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.

Classic Pot Roast

When speaking of food, “old-fashioned” usually implies something tried-and-true, delicious, and taking more time or effort than today’s culture is willing to invest. I think of Pot Roast as old-fashioned; requiring more time than effort. So why haven’t I ever in my life made a Pot Roast? Because If I’m going to spend 6 hours making dinner, then I want it to be spectacular, and my impression of Pot Roast has always been that it is merely average. Today’s recipe was a success with both boys (the picky eater and the Junior Chef) both eating several helpings.  I did learn a few things: (1) a 3-1/2 pound roast is too small to divide into two parts while still remaining slice-able. Use a 4-1/2 pounder, or don’t separate into two mini-roasts is Step 1. (2) Check the roast after 3 hours in the oven. Overcooking will result in a dry roast. (3) Start the roast by Noon for a 6PM dinner so that you can keep the oven temperature to 300-degrees.  There were a few other minor issues (see comments below), but it turned out delicious; 4-stars.

I had to slice thick than 1/2″; too tender.

Comments:

1. My Pot Roast was a little dry, which I think was a result of overcooking. Because I started the roast late (at 1PM), I increase the temperature to 315-degrees to ensure dinner wasn’t pushed past 7PM. A little more planning on my part will mean ensure that I can keep the oven temperature to 300-degrees.
2. The Roast size (3-1/2 to 4 pounds) was perfect for a hungry family of four (including mashed potatoes). So Chris Kimball claims that this will serves 6 to 8 people seems too optimistic. I think 4-1/2 pounds is a better size, both in terms of serving more people (and having some leftovers), but also because splitting a 3-1/2 pound roast into two mini-roasts meant that the roasts were too tender, too easily shed-able, so that I had to cut into 1″-slices rather than 1/2″-slices.
3. This recipe makes way too much gravy; 3 cups when I needed less than 1 cup. I would cut the gravy ingredients in half for those given below. The extra gravy wasn’t worth the 2 extra cups of broth I added in Step 10.
4. Chris Kimball says that chilling the whole cooked roast overnight will improve the flavor. Also that it will be more moist.
5. The recipe calls for three pieces of twine per min-roast. If you plan for four pieces of twine, then you should be good. But by starting with three, I ended up use five pieces to fix it.
6. While 1 carrot did indeed yield 1 cup of chopped carrots, I needed 2 celery stalks to get the 3/4 of a cup.

Rating: 4-stars
Cost: $16
How much work? Medium.
How big of a mess?  Medium/High.
Started: 1:00 PM.  Ready:  7:00 PM

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

3-1/2 to 4-pound boneless beef chuck-eye roast
1 tablespoon Kosher salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 medium onions
1 large carrot, medium chop (1 cup)
1 to 2 celery rib, medium chop (3/4 cup)
2 medium garlic cloves
Total of 2 to 3 cup beef broth
Total of 3/4 cup dry red wine
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1 sprig fresh thyme leaves (added before the 4 hour’s cooking)
1/4 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves (added at the end)
Ground black pepper
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1. If you have a chuck-eye roast, then you will see that it has a natural seam. Pull it into two smaller roasts and trim away any large chunks of fat. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon kosher salt (or 1-1/2 teaspoons of table salt), and put on a wire rack and allow to sit at room temperature 1 hour.
2. After 30 minutes, cut 2 medium onions in half and slice them thinly (sliced regularly; not pole-to-pole), which should yield about 2 cups. Place a Dutch oven over medium burner and add 2 tablespoons butter. Once the foaming subsides, add sliced onions and cook for 8 to 10 minutes until they are beginning to brown; stir occasionally.
3. While onions cook, adjust a rack to lower-middle of your oven, and pre-heat to 300 degrees. Chop your carrots and celery into medium chunks. Peel 2 medium garlic cloves. Also cut eight 12″ lengths of kitchen twine.
4. Add chopped carrot and celery to Dutch oven, and continue to cook for 5 more minutes; again stir occasionally. Add garlic and saute for 30 seconds.
5. Add in 1 cup beef broth, 1/2 cup red wine, 1 tablespoon tomato paste, 1 bay leaf, and 1 thyme sprig. Bring up to simmer.
6. Meanwhile, use paper towels to pat the beef dry. Season liberally with freshly ground pepper. Tie up each piece of meat separately into loaf shape using 4 to 5 pieces of kitchen twine, which will ensure even cooking.
7. Place meat on top of vegetables. Cover Dutch oven with large piece of Aluminum foil then cover with the lid, which will trap all of the moister inside the pot. Bake at 300-degrees for 3-1/2 to 4 hours, rotating pot halfway through cooking time.
8. Check the roast after 3 hours for doneness to ensure that your don’t overcook. When done, a sharp knife will easily slip in-and-out of the meat.
9. Allow the roast to rest on a cutting board loosely tented with aluminum foil while making the gravy.
10. Pour the liquid through a fine-mesh strainer into a 4-cup measuring cup (I only ended up with 1 cup of liquid). Let to sit for 5 minutes and skim any fat from the surface. Add enough broth so that you have 3 cups of liquid.
11. Fish the bay leaf and spring of thyme from the vegetables and put in blender. Add the 3-cups liquid to the blender. Blend for 2 minutes until it becomes smooth.
12. Add gravy to a saucepan placed over medium burner to heat. Meanwhile, remove the twine and slice the roast into 1/2″-thick pieces. Arranging on a serving plate.
13. Finish the gravy by adding chopped thyme, another 1/4-cup red wine and 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar. Adjust salt and pepper according to your taste. Pour part of the gravy directly over the meat on the serving platter, and pass additional gravy in a gravy boat.

