Sunday, October 31, 2010

Chorizo and Chicken is like a Hand and Glove?

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I love chorizo. I especially love this chorizo. It isn't easy to find here in Marlborough, MA, but I do get it in Cambridge. When I am there I go to Cardullo's Gourmet Shoppe and stock up. So when I found a package in my freezer downstairs (yes, I have an extra freezer and refrig downstairs) I had to make something.

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I had some cannellini beans but I didn't soak them overnight. I did the quick soak on them and they worked fine.

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Browned some chicken quarters.

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I added all the other stuff and left it on a low flame for about an hour and a half. It still looked a bit soupy so I put it at 375 into the oven for the last hour and a half.

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It came out really well. Next time I wouldn't cook it on the burner at all. I would brown everything but then I would just cook it in the oven for the whole time. Since I was just winging it I did it this way this time.

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Oh and case you wonder what Parker is up to these days...

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He is out partying! He went to a Bradley class Halloween reunion. He dressed as Bam Bam and the cutie with him is Pebbles.


Chicken and Chorizo Thingy
adapted from what I had in my pantry and freezer
(Printable Version)
6 Chicken quarters
2 Tbl olive oil
1 onion diced
1 Chorizo Palacios Chorizo from Spain (Hot) or anything else like it that you want
Salt and Pepper
1 or 2 tsp Smoked Paprika
Water
1 pkg Cannellini Beans (soaked overnight or quick soaked) or 2 cans of cannellini beans

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil and brown chicken (about 10 minutes) in dutch oven. Remove Chicken from pan.

Add chorizo and onion to dutch oven and saute until chorizo is brown and onion is transparent. Return chicken to pan. Add the beans.

Add water to cover. Add paprika. Cook on low flame for about 1 hour. Transfer to 350 oven for about another 1.5 hours.

NOTE: This is just how I ended up doing it but you could do the whole thing in the oven after browning and it would be fine. I will do that next time I make this.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Halloween wouldn't be Halloween without my favorite Pumpkin Seeds

Halloween time

First off I have to say that I feel a little guilty not decorating for Halloween this year. Habtamu (my sweetie pie neighbor) came running into my house and asked "where are the bones?" No bones this year. So, here is our butler that we usually have up (along with boxes and boxes of other stuff) during Halloween. This is at the old house and looks like we were just unpacking him for Halloween. So what did I do this year?

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We bought two pumpkins just for the seeds. I have to make my seeds. I felt a little guilty so I started to carve one of them. I had an idea to do "Food" on one of them and "Buzz" on the other. I thought this might get me into the top 9 for once (ok twice, I did land there ONCE). No such luck.

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I got F...O done and that is when my attention span went elsewhere. I let my mind wander and my mind said "Uh, what the hell you doing? Why are you wasting your time?" So instead:

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I scooped out the pumpkin and proceeded making my favorite recipe for seeds.

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Here are the unadorned seeds. I love pumpkin seeds more than almost any other snack food. I eat so many of them that sometimes I go back to being 5 years old in my head (wait, maybe that is senile and not going back to 5) and I think that perhaps these seeds might sprout a pumpkin in my gut. THAT is why my stomach looks like that!

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Magic potion thrown on the seeds and bake for about an hour total (turning in between).

ABRACADABRA (is that how you spell it?)

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ABRACADABRA Pumpkin Seeds (Can you tell I made the name up?) I don't remember where I got this recipe.
Printable Version

2 cups Pumpkin Seeds
2 Tbl Melted Butter
Garlic Salt
1 Tbl Worcestershire Sauce



Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.

Clean pumpkin seeds and spread onto pan. Put in oven to dry for about 15 minutes.

Stir the pumpkin seeds and butter together, in a large mixing bowl, and add the other ingredients. Stir until everything is well combined, then again spread the pumpkin seeds in one layer on a baking sheet.

Bake for 30 minutes and then turn seeds. Bake for another 30 minutes and then remove from oven and let cool.

These roasted pumpkin seeds can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 6 weeks.

