Saturday, October 31, 2009

Cinnamon Pear Sauce

Eat the Food Challenge: Snack 1
Ingredients:
  • 8 Over Ripe Bartlet Pears
  • 2 Cinnamon Sticks
  • Water

In enough water to cover the bottom of the pan, heat two cinnamon stick. Add 8 peeled, and cored pears. Simmer until broken into much smaller pieces, so that it looks like chunky apple sauce. Blend smooth using a hand blender, simmer off excess water.

Addendum: This is like apple sauce. I was eating this as a post work out carb source. Pamela was eating this as a breakfast or dessert. It doesn't need to top anything, or go with anything, but it surely can be used in place of apple sauce on Paleo Pork Chops.

Friday, October 30, 2009

Turkey Stir Fry

Eat the Food Challenge: Meal 2

Ingredients:
  • 1.5p Ground Turkey
  • 2 Bunches of Asparagus
  • 2 Japanese Eggplanys
  • 1p Cremini Mushrooms
  • 1 Leek
  • 1/2 Onion
  • 2 Cloves Garlic
  • 3 Heads Baby Bok Choy
  • 3/2-2t Toasted Sesame Oil
  • 2T Olive Oil
  • Salt, Pepper, Crushed Red Pepper TT
Stir Fry together.

Hi! Billy Mays Here!


Thursday, October 29, 2009

Farmer Fresh to You!

This weeks box:
  • 4 Apples
  • 4 Pluots
  • Lemon
  • 2 Baskets of Strawberries (I already ate one)
  • Mushrooms
  • Garlic
  • Brussle Sprouts
  • Japanese Eggplants
  • Snap Peas
  • Chives
  • Spinach
  • 2 Bunches of Baby Bok Choy
  • Cauliflower

I think this is an excellent example of the diversity and quality of these boxes.

Lisette and Carol
Farmer Fresh To You
805.469.7604
www.farmerfreshtoyou.net

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Kimchi Chigea

Okay, so this is the first anti-Paleo dish I have made since I put the blog together and I hate to put something like this out there for you guys, but this is sooooo far out of my comfort zone in terms of familiarity and experience, and I had to post it. Also I changed enough ingredients to make it better (swapped out tofu for mushrooms, zucchini and onion for bean curds, brown rice for white, pork shoulder for belly) than what the authentic version is (authentic as far as my one experience eating this dish has taught me, and I had it for the first time at lunch today and it made me sick all afternoon). Anyway, without delay, here is your first anti-Paleo Korean dish of the year.

Kimchi Chigea

Three days prior to cooking (obsessed much? Three days?), take a 15 oz jar of kimchi (store bought, and mine was filled with the super anti-paleo MSG. It also contains a small amount of sugar, which can be over looked when it is less then 0.05% of the dish, but MSG fucks me up. Its like saying this dish has trace levels of mercury. Can't count the MSG as paleo, or even as "almost paleo") open top loosely, and let sit in room temperature (What?!?!? Loose lid?).
Ahead of time, but much closer to when you plan on eating, start cooking brown rice. Using 5/2c of "Brandon's paleo broth", cook brown rice by bringing to a brief (2 min) boil, and then reducing heat to simmer and covering for 45 minutes..
For the pork belly called for, I swapped pork shoulder, cut about a pound off, rubbed it super liberally with ground ginger, salt and pepper. Then I coated it with sesame oil, grilled briefly, and then cubed it (there is a lot of cubing in this recipe. I normally don't cube.)

Heat homemade chili oil, 1-2T. Add semi grilled, cubed pork. Saute till cooked. Drain liquid off of kimchi jar. Reserve. Add kimchi to pork, saute for 3-4 minutes. Add 4 cups of water. Add 1T of chili-garlic sauce, 2T paprika with crushed red pepper. Bring to boil and boil for 15 minutes.

Add 1/2 of a thinly sliced onion, a cubed, peeled zucchini, and cubed mushrooms (about 10). Boil until thick. Add biased cut, white portion of leeks (is that even a technical term? biased?) a few minutes before serving.

Serve with brown rice previously described. This means: take one bite at a time from the stew, place over rice, re-shovel food, and then cram into mouth. When I was at the Korean restaurant, I wanted to keep shoving food down my pie hole, despite the fact that I didn't even like the taste of the food. MSG, what a piece of shit.

Despite all the anti-Paleo talk: this is a spicy, delicious, fermented treat. My paleo fixes make this taste good with or without a "small amount of mercury". A worthy "cheat-day" challenge if you are near public restrooms.

