ancho chile-red wine barbeque sauce

Somehow I ended up with an ancho chile a few weeks ago, and didn’t really know what to do with it.  I was thinking some sort of reduction sauce for meat since I had some old chianti leftover that I wanted to get rid of.  My search led me from a pan sauce to a barbecue sauce. Weird, huh?  I’m not really sure how I got there, but I did find a good-looking recipe, and I went for it.  The end result?  Pretty darn good.  On its own the sauce tasted a bit tomato sauce-y, but once I cooled it down and cooked it with bone-in chicken thighs, you could really taste the smoky bbq flavor we all know and love.  All-in-all it was a creative and tasty use of the chile and red wine.

Ancho Chile-Red Wine BBQ Sauce:

Ingredients

• 1 dried ancho chile, stemmed, seeded, coarsely torn*
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon (packed) dark brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• Sriracha (this I added myself to give the sauce some more heat)

Preparation

Place chile in medium bowl. Pour enough boiling water over to cover; let soak until soft, about 30 minutes. Drain, reserving soaking liquid.

Heat oil in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until soft, stirring often, about 4 minutes. Add tomato paste; stir 2 minutes. Add garlic and stir 30 seconds. Add wine and softened chile; simmer 2 minutes. Add 3 tablespoons reserved chile soaking liquid, ketchup, and all remaining ingredients. Simmer 3 minutes, stirring often. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and cool slightly.

Puree sauce in blender, adding more reserved soaking liquid by tablespoonfuls if too thick. DO AHEAD: Can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and chill.

Here’s the chicken browning away in the cast-iron skillet.  I like to cook it until its golden brown on both sides, just to seal it off, then pop it in the oven for 25-30 minutes to finish.  Works wonders.  That’s fennel in the skillet, by the way.

I was hesitant to use the fennel at first, but I needed to use it up so I did.  And it turned out all right. Phew.
There’s really not much better than a good old roast chicken. With barbecue sauce.  Nice and juicy, with a bit of heat but also sweetness.

apple crisp with brandy cream

There’s really not much better than a warm apple crisp with ice cream, right?  While home over the holidays, I made a version of the classic winter dessert.  I had seen it made on TV a few weeks before, and didn’t forget about it.  Originally the recipe included a bourbon-infused whipped cream, however as we aren’t big bourbon drinkers (apparently), I substituted brandy and it turned out just as nice I think.  The most difficult part of making the crisp is definitely peeling the apples…which is somewhat of a pain.  Other than that it was really a breeze (this seems to be a theme with everything I make…I really don’t think cooking is very hard in general, as long as you care about what you’re making).  Mix chopped up apples with some sweet ingredients (literally), top it with a makeshift dough/topping (with pecans, oh yea), then pop it in the oven to cook.  The whipped cream is optional, as ice cream can easily be substituted…in fact, I would probably prefer it with ice cream (I had both).

Apple Crisp with Bourbon Cream

Ingredients

Filling:

• 6 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, chopped (about 3 1/2 pounds)
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/4 cup maple syrup

Topping:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) chilled butter, cut into pieces
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Bourbon Cream:

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1 tablespoon bourbon

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

For the Filling:

Butter a 9 by 13-inch casserole dish. In a large bowl mix all the filling ingredients together and toss to coat all the apples. Pour in the prepared baking dish.

For topping:

In a food processor combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in large bowl. Pulse to blend. Pulse in the butter until mixture forms pea size lumps. Add the pecans and pulse 1 or 2 more times. Sprinkle over filling. Bake crisp for 45 to 50 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before serving.

For Bourbon cream:

In a medium sized bowl, beat the cream until it begins to thicken. While beating, add the sugar and bourbon and beat until soft peaks form. Dollop over servings of apple crisp.

brussels sprouts and cauliflower gratin

Who said vegetables need to taste bad?  I’ve never really liked brussels sprouts, but with some inspiration from Alton Brown I decided to try making them in a different way, with the hope of changing my opinion.  The recipe I used was one from Guy Fieri.

Here’s what it takes for 4 servings of “Bumped-Up” Brussels Sprouts:

Ingredients

• 6 ounces pancetta, big dice
• 4 tablespoons capers, drained
• 2 pints Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
• 1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup pine nuts
• 1/4 cup currants
• 1/4 cup raisins

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium pan over medium heat cook the pancetta and capers. Remove from pan, reserving a little of the pancetta fat in the pan. Add the Brussels sprouts to the pan and cook over medium heat to begin to brown. Dress with balsamic and olive oil, a little salt (capers and pancetta are salty) and pepper. Place into the oven and roast, tossing a couple of times, until nicely caramelized, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Put the pine nuts in a small, dry, saute pan and toast over a low flame, tossing a couple of times, just until lightly browned, 3 or 4 minutes.

