Oven-roasted brisket

A delicious way to recreate Texas dining.  And the only difficult part is getting out of bed early to get it started.

Plan 8 to 12 hours from start to finish.  I roasted mine for a full ten.  The only way to do this is low and slow.  If you cook your brisket too quickly, it will be tough, dry and fatty.

This is your reward for patience:

Start with a good cut of brisket from a local butcher - really, don't trust your big chain grocery store.  This is a quarter brisket.  It served eight.  Make sure they do not remove the thin layer of fat that covers one whole side -- it's essential to cooking it properly.

Unprepared brisket - note the layer of fat on the top

Put that sucker in a glass baking dish and firmly massage a ton of dry spice rub into the brisket.  I used a mix of:

• Salt
• Paprika
• Garlic powder
• Mrs. Dash
• Dried oregano
• Cumin

Be creative!  A touch of cayenne, perhaps.  Many butchers or gourmet grocers sell prepared dry rubs.  A good rub really brings out the flavor and ensures tasty crusty outsides and juicy tender insides.  Now let it rest, covered, at room temperature (no more than 75 degrees, please) for an hour or up to overnight.

This is extremely important:  Make sure your brisket is placed in the pan with the fatty side on top.  It will slowly melt away and keep the brisket moist and juicy as it does.

Your beautiful brisket should look like this, begging to be slowly roasted:

We're going to use a simple kitchen oven.  Smoking or grilling is a whole different ball game.  Set it to 250 degrees.  Cover the brisket with aluminum foil and put it in the oven to begin its slow journey to succulent deliciosity.

Now we must prepare a mop.  So-called because the traditional way to apply it to a huge piece of meat slowly roasting is with a tool resembling a mop.  I use a simple spray bottle (similar to Windex or 409) that I got from Home Depot for 59 cents.

Vinegar, smoke extract and brown sugar go in my mop

I use a simple mop vinegar, smoke extract and brown sugar.  This time I also added some leftover home-made beef broth for extra flavor, just because it was in the fridge.

Spray the brisket with the mop generously every 20-30 minutes.  It's OK if a little liquid starts to accumulate in the bottom of the dish.

Plan on cooking for 8-10 hours.  Once the internal temperature reaches 185 degrees (get a meat thermometer, darnit!), turn your oven down to 225 - it's done, but you can let it sit for up to 2 more hours before serving.

I served mine with fresh green beans and homemade peanut-garlic coleslaw:

Oven roasted brisket with peanut-garlic coleslaw and fresh green beans

Garlic-peanut coleslaw

Yesterday was slow-roasted Texas-style brisket day.  While it was slowly (very, very slowly) cooking, I prepared a few side dishes. One of those was my signature garlic-peanut coleslaw.

Garlic-peanut coleslaw

Coleslaw is remarkably simple, so I had to complicate things.  I started by preparing a home-made aioli.  It's like a mayonaise, but with taste and texture that puts it in a different class altogether.

Aioli requires you to be meticulous in two areas.

First - food safety is paramount.  Raw eggs are involved, which raises the possibility of salmonella.  Pasteurized-in-the-shell eggs are the safest.  I use locally grown organic eggs (safer than the big factories) and avoid contact between the yolk/white and the outside of the shell.

Second - the blending process is delicate.  I put two eggs, tons of crushed garlic, chopped parsely, a pinch of salt and a tablespoon of lemon juice in the food processor.  I set it blending for a few minutes, then very slowly drizzle in olive oil until the mixture starts to firm up to the consistency of a thick pudding.

Then I prepared the other ingredients - finely grated carrot, chopped peanuts and lots of shredded fresh savoy cabbage.

Cabbage, carrot, peanuts and garlic-parsley aoli

Mix, chill, serve and enjoy!

Next - the brisket emerges.

Spicy shredded chicken burritos

Shredded chicken burritos with toppings

These are so easy to make and so delicious. The leftover meat can be used in sandwiches, soups or even as a main dish. I always make far more than needed so I can have easy meals for several days.

It's simple. Sautee some garlic and onions in a tablespoon of oil over medium heat until soft.

