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: burgers espagnole

Typically, when one makes hamburgers they simply slop together some ground meat and plop it on the grill. Mayhaps, they add some veggies and some seasoning to them and maybe then use what is called a filler to help bind it. However, there are some really deep flavors you can add to a burger recipe if you have people that enjoy rare to at best medium meat and don’t need ketchup as their primary topping.

This might seem like a lot but it builds on two principles of the typical mother sauces, the Espagnole and the delta cooking idea, I’ve blended the two and taken several liberties so you will have to accept it for what it is. Delta cooking, built upon a mixture of cultures and flavors is probably one of the truest forms of American cooking. The French influence in Cajun cooking is especially prominent and as all the Delta styles come together one of the most influential veins in it is Franco-American. Typically, this would be off a veal stock to be a real espagnole, but in this case, a solid beef stock or broth will do more than enough. If you are a really good meat worker you won’t need an egg to help in the emulsification nor will you use bread crumbs in the thickening process because a great roux and some really sweet cooking techniques for people that appreciate burgers done rare (do NOT try to serve these well done) you’ll enjoy.

the espagnole:
red wine, burgundy is good, merlot on the lighter end works ok too, the better “quality” wine the better it should turn out, never cook with something you wouldn’t first drink
stock (beef or veal)
bay leaf
crushed rosemary
onion, garlic flakes
dried celery leaves
black pepper
flour
butter

Combine the wine and stock (1:1), bay, rosemary, onion, garlic, celery, black pepper allow all of the above to cure for between 2 and 24 hours
Combine equal parts, by weight, of flour and butter. Begin to brown them over low heat, do not allow to burn. Continue to mix until the mixture becomes between a dark peanut butter and light brick color.
Add the wine/stock and seasoning combination, mix thoroughly, bring up to a boil and then back down to a simmer and reduce by at least half.
Allow to cool, reserve some of it for sauce for the burgers if you’d like. *remove the bay leaf!

the burgers:
garlic cloves
peppers either a poblano or large Anaheim
celery stalks
onion
cilantro
black pepper
ground beef
Andouille sausage (de-cased – or other ground or shredded similarly spiced pork)
the espagnole
large mixing bowl

Above mixed veggies all finely chopped (finer the better, use a food processor if you’d like)
Put the veggies with the ground beef, sausage, cilantro in a mixing bowl and slowly add the espagnole. Do Not over-mix / overwork the meat. Only add enough espagnole to gain a wet consistency where the meat still sticks together itself.
Spit the meat into fist sized balls and lightly press the balls between your palms to form burger patties. Do not press the patties to be too thin. Season both sides of the patties with black pepper (and house seasoning).

You can grill the burgers or sear them off on a cast iron skillet. I suggest, either way, cook the first side 2/3 of the way and flip only once to complete the cooking for the balance of the time. Do no press the burgers while cooking, allow them to cook and keep the juices in, pressing the juices out just dries the burger out, it doesn’t really reduce the fat content or anything. Before serving allow the burgers to rest a few minutes for the juices to redistribute. Reheat the remaining the espagnole while the burgers are cooking, add Crystal Hot Sauce while it reheats to give it a little extra kick.

recipe: green rice with mahi mahi

There is actually a reason I did not name this arroz verde… it is because, if I were going to do this as a true verde sauce, in my mind, should probably include some tomitillios, of which this recipe does not include (see my chili verde recipe). It is closer to perhaps a riz vert insomuch as it is built on a base of the color green and is rice based in a Delta cooking style. This version includes steaming the mahi mahi over the top of the cooking the rice. The fish (as well as some of the other ingreds) are interchangeable, as usual, but this was truly inspired by the fact that there were all these pretty colors of green in my fridge to draw from along with the fresh fish I picked up. I have fresh made veggie stock at home that has this great deep green brown color that came from some really nice veggies I had and has a brilliant flavor to help set the base flavors (being it was born out of them), but a fish stock or broth might work well too. I am not a huge okra fan, but it adds to the green, and it helps give the rice a nice, thick, sticky consistency. These are always the best reasons to invent new dishes and always my faves in the way they come out.

