Corn Chowder

I’ve never before eaten Corn Chowder (much less made it), so I have little to compare it to. But it’s been in the back of my mind to make since I saw it a year ago on America’s Test Kitchen, so I decided to make it for a small crowd gathered to celebrate my son’s first communion. It is a delicious summertime side dish, perfect to fill out the table as part of a barbecue.  For the celebration I pulled out all the stops; and served it with the Grilled Stuffed Flank Steak, Potato Salad, Smokey BBQ beans and Sangria. Everything turned out fantastic, and I would rate the Corn Chowder 4-stars.

Delicious Summertime Soup

Comments:

1. The only part of the recipe that confused me was in step 1, when you separate the kernels and pulp from the cob. I was worried that I might be cutting away too much pulp and I sliced off the kernels, but in the end you will throw away the solid from the pump (after extracting the juices). So the bottom line is you shouldn’t worry.
2. The recipe only makes 8 to 9 smallish bowls, and  I had 11 guests. While I was expecting that most of the kids wouldn’t want the corn chowder, it turned out that they did.

Rating: 4-stars.
Cost: $8.00
How much work? Medium.
How big of a mess?  Medium.
Start time: 5:30. Dinner time: 6:15

Chris Kimball’s original recipe is here. The descriptions of how I prepared them today are given below:

8 ears corn
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 onion
4 slices bacon
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
5 cups water
3/4-lb red potatoes
1 cup half-and-half
Up to 1 Tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

1. Remove husks and silk from corn. Cut kernels from the cob using a chef’s knife, being careful not to cut away too much of the pulp. Then over a large bowl, use the back of a stiff butter knife to scrape the pulp into the bowl (once you try it you will see how easy the pulp comes away from the cob). Put pulp in a clean kitchen towel and tightly wring the pulp allowing the juice to fall back into your large bowl. Chris Kimball says that I should have been able to extract 2/3-cup of juice, but I was only able to extract about 1/2-cup. Throw away the dried pulp.
2. Finely chop your onion, stack your bacon slices and slice them lengthwise, then cut them into 1/4″ pieces. Mince you
3. Put a Dutch oven over medium burner and melt your 3 tablespoons of butter. Saute onions, bacon, thyme, together with 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, for 8 to 10 minutes until the onion has softened and the edges begin to brown. While that cooks, dice your potato into 1/2″ pieces
4. Mix in 1/4-cup flour and stir constantly for 1 to 2 minutes, then whisk in 5 cups of water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add your corn kernels and diced potatoes. Bring back up to a simmer, then reduce the burner to medium-low and cook for 18 minutes until the potatoes are ready.
5. Remove 2 cups of chowder to blender and process it for 1 minute until smooth. Return processed chowder to the pot, and add 1 cup of half-and-half, and continue to cook until the pot has again reached a simmer.
6. Remove from burner, add corn juice, and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and as much as 1 tablespoon sugar depending upon the inherent sweetness of your corn.
7. Spoon into individual bowls and sprinkle each bowl with 1 teaspoon minced basil.

Both my sons at their first communion.

One Hour Grilled Baby Back Ribs with Lime Glaze

Summer BBQ ribs and one of the kids favorite culinary treats. I’ve made many recipes, including: 4-hour Texas BBQ Ribs, 5-hour Memphis BBQ Spareribs, and these 6-hour Kansas City Ribs. For many years I’ve been listening to Chris Kimball say that ribs need all afternoon to cook “low and slow”; collagen taking  has been telling me how. So when I read in the current issue of Cook’s Illustrated promised delicious ribs in about an hour, I was skeptical. First, the recipe uses baby back ribs, which are leaner and don’t require as much cooking time. But the main secret of this recipe is to par-boil the ribs on salted water for 25 minutes. Afterwards, the ribs just need 20 minutes on the grill to give them a nice char. They are delicious, but not fall-off-the-bone-tender. 4-stars for a weekday meal is pretty strong.

Delicious ribs in about an hour

Rating: 4-stars.
Cost: $14.00
How much work? Low/Medium.
How big of a mess?  Low.
Start time: 5:00. Dinner time: 6:15

Chris Kimball’s original rib recipe is here, and the lime-glaze recipe is here. The descriptions of how I prepared them today are given below:

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons salt
2-1/2 quarts of water
1 racks baby back or loin back ribs

Lime Glaze Ingredients:
1/3 cup lime juice (3 limes)
3 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Remove the membrane from the rib-side of the rack. Cut the rack in half so that it will fit in your dutch oven.
2. Add 2-1/2 quarts water to a Dutch oven, then stir in 2 tablespoons table salt until it is dissolved. Put ribs in Dutch oven ensuring that they are complete submerged.
3. Turn on burner to high and bring up to simmer. While the water comes up to a simmer, open the bottom vent of your grill halfway, and light a chimney starter filled with 6 quarts of charcoal.
4. Reduce burner to low. Cover the Dutch oven and allow to cook at bare simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. The thickest part of ribs should read 195-degrees with an instant read thermometer. (If the ribs come up to temperature before the grill is ready, then you can leave them uncovered in pot)
5. While ribs are simmering, whisk together all the graze ingredients in a small bowl. Also, once the coals are ready, empty evenly over the entire grill. Clean the grill grate.
6. Fish the ribs out of the water and use paper towels to dry the ribs. Use 1/3 cup of glaze to brush both sides of ribs.
7. Put ribs on grill and cook, uncovered, for about 20 minutes; after 10 minutes brush with another 1/3-cup of graze. The ribs are ready when graze has caramelized and the ribs have a light charred.
8. Remove the ribs from the grill, brush them with the remaining glaze, tent them with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes, before cutting into separate ribs.

