I was commissioned recently to make Vegetarian Chili. I know, chili is boring but this was enough of a hit that folks asked for my recipe so I decided to share.
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Vegetarian Chili (Vegan)
-1 pound each Pinto, Red and Black beans. If you don't like black beans, use Great Northerns.
-2 large jalapenos, diced (wear gloves!!!)
-1 large onion
-3 large cloves garlic
-2 cans of diced tomatoes. I use the Ro-Tell brand with green chilies
-8 medium tomateos (the green waxy half cousins to rhubarb), large dice
-21 oz extra firm tofu, this is like a block and a half (just trust me!)
-3 tablespoons chili powder
-1.5 oz Cumin (this is a whole jar...)
-2 tablespoons Cavenders
-pinch of cinnamon and cocoa powder (again, trust me!)
-salt and pepper to taste
Soak the beans overnight in cold water. Change the water and soak another 8 hours. It helps to use the pot you are cooking in to soak...less mess later.
Drain the beans and add a heavy hand of salt. Add clean water to cover; we are looking for a 2:1 coverage of the beans. Throw this on high heat and boil the snot out of it. Stir frequently and keep adding water as needed. While we are looking for soft beans, you will get the added benefit the beans thickening this liquid so don't add too much water.
While this is working, in a separate pan sweat one large onion and 4 large cloves of garlic. Add to this pan the diced jalapenos (I seed one and leave the guts in the other...make it as hot or not as you like) and the tomatoes, let it meld.
When your beans are thick enough add the goodies from the pan, season and continue to cook for several hours. As it reaches as thick as you want it, check the seasoning and add the tomateos and tofu. At this point I transfer it to a crock pot or slow cooker set to warm. It can stay in here until you are ready to eat.
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Enjoy!
By request: cream of broccoli, cheddar
Just for you Jess! This happens to be my wife's favorite soup...
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2 large bunches of broccoli
2 quarts broccoli stock…I use a good chicken and boil the broccoli stems in it till its green
1 yellow onion, small dice
2 oz butter and 1 oz veggie oil
3 oz flour (variable)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup heavy cream
Start by prepping the broccoli. Cut the flowers from the stocks and set them aside. Rough dice the stocks and add to your pot of chicken stock. Bring this to just a boil then reduce to simmer.
In soup pot, melt butter and add oil. Add to this the onion, sweat until translucent. Add the flour to make a roux (see carrot soup recipe…)
Cook the roux to a light brown (not more than flesh tan…really really light.) Add the strained stock slowly (again, see recipe for carrot soup…) and bring up to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring often.
Now check the flavor. I like seasoning salt or chicken base and black pepper. Some folks like white pepper…be careful with that stuff, it grabs you by the back of the throat. Once flavor is good, add your green flowers. I like to steam them to almost soft first.
Next, add the heavy cream. Consistency should be a little thinner than you want your final soup to be.
Finally, Remove from direct heat and add your cheese slowly, little by little. It is best to use a wire whip and make sure you have incorporated the entire previous load before adding more.
Serve with a chewy bread or better, grilled cheese on white!
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2 large bunches of broccoli
2 quarts broccoli stock…I use a good chicken and boil the broccoli stems in it till its green
1 yellow onion, small dice
2 oz butter and 1 oz veggie oil
3 oz flour (variable)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup heavy cream
Start by prepping the broccoli. Cut the flowers from the stocks and set them aside. Rough dice the stocks and add to your pot of chicken stock. Bring this to just a boil then reduce to simmer.
In soup pot, melt butter and add oil. Add to this the onion, sweat until translucent. Add the flour to make a roux (see carrot soup recipe…)
Cook the roux to a light brown (not more than flesh tan…really really light.) Add the strained stock slowly (again, see recipe for carrot soup…) and bring up to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring often.
Now check the flavor. I like seasoning salt or chicken base and black pepper. Some folks like white pepper…be careful with that stuff, it grabs you by the back of the throat. Once flavor is good, add your green flowers. I like to steam them to almost soft first.
Next, add the heavy cream. Consistency should be a little thinner than you want your final soup to be.
Finally, Remove from direct heat and add your cheese slowly, little by little. It is best to use a wire whip and make sure you have incorporated the entire previous load before adding more.
