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Korean Style Teriyaki Beef Lettuce Wraps and a Giveaway!

August 11, 2011 by 54 Comments

A couple months ago I was contacted by Back To The Roots, a company that sells grow-your-own-gourmet-mushroom kits using composted coffee grounds. Before I even got two sentences into the email from them I had hit reply with a message that went something like this:

“Yes! Whatever you’re asking me, yes! I love mushrooms. LOVE ‘em. What do you want me to do? I’ll do it!”

And then I sensibly went back and read the rest of the email.

As it turned out, my original response was entirely suitable to what they had asked me. They offered me my own oyster mushroom kit, a kit to give away to my readers (that’s YOU FOLKS!) and a ten-percent discount code for the rest of you to use so you can order your own kits from Back To The Roots. (Discount code: mushrooms4me10 ). And let me tell you, I was pretty impressed with the company.

I waited until I got back from the ranch to start growing my mushrooms and it’s a good thing I did because eight days in, BAM. I had about a pound of giant, gorgeous oyster mushrooms shooting out of my kit. I got so excited that I sliced them all off and cooked them before it even occurred to me to take a picture. Ahem. I was excited. Did I mention I like mushrooms a lot?

Thankfully, the instructions told me  how to get a second crop from the kit and I wrote myself many little sternly worded notes about taking a picture before cooking the mushrooms. This was my second crop:

I had never noticed before just how pretty mushrooms are. They’re so delicate and lovely that it was almost a shame to slice them up and cook them.

…Almost a shame. Not quite. No. Not really at all. I carried on and sallied forth and made one of the best summer meals we’ve had this year. Korean-Style Teriyaki Beef Lettuce Wraps*.

*If this beef looks familiar, it’s because it is. This is a very gently adapted version of my Jangsanjeok recipe but served over garlicky oyster mushroom soba noodles and wrapped in lettuce.

Don’t let the length of the ingredient list freak you out. The recipe is incredibly simple to pull together. Both the beef and noodles can be prepared as much as a day in advance of serving, making it a great solution for summer entertaining on steamy evenings. Substantial but not heavy, flavourful and exotic, these lettuce wraps are a crowd-pleaser. Alternatively, you could skip the crowd and eat it all yourself. Not that I’ve done that. I’m just saying.

So, this contest. You want the rules? Leave a comment. Tell me what you would do with your oyster mushroom bounty. Tell me how cool you think it is that they grow in composted coffee. Tell me you’d give this kit to your Aunt Marge because she loves mushrooms. Just tell me something!  The winner will be chosen by random.org and announced here on Monday, August 15th. Good luck everyone!

Update: Our winner is lucky comment #50: Janis who will be naming her burl Roger :-) Please email me your mailing address, Janis and happy mycelium tending.

A free mushroom kit was sent to me and one is being provided for this giveaway by the generous folks at Back To The Roots but all opinions and experiences discussed here are my own. What can I say? I’m enthusiastic about this product.

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Korean Style Teriyaki Beef Lettuce Wraps

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 60 minutes

Yield: 8 servings

Spicy, sweet, garlicky, gingery Korean-style teriyaki simmered beef patties on a bed of garlic oyster mushroom noodles get the fresh leaf lettuce wrap treatment for the ultimate summer meal. This is the stuff of cravings. Best yet, everything can be done ahead of time and chilled, making this a great fit for entertaining on warm evenings.

Ingredients

    For the Beef:
  • 2 pounds lean ground beef
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons sesame oil
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 tablespoon finely minced green onion
  • 1 tablespoon finely minced (or pressed in a garlic press) garlic
  • 4 tablespoons raw sugar (can substitute white granulated sugar if necessary)
  • 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    • Ingredients for Simmering Sauce:
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons water
  • 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon unsweetened apple or pear juice
  • 6 tablespoons raw sugar (can substitute white granulated sugar if necessary)
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 10 cloves of garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 1-1/2? piece of ginger, thinly sliced*
  • 3 whole small dried red chilis (can substitute 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, can also reduce to suit heat preferences.)
  • 2 whole green onions, ends trimmed
    • For the Garlic Oyster Mushroom Noodles:
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1-2 cups oyster mushrooms
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
  • 6 tablespoons raw sugar
  • 8 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon gochujang (Korean chili paste) or Asian chili-garlic sauce
  • 1 pound soba noodles, cooked 1-2 minutes less than package instructions, drained and rinsed with very cold water
  • 6 green onions, sliced
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
    • Additional ingredients for serving:
  • 12-20 large leaves of lettuce (Bibb, leaf or romaine, preferably) rinsed and air dried
  • sliced green onions
  • toasted sesame seeds.

Instructions

To Prepare the Beef:

Preheat oven to broil (High Broil if your oven allows you to differentiate) with the oven rack between 6 to 8 inches from the heating element. (Alternately, you can heat your gas grill to High or lay a bed of hot coals in your charcoal grill.)

Combine beef with all the other patty ingredients in a medium size bowl. Mix well with your hands until the ingredients are evenly distributed. Divide the meat into two portions. Pat each portion into a square or rectangle that is about 1/2? thick on a rimmed baking sheet. The patties do not have to be shaped perfectly, but try your best to get them evenly thick in order to promote even cooking.

Broil or grill the beef for about 3 minutes on the first side. Carefully flip to prevent breakage. One spatula underneath and one spatula pressed lightly against the top works well for the manoeuver. Return the patty to the broiler or grill and cook until cooked through. This took 4 more minutes under my broiler. Remove the pan from the oven and cool completely.

While patties cool, combine all of the sauce ingredients in a large skillet or braising pot.

