Bacon Wrapped Mushroom Stuffed Zucchini

A few weeks ago, the good wife told me about a recipe one of her friends had been talking about.  That recipe was for a stuffed zucchini with the stuffing being primarily cheese.  It sounded OK but my preference for things stuffed with cheese pretty much ends at ravioli or tortellini.  I'm not even a fan of cheese stuffed jalapenos but that's a story for another day.  It's been quite some time since I'd done a stuffed zucchini, mostly due to the fact that it's hit or miss with finding zucchini at the store that isn't beat up.  I was doing my shopping the other day and found 3 zucchini that were on the small side but looked good and were in good condition.  I actually bought them with the intention of stuffing them with something.

Bacon wrapped stuffed zucchini and pork chops just on the grill

Once I had the zucchini home, the issue became when to fix them for supper.  It then lead to what to have with it.  I wanted something that could be done outside since it's pretty hot right now and I'd rather not heat the kitchen more than necessary. I settled on smoked pork chops and fried okra.

Smoked and ready to take inside

So without further ado, here is the recipe.

Bacon Wrapped Mushroom Stuffed Zucchini

2 large or 3 smaller zucchini
8 oz baby bella mushrooms, chopped approximately 1/4 inch dice
4 oz grated Cotija cheese
1 medium red onion, small dice
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt
pepper
cumin
splash of brandy or Irish whisky (optional)
8 - 12 slices of bacon

Heat a skillet with some oil to medium heat.  Put in the diced onion and garlic and cook until just starting to turn translucent.  Add the chopped mushrooms and season with salt, pepper, and cumin.  Let the mushrooms cook down until most of the moisture they release has cooked away.  If using, add the brandy or whisky so it cooks down as well.  While the mushrooms are cooking, slice the zucchini in half lengthwise and scoop out the seed bearing part.  Once the mushrooms are done, transfer into a bowl and add the grated Cotija cheese and stir.  Divide the mushroom mixture between the zucchini halves ensuring the zucchini are well filled.  Once all the zucchini are filled, wrap them in bacon.  Each zucchini should take two slices of bacon to be completely covered.  Place the bacon wrapped zucchini on a grill with indirect heat and add whatever wood you prefer for smoking.  Smoke at 250 - 275F for 20 - 30 minutes until the bacon is done and the desired color is reached.  Once done, serve and enjoy. 

A fine tasty supper, everything cooked outside

Any mushroom you like can be used in this and I think shitake mushrooms would be very good but the baby bellas are what the store had when I picked them up.  If you don't have or can't find Cotija cheese you could use some good Parmesan, Romano, or a nice Grana instead. 

Cross section

If you don't have a grill or don't want to fool with the grill these can be done in the over just as easily.  I'd put them on a baking rack over a cookie pan and bake at 375 for 15 - 20 minutes.  This should leave the bacon browned but chewy and the zucchini with still a little bite to it.  If you want the bacon crisp and the zucchini soft then increase the time.  If you bake them, keep an eye on them because this is just an estimate based on experience with my oven.  Your oven my vary.

This would do well as a side with any protein you choose.  I almost did grilled salmon but changed my mind and pulled pork chops out of the freezer instead. 

Give these a try and let me know what you think.

Uncle T

Pasta with Butternut Squash Cream Sauce

I was pondering what to do with half of a butternut squash I had left and decided to use it with pasta.  After some consideration and an internet search this is what I came up with.

With this recipe, the flavor of the butternut squash and the cheese blend in a rich creamy bit of goodness.  The cheese you use it up to you though a hard cheese like Parmesan or Asiago will do best.  I used Asiago because it was the first one I saw in the cheese drawer of the refrigerator.

Butternut Squash Cream Sauce

3 cups cubed butternut squash
8 oz bacon, cut in 1/2 inch lardons
1 medium onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, sliced
3 - 4 oz Asiago cheese, grated
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 - 3/4 cup heavy cream
6 sage leaves, fresh
1 tsp thyme leave, fresh
salt
pepper
6 - 8 oz dry spaghetti

Cook the pasta according to package direction.  Slowly cook the bacon in a deep skillet until the fat has rendered and it's almost crispy.  Remove the bacon to a bowl.  Add the onion and garlic to the bacon grease and sauté 2 - 3 minutes.  Add the butternut squash and stir then cook 4 - 5 minutes.  Add 1 tsp each of salt and pepper.  Add the white wine, sage leaves, and thyme then stir.  Let the wine cook down then add the chicken broth.  Let it simmer until the chicken broth is reduced by half.  Remove from heat and let cool a bit.  After it has cooled some, transfer to a blender and blend until smooth.  You may need to break it down into smaller batches.  Return to heat and bring to simmer.  Add the heavy cream and stir.  Stir in the grated cheese until melted and well incorporated into the sauce.  Stir in the reserved bacon.  Taste and add more salt if desired.  Once the pasta is finished cooking, add it to the sauce and mix well.  This will serve 3 - 4 people.

I was able to blend in one go since we have the Vitamix.  With the Vitamix running I was able to add the heavy cream followed by the Asiago in small chunks.  I used 4 oz of Asiago and 1/2 cup heavy cream initially.  After tasting, both the good wife and I liked it but I thought it could be a little better.  I added a heavy pinch of salt and another 1/4 cup heavy cream.  That slight change greatly boosted the flavor.

A rich tasty supper

I'd also made fresh bread from a No-knead recipe I've adapted to my own needs.  It is simple and you can make just about any crusty bread with this recipe.

Crusty Bread

3 1/2 cups break flour
13 oz warm water, 110 - 115F
1 1/2 tsp yeast
1 1/2 tsp salt

Put the yeast and salt in a large mixing bowl and pour in the warm water.  Stir and let sit for 5 - 10 minutes.  Add the flour and stir until is makes a soft dough.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the oven with the light on.  Let rise for 90 minutes.  Sprinkle a little flour around the edge of the bowl then use your spoon to push the dough away from the edge of the bowl then roll the dough ball around the bowl.  Dump out on a floured surface and cut into 2 - 3 equal pieces.  Roll each piece into a long rope and place on a parchment paper covered sheet tray.  Repeat for the rest of the dough.  Cover with a towel and let rise for 30 minutes.  After the 2nd rise, make 3 diagonal cuts in the top of each loaf.  Put into 400F oven and bake for 25 - 30 minutes.

