Category: Make Ahead – Serve Later

Frittata – COLLECTION

Spelled by some Fritatta, but according to Google, my title spelling is correct.

New Life Frittata

New Life Frittata

Adding New Life to Old Food is the basis for one of my books. This is one of my favorite recipes from it.

Zucchini Frittata

Zucchini Frittata

North American Frittata

North American Frittata

Spanish European Frittata

Spanish European Frittata

Goat Cheese Frittata

Goat Cheese Frittata

Mini Breakfast Frittata

Mini Breakfast Frittata

Poached Chicken

This is actually the base for dozens (if not hundreds) of recipes.  It is actually very easy, but it takes a bit of time, so start this before you start on any other portion of a recipe.  It is always better to let it cool after poaching so you don’t burn yourself.

INGREDIENTS

STEP BY STEP

  1. Bring 3 C of water to a boil
  2. Add 1 TBL salt
  3. Cut your chicken into pieces so it compactly fits into your pot
  4. Add water just to barely cover your chicken
  5. Add 1 bay leaf, 1 TBL peppercorns (whole) , 3 cloves garlic (whole) and 1 onion (pieced)
  6. Bring to a full boil, then reduce heat
  7. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes
  8. Drain and set aside to cool
  9. Discard the chicken skin, bay leaf, peppercorns, garlic and onion
  10. Retain the chicken stock for use in other recipes
  11. After it can be safely handled, use two forks to shred it into pieces/strips

Pork Shoulder aka Pork Butt

Pork shoulder is also called pork butt (also called a boneless chuck roast) .  It is, however, from the shoulder.  This is the best meat for a pot roast.

The reason it is called Pork BUTT is because the pieces of meat were thrown into a barrel called a butt.  This originally took place around Boston, so it used to be called Boston Butt.  As the cut gained popularity across the country, it became simply Pork Butt – Leaving Boston’s claim to fame as Boston Cream Pie and Boston Baked Beans.

INGREDIENTS

  • 2-4 LB Pork shoulder – Much (but not all) of fat trimmed – Cut into large pieces that are about 3/4 pound each
  • 2 TBL safflower oil for searing
  • Accompanying veggies
    • 4-8 cloves garlic (sliced)
    • 14-16 oz frozen pearl onions
    • 8-10 oz button mushrooms (halved)
    • 1 LB carrots (peeled and pieced
    • 1 LB baby fingerling potatoes, red potatoes or Yukon gold (pieces)
    • 1 medium piece of ginger
  • Dry Rub
  • Deglazing Liquid
    • 1 C tomato juice
    • 1/4 C red wine vinegar
    • 1/2 C white wine
  • Braising spices
    • Dried basil, oregano, chives, pepper, whole cloves, 1/2 cinnamon stick

STEP BY STEP

  1. Mix Thunder Powder, salt and sugar
  2. Cut shoulder into nice fat 1-1/2 inch steaks
  3. Rub deeply into meat
  4. Wrap each cut in plastic and let rest overnight in the refrigerator
  5. Let butt come up to room temperature for 30-60 minutes when you are ready to cook.
  6. Pat the meat dry, leaving as much seasoning remaining on the meat as you are able.  Then sear the meat (all sides) in a heavily oiled pan VERY HOT cast iron pan.  Don’t overcrowd the pan.
  7. Set steaks aside and put HALF of your veggies (including the ginger, but not the potatoes) into the pot and stir to caramelize.
  8. Add in your deglazing liquid
  9. Deglaze the pan with 1/2 C white wine and 2 TBL EVOO
  10. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat
  11. Add meat back into pan
  12. Sprinkle with just a bit more Thunder Powder
  13. Cover and bake at 250º for 4-6 hours.
  14. Remove meat (briefly), turn up heat to 300º,  and remove and discard all solids in the pot. 
  15. Add meat back in with the uncooked half of your veggies, cover and cook for another two hours
  16. Uncover, flip meat and cook for 30 more minutes at 325º
  17. Remove meat and veggies and set aside.  Cover with foil.
  18. Pour into a glass and let cool for 10 minutes, then spoon off the fat that will rise to the top.
  19. Put the cleared liquid back into the pan, and return to a simmer to reduce the liquid on medium high
  20. Combine meat, veggies and broth.  Serve half tonight, and refrigerate the rest until another day.
  21. When ready, but the Dutch oven back in the oven at 400º for 45 minutes.
  22. Cut thin slices against the grain and serve a nice thick slice as a meal,
    or shred remainder for BBQ sandwiches, tacos, burritos, etc.

Optionally, at Step 13, you an cook on the stovetop for 2 hours or a crock pot for 5 hours

BRAISING LIQUID

  • Brown sugar
  • Soy sauce
  • Rice wine vinegar
  • Sambal olek, Sriracha or Franks Red Hot Cayenne Pepper Sauce
  • Big strips of orange zest (to be removed later)
  • Juice of the orange as well
  • 2-3 C chicken stock