Herb-Roasted Prime Rib and Potatoes

I’ve never made prime rib before. Partially because standing rib roasts are so expensive (usually cost at least $80), but also because Prime Rib always seemed bland; tender but bland. So I made this herb-roaster prime rib for Christmas dinner, because it seemed to offer more interesting flavor. In addition, I used Chris Kimball’s home, dry-aging technique. After 5 days in the back of my refrigerator wrapped in cheesecloth, the roast resembled something costing twice as much. In the end, I was happy with the dry-aging technique, which improves the beef’s texture and concentrates it’s flavor. But I very disappointed with the recipe, because the herb-flavor did not penetrate the beef. Worse yet, Most of the herbs were trimmed away with the fat cap. 3-stars. Next time I will stick to a more traditional jus, so that the added flavor of the the jus can be enjoyed in every bite.

It looks delicious, but only 3-star

Comments:

1. This recipe does not seem to be as thoroughly tested as most of Chris Kimball’s recipes. In fact, it is not from Cook’s Illustrated, but rather from The Best One-Dish Suppers. An example of the issue, while Chris Kimball mentions adding oil in step 5, he fails to add it to the ingredient list or say how much oil to add or what type to use. I used two tablespoons of olive oil, which seemed okay
2. Chris Kimball over-rests the roast for 30 minutes. True, the internal temperature of the beef doesn’t fall much in those 30 minutes, but the outside portions of the beef were noticeably cool. I’d recommend that you start to carve no later than after 20 minutes, and keep the cut beef tented with aluminum for until dinner.
3. I was worried because Chris Kimball usually under-estimates cooking time for potatoes, so I par-cooked the potatoes for 8 minutes in microwave. I tossed them with 1 tablespoon olive oil and covered with plastic wrap, and shook them half way through microwaving.
4. I bought a 3-rib roast weighing about 7-1/2 pounds. But I cut my roast into two smaller roasts (one roast had 2 ribs and the other had 1 rib). My kids prefer the end-cuts, and are happier if the beef isn’t too red.

Cost: $35
How much work? Low.
How big of a mess?  Low.
Started: 1:00 pm. Dinner Time:  6:00.

Chris Kimball’s original version of this recipe is here. His dry aging technique is here. The descriptions of how I prepared it this week are given below:

7-lb beef standing rib roast (3 or 4 ribs)
Salt and ground black pepper
3 tablespoons minced fresh thyme leaves
3 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary leaves
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar
3 pounds small red potatoes

1. About a week before dinner, remove the roast from packaging, rinse well, and pat completely dry with paper towels.  Wrap the meat with three layers of cheesecloth, Place on wire rack with the fat side up; set over a sheet pan and place in the back of refrigerator (the coldest part). After 24 hours, remove, unwrap, discard cheesecloth and wrap with a fresh piece. Place back in refrigerator for up to 6 days undisturbed.
2. Plan on removing the roast from the refrigerator about 5 1/2 hours before serving. Remove cheesecloth, cut away the fat and trim the ends and any discolored parts of roast.  Allow roast to sit a room temperature for 2 hours for more even cooking.
3. Meanwhile, set an oven rack to the bottom position in your oven and pre-heat to 450-degrees for 20 minutes. Prepare your V-rack (set inside a roasting pan) by coating it with vegetable oil spray.
4. Pat the roast dry using paper towels, then season with salt and pepper. Put roast on your V-rack, and roast at 450-degrees for 1 hour until becomes well browned.
5. Meanwhile, add the minced thyme and rosemary, 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon flour, and 1 teaspoon sugar to a small bowl, and stir to combine.
6. Remove the roast from the oven and reduce to 250-degrees. Take the herb-mixture and evenly spread over the roast. Bake for between 1 to 1-1/2 hours until the internal temperature of the beef registers 130-degrees for medium-rare; 140-degrees for medium and 155-degrees for medium-well.
7. While the roast cooks scrub your potatoes and cut them in half.
8. Put roast of a cutting board and allow to rest for 20 minutes, and turn up your oven to 450-degrees. Remove the v-rack from the pan and discard all but 3 tablespoon of the rendered fat from the bottom of the pan. Add cut potatoes to pan, season with salt and pepper and toss until evenly coated. Arrange them so that the cut side faces down in the pan. Roast until the potatoes are golden brown, about 20 minutes.
9. Just before the potatoes are ready, carve the roast. Hold the roast steady with a carving knife, and cut along the bone to remove. Set the roast cit-side down and slice across the grain into 1/2″-thick slabs. Keep the cut beef tented with aluminum foil until ready to eat.

