Jalapeno Cheese Bread

Who doesn't like some fresh hot bread?  While we like fresh bread I don't fix it that often because it is such a temptation to mow through the batch at one sitting.  There are, however, some meals that almost require bread.  Pasta is one such meal.

My jalapeno peppers have been very productive this year, as they usually are.  Over the past two weeks,  I've picked 11 pounds of jalapenos from 6 plants.  My good wife canned 18 half pints of jalapeno jelly last weekend.  I fired up the  smoker this weekend and smoked and dried a bunch of jalapenos for chipotles.  They'll be cooked into some adobo sauce to rehydrate and then get canned.  I've still got quite a few jalapenos in the basket and more will be ready to pick come Friday.  This past Saturday, our son and his fiance went to their local farmer's market and ended up buying a loaf of jalapeno cheese bread.

The thought of jalapeno cheese bread got my good wife drooling and thinking it would be a way to use up some jalapenos.  I asked what she wanted to accompany the jalapeno cheese bread she paused then said "Pasta!"  That resulted in one of our favorite pasta meals, spaghetti with pancetta and mushrooms.

A fine meal, full of flavor

The jalapeno cheese bread is a variation on a no knead recipe.  I did this for a couple of reasons.  First and foremost is that the no knead recipe produces good bread.  The other reason is that the recipes I found that were specifically for jalapeno cheese bread all took a long time.  The no knead method is less than 3 hours.

Jalapeno Cheese Bread

3 1/2 cups bread flour
13 ounces warm water
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 tsp instant yeast (also called bread machine yeast)
1 cup shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese
5 - 6 jalapeno peppers, sliced

Put the yeast and salt into a large mixing bowl.  Add the warm water and stir to make sure they are well combined.  Add the flour, cheese, and jalapeno peppers to the bowl.  Using the handle of a spoon, stir to combine all the ingredients.  Once all the ingredients are well combined, cover with plastic and let rise for 90 minutes.  In the oven with the light on is a good place to let it rise.  After the 90 minutes, use the spoon handle and start pulling and degasing the dough.  Sprinkle a little extra flour around the sides of the bowl and over top of the dough ball and give is a quick couple of rolls.  This should have the dough ball lightly coated so it doesn't stick to the bowl.  Dump dough ball onto a lightly floured work surface.  Divide the dough into 2 pieces.  Flour the cut surface of the dough then gently roll out into a slightly elongated loaf.  Cover the two loaves with a towel and let rest for 10 minutes.  Roll each loaf into a longer loaf, about 14 inches and place on parchment paper covered baking sheet.  Cover with the towel and let rise for 30 minutes.  Bake loaves in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes.  Let rest at least 10 minutes after removing from the oven before slicing.

Fresh from the oven

Some of the peppers I cut in half lengthways before slicing and others were just sliced.  I did about half each way.  I left the seeds and ribs in the jalapenos.  As a result, some bites just had the flavor of the jalapeno and others had a bit of heat to go with the flavor.  If you don't want the heat just remove the seeds and ribs of the jalapenos.

Nice interior, but I cut it too soon and squished it a bit.

This could also be baked in a skillet for one large domed loaf.  To do this, lightly spray the skillet with non-stick and put the ball of dough directly into the skillet after rolling and coating in flour.  Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.

In case you're wondering about the pasta dish, it is simple to throw together.  This makes enough for two good servings and a smaller serving left over for one lunch the next day.  Half a recipe of fresh spaghetti, probably 3 servings of dry spaghetti, cooked to al dente.  Dice 4 ounces of pancetta and sautee until lightly browned and remove from the skillet.  Slice 8 ounces of mushrooms and sautee them in the grease rendered from the pancetta, season with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning.  Add the pancetta back to the skillet and stir to combine.  Remove the noodles from the water and put in the skillet.  Add some of the pasta water to the skillet and then stir to combine the noodles with the pancetta mushroom mixture.  The pasta water will cook away when everything is done.  Sprinkle on 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese and mix well.  Serve and enjoy.

I hope you give both of these recipes a try.  I think you'll be pleased with the results.

Uncle T 

Fried Green Tomatoes

Another summer dish and Southern delicacy, Fried Green Tomatoes.  I fixed the last batch last night because the season is ending and I picked the last of the tomatoes off the vines.  I did this because I needed the space for the fall garden and I wanted one last meal with Fried Green Tomatoes.

