Kannst Du Tatsächlich Kochen?

Trying new things in the kitchen Leben ist die Lust zu schaffen

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Posole

The weather has finally turned cooler and life is really good. This kind of weather calls for something hearty, warming, satisfying and spicy. On my list of things fitting those attributes is a big old pot of posole. So I made one.

Here is the finished pot. I’ll walk you briefly through the steps I used. This process works for me. Cooking is ingredients plus technique. Satisfaction is a matter of taste so dial the ingredients to suit your pallet.

I started by browning a pound of spicy sausage. It gives me a robust base and renders out enough oil in which to sear the rest of the meat.

To the sausage, I added a pound of pork chops. The pork chops were diced into 1 centimeter cubes.

Listen to the pot. You can tell when the pot is ready for adding the next ingredients by sound. The meat will shed both oil and water as it cooks. When the water boils off, the surface of the meat will start to brown and a glaze will form on the bottom of the pot. You don’t need to stand a watch the pot - you can hear the change. Now we have browned meat and a good glaze.

Next I added a diced onion and two tabelspoons of minced garlic. We’ll cook these until the onions are translucent. BTW - the aroma here is getting really good.

I didn’t get a picture of the translucent onions but you know how to get there. Now, we’ll add a bunch of stuff. One package of taco spice mix, one package of ham flavour, two cans of hominy (drained), and one can of chopped tomatoes.

Before stirring this together I added a quart of chicken broth - which just floated this boat. If you lean toward soup, add more. If you like it thick like a stew, this is it. I added a can of mushroom pieces I had in the pantry to boost the earthiness. Stir, bring to a boil, simmer a bit (bottom photo) and dig in.

Makes about 6 quarts. So be very hungry or invite friends. This posole is great with some freshly baked bread and cheese. I think it tastes even better after a night in the fridge.

Someday we’ll have snow. I’ll fire up a pot of this and fuel up for a little shoveling. Bring it!

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Cooking On The New Table

Today I used my new table - first time. It worked just as I had imagined. Steady as a rock.

I cooked in my Masterbuilt Portable Smoker. I really like this unit. The purists out there might scoff that I am not using charcoal and I’m not even using propane - but I can drive a smoke ring deep into any piece of meet that fits in the box.

This Masterbuilt Portable Smoker is heated by electricity. It is very convient to quickly set it up, plug it in and be cooking in a few minutes. It is even easier to clean it up and put it away than any charcoal or gas unit.

Temperature control is easy - just turn the dial and read the thermometer. I won’t say set it and forget it but you know what I mean.

The smoke box is easy to load. The damper gives you great control over smoke density.

I had so much fun cooking I almost forgot to get a picture of my lunch. Some deeply smoked Johnsonville brats. Give me some sharp mustard and a fresh tomato and I’m ready for the afternoon.

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My New Patio Table

I needed a table to make it easier to cook on my patio. I wanted it to be sturdy - can’t stand wobbly furniture. It had to be easy to clean and totally weatherproof. Finally it had to be at a convenient height for cooking and a good place for me to set my smoker.

I put together the base from some 4 X 4 and 2 X 4 stock I had in the garage. The top is two concrete patio blocks that I sealed with epoxy resin.

It is ready to go. Pictures of it in action coming soon

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Smoked Duck Breast

Seems to me that most things taste better with just a hint of smoke. For me, the smoke boosts all the other flavors and adds a certain distinct uniqueness. Don’t over do it or you’ll have a dish that reminds you of putting out a camp fire. Just a little hickory or apple or cherry or oak and I’m signing up.

I found a half pound duck breast and that triggered this endeavor. After I peeled the skin from the breast it is way light of a half pound so we are going for flavor not volume.

The Gazintas.

I brined the breast overnight in orange juice with salt, crushed pepper corns, garlic and a bay leaf. Sadly, we have rain today so I won’t be using my electric smoker. Instread I will roast the duck breast in my NuWave convection oven.

Setting things up, I rinsed the brined duck breast and patted it dry. Then I wrapped it with some thick cut strips of bacon and popped it in the NuWave set at 225 degrees for one hour.

Voila. The center temperature measured as 160 F at 60 minutes. This is done.

The real test is the slice and then the taste. The bacon is crisp on the outside - the duck breast is tender and moist but not juicy. And man does this taste good!

So easy. So tasty. Give it try. You’ll be glad you did.

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Custard Pie

I tried my hand at custard pie this afternoon. It was easy to prepare. It cooked without any surprises. The aroma is tantalizing. Once it cools fully down to room temperature, I’ll be ready for the moment of truth - the taste test.