Roasted potatoes

Uncut roast resting

Dry-aging the beef in cheeses-cloth

Thai Grilled Chicken with Spicy Sweet and Sour Dipping Sauce

When growing up, my meals were always very straight-forward. Often just some type of protein cooked in a skillet without any seasoning (except maybe salt); simple and bland. So nowadays I tend to over-compensate; I’m always looking for interesting recipes. And while the long title of this recipe gives the appearance of being exotic, it is still kid-friendly enough where my picky-eating son can just skip the dipping sauce. The herb-rub gives a nice depth of flavor to chicken breasts. As a bonus, I loved this recipe because it allowed me to take advantage of a mild evening for grilling. Anytime you can be outside on a December evening is always a treat. I wish the great flavor of the spice rub penetrated a little deeper, but at least the sauce was there to save the day. 4-stars

Flavorful chicken that’s definitely worth making

Chris Kimball offers the following advice if you want to prepare it in your oven. Pre-heat your oven to 450-degrees with an oven rack in the lower-middle of your oven. Put the chicken on a wire rack set over a foil-lined, rimmed baking sheet. Cook the chicken for about 30 minutes, rotating half way through baking time. When the chicken reaches 160-degrees, broil the chicken about 6″ or 7″ from the broiler element for 3 minutes until the skin becomes crispy.

Comments:

1. The list of ingredients is somewhat long, but fish sauce is really the only thing you aren’t likely to have in your pantry. Well, of course you’ll have to make a separate trip to the supermarket for the ginger, garlic, limes and cilantro.
2. With split chicken breasts on sale for $1/lb, this recipe was exceptionally inexpensive. Usually this recipe will cost more than $10 to prepare.

Rating: 4 stars.
Cost: $7.
How much work? Medium.
How big of a mess?  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:

Chicken and Brine Ingredients:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup salt
4 split bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts

Dipping Sauce Ingredients:
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 small cloves garlic
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
1/4 cup lime juice from 2 to 3 limes
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1/3 cup granulated sugar

Rub Ingredients:
12 medium cloves garlic
2″ piece fresh ginger
2 tablespoons ground black pepper
2 tablespoons ground coriander
2/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1/4 cup lime juice from 2 to 3 limes
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1. In a large bowl, add 2 quarts of water and stir in 1/3 cup sugar until dissolved. Cut chicken breasts in half crosswise. Allow to brine for 1 hour.
2. Meanwhile prepare sauce by whisking together all ingredients in a small bowl. The pressed garlic should yield about 1-1/2 teaspoons. Allow the sauce to sit at room temperature until dinner (at least 1 hour).
3. Rinse chicken under running water and use paper towels to pat the chicken dry. Use your fingers to slide between the skin and the meat, being careful that the skin stays attached.
4. The pressed garlic should yield 1/4 cup, and the minced ginger should be about 2 tablespoons. Use your hands to thoroughly combine all the rub ingredients into another small/medium bowl. Rub about 2 tablespoons of mixture under the skin of each piece of chicken. Then rub a little more mixture over all sides of the chicken. Repeat with all chicken pieces, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate while preparing the grill.
5. Light a full chimney start of charcoal, and allow to ignite for about 20 minutes. Evenly empty the coals over half the grill, leaving the other half empty. Pre-heat the grill grate for 5 minutes to clean more effectively, and season the grill with a paper towel dipped in vegetable oil.
6. Grill chicken with the skin-side down over the hot part of the grill for about 4 to 5 minutes until browned. Flip the chicken and brown the second side for another 4 to 5 minutes. After browned, move chicken to the cooler side of the grill and cover with a disposable aluminum tray. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes more until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 160-degrees.
7. When cooked, loosely tent with aluminum foil and allow to rest on serving platter for 10 minutes.

Coq au Vin

Immediately after my first trip to France in 1992, I made 10 batches of Coq au Vin in the months subsequent to my trip trying to replicate my delicious Parisian meal. Unfortunately, my efforts came up short and I abandon my attempts. Over the years I would occasionally make a mediocre Coq au Vin. My only modest success was a “Modern Coq au Vin” that I cooked for my parents, brother and sister in 2007; which was this recipe from Chris Kimball (different version than I cooked today). Today, I finally discovered where I had gone wrong all these years. I hadn’t been reducing the sauce far enough, so the flavors were not sufficiently concentrated.  My 2007 attempt reduced a bottle of wine down to 3 cups. Today I reduced the sauce down further than I ever have (down to 2 cups), create an extremely rich and velvety consistency. The sauce was the best 5-star sauce imaginable. Unfortunately, I still believe that chicken does not have the inherent richness to match this amazing sauce; certainly not super-market chicken breasts. Next time I’ll try thighs which can be cooked longer and are more flavorful. Still, I give today’s recipe 4-1/2 stars; better than any restaurant chicken in Paris.

