Too Many Steps

 

Supper, Wednesday May 19, 2019: pizza (pizza stuff, shrimp).

I'm getting better at this. I found a new tweak that solved a longstanding complaint I have had about my approach. It's soggy. 

We like a fair number of ingredients on our pie. I wouldn't go so far as to say garbage can pizza, but some might argue. Anyhoo, One of the problems with a lot of stuff on the pie is getting it all cooked before the crust or cheese gets too browned or even burnt. You could, counter-intuitively, turn the heat down. This stretches the cook time allowing time for the ingredients to soften before the fire starts. Unfortunately we like the dark browning that comes with the high heat and fast cooking. What's a poor boy to do? I have settled on precooking all the ingredients then adding them to the pie warm. (They don't have to be hot). 

The problem that I have encountered with this method is that pizza ends up soggy, particularly as leftovers, and we loooooove leftover pizza. (We paid our way through college. Capisce?) It is not so big a deal when the pie is hot from the oven.  The crust is firm but the ingredients are wet. When it cools down and sits a bit the juices from the veggies get down into the crust. One workaround that I have found helps, is heating the leftovers on a griddle instead of the microwave. By the time the top is warm the crust has firmed up a bit. That is all well and good for home use but when taking the slices to work the microwave is usually the only option. 

I realized, rather densely this time, that the solution is simply place the sauteed ingredients in a colander whilst shaping the crust. I was rather surprised by the amount of liquid that was left behind. We found no loss in flavor, and the texture was greatly improved. In the photo above there is no sign of a puddle in the center of the circle of yum.

I'm getting close to pifection.

Oh, and the shrimp, I coarsely diced them. Say three or four pieces per shrimp, about the same size as the sausage gobbets.

Ain't No Substitute Fo' Your Rub. . .

 

Supper, Friday May 14, 2021: smoked ribs; fried cauliflower; fresh bread.

I've done ribs before, so I will stick to only the latest development. I ran out of rub. Ribs can be smoked without rub. A mop sauce is probably more common anyhow. I typically use a mop, but I also put a rub on then start the smoking only introducing the mop about 2 or 3 hours in. 

I didn't have any mop sauce either.

Basic mop is easy to make, just Google it, but I wasn't feelin' it. Mopping requires a level of attention to the smoker/grill that I was not ready to commit to. I didn't want to put the rack in the Weber naked. The surface dries out too much and becomes stringy and chewy. This is OK in small doses but over the whole surface it's a bit much. How does a dry rub prevent this? After all isn't the name "dry" rub?

As I have stated before, I am no food scientist, but I have a theory. Brown sugar. I think the sugar dissolves in the "juices" which are also hydrating the dried, ground components. Then the magic happens. The heat dries the wet paste out and into a crust. The crust protects the meat surface from drying too much.

The real problem was not that I was out of rub. I make my own. I was out of paprika, almost. Paprika is often the first ingredient in a rub blend, and mine is no exception. What's a fella to do? On my spice shelf sits a jar of chili powder. It's kinda rub-like. The spice blend is a little different and it is missing the sugar, but it is in the ballpark. 

I started with a healthy portion of my chili blend. I added what paprika I had to thin the heat. Spicy ribs is OK but too spicy is a distraction. My chili blend has no salt so I added that too. Finally I tossed in a heap of that so important brown sugar. 

The ribs are good. Srsly good. So good I am going to modify my rub recipe to make it more chili-ish. 

I guess there is a substitute. Rub the one you're with.

It's Not Really Black

 

Supper Wednesday April 29, 2020: blackened mahi; farfale a bella (farfale, baby bellas, cream, butter, garlic, parmesan, black pepper).

The grocer we use has had whole mahi filets (frozen, cryovac) on sale for some time. (When does a sale time out and just become the new price?) We keep going in expecting the "sale" to be over but it doesn't end so we have been eating a fair amount of mahi. It works really well blackened. I'm not sure what about it makes that method turn out so well but it does. By contrast I tried cutting it into strips then breading and frying it. Fried fish right? Anggg! Try again. It is not good that way. The texture and flavor just don't work with frying. But hey, blackening is easier anyway. 