This bread is great for soaking up the leftover butternut squash cream sauce.  These two are perfect together.  Give these a try and let me know what you think.

Uncle T

Shrimp and Grits

According to all the history I can find, shrimp and grits was a breakfast meal in the low country.  It was as simple as its name.  While the grits were cooking, someone would head to the docks to buy freshly caught shrimp.  The shrimp would be boiled or cooked in bacon grease and then be served with the grits.  A great combination to get you through the day until supper.


As time went on, people started adding things to improve the flavor.  Eventually, restaurants got into the shrimp and grits game and most every chef will have their own take on the dish.  Today, shrimp and grits is a lunch or supper meal instead of a breakfast meal.  Just like chefs playing with the dish, most people have their own take on it though most are fairly similar.


A word on grits, use real grits for this dish.  The boy called a couple of weeks ago to relay something he'd found in a cook book.  He has inherited from both the good wife and me a love of good cooking and acquiring cook books.  He was looking for a recipe for shrimp and grits and found one in a Southern Living cook book that called for instant grits.  He knew that the proper thing in the grit eating world was regular stone ground grits that take 25 - 30 minutes to cook properly.  Instant and quick grits just don't have the proper flavor, texture, or consistency.


I've seen a few recipes for shrimp and grits that use sausage of some sort but most call for bacon.  Personally, I like using bacon for my shrimp and grits.  I made some Andouille sausage a week ago so I may use some of it for shrimp and grits just to experiment a bit.




Shrimp and Grits


1 lb peeled deveined shrimp, 25 - 30 count
6 slices thick cut bacon
1/2 medium onion, diced small
1/2 bell pepper, diced small
2 - 4 cloves garlic, minced
salt
pepper
cumin
cayenne
2 cups stone ground grits
2 cups water
2 cups whole milk
4 oz sharp cheddar cheese, grated
butter
white wine


For the grits, in a large pot combine the water, milk, and about a tablespoon of salt.  Turn heat to medium to medium-high and bring to a boil.  Slowly add the grits stirring constantly to avoid clumps.  Once the grits are fully stirred in bring the pot down to a simmer and put the lid on.  Stir every 3 - 5 minutes until the grits are tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed.  This can take from 20 - 30 minutes.  Once the grits are done, stir in the grated cheddar cheese a bit at a time for easier melting.


The shrimp can be done either with the tails or without.  Season them with salt, pepper, cumin, and cayenne according to your taste and let them sit while the bacon is cooking.  I go a bit light on the cumin and cayenne since I just want a hint of the flavors for the sauce.


In a large skillet, brown the bacon without getting it crispy.  Remove it from the skillet and let cool.  Once cool, chop it into small pieces.  Using the grease rendered from the bacon cook the onions, pepper, and garlic until they are soft and the onion is translucent.  Add the shrimp to the onion and pepper mixture, make sure they are in a single layer to cook uniformly.  Turn the shrimp when they are halfway done and add the bacon back to the skillet.  Add 2 - 3 Tbs of butter to the skillet and let melt then toss or stir to mix the butter in well.  Add about a 1/2 cup of white wine, I use the two glug method, and stir in.  Let the whole mixture simmer until it reduces to a nice sauce.  The sauce won't be thick but it will coat the back of a spoon good.  This should happen about the time the shrimp are done.


Spoon grits into a bowl.  Spoon some of the shrimp onto the grits and then add some of the sauce.  This should serve 4 people.  You can either pile the shrimp in the middle of the grits or line the edge of the bowl with them.  It just depends on the type of presentation you prefer.

A tasty bowl of shrimp and grits

Now, let me tell you how I don't follow my recipe.  I generally slice my bacon before I cook it.  I pull the slices from the package in a solid piece then slice it about 1/4 inch wide sections.  I put the sections in the skillet cut side down.  Once the bacon has been cooking for a bit, I mash the sections with my tongs and the individual pieces separate nicely.  I find I can get a more even color and doneness than doing whole slices.  I also use a bit of shrimp broth to cook my grits.  Whenever we have shrimp, the shell and tails get put in a bag in the freezer.  When I want shrimp and grits or gumbo, I dump the shrimp parts in the pressure cooker, cover them with water, and 30 minutes later I have some wonderfully shrimp broth.  For shrimp and grits, I substitute 1 cup of shrimp broth for 1 cup water.  I just want the hint of shrimp in the grits.  Another thing you can do, especially if you want a bit more bite to your grits is use some buttermilk in place of whole milk.  I tend to reserve this for when I'm short on sharp cheddar and don't want to run to the store to get more.  I also generally use 2 or 3 of the small sweet peppers that come in a mixed bag of yellow, orange, and red.  I have these on hand most times and I like the color variation.  I'll also pull some onions from the garden and use both the white and green part.


A variation I have used is to use some of my Sriracha bacon.  Since the Sriracha flavor is not really pronounced in my bacon I added a squirt of Sriracha to the skillet while I was building the sauce.  It turned out really nice and flavorful.


This is a rather simple recipe and a dish that lends itself to experimentation.  The only hard part is finding the patience to make a good pot of grits.  An old school Southerner won't consider it difficult to properly cook grits because that's what we grew up with.  If you want to know how seriously the South takes their grits, review the movie My Cousin Vinny.  Here's a quote from the movie, "No self-respectin' Southerner uses instant grits. I take pride in my grits."


So, give this recipe a try and let me know how you like shrimp and grits.


Uncle T

Smoked Bacon Chipotle Deviled Eggs



I know you're probably thinking I've gone off the deep end with smoking deviled eggs.  Well, if you give them a try I think you'll be sold on the idea and the flavor.  I think even regular deviled eggs would benefit from having the egg whites smoked a bit.

