Salmon and Grits?

I'm sure most have heard of shrimp and grits.  If you haven't, you can check it out at Shrimp and Grits.

A gal in a Facebook cooking group had tried to make shrimp and grits and had been disappointed with her results.  She posted what she'd done and asked for advice.  Her next effort had focused on the grits.  She got them right and instead of shrimp had sautéed mixed vegetables and topped it with a bit of salmon.  That got the ideas going.

My bok choy had been running rampant in the garden and due to the warm weather each plant was starting to bolt.  When a leafy green bolts it is sending up shoots to flower.  Depending on the plant bolting can render the favorable part of the plant bitter.  I decided to use the bok choy in this departure from shrimp and grits.  Some of the flower clusters were used as garnish to add color and an extra bit of texture to the dish.

This recipe will be for two with the exception of the grits.  There are excellent uses for leftover grits or you can increase the other to make enough for four.  Oh by the way, use real grits for the best result.

Salmon and Grits

1 cup grits

4 cups water

salt

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 head bok choy

1 medium onion, sliced

3 slices bacon, cut into 1/4 inch strips

2 pieces of salmon, 6oz each

butter

salt

pepper

Bring the water to a boil and add a bit of salt then stir in the grits.  Reduce heat and simmer covered for 25 minutes stirring occasionally.  When done, stir in the cheddar cheese and keep warm.

Cut the root end of the bok choy.  Slice the bok choy in 1/2 inch strips across the width of the leaf and stalk.  In a large skillet, cook the bacon slowly to render the fat.  When the bacon is almost crisp, add the sliced onion and cook until it starts to turn translucent.  Add the sliced bok choy and turn to mix well.  Cook until the leaves are well wilted.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Melt butter in a skillet.  Place the salmon in the hot skillet skin side down.  Salt and pepper the flesh side.  Turn when cooked halfway through.  An alternative way can be found at Pan Fried Salmon.

Put the cheesy grits in a wide shallow bowl for best effect.  Place the bok choy in a strip across the middle of the grits.  Top with a piece of salmon.

Salmon and Grits with bok choy flowers as garnish

I think you'll enjoy this alternative way to use both grits and salmon in your menu rotation.  I did this a week later using Mahi Mahi and it was just as good.  I think this method will work with any seafood you choose to use.

Give it try and let me know what you think.

Uncle T

Scalloped Potato Stacks

It's been quite some time since I've written anything.  Life and other projects demanding too much time it seems.

I'd been considering taking scalloped potatoes to our Civic League's Christmas party and looking around to see if there were any interesting variations to try.  I saw a mention somewhere of stacks so when it came time to do our Christmas dinner I decided to make potato stacks.

Lovely crispy edges

These aren't any more difficult to make than regular scalloped potatoes but they do have a nicer look on the plate and have the added benefit of each bite being able to contain some of that crispy cooked edge than people like.  They are good for any time not just special meals.

Scalloped Potato Stacks

2lbs potatoes
3 Tbs butter
3 Tbs flour
1 cup milk
Shredded cheddar cheese

Slice potatoes thinly.  I used the 2nd setting on my mandolin and they came out about 1/8th inch thick.  Stack 4 or 5 slices in each cup of a muffin pan.  Make a béchamel sauce using the butter, flour, and milk.  Spoon the béchamel sauce over each stack of potatoes almost filling the cup.  Top each stack with another slice of potato and more béchamel sauce.  Top each stack with shredded cheddar cheese.  Bake at 425F for 25-30 minutes.  Remove the stacks from the cups with a large spoon and serve.

They do well reheated 

I used my seasoned flour to make the béchamel sauce for a little extra flavor.  My seasoned flour has salt, pepper, and garlic powder in it.  I also used smoked cheddar cheese as my topping.  The cheddar was smoked last Spring and has been aging in a vacuum bag in my garage refrigerator.  Cold smoking your own cheese is fairly easy and the results are well worth the time.

