I made some Brunswick Stew last month, and decided I needed to share the way I made it. It's not so much of a recipe, but more of a process. OK, so you sling a bunch of different stuff into a pot, cook it up and serve it.
Wait a minute, that's pretty much how this dish evolved. It consisted of leftovers, random bits of game, veggies and some BBQ sauce, cooked to a nice consistency and then served.
It has evolved however, the more modern versions of this recipe uses leftover BBQ meat, burnt ends as it were, plus bits and pieces of any leftover BBQ from the night before. You can read about the origins of the stew here on Wikipedia.
I do it my way, which results in a pretty tasty dish, even if I do say so myself. I personally like it served with a piece of my No-Knead bread, but a hunk of cornbread or a biscuit is also lovely.
Now for why I made this. I had a half of a smoked chicken, which quite frankly I'm not too fond of, but I knew I also had some pulled pork in the freezer which needed to be eaten soon.
So I took the meat off the bones of the chicken, put it in a pot with the pork, added a 1 lb. or sixteen ounce bag of frozen mixed vegetables to the pot. Grabbed some of my homemade chicken stock out of the freezer (1 cup if you're into measuring), added that on top, along with a can of diced tomatoes and okra, and about a cup of my favorite BBQ sauce- which is Bullseye, if you're curious. Let it simmer for bit, then I tasted it, and added 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne for an added bite.
The best part of this stew is you can, and should make it to your taste. Use your favorite BBQ sauce, whichever kind of leftover smoked BBQ meat you have, and go for it. I discovered as I was putting this batch together that the can of diced tomatoes I thought I had in the pantry was gone, but I had a can of diced okra and tomatoes, so it went in. I had smoked chicken and pork, but you can make this with whatever kinds of smoked meats you have. Traditionally... you use Corn and Lima beans, but I like mixed veggies so that's what I use.
In fact I pulled some this out of the freezer the other day for dinner with a friend and we had a chunk of fresh baked bread with it. And I still have some, just for me.
I had ordered a jaegerschnitzel, the special of the day at the restaurant and got disappointed. What I was served was basically a breaded cutlet topped with a cream sauce, more of a Rahmschnitzel (which is veal schnitzel topped with a mushroom cream sauce) and not what I was expecting. The version I was used to had a brown sauce with lots of mushrooms, and was a hearty and filling meal.
My mouth had been set for something, just like this. Which is what I ended up making, cause gee, I can. And I also know how to make it.
I remember the first time I had schnitzel, I was astounded by the sheer size of it, the one piece of meat took over the plate, hanging off the edge. And was beautifully golden brown and slightly crispy along with being so tender.
Heaven, I tell you.
As is my wont, if I order something in a restaurant that isn't quite what I was expecting, I try to recreate it at home.
And I just could not get the idea out of my head, a beautifully thin, browned piece of schnitzel.
So I got to work and made some.
A Jaegerschnitzel is also known as a Hunterschnitzel. In fact there are a variety of schnitzel's that are found throughout Germany and in many parts of Europe. Many people are familiar with Weinerschnitzel, which is actually Austrian.
Basically a schnitzel is any cut of meat that is thinly sliced and beaten til it's very thin, a 1/4 inch thick at most. I think the most common one is made with pork, but chicken and veal are also up there.
Hey, Chicken Piccata is basically a schnitzel, if you think about it. The methodology of making it is very similar if not almost identical to a regular schnitzel. Although in Germany when it's made with pork it's known as sweineschnitzel.
Enough with the history lesson, if you want to read more about it, check out what Wikipedia says.
Here's how I made it.
First off, I bought some thin cut pork chops, laid two of them out on a plastic cutting board, and placed a piece of plastic wrap over them.
As you can see, they're not that big. And I did not cut off the fat. I left it on.
I then proceeded to use the flat part of my meat mallet and pounded them out til they were about 1/4 inch thick. I didn't bother measuring. However they expanded in size to almost, if not, 3 times the size I had begun with. This is also the point in which you cut a couple of slits around the edges of the meat to keep it from curling up when cooking.
