Thursday, June 30, 2011

Pork Chops with Drunken Sausage Gravy and Brown Rice with Mixed Vegetables - 6/30/11

The beginning of my cooking frenzy after being separated from Wusthoff santoku knife for 10 days - inspired by a recipe from Guy Fieri.  I would also serve biscuits with this, as there is plenty of extra heavenly sausage gravy.  If you need to thin the gravy when reheating, use a mixture of milk or cream and vermouth.  This is spicy, but not obnoxiously so. 


Ingredients:
4 center cut rib pork chops (about 1 3/4 pounds)
Southern Spice Rub (Paula Deen) or another cumin-based spice blend of your liking 
Wondra flour
1/4 cup canola oil for pan-frying
 
Drunken Sausage Gravy, recipe follows:
 
One large onion, diced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
Garlic powder
2 good pinches of dry sage
Sugar
1- 9.6 oz pouch cooked sausage crumbles (Jimmy Dean)
1/3 cup vermouth
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups milk
 
In a Dutch oven, heat the canola oil over medium high heat.  Sprinkle both sides of the chops with the spice rub, and then the Wondra flour.  In two batches, brown the chops in the hot oil.  Place the chops into a very low oven to keep warm.
 
In the same Dutch oven, add the onions, season them with the salt, black pepper, white pepper, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, sage, and sugar and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes . Add the sausage and continue to saute until it starts to brown.  Deglaze with the vermouth, and reduce for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the Dijon and sprinkle in the flour. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly, to cook out the raw flavor of the flour.
 
Add 1 cup of the milk and stir until combined. Add the remaining milk and mix until it's just starting to thicken. Stir in the cream and heat through. Adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper, additional spices and a little more mustard.  Thin if necessary with a little more vermouth.
Place the chops in the Dutch oven with the gravy , cover,  and place in a 325 degree oven for at least 30 minutes, until heated through and the chops are tender. 
 
 
Serve this side dish with the chops:
 
Brown Rice with Mixed Vegetables
 
2 boil-in-bags of brown rice
1-7 oz. can Green Giant Mexicorn, drained, can retained
1 bag or box of frozen peas and carrots
1-2 tablespoons butter
kosher salt
 
Prepare two boil in bags of brown rice according to package directions for the ten minute cooking time.
 
Fill empty Mexicorn can with mixed frozen peas and carrots.  During last five minutes, gradually add  peas and carrots to the boiling water in which the rice is cooking.  If it seems to take a while for the water to boil, add a minute or so to the overall cooking time.
 
Remove rice bags to drain and drain the peas and carrots into the same colander with the corn.  When everything is well drained, combine and add some butter and salt to taste.  Stir gently until the butter is melted into the hot rice.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Crookneck Casserole



4 slices of bacon, cut into squares
1 onion, chopped
1-8 oz container precut mixed bell peppers
3 to 4 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/4 pound yellow crookneck squash, diced
Leaves from two sprigs of thyme (or more to taste)
2 tablespoons butter

Kosher salt, black pepper
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar

1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup Hellman's mayonnaise
1 cup Fresh Gourmet crispy onions
1 cup Fresh Gourmet tortilla strips
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Panko bread crumbs
2 tablespoons melted butter
additional grated Parmesan cheese

In a large skillet, cook the bacon until a good amount of the fat renders into the pan.  Add the onion, peppers, and garlic, season with salt, pepper, and the brown sugar, and saute until the vegetables soften and the onion becomes translucent.  Now add the squash, the thyme, and the butter.  Season with a little more salt and pepper, and saute until the squash has softened and has taken on some sweetness.  Remove the pan from the heat and let cool slightly.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  To the vegetables in the skillet, add the mushroom soup, mayonnaise, crispy onion, tortilla strips, and 1 cup of cheese.  Mix to combine well and transfer to a casserole dish.  Bake in the oven until bubbly and slightly brown on top.

Remove the casserole from the oven, and set it on broil.  Sprinkle the top of the casserole with a layer of panko bread crumbs and parmesan cheese.  Pour the melted butter over the top.  Place the casserole in the oven under the broiler.  Do not close the door all the way!  Watch carefully as the crumbs will burn in a New York minute.  When the top is brown and crispy, remove the casserole.  Let it sit for a few minutes before serving.


Now if you want this a little zippy, use shredded pepper jack cheese and/or add a small, seeded, diced jalapeno in with the other peppers.  I'm thinking that cream of celery soup would also work rather well.  This is a nice, easy side dish.  Please enjoy.

