Cold Smoking Confab

The season when bacon is dear

And cold smoking reigns supreme.

You watch and you wait

For the perfect date

When the air is still and clear.

Pork bellies assembled in dreams.
Apple smoke perfumes the woods.
The hoarfrost makes crystal
Pine needles and mist all
Encased in icicle streams.

 
 

 

 

 

Eat More Kale

Broth Diary 2015

Well, I’ve put up some posts about Broth in the past, and after several years now of doing this almost weekly, I have come to some conclusions:

1.    Start with cold water.

2.   A pressure cooker (Instant Pot) works the best for carefree, quick and tasty broth.

3.   Raise chickens, or if not, buy whole organic chickens. The carcasses are what you will use.  Chicken feet and necks make amazing additions to broth.  Keep them if you are butchering or find them in your organic co op.

4.   Add spices and herbs to finish (after straining and while reducing--about 1-2 hours), not during the cooking.  My favorite additions for poultry broth are star anise, bay leaf, cinnamon stick, fennel seeds, allspice berries, cloves, thyme stems, red pepper flakes, and if needed some 5 spice powder.  If I’m feeling saucy, I might add a half lemon and a knob of ginger.  Favorite additions for lamb broth are bay leaves, cardamom, rosemary, lemon, cloves, cinnamon, more garlic, and cumin seeds.  Favorite additions for beef broth are bay leaves, garlic, red pepper flakes, cloves, oregano, thyme, coriander berries, basil, oregano, thyme, parsley, and dried tomato skins or powder.

5.   Onion skins (red and yellow) make the broth deeper colored and flavored.  For really deep color, add mushrooms.  Don't  use potatoes to make broth.

6.   It’s OK to add a tablespoon or two of fish sauce to your broth to bring up the umami.  No one will know. 

7.   Before simmering, beef and lamb bones benefit from a hot trip in the oven on a tray. . .about an hour at 300.  Shmear with tomato paste if you are into super rich red meat broth.

8.   Using bones your family already gnawed on is perfectly OK.  I know, I know. . . but there is no way any bacteria could survive a pressure cooker.

9.   Salt after reducing.

10.  You do not need to buy expensive cheesecloth.  Get a loose weave kitchen towel and use that.  Just rinse it in the sink, ring it out and toss it in the washer when done.

11. Storing:  freezing in straight sided jars is best.  Use pint or 3/4 quart jars or other straight sided jars.  Regular quart jars have a shoulder/neck that is smaller.  When you want to thaw the broth, that neck will be a problem . . . a bottleneck to your scrumptious broth going into your recipe.  You can also pressure can this.  Follow directions, but keep in mind some folks think pressure canned broth is less nutritious.  I think it’s pretty tasty anyway, and I do some of mine this way. The point is that you CANNOT water bath broth.  That could lead to tragedy.  Don’t do it. DON’T DO IT.   If you don’t yet know the difference between pressure and water bath canning, then please just FREEZE it.   (Ok well, now that we finished that liability section, we can move on.)

12. Taste it!  It had better taste good before you store it.   If it is bad tasting—and this happens occasionally if you are experimenting—simply give it to your dogs.  They’ll love it.

13.  LABEL the jars with something descriptive:  Super Chicken and Turkey Broth, Asian Chicken Broth, Goose and Stupid Guinea Hen Broth, Sort of OK Basic Chicken Stock, or Mild Beef and Onion Broth.  Date it by month and year (if you remember).

14.   Good luck and may the broth be with you.

Beet It with a (Carrot) Stick Soup (Borscht)

(or roasted beet soup with carrots and onions)

Everyone was making borscht this week, and it made me envious.  I have a whole bunch of roasted beets that were frozen from the 2014  harvest, and I had hardly made a dent into this treasure trove.  So, armed with my 1 lb of frozen and roasted red bull's blood beets, I embarked on this odyssey.  Carrots are the surprise partner in this satisfying soup that I expect will be just as good cold the next day.

