I made this today after staring at a can of beans all week. It's the first time I've tried a roux.
Ingredients
Blonde roux
1/2 yellow onion chopped
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1 can dark red kidney beans
1 can butter beans
1 small can tomato sauce
1 cup wine
2 boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts
Spices
Tools
Fry pan or skillet
Heavy bottom pot (chili pot)or dutch oven
Spatula
Pancake flipper
Paring knife
Bowls
Spoon
Cutting board
Make a blonde roux out of flour and butter. I took the easy way and melted 2/3 cup butter in a fry pan and added 1/2 cup flour, slowly. Stir it all the time with a spatula and it slowly turns this awesome honey brown colour. I slipped the roux out of the fry pan and into its own bowl.
Rinse the fry pan.
Chop the onion and saute over high heat in the chili pot, taking care the onion doesn't burn. Add the tomatoes, drain one can of beans and add them. Add the other can of beans along with its water. Add the wine. Turn down the heat.
Slice your chicken meat, season with garlic, black pepper and onion salt. Saute the chicken in the fry pan until the it's golden brown, add it to the chili pot. Stir in the roux. How much depends on how thick you like your stew. Add your spices to your prefered spice level. I used Zataran's Cajun spice mix, maybe 4 tsp. I just shake and taste. You could use chili powder or curry powder. Even just some more black pepper.
Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer. Cover and simmer for at least 3 hours.
Serve with tortilla chips and mexican cheese blend or oyster crackers and blue cheese. Maybe just with a dollop of good sour cream?
Robert Vela 's box rose goes good with this. Hey, be nice, I had a coupon.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Friday, November 14, 2008
Urban Homesteader
So the current financial meltdown is bringing back memories of the 70s. I remember only buying gas on M-W-F, because our pickup and Blazer tags ended in even numbers. Gardening, clamming, crabbing, fishing and hunting because we had to, rather than for fun. Chopping wood for the woodstove because it was cheaper than gas heat.
Luckily, back then someone thought gambling in Atlantic City would be a great idea and Dad worked on most of the casinos, so we weathered the inflation era ok. But I guess it planted a seed in my subconsious, because I keep coming back to digging in the dirt, growing things and raising stuff.
Those of you who know me, know I ain't no farmer, but maybe, just maybe, I can be a gardener. I've been evaluating my hobbies and the time they take. Other than the SCA, I have little to show for the amount of time they take in terms of real goods or useful skills. When some Chinese wage slave is happy to get 10 dollars a day to paint tabletop quaility miniatures, what future is there in it? Computer games are fun, but once again, other than entertainment, what do they create, other than a black hole that sucks up time better spent with my family? Same thing with RPGs. The argument for the current consumer culture is that it gives us more time, but time for what really? To buy more cheap stuff made, grown and packaged in developing nations?
Don't worry, I'm not going to spout off about how globalization is evil and Wal-mart is the devil (maybe an imp in Satan's service, but certainly not the Prince of darkness himself ;-)) It just comes down to me looking at the McMansions, giant SUVs, bass boats, LL Bean yuppie "adventure vacationers", media sensations and saying WTF? Is this all there is? Am I just a source of credit and revenue to the gnomes of Zurich? To hell with that! I want my daughter to know the value of food becuse of the effort it takes to grow and raise it. That the world isn't supposed to be chopped up into little quarter acre parcels of land with ugly huge houses squatting on them and expanses of tamed weeds. That golf courses are a desert, for all that they are green.
Growing vegetables and herbs may be time consuming, but i'd have something to show for it, provided the squirrels don't get there first, lol. I thought about turning more to SCA centered crafts, but two things come to mind. Other than clothes, anyhing I make will be pretty crude and not garner much profit after materials are factored in and the economic slowdown have many SCAdians selling off stuff and scaling back the hobby. Not the time to jump into the market.
I came across the idea in a New York Magazine story http://nymag.com/restaurants/features/37273/ about urban homesteading. There are some real hard core off the grid permaculture sustainable living folks out there, like the Dervaes http://www.pathtofreedom.com/ All I can say is WOWZERS!, more power to you. Not my thing, I just want some return on my time and a way to do something constructive with my time.
