Serving Up Home Cooking

Eating Out!!

2009-05-15T19:52:00.000-07:00

Destination: El Tapatio North Kingstown, RI
Food Type: Mexican
Price $ (out of 5)
Rating: 12345

This Restaurant is a terrific small to medium sized place.
The atmosphere and menu there is very authentic .
Upon being seated you are given a basket of homemade nachos and a bowl of house salsa.
These alone could be a meal with a cold beer, but then you would miss out completely.

There menu is extensive including favorites as well as some dishes that may be new to many.
Tonight's visit included

Chili Relleno - This is a Poblano pepper which has been roasted, slit open, stuffed with cheese, floured and deep fried. It is served on top of a special spicy red sauce.

Chimichangas - These were stuffed with shredded chicken and cheese and covered in shredded lettuce and tomato, with sour cream and guacamole.

Black bean Burrito - whole black beans with cheese.

Enchiladas - Soft corn tortilla filled with shredded chicken and topped with melted cheese.

Refried beans and rice - The beans are covered with melted cheese and the rice is cooked with red taco sauce.

The service was fast and attentive. The price for all this was under $40.
I will add more after next time.

Croutons

2009-04-25T19:26:00.001-07:00

Every once in a while I will grab a baguette at the market with ideas of making a killer sandwich. Most times the sandwich is pretty big and the loaf gets used up fast. Other times the loaf will get devoured before I can make a sandwich, on rare occasions the loaf will sit all day waiting for me. When the baguette gets too tough for my taste I will opt to make my wife her favorite croutons. When these get made, I am always surrounded by family eager to 'sample' them for me. They are very helpful in that department.

Making the croutons is pretty straight forward. The list of things I keep on hand are as follows.
1. One large Baguette
2. One stick of butter
3. Dried Italian seasonings
4. Garlic powder
5. Pecarino Romano Cheese
6. Salt & Pepper
7. A bowl for the mixture
8. A large bowl for the croutons
9. A sheetpan
10. Electric knife
11. Preheated oven to 300 degrees

Cut the baguette with the electric knife, making long strips.
I cut three strips length wise, then each strip I cut into three long pieces.
Taking the long pieces all lined up, I cut cubes from them.
I then take the plain cubes and lie them onto the sheetpan.
I toast them for about 10 minutes, or until they are crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside.

In a microwave soften the butter but not melt it.
Add seasonings to butter and mix thoroughly.

Take half of the mixture and spoon it into the large bowl.
With my hand I lightly coat the inside of the bowl with the mixture.
The coolness of the bowl will solidify the butter mixture to the sides.
The reason I do this is because once the hot croutons hit the bowl, the butter will disperse evenly.

Once the croutons are out of the oven, dump them into the bowl and toss until all of the mixture is off the bowl and onto the croutons.
If the mixture is coated evenly, dump them onto the pan again and coat lightly with the grated cheese. Return to the oven.

Repeat the bowl coating with the other half of the mixture.
After the croutons have cooked for additional 5 minutes (until the cheese has melted), toss in bowl again.
Return the croutons to the sheetpan one last time. Coat them again with grated cheese and also the salt and pepper to taste.
Allow them to cool then transfer them to a sealable bowl.

These will keep for about a week. They never last that long so you be the judge.

Fresh Cheese Ravioli

2009-04-05T17:28:00.000-07:00

Back in December I posted about making ricotta cheese and how I made ravioli with it.
Today I did it again. Since my focus last time was on the cheese itself, I figured this time I could post about the ravioli.

I spent the day today making the dough, the cheese, and also the meatballs. I cheated and used sauce from a jar. I did puree the sauce into a more thin consistency as we don't care for the chunky stuff so much. I also made Pecorino-Romano garlic bread. Making that is kind of self explanatory so I wont bother putting it up here.