Parboiled ribs don’t look appetizing

Start them meaty-side down

Almost ready

Naked Grilled Chicken

I usually prefer to leave the skin on chicken because it adds a lot of flavor to what can be an otherwise bland piece of meat. But one man’s blandness is another man’s blank canvas, and Chris Kimball fulfilled his promise that I wouldn’t miss the skin. He cuts slits into the chicken to allow the flavors to penetrate, and cook more evenly. His reason for removing the skin is as follows: the fat rendering from the skin causes flare-up which cause the exterior of the chicken to become fully cooked while the interior is still raw. Without the fear of flare-ups, the chicken can be cooked directly over the hot coals. The result is an extremely flavorful Grilled Lemon Chicken with Rosemary; 4-stars.

Grilled without the skin.

Comments:

1. Chris Kimball’s original instructions were unclear that the butter mixture and past are two separate things. The paste gets applied just before you light the charcoals, and the butter gets applied during the final stages of grilling the chicken. I added some clarification in my descriptions below.
2. While his recipe calls for a 3 1/2-to-4-lb chicken, I had to feed a gaggle of kids. I used a 7-pound chicken. Of course, this meant a longer cooking time. So I created a cook zone on my grill, and moved the chicken there once the exterior was cooked. It cook an extra 15 minutes for the rest of my bigger chicken to reach an internal temperature of 165-degrees.

Rating: 4-stars.
Cost: $8
How much work? Low/Medium.
How big of a mess?  Low/Medium.
Start time: 4:00 PM. Dinner time: 6:30 PM.

Chris Kimball’s version of this recipe is here. The descriptions of how I prepared the recipe today are given below:

1 whole chicken
3/4 cup granulated sugar
Salt and pepper
2 lemons
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
1-1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1. Use kitchen shears to open up your chicken by cutting out and discarding the backbone (I saved mine for making chicken stock). Open up the chicken and press down on the breasts until it flattens. Remove the skin from the chicken using paper towels to hold the slippery skin and kitchen shears to snip the parts that you can’t pull off, but leave the skin on the wings.
2. Fold the wings back and tuck them behind the back and turn drumsticks to face inwards. Cut 1/2″-deep slits every 1/2″ apart in both the legs and the breasts with a chef’s knife. Insert two 12″ skewers to hold the chicken together during cooking. Insert the first skewer into the thigh, the bottom of the breast and then through the opposite thigh. Second, insert the second skewer 1″ lower through the thigh/drumstick of both sides. I didn’t understand completely, but really all you are trying to do is hold the chicken together while cooking.
3. Brine the chicken in 3 quarts of water mixed with 3/4-cups of table salt and 3/4-cups granulated sugar. Refrigerate for up to an hour.
4. Meanwhile, add the paste ingredients to a small bowl. Zest your 2 lemons, and add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, 1-1/2 teaspoons minced rosemary, 1 teaspoon Dijon, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. This paste is to be applied is step 5. In a small saucepan set over low burner, melt the 2 tablespoons butter, and add the remaining 1/2 teaspoon rosemary, 1/2 teaspoon Dijon, and another 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Once the butter has melted, remove from burner and juice one of the lemons into the pan. Stir to combine, and set aside until the final stages of grilling in step 8 (basting the chicken 3 times).
5. When the chicken is done brining, use paper towels to pat it dry. Rub 1/2-teaspoon of the past into the underside of the legs, then flip the chicken breast-side-up, and rub the remaining paste over the entire chicken, especially working some into the slits.
6. Completely open the upper and lower vents of your grill, and start a heaping chimney starter filled with charcoal. When the coals have ignited; about 20 minutes; empty the coals over half the grill leaving half the grill without any coals. Pre-heat the grill for 5 minutes and scrape the grill clean.
7. Put chicken on grill directly over coals with the breast-side down. Also place the lemon wedges directly over the coals. Cook, covered, for about 10 minutes until the chicken becomes lightly charred. Remove the lemon from the grill and put them on a small plate for serving.
8. Turn the chicken leaving directly over the coals, then brush with about 1/3 of the butter mixture (you will baste the chicken 3 times). Place a large sheet of aluminum foil directly on top of the chicken, which will make the chicken cook faster. If your butter mixture has become too thick, you can loosen it up by putting the saucepan over the cooler side of the grill. Continue to cook with the lid on for another 8 to 10 minutes to brown the second side. Move chicken to the cooler side of the grill, baste for a second time with half the remaining butter, and continue to cook, covered with foil and the grill cover on, until the internal temperature of the breasts reaches 160-degrees and the dark meat reaches 175 degrees. This will take about 10 minutes for a small chicken, but my larger chicken took another 20 minutes.
9. Remove chicken from grill and allow to rest on a cutting board for 5 minutes; tented with foil. Remove skewers and cut apart the breasts, thighs and drumsticks. Serve immediately with the grilled lemon wedges.