1 lb roasted beets (peeled and rough chopped)
1 gigantic carrot, peeled and rough chopped (about 1 C)
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 T butter
2 T olive oil
1 T rough chopped garlic (Hmm this is a pretty rough dish!)
4 C chicken broth
1/2 C water (if needed)
2 T lemon juice
1 t fresh chopped thyme (plus more to garnish)
salt and pepper
1/4 C creamy blue cheese dressing


Beets roast in their skins in oven for 40 minutes at 375 or so.  Test to see if tender by poking with a fork.  If done, cool.  Then slip off skins and chop into quarters or so.  Set aside.

Put carrot, onion and garlic into saucepan with butter and olive oil.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Saute for 5-10 minutes until onions begin to cook.  Add chicken broth and simmer until carrots are completely done (about 10 minutes).  Add beets and simmer until all veggies are fork tender and warmed through.

Put in blender or use immersion blender to blend all ingredients together.  If the mixture is too thick, add a bit of water.  Add lemon juice and thyme.  Taste and re-season with S&P if needed.

Serve in a bowl with a teaspoon of blue cheese dressing on top (stir it with a chopstick or toothpick or knife to make a cool, swirly design).

Serves 4

(I know, I know:  the picture doesn't have the cool, swirly blue cheese dressing.  I originally took the picture to enter into a vegan contest--using vegetable broth in place of chicken broth, and using miso instead of butter.. . . and, of course, dairy is not vegan, so I left out that great swirly stuff.  But trust me, you want that swirly blue cheese dressing.  It makes the soup  burst with flavor.)

A ha-ha postscript.  Mr. Artifact thought this little pear deserved some attention, so he offered him some soup.  In case you did not know, pears do not eat beet soup--failed experiment.

I8% Italian Biscotti

(1985 from Mom)

My mother makes the best biscotti.  She started making this in the 80’s, so this is not an historic family recipe handed down for years.  (For that, you’ll need to see her great grandmother’s lebkuchen.)  

At some point (1985 to be precise), I got the recipe from her.  With no recipe card handy, she wrote it on the back of a Christmas postcard.  I have been making biscotti from this fading card for decades now. It is almost too blurred to read.  So, I decided that this recipe deserved to be documented on the Butternut Place Blog.  And, here it is!

My mom just received her DNA results.  We had all assumed that she was 100% German.  Imagine our surprise to find that she is 18% Italian.  No wonder these biscotti are so good.

2 C sugar

1 C melted butter

4 T anise seed

4 T anisette (or 3 t anise extract)

3 T whiskey

2 C walnuts

6 eggs

5 ½ C flour

1 T baking powder

Mix all in the order given and chill for 2-3 hours (important).

Preheat oven to 375.  

first baked loaves, resting

On a greased baking sheet, shape dough with hands to form flat loaves that are 1 ½ inches thick  and 2-3 inches wide and as long as fit on your sheet.  This makes 2-4 loaves depending upon your sheets.  Place no more than 2 loaves on each sheet.   

Bake at 375 for 20 minutes.  Remove from oven and cool.  Then cut into diagonal slices that are ½ to ¾ inch thick and place on greased sheet cut side down, close together.  Return to 375 oven and bake for 15 

minutes or until lightly toasted.

Store in airtight container.  Makes between 3 to 6 dozen depending upon how big your loaves are/how small or large your slices are.

cut and ready to dunk into a glass of red wine or coffee

Kit's Jambalaya

 (serves 4, or 2 voracious fishermen)

2 T butter

Shrimp and sausage ready to go!