Here is a recipe from All Recipes

Pita Bread

  • pita2 TBL sugar
  • 1 TBL yeast
  • 2.5 C lukewarm water
  • 6 C AP white flour (or half AP and half wheat flour)
  • 1 C whole wheat flour
  • 1 TBL EVOO
  • 1 TBL salt
  • 2 TBL sugar
  1. Create a sponge
  2. Mix 1 C flour and 1 C water and your sugar and yeast
  3. Mix well and set
  4. Set in warm place to proof (about 10 minutes)
  5. Stir yeast mixture, oil, and enough warm water into half of the flour mix to make a soft sponge
  6. Add flour, sugar and salt until the dough is just slightly sticky
  7. Knead dough in bowl, adding flour as necessary until it is smooth and resilient (about 10 minutes)
  8. Lightly oil top of dough and cover
  9. Set in warm place to rise until double (60-90 minutes)
  10. Punch dough down, knead briefly on floured surface and divide into 12 equal pieces
  11. Form each into a smooth ball, cover and let stand at least 10 minutes
  12. Roll into 8 inch rounds about 1/8 inch thick
    Must be thin enough that the heat penetrates to allow it to expand with steam and split internally before the dough cooks
  13. Place on cornmeal dusted baking sheet and let rise for 10-15 minutes
  14. Bake at 500º oven for 2 minutes on bottom rack
  15. Flip and bake another 2 minutes
  16. These will puff up and center should be hollow

If too pale place under the broiler briefly.  Cool on a board covered with a towel to minimize the sweat below the pita.  When cooled store in a plastic bag in the refrigerator or freezer.

Alternately:
Heat a cast iron skillet over medium high heat
Brush lightly with oil
Lay pita into hot skillet and cook until bread begins to puff up and bottom has blisters (about 3 minutes)
Flip, and cook 2 more minutes
Flip again and cook 30 more seconds

 

Next Week’s Spaghetti Sauce

1 16 OZ can tomato pieces
1 6 OZ can tomato paste
1 LB ground beef
1/2 LB ground pork
1 large onion
5 cloves garlic
1 TBL oregano
1 TBL olive oil
1/2 tsp sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Dice onion and saute
Mince garlic and put into pan when onion has become transluscent
In large pot heat tomato paste
Add diced tomatoes
Add onions and garlic
In separate skillet brown the ground meats and drain grease
Mix everything so far into the larger skillet
Add oregano, sugar, salt and pepper
Reduce heat and simmer 3 hours stirring occasionally

Add sliced mushrooms, olives or green bell peppers for variety.

Keep in the fridge for up to a week, or the freezer for up to six months.

Cranberry Crunch Bars

cranberry-crunchINGREDIENTS – FIBER

  • 3 C uncooked rolled oats
  • 1/2 C shredded coconut
  • 1/2 C blanched almonds – sliced
  • 1/4 C pistachios
  • 1/4 C hazelnuts
  • 1/4 C whole wheat flour
  • 1 tsp cinnamon

1.  Toss above together, put on baking tray, and bake at 350º for 12-15 minutes

INGREDIENTS – BINDER

  • 6 TBL butter
  • 1/4 C brown sugar
  • 1/4 C granulated sugar
  • 1/4 TBL honey
  • 1/4 TBL Karo syrup
  • 2 tsp vanilla

2.  Combine binder in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Completely dissolve sugar and remove from heat.

INGREDIENTS – FLAVOR FILLING

  • 1 TBL cocoa powder
  • 1/2 C wheat germ
  • 1/2 C dried cranberries – chopped
  • 1/2 C dried cherries – chopped
  • 1/2 C dates – chopped
  • 1/2 C dried apricots – chopped
  • 1/2 C dried blueberries – chopped
  • 1/4 C golden raisins – chopped
  1. Mix flavor filling in with the oat mixture and the syrup
  2. Lay parchment paper in a large glass baking casserole
  3. Spray lightly with cooking spray
  4. Press mixture onto the casserole
  5. Put into oven at 350º for 35 minutes
  6. Set on counter to cool.
  7. While it is cooling (don’t do this while it is cooking)  mix below topping ingredients
  8. Start with hot butter.  Add a bit of butter at a time until the mixture is like peanut butter
  9. Spread on top of crunch bar mixture
  10. Sprinkle with Turbinado sugar and salt mixture
  11. Put back into the oven for 10 more minutes to caramelize the top coating
  12. Set out to cool for 30 minutes
  13. Leaving in the tray, cut bars into half, half, half and half making 16 bars
    Be careful not to damage your casserole.
  14. Refrigerate overnight
  15. The next morning, remove from pan and re-cut the bars if necessary
  16. Wrap each bar in parchment or waxed paper, then in plastic wrap.
    Add a label under the plastic wrap if you wish.

INGREDIENTS – TOPPING

  • 2 tsp melted butter
  • 2 TBL sugar
  • 3 TBL cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp non-fat dry milk
  • 1 tsp cornstarch
    –
  • 1 tsp coarse sea salt
  • 1 tsp Turbinado sugar

 

 

Chorizo – Make your own

Chorizo Verde and Chorizo Rojo

The meat

Use 1 part of the fatty jowels of a pig, and about 4 parts of 80/20 blade meat.
Grind it up using a coarse grind, and then mix by hand with the following spices
The amounts below are assuming a 1 pound blade meat and 1/4 pound jowels

Chorizo Rojo

Red Pesto

  • 1/4 C Spicy Paprika
  • 2 TBL EVOO
  • 3 TBL Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 1 TBL Brown Sugar
  • 1 TBL Sea salt
  • 1 TBL Ancho Chili Powder
  • 1 tsp Chile Negro Powder
  • 2 tsp Ground Oregano
  • 2 tsp Cumin
  • 1 tsp Cinnamon
  • 1 tsp Granulated Garlic
  • 1/2 tsp Black Pepper – ground
  • Cayenne pepper to taste – adds heat

Chorizo Verde

Green Pesto

  • 1/2 C Powdered jalapeño
  • 2 TBL EVOO
  • 1/4 C White Wine – Enough to get the consistency you desire
  • 1-1/2 TBL Sea salt
  • 2 tsp Ground oregano
  • 1 tsp Sugar
  • 1 tsp Onion powder
  • 1 tsp Green Onion – minced
  • 1 tsp Bay Laurel (Bay leaves) – ground
  • 1 tsp Garlic – ground
  • 1/2 tsp Black Pepper – ground
  •  

