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.

Enter the vegetables

Er, enter the vegetable.  Singular.  Broccoli.


I do eat a lot of meat, but I do not exclusively cook with meat.  I will often pick up something green at a farmers market or at the grocery.  Sometimes I even make a trip to the store specifically for something green, as I did for this pasta dish.


Over Labor Day weekend, I took a trip down to Anaheim with my mom and little sister to run the Disneyland Half Marathon (and go to Disneyland).  At some point, my sister mentioned a broccoli pasta dish my mom had cooked recently.  She described the broccoli sauce as "gold".  I had my mom email me the recipe the day I got back to Portland and made the dish that night.


I mentioned in my first post that my biggest cooking influence is my mom.  She cooked dinner for me, my two sisters, and my dad almost every day I lived at home.  Sometimes she would even cook multiple different dinners to appease the varying tastes of the four of us.  She continues to cook nightly for my dad, a man who basically refuses to go out to eat because he says my mom cooks better food than any to be had at a restaurant.  Needless to say, she is an amazing cook.  And she has compiled an extensive collection of recipes, and I can always go to her if I need to know how to make a dish or to get a recommendation.  


Fusilli with Broccoli Sauce


4 Tbsp butter
1/4 c. minced shallots (or garlic)
about 1 1/2 lb broccoli
1/2 c. chicken stock
1/2 c. cream
salt & pepper
1 lb Fusilli
1/4 c. grated parmesan


1. Saute garlic (I NEVER cook with shallots; I can't stand them) in 2 Tbsp butter.


2. Separate broccoli florets from stems.  Discard tough ends of stems.  Peel stems down to tender part.  Keep florets in large pieces.  Add florets and stems to large pot of boiling, salted water.  Florets will cook in about 2 - 3 minutes, stems will take 3 - 4 minutes longer.  Drain broccoli, reserving cooking water.


3. Transfer broccoli to food processor with garlic and any butter remaining in saute pan and process well.  Add chicken stock and process again until as smooth as possible (it does not need to be completely smooth).  Transfer mixture to a 10" skillet and stir in cream.  Season highly with salt and pepper.  Just before you need it, reheat sauce gently over low heat.  Do not cook too long or the sauce will start to lose its pretty green color.


4. Boil pasta in reserved cooing water.  Drain, reserving about 1/2 cup of cooking water.


5. Transfer pasta to a large, warm bowl.  Add remaining 2 Tbsp butter and toss to melt butter.  Add sauce (you may not need to use all of it) and toss, adding a little of the cooking water if needed to thin sauce.  Top with grated parmesan cheese.


Bon appetit.

Corsican brined pork chops

Does anyone else find it funny that almost every one of my posts have started with a picture of raw meat?  I think that I get really excited about taking pictures when I start cooking a meal, but as I get into the cooking, I pay more attention to the food than my camera, so I end up with before and after pics.  Ah well. 


I made this dish for the first time last winter for my most recent ex-boyfriend (while we were still together), and he declared it the best meal he had ever had cooked for him.  It is a very tasty dish. The brine seasons the chops perfectly, and the rich, slightly sweet, tomato-based sauce complements the saltiness of the pork.  I love the sauce, and the last time I made the dish, there was a lot left over.  Remembering this, I this time decided to put that extra sauce to use.  I boiled about a third pound of fusilli to al dente, added a handful of cherry tomatoes to the sauce left in the dutch oven after serving the pork chops to the plate, and tossed the pasta in the resulting sauce.  You couldn't ask for an easier side, and it doesn't hurt that it's delicious.


1.  In a large stainless steel bowl or plastic container, combine 1/4 c. sea salt with 3 Tbsp sugar and 1 c. hot water; stir until dissolved.  Add 3 c. cold water, 1 tsp dried thyme, 1 tsp crushed juniper berries, 1/2 tsp cracked coriander seeds, 1/2 tsp cracked peppercorns , 1/4 tsp dried sage, and 2 bay leaves, crumbled.  Put 4 center cut pork rib chops, cut 1 1/4" thick in the brine, cover, and refrigerate for 24 to 48 hours, turning them occasionally.


2.  Drain the pork chops.  Pick any whole spices off the meat and discard.  Pat the chops dry with paper towels.


3.  Heat 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil in a large, deep nonstick or black cast-iron skillet (Erin's note: I use my dutch oven) until it shimmers.  Add the pork chops and cook over high heat, turning once, until browned, about 6 minutes.  Transfer the chops to a plate and season with salt and pepper.


4.  Pour off the fat from the skillet.  Add 1 c. chicken broth and 2 Tbsp dry white wine and bring to a boil, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.  Boil until the liquid is reduced by half, about 3 minutes.  Add 1 c. tomato sauce, 1/4 c. orange juice, and 1 garlic clove, smashed and simmer for 5 minutes.


5.  Return the pork chops to the skillet, turn to coat with the sauce, and bring to a boil.  Cover tightly, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the pork is tender and fully cooked through, about 10 minutes.  Transfer the chops to a platter, cover, and keep warm.


