Ahhh... yet another reason that I love my Silver Spoon cookbook. What other cookbook offers and ENTIRE SECTION dedicated to our little Kermit friends?
Its been quite a while since I had frog legs... the last time being at a French restaurant as an appetizer.. and I really wanted to recapture the lemony garlic flavor that they created, they were so wonderfully light and delicate.
In the end I opted for the Silver Spoons "Frogs in White Wine"... and modified it a tiny bit.
I was in luck, as I wandered into my local fish market as I do... they had them fresh! SCORE!
I will also confess I took some sick pleasure in making the legs dance around a bit in a little froggie chorus line before tossing them in the pan. I couldnt resist.
So on to the serious part!!!!!!!
I lightly floured and fried the legs in some shallow oil until just golden, careful, they dry out quickly. (I season my flour for dredging with garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper, sometimes cayenne)
frog massacre
For the pasta sauce
about 2T of butter and 2 T flour to make a roux, once that is ready start whisking in your milk til youve got a sauce a thinkness you like. For this sauce I added some sauteed mushrooms, fresh thyme, and a squirt of lemon juice at the end. Salt to taste.
I suppose you could do this with shrimp... but then you'd miss out on the fun of the chorus line now wouldnt you?
One interesting thing I have noticed with the fall of the economy, is some more unusual bits of meat for the American market, cheap, offal being sold in our regular supermarket. I would have never have imagined finding ox heart, chicken feet, or kidneys outside of ethnic markets this time last year. But now, they are popping up in my little white bread Publix, and it gives me warm fuzzies. So I jumped at the chance to try ox heart, which I'd never had before, and at $2.30 for a whole one.... how can you argue? I chose a very simple recipe, as I really wanted to get a feel for the flavor of heart. And let me tell you, it is fantastic. More like very lean beef than offal, with a very very slight kidney-like flavor and texture. But I am betting if you were feeding it to people with a palate that isn't used to the flavor of kidney (like most of us yanks)... they would have no idea they are not eating plain ol beef. Which I think could be a huge help to families struggling, to cut corners with such a large nutritious piece of meat, at such a bargain price!
Heart Stew Ingredients 1 whole ox heart, cut into cubes 1 onion, diced 2 stalks celery, diced 2 carrots, diced flour for dredging (can omit if you're going paleo!) salt and pepper 2 TBS each 1 sprig fresh thyme 2 bay leaves olive oil 1 cup oxtail soup 1 pint beer Method Dredge heart in flour mixed with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pot like a french oven, once hot, sautee heart in oil until browned on all sides. Add onions, carrots and celery, stir until onions begin to go transparent, adding oil if necessary.
Add oxtail soup, beer, bay leaves and thyme.Bring to a boil. Cover and cook in oven for 4-6 hours at 250 degrees, or until heart is at desired tenderness. Serve over mashed potatoes. They'll never know what they're eating. But they'll know it tastes wonderful, and warm, and filling. :)
Chicken Stock. I make this at least once a week, freezing it into 1 cup portions and using it as needed for soups, sauces, gravies, you name it.
It is true that it is magic... no.... seriously.
The MOST important part of the stock is without a doubt the wondrously healing bones and cartilage. If cooked properly, they release a healthy dose of chondroitin and glucosamine in the form of gelatin. Those with joint problems will recognize those two big fancy words right away, they treat joint pain.... ironic that the source for relief and prevention of such horrible things as arthritis is actually consuming, well, bones and joints!
Gelatin also is magic in and unto itself. It acts as an aid to digestion and has been used successfully in the treatment of many intestinal disorders.
And besides just the magic from the chicken, just look at all the vitmains and minerals those veggies are ready to offer up.
It is so easy, there really is no reason NOT to do this at home. ALL of this is lost when you use boxed, canned, and worst of all, bouillon. At that point it simply becomes a flavoring.
What you see in the picture up there is exactly what I put in the pot. Varying a bit with the parsley, sometimes I'll add cilantro instead for a different flavor, sometimes a sprig of thyme, sometimes nothing at all.