Hardboiled egg whites ready for the smoke

I got the idea from a post on Facebook in a group I belong to called Grill Beast VIP.  The fellow that did it posted a video and his final result looked good.  I've never met Rob except through his videos and pictures of his cooks.  We've also had some back and forth in the group.  I'd say he's a pretty good griller/smoker and seems like a good guy to have as a neighbor.  Here is his video:  Rob Tuffy's Hickory Smoked Bacon Chipotle Deviled Eggs

Egg whites in the smoke


Naturally, I had to do it a bit different mostly due to ingredients on hand versus what he used.  He used chipotle mayonnaise and I didn't feel like going to the store.  So I used regular mayonnaise and some of my homemade chipotle powder.  I think I got more kick in mine that way.

Out of the smoke and ready to fill

We were going to take some deviled eggs when we went to visit our granddaughter.  We had plenty of eggs of the right age so the good wife and I each made a  batch.  We ended up taking half of each to the kids and we kept the other half for our own consumption.  The boy was at work when we got there and his wife scarfed down two of the chipotle deviled eggs right quick.  Then when the boy got home they pretty well finished them up.  So much for making them last.  The regular deviled eggs didn't last very long either.  Yes, the boy has a thing for deviled eggs.

Freshly made smoked bacon chipotle deviled eggs

I will say one thing about the eggs.  Older eggs are preferred because they are easier to peel after being hard boiled.  

Smoked Bacon Chipotle Deviled Eggs

6 large eggs, hard boiled

6-8 slices of bacon, fried crispy

Chipotle Mayonnaise

Chipotle powder, optional

Smoked Paprika, optional

salt, optional

After peeling, slice the eggs in half and put the yolks in a bowl.  Put the whites on a smoker using wood with a light flavored smoke like a fruit wood, you can use a grill set up for indirect cooking.  Smoke to desired level and let cool.  Mash the yolks and add the chipotle mayonnaise until you get a good consistency.  Crumble up the bacon and add most to the yolk mixture keeping some to top the eggs with.  Stir the bacon into the mixture.  Taste and add salt if necessary.  Stuff the smoked egg whites with the yolk mixture.  Garnish the top with the reserved bacon crumbles and chipotle powder or paprika if desired.  Serve immediately or chill and serve.

Smoked bacon chipotle deviled eggs and regular deviled eggs

I used Crepe Myrtle wood for the smoke since it has a nice floral note.  I will let the egg whites stay in the smoke a bit longer next time or use a wood with a stronger smoke.  I think the smoke flavor could have been a bit more pronounced without detracting from the overall flavor and I think a darker egg white would have been more visually striking.  These were crazy good and I think there are other flavor combinations that would do well with a smoked deviled egg.

Give these deviled eggs a go and see for yourself.  I think you'll like them.  Let me know what you think.

Update:  I made another batch using hickory wood for smoke and did a full dozen eggs.  I used most of a pound of bacon and had a couple of slices leftover.  The hickory definitely gave a more pronounced smoke flavor and color.

Hickory smoked bacon chipotle deviled eggs

You really need to give these a try.

Uncle T



Bacon Cheese Burger Noodle Soup

The weather turned pretty cold the other day and the good wife wanted soup to combat the chill.  That got me to thinking about what I had on hand to make soup with since I didn't feel like getting back out to go to the store.  I was able to make this with stuff already in the pantry since they are all staples for us.

Ground beef and onions

Now, I know cheese burger soup is a thing and has been around for quite some time.  The good wife has made it a few times from a recipe she found in a Taste of Home magazine.  While these are good, they all seem to rather thick and heavy.  I also question what kind of cheese burger has carrots and other vegetables like many of these recipes.  When you look online, many of the recipes describe the soup as luxurious, creamy, or rich so you know they'll be thick and heavy.  What I came up with is lighter feeling but still quite filling.


Bacon Cheese Burger Soup


1 lb ground beef
8 oz sliced bacon
1 medium white onion, diced
8 oz elbow macaroni
32-48 oz chicken broth
4 oz Velveeta, cubed
1/2 cup shredded Fontina cheese
3/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
3 Tbs butter
3 Tbs flour
3/4 cup milk
salt
pepper
garlic powder


Cut the bacon slices into 1/2 inch wide pieces and heat in a skillet until almost crispy.  Remove the bacon from the skillet and pour the bacon grease into your grease pot for future use.  Put the skillet back on the stove and add the ground beef.  Season the ground beef with the salt, pepper, and garlic powder as you would a hamburger.  As the ground beef browns, break it up and add the onion.  Once the ground beef and onion are done remove from heat.  In a stock pot, melt the butter and add the flour and stir.  Once the butter and flour come together to make a light roux, add about 3/4 cup of chicken broth to hydrate the flour, stirring well to keep smooth.  Once the broth is absorbed, add the milk and stir to combine.  Add the Velveeta cubes to the béchamel sauce to start melting.  Once the Velveeta is mostly melted, start adding the Fontina and Cheddar and continue stirring until all the cheeses are melted and the mixture is smooth.  Add the rest of the chicken broth, at least enough to total 32 ounces and mix well.  Add the ground beef and onion mixture as well as the bacon and stir to mix well.  Cook the elbow macaroni and add the drained noodles to the stock pot and stir.  If you want the soup a bit thinner, add up to another 16 ounces of chicken broth.  Taste and add seasoning if desired.  Let the completed soup simmer for 30 minutes to help meld the flavors and stir occasionally.  Serves 4-6 people.  To further evoke the cheese burger theme, you could garnish the soup with chopped dill pickles.

A pot of cheesy goodness

I used the full 48 ounces of chicken broth.  If I'd had beef broth I may have tried it but I think the chicken broth is a better choice since it is rather mild flavored and lets the main ingredients shine.  For the seasoning of the ground beef, I used a personal ready made blend of the three seasonings that I call GPS.   I used to just call it grill seasoning until I saw the BBQ Pit Boys on YouTube and they have their own blend they call SPG.  I like putting them in alphabetical order.  I used the GPS generously on the ground beef while it was browning since it had the onion with it and didn't need to add anything at the end.

