Gumbo

In honor up my upcoming trip to New Orleans, I helped my friend cook some gumbo. I was definitely the sous chef on this one.  He has made gumbo many times, and it was cool to get a hands-on tutorial.  Sadly, I don't have the pictures to back it up. So I'll do my best to describe the steps.

It all started with bacon fat. Yup, you heard me: bacon fat. It was my main job to make the roux, which is the base for the entire dish. I let the fat melt down and then added an equal amount of flour. My friend is a perfectionist; so he actually weighed it out. Then I kept stirring, and stirring, and stirring some more until it was a rich amber.

My next job was to peel & devein about a pound of frozen shrimp. This wasn't the most glamorous job -- but such is the life of a sous chef at times. My fingers were killing me at the end of it.

Next up I sliced a large Andouille sausage into 1/4" rounds.  I suppose you could use keilbasa or Polish sausage also. But the name "Andouille" just screams Bayou cooking to me.

My next job was to slice up a bunch of bell peppers. Remove the seeds & ribs from the peppers first.

What happened next was really funny.  My friend took the time to dice celery and onion to go with the bell peppers I just cut. This is the Creole holy trinity of aromatic vegetables that is the base for gumbo, jambalaya, and etouffee.  But then he put them all into a food processor. I asked, "why did you bother to dice them if they're going into a food processor?" ... then a light went off in his head, and he was like, "Oh. I guess I didn't need to."

He sauteed down the aromatics with garlic and the sausage. Then he added all of that to a big stock pot and added a bunch of stock (I'm pretty sure it was chicken, but you can also use beef) and water.  He seasoned it pretty liberally with Creole seasoning, bay leaves, cayenne pepper, and thyme.  Salt & pepper to taste.

Then we used that sticky, and often-disliked, pod called okra.  He sliced it and cooked it down in a saute pan until it got "really stringy".  That sticky goo in the middle really starts making it look like something from a Pod People movie.  But I must say, I finally liked okra when I ate the finished dish.

Stir everything together in a big stock pot and let the flavors simmer and bubble together for a while. Serve it over some white rice and you've got yourself a little taste of New Orleans right at home.  He says you can freeze it and keep it for months at a time.  I have half of mine in the freezer for some time this winter when I want to reminisce.

Eggplant Rollatini -- FAILURE!

Wah wah! Let me tell you: this one was a total failure. I'm not even just being hard on myself. It wasn't good. We didn't eat it. I threw it in the garbage.  And it was all from one very simple, but important, step.

And here is that important step: use a lot of salt on the eggplant. The salt pulls out the moisture and bitterness of the eggplant. For some reason I forgot how much salt to use and went sparingly.  You can kind of see the moisture beads on the eggplant slice above. But you should use a LOT of salt and really pull that moisture out.

Then rinse the salt off and pat them dry. That will help with the soggy texture of eggplant too. And it pulls all the bitterness out. Sadly, mine were bitter and gross. Neither of us could eat them, which was a huge bummer since I spent a fair amount of time working on this dish.

I grilled the eggplant on both sides.

The Mrs made a mixture for the filling using ricotta cheese, pesto, fresh herbs, and seasonings.

Then I sprayed a casserole dish with non-stick spray, rolled up the eggplant with the filling, and carefully arranged them as such.

Then cover it all with marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese and bake to melt everything together.

Ugh. It should be so delicious!  It smelled great and I was really eager to eat it.  Sadly, we both realized right away that it was inedible.

So I figured I would share it with you all -- warts and all.  My wife said, "You're not going to post that one, are you? It was gross."  She wasn't being mean, just honest. And I thought it makes sense to let you all learn from my mistake.

Macintosh Oatmeal Cookies with Walnuts

Last Sunday we were invited to a party at the Octagonal Barn for some live music, dining, and celebration. It was a really interesting event with Pulomonologists, members of the local synagogue, "Wally the Wine Guy", a busload from the famous Iowa Writers' Workshop, and a diverse group of friends and family. From what I could tell, there were people from Germany, Lebanon, China, Venezuela, Israel, Ireland, India, and the Midwest. That makes for a really interesting potluck. Being an adventurous eater, I tried a lot of great things. I have to say my favorite was the Kung Pow Tofu with Peanuts.

So what should we bring to an event like that?  Since it was offically the first day of autumn, we tried to find something that felt like "Fall".   Nothing immediately came to my mind, so my better half got out her trusty cookie cookbook and found a great recipe using fall apples.

Normally I would like raisins in my oatmeal cookies -- but The Mrs hates raisins. I have never figured that one out. But I know for sure she will NOT eat them.

Apples will add that juicy fruit-like texture to these cookies much in the same way raisins would. And the addition of walnuts was a fairly genius idea.

I shouldn't say this, but I have probably eaten 4 of those cookies already this week now.  At least most were left at the potluck or at my grandma's house.

Here's the recipe for those of you interested:

Israeli Couscous Tabbouleh

This may sound a little too eclectic to some people. But let me tell you, it is all very common ingredients and flavors.  It wasn't very difficult to make either. Oh, and it tasted good!