This is a very simple pie.

Next time I make one I plan to embellish it with lots of fresh fruit.

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Pork Char Siu

I love barbecued pork and I love a good party. The celebration of Chinese New Year is the biggest party in the history of mankind so this seemed the perfect time to try fixing some pork char siu.

I had to shop around a bit for the ingredients. I started with a 3 pound pork shoulder that I hacked into 3 or 4 inch long strips. This gives me plenty of surface for the marinade to penetrate and lots of surface to char up and coat with the char siu glaze.

The marinade is made up of molasses (cooking not black strap), red bean curd (also know as red fermented tofu), hoisin sauce, some fresh garlic, ginger root, Chinese five spice powder, Chinese rice cooking wine and Korean red pepper flakes.  Here is a link to the recipe if you want to try this: sweet and sticky Chinese BBQ pork.  

I put the pork shoulder strips into a zip lock bag, slathered everything with the marinade and placed it in the refrigerator.  24 hours is a great length of time to pump flavor into the meat.  Just slosh the bag around every few hours to keep the process just a tiny bit dynamic.

I was tempted to try cooking this in my smoker but chose instead to use my gas oven.  My trusty cast iron skillet made a perfect platform and provided me a sturdy grip for the brazing phase.  The rack from my portable smoker worked perfectly.

Here is the meat as it came out of the oven.  I roasted it at 325 F for about 20 minutes on each side (flipping once).  Then to char and glaze the outside, I mixed some honey into the remaining marinade and slathered it on the meat.  This went under the broiler for two minutes, then got flipped and slathered again.  This cycle was repeated three times.  Working in close proximity to a gas fired broiler with this much action makes it easy to understand why the sturdy handle of my cast iron skillet was much appreciated.

On the plate, it looks pretty good.  Once you dig in, the taste is great.

As an extra note, this makes a most excellent breakfast with some fresh steamed rice and kimchee.

Give it a try.  You will be glad you did.

Visit Pups With Chopsticks

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A Perfect Pot Roast

Perfect is a pretty big adjective to use.  In this case it is a direct quote from the recipe I used to whip up a pot roast - a perfect pot roast.  It was cold and windy and I needed something to stoke the inner fires before I shoveled that winter wonderland of white snow - as in I wonder when this will ever stop.  This recipe is quick, it is easy and it sure hits the spot.

I started by browning up two plus pounds of chuck roast in my long handled, deep, square Copper Chef skillet (more on that amazing pan later).

Get a good sear on the outside to boost the flavor.  I used a bit of olive oil to get the browning started and added salt and pepper to taste.  This can take 10 or 15 minutes if the roast is a couple of inches thick - but it is worth it.

After the roast was browned, I set it aside and tossed in my vegetables - to brown them a bit.  I started by dicing an onion and tossed it in the pan to caramelize.  Then I added some minced garlic.  Next, I added potatoes, carrots, some celery and got them all a little brown.

To build the pot, I had to remove most of the vegetables before putting the roast back in.  Just fill your pan, pot or Dutch oven any way you wish.

To set up for the long cooking cycle, I flooded the pan with a couple of cups of beef stock, 1/2 cup of water, a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce, and four sprigs of thyme.

Put the lid on this and stick it in a pre-heated oven at 350 F for 3 1/2 hours.  This is where I really enjoy having the glass lid on my Copper Chef pan.

This is what came out of the oven after 3 1/2 hours.  Everything is spoon eating tender.  No need for a knife or a fork.  The flavors are well mixed and the textures pleasant.

To cook a perfect pot roast for yourself, I refer you to the recipe I used at lifemadesimple. Enjoy

An aside on pots.

I usually prefer to cook in cast iron - skillet, pan, Dutch oven whatever.  I bought a Copper Chef long handled, deep square pan out of curiosity.  It has turned out to be a very useful pan.  I fry in it.  Being tall, it cuts down on splatters.  I bake in it.  I make soups in it.  It can go from stove top to oven and back without transferring to another vessel.  I’m not giving up my cast iron but don’t try to get my Copper Chef pan away from me either.  Highly recommended.

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Chicken and Mushroom Soup

It has been soooo cold.  What warms you up faster than creamy chicken and mushroom soup?

I found this recipe and was pleased that it was quick and easy to make.  The resulting soup is most excellent.  I dialed up the chicken - a little extra protein to compensate for all the shoveling of snow.  

Let me walk you through assembly of this mighty fine soup.

