xinxim

Chicken, shrimp and peanut stew.  Marinate 4 cut up boneless, skinless chicken breasts in the juice of 1 lemon, 2 minced garlic cloves, 2 tsp salt,  1 tsp pepper in refrigerator for 30 minutes.  In a heavy saucepan heat 2 tsp peanut oil and cook chicken and 1 diced onion for about 10 minutes.  Add 1 cup chicken stock, 1/3 cup coconut milk, 1/2 cup dry roasted peanuts (ground fine) and 1 minced serrano pepper.  Simmer 20 minutes.  Add 1 pound peeled shrimp.  Cook until shrimp cooked through.  Served with Brazilian rice (Wash 2 cups rice until water runs clear.  Saute 1 chopped onion and 2 chopped garlic cloves in 2 tbsp olive oil for 3 minutes.  Add rice and saute 3-5 min.  Add 4 cups water.  Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook 20 minutes.  Fluff)

 Both recipes were from Cooking the Brazilian Way.  This was much tastier than last night's.  Reminded us of Thai food.  Felt like it needed a little cilantro at the end.

Brazilian Pork Chops, black beans, kale and farofa

I'm not sure why my pictures are not uploading today.  I was able to upload an entire album in record time to facebook, but cannot upload 2 pictures here.  I will try at the end of the blog.  This meal wasn't very exciting.  The whole meal came from Cooking the Brazilian Way.  I'm not sure if the cause of the disappointment was my cooking, the recipe, or if this was how it was supposed to taste.  The pork chops were the one hit with the boys and me.

Farofa:  Saute 1 thinly sliced onion in 2 tbsp butter.  When soft add 1 lightly beaten egg, stirring constantly.  Add 1 1/2 cup manioc meal and cook until golden.  Add 1 tbsp minced parsley and 1 tsp salt.  Garnish with 6-8 sliced green olives with pimentos and cubed hard boiled egg.

Tutu a Mineira:  Mashed beans.  Place 3 cups rinsed canned black beans, 1/2 cup at a time in a food processor.  Mix until a smooth puree.  Add bean juice as needed to keep smooth.  In a saucepan, heat 2 tbsp olive oil.  Add 1 chopped onion and saute until soft.  Add 2 minced garlic cloves.  Add bean puree.  Slowly add 3/4 cup manoic flour, stirring constantly.  Cook over low heat 10-15 minutes.  Add more bean liquid as necessary.  (I ended up adding quite a bit of water since it seemed to seize up and develop an unappealing texture.

Couve a Mineira:  Collard Greens.  (I substituted Kale since I like it better and that is what was in the fridge).  Wash and slice the kale into ribbons.  Heat 3 tbsp olive oil in a pan.  Add 3 minced garlic cloves.  Add the kale, salt, and pepper and saute about 4 minutes.

Costeletas de Porco:  Brazilian pork chops.  Mix the following in a shallow dish.  2 tbsp olive oil, juice of 1 lemon, 2 minced garlic cloves, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp black pepper and 1 minced serrano.  Add 4 lean pork chops.  Mix to coat.  Cover and refrigerate 1 hour.  Cook pork chops in a large skillet over med high heat until done.

This time the pictures worked.

Farofo

The rest of dinner

Argentina

We took a little side trip to Argentina while waiting for a cookbook from Brazil.  I just received the cookbook yesterday.  An entire cookbook devoted to Brazilian food.  I quickly turn to the "main dish" section.  What do I find?  Four entrees.  This is becoming a very difficult month.  We were going to stop at Christmas, but we will just take a little break for christmas eve and christmas day.  Christmas eve (now) we are headed to House of Chow for Peking Duck.  Tomorrow we will have butternut squash soup, followed by cassoulet and salad, cheese, and chocolate cake.  (We have had cassoulet every year with friends for Christmas since we moved back to Missouri, 13 years!)  Then we will finish Brazil before the new year.

Back to the Argentina, we rubbed salt, pepper and cayenne into the ribeyes.  Then we grilled them, along with thickly sliced tomatoes, marinating with a parsley-garlic chimichurri sauce.   We grilled the bread with garlic smashed in olive oil.  We served it all with a red-chile-cilantro chimichurri sauce.

Parsley-garlic chimichurri:  In a food processor add 1 cup packed parsley leaves, 4 minced garlic cloves, 1/2 cup red wine vinegar, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp paprika, salt and pepper to taste.  Process about 10 seconds.  Transfer to a bowl and stir in 1/2 cup olive oil.  Allow to stand at room temp for one hour.   (From Essentials of Latin Cooking)

Red Chile-Cilantro chimichurri sauce:  In a food processor add 1/2 cup firmly packed cilantro leaves, 1/2 cup firmly packed parsley leaves, 2 tbsp chopped scallions, 2 tsp fresh lime juice, 2 tsp white vinegar, 2 crumbled bay leaves, 1/2 chopped jalepeno and salt and pepper.  Process about 10 sec.  Transfer to a bowl and whisk in 1/2 cup olive oil.  Allow to stand at room temp for one hour.  (From Essentials of Latin Cooking)

Brazilian Country Chicken

Recipe from Dri:   Dry 3-4 pounds chicken thighs.  In a large pan, coat the bottom with olive oil.  Sprinkle 2-3 tbsp sugar over oil.  When sugar starts to color, add chicken.  Brown hard.  Season with salt and pepper.  (At this point there was a ton of fat in the bottom of the pan, so we drained most of it.)  Remove chicken, add 1 coarsely chopped onion, 2 small leeks chopped thinly into half moons, 4 thinly sliced scallions, 3 large cloves of garlic and 1 jalepeno sliced.  Saute until softened.  Return chicken.  Add 2-3 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped (we used one can diced tomatoes), and 3/4 cup chicken stock.  Bring to a boil, reduce to med low and simmer covered until chicken is done, 40 minutes.  Add 1/4 cup chopped cilantro and serve over rice.