Poblano pepper
green bell pepper
yellow onion
garlic
jalapeno pepper
celery
okra
chicory
collard greens
brown rice
cilantro
mahi mahi
fresh cracked pepper (black and white corns if possible) and / or house seasoning
stock pot
veggie stock
butter

Chop all three pepper types, garlic, celery, onion and okra
Combine the veggies in the stock pot over low heat and sweat to combine flavors
While the flavors meld, coarsly chop the cilantro, collard, chicory (and/or other dark leafy greens)
Add a bit of butter to the pot and add the rice. All the rice to become translucent
Add stock to the rice, typically about a 2:1 ration, bring to a boil and back down to a low simmer.
Season with pepper, house seasonings.
Season both sides of the fish filets with house seasoning
Allow the rice to cook 15-20 minutes then add the chopped greens to the pot and mix.
Once the greens are integrated with the rice place the fish filets on top of the rice.
Add any additional liquid necessary at this point, cover and allow the filets to cook through and the rice to finish cooking until it is completely tender.
Remember, the rice should have a sticky and thick consistency around it, it should not be dry and separated.

I serve with a leaf or two of the greens on the play, with the rice then piled partly over and the fillet of fish offset on the rice, maybe a leaf or two of cilantro for good measure.

recipe: porchini mushroom salmon

I don’t really know what inspired this meal, it just kind of came together by accident. I was lucky to find fresh caught salmon for this, as opposed to the usual farm raised fish. Combine that with fresh spinach and mushrooms and it really did come together nicely. I realized after I finished eating it, it was one of those meals I really should have taken notes on what I was doing. A really good sized fry pan will allow you to actually cook the whole thing in one pace rather than having to dirty a bunch of dishes. Don’t feel obligated to follow the directions exactly though, because it would be equally as well to serve the elements separate too.

Salmon fillet
porchini mushrooms
spinach
shallot
garlic
black pepper
large skillet

Dice the mushrooms, garlic and shallot and cut the spinach
Place the salmon fillet skin down in the skillet and begin to cook it over medium heat
Season the top of the fish with black pepper
Once the fish begins to cook place the veggies on either side of the fish in the skillet and season the veggies with black pepper
Allow the spinach to wilt and the mushrooms to reduce in size (right to the point of browning)
If necessary, cover the frying pan to help combine flavors and speed cooking, also (such as using a non-stick pan) add a little bit of oil to prevent sticking
Once the veggies are reduced and the fish is cooked through and its skin crispy, remove from heat.

I served by plating the fish and then topping the fillet with the veggies, the favors came together surprisingly well and offered different mouth textures during each bite rather than eating the veggies and fish separately. As stated earlier though, they can easily be done separately.

recipe: garlic-tarragon flounder

Fancy this, back-to-back recipe posts. After returning from a long, exhausting hike up north, there wasn’t much energy left to cook and this is a super easy, super quick meal. Any white fish will work with this, flounder was just how I came up with the basic recipe and it is still my preference for cooking it. It is important when working with a delicate tasting fish like flounder not to go too heavy on the complimenting flavors, however, feel free to get a little more potent with it if you opt for cod or other more bold white fish. As for the peas, I highly suggest the frozen ones over canned, or even really, fresh. Believe it or not, they seem to keep that sweet flavor much better when flash frozen than when sent to the market “fresh” – if you have to use canned, be forewarned, there’s no cooking, just re-heating so be careful timing things.

flounder fillets
butter
garlic
shallot
tarragon
white wine
black pepper
skillet
peas (frozen)
small pot
metal collenar or steamer insert

Finely chop the garlic and most of the shallot cloves, coarser chop and reserve the rest of the shallot
Begin boiling water in the small pot
Place the finely chopped in a skillet with a small pad of butter and melt over low heat allowing butter to melt and the flavors of the garlic and shallot to combine
Place the peas and the shallot in the collenar
Pepper one side of the fillet, place in the skillet, pepper the other side of the fillet
Place the collenar over the boiling water and begin to steam the peans and shallot
Turn the fillet only once during the cooking to cook through, do not allow the garlic / shallots to burn!
Remove the fillet from skillet and set aside
Deglaze the skillet with white wine
Add the chopped fresh tarragon to the skillet
Add additional butter as necessary to achieve consistency while reducing the liquid by at least half
Remove the peas and shallots from the steamer when the peas are warmed / cooked through and the shallots are soft
Serve the fillets with the sauce over the top, peas on the side… I found it a nice touch of flavor to include few tarragon leaves with the peas

recipe: blackened bluefish

When I was younger I used to go bluefishing off the Jersey shore all the time. Blues are an amazing fish, but anyone with a color aversion might avoid them because raw, they live up to their name. We used to fish for two kinds… the traditional lunker (generic term for any big ol’ fish) and what was called sandwich blues. See, blues will eat almost anything and because of their voracious appetites they ingest a lot of “stuff.” The general rule of thumb is, if you plan on eating them, take home the smallest of the slot lengths or the smallest overall fish in general because they had the least amount of time to eat junk. I have many fond memories of bringing home way too many filets from each trip for my mom’s freezer.

