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January 19, 2006
Guinness gets a just dessert...
Have you ever had a beer flavored ice cream? I saw a recipe for Guinness Ice Cream I thought I'd pass along.
It looks like a pretty good recipe, though I'd add a good pinch of salt and use a real vanilla bean if I had one handy. I've also never added molasses, but it might be a nice touch. And I have to say, as much as I like the flavor that Guinness imparts to this, I've had even better luck using Samuel Smith's Oatmeal stout.
While I love Guinness, and I've tried hard to drink the Guinness brewery in Dublin dry a few times, the Oatmeal stout gives just a little more depth of flavor, and doesn't have the bitterness that the American version of Guinness has. The Oatmeal Stout has more of a sweetness, too, which I feel makes it pair a little better with ice cream. For those of you who aren't beer drinkers, while I won't say that it has no beer affectations at all, it does a surprisingly good job of adding a richness and complexity that makes vanilla ice cream seem, well, vanilla by comparison.
Try it, or tell me what an idiot I am for suggesting it in the comments!
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 08:19 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
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December 23, 2005
TPC's Not-quite Prime Rib Roast prep
Update: The finished dish can be seen here.
I'm making a standing rib roast for Christmas dinner this year. Normally, our family goes the turkey route, but after I made a full 7 bone roast right after Thanksgiving last year for visiting family members, I got the request from everybody that had tried it.
This is a good sized 4 bone small end cut. It's a choice grade, so technically I can't call it prime rib, though that technicality gets overlooked by the vast majority of restaurants that serve it. I'm going to marinate it for two days, and roast it packed in kosher salt. It's a great presentation, and the wow factor as you crack open the hardened salt shell in front of everyone is well worth the effort.
For those of you who have never seen it done, it's a traditional technique that can also be done with pork or even fish as well, as long as whatever you're cooking is at least 5 pounds or so. Much smaller than that, and it will cook too quickly. There's a recipe outlining the technique on the back of a Morton's Kosher Salt box, so I won't belabor that part of it here, but I do vary the technique from theirs as far as cooking time. I've found that cooking it at the lower temp (350º) causes the beef to steam, rather than roast, so I've had better results at around 425º. 350º may be okay for the smaller portions in their recipe, but it didn't give me the nice crust that I wanted. Surprisingly, for all the salt involved, it doesn't become salty, so I like to serve a small chunk of the crust with every portion.
Continue reading "TPC's Not-quite Prime Rib Roast prep"
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 08:33 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
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December 21, 2005
TPC's White Bean and Ham Soup
(Photo: TPC- not a bad pic, if I do say so myself...)
It's the end of the year drill at Desert Island Foods™.com, and one thing in the DIF test kitchen freezer was the ham from the Orange Survival Glaze photo shoot. End of the year- everything must go, so I took about half of it, plus the bone and made this bean soup I've been craving since it got cold here. Okay, cold in Phoenix is relative, but I saw a mini-icicle on a garden hose one morning a few days ago. Brrrrrr.....
Okay, back to the soup. This took about 3 1/2 hours start to finish, without presoaking or precooking the beans. With a soup like this, I really don't think it's necessary because the extra starch helps thicken the soup. If you were really pressed for time, I think you could just put the beans in with the ham bone and omit the first onion and carrot. Take the extra hour if you possibly can, though.
Continue reading "TPC's White Bean and Ham Soup"
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December 20, 2005
The Big Easy is coming back
(Photo: Sara Essex, of Court of Two Sister's Shrimp Toulouse, recipe here, then click on 'recipes'.)
Like the mighty Mississippi, there's slow but steady progress in the restaurant scene of New Orleans, which according to Tom Fitzmorris, editor of N.O. Menu.com. Check it out, it looks to be a terrific resource for those who want to keep tabs on what's going on in the Big Easy. I found Tom's site through an article in National Restaurant News written by Ron Ruggless (registration required, so I'll excerpt a bit):
"At the risk of sounding like an impossibly optimistic booster," Fitzmorris said, "I must tell you that I think the outlook for restaurants in the segment that I cover — namely, restaurants with significant culinary interest and appeal for local people — is very bright indeed."Every restaurant I go to, every night of the week, is a packed house," he said. "I've heard of a few exceptions to this, but not seen them, and most reports from my readers confirm my observation." Some employees are trekking back to the city, restaurant owners said, but finding workers remains a big challenge.
"The No. 1 problem right now is staffing," Fitzmorris said. "Many would-be restaurant employees are absent because they don't have a place to live. Between one-fourth and one-third of the area's housing is currently uninhabitable and will be for quite some time. That is the big challenge. On the other hand, most restaurateurs are telling me that their staffs are growing from the 25 percent they opened with to about 50 percent now. The hardest people to get are back-of-the-house workers."
Restaurants mentioned that are now open include Court of Two Sisters, Arnaud's, Café Adelaide, and Bourbon House, with 3 or 4 restaurants opening daily. Should be lots of places to eat during the first scaled-down Mardi Gras this year. Laissez les bon temps rouler!!!!
It would be fun to do a foodie crawl through New Orleans, wouldn't it?
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 08:12 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
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December 14, 2005
Jim's Survival Party Mix
(Photo: Jim, taken through a plastic bag)
Wow, the Maestro of Munchies has done it again!!! Jim, the creator of the popular Halloween Survival Seeds has created "Survival Party Mix".
Jim followed the recipe for Chex® Party Mix and substituted Survival Spice™ for the seasoned salt in the recipe, but mentioned in his email that he would substitute Survival Spice for the onion and garlic powder, too, when they make it again and I agree.
That said, here's Jim's recipe with his future modifications. Thanks, Jim!!!
Continue reading "Jim's Survival Party Mix"
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December 12, 2005
Christmas Dinner in New Mexico
(Tamales- Photo by Chel Beeson)
Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, Fiery-Foods.com food editor Nancy Gerlach has some terrific recipes if you want to attempt some New Mexico-style dishes.
The whole Fiery-Foods.com site is an awesome resource for all chili heads, btw, though I've mentioned it before.
Check out these recipes:
•Mole Poblano de la Noche Buena
•Tamales y Mas Tamales
•Southwestern Roasted Turkey with Green Chile Pinon Dressing
•Posole
•Winter Squash and Apple Chowder with Red Chile--Dusted Croutons
Wow. Winter Squash and Apple Chowder. I'm all over that.
Update: Links fixed. Thanks, Julie!
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 07:38 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
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December 09, 2005
Chilebrown's Rockin' Crab Cakes
(Photos: Paul Brown)
Emails like this just make my day. Paul "AKA Chilebrown" Brown sent in a delicious looking crab cake recipe using Survival Spice™, which as I've noted before, adds wonderfully to the flavor of crab, accentuating the sweetness of the meat and adding succulence with a little zip.
If you're not fortunate enough to have access to fresh lump crabmeat, using a mix of 1/2 lump and 1/2 shredded is a good substitute. It's important to be gentle when mixing these, so you don't break up your expensive lump crab meat, and as Paul noted, giving them time in the refrigerator to set up before cooking them will help keep them together.
Paul, you rock. Here's his recipe:
Continue reading "Chilebrown's Rockin' Crab Cakes"
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 06:45 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
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December 07, 2005
Alaskan Halibut, Green Beans and Potatoes in vinagerette
(Another charming, slightly out of focus photo by yours truly...)
Just a simple weekday dinner, nothing fancy. Okay, the weekend meals aren't that elaborate either, most of the time, I gotta admit. Not during the holiday crunch, anyway...
As I was steaming some red potatoes and green beans, I took some fantastic Alaskan halibut (thanks again, Lloyd!), drizzled it with a bit of oil, and a touch of lemon juice and Survival Spice™.
While that was on the grill, I made a quick vinagerette of some butter, Tibvrtini Olio Extra Vergine di Oliva and Tibvrtini's amazing Aceto di Vino Bianco, along with some salt and pepper in a bowl.
