Sundried tomato spread

Another simple spread suitable for parties or just as a snack.

Blend together:
6 oil packed sun dried tomato halves
1/4 C goat cheese
2 T marscarpone (or cream cheese)
1 T fresh sage (chopped)

Olive spread

A quick spread for crackers or toast, perfect for parties.

Blend together:
1/2 C pitted black olives (good ones, NOT canned)
2 t olive oil
2 t balsamic vinegar
1 head roasted garlic
1 T Italian parsley (chopped)
1/4 t black pepper

Thai Red Curry Paste, Type 2

A lighter Thai red curry paste suitable for chicken and fish.


1 t coriander, ground
10-20 (or to taste) red chiles, preferably Thai
1/2 t cumin
4 shallots or green onions
2 lemon grass stalks, chopped, woody part discarded, or 6 T frozen shredded lemon grass
1/2 t black pepper, ground
2 cloves garlic
4 cilantro roots, or handful of leaves and stems
1 T galangal or ginger, grated
1 t tumeric
1/2 t shrimp paste
1 t salt
2 T vegetable oil
pinch cinnamon (optional)
2 kaffir lime leaves (optional)

Combine all in a food processor.


This curry paste doesn't keep quite as well as the red curry paste 1, but makes far less of it. This version is also much lighter in flavor so it won't completely kill fish or chicken.

Thai Red Curry Paste, type 1

A rich version of Thai red curry paste most suited to beef and game.

2 T coriander, ground
6-12 (or to taste) red chiles, preferably Thai
1 t cumin, ground
1 T paprika
1-2 t decorticated green cardamom, ground
1/2 t nutmeg, ground
zest of one orange
1/4 t cloves, ground
1/2 t cinnamon
1 stalk lemon grass finely chopped (if you don't chop it the food processor will have a hard time), discarding woody part of base, alternatively, 3 T frozen shredded lemon grass
1.5 T sugar
4 cloves garlic
1/2 t salt
2 cm galangal or ginger, peeled and grated
4 shallots or green onions
3 T shrimp paste
3-4 T lime juice
2 T vegetable oil

Combine all in a food processor.


This stuff is salty enough that it'll keep for a long time in the fridge, but makes enough that you should plan on freezing some. This particular version is best suited to richer meats like beef or game; a lighter version more suitable for chicken or fish is under Red Curry Paste 2.

Chinese Sausage

Round two of the end of the year sausage making is a first attempt at a Chinese inspired sausage:
2.5-3 lbs pork shoulder (add in some salt pork if the shoulder is too lean)
1/4 C soy sauce
2 T shaoxing wine
salt to taste
1-2 shallots
1 T sugar
1.5 T black bean paste
1 T sesame
1 t liquid smoke
2 T grated ginger
2-3 cloves garlic
Hot peppers to taste
8-10 dried shitake mushrooms, rehydrated
1 t pepper
2-3 t schezwan pepper corn, ground
3/4 t insta cure
salt to taste

Grind the pork, shallot, garlic, mushrooms, and chiles together. Mix in the rest of the ingredients, then stuff in to casings.

Thai Sausage

So the end of the year apparently means it's time to make sausage. The first of the sausage varieties is a Thai red curry sausage:

1 kg pork shoulder (add in some salt pork if it's too lean)
1/2 C coconut milk
2-3 T grated ginger
4 garlic cloves
4 shallots
Thai chiles to taste
2 t salt
1 t MSG
1/2 t insta cure
1/2 t ground pepper
4 T homemade red curry paste (type 1, suitable for meat)

Grind the meat, shallots, garlic, and chiles, then mix in the rest of the ingredients. Stuff in to casings.

Indian chicken alpha

This was just a first attempt at this one, but it turned out well enough for an alpha version to warrant posting. I'll probably end up playing with it, but I doubt I'll make too many changes.

1-2 t black mustard seeds
10 cloves
5 green cardamoms
bay leaf
1.5 lb boneless skinless chicken thigh, trimmed and in bite size pieces.
salt
pepper
1 onion, sliced
8-10 cloves garlic (in two batches)
oil
half cup cream
1.5 T grated ginger
2 C chicken stock
Corn starch to thicken
handful dried chiles
cayenne to desired heat

Crackle mustard, cloves, cardamom, bay leaf, and chiles in oil. Saute onion, half of garlic, and ginger. Saute chicken for a few minutes. Add chicken stock, cover, and simmer for 20-30 minutes.

Make a slurry with corn starch and use to thicken. Add the rest of the garlic and simmer for a minute or two. Kill the heat and add the cream; serve with rice.

Asian Jerky

A basic idea of an Asian style beef/venison jerky.


1 lb flank steak trimmed of fat and cut with the grain in thin uniform slices
1/2 C soy sauce
1/8 C Chinese rice wine
2 T honey (maybe more)
1.5 T grated ginger
1.5 t garlic powder
crushed red pepper and cayenne pepper to taste
0.5 T instacure (sodium nitrite mix or the like; I know some people claim nitrites/nitrates are bad for you, but they've been used in food for centuries, and I wouldn't want to take cured meat on a hiking trip without it)

Combine all ingredients and marinate for 24 hours. Stick in a dehydrator at 140 F until thoroughly dry and fibrous, turning meat and rotating trays once.

Potato Soup with Roasted Garlic

2 lbs potatoes, peeled and rough cubed
1 head of garlic, roasted*
2 quarts chicken stock
2 C cream (or 1 C cream and 1 C half and half)
~2 t celery seed
1-1 1/2 C chopped onion
1/2 lb bacon, chopped
1/2 C flour
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 C fresh parsley, chopped

*remove outermost peel, slice top off, seal in aluminum foil with a splash of olive oil. Bake at 400 for 30-35 minutes

Saute the bacon over medium low until crisp, and remove bacon from pan (leave the fat and reserve the bacon).
Saute the onion in the bacon grease, then add the flour to make a roux. Cook this for a few minutes to eliminate the raw flour taste.
Boil the potatoes in the chicken stock until tender, then add the roux/onion mix everything except the reserved bacon and cream and allow to thicken (simmer for a few minutes). Add in the cream, then either blend with an immersion blender (or blender, food processor, etc...) for a smooth soup, or mash the hell out of it with a potato masher if you like chunks. If you choose to use the potato masher be sure to crush and mince the roasted garlic before adding. Heat on low stirring frequently for a few minutes to allow the flavors to blend.
Serve with cheese and the bacon.

Pork with Sage and Apples

2 lbs pork chops or tenderloin
1 1/2 C apple juice or cider
2 T dark rum
1 T oil
1 T prepared brown mustard
2 t sage
1 t ground dried chipotle
1 t salt
1 t black pepper
2 cloves chopped garlic
3 granny smith apples, pealed and chopped into fairly thin slices
2 T butter

Marinate the pork in the apple juice, vinegar, cognac, oil, and mustard for 2 hours. Drain the marinade (reserving it), rub the pork with the spices, reserving about a teaspoon, then cook in an oven or (better) grill. Reduce the marinade to about half, adding in the apple slices, spices and butter and cooking until apples are tender. Pour the sauce and apples over the pork and serve.