No stories today, just a nice report of an improvised recipe. One of our many former housemates used to use green chilies to make a very flavorful but non-spicy stew. During my weekly "What should I cook this week?" conversation with Dorothy, she mentioned that. I decided to make a variation to use as taco/burrito filling, and it turned out quite nice. I did this on Sunday afternoon, when I could let it cook for a long time; with the right cut (and shape) of meat, you could do this in the slow cooker just as well.
Green chili brisket tacos
1.5lb flat cut brisket beef (1)
2-3 medium baking potatoes (or 5-6 new potatoes), diced into bite-sized pieces
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
4-5 cloves garlic, bruised (2)
1 5oz can of diced green chilies
Vegetable or beef stock (about 1 cup depending on your dish)
Red wine (optional) (about 1/2 cup depending on your dish, or to taste)
Olive oil, salt, pepper
Corn or flour tortillas
Oaxaca cheese
Preheat oven to 325°.
Oil a baking dish large enough to hold the meat and vegetables. Salt and pepper the beef and place it in the center of the pan. Arrange the potatoes, onions, and garlic around the meat. Spoon the chilies across the top of the meat. Pour in enough of the stock and wine to come about halfway up the meat. Cover with aluminum foil or a lid, and cook for 2 hours. When the meat is cooked, remove it from the dish and shred it. Return to dish and mix well with the vegetables. Return to the oven for another 15-20 minutes to let the meat soak up the remainder of the liquid and blend the flavors. Serve on tortillas with oaxaca.
_______________________________
(1) I'll be honest here, I didn't pay close attention to the actual cut; I asked my butcher if he had anything good for brisket on sale, and just used what he gave me.
(2) I just set the flat of my big knife across the clove and give it a light hit. The idea isn't to smash it flat, just open it up and release some of the oils.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Sometimes magic sounds like tape
I have quite a collection of pots, pans, bowls, and cooking utensils. Most of the time I only need a fraction of them, though I do find times to use each one, based on size and shape. I could do with fewer, I suppose. I could lose the smaller mixing bowls and just use the larger ones; I really only need a couple of spoons, or a single ladle. But every now and then, the stars misalign, and things don't go quite as planned. You have to press some extra equipment into duty to get the job done. Sometimes magic sounds like tape (around 4:45 here, in case you don't get the reference), and sometimes cooking sounds like muffled curses and extra pots and pans.
_____________
I have a number of cookbooks and websites I read not to actually cook the recipes, but just to kickstart my imagination. Left to my own devices, I'll slowly work myself into a rut of cooking the same two or three things every week; when I realize I'm doing it, I start reading my cookbooks and searching sites for ideas.
One of the books I have is of the "30 minute meals" variety. It features ways to use various frozen vegetables, canned soups and sauces, and premade biscuits(1). One of these was a chicken pot pie, using leftover chicken (from a presumed prior chicken meal), canned Cream of Chicken soup, a bag of frozen mixed vegetables, and a famous layered biscuit-in-a-tube to make the crust.
Since my purpose is to cook (for fun, health, and profit(2)), I decided to make my own pot pie. Starting at the top, I realized that the only choice for a crust was Alton Brown's amazing biscuits, which I so enjoyed when I made the fruit crostada. For the filling, I had to come up with meat, veggies, and sauce. Since I don't cook a whole chicken very often, and since Dorothy doesn't care for dark meat anyway, I decided to roast and shred a chicken breast. I went with a standard mix of vegetables: potato, celery, carrot, and garlic, with some green onion mixed in, just for fun. Instead of a cream-soup based sauce, I decided to instead do a roux thickened stock.
Thus, with plan in hand, I got to work. Things started out pretty well, but as I was free-wheeling it, I made some mistakes, and had to go into Emergency Management mode. Hence my thankfulness for the extra pots and bowls. Ready to start keeping score?
I started off really well. My timing was nearly perfect. My chicken breasts were frozen from an earlier purchase(3), so I thawed them in the microwave [small dish] then put them in the oven to roast [cookie sheet with aluminum foil]. While that was going I chopped the vegetables and set them aside [cutting board, medium mixing bowl]. Then I made a roux and added some chicken broth [medium heavy pot]. Once I got that to simmering, I added the vegetables to precook and to let the starch help thicken the sauce. About that time, the chicken got done cooking, so I took it out and shredded it, set the meat aside [baking dish], and turned the oven up to 450°.
