Showing posts with label –. Show all posts
Showing posts with label –. Show all posts
Jerky Chicken – Because I just can’t call it “Jerked Chicken” and keep a straight face!
Sunday, May 11, 2014
The “Jerk” style of cooking comes to us from Jamaica. The term “Jerk” actually comes from the term “Jerky,” which comes from the Spanish “charqui” (Char-key), which is basically meat dried over a slow wood fire. Today “Jerk” doesn’t refer to the cooking method, but the fiery spice mix that is rubbed on the meat before it’s grilled. The key ingredients in this spice mix are Allspice and dried Scotch Bonnet peppers (one of the hottest peppers on earth!). Other common ingredients include Cloves, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, and Thyme. There are countless combinations, so I suggest you buy a high-quality pre-mixed Jerk spice mix (thats what I did – after carefully checking the ingredient list to make sure I was getting the real stuff). If you want to make your own Jerk mixture, you can certainly do a Google search and you’ll have a couple thousand formulas at your disposal.The beauty of this recipe is its simplicity. It has just 3 basic ingredients and since the spice mix is so flavorful and intense, we don’t need to add much. Also, please note the trick I show before applying the “wet rub” when I “score” the chicken breast with the knife. This is a great trick for several reasons that I explain in the clip. By the way, I serve this tasty breast over my famous “12 second” coleslaw, which I will demo soon. I also mention garlic-infused oil which I used to sauté the chicken, and I will demo that soon as well. In the meantime, if you don’t have any garlic-infused oil, just add a couple crushed garlic cloves to the marinade.
Ingredients:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tbl Jerk spice mix (usually allspice and dried Scotch Bonnet peppers, cinnamon, nutmeg, and thyme)
1/2 orange, juiced
salt to taste
garlic oil to sauté
*if you don’t have the garlic oil, just add some fresh garlic to the wet rub and sauté in plain vegetable oil
Roasted Golden Beet and Arugula Salad with Pecans and Goat Cheese – This Ones for the Haters
Saturday, May 10, 2014
No, I dont love beets. Who does? In fact, I used to hate them. For most of us, hearing the words, "beet salad" brings memories of canned, pickled beets sitting untouched on our school lunch trays. This roasted beet and arugula salad tastes as good as it looks, which is pretty damn good, if I do say so myself. Sorry there is no video (yet), but I wanted to share this recipe ASAP. I may film it the next time I make it, which will probably be very soon.This is a just a great, healthy, spring salad. The real secret is roasting the beets, which intensifies the sweet, earthy flavors. Another trick is using these beautiful golden beets which will not remind you of those "other" beets from years past. This salad is hearty enough to serve as a main course, but also works perfectly as a side dish. Enjoy!
Cheese Straws – These Don’t Suck
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
So, for the record, let’s make this official. These really tasted great, and that’s without any embellishments whatsoever. There are so many things that will work with this technique, including, but not limited to garlic butter, fresh herbs, crushed nuts, and/or literally any dried spice. As far as approved uses, it’d be easier to list things this wouldn’t work with.
Any soup, stew, or bowl of chili would look substantially better with some of these alongside. A few cheese straws will make that sleepy bowl of leftover pasta suddenly seems special again, and substituting them for toast at breakfast is a proven crowd-pleaser. Dipping toasted bread into a runny egg yolk is nice, but dipping with a warm, crispy cheese straw? That goes way beyond nice.
As long as you use some nice, grate-able pungent cheeses, and cook them long enough to get crisp, there’s no way these won’t be great. I hope you give them a try soon, and report back with all your brilliant adaptations. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
frozen puff pastry
frozen puff pastry
about 2 tsp olive oil , or as needed
about 1/2 cup total finely grated aged cheddar and Parmigiano-Reggiano, or more as needed
salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste
Crab Artichoke and Potato Croquettes – Three of my favorites go Dutch
Sunday, April 20, 2014
The croquette is originally a French concoction, but thanks to a Dutch baker named Kwekkeboom it was introduced to the Netherlands where it grew in popularity. He fell in love with the crisp French version, and began producing croquettes filled with beef and other meats and vegetables. In fact, Croquettes are so popular in the Netherlands that McDonalds sells a version in a bun: called the McKroket. No, I’m not Mc’Kidding.
