Quick Recipe - Garlic Toast

I realized that I hadn't done a recipe in a while, so I thought I'd just do something quick that would be a good match-up for one I've already done, my Spaghetti Bolognese. Anyway, this is kinda more a technique than anything. It's hard to pinpoint amounts because everyone's tastes vary, so start with this and then change it up according to your tastes. Also, I like lots of bread (although my heartburn doesn't), so this is for 6 pieces.

Oh and for those looking for the recipes, I updated the tags on the oldest posts, so it should be easier to find them now...

Garlic Toast

Ingredients

3 "loaves" of crusty bread (like french, baguettes, or my favorite bolillos)
8 tbls softened butter (you can use spreads or margarine, but they're actually worse for you)
6-8 cloves of garlic (or a whole head if you want)
1 tbls olive oil
1/2 tsp granulated garlic
1/2 tsp granulated onion
1/2 tsp salt
4 grinds of pepper
1/2 c shredded parmesan
1/2 c shredded mozzerella

Hardware

1 small ramekin
1 square of aluminum foil (enough to seal the top of the ramekin or to make a pouch)
1 bread knife
1 small bowl
1 fork
1 baking sheet

Procedure

Pre-heat your oven to 375°. Now here is where you have to kind of pick and choose. If you want to do a whole head, without peeling any of the "paper" off first, trim the top of the head until most of the cloves have had their tips cut off (usually about an 1/2") or if you want to do it by cloves, peel them and trim off the "base". Now put your garlic in the ramekin (or make an aluminum foil pouch for them) and drizzle with the oil (and since the full head takes longer to cook and can dry out some before it is ready, it usually isn't a bad I idea to put some water in the ramekin as well). Be careful to not get much oil on the bottom and keep it on the garlic as much as possible (I got a little overzealous in the pic and paid for it by having some of the garlic "fry" on the bottom). Seal the ramekin (or foil pouch) and place on a rack in the middle of the oven. I don't usually put it on a baking sheet, but you can.

Start checking on them about 20 minutes in, because your oven can heat faster than you think. It usually is 30-40 minutes. What you're looking for is for the garlic to be soft, but not too brown. If it browns a little much, that's still ok, it's usable just harder to work with.

Once they're done, remove them from the ramekin to the bowl to cool. As soon as the garlic is cool enough to touch, if you made a whole head, just pick it up, turn it over and squeeze all that goodness out into the bowl. If you made cloves, mash them with the fork until they're a chunky paste. Add the butter, granulated garlic (YES, more garlic...it seems to round out the flavor some since the roasted garlic is more subtle and sweet), granulated onion, salt, and pepper. Then mix it up.

Slice your loaves in half. You can really use what bread you like, but I think bolillos give you the best texture and flavor. If you don't live anywhere with a Mexican bakery for bolillos, just make sure you use something sturdy and chewy that will not dissolve as the butter melts.

Put the halves on the baking sheet and slather them with the butter mixture. Put it on fairly thick. Now carefully sprinkle on the parmesan followed by the mozzarella so as to not get any on the baking sheet (it's a pain to clean off). Just evenly distribute, you don't need to cover them completely (you can, but you'll use more and I find it a little difficult to eat).

Place the pan in the oven and cook until the edges of the bread and the cheese brown slightly (it should look like the first pic). Usually takes about 15 minutes. Be sure to rotate your pan at about the 10 minute mark for more even browning. Let stand about 5 minutes before eating!

First, A Recipe--Loaded Potato Soup

This one is really good and sticks to your bones (especially with the colder months coming up). Never have I had such a great potato soup. I've made some modifications from the original I got here:

http://traceysculinaryadventures.blogspot.com/2010/12/loaded-baked-potato-soup.html

which she apparently got from Cook's Illustrated, but I could not find it on their site. I've tried several different potato soups, but this one is just the best. It isn't particularly healthy, mind you. LOTS of fat in it. You can always substitute some low-fat stuff, but with the amounts of stuff you're talking here, I think it's a moot point. The portions shouldn't be terribly big anyway, this one will fill you up fast. And for the record, calling it "Baked" when there is no baking involved kinda is a misnomer to me.

