The Great Pickle Experiment has reached an important milestone, as I've transferred both jars now to the fridge. Success! These pickles are delicious, and stupid easy to make.
The recipe is due to Cathy Barrow at the New York Times and is simplicity itself. In its essence: soak cukes in cold water for half an hour. Stuff them into clean quart jars. Add some spices. Cover with cooled brine and let sit for at least three days at room temperature. Enjoy!
Continue reading I’m in a pickle
Given some of the culinary smart-people we have running around this site, I hardly feel qualified to put up a recipe. But I'm just so darn happy with how dinner tonight turned out (no recipe, this just made sense to me! I'm sure I've had something like it somewhere else before, of course. Still...), that I figured I'd put something together. Also, many of these ingredients came from our CSA this week. Also, I want other people to put up recipes more often, in dedicated Nation Has An Appetite form, so they're easier for me to find when I want them. So I'll lead the way. Continue reading Shrimp Lettuce Cups
It's been a rough winter here at Chez Hayes. Mrs. Hayes had another stay in the hospital last week, and another surgery. She's home now, recovering, and hopefully won't have any more follow-up procedures related to this last episode. I love winter (it's my favorite season), but yesterday evening, as I wandered through the grocery store, I knew it was time to move on. It was time for spring flavors, to slowly introduce them to a palate grown fuzzy over the grey months. I instantly thought of leeks, and a light, creamy soup. Here's what you'll need:
| 6 leeks, halved, thinly chopped, & washed | 2 carrots, rondelle'd (cut into 1/4 coins) | 6--7 medium, thin-skinned potatoes |
| 1/3 cup white wine | 4 cups chicken stock | 1 cup water |
| 2 egg yolks | 2 cups heavy cream | butter, olive oil |
| bay leaf | parsley | kosher S&P |
Cut your carrots first, setting them aside in a prep bowl. Taking a leek, peel the outside layer from the root, then rinse any sand from the first layer beneath. Lop off the dark green top. Repeat with the remaining leeks. Taking a leek, slice off the bottom, then half the root lengthwise. Chop it thinly, in 1/8" strips, including just the beginning of the light green portion of the root. Collect the strips in a colander. After you've processed the remaining leeks in the same manner, place the colander inside a larger bowl, and fill it with water. Agitate the leek strips in the water, then pull the colander from the water. Dump out the water and repeat, shake the excess water from the leeks in the colander, and you've got clean leeks. Now cut your potatoes with a clean knife on a clean board. No need to peel them - they'll cook up quite nicely. Prep's done!
In a heavy pot, melt some butter and drizzle in some olive oil. Once it's hot, toss the carrots in. Sprinkle with kosher salt and grind some pepper over them. I like to build my seasoning as I cook, avoiding huge seasoning adjustments at the end. Cook them until they begin to soften, but be careful to not let them caramelize. We're trying to release flavors without making things too heavy on the back end. Now, before you toss in the leeks, add a little more butter and a little more olive oil. I probably used 4 Tbsp of butter, total, but I wasn't really counting. You'll definitely need to add some, though, because you'll want to get a good coating on the leeks. Add the leeks, a good sprinkle of salt, and a few more grinds of pepper. Watch your temperature, though - you want the leeks to turn translucent, but not golden. Done? Deglaze the pan with that white wine, letting it cook off just a bit. Now add the chicken stock, water, bay leaf, and potatoes. A couple more sprinkles of salt and a several healthy grinds of pepper. Cover, and let it cook until the potatoes are soft enough to break against the pot with a wooden spoon. How long? About as long as it takes to drink a leisurely glass of beer. You are drinking a beer, right? Good.
