tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28581830017640489552024-03-14T03:17:03.796-07:00Monkeyshines in the KitchenRecipes and food-related observations. Focused mainly on challenges from the Daring Cooks and Daring Bakers.Monkeyshines in the Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15845036169722379518noreply@blogger.comBlogger120125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2858183001764048955.post-22041122078536791212015-04-18T15:39:00.003-07:002015-04-18T15:39:52.287-07:00Having our cake and eating it too!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmfQBZJo6eRPj7wzFSy2VTQap2Va728N7xmpq9eJx5-AfCircbO5DVPekG6EUCMGYSZ0H64hyH455bTYJ07VX4bFq_KVy8KFT-Seq2ZWmN2rapAMaVz8s7nqb2Se_EIlE4_DEcxGaxW_U/s1600/IMG_2036.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmfQBZJo6eRPj7wzFSy2VTQap2Va728N7xmpq9eJx5-AfCircbO5DVPekG6EUCMGYSZ0H64hyH455bTYJ07VX4bFq_KVy8KFT-Seq2ZWmN2rapAMaVz8s7nqb2Se_EIlE4_DEcxGaxW_U/s1600/IMG_2036.JPG" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
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We finally made a cake! Although we enjoy experimenting with all kinds of
savory dishes, our explorations into the world of cakes and desserts have been a
bit limited. Strawberry shortcake is a perennial favorite (at least when
strawberries are in season), and panna cotta is another reliable go-to dish –
but honest-to-goodness cakes are a rare sight indeed in the Monkeyshines
household.<br />
That changed recently when Mrs Monkeyshines’ sister came to visit and brought
with her a big bag of kumquats from the family homestead down south – what
better way to use them than in Hazelnut Crunch Cake with Honeyed Kumquats?
Before going any further, we should acknowledge that this isn’t an original
recipe but hails from the esteemed (web) pages of epicurious.com. You can find
the recipe – which we followed fairly faithfully for once – <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/hazelnut-crunch-cake-with-honeyed-kumquats-236798" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
This was quite a performance – it took two of us most of the afternoon – but
was worth the effort and we’d definitely make it again for a special occasion.
Here’ then, is a brief outline of what we did:<br />
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(1) First, here are the beautiful kumquats and the hazelnuts. We took the
husks off the latter using the metal sieve technique as shown. (The recipe calls
for unhusked hazelnuts; we weren’t sure if this meant to take the husks off or
not?)<br />
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(2) Candying the kumquats – we added less star anise than the recipe called
for since it seemed a bit too much of a good thing<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRIzy8k7akzpePrnY_rfLL5UTokFktvfkvAXIxM1OgAhHODOSoweVGw_LoD2saQmzdA1q_YP0nvwAAY2wtpW3bEFStQmPuOb1q8JwNEQc6wlOpumR5wWQ4tHpuNX4bvHg01iA2UwNfMA8/s1600/IMG_2018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRIzy8k7akzpePrnY_rfLL5UTokFktvfkvAXIxM1OgAhHODOSoweVGw_LoD2saQmzdA1q_YP0nvwAAY2wtpW3bEFStQmPuOb1q8JwNEQc6wlOpumR5wWQ4tHpuNX4bvHg01iA2UwNfMA8/s1600/IMG_2018.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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(3) Here is the crunch – Hazelnut brittle. I’ve never made a brittle before
and thought it came out pretty well!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtqjzRVBYuzQsHxouphGmsMmTKvxQIb_XG1R7oLEq2hgwNBdcZ1V4d6RMEAljuCgN8IWC6Ix9QNoLwz2KXMn62rRdzwc4VXSHn972gcMncrzm4CzIxNvzMA8aXYLn3tobld_jCcMSp_qc/s1600/IMG_2020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtqjzRVBYuzQsHxouphGmsMmTKvxQIb_XG1R7oLEq2hgwNBdcZ1V4d6RMEAljuCgN8IWC6Ix9QNoLwz2KXMn62rRdzwc4VXSHn972gcMncrzm4CzIxNvzMA8aXYLn3tobld_jCcMSp_qc/s1600/IMG_2020.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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(4) The cake worked! A bit rough around the edges, but we trimmed that off
and cut it into 3 equal pieces, ready to assemble.<br />
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null">(5) Layer 1, topped with cream, kumquats and chopped hazelnut brittle</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null">(6) Et voila! Thanks Epicurious!</a><br />
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<br />Monkeyshines in the Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15845036169722379518noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2858183001764048955.post-88786494778211196542014-09-14T00:01:00.000-07:002014-09-14T00:01:00.209-07:00Saucy Monkey<p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-VozuhCzy0j8/VAz6olPjItI/AAAAAAAADGo/OpM7rISg7jM/s1600-h/IMG_1736%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_1736" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_1736" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Sg9gVAEjN64/VAz6pTBcquI/AAAAAAAADGw/gyg8WkbsKCU/IMG_1736_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="381" height="267" /></a></p> <p>This month, the Daring Cooks got a little saucy! Jenni from the Gingered Whisk taught us the basics of how to make the five mother-sauces and encouraged us to get creative with them, creating a wide variety of delicious, fresh sauces in our very own kitchens.</p> <p>Selecting a challenge for the Daring Cooks is an almost impossible task, because you sort of have to be all things to all people. A fairly basic recipe may be appealing to the novice, but not of interest to the experienced cook; conversely, a complex and challenging dish that poses a true challenge to the experienced cook may be just frustrating and demoralizing for the novice. Moreover, the Daring Cooks hail from all over the globe – so what is commonplace for one may be truly exotic for another.</p> <p>It was, then, a delight to find Jenni’s challenge awaiting us – in my opinion, something to teach, entertain and challenge anyone interested in the culinary arts. We were preseted with recipes for the classic French ‘mother’ sauces – Bechamel, Veloute, Espangole, Holandaise and Tomato. The mother sauce can be either incorporated into a dish as it is, or turned into any one of an array of derivatives.</p> <p>Of the five sauces, I probably make bechamel and tomato most frequently, so decided to embark on Sauce Espagnole – the classic French brown sauce. Moreover, I made my own beef stock from scratch. This was pretty much an all-day affair, but the end result was a remarkable mushroom sauce. My only regret was not making more sauce! I also made a tomato sauce and incorporated it into a favorite pasta dish. Read on for all the gory details…</p> <h3>Sauce Espangole/Demi-Glace from scratch</h3> <h4>Ingredients:</h4> <p>1lb beef bones <br />1 small onion <br />1 celery stick <br />2 small carrots <br />Tomato puree <br />Olive oil <br />Thyme, parsley, bayleaf <br />4 Black peppercorns <br />1 clove</p> <p>(Since this is quite the performance, I recommend you scale this up by a factor of at least 2, preferably 4 or 5 if you have a big enough stock pot…)</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-g4TkYQNyPj8/VAz6qSMfrHI/AAAAAAAADG4/aOPoYQGnqyo/s1600-h/IMG_1727%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_1727" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_1727" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-keob0H6DUlM/VAz6rBwzBuI/AAAAAAAADHA/MMuFkbp7lGk/IMG_1727_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="312" height="214" /></a> <br /><em>Beautiful beef bones. Look at all that marrow!</em></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-SgCtkQBXyjU/VAz6sJ7sTMI/AAAAAAAADHI/P_S22BWwlrU/s1600-h/IMG_1728%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_1728" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_1728" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-Jt_ec5JMC60/VAz6tH1PgBI/AAAAAAAADHQ/_q3YqH0upFw/IMG_1728_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="314" height="216" /></a> <br /><em>The mirepoix…</em></p> <p>Roast the bones in a little oil for 30 minutes in a 400 F oven. Roughly dice the onion, carrot and celery and add to the pan; continue roasting for 30 minutes more. Towards the end of cooking time, slather some tomato paste over the bones:</p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-B2pEgyZOG3c/VAz6t_QWZeI/AAAAAAAADHY/j-q6Mz4_KH4/s1600-h/IMG_1729%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_1729" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_1729" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-M2BtGjOfWUQ/VAz6ulloZPI/AAAAAAAADHg/aSah2qrLFiA/IMG_1729_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="384" height="264" /></a></p> <p>Add everything to a stockpot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and immediately turn down to a slow simmer. Add a sachet containing the herbs and spices (I confess I just added them to the pot, knowing I’d strain them out later. Cook for 4 hours, adding more water if necessary to cover the bones. I ended up with maybe 2½ – 3 cups…</p> <p>Strain the stock – it should be brown but fairly clear (if it’s not, you probably let it boil too much…)</p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-B9AeFV7O_fY/VAz6vodHWxI/AAAAAAAADHo/GzjPjq34QAw/s1600-h/IMG_1731%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_1731" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_1731" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Ba9uILC-kl0/VAz6wsRg0AI/AAAAAAAADHw/1Aquddz_QGs/IMG_1731_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="381" height="262" /></a></p> <p>Now for the sauce espagnole…</p> <h4>Ingredients</h4> <p>1/4 cup diced onion <br />2 tablespoons diced carrot <br />2 tablespoons diced celery <br />½ oz butter <br />½ oz flour <br />1½ cups beef stock <br />1 tablespoon tomato puree <br />Salt and pepper to taste</p> <p>Melt the butter and saute the mirepoix (onion, celery and carrot) until it starts to color. Stir in the flour and cook 5 minutes until lightly brown. </p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-iw0OY-TyDO4/VAz6xkY7NGI/AAAAAAAADH4/XZpA5wE7dWM/s1600-h/IMG_1730%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_1730" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_1730" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-HHpNiA6_M5Q/VAz6yUSGYJI/AAAAAAAADIA/Z4MGnwqs3a8/IMG_1730_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="381" height="262" /></a></p> <p>Add the stock and tomato puree, cover and simmer 1 hour. Strain out the vegetables and voila, Sauce Espagnole! I took this a step further and made demi-glace, by adding back another cup of beef stock then reducing until thick. </p> <p>For the mushroom sauce, I pan-fried some mushrooms with a tablespoon of finely chopped onion, and added the demi-glace along with a splash each of sherry and lemon juice. (I am not sure how many mushrooms, but I am sure I followed the Monkeyshines Rule of Mushrooms: There are never enough mushrooms…) </p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-XtHKv8j8XDU/VAz6zNZhqEI/AAAAAAAADIE/UX4B02oDaCk/s1600-h/mushroom_sauce%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="mushroom_sauce" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="mushroom_sauce" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-rL3VLVaPBWA/VAz60OP4fWI/AAAAAAAADIQ/28GXu8b4iFA/mushroom_sauce_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="383" height="263" /></a></p> <p>This may be the best sauce ever! I served it over a nice fillet steak…</p> <h3>Spaghetti Milanese with fresh tomato sauce</h3> <p>For my second attempt at the challenge I turned to a familiar recipe – the decidedly un-French Spaghetti Milanese. This was one of two spaghetti dishes that were part of my Mum’s regular repertoire growing up – the other, of course, being Spaghetti Bolognese. First the tomato sauce, for which I used some beautiful San Marzano tomatoes from the farmers market:</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-7iArZzwiI80/VAz604mVtOI/AAAAAAAADIY/MSRHLWlXPvQ/s1600-h/IMG_1741%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_1741" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_1741" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-PbYXej3X5nE/VAz61gsbMZI/AAAAAAAADIc/Yun5i0hfd34/IMG_1741_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="375" height="258" /></a></p> <h4>Ingredients</h4> <p>½ small onion <br />1 small carrot <br />1 rasher bacon (homemade!) <br />¾ – 1lb tomatoes, roughly chopped <br />½ tablespoon flour <br />½ cup chicken stock <br />lemon juice <br />sugar, salt and pepper</p> <p>Finely dice the onion and carrot, and saute together with the bacon for 5 minutes (adding a little oil if the bacon isn’t particularly fatty). Add the flour, stir to coat the vegetables, then add the chopped tomatoes. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes, add chicken stock and simmer 30 minutes. Add a dash of lemon, pinch of sugar and some pepper. If you use commercial chicken stock, you probably don’t need to add more salt.</p> <p>Puree the sauce using an immersion blender and continue cooking for 30 minutes. </p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-wPNBzOM7-u0/VAz62R2v0xI/AAAAAAAADIo/Bwrug79KhtI/s1600-h/IMG_1745%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_1745" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_1745" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-xSNNy6ZLoHg/VAz63CnuOzI/AAAAAAAADIs/OMXAegVvYWc/IMG_1745_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="394" height="274" /></a> <br /><em>Beautiful orange color!</em></p> <p>To complete the dish, slice some cooked ham, saute some sliced mushrooms (see Rule of Mushrooms above) and serve with the sauce over pasta, with some parmesan cheese. </p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-HY6VTfupzvs/VAz64HyOYBI/AAAAAAAADI4/pl-zBmgC4IA/s1600-h/IMG_1746%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_1746" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_1746" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-WI6Z4kP2eIs/VAz64_5mxlI/AAAAAAAADJA/fqfD0Dbcg3I/IMG_1746_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="397" height="277" /></a></p> Monkeyshines in the Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15845036169722379518noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2858183001764048955.post-60906223782580876182014-06-14T00:01:00.000-07:002014-06-14T00:01:00.204-07:00The Monkeyshines Clan Makes Haggis<p>Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face, <br />Great chieftain o the puddin'-race! <br /><em>- Robert Burns</em></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-OzMVZT7wgQw/U5SzXZj9KHI/AAAAAAAADCk/N8lxhYF2Ecw/s1600-h/IMG_1708%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_1708" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_1708" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-UBmn0iP2IXM/U5SzYTPC8AI/AAAAAAAADCs/E38PT5HyTxI/IMG_1708_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="391" height="277" /></a></p> <p>To the best of my knowledge I don’t have any Scottish heritage. I did grow up in Wales (so arguably have that Celtic thing in common with the Scots), but that’s as far as it goes. So when the June Daring Cooks’ challenge was revealed to be Haggis, it was something I’d never made before – though I have sampled its delights once or twice during New Year festivities while living in Britain.</p> <p>The first challenge in making haggis was that my better half does not eat any sort of offal/organ meats – however, I was able to take on the challenge when she was out of town for one weekend. The second challenge was procuring the starting materials, including lamb liver, lamb heart and beef suet. I managed to track down the first two at a Halal butcher in San Francisco:</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-BGfG9yXwD-c/U5SzZ3_DGaI/AAAAAAAADC0/ivIsKZMP_tA/s1600-h/IMG_1700%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_1700" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_1700" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-S9dpDGacqHY/U5SzaTyEBCI/AAAAAAAADC8/QLMhTxSJ6HM/IMG_1700_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="391" height="268" /></a> <br /><em>Lamb heart, lamb liver, onions and some sage from my front yard</em></p> <p>No such luck with the beef suet, so I substituted some home-cured smoked fennel and pepper bacon. Since we keep this in the freezer, it was hard enough that I could shred it on a food grater:</p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-Z8KSzkU8Swo/U5Szb4lQ7HI/AAAAAAAADDE/3C6ACJRLOw0/s1600-h/IMG_1702%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_1702" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_1702" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-VuCz5nf7XVI/U5Szcs9si5I/AAAAAAAADDI/LkmmqvUKw-Y/IMG_1702_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="334" height="230" /></a></p> <p>So, on with the show… here is my recipe, scaled down from that provided by Ruth, our Daring Hostess:</p> <p>2 lamb hearts <br />12oz lamb liver <br />2 medium onions <br />2 1/2 oz steel-cut oats <br />2 oz bacon fat, shredded <br />1 tablespoon chopped sage <br />1/2 tsp ground black pepper <br />1/2 tsp salt <br />pinch each of allspice and clove</p> <p>Peel the onions but leave them whole. Put the hearts, liver and onions in a pan, cover with cold water and bring to a boil. </p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-_fqtU8K1B9U/U5SzdRTcJXI/AAAAAAAADDU/foJLCfE4TjU/s1600-h/IMG_1704%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_1704" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_1704" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-nmc4Fk0umvk/U5Szd4tvCeI/AAAAAAAADDc/NzOJWHpMLrk/IMG_1704_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="386" height="265" /></a></p> <p>Remove the froth from the top, drain the pan and add more cold water. Bring back to the boil and simmer for 40 minutes.</p> <p>Reserve ~1 cup of the pan water. Put the liver, hearts and onions in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped and mixed. Add the oats, bacon fat, sage and spices and mix well. Add a little of the pan water so that the mixture is still solid but soft.</p> <p>Stuff the mixture into 2 sections of beef middle, each ~8” long. <strong>(Warning – if you plan to follow this recipe, read on to see how it turned out first!)</strong> Simmer the haggises in water for up to 2 hrs.</p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-zMtqKhZecvM/U5SzfLylWJI/AAAAAAAADDk/PoEf5nPvr6g/s1600-h/IMG_1705%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_1705" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_1705" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-sXc0O5lzDZ4/U5Szfx4icdI/AAAAAAAADDs/kPDEwrNjNOI/IMG_1705_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="381" height="262" /></a></p> <p>So what happened? I knew that the haggis would expand on cooking, but the beef middles were not as expandable and resilient as I had hoped. I checked in after about an hour and this is what I found…</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Pl0v8qr9n00/U5SzglyYeuI/AAAAAAAADD0/jluT3mDnhCw/s1600-h/IMG_1707%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_1707" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_1707" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-55V5ab1x3Ys/U5SzheOlHXI/AAAAAAAADD4/G1hVc4GoEkE/IMG_1707_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="381" height="262" /></a></p> <p>Boom goes the haggis! The filling from one of them escaped into my pot of boiling water; I was able to salvage the other one, and continued to steam it until it too started to rip apart some more.</p> <p>Served with ‘neeps’ (aka turnips in Scotland, swede in the rest of Britain and rutabagas in America), as shown at the top of the page. These were not the best rutabagas in the world – they are a rarity in San Francisco at the best of times, and early summer is not the best of times. Although they were a bit woody, the taste wasn’t bad. As for the haggis – I would say not bad for a first attempt, despite the exploding casing debacle. Although the liver flavor was pronounced, there was a subtle smokiness, which may have come from the bacon. If I make it again I will probably use the steamed pudding technique (fill it into a mould and cook in a water bath/bain-marie) and I think I’d increase the amount of oatmeal – there wasn’t quite enough chewiness for my taste. But then again I didn’t include the suet, which I’m sure would have made a difference in the final product.</p> <p>The June Daring Cooks Challenge was hosted by Ruth from Makey-Cakey. She brought out the Daring-est of Daring Cooks and challenged us to make real Scottish Haggis. </p> <p>Thanks to Ruth for an entertaining challenge – it was definitely daring!</p> Monkeyshines in the Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15845036169722379518noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2858183001764048955.post-70813745556376012732014-04-14T00:01:00.000-07:002014-04-14T15:16:47.733-07:00The Crepes of Wrath<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-ceccVIYvNYA/U0nIcMjhh6I/AAAAAAAAC8U/SbrHtdhgq8E/s1600-h/Spring%252520Wild%252520Rice%252520Pancakes%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img alt="Spring Wild Rice Pancakes" border="0" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-iBqOHDsiI5Q/U0nIc01YLSI/AAAAAAAAC8c/QDzXL_YPzpg/Spring%252520Wild%252520Rice%252520Pancakes_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" height="272" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Spring Wild Rice Pancakes" width="389" /></a><br />
