What the dickens is "left-over wine?"

My favorite kind of project. Making something for the people I love.

My dear friend Becky Sue Cook gave me this idea. She can bake me under a table and is a terrific example of someone who cooks poor, eats rich. Plus she's a fellow WHS RAM. Kudos love!

Most of you know that I make a little jar of something for gifts at Christmas. The brilliance of this project is it combines two of my favorite things. Hockey and Doctor Who...no, wait I meant COOKING and WINE. Yeah, those two.

Great use of any leftover wine. Simple stuff. Nothing you haven't seen before, I've done at least one jar project every year.

Wine jelly

MISE-EN-PLACE

3 cups dry wine. Red or white. I picked a nice fruity Merlot from Washington. Just about one 750ml bottle.

4 cups sugar

1 3.78 ounce package of Pectin. They used to be labeled straight 4 ounces...bastards. It's ok, it works.

One big pot for sterilizing jars and lids

One pot for jelly process.

Pair of tongs

Ladle.

And yes, they do sell special equipment just for processing jars. Do you need it? Well, no. I'm a professional and I don't. I'm not the kind of person who spends money on stuff I'll only use once a year.

Anyway....

Put all jars, lids and rings into your large pot and cover with water. Bring to boil. Sterilization. Just let it go. Make sure your tongs and ladle are in there too.

 

In your other pot over high heat dump in the wine and pectin. Stir gently until it comes to a boil.

Dump in all the sugar. Stir until dissolves. Keep stirring and boil hard for one minute. Lower to simmer.

Now you're going to notice a wacky, foamy scum gathering on the surface. You'll want to remove that. Just use a small spoon and dump it.

If you want to test your batch, easy. Grab a small plate or bowl. Dribble some onto it and count to 10. Turn it upside down. If it's perfect it will set and not drip.

 

 

Ok? All good? Time to process.

Using the tongs, grab one jar and fill where the ring screws on. Wipe rim with a paper towel dipped in the hot water, this will insure a tight seal. Grab one lid (that's the flat one) place on top, grab one ring and screw it on tight. I use a clean cloth towel.

ONE

TWO

As each jar is filled, put them on a towel out of the way.

Once all jars are filled and lidded. GENTLY lower them standing back into the hot water and let it come back to boil for 5 minutes.

Remove, dry and let stand until cool. Out of any cold drafts, we don't want anything to crack.

I know! Easy right? You'll get 6-8 oz jars of yield. That's a pretty fair return for little effort.

Wine jelly is a terrific condiment for savory cheeses, goes terrific with bagels and cream cheese, rye crackers...etc. Be your family's gourmet this holiday!

If you are so inclined, if you'd like to help out this poor man's blog. On the top of the site you'll see a PayPal button, any amount is greatly appreciated. Also, if you are considering buying anything off Amazon. On the right is a link. Anything you purchase, a small amount is given to support this blog. Thank you.

Have a joyful season y'all

Cooking poor, eating rich

Ciao

 

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It's November, it's 85F. Squash.

And again. I took a long time away from the blog. My RWJ finally went full time and has taken up most of my focus sorry. I got bills. So do you.
Dad did it again, grew some great produce that I must share. What you're looking at is "Buttercup" squash. Sorta punkiny kinda butternutty. Green on the outside and rich orange inside with an earthy and sweet character. Now sure I coulda done all kinds of crazy things, made gnocchi, filling for ravioli but my focus here is to think about what YOU might do with it. So quick bread is easy. Another master recipe you can use with any golden gourd-like squash, including pumpkin, turban, butternut etc...

Mise-en-place
Master formula
PREHEAT OVEN TO 350F
2 cups AP Flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp fine salt
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup squash, puréed
1 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/3 cup cooking oil
*optional
1/2 cup chopped nuts ( I'm allergic so I didn't)
1/2 cup dried fruit ( I used cranberry)
The first order of business is to render our squash. Easy. Quarter, scoop out seeds and that gushy, thready gunk. Put the quarters into a large plastic bag with a splash of water. Pop it into the Microwave for about 10 minutes or until completely soft. Scoop out (don't burn yourself) and measure out one solid cup. Any left overs just freeze.

