There’s a new tamale lady in town*
Wow. Tamales.
They’re actually much easier than I anticipated. Which should have been obvious since everything I read about tamale making started with “they’re not as hard as you might think”. Lots of ladies over tonight to celebrate the arrival of Maggie in town. I wanted to make tamales, and was inspired by the local company “Primavera” that makes yummy veggie tamales. I had a butternut squash hanging out in the pantry, just BEGGING to be diced up, so I decided to freestyle a tamale filling with that. While I’m very much looking forward to the upcoming spring veggies (peas!!!), I will miss the trusty old butternut.
We are very lucky in SF to have tons of great Latin markets, so I didn’t have to look too hard to find fresh masa and banana leaves. I’m not really sure I chose banana leaves, corn husks seem to be more traditional. I was holding both in the store, having a hard tome deciding. It must have been the color of the banana leaves that got me, they’re so shiny and pretty… Anyways, I cut the banana leaves up into what seemed like the right size and smeared on some masa dough.
I had cooked the butternut with some onions, garlic, chili verde sauce, jalepenos, spices and a few other things that I threw in during a panicked moment of “It doesn’t taste GOOD ENOUGH! Why the f*ck did I decide to use this squash!”
Around this time everyone showed up and went to work in the tamale factory. They even tied cute little belts on them! Such lovely friends…
We put them in the steamer and then I realized that it takes 75 minutes of steaming, not 20 minutes. Oooops. So there was lots of waiting. Thank you Leila for bringing chips and salsa. And everyone else for bringing wine and beer! It was enough time for me to spin versions of the evening that ended in mushy, gooey blobs of unappetizing orangeness. At some point Liddy mentioned that tamales were one of her favorite foods and I kept thinking “She’s gonna know that I’m a fraud! What do I know about tamales?”
But it was worth the wait. We ate them on a plate of spicy black beans, with some chunky guacamole, my chipotle creme fraiche, and the fresh queso fresco. A delicious meal it was.
And of course, there was dessert. I fried up some churros and made a thick mexican hot chocolate for dipping.
*That only makes sense if you live in San Francisco. We have a nice lady that pushes a cart around the mission bars selling tamales. We love her. But I think my tamales were better.
My God, It keeps getting better
Leftovers. I love them.
I know it was an obvious move, but here’s a pic of my corned beef hash anyways!
The day I became a meat goddess.
My culinary curiosity has taken an interesting turn in the past year. Like most people, when I began cooking, the focus was on throwing killer dinner parties involving elaborate concoctions that kept me busy for hours. Slowly my interest has shifted over to traditional food crafts: making jams, cheese, bread – things that are fairly simple in their ingredients and labor, but infinitely complex in technique. While perusing Green Apple Books for a present (for myself) a few weeks ago, I found a book on charcuterie that screamed “buy me!”. I did, and last night I tried out my first recipe. I wanted to start simple, since playing with meat is kinda pricey (I would rather not eat meat at all than succumb to cheaper, factory farmed meat), and I possibly have an unhealthy paranoid fear of botulism. Corned Beef seemed like a good intro to meat curing. It’s not something that I normally thought of as a great meal, but as of now that has all changed.
The first step was to create the blend of spices known as “pickling spices”.
I made a brine of water, salt, curing salt (I ordered it immediately after getting home with the book!), sugar and the pickling spices. I placed in 6 lbs of beef brisket, making sure that it was completely submerged, and let it chill in the fridge for 5 days.
I admit, I was skeptical after seeing it in its brined state. Not exactly…pretty.
I got even more skeptical when I cooked it, which involved boiling it for 3 hours. I generally reserve boiling for things like pasta, potatoes & bagels. The thought of boiled meat doesn’t exactly get me salivating. But my confidence built every time I walked outside and back in and could smell the spices doing there thing. John started greeting our dinner guests with “Welcome to the best smelling house on the block” and I started feeling REALLY good. And you know, it WORKED!
Like, REALLY worked. It was so salty and juicy and pink and delicious. For some people, it was religious. Even “I just got back from India and now I wannabe Hindu and cows are sacred” Bronson tried a piece. Tessa rediscovered Judaism, at least the salty meat part of Judaism. John postponed dumping me for some younger, hotter chefling. I couldn’t have been happier.
I cooked a full spread of Irish American food to compliment the Beef: Braised Cabbage & Collards, Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes, Brown sugar glazed roasted carrots…
and of course, a loaf of whole wheat Irish soda bread.