Monday, June 13, 2011

Jewish Sweet and Sour Meatballs - 6/13/11

If you are Jewish, chances are you have eaten these, especially around Rosh Hashona.  Don't turn up your nose at the ingredients - it works.  This is my version of the dish, and you will notice there is no grated onion in the meatballs.  You don't need it for this dish, and who wants to grate an onion on a weeknight?

Meatballs

1 3/4 pounds lean ground beef
1 egg
cornflake crumbs (about 1/2 -3/4 cup)
kosher salt, pepper, granulated garlic, onion powder, Emeril's Essence

Mix everything together and make 15 meatballs from the mixture.  Put in a baking pan and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, or just until the meatballs start to firm up.  They will finish cooking in the sauce.

Jewish Sweet and Sour Sauce

3 - 12 oz. bottles of Heinz chili sauce
1 - 18 oz. jar of Welch's grape jelly
juice of half a lemon (or more to taste)
2 shots of Worcestershire sauce
2 drops of Tabasco sauce (or more to taste)
kosher salt, black pepper, granulated garlic, Emeril's Essence - all to taste
2 handfuls of raisins

Empty the chili sauce into a medium deep pot or Dutch oven.  I like to put a little water in each jar, and shake to get all of the sauce on the sides, then add it into the sauce in the pot.  Then take about half of the jelly and add it to the sauce.  On medium to medium- high heat, bring the sauce to a simmer so that the jelly melts.  Add the remaining ingredients.  Taste and add more of the grape jelly if you like to get the right balance of sweet and sour.  I add about half of what is left in the jar.

Carefully add the meatballs to the sauce.  Cover the pot and simmer for 1 1/2 hours.  Serve alone, with challah, or over rice.


The color is off a bit - should be closer to a cranberry color - but the taste is delicious, and a nice change from meatballs in Italian red sauce.  Very easy to make and they will taste even better the next day.

Please enjoy  ;-)

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Choucroute Garnie - 6/12/11

I first tried the recipe for choucroute garnie from a big paperback cookbook called Great Dinners from Life, by Eleanor Graves.  I remember the first time I tried it, in my kitchen in Ronkonkoma, to serve at dinner where Kathy and Alan were our expected guests.  It was fussy but delicious.  One thing I remembered was wondering why the choucroute was cooked as long as it was, and why the bacon had to be blanched first, and over the years, I made some changes which I think better represent today's tastes in food, both in terms of technique and choice of ingredients.


I have to speak about brands here as well.  You know I am obsessed on the topic of Hellman's mayonnaise and to a lesser extent, Heinz ketchup.  At the same time, I have no problem using store brands for certain items when I feel quality has not been compromised.  When it comes to the individual sausages for this dish, I have previously chosen the Usual Suspects - brands like Hillshire Farms, Johnsonville, or Hebrew National.   I think, though, that this is one of those dishes where the meats should shine, and after many years of using those familiar brands that are, for this dish, "just okay", I would like to recommend you try the brands I am recommending today, and see if you don't enjoy this dish even more.  Some of them are pricier, I admit.  But worth it.

The choucroute:
4-14.4 oz cans Bavarian style sauerkraut, drained (Silver Floss brand)
4 tablespoons butter
1-12 oz package of bacon, cut into one inch pieces
4 carrots, thinly sliced
2 large onions, halved and thinly sliced
Bouquet garnie: thyme sprigs, bay leaf, 6 peppercorns, 2 large cloves peeled garlic, lightly cracked; place in a small piece of cheesecloth and tie closed with kitchen string
1/2 cup gin
1 cup chicken or beef stock
1 cup white wine or 1/2 cup each white and red wine
1/2 cup water



The garnie:
1- 2 to 3 pound smoked pork shoulder butt (Freirich brand)
1- 1 pound ring Polska kielbasa (Hillshire Farms)
4 beef knockwurst (Boar's Head)
4 cooked bratwurst (Boar's Head)

Additional seasonings and cooking fats are indicated by underlining within the body of the recipe



Allez cuisine, y'all:

Over medium heat melt the butter in a large heavy deep pan. Add the bacon and raise the heat to medium high. As the bacon cooks, use a wooden spoon to separate the pieces. When the bacon has rendered a good deal of fat and is about half cooked, add the onion and carrots. Season the vegetables with kosher salt (not too much, as the ingredients are all salty), coarse black pepper, a touch of sugar, smoked paprika, and a small amount of cayenne pepper. Cook over medium heat for about ten minutes until the onions have softened, bit are neither browned nor mushy.