After 20 years of trying, a home-run Coq au Vin

Comments:

1. Coq au Vin is usually translated as chicken with wine, but I know enough French to know that chicken is Poulet. This translation is just being polite, because coq obviously translates into cock (or rooster). Most old-time recipes called for old barnyard fowl because they required a long braising to make them tender. Today’s supermarket chicken needs to be handled more gently, so do not cook past 160-degrees for white meat and 175-degrees for dark meat.
2. Chris Kimball says to use 24 frozen pearl onions, and to thaw, drained, and pat them dry with a paper towel. In the past I have been unable to find frozen pearl onion, except sold in a disgusting pre-made cream sauce. I did try the cream sauced variety (from Birds-Eye) once, but will never use them again. Today, I did see that Birds-Eye also sells a larger bag of un-sauced, frozen pearl onions. But I already had 8 ounces of boiler onions in my kitchen from another French stew I made last month. So I used my fresh boiler onions and saved the $4. I’m still not sure if there is difference between boiler onions and pearl onions.
3. I used 2 cups of small, fresh boiler onions, and tried a new technique which was a good alternative to the 40-minute braise that Julia Child recommends. First, roll the boiler onions between your two hands to remove as much of the papery exterior as possible. Next, slice of the stem and root end. It’s a lot of slicing because I had 30 small boiler onions. Boil them in water for 1 minute, drain them in a strainer and shock them in an ice water batch. That let me peel away any remaining exterior.
4. Chris Kimball says to chop the bacon medium in step 1, but I cooked the bacon whole and crumbled it into small pieces after cooking. There doesn’t seem to be any real difference between the two techniques.
5. While I do own a splatter screen, I didn’t use it today. After seeing the mess that the bacon and chicken made on my stove-top, I’d certainly remind you that this will be a good time to use it.
6. Finally, I’d also like to mention that Julia Child adds 1/4 cup cognac. She does that to a lot of her stews, but I don’t have cognac. I didn’t add it, but it sounds like it could add some great complexity. Chris Kimball recipe doesn’t call for any cognac either.

Rating: 4-1/2 stars.
Cost: $23.
How much work? Medium.
How big of a mess?  Medium.
Start time: 4:30 PM. Dinner time: 7:00 PM.

Chris Kimball’s version of this recipe was in his 10th Anniversary America’s Test Kitchen Cookbook. The descriptions of how I prepared the recipe today are given below:

6-oz Thick-cut bacon
4-lbs Bone-in chicken pieces
8-oz Pearl Onions (Labelled boiler onions in my supermarket)
10-oz white mushrooms
2 medium cloves of carlic
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 bottle medium-bodied red wine
2-1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
2 bay leaf
Salt and ground black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 Tablespoons minced parsley
10-0z wide egg noodles or 2 pounds russet potatoes.

1. Cook the bacon in a dutch oven for 10 minutes over medium heat until crispy, using a spatter screen if you have one (which you will also use for the chicken). When crispy, remove bacon to paper towels and pat to remove any excess grease. Crumble bacon as set aside until ready to serve. Remove pot from heat.
2. Meanwhile while the bacon is cooking, prepare your chicken by trimming away any excess fat. If you are using chicken breasts, remove the ribs and cut each breast in half. Dry the chicken using paper towels and season both sides with salt and pepper.
3. If you have less than 2 tablespoons of bacon fat, add vegetable oil.Put the Dutch oven with the bacon fat over medium-high heat until begins to shimmer. Cook the chicken in two batches, cooking for 8 minutes per side (a total of 32 minutes). After each batch is complete remove to a plate and set aside. Again, use a splatter screen if you have one.
4. While the chicken cooks prepare pearl onions and quarter mushrooms. If using fresh pearl onions, roll the onions between your hands to remove as much of the papery exterior as possible, then slice off stem and root ends. Add the onions to boiling water for 1 minute, empty to a strainer then shock in an ice water bath. This will help you remove any remaining outer skin.
5. Remove all but 1 tablespoon fat from the pan, and cook the quartered mushrooms and pearl onions over medium burner for 10 minutes
6. Press garlic cloves directly into pot and add 1 tablespoon tomato paste. Cook for 30 seconds, then add flour and cook for 1 additional minute.
7. Add wine, chicken broth and deglaze the bottom of the pot. Add thyme, bay leaves add 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
8. Return the chicken to the pot, nestling them so that they are all submerged. Cover pot and cook chicken over medium-low burner until chicken reaches correct internal temperature; 160 for white meat (20 minutes) and 175 for dark meat (40 minutes). Use a slotted spoon to remove the chicken when done, placing in a large bowl and tent with aluminum foil to keep warm.
9. While the chicken cooks, put a large pot of salted water on the stove-top and begin heating for your eggs noodles (or mashed potatoes).
10. Reduce sauce, uncovered, for 20 minutes until the sauce has reduce to about 2 cups and is thick. If you only cooked white meat then that may take 35 minutes. Replace the chicken in the pot for last 5 minutes to reheat.
11. Remove pot from heat and put chicken on serving platter. Fish out the 2 bay leaves, whisk in the butter and adjust salt and pepper according to your taste. Pour sauce over chicken and spring with bacon and parsley.