UPDATE: The reviews are in: "Better than at Korean restaurants." S.A. Woo, Korean.

Monday, October 26, 2009

Pulled Pork, Mexican Style

Here is a delicious dish who's fundamentals lend itself to everything Mexican: tacos, tortas, salads, fajitas, etc.

Saute 1/2t of crushed red pepper and a diced onion in olive oil. Cook 2 to 2 1/2 pounds of cubed pork shoulder in pan. Add mixed spices:

Mixed Spices:

  • 1/2T dried oregano
  • 1t paprika
  • 1/2t cayenne pepper
  • 1/2T salt
  • 1t black pepper
  • 1t chili powder

Add 1/4c apple cider vinegar, 3/2c water, and 1T tomato paste. Simmer for...3/2+ hours. Tear apart with forks, serve as you please. Add garlic if you require it with onions in the beginning.

STOP using pre-packaged taco seasoning packages that are filled with perservatives and MSG, this is a much better choice.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Rosemary Oregano Pork Chops w/ Red Wine Oyster Mushrooms

Take thick cut slices of pork shoulder, about 3/4" to 1" thick. Rub with rosemary, dried oregano, salt and pepper. In a cast iron pan, cook in olive oil with crushed red pepper, over low-medium heat for 5 minutes per side (or until desired level of doneness, these will be rare). Serve hot, smothered in the red wine oyster mushrooms sauce. Pair with brussle sprouts and pecan dish.
Worthy of the Motley Cow.

Brussle Sprouts with Pecans

Marinate 8 oz of pecans in red wine (again, the 2 buck Chuck). Take Brussle sprouts, and score an X across stem, place in boiling water for 10 minutes. Drain well. Take drained pecans and saute in olive oil, with fresh cracked pepper for a few minutes. Add brussle sprouts. Saute and cover with 1-2T of balsamic vinegar. Season with salt.
Sorry these pictures kinda suck, I was too geeked up to eat and forgot to take pictures before I gorged myself.

Red Wine Oyster Mushroom Sauce

Out of Control here. This is a perfect sauce for virtually any occasion. Easily could be served at a wedding or anything else.

In 2T of olive oil, saute 1/2 minced onion, and one minced leek. Add sliced oyster mushrooms with 1t paprika, 1/2t cayenne pepper, until mushroom wilt. Add 3/2T tomato paste and 8 oz red wine (I used Charles Shaw Cabernet :P). Add olive oil as needed. Cook down substantially. Season with salt and pepper. Add fresh oregano leaves while serving.

Sweet Potato and Pork Stew

Heat 1t cayenne pepper, 1t paprika, 1t cumin, 1/2t ground sage, 1/2t crushed red pepper in oil. Start making 6 cups of Brandon's Paleo Broth (previously posted). Add 2+ pounds of pork shoulder cut into cubes. Cook in pan with spices until cooked through. Remove pork from pan, but keep all juices. Saute 2 minced onions until clear. Saute three sweet potatoes, peeled, and cut into cube for 10-15, until soft. Add Paleo broth. Bring to boil then simmer for 10 minutes. Mash potatoes with potato masher. Add pork, simmer. Add sliced spinach, stir and serve.

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Your Fall Seasonal Fruits and Veggies

Hey guys, look for these fruits and vegetables to be on sale and in season this fall.
  • Apples (until Dec)
  • Avocadoas (through October)
  • Beets (through October)
  • Broccoli
  • Brussle Sprouts
  • Cabbage
  • Cauliflower
  • Celery
  • Chestnuts
  • Citrus
  • Cranberries
  • Dates
  • Figs (through October)
  • Grapes (although they have sky rocketed in prices for some reason recently)
  • Leeks
  • Pears
  • Peppers (all of them)
  • Persimmons
  • Pomagranates
  • Potatoes
  • Pumpkin
  • Spinach
  • Squash, winter
  • Turnips

Source: On Cooking: A textbook on cooking fundementals, 4th Edition, Labensky and Hause, Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ, 2007.

The Great Fish Oil Freak Out '09

I ran out of my cheap-o fish oil, and switched it up to the higher concentration of EPA+DHA. This is a great idea becuase we are really trying to reduce the ratio of n-6 to n-3s. If you are taking the 300mg/1000mg you are getting a ratio of more than 2:1. If you take these (684mg/1200mg) you are getting better than 1:1. Its just that much less n-6 to work against.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Great Paleo Midnight Snack


I normally don't post egg dishes, but... uhhh, this is all I cooked tonight.
Take 5 grape tomatoes and saute until they bust in 1 t of chili oil with salt and pepper. Add two free-grange, hormone free, omega-3 eggs. Cook over easy, while adding fresh oregano on both sides of the eggs. Serve with half an avacado.
The real reason why I wanted to post this was the technique of bursting the tomatoes and then cooking the eggs in the tomato juice and oil. It made the eggs so good.