Squeeze out most of the remaining liquid in the sauerkraut, and then stir it into the bacon-vegetable mixture in the pan so that each strand of sauerkraut is coated with some of the fat. Sprinkle some caraway seeds over the sauerkraut and stir them in.

Pour in the gin, stock, and wine, and water and bring to a boil. Transfer the sauerkraut to a very large casserole dish, cover tightly and bake in a 325 degree oven for 2 hours.

In a large deep pot, place the smoked pork shoulder butt (leave the netting on) and cover with water up to one inch above the pork. You can just cook the pork in water, but I like to add bay leaves, some garlic cloves, peppercorns, smoked or regular Tabasco to taste, and a heaping tablespoon of beef bouillon granules. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cover. Simmer about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Remove from the water and let cool slightly so that you can handle to remove the netting. Also, about 1/2 hour before the pork will be done, add the kielbasa to the pot and simmer with the pork. At the same time, in a large pan, melt a couple of tablespoons of butter, with a drop of olive oil added, and slowly brown the knockwurst and bratwurst on all sides, and when done take off the heat and set aside. This will bring everything to completion at about the same time.

To assemble the dish:
Remove the casserole from the oven, remove the bouquet garnie and discard. Stir the choucroute. Arrange slices of the pork shoulder, the kielbasa ring, and the knockwurst and bratwurst on top of the choucroute. If you like you can cut the kielbasa and sausages into large chunks or let your guests do so as they serve themselves.



This dish screams out for some sort of rustic potato side dish.  Baked, boiled, oven-roasted - you can't go wrong with any of them.  Mashed - utterly sublime as an accompaniment.  I really want to be able to make potato dumplings, but in their absence, I plan on serving potato gnocchi that I did NOT make from scratch, boiled, drained, and served with shallots sauteed in butter.

I love bread with dishes like this, and I sort of imagine thick slices of chewy, crusty rye bread with caraway seeds, or a Jewish corn bread, or pumpernickel.  Lots of sweet butter.  For drinking, offer iced tea (this is the south, after all), beer, and some more of the wines used in the cooking.  My white wine was a pinot grigio and my red was a cabernet sauvignon.  Just happened to be what I had open in the house, but you can always plan ahead.

Friday, June 10, 2011

Mushroom and Barley Soup for the 21st Century - 6/10/11

I mentioned over at the other blog that I had made this soup for the last time over 20 years ago while we were still living in New York.  It is true that I made a mushroom and barley soup, and it was good, but it was not the same recipe I am giving you now.  This one is better, and reflects the maturing of my cooking skills.  I hope you enjoy it.

2 beef shanks for soup
3 large onions sliced
1 heart of celery, sliced
5 carrots, sliced
1 - 16 oz bag coleslaw mix (shredded cabbage, red cabbage and carrots)
1 pound white mushrooms, sliced
Butter and oil for sautéing vegetables
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 - 16 oz bag pearled barley
16 cups hot water

Season the beef shanks on both sides with kosher salt, pepper, and/or any seasoning blend you like, which for me meant Emeril's Essence.  In a very large, deep heavy pot, brown on all sides. Remove to a dish and hold. In the same deep pot, add butter and some oil (to prevent the butter from browning too fast) then add the cabbage. When softened, add the onions. Cook a few more minutes, then add the carrots and celery. Keep cooking, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is browned. Add the mushrooms and cook a few more minutes. At any time, if you need more butter, add some. I used a total of 2 tablespoons olive oil and 6 tablespoons butter, but did not add all the butter at the beginning. Add the bay leaves and oregano, and any seasoning you like.

Return the beef shanks to the pot with any liquid that may have collected. Add the barley, and then the water. Stir the contents of the pot, and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower heat, cover and cook for 45 minutes Stir occasionally so that nothing sticks to the bottom. Remove the cover and continue to simmer another 15 minutes or until barley is tender but still chewy.


Remember to taste and season and re-season as you go along.  Besides the salt, pepper, and Essence, I used some granulated garlic and a few drops of Tabasco sauce to get the taste I wanted.  Also, once you remove the cover for the last 15 minutes, do not add more salt or seasoning until the cooking is over.  If you do, the soup may become too salty.  Don't add any more oregano than the recipe calls for, or the soup may become bitter.

Remove the beef shanks, and when cool enough to handle, remove any meat and cut into small pieces.  There won't be a great deal of meat, which is why I cut it small so it is a well-distributed garnish.  Remember, this is really a vegetable and grain soup, not a meat soup.  I also recommend removing any bone marrow and stirring it into the soup.