Resting just before carving.

Cuban Picadillo

While Chris Kimball tries to translate Cuban-Style Picadillo into a simple weeknight recipe, his recipe fails badly. I know Chris Kimball’s Yankee palate usually under-spices his Latin-themed recipes, but his problem in this case is that he seems more interested in attaining tender ground beef than developing the flavors by browning the meat. His trade-off left the recipe with bland, but tender, ground beef/pork. I recommend that you do not make this recipe. You will be disappointed. It is my lowest rated recipe in the past year. The leftovers sat in the refrigerator, until I got tired of looking at them and threw them away. A 2-1/2 star disappointment.

Disappointing; but easy to make.

Comments:

1. While Chris Kimball recommends serving Picadillo with rice and black beans, and optionally topped with chopped parsley, toasted almonds, or chopped hard-boiled egg, I didn’t include any of that as the supposition was that this was going to be an easy weeknight meal.
2. There is also a variation with fried potatoes. I guess the fried, diced potatoes might have helped the flavor.

Rating: 2-1/2 stars.
Cost: $10
How much work? Low/Medium.
How big of a mess?  Medium.
Start time: 5:00 PM. Dinner time: 6:10 PM.

Chris Kimball’s version of this recipe is here. The descriptions of how I prepared the recipe today are given below:

1 lb ground beef (85% lean)
1 lb ground pork
2 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Salt and pepper
1 green bell pepper
1 onion
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 garlic cloves, minced
14-1/2 ounce can whole tomatoes
3/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup beef broth
1/2 cup raisins
3 bay leaves
1/2 cup pimento-stuffed green olives
2 tablespoons capers
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1. In a medium bowl, combine beef, pork, water, baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon table salt and 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper. Allow to stand at room temperature for 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, stem and seed you bell pepper and cut into 2″ pieces. Cut the onion in half and then into 2″ pieces. Process the bell pepper and onions separately if you have a small food processor. Pulse about 12 times until the pieces are chopped to about 1/4″.
3. Place a large Dutch oven over medium-high burner, add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and preheat until the oil begins to shimmer. Saute chopped vegetables, oregano, cumin, cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon salt for 6 to 8 minutes. While the vegetables cook, drain your tomatoes and chop them coarsely, and peel your garlic cloves. When the vegetables have begun to brown, press your 6 garlic cloves and saute them for 30 seconds, then add tomatoes and 3/4 cup wine, using the liquid to deglaze the bottom of the pot. Cook for about 4 to 5 minutes until it becomes almost dry.
4. Add 1/2 cup beef broth, 1/2 cup raisins and 3 bay leaves bring up to a simmer, then reduce burner to medium-low. Add meat to the pot in 2″ chunks. Return to a simmer, cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally and eventually using 2 forks to break the meat into 1/4-to-1/2″ chunks. Meanwhile coarsely chop your olives, and rinse your capers.
5. Remove and bay leaves, and add chopped olives and capers. Increase burner to medium-high and cook for 5 minutes. The sauce should become thick and should coat the meat. Add vinegar and adjust seasoning (salt, pepper and vinegar) according to your taste. Serve.

Crispy Potato Latkes

I love hash browns, and at one point subsisted on them for more than a month. But I had never heard of Potato Latkes before I made this recipe; I think may be the same thing as Potato Pancakes. Whatever they’re called, the only real difference is that they use egg as a binder and include a 1/2 cup of grated onion. The Latkes themselves are delicious, 4-stars. Unfortunately, I was very unpleasantly surprised at the huge mess they made in my kitchen. It’s like Chris Kimball purposefully tried to use the greatest number of bowls and baking sheets possible; definitely not worth the cleanup.

Delicious, but a big mess

Comments:

1. I froze the leftover latkes by loosely covering them with plastic wrap while they cooled for 4 hours at room temperature. Then I put them in a Zip-lock bag and froze them. Chris Kimball recommends reheating in a 375-degree oven for 3 minutes per side (for room-temperature latkes) or 6 minutes per side (for frozen latkes).

Rating: 4 stars.
Cost: $1.20
How much work? Medium.
How big of a mess?  Huge.
Start time: 5:30 PM. Dinner time: 6:30 PM.

Chris Kimball’s version of this recipe is here. The descriptions of how I prepared the recipe today are given below:

2 pounds russet potatoes
1/2 cup grated onion
Salt and pepper
2 lightly beaten eggs
2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley
Vegetable oil

1. Scrub your potatoes and shred them, unpeeled, using the shredding disk of a food processor. Chris Kimball recommends cutting the potatoes into 2″ lengths.
2. Set an oven rack to the middle of your oven, and pre-heat a rimmed baking sheet to 200-degrees.
3. Add shredded potatoes, onion, and 1 teaspoon salt in medium bowl. Put half of potatoes in center of clean cloth dish towel. Gather together towel ends and twist to drain as much liquid as possible; allowing the liquid to drain into a measuring cup. Empty dried potatoes into a second bowl, then dry the reminder of the potatoes. Allow the reserved potato liquid to stand for 10 minutes, so that starch and water separate.
4. Cover potatoes with plastic wrap and microwave for 1-1/2 minutes, stirring mixture with fork every 30 seconds, until warm but not hot. Evenly empty potato mixture over a second rimmed baking sheet. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. There is not need to wash out bowl.
5. Pour off the water from reserved potato liquid, leaving only the potato starch in measuring cup. Add eggs and stir until smooth. Put cooled potatoes back in to bowl. Add minced parsley, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and potato starch/egg mixture. Toss until everything is evenly combined.
6. Place another wire rack over a third rimmed baking sheet. Line with a triple layer of paper towels.
7. Add 1/4″ of oil to a 12″ skillet. Preheat over medium-high burner for 5 minutes until reaches 350-degrees (oil will be shimmering but not smoking). Measure 1/4-cup of potato mixture and place in oil. Push down with spatula until in becomes a disk 1/3″-thick. Repeat until 5 latkes are in pan. Cook for 3 minutes per side, until they become golden brown. You may need to adjust the burner so that the latkes bubble around the edges.  Remove to drain on paper towels, then place on baking sheet.
8. You may been to add a little more oil to ensure you have 1/4″ depth, reheat oil to 350-degrees and repeat step 8 with the rest of the potatoes. Season with salt and pepper according to your to taste, and serve with sour cream.

Sour cream always goes nicely with potatoes

“Best” Chicken Parmesan

Normally I don’t like Chicken Parmesan because the marinara sauce feels too heavy and overcooked. So I was excited to try this recipe after seeing the photo on Chris Kimball’s website; the tomatoes looked fresh and bright. However, the reality is that he uses the same can of crushed tomatoes that I’ve always used to make my red sauce. On the plus side, the generous amount of fresh Parmesan in the breading adds great flavor. So it’s better than average, but the not the “best”. The continued use of canned tomatoes leaves in place the exact thing that I dislike about Chicken Parmesan. My red-sauce loving son gave this 5-stars, but I can only give it 3-1/2.

Better than average, but not the “best”

Comments:

1. Just as every sauce recipe that I’ve ever made, this recipe uses a whole, 28-oz can of crushed tomatoes. I only used about 1/4 of the sauce; but the sauce was so inexpensive to make (about $1.25) that there is no reason to make less. My son, who hasn’t eaten jarred red sauce in 3 years, was happy with the leftovers.
2. I didn’t use the recommended Fontina, because I don’t generally use it and didn’t want to buy it for just 2 ounces. Instead I used 4 ounces of mozzarella.

Rating: 3-1/2 stars.
Cost: $7. ($3 of which was the basil)
How much work? Medium.
How big of a mess?  Medium.
Started: 4:30 pm. Dinner Time:  6:00.

Chris Kimball’s original recipe is here.  The descriptions of how I prepared it today are given below:

Sauce Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves
Kosher salt and pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
Pinch red pepper flakes
28-oz can crushed tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh basil

Chicken Ingredients:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1-lb total)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2-oz mozzarella cheese, shredded (1/2 cup)
2-oz ounces fontina cheese, shredded (1/2 cup)
1  large egg
1 tablespoon flour
1-1/2-oz Parmesan cheese, grated (3/4 cup)
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup torn fresh basil

