Grilled polenta cakes over warm mixed greens salad

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On to the next (documented) vegetarian dish.  I am trying for a combination of textures as well as flavors.  This pairs a crunchy set of greens (celery, cabbage) with warm, wilted mustard greens and creamy polenta grilled and dressed with tomato vinaigrette - Italian style, or am I stretching here?  It brings some light, bright flavors and earthy tones from the tomato and polenta.

Mustard greens have a wonderfully bitter and peppery flavor and the slight wilting and combination of flavors mellows this as they pair well with the spiciness of the cilantro and crunch of the cabbage.

If you are not familiar with polenta, it is a slightly neutral flavor which takes on flavors easily and the grilling lends a bit of smokiness - so don't be afraid to season.

I am cheating tonight, and using a tube of pre-made polenta; if there is any interest on the part of my readers I will gladly post some polenta scratch recipes (or check the "recipes" label on any box of corn meal). 


THE RECIPE - GRILLED POLENTA AND GREENS SALAD
(One portion, as an entree)

POLENTA PREP
2 polenta rounds, approx. 1/2 in. thick
Pan release spray (Pam) or vegetable oil
Sea salt and ground pepper, dash of each

Heat a sautee or cast iron grill pan over medium high flame.  Spray with the pan release or oil; season and grill the polenta cakes, three to four minutes on each side.  Hold in a warm oven until service.

WARM GREENS SALAD

1T EV olive oil
1/5th head green cabbage, shredded thinly
1 small bunch mustard greens, large ribs removed and coarsely chopped
Leaves from 1/2 bunch celery, chopped
 1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 bunch cilantro leaves
1/2 t lemon juice
Sea salt and ground black pepper, 1/2 t of each

1 tomato, medium dice
1/2 cucumber, medium dice
1 scallion, green and bulb, sliced, for garnish

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TOMATO VINAIGRETTE

7T EV olive oil
4T red wine vinegar
1 t Dijon mustard
6 oz. tomato sauce
1 T dried basil leaves
1/2 t dried oregano leaves
(If using fresh leaves, double the amount)
Sea salt and ground black pepper to taste

Blend in a food processor and chill until needed.  Make ahead if desired to meld flavors more strongly.  This yield is a bit heavy for a single portion, probably plenty for two; if you have extra use it on another salad or as a marinade.

PREPARATION

Over a medium high flame, heat a large saute pan, add oil, cabbage and celery leaves.  Flip and cook for one minute.  Season with salt and pepper and transfer to serving plate, arranging as a bottom layer.  Return pan to heat and add a touch more oil if needed.  Saute mustard greens for one minute; add cilantro.  Reduce heat and finish with lemon and garlic; season and saute for just about another minute.  The goal here is to just warm and wilt the greens; they will reduce drastically if overcooked.  Drain off any accumulated liquid. arrange these greens as a second layer.  Ring the salad with the tomato and cucumber dices and dress with the vinaigrette.  Place the polenta cakes on top of this, dress these, and garnish the plate with the scallion slices.
Enjoy!

I don't know if it would win Chopped, but here's my pantry!)

Indian style vegetable stock

(Adapted from Tarla Dalal's Indian Vegetarian Cookbook, O/P 1983)

2013 is apparently the year of Soup, at least here.

This is one of the most interesting stock recipes I have encountered.  I have recently been working on a semi-vegetarian diet, and in my opinion Indian cuisine does the best job with this type of menu.  This came from an antique cookbook found in Julian.  I find it interesting for this stock to include potato and tomato.  Of course, I cannot leave well enough alone.  I have added some more savory elements and different vegetables.  Next stop - on to beautiful soups!

(Double Recipe, yield approx. 3.5 Qts.)

