Hello everyone!
Well. What a week. I experienced some serious full-body whiplash between Wednesday and Thursday, but I live to tell the tail. And I continue to cook to heal my soul. Cooking, music and dance: my personal saviors. So what the hecky-darn is going on in my kitchen these days, hmm? Let’s peel back the tinfoil and see what’s what- but first a word from our friendly-and-also-hungry sponsors:
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When I was a full-time chef, my fridge was a joke. It’s not like in the teevee shows where they do a chef’s fridge check to spot all the cool/special things (designer water...) they have lurking around— or their guilty pleasures. At least not in my case. For long periods of time, my major food groups at home were apples + peanut butter, microwave popcorn and ramen noodles + canned black beans. Yes, I ate at work, but not as much as you’d imagine (profit margin and all that). And what I ate was a bite here and a bite there. Actually a very healthy way to eat which is a damn good thing considering what I ‘lived on’ at home. Not counting the bourbon, of course.
What I did have tucked into the door of my fridge were condiments. If you have a few choice yummies always on hand, all you really need is some pasta or chicken- or any other meat, poultry or fish, or even just cheese and a box of crackers and voila! Bob’s your uncle! A gourmet dinner for two or a drinks party with tasty nibbles for your friends. Easy peezy.
So, I always had jars and bottles of stuff ‘cause stuff is handy! Especially when you’re in a jam. Things always rotated in and out as I used them up or lost interest (and they died a ‘leaving my body to science’ kind of death). Sometimes there never was interest at all. Just a weird gift that never made any sense...
That said, among the things I always liked (and still like) to have around are: ketchup, mustard(s), soy sauce, fish sauce, capers, tomato paste, garlic paste, ginger paste, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce(s), mayo. I also keep special oils in the fridge so they don’t turn rancid if I don’t use them fast enough- things like sesame oil, walnut oil, avocado oil— and even good extra virgin olive oil when it’s warm out. The key is, the more flavor, the more solids, the more susceptible it’ll be to going ‘off’.
Anyway, this time of year is when I tend to burrow into and through my cupboards to see what I haven’t ‘addressed’ over the past (many) months, and try to figure out how to use it somehow. This past week, I found a couple bags of mustard seeds- yellow and black. I also found a jar of roasted red bell peppers. These things are good things, but they tend to be shoved to the back when the weather’s warm because good warm weather/summer means everything garden (or farm stand), and it’s all about that. and those things. You know what I mean. But this is a good thing now- because right around now(ish) would be when you’d want to find things like these because they make sauces and sauces are good for appetizers and fancy cooking— and that’s good around New Year’s and Super Bowl Sunday!……... OOPSIE DAISY. Not this year. But...
Hold on a minute! The finest (read delicious- not expensive) foods of both comfort and joy can be applied any day, any month, and for any occasion. Even if it’s just to celebrate the rising of the sun on Decembuary 38, 2020.
So. I did what I have often done. I got back in my wee kitchen (it really is tiny) and cook. I wanted to address the r.r. peppers and mustard seeds. I also pulled some chicken wings from the freezer because sauces need a vehicle. I wasn’t thinking about the timing of anything, I was just ready to once again, get away from my computer and cook everything I could find- within reason. Here’s what I came away with as ‘things that can be eaten at some point fairly soon’ :
Brined and Roasted Chicken Wings with chili oil and ranch dressing
Home-Made Mustard one jar w/ walnuts, one jar with horseradish
Romesco Sauce
First things first:
Brine for wings (any poultry)
1qt hot water, 2T fine salt (not Kosher- but if Kosher, use ½ again as much), 2T sugar
That’s the basic recipe. Stir everything until it’s all melted and well combined.
To this recipe, you can add anything you like! Cajun seasoning, curry paste or powder, granulated garlic, thyme, bay leaf— anything really. I often add at least the granulated garlic. I have a home-blend of Cajun spices which is also great. Sky’s the limit. But let it cool before adding your wings.
Submerge the wings and marinate no more than 12 hours, but 8 is ideal. A zip-baggie is good for this- if you trust it not to leak. Be careful about that. This is raw chicken, after all.
Then drain them, DRY THEM! and bake them on a non-stick-sprayed sheet tray for 20 minutes at 450F.
If you’re going to freeze them, let them cool, bag them and freeze (if you do this, make sure they’re thawed out before you try to roast them later on- or at least separated if you deep or air fry them from this 1/2-cooked state). OR turn them over and roast another 15 minutes. The last few under the broiler if you feel like it (watch them carefully at this point). You can also get fancy and place sprigs/branches of your over-grown rosemary under and around the wings- maybe some garlic cloves…
I used to serve my gastro-pub-style wings with toasted sliced garlic, chopped fresh rosemary, freshly grated parmesan and black pepper. Awfully good.
These wings were marinated(brined) overnight in faux buttermilk, home-made Cajun seasoning and garlic, then drained and dipped in seasoned flour and pan-fried NOT roasted which is why they appear as they do
Chili Oil
This is a common condiment in the far east— as common as ketchup or mustard is here. I use it a lot in wok-cooking as well as a welcome condiment for dumplings—and wings!
Please be careful when doing this. Hot oil is not to be taken lightly. My forearms are proof of this.
In a heat-proof bowl:
1 jar of chili flakes, add hot oil to cover (heat on stove— just hot enough that a tester spoonful lightly sizzles the chili flakes). Add 2 pinches salt- maybe three. Add 1-2 Tablespoons of sesame seeds (optional). I’ve learned that adding the oil in 2 stages is best. The first gets everything warmed up. The second apparently brings out the flavor. I add enough oil so there’s about ½ inch over the top of the chili. This can be held for weeks (or more) in a glass jar in the fridge— or in a cool place on the counter.