I started by cutting a little over a pound of boneless, skinless chicken thighs into chunks - probably 3/4″ in size.  These I fried in a skillet until they were golden brown on the outside.  It takes just a bit of olive oil (or whatever oil you prefer) to enable the browning.  Pull them out of the pan and set aside for later.

Then I tossed in 2 tablespoons of butter and caramelized a diced onion and three cloves of garlic.  Things started to smell really good.  

Then I added in three diced carrots and two stalks of celery also diced.  Cook these until they begin to soften.  Enjoy the aroma.

Next, I added my mushrooms.  I used three kinds.  King mushrooms, sliced into bite sized pieces.  Enoki mushrooms, skinny and quite different from the King.  And a button mushroom that my grocer had.  Cook this mixture until the mushrooms just begin to soften.

Now I stirred in a half teaspoon of thyme.  This really took the aroma up a notch

With the vegetables prepared and the chicken on the side we are ready to make soup.  I stirred 1/4 cup of flour into the vegetable mix - looking to just lightly brown.  Then I returned the chicken to the pot and added 4 cups of chicken broth and a few small bay leaves.  Stir this while on medium heat for 4 or 5 minutes.  The soup should just start to thicken.

Almost done.  Now I added a half cup of Half-n-Half.  I don’t add salt or pepper as I leave that up to those I serve.  

So here it is.  Hearty, warm, creamy chicken and mushroom soup.

Winter will be with us for a while.  Grab this recipe: 

https://damndelicious.net/2015/01/10/creamy-chicken-mushroom-soup/

and make it.  You’ll be glad you did.  It is damn delicious.

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Lavender Tea Bread

For those who are surprised that I am baking lavender tea bread be aware that it is a bit of a surprise for me too.  I always thought lavender was just a fancy name for the color purple.  And tea bread was something stuffed shirts ate in the afternoon while slurping tea out of saucers.  This experiment has proven that while both those statements may be true, lavender tea bread is quite nice.

I have never had “hedonic hunger” that is eating for pleasure rather than hunger.  For me food is fuel.  I eat when I need to refill my energy stores.  Recently, I have had rather strong encouragement to expand my epicurean horizons and to learn some of the pleasant things about eating.  As I enjoy cooking - which is an exercise in chemistry and heat transfer - I am exploring new types of things to cook.  Hence today it is lavender tea bread.

My main encourager has been extolling the magic of lavender.  Smells good.  Makes you feel good.  Put it in the bath.  Put it in candles.  Put it in food.  So I bought a bag of lavender and am poking the boundaries to see if it is indeed something special.

I made some honey lavender ice cream and it was indeed better than a churned vanilla custard (I described this in another post).  We tried lavender in an infuser in a bath tub.  That didn’t work, apparently not hot enough to pull out the oils.  But baking with lavender - piece of cake, pun intended.

The recipe I used for this tea bread is delightfully simple.  See: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/53172/lavender-tea-bread/

It seems the trick in using lavender is steeping it - much like one steeps tea.  I’ve tried three recipes and they called for three different methods.  In one, I heated the milk with lavender in it to near boiling and then let it steep for 30 minutes.  Then filtered the flowers out.  This worked very nicely.  In the second, I heated the milk/lavender mixture, let it steep and used the whole thing.  This gave a stronger lavender taste while using less lavender.

For this tea bread, the recipe calls for finely ground lavender.  I took two tablespoons and shredded the flowers in a blender.  Then added a third tablespoon of flowers out of the bag.  Steeped the whole mixture and made the tea bread loaves.

While the bread was baking the house smelled great.  When it cooled enough to be sliced - my what a treat.  My main encourager even endorses this project.

I still lack hedonic hunger but I am definitely having fun exploring chemistry in the kitchen.

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Blueberry Lavender Ice Cream

Ice cream.  What a treat - good almost any time.

I’ve been experimenting with lavender in ice creams.  I tried a batch of honey lavender.  It was quite tasty.  In this recipe, the lavender is steeped in the hot milk (much like making tea).  The lavender flowers are strained out leaving the oils and essence in the ice cream mixture.

Today I churned out a batch of blueberry lavender coconut ice cream.  It is a great ice cream.  The lavender is blended into the mixture.  This seems to give as much lavender taste while using fewer flowers than in the infusion method.

While the ice cream mixture was cooling I made a blueberry syrup.  This was blueberries and sugar heated in a skillet.  Smash the berries with a fork and simmer until the syrup thickens.

When the ice cream came out of the churn, its consistency was much like soft-serve, I put half in a pan, slathered some blueberry syrup on it, added the second half of the ice cream and then more blueberries.  Muck about with a knife to swirl as desired.

You can almost smell it as we zoom in.

