Cooking Experiments Diary

So last night I made a delicious red sauce and some creative chicken shrimp meatballs (with cilantro, pepper, salt, garlic, thai red chili sauce…).  And I went into the pantry to get our pasta and I spotted this whole wheat pasta (I bought in one of those – I bet that doesn’t taste so bad and it’s healthy – moods).  So I decided it was time (to commit and get it out of my pantry).  I looked at the whole wheat pasta, looked at the trash, back at the pasta, then looked at the boiling water.  It went in the water.  I regretted it when I started to test it’s doneness, but I thought, “once the sauce is on it – it’ll be better”.  Let’s end this post by saying, “Whole wheat pasta sucks a big…” and good for you people that like it – you can keep it.

We were having company over and I was really craving some steak tacos (carne asada was on my brain).  Now, we didn’t have a lot of money – so I decided I’d go with flank steak.  So I started my research going from recipe to recipe.  All the recipes had you grilling the flank steak, and I’m in upstate new york in 20 degree weather with snow coming down.  After looking at several different recipes two things were clear, you need to marinate the sucker and you need to hit it with some intense heat.

So I made my marinade (garlic, olive oil, par-boiled tomatillos, white vinegar, half an onion, big handful of cilantro, 2 serrano chilis, garlic salt, white and black pepper, lime juice, and some regular salt).  Pureed that in the blender, put my flank steak in a baking dish, covered it in the marinade, turned the steak just to make sure the whole thing was covered in sauce.  I wrapped the baking dish in plastic wrap (sealed it up) and put it in the refrigerator for about 30 hours.

Then I did more research and a lot of people complained how chewy flank steak was.  I already knew that you needed to treat it with care, or it would be rubber and I was a little nervous – but what the f@@! – it was already marinating and no turning back now.  I had planned on using the broiler, which I knew my wife would love – nothing beats having guests over and having clouds of smoke pillowing out of the oven – but again – what the f@@! – rubbery meat or smokey house.

When the time came to cook it, I had a wild hair and decided I’d pull that bbq out in the snowy 20 degree weather and give that a go.  I had a “duh” lessons – you know – those common sense things you probably should have thought of – but didn’t.  So I turned on the bbq and cranked it up to high, waited about 15 minutes to let it heat up and put the flank steak on the grill.

Something was amiss.  It didn’t sizzle like it should have, and I was freezing my tatas (I don’t like to use the word tit’s – oops) off.  It was supposed to cook 6-7 minutes on each side.  So I came back in 3 minutes and rotated the steak, so I’d get a nice cross grill mark on the steaks, then in 4 more minutes I came out and turned it over to cook the second side.

The grill marks weren’t quite right – they were barely noticeable.  Then the light bulb went off in my head – the “duh” moment hit.  If it’s 20 degrees outside, it doesn’t matter how high you have your bbq cranked up, it won’t get that hot.  So a little panic set in, but I didn’t let anyone catch on.  I maintained the chef’s, “yeah I know what I’m doing – what you’ve never done this before, it’s perfectly normal”.  I let it finish it’s 7 minutes on the second side and took it inside.  I knew that it wasn’t done – so I turned that broiler on high.  I had no clue how much longer to put it in the broiler – so i did 2 minutes on each side.

Long story short – the flank steak practically melted in our mouths and the marinade was amazing.  So it all worked out and I looked like I had it all under control – which I rarely do.  But luckily it seems to work out well more often than not.

On another note I had also made fresh salsas (super spicy and medium), special sauce (super spicy and medium), refried beans, chicken soup, tortilla soup, stuffed jalapeno peppers (that were 4-5 inches long and 2 inches thick) and chicken cacciatore.  It was fun.

For dinner I had roasted a chicken and after taking off the breast meat, wings, legs, thighs all I had was the carcass.  I decided to make some broth out of it.  So I put the carcass in a stock pan and added about 8 cups of water.  I brought the water to a simmer and cooked it for about 6 hours.  Then I added about 2 cups of uncooked shrimp (still frozen and in shell – no need to thaw), and a head of garlic that was peeled.  I simmered that for about 2-3 hours.  I strained the broth and pressed the chicken, shrimp and garlic to get as much juice out of it as possible.  I added another head of peeled garlic and whole bell peppers (I used mini bell peppers) – basically about 2 large bell peppers.  I placed 2 heads of garlic that I halved with a chef knife drizzled olive oil on the cut halves – put them back together, wrapped in foil and baked at 375 degrees in oven for about 45 minutes until softened.  Cook the garlic in the broth until softened.  Pull out the bell pepper (you could add spicy peppers if you like spicy – that would be delicious), garlic that was cooking in soup, and roasted garlic from the oven into blender.  Add salt and pepper to blender.  Puree.  Take broth off the heat, and mix in the garlic puree.  Pour the soup into bowls.  Top with croutons (I made home made croutons – chopped bread, sprinkled with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder – and baked on cookie sheet at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes, you have to watch it and make sure it’s not burning – flip them over when necessary, parmesan cheese and enjoy.