Now we're hitting the home stretch. Once the potatoes are soft enough, drop your heat down from a boil, pulling the pot off the burner if it holds heat well. Pull out a few ladlefuls of soup, including a fair amount of potatoes, carrots, and leeks, about a bowl's worth in all. You'll need some broth, too, but make sure you don't get the bay leaf in there. Using an immersion blender (or a bar blender - be careful not to blow the top, scalding yourself and making a mess), thoroughly blend the bowl of soup until it's smooth, then add it back to the pot of soup and stir it in. Separate out your egg yolks and put them in the bowl you used to blend the soup. Whisk the eggs together, then add the heavy cream slowly until thoroughly combined. Season with a few sprinkles of salt and a few grinds of pepper, then add the mixture to the soup, stirring, and let it cook for a few minutes. Grab a tasting spoon, check your seasoning, and admire the nap of the soup on the spoon. If you're satisfied with the seasoning, finely chop a little parsley. Ladle the soup into bowls, sprinkle some parsley on top, and you're set. Open another beer, it's time to eat.
You could add some croutons if you like, or some crostini. I just wanted straight spring flavor, so I didn't mess around with those, but maybe I could have used a little crusty bread to clean that bowl when I was done. Your call.
All the tales of woe and misery emanating from the East Coast must have had an effect on me, because I was cold all day yesterday. So I decided it was time for some soup. Corn chowder, to be specific.
This one is embarrassingly easy, and delicious.
Continue reading Snowquestration Soup
As the Nation knows (since I've repeatedly mentioned, so as to draw more sympathy -- thanks so very much you unsympathetic cads!), I am on the road to recovery after shoulder surgery. One consequence: I've been trapped at home, unable to drive, limited in terms of activities. mrsS thinks I should spend all day doing financial aid forms. I think differently.
yesterday was the Girl's Sweet Sixteenth birthday. We are celebrating this weekend, but I thought I would try to make one of her favorites for dinner. Those of you with teenage daughters can predict what happened next -- she wanted nothing to do with what I made, and retreated to her room, "not feeling well." Alas. At least her brother, The Boy, called her last night from the Alma Mater to wish her HBD. Good boy. That apparently cheered her right up -- wonders will never cease.
Aaaanyway, I made black beans last night, for black bean tacos. I ate them, and they were delicious. And, truth be told, I made them as much for me as for her. Yea, I'm that kind of dad.
Continue reading That Ol’ Black Magic
It's been a while since I've actually cooked dinner. We've been on the road in SoCal, then down to New Orleans, and when we returned home we went straight to packing up the house. The good doctor requested something good, on the grill, and contained in some sort of edible spoon. I cycled through the ideas, carnitas (braised on the grill... perhaps smoked... yeah, I'll do that one later), tandori chicken (maybe, maybe not), red chili marinated skirt steak fajitas? Yeah, that one is a winner. Recipe after the jump Continue reading I Heart Pork Red Meat, you shoud too.
I was busy at the smoker* yesterday preparing a couple of soy ginger marinaded pork tenderloins for spring rolls when a friend called us up for dinner. We invited her over without hesitation, but later remembered that she's pretty into Catholicism. Dr. Chop ran to the store to pick up some tofu and saved dinner for our pal.
I was left with two smoked tenderloins and a craving for some Vietnamese sandwich action. Lucky for me, teh Google was there to provide a little help. Continue reading I love crispy pork Banh Mi, and you should too.
When on the road I tend not to cook elaborate meals for a multitude of reasons not least of which is that there is very little enjoyment of eating a meal alone when you live in a frozen, cold water, walk up flat. Last night I decided that enough was enough. I was going to pull out all most some of the stops and make a pot of Guinness stew, garlic mashed potatoes, and some pan wilted cabbage. I stopped into the local butcher (I'm lucky enough to live between to family owned butchers who source their product locally, and process the meat in house) and bought about a pound of chuck steak nicely cubed for stewing.