I’ve always been a big fan of blackened fish and it is among my favorite ways to enjoy Blues (next to grilling them, where they are amazing too). It is one of the single fastest ways too cook fish, which generally, cooks pretty fast to begin with. Do it right and you get a spicy, crispy exterior with a super moist and flaky fish, the fish will not burn, the outside will not “char” in the traditional sense like if you over-toasted a piece of bread. In the case of blues, it is completely your call if you want to remove the skin of the filet. If you scale it lightly the skin is edible and grilled, that is always the way to go, however blackened you can go either way. This recipe, I leave the skin on and only go heavy with the blackening spice on one side of the fish, since the skin adds to the texture and they were really thin filets so I wanted to keep them with the skin. I go skin side up first because i actually find I can control the sear on the flesh side better when it goes down first, especially on thinner filets. By the way, any meatier fish like catfish, redfish, halibut, stripped bass, swordfish, tuna, mahi mahi, etc work well with blackening, though I’ve learned with being careful too with other fish like tilapia.

The blackening seasoning is something I made at home myself with ground cayanne and black pepper, onion and gariic powder, paprika, dried thyme, dried finely crushed rosemary, cumin, and a touch sea salt

Bluefish
Blackening seasoning
cast iron skillet
butter

butternut squash (frozen cubed, thawed)
onion
garlic
red pepper flakes
black pepper
cilantro
frying pan

Heat the skillet over a high flame
Coat the bluefish, both sides, with blackening seasoning, concentrating heavily on the flesh side
Dice the onion and garlic
Add the onion and garlic to the frying pan and saute over medium heat
Add the butternut squash to the frying pan and season with black pepper, red pepper flakes and dried cilantro flakes
Add the bluefish to the skillet skin side up first and sear for 1 minute or until it appears to be about 1/3 to 1/2 cooked (blues turn color from blue to white as they cook.
While the bluefish sears toss the butternut squash
Flip the bluefish and cook the skin side of the blue until the skin is crispy and the fish cooked through
Serve

recipe: prawn etouffee

In North America the prawn is regarded as the crawdad, crayfish, mudbug, etc. It could be construed by most passerby as a freshwater shrimp, however there is a distinct difference between shrimp and lobster-esque species, and that is what and how you eat them. I always giggle at the menu item “shrimp scampi” (as you will see in soon to be published recipes) because a scampi is crustacean NOT a sauce and true scampi are Nephrops norvegicus, a species to their area. The North American version is a closer cousin to the lobster than the shrimp that it is most often substituted for in recipes. I suppose this is both out of laziness and out of availability, but none the less… it is painful to hear people refer to dishes using names that don’t fit. Anyway… I was out today and overheard etouffee, a personal favorite, referred to not as the dish which is all about the sauce, as a afterthought, as in the sequence “I would like my shrimp, well done, with rice and etouffee, oh and no garlic, I’m allergic to garlic.” I’m not only floored but possibly insulted. you can have your shrimp etouffee but you can’t have etouffee shrimped! And, Damned, Nor Should You! Don’t even get me started on the asininity of the garlic comment! Eat it the way the chef prepared it or don’t order it in the first place. Seriously! HA. Good to note, the word etoufee is actually French for smother. This is a more robust version, but I’ve seen (and usually make) a much more stripped down version that does not include the trinity in the base veggies, doesn’t include most of seasonings and other parts which is more authentic to the bayeau, but if you include them it brings a much deeper flavor set to the dish.

prawns (tails cleaned, but having a few whole for plating is always nice too)
prawn liquor (fish stock will work, but the fatty water that comes from cleaning is what is better so save it if you can)
celery (with leaves)
onion (vadellia but yellow will work)
Cubanella pepper
garlic
oil and butter combo
flour
bay leaf
dried rosemary
parsley
black pepper
cayenne pepper
coffee
chicory
tomato paste

If you are doing this over rice, begin the rice now. I prefer my rice with bay, rosemary, coffee, and chicory steeped thoroughly. **

Coarsely dice the celery, onion, Cubanella pepper and garlic and set aside
Begin the roux by combining equal parts by weigh of the lipids (oil and butter) and the flour in a large skillet over low heat. Do not allow the roux to burn, work it over low heat until it is a reddish brick color.
Add the prawn liquor or stock and coffee (about 2:1) as well as a heaping tablespoon of tomato paste and combine until the roux and paste is dissolved into the liquid.
Add the diced veggies and season with bay leaf, dried rosemary, black pepper, cayenne pepper
Bring up to a boil and then down to a low simmer (in order for the roux to achieve it’s truest thickening power, always bring to that quick boil)
Allow the entire mixture to simmer 20-30 minutes minimum allowing the liquid to reduce and flavors to meld completely.
When sauce is done to desired thickness, add prawn tails (and a couple of whole prawns to steam on top), cover with lid.
Cook 5-8 minutes, do NOT overcook.
Re-season again, to taste, and finish with shredded celery leaves and the parsley
Serve over rice with a whole prawn over each dish or better serve family style with the prawns arranged over the top of the main dish **