Before beginning the dough, put a large stock pot of water on the fire. You want boiling water on hand for when you are ready to cook your ravioli. Trust me you do not want to start boiling after you are done because it seems like forever to boil that much water. Add some olive oil and a fist of salt to the water. If you have a large amount of water on hand you wont have to worry about crowding or cooling the water down.

The pasta dough is very simple, all you need is some flour, egg yolks, salt, and if desired, garlic powder. On a large cutting board make a small mountain of flour. If you don't feel like sifting it first, don't sweat it, but don't forget to add a small bit of salt for flavor. The compactness of the flour actually helps you here. Stick your finger into the center and make small circles until there is a well in the center.

Inside the well add some egg yolks. You can start with three or four and see how it goes. On the last yolk I added the white as well as the yolk. I wanted to see if it made a difference. It did extend the moisture, but it did nothing else in my opinion. With a fork whisk the yolks while expanding the well. This will slowly draw the flour into the mix. This means that you control the mixture. When you have a loose dough, you can switch off and now use your hands. I work the dough until it is pretty solid, but not dry. It should be pretty sticky if you try to knead it in your hands. At this point you want it to rest so make it into a somewhat flat patty and dust it with flour. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and allow to chill for an hour.

Once the dough has had a chance to rest, it is time to roll it out. If you have a pasta machine set it to #1. If you are rolling by hand, you will have to do a bit of work. Cut off a piece of dough about the size of a golf ball. Keep the remaining dough covered in plastic wrap. Initially the dough will be very sticky, you just keep sprinkling flour onto it as needed. I have a habit of rolling it out and then folding the two ends back onto itself. I do this a few times to make the dough elastic like. Once the dough has become stretchy and not sticky you are ready to start making it thinner. On the machine I work the dough two or three times per setting until I get to #4 setting. The thickness will be about 1/8 to 1/16 of an inch. Once this achieved, I lie it aside under the plastic wrap to rest and start again on another ball of dough. I repeat this until all the dough is rolled out.

If you have not already, season your ricotta. I use basil, garlic powder, and a bunch of pecorino-Romano cheese as a binder. Ricotta can be loose and the cheese does well to pull it all together. You do not want to have too much moisture inside the ravioli. It will steam, expand and burst your ravioli. Now back to the dough.

Take a strip of dough out and lie it out. With a small glass make light ring impressions onto the dough. This will tell you how far to space out the cheese portions. Now spoon the cheese into the center of the rings. Use enough to fill the circle about 50%. Once the strip is portioned with cheese, lie a second strip of dough over the first. After lining the two strips up, lightly press the dough all around the cheese lumps. This will push out most of the air from the ravioli. Now take the same glass and press the dough out with the cheese centered. With a firm press and a twist the ravioli disc should be now free. After completing a full strip cover the scrap dough and collect it as you go. This will be for the next batch to be filled. These discs will now need crimping. I use a small fork and lightly press all around the disc. Take care not to press too hard where you kill the top. Just crimp enough to seal.

Taking the left over dough you will repeat the rolling process again. If you keep it covered as you go, you will be able to reduce waste to a small marble of dough. I keep making ravioli until there is no more dough.

Now you are done, aren't you glad that you listened to me and had boiled the water?
At this point you can cook them. They cook fast so stay nearby. Once the 'learn to swim' (float) you can lift them out and serve. I usually have an audience by this point and have to serve them as they come out. The last ones are mine as the others are probably already eaten by the time the last one has been fished out.

I promise that once you make these, it will ruin it for any future ravioli you may have to eat. They are that good.

Justin Wilson the Cajun cook

2009-03-26T14:39:00.000-07:00

Before everyone on tv was a CHEF, there were cooks.
Titles were not needed for great food.
Before the food groupies (shudders by the very word foodies) there were normal folk looking for good food. Justin Wilson was the crazy old guy who introduced me to cajun cooking. He and Paul Prudhomme were my inspiration to try complicated meals.
Justin had a way about him. You could barely understand him, but he managed to get his point across. By today's standard he would never be an Iron Chef or strut around like Bobby Flay, but he would still be worthy of watching.
I am glad that he was there to inspire me.

http://www.justinwilson.com

Boned Rolled & Tied

2009-02-28T09:43:00.000-08:00

Many times when presented with a solid chunk of meat, I will dress it buy using the technique called BONED-ROLLED-TIED. This will allow you to remove the bone and season a huge surface of the meat. By doing this you can control the seasonings throughout the meat and also extend the portions by stuffing the meat before tying it up.

