Pot Roast a la Pressure!

We got a brand-new, spanking pressure cooker as a wedding gift last October.  Husband had been after me for a couple of months to try it out. It's a fancy-dandy German stove-top model that is built like a tank, made to last, shiny and durable.  And boy, does it work well! Here's a recipe for the first ever thing I cooked in it. A standard pot roast a-la-50s style. Nothing fancy, and really easy. All in less than an hour cooking time.

People ask me: Why the pressure cooker?  In short, it's fast and the food comes out moist and fork tender.  If you don't always plan ahead and use the slow cooker.  Use the pressure cooker -- your fast cooker friend!

Ingredients

3 lbs Boneless Chuck Roast

3 tbs Olive Oil

2 large Onions (Yellow - Chopped fine)

2 Cups Beef Stock

4 Carrots (Chopped into inch pieces -- about 2 Cups)

8-12 Red Bliss Potatoes (or Red Creamers) (chopped to 1- 1 1/2 inch sizes)

3-4 Celery Stalks (Chopped fine)

2 tbs Garlic

2 tbs Soy Sauce

2 tbs Worchestire sauce

salt

pepper

• Salt/Pepper chuck roast
• Combine beef stock, garlic, soy sauce, worchestire sauce and set aside
• Heat olive oil in 8 qt pressure cooker on high.  Sear chuck roast on all sides, careful not to burn. Do not flip multiple times.  Be patient.  Once you've seared, pour stock mixture in pressure cooker over the roast.
• Add carrots, onions, celery, potatoes
• Close pressure cooker and attain "high" pressure.
• Cook at high pressure for 1 hour.
• Release pressure according to manufacturer's directions.
• You're done.
• Serve!

Enjoy!

--Alex

Not Your Abuelita's Cuban Picadillo: The Cuban '50s

Picadillo, or Cuban Beef Hash, is that savory combination of ground beef and stuff. I say stuff because there are about as many different versions of Picadillo as there are people. Some people like it sweet, some spicy (not very many Cubans), and most like it savory. What follows below is the way you are most likely to eat it at my house. Unless, of course, I run out of something. Then, what you'll eat is an improvisation of whatever is around.

Picadillo takes a while. It takes a bit of time to get those potatoes to soften.  Be patient. You are not going to overcook the meat--don't worry. It's also important to follow the stages below in order, otherwise the textures wont be right. You don't want mush.

A couple of notes.  "Chopped small" is not the same as minced--I like texture.  I like my Picadillo a bit wetter than most people.  Also, I believe in easy, for the most part.  I like using Badia.  It's cheap, easy and good.

Ingredients
1 Cup Raisins
1/2 Cup Red Wine
2 tbs Olive Oil
1 1/2 Large Sweet Yellow Onion (Chopped Small)
1 Orange Bell Pepper (Chopped Small)
1 Red Bell Pepper (Chopped Small)
2tbs Minced Garlic
2tbs Badia Sazon Completa
2tsp Ground Black Pepper
1/2 tsp Ground Clove
1/2 tsp Asafoetida Powder (Don't know what this is?  Look here: Asafoetida Powder)
2 lbs Ground Beef
2 15oz Cans Tomato Sauce
2 Pounds Yukon Gold Potatoes (Peeled and Chopped Medium-Small)
1 Cup Green Olives (I like Castlevetrano)
Salt to taste

I recommend a 5 quart non-stick pan.  Everything in one pot.  No sense in getting lots of things dirty. Those of you that are wondering what red wine to use, I use whatever I have around.  Currently, we are drinking Apothic Red.  We really like Apothic Dark, but that was a limited release.  I am told that Apothic Dark is coming out again in the first quarter of 2014.  Get it!

• Soak raisins in red wine for at least an hour.  Read that again.  At least an hour.  It is important that the raisins plump.
• Sauté bell peppers and onions in the olive oil until soft on medium high heat.
• Add garlic, Badia, black pepper, clove, asafoetida and stir.  In about 15 seconds, you will note the frangrance change.  When you do . . .
• Add the ground beef and brown.  Don't worry if not perfectly brown.  Make sure to break up all the meat. Do your best.
• Add the tomato sauce and stir.
• Add raisins with the wine.
• Bring to simmer.
• Add potatoes.
• Bring to simmer.  (If already at simmer, continue)
• Cover and reduce heat to low.  Maintain low simmer.  Cook until potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally.
• Ten minutes before you call it "done," add olives.  Stir.  Wait.  Skim any fat on top.  Stir.  Serve.

Enjoy!

--Alex

Gentle Ginger Snaps

Rather than review the recipe in Best Loved Food of the '50s, suffice it to say that it was a dud.  The batter was dry and there was no way the recipe was going to work when baked.  I believe there was a serious printing error in the recipe.  Do you want good Ginger Snaps? Here is MY recipe!

