What did I cook this weekend.....

Lime in the salsa mexicana and squeezed over the diced avocado to slow oxidation.


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LHBS owner/friend gave us a 12 pound bucket of fresh raspberries. They had already been washed so needed to be processed quickly. I put most of them in the freezer, but saved out enough to make a nice raspberry chipotle BBQ sauce. Fruit up front, heat at the back - yummy!

 

App is doing some strange things this morning! See BUCKNUTS 2 posts above. Did the same to me last page. Oh Well.

Let the FOOD PORN CONTINUE.

 

I am a huge fan of chipotle chilis and they are really nice with fruit. A friend of mine made a chipotle/blueberry bbq sauce that was amazing. I can imagine the flavor of chipotle and raspberry is equally delicious.

 

I like cooking with chipotles. Unfortunately, the commercial chipotle hot sauces I've tried taste like what I suspect licking an old ashtray tastes like....

 

This past weekend while brewing an IIPA I was able to toss a freshly corned venison rump into the crockpot of stock from last winter's venison ham... :rockin: People who think that venison will always taste gamey or is just good for making sausage are sorely mistaken.

 

Starting when I was 29, I lived several years with a Shoshone Indian girl ten years younger than me. Her older brother was totally worthless when it came to holding a job, but he could scare up a trout in a mud puddle or a deer in an oleander bush.

I came home from work one day and she was busy in the kitchen. Among other things she had my largest cast iron frying pan on the stove, with seared slabs of meat simmering in gravy. She gave me a big smile and said, "you'll never guess what we're having for dinner tonight." I took a sniff, and ruined her surprise by saying, "venison..."

I guess it hadn't occurred to her that Indians aren't the only ones who go hunting.

She's the same gal who started out one afternoon to show me a parcel of land the tribal council had reserved for her to build a home on someday. Instead, we sidetracked into visiting with some friends. It was about sundown when we passed the turnoff to the reservation on the way home, and she kept going. I said, "hey. Thought you were going to show me your parcel." And she replied, "nothing personal, sweetie. But you're a little too blond to be on the rez after dark...."

add: getting back to the subject. The venison she was cooking was from a mature buck, and not aged. But searing it thoroughly in a hot skillet and simmering it in gravy handled the gaminess, to the point that it enhanced the flavor of the meat instead of overpowering it. Looking back, I wish I'd thought to ask her what was in the gravy.

I also wonder what ever happened to her; looking back I now realize she was probably the love of my life. But that's a different subject altogether...

 

Don't do that too much. You can't go home again you know, and I think too much "looking back" can lead to regret and second-guessing, which isn't fair to yourself.

 

Alrighty. Made my easy goto Chicken Marsala. The only 4 ingredients are in the first pic. Family likes it a lot, and they like a lot of sauce.

 

Glorious brother passedpawn!

Haven't done marsala in a while! Added to my que.

 

Passedpawn, your photos always make me salivate!

 

I've very happy to contribute to Melana's marvelous thread.

I went to look for the recipe I used to use, but the web site seems to be gone. Anyway, the way I do it is easier than most methods, I think. I don't add any seasoning at all except the salt for brining the chicken. You can make this in less than 30 minutes, especially if you defrost/brine chicken overnite and buy precut mushrooms (I don't because I like to DIY). And it only gets one pan dirty.

1: cut chicken breasts in half the hard way, so they're half as thick; I used to pound with a rubber mallet, but slicing is easier.
2: brine for a couple of hours instead of dredging in flour (which is how most recipes go)
3: cook chicken a few minutes on each side in a bit of olive oil and butter till light brown; no need to cook thoroughly since the chicken will get cooked again at the end
4: cook mushrooms in the dirty pan. I put a clear cover over the pan full of mushrooms. You can tell when they start to give up their water because they stop sizzling, and the pan suddenly gets quiet. They are almost done - wait for them to get chestnut brown; you might have to do the mushrooms in two batches if you do 3 lbs like I do
5: with all the cooked mushrooms back in the pan, dump in the marsala wine, deglaze pan, and reduce the marsala a bit (2 or 3 minutes)
6: add cream, stir everything together, then add chicken, submerge and simmer for 5 minutes

If you've got any hints on improvements, I'd love to hear them.

Serve!

 

I don't spend much time in the past. I'll rumage around in it now and then for an anecdote, but I don't brood...

And it's hard to second-guess and complain about a life that has given me my two sons.

 

Thanks for sharing that! What ratio of marsala to cream do you use?

 

I always add the whole bottle of marsala. Then, after reducing, I add cream till it gets to the color I'm hoping for. About a cup or two, not sure.

 

Tonight I made a quick chicken parm. I had to slice some string cheese for the mozzeralla . Also puree'd some strawberries and added them to my greek yogurt for my wife, who is addicted to this type of stuff.

 

My Marsala uses less than half the bottle, flour, garlic, and only a little cream....

hmmm.........I like the flour on the chicken, but the rest sounds good. Will experiment!

Chicken parm over any pasta? Breadcrumbs? It is beautiful, but can't see through the sauce and string cheese....

 

No pasta. I thought about it, but it was just for my youngest son and he didn't want any pasta.

 

Did a pretty big meal on Tuesday night. Roasted sweet potato rounds with olive oil, salt, pepper, and oregano (word to the wise: don't be a dumbass. Flip them half way through ), stir fried cauliflower, and a pretty tasty roasted chicken with the usual suspects (onions, garlic and a bit of lemon and oregano).