Loaded Potato Soup

Ingredients

12 slices peppered bacon (get it at the meat counter)
3 lbs (about 6 medium) russet potatoes, scrubbed
1-1.5 lbs waxy potatoes (red, golden, whatever you like), scrubbed
1 large onion, chopped
3 medium garlic cloves, minced (about 2 teaspoons)
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
5 c low-sodium chicken stock (use homemade if you can)
1 c heavy cream
1 sprig fresh thyme (or 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme)
1 lb sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (plus extra for garnish)
1 c sour cream (plus extra for garnish)
3 green onions, sliced thin (for garnish)

Hardware

1 dutch oven or heavy stockpot
1 med saucepan
1 pair kitchen shears
1 pair tongs
1 vegetable peeler
1 slotted spoon
1 ladel
2 bowls with cold water in them
1 collendar
1 plate lined with at least 3-ply of paper towels
1 knife
1 immersion blender or regular blender
1 grater (or buy already grated cheese...usually more expensive that way though)

Procedure


Put your pot over med-low heat and use the shears to snip the bacon in at about 1 inch widths. Keep stirring occasionally (I use tongs) until the pieces are all a deep brown and pretty crispy. While they are crisping, peel the russet potatoes (make sure they're very dry before doing this) in as long of strips as you can. By the time you do that, the bacon should be about done. If it isn't chop your onion (you need to have this done by the end of the next part regardless). Pull the bacon out of the pan and drain on the paper towels.

Increase the heat to med-high and wait about 30 seconds then drop in the potato peelings. Don't stir them too much, especially for the first minute, but stir periodically until they are brown and crisp. While you're waiting, cut onions (either one), mince your garlic, and start cutting your potatoes into bite-sized pieces and putting the pieces into the bowls of cold water. Keep the two types separate. Pull the skins when they're ready and put them on the paper towels as well. Immediately drop the heat to med-low again and dump in the chopped onion with a heavy pinch of salt (now switch to the slotted spoon). Stir them occasionally until they start to brown. During this you can finish cutting up everything and measure out your cream and stock.

Once the onions are a light brown, add the garlic and let cook for a minute then sprinkle on the flour. Let cook for about a minute more, then gradually stir in the stock, cream, thyme and lastly the russet potatoes (drained). Up the heat to high. Put the saucepan on high 3/4 full of water (with a heavy pinch of salt). Both should come to a boil about the same time. Once the pot is boiling, clamp on the lid and reduce the heat back to med-low. When the saucepan boils, add the waxy potatoes (drained). Continue to boil until the potatoes are tender in both pots (approx 7 minutes).

Kill the heat and drain the waxy potatoes. Pull the thyme sprig out (if not using dry) and use the slotted spoon to remove a couple of spoonfuls of the russet potatoes and put them in with the waxy potatoes. Use the immersion blender and blend the russet potatoes until smooth or use a regular blender in small batches (let it cool more before doing this method). Once smooth, put it back on the stove, bring the temp back up then add the cheese, sour cream, and about half of the bacon pieces. Add the rest of the potatoes and salt & pepper to taste. Serve hot with extra cheese, sour cream, green onions, bacon pieces, and the crispy skins. Enjoy!

Spaghetti Bolognese (Spaghetti w/ Meat Sauce)

This one is a highly adapted version of Alton Brown's spaghetti from Good Eats. It is a really fun episode to watch and the recipe is AWESOME, it just takes 6 hours or so. Here's the original:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/meat-sauce-and-spaghetti-recipe/index.html

If you have the time, and patience, make this one. I only suggest that you use heavy cream instead of the evaporated milk, it doesn't curdle as easy (the evaporated has curdled on me).

Here I have adapted the recipe to be 2-3 hours to make. At least for me. I'm a slow cook though. I like to be precise with my dicing/chopping/mincing and build lots of flavor and that takes time.

Spaghetti Bolognese

Ingredients
6 Rashers of bacon (sliced thick) or 2 tbsp of bacon fat
1 Large onion (yellow or white), chopped
1 Star Anise
6 Whole cloves (completely optional)
3 tbsp Olive oil
1 lb Italian sausage (I like sweet because of the basil) or ground sirloin (if using this, up your spices to taste)
1 lb Fresh button or baby bella mushrooms, rinsed, sliced, and patted dry (if you want a really good flavor, use 1 oz. dried porcini mushrooms chopped and then soaked in white wine--they usually are with the pasta stuff)
4-5 Cloves of garlic, minced (I like alot of garlic, use less if you don't)
1 jar Spaghetti sauce (use your favorite, I use traditional low-sodium Prego)
1 cup Chardonnay (really important to use wine here because of the tomatoes, but you can substitute diluted apple cider)
2 tsp Dried oregano
1 tbsp Dried basil
2 tsp Dried marjoram
1 tbsp White wine vinegar
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp Ketchup
Salt and pepper to taste
3/4c Heavy cream
Parmesan cheese to taste
1 gallon Water
2 tbsp Kosher salt
1/2 lb Dried spaghetti