Putting it all together

After mixing, run the mixture through a sausage casing stuffer.
Create sausages the size you desire.
Hang sausages from any type of rack – even the oven rack
Cook 3-4 hours at 275º

Alternately, cook in a pan and put into a tortilla will eggs and cheese

Bobby Flay’s Take

  • I’ve made some personal modifications, so blame me, not Bobby, if this doesn’t turn out right.  This is what works for me.
  • Put into hot skillet – to taste
    • Garlic – two cloves minced and mashed with salt
    • Diced onion
    • Cumin
    • Oregano
    • Cayenne
    • Smoked Paprika
    • Salt and Pepper
      • Cook until blossomed – Add water if necessary
    • Add a bit of cider vinegar
    • Add some finely diced onion and tomato
    • Add diced jalapeno and lime juice
    • Remove from heat
    • Add cilantro
    • Add EVOO and salt and pepper
  • Add to ground pork
  • If there’s not enough fat (for texture) add 1-2 TBL butter

Cook and serve with egg in a burrito, or create a patty and serve in a sandwich.

 

Robert’s Jalapeño Ketchup

Before we begin…

  • The Jalapeño Puree (aka Chili Sauce)  takes about six months to age, so you might want to make several jars of the puree.  This will can very well.

This condiment will last you a few months

1/4 cup Franks Red Hot Cayenne Pepper Sauce
1/4 cup of Grandpa’s Jalapeño Chili Sauce
1 cup Heinz Ketchup

Consider MAKING YOUR OWN KETCHUP

Step by Step

  1. Mix well and bottle it up
  2. Keeps for a couple of months in the fridge

Oh, one more thing…

  • If you want REALLY HOT puree, just cut the stem off and use the whole pepper, seeds and all, for your chili sauce.  If you want good jalapeno flavor, but not quite as much heat, remove the seeds and veins from the pepper.
  • Be sure you wear gloves cause if you rub your eyes afterward it will hurt… A LOT.
This is a recipe that has been created or modified by Robert (Grandpa) Andrews.
CLICK HERE for a free sample copies of Grandpa's Cookbooks. © 2016, 2017, 2018.

Caponata

imageINGREDIENTS

  • 1 eggplant
  • 1 zucchini
  • 2 C cubed winter squash
  • 1 Vidalia onion
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1 stalk celery
  • 1/2 CU green olive
  • 1/2 CU black olive
  • 1/2 C golden raisins
  • 1 can diced tomatoes (drained)
  • 2 TBL capers
  • 1/4 C apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 C white balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp salt

STEP BY STEP

  1. Toss your cubed squash in 1 TBL EVOO and 1 tsp salt
  2. Bake at 350º for 30 minutes
    While this cooks
  3. Cut up onion and mince the garlic – Set aside
  4. Peel the eggplant, leaving just a little bit of purple to make it pretty.
  5. Cut up the eggplant in 1/2 inch cubes – Set aside
  6. Put drained tomato into a third bowl
  7. Cut celery into thin crescents – Add to tomato
  8. Quarter olives – Add to tomato
  9. Add capers, raisins and salt to tomato
  10. Heat up a skillet, add EVOO and saute onions
  11. When the start to soften, add the garlic and celery
  12. As soon as this is all combined, add the eggplant and combine gently
  13. Add tomato mixture to the eggplant
  14. Mix very gently, and continue heating 5 minutes.
  15. Mix gently, and continue to heat another 5 minutes
  16. Add vinegars, stir to combine and heat for another few minutes.
  17. Stir in cooked squash
  18. Can be served hot, but it is great chilled for at least several hours, and served cold.

VARIATIONS

Add any of the following ingredients for twists:

  • Julienne strips from 1/2 carrot
  • Chopped fresh parsley, cilantro or basil
  • Fresh quartered cherry tomatoes
  • Pitted calamata olives
  • Pimiento stuffed olives
  • Add 1/2 tsp red pepper chili flakes to kick it up a notch
  • Substitute Red Wine vinegar for Apple Cider
  • Add tomato sauce to create more of a cold summer soup

NOTES

  • You can serve this hot when you make it, and refrigerate the left-overs. They will keep well in the refrigerator for days, and you can haul it out at any time and just eat it without any to-do.
  • Vinegar is the secret ingredient. It gives it a unique taste and acts as a preservative.

Coach’s Oats MultiGrain Pancake Mix – Copy Cat

Costco had a GREAT pancake mix by Coach’s Oats, but it seems to have disappeared from their shelves. Coaches Oats still has a presence on Amazon.com but no more pancake mix, so I think it actually has been discontinued.  Here is my copy cat recipe based on their product label.