After pounding the meat out, I season the meat with a little pepper and salt on each side. Not a lot, just a bit. You can use all kinds of seasonings if you like.
I then let the meat rest while I sauteed some mushrooms in a little ghee. And made a mushroom brown gravy.
I also made some spaetzle to go with the schnitzel, and I'll tell you all about that in a future post.
I like to use a heavy duty fry pan to cook the schnitzel in. Pour enough oil into the pan, so that the
schnitzel will float a little when you add it to the oil. Heat over
medium high heat until the oil reaches about 330-340 degrees. Any less
and the schnitzel will absorb the oil and get greasy, any higher, and the coating will burn before the meat cooks.
I had already prepared two bowls for dipping, one with egg and the other one with bread crumbs. I didn't have a third bowl filled with flour as I prefer to use a small strainer to sprinkle flour lightly over the meat before dipping it into the egg. I find the less flour the crispier the schnitzel. And this way I can just turn the meat over and sprinkle the other side. (it saves on dishes as well).
You should work quickly at the point. Well, fairly quickly. The meat has rested, and is ready to be dipped in the egg and bread crumbs, and fried.
After sprinkling the meat with the flour, I dip it into the whisked egg and shake off the excess. Then dip the meat into the bread crumbs, don't press it in, you want a very light coating. Shake off the excess. You're not making a tonkatsu. As you can see here, a very light coating.
Place the meat into the heated oil, and fry on each side a couple of minutes. Just til golden brown.
Take out and drain on either a paper towel or my favorite, coffee filters.
Serve alongside some lovely sweet and sour red cabbage, aka Rodkal. And spaetzel.
I had made two schnitzel, only ate one, and enjoyed the second one the next day with a squeeze of lemon on top. Along with the rest of the spaetzel and the red cabbage.
Jaegerschnitzel (Hunter Schnitzel)
Yield: 2
Author: Sid's Sea Palm Cooking -
Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 3 MinTotal time: 23 Min
This simple, and yet elegant dish is perfect for guests, or as a family meal. It's easy to scale up or down according to how many you are serving. Not to mention, totally delicious.
Ingredients
Schnitzel
2 thin pork chops
1/4 cup flour
1 egg
1/2-3/4 cup fine bread crumbs
1/2 cup oil for frying
salt and pepper to taste
Mushroom topping
6-8 mushrooms per serving.
1-2 teaspoons ghee or butter
1 packet pork gravy (powdered variety)
1 cup water
Alternatively, use a cup of pork or chicken gravy made from a roast.
Instructions
Schnitzel
Crack an egg into a shallow bowl and whisk. Set aside.
Add the bread crumbs to another bowl. Set aside.
Place the pork chops on a piece of plastic wrap and cover with a second piece of plastic wrap. This ensures that the pork chop does not stick to the mallet. It also helps to get a thinner more consistent piece of meat.
Using the flat side of a meat mallet, pound the pork chops to about a quarter inch thick.
Peel the chop off the plastic wrap and cut a slit in the edges of the chop to keep it from curling up when fried. Just a couple per chop. Season each chop with a little salt and pepper on each side.
Heat oil in shallow pan to about 330 degrees.
Sprinkle each side of the chops with some flour, or dip into some flour, coating each side lightly.
Dip each chop into the egg, making sure each side is coated. Then shake the excess egg off before dredging the chop into the bread crumbs, coating it lightly. Do not press the bread crumbs into the chop. Shake the excess bread crumbs off. Place into the heated oil and fry for about 1-2 minutes per side, turning once. Remove from oil and drain on either a paper towel or a couple of coffee filters. The schnitzel should be a light golden color.
Mushroom topping.
Wash and slice the mushrooms.
Heat the ghee or butter in a pan. Add the mushrooms and cook til a golden color.
Make the gravy according to instructions or heat up prepared gravy. Add the mushrooms.
Set aside to keep warm while the schnitzel are cooking.
Serving
Place a schnitzel on each plate, scoop a generous spoonful of mushrooms and gravy on the middle of each schnitzel, and serve alongside Spaetzel or potatoes and a vegetable.
I'm part of a new group. It's called Sunday Funday.