When the veggies came out of the steamer, in they went into the dressing, sucking up the butter and all those great flavors.
The halibut was terrific, subtle with a great buttery texture. Just a pinch or two of seasoning was plenty. This would make a killer Nicoise salad. Hmmmm.... if there were any leftovers, that is.
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 07:39 AM | Comments (6)
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December 05, 2005
Easy, Easy Grilled Chicken
Our friend, the chicken. What a great pallet to build flavors on. Enough fat to carry flavors deep into the meat, then they melt away, leaving you with a lean, healthy meal.
This was so easy. Take a whole chicken, tuck the wing tips under the wings, cut out the backbone with a pair of poultry shears or a sharp knife, and press to lay it flat. Drizzle with olive oil, kosher salt, and some lemon juice, then rub generously with Survival Spice™ on all sides. I cooked this indirectly on the gas grill with some pecan chips, but you can easily just put it on a sheet pan in a 375º oven.
This took about 45 minutes, then I let it rest for 5 minutes or so. Man, it was good. Crispy skin, and nothing but flavorful, juicy meat underneath. A crusty baguette and some grilled asparagus finished it off.
Did I mention it was easy?
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 08:46 AM | Comments (13) | TrackBack
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November 21, 2005
TPC's Banana Pecan Nut Bread
As a kid I hated bananas, so my Mom got me to eat her banana bread by calling it 'grape' bread. Okay, it was really deceptive, but that's what love is all about, I guess...
Sorry, got caught up in a bit of a daydream, where were we? Ah, yes, banana bread. I continue to love it in adulthood, though a banana fan I'm not, still. Fried plantains? Dig 'em, but a banana in the morning doesn't cut it for me.
Here's my version of banana bread. It's moist, thanks to a stick of butter and two eggs in each loaf. With 3 bananas, it has lots of banana flavor. I use a combination of brown and regular sugar, which gives it a bit more depth that you find in a lot of recipes. To top it off I use a butter/honey glaze to give it a beautiful shine and richness.
It's easy to make, too, no mixer required really, just make sure your butter is soft when you start. I recommend taking the time to cream the sugars well, to give that great texture a good start. Don't overmix once the flour's in, you don't need to develop gluten here.
So, without further reverie, here's my Banana Pecan Nut Bread:
Continue reading "TPC's Banana Pecan Nut Bread"
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 06:27 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
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November 15, 2005
Backstage at a pot of Gumbo
(Photo: Mary, of TPC's version of Matt and Jerry's Mississippi gumbo)
This is intended as a companion post to the Gumbo with chicken, sausage and shrimp I made for the last Food Fight. I made another pot this weekend, and had the time to snap a few pictures as I went, so hopefully you'll find them helpful if you ever want to try making one.
Continue reading "Backstage at a pot of Gumbo"
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 10:23 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
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November 14, 2005
"Easy Orange Survival Glaze" for Ham and Turkey
(Photo: Mary, of TPC's Easy Orange Survival Glaze)
I've been working on this for a while now, and I think it's ready to share. This is a simple glaze that gives both a beautiful appearance and a nice hit of flavor to ham, turkey, chicken and duck. It's well balanced, with lots of orange flavor, a nice sweetness, lots of depth from the dijon mustard, and a subtle bit of heat from the Survival Spice™.
It would be easy to add lots of interesting stuff to this, if you wanted to customize it- garlic, tarragon, use a different citrus component, the list is as long as your imagination.
Try it this year! Please let me know if you do, and if you experiment with variations! Pictures are a plus. It was a huge hit at the photo shoot this weekend, after eating a pot of gumbo we weren't even hungry, but couldn't stop nibbling at it. I HAVE to try this on duck...
Continue reading ""Easy Orange Survival Glaze" for Ham and Turkey"
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 09:20 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
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November 09, 2005
Flourless chocolate cake, butter toasted walnuts and kona bittersweet chocolate sauce
(Photo: John, in Chicago. TPC logo is only to thwart dastardly image robbers...)
Gawd, the stuff I find in my inbox at 5:00 in the morning! Today's "drool til you're satisfied" moment is brought to once again by John, in Chicago. John's offering/torture is a flourless chocolate cake, with butter toasted walnuts and a kona bittersweet chocolate sauce. It was a sin to crop this picture, just seeing the full shot of this chunk o' heaven brought chocolatey tears to my eyes.
BTW, John has a really cool photography website called Open Tune.org. I'm begging him- post some of your food pictures, too!
Email me your food pics and recipes, I'm going to arbitrarily start awarding an occasional tin of Scovie Award winning Survival Spice™, especially to those submitting for the first time. Remember, simple or elaborate, I don't care, the only criteria I ever use revolves around "Does it taste good?"
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 08:06 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
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November 06, 2005
Pan Fried Pork Chops with Survival Country Gravy
Mmmmmm, a great Sunday supper. As I was frying some thinly sliced potatoes and onions in bacon fat over medium heat in a cast iron skillet, I prepped the pork chops. Standard stuff here, first a bit of flour, then equal parts of flour, corn meal and Survival Spice™. Classically, you would use some liquid between the first flour dredging and the final crust like buttermilk or egg, but I've found that with flat items like pork chops and fish, as long as there's a bit of moisture there and you have a few minutes to let it sit, you often don't need it.
Once the potatoes and onions were done, I took them out of the skillet and kept them warm. In went the pork chops with some more bacon grease. You do save bacon grease, don't you? Not too high of a heat or you'll burn the corn meal, plus the breading will stay on the chops much better if the meat doesn't shrink too quickly. Okay, turn the chops once, that's it. Off they go to keep warm with the potatoes.
Survival Country gravy? Easy. A bit of flour in the skillet to soak up the fat, then about 2 parts milk to 1 part cream. I know, it's not traditional country gravy, but the French culinary school training is never far away, I'm afraid. A bit more Survival Spice™ for a nice peppery freshness, then it's time to plate it up with some steamed broccoli. BTW, this is also wonderful with sausage and biscuits. If you don't have cream, just use extra milk and reduce it well.
I just wish I would have had some apple sauce. Next time, a rustic apple compote with it. I will be making this again.
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 06:34 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
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November 01, 2005
Biggle's Survival Teriyaki Beef with Onion Gravy
(Photos: Dr. Biggles)
Dr. Biggles, M.A.L. (Meaticologist At Large) over at Meathenge, sent this in recently. It's a simple weekday dinner, done ala Biggles. He bought a really great looking beef roast that had been marinated in teriyaki sauce, added some onions, topped it off with Survival Spice™, and threw it in the oven. The onion gravy came together quickly, and I'm seriously bummed I didn't get a chance to taste it.
More below the fold...
Continue reading "Biggle's Survival Teriyaki Beef with Onion Gravy"
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 08:40 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
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October 27, 2005
Jim's "Halloween Survival Seeds"
Wow, what a cool munchie idea for a Halloween party. Sent in by customer Jim, in Los Angeles:
Here is a new recipe and some pics:Contains olive oil, sesame oil, Survival Spice™, and worchester sauce. Wash seeds, add rub, oil, and worchester sauce. Then 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Don't rush this one.
Best, Jim
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 08:57 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
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October 26, 2005
Alaskan Halibut
(TPCs Alaskan Halibut crusted with pine nuts and Survival Spice™)
I hate to keep going on about this, but this truly was a magical pairing of ingredients, and I don't say that lightly. Lots of things I cook up in my head before I cook them on the stove aren't quite as good as I hoped that they would be, but this was exactly what I intended to make.
Halibut is an amazing fish to work with. It's incredibly subtle, with a firm texture, and it's important to not overwhelm it with strong, inappropriate flavors. I decided to just make a simple crust of ground pine nuts, flour and Survival Spice™. I've used Survival Spice™ with halibut before as a rub, but it's important to not overdo it. Salmon and other oily fish- lay it on, it can take it.