After a while, the sauce seemed to stop getting any thicker. It wasn't quite where I had hoped it would be, but I decided to just bully on. I went to pour the veggies and sauce into the baking dish, and discovered that it was way more volume than I had intended, so I divided the mixture into two portions [baking dish #2]. Both dishes were still nearly full to the top, leaving little room for the biscuit topping; plus, I just wasn't happy with the consistency of the sauce: it was too thin and soupy. I decided to go back and try to fix it, so I strained the sauce out of the meat and vegetable mixer [colander, reuse mixing bowl from before] and returned it to the heat [reuse heavy pot from before]. This time I cranked the heat and let it boil. I put the meat and vegetables into baking dish #1, and without the thin sauce it actually fit exactly how I had expected it to. I packed it down just a bit, and waited for the sauce. Eventually it did come together, and I poured it over the meat and vegetables, just to the top.
While the sauce was thickening, I made the biscuit dough [food processor, mixing bowl #2 and #3 (because I had to mix the wet and dry separately)]. I knew I was going to have some trouble with it, as it's a very wet dough. Dorothy suggested basically cutting biscuits and laying them across the top(4) which sounded like a great idea. Unfortunately, the dough isn't really cuttable; I gave it a good try, but then couldn't effectively lift the dough roudns. In the end, I just ended up spooning it onto the top of the dish and making a layer that way. Into the oven (finally!) it went, and 15 minutes later, it was done.
Final score: cutting board, food processor, cookie sheet, dish for microwave; three mixing bowls; two baking dishes; colander; several wooden spoons; various knives, forks, and spoons. Next time I'll be able to reduce the overall damage, I think. Planning ahead I'll be able to make more efficient use of my equipment.
Despite the issues with the sauce, ultimately I ended up with a wonderful pot pie, and I'll definitely make this again. Next time, though, I'll know to precook the vegetables, then strain them immediately and finish thickening the sauce, and reduce the overall pot and utensil count.
_____________
(1) In fact, it is filled with very specific suggestions as to which of these to use. I suspect the publisher is related to a particular packaged foods distributor, though I haven't cared enough to actually research it.
(2) The profit is theoretical, in that cooking from fresh ingredients should be cheaper than precooked stuff. Whether that turns out to be true or not I haven't determined, but it's generally tastier and more fun.
(3) I had had plans to make chicken alfredo last week, but things happened, and I ended up having to freeze the chicken for later. Guess what? It's later!
(4) As Alton Brown himself actually did on Good Eats, though with a different (much drier) biscuit recipe.
_____________
I have a number of cookbooks and websites I read not to actually cook the recipes, but just to kickstart my imagination. Left to my own devices, I'll slowly work myself into a rut of cooking the same two or three things every week; when I realize I'm doing it, I start reading my cookbooks and searching sites for ideas.
One of the books I have is of the "30 minute meals" variety. It features ways to use various frozen vegetables, canned soups and sauces, and premade biscuits(1). One of these was a chicken pot pie, using leftover chicken (from a presumed prior chicken meal), canned Cream of Chicken soup, a bag of frozen mixed vegetables, and a famous layered biscuit-in-a-tube to make the crust.
Since my purpose is to cook (for fun, health, and profit(2)), I decided to make my own pot pie. Starting at the top, I realized that the only choice for a crust was Alton Brown's amazing biscuits, which I so enjoyed when I made the fruit crostada. For the filling, I had to come up with meat, veggies, and sauce. Since I don't cook a whole chicken very often, and since Dorothy doesn't care for dark meat anyway, I decided to roast and shred a chicken breast. I went with a standard mix of vegetables: potato, celery, carrot, and garlic, with some green onion mixed in, just for fun. Instead of a cream-soup based sauce, I decided to instead do a roux thickened stock.
Thus, with plan in hand, I got to work. Things started out pretty well, but as I was free-wheeling it, I made some mistakes, and had to go into Emergency Management mode. Hence my thankfulness for the extra pots and bowls. Ready to start keeping score?