When the patties are completely cool, cut into squares that are about 1-inch to 1 1/2-inches in size. Bring the sauce ingredients to a boil over medium high. Stir well, then add the patties to the sauce. Lower heat to medium low and simmer, basting the patties and turning occasionally, until the sauce has been reduced, is thick and syrupy and has been mostly absorbed.

Serve hot or chilled.

To prepare the Garlic Oyster Mushroom Noodles:

Place a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium high heat with 2 tablespoons of olive oil in it.

When the oil is shimmering, add the mushrooms with a couple pinches of salt and stir to coat.

Cook, stirring frequently, until mushrooms are tender and golden brown.

Add garlic, raw sugar, the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and gochujang. Bring the sauce to a simmer, stirring constantly until mixture is smooth and somewhat thickened around the mushrooms.

Add the noodles to the pan and toss to coat.

Remove the pan from the heat and toss in the green onions and sesame seeds. Let cool to room temperature or colder before serving.

To Assemble Lettuce Wraps:

Lay out several large lettuce leaves.

Arrange about 1/8 cup of noodles on each leaf and top with two or so of the simmered beef patties.

Garnish with additional sesame seeds and green onions, if desired.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2011/08/11/korean-style-teriyaki-beef-lettuce-wraps-and-a-giveaway/

 

Filed Under: Accessible Ethnic, Giveaways!, Healthy Foods, Korean Food, Main Dish, Meat, Recipes Tagged With: , , , ,

Prize Winning Grilled Tandoori Style Chicken

July 3, 2011 by 9 Comments

I did a little something a couple weekends ago. I’ll let the video show you what happened…

 

That I had a wonderful time is obvious. But I just have to throw in there that Ree, her family, the folks from BlogHer, their production company, Bush’s Beans and Bush’s PR team from Edelman were all tons of fun to work with and great company. Thank you to all involved in making this happen! I would jump at the chance to work with any of those great people again.

The contest specified that the recipe could have no more than 10 ingredients that had to be fairly easy to find.  I gently modified my previous Tandoori Style Grilled Chicken that I used for sandwiches by omitting a couple ingredients and doubling the amount of yogurt and ended up loving the results. Here is the new, improved, prize-winning version!

*Psssst. You might notice that my chicken pictured above is much less yellow than the one in the video. That is because there are variations in the amount of turmeric (the spice that makes some curries so very yellow) in curry powders. There is no trickery involved, just different curry powders. You can use whichever you like best!

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Prize Winning Grilled Tandoori Style Chicken
Author: 
Recipe type: Main
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 

Serves: 4-6
 

Tender, juicy, spicy and smoky, this yogurt and curry marinated chicken grills up in the blink of an eye. Making it even more convenient, the marinade is mixed up in the same bag used to soak the chicken! This is the version of my classic Tandoori Style Grilled Chicken that netted a trip to Oklahoma to meet The Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond, for my husband and me.
Ingredients
  • 3 large boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
  • 1 cup plain yogurt
  • ⅓ cup white wine or cider vinegar
  • cup canola or vegetable oil
  • 3 Tablespoons ground cumin
  • 2 Tablespoons curry powder
  • 2 teaspoons granulated garlic
  • 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger (or 1 Tablespoon grated gingerroot)

Instructions
  1. Add all of the ingredients except the chicken to a zip-top resealable bag (or whisk together in a flat baking dish.) Set aside. This is your marinade.
  2. Pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels and lay out flat on a cutting board.
  3. Holding a large, sharp knife parallel to the cutting board, cut the down the length of the chicken breast, dividing it into two evenly thick pieces. This is easiest if you press your other hand down flat on the chicken breast to hold it steady.
  4. Transfer the chicken breasts to the zip-top bag that contains the marinade.
  5. Seal the top and squish the bag around gently to coat all the chicken evenly.
  6. Place the bag in a bowl to catch any leaks and stash in the refrigerator for at least two hours but preferably overnight prior to grilling.
  7. When you’re ready to cook the meat you have a couple options. The best option is to grill. You can use a grill pan or hot oven if you don’t have a grill at your disposal.
For a gas grill, preheat the grill, with the cover down, to high. For a charcoal grill, build a bed of hot coals. Oil the grill racks very well as the chicken has a tendency to stick.
  1. Remove the chicken from the marinade, shake off excess and place on grill racks. Don’t move the chicken around once it’s on the grill. Give it a chance to develop a nice crust.
  2. Cook, covered for four minutes, flip the chicken breasts and continue cooking, covered until the internal temperature of the chicken breasts reaches 160°F. It’ll have charred bits on it and look delicious.
  3. Transfer to a platter and tent loosely with foil until ready to serve.

Notes
This amount of marinade is sufficient to soak up to two times as much chicken specified in the recipe.

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This contest was sponsored by BlogHer and Bush’s Grillin’ Beans. Ree Drummond provided the accommodations.

Filed Under: Happy Healthy and Wise, Main Dish, Meat, Rebecca, Recipes, Stretching your dollars Tagged With: , , , ,

Cincinnati Chili Empanadas

June 10, 2011 by 15 Comments

This post makes two deep-frying posts in a row. Does this break some sort of variety rule? Does it count that one of the recipes is a mere snack? Here’s the thing. I didn’t stop at two. I had three days of deep-fried goodies in a row. Why, you ask?

Have you heard of the “Deep-Frying Rule of Three”*? It states that if you prepare one recipe that is deep-fried, you must plan two additional deep frying projects.  Why is this so important? Because you have all that oil that you’ve just broken in with one lovely deep-fried meal and it’s far too good to throw out just yet.  IT’S FRYING GOLD, PEOPLE! You wouldn’t throw away gold, would you?

