Chili Verde For The First Time

I made a mistake today:
I made a dish I’d never done before and I forgot to get any pictures other than one right before I started eating. I hate it when I do that.

Let me start at the beginning…

This past Saturday we went to a friend’s wedding up in Ventura, CA. Our good friends Sal and Aimee let us hitch a ride along with them so we got to visit with them, too. Once at the wedding we all sat with Ken and Barbara and their young son, Jack. Unfortunately, Jack began to get a little vocal during the ceremony so Barbara took him outside the building and she consequently missed much of the ceremony.

The reception and dinner was held immediately after the ceremony in the same room. One of the meat courses was a sliced pork roast. Sal brought up the idea that the leftover pork would make a great chili verde. He went on to describe the chili verde his grandmother makes and it really sounded pretty special. While I’ve made more than a few gallons of chili con carne I’ve never made chili verde (green chili for non-Spanish speakers) so I paid close attention to what Sal said. I asked a few questions along the way and got an idea for how the dish is made.

After dinner we weren’t fast enough to snag any of the leftover pork but by now I couldn’t let that stop me. I hit the grocery store Sunday afternoon.

We already had four pork chops that needed to get cooked and to them I added a couple small pork roasts that were on sale. About 1 3/4 pounds of tomatillos, two white onions, two bunches of cilantro, a number of garlic cloves, three jalapeno peppers, and a handful of Anaheim chilies gave me a bunch of good stuff to work with.

For the pork chops I de-boned them and diced the meat into somewhat large chunks. Those chunks got tossed into an oiled skillet in a couple of batches to brown. The second batch was accompanied by a diced onion. When the pork chunks were browned they went into my big pot where some cans of chicken stock and some water were heating up over a low flame.

On the two small pork roasts I roughly boned them and cut the meat into big chunks, about four inches square, or so. These chunks also went into the skillet to brown. The bones still had quite a bit of meat left on them so after they were browned everything went into the pot to begin simmering. Somewhere along the way I dropped in about five or six peeled and smashed garlic cloves.

While the pork was happily simmering I peeled the husks off the tomatillos and washed them. After cutting them in half I put them on a foil lined pan with the cut side down. After adding the jalapenos and a handful of garlic cloves (unpeeled), the pan went under the broiler until the tomatillo skins were browned.

Moving right along… After the tomatillos cooled they went into the blender in a couple batches. Each batch also got a bunch of cilantro, washed with most of the stems chopped off. Also included were the jalapenos (seeded) and the garlic that had been roasted (now peeled). The pretty green slurry from the blender got dumped into the pot with the simmering pork and now things were looking really good.

Somewhere along the way Fayme volunteered to roast the Anaheim chilies for me. Since she enjoys it and also does it better than I do, how could I refuse?

After the chilies cooled off a bit I peeled them and took out the seeds and stem. The chilies went into the blender and got a very rough chop there. At least it was as rough a chop as a blender can give. We’ll just say they weren’t pureed.

Now it was time to relax and let the pot simmer and tenderize the pork. Somewhere along this step is a good time to taste the chili broth to check for spices. I added some salt, oregano, and cumin. Oh, and the second onion, diced.

When the pork got tender I fished out all those larger chunks and shredded them with a fork. The bone pieces got the meat pulled off and shredded, bones were discarded.

Put the meat back into the broth, add a bit of corn starch to thicken things up, we’re ready to eat.

Thanks, Sal!

I’m glad you put the idea into my head to make this dish, it really turned out good. When I make it again I’ll see if I can remember to take more pictures so the story will be a little more interesting.

Happy Cooking!

Salsa Fresca for Pasadena

Tomorrow we’re going to our monthly gathering at the Pasadena archery range. It’s nothing formal, just a bunch of friends who get together to practice somewhat primitive art in various forms.

Some people work on bows, some on arrows, a couple people will usually flint knap. There are always folks working on and throwing atlatls. We have folks interested in fiber arts and at least one very talented bead worker.

We never go hungry at these gatherings because someone is always bringing stuff to munch on. It may be a tray of cupcakes, jugs of homemade pineapple drink, cookies, homemade cheese, or a big jar of pretzels from Costco. There’s always something.

I thought it’s been some while since I made salsa so at the store yesterday I gathered up the ingredients. I want to make a decent sized batch so I can take it to Pasadena to share with everyone.

Ingredients:
Tomatoes, I used Roma tomatoes this time but they’ll all work.
Anaheim chilies
Poblano chilies
Jalapeno chilies
White onion
Garlic
Cilantro
Lime
Salt, spices

How much of each one to use?
Well, this is going to frustrate some people and I’m sorry for that, but I make salsa by look and taste so I don’t have specific measurements. It’s kind of chancy to do it this way. A couple times I’ve put in too many chilies and had to run to the store to get more tomatoes to even out the tomato/chili ration. This time I almost used too many tomatoes but stopped cutting them just in time.