This is the original use as a side for Christmas dinner

Give these potato stacks a try and I think you'll be hooked.  Let me know what you think.

Take care,
Uncle T

Smoked Chicken Parmesan

When I started thinking about this, I did a Google search to see if it was a thing.  All I found were recipes for chicken breasts stuffed with the other parts or for chicken parmesan fatties.  For those that may not be familiar with a fatty I'll explain it.  A fatty is made with sausage or ground beef laid out flat with other things laid down the middle then the sausage/ground beef is rolled into a log shape that is stuffed.  Many people will cover the fatty with a bacon weave before smoking it.  The closest I found to mine was a Rachel Ray recipe but she grilled the chicken rather than smoking it and used smoked Mozzarella.  She also called hers grilled chicken parmesan.  So it seems I'm safe saying this is my own thing.  Since there is just the two of us, I made three so I'd have one to to take to work for lunch.  I wrote the recipe for four.

A nice thin blue smoke, just what you want

I do have to say I don't know the temperature used to smoke the chicken since I did it on my Weber Performer and my remote thermometer probes are in the smoker.  I did use one of my baby dial thermometers to check the internal temperatures of the chicken breasts.  Yep, none of those new fangled digitals for me.

Chicken breast flipped for more even smoke

While I have a variety of woods available for smoking, I used pecan wood for this as it was what was most ready to hand.  Hickory would work well for this as would apple and cherry.  You'll want a wood with a good flavor and good smoke without being overbearing.


Smoked Chicken Parmesan


4 boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 quart canned tomatoes
1 medium white onion
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 Tbs olive oil
Grated Parmesan cheese
Grated Mozzarella cheese
salt
pepper
garlic powder
Italian seasoning
crushed red pepper


Season the chicken breasts with salt, pepper, garlic powder and let rest while the charcoal is getting to the proper stage to start cooking.  This means the charcoal is covered all over in a fine grey ash.  Put the chicken on the grill/smoker and add your choice of wood to the coals.  If using a grill, set it up for indirect cooking.  If you have a gas grill, put wood chips in aluminum foil and poke a few hole in it and place it over the burner that is lit.  Smoke until the internal temperature is 165F.  Once the chicken is at temperature take it off to complete the dish.

Chicken with tomato sauce ready for the cheese

While the chicken is smoking make the sauce to go on top.  Cut the onion in half from top to bottom.  Then make 3 cuts equally spaced around the side taking care to leave space at the root end to hold it together.  Then start slicing at the top end working to the root making 1/4 inch slices.  Heat olive oil in a skillet and add the onions and garlic and cook until translucent.  Once the onions are translucent, add the tomatoes and roughly break them up with a spoon.  Add salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and crushed red pepper to taste and stir.  Let the mixture simmer in the skillet until ready to use.  Add the juice from the tomatoes if the sauce needs to be looser.

Parmesan and Mozzarella added ready for the smoker

Use a pan that the chicken breasts will fit in fairly snuggly and you won't mind putting on the grill/smoker.  Spoon a bit of the sauce on the bottom of the pan then put the chicken in.  Spoon the sauce over the chicken breasts equally.  Sprinkle Parmesan cheese then Mozzarella cheese over the chicken breasts.  Put the pan on the grill/smoker adding additional wood if necessary and smoke until the cheese is melted and has taken on as much smoke as you want.

The cheese is melted and it has picked up some smoke

Chicken Parmesan seems to mostly be served with spaghetti but you can use any pasta or other side you want.  I made a warm orzo side that also does well as a cold orzo salad.  It has orzo, a couple chopped canned tomatoes, about 2 Tbs finely minced onions, salt, white pepper, and olive oil.

The final product, a fine tasty meal

I also drizzled a bit of brandy over the chicken breast when they were seasoned just to add another layer of flavor.  You could also add some red wine to the sauce to boost the flavor but I didn't do that this time.


