Hey all you brown rice eaters!

Brown rice, hmmm. Let's be honest, it can't really compete with white rice, can it? Unless of course, you slather it with butter, cheese, bacon and cream, but what would be the point of eating the healthier rice choice with all that added fat and calories?

If you are like me and determined to make the switch to healthier foods, there are a few things you can do to make your brown rice not only palatable, but delicious!

As the direction reads on the package, it tells you to cook your rice in water. Okay sure, that works, but because you are trying to add flavor and richness, instead cook your rice in broth. I use chicken broth, but you could also use beef or vegetable broth. To add even more flavor throw in a sprig of fresh thyme (or a pinch of dried thyme), a bay leaf and a whole garlic clove into your cooking liquid.

Now that you have rice cooking let's add even more flavor. Saute some sliced mushrooms in olive oil with shallots and garlic. When your rice is done fold this in along with some sliced green onions. Don't forget to salt and pepper.

Another option is my newest creation. Halve some cherry or grape tomatoes (7-8 tomatoes for a 1/2 cup uncooked rice) and place in a dry, smoking skillet over high heat, so they start to brown. Then, this is the dangerous part: pour in a 1/4 cup vermouth. Because your pan will be so hot and the vermouth has alcohol in it, it will flambé, or light on fire. (Because of this, please don't pour straight from the bottle!) Don't worry, once the alcohol has been burned off the flame will subside, which should only take a few seconds. Also you could keep a pot lid close by and pop that on your pan when the flame starts. (I added too much vermouth tonight and had a three foot flame going! Eek, I was just a tad nervous when this happended!) Add 1-2 teaspoons of minced garlic and cook until liquid has reduced by half. When your rice is done, fold in tomatoes, garlic, vermouth mixture along with some sliced green onions (I like green onions). Salt and pepper and drizzle in some olive oil.

You could also make some fried rice with canadian bacon. frozen corn and peas with onions, garlic and a bit of soy sauce. And it isn't fried rice without scrambled eggs, or egg whites!

Also another huge hint, this is a no brainer: make sure you cook your rice long enough. If there is a bite to you rice, put it back on the stove. It should have a lovely chewy texture. I am a huge fan of sticky rice so I cook mine until the rice grain has popped open. Also try different rice types. There is long grain, basmati and my personal favorite: short grain.

I hope these ideas work out for you. If you have any tricks for brown rice, please post!

Smoked Pulled Pork, an ode to an ex

I got this recipe from my ex.
We dated 2 years and in the end, all I got was a semi-broken heart, 20 extra pounds , a cat I didn't want and some recipes. As I sit here, I am happy to tell you that my heart is healed, I have lost the 20 pounds plus 10, I love my cat as though I had been the one to choose him, and I am becoming quite the smoker (as in BBQing)! I come to you today to say, “This cooking thing, is way easier than you think!” What IS difficult is being fearless and ready to fail. Unless, you don’t like to cook, then it will always be a thorn in your side. But, I am here to help you through any cooking dilemma!
Like anything else, everybody has his way of doing things. If you go online you will find a plethera of information on smoking. You will be told the equipment you must have, the method you must do, etc. etc. Well, come into my corner and I will tell you my method. (What real BBQers will probably call “half-assed”.) But, I don’t care. They are the true Masters while I am merely a novice. Novice yes, but I know my pulled pork will be devoured!
I have made pulled pork a dozen times on a gas grill and it never got as smokey tasting as I thought it should be. This time I brought out the old, rusted Weber and it put the gas grill to shame. The process of smoking this time was much easier.
I like to get started on my pork a few days in advance because I do things differently each time therefore am never sure when it will be done. First you need to go and buy a nice pork butt, or shoulder. Next, it’s time to season it. If you want to make it easy on yourself, you could buy a pre-made spice mix, no judgment here. I have made the following recipe (from Cook's Illustrated, but I have tweaked it a bit) a few times and it is by far my favorite. Depending on the size of your pork you may need to double or even triple this recipe:

4 Tablespoon paprika, 2 Tablespoons cumin, 2 Tablespoons chili powder, 2 Tablespoons black pepper, 1 teaspoon cayenne, 2 Tablespoons salt, 3 Tablespoons brown sugar, 1 Tablespoon oregano, 1/2 Tablespoon garlic powder, 1/2 Tablespoon onion powder