Add several boneless skinless chicken breasts and water to cover.  It's OK if they're flozen.  Adjust the heat to maintain a low rolling boil.

Add enough water to fully cover the uncooked chicken

Add seasonings. I used some adobo paste, cayenne pepper and a little chicken bouillon. The adobo turned mine a beautiful rusty red color that serves as a warning to the weak-tongued:  Spicy!!

The chicken is starting to fall apart

Watch the water.  You'll probably need to add some as it evaporates.

When the chicken starts to fall apart when poked with a large spoon, lower the heat and simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated.  That's all there is to it!  Serve with flour tortillas, salsa, onions, cheese, tomatoes, sour cream... whatever you desire.

Finished!  Succulent, juicy and flavorful

Home made tortilla strips with roasted salsa and smoky bean dip

One of the kitchen tools I simply can't do without is my Cuisinart food processor.  It's solidly built and reliable.  I have the 14-cup model.  Somehow I've lost several of the cutting blades, but I still have the critical chopping/mixing blade.

I probably use the Cuisinart at least five times a week.  It's simply irreplaceable when it comes to pureeing and mixing smooth sauces.

My Cuisinart - I couldn't imagine life without her

Today I saw it sitting in the corner of the kitchen, silently pleading for attention.  I had a fridge full of fresh produce from Jon's so I decided to make some simple baked tortilla strips, roasted salsa and a smoky & spicy black bean dip.

Mmm... fresh, healthy and bursting with flavor

As always, I started with the freshest ingredients possible:

Fresh onions, tomatoes and garlic, black beans and adobo paste

My list includes:

2 pounds roma tomatoes
2 bunches green onions
4 yellow or white onions
1-2 red onions
1-2 bulbs garlic

The first step is the most tedious - quarter the tomatoes and remove the seeds and white core.  Arrange them in cooking pans (coated with Pam cooking spray to make clean-up easier):

Tomatoes ready for roasting

Pop them in an oven.  Temperature is not critical, but the hotter you make it the more closely you have to watch them.  I chose 350 degrees.

While the tomatoes are roasting, start work on the onions.  Slice them thickly (1/4") and lay them in a medium-hot skillet to dry-fry.  Add a touch of oil if you want, but my sweetie likes it when I eliminate oils and salt from any recipe.  You want to see them get blackened on each side, and become a little soft throughout.  Use tongs to flip them - don't worry if they begin to fall apart or cook unevenly.  We're not trying to win a beauty contest.

Dry frying the onions

You can add some serrano peppers to the pan as well.  After they blister a bit, let them cool and remove the stems and seeds.  I don't put peppers in my salsa any more because my sweetie won't touch it if I do.

When the tomatoes start to brown on the edges it's time to remove them.

The smell of fresh roasted tomatoes is fantastic!

All this roasting will bring out the flavor in the onions and tomatoes.  Now we add some fresh stuff as we run it all through the food processor to finely puree.  A whole lot of cilantro and green onions (chopped first) for starters, then (optionally) a little lemon or lime juice, salt, fresh black pepper and olive oil to taste.

Set the salsa aside (if possible, let it rest in the fridge overnight before serving) and get to work on your smoky & spicy black bean dip!

Peel two full bulbs of garlic, remove the brown woody stem part and crush the heck out of them!  No need to chop them as they'll be visiting our friend the Cuisinart later.  Put them in a wok / skillet over low heat with about a tablespoon of oil (I used sunflower).

The smell of simmering garlic is close to heaven

Chop some onions and add them to the pan once the garlic begins to soften.  Keep it cooking low & slow, stirring often - we want them to soften and release their flavors - we don't want to brown them.

Add the fragrance of onions and I'm in a state of bliss

Once the onions are translucent, add spices to your taste.  Dried spices are best added at this point as the hot oil will draw the flavors out and infuse the dish with them.  But -- don't do this over high heat or for longer than five minutes or the dry spices will release bitter flavors.

I added cayenne pepper (dried in this case), cumin and a touch of sage.  You can always raise the heat level later.

Time to spice it up!

Then I added some adobo paste, which benefits from a brief bath in the hot oil.

Finally, I emptied a full can of black beans, with the liquid, into the pan.  Note that this adds some salt, so take that into account if you're adding salt later.