I slept very well last night.
RECIPE:
For the pickling spice:
2 tablespoons black peppercorns
2 tablespoons mustard seeds
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
2 tablespoons hot red-pepper flakes
2 tablespoons allspice berries
1 tablespoon ground mace
2 small cinnamon sticks, crushed or broken into pieces
24 bay leaves, crumbled
2 tablespoons whole cloves
1 tablespoon ground ginger
For the brine:
1 gallon water
2 cups kosher salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 ounce (5 teaspoons) pink salt (see Note)
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons pickling spice (above)
One 5-pound well-marbled (first-cut) beef brisket
2 tablespoons pickling spice (above)
To make the pickling spice:
– Lightly toast the peppercorns, mustard seeds, and coriander seeds in a small dry skillet, then smash them with the side of a knife just to crack them.
– Combine the cracked spices with the remaining ingredients, mixing well. Store in a tightly sealed plastic container or glass jar.
To make the brine:
– Combine the water, salt, sugar, pink salt, garlic, and pickling spices in a pot large enough to hold the brisket comfortably. Bring to a simmer, stirring until the salt and sugar are dissolved. Remove the pot from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate the brine until it’s completely chilled.
– Place the brisket in the brine and weight it down with a plate to keep it submerged. Refrigerate for 5 days.
– Remove the brisket from the brine and rinse it thoroughly under cool running water. (Resting is not required here because the distribution of the brine will continue in the long, slow cooking process.)
To cook the beef:
– Place the brisket in a pot just large enough to hold it and add enough water to cover the meat. Add the remaining pickling spice and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer gently for about 3 hours, or until the brisket is fork-tender There should always be enough water to cover the brisket; replenish the water if it gets too low.
– Remove the corned beef from the cooking liquid, which can be used to moisten the meat and vegetables, if that is what you’re serving. Slice the beef and serve warm, or cool, then wrap and refrigerate until you’re ready to serve, or for up to a week.
Note: Pink salt, a curing salt with nitrite, is called by different names and sold under various brand names, such as tinted cure mix or T.C.M., DQ Curing Salt, and Insta Cure #1. The nitrite in curing salts does a few special things to meat: It changes the flavor, preserves the meat’s red color, prevents fats from developing rancid flavors, and prevents many bacteria from growing.
Chickpeas Rule.
This is one of those “everybody else is doing it” salads. I’ve been hearing “chickpea salad this” and “chickpea salad that” for months. So when I had a giant tupperware of chickpeas that I boiled for hummus that never got made, I decided it was time. For salad. Chickpea salad. It may sound a bit dull, but sometimes a girl feels simple. Besides, I think the whole “I’m a pastry chef now so I’m allowed to put on a few pounds” thing is losing its charm. So anyways, salad. I looked at a few recipes online and then adjusted for what ingredients I already had. I have no measurements, and found myself sprinkling paprika on our plates midway through dinner, but it turned out pretty good!
Roughly it went something like this: I diced and roasted a medium sized butternut squash. Then mixed that with about a pound of cooked chickpeas and spinach (though while eating I kept thinking “Arugula would be better). I made a dressing of lemon juice, tahini, cumin, paprika, salt, pepper and a tiny bit of water to thin it out. then I tossed it altogether and crumbled some feta on top. Easy peasy!
Now I must get back to thinking about a dessert for Valentine’s Day.
Balls Balls Balls
Another night, another 90210. But last night, in celebration of a few males joining the dinner/bad TV fest we decided to serve them a meal of balls. Balls of all shapes and sizes. I just bought a cookbook for Israeli food (yes, they DO have a national food, even if it was all stolen) and I was itching to try some circular things out.
It was an ambitious meal consisting of: lamb meatballs baked in a tahini sauce, homemade falafel, fried fish falafels, fresh baked whole wheat pita pockets, hummus, salad & fried cauliflower with a lemon tahini dressing. As you can see, that’s a lot of balls.
I was cooking at my friends’ house, and things starting going awry almost immediately. I dropped the fish balls (which actually worked out well because Misha, it turns out, is very allergic to seafood). About an hour before we planned to eat, I realized that they don’t own a food precessor, which made homemade hummus and falafel a bit…challenging. Thank you Truly Mediterranean for saving us on THAT one.