Ranch Dressing w/ Goat Cheese (goat cheese optional)
I think there’s a recipe already in the salad index, but I could be wrong. Here’s one anyway:
Blend everything but the herbs in a blender until smooth. Stir in the herbs by hand. Taste and adjust as desired. Best if ‘rested’ overnight at least.
- ½ Cup Mayonnaise
- ▢¼ Cup Sour Cream, or Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup plain chevre (fresh goat cheese)
- ▢2 teaspoons fresh Chives
- ▢½ teaspoon Dried Dill
- ▢½ teaspoon fresh Parsley
- ▢½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ▢½ teaspoon Onion Powder
- ▢¼ teaspoon Salt
- ▢⅛ teaspoon pepper
- ▢¾ Cup Buttermilk, maybe more, maybe less (or milk w/ a splash of vinegar- a decent substitute)
- lemon juice to taste (optional)
Home-Made Mustard
This is fun, but you have to be patient… and have some glass jars.
The ratio is 2 to 1 water to mustard seed. Mix and match any seeds you like, but know that the darker the seed, the stronger the flavor. I happened to have both yellow and black, so I combined them.
Measure your seeds and water into a jar w/ room to spare. Then add about 1-2 t (teaspoons) salt per cup of seeds- OPTIONAL, 1-2 T (tablespoons) vinegar-OPTIONAL Put the lid on and put it in a dark cool place for several days. The seeds will absorb a lot of the liquid, and you’ll see this happening! SCIENCE!
The seeds have expanded, absorbing most of the liquid. This is after 2 days. I’d given them a shake and let them sit another day before blending.
Then comes time to blend everything up. I used a hand-blender (NOT a hand mixer. Big difference!). If I didn’t have that, I’d use a regular blender- or Vitamix, if I had one. Blend until you’re happy with the consistency. Some like it grainy, some like it smooth. Some, like me, like it in-between.
Your consistency will vary! But don’t worry! At the end of the day, you can add a little water or vinegar if it’s too thick, and you can cook it down a little if it’s too thin. Don’t panic! but also-
Do Not Taste! It needs time to rest (don’t we all?) but if you do taste it- expect a strong bitter taste. It’s not ready for prime time. AT All.
Right around now, you can make some decisions such as ‘Do I want this mustard to have other flavors?’ And if you answered yes, as I did, add them now. I blended in ½ cup roasted walnuts to one batch- along with a little brown sugar. To the other batch, I added about ½ a bottle of prepared horseradish. These were approx. 1 cup mustard seed jars. Also, if you like yellow YELLOW mustard, you could add more vinegar- maybe 2 more tablespoons and some ground turmeric. If you want to intentionally tame the flavor of your end product, pour all this into a sauce pan and carefully stir it around on a low simmer- with the hood fan on- for 4-5 minutes. Add water if it’s looking too thick.
*Now you (and I) get to wait for a couple weeks until everyone in the jar has become familiar and happy and well rested. At that point, dear readers, I’ll let you know how it all turned out! If you don’t hear from me, you might want to call emergency services…
Romesco Sauce
This is one of my very favorite sauces! It’s beautiful and it goes with many things- from vegetables to fish to chicken to grilled toast! I used to serve it w/ my crab cakes when I was working on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Marylanders are as serious about their crab as Mainers are about their lobstah, and I’m still here to tell the tail. That says something.
This is a Spanish sauce- sometimes made in a mortar/pestle. Often (almost always) made with tomato and bread. I use neither, but that doesn’t mean you have to.
t=teaspoons, T=Tablespoons
1 1/4 cups roasted red peppers, drained if from a jar
@ 1/2-2/3 cup toasted almonds or more (I used whole which was a pain, so slivered or sliced is a good idea)
2 large garlic cloves- or more
1-2 t red pepper flakes
2 T red wine vinegar (or more authentic sherry vinegar)
1/3-1/2 cup good olive oil (start with less, add as needed)
Salt and pepper to taste
Everyone into the blender, scraping the sides, until smooth. If you’re uncertain about a certain flavor/ingredient, start w/ a little and add as you go and taste (always taste) for adjustments. This is a blender sauce, so you can always adjust at any time- even a day or more later.
I used my ‘MiniChop’ which didn’t do a good enough job at really breaking down the almonds and creating a smooth sauce, so I had to transfer everything to my blender… So use a blender. And slivered or sliced almonds. Oh— and never walk away from toasting almonds! They’ll burn if you blink!
Yes. My garlic was compromised. I trimmed away the green bits. I just don’t use enough fast enough, and it goes south. So….
...sometimes I cheat and use this. Not a bad thing to have- and it keeps in the freezer! They also make other handy pastes as well!
MiniChop… the struggles are real.
Better if it rests for an hour or so for flavors to combine and develop. I used some on some fish tacos I had for lunch today! But honestly, this is an amazing sauce, and you should look it up to see the variants, and give it a go!
Delicious fish tacos w/ avocado (a rare treat up here!), radish, lettuce, cabbage, romesco and sriracha. The fish- haddock- was seasoned w/ my Cajun seasoning blend and I dust my corn tacos w/ chili powder while they’re frying MMMMmmmmmm
I will continue to search for odd or temporarily forgotten ingredients and make delicious things with them in my ongoing efforts to escape the current political hellscape. So until I see you again, stay safe, eat tasty food and…
Cheers from Maine!