The Perfect Avocado

You are in the last weeks of peak avocado season, go get some while they are ripe. This gem was grown right here in Ventura.

Heriloom Tomatoes


Cut from cross-stem direction. Cover in chili oil, salt and pepper. Garnish with fresh oregano.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Italian Baked Chicken

Okay, so Jordan asked for more Italian, and Pamela asked for more balsamic salads. Here is the result. Italian Baked Chicken with Mixed Greens with balsamic dressing and heirloom tomatoes with chili oil and fresh oregano.

Italian Baked Chicken
Pre heat oven to 400F. Take two whole chickens and dismember (1:47, 1:24, that second one was pretty fast). Take mortar and pestle, combine 1 t dried basil, rosemary, thyme, oregano, 1/2 t of ground sage, black pepper, and 1/2T of salt, grind thoroughly. Rub on chicken. Pan fry in olive oil with garlic, red pepper and fresh oregano leaves, 5 minutes per side. Set into baking pan. Fill pans with a few T of white vineager and Merlot. Bake for 30 minutes, skin side up without cover.

Farmer Fresh to You: Fall Special

This weeks box:
  • Oregano
  • Oyster mushrooms
  • Brussle sprouts
  • 4 peaches
  • 4 persimmons
  • 3 white sapote
  • 2 heirloom tomatoes
  • Leeks
  • Butternut squash
  • Pumpkin
  • Asparagus
  • Ginger
  • Lemon
  • Grape tomatoes

Farmer Fresh to You: delivered to your office/ home. Cheaper than farmer's markets, no time spent shopping, freshest, ripest, localist, etcest. I don't know why you haven't jumped on this bandwagon.

Lisette and Carol
Farmer Fresh To You
805.469.7604
www.farmerfreshtoyou.net

Monday, October 19, 2009

Salmon Vegetables

Racheal Ray, eat your heart out.

This dish takes about 30 minutes to make and involves some canned food. Take 5 members of the squash family (I used 2 winter squash, one squash, and 2 zucchini) sliced to half a cm. Saute with whole onion, diced with one clove garlic in olive oil. Meanwhile, take 3 T olive oil (seriously, do not skimp for this recipe), add two minced cloves of garlic, 1 t dried basil, 1/2 t cayenne pepper, 1/2 t paprika, and saute. add two cans (DO NOT drain fat) of Bear and Boar brand Wild Alaskan Pink Salmon and bring to heat (this was excellent canned food: two ingredients, salmon and salt, FYI). Add diced tomatotes (about five fresh, I had to supplement with a completely drained can of diced tomatoes). Bring to heat. Serve salmon over sauted squash mix. If you are missing Italian food, miss it no more with this dish. Fan-freaking-tastic.

Paleo BBQ Sauce (close to perfect)

Okay so you have probably been noticing a lot of BBQ recipes recently, well, get over it: I'm learning too, and you get to benefit from my constant tinkering. This sauce is excellent, though maybe out of reach for many of you, if you can't/ won't make the tamarind (see previous post).

BBQ Sauce

  • 2-3 t pumpkin pie spice dry rub (ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, cayenne, salt and pepper, see previous post)
  • 1/2 t ground cloves
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • 1 T chili oil
  • 1/2 t crushed red pepper
  • 1/2 - 1 c tamarind
  • 2 T tomato paste
  • 4-6 oz water

Saute oil, garlic and spices. Add tamarind, and tomato paste, stir. Add water and simmer simmer simmer.

BBQ Chicken and Beef Ribs


Dismember chicken (2:26, sssssllllloooooowwww for me) and ribs. Rub meat with salt, fresh cracked pepper, and olive oil. Grill. When nearing completion, baste, baste, baste and serve. It works with both meats, its fun to eat and delicious.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Pumpkin Pie Spiced Pork Ribs


Ahhh, fall; is there any better time to start making everything taste like pumpkin pies?
I was inspired by a local BBQ place to make this one up Paleo style.