*I thought up the rule. If you haven’t heard of it yet, the voices in my head are not loud enough, evidently.

And so we sally forth, deep-frying all foods that cross our paths. It’s just the way we roll.

But these. These are the these that rhyme with bees-knees. These bees-knees. The combination of two wildly different regional favorites: Cincinnati Chili and Empanadas. Cincinnati Chili being the specialty of Cincinnati (duh), Ohio and Empanadas being the regional specialty of Greater Not-Ohio. While explaining to a friend that I was on an empanada bender owing to the fact that I recently discovered the great joy that is frozen empanada dough discs (Hallelujah, Thank You, Goya!*), I half-joked that I was so obsessed with empanadas that I was likely to stuff a batch with my leftover Cincinnati Chili. Instead of laughing at me, she said, “DO IT!” Well, yes ma’am.

*Let me tell you about Goya Discos for a second, if I might. I refer to frozen packages of ten empanada dough discs at a price so low you have to do a double take. At any given moment, I have at least ten packages in the freezer. You can stuff them with all sorts of chopped leftover meats, chilis, stews, cheese, vegetables, and GLORY, pie filling or sweet stuff.  I may or may not have stuffed them with chopped dark chocolate. And if I did, it was really, really good.

I did.

And you should, too. It turns out that this is my favorite empanada yet.

These bees-knees empanadas are mighty meaty and super saucy. They’re satisfying, spicy, lightning fast, and pleasing to all ages. My husband and I scarfed them down with a pile of guacamole perched precariously on top. The kids formed factions of those eating them ‘pure’ and those dunking into sour cream. Anyway you move them to your mouth, you’ll be happy.

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Cincinnati Chili Empanadas

Flaky, crispy empanada dough wrapped around spicy, meaty, Cincinnati Chili. Served as a snack, appetizer or main dish, these are hard to beat.

Ingredients

  • 2 packages of ten frozen empanada dough rounds (or equivalent amount of homemade dough)
  • 5 cups leftover Cincinnati Chili
  • Canola or Vegetable Oil for deep frying (*see notes if you prefer not to deep fry)

Instructions

Roll out one empanada disc to a circle about 6-inches in diameter.

Scoop about 1/4 cup of chili into the center of the dough.

Fold dough in half over the chili to form a semi circle.

Crimp with a fork, then fold the dough up and pinch it to form a decorative edge.

Repeat until all dough discs have been filled and crimped.

Heat a large, heavy-bottomed, high-sided pan of oil to about 375°F.

Line a plate of pan with several layers of paper towels. Set aside.

Fry 3-4 empanadas at a time, taking care not to crowd the pan, for 4-6 minutes or until the dough is golden brown.

Use tongs or a skimmer to transfer the empanadas from the hot oil to the paper towel lined plate or tray.

Let rest 5 minutes before serving hot or let cool to room temperature before serving.

Store leftovers, carefully wrapped, in the refrigerator.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2011/06/10/cincinnati-chili-empanadas/

 

 

Filed Under: Appetizers & Snacks, Main Dish, Meat, Rebecca, Recipes

Ham and Cheddar Stuffed Pretzels

May 5, 2011 by 16 Comments

This recipe ran as part of my column in today’s Traverse City Record-Eagle.

Yes I am obsessed with soft pretzels. And with shoving ham and cheese into things. Why do you ask? Is it because of this? Or this? Maybe this, this, this, this or this? Okay, that last one is bacon, but really? It could’ve been ham just as easily. Ham and bacon? They’re like *this*.

Ham, cheese, pretzels and me? We’re also like *this*. How it look so ever loving long for that beautiful food in the picture above to happen is beyond me. I live for stuffing things into soft pretzels and I live for stuffing ham and cheese into things. It was inevitable and the inevitable was oh-so-good.

We’re talking about a snack crossed with a meal. I’ve heard it both ways. It’s hearty enough to serve with a big salad* and some beans and be called dinner. It’s small enough that you could eat it alone (dunked in mustard, of course) for a serious snack. I chose to eat enough of them for snack that dinner was no longer an option.

*Big salads make all meals healthy and legitimate, no?

There are a few important things to remember when making these:

  1. Use a great, dry-ish ham. Country ham is the best. Your second best option is a Virginia baked type ham or ham steak. Don’t use watery, pressed, nasty, rectangular ham. Have you ever seen a rectangular pig? No. Therefore, no ham should be a perfect rectangle.
  2. Ham is salty. Cheese is salty. Go light on the salt on top of these pretzels. A soft pretzel needs at least a wee bit of salt on top in my book, but it’s easy to go overboard and cross into salt-lick territory. Better to leave it off if you’re watching the sodium intake or sensitive to salt.
  3. The sharper your Cheddar, the better the final product. The cheese had to stand up against the assertive flavour of ham and a sharper Cheddar is better equipped.
  4. This is one time I’m going to insist you cook your pretzel to a dark colour. Most often I offer a choice on baking lighter or darker, but this pretzel begs to be a deep brown. It needs the dark toffee coloured crisp exterior to balance the hearty fillings. Go for broke!

As with most soft-pretzels, these freeze and reheat beyootifully. Have you ever gotten so hungry you felt almost panicky or sick? Picture a serious hunger attack and knowing that you have a bag full of these bad boys in the freezer. Hunger be gone! We vanquish you with Ham and Cheddar Stuffed Pretzels. Victory is ours!