THE RECIPE:

7 carrots
2# green beans
6 stalks celery, leaves included
5 large onions
4 large potatoes
5 large tomatoes
1 head garlic
1/2 head of green cabbage

2T sea salt
1T whole black peppercorns
1T oregano leaves
14 Cups filtered water

Rinse and coarsely chop all vegetables.  Place in large stockpot; add seasoning and water.  Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for approximately 2 1/2 hours.  Cool and strain.  Keep refrigerated for your favorite vegetable soup recipes.  

SPICY Kale, potato and sausage soup

Great - but when it came to picture time, I was out of avocado garnish; but just imagine and drool...

A friend of mine posted this, and I had to tackle my version of the dish.  San Diego is currently reaching lows into the '20s°, which may not mean much to other parts of the country, but for us it's the Apocalypse!  I SO love soups, and this has many of my favorite things in it.

I have added some fresh chiles and it benefited from the addition of avocado slices for garnish.  A crusty French baguette would be a great accompaniment as well.

Play with this and let me know what variations you try.  Enjoy!

NOTE: unlike so many of my recipes, this is a really quick prep!

THE RECIPE

1 Oz EV olive oil
1 large onion, medium dice
4 stalks celery heart with leaves, small dice
4 cloves garlic, minced

5 Qts vegetable or chicken stock (more available if needed)
4 bay leaves
1T dried oregano
1T dried basil
1 t dried thyme
Sea salt and ground black pepper to taste

5 med. white potatoes, peeled, medium dice

1 # spicy sausage, grilled and 1/4 sliced
2 Bunches kale (Lacinato or "dinosaur" if you can find it), ribs removed, leaves cut into 1" X 1/2" pieces
2 jalapeno or 3 serrano chiles, seeds removed and minced
1/2 Bunch flat leaf parsley, minced

Suggested Garnishes:
Avocado slices
Garlic Parmesan croutons
Basil leaves, chiffonade
Crushed red chiles

Heat large stockpot over medium heat, add olive oil; saute onion, celery and garlic for 2 - 3 minutes.

Grill and dice sausage, process kale, chiles and parsley.

Add stock and dry herbs; bring to light boil then reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes to finish the stock.

Increase heat to medium and add diced potato, and when they are half-cooked (10-15 minutes) add remaining ingredients.  Reduce heat and simmer another 10-15 minutes, until potatoes are just done.  Taste and re-season as needed.

Serve into individual bowls with desired garnish.  As with most soups, you can prepare this a day ahead of time.  If you take this route, hold off on the kale and just add during the re-heating process if you want to retain maximum nutrition and color.

Keep yourselves warm!

Green Split Pea Soup

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This is probably the first thing I learned to cook.  Since I was a young child, my family visited the Andersen's restaurants, famous for their split pea soup,on a regular basis.  I can proudly say I have managed over the years to outdo their famous recipe.  My Mom and Dad each had their own translation, and I guess this is an amalgam of the three of us.  This is a savory mirepoix based soup with pork.  I prefer the consistency of this soup to be like drying concrete; the thicker the better.  Like most of my recipes this is an all-day project, but don't worry, most of the work is just simmering.

Once you have reached the consistency you want, run it through with an immersion blender (preferred method) or a mixer.  Then the final seasoning meat is added and heated through prior to service.  This pairs up nicely with a grilled sausage and rotkohl (sauteed red cabbage) or sauerkraut.  Certainly it will benefit from a crusty baguette or toast points (the garnish in the photo is a round cut out from a piece of sourdough).

 This has a bolder and stronger flavor profile than some may be used to (welcome to my world) so feel free to adjust according to your tastes.  This is just my favorite.

THE RECIPE

2 # green split peas
Filtered water, as needed

1 oz EV olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
6-8 stalks celery hearts with leaves, small dice
2 med. onions, small dice
2 carrots, small dice

2 # meaty ham bones or smoked ham hocks
1/2 bunch flat leaf parsley, minced
6 dried bay leaves
2 T dried oregano
2 T dried basil
1 dash sea salt (start slowly, as the smoked pork and ham will add salt as well - you can always add more if needed)
1 t ground black pepper

1 # diced ham or one package salt pork, rendered and diced

Suggested Garnishes:
Dry sherry
Crisp minced bacon
Spam, small dice
Fresh basil / oregano leaves, chiffonade
Parmesan croutons
Toast points

Soak split peas in filtered water overnight - cover with at least one inch of water, and add as needed.  The peas will double in size.