The Pumpkin Pie Spice Rub
1 t ground ginger
1 t ground cinammon
1 t ground nutmeg
1/2 t ground cloves
1 t ground cayenne pepper
1/2 T salt
1 t black pepper

Rub liberally all over pork ribs (this made way more than enough for 4.5 lbs of ribs), grill and enjoy. This is like a spicy BBQ dry rub, it was really unique and excellent. I served it with sauted green beans and slices of hierloom + other tomatoes covered in chili oil and salt.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Ralphs' Style Chicken


Take supplemental chicken (I used chicken thighs and legs, cut of all skin and fat), cover in salt, pepper, paprika, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Gill until done (about 35 minutes).
Super easy, super delicious. These rubs deserve thier own blog flagging title: they are almost universal in the meats that they are good on. Try this on pork and it will also be awesome.

Chicken and Butternut Squash Stew


Its autamn, and its rainy, its time for stew!

In 2-4T of chili oil (home made with tons of spice), saute 2 cloves of garlic, 3/4 of a minced/diced onion, red and black pepper, 4 diced red tomatoes for 20 minutes. Add diced chicken breast and 2 thighs without skin. Cover in water and add 1 t of celery of salt, bring to boil. Add quart of butternut squash and leek puree (I think I posted the puree recipe, but if not, just use the soup recipe and cut the water/ Paleo broth). Add chicken to taste (I added two huge thighs), water/ Paleo broth (I actually had to boil water off). Garnish with fresh parsly and black pepper.

Hearty and delicious.

Farmer Fresh to You! Its becoming autumn!


This weeks box:
  • 5 apples: 2 granny smith, 3 galas
  • 12+ oz of blueberries
  • Purple grapes
  • 2 heads of broccolli
  • Bag of mixed greens
  • Parsley
  • 5 tomatoes
  • 1 huge, heirloom tomato (green)\
  • 5 squash and zucchini
  • Onion
  • Garlic
  • 4 red potatoes
  • Green beans

Lisette and Carol

Farmer Fresh To You
805.469.7604

http://www.farmerfreshtoyou.net/

Did I go to Ralph's Three Times Today?


Yeah.

Getting back onto Paleo isn't easy but you gotta push hard. I went on a week long trip and my roommate was gone for most of the time I was gone, and since we keep only perishable food in the condo, all of the food we had was bad when I got home. That meant I had to clean out the fridge and start from scratch.

Ralphs Trip #1
3 gala apples
1 lb of carrots
12 oz of broccoli
4 oz of turkey (the good stuff, it cost a lot: the chicken wasnt ready at 7 o'clock in the a.m.)
1 lb mixed nuts (no peanuts)
3 lbs sunflower seeds

Ralphs Trip #2
8 pieces of baked chicken

Ralphs Trip #3
4 lbs chicken legs
5 lbs beef ribs
5 lbs pork shoulder ribs
4 lbs bananas

All this plus the Farmer Fresh to You basket got us started on the right foot right out of the gate. Back to Paleo, woot woot!

Sage Pork Shoulder Ribs

Sorry no picture, it was eaten too quickly (by me).
Rub ribs with dried sage, cumin, cayenne pepper, red pepper, black pepper, salt, and paprika. Coat in oil and grill for about 25-30 minutes on medium heat.
Serve with grilled zucchini covered in salt, pepper and chili oil (which Kelly had and I suspect is a chili and garlic oil).
This was great, we ate it before and after having pizza from the Wig N Pen, in Iowa City. Big shout out to the Wig N Pen, despite the anti-Paleo nature, its good to see originality and delicious work (I'm still paying for it in gas).

Grilled Sesame Chicken


This was a dandy I put together in hopes of having meat on hand while in Iowa City.
Dismember two chickens (1:50, 1:39, Kelly, what were the official times? They were frozen anyway). Cover in salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, crushed red pepper, ginger powder, onion powder. Rub olive oil and then 2 t of sesame oil. Grill until done (about 40 minutes at medium heat). Toss with extra t+ of sesame oil.
Spicy, nutty, easy, and delicious.

Monday, October 5, 2009

The Chipotle Chicken at the CFV Event

Okay, there seems to be a ground swell of interest in the chicken that I made for the crossfit event on Saturday that cannot be captured simply by the sauce, so I think I should elaborate on what made that dish so remarkable and why it would not be possible to recreate exactly by simply basting in the sauce.

