Umami Meatloaf

Winter- here we go again. Darkness at 3:30, cold toes, even in the house. All those cute lounge around the house shorts and tank tops- now flannel, wool socks and hoodies. Bye, bye summer sexy.

On the other hand, it's comfort food season.

In honor of this season, I give you meatloaf. We're calling this umami meatloaf. Now, a brief science-foodie lesson from Wikipedia: There are five basic categories humans can taste, sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami. Scientists debated whether umami was indeed a basic taste ever since Kikunae Ikeda proposed its existence in 1908. Finally in 1985, at the first Umami International Symposium in Hawaii, the term umami was officially recognized as the scientific term to describe the taste of glutamates and nucleotides. Now it is widely accepted as the fifth basic taste. Foods rich in umami include tomatoes, mushrooms, cured meats, fish sauce and MSG. Generally umami is used as a flavor enhancer. Thus the widely used MSG in Chinese food. Contrary to now-popular belief, MSG isn't an unnatural chemical from our modern world, doesn't mean you have to love it, but it's not poison. I digress.

We are calling this meatloaf "umami" due to the number of umami ingredients used. Unlike any other meatloaf I've ever had, we used 1/2 bulk hot Italian sausage and 1/2 ground beef as the base. Black beans, tomatoes and mushrooms were cooked together with spices and stirred into the meat. Of course we used our two favorite cured meats, coppa and bacon fat. Finally, it's glazed with a combination of Heinz 57, red wine vinegar, cayenne and chipotle and brown sugar. The loaf was "free form", meaning unencumbered by a pan, and baked to crispy, umami goodness. The dish was was rich, moist and unbelievably flavorful.

Ingredients
1/2 lb bulk hot Italian sausage
1/2 lb ground beef- 80% lean.
1/8 pound hot coppa, minced fine.
1/3 c minced onion
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c diced grape tomatoes
1/3 c minced crimini mushrooms
1/4 c black beans (cooked in cumin sauce- Kuners)
1 tbsp bacon fat
1/4 c cilantro, finely chopped
1 tbsp Worchestershire
1 tsp fish sauce
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne
1.5 c Panko flake
1 egg  
1 tbsp of Heinz 57 steak sauce
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp of dried chipotle chile
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 tbsp brown sugar
 
Directions
Preheat your oven to 350*. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with release.

In a large bowl, mix the sausage, ground beef and coppa together.

In a frying pan over low heat, saute the onion, garlic, grape tomatoes, mushrooms, black beans with the bacon fat until soft and no extra liquid remaining.  Let cool for a moment and then add to the meat mixture.

Mix the cilantro, Worchestershire, fish sauce, black pepper, cayenne into the meat mixture. Next mix in 1 egg. Once all the ingredients are well incorporated, knead in the panko flakes. Form a loaf, and place on the baking sheet.

Combine Heinz 57, red wine vinegar, chipotle chile, cayenne, brown sugar together. Brush or spoon the mixture over the loaf, making sure the sides are coated as well.

Bake at 350* for one hour, or until the internal temperature is 160*. Let sit for 10 minutes or more. Serve.

Cashew Pesto

Cashew pesto on a chicken thigh with roasted red peppers

Obviously, I am used to fine food. I probably take it for granted. If the AC and I were ever to part ways, I like to think I would become the chef in another relationship. I have learned  a lot by osmosis. I understand how things go together, basic techniques, the importance of timing. But would I have the magic? I think I need to stay a few more years if I want to learn that. 

The following recipe is about the magic. That extra something that only a good chef could add. We're talking a pesto made with cashews. Cashews. Think about eating a single cashew. The rich, creamy texture, saltiness, sweet, crunch. There's a reason they have so many calories, they pack punch. We grow at least three kinds of basil in our garden every year, this means we have too much basil and we tend to make pesto this time of year. Generally the pesto we make is good, this pesto took good to a whole other level. Orgasmic comes close. Magic pretty much describes it. Rich, creamy, perfect texture, made up on the spur of the moment, off the top of my love's scarred, bald head. That's the real deal. That's what I am going to try to appreciate more about this man I have. Because I know I'm lucky- I guess after 13 years I have a lot to be grateful for. 

Unfortunately, this brand of magic isn't very photogenic. I'm aware that it looks inspired by the "shit through a tin hole" installation at the Walker sculpture garden. But, believe me, some of the most beautiful things come in packages that suggest  otherwise...no I'm not talking about my man again- just this particular meal.

The original dish is the picture above. We added the pesto to a fabulous turkey burger the next day. Like any fatty, heavily spiced sauce, it tasted even better after a day of sitting in the fridge. 