I got the recipe from a special on Éric Ripert in Bon Apetit magazine.  Eating at his restaurant Le Bernadin in New York is definitely on my bucket list.  I thought it sounded like a good dish; and it gave me the opportunity to use items from our own garden.

I started by slicing several cups of cherry tomatoes.

Cook some Israeli couscous according to the package directions.

This is much larger and fuller than most couscous. I think it resembles spherical pasta if you ask me.  (Since you're reading my blog, I assume you are.)

Rinse in cold water, drain, and set aside to cool.  A little colander like this comes in handy when you don't have a huge batch of pasta.  These holes are also small enough so my couscous didn't all slip through.

Whisk 1/3 cup olive oil, 2 tbsp lemon juice, and 1 small shallot (finely chopped) in a large bowl.  Peel & slice an English hothouse cucumber.  Chop 2 tbsp parsley and 2 tbsp mint.

I went a little lighter on the mint for ours, as you can see.  Mix the herbs, cucumber, couscous, tomatoes, and a little salt & pepper together in your bowl.  It says it can be made 1 day ahead; but it's best to add the herbs just before serving.

The Israeli couscous has an awesome texture to it. I want to find more recipes to use it now. The cucumbers, tomatoes, and herbs add a real freshness to this dish. There is acidity from the lemon juice, and some sweetness from the tomatoes. Put it all together, it's a really refreshing bite.

Sorry for the blurry picture.

Bacon, Tomato, & Cheese Breakfast Casserole

I wish there was a better name than "Casserole".  That word evokes thoughts of a cafeteria or a boring dish somebody's mother whipped up back in the 50's.  (Sorry 1950's moms.)

This was one of those meals where I looked at what we had in the house, and saw a few ingredients that lead me to this idea. We had a fresh loaf of bread, tomatoes from our garden, and baby red potatoes. For some reason, breakfast casserole was calling my name.

I should say I really like breakfast casseroles, for what it's worth.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Start by whipping 6 large eggs together in a big bowl.  Then add 1 cup of skim milk and 3/4 cup of half-and-half (that's what we had on hand).  You could just use all whole milk if you've got it.  I was pilfering from our coffee creamer ... which reminds me, we're almost out.

Next add 3/4 tsp of dried mustard and salt & pepper and whisk it into a frenzy.

I normally would use sausage in a casserole like this; but my wife doesn't really like sausage. So I used bacon instead. I like to cut it first into small pieces.  This is really easy if your bacon is partially frozen. We usually split a pack into three allocations of bacon and individually wrap them in foil. If I don't freeze 2/3 of a package of bacon, I'll eat it all inside of a week.  And that isn't very good for you.

After saying all that, I didn't think this was enough bacon.  So I sliced up some deli ham and cooked it in the bacon fat.  Don't tell my wife that.  I'm pretty sure she isn't reading this anyway.  But I wanted there to be more meat in the casserole.

Cube about 4-5 slices of bread, or a decent hunk of a large loaf.  I also diced up a fresh tomato and tried to let a fair amount of the juices run off the cutting board.

Mix all that together in your bowl with about 6 oz of shredded cheese. Then spray a square casserole dish with non-stick spray, and pour it evenly into the baking dish.  That should cook anywhere from 40-50 minutes in the oven. Some of that will depend on what consistency you like your casserole.  The bread is going to give it body and thicken it; but some people like the egg to be loose and some people like it set up more.  Let it set for 10 minutes and top with some sliced green onions.

This is such a rich and wonderfully filling dish. I love the cheese, egg, bacon combination. Then when you add some creme or milk and fresh bread, you've got yourself a winner in my book.  And I even got a compliment from my wife that it was a "good idea".  That always feels nice.

Italian Beef Sandwiches

I'm sitting in front of my TV, watching the Manning Bowl III, when my wife comes downstairs with a tray carrying an Italian Beef sandwich and french fries.  Does life get any better than that?  I had been away all weekend and she knew I would be tired and not want to cook. So she slow-roasted the beef all day and had it ready for me when I got home.  That's some great teamwork if you ask me!

She bought a beef roast at the grocery store and put that into a crock pot in the morning.  Add some beer, an Italian dressing packet, and some white onion cut into wedges. Budweiser is a good choice because of its crisp, clean taste.  Anything too bitter or dark could change the flavor profile a lot.

Turn it on low and leave it alone for at least 8 hours.  Resist any urge to mess with it.  Then take it out and shred it on a plate.  You can add it back to its own juices, or even dip your whole sandwich into the tasty broth like a French Dip au Jus.

We served it on a fresh baked Italian loaf, along with some pickled peppers & red onions.  Of course, if you have the time to make your own Giardiniera that would be even more authentic ... but we were pretty darn close.

I love getting these sandwiches when I'm in Chicago. And this might be the next best thing when you're at home.  It's a great idea for a football party.  My wife is pretty smart.  She did marry me, after all.

Spicy Chicken Skewers

What could possess a man to stand over a grill, basting chicken in 99-degree heat?

A food blog?  Surely there must be a better reason ... there must.