I thought that it was delicious, and definitely would be a great base for other soups that ask for chicken stock – such as chicken soup, or tortilla soup.

As I was walking through the grocery store I spotted what looked like a super sized Jalapeno and moved over to see what this new pepper was.  Then I had a holy @!!$ moment and realized that it was a Jalapeno.  These Jalapeno’s were 4 inches long and 1-2 inches thick.  I was trying to take a break from spicy, but could not help but day dream about trying out my first stuffed Jalapeno recipe.  So before I knew it I was sitting in my kitchen staring at these beasts.  I assumed that because they were so large, they probably weren’t going to be too spicy.  After slicing one side of the Jalapeno open and using my finger nails (ouch – but a good ouch), I quickly realized they were spicy.

Someone once told me that usually the smaller the pepper the more spicy it would be.  These were obviously abnormal Jalapenos, probably genetically manipulated – and I didn’t care.  I looked up a bunch of recipes, and they were stuffing their Jalapenos with crab meat and other fancy fillings.  I just wanted something simple – I wanted the Jalapeno taste to shine.  So I decided that I would bread and deep fry the jalapenos and stuff them with cream cheese.  So I sliced each Jalapeno on one side, removed the seeds and ribs with my finger tips (washed my hands really good, in case I needed to use the restroom – been there before, and it’s not a fun tickle), and stuffed in as much cream cheese as I could.  Then I rolled them in flour, dipped them in beaten eggs, rolled them around in italian breadcrumbs (it was the only bread crumbs I had), and dunked them in oil that was supposed to be 375 degrees.  After dropping the first one in, I looked at the thermostat which was off the charts – above 400 degrees.  The jalapeno was already browned in about 30 seconds, so I had to create a plan 2.  Turned on the oven to 400 degrees, put the jalapeno’s (I made two) in a baking dish, and covered them with grated cheddar cheese.  After 15 minutes, I took them out let them cool, wondered if they were going to please or disappoint and then took my bite.

Dang that was good.  I’m just glad I have 4 more in the refrigerator to make later this week.

My wife and I went out to a local Spanish restaurant and although the food was OK, the menu had one idea on it that got me excited.  Stuffed and fried potato balls.  After coming home and doing a little research, it became apparent that this concept is shared by many different cultures.  So I settled on the idea that I would use a recipe to make the potato ball and then I’d make the stuffing myself.  How do you make a potato ball to fry – super easy if you know how to boil a potato for mashed potatoes.  First off get water in a pan and start boiling.  Peel and cut potatoes in half (I used russett’s) and add to the water.  Cook for 20-30 minutes, until you can stick a fork in the potato and the potato feels soft.  Drain the potatoes and and mash them with whatever spices you want (I used salt pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and parmesan cheese).  Let the mashed potatoes cool (important that they are cool).

Then I started on the stuffing.  I heated up a saute pan and added a cup of sausage and cooked until sausage was done.  Then using a slotted spoon, I removed the sausage from the pan – then I set the sausage aside.  I added 1/2 cup of chopped / minced onions and 1/2 cup of bell peppers (mixed colors) that were minced.  When the onion softened, I added about 2 tbs. honey, 1 head chopped garlic and some lemon juice, salt and pepper.  Cook that for about a minute.  Then add tomato and cook until the juices are almost gone.  Then I added vermouth (like 1 cup), and 2 tbs. butter, and 1 -2 tbs. thai red chili sauce.  Cook off the vermouth and add 1/4 cup cream cheese.

Now I returned to the potato balls and started by getting 1/4 cup of the mashed potatoes and forming a ball.  Then using my finger I dug a hole into the potato and stuck 1 tbs. of the sausage stuffing and reshaped the potato so that the hole was covered.  After doing 1 of these I found it easier to flatten the 1/4 cup of mashed potatoes and dump 1 tbs of stuffing in the center.  Then lift the sides and shape into a ball so that the potato is on the outside.  I made 6 of these and realized that I had missed a step – the egg.  So I took 3 eggs and separated the yolk from the whites.  I beat the yolks and mized them into the mashed potato).  Then I finished making the balls (and after adding the yolk it was much easier to form, although I did have to run my hands under cold water a few times to get rid of sticky potato remnants).  After all the balls were rolled, I whisked the egg whites and dumped each potato ball into the whites and then rolled them in breadcrumbs (I used panko).  After all the balls were covered in whites and breadcrumbs, I covered the plate with the potato balls in plastic wrap and refrigerated for 4 hours.

