Firecrackers - AB

In my fit to say I knew of NO carrot recipes for the February Tigress' Can Jam, I forgot one thing... that I did know one recipe for pickled carrots. It wouldn't work for the Can Jam since it's not hot water processed, but I have made it before (in 2002) for the MotH. Here it is... 


Firecrackers
Alton Brown
Ingredients

1/2 pound mini carrots

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups cider vinegar

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon chili flakes

2 dried chilies

Directions

Place carrots in a spring-top glass jar. Bring the water, sugar, cider vinegar, onion powder, mustard seeds, salt, and chili flakes to a boil in a non-reactive saucepan. Boil for 4 minutes.

Slowly pour the hot pickling liquid over the carrots, filling the jar to the top. Place the chilies in the jar. Allow the carrots to cool before sealing. Refrigerate for 2 days up to 1 week.


Comment from the Counter: 
* Used crinkle cut carrots - had a noble idea of cutting carrots on mandoline, then reality set in and I just bought them - a little weak to be sure, but the firecrackers got made this way. 
* Used more onion powder (2 tsp) - I don't keep onion powder on hand, so had to purchase, but now I'm not sure what to do with the rest of it ...
* 1 tsp mustard seed - how can that hurt?
* 1 heaping tsp of red pepper flakes - don't we want it hot?
*Instead of two dried chilies (which I can't find at the damn store, except for dried ancho peppers - boring), I used two fresh finger hots (Jwala). 

Gorgonzola & Craisin-stuffed chicken breast salad - Portabello Market

Chicken
1/2 c toasted walnuts, chopped
1/2 c Craisins
1/2 c Gorgonzola cheese
4 boneless chicken breasts
Blend together walnuts, Craisins, and Gorgonzola. Lay chicken out top side down on cutting board. Smooth mixture over breasts. Roll chicken breasts (these can be tied with kitchen string to hold the shape). Cook at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Let rest for five minutes and slice into circular pieces.


Dressing
1/2 c cider vinegar
2 T honey
1T Dijon mustard
1/4 c Mandarin oranges
1/4 c Craisins
1 c canola oil
Process all except canola oil in food processor. Slowly drizzle in oil until mixture thickens. [Don't think food process monster should look like that.]

Salad
4 c field greens
4 c romaine hearts, chopped
1 c roasted shallots *
1 c Mandarin orange segments
Mix all salad ingredients in bowl. Drizzle with dressing and top with sliced chicken breast. For added garnish, slice an apple, drizzle with oil and lightly grill. Place 2 slices of apple on each plate. Serves 4.


* Roasted shallots - peel shallots and drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper; bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes


Erika Thomas
Owner/chef - Portabello Market (A WONDERFUL restaurant in downtown Pensacola)

Published in the Pensacola News Journal, December 3, 2008
Too bad the PNJ doesn't keep recipes available - weak
[My photography isn't the best yet - this tastes much better than my photo makes it looks  - I'm a work in progress.]


Comments from the Counter:
Toast walnuts (approx 8-10 minutes until fragrant) while shallots roast.
Honey - used local honey from K's on Mobile Highway
4 oz of bleu cheese
Little bit of extra stuffing left (did not cross contaminate - not to worry) used as crumbles on the salad - very nice
160 degrees for chicken - just to be safe


Thoughts:
A little bit of work for a weeknight, but chicken could be made a day ahead (I didn't want warm chicken on the greens, so room temperature worked well). Will be great for warmer weather. Dressing was truly! wonderful. Great leftovers the next day too.

Allium Search ...

The Victorian Kitchen Book of Pickles & Preserves
Pickled onion recipe on page 32 looked pretty good, until you get to the point that says, "pickles ready to eat with in six to eight months after pickling"


I think not.

March Can Jam - Alliums? interesting... hmm.

Alliums ... 


allium |ˈalēəm|noun ( pl. -ums)a bulbous plant of a genus that includes the onion and its relatives (e.g., garlic, leek, and chives). • Genus Allium, family Liliaceae (or Alliaceae).ORIGIN early 19th cent.: Latin, literally ‘garlic.’
well, not much for that - though I have made pickled garlic before. I do like all alliums - some more than others, so perhaps I'll try to use one I've never used before, but that's likely to be difficult - what haven't I used? Research is in order. I realize nothing is growing out there right now, but ... well not really, I have a few onions growing in the back garden - just like those pictured here. I may not use them because  - well, I've had them before. 
It's time to break out the books and see what I can come up with. Fingers crossed.


Pic: scallions from my garden last summer. Grown from the root end of scallions purchased from the store - cool. Now that's some recycling. 