Also from Dri:  Soak 2 bunches of kale in water and salt.  Rinse a few times until water runs clear.  Stack them and slice them into ribbons.    Blanch them in slightly salted boiling water for 3 minutes.  Drain.  In another pan, heat 3 tbsp oil.  Add 4 garlic cloves, sliced, and cook 2 minutes.    Add blanched kale and toss well.    Add 1 cup chicken broth and cook another 5 minutes, until tender.  Season with salt and pepper.

Oh! I loved this. Jocon

I am having a hard time finding recipes from Brazil.  There aren't any in the library, couldn't find one at the book store, not enough time to order one online.  I can find a few recipes online, but they are all very similar.  Variations of pork with black beans, the cheese balls that the yucca flour is impossible to find, and sauteed greens.  I got a couple of recipes from my friend Dri.  The chicken and barley soup didn't seem distinctly different except for the addition of a serrano pepper.  I will try her other chicken recipe this week.  I think there must be some kind of agreement between the Brazilians to keep their recipes top secret.  So I decided to branch out in Latin America tonight.  I needed a little break from the black beans anyway.  (Sam did note that he likes the fact that the leftovers from Brazil taste even better the second day)

So tonight's recipe is from Guatemala.  It can be made with either chicken or pork shoulder.

Jocon:  (from whats4eats.com)   Cube about a pound of pork shoulder.  Put a little oil in a pan. Add the pork.  Brown quickly.  Add 4 cups of water and 2 tsp salt.  Bring to a boil, reduce and simmer 1-11/2 hours, until pork is tender.  Drain pork, reserving cooking liquid.  Toast 1/2 cup sesame seeds in a hot dry skillet.  (You can use half sesame seeds and half pumpkin seeds, which was the plan, but I couldn't find my pumpkin seeds).  Put in spice grinder or mortar and pestle and grind to a fine powder.  Put in food processor along with 2 corn tortillas that have been chopped and soaked in water, then drained; 1 cup chopped tomatillos, 1 bunch chopped cilantro, 1 bunch chopped scallions, 2 (or more depending on preference) serrano peppers, chopped.  Add one cup of the reserved cooking liquid and puree.  Return the pork to the pan.  Pour the sauce over the top.  Add 1-1 1/2 cups of remaining cooking liquid to give it a sauce like consistency.  ( I only had about 1/2 cup of liquid left).  Heat over med low and simmer for another 30 minutes.

I served this over rice with chopped tomatoes and a sprinkle of queso fresco.

Another beef stew

Last night I made another beef stew (we bought part of a grass fed cow, hence the beef stew recipes)  This one was not blog worthy.  It was made with coconut milk, ginger, lots of crushed red pepper and tomatoes.  I had high hopes, but it wasn't very flavorful.  If it tastes better today after it sits overnight I will post the recipe.

Cheese balls and Easy Feijoada

Ok, I admit I didn't make these.  My friend Dri from Brazil made these.  There is secret flour in this that is very hard to find.  It is made from yucca.  They are very delicious!

I didn't have 6 hours after work to make this the correct way for a dinner party that started in 1 hour.  So this is a quicker adaption of a recipe from simplyrecipes.com  Brown 1 pound of cubed pork shoulder.  Remove from pan.  Slice 2 italian sausage and brown in the same pan.  Remove.  Saute 2 chopped onions.  Add 1 head of garlic, minced.  Saute.  Add to the pan some chopped beef jerky (the flat kind.  of course the recipe doesn't call for beef jerky, it calls for carne seca which I have yet to find in town.)  Saute for a minute.  Add 3/4 pound sliced smoked sausage and one smoked ham hock.  Put the browned meat back in the pan, along with 4 bay leaves.  Add 1 can of tomatoes and a cup or so of water. Salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until meat is tender and falling off of the bone.  We simmered for about 3 hours.  Here's where we cheated.  We rinsed 4 cans of black beans and added to the meat.  Cook for another 1/2 hour.  Serve with rice.  Tasty.