Serve with a chewy bread or better, grilled cheese on white!
I would do anything for Meatloaf, including that...
The completely under-rated meatloaf. Most folk’s memories are of a thick, crumbly square of overcooked ground chuck. Other’s got the joy of a slimy cube of beef flavored breadcrumbs. To both of you, I am sorry. Give meatloaf another chance and I swear you will fall in love.
This formula has a few tricks up its sleeve. First, it is modeled off a Spanish meatloaf (rice, not bread) so not heavy and bland. Second, it is still going to have the smooth texture of an American meatloaf because we are not going to use rice either! How are we going to fill and bind? Say hello to my little friend Mr. Bulgur Wheat!
You might know him from such treats as Tabbouleh Salad or Moujadara with Burghul, this versatile little fiend is awesome for a hot breakfast cereal as well.
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What you need:
Prepare 1 cup bulgur wheat. To prepare: soak 1 cup bulgur wheat in 1 cup boiling water until absorbed. Squeeze the excess water out. Here is a tip: I like to use the “Near East” brand Tabbouleh salad mix and prepare per box. Even so far as adding the tomato!
3 lbs ground beef, lean
1 large yellow onion, diced
3 large eggs
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
1/8 cup fresh mint, chopped (optional, but be brave)
1/3 cup ketchup
1 dash Tabasco
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon seasoning salt
3/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
In a large bowl, mix all ingredients until blended. Simple huh?
Take a small amount (a teaspoon maybe) and make a patty. Does it hold together well? If not, add another egg. Is it wet or slimy? If so, add a little breadcrumb (and I do mean little…). Cook up this little patty in a frying pan and check the seasoning.
When you are happy with the flavor, load this mix into a large loaf pan or a casserole pan and give the top a coat of ketchup. Bake this at 325*f, covered for 45 minutes. Uncover and check temp. Continue uncovered to an internal temp of 160*f
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The best thing is the leftovers. Slice some up and make a sandwich...you have never lived so good!
This formula has a few tricks up its sleeve. First, it is modeled off a Spanish meatloaf (rice, not bread) so not heavy and bland. Second, it is still going to have the smooth texture of an American meatloaf because we are not going to use rice either! How are we going to fill and bind? Say hello to my little friend Mr. Bulgur Wheat!
You might know him from such treats as Tabbouleh Salad or Moujadara with Burghul, this versatile little fiend is awesome for a hot breakfast cereal as well.
----------
What you need:
Prepare 1 cup bulgur wheat. To prepare: soak 1 cup bulgur wheat in 1 cup boiling water until absorbed. Squeeze the excess water out. Here is a tip: I like to use the “Near East” brand Tabbouleh salad mix and prepare per box. Even so far as adding the tomato!
3 lbs ground beef, lean
1 large yellow onion, diced
3 large eggs
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
1/8 cup fresh mint, chopped (optional, but be brave)
1/3 cup ketchup
1 dash Tabasco
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon seasoning salt
3/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
In a large bowl, mix all ingredients until blended. Simple huh?
Take a small amount (a teaspoon maybe) and make a patty. Does it hold together well? If not, add another egg. Is it wet or slimy? If so, add a little breadcrumb (and I do mean little…). Cook up this little patty in a frying pan and check the seasoning.
When you are happy with the flavor, load this mix into a large loaf pan or a casserole pan and give the top a coat of ketchup. Bake this at 325*f, covered for 45 minutes. Uncover and check temp. Continue uncovered to an internal temp of 160*f
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The best thing is the leftovers. Slice some up and make a sandwich...you have never lived so good!
Everglades Corn Chowder
So I got to thinking about an old recipe my buddy Casper shared with me. His poppa (grandpa) used to make this every time they went hunting. In fact, it was the first thing he did after they unpacked the guns, and the pot stayed hot till they left! With the weather turning and many of us going outdoors to camp and hunt, I think this is the perfect choice for today...although I dont know if you can call it "chowdaah" as it has no potato.
The plan is super simple, and oh so yummy.