A good bowl of Bacon Cheese Burger Noodle Soup

As a note, I had lots of egg whites left from another recipe and had scrambled them for a treat for the dogs.  The good wife likes eggs in any form and was snatching bites out of the skillet.  Since the leftover soup wouldn't fit in one container we split the little remaining in the pot.  The good wife wanted scrambled egg whites put on top of hers.  She convinced me to do the same and I must say it was pretty tasty.  I'm not saying make eggs to add to the soup, but don't be afraid to garnish the soup with what you have on hand or what might suit your fancy.


Give this soup a try.  Like any soup, it gets better with age so enjoy the leftovers.  Let me know what you think.


Uncle T

Ultimate Grilled Chicken Breast

OK, I don't know that these are the Ultimate, but they are pretty tasty.  Ultimate is one of those words that get thrown around in the culinary world till they have no meaning.  It is in the same realm as the phrase, cooked to perfection.  This habit is particularly prominent among TV chefs and those hoping to be.  My question is always, "If it's not cooked to perfection, why would you send it out to a customer?"  One TV chef even has Ultimate in his show's name which to me sounds like he thinks his version of dishes is the ultimate version.  I've watched his show and have not always been impressed, especially when he screws with traditional dishes.  Now that my mini rant is over, on with the more serious stuff.

Cheesy, peppery goodness

A more proper name for this would be Grilled Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Chicken Breast.  I know some will say that adding bacon to it makes it ultimate.  I'll agree that adding bacon to most anything makes it awesome.  I decided to do this for a couple of reasons.  One is to use up things we've canned from the garden.  The other reason is that due to weather and other issues popping up, I haven't been able to use the grill or smoker as often as I'd like.  Yes, I grill/smoke year round but combining wind and rain makes temperature control difficult and I hate my grilled/smoked food getting rained on as I'm  taking it inside.

The raw ingredients for greatness

The beauty of doing chicken breasts this way is that you can easily tailor it to suit your tastes or what you have on hand.  I'll tell you how I did it and then you can follow suit or use it as a guideline to do your own thing.


Ultimate Grilled Chicken Breast


2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 oz jar poblano peppers
Fontina cheese
Swiss cheese
bacon


Cut a pocket in each chicken breast by slicing down the middle of the breast without going all the way through and stopping 1 inch from each end.  Then cut a pocket in each side trying to get the top and bottom to be the same thickness.  Divide the poblano peppers between the breasts and place evenly in the pockets.  Add as much of the two cheeses as you can to each breast and still close the pocket.  Starting at the large end, start wrapping the breast with bacon.  Once completed, let the bacon wrapped breasts sit on a tray until the grill is ready.  Place on a hot grill with the cut side down.  Once the bacon has cooked and is done turn the breasts over to complete cooking.  Once the chicken is done, remove from grill and allow to stand for a few minutes before serving.

Goodness on the grill

To accompany the chicken breasts, I fixed Parmesan roasted potatoes and sautéed carrots with a brandy and butter sauce.  It was a highly flavorful meal.  Luckily, I made enough potatoes for leftovers and an extra chicken breast to take to work for my lunch the next day.  Where is it written that a work lunch has to be boring?

An awesome supper

A quick word on the carrots.  They were sauteed in butter with 4 smashed cloves of garlic and and 3 thin slices of ginger.  Once they were almost done, a couple of ounces of brandy was added to the skillet and cooked down to make the pan sauce.  Finish it with a light pinch of kosher salt.

 See, a quick simple way to make grilled chicken much more flavorful.  Give this a try and create your own ultimate.  Let me know how it turns out.


Uncle T

Tomato Pie

I wrote about tomato pie early on but since I have better pictures and tomato pie is so good I figured it should have a post all its own.

A nice slice of Tomato Pie

I made the first one of the season a week ago.  It dawned on me during my early morning ride into work that tomato pie was something we'd not had yet this year.  It's amazing what you think about early in the morning while riding a motorcycle.  Luckily, I had some pie dough in the freezer from a previous pastry dish.

Tomato pie is something that is good served hot or cold.  It can also be served by itself as a light lunch.  You can't beat a good tomato pie.  So, without further ado, into the recipe.

Tomato Pie

3 - 4 ripe tomatoes
6 - 8 slices bacon
1 medium onion, diced
9 inch pie crust
2 1/2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Mayonnaise
salt
pepper
Basil

Slice tomatoes 1/4 inch thick.   Spread on a rack in a single layer and sprinkle with kosher salt.  Allow to drain the juices for at least 20 minutes, longer is acceptable.

Salted tomatoes draining on a rack.

Slice bacon into 1/4 inch pieces and fry until crispy.  Once done transfer to a paper towel to drain.

For the topping, put the 2 cups of Mozzarella and 1 cup of Parmesan cheese in a bowl.  Add pepper to taste.  Add mayonnaise until you have a slightly spreadable mix.

Blind bake the pie crust at 450F for 15 minutes.  Once the crust is lightly browned you are ready to assemble the pie.

To assemble the pie, spread 1/2 cup of shredded Mozzarella in the bottom of the crust.  Spread a layer of tomatoes, overlapping to cover the entire bottom of the pie.  Sprinkle half the bacon and half the onion on top of the tomatoes.  Add some Basil evenly over the layer.  Repeat with the next layers.  Add the topping in an even layer then bake at 450F for 15 - 20 minutes or until the topping is browned to your satisfaction.

Tomato Pie fresh from the oven

If you don't have fresh Basil, a good option is to sprinkle Italian seasoning on the pie in its place.  Heck, use whatever herbs you think would suit your fancy.

Tomato Pie with green tomato relish chicken and smashed roasted potatoes

 Tomato pie is well worth the time it takes to make it.  Make it and amaze your friends.  If you like tomatoes I'm certain you'll love tomato pie.  It goes with any meal or it can be a like meal in itself.

Let me know how you like it.