Crepes of wrath? What’s that all about? Truth be told, it’s the first crepe-based pun I could come up with (after <a href="http://monkeyshinesinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2013/11/crepe-expectations.html" target="_blank">Crepe Expectations</a>, which I already used in a pancake-themed post from last year). It’s not like these crepes put me in a vengeful mood – far from it, they were a welcome harbinger of spring.<br />
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<i>(Edited to add: I just learned that The Grapes of Wrath was published exactly 75 years ago, on April 14th 1939!) </i><br />
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The April Daring Cooks Challenge was brought to us by Joanna from What’s On The List. She taught us all about Pathiri and challenged us to create our own version of this inspirational Indian dish!<br />
First a confession – there is nothing Indian about what we made - but in our defense, Joanna’s challenge instructions specified that ‘the crepe batter recipe can be a recipe of your choice, but the filling must be of a savory nature and I “challenge” you to be “as creative as you can be!”’ So we pulled out a wild rice pancake recipe that we’d previously made many moons ago and came up with our own filling depending on what looked good at the farmers’ market. I’m sure we’ll revisit Pathiri some time as we do like <a href="http://monkeyshinesinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2011/08/review-my-indian-kitchen-by-hari-nayak.html" target="_blank">Indian food</a>.<br />
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Here are our beautiful spring vegetables: baby carrots, asparagus and pioppini mushrooms:<br />
<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-wsv-9v31Bvo/U0nIdickOPI/AAAAAAAAC8k/SfQpsq0qJDE/s1600-h/veg_small%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="veg_small" border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-ym28fYzjxsk/U0nIedoQlAI/AAAAAAAAC8s/_utPjngzfZg/veg_small_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" height="270" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="veg_small" width="394" /></a><br />
The aforementioned pancake recipe was originally based on one at <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Wild-Rice-Pancakes-10633" target="_blank">epicurious.com</a>, though as is our custom we didn’t exactly follow the recipe.<br />
<h4>
Wild rice pancakes (serves 2)</h4>
1/2 cup wild rice <br />
1 1/3 cups water <br />
1/2 tsp salt <br />
2 finely sliced scallions (green onions) <br />
1 large egg <br />
scant 1/2 cup milk <br />
1/2 cup flour <br />
salt and pepper <br />
vegetable oil<br />
Cook the rice, water and salt for about 45 minutes until tender (we did this the day before so that it would cool completely before we used it). Mix together the egg and milk and combine with the rice. Add the scallions, stir in the flour until smooth and leave to stand for at least 20-30 minutes,<br />
To cook the pancakes: Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-hot heat and add a small amount of oil, swirling so that it coats the pan. Add a ladleful of batter and gently tilt the pan so that you have about a 6-inch disc of batter:<br />
<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-EYV8Z5uKsa8/U0nIfOFX8xI/AAAAAAAAC80/gMEkkUvGbPc/s1600-h/pancake_small%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="pancake_small" border="0" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-pwMhexCUgN4/U0nIf8NflAI/AAAAAAAAC88/v9AxVk0rVb8/pancake_small_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" height="272" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="pancake_small" width="396" /></a><br />
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Cook until the edges start to brown and the batter starts to get firm, then flip and cook the other side. Keep warm while you do the rest of the batch.<br />
<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-hD_GrKfWT2A/U0nIgeown1I/AAAAAAAAC9E/to33o-HCL-0/s1600-h/pancake_cooked_small%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="pancake_cooked_small" border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Wh_61dxEaqg/U0nIhCbJf1I/AAAAAAAAC9M/p58fjWvHzDs/pancake_cooked_small_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" height="268" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="pancake_cooked_small" width="391" /></a> <br />
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For the fillings, we sauteed the mushrooms in butter, pan fried the carrot (cut into thin ‘coins’) with some finely sliced onion and a little balsamic vinegar, and finally cut the asparagus on the bias and steamed it. No more detailed recipes, since we sort of made this up as we went along. <br />
<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-wNMBJzUGuco/U0nIh5ycQQI/AAAAAAAAC9U/A6--jy7EZdI/s1600-h/carrots_small%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="carrots_small" border="0" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-tNbxqeRo-U4/U0nIioS9boI/AAAAAAAAC9c/23NqoHsgsDI/carrots_small_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" height="267" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="carrots_small" width="389" /></a> <br />
<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-tAPAa59hj2s/U0nIjeBNYWI/AAAAAAAAC9g/Yp_ddx7Py8k/s1600-h/shrooms_small%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="shrooms_small" border="0" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-VASRWoQHF50/U0nIjzNXAbI/AAAAAAAAC9o/HubOaevSR6k/shrooms_small_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" height="270" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="shrooms_small" width="393" /></a><br />
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Our one nod to the pathiri recipe was to assemble this into a stack of pancakes with the savory layers in between. You can only really see the asparagus in the photo at the top of this post, but the others are inside the tower and the final result was a fitting start to spring here in San Francisco.<br />
Thanks for the challenge, Joanne!Monkeyshines in the Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15845036169722379518noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2858183001764048955.post-63134305011793911162014-01-14T00:12:00.000-08:002014-01-14T00:12:00.032-08:00Arancine revisited<p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-6zIxy5e4rW0/UtQ8dLKvQYI/AAAAAAAAClg/naH-4sTyBBs/s1600-h/IMG_1432.jpg"><img title="IMG_1432" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_1432" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-3MIzxCPXWdQ/UtQ7DC9cpEI/AAAAAAAAClo/U1xv0o9bW3E/IMG_1432_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="392" height="601" /></a></p> <p>January’s Daring Cooks’ challenge was a ball! The lovely Manu from Manu’s Menu brought our taste buds to the streets of Sicily and taught us her family tradition of making arancine – filled and fried balls of risotto. Delizioso!</p> <p>We’ve actually made arancine before, way back in <a href="http://monkeyshinesinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2010/11/arancini.html" target="_blank">November 2010</a>: however, we were delighted to revisit these tasty treats as we rarely get the opportunity to make fried food. This time, our daring host Manu (<a href="http://www.manusmenu.com">www.manusmenu.com</a>) provided recipes from her Italian family, and we were spoiled for choice: Arancine al Ragu, Arancine al Burro or Arancine agli Spinaci. We chose the spinach option, because putting those greens in the middle makes it a healthy dish, right? </p> <p>We made a bit less than the published recipe, using only 2 cups of Arborio rice instead of 3: we still had ample arancine for a party of four and plenty of leftovers as well. First up was the saffron risotto. We used a relatively small dose of saffron but the risotto still turned out to have a delicate yellow color and flavor:</p> <p>2 tablespoons olive oil <br />2 tablespoons butter <br />1 small onion, finely chopped <br />1/2 teaspoon saffron threads <br />2 cups Arborio rice <br />1/2 cup white wine <br />2-3 cups beef stock <br />1/3 cup Parmesan cheese</p> <p>Heat the stock. Saute the onion in the olive oil until soft and transparent, add the rice and continue to cook until the rice becomes translucent. Add the wine and reduce on medium high heat to burn off the alcohol, then add some stock (to just cover the rice) and turn the heat to low.</p> <p>Cook until the rice is a bit more than halfway cooked – 13 minutes according to Manu’s recipe – adding stock as needed. After 8 minutes, add the saffron. Then, when the rice is done (but still firm) add the butter and cheese, season and spread on a baking paper to cool (we used a silicone mat):</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-uKZC6qa2Aq4/UtQ7EpRm1fI/AAAAAAAACj8/yhpc94Z2K7A/s1600-h/IMG_1414%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_1414" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_1414" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-pU4x0gfmcUU/UtQ7FX_ZIKI/AAAAAAAACkE/q5U56R7zt5M/IMG_1414_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="381" height="262" /></a></p> <p>Make a cup of bechamel sauce (1 oz butter, 1 oz flour, 1 cup milk, nutmeg and salt). Saute a chopped clove of garlic with a little butter, then add 6 oz spinach leaves and cook over low heat until wilted. The spinach does down to nothing! Add enough bechamel and ~2 oz grated mozzarella cheese to make a thick sauce/paste.</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-c0rKpws-h-w/UtRBGL0GfbI/AAAAAAAACl0/d6wPpPqw8SA/s1600-h/greens%252520copy%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="greens copy" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="greens copy" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-y-tHf52u2yk/UtRBG0Km5QI/AAAAAAAACl8/3mS0hL35N-8/greens%252520copy_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="396" height="141" /></a> <br /><font size="1">Before…                                                        after!</font></p> <p>Next, prepare the arancine balls by making a little pocket in a handful of the saffron risotto, adding the spinach and cheese mixture and closing it up:</p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-RosllAeXcp4/UtQ7KIlTxmI/AAAAAAAACks/eIngH5cUNjw/s1600-h/rolling%252520copy%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="rolling copy" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="rolling copy" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-LGDbaVFEINs/UtQ7KwLq_OI/AAAAAAAACkw/Ukpdj-PVlTw/rolling%252520copy_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="258" height="526" /></a></p> <p>Almost done! Roll the arancine in flour, beaten egg and breadcrumbs (one after the other, in that order)…</p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-vqgfqo7FWfI/UtQ7LijRWQI/AAAAAAAACk4/1QQIJ89CrwA/s1600-h/balls%252520copy%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="balls copy" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="balls copy" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-xSIzH5zkjZs/UtQ7MWV38XI/AAAAAAAAClE/R2MQ6a4FhSc/balls%252520copy_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="266" height="359" /></a></p> <p>… then shallow fry in vegetable oil until the outsides are crisp and golden:</p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-VU70Qkt0eUQ/UtQ7NmPtZhI/AAAAAAAAClM/2Zvbn35k32g/s1600-h/IMG_1429%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_1429" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_1429" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-I3HJPcd3ZfE/UtQ7ONY5ttI/AAAAAAAAClQ/tNl800Zv-lc/IMG_1429_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="399" height="274" /></a></p> <p>Delicious! Thanks, Manu, for a great challenge.</p> Monkeyshines in the Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15845036169722379518noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2858183001764048955.post-8325521755302106672013-12-14T13:33:00.001-08:002013-12-14T13:33:21.675-08:00Stuffed cabbage rolls with mushroom sauce<p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-ZnbCxrzmQfM/UqzOhRlTooI/AAAAAAAACgs/MYX0jfNIKVk/s1600-h/cabbage_plate_web%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="cabbage_plate_web" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="cabbage_plate_web" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-V7oQQTejwZ4/UqzOiRK2QfI/AAAAAAAACg0/NJpbjgPmj1s/cabbage_plate_web_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="389" height="267" /></a></p> <p>December’s Daring Cooks’ Challenge had us on a roll! Olga from <a href="http://www.effortnesslessly.blogspot.com/">http://www.effortnesslessly.blogspot.com/</a> challenged us to make stuffed cabbage rolls using her Ukrainian heritage to inspire us. Filled with meat, fish or vegetables, flexibility and creativity were the name of the game to get us rolling!</p> <p>This was a timely challenge for us. In the week before the challenge was published, we had remarked to each other that the cabbages in our local farmers’ market looked particularly good, so on our weekly grocery shopping expedition we picked one up. We were therefore delighted to find that the December challenge was to make stuffed cabbage rolls! We stuck with the recipe that we had planned to use (outlined below), but were grateful for one of the tips in <a href="http://thedaringkitchen.com/recipe/cabbage-rolls" target="_blank">Olga’s challenge instructions</a>, namely boiling the cabbage whole and separating the leaves in situ. In the past, we used to separate – or rather, try to separate - the uncooked leaves, and often the assembly of stuffed cabbage rolls was more of an exercise in patching together torn pieces of cabbage rather than wrapping up the filling. By pre-cooking the whole cabbage, the leaves separate out nicely and we also appreciated how the core remained intact – we used this in a second recipe during the week.</p> <p>Here, then, is our stuffed cabbage recipe:</p> <h4>For the cabbage and filling:<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-mMdJhYRSz7g/UqzOjYr-uyI/AAAAAAAACg8/JBJDrR_SW9A/s1600-h/IMG_1390%25255B11%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_1390" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: right; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_1390" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-w7ybqHYfPtY/UqzOj0GMt-I/AAAAAAAAChA/JwWLESPxjw0/IMG_1390_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="205" align="right" height="152" /></a></h4> <p>1 green cabbage <br />2/3 lb ground turkey <br />1/4 cup uncooked white rice <br />2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill <br />2 teaspoons caraway seeds         <br />1 teaspoon mustard seeds <br />Salt and pepper to taste            </p> <p>Mix all the ingredients to form a meat/rice stuffing mixture. Bring a pot of water to the boil (the pot needs to be big enough to hold the cabbage!) Simmer the cabbage, core facing up on low heat for about 5 minutes, until the leaves can be easily separated from each other. It’s easiest to stick a large fork in the core while you’re doing this…</p> <p>Wrap the stuffing up inside neat parcels of cabbage, and place in a baking dish:</p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-euuiMEHEwIE/UqzOkzpMNSI/AAAAAAAAChM/-YGx1seH-5U/s1600-h/IMG_1394%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_1394" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_1394" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-xdM9GdrWEyY/UqzOlkNcF2I/AAAAAAAAChU/AydBPkkJ16Y/IMG_1394_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="404" height="277" /></a></p> <h4>For the sauce:</h4> <p>1/2 medium onion, chopped <br />1/2 lb mushrooms, cleaned and sliced <br />1 tablespoon olive oil <br />1/2 cup milk <br />1/2 cup sour cream <br />1 oz butter <br />1 oz flour <br />Salt and pepper to taste</p> <p>Cook the onion in the olive oil over medium heat until soft. Add the mushrooms and continue cooking, stirring frequently, until they give off their liquid and get soft.</p> <p>Make a roux with the butter and flour, then gradually mix in the milk to make a white sauce. Add the sour cream and season to taste.</p> <p>To assemble, pour the sauce over the cabbage rolls, cover with foil and bake at 375 F for ~1 hour.</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-QXpSPyWkoUw/UqzOm2C_HZI/AAAAAAAAChc/Krs2Wpz4P1M/s1600-h/IMG_1395%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_1395" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_1395" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-nJUIEw6GIJk/UqzOn9jitGI/AAAAAAAAChk/uXDato3G0W8/IMG_1395_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="394" height="275" /></a></p> Monkeyshines in the Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15845036169722379518noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2858183001764048955.post-30967012858125383672013-12-01T09:42:00.001-08:002013-12-01T11:32:55.460-08:00Turkey Ballotine<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-IDFY18UqVrQ/Upt03CuGyyI/AAAAAAAACfE/07nyyG8QgdQ/s1600-h/IMG_14104.jpg"><img alt="IMG_1410" border="0" height="272" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-KS4kc-lct-8/Upt0301WHEI/AAAAAAAACfM/mbJfUvUXnXk/IMG_1410_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_1410" width="396" /></a><br />