First and foremost, you always have to take my recipes as guidelines, not as gospel. Add ingredients slowly, taste, and retaste continually. For example, I say to use two cups of water in that recipe, but that isnt so simple. I was realistically using 7-9 to 1 ratios of water to tomato paste. Here's why the over estimation and simplification: regardless of the quantity, you have to simmer the sauce for a long time to evaporate a lot of that water off. The water is there to thin out the tomato paste, you need to add, add, add, add, little by little until you have reduced the percieved sweetness of the super concentrated tomato paste out, then you have to reduce it to a point where it is thick enough to not spill off of your meat when you cook it. It is an art in some respects.

Second, the chicken had copious amounts of freshly cracked pepper (a mini WOD in twisting arm strength in itself), copious amounts of sea salt, and olive oil covering all parts. It was then marinated over night in that concoction of salt, pepper and oil. Why, you ask, should you do that step? Sometimes your sauces will suck, as this one could have, and you need to make sure that your food would be good enough to eat if you decide your sauce isnt up to snuff. If I had left this marinade on it without the sauce, the chicken still would have been great. I have a post on my cooking fundementals/ food tips labels about seasoning with salt and pepper. Anything is good with it, supplemental flavors only enhance the fundementals.

Third, this chicken was cooked over red oak coals, in a true Santa Maria style BBQ. This is probably the most important difference that most of you will miss when making it at home. The smokey goodness that chicken takes on from true barbeque, as opposed to gas grilling is remarkable. To give you an idea of what I mean, when I was living at my dad's house, with his $4,000 gas grill, I still when out and bought a $40 charcoal grill and $4 wood chips to achieve this taste. Some aspects of cooking are more valuable than others, and this is one of them. Briquettes and logs beat gas for taste hands down (with that being said, I make a mean cilantro, lemon, jalapeno and habenaro chicken that is ruined by smoke, each has its specific place).

Fourth, I let my sauce's flavors meld into each other over night. Diffusion is a real phenomenon that needs to be respected. Have you ever made a dish that was better reheated? Or a salsa that was better after sitting for half a day? Same thing here: completeness and maturity. I let my sauce cure over night.

Fifth, my suggestion of Chipotle Oil (Troy, this is for you), was made as ambiguous as possible for the very reason that there are a thousand ways to come about such an oil. If you find one made for commercial use, like the Tabasco brand, you must pay attention to the ingredients like vinegar, salt, spices, etc. and adjust everything else to accomodate for the flavor concentrations in the pre-packaged sauce. I call for vinegar in my recipe, look out for it in your store bought sauce, and reduce what I call for. I call for 6 t in my recipe, taste how hot/ over powering your sauce/ oil is and adjust accordingly. Do NOT throw 6 t in blindly. One t at a time is needed sometimes. My hot oils can be pretty fucking hot. Sometimes, they are mild. Be prudent.

Sixth, sauce is the last thing to see the grill. The food should be almost done by the time you touch the grill with sauce. Baste, and then baste baste baste baste. Serve. This advice comes primarily from pre-paleo days when lots of store bought sauces had sugar in them and would burn onto the food. Turns out, this is a great idea regardless of sugar content.

Finally, cooking can make a difference. Mitch said, "I never met a one flipper..." I am that one flipper. I think it is easier to control a population of grilled chicken if I flip once, then move pieces around hot spots around once, and then baste when all of the food is ready. I have been grilling for ten years and learning everyday.

Seriously though, there are a dozen finer points that go into cooking that are almost impossible to have you all understand without a ton of expericence, like how you mince shallots and garlic, and then how you saute them in oil before you do anything else which can only be truly understood with trying something, fucking up, and then trying it again and again. I rarely repost recipes because each recipe is a learning experience for me that can be expounded upon, but all of you should practice, adjust, and then move forward.

Cabbage and Pork


Parsnips and Sweet Potatoes


Egg Plant and Basil Curry


Salmon H Fish Oil, why couldn't more people come to the party? I can't believe I'm still eating this stuff!

Saute two onions, two bell peppers, garlic, and ginger in olive oil. Add pre-sliced, pre-grilled eggplant left overs, and sliced left over pork satay. Cover in left over red curry sauce, bring to heat. Add 9 roma tomatoes, cut up. Add 2 oz of thinly sliced basil. Season to taste.
This is really good, but I'm ready for a change.

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Chipotle BBQ Sauce

Affiliate Challenge Sauce Revealed!
  • 8 cloves minced garlic
  • 6 T minced shallots
  • 2 T olive oil
  • 2 cups water
  • 7 T tomato paste
  • 9 T apple cider vinegar
  • 3 t cumin
  • 3 t oregano
  • 3 pinch cloves
  • 3/2 t cinamon
  • 6 t chipotle oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste