carne asada

Ingredients:

2-3 pounds thin cut lean steak I used sirloin
1/3 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 limes, juiced
1/2 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika

Directions:

1. Combine all of the ingredients in a zip top bag, marinate for at least 1 hour (4 hours has worked for me)
2. Remove steak from marinade, discard marinade
3. Heat grill on high, sear steak on both sides until caramelized, chop and serve on corn tortillas with chopped cilantro and onion

dream burger

Ingredients:

24 ounces fatty chuck steak, cut into 1-inch pieces (makes four 6 oz burgers)
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
4 slices American cheese from deli
4 soft(not too large) white hamburger buns, lightly coated with softened buter and toasted to a light brown, in a nonstick skillet over medium heat

Sauce Ingredients (combine to make sauce):

1/2 cup mayonnaise (full fat)
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1/4 cup dill pickle, minced (Mt. Olive)
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions:

1. Place all of the parts to the grinder in the freezer for at least 30 minutes before grinding
2. Put meat pieces on a large plate and put in the freezer 10 minutes before grinding
3. Meanwhile,line a baking sheet with parchment and prepare your grinder
4. Grind meat onto parchment Using smallest grinding plate (if using kitchen aid like me)
5. Slide the meat into four even piles, avoid picking it up, gently(!) press meat into 4 inch wide, 1/2 inch thick patties (patties should have rough edges and be very loosely formed)
6. Season patties with plenty of salt and pepper, carefully flip with spatula and season the other side (push back together any eat that has fallen off), place in fridge until ready to cook
7. Open windows and doors, turn off smoke alarm and turn vent on high (if you don’t want to smoke up your house, I suggest doing this outside on a gas range
8. Heat vegetable oil In a cast iron pan over high heat until smoking
9. Using a spatula, transfer one patty to the pan and cook without moving the meat for 2 minutes
10. Flip patty and cook for one minute, top with cheese and cook for an additional minute (or longer if you want it past medium),repeat with the remaining burgers
11. Reserve burgers on a warm plate until you are ready to serve (this will prevent buns from being soggy)
12. Put sauce on burger buns, top with burger and eat!

weeds with sausage (gramigne con salsiccia)

Little boxes made of ticky tacky,

Little boxes on the hillside,

Little boxes all the same.

There’s a green one and a pink one

And a blue one and a yellow one,

And they’re all made out of ticky tacky

And they all look just the same.

“Little Boxes” by Malvina Reynolds

Does this young man look like he is enjoying this meal?

Don’t worry, we’re not talking crab grass here.  Weeds refers to the type of pasta, gramigne, which Mario Batali’s cookbook describes as looking like an unraveled phone cord. I couldn’t find this type of pasta, but no worries, Batali goes on to explain that fusilli or rotelle are fine substitutes…I couldn’t find those either. I had to use my keen suburban wits and use thick-cut spaghetti.  You can use store-bought Italian sausage, but wouldn’t making your own be so much more satisfying?

Adapted from “Molto Italiano” by Mario Batali

Serves 6

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon plus 1 tablespoon butter
1 large onion, diced
1 pound loose Italian sausage (not in casing)
1 small can tomato paste (about 10 tablespoons)
½ cup dry white wine
½ cup whole milk
3/4 pound gramigne or thick spaghetti
¼  cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more to top the pasta
Salt, pepper, and to taste

Directions:

1. In a large sauté pan, heat olive oil and butter over medium-high heat, add the onion and cook until it begins to turn golden brown
2. Add the sausage, cook until it begins to brown and crisp, making sure to break the meat down into small pieces
3. Add the tomato paste and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly
4. Add the wine, cook until evaporated
5. Add the milk, lower to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes, once sauce has thickened add 1 tablespoon butter
6. Meanwhile boil pasta, reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining the noodles
7. Add cheese, stir to combine, then add enough pasta water to loosen up the sauce (probably ¼-1/2 cup)
8. Season with salt and pepper
9. Add noodles and stir to coat
10. Top pasta with a little more cheese

wisconsin style egg rolls

Oh Woman, oh woman, don’t treat me so mean,

You’re the meanest old woman that I’ve ever seen

I guess if you say so

I have to pack my things and go

“Hit the Road Jack” by Ray Charles

I made these yesterday to celebrate the Packers making it into the superbowl.  Sorry about the crappy photo, blame it on my iPhone.

Ingredients:

5 uncooked bratwurst, removed from casing
5 oz. shredded swiss cheese
16 0z. sauerkraut, drained and squeezed of excess juice
1 tablespoon sriracha
24 egg roll wrappers
Oil for frying

Directions:

1. Cook bratwurst meat in a large skillet over medium-high heat, making sure to break up any large chunks of meat
2. Remove from heat, place in a large bowl, let cool
3. Add swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and sriracha
4. Wrap about 2-3 tablespoons of filling into wrappers and roll, making sure to seal edges with water
5. Fry in 375 F oil until golden brown
6. Serve with ketchup and mustard

If there is anyone out there that reads this blog and has Wisconsin roots, I would love your recipes and suggestions.

