Autumn Meal with Friends

Yes, the weather is beginning to feel like fall and about time!  I have not been at home much since I have been dealing with the hurricane in North Carolina, so it is good to be home and time to do some entertaining.

A fall meal with friends seems to require some pork and some fruit, so when I saw a recipe with pears and pork, I knew this was the one. The recipe was promoting the cinnamon-pear balsamic vinegar which you can buy at the Red Stick Spice Co., but I did not get down to the Red Stick Spice Co. in Baton Rouge to get the vinegar, so I decided I could use just ordinary balsamic vinegar and add some cinnamon. Yes it worked! The pork was delicious and the pears perfect. There are so many spice blends out there with vinegar it is hard to know what to buy. This store has 40 infused olive oils, balsamic vinegars, and avocado oils. Lots to try!

With this meal I began with a cream of mirliton and shrimp soup (a recipe for another time), the pork and pears with a side of broccoli and a chocolate soufflé for dessert! Yes, a good time was had by all.

 

Taken from November/December ‘Louisiana Cookin’ Magazine

Cinnamon-Pear Balsamic Roasted Pork

Makes 4 servings

 

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

4 small Bartlett pears, peeled, halved, and cored (about 1 ¾ pounds) (Slightly unripe pears work best in this recipe).

1 (12-ounce) pork tenderloins, trimmed

 1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

1/3  cup Balsamic Vinegar combined with ½ teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

Garnish: Fresh sage and thyme sprigs

 

Preheat oven to 375°. Spray a 13x9 inch baking dish with cooking spray.

In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add pears, cut side down, and cook until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Remove pears from skillet. Sprinkle pork with salt and peppers. Add to skillet, and cook until browned, about 4 minutes, turning occasionally.

Place pears, cut side down, and pork to prepared dish, brush with vinegar. Sprinkle pork with sage and thyme. Cut remaining 2 tablespoons butter into small pieces and sprinkle over pork and pears.

Bake until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest portion of pork registers 145° and pears are tender, about 18 minutes. Lightly cover and let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serve with pan juices. Garnish with sage and thyme sprigs, if desired.

 

 

 

 

Turmeric

I wrote an article on turmeric in June, 2008 and it seems turmeric has made another resurrection since I have been reading about it lately. It has been called the spice for 2016. It seems you cannot go to a juice bar without them selling turmeric vitality shots, each claiming benefits such as glowing skin, boosted immunity, improved digestion and even a cure for depression. Is any of this true?

Turmeric is the yellow/orange colored rhizome of the perennial herbaceous plant of the same name. It is a cornerstone of Indian cooking and an important ingredient of other Asian cuisines. The plant is a native of India and Southeast Asia, a relative of ginger, though smaller, more like fingerling potatoes. Fresh turmeric can be peeled and sliced or ground to add a pungent, woody, earthy aroma to salads and relishes. We mostly consume turmeric as a powder. The rhizomes are dried until rock hard and then ground. The dried turmeric has a muted flavor compared to the fresh.

The active ingredient in turmeric is curcumin and it is antibacterial, antiviral and can be used on cuts, as a gargle for sore throats, and there is research in using it as an anticancer agent. While curcumin is turmeric’s active ingredient, there is significantly more curcumin in supplement form than the average person would get from ground turmeric itself. All of which is to say that if you want to get the health benefits of turmeric, queuing up at the local juice bar may not be quite enough. There is no evidence that drinking turmeric isn’t helpful, for the optimists out there. I personally think that food is better than pills.

I use turmeric quite a bit but I do a lot of Indian cooking. You can use turmeric in all kinds of ways, in tea with some honey, sprinkled over eggs, in a milkshake, or in a hot milk drink with cardamom and honey.

I found a recipe on the Splendid Table website that used turmeric and almonds. This recipe is a takeoff on a dish from Viana La Place’s The Unplugged Kitchen. The dish was created by Julie Sunhi and she said that if you do no other potato recipe in your lifetime you must try this one! I have done this recipe about five times now and it is so good. It is easy, earthy and could be eaten alone or with a fish or meat. Do not let one drop of the oil from the potatoes and onions go to waste.

