

I had a small rack of ribs perfect for 2, so out of the freezer it came and it was rubbed lovingly with worcestershire sauce, rib rub, burger rub, salt, pepper, and for good luck, cumin.

I had a ton of veggies in the fridge too, so out came broccoli crowns, broccolini, potatoes, and green beans.  All seasoned with salt and pepper and onto the grill.

All dressed for the prom

Veggies got prepped, oiled, salted and peppered, and onto the smoker, set to 250° F at first, then upped to 300° F because we needed to eat before midnight!

Ribs went onto grate around 3:30, with veggies following at 4:45.

Hopefully dinner will be ready in an hour, I am not so sure about that though.  May have to goose the temp up again in 30 minutes.  Adventures in cooking outdoors!

It was a miracle, everything came together at a reasonable hour.  The ribs were done and very tasty.  Bones coming clean after chewing off meat, veggies a lovely mix of crunchy browned bits and tender steamed bits and the potatoes were perfect.

Dateline: June 14, 2020 Chicken on the grill

I have a small whole chicken that is going to go onto the grill.  I am debating how to season it, and haven't made up my mind yet.  I am leaning toward Chinese spices and heat from ma la.  I will also grill up some veggies and make a salad.  

I am currently trying to edge out of my hangover.  I should know better, tequila, she does not mix well with wine.  I had my customary margarita pre-dinner, and then with last night's burgers started in with some red wine.  Oh boy, by 9 PM I was down for the count and sleeping fitfully.  Woke up around 9:15, hung over, and realized that I had yoga at 9:30, at 9:34.  Threw on yoga togs and did our hour session.  By the end of it I was feeling human again.  I guess I sweated out all the toxins!  (Or at least I am telling myself that.)

Our friend Phil dropped by for some social distancing chatting and stayed for a socially distant dinner.  I just salt and peppered the chicken and put it on the grill.  Added some asparagus and we called it a day.  

These chickens are delicious.  Cooks Venture, they are out of Arkansas and allow slow growth in the chickens.  They are really, really great.  I won't buy any other chickens these days.  FreshDirect carries them and sometimes has them on sale, which is when I stock up!