Paella

I have indisputable proof

That it's nearly impossible to take an attractive photo of a bowl of spaghetti and meatballs.

The ones that were in focus looked a little ghastly. The out-of-focus shots were more aesthetic... sort of like red Rorschach tests... but what's the point of posting photos of unidentifiable food?

I'm definitely going to have to work on my photography skills ... or make meatballs that don't move around as much.

The focaccia, however, was very cooperative.

A Romantic Meal

I had a virus over the weekend but that didn't damper my enthusiasm for this excellent meal.

It takes us back to the late 80s when my wife and I saw "Heartburn" with Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson on video. In the movie Streep's character made this dish, and Jack's character says, "I'll never want my pork any other way again."

Jill and I have enjoyed this meal ever since. It makes me happy. It's that simple.

Pork with Mustard Cream Sauce

Our big Saturday night

Was, not so big.

We spent all day Saturday whacking futilely at the massive oak that fell in our pasture a couple of months ago. We've finally run out of stuff we can cut with a hacksaw and 10-inch, battery-operated chain saw.

We had a small picnic under the trees splitting a turkey sandwich and about five gallons of water while we tried to recuperate from round one of the arboreal attack.

We managed to make it to the feed store for a bag of alfalfa cubes for the horses but by the time it was time to eat, the only thing we had the strength to contemplate was a nice bowl of grits and fried eggs and toast.

Didn't think to take a picture of the grits or eggs and toast. I do think I'll post about grits one of these days though because if you haven't had them, you should try them and you need to get the proportions right in order for them not to turn out like wallpaper paste.

Inside Scoop

(Just a little tip: It's the type of meat that makes a great burger. My wife and I don't really like standard ground beef; it's too fatty and greasy. So we use something else. Last night, the burgs Jill cooked were excellent - nice and meaty, didn't fall apart and not one bit greasy or fatty. I guessed ground chuck when she asked if I could tell what type of meat she used. I was wrong - it was ground sirloin. Excellent!)
*By the way, Emily was supposed to post her recipe and pix for truffles a couple of days ago. We're still waiting. Maybe they went to Checker's instead.*

What can I say

It was Friday night.

I spent most of the day trimming shrubs around the house and getting the lawn tractor stuck in the fence.

I'm not going to post a recipe for this one because if you don't know how to do it, you ought not to be cooking.

The compromise

William nixed the Moroccan chicken and rallied for chicken breast sandwiches (you can get them at Chick-fil-A for pete's sake!)
The compromise was chicken with broccoli in black bean sauce with eggrolls I made a few weeks ago and had in the freezer. (Emily, eat your heart out).

Chicken with black bean sauce

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts

2 big bunches of fresh broccoli cut into florettes

1/2 TBS. ginger paste

1/2 TBS. minced garlic

1 TBS. ginger oil

1TBS. sesame oil

2 TBS. black bean sauce

4 TBS. sweet sherry

4 TBS. soy sauce

6 green onions

3 TBS oil for sauteeing

2 cups of chicken broth

2 TBS. cornstarch disolved in water

Cut the chicken breasts crosswise into 1 inch strips. Marinate for at least an hour in the soy sauce, sherry, sesame oil, ginger oil, ginger, garlic and thinly sliced green onions (white and green parts). You can do this in the morning and keep it in the refrigertator and finish cooking the chicken at night.

Heat the oil in a heavy pot or large skillet and sautee the chicken and marinade until the chicken is no longer pink. Add the chicken broth, black bean sauce and broccoli florettes and cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until the broccoli is tender but not mushy. Thicken with the cornstarch mixture and serve over jasmine rice.

Eggrolls

1 package of eggroll skins - about 20 (I used to make my own but it's a pain in the butt)

1 lb ground pork or ground chicken

1 lb bean sprouts

1 lb roughly chopped cabbage (you can cheat and use coleslaw mix but you get better texture with bigger pieces of cabbage)

6 green onions in 1/4 inch slices (green parts included)

2 TBS soy sauce

2 TBS sherry

1 TSP minced ginger or ginger paste

1 TSP minced garlic

2 TSP sesame oil

1 TBS cornstarch

Combine the pork or chicken with the sherry, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, green onions, sesame oil and cornstarch and let marinate while you chop the cabbage or you can prepare them up to this point in the morning and marinate until dinner time.

In a large (I mean big) bowl combine the meat mixture with the bean sprouts and cabbage or slaw mix. ( I use disposable rubber gloves for this).

I try and divide the the mixure into 20 even portions so the eggrolls are all about the same size.

With the corner of the eggroll skins facing you, place a portion of the mixture in the center of the skin and brush the edges of the skins with a little water to help keep the eggrolls glued closed.

Roll up burrito-style making sure the ends are tucked in. Place on lightly oiled cookie sheets.

When you have all of the eggrolls rolled up (you get really quick at it after some practice) heat about half a quart of corn or other frying oil in a pot big enough to hold several eggrolls at a time. I use an electric skillet. The oil should be about 350 degrees.

Fry the eggrolls in batches for about 4 minutes a side or until golden brown and crispy then transfer them to the oiled baking sheet. When all of the eggrolls are fried, put them in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes. Serve with duck sauce or teryaki dipping sauce.

I used to steam the egg rolls before frying and skip the baking part but after an unfortunte incident with my pressure cooker, I came up with the alternate method.

Iron Chef Challenge

Well, my husband took some boneless, skinless chicken breasts out of the freezer for me to fix for dinner tonight...