This version is incredibly easy to make and you will love its crisp, crunchy outside and the soft, tasty inside. The secret to the crisp coating is the Panko Japanese breadcrumbs. You can get these at the supermarket, and they really make a big difference. If you can’t find them (well, quite frankly, you didn’t try hard enough), you can use regular plain breadcrumbs and still get a nice result.There is no secret to the delectable filling inside; you take potato, crab and artichoke, smash it all together. Three ingredients that are certainly terrific alone really enjoy each others company in this satisfying recipe. Of course, you don’t have to keep your mix so simple; adding lemon, garlic, herbs, and/or other exotic spices wouldn’t be a bad idea at all.
We served this under our Olive Oil Poached Tuna, but it makes a great main course all by itself. You can even do small half-dollar size and serve them as passed appetizers at that swanky holiday party.
Ingredients:
1 large cooked russet potato
1 can artichoke bottoms (14 oz)
8 oz crab meat
1 egg
Salt, black pepper and cayenne to taste
olive oil
Panko or plain breadcrumbs
fresh lemon optional
Spicy Rice Noodle Salad – Strange But Chew
Thursday, April 17, 2014
Anyway, this is pretty easy and delicious stuff. I’m not even sure these noodles are technically cooked, but simply softened in very hot water to your personal preference of tenderness. You can, and many do, boil this stuff like pasta for a couple minutes, and have what’s much closer to a proper al dente angel hair, but I much prefer the toothsomeness you get using the hot water method.
Speaking of the chicken, all you’ll need to do is double the dressing recipe, and pour half over some boneless skinless chicken thighs (or any other cut). Let sit out, marinating for 30 minutes, and then grill to caramelized perfection. I hope you give this great spicy rice noodle salad a try soon. Enjoy!
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Ingredients for 2 large servings:
1 package (6.25 oz) thin rice noodle (soaked in almost boiling water until desired tenderness, rinsed, drained thoroughly)
1 package (6.25 oz) thin rice noodle (soaked in almost boiling water until desired tenderness, rinsed, drained thoroughly)
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1/3 cup seasoned rice vinegar
1 or 2 tbsp samal or other ground chili sauce
3 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup carrot julienne
4 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup packed mixture of chopped basil, mint, and cilantro
1/2 cup chopped peanuts
1 tsp sesame oil
Optional:
6 grilled boneless skinless chicken thighs
sliced Fresno chilies
View the complete recipe
View the complete recipe
Mushroom Gravy – Quick somebody find me a slice of meatloaf!
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
My mother just reminded me that I promised a mushroom gravy recipe clip when I did the meatloaf demo. So, here you go; better late than never. This mushroom sauce can be done with any type of stock, but I used beef stock here since I’m going to be making some more meatloaf (if you haven’t seen that clip, check it out here).This is usually a 2 pan recipe; chefs normally brown the mushroom in a large sauté pan and then add them to a sauce pan to finish the sauce, but why wash another pan when you don’t have too? So, I’m showing you my patented single-pan method. It does take longer, but the final results will be the same. Be patient, wait until all the liquid is gone and the mushrooms are browning in the butter before you make the roux. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
1 pound sliced mushrooms
1 quart beef stock or broth
1/2 stick butter
3 rounded tbl flour
salt and pepper to taste
fresh herb (this is optional, I used Thyme)
Cranberry Mustard Salad Dressing – You’ll Be Tickled Some Kind of Pink
Thursday, April 3, 2014
For whatever reason, pink sauces are considered somewhat visually offensive in the foodie universe, so when describing this cranberry mustard salad dressing to your friends and family, please use hipper alternatives like, “ballet slipper” or “rosy mauve.”
Whatever it’s called, I actually love the color of this vinaigrette, and think it’s especially gorgeous with the classic fall/winter salad palette. I served it over some endive garnished with persimmons, pistachios, and pomegranate seeds, and it tasted as bright and pretty as it looked.
One word of caution regarding the ingredient amounts listed below: I like my salad dressings on the acidic side, so be sure to taste and adjust the amount of oil you add. You want to be careful with the walnut oil, as too much can overpower the dressing, but you can add more vegetable or olive oil, until it’s perfectly balanced for your palate.
As I joke about in the video, this seasonal vinaigrette is perfect for the non-cook to bring to a family gathering. We’re talking about a minimal effort to get what could potentially be lots of loving praise, or at the very least, fewer disappointed glances. Enjoy!