I started off really well. My timing was nearly perfect. My chicken breasts were frozen from an earlier purchase(3), so I thawed them in the microwave [small dish] then put them in the oven to roast [cookie sheet with aluminum foil]. While that was going I chopped the vegetables and set them aside [cutting board, medium mixing bowl]. Then I made a roux and added some chicken broth [medium heavy pot]. Once I got that to simmering, I added the vegetables to precook and to let the starch help thicken the sauce. About that time, the chicken got done cooking, so I took it out and shredded it, set the meat aside [baking dish], and turned the oven up to 450°.
After a while, the sauce seemed to stop getting any thicker. It wasn't quite where I had hoped it would be, but I decided to just bully on. I went to pour the veggies and sauce into the baking dish, and discovered that it was way more volume than I had intended, so I divided the mixture into two portions [baking dish #2]. Both dishes were still nearly full to the top, leaving little room for the biscuit topping; plus, I just wasn't happy with the consistency of the sauce: it was too thin and soupy. I decided to go back and try to fix it, so I strained the sauce out of the meat and vegetable mixer [colander, reuse mixing bowl from before] and returned it to the heat [reuse heavy pot from before]. This time I cranked the heat and let it boil. I put the meat and vegetables into baking dish #1, and without the thin sauce it actually fit exactly how I had expected it to. I packed it down just a bit, and waited for the sauce. Eventually it did come together, and I poured it over the meat and vegetables, just to the top.
While the sauce was thickening, I made the biscuit dough [food processor, mixing bowl #2 and #3 (because I had to mix the wet and dry separately)]. I knew I was going to have some trouble with it, as it's a very wet dough. Dorothy suggested basically cutting biscuits and laying them across the top(4) which sounded like a great idea. Unfortunately, the dough isn't really cuttable; I gave it a good try, but then couldn't effectively lift the dough roudns. In the end, I just ended up spooning it onto the top of the dish and making a layer that way. Into the oven (finally!) it went, and 15 minutes later, it was done.
Final score: cutting board, food processor, cookie sheet, dish for microwave; three mixing bowls; two baking dishes; colander; several wooden spoons; various knives, forks, and spoons. Next time I'll be able to reduce the overall damage, I think. Planning ahead I'll be able to make more efficient use of my equipment.
Despite the issues with the sauce, ultimately I ended up with a wonderful pot pie, and I'll definitely make this again. Next time, though, I'll know to precook the vegetables, then strain them immediately and finish thickening the sauce, and reduce the overall pot and utensil count.
Chicken Pot Pie
1 whole split chicken breast
3 new potatoes, chopped small
2 carrots, chopped small
3 celery stalks, chopped small
1/2 bunch green onions, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
1 quart chicken broth
1 recipe Alton Brown's biscuits
Bake the chicken breast in a 350° oven for 15-20 minutes, then shred and place in the bottom of a 9" baking dish. Once the chicken is out, turn the oven up to 450°.
While the chicken cooks, make a roux from the flour and butter in a heavy pot, then add the broth. Bring to a boil and add the potatoes, carrots, celery, green onions, and garlic. Cook for 5-10 minutes until the potatoes have softened. Strain the vegetables out and stir into the chicken. Return the broth to a full boil and reduce. When the sauce is thickened sufficiently, pour over the meat and vegetables.
Prepare the biscuit dough and spoon into a layer on top of the meat and vegetables. (It is going to rise quite a bit, so don't make it too thick unless you want a LOT of bread with your meal. Use the leftover dough to make a crostata or just some extra biscuits for tomorrow's breakfast. Yum!) Bake for 15 minutes, then let cool before serving.
1 whole split chicken breast
3 new potatoes, chopped small
2 carrots, chopped small
3 celery stalks, chopped small
1/2 bunch green onions, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
1 quart chicken broth
1 recipe Alton Brown's biscuits
Bake the chicken breast in a 350° oven for 15-20 minutes, then shred and place in the bottom of a 9" baking dish. Once the chicken is out, turn the oven up to 450°.
While the chicken cooks, make a roux from the flour and butter in a heavy pot, then add the broth. Bring to a boil and add the potatoes, carrots, celery, green onions, and garlic. Cook for 5-10 minutes until the potatoes have softened. Strain the vegetables out and stir into the chicken. Return the broth to a full boil and reduce. When the sauce is thickened sufficiently, pour over the meat and vegetables.
