Dad Cooks Dinner

Rotisserie Boneless Beef Ribeye Roast Stuffed with Beef Sticks, Cheese, and Peppers

2012-02-09T07:00:00.000-05:00

It's so crazy, it just might work.

That's what ran through my head as I watched Steven Raichlen's Brazilian stuffed rib roast. It was wild - tunnels of sausage, cheese, and peppers were pushed through the roast, poking through the other side like a colorful porcupine.

Normally, I want straight up beef - salted, peppered, cooked medium rare. That's it. But this…this was something else. When Steven skewered it on a rotisserie spit, I knew I had to try it. How could I possibly resist?

I cheated a bit - instead of slicing strips of pepperoni or ham, I used beef sticks from my local butcher. Stuffing the roast was tricky. The beef sticks and carrots were strong enough to push through the guide holes, but the softer ingredients weren't making it. I used the handle of a wooden spoon as a leader; I pushed the handle all the way through, then pulled it back while pushing a strip of cheese or pepper through from the other side. As the handle slid out, the cheese slid in. Mostly; I had to work a few extra peppers in from the other side of the roast to even things out.

The result? Do you like deluxe pizza, with all the toppings? That's how this roast tastes, if you replace the pizza crust with a big slice of beef. It sounds weird, but it tastes really, really good. I know this is a Brazilian recipe, but the final taste was very Italian. It was a lot of fun to carve and serve - the inside looks like the world's largest pimento loaf. If you're looking for a recipe that will shock and awe the neighbors, give this one a try.
*Or at least convince them that you've finally gone around the bend. Beefy olive loaf, that taste like pizza?

Recipe: Rotisserie Boneless Beef Ribeye Roast Stuffed with Beef Sticks, Cheese, and Peppers

Adapted From: Steven Raichlen, The Barbecue Bible

Cooking time: 60 minutes

Equipment:

Grill with Rotisserie attachment (I used a Weber Summit with an infrared rotisserie burner. Here is the current version of my grill. )
Aluminum foil drip pan (9"x12", or whatever fits your grill)
Butcher's twine

Ingredients:

1 (4 pound) boneless beef ribeye roast
1 tablespoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Stuffing ingredients:

12 inches of beef stick
1/4 inch thick slice of aged provolone cheese, cut into 1/4 inch strips
1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
1 green bell pepper, cut into strips
2 thin carrots, peeled and trimmed

Directions:

1. Dry brine the beef:
Two to twenty-four hours before cooking, season the ribeye roast with the salt and pepper. Put the roast on a rack over a roasting pan or baking sheet. If salting more than two hours ahead of time, store uncovered in the refrigerator.

2. Stuff the beef:
Two hours before cooking, remove the rib roast from the refrigerator. Stuff the roast with the beef stick, cheese, and vegetables: using a long, thin knife, poke a hole in the roast lengthwise, then gently push a strip of stuffing into the hole. Repeat, poking holes and pushing the stuffing through, until all the stuffing strips are used. Trim the stuffing about 1/4 inch from the edges of the beef.

3. Truss and spit the beef:
Truss the roast, then skewer it on the rotisserie spit, securing it with the spit forks. Let the beef rest at room temperature until the grill is ready.

4. Prepare the grill:
Set the grill up for rotisserie cooking at high heat. For my Weber Summit, this means removing the grates, turning the two outer burners (burners 1 and 6) to high, turning the smoker burner to high, and turning the infrared burner to high. Then I put my drip pan in the middle, over the unlit burners, and let the grill preheat for ten to fifteen minutes. (See here for more rotisserie setup details.)

5. Rotisserie cook the beef:
Put the spit on the grill, and start the motor spinning. Make sure the drip pan is centered beneath the rib roast. Close the lid and cook the beef until it reaches 120*F in its thickest part for medium-rare, about 1 hour. (Cook to 115 *F for rare, 130 *F for medium.)

6. Serve:
Remove the rib roast from the rotisserie spit and transfer to a platter. Be careful - the spit and forks are blazing hot. Remove the twine trussing the beef. Trim off any burnt ends to the stuffing using kitchen scissors or a paring knife. Let the beef rest for 15 minutes, then carve into 1/2 inch slices and serve.

Notes:

*The only real problem was the provolone. There wasn't much left in the beef; I think it all melted out of the roast. I need to try the recipe again with a cheese that doesn't melt, like halloumi, to see if it makes a difference.

What do you think? Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

Rotisserie Boneless Ribeye Roast with Garlic Crust
Rotisserie Prime Rib Roast
Click here for my other rotisserie recipes.

Adapted from:

Steven Raichlen, The Barbecue Bible

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Things I Love: Calphalon Contemporary 4.5 Quart Nonstick Sauce Pan

2012-02-07T07:00:00.000-05:00

"It is not necessary to send back the covers with the pans" they said...that's so sad.

A great philosopher once said: you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone.

I talk a lot about my love of All-Clad on this blog, but this nonstick sauce pan from Calphalon is the pan I use the most. It's my rice pot, the perfect size for steam sauteing vegetables, large enough to make a big pot of soup, or boil a pound of pasta. Oatmeal slides right off the non-stick surface. If dinner has a side dish, it cooks it in this pot.
*It is supposedly a steamer, but I lost the steamer basket years ago, in a brutal kitchen purge. I didn't notice it was missing until a few years after that.

My pot broke after ten years of almost daily use.

A few months ago, I lifted the full pot from the stove, and felt a slight wiggle. This made me nervous, so I emptied the pot and inspected it. I could feel the wiggle if I really torqued the handle, but it was solidly attached, so I ignored it.

Last week, I was making soup, and I filled the pot. Overfilled it, really; one of my favorite things is the 4.5 quart capacity. Sometimes that extra half quart is the difference between boiling…and boiling over. The soup was above the level of the rivets. I was helping the kids with their spelling.
*"Snowman" "S…N…O…M…A…N"

I heard a sizzling sound coming from the burner under the pot. I checked, and the side of the pot was wet. Soup was leaking out through the loose rivets.

I know Calphalon has a lifetime warranty, but this was the perfect excuse to buy a new kitchen toy. I went to the local cookware store with lust in my heart. I had my eye on Calphalon's Unison 4 quart soup pot, their new top of the line, which is even on sale. Just the thing to replace an old pot, right?

Well, no. It was all wrong. My old favorite has a wide, 10 inch top. The new soup pot is narrower, at 8 inches. The new pot is no taller; my old standby was on an nearby shelf, and it seemed like a much bigger pot, even though it is listed as only a half quart larger. I picked up my old favorite, to set it next to the new pot and compare sizes. The long handle just felt right in my hand. I walked out of the cookware store without buying anything.

I shipped my old friend back to Calphalon, saying goodbye at the UPS store. I'm waiting for the warranty replacement. It's been about three days now, and I still reach for that pot. Sure, I have other 4 quart sauce pots, but they don't feel…right.

I know some people feel this way about their Le Creuset. I bought this pot for its convenience; a nonstick pan is a great time saver. Like most great kitchen tools, though, this pot turned out to be more than just convenient. It is useful, graceful, and a pleasure to use. I can't wait for the new one to get here.
*10 to 15 days for a warranty replacement? I don't know if I can wait that long. Cooks Illustrated recommends the 2.5 quart version of my pot, maybe I should get that…no, it's on back order everywhere. I hate being patient!

Disclaimer: With all my "Things I Love" posts, I am not receiving anything from the manufacturer. I bought the items with my own money. I use these tools every day in the kitchen, and I would hate to live without them. If you buy something through the Amazon.com links on my site I get a small commission from the purchase. Thank you!
(OK, I'm good with the FCC now.)

What do you think? What pot would you miss the most? Talk about them in the comments section below.

Steam Sauteed Green Beans (first picture)
Coconut Rice (second picture)
Weeknight Tomato Sauce (third picture)

Calphalon Contemporary Nonstick Simmer Down 4-1/2-Quart Saucepot with Steamer Insert and Glass Lid

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Slow Cooker Chili Verde (Green Pork Chili)

2012-02-02T07:00:00.000-05:00

It's Super Bowl week! The Super Bowl is the fifth most important American food holiday. Time for recipes for your party!
*Thanksgiving, Christmas, Forth of July, Memorial Day, Super Bowl. Actually, I think the Super Bowl has passed the Forth of July and Memorial Day, and moved up to #3, right behind Christmas...

I had this post all planned out. My Super Bowl chili would be Chili Verde, green chili, to tie in with the Green Bay Packers. Then the Packers lost in their first playoff game. Oh well, the chili is still worth talking about.
*I live and die with the Cleveland Browns. Die, mostly. But my Dad grew up in Wisconsin and is a huge Packers fan, so I like seeing the Packers do well.

Chili Verde breaks the mold. Pork? Green sauce? Is this really chili? It is the only chili, other than Texas Red, that the International Chili Society recognizes. But, green chili? It sounds like it should be in a Doctor Seuss story.
*I would not eat it in a boat, I would not eat it with a goat. I will not eat it here or there, I will not eat it anywhere! I will not eat green chili, Sam I am...darn, lost the rhyme at the end.

Chili Verde is more involved than most slow cooker recipes. Broiling peppers and tomatillos, then blending them into a green sauce is a little extra work.* If you time it right, though, the peppers are under the broiler while you brown the pork, and everything comes together at the same time. It's worth the extra work. The results are full of green chili flavor and big hunks of pork. Chili Verde is different from red chili, but every bit as delicious.
*And if you want to cheat, and dump things out of jars and cans, check out the variations at the end of the recipe...

Recipe: Slow Cooker Chili Verde (Green Pork Chili)

Adapted From: Elise Bauer, Chile Verde, SimplyRecipes.com

Cooking time: 10 hours

Equipment:

6 quart or larger slow cooker (Crock Pot brand is fine, but I like my fancy one from All-Clad)

Ingredients:

Green Sauce:

1 pound tomatillos, husked and rinsed
1 pound Anaheim chiles, halved, stemmed and seeded
2 green bell peppers, halved, stemmed and seeded
2 jalapeno peppers, halved and stemmed
1/2 cup cilantro leaves and stems
1 teaspoon Kosher salt

5 pounds pork shoulder, cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
2 teaspoons Kosher salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large onion, diced
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon dried oregano (preferably Mexican oregano)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 cup chicken stock (preferably homemade, or water)
1 cup crushed tortilla chips
Juice of 2 limes
a couple dashes green hot sauce (optional, see notes)

Left to Right:
Tomatillos, Anaheim pepper, Jalapeno pepper, Green Bell pepper

Directions:

1. Make the green sauce:
Spread the tomatillos, anaheim chiles, bell peppers, and jalapeno peppers skin side up on a rimmed baking sheet. Put the baking sheet 6 inches below a broiler set to high, and broil until the tomatillos and peppers are blackened in spots, about 5 minutes. Flip the tomatillos and broil until the tomatillos are browned on the other side and the skins of the peppers are blackened all over, about another five minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the peppers cool for a few minutes, then peel the blackened skin from the peppers and discard. (A little leftover blackened skin is fine.) Pour the contents of the baking sheet into a blender or food processor, including as much of the liquid as possible. Add the cilantro and the teaspoon of Kosher salt, then blend until smooth, about 30 seconds.