Apple Turnovers

From the Counter
400 degrees
Needs time to chill - so keep that in mind
Also take puff pasty out and thaw according to directions
yield = 8 (can half recipe of course)


4 Granny Smith Applies, cored, peeled and chopped
1 T Lemon Juice, fresh
4 T Brown Sugar
3/4 c Sugar
1/2 t kosher salt
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t nutmeg, freshly grated
Frozen puff pastry, thawed according to package

Saute all, excepting puff pastry, the above until apples are softened (and the kitchen smells wonderful). Can be made a day ahead (if you forgot to take the puff pastry out of the freezer).


Roll out each sheet of puff pastry until approximately 1/8" thick. Divide into four squares. Place apples on half of each of the four squares. Fold the pastry over the filling and seal edges with a fork. Rub a little H2O on each and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar (what ever proportion works). Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until lightly tan and puffy.
vvg


Since the only way I can eat apples now is cooked (thank you allergies), this is one of my favorite ways. mmmm. These remind me of the fried pies my grandmother used to make for us.


Source: Chow with modification from Cook's Illustrated's Baking Illustrated

Why I Cook?

Why cook?
Michael Ruhlman had a post recently that reasoned through his thoughts on why he cooks? It's here.


So, why do I cook - my first thought is that I have no earthly idea, but that just a stall tactic.  I had experience with great menus and great food in my events career, so I have exposure to how things can be and what things go together - all new and different to me. I had to learn - it was part of the job. Now that explains how I could be god-forbid, a foodie, but not really why I cook.
It's simple - I am curious. What will work? What won't?


Under lying all this is the strong desire to make MotH happy and occasionally please the Boy enough that I'll make something that doesn't need ketchup added. And part of is to be different - to do something most people, honestly, don't do (or at least some people don't do). Does that mean I make homemade mayo every week -- no. But I will make it to go in my chicken salad. Sure call me a food snob - go ahead - it ain't the first time. 


Cooking is, contrary to what MotH thinks, relaxing - even if I'm tired of standing at the end of the weekend.  Even picking the weekly menu is a kick (though sometimes that's more difficulty that others). I like looking at cookbooks - hoping to discover the next great thing or trying something I've never done before. Or magazines, but increasingly more often now - blogs.
It's artistic - at least creative, and that's pretty nifty. 


Cooking has lots of perks. You know, largely, what's in your dinner. You get leftovers (lunch!). As previously mentioned (see sentence above), it's relaxing and simply fun.


Hell, cooking means I order seeds for hot peppers, cukes, and a few some a lot of flowers (you need pollinators damn it). 


Why not cook?

I'm tired - really tired.

It's something I just don't want to take on that night (pad thai, gyros, dolmas)

I'm out of time... for at least what I want to eat that night.

Ingredients are too costly - I'm notorious for being cheap -  there are something I can't rationalize.

And it's the weekend... so it's time to start ... cooking!

Pickled Rosemary Carrots

Hot Damn  - it's the can jam... carrots edition

Pickled Rosemary Carrots

3 c (720ml) H20

3 c (720ml) vinegar

1/4 c (60ml) sugar

1/4 c (60ml) pickling salt

2 T (30ml) mixed peppercorn

6 hot chili peppers (red)

6 cloves of garlic, peeled

4 lbs (1.8 kg) carrots, peeled, cut into sticks, 4" long x 1/2" wide (10c x 1.2c)

six 3" sprigs fresh rosemary

Yield: 6 pints

Prepare preserving jars (Note: wash, wash, wash w/soap, dry, process 15 minutes in hot water and keep warm until ready to use). Combine H20, vinegar, sugar, salt, and peppercorns in a pot. Bring to boil, reduce to medium and simmer 5 minutes. Working 1 jar at a time, place 1 clove garlic, 1 chili pepper in each hot, sterilized jar. Pack carrot sticks tightly in jar standing upright. Slide sprig of rosemary into jar. Pour boiling solution into jars leaving 1/4" head space. Release air bubbles. Seal, repeat with the rest of the jars. Process 15 minutes.

Well Preserved

Mary Anne Dragan

p. 129

From the kitchen counter:
I made only half a recipe. That seemed like plenty since although I like the pickling liquid, I'm not sure how well I'll like it with carrots - I'm kinda on and off with carrots. Also, peeling and slicing 4 pounds of carrots - a bit o' overkill for me. 

Had to go outside with a flashlight (TY MotH) to cut the rosemary, but it's still in great shape - some little bit of damage from the 13 days of freezing, but just a few brown tips (cut off). No comments about 13 days of freezing - it's the gulf frigging coast - we shouldn't have 13 days of freezing even in January. Bugger.

Cans with pink lids - really too summer-y, but I'll rationalize it by the card-company created "holiday."