I dusted the fish with flour and kosher salt, squeezed a bit of lemon juice in lieu of egg wash to help the breading stick, and then just lightly breaded it with the mixture. Again, think subtle. Pan fried in Tibvrtini Extra Virgin Olive Oil and butter, it was ready in minutes. Covered on a plate, I tossed the raviolis and the blanched asparagus with the sauce and it was good to go.
The sauce was intended to add richness and decadence in terms of mouth feel, and the background heat from the pasilla chiles was just right. More richness from the cheese raviolis, and the asparagus finished it off. Truly a special meal in so many ways.
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 11:34 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
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October 25, 2005
3 cheese ravioli with pasilla cream sauce and asparagus
(TPCs 3 cheese ravioli with pasilla cream sauce and asparagus)
This was an excellent combinations of flavors that I served last night with some Alaskan halibut filets that I'll post tomorrow. Per Lloyd's request, I'm developing some Southwest fish dishes for him after he was kind enough to ship me a sampler of some of the most superb seafood I've ever tasted straight from Alaska.
After blackening the skins off of a few pasilla chiles, I pureed them with bit of homemade chicken stock and some heavy cream, then reduced it quite a bit. I balanced the heat with a touch of honey, seasoned with a bit of Hawaiian sea salt, shredded a bit of grana padano cheese, and that was it. It was really good, the pasilla cream sauce paired beautifully with the halibut and asparagus as well. A bright gewurztraminer did a great job cutting through the cream without overpowering the halibut.
Highly recommended. I'll elaborate a bit more tomorrow, but I have to say I'm looking forward to making this again soon for a proper photo shoot.
Update 10/27: I've had some emails asking for more information about this dish. The raviolis, which contain ricotta, mozerella and parmesan cheese, come through a good friend from a company in Los Angeles who makes them only for restaurant use at this time, but they are starting to test locally in a Whole Foods market there on a limited basis. All I can say is that I've had 5 or 6 kinds now, and they're extraordinary.
Pasilla chiles are known as chilacas when fresh and chile negros when dried. The chilacas, which I knew would look great with the asparagus and the halibut, with a nice warmth in the heat profile. Working with halibut, which has such a subtle flavor, I knew I needed to complement it in terms of texture- cream, a bit of crunch in the pine nuts, heat without overwhelming flavor from the pasillas, etc., and not in terms of strong flavors.
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 08:37 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
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October 19, 2005
Beef Brisket- by John
A great email from John in Chicago:
got off early and what the heck, a brisket is in order! I'm slow roasting it @ 250 degrees slathered in survival spice, rockin. jb
John seared it on a large grill pan before he put it in the oven. This is a great technique when you don't have an outdoor grill, it's too frickin' cold to grill outside (perish the thought!), or you just want something different. Survival Spice™ works really well, indoors and out. More pics in the extended entry.
Continue reading "Beef Brisket- by John"
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 10:22 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
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October 14, 2005
Survival Citrus Chicken a la Biggles
(Photos: Dr. Biggles)
This episode of "What did you have for dinner last night?" is brought to us by the revered master of the coals and all that's carnivorous, Dr. Biggles of Meathenge fame. Shame on you if you call yourself a foodie and don't visit his site every day!
Biggles did an uber-simple weekday meal, "Survival Citrus Chicken a la Biggles", along with a green salad. A quick marinade of lemon juice on the chicken and a healthy rub of Survival Spice™, and he was cookin'. Biggles tells the tale in his inimitable way, in the extended entry.
What did you have for dinner last night? Email me with a picture and a description! Important: delete the spam busting "REMOVETHESEWORDS" from the email address. I hated to put that in, because it's confusing, but I already have plenty of Nigerian investment opportunities to consider over the weekend.
Continue reading "Survival Citrus Chicken a la Biggles"
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 09:16 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
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October 12, 2005
Alaskan King Crab legs with Survival Butter
(Photos: Mary, who seems very happy to shoot food pictures...)
What a feast. I got a shipment of Alaskan seafood in yesterday from my buddy Lloyd, who totally hooked me up. Alaskan King Crab legs, more crab, halibut filets and steaks, and killer smoked silver salmon.
He's challenged me to develop some Southwest techniques for preparing them, and since I just flew in yesterday, last night's dinner needed to be simple and fast. I clarified some butter, and infused it with plenty of Survival Spice™.
I'm a real purist when it comes to crab, especially the best King Crab on earth, so I wasn't sure if it would go over, but it did in a big way! I had to dump the plain butter into the "Survival Butter" because it clearly was the favorite. The sweetness complemented the crab beautifully, and the spice gave it a wonderful depth of flavor, again, complementing the crab's flavor and not obscuring it at all. Wow.
We sat outside on the patio watching baseball, drinking Red Hook ESB and dipping huge chunks of this amazing crabmeat and a Willo Bakery baguette into the butter, and life couldn't have been any better. Thanks, Lloyd!
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 12:48 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
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October 04, 2005
Wild Caught Alaskan Halibut- by John in Chicago
(Photo: John)
Wow, John. This looks really great. Sent in by John in Chicago, who is a bad ass cook, he describes this as:
wild caught alaskan halibut - encrusted w/ rosemary infused Panko,
the dipping sauce is anchovy - cilantro - olive oil - garlic - lemongrass - chili paste -
mesquite honey , the veggies are tossed in lemon - capers - butter - and pepper ,
the plate is dusted w/ SURVIVAL SPICE (tm)
Email me what you had for dinner last night!
In case that doesn't make you drool enough, take a look at the picture of the halibut on a piece of foil after it was done in the extended entry:
Continue reading "Wild Caught Alaskan Halibut- by John in Chicago"
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 12:08 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
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September 28, 2005
Shauna's "Salmon/Sausage Frittata and Watermelon Sorbet"
Wow, Food Fight Four is complete, and Shauna has submitted a beauty to close it up! I've excerpted most of her post at Gluten Free Girl, but go to her place for the whole thing, along with lots of other great stuff.
Shauna drew MC's Northwest Salmon with a Twist"" as her dish to interpret, and she definitely took the ball and ran with it. Apricot sausage? Watermelon sorbet? Right on.
She also said some nice things about yours truly that I'm not sure I deserve, but I really appreciate it. When I formulated Survival Spice™ for production, I was a maniac about sourcing premium ingredients. I wanted to produce an all natural product because it tasted better than anything else I tried, not because I was aware of Celiac Disease at that point. Happily, when I checked with my suppliers, they each said their ingredients were gluten free, so I felt comfortable spending the money to have it verified by an independent lab. There are lots of good resources on Shauna's blog for those with Celiac disease, if you know someone please pass her site on to them.
Continue reading "Shauna's "Salmon/Sausage Frittata and Watermelon Sorbet""
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 08:56 AM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
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Cool canape idea for your next party
I threw this together for lunch today, using the last of the leftover Mediterranean Madness. I quartered some pitas, halved a few falafel, and toasted them. When they were done, I spread hummus on top of the pita to 'glue' the falafel slice, then built it up by layering more hummus, some tabouli, and topped it off with some tapenade.
These would be killer for a party. Easy to prep and very stable to transport on a tray. The flavor combo of the garlic and sesame in the hummus, the crisp lemony, herbal flavor of the tabouli, and the bright, salty bite of tapenade is really spectacular together. Try it!
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 08:50 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
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September 27, 2005
Megan's "Elk Salad"
Wow, an Elk Salad? After a brief flashback to "Anne Elk", the Monty Python bit, I decided that I'm game!
Meg substituted elk for venison, with great results, in her interpretation of Matt's "Melonhead's Venison Salad". I really dug the way she noticed that her sauce wasn't working, and the way she worked her way out of it.
Her post at I heart Bacon is here, and her blog and terrific recipe section are daily surfing for me.