Encouraged by our success in the <a href="http://monkeyshinesinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2013/04/good-stuff.html" target="_blank">Daring Cooks ballotine challenge</a> back in April this year, we decided to attempt a ballotine of Turkey for Thanksgiving. It was a bit of a gamble: we were expecting guests, and although they were all family or friends who would be forgiving of a culinary debacle, we obviously wanted the day to go well. Thankfully (hah!), with a little help from <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAekQ5fzfGM" target="_blank">Jaques Pepin’s excellent Youtube video</a> we were able to remove the turkey bones without tears (either pronunciation/definition works – neither ripping nor sobbing was involved…)<br />
Here, then, is a summary of our Turkey Ballotine adventure. The stuffing is made of parsley and lemon, a classic combination. The following quantities prepared enough stuffing for our 15lb bird: it can be scaled down according to the size of your fowl, though larger birds will still only need this quantity as their cavities do not get much larger than those of a 15lb bird.<br />
<h4>
Parsley and Lemon Stuffing</h4>
12oz fresh breadcrumbs <br />Grated zest of 3 lemons <br />3/4 cup chopped parsley <br />6oz melted butter <br />2 eggs, lightly beaten <br />Salt and pepper to taste<br />
Mix the breadcrumbs, lemon zest and parsley in a food processor, and season to taste. Mix in the melted butter with a fork, then mix in the eggs. (We prepared everything in advance except for the egg, which was added just before stuffing the bird)<br />
1. Our beautiful Diestel turkey (from <a href="http://guerrameats.com/" target="_blank">Guerra’s of San Francisco</a>, of course). We rubbed the skin with salt the previous day and air dried it in the refrigerator overnight, then rinsed off the salt before making the ballotine:<br />
<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-7BEmnCeWfTY/Upt05AQM7qI/AAAAAAAACfU/mk7NYJpWRJQ/s1600-h/IMG_14004.jpg"><img alt="IMG_1400" border="0" height="273" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-1QGoJvDMivA/Upt05pLkyxI/AAAAAAAACfY/Gca1YzDTkhg/IMG_1400_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_1400" width="398" /></a><br />
2. Deboned and ready for stuffing! AS Jacques Pepin puts it, we have rearranged Mother Nature – the turkey tenderloins fit nicely in the gap between the breasts and the legs:<br />
<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-VIMtuKpw2-k/Upt066JwxXI/AAAAAAAACfk/gPFJTr-EEV0/s1600-h/IMG_14024.jpg"><img alt="IMG_1402" border="0" height="277" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-C2d8Tjjtmjk/Upt07-ln80I/AAAAAAAACfs/A_K9HfOrd0E/IMG_1402_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_1402" width="404" /></a><br />
3. With stuffing in place:<br />
<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-WJoBhBOkxdo/Upt09UtAsiI/AAAAAAAACf0/kvm62ok2vDw/s1600-h/IMG_14034.jpg"><img alt="IMG_1403" border="0" height="281" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-iu8hQztzj-0/Upt0-LWPHXI/AAAAAAAACf4/OoCx-4WF1eI/IMG_1403_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_1403" width="410" /></a><br />
4. Ready for the oven – we rubbed some herb oil over the skin before roasting at 350 °F for about 2 hours. We made a little platform from potatoes and carrots, so that the turkey wouldn’t sit in its fat/juices. <br />
<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-xPG1ri7sZzk/Upt0_Yf90lI/AAAAAAAACgE/F9BkzhkoxeY/s1600-h/IMG_14064.jpg"><img alt="IMG_1406" border="0" height="282" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-1fO69_W-cmk/Upt1AOhuumI/AAAAAAAACgM/w5Fu4ZZd2b4/IMG_1406_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_1406" width="411" /></a><br />
5. Et voila! The rendered fat was used to make the roux for our gravy, and the pan juices made a wonderful natural gravy browning<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-pSyDFq9WPn8/Upt1BS-c86I/AAAAAAAACgU/IVv7Tf-AGNs/s1600-h/IMG_14094.jpg">.</a><br />
<img alt="IMG_1409" border="0" height="287" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-GHvqIhV8XDM/Upt1CP-nZyI/AAAAAAAACgc/U3-VBryj3N8/IMG_1409_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_1409" width="418" /><br />
The carved bird can be seen at the top of this post. Thanks to Jeff, Myint, Phil, Deepa, Luke and Jack for sharing Thanksgiving with us this year!Monkeyshines in the Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15845036169722379518noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2858183001764048955.post-36919132327765319722013-11-28T12:14:00.001-08:002013-11-28T12:14:12.764-08:00Crepe Expectations<p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-MMcEGi9E4EQ/UpekDRFVMPI/AAAAAAAACeE/1EAw9qvO8XU/s1600-h/Banh%252520Xeo%252520112713%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="Banh Xeo 112713" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="Banh Xeo 112713" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-vxeplMdoFqg/UpekE9AzoDI/AAAAAAAACeM/yAIgCT_RqVc/Banh%252520Xeo%252520112713_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="395" height="304" /></a></p> <p>We love going out for Vietnamese food – <a href="http://www.bentrerestaurant.com/" target="_blank">Ben Tre</a> in South San Francisco being a particular favorite. Our go-to orders are usually either the <em>bun</em> (cold vermicelli noodles with various meat and vegetables) or the <em>pho</em>, which we have also made at home on several occasions, including a <a href="http://monkeyshinesinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2009/10/daring-cooks-do-pho.html" target="_blank">Daring Cooks challenge back in 2009</a>. </p> <p>I have always been intrigued by the menu description and picture of bánh xèo – a sort of cross between an omelette and a pancake. Yesterday I had most of the ingredients lying around in the kitchen, so decided to give it a try. The recipe is from the latest issue of <a href="http://lky.ph/" target="_blank">Lucky Peach</a>, and comes from New York Vietnamese chef Jimmy Tu. I won’t reprint the recipe here (buy the magazine!), but here is a general outline:</p> <p>- Make a crepe batter using rice flour, colored with a little turmeric <br />- Cook some bacon and small shrimp in a skillet, then add the batter and cook until set <br />- Drizzle an egg over the batter and continue to cook until the egg is done and the pancake pulls away from the pan <br />- Pile some bean sprouts on one side of the crepe and fold the other half over. Serve with lettuce leaves, herbs (I used cilantro) and some nuoc cham, a sweet and spicy dipping sauce.</p> <p>Delicious! Thanks, Lucky Peach!  </p> Monkeyshines in the Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15845036169722379518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2858183001764048955.post-15608615733819583242013-11-19T11:12:00.001-08:002013-11-19T11:12:25.047-08:00A different sort of challenge #tributetolis<p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-54uGzF7egCY/Uou4E04v4-I/AAAAAAAACbQ/vhZ4RlQh1ik/s1600-h/IMG_1386%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_1386" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_1386" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-lhyaKnJ5qc4/Uou4FnyLAGI/AAAAAAAACbY/DjhRWXI0KNk/IMG_1386_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="398" height="273" /></a></p> <p>Since most of our readers are (we assume) fellow Daring Cooks, you will already know the shock and sadness we felt when we visited the <a href="http://thedaringkitchen.com/" target="_blank">Daring Kitchen website</a> last week. Expecting to read about the latest DC creations, we instead learned that Lis (Lisa Cifelli), co-founder of the Daring Kitchen, had passed away. Although we never met in person, we communicated by email – in particular when we hosted a challenge and later wrote a book review for the website. Her enthusiasm, humor and friendliness always leapt from the page (screen?), and she will be sorely missed by us all.</p> <p>We wanted to make a dish and raise our glasses to the memory of Lis, so we bought a couple of nice steaks and paired them with Horseradish Souffle - a recipe from the <a href="http://monkeyshinesinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2010/11/rise-and-shine-sweet-and-savory.html" target="_blank">challenge that we hosted almost exactly 3 years ago</a>. I’m sure we would never have contemplated creating a dish such as this were it not for the Daring Kitchen and the opportunity to host a challenge for our fellow cooks. </p> <p>They weren’t the puffiest souffles that we’ve ever made, and the photo above isn’t our most artistic creation. They were, however, made with fond memories of Lis. Thanks, Lis, for your boundless enthusiasm, infectious humor and tireless efforts to make the Daring Kitchen the wonderful community that it is.</p> Monkeyshines in the Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15845036169722379518noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2858183001764048955.post-87739423172635889982013-11-14T08:06:00.001-08:002013-11-14T08:06:47.698-08:00Sopa de Ajo<p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-FKEAbUr06DE/UoT079u7tOI/AAAAAAAACZ4/N8WegCF9-vw/s1600-h/sopa_de_ajo_web%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="sopa_de_ajo_web" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="sopa_de_ajo_web" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-lQUGCnkcC1s/UoT08koyqrI/AAAAAAAACaA/3SOEPT6X_MQ/sopa_de_ajo_web_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="385" height="264" /></a></p> <p>Our November Daring Cooks’ hostess was Begoña, who writes the beautiful blog, <a href="http://lasrecetasdemarichuylasmias.blogspot.com/">Las recetas de Marichu y las mías</a>. Begoña is from Spain and didn’t want to go with the more common challenges of paella or gazpacho, she wanted to share with us another very popular recipe from Spain that we don’t see as often called Sopa Castellana which is a delicious bread soup!</p> <p>We make bread almost every week, so looked forward to incorporating it into our Daring Cooks challenge recipe. Since our bread is based on the recipe from the <a href="www.amazon.com/Tartine-Bread-Chad-Robertson/dp/0811870413" target="_blank">Tartine cookbook</a> (Tartine being a much-lauded bakery here in San Francisco), we decided to use one of the recipes in that book for Sopa de Ajo – Garlic Soup. It’s similar to the challenge recipe for Sopa Castellana, but without the ham or red peppers.</p> <p><u>The bread</u>:</p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-B51bS1u05M0/UoT09-UKpJI/AAAAAAAACaI/Ppsyj5oBsMo/s1600-h/bread_web%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="bread_web" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="bread_web" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-0wbViEp20CQ/UoT0-k4rmKI/AAAAAAAACaQ/kUjBZMaGc58/bread_web_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="375" height="258" /></a></p> <p><u>The rich chicken stock</u>:</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-6nDbT4JIlmk/UoT0_pd6d8I/AAAAAAAACaY/2cgpcaPuyM4/s1600-h/IMG_1351%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_1351" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_1351" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-CSf7Ngp72tc/UoT1AW2BWYI/AAAAAAAACag/ZqGe0-ZeZR4/IMG_1351_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="382" height="262" /></a></p> <p>One whole head of garlic (!), chopped and fried:</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-x2mlkFD09Uk/UoT1CLMEBlI/AAAAAAAACao/bCh8ATWv70Y/s1600-h/IMG_1349%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_1349" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_1349" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-BiCofgC2AOQ/UoT1DOt36XI/AAAAAAAACas/7D_tz6lbHYo/IMG_1349_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="382" height="262" /></a></p> <p>And the assembled soup, cooking on the stovetop. We used smoked paprika instead of regular sweet paprika, because we like that smoky flavor.</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-5o1ctc8tdm0/UoT1EbUTfHI/AAAAAAAACa4/vUdyqFqJ-h0/s1600-h/IMG_1354%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_1354" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_1354" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/--dqvhEdwPws/UoT1FST1LmI/AAAAAAAACbA/5wXlKZkm_GY/IMG_1354_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="391" height="268" /></a></p> <p>Optionally served with an egg yolk (see top of page), the soup was rich and delicious, but boy was it garlicky! Probably not the thing to make when you have a client meeting the next day. (Oh wait… one of us <em>did</em> have a client meeting the next day…)</p> <p>Thanks, Begoña, for a delicious and different challenge!</p> Monkeyshines in the Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15845036169722379518noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2858183001764048955.post-67885081778587860132013-10-14T00:01:00.000-07:002013-10-14T00:01:00.563-07:00Choose to be daring!<p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-PrwOLRfa3g0/UltOEqu9bjI/AAAAAAAACXA/WJgCsMKZ0ic/s1600-h/IMG_1310%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_1310" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_1310" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-UmqGIyHs6l0/UltOFdu9qiI/AAAAAAAACXI/UzNgQIuzjGo/IMG_1310_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="389" height="267" /></a></p> <p>This month’s Daring Cooks challenge was to delve into the archives and pick a past challenge of our choice: what’s more, the entire Daring Kitchen was available to us, so we also had the option of selecting a Daring Bakers challenge.</p> <p>Our experience with the Daring Cooks over the past few years has been that, whilst we almost always enjoy doing the challenges, they fall into several categories:</p> <ol> <li>Things that we’ve already made before</li> <li>Things that we’ve never made before but, to be honest, will probably never make again</li> <li>Things that we’ve never made before, and which get added to our regular repertoire</li> </ol> <p>Of course, #3 is usually the most fun, since not only do we get to try something new, we discover a new favorite dish and get to try variations on it in the future. A great example is the April 2013 challenge where we got to make a <a href="http://monkeyshinesinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2013/04/good-stuff.html" target="_blank">ballotine</a>; not only is this something that we would never have dreamt of trying on our own, we were delighted to find it was not as intimidating as it first seems, and there will definitely be more ballotines in our future. (I’m still trying to convince Mrs Monkeyshines that we should have homemade <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turducken" target="_blank">Turducken</a> for Thanksgiving this year…) We also loved the <a href="http://monkeyshinesinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2010/06/so-many-pates-so-little-time.html" target="_blank">pate challenge</a> (and have made several more batches since), and we made <a href="http://monkeyshinesinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2011/05/gumbo-good-times-roll.html" target="_blank">gumbo</a> for dinner last week.</p> <p>Enough rambling – on with this month’s challenge. Since we are not participants in the Daring Bakers, we decided we had to select something from their archives, and moreover it would have to be something that we have never done before and the prospect of which we found positively terrifying. This didn’t narrow it down a lot! – there are so many intricate pastries that the DB’s have made. We eventually decided to try our hand at making puff pastry and selected the <a href="http://thedaringkitchen.com/recipe/layering-mille-feuillenapoleon" target="_blank">Mille-Feuille challenge from October 2012</a>. Not only did this require us to make puff pastry from scratch, but we also had to prepare a crème patisserie.</p> <p>Fortunately, challenge host Suz provided excellent instructions, and we were soon on the way to making our very own puff pastry. Detailed directions can be found at the <a href="http://thedaringkitchen.com/recipe/layering-mille-feuillenapoleon" target="_blank">Daring Kitchen</a>.</p> <p>1. First we made the dough, crumbling flour, salt and a small amount of butter together until it resembled fine crumbs. Separately, we made the ‘beurrage’ by mixing butter with a little flour. We splashed out on some good quality European butter, which is more suited to this sort of pastry due to its higher fat content compared to regular American butter.</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-mhDOYDrCcU0/UltOGru_GNI/AAAAAAAACXQ/y9iKRGuDWRk/s1600-h/pastry%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="pastry" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="pastry" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-FoaOENcxrbc/UltOHQnpVbI/AAAAAAAACXY/12eNPHTOYII/pastry_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="401" height="143" /></a></p> <p>2. Here is our ball of dough, which we rolled into a square and layered together with the refrigerated beurrage.</p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-rtEwUxiTHdw/UltOIbp5H8I/AAAAAAAACXg/3pjZJknUR1E/s1600-h/dough%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="dough" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="dough" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-gsbFclUPTV0/UltOJLYumbI/AAAAAAAACXo/DS72CYl34vg/dough_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="407" height="145" /></a></p> <p>3. We folded the dough/beurrage into a neat parcel, rolled it out and then performed the first of several fold/roll cycles. All in all there were 6 cycles of rolling and folding, in 3 sets of 2 with 30 minutes refrigeration in between each set.</p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-P4gpCMgX1N0/UltOKDo8JZI/AAAAAAAACXw/loSvCPd5C-c/s1600-h/folded%252520copy%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="folded copy" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="folded copy" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-b3CkVLkn054/UltOK0GGcBI/AAAAAAAACX4/i0ClCKLJv64/folded%252520copy_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="408" height="145" /></a></p> <p>4. We divided the finished dough into 2 batches to roll out and bake, which was just as well since the first batch turned out to be overcooked and a bit burnt (on the left of the right-hand picture below.) We were much more careful with timing of the second batch.