Place seasoned pork on a plate and store in the fridge over night, uncovered. Take pork out on hour before you start smoking. At this time soak your wood chunks. This is my first time using the chunks instead of chips. The chunks last much longer and don’t need constant replenishing. There are a variety of wood types and I like using apple wood. It is well paired with pork and chicken, and it smells delicious! After forty five minutes, it’s time to start heating your charcoal. I used briquettes, they worked pretty well so far. Using a chimney starter, fill it 3/4 of the way up with the charcoal and place a wad of newspaper in the bottom. Light the newspaper and set in grill. Let the coals heat for about 15 minutes. You should be able to feel the heat when you put your hand over the top of the chimney. Pour out the coals and separate into two piles on either side of the grill. Drain 2-3 wood chunks per pile and place on hot spots (you will need to add more coals and wood as you smoke). If necessary, fan the coals to get the chunks smoking. The wood should never be on fire. If this happens pour a bit of the soaking water on the flames until they go out, but the coals should still be aglow. Put your pork on the rack in the center of the BBQ and cover. The vents should be about half open on the top and bottom. And let it do it’s thing, smoke.
Now here is where an expert would come in handy. I kept my smoker going for 2 1/2 hours- any more and my pork would have been too smokey. I believe with anything, you must practice, practice and learn by doing. This time, I got lucky.
Next I put my pork on a bed of sliced onions, 4 garlic cloves, two cups of broth (water would do too), wrap well with foil and into a 300 degree oven. Again, depending on the size of your pork, the cooking time will vary. This time I cooked my pork for 4 1/2 hours, until super tender and beginning to fall apart. Once done, I separate the meat from the liquid (strain through a sieve) and cool meat until cool enough to shred. Add some of the cooking liquid so your pork is moist, but not too soupy. Other recipes will have you make an additional BBQ sauce or a vinegar sauce, but I think that the pork is so flavorful, it doesn't really need anything. Serve on a burger bun and top with some coleslaw and chow down!
If you are lucky, you will have leftovers. One of my favorite ways to eat pulled pork, is at breakfast with a fried egg on top! Also you could make some pulled pork tacos, or quesadillas would be terrific! In the end you will have that dark broth that is infused with the pork, spices and smokiness. I always save it with great intentions of coming up with some delicious recipe, but have never. But, I do have some ideas: think it would be really good in chili or maybe tortilla soup or pozole (Mexican pork and hominy soup)?

Smoking doesn't end with pork: smoked salmon, chicken, sausages, the list is endless! If you are a fan of pulled pork, need a hobby or want to expand your culinary abilities I would recommend getting in to smoking. Or, if you want another excuse, to drink beer!
Cheers!

Super Bowl Gluttony

Hi there. Well, tomorrow is the big game. Truthfully, I don’t care about it. I don’t even know who’s playing. But it is a chance to make sinful food and indulge. Plus, it is a great excuse to entertain, and my Dad is having his golf buddies over. As always, we have planned a feast! I have listed what we (Suz and I) are preparing to give you some ideas in case you are watching it with a crowd, or by yourself.

Fried grit sticks with pimento cheese (The Chef I learned this recipe from called this “crack cheese” because it’s so good it’s addictive, like crack!)
Suzie’s famous, cream cheese and scallion dip (the best with potato chips!)
Guacamole
It wouldn’t be Super Bowl without Buffalo Chicken Wings and bleu cheese dressing (I just follow the recipe at the back of Franks Hot Sauce bottle)
Irish Nachos (seasoned waffle fries with melted cheese, bacon, green onions and Chipotle sour cream)
Oh, and my Smoked Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Cole Slaw!
And of course, my most favorite, BEER!
I may have to give in and have one of each and wash it all down with a frosty beer! Enjoy the game, enjoy the food and be safe!

Taking special requests

I was asked by a friend to write about what I think is in a well stocked pantry. Immediately my ego shot through the roof. Someone is asking me! What I think! Yay! I have a purpose today! Then it hit me like a truck, I remembered reading an article where some food writer said, “no pantry is complete without dried mushrooms.” (Oh pretentious snob, who does he think he is? Telling me what should be in MY pantry) Hmm, dried mushrooms. Well, okay sure, that works for you. But what if you think reconstituted mushrooms not only reek, but are totally unappealing and you have no intention of ever using them? Then, those mushrooms are a waste of money and of space in your pantry! Okay, so where does that put me? How do I answer this request without sounding exactly that the other writer? My tastes are not yours, right?
Well, I put the question to you, dear reader: What do you cook? What do you like to eat? Also, for what reason do you want to have things on hand? So that once home from a long day at work, you have the ingredients to make a nourishing meal? Or are you the type that have friends pop over and you want to have some snacks to present? Well I forged on and made a list of things I think are convenient to have on hand but also to inspire you to expand your ingredients list to incorporate new flavors.
As you read, you may notice an absence of baking supplies. I am a nervous baker, I hate it. I cannot bake anything without making a huge mistake. If you are a baker, you are way a head of me and really, you don’t want me telling you what you keep in your baking pantry.

