Tom’s “No Brainer” Ribs

  » By Keith Prickett

July 2nd, 2008 - Posted in Beef, Dinner, Pork | Leave a comment (0)

I’m still imagining myself sitting at Grandma’s table trying to eat these ribs before the meat fell off the bone.  They were the best ribs I’ve ever had.  No, I’ve never had ribs from the south, so maybe I’ve never officially had “ribs” — but these were GOOD!  They were juicy, tender, and like I said, the meat fell off the bone!

The secret wasn’t any special sauce or how long he let the ribs smoke.  No, the top secret “no-brainer” ingredient is beer!  Who can say “no” to beer?  Tom (Grandma’s husband) steams the ribs in beer for about 3 hours on the grill in a disposable roasting pan and then “paints” them directly on the grill just before serving.  The flavor the beer imparts depends on the beer you buy, but even the cheap stuff works — as Tom proved to us last weekend.  He called these his “no brainer” ribs because he gets to leave them all day long while he works on other projects around the house.

These ribs would be GREAT for a 4th of July (Independence Day, USA) celebration, a Labor day party or any occasion that calls for ribs.  Here’s what Tom did:

Ingredients (Feeds 4):

• 6 pounds of pork (or other) ribs
• 24 ounces of beer, cheap beer is fine
• 2 Disposable large roasting pans (like one you’d bake a turkey in)
• Grilling Sauce — homemade or store bought, it won’t matter!
• BBQ

Directions:

1. Thaw ribs if necessary, then rinse and cut into manageable pieces (2 or 3 ribs per section)
2. Place pieces curve side up in one roasting pan (so that each rib piece looks like a bridge) to prevent sticking
3. Pour beer over ribs and into the roasting pan
4. Place the other roasting pan on top of the ribs to create a covered area for the ribs to steam
5. Place the roasting pan on the grill and cook over the lowest heat your grill will do for about 3 hours.
6. Check the ribs after each hour to make sure the liquid has not all dissolved.  Add more beer if necessary.
7. Using a hot pad, remove the roasting pan from the grill and transfer each rib piece to the grill directly over a medium heat.
8. “Paint” the ribs with the sauce on each side, turning after about 2 or 3 minutes.
9. Serve to hungry crowd and watch as they disappear.

I hope you enjoy them!

Chipotle-Honey BBQ Bacon Burgers with Gorgonzola Cheese

  » By Keith Prickett

June 14th, 2008 - Posted in Beef, Dinner, General | Leave/read a comment (2)

I received (thanks Danae) a very good book a while back (if you like burgers) called “build a better burger“ by James McNair.  I was amazed to see all the varieties of burgers — all gourmet and DELICIOUS looking!  With this beautiful weather we’ve had in Corvallis the last few days I couldn’t help getting the charcoal and grill out for some good summer cooking.  Rachel picked the recipe and I got to work.  First I made the patties, then set them aside in the fridge while I made the sauce.  If you’ve never had Gorgonzola or don’t have it very often be prepared for some different, yet enjoyable, tangy flavor.  The Chipotle chile is not all that spicy, so if you want some extra kick feel free to use more than 2 or add some [1 or 2 teaspoons] chili powder.  This time, though, I followed the recipe from the book as-is.  Here’s what I did:

Ingredients (for patties):

• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 4 ounces ground pork (or ground pork sausage)
• 1/4 cup sliced green onion
• 2 tablespoons diced red bell pepper
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper

Ingredients (for Chipotle-Honey BBQ Sauce):

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup diced red onion
• 2 chiles from a can of chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, chopped
• 2 tablespoons diced green bell pepper
• 2 tablespoons diced red bell pepper
• 2 tablespoons tomato
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon dry mustard
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup honey

Ingredients (for finishing it off):

• 1 thick peppered bacon slices per burger (this recipe makes 4-5 patties but a lot more sauce)
• 1 Kaiser roll per burger, split
• 4 ounces Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
• 1 or 2 tomato slices per burger

Directions:

1. Prepare your grill for medium-hot action
2.  Make patties: combine all patty ingredients and mix well then divide into equal portions (4 or 5 depending on your hunger level).  Set aside in the fridge while you work on the rest.
3. Make the sauce:
   1. heat the olive oil in a sauce pan
   2. Add the onions, chiles, bell peppers, tomato, and garlic and cook until soft, stirring occasionally.
   3. Add the vinegar, mustard, ketchup and honey then bring to another low-simmer until you are ready to use it
4. Start the patties on the grill then, about 5 minutes later…
5. Cook the bacon on the grill with a bbq griddle or pan
6. Add the sauce, generously, to the patties when you first put them on, then again after you flip them (about 5-7 minutes later)
7. When the patties are just about done put the buns (inside down) on the grill for 1 or 2 minutes to heat up
8. To prepare the burger:
   1. Place some sauce on the bottom of a bun
   2. Add some gorgonzola
   3. Layer on the bacon, tomato (I also added sliced avocado and freshly grown lettuce — YUM!)
   4. Add the burger then top it with the other half of bun and ENJOY!

I hope you enjoy them!

Chicken Tomatillo Wrap

  » By Keith Prickett

June 13th, 2008 - Posted in Chicken, Dinner, Lunch | Leave a comment (0)

Rachel loves Real Simple Magazine and we have always found their recipes to, truly, be simple.  She picked a couple at random the other day and the wrap was one of them. The wrap is really fresh and seems quite healthy.  It has avacado, broccoli, pine nuts, tomatillo salsa, and tomatoes — all really healthy fresh ingredients.  We made the recipe from the magazine but halved it and ended up eating it for a few days of lunch and dinner in a row.  I sneaked a little sour cream in mine, but don’t tell Rachel!  Whip these up on a hot day to save from turning on the oven or stove.  Here’s what we did:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 of a rotisserie chicken, shredded (find it in your grocery store)
• 1/4 red onion, sliced thin
• 1 cup tomatillo salsa (or green salsa)
• 3 Roma tomatoes, diced
• 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
• 1/2 head of broccoli, diced and steamed
• tortillas (my favorite is whole-wheat or homemade — I’ll have to blog a tortilla recipe sometime!)
• 2 avocados, 1 diced and the other for slicing and presenting on the plate
• 1 lime, sliced in wedges

Directions:

1. Combine the chicken, onion, salsa, tomatoes, brocolli, and pine nuts in a bowl
2. Add some mixture to each tortilla and top with the diced avacado then roll up
3. Serve wraps with a lime wedge and sliced avacado

I hope you enjoy them!

Rustic Vegetable Soup

  » By Keith Prickett

June 9th, 2008 - Posted in Dinner, General, Soup | Leave a comment (0)

YUM!  I am exited to share this recipe with you.  I really loved cooking and especially loved eating this soup.  It warmed my insides and had a wholesome texture that brought back memories of visiting my Grandma.  The unique flavor of leek, heartiness of cabbage, and healthy carrots I feel make this soup a quick and easy meal that you can make and enjoy for the whole week — or feed a large family or group of friends.  It’s a light soup but it still filled me up.  Rachel said that it needed some potatoes, so next time I think I’ll add those.  Here’s what I did:

Ingredients:

• Olive Oil
• 3 long celery stocks diced
• 3 large carrots chopped
• 1 large white or yellow onion chopped
• 1 large leek chopped (white portion)
• 1 whole green cabbage
• (Rachel suggest 2 or 3 medium potatoes)
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• Sea Salt and Freshly ground pepper to taste
• 2 teaspoons chili powder for a kick
• 64 oz chicken broth or vegetable broth for vegetarian/vegan
• Water

Directions:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large stock pot over medium
2. Add all the vegetables and heat them up until they begin to get soft (about 5 to 10 minutes)
3. Add the broth
4. Cover the rest of the vegetables (as needed) with water
5. Bring the pot to a slow boil and let it simmer for 20 minutes.
6. Serve the soup in a big bowl with some fresh Italian bread and garnish with some parsley.

I hope you enjoy it!