</p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-yQUUAFnIOfI/UltOMX4n1hI/AAAAAAAACYA/I-sPZzyMoEE/s1600-h/puff%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="puff" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="puff" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-FbTuDoqyato/UltONLk-9eI/AAAAAAAACYI/cUVeT6oI2j0/puff_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="413" height="147" /></a></p> <p>5. Finally we were ready to put to all together! The crème patisserie came together after one false start; initially we didn’t heat it for long enough and it turned out a bit runny. Happily, we were able to simply reheat while stirring in order to thicken it up. The icing was also a little runny (see it dripping over the side in the second picture below!) but it all worked out OK in the end.</p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-vkYfFEmA3tU/UltOOsIYrPI/AAAAAAAACYQ/ACWxy_mAJPU/s1600-h/final%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="final" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="final" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-XIzSZaurdPY/UltOPswgnSI/AAAAAAAACYY/-cHik6l-tEE/final_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="414" height="284" /></a></p> <p> <p>It was very rewarding to make those patterns on the top of the pastry, and to see that it turned out to look pretty much like the ones you see in pastry shops. The finished slice can be seen at the top of this post. Thanks to the original challenge host Suz, and to Lisa for posing this ‘pick your poison’ challenge for the Daring Cooks!</p> <p>In a "celebration" of past Daring Cooks and Daring Bakers challenges, Lisa challenged all of us to search through the Daring Kitchen archives and pick any one we'd like! The REAL challenge was picking which delicious recipe(s) to try!</p></p> Monkeyshines in the Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15845036169722379518noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2858183001764048955.post-84054406191160936152013-09-14T00:08:00.000-07:002013-09-14T00:08:00.372-07:00Gnocchi alla BLT<p><strong><em></em></strong></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-gtQDbhmfG3c/UiTUVskclxI/AAAAAAAACSo/piNecwZE_Dw/s1600-h/BLT_gnocchi_2plates%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="BLT_gnocchi_2plates" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="BLT_gnocchi_2plates" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-SPEsAY8RNV4/UiTUWDPI2zI/AAAAAAAACSw/EtirF3URZrE/BLT_gnocchi_2plates_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="394" height="274" /></a></p> <p>We were happy to learn that the September Daring Cooks challenge was to make potato gnocchi. We’ve already documented some of our adventures with gnocchi, including <a href="http://monkeyshinesinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2011/07/potato-gnocchi-alla-primavera.html" target="_blank">potato</a> and <a href="monkeyshinesinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2009/09/butternut-squash-and-goat-cheese.html" target="_blank">butternut squash</a>, and so since we were familiar with the product we wanted to make something a bit different. After putting our heads together and surveying the current contents of our refrigerator, we came up with BLT gnocchi.</p> <p>What’s not to like? In its ideal incarnation, the sandwich form of BLT combines that crispy smoky bacon flavor with the fresh crunch of lettuce and the sweetness of fresh tomato, so we wanted to bring the same sort of idea to gnocchi. We used some bacon that we cured ourselves (in The Monkey’s latest gadget, the Bradley Smoker), a butter lettuce and some cherry tomatoes fresh from the farmers’ market. Our recipe is as follows:</p> <h4>Bacon</h4> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-i5z40HVBOGw/UiTUXb57sGI/AAAAAAAACS4/aQCV1U5xLEM/s1600-h/IMG_1201%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_1201" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_1201" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-pVQ_xBpPRd8/UiTUYA-s6XI/AAAAAAAACTA/KrNJGggSHAE/IMG_1201_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="388" height="266" /></a></p> <p>1/4 lb smoky bacon, cut into cubes and fried until crispy, then chopped finely</p> <h4>Lettuce puree</h4> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-nfi6YnBvlwY/UiTUZAHLbrI/AAAAAAAACTI/VZSJA2okIKw/s1600-h/IMG_1199%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_1199" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_1199" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Xyb5WUCc-eA/UiTUZyN94VI/AAAAAAAACTQ/H09R2dXqHZ8/IMG_1199_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="383" height="263" /></a></p> <h4><font size="2"><font style="font-weight: normal">1 head butter lettuce, leaves picked and washed <br />1/2 medium onion, chopped <br />A few sprigs of parsley <br />1 oz butter <br />8 fluid oz chicken stock <br />2 tablespoons crème fraiche <br />Salt and white pepper to taste</font></font></h4> <p>Gently saute the onion in butter for about 5 minutes until soft but not browned. Chop the lettuce roughly and add to the onion along with the parsley, then when it starts to wilt add the chicken stock. Bring to a boil then puree (using a hand blender is easiest). Simmer until reduced by half, then stir in 2 tablespoons crème fraiche and season to taste. The puree should be fairly thick.</p> <h4><font size="2"><font style="font-weight: normal"></font></font></h4> <h4>Tomato vinaigrette</h4> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-1rZTKMiyVLI/UiTUbB2D2YI/AAAAAAAACTY/ACuJbXZGptE/s1600-h/IMG_1217%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_1217" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_1217" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-rfji9DvSWkg/UiTUbmhWpwI/AAAAAAAACTg/RFjCYymVpsk/IMG_1217_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="382" height="262" /></a></p> <p><font size="2"><font style="font-weight: normal">6 oz cherry tomatoes, halved <br />2 tablespoons olive oil <br />1 tablespoon vegetable oil <br />1 teaspoon white wine vinegar <br />1 teaspoon minced shallot <br />Salt and white pepper</font></font></p> <p>Mix the vinaigrette ingredients together – the shallot and pepper should help emulsify it nicely. Add the tomatoes, mix well and leave to marinate while you prepare the gnocchi.</p> <h4>Gnocchi</h4> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-OOcTjSU8qU4/UiTUcuHXwiI/AAAAAAAACTo/Uz08UVDDPM8/s1600-h/IMG_1207%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_1207" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_1207" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-8TC6LOzTzyg/UiTUdVzCpnI/AAAAAAAACTs/Cui3FrxyfrE/IMG_1207_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="372" height="255" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-fxtyi9seSd4/UiTUeoDI-QI/AAAAAAAACT4/MhZWnoo5Bfo/s1600-h/IMG_1209%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_1209" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_1209" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-xgOp3MimX68/UiTUfS5_-PI/AAAAAAAACUA/SPXYNP9Y_8U/IMG_1209_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="379" height="260" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-lSDnJ92CdMI/UiTUgRCOHPI/AAAAAAAACUI/JO_iUny2hds/s1600-h/IMG_1213%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_1213" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_1213" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-hkRNXDsIofY/UiTUhD2cNmI/AAAAAAAACUQ/I-d_s8-Afh8/IMG_1213_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="382" height="262" /></a></p> <p><font size="1">From top to bottom: baked potatoes drying out in the oven; gnocchi after rolling and cutting; gnocchi in the frying pan</font></p> <p><font size="2"><font style="font-weight: normal">We followed our recipe from <a href="http://monkeyshinesinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2011/07/potato-gnocchi-alla-primavera.html" target="_blank">here</a>, which originally came from Chef Staffan Terje’s gnocchi cooking class. The only change was to add the finely chopped bacon to the dough and mix with the other ingredients before rolling out.</font></font></p> <p><font size="2"><font style="font-weight: normal">As with most of our previous gnocchi, we pan fried them. Not that we have anything against the more traditional boiled gnocchi, but there’s something about that crispy browned exterior paired with the fluffy interior that we really like. We also think it’s a bit more forgiving than boiling; just pan fry over medium heat in a little oil, turning occasionally until browned on all sides. We usually do this in several batches and keep them warm in the oven until we’re ready to eat. <br /> <br /></font></font><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-04ArG-p8M6E/UiTUiSjklXI/AAAAAAAACUY/xDAyA6eOA6o/s1600-h/IMG_1220%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_1220" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_1220" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-EiAL7n651E4/UiTUjl8aeOI/AAAAAAAACUg/xXjwbRceTkU/IMG_1220_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="381" height="262" /></a> <br /></p> <p> </p> <p>Todd, who is The Daring Kitchen’s AWESOME webmaster and an amazing cook, is our September Daring Cooks’ host! Todd challenged us to make light and fluffy potato Gnocchi and encouraged us to flavor the lil pillows of goodness and go wild with a sauce to top them with!</p> Monkeyshines in the Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15845036169722379518noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2858183001764048955.post-69116778187212106782013-08-14T00:01:00.000-07:002013-08-14T00:01:00.922-07:00Nice Rice with Spice<p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-jrNrMkWz7Fw/Ugrf086W-8I/AAAAAAAACPI/mwx_9g9owlc/s1600-h/cauldron%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="cauldron" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="cauldron" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-wV3DBTWD3ZU/Ugrf1vMlXlI/AAAAAAAACPQ/Yi3eqd-vcNY/cauldron_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="409" height="285" /></a></p> <p>This month, the Daring Cooks challenge took us to India - land of the Biryani. We enjoy Indian food and were able to make two distinctly different (but both delicious) biryani dishes.</p> <p>Our first dish was Chicken Biryani. We previously reviewed an Indian cookbook for the Daring Kitchen (<a href="http://monkeyshinesinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2011/08/review-my-indian-kitchen-by-hari-nayak.html" target="_blank">My Indian Kitchen</a>, by Hari Nayak) –so we thought it would be nice to use a recipe from there. We made Saffron Chicken biryani, and to cut a long story short it was very tasty. We won’t reproduce the recipe here, but it’s on page 128 if you have the book <img class="wlEmoticon wlEmoticon-smile" style="border-top-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-right-style: none" alt="Smile" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-iisKrUBphUI/Ugrf2GTpkBI/AAAAAAAACPY/JblTcN081ME/wlEmoticon-smile%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" />. However, one point worth making is that the key to getting fluffy, separate grains of rice in your biryani is to soak that rice in several changes of water, for up to an hour or two before preparing it. Here is an outline to give some idea of the flavor profile:</p> <p>- Make a marinade for the chicken using garlic, ginger, mint. cilantro, green chili, lime juice, yogurt and garam masala. Marinate chicken for a few hours</p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-q17HMmym58A/Ugrf2-YQaDI/AAAAAAAACPg/sI8B088KmQ0/s1600-h/marinade%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="marinade" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="marinade" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-y33bsF9qhzo/Ugrf3eO8M3I/AAAAAAAACPo/NrESaJoJljo/marinade_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="389" height="267" /></a> <br />- Partly cook the (pre-soaked) rice with whole spices (cardamom, cinnamon, bay leaf and cloves) <br />- Fry onions in oil and remove; use the same oil to fry cumin and nutmeg powder <br />- Add the chicken with its marinade, and cook until browned. </p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-2OA52-aECpY/Ugrf4l-kz8I/AAAAAAAACPw/HAEaSDODa3A/s1600-h/chicken%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="chicken" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="chicken" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-NyPXbWneKwE/Ugrf5YNw7lI/AAAAAAAACP4/oV3qYnjq3R0/chicken_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="389" height="267" /></a></p> <p>- Add cilantro and mint, then cover with rice, drizzle with saffron milk and bake in a medium hot oven</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/--rXTRPUu_x8/Ugrf6Cys1rI/AAAAAAAACQA/B3t64ENBdQU/s1600-h/saffron%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="saffron" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="saffron" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-qM3pFsIkFmo/Ugrf62yJJFI/AAAAAAAACQI/l-4mWqEhGBU/saffron_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="394" height="270" /></a></p> <p>Serve with the fried onions and cucumber <em>raita</em>:</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-zo3082ZHKak/Ugrf7v0GEVI/AAAAAAAACQQ/hhnbxFjwNF8/s1600-h/saffron_chicken_web_small%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="saffron_chicken_web_small" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="saffron_chicken_web_small" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-90dsGiq4wA8/Ugrf8U-WTBI/AAAAAAAACQY/AECzm7oQlL0/saffron_chicken_web_small_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="399" height="274" /></a></p> <p> </p> <p>Our second biryani for the month was inspired by the fresh corn that is currently available at our local farmers’ market (though we have also recently been inspired by <a href="http://monkeyshinesinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2013/08/getting-smutty-in-kitchen.html" target="_blank">moldy corn</a>!) In this case, we reverted to our usual Monkeyshines procedure – look up a bunch of recipes, then make up our own way of doing it…</p> <h4>Corn Biryani</h4> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-l2K20CrxPMY/Ugrf9Le6QMI/AAAAAAAACQg/-Y3R9IhazIw/s1600-h/veggies%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="veggies" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="veggies" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Dru6L0ByHBM/Ugrf93pIk3I/AAAAAAAACQo/vtI-_FJZIoI/veggies_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="404" height="277" /></a></p> <p>1 cup rice <br />1/2 cup coconut milk <br />1 cup water <br />1/2 tsp salt <br />1 tbsp oil <br />1 bayleaf, 1 cinnamon stick, 2 cloves and 3 cardamom pods <br />1 green chili ( as hot as you like!) <br />1 tsp ginger/garlic paste (equal amounts of minced garlic and ginger) <br />1/2 onion, chopped <br />2 tomatoes, chopped <br />1 tsp cumin seed <br />1 tsp coriander seed <br />1/2 tsp ground turmeric <br />3 ears of fresh corn kernels, sliced from corn cobs <br />salt and pepper</p> <ol> <li>Soak the rice for at least 1 hr, in several changes of water</li> <li>Drain the rice and cook in coconut milk + water + 1/2 tsp salt for 10 minutes</li> <li>Fry bayleaf, cinnamon and cardamom pods in the oil until fragrant</li> <li>Add ginger paste and fry for another ~30 seconds</li> <li>Add onion and cook for 3-4 minutes until on ion starts to brown</li> <li>Add tomatoes and green chili</li> <li>Grind the cumin and coriander seed, and add to the pan together with the turmeric</li> <li>Add the corn and cook everything together with salt and pepper to taste</li> <li>Mix the rice with the corn mixture and cook, covered, for 6-8 minutes.</li> <li>Serve garnished with coriander leaves</li> </ol> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Qx8oEQg6uqQ/Ugrf-zwBbhI/AAAAAAAACQw/Pn0jOl9fVfk/s1600-h/corn_biryani%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="corn_biryani" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="corn_biryani" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-VGFWPFI-S2w/Ugrf_lVl7XI/AAAAAAAACQ4/H8Umfi2HSJY/corn_biryani_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="401" height="275" /></a></p> <p>Grace, one of our talented non-blogging Daring Kitchen members, was our Daring Cooks’ August hostess who shared with us some of her family’s tried and true Bengali Biryani recipes – all of them delicious and all of them prepared fresh from our own kitchens!</p> Monkeyshines in the Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15845036169722379518noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2858183001764048955.post-27865626607854993302013-08-11T14:54:00.001-07:002013-08-11T14:54:26.210-07:00Getting Smutty in the Kitchen<p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-FI7t0qkbYzM/UggH3-SKwhI/AAAAAAAACNA/4b1QONCcZ3A/s1600-h/cornhusk_web%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="cornhusk_web" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="cornhusk_web" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-CKJ68SsLLAU/UggH4p7OeSI/AAAAAAAACNI/8j9DxjzKAao/cornhusk_web_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="383" height="266" /></a></p> <p>Before our more sensitive readers get alarmed, fear not – Monkeyshines in the Kitchen has not turned into one of the more prurient corners of the World Wide Web. The smut that we are talking about is <em>Ustilago maydis</em>, otherwise known as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corn_smut" target="_blank">corn smut</a> – and celebrated in Mexico as <em><a href="http://rollybrook.com/ar-huitlacoche.htm" target="_blank">huitlacoche</a></em>.</p> <p><em>U. maydis</em> is considered an unwelcome pathogen amongst corn farmers in the US, since it infects ears of corn and replaces the sweet golden kernels with the greyish blue ‘tumors’ shown in the picture above. In Mexico, however, huitlacoche is prized and used in a variety of dishes. Last weekend, one of the vendors at our local farmers’ market was selling huitlacoche corn, so we figured we’d give it a try.</p> <p>When you peel away the corn husk, this is what you find:</p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-rzJlmTDk7wA/UggH5czGQTI/AAAAAAAACNQ/8zzSvoJeVcA/s1600-h/corn%252520shucked_web%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="corn shucked_web" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="corn shucked_web" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-F6hedr_OAO8/UggH6JsuIpI/AAAAAAAACNY/GBbLil6RLTY/corn%252520shucked_web_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="383" height="263" /></a></p> <p>Cross section through the ‘tumors’: <br /><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-O6zDV2ZcGR4/UggH7GVOA4I/AAAAAAAACNg/KlOf_bVjNCI/s1600-h/xsection_web%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="xsection_web" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="xsection_web" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-xICeQ2_qawE/UggH7_QfnZI/AAAAAAAACNo/drDFWHJn0TQ/xsection_web_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="386" height="265" /></a></p> <p>Not the most appetizing sight! However, we chopped up the huitlacoche, stripped the remaining corn kernels from the cobs and set about turning it into something tasty.