That's not entirely true, some herbs are enhanced when dried, bay leaves for instance. I enjoy a mortar and pestle over a grinder any day for spices, the inconsistency in the grind creates a nice, crunchy texture similar to kosher salt.
True... I was referring specifically to his salsa, where I find fresh everything is so much better. And muddled drinks are the best... that is reason enough to get a mortar and pestle.
My salsa won the contest- woohoo! Ended up beating the company president by one vote, for better or worse. We ended up doing a simple pico-like salsa, playing with a recipe from my girlfriend's college roommate's Mexican grandma. I appreciate the suggestions here and have to agree emphatically that fresh is best with salsas. The recipe we made: 6 green onions, chopped small 3 jalapeños, de-seeded, de-veined and chopped small 1/2 habañero, de-seeded, de-veined and chopped small 1 28 oz can diced tomato 4 garlic cloves, chopped small A whole bunch of cilantro 2 tsp black pepper 3 tsp salt Juice from a whole lemon The original: Spoiler 3 green onions, chopped small 2 jalapeños, de-seeded, de-veined and chopped small (if you want it spicy, leave the seeds in) 1 yellow hot, prepped the same as the jalapeno 1 14.5 oz can diced tomato, preferably organic 1 8 oz can tomato sauce 1/2 to 1 tsp granulated garlic (or chopped fresh) 1 tsp black pepper 1 tsp salt 1 Tbsp lemon juice (or juice from 1/2 lemon) Half a bunch of cilantro We threw everything but the habañero in a big bowl, blended it with an immersion blender, and slowly added the habañero 'til we were satisfied with the heat. This came out relatively mild but of course you can change that. I really like the ideas to try cactus, grilled peaches, and watermelon. If we had more time last week I think we would have given them a shot but hey that's what the rest of summer is for.
So it turns out putting a beer can up a chicken's ass IS unnecessary to do a nice roast on the grill. I just used the can stand with the bird on it, and indirect heat (ring of coals around the edge) with a little tin of water underneath the bird. I tried chopping up some fresh basil, oregano, and garlic, then letting it steep in olive oil before slathering it all over the bird and letting it sit for a little while before starting the charcoal. It didn't do much for flavor (like it just sat on the skin or burned off), but I figure it was worth a try.
i smoked a wild turkey breast for the first time yesterday. started by brining it for 24 hours. i got this recipe from a guy i met while fishing earlier this summer. Spoiler (for a 12 pound turkey) one gallon water 1/2 cup kosher salt 1/2 cup sugar tablespoon pink salt tablespoon whole peppercorns five garlic cloves, crushed 2-3 bunches fresh tarragon boil until it's all mixed and blended, then cool and throw the meat in. let it brine for 24-48 hours. i took it out of the brine, patted it dry, and let it rest at room temp while i prepped the grill. i put a couple of small bricks under the grate of my weber to hold charcoal and wood off to the side with room for a foil pan under the meat for moisture. i decided to use cherry wood for the smoke and cut a big handful of sticks from my pile of wood scraps. on the grill... Spoiler i didn't want the bird to be lonely so i threw some pork loin on too. slathered in mustard and a spicy garlic rub. after an hour... the little strip of turkey cooked fast and was done at that point, and i couldn't resist trying a bit. it was briny but smoky and delicious, like a little strip of soft turkey jerky. very promising. at this point i started basting the turkey and pork with a dr. pepper mix every time i added more wood. i tried adding some olive oil with garlic and herbs added to the turkey but didn't like how the garlic was smelling, so i washed it off. two hours... the breast was just shy of 160 degrees here and i took it off shortly afterwards. results... if they all taste this good, man i am hooked on turkey hunting. my main concern was moisture and the breast was still nice and juicy. awesome. the grill got a little hot when i first started but i don't think it was an issue outside of my mind here. oh yeah the pork turned out pretty good too, after four hours of low heat and smoke: Spoiler
i know this dessert sounds kind of white trash, but i promise it is amazing. strawberry pretzel dessert ingredients: 2 cups crushed pretzels 3/4 cup butter, melted 3 tablespoons white sugar 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened 1 cup white sugar 1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed 2 (3 ounce) packages strawberry flavored jell-o® 2 cups boiling water 2 (10 ounce) packages frozen strawberries directions: 1. preheat oven to 400 degrees f (200 degrees c). 2. stir together crushed pretzels, melted butter and 3 tablespoons sugar; mix well and press mixture into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. 3. bake 8 to 10 minutes, until set. set aside to cool. 4. in a large mixing bowl cream together cream cheese and 1 cup sugar. fold in whipped topping. spread mixture onto cooled crust. 5. dissolve gelatin in boiling water. stir in still frozen strawberries and allow to set briefly. when mixture is about the consistency of egg whites, pour and spread over cream cheese layer. refrigerate until set.