Uncle T

Sriracha Tater Tot Bombs

For the past few months I've been seeing Tater Tot Bombs popping up all over the internet.  Everybody that writes about them tells how their family raves about them.  Every single recipe I've seen has been the same.  Each one is tater tots, bacon, cheddar cheese, and brown sugar.  OK, given both my career and hobby I've been involved in the culinary world for 26 years I understand the whole sweet and savory combination.  However, I don't believe you need to make that combination with everything that comes along.

Everything in place ready to roll

I'll admit that the most likely reason I don't completely buy off on the sweet and savory thing is that we don't eat many sweet things.  Then again, I tend to do things my way in the kitchen and sometimes disregard the accepted culinary dogma.  Besides, as I've said before, a recipe is a suggestion or just a shopping list.

Rolled up and ready to cook/smoke

Most days around 1700, the good wife and I will get something cold to drink and sit on the patio and talk or just watch the dogs do what they do.  This is usually the time I'll finalize plans for supper as far as sides go.  Since the good wife was on the phone with her sister and we were going to have leftover pizza for supper, I decided to do a small batch as hors d'oeuvres.  It was to be a time for experimentation.

Sriracha Tater Tot Bombs hot from the oven

I had some Smithfield Hometown Original bacon on hand that I decided to use.  I also had a small piece of Colby Jack cheese that needed to be used up so I used that instead of opening the cheddar.  Naturally the Sriracha sauce was in the cabinet so it had to be used.  The result was spicy bacony potato goodness.


Sriracha Tater Tot Bombs


tater tots, room temperature
bacon
cheddar or Colby Jack cheese
Sriracha sauce


Cut the cheese in 1/4 inch thick slices the length and width of the tater tots.  Cut bacon slices in half or thirds.  Run a line of Sriracha sauce down the center of each piece of bacon leaving a half inch bare at each end.  Place a piece of cheese and a tater tot in the center of the bacon slice.  Fold one end over the cheese and tot then roll to the end.  Place on a baking sheet seam side down.  Repeat until you have made all you want.  Bake in a 400F oven for 15 minutes.  Turn the tots over and return to the oven for another 10 minutes.  Serve hot.


I started with cutting the bacon slice in thirds but I had to stretch it too much to get any overlap.  A half slice works much better.  Since Colby Jack is a softer cheese than cheddar a bit more oozed out during the cooking than I thought would.  There was still plenty that cooked into the crevasses of the tater tots.  I only made 8 of these for each of us.  If you are going to be making a large batch for several people you should enlist help and make it group effort.
In between the time I started writing this and now, I made these again but with a twist.  The twist is that I smoked them instead of baking them in the oven.  I also used cheddar cheese on these.  I just used a couple of chunks of smoking wood that were laying around.  I'm not certain what they were but I believe they were cherry wood.  Use the smoking wood you prefer.  These weren't as crispy as the oven baked ones but if we hadn't been quite so hungry I'd have moved them to direct heat and crisped them up a bit.  If you're a fan of smoked foods then this is the way to go.  It only took 30 - 45 minutes  to get these smoked.

Smoked Sriracha Tater Tot Bombs ready to eat

If you want something a bit different with a kick then these are just the ticket.  If you want, try the Sriracha sauce with the version where they are rolled in brown sugar.  Heck, even I may give that a try someday.


Give these a try and let me know what you think.


Uncle T

Grilled Octopus and Asparagus

The same day we got the squid mentioned here, 1 May post, we also got an octopus.  It's been a bit since we've done octopus so given the price it was too hard to resist.  The last octopus I finished in the skillet so I decided this one would be finished on the grill

I know, octopus has an ick factor for a lot of people in the US.  The  trouble is two-fold, octopus is not in the usual realm of seafood and too many Americans are just too squeamish when it comes to anything other than beef, pork, or chicken.

1.5 lb Octopus waiting for the water to boil

Part of the problem is that octopus done wrong is incredibly chewy.  I mean like chewing a rubber band chewy.  The same problems afflict squid.  I don't mind though, that means more squid and octopus for us at better prices.  I prefer an octopus in the 1.5 lb to 2 lb range for a meal for the good wife and me.


The octopus just needs to be simmered for a bit to tenderize it prior to finishing it in the manner you prefer.  This is also a good time to add some flavor to the octopus.  To do this you just add some aromatics to the pot as you bring the liquid up to a boil.  I use water for this though I know some folks use wine or a wine and water mix.  It's up to you.  The aromatics I use generally vary by what I have on hand at the time.  That means the recipe can be changed to suit what you have available.


Grilled Octopus


1 octopus for every two people
2 sweet peppers, cut in half
3 large cloves garlic, slightly crushed
1 Tbs salt
1.5 Tbs black peppercorns
1.5 Tbs juniper berries
2 cinnamon sticks
1 medium onion, quartered
water
olive oil


The octopus should come already cleaned unless you are buying at the dock.  Remove the beak if it hasn't been done.  Put enough water in a large pot to just cover the octopus.  Add all the other ingredients except for the olive oil and bring to a boil.  Once it has come to a boil, dip the octopus tentacles in the boiling water three times.  Keep the tentacles in the water for a few seconds each time you dip it.  This will ensure the tentacles curl up nicely.  After the third dip, if the tentacles are curled to your satisfaction, put the whole octopus in the boiling water.  Cover and reduce to a simmer.  Simmer the octopus until a sharp knife can penetrate the octopus fairly easily.  This is usually 60 - 90 minutes.  Once the octopus is to this point, remove it from the pot and set on a plate.  After the octopus is on the plate it's time to fire up the grill.  Get the grill good and hot.  Once the grill is hot, drizzle some olive oil on the octopus and place it on the grill.  Grill on one side for 5 - 10 minutes then turn the octopus over.  Grill for another 5 - 10 minutes.  Remove the octopus from the grill and cut in half.  Serve and enjoy.

Just off the grill

The wide range in grill time is so you can do it to suit your tastes.  The longer it is on the grill the more crispy bits there will be to add another bit of texture.


