Go Giants (and a taco bowl)

*** Updated with pictures.  Not much to show for this meal, but I feel like a beef post isn't complete without some raw meat ***


Apparently I can't upload pictures this evening, so I'll tell you about my dinner last night sans-photos and add some later.  But first I must express my excitement about the San Francisco Giants win versus the Phillies tonight (and yesterday for that matter).  I love the Giants.  My mom grew up in the Bay Area as a Giants fan, and all through my childhood, Giants games were on the radio all summer.  They haven't been in the World Series since the fall of my senior year of college (2002), and if they can get one more win, they're in!  GO GIANTS!


Back to food.  I again returned home from work yesterday tired and hungry.  I again walked in my kitchen and looked around at the limited options.  I knew I could hold off on food for a bit, so I decided on a "taco bowl".  I defrosted and cooked some ground beef, made rice, opened a can of Muir Glen diced tomatoes with green chilies, and shredded cheese.  I layered the ingredients in a bowl along with a couple slices of pickled jalepenos on top, and, voila, my dinner.  The taco bowl is one of my standard I-don't-know-what-to-make dinners.  I always have ground beef, rice, and canned tomatoes in the house.


I should mention that what makes this dinner so good is quality ingredients.  The ground beef is from the cow I purchased from 6 Ranch. A friend of mine came over once while I was in the middle of cooking ground beef.  He commented that it must be some really good beef because it smells like steak.  I think that's a pretty good commendation of ground beef! And I always buy Muir Glen organic canned tomatoes. They just taste better to me than other canned tomatoes.  I particularly like to have the fire roasted tomatoes with green chilies on hand because it's almost like a salsa.  It gives good flavor to my taco bowls :)


Bon appetit.

Rösti Potatoes

I haven't posted in a week, and I could give many excuses, but the real reason is that I haven't been cooking to the standards that I normally cook (think veggies with bottled indian curry).  I am embarrassed for the world to see some of the dinners I throw together for myself.  But, I started a new job yesterday (yay!), so what better time to have a new outlook on blogging.  I am going to attempt to post about every dinner I eat, even if it's chinese takeout.  


To start, my dinner last night.  The first day of a new job is bound to be exhausting even if you end up sitting at your desk for most of the day filling out paperwork and getting settled.  I think the first-day exhaustion is due to the weeks, or even months, of anticipation and anxiety about the huge change of a new job.  So, as expected, I was very tired when I walked in my door last night.  I was starving, and I immediately went to the kitchen to see what I could cook up.  Of course, there is a freezer full of beef, but I couldn't stand to wait for anything to defrost.  I have one of those hanging produce baskets, and in the basket was one lonely potato.  This potato was supposed to go in a beef and barley soup I made a couple weeks ago (and never posted, ahem), but I decided to omit it from the soup.  A rösti immediately popped into my head.  Quick, easy, and satisfying, it was a perfect dinner.


Not only was it the perfect dinner, but I also considered the post I could write praising cast iron cookware.  But now I have spent two paragraphs talking about new jobs and turning over a new (blogging) leaf, so I will rant the benefits of cast iron another time.


1.  Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat.  Add 2 lbs russet potatoes, scrubbed and unpeeled, and cook for 10 minutes.  Cool to room temperature.


2.  Peel the potatoes and coarsely grate them (a food processor fitted with a medium-sized grater does the quickest work).


3.  Heat 2 Tbsp vegetable oil and 2 Tbsp butter in a 10-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat.  Add the grated potatoes and brown until a crisp, golden crust forms, about 10 minutes, gently pressing down on the potatoes with a spatula occasionally.  Season with salt and pepper.


4.  Invert the potatoes by placing a plate face down on top of the skillet.  Using oven mitts, grasp the skillet and plate firmly with 2 hands and carefully turn the potatoes onto the plate.  Add another 2 Tbsp vegetable oil and 2 Tbsp butter to the skillet, let the butter melt, and then return the rösti to the skillet with the crisp side up; cook for 10 minutes longer.  Transfer to a serving platter and season again with salt and pepper.  Scatter 1/2 cup Gruyere cheese over the top and serve hot.


The recipe is from The Cast Iron Skillet Cookbook, from which I also made a Slow Roasted Beef Brisket (see here).


And no, I did not eat 2 pounds of potatoes for dinner last night.  I made a small version of this recipe with the one yukon gold potato I already had.  Also, I did not have Gruyere cheese, so I topped the rösti with pepper jack and a squirt of Secret Aardvark Habanero Hot Sauce.  Not quite so classy, but man was it delicious.


Bon appetit. 

