Gewürztraminer and Porchetta (Porketta) Sandwiches.

I've been wanting, waiting to attempt another U.P. wine pairing. It had to be a main dish regularly consumed by the traditional families from all heritages. After Pasties, its Porketta sandwiches. Porchetta is a pork tender loin wrapped in pork belly tied and thoroughly coated with an herb paste. With a long list of work to do outside,  I decided to purchase a roast from Econo Foods in Iron Mountain.  To cook the porchetta, put the roast in a cooking bag, set the oven to 350 and wait for 2-4 hours (depending if you want to shred your pork or slice it).  The sandwich is a toasted hardroll with butter lettuce and extra virgin olive oil. 

Chateau Grand Traverse, Old Mission Peninsula, Traverse City, Michigan, Gewürztraminer 2011

Medium, bordering on light body.  There is lemon on the nose, but more of the processed lemon smell. It smells like a lemon the same way that a “Lemon Drop” candy tastes like a lemon. I like that aspect of this wine; it reminds me of eating candy during recess.  Along with the lemon, there is a strong presence of white flowers. Usually I like a floral nose, but this is over powering.  The label lists a lot of flavors, “Lychee, citronella, ginger… apricot, pear, nectar and starfruit.”  Sure if you break it down, all those flavors could be picked out one by one, but it’s easier just to lump them together as “white flowers.”

Paired with the prochetta alone, the two are disjointed. The perfume washes away the spice to leave one with the taste of the meat. Not only do you left with the pork flavor, you are also subjected to the perfume of those white flowers.  With the addition of the butter lettuce, olive oil and toasted hard roll, the pairing gets better. I had a bit of the lettuce, olive oil and salt on the side. When paired with the wine, the whole mixture takes on an earthy quality that outshines the pork pairing.

André Scherer, Haut-Rhin, Alsace, France, Gewürztraminer, 2010

Light body, bone dry. Medium high acid. Medium-short finish. The lemon that was in the Michigan is replaced by, juicy ripe pear. It doesn’t try too much, this wine feels more structured and less mucked with. I have less to say, because I like wine better.

As a food wine it works better with the porchetta alone than with the sandwich. Including the green, olive oil and bread seems to muddle the experience. We are already presented with everything in the spice rub, pork belly and pork loin. It’s a lot to process. I like this wine, with just the porchetta and rice, maybe a vegetable side. 

The Alsatian wine, standing alone, won the day. The one place where Michigan did better was when the olive oil and crispy bread were introduced. Coming in at noon, after putting up a fence and wolfing down a sandwich, I liked the Chateau Grand Traverse better. There are bold and big flavors that can hold you until supper. If I was sitting down to supper, after a quick shower and a few episodes of Newhart, the Andre Scherer would be the Gewürztraminer on the table.  

With this all said, I think that my initial impulse to pair Porchetta with Gewürztraminer was a little hasty. Somewhere out there is a wine that doesn't hit so hard on the nose, has a little bit of sweetness and less body. Looks like I'm going to have to try this experiment again with Riesling. 

Mussels in a Spicy Chirozo Sauce by Eric Wilson

The impetus behind this was to provide at least some finger food to accompany a bottle of Spanish wine that I had been really looking forward to opening (1994 Torre Muga).  I figured maybe this, some cheese, olives, and how wrong could it go?  (Update: the olives unfortunately didn't make it to the event, they're just so damned tasty!)  Anyways, I'm guessing that after I mentioned the wine served, I induced a few cringes from those of whom that know something about wine and food pairings.  And I'll admit, while both delicious on their own, neither one did anything to elevate the other.  This certainly would be better with something more along of the lines of an IPA, a well-executed Pilsner, or a Spanish white such as an Albarino or Godello.  But, while channeling an often repeated sentiment from my youth as I was for at least a bit of time a Chicago Cubs fan, there's always next time.

Ingredients:
2 lbs mussels (scrubbed and debearded)
6 oz chorizo (casing removed)
1/2 medium onion (finely diced)
3 cloves garlic (crushed and finely chopped)
1 T harissa (recipe below)
3/4 cup dry white vermouth (or any dry white wine)
3/4 cup low-sodium chicken stock
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cilantro (or parsely if you're one of those that think cilantro tastes like soap)
1-2 T olive oil
1/2 t salt
Freshly ground pepper
Choice of aromatics (thyme, bay leaf, optional)

For harissa:
1 medium red bell pepper
1 t cumin
1/2 t coriander
1/2 t caraway
2 dried red chili peppers
1/4 t salt
1 T olive oil
Special equipment (coffee grinder, blender)

Instructions
Using a saucepan large enough to comfortably fit all of the mussels, get a dry pan nice and hot on the stove top, medium-high should to the trick.  Once the pan is hot, dump in the mussels, and pour in your vermouth.  Cover immediately and cook for about 2-3 minutes.  Shake the pan periodically so that the mussels on the bottom are replaced by the ones resting on top.  Once the mussels have opened, pour through a strainer and make sure to reserve any liquid from the pan.  Transfer mussels to a large bowl, and cover with saran wrap to keep warm.