Continue reading "Megan's "Elk Salad""
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 07:18 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
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TPCs Mediterranean Madness
(All photos: Mary, of TPC's Mediterranean Madness)
Okay, so I overdid it. Ana's entry really got me thinking about a style of food that I haven't prepared nearly enough, and it was time to correct that a bit. Ana's salad featured homemade falafel and pita bread, so I had to make those, but what else? Part of the charm of Mediterranean cuisine is all the wonderful side dishes- dips, spreads, salads, so I had to make some of those, too.
This was getting to be a lot of work, and I hadn't even gotten to an entrée yet! To keep it simple, I decided to grill a bunch of kabobs, chicken, shrimp and lots of veggies. Something for everyone, and some low/no carb options for those who requested it. I'll post some recipes later, lots of pics and comments are posted below. Thanks to Mary, a great photographer friend of mine, who took all these great pictures, despite inadequate lighting and all of us trying to steal food off the plates before she could shoot them.
Continue reading "TPCs Mediterranean Madness"
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 07:10 AM | Comments (8) | TrackBack
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September 26, 2005
Ana's "Harvest Moon Grilled Cheese"
Warning: Uncontrollable drooling ahead!
Oh, man. Ana has presented us with her take on Shauna's "Grilled Cheese with Amaranth Leaves and Blackberry Sauce". Made from a wonderful homemade bread, it's loaded with goodies.
Continue reading "Ana's "Harvest Moon Grilled Cheese""
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 08:15 AM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
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September 21, 2005
Lazy Man's Pasta
I talk a lot about how by understanding cooking techniques, a good home cook can become a great one. I think this post illustrates how a lazy SOB like myself, with a little thought, make easily make a good meal out of just about anything. Here's how I made a pasta dish the easy way.
Continue reading "Lazy Man's Pasta"
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 08:44 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
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September 15, 2005
Diana's version of Paul's Puffy Corn Omelet
Our first 'interpreted' dish is in. Diana has submitted her version of Paul's Puffy Corn Omelet and did a great job customizing the original Gourmet recipe to the ingredients and kitchen equipment available. I really like the fact that she kicked up the heat a bit, but still kept the spirit of the dish.
She apologizes for the picture quality, but I believe her when she said it tasted great! Nice job, Diana!
Keep those interpreted dishes coming in by emailing them here. All interpreted dishes will be available in the FF4- Interpreted category in the side bar.
I'll open the voting on the 'Original' submitted dishes category tomorrow, so take a few minutes to review the entries!
Continue reading "Diana's version of Paul's Puffy Corn Omelet"
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 10:17 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
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September 12, 2005
Megan's Su Dong Po Pork
Our last entry to Food Fight #4 is a doozy! Meg from I heart bacon has entered a pork dish called Su Dong Po Pork. Featuring a terrific marinade and a double cooked technique, I'm really curious to try it. She served it with brown rice and sauteed long beans with chili peppers and pine nuts. Wow.
Her original post, along with pictures, is here. The recipe can also be found on her terrific recipe site here. I'd love to try it with a pork shoulder, or maybe use the pork belly and tea-smoke it for a while as well.
All of these entries have been terrific. You can find them all in the FF4- Original category.
Continue reading "Megan's Su Dong Po Pork"
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 12:44 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
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MC's Northwest Salmon with a Twist
MC has sent in a cool combination of flavors, a great piece of Pacific salmon with a citrus-Creole seasoning, accompanied by some grilled sausages, corn and sauerkraut with some cool cantelope. Great, simple flavors well executed, which as you well know by now, I'm all over that. MC's entry is another example of how variations there are to grilling, as long as you follow the basic guidelines.
We do have to work on his choice of seasonings, though... :©)
Recipe and more pics in the extended entry.
Continue reading "MC's Northwest Salmon with a Twist"
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 11:17 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
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September 09, 2005
Gumbo with chicken, sausage and shrimp
(Photo: Mary, of TPC's version of Matt and Jerry's Mississippi gumbo)
I'm submitting a recipe this time, not for judging, but as a tip of the hat to New Orleans and Mississippi, and I thought it would be fun for someone to make.
I love gumbo, and there at least as many ways to make it as there are cooks. This technique comes from my friends Matt and Jerry, both from the Biloxi/Ocean Springs part of Mississippi. Even they make it a million different ways, too, but this is my way of smashing their techniques together.
Every gumbo has a roux at its base, usually made from oil and flour. This roux is cooked together first, and the color can end up anywhere from a light golden to very nearly black. This acts as part of the thickener and is what differentiates a gumbo from a soup. Remember, a dark roux will not thicken as well as a light one, so you'll need more of it.
Gumbos also thicken by the addition of either okra or filé powder. I love okra, but left it out of this gumbo at the request of those who were going to eat it with me, sadly. Filé (feelay) powder is ground sassafras root and thickens a gumbo nicely, but used it properly. You add it at the very end of cooking, off the heat. Stir it in and wait 10 minutes. Warning: Don't add it to the pot if you're not going to eat it all in one sitting. If you boil filé, it can get stringy, you're better off just adding a bit to each bowl as you dish it up, stirring it in well.
In the spirit of Food Fight, I've made this with simple, inexpensive ingredients but this technique can be embellished with any type of seafood including fish, oysters, mussels, clams, crawfish and prawns. If you're making a seafood gumbo, I would substitute some of the chicken stock for fish stock or clam juice. Andouille sausage is great if you can find it.
Jerry and Matt serve this gumbo over rice with a scoop of potato salad in the bowl as well, which I'd never seen before.
The recipe is in the extended entry.
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Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 07:36 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
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September 07, 2005
Diana's Everyman's Edible Slider w/homemade Chili Sauce
(Photo: Diana's Everyman's Edible Slider w/homemade Chili Sauce)
Wow, Major John should have been so lucky! Diana has submitted an over the top take on what could be an ordinary meal- a simple burger, but made with beef tenderloin, blue cheese, sauteéd onions, and to really gild the lily, a homemade chili sauce that I can't wait to make.
I've said this a lot, but the best home cooking is all about great, simple elements smashed together. Diana's terrific recipes are below the fold.
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Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 08:52 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
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September 06, 2005
Ana's Salad with Homemade Falafel and Pita Bread
(Photo: Ana's Salad with Homemade Falafel and Pita Bread)
I've got more entries to post, with everything going on I'll keep the contest open until Friday, just let me know if you're working on something. Email your picture and recipe here.
Ana kicks ass. Her entry shows off her homemade falafel, and though there's no pita in the picture she sent, she's included her favorite pita bread recipe as a bonus. I guess if I was a runner like Ana, I could eat falafel and pita in the same meal, too!
Her recipes for falafel and pita bread are below the fold.
Continue reading "Ana's Salad with Homemade Falafel and Pita Bread"
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 09:56 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
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August 31, 2005
Food Fight submission- Puffy Corn Omelet
(Photo:Gourmet Magazine- Puffy Corn Omelet)
Sorry to take so long to get this posted, but lots going on at Desert Island Foods™.com, and life in general.
Paul "Chile" Brown has submitted a recipe he found in Gourmet magazine called a Puffy Corn Omelet that I don't have a link for yet. Paul is also a recent runner up from Food Fight #3:
This recipe is from Gourmet Magazine. I liked it because the ingredients are few and simple. Right now corn is the bomb. I want to make this recipe with my Homemade bacon. I saw a recipe that you use this cure on Pork Butt for 10 days. You rinse and then smoke to 140 degrees. It is supposed to turn out like a cross between Canadian Bacon and country Ham. We will see. I should be smoking it next Tuesday.Peace, Paul
Paul's heading out on vacation soon, so we probably won't see his version before the contest ends, but you gotta like the idea of adding bacon to just about anything. Right? I have a few more entries to post yet. Keep em coming by emailing them here! See the posts below for rules and guidelines.