 

Almond Turmeric Potatoes

Serves 2-3 as a main dish; 4-5 as a first course

Good tasting extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, peeled and thin sliced

¼ teaspoon turmeric

Salt and fresh ground black pepper

1-1/2 to 2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, unpeeled, but sliced as thin as possible

2 tablespoons chicken stock or water, and more if needed

1/3 cup sliced almonds or hazelnuts, toasted

Generously film the olive oil over the bottom of a 4-quart saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. Set over medium-high heat. Layer in the onions, turmeric, some salt and pepper, the potatoes, and more salt and pepper. Let the mixture cook without stirring until the onions are starting to soften and brown. (About 20 minutes). Don’t stir, but peek under them to look for color.

Add the chicken stock or water, cover, and reduce the heat to low. Again, don’t stir, but shake the pan occasionally, and check to make sure there is still some liquid on the bottom of the pot. Add more liquid as needed. Cook 15-20 minutes until there is a syrupy brown glaze on the bottom of the pan, onions are coloring, and the potatoes are tender. Let them stand, covered 5 minutes.

Taste for seasoning. Just before serving, sprinkle with the toasted nuts. Spoon down to the bottom of the pot to get more of the glaze onto each serving.

The finished potatoes can wait covered in their pot for an hour or more. They are also excellent at room temperature.

 

 

 

 

 

Indian Spiced Mac and Cheese

The new Garden and Gun had several articles about new twists on Southern foods. The one that interested me the most was an Indian spiced macaroni and cheese. The story goes that a young Indian man named Vishwesh Bhatt, arrived at age 19, at the University of Kentucky from his home in Gujarat, India and there he had his first taste of mac and cheese. He thought it was very bland. He asked his friends why they didn’t spice up their food!

The mac and cheese reminded him of his mother’s cheese sandwiches but she would add chopped onions, green chilies, and cumin seeds. “They were salty, spicy, and gooey in the middle.” So why not do this with the mac and cheese? So Bhatt doctored the dorm-room Kraft with the familiar flavors of home. Building on his budding talent for cooking, he hosted different parties for friends, which led him to paid gigs and culinary school. Bhatt began cooking with chef John Currence in Oxford, Mississippi, in 1995, and now he runs the kitchen at Currence’s Snackbar, where he oversees a French-Southern menu with a strong Indian influence: Kashmiri style creamed collards: Mississippi-milled grits spiked with mustard seeds, ginger, and sliced green chilies. This mac and cheese has a base of spiced-steeped cream that thickens without a roux. It is delicious. It makes a lot so I took some to my son and a friend in New Orleans and they thought it was fantastic.

 

Taken from October/November 2016 ‘Garden and Gun’

Indian Spiced Macaroni and Cheese

Serves 8

Ingredients for the cream:
1 quart heavy cream

Zest of 1 lemon

1 small shallot, sliced

1 clove garlic, smashed

1-inch piece of ginger, sliced

1 tsp. coriander seeds

4 whole cloves

1 tsp. whole black peppercorns

2 bay leaves

½ tsp. nutmeg

 

For the Pasta:

1 tsp. cumin seeds

2 tsp. whole black peppercorns

2 tbsp. + 2tsp. butter, divided

1 cup panko bread crumbs

2 shallots, minced

2 tsp. minced ginger

1 lb. shells or elbow noodles, cooked according to package instructions

4 cups shredded sharp white cheddar, divided

2 cups grated Parmesan, divided

Kosher salt to taste

 

Preparation:

To make the cream, combine all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to steep for 15-20 minutes before straining and reserving liquid. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Place a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat for 4 minutes, and then add cumin seeds and peppercorns. Toast for 1 minute or until fragrant, cool, then transfer to a ziplock plastic bag and crush them with a rolling pin. Set aside. Next, melt 2 tsp. butter in the pan and add bread crumbs. Toss well and then toast until light brown (about 5 minutes), stirring occasionally. Set aside. Add remaining butter to pan and sauté shallot and ginger until soft and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in noodles, and then add toasted, crushed spices, spice-infused cream, and half the cheese. Stir until mixture is thick and creamy, and season with salt as needed.

Transfer mixture to a 2-or3-quart baking dish. Top with remaining cheese and toasted panko. (Or you can finish the dish in the skillet.) Bake until cheese is melted and bubbly, about 10-12 minutes. Serve immediately.

 

 

 

The new Garden and Gun had several articles about new twists on Southern foods. The one that interested me the most was an Indian spiced macaroni and cheese. The story goes that a young Indian man named Vishwesh Bhatt, arrived at age 19, at the University of Kentucky from his home in Gujarat, India and there he had his first taste of mac and cheese. He thought it was very bland. He asked his friends why they didn’t spice up their food!