Early the next morning, warm a large stockpot over medium heat and add oil, garlic, celery, onion, carrot and sweat for five minutes.  Add all other ingredients up to salt and pepper.  Add water as needed; you should again have at least an inch of water over ingredients.  Bring to low boil, reduce heat to simmer and partially cover.  (If you use a heat diffuser, you will increase heat a bit and run less risk of sticking on the bottom of the pot.)

Simmer, stirring occasionally, four to six hours maintaining a temperature of 145°, until a fairly thick consistency is achieved.  If the soup sticks to the bottom of the pot, lower heat but do not scrape it.

When a thick consistency has been achieved, remove from heat.  Remove soup bones and bay leaves.  Blend into a smooth consistency with immersion blender of mixer.  Return soup to low heat and add ham or salt pork and heat through.

Taste and re-season as needed.  Serve into individual bowls with preferred garnish (I recommend the dry sherry).

For reheating, if the cold soup is thicker than you would like, just add a bit of water or chicken stock to regain desired consistency.

Yield: approx. 6 Qts.

Quick & Easy Menudo

The food of my people!  Seriously, I am the whitest Latino you will ever meet.  Yes, Grandma (Abuelita) was from Guadalajara, Jalisco MX.

As we are at New Year's Eve and New Year's Day (pictures probably in the morning, as the light is quickly fading) this dish is fabled to be...well, a type of antidote...a curative...a palliative...oh, hell, it's a hangover remedy!

This is a traditional stew of beef, patas (pig's or beef feet) in a rich, hearty beef stock with onion, herbs, chiles, hominy (dried, limed and reconstituted corn kernels) and yes, tripe.  If this scares you OR you don't know what this is, back away now and you will have no regrets.  The process is a day-long project at least and results in a spicy stock with stewed tripe and hominy.  The consumer typically garnishes to taste with crushed red chiles, oregano, diced onion, cilantro and lime - even avocado, try what you like as it is a blank canvas wrapped up in warm tortillas (I like corn{maize}).

As I think about the coming hangover holiday and look into my freezer, I realize I have TONS of clarified beef stock which has been parked for a while and needs to be used up.  This gives me an advantage in terms of prep time, but as I have removed all the cool fat and thickening gelatin from the cartilage I will need to add in these ingredients to be successful.  I repurpose the stock with some roasted bones, amp up the seasoning, and pop in tripe and hominy.  As you may have seen the phrases, "quick and easy" do not often appear in my recipes, and even in the real world these are objective terms.  Instead of a full day recipe this ends up being a half-day recipe.  Allow three to four hours for prep.

IF you do not have half a freezer full of prepared beef stock, here is a quick menudo stock recipe to get you started.  This takes you back to a full day of prep.

THE RECIPE - SCRATCH STOCK
3-4 # Beef soup (marrow) bones
3-4# Beef soup (meaty) bones
3 patas (pig's feet)
3 - 4 Qts, filtered water
3 lg. onions, quartered
6-8 bay leaves
4 stalks celery, sliced on the bias
3 T dried oregano
Stalks from one bunch of fresh cilantro
5-6 chiles japonesas, dried (more if that's your thing)
Salt and pepper, to taste

ROAST the bones and feet at 450°F for an hour, turning at the half-hour mark.  Add the onions at the half hour mark and torch these guys,  place all ingredients into the water and add all spices.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer three hours.  Remove from heat, cool and strain with a china cap.  Then proceed to the rest of the recipe. 