Once the sprouts are ready, remove them from the oven and put into a big serving bowl. Add the pancetta, the capers, pine nuts, currants and raisins. Toss and check for seasoning. Serve.

The final product was not bad at all.  I would say that if you like brussels sprouts, you will love this dish…otherwise, I’m not sure if there’s really anything you can do.  Sprouts have a very strong, distinct flavor, and in order to really mask it you’d have to really massacre them in any dish, which would not make it worth it in my mind.  I’m in the latter group- just can’t wrap my head (or mouth) around brussels sprouts.  Nevertheless, this recipe WAS a good one.  I think I would add a tiny bit more balsamic vinegar because I like the flavor a lot, but other than that its pretty spot on.  The pine nuts, currants (I used craisins), and raisins form a nice medley in your mouth.  Mmmm.

On to cauliflower, a vegetable that I love.  Its very similar to broccoli, but can be combined with sweeter ingredients more easily I think, which is always nice.  I decided to make a gratin with gruyere and parmesan cheese.  I followed Ina Garten’s recipe, which was simple and delicious.  Contrary to popular belief, its actually quite easy to make a gratin.  Basically you cook the cauliflower in boiling water for a short while, then in a separate pot you cook up some butter, milk, cheese, and spices. Pour over the veggies, top with cheese and breadcrumbs, and bake.  It really comes out great.  And its healthier than a potato gratin or one that uses cream instead of milk.  So eat up!

The recipe is as follows:

Ingredients

• 1 (3-pound) head cauliflower, cut into large florets
• Kosher salt
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, divided
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups hot milk
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 3/4 cup freshly grated Gruyere, divided
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 1/4 cup fresh bread crumbs

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Cook the cauliflower florets in a large pot of boiling salted water for 5 to 6 minutes, until tender but still firm. Drain.

Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add the flour, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes. Pour the hot milk into the butter-flour mixture and stir until it comes to a boil. Boil, whisking constantly, for 1 minute, or until thickened. Off the heat, add 1 teaspoon of salt, the pepper, nutmeg, 1/2 cup of the Gruyere, and the Parmesan.

Pour 1/3 of the sauce on the bottom of an 8 by 11 by 2-inch baking dish. Place the drained cauliflower on top and then spread the rest of the sauce evenly on top. Combine the bread crumbs with the remaining 1/4 cup of Gruyere and sprinkle on top. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and drizzle over the gratin. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the top is browned. Serve hot or at room temperature.

wasik’s cheese shop

Who doesn’t love a stinky cheese?  They sure do at the Wasik Cheese Shop in Wellesley, MA.  My mom and I headed over to buy some for the holidays a few weeks ago.  As we approached the store you could smell the cheese from the street. The line was out the door.

The shop is run by the Wasik family, and they really seem to know their cheese.  A chalkboard covers the entire wall above the counter with the names of the types of cheese they have. There are English stiltons, Italian mozzarellas, French bries, American cheddars, and everything in between.  When it was finally our turn at the counter, we did a bit of tasting and ended up with four types: a creamy brie, a goat cheese, a (very) strong stilton, and a gruyere (my favorite).   Here is a photo of the cheeses on a platter on Christmas day.

I almost forgot to mention possibly the best thing we got at Wasik’s: a curry spread of some sort (not sure the actual name of it)…delicious!  Definitely a shop I’d like to return to in the future.

Wasik’s Cheese Shop

braised short ribs with creamy polenta

While perusing The Pioneer Woman food blog, which is one of the best food blogs around in my opinion, I came across a recipe for braised short ribs served over a creamy polenta.  The pictures looked amazing and the recipes simple, so I though I’d give it a try.

Polenta is a very basic recipe from Italy- just water, cornmeal, and some salt.  I’ve made it once before and it was quite a hassle, with different pots of boiling water and cornmeal that had to be constantly mixed for well over an hour.  Very messy and tiring.  The polenta turned out alright, but there was too much of it and it quickly became stale and gross.  From what I’ve gathered, I think I made it in the more “authentic” manner- but after learning of this quicker method, there’s no way I’ll go authentic again.  It’s a 15-minute process during which you add cornmeal to boiling water, give it a few stirs, add some salt, butter, and cheese, and voila!  Mine turned out great, and really, how could it not with such an easy recipe.   There are many different ways to eat polenta once its been cooked; fried polenta is quite good, and it can be grilled as well.  For this meal it acts as more as a soak-up-the-juices mashed potato substitute.