Maybe a bit of garden in Germany will cure me of this desire, we'll see.
Luckily, back then someone thought gambling in Atlantic City would be a great idea and Dad worked on most of the casinos, so we weathered the inflation era ok. But I guess it planted a seed in my subconsious, because I keep coming back to digging in the dirt, growing things and raising stuff.
Those of you who know me, know I ain't no farmer, but maybe, just maybe, I can be a gardener. I've been evaluating my hobbies and the time they take. Other than the SCA, I have little to show for the amount of time they take in terms of real goods or useful skills. When some Chinese wage slave is happy to get 10 dollars a day to paint tabletop quaility miniatures, what future is there in it? Computer games are fun, but once again, other than entertainment, what do they create, other than a black hole that sucks up time better spent with my family? Same thing with RPGs. The argument for the current consumer culture is that it gives us more time, but time for what really? To buy more cheap stuff made, grown and packaged in developing nations?
Don't worry, I'm not going to spout off about how globalization is evil and Wal-mart is the devil (maybe an imp in Satan's service, but certainly not the Prince of darkness himself ;-)) It just comes down to me looking at the McMansions, giant SUVs, bass boats, LL Bean yuppie "adventure vacationers", media sensations and saying WTF? Is this all there is? Am I just a source of credit and revenue to the gnomes of Zurich? To hell with that! I want my daughter to know the value of food becuse of the effort it takes to grow and raise it. That the world isn't supposed to be chopped up into little quarter acre parcels of land with ugly huge houses squatting on them and expanses of tamed weeds. That golf courses are a desert, for all that they are green.
Growing vegetables and herbs may be time consuming, but i'd have something to show for it, provided the squirrels don't get there first, lol. I thought about turning more to SCA centered crafts, but two things come to mind. Other than clothes, anyhing I make will be pretty crude and not garner much profit after materials are factored in and the economic slowdown have many SCAdians selling off stuff and scaling back the hobby. Not the time to jump into the market.
I came across the idea in a New York Magazine story http://nymag.com/restaurants/features/37273/ about urban homesteading. There are some real hard core off the grid permaculture sustainable living folks out there, like the Dervaes http://www.pathtofreedom.com/ All I can say is WOWZERS!, more power to you. Not my thing, I just want some return on my time and a way to do something constructive with my time.
Maybe a bit of garden in Germany will cure me of this desire, we'll see.
Beer is proof God loves us
My current cheap guilty pleasure beers are San Miguel (the Phillipine version, not the Spanish), OB, and Old Milwaukee. As a teen, I swore by the Silver Bullet, though.
Mass produced European beers I like,
Stella Artois,
Maitre Kanter,
Erdinger,
Paulaner,
Bitburger (only on tap)
Beers I will maim for
Shofferhofer Hefeweissen or Kristallweissen
Guiness on tap
John Smith's Best Bitter
Beers I would kill for
Konig Ludwig Dunkel
Hoegaarden Witbier
Grimbergen Tripel
Weltenburger Kloster Asam Bock
Ettaler Kloster Edel Hell
Mass produced European beers I like,
Stella Artois,
Maitre Kanter,
Erdinger,
Paulaner,
Bitburger (only on tap)
Beers I will maim for
Shofferhofer Hefeweissen or Kristallweissen
Guiness on tap
John Smith's Best Bitter
Beers I would kill for
Konig Ludwig Dunkel
Hoegaarden Witbier
Grimbergen Tripel
Weltenburger Kloster Asam Bock
Ettaler Kloster Edel Hell
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Of Buckwheat and Galettes
When Sara, Rowen and I visited Brittany, we were introduced to the wondrous cuisine of the region. http://www.frenchentree.com/france-brittany-restaurants-shops/home.asp Has a sample. Apples, butter, honey, cider, beer, fish, mussels, custard and crepes, oh, my! Good hearty food, friendly people.
One of the dishes I liked best was the galette. A galette is a crepe made out of buckwheat flour, in the local stores it was labeled ble-noir or saracen. I picked up a kilo of local buckwheat while we there, but I used it even before we left Europe. Good luck finding plain old buckwheat flour in Abilene. I had been using Hogden's Mills Buckwheat Pancake mix, but I wasn't happy with the results. Too thick and fluffy to be a proper galette. Imagine my happiness when Sara brought home some Hogden's Mills Buckwheat Flour! I made galettes today for lunch. Yummy!