4.0 from 1 reviews

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Ham and Cheddar Stuffed Pretzels
Author: 
Recipe type: Appetizer, Snack, Main
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 

Serves: 8
 

Soft pretzels, ham and cheese -individually- make me happy, but together, they make me swoon. Deep brown soft pretzels stuffed with salty ham and melted, gooey sharp Cheddar cheese make the ultimate snack or light meal.
Ingredients
Ingredients for the pretzel dough:
  • 1 cup lukewarm milk
  • ½ cup hot water (not boiling, just hot)
  • 4 cups (1 pound 1 ounce, by weight) high-gluten flour (or bread flour)
  • 1 tablespoon malt powder (or granulated sugar)
  • 1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt
  • 2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast
Ingredients for pretzel boil:
  • 2 quarts water
  • ¼ cup baking soda
Ingredients for fillings:
  • 1 ½ cups diced ham (I like to use country ham or a Virginia style baked ham for this.)
  • 1 ½ cups diced Cheddar cheese (We prefer extra sharp, but use your favorite.)
Ingredients for toppings:
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • Coarse sea salt, kosher salt or pretzel salt

Instructions
To Make the Dough by Hand:
  1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, malt powder or sugar and yeast.
  2. Set the whisk aside and switch to a sturdy wooden spoon.
  3. Stir in the milk and hot water until a soft dough forms.
  4. Turn onto a generously floured surface and knead, adding small amounts of flour as needed to keep the dough from adhering to the counter. You do not want a firm dough… it should be fairly slack, a little tacky and soft, yet smooth.
  5. Place dough in a clean bowl, cover with a damp tea towel and set aside to rise in a warm, draft-free place until nearly doubled in bulk and puffy, about an hour or so.
To Make the Dough by Stand Mixer:
  1. In the work-bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the flour, salt, malt powder or sugar and yeast.
  2. Mix on low just to combine dry ingredients. With mixer still on low, carefully pour in the milk and water.
  3. Continue mixing on low until you have a smooth, soft, slightly tacky dough.
  4. Remove bowl from the mixer, cover with a damp tea towel and set aside to rise in a warm, draft-free place until nearly doubled in bulk and puffy, about an hour or so.
To Make the Dough by Bread Machine:
  1. Add the milk, water, flour, malt powder or sugar, and yeast to the pan of your bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer.
  2. Select the “Dough” or “Dough Only” cycle and hit start. Allow the cycle to complete.
To Form Pretzel Bites:
  1. Line two 11×13-inch baking sheets with silicon or teflon pan liners. (You can use parchment, but you will need to grease it generously to prevent it from sticking.) Set next to your work area.
  2. Turn the dough out onto a very lightly floured surface.
  3. Use a bench knife to cut the dough into four pieces.
  4. Keep three pieces of dough covered with a tea towel while working with the first. Roll the piece like play-dough until you have a snake of dough about the circumference of two thumbs squashed together.
  5. Use your bench knife to cut the dough snake into 6 equally-sized pieces.
  6. Press each piece into an oval that is about 3-4 inches across.
  7. Put 1 ½ teaspoons each of the minced Cheddar and ham into the center. Bring the dough up together from the sides toward the center and pinch together firmly to seal the dough. Pinch the ends so that the cheese and ham are sealed into the dough.
  8. Transfer the sealed, stuffed dough, seam-side down, onto the lined baking sheets, being sure to leave generous amounts of room between pieces and rows. They will expand both as they rise and again as they boil and bake.
To Cook the Pretzels:
  1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
  2. Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil in a stainless steel or other non-reactive pan (enameled cast-iron, tempered glass, etc…) When water boils, add the baking soda.
  3. Gently lift the pretzel dough pieces one at a time into the boiling water. (You can boil more than one at a time, but be sure not to crowd the the pan as they will expand as they boil. Let simmer for about 45 seconds, flip the pieces and simmer for another 45 seconds-1 minute.
  4. Use a slotted spoon to drain and return each piece to its place on the pan. Continue until all pieces have been boiled and returned to the pan.
  5. Brush all pieces of dough with the beaten egg and sprinkle with coarse salt.
  6. Place pans in oven and bake at least until golden brown (at least 15 minutes), but you can bake until they are deep brown. It’s up to you!
  7. Remove the pans from the oven and let the pretzels rest on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a serving plate.
  8. Leftovers, if you have them, should be stored in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator.
  9. Serve warm or room temperature. I like mine with classic yellow mustard, but they’re also good with grainy beer mustards.

Notes
I recommend going light on the salt on top of the pretzels, especially if you use a good country ham. Ham and cheese are salty on their own, so the pretzel only needs the lightest sprinkle of coarse salt on top.

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Filed Under: Appetizers & Snacks, Bread, Main Dish, Meat, Rebecca, Recipes, Snacks

Cincinnati Chili

May 3, 2011 by 15 Comments

So. Rain.

Lots of it.

And then some more rain.

Add a few floods.

And some more rain.

A bunch more rain.

Don’t forget a significant additional amount of rain.

…This has been our weather pattern for the past three weeks.  Add colder than normal temperatures (with the exception of one glorious, magical, sunny, sixty-degree day) and you get an idea of the dreary outdoor conditions around here. Blech.

Today, the boys and I hit the end of our proverbial rope and decided we wouldn’t take this rain lying down*. We combated the four billionth consecutive torrential rainy day by…

*This  is a good overall plan because lying down in rain is a drowning hazard. Or so my anxiety-riddled mama brain would say.

Wait for it…

EATING!

That’s right. We avoided looking at the grey, nasty sky by fixing our gazes firmly on a big, fat, meaty bowl of Cincinnati Chili. (We also made two other seriously decadent treats that will be featured here this week, but that’ll just have to remain a surprise.) Cincinnati Chili will make you believe the skies are blue even if they aren’t. Which they aren’t. Sigh.