The Dominican Republic: Part 3 (Smörgåsbord)

  » By Keith Prickett

March 3rd, 2008 - Posted in Breakfast, Chicken, Dinner, General | Leave a comment (0)

Food and coffee were, obviously, both very enjoyable portions of my trip to the Dominican Republic. Here I am a month later at home thinking back on what else I did there. We tried really hard to visit a lot of friends and even make new friends there. It was so enjoyable to walk to someone’s door and have them shrill ‘entre, entre’ (come in, come in). To have someone sincerely pull a chair out or laugh as they kick a younger brother or daughter out of their seat and say ‘Sientate, Sientate’ is such a great feeling. I was able to see a very different side of people compared to what we typically see in the U.S. For example, I don’t even know either of my neighbors and I’m sure I’m not alone.

Back to the food: My wife and I were able to visit each missionary (including one indigenous missionary) on the T.E.A.R.S. team during the two weeks we were there to cook! I made it my mission to cook a meal for each of them.When I left for the D.R. I felt miserable with a cold. When I arrived Jennifer and Luis Rodriguez(another T.E.A.R.S. missionary couple) had plans to have us over for dinner the night after we arrived. I still hadn’t fully recovered but Jennifer remembered my blog and was fresh out of Taco Seasoning packets. I was volunteered to come up with a substitute with the seasonings in the cupboard. Fortunately I had made this seasoning many times at home using cumin, pepper, salt, garlic, onions and ground beef. It turned out good and we had a great evening of sharing and games.

For Bau (a Dominican missionary living in Maria Auxiliadora, La Vega) we cooked one of my favorites — Unique Chicken Pot Pie. I was also able to share this meal with Tracy, a long-time missionary with T.E.A.R.S. Bau and his wife Adriana had never experienced a “soup” quite like that!

Tracy and I experimented with my pretzel recipe (and maybe I’ll teach you someday on this blog). That was an experience. Even finding the ingredients in La Vega was a challenge, not to mention baking in a tiny gas oven and kneading dough on a small wobbly plastic table. Good memories.

For Rod Davis (the Executive Director of T.E.A.R.S.), Twila (his wife), and two children I cooked one of my wife’s favorites: Linguine with Spicy Chorizo and Tomato Sauce. I combined this with a feeble (and unsuccessful) attempt to make French Bread for the first time. The bread tasted good, but I didn’t quite follow all of the directions. I forgot to roll out the dough and then roll it up so it just spread out and became very flat. When I got home I tried it again right away with great success. I’ll have to post on here how to do it right pretty soon.

One of my favorite evenings, yet bittersweet since it was our last night, in the Dominican Republic was when we stayed with Joy and Vidal Reyes. Vidal and I (the mighty men of the house) got to cooking. Due to the fact that it was about a perfect 75 degrees every day there Vidal fired up his BBQ. He figured we hadn’t had a BBQ since summer and cooked us up some delicious chicken and steaks. He was correct about that and it was so good to have BBQ. He also taught me how to make Spanish Rice Vidal style. It turned out pretty good and I’ve already experimented with my own back home. I’ll have to get it perfected and then blog about it too!

I was able to use fresh ingredients they already had in their house to cook some of my delicious pico de gallo salsa. I chop into small cubes tomatoes, onion, chilis, bell peppers (optional), cilantro and add fresh squeezed lime juice, minced garlic, and salt. We had a delicious meal that evening and also had a great time really getting to know Joy and Vidal.

All of the cooking I did there was quite an experience. Often times I was forced to improvise due to lack of a lot of the conveniences we are blessed with here in the states. While baking bread the power went out (as it often does) at the Davis’s house outside the barrio (Maria Auxiliadora, La Vega). Luckily, Rod has a generator! When I was preparing to make the Chicken pot pie the water was turned off (as it often is) to the Barrio. I used a bucket we had filled with water for such an occasion to rinse and boil the chicken. That was … interesting. Also, since hot water (from a tap) is pretty much non-existent in most places I never was able to wash my hands or utensils as I normally would. This sort of sicks you out, but you get used to it, especially after eating at someone else’s house where they’ll cut up chicken with the same knife they use to cut everything else up without even rinsing between. All in all the cooking turned out pretty good. The missionaries enjoyed some American cooking and Rachel and I got to have some great company throughout our trip.

In my next and final DR series I’ll talk about the no-bake cookies I cooked up in Travesia on the Fugon.

Thanks for reading!