(Makes 2 Cups)

Oh yeah, can you vote for me to be a food ninja? Just go here:

Food-Ninjas-Unite

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

A drive to the farm and big meat day!

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We made arrangements to pick up our lamb from Leyden Glen Farm. The farm is run and owned by Mark Duprey and Kristin Nicholas and of course their daughter Julia. I love going up here. Not only do I get to wander on the farm and see the sheep but I get to talk about all the things I love with Kristin. Cooking and Knitting being the two favorite pass times of mine.

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The drive up to the farm was really pretty. This year isn't as good as last year for the change of colors but it still blows me away having come from California and never having seen anything like this.

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It was a bit of a rainy day but it didn't matter.

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I got to see sheep (sorry about the photo - we were driving). I got my lamb and I also got to gab with Kristin about cookbooks and knitting and all that good stuff. I also got to visit the last of her vegetable garden and was gifted with leeks and kale.

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This kale isn't like the one I am growing. This is an Italian heirloom also known as ‘Nero di Tosca’, ‘Tuscan Black’ or ‘Dinosaur’. We had this for dinner last night and I have a new favorite vegetable. I liked this even more than I like chard.

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Next off we ate at one of my favorite little stops to eat. It is called the Wagon Wheel. Great fresh and local food. I can't say enough good things about it.

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Yum, we both had the Gyro.

Back on home...

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So now we have a freezer stocked for the winter (if it last us that long). I know that people have thought it was "mean" to be getting a whole lamb but I think it is probably the kindest way to get our food. I know that these animals were raised with love and treated well. So, unless I become a vegetarian (which isn't going to happen with Dr. Food in the house) I feel much better eating this way than going to the grocery store and getting meat.

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Next off we had a venison roast that our neighbor had given us. It has been in the freezer for a while and when I saw the recipe for "Corned Venison" on Hank Shaw's website, I knew we had to give it a try.


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A brine is made to soak the venison roast in.

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It is then tucked away in the refrig for a week. Our week isn't up so I will keep you posted on the results.

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Stayed tuned for lots of lamb recipes as well!

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Sunday, October 24, 2010

Braised Short Ribs with Hoisin Sauce - An Adaptation of an adaptation

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I clipped a recipe from David Lebovitz's blog for Braised Short Ribs. After reading the article I saw that he adapted it from Dave Liberman. I totally trusted David Lebovitz so I went with his adaptation of the recipe and I am so glad that I did. I adapted it from there.

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As you can see I wanted to go with the "In" crowd of sleeve tattooed chefs. I got my sleeves on! I am ready to cook.

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I am about to brown the short ribs. Oooops. I got a shot of my TATTOO. Sorry about that.

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Here they are browning. What? What do you mean what is that baggy mess at my wrist? Oh ....nevermind. Nothing to see here..... Just a costume malfunction.

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Look at these beauties.

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This recipe had a really ecclectic mix of tastes going. I was intrigued. I really am not a chocolate lover and the thought of putting chocolate in with this mix made me a bit edgy. It worked perfectly though. I knew I could trust David L. I did use Chipotle chili powder as my chili powder and it worked well.

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If it was going to be chocolate I was going with the best (as far as *I* am concerned) Valrhona.

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I went with a dark beer that was recommended to me by a nice young man that was eavesdropping on my conversation with Dr Food and the wine monger at the wine and spirit shop that we were at. NYM (nice young man) had good taste. Not only is this beer local (to me at least) but it was very good as well. Yes it went into the rib mixture but I had to TASTE it first.

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Wine monger suggested we try this wine with the meal. It was very enjoyable.

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I would make these again. I really thought that the flavors went together well and nothing was overpowering. Try them!


Braised Short Ribs with Hoisin Sauce
Serves 6 to 8
Adapted from David Lebovitz who adapted from Dave Lieberman

The best way to fry the ribs is to use moderately-high heat and resist the urge turn them incessantly. They should be as dark as possible, almost burnt. If you have a good hood fan, you’ll put it to good use. I tweaked his recipe and couldn’t resist adding some chocolate to the braising liquid, which gives it some extra body, and some chili, for a bit of heat.

