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 ingredient but I had an idea. The eggplant and beans scream Minestroni and since I like a little fresh squeezed lemon in mine any way how could a little orange zest hurt?

Ingredients

• 2 carrots peeled and sliced
• 2 ribs celery sliced
• 1 medium to large onion diced
• 1 or 2 cloves garlic sliced thin
• 1 eggplant peeled and diced
• 2 small or one good sized zucchini cut lengthwise and sliced
• 2 small or one good sized yellow crook neck squash cut lengthwise and sliced
• 1 15 oz can cannellini beans (white kidney beans)
• 1 28 oz can San Marzano tomatoes. 
• salt
• pepper
• basil
• extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup orzo pasta (I use a good handful)

Makes about 10 cups. 

In a hot large pan generously coat the bottom with olive oil and add the onions carrot and celery. Season generously with salt and pepper. Stir while softening the onion. When translucent add your garlic and stir a few seconds more until you can smell it cooking. Add the remaining ingredients except the orzo pasta plus a tomato can worth of water to just about cover the vegetables. Simmer for about an hour and then add the orzo about 15 minutes before serving. 

For the challenge I micro-planed some orange zest over the bowl and as my usual squeezed a little lemon over it as well. Served with a hearty sourdough with butter I could have asked for a better meal on a cold day. 

I have to say that at first the orange zest seemed a bit much, but as I stirred it into my soup it added a pleasant dimension with a slight bitter note. I didn’t mind it at all.  

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 were almost enough to keep me from even trying it. Then something happened. I went looking for examples of prepping the chicken and found my hero @jacques_pepin giving his always excellent technique. I watched the following video about a dozen times over a week before getting up the nerve to go for it: http://youtu.be/kAekQ5fzfGM.

I combined his technique with my sausage skills and filled the chicken with merguez sausage. The smell as it cooked was just heavenly! It tasted pretty darn good too! I will say that while my dad and I thought it was great, my mom wishes I’d mixed the sausage with bread crumbs or something to lighten the texture of it a little. 

Taking the chicken off of the carcass went very smoothly and quickly.

Removing the leg, thigh, and wing bones took a little more time but also went very smooth. 

I was careful to push some sausage into the legs as @jacques_pepin recommended in the video. 

I trussed the chicken with a half hitch, just like in the video. 

I seasoned the chicken with salt and pepper and gave it a quick sear before putting it in the oven. Notice the butternut squash I cooked to go with it. 

The chicken came out of the oven looking perfect.

First slice…

The final product was moist and tasty. 

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 to push a little further which brings me to this post. 

I’ve been working with a basic foundation of onions softened in olive oil followed by garlic until it explodes with it’s perfume followed by tomatoes and finished with a little butter and herbs. I’ve been altering the foundation with various combinations of peppers, squash, artichokes, and sausage to make unique pasta dishes with extremely different textures colors, and tastes. Imagine my surprise when I realized I was back to something familiar but with the experience to refine it even further. 

Start with half of a red onion and a bell pepper diced and seasoned with salt and pepper (if the pepper smells strong I cut back to about a third of a pepper). Soften them in a generous amount of extra virgin olive oil.

Add a clove of garlic smashed with the flat of your knife and minced fine (or use two if you love garlic like I do). Add a couple fillets of  anchovies along with the garlic (I actually keep a tube of anchovie paste and just squeeze out about a teaspoon). The anchovies should dissolve in the oil.

Be ready to add your tomatoes as soon as you can smell the garlic. I like to use about 6 or 8 plumb tomatoes (but any type will do) that have been diced (you can peel them if you like but I don’t bother as I like the rustic look of the skin in the pasta). Along with them I added about a half cup of white wine (I used La Crema Chardonnay), a diced yellow squash, and a can of artichoke quarters in water (which I’d squeezed the excess water from). To this I added a couple teaspoons of capers which I drained and rinsed as well as the zest from a small lemon. Cover for a couple minutes and let the moisture come out of the vegetables. 

With about 4 minutes left to cook the pasta (at 5000 feet of elevation I use the recomended time on the pasta to get perfect al dente pasta every time at lower elevation I would cut the time) I nestled fillets of cod into the sauce turning them after two minutes.

As the pasta finishes remove the fish and set aside. Add about a tablespoon of cold butter to the sauce. Drain the pasta (be sure to reserve about a cup of the water.) Add the sauce to the pasta and continue cooking over low heat for a few more minutes. If it seems dry add some of the pasta water to get good coverage. Add a couple heaping table spoons of fresh grated parmigiana and fresh basil and stir it into the pasta.

