Cold Day Off and Braised Brisket with Grilled Vegetables

Frost and snow look beautiful when you can stay in.

Today in Minnesota was a rare day when things actually shut down for the weather; with wind-chill it felt like -44ºF when we got up today.  Schools were called off by the governor, many businesses were closed, and Sous Chef and I got to sleep in.

We decided to start the day off with a Sunday breakfast on a Monday.  We made, then ate, our gluten-free doughnuts and bacon while watching episodes of Iron Chef America on Amazon Prime.  Some kids know sports stats; Sous Chef knows Chef stats.  She can tell you what type of food the chefs are good at, what foods they have made in competitions, and the scores they have received.  She will recount great culinary feats like they were the winning plays in the Superbowl.

Besides watching cooking shows, I took time today to make a long cooking dinner.  I had gotten a brisket this weekend when I went grocery shopping before the storm (or in this case cold).  If you have never been to a grocery store in the Midwest before a predicted snow storm or insane cold-snap it is quite the experience.  It is kind of like squirrels scurrying around gathering nuts before the winter hits.  People are going every which way, inexperienced shoppers are out, eyes glazed over like a deer in headlights blocking the aisles. We are all worried that we may not be able to get to the store for weeks so we stock up so we can hibernate until it gets a little less subarctic.  We still wait patiently in line talking about how bad the storm is supposed to be, and comparing it to storms of the past.  If there is one thing a Minnesotan likes to talk about it is the weather.

I had my brisket, some vegetables, a new grill pan, and a day off.  (I have no idea how I lived without a grill pan until now). Brisket is a slow-and-low kind of cooking meat, so a freezing day off was perfect to create a new recipe for it.  I decided to keep the seasonings simple and used kosher salt, pepper, and paprika and let the veggies be the star flavorings in the dish.  I let the seasoned brisket chill in the fridge for a few hours, then took it out a half hour before cooking it to let it come to room temperature.

I chopped my veggies into large pieces, since they were going to be both grilled and then braised for a long time.  Too small of pieces would have ended up with just mush.  By keeping the pieces large they were able to withstand the cooking process and turn out both tender and flavorful.

Grill Marks!

I had saved the bacon grease from this morning, so I used that to grease my pan.  Vegetable or Olive oil would have worked fine, but the bacon fat gave it a nice flavor.  I grilled the veggies in batches and let them get some nice grill marks on them, rotating a few times before removing to a plate.

I wanted to eat these then, but I saved them for the roast.

After the veggies were done, I put my braising pan on heat, added a bit of bacon fat and browned the brisket.  I browned the fat-side down first and let some of the fat render out.  I always want to keep checking the meat, but I resisted the urge and let it sit for about four minutes before peeking.

Let the meat brown, don't keep checking it.

 It was nicely browned after about five minutes, then I browned the other side.  Draining the fat is optional, but there is no need to keep it in the pan.

All of the vegetables got added into the pan, along with a quart (that's 4 cups) of beef stock, a sachet of thyme and parsley (fresh herbs tied together in cheese cloth) and a bit of salt and pepper.

I love the bright pop of color in this.

                         
I covered the dish and let it cook at 325º for 3 1/2 hours.  I checked it at about 2 1/2 and stirred around the vegetables.  This wasn't necessary, but like browning the meat I really wanted to check it.

There wasn't a lot of braising liquid left to really make a pan sauce after, since it had all nicely caramelized the vegetables.  I could have added wine to make a real pan sauce, but simply added a few tablespoons of butter, after I removed the meat and veggies, to deglaze the pan.  I shook in a bit of Worcestershire sauce and let it start to bubble.  I strained this and used it as a butter sauce to dribble over the top of the meat.

Brisket, nice and tender

My favorite thing about this dish was the different textures and flavors that were in it. The carrots really popped with sweetness, while the potatoes were still sturdy.

The veggies, really the star of this dish

 It was a hit on this cold day, which we finished off watching one last episode of Iron Chef America while eating Mint Chocolate Mousse.  We get another day off for the cold tomorrow.  We haven't decided what we are cooking yet.

Barely a Recipe- Barbecue Chicken

Sometimes I love recipes with lots of steps.  Recipes that rely on careful preparation and a lot of technique.  These recipes let me use my knife skills, practice techniques, and build flavors in multiple ways.  These recipes are weekend recipes, company recipes, and recipes that I play with on vacation days-to me a vacation is spending all day in the kitchen.