The Dominican Republic: Part 2 (Coffee!)

  » By Keith Prickett

February 5th, 2008 - Posted in Breakfast, Coffee, Dinner, Lunch | Leave/read a comment (3)

Above: Coffee Drying operation in the Village of Travesia

Coffee in the Dominican Republic, simply, is a way of life. My wife and I visited many friends in their houses during our two week trip. During every visit to a friend’s house we would be served a delicious cup of Dominican coffee. If you’ve read my last post, you know coffee also comes along with every meal. Needless to say, we drank a lot of coffee while we were there!

How it’s brewed:
Coffee is brewed in an Italian-style espresso maker they call a “Greca.” A little bit of since electricity there is fairly inconsistent — we had electricity about 1/2 the time we water goes in the bottom of the brewer. Some ground coffee goes into the “filter” area and it’s all screwed together. Almost everyone there uses a gas (propane) stove top to cook were there on average. The water is heated and boils through the filter (from underneath) and then up through a little spout into a reservoir.

How it’s served:
Once the water is all boiled into the reservoir it is removed from the heat and often poured into a serving carafe. About one-half cup of sugar is added for each pot (about 2-3 cups). This makes for one sweet cup of coffee! For drinking, you are served one very small cup (about the size of an espresso shot). I really enjoyed sitting on someone’s porch, taking in all the delicious smells, sights and sounds of the Dominican Republic while sipping on my sweet cup of “cafè.”

Often times the ground coffee is mixed with nutmeg, cinnamon and/or other spices during brewing for an extra layer of flavor. It is delicious!

Growing and Roasting:
Fortunately for me, I had the opportunity to visit a village where coffee is grown and roasted! The growing seemed fairly normal in the village of Travesia (a small village in the mountains above the city of Jarabacoa), but the roasting was quite unique.

First off, they grow it under the banana and orange trees all along the hill sides. As we were walking up the trail to the village I saw coffee growing everywhere along the trail. It’s picked and husked using a small husk-removing machine (see photo) . Afterward it’s dried on a cement slab under a plastic covering. It is raked into ridges about twice a day (ridges are alternated between length-wise and width-wise).

To Roast in the village they use a clay-oven top called a “fugòn.” It’s basically a clay base and sides with a small fire (see photos). The coffee and unrefined (natural cane — still brown) sugar added at the same time to a huge cast-iron pot. Its stirred with a wooden spoon and caramelized.

My theory is that this is done because the fugòn and wooden spoon can’t get the beans evenly roasted so the caramelization hides the roast. The end result is a really black bean (on the outside) but a delicious flavor when ground and brewed! I brought some home and it’s sitting in my freezer now! YUM! My mother-in law once brought back about 10 pounds on her carry-on of this stuff and we drank it all year.

I hope you’re enjoying this series on the Dominican Republic. Feel free to ask me questions on the comment sections or just leave comments.

The Dominican Republic: Part 1

  » By Keith Prickett

January 31st, 2008 - Posted in Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch | Leave/read a comment (3)

I recently returned from a two-week vacation to the Dominican Republic (D.R.). My wife and I have friends there we visited and stayed with during out trip. This was my second time visiting but my first time really visiting with the people and learning a little more about the culture.

Of course, this being a food blog and all, I have to talk about my food experiences. Over the next couple of weeks I am going to be sharing about some cooking I did while I was there and also cooking I experienced! I can’t wait to share it all and hope that you enjoy reading it!

I want to start with some typical meals that you might experience in some poorer parts of the D.R. I’ve got some photos of the market in La Vega below so that might give you an idea of some of the foods they get to eat (rice, beans, chicken).

