Abundance; Its In The Sauce

My original post for today was going to be on the value of the fresh fish market, but after visiting Greg @ Sippitysup and seeing his post on a cocktail that includes basil, well, I changed my mind. His post reminded me that a month ago hubby had purchased a few pounds of cherries. I took the opportunity to use them in a variety of dishes over a course of the week. We ate our fair share on their own, but I do believe in trying to conquer the inevitable waste factor. There was a dish I had made that made it to the cutting room floor, but it sat on the shelf until now.

I took about two cups of cherries, some remaining heirloom tomatoes, plum tomatoes, onions, lemon, garlic, herbs, pistachios, homemade Greek oregano lamb meatballs, and placed them all together in my Tagine (slow cook for an hour; then high for the last thirty), or a baking dish if you like to make not the prettiest dish, but a darn good saucy one! The flavor was rich from the melding of all the flavors into the yummiest mouthful I could ever ask for. Just cook up some couscous, and in this case I dog boned some brown rice. Spoon a ladle over, and you got a nice comforting meal.



















I mentioned to Greg that while at the market a woman next to me was complaining that when she needed cilantro in a dish, she only needed about two or three handfuls; once its was no longer needed, the cilantro was mush within a few days. We can all relate to this. I asked how she was containing the cilantro in her cooler. She responded that she had just kept it in the plastic bag, and on one of the shelves. I suggested that she simply wrap a moist paper towel around the bunch (no plastic bag for airflow), and store it in her bottom high humidity storage drawer. I even simply leave it in a glass jar on the counter in cool water, and it keeps just fine for up to three days.

Our family is not going to notice if we build meals around ingredients; unless it is the main course, or over kill on quantity. This is how I learned to cook, even in my personal chef business- I use tomato, onion, and garlic on a regular basis, so why not throw in a little cilantro into the pot. Side course, main course, and even dessert can each conceal the reuse of something as simple as cilantro; unless you simply do not like the taste.

Organizing the weekly meal plan is really not that hard. I always approach the market each week with an idea of what it is I want to produce for my family, and clients. Unfortunately in our society today we are busy, have access to ready made foods, and have a tendency to eat according to our sudden cravings. Stick to your guns, and try at least once a month to use a few recipes that require the same ingredients, and see if you can reduce the waste factor.






















Keep an eye out on Greg. I do. He presents a weekly post of 'Tomatomania', and is going to be posting a week's worth of recipes that will use 'Basil'. I and others are looking forward to some new ideas for my own usage of this beautiful green plant. Abundance can work in our favor!

MAN IN A CRISIS: The Emergency Management Cookbook

About a month ago I had asked someone to guest host my blog, so that I would not have to put much of my energy into it for a few weeks. I found my first volunteer to be a pot full of wonderful...I chose to start off his guest post with this photo; which in the cooking world, represents layering a dish with flavor, and Irish Gumbo is quite a dish...

















“…as a man always falls back upon what he knows best in a crisis---the murderer upon murder, the thief thieving, the liar lying.”

---from “Absalom, Absalom!” by William Faulkner


It only precipitated a minor crisis when the lurvely and multi-talented Chef E first broached the question of a guest post here at cookAppeal (vacationing in Texas). Chef E has been following Irish Gumbo for quite some time, and I was very flattered and honored to be asked. So without really thinking it through that much I said “Yes!”

And then it hit me: What were my credentials to write about food? Let’s see:


--Gumbo is in the name of my blog.

--I like to eat.

--I eat food every day.

--I like food.

--A lot.

























There you have it! No sweat, I was good to go. Except then I was freaking out because I had no idea for a post. None. Nada. Nyet. Zilch. This precipitated the second minor crisis: what in the world would I write about? Think, man, think! I was getting wound up because the ideas just refused to manifest themselves. I was chewing (get it? chewing. That’s a good eating joke!) on that for a few days, getting increasingly nervous, when salvation arrived in the form of a cast iron Dutch oven. There it was, sitting on the shelf in my new cabinet, the seed of a story held within its deep grey-black interior. I put my hands on it and asked it to tell me a good one.


I received the Dutch oven as a gift years ago, and it always speaks to me of comfort and home. It carries within it the memory of hearty meals past and the promise of good ones to come. It has solidity and heft. Think of it in some ways as a solid security blanket, with a handle and a lid. It is something to count on, an anchor, and an old friend to turn to in times of need.


Security and old friends are very much in demand in the Gumbo house these days, as I have undergone some major changes, serious crises, in my life in the past six months or so. I lost my job late last year, which was bad enough (although it gave me the blessing in disguise of time for blogging and writing). Then earlier this year, after prolonged and slow disintegration, my marriage of nearly twenty years fell apart and I became officially separated from my wife. As part of that terribly painful process, I moved out of the house and into an apartment not far away, so I could be near my young daughter. I took with me a decent assortment of cookware, including my maternal grandmother’s 50+ year old cast iron skillet and my newer Dutch oven.