It really wasn't all that bad.  But that is what I was thinking when I decided to start this dish in an unseasonably (and unreasonably) hot September evening in Iowa.  But the recipe looked really good, and I had already planned to make that for dinner for me & my wife.

Start by making a marinade of 1/4 cup rice vinegar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/8 cup fish sauce, 2 tsp ginger (or 1 tsp dried ginger), and quite a lot of Thai chili paste and/or Sriracha sauce.  I like the paste because it is really flavorful without being over the top hot.

Whisk that all together and toss in boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces.  Let them chill out for a little while to soak up some of the marinade.  Then skewer them.

If you are going to use wood skewers, you'll need to soak them in water for up to an hour so they don't catch fire and burn.  If you use metal ones like I did -- tell yourself about 100 times not to grab them with your bare hands.  They will be crazy hot. I used tongs on one side and an oven mitt on the other.

Heat your marinade up over the stove until boiling, and then simmer until it reduces by half.  This will bring out a lot of sweetness, while still maintaining some heat from the chiles.

Throw them over a high heat grill and baste both sides with your sauce, flipping occasionally.  They should cook pretty quickly because they're such small pieces.  Be careful not to over cook them or they will dry out.

Yum. The fish sauce is tangy and rich, and the brown sugar will help make your sauce sweet & sticky.  Then the ginger and chiles will really add a lot of depth of flavor.  There are these great ginger & soy chicken wings at Red's Alehouse in North Liberty that I love. These aren't too far off that flavor.

...and I threw in some vegetables too because my wife would have been really upset if I didn't. ;-)

Summer Vegetable Risotto

Me: "Where did you find this recipe?"
The Mrs:  "I just made it up."

The reason I asked is because I was so impressed.  Sometimes food just tastes better when somebody else makes it.  But I think this dish would stand up no matter what.  It was fresh, rich, and really flavorful.  And thanks to my wife's deft hand, it wasn't too heavy.  I have a mushroom risotto that I make and I just LOVE it -- but it's really rich, and sometimes can be a bit heavy to eat.

This dish was inspired by fresh Iowa sweet corn, cherry tomatoes and parsley from our garden, some green onions, and frozen edimame (because even as an adult I don't like peas).

Slice the corn off the cob, cut the tomatoes in half, chop up the parsley and green onions.

Start by cooking the rice by toasting it, then adding about 1/2 cup of chicken or beef broth at a time and stirring until it is completely absorbed before adding the next 1/2 cup.

Next add the frozen edimame.  Frozen vegetables are a great option because they are flash-frozen while fresh to lock in the maximum nutrients.  Their inexpensive and easy too.

Add the corn and a little bit of white wine and cook it through.

Stir in a little bit of sharp white cheese to bind everything together and add some more richness.

Finish it with the fresh tomatoes and herbs.  I really was impressed by this.  The corn is sweet, the tomatoes also add some sweetness & a little acidity.  The cheese and broth add richness, but the wine & herbs cut through that.  I was very pleased at how well she balanced all those flavors.  It was really good.

Thanks honey.

Gyros

Several years ago my parents took me and my brother to Greece for vacation.  Our first dinner was at a local restaurant that was recommended to us because it was off the beaten path and wouldn't be a tourist trap.  The nightly special was a beer, Greek salad, and gyro for 10 Euros.  I thought that is possibly the perfect introduction to Greece.

The waiter takes our order and asks, "Chicken or Pork?"

So I asked, "I thought gyros were made with Lamb."

To which he replied, "No. This is Greece."

We did a little survey of at least 4-5 other restaurants along our trip to confirm this. While lamb is served in some Greek dishes; their gyros are made with chicken or pork. I guess I have been acting under false information for decades.

I was flat-out busy making all this stuff; so I didn't get many "in progress" pictures for the blog. Sorry.  I seasoned a bonless skinless chicken breast with this great Greektown seasoning blend that was a gift from Chicago.

I also used that to season some diced eggplant and sweet Italian peppers.  I  know those aren't part of a Gyro -- but we had them fresh from our friend's garden and I wanted to incorporate them.  It actually worked pretty well together.  A typical gyro is just meat, tomato, onion, and Tzatziki sauce -- and maybe the addition of French fries.

Tzatziki sauce is a great cool yogurt sauce with cucumber and some herbs. I used this recipe from Ina Garten for ours.  You can use mint, dill, or parsley as your herb of choice. The key components are yogurt, cucumber, and lemon juice if you're asking me.  A little bit of garlic and salt & pepper will also help.  We even like this as a dip with some pita chips.

I toasted my pitas so they would be warm and a little crispy on the outside.

Fresh tomatoes, with a tangy yogurt sauce, the bite from onion, and some well-seasoned meat make for a wonderful combination that lived up to my expectations.  I think the eggplant & peppers were a really nice addition too. And that seasoning blend had a bunch of great flavors in it.

I'm not sure how the inspiration struck me for this dish -- or why it took me so long to ever make them myself -- but this will be repeated again for sure.  Maybe next time I'll use pork.