RogueChef
“It IS all about the TASTE”
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Slow Cooked Pepper Steak
After mastering yet another vendor proficiency test, (one could say I am now buzz word compliant), I decided to chuck the rest of the afternoon and go visiting clients.
Sitting in an office high overlooking a major intersection, and chatting with a client as he reviewed my missives posted here, a slow cooked pepper steak produced by his wife, was mentioned. As he went on to describe the mouth watering lusciousness of the meat, the contrasting colors of the stop-light peppers and the richness of the gravy produced I knew I HAD TO HAVE that recipe.
Also remembering that I had made the lady of said clients house a gift of a 18″ Bad Wolf special chef’s knife, I decided that my usual brash tactics might not work, and that a bit of kitchen research would be the better part of valor…
The real key here is low and slow cooking in a moist environment….
Collagen, the predominant protein in connective tissue, is quite tough to chew, and is found in abundance in tougher cuts of meat. At 150 degrees it starts to melt and become gelatin-like as the temperature climbs. At 150 the muscle tissue will have tightened fully and the bonds between individual protein molecules become stronger and tighter. These bonds become so tight they drive water from the meat back into the braising liquid!
IF REMOVED AT THIS POINT, THE ROAST WILL BECOME TOUGH AND DRY.
Once the internal temperature of the meat reaches 170 degrees, a second process begins as melted collagen makes meat seem tender and moist. Further heated, the collagen in the muscle will break down progressively into soft gelatin as the tightened muscle tissue strands continue to separate.
Because collagen won’t melt completely until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 200 degrees, the meat must be cooked to this temperature and held there for an hour to take full advantage of this phenomenon.
The meat fibers will swell to take on the liquid surrounding them, and with the collagen will turn to gelatin, so that the meat becomes a wonderious tender, moist, taste treat seasoned with all the goodness of the various peppers, onions and garlic that have simmered with it.
Do note:
I’ve not used high priced sirloin, or tenderloin, but have used chuck steak which is quite economical that produces glorious flavor and a worthy texture when cooked properly. And properly is low and slow.
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Recession Food – Fried Chicken Livers
This is a recipe that will have some saying, EEEEWWW!!!!.
Stepping onto the soap box…
One has to consider the life experiences of the adults of my youth, from World War I, to the Great Depression, to World War II, all of which had some form of food rationing. If not by “law” by finance..
This was a time that most of the food eaten was grown by the people eating it. There were no “food factory” massive farms, but in the case of this dish a bunch of chickens running around in a barnyard. Each one was known, named, and cared for, from egg to skillet.
As such throwing items like liver and gizzards away was not just sinful, but wasteful. (Do note, I’d eat the “offal” from that barnyard a lot faster than I’d eat food from a “factory farm”.)
Chicken lights and livers are working organs and as such can take on some rather funky tastes and smells, but an overnight soak in buttermilk will remove all of these. Once these have soaked they can be drained, dredged, dipped and dredged again, then rested before frying. The point here is to generate a crisp crust that will help keep the moisture in the meat while it undergoes the thermal trip from au natural to nirvana. The fond left after becomes the base for a rich and wonderful cream gravy that is often served over these morsels.
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Texas Red – Chili
It seems to have decided to become early spring / late fall again, windy, rainy, cool / cold. In short, glorious weather for pneumonia, which really is just not my cup of tea.
All that and my recent medical exploits that have left me dry, drained, and damaged, it is time to fight back with things to build the blood, fill the gut, and add a fire to the eye, lead to the pencil and a purpose to the step ..
From way back in my youth, these are the days my mother made chili, or Texas Red, no beans, no tomatoes, no mushrooms, no tofu, absolutely nothing fancy, just beef, stock, Allium, and capsicums, and perhaps some cumin, oregano, salt, pepper and other trace element style spices. (Alliums are the onion family, onion, garlic, etc, and capsicums are peppers.)
To quote a description:
Texas red if it walks the thin line just this side of indigestibility: damning the mouth that eats it and defying the stomach to digest it, the ingredients are hardly willing to lie in the same pot together.
If one looks at all the legends of how chili was discovered, there is one thing in common…. ABJECT POVERTY, so the meat involved is not going to be the best, but since it will be close to the horn or the hoof, I am sure it will have flavor beyond compare, and collagen beyond believe. (And this is a good thing….)
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Chicken Fricassée
It is a funny half hot / half cold day, where in the morning you want a hefty jacket, in the afternoon you want a t-shirt, and by early evening you are back in the bomber jacket…
My tastes are that way as well, I wanted a heavy breakfast, a light lunch and a meal with staying power for dinner.
