SKILLETPUNK

Because Cyberpunk is for skinny people

[skilletpunk]

I got the email asking me if I wanted to renew this domain and I just wasn’t really feeling it. I still cook but I don’t feel a strong compulsion to document it. I spend a lot more time baking and reading about bread. If you care about that, please check the above link. I bake pretty regularly there should be an update at least once a week. Thank you for all the support over the years.

[skilletpunk]

A nice “rainy day, my girlfriend isn’t home” soup

Instant Pot Potato Soup

4 russet potatoes, peeled and cubed 2 celery stalks, diced 4 cloves of garlic, crushed 1 tsp garam masala 1 tsp turmeric A dash of nut meg 1 chick boullion cube 3 cups of water Olive oil A knob of butter Salt and Pepper to taste Heavy Cream

1. Use the sauté setting and heat the butter and olive oil. Sauté the potatoes, celery and garlic 2. Add your spices and bouillon. Sweat everything together. 3. Add your water, seal the instant pot and use your soup setting. 4. When your IP has vented, remove the lid and purée its contents with an immersion blender. Add a dash of heavy cream and stir the soup. Taste and season as needed (I added some dry parsley and cilantro)

Had mine with a pizza dough and prosciutto sandwich. Not hard to replicate - simply oil a ball of pizza dough, season with whatever dried herbs you’d like, and bake at 400 for 25-30 minutes. Serve with olive oil and your preferred cured pork product

[skilletpunk]

This has become my go to lentil soup recipe. Works just as well on the stovetop as it does in the instant pot, just requires a tad more tending.

1 C red lentils ½ cup diced celery 3 smashes cloves of garlic 1 heaping tbsp of red miso 1 tsp olive oil A small hunk jowl bacon (or whatever cures pork product you prefer. 1 pinch paprika 1 dash kosher salt 4 C water

Directions

1. Using the IP’s sauté setting, heat the olive oil and sauté the garlic and celery.

2. Add the rest of your ingredients. Seal and use your soup setting. Enjoy with bread.

To make this on the stove top, sauté your celery and garlic. Add the rest of your ingredients, bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer and stir for 20-30 minutes (until the lentils are how you like them, basically)

[skilletpunk]

I made the brea-I mean dipping sticks from the Binging with Babish Breaking Bad episode (https://youtu.be/ZY63ZSUdywY)

Fairly easy dough to put together as it only requires a little bit of mixing and one rise. The best thing about this recipe is how similar it is to a lot of other doughs - replace a half cup of flour with semolina and you’ve got a nice thin pizza crust. Upgrade to bread or high gluten flour and mix a little longer and you’re on your way to bagel heaven. I’m actually really surprised how well these turned out and I full plan on keeping them in my rotation .

Dough ingredients

4 cups of AP flour 1 ½ tsp yeast 1 tsp sugar 2 tbsp kosher salt ¼ C non fat dry milk powder 1 ½ cup water 2 tbsp vegetable oil

Mix until a smooth dough forms (8-12 minutes in a mixer)

Roll into a rectangle and add to a greased glass baking dish. Proof for 60-90 minutes.

Topping ingredients

Dried herbs (basil, oregano, parsley are all good choices) ¼ C cheap parm Salt to taste 2 tbsp melted butter

Brush proofed dough with melted butter and combine with herbs, salt and cheese.

Bake in a 475 degree oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown (i let mine bake a little longer than Rea does his)

Serve with some heated jarred pasta sauce for dipping.

[skilletpunk]

Here’s a bonus instant pot post: braised short ribs. It’s based on a NYT cooking recipe. 3lbs boneless short ribs Salt Pepper Chili powder Cayenne pepper Korean Chili Flakes Bunch of garlic cloves Handful diced prunes 1/2 C cider vinegar 1/4 C Soy sauce 1/4 C Worcestershire sauce 1 cup water 2 tbsp tomato paste Olive oil 1. Season your meat. Use whatever spices you like, I used my favorites for beef 2. Add oil to instant pot and use the sauté setting. Sear meat on all sides. Add prunes and garlic, deglaze with water/soy/vinegar/Worcestershire. 3. Add in tomato paste. 4. Use the meat setting and cook for 45 minutes. Allow pressure to vent off naturally. Use the meat however you like but be sure to save the juices and fat in the pot. Reduce them down into a sauce or use them for your next instant pot meal. You may need to add 10-15 more minutes for bone in short ribs.