INGREDIENTS

  • 4 C – Whole Rolled Oats (chopped in processor)
  • 2 tsp – Vanilla (drizzle in when you chop the rolled oats)
  • 3 C – Whole Wheat flour
  • 3 C – White AP flour
  • 1 C – Triticale (or Whole Rye Flour)
  • 1/2 C – Barley (chopped lightly)
  • 1/2 C – Whey Protein Powder
  • 1/2 C – Nonfat Milk
  • 1/2 C – Flaxseeds (Pulse for 1/2 second in processor)
  • 1/2 C – Millet (Pulse 1/2 second)
  • 1/2 C – Buckwheat (Pulse 2 seconds)
  • 2 TBL – Baking Powder
  • 2 TBL – Baking Soda
  • 2 TBL – Corn Starch
  • 1 tsp – Salt
  • 1 C – Cooked Brown Rice (cooked, dried and chopped)

STEP BY STEP

  1. Simply combine and mix well
  2. Adjust quantities to your own taste.

Apricot Oven Butter

This is the recipe we created in 2013. CLICK HERE for our recipe that we created in 2012.

apricot-butterINGREDIENTS

  • 4 C pitted and halved apricots – chop in food processor (or peeled apples)
  • 1 C distilled or RO water
  • 1/2 C apple cider vinegar
  • 1.5 C brown sugar
  • 1/2 C honey
  • 1 tsp pectin
  • 1 TBL cinnamon
    At the last minute, you will add
  • 1 TBL vanilla
  • Juice and zest from one lemon

STEP BY STEP

Apricot Butter usually is done on the stove top, but that takes a lot of standing up. We do it in the oven, so we can sit down and put our feet up.

Mix all of the above ingredients (diced) together in a pan and heat on stove top to 180-190º.
Let simmer for 2 hours
You can double or triple this recipe easily without any special modifications.

  1. Press hot mixture through colander or food mill to remove large pieces of pulp.
    Pulse the pulp in a food processor and set aside.
  2. Take 1/2 of the strained mixture and put into glass casserole dish, crock pot basin, or some other NON-METALIC and oven-safe cooking container.
    This will create our smooth apple butter.
  3. Take the other half of the strained mixture, and put into a second container
  4. Mix the pulp back into this second container.
    NOTE:  This will create a smooth apricot butter for Grandpa, and a rustic apricot preserve butter for Grandma.
  5. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees
  6. Put the two containers (smooth and rustic) into the oven and note the time on paper.
  7. Write down a timeline every half hour for the next three hours.
    (EG)  2:00 – 2:30 – 3:00 – 3:30 – 4:00 – 4:30 – 5:00
  8. Put a checkmark next to the first one, case that task has been done.
  9. At each 1/2 hour point, remove the pot and use a silicon spatula or wooden spoon to stir the mixture
  10. Put the pots back in the oven and put a checkmark next to the time showing that you have completed that step.
  11. Somewhere halfway through your cooking time, start your canning water starting to boil.  When it boils, turn it to low.
  12. Put your empty jars into the canning water.  This will sterilize your jars.  Water should cover an upright jar by about an inch.
  13. At the three hour mark, remove the pots and put near your canning area.  The Oven Butter should be nicely darkened by this point.
  14. Stir 1/2 TBL vanilla and lemon into your cooked mixture

canning-jar-topCANNING YOUR APRICOT BUTTER / APPLE BUTTER

  1. Sterilize your jars, canning funnel and ladle in the hot water
  2. Remove a jar and place near the pots.  Drop a lid into the water.
  3. Ladle your jars full just to where it touches the bottom of your canning funnel – about 1/2 inch from the top
  4. Wipe the rim clean.
  5. Remove the lid from the hot water bath and cover the jar of butter.  Tighten very firmly, but do not bear down.
  6. Repeat until all jars are filled.
  7. Place jars in hot water bath, completely covering the top of the jar.
  8. Bring the temperature of water to over 190°. Simmer at 190° or higher for 20 minutes.  DO NOT bring up to a full boil.
  9. Remove and wait for the happy little PING.
  10. Butter can be stored in a cool dark place for about a year.

Just for pretty, after the cans cool you can remove the ring, put a piece of nice fabric over the top and put the ring back on.

 

How to Can Tomatoes

A NOTE ABOUT THESE INSTRUCTIONS

canning-jarsThese step by step instructions are USDA approved.  It is very important to read up on canning before getting started, so that you don’t accidentally miss a small but very critical step.

INGREDIENTS

  • Lots of firm, ripe tomatoes from your garden or from the farmers market.
  • 12 Canning jars, lids, and screw rings – 16 oz – 1 pint
  • A BIG pot of water – Fill with enough water to just barely cover the top of your canning jar.
  • A medium pot of boiling water

STEP BY STEP

  1. Time the entire wash cycle of your dishwasher WITH the dry cycle.
  2. Your tomatoes should be firm, red and ripe and have no soft spots.
  3. Wash your canning jars in the dishwasher making sure they finish the rinse and dry cycles.
    The rinse cycle will rinse off most bacteria, and the heat of the drying cycle will kill any remaining bacteria.
  4. Start your big pot to a boil on medium high heat
  5. Make a small X on the tip of the tomato
  6. Plunge them in boiling water in the medium pot for 60 seconds, then into cold water for another 60 seconds,
    The skin should easily peel off
  7. Discard the peels, and quarter your tomatoes and discard the hard stem end
  8. Using a slotted strainer or a spider strainer or a strainer basket, lower your tomatoes into the medium pot with boiling water
  9. Let them heat for 30-60 seconds
  10. Pack the fruit directly into the canning jar, leaving 1/2 inch clear space at the top.
  11. Add 1 TBL lemon juice to the tomatoes
  12. Add a bit of your boiling water to cover the tomatoes
  13. Wipe jar rim with a damp cloth, and secure tops with the metal rings.
  14. Add your jars to your BIG pot of water.
  15. When the last jar is in place, verify that your water level has risen to about two inches above the tops of the containers.
    Add more water if you need to raise the water level.
  16. Increase heat to bring your big pot to a boil
    Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and start timing
  17. Let your pint canning jars simmer for 35 minutes.
    If you are using the larger quart jars, let them simmer for 45 minutes
  18. If water level starts to drop substantially, heat water to boiling in the microwave, and add to the pot to raise the water level.
  19. Remove jars right on time and place on a cooling rack.  DO NOT TIP THE JAR.
  20. Let cook and store in a cool dark place until they are ready for use.
  21. Store opened cans in the refrigerator for up to a week.
  22. DISCARD a can if the lid seal seems to have broken, or if the lid is puffed up.