Peppers and tomatillos are halfway there - want the peppers to be blackened

Blending the Green Sauce

2. Brown the pork:
Sprinkle the pork evenly with the 2 teaspoons kosher salt. Heat the oil in a fry pan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Brown the pork in two to three batches. Cook each batch for six minutes total, turning the pork halfway through the cooking time to brown it on two sides. Transfer the pork to a bowl with a slotted spoon, leaving as much fat behind as possible.

3. Saute the aromatics and toast the spices:
There should be 2 tablespoons of fat left in the pan; add more oil or pour out fat to get to 2 tablespoons. Add the onions to the fry pan and sprinkle with the 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt. Saute the onions until softened and starting to brown around the edges, about 3 minutes, scraping occasionally to release the browned pork bits from the bottom of the pot. Make a hole in the middle of the onions and add the garlic cloves, cumin, coriander, oregano and brown sugar. Cook until you smell the garlic and spices, about one minute, then stir into the onions. Add the chicken broth and green sauce to the pan and bring to a simmer, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen any browned bits.

4. Slow cook the chili:
Transfer the contents of the fry pan to the slow cooker. Stir the pork, pork juices, and crushed tortilla chips into the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low heat for 10 hours or high heat for 5 hours.

5. Serve the chili:
Stir in the lime juice and hot sauce. Taste add more salt and pepper as necessary. Serve with tortilla chips, sour cream, and more green hot sauce.

Variations:

*Cheater version: Instead of making the green sauce, buy it in jars or cans. Use 28 ounces of tomatillo salsa, and 28 ounces of green enchilada sauce. Watch the heat level on the tomatillo salsa - you want mild to medium salsa; if it is a really hot salsa, it can overwhelm the rest of the chili.

*Beans: If you want beans in your chili, stir in 28 ounces of canned navy or cannelini beans with the pork and tortilla chips. Just don't tell the ICS - see rule #1.

Notes:

*I save the dregs from tortilla chip bags for my chili recipes. The crushed chips dissolve and thicken the sauce, and add a little masa flour taste to the chili. Slow cooker recipes tend to be watery, so the extra thickening is a big help.

*Hot sauces: Depending on the heat level you're looking for:
Tabasco Jalapeño Sauce - medium heat
Dave's Hurtin' Jalapeno Sauce - hot
El Yucateco Green Chile Habaerno Sauce - hot!
El Yucateco XXXtra Hot Habanero Sauce - oh, my

What do you think? Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

Texas Red Chili
Slow Cooker Ground Beef and Bean Chili
Click here for my other slow cooker recipes.

Adapted from:

Elise Bauer, Chile Verde, SimplyRecipes.com

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Grilled Guacamole with Sun Dried Tomatoes

2012-01-31T07:00:00.000-05:00

It's Super Bowl week! The Super Bowl is the fifth most important American food holiday. Time for recipes for your party!
*Thanksgiving, Christmas, Forth of July, Memorial Day, Super Bowl. Actually, I think the Super Bowl has passed the Forth of July and Memorial Day, and moved up to #3, right behind Christmas...

Guacamole is a Super Bowl* standby, but it has a couple of problems. The first is ripe avocados. Sometimes they are perfect; black on the outside, soft on the inside. Other times they're not ready yet - green with black on the bumps, or even worse, an entirely green peel. Green avocado peel translates to rock hard. I solve the "not ready yet" problem by grilling the avocados. This softens them up and adds a smoky flavor to the guacamole.
*I know I'm not supposed to use the copyrighted phrase "Super Bowl" if I haven't paid licensing rights to the NFL. I'm supposed to use a euphemism like "the big game". When their lawyers come to get me, you'll know why.
**Hopefully they don't send Terry Tate, Office Linebacker instead of the laywers…

The second issue is tomatoes. I add a little tomato to my guacamole; I like the color and flavor it adds. But early February is not tomato season. You cannot get farther from tomato season without falling off the calendar. The "tomatoes" they sell at the grocery store taste a little better than the plastic cartons they're packed in - but only because they're juicier. That's why Rick Bayless's suggestion to use sun dried tomatoes in guacamole was such a revelation. Why didn't I think of that? When I read the recipe last summer, my mind flashed to deep winter guacamole.
*Yes, I was thinking about February guacamole while reading a cookbook in July. Yes, I spend too much time thinking about cooking. I'd like to apologize for that…but right now I'm busy enjoying my guacamole.

Recipe: Grilled Guacamole with Sun Dried Tomatoes

Inspired by: Rick Bayless, Fiesta at Rick's

Cooking time: 5 minutes plus mincing and mashing time.

Equipment:

Grill (I use my monster Weber Summit. Sure it's overkill for a few avocados...but I love it. Here is the current version of my grill. )

Ingredients:

3 large avocados, sliced in half and pit removed, skin left on
1/2 red onion, minced
1 serrano or jalapeno pepper, minced (seeded if you want to decrease the heat)
1/4 cup minced sun dried tomatoes
1/4 cup minced cilantro
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed through a garlic press
Juice of 1/2 lime
1 teaspoon Kosher salt

Directions:

1. Grill the avocado:
Preheat the grill to medium heat, brush the grill clean, and oil the grates with a folded paper towel dipped in vegetable oil. Put the avocado, cut side down, over direct medium heat and grill for 5 minutes. Remove from the grill and let cool for a few minutes.

2. Make the guacamole:
Scoop the avocado out of its skin and into a bowl. Mash the avocado with a fork or a potato masher, then stir in the rest of the ingredients until thoroughly mixed. Taste and add more salt and lime juice as necessary.

Variations:

*Not-So-Grilled Guacamole: If you have ripe avocados, you don't have to grill them. Start with step two, and make regular guacamole.

Notes:

*Be careful when removing the pit from the avocado. Alton Brown taught me how to do this safely [Video - start at 9:25]. Cut all the way around the long end of the avocado with a chef's knife, cutting all the way to the pit. Twist the two halves to separate them. The pit will stay in one half. Hold that half in the palm of your left hand and carefully whack the blade of the chef's knife into the pit. Twist the knife and the avocado pit will come out of the avocado, stuck to the knife. Now, reach around the spine of the chef's knife, with with your thumb and pointer finger, and pinch right where the seed meets the knife to push the seed off of the knife. This keeps your hand and fingers away from the sharp edge while you remove the slippery avocado pit.

What do you think? Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

You're going to make salsa to go with your guacamole, right?
Quick Red Salsa
Tomatillo Salsa
Grilled Tomato-Habaerno Salsa

Adapted from:

Rick Bayless, Fiesta At Rick's

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Celery Root Puree

2012-01-26T07:00:00.000-05:00

Celery root is a vegetable imagined by H.P. Lovecraft - a vegetable out of space and time, gnarled and twisted in ways that will drive men insane!

Um…sorry. I got carried away. Celery root isn't that bad. But it does drive me insane - I get it every year in my winter CSA box, and I never know what to do with it. It looks like a bundle of roots and dirt. I was too guilty to just toss it; I would wait for it to go bad so I could throw it away guilt free...but like most root vegetables, it keeps for a very long time in the refrigerator. Who knew there was something hidden in that ball of roots worth cooking?
*My readers knew, that's who. I asked for celery root suggestions last year, and you responded with a bunch of great ideas.

Celery root, or celeriac, is exactly what the name says - the root a celery plant. It's not the root of the green stalks I think of as celery; celeriac is a separate variety, grown just for the big bulb of a root.

Celery root puree is similar to mashed potatoes. It has a hint of green celery flavor to go with the creamy, buttery mash. All the recipes I saw include potato with the celery root, in about a 2 to 1 celeriac to potato ratio. I don't know why they add the potato; the starchy celery root seems to act like a potato on its own. But, I always get a pile of potatoes in my CSA along with the celery root. Using some of the potatoes up with the celery root is fine with me. I have a feeling that I'm not the only one, and that's why potatoes are in all the recipes...

Recipe: Celery Root Puree

Adapted From: Dorie Greenspan, Around My French Table

Cooking time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

2 pounds celery root, peeled and cut into 2 inch chunks
1 (12 ounce) potato, peeled and cut into 2 inch chunks
1 cup water
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon plus 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
3 tablespoons butter, cut into 1 tablespoon pieces

Directions:

1. Boil the celery root and potatoes:
Put the celery root, potatoes, water, milk, and 1 teaspoon salt in a saucepan, cover, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer covered for 30 minutes, or until the celery root is tender.

2. Puree the celery root and potatoes:
Reserve 1 cup of the liquid from the pot, then drain the vegetables. Put the vegetables back into the pot, add the butter, remaining 2 teaspoons salt, and the cup of reserved cooking liquid, and puree with a stick blender. (Or, put everything in a blender or food processor and process until smooth.) Taste and add more salt if necessary.

Notes:

Boil-overs and milk: I use a nonstick sauce pan when I make this recipe; it helps with boil-overs. The milk bubbles have a hard time getting a grip on the sides of the nonstick pan, making it hard for them to build up enough to boil over onto the stove. If you use a regular pan, keep an eye on it while bringing it to a boil.

What do you think? Questions? Other ideas for celeriac? Leave them in the comments section below.

Patatas Bravas (Spanish Style Fried Potatoes)
Zucchini and Summer Squash Salad
Beating the Winter Farmers Market Blues (What do I do with Celeriac? - Good suggestions in the comments)

Adapted from:

Dorie Greenspan, Around My French Table

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Men Behaving Badly in the Kitchen

2012-01-24T07:00:00.000-05:00

Bwahahahahah!

A quick mac'n'cheese dinner for the kids? How about a macaroni-fennel gratin with chunks of La Quercia's Tamworth bacon that will be finished approximately three hours after the kids go to bed?
“Foodie” Men Are No Help in the Kitchen, Emily Matchar, Chow.com

This article brought back memories. And laughter - I laughed until I was crying.

I've talked about why men should cook…now it's time to talk about the dark side. Years ago, I decided to make dinner every night. How else could I really learn to cook?

Diane was supportive, but dubious. She had good reason to be dubious. I cooked elaborate meals on weeknights. The fire alarm would go off once or twice. When the roast beast on a bed of scalloped potatoes was done at 9PM, Diane would say "This is great, dear. Um...did you make anything green? A vegetable, perhaps?"
*Then she'd remind me that potatoes are a starch, not a vegetable.

Weeknight cooking is a completely different skill set from special occasion cooking. It took a long time for this basic fact to work its way through my thick skull. Luckily, I stumbled across Pam Anderson's How to Cook Without a Book. Pam wrote it specifically for weeknight cooking, emphasizing basic techniques with simple flavor variations. As she says in the book, you don't have time on a weeknight to be looking at a recipe. Pam taught me the steam-saute technique. Quick green vegetable side dishes for Diane? Finally!
*First Diane had to live through my "saute with pan sauce" phase. I tried every combination in Pam's book, dazzled by the variety you can get from a simple, basic technique. Diane wasn't quite as dazzled. I never caught her, but I suspect that she was feeding the cat sauteed chicken breast with mustard sauce when I wasn't looking. I don't blame her. That was the day after we had pork chop saute with orange sauce, two days after turkey saute with tomato sauce, three days after steak saute with red wine cream sauce…even the cat was sick of pan sauces.

Then the kids came along. Another shock to my system. What do you mean, they're picky? They don't want beef stew with polenta and broccoli rabe for dinner? They'd rather eat the bread, and nothing but the bread?

