Roasted Brussels Sprouts

 A truly simple recipe that makes an excellent side dish.  Serve with things like Chicken with Cherries and Red Wine.

1 lbs Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed, halved, and any loose or yellowed leaves removed
3-4 T olive oil
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 F.  Toss the Brussels sprouts with the olive oil and season liberally with salt and pepper; it'll probably take more than you think, but you can always add more at the end.  Spread the sprouts on a baking sheet and place in the oven, stirring several times while cooking.  Cooking times will vary based on the size of the sprouts; I start checking small sprouts at 25 minutes, but large ones could take up to 40 minutes.  You want the sprouts to be browned in places and softened but with just a little crunch.

Spicy Garlic Pickles

Awhile back I made some pickles that were absolutely amazing.  The problem?  I just threw things in there without measuring.  I had a general idea of what was in there a week later when I finally tasted them, and a general idea of how much, but that was it.  So I've tried to recreate them.  This isn't spot on, as I've made a version I thought was close, then tried to approximate the fixes, but it's still a damned good pickle.  I didn't bother using pickling cucumbers, just good old cheap regular ones, so adjust the cuts if you want to get fancy.

2-3 cucumbers, cut in thirds lengthwise then radially into 6ths
6 sprigs fresh dill
2 C water
2 C white vinegar +/- 2 T depending on how strong you like your pickles
1/2 C sugar
heavy 1 1/2 T + 1 t kosher salt
6-8 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
6-8 Thai chiles (or to taste), sliced once diagonally
2 bay leaves
4 allspice berries
1 T whole coriander seeds
2 T black mustard seeds

Mix together the vinegar, water, sugar, and salt, and let sit at room temperature, stirring occasionally, until everything is dissolved.

Divide the seasoning ingredients between two 1 quart mason jars, and pack in the cucumber.  Pour the brine over the ingredients, making sure to cover (you may end up packing in more cucumber or making a little extra brine).  Refrigerate for about a week before eating.  I suggest having these as a refreshing element on a charcuterie plate, but honestly I eat most of them straight up as fridge grazing.  Open the fridge to get a drink?  Well, they're right there; I might as well grab a piece or two while the door's open...

Rich and Creamy Smoked Cheddar Sauce

This is a take on my typical cheese sauce, and one that I laid out in a comment on one of the posts, but it's so good it deserves it's own entry.  This is one of those things that's so easy and yet so good that you'll find yourself thinking "I'm a freaking wizard!".  Mac and cheese is an obvious usage, but it's good on baked potatoes, eggs, hash browns, or wherever else you want cheesy goodness.  Just remember that the final sauce is only as good as the cheese you start with.

2 1/2 C whole milk
22 g sodium citrate*
 2 small onions, chopped
 6 cloves garlic, chopped
 2 T butter or bacon grease
 2 T dijon mustard, or to taste
salt and pepper to taste
8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, grated
8 oz smoked cheddar cheese, grated
Cayenne to taste

Saute the onion and garlic in the butter/grease until translucent.  Add the milk and sodium citrate and bring to a simmer.  Add the cheese, a handful at a time, allowing it to melt in while stirring frequently.  Blend the cheese sauce either in a blender or with an immersion blender.  Add the mustard, cayenne, salt, and pepper.  Adjust seasoning as necessary.

*Note: a lot of the cheddar you'll find out there is actually labeled as "cheese product".  Check the label; if it contains sodium phosphate you probably don't need the sodium citrate (they both emulsify the sauce and keep the fats and liquids from separating).

Polenta

For being little more than corn meal, water, and a little seasoning this is a truly wonderful accompaniment to any Italian meal.  I take the basic method from Marcella Hazan's Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking (which I highly recommend), but tweak the ingredients some to make it richer.

7 C water
1 T salt
1 2/3 C coarse cornmeal
6 T butter
1/2 C grated Parmesan

Bring the water and salt to a boil, then very slowly whisk in the cornmeal to avoid lumps.  Stir continuously for several minutes before reducing the heat to a bare simmer and covering the pot.  Cook, covered, for 10 minutes before removing the lid and stirring thoroughly.  Repeat this 10 minute covered cooking and stirring cycle until the polenta has cooked for 40 minutes.  Stir in the butter and Parmesan then serve.