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Everglades Corn Chowder ala Casper Townsend:
3lbs slab bacon, get a slab that is smokey and fatty
1 #10 can cream corn (a number 10 can is the big guy, just under 1 gallon...13 3/4 cups)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 large onion, diced
1 large green pepper
1 large Jalapeno (seed it if you must...)
Dice your ingredients fine, but not a mince...leave some body. Hint: freeze the bacon overnight, this makes it easier to dice. Throw the bacon in a large pot and put the heat to it...we want to render as much fat as we can. When the bacon is cooked, reduce heat and add your diced onion and green pepper. When this has sweated to about 3/4 done, add your hot pepper.
When the sweat is finally done (onions are translucent, peppers are soft) add your can of cream corn. Lower the heat and stir often (corn sugar burns very easily...) till hot. Finish with the cream and season this with fresh cracked black pepper and salt. If you have it, a little Cavender's is nice too.
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This can stay on warm, or in a crock pot, for days if you want (above 140*F please...). As always, let me know how this turns out for you!
The plan is super simple, and oh so yummy.
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Everglades Corn Chowder ala Casper Townsend:
3lbs slab bacon, get a slab that is smokey and fatty
1 #10 can cream corn (a number 10 can is the big guy, just under 1 gallon...13 3/4 cups)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 large onion, diced
1 large green pepper
1 large Jalapeno (seed it if you must...)
Dice your ingredients fine, but not a mince...leave some body. Hint: freeze the bacon overnight, this makes it easier to dice. Throw the bacon in a large pot and put the heat to it...we want to render as much fat as we can. When the bacon is cooked, reduce heat and add your diced onion and green pepper. When this has sweated to about 3/4 done, add your hot pepper.
When the sweat is finally done (onions are translucent, peppers are soft) add your can of cream corn. Lower the heat and stir often (corn sugar burns very easily...) till hot. Finish with the cream and season this with fresh cracked black pepper and salt. If you have it, a little Cavender's is nice too.
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This can stay on warm, or in a crock pot, for days if you want (above 140*F please...). As always, let me know how this turns out for you!
It's SOUP-er! Part 2: finally
Yesterday you learned to make a good stock. Today, you will learn how to make my 2 favorite soups...French Onion au crouton and Cream of Carrot, English style. No witty repose today, just right to the meat.
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French Onion soup, au crouton.
Every Tom's, Dave's and Red Robin has their own idea of what French Onion soup is. However, most of those are closer to a California Onion soup; the difference being stock choice and presentation. To end the confusion here is the classical method:
5lbs of sweet onion, cut in what is teasingly called a "French Onion cut" (I know, right?). As sarcastic as this name is, it means simply cut the onion in half top to bottom, and slice each half thinly. Remember the French cant get "Walla Walla Sweets" so call yourself "authentic" and choose a good ol' yellow one if you want to save some coins.
In a large pot, melt 2oz of unsalted butter in 2oz of veggie oil. To this, add your onions and cook until they look burnt. Yes, as close to black as you can get...even a little black doesn't hurt in the long run. When this brown, stringy mush is ready, add 2 cloves minced garlic (hint: save yourself some prep and get a garlic press.)
When the garlic is soft, add 2 Qts plus 2 cups of BROWN stock. No, not chicken. No, I dont care what you learned on the Food Network...use brown stock!
Ahem, sorry for that outburst. Bring this to a boil and viola', French Onion soup!
So what about the "au crouton" part? Get yourself a loaf of "french" bread from the bakery. You are looking for a thin hard crust, not thick and chewy. Ladle some soup into an oven safe bowl or pour the whole pot into an oven safe tureen. Slice the bread 3/4" thick, butter one side and float it on the soup good side up.
Put the bowl into the oven on medium broil. Watch closely as we are just trying to lightly toast the bread. When this is complete, so is your soup! Simple, right?
Cream of Carrot, English style (this soup will suprise you...)
Start with 5lbs of carrots (peeled), 2 cloves of garlic and 1 large onion. You want to get these into pieces as small as possible, so maybe a large dice and then a whirl in the food processor. In a large pot, melt 3oz unsalted butter and 3oz veggie oil. Add our three amigos and sweat until the carrot is about mush.