Eventually, I made it. I learned how to really cook for my family. How to plan out weeknight meals, pick meals that fit into the time available, stick to basic, comforting food, and save the elaborate stuff for the weekends.
*Learning to use pressure cookers and slow cookers to bend time in the kitchen also helped a lot.

So, when I read that foodie men are no help in the kitchen, I laughed. "Thank God I'm past all that," I said to myself. "I'm an an evolved Male cook. I don't treat every meal as summit to be conquered, regardless of the consequences."

Then I realized…what do I post on this blog, nine times out of ten? Big, elaborate, production meals. When Diane and the kids see me in the kitchen with my camera, they moan in unison: "Oh, no, is this a blog meal?" Dinner won't be on the table for a while. When I say "five more minutes while I take a couple of pictures" they disappear into the basement to play the Wii. They know what "five more minutes" means.*
*Fifteen to thirty minutes.

I'm not as evolved as I hoped. I'm more of a recovering Male cook. I've learned my lessons, but I have to watch my step. Backsliding is so easy. There is always a new recipe I have to try, a new technique I just read about. On weeknights, I need to remind myself to keep it simple. Simple doesn't mean bland; I can whip up some pretty interesting meals in a hurry. But if I'm not careful, interesting turns into rolled, stuffed pork loin on the rotisserie with drip pan smashed potatoes. Which is a great meal…just not on a busy Wednesday.
*Mark Bittman always impresses me with his ability to strip a recipe down to its weeknight essentials. My favorites involve a fancy restaurant starting point that Mark simplifies for the home kitchen.

What do you think?

What are your kitchen weaknesses? What's the most over the top recipe you tried to make on a Tuesday night? Leave them in the comments section below.

Why Dad Should Cook
Family Dinners and Small Kids
Weekly Dinner Plans

Inspired by:

Pam Anderson, How to Cook Without a Book
Mark Bittman, Cooking Solves Everything

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Pressure Cooker Massaman Beef Curry

2012-01-19T07:00:00.000-05:00

I want to make Thai curries at home, but the ingredient list always scares me. I love shopping at local Asian markets, but…shrimp paste? Magroot skin? Galangal? I would only use them once. The few times I've made a curry, I've used jarred spice pastes....but that's cheating, right?

Then I had my lucky break. Leela at SheSimmers.com specializes in Thai cooking. She recommends spice paste over buying the individual ingredients, particularly if you're just starting out with Thai curries.

That was all I needed - I was off and running with my spice pastes. Well, I thought I was, until I had a Massaman curry at Madam Mam's, and chose that as my first curry to work on for the blog. Who knew jars of Massaman curry paste were hard to find? Luckily, I had the power of the internet on my side, and after a false start where Massaman curry paste magically turned into green curry paste while shipping, I was stocked and ready to go.
*Also, I broke Leela's rule #5 of Massaman curry - I used a pressure cooker. Sorry, Leela…but I followed ~~all~~ most of your other rules, OK? OK.

The results were amazing. Yes, even with the pressure cooker. Not sure what Leela has against them, but it sure worked for me. Massaman curry has a lot of spice flavor, but it isn't all that hot. It was a big hit with the kids. (At least the ones willing to taste it.) Looking for a delicious Thai curry in about an hour? Fire up the pressure cooker and give this one a try.
*No Pressure Cooker? No worries. See the Variations section for cooking instructions with a standard dutch oven.

Recipe: Pressure Cooker Massaman Beef Curry

Adapted from: Leela Punyaratabandhu Massaman Curry [SheSimmers.com]

Cook time: 55 minutes

Equipment:

Pressure cooker, at least 6 quarts (I tested out my new Cuisinart Electric Pressure Cooker with this recipe)

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 medium onions, peeled, cut into 1/2 inch wedges
1 (13.5 ounce) can coconut milk
1/2 cup Massaman curry paste (a whole 4 oz can)
3 pounds beef chuck cut into 1 inch cubes
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 cup chicken stock or water
1 tablespoon fish sauce (plus more to taste)
1 tablespoon soy sauce (plus more to taste)
1 tablespoon tamarind paste (plus more to taste)
1 tablespoon brown sugar (plus more to taste)
1 1/2 pounds new potatoes, rinsed and scrubbed

Garnish:

1/3 cup dry-roasted peanuts, crushed

Directions:

1. Brown the onions:
Heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat in the pressure cooker pot until shimmering. Add the onion wedges and cook without moving for 4 minutes, until well browned on one side. Remove to a plate.

2. Fry the curry paste:
Scrape the cream from the top of the can of coconut milk - it should yield about a cup of cream - and add it to the pot. Stir in the curry paste. Cook, stirring often, until the curry paste starts to fry, about 8 minutes.

3. Pressure cook the curry:
Sprinkle the beef with the kosher salt. Add the beef to the pot, and stir until covered with the curry paste. Stir in the and reserved onions, rest of the coconut milk, chicken stock, fish sauce, tamarind paste, and brown sugar. Float the new potatoes on top of the liquid in the pot. Lock the lid on the pressure cooker and bring to high heat, then pressure cook on high heat for 12 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the pressure come down naturally.

4. Finish the curry:
Remove the potatoes from the pot with a slotted spoon, cut each in half, and stir back into the pot. Taste the broth for seasoning, adding more fish sauce, tamarind paste, or brown sugar as needed. Ladle the curry into bowls, sprinkle with some of the roasted peanuts, and serve with Jasmine rice.

Variations:

*Don't have a pressure cooker? No problem. Use a heavy bottomed dutch oven with a lid, and increase the amount of chicken stock to 2 cups. Follow the instructions right up until "lock the lid". Then, instead of pressure cooking, bring the pot to a boil and cover with the lid. Move the pot to a preheated 350*F oven and bake for 3 hours, until the beef is tender. Continue with the serving step.

Notes:

*Don't use low fat coconut milk - you need the heavy cream for frying the curry paste. Also, don't shake the can, so the heavy cream is still on top and can be scraped out of the can.

*The curry paste, coconut milk, tamarind paste and fish sauce are special ingredients - if you're lucky, you will be able to get them at your local megamart. Tamarind paste and good fish sauce were at my local Asian market. Last was a trip to the internet. If I was after a green or red curry, I could have bought everything locally, but I really wanted the Masssman curry paste, and I had to order that online.

What do you think? Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

Pressure Cooker Chinese Pork with Dried Plum Sauce
Pressure Cooker Lamb and Barley Stew
Click here for my other pressure cooker recipes.

Adapted from:

Leela Punyaratabandhu Massaman Curry [SheSimmers.com]

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Weber 2012 Sneak Peek

2012-01-17T07:00:00.000-05:00

I just stumbled across this Weber's 2012 Sneak Peek website...and my lust for grilling gadgets is already in high gear.

*h/t Mike at AnotherPintPlease for passing the link on...

I must have:

Extra Large drip pans. Sized to fit perfectly in my Weber kettle, between the charcoal baskets when I'm rotisserieing. Where have they been all my life?
*If rotisserieing isn't a word yet, I'm going to make it one. Watch out, Merriam-Webster...

Enameled plancha. A plancha is a flat, three-walled griddle from Argentina, designed for use on the grill. I was going to get the one from Williams-Sonoma; now I have to make a choice.

Summit Grill Center With Social Area. Oh my. Hang on, I have to wipe the drool off my keyboard. That's better. Yes, I know it probably costs more than my car. Yes, I'll have to reinforce my deck just to support it. Whatever it takes. I want it. No, I need it. My precious!

Interesting, but not essential:

Gourmet BBQ System Pizza Stone. I grill pizza all the time, but having the stone in the grill is something I've only read about. I may have to pick this up and give it a try.

Fish Baskets. Another grilling gadget that I've never purchased, but meant to. I'm not sure I cook enough fish to make it worth it, but I'll probably check these out as well.

Long Handled Pincer Tongs. Probably a useless gadget, destined to gather dust in the back of my cabinet...but I'm still going to buy a pair.

Curses, foiled again:

26.75-inch Charcoal Kettle Rotisserie. No, it's not there. Again. Every year they leave me hanging. When are they going to make a rotisserie for the larger kettle? I don't care what it costs, I'll pay...just make one already. Please?

Finally, some apologies:

I apologize for the lack of direct links - Weber has all this information in a slideshow, and I can't get the links to work. If you're interested, go to 2012SneakPeek.Weber.com and scroll around until you find what I'm talking about.

I also apologize if you're not a Weber fanatic. We'll continue with our non-Weber programming later in the week. And no, I wasn't paid to promote this in any way. I'm just a Weber fanboy.

What do you think? Anything you have to have for your grill this year? Leave them in the comments section below.

Why Weber?
Weber Gourmet BBQ System Review

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Giveaway Winners for Meatless Meals

2012-01-16T07:18:00.001-05:00

Thank you for the great meatless meal suggestions. Now I have a bunch of vegetarian recipes to try!

I have good news. I have TWO copies of How to Cook Without a Book: Meatless Meals to give away.

The first winner, selected by Random.org is comment #23, Monica.

Her favorite meatless meals are "either sweet potato/black bean burritos or a sweet potato/chickpea stew with peanut sauce."

The second winner is comment #15, Dantebbe.

Their favorite meatless meal is: "Thai red-curry tofu"...and thank you for leaving detailed cooking instructions in the comment!

Congratulations, Monica, and Dantebbe! Email me to let me know your mailing information.

Everyone else, I'm sorry, but you'll have to buy your own copy. Better luck next time...

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Weekday Oatmeal

2012-01-12T07:00:00.001-05:00

Thursday is oatmeal morning in our house. For years that meant packages of instant oatmeal.
*Dinosaur eggs with brown sugar were the favorite.

Last year, I read Mark Bittman's diatribe about instant oatmeal. I started to make it myself. Mr. Bittman is right; oatmeal is quick and easy. It takes maybe fifteen minutes to make a batch. The problem is, the kids fought the change tooth and nail. "It doesn't taste right" was the rallying cry.
*This means it's not full of sugar pellets in the shape of dinosaurs.

After a while, I got tired of fighting every Thursday morning, and went back to instant oatmeal. I gave up on making my own oatmeal, and went back to instant. When school started in the fall, I made a second push to making our own oatmeal. I was losing the battle against instant oatmeal…until I read Oatmeal Worth Waking Up For in Pam Anderson's How To Cook Without a Book: Meatless Meals.

Pam's oatmeal is a basic technique with all sorts of options. At the core, Pam's recipe is the same as Bittman's. (As are all oatmeal recipes - how tricky can you get with a 2:1 ratio of water to oats?) So, why did Pam's recipe help so much? In Pam's own words, the options for oatmeal "read like a dessert menu rather than breakfast". I should seen it sooner - the way to my kids' stomach was through their sweet tooth.

What follows is my favorite oatmeal. I'm a traditionalist; I want oatmeal with raisins. As a nod to the kids, I added Pam's warming spice blend of cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. "This tastes like pumpkin pie" was the review from two out of three kids. If you need a quick breakfast to warm everyone up on a cold morning, reach for the oatmeal.
*Now, if I could just find a book of really terrible dinosaur jokes. That's what I miss from the instant oatmeal packets.