Sichuan Cucumber Relish

A mildly spicy cucumber relish, perfect for snacking on or eating along side a richer Chinese dish.

2 large cucumbers, ends removed, halved and cut in to chunks
2-3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 t Sichuan pepper, ground
1 t chile bean paste
2 T hot pepper oil
1 T salt
2 t sugar
1 T chinkiang vinegar
2 T sesame oil

Place cucumber pieces in a colander and sprinkle with the salt.  Let sit for a couple of hours before rinsing.  Mix the cucumber with the rest of the ingredients, stirring to coat.  Allow the flavors to blend for three hours or overnight before serving.

Cornbread

Simple cornbread, perfect to accompany BBQ.  This is cooked in one of the greatest pieces of cookware ever: a cast iron skillet, which gives it a wonderful crunchy exterior.

1/2 C butter, melted
1/2 C white sugar
2 eggs
1 C buttermilk
1/2 t baking soda
1 C cornmeal
1 C all-purpose flour
1/2 t salt
Kernels from an ear of sweet corn (you can use two ears if you want extra fresh corn taste, but the cooking time increases slightly)
1-2 T rendered bacon grease, chilled (or oil/shortening if bacon grease isn't available)


Place a 10" cast iron skillet in the oven and preheat it to 375 F.  Continue to heat it for another 15 minutes after the oven comes to temperature to ensure that the skillet is hot.
Meanwhile mix together all the ingredients except for the bacon grease.
When everything has preheated grease the skillet with the bacon grease; if the grease is chilled you can generally use a fork to move it around the sides and bottom of the skillet to cover the whole surface.  Add the batter and bake for ~25 minutes, or until done.

Bacon Mac and Cheese

Yet another mac and cheese post, this one is more of a classic mac and cheese with a little bacon thrown in; you could leave out the bacon, but bacon rocks.

1 1/4 C whole milk
1/2 lb macaroni or shells
3-4 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
11 g sodium citrate
1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 T butter (or use the fat from the bacon)
1 T dijon mustard, or to taste
salt and pepper to taste
8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, grated

Cook the pasta according to package directions until just shy of al dente.  While that is cooking saute the onion and garlic in the butter until translucent.  Add the milk and sodium and bring to a simmer.  Add the cheese, a handful at a time, allowing it to melt in while stirring frequently.  Blend the cheese sauce either in a blender or with an immersion blender.  Add the mustard, bacon, salt, and pepper.  Adjust seasoning and add the pasta to the sauce.  Cook while stirring just until the pasta has reached al dente.

Chipotle and Chorizo Mac and Cheese

Another take on mac and cheese using sodium citrate to make a perfectly smooth cheese sauce.  This one mixes a little spice and smokiness in with the rich and creamy cheese sauce.  This makes and excellent side dish, or you could just fill a bowl and eat it for a meal.  If you left out the chorizo and pasta this would also make an excellent sauce for burritos.

11 g sodium citrate
8 oz hot pepper cheddar (or white cheddar), shredded
3 chipotles in adobo sauce, minced
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/4 C half and half
2 T butter
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 t smoked paprika
1/4 t mustard powder
1/4 lb Mexican chorizo, browned
2 C dry macaroni, cooked according to package directions

Melt the butter and saute the onions and garlic until just starting to brown.  Add the half and half, sodium citrate, chipotles, paprika, and mustard.  Bring to a simmer and add the cheese a handful at a time; once all the cheese has been incorporated mix with an immersion blender.  Add the chorizo and adjust seasoning as needed.  Mix in the pasta and serve.

Smoked Gouda and Chorizo Mac and Cheese

This is my riff on the mac and cheese from Modernist Cuisine at Home, and one of my first forays into what is often called molecular gastronomy.  You'll probably have to get the sodium citrate online, but using it means this is actually less work than the typical roux based version while giving a more pronounced cheese flavor.  What the sodium citrate is doing here is preventing the protein in the cheese from aggregating, so it keeps the cheese sauce from breaking into fat and clumps of protein.  It also helps emulsify the milk with the cheese.  The basic idea can be used with other flavors, just change the type of cheese and change out the chorizo for some other flavoring.