Ingredients for about 2 1/4 cups of dressing:
1/4 cup prepared fresh cranberry sauce
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1 small garlic clove
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
[note: you can use 1/2 cup of any vinegar(s) you like]
1/4 cup walnut oil
1 cup vegetable oil or light olive oil, or as much as needed to balance acidity to your taste
View the complete recipe
View the complete recipe
Hot Spinach Artichoke Dip – Less is More for the First Time Ever
Sunday, March 30, 2014
If this is the kind of thing you really love to eat at the local sports bar, but never thought about making at home, then I hope you find this video recipe very motivational. Not only is this baked spinach artichoke dip easy and delicious, but its also a first in culinary history.For the first time ever, sour cream and mayonnaise have been removed from a dip recipe…and it got better. Ive always enjoyed hot spinach artichoke dip, but it always struck me as a little oily. Almost all recipes call for some amount of mayo, which I really see no reason to include. It adds fat with no significant flavor payoff.
I decided to try a mayo-less version, and then raised the stakes even higher by excluding the sour cream as well. To counter this, a bit more cheese was added, and the results were amazing. A rich, creamy, cheesy, not greasy dip.
While I loved this recipe, I may try it with just a touch of sour cream next time, and that could be named the official final foodwishes formula. I figure I have until football season to work it out.By the way, I took a quick surf around the web and came up with zero info on the origins of hot spinach artichoke dip. I find this unusual for a dip of such widespread popularity. You would think someone would have claimed credit by now.
Having said that, I only search for about five minutes, so I could have totally missed it! If you actually have any info, even if you have to embellish it to make it more interesting, please share with the rest of us. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chopped green onion, white and light green parts only
2 cloves garlic, very finely minced
1 package (10 ounce) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, squeezed dry
1 can (14 ounce) artichoke hearts, drained, roughly chopped
8 ounces cream cheese
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce
very small pinch of nutmeg
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup grated gruyere cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, preferably Parmigiano Reggiano
1/4 cup mozzarella, shredded
View the complete recipe
Hello from Little Rock – Im So Busy Its Scary!
Saturday, March 29, 2014
Well, I was hoping to have a new video up today, but there just wasnt any time. We put in a full day getting all the scrips finalized and recipes prepped for the eight videos Im here to film for Kelloggs Snackpicks.com (here are a couple iPhone pics of the studio). The next couple days dont look to get any easier, as tomorrow we begin shooting at 7 AM, and the same on Wednesday.
So, the best I can do is a frighteningly quick Halloween-themed re-run recipes post. To make it an even lamer post, other than the cheese fingers below, I dont even really have any typical Halloween recipes, but all these could work well if your planning a party and looking for some ideas. Just click on the title for the original post with ingredients and more info. Boo!! (yes, that was a double entendre)Penne Pasta with Neck Sauce – Perfect for that vampire-themed party!
Pumpkin Brulee - Because if it has pumpkin in it, its cool for Halloween!
"Severed Fingers" Cheese Sticks – So wrong, yet so right!
Tzatziki Sauce – Can You Say Delicious
Thursday, March 27, 2014
This time things were a little different. I must have listened to a half-dozen examples, and they all were fairly unique. Everything from how I say it, TA-ZEE-KEY, to something that sounded a lot like CHA-CHEE-KEE, which, by the way, is my new favorite way to say it. Just for fun, maybe you all can leave your best phonetic spelling of “Tzatziki” in the comments section, and we’ll see what the consensus is.
Unlike the pronunciation, one thing that everyone will agree on is that this garlicky yogurt sauce is truly of one of the world’s great condiments. This is quite literally delicious on anything savory, and with grilling season upon us, you’ll want this one in your regular rotation. I hope you give it a try soon. Enjoy!
Make about 3 cups of Tzatziki:
2 cups Greek yogurt
1 large cucumber, peeled, grated, tossed with 1/2 teaspoon of salt
4 cloves garlic, very finely minced
juice of half a lemon or vinegar to taste
3 tbsp chopped fresh dill and/or mint
salt, pepper, cayenne to taste
View the complete recipe
View the complete recipe
Homemade Chicken Stock – Buy Low Sell High
Thursday, March 13, 2014
With over 400 video recipes produced thus far, it probably seems odd that Id never done a proper chicken stock recipe. In the early days of the blog, I decided that I wouldn’t do video recipes that would eventually appear in the online culinary academy curriculum.I had planned on having a selection of videos featuring key techniques that people would pay to watch, but with all the various projects going on, Ive never quite been able to get that together. Anyway, this chicken stock video recipe would have been included in that collection.