Chile's recipe is below the fold.
Continue reading "Food Fight submission- Puffy Corn Omelet"
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 11:41 AM | Comments (0)
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August 30, 2005
Food Fight #4- The first recipe is in
(Photo: Shauna James, glutenfreegirl.blogspot.com)
Wow, Shauna. The Gluten Free Girl has set the bar high with her "grilled cheese with amaranth leaves and blackberry sauce". The entire post is so informative and entertaining I'd like us all to read it, in order to factor in Shauna's great writing when we vote on the original recipes.
So well done. Stunningly simple flavors smashed together. Wow.
I'm creating two new catagories in the side bar so we can all reference the original and the interpreted recipes easily- FF4- Original and FF4- Interpreted.
Shauna's recipe for the blackberry sauce and her sandwich notes are in the extended entry.
Continue reading "Food Fight #4- The first recipe is in"
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 10:40 AM | Comments (5)
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August 08, 2005
"Cowboy Cupcake"- the recipe
(The Pragmatic Chef's™ "Cowboy Cupcake")
These are so decadent I'm almost afraid to post this. These are not a true cupcake in the classic sense. Just thought I'd say that up front. It is more like a soufflé stabilized with a bit of flour, I just thought "Cowboy Cupcake" was kind of catchy. They're not really spicy, the peppers and the coffee just add a nice warmth, scale it back or even omit them if that's not your bag. They have a bit of a cakey texture with a great gooey center.
I developed this technique because I needed to prep them early and them cook them in an oven I'd never used before, so I wanted to make it as bullet-proof as possible. This makes it an excellent recipe for a first attempt if you want to learn to make soufflés. I made this recipe as easy as possible, no electric mixers or food processors required.
Soufflés get their leavening solely from eggs, so the trick with cooking a soufflé, or any baking really, is to have your oven hot enough to get the batter rising, yet low enough that the structure of the batter doesn't firm up and set before the leavening process has finished. For this recipe, I tried a few things and settled on a 325º oven with no convection and used a 5 oz. ramekin.
I found that focusing the heat on the bottom of the ramekin helped keep the molten part of the cake more in the center, as opposed to the bottom, which is what I was going for. I also found that I didn't need a water bath for the same reason, I just put the ramekins on a sheet pan.
You owe me for sharing this. Here we go, the recipe is in the extended entry.
Continue reading ""Cowboy Cupcake"- the recipe"
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 08:43 AM | Comments (3)
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July 27, 2005
Survival Fries- version 1
These turned out pretty well for a first attempt. I've been updating the "How to use Survival Spice™" page to try to keep up with all the suggested uses I get from customers. One of the suggestions was on roasted potatoes, so I thought I'd give it a try. I would do it slightly differently next time, so I'll tell you what I did and what I'll do next time. The recipe is in the extended entry.
Continue reading "Survival Fries- version 1"
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 09:45 AM | Comments (0)
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July 24, 2005
Cowboy Ribeye au Poivre with South of the Border-laise Sauce
I did quite a bit of cooking this weekend because I'm working on a few recipes for a party at the end of the month and I'm updating some content on the Desert Island Foods™.com site. The first version of the 'Survival Fries' I made are here.
Dinner Saturday night was my quick Franco-Phoenix version of a classic- Steak au Poivre with a Bordelaise sauce. I've been thinking about it since Dr. Biggles had made a cool version from an old cookbook last week, so I thought I'd see if I could do a quick version of one of my favorite sauces without an important ingredient, veal demi-glace.
It turned out really well and was an interesting experiment. I'll do a quick summary here and I'll do a more comprehensive recipe later if enough of you are interested.
With the impending storm on the horizon and not having any demi-glace, I decided to make it indoors so I could maximize the use of pan juices. I rubbed the steak with whole-grain mustard and a quick rub of smashed black peppercorns, brown sugar, coffee and kosher salt while my cast iron skillet was heating up. In a bit of oil and butter I cooked the steak to rare, knowing that carry over heat would bring it to medium-rare, then removed it from the skillet and wrapped it in foil while I made the pan sauce.
I added enough flour to the skillet to soak up the juices, then added a bit more oil and butter and sweated a few minced shallots until translucent. I deglazed with a cup or so of good red wine (a Penfold's Shiraz) and reduced it 50%, whisking to incorporate the roux and pan drippings. For a Southwestern touch, I added a teaspoon of adobo sauce for some extra depth of flavor and some background heat. The resting beef at this point had released some juice, so that went in as well.
After adding a few sprigs of fresh thyme, I added a can of chicken stock. A good beef stock would been my preference, but you use what you've got and it worked out fine because of all the beef flavor in the cast iron and from the steak. I cranked up the heat and reduced this 50%, until it was starting to thicken up a bit. I turned off the heat, whisked in a few pats of butter and some chopped parsley.
Meanwhile, I did a quick sauté of Asparagus, Crimini Mushrooms, and Pine Nuts.
Good stuff.
What did you cook this weekend? Leave it in the comments and email me a dish you're particularly proud of.
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 12:00 PM | Comments (2)
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July 22, 2005
Roast Chicken w/Veggies
(Photos: Dr. Biggles)
This is a great dish. One pan, no fuss. Dr. B used Survival Spice™, which I love to see, but don't feel like you have to have to use one of my products to send in your dish. This is all about giving people ideas for simple, amazing weekday dinners. Though I really feel that my stuff really makes that easy, I'm not going to stand on a soapbox with a frickin' megaphone. Here's Biggles' email:
Here is tonight's meal. What with Gout in the forefront of my mind, using mostly vegetable matter is what I need to be eating. So far, I've found roasting those nasty things the best way to go. No vegetarian dinner would be complete without two slices of horizontally sliced thicky bacon within the veggies and a whole chicken roasting up on top. After putting, carrots, celery, onion, shallot and broc in to a bowl and tossing with extra virgin olive oil, I sprinkled in a large amount of Survival Spice. I did this because I wanted a sweet and spicy return on those little bastards. The darned broc is pretty tender so I piled it high under the chicky. Everything is better when it comes from under a chicken's wing.The bird got some extra virgin olive oil, kosher salt and an assortment of herbs. Since I can't eat most of the chicken, I put some Survival Spice on the chicken wings, those MINES. Add about 3/4 cupfuls of natural chicken broth and install in to a preheated 375 degree oven.
Every half hour pull out and toss the veggies. At this point you could put a lump of butter over the chicken or baste with good dry white wine. Hells bells, do boff. As with any basic roasting meat, this goes on the bottom rack. Serve this, if necessary with some starch. Fresh corn located on the cob would be a good choice.
The important thing to remember here is to roast your vegetables, use your roast or bird to marinate and not use too much broff in the bottom of the roaster.
ps - As far as the size of your roaster goes, you want most of the vegetables to be exposed to the heat. Leaving them under the bird will steam the them and while this isn't a bad thing, it isn't what we want. We're looking for blackened portions of your food, something tasty.
What did you have for dinner tonight? Email Me a dish you're proud of.
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 09:42 AM | Comments (0)
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July 20, 2005
Sauce of the Day- Supreme
For those who aren't familiar with the term, a Supreme sauce is an incredibly rich sauce traditionally based on chicken velouté that is terrific on roasted chicken or even pork. A bit time consuming but the WOW factor is huge if done properly. It's sort of a very upscale country gravy in a way.
The recipe is in the extended entry.
Continue reading "Sauce of the Day- Supreme"
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 08:42 AM | Comments (1)
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July 19, 2005
Chicken en Molé- Weekday version
(TPCs easy weekday Chicken en Molé)
I love to make molé. Technically, since 'molé' is derived from 'mulli', the Nahautl word for 'sauce', this is a real molé, but a traditional molé has lots of ingredients that combine to create a wonderfully textured sauce with layer upon layer of flavor.