At this point, reduce the heat and add 6oz of flour. You might need a little more or less so look to make a medium consistency, somewhere between "ooz" and toothpaste. Stir this to combine and let it cook for about 5 minutes...dont go past a light hint of color!
Now, add 2qts of warm chicken stock 1 cup at a time. Use a wire whip and make sure the mixture is smooth before adding more stock. This mixture will finally break (lose it's thickness) so once it is all in, slowly bring back to a boil. This activates the roux and the soup will thicken...hopefully to just past where you want your finished product to be! Remove this from the heat...
You now have a choice: either you can add 1 cup of heavy cream and leave it kinda chunky (call it "rustic" maybe) or take the whole thing for a ride in your blender. I prefer the latter. Get it good and smooth...then add 1 cup heavy cream. Bring this back up to temp.
Just before service, add 2oz of good gin to the pot, and allow to mellow. Serve with some chewy bread.
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OK, I am drooling now! Let me know how it works for you...
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French Onion soup, au crouton.
Every Tom's, Dave's and Red Robin has their own idea of what French Onion soup is. However, most of those are closer to a California Onion soup; the difference being stock choice and presentation. To end the confusion here is the classical method:
5lbs of sweet onion, cut in what is teasingly called a "French Onion cut" (I know, right?). As sarcastic as this name is, it means simply cut the onion in half top to bottom, and slice each half thinly. Remember the French cant get "Walla Walla Sweets" so call yourself "authentic" and choose a good ol' yellow one if you want to save some coins.
In a large pot, melt 2oz of unsalted butter in 2oz of veggie oil. To this, add your onions and cook until they look burnt. Yes, as close to black as you can get...even a little black doesn't hurt in the long run. When this brown, stringy mush is ready, add 2 cloves minced garlic (hint: save yourself some prep and get a garlic press.)
When the garlic is soft, add 2 Qts plus 2 cups of BROWN stock. No, not chicken. No, I dont care what you learned on the Food Network...use brown stock!
Ahem, sorry for that outburst. Bring this to a boil and viola', French Onion soup!
So what about the "au crouton" part? Get yourself a loaf of "french" bread from the bakery. You are looking for a thin hard crust, not thick and chewy. Ladle some soup into an oven safe bowl or pour the whole pot into an oven safe tureen. Slice the bread 3/4" thick, butter one side and float it on the soup good side up.
Put the bowl into the oven on medium broil. Watch closely as we are just trying to lightly toast the bread. When this is complete, so is your soup! Simple, right?
Cream of Carrot, English style (this soup will suprise you...)
Start with 5lbs of carrots (peeled), 2 cloves of garlic and 1 large onion. You want to get these into pieces as small as possible, so maybe a large dice and then a whirl in the food processor. In a large pot, melt 3oz unsalted butter and 3oz veggie oil. Add our three amigos and sweat until the carrot is about mush.
At this point, reduce the heat and add 6oz of flour. You might need a little more or less so look to make a medium consistency, somewhere between "ooz" and toothpaste. Stir this to combine and let it cook for about 5 minutes...dont go past a light hint of color!
Now, add 2qts of warm chicken stock 1 cup at a time. Use a wire whip and make sure the mixture is smooth before adding more stock. This mixture will finally break (lose it's thickness) so once it is all in, slowly bring back to a boil. This activates the roux and the soup will thicken...hopefully to just past where you want your finished product to be! Remove this from the heat...
You now have a choice: either you can add 1 cup of heavy cream and leave it kinda chunky (call it "rustic" maybe) or take the whole thing for a ride in your blender. I prefer the latter. Get it good and smooth...then add 1 cup heavy cream. Bring this back up to temp.
Just before service, add 2oz of good gin to the pot, and allow to mellow. Serve with some chewy bread.
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OK, I am drooling now! Let me know how it works for you...
It's SOUP-er! Part 1: stocks
As the weather turns colder my thoughts turn to that wonderful winter friend, soup. I have been told that my ability to turn a pile of parts into a symphony of yum is best displayed in this area. Show me a good soup and I will show you a stock that was well though out and prepared.
Since the sum of a soup really is the equal of it's parts here are my rules of thumb for chicken, beef and fish.
