Gumbo Z'herbes

I have been experimenting with this method for some time now and I think simplest is best. Gumbo Z'herbes is a green gumbo made during lent. What I like best is how healthy you feel eating it. The one I made on Sunday had a virtual cornucopia of greens and very little fat. I use a half of one of those big kosher vegetable bouillon cubes to add umami and depth of flavor.

Gumbo Z'herbes

The trinity that is not a trinity;

2 onions, diced
1 bunch green onions, sliced thin
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 cup or so celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

The rest of the stuff;

2 tablespoons (Wesson) oil
1 small or 1/2 large bouillon cube
4 bay leaves
1 teaspoon Tabasco or other vinegary hot sauce
a pinch or more of cayenne pepper
salt and pepper
greens, roughly chopped - Emeril says choose at least 5 kinds, Saveur's recipe calls for one bunch of a different type for each guest. I saw one recipe for a giant batch that listed every kind of green there is. I avoid chard as the gumbo can get really earthy in a cloying way.

Heat the oil in a large soup pot over high heat and add the trinity.

Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables begin to brown.

Add water, I go half way up the pot, the bouillon cube, bay leaves, hot sauce, cayenne pepper and salt and pepper to taste.

Bring to a boil and add the greens in batches as they wilt.

Return to a boil and reduce heat. Cook at a good simmer for an hour or so, the greens should be really cooked down. I taste for seasoning several times during the cooking.

Serve over plain rice and enjoy!

Shrimp13

Edit: After years of weekends trying to nail this thing I realized that this is a soup that has to age. If it is made for a Friday Lenten meal for example, you'll want to make it on Tuesday and let the flavors mingle for a few days. It really takes that "I'm eating mashed up weeds from the backyard" edge off. More Tabasco is always a plus too!

Pizza Night!

Previously on Shrimp13's blog I mentioned a technique for yeast dough that does not have to be kneaded and can be kept alive in the fridge for 10 days.

Here are some versions of "daddy bread" pizza that we tried on Friday night.( The name "daddy bread" was coined to let my 5 year old son, Finn, know when he is being offered special, home-made bread.)

First, the sauce;

I doctor jarred marinara sauce, the one with the least ingredients. First I mince up some garlic cloves and toss them in a cold pan with about a tablespoon of olive oil in it. I bring the garlic to heat over a medium flame so I can toss in a couple of ounces of red wine when they start to get aromatic but not yet burnt.

I add the jarred sauce and a few shakes of Italian seasoning (or basil, oregano, marjoram or thyme in various combinations and ratios) and then simmer for a few minutes for the flavors to meld. Then I take it off heat until ready to slather on the pizza shells.

Then, the toppings;

For this one I used cooked chicken (from taco night), kalamata olives, and feta cheese.

This one, devised by my wife, Yvonne, was topped with cooked chicken and leftover fried potatoes.

This one was of course, pepperoni, notable because the pepperoni was sold to me by Time Market. Time Market doesn't sell pepperoni but they use it on their pizzas and they were nice enough to sell me some in a deli container. Thanks guys!

Deli container of Time Market pepperoni

Special thanks to Carl Gulliver for getting the shots I couldn't!

Shrimp13

Last Night was Taco Night (in Pictures and Words)

Last night we did impromptu chicken tacos and tostadas.

Above you see Yvonne using 3 hands to fry tostada shells, reheat homemade refried beans and fry leftover baked potatoes.

Here you see the result of that tostada frying; golden, brown and delicious. We use Wesson oil as it is Cajun approved. (Do those people know how to cook or what?)

This is the chicken that I seasoned with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning and sauteed on high for 5 minutes a side and summarily sliced against the grain.

This is the salsa that Rick Bayless would label uncouth and unsophisticated as it is a cutting board salsa (pico de gallo) and not buzzed in a blender or food processor. I used tomatoes, onions, poblano pepper, cilantro, lime juice and salt.

This is one result of the aforementioned; a chicken taco on a heated corn tortilla. Went great with Matt Smith's experimental IPAs.

Shrimp13

Parmesan Breadcrumb Chicken Strips

My 5 year old son, Finn, eats 7 things well; bread, cheese, chicken, hot dogs, pizza, pasta and yogurt. These are not the only things he eats but they are the only things he will eat again. He will try almost anything and even say he likes it but will never eat it again.

One of his favorite foods has been frozen chicken nuggets/tenders heated up in the oven. Now that I am on a campaign to remove edible food-like substances (see Food Rules: An Eater's Manual by Michael Pollan), I have been preparing the chicken myself and usually by sauteeing.

My friend, Helene, recommended her method of oven baked chicken strips and here it is;

Parmesan Breadcrumb Chicken Strips

1 pound or so boneless skinless chicken cut into 1" strips (I used breasts but you could use thighs or tenders as well)
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt & pepper
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Pour olive oil into baking pan or dish. Toss chicken on oil to coat. Season with salt and pepper.

In a small bowl combine breadcrumbs and cheese. Toss chicken pieces in one at a time and coat with mixture. Return to pan/dish.

Bake for about 1/2 hour turning once.

This is so simple but so tasty, way tastier than frozen chicken-like product. Finn loved it!

Shrimp13

Catfish Coleslaw Sub

I tend to be partial to members of the sunfish or perch family when it comes to freshwater fish. I have always found catfish to taste murky or muddy. Not so with this presentation. Frying catfish dredged in cornmeal, topping  with a tangy coleslaw and nestling in a split baguette makes it delicious and satisfying.