Recipe: Weekday Oatmeal

Adapted From: Oatmeal Worth Waking Up For, Pam Anderson, How to Cook Without A Book: Meatless Meals

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

2 cups rolled oats ("old fashioned" oats)
2 cups water
2 cups milk
pinch of salt
2/3 cup raisins or other dried fruit
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon cloves

Directions:

1. Cook the oatmeal:
Mix all the ingredients in a large saucepan, then bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Decrease the heat to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the oatmeal thickens to your liking, about 5 minutes. Serve with more brown sugar and raisins to add at the table.

Variations:

*Easy: Oats, water, milk and salt. Pass brown sugar at the table. The rest of the ingredients are optional.

*Go Nuts: Crush some peanuts and sprinkle them on at the table.

*See Pam's book for an amazing variety of options, add ins, spices, and toppings.

Notes:

*I put the lid on the pot when I'm bringing it to a boil. This speeds up the boiling, but increases the chance of a boil-over. I use a large, nonstick pot with a glass lid, and keep an eye on it - the moment I see steam escaping from the side, I turn the heat down.
*Keeping an eye one it is not easy before I have my morning coffee.

*Why do I call this weekday oatmeal? Because I make longer cooking oatmeal with steel-cut oats on the weekend. I love that oatmeal, but it takes a half an hour, and the kids would much rather have this recipe. Sigh.

What do you think? Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

Review: Cook Without a Book: Meatless Meals by Pam Anderson

Adapted from:

Oatmeal Worth Waking Up For, Pam Anderson, How to Cook Without A Book: Meatless Meals

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Giveaway: Cook Without A Book: Meatless Meals by Pam Anderson

2012-01-10T07:00:00.001-05:00

Cookbook Giveaway!

Pam Anderson was kind enough to send me a copy of Cook Without A Book:Meatless Meals. I already have a copy (see my review here), so we're having a giveaway!

To enter the giveaway, leave a comment (in the giveaway post on my blog) with your favorite meatless meal.
*For me, meatless meals are rice and beans. Cajun red beans and rice, Cuban black beans and rice, Indian lentils and rice...I'm using Pam's book to spread my (vegetarian) wings.

The Fine Print:

One entry per person, and please make sure there is some way I can get in touch with you through the comment. (In other words...no anonymous comments, unless you identify yourself in the text of the comment.) The comment has to be in this post on DadCooksDinner.com; emails, entries on my Facebook page, retweets, and notes wrapped around bricks and thrown through my window will not be considered for the drawing. Only entries from North America will be accepted.

Entries will be closed at 9PM EST on Sunday, January 15th, and I will randomly select the winner at that point. The winner will be announced Sunday. If I am unable to contact the winner by Wednesday the 18th, I will pick a new winner. Good luck!

[FCC Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book for my giveaway.]

My review of Pam Anderson's Cook Without A Book: Meatless Meals

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Rotisserie Duck with Honey Glaze and Drip Pan New Potatoes

2012-01-05T07:00:00.000-05:00

Crisp skinned roast duck with duck fat potatoes. Doesn't that sound decadent? Oh, it is. This is a great recipe to show off your rotisserie grilling skills.

I tried a slightly different approach to my duck. Instead of poking the skin all over with a knife, I went with the slashed skin that I use when I'm searing individual duck breasts. Why? Two reasons. First, I hoped more duck fat would escape through the larger slashes. Second, diamond patterns look prettier in photos.
*Yes, I use some cooking techniques because they look good in pictures. I'm…I'm…food styling. I feel like I should be ashamed. But then I see the duck and potatoes picture, and I get over it.

Did slashing the skin help? Yes, but not as much as I expected. There was a slight improvement over poked-skin duck, a little less fat under the crispy skin. And the diamond pattern sure looks nice in the pictures. (Whoops, there I go again.) I'm going to use the slashed skin approach in the future, but if you are more comfortable poking your duck, keep doing it. Frankly, I think dry brining for 24 hours in the refrigerator crisps the skin more than slashing vs poking.

Special thanks to Jeff and Melanie at Brunty Farms for the wonderful duck I used for this recipe.

Recipe: Rotisserie Duck with Honey Glaze and Drip Pan New Potatoes

Cook time: 90 minutes

Equipment:

Grill with Rotisserie attachment (I used a Weber Summit with an infrared rotisserie burner. Here is the current version of my grill. )
Aluminum foil drip pan (9"x12", or whatever fits your grill)
Butcher's twine

Ingredients:

1 (5-6 pound) duck
1 1/2 tablespoons Kosher salt

1 1/2 pounds new potatoes, halved
2 teaspoons Kosher salt

Glaze:

Juice of 1 lime (rind saved to stuff the bird)
3 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary

A few thyme and rosemary sprigs, for stuffing the bird
A few thyme sprigs, tied together to make a brush

Directions:

For an overview, see my rotisserie poultry basic technique.

1. Dry Brine the Duck:
Slash the skin and fat all over the duck in a one inch diamond pattern, being careful not to cut into the flesh. Season the duck with the salt and pepper, inside and out. Rub the salt into the slashes in the skin. Put the duck on a rack over a roasting pan or baking sheet. Store in the refrigerator, uncovered, at least overnight, or up to 48 hours before cooking. This lets the skin dry, and gives the salt time to dry brine the duck.

2. Stuff, truss, and skewer the duck:
Remove the duck from the refrigerator 2 hours before cooking to let it come to room temperature. Juice the lime and reserve the lime juice for the glaze, then put the lime halves and a handful of thyme and rosemary inside the duck cavity. Fold the wingtips back underneath the wings, then truss the duck. Skewer the duck on the rotisserie spit, securing it with the spit forks.

3. Prepare the grill:
Set the grill up for rotisserie cooking at medium-high heat. For my Weber Summit, I remove the grill grates, turn the two outer burners (burners 1 and 6) to high, and turn the infrared burner to high. Then I put my drip pan in the middle, over the unlit burners, and let the grill preheat for ten to fifteen minutes. After preheating, I turn the lit burners down to medium-high.

4. Prep the potatoes:
While the grill is pre-heating, halve the new potatoes, toss with 2 teaspoons kosher salt, put them in a microwave safe bowl, and seal the top of the bowl with plastic wrap. Microwave for 5 minutes to par-cook, and reserve for later

5. Prep the glaze:
Put the reserved lime juice, honey, minced thyme, and rosemary in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 1 minute. Stir until the honey and lime juice are evenly mixed.

6. Cook the duck and the potatoes:
Put the spit on the grill, and cook the duck with the lid closed. After 45 minutes, pour the potatoes into the drip pan underneath the duck. Total cooking time for the duck is about an hour and a half. Check the duck's temperature with an instant read thermometer, starting at 45 minutes of cooking time, when you add the potatoes; the duck is fully cooked when the temperature in the thickest part of the thigh is 180 *F. Once the duck is cooked through, brush it with an even layer of the glaze, using the herb brush. Close the lid and cook for five more minutes to thicken the glaze, then brush the duck with another layer of glaze and remove from the grill.

7. Finish the duck and potatoes: Remove the duck from the spit onto a platter. Be careful - the spit is blazing hot. Remove the twine from the duck, then brush the duck once more with the glaze. Remove the potatoes from the drip pan with a slotted spoon, then taste and sprinkle with a little more salt if necessary. Let the duck rest for 10-15 minutes before carving.

Notes:

*One duck will feed 4 people, with the potatoes and another side dish. I slice the duck breast and the thighs, and serve the drumsticks and wings as crunchy snacks. If you have hearty eaters, assume they'll want half a duck - a breast and a leg. I think I can squeeze two ducks on the spit for my jumbo Weber Summit grill. What I'm trying to say is: this is a recipe for an intimate gathering, not for a crowd.

*If you like your duck breast cooked pink - medium rare to medium- this is not the recipe for you. To cook the legs through and render enough fat to crisp the skin, you have to cook the breast to well done. I like well done duck breast; the crisp skin and fat keep it juicy. But if you really want medium-rare duck breast, it needs to cook separately from the rest of the duck.

What do you think? Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

Rotisserie Duck Peking Style
Rotisserie Duck with Pomegranate Glaze
Basic Rotisserie Duck
Click here for my other rotisserie recipes.

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Things I Can Never Have Enough Of In My Kitchen

2012-01-03T07:00:00.000-05:00

What kitchen tools do I really need? I was thinking back to my minimalist kitchen list...while trying to cram a whisk into my overflowing utensil crock. Why do I have all this stuff? It dawned on me - there are kitchen tools where I can't just have one. What tools are so necessary that I keep buying extras, just in case one is in the dishwasher?

1. Tongs
Spring loaded tongs are my hands, at the stove and on the grill. I keep three different styles of tongs. 12 inch tongs for general kitchen usage; 12 inch tongs with nonstick-safe heads, to protect nonstick and enameled cast iron cookware; and 16 inch tongs for grilling, to give me a little extra reach before I get over the fire.

2. Paring Knives
I love knives. I have a lot of paring knives; too many, honestly, but when I see a new knife I have to have it. Setting aside my knife addiction, the paring knives I use every day fall into two general types. The first is my cheap Victorinox paring knives. I use these for rough work; anything where I would want to throw it in the dishwasher when I was done. I use them for everything from trimming fat to opening packages to coring apples. The second type of knife is my (expensive) sheep's foot granton edge paring knife. This one comes out when I need to do fine work, like mincing and dicing shallots or garlic.

3. Peelers
I'm in the middle of a peeling conversion. I started with straight peelers; the Oxo peeler was a revelation when it first came out. Now I've switched over to Y peelers. "Hold it like a pencil" was what I read, I tried it, and I'm a Y peeler convert.
*Why Y? Y not?

Either type, it always helps to have an extra peelers. If someone wants to help peel potatoes, I don't turn them down.

4. Measuring Spoons/Measuring Cups
There's nothing worse than needing a half-teaspoon of baking soda and finding out the half-teaspoon is in the sink and covered in batter. I have two sets of measuring spoons and measuring cups, which means I don't have to constantly wash them out when I'm baking.

5. Pinch bowls/Ramekins
Mise en place, "everything in its place", is the key to professional cooking. I'm a home cook, so I prep as I go, but I'm always reaching for my pinch bowls to hold a few ingredients for later.

Honorable mention:
Why is my utensil crock overflowing? Because of: flat edged wooden spoons, ladles, serving spoons, spatulas, turners, and whisks. How could I get by with only one of those?

What do you think? I'm sure I forgot something...what did I miss? Leave them in the comments section below.

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Slow Cooker Chili with Ground Beef and Beans

2011-12-29T08:00:00.000-05:00

What do I make on a weeknight, when I need a quick, warming meal? Ground beef and bean chili. Sure, purists call this chili for sissies. As far as they're concerned, if there are beans and tomatoes in it, I might as well be wearing a dress when I make it. You know what? I don't care. Sissy or not, this is the chili I grew up with, the first one I learned to make on my own. Sure, it's not a bowl of Texas red. It doesn't have to be; it's a great style of chili all on its own.
*Sorry for the mental picture of me in a dress. I hope you're not scarred for life...

This is the chili that converted my kids. They flinch when served a meal with everything mixed together. The kids want to be able to identify all the ingredients, preferably separated by at least an inch on their plates, so they don't have any of the yucky stuff touching the good stuff. One pot meals are not popular around here....but I make this chili so often that it wore them down. First, they covered it with shredded cheese...and ate the cheese off the top. Then they started fishing out the kidney beans. Soon, the ground beef was acceptable as well. Now, two of the three get excited when I make chili.
*The third? He wants his chili made entirely from chunks of beef. Great. I'm raising a chili purist.