Return the pan to the stove, heat the olive oil (or a combination of butter and olive oil depending on your tastes), and add your onions once your oil is hot.  Cook the onions for just a few minutes so that they are tender but without color.  Add in your chorizo, and work well enough so that you break it down into small crumbles.  Cook until the sausage has a nice sear to it, and no longer appears raw.  Add in your crushed garlic, salt, a good twist of pepper, and harissa.  Cook for about a minute or two.  

After the harissa has turned a bit darker, and the garlic no longer tastes completely raw, pour in the juice from the strained mussels.   Make sure to leave out any sediment that may have accumulated.  Depending on how much juice you have, simmer the sauce until you get it nice and salty (probably reduce by no more than half).  Then pour in your chicken stock, bring to a boil, reduce heat, add aromatics if using, and allow to simmer for about 5 minutes.  Then, remove aromatics (if using) and pour in enough heavy cream to add richness to the sauce, but not so much so that it becomes gloppy (trust me, there's plenty of fat that is rendered from the chorizo already in the sauce providing richness, your really don't need too much cream, plus you want it nice and spicy!).  Add the mussels back into the sauce just long enough to heat through, sprinkle with chopped cilantro or parsley, and serve with plenty of crusty bread.

For Harissa (Can be done up to a week in advance)
Courtesy of epicurious.com
Under a very hot broiler, place the pepper on a broiling pan and cook for about 20-25 minutes.  Turn about every 5 minutes or so in order to blacken the skin on all sides.  After roasting, place the pepper in a brown paper bag and allow to cool.

Meanwhile, using a small skillet over medium heat, place all of your spices (chilies included) in the pan and toast.  Shake the pan occasionally to ensure even cooking.  Once the spices are slightly browned and fragrant (shouldn't take much longer than 5 minutes), remove from the heat, transfer to a spice grinder, and grind your mixture into a fine powder.

After the pepper has cooled, removed the skin (which should be extremely easy) chop coarsely, and place in a blender.  Add your spice mixture, garlic, salt, and olive oil to the pepper, and puree into a paste.  Done and delicious.

French Onion Soup & Nutmeg, Paprika, and Black Pepper Popovers

I just made this soup off the cuff. I looked at the recipe I had from culinary school, realized I had forgotten how many grams of flour went into a cup, and decided to wing it. It takes about two hours total, and requires very little prep. The sardine/mackerel and mejillones en escabeche antipasti were antipasti only, and were not involved in the recipe, though they are highly recommended.

So, this is how it goes:

3 large or 5 medium yellow onions (if you're in the South and can find Vidalias, go for it!), fileted
1/4 stick of unsalted butter
1/8 cup of fragrant olive oil
1/4 cup of vegetable or sunflower oil (something that can handle high heat)
Better than Bouillon beef broth concentrate, or bouillon cubes (or three cartons of pre-made)

10 cups water
Ten sprigs of fresh thyme
1/2 cup flour
1/2 lb. of gruyère, shredded coarsely
3/4 cup red wine (Bordeaux or Burgundy)
2 tbsp. kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 cloves of garlic
French bread

Go ahead and make the garlic bread ahead of time. Slice it into rounds and throw it in the oven with a sprinkle of coarse salt and some minced garlic. Toast it until it can't be toasted anymore. You want the bread to start out as dry as a crouton so that it will properly absorb the soup. I bought some pre-made garlic bread toasted rounds. They were delicious. If I hadn't seen them at the store, I would have just made them myself on a cookie sheet.

Note about slicing onions: Please do not slice the onions in goofy half-circles. They should be fileted. Chop the onion down the middle; do not slice it in half, think Prime Meridian, not Equator. Then, place each half with the freshly cut side facing down on the cutting board, bottom of the onion pointing toward you. You will then start at the right side (if you're right-handed) of the onion and make 45 degree slices, cutting the onion thinly (but not too thin, they should still have rigidity). You will eventually have the knife at a 90 degree angle with the cutting board, by the time you've cut half of the half. If this doesn't make sense, call me.

This can be done with only butter, but I guarantee that it will make your life easier to mix some vegetable oil (to maintain the heat) and olive oil (flavor--forgive me for putting it in French fare) in along with the butter.

I personally believe that this is one of those dishes that should be done in a deep, commercial-size, stainless pot, but it could be done in an enameled cast-iron type thing, too (cheaters).