I'll post what I did with them tomorrow. I'm thinking chicken with preserved lemons and honey (I'll get to use some of the lemons Emily and I preserved from our tree last year) but we'll see - I may get protests over that idea.

How to Make Preserved Lemons

(from Simply Recipes)
8-10 Meyer lemons*, scrubbed very clean1/2 cup kosher salt, more if neededExtra fresh squeezed lemon juice, if needed
Sterilized quart canning jar
* You don't need to use Meyer lemons, regular lemons will do, it's just that the milder Meyer lemons work very well for preserving in this way.
1 Place 2 Tbsp of salt in the bottom of a sterilized jar.
2 One by one, prepare the lemons in the following way. Cut off any protruding stems from the lemons, and cut 1/4 inch off the tip of each lemon. Cut the lemons as if you were going to cut them in half lengthwize, starting from the tip, but do not cut all the way. Keep the lemon attached at the base. Make another cut in a similar manner, so now the lemon is quartered, but again, attached at the base.
3 Pry the lemons open and generously sprinkle salt all over the insides and outsides of the lemons.
4 Pack the lemons in the jar, squishing them down so that juice is extracted and the lemon juice rises to the top of the jar. Fill up the jar with lemons, make sure the top is covered with lemon juice. Add more fresh squeezed lemon juice if necessary. Top with a couple tablespoons of salt.
5 Seal the jar and let sit at room temperature for a couple days. Turn the jar upside down ocassionally. Put in refrigerator and let sit, again turning upside down ocassionally, for at least 3 weeks, until lemon rinds soften.
6 To use, remove a lemon from the jar and rinse thoroughly in water to remove salt. Discard seeds before using. Discard the pulp before using, if desired.
7 Store in refrigerator for up to 6 months.
Note:You can add spices to the lemons for preserving - cloves, coriander seeds, peppercorns, cinnamon stick, bay leaf.

Well, the first thing I have learned about food blogging is that food photography is tough.

Last night I made Tex-Mex Enchiladas and refried beans. They tuned out more Tex than Mex but we liked them. Since the dinner was a little light on vegetables, I cut up watermelon and strawberries for dessert.

I usually don't follow one recipe but rather take elements from different recipes I think sound good.

First Post Tex-Mex Enchiladas

SAUCE:

1 QT. BEEF BROTH

6 TBSP. MILD CHILE POWDER

1/4 TSP. GARLIC POWDER

1 TSP. CUMIN

2 TBSP. CORNSTARCH IN 4 TBSP. WATER

Bring first 5 ingredients to a boil then add the cornstarch and boil about a minute or until thickened.

FILLING:

1 LARGE ONION MINCED

1 TSP. MINCED GARLIC

1TBS. OIL

2 LB. GROUND CHUCK

1 CUP SAUCE

ABOUT 1 POUND SHREDDED CHEDDAR CHEESE

Saute the onion and garlic in oil until golden, add the beef and brown thoroughly. Add the sauce and simmer until slightly reduced and the filling is not runny.

Warm six large (burrito-sized) flour tortillas in the microwave then dip in sauce. Divide the filling among the tortillas and sprinkle a generous amount of cheese on the filling and roll them up and place them in a greased 9X13 inch pan.

Spoon sauce over the enchiladas, reserving about a cup to serve with the beans or save as taco sauce. Sprinkle liberally with more cheese and cover with aluminum foil and bake in a 375-degree oven for 30 - 45 minutes. Garnish with sliced black olives and chopped fresh cilantro.

REFRIED BEANS ADAPTED FROM KATHY PITTS' FRIJOLES REFRITOS

2 CUPS PINTO OR BLACK BEANS, WASHED AND PICKED OVER

1 LARGE ONION FINELY CHOPPED

1 FOUR-INCH LONG JALAPENO PEPPER MINCED

6 CUPS OF WATER OR HAM BROTH (1CUP MAY BE BEER)

1TBS. MEXICAN OREGANO

1TSP. GROUND CUMIN

LARD OR DRIPPING FOR FRYING (ABOUT 3 TBS BACON GREASE ADDS TO THE FLAVOR)

SHREDDED CHEDDAR CHEESE, SLICED BLACK OLIVES, DICED TOMATES WITH GREEN CHILIES, SOUR CREAM.

Do not soak the beans overnight. place the first 6 ingredients in a deep pot, and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat, cover, and allow the beans to sit for an hour.

Return the beans to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until the beans are tender (to test, remove one bean from the pot, and blow on it. If the skin splits, they're done).

Cooking time will depend on the type of bean used (pintos cook fairly quickly, black beans take close to forever), the age of the bean, and the mineral content of your water.

Salt to taste. Never salt beans at the beginning of the cooking process, as the salt will toughen them and they will take longer to cook.

In a large shallow pan, preferably a black iron frying pan, melt 3 Tbsp. of lard or drippings.

When the lard is melted, ladle about a cup of beans, including some of the cooking liquid, into the fat. Use a potato masher to mash the beans into a puree.

Continue adding beans and liquid, along with more fat as needed, and mashing until all beans have been used.

The consistancy of this dish varies with personal preferance. Some cooks like a very smooth, almost liquid puree, while other prefer a stiffer mixture with some pieces of bean remaining. The end result should be glossy, well flavored from the fat, and very rich tasting.

We like our beans really smooth so I finished them in the food processor.

The beans may be served plain, used as a filling for warm tortillas, or garnished with shredded cheese, lettuce, olives, tomatoes and sour cream.