</p> <h3>Sopes de Huitlacoche </h3> <h4>Ingredients (serves 2)</h4> <p><u>Corn hash</u> <br />1/2 large onion, chopped <br />2 green Anaheim chiles, chopped <br />Huitlacoche from 2 corn ears, plus remaining corn <br />1 tbsp oil</p> <u>Salsa verde <br /></u>3 large tomatillos <br />1/2 tsp cumin seeds <br />2 tbsp chopped cilantro <p><u>Salsa roja</u> <br />2 small tomatoes, chopped <br />1 mild red chile, chopped <br />1-2 scallions (to taste)</p> <p>Masa dough mix</p> <p>Queso fresco (or any other suitable cheese) <br />Avocado (optional)</p> <p>Salt and pepper</p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-cBapEJSWyj4/UggH80v20BI/AAAAAAAACNw/4rlSvUTdvDg/s1600-h/ingredients%252520copy%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="ingredients copy" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="ingredients copy" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-HxZNtBMjJeA/UggH9kcB90I/AAAAAAAACN4/rVxceXV4g6M/ingredients%252520copy_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="414" height="284" /></a> <br /><font size="1">Top: onions and chiles, corn and huitlacoche <br />Bottom: ingredients for salsa roja and prepared salsa verde</font></p> <h4>Directions</h4> <ol> <li>Saute the onion and chiles in the oil over medium heat in a large skillet until soft</li> <li>Add the chopped huitlacoche and corn, and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the huitlacoche turns black. Add a little water if the mixture gets too dry and starts to stick to the pan <br /><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-zYkCQKekNx8/UggH-xk1t7I/AAAAAAAACOA/VRJC1y3QUns/s1600-h/corn%252520hash%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="corn hash" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="corn hash" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-TDpUoG6guQ4/UggH_jVJtzI/AAAAAAAACOI/wQWfEjDnI1g/corn%252520hash_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="359" height="247" /></a></li> <li>Meanwhile, make the salsa verde. Boil the tomatillos for about 5 minutes, then remove with a slotted spoon. Toast the cumin in a small skillet until it gets fragrant, then grind in a mortar and pestle. Halve the tomatillos, then puree them in a blender with the cumin, cilantro and salt to taste.</li> <li>To make the salsa roja: mix all ingredients and add salt and pepper to taste.</li> <li>For the sopes, Prepare the masa dough according to the instructions on the bag, and shape into thick discs about 3 inches (7-8cm) wide. Cook on a hot griddle, flipping as necessary until brown spots appear on each side. Our sopes were more like thick tortillas, although sometimes they are made with pinched sides, so as to form a sort of raised rim. Either way works! <br /><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-IdddH0odtMU/UggIAcwMXjI/AAAAAAAACOQ/rnYXIVhAF1Y/s1600-h/sopes%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="sopes" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="sopes" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Q-V9CjQXiPM/UggIA5CNVmI/AAAAAAAACOY/90cBF6vKgIQ/sopes_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="356" height="245" /></a></li> <li>Top the sopes with the corn hash, salsas and garnish with cheese and, if using, avocado. Serve immediately.</li> </ol> <p>The sopes with corn topping:</p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-q5KP8BpUbnM/UggIB3oM-aI/AAAAAAAACOg/xP0ziY6ANfU/s1600-h/plated_corn%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="plated_corn" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="plated_corn" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-7lhVFsHaUOU/UggICa4Eg3I/AAAAAAAACOo/PhhergtYqAs/plated_corn_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="410" height="281" /></a></p> <p>…and the final plate:</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-ogwtC2WHlHg/UggIDTZH0SI/AAAAAAAACOw/Txvaxxzh62M/s1600-h/final%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="final" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="final" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-4p6MRjBRtBY/UggIEI9pA0I/AAAAAAAACO4/xprOxLNtcwk/final_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="414" height="284" /></a></p> <p>So what did they taste like? We thought they were very good – the huitlacoche flavor was not assertive but it definitely added a richness and umami quality that we really liked. We will definitely be having further culinary adventures with smut!</p> Monkeyshines in the Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15845036169722379518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2858183001764048955.post-53435736548435066612013-06-14T00:04:00.000-07:002013-06-14T00:04:00.079-07:00Goodness Gracious, Great Balls O’ Meat! <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-hqgIfp1oE-A/UbntxhPWguI/AAAAAAAABrA/Hycj9ZPd9J0/s1600-h/IMG_1111%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_1111" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_1111" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-1_3kBKsdTIA/Ubntybev-fI/AAAAAAAABrI/kMblt7Hb2WA/IMG_1111_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="387" height="266" /></a></p> <p>This month’s Daring Cooks challenge was focused on meatballs! Some sort of meatballs appear on our weekly menus quite frequently, but, in keeping with the challenge theme of ‘Meatballs around the world’, we thought this would be a great opportunity to explore meatballs around the world a bit more broadly. We  ended up making several diverse recipes, all of which were (in our not so humble opinions) delicious – but ultimately I think one stood out as being our new favorite meatball. Our foray into the world of meatballs begins with…</p> <h4>Jerusalem</h4> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-n24iy07YfDU/UbntzVHJ5lI/AAAAAAAABrQ/jdrgcUIV4gw/s1600-h/IMG_1079%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_1079" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_1079" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-ftKJhdFvelI/Ubnt3j_zjOI/AAAAAAAABrY/pNVVJJogSeA/IMG_1079_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="401" height="275" /></a></p> <p>One of our favorite new cookbooks is <strong><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Jerusalem-A-Cookbook-Yotam-Ottolenghi/dp/1607743949/" target="_blank">Jerusalem</a></strong>, by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi. This contains a wide array of delicious dishes from the city where the authors grew up – including at least 5 meatball recipes. We started out with Turkey and Zucchini meatballs – a slightly odd-sounding combination, but the addition of the zucchini kept the turkey wonderfully moist. They were seasoned with mint, cilantro, cumin and garlic and also incorporated some green onions. We also made the sour cream and sumac sauce that accompanies the recipe (though our plating technique needs a little work – how do they get those elegant swooshes of sauce that you see in fine restaurants?)</p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-2_p5Xiqcw90/Ubnt4hjwdII/AAAAAAAABrg/tAdJbtcbf3E/s1600-h/IMG_1091%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_1091" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_1091" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-QV0iGhkpGWE/Ubnt5Cna7jI/AAAAAAAABro/TV75edw7Thc/IMG_1091_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="392" height="269" /></a></p> <p>From the Middle East, we headed North to…</p> <h4>Spain</h4> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Hj7Bcc8g4GA/Ubnt6K9tbAI/AAAAAAAABrw/2pluJ7-0968/s1600-h/pork_olive_plate3.jpg"><img title="pork_olive_plate" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="pork_olive_plate" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-OpMsp_k0RLM/Ubnt6raGI3I/AAAAAAAABr4/aaOS4_nY-1w/pork_olive_plate_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="384" height="264" /></a></p> <p>Our meatball trip to Spain was inspired by a recipe for Spanish pork with olives – I have this in an old handwritten recipe book, and I think it originally came from the popular British chef Delia Smith. Rather than use chunks of pork, we made pork meatballs and incorporated one of the more unusual recipe ingredients – pimento-stuffed green olives – into the meatballs themselves. We also spiced things up a bit with some smoked paprika. The dish was served with roasted green beans and patatas bravas: traditionally, fried potatoes, though we made ours a bit more healthy by coating them in some salt, pepper, cumin and  smoked paprika, then roasting them in the oven with a light spray of olive oil.</p> <p>Here, then, is our version of Spanish Pork Meatballs:</p> <p><u>Meatballs</u> <br />1/4 onion, minced <br />6 pimento-stuffed green olives, finely chopped <br />1/2 lb ground pork <br />1/4 cup breadcrumbs <br />1/2 tsp smoked paprika <br />1 small clove garlic, minced <br />salt and black pepper</p> <p><u>Sauce</u> <br />3/4 onion, sliced (use the rest of the onion that you used in the meatballs!) <br />1/2 green bell pepper, sliced to same size as the onion <br />1 tbsp olive oil <br />1 clove garlic, minced <br />1/2 tbsp flour <br />14oz can diced tomatoes <br />Generous splash of red wine <br />1/4 tsp dried basil <br />salt and black pepper</p> <p>For the meatballs: mix all the ingredients thoroughly and form into golf ball-sized meatballs. Place in a single layer in a microwave-proof container and microwave for 2 minutes, rolling them around a bit after the first minute.</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-2_86jJ0eSeM/Ubnt7QdqwHI/AAAAAAAABsA/hvwsnouhYz8/s1600-h/pork_olive_balls3.jpg"><img title="pork_olive_balls" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="pork_olive_balls" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-7-UJBlCsi6Y/Ubnt77CAEFI/AAAAAAAABsI/mXzTwGshZsE/pork_olive_balls_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="388" height="266" /></a></p> <p>For the sauce: saute the onion and bell pepper in olive oil over medium heat until soft, about 5-10 minutes, Add the garlic and continue cooking for 2 minutes more. Add the flour and stir to coat the vegetables evenly, then mix in the tomatoes, red wine, basil, salt and pepper. When simmering, add the meatballs and reduce heat to low, then cook (covered) for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.</p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-x4o9Bz1HARQ/Ubnt84jT6cI/AAAAAAAABsQ/sqo1oq8IfLs/s1600-h/pork_olive_stew3.jpg"><img title="pork_olive_stew" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="pork_olive_stew" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-KY5AeL2pz24/Ubnt9Q-gLoI/AAAAAAAABsU/Did_csd0s_w/pork_olive_stew_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="382" height="262" /></a></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>San Francisco, California</strong></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-i0IkZuwFEcY/Ubnt_QLQDOI/AAAAAAAABsg/JVE4Fy7LQYI/s1600-h/IMG_1103%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_1103" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_1103" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/--1M_1CCASTc/Ubnt_0CB81I/AAAAAAAABso/y9dlxalzndw/IMG_1103_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="386" height="265" /></a></p> <p>Of course, we couldn’t do a world tour of meatballs without visiting our home city of San Francisco! This is our interpretation of Veal Meatballs with Green Peppercorn Sauce, from San Francisco’s Town Hall restaurant. You can find the recipe online <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/food/recipes/detail/?p=detail&rid=15174" target="_blank">here</a>. The recipe calls for pork and beef in addition to veal, and whilst we often incorporate several kinds of meat for added complexity, we just used veal and pork this time.</p> <p>The meatballs also incorporate a panade (bread soaked in milk) and some cheese. Instead of frying them as per the recipe, we used our tried and tested microwave technique. Cooking for a few minutes in the microwave always gives us nicely done meatballs without the worry that they are going to stick to the pan.</p> <p>As you can see from the picture, the sauce is not just green peppercorns, but also includes red wine, port and cream (not to mention brandy!). Served over homemade fettuccine, this was not exactly health food but it was very tasty and the recipe gets the Monkeyshines Seal of Approval. </p> <p><strong>Back to Jerusalem!</strong></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-aslP_ce5EI8/UbnuBC-mjhI/AAAAAAAABsw/hanm-c4otDc/s1600-h/IMG_1118%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_1118" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_1118" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-aZgI5xk2-6A/UbnuBxJukEI/AAAAAAAABs4/6zMSpc1TrAA/IMG_1118_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="395" height="271" /></a></p> <p>We couldn’t resist trying one more recipe from <strong><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Jerusalem-A-Cookbook-Yotam-Ottolenghi/dp/1607743949/" target="_blank">Jerusalem</a></strong>, so we embarked on making Beef meatballs with fava beans and lemon. We were so glad we did – this recipe is awesome! There are many, many herbs and spices involved – almost too many at first sight – but they all come together in tasty balls of deliciousness. The meatballs are the dry kind (with breadcrumbs instead of soaked bread; pictured at the top of this post) but they definitely didn’t taste dry. In addition to beef, there is onion, garlic, cumin, capers, mixed green herbs and baharat spice mix. Luckily, we had recently prepared this spice mix for another recipe in the book and had some left over. It contains black peppercorns, coriander seed, cinnamon, clove, allspice, cumin, cardamom and nutmeg.</p> <p>But wait, we aren’t done yet! The sauce consists of garlic, green onions, lemon juicem chicken stock and more of those fresh freen herbs (we were lucky to make this in spring, when the farmers market is overflowing with big bunches of fresh herbs). The fava beans were blanched and added towards the end: although the recipe calls for a mixture of intact and peeled favas, we peeled them all since it was getting to the end of fava bean season and they were a bit big to leave whole. </p> <p>What a riot of flavor (thanks Yotam and Sami!) – I think we have a new favorite meatball recipe! The only sad part was that we devoured them all in a few minutes…</p> <p>The June Daring Cooks’ challenge sure kept us rolling – meatballs, that is! Shelley from <a href="http://cmomcook.blogspot.com/">C Mom Cook</a> and Ruth from <a href="http://mommy-crafts.blogspot.com/">The Crafts of Mommyhood</a> challenged us to try meatballs from around the world and to create our own meatball meal celebrating a culture or cuisine of our own choice. </p> <p>Thanks Shelley and Ruth, for a great challenge!</p> Monkeyshines in the Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15845036169722379518noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2858183001764048955.post-5705666717758142932013-05-14T00:01:00.000-07:002013-05-14T00:01:00.392-07:00More Good Stuff in Pastry<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Our lovely Monkey Queen of Don’t Make Me Call My Flying Monkeys, was our May Daring Cooks’ hostess and she challenged us to dive into the world of en Croute! We were encouraged to make Beef Wellington, Stuffed Mushroom en Croute and to bring our kids into the challenge by encouraging them to create their own en Croute recipes! A <a href="http://thedaringkitchen.com/sites/default/files/u11/48_En_Croute_-_DC_May_2013.pdf" target="_blank">PDF of her excellent recipes</a> is available for anyone who wants to play along.<br />
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So, of course we feel a special simian bond of affection for the Monkey Queen and were delighted to participate in the challenge she selected. En Croute was the subject of a <a href="http://monkeyshinesinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2009/12/stuff-in-pastry.html" target="_blank">previous Daring cooks challenge</a>, but we were more than happy to revisit it. Who doesn’t love food nestled in a cozy pastry blanket?<br />
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Although we love beef wellington, to be honest, the mushrooms are always the best part of it (well, and the pastry..) so we decided to cut to the chase and make a portobello mushroom en croute. Yum! This was just delicious – a great pairing of brie, mushrooms and bulgur wheat swaddled in puff pastry to make sure that it’s not in any way healthy for you. <br />
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Mushrooms en Croute</h3>
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Serves 2<br />
2 Portobello mushrooms <br />
1/3 cup Bulgur wheat <br />
1 large Shallot, minced <br />
1 1/2 tsp Olive oil <br />
3 oz. Brie, sliced <br />
4 oz Peas (optional, but good!) <br />
Salt and Pepper to taste <br />
1 sheet Puff pastry <br />
1 egg (you don’t really need a whole egg, more like a quarter of an egg..)<br />
<ol>
<li>Soak the bulgur in water for 30 minutes or more</li>
<li>Preheat oven to 425 degrees F</li>
<li>Remove the stems from the mushrooms. Finely dice the stems. Roast the mushroom caps for about 15 minutes, until just starting to soften. The remove to let cool slightly. </li>
<li>While the mushrooms are roasting, saute the shallot and mushroom stems in olive oil until softened. Add the peas and cook for a minute (or until thawed if using frozen). </li>
<li>Drain the bulgur, mix it in with the shallot/mushroom mixture. Salt and pepper this to taste. </li>
<li>Lightly roll out the puff pastry, then cut into two rectangles large enough to encase your mushrooms. Place the cooled mushroom on the pastry, fill the cap with the bulgur/vegetable mixture, then top with slices of brie. Fold the pastry over and seal. </li>
<li>Mix the egg with 1 Tbsp water and brush the tops of your parcels with the egg wash. </li>
<li>Bake about 20 minutes or until the parcels are richly colored. </li>
</ol>
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Our fearless Monkey Queen also inspired us with her sausage roll recipe. As the Monkey grew up in Britain, sausage rolls are a significant part of the culinary culture. No childrens' party in that country is complete without a plate full of sausage rolls. We decided to combine this month's challenge with the January/February challenge, and made our own <a href="http://monkeyshinesinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2013/05/vietnamese-style-chicken-sausages.html" target="_blank">Vietnamese-inspired chicken sausages</a> to wrap in pastry. Not your traditional sausage roll, but we’re not exactly known for keeping up the traditions either. As shown below, we served it with rice and a cucumber salad with mint and cilantro. <br />
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Sausage roll</h3>
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Serves 2<br />
2 sausages, any flavor you like <br />
1 sheet Puff pastry<br />
<ol>
<li>Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F</li>