Start off with the oil, splash of olive oil, and about 2 tbsp. of butter. Get it hot! I repeat, do NOT put the onions in unless the oil is hot as hell (but not smoking, of course). The flame should be on medium. Let these babies do their thing. Throw in about a tablespoon of kosher salt. Do not forget the salt. Then grind a healthy dose of black pepper into the pot.

You do not want the onions to crisp up or to acquire browned edges or anything of the like. You will therefore stir them every few minutes. You have a lot of onions in here piled on top of each other and you will want them to cook evenly, and definitely not to get stuck on the bottom. If they start sticking (which I doubt, because they will also be releasing some delicious juices) just throw some butter in. Voila!

The onions will need about 40 minutes. You want them to start turning golden-brown. You do not want this to be a result of too much heat, but rather: a slow, delicate, caramelization process. Merriam-Webster says "caramelization" is not a word. You be the judge.

 You will know when the onions are ready because the color will be tantalizing (sorry I didn't take pictures). At this point, you will throw in 2 tbsp or so of butter, and add the flour a spoonful at a time. Stir it up. Let it go for a few minutes.

Then, deglaze with maybe 3/4 cup of red or white wine. I tossed some of the Bordeaux Supérier in with it. I'm a firm believer in using decent wines to cook with. Wine post to follow.

After the wine has evaporated, add the 10 cups of beef broth. I love the Better than Bouillon brand, personally. It's more flavorful and less salty than the powder, and less expensive than buying the broth in the carton. Besides, your soup base is so good, the broth is secondary. You can always adjust the amount of broth that goes into the soup if 10 cups will make it too diluted.

At this point, throw in the ten or so sprigs of fresh thyme (or take them off the stems, also pretty), and a bunch of toasted garlic bread. Maybe 10 small rounds would be good. This is a lot of soup. Let the soup do its thing for maybe thirty minutes. Ladle the soup into serving bowls while it is still very hot, adding a mound of shredded gruyère to each bowl.

I almost forgot the popovers!

Nutmeg & Black Pepper Popovers

Recipe courtesy of Bon Apétit, December 2012

I added 2 tsp. sweet paprika to this recipe. I also added the parsley to the wet mix instead of the dry.

Whisk 2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley, 1 tablespoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, and 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg in a medium bowl. Whisk 3 large eggs and 2 1/2 cups whole milk in a large bowl until well blended. Gently whisk in flour mixture, followed by 3 tablespoons melted unsalted butter (do not overmix). DO AHEAD: Batter can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.

Preheat oven to 425°. Melt 2 tablespoons unsalted butter; grease 12 standard muffin cups with 1/2 teaspoons melted butter each. Pour batter into prepared muffin tins, filling cups three-quarters full and dividing equally. Bake popovers until puffed, golden brown, and crispy around edges, 30-35 minutes. Using a thin knife or an offset spatula, remove popovers from pan. Serve immediately.

2005 L. Mawby, Mille, Leelanau Peninsula, Michigan, USA, Sparkling Chardonnay. With Poached Pear set in Creme Brulee.

If you are going to add the poached pear in a deeper ramikin make sure to add about 10-20 min on top of the cooking time.

Crème Brûlée
2 1/2 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup sugar 
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped
Pinch salt
5 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
6 tablespoons sanding sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F and arrange the ramekins on a large rimmed baking sheet. 
2. In a medium saucepan over moderately high heat, combine the heavy cream, 1/2 of the sugar, the vanilla bean seeds and pod, and the salt and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
3. While the cream is heating, combine the egg yolks with the remaining sugar and whisk to combine. Gradually add about 1/3 of the hot cream to the yolks, whisking constantly, then add the remaining hot cream and stir to fully combine. Strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean container. Carefully ladle or pour the custard into the ramekins, filling them to the rim.
4. Place the baking sheet in the oven and carefully pour enough hot water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake until the edges have set but the center still jiggles when the ramekin is gently shaken, 20 to 25 minutes.
5. Remove the ramekins from the water bath and let cool on a rack for 30 minutes then wrap individually and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. 
6. To serve: Sprinkle the top of each custard with a thin even layer of sanding sugar, using about 1 tablespoon per ramekin. Use a kitchen blowtorch or the broiler to evenly melt and caramelize the sugar. Serve immediately. 

Adapted from Baking at Home with The Culinary Institute of America
August 2012
by Chef Dianne Rossmando

Poached Pears:
Followed David Liebowitz's guide to poach pears and used Seckel pears. 

Herb and Brine Braised Chicken on the Grill.

I like beer and I like chicken. I like to drink beer whilst I grill chicken. When they say, "Stuff a can in it;" I say, "I will keep it in my hand, thank you for the suggestion." Now how does one grill a chicken whilst keeping his (my) hand full, of beer?