Making them a day in advance and storing them in a refrigerator is a great do-ahead tip and allows you to skim off the fat. If so, just cook them through step #5, the chill, and the following day, skim, then finish with the hoisin sauce.

10 short ribs (rib pieces cut into 3 to 4-inch, 10 to 12 cm, chunks)
Salt and freshly-ground pepper
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups (375ml) dark beer
10 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
3 tablespoons Chinese or Japanese rice vinegar
1 1/2 ounces (50g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped (I used Xocopili)
1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
1 cup (250ml) hoisin sauce

1. Toss the ribs in salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large roasting pan and fry the short ribs until each side is very dark and well-caramelized. Don’t skimp and it may take up to an hour to get them all done. If your pan isn’t big enough, you can brown them in batches, or do some in a separate pan.

2. Remove the ribs from the pan, then turn off the heat and deglaze the pan with the beer. Scrape up the browned bits stuck to the pan with a firm spatula, then add the garlic and ginger, stirring to cook them in a residual heat of the pan.

3. Preheat the oven to 325F. (160C)

4. Add the ribs back to the pan and mix in the vinegar, chocolate, and chili powder.

5. Cover and let simmer for 3 hours, turning the short ribs a few times while they’re cooking. The ribs are done when they’re fork-tender and falling off the bone. (During cooking, you may need to add a bit of water to the pan if the liquid evaporates too much.)

6. Remove the cover, stir in the hoisin sauce, reduce the heat to 300F (150C) and cook for another 30 minutes.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Let me share more than you want to know

fall

I came home on Monday and it had turned to fall for real here. It was kind of weird being away for three weeks and BAM coming back. The trees are turning colors and it is getting cold. Dr. Food put all my fruit trees in the house because it is starting to frost at night. Anyhow, I am out of sorts. I tried to take pictures for a post tonight and lost all the pictures. Dr Food had my camera in his backpack at work and I tried to use my phone. So, since that didn't work and I haven't been too into cooking the last couple of nights I thought I would share with you who I am.

cicken

I am a huge knitter (I mean knitting all the time when I am not cooking) and I made a chicken leg hat for fun.

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I owned a yarn shop named Yarn! (I thought the name was hysterical and it was really funny when kids would walk by and yell YARN!!!!). It was in California and it got Best of the Bay Area in San Francisco Magazine.

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I was at a party with Timothy Leary a week before he died. He told me that after he died he would contact me on the internet (at the time I was a Webmaster for RAND). He never contacted me.

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I am a aunt to a Lemur. His name is Larry and Dr Food wouldn't let me have him but my friend has him.

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I collect boots.

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I have tried to grow a redwood burl about 10 times and I always kill them. Yes, I know, you don't know what a redwood burl is. Don't ask.

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I want a miniature cow but Dr. Food won't let me have one (do we see a theme here?)

Frank

Halloween is my favorite holiday but this year I am too tired to do anything.

Doggy is done

I had a Saint Bernard named Lily in California. She died on her way out to New England. She was 9 years old.

Home home home

I lived in a 150 year old Victorian House in Northern California before I moved to New England.

Mona the camel

I kissed a camel.


Pasta recipe that I made for dinner:

Pasta and Shrimp

Box of Wheat Pasta
1lb Shrimp
1 can Anchovies
3Tbl Olive Oil
Red Pepper Flakes (to taste)
2 Tbl Minced Garlic
Grated Parmesan Cheese

Make pasta according to directions. Saute garlic and anchovies until anchovies dissolve. Throw in shrimp and saute until shrimp is cooked (about 7 minutes). Drain pasta and add to the shrimp mixture. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes and parmesan cheese.

I swear I will do better this weekend. We are going to go pick up our lamb (yes, Dr food will let me have a whole lamb if it means we are going to eat it. He was raised on farms.)