On a turkey burger the following night

Cashew Pesto
In a frying pan over med-high heat, add a dollop of olive oil and one large diced shallot, when soft, add two cloves of minced garlic- cook until soft and put it to the side. 

In your food processor add:
2 hands full of roasted cashews, grind until fine.
Then add 2 1/2 oz chopped aged Gouda, chop fine.
Add one large, seeded, roughly chopped fresh cayenne pepper, process.
1 cup of loosely packed fresh sweet basil.
1/4 c olive oil; really good olive oil.
1/2 tsp salt.
1 clove of chopped, raw garlic.
15-20 cherry tomatoes seeded (cut in half and then scoop out seeds using a grapefruit spoon or teaspoon)
Finally, add the cooked shallot/garlic mixture to the food processor.
Process until finely minced, add olive oil and salt as needed to get a smooth, pesto consistency.

Sauteed red bell peppers:
1 red bell pepper sliced into rough bayonets
Saute on med-high heat with approx 2 tbsp balsamic, 1/2 tsp sugar sprinkled on top,a little salt. Cook until vinegar is a thick glaze.

Chicken:
2 boneless skinless chicken thighs, salt and pepper on both sides.
On one side, sprinkle smoked hot paprika and kachai powder liberally.
Sear over medium high heat with paprika side down to create a crust- about 2 minutes
Flip over and bring heat down to medium, cover and let cook through.

Tomato and Soppresata Salad

Balance. I'm an constantly seeking it, but somehow it eludes me. Every once in a while I catch it, but never hold on. I am a passionate person who seeks and craves change but needs routine and structure. So I tend to run after the change full force, forgetting to slow down and re-visit the things proven to make me happy. Eventually I stop running and realize how much I miss the routine. Ah, the joys of growing older, the increased insight is awesome and so often the thing you need most is right in front of you.

One of my favorite routines is going to Bill's Imported Foods on Lake St. and Lyndale Ave in Minneapolis. Just going through each of the aisles, looking at strange and familiar foods, planning our next meal or snack is a calming, restorative routine. Often our eyes are bigger than what we'll actually ever eat and we end up with exotic syrups, preserves and fabulous halva that will go bad before the perfect meal was formed. One of the things we always use up and can always be found in the brown paper bag that leaves the store with us is Soppresata sausage. Go ahead, re-visit some of our old posts, I'll bet it's in half our recipes. Huge fans of cured meats- nitrates and all- Bill's is where we find our staples. Soppresata is an Italian-style cured sausage. It comes as a link about 1.5" round and 10" long. We prefer the one labeled "hot". It's not really, it's just spicier and more flavorful than the other option. Sometimes we cut thin slices to serve with cheese, but the real miracle is it's versatility. Chopped finely, it provides the perfect amount of saltiness, bite and extra flavor to nearly everything.

This recipe makes use of all the extra tomatoes and basil you're going to have to pick tonight before the deep freeze. It's incredibly simple and a fabulous side dish to place next to your favorite entree tonight. You're basically going to core, de-seed and chop a couple tomatoes, add diced basil (sweet, lemon, thai, whatever you like), some good quality olive oil, a splash of a nice balsamic and thin slices of the Soppresata I just told you about. Salt and black pepper finish it off. Simple, fresh, delicious way to say good bye to summer.

Chicken with Bell Pepper "Pesto"

This past January we ventured up to Lake Superior to enjoy four relaxing days with four close friends. We thought that if we went to where it was beautiful in the winter and played in the snow, we could learn to appreciate the winter- the one major downside of our state. We were a in fabulous room with floor to ceiling views of Lake Superior. Falling asleep to the sound of the waves, it was completely what we needed. As for the whole snow-thing, there wasn't any...maybe this year.

Since we were there with foodies, the food was also something to experience. Besides the drinking, rolo pretzel turtle, chips with french onion dip eating, we got in some gourmet bites. One of the standouts was a bell pepper pesto on cheese ravioli. Made with cheese and pistachios, it was rich, flavorful and very satisfying.

Recently we tried to re-create the dish. It should have been easy, since the recipe was originally found in a back issue of Cooks Illustrated. After going through every issue we had twice and still not finding it, we decided to improvise. It turned out well, although it became something completely different than what we set out to make. Without the dairy and nuts, this version is not quite as indulgent, eating it did not seem healthy though, which, in my book, is the name of the game- feeling indulged when you're not indulging. You could put this sauce over pasta and it's vegan. Didn't know we had that in us...

We are into our meat, so chicken was the vehicle for the sauce this time. It's very straightforward to make.  