 I thought turkey, I thought butter, I thought herbs. A lot of people these days (and those days) are brining their turkeys for Turkeyday. So, I took out sugar and water in the brine and added canola oil and white wine. The oil helps conduct the heat and break down the mussel, as does the alcohol and sugar in the wine.

1 bottle of white table wine 

Canola Oil

1 3/4 sticks of butter 

3 or 4 sprigs of rosemary 

3 or 4 sprigs of thyme 

3 or 4 sprigs of sage

Pepper 

Kosher Salt 

Tin foil

Hardwood chips (for smoking)

1, one gallon ziplock bag.

An old 2-3" deep cooking pan that you don't care about. (10"x10") 

Cook: 2-3 hr

Prep: 10 min 

Fridge:8-12 hr.  

Cut the 3/4 of butter in to three pieces lengthwise and put two on the inside of the chicken. Now insert the herbs with one strip of butter on top. Now we brine! 

To brine the chicken, place the bird in the ziplock bag and fill it to about half way on the chicken with canola oil. Pour in the wine until it covers the chicken and put 1/2 of a cup of salt on the top of all of it. Mix it around, put it in a bowl and place it in the fridge over night. 

Take the chicken out of the fridge and place it in your pan. Pour in as much of the liquid from the bag as is comfortable to transport. Boldly sprinkle kosher salt and cracked pepper over the top.  Cover with tinfoil. 

To roast on the grill you need to take out the cooking griddle and place it aside. We will be be using the top rack exclusively. 

Usually I would grill with hardwood but down here a cubic foot of wood is $6 and it would cost about $12 for heat. In its place we can use wood chips. Get some tinfoil, about 1 foot, fold it. Place the chips in the center and fold in the sides to make a pocket.Set it aside. Get your charcoal going, about a quarter of what you are going to use.

Once the fire goes out on the charcoal, put the wood chips on the outside of the pile.  Place the pan on the top rack and close the lid on the grill. 

Every 15-20 min open the lid, remove the tinfoil and brush the drippings on the chicken. If you think that the grill is getting to hot, open the lid let some of the heat dissipate and the coal to burn off a bit. The problem is that this will heat the charcoal even more, being exposed to that oxygen and all. If you can, try to prop the lid open so all that smoke stays near the chicken and not in the air. 

After a while the drippings will boil out of the pan, use your stick of butter and rub it over the skin to keep the outside moist. After a 1 1/2 hours check the temp in the thigh, continue to do so every other time you braise bird. If you have kept the grill around 300 degrees, you should be outside for about 3 hours. 

Unless you put a rack inside your pan, the back meat and wings will be unusable. The wings are going to be really salty and the back meat may be shredded. If you use a rack the pan will be more difficult to transport from kitchen to grill safely. 

In retrospect I would have put two chickens on the grill or four Cornish game hens. (Pictures forthcoming)

Ricotta-Herb Stuffed Cornish Game Hen.

If you are away from home on Thanksgiving and need a quick, cheep and easy way to impress a small dinner party, then why not do it with a small chicken? Adapted to use game hens instead of chicken; I have simplified the instructions just in case you are making more than two game hens.

I just picked up a small food chopper at Shopko for about $10, it makes a quick job of mincing and chopping without the cleanup of a large food processor.

For 2 Cornish Game Hens:

Stuffing

4 garlic cloves
Handful of chopped flat leaf parsley
Leaves from 5 sprigs of oregano (chopped)
1/2 cup, ricotta cheese
1/4 cup, shredded hard cheese (if you don't know what to pick just go with Parmigiano-Reggiano)

Mince the garlic and roast in small frying pan with olive oil until golden brown or the smell of garlic permeates the kitchen. Then add the chopped herbs to the pan and fry until broken down. Spoon pan contents with the cheese mixture add salt and pepper and, um, well...mix.

Preparing the Hen

Cut a triangle from the shoulders to the middle of the breast to remove the wishbone, or just cut down the middle of the breast to open up the game hen. Turn over and lay flat, either with shears or the sharpest knife you have in your kitchen remove the backbone. Do not remove the hipbone. Just bring up the skin from the hen and open up a pocket on either side with your fingers before adding the stuffing.

Cooking

Quarter up the stuffing and go to town. Put as much stuffing in as you can fit into the game hen. Then lay the hens flat on an oiled baking sheet large enough to fit both hens. Sprinkle oil, salt and pepper over the hens. Cover with tin foil. Place into a 400 degree preheated oven and bake for 1 hr (I get the thigh up to 175).

Serve over a small portion of rice or risotto. If you do not enjoy this dish then you have either no soul or sense of taste.

Be mindful of the smaller rib bones while you are eating.

Unemployment Fish Soup

Whenever I become unemployed I like to make this variation on a simple Sicilian soup with all of the stuff that I had when I was employed and times were plentiful.