This dish has the advantage of easy clean up since you're only using the skillet inside and one pan outside.  This is an easy meal to throw together and yields great flavor.  The good wife said I could do this one again.  I can also attest that any leftovers are very good the next day as lunch at work or to have for another supper.


Give this a try, especially if you are wanting to try something different with your grill/smoker.

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

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

Sous Vide Sirloin Steak and Brussels Sprout Salad

I've been interested in Sous Vide cooking for some time now.  Until fairly recently, sous vide cookery was priced beyond most home cooks.  Even if someone wanted to spend the money for a sous vide cooker, you ended up with a huge appliance taking up space on your counter.  Over the past few years sous vide circulators have come on the scene reducing both the cost and kitchen foot print of sous vide cookery.  Last year I ordered a new sous vide circulator that was coming on the market and have used it frequently.  I got the Joule, by ChefSteps, and I'll be doing a review post in a few days.

Our local warehouse store had a sale on Sirloin Butts a couple of weeks ago and I took advantage of the situation.  Sirloin steaks have great flavor and I cut some thick steaks to cook sous vide as a test.  I'm happy to say it turned out quite well.

Starting the post sous vide sear

The Brussels sprout salad was inspired by a guy on Instagram that goes by the name, Bacon Dealer.  He has some awesome pictures of smoked and grilled meats as well as his home made Bacon and Pancetta.  Bacon Dealer developed a broccoli salad and over time got it to taste like he wanted.  Once I found out what he used I told him I'd be adding my own spin to it.  Here is the post with his broccoli salad with the ingredients in comments, Bacon Dealer.

The sirloin steak was cooked according to the program in the Joule.  I seasoned each side with salt and pepper then did a quick sear on each side.  The steak was put into a zip bag with 3 cloves of crushed garlic, and some sprigs of thyme and oregano from our herb garden.  Then a bit of olive oil was splashed all over the steak and it was ready for the cook.  I chose 129F for the cook and with a steak the thickness of this one it cooked an hour.  After the cook, 2 Tbs of butter were melted in a hot skillet and the steak was put into the skillet along with everything in the bag with it.  The steak got a quick sear, about 45 seconds, on each side.  While it was searing, the top side was getting basted with the oil and butter mixture in the skillet.  Once both sides were seared, it was time to slice.

Ready to slice

Before I sliced the steak, I made a quick pan sauce to top the slices.  I added another 2 Tbs of butter to the skillet and let it melt.  Then I added 1/4 cup or so of Brandy and let the alcohol burn off.  A little extra simmering to reduce it a bit and it was ready.

Nicely done

The Brussels sprout salad was mostly prepared while the sous vide cook was taking place.  I waited until the steak was almost done before dressing the salad.  It is a quick salad and easily adjusted to suit your family's tastes.

Brussels Sprout Salad

8 oz Brussels sprouts
4-6 oz Pancetta lardons
2-4 oz Cheddar cheese, 1/4 inch dice
1/2 cup Craisins
1/4 cup Pistachios
1/4 cup Pecans
1/4 cup fermented red peppers, julienned
 Apple cider vinegar
Olive Oil
salt

Thinly slice the Brussels sprouts and place in a bowl.  Dice the Cheddar cheese and add to the sliced spouts.  Put the Pancetta lardons in a skillet and cook until just brown.  You don't want your Pancetta crispy like bacon.  Add the freshly cooked and drained Pancetta to the bowl with the sprouts and cheese and toss to mix.  Do a rough chop on the Craisins, Pistachios, and Pecans and add them to the bowl and toss to mix.  Take a bite and add salt if needed.  When ready to serve, splash vinegar and olive oil over the salad and toss to mix.  Add more of each if the salad is too dry.  Serve and enjoy.   

A fine tasty meal.  The steak is ready for the pan sauce.