Scoops of this ice cream in a waffle cone bowl.  Quite a treat.

I churned this ice cream with a KitchenAid mixer.  It is convenient and quick.  You chill the drum in the freezer and pour in your mixture and churn.  No ice, no salt, no mess.  This is an ideal outfit for batches of a quart or less.

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Budae Jjigae

Budae Jjigae is a Korean dish - generally translated as Army stew.  Budae (부대) is a general term for a military base in Korean and Jjigae (찌개) is a term for soup/stew. 

Having spent some time on the peninsula, I can tell you that if you eat the various jjigaes - especially kimchee jjigae - you will hardly shiver in the cold winter weather.  And note, it gets damn cold in Korea.

Today I used a recipe from My Korean Kitchen:   https://mykoreankitchen.com/army-stew-budae-jjigae/  It was very easy to follow.  The ingredients are easy to come by in a good Korean market and preparation was a snap.

We have sliced Spam and smoked sausage.  (Next time I will toss in some pork belly.)  Three varieties of mushrooms, some kimchee, some Korean rice cakes, ramyun noodles, green onions and a sauce based on gochujang and pepper flakes.  This is all prepared in a pot with chicken broth.

First all the ingredients are laid out in a pot.  I really like my square copper pan.  I put meat on one side and mushrooms on the other so that it would be easy to select when scooping out a serving.  The sauce is placed in the center and the broth poured in at one of the corners.

I cooked the meat and mushrooms for about 10 minutes - with the stock at a boil.  Then I added the rice cakes and ramyun and let them cook for 3 or 4 minutes.  

Dig in.  Enjoy.  And I promise you won’t feel cold after eating this.

Check out some of my upcoming cooking projects on:    https://www.pinterest.com/byers0947/bread-crumbs/

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Warm Bread

Warm bread just makes a day burn brighter.

Today it was cold - polar vortex cold.  When I took the dog out for his morning walk the temperature was -1 F.  We didn’t stay out long as the wind was really adding to the moment.

Seemed like a perfect morning to bake bread, so I fired up the oven and set to cooking.  I used a simple bread recipe from Fleischmann’s.  It is quick and very easy.

By mid-morning we had a loaf of nice, warm bread.  The bread, by itself, was really good.  To kick things up a notch, we made some strawberry butter - yes, with fresh strawberries from the grocery.

I know there are several more trips outside today.  And that polar vortex isn’t dying down any time soon.  With some coffee and some bread like this I am set.

I cut the Fleischmann” recipe in half.  The results were perfect.

http://www.breadworld.com/recipes/Beginners-White-Bread

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Quick and Tasty Fritters

These fritters are so easy to make and delightfully quick.  Just thirty minutes from pantry to platter.  Once on the platter you will need to have your fork ready, as they go quickly.  These are super tasty and score near the very top of the comfort food scale.

I picked up a box of Stove Top Stuffing the other day.  This is a cornbread stuffing that I wanted to consider for the Thanksgiving menu.  On the box was a recipe for crab cakes made with this stuffing.  That recipe called for 12 ounces of lump crab meat.  I didn’t have any lump crab handy but I did have a 12 ounce can of bacon flavored Spam.  Game on.  Something new.

Briefly:

1.  Boil one cup of water in a sauce pan.  Add the contents of the stuffing mix and follow directions on the box.

2.  Dice the Spam into 1/4″ chunks.  Brown these in a skillet so that the flavor is activated.

3.  I put the dressing on a plate and then dumped the Spam bits into the sauce pan.

4.  Break three eggs, blend, and dump into the Spam bits.  Stir until the mixture is fully combined.

5.  Break the cornbread stuffing into small bits and incorporate into the Spam and egg mixture.  I stirred the mixture frequently to ensure the stuffing didn’t wad up.

6.  Heat the skillet and fry your fritters.  I divided the mixture into 10 fritters (the recipe said 6 but I think they would be too large).

7.  Plate and enjoy.

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Red Hot Toffee

Tonight I tried my hand at making a toffee like candy that tastes like a cinnamon Red Hot.  IMHO it came out pretty good for a first try.

Here is a photo of the first pieces I cut.  You can see that they are transparent.  You can’t see that they are pretty firm and just a tad chewy.  They taste like a blend of Red Hot candies and the glaze off a candied apple.

Ingredients

    1 cup granulated Sugar

    1/4 cup Light Corn Syrup

    1/2 cups Water

    1/4 cup Cinnamon Imperial Candies

    1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

    1/2 teaspoon Red Food Color

Instructions.