1. Lay chicken breasts flat on cutting board and freeze them for 15 minutes so that they become firm.
2. Trim away any excess fat and cut breasts in half horizontally to form two thin cutlets. Use a meat pounder to flatten only the fat ends; leaving a uniform 1/2″-thickness. Evenly sprinkle both sides of chicken with a total of 1 teaspoon Kosher salt. Allow to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. Peel and mince the garlic cloves. Place a medium-size sauce pan over medium burner and pre-heat 1 tablespoon live oil until it begins to shimmer. Add pressed garlic cloves, 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano, and the pinch of red pepper flakes. Saute for 30 seconds, then add crushed tomatoes and 1/4 teaspoon sugar. Increase burner to high until it reaches a simmer, then reduce to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes until the sauce has thickened. Remove from heat, add chopped basil and 1 more teaspoon of olive oil. Adjust season with salt and pepper according to your taste. Cover the pot to keep it warm while you finish cooking the chicken.
4. While the sauce is cooking prepare your remaining ingredients. Shred your mozzarella and fontina, combine in a small bowl, and set aside until step 7. In a pie plate, whisk 1 egg and 1 tablespoon flour together until it becomes smooth. Grate your Parmesan cheese directly into a second pie plate, then combine with panko, garlic powder, oregano, and ground black pepper. Set an oven rack about 4″ from the broiler element and begin pre-heating.
5. Use paper towels to pat the chicken dry. Coating on piece of chicken at a time, dredge through egg mixture and allow any excess egg to drip back into the pie plate. Put in bread crumb mixture and gently press so that the coating adheres to the chicken. Put coating chicken on a large plate, and continue coating the remaining chicken.
6. Place in a 10″-nonstick skillet over medium-high burner. Pre-heat 1/3 cup vegetable oil until it begins to shimmer. Add two pieces of chicken at a time into oil, and cook for 2 minutes per side without moving. Carefully flip the chicken using tongs and cook the second side for 2 more minutes. Remove cooked chicken to a plate lined with paper towels. Cook the second batch of chicken.
7. Put the cooked chicken on a foil-lines baking sheet and spread cheese evenly trying to cover as much of the chicken as possible. Broil for 3 to 4 minutes until the cheese has melted and is beginning to brown. Put chicken on serving platter and top with 2 tablespoons of sauce per chicken. Sprinkle with minced basil and serve immediately. Pass additional sauce separately.

Crispy Potato Tots

My first Tatar-Tot-experience was from my mediocre Jr. High School’s cafeteria. Even still, they were delicious and I never figured out why my mother never made Tator Tots when I was growing up. I have always loved them, and I’ve made them for my kids many, many times; but only from a bag. So I was excited to see in the latest season of Cook’s Country that Tator Tots can be made from scratch. I made them for a recent sleepover with 5 teenage boys. They were easy to make, but there were a few minor problems. First, 10 minutes in my microwave didn’t seem to fully cook the potatoes, compromising both texture and flavor.  They were just undercooked, not raw, so an extra 2 to 4 minutes would be enough extra time. Second, I failed to properly estimate the amount of time they would take to prepare. Budget a full 1-1/2 hours. Third, the boys wanted the Tots to be round; not square. Fortunately, the bar to make a sleepover a success is set pretty low; having more to do with the smile on my face than perfectly cooked Tator Tots. As they were, I can only give them 3-1/2 stars. Not worth the effort when compared to the bag. But I will try them again and update the review if I am more successful next time.

Homemade rectangular Tator Tots

Comments:

1. Chris Kimball warns that if you have a food processor with capacity less than 11 cups, that you need to process the potatoes in two batches. I did this, using half the water in each batch.
2. When I pressed the water out of the potatoes I didn’t check to see if I yielded 1-1/2 cups of liquid. If I didn’t, that may explain why the potatoes didn’t fully cook during the 10 minutes in the microwave.
3. Chris Kimball says that you can cool the fried leftovers, then put in a zip-lock bag. They can be frozen for up to 1 month. Bake at 400-degrees for 12 to 15 minutes to re-heat.

Rating: 3-1/2 star.
Cost: $2.
How much work? Low/Medium.
How big of a mess?  Low.
Started: 4:30 pm. Dinner Time:  6:00.

Chris Kimball’s original recipe is here.  The descriptions of how I prepared it today are given below, but the ingredient list has already increased the amount of cheese according to my recommendations above :
2-1/4 teaspoons table salt
2-1/2 lbs russet potatoes
1-1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon pepper
4 cups vegetable oil

1. Whisk 1 cup water and salt together in bowl until salt dissolves.
2. Peel your potatoes and cut them into 1-1/2″ pieces.
3. In one or two batches depending upon the size of your food processor, add the potatoes chunks and water. Pulse 10 to 12 times until the potatoes become coarsely ground. Empty into a fine mesh strainer and use a rubber spatula to press out 1-1/2 cups of liquid.
4. Put potatoes into a large glass bowl and microwave (uncovered) for 10 to 14 minutes; stir potatoes once after 5 minutes. The potatoes should become dry and sticky.
5. Add 1-1/2 tablespoons flour and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, mix until combined. Allow to cool for 10 minutes by spreading the potatoes out on a foil-lined sheet pan. Use a spatula to push the mixture to the center of the foil, and put in an 8″ square cake pan. Use a spatula to evenly spread the potatoes, then fold the foil over and firmly press the potatoes to ensure they are even, compact and fill the corners. Freeze for 30 minutes, so that they are easier to cut.
6. While the potatoes freeze, begin pre-heating your oil over a high burner to 375-degrees (about 10 minutes).  If you want to serve both batches at the same time, pre-heat your oven to 200-degrees. I served the first batch immediately, and therefore didn’t pre-heat my oven.
7. Use the foil to lift the potatoes and put them on a cutting board. Cut them into bite-sized tots. Depending upon the exact size of your cake pan, that could be 6×8 or 5×9.
8. When the oil reaches 375-degrees, use a wide, metal spatula to gently lower half your tots into the oil (without splashing). Fry each batch for 6 to 7 minutes until they become crispy and golden brown.
9. Remove from oil as they become ready and drain on a wire rack set over a foil-lined sheet pan. Season with salt. Keep the fist batch warm in your 200-degree oven while you cook the second batch. Repeat steps 8 and 9 for the second batch.

