Firecracker Deviled Eggs

So I was messing around as I often do and came up with these little gems….

FIRECRAKER DEVILED EGGS:

12 large boiled eggs
1/4C. MAYO
2TBSP. SPICEY BROWN MUSTARD
1TSP. SALT.
1TSP. CRACKED BLACK PEPPER
1TSP CELERY SALT
SIRACHA HOT SAUCE(ROOSTER SAUCE)

SPLIT EGGS, REMOVE YOLKS AND PLACE IN A SMALL BOWL. ADD ALL LISTED DRY INGREDIENTS, MAYO, AND MUSTARD. PRUEE IN FOOD PROCESSOR. THEN PLACE A SMALL SQUIRT OF SIRACHA IN GUTTED EGG, THEN FILL WITH EGG YOLK MIXTURE, THEN SPRINKLE LIGHTLY WITH PAPRIKA, OR BLACK AND RED SPICE*

*Black and Red Spice is a mix of black and red telicherry pepper available from Penzy’s Spices

http://www.penzys.com

Burgers: Straight off the MF’n dome

So I was messing around the other day and pulled these recipe’s straight out of my back side!! Check ‘em out and fire up the grill, anytime’s a good time for a great burger!!

CHANCHO DIABLO
2lbs ground pork
1 small red onion (minced)
1 serano chili (minced)
1 Jalapeno (minced)
1 small can diced green chilis
1 red bell pepper (minced)
1/2 bunch cilantro (chopped)
3 cloves garlic (minced)
2 tbsp cumin
1 lime (zested & squeezed) Chop the zest fine
salt & pepper to taste
6 slices habenero jack cheese

combine all ingriedients with ground pork let sit for 1 hour, then form to 6 patties, and grill med to med well, don’t over grill!!
top with pepper cheese and serve on your favorite bun, I prefer a nice chunk of ciabatta, top with Lettuce, tomato, sliced onion, and avacado…..Mmmmmm damn right that’s good!!

So next came this Island Pig Tasty Tasty!!!

ISLAND PIG
2lbs ground pork
1 small can crushed pineapple (drained)
2 tsp crushed red chilis
1 small red onion
4 cloves garlic (crushed)
1/2 tbsp sea salt
6 slices swiss cheese
12 strips bacon (grilled or fried)
1 fresh pineapple (cut into rings)
2 cups Kikoman teriyaki glaze (not the sauce)

grill pineapple until golden brown, combine first 6 ingiedients, form into 6 patties grill to medium, brushing with teriyaki often as to get a good glaze on them, top with bacon, swiss, grilled pineapple, and your favorite condiments….serve on a good hearty onion kaiser roll..
give them a try and see what you think, let me know if they work out for you, they are pretty damn good!!

Quick Chili, that can’t be beat!!

Ok, so it’s been way to long since I’ve posted, but here goes nothing…. Last week I concocted a quick chili that was pretty damn good, give it a shot adjust the heat to your liking…
1lb spicy charizo
1/2 med onion (diced)
1/2 green pepper (diced)
1/2 red pepper (diced)
1 large jalapeno (diced)
3 cloves fresh garlic (crushed)
3 large fresh tomatoes (diced)
1 large can of pinto beans
2 tbsp cumin
1/4 cup dark red chili powder (ancho, or something of the sorts)
sautee all peppers, onion, garlic, and jalapeno with the charizo, then drain the fat off the sausage, add the beans*, tomatoes, cumin, chili powder, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for about 1/2 hour and Ariba’ good quick chili….
*when adding the beans only drain about 1/2 the water off of them.

recipe: pumpkin chili

I’m sure on first look, this wasn’t what anyone might be expecting for a chili recipe, but then again how often does one cook with pumpkin and not make a pie or bread anyhow? So why not add a little seasonal flair to the dish. It’s not my classic el tazon de rojo con carne
but it is pretty good and follows along with the apple chili and a butternut squash chili ideas I previously tried.

Cubed Pork (or beef)
chilis (I used both a pobalano and a few Anaheims)
bell pepper (orange is always nice)
vadalia onion
celery
garlic cloves
beer (a pale ale or ipa works nice or a seasonal pumpkin brew)
cilantro
cumin
all spice
cinnamon
nutmeg
paprika
black pepper
bay leaf
Pumpkin Cubes (fresh sugar pumpkin works best)

Under a broiler or over an open flame char all the peppers (both sweet and hot) and the pumpkin cubes
Once the peppers are completely charred on all sides, bag and allow to sweat for a few minutes
Once the peppers are sweat, skin and de seed them and them coarsely chop them
Coarsely chop the onion, celery, garlic
In a stock pot with a little bit of oil combine the peppers, pumpkin, onion, garlic, celery, etc and allow to sweat.
As the flavors begin to meld, add the beer and season with cilantro, cumin, all spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, paprika, black pepper and bay leaf as well as the pork cubes and simmer over low heat
Allow to continue to simmer for several hours, reseason as necessary with paprika, black pepper and cumin until the chilis and the pumpkin are almost completely broken down and the pork is tender