Prepare the biscuit dough and spoon into a layer on top of the meat and vegetables. (It is going to rise quite a bit, so don't make it too thick unless you want a LOT of bread with your meal. Use the leftover dough to make a crostata or just some extra biscuits for tomorrow's breakfast. Yum!) Bake for 15 minutes, then let cool before serving.
_____________
(1) In fact, it is filled with very specific suggestions as to which of these to use. I suspect the publisher is related to a particular packaged foods distributor, though I haven't cared enough to actually research it.
(2) The profit is theoretical, in that cooking from fresh ingredients should be cheaper than precooked stuff. Whether that turns out to be true or not I haven't determined, but it's generally tastier and more fun.
(3) I had had plans to make chicken alfredo last week, but things happened, and I ended up having to freeze the chicken for later. Guess what? It's later!
(4) As Alton Brown himself actually did on Good Eats, though with a different (much drier) biscuit recipe.
Monday, September 14, 2009
A beer is a just a beer, but a stout is more like a meal!
Yesterday (with some trepidation) I chilled and tasted the stout that I recently made. Part of the trepidation is the "recently" part -- the recipe I followed calls for a single ferment stage of two weeks, and then two weeks bottle conditioning. I really doubted that a stout would come out with such a short rack. The other part of the trepidation was that when I took the specific gravity reading at bottling time, I ended up with a net expected alcohol content of only 3%. If true, what I ended up with was definitely not going to be "stout". But I bullied on, bottled it up, and let it sit.
When I opened the bottle, I was greeted with a good stout aroma, which gave me hope. I poured it into a pint glass and LO! A lovely stout head formed, and stuck around for a pretty good time for a non-nitrogen pour. My heart lifted as I took a sip -- and was rewarded with a lovely flavor. Feeling much better about it, I sat down to enjoy the glass. By the end, I decided that I must have made a mistake on one of the readings, because there was definitely more than 3% alcohol in that glass. Joy!
The recipe is "Ms Bessy's Moo-Moo Milk Stout" from The Brewmaster's Bible, a marvelous book with a load of information for the aspiring brewer and a ton of beer recipes for every style of beer. The name is an intentionally silly reference to the addition of lactose to the brew to give it a creamy mouth feel. I think it also does a nice job of arresting some of the sharp roastiness (that coffee-like flavor) of many stouts. The only variation I made to the recipe was because I couldn't get unhopped dark malt extract, so I used hopped extract and reduced the additional hops down to 1 oz.
So now my beverage fridge is filled with the brown ale from last month plus this stout. In another two weeks there will be a new batch of cider to chill as well. It's going to get a bit crowded in there!
When I opened the bottle, I was greeted with a good stout aroma, which gave me hope. I poured it into a pint glass and LO! A lovely stout head formed, and stuck around for a pretty good time for a non-nitrogen pour. My heart lifted as I took a sip -- and was rewarded with a lovely flavor. Feeling much better about it, I sat down to enjoy the glass. By the end, I decided that I must have made a mistake on one of the readings, because there was definitely more than 3% alcohol in that glass. Joy!
So now my beverage fridge is filled with the brown ale from last month plus this stout. In another two weeks there will be a new batch of cider to chill as well. It's going to get a bit crowded in there!
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Baking Day! Whole Wheat and Molasses loaf and Fruit Crostata
Today I decided to try out an idea I found on The Kitchn for a biscuit crostata. They basically say "use your favorite biscuit recipe, then top with thinly sliced fruit." They used peaches, but since Dorothy doesn't like peach, I decided to go with apples. Dorothy also suggested strawberry and kiwi, which sounded pretty nice as well. So off I went to the farmer's market for a load of fruit, and when I came home I started in.
For a biscuit recipe, I turned to Alton Brown's I'm Just Here for More Food, the companion to his earlier I'm Just Here for the Food.(1) In More Food, he breaks down baking into several "methods", including the Biscuit Method, the Creaming Method. and the Muffin method (among others). He explains the science behind what is happening, and why there are different techniques for different types of baked goods. After making this biscuit recipe, I don't know that I can ever make another. It's freakin' messy as a dough, and cutting it to make individual biscuits would be tricky, but even just making a sheet biscuit and cutting it yields an amazing result.
4 tbps (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, frozen
1 cup buttermilk (2)
Sliced fruit (see below)
Preheat oven to 450°.