 

Brazilian Shrimp Stew

Adapted from Gourmet 2002:  Oh this was good!  We served it with leftover black beans and rice.  Marinate 1 1/4 pound peeled shrimp in 1/4 tsp black pepper, 1 1/2 tsp salt, 2 minced garlic cloves and 1/4 cup orange juice with a splash of apple cider vinegar.  (The recipe called for 1/4 cup lemon juice, but I didn't have a lemon so I subbed the orange juice and vinegar)  Marinate 20 minutes.  Saute 1 chopped onion and one chopped bell pepper in 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil until soft. Add 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper and 1 tbsp chopped cilantro.  Cook for another minute, stirring.  Puree one can of tomatoes.  Add to onions.  Simmer briskly for 15 minutes, until thickened.  Add 1 cup coconut milk (I used light) (at this point I added broccoli florets because I needed a green vegetable, the recipe didn't call for it but I think it made it more interesting) and cook for another 5 minutes.  Add shrimp and cook stirring until shrimp are cooked through.  Add another 4 tbsp cilantro and season with salt pepper.  (The recipe called for stirring in 1 tbsp palm oil, but I didn't have any.  It was still good without it.)

Braised Brazilian Beef

Heat 3 tbsp oil.  Saute 1 medium chopped onion with 3 minced garlic cloves.  Remove and put in slow cooker.  Brown 1 pound chuck roast cut into cubes with 3 sliced italian sausages.  Put in slow cooker.  Add 1 can of tomatoes to deglaze the pan, along with 1 large can green chilis.  Add 1/2 tsp ground coriander, 1/2 tsp ginger, 1/2 tsp oregano, 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, 1/2 tsp salt and 3 tbsp chopped cilantro.  Add to slow cooker.  Add 2 tsp brown sugar and 1/3 cup sliced green olives.  Cover and cook on low heat 5-6 hours.  Serve with rice, top with green peas.  This was good.  It has a little more tang than the standard beef stew.

First night of Brazi

Salad:  Sliced hearts of palm and tomatoes dressed with olive oil and red wine vinegar, salt and pepper.  Not sure where I found this.

We couldn't find a recipe for broccoli, and we have a lot of it. We cooked 2 strips of bacon until crisp, then tossed in some steamed broccoli.  It tasted more like bacon than broccoli.  A little juice from the resting steak plate too.  This was originally a recipe for Brazilian Collard Greens.  We just substituted broccoli.

Brazilian Black Beans (from the joy of cooking) and rice.  These were really good.  I never would have thought to add orange juice to my beans.  Cook 2 cups rinsed black beans with 4 cups water and simmer 1 1/2 hours until tender.  (I had to add more water after about an hour)  Poke a few slits in one hot italian sausage.  Put in pot and cook another 45 minutes.  Remove sausage, cut into slices and return to pan.  Meanwhile in a saute pan add 1/4 cup olive oil.  Saute 1 chopped onion, 1 chopped bell pepper and 4 minced cloves of garlic until soft, but not browned.  Add 1 tsp cumin, 3/4 tsp red pepper flakes, 3/4 tsp cardamom.  Cook one minute, then add to beans.  Cook beans another 1/2 hour.   Add 3/4 cup orange juice, 1/4 dry sherry and 1-2 tsp salt and pepper.  Cook another 15 minutes.  We made the rice by heating olive oil in a pan and adding 1/2 small diced onion, 4 minced garlic cloves.  When softened we added the rice.  Saute for a minute or so.  Add enough water to cover by an inch or so.  Bring to a boil, reduce and simmer 20 minutes.  Remove from heat and allow to steam for a little while.

Steak:  Here's another recipe that I found online that we adapted.  The original recipe called for 2 pounds top round.  We had a giant T-bone, so we used that instead.  We marinated it in 1/4 cup olive oil, 3 tsp tequila, 1 tsp crushed red chiles, 1 tsp cayenne, 1/4 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp kosher salt, 1/4 tsp oregano and 2 tsp garlic.  We let this sit for about 6 hours.  The original plan was to grill it, but it's Missouri in December, so it was cold and dark.  Instead we cooked in a smokin hot cast iron skillet.  We let it rest 15 minutes, then sliced it across the grain.  Super tender and tasty!  One of the best steaks I have had in a long time!

Brazil and Latin America

I went to the library today to get my stack of Brazilian cookbooks.  No luck.  I got a couple of Latin American cookbooks and a couple of international.  I am a little apprehensive, due to the lack of recipes that I am finding.  I will reach out to my friend Dre and scour the web.  I would be happy to have some contributions of Brazilian recipes.

Thanksgiving

Crawfish Pie:  2 pie crusts.  Melt one stick of butter.  Saute 1 cup onion, 1 cup celery, and 1 cup red bell pepper and 1/4 cup minced garlic.  Saute 5 minutes.  Add 1 pound chopped crawfish.  Saute 3 minutes.  Add 1 cup heavy cream.  Simmer 10 minutes.  Let cool.  Stir in 1 cup italian breadcrumbs, and 1 beaten egg.  Add 1/2 cup sliced green onions and 1/2 cup chopped parsley.  Stir.  Season with salt and pepper and Louisiana hot sauce.  Place in unbaked  pie crust.  Cover with another pie crust and make 4 slits.  Preheat oven to 450.  Bake 10 minutes.  Reduce heat to 350.  Bake another 20 minutes.  Serve hot.  From :  The Encyclopedia of Cajun and Creole Cooking.

Cornbread stuffing.  Not such a fan

Oyster Stuffing

Green beans cooked with bacon and chicken broth.

Roast Turkey

10 months later. The proscuitto

I am a little scared to eat this.  I think I will wait to see how the others feel in about an hour.  This has been hanging in our basement since February. 