After they were properly chilled I fried them in oil at 375 degrees for about 2-3 minutes.  Then let them cool on a paper towel.

They tasted delicious, but needed something.  So I took the pan that I had made the sausage stuffing in (I had wrapped it in plastic wrap and placed in the refrigerator to be used later), and heated it on the stove.  I added 2 tbs. butter, 6-8 cloves minced garlic, 1/2 lemon juiced, 1 tbs. thai red chili sauce and 1 cup of vermouth.  As it heated up, I cooked off the vermouth and took off the heat and added 3 tbs. blue cheese, stirred it into the sauce and poured it under and over the potato balls.

So for Christmas, Santa Clause dropped of a KitchenAid Mixer and a meat grinder attachment.  I was so excited to try it out and I decided that I would make a white bean chili with chicken meatballs (I bought a roaster and will take it apart and freshly grind it).  I had the chili going (navy beans, thyme, bay leaves, paprika, cumin, salt, pepper, water, chicken bouillon, red and green bellpepper, leek, onion, garlic) and had cleaned the grinding attachment.  Just as I was in the meat drawer I saw something that made me say – oh shit!  I had purchased fish the day before and knew that I had to use it now or never.  So I had to switch things up.  First thing that came to my head, was swap out the chicken for my fish (halibut and tilapia).  I’d have to change the seasonings and wasn’t sure if I could put it in the soup.

So I took that fish and pushed it through my grinder.  It was fun to watch and realize how many things I could do now that I couldn’t do before.  I added 1 egg to the fish and mixed it together, then added  salt, pepper, paprika, corriander, freshly chopped basil, lots of breadcrumbs (panko), lemon juice, thai red chili paste, freshly chopped garlic, garlic powder, onion powder.  Mixed all that up and adjusted the panko so that the balls would hold their shapes.

Then I placed the saute pan on medium/medium high heat with vegetable oil.  I cooked them till brown on both sided and the fish was cooked through (had to eat one to determine doneness), then placed them in the oven at 250 Fahrenheit to keep them warm.  I poured the vegetable oil out of the pan and placed the pan back on the heat.  Added garlic and butter, sauteed that for 30 seconds, then added more thai red chili sauce, lemon juice and white wine.  I cooked that down for a minute and then took it off the heat.  I added a couple of tablespoons of creamy blue cheese dressing and mixed it well.  I plated the fish meat balls and squeezed lemon juice over the top them.  Then I took the sauce I made and lathered them in that.  I wanted to add chopped cilantro over the top, but didn’t have anything – it wanted something green.  They were amazing!

I love greens.  I currently live in Upstate New York, and from the first moment I moved here – I fell in love with one food in particular – greens.  Usually what you get in restaurants up here is escarole that has been boiled for 20 minutes and sauteed with garlic, hot cherry peppers, parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs and then from this point on you have other variations like capicola, procuitto, bacon, potatoes…

Every restaurant has their own version of greens and for the most part I love them all.

I also like to understand the basics of things so that I can be creative in a pinch.  So here’s what I’ve learned.  The real basics of good greens (greens that are upstate ny style) is:

1. Greens (Escarole, bok choy, swiss chard, kale, collards… almost anything – but not beet greens – the flavor doesn’t work out).

2. Vinegar (usually around 2-6 tablespoons)

3. Parmesan Cheese

4. Garlic and lot’s of it (I usually use about 1-2 heads of garlic chopped).

Now boil the greens for anywhere between 5 and 20 minutes.  Drain them.  Saute the garlic, then add the greens, vinegar, Parmesan cheese and enjoy.  Depending on what you have in the pantry you can add breadcrumbs or a meat of some kind, or arthichokes, or potatoes or whatever – be creative.

Sometimes you don’t have as much time as you need to roast a chicken, so what can you do.  Well, if you’re not squeamish – then you can butterfly the chicken and broil it in 1/2 the time it would take to roast it.  It’s really not a hard thing to do.  You simple take the chicken and place it breast side down on a cutting board.  At the back of the chicken there should be a little flap of skin at the end of the backbone.  Make sure that the flap is closest to your body.  Grab the flap firmly with your hand, and take some kitchen shears in your cutting hand.  Now you want to cut up the right side of the backbone and then cut on the left side.  You should now have the backbone separated from the chicken (throw it out – or use it for stock).  Now keeping the orientation of the chicken pull it apart so that you can see the breast bone.  It will be on the far side of your body and you should be able to make a small cut into the skin over the breast bone (this part is hard to describe – but I’ll try).  After making the small cut you should be able to see and feel the top of the breast bone.  Now using your fingers (and a small knife if necessary) – run your fingers down the left side of the bone – exposing it.  Do the same on the right side of the bone.  Now grab it (it kind of looks like a dagger), twist and pull and it should come off. Finally cut the tips off of the two wings.  At this point, with Julia Childs recommendation, it’s time to get rid of a little frustration and break the ribs on the bird to help you flatten it out and cook the bird evenly.  Turn the bird over so that the ribs are closer to you.  Beat those ribs, punch it, slap it, hit it, and break those ribs.