While I can often be seen using my carton of all-natural chicken broth, theres nothing like homemade. It does take a long time to simmer, but the actual work is minimal, and the procedure quite simple. Its also a very frugal undertaking, with the bones I used costing 80-cents a pound. Thats three quarts of chicken stock for about $3 in costs!
Please note that you can use this exact same recipe/procedure with roasted chicken bones. In fact, most of the homemade chicken stocks I make are the result of a roast chicken dinner, but for this video I decided to go classical. Unlike beef and veal, chicken stock is not traditionally made from roasted bones.
You should try both ways, and see which you like, and for what dishes. By the way, even though I didnt roast the chicken bones, I still got quite a nice, richly colored stock, which comes in large part to leaving the skins on the onions. I dont remember exactly why that is, which is fine since I really I dont care that much. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
3 pounds chicken bones, backs and necks
1 large onion, skin on
2 carrots, peeled, cut in large chunks
1 large or 2 small ribs celery cut in large chunks
1 bay leaf
9 black peppercorns
4 springs thyme
2 cloves garlic, peeled
3 quarts cold water
Wild Salmon Cakes – Canned Fish and Saltine Crackers …Now that’s Gourmet!
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
So, we all know we need to eat a lot more salmon. And not only that, but we have to find “wild” salmon. Well, depending on where you live this may not be so easy. And, even if you do find it, maybe you don’t have the confidence to cook it properly. Today, I solve all those problems. Tomorrow I may start working on gas prices, but right now it’s all about the salmon cakes.I’m using canned salmon for this delicious recipe. Why? Well, first of all, every grocery store carries it. Secondly, caned salmon is almost always wild salmon. And lastly, it’s cheap! I’m not going to go into the wild vs. farmed salmon debate here (you can Google it), but wild is not only more eco-friendly, but it tastes better, and is more nutritious. You could use fresh cooked salmon for this recipe if you have leftovers, but since we are mixing this up with eggs and cracker crumbs, fresh salmon just isnt necessary, so why spend the extra cash? (you could save it and buy a t-shirt on my site! In fact, I’m thinking of a new t-shirt slogan “I like my salmon, like I like my women…wild! OK, maybe not)
The recipe ingredients you see below are VERY basic. There are lots of ways to customize these cakes; you can add fresh herbs, garlic, green onions, hot peppers, etc., so feel free to experiment. I tend to like my salmon cakes on the “bready” side, but you could add only one egg and fewer crackers if you want cakes that are more “salmony.” The tarragon aioli I served under these luscious cakes will be demo’d next, so stay tuned for that. Finally, as you hear me warn in the demo, canned salmon is NOT completely boneless, so PLEASE spend a few minutes carefully flaking the meat as you prep it to remove all the bones. Other than that small chore, this is a very simple recipe that comes out perfectly every time. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
14 oz. can of wild red salmon (or pink)
2 eggs
12 saltine crackers
1 tbl olive oil
1 tbl butter
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbl chopped capers
1/2 lemon
Celery Root and Potato Puree – How can a vegetable this ugly taste so good
In today’s clip you’ll see a delicious low-carb way to trick out your standard mashed potatoes. By using half celery root, we’ll not only save a bunch of carbs, but more importantly we’ll create something very delicious and unique. Celery root, also known as Celeriac, is not the root of the common celery plant that you used to garnish your last Bloody Mary, but a special variety cultivated for it extra large and flavorful taproot.
We served this with the Braised Short Ribs and it was sublime! Because of its subtle aromatic character this is the perfect partner to any rich meat dish.
This is one of those vegetable that you didn’t even know they had at your super market… but they do! It’s over by the turnips and rutabagas. They do very in size, but try to make the proportions in this dish about 50% potato to 50% celery root. The small splash of cream I added is optional of course, but the butter is a must!
You know that I’m always telling you to use high-quality whole spices when possible, and the fresh nutmeg I grate on top of this earthy blend really makes the dish. Get some whole nutmeg, and a spice grinder, and see what the big deal is all about.
Ingredients:
2 russet potatoes
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup cream or milk
fresh nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
California Spring Rolls – I used imitation crab for real!