Oils: vegetable, olive oil, grapeseed (Love, love, love in salads and for high heat searing), toasted sesame seed and Pam or any other cooking spray
Vinegars: Now this is quite the list, but I love them all, because I like to pair my salad greens with my vinegar. I love champagne, rice wine, white wine with gentle, tender
lettuces like mesculan or butter lettuce. While I prefer red wine, sherry and cider vinegars with heartier lettuces like romaine, iceberg and arugula. Cider is also awesome with grape seed oil in cole slaw!
Stocks: I know I preach about making your own chicken stock, but when you are in a pickle, the canned stuff will work just fine. Go for one with reduced sodium.
Canned tomatoes: for pasta sauces, chilis and soups
Salt, pepper, garlic salt: I use all three to season EVERYTHING! Lawry’s garlic salt is a staple in my house (http://www.lawrys.com/Products/Spice-Blends/Garlic-Salt.aspx)
Spices: Red pepper flakes, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, cayenne, chili powder, Mexican oregano, dried thyme, curry, cinnamon
Soy sauce
Vanilla beans: halve 4 and put in a bottle of white rum and a few months later: Homemade vanilla extract! Or, vanilla rum, excellent with coke!
Sugar
Flour
Panko: if you have never used these Japanese bread crumbs, I strongly suggest you stop reading and head to your grocery to pick some up. I think it makes a far superior crispy crust for chicken breasts (flour, egg wash, Panko, into the hot fat! Yum!)
Canned beans: black, cannellini- I love black beans in chili, heated through with some onions, garlic and chipotle sauce for some Smokin’ Black Beans, or a colorful, flavorful black bean relish with cilantro and roasted red peppers. Heat cannellini beans with onions and olive oil. Puree and serve on crostinis topped with sautéed garlicky spinach
Polenta/ corn meal
Short grain brown rice: I have abandoned white rice for the healthier brown, alas, I miss it so!
Quinoa: for when I tire of brown rice
Pastas: I eat the whole wheat kind with a little minced garlic sauteed in olive oil with red pepper flakes and Parmesan, a delightful side dish!
Hot sauces: I like Chipotle Tabasco and Tapatio
Agave nectar and honey
Lentils
Garlic, onions and shallots
Vermouth
Coconut milk: oatmeal, soups, rice pudding
Green chilis: Mexican rice dishes, quesadillas
Tomato paste: Mexican rice, pasta sauces, chilis
Anchovy paste: putanesca, and it is fabulous added to sauces, because as it is heated, the fishiness flavor fades and just leaves a fantastic umami flavor (http://www.umamiinfo.com/what_exactly_is_umami?/)
Anchovy stuffed olives from Spain: just because every once and a while I get a hankering for them!

This is my list. I will update it, as I am sure I have left things out. I know some are items you may never use. No doubt, other items I didn’t include you may use all the time. But I think for any cook at least have stock, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper always on hand. Oh and Culinary Artistry!

Corrections

Hello there. Tonight I made my potatoes au gratin according to my previous blog, and to my dismay, I posted a few mistakes ! (call myself a Chef!) Nothing major, but I have made adjustments. If you haven't made it yet, I recommend that you do!

Roast chicken, that's it!