Have you ever eaten Cincinnati Chili? Have you ever heard of Cincinnati Chili? Everyone in Cincinnati bear with me for a minute while I clue everyone else in on the glory that is your city’s chili, okay?

Cincinnati Chili is meat. Seriously. It’s meat, more meat, some onions, garlic, other stuff and meat. It’s not a vegetarian friendly option, so save it for nights when your carnivorous buddies are in town. Also? I’m just going to go ahead and get this out of the way. It’s made with chocolate, cinnamon, and nutmeg in additional to the things you’d usually think of; chili powder, salt, pepper, etc… Don’t walk away here. Don’t get weirded out. It is my favorite chili in the entire world. Break it down with me a bit. Chocolate (unsweetened), cinnamon and nutmeg are often combined in traditional Mexican foods. Think of Mole. Mole has those ingredients and roughly five hundred other crazy things.

Allow me to reassure you. You don’t sniff it and say, “Wow! Cinnamon Chocolate Nutmeg Chili. That’s wild!” You sniff it and think, “That is complex. I can’t really identify what is in there, but DANG that smells good. Gimme a fork. Now.”

This brings me to another important defining feature of Cincinnati Chili; You eat it on spaghetti with a fork. Huh? Seriously. Everyone who has had Cincinnati Chili has a favorite way of ordering it. You can choose from the following: (Thank you Wikipedia)

  • two-way: spaghetti and chili
  • three-way: spaghetti, chili, and shredded cheese
  • four-way: spaghetti, chili, shredded cheese, and diced onions
  • four-way bean: spaghetti, chili, shredded cheese, and beans
  • five-way: spaghetti, chili, shredded cheese, diced onions, and beans

And dear heavenly father, help us. There is more. You can also order:

  • cheese coney: hot dog topped with chili, shredded cheese, diced onions, and mustard
  • chili cheese fries: French fries topped with chili and shredded cheese

BANG go your blood vessels. Who cares at that point? You’d go out happy.

I can tell you that I’ve eaten each of the above options and I don’t have to drive to Cincinnati (lovely city that it is…) to get them. My homemade Cincinnati Chili is a point of pride for me. The balance of ingredients is perfect. It is equally at home over spaghetti, fries or hot dogs.

Psst. If you find yourself in a Cincy Chili parlor and you want the full experience, be a champ and don’t twirl your spaghetti. They’ll know you’re not native before you can Lady and the Tramp those noodles into your mouth. Cut it with the side of your fork and you’ll blend in like chili.

Post Psssst Script. Detroit folks will back me up on this. Put this on top of a hot dog and what you REALLY have is a Coney. Am I right? Come on, Detroit. Show me some love!

5.0 from 2 reviews

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Cincinnati Chili
Author: 
Recipe type: Main Dish
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 

Serves: 8
 

Meaty, meaty, meaty! Cincinnati Chili is definitely hearty (and not vegetarian) fare. While the ingredients may sound odd, they’re quite traditional and yield incredibly flavourful chili.
Ingredients
Ingredients for the chili:
  • 2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
  • 3 pounds lean ground beef (or venison)
  • 1 quart cold water
  • 2 large onions, peeled and diced
  • 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced or crushed
  • 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
  • 1½ tablespoons cider vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 5 bay leaves
  • 1½ tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch processed)
  • 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper (reduce if you don’t like spicy foods)
  • 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon grated nutmeg (preferably fresh)
  • Salt and pepper to taste
Ingredients for serving:
  • Cooked spaghetti, rinsed with hot water
  • Grated Cheddar cheese
  • Diced onions
  • Chili beans, heated
  • Optional: Oyster crackers to soak up liquid.

Instructions
  1. Heat the oil in a heavy pot and brown beef, breaking up into very small pieces.
  2. Add onions and water and bring to a boil.
  3. Reduce to a simmer and add all other ingredients and let simmer 1 ½ to 2 hours or until it is as thick as desired. We like ours quite thick.
  4. Adjust with salt and pepper to taste.
  5. Remove bay leaves before serving.
  6. Serve over spaghetti with finely shredded cheddar cheese, chopped onions and kidney beans on top.

Notes
While I would normally shut my own fingers in the door before telling you to rinse spaghetti that is to be served hot, the instruction here serves a purpose. It is how it’s served in Cincinnati and it keeps the noodles free to move around in the chili. It’s all part of the experience!

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Filed Under: Main Dish, Meat, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: , , ,

Taste of Home Old Fashioned Ham Balls

April 26, 2011 by 16 Comments

Ham Balls.

Could there possibly be a less appealing sounding name for a dish?*

*Perhaps. But it would have to be exceptionally gross… Maybe “Repurposed Egg Salad” or “Blood Sausage”.  You get the idea…

Let’s be honest, they’re also not the purtiest meatball on the block. They’re brown on the outside, but they’re a pinky colour on the inside. Not bad when you remember the presence of ham, but a bit disconcerting for the inside of your average meatball. Here’s the thing of it, though; These ham balls from an ancient Taste of Home (Yes, again with the Taste of Home. I’m feeling nostalgic.) are one of the best things I’ve ever eaten in all of my life. Allow me to paint a picture.

The year is nineteen-ninety seven. I arrive at the home of my father and step-mother for Easter dinner with husband in tow. We are expecting our first child. I am quite firmly in mega-morning sickness mode. No food has sounded, smelled or looked anywhere near good to me for about two and a half months. And I do mean nothing. I’ve choked back sleeve upon sleeve of saltine crackers, sipped tentatively at ice water and seltzer and forced myself to take in enough calories to keep myself going and keep baby growing. I visit a bit, putz around in the kitchen with Val a bit, and ask what’s fer grub while secretly steeling myself to eat a few courtesy bites before excusing myself from the table. Val pauses, hand on covered casserole pan and says, “These are ham balls!”