There are other times that I need a quick throw-togehter-but-still-taste-good recipe.  The kind of recipe that lets me cook automatically without any fuss.  In less than 15 minutes I can go from getting home to getting food on the table, or in a thermos for my Sous-Chef to eat on the road to activities.  These recipes I call "barely a recipe", because there isn't much, if any, measuring, and I can grab what I have on hand to complete the meal. Any prep and cooking technique is so minimal that it is all automatic, even for an infrequent cook.  The more you cook the faster your prep time gets, but these are seriously fast.

Rotisserie Chicken, BBQ Sauce, Garlic & Onion

My barely a recipe barbecue chicken is one of these recipes. All you need is a rotisserie chicken, BBQ sauce, garlic and onions.  A note on rotisserie chickens:  I always use Costco's chickens.  They are gluten free, fresh, and taste great.  If you don't have a Costco by you (or a rotisserie chicken handy) you can simply sub in precooked chicken of any kind to equal about 1-2 lbs, or 2-3 chicken breasts.  If you are gluten-free, or have other dietary restrictions, check the ingredient list on your BBQ sauce.  If you feel like adding spices; paprika, chipotle or adobo, or cracked pepper would all be good here, you can, but this is good without any additional spices as well.

The thing that will take you the longest is butchering (read; cutting up) the chicken.  This gets a lot faster with practice, and can be done ahead of time so all you have to do is grab the cut up chicken out of the fridge.  Even easier; Costco sells their chicken already pre-cooked and diced.

Cut up rotisserie chicken.

 Step 1: Cut up the rotisserie chicken.  I find the only part of the bird I don't use are the ends of the wings.  Remove the skin and rough chop the chicken.

Skin removed and cut up chicken

Step 2:  Dice two small, or one medium, onions and two cloves of garlic

Step 3: Heat olive oil over medium high heat in a large nonstick pan, and add onions.  Stir frequently until beginning to brown.  (reduce heat if needed)

Step 4: Add garlic and heat for about 45 seconds, stirring a few times.

Step 5: Add chicken.  Stir and let chicken brown slightly.

Tongs work really well for this dish!

Step 6: Add BBQ sauce.  Stir, turn heat down and simmer for about 5 minutes until heated through.  Use enough BBQ sauce to coat the chicken well. I used about 2/3 of the bottle.

That is it!  Serve along with cheese bread, veggies, rice, or whatever you like to eat with BBQ chicken.  If you want to add additional seasonings add them after you have mixed in the BBQ sauce.  Super quick, super easy, barely a recipe.

Enjoy!

New Year, New Food

New food: Pork Belly, and Quail Eggs Wrapped in Bacon

Today kicks off a new year, full of new possibilities. For my daughter and I, it kicked off our year of new food.  My Sous-chef is pretty adventurous when it comes to eating.  As long as she knows it won't make her sick(no wheat or gluten), or does't contain butternut squash(the kid can detect it in anything), she is game for trying any food.  Side note: I tried hiding butternut squash in home made mac-n-cheese when she was 3, and is still skeptical that I might be trying to pull one over on her if I make it today.  This is one of the reasons why I always tell her what ingredients are in her food.  I also tell her, because I want her to feel comfortable trying different food, and that way she learns what ingredients go together, and sometimes what doesn't.

Our rule is that you have to try three bites of something on your plate.  You don't have to like it, but unless it will make you ill, you are allergic to it, or religiously or morally opposed to eating a certain food, you have to try it.  This also applies if it is a food that we have had before that maybe Sous-chef wasn't a fan of.  Tastes change over time, and you might grow to like it.  If after trying something and Sous-chef isn't a big fan of it she usually responds with "well, it wasn't that good, but maybe it is something that I will like when I'm older."  SC's facial expressions when she tries a new food aren't necessarily indicative of her opinion of the food.  She has to let the experience sink in; the appearance, the taste, the smell, and the texture.   After trying a new food she may also give suggestions on how to modify it to make it taste better.  She has a pretty good palate, and is frequently correct.

This year we are making a point about trying new food.  It is easy to focus on foods that we can't have, but it is far more fun to focus on all of the different foods that we can have.  After all teff flour  makes for amazing brownies, and soghrum and millet are excellent in pancakes.  We never would have tried those if we hadn't had to give up gluten.  So in the vein of exploring we are going to keep track of the new foods we try.  Some things may be just a single new ingredient, other times it will be a new way to prepare a food, or new seasonings.