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Chicken:
2 whole stewing hens to 6 quarts of water. Cut the girls into 4 pieces and add one onion, 5 carrots and 5 stalks of celery...all cut coarsely of course. Don't bother peeling that meripoix either...just remove the onion paper. Bring this to a boil over high, reduce heat to simmer/almost boil and walk away. No, really...walk away for 3 hours. When you come back, you will see a "raft" of brown foamy nastiness...skim this off. The water level will be substancially lower, but as long as you have the fire right you should not be dry. Taste this liquid and judge if you need more time/water or if you are ready for herbs.
When you get this far, you can remove the hen. The meat is perfect for soup so you can either freeze it or use it in the next few days. The flavors I invite are usually a small bay leaf, black pepper, chicken base (not that salty crap they sell at Slaveway...get some good "meat first" base) and rosemary (go light on rosemary...she is a killer). Let this go on a simmer for an hour and then strain the whole mess. Get this cooled below 40*f as soon as you can...unless you like getting sick?
I usually let this sit overnight, and in the morning I can literally degrease the stock by removing the hard layer of fat from the gelatinous yum. You can throw this away, or it will refrigerate indefinitely. Oh, the virtues of chicken fat...but that is for another post...
Brown (usually beef, sometimes venison or veal) stock:
This one is a killer! Get 8 pounds of beef bones and 5 pounds of veal bones from your macellaio (butcher). You can do straight beef but this mix give some real subtle flavor curves. Cut 2 onions, 5 carrots and 5 stalks of celery coarsely. Throw this into a brazier pan (or on a sheet pan) and put into a "stinkin' hot" oven (as high as you can get it.) the idea is to brown/almost burn the bones without burning the meripoix. Some people will tell you to oil the bones...wimps.
Once this is done, transfer this to a large pot and add 4 gallons of water, a medium can of tomato puree, a small bunch of parsley, small hand of black peppercorns and a few bay leaves. Put this on very low and forget about it. Really, at least 3 days.
Check it a couple times a day and see if you need to replace some water. I like to turn the oven to warm (150*f on mine) and leave it in there but ymmv. At the end of 3 days taste it...if it is good, make it great with some beef base...if it needs more time, don't rush it. Strain and cool as with chicken above. This also degreases as easy as chicken but the fat should be chucked away (unless you are very old skool and feel like frying potatoes in it...)
Fish:
Fish stock is the easiest to make and the easiest to muck up. It is usually strong and well, makes the house pretty fishy. Because of this, and my opinion weak chicken actually tastes better in seafood soups, I usually don't make my own. It is made just like chicken, just half the onion and add parsley and a lemon. For the love of Febreeze don't use a super fatty fish like salmon or tuna. Also, don't be tempted to use whole fish...all you need is the bones. Your fish monger should be ably to fill your quota easily...and cheap.
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Now get out there, make some stocks and get ready for tomorrow when I show you how to make 2 of my favorite soups: French Onion au crouton and Cream of Carrot, English style.
Since the sum of a soup really is the equal of it's parts here are my rules of thumb for chicken, beef and fish.
---
Chicken:
2 whole stewing hens to 6 quarts of water. Cut the girls into 4 pieces and add one onion, 5 carrots and 5 stalks of celery...all cut coarsely of course. Don't bother peeling that meripoix either...just remove the onion paper. Bring this to a boil over high, reduce heat to simmer/almost boil and walk away. No, really...walk away for 3 hours. When you come back, you will see a "raft" of brown foamy nastiness...skim this off. The water level will be substancially lower, but as long as you have the fire right you should not be dry. Taste this liquid and judge if you need more time/water or if you are ready for herbs.
When you get this far, you can remove the hen. The meat is perfect for soup so you can either freeze it or use it in the next few days. The flavors I invite are usually a small bay leaf, black pepper, chicken base (not that salty crap they sell at Slaveway...get some good "meat first" base) and rosemary (go light on rosemary...she is a killer). Let this go on a simmer for an hour and then strain the whole mess. Get this cooled below 40*f as soon as you can...unless you like getting sick?
I usually let this sit overnight, and in the morning I can literally degrease the stock by removing the hard layer of fat from the gelatinous yum. You can throw this away, or it will refrigerate indefinitely. Oh, the virtues of chicken fat...but that is for another post...