If you think you know what’s coming next you just might be wrong.

What I heard was, “These are ham…” and then I blanked out. I could smell the salty ham and see the sticky brown sugar mustard glaze and deep brown crust. It smelled perfect. It looked amazing. All I wanted at that one moment was to stick my face into the casserole and not come up for air until I had licked that pot clean. Not for the first time, and certainly not for the last, I looked to Val with an awestruck expression. I’m not sure what I said to her, but the result was her handing me one glorious sticky ham ball skewered on a fork. I nibbled once, twice then made like the Tootsie Roll Owl and on three gobbled the whole thing down. It was the first real food I had managed to eat in weeks and I made up for lost time. The Evil Genius ate his meagre portion (from which I stole while he wasn’t looking.) Whether anyone got a proper serving after I had my fill, I don’t recall.  Quite frankly, I didn’t care. I was a monster.

Over the years, we looked forward to ham balls at Easter so much that we eventually skipped the actual ham supper and went straight to ham balls. Nowadays, a triple batch of these sweet, salty, savoury, sour, sticky ham meatballs is eaten on Easter Sunday and for a couple of meals thereafter.

Ham ball sandwiches on soft bread with bread and butter pickles, a bit of mustard and a side of baked beans is good enough to make my husband weepy. Ham balls on steamed or fried rice with sweet garlic chili sauce is a fast and well-loved dinner.

Ham balls snuck from the bowl when all the kids are asleep? Well, that’s the best of them all. A word to the wise: Make sure you wash your hands before you sneak the sticky little ham balls. You will most certainly want to lick that glaze from your fingers and I’d hate for you to be unprepared.Who’s looking out for you? Me. That’s who.

4.0 from 1 reviews

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Taste of Home Old Fashioned Ham Balls
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Recipe type: Main, Appetizer
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 

Serves: 12-16
 

Sticky, sweet-and-sour, savoury ham meatballs in a brown sugar and mustard glaze. Use up your leftover ham, or make like us and skip the ham dinner going straight to these.
Ingredients
Ingredients for ham balls:
  • 2 pounds ground pork
  • 2 pounds leftover ham
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1½ cups milk
  • 1⅓ cups crushed shredded wheat cereal (You can use a food processor or a zipper top bag and a mallet for the job!)
Ingredients for the glaze:
  • 3½ cups brown sugar, lightly packed
  • 1½ cups water
  • 1 cup apple cider vinegar (Don’t use white vinegar here. It lacks oomph!)
  • 2 teaspoons ground mustard powder (Or 1 tablespoon prepared British-style mustard, like Coleman’s.)

Instructions
  1. Use the coarse setting on your meat grinder to grind your ham. (If you do not have a meat grinder, use your food processor to pulse until it is finely chopped like hamburger or chop very finely with a large, sharp knife.)
  2. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  3. Evenly coat two 9″x13″ baking dishes with non-stick cooking spray.
  4. Combine all the ham ball ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix together with your hands until all ingredients are evenly distributed.
  5. Roll the meat into 2-inch balls. (I use a disher to get evenly sized meatballs so they cook at the same rate.)
  6. Arrange the ham balls in the pans. Set aside.
  7. Add all the glaze ingredients to a medium-sized, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil, whisking just until the sugar is fully melted.
  8. Reduce heat and simmer for 4 minutes. Do not cover the pan while simmering.
  9. Pour the glaze over the ham balls, dividing evenly between the two pans.
  10. Bake the ham balls, uncovered, for 70 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced to a syrupy consistency and the ham balls are browned.

Notes
These freeze well, so don’t worry about the high volume of the recipe. Not that you’ll have many left, that is… They’re just a bit too tasty.

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Filed Under: Appetizers & Snacks, Getting Creative With Leftovers, Main Dish, Meat, Party Food, Recipes, Stretching your dollars

Ham and Cheese Stuffed Crepes | How to Make Crepes

April 13, 2011 by 10 Comments

France exports many fine culinary things; cheese, chocolate, bread and the like, but none is as well loved at our home as the merveilleuse crêpe. Crêpes are most often served sweet and dessert-like here in the States. (Think Crêpes Suzette and whatnot…) I’m on a mission, though, to bring their savoury counterpart some well-deserved attention and devotion.

Thin, eggy, and faster than fast to make, savoury crêpes are an easy and elegant way to stretch out odds and ends in the refrigerator.  But poor crêpes… There’s such a mystique surrounding their preparation that many folks have never even attempted this French classic. I want to assure you, it doesn’t get much easier than this.  Although I might make many a French chef* blanch at the thought, I toss all the ingredients for my batter straight into the blender. A lid and a “HIGH” button and a few seconds later, I have perfect crêpe batter that only requires a half hour (bare minimum) or more (to a maximum of 24 hours) of resting before it’s ready to jump into the frying pan. And once it’s there? Hey ho butter brush plus one minute (give or take) over a middle flame gives you a perfect golden brown crêpe. You don’t need a sexy accent or years in a professional kitchen to master these. It really IS that simple. To prove it, I put together a little video showing just how easy the whole process is.  If I can do this with my five sons hollering in the next room,  you can certainly pull it off for dinner!

*That is, in the unlikely event that there are a multitude of French chefs reading this silly blog.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2vMHitvF2Y[/youtube]

 

See how simple that was? And did you hear my children? My eldest son sounds like a man. Excuse me while I go breathe into a paper bag for a minute or nine.