Recipe: Slow Cooker Chili with Ground Beef and Beans

Adapted From: Editors at America's Test Kitchen Slow Cooker Revolution

Cook time: 10 hours

Equipment:

6 quart or larger slow cooker (Crock Pot brand is fine, but I like my fancy one from All-Clad)

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large onions, diced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1/3 cup tomato paste (half of a 6 ounce can)
1/4 cup chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon dried oregano (preferably mexican oregano)
1 tablespoon chipotle en adobo puree
2 pounds ground beef (preferably 85% or leaner)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/2 cup water
28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
28 ounce can diced tomatoes
4 (15 ounce) cans red kidney beans
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon cider vinegar

Directions:

1. Saute the meat and aromatics:
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the onion and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and saute until the onion is softened, about 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic, tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, coriander, oregano, and chipotle. Saute until the tomato paste darkens, about 2 minutes. Add the ground beef sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and saute until the meat just loses its pink color. Increase the heat to high, add the water, and bring to a boil, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir in the tomatoes, beans, soy sauce and brown sugar, and bring to a simmer.

2. Slow cook the chili:
Transfer the ingredients to the slow cooker, cover, and cook on low heat for 8 to 10 hours or high heat for 4 to 5 hours.

3. Serve: Stir in the teaspoon of cider vinegar, add more salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

Notes:

*Garnish with: diced onions, sour cream, shredded cheese, pickled jalapenos, minced cilantro, and tortilla chips.

*Soy sauce may seem strange in this recipe. It's a trick I learned from Cooks Illustrated; it adds meaty umami flavor to the chili.

*A number of readers have asked about my All-Clad slow cooker. It's not really worth three hundred dollars, is it? Well, if low cost is important…of course not. A decent slow cooker costs thirty dollars. But… If you can afford it, the All-Clad Deluxe Slow Cooker is a joy to use. If you can afford it, the stovetop safe insert is worth the cost. No extra pot to clean! Use the cast aluminum insert to saute and brown on the stovetop, add the other ingredients to the insert on the stove, bring to a simmer, and drop the whole thing in slow cooker base.

What do you think? Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

Slow Cooker Bolognese Sauce
Slow Cooker Mexican Shredded Pork Tinga
Slow Cooker Pot Roast, Tex Mex Style

Adapted from:

Editors at America's Test Kitchen Slow Cooker Revolution

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Quick Baked Potatoes

2011-12-27T07:00:00.000-05:00

I love baked potatoes, but they take so long to cook. Potatoes need an hour (or more) to be tender in the middle with a crisp, crackling skin. Weeknight baked potatoes? Out of the question.

That changed one afternoon as I drove back from lunch. Jacques Pepin was on the radio, chatting about his new cookbook. Jacques is an encyclopedia of cooking tips, and he had a great time sharing them with the host of the show.

Then came the tip that nearly ran me off the road. His baked potatoes are done in thirty minutes or less. What?
*At this point, I remembered the yellow lines on the road are for my safety, and the safety of all those other cars around me...

Thirty minutes? How? Jacques microwaves the potatoes while his oven pre-heats, giving them a head start. The result is perfect baked potatoes in half the time they normally take.

That was seven years ago; I have used the microwave technique ever since. Now, I'm almost ashamed to share this; it's barely a recipe. One ingredient, two steps. And I'm stretching to make it two steps. But I'll get over my shame. This is too useful a technique.

Recipe: Quick Baked Potatoes

Adapted From: Jacques Pepin, Fast Food My Way

Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

6 small russet potatoes (6-8 ounces each)

Directions:

1. Start potatoes in Microwave:
Turn oven to 425*F. Wash the potatoes, then poke each one three times with a fork. Microwave the potatoes on high for 6 minutes.

2. Finish potatoes in oven:
Transfer the potatoes to the oven, and cook for 20 minutes, or until the skin feels crisp when a potato is squeezed. Remove from the oven and immediately cut a slice the top of the potato to let the steam escape. Squeeze from the ends to fluff up, and serve.

Variations:

Large potatoes, 12 to 16 ounces: microwave for 8 to 10 minutes before transferring to the oven, and bake for 25 minutes.

Notes:

*Salt and pepper the potatoes once they are split open. Garnish with one or more of: shredded cheese, sour cream, chives, bacon bits, jalapenos. Or a pat of butter. Or, my favorite, a pan sauce from sauteed pork chops.

*Find good, clean potatoes for this recipe. Baked potatoes work best when they're whole. The skin traps the steam inside, making the inside fluffy and tender. If you have to remove bruises or eyes, then the steam will escape, and the potatoes won't bake as well.

What do you think? Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

Basic White Rice
Orzo Pilaf

Adapted from:

Jacques Pepin, Fast Food My Way

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Merry Christmas! (2011 Edition)

2011-12-25T07:00:00.000-05:00

I never thought it was such a bad little tree. It’s not bad at all, really.
Maybe it just needs a little love.

[Charles Schultz, A Charlie Brown Christmas]

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

Mike Vrobel
DadCooksDinner.com

Rotisserie Boneless Ribeye Roast with Garlic Crust

2011-12-22T07:00:00.000-05:00

Christmas is here; time for the roast beast!

I'm trying something new with my Christmas roast - boneless Ribeye.

My favorite part of a beef roast is the bones. Unfortunately, my guests won't gnaw on rib bones at the Christmas table. This is awkward; I'm not letting something minor (like table manners) get between me and ribs.

So, I'm hunched over my plate, elbows on the table, ripping hunks of meat from the bone…and they're looking at me like I'm Henry VIII reincarnated.
*In my mind's eye, I'm wearing a floppy hat with a feather, have rings on every finger, and am talking with my mouth full while waving a bone around for emphasis. Maybe the Henry VII thing is just my imagination…but there sure are a lot of ribs left over for me to eat while the table is cleared.

That's why I tried boneless ribeye roast. Ribeye roast is a prime rib with the bones cut off. I love the big, meaty flavor of ribeye, and I was curious how it would turn out without the bones.

The boneless ribeye has some advantages over the bone-in prime rib. The best part of a rotisserie roast is the perfect browned crust. With a bone-in roast, that crust only goes halfway around; cutting the bones off takes the crust with them. A boneless roast is ringed with a perfect crust. Carving is the second advantage; no bones to worry about, just slice and serve.

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not giving up on rotisserie prime rib. There is something primeval about a roast with bones sticking out of it. It speaks to me. It's that inner Henry VIII thing again. And, I think cooking with the bones on gives the meat a little extra flavor. But boneless ribeye is another a good cut of meat for the rotisserie.

Recipe: Rotisserie Boneless Ribeye Roast with Garlic Crust

Cook time: 60 minutes

Equipment:

Grill with Rotisserie attachment (I used a Weber Summit with an infrared rotisserie burner. Here is the current version of my grill. )
Aluminum foil drip pan (9"x12", or whatever fits your grill)
Butcher's twine

Ingredients:

3 1/2 pound Boneless Beef Rib Roast (4 inches wide)
1 tablespoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
6 cloves garlic, minced

Blue Cheese and Caper Sauce:

1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
1 tablespoon capers, drained and minced

Directions:

1. Season the roast, prepare the sauce:
Two hours before cooking, season the roast with the salt and pepper, then rub with the garlic. Work the garlic into the roast as far as possible, using the natural seams in the meat and around the fat. Leave the roast at room temperature until it is time to cook. Whisk the blue cheese and caper sauce ingredients in a small bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until it is time to serve.

2. Prepare the grill:
Set the grill up for rotisserie cooking at high heat. For my Weber Summit, this means removing the grates, turning the two outer burners (burners 1 and 6) to high, and turning the infrared burner to high. Then I put my drip pan in the middle, over the unlit burners, and let the grill preheat for ten to fifteen minutes. (See here for more rotisserie setup details.)

3. Spit the roast:
While the grill is pre-heating, truss and spit the roast. Truss the roast into a tight cylinder with butcher's twine, tying it about every inch and a half.
*My roast was 4 inches wide; I trussed it 1/2 inch from each end, then added a single truss in the middle.

4. Cook the roast:
Put the spit on the rotisserie, start it spinning. Cook with the lid closed until the roast reaches an internal temperature of 120* F to 125* F for medium rare, about an hour.
(Cook to 115* F for rare, 130* F to 135* F for medium. If you want to go higher than that, don't tell me; I don't want to know.)

Wow, it gets dark quick in the winter...

5. Rest, carve and serve:
Remove the spit from the grill. Be careful - the spit is hot. Remove the roast from the spit, transfer to a platter, remove the twine, and cover with foil. Let the roast rest for 15 to 30 minutes before carving into 1/2" thick slices. Serve with the blue cheese and caper sauce on the side.

Notes:

*Use an instant read thermometer to tell if the roast is done. Otherwise, you'll have to cook it for an hour and hope for the best.

*Normally, I make horseradish sauce with rotisserie beef. I was out of prepared horseradish, so I whipped up this blue cheese and caper sauce. And, you know, it's as good as horseradish sauce on beef…and even better spread on baked potatoes.

*Cooking time depends on the width of the roast more than the weight. A larger ribeye roast is going to be longer, not thicker. In other words, a bigger roast will only take a little longer to cook. I would guess an extra 15 to 30 minutes at most, but check it a little before the hour mark just to make sure it's not cooking too quickly, and every 15 minutes after that.

What do you think? Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

Rotisserie Prime Rib
Rotisserie Beef Tenderloin with Shallot Herb Butter and Horseradish Sauce
Rotisserie Strip Loin Roast
Click here for my other rotisserie recipes.

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Plank Grilled Brie with Honey and Thyme

2011-12-20T07:00:00.000-05:00

Ever have a favorite recipe…that you forget?

Years ago, my go to appetizer was cedar plank Camembert. I'd pull a smoking plank with a big round of cheese off of the grill, and amaze my guests. "What do you mean, you're grilling the cheese?"

I stopped making it. I don't know why; it just drifted out of my memory.

Last month Christopher Kimball talked about secret Thanksgiving recipes on NPR. His favorite appetizer? Brie with Honey and Thyme, microwaved until bubbling. A simple version of my old favorite.
*My favorite part of the show? Mr. Kimball made cornflake stuffing. Yes, stuffing made out of breakfast cereal. Why make cornbread just for stuffing, when you can substitute cornflakes?
That wasn't the favorite part. Asked if he'd confess, he said "I would lie, of course. The prerogative of the cook is, when someone asks what's in it, you don't have to tell the truth."

I know what my Christmas appetizer will be. And maybe New Year's as well. Sure, I could use the microwave, but you know me - the grill will already be fired up. I'm going back to my old standby, and plank grilling some cheese.

Recipe: Plank Grilled Brie with Honey and Thyme

Adapted From: Chris Kimball, Thanksgiving Secrets; Steven Raichlen Beer Can Chicken (and other offbeat recipes for the grill)

Cook time: 25 minutes

Equipment:

Grill (I use a Weber Summit Here is the current version of my grill. )
Maple Grilling Plank, roughly 6 inches by 6 inches

Ingredients:

1 (8 ounce) brie round (5 inches in diameter)
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme (1 large sprig)

Directions:

1. Soak the plank:
Soak the plank for at least one hour, up to overnight. Weigh down to keep it submerged; I use my honey bear.