Simmer over very low heat for about 30 minutes.  Then remove to the food processor, add green onions, cliantro and raw red onion.  Run the food processor until it's a smooth paste.  During the processing, add salt and additional pepper to taste.

You're done.  Now we need something to dip in our wonderful fresh salsa and bean dip.  We prefer my home-made tortilla strips to store-bought any day.  For one, they're warm and fresh.  Two, we can cut down on the salt.  And three, I often use flour tortillas for a unique flavor.  They're very easy to make.

I often use home-made tortillas for these.  That will be the topic of a future post.

It's simple - take tortillas and cut them into strips.  For this I used my KitchenAid kitchen shears, another tool I couldn't live without.  Lay them on a cookie sheet that you've sprayed with Pam cooking spray.

Ready to make our chili-lime tortilla strips!

Spray lightly, then sprinkle with seasonings.  I wanted a chili-lime flavor, so I used cayenne pepper, sour salt and kosher salt.

(Sour salt is not salt at all.  It's citric acid -- the stuff that makes lemons and limes sour -- in a powdered form.)

Homemade is always better!

Bake for roughly 10 minutes at 300 degrees -- you will have to watch as cooking time varies depending on the type of tortillas you use.

Everything's best warm, so heat up the salsa and bean dip and serve the chips fresh from the oven!

Pink's Hot Dogs

Near the half-way point of Sunday's Half Marathon, I suddenly had a flash of inspiration.  A way to treat ourselves to something special after completing the race.

Pink's Hot Dog stand.  Just off Melrose and La Brea in Hollywood.  A Los Angeles legend, it has a 20-minute line from the moment it opens until well past midnight.  They offer so many different hot dog combinations that it's hard to choose.

It's not uncommon to see a movie star or politician waiting patiently in line for their Pink's dog.  Many of their unique dogs are named after the star that has ordered them over and over again.

I went with the classic, elegantly simple chili dog.  The "stretch" version of course.  She, on the other hand, opted for the chicago polish dog, which is piled high with relish, onions, tomatoes and lettuce.

Pink's hot dogs are different from the first bite.  They have what dog aficionados call "bite."  They literally snap when you chomp into them, releasing a burst of flavorful hot dogginess.

Oh dear god, if you're ever in the area you must must must try Pink's.  Crazy Girl doesn't even like hot dogs and she was in heaven.

Skip the fries though - they're standard stuff out of the freezer.

Fresh home made pasta

This weekend we did a half marathon.  This was to be my sweetie's first ever half marathon, so she was a little nervous.  I assured her that she had trained well, and the final bit of preparation was to carbo-load.  That's right - the traditional bread-and-pasta food orgy a day before the race.

Home-made Fettuccine with Tomatoes, Basil and Garlic

As always, I made a home-grown sauce for our pasta, but to make it special I decided to teach crazy girl how to make home-made fresh pasta.  As an added twist, we made it with fresh basil.  The shape we chose was a tagliatelle, similar in shape and size to a fettuccine but wider than linguini.

Home-made tagliatelle with fresh chopped basil

The pasta dough is remarkably simple to make.  I complicated things ever so slightly with the addition of fresh chopped basil leaves.

Unlike bread dough, the recipe for pasta dough is easily adaptable as it does not rely on rising.  If it is too damp, it's easy to add flour during the rolling process.  If too dry, it's simple to return to the kneading surface and work in some olive oil or water.

Basic:

• 2 whole eggs (Some recipes call for only the yolk, but I like the texture added by the white)
• 2 cups seminola flour (in a pinch, use all purpose)

That's it.  Really.  But I added these ingredients this time around:

• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/2 cup finely chopped basil

I initially combined these ingredients using my mix-master and a dough hook, then transferred to a board for more thorough kneading.  You need to knead only as much as needed to combine the ingredients.  (I did that on purpose.)

Wrap in Saran-Wrap, a damp towel or put in a Zip-Loc baggie and let rest for 20 minutes.  It's tired!

The rolling process can be frustrating at first.  Remember, screw-ups simply go back into the dough-ball for a second try.  Get yourself a machine (electric ones are available, but simple ones like mine are inexpensive and can probably be borrowed) and get rolling!