Creamy polenta: from The Pioneer Woman blog:

Ingredients

• 1 cup Yellow Cornmeal
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 4 ounces, weight Goat Cheese

Preparation Instructions

Bring 4 1/2 cups water to a boil.

Add cornmeal to the water in a thin stream, whisking constantly to avoid lumps.

Reduce heat to a simmer, and cook for 15 minutes, adding salt and extra tablespoons of water as needed.

When polenta is done, stir in butter and goat cheese. Check seasonings, and add salt to taste.

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The most important thing to remember when making braised short ribs, is that they must be braised!  I made this mistake, not realizing that the ribs needed to cook in the oven for almost 3 hours… Of course I didn’t take that into account, and since no one wanted to eat at midnight, the photos you are seeing are of reheated short ribs and polenta from the second night.  My stupidity might have been a blessing in disguise, however, as the meat had another 24 hours to get nice and tender and really become infused with all the great flavors in the pot.  If you are looking for a new way to cook beef and have a lot of time on your hands, I highly recommend this dish (with or without the polenta).  Suffice it to say, though, that I would not be cooking short ribs if I weren’t at home- they are a bit pricey.  But go for it anyways, its worth it!  For a fall-off-the-bone experience, here ya go:

Ingredients

• 8 whole Beef Short Ribs
• Kosher Salt & Pepper To Taste
• ¼ cups All-purpose Flour
• 6 pieces Pancetta, Diced
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 whole Medium Onion, Diced
• 3 whole Carrots, Diced
• 2 whole Shallots, Peeled And Finely Minced
• 2 cups Red Or White Wine
• 2 cups Beef Or Chicken Broth (enough To Almost Cover Ribs)
• 2 sprigs Thyme
• 2 sprigs Rosemary

Preparation Instructions

Salt and pepper ribs, then dredge in flour. Set aside.

In a large dutch oven, cook pancetta over medium heat until complete crispy and all fat is rendered. Remove pancetta and set aside. Do not discard grease.

Add olive oil to pan with the pancetta grease, and raise heat to high. Brown ribs on all sides, about 45 seconds per side. Remove ribs and set aside. Turn heat to medium.

Add onions, carrots, and shallots to pan and cook for 2 minutes. Pour in wine and scrape bottom of pan to release all the flavorful bits of glory. Bring to a boil and cook 2 minutes.

Add broth, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Taste and add more salt if needed. Add ribs to the liquid; they should be almost completely submerged. Add thyme and rosemary sprigs (whole) to the liquid.

Put on the lid and place into the oven. Cook at 350 for 2 hours, then reduce heat to 325 and cook for an additional 30 to 45 minutes. Ribs should be fork-tender and falling off the bone. Remove pan from oven and allow to sit for at least 20 minutes, lid on, before serving. At the last minute, skim fat off the top of the liquid. (Can also refrigerate mixture, then remove solid fat from the top.)

Serve 2 ribs on bed of creamy polenta, spooning a little juice over the top.

a homemade meal…at home, for a change

I tried to make gnocchi last year after returning from a semester living in Italy.  Despite my assumed increased knowledge of Italian cuisine, I fell flat on my face.  The recipe was basically so simple that it was too hard.  How can you make delicious gnocchi with just potatoes and flour?!  Nevertheless, I gave it another go the other night- I’m back in Hopkinton now; haven’t done much cooking here but I like to take advantage of the endless supply of ingredients and the huge cooking space to make a mess of.  This time the gnocchi turned out much better.  The process is a bit more complicated than it initially seems, but its really rewarding to make pasta from scratch.  Surprisingly, my gnocchi turned out to taste pretty close to the gnocchi I had on numerous occasions in Italy (obviously not as good, which just isn’t possible, but I was just hoping for the globs of goo to stay together in the water this time).  I made a gorgonzola cream sauce to serve on the gnocchi (cream, butter, gorgonzola…not the healthiest of sauces I know, but absolutely delicious).  If you haven’t had it, I highly recommend you do.  The gnocchi are basically potatoes and flour, with an egg and some technique.  Here’s a link to the recipe I followed, which seems pretty trust-worthy: http://www.annamariavolpi.com/page80.html

they tasted a lot better than they look...honest!