[skilletpunk]

Been messing about with my buddy’s instant pot as I decide whether to invest in one - but this beef pho, based on the Pressure Cooker Beef Pho recipe from Andrea Nguyen’s “The Pho Cook Book” is what has sold me on this device. The instant pot makes it so easy to make a clear, rich broth and the little buck-fifty spice bags I found in the Vietnamese section of my local grocery store solved that problem of never having all the right spices needed to attempt the recipes in this book. For less than ten bucks and an hour of time you can whip up some amazing pho at home (although you’ll probably be missing some of the amazing meat selection that any decent pho place would offer) My only difficulty with this recipe is not including the Fuji apple Nguyen calls for in most of her broths, it adds a sweetness that is hard to replicate with sugar and getting the saltiness of the broth right. For the Broth 2-3lbs beef bones, rinsed and soaked in warm water 1/2 a yellow onion Spice satchel (cinnamon, anise, cardamom, Black Pepper, fennel, clove) 1 limo rock sugar 9 cups water 1. Combine all ingredients in instant pot. Use the Broth setting and cook for 25 minutes and allow to depressurize. 2. Remove your spice satchel and onion and use your broth as you like. Save the bones for the meat and marrow, if you’re a real one. For the Bowls Rice noodles Cilantro Onions Mint Fried Tofu Braised short ribs (also made in the instant pot) Fish sauce Hoisin Sauce Sriracha 1. Combine in a suitable container (I don’t own any bowls deep enough to drown in broth) and enjoy your damn pho. My only regret is not having culantro or jalapeños in the fridge.

[skilletpunk]

Let’s talk sticky buns. At the bakery I worked as a recipe tester we made a lot of brioche - we used it for burger buns, we used it to make loaves for French toast, we used it to make cinnamon rolls - and I was never a fan. It’s a fussy bread to make. Too much butter or eggs and you’ve got a pile of gloop instead of a supple, rich, decadent dough. Luckily there’s a trick to making a simple, brioche-like dough with very simple fuss, courtesy of Christina Tosi and the Momofuku Milk Bar cookbook that comes together pretty quick in a stand mixer. Super-Fake Brioche Dough 3 1/2 C bread flour 1 tbsp kosher salt 1 1/8th tsp active dry yeast 1 3/4 C room temperature water Mix together flour, salt and yeast. Mix in water until you have a shaggy mass. Mix at lowest speed for seven minutes. Proof in oiled bowl for 45 minutes at room temp. Here’s where Tosi’s craftiness comes into play. All you’ve got to do next is return your dough to the mixer and paddle in a room temp stick of butter. Proof again for 60-90 minutes or until doubled in size. Store in the fridge for up to three days until ready to use. Spice mix Brown Sugar White Sugar Nutmeg Cloves Cinnamon Kosher Salt Black Pepper Mix together at whatever proportions you prefer. Use just sugar and cinnamon if you want a classic cinnamon roll, I prefer something a little more busy than that. The salt and pepper are just there to help round out the flavor. To Prepare Roll out Super Fake Brioche Dough on a lightly floured surface until you have a large, even rectangle. Brush the top of the dough with melted butter, sprinkle with spice mix and roll your dough into a large log. Slice into one inch thick rounds (I had no problem getting a thirteen out of this recipe.) Place in a greased pie tins (I also did six in muffin tins that I think came out much better), wrap in plastic wrap and proof overnight in the fridge. When ready to bake, heat your oven to 350 and bake for 30 minutes. To make a simple glaze for (half of) your buns, combine 1/4 cup melted butter, 1/4 cup molasses, 1 tbsp brown sugar and 1 tbsp water mixed with 1 tbsp corn starch together in a small pot. Heat and whisk together until boiling and then turn off the heat. Add your slightly cooled glaze to your buns when they come out of the oven or add a little bit in the last 15 minutes of baking before adding the rest after they come out.

[skilletpunk]

Thanksgiving was 🔥. I plan on doing a post soon about what recipes did and didn't work. Until then: enjoy your leftovers!

[skilletpunk]

Getting thanksgiving dinner prepped early! Here's my turkey (well, two, my friend insisted on getting another turkey,) broken down into light and dark meat, skin seared in duck fat, seasoned with sea salt, pepper, paprika and a little sugar. Then I vacuum sealed everything with fresh sage, rosemary, thyme, juniper berries and black peppercorns. Going to be sous vide cooking all of this in batches from now until Wednesday. Then on the big day it'll all get a final sear on the stove top or roast in the oven - haven't decided yet.