When you are picking out fish for this soup you have two choices. One, thaw out whatever you have in your freezer. Two, buy whatever is on sale at the supermarket. I chose the second option and came back with Perch and Shark. Perch is great because you don't have to worry about cutting it up too much, just quarter it. Shark is cool because it's shark and we don't usually find that fish in the Upper Peninsula. (The shark was not a good idea, the perch was perfect, but the shark was too chewy)

-3/8 cup of olive oil (6 tablespoons)
-2 medium onions (chopped)
-2 large cloves of garlic
-1/2 large carrot (chopped)
-2/3 and only 2/3 cup of parsley (chopped)
-2 garden tomatoes (chopped)
-1 cup of cold water
-1 cup white wine (dry)
-2 lbs. of mixed fish fillets cut into large chunks

All ingredients are approximate to what you will actually use.

In a large pot saute the onions, garlic and carrot in the olive oil until onions are close to being golden. Add the parsley and cook for a few minutes, then do the same with the tomatoes. Put fish in and cook for about three minutes. Pour the wine until it half covers everything and top with water.

I ate mine with a hard roll and pared it with a cheap '08 Torrontes.

Cucumber Salad

This is the salad my grandma always makes, probably with a few adjustments because you never can reproduce Grandma’s cookin’. What made this salad particularly delicious were the mini cucumbers. I like normal cucumbers just as much, but I typically peel them for this sort of thing. This was pretty and festive because you can leave the skin on—it is soft, delicious, and nothing close to bitter.

I also used Campari tomatoes on the vine (though I think the on-the-vine thing is overrated) which are out of this world. I’ve also been deprived of good tomatoes for many years, so who knows. But get some sweet, small tomatoes that you can cut up into bite-size wedges. No cherry or grape tomatoes please! This recipe is so simple and so delicious it’s absurd. Very healthy too, if you go easy on the salt.

Ingredients

Three mini cucumbers or one large cucumber

Two small Campari tomatoes

½ medium-size yellow onion

Salad vinegar OR white vinegar, OR white wine vinegar, OR apple cider vinegar

Rice vinegar

Good extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Cut the cucumber diagonally into slices. Cut the top off of the tomatoes. Flip them over so that the now flat part of the tomato is your base on the cutting board. Cut from the top downward down the middle, so that you have two pieces, then make 45 degree cuts into each half, creating a total of 6 wedges per tomato. Be careful with your fingers!

You will basically do the same with the onion, except take a half and make these 45 degree angle cuts very thinly to get the kind of onion pieces you see in the photo. You could also do half circles, but I think this comes out prettier.

Just use whatever vinegars you have on hand. My favorite is the classic American Heinz Salad Vinegar, but it doesn’t matter that much. Rice vinegar gives it a special bite but is not necessary. If you use rice vinegar, be sure not to use as much salt!

Put the cucumber, onion, and tomatoes into a glass, ceramic, or wooden bowl. Pour 3/4 cup of vinegar(s) over the mixture , then drizzle just a tad of the olive oil over. Stir it ever so slightly with a wooden spoon. Let it marinate for half an hour or an hour, and bon appetit!

Memorial Day Baby Back Ribs

Hey gang, hope y’all had a good Memorial Day weekend. Never forget.

So, I decided to make some beef baby back ribs. Pork is good too but beef is what I got and I don’t know what the appropriate adjustments to this recipe might be. I don’t have a stovetop smoker, and I didn’t want to fire up the grill, so I just did these in the oven. I used Emeril’s recipe for the rub and the barbecue sauce. (Sidenote: I love you Emeril, but there is no way in hell barbecue is spelled with a “q.”) With the rub thoroughly rubbed in, I covered them in saran wrap for about half an hour. Then I popped ‘em in the oven for about 30 minutes. I then basted them with plenty of the barbecue sauce and put them back in the oven for about an hour, at 300 F.

INGREDIENTS

2 slabs of beef baby back ribs

RUB

2 tbsp. kosher salt

1 tbsp. dark brown sugar

1 tbsp. paprika

3/4 tsp. granulated garlic powder

1 1/2 tsp. granulated onion powder

1/2 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. ground black pepper

1/2 tsp. cayenne

BARBECUE SAUCE

½ cup red wine vinegar

1 cup chopped yellow onion

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1/4 cup light brown sugar

2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce

1 cup ketchup

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

Combine all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor. Then simmer in a nonreactive saucepan (because of the vinegar) for twenty minutes. This smells great.

I used white wine vinegar instead of red wine vinegar and dark brown sugar instead of light brown. Tabasco was of course the “hot pepper sauce” of choice. I might cut down a tad bit on the lemon juice because it was very tangy, but overall a great sauce. Not very thick but next time I might try adding some cornstarch.

These did not get that super crunchy, caramelized texture on the top, and I'm sure they'd benefit from smoking or grilling in flavor, but they were still very tasty and moist. And messy, which is important.