 

Apricot Stovetop Butter

apricot-butterThis is the recipe we created in 2012. CLICK HERE for our recipe that we created in 2013.
This same process can be used for making Apple Butter

We made apricot butter, but you can make apple butter, pear butter, or whatever spread you want using the same recipe.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cup fruit pulp
  • 1/2 cup + 1 TBL sugar
  • 1/4 cup water or fruit juice
  • Optional – Fruit Fresh or Spices
  • Zest and juice from one lemon
    EITHER
  • 1 teaspoon Fruit Fresh, or
  • 1/2 tsp each cinnamon, cloves, and/or Ginger

STEP BY STEP

canning-jar-topMultiply or decrease other items based on how much fruit pulp you have.
Do not try to process more than 8 cups of fruit pulp

  1. Mix pulp, sugar, and water and heat over low heat until mixture starts to simmer
  2. Raise temperature on stove, and bring mixture to boil stirring frequently
  3. Continue gentle boiling until mixture thickens – stirring constantly
    Note: this took us about 45 minutes. Unfortunately this can take as long as 60 minutes.
  4. Mix in Fruit Fresh or spices plus the lemon

CANNING YOUR APRICOT BUTTER / APPLE BUTTER

  1. Sterilize your jars, canning funnel and ladle in the hot water
  2. Remove a jar and place near the pots. Drop a lid into the water.
  3. Ladle your jars full just to where it touches the bottom of your canning funnel – about 1/2 inch from the top
  4. Wipe the rim clean.
  5. Remove the lid from the hot water bath and cover the jar of butter. Tighten very firmly, but do not bear down.
  6. Repeat until all jars are filled.
  7. Place jars in hot water bath, completely covering the top of the jar.
  8. Bring the temperature of water to over 190°. Simmer at 190° or higher for 20 minutes. DO NOT bring up to a full boil.
  9. Remove and wait for the happy little PING.
  10. Butter can be stored in a cool dark place for about a year.

Just for pretty, after the cans cool you can remove the ring, put a piece of nice fabric over the top and put the ring back on.

 

Spanish European Frittata

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 medium to large red-skin potato, sliced thin
  • 6 large eggs
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • Extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, sliced into thin rings
  • 1 large garlic clove, minced
  • 1 cup fresh-grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, Asiago, or Fontinella cheese
  • 1 cup shredded Muenster or Monterey Jack cheese
  • Salt and fresh-ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon mild paprika
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper

STEP BY STEP

  • Preheat the oven to 350 F.
  • Oil 10-inch skillet (with an ovenproof handle) lightly
  • Heat over medium-high heat.
  • Add the potatoes, onions, and a little salt and pepper.
  • Sauté until the potatoes are tender.
  • Remove skillet from the heat.
  • Stir in the garlic
  • Sprinkle the potatoes with the paprika.
  • In a bowl, beat together the eggs, milk, salt, pepper
  • Add 2/3 cup of each of the cheeses.
  • Pour the mixture over the sauteed potatoes.
  • Sprinkle with the remaining cheeses
  • Cover with foil, and bake for 30 minutes
  • Uncover and bake for 10 to 15 minutes more, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out fairly clean
  • Let omelet stand for 5 to 10 minutes before cutting it into wedges.
  • Serve warm

If possible, use organic eggs. There really is a difference in flavor.

 

Green Chile Pork

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 LB pork (or beef)
  • 2 TBL Oil or Lard
  • 4 Green Chiles – toasted & peeled
    Guajillo chilies or arbol chilies
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 med onion, chopped
  • 1 med tomato, chopped
  • 1 CU boiling water
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/2 TBL ground cumin
  • 1/2 TBL oregano
  • 16 oz chicken broth
  • salt and pepper to taste

STEP BY STEP

  1. Cut meat into one inch cubes
  2. Saute in oil until well browned
  3. Drain off all but 1 TBS fat
  4. Remove meat and set aside
  5. Add garlic, onion and any dried chilies – Cook three minutes
  6. Add meat back in
  7. Add tomato, chopped chiles and broth just to cover – use water if necessary
  8. Top with Guajillo chilies, arbol chilies, bay leaves, cumin and oregano
  9. Simmer 2 hours
  10. Set meat aside to cool . Reserve liquid
  11. Serve with hot flour tortillas or use to make tamales

USING YOUR GREEN CHILE PORK FOR TAMALES

  1. In empty preheated pot add 1 TBL vegetable oil
  2. Add 1 chopped onion to soften
  3. 5 cloves minced garlic
  4. 1 jalapeño without veins or seeds
  5. Shred meat – about 1 – 2 cups
  6. Add to veggie pot with 1/4 C reserved liquid
  7. Simmer until reduced – just a few minutes
  8. Set aside to cool
  9. Mix in 1 C Oaxaca, Monterey Jack, Mozzarella  or Cotijo cheese
  10. Use this as your filling FOR MAKING TAMALES

 

Grandpa’s Grandpa’s Applejack

This recipe is over 100 years old.  It is a recipe that was handed down to my father, by his father, and then later to me.  This recipe was created about fifty years before the FDA, so comes with no guarantees.  Use it at your own risk.  All I can say is that I drank it and survived.  It also contains some antiquated terms, so I’ve made modern substitutions and translations in my notes.