Gumbo

We cheated in this one a little.  The real recipe called for frying chicken first, but there was not enough time or energy to do that, plus we fried chicken just a few days ago.  I don't think it needed the fried chicken.  It was plenty rich.  Note, as we were cooking this and tasting along the way we were quite concerned.  Each time we tasted after a step it was a little better, but still not really good.  I have no idea how it could taste so bland and off during the cooking process to end up with a delicious final product!  Since here's our adaption of Fried chicken and Andouille Gumbo from Real Cajun.

Heat 1 cup canola oil.   Add 1 1/2 cup flour, whisking constantly until dark brown.  It thicken a little, but not as much as I expected it to.  As the roux darkens, slowly decrease the heat.  Make sure to not let it burn.  If any black specks appear, throw it away and begin again.  The cooking of the roux takes about 40 minutes.

All at once, add the following to the roux, stirring with a wooden spoon.   1 diced onion, 3 diced celery sticks, 1 diced poblano chili, 1 diced green bell pepper, 1 diced jalapeno, 3 minced garlic cloves along with the spice mixture of 1 tbsp salt (we used less since our chicken broth is salty), 1 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp cayenne pepper, 1 1/2 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp white pepper, 1 tsp paprika, 1 1/2 tsp file powder.  Remove from heat and allow to cool briefly.  Transfer the roux to a large pot.  Heat over med heat.  Stir in 3 quarts chicken broth.  Reduce heat and simmer 60 minutes.  Every now and again skim the oil from the top.   Next add chicken.  (we used a rotisserie chicken cut into 8 pieces.) and 1 pound andouille sliced into half moon pieces.  Simmer another hour, stirring occassionally.  If it still has a floury taste, add more broth and keep simmering.  (we didn't need to do this).

In another skillet, heat 1 tbsp oil.  Saute 3 cups okra.  (we used presliced frozen okra, much easier)  Saute about 10 minutes, until the sticky goo is gone.  Add to gumbo and cook another 15 minutes.  The gumbo is finished when there is no more oil rising to the top.

The finished gumbo served with rice and sliced scallions.

Shrimp and Grits

Shrimp Stock:  Shrimp shells simmered with onion, parsley, celery, carrots, garlic, bay leaf.

Care package from our friend, Karen Truckey

This was really delicious.  I am a little reluctant to actually read this recipe.  Sanford made it while I was on the couch with a cold.  It was wonderfully creamy, rich, a little sinful.

In a large skillet, melt 1/2 cup butter.  Add 1/4 cup each, minced, red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper and green bell pepper, 1/2 cup minced onion, 1/2 cup minced celery, 1 tbsp minced garlic and 1/2 cup minced andouille sausage.  Saute 3-5 minutes.  Sprinkle 1/4 flour over it.  Stirring constantly, for 3-5 minutes or until slightly golden.  Slowly add 4 cups shrimp stock, one cup at a time, stirring until a sauce like consistency is achieved.  Blend in 1/2 cup heavy cream.  Bring to a low boil.  Add 1/4 cup sliced green onions and 2 dozen peeled shrimped.  Cook 3-5 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.

Grits:  Combine 3 1/2 cups whole milk, 3 1/4 cups water, 1 1/2 tbsp salt, 1/2 tsp white pepper and 4 tbsp butter.  Bring to a low boil.  Add 1 1/2 cups stone ground grits.  Reduce to med low and cover.  Cook 12-14 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat.  Stir in 1/4 pound shredded gouda (not smoked).  This is only half the amount of cheese called for.  Sanford showed a little restraint!  Adjust seasonings to taste.

This recipe was taken from The Encylopedia of Cajun and Creole Cuisine.  Another gift from a dear friend, Lauren.

Day 4 of this cold

Day 4 of this terrible cold.  Can't bring myself to cook, even though I am really looking forward to a collard greens and roots soup.  So tonight, grilled cheese with tomato soup and a salad.  Comfort.  I am not sure what the origin is, but it seems like it could be Southern.  Jack chose a beef with vegetable soup from a can and Sam chose chicken and dumplings.  The kids think they are being treated!

Grillades and Gravy with Maque Choux

Well, this started off as a recipe the Simple Fresh Southern by the Lees Brothers.  But, once again, I changed it in relation to what I had in the house.  We recently bought some grass fed beef from a friend.  There was something in it called a "minute steak".  I was pretty sure that it was going to be a think slice of beef.  Instead it was thick and tenderized.  Totally different than what the recipe called for.  But, it was thawed and it didn't require that I head to the store.  We all liked it, but the meat was a little chewier than I would have liked (I think due to the fact that it was the wrong cut and it was grass fed, so not much fat)

Grillades and Gravy:

Mix 1/4 cup flour with 2 tbsp corn meal, 1 1/2 tsp salt, fresh ground pepper and 1/2 tsp smoky paprika.  Dredge the meat in the flour mixture.  Heat 3 tbsp oil.  Brown on both sides and remove.  Add 2 tbsp butter.  When melted, add 2 cups chopped onion, 3 finely sliced scallions, and 1 diced red bell pepper.  Saute until softened.  Add a can tomatoes, 2 tbsp frank's hot sauce, 3 minced garlic cloves, 2 cups chicken broth and 1 tsp dried red chile flakes.  Return meat to pan.  Simmer partially covered for 30 minutes.  Remove meat from pan and bring to a boil and reduce sauce.  When thickened, return meat to pan to warm.  Serve over white rice with sliced scallion as a garnish.