Happy ribbing!

Simple Trout

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees.
Sprinkle olive oil in a cake pan and place your trout filet in the center. Then sprinkle flake salt and herbes de provence on the fish and place:
Sage
Thyme
Baby carrots
Sliced shallots
Whole peppercorns
and
Juniper berries
Around the filet and bake for 30 or so odd minutes.

I just picked up some steelhead trout and will be cooking that up shortly, we will have to see how it turns out. 

Catfish Delights

TWO WAYS TO COOK YA UP SOME CATFISH FROM A SOUTHERN LITTLE LADY

All right kids. I know you’ve been anxiously awaiting a post. Life gets in the way, then catfish shows up in the grocery store for a buck fifty a fillet. So there you have it.

Also watched an episode of Emeril ecogreen cuisine or whatever it’s called and it’s fantastic. I think Emeril and I would be best friends. No offense Emeril, but you haven’t taught me any new techniques. However, you have uplifted my Cajun spirit and curiosity. But you know what they say...curiosity killed the cat [fish] (sorry).

First recipe, tried and true. I must give credit to Guy Fieri, whose recipe is so cleverly entitled “Not Lackin’ on the Blackenin’ Catfish.” Gotta love a man who likes his apostrophes. But I have altered this recipe quite liberally. Here we go:

Getcha self some catfish fillets. In South Texas we avoid the hardheads. “Hardheads” are saltwater catfish. They are mean little suckers and their gills will slice your hand wide open. How do I know this you ask? Because my father lived in a little town called Rockport, also known as one of the best fishing spots in the world. I therefore legitimize both my fishing skills and my Cajun background. (I’ve got deep roots in Acadiana, honey).

Guy calls for 4 fillets, but I think it works best on two, with a bit of the spice mix left over.

My additions include: sweet paprika (pimenton dulce, which is almost neon pink-red; a cayenne-paprika mix which is very hot; some Tony Cachere’s (mama [pronounced maw-maw] went to high school with that brilliant little cartoon man); and a chile piquin mix that I picked up at Fiesta, a Mexican grocery store in Texas. Just eyeball it. The rest of the measurements are important.

2 tbsp. paprika (Hungarian)

1 tsp. cayenne

1 tsp. dried thyme (don’t worry if the leaves are whole)

1 tsp. dried chili powder (I used ancho chile)

2 tsp. garlic powder (go ahead and put three)

1 tsp. ground cumin (don’t overdo it)

2 tsp. sea salt

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper (is there any other kind?)

2 or 3 (6 oz.) catfish fillets

2 tbsp. canola oil

2 tbsp. butter (go ahead and use four)

4 lemon wedges (use a whole lemon)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 200 F. Line a large baking sheet or casserole dish with two tablespoons of cold butter chopped into cubes and lemon wedges.

Mix all dry ingredients (spices) together in a small bowl. Get a large sautee pan nice and hot, and add a tablespoon of butter and two tablespoons of canola oil. Then spread a little onto a plate large enough to accommodate one of the fillets. Dredge the fillet in the mix on both sides quickly. Pop it into the pan, then pour some more of the spice mix onto the plate and dredge the other fillet or two and pop ‘em in the pan too. Don’t pour all of the mix onto the plate at the same time because it will get saturated and possibly chunky, and most importantly won’t stick to the fish. Sautee the fish for two or three minutes, making sure they get nice and blackened (they won’t be charcoal black but you’ll know). Then put all of the fillets (this may be in batches as normally only two fillets will fit in a large sautee pan) on top of the bed of lemon and butter, and put that in the oven for about five minutes. If the lemon wedges still look good, serve them with those. If not, then garnish with some parsley that is still on the stalk. It will look divine.

Red cabbage salad:

Slice red cabbage as thinly as possible. Julienne cucumber (remove seeds and skin first) and slice red onion as thinly as possible. Pour about ¼ cup white wine vinegar, ¼ cup apple cider vinegar, some salt and pepper over the salad. Let marinate for at least two hours, then toss. Serve this with your catfish. So pretty, and pretty healthy except for the butter.




The second catfish recipe is quite simple as well. Instead of dredging the fillets in the spice mix, just season them on both sides with sea salt and fresh black pepper. Sautee them in a very hot pan with some butter and olive oil this time.

In food processor, mix 2 cups flat-leafed parsley leaves, about five fresh basil leaves, 3 cloves garlic, 2 tbsp. white wine vinegar, 6 tbsp. olive oil, a teaspoon of anchovy paste, salt, and pepper. The mixture should be thick and stick to the sides of your food processor bowl, so adjust accordingly. If it’s too thick, add more parsley. If it’s too thin, add a bit more vinegar or olive oil.

I also put the seared catfish on a bed of spinach, butter, and green peppercorns that come in brine for about five minutes afterward. Then spread the pesto on top of the fish.