We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a
family fun day. Many people still do the family or hearty Sunday dinner, but we can all use new recipes. Every Sunday we share recipes, some fun, some hearty, but they're all great ones. We're always looking for more food bloggers to join in the fun, visit
our Facebook group and request to join.
Here's the description for this week: "We
are all happy to see 2020 in the past. Let's start 2021 off right by
staying healthy and putting COVID in behind us. Post a recipe that will
help keep your immune system strong."
Now that I got that out of the way, let me share a new recipe, well, new to me. I wanted a dessert that was somewhat healthy, not too full of sugar, and one that could be enjoyed throughout the year.
A few years ago I bought a little tostone press, called a Tostonera, put it in the cupboard, and forgot I had it. I ran across it a few weeks ago, and bought some Plantains so I could make tostones, using my little tostonera. As it just so happens, the grocery store had Plantains on special the day I was there, and I bought a bunch. Made my tostones and they were good, but I still had a bunch of Plantains left. So I did some searching, and found a few recipes and instructions on how to cook them.
This Sunday, we were being asked to make a recipe that was good for us. I got one. I had those plantains hanging around.
I wanted to bake some and found a recipe here at Bon Appetit. I now had the correct name for the baked plantains, but I wanted to learn more about them, and found a recipe and directions here and here. And then I found the motherlode. There are so many recipes and ways to cook plantains here.
I was inspired by all of them. And then I did my riff.
I peeled and cut two of the ripest plantains up. They were the blackest of the bunch I bought, which equates to ripeness. They're not a banana, you want the peels to be black especially since the amount of black on the peel equates to ripeness.
I peeled the ripest of the ones I bought. To peel a plantain, or how I peel a plantain. I cut the ends off, then cut a slit the length of the plantain, and get my thumb in there, and separate the peel from the fruit and pull it off. As you can see, this one wasn't the ripest. but it still worked well.
I cut them into coins, on the diagonal, or slant, if you will.
I baked them with a drizzle of ghee and maple syrup whisked together and a sprinkle of raw sugar on top.
OMG, was it good. Pardon the poor picture here, but this is how they looked when I pulled them out of the oven after 45 minutes. I actually let them bake an additional 10 minutes or so.
The oven caramelized them, along with the raw sugar and maple syrup.
I had enough for dessert and breakfast the next day. And felt rather virtuous eating both. They have loads of Vitamin A, C, B6 and potassium. They're also a complex carbohydrate which means they won't shoot your blood sugar sky high and in fact will keep you full and satisfied for awhile.
Baked Plantains (Plátanos Maduros Horneados)
Yield: 2
Author: Sid's Sea Palm Cooking
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 55 MinTotal time: 1 H & 4 M
Plantains are so good when baked with a just a touch of added sugar and butter.
Ingredients
2 plantains, peeled and cut into coins, on a slant to get more surface area.
2 + teaspoons raw sugar
2 tablespoons ghee, melted (you can also use coconut oil if desired)
2 tablespoons maple syrup
non stick spray for pan
Instructions
Peel and cut the plantain into coins. I cut them on a slant, to get more surface area.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Melt the ghee and add to the maple syrup and whisk together.
Place the plantain coins in a single layer in a pan that has been sprayed with a non stick spray.
Dab or pour the butter/maple syrup mixture evenly over the plantain slices.
Sprinkle as evenly as possible with the raw sugar.
Bake at 400 degrees for 45-55 minutes or so. The plantains will have turned a lovely golden brown color.
I have a simple philosophy when it comes to cooking or baking. Basically, if I can't have fun in the kitchen, I don't want to play.
I do a lot of same old, tried and true, could make it in my sleep cooking. As do many of us, but sometimes, well, I just gotta play.
I decided to play pie with one of the butternut squashes I have in my fridge.
Years ago I used to make a pie that made its own crust and tried to find the recipe, but it's disappeared somewhere. Along with the 6 week bran muffin recipe I used to have.
Maybe they'll show up someday, giggling at all the fun they had.
I can dream.
I googled and googled and found several references to impossible pies, and none of them were quite right.