Since the salad was all we were having with the sirloin steak we had a larger than usual portion.  If we'd had a potato as part of supper then we'd have gotten 4 servings out of this recipe.  I used fermented red peppers because I still had some and they came from my garden.  You can use either fresh red pepper or pickled pepper as a substitute. 

If you've been thinking about getting into sous vide cooking then I highly recommend the Joule.  Sous vide cooking is not fast but the results are worth the wait.

Give this salad a try the next time you want a salad or just need to add something green to your supper.  I think you'll be pleased.  If you try it, let me know what you think.

Uncle T

Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese

I'm fairly certain I've mentioned this before but the good wife is a huge fan of soup.  I think if I made enough she would eat it everyday.  On top of this is the fact that a good soup is a great aid in getting better when you are sick.  Making soup out of fresh ingredients or at least home grown and canned ingredients yields a tastier more effective soup.


A few weeks ago, I came down with something.  It was enough to keep me home from work for 2 days which is something that hasn't happened in over 30 years.  Sadly, the good wife caught whatever it was that I had and worse news is that she has a harder time getting over them than I do.  After a couple of days of feeling better she relapsed a bit yesterday.  When I got home I asked if she wanted soup for supper to warm her up since she was complaining of feeling cold.  When asked what kind of soup she wanted she said tomato.

A hot bowl of Tomato Soup

I'll throw this out right now, I'm not a fan of tomato soup.   That said, I set myself to find the best tomato soup recipe to fix for the good wife's supper.  I would eat left over kimchi soup for my supper.  In looking at recipes online I noticed one glaring fault, they all called for adding either sugar or honey.  Ostensibly this is to "cut the acidity of the tomatoes" and I'm guessing make the soup more palatable.  Considering how much sugar goes into commercially produced soups and sauces, I think they are trying to mimic that flavor so people will not know the difference between home made and commercially made.  In light of that, I put down the laptop and went to the kitchen to do my own thing.


Tomato Soup


1 quart canned tomatoes
1 quart chicken broth
1 medium onion, chopped, about 1.5 cups
6 Tbs butter
3-4 Tbs AP flour
1/2 cup heavy cream or half and half
1/2 tsp celery seed
1 tsp ground turmeric
1-2 tsp ground white pepper
salt to taste


Melt the butter in a stock pot then add the onion.  Cook the onion until it is just translucent.  Add the celery seed, turmeric, white pepper and 1.5 tsp salt and stir to combine.  Add the flour to the pot and stir then cook to form a light roux.  Add the tomatoes, juice included, to the pot and stir.  Add the chicken broth and stir.  Let the pot come to a boil and reduce to a simmer for 15-30 minutes.  Using an immersion blender, blend until the soup is smooth.  As an alternative, let cool and puree in a blender in batches.  Once the soup is smooth, stir in the heavy cream.  Taste and add more salt if desired.  Serve with a grilled cheese sandwich.  Makes 4 servings.

Let's eat!

I think it is one of those immutable laws of the universe that tomato soup has to be accompanied by a grilled cheese sandwich.  In this case, the bread was some that I'd made a couple of days before to go with a pasta dish.  I was going to use plain old sandwich bread until the good wife said she wanted it done with the leftover bread.  After seeing it, I was tempted  to make myself one to go with the kimchi soup and rice. 


Now, it's time to stir things up a bit.  I know that there are sandwiches being plastered all over the internet being called grilled cheese sandwiches.  In this, I'm strictly a purist.  A grilled cheese sandwich consists of 2 pieces of buttered bread on a hot griddle with cheese in between them.  I'll allow that some of those other sandwiches sound good, once you put something other than cheese in the middle it is no longer a grilled cheese sandwich.  OK, that was my rant to begin the new year.


It's time for another confession.  After tasting this soup, I think I could eat a bowl of tomato soup with a grilled cheese sandwich and like it.  I guess that was the problem before, trying commercially made soups.  The prime ingredient in this soup was a jar of tomatoes that were grown in my garden and canned by the good wife.  I'm certain though, that this soup would be good using good quality canned tomatoes from the store.