Back to the food.

Punched up with a little parsley and onion flavour, these are spread with a Dijon mayonnaise, layered with salty, paper-thin ham and Swiss cheese slices, rolled, topped with yet more cheese and baked until everything is hot and the cheese is melted through and through. I like to accompany mine with a simple salad of baby arugula dressed with oil, vinegar, a sprinkle of salt and a few grinds of pepper.

Try these for dinner soon. You will be so happy you did!

5.0 from 1 reviews

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Ham and Cheese Stuffed Crepes | How to Make Crepes
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Recipe type: Main, Meat, Pork
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 

Serves: 6
 

Wonderfully thin, savoury crepes spread with Dijon mayonnaise, stuffed with paper thin, salty ham and Swiss cheese slices, topped with more cheese and baked through.
Ingredients
Ingredients for Savoury Crepes:
  • 16 ounces (about 8 large) eggs
  • 16 ounces (2 cups by volume) whole milk
  • 8 ounces (1¾ cups to 2 cups by volume) all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley (or 2 teaspoons dried)
  • 2 tablespoons minced fresh onion (or 1 teaspoon dried granulated onion)
  • hearty pinch of salt
  • also needed for cooking crepes: melted butter
Additional ingredients for stuffing crepes:
  • 36 paper thin slices deli ham
  • 12 thin slices of Swiss cheese
  • ½ cup mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • ½ cup or more of finely shredded melting cheese (Cheddar, Monterey Jack, etc…)

Instructions
  1. Add all ingredients to the work carafe of a blender, add the lid, and blend on HIGH for about 20 seconds. Stop the blender, scrape down the sides, replace the lid and pulse three more times. Put the blender carafe in the refrigerator and let rest for 30 minutes to 24 hours before proceeding.
To Cook Crepes:
  1. Place a heavy-bottomed non-stick skillet, crepe pan or well-seasoned cast-iron pan over medium heat. Use a heat-proof pastry brush to lightly brush the pan with melted butter, taking care to get the edges of the bottom of the pan as that is where batter tends to stick.
  2. Pour about 2-4 ounces of batter into the center of the pan and immediately tilt and swirl the pan so that the batter covers the entire bottom of the pan.
  3. Set the pan back over the heat and let it cook until the crepe has no visible wet areas on top.
  4. Use a semi-flexible spatula to run around the edges of the crepe before lifting and turning the crepe. Cook the second side for about 10 seconds only. The goal is just to lightly color that side.
  5. Transfer the finished crepe to a cooling rack. Repeat until you have used all the crepe batter.
To stuff crepes:
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Butter a 9″ x 13″ baking pan.
  3. Spread about 2 teaspoons of the Dijon mayonnaise one one crepe. Arrange 3 pieces of deli ham and 1 slice of Swiss cheese over the top. You may wish to rip the Swiss cheese into pieces to better distribute it. Roll the crepe up and arrange in the buttered baking dish.
  4. Repeat until twelve crepes have been stuffed and arranged in the baking dish.
  5. Sprinkle the melting cheese evenly over the top.
  6. Bake the stuffed crepes for 20 minutes, or until the cheese on top of and inside the rolls has melted completely and they are hot through.
  7. Serve hot.

Notes
You will likely have extra crepes left unstuffed. To store leftovers, stack crepes between sheets of parchment or waxed paper before putting the stack into a resealable zipper top bag and freezing. These store frozen quite well for up to a month. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight or for several hours prior to serving. (Or you can speed it up and microwave thaw them!)

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Filed Under: Main Dish, Meat, Rebecca, Recipes

Hot TexMess

March 23, 2011 by 8 Comments

We had ten inches of snow last night. On the twenty second-slash-twenty third of March. I vacillated between bitter and grateful. Bitter because it’s MARCH TWENTY THIRD and I have ten inches of snow when yesterday there was green and chirping and peeping and warm breezes and sunshine. I opted to park myself on grateful because I had another opportunity to pull out all the stops on comfort food. Since I’m a realistic optimist, I took advantage of the cold day to bake up a storm. By the time the baking was all done, I was done*. And while cookies and cakes and clafoutis make really delightful desserts and snacks, they do not a dinner comprise.

*As in stick a fork in me dun done.

While four hungry children milled around me asking what was for dinner (and one sneaky child snitched at cookies on cooling racks) I searched the dusty rooms of my brain for what I could turn out that would be satisfying, quick, crowd-pleasing and delicious enough to prevent me from resenting the food on tonight’s season finale of Top Chef All-Stars.*

*Have you ever tried watching that show (or another like it) after a dinner of tater tots and boiled hot dogs? I don’t recommend it unless you’re a much more even-keeled, much less sensitive person than I am.

This dish was inspired when I stumbled onto one recipe for chilaquiles (tortillas simmered in a spicy tomato sauce) and then onto one for huevos rancheros. Hot dang and pass the plate! Where had these two dishes been all my life? The short answer is that they were, with a few exceptions, in Texas, New Mexico, Southern California. Since I’ve spent my life in Michigan, Kentucky, New York and France, it was no wonder my experience with them was limited. Yes, I’d had the huevos rancheros before, but chilaquiles were new to me. And since I didn’t know any better, I combined the two recipes and performed my own ignorant alchemy on them.