And then TA DA!!!! I found it, or least a reasonable facsimile. It was hiding in plain sight in one of my cookbooks.
Who woulda thunk it?
Of course, I did take some liberties with the basic recipe.
The cookbook is one I absolutely love, it's full of amazing recipes. I picked it up about 20 years ago in a second hand book store in LA. This book is falling apart, but I've taped it up and treat it with reverence now.
The cookbook is called Los Angeles Times California Cookbook. The recipe I based this on is found on page 403, if you're lucky enough to own a copy. It was originally published in 1981. You can of course find formerly loved copies on Ebay.
And then I made it, and ummm, it wasn't quite how I remembered it and I had to change the title of this post.
Cause it was more like a cake, than a pie.
Delicious, I mean totally delicious, but not a pie.
I ate it anyway for lunch and breakfast...
And saved some for later in the freezer.
Then I felt virtuous for eating a vegetable.
Hey, every little bit counts.
And, I never know if I should admit to this or not, but honestly, when it comes to Pumpkin Pie, I can take it or leave it, usually.
I had a hard time not eating all of this at once. It was just plain satisfying.
Toaster oven at 375 degrees or heat a regular oven to 350 degrees. Butter or grease either an 8 inch pie pan or two 6 inch pie pans.
Use a food processor or an immersion blender to mix the ingredients together along with one teaspoon of the prepared Pumpkin Pie spice. Reserve the remainder for later use.
Pour into prepared pan(s) and bake for 45 minutes in the toaster oven or 40-50 minutes in the regular oven or until the pie cake is done all the way.
Allow to cook and serve with a dollop of whipped cream on top.
You can also do a little sprinkle of the pumpkin pie spice on top of the whipped cream.
Note: If you want you can also use Pumpkin or any other firm fleshed squash. Just don't tell the kids, big and small that it isn't pumpkin.
Necessity is the mother of invention, it is said. But laziness or inconvenience has got to factor in there somewhere.
I was making my Microwave Lasagna the other day, realized I didn't have any Ricotta cheese and did not feel like driving 7 miles to the store, then paying the money for Ricotta cheese, especially when I only really needed 1/2 cup or so.
So I made some. Ricotta Cheese that is.
Anyway, you can make it as well. All you need is milk and some lemon or lime juice or even vinegar.
BTW, this doesn't work with UHT milk. Something to do with how the milk proteins are stabilized in the process.
It works best with whole milk, if you want to plan ahead, or do as I did, wing it. I have 2 % milk and about a half cup of heavy cream. So I combined them in a glass measuring cup, zapped it, and then added some lemon and some lime juice.
I tried to strain it using a coffee filter inside of a strainer, but that did not work, so I pulled out my handy, dandy, old flour sack dish towels and used that to strain the cheese.
I got just over a half cup of Ricotta Cheese from 2 cups of 2 % milk and a scant half cup of heavy cream.
You can add salt to it, if you wish, I don't cause I do try to limit my intake of salt. And I think it tastes just fine without it.
This is how it looks after being 'squeezed' a little. I use a rubber spatula to scrape the cheese from the cloth and place it in a container to use.
As I said, I got just barely over a half cup of cheese, which was just about perfect for my recipe.
The leftover whey, that's the liquid you strained out, was used for this loaf of No Knead Bread. Which just so happened to be one of the better tasting breads I've ever made.
This Ricotta cheese can be used cup for cup just like the Ricotta you buy in the store.
Ingredients:
4 cups whole milk
juice from one lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt- totally optional
Instructions:
Juice on lemon and set juice aside.
Heat milk to almost boiling in the microwave, 200 degrees, or until a slight skim forms on top of the milk.
If heating on stove, medium heat and almost continual stirring to keep it from scorching.
As soon as milk is hot, add the lemon juice and salt if desired. Stir to combine. Pour the mixture into a sieve lined with either cheesecloth or a flour sack towel. Drain, reserving the whey or liquid.
Use as you would any ricotta.
NOTE: For a softer ricotta, do not drain as much, reserving some of the liquid. You can also add some Ultra pasteurized cream to the milk, which will also yield a softer ricotta.
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