demijohnINGREDIENTS for HARD CIDER

  • 1 Imperial Gallon Demijohn – ( See Grandpa’s note 5 )
  • 4 liters Apple juice – ( See Grandpa’s note 1 )
  • 50 g sugar ( about 3 TBL )
  • 1 small handful of papaya green – ( See Grandpa’s note 2 )
  • 1 large handful raisins  – ( See Grandpa’s note 3 )
  • Wine yeast ( See Grandpa’s note 4 )

STEP BY STEP

  1. Pour 1 quart of apple juice into a demijohn – ( See Grandpa’s note 5 )
  2. Dissolve sugar in 1/4 C boiling water
  3. After the water cools, add the sugar mixture to the demijohn
  4. Add your papaya green – ( See Grandpa’s note 2 )
  5. The next morning, add another quart of apple juice
  6. Repeat Step 5 over the next two days ( see Step 7 )
    NOTE:  All the juice could be added on day 1 but this gradual process possibly gives more flavour.
  7. On the fourth day fill the container leaving an inch of head room in the bottle.applejack
  8. On day five, the cider should be racked into a clean demijohn, leaving the papaya green and rubbish or “lees” at the bottom of the demijohn.  Discard them – (See Grandpa’s note 6 )
  9. Store the demijohn in a cool dark place for about a fortnight to allow more sediment to settle out before bottling. – ( See Grandpa’s note 7 )
  10. See Grandpa’s note 8 for making Applejack out of Hard Cider
  11. canning-jarsSiphon off the clear liquid into 1/2 quart bottles with 1 tsp sugar added per bottle.
    Kerr canning jars also work well.  Keep warm for a few days for the bottles to get “fat” with the secondary fermentation.
  12. Store somewhere cool for at least a month before sampling.
  13. See Grandpa’s note 10 to finish up.

GRANDPA’S NOTES

  1. Your apple cider should have no added chemicals or preservatives or sugar.  Absolutely cannot be pasteurized.  Avoid anything with “drink” in the name – even better, get your cider from a farmer’s market or local apple orchard.
  2. The layer of green just under the skin of a papaya contains peptic enzyme.  You can also get 5 gm (1 tsp) of  it from Amazon BY CLICKING HERE
  3. You need a yeast nutrient 2.5 g (1/2 tsp) – modern raisins have enzymes that retard yeast growth, so boil them for a few minutes before putting into your bottle
  4. The MUST left in the bottom of a bottle from aged wine.  What is MUST?.   White Champagne is best but any wine yeast will do, even red.
  5. A demijohn ranges from one gallon to about ten gallons.  An Imperial gallon is about 1-1/4 US gallon, so is slightly larger than a US gallon.  Make substitutions based on whatever glass container you have available.
  6. Racking means that you should siphon off the clear liquid leaving the hard particulates at the bottom of the bottle.  If you do not have a second demijohn, a sterile white plastic bucket can be used, the contents are then returned to the demijohn after it has been cleaned. It is better and more sterile to go straight into a second clean bottle.
  7. A fortnight is about two weeks.  This recipe does not mention it, but this device from Amazon is good for making sure your brew doesn’t go bad.  This AIRLOCK is one device.  A TWIN BUBBLE AIRLOCK is another option.
  8. What you have now is hard cider.  For those of you from back east, you can equate this to 3.2 beer.  If you want to go to the extra effort, you can create Applejack out of your Hard Cider by using the following method.
  9. Hard cider will typically have an O.G. (original gravity reading) of around 1038.  Applejack will have a F.G. (final gravity reading) of around 998, giving about 5.6%ABV (alcohol by volume)  and 0.74% acidity. For a less acidic cider the apple juice can be reduced and the sugar increased. Stronger versions can be produced by adding extra sugar during Step 2.  Each extra 50 g of sugar provides about 0.5% alcohol – but do not sacrifice quality for alcoholic strength.  You will get a better taste quality following the original instructions printed here.
  10. EXTRA INFO:  Sodium Benzoate and Potassium Sorbate are often used as preservatives, but if you don’t use enough it does absolutely nothing.  If you use too much, you can damage your liver.  If you consume it with vitamin C the byproduct is benzene – a carcinogen.  Best bet: Drink this before it spoils.  Don’t use any preservative.

APPLEJACK (an Unofficial Recipe)

INGREDIENTS for APPLEJACK

  • Hard (fermented) apple cider
  • Two demijohn bottles

STEP BY STEP

  1. Fill your first demijohn ( or heavy glass container ) about 7/8 full of apple cider
  2. Put it in a zeb-zero environment  – – – Traditionally this is done in a barrel outdoors in wintertime, but improvise as your circumstances require.
  3. After it has chilled for several hours (traditionally you would do this overnight) inspect the barrel and see if a layer of ice has formed on top of the liquid
  4. Remove this ice, as completely as possible, and discard.  This is frozen water.  The alcohol, has a lower freezing point than the water, and will not freeze.
  5. Repeat process until cider has achieved the desired degree of intoxicating qualities, or until you are not getting much ice out after an overnight freezing.
  6. See Grandpa’s note 9 and 10

 

Very Thin Tortillas – Mu Shu

Authentic Mu Shu Pancakes

I don’t like the thicker tortillas that you find in the grocery store.  Here is a fairly simple way to make thin ones.  These also work well for Mu Shu pancakes.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cup sifted flour
  • 1/2 cup  very hot water
  • Scant salt