Because what I did resulted in gold. Ugly gold, but certifiable 24-karat food gold. I was struggling for what to call the dish because I think we’ll all agree that “Chilaquiles Plus Huevos Rancheros and a Few Extra Things that Don’t Really Belong” is somewhat unwieldy. I consulted a friend with much more experience in this than me. She said, “Call it whatever you want. It’s really not either dish.” Or something to that effect, but very loving. Also interesting? She told me that both of those dishes are considered hangover food. This brings me to another point…

The plate just looked like a big hot mess to me. Let’s be frank. It’s not the prettiest thing I’ve ever turned out of my kitchen, but whooooeee.  Just like Nick Tahoe’s Garbage Plates, it was worth forgetting its lack of the pretty. And if you’ve ever stumbled across the Nick Tahoe’s threshold on a late night college tour of Rochester, you know how satisfying an ugly, ugly dish can be.

Because I was feeling silly and full of myself and I have a serious penchant for word play, I decided to call it a big Hot TexMess. It is what it is. And what it is is delicious. This is my hideous and wonderful creation. I think Nick Tahoe probably felt the same way. Look past the ugly duckling exterior and whip up a big old batch of this for yourself tonight. I promise you will be happy you did.

Hot TexMess

Scroll to the bottom for an easy-print version of this recipe!

Yield: Serves four very generously or six with bird-like appetites

Ingredients:

  • 4 cups smoky chipotle and tomatillo salsa (I used homemade salsa, use whatever is your favorite type.)
  • 2-3 cups leftover pulled pork or chicken
  • 12 corn tortillas, stacked and cut into 1-1/2 inch squares
  • Neutral Oil (such as canola, vegetable) or peanut for frying
  • 2 cups refried beans, heated
  • 4 eggs (or six if you’re serving small portions), fried in butter
  • 1 cup crumbled cojita or feta cheese (You can substitute grated Monterey Jack if desired or necessary.)
  • 1 ripe avocado, halved, scooped from the shell and sliced
  • 1/2 of a sweet onion, peeled and finely diced
  • sour cream or Greek yogurt (How about you make your own?)
  • candied jalapenos, preferably (If you haven’t made them yet, this is the time!) or jarred jalapenos
  • chopped fresh cilantro
  • lime wedges
  • Optional: hot white rice

Heat 2-inches of oil to 350°F in a heavy bottomed skillet over medium high heat. If you don’t have a deep-frying thermometer, you can tell the oil has reached the proper temperature when it looks streaky in the pan and a piece of tortilla dropped into it forms many bubbles around the edges immediately. Fry the corn tortillas in batches, stirring frequently, until golden brown and crisp. This should take between 3 and 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the chips to a paper towel lined plate. Sprinkle lightly with salt and set aside.

In a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat, stir together the pulled pork (or chicken) and the salsa and bring to a simmer. When it reaches a simmer, gently toss in the fried tortillas. Allow to simmer for about 2-3 minutes, or just until the tortillas begin to soften a little. Remove from the heat.

Lay out four (or six) serving plates. If you’re using the rice, mound a scoop of rice into the center and press down in the middle to make a well.  Divide the refried beans between the plates and then divide the simmered tortillas and meat between the plates. Top each serving with a fried egg, cheese, onion, chopped cilantro, sour cream, and finally the avocado slices. Serve with lime wedges to squeeze over the top. Dig. In.

4.0 from 1 reviews

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Hot TexMess
Author: 
Recipe type: Main, Breakfast, Dinner
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 

Serves: 4
 

Huevos Rancheros crossed with Chilaquiles (salsa simmered corn tortillas) topped with avocados, sour cream, candied jalapenos, cheese and more! Gluten free to boot!
Ingredients
  • 4 cups smoky chipotle and tomatillo salsa (I used homemade salsa, use whatever is your favorite type.)
  • 2-3 cups leftover pulled pork or chicken
  • 12 corn tortillas, stacked and cut into 1-1/2 inch squares
  • Neutral Oil (such as canola, vegetable) or peanut for frying
  • 2 cups refried beans, heated
  • 4 eggs (or six if you’re serving small portions), fried in butter
  • 1 cup crumbled cojita or feta cheese (You can substitute grated Monterey Jack if desired or necessary.)
  • 1 ripe avocado, halved, scooped from the shell and sliced
  • ½ of a sweet onion, peeled and finely diced
  • sour cream or Greek yogurt (How about you make your own?)
  • candied jalapenos, preferably (If you haven’t made them yet, this is the time!) or jarred jalapenos
  • chopped fresh cilantro
  • lime wedges
  • Optional: hot white rice

Instructions
  1. Heat 2-inches of oil to 350°F in a heavy bottomed skillet over medium high heat. If you don’t have a deep-frying thermometer, you can tell the oil has reached the proper temperature when it looks streaky in the pan and a piece of tortilla dropped into it forms many bubbles around the edges immediately. Fry the corn tortillas in batches, stirring frequently, until golden brown and crisp. This should take between 3 and 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the chips to a paper towel lined plate. Sprinkle lightly with salt and set aside.
  2. In a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat, stir together the pulled pork (or chicken) and the salsa and bring to a simmer. When it reaches a simmer, gently toss in the fried tortillas. Allow to simmer for about 2-3 minutes, or just until the tortillas begin to soften a little. Remove from the heat.
  3. Lay out four (or six) serving plates. If you’re using the rice, mound a scoop of rice into the center and press down in the middle to make a well. Divide the refried beans between the plates and then divide the simmered tortillas and meat between the plates. Top each serving with a fried egg, cheese, onion, chopped cilantro, sour cream, and finally the avocado slices. Serve with lime wedges to squeeze over the top. Dig. In.

Notes
If you have bird-like appetites, this serves six.

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Filed Under: Eggs, Getting Creative With Leftovers, Meat, Party Food, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: , , , , ,
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