Bell Pepper "Pesto"

Ingredients:
1 Purple bell pepper, sliced thin.
1 Red bell pepper, diced.
1 medium sized hot chile pepper (we prefer thai).
1 medium sized shallot. 
1/4 cup lemon basil (sweet basil would work). 
2 tbsp Olive oil
1/4 tsp fresh lavender
Black cherry balsamic vinegar (or other aged balsamic).
Salt and black pepper to taste.

1. Marinate the purple bell pepper in black cherry balsamic vinegar (or other aged balsamic) and salt for five minutes.

2. In a frying pan over medium heat, saute the marinated peppers with the balsamic until semi-soft. Put to the side.

3. In the same frying pan over medium heat, saute the shallot until soft.

4. Add to your food processor: the diced red bell pepper, the hot chile (thai), lemon basil, salt, pepper, olive oil, lavender, puree finely.  

We served this over chicken thighs dusted with salt, cinnamon and black pepper, placed in the same frying pan and sauteed.

Bourbon Bacon Peaches

I almost never eat or make sweets or deserts. However, I was reviewing our posts the other day and I realized almost every desert I have made in the last year or so has been post worthy.  I might have a flair for creating items I don't eat. Correction, that I usually don't eat. And yes, I really enjoyed this one. I even made it twice. Actually, that isn't fully correct. The second time I made it the UB made a Manhattan killing almost all my rye whiskey. Inventory control in the kitchen is important to those who cook. I ended up making a variant -I will list that too.


How to make:
First make the sauce by covering and heating in the 'nuker' for 30-45 seconds one ounce of maple syrup and the leaves from 1/3 sprig of fresh rosemary.  Once cooked and cool mix in the whiskey and a pinch of salt. Stir.

Halve the peach. Melt the bacon fat on medium. (yes, you heard me - bacon fat) in a pot/pan (with a lid) that can barely hold the two peach halves flat side down.





Once the fat is liquid, coat inside of the peaches with bacon fat (pour some of it inside each peach) and then place them in the pan face down.

Cover, bring to medium heat, lightly boiled  for 8-10 minutes, until cooked.

Pour sauce on top of peaches, make sure rosemary stays on top.


Place the peaches on small plate and spoon the now thickened sauce on top of the peaches. Eat and enjoy the goodness of making a healthy snack unhealthy.


Ingredients:

1 peach halved
1 1/2 tsp bacon fat

Sauce:

1oz maple syrup
1/3 sprig rosemary (8-10 leaves)
1 oz rye whiskey: Variant:1/3 oz rye whiskey, 1/3 oz dark rum, 1/3 oz cognac
A titch of salt

Be'Wiched Continues to Inspire...

In case you haven't tried Be'Wiched yet...just thought I'd give you a bit of motivation. What you see below is the brunch special from this morning. That would be brioche french toast topped with a perfectly soft boiled egg, three slices of thick cut maple cured bacon, mixed greens and heirloom tomatoes. OMG.

Aioli- without mayo

We hate mayo in our house. More accurately, the AC really hates mayo, I don't like very much of it at one time, but will eat it. There are exceptions, I really love a nice garlicky aioli. So, when AC proposed to make another version of his delectable turkey burger and I said I wanted aioli to top it, and AC refused to make mayo, the non-mayo aioli was born.

It's pretty obvious, use greek yogurt instead. This spread turned out so fabulous it will replace any containing mayonnaise in our house, and it was simple to create.  

Ingredients
4 oz Fage 2% greek yogurt
1/2 tbsp olive oil
2 large garlic cloves minced fine
1 1/2 tsp fresh oregano chopped
1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
Salt to taste

Simply mix all of the above together. With a spoon, in a bowl. Doesn't get much easier than that. 

Turkey burger:
See previous turkey burger recipe for details. The following is a variation. 
1 handful of minced coppa sausage (1/2 cup)- our favorite can be found at Bill's Imported Foods.
2 Chiles, we used fresh serrano from our garden.
Fresh minced parsley and thyme.
1 green onion finely chopped

Cheesy Pancakes with Corn and Avocado

The Ultimate Beta cooks! Notice I did not say "bakes", I said "cooks". Yes, I made dinner. I have only cooked dinner for the AlphaChef three, maybe four times in our nearly 13 years together. Seriously, we counted.

Always these were special occasions, starting with a lengthy, indecisive recipe search and shopping for special ingredients. It always culminated in an anxiety filled evening, which was so painful for us both, ultimately the AC steps in to save the day. This is why I make breakfast, although there is some timing involved, I can whip up some pancakes and serve. Easy, low stress.


Well, I guess change is good. It just hit me, the idea that my favorite cottage cheese and yogurt pancakes could be made savory. With corn and some kind of sauce. Avocado. Oh yeah, Lynn's Corn and Avocado Salad would be perfect. I can do this, I thought. And it worked. I wasn't stressed out at all.

After sampling, The AC said, "If I got this in a restaurant I'd be pleased..." WHAT???? Arguably the best compliment he has ever paid me.

 I have to say, this is a proud development. I am finally understanding the joy of cooking. After all these years, it's a bit exciting. This does not mean the Ultimate Beta is a cook, but it means I have potential and that makes me smile.

The pancakes are based on the first recipe ever posted on this blog. Based on a Bittman recipe, they are tangy, sweet and full of protein. Since this was dinner, I cut the recipe into a quarter, so we had two small cakes each. We happened to have an abundance of corn, so I added some to the batter. Also added some shallots, fresh parsley, basil, garlic and black pepper. This is very flexible, you could add any herbs and spices. I cut the sugar out.


Cheesy Corn Pancakes
1/4 c large curd 4% fat cottage cheese
1/4 c  fage greek yogurt 2%
1/4 c flour
1 egg yolk
2 egg whites
1/8 tsp baking powder
1/2 shallot, diced
1 small sprig fresh parsley, minced
1 small sprig lemon basil, minced
1/2 clove garlic, minced
a pinch of salt, black pepper to preference
kernels of 1 small corn cob
unsalted butter for pan frying

1. Place a frying pan over med-high heat.
2. In a largish mixing bowl, combine the cottage cheese, yogurt and egg yolk.
3. Mix the flour and baking powder in another bowl and dump into the first.
4. Stir in the corn, add the herbs, garlic and shallots (as below).
5. Add a small amount of salt and a healthy bit of black pepper.
6. Beat the egg whites until distinct and fold into the batter.
7. Add butter to the frying pan, scoop 1/4 cup amounts of batter onto the frying pan, make sure you take a bit of the egg white each time. Turn when golden.


Avocado/Corn Chutney
1/2 large avocado, cubed
kernels from 1 small corn cob
1 small sprig parsley, minced
1/2 shallot, minced
juice of 1/4 lime
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp sherry vinegar
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp sugar
salt and black pepper to taste
Add lucky's habenero hot sauce at the end if desired

Just dump it all into a bowl and mix.

I served the cakes smothered in the chutney. Yes, I realize I'm stating the obvious here (I'm frequently accused of over-emphasizing points by my employees, guess they're right). The crispy, buttery, cheesy, tangy goodness, covered by the fresh, crisp corn and creamy avocado was quite fabulous, if I don't say so myself...

Chinese broccoli and Chicken with Garlic Sauce

The AC is a bit of a stir-fry genius, which you wouldn't know looking at this blog. Nary a post about stir fry. It's a staple in our house, so maybe we're just never inspired by it enough to take pictures. That changes today.

The farmer's market is our favorite way to start a lazy Saturday. We thought about joining a CSA until someone referred to it as a "lifestyle change" and we realized we'd probably end up tossing a ton of fresh veggies and feeling really guilty about it. So, we choose instead to buy what we want in the quantity we can use, supporting a variety of local farmers in the process. It's working out pretty well that way.

This time our bounty included Chinese broccoli. We're both huge fans of this leafy version of the Bush-reviled vegetable, especially when it's cooked in a nice, light garlic sauce. Normally the AC will stir-fry with some kind of black bean sauce, which has it's place, but can get real salty real fast. I suggested we try garlic sauce, the AC started to plan it's execution and this is what we got.  

Mix:
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp dark soy sauce (if you only have one kind, that's okay, just make sure you add 2 tbsp soy sauce)
1/2 tsp chile sauce (1 tsp if you like it spicier)
1/4 tsp sesame oil
3-4 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1 tbsp water mixed with 1 1/2 tsp corn starch (add at the end)
2 tsp cooking Chinese wine or sherry

Chinese broccoli, sliced.

Saute garlic in a little peanut oil, let it cool and mix into the the above ingredients in a bowl. 

2/3 lb chicken thigh, sliced. Fry in a wok with peanut oil to coat. Cook 3/4 of the way, nearly done. Put chicken aside. Put brocolli in the wok with 1/2 c of water, and sprinkle with a tsp of sugar (this will make it really green). Cook until the stems are al dente and pour out any remaining water. Add the mostly-cooked chicken, thicken the sauce with the water/starch mix and then pour the sauce into the wok, cook for another 30 seconds to 1 minute, until the chicken is cook through.