For the slaw;

1 half head green cabbage sliced as thin as you can
1 small onion sliced thin
1 Anaheim chili seeded and sliced thin
Dijon mustard
cider vinegar
salt & pepper

Mix together the veggies in a large bowl. Add mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper to your taste. I probably did 2 tablespoons each of mustard and vinegar and a teaspoon of salt and a few grinds of pepper.

I like my slaw lightly dressed and not sweet with lots of tang and this fits the bill, especially when used as a foil for fried food or barbecue. Of course this recipe makes way more than a couple of sandwiches worth so I recommend you do what I did and eat the rest.

For the fish;

1 tablespoon butter or oil
1 catfish fillet
cornmeal
salt and pepper

Season the fish with salt and pepper. Dredge in cornmeal to coat. Heat oil or butter in pan until oil is shimmery or butter has stopped foaming up.

Fry fish for about 5 minutes a side for a 1" thick piece. Since I broke the fillet in half along the middle to make 2 sandwiches, it was easy to see whether it was done or could use a couple more minutes.

For the sandwich;

Split a hunk of baguette as long as the fish in half lengthwise. Top with half of the fillet and a big spoonful of the spicy, tangy slaw. Enjoy!

Shrimp13

Chowder

Being a Minnesotan now a Tucsonan via California I really have no right laying claim to a chowder recipe. But... it is a great simple method to make something warm and satisfying easily with few ingredients. There are people who can tell you a lot more about it than I can, like John Thorne in his book; Serious Pig: An American Cook in Search of His Roots. This here is the method I use.

Chowder

1 handful of salt pork cut into medium dice
2 small onions diced medium
8 medium potatoes peeled and diced medium large (I like Russet Burbanks)
water
1 pound boneless skinless cod fillet
cream or half & half
salt & pepper

Heat soup pot over medium heat. Cook the salt pork pieces, stirring frequently until it has given up it's fat and is brown. Set pork pieces aside.

Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent.

Add the potato chunks and enough water to cover. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Continue to boil the potatoes over high heat for 10 minutes. This allows them to release the starch that will thicken the soup.

Place the cod fillet(s) in the pot. Cook 10 minutes or until the cod begins to flake apart.

Break the fish into small chunks, I did it with the wooden spoon in my hand, and remove from heat.

At this point I taste for salt and season with pepper and place at the back of the stove to "age" until ready to serve.

When ready, bring back to a boil and remove from heat, stir in enough cream or half and half and taste for seasoning. Add salt and pepper in necessary.

This also works great with chunks of cooked chicken instead of the fish. I am sure that almost any seafood would work but the cod is so mild that you can still taste the potatoes.

Shrimp13

Napa Cabbage Curry and its Subsequent use as a Potato Topping

Having recently received for Christmas the fabulous Keys to Good Cooking: A Guide to Making the Best of Foods and Recipes by one of my faves, Harold McGee, wherein he describes the pleasurable process of sniffing your pantry items periodically to check for freshness and be reminded of and inspired by their aromas, I did just that. The result being a Napa cabbage sautee with freshly toasted Indian spices and followed by a quick simmer in TexMex style tomatoes with chilies.

Harold McGee wrote the scholarly tome, On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen. It is chock full of valuable info and I have read through it a couple of times slowly filling in the gaps in my food knowledge. In "Keys" he digests this information into a very practical and inspiring piece for everyday home cooks like myself.

Napa Cabbage Curry

1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 tablespoon panch puran (Indian 5 spice)
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
3 jalapeños roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic skinned (or de-skinned)

1 tablespoon oil or fat (I used olive oil but would have used ghee if I had some made)

2 onions halved and sliced lengthwise

1 head Napa cabbage roughly chopped
White wine (if needed)
Salt
1 can TexMex style tomatoes with chilies (like Ro-Tel)

First off let me say that I am not an accomplished Indian food cook. I have a couple of books and really enjoy improvising with spices. If I were a real Indian food cook I would have used ghee for sure. Also I would have started my sautee with ginger, garlic and onions. I also would have probably done a lot of other things I don't even know I didn't do. That being said, this came out really satisfying for what is basically a pot of cabbage.

Toast coriander and panch puran (or whatever whole spices you enjoy and have on hand) in a heavy pan over medium heat shaking often until toasty and aromatic but not burnt.

Transfer to a large mortar and beat to a powder. Add the jalapeños, garlic and turmeric and beat until the veggies begin to break down.

What you will end up with is a sort of ugly grey green paste.

Heat oil or fat over high heat in a large pot. Cook onions, stirring regularly until they begin to brown.

Add the paste from the mortar and cook, stirring constantly, for maybe a minute.

Add the cabbage and season with salt. At this point it might be necessary to add a little liquid (like white wine) if things start to get dry and burny on the bottom but soon the cabbage will exude liquid as well. Sautee cabbage, stirring, often until cooked to your taste.

Reduce heat to medium low and add tomatoes. Simmer for a few minutes to allow flavors to meld.

As is happens, the fates conspired to create a situation where I had baked some potatoes and was frying some eggs for my wife, a perfect storm if you will. The result was;

Baked potatoes topped with Napa cabbage curry and fried eggs. Truly delicious, truly.

Happy New Year!

Shrimp13