STEP BY STEP

  1. Mix flour and salt, then add extremely hot water
    What I do is put flour and salt in a food processor, and then drizzle in hot water until it starts to come together.
    The hot water breaks down the gluten so that they roll easier and flatter
  2. After adding the boiled water, drizzle in cold water until dough comes together.
  3. Mix adjusting water until dough is like playdough
  4. Wrap in plastic and let set for 30 minutes
  5. Prepare a medium-hot skillet – Cast iron is my preference – NO OIL
  6. Roll a log, and then cut in half, then in half again, then in thirds – You will have 12 pieces
  7. Roll into balls, and then flatten into thick disks – hockey pucks
  8. Brush sesame oil onto the top of HALF of them
  9. Stack two disks (oil in between) and roll out until about 7 or 8 inches in diameter
  10. Put a pair into a non-greased skillet on 350-400º for 30 seconds
  11. When the edges start to become translucent (about 30 seconds) flip the pancakes as a pair
  12. Cook the second side for about 30 more seconds
  13. Flip the two together and cook the first side again for only 10-20 seconds more
  14. Remove the pancakes to cool just a little bit, then separate
  15. See tips below on keeping them from drying out

To keep Mu Shu Pancakes from Drying Out

  1. Place finished pancakes in shallow covered bowl – like a glass pie pan
  2. Put microwave-heated wet cloth at the bottom of the bowl
  3. Put a plate on top of the cloth so the pancakes do not become soggy
  4. Cooked side always goes up.
  5. Put a pan lid on top of the bowl to keep the moisture in.

 

Mu Shu Pancakes – Video

Here is a video that shows how to roll the pancakes together. It is kind of hard to visualize above.  They fold the pancakes into quarters.  Although that is very common, I don’t like that because they tend to stick together that way.

Mu Shu Crepe Pancakes

INGREDIENTS

  • 3 TBL melted butter
  • 1 C whole milk
  • 1/2 C flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 eggs

STEP BY STEP

  1. Pulse together flour, salt, eggs and butter
  2. Add milk, and pulse just to mix
  3. Strain using a fairly coarse strainer
  4. Let batter rest for 30 minutes to let the glutens relax
  5. Cook in buttered crepe pan until cooked, but not browned
  6. Stack on plate to store and serve

Finish on a floured surface. If you have a scale, 120 – 130 mg ball of dough is perfect for pancakes. Roll balls, then cover and set them aside for 30 minutes

Po’ Boy Sandwich Roll

This creates a nice soft bollito that is great for making a po’ boy.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 TBL dry yeast
  • 1 TBL Nonfat Dry Milk
  • 1/2 TBL Sugar
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 2 C AP flour (I plan to try swapping 1 Cup of cake flour next time)
  • 1 C Hot Water (120-130 F)
  • 1/2 TBL Butter
  • 1/2 TBL cold water

STEP BY STEP

  1. Mix together 1 Cups flour, yeast, dry milk, sugar and salt
  2. Pour in the hot water and butter, mix well
  3. Add remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time. Switch to hook near the end of flour
  4. Add additional flour 1 TBL at a time to get to an elastic ball that is not TOO sticky, but better sticky than too dry.
  5. Knead on medium speed 2 for 10 minutes
  6. Turn dough out onto floured surface and knead with your hands, folding over and over until it is NOT sticky, and dough springs back when you push a finger into it.
  7. Shape into a ball, oil lightly, and place in large glass bowl at least 3x the size of the ball.
  8. Let rise until doubled in size – about 1 hour
  9. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead briefly to allow large bubbles to escape.
  10. Place pan of water in the oven
  11. Start oven preheating to 350º
  12. Divide into 2 pieces, shape into two torpedoes, and cover loosely with saran and let rise for another 60 minutes on top of the stove
    The dough should double easily in 45 min
  13. Brush dough with cold water, slash across the top and bake for 40 Minutes
  14. Rotate half way through for even color – do not over-bake
  15. Cool on a rack

 

Curing your own Olives

Here is a collection of information that you may find helpful.

  • VIDEO – Part 1 – – Collect olives
    The video does not give too much information.  What we saw in Spain was people setting tarps below the trees, then shaking them or blowing them with a leaf blower.  Once on a tarp, the olives can be easily gathered.
    .
  • VIDEO – Part 2 – – Score and brine 1 CU salt per gallon of water
    This video shows each olive being scored individually.  Very labor intensive.  A quicker way is to just rap them lightly with a hammer or mallet, then toss them into the brine.
    .
  • VIDEO – Part 3 – – Change brine weekly
    This is a surprisingly important step.  If you don’t change the brine, your olives become stagnant and will take on a kind of musty and dirty taste.
    .
  • VIDEO – Part 4 – – Try one in 15 weeks – If too bitter, brine three more weeks
    Our friend in Velez brined his olives for only two weeks.  We tried them, and they were pretty awful, but he likes them that way.  “It’s an acquired taste.”

Another site that I found said to soak them in clear water for the first few weeks, changing the water every couple of days.  What I did was change the water every 2-3 days for the first three weeks, then change to a weekly brine after that.  I don’t know why, it just seems right, so that’s what I’m going to do.

I also found one recipe that put chopped up lemon pieces, a bit of oregano, garlic and cumin, and some vinegar into the brine.  Add these if the mood strikes you.  Also, adding some whole dried peppers would  give your olives a bit of a bite.  I personally like the lemon peel idea.