This ain't it by a long shot, but since the pantry and my time were both equally lacking, I made do with what I had. I took some chicken thighs I had grilled off the day before and simmered them in some chicken stock and some of the chili pureé I had left from the Traditional New Mexico Pork Chile I made recently, which gave me a big head start.
I added some more dried oregano, a bit of cumin, a pinch of cinammon, a few bittersweet chocolate chips, a squeeze of honey and simmered it until it thickened up to the right consistency. A classic molé gets its texture from pureéd nuts and tortilla but none of that here today. I took the kernels of a few ears of fresh corn and added that too for a bit more sweetness and texture. Grilled off a few flour tortillas and you have a very decent molé in less than an hour.
This looks like a pretty good molé if you've got the time to check it out. I wouldn't use as much oil as they call for, I'd replace some of the cloves with allspice, substitute almonds instead of peanuts, etc. but the recipe gives you a pretty good representation of the techniques involved.
What did you have for dinner last night?
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 09:30 AM | Comments (10)
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July 13, 2005
Organic Basil Pesto with Shrimp and Spaghetti
(TPCs Organic Basil Pesto with Shrimp and Spaghetti)
It was 115º here in Phoenix yesterday and the basil in my herb garden took a bit of a beating, so I threw together this pesto dish. Not my finest picture, sad to say, but it really tasted good, at least!
The name pesto, for those who don't know, is a derivation of "pounded" and the word pestle, as in mortar and pestle. A traditional Italian dish, it is an uncooked sauce and is terrific on hot and cold pastas and in pasta salads. It is typically made from basil along with garlic, toasted pine nuts, olive oil and grated parmesean cheese but spinach, cilantro, mint and parsley pestos have made their way into the marketplace over the years.
The important thing with pesto is that it must be made just before service to keep the bright green color. Without getting too technical, as basil is crushed chemicals inside and outside the cell walls are combined, creating a black result. A good way to cheat if you have to make it ahead is to use some Italian flat-leaf parsley in your pesto along with the basil. It will not brown quite as deeply so this is done a lot in restaurants. Parsley also gives a nice aromatic lightness that a lot of people like.
You can make pesto in a food processor, but this will really accelerate the blackening process because of the high speed and heat of the blades so be careful. Use a mortar and pestle! It's easy, very theraputic and it has a great Wow factor if you make it front of guests, just prep your ingredients in advance.
Here's my very 'scientific' technique:
1) Crush 4 or 5 cloves of garlic in your mortar, using your pestle. If you aren't garlic crazy, cut it down because raw garlic will become quite sharp with all the pounding.
2) Add 2 big handfuls of basil, grinding them down gradually to a rough paste.
3) Add a handful of toasted pine nuts and smash 'em up a bit. I used my toaster oven to toast these for the first time per Dr. Biggles excellent suggestion, though I found my toaster oven is a bit uneven so you might want to give them a shake halfway through.
4) Add a couple of handfuls of grated parm cheese, enough olive oil to make it somewhat pourable, stir then season TT.
I've been playing around with peccorino romano cheese a lot lately. It's a sheep's milk cheese I really like the flavor of but it's quite salty, which is why you should season your pesto at the very end.
Embellish with meat if you want. I had done a quick pan fry of some shrimp I had and tossed them with the pasta. Grilled chicken is terrific, too. Toss with your pasta and you're done.
What did you have for dinner last night?
Update- Someone asked me if I had used the Tibvrtini Extra Virgin Olive Oil I carry at Desert Island Foods™.com in the pesto.
Nope. That oil has so much character that although I could maybe see drizzling a bit of it on the top, it's a waste to use about a quarter of a bottle of an expensive oil in a pesto because there's so much other flavor there already. In a dish for dipping crusty bread in, absolutely, or drizzled on an organic green salad on the side would be amazing.
It would be decadent, though. I might have to try it next time...
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 08:45 AM | Comments (7)
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July 08, 2005
Food Fight #3 Second Place- Paul's Chinatown Pork Roast
Paul's Chinatown Roast
Second prize this time went to Paul from Rodeo, CA. Paul entered a sirloin roast, which is on the far end of the loin from the blade roast Biggles used in his dish. The sirloin end does not have as much fat content, and the higher ratio of bone gives you a lot of potential to develop deep, intense pork flavors. However, because it's more lean, it can dry out if you just blast it in an oven.
What I really liked about Paul's entry was the care he took in cooking this properly. By brining his roast the night before, he increased the roast's capacity to retain moisture. By smoking it 'low and slow' and using an instant read thermometer, he guaranteed a great result.
Paul wins a a DIF T-shirt, a tin of Survival Spice™, and a DIF refrigerator magnet.
Congratulations again! The recipe is in the extended entry.
The next Food Fight will start in a few weeks. Start thinking about your dish and work on those food photography skills!
Continue reading "Food Fight #3 Second Place- Paul's Chinatown Pork Roast"
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 07:07 AM | Comments (4)
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July 07, 2005
Food Fight Winner #3!!!! - Biggles' Stuffed Pork Roast
Biggles' Survival Stuffed Pork Roast
We have a winner! Congratulations to Dr. Biggles, whose fine food blog MeatHenge is frequently filled with succulent goodies like this, really did a good job with his entry.
Second place goes to Paul for his "Chinatown Pork Roast." Two winning pork recipes this time, both done with similar cuts of meat but completely different cooking techniques. I'll post Paul's entry later today or tomorrow. Both dishes are great and it was a tough decision, as both of these as well as quite a few others this time were really good.
My take on the winning dish:
The blade end roast is a great choice for this kind of technique. It's fabbed out from the front part of the loin nearest the shoulder, so you can see a few ribs and the end of the shoulder blade in the pictures, hence the name. That bit of T-shaped shoulder blade in the top is what is sliced and sold as "country spare ribs", in case you didn't know. Lots of bone=lots of flavor.
The choice of chard is good. Chard has a bit of background bitterness, so it supplies depth of flavor and moisture to the pork as it cooks. I like to use pine nuts a lot too, for their crunch, saltiness and character, and toasting them as Dr. Biggles did is an absolute must, his toaster oven trick is a really good one.
His note on it needing a bit more salt is perfectly valid. Survival Spice™ contains far less salt than a lot of spice blends on the shelf. A lot of blends out there have more salt than anything, and I chose to go a different route. Survival Spice™ contains a well-balanced amount of quality kosher salt and no more. Salt is inexpensive so why pay more when you can later season to your own taste anyway?
Congratulations again! Biggles and Paul both win a DIF T-shirt, a tin of Survival Spice™, and a DIF refrigerator magnet.
Thanks to everyone who entered, this was the best contest yet. And keep sending in those great pictures in! I'll post a few more reader food pics this week.
So without further ado, Dr. Biggles recipe, rich with great photos, is in the extended section:
Continue reading "Food Fight Winner #3!!!! - Biggles' Stuffed Pork Roast"
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 08:13 AM | Comments (0)
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July 01, 2005
Corn Risotto
the pragmatic chef's™ Corn Risotto
This is basically an upscale Southwest version of creamed corn, with a nice cheesy kick. Thanks to Lesley for the original idea.
3T unsalted butter, though salted will work.
1 small onion finely chopped
2 cups fresh tender corn kernels, about 4 ears. Fresh is best but use a good quality frozen corn (thawed and excess water drained off) if corn isn't in season or you're feeling lazy.
1/2 cup cream
1/2 cup shredded Fontina cheese (2 ounces) Monterrey Jack is a reasonable substitute.
1 tbls minced jalepeno or serrano chiles, roughly 1 pepper
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper TT (to taste)
Cilantro for garnish, coarsely chopped. You can skip this if you don't care for cilantro or you're out (as I was the day I made it for the picture).
Preheat broiler on low. On the stove top, melt butter in skillet and saute the onion til lightly browned. Add the corn and cook until hot stirring often. Pour in the cream and bring to a full boil.