Pimientos de Padron

I mentioned yesterday the absurd amount of zucchini I bought at the farmers market.  Many times when I have an item that I am not sure how I want to cook, I will either look to Martha Stewart or the New York Times Recipes for Health.  For an item like zucchini, NY Times is definitely the go-to.  The Recipes for Health are generally pretty simple and, as the name denotes, healthy.  When I saw the Rice Noodles with Zucchini, Tomatoes, and Fresh Mint, I knew it was the perfect recipe; I had all the ingredients necessary already in my kitchen.


I also decided to cook up the pimientos de patron that I picked up at the aforementioned farmers market.  Pimientos de patron are one of my favorite treats.  I love peppers, and these little guys are just delicious.  All they need is a quick saute in olive oil and a dusting of coarse salt.  

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 to 2 garlic cloves (to taste), minced

1 pound zucchini, cut in 1/4-inch dice

1 pound tomatoes, peeled, seeded* and cut in 1/4-inch dice, or 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes, partially drained

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

7 to 8 ounces thin rice sticks

3 to 4 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan or pecorino or crumbled feta (optional)

* To seed the tomatoes, cut the tomatoes in half along the equator, place a strainer over a bowl and seed the tomatoes into the strainer. Rub the gelatinous seed pods against the strainer to extract flavorful juice, and discard the seeds.

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, place the rice sticks in a large bowl, and cover with hot water. Let sit 20 minutes, until pliable. Drain and cut the noodles in half, into roughly 6- to 8-inch lengths, with kitchen scissors.

2. While the rice sticks are soaking, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat in a wide, heavy skillet, and add the garlic. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds, and add the zucchini. Cook, stirring, until the zucchini begins to soften and the skin becomes bright green, about three minutes. Add the tomatoes with juice and salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring often, for 6 to 10 minutes until the zucchini is tender and the tomatoes have begun to break down. Remove from the heat, taste and adjust seasonings, and set aside.

3. When the water comes to a boil, salt generously and add the rice sticks. Boil one minute and drain. Toss with the zucchini and tomato mixture, the remaining olive oil and the mint. Serve, passing the cheese for people to sprinkle on at the table.

Bon appetit.

Roasted vegetable burrito

One thing I really like about Portland is the abundance of farmers markets.  There are farmers markets downtown on Mondays and Wednesdays during the day, so it couldn't be easier for me to buy produce.  Sometimes I get a bit carried away and return to work with multiple bags full of fresh foods.  A recent Wednesday was one of those days.  I don't know what came over me, but I was purchasing everything in site, including about 5 pounds of zucchini.  I didn't really have any specific plans for all that zucchini, but arriving home from work knowing I still had quite a bit of Jacquis Rich Beans left, I couldn't think of anything tastier than a roasted veggie burrito.  

Roasting vegetables is as easy as cutting the veggies up, tossing them in olive oil, salt, and pepper, and throwing them in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes.  I was in the mood for a bit more cooking than that, so I also made mexican tomato-colored rice from Authentic Mexican: Regional Cooking from the Heart of Mexico by Rick Bayless and Deann Groen Bayless. Authentic Mexican is a cookbook that drew great skepticism when it was gifted to me.  The cover features a white guy with a goatee, not exactly the image that Mexican cooking draws.  Executing the recipes changed my mind.  It is an excellent mexican cookbook, as long as you are okay with truly cooking from scratch.  Which I am.

1 1/2 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 c. long- or medium- grain rice

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 large garlic clove, minced

1 ripe, medium-small tomato, roasted or boiled, cored, and peeled OR 1/2 15-oz can tomatoes, drained

1 1/2 c. broth (preferable poultry) or water

Salt, about 1/2 tsp if using salted broth, 1 tsp if using unsalted broth or water

1 c. fresh or (defrosted) frozen peas (optional)

1 large carrot, peeled and chopped into 1/4" dice (optional)

Several sprigs of fresh cilantro or flat leaf parsley, for garnish

1.  Frying the rice. About 40 minutes before serving, measure the oil into a 1 1/2 or 2 quart saucepan set over medium heat.  Add the rice and onion, and cook, stirring regularly, until both are lightly browned, 7 to 10 minutes.  Mix in the garlic and cook a minute longer.

2.  The liquid ingredients.  While the rice is frying, prepare the tomato: Seed it, if you like, by cutting it in half width-wise and squeezing out the seeds, then puree it in a blender or food processor.  Pour the broth or water into a small pan, add the salt, and bring just to a simmer.

3.  Simmering and steaming the rice.  Add the pureed tomato to the browned rice and cook for a minute, stirring several times.  Add the simmering broth, stir the rice, scrape down the sides of the pot, cover and reduce the heat to medium-low.  Cook 15 minutes, then turn off the heat and let the rice stand 5 to 10 minutes, covered, until the grains are tender (but not splayed).