Boning the meat is pretty self explanatory, but there are tips to help make the meat more uniform. Make the first cut length wise along the side of the bone. Once the bone is exposed, use a smaller knife and follow around the bone until it is free. Lying the meat out flat you will notice that the meat is not an even thickness. This is where you need to plan before you cut. Using the boning knife make a cut from the inside fold the full length of the meat. By doing this you will be able to open the cut away from the middle to make the thickness of the meat more uniform. Repeat this on the opposite side and it will look like two open books attached to each other. When done you will have a large flat piece of meat resembling a big steak. By pressing the meat you will see if there are any more uneven places. If so you can mallet the area and fix it. Also if there is a hole from where the bone was sticking out, you can arrange the meat to close the hole.

I bought this at JobLot for 77 cents and it rocks. I bought 4 more just in case.

This orange-honey glaze is the BEST sauce I have ever bought.
Normally I make my own, this stuff is the best second choice.
Look for it.

Having the meat flat will give you the opportunity to season the whole piece. Depending on the meat, you can also stuff it by spooning filling onto the meat and flattening it out. Once that part is done, roll it tight keeping the ends even. Here is where you will determine the shape of the finished product.

Tying the meat is the fun part. This is where the talent comes in. Many people do not know how to do this, but once tried, you will be able to do it with any cut. To tie the meat, the first step is to get a piece of heavy string that is roughly six times the length of the meat. Place the meat so that it extends away from you and tie a knot around the base. Make it a tight knot that will hold the shape but not squeeze out the middle.

Have the knot at the top of the meat and pull some string from the knot to an inch out. With your right hand pinch the string at that point. With your left hand, wrap the string around the meat again. Push the end of the string through the loop (from right to left) that the right hand pinched. Cinch the string tight by pulling the slack to the left then back to the right. Once you do this, keep the line taught and lie the tied string along the long axis of the meat. Repeat by pinching the string one inch from the last loop in your right hand again. Wrap the string around the meat and again push the end of the string through the loop and keep spacing the loops an inch apart until you are an inch from the top of the meat. This last loop will be knotted after it is cinched tight. Now flip the meat over and pull the two ends of string together to be tied. This long axis knot will pull the ends into alignment.
Make sure that it is not so tight that the meat lifts at the ends. It should look like a series of loops of string with another line connecting them. On the bottom, it will look similar but the string going top to bottom will not be looped (unless you want to loop them).

After the meat has been dressed, wrap the meat in plastic wrap and allow it to rest.

The BONE-ROLL-TIE method really is easy.
It looks just like a butcher did it with little practice.

Cooking the meat is open to many methods.
For this example I actually used three methods.
Stove top first, then the smoker, and then the oven to finish.
Before any cooking I went outside and turned on the smoker.

I pan seared the meat on a very hot iron skillet.
After a side is seared, I lift the meat off to allow the pan to heat back up before searing another side. I repeated this until all sides were done and then I finished by searing the ends.

Once the meat was seared, I walked it out to the smoker.
It was very hot. Perhaps too hot as the glaze I chose was honey based and it started to burn.
After leaving the lid off for a while, the heat came back down to where I wanted it.
I went back inside and turned the oven on to 300 degrees to preheat.

I then stayed out there to keep turning and basting the meat to keep it from burning.
The glaze darkened the meat and became very sticky. Once I ran out of glaze and it was sticky again, I brought it into the house.