For the salad for this one, I omitted the red onion and cucumber, and just did the cabbage. I then topped it with some alfalfa sprouts. Simple but great.

LE SPINACH DIP

After a long absence, I’ve returned to the winter life. Blustery days call for rich, warm foods--and excuses. By no means is this a dietetic dish, but it is delicious. You could certainly use light cream cheese, light mayonnaise, and skim milk as I did if you don’t want to feel as guilty. I looked at many recipes for spinach dip and made up my own. It’s very easy and should take only about 15 minutes. Just remember to thaw the spinach before. And if not, you can always throw it in a pan and let the heat do the work.

Ingredients

2 cups of spinach, thawed and water squeezed out (about ½ a box)

Half a yellow onion, sliced into thin rounds

2 cloves of garlic, smashed and minced

1 box/8 oz. of cream cheese

¼ cup of mayonnaise

½ cup of milk

1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Worcestershire sauce

Tabasco

Salt and pepper

I also used a bit of lightly sauteed Swiss chard for this, and mixed it with the spinach. You could use either green, or both, but the spinach has a stronger flavor typically.

Put a few tablespoons of olive oil in the pan. Sautee the onion for a few minutes, on low heat, making sure the pan is hot when you put it in. Let it get nice and soft, but not crispy. Add the garlic, making sure it doesn’t get golden or crispy either.

It’s sort of messy to eat with large pieces of spinach, though equally delicious, so if you don’t want such large pieces of greenery, you may want to pass through the spinach with a knife before adding it to the pan.

Throw in your thawed and not-too-juicy spinach and/or Swiss chard, and start stirring, making sure any leftover moisture steams out. Toss in the rest of the ingredients, in any order really, making sure all of the cream cheese melts and so does the Parmigiano. Keep stirring to get everything well incorporated and the spinach and onion distrubuted evenly. Salt and pepper to taste, and put a hefty splash of Worcestershire and Tabasco in at the end. Give it a stir, and you’re done!

Enjoy with a fresh baguette, torn Jesus-style, or with sliced, toasted pieces of bread. Or crackers, or crudités such as baby carrots—my original plan, but of course I ended up just having it with bread.

If you want it to be gratin-style, you can sprinkle a bit more cheese on top along with some breadcrumbs, and put it in a ceramic or glass receptacle in the oven at about 160 C/320 F for about ten to twelve minutes.

Bon appétit!

Oxtail and Beef Shank Ragù

This is a lot like making chicken stock, however, you get the joy of spending weeks waiting for Meijer or your local supermarket to sell beef shank or Oxtail. When Meijer does sell these specialty items, you should purchase them and freeze them until the other goes on sale. Save the cooking liquid, it's beef broth!

Adapted from, The Pleasures of Cooking for One by Judith Jones,

1 tbs olive oil
Salt
1 lbs oxtail
1 1/2 lbs beef shank
2 shallots
1/4 large onion
4 carrots
1 cup red wine
5 Broiler onions (pealed)
1 medium turnip
3 fingerling potatoes halved

Herb Packet:
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp whole peppercorns

Heat oil in large soup pot. Salt meats and brown them on both sides. Take meat out of the pot, place on a plate or something, you will need it soon. Then sauté the onion and shallot with one chopped carrot. Pour wine over and reduce for a minute. Place the meat back in with the herb packet and cover with water. Let everything simmer for 2 1/2 hours.

After the 2 1/2 hours add the rest of the veggies and continue to simmer until tender.

Take the meat off the bones and eat the veggies!

Save the liquid for beef stock!

Lake Trout With Tomato and Sauce

Tomato and Sauce:
8 Mini Kumatos (or cherry tomatoes)
1 small shallot
1 sprig rosemary
1 tablespoon balsamic vin
1 tablespoon olive oil

Slice Mini Kumatos in half and place in bowl.
Chop up the rest of the ingredients (except for the liquids and place those in too).
Add the vinegar and olive oil.
Place to the side.

Lake Trout:
8-12 oz fillet of Lake Trout (mine came from Sault St. Marie, MI , purchased in East Lansing).
3 small sprigs of rosemary.
Coarse pink salt (or kosher).
3 tablespoons of olive oil

Take the small sprigs and add them to the slit in the fillet, if there is no slit make a pocket and place sprigs in there. Salt and place in a large medium hot pan with the olive oil in it. Cook each side for about two minutes or until the center turns white. You can also pepper your fish if you want, before you place it in the pan, but I chose not to.

Spoon the 'tomato and sauce' on fish and enjoy.

Pair it with North Peak's Majestic Wheat Ale. It's a wonderfully drinkable wheat ale, and the citrus tones and a malty-ness that balances the vinegar and tomatoes remarkably.