Hardware
2 large Skillets (cast iron can be used for the browning of the meat and mushrooms, but not the other pan)
1 Spice Bag (only necessary if you're using the cloves)
1 Slotted cooking spoon
1 Large cooking spoon
1 large Stock pot
1 Colander
1 Knife
1 Cutting board

Procedure

Start with the non-cast iron skillet over low heat and cut the bacon into one inch pieces into the pan (I use kitchen shears for this). Keep stirring and render all the fat out (basically until they're super crispy--approx 20 minutes), remove with the slotted spoon to a paper towel, cool and then store for use with something else (like a salad!). If you already had the bacon fat, of course you can skip all that, just melt it in the pan over low heat. The advantage of doing it fresh is the fond on the bottom:

Add the onions and the star anise pod (and cloves in the spice bag and then crushed) with a heavy pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until dark brown.

About the time the onions start to get a little brown on the edges, heat the other skillet up over high heat. Once it is hot, add 2 tbs of the olive oil. It will smoke, once it does, crumble the sausage into the pan. Don't stir for the first 10 seconds or so. You want to brown the meat really good. Once it is, remove with the slotted spoon into a bowl and set aside.

Add the remaining oil into the pan and put your mushrooms in a single layer in the bottom of the pan. Brown them, stirring very occasionally.

When they are about done, dump the sausage back in (juices too!) and add 1/2 of the Chardonnay (pull off the heat to do this) and start scraping the bottom of the pan to get any remaining brown bits up. Once there's nothing more on the bottom of the pan, remove from heat. In it's place, bring your water to a boil in the stock pot over high heat with the salt and a little oil on top if you want.

By now, your onions should be about brown. If they are, add your garlic and cook until you get hit in the face with the smell (DON'T burn the garlic!). Remove the star anise and the spice bag. Dump in the meat/mushroom/wine mixture. Turn your heat to high then add 1/2 of the jar of sauce and basically "fry" everything until most of the excess moisture is gone. Drop the heat to med-low, add in the rest of the jar, then shake the other 1/2 cup of wine in the jar to get the last bits of the sauce and then pour into the pan. Now add the spices, vinegar, Worcestershire, and ketchup. Add your salt and pepper to taste (I usually add very little salt and a tablespoon and a 1/2 of pepper...but that's just me). It will taste a bit sour, but that's normal. Turn your attention to the pasta as the sauce heats up (stirring occasionally).

The water should be boiling. I usually break mine in half before putting it in the water, but that's up to you. Stir quite a bit in the first minute or so and then every couple of minutes after that. Start checking it for tenderness about 2 minutes before the package says it should be done. You want it to be al dente (have a slight bite to it) then drain in the colander. The sauces should be bubbling by now. Pour in the heavy cream and stir to combine, then dump your pasta in. Heat up to simmering again then turn off your heat. Here's when you can add your parm, but I like to serve then put it on top. Serve with some crusty bread baked at 350° with butter and garlic on it. I like bolillos for this. Enjoy!

Full Recipe Thursday--Coca-Cola Cake

Anyone who knows me fairly well knows that pretty much the only soda I drink is Coke. What they may not know is I'm kinda a Coca-Cola nut. The only glasses I have in my house are Coca-Cola glasses (in three different types), I have loads of different bottles, hell I even have a Coke can Christmas tree ornament. I don't, however, use it alot in cooking (and using Diet Coke is an absolute no-no in cooking...heating it just makes it really bitter, so no substituting here). I have two recipes that I use it in and both are great. One is Coca-Cola chicken, the other is Coca-Cola cake which is really simple and is really great tasting. Kinda has a spice cake mixed with chocolate cake. Goes AMAZING with some vanilla bean ice cream.