1.  Combine the granulated Sugar and Cinnamon in a medium saucepan.

2.  Add the Corn Syrup, Water, Cinnamon Imperials. Place over medium heat and stir continually until the sugar is dissolved.

3.  Clip a candy thermometer to the saucepan, bring the mixture to a boil and continue to stir frequently until all the candies are dissolved and the mixture reaches 245⁰.

4.  Remove from heat and let the mixture sit for about a minute until some of the bubbles have dissipated.

5.  Pour candy into a buttered heat tolerant glass pan.

6.  When the candy has cooled to room temperature, cut it into bitesize pieces and wrap with wax paper.

7.  Place in an airtight container to store for a couple of days only.

The ingredients are pretty simple.

Just get them all into a non-stick sauce pan.  I use medium heat.  Cooks hint - this tastes pretty good right now.

There will still be solid observable as the temperature of the mixture climbs to near 200 F.  Between 200 F and 210 F boiling begins and the solids are gone.

I took the mixture to 245 F- stirring frequently. Then I poured it into an 8 X 8 pyrex pan that had been sprayed with PAM.

It flows smoothly across the pan and fills this pan to about 1 cm depth.

After the candy cooled it was easy to slice with a sharp knife.

The first samples taste good.  I must note that these “toffees” stick to one’s teeth a bit.  I will try another batch with a milk base to see if I can get the same flavor with a little chewier consistency.

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Selbstgebackenes Knoblauchbrot

Homemade Garlic Bread.

Someplace on this planet there is probably an individual who doesn’t like garlic bread.  But for most of us, and especially me, there are few things better than fresh baked, still warm from the oven garlic bread.

I whipped up a batch this afternoon using a new recipe I found on YouTube.  Use this link for the video: https://youtu.be/5gVChPKdXo8

The recipe is from the website chefkoch.de.  That link is here: http://www.chefkoch.de/rezepte/drucken/2663951418215257/2309481a/1/Selbstgebackenes-Knoblauchbrot.html

Man shall not live by bread alone, so I also baked some chicken in my Dutch oven.

There is no recipe for the chicken.  Just set the oven on 350, put chicken laden Dutch oven in and start.  After an hour, take the lid off the Dutch oven and bake for another 30 minutes or so to crisp the exterior.  Moist on the inside, crispy on the outside and good all the through.

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Olive Cheese Loaf

An olive cheese loaf is a great treat on any occasion. As the days get shorter and the air grows cool and crisp there are few things that match the texture, taste and tang of an olive cheese loaf.

I use mostly black olives and mix in a variety of other olives to broaden the spectrum of flavors. I always use the sharpest cheddar cheese I can find so that the loaf has maximum tang. That I get to use my favorite cooking utinsel - a cast iron Dutch oven - is a bonus for me.

Be forewarned, once you cut into this loaf it is awfully easy to eat the whole thing. Cut off some slices while it is still warm, slather them with butter and magic will happen in your mouth. Take some roast beef or ham and a couple of slices of this loaf and really enjoy a sandwich (use plenty of horseradish). Grab a cup or a bowl of your favorite soup and take it to the next level with some olive cheese loaf toast.

Check out the recipe here:

http://www.marthastewart.com/870547/olive-and--loaf?amp

If you try this recipe my bet is you'll be baking it more than once. Your guests will love it.

PS - This loaf is a great gift.

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Asian Bacon

Who doesn't like bacon? Fried, baked, with eggs, on a great hamburger, accenting a salad or as an integral component of a gastronomic treat like a bacon bomb.

Store bought bacon comes in a variety of cures and flavors. You can get bacon that is hickory, maple or cherry smoked. You can get it sugar cured or maybe uncured. If you can find a good source of pork bellies you can even make your own bacon.

I made some asian bacon. It was easy and really tasty.

Here are the ingredients stacked on the counter.

And here is the link to the recipe I used (see #3). It includes excellent instructions on trimming off the skin and preparing the pork belly.

http://amazingribs.com/recipes/porknography/making_bacon_from_scratch.html

The pork bellies are cut into two inch strips to have more surface area for the marinade to penetrate.

I soaked the pork belly pieces in a zip lock bag. Keep it in the refrigerator for 24 hours or so. Flip it over every time you look at at - and you won't be able to resist looking.

After 24 or 48 or 72 hours, drain the pork belly strips, let then dry in the air and come back to room temperature. Then into the oven for a little flavor fixing (say 225 F for about 2 hours)

When the flavor is set you can slice the bacon billets into strips. Use a sharp knife or a meat slicer. Fire up a skillet, fry some of this and get ready for a treat.

Yummo! BLT with an Asian twist.