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Chicken Livers Provencal - 6/5/11

2 large onions, halved and then thinly sliced
4 large cloves garlic, smashed and minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
2 pounds of fresh chicken livers, placed in a colander, rinsed with cold water, and very well drained
Kosher salt, black pepper
Dried herbes d' provence

Heat the oil and butter together in a large skillet.  Add the onions and garlic and saute until golden brown.  Remove with a slotted spoon and hold to the side.  Leave any remaining oil and butter in the skillet.


Chicken livers are often joined by a membrane; snip this with kitchen scissors, and you will have two nice pieces.  I do not recommend cutting the livers any smaller than this.   Season the livers with the salt and pepper, and then add to the skillet.  Put the heat up to high, and then add the herbes d' provence.  Cook for three to five minutes, or until the livers are browned on both sides.  Let most of the excess liquid in the pan evaporate, but do not let the livers dry out.  Add back the onions and garlic, heat together for a minute or two, then turn into a serving dish and sprinkle with some parsley.

If you can't find the herbes, use dried oregano and call your dish Chicken Livers Casino.

Rob and I love this, but it happens to be the only thing I make that Cory will absolutely not eat.  The kid eats eel and raw fish, but he won't eat chicken livers.  Go figure.

The very best thing to serve this with is old fashioned mashed potatoes and buttered green peas. 

The Devil is in the Chicken - 6/5/11

4 whole chicken leg quarters (thigh and drumstick still attached)
McCormick's Smokehouse Maple Seasoning
Black pepper, granulated garlic
Hellman's Dijonnaise (creamy dijon mustard)
Sweet paprika
Olive oil or corn or canola oil


Season the chicken on both sides with the maple seasoning, the pepper and the garlic.  Let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes or in the refrigerator for an hour.  Then squirt some dijonnaise on both sides of the chicken, and spread it around so the chicken is evenly coated.  The seasonings will mix with the dijonnaise.

Preheat an oven to 375 degrees and prepare a baking pan with a rack.  Place the chicken on the rack, sprinkle each piece with the paprika, and drizzle with a little oil .  Bake for 45 - 60 minutes or until done (juices run clear).  If the coating starts to brown too rapidly, lay a sheet of foil lightly over the chicken.

Don't Make a Tsimmes Over It - 6/5/11

10 - 12 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
Corn or canola oil
Kosher salt, coarse black pepper, white granulated sugar

1 - 40 oz. can of sweet potatoes (yams), very well drained

2 bananas, peeled and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces

1/2 cup orange marmalade
2 tablespoons Grand Marnier

Kosher salt, grated fresh lemon peel, to taste


Line a rimmed metal baking sheet with aluminum foil.  Place the carrots on the sheet and pour over some oil.  With your hand, roll the carrots in the oil to make sure they are coated.  Sprinkle the carrots with salt, pepper and sugar, and mix with your hand to coat.  Place in a 375 to 400 degree oven and bake for about 20 minutes.

Add the sweet potatoes and bananas to the baking sheet, and shuffle back and forth so they pick up some of the oil and seasoning.  Place back in the oven and bake another 15 minutes.  Remove the pan and carefully turn over the sweet potato and banana pieces. 

Melt the marmalade in a glass measuring cup, in the microwave, for no more than a minute.  Stir in the Grand Marnier.  Spoon this glaze mostly over the banana and sweet potato piece.  Return the pan to the oven for another 15 minutes or until the glaze is set and the carrots are tender.  Season with a little more kosher salt and finish with some finely grated lemon peel.

Remove the finished dish to a serving bowl, and if the bananas and sweet potatoes start to fall apart, DON'T MAKE A TSIMMES OVER IT!  As my mother used to remind us, it all ends up in your mouth anyway.

Creamy Tomato Soup - 6/4/2011

The first entry in my "I can make it better" contest.  I had the Cream of Sun Ripened Tomatoes my first evening on board the Carnival Dream, and while it was very good, mine is frankly better.  Do not be put off by the ingredients - the recipe works really well. 

Creamy Tomato Soup

In a large pot:

2 large onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped

Season with kosher salt, black pepper, and a little sugar

Saute in a combination of butter and olive oil until soft and a little caramelized.  Then add:

1-14.5 oz. can well-drained petite diced tomatoes and cook with the onions until soft.

Cover with:

Chicken Stock

Simmer together

Then add:

1 jar Bertolli Spicy Marinara Sauce
1 jar Classico Vodka Sauce

Simmer everything together while seasoning to your liking.  Add more stock if too thick.  At end, lower heat and stir in:

Heavy cream or half and half to taste.