Author: Robert Andrews

Marigold Salad

In a large mixing bowl, combine

  • 1 C baby rocket leaves
  • Toss with 1 tsp EVOO and put onto a plate
  • Top with
    • 3 figs – cut with WWW so it creates a flower
    • 1/4 inch slices of goat cheese
  • Drizzle honey on the cheese
  • Squeeze lemon juice all over
  • Sprinkle with Maldon salt
  • Top with freshly grated black pepper
  • Add a few mint leaves
  • Sprinkle 6-12 marigold petals (yes, they are edible)

 

Orange Drink

INGREDIENTS

  • Two oranges
  • Potato Peeler
  • 1 TBL Karo Syrup
  • Blender
  • Strainer

STEP BY STEP

  1. Peel the orange off an orange, but leave the white pith.
  2. Cut up and remove as many seeds as possible, but not necessary to get them all, since we will be straining it.
  3. Add 1 Tablespoon of Karo syrup
  4. Put into a blender, and then run through a food mill or strainer
  5. Serve over ice

Retirement Smoked Pork Chops

  1. Lay two pork chops on a shallow bed of salt.
  2. Sprinkle salt over top of them as well.
  3. Put chops into the refrigerator
  4. Take a cup of hickory wood chips and soak them in bowl of water
  5. Refrigerate chops overnight uncovered, and let the wood chips soak up water on the counter also overnight
  6. The next morning, wash off the salt from the chops
  7. Dry them well with a paper towel
  8. Pour the water from the wood chip bowl, and place the chips on the used paper towel.
  9. Bring a cast iron skillet or Dutch oven up to about 500º
  10. Put in 1 TBL safflower oil and spread it around
  11. Put the chop onto the high heat for about three minutes
  12. Turn the chops over and surround them with wood chips, so that the wood chips are in contact with the hot cast iron
  13. Put the cover on the Dutch oven, and as soon as you start to smell smoke (3-5 minutes) set the pan on the patio on a cooling rack for another 5-10 minutes
  14. Plate while out on the patio so that you don’t get smoke in your house

If you are up to it, make your own Birch Syrup.

  1. Collect the sap and bring to a simmer.  You will need a lot of sap, as it reduces by about 85% after about ten hours.
  2. Five liters (21 cups) of sap will become about 1/3 of a cup.

Avocado Salsa

Ají de Aguacate

  1. Prepare and set aside 3 hard boiled egg
  2. Wash and combine the following and pulse in a food processor
    • 6 scallions
    • 2 Anaheim chiles (seeds out)
    • 1 habañero chili (seeds out)
    • 1 C packed cilantro
    • 2 TBL white vinegar
    • 1 tsp salt
  3. Remove, roughly chop and combine the following
    • 2 avocados
    • 2 TBL lime juice
    • 2 hard boiled eggs
    • 2 chopped Roma tomatoes
  4. Combine everything and crush together
  5. Plate in a large family-style serving bowl
  6. Roughly chop the third egg and put it on top along with some of the chives and cilantro

Lomo Saltado

  1. Cut meat
    • 1 1/2 LB beef – flank or skirt steak – sliced against grain in 1 inch strips
  2. Prepare marinade
    • 1 tsp cumin
    • 1 tsp salt and pepper
    • 1 tsp Thunder Powder
    • 2 TBL soy
  3. Marinate meat for 10 minutes
  4. Cut up red onion in thin slices
  5. Mince 2 cloves garlic and 2 jalapeño
  6. Cut russet potato into thin French Fry strips
  7. Cut tomato in sections
  8. 1 TBL safflower oil in cast iron pan – high heat
  9. Put potato into the pan to cook while everything else cooks
  10. Sear meat for 2 minutes per side
  11. Remove meat – set aside
  12. Rotate potatoes
  13. Turn pan heat to low and put in onion with 1 TBL butter
  14. This will cook about 2 minutes
  15. Add garlic and jalapeno and cook 1 minute
  16. Deglaze with 1/4 C red wine vinegar – it’s OK if potatoes are still in the pan
  17. Add 3 TBL soy sauce
  18. Add tomato sections
  19. Bring up to a simmer and reduce slightly
  20. Put meat back into pan and bring all up to heat
  21. Serve with rice and drizzle pan juices over top