Give this soup a go the next time cold weather hits or someone in the house is feeling ill.  I think you'll like it as a warmer or a medicine.  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

Taco Burgers

While we try to have a widely varied menu throughout the week we generally only have 4 choices for supper on Saturday night.  This past Saturday we opted for hamburgers since it had been a bit since we'd had those.  Hamburgers require little prep since I buy large chubs of ground beef and make 5 ounce patties with the burger press and freeze them.  So all I had to do was pull out a package and defrost them.


OK, the little prep is a bit inaccurate since I did make hamburger buns instead of buying some.  Using the stand mixer makes that go faster and most of the time in making hamburger buns is spent letting the dough rise.  I use the recipe found here, Hamburger Buns.  This recipe can be used to make great hotdog buns/hoagie rolls simply by altering the shape.  They are so much better than anything  you'll find at the store, both in flavor and texture.


Usually we have Saturday night leftovers for lunch on Sunday but with burgers we generally don't have any.  The main reason we don't have any is that I put 2 patties per package.  Yeah, I know I should package them by fours or thaw more.  Since I had a chub of ground beef to divide into 1 lb packages I decided to do something a bit different.  I made taco burgers for lunch on Sunday.


After lunch was done I did a Google search for taco burgers and while I found lots of recipes I didn't find any quite like mine.  So, I'm taking credit for this one.


Taco Burger


1 lb ground beef
hot taco seasoning, 1 packet if using store bought
4 dashes Uncle T's Devil Sauce, use the hot sauce of your choice if desired
shredded Mexican blend cheese
1 cup salsa
leaf lettuce
cilantro


Mix the ground beef and taco seasoning thoroughly.  Add the hot sauce if desired and mix well.  Form into burger patties.  Drain the salsa of most of its liquid and set aside.  Place patties on hot grill and leave them alone for 5 minutes then turn them over.  Once they are turned over, place a pile of the shredded cheese on each burger and close lid to help cheese melt.  The buns can be split and put on the grill to toast at this time if desired.  Check after 3 - 4 minutes to see if the cheese is melted to your satisfaction.  Remove burgers from the grill.  To assemble the burger place 3 or 4 leaves of lettuce on the bottom bun.  Put the burger on the lettuce then top with 2 or 3 sprigs of cilantro.  Top with some of the drained salsa.  Put the top of the bun on and enjoy.

Fully Assembled Taco Burger

For these burgers I used my gas grill since it's a little quicker to get going.  The gas grill was preheated to 500F according to its thermometer with both burners on High.  Once the burgers were on and the lid closed the burners were reduce to Medium.  I know people like to fiddle with meat on the grill but leave them alone.  They only need to be flipped once and definitely don't mash the burgers with the spatula.

The lettuce and cilantro came out of the garden about 10 minutes before they got put on the burgers.  The taco seasoning I used was my own blend.  I combined parts of two recipes I found online and upped the heat a bit.  I'm still tweaking that recipe but I'm close to what I'm wanting.  I did use store bought salsa as we didn't can any last summer.  We had tater tots with the burgers since that is what I had in the freezer and didn't want to take the time to do homemade French fries.  The tots were seasoned with homemade seasoning salt.  We did the same thing with the regular burgers on Saturday night.

Taco Burger with Tater Tots

So if you are tired of the same old hamburger give the taco burger a try.  You can tweak the recipe to suit you and your family's taste.  Give a try and let me know what you think.


Uncle T

Shrimp Alfredo with Cottage Cheese

There is a dairy that still delivers that we were introduced to shortly after we moved to this area.  A representative had a booth set up at a farmer's market in one of the local cities.  Of course she had samples and was signing people up for delivery.  I tried the whole milk and the chocolate milk and was blown away.  The whole milk was the best tasting milk and closest to raw milk I've come across.  As a result, we have a standing order consisting of whole milk, 2% milk, 1% and 4% cottage cheese, and eggs that get delivered each week.  If you live in an area where Oberweis delivers you are lucky and should look into getting your milk through them.