What we ended up with was a  stir-fry with little delightfully crunchy, sweet, almost caramelized garlic pieces mixed with soft, moist chicken and leafy broccoli.

We were definitely inspired by the outcome, so you now see it here. Try it, let us know what you think.

Elvis is in the House

Sometimes I channel Elvis.  No, not his sultry voice. Not his curled lip, Not his over-the-top one piece Evil Knievil jump suits. I channel his love of peanut butter and bacon. Oh, yeah. Now we are talking.  That combo is worth being found dead next to the 'throne'. I recently introduced the UltimateBeta to the joys of salty and smoky combined with sweet and nutty.


The UB wanted breakfast.  She wanted an egg sandwich.  I asked her, "Are you sure you want me to take the time to saute up onions and peppers?" The UB replied, "Nope. just some bacon."  The limitation of the word 'some' should never precede 'bacon'. Do not take bacon's name in vain. For that I knew the UB needed to be reminded of the higher power of bacon.  I decided to show her the correct coarse; the proper path that leads to enlightenment; the direction to nirvana was to add peanut butter. Spread of the gods.


I slowly fried up some apple-smoked, cinnamon-cured bacon. Then I prepped two English muffins cut in half and placed them into the toaster oven to be toasted just before the eggs were complete.

Next:
I diced up 1 tsp. of fresh sweet basil
Diced 1 tbsp. of aged Gouda
Placed 4 egg rings onto a well oiled frying pan and then brought the pan up to med-high. [if you don't know what an egg rings is - Google it]

Once the pan was hot I dropped an egg into each of the egg rings also well oiled. Salted the eggs to taste. I then added 1/2 tsp of peanut butter on top of each egg, and then added a quarter of the cheese and basil to each. I finished it all with a dollop of garlic habenero sauce.

Once the eggs were cooked not runny, but not hard. I placed them onto the bacon which was sitting on top of the toasted muffin.

 After (egg)wich you bite into a hunk of burning love.

Gazpacho!

To say it's been hot here lately is a serious understatement. It has been hot everywhere. Gone is the desire to cook, gone is the appetite, hello desire to sit on patio, drink beer and eat gelato.

The heat has really cramped our foodie style. One painful example- hoofing it out to Como Park in nearly 100* heat to check out the 32nd Annual Hmong Sports Tournament, purely in search of some good homestyle Hmong cooking. Namely, fiery papaya salad, sausage, BBQ and tapioca with coconut. After our journey we were, tragically, too hot to eat any of it. We settled for a coconut popsicle and vowed to hit the Hmong flea market on Rice Street some day soon. So sad.

Fourth of July comes around, as do a number of friends. We figure we would cook some chicken outside and make Gazpacho. Really, what could be more perfect in this sweltering weather than the creamy, cold, spicy soup made from fresh tomatoes, cucumbers and the chiles in our garden? Not much else I would want to eat. Oh, except my friend Lynn's corn and avocado salad, but she was already bringing that.

There are two main components to this gazpacho recipe. First you have the vegetables you will chop and blend with bread crumbs and oil to create a creamy broth. Then you take a second batch of nearly the same chopped vegetables to put into the broth. What you end up with is the best of both worlds.


Due to this two part process, half of the vegetables below will be coarsely chopped and go into the blender, the other half will be  chopped into 1/4 " pieces, strained and dropped directly in.  

 Ingredients:
 3 pounds tomatoes, cored, (2 lbs chopped coarsely, 1 lb, finely)
 1 English cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped (1/2 coarse, 1/2 fine)
 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped (1/2 coarse, 1/2 fine)
 2 large shallots, chopped (1 coarse, 1 minced)
 2 garlic cloves, chopped
 1 Serrano pepper, chopped (2 or 3 if you like it spicy)
 Kosher salt and black pepper
 1 white sandwich roll, or piece of hearty white bread, torn into pieces 
 1/2 cup olive oil
 2 tbsp sherry vinegar
 2 tbsp fresh minced parsley
 1 tbsp fresh minced basil 

First:  Take the finely diced vegetables (1 lb tomatoes, 1/2 cucumber, 1/2 green pepper, 1/2 red onion minced) and add to a medium bowl. Toss with 1 tbsp salt and transfer to a finely meshed strainer, place the strainer over a bowl to catch the liquid and set aside.

Second: Put the remaining coarsely chopped vegetables in a bowl, add garlic, the Serrano pepper and 1/2 tbsp of salt, toss to combine.