4.  The optional vegetables.  While the rice is cooking, simmer the fresh peas until tender (4 to 20 minutes, depending on their size and freshness), then drain and set aside; frozen peas only need to be defrosted.  Separately, simmer the carrots 5 to 8 minutes, drain and add to the peas.

5.  Finishing the rice.  When the rice is tender, add the optional vegetables and fluff with a fork to separate the grains and stop the cooking.  Scoop the rice into a warm serving dish, decorate it with fresh cilantro or parsley, and it is ready to serve.

I think you can figure out how to assemble the burrito, and if not, check out the pictures above.  Along with the beans, rice, and veggies, I added some cilantro and green salsa.  

Bon appetit.

Chiles Rellenos, Tierra Vegetables Style

This is the first of the meals I made to accompany Jacquis Rich Beans.  I wanted to make a Mexican dish, but I didn't want to prepare something that would dominate the flavors on the plate.  I also didn't want to spend too much time cooking the meal, and most of the mexican entrees I like to prepare are pretty time and work intensive.


My mom gave me this chiles rellenos recipe after I complained to her one night about my attempt to make traditional fried chile rellenos.  On that particular night, the cheese oozed out the of the chiles during the frying AND I ended up burning one of the batches.  I love chiles rellenos, but I am just not a huge fan of frying things.  I am not very good at it, it takes a lot of oil, and it's not particularly healthy.  Mostly I'm not very good at it.  This recipe is perfect: no frying.  


Oh, and in these particular chiles rellenos, I threw a little bit of bacon in with the cheese stuffing.  I had to defrost the second to last package of the Abundant Life Farms bacon, and now that it's sitting in my fridge, I want to put it in everything.  And I cut the recipe in half.


8 chiles (anaheim or poblano), roasted, peeled, slit, and seeds removed
8 slices monterey jack, length and width of chiles
4 large eggs, separated
1/4 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 c. water
canola oil


Stuff each chile with a cheese slice and set aside.


In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, flour, water, and a little salt.  In a large bowl, using a balloon whisk, whisk the whites until they are stiff but not dry.  Fold the yolk mixture into the whites in three batches just until combined.  Take care not to deflate the whites.


Preheat oven to 350F.  Lightly oil a 9-inch square pan.  Spoon half the batter onto the bottom of the dish.  Put the stuffed chiles on top of the batter and cover evenly with the remaining batter.  Bake until browned, about 25 minutes.


I usually make my own salsa to smother the chiles, but as mentioned previously, I wasn't in the mood to be in the kitchen for hours. I used some green salsa I had in the fridge.


Bon appetit.

Warmth for the Soul: Jacquis Rich Beans

This is a difficult post to write because I am not sure I know how to express how much I love these beans.  In short, Jacquis Rich Beans are an essential part of my life.  My mom has been cooking them for as long as I can remember.  We cooked them together as the first item cooked in my first apartment in DC for my first job out of college.  I have used them to win over the hearts of many bean-haters, and bean-lovers.  I cannot remember a year of my life that I have not eaten these beans.  They really are warmth for the soul, or at least, warmth for my soul.

It brings a smile to my face every time I pull out the recipe.  As a present one year for either my birthday or Christmas (they are close together, so I sometimes have a hard time distinguishing presents from each), my younger sister typed out a bunch of family favorite recipes and put them in a recipe box for me.  I know, it is a really cute gift idea. One in which she stole from me: I had done the same thing for our older sister the year before.  Regardless, it was a very nice gift.  But what really brings a smile to my face is the typos on the cards.  There aren’t really that many, but on Jacquis Rich Beans, one of the ingredients is typed – 2 garlic cloves rinsed.  I am laughing as I write this.  Obviously it’s supposed to read ‘minced’, but the thought of a recipe directing you to rinse a garlic clove tickles my funny bone.

Ingredients:

1 lb pink beans, rinsed and checked for stones

1 lb pinto beans, rinsed and checked for stones

14 cups water + hot water as needed

½ onion, roughly chopped

2 garlic cloves minced (not rinsed)

Seasoning Mix:

1 Tbsp olive oil

4 slices pancetta (I use bacon)*

1 ½ cups chopped onion

4 garlic cloves minced

1 Tbsp Kosher salt

1 tsp garlic salt

1 tsp ground red chile*

½ tsp finely ground black pepper

To finish:

1 Tbsp olive oil

Finely ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions:

Place the beans in a large pot, add the water, onion, and garlic.  Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer, partially covered, for about 1 ½ hours.  Check every 20 minutes to make sure the beans are well covered with water.  If necessary, add hot water in one cup increments.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet.  Add the pancetta (or bacon) and fry for 3 minutes, until partially cooked.  Let cool, then chop. 