1 1/8 C skim milk
11 g sodium citrate

1/4 lb smoked gouda, grated
1/4 lb white cheddar
1 inch piece of Spanish chorizo, in 1/8" cube, or crisped bacon
2 C (1/2 lb) dried pasta

Over medium low heat cook the chorizo to render the fat and crisp it up, remove from heat.
Cook pasta in salted water until al dente, drain and reserve.
Combine the milk with the sodium citrate and bring to a bare simmer.  Add the smoked gouda a handful at a time and whisk in or use an immersion blender.  Add in the reserved chorizo and the rendered fat, whisk to combine then adjust seasoning; you may also want to whisk in a little water if the cheese sauce is too thick.
Combine the cheese sauce and the pasta and serve.

Curry Potato Salad

This recipe is extremely approximate, as I was just playing it by ear, but this should be the basics.  I'd suggest increasing the green onion and thinning things out with a little vinegar.

3 lbs yukon gold potatoes, cleaned, diced, and boiled with salt until just tender (but not peeled)
4 T madras curry powder
3 C mayo
1/2 C whole milk
6 stalks celery
6 T mustard oil
2 T black mustard seeds
one bunch green onions
4 T dijon mustard
Salt to taste


Crackle the mustard seeds in the oil, then add in the celery and the white parts of the green onion.  Saute briefly, then add the curry powder, and saute for another couple of minutes.  Kill the heat, then add in the mayo, milk, green parts of the green onions, and dijon mustard. Stir to combine, taste it and adjust the salt, realizing that potatoes need A LOT of salt.  Mix everything, chill, then taste again.

Crispy Sauteed Potatoes

These were enough of a hit that I'm writing them up, but this isn't really a recipe as much a general outline.

Some sort of oil or fat, enough to form a thin coating on the bottom of a large non-stick skillet.  This could be just about anything from vegetable or olive oil on the plain side to butter, bacon fat, or duck fat if you want something special.
Thinly sliced yukon gold potatoes
A couple of cloves of garlic, minced
Salt to taste
2-3 T grated gruyere

Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet, when it gets hot enough that a slice of potato sizzles add the potatoes to the skillet in a single layer with no more than a little overlapping.  Let it cook until it starts to turn golden brown, then flip.  Sprinkle on the salt, keeping in mind that potatoes generally need more than you would think.  About 30 seconds before the second side is done add the garlic to the pan and move it around to saute the garlic.  Right before removing the potatoes from the pan add the gruyere.

Stir Fried Long Beans

A simple vegetarian Chinese dish that can be ready in minutes.

1 lb Chinese long beans, ends trimmed, and chopped into two inch pieces
1 1/2 T garlic, thinnly sliced
1 1/2 T ginger, grated
3/4 t Sichuan pepper, toasted and ground
3 T oil
handful of dried chiles
2 green onions, thinly sliced in horse ear cuts
salt to taste

Heat the oil in a wok over high heat; blacken the chiles.  Add the garlic and the ginger, and toss briefly.  Add the long beans, toss for a minute.  Add the Sichuan pepper and green onions, toss, add the salt, and continue to stir fry until the beans are cooked, but still have some crunch to them.

Grandma's Chestnut Dressing

This is one of the family classics, and never ceases to get rave reviews.  Unfortunately it's so bad for you and chestnuts can be enough of a pain in the ass to find that I typically reserve making it for the holidays.

Ingredients:
1 1/4 C chopped celery
1/4 C chopped onion
4 C cooked chopped chestnuts (roasting chestnuts then peeling them is a major pain in the ass, but you can find them pre-roasted and peeled in some Asian grocery stores)
1 1/3 C melted butter
1/4 C parsley
1/2 C cream
3 t salt
1/4 t pepper
4 C soft bread crumbs (you can also use dried stuffing mix, though it'll need more broth)
2 t fresh sage
broth from turkey or chicken, preferably homemade

Mix ingredients and bake at 375 for 30 minutes, covered for half.  The amount of broth takes some playing around, so you'll want low ball it and check occasionally to see if it's drying out.  You'll want the end product to be light and moist without being soggy.  You may also want to mix the dressing once or twice when you check it, but in the last stretch when it's uncovered you want to leave it without mixing so the top can crisp slightly.