Sift together the flour, spices, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a separate bowl. Combine squash, brown sugar and oil. Whisk together thoroughly. Add eggs and whisk until absorbed.

Add the dry ingredients in two additions. Mix thoroughly. Easy right? If using any or both optional ingredients add them NOW. I said NOW.
Grease up one 9x5x3 inch loaf pan.

Dump the batter into the pan and bake for 50 to 60 minutes. Test with a knife or skewer, anything clings to it, let it go for a little more.
Remove from oven and let it cool until no longer dangerous to handle, remove from pan. Let it sit until completely cool. Wrap and chill overnight before slicing up. I know it's hard to wait and sure you could eat this right away but this formula renders a really fluffy, crumbly product. If you do it my way it gets much more dense and moist.

Quick breads are a great way to send love without breaking the bank. Using a master formula gives you the foundation to experiment with your own ideas. There are no wrong answers.

Happy Autumn

Cooking poor, eating rich

Ciao

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Soft Shell Blue Crab and local beer. It's a fry heat.

 

I'm having a great summer. Yeah it's hot but you come to expect that here in Phoenix. Coyotes are staying put for now, they backed off the mass-transit strike and I spent the 4th with my folks so all-in-all can't complain. Now I got crabs....not those kind, yeesh.

Once a year the good Lord sees fit to make available one of the yummiest treats known to man. Soft shell crab. Immature freshly molted crustaceans. Usually something this pricey I would back away from for this blog but some jerk-wad ordered a bunch from my local butcher and then refused them. His loss my gain, usually they sell anywhere from 8 to 10 each but these needed to sell quick so I got them by weight at 9 a pound. See how having a good relationship with a supplier comes into play? Right.

What should I do? Maybe go Asian with a light tempura batter and Thai Curry? Maybe classic Cioppino?

OR...wait for it. We have a terrific local brewer called San-Tan that has a new seasonal. A light wheat Ale with Pineapple. Do some Midwest style corn on the cob and a Cajon style slaw? Sounds good right?

Here's what we need.

Soft Shell Blue Crab Sandwich with Cajon Cole Slaw

Mise-en-place

8 or so soft shell crabs

2 1/4 cup flour

1 tsp Baking Powder

Salt and Pepper

2 12oz Beers

A quantity of Cajon Blackening Powder ( I make my own, we've covered this before) We're using it a lot today

Oil and a deep pot for frying

smallish head of Cabbage

1 red Bell Pepper, small dice

3 Green Onions, same

A jar of Mayonnaise, sure I could make my own but I'm not gonna

1 whole Lemon

Fresh Corn with husk, let's be real, it's everywhere this time of year

Corn's easy. I'm keeping it Midwestern style so once the shucks are removed put it in a pot with Milk, Water, salt, pepper, sugar and butter. Just do it. Bring it to a boil, drop the heat and just forget about it.

The longer you let it sit, the better.

Cajon Cole Slaw

Basically it's a chopped salad isn't it?

Remove the core, cus yuck

Add your Pepper and Green Onion

Stupid easy I know

Take about a Cup of the Mayo. Add 1TB of Blackening Powder, a few good splashes of Tobasco, some more of the same of Cider Vinegar, pinch of Salt and Pepper, pinch of Celery Seed some chopped Dill and combine.

 

Dump it over the chopped stuff and toss to coat. Let that sit for a spell, longer is better.

See? It doesn't have to be fancy.

 

Now we set up our fry station

We're using seasoned flour first so in a wide bowl add one cup flour with a good pinch of Salt and Pepper, to that add tsp of Cajon Blackening Powder, toss , set aside

For the batter, measure out 2 1/4 cups flour. One tsp Baking Powder. Good pinch of Salt. Combine.

Dump in both Beers, whisk thoroughly.

 

Let sit for about 60 minutes.