Ingredients

2 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour (I Use King Arthur Flour)

1 1/2 tsp ground Ginger Powder

1 1/2 tsp Baking Soda

1 1/2 tsp Allspice

1 tsp Kosher Salt

1 1/2 Cups Sugar

2 tbs Butter

1 tbs Fresh Grated Ginger (Fine)

1 Cup Apple Butter (Yes, Apple Butter -- If you can't find, use Apple Sauce)

1/4 Cup Molasses

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  
• Spray cookie sheet with nonstick spray, or, better yet, use a silpat.
• In large bowl sift together the dry ingredients.
• Beat Sugar, Fresh Ginger and Butter together until well blended.  It's very little butter.  You will want to use a Stand Mixer if you have one on #4 for about 3 minutes. (My favorite: KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer)
• Using a fork, work in the Apple Sauce and the Molasses.
• Add the Flour mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, until well combined.  If using the Stand Mixer, again, use setting #4.  Careful!  You don't want the flour exploding everywhere.
• Make small, 3/4 inch balls of dough and space on silpat (or baking sheet) 1" apart.  No need to flatten.
• Bake for approximately 14 minutes.
• Cool for approximately 1/2 hour on wire rack.

Why Apple Butter and not Apple Sauce?  Simple.  Apple Butter adds a deeper, richer flavor, and you wont have to use more molasses to get depth in the taste of your cookie!

By the way, check out the Favorite Things Page (off of the Home Page) for recommendations on Baking Sheets, Wire Racks, and other items.  You'll be glad you did.

Enjoy!

--Alex

NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Famous Fudge

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup (5 fl.-oz. can) NESTLÉ® CARNATION® Evaporated Milk
• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups miniature marshmallows
• 1 1/2 cups (9 oz.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

LINE 8-inch-square baking pan with foil.

COMBINE sugar, evaporated milk, butter and salt in medium, heavy-duty saucepan. Bring to a full rolling boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil, stirring constantly, for 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

STIR in marshmallows, morsels, nuts and vanilla extract. Stir vigorously for 1 minute or until marshmallows are melted. Pour into prepared baking pan; refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm. Lift from pan; remove foil. Cut into 48 pieces.

FOR MILK CHOCOLATE FUDGE:

SUBSTITUTE 1 3/4 cups (11.5-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Milk Chocolate Morsels for Semi-Sweet Morsels.

FOR BUTTERSCOTCH FUDGE:

SUBSTITUTE 1 2/3 cups (11-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Butterscotch Flavored Morsels for Semi-Sweet Morsels.

FOR PEANUTTY CHOCOLATE FUDGE:

SUBSTITUTE 1 2/3 cups (11-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Peanut Butter & Milk Chocolate Morsels for Semi-Sweet Morsels and 1/2 cup chopped peanuts for pecans or walnuts.

The Stiletto! -- A Cocktail from the '50s

I hate big parties for New Year's Eve.  Well, truth be told, I really don't care for big parties at all.  I like small groups that stay around 6-10 people.  They are much easier to cook for, you can talk to everyone, and, as host, you can make sure everybody has a good time.  Fortunately for the husband and me, we had the best of all worlds for New Year's.  A small, intimate party, hosted by somebody else:  our good friends Rebecca and Jay!

Rebecca is a wonderful mixologist.  She can pour a stiff drink that wont hit you until it's too late for you to realize what you've done.  Well, she did me in on New Year's Eve.  "What can I get you?" She asked.  "Make me something sweet," I answered.   What happened then is still hazy, but I had one of the best drinks I've ever had - and the one drink gave me a buzz that lasted for hours.  Here's the recipe for the Stiletto.  Enjoy!

1 1/2 Cups Cracked Ice
6 Ounces Amaretto
3 Ounces Kentucky Bourbon
2 Ounces Lemon Juice
2 Tablespoons Simple Syrup
10 or 12 Ice Cubes
2 Lemon Peels

Fill cocktail shaker with the cracked ice and add Amaretto, Bourbon, Lemon and Simple Syrup.  Shake Vigorously to blend and chill.  Divide the ice cubes between two old-fashioned glasses.  Strain half the mixture into each glass.  Garnish with Lemon Peels.  Rub Peel round rim of glass then drop in!  Serves 2.

By the way, Rebecca inverted the recipe in the drink she gave to me, doubling the Bourbon and singling the Amaretto.  All I can say is WOW!

The recipe came from: Highballs and High Heels.  Click on the name if you want to purchase the book.

Enjoy!

Alex

Alex' Sweet and Sour Sauce (with a hint of kick!)