Making this salsa isn't difficult. The chilies are fire roasted and that takes a little bit of time but for the rest you pretty much just chop everything up and mix it together.
It's really easy to fire roast chilies on the kitchen range but since I had a pretty good amount of them I used the gas bbq on the patio.
As the chilis came off the grill I put them in a plastic shopping bag so they'd continue to steam and cook. When they cooled off enough to handle I peeled the skin, removed the stems and seeds, and chopped them up. Be sure not to rinse the chilis in water as you peel them. Doing so washes away a lot of the wonderful flavor.
The Guerilla Chef has a great tutorial for roasting chilies and he remembered to take pictures (I forgot when I did mine).

Here are the pictures I did remember to take...

Why yes, I do like garlic...

White onion...

I cut a corner on the jalapenos and roasted them in an iron spider on the range. I didn't peel the jalapenos but did remove the stems and seeds before chopping them.

Freshly fire roasted Anaheim chilies and Poblano chilies...

Readying the chilies for dicing by removing the stems and seeds. I've already peeled them at this point.

The bowl of diced chilies...

By this point I've already gone to the biggest container I have short of a 5 gallon bucket. I just need to finish by chopping the cilantro and adding salt, chili powder, and ground coriander.

Oh, yeah... lime juice, too. I didn't use all these, just to taste.

Done and ready to eat. I hope everyone enjoys it tomorrow.

 
Something to keep in mind when taking on a project like this: you've got to have good tools!
That means a knife designed to chop and dice and the knife has to be sharp.
Cutting tomatoes can be frustrating if your knife isn't sharp. Cutting this many tomatoes with a dull knife is begging for a slip and an injury.
The chef's knife is probably my most used tool in the kitchen. I keep it sharp because it works better that way. If you've got dull knives your time in the kitchen isn't going to be nearly as enjoyable as it could be. 
 
Thanks for reading! 
 
Thanks for reading!

A Simple Mid-Day Snack

I was looking in the refrigerator yesterday to see what I could dig up for lunch.
There were lots of possibilities: tuna sandwich, lunch meat sandwich, leftover chicken curry, Japanese noodles... and probably much more that I didn't notice.
But after thinking about it I decided on something simple and light.
I decided on a mixed bowl of... stuff. That's the best way I can think to describe it, stuff.
I cut a cucumber into strips and sprinkled it with Kosher salt. A nice tomato got the same treatment. Some blu cheese and feta cheese with herbs went into the mix along with a small handful of Kalamata olives. Pepperoncini peppers rounded out the dish.

Feeling the need for something crunchy I added a bowl of crackers but ended up not eating very many. The bowl of mixed stuff was so good I just forgot all about the crackers.
This may not have been a very orthodox lunch snack but it sure was good.
I encourage you to give a look past the regular sandwiches and other lunch foods to see what you can come up with. You could well surprise yourself.

Thanks for reading!

A Visit to the Himalayan Grill

A post on the Guerilla Chef blog recently alerted me to a restaurant in Sunset Beach that I had to visit.

The Guerilla Chef goes to The Himalayan Grill where he lives in Flagstaff, Arizona and it turns out there is one near me in California, too. After reading his description of the lunch buffet I just had to go.

Fayme and I met a good friend of ours, Robert, at the restaurant and cruised on in.

I have to say, my first reaction was disappointment. The Guerilla Chef recommended the lunch buffet, the restaurant’s web site said they have a lunch buffet, my menu said they have a lunch buffet...
They no longer have the lunch buffet.
Damn it!

Business owners, please take note: if you have a website, don’t build it and then forget about it. When things change in your business, change the website!

Anyway, once I got over my initial disappointment we checked out the lunch menu and made our orders. Robert ordered chicken masala, Fayme opted for tandoori chicken, and I decided on lamb curry, I just can't pass up lamb. For an accompaniment we got garlic naan bread.
The meals started off with dal soup, a lentil soup prepared with Himalayan herbs and spices. Now, brand me as a heathen if you must but I’ve never cared for lentils or other members of the legume family. They’re just not my thing, which raises hell with my love for Mexican food.
But I wanted to give these guys a chance so I dug into the soup.

Well, I may not like lentils but I guess I do like dal soup. You couldn’t have drowned an ant in what was left in my bowl.

Our meals arrived in very cool looking steel pan/plates: entrée, Basmati rice, side salad, and an unidentified spinach dish that was delicious.

My lamb curry...

Robert's chicken masala...

Fayme's tandoori chicken...

Garlic naan...

The meals were great and there was little left on any of our dishes when we pushed them away.
The atmosphere in the restaurant was very nice, staff was great, and the background music very enjoyable. Robert is a professional musician of no small talent and even he approved of the music.

Happy and full, Fayme and I...

And Robert...

Will I go back? Good question, I may. The food was very good and I’ve only touched the bare surface of what the Himalayan Grill has to offer, but that lack of the promised lunch buffet just rankles me. Once I get over that I imagine we’ll visit again. The quality of food certainly will make return visits worthwhile.

Many thanks to the Guerilla Chef for pointing me in the right direction. I highly recommend taking a look at his blog, he's a great writer covering some wonderful subjects in the food world.

Thanks for reading!

Chicken, Shrimp, Udon, Tofu, and Vegetables... MMmmmmm

I wish I'd gotten pictures of tonight's dinner but when I was putting it together I wasn't thinking of a blog post.

I wish I had been because, wow, did it ever turn out good!

 

I had a family pack of chicken thighs ($ .79lb at the new local Jon's Market, woohoo!) that needed to be addressed before they went bad.

I put five of the thighs in a pot of water and set it to boiling lightly. I also added a small peeled and quartered onion to the pot.

As I boned out the rest of the chicken thighs to ready them for the freezer I added the bones to the boiling pot.

After getting the meat into the freezer I cut up a few vegetables into thin slices: a carrot, a couple florettes of broccali, one yellow squash, and a small handful of snow peas (not cut). One at a time I put these vegetables into the simmering stock and pulled them out with a slotted spoon when they were cooked. I set them all aside in a bowl.

Somewhere along the way I pulled out the whole chicken thighs that were in the boiling stock. I wanted them to cook through but not loose all their "chicken" to the pot. Once these pieces were cool enough to handle I pulled off the meat, set it aside, and tossed the bones back into the pot to boil a bit longer.

I had pulled out a few shrimp from the freezer and set them aside to defrost. Once they had I peeled the shells off and put the shells in with the boiling stock. The shrimp were cooked in the stock just like the vegetables had been. Once cooked I set them aside with the vegetables.  

After the liquid in the pot had reduced a bit and it seemed as if all the flavor was out of everything I ran a strainer through the pot and discarded the chicken bones, shrimp shells, onion, and anything else the strainer caught. 

Keeping the stock boiling I put in two packages of Japanese udon noodles and cooked them per the package directions, about two minutes, adding the sauce packets at the end of the cooking.

All the cooked vegetables, the chicken, shrimp, and a handful of cubed tofu were in a big bowl and I poured the noodles and broth over it all. Ready to eat.

 

Holy cow, was tonight's dinner ever good. I was actually a little surprised it turned out so well.

While the process sounds as if it was somewhat complicated, it really wasn't. It turned out to be a great way to use the chicken bones and get use from what I may normally have discarded.

 

For some reason all this reminds me of why I took a cooking class in high school. I figured that if I wanted to eat good food it wasn't fair to rely on a girlfriend or wife to make it for me. I should learn how to make it myself.

30 some years later, I'm damn glad I had that foresight. Now, if only I'd thought about saving more money...

 

Happy eating!

The Horror of a Magazine Recipe

During a recent visit to my Mom's she gave us a couple magazines that she was finished with.

One was a cooking magazine and reading the cover got me a little excited: Step by Step to Authentic Paella.

I don't know what it is about paella. I've never cooked it, never even eaten it. But any dish with paella's ingredients just has to be wonderful and I'm absolutely fascinated by it. I imagine I'll have to try making it pretty soon.

 

You'll notice that I haven't mentioned the name of the magazine. There's a reason for that.

 

Reading the article I saw a section on "making the shrimp-mussel broth." In this section the shrimp shells and some mussels are used to make... you guessed it... a broth. Here's an excerpt: 

 

Add the remaining mussels to the boiling water. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes. Strain the broth into a 2-quart liquid measure, discarding the shells and mussels.

 

Wait... do what? Discard the mussels?

I was horrified!

Mussels aren't cheap and I'm supposed to throw these away? This author is nuts!

 

I do my best to not waste food. If I've got chopped pieces of something in a container so I can introduce them into a pan, they all go in. There isn't a chunk of carrot or sliver of chicken thigh that gets washed down the drain. To simply throw these mussels away with callous abandon is a sin against Mother Nature and goes completely against my principles (and wallet).

You want a seafood-type stock or broth for the dish, use fish scraps. Don't have any? Get some clam juice and make it work. But don't waste food.

 

You want a good recipe for paella? Don't get it from this magazine. Get it from a site like The Spanish Table. While you're there check out their paella pans. I'm lusting after one of their carbon steel models.

You know what would be even better? Make up your own recipe. Take a look at a recipe like the one linked above and then have fun from there. Paella is a country dish that should use what you've got available. Have clams but not mussels? Ok! Have rabbit but not a shred of chicken? Ok!

 

Sorry, Nike. I have to do this...

 

Just make it!

You Never Know What You'll Find

It’s been a while since I posted to this blog. I guess it’s about time I got off my butt and got something in here.
I haven’t been doing a lot of cooking lately. I’ve been too busy making arrows for people. But, heck… that’s a good thing!

Here’s something food related that happened recently:
My mom and her partner love to go to yard sales. There’s just no telling what they find and sometimes they get some pretty good deals on various things. She picked up a bread machine for Fayme’s older daughter for an incredibly reasonable price.
We went up to visit my mom a couple weeks ago and she told me she had something for me. This is what she set in my hands…

And this is what I found inside the bag…

Holy cow, I’ve hit the jackpot!
Never again will I complain about bland food. Now I can take a couple bottles of lovely Tobasco in my pocket and be assured that anywhere I go I’ll be able to assure my tongue doesn’t fall asleep during the meal.

Happy eating!