You'll need:
1-1.5 400 mL Cans of Guinness (Pint to pint and a half)
1 large onion diced
1 large carrot sliced into rounds (or your favorite shape)
3 celery stocks sliced into small bits
2-3 cloves garlic smashed
1-2 lbs chuck steak or other cut for stewing cut into 1.5 inch cubes
flour to cover steak
seasoning of your choice for flour (I went with red chili, salt, and pepper)
Neutral Oil that can withstand high temp searing (general purpose olive, or veg / peanut)
Method:
Warm about a table spoon of oil in a dutch oven, or other oven proof pan, over medium / high heat while dredging the steak bits in the seasoned flour. Preheat the oven to 300˚. Add the meat, being careful not to crowd the pan, and sear on all sides, and remove from the pan. You may have to do this step in batches. Once all the meat has been browned add a splash of oil to the pan and toss in the diced onion. Add the carrot and celery to the pot once the onions begin to turn translucent. Cook the veggies, stirring, for 2-3 minutes until the celery goes a little soft, and add the garlic. Return the meat to the pan, and pour at least a pint of Guinness over the whole mess. Turn the heat up to to high, bring the pot to a boil, and put into preheated oven for 2-3ish hours. You can also cook this on the stove top by simmering for 2 hours.
The garlic mash is made better with a whole bunch of gruyere and a chopped green onion or two. I pan wilted the cabbage with butter and a hit of salt and pepper.
The countdown to the New Year has begun. What better excuse do we need for a little culinary exercise. This recipe is ridiculously easy and will serve 5-6 generously.
This dish is a variation off a recipe from Michael Chiarello. The Napa-based chef comes across as supremely arrogant, but the dude can cook, and has a passion for creating attainable recipes. (I was rooting for him in the Next Iron Chef competition against the even-more arrogant Geoffrey Zakarian). And this recipe is a simple slam dunk.
Of course, I've taken some liberties.
| 2 lbs peeled, deveined shrimp | 3 cans Cannelloni white beans | 1/2 tsp chile flakes |
| 4-6 cloves garlic, sliced | 1/4 cup finely diced smoked ham | 1/4 cup finely diced celery |
| 1 shallot, finely chopped | 1 cup diced, fresh tomato | 2 cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped |
| juice of 1/2 lemon | finely grated zest from the lemon (optional) | a handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped |
| a sprig of rosemary, broken into several pieces, 2-3 inches each | 1 tsp fresh rosemary, roughly chopped | good olive oil |
Drain the beans over a bowl, reserving the liquid. You will need about a cup of the liquid. Saute the ham with extra virgin olive oil for a couple minutes, then add the rosemary sprigs, celery and shallot. Sweat for a couple minutes, then add a pinch of salt and a few good grinds of pepper. Saute for a minute until fragrant, then add the beans and enough of the reserved liquid to moisten. Stir to combine and keep warm. You want the beans moist, but not swimming.
I like to brine my shrimp for 20 minutes or so before-hand, then drain well, pat dry, and mix in a couple tablespoons of olive oil to marinate slightly before sauteing. If you do brine, you don't really need to add any (or much) salt to this dish. Stir in the chopped rosemary and a few grinds of black pepper.
Heat a large skillet to smoking hot. Add olive oil and saute the shrimp in 2-3 batches until just done (about a minute), reserving in a bowl. Reduce heat to medium. Add more oil if needed, then saute the garlic for a minute. Add the chile flakes and saute another minute. Add the tomato and spinach and saute until the spinach is just wilted. Return the shrimp and any juices to the pan. Add the lemon juice. Stir to re-heat, then stir in the lemon zest and sprinkle with parsley.
Spoon the beans into pasta bowls (remove the rosemary sprigs). Drizzle with good olive oil (optional) and top with a generous serving of shrimp. Serve with crostini and a big salad. Ask zooomx for a nice white wine to accompany. Enjoy.
It’s been cool off and on for a few weeks up here in the Great White North, but the last few evenings have been downright chilly. Brisk enough to remind me that brainS and meat have spent much of the past year filling my mind with glorious Crock Pot ambitions. An uncluttered Sunday morning (rare with a newborn) provided ample opportunity to get after it…so I did.
Continue reading Crock Pot Brisket* Stew and Stone Imperial Black IPA