Yes.  I know that cooking in the Fifties was all about convenience and opening jars/cans.  But, as you will learn from my postings, if I have it at home, can substitute, or make-up, I'm not going to the store.  So, when the Tropical Pork Chops recipe called for 1/2 cup of prepared sweet and sour sauce, I looked around the house to see what I could come up with.  I think you will appreciate the results.  Let me know.

Here is what you will need:

4 tbs Pineapple Juice
4 tbs Ketchup (or tomato sauce - whatever you have closest to you)
1/2 cup Red Wine Vinegar (Apple Cider Vinegar will work too, but not as well)
1/4 cup Light Brown Sugar (Regular Sugar will work too, taste will be brighter)
1/2 tsp Kosher Salt (OR 1/4 tsp table salt, you decide)
1 tsp Grated Fresh Ginger (OR 1/4 tsp powdered Ginger)
1 tbs Cornstarch (dissolved in 3 tbs water)

Combine pineapple juice, ketchup, vinegar, sugar, salt and ginger in a small saucepan whisking periodically, bringing to slow simmer on medium heat -- just enough to melt the sugar.

When you have the simmer going, introduce the Cornstarch solution and whisk slowly until the liquid becomes a bit syrupy and develops a glossy sheen.  Note, it WILL NOT tremendously thicken on the stove.  Simmer for about an additional 2 minutes.  Remove from heat and let stand until liquid returns to room temperature.

Once at room temperature, store in favorite container and refrigerate until use.  The sauce will thicken a bit more in the refrigerator, but it will not become gooey.  If you're going to use it for dipping, you may want to pull it out 1/2 hour early to let it get to room temperature.

Enjoy!

Alex

Tropical Pork Chops "Luscious Luau"

I thought I'd start off easy by tackling a "dump and serve" recipe from our book of 1950s cuisine.  Although the name was inviting, the recipe called for little more than taking some prepared sweet and sour sauce, combining it with pineapple chunks, and dumping the concoction over some browned pork chops.  Completely uninspired and totally pedestrian.  Although I've got to give it massive props for quick and easy, and, yes, the result would have yielded a perfectly edible set of pan-fried chops, the experience would have left me somewhat empty inside -- and somehow, the blasé recipe did not conjure a Luscious Luau in my mind.

In four simple steps, the recipe wanted us to:

1. Combine pineapple chunks, sweet and sour sauce, raisins and brown sugar in a bowl.
2. Brown chops.
3. Dump combination sauce over chops and simmer until cooked -- about 10 minutes.
4. Serve over cous cous (I doubt they had this in the 50s, in the U.S., but what can you do?)

So, what could I do that was simple and at the same time increase the flavor quotient?  I added a flavor-paste rub.  Before browning the chops (which were not chops at all but a chopped pork loin), I dosed them with a rub designed to bring out a Luscious Luau flavor.

Alex' Luau Rub


1 tbs Chinese 5 Spice
1 tbs Onion Powder
2 tsp Garlic Powder
1/8 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1/4 tsp Ground Ginger
1 tbs Pineapple Juice












Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and form a paste. Take the paste and spread it over both sides of the chops!  Put the chops in the refrigerator (covered or it they will stink up the fridge) for at least two hours.

By the way, if you don't have pork chops, relax.  I didn't have pork chops at home but I did have a 1 1/2 lb pork loin.  Here's what I did:

Take the loin and cut it in half, leaving you with two even cuts.

Take those halves, and slice them in half again for four "chops."

Presto!  Four "Chops."  As long as you don't over-cook them (internal temperature 145 degrees) they will be moist, juicy and tender.

Eagle-eyed readers will have noticed that I used crushed pineapple rather than pineapple chunks.  Well, I didn't have any chunks.  I'm over it.  Are you?  Use what you have.  Repeat with me.  Use what you have.  Not surprisingly, I found that the crushed pineapple combined very well with the cous cous.

Oh!  Before I forget, I didn't have any sweet and sour sauce either -- I'll post that recipe for you tomorrow.  Who needs store-bought?

Enjoy!

Alex

2014 - The Year of the 50s!

 



During 2014, Retro Gourmets will dedicate itself to the food of the fabulous fifties.  As a year-long project, we will cook our way through Publications International's Best-Loved Food of the '50s.  Each week, one or two recipes from the book will be highlighted, along with the ups and downs of making each one.  Yes, we'll tackle the easy ones; we'll also tackle the hard ones.  Along the way, your hosts Alex and Zuaelie (cooking from A to Z!) will thrown in some 50s trivia, fun facts and cooking tips -- often highlighting some kitchen products they can't live with out.  Have a question?  Post in the comments and they will do their best to answer.  Although not professional chefs, each one carries extensive cooking experience in a variety of settings.  No, they are not fussy, just practical.  And, they know how to make due with what they have!

Want to follow along?  Purchase your copy of the book at Amazon by clicking here: Best-Loved Food of the 50s