ALWAYS KEEP YOU CHICKEN CARCASS!!
So this is the list- Chicken carcass, cooked or uncooked, this can be just parts like legs and wings, sometimes I'll even go to the butcher and just ask for 4 chicken backs and / or a lb of chicken feet, which are very rich in cartilage.
2 carrots, broken in half
2 celery sticks, broken in half
1 half onion, skin on (dont worry, you're gonna strain everything)
3 cloves garlic, crushed to release the oils, skins removed
2 bay leaves
2 T whole peppercorns
Please note I do not salt my stock. I do that when I am using it for whatever dish I am using it as an ingredient for. :)
So throw all that shit into a big ol' pot, and fill with water until it just covers everything. Set on the stove at low.... THIS IS IMPORTANT! Boiling your stock with break down the gelatin into nothingness.... defeating the entire purpose. So keep it at a nice gentle simmer. And I mean.... hot enough that there is just a bubble coming up every now and then. Let it bubble away for 4-6 hours to properly break down the bones and good bits.
Check this video at about 1:20 to see how the boil should look.
Once the stock is ready, I place a large mesh strainer over a large metal bowl, and just dump all that brothy goodness straight in. I usually let it sit for about 10 minutes to let any remaining liquid to drip into the stock bowl. From there I allow it to sit and cool, sometimes putting it into a sink full of ice, but thats only if I am rushing, and usually, I am not :) Once cooled, divide into individual containers and voila!
Living in Florida opens up some great adventerous seafood eating opportunities, and we just happen to live very close to an awesome little fish market that specializes in local catches. Every visit there are different offerings from the waters of Florida. From the big prize fish like tuna and swordfish, to less known local river fish and fresh specialties like alligator and frog.
I've seen turtle at this particular market before, but only frozen, and I am hesitant to buy frozen seafood with the sea at my doorstep. However today they had fresh soft shell turtle, and I didn't hesitate to grab some!
Now before anyone freaks out and says, ZOMG cute turtle! Or ONOES they are protected! First, they're not. And trust me, these guys aren't any cuter than an alligator -and living right beside them, they have to hold their own- and are definitely not sweet little gentle slow pokey creatures, they can actually be quite aggressive. Combine that with their great abundance in just about every single pond and river you can find (which is a lot), they are perfectly legal to hunt in Florida, during their season of course.
Turtle isn't as wild and exotic as you might think. The flavor is quite nondescript, and quickly picks up the flavors of what it is being cooked with. Which is probably why the most popular recipe for turtle soup is very robust with ingredients like cayenne, tomato, lemon and Worcestershire Sauce.
Ingredients
For the Stock:
1 lb turtle (soft shell, or snapping turtle), bone in
4 cups water
1 onion, quartered
2 Tablespoons whole peppercorns
For the Soup
Meat separated from the stock, bones removed and cut into small pieces
Stock
1 quarter onion
2 Tablespoons tomato puree
1 half lemon
1 Tablespoon Cayenne
2 Tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro
2 Tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
1 Tablespoon Flour
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
Ground pepper and salt to taste
In a pot bring water to a boil and add cleaned turtle meat, 3/4 onion and peppercorns.
Let simmer slowly until the meat begins falling off the bones, approx 2 hours.
Strain Stock and return it to the pot. Remove turtle meat from the bones and cut into small pieces, then return the meat to the stock, keeping on a low simmer.
Dice remaining quarter onion and sautee in olive oil in a pan until translucent. Add flour and stir until thickened into a roux. Add a ladle of the turtle stock and stir until thickened. Stir in tomato paste. Pour contents of pan into the stock pot and stir until well blended. Add parsley, cilantro, cayenne, juice from the lemon, Worcestershire Sauce, pepper and salt to taste.
Serve and enjoy what was once a delicacy to Presidents and across Victorian England. Now its simply a local pleasure.
This flavor is so sweet and tangy its almost BBQ-y. I've always had an aversion to adding tomato to anything but chili, because I don't know why. I think this recipe has changed my tune on that.