Pour into a large serving bowl sprinkle with more cheese and arrange the fish fillets on top with some basil leaves for garnish. Squeeze a little lemon juice over the fish and serve. 

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. I’m just a small town guy from Arizona. 

Once I decided to go for it, I’d planned to do an intricate terrine of trotters inlaid with my homemade Canadian bacon (back bacon) and sage leaves. Like I said though, I’m a small town guy and besides the green chili from Hatch, NM just started showing up in the stores. I knew what I really wanted to do. I wanted green chili in my terrine, green chili and pine nuts. Forget the sculpture in gelatin, besides it wasn’t that clear to begin with. I want porky, nutty, green chili embedded goodness it’s what I know. 

So here I sit writing about my hopes that it will set in time to slice off a bit for dinner. In the mean time I can describe what I’ve done. 

I started off with 2 pounds of trotters readily available at my local grocery. Unfortunately a whole pigs head was out of the question. My closest source for that is some 200 miles away. Besides, I don’t even know if I’m going to like this. 

Into the pot I put the pigs feet, a carrot, celery, onion, garlic, along with plenty of sage, thyme, bay leaf, a piece of cinnamon stick, a couple cloves, salt and pepper. I kept feeling I was over doing it with the seasonings, but the book says to be aggressive so I was. I covered it all with water and once it came to a boil, I transferred it to my clay pot to cook slowly all night in the oven. After 10 hours at 200 degrees I did a gel test on a frozen plate. It didn’t fully gel so I cooked it an additional two hours at 350 degrees.

After cooking I separated out the liquid into a container. Additionally I separated out the pork bits from the vegtables which I tossed into the garbage. After cooling over night I removed any fat from the gelatin with a spoon and then shot this video of my spoon bouncing on the surface. 

Additionally, I went through the pork bits carefully salvaging the meat, skin, and other tasty bits. Basically I discarded everything that was too hard like bone and too soft like fat. You have to be very thorough since there are some very small bones. 

Additionally I removed any bits of skin with hair like that shown below (this was a bit of a disturbing find that I hadn’t expected). 

Next I chopped the bits to make them more uniform. These were placed into a medium plastic wrap lined bread pan along with diced green chili and some toasted pine nuts. To this I added some barely liquefied gelatin to just cover the bits. I folded closed the plastic wrap and set it in the refrigerator. Finally I placed another pan of the same size with two cans of tomato sauce inside of it for weight. 

Well, I’m happy to say that the terrine set in time. The plastic wrap sprang a leak. The gelatin over topped the pan and solidified on the refrigerator shelf around it (thank goodness for glass shelves that clean easily). That said it set with time to spare. 

As I removed the plastic wrap from the terrine, I could smell a wonderful bouquet of pine nuts and green chili. The look of what had been the bottom of the terrine was better than I’d hoped for. The first slice removed my fears that the pine nuts would just rip chunks of the terrine apart as I cut through it. The first taste with its varying of textures between the meaty bits, nuts, and gelatin alleviated all of my misgivings about what the end result would be like. The play of green chili, pine nuts, pork, and the earthy flavors of sage and thyme with a little something extra from the other seasonings all played well together well in my mouth. 

I am as of this moment a convert. Not only do I like it, but I think I’d make it again. As for the Canadian bacon that I’d originally intended, I wish I’d included it. I think the smokiness and color would have only added good things to the end product. 

I think for my next taste, I’d like to make a sandwich with it and some chipotle seasoned mayo. Although I have to say it’s pretty darn good just as it is.   

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 putting out more than I ever got from several of them in the pots- much more.

The same holds true for other herbs. I have so much sage and thyme I plan on drying and packaging it for a winter full of sausage making. I wish I could say the same about my tarragon and rosemary while both look healthy; neither has really grown much since planting them in May. I have mint too, and from what I’ve heard about it being the thug of the garden for most folks, I have to say I’m a little disappointed. I am getting some but it really hasn’t taken off like I thought it would.

It has also been a great year for tomatoes. I haven’t had to buy one in over a month and don’t see myself having to any time soon. I planted 14 plants this year in the hopes that production would be enough to satisfy our ever day needs (read this as my dad’s appetite for two tomatoes a day) and have enough for the occasional pasta or salsa.