Parsley Parley

Just to forewarn you guys: this is not really a blog post, it's more like a blog rant.

Here's a green initiative for ya:

Sell parsley in smaller bunches for home consumption! No household or home cook can use an entire bunch of parsley before it goes bad! Unless of course, they're having parsley soup, parsley smoothies, parsley pie...

Even with my various life-extending techniques* I still have to throw away at least half of it.

If you know of any parsley farmers, spread the word!



*Try the following:
1. Soak, disinfect (if need be), & rinse.
2. Allow to dry in a sieve or use a salad spinner.
3. Wrap with two paper towels & insert into large ziploc bag.
4. Refrigerate.

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

After several trials and tribulations, I present to you my extremely adapted version of Pumpkin Spice Muffins (recipe originally from the Pioneer Woman).
When I baked them in a real muffin tin with paper muffin cups, they stuck. A lot. So I can’t guarantee that part to you. But I can guarantee that if you bake them in ramekins as I did, they’ll come out just fine.

I used “light” condensed milk the first time and they came out great. The second time, I used milk and honey—completely different. The third time, I used a slightly different light, low sugar, lowfat condensed milk and they stuck a lot. This may have been due to the tins though, not sure.
If you don’t mind a really sweet muffin, then go with the normal condensed milk. Or just go with the original recipe's evapo milk. (Yes I know, they're very different, but I was feeling adventurous.) I also used freshly grated ginger instead of the powdered variety. Gives 'em a kick. Powdered/dried ginger is so dull.

Also, they have a more cakey feel to them than muffins, but are equally as delicious.
The photo below is from batch no. 2, when I used a sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg mixture as a topping (from original recipe). Didn't like it, so I left it out--but that's why they have sugar on top.
I swear, no more muffin posts after this one. And bear with the photos please!


Pumpkin Spice Muffins
Adapted from The Pioneer Woman

1 cup flour
1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger OR 1 tbsp. grated fresh ginger, loosely packed
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons butter, cut in pieces
1 cup (heaping) pumpkin purée (preferably Libby's, for patriotic points)
1/2 cup evaporated milk OR 1/2 cup light condensed milk
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 400 degrees (205˚ C). Prep muffin tins with liners. Sift dry ingredients. Cut in butter until fully incorporated and mixture is crumbly. In a separate bowl, mix together wet ingredients. Pour wet mixture into dry mixture. Fold gently until just combined. Pour into lined muffin tins, or greased ramekins. Bake for 25 minutes. (about 40 in high altitudes) Test with toothpick. It must come out very clean. Allow to cool in pan/ramekins for 15 minutes, then remove and allow to cool.

Tuna Steak and “Asian” Slaw Stir-Fry

This is probably one of the best and easiest accidental recipes I have come up with. I used a wok for this one, but it is just as easily done in a large sauté pan. Chop the leek up into half moons, and the red cabbage up into long, thin strips. Prepare the tuna by putting sea salt and black pepper on both sides, and let it sit for a few minutes. Don’t go overboard with the salt, because you will be adding soy sauce later on.

Heat up the wok with several tablespoons of vegetable, rapeseed, or soy oil, and about two tablespoons of sesame oil. You may have to add oil as you go, but beware of the sesame oil,* as it can have too strong of a flavor if you add too much. This is why I always mix it with rapeseed (a.k.a. canola). Don’t use olive oil! It will disguise the sesame oil flavor, and won’t maintain the heat well either.

So, when the wok is very hot, throw in the leek. I used the entire white part of one leek normal-sized leek. Mine was very green so that is where the color comes in. You can use the lower section of the green part (top) as well, but it will not soften as quickly as the white. Then, when that is starting to get nice and soft, and caramelized, throw in the cabbage for a minute or two. Then the sauce. Wait for that to dissipate, and add the tuna, just for about two minutes on each side, to give it a nice sear, but for it to remain pink in the middle. The tuna I had wasn’t extremely fresh, or of high quality, so it doesn’t have that beautiful dark rosy tone in the middle. Serve the tuna on top of the slaw, or side by side, either way, it has a beautiful agridulce, or sweet and sour flavor. It’s pretty healthy, too.

Serves two.

* Sesame oil, unlike most common cooking oils, goes rancid quickly. Keep it in the refrigerator. It doesn't solidify like olive oil in the refrigerator because it's polyunsaturated, while olive oil is monounsaturated so it partially solidifies, and butter solidifies because it is a saturated fat. Sesame oil also has a low smoke point, which means it will burn and smoke easily. (Dr. Weil's Eating Well for Optimum Health has all kinds of interesting information like this.)

Ingredients:

3 cups thinly sliced red cabbage

1 leek

2 small tuna steaks

Sauce:

Juice of one key lime or half of a large lime

2 tbsp. soy sauce

Black and white sesame seeds