On top of the gnocchi I made some cream biscuits from the smitten kitchen blog (link on the side).  Simple enough, light and delicious.  On the docket for my few weeks back at home: braised short ribs with creamy polenta, steak with a balsamic/chocolate glaze/sauce, mulled wine for the holidays, and chicken curry.  We’ll see how many of those actually get made!

hopleaf

Located in the Swedish neighborhood of Andersonville on the north side of Chicago, Hopleaf Bar (http://www.hopleaf.com/home.html) boasts one of the finest beer selections in all of the Windy City.  A cool, rustic Belgian tavern, it has many quality Belgian brews, as well as some good food.  I got the brisket sandwich on sourdough with frites, which came with homemade horseradish mayonnaise and was quite good.  The picture isn’t great, but I’ve posted it anyways.  As for the beer, my first selection was a good one- Goose Island Matilda- but I wouldn’t recommend anyone try the New Belgium La Folie.  Quite frankly, it tasted like a glass of wine with a warhead dropped into it- I have taste-witnesses who will back me up…NASTY!!  Not to mention the snifter of Old Viscosity I got last time there (well, that one wasn’t my choice), which is arguably the worst beer on earth.  BUT, if you know your beer, there are plenty of great options to be tried.

chicken marsala and chili

Last week I made chicken marsala once again.  I use a common recipe, I think, from The America’s Test Kitchen cookbook (recipe to follow), and it always turns out great.  This is one of my favorite things to cook (and eat!).  It has such a nice sweet flavor, and you gotta love those mushrooms and crispy bacon bits!  The picture shows that the sauce it a bit too liquid…maybe true, as I ran out of marsala so the proportions were a bit off, but it still tasted great.  Also, notice how the picture is of higher quality…despite the convenience of the iPhone, it doesn’t stand up to the quality of a real digital camera, so I decided to step up that aspect of the blog.

mmm a nice bowl of chili

As mentioned in a recent post, chili was on the docket for this week.  I used my grandmother’s recipe, which is simple (that seems to be a theme, huh?) and delicious (as is that!).  I’m having trouble getting the recipe online here, but basically it’s your typical aromatics, ground meat (I used beef), tomatoes, green pepper, beans, and some spices.  Throw it all together, and something great usually results.

will digging in. cool hat, right?

pilsen art show; nuevo leon; rocks bar

To shift away from food for a second, Friday night we headed down to Pilsen on the Lower West Side of Chicago for an art show.  It was a pretty unique experience- many galleries were opened up to display artwork, as well as artist studios, apartments, and lofts.  Food and drink were offered as well.  There was even a DJ at one place.

From there we walked west towards a Mexican restaurant called “Nuevo Leon” (East Pilsen is known for its artists, as you head west there is more of a Mexican/Latino culture).  The restaurant was cheap, authentic, and delicious (and a BYOB establishment, which I like).  I got nachos to start, which were basically individual chips loaded with refried beans, ground beef, melted cheese, sour cream and guacamole.  For an entree I got chicken enchiladas with mole sauce; also incredible.  The price: a grand total of $8.  Pretty good deal.  I forgot to take a picture of the food, but I added a picture of the remnants, and a mural inside the restaurant.  After that we headed up to Lincoln Park to a bar called Rocks.  Cool place, would go back again.  The El ride back up north wasn’t too pleasant, as usual, but all in all, good food, good entertainment, and good company.

Oh and also, the Edzo’s tally: up to 2 now (garlic fries- good choice).

burgers and edamame

A bit out of order, but to recap this past weekend- a new buger shop opened up in Evanston a month or so ago, called “Edzo’s”.  Apparently its run by a big-name chef who has cooked in Chicago, Italy, and Spain and is supposed to be the “Hot Dougs” of burger places.  Yeah, it was real good.  Its cheap and simple, but really delicious- it actually tasted like McDonalds burgers, and come on, those taste amazing.  The loaded fries were a bit too much though, I’ll go with the regular next time; but I will be returning soon.  Here’s an article in the Times about it: http://themoment.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/27/grass-fed-edzos-burger-shop-illinois/?emc=eta1

That same night my roommate Will’s parents took us all out to eat in Evanston, at an asian restaurant called Koi.  We’ve eaten there before, and it always seems to be either great or awful (I lean towards the latter).  I got the thai chicken curry with white rice, which is I knew was good, and it was yet again.  The dumplings we got for an appetizer were also good, as was the chicken satay.  We also got edamame, which I had never eaten before.  Not bad, but they just tasted like peas- not sure what the whole fuss is about them, I probably wouldn’t get them again.