Crisis. You bet. The Spanish philosopher Ortega y Gasset said a crisis “…is no more than a deep and intense change; it may be a change for the worse, but it can also be a change for the better…” and I think that is true. It could be both, too, depending on how one views it. One thing is certain; it is a deep, intense change. So deep and intense that the mind just starts reacting, running on instinct and engaging with what it knows, rather than incur the strain of learning something new.



















So it was that this deep crisis found me in the kitchen of my new apartment, about a week after I moved in. I was in a daze, panicked because I was faced with the task of cooking my first real meal in the new place. A meal just for me, alone, at the table, and the prospect thoroughly flummoxed me. I had been to the grocery store, but it had been a hurried trip, grabbing stuff that seemed vaguely familiar, mainly for the sake of having something in the cart. Not having a real plan, I started rummaging through the freezer and the produce bin, whereupon I discovered some chicken thighs, carrots, celery and a red bell pepper. A glimmer of hope and I quickly checked the pantry to find some fresh garlic, some chicken broth and rice. The knot in my stomach loosened as I opened my tackle box of spices, finding bay leaves, thyme, oregano and a bag of black peppercorns. It was as I was staring at these that a memory stirred in my head, of a dish I have made many, many times. I had been calling it my “chicken and rice thang”, and I received my initial inspiration for it after reading a chicken with rice recipe in Richard Olney’s Simple French Food. Looking at it all, I decided it was time to officially name this recipe, something more meaningful than just “thang”.


I was a man in a crisis, falling back on what he knew best. It was a time of deep and intense change, but I knew what I would be eating for my first real meal, in my new apartment, in the first days of my new life. In times like that, we all need some familiar comfort.





















Ladies and gentlemen, from my kitchen to yours:


CHICKEN ABSALOM (serves 4)

Hardware:

5-qt. Dutch oven, with lid

Small saucepan, with lid

Fine mesh strainer

Tongs

Stirring implement of your choice

Ingredients:

Vegetable oil (see notes below)

4 chicken thighs, bone in, skin on

1 bell pepper (I used red, but green or yellow or a combination is all good)

1 large or 2 medium sized carrots

2 stalks celery, trimmed (see notes below)

1 medium onion (yellow or white)

½ lb. andouille or Hungarian sausage (optional)(see notes below)

2-3 cloves fresh garlic (to taste), mince now or crush in a press later

1 cup long grain rice

2 cups chicken broth (see notes)

1 bay leaf

3-4 whole peppercorns

1-2 sprigs thyme (fresh) or ½ teaspoon dried

Pinch of dried oregano

Pinch of saffron (optional)(see notes)

Kosher salt, fresh ground pepper (to taste)


Prep:

1. Rinse chicken thigh and pat dry. Trim off excess fat. Leave skin on. Season both sides with a generous pinch of salt and a grinding of black pepper. Set aside.
2. Rinse rice under cool water, until water runs clear. Set aside to drain well.
3. Seed and core bell pepper. Chop coarsely, about 1/3 inch pieces. Peel carrots, or just rinse and gently clean, if desired. Halve carrots lengthwise, then chop into pieces about the same size as peppers. Trim celery, cut off and discard any woody white parts, then chop coarsely into pieces similar to peppers and carrots. Peel onion, then dice it. The onion pieces can be smaller than the other vegetables, they meld into the dish a little better that way. But remember, it’s what you like that matters, so size to taste.
4. Cut sausage into small dice, if using, and set aside.