2 T olive oil

1 T special BA spice (or Emeril’s)

1 C long grain rice (uncooked)

½ C chopped onion

1 T minced garlic

2 cans Rotel

2 C chicken broth

1 C V8 (2 small cans)

½ to 1 C frozen, sliced okra (no okra?  use peas or zucchini or just do without--it will be fine)

8 oz wild caught shrimp (raw or cooked—peeled—about  10 big ones)

8 oz Polska kielbasa or andouille, sliced in bite size pieces—(these are already cooked) (about 2 sausages)

Salt and pepper if needed

Melt butter and oil in saucepan.  Add onion and garlic.  Sauté until cooked through.  Add rice.  Stir to coat and let sauté a bit (1 min or so to let it absorb flavors).  Add special spice, broth, V8, Rotel, and okra.  Cover and simmer on low for 20 minutes.  Toss, then add shrimp and sausage. Cook for an additional 5 minutes. Adjust seasoning and serve.

onions and garlic in butter and oil.

bubbling broth!

Cooking til done!

Chili with Beans (easy dump recipe)

the basic chili with beans mixture--not  real pretty, but tasty!

(serves 4 at least)

• ½ C diced onion (1 small onion)
• 1 lb ground beef 
• 1 can S&W black chili beans--do NOT drain (If you cannot find this, use regular black beans and add 1 T pico de gallo spice)
• 2 cans Rotel chopped tomatoes (regular spice or mild, depending on your preference)
• 4 T butter or oil
• S&P
• OPTIONS—see below for floating tacos, hot dogs or plain chili!

General preparation:  

Heat butter or oil and add onion.  Stir until beginning to cook.  Add ground meat and brown (about 5 minutes).   Add beans and Rotel.  Cover and simmer until hot (5-10 minutes).  Taste:  add S&P, more chili if needed.

OPTIONS:  

• Floating tacos:  serve over Fritos, top with shredded cheese, lettuce, avocado and  ranch dressing (or just sour cream

• Coney Island dog:  slather over a hot dog with bun and add cheese and raw onions

• Plain old chili:  serve in a mug for regular chili with cheddar cheese and any topping (onion, avocado, etc)--or none at all.

This freezes great.  Just put into a plastic container or a baggie and freeze.  Lasts about 3 days in the frige; lasts until the Apocalypse in the freezer.  Just reheat (may need to add 1-2 T water).  

Ensalada de la Gente--Salad of the People

Disclaimer:  No!  this is not salad made of people (re Soylent Green--an amazing movie!).

This is a variation of a recipe I created for a family Thanksgiving in 2002.  You can also add lettuce, tomatoes and avocado to serve.  (The dish doesn't store well with lettuce, tomato and avocado, so if you plan on eating it over several days, just add these later at serving.)

·   1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 C corn (from 2 cobs—cooked, or a small can/drained, or 1 C of frozen corn that is thawed.  I like it roasted on the cob.)
½ C chopped pepper (red, yellow, etc.)
½ a jalapeno chopped fine
½ red onion diced
1 C chopped cilantro
¼ C lime juice (from 2 limes or bottled)
S&P

   1-2 t Pico de Gallo spice

    3 T olive oil

    Combine all and let set for at least 15 min before serving.

Asian Shrimp Noodle--PHO

Problem:  

How to create a reasonably authentic Vietnamese Pho for Number 1 Son to make on his Alaskan salmon fishing expedition?

This picture below is of Mr. Artifact approving of the solution. And it must be good. 
He is wearing a Greek fisherman's cap! :)

Considerations:

Keeping in mind that boiling water on a boat is verboten and uber dangerous; knowing that fishermen don't have time, patience or stomach for rich foods that require retirement to the salon for brandy and cigars; understanding that nutrition, hydration and salt/electrolyte intake are essential for peak physical performance.

Viola!  I think I my be developing something that will work.

Mr. Artifact and I test drove this tonight, and it seemed "do-able", tasty and nutritious.  Of course, Mr. Artifact warned that if this resulted in his demise that he had not yet refilled the transmission fluid or oil on the Herbie, so no one should attempt to drive it in the event he expired.

Basics gathered: sauces, veg and noodles

Cut the veggies into smaller bite-sized piecs.