Here is one more video that offers an alternate method, and some good insights:

All things considered, here is what I plan to do:

  1. Go through your olives and remove any that are shriveled or blemished
  2. Clean the good olives using LOTS of water
  3. Smack the olives to break the skin to allow the brining solution access to the meat of the olive.
  4. Heat 1 gallon of water to near boiling, and add 2 CU ice cream maker salt
    NOTE: This is NOT edible, but then again, neither is lye.  It will be rinsed off by the time we are done.
    Melt the salt in hot water, then pour through a coffee filter to remove the gravel, grit, etc.
  5. Pour to cover the olives, using a plate to completely submerge them. See Video Parts 2 and 3 above.
  6. One time per week (same time) drain the water and repeat step 4 – Do this for four weeks… mark your calendar
  7. Step 5 is intended to remove much of the bitterness
  8. After the first four weeks move to a phase that is intended more to preserve and clean the olives
    NOTE: To be sure grit is gone, rinse them in a bowl of standing water. Remove by hand, not by dumping, into a colander.  Discard grit in the bottom of the bowl, and put olives back into their brining container
  9. Heat 1 gallon of water to near boiling, and add 1 CU food-quality course sea salt
  10. Recover olives, completely submerging them
  11. Do this for ten more weeks.
  12. Rinse and taste an olive. If the olive still tastes bitter, repeat steps 9, 10 and 12 for two more weeks.
  13. Once the olives are to your liking either can them or refrigerate them.
  14. To refrigerate them, heat 1 gallon of water, and add 1/2 CU course sea salt (Proportionally adjust amounts if necessary)
  15. Put olives in a canning jar and refrigerate.
  16. They should keep refrigerated for up to two months.

NOTES FROM SPAIN

Start with 2 C oil dried black olives con hueso
Add eight cloves crushed garlic
Orange zest . Not the pith
Crushed red pepper flakes
Fennel seed powder
Liberal amount of EVOO
Toss together and marinate 48-72 hours
Remove garlic
Put into a jar
Store in fridge for up to 4 weeks\

Basic Ceviche

This is a very easy ceviche recipe that you can do as a side dish, an appetizer, or even an entire meal. We made this with our friend Cinthia while living in Velez-Malaga, Spain.  Ceviche is very flexible as long as your ingredients are extremely fresh.  Below is a good video from AllRecipes about ceviche.

INGREDIENTS

  • This recipe must be made at least 2 hours ahead of time – 4 hours is better
    PROTEINS
  • 1-2 LB FRESH  Mahi (Tuna) or other delicate white fish
    – cut into 1/4 – 1/2 inch pieces
    – You can also use Rock Fish, Sea Bream, Grouper, Seabass, Halibut, Talapia, Cod or Red Snapper – cut thinly and blanched 30 seconds
    – DO NOT use swordfish or tuna, as these are long-lived fish and are more likely to have parasites
  • Scallops – blanched*  20-30 seconds
  • Shrimp – blanched*  20-30 seconds
  • Crab – blanched* 20-30 seconds
  • Squid or Octopus – blanched* 20-30 seconds
    * Blanched means that you plunge it into boiling water for about 30 seconds, and then remove it to an ice bath to stop the cooking.
    REQUIRED VEGETABLES and LIQUIDS
  • One Lemon and one lime – zest and juice
  • 1 C FRESH real lime juice (this is because the acidity is well-controlled)
  • 1 TBL tomato juice or green tomato
  • Cucumber – Small cubes
  • Roma Tomato – Deseeded and chopped fairly small
  • 1/2 red onion – Chopped fairly large – blanched 30 seconds
  • Cilantro – Rough chopped
  • Jalapeño or Serrano – minced (hotter: habañero)
  • Chives – Cut into 1/4 inch strips
  • 1 tsp salt
  • EVOO
  • Additions:  Red onion slivers, Passion Fruit, Papaya, Pineapple, Mango, Kumquat, Plums,
    OPTIONAL INGREDIENTS
  • Spice it up with a squirt of Siracha
  • Radish
  • An easy option is to buy a good pico de gallo and use in place of the vegetables listed above.

SELECTING THE RIGHT FISH

CLICK HERE FOR TIPS ON BUYING A FRESH FISH

STEP BY STEP

  1. Cut fish into 3/4 – 1 inch pieces
  2. Place fish pieces in a glass bowl
  3. Blanche all raw seafood for no more than 30 seconds, then plunge into ice water to stop the cooking process
  4. 1/2 fresh squeezed lime juice – enough to cover
  5. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and set aside for 10-20 minutes
  6. Dry Pack Scallops are another good thing to use in your ceviche.
     – – – To find out why Dry Pack are better than Wet Pack,  CLICK HERE.
  7. Optional: Plunge shrimp (deveined) and other seafood into boiling water for 30 seconds, then into ice water.  I actually prefer this step.
  8. In a second large mixing bowl, combine the following:
  9. Cut 1 red onion into very thin julienne strips
  10. 2-3 large tomatoes – thinly slice tomato flesh, discarding seeds and juice
  11. Finely chop 2-4 TBL  EACH – Depending on taste
    – Optionally: strips of pepper – mild or hot
    – green olives – quartered
    – parsley – chopped
    – cilantro – some chopped, some fairly whole
    – celery pieces (1 stalk, ribs removed before cutting)
    2 TBL EACH
    – ketchup
    – EVOO (emulsified with whisk)
    – Worcestershire sauce
    – oregano and salt to taste
    – minced garlic
  12. Combine all of the above in the glass bowl and refrigerate for AT LEAST 2 hours, but for as long as five.  Not longer though, they will become chewy.
  13. Serve topped with slices of avocado, cubed papaya or mango, salt, pepper, and chopped cilantro

If you want to see a ceviche recipe in action, use the below video.

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