This works well to finish in a bowl with a bit of shredded pumpkin, a fresh laurel leaf and a bit of goats milk cheese. If you are going to serve over a starch, rice lightly flavored with pork stock, bay, nutmeg and ancho chili powder is a nice touch.

recipe: Francesinha

Sometimes, you just have to go back to your roots. Well kind of. It’s not like I grew up around this meal in particular, but I had enough variants over the years that it seemed like a splendid idea to learn more about. This was my first attempt at the Francesinha. It’s a Portuguese sandwich, (loosely based on the Croque-monsieur), who’s name loosely means Little French. It’s really difficult to find a definitive recipe on this, mostly because the signature sauce is such a top secret recipe from chef to chef but being I’m new to it I thought I’d share at least as much as wasn’t a secret (wait, does that mean I’m hiding part of the recipe?) Well, the one thing I can tell you is stick with the beer in the recipe, it’s the one thing I found constant in many recipes for the sauce. As for the cheese, the Portuguese are not necessarily known for their cheeses, but if you can find some artisan goat cheese it would be a decent touch if the flavor isn’t too overpowering and it should melt into a lush creamy layer under the sauce. it’s a pretty indulgent dish of meat and meat and a definitely calorific sauce, but if you need a great comfort food meal, this is the meal to go with.

sandwich part:
Bread
Ham (wet, salt cured or smoked)
Chorizo (or linguiça – fresh and/or cured)
Shell Steak (or other thin steak)
Cheese
Frying pan

Cook the steak medium rare, allow to cool slightly and slice
Cook the Chorizo, allow to cool slightly and slice
Using the fat still left in the frying pan lightly grill the bread
Assemble the sandwich on a plate with the meat and half the cheese in the middle between the slices of bread

the sauce
Port Wine (or Madeira)
Beer (Lager or Pilsner would best, a light APA could work too)
Chicken Stock
Heavy Cream (or whole milk)
Butter
Red Pepper Flakes
Bay Leaf
Tomato paste
Saucier

Combine out the Beer, Wine, Cream and Chicken Stock as about a 2:1:1:1 ratio with the butter, red pepper flakes, tomato paste and bay leaf in the Saucier over medium heat
Bring to a boil an reduce by half
Remove the bay leaf

Place the remaining half of the
Serve the sauce still boiling hot over the sandwich
Enjoy

recipe: Atum Azores e Couve

I made this dish the other night after becoming inspired for it by a meal I made over the weekend that was completely spur of the moment while rummaging through the fridge and the cubbard. What I absolutely adore about dishes such as this are the way they come together without having to make special trips to the grocery store to get exotic things to make them and yet still have them taste exotic. I will admit, my spice rack and all probably are better stocked than most as it is more a reflection of my daily cooking of both Delta and Iberian cuisine. Even still, this is potentially a quick cook, big flavor meal that really draws my interest. It isn’t something I grew up with, it’s something I grew into and much like some of the tech and grind music I enjoy, it is something truly learned to enjoy. Hence, timing the meal out to Blood Has Been Shed songs, because it seemed to just work out perfect like that.

I would suggest if you need a starch you consider some home made potato chips. They are a staple of the Iberian-American restaurant regionally. I have no idea of how authentic they are, but, this thinny cut, fried and spiced potato are splendidly crunchy and make a perfect foil to the other textures of the dish. You will notice the the warm green salad in this recipe. It’s an old standby for me, the trick is to just wilt the greens, if you over cook them they will get bitter and lose the natural flavors and become a sloppy, sloshy, gag-reflex mess. As for the spices, this is a variant of one of my two standby house spices, so you don’t get the whole thing here, but it’s enough to replicate the dish and make it enjoyable. The tuna can be grilled rather than seared as done in this recipe. I prefer my tuna to be seared and very rare, start the tuna first if you like it cooked through rather than rare but be aware, this will dilute the natural tuna flavor and potentially burn the spices.

tuna steak
baby spinach and kale (or other combo of dark leafy greens)
garlic
onion
olive oil
lime (juice and zest)
spices *
large fry pan
skillet

* spices: garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, paprika, cumin, coriander, all spice, cinnamon