 

Get those crabs ready. Dry as much as you can with clean paper towel. We're frying, hot oil and water don't like each other.

For frying stuff like this I like a combination of oil and shortening. Any vegetable oil will do, just add an equal amount of Crisco. Sure, if you want to drag out your deep-fryer go ahead. I'm just gonna use this pot, so there. Betcha my clean up will be easier. Test the oil temp by dropping a speck of batter in. If it bubbles and floats immediately you are ready to go.

Frying is done in steps. Use your hands and be careful.

First coat the item in the seasoned flour, shake off any excess.

Now dunk it into the batter

 

 

let it drip for a second and lower low and slow into the oil.

 

It only takes a minute or so, then flip it over for another 30 seconds, remove to a plate lined with paper towels. Repeat. Don't rush and don't panic. Golden brown or nuthin'.

As an added bonus let's do an Aioli. Basically a special Mayonnaise.

A cup of Mayo

1 tsp grated Lemon peel

Juice of half a Lemon

Scant pinch salt

Big-ass pinch of Black Pepper

That'll be the spread for the sandwich. Cool.

 

 

Done? Let's plate up. Grill your bun if ya wanna, or not, your call.

 

Now that's summer right there

Cooking poor, eating rich

Get your grub on

Ciao

 

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Girl Kryptonite. Chocolate.

Hi friends, been a while hasn't it.? Don't worry everything is just dandy. I've had a busy spring with my RWJ, a high school reunion, birthday, vacation but now it's summer and things have slowed down.
Today I'm going to share a secret, ready? Chicks dig chocolate. Seriously, like even more than horses, shoes and unicorns. They should rename it "chickolate" Need a ticket out of the doghouse? Here ya go.
It's also my Sister-in-law's birthday and this is her present from me.
Almost Flourless Chocolate Torte:
Warning, while the prep for this is actually easy, the techniques used are fairly advanced. Read through the instructions a few times before you start and if I lose you, I'd be happy to provide clarification. I'm here to help.
Mise-en-place
1 pound dark chocolate
4 whole eggs
1 TB sugar
1 TB flour
10 TB unsalted butter
10 oz's raspberries, frozen are just fine
One small pot for melting the chocolate and butter
One large pot with an inch or two of boiling water
One medium bowl for the eggs and sugar
Good large wire whisk
Rubber spatula
Spoon
9 inch cake pan, floured and buttered.
9 inch round of wax paper, butter one side and place it on the bottom, butter side up please.
Preheat oven to 425f

A few tips. Chocolate hates water. Wash all your equipment the night before and let air-dry so there isn't even a trace of water on anything.
When buying chocolate splurge a little, best you can afford. The chocolate we are using today is easy to find. It's labeled simply as "dark chocolate" or as 40% depending on where it's from. Do not use cookie chips, they spray those with food wax which is ok for Tollhouse but not for today ok?
Last one, let your eggs come to room temperature and you'll get better results.

Ready? Here we go.
Start heating up the large pot of water
In your small pot combine your chocolate and butter and place over medium heat. Stir gently as it melts. Once smooth remove from heat completely.

In the large bowl whisk together the eggs and sugar over the boiling water. Just until warm.

And we're whisking....and whisking. Keep going, the eggs will start getting foamy, you'll have to keep checking the temperature, use your finger. If it gets too hot the eggs will curdle. It's better to go slow and warm. It's ok to remove it from the hot water, just keep whisking, do not stop. It will quadruple in volume and get fairly thick. Then you can stop.

Gently fold in the flour.
Now we temper, we've done this before. Add 1/4 of the egg stuff into the chocolate off heat please, fold in gently.

Once completely stirred in, add the chocolate compound to the remaining egg mixture. Gently fold until completely incorporated.

And we're folding... 'Cus stirring would cause you to lose all that volume you just whisked into the eggs and that would be dumb.

Mmmmmm folding....
Alrighty, is that oven ready? Better be. Pour the batter into the cake pan and gently smooth out the top. No tapping to remove air bubbles, 'cus like duhhhh.
Put it into the oven and go wash stuff for 15 minutes. Remove from oven. It will still be fairly liquid. It's ok.