Pasta is what this post is supposed to be about so let’s get on with it. They way it’s been working out I’ve had the surplus tomatoes to make pasta the past couple Sundays, but I don’t have the numbers to make a big pot of marinara. So here are a couple great ways to enjoy the herbs and tomatoes you have to spare.

First on my list is pasta with pesto. For my recipe see this post for how I make it and this post for a different serving suggestion. 

Last week I made a simple vegetarian pasta dish with extra virgin olive oil, garlic, onion, yellow crookneck squash, basil, butter, Parmesan cheese, and tomatoes.

Always start making pasta by putting about 4 quarts of well salted water (for a standard 1 lb box of pasta) on to boil. Next prepare your ingredients. I diced everything into about large centimeter dice except for the garlic and basil. Smash the garlic well with the side of your knife and mince. Stack the basil leaves and roll them to slice into a fine chiffonade reserve half for just before serving.

By this point your water should be boiling and ready to add the pasta which can take anywhere from 7 to 10 minutes depending on the type. I like Farfalle (bow tie) or mezzi rigatoni which both take about 10 minutes (I should note that I live at 5000 feet and so the box directions plus additional cooking in the sauce work out to give me a perfect al dente pasta at sea level you may want to cut off a minute or so). Add a generous amount of olive oil to a skillet and begin softening the onion on medium high to high heat as it becomes translucent add the garlic and stir. You’ll need to add the squash fairly quickly next followed by the tomatoes you’ll know it’s time when the perfume of cooked garlic reaches your nose. Cover and turn down the heat to allow the release of moisture from the squash and tomatoes.

Be sure to remove some of the pasta water in case your sauce needs more moisture. To finish the sauce I add a pat of butter, half the basil and Parmesan cheese and stir it all together and remove from heat. Next I quickly drain my pasta and put it back into the pot before stirring in the sauce over heat. If it looks dry (like it’s not coating all the pasta) add in some of the pasta cooking water while stirring to make sure it’s all coated nicely.

To serve, put the pasta into a large bowl and garnish with the additional basil and some olive oil. Some leaves from the top of the basil plant stem add additional appeal. Not being a vegetarian, I served this with basil, garlic, and lemon marinated chicken breast that I grilled and fresh fruit.

This week I made a similar pasta dish, the main difference being that I browned and drained a pound of merguez sausage before starting the same cooking process described above. Additional changes included using more squash as well as some bell pepper that I added with the onion. In addition I omitted the basil and added the sausage back at the end of the process. This pasta was served with garlic toast, salad, and fresh fruit.

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. 

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 possible. don’t squeeze too hard you only wan’t the liquid to come through the cloth. 

Combine all of the ingredients in bowl and mix.

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 which I smoked (added pink salt, nonfat dry milk, and 2.5 tsp mustard powder) p 118

Master Recipe Fresh Garlic Sausage (adjusted seasoning with 1/4 C red wine vinegar) p 117

I did them in that order and I have ingredients ready to go for 4 more 5 lb batches. Planning to do a breakfast sausage with just salt, pepper, and sage, a green chile and sun dried tomato sausage with garlic and onion, a chicken sausage with basil and tomatoes, and an all beef version of the kielbasa.

All of the recipies have been great, but in this house everyone has a favorite. Mine is the Kielbasa (smoke may be the reason). 

In making all of this sausage I’ve learned some important lessons.

Using the right knife for the job and keeping it sharp is imperative. 

Natural casings are tougher than they feel, you can (and should) man handle them when cleaning and loading on the stuffing horn. Never clean more than one at a time or they will tie themselves in knots that can take a long time to untangle.

Stuffing with the KitchenAid grinder attachment sucks!

Stuffing with a vertical stuffer is a piece of cake!

A little water in a sheet pan makes twisting the sausage into a spiral as you stuff easy and it’s easy to clean.

Grilling whole spirals of sausage will impress family and friends, but turning it on the grill takes practice.

Natural casings are easier to twist links in, are tougher, and hold their link twist better than edible collagen.

Edible collagen is ready to go on a moment’s notice, but it doesn’t spiral as you stuff it.

Braiding big loops of sausage for smoking is harder than it looks… I gave up and tied them with string (had to take this of frozen sausage).

Be careful raising the bowl of your mixer, sausage can break it, but A larger more powerful mixer means more sausage (and bread, lots of bread).

Sausage pizza after a day of making bread really hit’s the spot. (I rolled the crust with the pasta maker for a thin cracker like crust.)