Third: Take 1/4 cup of the liquid exuded by the finely diced vegetables, discard the rest of the liquid. Add bread pieces to the liquid and soak for 1 minute. Add the soaked bread to the bowl with the coarsely chopped vegetables and toss thoroughly to combine. 

Transfer 1/2 of the vegetable-bread mixture to a blender and process for 30 seconds. With blender running, slowly drizzle in 1/4 cup oil and continue to blend until it's completely smooth, about 2 minutes. Strain soup through fine mesh strainer into large bowl, using the back of a ladle or rubber spatula to press soup through. Repeat with remaining vegetable-bread mixture and 1/4 cup oil.

Stir vinegar, parsley, basil and the finely chopped vegetables into soup and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours to chill completely and develop flavor (overnight is ideal). 

Sausage and Noodles

A good quality spicy sausage on top of pasta will always have a very special place in my heart. I love the heartiness of the sausage and could eat pasta all the time. The AC could probably never eat pasta again and not even think of it, so when he indulges me with the carb-loaded delishness, I swoon.

We really like Byerly's homemade sausages and bratwurst, the spicy Italian is fairly hot and perfect for this dish. The other key to this is the wide, quality egg noodles. These are not manaschevitz egg noddles. I took a picture of the bag so you'll know what to look for. We probably got these at Byerly's, I'm not sure. You're looking for a thick width. These noodles make kick-ass buttered noodles for those of you who appreciate simplicity and the perfection of a simple noodle, just add some butter, salt and fresh grated Parmesan. There's no need for anything more. Well, maybe a bit of cayenne. But I digress.

To recreate the rustic dish pictured above, you'll need the following ingredients. 

Good quality egg noodles, 6 oz dry
2 good quality hot Italian sausage links
8 cherry tomatoes, quartered and seeded. 
1/3 c fresh, flat leaf parsely, minced
1/8 c minced fresh oregano and thyme
3 finely minced garlic cloves
1/4 tsp kachai powder (found in most Asian groceries)
1/2 red onion, sliced thin
1 tsp Aleppo chile (Penzies has a great version)
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and black pepper to taste

Cook sausage by boiling in a shallow pan for 10 minutes and cut each into eight pieces. Briefly saute the sausage pieces until nicely browned.  

Saute slowly the onion, garlic, 1 tbsp of the olive oil and all of the balsamic, black pepper, Aleppo and some salt, saute until it starts to caramelize.

Once the above is essentially cooked, mix in the herbs and the kachai.

Boil pasta with a little olive oil.

When cooked, drain, put back into sauce pan over med-low flame, coat the noodles with butter, add the onion mixture and tomatoes, mix thoroughly. Let it cook for about 1 minute. Add salt and black pepper to taste. Plate the pasta, add the sausage (which were kept warm in the frying pan that you used to saute the onion mix).

Faux Bayou Shrimp Boil- Better Than The Real Thing. Well Maybe.

Everyone loves a good shrimp boil, or crayfish if you're lucky enough to have connections to Louisiana. The problem? It's definitely saved for a special occasion and for a large crowd, so you might do it once a year? Once in your life?

The traditional crayfish/shrimp boil goes like this: you buy a ton of crayfish or shrimp, some quartered corn on the cob, sausage, potatoes, get a huge boiler and put it in your driveway, throw it all in, toss in your Cajun spice packet, when all the shrimp/crayfish float, you lift everything out and dump it on a picnic table covered in newspaper where everyone descends on the mess. It tastes good, gets people together, creating happy memories- and sore fingers from all that crustacean peeling.

Our whole beta/alpha process often starts at the gym. We meet at the water fountain, I say: what's for dinner? I want something different... AC: I was thinking shrimp sauteed in olive oil and herbs with something else. Me: I don't want shrimp. I want sausage. How about corn on the cob and sausage. Why don't we make it all. we could make it like a thing... AC: Really, sorta like a Cajun boil? I don't know, I was going to keep it simple, that sounds like a lot... Me: just one sausage and we haven't had corn yet, I really want corn...AC: is it in season yet?? Me: Of course, it's been in the stores for awhile... AC: Okay, I'll think about it...Then we both move on to the treadmill (him) or the stationary bike (me).

So, that's how it goes, it's a simple process with all the results you see here. This ended up really good. Perfect summer evening meal, took less than 40 minutes to make, resulted in 2 servings and a much better Cajun spice mix than you get with the kit. Thus, making the shrimp boil accessible to us on a much more regular basis and now to you.  