Let it cool just enough to be safe and wrap it tight in plastic. Put it in the freezer overnight.

Get some rest. I'll see you in the morning.
First thing, take it out of the freezer. Just put it somewhere out of the way while you get your morning coffee. Let it come to room temperature. Remove the plastic and invert it onto a flat plate. If it fights coming out, use some hot water on the bottom of the pan, it should pop right out.
It's kinda ugly looking right? We can fix that. If ya like go ahead and cover it with whipped cream. Today I am lucky enough to have a bit of imported cinnamon-infused chocolate.
Same procedure as we did with the other chocolate. 4oz chocolate with 1 TB of butter. Melt slowly over lower heat. Once smooth just spread it on the top and sides. Easy right?

Off-set palette knives are our friends

We need a sauce for this don't we? In a small pot heat up the raspberries with a scant pinch of salt, 2TB sugar and just a splash of water. If using frozen you might need less sugar, some come sweetened. Stir on simmer until all the fruit is broken down and press it through a fine wire mesh strainer. Done

To slice this, use a sharp, wet knife. Just wet the knife in cold water. Gently slice and plate. Keep in mind this is a very dense and rich cake so one serving is fairly thin.

Rich, uncious, dark chocolate. Guys, you got this. Happy Birthday Yvette!

Cooking poor, eating rich

Get your grub on

Ciao

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Easter. Shhh It's Wabbit season.

 

 

Here's the deal. I have a slightly evil sense of humor. I also really like pushing buttons. Put that together with my culinary sense of adventure and you end up with me doing the kid-hate inducing thing you should never EVER serve at Easter. Unless you're me.
Rabbit used to be common. It still is in the mid-west but just mention it to most Americans and they'll make the ookie face. It's a good lean meat, try it. My version is Italian in origin and uses shallots, dry white wine and lovely fresh herbs. Really easy to do, you'll see.

 

First up, buy a rabbit. I have a source with our butcher at my real job so he brought some in for me. Have him ( or her ) divide it up for you. Point is, rabbit bones are murder on knife edges. I learned that the hard way years ago. Better the butcher's knives get the notches than yours.

 

Mise en Place

One rabbit, divide all pieces into as many smaller pieces as possible. Bone in.

Seasoned flour, salt, black pepper, pinch of Paprika

Finely grated Parmesan

6 large Shallots, quartered

A piece or two of bacon or salt pork, no wrong answers

1 bottle dry white wine. Chardonnay, Fume Blanc...whatever ya got

Bunch of fresh Marjoram

Some Rosemary

Same with Oregano

Also Thyme

Remove leaves but save those stems, tie them together and add those to the pot later. Big fancy Chef word for today is Bouquet garni.

Splash of Olive Oil
Wide ribbon Pasta, pick one.

Start heating up your pan and add your pieces of pork belly, cook those alone for a couple minutes and add a splash of oil

 

Combine the cheese with the seasoned flour. Dredge all pieces 'o' Peter Rabbit and shake off excess.

Start browning off the bunny pieces. Light gold brown

 

For now remove to the side.

 

In the same pan dump in the shallots and start browning those off.

Put the rabbit pieces back add the herbs and dump in the wine to cover. We're braising aren't we? Make sure to scrape up the yummy brown stuff on the bottom of the pan. Check your seasoning ok?

 

 

Thing is rabbit has some tough leg muscle as you might imagine and to make it edible a long cooking time is the order for the day. Bring to a good simmer, cover, and braise until tender. Depending on the size of your egg and jellybean shilling hasenpfeffer this can go anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour.

That's ok, gives us time to par-cook the pasta. Boil, drain..blah blah. Gently add the pasta to the pan. Toss lightly.

 

Plate up and garnish with any herbs you have left over.

Let the kids know what they're eating maybe AFTER they hunt for eggs.

Have a blessed and peaceful Easter

Cooking poor, eating rich

Get your grub on

Ciao

 

 

 

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