The Meal line-up looks like this:

1. For breakfast: Hot Chocolate with some really dry bread. The bread is a lot like a hot-dog bun and is commonly found around the country. They have three basic types, large hot-dog bun, regular hot-dog bun, and small. To them, it’s just “pan” (in Spanish) or “bread” (in English). The hot chocolate was really rich and really sweet. Just what you need to kick-start your day!
2. Of course, as with every meal, you need some coffee! Coffee is absolutely a part of every day life in the D.R. The coffee is not quite like Starbucks, which is fine by me. They use the italian-espresso making device that they call a “greca.” It looks like you can buy them online. The coffee turns out really strong (like an espresso shot) but you wouldn’t find a Dominican drinking a cup without at least 1/8 cup of sugar in each shot! It tastes SO good with all that sugar, but you just know it can’t be good for you.
3. For lunch, which is the most important — and largest — meal of the day, I ate well. Most of the time I had a plate full of rice and beans. They use a red pinto-like bean there and white rice. The rice is steamed (often with a plastic bag over the pan instead of a solid lid) in a ton of oil and a ton of salt. The beans are pressure cooked and then boiled for a bit with seasonings including (but not limited to): a ton of salt, oil, cilantro, garlic cloves, a type of squash and more salt! This meal is full of salt but that’s probably what makes it soooo good! YUM!Often I would have chicken (sometimes scrambled eggs) with this meal which is cooked in all the same seasonings as the beans plus sugar (for color — they say) and soy sauce (or in Spanish “salsa China”).
4. Dinner is light, but full of starch. I ate with a few families in their homes while I was there and typically I had one (or more) of the following three boiled: Yuka, Plantains (Platinos), and bananas. Plantains are a very starchy — almost potato like — version of a banana. These are surprisingly good boiled! Along with the starch you had to have a protein which was one of the following: fried salami (again more oil), fried egg, or we even had freshly butchered pork one night.

I hope this gives you some insight into typical Dominican meals. In the coming week or so I will share some recipes (new and old) along with photos of me preparing food in some interesting places! Stay tuned…

Hot Tamale [Authentic Mexican Chicken Tamales]

  » By Keith Prickett

January 5th, 2008 - Posted in Chicken, Dinner, Mexican | Leave a comment (0)

Now that the business of the Christmas season is winding down I have found more time for the things I enjoy like: running/jogging, baking, spending quality time with my wife, and most importantly to you, writing on my blog! I’ve just finished baking some cupcakes [I’ll post about this later] but first I want to tell you about my tamales I cooked up just before Christmas.

My work has a potluck once a year right before we head off on our Christmas vacation. Last year I brought some cookies (I think?) but I had remembered that there were way too many sweets. I did some thinking and after attending an authentic Mexican Christmas party at my friend’s place and eating Tamales there I decided that would be the thing to do.

So I was off, determined to find the best recipe on the web and make my first-ever batch of home-made hot tamales! WOW were they good!!!! I found the recipe online and followed the advice to spread this out over a few days. Here’s what I did:

Brief Overview:

1. Day 1: Make the Meat
2. Day 2: Make the masa, prepare corn husks, and fill with meat
3. Day 3: Steam the tamales

Now, you can do all of this in one day, but you’ll probably have to start in the morning or early afternoon to finish all the steps. Be advised.
Day 1:

Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken
• 1/4 cup Corn oil [ I used olive oil for less fat ]
• 3 tablespoons chili powder
• 1.5 tablespoons ground cumin
• 1/2 tablespoon ground pepper
• Salt to your preference (I used about 1 or 2 teaspoons)

Before we start cooking I’m going to remind you to save the chicken broth when you are done!

Directions:

1. Insert whole chicken (rinsed in cold water and fat cut off) into a pot large enough to hold the whole chicken and cover with water.
2. Fill pot with cold water to an inch or two above the chicken [although the original recipe didn’t call for it I added some (no more than 1 tablespoon each) pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and chili powder to the water for extra flavor]
3. Bring water to boil then reduce to simmering for 2 hours.
4. Prepare an ice bath to cool chicken when done cooking
5. Cool the chicken in the ice bath when it is done (saving the broth for day 2)
6. When the chicken is cool, using an immaculately clean work area and hands, remove all meat from the chicken with your hands and discard the bones (or make weapons from them ).
7. Heat up a pan and the corn oil with enough room to hold the chicken meat.
8. Add the seasonings and mix well for about a minute over medium heat
9. Pull the chicken meat apart with your hands and add it to the pan.
10. Cook it all together until it combines and gets heated through again.
11. Taste it and add more seasoning as you see fit.
12. Put it in a container and save for Day 2.