i've been getting into canning lately. here are some of the products of my labor! so far i've made raspberry serrano pepper jelly, mango cayenne pepper jelly, and pineapple ginger banana pepper jelly. these are all made with peppers out of my garden. i haven't tried the pineapple one now that it is set up but the others were a huge hit. they are awesome on cream cheese with crackers or on a bagel in the morning. i heard that there is a farmers market this fall and you can sell home made goods (something about a law passed allowing you to sell home cooked food as long as you label it as such). i am going to figure out how to make apple butter and pumpkin butter. i also have this weird pipe dream to start an apiary in my backyard....
i've just returned from a 6 week holiday through the usa and i was really inspired by the food i had there. the other day i tried out marinating pork to make cubano sandwiches and it was one of the nicest meals i've ever cooked. i couldn't believe how much beautiful flavour came out of the marinade. if you're into your meats and sandwiches then i strongly recommend this one. marinated pork cubano sandwiches ingredients for marinated pork: pork shoulder 2 oranges 1 lemon 1 lime 1 brown onion 10-15 cloves of garlic 1 teaspoon pepper 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon oregano 1.5 cups olive oil ingredients for sandwich marinated pork french flatbread swiss cheese ham butter directions: squeeze the juices of the orange, lemon and lime into a bowl. cut the garlic and onion until very fine and add into juices with pepper, salt and oregano. heat the olive oil until it is hot (but not boiling) then pour into the marinade. cut slices and holes into the pork shoulder to allow the flavour to seep in. then let pork marinate in mixture for at least 3 hours. put into oven at 200c for 20 minutes and then reduce temperature to 150c until the meat is flakey and beautiful (took mine about an hour but i have a useless old oven). slice up pork and layer sandwhich as: bread, butter (generous amounts), smear of marinade sauce, swiss cheese, ham, pork, swiss cheese, bread. try to use a mild swiss cheese, because the meat flavour is so overwhelming that you don't want anything too strong. you can also put mustard on, but you don't need it. my photos aren't great, but trust me this meal is.
i've decided that i very much like venison. cajun style venison pies with an awesome new pastry dough recipe that i was trying out:
ok, ok. here's the pm i sent to someone else who wanted the recipe: i used the crust recipe from this: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emer ... cipe2.html the meat filling i sort of winged, but here are the seasonings i used: 1lb ground venison 2 slices bacon, coarsely chopped 1 white onion, finely chopped about half a head of celery, finely chopped a couple pablano peppers from my garden, they are not hot and you can probably use some chopped green bell pepper instead 2 big handfulls of baby carrots, grated cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, salt, lots of oregano, old bay seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder i sauteed all the veggies in a pot with bacon lard. i probably used 1/4-1/3c of bacon lard ( i save it from when i cook bacon on the stovetop) once everything was nice and soft, i threw in the meats, added seasoning, and browned/broke up the meat. i really super love this pastry crust recipe. my rolling pin was trapped (long story) so i pushed it out by hand between 2 pieces of saran wrap. it is sturdy, easy to move around, and makes a really flaky, tasty dough. only substitute i made to the recipe was using lactase milk. it's basically the same thing but i'm lactarded so i use it in recipes. it tastes like regular milk, maybe slightly sweeter. you won't notice a difference in the overall recipe.
baked at 380 for 28-30 minutes, i also used an egg wash on the top of them. sorry, i am very bad about not following recipes so sometimes i remember little details after the fact.
The drunk thread got me hungry for this, so I'm making it tomorrow. Mario Batali's recipe, except I add a touch more tomato sauce and stock. His was really dry leftover. Spaghetti Puttanesca 1 pound pasta 1 tin anchovies 1-2 teaspoons red pepper flakes 1/3 red onion, small dice 4-8 cloves minced garlic 1/2 cup seafood stock 3 cups tomato sauce (I buy a can of San Marzano, scoop out 1 cup for something else) 1 cup pitted olives 1/4 cup capers Handful chopped parsley or oregano Bring a pot of salted water up to boil. When it comes up, heat olive oil in a separate, large pan or sauce pot. Medium heat. Throw into the heated oil a tin of anchovies and their oil. When the anchovies dissolve, toss in the pepper flakes. In the anchovy oil cook 1/3 of a red onion, small dice. Let it sweat about 1-2 minutes without burning it. You want it just opaque, not browned or burned. Throw in 4-8 minced cloves of garlic. Sweat for 30-45 seconds. As soon as you smell the garlic, throw in 1/2 cup rich seafood stock. Scrape up the bits at the bottom. Throw in 3 cups tomato sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Let simmer. Around this time put the spaghetti in to cook so it is done at the same time as the sauce. The sauce needs to simmer around 7-10 minutes, the spaghetti takes approximately 10. To the sauce add a cup of olives, pitted, drained. And 1/4 cup drained capers. Continue simmering until spaghetti is done. Drain the pasta (DO NOT RINSE) and throw it right into the sauce and mix with chopped parsley and a 1/4 cup of the starchy boiling water. Toss it together. Whole thing takes 20 minutes tops. Costs me around $6 if I plan it right. Anchovies are the most expensive thing. Since I am a technology luddite without a camera, your finished plate should look exactly like this: Spoiler
If you put frosting on a brownie isn't it just a chocolate cake? A very dense chocolate cake, but still a cake.