Ingredients

Cake
2c All-purpose flour (doesn't have to be weighed, but give your flour a good stir before measuring)
1c Sugar
2 Sticks butter (don't use margarine, it's evil)
3tbls Cocoa powder
1c Coca-Cola
1/2c Buttermilk (ok to use the milk and lemon juice trick here)
2 eggs
1tsp Baking soda
1tsp Vanilla extract (if you can avoid it, use the real stuff...imitation is made from wood pulp)
1 1/2c Mini marshmallows

Frosting
1 Stick butter
3tbls Cocoa powder
7tbls Coca-Cola
1lb Confectioners' sugar

Procedure

Pre-heat your oven to 350° and grease a 9"x13" pan. Start by sifting the flour and sugar into your mixing bowl along with the the marshmallows (use the paddle attachment). Stir them to combine.

In a saucepan (don't use too small of one, this one expands quite a bit), combine the butter, cocoa powder, and Coke over medium heat and bring to a boil.

Start your mixer on slow and then pour in the hot mixture aiming for the side of the bowl. Mix just until combined, then add the eggs (beaten with a fork first), vanilla, and the buttermilk after having the baking soda just mixed in. Mix until combined. Pour into pan and then bake 30 to 35 minutes. Use the "toothpick comes out clean" method to determine doneness. When it is close to being done, prepare the frosting since it needs to be put on while the cake is hot. Combine everything except the sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour it in your mixing bowl (that was cleaned first) and dump the sugar in. Use the whisk attachment and start very slowly, but then pick up speed up to the highest setting to get a little air into it. Whip at high for about a minute. Once the cake comes out, let sit for 5 minutes to allow it to set a bit then dump the frosting on top and spread. Let it cool for at least an hour before cutting into it. ENJOY!

Quick One - Lemonade

Ok, I promised one for today, but I'm really tired, so it's gonna be a quickie (insert joke here).

I thought this one was appropriate since it is really starting to get hot here. On a hot day, nothing is better than a cold lemonade. The alcohol here is absolutely optional and lemme tell you, you can't taste it (at least with the vodka), so this could get you buzzed pretty quick.

Best (Hard) Lemonade

Ingredients per glass

1 Large lemon (Sunkist really does have the best lemons)
1/3c Granulated sugar (or to taste)
2c Ice cubes
2 1/2oz (that's a pony and a regular shot) of Vodka (or good quality bourbon)
Filtered water

Hardware

Cocktail shaker (or two sturdy plastic cups where one mouth fits into the other about an inch down)
Mulling stick (look it up)
Paring knife
Hand juicer

An image of these so that you get what I'm talking about:

Procedure for each glass

Wash your lemon thoroughly (without soap, Chandler). Now cut it in half and try and pick out as many seeds as you can with the tip of the knife without cutting out the juicy part. Best way to do it is pry them out. Next juice the lemon into the bottom of your shaker. I find the hand juicer is best for this and is cheap as hell. And for secret #1...put the rinds into the shaker after the juice. Pluck out any seeds you see before dumping them in, but there's a method to my madness here.

Next comes the sugar, you may want less or more depending on how sweet you like it, but I think this is an ideal amount. Then comes secret #2...mull (or mash/grind) the lemons with the muller. Make sure you mull firmly and grind that sugar against the lemon rind for at least 15-20 seconds. If the rind splits, that's perfectly normal. (I just noticed Marvin the Martian is reflected in my shaker above...AWESOME!). What's happening here, is you are releasing some of the essential oils trapped in the rind that will take the flavor to the next level.

Now put in enough ice to come close to the top of your shaker, follow that with the vodka (if you are using it) and then enough water to come up to about 1/2" from the top of your shaker. Lid up and shake for at least a minute or (if the shaker is stainless) until you can't hold onto the shaker anymore because it is so cold. Strain into a glass that is filled with the rest of the ice and enjoy!

Seriously, after this one, you'll never buy store bought again. As long as the lemons are in season, it isn't really expensive either.

I'm going to try and get into a weekly rhythm here. So mebbe a Quickie on Tuesday, Gadget on Wednesday, Full Recipe Thursdays, and Technique Saturday. Lemme know what you think.

Best Fried Chicken EVER

Ok, my first actual recipe is going to be one I already sorta did, but now I'm gonna add some specifics. A certain person out there is going to be pissed that this one is my first, but that's half the fun of it. I have altered this recipe from "Good Eats" somewhat. This one has some specifics that you don't want to substitute at all. Don't use fat-free or "homemade" buttermilk for instance; it just doesn't work. Also, using either lard or shortening is a must for this as far as temperature goes. Using oils may not work right.