Shepherd’s Pie

I have a friend who introduced me to Shepherd’s Pie about 10 years ago. It was her signature dish, and when I saw the current issue of Cook’s Illustrated my memories flew back to those simpler years in Hoboken, New Jersey. I was surprised by the long length of the ingredient list, and while they are common enough, with such a long list you’re sure to need a special trip to the supermarket. In my case it was 4-ounces of white mushrooms, scallions, carrots and port. Overall, the pie took more effort than I had thought; making the mashed potatoes, browning the vegetables and meat in many steps, then broiling the final pie. However, it is not daunting; everything is straight-forward with no special skills or techniques. In the end Chris Kimball’s recipe was very good, I give it 3-1/2 stars; delicious, well-balanced. A solid recipe for classic Shepherd’s pie, but not so exceptional as to surpass the memory of my friend’s Shepherd’s pie.

Classic Shepherd’s pie is not as easy as you think

While I just got back power two days ago after Hurricane Sandy; I lost two 80-foot pine trees and spent 11 days without power; this recipe also reminded me how fortunately I am. The area where I lived in Hoboken was exceptionally low-lying and the damage was exceptionally devastating. My friends have virtually all moved out of Hoboken, it seems to be a transitional town, everybody staying and enjoying it for a few years before the headaches eventually become too great. But I feel for all those who have moved in, as it could have just as easily been me and my friends who were hit so hard.

Comments:

1. Chris Kimball says not to use beef that is fattier than 93%, but I tempted fate and used the 80% lean ground beef that was already in my refrigerator. I cooked it separately so that I could discard some of the extra fat, before combining the other ingredients.
2. I didn’t have a 10″ broiler-safe skillet, so I used my 12″ skillet to cook the meat, then assembled the pie into a Pyrex pie plate.
3. I didn’t melt the butter separately as instructed in the recipe, I just allowed the residual heat of the potatoes to do it for me.

Rating: 3-1/2 stars.
Cost: $14.
How much work? Medium.
How big of a mess?  Medium.
Start time 4:45 PM. Finish time 5:30 PM.

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

1-1/2 lbs 93%-lean ground beef
2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons water
Salt and pepper
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2-1/2 lbs russet potatoes
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup milk
1 large egg yolk
8 scallions (green parts only)
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 onion
4-oz white mushrooms
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 garlic cloves, pressed
2 tablespoons Madeira or ruby port
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1-1/4 cups beef broth
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
2 carrots
2 teaspoons cornstarch

1. In a medium bowl, combine the beef, 2 tablespoons water, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and baking soda. Allow to stand at room temperature for 20 minutes.
2. In the mean time, Peel your potatoes and cut into approximately 1″ cubes. Put potatoes in a medium saucepan, adding just enough water to cover, then add 1 tablespoon salt. Set over high burner, cover, and bring up to a boil. Reduce to medium-low, and continue simmering for 10 to 12 minutes. The potatoes will be done when a paring knife doesn’t meet any resistance. Empty potatoes into a strainer and then return them to the same saucepan for about 1 minute until all the surface moister has dried. Remove potatoes from heat and stir in butter.
3. In a small bowl, mix together your milk, egg yolk, then mix into the potatoes. Thinly slice the green parts of 8 scallions, add to potatoes and season with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper. Cover saucepan and set aside.
4. Chop the onion and mushrooms. Peel your garlic cloves. Peel and chop your carrot (to be used in Step 6)
5. Using a 10″-skillet that is safe to eventually put into the oven, pre-heat vegetable oil over medium burner until it’s shimmering. Add onion, mushrooms, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; saute for 5 to 6 minutes. Add tomato paste and press garlic directly into the skillet; continue to cook for 2 more minutes. Add Madeira or Port and continue cooking for 1 minute. Mix in flour and continue cooking for 1 minute.
6. Add 1-1/4 cups beef broth, 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, 2 sprigs fresh thyme, 1 bay leaf, and 2 chopped carrots. When it comes up to a boil, reduce the burner to medium-low and add ground beef in 2″ chunks. Cover the skillet and cook for 12 minutes until the beef is cooked through, using 2 forks to break up the meat half-way through cooking.
7. Stir cornstarch and remaining 2 teaspoons water together in bowl. Stir cornstarch mixture into filling and continue to simmer for 30 seconds. Remove thyme and bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
8. Set an oven rack to be 5″ from the broiler, and pre-heat while assembling the pie. Put mashed potatoes in a large Zip-lock bag and cut of a 1″ opening in one corner, then pipe the potatoes into an even layer over the filling. Use the back of a spoon to smooth out the potatoes, ensuring that all the meat is covered. Finally use the tines of a fork to make ridges over the entire surface, in whatever pattern you like.
9. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil, put pie on-top and broil for 10 to 15 minutes until the potatoes are golden brown, rotating the pie half way through broiling to ensure even browning. Allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