** I actually really like this over grits, believe it or not. It also works over pasta, mixed warm greens and a new one I just found, molasses oats – trust me sounds crazy, it was one of the more brilliant concepts I’ve come across, though, it does require a nice thick sauce and nothing too wet and watery!

recipe: catfish and pasta with tomato topping

The origin of this recipe actually comes from a veggie pasta dish I used to make for a friend back in the day. The pasta could be a full meal in-and-of itself if one so chose, but in this case, it’s a nice side using the same basic flavors to marry the two parts of the dish. The conception was to actually serve the fish over the pasta, but the plating can be done several ways. The use of the catfish was because that’s what I had fresh, but the first time I made this it was with tilapia and I’ve used cod, flounder, mahi mahi and even chicken in the past and it’s come out well. The key is to allow the flavors of the “topping” to come together so the longer you can allow them to sit and meld the better. The greens can be substituted easily as well, although I used collard, spinach, kale, mustard or other dark leafy ones will work too. On occasion, I’ve used peas or french cut string beans too, but the other greens seem to lend a much more robust flavor overall. The fish is actually done similar to to a blackening method, so make sure you have proper ventilation as it can get a little smokey.

Topping:
olive oil
tomato
onion
celery
bell pepper
jalapeno pepper
garlic
black pepper
cilantro
mixing bowl
collard greens
frying pan
ice water

Coarsely chop the collard greens
Toss in a very small amount of olive oil
Lightly saute the greens in the frying pan
Remove from heat, immerse in ice water to set color and stop cooking
Finely dice the onion, celery, bell pepper, jalapeno and garlic
Coarsely chop the tomato (or used canned diced tomato)
Combine in a bowl the veggies and greens, crack black pepper, add the cilantro and toss with olive oil
Allow to rest and flavors to combine, toss again before topping

The Fish:
Catfish fillet
Corn meal
House seasoning
Cayenne pepper powder
Skillet

Preheat the skillet over medium high heat
Toss together the corn meal, house seasoning and cayenne pepper
Pat dry the fish, then lightly coat with the seasoning and corn meal mixture
Place the fish on the hot skillet
Sear the one side making sure the thickest part of the fillet is over the hottest part of the pan for 2-3 minutes until coating begins to become crusty
Flip the fish placing it the same way in the pan and finish cooking until cooked through

The Pasta
Dried Spaghetti
Pot of boiling water
Colander

Cook the pasta according to the package instructions until al dente
Drain the pasta
Toss with a very small amount of the topping

Serve:
Place some had torn leaves of the collard on the plate
Place the pasta on top of the collard greens
Place the catfish on top of the pasta
Spoon the topping over the pasta and fish
Add a sprig of fresh cilantro as desired and serve

Recipe: salmon with spicy brown sugar rub

Normally, my daily eating habits revolve around a well plotted routine. If I eat a weekday breakfast, it’s usually yogurt, followed by steamed mixed veggies for lunch, an afternoon snack of Cheerios and then, come home and make dinner. There’s usually a few cups of coffee in there and a lot of water. Hence, why almost all the meals I post are dinner meals. I don’t post most of my dinners though, just because fish and veggies are not necessarily the most exciting things to write about (or read for that matter). I always have a good stockpile of frozen fish and veggies in the house and once a week or so, I’ll get fresh of both and treat myself to something really special. Most of the dishes are very simple and I usually spicerub the fish or use light salad dressings to make a really simple sauce and match the fish and veggies and accouterments. Till now, I typically only write about good inventions or more thought provoking meals, which provoked a thought from a friend regarding some recent recipes: “yo, you’re one of the healthiest eaters I know, but I read your recipes and scratch my head, these are damned good but I wonder sometimes how good for me roux and sausage can be.” True, very true observation. So, I’ll jot down a few more that are maybe less exciting but a the other part of the representation of what I try to eat.