Mix the dry ingredients together well (pulsing in a food processor does this very well and very quickly). Use a box grater to grate the frozen butter, yielding butter shavings. Put the butter into the flour mixture and toss to spread around and coat the butter with flour. Then use your fingertips to rub the butter and flour together until about half of the butter has disappeared into the flour. Put the bowl in the freezer.
Mix the wet ingredients together and beat well. Bring the bowl of flour back and pour the liquid in. Use a rubber or silicon spatula to mix it all together. When you are done you will have a very wet, sticky dough that is closer to a batter than what you usually think of as biscuit dough.
Lay out a 18-20 inch piece of waxed paper on the counter and dust it lightly with flour. Pour the batter into the center, and use the ends to fold the dough on top of itself. (The paper will protect your hands from getting the dough all stuck to them. Club hand is not your friend!) This is a somewhat messy process, and you'll need to watch that the dough doesn't escape out the top or bottom edge of the waxed paper. Give it about three or four folds from each side to get it "kneaded" and well mixed.
Now we have to get it onto the sheet pan(3). Since I wasn't cutting out biscuits that could be individually put onto the tray, I had to get creative. After a couple of false starts, I found a trick that worked: Get the dough spread out so that it is about 1/2 inch thick (don't worry about getting it uniform, it's not going to happen. Just estimate.) Dust the top with flour, then lay out a piece of parchment paper(4) on top of it. Carefully slide a cutting board underneath your waxed paper, then lay your sheet pan face down on top. Now flip! Peel back the waxed paper (yes, a fair amount of dough will be lost to the waxed paper. Sad, but true.) and you have a somewhat rectangular mass of biscuit dough ready to go.
For the topping you want fruit with some substance and strong flavor, sliced fairly thin. For the apple crostata quarter a medium to large Gala apple, slice the core off each quarter, peel them, then shave off very thin slices. Lay out to cover the biscuit and dust with a sprinkling (less than a tablespoon) of brown sugar and top with cinnamon. For the kiwi-strawberry crostata, peel and slice three kiwis and about slice about 8 strawberries (depending on size). Lay out to cover, alternating fruits, and dust with sugar.
Bake for 15 minutes. Allow a few minutes to cool, then enjoy.
I also figured that as long as I was heating the oven up to 450°, I should take advantage of it and bake a loaf of a new favorite whole wheat bread I gleaned from James Beard's Beard on Bread. Pretty much any loaf I bake either comes directly from Beard or is based on one of his recipes. (One potato bread recipe has become a favorite of my family and neighbors, and I spend a week baking loaves to give as gifts.) This wheat loaf is amazingly simple, only requires a single rise, and happens to bake at 450°, meaning I could prep the loaf and let it rise while I made the crostatas, then just pop it right in the oven when the second crostata came out without having to let the temperature adjust. It is also pretty unique in being made entirely from whole wheat, rather than a blend of whole wheat with all-purpose flour.
3 1/2 tsp yeast (1 1/2 packets)
This bread has a great texture and lots of flavor. It is great as a dinner bread or for sandwiches.
____________________
(1) I really can't recommend both of these books enough. If I had to pare down to just five cooking related books, Brown's books would be two of them. They don't just list recipes, they teach you how to cook and why you do it that way.
(2) Brown strongly recommends using full-fat buttermilk and yogurt; however, when I went shopping I could only get lowfat or non-fat. I used the lowfat of both, and got great results.
(3) Technically, I'm using a quarter-sheet pan. If your oven holds a full sheet pan, I wanna come use your kitchen some time!
(4) Not waxed paper! Parchment paper is made with silicon, which is oven safe and won't stick to your dough. Waxed paper will melt and leave wax on your bread. Nasty!
(5) My oven has a "Keep Warm" setting that holds at about 170°. If you don't have this, turn your oven to its lowest setting and leave on for just a few minutes to warm up, then turn it off for this step.
For a biscuit recipe, I turned to Alton Brown's I'm Just Here for More Food, the companion to his earlier I'm Just Here for the Food.(1) In More Food, he breaks down baking into several "methods", including the Biscuit Method, the Creaming Method. and the Muffin method (among others). He explains the science behind what is happening, and why there are different techniques for different types of baked goods. After making this biscuit recipe, I don't know that I can ever make another. It's freakin' messy as a dough, and cutting it to make individual biscuits would be tricky, but even just making a sheet biscuit and cutting it yields an amazing result.