[skilletpunk]

It’s me and the lady’s inaugural Taco Tuesday. We decided to start instituting themes to help make growth shopping, meal prep, and dinner planning go more smoothly. So far Taco Tuesday is the only meal that’s materialized.

Sous Vide Pork Tongue with Pico de Gallo

Ingredients:

3lbs pork tongue, brined for at least 12 hours with aromatics (I used thyme and mint to pull out some of that offal funk)

Manteca

Pepper corns

A handful of tomatillos

Cilantro

Two jalapeños

Salt/Pepper/Garlic/Onion powder

For the pico

The juice of 2 limes

1/4th of an onion, diced

Handful of cilantro, shredded

2 jalapeños, diced

Salt

Corn tortillas

Directions:

Season your pork tongues and place in your bag.

Add in tomatillos, jalapeños, cilantro, Manteca and a little bit of water.

Displace the air in the bag to seal.

Cook at 170 degrees for 22 hours.

While that's happening, make your pico (it always tastes better the next day) Mix all of your ingredients with your lime juice, salt to taste.

Back to the tongue: Remove and place in ice bath.

When ready to eat, dice the tongue into cubes and sear what you to use for tacos in a pan with a little bit of oil until it's crispy. Finish with salt.

Serve on warm tortillas with pico generously spooned over.

I think the next time I cook pork tongue I’m going to be a little more aggressive in seasoning - will probably go with a full on dry rub. It’s got a texture somewhat similar to beef tongue but a bit different.

Fun fact:  Scale up the rest of the ingredients for the pico (use at least 1 cup of lime juice) plus some shredded carrots and you've got a decent base for some ceviche - you can make it with shrimp or any firm white fish you enjoy. Personally I’m a fan of catfish.

[skilletpunk]

Whenever I get sick I always end up with strange food cravings - it’s always stuff I’m too sick to stand up and make myself and most definitely wouldn’t be able to enjoy and taste anyway. As I was laid up in bed this weekend I kept telling my girlfriend I really wanted chicken pot pie. Luckily, I felt well enough by sunday to be able to make this a reality.

I’ve never made chicken pot pie before this but it’s something that’s always fascinated me. I’m a sucker for puff pastry and you say the word “gravy” and I’m all ears, so chicken pot pie is really a combination of two of my favorite things. Didn’t even do much planning besides grabbing the chicken and puff pastry, everything else was already in my fridge. This is a recipe that’s pretty forgiving so I think any combination of vegetables would work well (but I highly recommending at least using potatoes for the starch factor, if not, maybe consider using wondra flour for a more sturdy gravy)

I cut down on a few steps by sous vide cooking my chicken. Placed it in the bag with a glug of oil, a cup and a half of stock and a few tbsps non-fat dry milk powder. Cooked at 150F for an hour. Took that liquid and used it as the base for my gravy. If that’s not an option for you, cook your chicken a pan and then deglaze it with the stock/milk combo.

The boudin and potato really bring the gravy together into something thick, hearty and filling.

Chicken pot pie

Ingredients

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

1 1/2 cups chicken stock + 2 tbsp non-fat dry milk powder. Room temperature or warm

1 Diced boudin sausage

Crumbled leftover roast potatoes

A bag of frozen corn, asparagus and peas

Sea Salt/Pepper/Paprika/White pepper

1 stick of butter

3 tbps AP flour

1 sheet puff pastry

Egg wash

Directions

Start by browning your boudin in a cast iron skillet and then adding in your vegetables.

Toss a stick of putter in the pan and as it starts to melt down, give everything a nice dusting with your flour. Stir.

Start working everything together. You want to cook the rawness out of the flour before you add in your liquid.

Slowly add in your stock/milk mixture. You don’t want to do it all at once. Keep adding it in and mixing until you get a nice, smooth and bubbly gravy. Season it and taste. Turn the heat off.

Add in your shredded chicken and give it one more stir.

Place your puff pastry on top of the mix, brush it with egg wash and then bake at 425 for 30 minutes and 400 for the last ten.

Enjoy

For gluten free folks: ditch the boudin and make your gravy with rice flour instead of wheat.

[skilletpunk]

Made chicken stock! Been battling a cold for a few days and figured I needed a pick me up. Been wanting to make stock with chicken feet for a long time - I knew the fat and cartilage content of the feet would add a really beautiful mouthfeel to stock you can't get from using just bones. And I was right. The only thing better is just poaching a whole chicken. Ingredients: 2 lbs chicken feet, cleaned in warm water and vinegar Mirepoix (onions, carrots, celery) Garlic Lemongrass Jalapeño Banana Pepper 2 sticks cinnamon 2 pieces star anise Cilantro Scallions Salt Black pepper White pepper Directions: Sweat your veg down, add your chicken feet, cover with water and simmer for 2-4 hours. Strain out all your solids. Taste and add salt and pepper (be careful, I always have a hard not overselling stocks and soups) Will keep in the fridge for a week and frozen for several months. Funny thing is I didn't even make soup, used the stock to make rice - the fatty, salty liquid turned the rice into something perfectly nourishing. Put me right to bed.