Combine the spices and the oil and allow the flavors to meld.
Zest and juice the lime. reserve the zest and combine it with the spices. reserve the juice for the greens.
Pat the tuna steaks dry and then thoroughly rub the steaks with the spices and allow to sit for at least 15 minutes chill.
Preheat the skillet and the fry pan and allow them to come up to temperature
Add the onion and garlic and begin to sweat them till the onions become translucent
Toss the greens with the oil and spice mixture
Place the greens in the fry pan and drizzle with the lime.
Put a bit of oil in the skillet, do not allow it to smoke! Add the tuna steaks
Toss the greens in the fry pan
Watch the steaks cooking as they begin to sear quickly flip and allow them to sear the other side
Toss the greens again i the frypan and then strain any extra liquid from the saute

Serve! I like the greens slightly under the tuna steaks with them propped up. If you do it with the potatoes place them in a ring around the outside. I would also reserve the liquid from the greens cooking, perhaps reduce it with some fresh cilantro over high heat, and allow it as a “dressing”

recipe: dill salmon

Clean, simple and quick. Three best words to describe this meal. It’s nice with a side of rice pilaf or couscous if you wanted a starchy side if you want to go that route, but after so many hot, sticky days this kind of meal just has a cooling effect and take almost no time or energy to make. Throw on a little punk rock to keep the mood light while cooking and bounce around the kitchen and you really cannot go wrong, just watch that knife while cutting the cukes, they need to be nice and thin to really have the effect. Take your pick on if you want to skin the cukes and the salmon. I like to partially skin the cukes and sear off the salmon with the skins on for the texture.

cucumbers
rice wine vinegar or cider vinegar
salmon fillets
dill (best fresh)
cracked black pepper
skillet
mixing bowl

Peel cucumbers longwise, leaving thin strips of skin between the rows
Thinly slice the cucumbers in rounds
Coarsley chop the dill and divide into two parts
Place the cucumbers, dill and vinegar in the mixing bowl and toss
Place in refrigerator covered and allow to chill while flavors meld
Pre-heat the skillet
Coat the salmon with the remaining dill and black pepper
Sear the fillet skin side up to start then flip as the sides begin to turn pink
Allow it to finish cooking over high heat skin side down until the flesh begins to flake and it’s cooked through and the skin becomes nice and crisp
Plate the cucumber and then the fillet over the top of it with a sprig or two of dill

recipe: garlic poached cod with steamed chard

I actually made this dish the other night but did not get to post it till today. I was coming home and to Les Paul and a quick remix of Les related songs I had put together on the fly and it really made me think back to my youth. The recipe isn’t something I grew up with traditionally, per se, it reminds me of so many things I grew up with between my own learning to cook, my family, my friends and all that it only seemed to make sense to experiment with this concept that drew on all those ideas and although it seems very simple and takes about 20 minutes prep to plate with very little real work seems too simple, it actually draws on some of my favorite standbys. The way I felt in the making of the dish with the complexity of the overall flavors and textures really reminded me of how I felt listening to music and the awe I experienced when I was introduced to Les (who is a Jersey kid!) and I made me feel like I needed to post this so enjoy.

It is easily substituted with other fish besides cod, as long as you use a hearty white fish (haddock, cat, mahi mahi seem to work well in the past in similar execution) and the leafy greens can be spinach which is easy to substitute or kale a personal fave. Go with what you know. Potatoes would make a good starch side, but I would suggest a nice white bean or perhaps a cantonella substitute served over the greens if you need the extra on the dish.

cod fish
coarsely chopped garlic
whole pepper corns
dried rosemary
water
chard or other dark leafy green
lemon
skillet
collendar

Place enough water in the skillet to cover the filets
Add the coarsely chopped garlic, peppercorns, dried rosemary to the water and bring up to a boil and then down to a simmer
Place the washed greens in the colledar and place it over the boiling water and allow to begin to steam uncovered
Spritz some of the lemon over the leaves about halfway through the steaming
Remove collendar, place the fish fillets in the water and begin to poach
Replace the colendar over the simmering water, cover if necessary, and allow to continue steaming
Once the fish is poached through (begins to flake) and the leaves are steam through to the point of wilting without becoming mush remove from heat
Remove the fish fillets from the water and plate to rest the meat
Strain the water and reserve the garlic, pepper and rosemary
Place the reserve a bowl, zest and juice the lemon in the bowl place the leafy green in the bowl and then toss lightly
Serve the veggies with the fish

recipe: porto-porco y azore feijos

The weather may have put a damper on the plans to BBQ for my dad’s birthday and make him a special meal, but it didn’t stop the planning and discussion of what to do for the meal for next time. As with the last few meals we’ve cooked with him, this one draws from an Iberian ideas and incorporates some of our own unique flairs. For me, these meals are especially nice, not only because they are good family bonding, but being half-Portuguese, it is a way to learn more about my heritage, even though, it’s the other side of my family that is Portuguese. I find the juxtaposition of the flavors between the two parts of the meal work really well.