Oh and this recipe doesn't work for deep frying unless you're just doing breast tenderloins so don't try it that way otherwise.

On with the show!

Pan Fried Chicken

Ingredients for pre-soak

1 Whole fryer chicken in 8 pcs (either pre cut-up or butchered yourself)
2c. Low-fat or whole buttermilk
1tsp Garlic powder
1tsp Onion powder
1tsp Smoked paprika*
1tsp Cayenne pepper

Ingredients for shake and fry

2tbsp Kosher salt (start using Kosher salt if you aren't already, much better to use)
2tbsp Smoked paprika*
2tbsp Garlic powder
1tbsp Onion powder
1tbsp Cayenne pepper
2c All-purpose flour
1lb Lard or vegetable shortening (if using a different size cast iron skillet you may need to adjust)

Hardware

2 Sheet pans**
2 Draining racks**
1 Colander
1 12" Cast Iron skillet
1 Splatter screen***
1 Pair tongs
1 Gallon zip-top bag or paper sandwich bag
1 Frying thermometer
1 Pizza shaker***

* You can use regular or sweet; smoked is best, but harder to find and more expensive. Well worth it though.
**Not absolutely necessary, but much easier and better to use than paper towels.
***Not that expensive and make everything including clean-up MUCH easier.

Procedure

Start by cutting up your bird if it isn't already. If you need to know how to, there are several videos on YouTube. Mix the spices in with the buttermilk. Place the chicken pieces into a plastic container and pour over your buttermilk mixture. Mix up the pieces so they are coated, cover, and refrigerate a minimum of 8 hours up to a maximum of 24 shaking or mixing every few hours (I like a 24 hour soak, so I do this before making dinner the night before I want to fry).

When ready to fry, drain in a colander in the sink, but DO NOT RINSE. The buttermilk has made a thickened goo around the chicken that we're going to use to our advantage. place pieces on draining rack positioned on a sheet pan heretofore regarded as a "draining rig". Combine the rest of the ingredients besides the flour and lard into the pizza shaker and combine well. Evenly distribute the mixture over the chicken and do not be light about it. Flip and repeat. Chicken should look like this:

Now set up a second draining rig and get your pan on the stove with the lard/shortening. Put it on very low heat and let the lard melt. It should only come about 1/3" up the side when liquified and before putting the heat to it in earnest.

Once it is liquified, put on your thermometer making sure the tip doesn't hit the bottom of the pan. Turn up the heat and keep an eye on it. We're shooting for 325° here and try and maintain that all through the cooking process. Don't go over like 330° for too long.

While the lard heats up, place the flour in the bag and take each piece (one at a time) and shake them in the flour. After each one comes out, place on the clean rig. If your lard has already come to temp, make sure the pieces sit for a couple of minutes before frying.

Ok, here comes the tricky part (and I shoulda taken a pic, mebbe I will next time and I'll add it later). not all the pieces are going to fit in the pan, so do the dark meat first. CAREFULLY place the thighs SKIN SIDE DOWN in the center of the pan, followed by the legs in the space towards you, and finally the wings on the far side. You'll probably have to jack up the heat for a bit then turn it down as you get close to temp again. Set your timer for 5 minutes and put on the splatter guard. Clean and dry the rig that doesn't have chicken on it to use for extraction. When 5 minutes are up, flap...I mean FLIP your wings (gently). Wait 3 minutes more and gently flip the rest if they seem ready. Remember to control your heat. They're ready if there are pools of moisture on the top and when you look at the bottom they look slightly burnt  where they were in contact with the pan (they're supposed to).

After 2 more minutes, the wings should be ready to take out and put on the draining rig. 6 minutes later, the rest should be done so pull them out. Let the lard heat up again, then put your breastisses skin side down in the center and cook for about 5 minutes then flip and cook for 5 more.

These cooking times are what works for me. The original recipe called for 10-12 minutes per side, but mine would have burnt, so just keep checking it, but don't move anything for at least 5 minutes. Internal temperature should be about 180° in the thickest part of the meat for each piece to be done.

Let rest for 20 minutes, then serve!

Probably won't post again before next week unless it's a small "How-To" or "Kitchen Tip" post, but keep checking anyway!