2. Prepare the grill:
Set the grill for indirect high heat cooking. On my Weber Summit, I preheat the grill for 15 minutes with all the burners on high, then I turn off all the burners except 1 and 3, and put the plank over unlit burner #2 (This leaves burners 4-6 available to cook something else). I want an internal temperature of 450*F, higher if I can get it.

3. Prepare the cheese:
While the grill preheats, remove the plank from the water and pat dry. Carefully slice the rind from the top of the brie round. Leave the rind on the sides and bottom of the brie. Put the round on the plank, cut side up. Drizzle the honey on top of each round, then sprinkle with the thyme.

4. Cook the cheese:
Put the plank on the grill over indirect heat. Cook with the lid closed for 20 to 25 minutes, until the sides of the brie are softened and brown.

5. Serve:
Transfer the plank to a heat-proof platter and let it cool down for five minutes. Serve with crackers and a spoon for scooping.

Variations:

*If you have a larger plank, say 6 inches by 12 inches, cook two brie rounds.

*Brie and Camembert are interchangeable in this recipe.

*Different toppings: Top the honey with berries, or replace the honey with your favorite jam, jelly, or chutney. Steven Raichlen's original was for Camembert with peach chutney.

*Chris Kimball microwaved the brie in his version. Skip the plank and the grill - put the brie round on a plate and microwave for 1 to 2 minutes, until the cheese begins to bubble.

*Leave the rind. Slicing the top is optional; some consider the rind the best part of the brie, and don't want to lose the top piece. Slicing the top off makes it easy to scoop the gooey center of the brie onto crackers; if the top is still on it has to be sliced. Either way, make sure to eat the rind - it is delicious. (I eat the sliced top as a chef's treat while I'm preparing the cheese).

Notes:

*If you're having a problem finding maple planks, any fruit wood (apple, cherry) is a good substitute. Cedar planks work, and are easiest to find, but I like maple smoke with cheese.

*I put the plank on a heat-proof platter to contain the ashes on the bottom of the plank and protect the table from any heat.

*While grilling the plank you will occasionally hear a loud popping noise. This is normal.

*That said…keep an eye on the grill, watching for smoke. A little smoke is what you want; if you see smoke pouring out of the grill, the plank is on fire. Use tongs to move the plank away from direct flames on the grill, and the plank should extinguish itself.

*I had a runny honey problem; Winnie the Pooh would approve. My honey crystallized; I microwaved it to loosen it up. Unfortunately, I overdid it - my honey was so thin it rolled over the sides of the cheese and onto the plank. That's OK - this is one of those recipes where, even if it turns into a mess, still tastes and looks great.

What do you think?

Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

Cedar Plank Salmon
Click here for my other rotisserie recipes.

Adapted from:

Chris Kimball, Thanksgiving Secrets [NPR.org]
Steven Raichlen Beer Can Chicken (and other offbeat recipes for the grill)
aFire Mini Sugar Maple Grilling Planks

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Pressure Cooker Cannellini Beans, Bacon and Swiss Chard with Pasta

2011-12-15T07:00:00.000-05:00

Here is my five dollar challenge meal. I fed my family of five for $16.24, with enough leftovers for a couple of lunches later in the week.

The only problem? The kids didn't like the green stuff - the Swiss chard. They gobbled down the bacon, then picked at the beans and pasta around the chard leaves.
*Someday my kids will love vegetables. This is like saying: someday the sun is going to burn out and become a dwarf star. Sure, it's going to happen, but I'm doubt I'll be around to see it.

Why cook a five dollar challenge meal in an expensive pressure cooker?

Pressure cookers are great for cooking beans. Instead of hours, the beans are cooked through and creamy in 30 minutes. When I want a weeknight meal, like this one, 30 minute beans are critical. You don't need an expensive pressure cooker; any six quart or larger pressure cooker will do the job.
*No pressure cooker? No worries. See the Variations section for cooking instructions using a standard dutch oven.

Recipe: Pressure Cooker Cannellini Beans, Bacon and Swiss Chard with Pasta

Cook time: 45 minutes

Inspired by: Lorna Sass Pressure Perfect

Equipment:

Pressure Cooker (I love my monster Kuhn Rikon 12 Quart Stockpot, but it is overkill for this recipe.)

Ingredients:

Brine:

1 pound dried cannellini beans, sorted and rinsed
3 quarts water
3 tablespoons fine sea salt or table salt (or 6 tablespoons kosher salt)

Pasta:

1 pound box pasta (Preferably a tube shaped pasta; I used chiocciole)
1 tablespoon fine sea salt or table salt

Remaining ingredients:

8 ounces bacon
1 large onion, diced
1 bunch Swiss chard, stems cut into 1/2 inch pieces, leaves roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 sprig rosemary
6 cups water
1 Lemon, zested and juiced

Directions:

1. Sort, rinse, and brine the beans:
At least 8 hours before cooking, sort the cannellini beans, removing broken beans, stones or dirt clods. Rinse the beans, put them in a large container, cover with 3 tablespoons salt and 3 quarts water, and stir to dissolve the salt. Let the beans soak for at least 8 hours, or overnight.

2. Cook the pasta:
Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil, add 1 tablespoon salt, and cook the pasta for the time listed on the box, then drain.

3. Cook the bacon and saute the aromatics:
While the water is boiling for the pasta: Put the bacon in the pressure cooker pot over low heat, and cook until has rendered its fat and is crispy and brown, about 10 minutes. Remove the bacon to a paper towel lined plate, leaving as much of the bacon fat behind as possible. (There should be 1 to 2 tablespoons of fat left in the pan; if there is a lot less, add a little vegetable oil.) Turn the heat up to medium-high, add the onion, chard stems, and garlic. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt, and saute until the onions are softened, about 5 minutes.

4. Cook the cannellini beans:
Rinse the cannellini beans, drain, and add to the pressure cooker. Add the rosemary sprig, pour in the water, then stir to combine. Lock the lid on the pressure cooker, increase the heat to high, and bring the cooker up to high pressure. (Read the fine pressure cooker manual for how this works with your particular cooker). Reduce the heat to maintain the pressure, and cook at high pressure for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat, and quick release the pressure in the cooker (by running cold water down the side, or releasing the pressure valve according to your cooker's instructions). Remove the lid carefully, opening away from you - even when it's not under pressure, the steam in the cooker is very hot.
*Optionally, cook under pressure for 18 minutes, then let the pressure come down naturally for about 15 minutes.

5. Finish the beans and chard:
Drain the beans, reserving 1 1/2 cups of the bean cooking liquid. Discard the rosemary stem. Return the beans to the pressure cooker, stir in the chard leaves and reserved bean cooking liquid. Lock the lid on the pressure cooker, bring it back up to high pressure, and cook at high pressure for 3 minutes. Once again, quick release the pressure, and carefully remove the lid. Stir in the lemon juice, taste, and add more salt as needed.

6. Serve:
Put the drained pasta in a large bowl; top with the beans, then the bacon, then the lemon zest.

Variations:

*Vegetarian beans: Replace the bacon with 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil.

*No pressure cooker? No problem: follow the directions, replacing the pressure cooker pot with a large pot or dutch oven. In the "cook the cannellini beans" step, add 8 cups of water instead of 6 cups, bring the pot to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, then simmer for 2 hours or until the beans are creamy. In the "Finish the beans and chard" step, after draining, put everything back back in the pot, and simmer for 10 minutes to cook the chard through. Continue with the rest of the recipe.

Notes:

*If you have an 8 quart or larger pressure cooker, you can double the amount of beans; leftover beans freeze well, and can be thawed in the microwave or on the stove top.

*If you don't want to brine the beans, or you forgot to (like I do all the time), do the following. Sort and rinse the beans, put them in the pot with 7 cups of water, and increase the time under high pressure to 45 minutes (35 with natural pressure release).

What do you think? Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

Pressure Cooker Pinto Beans in Tex-Mex Broth
Basic Technique: Pressure Cooker Beans
Click here for my other pressure cooker recipes.

Inspired by:

Lorna Sass Pressure Perfect

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Five Dollar Challenge

2011-12-13T07:00:00.000-05:00

Can I feed my family for one Lincoln a person?

I mean well. I really do.

Every year I pull a a few tags from our church's giving tree. I pick grocery store gift certificates. "Great lesson for the kids" I think to myself. "We eat cheap, and use the savings on someone who needs help."

Every year, when push comes to shove, we don't eat cheaper. I buy the gift certificates, of course; our savings takes the hit.

This year, I read about the Slow Food $5 challenge. The challenge: eat for less than a $5 value meal at a fast food restaurant. Aha! Money for the giving tree! At $5 a person, we'll have plenty to contribute.

I rushed to my organic grocery store, the one with the good bulk foods section tklink. I wanted exact amounts on my receipt:

Bacon	4.99/8 oz	$4.99
Cannellini Beans	1.08 lb @ 2.69/lb	$2.69
Onion	.76 lb @ 1.69/lb	$1.28
Garlic	.12 lb @ $5.99/lb	$0.72
Chard	$1.99/bunch	$1.99
Sea Salt	.7 lb @ $0.69/lb	$0.48
Rosemary	.25oz/$0.99	$0.99
Lemon	.24 lb @ 3.69/lb	$0.89
Pasta	$1.09/lb	$1.09
Total		$16.24

*My reuseable bag got me a $0.05 discount, not included in the total.

Forget five dollars a person; I'm closer to three, even with the extra cost of buying organic. I have $8.76 left over from my $25. I'm on the road to savings!

So, how much am I saving?

Not much. Our weekly grocery budget is $200 for five people. If we cut back to five dollars a person, (times five people, times seven days) our budget would be $175. That is not hundreds of dollars to donate to charity.

That didn't seem right. I'm a food blogger. I shop at farmers markets, specialty stores, ethnic markets. I'm a member of a CSA. I eat well - just ask my bathroom scale. I spend a lot on food, don't I? What's going on?

I found answers at the USDA*. Turns out, I am a below average American. I spend less than the "low cost" average per week, and border on the "thrifty" average.
*Source: Official USDA Food Plans: Cost of Food at Home at Four Levels, U.S. Average, January 2011. I'm cooking for a family of five; a 19-50 year old couple with a 9-10 year old and two 6-8 year olds. According to the data, for our family, low cost is $220/week; thrifty is $168/week. I would have to spend $330 a week to be on the high end of the scale.

Wait, what? Thrifty? Me? I just spent $4.99 on 8 ounces of organic bacon. How can I possibly be thrifty?

I don't give myself enough credit, apparently. Dried beans, even expensive organic dried beans, are still cheap. I love strange cuts of meat; sure, short ribs are getting expensive at $3.99 a pound, but compared to a $12.99 /lb ribeye? They're downright penny pinching. Yes, I shop at farmers markets and organic grocery stores, but I buy what is in season...which is usually a bargain. My side trips to ethnic markets uncover a lot of great deals.

I think of my splurges; extra virgin olive oil, real parmesan, a bottle of good wine. My kids have a different view. "Why does everything have to be on sale?" whines my ten year old.
*After I told him to put down the full price Life cereal and pick up the generic Cheerios.

What does it all mean?

Cooking is a great way to save money. Because I cook with real ingredients, five dollars per person isn't much of a challenge. The global average of $2 a day, however...I have some work to do...