Galette Breton
8 oz buckwheat flour
pinch of salt
2 cups water
2 eggs
1.5 oz melted butter
cheese, diced ham, bacon, tomato, mushrooms, onions, sausage, fried apples or whatever for filling
Mix everything together, making sure you got rid of the lumps. Let the batter rest for at least 45 minutes. (Some recipes say 2 hours) Pre-heat your griddle. Pour on some batter, spread it thin, let it cook. cover one half with filling, fold and flip. This takes some practice. I cheat and use a mondo pancake flipper. The galetterries use this long narrow wooden spatula, but end result is what matters, not the tools, in this case. Anyhow, cook until crispy brown. Serve hot with apple cider and a salad.
One of the dishes I liked best was the galette. A galette is a crepe made out of buckwheat flour, in the local stores it was labeled ble-noir or saracen. I picked up a kilo of local buckwheat while we there, but I used it even before we left Europe. Good luck finding plain old buckwheat flour in Abilene. I had been using Hogden's Mills Buckwheat Pancake mix, but I wasn't happy with the results. Too thick and fluffy to be a proper galette. Imagine my happiness when Sara brought home some Hogden's Mills Buckwheat Flour! I made galettes today for lunch. Yummy!
Galette Breton
8 oz buckwheat flour
pinch of salt
2 cups water
2 eggs
1.5 oz melted butter
cheese, diced ham, bacon, tomato, mushrooms, onions, sausage, fried apples or whatever for filling
Mix everything together, making sure you got rid of the lumps. Let the batter rest for at least 45 minutes. (Some recipes say 2 hours) Pre-heat your griddle. Pour on some batter, spread it thin, let it cook. cover one half with filling, fold and flip. This takes some practice. I cheat and use a mondo pancake flipper. The galetterries use this long narrow wooden spatula, but end result is what matters, not the tools, in this case. Anyhow, cook until crispy brown. Serve hot with apple cider and a salad.
Going back to Jersey for September
I haven't been posting regularly, bad on me, I know. Anyhow, since my last post, we decided to head to Jersey to visit my folks. I say we, but itwas really more of a case where Sara said "If really want to, we can." From what Mom was saying, Mom-mom isn't doing well, so Mom and Tony coming out to visit was a no go. Dad and Sherrie (gotta luv second marriages) can't come out because college for my brother is heinous on a retired carpenter's budget. That left us going back East. My daughter hasn't seen her Grandpa or her graet grandma. Add in the fact that I'm going to Korea, I really wanted to go back to show Rowen and Sara off.
Now the trip looms large, of course. It's going to be a long drive, but we felt drive would be better than flying. I hope we're right!
Now the trip looms large, of course. It's going to be a long drive, but we felt drive would be better than flying. I hope we're right!
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
So there's this wine
I haven't really posted about it, but I have morphed from a beer kinda guy to a wine kinda guy. Don't get my wrong, a good whitbier or stout will still have me belly up to the bar, but for drinking around the fire or on the porch, wine is where it's at for me.
It is with great sadness that I find that my last bottle of Dornfelder rotwein is in my cellar. We bought a case of this from our favorite winery, Schmitt und Sonne near Bernkastel in the Mosel valley. Luckily, the Class Six has some Dornfelder that I am itching to try.
I plan on trying more American wines to see what I like from the homeland.
It is with great sadness that I find that my last bottle of Dornfelder rotwein is in my cellar. We bought a case of this from our favorite winery, Schmitt und Sonne near Bernkastel in the Mosel valley. Luckily, the Class Six has some Dornfelder that I am itching to try.
I plan on trying more American wines to see what I like from the homeland.
Monday, July 9, 2007
Some recipes from last week
I realized I hadn't posted in a while. I also figured that I need to start taking pictures of the stuff I cook. I haven't done that yet, but I will soon.