Important:  lime, garlic and the protein!

Main ingredients:

• about 12  raw or cooked shrimp (I prefer raw, cleaned and shelled--frozen section is great or catch them!)  You could substitute any meaty fish like salmon, or chicken or thinly sliced steak or pork.

• 6 oz mixed stir fry veg (broccoli, carrots, snow peas) from the refrigerator section.  You can get these fresh also, in which case you would chop up about 2 C total. . . or. . . go with a frozen mix of same variety.  (The grocery store fresh veg come bagged in 12 oz  packages.)  Make sure to chop into soup size pieces if they are large.

• 1 bundle Udon noodles (they come in a pack of 3 bundles)

• 4 C chicken broth (one of those big square boxed broths is about 4 C)

• 1 T peanut oil (or other clear vegetable oil)

• 1 t sesame oil

• 1 t chopped fresh garlic

• 1 T Korean hot sauce

• 2 T fish sauce

• 1 T soy sauce

• 1/2 t five spice mix

Garnish:

• 1/4 C chopped cilantro
• lime wedges
• 2 diced green onions on the diagonal
• (you could also add avocado!  I did not have any . . . alas!)

______________

Pre cooking tips: helpful and paranoid:

Getting ready for fishing or an extended picnic or just planning for the weekday? The noodles will last a week in your fridge once cooked.  YOU NEED TO DO THIS ONE WAY OR THE OTHER.  Why not do it on shore?.  This makes cooking so much easier if you can just pull out a baggie of pre-cooked noodles.

Here is how to do it:  when you are on shore, cook the Udon noodles, drain, cool, and put into a baggie for use on the boat.  Noodles cook for 12-13 minutes in lightly salted water.  Drain, cool (run under cool water) and bag.

a useless picture of noodles boiling.

cooked and bagged noodles for the chippie who is on the ball.

• chop up cilantro, green onions and quarter the limes.  Put in baggie  (These will last about 4 days.)
• chop up veg and the garlic and put into baggie (a 3-4 day window)
• shrimps should be frozen before taking on board unless you get them fresh.  If fresh, eat or freeze within 24 hours.Thawed/fresh shrimp last about 24 hours.  .. don't fart around with raw meat.  Freeze if it will be longer.

________________

Process:

• heat peanut/veg oil and sesame oil in large saucepan/pot 

• Saute veggies and garlic for 2 minutes until veggies start to color more deeply

• Turn OFF heat and add hot sauce, fish sauce, soy sauce, and five spice

• Add shrimp (if raw. . . if they are precooked, add when you add noodles)

• Add chicken broth

• Heat to a simmer/slow boil

• Add noodles (and shrimp if it is already cooked)

• Continue to simmer/boil 1 minute

• Take off stove. . .let set 2 minutes

• Ladle into big mugs (you might want some tongs to grab out the noodles)

• Add cilantro and green onions (if you have avocado slices, now is the time to add them)

• Serve with extra hot sauce

• Enjoy!

The finished pho with garnishes.  YUM

Stacey's Basic Lamb Stew

Stacey’s Basic Lamb Stew

1 lb (more OK!) lamb shoulder cut into ½  inch cubes

3 T flour

1½ t salt

½ t pepper

½ t cinnamon

½ t freshly ground cumin

1 pod of cardamom (ground)

1 t red pepper flakes

4 T olive oil or bacon fat

1 large onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 quart of stewed tomatoes

(can add eggplant, okra or zucchini also if you want)

1 can garbanzos

Water or broth

Yogurt

Roasted pumpkin seeds (roasted in walnut oil with cumin and salt)

Mix up flour, salt, pepper and cinnamon.  Toss meat in the flour mixture and brown in the oil.  Add garlic, onion, cumin, cardamom and red pepper flakes and sauté ‘til onions look transparent.  Add tomatoes.  Cover and cook medium heat for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the lamb is done to your satisfaction. Add water or broth if you think the stew is getting too dry.  (You can also put this covered into a 450 oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes instead of using the stove top.) If you decide to add eggplant or okra or zucchini, add it during the last 30 minutes (I would just choose one).  When lamb is complete, add the drained can of garbanzos and heat through.  Adjust seasonings to taste (more cinnamon?).  Serve in bowls with a dollop of yogurt and a sprinkling of pumpkin seeds.