Ingredients:
1 beer brat or andouille sausage
4-5 red new potatoes, cut into quarters
6-8 medium large raw shrimp with shells
3 garlic cloves chopped medium
1-2 Thai or Cayenne chile peppers minced, or sub in 1/2 tsp of crushed red pepper or ground dry Cayenne pepper. Fresh is best - far better flavor.
1/3 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 tbsp chopped fresh sweet basil
1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 to 1 tsp ground cumin (depends on if you want the cumin flavor upfront or in the background)
1/2 tsp turmeric or a pinch of saffron
salt and black pepper to taste
2 ears sweet corn, cut into thirds
a lot of olive oil, coat pan with 1/4 inch deep

Instructions:
Cook the corn and potatoes via your preferred method (corn is pretty much the only thing we ever microwave- a little water in a (gasp!) plastic bag, steamed for about 5 minutes, turns out perfect). When both are done, set aside.

Heat the pan on med-low and saute the garlic, crushed peppers, paprika, cumin, turmeric, salt and black pepper in the oil for about 5 minutes.  

Add the parsley and basil, the sausage cut into 4-6 pieces and shrimp for 2 minutes. Flip the shrimp and cook for 2 more minutes. When the shrimp is done, add the corn, and potatoes into the pan. Remove the shrimp and continue to cook potato, corn and sausage for two more minutes....make sure eveything is well coated with oil/spice.  Remove and plate.

I hate peeling shrimp and this sauce was particularly yellow, so I made AC peel them for me. He says that cooking them in the peel adds depth of flavor, I told him I would forgo the flavor in favor of nails that aren't yellow for days- he'll peel mine before cooking next time. Surprisingly, the real stand-out in this dish was the corn. The combination of the oil and spices rendered it perfectly sweet, buttery and spicy all at once.

So there you are, a quick down and dirty "cover" of a shrimp boil that turned out, dare I say, better than the real thing. Sometimes perfection needs to be tweaked to work with everyday life.

Collard Greens

 It's so hot here in good ol' Minnesota, it feels like we're in the south. Heat and high humidity. Let's eat some greens. Yes, greens. Turns out my Jewish AC knows how to make kick-ass collard greens. Since you can now get them fresh and local, I thought I'd pass on the recipe. 

Start with fresh collard greens from the farmers market near you, or the CSA box at your door.

A large bunch of collard greens- the AC guesses about 2 lbs, I think that sounds heavy.

3 slices of bacon
1 small red onion
1 large shallot
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper- our are very hot- add more if you like it spicy
1/2 tsp black pepper
3 garlic cloves minced fine
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup vegetable broth
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Cook the bacon in a high-sided frying pan, extra crispy. Chop fine, set aside.

 In the same pan, saute the shallot, red onion, crushed red pepper and garlic in the leftover bacon fat, until soft. Remove most of the stem from the greens- not to the point of de-veining, just the majority of it. Cut the leaves into 2-3" strips. Put the greens into the frying pan, sprinkle with balsamic and mix with the other ingredients until wilted. When wilted, add the broth, bacon and black pepper. Bring to a simmer for about 40 minutes until the stems are soft.

These were not bitter at all (a common complaint). They were sweet, salty and spicy. We ate them, ravenously I might add, with some local cheese. Greens and cheese, sometimes you have to improvise. Even though this didn't feel like improvising.

Do I Dare Say It? Holy Mole Ravioli... Well, Maybe Not But You Understand The Point

The UB can get into food ruts.  She frequently finds a food item, type of beer or mixed drink and keeps playing with it, like a cat with a toy, until she is bored and turns up her nose at it for the foreseeable future.  At that point, I have to find new catnip for her to sniff.  I, the AlphaChef on the other hand, usually flit from taste to taste like a teenager who thinks the next thing is always the greatest. This is why I love to play my gargantuan song collection on random.  Currently, the UB is on a roll with ravioli. I had my gaze on the Hungarian salami in the fridge.  If I am willing to combine Thai style curry with ravioli why would I stop at trying Hungarian flavors? And for the life of me I don't understand what happened.  I ended up with almost a Mexican mole. And it worked.

It worked really well. I guess that is the most important thing. Oh, and it was easy. 

Let's start with the sauce.  I tossed into a mini food processor (but a blender will work too) this laundry list:


1/8 tsp cayenne
3-4 oz of tomato paste
1 tsp fish sauce
1 garlic clove chopped
3-4 tablespoons good quality sweet paprika
1 c roasted sweet red bell pepper (roast over gas flame. by blow torch or buy them pre-roasted) chopped into medium sized chunks
1 oz of beef broth
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Technique Warning. OK. If you don't know how to roast a bell pepper in 3-4 minutes on your gas stove here's a technique:

Go to the store and buy roasted bell pepper in a bottle. Oops, sorry wrong instructions. Cut the red pepper  longitudinally in half. Remove the seeds and whitish parts of the pepper.  Lay the pepper skin down and flat on top of the rack that covers the gas burners so that the flame are under the pepper. Frequently, rotate the pepper until the pepper's skin become somewhat charred across the whole side. And then flip the peppers so the inside of the pepper is in the flame, continue with the same technique as before but the inside won't char - it will become slightly cooked = soft.