Maque Choux:

I've looked at a lot of recipes for this.  Most call for a stick of butter, which I couldn't bring myself to do on a Tuesday night.  Here's a compromise that I really liked.

Melt 2 tbsp butter.  Add 1 smalled chopped onion, 1 chopped and seeded jalepeno, and 1 chopped poblano chili.  When softened, add 2 diced tomatoes, 4 bay leaves, 1 tsp basil and 1 tsp thyme, 1 tsp salt, fresh ground pepper.  When the tomatoes start to release their fluids, add 4-5 cups corn and 1 1/2 cups water.  (I used frozen corn which was completely thawed, so I reduced the water to 1 cup.)  Simmer for 15 minutes.  (At this point I turned up the heat to bring it to a boil, before I reduced it to simmer.  I went downstairs and forgot that I had it on high.  I came back upstairs about 10 minutes later.  All the fluid was gone and the onions and corn were wonderfully carmalized.  I'm not sure how soupy it was supposed to be, but I really liked it this way)

Oh Yeah! Fried Chicken!

A traditional southern dish.  Sanford did this meal by himself since we spent most of the day at the animal hospital with our beagle.  It was delicious!   We all went to bed with bellyaches.  So full!   Thanks Sanford!

Fried Chicken:  Soak chicken in a brine (a gallon of water with 1 cup salt and 1 cup sugar, peppercorns, chili flakes and a bayleaf) for 24 hours.  Drain.  Cover with buttermilk and refrigerate another 24 hours.  Drain, dry and dredge in flour mixed with salt, pepper, and cayenne.  Fry in canola oil.

Mashed potatoes.  Bake for 1 hour 20 minutes at 350 degrees.  Put through ricer.  Add 1/2 stick butter.  We added skim milk to achieve texture.

Gravy:  After frying chicken, pour off all but about a 1/4 cup oil.  Add 1/3 cup flour.  Stir over low heat for 10 minutes.  Add 2 cups milk (again, we used skim and it was very tasty), stirring.  Bring to a simmer and allow to thicken.  If it gets too thick, add more milk.  Season with salt and pepper.

Green beans:  Cook 2 strips bacon and 1/4 cup diced smoked sausage until fat has rendered.  Add 1 diced onion and 3 minced cloves of garlic.  Cook until softened.  Add 2 cups diluted chicken broth (we were worried this was going to be a huge salt fest).  Reduce a little, then add green beans.  This cooked about an hour.

Fajitas

This seemed a little like cheating, but I found this recipe in a book called The Best of Cajun and Creole Cooking.  These were different from any tex-mex enchilada I have had.

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan.  Cook 12 oz chicken breast (cut into thin strips) with 2 tbsp lemon juice and 1 minced garlic clove.  When firm, add 1/2 chopped red bell pepper, 1/2 chopped green bell pepper, and 1 small chopped and seeded  red chili.  ( I used a jalepeno)  Toss.  Remove from heat and keep warm.

Heat 1 1/4 cup milk with 1 tbsp butter.  (I used skim milk since that was what we have in the refrigerator, I am sure we lost a bit of creaminess in the end, but I didn't mind).  Add 1 tbsp cornstarch (I made a slurry before adding it so I didn't have to worry about clumps so much) and 2 tsp mustard (we used grainy dijon).  Bring to a boil, whisking constantly.  When it thickens (a couple of minutes) add 1/2 tsp black pepper and 1/2 tsp red pepper (we substitued ancho chili pepper for the red pepper).  Remove from heat, add 1 cup grated cheddar cheese.  Allow to cool slightly.

Put 2 tbsp tomato sauce in the bottom of a casserole.  Take a flour tortilla.  Paint some guacamole on it.  Add 1/4 chicken mixture.  Put a ladles worth of sauce inside.  Wrap and place on top of the tomato sauce.  Repeat for a total of 4 tortillas.  Any remaining sauce can be poured on top.  We also topped it with the extra peppers.  Sprinkle with grated cheese.  Place under broiler for 5 minutes.

Smothered steak with roasted broccoli

Day 2 of the South. 

Salt and pepper a 2 pound round steak.  Dredge in flour.  Brown in 3 tbsp oil.  Remove from pan.  Add 2 chopped onions, 1 chopped bell pepper, 1/2 chopped celery to pan.  Season with salt and pepper and cayenne pepper.  Cook for about 5 minutes.  Add 1 cup beef stock.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.  Add meat back to pan, along with 2 more chopped onions, 1/2 chopped celery and another chopped bell pepper.  Cover and cook.  The recipe said to cook it for 1 1/2 hours.  The steak was rock hard at that point.  I cooked it a total of 2 1/2 hours.   Served with rice and roasted broccoli.  This recipe was adapted from Alex Patut's Cajun Home Cooking.   (copyright date:  1952)


I also cooked the rice the way he recommended.  It's interesting how differently rice is cooked all over the world.  He didn't specify the type of rice, so since we have a ton of basmati, that's what I used.  I put about a cup and a half of rice in a pan.  (He specifically says don't worry about measuring!).  Fill pan with water about 2 inches above the level of the rice.  Boil rapidly uncovered until water is below rice line.  Cover and turn to low.  Cook 10 minutes.  Turn off the heat, leave covered another 15 minutes.  No peeking.