A simple, inexpensive pasta roller / cutter

My roller is not a brand-name one - I hope eventually to get a more sturdy one with a wider variety of cutting attachments.  But for now it works fine for fettuccine or raviolis.  Here is a video showing the first pass of dough through the machine:

The first pass is easy, but don't expect something beautiful yet.  As a matter of fact, expect some screw-ups.  Here is a video of me dealing with one such disaster and turning it into a wonderful finished product:

With one or two practice runs under your belt, it gets easier.  Eventually things start to look thusly:

Feeding a still-ragged sheet into the roller

Several fold-and-rolls later, it looks more civilized

When you've got a long, flat sheet, it's time to cut into ribbons.

Finished homemade pasta can be left hanging for up to several days to dry, or as in our case, can go straight into boiling water for a very fresh dish.  If fresh-made, remember that you don't have to cook it nearly as long.  Al dente (meaning "to the bite") or lightly cooked fresh pasta has a delightful flavor and texture to it that you won't get from pasta off the grocery shelf.

Buon Appetito!

The Bagel Chronicles, vol. 2: Whole wheat & honey

Yesterday I decided against all common sense to attempt making my own bagels.  I was thrilled with the results.  They also passed the true test -- my wife loved them.

Today, I decided I'd apply my lessons learned before I forgot.  I also decided to alter my recipe to best appeal to my Sweetie.

I was thrilled with the results!  I also learned that on only my second try, I got a whole lot better at shaping the bagels.  The whole thing took very little effort and time.  I don't think we'll ever buy bagels at the grocery store again.

The results

These came out far plumper, lighter and with more character to their flavor.

Rather than re-create the whole process, I'll recap the changes.  The orignal post outlines step by step how I went about it.  Here is what I did different this time:

Ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cup warm water
1 1/2 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 packets of active yeast

Note that I doubled the yeast because I didn't feel my first batch rose enough.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Take the honey and dissolve it in warm water, stirring.  Add the yeast and set aside.

To the mixing bowl add all the other ingredients.

By now the yeast should be dissolved and bubbling slightly.  If not, give it a gentle stir.

Follow my directions in the original post to make the dough, divide it and form into bagel-shaped loops.

Let rise a full 40 minutes on an oiled baking sheet.

Boil 1 minute 15 seconds, flip, and repeat.  Remove and replace on the sheet.

Bake 13-14 minutes, flip, and repeat.

Enjoy!

Again... a link to the original full recipe including bagel-rolling tutorial.

The great homemade bagel experiment

Is it possible for a mediocre baker to make great bagels at home?  Bagels that not only meet, but exceed store-bought?  In the name of science, I decided to put it to the test.  I resolved that I would try to do it without looking for instructions on the internet.

I had a great source of information to help prepare for this particular experiment:  A New York Jewish friend, who has a New York Jewish mother and grandmother.  Surely they could help.

They were no flippin' help at all.  They did, however offer to teach me to make matzo balls and tell me the best place to buy Hamantaschen.

That's what I get for stereotyping.  I should have realized that I have never, ever seen a Jewish member of my family provide bagels that didn't come straight from Noah's or Bruegger's.

So for assistance, I then turned to my Goy friend who had once worked in a bagel shop for all of about 27 minutes.  The following is based on the vague information given by him, with my modifications.

NOTE:  After this successful trial run, I modified my recipe for even better results.  After reading, be sure to check here to see the changes I made.

First, I started with some simple ingredients:

Bagel ingredients

4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 1/4 cup warm water
1 packet active yeast

I didn't bother with the pricey oil -- I would have for frying -- but I was particular about the salt (sea salt w/o iodine) and water (filtered, not tap) to avoid introducing odd chemical flavors.

Note -- I kept my hands washed extra-well all the way through the process, because my days home-brewing beer taught me that yeast is easily contaminated, resulting in strange flavors.

So far, pretty easy.  I mixed all of them together at the same time, unlike many bread recipes which call for multiple steps in preparing the dough.  To avoid any real work, I used my mix-master (with dough hook attachment as the whisk would not have worked at all on this highly elastic dough).  It could have been done by mixing the ingredients in a bowl and then kneading by hand for 5-10 minutes.