Blend all the above in the food processor until fully pureed. Oh my, that was difficult.

Now let's move on. Make sure you have this stuff too. You'll need it.

7 oz of beef broth (or the rest of the container)
Salt
Pepper

Bacon fat or some sort of oil such as olive oil

1 large shallot, sliced thin (about a half a cup - more is fine)
3 oz. julienne Hungarian style salami
Cheese ravioli about 12 -14 pieces
Peach liqueur
Sambuca

In pan which you can cover, melt bacon fat, add the sliced shallot, cover on medium heat for a couple minutes. The goal is to soften the shallot and not brown them. Add a splash of beef broth, cover again for another couple minutes, until fully softened. Add puree you made 5 minutes earlier and the rest of the beef broth, a bay leaf, 3 oz finely sliced Hungarian salami, a pinch of salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, a splash of sambuca, and a splash of peach liqueur (or in a pinch Cointreau, grand Marnier or triple sec). Put lid back on and simmer until the ravioli is fried.

As foreshadowed, its time to make the fried cheese ravioli.  I am assuming you are lazy like me and bought decent ravioli from the refrigerated section of the grocery store. I am going to give you different directions on how to cook the little squares of laziness. Generously coat a pan [which is large enough to space the placement of the pasta so all the raviolis are flat onto the pan's bottom. Hint: This is a technique tip] with olive oil and 1/8 inch water plus another tablespoon of olive oil, and bring it to a boil on high. Spread out the ravioli across the pan. Cook until water evaporates, and then drop the temperature to medium high. Continue to fry the bottom side of the ravioli until it is lightly brown and then flip in order to brown the other side.

Plate the ravioli, remove the bay leaf from the sauce and then cover the pasta with the sauce. Marvel how the hell did this sauce end up tasting like a mole?

And if you really want to garnish it, I would recommend sprinkling it with either pine nuts, chopped parsley or shards of broken beer bottle.  Did I just type that?

Roasted "It turned out to taste a lot like kugel" Chicken

AC is really good at roasting chicken, has a million variations, and since the technique is so solid, he's consistent. This particular roast chicken was a surprising step-up. Not surprising in that we know what he is capable of in the kitchen, but surprising in a normal-weekday-night-not-a-lot-of-time-to-cook kind of way.

Using ingredients we had around the kitchen from other meals, AC created a roasted chicken that made both of us stand up and notice. It was reminiscent of kugel- a raisin, cinnamon-y casserole that is pure comfort food. The creamy cheese mixture, stuffed in between the skin and the meat was sweet, spicy and complex. The skin was perfectly crisp and the chicken perfectly moist and flavorful. The vegetable mix complemented the chicken perfectly- both of us cleaned our plates and ate way more than usual. So we thought we'd pass it on to see what you think.


In a small bowl place three cloves of  smashed garlic, 1/3 minced chile
and 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar and let it soak while you prepare the chicken.

Preheat your oven to 425*.


In a small mixing bowl, combine the following,
2/3 chopped hot chile
3 oz feta cheese
1 1/2 tbsp of plum preserves (or other slightly savory preserve)
black pepper to taste


Take 2 chicken, thigh/leg combos, and stuff the cheese mixture under the skin. Then sprinkle the outside of the chicken with salt, smoked paprika, 1 tsp dried rosemary and 1/2 tsp cinnamon.

Prep the following:
1-2 oz cured Italian salami sliced thin
1 can cannelini beans, rinsed
1/2 bell pepper (yellow) sliced
1/2 red onion, chopped roughly
5-6 crimini mushrooms, chopped in large pieces
1 cup cheap dry red wine
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 tsp dried lavender
1/2 tsp of Kachai powder
black pepper and salt to taste
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 tbsp bacon fat


Place the above ingredients and the smashed garlic-chile-balsamic mixture into an oven safe frying pan and bring to a boil on your stove top, let it boil for about 30 seconds. This is to basically heat the pan so it cooks faster in the oven.



Place the chicken on top of the vegetables and place in a 425* oven for 20-25 minutes.


Pull out, add 2 cups of spinach underneath the chicken, put back in oven and cook for an additional 5 min.