Slice into bite-sized tots

Allow to cook on baking sheet

Cut into chunks before processing

In a bowl, not magically suspended in mid-air

Taco Bake

Young teenagers can be finicky eaters, so for a recent gathering of my kids’ friends I make Chris Kimball’s Taco Bake.  It’s a hybrid between ground beef tacos and nachos, but I think taste better than either one individually. Of course, steak tacos beat out this recipe in terms of taste. If this recipe in the analogy section of the SAT, it would read “Guacamole is to Seven-Layer Dip, what Nachos are to Taco Bake”. But It was a big hit with the 13-and-14 year old boys, and I thought the recipe was delicious and easy to make. A nice weekday for the kids. 4-stars.

A step up from plain nachos

Comments:

1. If you can’t find Ro-Tel tomatoes, you can substitute a 14-1/2-oz can of regular diced tomatoes and a 4-oz can of chopped green chiles. Of that use 6 tablespoons of tomato juice and 2 tablespoons of chile juice.
2. Alternatively, you can use 4 ounces of Colby and 4 ounces of Monterrey Jack cheese in lieu of 8 ounces of Colby Jack cheese.
3. If you would like to make it ahead-of-time, prepare the ground beef filling through step 6 and allow to cool to room temperature. Cover the baking dish using plastic wrap to cover, which will allow you to and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Remove the plastic wrap and resume the menu on Step 7, but increasing the cooking time to 20 minutes.

Rating: 4 stars
Cost: $13
How much work? Medium.
How big of a mess?  Medium.
Started: 5:00 PM.  Ready:  6:00 PM

Chris Kimball’s original recipe is here.  The descriptions of how I prepared it today are given below:

16-oz can refried beans
2 (10-oz) cans Ro-Tel tomatoes
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon hot sauce (such as Tabasco)
8-oz Colby Jack cheese
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium onion
Salt and ground black pepper
4 medium garlic cloves
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1-1/2 lbs 90% lean ground beef
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon brown sugar
12 taco shells
2 scallions

1. Drained Ro-Tel tomatoes and set aside 1/2 cup of juices. Peel garlic cloves. Mince onion. Mince cilantro leaves.
2. Set an oven rack to the upper-middle of your oven, and pre-heat to 475 degrees.
3. Line a 13″x9″ baking dish with aluminum foil. Add the refried beans, half the drained tomatoes, minced cilantro, and hot sauce into baking dish and mix until combined, then smooth into an event thickness. Evenly sprinkle half the cheese (1 cup) over the bean mixture.
4. Preheat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil a 12″ skillet over medium burner until the oil begins to shimmer Add minced onion and 1/2 teaspoon table salt. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes until the onion softens, then press garlic directly into skillet, and add chili powder, cumin, coriander, and oregano. Saute for 1 minute.
5. Add ground beef and cook for 6 to 8 minutes until it is no longer pink, using a wooden spoon to break up the meat. Add the remaining tomatoes, the 1/2 cup reserved tomato juice, cider vinegar, and brown sugar.
6. Bring up to a simmer and continue cooking for 10 minutes until the mixture is nearly dry. Adjust salt and pepper according to your taste.
7. While the meat cooks, shred cheese and break the taco shells into 1″ pieces. Also slice scallions thinly.
8. Evenly distribute the beef in the baking dish. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup more cheese over beef. Scatter the taco shell pieces over the top, then finally sprinkle with the final 1/2 cup shredded cheese.
9. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes until the filling begins to bubble and the top becomes spotted brown. Allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes, then sprinkle with the sliced scallions before serving.

Crumble the taco shells

Preparing the base layer

Fresh out of the oven

Red-Cooked Chicken

My oven stopped working a few weeks ago (I can only broil), so I’ve been limping along making stove-top dishes until I can get General Electric to come and fix the oven. I picked today’s dinner based solely on my ability to braise the chicken without my oven (the preferred braising method). In the end, the chicken was perfectly cooked. But the skin that I so carefully browned in step 3 turned out soggy by the end of cooking. I’m undecided if, next time, I will remove the skin prior to cooking. The recipe requires vastly different cooking times for white and dark meat, and because my white meat only needed 20-minutes, the sauce had not sufficiently reduced. I ended up with 2 cups of weak sauce. If you are only cooking white meat, then I’d recommend reducing the sauce after removing the chicken to concentrate the flavors.  Overall, 3-1/2 stars. Had the sauce been more concentrated, I would have rated it higher.