The center temp was about 120 degrees after a half hour on the grill. I put the meat onto a glass tray and put it into the oven until it reached 160 degrees. After that I allowed it to rest on the cutting board for 15 minutes before cutting with a serrated knife.

My Smoker

2009-02-23T15:29:00.000-08:00

About 15 years ago I bought my first (of a few) smokers.
Up until then I was using my gas grill to do the job. It wasn't as easy in the grill, but it was a learning experience all the same. I decided to grab an electric smoker so I could cook year round in my garage and also I can remove the heating element to cook with wood or coal. I picked out a nice vertical smoker with two shelves and a little door to peek inside.

This is my smoker. It has many miles on it and I have replaced many things on it to keep it running. I use it as much as my stove in my kitchen. I have smoked just about every type of meat that I can get my hands on. The usual is ribs, chicken and pork. For special occasions I have done pit hams, salmon, and whole turkeys. I have even done a batch of smokey whiskey beans once to accompany my ribs and corn bread.

Roasted Peppers

2009-02-07T18:33:00.000-08:00

This is so simple, but I had to add it as it was something I had made today.
Place the peppers on the gas burner and rotate them as they blacken. Once they are completely blackened, place them into a paper bag and allow them to rest. Oh yeah, expect your kitchen to smell a bit. Personally, I like the smell. Once the peppers have rested about 5 minutes, they are ready to be peeled. Under cold running water work the peppers in your hands to rub the skins off.

With a sharp paring knife cut peppers in half and free up the top section.
Run some water over the peppers to remove the seeds.
Slice into strips while also slicing off the ribs.
Now they are ready for dressing.

I use a combination olive oil, vinegar, mustard powder, dill, kosher salt, and pepper.
You can substitute the vinegar for citrus, like lemon or lime juice.

Polenta with pork tomato sauce

2009-02-07T18:03:00.001-08:00

Every year my wife's family has a polenta dinner. There were different types of tomato sauce to go with the polenta, something for everyone. I enjoyed the stirring of the corn meal. It was almost meditative. Today I started tomorrow's dinner. I am letting the polenta set over night so that I can grill it before dinner.

The sauce was also prepared today. I boiled the pork in water with garlic and onion powder and some vinegar to help break the fibers down. After the pork has been boiling for a few hours, I removed the meat and cleaned the fat off of it. I then pulled the pork into shreds and added it to the tomato sauce. I also added some roasted peppers to the sauce.

Once the sauce is done and the polenta has been grilled, I would assemble them and grate some romano cheese on top. I recommend a red wine to go with this dish.

ENCHILADAS

2009-02-07T16:54:00.000-08:00

I have been on a Mexican food kick lately. It started with me buying a bag of limes.
I was putting lime on everything. As an ode to lime and Mexican cuisine, I made a spread from avocados, lime, sour cream and dill. It was rocking.

The enchiladas were chicken and came out awesome.

Here's a short list.
Avocado
Sour Cream
Dry Dill
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Cumin
Lime (yay)
Chicken Breasts
Onion
Peppers
Shredded Cheese
A large can of Tomato Puree (#10)
Hot Sauce

Here is how I did them.
I simmered chicken breasts in tomato puree with hot sauce, cumin, garlic powder, and onion powder. When the chicken is done remove the it and save the sauce. Shred the chicken and put into a bowl. Add a can of beans, I use either kidney or white, to the bowl. Add some shredded cheese and chopped onion to bowl. Now add some of the sauce from the chicken and mix together.
On a tortilla I put the avocado spread down, then I spoon the mixture on as well. Roll and place in a casserole dish. Pour remaining sauce over the enchiladas and sprinkle some cheese on top. Serve with lime wedges, avocado spread, and sour cream.

BEEF STOCK

2008-12-07T10:34:00.000-08:00

In culinary school I had a class in soups and stocks. I really enjoyed this class, I learned about making my stocks much stronger and deeper in color. We would go to the meat cutting class and grab up a hundred pounds of beef bones (or veal) and bring them back to our kitchen.