THE RECIPE - Quick & Easy Menudo

3 - 4 Qts. beef stock
2# beef marrow bones, roasted for 1 hour at 450°F, turned at 30 min.
1 lg. onion, quartered and roasted 450°F  for 30 min.
6 bay leaves
2 T dried oregano leaves
2 T smoked paprika
2 T ground New Mexico chile pepper
2 T freshly ground black pepper
3 chiles japonesas, dried
Salt & pepper, to taste

2# honeycomb tripe
(rinsed and soaked three times for 30 min. each run, with water changes and salt added at each 30 min.  Remember we are working with beef stomach, so you want a good, thorough rinse.  The market did not have honeycomb tripe today, but they did have book tripe in stock.  This is a flatter, more delicate and feathery tripe, often used in Chinese dim sum.  Unlike honeycomb tripe which is one flat strip to slice into squares, this is more three dimensional - it needs to be sliced both horizontally and diagonally.  The tripe will absorb the flavors in which it simmers, and break down with the simmering.)

GARNISH:
Cilantro
Diced onion
Crushed red pepper
Dried oregano
Minced cilantro leaves
Diced avocado
Jalapeno pepper slices
Lime wedges
Smoked or black finishing sea salt
Warm corn / flour tortillas

 OK - for those of you who have enough frozen beef stock to survive the Zombie Apocalypse, we are going to add a bit of gelatin for a thickener, and seasonings to "Latinize" the stock, then simmer the tripe and finish with the hominy and garnishes.

Rinse the tripe and soak for 30 minutes in cool water.   Add 2 - 3 T sea salt and soak and change water, rinse and salt for three more thirty minute water changes.

Warm the stock and add misc. seasonings.  Bring to a boil and simmer as beef bones and onions roast.  Add these as well as rendered fat, and simmer for an additional hour.  Remove from heat, cool and strain.

When the tripe finishes its rinse / soak cycle, drain and slice into bite - sized strips.  Set into stock and simmer until tender, 1 to 2 hours.  Add hominy, taste stock and adjust seasoning as needed.  Serve into 12 - 16 oz. bowls, with garnishes and warm tortillas.

ENJOY and leave feedback if you try this recipe!

Homemade Sourdough Pretzels

(Click on image for larger view.  Mustard, or nacho cheese?)

These take me back a long way.  I've always loved these chewy, salty lovelies; my first recollection of them is back to the old Busch Gardens park in Southern California, when I was a child.  I can remember sitting beside the lagoon, with all the multi-colored tropical birds, munching on these pretzels which were twice the size of my hands.

I've never been able to decide whether I like these better with cheese or mustard - so I do both!  I've just in the last couple of years realized how easy these are to make.  They are time-consuming and labor intensive (and those of you who know me best understand these are my buzz words), but SO worth the wait, and such a pleasant aroma in the house as fresh bread bakes.

 

THE RECIPE

1 ½ C buttermilk

1 T granulated sugar

1 T sea salt

1 package active dry yeast

4 ½ C all purpose flour, plus more for kneading

3 T unsalted butter, melted

1 T olive oil

3 Quarts water

3/4 C baking soda

Stainless steel or other non-reactive stock pot

Parchment paper

2 sheet pans

Pan release spray

1 egg

1 T water

Kosher salt, to taste

Yield: 12 pretzels of average size - you can play with this count if you want larger or smaller pretzels.

Note:  this recipe is based on a 70º environment.  If your kitchen / prep area is cooler than this, for the rising step, you may want to set your oven to WARM for a minute, turn off then place the mixing bowl in there.

Warm the buttermilk over a low flame, to approximately 110° Fahrenheit.  Stir in the salt and sugar, sprinkle the yeast over this mixture and set aside for approximately 10 minutes, until all the microscopic buggies have sacrificed their lives for the sake of bread and formed a foamy crust.

Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl.  Make a well in the center, then gradually stir in buttermilk mixture and butter with a wooden spoon.  Stir until a rough dough is formed, then turn out onto a well-floured surface.  Knead for approximately 10 minutes until smooth and elastic, adding more flour as necessary.