Today we tried three new foods.  (New to SC, one a new recipe for me).  We went with my family to a favorite restaurant of mine at the Mall of America called Masu  .  I discovered it a few months ago and tried it out when I saw they had a gluten-free menu.  I have been there a few times and am always very appreciative of how knowledgable they are of their ingredients and making sure that your food is in fact gluten-free, plus they have excellent service.

Sous-Chef decided that she was going to try the quail eggs wrapped in bacon (a favorite of mine), the pork belly, and the roasted corn with a  side of rice.  She boldly dove in to her plate when it arrived, using chopsticks fairly well on the rice too.  She thought the quail eggs wrapped in bacon were pretty good (taste was great, texture she was unsure of) and devoured the pork belly.  I really wanted a bite, but I guess I'll have to order my own next time.  She was so proud of herself for trying completely new food.  Masu is definitely on her list of favorite restaurants now.

French Onion Soup, Family Style

We continued the new food exploration tonight with a new recipe for French onion soup.  (I'll post it later this week in a post about the importance of seasoning).  Sous-Chef was excited to try something new again (three new foods in one day!).   For  her this was a "I might like this another time" kind of recipe.  The rest of my family loved it.  That is the thing about trying new food though, you won't know if you like it or not until you try it.  If you don't like it maybe you will some day.

Tomorrow we have a new steak recipe on the menu.  We then plan to watch the season premier of  The Taste.  After all what better way to kick of trying new food then to watch a cooking show where they try new food?   So, sometime this year try something new, and let me know what you have tried.  I might even add it to my list.

Herb Crusted Pork Tenderloin

Herb Crusted Pork Tenderloin

Some foods are synonymous with the holidays; peppermint, chocolate, roasts.  Eating a cookie, a roll, or a family favorite can transport you instantly to the past faster than the Tardis. The taste and smells of these familiar foods take you to a place, and to people that may be long gone.   This pork tenderloin is something that takes me back.

For many years this dish sat at the center of my family's Christmas table.  The pool table in the basement would have the ping-pong top placed on, then covered with one of my great-grandmother's tablecloths.  My small family growing large when grandmothers, aunts, uncles and cousins from both sides of the family came together to celebrate.  At some point the traditional standing rib roast was replaced with the pork tenderloin.  The cook time is far less, the meat is cheaper, and it feeds a lot of people.  Timing church, presents, and hors d'oeuvres probably necessitated the switch when we were younger.  However, you don't have to wait until next year's Christmas Dinner, or even a big celebration to enjoy it.  The simple prep and quick cooking time that made this a hit on Christmas make it a great weeknight dinner as well.

The amount of pork that you use depends on how many people you are feeding.  The 2Lb pork tenderloins I got at Trader Joe's would feed about 8-12 people.  If you are having more people, or like more than 2 slices each get more pork.

Herb Mix

The list of herbs seems like a lot.  Most of them are ingredients that are frequently used, all can be found at most grocery stores, or my favorite spice store Penzey's.  This amount of spices can work for 2-4 lbs of pork.  It makes a nice thick crust. Mix all of the spices thoroughly before adding the water.

Water is added to make a paste

Add the water slowly to make a paste.  It should be fairly thick and not runny.  Make sure you mix to the bottom to get all of the spices incorporated.  Place the pork tenderloins in a baking dish (I like to use a glass 9X13) and spread the mixture on with your hands.  This really is a time that your hands are far superior to any kitchen utensil.

Spread the mixture with your hands (the spoon is not in the dish, by the way)

Marinating for 20 minutes

Once completely covered in seasoning, let the meat marinate for about 20 minutes.  Turn on the stove to 325º.  Once 20 minutes has passed bake the tenderloin for 30-45 minutes. The exact time depends on your oven (convection is faster) and the thickness of the meat.  The pork is done when it reaches an internal temp of 145º.  (No one wants overcooked pork).  If the ends begin to cook faster than the centers, cover the edges of the pan with foil.

Once done, let the pork rest for about 5 minutes.  Slice and serve.

Resting 

Enjoy!

P.S.  If you have picky eaters who don't like the texture or amount of seasoning, it can easily be taken off of individual pieces leaving a milder taste.