Fruit Crostata on Alton Brown's amazing biscuits
2 cups all purpose flour
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
4 tbps (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, frozen
1 cup buttermilk (2)
1/3 cup plain yogurt (2)
1 egg
Sliced fruit (see below)
Sugar for dusting
Preheat oven to 450°.
Mix the dry ingredients together well (pulsing in a food processor does this very well and very quickly). Use a box grater to grate the frozen butter, yielding butter shavings. Put the butter into the flour mixture and toss to spread around and coat the butter with flour. Then use your fingertips to rub the butter and flour together until about half of the butter has disappeared into the flour. Put the bowl in the freezer.
Mix the wet ingredients together and beat well. Bring the bowl of flour back and pour the liquid in. Use a rubber or silicon spatula to mix it all together. When you are done you will have a very wet, sticky dough that is closer to a batter than what you usually think of as biscuit dough.
Lay out a 18-20 inch piece of waxed paper on the counter and dust it lightly with flour. Pour the batter into the center, and use the ends to fold the dough on top of itself. (The paper will protect your hands from getting the dough all stuck to them. Club hand is not your friend!) This is a somewhat messy process, and you'll need to watch that the dough doesn't escape out the top or bottom edge of the waxed paper. Give it about three or four folds from each side to get it "kneaded" and well mixed.
Now we have to get it onto the sheet pan(3). Since I wasn't cutting out biscuits that could be individually put onto the tray, I had to get creative. After a couple of false starts, I found a trick that worked: Get the dough spread out so that it is about 1/2 inch thick (don't worry about getting it uniform, it's not going to happen. Just estimate.) Dust the top with flour, then lay out a piece of parchment paper(4) on top of it. Carefully slide a cutting board underneath your waxed paper, then lay your sheet pan face down on top. Now flip! Peel back the waxed paper (yes, a fair amount of dough will be lost to the waxed paper. Sad, but true.) and you have a somewhat rectangular mass of biscuit dough ready to go.
For the topping you want fruit with some substance and strong flavor, sliced fairly thin. For the apple crostata quarter a medium to large Gala apple, slice the core off each quarter, peel them, then shave off very thin slices. Lay out to cover the biscuit and dust with a sprinkling (less than a tablespoon) of brown sugar and top with cinnamon. For the kiwi-strawberry crostata, peel and slice three kiwis and about slice about 8 strawberries (depending on size). Lay out to cover, alternating fruits, and dust with sugar.
Bake for 15 minutes. Allow a few minutes to cool, then enjoy.
Fast Whole Wheat and Molasses bread
3 1/2 c whole wheat flour
1/4 c oat bran
1 tbsp salt
3 1/2 tsp yeast (1 1/2 packets)
2 tbsp molasses
2 cups warm water
Mix the flour, bran, and salt in a bowl and place in a cool oven(5) to warm up. Stir the molasses into 1/2 cup of the water and add the yeast to proof. Once the yeast is ready, pour into the bowl with the flour and add the remainder of the water. Stir to combine into a very wet, sticky dough.
Turn the oven up to 450° to preheat.
Prepare a loaf pan with butter or non-stick spray, and put the dough in. Set somewhere warm to rise (should take an hour or two). Once the bread has doubled in bulk, put into the oven and bake for 45-50 minutes.
Mix the flour, bran, and salt in a bowl and place in a cool oven(5) to warm up. Stir the molasses into 1/2 cup of the water and add the yeast to proof. Once the yeast is ready, pour into the bowl with the flour and add the remainder of the water. Stir to combine into a very wet, sticky dough.
Turn the oven up to 450° to preheat.
Prepare a loaf pan with butter or non-stick spray, and put the dough in. Set somewhere warm to rise (should take an hour or two). Once the bread has doubled in bulk, put into the oven and bake for 45-50 minutes.
This bread has a great texture and lots of flavor. It is great as a dinner bread or for sandwiches.
____________________
(1) I really can't recommend both of these books enough. If I had to pare down to just five cooking related books, Brown's books would be two of them. They don't just list recipes, they teach you how to cook and why you do it that way.