Day 2:

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs “Ma Se Ca” Instant Corn Masa Mix (1/2 of the 4 lb bag)
• 3 Tablespoons paprika (weird — at least to me –, I know, but it’s good)
• 1.5 Tablespoons of salt (less or more to your taste)
• 1 Tablespoon of ground cumin
• 3 Tablespoons of chili powder
• 3 Tablespoons of garlic powder
• 2 cups of corn oil [ again I used olive oil for less fat ]
• 2 quarts Chicken Broth from Day 1 [ reheated on the stove ]
• Chicken mix from Day 1 [ reheat on the stove for easier spreading ]
• About 30 dried corn shucks (I found mine near the masa mix in the grocery store)

Directions:

1. Place the corn shucks in a large bowl full of scalding hot water to soften.
2. Mix all the spices and masa together until combined
3. Add the oil and mix
4. Slowly mix and add the chicken broth 1 cup at a time working it in with your hands.
5. Add more masa if too thin or more chicken broth if too thick.
6. Work the dough to a peanut butter consistency.
7. After the corn shucks are softened peel them apart one by one
8. Hold one in your hand and spread a thin layer of masa over the shuck leaving 1/3 masa free on one side and the bottom of the shuck.
9. Add a little bit (1 tablespoon or so) of spicy chicken to the top of the spread masa
10. Now roll up from side to side and then fold the bottom up and place in the steaming basket.
11. Keep doing this until you run out of either the chicken, masa or both. I had to make more masa, but I also used more than I should have and they were really thick.

Wow, now you have a steam pot full of tamales. You can steam them now or wait till the morning like I did. Refrigerate them if you decide to wait until day 3.

Day 3:

Ingredients:

• Your steam pot full of tamales
• Oven.

Directions:

1. Fill the bottom of the steam pot full of water — do not let the water touch the tamales.
2. Heat the water to boiling, then reduce it to simmer so it steams the tamales.
3. Cover the tamales and let them steam.
4. Check the water — OR ELSE your house will seriously burn down, trust me on this one I had smoke detectors going off!
5. After about 2 hours take one tamale out and unwrap it to see if it’s done. The masa should be cooked thoroughly.

Now, enjoy a tamale FRESH and DELICIOUS! Let me know what you think in the comments!

I hope you enjoy!

Unique Chicken Pot Pie

  » By Keith Prickett

December 3rd, 2007 - Posted in Chicken, Dinner | Leave a comment (0)

It’s been a while since I have written here, but I do have a delicious recipe to share! Besides that, my birthday was the other day and I got some really cool gifts from my wife that relate to my cooking.

First, she got me a book I’ve been raving about on here: “Nightly Specials“ I had previously only checked it out from the library. I hope to cook up some more recipes and share from it. The chicken pot pie recipe below comes from this book.

Second, and -I think -a lot cooler (but equally as special), is a trip to the Oregon Culinary Institute for a hands-on cooking lesson! I guess she’s taken notice that I like cooking ;-). This should be a pretty fun time for me. Until then, I’ll just have to keep trying new recipes and posting them here. When I go, I’ll be sure to share some of what I learned with you and, naturally, with my wife! I can’t wait!!!!

Now, back to the pot pie. It’s not a pot pie in the traditional sense, the crust is more like a thin, buttery, very soft biscuit that you place on top of a rich chicken sauce/broth/filling. The filling is like the most delicious creamy chicken soup you’ve ever tasted. My wife wants me to get a “Yum” meter on my blog — and this one gets the highest ranking! Here’s what I did (warning, this recipe takes a long time to prepare if you do it all at once. Consider making chicken broth a day ahead of time.):

Ingredients:

• 2 & 1/2 cups flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• salt + pepper
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 & 1/4 cups heavy cream
• 8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
• One 3 (or s0) pound chicken
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon peppercorns
• 2 teaspoons dried rosemary and thyme
• 1 large onion quartered
• 5 large carrots, diced
• 4 celery stalks, diced
• 1/2 medium shallot, minced
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh tarragon (this adds incredible flavor!)