The thing to keep in mind about blackening is that it is not really black, in other words burnt. It is more like black-ish. The spice coating should be very browned. It looks at a glance as if it is burned but not quite. If truly burned the spices will turn bitter. The pan should have a little oil and hot enough to shimmer the oil well, but not quite smoke it. (If it's smoking just a little go ahead, but drop the heat just a skosh.) A cast iron or other heavy pan works best because it is more temperature stable from its large mass. 

Like I Said

 

Breakfast, Thursday April 16, 2020: dippy eggs and home fries.

This is just the bowl version. Scallions work too.

The Mayo Has Not Spoiled

 

Supper, Friday March 26, 2020: burger; fruit; fries.

I like homemade fries, for about 30 seconds. After that they go soft and rubbery and greasy. Boo. 

I finally solved the problem, at least for us. I suppose this works also for julienne fries but we like disks. I slice them a quarter inch on a mandolin. I usually leave the peels on unless they have gotten too much light. The trick is temperature and timing.

Get the oil to 325f, cook the fries to done. When you pull them they will immediately go soggy. Let them rest at least a good five minutes while you bring the oil to 375f. Now drop them again and cook to desired color. They will last a lot longer.

The green stuff is not turned mayo. Avocado, mushed and spread.

Sure Beats The Foam Cup

 

Supper, Saturday April 18, 2020: ramen (homemade noodles, shiitake/chicken broth, shrimp, roasted chicken, egg, shiitake, bellas, scallion, cilantro, fish sauce, soy).

When the pre-packaged ramen in the cello bag and the version in the styrofoam cup flooded the US in the 80s I was a teenager and my mother found that buying them by the case was a good way to keep me and my brother fed. During my college years (a lot longer than they should have been) I would have starved if I didn't have a microwave and cases of salty chewy noodles. (I paid my own way through college. Long story.)

Fast forward to nearly the present, about three years ago. I still have a place for those chewy noodles in my heart, but I really shouldn't eat them on account of the salt. Plus my tastes have changed. I know there is a movement(?) that loves to show how to dress up the plain Jane noodles, and better versions are available at specialty stores. I've just never been motivated to explore that. 

Then I went to a conference in San Diego. When we visit new cities we try to take in regional flavors and independent restaurants. Up to that point I had been to noodle houses but none that had ramen. I was only vaguely aware that ramen houses were even a thing. So when I saw one in downtown SD I was intrigued. Long story short: I had to figure out how to make that sh*t.

The broth is negotiable. Traditionally a rich, slowly and carefully crafted extraction of beef, pork, or less often chicken is used. Also seafood stocks or something akin to a nabeyaki broth are enjoyed. I suppose miso? Whatevs. If you look at a ramen house menu the central philosophy is choice. It should be what you like. The same goes for the other ingredients aside from the noodles.

The noodles are easily purchased. Making them at home is not difficult BUT it requires a speciality ingredient - kansui. It is a solution of potassium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate. It is quite alkali and responsible for the yellow hue and springiness of the pasta. It is a little hard to get. Not all Asian groceries carry it. It might seem expensive online BUT a little goes a long way so it is worth the investment. To my knowledge it can't "go bad" (as long as the bottle is closed and the water doesn't evaporate).

Initially on the interwebs I found some sites that proclaimed it is possible to make ramen noodles with homemade sodium carbonate (made by baking baking soda (LOL, cooking sodium bicarb in the oven for four hours)). My experience with this method was:

Nope. Buy the kansui.

They Just Sploded!

Supper, Thursday October 24, 2019: pea soup (bacon, onion, carrot, celery, split peas, stock, salt, pepper, pinch of cayenne); mashed potato balls (leftover mash, cheddar, egg wash, breadcrumbs).

There is a little bit to look at here. First let me comment on the soup. Whether it is ham, bacon, smoked turkey. . . I like to brown the meat first, add oil if necessary. Then I set it aside to saute the mirepoix. When it is beginning to get tender I add some stock. I will use chicken stock I have canned or vegetable base and water depending on my mood. Simmer until the veggies are soft. 

At this point I have added a lot of flavor with the vegetables but split pea soup should be smooth sans bits of the seasoning meat. So I use a hand blender to puree the veggies. That is why I set the meat aside. Now add the peas and spices and simmer til the peas fall apart. 

What I want to say about the balls is that I made them too well. I am very good at breading things. These were so well breaded that the coating formed a hermetic seal around the potato and cheese filling. The coating cooked hard then the inside began to melt and finally boil. Those suckers started ejecting their contents like Kilauea. Seriously, they were spewing. I had to get them out as quickly as possible. I haven't attempted that again so I don't know what to do. Poke holes in them?

They were tasty though. 

Do German Leaders Have Lumpy Heads?

 

Supper, Tuesday October 08, 2019: cheeseburgers (homemade bun, LTOMWK, cheddar, 80/20 beef).

I use the same recipe to make pizza dough (mostly) as I do to make a couple of loaves of bread. The drawback, or benefit, is that it is too much dough for the size pizza I usually make. Lately I have been making buns out of some of the dough. Two rolls reduces the dough by just enough. I have even found an easy way to make Kaiser rolls. This was one of my first attempts. Not so good. I've gotten better. 

The method is amazingly simple. I was surprised it worked. You start by rolling the dough into a rope. Then you tie a loose granny knot in the middle. You finish by continuing wrapping the ends around the loop and tucking them in/under. Google it. It's not hard to find. The key is don't futz with it too much trying to get it perfect. That is what I did to those above and it did not go so well.

I was trying to make a joke about Kaisers and oddly shaped bread. Dumb.

Patience. . .

Supper, Saturday August 19 2019: pizza (dough (bread flour; water; salt; yeast); sauce (crushed tomato; tomato paste; oregano; thyme; granulated garlic; granulated onion; pepper; red pepper); italian sausage; smoked oysters; onion; jalapeno; mushroom; black olive; parmesan; mozzarella.

Almost no one does this at home. It's a pain in the ass. It requires some skill (but it isn't brain surgery). It also requires some specialized equipment, or in lieu of that some special techniques. Although I have not mentioned this before we actually have this fairly often. I will talk about this more in the future. For now let's look at the dough. Just the make up, not the shaping. 

The ingredients are pretty simple. There's just four. I used to weigh. It really is more accurate, but for crust we can be a little less rigorous than if we were trying to make a good baguette. (Some might argue that point. Don't care.)

Measure 4 cups of bread flour into your favorite bowl, assuming your favorite bowl is at least 4 quarts. Add a scant 2 cups of hot water. Again, I used to measure the temp, but now I just use the hot tap water. At the same time get a small bowl, an ingredient bowl, whatever you want to call it, and place a little hot water in it. Basically the "scant" you left out of the big bowl. Also add a dollop of honey or half of a teaspoon of sugar. (OK, that means it really is five ingredients. I just put it in there to boost the yeast. It is not needed.) 

Mix the flour and water until the flour is mostly wetted. Sprinkle the salt on top, 2 tsp. Do not mix it in. Set the dough aside. This BTW is the "autolysing" step. This allows time for the enzymes in the flour to convert some of the starch into food for the yeast. 

Now go back to the water and honey. Add a packet of yeast, or if you have a bulk jar then add a teaspoon. Mix and leave it. Now this step is not really necessary, but it doesn't hurt, it can speed things along if you are in a hurry, and it allows you a natural timer for the autolysing step. You could just put all the water in the flour, mix, then sprinkle the salt and the yeast on top. Wait 20 minutes then start mixing.

When the yeast is really working, it is time to get mixing. Add the foamy mess, and fold the nascent dough in on itself a few times to incorporate the yeast water. The real mixing now starts. 

Starting on one side start pinching the dough with your forefinger and thumb. Use your middle finger if for whatever reason you have trouble with the forefinger. Keep pinching along the dough until it looks like a fat caterpillar. 

The dough will be sticky. You want the end result to be just a little sticky so add flour as you mix. Don't be afraid to add a small handful at the beginning if the dough is super sticky. 

Fold the head and the tail of the caterpillar over the middle. Mush it down. Rotate a quarter turn. Make another caterpillar. Lather. rinse, repeat.

How long? You will start to feel the dough getting more homogenous. You might encounter lumps that are much harder or dryer than the rest of the dough. I pinch at these with my fingertips to break them up. I should mention here that there is a temptation when hand working sticky dough to get the dough stuck on your hands by rubbing them together. Don't do this over the dough. It makes lumps. Those rolled up balls of dough end up hard balls of dough. After two to five minutes (more like five for the beginner), finish with the mush step. You should have an ever so slightly sticky homogeneous lump. Cover the dough with a towel and let it rest 15 minutes or so. Again, I'm not a stickler. (I gotta remember that "sticky homogeneous lump." That is a great phrase.) 

Now for the kneading. Without this step the dough will not stretch. You will not be able to make a crust. The goal is to gently pull the dough in a way that allows the gluten to align and thus give the dough strength and elasticity. 

Imagine a pile of loose wool. Not very strong. You can tear it apart easily. Align the fibers and twist to keep them aligned. The resultant yarn can be very strong. This is what we want to achieve.

We are going to do something like that. First we need to prepare hands and dough. If the dough still seems a little sticky, flour your hands and the dough LIGHTLY before starting and keep your hands floured to prevent too much sticking. If the dough is just right or maybe dry, then wet your hands LIGHTLY and keep them wet. Wetting is preferred for this part but do what you gotta. 

To do the knead grab a big pinch along the edge of the dough blob. Stretch it a little less than the width of the blob then twist it 1/2 turn then fold it over to the middle and press it in. Rotate a bit to a new spot that was not affected by the stretch and start again. Repeat this 4 to 6 times to make it around the blob. When you are all the way around you should have something that looks like a weird twisty ball or a giant Kaiser roll. 

The first time will look a little rough.

Now we are not finished but we are finished for now. We want to let the dough rest then repeat the pulley-twisty thing. Cover the dough with a towel and do something else for a few minutes. 5 minutes or so later the dough should have sagged some back towards a blob rather than a ball. Now repeat the knead and let rest. Do this 4 - 6 times. You are done when the ball mostly stays a ball and it is smooth and a little velvety on the surface. The dough will resist pulling quite a bit at this point.

It will start looking better as you repeat.

Dust with a little flour, underneath too.

Cover with the towel again and leave it to rise.

This seems like a good place to stop.

We'll get to this stage next time.

Yes, black olives. There's smoked oysters on there too. Yum.

That's A Big Sammich

Lunch Sunday May 26, 2019: BLT.

No that was not the sandwich. I sliced the bread off of this loaf. You can see that we probably had pineapple also. Anyhoo, the only reason that I wanted to post this is to point out the rack that the bread is on. It is perfect for the boules that I bake. The funny part is that it is not the intended use. That rack, and a taller one, came with a microwave convection oven that I got last year. I was torn on whether to get a $450 microwave. Did I really need it? 

A year later I love it. I can heat up my cold coffee and bake the lovely pictured above. The little rack came with the oven as a baking rack. It does well also as a cooling rack. I like multi-use tools. Makes for less clutter.

That's Gonna Take Some Heavy Duty Rolling Paper

Supper, Monday February 11, 2019: eggplant parmish kinda thing (fried eggplant, bolognaise, parmesean, smoked cornmeal polenta);

pickled artichoke.

Where Alexis is from, north central Ohio, there is a very kool bulk foods store that is almost also a tourist attraction. For me the beauty is that I can find items that are rare in regular groceries AND at very reasonable prices. A good example is rye flour. I can get it at our regular grocer but it is from a specialty mill and is kinda pricey. In Ohio I can get five pounds for the same price as a pound at home. When we visit family I like to stock up. 

On the last visit I came across roasted corn meal (not really smoked but it is smoky) . I thought "This might make good polenta." I was right. Pretty damned good.

The Comeback King

Supper, Monday November 5, 2018: Meatloaf (ground beef, egg, spinach, rolled oats, pumpkin seed kernels, onion, minced garlic, salt, pepper); baked sweet potato; mixed pickle.