<li>Lightly saute the sausages so that the skin is golden but they are not fully cooked through</li>
<li>Cut the puff pastry into 2 rectangles. Roll one sausage in one rectangle, then repeat. </li>
<li>For a properly British look, slash the puff pastry horizontally across the sausage about every 1/2 inch. </li>
<li>Bake for about 20 minutes until the sausages are cooked through, and the pastry is richly colored. </li>
</ol>
Monkeyshines in the Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15845036169722379518noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2858183001764048955.post-79295240120296618662013-05-05T12:41:00.000-07:002013-05-05T13:08:29.985-07:00Vietnamese-style Chicken Sausages<br />
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Last week, we decided to make more sausages. After all, we had casings to stuff 100 lbs. of sausage sitting untouched in the refrigerator. Inspired by a Vietnamese pork meatball recipe and by some leftover lemongrass also residing in the same refrigerator, we made chicken sausages with Vietnamese flavorings (just bear with us on that..)<br />
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This sausage made use of our two previous Daring Cooks challenges: <a href="http://monkeyshinesinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2013/02/andouille-sausage.html" target="_blank">making sausage</a> and <a href="http://monkeyshinesinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2013/04/good-stuff.html" target="_blank">boning a chicken</a>. Yes, we could simply buy boneless chicken thighs, but then we’d have no bones to make stock with. These sausages were really tasty (I know we say that about most things we blog about, but that’s because we don’t bother to blog the ‘meh’ meals that we also occasionally endure). They were very light and perfect for a warm spring or summer meal when paired with a cucumber and mint salad.<br />
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For us, it was especially fun to use our sausage-making skills to create something entirely new (to us at least). That’s the real beauty of making your own: you can get off the well-trodden Italian or Garlic sausage path. We made only a small batch. I am writing the recipe on the scale that we made it, but if you try this at home, I’d urge you to at least double it since a) it’s a lot of work for 6 sausages and b) they really were delicious.<br />
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<i>Makes about 6 sausages, approx 1 1/2 lbs:</i><br />
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1 lb Chicken thigh meat, boneless (roughly 2 lbs bone-in) <br />1/3 lb Pork back fat <br />1 1/2 tsp Kosher salt <br />1/2 tsp White pepper <br />2 Tbsp Thai basil, minced <br />1 1/2 tsp Green garlic, minced (you could use regular garlic too, but if so use less than this amount) <br />1 Tbsp Lemongrass, minced <br />1 Tbsp Vietnamese fish sauce <br />1 Tbsp Rice wine vinegar<br />
Sausage casings<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clockwise from rear: minced lemongrass, green garlic and basil</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boned chicken thigh meat and pork back fat</td></tr>
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<ol>
<li>Grind the chicken thigh meat and pork back fat together. </li>
<li>Mix in the rest of the ingredients. Note: the lemongrass should be chopped really fine – it should look like fine couscous before you add it. Chopping it can take a while, but nobody likes woody, stringy lemongrass stuck in their throats..</li>
<li>Fry a tablespoon of the mixture in olive oil, then taste it before stuffing your sausages. Adjust the seasoning if needed (we added more lemongrass and basil based on our tasting and the recipe above reflects that change). </li>
<li>When you’re satisfied with the flavor, stuff the sausage meat into the casings. </li>
<li>Cook and serve as you would any other sausage, except with the additional amount of pride that comes with making your own from scratch!</li>
</ol>
Monkeyshines in the Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15845036169722379518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2858183001764048955.post-79149877493712418962013-05-05T10:53:00.000-07:002013-05-05T12:59:09.184-07:00Salami! <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVBpBlGk6fAtFy3F7gNMoJkCTsxvYumht09LdtYUWu_kjf7SbGKj7qyvxO4-q-x_vbv6PdRPqjNED79E6krPqz-qKkGF7wBB1C6eWmo9XQKKN6GgnlwFcCg4kUh_TTcUUHS70j5ipbJuA/s1600/2_salami.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVBpBlGk6fAtFy3F7gNMoJkCTsxvYumht09LdtYUWu_kjf7SbGKj7qyvxO4-q-x_vbv6PdRPqjNED79E6krPqz-qKkGF7wBB1C6eWmo9XQKKN6GgnlwFcCg4kUh_TTcUUHS70j5ipbJuA/s320/2_salami.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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Holy moly, we made salami at home! Talk about things we never thought in a million years we might do. And not some vaguely sausage-y, meaty thing, but honest-to-goodness salami. <br />
We revisited the book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Salumi-Craft-Italian-Dry-Curing/dp/0393068595">Salumi: The Craft of Italian Dry Curing</a> for recipe guidelines (which we more or less followed).<br />
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If you try this at home you’ll also want to visit <a href="http://www.butcher-packer.com/" target="_blank">Butcher & Packer</a> for supplies such as larger casings for the salami and (optionally) mold for the outside of the salame and bacteria for the inside. the book advises strongly to use the bacteria for the inside partly for safety and partly for consistency of flavor. Well, we don’t really care about consistency, since variation is part of the fun of home cooking. We do care about safety, but decided to forego the bacteria and trust the acid in the added wine to keep the nasties away. We did buy the exterior mold, but, of course, not much grew, unlike on our <a href="http://monkeyshinesinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2013/02/capicola-or-coppa-or-as-it-turns-out.html" target="_blank">spalla</a> which did mold nicely without any added help.<br />
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This salami is amazing; it’s like nothing we’ve ever had. The flavor is milder than commercial versions, but also much more complex. We chose a straightforward fennel and pork salami for our first try (Mrs. Monkeyshines’ favorite) and you can really taste the fennel. What's more, the texture is a bit creamier than the store-bought product. There are none of those nasty bits that get stuck in your teeth – the book says that this is the gristly bits of the meat that commercial producers are not as meticulous about removing. Eww...<br />
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At the end of the day, it’s nice to enjoy a salami without wondering what scary cuts of meat are in it. More importantly, that you are justifiably proud of having made yourselves. And even more importantly, that tastes terrific. <br />
Monkeyshines in the Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15845036169722379518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2858183001764048955.post-30799328740341239532013-04-14T10:09:00.001-07:002013-04-14T10:13:00.726-07:00Good Stuff<p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-mPCWxtEX2qU/UWrieGR8VJI/AAAAAAAABmg/0H4TY2Wc1hU/s1600-h/IMG_1006%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_1006" border="0" alt="IMG_1006" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-NKekpmlaJcw/UWrie-x-xiI/AAAAAAAABmo/fL1lkWYUNKY/IMG_1006_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="415" height="285" /></a></p> <p>For the April Daring Cooks Challenge, Lisa from <a href="http://parsleysagesweet.com/" target="_blank">Parsley, Sage and Sweet</a> has challenged us to debone a whole chicken, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAekQ5fzfGM" target="_blank">using this video by Jacques Pepin as our guide</a>; then stuff it, tie it and roast it, to create a Chicken Ballotine. <br />(Thanks Lisa – this was a great challenge, an opportunity to learn a new and useful technique and we’ll definitely be doing this again!)</p> <p>This was a real treat for us – something that we never ever would have considered trying. If we’d seen the video prior to the challenge, we would have scoffed and remarked that certainly a trained chef could bone a chicken that easily, but no mere home cook could possibly ever do that. </p> <p>Since there are two of us Chez Monkeyshines, we tried the challenge twice: Mrs. Monkeyshines started off with a chicken, then so that the Monkey could also experience it, we boned a duck (on a different night – we aren’t that voracious here!). </p> <h4>Chicken Ballotine</h4> <p>We watched the video several times through, then armed with a small paring knife, the iPad, and one chicken, headed into the kitchen. We agreed that it is required to narrate each action while affecting Jacques Pepin’s French accent. </p> <p>The Monkey offered moral support, coaching and paused and replayed the video multiple times while I hacked up the chicken. In all, it took about 30 minutes to complete, including all the starts and stops and photos, whoops of triumph, etc. </p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-tEjUBJEw-yo/UWrifzHE8hI/AAAAAAAABmw/Jy3bFO98PAY/s1600-h/IMG_0958%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_0958" border="0" alt="IMG_0958" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-21aKor-CYVI/UWrigoolS3I/AAAAAAAABm4/VuVLBnFF6cE/IMG_0958_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="379" height="260" /></a> <br /><font color="#646b86" size="1">Our hapless chicken before the procedure</font></p> <p>I won’t recount all the steps as the video really does an excellent job of walking you through it. I was honestly surprised how little knifework was involved. Honestly, it was very satisfying to conquer such a daunting task and learn that, like most things, it’s merely a matter of knowing where to cut. </p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-N_Ez0qJXtsA/UWrih_KqWYI/AAAAAAAABnA/jcsUQO5c8vI/s1600-h/IMG_0963%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_0963" border="0" alt="IMG_0963" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Acv-pAiBl20/UWriiZ5Xu7I/AAAAAAAABnI/Usc2h6GcNqM/IMG_0963_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="367" height="252" /></a> <br /><font color="#646b86" size="1">And after boning</font></p> <p>The result was fantastic! Once the chicken was opened up, we lined the meat with prosciutto. The layered that evenly with a stuffing made from:</p> <p>2 shallots, chopped <br />1 clove garlic, chopped <br />6 oz spinach leaves, shredded <br />6 oz mushrooms, chopped <br />1 Tbsp olive oil to saute it all gently </p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-2sjpqxXRV_4/UWrij0gsmnI/AAAAAAAABnQ/Vqb7ogI9L4o/s1600-h/IMG_0966%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_0966" border="0" alt="IMG_0966" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-T76i37ux8ns/UWrikZOPTnI/AAAAAAAABnY/2dV5EHyBvdA/IMG_0966_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="353" height="242" /></a> <br /><font color="#646b86" size="1">The stuffing hides my pathetic butchering..and tastes phenomenal</font></p> <p>We tied up the chicken and roasted it for 45 min at 425 degrees F. It tasted fantastic and was a lovely, and very impressive presentation. Honestly, I am not a big fan of eating chicken on the bone – I don’t like having to dissect my dinner. I know that I’ll be making ballotine again. </p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-xYENp9sYnlo/UWrilvuP5JI/AAAAAAAABng/Qu4vL_PkY3k/s1600-h/IMG_0969%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_0969" border="0" alt="IMG_0969" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Q3HKPRhgGmA/UWrimNQnqgI/AAAAAAAABno/14YEA37Tbeo/IMG_0969_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="391" height="268" /></a><font color="#646b86" size="1"> <br />Et Voila!</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Tstof9mDmrE/UWrinLtEX5I/AAAAAAAABnw/AIq46lk8-Lc/s1600-h/IMG_0975%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_0975" border="0" alt="IMG_0975" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-JkJ8DgTuiUg/UWrinhgs-4I/AAAAAAAABn4/8R7iRLEStDs/IMG_0975_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="415" height="285" /></a></p> <h4> </h4> <h4>Ballotine of duck with <strong>wild rice, morel mushroom and leek stuffing</strong></h4> <p>The duck seemed to be a bit more challenging than chicken, mainly due to the thick layer of fat covering the bird – and although it perhaps wasn’t the prettiest deboned bird, it still tasted really good. </p> <p>We found some nice morel mushrooms – first of the season! – and made the stuffing as follows:</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-7DE-I3nQl5E/UWrioyRxRzI/AAAAAAAABoA/WUU3R61pCx4/s1600-h/IMG_0988%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_0988" border="0" alt="IMG_0988" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-oS7spoi4Hco/UWripauz2xI/AAAAAAAABoI/hqwSmLFY7cE/IMG_0988_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="396" height="272" /></a></p> <p>1/4 lb Morel mushrooms (or as many as you can afford – there are never enough mushrooms…) <br />1 oz butter <br />1 medium leek <br />1/4 cup uncooked wild rice <br />2 cloves green garlic (if you’re using regular garlic rather than its more mild springtime version, you may want to cut this down to 1 clove) <br />Small bunch parsley <br />Salt and pepper</p> <p>Simmer the wild rice for ~45 minutes (or until done) over low hear. Meanwhile, wash the morel mushrooms really well and chop them, then sauté over medium heat 4-5 minutes (no need to add oil, they will cook nicely in their own juices.) Remove from the pan, add the butter and sauté the finely chopped leek and green garlic until soft and translucent. Add the chopped parsley and season to taste.</p> <p>Here’s the duck in various stages of being broken down and stuffed:</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-3pj09ciVx8w/UWriqnTYCaI/AAAAAAAABoQ/aURRlCOas94/s1600-h/ducks%252520copy%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="ducks copy" border="0" alt="ducks copy" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-6yCB1kGTd9o/UWrirHE0VyI/AAAAAAAABoY/7tr56-YV4Ew/ducks%252520copy_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="401" height="275" /></a></p> <p>And the finished product (you can see a sliced version at the top of this post):</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Sdjrhz_G_3M/UWrisprA8SI/AAAAAAAABog/doemEw9au4g/s1600-h/IMG_1001%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_1001" border="0" alt="IMG_1001" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-77T2Qn1KfTE/UWritCKGXVI/AAAAAAAABoo/DEDbdXslGso/IMG_1001_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="417" height="286" /></a></p> <p>We served this with a mustard green peppercorn sauce – not pictured, but here’s the recipe since it was really good. We adapted this from an old recipe for saddle of venison, but the flavor profile goes really well with duck too…</p> <p>1 baby leek, minced <br />1/2 oz butter <br />1 tsp tomato paste <br />1 tsp soy sauce <br />1 tsp dijon mustard <br />1 tsp green peppercorns <br />2 oz cream <br />2 oz chicken stock <br />ground black pepper</p> <p>Easy as can be – saute the leeks in the butter until soft, stir in the other ingredients and reduce over low heat until ready to serve. </p> Monkeyshines in the Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15845036169722379518noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2858183001764048955.post-13524768813830444282013-03-14T00:57:00.000-07:002013-03-14T00:57:00.928-07:00Homemade cheese. It’s whey better!<p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-b7hUQKfjFe4/UTvom9l-pEI/AAAAAAAABjU/dNqXI645Vtc/s1600-h/IMG_09084.jpg"><img title="IMG_0908" style="border-top-width: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" height="277" alt="IMG_0908" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-tkIl6Swb3cQ/UTvoneAXRzI/AAAAAAAABjc/Kdt4zsjlHlA/IMG_0908_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="403" border="0" /></a></p> <p>Our Daring Cooks challenge this month introduced us to the world of cheese making. We have dabbled in this art once or twice before – most recently making Indian paneer cheese according to a recipe from Hari Nayak (whose cookbook we reviewed <a href="http://monkeyshinesinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2011/08/review-my-indian-kitchen-by-hari-nayak.html" target="_blank">here</a>). Encouraged by the success of that venture, our first cheesemaking attempt this month was with paneer’s close cousin from Italy: ricotta.</p> <p>We based our ricotta on a recipe from <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2011/06/rich-homemade-ricotta/" target="_blank">Smitten Kitchen</a>, although it is very similar to the challenge recipe posted by Sawsan from <a href="http://chefindisguise.com/" target="_blank">chefindisguise</a> – we figured that using lemon juice instead of vinegar to separate the milk would give more of the flavor profile we wanted. Of course, it’s all about the milk – we sought out some good quality local milk and cream to use, and were happy with the end result. Here’s what we ended up doing:</p> <h4></h4> <h4>Ricotta Cheese</h4> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-oP0x4jkue88/UTvoosYEMTI/AAAAAAAABjk/7oAFSN5baNo/s1600-h/IMG_08914.jpg"><img title="IMG_0891" style="border-top-width: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; float: left; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" height="306" alt="IMG_0891" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-KWZ8B2Yjl8E/UTvopf5Gj0I/AAAAAAAABjs/da1LkL1Za1U/IMG_0891_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="202" align="left" border="0" /></a></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <blockquote> <p>  1/2 gallon whole milk <br />  1 cup cream <br />  1 tsp salt <br />  2-3 tbsp fresh lemon juice</p> </blockquote> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p>1. Combine the milk, cream and salt in a saucepan and heat to  <br />190°F, stirring occasionally <br />2. Remove from the heat and gently stir in the lemon juice. Leave undisturbed for 5 minutes</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-gLdzTYhyeEE/UTvorieXLzI/AAAAAAAABj0/cwyxSjZiKc0/s1600-h/IMG_08934.jpg"><img title="IMG_0893" style="border-top-width: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" height="241" alt="IMG_0893" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-rIq0WhUBbjM/UTvosg1asnI/AAAAAAAABj8/Y4t-6TKx5JM/IMG_0893_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="351" border="0" /></a></p> <p>3. Drain through a colander (using several layers of cheesecloth – we always wondered why they called it cheesecloth!) After 1-2 hours it had firmed up nicely. (By the way, we kept the whey and I had it on my breakfast cereal during the week. Waste not want not!)</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-cZu7d5awIHk/UTvov7xCRRI/AAAAAAAABkE/7GGohjqJDyo/s1600-h/IMG_09044.jpg"><img title="IMG_0904" style="border-top-width: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" height="240" alt="IMG_0904" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-f44gIyyuQYs/UTvow4E5ReI/AAAAAAAABkM/hcgsOtqa340/IMG_0904_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="349" border="0" /></a></p> <p>So what to do with about 2 cups of fresh homemade ricotta? Make spinach and ricotta gnocchi, of course – which we served with veal meatballs for a suitably spherical accompaniment!</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-SsC-Gnms40U/UTvoygzX1xI/AAAAAAAABkU/0WCiBmmw14I/s1600-h/IMG_09124.jpg"><img title="IMG_0912" style="border-top-width: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" height="242" alt="IMG_0912" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-tV60rZNK06g/UTvozoyDv5I/AAAAAAAABkc/ERpWb_KJ3Lo/IMG_0912_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="353" border="0" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-_Jt0oUg1-4Y/UTvo2ciVQuI/AAAAAAAABkk/foETs7liufQ/s1600-h/IMG_09164.jpg"><img title="IMG_0916" style="border-top-width: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" height="241" alt="IMG_0916" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-v4I5qaRbSS8/UTvo3VYOQLI/AAAAAAAABks/VJ2uv2BdKbg/IMG_0916_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="351" border="0" /></a></p> <h4> </h4> <h4>Feta Cheese</h4> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-9KovgqGT4jE/UTvo4jNoTtI/AAAAAAAABk0/Qx4grmzFqbc/s1600-h/IMG_09354.jpg"><img title="IMG_0935" style="border-top-width: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" height="245" alt="IMG_0935" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-XJY2g9hc5h4/UTvo5d-zo4I/AAAAAAAABk8/UvaS9X-x8FQ/IMG_0935_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="357" border="0" /></a></p> <p>Our next adventure was to make feta cheese, and this definitely felt like a step up in complexity. Not only would this be a firmer cheese (made with rennet, which causes the milk to gel) but we used raw goat’s milk. The end product turned out to be wonderfully ‘goaty’ tasting (this is a good thing!)</p> <p>Recipe <a href="http://fromthebartolinikitchens.com/2012/05/09/makin-feta-you-betcha/" target="_blank">from the Bartolini kitchens</a></p> <p><strong>Ingredients</strong></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-P_xFsCp849E/UTvo6eq6Q5I/AAAAAAAABlE/PWtmCoClLNQ/s1600-h/IMG_09023.jpg"><img title="IMG_0902" style="border-top-width: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; float: left; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" height="244" alt="IMG_0902" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-MENIauXpmGE/UTvo7NDTp_I/AAAAAAAABlM/go8eswMdmMU/IMG_0902_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="164" align="left" border="0" /></a></p> <p> </p> <p>  2 pints raw goat’s milk <br />  1/2 tbsp live yogurt <br />  1/8 rennet tablet dissolved in a little <br />  water at room temperature</p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p>Briefly, after warming the milk, adding yogurt, adding rennet and leaving overnight, we had a nice soft gel with a ‘clean break’. We cut the cheese into curd lumps, left them to set and then strained them into a colander lined with cheesecloth:</p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-uURhDOPVfjw/UTvo8YYFdeI/AAAAAAAABlU/Hy-qWu4MuYE/s1600-h/IMG_09214.jpg"><img title="IMG_0921" style="border-top-width: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" height="264" alt="IMG_0921" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-9QPPNkxrloA/UTvo9ZhqMrI/AAAAAAAABlc/fcOL3QY3dSE/IMG_0921_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="385" border="0" /></a></p> <p>After straining, we tied the cloth up and left it to drain for a few hours:</p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-MxMkHBKY8bg/UTvo_ols98I/AAAAAAAABlk/JuQtFs6okHs/s1600-h/IMG_09234.jpg"><img title="IMG_0923" style="border-top-width: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" height="265" alt="IMG_0923" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-m_8o5-rLI5o/UTvpAuN0ZMI/AAAAAAAABls/ViRlPOI_hOc/IMG_0923_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="386" border="0" /></a></p> <p>…then pressed it overnight so that it formed a nice little ‘cake’ of cheese.</p> <p>As well as savoring it by itself, we made this into a pie filling with chicken, spinach, onion and dill:</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-RRARrM1SCXY/UTvpC1iEjKI/AAAAAAAABl0/1L-rpajnNF8/s1600-h/IMG_09404.jpg"><img title="IMG_0940" style="border-top-width: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" height="260" alt="IMG_0940" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-4jUIwLbyCyg/UTvpDjw9OSI/AAAAAAAABl8/69O9F3OhU2U/IMG_0940_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="378" border="0" /></a></p> <p>And we even had enough to make one of our favorite salads, with wild rice, quinoa, sweet potato and dried Persian lime (from Yotam Ottolenghi’s <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Plenty-Vibrant-Recipes-Londons-Ottolenghi/dp/1452101248/" target="_blank">Plenty</a>):</p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-Yb9TEB3Socg/UTvpGN0cQXI/AAAAAAAABmE/NvI93jGD4co/s1600-h/IMG_02054.jpg"><img title="IMG_0205" style="border-top-width: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" height="262" alt="IMG_0205" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-ajFEsNNoj9Q/UTvpG4SeXsI/AAAAAAAABmM/AOAWuHq1cDQ/IMG_0205_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="382" border="0" /></a></p> <p> </p> <h4><strong>The One That Got Away… Burrathaloumi!</strong></h4> <p>Our cheesemaking exploits would not be complete without one recipe that did not quite go as intended. We were intrigued by the possibility of making mozzarella cheese, and – undaunted by our complete lack of experience in this endeavor – decided to go one step further and make burrata. Burrata is a delicious fresh cheese which is essentially extra-creamy mozzarella stuffed inside mozzarella. Ours was not creamy at all. Squeaky might be a better description. We recognized it as being akin to halloumi, that Greek cheese you can grill. A quick internet search confirmed that we were not too far off on that hunch.. </p> <p>Perhaps another day we’ll try mozzarella.  it definitely seems to be something that requires practice. </p> <p> </p> <p>Sawsan from chef in disguise was our March 2013 Daring Cooks hostess! Sawsan challenges us to make our own homemade cheeses! She gave us a variety of choices to make, all of them easily accomplished and delicious!</p> Monkeyshines in the Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15845036169722379518noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2858183001764048955.post-87830456601865816272013-02-13T20:48:00.001-08:002013-02-13T20:48:35.696-08:00Mortadella<p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-EjKYtcx5RYQ/URxsgXwqITI/AAAAAAAABhM/VLJr5agCDkg/s1600-h/mortadella3.jpg"><img title="mortadella" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: block; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-right-width: 0px" height="303" alt="mortadella" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-x43OFriaUNI/URxsg7ANYrI/AAAAAAAABhU/8eDXvCh4zBI/mortadella_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="356" border="0" /></a> </p> <p>Our adventure with aspiring to make salumi at home started with the magazine <a href="http://lky.ph/" target="_blank">Lucky Peach</a>, which included a recipe for mortadella. For weeks Mrs. Monkeyshines babbled about making mortadella and read and re-read the recipe, but somehow we just weren't ready to commit an entire weekend day to putting it together. </p> <p>Finally, the day came when we were ready to make it happen. So what did we do? Sort of follow the Lucky Peach recipe and also the recipe in Salumi as we saw fit. I know, great idea to not follow the recipe on something you’ve never made before, but that’s how things happen here… </p> <p>Unlike the capicola, we didn’t go the heritage breed route. Since the mortadella is cooked right away, it didn’t seem as urgent to pay for the good stuff. We cheated on our regular butcher and went to a local Asian market. (Sorry Guerras!) They had chunks of lean pork marked ‘Pork Chowder’. We think they meant ‘Pork Shoulder’ but Mrs. Monkeyshines asked for '”pork chowder” so as not to rock the boat. The nice man behind the counter looked at her as if she were insane. </p> <p>Anyway, the results were surprisingly good. Next time we’ll add a more salt, but the sausage was really quite tasty and (relatively) simple. In other words, there will be a next time. The homemade version is less fatty than the store-bought kind and doesn’t leave that icky greasy feeling in the mouth. </p> <p>Here is the recipe for our version:</p> <p>3 lb lean pork shoulder <br />2 lb pork belly or pork back fat if you can get it <br />1 Tbsp coriander seed <br />1 Tbsp nutmeg <br />1 tsp bay leaf, dried <br />9 grams curing salt <br />9 grams regular salt (we suggest using more, maybe 18 grams, but haven’t tried it) <br />6 oz white wine <br />10 oz crushed ice + a bunch more ice for sundry ice baths <br />1 1/2 Tbsp coarsely cracked black pepper <br />1 1/4 cups whole pistachios <br />1 beef middle or plastic wrap or other casing material. </p> <p>Directions:</p> <ol> <li>Cut the pork shoulder into 1 1/2 inch cubes and trim off any extraneous fat and sinew <br /><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-WeWCCyvXKk8/URxshsi0msI/AAAAAAAABhc/UEARwL4n01k/s1600-h/salumi_0143.jpg"><img title="salumi_ 014" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; border-left-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" height="231" alt="salumi_ 014" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-BBwjSr8A85E/URxsh-tIgfI/AAAAAAAABhk/2odLlhGNYRs/salumi_014_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="339" border="0" /></a>  <br /><em><font size="1">our pork shoulder and pork belly, ready for turning into mortadella! <br /></font></em></li> <li>Remove skin from pork belly, if present, and cut 8 oz of it into 1/4 inch dice, the rest into 1 1/2 inch cubes. Place the large cubes in a big bowl with the meat and refrigerate while you get the rest of the ingredients together. </li> <li>Bring a pot of water to a boil and blanch the small cubes of belly for 3 minutes, then cool down in an ice bath. Refrigerate until you’re ready to use it. </li> <li>Toast the coriander seed, then grind to a powder. Similarly grind your dried bay leaves (If you only have fresh leaves, you can dry them in the microwave on medium power for 3-4 minutes. it works great!) </li> <li>Add the salt and spices (except for the peppercorns) and the wine to the bowl of pork chunks. <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-UKGiyoT9ojQ/URxsi0z45fI/AAAAAAAABhs/fKgOoazokRU/s1600-h/salumi_0223.jpg"><img title="salumi_ 022" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: block; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-right-width: 0px" height="223" alt="salumi_ 022" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-ne_RCyG4qsc/URxsjQW4ZdI/AAAAAAAABh0/q4Ucl_IRVyw/salumi_022_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="327" border="0" /></a> </li> <li>Grind the meat and spices using the coarse disc of your meat grinder. </li> <li>Bring a small pot of water to a simmer – you’ll use it in step 9. </li> <li>In a food processor, blend the meat and crushed ice in batches until it is as smooth a paste as you can get it. This took us four batches (apportion the ice equally in each of the batches). Refrigerate while you prepare a sample in the next step.  </li> <li>Wrap a half-cup or so of the meat in plastic wrap to make a small sausage and poach in the pot of water until cooked – 4-5 minutes. Do enough that you can take a few bites and really assess the flavor. Cool completely before tasting, then adjust seasoning as needed. </li> <li>Stir the small fat cubes, pistachios and the peppercorns into your meat puree until evenly distributed. <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-0ApEGyslfVk/URxskOE1vSI/AAAAAAAABh8/zd5OWaw-MCs/s1600-h/salumi_0253.jpg"><img title="salumi_ 025" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: block; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-right-width: 0px" height="229" alt="salumi_ 025" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-rh5i3lKhEWw/URxsk3QosiI/AAAAAAAABiE/Bd4kzfTyWYo/salumi_025_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" border="0" /></a> </li> <li>Bring water in a very large pot to a near boil – about 200 degrees F. You’re going to poach your mortadella at 170 degrees, but adding the meat will cool down the pot, so we shoot a little high at this step. </li> <li>Stuff the sausage meat into your casing. We used plastic wrap, and rolled a third of the mix as tightly and evenly as we could into a compact log about 3 inches in diameter and about 8 inches long. We then rolled it in a second layer of plastic to try to prevent water from getting in and tied off the ends with string. Repeat for the other two thirds of the mix or make whatever size of mortadella appeals to you. <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-RrvkhjdRmXY/URxslekLSVI/AAAAAAAABiM/4rZwq645C_Q/s1600-h/salumi_0303.jpg"><img title="salumi_ 030" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: block; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-right-width: 0px" height="225" alt="salumi_ 030" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-5Z9ovPvK2h0/URxsl7YfmXI/AAAAAAAABiU/7QVZ8sBQKJM/salumi_030_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="330" border="0" /></a> </li> <li>Poach the sausages at 170 degrees F for approximately 45 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 150 degrees. </li> <li>Cool the sausages in an ice bath and refrigerate. We’re told they’ll keep 2-3 weeks, but don’t yet have experience on that front. <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-iCDvEsRPJyA/URxsmnJOktI/AAAAAAAABic/wv3NHCPF5sg/s1600-h/salumi_0353.jpg"><img title="salumi_ 035" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: block; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-right-width: 0px" height="229" alt="salumi_ 035" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-JXQGG8UjocE/URxsnCVos8I/AAAAAAAABik/dlWjwA0Mam0/salumi_035_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" border="0" /></a> </li> </ol> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p>Slice and enjoy!</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-02InchhBvj4/URxsnxCJpjI/AAAAAAAABis/stgGNzu4yns/s1600-h/salumi_0433.jpg"><img title="salumi_ 043" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: block; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-right-width: 0px" height="279" alt="salumi_ 043" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-aozRzbU7_O4/URxsoqH3hlI/AAAAAAAABi0/nrOkphF8PeE/salumi_043_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="410" border="0" /></a></p> Monkeyshines in the Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15845036169722379518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2858183001764048955.post-68877175162494668122013-02-13T20:47:00.001-08:002013-02-13T20:47:48.509-08:00Capicola or Coppa. Or, as it turns out, spalla<p>Growing up, my favorite cold cut in all the universe was called capicola. We bought it at <a href="http://cavarettasdeli.com/" target="_blank">Cavaretta’s deli</a> in the ‘burbs of Los Angeles. Later, I moved to San Francisco and that same delectable meat was called Coppa. As it turns out, capicola is the term used in Umbria, where Coppa is Piemontese for this cut of meat that runs from the neck through the shoulder of a pig. Whatever you call it, I was determined to make my own. </p> <p>I found a few recipes on the interweb, but was daunted by the prospect of hanging meat unattended in the basement for several weeks. What temperature? How long? Really? Can this possibly be safe? Thankfully Brian Polcyn and Michael Ruhlman came to my rescue by publishing the book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Salumi-Craft-Italian-Dry-Curing/dp/0393068595" target="_blank">Salumi: The Craft of Italian Dry Curing</a>. This book details how to create whole muscle salume (coppa, prosciutto, pancetta among others) and also salami or various flavor combinations. </p> <p>Ultimately, we’ll make them all. OK, well, most of them. I am not sure I am committed to hanging a pork leg for a year in order to get prosciutto, nor am I committed to consuming a whole prosciutto in the time it would be safe to eat, much as I love that creamy sweet meat. </p> <p>But I digress. We’re talking about coppa. Capicola. Yum. Actually, no we’re not. We went to <a href="http://prmeatco.com/" target="_blank">Prather Ranch</a> to buy a pork shoulder as we knew (and the authors were adamant) that a high-quality base meat is essential in order to get a high-quality cured product. There’s no way some factory-farmed flavorless pork loin is ever going to cure into a rich creamy lonza. Our shoulder, which was boneless came from a Black pig that had fed on acorns and watermelon. Cue all the foodie hipster jokes all you want, but I am happy with our choice. But if you taste La Quercia prosciutto (or Jamon Iberico or a real Italian prosciutto) compared to supermarket prosciutto you’ll taste the difference that breed and feed make in the final product. </p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-R4Npo5-XTLA/URxsPigPMjI/AAAAAAAABe8/8rfhCQVfQlU/s1600-h/coppa001%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img title="coppa 001" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: block; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-right-width: 0px" height="251" alt="coppa 001" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-1dmfC78hH5w/URxsQIyc_TI/AAAAAAAABfE/LR-CfA1aLdk/coppa001_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="368" border="0" /></a><em><font color="#004000">Our piggy fresh from the market</font></em> </p> <p>Unfortunately, our shoulder also came without the capicola cylindrical muscle. It was the other 2/3 of the shoulder, so we’re calling it Spalla instead. Spalla being the cured pork shoulder, even though ours is missing a bit. Hopefully that means that it’ll cure faster. </p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-T-SQ6_3TouU/URxsQ2pUOvI/AAAAAAAABfM/ncDrm9F1SFg/s1600-h/coppa005.jpg"><img title="coppa 005" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: block; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-right-width: 0px" height="255" alt="coppa 005" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-S8_stF3n-Es/URxsRjNn_OI/AAAAAAAABfU/dbR8ljyGvNQ/coppa005_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="374" border="0" /></a> <em><font color="#004000">Adding the cure to the meat</font></em></p> <p align="left">We cured the meat for 3 days in the refrigerator. The book recommends one day for every 2 pounds/1 kilogram and we started with just shy of 6 pounds. The cure included bay leaves, juniper berries, thyme, pepper, kosher salt (NOT iodized) and curing salt. We’re fortunate to have a wonderful local butcher, <a href="http://guerrameats.com/default.aspx" target="_blank">Guerra’s Meats</a>, from which we bought curing salt and casings for our Andouille. We weighted the meat during this time to press water out of the flesh and help close up the seams created by boning the shoulder. </p> <p align="left"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-T9dLcW8mT04/URxsSXHPVpI/AAAAAAAABfc/xnEKc6q6u4o/s1600-h/coppa007%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img title="coppa 007" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: block; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-right-width: 0px" height="251" alt="coppa 007" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-ozG1W0xvEgk/URxsS8zgZlI/AAAAAAAABfk/O9Y-a4SlIq0/coppa007_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="368" border="0" /></a><em><font color="#008000">Weighing it down – flour and a 28 oz can of tomatoes worked great! </font></em></p> <p>After the cold cure, we rinsed the meat, applied a new layer of herbs (the same juniper, thyme, etc. mix), tied it as tightly as possible and hung it to dry in our basement. <br /></p> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-hIROLJ7E9lM/URxsTm6gm4I/AAAAAAAABfs/J-bIT0_0Qzk/s1600-h/coppa014.jpg"><img title="coppa 014" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: block; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-right-width: 0px" height="261" alt="coppa 014" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-wdcejRfR9Nw/URxsUasQ-lI/AAAAAAAABf0/xqQ6xd5ueGA/coppa014_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="383" border="0" /></a> <p align="center"><font color="#008000"><em>Ready to hang</em></font></p> <p>According to the book, the ideal conditions for curing meat is a space that is between 55 and 65 degrees F and about 70% humidity and fresh circulating air. We’re not exactly sure what our humidity level is, but 70% seems about right. Being the dead of winter, the temperature has dipped a bit cooler than optimal and with rains, the humidity may be a touch higher on some days, though I think we’re in the ballpark. </p> <p>The coppa at time of hanging and one week later:<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-qmVxwd_rRzk/URxsU6xGRrI/AAAAAAAABf8/ox3rXLtm9Ko/s1600-h/coppa_one_week1.jpg"><img title="coppa_one_week" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; border-left-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" height="270" alt="coppa_one_week" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-jfDXEkFtzZk/URxsVrYekdI/AAAAAAAABgE/xgvSGoyUX0Y/coppa_one_week_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="407" border="0" /></a> </p> <p>If you look closely (click to enlarge) you’ll see that the meat is drier (though it is still soft to the touch) and that there are a few spots of mold growing. The white mold is apparently good and to be encouraged. In the crack there was a touch of furry mold so we swabbed it with vinegar. The meat has lost 100 g over the course of 8 days.</p> <p>2 weeks in: we have a fine collection of molds! Some are the nice chalky white molds while others are of more uncertain provenance… We wanted to treat these with a healthy respect since some molds can be harmful: on the other hand, we read of traditional Italian salumi being covered in the allegedly not-so-good blue molds. The Monkey (wearing his scientist’s hat) found an interesting <a href="http://forums.egullet.org/topic/125619-green-mold-on-dry-cured-sausages/" target="_blank">thread on egullet</a> covering this topic, which includes reference to <a href="http://forums.egullet.org/topic/125619-green-mold-on-dry-cured-sausages/" target="_blank">this paper</a>. Basically they find a huge variety of microorganisms in both industrial and artisanal sausages from Northern Italy, however they only exist on the surface of the sausage and can be removed by simple washing. (There is, of course, also the potential for microbial contamination inside the rolled meat, but we took care of that with our curing salt…)</p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-FL2kWjzdrMQ/URxsWSWqXhI/AAAAAAAABgM/UTAHz2qVvxo/s1600-h/salumi_0083.jpg"><img title="salumi_ 008" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; border-left-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" height="269" alt="salumi_ 008" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-6P6atRZaGRA/URxsY26QOCI/AAAAAAAABgU/Yd5ZgqSI170/salumi_008_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="395" border="0" /></a> </p> <p></p> <p>3 weeks later: We are almost ready to break in to our fine cured pig! Most of the mold at this stage is the chalky white kind. However, the weight was not quite there: we were losing about 100g per week, so figured that two more weeks were needed.</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-FoR1lj8gTtU/URxsZqJ850I/AAAAAAAABgc/xhwCng69WCc/s1600-h/salumi_0453.jpg"><img title="salumi_ 045" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; border-left-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" height="275" alt="salumi_ 045" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-xAGeexFwNrM/URxsaKFoj-I/AAAAAAAABgk/D3lNJzC9qI0/salumi_045_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="404" border="0" /></a> </p> <p>Finally, time for the grand carving! The first few slices were a bit fatty, but soon we were cutting beautifully marbled slices of tasty cured pork. Marvellous!</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-zO3DQHzn1Yk/URxsbL4YofI/AAAAAAAABgs/VoOWW-7NhKw/s1600-h/salumi_0513.jpg"><img title="salumi_ 051" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; border-left-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" height="280" alt="salumi_ 051" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/--xdLRa9UkNI/URxsbgZvg3I/AAAAAAAABg0/PqspehDZWUA/salumi_051_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="411" border="0" /></a> </p> <p>As well as eating plain unadorned slices, we made pasta carbonara (below) and are now trying to figure out how to use up the remaining 2 or so pounds. What a nice problem to have!</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-G_J5gC9T_8U/URxscaQPXdI/AAAAAAAABg8/Vt9Gx5Ivjn8/s1600-h/salumi_0623.jpg"><img title="salumi_ 062" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; border-left-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" height="276" alt="salumi_ 062" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-K_0dAzXa7Xo/URxsc7-DTrI/AAAAAAAABhE/QDGO9kEmBEU/salumi_062_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" border="0" /></a></p> Monkeyshines in the Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15845036169722379518noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2858183001764048955.post-44637623657856635942013-02-13T20:46:00.003-08:002013-02-13T20:52:15.628-08:00A cure for the Daring Cooks<p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-Tr7eTXzIxZA/URxsLg4lSkI/AAAAAAAABes/ZXS49gp_Fy0/s1600-h/salumi_0503.jpg"><img title="salumi_ 050" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; border-left-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" height="271" alt="salumi_ 050" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-bpPaRTkCO-w/URxsMGojZnI/AAAAAAAABe0/zDN0V7J87Wc/salumi_050_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="398" border="0" /></a> </p> <p>Our Daring Cooks challenge for the months of January and February was to make fresh or cured sausage or salumi.  This was a perfectly timed challenge as we had just purchased the book that inspired it:  <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Salumi-Craft-Italian-Dry-Curing/dp/0393068595" target="_blank">Salumi: The Craft of Italian Dry Curing</a> by Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn and have been fervently paging through the book trying to decide which of the recipes to try first. </p> <p>Salumi is the generic Italian term for cured meats and includes Salami (salame is the plural here) and also whole-muscle cures such as pancetta, prosciutto and capicola. The challenge also offered the option to make sausage, either fresh or cured.</p> <p>Talk about spoiled for choice! We wanted to try our hands at all kinds of sausage and cured meats, so for this challenge we made cured pork shoulder, aka <a href="http://monkeyshinesinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2013/02/capicola-or-coppa-or-as-it-turns-out.html" target="_blank">Spalla</a>, <a href="http://monkeyshinesinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2013/02/andouille-sausage.html" target="_blank">smoked Andouille sausage</a> and <a href="http://monkeyshinesinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2013/02/mortadella.html" target="_blank">mortadella</a>. We have really been bitten by the home curing bug…</p> <p>For the January-February 2013 Daring Cooks’ Challenge, Carol, one of our talented non-blogging members and Jenni, one of our talented bloggers who writes <a href="http://thegingeredwhisk.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Gingered Whisk</a>, have challenged us to make homemade sausage and/or cured, dried meats in celebration of the release of the book Salumi: The Craft of Italian Dry Curing by Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn! We were given two months for this challenge and the opportunity to make delicious Salumi in our own kitchens!</p> Monkeyshines in the Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15845036169722379518noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2858183001764048955.post-12486512078844175812013-02-13T20:46:00.001-08:002013-02-13T20:46:25.996-08:00Andouille Sausage<img title="andouille_small" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: block; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-right-width: 0px" height="275" alt="andouille_small" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-jx__TrDT1g4/URxsA2P0R8I/AAAAAAAABdE/sAzn7h6rnSo/andouille_small_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="404" border="0" /> <p>We were excited, but a little nervous about making our own andouille sausage. Excited, because we love the flavor of this smoky sausage in <a href="http://monkeyshinesinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2011/05/gumbo-good-times-roll.html" target="_blank">gumbo</a> and other dishes; nervous because the last time we tried to stuff sausages was a frustrating experience – our casings seemed to burst at the slightest provocation. So, this time we invested in a new accessory for our trusty Kitchen Aid mixer: the sausage stuffer! This was a great success and we had a blast making these tasty links of porky goodness. </p> <p>source: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Charcuterie-Craft-Salting-Smoking-Curing/dp/0393058298" target="_blank">Charcuterie</a></p> <p><em>Ingredients</em> <br />5 lbs boneless fatty pork shoulder butt, diced into 1” cubes <br />3 tablespoons kosher salt <br />2 teaspoons  cayenne pepper <br />1 teaspoon pink salt, aka Curing salt <br />1 teaspoon dried thyme <br />½ teaspoon ground mace <font color="#008000">- we substituted 1 tsp smoked paprika (and yes, we know that’s nothing like mace but that’s how we roll.. ) <br /></font>½ teaspoon ground cloves <br />½ teaspoon ground allspice <br />¾ teaspoon Coleman’s dry mustard <br />1 cup diced onion <br />1 tablespoon minced garlic <br />10 feet/3 meters hog casings, soaked in tepid water for a least 30 minutes and rinsed</p> <ol> <li><em>Directions</em>: <br />Combine all the ingredients and toss to mix thoroughly. Chill until ready to grind<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Zw-IMqrMaqs/URxsB3XDV6I/AAAAAAAABdM/hw2OGTMTwCo/s1600-h/andouille0043.jpg"><img title="andouille 004" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; border-left-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" height="200" alt="andouille 004" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Eoqqz4Iou-8/URxsCcwAtKI/AAAAAAAABdU/mBSWXZRINjU/andouille004_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="294" border="0" /></a> </li> <li>Grind mixture through the small die of your meat grinder <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Vxa3l3mHUSQ/URxsC5Y_gaI/AAAAAAAABdc/Ns0rnSvUnDI/s1600-h/andouille0103.jpg"><img title="andouille 010" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; border-left-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" height="207" alt="andouille 010" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-JwQo7Vqokd0/URxsDCsuggI/AAAAAAAABdk/EI7svCrRPIY/andouille010_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="303" border="0" /></a> </li> <li>Mix with paddle attachment or spoon for about a minute until meat has sticky appearance. </li> <li>Fry a bite size portion of the sausage and taste it – refrigerate your meat mixture while you do this – and adjust seasonings as necessary </li> <li>Stuff sausage into the hog casings and twist into 6-inch links. <br />(Here it is – our new sausage maker in action!) <br /> <br /><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-nP4L0ookT5Y/URxsEJy3f_I/AAAAAAAABds/laiqoFHmc2Q/s1600-h/andouille0134.jpg"><img title="andouille 013" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; border-left-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" height="251" alt="andouille 013" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-N3xna2Onz8w/URxsEthzbqI/AAAAAAAABd0/_27ScUL5FKs/andouille013_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="365" border="0" /></a> <br /><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-iWU4XPwuL1g/URxsFQRucvI/AAAAAAAABd8/lGmJD_wLhpE/s1600-h/andouille016.jpg"><img title="andouille 016" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; border-left-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" height="250" alt="andouille 016" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-50Q7RPM0wbA/URxsF8ZDVoI/AAAAAAAABeE/99BuRuWCdYY/andouille016_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="363" border="0" /></a> </li> <li>Hang sausages on a smoke stick and let dry for 1 to 2 hours a to room temperature or in the refrigerator to develop the pellicle. <br /><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-ei2H4-OHvFY/URxsGveEzyI/AAAAAAAABeM/-Nv49UKUsOw/s1600-h/andouille0193.jpg"><img title="andouille 019" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; border-left-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" height="211" alt="andouille 019" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-4b-dknCEIm0/URxsHMvJOpI/AAAAAAAABeU/aCfiR62R8RE/andouille019_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="309" border="0" /></a> </li> <li>Hot smoke sausages at a temperature of 180°F/82 °C to an internal temperature of 150°F/65°C. Transfer to ice bath to chill thoroughly, then refrigerate.<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-oFBXVD-glSs/URxsHgUUHdI/AAAAAAAABec/3rVR5lsZ5hw/s1600-h/andouille022.jpg"><img title="andouille 022" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: block; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-right-width: 0px" height="509" alt="andouille 022" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Ebm9_GyyAmA/URxsIB00jjI/AAAAAAAABek/Q-HbYE5mVQw/andouille022_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="351" border="0" /></a> </li> <li>Refrigerate sausages up to 2 weeks or freeze until ready to use. </li> </ol> Monkeyshines in the Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15845036169722379518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2858183001764048955.post-50511996486199479442012-11-14T07:06:00.000-08:002012-11-14T19:06:06.545-08:00Into the briny deep with the Daring Cooks<p> </p> <p>Audax Artifex returned as a host of the Daring Cooks this month and challenged us to brine then roast meat, vegetables or seeds. In true audax fashion, he gave us very clear instructions on <a href="http://thedaringkitchen.com/sites/default/files/u11/43_Brining___Roasting_-_DC_Nov_2012.pdf" target="_blank">how to properly brine and cook our food</a> as well as excellent detail on the advantages of doing so. </p> <p>Brining isn’t new to us; in fact we brined a <a href="http://monkeyshinesinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2011/11/tea-ing-up-with-daring-cooks.html" target="_blank">chicken breast in tea</a> for a challenge about a year ago. We also brine our Thanksgiving turkey each year – once you try it you won’t go back to dry turkey! </p> <p>Still, this is a tool we rarely pull out of the arsenal – I think there’s something about planning in advance that we just fail at every time. So the challenge was well positioned to remind us that brining isn’t just for turkey and that it doesn’t have to be an overnight/multi-day affair. </p> <p>To try to prove this to ourselves, we brined pork chops for a simple weeknight dinner. When we got home from work, we simply popped the pork into a bath of salt, brown sugar, a couple of drops of soy sauce, a piece of star anise and a few coriander seeds and pepper corns for good measure. And no, i didn’t measure any of it. </p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-bdywIuy_vdw/UKG7hEf0RKI/AAAAAAAABbk/5oQyr3S5wDs/s1600-h/Brine%252520003%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="Brine 003" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; border-left-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" height="262" alt="Brine 003" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-navhNrWs-N4/UKG7hyKRzZI/AAAAAAAABbs/PcdRaagalu8/Brine%252520003_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="381" border="0" /></a> </p> <p>An hour later, we broiled the pork chops in the oven and 10 minutes later dinner was ready. (your actual time may vary). </p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-M3wZYKH83mE/UKG7i3r35jI/AAAAAAAABb0/Us4vFq3vyW4/s1600-h/Brine%252520007%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="Brine 007" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; border-left-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" height="263" alt="Brine 007" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-kwPW4lUMJpQ/UKG7jrsLr5I/AAAAAAAABb8/H5m84o6_DsE/Brine%252520007_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="387" border="0" /></a> </p> <p>While the pork cooked, we sautéed green beans, cooked up a bed of mushrooms and boiled rice. And we swear to take the moment to brine again on an ordinary night like this. It really does make a difference. </p> <p>The beauty of a brine is that you can add a subtle flavor without a lot of prep time – at least not hands-on prep, which is the only kind I really count. Tea makes a great brine, herbs and juniper berries are wonderful. And just plain salt water will still add moistness and a depth of flavor to your dish. Go lightly with the spiciness and saltiness – you want to be careful not to have an unpleasantly salty meal, but to be able to get a modest amount of flavor all the way through it. </p> <p>Audax of Audax Artifax was our November 2012 Daring Cooks’ host. Audax has brought us into the world of brining and roasting, where we brined meat and vegetables and roasted them afterwards for a delicious meal!</p> Monkeyshines in the Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15845036169722379518noreply@blogger.com0