Red cooking is a form of Chinese braising, but mine is more brown than red

Issues

1. The recipe also called for a few specialty ingredients, which I did not use. Chris Kimball uses Dark Soy Sauce and Sichuan peppercorns; both of which require a trip to an Asian market. I used regular soy sauce and added 1 tablespoon of molasses. Chris Kimball says that you can just substitute regular Soy Sauce (he doesn’t mention the molasses) but warns that the flavors will be blander. Afterwards, I found this recipe or this recipe that may make for a better substitution.
2. As I mentioned above, there was way too much sauce, and it’s flavors were not sufficiently concentrated. It may also be that I used regular soy sauce. I modified step 9 with my suggestion about reducing the sauce (my not be necessary if you use Dark Soy Sauce).
3. This was my first meal that I’ve cooked using whole Star Anise. It was $4 in my spice aisle, but I found a $1 package in the Mexican aisle.

Rating: 3-1/2 stars
Cost: $6
How much work? Medium.
How big of a mess?  Medium.
Started: 4:30 PM.  Ready:  6:00 PM

Chris Kimball’s original recipe is here.  The descriptions of how I prepared it today are given below:

4 lbs bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
6 medium garlic cloves
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger (about 2-1/2″ piece)
1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns
3 star anise
1/2-cup dark soy sauce
1/3-cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/4-cup Chinese rice cooking wine or dry sherry
3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
4 hard-cooked eggs

1. Hard boil the four eggs by placing in a pan of cold water, slowing bringing it up to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes, the remove from burner and allow to sit, covered, for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, trim your chicken pieces on any excess fat. If you are using chicken breasts, slice them in half crosswise. Use paper towels to pat the chicken dry.
3. Place a large Dutch oven over medium-high burner and pre-heat 2 tablespoons of oil until it just begins to smoke. Brown the chicken in two batches, about 6 to 8 minutes per side. I used a splatter-screen to reduce the mess. As the pot heats up, you may need to reduce the flame to prevent the pan from scorching. When the chicken is browned, put it on a clean plate while you brown the second batch of chicken.
4. Meanwhile, peel and press your 6 garlic cloves into a small cup or bowl along with peppercorns and star anise. Mince or grate your fresh ginger, which should give you 2 tablespoons, and add in with the garlic. Peel your hard-boiled eggs so that they are ready for step 7.
5. Pour off any excess oil, leaving about 1 tablespoon in your Dutch oven. Add the garlic/ginger/peppercorn/anise to the pot and saute for 30 seconds.
6. Add 1/2-cup soy sauce, 1/3-cup chicken broth, 1/4-cup rice wine, toasted sesame oil, and brown sugar. Use the liquid to deglaze your pan.
7. If you are cooking a mixture of dark and white meat, add the thighs and drumsticks 40 minute prior to adding the white meat (and eggs). Set chicken in braising liquid, bring up to a simmer, cover, and reduce burner to medium-low. The dark meat will need a total of 60 minutes, and the white meat will need just 20 minutes. Add the hard-boiled eggs with the white meat. Flip the chicken and eggs half-way through cooking.
8. Once the chicken has reached the desired internal temperature (165-degrees for white and 175-degrees for dark meat), remove chicken and eggs to a serving platter and tent loosely with aluminum foil.
9. If you are cooked dark meat, then the hour of cooking time will have sufficiently reduced the sauce. However, if you only white meat, allow the chicken to rest in a 200-degree oven to cook it warm and turn up burner to medium-high and reduce for 8 to 10 minutes to concentrate the flavors of the sauce. Skim as much fat as possible from the sauce, and pour it over the chicken and eggs, serving any remaining sauce separately.

My first time cooking with whole star anise

Chicken Chimighangas

If you’ve ever made Chimichangas, you’ll know that the first 15 second of frying are incredibly tense. I used a combination of tongs and metal spatula to hold the burritos tightly in place until the tortilla becomes crispy enough to hold the seams together. Despite all my precautions, I’ve always had about 1/3 of my Chimichangas partially open up during frying; a splattering mess. Today’s recipe completely solves that problem, with an “old school” solution to my most vexing chimi-problem. Simply paste the seams closed with a mixture of water and flour. Viola! My blood pressure remains low with 0% chance of leakage. My greatest culinary discover in 2013 (so far). Particular surprising since I don’t generally trust Chris Kimball with Mexican food. Delicious. 4-stars, but can easily become 5-stars once a few minor issues (see below) are worked out.

Easy Chicken Chimichangas without the worry

Chimichangas are just deep-fried burritos, and deep-frying anything can often make them more delicious (of course also less healthy). They are a dietary splurge, and I’ve been making my own beef-recipe for a few years. Unfortunately, the 3-1/2 hours required means that I only make them a few times a year.  However, today’s Chicken Chimichangas can be made in just over an hour. They are delicious (though not as inherently flavorful as beef) and definitely worth the moderate effort.