I served this up with some parboiled brussel sprouts, finished in a pan with crispy bacon.
Ingredients 1 lb short ribs 2 carrots, minced 1 stalk celery minced 2 cloves garlic minced 1/4 sweet onion, minced 1 small can tomato paste 2 cups red wine 2 strips bacon, chopped
Method Fry bacon in a deep pot, preferably a French oven. Add veggies and saute until onions become transluscent. Add tomato paste and let it sweat for a few minutes, then fold into the veggies. Add a bit of wine to deglaze, stirring often, then add the rest of the wine. Add the short ribs, coating in the mixture, reduce heat and let simmer gently for approx 4 hours, turning the ribs now and then. Enjoy!
Every now and then our grocery store sells the most GINORMOUS pork chops ever, and I just cant ignore the cavegirl inside me.
And when it comes to grilling one of these bad boys, nothing will do but a mojo marinade. This marinade is equally awesome on pork or chicken.
Just mix up the marinade below, get stab happy with a piece of pork and pierce it thoroughly, and let it marinade for 4+ hours or even overnight.
Throw it on the grill until its cooked through. I served this up with some fresh guac and some cherry tomatoes sauteed with garlic, olive oil and green onions.
Ingredients for Marinade 6 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped .5 C minced yellow onion 1 C freshly squeezed orange juice .5 C freshly squeezed lime juice .5 t ground cumin 1 t dried oregano flakes .5 t lemon-pepper seasoning .5 t black pepper 1 t kosher salt .25 cup chopped cilantro 1 t hot pepper sauce 1 cup olive oil
Method Throw the garlic and onion in a food processor and pulse until very finely chopped. Pour in orange juice, lime juice, cumin, oregano, black pepper, salt, cilantro, and hot pepper sauce. Blend until thoroughly incorporated. Pour in the olive oil, and Continue until smooth.
What to do with a whole bunch of trimmings from chicken?
GRIND THAT SHIT UP!!!
yea, nothing you can do to pretty up raw ground chicken.
Having found myself in a position of trimming rib meat and fat from a metric ass-ton of chicken breasts to feed a couple hundred people, I couldn't help but feel that little pit of guilt growing deeper and deeper exponentially as the "waste" pile also grew in size.
"What are we doing with this" - says I, pointing at the sad little tray of chicken bits.
"Tossing it?" - says She Who Was In Charge Of Kitchen
"I can has?" - eyeing the ziplocks and already concocting aforementioned chickenbits destiny.
See this is why I could never work in a professional kitchen, I am sure there are like a zillion health / weird kitchen laws I am breaking here somehow. Plus I think I would get all neurotic over saving bones and bits and become some sort of freak animal part hoarder with one of those mystery "extra freezers" in the garage. Because lets face it, I am already too close to that now.
And now that I have scared you all from wanting to eat at my house, ever. Let us continue.
Ingredients:
1 lb pilfered chicken bits 1/2 red onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic a dozen or so shittake shrooms 2 T sesame oil 1 T Chinese 5 Spice Powder (star anise, cinnamon, cloves, Sichuan pepper, & fennel)
1 T coconut oil (or whatever cooking fat blows yer skirt up)
1 T ground ginger 1/4 C oyster sauce
Some lettuce for serving.
Method: Throw the first 6 items into a food processor and let it go crazy til the chicken looks like something you would find online labeled "mechanically separated chicken"... which technically, I guess it is... but I do it at home... so that makes it ok.
Heat your oil in a skillet or wok and add the ginger, heating briefly. Then add the chicken and stir fry, til its all cooked through, adding the oyster sauce just at the end, blending it together completely.
Serve with lettuce, or use for some other foodventure. (which I will be doing with the other half we didn't eat last night!)
This recipe comes from the 14th century English book, "Fourme of Curye". The original recipe is as follows.
Mounchelet
Take veel other motoun and smyte hit to gobettes, seeth hit in gode broth, cast therto erbes yhewe, gode wyne & a quantite of oynouns y mynced, poudour fort & safroun, & alye it with ayroun & verjous, but lat it not seeth after.
But because I don't hate you all, here is a modern interpretation! :D
Heavily modified from the book Pleyn Delit, to suit my quantity and quality needs and personal flavor.
Ingredients:
1 lb veal, cut into
1 inch pieces
1 C almond flour
1 onion, diced
1 T fresh parsley, minced
1 tsp fresh thyme1 tsp rosemary
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp fresh cilantro
2 cups good veal stock
1 C white wine
Pinch of saffron strands
1 T raw butter
salt to taste
1 egg
juice from 1 lemon
Method
Dredge veal in almond flour and set aside. Melt butter in a heavy pot, once it begins to bubble (but not burn) place the veal in one piece at a time, allowing it to brown on all sides. Add wine and scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pot and stir, adding the onions and all of the herbs and seasonings. Add the stock, stirring everything together, and allow to simmer for about an hour, stirring now and then.
In a small bowl, break and egg into a small bowl and whisk in the lemon juice. Just before serving, remove the stew from the heat and add the egg mixture, stirring quickly. this should thicken the stew a but and add a lucious golden color ( if the saffron hadn't already). Take care not to add it back into a too hot pot, or else the egg will begin to clump into unattractive eggdrop soup looking thingies.
We served this with a delish stinky blue cheese and this totally kickass fig cake that contained ONLY figs, almonds, cinnamon and anise. Also making it not only period but also paleo.
Win win all the way around! :D I'd definitely recommend making this if you want to experiment in historical foods.
One of my favorite combinations is pork and eggplant. And this dish hits the spot. So healthy and so filling.
Eggplant is a beautiful thing, as it is is loaded with vitamins and minerals, but its health benefits extend beyond just adding vital nutrientsl. Eggplant contains other compounds that promote good health, even to the point of helping to prevent cancer and lowering cholesterol. Once you realize how beneficial eggplant is to your health, you may want to give more consideration to it becoming a regular part of your diet. Packed full of chlorogeninc acid, and nasunun. Eggplant is also an excellent source of dietary fiber, which can help protect against colon cancer and keeps the digestive system regular. The vitamins in eggplant consist primarily of vitamin A (in the form of beta-carotene), B vitamins, folate and vitamin C. Eggplant is also rich in minerals, boasting a large quantity of potassium, magnesium, calcium and phosphorous. (see http://www.livestrong.com/article/19046-nutritional-benefits-eggplant/)
So on to the good stuff.
Recipe:
2 Chinese eggplants, cut into rings
1 lb ground pork
2 T organic oyster sauce
2 T chinese 5 spice powder
1 T sesame oil
1 T coconut oil
1 C chicken broth
1 wholoe clove, minced
thumb sized piece ginger, minced
2 green onions, diced
sesame seeds for garnish
Method:
Soak your eggplant in salted water for about 20 minutes, I'm not sure why but this cuts back on the bitterness.
In a wok or iron skillet heat the stock to a rolling boil and cooked the eggplant briefly.
Meanwhile combine pork. 5 spice powder, garlic, ginger and sesame oil to the pork.
Strain liquid from the skillet.
Heat the coconut oil in the skillet and add the pork mixture, stirring to brown evenly. Add eggplant and oyster sauce, and stir until heated through.
Serve with sliced green onions and sesame seeds as garnish.
Gai lan is without a doubt my favorite vegetable. Why it is near impossible to find in American groceries store is a complete enigma to me. The closest thing that it could possibly be compared to is rapini.... which can not even begin to hold a candle to the sweet tenderness that is gai lan.
Highly nutritious with powerful antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties. It is also very high in beta carotene, vitamin K, C, lutein, zeaxathin and is reasonably rich in calcium.
I tend to stir fry it on its own with a bit of oyster sauce and chicken stock, but sometimes I will have leftovers from some of my favorite Chinese joints and will bring home loots like peking duck and crispy skin pork.
Tonight was one such night.