(2) Brown strongly recommends using full-fat buttermilk and yogurt; however, when I went shopping I could only get lowfat or non-fat. I used the lowfat of both, and got great results.
(3) Technically, I'm using a quarter-sheet pan. If your oven holds a full sheet pan, I wanna come use your kitchen some time!
(4) Not waxed paper! Parchment paper is made with silicon, which is oven safe and won't stick to your dough. Waxed paper will melt and leave wax on your bread. Nasty!
(5) My oven has a "Keep Warm" setting that holds at about 170°. If you don't have this, turn your oven to its lowest setting and leave on for just a few minutes to warm up, then turn it off for this step.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Time for some curry
The thing I really love about this cookbook is the organization. Indian cooking often involves spices and ingredients being added with only a couple of minutes of cook time between additions, so mise en place is critical. This book actually lists the ingredients in the sidebar of the page listed as "Bowl 1", Bowl 2", etc., so that in the recipe itself a step can simply say "Now add bowl 2 and stir for 2 minutes." This lets you not have to think about which things go together when you're in the middle of it, and has the advantage (for me at least) of letting me do the prep, then clean everything while the pan is heating, so that only the bowls and pots have to cleaned afterward.
Delhi Chicken Curry (Delhi Murgh Tarkari)
10-12 pieces of chicken, either all thighs or half thighs, half drumsticks
1 1/4 cup chicken stock
Bowl 1: 1 large onion (sliced), 2 cloves garlic (crushed)
Bowl 2: 4 cloves, 4 cardamom pods, 1 one inch cinnamon stick, 2 two inch pieces of ginger (peeled and sliced)
Bowl 3: 1 tsp chili powder, 2 tsp coriander, 1/2 tsp turmeric, 2 tsp cumin
Bowl 4: juice of two lemons, 4 tbsp tomato paste
Bowl 5: 1 tbsp chopped cilantro leaves, 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp ground black pepper
In a heavy pan, sear the chicken in about 4 tbsp vegetable oil then set aside. Using the same oil, cook Bowl 1 for 5 minutes or until the onions are nicely carmelized. Add Bowl 2 and cook for 2-4 minutes. Add Bowl 3 and cook for 2 minutes stirring continuously to prevent the spices from burning onto the pan. Add Bowl 4 and stir well to make a sauce, then add the chicken back and stir to coat. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil. Simmer gently for 35-50 minutes, until the chicken is tender. Stir in Bowl 5 and mix well, and let sit for 1-2 minutes to blend flavors.
Spiced Pullao Rice (Mushallar Pullao)
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 1/4 cup rice
1 tsp salt
Bowl 1: 1 clove garlic (thinly sliced), 10 cloves, 10 cardamom pods, 3 one inch cinnamon sticks
Bowl 2: 2/3 cup golden raisins, 1/3 cup slivered almonds
Cook the onion in vegetable oil until soft and starting to turn golden. Add Bowl 1 and cook gently for 1-2 minutes. Add the rice and mix well so that the rice is well coated with oil and spices. Add the salt and enough water to cover. Bring to a boil and simmer covered for 15-20 minutes until the water is absorbed. In a small pan cook Bowl 2 in 2 tbsp oil for 1-2 minutes, then stir into the rice.
This was the first actual curry I've ever made, and I'm impressed at how well it came out. My only complaint is that I thought it was pretty mild. On the other hand, Dorothy thought it was pretty much perfect, while (as I expected) Alex found it too spicy for her 12 year old palate. I may up the ginger and maybe the chili just a touch next time. Also, Dorothy doesn't really care for the texture of dark meat, so next time I may try using strips of breast meat instead.
The rice had a lovely sweet and crunchy texture from the raisins and almonds, and the onion was so well combined I actually forgot it was in there. I initially served the rice and the curry separately, worried that the sweetness of the raisins wouldn't go well with the curry. Turns out it worked really well, and we ended up just combining the rice and curry together into one dish.
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(1) We discovered zattar at a Palestinian restaurant and have since discovered our local arabic restaurant/grocery serves it and sells it. We put it on pita or naan with olive oil and feta or mozzarella and heat it in the toaster oven. Yumm!
(2) And if you happen to be one of those former housemates and wish to lay claim to this book, feel free to contact me to discuss ransom terms.