February 2012
2 posts
2 tags
3 tags
January 2012
2 posts
goddessofscrumptiousness asked: Hi Dave! :) you can definitely substitute just red bell pepper, jamaican long pepper is that variety of pepper that is really red and long and is just mildly hot. :) -jeannie
December 2011
2 posts
17 tags
Souperbowl I: Eggplant, Beans, & Orange Zest
There is a game afoot under the twitter hash tag #souperbowl and to play along all you have to do is use the ingredients selected in the style of the culture selected and make something tasty (or torturous) to share with the group. The details are here on the blog of @nickelmoon.
The first challenge is to make something Italian using Eggplant, Beans, and Orange Zest. That orange zest is an odd...
November 2011
1 post
October 2011
5 posts
4 tags
4 tags
Chicken Ballotine
I’m so late with this post I almost didn’t do it at all. Fortunately my good twitter pal @dabblings kept after me to get it posted and I appreciate her prodding!
I have to say that this was one of the scariest projects we’ve done all year as a part of #Charcutepalooza. The horror stories of sliced thumbs and the ick of scraping fat from the underside of the skin of a chicken...
4 tags
6 tags
I never do this, but these caramels are so good I... →
August 2011
5 posts
4 tags
Skunk Odor Cure
1 quart 3% Hydrogen Peroxide
1/4 cup Baking Soda
1 tsp Dish Detergent (like Dawn)
Mix fresh and keep away from pets eyes. Rinse after 5 minutes.
(Via Nature on PBS)
6 tags
17 tags
What Was Old is New Again
Last year I found myself with to many tomatoes and an idea churning in my head. I came out as Cod Pomodoro served with rice. It was a good dish, I loved the cod cooked in tomato, onion, and lemon but a funny thing happened as I was experimenting with pasta over the past few weeks. I ended up with a pasta sauce that was very reminiscent of my recipe for Cod Pomodoro. Well, having come close I had...
17 tags
New Mexican Style Pork Terrine
I’m up against the gun. It’s the big day and I’ve just put my terrine into the refrigerator to set. I’m hoping it will be ready this evening so I can try it before posting this addition to my blog. I put this off as long as possible. Possibly because all of the options sounded… To be frank they all sounded icky to me. I’ve never eaten a terrine or mousseline....
14 tags
It's turning out to be a pastariffic summer!
This summer has been a boon to my gardening. Perhaps it is because of not having a garden the past couple years. Maybe it’s the weather. Whatever it is I’m taking credit and saying I have officially gotten a green thumb.
I planted three basil plants instead of my usual two but instead of putting them in large pots they are in the garden. What a difference it has made. Each plant is...
July 2011
1 post
5 tags
Vanilla Syrup
2 C sugar
1 C water
1 tsp dark Mexican vanilla extract
Combine and heat in small sauce pan or in microwave until sugar dissolves completely. Store in a sealed container in the fridge.
June 2011
8 posts
10 tags
Tzatziki Sauce:
16 ounces plain Greek yogurt
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, finely chopped and excess liquid removed by squeezing in a tea towel.
1 tsp kosher salt
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1 to 2 tablespoons finely minced mint leaves
Place the yogurt in a tea towel, gather up the edges and apply constant pressure to remove as much liquid as...
20 tags
14 tags
I’ve Gone Sausage Crazy!
I’ll keep this short and too the point. I’ve gone sausage crazy! To date, I’ve made and stuffed the following all in the name of Charcutepalooza (page numbers refer to Charcuterie by Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn):
Mexican Chorizo (substituted NM red chili powder for cumin) p 127
Breakfast Sausage with Ginger and Sage p 120
Sweet Italian (not stuffed) p 122
A modified Brian’s Holiday Kielbasa...
3 tags
1 tag
There. That Looks Better.
ruthbourdain:
May 2011
1 post
12 tags
April 2011
1 post
24 tags
Charcutepalooza March Challenge: Hot Smoking
Charcutepalooza info.
I really can’t remember the first time I hot smoked. I was probably around ten give or take a few years. I used to help my mom smoke chickens or turkeys a couple times a year. I’ll have more on that later. For this challenge I went all out. I used three recipes from Charcuterie by Ruhlman and Polcyn and then a couple of my own.
Smoked Pork
As I’m writing this I’m...
March 2011
5 posts
1 tag
Grilled Cheese Grilled →
Another idea I wish I’d thought of! I think I’d get it all melty on indirect heat and then finish over the hot side. More when I try it.
8 tags
My Favorite Corned Beef Sandwich
I used to love this time of year for one thing and one thing only! The Reuben Panini! Rye bread, dressing, sauerkraut, cheese, and corned beef all melted together and crispy… What could be better than that? Well, I’ve discovered something just as good and when the heat of the desert is up, even better for my money!
It’s my own variation of The Cloak and Dagger with a simple...
21 tags
Corned Beef: Old School VS New School
This article is dedicated to my Uncle David Hancock Bealer 1929 – 2011. He passed away while I was working on this project at the age of 81 after a long battle with MS and Cancer. I’m honored that his last meal of solid food was a taste of the corned beef boiled dinner I prepared.
Back when I was just out of college, my mother Mary and her brother Dave had a wild idea over their daily...
6 tags
February 2011
6 posts
7 tags
1 tag
4 tags
Corned Beef Update: it's been 4 weeks in the brine
This will be the last week. The thinner brisket’s are done, but I don’t see any harm in leaving them in another week. The thicker brisket and the beef tongue are probably done too, but rather than cut into them and find discoloration, I’d rather give them the extra days.
There is finally some light scum in the brine, but not as bad as what I’ve seen in the past. Perhaps...
So that's what that flavor is.
Making soup with parsnips… never used them before. Now I know what that canned soup flavor comes from.
It's the year of the Rabbit.
As such I resolve to cook and eat more rabbit. How do you like to cook it?
14 tags
Duck Prosciutto, the start of a year of meating...
A funny thing happened last summer. My sister sent me home from her place with a large bag full of peppers from her garden. I am a big fan of pickled peppers, so I decided to pickle and can them. I started looking at recipes and found myself in a quandary as to what ratio of vinegar to water to use. I reached out to Laura Levy of laurasbestrecipes.com (@laurasrecipes on twitter) who put me in...
January 2011
10 posts
3 tags
2 tags
Two Weeks in the Brine
#charcutepalooza After two weeks of corning, the brine is even darker than last week and tinted red. The meat is a little gray in color, but this seems to be fading into a more pinkish hue. This is normal. This week I put on gloves to turn the meat. No drops and no splashing (yeah). I still expect a scum to form on the surface of the brine but so far it hasn’t happened. I’m thinking...
2 tags
3 tags
6 tags
5 tags
13 tags
Black Eyed Peas – Tonight’s going to be a good...
What would the New Year be without black eyed peas for luck? Since they are really a bean, I like to cook them as a bean soup.
The whole process starts with a ham bone and some beans. I like to soak my beans overnight in salt water. For a pound of beans I use about a tablespoon of kosher salt and enough water to cover the beans. If you can get fresh beans (beans that haven’t been dried) you can...
16 tags
Barbecue Sauce
Barbecue Sauce
I had a nice conversation with a friend about barbecue sauces and as always, I’ve got some new ideas. I’ll start here with what I did, and then tell you about what I learned and want to try.
I started with about a table spoon of butter and a small onion sliced thin. (In the past I’ve grated it, but it seems to strain out easier sliced.) Add the onion to the...
December 2010
1 post
12 tags
Winging it Brisket Style
I’m totally winging this one, but rest assured next time I make this I will refine it with proper measurements.
I started by drying and trimming the fat cap off of a brisket. Next I gave it a rub made of about equal parts cayenne pepper, paprika, garlic salt, black pepper, Coleman’s mustard powder, and two parts kosher salt.
Next I seared it in a roasting pan on top of the stove for...