Croissants

Here is a link to a recipe from AllRecipes.com

It is a bit quicker than the following recipe, so I am linking to their page as well.

http://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/6916/croissants/

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Here is another recipe

  1. Combine the following ingredients
    • 3 3/4 AP flour
    • 2 tsp salt
    • 1/3 C sugar
    • 2 TBL yeast
  2. Blend dry ingredients, and drizzle in 1 cup cold milk
  3. 1 C milk – more if required for flour to start pulling into a ball
  4. Wrap dough ball in plastic wrap
    Let rest at room temperature for 60 minutes,
    Then refrigerate overnight (at least 8 hours)
  5. Flatten out to about 1/2 inch thickness
  6. Five sticks of butter – Wrap butter in plastic and beat with rolling pin till flattened and one large sheet
  7. Refrigerate the butter, along with the dough, overnight
  8. Next morning, roll the flour into a square
  9. Flatten the cold butter to cover half of the square
  10. Fold sides of dough in
    – stretch if necessary to cover butter (1 butter layer)
  11. Flatten the “dough sandwich” till it is about twice its current size
  12. Fold in thirds, and pound to flatten again (3 layers)
  13. Use pastry brush to remove excess flour
  14. Fold in thirds the other way, and pound to flatten (9 layers)
  15. Use pastry brush to remove excess flour
  16. Fold in thirds, the other way, but don’t pound yet (27 layers)
  17. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate  for one hour
  18. Remove from fridge, and pound to flatten
  19. Fold in thirds again, and pound to flatten  (82 layers)
  20. Fold in thirds again, but do not pound yet (243 layers)
  21. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for another hour
  22. Remove from fridge, and pound to flatten
  23. Fold in thirds again, and pound to flatten  (729 layers)
  24. Roll out flat into a square approx 20 x 15 inches
  25. Using a pizza cutter, cut the square in half to make two 10 x 15 pieces
  26. Cut the 10 x 15 pieces into 5 x 5 squares
  27. Cut at an angle across the points of each square, to make a crosshatch with the outside edge being about 5 inches wide and the point being 5 inches high
  28. Stretch gently to make a triangle about 5 x 20 inches
  29. Roll the triangle up, starting with the wide end, and ending at the point
  30. Put on a baking sheet leaving space between each piece
  31. Brush with egg wash (1 egg plus 1 tsp water plus 1/2 tsp salt)
  32. Let rise about three hours
  33. Preheat oven to 40 and bake 12-15 minutes, rotating at the 10 minute mark

 

Breakfast Bread

Pan de Yema – Yolk Bread

  1. Mix the following
    • 1 1/4 C warm water
    • 2 TBL yeast
    • 1 TBL sugar
    • 1 C AP flour
  2. Let rise in a glass bowl for 30 minutes to create a sponge
  3. Mix in 2 whole eggs and 9-10 egg yolks (save white for another recipe)
  4. In your stand mixer, with the beater attachment, add the following
    • 1 C soft butter
    • 2/3 C sugar
  5. Mix until combined, then add
    • Yeast mixture
    • All of your eggs
    • 3 C AP flour
    • Pinch of salt
  6. Mix until combined, the change to the hook attachment
    • Add 2 C AP flour – 1 cup at a time
  7. Put into large oiled bowl to rise for one hour
  8. Punch it down, and cut into half, half, half and half making 16 pieces
  9. Form pieces into a ball and place 6 on a half baking sheet
  10. Set aside to rise for another hour
  11. Cut three slashes on top (an asterisk) and brush with egg wash
    One beaten egg and 1 tsp of water
  12. Bake at 350º for 20 minutes