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Put rack low enough to fit Dutch oven. Place 2 cups broth, the bay leaf, peppercorns, thyme, oregano and saffron (if using) in saucepan, cover and place it on stove over low heat. Try not to let it boil; the idea is to get it to a simmer just before it gets poured into the Dutch oven, later.
2. Place Dutch oven on stove over medium-high heat. Pour just enough oil into it to cover the bottom evenly with a thin layer. About 1/16th of an inch, if that makes sense. Heat oil to just smoking, then place chicken breasts skin side down into pan. Fry for approximately 4 minutes, until skin is nicely golden brown, then flip them over to fry for about another 3-4 minutes. Remove from Dutch oven and reserve on a warm platter.
3. Skim off excess fat/oil, if necessary, to have 1 to 1-1/2 tablespoons left. Bring back up to heat over medium-high, and place the chopped vegetables in the pot. Stir to coat, sprinkle with a generous pinch of salt and let fry for about 2-3 minutes, just long enough for them to pick up some color but not get totally soft. The sausage, if desired, can be added at that point and the whole thing left to cook for another 1-2 minutes. Add minced garlic or press garlic into the mixture, stir and let cook for another 30 seconds.
4. Push contents of pot to the sides, making a hollow in the center of the vegetables. Pour rice into pot and stir it to coat with whatever oil remains in the pot, cooking for about a minute. You can let it sauté until it starts to get translucent, but I have found that often leads to overcooking in the oven.
5. By now the broth should be simmering. Get strainer and hold over Dutch oven. Take saucepan of simmering broth and, pouring away from you, pour the broth through the strainer. It will hiss and bubble loudly. That’s okay, all part of the fun. Discard the leavings in the strainer. Stir to distribute rice/vegetable mixture; it should continue to bubble.
6. Place the chicken thighs (use your tongs!) into the pot, nestling them down into the rice/vegetable/broth mixture. There should be just enough liquid to barely cover the tops of the chicken. If not, add very little hot water or more broth to cover. Cover Dutch oven with lid.
7. Put the pot into the now preheated oven and let bake for 30-35 minutes, until the chicken is just done. Remove from oven, let rest a bit, then (again, use your tongs!) place a chicken thigh on your favorite plate, spoon up some of the rice with, sit down and enjoy!



















Notes and Other Scribblings:

Oil: I have been using olive oil for a while, but canola or peanut oil works great too. Maybe better, because the higher smoke point of those two lends itself to crispier chicken skin in a shorter time. An intriguing variation, in place of oil, is to fry 4-5 slices of good bacon until crisp, remove from the pot, and then cook the vegetables in the bacon fat. MMM…the bacon I have been using is from S. Wallace Edwards & Sons, in Virginia (www.virginiatraditions.com) but any good-quality bacon should work.


















Celery: Sometimes I discard the leaves and stubby shoots at the top. Other times, I strip the leaves and mince them really fine, adding them to the pot just before pouring in the broth. They add some color and a nice depth of flavor.

Sausage: Smoked sausage is better. I started out using hot andouille from Gerhard’s until I couldn’t find it anymore. Later, I came across the Hungarian sausage at Wegman’s, and man, was it a tasty substitute! I also use that to make gumbo, sometimes.


















Broth: From scratch would be ideal, but Swanson’s does quite a good job. There is a lot going on in this dish, so the nuances of the broth may not be as important as the depth of flavor it adds. Plain water is fine, just not as much body as the broth.

Saffron: This isn’t strictly necessary for this dish. It’s bordering on “gilding the lily”, I think. Having said that, though, I really enjoy the deep yellow color it can add to the rice when it cooks. Lovely, lovely stuff. A treat for the eyes!


A cook confesses: Almost every time I make this dish, I end up “dogboning” the rice. Sigh. A Low Country cook I ain’t. I know some people might not like the look of the rice that way, but I have yet to solve that particular problem in my own cooking. I’ll say this: it may not look purty, but it sure tastes good.


Well, I thoroughly enjoyed my visit at Chef E’s kitchen, and I hope you all did as well. I hope to see you in mine sometime, stop in, we’ll share a big bowl of gumbo. Bon appétit!

Happy 'Belated' Cinco de Mayo

Happy Cinco de Mayo! Happy 5th of May...well this is what we had to celebrate on the 5th, and what I made at my personal chef job! Missing- is the green salad with cilantro cream dressing, but the asparagus are peeping through. We opted to go out, but they changed the local Tex-Mex restaurant to an American theme place. Dee @ Texas To Mexico explains that this holiday is hardly recognized all over the country of Mexico she has resided for two years. In her 'Whats All The Hoopla' post she goes on to explain what the real celebration is all about, so go over and read her beautiful site!

Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Mexican army's unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, under the leadership of Mexican General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín. They had not been defeated in fifty years!
















Now over at Girliechef there is a 'Chili' celebration, and anyone can submit their recipe along with photos. She has all the rules posted, as mine is already stretched to my max!

My love for chilies, and all things spicy began around the fourth grade. I am almost 48, so you do the math... My father worked with Mexican immigrants in the HAVAC field in the early 70's, and at lunch time they would take him to some hole in the wall authentic Mexican restaurants in Dallas. Not only was the food reasonably priced, but the food had a kick and flavors he had not tasted before. See my father was a home grown Texan, meat and potatoes boy! He told me that he had seen this huge jar of green peppers sitting on the counter, and wanted to try one; they obliged warning him they were pickled and hot! One bite of that pepper and he was hooked (I am my fathers daughter). I have to try every shape or form I find in the market, and have most recently begun to smoke my own.

*[1]Chilies, Capsicum annuum or C. frutescens, Family Name: Solanaceae- Chili is the most popular spice and throughout history, wherever it was, chili transformed the preciously bland cuisine. Latin American, Asain, African, Caribbean and certain regional Oriental cuisines make extensive use of this spice. The name chili is believed to dirived from an ancient Indian word- txile. Chilies are native to Mexico.