We had an asparagus dish to accompany the octopus.  I came up with this after having asparagus wrapped in prosciutto.  While I like prosciutto, it was not always readily available in some of the locations the Army had me stationed.  Enter the bacon.  Yes, I know the two are nothing alike.  Remember, I'm from small town South so bacon or bacon grease is in lots of different foods.  This is one of our favorite ways to eat asparagus though we don't do it all the time.  It is a great dish though.  I typically call it Transcendent Asparagus it is so good.


Transcendent Asparagus


1 lb asparagus
1 lb bacon
shredded mozzarella cheese


Prepare the asparagus by cutting off the tough bottom part.  Depending on the size of your asparagus divide it into bundles of 2 - 3 spears.  Wrap each bundle in bacon, using either a half slice or a whole slice.  Place the completed bundle in a baking pan and continue until all the bundles are wrapped.  Sprinkle a heavy layer of the shredded mozzarella on top of the bacon.  Put into a 400F oven for 20 minutes.  You can go shorter or longer depending on how dark you want the cheese to get.  Serve and enjoy.  3 or 4 bundles make a good side dish and this can serve 4 at that rate. 

All wrapped up and ready for cheese

A word of warning, if  you use whole slices of bacon you'll end up with quite a bit of bacon grease in the pan.  If you don't want to mess with the bacon grease in the pan you could partially cook the bacon prior to wrapping around the asparagus.  Using a half slice will yield less bacon grease but still be enough to cook the flavor into the asparagus.

Bacon wrapped Asparagus with Mozzarella Cheese ready for the oven

See, we match the unusual menu choices with things that are familiar.  This is the way most likely to get someone to try something different.  We had leftover sprouted rice and quinoa also which was a nice combo with the octopus and asparagus.  Roasted potatoes also go well with this meal instead of the grains if you prefer.

A fine supper

Give one or both of these a try.  I think you'll like them.  If you try them let me know what you think.


Uncle T

Smoked Leg of Lamb with Brussels Sprout and Kale Salad

Easter was this past weekend and for the first time in many years, the boy was able to be with us.  He drove down early Sunday morning and brought the grandpups.  We went to church and came home for a big Easter dinner.  We had a good visit before they returned home.


When talking about Easter weekend a few weeks back, the good wife stated that she'd like to have lamb.  I had picked up a boneless leg of lamb on sale a while back so I just had to pull it from the freezer.  Normally, when I do lamb I leave the boneless leg open and grill it though I have been known to put some mint leaves and feta cheese on it and roll it back up to grill.  Grilling like this is fairly quick and yields good results but I wanted to smoke it.


I prepped the lamb after breakfast before I got dressed for church.  I cut off the netting and opened the leg and did a bit of trimming.  This meant cutting out some large chunks of fat and trimming some silver skin off one of the muscles.  After it was trimmed to my satisfaction, I poured olive oil on it and rubbed it all over then seasoned it with Uncle T's spice mix #2.  I then rolled it up tightly and tied it in place.  Once it was tied I repeated the oiling and seasoning.  The lamb ended up resting with seasoning blend on for about 3 hours before going into the smoker.

Boneless Leg of Lamb Fresh From the Smoker

Smoking the lamb was done in the Weber kettle grill rather than the Weber smoker because it was raining and it was easier to set up the grill for indirect cooking/smoking and to manage it than getting the smoker up and running would be.  The lamb was smoked with a combination of rosemary branches and cherry wood.  I pulled it when it reached 125F internal and let carry over finish it while the rest of the meal was completed.  You can't beat medium rare lamb.

Smoked Leg of Lamb

I also made a variant of the Brussels sprout salad I'd made on the good wife's birthday.  For this salad I used kale from the garden and store bought Brussels sprouts.  Everything else was the same.  Texture wise it was a bit chewier thanks to the kale.  There was also just a slightly noticeable difference between using store bought Brussels sprouts versus fresh from the garden.  It was still an excellent salad though.

Brussels Sprout and Kale Salad

The good wife also wanted asparagus with the meal so naturally I made it happen.  The asparagus was cut into pieces, about 2 inches, then put in the skillet used to cook the bacon for the salad.  There was only about 1 Tbs of bacon grease plus the brown bits from frying the bacon.  Once the asparagus was cooked I sprinkled on some grated parmesan cheese and tossed it.  Once the parmesan browned a bit some more was sprinkled on top and it was removed from the heat.

My Plate

We also had parmesan roasted potatoes and the good wife made deviled eggs and a plate of pickled okra and pickled beets.   Both the okra and beets came from our garden and the good wife canned them.  I didn't think to take pictures until most of the eggs were gone so I failed to document the good wife's handiwork.


For some reason, most Americans seem resistant to trying lamb.  If you are one of those people, I urge you to give it a try.  You can find boneless leg of lamb at many stores at prices comparable to beef prices.  Just remove most of the fat since lamb fat doesn't get melty and tasty like beef or pork fat.  Lamb fat also has a high melting point so it will get hard and coat your mouth at a temperature at which beef or pork would still be soft and flavorful.  So, trim the fat then season the lamb and smoke it.  I'm sure you'll be pleased with the taste.


I hope you'll give lamb a try along with these other dishes.  It's spring so asparagus is cheap again, get some and enjoy.  If you try the lamb or the salad, let me know what you think.  Remember, have fun in the kitchen.


Uncle T

Kolbasz, Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Mushrooms, and Roasted Beets and Carrots

I've detailed how I like to make my own sausages and cured meats.  Of course making them means I get to eat them.  While I try not to, I still end up sticking with a couple of tried and true combinations for meals to utilize them.  When I get to pair a sausage I made with something that came from our garden then things are even better.


This past fall was the second time I'd tried my hand at raising Brussels sprouts.  We finally got some this spring.  I think the key, at least in our area, is to plant them in the fall and hope they over winter well.  Since we had a very mild winter this year the Brussels sprouts did well.  The first picking yielded 18 lovely sprouts.  I already knew I would be making Brussels sprouts with bacon and mushrooms but I hadn't decided on anything else.