Dough hook (hanging on lip of bowl)

Once the dough formed an elastic ball that hung on the hook, I figured it had kneaded long enough.

This looks properly kneaded!

I had been told this would form 6-8 bagels, so I separated the dough into eight equally sized balls.

Ready to form

These I formed into rings.  At this point I started pre-heating the oven to 425 degrees.  Here's a short (1:11) video of how I did it, because this was the really dicey part of the process:

If you didn't watch the video, I shaped each ball into a snake long enough to wrap around something about 1 1/2 inches in diameter (I used my fingers bunched together), overlapped the two ends by about 1/2 inch, and pinched them together.  It sounds simple, but I only averaged good looking rings half the time, and the other half they wound up resembling mutant crescent rolls:

I am Lord of the Rings!

After sitting for 20 minutes, they had puffed up a little from the yeast.  I decided to cook four at a time so if I wasn't happy with the first group, I could correct.  The first four went into boiling water (no salt!) for one minute, then I turned them and boiled for one more minute.  This first batch didn't rise to the top of the water as I had expected.  I was a little worried.

Boiling bagels

Then I transfered them to an oiled cooking sheet, baked for 10 minutes, flipped them, and baked for 10 more minutes.

The result:  Far denser than commercial, but also far more flavorful.  All in all, my home-brew bagels beat Sara Lee hands-down.

The second batch had risen for at least 40 minutes now, and were far more puffed up.  I had made the mistake, however, of keeping them on an un-oiled plate.  It took some work peeling them off and some got quite disfigured in the process.

This group rose quickly to the top of the boiling water, so I knew I was in for a different outcome.  I also chose to bake this group for 12 minutes on a side.

The result:  Equally flavorful as the first group, but a far more desirable density.

Conclusions from this rather dangerous, challenging and rigorous experiment:

• Try it, it's easy and worth the wonderful flavor.
• Make sure you don't get distracted during the boiling or baking part.
• Don't get bummed if your rings don't appear perfect.  They'll still taste great.
• Let the rings rise for around 30 to 45 minutes on an oiled surface.  Don't boil them too soon.

The beautiful end result

Simple but amazing oven roasted top sirloin

I grabbed a large top sirloin at the market the other day -- it was dirt cheap and a good looking cut:

I roasted this sucker up -- it was easy and produced a great roast beef that we served for guests this weekend -- it served five very hungry people and we still have enough for days of sandwiches.

There were several tricks to making this roast come out beautifully.

1.  The Au Jus.

I started the Au Jus a day ahead of time.  It's not much work but requires a long slow boil.  I used leftover New York Strip from the other day (mostly bones and trimmings).  I placed a strainer inside a very large pot, filled with water, the steak trimmings, onions, bay leaves and some old parsley.  I then boiled it for about 24 hours, constantly adding water to keep it covered.  I also added a touch of beef bouillon (not much, because it adds salt and possibly MSG).

Several hours before beginning the roast, I removed the strainer so that all that was left is a rich but watery brown liquid.  (You could omit the strainer and just strain into another pot at this point).  At this point the mixture was about 1/2 gallon.

Now -- Under careful monitoring the heat was turned up until the liquid reduced by 50% (to about a quart) to concentrate the flavor.

Later on, I did a little bit of back-and-forth -- Some of the Au Jus was used to baste the roast and to make my "mop" but the liquid in the roasting pan made its way back into the Au Jus for extra flavor.

2.  Searing & preparation for oven roasting

This makes the roast!  Heat a large skillet or heavy roasting pan on medium heat.  Lightly rub oil over the surface of your roast.  Get your hands dirty!  Now drop that sucker into the hot skillet or pan and brown each side so it looks like this:

Remove, let cool and then make small slits into which you should insert slivered garlic.  Slice an onion or two and place in the bottom of the pan, setting the roast on top, fatty side up.

3.  Roast at 200 to 300 degrees until the temperature (get a meat thermometer!) inside is at least 125 degrees.  I cooked to 135 for a medium-rare to medium roast.  Remember that the internal temperature will continue to increase for a few minutes after you stop cooking.  For truly savory juiciness, baste every 15 minutes.  It's best to start with some of the Au Jus.