The basis for this meal is a slow cooked pork that is marinaded in port wine, a fortified red wine. Make sure you chose one of a high enough quality to drink, picking something that’s not will make the meal quite disappointing. The marinade is finished with some aromatics including a very spicy pepper called a piri piri. You can substitute whatever kind of chili pepper you’d like, but regardless your choice, I highly recommend you cut it in large slices because you’re going to want to pick it out if you end up reducing the marinade and serving it with the meat. As for the grill, it’s a slow and low cook. One trick is to put all the heat on one side of the grill and then place the meat on the other. Depending on your heat source it can be as little as 60 minutes or as much as a couple of hours, the internal temperature needs to come up to 160-degrees, so pull it a little early as it will continue to rise after removed from the heat source.

The beans side draws from the spices of the Azores which take more advantage of the Iberian spice trade than most of the staple mainland dishes. Whole spices are preferred and pre-toasting them in a skillet before use will help bring out the natural oils and increase the flavor, however, using pre-ground is acceptable as well. When using dry beans they will require an overnight soak, but canned would work just as well drained. Veggie stock is good to keep the flavors even but it is quite possible to use a pork or chicken stock or water. The consistency is completely up to you, the more liquid the more like a soup, the less liquid the more it’ll be a typical beans side dish, both are very good.

porto-porco
marinade
port wine
chopped onion
crushed garlic
cut piri piri pepper
parsley
rosemary

rub
garlic powder
paprika
cracked pepper

pork tenderloin
grill
marinade vessel (bag, or bowl with a cover)

Combine all the elements for the marinade in a plastic bag or deep bowl
Add the meat so it is completely covered by liquid and allow to marinade for several hours to overnight
Preheat your grill
Remove the meat, pat dry
Lightly score the flesh
Roll the meat in the spice rub
Gently massage the rub into the meat
Place the meat on the bbq and allow to cook slowly
As the meat’s internal temperature gets close to being done put the marinade in a sauce pan
Over high heat reduce the marinade into a sauce, roughly by 2/3
Strain the veggies out of the sauce (some may make it though straining, just be sure to remove the piri piri)
Once the heat is cooked remove from heat and allow it to rest
Slice and serve with the prepared sauce

azore feijos
Pink beans
Chorizo
Tomatoes
Cinnamon
Cumin
Coriander
All spice
paprika
Peppercorns
Onion
Garlic
Veggie stock
stock pot

Dice the onion, garlic and tomatoes, and the charise
Prepare the spice mixture and set aside
Begin to render the charise in the stock pot over low heat
Add the onion and garlic and allow to sweat
Add the veggie stock, spice mixture and tomatoes and bring up to a boil and then reduce back down to a simmer. If using dried beans post-soak add them with all the other ingreds, if using canned after everything returns to a simmer.
Simmer the beans for up to 2 hours or until they are soft and all the flavors have melded.
Readjust seasoning as necessary if using ground spices about half way through… don’t forget to remove cinnamon stick and whole allspice, peppercorns if whole spices were used once the beans reach the desired tenderness

recipe: tomato ginger shark

It is once again shark week on Discovery Channel and although I am a devout conversationalist when it comes down to protecting marine life and as much of the fishery maintenance is terrible I try to make smart decisions about fish which I adore as edibles. Shark are a very tough marine animal to make judgment calls on as illegal fisheries are killing off populations without respect these wonderful creatures but some species are taken still under seemingly more intelligent (though probably only slightly less arbitrary) ways.

That being said, this recipe is quite nice with any meaty white fish… mahi mahi was how I initially developed this but there are any number of substitutes I would suggest you look into if you don’t have local caught species to depend on.

black tea
garlic finely diced
ginger finely diced
shittake mushrooms
finely diced tomatoes
black pepper
cilantro
olive oil
corn starch / karo syrup *
wok or large frying pan

Brew / steep the black tea and allow to cool
Combine the tea with the finely diced garlic, ginger, ground pepper, dried cilantro and a bit of olive oil
Cut the shark steaks into strips
Allow the shark to marinade in the 2/3 of the mixture for at least two hours, up to 24
If desired*, add karo as a thickener to the remaining tea combo
Preheat the pan with some of the olive oil
Add the undrained shark slices, along with mushroom and tomatoes
Allow to begin to cook over high heat
Add the rest of the tea mixture a little at a time, be sure not to allow the fish to over cook while you create a sauce

remove the fish and tomato-mushroom combo and allow the fish to rest

at this point I would normally use whatever is left from the tea and stirfry whatever veggies I was going to serve, today was sugar snap peas, kale, onions and peppers which hit the hot pan and then once they begin to cook slowly add the rest of the tea mixture to reinforce the sauce

To serve, start with the veggies on the bottom and then plate the fish on top and slightly to one side both combining and separating the two parts of the dish and garnish with extra cilantro and pickled ginger to be fancy