Using the same skillet, fry the onion until it turns a rich brown (add a tsp of olive oil if needed).  Stir in the garlic, turn off heat and set aside.

When the beans are tender, stir in the pancetta (or bacon), the caramelized onion and garlic.  Season with the salt, garlic salt, ground chile and pepper.  Simmer uncovered for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the beans are tender.

At this point, we usually eat some of the beans as they are, in a small bowl, knowing that by the next day they will be even better.

Let the beans cool then refrigerate overnight.

To finish the beans:

Heat the olive oil in a wide heavy skillet.  When the oil is almost hot, sprinkle in some finely ground pepper.  Add 1 cup drained beans and 1 cup of the bean cooking liquid and begin mashing.  Do this slowly, allowing the beans to simmer so they will thicken.  Add water if you don’t have enough bean liquid. (When the beans sit overnight they absorb a lot of liquid).  Add at least 4 cups beans and 3 cups liquid, simmering until very thick.  Stir this thick bean base into the remaining beans and simmer, stirring frequently, until the flavors blend and the beans are heated through.

The recipe states “serves 12 to 14”.  I usually make it for myself and eat beans for every meal until they are gone.  I eat burritos, tostadas, make rice and bean bowls, eat them as a side dish or just eat the beans plain. You will notice that beans are part of the next couple posts.  I actually stopped taking pics of my meals because they were all bean-based.

* Note on bacon:  I still have bacon from the pork I purchased from Abundant Life Farms.  Bacon is one of the dominant flavors in this recipe, so high quality bacon is a must.

* Note on ground red chile: I always use Habanero powder from Chile Today-Hot Tamale.  It is the best ground red chile pepper I have found. It is very hot, so if you don't like so much spice, perhaps use less than recommended.

Bon appétit.

Slow roasted beef brisket with apple cider-ginger BBQ sauce and caramelized sweet onions

I made this meal on a rainy Sunday back in August.  I knew I was picking up my new shipment of beef soon, so I was trying to rid my freezer of the older meat.  The recipe calls for brisket, but what I had on hand was a chuck roast.  The roast worked fine, but I prefer the recipe prepared with brisket. 

My taste for brisket has existed since I can remember.  My dad grew up in Dallas and loves barbeque.  I can’t recall a time that my parents didn’t have a smoked brisket or two in the freezer.  My dad has the meat shipped from Texas along with Smokey Joe’s BBQ sauce.  More often times than not, the brisket is cut up and placed on small potato rolls with a dollop of BBQ sauce to create a perfect little sandwich.  My stomach becomes a bottomless pit when those sandwiches are around; I swear I can down 15 of them.

I did score a brisket slab with my new shipment of beef, and I’m going to carefully decide how I will prepare it.

But back on that rainy day in August, chuck roast was the star of the Dutch oven.  The recipe is from The Cast Iron Skillet Cookbook: Recipes for the Best Pan in Your Kitchen by Sharon Kramis and Julie Kramis Hearne.  I will save my lecture on the perfection of cooking with cast iron for another post, but let me just say this:  cast iron really is the best pan in the kitchen.  The Cast Iron Cookbook is probably my favorite cookbook (cover your ears, Martha).  Everything I have prepared from the book is good, hearty fare, the type of food that almost anyone will love.  This meal is no exception.

Apple Cider-Ginger Barbeque Sauce
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 c. ketchup
1/2 c. apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 c. soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated


Caramelized Onions
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
1/2 sweet yellow onion, cut into quarters, then thinly sliced crosswise


1 beef brisket, 1 to 3 pounds


1.  To prepare the barbecue sauce, place the brown sugar, ketchup, apple cider venegar, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger in a medium saucepan. Simmer over medium-low heat for 10 minutes.  Refrigerate until ready to use.


2. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 300F.


3. To prepare the onions, spread the olive oil evenly in a 12-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat, add the onions, and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden.  Remove from the pan and set aside.


4. Turn up the heat to medium, add the brisket, and cook, turning once, until seared on both sides, about 5 minutes.  You may need to add a bit more olive oil to keep the meat from sticking to the pan.


5. Remove from the heat and spread the barbecue sauce evenly over the top of the meat. Sprinkle the cooked onions over the brisket, cover the skillet tightly with foil, and bake until fork-tender, about 3 hours.  To serve, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices.

You probably noticed I used my Dutch oven for the recipe instead of a cast iron skillet.  Whenever a recipe calls for a covered cast iron skillet, I tend to use a Dutch oven.  The lid seals tighter, and it is just overall easier to deal with.  And the Le Creuset Dutch oven is just so pretty, no?

Bon appetit.