Cook, stirring, until the cream has reduced a bit but it still has the loose quality of traditional risotto. Add the jalapenos, warm them up and then season to taste. If you don't let your chiles warm up enough, you may not realize how spicy your dish is going to be.
Pour the mixture into a shallow baking dish. Scatter shredded cheese over the top. Place under the broiler until the cheese is melted and the corn is bubbling slightly. Don't overdo it!
Serve on warm plates garnished with salsa fresca or in pasta bowls with Traditional New Mexico pork chile and warm tortillas.
Serves 4-6 as a side dish.
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 08:18 AM | Comments (0)
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June 30, 2005
Frozen dinner- Stuffed Pork Loin and Cheesey Potatoes
Raided the fridge for dinner yesterday, time's a bit tight these days keeping up with Desert Island Foods™ biz.
I had made this stuffed pork loin for about 25 friends and family members this winter and had some left over. Normally I would have done a roulade with it but with having to do 2 full loins in the time I had, I figured I'd try it this way. The stuffing was probably hot Italian sausage, pine nuts, parsley, garlic, Colman's mustard and fresh bread crumbs, though I tend to do it differently every time. I seared it on the grill with a bit of pecan wood then finished it in the oven, you can see a bit of the smoke ring in the pork if you look closely.
I originally served it with a Poblano creme sauce but that was gone. For this, I just reduced some chicken stock with some mustard and fresh rosemary and thyme. Sliced the now-thawed loin and simmered it in the sauce so it could pick up some of the pork and stuffing flavors.
The potatoes were in the freezer too, an American take on Pommes de Terre Boulangere. Sliced potatoes baked in chicken stock, onions and fresh thyme. Topped off with Jack and Cheddar cheese and broiled until brown and bubbly. Kids call them 'Cheesey Potatoes' and I like that name just as well, really!
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 08:28 AM
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Belgian Fries
Man, is Michel (aka King Cone) obsessed with French Belgian Fries! Here's a Belgian website dedicated to the fried potato. The site includes a section dedicated to the "frietkot" or fry shack, little booths that serve only fries.
He also includes the recipe for preparing and cooking a proper fry, which I endorse. The twice cooked method is the ultimate way of insuring a crispy fry that's tender inside. Unfortunately there's no direct link to the recipes section so follow the main link above and click on 'recipes' in the left sidebar.
BTW, a Belgian fry is never served with ketchup or vinegar, only mayonaise. Okay, he kinda loses me there...
Check out the site, this guy is really into it!
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 07:52 AM | Comments (1)
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June 21, 2005
Red sauce- basil vs. oregano?
Oh boy, what a can of worms this is. Everybody's got their own way of making red sauce and I'm down with that. My version in a nutshell?
Sauce for pasta- crushed tomatoes, good olive oil, a bit of garlic, torn basil leaves.
Sauce for pizza- crushed tomatoes, good olive oil, a bit of garlic, fresh oregano, crushed red pepper.
That's it. Really. You can embellish it to a particular recipe but if you're just making sauce to can or keep in the fridge for a few weeks, keep it simple and customize it to your particular dish. And don't cook your basic sauce for hours and hours, if you later want to simmer braciola or an al sugo meat sauce until it falls apart, that's a different story entirely...
Great Italian food, and I was lucky to learn Italian cooking from old country Italians in a great restaurant kitchen, is about simple flavors.
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 08:09 AM
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June 16, 2005
Grilled Salmon w/Asparagus and Crispy Salmon Skin Strips
Easy and good. Here's how I like to grill salmon fillets. A bit of oil and Survival Spice™ on the top and the bottom gets oil and a generous amount of kosher salt to help crisp it.
Onto a medium-high grill bottom side down until the skin is set up enough to remove. Flip the salmon onto the presentation side a a slight angle (if quadrillage is your bag), remove the skin and keep it on the grill where it will get enough heat to get crispy but not burned. If there is a lot of dark meat on the filet, scrape most of it off with your spatula and season the bottom with more Survival Spice™.
Turn, don't flip the fish 60º when your fish has the first grill marks. Grill a few more minutes until your presentation side looks good. Flip the fillet onto its now-seasoned bottom and cook until done.
I'm begging you, don't overcook your fish! Most people grill fish until it flakes and that's too late. By the time the connective tissue (myocommata, for bonus points) breaks down the actual meat is overdone. You want to pull it off the grill just before it flakes and carry over heat will do the rest.
Cut your crispy salmon skin into strips. I really like salmon skin if it's cooked well, some folks don't. Such is life.
Oh, the asparagus? Oiled and salted, onto the grill. A good squirt of lemon when it comes off. Easy.
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 08:11 AM
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June 15, 2005
Traditional New Mexico-style Pork Chile
the pragmatic chef's™ Traditional New Mexico-style Pork Chile (pictured with corn risotto)
Emily and a few other people have asked for a recipe for the Pork chile I made last weekend so here's a basic rundown.
There are a million variations to this but make it the basic way the first time so you know what the dish is really about, hearty, basic, delicious flavors. I learned about this from a friend of mine from New Mexico. I asked him to teach me how he makes his green posole, but he said he'd have to kill me...
Always keep in mind that everything needs to be proportional to how much meat you end up with, so if your pork cooks down to nothing, don't just blindly chuck the rest of it in by rote.
The recipe is in the extended entry.
Continue reading "Traditional New Mexico-style Pork Chile"
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 08:04 AM | Comments (2)
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June 11, 2005
Grilled Corn and Squash Quesadilla
Actually, it was lunch today, but I love quesadillas. Such an easy and delicious way to use up leftovers. Grated Jack and Cheddar cheeses, some salsa, homegrown oregano and you're all set.
Easy to prepare, too. Fire up your grill with a medium fire or pre-heat a 375º oven. (If you use your oven, make sure there's something on the shelf underneath your quesadilla to catch drippings.
If you have a pizza pan or sizzle platter fine, otherwise you what you've got. Start with a little oil on the platter and lay down your first tortilla. Use whatever you want for filling, just make sure it's cooked first, the veggies in mine would have never gotten cooked in time if I hadn't. You really should have some kind of cheese to hold it together if you want to flip it. Don't overfill it! Lay your top tortilla in place and brush some more oil on top.
Slide your prepared quesadilla onto the grill or oven rack. Give it a few minutes, take a peak underneath and rotate 60º if you've gotten your grill marks going. (Proper quadrillage is always worth bonus points in my book.)
Okay, flipping. The easiest way is to put your plate back on top of the quesadilla, slide your spatula (wide is good) underneath and whle pressing down a bit with the platter, smoothly and confidently turn the whole thing over in one movement.
Grill the other side until the whole thing is nice and gooey. Check it by lightly lifting the top tortilla. Slide it back onto the platter and serve with more cheese, sour cream and guacamole.
Oh, and a nice cold Shiner Bock. Life is good...
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 02:43 PM
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June 09, 2005
Grilled Corn on the Cob
I also grilled a few ears of corn. This is so easy, I don't know why people make a huge production out of it and it's a great technique because the corn is cooked in the husk, which gives it even more flavor.
Lay the whole ear on a hot fire, husk and all. You can pre-soak but with really fresh corn I don't feel it's necessary, the kernels and the silk should contribute enough moisture to create the steam you need. Keep it turning, removing the husk layer by layer as they burn away. You don't want to do this too early because you'll lose that seal that's keeping the steam in. I keep a plastic bag around for the husks and I just hold the ear with my tongs and pull the husks off by hand. You might want to keep a side towel handy for this if you're not a total masochist like I am...
In around 15 minutes, push on a few kernels. If they feel soft and well, cooked you're about there. Take off the rest of the husk, give the corn a few minutes on the coals to sear off the silk, and enjoy!