Brown (usually beef, sometimes venison or veal) stock:
This one is a killer! Get 8 pounds of beef bones and 5 pounds of veal bones from your macellaio (butcher). You can do straight beef but this mix give some real subtle flavor curves. Cut 2 onions, 5 carrots and 5 stalks of celery coarsely. Throw this into a brazier pan (or on a sheet pan) and put into a "stinkin' hot" oven (as high as you can get it.) the idea is to brown/almost burn the bones without burning the meripoix. Some people will tell you to oil the bones...wimps.
Once this is done, transfer this to a large pot and add 4 gallons of water, a medium can of tomato puree, a small bunch of parsley, small hand of black peppercorns and a few bay leaves. Put this on very low and forget about it. Really, at least 3 days.
Check it a couple times a day and see if you need to replace some water. I like to turn the oven to warm (150*f on mine) and leave it in there but ymmv. At the end of 3 days taste it...if it is good, make it great with some beef base...if it needs more time, don't rush it. Strain and cool as with chicken above. This also degreases as easy as chicken but the fat should be chucked away (unless you are very old skool and feel like frying potatoes in it...)
Fish:
Fish stock is the easiest to make and the easiest to muck up. It is usually strong and well, makes the house pretty fishy. Because of this, and my opinion weak chicken actually tastes better in seafood soups, I usually don't make my own. It is made just like chicken, just half the onion and add parsley and a lemon. For the love of Febreeze don't use a super fatty fish like salmon or tuna. Also, don't be tempted to use whole fish...all you need is the bones. Your fish monger should be ably to fill your quota easily...and cheap.
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Now get out there, make some stocks and get ready for tomorrow when I show you how to make 2 of my favorite soups: French Onion au crouton and Cream of Carrot, English style.
virginal entry (you have a dirty mind ;-D )
Konbanwa! I'm Matt, and I will be your host through this adventure of taste. First, a little about me...
I am a retired chef with a background in Classical French. My chef de formation was Ricardo Saenz, CIA class of '67 (if I recall correctly...lots of drugs back then)
My style is a mixture, a mutt of flavors. I love Southern French and Italian as they play so well together. Other times I love the rich heartiness of Germany and Northern France. Often I find myself dreaming of Asian cuisine. I have even dabbled in Creole and the foods of Southern Florida. I was also trained in a bit of dietary and nutritional study so you might even find something healthy!
I shared this recipe with my friend Lorraine today, she was looking for a quick fix meal. If I had to classify the style, I couldn't! it has the rich heartiness of Germany and the flavor if Sicily...
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Morceaux de boeuf Marsala (Pieces of beef with a Marsalla sauce)
Start with beef stew meat (cut small if you want), salt and pepper to taste. Toss in flour to coat and then sear in a little oil. Remove the meat and deglaze the pan with Marsalla wine and some beef stock. Add some onion and garlic and finish with a touch of cream. Add the meat back in for less than a minute (don't want it to get tough), tossing to cover. Serve over buttered noodles
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Let me know if you try this, and how it was.
I am a retired chef with a background in Classical French. My chef de formation was Ricardo Saenz, CIA class of '67 (if I recall correctly...lots of drugs back then)
My style is a mixture, a mutt of flavors. I love Southern French and Italian as they play so well together. Other times I love the rich heartiness of Germany and Northern France. Often I find myself dreaming of Asian cuisine. I have even dabbled in Creole and the foods of Southern Florida. I was also trained in a bit of dietary and nutritional study so you might even find something healthy!
I shared this recipe with my friend Lorraine today, she was looking for a quick fix meal. If I had to classify the style, I couldn't! it has the rich heartiness of Germany and the flavor if Sicily...
---
Morceaux de boeuf Marsala (Pieces of beef with a Marsalla sauce)
Start with beef stew meat (cut small if you want), salt and pepper to taste. Toss in flour to coat and then sear in a little oil. Remove the meat and deglaze the pan with Marsalla wine and some beef stock. Add some onion and garlic and finish with a touch of cream. Add the meat back in for less than a minute (don't want it to get tough), tossing to cover. Serve over buttered noodles
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Let me know if you try this, and how it was.