 

Huevos Salsa Martajada

  1. Roast tomato, onion and poblano pepper at 450º for 20-30 minutes
  2. Peel tomato and pepper
  3. Pulse half the roasted vegetables in a food processor very briefly with a bit of salt
  4. Put pulsed veggies into a skillet and add the other half of the roasted veggies
  5. Simmer 10 minutes
  6. Meanwhile, scramble 6-12 eggs so that they are still glistening (very soft scrambled)
  7. Put the eggs into the salsa and mix just slightly
  8. Serve with some sort of soft bread

Tips: Tires – What you need to know

OK, so this is not a recipe, but like I said… this site is mainly for my use.

You should replace your tires at least every six years whether they are worn or not.  They degrade. Even if there’s plenty of tread left, tires should be replaced if they’re too old.  Over time, the rubber will dry and crack, possibly leading to a blowout or flat tire.

You can tell the manufacture date of your tire by looking on the side.  There will be DOT followed by four numbers  (eg) DOT and then eventually 1418.  This means they were manufactured during the 14th week of 2018  which is about mid April 2018.

 

Cheese Bread

Robert’s Cheese Bread

This uses a sour dough sponge for an extra twang

  • 3/4 C sourdough sponge
  • 1 C bread flour
  • 2 TBL potato flakes
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 TBL yeast
  • 1/2 C buttermilk
  • 1 TBL sugar
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 2 TBL softened butter
  1. Mix all ingredients in a Kitchen Aid
  2. Scrape down sides trying to get the contents to ball together
  3. Add bits of water and flour as necessary to promote formation of a ball
  4. After ball forms, mix 5-7 more minutes
  5. Put in covered glass bowl to rise 60 minutes
  6. Turn out onto floured surface
  7. Press flat, then fold together 4-5-6-7-8 times, adding grated cheddar at each fold.  Repeat until it starts to be springy
  8. You can substitute on Step 7 with onion, black olive, etc.
  9. Form into two loaves and put into a greased bread pan
  10. Spray top with oil, then cover and let rise 120 minutes
  11. Put into preheated oven to 425º
  12. Close door and immediately turn down to 350º
  13. Bake 20 minutes – If you have an internal temperature probe, cook until internal temp should be at least 190º but not over 205º
  14. Let cool 30 minutes before slicing or wrapping

Here is another good recipe

  1. In a mixing bowl, combine
    • 3 C potato starch
    • 2 tsp salt
    • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  2. In a sauce pan, combine and heat
    • 2/3 C milk
    • 1/2 C canola oil
    • 2 TBL butter
  3. Pour hot liquid into the mixing bowl and mix 2-3 minutes
  4. Add 1 large egg, and stir to incorporate
  5. Add another egg, and stir to completely incorporate
  6. While still mixing, add 1 C Parmesan cheese
  7. Continue mixing and add 1 C Romano cheese
  8. Once mixture is completely mixed, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 2 hours
  9. After mixture has cooled, remove from fridge and cut into 8 pieces
  10. Preheat oven to 450º
  11. Place a baking dish of water in the bottom of your oven
  12. Dampen hands and roll the pieces into balls
  13. Flatten just slightly and brush top with egg wash
    (1 egg, 1 tsp water, 1/4 tsp salt)
  14. Place rolls on silicone mat
  15. Place in preheated oven and immediately lower temperature to 350º
  16. Cook 20 minutes, the rotate pan
  17. Cook another 20-25 minutes