I assembled in a pie plate, for lack of oven-safe 10″ skillet

Easy Grilled Boneless Pork Chops

While this recipe is touted as being perfect for a weekday, it’s getting a little late in the season to be barbecuing after work. So I took advantage of a sunny 55-degree Saturday afternoon. The grilled pork chops themselves are simple; brined for 30 minutes and topped with honey/anchovy paste before grilling. However, the real flavor comes from being topped with one of three possible relishes; I chose the Tomato, Fennel, and Almond Relish. The relish was just okay, but that may be because I don’t love the salty-brinyness of olives, which were a little too prominent for my taste. I overcooked the pork chops because Chris Kimball didn’t integrate the two recipes (which I’ve done below). As cooked today, I can only give it 3 stars.

Unclear instructions; took me twice as long to cook.

I would have preferred the Orange, Jicama, and Pepita Relish, but couldn’t find Jicama in my supermarket, and didn’t have the time to search. Since I’ll be carving my Halloween pumpkins soon, I will hopefully be able to try it again before the end of BBQ season. My friends are all convinced of a harsh winter; we’ll see.

Comments:

1. Chris Kimball also offers two additional relish recipes; Onion, Olive, and Caper and Orange, Jicama, and Pepita.
2. The Relish recipe yields twice as much relish as necessary, so I’d recommend halving the recipe. Especially if you can come up with another recipe to use the other half of the Fennel.
3. Because the recipe is divided into two parts, it wasn’t clear that I needed to prepare the relish while the pork chops were still brining. I waited too long to begin chopping the Fennel (labeled Anise bulb in my supermarket) and ended up overcooking the pork chops. Even my kids commented on the pork chops being dry. Below, I integrated the two recipes below according to how I will cook it next time to ensure that I prepare the relish when necessary.
4. Today not realizing when things needed to be started, I took 1-1/2 hours to make this recipe. Based upon my revisions below, I estimate that this recipe will take about 45-minutes.
5. It was a little hard to find thicker pork chops; for some reason the butcher seems to love 1/4″ to 1/2″ pieces.
6. I ended up having to buy a family pack of 8 chops, and I didn’t use the two of the unevenly butchered chops. Out of 50 packages in my supermarket, not a single one offered 6 even thick-cut chops.

Rating: 3 stars.
Cost: $14.
How much work? Low/Medium.
How big of a mess?  Low/Medium.
Start time 4:45 PM. Finish time 5:30 PM. (estimate based upon my revisions below)

Chris Kimball’s original recipe is here. The descriptions of how I prepared the recipe (including revised order) are given below:

Pork Chop Ingredients:
6 boneless pork chops, 3/4″ to 1″ thick
3 tablespoons table salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1-1/2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon anchovy paste
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Tomato, Fennel, and Almond Relish Ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil
1 fennel bulb, stalks discarded
6 garlic cloves
2 tomatoes
1/4 cup pitted green olives
1/4 cup slivered almonds
3 tablespoons sherry vinegar
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1. Make 2 release cuts 1″ apart, slicing through the outer layer of fat to prevent cupping. Put 1-1/2 quarts of cold water in a large bowl, and dissolve 3 tablespoons of table salt. Brine the pork chops at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
2. While the pork chops are brining, prepare the relish ingredients (including toasting the almond slivers in a dry skillet). Cut away a discard that fennel stalks, cut the bulb in half and cut into 1/4″ dice which should yield about 1-1/2 cups. Peel and slice the garlic thinly. Cut tomatoes into 1/2″ dice, discarding the seeds and juices.  Coarsely chop the 1/4-cup of olives (next time I will half the amount of olives to suit my taste). Mince your parsley.
3. After 15 minutes of brining, open your grill’s bottom vent completely. Ignite a chimney starter filled with charcoal (about 6 quarts). It should take about 20 minutes until the charcoal is ready to use.
4. In a small bowl, combine vegetable oil, honey, anchovy paste, and pepper. Whisk together to form a paste.
5. After 30 minutes of brining, remove chops and dry using paper towels.  Evenly spread half of paste mixture over one-side of each chop.
6. Continue preparing the relish (before putting the pork chops on the grill): add 2 tablespoons olive oil to a 10″ regular skillet. Pre-heat over medium burner until the oil begins to shimmer. Saute fennel for 5 minutes.
7. Empty charcoal evenly over half of grill. Clean and oil grill grate. Put pork chops with the oiled-side down over the hot side of the grill. Grill for about 5 minutes.
8. Meanwhile, back in the kitchen stir in the garlic and saute for only 30 seconds. Add diced tomatoes and cook for another 5 minutes.
9. Back out at the grill, spread the rest of the paste evenly over second-side of pork chops. Flip chops and continue to cook, uncovered, for about 5 more minutes until in internal temperature is 140-degrees.
10. In the kitchen, remove fennel/tomato mixture from skillet and put in medium bowl. Mix together the remaining 2 tablespoons oil, olives, almonds, vinegar, parsley, sugar, salt, and pepper.
11. Allow chops to rest for 5-minutes and serve topped with relish.