I remember a wonderful dish I had at a local french restaurant, it was a chicken, broken down and browned then simmered in a broth along with vegetables to make a really wonder full sauce. Think similar to a beef stew with really big chunks of meat and veggies… The gravy was so thick and wonderful I was soping it up with the french bread on the table. (Yes, I know it sounds soo uncivilized, sooo unsheik, but it seems everyone else at the table was doing the same thing….)
Do note: Do not try this with boneless chicken breast, it just does not work well…
Wikipedia says:
Fricassee or Fricassée is a catch-all term used to describe a stewed dish typically made with poultry, but other types of white meat (like veal, rabbit, or Cornish game hen) can be substituted. It is cut into pieces and then stewed in gravy, which is then thickened with butter and cream or milk). It often includes other ingredients and vegetables.
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Oven Fried Chicken
While in Atlanta, I saw something I had not seen since my time in Texas, a Fried Chicken Shop, (Not the Kentucky Type, the Southern Home Fried Type). Now I have a yen for Crisp, Crunchy, Juicy, Spicy chicken, with Gravy, and Biscuits.
A trip down the meat isle at my local not-so-mega-mart, I found a sale on organic chicken. Why would I look at organic rather than frozen chicken…. FLAVOR! Yeah, bizarre, I know. Chicken raised properly (not in a factory farm with every imaginable chemical in their feed to “increase yield”) is rich in EFAs and is one of the most efficient, lean sources of protein available.
FLAME-ON
While I am on the subject of protein (Meats), while watching the Food Network last week, I saw a documentary on the “History of Butchers”, most informative, especially the “new and improved” methods of “enhancing the texture and flavor of meats.” It was enough to make me think about shopping at the Circle K Ranch, (Kosher Meats).Especially the processing of meats and packaging into gas tight containers that are injected with gases to lengthen the shelf life of and preserve the color of the meat.
Note: This is done at the processing plant and then shipped to the store. Think shelf life. Frozen meat can last from 30 days to 1 year, Cold Case (Refrigerator) meats from 3-7 DAYS.My comment is buy locally, at retailers that have a meat cutting department. Buy organic or grass feed beef, free range chickens, wild fish. It may cost a bit more, but the taste and health benefits are well worth it. If you can not do any of this, do not buy precut meat. If you want steaks, buy a rib roast and cut them your self, if you want ground beef, grind your own. (Personally I buy small primals from a local wholesaler and butcher them myself)
Yes, the cost is more, and yes the work is more, but these will help with the other great American problem…. Overeating.
FLAME-OFF
I’ll use buttermilk and some seasonings as a marinade to pump up the moisture in the chicken, and as a method to cut down on the added fats I’ll bake this rather than fry or deep fry.
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The Devil went down to Georgia
My third day in Atlanta, and I did so expect to experience some culinary delights of the BBQ kind. Instead it was more like gross encounters of tasteless food. To be specific, what kind of BBQ place “BAKES THEIR BBQ IN AN OVEN!!!”.
My traveling companion made the statement, the best food on the trip was a mint brownie, served at a corporate catered lunch… (ah, ja right next to the Firestone farms chicken..)
The brownies were quite good, and we all know what happens when a specific food item stands out like that…
BTW: I’ll not name the BBQ place, but I’d say stay away from any place that states, “This is the way BBQ is done in (insert city name here, but not the name of the city you are in.)”
Background
A chocolate brownie is a flat, baked square or bar, sliced from a type of dense, rich chocolate cake. Brownies come in a variety of forms. They are either fudgy or cakey, depending on their density, and they may include nuts, frosting, cream cheese, chocolate chips, or other ingredients, in this case mint chips and a chocolate topping, with the usual roguechef twist.. A common lunchbox fare, typically eaten by hand, and often accompanied by milk or coffee. -
Chicken and Dumplings
A classic bad weather / comfort food dish. This is one thing I reach for when the weather is nasty, and the coughs, sneezes, aches and pains start up around the lair.
Rich chicken stock, hearty vegetables, and those incredible dumplings, cooked through, chicken flavored form the broth, and the broth made all the more heartier by the dissolved dumplings, seasoned to match your taste, served with chopped onion and garlic. This make the cold and the blahs run, add a toddy and you are set for a warm quiet evening to ward off all the aches, and pains.
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Grilled Cheese for Soup
It’s another rainy day in New York, the heater is going full blast, I’ve shut down the air intake to the data center, and have a small electric heater going under my desk. I’ve layered up on the clothes, and am wearing woolen socks. I am just plain cold.
Time for some serious comfort food. And one thing that comes to mind is Grilled Cheese and soup. Rich, hearty, tomato soup like my Tomato Bread soup, and to stand up to it a hearty Grilled Cheese of tasty bread and smooth cheese.
Considering the construction of a perfect grilled cheese, I turn to my trusty chill box, where I found sour dough bread, Munster cheese, prosciutto, bacon drippings, pickles, and of course butter… This looks like heart attack al la grilled cheese…
Snap Shots