Once there we would fire up the oven to 400 degrees. In a huge roasting pan place the bones. Allow them to roast until they are brown. Take them out and brush tomato paste on all sides and return to oven. Once the paste is dried on and somewhat darkened, you are done roasting.
Take the bones out and put into a large stock pot. Back in the roaster drain off most of the grease and saving it aside. Add cold water to the bones to cover them by a few inches. Put the roaster on the stove top and add what is called a mirepoix which consists of a fine dice of carrots, celery, onions, and leeks. The veggies will instantly start cooking in the very hot pan and grease.

Once the stock is boiling, skim off anything floating on surface.
Add the browned mirepoix to the stock. If you like, you can make what is called a bouquet garni. This is a cheesecloth sack filled with parsley, thyme, peppercorns, and bay leaves and tie it off to the pot handle and drop sack into stock. The cheesecloth keep everything from getting loose and makes it easier to fish out later.
I would boil this all day and check it occasionally.

When the color and flavor is right for you, ladle the stock into a strainer.
Once cooled, you will find an orange layer of hard fat. If the stock is cold enough, you can actually lift the fat off. This is a quick way to clarify your stock. If you want a gravy, retreive the solid fat and simmer it with flour until a peanut butter like look and consistency is acheived. Spoon this into the hot stock to thicken it up. This stock makes a great soup, stew, or gravy.

This may seem like a daunting task, but if you make it in volume, you can freeze it in portions and have it on hand at all times. Once or twice a year will keep you well stocked.

SOPRASSATA

2008-12-06T21:42:00.000-08:00

Sopressata or as the local Italians here call it, soupy.
It's a dried, cured sausage, sort of like pepperoni but with a stronger taste. It is pork with mainly paprika and whole pepper corns. It's recipe is usually a guarded secret and handed down through family only. When I was first introduced to it I thought it was smelly and greasy, but it was so coveted that I had to try it.

I am sure glad that I did. It was an experience that transformed me. My source only made it once a year and convincing him to part with some was not an easy task. He refused to give me the recipe for fear of his family getting mad at him.

Ultimately I was able to find a company in my state that sells it and I was able to locate it at my market in the cheese section. Since making it is probably not going to happen, I can point you to where to buy it online. Daniele inc. is the place to start. They have a tremendous variety of cured meats and they are outstanding in quality. My shameless plug is for the benefit of all who crave good food.

HOME MADE RICOTTA CHEESE

2008-12-06T20:46:00.000-08:00

When someone really enjoys cooking there is usually a list of things that they some day want to try to make. One pretty high on my list is making cheese. Now I really want to try cheese making. Early one evening I was reading online about different ways of making cheese and I stumbled upon ricotta. I was blown away by how easy it was. Why the heck do we pay so much for it when it can be made at home?

When I say easy, I mean like three ingredients easy. Making a sandwich takes more effort. I use a gallon of whole milk, salt, and lemon juice. In a stainless steel pot (aluminum is a bad idea) I bring the milk up to about 175 degrees or until little bubbles start forming on top. Stir in the salt to taste. Kill the flame and add lemon juice. Allow time for the curds to to form, stir gently occasionally to free curds from the bottom of pot. When the milk looks very watery it is time to start ladling the curds into a colander lined with cheese cloth. Allow 15 minutes to drain most of the liquid out. Wrap the cloth up into a ball and slowly tighten it to squeeze out remaining liquid. Tie off the ball and suspend it across a bowl with a wooden spoon. Place it into the refrigerator. If you want to use it for pasta, you can add grated Pecorino Romano cheese and some more salt and pepper to taste.

I used it one night to make home made ravioli. Let me tell you that was the finest ravioli I've ever tasted. I am very happy that I decided to try this.