The broccoli was simply tossed in olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper.  Roast in 375 degree oven about 35 minutes.  (I left mine in too long.  Jack is convinced it tasted like brussel sprouts!)

The South

Ok, we've moved from India to the South.  This will be particularly difficult to try to eat a healthy diet while doing this month.  If anyone has recipes to offer up, we would be happy to try them.  This is our attempt at a healthy compromise with Sanford!  Jack just said he would be happy to have this meal everyday for the rest of the year!

Pan fried tilapia.  Fish dipped in flour, then an egg mixed with a little water, and then a mixture of flour, bread crumbs, smoked paprika, cayenne, salt and pepper.  We then cooked it in about a tbsp of canola oil.  Quick and easy!

Mashed potatoes with a little butter and nonfat milk.  The gravy was made with 3 tbsp butter and 1 1/2 tbsp flour cooked over med low heat until darkened a little.  About 1 1/2 cups milk were added and brought to a boil, then reduced to a simmer until thickened.  Season with salt, freshly ground pepper and a little freshly grated nutmeg.

We have cooked a lot of greens this year (ethiopia, india, greece, etc) but these were easily the best.  We think it was the bacon!  Cook bacon until crisp.  Remove.  Add one thinly sliced onion and cook until softened.  Add 1 cup chicken broth.  Reduce a little.  Add 1 1/2 bunches mustard greens.  Add bacon back to pan.  Cook until greens are tender.

Vegetable curry and pork chops.

Tonight, I didn't want to go to the store, so I made do with what I had.  It was pretty good.  The pork chops were a little on the thin side.  I coated them in a mixture of bread crumbs, ground coriander, ground cumin and salt.  Then pan fried them in a little oil.  I served it with a vegetable curry (that I made up), rice, flatbread and chutney and yogurt.

The curry:  Heat 3 tbsp oil.  Add 1 tbsp cumin seeds and a pinch of asafetida.  Add 2 chopped onions, 3 diced red potatoes and 4 sliced and peeled carrots.  Cook until almost tender.  Add 6 garlic cloves, 1 inch ginger and 2 serrano peppers chopped in a mini food processor.  Cook 2 minutes.  Add 3 chopped tomatoes, 1/4 tsp cayenne, 1/2 tsp turmeric, 2 tsp coriander and 2 tsp cumin.  Add salt to taste.  Add 1/2 can coconut milk.  Simmer until tender.  Add 1 can rinsed white beans.  Add 1 cup frozen peas.  Heat through.

Another type of sausage: Moong dal, pork and lamb

Put in cuisinart:  8 large garlic cloves, 2 inches of chopped ginger, 3 serrano peppers and pulse until chopped small.   Put 4 tbsp oil in pan.  When hot, add a couple tbsp of each:  cumin seed, mustard seed, and coriander seeds.  When they begin to pop, add garlic mixture and cook about 2 minutes.  Turn off heat.

Rinse moong dal.  Soak for an hour.  Cook in boiling water until tender.  Drain and cool.

Grind about 2 pounds each of lamb stew meat and pork shoulder.  Mix with a couple of tbsp red wine vinegar, the spice mixture, ground pepper  and 3 tbsp salt.  Add moong dal and stir in.

Stuff, still not pretty, but quite tasty.

The past few days: Goat and lentils

Red Goat Stew (adapted from Madjur Jaffrey)  Put 1 inch cubes ginger, 8 peeled garlic cloves, 4 tbsp water in blender and make a smooth paste.  Heat 10 tbsp veg oil in pan.  Brown the goat in several batches.  (we had "goat chunks"  I have no idea what part of the goat we used!)  Remove meat.  Add 10 cardamon pods, 2 bay leaves, 6 cloves, 10 peppercorns, and one cinnamon stick.  After a few seconds, add one chopped onion.  Stir and fry 5 minutes.  Put in ginger-garlic paste.  Stir 30 sec.  Add 1 tsp ground coriander, 2 tsp ground cumin, 4 tsp paprika, 1 tsp cayenne, and 1 1/4 tsp salt.   Stir and fry 30 seconds.  Add meat back to pan.   Add 6 tbsp yogurt, one tablespoon at a time.  Stir and fry 3-4 minutes.  Add about 12 oz water.  Bring to boil.  Cover and turn heat to low.  Cook 2 hours or until meat is tender.  Stir often.  Sprinkle 1/4 tsp garam masala and freshly ground pepper and stir. 

Moong dal and red lentils with browned onions.  This was from Madjur Jaffrey.  I liked it, but I would increase all the spices.  Combine 6 oz each of moong dal and red split lentils with 2 pints of water and 1/2 tsp tumeric.  Bring to a boil.  Simmer until tender, about an hour.  Add 1 1/2 tsp salt.   Meanwhile heat 4 tbsp oil.  Add a pinch of asafetida.  Quickly add 1 tsp cumin seeds.  Stir until they begin to pop.  Add 5 dried hot chilis.  When they begin to darken, add one thinly sliced onion.  Cook until browned.  Pour over cooked lentils.