Way back in the day Alexis would cook. This was before we had established our roles as a couple. For me cooking is enjoyable. Usually I lose myself in the moment. This is a really helpful thing now that I have a chronic pain condition. For Alexis not so much. She can cook. In fact the dishes she has made were alway good, but for her the act is anxiety provoking. She will cook if she has to. I cook because I want to. 

One of the things that she made back in the day was meatloaf. She liked to make comfort foods. She stepped it up a notch by using an interesting recipe she found. It was spinach and pine nut meatloaf. I really liked it. The whole pine nuts added a crunchy texture and the spinach lightened an otherwise heavy dish. 

Since then I have made a number of variations on the original recipe. In this case I used pumpkin seed kernels instead of the pine nuts. This was borne out of necessity, we had no pine nuts. Here I used a little spinach but in the past I have used the leafy parts of chard or boc choy finely chopped. One other difference my version has it that I use rolled oats as the liquid soaker-upper. Again, this is a texture thing. I like the little toothiness that the oats bring. 

Comfort foods like this have made a comeback recently. The difference being that the recipes are like the one here. New takes on old standards. I like to think it is in great part due to the maturing of the american palate, at least in some regions. Take your favorite meatloaf recipe, sub oats for the breadcrumbs, add a small bag of frozen chopped spinach, and pine nuts or pumpkin seeds or almond slivers? Idunno, play with it. (Frozen peas? Diced parsnip?)

Oh yeah, thaw the spinach then squeeze the everlivin snot out of it. You need to get the excess moisture out. 

Well Since The Fryer Is Out. . .

Supper, Friday November 2, 2018: Fried oysters; fried taters; fried zucchini; fried mushrooms.

Sure that is a lot of fried food, but remember "everything in moderation including moderation." Live a little now and then. 

Lemme talk about breading. 

I'm persnickety about breading. 

1. My first rule is season the food not the breading. I want to have seasoned bread I will just get some herbs in olive oil and dip some crusty french pieces.
2. Flour the food. Coat the product, whatever it is, with plain flour. This is important because it gives the wash something to cling to.
3. Make sure the product is thoroughly coated in the wash. I like to use a wash that is half egg and half buttermilk. Some like one or the other. That's OK. There is one little quirk to my choice. When blending the egg and buttermilk together the egg often starts to gel. I think it's a ph thing. Whatever the cause it is reversed by adding just a little bit of water, an ounce or two depending on the amount of wash.
4. To transfer the washed food to the crumbs I like to handle as little as possible. If is is a large item like a piece of fish or a slab of green tomato I use a bamboo skewer. If it is a bunch of smaller things I use a spider.
5. Coat the food well by rolling and packing it into the crumb mixture. I like a 1:3 mix of flour and breadcrumbs. This is where I get really crazy. Plain breadcrumbs from the store are OK but they are too dense. The alternative then is panko, but I find it to be too greasy. So I literally bake french bread slice it dehydrate it and grind it in the food processor. The end result is crumbs that are a mix of sizes and shapes. A good second best is to buy day old french loaves at the grocery, slice them and let them dry out for a couple of days. finish them in a warm oven, 175 or so, then process.

That is why those mushrooms in the picture look like they are high end pre-breaded frozen.

Flip F'Real

Breakfast, Tuesday November 14: (yogurt and crunchity stuff (yogurt, toasted pecans; honey, granola almond slivers chocolate morsels, desiccated coconut); dates.

There's a commercial product available that comes with yogurt and a separate pocket for come crunchity stuff. Alexis likes them so I decided to see how I could improve on the concept.  It was pretty simple to make a mix of her favorite healthy crunchity things. I keep it premixed in a mason jar for a quick and simple breakfast I can put together on mornings when I don't have the energy for something elaborate or sometimes she wants a super healthy meal.

Lima Beans Go With Everything

Supper, Wednesday November 08: stuffed pepper (ground pork, ground beef, chili spice, quinoa, egg, poblano, verde sauce); lima beans; seared tortilla.

One of the nice things about lima beans is that you can use them as a starch or as a green vegetable.

We had a nice final harvest of peppers. We had quite a few very pretty poblanos. I made a big batch of stuffed peppers. I smothered them in some of the homemade verde sauce that I made with the last harvest of tomatillos. The substitution of the more traditional rice with quinoa was a good choice. The quinoa cooked done. With rice sometimes it does not cook all the way, and you are left with meat full of crunchy rice. Not my favorite.