I used to take the 4% cottage cheese to work and eat it throughout the week.  Due to a couple of office moves I'm not eating near as much as I used to.  Since I had forgotten to cancel the 4% cottage cheese from the order for a few weeks we ended up with way too much 4% cottage cheese on hand.  One evening the good wife declared that I need to eat more cottage cheese or find a way to cook with it.


I looked online for cooking with cottage cheese and found some bread recipes that I'm wanting to try.  I had thought about using it for a pasta sauce and had it planned out when I decided to Google cottage cheese pasta sauce.  I found plenty of recipes for making an Alfredo type sauce using cottage cheese but they all called for low fat cottage cheese and either 1% or 2% milk.  You know Uncle T doesn't play that way.  In the end, I went with the plan I already had and it turned out great if I do say so myself.


Shrimp Alfredo


1 - 1.5 lb peeled deveined shrimp, large 31-35
1 recipe fresh pasta or 1 lb dried fettuccini
1 cup whole milk
16 oz 4% cottage cheese
3 Tbs butter
3 large cloves garlic, sliced
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 Tbs olive oil
salt
pepper
nutmeg
garlic powder


Sauce


Melt butter in a pot and add the garlic.  Cook until the edges of the garlic turn golden.  Add the milk and bring to a simmer.  Add the cottage cheese and stir to mix well.  Bring to a simmer and add the parmesan cheese and stir to combine.  To help speed the melting of the cheese use an immersion blender to break up the cottage cheese.  Season with a pinch of nutmeg, a pinch of pepper, and a pinch of salt and stir.  Once the cheeses are melted keep the sauce on low heat until everything else is ready.


Fettuccini


If making fresh pasta, cut the noodles and cook in heavily salted water.  Prepare dried fettuccini according to the manufacturer's instructions.  Time the pasta to be almost done at the same time the shrimp are almost done.


Shrimp


Remove the tails from the shrimp and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder before you start the sauce.  Once the sauce is done, heat a large skillet and add the olive oil.  Once the olive oil is hot add the shrimp.  When the shrimp are half done, turn them over to finish cooking.


Once the shrimp have been turned over remove the fettuccini from the pot and add to the skillet.  Don't worry about any extra pasta water that gets in the skillet.  Pour in half the sauce and stir to combine.  Keep adding sauce a little at a time until all the pasta and shrimp have a light coat of sauce.  I had about 1/3 of the sauce left.  Once all the components are mixed it is time to eat.  Serve and enjoy.  Makes 4 servings.

Shrimp Alfredo made with Cottage Cheese

I had sauce left over because we don't like to have the shrimp and pasta swimming in pool of sauce.  If you like lots of sauce then add it all.  My left over sauce will be used in a potato soup so be on the look out for that in the future.


I used my immersion blender to help things along but it is not necessary.  The cottage cheese and parmesan cheese will melt while you stir but will take longer.  If you want to speed things up and don't have an immersion blender carefully pour the sauce into a regular blender to reduce the size of the curds then return the sauce to the pot.


Do be sure to use good parmesan cheese for this.  If you use pre-grated cheese make sure it is a good quality parmesan.  If it is sitting out on the store shelves don't get it, look in the dairy cooler.  Of course grating a wedge of parmesan would yield the best sauce.  I use a good quality grated parmesan that I find in the dairy cooler.


This is a rich creamy sauce that is still lighter than a traditionally made Alfredo sauce made with heavy cream.  If you want to try it with low fat milk and 1% cottage cheese go ahead but I'll not guarantee the results.


Give this a try and let me know what you think.  I do believe you'll enjoy it.


Uncle T