Cauliflower Mac and Cheese

  • 1 C dry macaroni (large)
  • 1/4 head cauliflower (chopped)
  • 2 C bread crumbs
    • 2 C pieces of day old French bread
    • 1 TBL chives
    • 1/2 tsp salt
    • 1 TBL cold butter
    • Pulse in food processor
    • Bake on a sheet pan @ 300º for 5-8 minutes
  • Binder
    • 1/2 C sour cream
    • 1/2 C Gruyere cheese (grated)
    • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
    • 1 TBL butter
    • 2 TBL Parmesan cheese
    • 2 TBL cream cheese or Brie
    • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
    • to taste: salt, pepper, parsley, chives, nutmeg, thunder powder or paprika
    • dash of Tabasco
  1. Bring water to a boil
  2. Add macaroni and cook 5 minutes
  3. Add cauliflower pieces to the water
  4. Cook an additional 5 minutes or until pasta is done
  5. Toss with binder
  6. Top with bread crumbs
  7. Garnish with tomato slices
  8. Bake at 350º for 30-40 minutes
  9. Let rest 5minutes before cutting
  10. Garnish each slice with fresh basil or cilantro

Tamagoyaki – Rolled Egg

Search YouTube for several recipes and techniques.

  1. Beat 1 egg
  2. Put into hot pan with 1 tsp olive oil
  3. OPTION:  Sprinkle as little as possible spinach, chives, etc
  4. As soon as glisten is gone, roll it as small as possible
  5. Push to the side of the pan and add another beaten egg, allowing the liquid egg to run under and adhere to the first
  6. Add your optional ingredients – VERY sparsely
  7. Roll the first egg roll around the second flat and cooked egg, creating a larger roll
  8. Push to the side, and add a third beaten egg, allowing it to flow under the roll
  9. Do not add any extra ingredients this time.
  10. When the bottom is cooked, but the top still has a bit of glisten, roll your log over the third egg – creating one large rolled egg.
  11. Turn out of the pan onto a sheet of waxed paper
  12. Form into a square shape – and let rest about 3 minutes
  13. Unwrap (discard the paper) and cut the ends off.  This will create a nice section in which you can see the layers of rolled egg.
  14. Cut the log in half – creating two pieces
  15. Cut each of the two pieces into thirds – creating a total of six pieces
  16. Plate and garnish with basil, cilantro or chives

Quick Calzone

  • 1 3/4 C AP flour
  • 2 tsp Rapid Rise Yeast
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 TBL EVOO
    1. Pulse with 1 C hot watter – drizzle in
    2. Place in oiled and covered glass bowl 35-40 minutes
  • Meanwhile prepare filling
    1. Mix 2 cloves chopped garlic and 1/2 C grated cheese
    2. Chop broccoli, asparagus or spinach small
    3. Cut dough into 12 pieces
    4. Roll each piece flat and fill with veggies and cheese
    5. Crimp edges and tuck ends under
    6. Place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper
    7. Brush with 1 egg yolk and 1 tsp water
    8. Poke steam hole
    9. Bake at 375º for 15-18 minutes
    10. Rest 5 minutes before serving

BLT Pie

  1. Crisp up 4-6 pieces of bacon
  2. Saute one onion
  3. Prepare pastry dough
    • 2 C AP flour
    • 1/2 tsp salt
    • 12 TBL cold butter – in pieces
    • Pulse in food processor until pea sized
    • Add 1 cold egg yolk
    • Add 2 TBL ice water
    • Pulse again
    • Pack dough together (fresage)
    • Divide in half, wrap in plastic and refrigerate 30 minutes
  4. Flatten one of the balls of dough
  5. Roll out thickly and refrigerate another 30 minutes
  6. Slice tomatoes, and salt them lightly and put on paper towel
  7. Mix together binder
    • 3 whole eggs
    • 2/3 C milk
    • 1/4 C mayonnaise
    • Salt, pepper and cayenne to taste
  8. Finish rolling out pie dough and move to glass pie pan
  9. Lift edge to fill all the way to the corners – trim off overlap
  10. Dock bottom and scallop the edges
  11. Add 1/2 of your cooked onion
  12. Add 1/2 of your bacon
  13. Add 1/2 of your tomato
  14. Add last half of onion, and then bacon
  15. Pour in your egg mixture
  16. Top with the other half of your sliced tomatoes
  17. Bake at 375º for 35 minutes
  18. While baking, prepare a salad tossed with dressing
  19. Let baked pie rest 10 minutes
  20. Put 1/8 slice on a plate
  21. Serve with tossed lettuce on the side or top