[skilletpunk]

Banh Xeo is one of those rare foodstuffs I've eaten at a restaurant and tried to make at home. Sometimes it's really not worth the energy and effort to try and wrangle up those ingredients...but I love banh xeo - there's something magical about that combination of sweet, salty and crunch that lingers with me for days after I eat one. This is not an authentic banh xeo by any stretch, it's just what I've come up with to satisfy my craving Ingredients (makes 6-7 bahn xeo) 1 cup rice flour 1/4 cup corn starch 1/4 cup whole wheat flour 1 tsp msg 1 tsp cracked black or white pepper 1 tbsp non fat dry milk powder 3 tsps cane sugar 1 cup room temperature water Oil to fry Assorted bits - I like diced onions, Thai chilies, minced bacon, garlic and bok choi To serve Thai basil Lettuce Chili sauce (1 part fish sauce, 1 part like juice, chili flakes) Directions: Sift together your dry ingredients Add water and whisk until you get a smooth batter. Let it rest for at least 10 minutes. Heat a pan and add oil, begin sizzling your fixings (bacon, onion and bok choi is the business for me) Add your batter to the pan and make sure you roll and swirl so that its coating the sides. As the batter begins to sizzle and cook, add a small amount of your chili sauce to the top. Cover and let fry and steam for 2-3 minutes Fold your crepe like you'd do an omelette and remove from the pan. To serve: break off a piece, wrap it with basil and a piece of lettuce, dip in chili sauce and enjoy.

[skilletpunk]

Made some chicken meatballs with a little help from Liz. The method is simple - mix one pound of ground chicken with some panko mixed with milk and seasonings. Roll out, pan sear and bake - check out the video for all the details.

[skilletpunk]

I made griyot, one of my favorite haitian dishes, sous vide style.

I took some diced pork butt and marinated it with pikliz and thyme, then I sealed it in a ziploc bag and sous vide cooked it it at 173.3 degress for 27 hours.

I let it cool over night and broiled the meat to perfection.

[skilletpunk]

Ordered this because it was on sale and it came much earlier than I expected.

We’re about to cross a new culinary rubicon.

[skilletpunk]

So we moved, which is great because now I’ve got a bigger kitchen to work with and a much more reliable oven. We’re also a lot closer to a Hattie B’s, one of Nashville’s famous hot chicken joints. The problem with Hattie B’s, however, is that it’s deeply mediocre. The chicken is inconsistently spiced and all of the sides are terrible. Plus - the wait is awful. If you’re ever in Nashville and want hot chicken, go to Helen’s in North Nashville (I have still yet to try Prince’s and I was not a fan of Bolton’s)

I decided to skip all of that fuss and make my own hot chicken.

Definitely didn’t get the level of spice I wanted, just a nice heat, so I’ll have to take it back to the lab to get it hotter, but it easily beat some of the wack hot chicken folks serve in Nashville.

Hot Chicken and waffles

Recipe:

2 chicken thighs

1/4 cup lard

1/4 cup coconut oil

Equal parts rice flour and corn starch

Panko for dredging

1 beaten egg + a little water

Salt

Pepper

Cayenne pepper

Tabasco

Ground Annatto

All Spice

Korean Chili Flakes

Waffles

Crushed Peanuts

Diced Cilantro

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees

Mix a little bit of your seasonings, minus the salt, into your corn starch and rice flour

Dip your chicken into your corn starch/rice flour mix

Dip in your egg wash then dredge in your panko, front and back

Heat lard and coconut oil in a skillet, pan fry your chicken on both sides until golden brown

Remove from the oil and bake in your oven for 15 minutes to cook the chicken all the way through. Alternatively, you can use more oil/fat and simply deep fry your chicken

Carefully remove some of your cooking fat and place it in a bowl. Mix in your salt, pepper, cayenne, tabasco and chili flakes until you get a spicy red paste.

Brush your spicy paste on the chicken, plate on top of a waffle and garnish with cilantro and peanuts

You’ll have to trust yourself to eyeball out the spices. I believe in you.