Related posts:
Weekly Dinner Plans
Cooking Authentic or Cooking Everyday?
Why Dad Should Cook

What do you think? Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

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Fiery Mexican Martini

2011-12-08T07:00:00.000-05:00

My day job took me to Austin a few times earlier this year. I spent as much time as I could sampling* the local cuisine - barbecue and Tex-Mex.
*Read: stuffing myself until I could barely move.

There are a lot of wonderful things to eat in Austin, but my favorite was the Mexican Martini. Or the Texas Martini - I saw both names used for what is essentially the same drink. Tequila, orange liqueur, simple syrup, and lime juice in a cocktail shaker full of ice, served in a martini glass with a salted rim. Drop in some olives stuffed with jalapenos, and the drink is ready to enjoy.

My favorite version was the spicy Texas martini served at Chuy's, where the tequila is infused with jalapenos, to give the drink a little extra kick. I came home determined to make it for myself.

A Mexican martini is a simple drink, with no place to hide low quality ingredients. Get 100% agave silver tequila. You don't want to infuse reposado or anejo tequila, and cover up all their subtleties with spicy jalapenos. Use orange liqueur, not a cheap triple-sec; I like Cointreau. Most important: you must use fresh lime juice and simple syrup. Please, for the love of all that is good and right, no sweet and sour mix!
*If you want a frozen margarita, then I'll let you use sweet and sour mix. But not in this drink. It needs fresh lime juice to make it work. And, actually, I buy frozen limeade for my frozen margaritas. I have no idea why anyone would voluntarily drink sweet and sour mix.

Yes, there are a lot of steps to this drink. Most of the work is done ahead of time; simple syrup keeps for weeks in the refrigerator, and the infused tequila lasts forever. Once the pre-work is done, you can serve Mexican martinis until your guests say "no mas".

Recipe: Fiery Mexican Martini

Cook time: 10 minutes

Makes 2 Mexican Martinis

Ingredients:

Jalapeno Infused Tequila:

1 (750ml) bottle 100% agave silver tequila
3 jalapeno or serrano peppers, stemmed and halved

Simple Syrup:

1 cup water
1 cup sugar

Martini Ingredients:

1/2 cup (4 ounces) Jalapeno-Infused Tequila
1/4 cup (2 ounces) orange liqueur (Cointreau)
Juice of 2 limes (save the squeezed lime rinds for salting the rim)
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) simple syrup
Ice
4 jalapeno-stuffed olives
Kosher salt (or other coarse salt)

Directions:

1. Infuse the tequila:
Combine the tequila and jalapeno peppers in a quart container with a lid. Seal the container and steep the jalapenos in the tequila overnight, or up to 24 hours. Strain the jalapenos and any stray seeds out of the tequila, and pour the tequila back into the original bottle.

2. Make the simple syrup:
Heat 1 cup water in the microwave until boiling, about 2 minutes. Stir in 1 cup sugar, then stir occasionally until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. (Simple syrup will keep up to a month in the refrigerator).

3. Prepare the glasses:
Spread kosher salt in a plate that is slightly larger than the diameter of a martini glass. Squeeze one of the limes, reserving the juice for later, and use the rind to wet the rims of two martini glasses. Twirl the glasses in the kosher salt. Skewer the olives on two toothpicks, and set in the glasses.

4. Make the martini:
Add the tequila, orange liqueur, simple syrup and lime juice to a cocktail shaker, then fill with ice. Cover and shake well. Pour into the prepared glasses and enjoy.

Variations:

*Not-so-fiery Mexican Martini: Skip the infusion step, and use 100% agave silver tequila.

Notes:

*I strongly suggest a good lime squeezer for this recipe.

*Why do I feel like I'm stepping into a holy war with this post? I expect a mob of angry Austinites*, carrying pitchforks and torches, to descend on my comments section.
*Austiners? Austinininans? I'm digging myself deeper, aren't I.

*So, If I've offended your culinary sensibilities, remember two things:

That's Right, I'm Not From Texas
If you leave a comment saying how horribly wrong I am, you must include a recipe. How else will I know where I went wrong?

What do you think? Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

Quick Red Salsa
Tomatillo Salsa

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Kindle Cookbooks vs Real Cookbooks

2011-12-06T07:00:00.000-05:00

E-cookbooks would never replace REAL cookbooks. No way. I was sure of it. Not my beloved cookbooks, ink on paper, with a olive oil stain to give them character. I love reading, I love books, and I am addicted to cookbooks.* I would never going over to the dark side. Never!
Addict? Me? I can give up cookbooks any time I want. My cookbook habit doesn't control me, I control it… Hey, is that Michael Ruhlman's new cookbook? I must have it. Mine! My…precious!

Now, I'm not a Luddite; I went online with a 1200 baud modem back in the 80's. But books are my constant companions - ever since I snuck them under the covers with a flashlight as a kid. I held out against e-books as long as I could.

My wife, however, used a Kindle for a few weeks, and then had to give it up. After lots of requests, I bought her a Kindle of her own. After a few months, I borrowed it for a business trip. I was hooked - so much for my loyalty to ink and paper. I went out and bought myself an iPad not long afterwards, so I wouldn't have to fight for access to (her!) Kindle.

At first, I only bought novels. (Sci-Fi/Fantasy novels are my weakness. I'm sure you're shocked to learn this.) Novels are easy, I told myself; paragraph after paragraph of text, with no special formatting or pictures. E-books would still never replace my cookbooks.

Eventually, I cracked. Mark Bittman's What I Grill and Why, only available as an e-book, was on sale for $2.99. I couldn't pass it up. Then I was ~~obsessed~~ interested in making a Japanese Hot Pot for dinner…tonight. Even with overnight shipping, it would be too late. Ono and Salat's Japanese Hot Pots was just a download away.

Now I'm the proud owner of eight e-cookbooks. I want to buy more; my plan is to trade in my paper cookbooks and replace them with e-cookbooks. Why the sudden change of heart?

Advantages to Kindle Cookbooks:

Convenience:

I'm a blogger, in case you didn't notice. I have a screen in front of me, or within arm's reach, at all times. I spend the day in front of my iMac. I cook with my iPad on the island in my kitchen, recipe at the ready. I blog with my MacBook in my lap. I finish the day on my bed, pillows behind my back, reading from my iPad.* Having my cookbooks right there on the screen, no matter what I'm doing, is so darn easy. All my cookbooks at my fingertips? I don't have to go get them from the shelf, or, heaven forfend, walk downstairs to get one? And if I don't have a cookbook I want, I can download it under thirty seconds, including fumble-fingering my credit card once again? It is just so darned easy. I'm hooked.
And yes, I'm an Apple Fanboy, why do you ask?

Space (the final frontier):

I have a bookshelf dedicated to cookbooks. An Ikea Billy bookshelf, with a maximum load per shelf of 66 pounds. Only 66 pounds? Ha! That poor bookshelf is creaking and groaning under the weight of books I have stuffed in it. Every year I have to purge ruthlessly.*
Or, Ruthlessly, if I have to get rid of one of Mrs. Reichl's books.

I hate to purge cookbooks. It's like throwing away old friends. But after a year of ~~cookbook binges~~ carefully selected purchases, I'm squeezing books into every available nook and cranny, so tight the shelves bulge. After The Purge, my bookshelf is organized…for a while. I always want more cookbooks.
Like I said, I don't have a problem. I can quit any time I want.

An e-book reader solves all this. All the books are weightless, spaceless, hidden behind that thin screen. Done with that one? Delete it and it is stored in your archive. Need it back? It downloads in seconds.

Easy to bookmark favorite recipes, and search for text:

My favorite cookbooks are bristling with bookmarks. I use magazine subscription cards as bookmarks. I also use post-it notes, and random scraps of paper. There's another recipe I want to try - whatever small scrap of paper I can find becomes a bookmark. The bookmark feature of the Kindle reader is the digital equivalent of all those scraps of paper poking out of the top of the book. Looking for Julia Child's Leek and Potato soup? Open up Mastering The Art of French Cooking, click on the bookmarks tab, and there it is.

Text search is the other killer feature in digital cookbooks. I want to check out the pressure cooker recipes in Jaques Pepin's latest cookbook. They're a search away; no worries that they are not in the index. Also, cross-linked recipes can be real links, just like on the web. If the hot pot has ponzu sauce as an ingredient, I just click on the link, then the back button when I'm done.

Now, it's not all rainbows and unicorns. There are some drawbacks to e-cookbooks…

Disadvantages to Kindle Cookbooks:

Formatting and Indexing:

E-cookbooks are easier to navigate…usually. There is a big gotcha. Converting a cookbook to a digital version isn't easy. The care put into the digital conversion of the cookbook matters. A whole lot. Novels are simple; novels are paragraphs of text. You start with the introduction, and read until you get to "The End." Cookbooks are another story*; they use different formats and styles, arrange text in columns and sidebars, and embed pictures to show a technique. The digital conversion of a cookbook is trickier than a novel.
Get it…novels…story…oh, never mind.

My best (worst?) example is the digital conversion of Page and Dornenburg's The Flavor Bible. This is one of my go-to reference cookbooks. I use the hardcover version on a regular basis. When I saw they had a kindle version, I jumped on it - how convenient, being able to carry it with me! But wait...

The main part of the book is a dictionary of flavor combinations, hundreds of ingredients with a list of other ingredients they go with. As an example, Thyme is listed in bold caps, followed by an indented list of other ingredients that pair with it; particularly good matches are in bold caps, good matches are in bold, normal matches are in regular type. Finding an ingredient in the hardcover is tricky; I zero in on the section of the alphabet, like finding a word in a dictionary. "Let's see, Thyme. (Opens book to middle). Mangoes, (flip) Shiso, (flip) Trout, (page back) Tomatoes, (page back) Thyme…no wait, that's under the Tomatoes (page back) Thyme. There it is."

The e-book version of The Flavor Bible takes this from tricky to painful. All of the ingredient lists are in one chapter, with no sub-headings. I have to start at Achiote Seeds and work from there. Text search doesn't help - almost every ingredient goes with hundreds of other ingredients, so the "real" copy of the ingredient is lost in the flurry of matches. There is no good way to flip around in the e-book; dragging the scroll bar is the best way I've found, but does not work as easily as flipping pages in a book. Finally, there is no index of the ingredients with links to work from. And…in spite of these problems, I still use the e-book version more than the paper version. Like I said, I'm too lazy to go downstairs and get it off the shelf when it's right there. And it feels like I'm saving time, using the e-version…but it could be so much easier.
*If anyone has a good way of getting around in the Kindle version of The Flavor Bible, please let me know in the comments!

Another example is Ono and Salat's Japanese Hot Pots. In general, the conversion to an e-cookbook is well done. The table of contents has every recipe with a link, making it easy to get to the recipe you want. There are a lot of useful cross-links in the ingredients, referring to basic recipes earlier in the book. But there is one thing the digital conversion missed. The book has a lot of sidebars, next to the main flow of the text in the paper version. Usually, the e-book moves the sidebars to the end of the current section of text. Except when they don't. Ono and Salat are discussing a list of finishing options for hot pots, and in the middle of the list a sidebar paragraph suddenly appears. It looks like the finishing options are done…but there are a couple more coming after the sidebar. It's not a fatal flaw, but it is annoying.