Recipe:
1 large bunch gai lan, chopped
1 cup sliced mushrooms (optional, we just happened to have them)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 nob raw butter
.25 C chicken stock
2 T Oyster Sauce
Leftover cooked meat such as duck or pork
Method:
Quickly cook and soften the gai lan in the stock until the stalks are tender. This shouldnt take long, as gai lan has a pleasant sweet flavor even when still crisp tender.
Add butter, garlic and meat and stir fry until everything is nice and hot and yummy looking, finish with oyster sauce stirring in completely! :D
Contrary to popular belief, sweetbreads are not brains. Though, for some form of strange entertainment, we could pretend they are brains anyways at the coming of the zombie Apocalypse.
Sweetbreads is the thymus gland is located at the throat, gullet or neck. Or the pancreas (heart belly or stomach). And, most famously, "Rocky Mountain Oysters", are also the same gland that in the food world we call sweetbreads.
The etymology of the word "sweetbread", considering it is not a bread, nor is it sweet is attested to the idea that it is sweet in comparison to savory muscle based meats. And "bread" most likely comes from the Old English word "brǣde", meaning roast meat.
Sweetbreads are a significant source of B12 which plays a key role in proper functioning of the brain and nervous system, as well as being a very high quality protein source.
yes, it is fugly
Unfortunately sweetbreads, like most offal, has a bad wrap... and of the offal kingdom, I will even admit it is one of the saddest most ugly bits out of the lot. But its velvety texture and mild sweet flavor more than make up for it. I promise!
Ingredients:
1 lb sweetbreads
1/4 diced red onion
12 button mushrooms, sliced
1 C chopped parsley
knob of raw butter
1 T olive oil
Enough water to submerge the sweetbreads
A splash of white wine
thyme and parsley
Method:
Rinse your sweetbreads thoroughly in cold, gently running water.
Bring your pot of water with the wine, herbs, and spices to a boil. Reduce to a gentle simmer. Add your sweetbreads into the pot. Poach for 2½ minutes so they firm up slightly.
Remove the sweetbreads from the pot, and scatter the sweetbreads across a cutting board to cool and dry off.
Once the sweetbreads are cool enough to handle,slice them into several uniform pieces.
Heat your pan. Add a splash of oil and a knob of butter. Add your mushrooms and onions and let them cook until they are nice and golden. Remove them and set aside. Add a bit more oil and butter if needed and season the sweetbreads with salt and pepper and then add to the pan. Careful not to let the butter burn, and cook the sweetbreads until they are golden brown, careful not to overcook. At this point they are ready to serve. Plate the sweetbreads and return the mushrooms and onions to the pan as well as the parsley in the last minute to heat, and drizzle the butter and mushroom mixture over the sweetbreads,
Chicken livers, right behind fried chicken, it probably my favorite comfort food. I like them battered and fried, simply pan fried in butter with only a bit of salt and pepper, and even roasted in the oven with a drizzle of olive oil. Lets not forget the multitude of pates from which they can be made, but personally, I like them in their most natural state.
Chicken livers are packed with vitamin B-12, which prevent anemia, vitamin-A in the form of retinol, alpha and beta-carotene including lycopene for your eyes, along with folate, riboflavin, selenium, iron, niacin, and phosphorus. For years they have been used by nutrition wise doctors to aid in the recovery of anemia and iron deficiencies.
For this recipe, I use a paleo friendly Southern fried variant. One of my favorites.
Ingredients:
1 lb chicken livers, cleaned.
1 T cayenne
1T onion powder
1 T garlic powder
1 C coconut flour
2-3 T coconut oil
Salt to taste
Method:
Combine the seasonings, and liberally coat the chicken livers in the mixture. Cover and place in the fridge for a few hours.
Heat the coconut oil in a cast iron skillet until hot enough to fry a tiny piece of bread.
Dredge the livers in the coconut flour one by one and place into the hot oil. Do not overcrowd the skillet, it is ok if you must do more than one batch.
Fry on each side until both sides are crisp and golden.