Some previous posts on food from my favorite state:

Brandy Old Fashioned Sweet

Bratwurst, cooking

Bratwurst, making

Cheese curds

Egg roll, Wisconsin style

Potatoes, Escalloped with ham

Potato Salad, German

Sauerkraut

Summer sausage

Torte, Poppy Seed

koftka kebabs with pistachios

Earth angel, earth angel will you be mine?

My darling dear love you all the time

I’m just a fool, a fool in love with you

“Earth Angel” by Penguins

This recipe is adapted from “Jamie at Home” by Jamie Oliver, one of my favorite more recent cookbook purchases.  This recipe calls for sumac, I live in the suburbs and there is no sumac to be found…maybe poison sumac.  Apparently sumac is often used in Middle Eastern cuisine and it gives a lemony flavor to dishes.

Makes 6 pita sandwiches

Koftka kebabs with pistachios

Ingredients:

1 pound lamb shoulder, cut into 1 inch chunks
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
Zest of one lemon (or sumac if you can find it)
1/3 cup shelled pistachios
6 pitas
Olive oil

Directions:

1. In a food processor, combine lamb, thyme, chili powder, cumin, lemon zest (or sumac), pistachios, salt and pepper, pulse until it is broken down but not so far as to make a meat paste
2. Place meat on four skewers, place in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes
3. Heat grill on high heat, brush pitas with olive oil and grill for about 30 seconds on both sides, then wrap in foil and set aside
4. Grill meat skewers until nicely charred on all sides
5. Remove meat and cut into chunks
6. Place meat on heated pitas, top with yogurt sauce (see recipe below)

My yogurt sauce

Ingredients:

6 oz. Greek yogurt
¼ cup sour cream
2 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1 small clove of garlic, minced
¼ of a white onion, thinly sliced
½ cucumber thinly sliced
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Combine all of the ingredients
2. Season with salt and pepper, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour

wisconsin roots: escalloped potatoes and ham

I saw them holding hands

She was standing there with my man

I heard them promise

Til death do us part

Each word was a pain in my heart

“All I Could Do Was Cry” by Etta James

As you can see by the picture, I tried to cut up the ham before baking and I paid the price. The ham chunks that were exposed on the top of the casserole were extremely dried out.  I compensated for this in the recipe by placing a final layer of potatoes over the top of the ham.  While the ham was dried out, the potatoes were awesome.

Ingredients:

6 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/8 inch slices
3 tablespoons butter
½ medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ inch thick ham steak

Directions:

1. Preheat over 325 F
2. In a small casserole dish, layer potatoes, reserving enough potatoes to layer over the top
3. In a small pot, melt butter and simmer onions over medium-high, cook until soft
4. Add flour to onions, cook for about 1minute
5. Add milk, salt and pepper, cook until thick
6. Pour cream sauce over potatoes, place ham steak over potatoes, and place final layer of potatoes over ham
7. Cover with a lid and bake for 2 hours

If there is anyone out there that reads this blog and has Wisconsin roots, I would love your recipes and suggestions.

Some previous posts on food from my favorite state:

Brandy Old Fashioned Sweet

Bratwurst, cooking

Bratwurst, making

Cheese curds

Potatoes, Escalloped with ham

Potato Salad, German

Sauerkraut

Summer sausage

Torte, Poppy Seed

calo verde

Set me free, why don’t cha babe

Get out my life, why don’t cha babe

Cause you don’t really love me

You just keep me hangin’ on

You don’t really need me

But you keep me hangin’ on

“You Keep Me Hangin’ On” by Diana Ross and The Supremes

I have two kale dishes from my farmers market bounty, today’s soup and a vegetarian stew later this week. Both recipes were adapted from a wonderful feature the San Francisco chronicle did a couple of months back on soup.  I don’t have a lot of experience cooking with kale, it was just not something that showed up on the dinner table growing up. This soup, Calo Verde, is a traditional Portuguese soup, another one of those good winter belly-warmers.

Adapted from the San Francisco Chronicle

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
10 oz. linguica (or Spanish chorizo), sliced into 1/4 inch coins, divided
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/2 pounds yukon gold potatoes, peeled, quartered, and cut into 1/4 inch slices
5 cups chicken broth
1 bunch of kale, stems removed and leaves cut into thin slices
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco (more or less depending on your preference)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat, add half of the sausage, spreading it out in a single layer, cook until caramelized on both sides, remove sausage and set aside
2. Low heat to medium-low, add onion and garlic, saute until soft, stir in potatoes and lightly season with salt and pepper, add chicken broth and simmer for about 15 minutes, until potatoes have softened
3. Using a potato masher, smash the potatoes until the soup has thickened but some chunks of potato remain
4. Stir in kale, browned and unbrowned sausage and simmer for 10 minutes
5. Season to taste, serve with crusty bread

fried rice

Because I’m going, I am going

Any which way the wind may be blowing

I am going, I am going

Where streams of whiskey are flowing

“Streams of Whiskey” by The Pogues

If you don’t have leftover meat, marinade some shrimp in soy sauce. I have a wok, but I don’t have a hot enough burner for it, so I ended up using a large non-stick skillet.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
½ cup carrots, ¼ inch chop
½ cup frozen peas
1 cup of chopped meat (left over Asian pork, chicken or beef or fresh shrimp would be good)
3 eggs, beaten
2 green onion stalks, finely chopped
4 cups leftover white rice, with all large clumps mashed out
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce, plus more for seasoning
½ teaspoon Sriracha