Please note that I'm not blaming the authors for these problems. It feels like publishers are still working on how to format digital cookbooks. A great digital cookbook conversion is Jaques Pepin's Essential Pepin. The table of contents has a link to the first page of each major section: Soups, Salads, Poultry, Beef, and so on. The first page of each section lists all the recipes in that section, with a link to each recipe. Every recipe is three clicks away. Jump to Table of Contents, select Poultry, select Poulet-au-Pot from the recipe list…and there it is. Quick and easy.

Price:

Sometimes, the price of Kindle cookbooks feels like a ripoff. It seems like Kindle books should be significantly cheaper than paper books. You don't have to take a couple of pounds of paper and ink, wrap it in bubble wrap, put it in a cardboard box, fly it across the country, and pay for the nice UPS guy to walk it to my front door to drop it off. That's a lot of effort, right? The Kindle version saves all that effort, so it should be a lot less expensive, right? Yet a twenty-five dollar cookbook is available in the kindle version for...twenty two dollars. Seriously? All that extra effort is only worth three dollars?
*Jaques Pepin's Essential Pepin, again, is an example how they should handle this. It's a steal at $9.99 for the e-book version, compared to $26.99 for the hardcover.

Availability:

Of course, what's worse than feeling ripped off? No Kindle version of the book at all. I'm ready to complain about the expensive Kindle version, but I have my credit card out, and they won't even take my money? How dare they. How dare they not rip me off!
Wait, I need to be logically consistent? Shoot. Since when?

E-cookbooks are new, and digital conversions are few and far between. Finding an old favorite in the Kindle format is hit or miss - usually miss. And, even with newer cookbooks, the release of the e-version can be delayed. I wanted the e-version of Michael Ruhlman's Twenty, and I had to wait a month after the paper version was released. As I said above, one of the huge e-cookbook advantages is instant gratification. How does four weeks qualify as "instant"?

The Book Experience:

Michael Ruhlman's Twenty is a tribute to publishing. The book is a work of art. Hardbound, printed on substantial, glossy paper; loaded with Donna Ruhlman's gorgeous photography; it even has a ribbon bookmark, to help you mark the page you're reading. It belongs on a pedestal in a library, next to the Oxford English Dictionary.

We're all comfortable with books, and used to working with them. Books don't need batteries, they aren't ruined if you spill something on them, and you can instantly jump anywhere in the book by flipping to a page. Books are an old friend, and feel comfortable in my hands.

But then again…

This is where it gets interesting. Ruhlman's Twenty belongs in a museum, but it wound up buried on my bed stand. I read through chapter eight (Dough), found the book fascinating, put it down…and once it was covered up by a couple of other books and magazines, I never got back to it. Even though I knew I should. I bought the Kindle edition for this review (after that month long wait, darn it) for comparison.

Here was my perfect test case. How does a beautiful book compare to the e-book version? It's not the same experience; not the same feeling of holding a work of art in my hands. But the Kindle version is a very good digital conversion. Donna's gorgeous photography is in there; slightly smaller on my iPad, but still looking great. I don't have my ribbon bookmark…but I can drop bookmarks wherever I want to. I wanted to find the braised chicken leg recipe; a text search got me there instantly. And, most important, I finished reading Twenty in the Kindle version. The paper version is still hidden under a stack of magazines on my bed stand; once I had the e-book, I didn't feel the need to find it.

Summary:

I've gone digital, and I don't think I'm going back. In spite of the drawbacks, and there are quite a few, the electronic versions are just too convenient. I love the feel of a book in my hand…and I also love the feel of an e-reader. There's something about sitting under a blanket with my iPad, tapping the right side of the screen to flip pages. It feels effortless. And having every e-book I own at my fingertips, in a 1.33 pound package? I'm in love. I still buy cookbooks all the time, but I'm starting to get annoyed when there isn't a Kindle version available.

Notes:

Why Kindle? Why not Nook, or iBook (or some other format I don't know about?). Format wars are another downside to e-books. When my wife decided to get a Kindle, I was pretty much locked in. If I stick with Kindle, I can read all the books she buys, and vice versa. Kindle seems to have the best selection of books. Finally, Kindle reader software is available on almost every platform. I can take my e-books from my iPad to my desktop to my laptop.
The Nook format also looks good; they seem to have software that runs on all platforms, and a good selection of books. But, like I said, I was committed to Kindle before I really made a choice.

Why iPad? A couple reasons. One...It is so choice. If you have the means I highly recommend picking one up. (Again, I'm an Apple Fanboy.) Two, the big screen on the iPad is amazing. There's no comparison to my wife's (old, black and white) Kindle screen.

The Kindle Fire could give the iPad a run…but I don't want to give up the larger iPad screen, and extra processing power, even for a lower price. That said, I may have to pick a Fire up for my kids, to get them to stop playing Jetpack Joyride and give me back my iPad!
*Really, I want see how Apple responds to the Fire before I commit to yet another platform.

What do you think?

Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

Essential Pepin: More Than 700 All-Time Favorites from My Life in Food
Ruhlman's Twenty: The Ideas and Techniques that Will Make You a Better Cook
Apple iPad 2 Tablet (16GB, Wifi,) NEWEST MODEL
Kindle Fire, Full Color 7" Multi-touch Display, Wi-Fi

Turkey Lettuce Wraps, Thai Style

2011-12-01T07:00:00.000-05:00

I have been looking for a Thai flavored variation of my turkey lettuce wraps. After a lot of trial and error, I have one worth sharing.

Ground Turkey can be dry and lean; it needs a good sauce to help it out. I've been fascinated Larb*, the Thai/Laotian ground meat and toasted rice dish that is served with lettuce. I've been playing with the sauce, trying to find that balance of hot, sour, salty and sweet that is the backbone of Thai cooking.
*AKA Laap, or Laab, or Larp. Why so many names? Apparently, there is no standard way of transcribing Thai script into English.

I was struggling until I came across Leela Punyaratabandhu's blog, SheSimmers.com. After reading her posts, especially the one on Thai Three Flavored Sauce, the light bulb went on. I was making this more difficult than I needed to. Instead of trying to build all the flavors into my sauce, I layered them throughout the dish. I stripped the sauce down to sour (lime juice), salty (soy and fish sauce), and sweet (brown sugar). I moved the heat in the recipe into the pan, by toasting some red pepper flakes, and added cilantro at the very end of the cooking time.
*And I skipped the toasted rice. It never really worked for me, but that's why I can't call this dish Larb. Or Laap, Laab, or Larp. Oh, never mind. You know what I mean.

The result? Delicious. Even better, it is quick easy, and suitable for a weeknight. We have a winner!

Recipe: Turkey Lettuce Wraps, Thai Style

Inspired by: SheSimmers.com and Joanne Weir, Weir Cooking In the City

Cook time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

2 tbsp peanut or vegetable oil
1 large shallot or 1 small onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 1/2 pounds ground turkey
1/4 cup minced cilantro, leaves and stems (plus more for passing at the table)
1 head bibb lettuce, separated into leaves

Sauce

Juice of 2 limes
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons fish sauce

Directions:
See my stir fry basic technique for an overview
1. Prep the ingredients and the pan: Combine the sauce ingredients, and whisk until the sugar dissolves. Put the peanut oil in a 12" to 14" fry pan or wok, and pre-heat over medium-high heat until just showing wisps of smoke.

2. Stir fry the aromatics: Add the shallot to the pan and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes or until softened and starting to brown around the edges. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute, or until fragrant.

3. Stir fry the turkey: Add the turkey to the pan. Stir-fry the turkey for 3 minutes or until it has just lost its pink color, breaking up the turkey as it cooks.

4. Finish with the sauce, then the cilantro: Stir the sauce into the pan and bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes, or until the sauce reduces a little. Turn off the heat and stir the minced cilantro into the turkey. Transfer to a bowl. Serve with the bibb lettuce leaves for wrapping, and extra minced cilantro to sprinkle on top.

Notes:
*Jasmine rice is the traditional side dish. Thai rice noodles, or coconut rice are also good accompaniments.

*I can't add as much heat to the recipe as I would like; I don't want to blast the kids. I add sriracha to my lettuce wraps at the table. When I'm not worried about the kids, I slice up a thai bird's eye pepper or a serrano and add it to the pan with the onions.

*As Leela says in her Three Flavored Sauce recipe, the key to the sauce is balancing sweet-sour-salty to your taste. When you try this recipe, whisk the sauce together, then take a taste. Is it the right balance of sweet, salty and sour? I loved these proportions, but maybe you like more sweet (add sugar), or more sour (add lime juice), or more salty (add fish sauce or soy sauce). Then you'll have your own balanced sauce.

What do you think? Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

Related Posts:
Turkey Lettuce Wraps, Thai Style
Stir fry basic technique
Thai noodle and pork stir fry

Inspired by:
SheSimmers.com, and Joanne Weir, Weir Cooking in the City

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Road Trip: Near East Market

2011-11-29T07:00:00.000-05:00

*My Road Trip posts focus on stores that a home cook will enjoy in the Akron area, my home town. If you don't live in Northeast Ohio, seek out your own local ethnic and gourmet markets. You can travel around the world without leaving your city!

The Near East Market in Cuyahoga Falls is an interesting mix of Southern Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and Indian ingredients. In this one small grocery store, you can travel from Marrakesh to Mumbai without leaving the aisle.

Looking to make hummus, kebabs, or a curry? Visit the Near East Market to stock up.

*Special thanks to the anonymous commenter who suggested I pay them a visit.

Near East Market
3461 Hudson Drive
Cuyahoga Falls, OH 44221
(330) 475-0538
Hours: Monday-Saturday 10AM to 8PM, Sunday: 10AM to 5PM

My Top 5 list of favorite things they sell:

1. Exotic spices: I love the spice section, from the familiar (ground coriander) to the exotic (sumac, zatar). They also have the most complete line of Patak's curry paste that I've seen in our area.

2. Dried beans: From the Eastern Mediterranean to India covers a lot of different beans. Kidney beans, chickpeas, lentils of every size and color.

3. Pita bread: I'm used to two varieties - white and whole wheat. Near East Market has pita bread in all different shapes and sizes.

4. Deli and meat: Need some cubed lamb for a tagine? The refrigerated and frozen meat section is small, but has a good selection for Middle Eastern cooking, with an emphasis on beef and lamb. How about some pre-made tabbouleh, or stuffed grape leaves? They have a deli counter filled with pre-made Middle Eastern specialties.

5. Real kebab skewers: These flat skewers are roughly two feet long and 1/2 inch wide, with wooden handles. They were practically swords! I have to have them. There's lamb that needs to be kebabed in my future.

View Larger Map

Related posts:

My list of Ethnic and Gourmet stores in the Akron, OH area.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T07:00:00.000-05:00

The all-purpose toast: Here's to all those who weren't as lucky.
- Spider Robinson, Off the Wall at Callahan's

Thank you to my ravishing wife and charming kids, for the love and support. You mean more to me than I can put in words.
*The kids are 90 percent charming, 8 percent rowdy, and 2 percent stubborn. That counts as charming, right?

Thank you to my family and friends, for all your encouragement.

Thank you to my loyal readers. I love writing this blog because you keep reading it.
*Part of me still can't believe people read my blog. I'm grateful you keep coming back.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

And, if you were as lucky as I was this year, please consider a donation to one of the worthy causes below. Thank you.