Now you either want to truss the legs together, or you can it Julia’s way and cut a small hole in the fat by the legs and poke the leg bones through.  If you don’t want to do this, then just tie the legs together with some kitchen twine.

Melt a stick of butter, and add 1/2 cup of olive oil.  Lather the bird, season with salt and pepper and place it breast side down on a broiling pan.  Turn the broiler to high and make sure the rack that you will be placing the bird on is about 6 inches from the broiler.  Now becomes the fun part.  You’ll have to make sure through this cooking process that the bird’s skin is not burning.  Cover with foil when necessary or adjust the height of the rack.

After the broiler has preheated, place the bird in the oven.  After 5 minutes baste with the butter / olive oil mixture.  After 5 minutes, repeat basting.  After 5 more minutes you should be able to baste with the juices in the pan and flip the bird over so that the breast is up.  Baste bird with juices, after 5 minutes baste again, after 5 more minutes baste again.  Cook the bird until the meat thermometer placed in the thicker part of the thigh registers 160-165 degrees.  Take it out of the oven, place on cutting board and let it rest for 10 minutes.  If you don’t let it rest, then you are going to be serving a dry chicken.  The juices redistribute themselves in these 10 minutes instead of leaking out of the bird when you cut it.

At this point you can make a gravy with the pan juices.

PROBLEMS I RAN INTO: My bird started to burn a little bit, so I had to cover it in foil for the last 10 minutes of cooking.

I am in love with sauces and specifically making sauces.  I think that everything that you make should minimally have 2 sauces to use with your meal.  I always find it exciting to be able to experiment with my food and mix in additional flavors.  With tacos,  pizza, french fries, burritos, meats… – sauces are very fun.  All you need to make a sauce is a recipe or some creativity.  It thrills me to take out the blender, think about what I’m cooking, and start throwing ingredients into the blender.  For example, I decided to make enchiladas today, but I was tired of always making cheese, steak or chicken enchiladas.  So I bought some country style pork ribs and thought I’d braise it to get the pork super soft and perfect for enchiladas.  I didn’t fell like looking up a recipe to see what liquid I could braise it in, so I pulled out my blender and thought about what I was making.  My enchiladas are made with corn tortillas, cheddar cheese, and a tomatillo cilantro sauce.  I could braise it in a tomatillo cilantro sauce (tomatillos, cilantro, sauteed onions, roasted garlic, salt and pepper), but that would be too similar to the rest of the enchilada, I want the pork to stand out.  So I added in 3 small tomatillos, 3 large tomatoes, 3 raw garlic cloves, a good amount of salt and pepper, smoked paprika, chili powder and chipotle powder.  Blended it all up and fell in love.  The sauce is a sour, salty and smokey mix – and it’ll be perfect for the pork.  I think that I’ll puree the sauce when the pork is done cooking and place some of this sauce inside the enchiladas with the tomatillo, cilantro sauce over the top.

So, I could read and follow a recipe for marinades – but that is soooo boring.  Instead, I like to just tinker on my own and learn through mistakes…

My wife had purchased a marinade from the grocery store for chicken and we let it marinade for 24 hours.  Now I had marinaded before, but never let it sit the full 24 hours.  Wow – what a difference.  The flavor of the marinade had truly melded with the chicken.  The meat was moist, and so very tasty.

So I was going to be making tacos and thought about creating a marinade for the steak, shrimp and pork.  I tend to not measure things.  So I added olive oil, white vinegar, 2 tomatillos, a whole head of cilantro, 2 raw garlic cloves, salt and pepper.  I created a few variations of this marinade for each of the three meats.  For the shrimp I had not used tomatillos, and did add some lemon juice.  For the pork chops, I had not used the tomatillos and added some chipotle adobo sauce and a little ponzu sauce.

I let them all sit and marinade for 27 hours.

The results:

1. super tasty steak that almost melted in your mouth and the marinade was so delicious.

2. hard shrimp – something went wrong here and I’m wondering if it was the lemon juice in the marinade or the amount of time that the shrimp marinated.  The shrimp was raw shrimp and I barely cooked it on the bbq – but it was hard.

3.  dry pork chop.  The pork chops that I used were boneless and it didn’t come out moist like the steak.

Since this first go at my custom made marinades, I did steak and chicken and they both came out great.  So, so far a 24 hour marinade seems to work well with poultry and steak.