Meatier Meatloaf

After an exhausting summer, I finally have time to start cooking again, but unfortunately the current issue of Cook’s Illustrated doesn’t seem so interesting. The best remaining main course is “meatier meatloaf”. In the past I have made this All-Beef Meatloaf, and was very happy with the results. Today’s recipe uses the same unflavored gelatin to bind the loaf together.  This recipe skips the celery in favor of mushrooms, uses bread instead of saltines, and skips the cheese altogether. Today I used only ground beef and pork; skipping the “meekly-flavored” veal. Adding unflavored gelatin does the same thing that veal would. My youngest son loved it, and ate 5 slices. I give this recipe 4-stars; fewer ingredients than Chris Kimball’s other meatloaf, but equally good. In the end I never consider meatloaf to be great.

Beef and Pork meatloaf ready in about 2 hours.

Comments:

1. I usually buy ground beef in “Family Packs”, because that it what goes on sale and another reason that I find the All-Beef version so convenient. But my supermarket only sells ground pork in 1-lb packages, so as long as I can use the extra few pounds of beef from the family pack for some other recipe there should be no waste.
2. The glaze between the two meatloaves is identical.

Rating: 4-stars.
Cost: $10
How much work? Medium.
How big of a mess?  Medium.
Start time: 4:30. Dinner time: 6:30

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

Meatloaf Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
1 onion
6 ounces white mushrooms
1 tablespoon tomato paste
Almost 3/4 cup chicken broth (3 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup)
2 garlic cloves
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin
1/2 slice hearty white sandwich bread
1/3 cup minced fresh parsley
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
3/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 pound ground pork
1 pound 85% lean ground beef

Glaze Ingredients:
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup cider vinegar
3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1. Set an oven rack to the middle of your oven and pre-heat to 350-degrees. Fold some heavy-duty aluminium foil into a 9″ by 5″ rectangle. Put it in the center of a wire rack and use a paring knife to poke about 1/2″ apart. Set rack in a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil (for easy cleanup). Use a little non-spick cooking spray on the foil.
2. Chop the onion into fine pieces. Trim the mushrooms and slice them thinly.
3. Put at 12″ skillet over medium burner and melt butter until the foaming begins to subside. Saute onions and mushrooms for 12 minutes until they begin to brown. Add in tomato paste and continue cooking for 3 more minutes; stir constantly.
4. Turn down burner to low, and use a garlic press adding garlic directly into the pan. Use 3 tablespoons of chicken broth to deglaze the pan. Cook for about 1 minutes then empty into a large bowl.
5. Add 1/2-cup chicken broth, eggs and soy sauce to a small bowl. Whisk to combine, then sprinkle with unflavored gelatin and allow it to soften for 5 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, mince the parsley.
7. Tear the bread into 1″ pieces and add to food processor. Pulse between 5 to 10 times. Add gelatin/egg mixture, onion/mushrooms, minced parsley, Dijon, pepper and dried thyme into food processor. Pulse 10 more times until everything becomes finely ground. Empty into your large bowl (the one in which the onions cooled).
8. Add ground beef and ground pork to bowl. Combine thoroughly using your hands, then form into a 9″ by 5″ rectangle on the prepared foil.
9. Bake for about 80 minutes until the internal temperature of the meat loaf reaches 160-degrees. Remove from oven and pre-heat your broiler.
10. While the meatloaf is cooking, add all the glaze ingredients to a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes until it becomes thick. Set aside until meatloaf finishes cooking in step 9.
11. Use a rubber spatula to evenly cover the meatloaf with half the glaze. Broil for 2 minutes. When the glaze begins to bubble and brown, remove the meatloaf and evenly coat with the rest of the glaze. Broil for 2 more minutes, removing from broiler when the glaze begins to bubble and brown. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Fresh Corn Salsa with Avocado and Toasted Cumin

With fresh summer corn on sale for as little as 20-cents per ear, this was a great way to liven up a favorite summer staple. I served it on top of some basic, boneless chicken breasts. While I understand that sweet corn is inherently mild, the spices should have been bolder. I would recommend either including some of the jalapeno seeds (or using two jalapenos). It’s definitely work making, and only takes minimal effort. It will be ready in about 40 minutes. 3-1/2 stars.