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
I get the occasional request for a sushi demo. I usually tell the viewer (politely of course) to go out for sushi and leave me alone. Properly made sushi is an art and take decades of practice to master. Now, of course I could fake my way through a simple California Roll, which is just the basic crab, rice and avocado rolled up in a Nori seaweed wrapper. But, even that requires properly cooked short-grain sushi rice which is quite easy to mess up at home. So I came up with this idea to combine the components of the California Roll and present it in Spring Roll form. If you saw our Chicken Caesar Spring Roll clip, you saw how easy (and healthy) spring rolls are. They are fast, beautiful, and perfect for the summer, when you just don’t want go anywhere near the stove. These rice paper wrappers are found in any store that sells dry Asian noodles, which is every large grocery store. You’ve never seen them because you’ve never looked for them; they’re on the bottom shelf.Regarding the imitation crab I used for this recipe clip. If you’ve never thought about using it, it’s time to give it a try. Imitation crab has come a long way since it hit the market many years ago. It used to be fairly low quality; a little bit of Pollock, a lot of vegetable starch and other fillers, and probably a dose of good old Red Dye #2. Well, these days there are some very good quality varieties to choose from. READ THE LABELS! As I show in the clip, while still made mainly from Pollack many are also flavored with many different “real” fish and shellfish extracts including scallops, lobster, salmon, etc. It’s also a fat free food!
You may be surprised to know that many Sushi Bars actually use this higher quality imitation crab in their California Rolls, as the real crab would be cost prohibitive. Trust me, if you’re paying $2.75 for that California Roll, you’re not getting fresh Dungeness crab! Can you tell the difference? I hope so. There is nothing like fresh, sweet crab. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t also use the imitation crab for recipes like this. It’s inexpensive, delicious, and if you read the label, pretty nutritious. By the way, stay tuned for the very simple Wasabi dipping sauce I used along side these. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
spring roll wrappers (aka rice paper rolls)
imitation crab (flake style)
ripe avocado
shredded cabbage
red leaf lettuce
Spicy Orange Zest Beef – It Is What It Is
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
While I have no delusions that those crunchy bits would be preferable to most people, especially ones that just stumbled out of a Phish concert, this much-lower-fat alternative is still a quick, easy and perfectly delicious meal.
You’ll want to use a tender beef for this, since the cooking time is only 4-5 minutes. Cheaper cuts like chuck are going to be too tough, unless, of course, you pound it paper-thin, or use some kind of tenderizer. I used sirloin, which worked fine, but ideally you’ll find yourself some beef tenderloin trimmings.
Here’s another instance where you are much better off going to talk to a butcher, rather than a clerk at the supermarket. A real butcher will sell you the scraps produced when a whole tenderloin is trimmed. The meat is cut from something called the “chain” (be sure to use that word to impress the butcher), which is super-tender, and probably half the price.
One last tip: Be sure the beef is VERY well drained before it hits the hot pan. If your meat is wet, it will just boil and steam, and won’t work as well. Of course, if beef isn’t your thing, this will also work with chicken, pork, and…[gulp]…textured vegetable protein. I hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
1 lb tender beef, ideally trimmed tenderloin scraps
vegetable oil spray, as needed
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp Sambal hot chili sauce
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tbsp brown sugar, or to taste
2 tbsp orange zest
1 bunch green onions
1/4 cup water
1 tsp corn starch
salt and pepper to taste, optional
white rice as needed
View the complete recipe
View the complete recipe
Sausage Potato and Zucchini Stew – Ugly Never Tasted So Good
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Ive decided to determine the length of my blog posts by the beauty of the recipe displayed therein. Its a very logical system. If a recipe produces a batch of stunningly beautiful photos, then Ill write a long, wordy post (including gratuitous name-dropping and self-serving anecdotes) to give the reader plenty of time to soak it all in.However, if the recipe looks like this Sausage, Potato, and Zucchini Stew, then the shorter the post, the better – a couple of short sentences and on to the video. They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but not in this case. Visually, this is truly dreadful. Its a good thing this vegetable stew is so easy, nutritious, and delicious!
I used a spicy, garlicky andouille sausage here, but any spicy link will do. Weve covered the glut of late summer zucchini before on this blog, and this is another great remedy. Well, Ive subjected you to this grotesque image long enough, so Ill mercifully end the post. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
1 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound spicy smoked sausage
1 onion, chopped
6 zucchini, cut in 2-inch pieces
1 1/2 pound small Yukon gold potatoes, cut same size as zucchini
1 quart vegetable or chicken broth
water as needed
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 bay leaf
few springs of fresh thyme
1 tablespoon sliced fresh chives (and/or any fresh herb)
handful of "sweet 100" cherry tomatoes
*some crusty bread wouldnt be a bad idea
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