Green Soup Is Always A Little Intimidating

Supper, Sunday November 07: nasturtium and leek soup;* wilted greens salad, whole wheat biscuit.

*We had a friend over for dinner. Traditionally this would be made with chicken stock. Our friend is a vegetarian so I made this with vegetable base instead. Truth be told that is what I would normally use. I make my own meat stocks but I use a commercial vegetable base concentrate. I use it whenever anything needs a little flavor boost and or some salt. Rice, add a little base. Polenta, add a little base. Soup a little weak, add a little base. 

Wait, It's Not Friday

Supper, Saturday November 04: fried catfish; lima beans; pickle.

Fish Friday is a bit of a joke for us. We don't proscribe to any such dogma. We like fish though and I try to get it in as much as I can. Friday is as good as any other day, so I like to get it in at least on Friday. This time I missed it so Saturday it is. 

If you are not a fan of lima beans I suggest you try an experiment. Get some FRESH limas. Not canned. Not frozen. Simmer them in just enough water to cover until tender. Drain, add a little butter and a pinch each of salt and pepper. You might change your mind.

It's What's For Dinner. . .

Supper, Monday October 10: pot roast (ginormous ribeye, English roast spice blend, carrots, potatoes, cardoon, onion, parsnip).

Yes I said Ribeye. Hear me out. I was at the store scanning the meat dept for deals and spotted this ribeye reduced for quick sale. It was huge, nearly a pound and a half. That is way more meat then Alexis would eat at one sitting. Steak is good. Leftover steak is not. Then I got a funny idea, "That thing is the size of a small pot roast." I bought it. I put it in the crock for about an hour with a spice blend we got at some novelty spice store, a little garlic, a little water, and a bit of marsala. I added the vegetables save the potatoes then let that simmer til they were just tender then added the taters. It was scary good AND ALSO THE NEXT DAY.

Remember that "It's what's for dinner" campaign for beef back in the 90s? A couple of different voice actors worked on that, eventually Sam Elliot got involved. he was the voice of beef. Listening to him made you want to run out and rope a steer, start a fire, and cut out a slab right then and there. 

It's All About The Sauce

Supper, Sunday October 09: tofu verde (seared tofu. garden tomatillos, onion, garlic, roasted chilis, chili powder, olive oil); mexi-rice (long grain rice, tomato sauce, chili powder, pinto beans, corn); olives; grilled pineapple; toast.

We had a decent tomatillo harvest this fall. I was pleased to have anything. I had trouble with my seed starts back in the spring. I finally ended up with 4 good plants. Of the 4, 3 were good producers. I canned some and I made verde sauce. We had a vegetarian friend join us for dinner so I seared some tofu well in a pan then smothered in in the verde and let it simmer a bit. It was great. I think verde sauce is to Mex/SW cuisine as vindaloo is to Indian. The protein is of little consequence, It could be braised possum, but no one would know otherwise. So, the tofu was great. 

Using fresh tomatillos is easy. Remove the husks. Rinse well. Quarter, Put in a sauce-pot with just a couple ounces of water. Simmer til they have broken down. 

Oooooohhhh, Pretty

I have been having trouble with bread lately. I've never been a stickler in the kitchen. I often don't follow recipes exactly. That is a problem when baking. There is a saying: cooking is art, baking is science. It is true. Too much pepper in your paprikash? It's probably still edible. Too much water in your dough? The bread collapses during proofing or the cake is dense and under-cooked.

For me this means that as I am a little loose with the rules, over time if I am modifying a recipe I can lose track of how the finished product turns out. In other words: I have this wheat bread recipe that I have been tweaking (not to be confused with twerking), and I have been getting crappy bread.

Solution? Go back to the beginning. I am starting with a basic white bread. I will add or modify ingredients one at a time until I find exactly the combination of adjunct grains and whole flour percentages using my techniques that yields a firm almost crispy crust and a light moderately open crumb. The loaf above was just white bread with flax seed. It is the prettiest loaf of bread I have ever baked. Good start.

YaY Me!