Allow to drain on a paper towel and salt to taste.
Serve with a veg of your choice, we like collard greens. ENJOY!
This chicken recipe is rapidly becoming my favorite way to grill chicken.
The nice long marinade really releases into the chicken some wonderfully complex and luscious savory flavors.
Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, bone and skin on, with slits cut into it
3 small shallots, sliced
2 small garlic cloves, minced
1 green onion, sliced
About 6 sun-dried tomatoes, cut into thirds
1 C olive oil
1 C Red Wine Vinegar
2 T Fish Sauce
2 T coconut aminos or light soy sauce
Misc herbs such as thyme, oregano
Salt and Pepper to taste
Method:
Mix all ingredients (except the chicken) thoroughly. Place chicken breasts in a dish that is small enough but deep enough to cover the chicken with the marinade mostly, then pour the marinade over the chicken. Allow to marinate for 2-6 hours (or even overnight!).
Heat grill on medium-low and place chicken skin side down and cover and let cook for about 20 minutes. Turn and continue for another 20. Brushing the remaining marinade onto the chicken occasionally. Crank the heat to high, generously lathering one more layer of marinade and put the skin side down for a nice final char. About 15-20 mins.
Take the chicken out and let it rest for about 10 minutes (it will continue cooking with residual heat, and cutting too soon will dry it out as all the tasty juices rush out.)
You know you've seen them at the market, those mysterious little green tomato looking things, neatly wrapped in a paper like husk. You've probably passed them by, without the slightest clue of what to do with them. Well here, let me solve that problem for you!
Unlike its cousin, the tomato, tomatillo do not contain lycopene (it should also be noted that tomatillo are actually berries!). However to make up for this, it is packed with another lesser known phyto-chemical called withanolide, which has shown to be a promising anti-tumor agent. They are also good source of copper, iron, phosphorous, manganese, and other minerals.
Ingredients:
2 slices of nitrite free bacon, cut into pieces
1/5 sweet onion, chopped
2 jalapenos, choped
2 additional jalapenos with slits cut into the sides
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cubanelle pepper, chopped
1 T chili powder
1 t cumin
2 t paprika
6-8 fresh tomatillos, husks removed and quartered
1 green onion, sliced
1 bunch of cilantro, chopped
2 chicken breasts, precooked and cut into pieces
4 cups chicken broth (home made preferable)
1 avocado
Salt to taste
Method.
Brown the bacon in a deep pot until it starts to render its fat. Add onions, garlic, peppers and spices and stir until the onions begin to become translucent.
Add tomatillos and chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Allow to simmer gently for about an hour.
Remove the whole jalapenos, then break down the veggies in the pot with a hand emulsifier, or you can press the tomatillos against the side of the pot with a spoon to crush them.
Add the chicken pieces, half of the cilantro and allow to simmer for another hour. Add salt to taste.
Serve in bowls and garnish with cilantro and sliced avocado. ENJOY!
So naturally, when it comes to my own guacamole recipe, I go minimal on additional ingredients to maximize the creamy, lusciousness that is just pure avocado. Sometimes, I wont even bother with the onion and tomato and just have the mashed avocado all on its own with a touch of salt. I will eat it straight up with a spoon, use it as a garnish on something like seared tuna, paired with chicken salad... the uses are endless and oh so yummy.
Ingredients:
1 hass avocado
1/4 small sweet onion, diced
1/4 small tomato, diced
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 T fresh cilantro (optional)
squirt of lime juice to prevent oxidation
salt & pepper to taste
Method:
Begin by cutting the avocado in half, and removing the pit. to remove the flesh, simply take a spoon and scoop it into a bowl. don't worry about getting it all out, just keep scraping any remnants that might stick to the shell. Quickly mash this up in a bowl with a fork, and add a squirt of lime juice to prevent any browning, and stir in.
Then add the diced onion, garlic and cilantro if using, mixing it in with your fork. Season with salt and pepper to taste. And finally, gently fold in the diced tomatoes.