Yesterday I made a quick loaf of crusty bread and some soup with the leftover chicken. There weren't enough bones to get a good stock so I supplemented with some bullion.
We usually don't go for a big meal like this on a weeknight but the fridge was empty and leftovers were needed.

 

Best nachos ever. Freshly fried chips, best taco meat ever, beans from scratch, fresh jalapenos, fresh salsa, sour cream, black olives, diced onions, DUBLINER cheese........Holy crap it is GOOD!!!!!!!

 

Roasted chick peas with sriracha coating. I may never buy wasabi peas again!

 

I'm way too late but...

... a gal pal o' mine from years back has a very quick and easy glaze for chicken. I'm thinking she use it on skinned out bird, maybe not. All it consisted of was equal parts plain yoghurt and orange juice concentrate. It was really very good and very quick and easy to make up. We all like that now and then. You could do some cranberry with it too.

 

link please!

 

+1!

 

Guajillo Chilaquiles. I wanted green chilaquiles my wife wanted these, obviously and as usual she got her way. I'm not complaining too much though they were delicious



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Why is it that I was about age 34 before I learned that you can eat nachos for breakfast if you call them chilaquiles?

 

Haha luckily i have a Mexican buddy who introduced me to them last year. Mine turn out nothing like his, but they are still damn good!

 

Lol. Not quite nachos but definitely tasty eats. I think I'm making enfrijoladas tomorrow because I have black beans left from yesterday.


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I just put a pound of dried chickpeas in to soak overnight. I hope I can find this recipe!

 

Here's what I did. I used of can of chick peas, drained and rinsed, and spread them across a baking sheet. I set the oven for 150 degrees F and left it going while I did some morning errands. Returned to the peas about 4 hours later, tasted one for crunch and decided it was time to add some sauce. I mixed 1 part flour and 4 parts Trader Joes sriracha (more runny than the popular "rooster sauce" ) and stirred my peas in. I got everything coated nicely, spread across the pan, and turned the heat up to 200 for 30 minutes. I tasted a couple and they were a little soft (presumably from taking in moisture from the sauce) so I gave it ten more minutes.

I may try "double dipping" them next time, as they are crunchy but don't have the flavor punch I was expecting. I may also try throwing them in at a higher heat after adding sauce, just to see if I can do the drying without losing the flavor. My apartment smelled strongly of sriracha while they cooked, so I'm sure I lost a lot of flavor.

 

Have you tried "La Costeña" brand products; they're from Mexico? I've been using their chipotle sauce and canned chipotles for years when making chili. I absolutely love them.

 

Did a london broil yesterday with the intent of using leftovers today in a salad. Also took a quick pic (between vigorous stirring) of some beans in a wok just after tossing in some garlic.

 

I found several recipes on Pinterest, but not for the Sriracha flavor. They dry the beans on paper towels before roasting. I think I'll try my lettuce spinner to see how that does. Then they roast at 375F (or one recipe said 200C) for 30 minutes, then add flavoring and roast another 30 and check for crispness. They used a little oil and dry spices though. But the Sriracha and flour sound interesting...I wonder if corn starch would make it crisper. That's what some Chinese fried chicken recipes use. Hmmm.

 

I like the San Marcos brand chipotles in adobo much better. The La Costena brand are packed with onions in the can and arent as flavorful imo. I really like making salsas and sauces from the dried red chipotle chilis (chili morita) I'm making roasted tomatillo/chipotle salsa today. Tasty stuff


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Found a great recipe for tripe the other day.

Trippa alla Romana (Tripe With Tomato and Mint)

Serves: 4-6 as a starter, 2-3 as a main

1/4 pound guanciale, skin off, or pancetta, thickly sliced
2 pounds cooked (white) beef tripe
1/2 carrot, roughly diced
1 celery stalk, roughly diced
1 small onion, roughly chopped
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1 large bay leaf
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Small pinch of hot red pepper flakes
1¾ pounds chopped canned tomatoes
2/3 cup white wine
4 sprigs mentuccia (pennyroyal), or 2 sprigs each oregano and mint, leaves chopped
2 cups freshly grated pecorino Romano

1. Cut guanciale into chunky, ½- by ¾-inch lardons as long as the guanciale is thick. Hack tripe into 1-by-2-inch rectangles.

2. Set dry pan over high heat. Fry guanciale until partly crispy (still succulent within)—do not be alarmed by the smoke (even if your detector is). Add vegetables and oil along with garlic, bay leaf, pepper and a good pinch of salt. Reduce heat to medium and fry for 10 minutes. When vegetables are tender, add tripe and pepper flakes, stir for a minute, then add tomatoes and wine. Cook a half hour or more at a gentle boil until sauce is thick and oil has risen to surface.

3. Serve with chopped mentuccia and grated pecorino on top. Crusty bread and a rustic red will complete the meal.

——From Jacob Kenedy's "Bocca Cookbook"


Attached is what it looked like when I was done cooking it. Came out stellar, but the wife wouldnt go near it!

 

Some oatmeal raisinettes for company tonight. Just had the bakers sample while it was warm and chewy and now I really want to open a stout!

 

Randall those

 

that looks seriously delicious

 

It came out REALLY good, but I used Moscato I had left in the fridge for the white wine, so the sauce was a little sweeter than I was hoping for. Next time I'll use a drier wine.