Saurabh's Dal

A basic lentil dish as made by a guy I worked with.  It's simple, but quite tasty.

1 C urad dal, split and husked
2-3 green chiles, chopped
1/4 t asafoetida
1/2 t whole cumin seeds
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
5 t ghee or vegetable oil
pinch turmeric
salt to taste
3 dried red chiles (optional)

Soak the dal for two hours in 6 C lightly salted water, then add the dried chiles and boil uncovered until the lentils start to break down and take on a creamy consistency (if too much water evaporates put a lid on the pot and reduce the heat).
In a skillet heat the ghee then add the asafoetida; fry this until fragrant, then add cumin.
When the cumin becomes fragrant add the garlic and tumeric, then the green chiles.
Add this to the pot of dal (there will be some hissing and sputtering).
Stir together, heat the dal for a few minutes to combine the flavors, and eat.

Mushrooms in Sherry and Garlic Sauce

Rich, earthy, and just a little spicy; this is an easy to make tasty side dish.

1 lb mushrooms, in 1/4" slices
3 T olive oil
2 t flour
2 shallots, minced
6-7 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 T chopped flat leaf parsley
1/4 C dry sherry
1/4 C beef broth
heavy pinch crushed red pepper, or to taste
lemon juice
1 t smoked paprika

Preheat the oil over high heat, and saute the mushrooms, shallots, and garlic for 2 minutes.
Remove the mushrooms and garlic and reserve; add the flour and cook for a couple of minutes to make a roux.  Add the broth, sherry, red pepper, paprika, and a squeeze of lemon juice, and whisk to include the roux. 
Add the reserved mushroom mixture back into the pan and simmer for a couple of minutes. 
Taste and adjust salt, pepper, and lemon juice.  Sprinkle with the parsley, toss, and serve.

Notes:
As written this could be a little hard to cook properly (you'd need a big skillet and a lot of heat), so it might be a good idea to halve the recipe.  This would probably also allow you to make the roux without removing the mushrooms from the pan.

Zucchini and Lardon

A rich but simple side dish which can be served with a variety of  cuisines.

3 smallish zucchini, quartered and chopped
6-7 T salt pork, finely chopped (1/4" cubes)
2 shallots, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
salt and pepper to taste.

Throw the salt pork in a skillet (not non-stick), and saute until brown and crispy. Add the shallots and garlic, saute for a minute or so, add the zucchini, salt, and pepper. Cook until the zucchini is the desired texture.

Cornbread

Made this one again and it was good enough that I felt it was time to post it.  If you wanted to play with it you might add some sauteed jalapeno or some cheese, but I love it the way it is.  If you wanted to add cheese you might want to decrease the sugar.

1/2 C butter, melted
2/3 C white sugar
2 eggs
1 C buttermilk
1/2 t baking soda
1 C cornmeal
1 C all-purpose flour
1/2 t salt
Kernels from an ear of sweet corn (if available)
oil or bacon grease to grease the cast iron pan

Preheat an oven and cast iron skillet to 375.
Mix the dry ingredients together, then add the wet ingredients and mix the batter together.
Remove the pan from the oven and grease the pan before adding the batter.  Bake for ~25 minutes.

Potatoes with Chorizo

This is a recipe out of The Foods and Wines of Spain by Penelope Casas which is just so good that I feel the need to share it. If you like it, go out and buy the cookbook, because everything in it is spectacular.

1 T olive oil
1/4 lb chorizo (or 10-12 1/8" slices of Spanish cured chorizo rather than Mexican)
3 slices bacon, chopped
4 medium yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
salt
1 T chopped parsley
1 clove garlic, minced

Heat the oil, saute the bacon; if using Mexican chorizo add it in when the bacon is about half done, otherwise you want the bacon most of the way to done, then add the chorizo and finish the bacon. Add the potatoes, sprinkle with salt, and cook over medium high while covered until the potatoes are golden and done. Add the garlic and parsley and cook for a few minutes on medium high uncovered.