Time for a bit of an Uncle T rant.  Fried Green Tomatoes are made from unripe tomatoes of whatever variety you are growing.  I get aggravated every time I hear some TV chef say they are a special breed of tomato that stays green.  Not in the South they're not.  Chefs always try to over complicate things, especially regional comfort foods.  They need to stop.  Country folks aren't going to waste space to grow a green tomato just for frying.

If you don't know the greatness of a crunchy tart Fried Green Tomato you need experience it.  They will elevate any meal to heights of greatness.  Yes, I'm that confident about them.  They are simple to make and the reward is more than worth it.

Fried Green Tomatoes

Green Tomatoes, 1 per person
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
flour
corn meal
oil

Slice the tomatoes 1/2 inch thick.  Dredge the tomato slices in the flour.  Dip them in egg wash made from the egg and milk.  Remove from the egg wash and dredge in corn meal.  Set on rack to set while you do the rest of the tomato slices.  Heat oil in a skillet until hot, using just enough oil to cover the skillet bottom about 1/8 inch.  Put the tomatoes in the hot oil and cook until golden then flip and cook the other side till golden.  Remove from oil to the rack or onto paper towels to drain.

Coated and ready to fry

Hot from the skillet

I keep seasoned flour and seasoned corn meal in ziploc bags in the freezer.  The flour is seasoned with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  The corn meal has salt and garlic powder.  These are what I use for the dredging.  Another staple of Southern cooking is bacon grease.  Every old school Southern cook has a container of bacon grease somewhere in the kitchen.  For some extra flavor, use bacon grease instead of oil to fry the tomato slices.

Fried Green Tomatoes with Boiled Okra and pan fried Skirt Steak

As you see, there is no need to try to complicate this.  Get some green tomatoes, either from your own garden or from a farmer's market, and embrace the culinary pleasure of Fried Green Tomatoes.

Uncle T

Smoked Jalapeno Bombs

Why call them Jalapeno Bombs?  Well, they have more kick than Jalapeno Poppers since there is no cheese to mitigate the heat and I figure that will get the attention of the folks at NSA and they need recipes also.  OK, so it's mostly because they have more kick than a popper.

The beauty of mine is that I grow the peppers and they are hotter than most store bought peppers and I make the hot Italian sausage that goes in them.  For this application I still buy commercially prepared bacon.  These also reheat well so I make quite a few.

Jalapeno Bombs with Tomato Pie

These Jalapeno Bombs pair well with mac & cheese, french fries, onion rings, and we even had them with tomato pie.  They have also been the side dish for smoked ribs on occasion.  They are even good just by themselves with a bit of crusty bread.

Jalapeno Bombs with Beer Battered Onion Rings

Jalapeno Bombs with 3 Cheese Rigatoni and Cheese

For the hot Italian sausage, use which ever sausage you like best.  I make my own sausage.  I  have a couple of good recipes but as often as not I'll use a ready made seasoning mix from Butcher and Packer, http://www.butcher-packer.com/.  Butcher and Packer have just about everything you could want to processing meat or making sausage.  I get my natural casings from them as well as the seasoning mix and high melting temperature cheese so I can make smoked sausages with cheese.  While their mix has good flavor, I usually add some extra pepper flakes from peppers I've grown and dried.  You know, for that extra boost.

Usually, this will take about 16 Jalapenos since I'll use a whole package of my sausage and I pack it in 1 lb units.

Smoked Jalapeno Bombs

Jalapeno peppers
hot Italian sausage
bacon, thick sliced, cut in half

Slice the Jalapenos in half lengthwise.  Be sure to cut the stem in half as well.  Using a spoon, clean out the seeds and the ribs from the pepper halves.  Scoop a bit of sausage with the spoon and fill the pepper half so it is slightly rounded.  Wrap a piece of bacon around the pepper half.  Smoke for at least one hour in the smoke of your choice.  Enjoy.

Notes:  If your skin is sensitive to the capsaicin be sure to wear gloves and avoid touching your eyes or face.  The heat of a pepper is primarily in the seeds and ribs.  If you want a bit more heat, like I do, just leave a bit of the rib in the pepper.

If you start your bacon wrap with the end just hanging over the side of the pepper half, it should wrap around to overhang at the front and not require a toothpick to keep it on. If you want more bacon or have longer peppers then use the whole slice of bacon.

Jalapenos fresh from the garden

A work in progress

Jalapeno Bombs fresh from the smoker

Jalapeno Bombs with Fried Okra and Parmesan Roasted Smashed Potatoes

As you can see, these Jalapeno Bombs are a versatile dish.  They are a regular feature at our house during the summer while our Jalapeno plants are producing.  I hope you give these a try.  You'll not be disappointed.

Uncle T