4.  When done, transfer the drippings back to the Au Jus.

5.  Slice and enjoy!

More detailed cooking instructions here.

Dave's ten commandments of cooking

I get complimented on my cooking every time I prepare something.  I'm often told I should have been a chef.  That's not my ego talking... it took me a long to get past the "aw, gee, shucks, it's just a little something" reaction and accept that maybe I actually do have some talent in the kitchen.

It's a heavy crown to wear, and it comes with responsibilities.  One of those is to share what I've learned, mostly by trial and error or by studying how great food comes to be.

I have some basic rules I go by.  I'm one day going to have them engraved to hang in my kitchen.

I.  Recipes are suggestions, not orders.

Use recipes as a starting point.  They should provide direction rather than limitations.  Be creative!  There is no joy in manufacturing an exact clone of someone else's creation.  Start small -- learn to substitute molasses for brown sugar, add a kick with garlic or even bring out simplicity by removing ingredients (There are exceptions -- for example, when baking, the ingredient proportions, temperatures and cooking times can be critical.)

II.  Know your audience

You may love (fill in the blank), but your guests may not.  When cooking for kids, sushi is probably out.  When cooking for your grandmother, go easy on the habanero peppers.  You get the idea.  I remember the time I was shocked that most of my guests wouldn't even try my ceviche (raw fish that is "cooked" in lime juice, onions, peppers and cilantro) despite their unanimous love for sushi.

III.  Tools matter

Ask any handyman, and you'll be told that many jobs simply cannot be done without the right tools.  The same principle applies in the kitchen.  I would fight to keep my KitchenAid mixer, Cook Help, food processor, knives, mandolin and quite a few other items.

IV.  Be willing (nay, embrace) improvisation

I think the #1 reason that great food comes out of my kitchen is that I am not only willing to improvise, I take great joy and pride in it.  I'm most proud of something I "whip up" using the scarce remains of last week's shopping.  Soups and stocks are a great way to use up left-over vegetables and meats.  See rule I.

V.  Cook from scratch

For one, you can proudly announce that nothing being served is store-bought.  You also know exactly what is going into your food (preservatives, salt, fats and so on).  You also get more vibrant flavors and textures.  Vegetables in your soups will retain some bite instead of being mushy, your sauces will get their flavor from fresh ingredients instead of salt, and you don't have to worry about what "disodium guanylate" is.

VI.  Don't cook from scratch

On the other hand, sometimes it pays to use something as a "base" and then doctor the hell out of it.  On a busy weeknight, I don't want to make a huge effort or mess, but I do want to have something satisfying and healthy for dinner.  Maybe I'll whip out a jar of store-bought pasta sauce and spice it with balsamic vinegar, red pepper flakes, crushed garlic (also from a jar) and some chopped kalamata olives to make a 10-minute arabbiata sauce.

VII.  Keep a full pantry

Shop regularly for fresh produce and meats, but keep a full supply of items that don't spoil.  You never know when you will find yourself reaching for flour, sugar, chicken stock, canned beans and so on.  You can often use canned goods in a pinch when you suddenly need tomatoes or other common ingredients.

VIII.  Find a great place to shop for fresh foods

Find a store that has a good variety of produce, meats and cheeses but doesn't break the bank.  Here in Southern California we do lots of our shopping at a local chain called Jons, in large part because their produce is fresh, inexpensive and highly varied (they cater to a wide range of ethnic groups).

VIX.  Try out specialty and ethnic foods

Don't be afraid of new flavors and strange foods!  I have a rule that I'll try almost anything once (exceptions are often raised when traveling in Asia.)  Another reason we shop at Jons is that they carry a huge assortment of East European, Mexican and South American items.

X.  It doesn't always have to be a meal

Sometimes the best way to entertain is with a wide assortment of bite-size or small items that everyone can just graze on.  It reduces the stress of serving several courses simultaneously, can often be made in advance and makes for a more relaxed, informal get-together.  This is also a great way to go if it's just two of you watching a movie.