I use a pretty good variety of fish in my cooking but the defaults usually are salmon, flounder, cod, catfish and tuna (not from a can!). Tonight’s meal is with wild caught salmon. You can tell wild caught from the farm raised stuff pretty quick just on the color, with the pinkish color usually wild and the more orangery shade being the less flavorful farm version. The first time I made it it was with long line caught arctic char and absolutely beautiful piece of fish and every time I see it available I always take the opportunity to buy it. The next few times trying to perfect the recipe, I did it with salmon and it works with several other fish with a little imagination. By the way, in this case, leave the skin on, the skin is edible, if you do the recipe right, it’ll crisp up really nicely under the fillet as it chars off giving you a great contrast in textures and really in flavors too. The original version was with pure molasses and although I enjoyed it, people wanted a dry rub version or were to skeeved out with the hot/bitter or thought they didn’t like molasses and wanted a more bitter/sweet balance, so yes, this has sugar in it and that’s not tip top healthy, but there are so many variations in this idea that the fish, the type of “rub” etc with a little imagination does good things.

main dish:
salmon fillet
brown sugar
minced garlic
black pepper
red pepper flakes
crushed rosemary
onion powder
celery powder
black pepper
skillet (cast iron)

Combine the brown sugar, minced garlic, black pepper, red pepper flakes , crushed rosemary, onion powder, celery powder, black pepper in a bowl. If the dry rub is too dry add a little bit of olive oil or molasses.
Take the fish fillet and rub the spice mixture into the flesh – if possible allow the mixture to meld with the fish 20-30 minutes
Set up the skillet over medium to medium high heat and add the fish to the skillet (if not using cast iron you may want a very very light coating of oil over the fish skin before hitting the pan, depends on the pan)
Allow the fish to cook with a cover for several minutes under a cover (depending on thickness of the fillet) until the thickest part of the fish is mostly cooked by the residual steam
Remove the top, increase the heat and allow the fish to finish searing
Once the fish is done (flakes easily with a fork or on a slight touch at the middle portion no longer feels squishy) remove from heat and allow to rest

The sides:
asparagus
shallots
butter
large fry pan or griddle

Rinse the asparagus and snap off the ends
Finely dice the shallots and place with butter in a saute pan over medium heat
Grill or pan fry the asparagus until cooked through, do not overcook
Lightly drizzle the butter and shallot mixture over the asparagus and serve

recipe: gumbo aux charise et okra

Cajun (Canadian outcasts from Acadia in the 1800s) and creole (the combination of French and Iberian and African descents) is as much a part of the American landscape of food as many of our traditional “other” dishes and influenced our cooking well beyond what most people understand or comprehend, yet often overlooked. Often thought as a niche style, these prolly laid more into what most dishes are and especially in Italian-American or German-American recipes that the original Italian or Germanic origins were when made here, and yet are oft’ written off because of heritage and idealism. The cajuns flight from no’reastern Canada redefined North American culture, and is NEVER taught, and by the time they settled in their Louisiana home they not only affected and effected culture, it is now almost impossible to define how they redefined original cooking styles than even some of their drawing sociological functions…

Ask me in a month about gumbo aux herbes… maybe, if i get enough prodding i’ll do that lentil version… for tonight though.. the French bouillabaisse divided among the Iberian trinity with local fish (the only way to REALLY do any dish) there’s no reason to really get all stupid about the idea. Speaking of Iberian, I was able to procure some wondeful fresh charise (chorizo sausage) and as one might do with andouile, I decided the fresh pork flavor was too good to not include (actually it was the inspiration…)

This is a quick, and dirty no’eners version of the concept, yeah, I know, but I am just that, a Jersey kid, and in the true form, I am cooking it at the concept of it’s devise, not by they creation of what restaurants are trying to give you, maybe this is more to the concept that helps you enjoy what i’ve always loved… i know there is tradition (and argument) about thickeners, it is winter and i’m going to use okra (backwards as I’m sure I will be told), but it is what I have and, of course, being good at making great roux for all other dishes that’s the true foundation of the stew…

flour
butter
onion
bell pepper
celery
garlic
okra
charise (chorizo sausage)
pork shoulder
chili powder
cumin
black pepper
stock pot

Chop coarsly the onion, bell pepper, celery, garlic, okra
In the stock pot combine the 1:1 combo of butter and flourand bring it together Add the chopped the veggies to the mixture
Season the meat with the
Once the roux begins to darken and take on a tan to redish color and the veggies are softened add the meat with chili powder, cumin, paprika, black pepper
Allow the meat to begin to sear and keep it moving among the roux and veggies
Once the pork and sausage have seared off add the beer to the mixture, reseason with the cumin, pepper, chili powder, crushed rosemary and pepper, add the bay leaf
Bring up to a boil and then immediately back down to a very very low simmer
Allow to simmer and reseason as necessary till the meat is almost ready to fall apart with a fork and the sauce is thick and rich from redection and the roux