Why I like them- Chilies have a chemical effect on our bodies which some of us enjoy more than others. Once you have got over the stage where the slightest hint of chili makes you cry (or sweat) and sputter, you may find that the flavor becomes pleasurable and even addictive. They are rich in Vitiman C, they stimulate the appetite and cool down the body; especially in hot climates, by stimulating our eccrine and apocrine glands. So, it makes sense that workers of Mexico would have eaten these fruit with their meals, either whole or ground to combat the hot sun in the southern region of Central America. Chilies are also part of our night shade plants, and grow very easily in the garden. My father shared they go well with a cold cerveza!




















'Remember the trio of 'Rice' that had been given as a gift to me?'

I will have to say out of all the 'Rice' reviews that I have written since March, this was the best! The Raj Baby Basmati smell was so fragrant that even after reheating; it just kept reaching up and calling me to make more dishes. So, once again I made rice pudding, since I had made so much of the basmati*[2](a different recipe); then I made a tandoor/tiki style BBQ cashew chicken.

Raj Baby Basmati Rice, Urban Accents- Cultivated in the Punjab region of India and Pakistan, this rice has a sweet and nutty flavor, and imported from India.

Much of the basmati rice is cultivated in the northern Punjab regions and along the Pakistan borders. Traditionally the grains of basmati rice are longer than non-basmati varieties, but a few are sold in ethnic markets around the world. Cooked grains of Basmati rice are characteristically free flowing rather than sticky. Cooked basmati rice can be uniquely identified by its fragrance. Basmati rice is available in two varieties - white rice and brown rice.

A basmati grain is shaped like a sword and post cooking each grain elongates at least twice that of its original size. The rich aroma is another way by which one can recognize basmati rice.

Many time’s people have asked what the meaning of basmati rice is. Basmati rice has been reported in India since the early days of the 19th Century; though it may have been named differently. 'Bas' in Hindi language means "aroma" and 'Mati' mean’s "full of" hence the word Basmati i.e. full of aroma.
















Tandoor/Tiki BBQ History-

Tandoor ovens were originally small mud plastered resembling today's Tandoor with a side door have been found in Harappa and Mohenjodero settlements of ancient Indus valley. Tandoor originated in Persia (Iran) and brought to India via Afghanistan by Arabs. Evidence also exists that Tandoor may have been native to India dating back to 3000 BC.

Tandoori chicken originated during Jahangir. Modern commercial recipe for Tandoori chicken is attributed to the original Moti Mahal restaurant in Peshawar during 1920s.

Most of the restaurants in United States use natural gas fired Tandoor, there is no oopla woodchips or charcoal. For home use you can use gas fired grills.

Tandoori spices, and Tikka spices are the seasonings for Indian grilled and barbecued meats. Traditionally tandoori spices are made up of ginger, garlic, cumin, coriander and other aromatic spices such as deep red chili powders; which give it the beautiful red color and a kick. Traditionally they are added along yogurt, and then meats marinade in them for hours.

Traditionally this Asian Indian Tandoor BBQ is served over a bed of fried red onions, and eaten with Naan bread that is also cooked in the hot ovens. Instead I made basmati rice, and asparagus; along with a mixed green salad and tomatillo-cilantro cream dressing. Starting with a base of oil, rub (Ground guajillo, cayenne, bird's eye chilies, from my sisters garden- cumin, ground coriander seeds, garlic, salt/pepper ), red onions- I warm the oil and let the ingredients meld; then rub on the chicken pieces, and sit over night. Once fully marinated over night in fridge, I grilled it, cooked the sauce separately, and threw the cashews as an extra nutty flavor; then tossed it all together in the pan. This chicken rub packed the heat, but the flavor comes through.
















'I could hardly keep hubby out of this dish all weekend! He decided he likes any version I have made...'

*[1]The Cook's Encyclopedia Of Spices, Chilies, pg 31- Chef E's Culinary Library Room (son's old bedroom is now full of books for my guest to read!).

*[2]Easy Rice Pudding- Cook the basmati as per package instructions, and it will be very fluffy; set aside. Heat up a half cup heavy cream (you may substitute soy or rice milk) and stir in 3 tablespoons powder sugar (all the sugar I had in the house); mix well. Pour over a cup of rice in separate bowl, and let it sit in fridge for half an hour. I have topped hubby's with a plum butter we bought in a Farmers Market last summer. The fragrance of the rice melded well with the cream and sugar, and really you did not need much else (traditionally Rice Pudding has eggs to solidify the mixture; this was a quick way to use up my excess rice).

'Friday Shoot Out' is here, and our theme is 'Gardens'!