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 08:02 AM
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Seared Ahi with Grilled Rosemary Squash
Easy and amazing. Zip the rosemary leaves off into a ramekin with a little olive oil while you're seasoning the fish, which was just canola oil and Survival Spice™.
Season the squash with S & P then drizzle with the infused oil. Don't do this too far in advance so your veg doesn't absorb too much oil and get mushy. 10 minutes is plenty. This is all about fresh, clean flavors.
Drizzle the fish with a bit more oil, then lay the ahi best side down on the hottest part of the fire and the squash away from it a bit. If the fish sticks, don't move it! Eventually it will lift away on its own.
After a few minutes, sneak a look at the fish and squash to see if you have grill marks yet. If you do, rotate 60º and give it a few more minutes. Flip and get ready to plate! Ahi should not be overcooked. Feel it with your finger, if it's mushy wait a minute. When it's just starting to set up but still has some give to it, you're good to go!
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 07:47 AM
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June 07, 2005
Another easy pasta dish
Shrimp with spaghetti in a sauce made from butter/olive oil, lots of garlic, white wine and a bit of chicken stock and parsley, topped with asiago cheese.
I wanted to show you this dish as another variation of the simple pan technique I mentioned here last week.
I had a few emails after I posted that entry asking what the exact amounts of wine and stock were. I can't tell you that, not because it's some big secret but because this is more of a technique than a recipe.
The type of wine and the stock you have on hand are going to vary, depending on what's around. If you have a sweet wine like a Reisling, for example, you might want to not use as much as you would if you had a bottle of Pinot Grigio.
On the other hand, if you have some really good homemade stock you might want to really feature that, conversely if all you have is some canned stock that doesn't have much flavor you might need to use twice as much and then reduce it until it has some taste. Be careful when you do this though, it may become quite salty, you might not need much salt later.
TASTE AS YOU GO!!!! TASTE, TASTE, TASTE!!!!
Didn't mean to shout but I hope you get my point. Using what's on hand is much more interesting to me because I'm not eating the same old thing all the time, plus I'm taking advantage of the best ingredients available and featuring them prominently. Learning to cook this way, really cooking instead of blindly following a recipe will give you better meals and a lot more fun in the kitchen in the long run.
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 08:45 AM | Comments (3)
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June 02, 2005
We have a winner!!!!
Food Fight #2 is over. Thanks to everyone who entered, keep sending in those pictures, you could win next time! The second Food Fight was won by Chris from Phoenix, AZ. His updated Chicken Cordon Bleu was simple, imaginative and his description was the most enthusiastic I read this time:
One of the first things I really made well was Chicken Cordon Bleu, and still have a mild addiction to stuffed chicken. I thought about how you go to Arby's and they have this in sandwich form, combined with how I like a good chicken club. I mean, chicken, cheddar and bacon! It's great. So I thought I'd reverse this into stuffed form.Cheddar and bacon seemed like it may not work quite right, so I opted for prosciutto and a sharp white cheese.
His recipe was also well done, using a standard breading technique of flour, egg and bread crumbs. This technique using Survival Spice makes terrific fried chicken, too. Here's the recipe:
It takes: -2 good sized chicken breasts -4 slices prosciutto -4 small slices of a sharp white cheese (measurements are relevant and not really exact - also depending on how much you really like cheese) -1 cup flour -1 cup bread crumbs -2 tablespoons Survival Spice™ -1 egg- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- In a small warm pan, warm up prosciutto a bit (this may not be needed)
- Butterfly cut chicken open (I like to open it up further so I can cover and create a pinwheel effect)
- Place prosciutto and cheese inside chicken and roll up into a nice little package (set aside)
- In one bowl, add flour and mix in 1 tablespoon of Survival Spice
- In another bowl whisk egg
- In a third bowl, add bread crumbs and 1 tablespoon of Survival Spice
- Take chicken and dredge in flour, then coat with egg, and breadcrumb mix
- Bake at 350 for 20 minutesGoes great with garlic mashed potatoes...
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 07:48 AM | Comments (1)
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May 31, 2005
The Pragmatic Chef's™ Hearty Summer Salad
I made this for some vegetarian friends this weekend. It was a huge hit, so I thought I'd share it. It's a simple way to complement a simple grilled piece of meat or fish for a weekday meal, too. Lots of ways to vary this too, feel free to customize as you see fit.
It has quite a few ingredients, so the recipe is in the extended entry.
Continue reading "The Pragmatic Chef's™ Hearty Summer Salad"
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 07:23 AM
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May 26, 2005
What did you have for dinner last night?
Spaghetti arrabiata with hot Italian sausage, red peppers, onions, tomato and organic thyme, oregano and torn basil, topped with grated Parmesan cheese.
A lot of people are intimidated with making pasta dishes like this because they haven't learned how to make a simple pan sauce. It's important to know how to do this, it's so much simpler than making tomato sauce.
Once you've sauteéd your meat and veg, deglaze with a 1/4 C or so of white wine (I keep a bottle of leftover wine in the fridge specifically for this), and gently stir to incorporate the browned bits in the pan. Note I said browned, not blackened, if you've scorched anything get the nasty bits out before you start your sauce.
Once you've done this, add a 1/2 C of stock and 2 chopped Roma tomatoes, whatever fresh herbs you want to use and simmer a few minutes. Taste for seasoning and add crushed red peppers, salt and pepper accordingly. Add your cooked 1/2 pound of pasta, give it a few minutes to come together and plate it up with some grated Parmesan.
A quick time-saver I want to make sure you know about. If you're cooking pasta for 2, cook the whole pound and save 1/2 of it, lightly oiled in a 1 quart zip-lock bag for later in the week. It will hold for days like this and it makes for a quick second meal, which is what I did here. Actually, I made this whole meal from leftovers, we had the sausage, peppers and onions earlier in the week so this whole dish took less than 10 minutes. Gotta love that...
So, what did you have for dinner last night?
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 08:12 AM | Comments (5)
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May 16, 2005
Sweet Fried Red Cabbage with Kielbasi
Submitted by Steve from Seattle- Food Fight™ winner 5/14/2005:
This dish came from my great aunt Kate.
She used to make it for us as kids when we visited her in northern Michigan.
I got the recipe from my grandmother,(Kate's sister), years after Kate passed away and i make it quite often still.
Heres the breakdown of ingredients:
1 6" red cabbage
2 Red apples
1 red onion
4 strips bacon
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar...not apple flavored vinegar
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 lb polish sausage
1/4 and core the cabbage and slice into 1/4" slices
Cut the apple into 1/8ths and core, slice the 1/8ths into 1/4" pieces
1/4 the onion and slice into 1/8" slices
Cut the bacon strips into 1/2 pieces.
Cut the polish sausage in 1/2 lengthwise and slice into 3/4" pieces
Mix the vinegar and brown sugar in a small bowl.
In a seperate pan, brown the sausage slowly to your liking. ( i like mine a bit crispy on the outside for this dish)
Brown the bacon slowly till crispy in a 16" saute pan and remove from grease.
Add the cabbage, apples, and onion to the grease and cook covered, sitrring now and then, till well cooked down and liquid is gone.
Remove the lid and fry the cabbage mixture till it starts to carmalize a bit then add vinegar brown sugar mix. Stir around to deglaze the pan and add the bacon and cooked sausage.
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 08:20 AM
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May 11, 2005
Smoked pork and roasted corn salad
Sliced smoked pork butt and roasted corn with romaine, radishes, jack cheese, radishes and organic home grown red pepper, parsley and chives. Easy and really good, because I cooked the pork and corn over the weekend when I had some time.
A lot of people don't like leftovers, and I understand that, but I try to use them in a different way than I did originally, salad instead of pork sandwiches and the corn on the cob. That way you don't feel like you're eating the same thing over and over.
I need to be eating more salads these days, I'm afraid...
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 07:12 AM | Comments (1)