It's easier to put the rosemary in with the carrots and pepper - they are all vertical in my book so... 

Used two cloves of garlic for each jar - me likey garlic. 

How frigging long does it take to boil water - honestly - I should have timed it for my own morbid curiosity. 

I do like my new H2O canner - ordered online - saved $ --nice.

An idea just crossed my mind, by the time we finish the can jam, my pantry will be well stocked. Nifty.

Processing 15 minutes to sterilize = lots of standing around and waiting. 

Then more waiting - jeez.

Need mixed peppercorns. Time to spend some $.

No notes for how long to wait to try these, so I'm giving it a week to see what's up. Will report back. 


So what will next month bring.... we'll see. 

Excerpt from Recipe Journal: Potato Salad

It's the wrong time of year, but I don't care - I think I'll eat this year round. The thing about potato salad is that I don't like it, except that I love the potato salad from Steven's Market Deli. I ordered it by accident - I thought it was German potato salad (which I do, indeed love, but Steven's doesn't carry it anymore), but went ahead and tried it and was amazing. So my thought is... can I make a better potato salad?
We watched Cook's Country and they made ranch potato salad which sound good but not like Steven's  - however Steven's potatoes, though cooked perfectly, don't in themselves taste like anything - so I'll try the method of adding vinegar and dijon mustard to the hot potatoes, a la the Cook's Country recipe... and then what?
Celery cut the right size is key and I'm expecting everyone has their idea of what the correct size is. Steven's adds carrots, but they are the little pre-cut ones - kinds of grated pieces - so they are dried out, which is good in a way. There is boiled egg which I like in small quantities. What I can't really tell is what they use as a binding agent. I want to figure it out and not ask Steven. It's creamy but doesn't seem like mayo, but it's not sour cream. So what the heck is it?
One of the things I love about Steven's is the fresh dill - yum - just enough to be perfect... but how much is that? Experimentation is in order - @ least when I stop buying from Steven's (never).

Pickled Ginger & the Weather - what the ...??

What's up with the prevalence of pickled ginger lately?

How does this happen? Two weeks ago, I had a bunch of ginger - okay, I bought it because I thought about pickling it since there isn't much going on in the pickle department this time of year. But instead, I ended up preserving it per Kitchen Quick Tips from Cook's Illustrated - one of my nifty Christmas presents from MotH. I've preserved it in sherry (p. 254-5). I tried the sherry before doing so ... the ginger is only going to make the sherry better. Not my thing and I wonder how all those little old ladies drink it -- maybe it's better cold... but - blech. I have recently found a couple of recipes using sherry and ginger so that should prove beneficial.
So yesterday -- I'm reading Fine Cooking (Feb/Mar 2010) and there is a great little article (page 18)  on pickled ginger....

and then today -- there's this...

So I guess I'll be buying some more ginger to try pickling. I do make sushi at home, so it won't just be for show, but how strange is this... anyway. Back to the store for more ginger. I wonder if I can grow some here that's edible. I'll have to find out...

So Friday, it snowed (if 5 flakes count - and I think they do) and was miserable and gray and in return we were rewarded with a BEAUTIFUL Saturday and Sunday. Sunday was windows open, short sleeved shirt, blue sky kind of perfect. Winter in North Gulf Coast Florida - that's how it should be.

Super Bowl Sunday Recap

Victims of my overzealous menu:
Baked Brie - boo - that was the one thing I was making for me...but that doesn't mean it won't be made at some point this week -- for dinner - how evil.
Sun-dried tomato thing - not a big deal, just had an idea of what I wanted in my head, so the fact that it wasn't made isn't the end of the earth.
Ate hot pepper jelly for lunch this week, so wasn't jonesing for it quite so much by Sunday - gave it a miss.
Totally forgot to make fries. By that time I didn't much care and I don't thinkk anyone missed them anyways.
So the review of those that survived... (including the Saints - that was great!)

Cajun Popcorn - outstanding! I mean really good. I wasn't sure it was going to work, esp after pouring the hot sugar mixture on the popcorn - and making popcorn the old way was great and the house didn't have the fake chemical smell the micro-popcorn does.
Spinach / Artichoke dip - v.g. worth the effort - makes a lot of dip!
Sausage Balls - good as always - froze remaining for easy breakfast. I always have to look this recipe up on the internet... don't know why I don't have a copy - random.
Gouda / crackers - if you like Gouda, you're happy.
Buffalo Chicken dip - again makes way too much. Used can chicken hesitantly as I think that's kind of weird. Not bad, but next time I'll poach a chicken breast or use a rotisserie chicken.
Sliders - easy recipe and I'll make that again this week.
Mini Cheesecakes - excellent - no really, just easy and excellent.