Roast chicken is a no brainer. If you can salt, pepper it and plop it in the oven, you can serve a tasty dinner tonight. Because chicken is such a clean slate, you can really have fun playing around with the flavors. You can stuff the cavity with lemon wedges, halved onions and garlic cloves, place sage, thyme, rosemary leaves under the breast skins. Even better, why not defrost some of the fine compound butters you have the in the freezer and spread that under the skin? (please see my post Compound Butter) Or, because bacon makes everything better, cover the chicken skin with five or six bacon slices.
Now that you have your chicken seasoned, you could place your chicken in a roaster and start cooking, or you could make a bed of sliced onions, chunked up potatoes and a couple of garlic cloves. If you like flavors on the sweeter side, you could wedge up some granny smith apples and sliced fennel, and sprinkle the chicken skin with curry powder.
In a 375 degree oven, place your dressed up chicken and cook for about an hour for a
3 1/2-4 pound chicken. Your chicken will be cooked when the breast meat is 150 degrees and the thigh is up to 170 degrees. Another way to check if it’s done, is when the meat is pierced the juices should be clear. If pink, it’s back in the oven!
A very important step in cooking any chicken, roast or steak is the resting period. Once removed from the oven, the chicken should sit for 10 minutes. Don’t worry about it getting cold, the residual heat will keep it warm. During this time the juices have time to redistribute through the meat and when you cut it, the juices will stay in the chicken and not end up on your cutting board.
Now, take a moment to check out your roaster pan. See all of those lovely brown bits on the bottom? If you pour these down the drain, I am going to come to your house and hit you upside the head! These bits are gems. This is what the French call, “fond”, sounds like “fawn”. Your next move is to heat a tea kettle and pour about 1/2-1 cup of boiling water in the pan and with a wooden spoon work the bits off the bottom and sides. You could also use white wine (I use vermouth or Riesling would be delicious) or, have some fun and use a bit of red wine vinegar and water. Now what? You could thicken the juice with a bit of flour and use as a sauce for your chicken, or store in the fridge over night, remove the chicken fat from the top and freeze the juice for future soups, cooking rice or polenta!
Here is another variation: Instead of a roaster, you could cook it in a clay pot. Chicken cooked in this clay pot is so tender, moist and very nutritious which you know I love! I suggest you check clay pots out. I have a Romertopf (http://www.romertopfonline.com/) but since we as a people have been cooking in clay vessels since the beginning on cooking, they are available in a variety of sizes, shapes and styles. Please check back later tonight to see a pic of my dinner, Roast Chicken!

Calorie Extravagance

There are some foods out there that are so decadent, so flavorful, I want to swim in them. Just to taste them is not enough, I want to be surrounded by them. I know that sounds strange, but that is the only way I know how to describe this feeling. You know, something that is warm and gooey, creamy and smooth, so mouthwatering....What luscious dish am I writing of? Potatoes au gratin. Because for me, nothing is better than potatoes and melted cheese. Oh, and beer! I love beer. I would trade sweets for the rest of my life if only I could drink beer sans the beer belly.

Moving on: potatoes au gratin. Everyone has his own recipes and dos and don'ts. Aren't Chefs bossy? I will share this recipe and hope that you find it as sinful as I do. One recipe will serve 4-6 people, but I think after one whiff of this baking, you won't want to share! And while I would love to take credit for it, I cannot, for what follows is a variation of a recipe written by Patricia Wells in her book, Bistro Cooking.

Please do not substitute any other kind of Swiss cheese, it needs to be Gruyere. Also the recipe calls for creme fraiche, but you can use heavy whipping cream instead. Because this is a very rich dish I like to serve it with grilled or roasted asparagus, because it's strong flavor can stand up to the intense cheese. Or if you are a fan of broccoli rabe, saute it in olive oil with garlic red pepper flakes and sweet peas. (The peas help balance the bitterness of the broccoli rabe.) And a steak, perhaps a filet or New York strip, would be the greatest pairing- lamb may be too rich and the delicate flavor of chicken may get lost. But what the hell? I don't know your palate. Do what you want to do, eat what ever you wish, just make sure to enjoy every bite.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Take one garlic clove and smoosh it with your thumb along every surface of a gratin pan. As you rub, the clove will break up and I like to scatter them evenly around the pan. Grate 1/2 a pound (about 3 cups) Gruyere cheese and put aside. Spoon creme fraiche in a mixing bowl and stir in enough heavy cream to make the creme fraiche just pourable. Wash and peel 2 pounds of russet potatoes and plop in a bowl of cold water. Using a mandolin slicer (other recipes say you can cut them by hand, yeah, no. You most likely don't have a knife sharp enough and using a mandolin makes slicing the potatoes super fast and efficient. I recommend investing in one) slice each potato into 1/8 inch thick slices. Now you could put them back into your bowl of water, OR you could work quickly and utilize the natural potato starches to thicken your gratin, and place them overlapping in the gratin dish. Sprinkle with a 1/3 of the cheese, pour in 1/3 of the creme fraiche mix and freshly ground pepper. Layer this two more times and pop in the oven. Notice after only a few minutes the aroma filling the air? Cook, uncovered, until a toothpick or cake taster slides in smoothly, about 50-60 minutes. The cheese will be crusty brown on top, and the sides will have cheese grease bubbling up. I know, the first thing you want to do is taste it! But that would be bad because you would burn the roof of your mouth and most of your taste buds. Then you wouldn't be able to enjoy the wickedness of your potatoes au gratin. Let the dish sit for a few minutes for the flavors to intertwine, let the cheese cool and set. When you do finally put that first spoonful in your mouth it will be..... hmmm, I think I will let you finish that sentence.