Indian Sausage and Smothered Pork

I don't think Indian Sausage exists, but I've been itching to spice a sausage with Indian flavors.  I think I could have used more garlic, ginger and serranos.  Cut 2 1/2 pounds of pork shoulder into 1 inch chunks.  Keep cold.  Heat 1 tbsp oil.  Add 1 tbsp cumin seed and mustard seed, 1 1/2 tsp coriander seeds.  Turn off heat when they begin to pop.  Finely dice 3 garlic cloves, 1 inch ginger and 1 serrano.  Add to seeds.  Add 1 1/2 tbsp salt and some freshly ground pepper.  Add meat to spices.  Put through grinder on small holes.  Add 1/4 cup ice water and 1/4 cup white wine.  Mix with electric mixer for 2 minutes.  Cook.

Smothered pork:  adapted from Madhur Jaffrey.  Dice 1 pound pork shoulder.  Mix with 1 small diced onion, 1 inch grated ginger, 1 chopped tomato, 1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro, 1 diced serrano, 1/4 tsp turmeric, 2 tsp garam masala, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1/4 cup yogurt,  1 tbsp tomato paste, and 3/4 tsp salt.  Heat 3 tbsp oil.  Add 4 minced garlic cloves.  Add meat and cook on med high for a couple of minutes.  Add 1/2 cup water and simmer, covered, 1 hour.  At this point I added green beans and cooked another 20 minutes.  (I wanted a one pot meal)  Cook uncovered for about 10 minutes.  There was quite a bit of fat on the top, so I took out the meat and vegetables.  I cooked the sauce on high for a couple of minutes.  Then I let it sit and skimmed off the fat.  Serve over rice and yogurt.  (This had a heat that gradually built.  I'm not sure why it got so spicy.  Maybe I had a particularly spicy serrano.)

Grilled chicken with aloo mattar gajar

This month's usual table setting

Madjur Jaffrey's grilled chicken.  Mix: 1 tbsp coarsely ground peppercorns, 1 tbsp paprika, 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, 1 tbsp garam masala, 2 tsp ground cumin, 2 tsp dried oregano, 1 1/4 tsp salt, 1 minced garlic cloves, 3 tbsp veg oil, 2 tbsp lemon juice and 2 tbsp yogurt.  Rub all over chicken thighs.  Grill.  (Not very spicy, tasted like juicy grilled chicken)

Toast 1/2 tsp cumin seeds.  Set aside.  In a bowl mix 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp red wine vinegar, 1/2 tbsp lemon juice.  Whisk.  Add 2 tbsp garlic, minced, 1/4 cup thinly sliced onions, 1 sliced tomato, 1/2 sliced cucumber.  Sprinkle cumin seeds on top and toss.

This recipe is from The Best of Indian Cooking.  It's one of the kid's favorites.   Heat 1 tbsp oil.  Add 1 tsp cumin seeds.  When they begin to pop, add 4 tsp oil and 1 sliced onion.  Cook on med low for 10 minutes.  Add 1/2 tsp each of:  chili powder, turmeric, ground coriander, and salt.  Stir.  Add 2 large peeled and sliced carrots and 1 large peeled and sliced potato.  Stir to coat vegetables.  Cook, covered, 15 min.  Stir in 2 tbsp water and cook, covered, 5 more minutes.  Add 1 cup defrosted peas.  Cook another 5 minutes, covered.  Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Another recipe for cooking rice.  This turned out nicely.  Bring 10 cups of water to a boil.  Add 2 cups basmati rice.  Cook, simmering vigorously, partially covered 8 minutes.  Drain and return to pot.  Cover until ready to serve.

Jack and Sam

Another Indian lunch: Indian hamburgers and mashed potatoes

Eating Indian food everyday is very easy.  The boys love it, I love it, Sanford likes it enough.  The hard part is cooking Indian food everyday.  I never want just one thing, I want 3 or 4 different dished plus rice, naan, and so on.  So what starts as a quick meal ends up as a 2 hour ordeal with a giant mess! 

So today we made a quick Indian (american style) lunch adapted from Madjur Jaffrey's Quick and Easy Indian Cooking.  I forgot to take any pictures.

Hamburger kebabs.  Heat a small cast iron skillet and saute 1 tbsp chickpea flour until light brown.  Remove and put in a bowl.  Add 1 pound ground beef (I ground some sirloin), 1 thinly sliced serrano (with seeds), 1/2 beaten egg, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp cumin seed, 1 tsp coriander seed, ground pepper, and 4-5 tbsp finely chopped cilantro.  Cook in a 3-4 tbsp oil, turning frequently, until nicely browned and med rare.

Indian inspired mashed potatoes:  Peel and chunk 2 pounds potatoes.  Cook in boiling water until tender.  Drain.  Heat 3/4 cup milk with 4 tbsp butter.  Add 1 tsp garam masala, 1 tsp salt, pepper and potatoes.  Mash.  Add 1 thinly sliced serrano pepper.  Add cayenne to taste.  (These were a little sweet from the garam masala for my taste.  Next time I would use less.)