But the pitas were yum. And the fried cauliflower, perfect. Alas, that house is also where good food photography goes to die, so I am limited in documentation of our feast of the balls. But here are some pita photos!
I haven’t worked much with whole wheat yet, and this was my first time trying this recipe, so i was fairly happy with the results. They were tasty for sure.
But some of them didn’t expand to create a pocket (what’s up with that?), which meant we had to create our own pockets for stuffing. As always, I don’t think anyone cared besides me.
So we ate. And ate. And Misha REALLY ate. And then we feasted on donut balls (yes, I know how to drive a concept into the ground). And then all the guys CONVENIENTLY snuck away before 90210.
Yay for Soup!
This week I got 4 heads of broccoli in my CSA box, to add to the one I already had. I get veggie anxiety when there’s too much of one thing, and a soup is always a great way to use up piles of fresh (and sometimes not so fresh) veggies. Soup is one of those things that I rarely crave or think about, but when I’m eating it I always think “Soup is delicious, I should eat soup more often.”
A broccoli soup is especially easy to make, and comes out a lovely shade of green (actually my FAVORITE shade of green – as soon as I own my own house, I will paint many walls this color.)
First I threw some potatoes, leeks, carrots & good (by good I mean: not from a box, even an organic one. Unless, of course, you have to, slightly inferior soup is better than no soup…I guess) veggie stock in a pot.
I covered it up and let it simmer for 25 minutes, until the potatoes could be mashed easily with a fork. Then I added the broccoli and let it cook for another 10-15 minutes, until the broccoli was smooshy.
Then I pureed it (with my immersion blender, another favorite thing of mine) with a tiny bit of cream and flavored it with salt and pepper.
And since everyone needs just a “teeny” bit of fat, I fried up some grilled cheese sandwiches for us to eat with it.
Some measurements:
3 leeks
2 waxy potatoes
2 carrots
4 cups veggie stock
2 heads of broccoli
1 tablespoon cream
salt and pepper to taste
1 grilled cheese sandwich
Getting My Southern On
It was a night of deliciousness. I was at my friends’ house for our weekly night of (don’t judge) 90210. We’re usually so excited to relive a version of high school that doesn’t even closely resemble ours that we cook a feast to eat beforehand. I was feeling especially southern, and decided to dig through my old copy of “Louisiana Kitchen” for some ideas. In the end I decided to try out the red beans and rice recipe, since I’ve yet to make one that I think is worthwhile.
Probably the most shocking thing of the night was learning that most of my friends had never even HEARD of red beans and rice! When I told them that is what I would be cooking, they imagined some boring dinner of “beans” and “rice.” How little faith they have in Cajun cuisine.
It took a few hours to cook. It was spicy. REALLY spicy. It was not pretty to gaze upon. It was filled with smoked ham hocks, Andouille sausage & bell peppers. Basically it was perfect.
And of course there was dessert.
I had been thinking about apple cake for a few months, so I decided to try one out. Also a traditional Southern dish, it is a super moist cake filled with big chunks of apple, pecans, cinnamon & nutmeg. It has so many apples in it I was concerned that it might not even turn into a cake once baked.
But it turned out just fine. Better than fine.
And since Southerners are just never happy with something simple in the dessert department, it was smothered in a caramel sauce.
90210 never tasted so good.
Here is the recipe for the Red Beans & Rice, from Paul Prudhomme’s “Louisiana Kitchen”:
1 pound dried red kidney beans
6 large ham hocks (3 1/2 pounds)
2 1/2 cups finely chopped celery
2 cups finely chopped onions
2 cups finely chopped green bell peppers
5 whole bay leaves
2 teaspoons white pepper
2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
1 teaspoon ground cayenne
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce
1 pound Andouille smoked sausage, cut diagonally into 3/4-inch pieces
4 1/2 cups hot cooked rice
Cover the beans with water 2 inches above beans. Let stand overnight. Drain just before using.
Place the ham hocks, 10 cups of water, the celery, onions, bell peppers, bay leaves, and seasonings in a 5 1/2-quart saucepan or large Dutch oven; stir well. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until meat is fork tender, about 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Remove ham hocks from pan and set aside.
Add the drained beans and 4 cups of the water to the pan; bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the remaining 2 cups water and simmer 30 minutes, stirring often. Stir in the andouille and continue simmering until the beans start breaking up, about 35 minutes, scraping pan bottom fairly often. Add the ham hocks (that you have been shredding this whole time) and cook and stir 10 minutes more. Serve immediately.