Brussels sprouts fresh from the garden

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Mushrooms


18 Brussels sprouts
1/2 lb bacon, cut in 1/2 inch lardon
8 oz sliced mushrooms
salt
pepper


Trim the Brussels sprouts and slice in half.  Steam until almost done, about 3 minutes.  Fry bacon in skillet until desired doneness and remove from skillet.  Use bacon grease to cook the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper.  When the mushrooms are halfway done, add the Brussels sprouts to the skillet cut side down.  Cook until the mushrooms are done and the cut side of the sprouts has gotten some color.  Add the bacon back to the skillet and stir/shake to get everything combined.  Leave on the heat long enough to reheat the bacon.  Serve and enjoy.

Kolbasz, Brussels sprouts with bacon and mushrooms, and roasted beets and carrots

As fate would have it, we were in a small local shop that usually has a table near the checkout full of wines that are only $7.50 that we usually take a look at.  For a good cooking wine or just an every day table wine you don't have to get a high priced wine.  Save the high priced stuff for special occasions.  One  of the wines was a Hungarian red wine with the name Bull's Blood.  The name intrigued me so I had a look at the label.  It said it was good with grilled meats and spicy foods.  A light went off as I thought about the kolbasz I had made a few weeks ago.  Surely a Hungarian wine would go well with a Hungarian style sausage.  That settled the protein part of the meal to go with the Brussels sprouts.


Roasted beets was something I'd been wanting to try so this seemed like a good opportunity.  The good wife has liked beets as long as I've known her, whether they were canned or pickled.  I'd never cared for them.  I started growing them because she wanted them for making pickled beets.  I'm a fan of the home canned beets.  I'd also sliced beets and grilled them with good results.  I just hadn't oven roasted any.  This past fall I'd planted a mix of seeds to try different varieties, alas, they didn't produce as well as the Detroit Reds had.  That said, I did have a golden beet and a red and white beet that had gotten to a decent size.  I used them to try roasted beets and added some carrots from the store as we'd finished the ones we'd grown.


Roasted Beets and Carrots


2 - 3 beets
2 - 3 medium carrots
olive oil
salt
pepper


Cut the beets and carrots into cubes of the same size.  Put in bowl and toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Put on baking sheet and put in 425F oven for 20 minutes.  Remove from oven and toss then return to oven for another 15 minutes.  The beets and carrots should be tender and slightly caramelized.


I put a small rack on the baking sheet and put the kolbasz in with the beets and carrots for the last 15 minutes.  This reheated the kolbasz and crisped the casing up nicely.  Not surprising at all is the fact that a Hungarian red wine paired well with a Hungarian style sausage.\


I hope you try at least one of these at some point.  They are all easily done and quite tasty.  Let me know what you think of them.


Uncle T

Shoulder Bacon

I've had people ask me personally and I've seen the question asked online; why make your own bacon?  That is usually followed by the comment that it is available in seemingly infinite varieties at the grocery store.  It comes down to two reasons, I like making my own stuff and taste.


I started learning how to process an animal some time after I killed my first deer.  I took it to a local meat processor and paid to have it done.  The cost back then was far less than it is now even taking inflation into account.  However, I wasn't pleased with the packaging, how it was cut, and overall workmanship.  The workmanship part was the fact that they hadn't scraped the bone dust off the various cuts.


Fast forward a few  years and I'm an Army Food Inspector trained in conducting red meat inspections to ensure contractual compliance with USDA guidelines.  Part of that training was attending a red meats course that was conducted at the Veterinary Services schoolhouse at Fort Sam Houston.  The main instructor for that class was the head of the Standardization Branch of the USDA.  The course taught us the proper names of the important muscles, the landmarks for dividing the carcass, and how to go from a hanging carcass to retail cuts of meat.


A natural outgrowth was making sausage out of what I killed.  After all, I do use as much as possible of each animal.  Mostly I made bulk sausage for breakfast.  Making other types will be the subject of a separate post.

Shoulder bacon fresh from the smoker

After I retired from the Army and had settled down I got interested in charcuterie.  One of the best references I have found for that is Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing by Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn.  It has clear explanations of the techniques and reasons behind each type of charcuterie and excellent recipes of many types.  I use the basic bacon cure as found in their book.

I found out a few weeks back that my source for pork bellies was no longer carrying individual bellies and I don't have room for a case of bellies.  Since I was about out of bacon I had to resort to what I had done in the past, use pork shoulder butts.  I bought boneless butts since they were on sale and cheaper than the bone-in butts.  The downside was the plant workers are a little less careful than I'd be removing the blade bone.  I was only able to get one good slab from each butt though I was left with 17 lbs of pork to use to make sausage.

Shoulder with cure and Sriracha sauce applied, ready for the refrigerator

Shoulder with cure applied, ready for the refrigerator

Now comes an experimental part of this production.  After I'd weighed out the cure and rubbed into the smallest slab and had it in the vacuum bag ready to seal I had an idea.  I put about a 1/2 cup of sriracha sauce on each side to help flavor the meat while it cured.  I let it cure for a week and it was ready to smoke.  The bacon was rinsed after pulling out of the cure as usual and dried.  I even rinsed the sriracha bacon because I didn't want the surface to be too salty or the sauce to burn while smoking.  The bacon was smoked using cherry wood to an internal temperature of 150F.  After I brought it in, I rubbed a thin coat of sriracha sauce on each side.  Once that dried I rubbed on a second coat.  Once the second coat dried it was wrapped and put in the refrigerator to chill for a few days.

Sriracha bacon on the slicer

A couple of mangled slices were fried up after all the bacon was sliced.  I will say the sriracha bacon is a keeper.  You don't get much heat but the sriracha flavor comes through with just a hint of heat that builds as you eat more.  After eating her sample, the good wife wanted to know why I hadn't done this before.

Sliced shoulder bacon

As a disclaimer, I'll add that adding sriracha to bacon is not original with me.  I first saw it in commercial bacon when we were visiting our son when he lived in Kansas City.  That bacon looked like they'd just squirted some sriracha sauce on top of the sliced bacon before they sealed the package.