Directions:

1. Make the pot pie tops: combine flour, sugar, baking powder and pinch of salt into mixing bowl and blend
2. Add buttermilk and 1/4 cup of cream and mix until combined.
3. Chop the butter into tiny little pieces and add it to the batter leaving it mealy.
4. Flour a surface and pour the dough onto the surface.
5. Flatten gently with a rolling pin and cut into six rounds 3-inch diameter x 1 inch thick.
6. Place them on a cookie sheet and let rest for 20 minutes in the fridge while you preheat the oven to 375.
7. Bake them for 20 to 25 minutes until they are nicely browned

1. Make the chicken and broth: wash the chicken under cold water. Tie the bay leaves, peppercorns, rosemary and thyme together in a piece of cheesecloth.
2. Put the chicken into a pot large enough to hold it.
3. Cover it with cold water and bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
5. Add the cheesecloth of seasonings (called a “bouquet garni”), pinch of salt, onion, half the carrots, half of the celery.
6. Bring back to simmer and cook uncooked for 45 minutes.
7. When the chicken is done, carefully remove it from the pan and place it in a ice-water filled large pan or bowl to rapidly cool.
8. Strain the broth into another bowl (discard the solids — or save for chicken noodle soup — that’s what I do!)
9. Back to the chicken, use a very clean surface and — using your hands — remove all the good meat from the bones and set aside. Discard the bones and not-so-good stuff.

1. Make the sauce: Now, in a pot, add 2 cups of the chicken broth and bring to a boil.
2. Add the remaining carrots and celery and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. In, alas, one more pan heat some butter up over medium heat.
4. Add the shallots and saute them — seasoning with salt and pepper.
5. To the pot, add 1 cup of cream then the shallots and butter and simmer again for 5 minutes.
6. Add 1/2 or more of the chicken meat to your taste/texture and cook for another 10 minutes or so.
7. Finally, add the tarragon and transfer to serving bowls.
8. Place hot rounds on top of the bowls and serve to hungry mouths!!

Wow! That’s a lot, even to write. I have to say. This delicious meal takes a long time to cook, but it is well worth the effort. Like I said before, make the chicken broth portion a day ahead of time and it’ll go quick.

I hope you enjoy it!

Linguine with Spicy Chorizo and Tomato Sauce

  » By Keith Prickett

November 3rd, 2007 - Posted in Dinner, Pasta | Leave/read a comment (1)

I’ve been craving pasta a lot lately. Rachel (my wife) and I went to Iovino’s last week and I ordered spaghetti (it was delicious). Before that I made homemade (with fresh tomatoes) spaghetti sauce and spaghetti with bread, olive oil and vinegar (one of my favorites). When I was thinking up menu items for this week’s menu I found a Linguine recipe in my “Nightly Special’s” book.

I knew it looked good, but I had NO idea how good it would actually be. I have to say the Chorizo is what made this recipe. It gives the sauce a spicy-delicious-amazing flavor. Rachel said it was probably the best linguine/spaghetti sauce she had ever had. That means it is REALLY good. So go ahead, try this one! Did I mention it takes only about 15-20 minutes to make?

Here’s what I did:

Ingredients:

• Linguine Noodles
• 2-3 tablespoons Olive oil
• 1/2 Large onion
• 3-5 garlic cloves
• 2-3 cups chorizo (spicy sausage)
• two 14-oz cans of plain, crushed tomatoes (mine were actually stewed)
• 1 cup of dry white wine
• 15-30 large basil leaves

Directions:

1. Fill a pan 3/4 full of water (large enough to hold your linguine) and boil
2. While the water boils get out your large heavy-bottom pan and heat up the olive oil on a medium heat
3. Add the chopped onions and chorizo, for about 5 minutes
4. Add the pressed garlic and stir
5. Add both cans of tomatoes and wine
6. lightly add kosher (or sea) salt and freshly ground pepper
7. Stir occasionally and let simmer for 5-10 minutes (I had to turn up the heat here to reduce the juicy tomato sauce — I don’t like mine too watery)
8. While that’s simmering, throw the noodles into the boiling water and cook them as the package directs (until Al dente)
9. When the sauce is almost done add the basil leaves and stir lightly to mix
10. Mound some noodles on each plate
11. Add some sauce, making sure to get chorizo and basil on each plate.
12. YUM! YUM! YUM!

I really hope you enjoy it!