We served this with tomato, cucumber, yogurt, cilantro chutney and Indian hot sauce (which is kind of like a hot and sweet ketchup or barbeque sauce).  I would make these spicy little burgers again, but I would choose a different potato dish to accompany them.  This meal actually only took 30 minutes to complete.  The fastest so far, besides the shrimp night.

Dinner tonight, we are going simple.  Roast chicken and root vegetables and a salad.  We return to India tomorrow.

Takeout

Takeout last night from a new place "Curries".  It was my first time eating goat.  With all of the sauce I thought it tasted like firm chicken.  Ordered 4 dishes, now we have tons of leftovers.  Looks like the cooking might be on hold for a day or two

Quick Indian Dinner

This chicken stay incredibly moist, especially considering the high heat is was cooked.  It would have been a pretty quick dish if the homemade garam masala was done earlier.  So first, the recipe for the that.

Homemade Garam Masala:  Put the following in a coffee grinder:  1 tbsp cardamon seeds, 1 cinnamon stick, 1/3 of a whole nutmeg and 1 tsp each of the following:  peppercorns, cumin seeds, whole cloves.  This makes more than what you need for the chicken, so it will be ready for another recipe.  The author makes a note to only substitute homemade garam masala when indicated.  It has a much different taste than storebought.

Silken Chicken:  Put 1 1/4 pounds chicken breast in a pan.  Make 3 slits in the top and poke some holes with the tip of a knife.  Sprinkle with 1/2 tsp salt and 2 tbsp lemon juice.  Rub all over the chicken.  Let sit 5 minutes.  Mix 1/4 cup heavy cream, 1/2 tsp homemade garam masala, 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, 1/4 tsp freshly roasted and ground cumin seed, (I used powdered to save time), 1/2 tsp paprika, 1 minced garlic clove, and 1/2  tsp grated ginger.  Pour over chicken, making sure to coat entire chicken.  Let sit 10 minutes.  Preheat oven as high as it will go.  Ours was 550 degrees and position rack in top 1/3.  Put in a pan lined with foil.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper and a little homemade garam masala, cumin seed, ground, cayenne pepper and 1 tsp dried mint.  Squeeze lemon over the top.  Bake 15 minutes.  Both from Madjur Jaffrey's Quick and Easy Indian Cooking

Spinach:  Put 5 garlic cloves, 1 inch chopped ginger and 1 chopped green chili in a little food processor with a little water and blend to a paste.  Heat 2 tbsp oil.  Add paste, saute a minute.  Add 1 1/2 pounds spinach and wilt.  Add a little dash of salt, garam masala, cayenne, and sugar.  Stir

Butternut squash:  Heat 2 tbsp mustard oil.  Add 1/2 tsp of each:  cumin seeds, fennel seeds, black mustard seeds, yellow mustard seeds, and fenugreek seeds.  When they pop add cubed butternut squash.  Cook on high, tossing frequently, until soft.    Toss with salt and 1 tsp sugar.  (This recipe called for onion seeds, which I haven't been able to find yet.  I think in the future I would dice some onion to add a little contrast.)  This went well with the spinach.  From Gourmet Indian in minutes.

Spicy shrimp and moong dal pancakes

This was quick and delicious.  Peel, devein, wash and dry 1 pound shrimp.  Toss with 1/4 tsp of tumeric and 1/4 tsp cayenne.  Rub spices all over shrimp.  Heat 1/4 cup oil in a pan on high.   Add 1/2 tsp mustard seeds.  When they pop, add 5 minced garlic cloves.  When they start to brown add 1 finely chopped green chili, leave seeds in.  Stir once or twice.  Put in shrimp.  Stir fry until opaque, 2-3 minutes.  Sprinkle with 1/2 tsp salt.  Top with 2 tsp chopped parsley.  from Quick and Easy Indian Cooking

Sanford helping in the kitchen!

Moong dal pancakes with peas:  Moong dal (they are mung beans that have been peeled and split).  Wash and drain 6 oz moong dal.  Soak 5 hours in 1 liter water.  Drain.  Put in boiling water and boil 3-4 minutes, until tender.  Drain.  Put in food processor with 1 inch chopped ginger, 3 garlic cloves, 1-2 hot chilies, cut into 4 pieces, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp turmeric and 100 ml water.  Puree until you have a batter.  Blend a couple of more minutes to aerate.  Add 2 oz minced onion, 2 oz shelled peas, 2 tbsp chopped cilantro.  Add 1/4 tsp baking soda right before cooking.  see below

These were a little tricky to cook.  I had to add a little more water to make it less sticky.  The recipe says to heat a tsp oil.  Add batter and press with back of spoon to flatten into 6 inch disc.  Sprinkle oil over the top and at the edges.   Cover and cook for 2 minutes.  When little red spots appear, turn and cook for another minutes.  This didn't work as well for me.  I turned the heat up to med and cooked them like a pancake, not covering them.  I used a little oil on my fingers to flatten the batter in the pan.  They got crispier this way.  I didn't use fresh peas, I used thawed frozen peas.  This may have been the problem.  I think they were releasing too much fluid when heated.  I would thaw them a little longer in the future.  Regardless, they were quite tasty served with yogurt and chutney.  I think I will have some for breakfast this morning.  from Madjur Jaffrey's Indian Cooking