For the 4th, Sara invited Shawn and Jeannette over and invited Otto over. A crowded house for us. Traditionally, I suppose one should make burgers and dogs, but I really didn't feel like making that so I made marinated some pork blade steaks instead. It's a slightly fatty cut, but it grills up really nice. I also made some potato salad, corn on the cob and zaziki.
Potato salad
8 peeled, chunked and boiled potatoes
4 hard boiled eggs, sliced
1 cup diced red onion
1/2 jar real mayonnaise (not miracle whip-blech)
dash vinegar
celery salt and pepper to taste
cooked bacon to crumble on top
Place all your taters, eggs and onion in a big bowl. Shake on some vinegar, celery salt and pepper. Mix everything around, making sure the spices are spread out. Start spooning out the mayo and mixing it in. Taste, add more spices if you want. Refrigerate. Crumble the bacon on top just prior to serving, otherwise it gets mushy.
Zaziki (Greek garlic, cucumber yogurt dip/spread)
8 oz plain yogurt or lite sour cream
1/2 large English cucumber
minced garlic to taste
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp white/rice/cider vinegar
Peel and chop your cucumber and place it in a bowl. Add in as much minced garlic as you like. Add in the olive oil and vinegar, mix. Mix in the yogurt or sour cream. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, overnight is better. Use it on burgers, fajitas, steak sandwiches, salads, as a dip.
German Style Marinated Pork Blade Steaks (Schwenkbraten)
2 lbs of pork blade steaks
1 red onion
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tbsp paprika
Sea salt
Thyme, black pepper, cayenne pepper and curry to taste
Slice the onions into strips and sprinkle with sea salt. Place the meat into a bowl and cover with the onions. Crush the onions into the meat, so the onion juice gets into the meat. Shake on your seasonings, except for the paprika. Stir the paprika into the olive oil, then pour the olive oil over the meat and onions. Cover the bowl tightly, or transfer everything to a gallon Ziploc bag. Let marinate over night. Bring to room temperature before grilling over an open flame. Serve on kaiser rolls, hard rolls, brotchen or baguettes. Top with German mustard, zaziki, ketchup, or curry sauce. Remoulade is good too.
For the 4th, Sara invited Shawn and Jeannette over and invited Otto over. A crowded house for us. Traditionally, I suppose one should make burgers and dogs, but I really didn't feel like making that so I made marinated some pork blade steaks instead. It's a slightly fatty cut, but it grills up really nice. I also made some potato salad, corn on the cob and zaziki.
Potato salad
8 peeled, chunked and boiled potatoes
4 hard boiled eggs, sliced
1 cup diced red onion
1/2 jar real mayonnaise (not miracle whip-blech)
dash vinegar
celery salt and pepper to taste
cooked bacon to crumble on top
Place all your taters, eggs and onion in a big bowl. Shake on some vinegar, celery salt and pepper. Mix everything around, making sure the spices are spread out. Start spooning out the mayo and mixing it in. Taste, add more spices if you want. Refrigerate. Crumble the bacon on top just prior to serving, otherwise it gets mushy.
Zaziki (Greek garlic, cucumber yogurt dip/spread)
8 oz plain yogurt or lite sour cream
1/2 large English cucumber
minced garlic to taste
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp white/rice/cider vinegar
Peel and chop your cucumber and place it in a bowl. Add in as much minced garlic as you like. Add in the olive oil and vinegar, mix. Mix in the yogurt or sour cream. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, overnight is better. Use it on burgers, fajitas, steak sandwiches, salads, as a dip.
German Style Marinated Pork Blade Steaks (Schwenkbraten)
2 lbs of pork blade steaks
1 red onion
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tbsp paprika
Sea salt
Thyme, black pepper, cayenne pepper and curry to taste
Slice the onions into strips and sprinkle with sea salt. Place the meat into a bowl and cover with the onions. Crush the onions into the meat, so the onion juice gets into the meat. Shake on your seasonings, except for the paprika. Stir the paprika into the olive oil, then pour the olive oil over the meat and onions. Cover the bowl tightly, or transfer everything to a gallon Ziploc bag. Let marinate over night. Bring to room temperature before grilling over an open flame. Serve on kaiser rolls, hard rolls, brotchen or baguettes. Top with German mustard, zaziki, ketchup, or curry sauce. Remoulade is good too.
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