Ostreoidea Adventure 
or Fried Bivalves on Fruity Slaw
(Breaded oysters on a slaw of lettuce, kiwi, green apple and avocado)

According to my friends at Wikipedia: "The word oyster is used as a common name for a number of different families of saltwater clams, bivalve molluscs that live in marine or brackishhabitats. In some species the valves are highly calcified, and many are somewhat irregular in shape. Many, but not all, oysters are in the superfamily Ostreoidea."
_______________________________________

I love oysters.  I love them raw, cooked, in stews, fried, and served in cardboard trays outside dockside diners.  In fact, I even like the oysters served at the Waterford, CA Car Wash. . . seriously.  My kids grew up knowing how to slurp oysters raw with a dash of lemon or hot sauce after picking them by the buckets in British Columbia. It's the family clan challenge:  do you like oysters?  yes or no.

Living inland can present some challenges to procuring a ready supply of fresh oysters, though.  Hence, I've come to appreciate the grocery store jarred oysters.  They are great for chowder, stuffing, and  a Hang Town fry. 

Tonight was a Friday, and my training as a good Catholic school teacher just overwhelmed me at the grocery store.  Now, this is something, as I'm Lutheran. . . but I did teach for years in a Catholic school, and this fish on Friday thing definitely has legs. .  . or fins. . .  or in the case of oysters. . . adductors (?). So, into my cart went the oysters and a whole bunch of other useful things.  When I got home, I told Mr. Artifact that we were having oysters for dinner.  Then. . . I scrambled for a complete meal from what was on hand.  After a  glass of wine, I came up with this recipe.   I have to say:  I rock!

Ostreoidea Adventure 
(serves 3-4)

Ingredients:

for the oysters:

• 1 jar fresh oysters
• 1/2 C sunflower (or peanut) oil

dredge:

• 1/2 C flour:
• 1/2 t garlic powder
• dash of cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper

wet soak:

• 1/2 C buttermilk
• 1 egg

breading (mix all in food processor):

• 2 C fresh bread crumbs (I used leftover sourdough bread that I pulsed in the food processor)
• 1/4 C parsley
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 T chopped  red onion
• 1/2 C Parmesan cheese
• zest of lemon to taste
• 1/2 t salt

Salad:

• 2 C shredded iceberg lettuce
• 1 avocado chopped
• 1 green apple, sliced thinly
• 2 kiwis, sliced thinly
• 1/4 C red onion sliced thinly into rings
• drizzle of lemon juice for apples and avocado

Salad dressing:

• 1/3 C lemon juice
• 3 T sugar
• 1/2 t dried ginger
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/8 t white pepper (or more to taste)
• 1 t Dijon mustard
• 1/2 C olive oil
• 1/4 C mayonnaise

Method:

Make the salad first.   Chop all the veg and put into a bowl.  Drizzle lemon juice over apples and avocado to prevent browning.  Set aside.

Make salad dressing by combining all ingredients except mayonnaise and oil.  Whisk together.  Whisk or blend in mayo and olive oil to form emulsion.  Set aside.

Preheat the oil in a large frying pan.
Put oysters into the dredge (or drop into a plastic bag and shake with the dredge).  Dip in buttermilk and egg soak.   Roll in breadcrumb mixture, then fry for about 3-4 minutes. Salt them more if you like when you take them out of oil.   Put on wire rack and keep warm in 250 oven while you get the salad plated.

Assemblage:  plate salad, dress with sauce. Place warm oysters on top of greens, add more sauce.  

Serve, Eat, Enjoy.