CORNED BEEF & CABBAGE

2008-12-06T20:11:00.000-08:00

Most of us know that this dish is reserved for St. Patrick's day, but I love it so much that it is a part of our expanded weekend dinner choice. Today I was at the market looking for something for our weekend dinner. My plan was steaks and potato, but once I got a look at the produce section I spotted cabbage. Dinner was definitely going to be corned beef and cabbage. I get a idea in my head and all others get pushed out. I boiled it for 3 hours, added potatoes and carrots, then at 10 minutes before dinner I added cabbage and onion.

When dinner was ready, I pulled out the corned beef and got ready to slice it up.
I was amazed at how lean it was. This could very well have been the BEST corned beef I've ever had. All it needed was some Italian bread and some mustard, oddly enough I had both on hand.
I ate until I was ready to bust. I figure I am good for at least another month or two. Ask yourself when was the last time you sat down to a boil dinner, then go make one.

RIBS

2008-12-06T14:54:00.000-08:00

Ok, who does not love ribs? With black beans and rice and some greens on the side, you have the perfect meal. There are two schools of thought when it comes to cooking ribs. One is sticky with barbecue sauce and the other is dry with spice rubs. I enjoy both and think there are merits to cooking them either way.

Sticky ribs consist of sweet, acid, and heat. This triangle will guarantee success no matter what the ingredients are. The sweet can be fruit juice, brown sugar, honey, maple syrup or anything that can reduce to a thick consistency. The acid will break down the meat and tenderize it. You can use lemon juice, vinegar, even tomato paste. Once again you really cannot go wrong with what your preference is. Now heat, well here is where you develop the intensity. The layers of taste will start with sweet, progressing to tanginess of acid, then on the tail end comes the heat. The heat can be as subtle as a lingering warmth or as commanding as a four alarm attack. Here you can experiment with your dry rub mixes. I generally like garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, chili powder and paprika. The heat can be anywhere from red pepper flakes to habenero powder. The thickness of the sauce carries the heat and releases it while you eat.

By mixing up the combinations, you can find some really cool sauces. The hard part is reproducing them. If you are like me you probably cook on the fly and don't bother to write down what you are doing. I can approximate the taste and many times I find a new creation.

Cook down the sauce until it can coat the back of a spoon. Brush it onto the ribs and add more after each flip of the meat. If you have a meat smoker you probably already know to cook it on low heat for long periods of time. The longer you cook it the more tender it will be. Most of the time I do not have the time to cook it this way so I tend to grill it over medium to high heat and hope for the best. I have been told that you can boil the ribs before grilling, but that just sounds wrong to me. What I do is cut them into individual ribs and cook them this way. You will find out what works for you.

Dry ribs or Memphis style are ribs that are coated in what is called a dry rub. This is a combination of sugar, salt, spices, and heat. When the fat from the ribs is rendered it interacts with the dry rub and the seasonings get into the meat. Also when the fat drips onto the heat, it vaporizes and the smoke permeates the meat. The cooking method is usually in a smoker. the spice and the smoke make a great taste. The spices that I use in the barbeque sauce are very similar to those used here. The sugar caramelizes and traps the flavor inside. I like these because the ribs are drier and less messy, although being sticky isn't so bad either. If you are accustomed to the sticky ribs, these may be a bit of a surprise to you.

PROSCIUTTO

2008-12-06T14:10:00.000-08:00

I have a love affair with cured meats. Prosciutto is my favorite. We buy it sliced paper thin and enjoy it all year round. The way we eat it is primarily with provolone and pickled jalapenos on French baguettes.

As a holiday treat I like to buy a whole leg and slice my way through it. We never have a shortage of help to eat it. I wanted an electric slicer, but found that a 24 inch serrated blade does a better job. With a little practice you can make as thin as the deli does. The hardest part keeping up with the snackers as I slice. It is so tasty that I have to cut twice as much as I plan to use when family is present.

You may be wondering how the heck does one store such a treat? Some old timers tell me to keep it in a cool, dry dark room. To appease my wife, I keep it in the refrigerator.

I save the fat/rinds and the bone for soup.

If you get the opportunity, I would definitely recommend buying one for yourself.