Swish the olive oil in another mixing bowl, then press the dough to conform with the bottom of the bowl; cover with plastic wrap and set aside to rest.  Let this rise until doubled in volume, approximately an hour.  

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Set oven to 425º Fahrenheit.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper and spray these with pan release spray.

Bring water to a boil (I reiterate, in a non-reactive pot; trust me on this one).

Turn the dough out onto working surface.  Cut into 12 pie-shaped wedges.

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Roll each piece out, working from thick to thin ends, into a rope of 18".  Work the rope into a flattened horseshoe shape with one third as the flat inner section.

Wrap the ends over each other.

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Wrap again into a knot.

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Fold over to the center, and round out the edges into the classic "pretzel knot" shape,

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set aside onto a plate treated with pan release.  Repeat with the other pieces of dough.

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Beat the egg and water in a small bowl.

When pretzels are all ready, add baking soda to boiling water and reduce heat to medium high.  Add the pretzels to the solution, one or two at a time.  Boil each for 30 seconds.  Add and remove these with a slotted spoon or skimmer.

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Set boiled dough onto parchment paper (6 per sheet is perfect).  

Brush each pretzel with egg wash and sprinkle with salt.

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Bake for 14 - 17 minutes, checking to ensure even cooking.  My oven has an inward bias, so I have to rotate the pans and invert levels every few minutes.  When your pretzels have achieved a nice shade of golden brown, remove and cool on a wire rack.  

ENJOY, SAVOR, SHARE and be amazed!

Homemade Sriracha hot sauce

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I am in love with this concept; this is my second batch of this spicy sauce made in my own kitchen.  I have used this as a "template" for another, Tabasco-style sauce as well; my consumers are stalking me for more (I'll elaborate on this in a future post), so I know things are progressing well.  Those who know me get my passion for spicy foods and sauces, so I have been enthralled by this mix of DIY foodstuffs and hot, spicy flavors which also utilizes the lactic fermentation process.

This is not my recipe; it is directly from The Sriracha Cookbook, 50 "Rooster Sauce" Recipes that pack a Punch by Randy Clemens.  He has chronicled the evolution of this Asian-style condiment championed and introduced by Huy Fong to Southern California and then to the world.  Plan ahead, and make a double (or triple!) batch, as this makes great gifts for all your heat-seeking friends!

If you find yourself as addicted to making hot sauces at home as I have become, feel free to use this as a base and experiment, using different peppers and herbs.

THE RECIPE

1 3/4# red jalapenos (Fresno chiles).  Stem these and quarter.
3 - 4 cloves garlic
2 T garlic powder
2 T granulated sugar
1 T kosher salt
1 T light brown sugar

1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
Water, as needed
**Regarding all ingredients from garlic to vinegar, have more on hand at the end of the process to adjust final product.**

Glass jar with metal lid

Add all ingredients except vinegar to food processor bowl; process into a coarse puree.  Pour into the glass jar and set on a counter with the lid sealed for one week.  Stir daily.

(Click on image for larger view.) Day 1 - much anticipation.

After 7 days, pour into small saucepan and add vinegar.  Slowly bring to a boil over medium heat.  Lower heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

(Click on image for larger view.)  Ready for final processing.

 Cool, then return mixture to food processor; blend for 2-3 minutes until a thick paste is formed.  Add water if necessary to cut viscosity.

Pass this paste through a fine - meshed sieve, pressing all the solids through with the back of a spoon or ladle.  Stir, taste and adjust any seasonings you deem necessary.  Store refrigerated for up to six months - if you don't run out before this.

**Bonus round**  If you want to, keep the lees (solid materials retained in the strainer) and spread out on a piece of foil, on a sheet pan, in a low oven.  Dry these, process in a spice grinder and retain for BBQ shrimp or dry rub base (again, coming up in future posts!)