Misc Notes

Meat egg roll dip

  1. Saute onion, tomato paste, carrot, celery and garlic
  2. Add crushed tomato
  3. Reduce and puree in a blender

Shredded Carne Asada Breakfast Taco

  1. Prepare crema – recipe on GPC
  2. Put shredded meat in a skillet with 1 TBL butter
  3. Mix in 1 TBL mashed potatoes *
  4. Cook and continue mixing
  5. Add 1 egg mixed with 1 TBL crema
  6. Serve on a taco

* Jack Smashed Potatoes

  • Potatoes
  • Jack cheese
  • Onion
  • Green onion
  • Cotija cheese
  • Asadero cheese
  • Garlic
  1. Add 1-2 slices of provalone

Braise Chuck

  1. Saute onion, garlic and red chili powder over low heat
  2. Remove solids for later use
  3. Deglaze pan with beer
  4. Add 2 C chicken broth
  5. Put roast in, cover and cook at 350º for 4 hours
      • (Seems long to me)

Get buffalo from Arizona Buffalo Company in Eloy

Date Bacon Balls

  1. Lay a piece of bacon on a cutting board
  2. Remove the pit from a date – not halving the date though
  3. Stuff date with cooked chorizo – cooled and mixed with shredded cotijo or asadero cheese
  4. Alternatives are almonds, goat cheese or any non-melting cheese
  5. Wrap tightly and completely with the bacon
  6. Secure with a toothpick
  7. Bake at 350º for 7-9 minutes
  8. Turn the ball and cook for another 7-9 minutes
  9. If necessary turn one last time and cook until browned

Chicken Kuwayaki

This recipe was presented by Chef Tatsuo Saito from NHK World Dining with the Chef.  Some modifications have been made.

  1. Pound 1 LB of chicken thighs gently with the blade of your knife to tenderize.
  2. Cut chicken thighs in pieces, on a bias to expose more surface area.
  3. Spread on a tray and sprinkle with salt.
  4. Let rest 5 minutes, then pat dry with a paper towel.
  5. Marinate in 2 TBL sake, 3 TBL mirin and 2 TBL soy for 15 minutes.
    I like to use a zip lock bag, so that I can easily agitate every 5 minutes.
  6. Pour the liquid into a cup.  We will use it later, so don’t discard.
  7. Toss the chicken pieces in potato starch or corn starch.
  8. Heat 2 TBL vegetable oil and 1 tsp sesame oil in a skillet.
  9. Cook on medium heat, but only to about 80% of completion.
  10. Tip the skillet and push the chicken to the high side.
  11. Add the marinate into the low side and heat until it boils and reduces slightly.
  12. Push the sauce and the chicken together.
  13. Plate with spinach and top with Sansho Pepper Powder.

Sansho Pepper  ( 山椒 ) is a Japanese seasoning powder made from the ground berries of the prickly ash tree. The powder has a peppery-lemon flavor with a long residual heat. Sansho powder is used to season sushi and make various Japanese noodle dishes mildly hot and fragrant.

Japanese Cooking Ratios

These ratios were presented by Chef Tatsuo Saito from NHK World Dining with the Chef.  Other information has been researched and is presented here.

Base Ingredients

  • Soy provides saltiness with a touch of umami
  • Salt – Both soy and salt work to complete the electrical impulses needed for taste.
  • Mirin (sweet rice wine) provides a complex sweetness
  • Sugar provides a simple sweetness
  • Sake provides depth
    – Sake also removes fishy odors
  • Vinegar is a fermented and distilled liquid that adds layers of flavor.
  • Miso is a paste made from fermented soybeans and barley or rice malt, used in Japanese cooking.  Frequently used for soup.