The mac and cheese reminded him of his mother’s cheese sandwiches but she would add chopped onions, green chilies, and cumin seeds. “They were salty, spicy, and gooey in the middle.” So why not do this with the mac and cheese? So Bhatt doctored the dorm-room Kraft with the familiar flavors of home. Building on his budding talent for cooking, he hosted different parties for friends, which led him to paid gigs and culinary school. Bhatt began cooking with chef John Currence in Oxford, Mississippi, in 1995, and now he runs the kitchen at Currence’s Snackbar, where he oversees a French-Southern menu with a strong Indian influence: Kashmiri style creamed collards: Mississippi-milled grits spiked with mustard seeds, ginger, and sliced green chilies. This mac and cheese has a base of spiced-steeped cream that thickens without a roux. It is delicious. It makes a lot so I took some to my son and a friend in New Orleans and they thought it was fantastic.

 

Taken from October/November 2016 ‘Garden and Gun’

Indian Spiced Macaroni and Cheese

Serves 8

Ingredients for the cream:
1 quart heavy cream

Zest of 1 lemon

1 small shallot, sliced

1 clove garlic, smashed

1-inch piece of ginger, sliced

1 tsp. coriander seeds

4 whole cloves

1 tsp. whole black peppercorns

2 bay leaves

½ tsp. nutmeg

 

For the Pasta:

1 tsp. cumin seeds

2 tsp. whole black peppercorns

2 tbsp. + 2tsp. butter, divided

1 cup panko bread crumbs

2 shallots, minced

2 tsp. minced ginger

1 lb. shells or elbow noodles, cooked according to package instructions

4 cups shredded sharp white cheddar, divided

2 cups grated Parmesan, divided

Kosher salt to taste

 

Preparation:

To make the cream, combine all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to steep for 15-20 minutes before straining and reserving liquid. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Place a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat for 4 minutes, and then add cumin seeds and peppercorns. Toast for 1 minute or until fragrant, cool, then transfer to a ziplock plastic bag and crush them with a rolling pin. Set aside. Next, melt 2 tsp. butter in the pan and add bread crumbs. Toss well and then toast until light brown (about 5 minutes), stirring occasionally. Set aside. Add remaining butter to pan and sauté shallot and ginger until soft and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in noodles, and then add toasted, crushed spices, spice-infused cream, and half the cheese. Stir until mixture is thick and creamy, and season with salt as needed.

Transfer mixture to a 2-or3-quart baking dish. Top with remaining cheese and toasted panko. (Or you can finish the dish in the skillet.) Bake until cheese is melted and bubbly, about 10-12 minutes. Serve immediately.

 

 

 

Cooking with Beer

rarely cook with beer, adding it sometimes to a stew, but the Oct/Nov. issue of ‘Fine Cooking’ had a great article on cooking with beer and there was a recipe I wanted to create.

Beer is complex for something only made with four ingredients: malted grains, hops, yeast, and water. Malted gains like barley, wheat and rye give beer its sweeter flavors like those of toasted bread and dark caramel. Hops, the green flowers of an herbaceous plant, balance this sweetness with some bitterness. Yeast can leave a beer tasting crisp and clean or spicy and fruity, depending on the type. Even the water plays a part in the final flavor.

Beers with complex flavors, like India pale ales (better known as IPAs) and porters add instant depth to simple dishes, while most straightforward beers like mild English ales add maltiness or yeastiness to complement more complex dishes. Others, like malty amber ales, are good with almost anything.

The point at which you add the beer also affects flavor. A splash of hoppy beer can brighten a rich dish just before serving, but becomes bitter as it is cooked. Light, mild beers, can lose their flavor if cooked for a long time, but can act as the acid in a dish if added later.

In this recipe, the hoppy flavor of pale ale adds depth to both the chicken and a quick-pickled red onion topping. This recipe was a hit with us. It would be a great dish to take to a tail-gate party.

 

From ‘Fine Cooking’ magazine, Oct/Nov 2016.

 

Pale Ale Pulled Chicken Sliders

24 sliders; serves 10-12

 

For the pickled onion:

1 12-oz. bottle American pale ale

¾ cup white-wine vinegar

1 tsp. granulated sugar

Kosher salt

1 medium red onion, thinly sliced

 

For the chicken:

3 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed

4 medium cloves garlic, smashed

2 Tbsp. honey

2 Tbsp. tomato paste

Kosher salt

1 12-oz. bottle American pale ale

4 tsp. Louisiana-style hot sauce, such as Tabasco; more to taste

¾ cup mayonnaise

 

For assembly:

24 slider buns, preferably whole grain

2 cups baby arugula

 

Pickle the onion:
Combine the beer, vinegar, sugar, and ¼ tsp. salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and add the onion. Let cool to room temperature, stirring once or twice. (The onion can be used right away or refrigerated for up to 3 weeks.)