6.  Add 8 cracked green olives, pitted, rinsed, and coarsely chopped to the sauce and boil over high heat until the liquid is reduced to about 1 cup.  Stir in 2 tsp finely slivered fresh basil, 2 tsp finely slivered fresh mint, and 2 tsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley and pour the sauce over the chops.


Bon appetit. 

Honey brined pork chops

I always look to Martha Stewart when I need a recipe, and I have been receiving Martha Stewart Living for more years than I care to count.  I get so excited when I see a new issue in my mailbox, and I burn past the home and garden articles straight for the recipes.  The June 2009 issue had an article about grilling, and this gem of a brine was included.  It is incredibly simple and results in meat that is perfectly salty sweet.

1 whole chicken cut into parts or 6 1" thick bone-in pork chops

6 c. water

1/2 c. coarse salt

1/2 c. honey

Bring water, salt, and honey to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring until salt dissolves.  Let cool completely.  Place chicken or pork in a bowl and pour cooled brine over top.  (Erin's note:  I prefer to use a ziplock bag.)  Refrigerate, covered, for 2 - 3 hours.  (Erin's note:  I have refrigerated for up to 48 hours, and it was spectacular.  With chicken, that might be too long).  Remove meat from brine, rinse under cold water, and pat dry.  Season with pepper before grilling.

Grilling is always best done on an outdoor grill, but living in Portland means you can't always venture outside.  My cast iron grill is worth its weight in gold.  Well, it's pretty heavy, so I might take the gold on that one, but you get my drift.  It is a necessary item for grill lovers in rainy climates.  I mentioned this in my Tira de Asada post, but you want the grill to be hot enough to make grill marks on the meat, but cool enough that the meat won't scorch while it cooks.  This means taking your time and letting the grill heat up before throwing on the meat.  You only need a medium to medium-low setting on the stove.  

I whipped up a very simple pasta caprese as a side dish.  This is another one of those dishes for which I don't actually have a recipe.  I'll do my best.

1/2 lb penne

1 pint cherry tomatoes

4 cloves garlic

1/2 lb fresh mozzarella di bufala, cut into 1" pieces

1 c. loosely packed fresh basil leaves

olive oil

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350F. Place tomatoes and garlic in oven-proof skillet (such as cast iron) and toss with ~1 Tbsp olive oil and a pinch of salt.  Cook in oven until tomatoes are beginning to soften and some of their skins split 6 - 10 min.  Remove from oven and set aside.

Meanwhile, boil penne to al dente, drain, and place in a large bowl.  Stir in tomatoes, basil leaves, and mozzarella.  Add 1 - 2 Tbsp olive oil, season with salt and pepper, mix and serve.

Bon appetit.

Brined chops two ways

I have mentioned my beef more than once now, but beef is not the only meat that inhabits my freezer.  Last winter, the same coworker that splits cows with me asked if I had any interest in splitting a pig.  Um, yes!  A couple months later, I had pounds of pasture raised, acorn and whey fed gourmet, heritage breed pork courtesy of Abundant Life Farm in Dallas Oregon.  And it is honestly the tastiest pork I have ever eaten.  


Much of the pig was cut into thick pork chops.  I love pork chops, but I do not love having to defrost four at a time.  I am usually cooking for just me, and even if I eat a pork chop a night for four consecutive nights, the meat is not going to be in prime form by the fourth night.  My solution?  Brine it all.  Meat is usually brined for 24 - 48 hours (or more in some cases), so I can throw it all in the fridge without fear of it getting funky.  


The honey brine recipe is from Martha Stewart, my hero.  When I was thinking about starting a food blog, my best friend (Style by Santina) was all about making it a Julie/Julia-style blog and having me cook my way through my two enormous Martha Stewart cookbooks.  I considered the idea, but in the end I thought it would be best to give myself some leeway.  And Martha often uses strange and expensive ingredients.  I can't afford such an endeavour.  Her honey brine recipe (with no strange or expensive items in it) is from Martha Stewart Living, June 2009.  Last summer I used the recipe for the first time to brine a cut up whole chicken then barbecued the bird.  I fell in love.


The Corsican brined pork chop recipe is from The Slow Mediterranean Kitchen by Paula Wolfert.  Many Christmases ago, my first post-college boyfriend bought me a Le Creuset dutch oven.  Possibly the best present ever as I use it weekly at a minimum.  My dad went with him to pick up the gift at Sur la Table, and while there, bought me the aforementioned cookbook.  Apparently one of the employees at Sur la Table told him it was a "must have" for slow cooking and would be an excellent accompaniment to the dutch oven.  Now, the former claim may be true, but few recipes in the book call for a dutch oven.  None the less, I love the cookbook.


I will post the results of these two brines soon, and I will give the recipes in those posts.  You'll just have to stare at the raw meat above, mouths watering, until then.


Bon appetit.