And here’s the recipe for the apple cake, from “The Gift of Southern Cooking” by Edna Lewis & Scott Peacock:
CAKE:
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
3 large eggs
3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 fresh apples, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch pieces
1 1/4 cups not-too-finely chopped pecans
2 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
GLAZE:
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup heavy cream
MAKE THE CAKE:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (160C).
Put the sugars and vegetable oil in a mixing bowl, and beat until very well blended. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt, and gradually add to the sugar and eggs, mixing just until well blended.
Stir in the apples, pecans, and vanilla, and pour into a buttered and 9-by-13-inch baking pan.
Bake in the preheated oven until a skewer or toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 1 1/4 hours (begin checking after 50 minutes). Remove from the oven, and allow to cool in the pan while you prepare the caramel glaze.
MAKE THE GLAZE:
Melt the butter in a saucepan, and add both the sugars and the salt. Stir until blended, and cook over medium-low heat for 2 minutes. Stir in the heavy cream, and boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
Use a skewer or toothpick to poke holes all over the top of the cake, and pour the warm glaze over the surface. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Carrot Pickles
I’ve been fascinated by pickles for a while. Mostly because I don’t like them. But I feel like they’re a beautiful food craft that I appreciate, so there’s got to be a way to make pickles that I’m into. I’m not much a sour fan, so that makes it a bit tricky. I’ve been reading about a technique of “pickling” veggies with a salt brine instead of vinegar and thought I’d give that a whirl. What I learned is that pickling is extremely easy. Not that everything else I make is so terribly complicated, but seriously, anyone can make pickles.
I tried to make it more challenging by spending more time than necessary slicing perfect batons out of my carrots. Or at least as perfect as I felt I could get without wasting obscene amounts.
Then I made the brine by boiling water, salt, ginger, peppercorns & a dried chile. I wasn’t really sure if a dried chile works, but that’s what I had…
I let the brine cool to room temp and then poured it over my carrots that were waiting in some clean jars.
I let them hang out on my counter for a week and just cracked them open today.
The verdict: Meh. Kinda salty. Maybe I just don’t like pickles. except pickled pepperoncini. I LOVE pickled pepperoncini. Maybe I’ll try that next time. Anybody want some pickles?
Because sometimes you just want some spaetzle.
At least I do. And my Hungarian friend Courtney let me borrow her spaetzle maker. And I thought I had every kitchen gadget!
It’s basically a cheese grater that can rest on your pot, and comes with a scraper that pushes the spaetzle dough through the holes and into the boiling water. It looks just like this:
They cook in like a minute, and then you scoop them up.
Fluffy little pasta poos!
And what do we do with spaetzle? We pour goulash all over it! and sour cream!
Not the most photogenic of meals, but it was fabulous.
Beef Goulash Recipe (Joy of Cooking):
4oz bacon or smoked ham, diced
1 1/2 lbs beef chuck, 1″ cubes
1 1/2 lbs pork or veal shoulder, 1″ cubes
1/2 cup flour
3 cups onions, thinly sliced
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup sweet paprika
3 red bell peppers, diced
1 cup carrots, diced
1 TBSP dried marjoram
1 tsp caraway seeds
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
3 bay leaves
2 cups beef or chicken stock
1 cup dry white wine or beer
1/4 cup tomato puree or 2 TBSP tomato paste
1/2 to 1 cup sour cream
– Brown bacon in large pot. Remove bacon and pat dry.
– Flavor meat with salt and pepper and dredge in flour. Add to pot and brown all sides, being careful not to crowd or scorch the meat. Remove meat using a slotted spoon and set aside.
– Lower heat and add onions to pot. Cook until lightly colored and soft. Add garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Add the paprika, stir well and cook for another 2 minutes. Add bell peppers, carrots, marjoram, caraway, black pepper, salt and bay leaves to the pot. Toss to coat.
– Add stock, alcohol, and tomato. Bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits. Add the meat. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally until meat is tender (1 1/2 hours). Reduce sauce to thicken if necessary. Check seasoning.
– Serve over spatzle with sour cream.
Reibekuchen mit Apfelmus
Potato cakes!
So not the best photo, but so salty and crispy and happy. And there was sour cream and applesauce. But I don’t know where that photo is…
I made that! 
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