Taste each individual ingredient so that you can better understand what each ingredient is bringing to the dish.

Teriyaki Sauce

  • 2 parts soy
  • 2 parts sake
  • 3 parts mirin

You can use sugar in place of mirin, but it makes a heavier tasting teriyaki.

Sukiyaki

  • 1 part dashi
  • 2 parts soy
  • 1 part sugar
  • 1 part mirin

Tempura

  • 4 parts dashi
  • 1 part soy
  • 1 part mirin

Ohitashi (spinach)

  • 8 parts dashi
  • 1 part soy
  • 1 part mirin

White Fish

Liquid to simmer fish

  • 3 parts water
  • 1 part soy
  • 3 parts sake
  • 1 part mirin

Hot Soba Soup

  • 10 parts dashi
  • 1 part soy
  • 1 part mirin

The same as Tempura liquid, but with more dashi

Simple Recipe of Rice

  1. Bring 2 parts water (2 C) to a boil.
  2. Add 1 part rice (1 C) and bring back to a boil.
  3. Reduce heat to lowest setting, cover and simmer 10 minutes.
  4. Remove from heat, keeping covered, and let rest another 10 minutes.
  5. Fluff with a fork and serve in very loose clumps.

Dashi

This is an incredibly simple, clear and unassuming broth It forms one of the culinary cornerstones of Japanese cooking.

  • Kombu Dashi is made in about 20 minutes with just three ingredients: water, kombu (dried kelp), and bonito fish flakes. The resulting clear broth tastes like the essence of the sea.
  • Niboshi Dashi uses baby dried sardines in place of the kombu.
  • Shitake Dashi uses Shitake mushrooms in the place of kombu.  It is also not heated to boiling, as that destroys the delicate taste of Shitake.
  • Awase Dashi is essentially Kombu Dashi that after simmering is allowed to sit for awhile to let the flavors leech from the contents.  It has a stronger flavor than Kombu Dashi.

Dashi is used in any Japanese dish that requires liquid for cooking. It’s also found at the heart of the soup broth in various broth-based dishes like nabe (hot pot), shabu shabu, sukiyaki, and oden. Mixed with soybean paste and a few cubes of tofu, dashi makes a flavorful miso soup.

Dashi mixed with a bit of soy sauce, sugar, and mirin (sweet rice wine) can be used to make dipping sauces for fried tempura or chilled noodle dishes like soba buckwheat noodles and udon flour noodles. A greater amount of hot dashi broth can also be added to dipping sauce or broth or a hot noodle soup. In addition to noodles, dashi can be cooked with rice and mushrooms, vegetables, and fish or meat to make takikomi-gohan.

Ohitashi literally means ‘steeped in dashi’ and is a common way of cooking vegetables. Some popular dishes include okra ohitashi, spinach ohitashi and eggplant ohitashi. Nimono, or simmered dishes, using dashi broth are another large part of Japanese home cooking. This includes staples like nikujaga (boiled meat and potatoes), kabocha no nimono (simmered Japanese pumpkin), buri-daikon (braised yellowtail with daikon radish), and buta no kakuni (stewed pork belly). Dashi can also be mixed in with eggs to make dashimaki tamago, a Japanese rolled omelet.

Dried kombu sheets, shiitake mushroom, and bonito flakes can all be purchased separately to make dashi. In addition, commercial dashi concentrate—available in instant powdered granules, liquid concentrate, or pre-made broth pouches—has become incredibly popular in Japan. Look for it in the Asian or international food section of your local supermarket, at Asian grocers, in health food stores, or from specialty vendors online.

Commercial dashi is so convenient and popular in Japan that making dashi from scratch is becoming a bit of a dying art. However, nothing beats the well-rounded flavor of homemade dashi broth, and a simple dashi can be made easily overnight or with a quick 30 minutes of preparation, so it’s worth it to try making dashi from scratch.

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