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.
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.
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!
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.
Guest blogger, my hunky nephew Paul, is writing for us today. Paul is a mixologist at one of our local watering holes and is currently single. Yes, I meddle in my nephew's personal life. Serious inquiries should inbox me privately. <wink> ---- Known as "the drinking man's drink," it was the father to the "Martinez cocktail," which was the father to the popular "Martini." So, yeah, it's the martini's grand-daddy -- that ever so popular and sexy concoction of gin and vermouth. In fact, the Manhattan could be the reason we use vermouth in cocktails today. The Manhattan was created in the late 1800's, and due to vermouth's increasing popularity at the time, may bartenders were experimenting with it. It is probable that many bartenders created the same cocktail at the same time. One theory is that the cocktail was created at the Manhattan club in New York City in 1874, when Jennie Churchill (Mother of Winston) threw a party for the newly elected Governor. Now, to the nitty-gritty. The cocktail falls into the French-Italian family of cocktails. Because New York was a rye town at the time, the original recipe calls for rye whiskey. Other adaptations use bourbon (the South) or brandy (the Midwest). We're going to do it the way it was intended: The Manhattan
2 oz Rye Whiskey (I use Old Overholt - Cheap and Good for Cocktails)
3/4 Oz Sweet Vermouth (I use Dolin)
2 Dashes Angostura Bitters
Maraschino Cherry
Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass. Add ice. Stir (preferably with a bar spoon), minimum of 20 revolutions, no more than 25. The idea is to chill the drink, dilute the whisky and NOT water the cocktail down. Strain into a chilled martini or coupe glass. Garnish with cherry.
WARNING: Vermouth is wine. It will go bad, even though it is fortified. When not in use, refrigerate, it will keep longer. Generally, you can stretch it to a week.
Note: I make my own cherries because most of the ones you buy are brined, bleached, and colored to that disposable bright red. The recipe? I'll share that in the future. For now, you can buy Luxardo Brand Maraschino Cherries or any brandied Maraschino Cherries. Just avoid anything bright red. That's garbage.
Try the recipe. Let Uncle Alex know what you think.
Every now and again we'll take a break from the '50s and highlight a recipe that is tried and true and a favorite from our kitchen. Today, it's the Cuban Quiche. You read it correctly, the Cuban Quiche.
This is what comes of a Cuban boy from Miami in the kitchen with too much time on his hands. You never know what you're going to get. I love Cuban picadillo. For the uninitiated, picadillo is a savory ground beef mixture that is usually eaten with rice and has as many variations as there are people who make it. (I'll post my recipe sometime in the future.) One day, I was sitting around minding my own business, and a strange thought popped into my head. What would happen if I combined the savory/tropical taste of picadillo with the hearty richness of quiche? I had had meat quiche before (Quiche Lorraine anyone?) but it was to fancy and delicate. I wanted something strong and aggressive. Well, I think I hit pay dirt! Let me know what you think in the comments:
Ingredients
5 eggs (room temperature)
1/2 cup Whole Milk
2 tbs Balsamic Vinegar (If you can get this: Beekman Black Drizzle, it is AMAZING!)
2 Cups Sharp Cheddar Cheese, finely grated
1 1/2 Cup Gouda Cheese, finely grated
1 tbs All Purpose Flour
1 Pie Crust (I like the Pillsbury Refrigerated Pie Crust)
1 lb Ground Beef
1 Bell Pepper (Red), minced
1 Yellow Onion (Large), minced
4 Garlic Cloves, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbs Badia Sazon Completa
1 tsp Kosher Salt -
Take the eggs, milk, balsamic vinegar, flour, and salt and combine in a medium bowl. Whisk together until all the egg yolks are broken and the ingredients are well-combined. Add cheeses, beat further. Now you are starting to understand why it was important that the cheeses where FINELY grated. The finer the easier it is to incorporate and the better the Quiche will turn out! You do not have to beat it to death, but ensure that you have a nice, gooey, consistent mixture. It is important that all the ingredients are evenly distributed. Set aside.
Spread pie shell over a 9 inch prepared (butter, Pam, whatever you prefer) pie pan. It is essential that you blind bake the pie shell. If you do not have experience blind baking a pie shell, click on the instructional video below, it is an EXCELLENT tutorial from America's Test Kitchen.
While the pie shell is blind baking, saute onions, and bell pepper over medium-high heat until onions are translucent and bell pepper is soft. Add garlic and saute further for about 10 seconds until garlic blooms (you'll know, the smell will be incredible). Add the Badia Sazon Completa and stir. Now, add the ground beef and brown, taking care to break up and chunks that may form. Ensure that ground been pieces are as small as possible and cook through.
Take the cooked beef and our into the now cooked pie shell ensuring that it is equally distributed along the bottom of the shell. You want to make sure you get beef in every bite. Now, pour the egg mixture over the beef. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes depending on your oven. They are all temperamental.
Use the toothpick test to test for doneness:
Any questions? Ask away! Make sure you let me know what you think in the comments!
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.
The Flavor Bible, originally published by Little, Brown and Company in 2008, is a necessary tool for anyone who is serious about, dare I say it, flavor.
Those of you that know me, know that I had gastric bypass surgery in February of 2013 (losing a whopping 147 lbs to date!) and that I can only eat very small portions of food at any one sitting -- less than a cup (in total) of consumption at any meal. Yes, you read that correctly. A cup! This makes being a foodie very difficult. And, yes, I still consider myself a foodie. Although I cannot inhale the voluminous amounts of food I was accustomed to eating, I enjoy the food I eat and make every bite count.
For me, the key to making every bite count is ensuring that the flavors pop guaranteeing the perpetual party in my mouth. Well, this is not easy. Although I am a solid cook -- some would say awesome (I pay them) -- it is difficult to come up with flavor combinations that aren't boring, expensive, and/or repetitive. Enter The Flavor Bible.
The Flavor Bible answers the age old question: What goes with what? Don't know what to add to pumpkin to make it pop? Check The Flavor Bible (Answer: bay leaf). Want to know what flavor affinities are present in Georgian (Russian) cuisine? Check The Flavor Bible. (Answer: coriander + dill + fenugreek (blue) + garlic + red peppers + walnuts). Did you know chicken goes well with cinnamon? That you should use marjoram in egg dishes? That navy beans go well with YELLOW onions? OK, I think I've made my point.
From the mundane to the exotic, look up an ingredient in the matching tables and you will get the wisdom of some of the worlds most celebrated chefs to guide you, whether you want to enhance a recipe or are creating something from scratch. From personal experience I can tell you that pumpkin/bay leaf trick really works. I made some pumpkin cookies the other day that I had made a zillion times before. But, this time I added a bay leaf to the pumpkin mixture and sauteed for a while before adding to the batter. The pumpkin flavor was enhanced tremendously and the cookies were better than ever before! Yes, you need to remove the bay leaf. ;)
I turn to this book again and again. Instead of keeping it in the library, I keep it in my kitchen. My one regret is that it took me 5 years to find it. You can check it out here: The Flavor Bible
Combine all ingredients until well mixed. Make 1 inch meatballs. Braise meatballs until done. NOTE: When braising, lightly fry only, then stew in favorite liquid (I prefer a 1:1 redwine/stock combination) to prevent drying.
Use as a dip, condiment, or in place of Paprika when needed in a recipe. I especially like to use the paste because it combines more easily with other ingredients. Also, because I'm in control of what I put in, I can control how spicy it is! The Roasted Bell Peppers bring out the Paprika's earth flavors.
Ingredients
2 Roasted Bell Peppers (Any Color Except Green)
2 tbs Hot Hungarian Paprika
2 tbs Sweet Paprika
4 tbs Ketchup
3 tbs Red Wine Vinegar
2 cloves of Garlic
Throw everything in the blender and process on lowest setting possible until you have a nice, thick paste. Makes approximately 1 pint. You need to refrigerate. At my house, it's gone in about a week. We put it on everything.