 

Cook the chicken:

Position the rack in the center of the oven, and heat the oven to 325°F.

Put the chicken and garlic in a 5-quart Dutch oven or other heavy-duty pot with a lid. In a medium bowl, whisk together the honey, tomato paste, and 1 tsp. salt, then whisk in the beer. Pour over the chicken.

Place the pot over high heat and bring to a rapid simmer. Cover and transfer to the oven. Braise until the chicken pulls apart easily with a fork, 50-60 minutes.

With a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken to a large bowl. Transfer the garlic cloves to a small bowl and set aside. Using two forks, pull the meat into shreds and set aside.

Over medium-high heat, boil the braising liquid until reduced by half, about 15 minutes. Return the chicken to the pot and add 2 tsp. of the hot sauce add 2 tsp. of the onion pickling liquid. Mix well and season to taste with more hot sauce, pickling liquid, or salt.

Mash the reserved garlic cloves with a fork. Whisk with the mayonnaise and remaining 2 tsp. hot sauce.

(The chicken and the garlic mayonnaise can be prepared up to 3 days ahead; refrigerate both and reheat the chicken before serving.)

 

Assemble the sliders:

Spread a thin layer of the garlic mayonnaise on the bottom of each slider bun. Top each with about ¼ cup of the chicken, some pickled onion, and some arugula leaves. Close the slider buns and

Red Devon Conference

We recently went to our 9^th Red Devon Conference, this year in Dubuque, Iowa. This conference is about the superiority of the Devon breed on grass. But the landscape is fields upon fields of corn. We thought of the landscape as big sky country---clouds and blue sky over an endless field of corn. But people are finishing beef on grass even there. There are a lot of fine Devon to see at the National Show but the conference is about much more. It centers on healthy eating and how to do that, how to raise beef cattle in a sustainable way and produce healthy grass-fed beef but also how to make that beef taste good.

One highlight of each conference is a farm visit. This year we visited Rolling Meadows (Red Devon Seed Stock and Grass Fed Beef), the family farm of Jamie Hostetler. They are part of a thriving Mennonite community in Bellevue, Iowa, on the west side of the Mississippi. I am always jealous of the fine cattle and the good pastures these show-farms present. Dinner that day included grass fed burgers and ribeye steaks as well as home-made ice cream and home-made pies done by the church ladies.

It was our first time in that part of the country and we did a little sightseeing. We spent one night in Mason City, Iowa in the only hotel still operating that was designed and built by Frank Lloyd Wright. The Historic Park Inn Hotel is located on the town’s verdant square. Wright’s most famous hotel was the Imperial in Tokyo but that disappeared a long time ago. But this little town in Iowa has a showplace. It was built as a bank and a hotel in 1910. There is also a home in town that Wright designed that can be toured. And we learned the town was home to Meredith Wilson who wrote ‘The Music Man.’

We also used the time to drive to Minneapolis to see an old friend. We had lunch with the couple at the Fire Lake Grill which just happened to be in the Mall of America—the largest mall in the United States. It was an exceptional restaurant and the waitress was one of the most informed I have seen lately. The only problem was finding the restaurant. The mall is huge as you can imagine, and we spent 30 minutes finding the restaurant. We were told it was near the Lego Store which just happens to open onto three levels. You could see it from there if you were in the right place. It was certainly worth the effort. We especially liked this soup that was our starter.

 

Recipe created from the soup at the Fire Lake Grill in the Mall of America in Bloomington, MN.

Creamy Smoked Salmon, Leek and Potato Soup

Serves 4

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

2 large leeks, halved and finely sliced

1 bay leaf

2 lbs. potatoes, finely diced

4 cups chicken or vegetable stock

½ cup cream

8 oz. smoked salmon, cut into strips

Small bunch chives, snipped

Heat the butter in a large saucepan and add the leeks and bay leaf. Cover over a low heat for 8-10 minutes or until the leeks are really soft, then stir through the potatoes until coated in the butter. Pour in the stock and cream and bring to a simmer, then gently bubble for 10-15 minutes until the potatoes are really tender.

Add two-thirds of the smoked salmon, stir through and season. Serve in deep bowls with the remaining smoked salmon and snipped chives on the top.