Nice, different meal. A little plain, but pleased both my boys

Comments:

1. While my corn was nice and plump, a few of the ears were a little short

Rating: 3-1/2-stars.
Cost: $3.
How much work? Low/Medium.
How big of a mess?  Low/Medium.
Start time 5:15 PM. Dinner time 6:00 PM.

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

3 ears corn
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon honey
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 shallot
1 jalapeño chile
1 hass avocado
3 scallions
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1. Add 2 cups of water to a small saucepan. Put over high heat and bring water up to a boil.
2. Meanwhile cut the kernels from the cobs, which should yield you 2-1/4 cups of corn. I had to use 4 ears. Toast your whole cumin seeds in a dry skillet for about 1 minute, then remove from heat until they become fragrant.
3. When the water has reached a boil, add corn, baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon of table salt. Remove corn from burner and allow to sit for 10 minutes. Then drain the corn and allow to sit in strainer to cool for 10 more minutes.
4. Remove the ribs and seeds from jalapeno, then mince. Mince the shallot. Slice the scallions thin and chop your cilantro. Dice your avocado into 1/4″ pieces.
5. In a medium bowl, add lime juice, oil, cumin seeds, honey, cayenne, and 1/8 teaspoon salt, then whisk to combine. Add the corn, shallot, jalapeño, avocado, scallions, and cilantro to the bowl. Gently toss to combine, and allow the flavors to meld for 10 minutes. Serve on top of chicken with tortilla chips to scoop up the rest of the corn.

Taco Pizza

I’ve never heard of Taco pizza until this week when my eldest son asked for it specifically. Because he can be such a finicky eater I was anxious to please him, plus I coincidentally had left-over taco meat from the prior evening. I wanted a crisper crust than my usual dough, so gave this recipe from Bobby Flay a try. Bobby Flay said that using bread flour would yield a much crisper crust, but unfortunately it was bready; not at all crisp. But the toppings where all straight-forward and my son loved it. I gave it only 3-1/2 stars, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a success. However, there is room for improvement.

Made without a specific recipe, it was good enough to please a teenager.

Comments:

1. Having never even seen a taco pizza before, I guessed at the amount of lettuce. But my son wanted more that included in the picture.
2. If I were making this pizza for myself I would have added diced avocado, but the pizza was not for me.

Rating: 3-1/2 stars.
Cost: $5.
How much work? Low/Medium.
How big of a mess?  Low.
Start time 4:30 PM. Ready at 6:00 PM.

Chris Kimball’s doesn’t have a recipe for Taco Pizza.  My descriptions of how I prepare it today are given below:

Pizza Dough:
1 cups water
3/4 teaspoon sugar
3/4 tablespoon instant dry yeast
2-1/2 cups bread flour (12 ounces)
3/4 teaspoons table salt
1-1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1. Warm 1 cup of water in the microwave for 30 seconds until it reached 110-degrees.
2. Combine bread flour, sugar, yeast and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer.  Turn on the standing mixer equipped with dough hook on low-speed and slowly add the water plus 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  Mix for 4 minutes until forms a dough ball. Adjust the consistency of the dough by adding 1 tablespoon of flour or water at a time until the desired consistency is obtained.
3. Lightly flour a work surface and knead into a ball. Spray a large bowl with non-stick vegetable spray, add the dough, cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow the dough to double in size; about 1 hour.
4. Meanwhile cook your taco meat and prepare you other toppings.
5. Empty dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and cover with plastic wrap to allow the dough to rest of 10 minutes.
6. Carefully stretch your dough into a thin, round crust.

Pizza Toppings:
8-ounces Taco Meat
8-ounces tomato sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1 scallion
1 tomato
2 large leaves of romaine lettuce
8-ounces mozzarella
3-ounces mild cheddar cheese

1. Pre-heat your oven to 400-degrees and set an oven rack to the middle position in your oven.
2. I used about 8-ounces of leftover taco meat, but otherwise cook it while the dough was rising.
3. Add 8-ounces of canned tomato sauce to a small saucepan together with cumin and coriander. Cook over medium burner, stirring occasionally.
4. Meanwhile, shred your mozzarella and cheddar cheese. Thinly slice your scallion; seed and dice you tomato.  Thinly slice your lettuce.
5. Spread your sauce on top of the pre-formed pizza crust, and evenly spread your grated cheeses. Top the pizza with pre-cooked taco meat.
6. Bake the pizza for 15 minutes until the cheese has melted and slightly browned.
7. As the pizza emerges from the oven blot away any excess grease with paper towels.
8. Top pizza  with lettuce, tomatoes, and scallions. Slice and serve.