Directions:

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok until almost smoking
2. Add carrots and peas, cook until just soft, about 2-3 minutes, set aside
3. Add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil, add meat, cook until heated through (or until cooked if not using leftovers), set aside
4. Add eggs, mix around with spatula until cooked through, (eggs should be on the dry side) set aside
5. Clean out wok and add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil, heat until almost smoking
6. Add the green onions and cook for about 10 seconds, stir in rice, spread out rice all over wok or skillet, do not touch after rice is spread out
7. Once rice begins to sizzle, mix and spread out the rice once again
8. Add carrots, meat, eggs, soy sauce, sesame oil, Sriracha, mix for a final time and cook until everything is heated through
9. Season with extra soy sauce, if necessary

carnitas

Blue moon of Kentucky keep on shining

Shine on the one that’s gone and proved untrue

Blue moon of Kentucky keep on shining

Shine on the one that’s gone and left me blue

“Blue Moon of Kentucky” by Bill Monroe

This one’s for you Andy…

I’m a little late in presenting this for Cinco de Mayo, so let’s consider this a hangover dish. I made this for my good friends Andy and Caroline while I was visiting them in Truckee last fall.  Andy has been patiently waiting for the recipe ever since.  I have been tinkering around with the recipe lately, pan frying the pork at the end in a non-stick skillet. But the following has been my standby for the last couple of years.

While this does not implement a large copper skillet and gallons of lard for frying (see here), it is an adequate replacement for the home cook. Enjoy.

Ingredients:

4 lb boneless country style pork ribs or pork shoulder
2 c water
1 1/2 c orange juice
2 jalapeno peppers, large chop (non need to seed, that rhymes)
6 cloves garlic, peeled
2 t salt, plus more for taste
2 t cumin, plus more for taste
1 orange peel, peeled with vegetable peeler (I just used the word peel 3 times…oh wait 4)

Directions:

1. Cut pork into 3 in. chunks
2. Combine pork, water, orange juice, jalapenos, garlic, salt, cumin, orange peel, in a large saute pan or small pot
3. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and cover
4. Simmer for 1 hr. 45 min. remove cover
5. Boil until liquid evaporates and fry pork in the remaining fat at the bottom of the pan
6. Cook pork until it get brown and crispy, remove and place in a large bowl
7. Tear pork into large shreds and chunks, add salt and cumin to taste

pork tenderloin with pears and shallots

The money feels good

And your life you like it well

But surely your time will come

As in heaven, as in hell

“The Guns of Brixton” by The Clash

Yet another recipe adapted from Bon Appetit. Don’t mess with the pears or the pork when you are searing them, you want those good bits to form at the bottom of the pan, they will help to create a good sauce.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, small chop
1 tablespoon of fresh thyme, chopped
1 ¼ pound pork tenderloin
3 large shallots, each shallot cut into 6 wedges (cut in half through root, then cut into 1/3’s )
3 unpeeled Anjou pears, stems and bottoms removed, halved and cored
2 tablespoons plus 1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
11/2 cups chicken broth
¾ cup pear nectar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 475° F
2. Mix oil garlic and thyme in small bowl
3. Place pork tenderloin and shallots in a medium dish
4. Place pears in another small dish
5. Dump 2/3 of the garlic, thyme, oil mix over the pork and shallots, mix thoroughly
6. Dump the remaining 1/3 mix over the pears, mix thoroughly
7. Heat large skillet over medium high heat
8. Add pork and shallots to the skillet
9. Brown pork on all sides, about 8 minutes (stir shallots when you turn the pork)
10. Remove shallots from skillet and place in a serving dish
11. Transfer pork to a baking dish and cook until it registers 145-150° F internal temperature
12. Place skillet back over medium-high heat add pears and cook until dark brown, flip pears over and cook for an additional two minutes
13. Place pears in serving dish with shallots
14. Add 2 tablespoons of butter to skillet, stir in flour and cook for about one minute
15. Add chicken broth and pear nectar, scraping brown bits off the bottom
16. Boil sauce until thickened, remove from heat and stir in one tablespoon of butter
17. Remove pork from oven, cover with foil and let rest for 8 minutes
18. Slice pork and serve over shallots and pears, pour sauce over pork