Issues:

1. Chris Kimball says to cook the chicken breast to 160-degrees in just 15 minutes. I found that it wasn’t nearly enough and that I needed a full 25 minutes. I see that my chicken breasts were more than 6-ounces each, so be sure to work off temperature rather than time.
2. Issue #1 caused another problem. After 25 minutes on the stove-top my rice had turned to mush. So I suggest paying close attention to the size of your breasts; size does matter. If they are on the larger size reduce the par-cooking of the rice in step 2. I will try 2 minutes next time. If you successfully find the diminutive 6-ounce breasts called for in the recipe, then microwave the rice for the full 5 minutes.
3. I used a cast-iron dutch oven, which calls for 1-3/4 cups of chicken broth, but if you are using a non-cast-iron dutch oven then the recipe calls for using only 1-1/4 cups. I’m not sure why.
4. Chris Kimball calls for simply dividing the mixture in 4 equal parts; one part for each Chimichanga. But the variable size of the chicken breasts make this unworkable. I had enough mixture for 6 chimichangas; not just 4.
5. I found that there was not enough paste (it went on thickly), so I double the amount of paste in the recipe below to prevent myself from running out.
6. Of course, the Chimichangas could use a little more spiciness. Next time I’m going to double the chili powder and cumin, or maybe add 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper.
7. Frying the Chimichangas in just 3 cups of oil meant that the tops became scorched. Next time I will try to fry them in 6 cups of oil for more even cooking. (see how even they look with 6 cups; photo here)

Rating: 4-stars.
Cost: $8.
How much work? Medium.
How big of a mess? Medium/High.
Started: 5:00 pm  Ready:  6:15 pm.

Chris Kimball’s original recipe from Season 5 of Cook’s Country is here. The descriptions of how I cooked them today are given below.

1-3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
1/2 cup long-grain white rice
Salt and pepper
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (6-ounces each)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 can pinto beans, (15-ounce)
4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (1 cup)
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 tablespoon water
4 ten-inch flour tortillas
3 cups peanut or vegetable oil
Serve with salsa, sour cream and/or diced avocado.

1. You’ll need two cutting boards, so designate one for vegetables from the start. Mince chipotle so that you have 1 tablespoon. Add 1-3/4 cups chicken broth to a 2-cup measuring cup together with 1 tablespoon of minced chipotle. Stir together using a fork.
2. In a medium bowl, add 1/2 cup rice, 1/2 cup of the broth/chipotle mixture and 1/4 teaspoon table salt. Stir to combine, cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high for 5 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, use paper towels to pat the chicken dry and sprinkle with salt and ground pepper. Finely dice your onion and peel your garlic cloves. Also, rinse your pinto beans under cold running water.
4. Put a dutch oven over medium-high burner and heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil until it just begins to smoke. Add minced onions and cook for 2 to 5 minutes (see Issue #2); until they becomes softened but not at all browned.
5. Add chili powder, cumin and press your peeled garlic cloves directly into pot. Stir for 30 seconds, then add the remaining 1-1/4 cups broth mixture (or 3/4 cup depending upon type of pot), the half-cooked rice, and the rinsed beans. Bring the mixture up to a boil.
6. Reduce your burner to medium-low. Lay chicken on-top of other ingredients in the pot, cook, and flip after 10 minutes.  Continue cooking on the second side for an additional 5 to 15 minutes until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 160-degrees.
7. Remove chicken and place on a cutting board, allow the chicken to rest for 5 to 7 minutes. Meanwhile, use paper towels to wipe out the bowl used to parcook the rice (you don’t want to mix in an half-cooked grains of rice), then empty the cooked rice mixture into the bowl. Wash your now-empty Dutch oven and dry thoroughly.  Also chop cilantro yield 1/3-cup, and shred your 4-ounces of cheddar cheese.
8. Dice the cooked chicken into 1/2″ pieces. Add chicken, cilantro and cheese to bowl and stir until everything is evenly combined.
9. Put 4 tortillas on a serving plate, and cover using another overturned serving plate. Microwave for 1 minutes to soften tortillas.
10. Add 2 tablespoons flour and 2 tablespoons to a small/tiny bowl; use a fork to combine into a paste-like consistency.
11. Make burritos one at a time. Lay out the warm tortilla on your work surface. Use a pastry brush to paint the entire edge of the tortilla with paste. Tightly wrap the top and bottom of the tortilla forming a stuffing-filled tube (i,e, leaving the ends open). Gently press down to seal the burrito and flatten the ends. Paint the end with a little more paste (see photo below) and fold over ends to seal both sides of the burrito. Repeat with remaining filling.
12. While you are making the burritos, pre-heat 3-cups oil in the clean Dutch over medium-high burner for 10 minutes; or until it reaches 325-degrees. Fry two burritos at a time, seam-side down, for 2 minutes per side. Adjust the temperature to ensure that the oil remains between 300-and-325-degrees at all times. Drain over a wire rack and use paper towels to blot away as much oil as you can. Once the oil has returned to 325-degrees repeat cooking process with the remaining burritos.

It seems like too much filling, but it works out in the end.

Plump burritos waiting for the oil to heat up tp 325-degrees.

Easy Chicken Chimichangas without the worry

Paste the ends for leak-proof seal.