I vacuum seal my bacon to hold the cure close to the meat.  This is not necessary to make bacon at home.  All you need is a Ziploc bag and a pan to put it in.  The difference is that with the Ziploc bag you'll need to flip the bacon daily to ensure good contact with the cure and resulting brine.  If you don't have a smoker you can either add a bit of liquid smoke to it as it cures or forego the smoke and just cook it low and slow in the oven until it reaches 150F.  If you have a grill, you can set it up for indirect cooking and use it as a smoker.  I've done that many times.  There are some good videos on Youtube showing you how to make your grill a smoker.

Give making your own bacon a try.  You'll be amazed at the difference in flavor.  Plus, you can experiment with different flavor combinations to suit your tastes.  If you make it, let me know how it came out.

Uncle T 

Canary Bean and Mussel Soup

A few days ago I wrote about getting mussels in a 10 lb bag in the post about Spicy Seafood Stew.  After I made that stew I still had 5 lbs of mussels in the refrigerator.  Being a frugal sort, I decided to go ahead and steam the remaining mussels in a pot with more white wine lest any go bad while I was deciding how to use them.  They were steamed using the method discussed here, Mussels in White Wine


After the mussels were steamed, I picked the meat from the shells and stored them in the wine broth for later use.  The wine and mussel liquor came to a little over 2 cups.


As for using the canary beans, I found them at our favorite ethnic grocery store, Grand Mart.  I was on the side of the store that is primarily foods from Hispanic regions and saw a good selection of dried beans.  Since the pressure cooker makes quick work of dried beans, I decided to see if there were some we hadn't tried before.  That's how I came to have canary beans at the house.


Of course with cold weather soup seemed to be a natural choice.  Having the primary ingredients on hand it was just a matter of deciding on additions to help flavor the soup.  This soup is the result.


Canary Bean and Mussel Soup


1 1/2 cup dried canary beans
meat from 5 lbs of mussels, steamed
4 - 6 oz bacon, diced
1 medium onion, finely minced
2 cups white wine broth from steaming mussels
2 cups water
2 - 3 bay leaves


Put dried beans in pressure cooker with the diced bacon and minced onion.  Pour in the white wine broth and water and stir.  Add the bay leaves and stir.  Put the lid on the pressure cooker and set timer to cook 40 minutes under pressure.  Allow pressure to naturally release.  Stir in mussels and let set until the mussels come up to the temperature of the soup.  Taste broth and add salt and pepper if desired.  Serve with hot crusty bread.  Makes 4 servings.




Canary bean and mussel soup

Cooking the canary beans with the pressure cooker for 40 minutes left them with a firm texture.  Next time I may add a few minutes to get the beans a bit softer.  They weren't under done they were just a bit firmer than we usually eat.  They were a nice contrast to the soft texture of the mussels.


If you don't have a pressure cooker then soak the beans over night and make the soup in a slow cooker.


For the bread I used the same recipe referenced in the link above with the same changes.  The changes are after proofing and bake time.  After proofing divide the dough in half and roll into long loaves.  Use the same time for the second proofing.  Bake at the same temp but only for 25 - 30 minutes.


We finished this soup last night.  It reheated well and as usual the flavors melded to make the soup better the second time.  A slow reheat also kept the mussels from getting tough.


Give this soup a try as a way to get more beans into your diet, not to mention an excellent use for mussels.  I think you'll like this soup.  If you fix it, let me know how you liked it.


Uncle T

Bacon and Egg Muffins

Thanks to some bad winter weather leaving us with icy streets, and knowing the quality of bad weather drivers around here, we decided to stay home from church this past Sunday.  Since we've been seeing egg muffins online for a while now the good wife suggested I make them for breakfast.  It seemed like a good idea so that is what I did. 


Even though we'd seen these online, I'd not looked at any recipes because you can figure things out from a picture sometimes.  After I made mine I started looking around and found I did things a bit differently from most.  Oh well, I wouldn't be Uncle T if I didn't. 

Bacon and Egg Muffins with hot toast

Bacon and Egg Muffins


9 slices Bacon
6 Eggs
Milk
Cheese
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Powder


Spray muffin pan with non-stick spray.  Cut bacon in half and lay in muffin cups in a cross.  Add a healthy pinch of shredded cheese on top of the bacon.  Crack eggs into 2 cup measuring cup and stir to scramble.  Add a bit of milk, then salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste.  Stir the egg mixture then pour into the muffin cups until almost full.  Once the egg mixture settles through the cheese top the cups off with the last of the egg mixture.  Bake in a 350F oven for 20 - 25 minutes until the desired degree of doneness.


I used 9 slices of bacon to make the 9 Bacon and Egg Muffins because that is what I had in the refrigerator.  If I'd been able to make a full dozen muffins it would have taken 8 eggs.  The muffin pan we have makes smaller muffins so the number of eggs is dependent on the size of the muffin cups on your pan.


I do think my version is a bit simpler.  Almost all the recipes I found had you mixing the cheese in with the eggs and trying to scoop the mixture into the cups.  I think pouring the egg in is a much neater way to do it.


If you want to cut down on the fat a little bit, you can cook the bacon on a sheet tray for about 5 minutes then blot off the rendered grease before you cut them.

We decided they look like Bacon and Egg flowers

These muffins are basically a cheese omelet wrapped in bacon.  The good wife and I got to talking about variations and came to the conclusion that the sky is the limit.  If you have several people you are cooking for everyone could individualize their muffins.  You'd just have to keep track of which muffins when to which person.  One idea we really liked was putting a thawed tater tot in the bottom with the cheese and having it turn out like a mini breakfast casserole.  Some of our ideas would obviously work better in a muffin pan with larger cups than our pan.


The good wife ate one of the leftover muffins yesterday for breakfast and made it to late afternoon before she started feeling hungry.  She said it reheated well and tasted just as good on the second day.  That means you could make a bunch on the weekend and have a quick breakfast ready to go for the rest of the week.


Give these a try the next time you get tired of the same old breakfast routine.  Remember, let your imagination run free and you'll enjoy the results.  Let me know what you think.


Uncle T