31 March 2010

The Cadillac of Stoves

This is an O'Keefe and Merritt gas stove from what I'm guessing was the 40's. It has features you've never imagined.  It's a treasure within a somewhat dirty dilapidated kitchen in Tucson.

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Underneath that pan is a full size gas griddle. It has a fold-down cover to protect the surface.  It has two electric outlets built into it, one of which can be set to a timer.  It has the Grillevator Broiler.   Two warming trays.  Built in Salt and Pepper shakers for crissakes!  It was just an inspiration to see and use.

The happy crosswalker

16 March 2010

St. Pat's Special

St Patrick's Day is tomorrow.  I've already cooked one round of corned beef, and I'm sure I'll get another one in before the season is passed.

Let me start with a little background.  If one was to go to Ireland and expect a meal of corned beef, cabbage, carrots, and potatoes, few people would be familiar with the meal.  Corned beef was introduced to Irish immigrants in New York City by the Jewish people already living there.  Unprepared it is a tough cut of meat that is sold cheaply.  It is one of the cheapest Kosher cuts of beef, hence the Jewish influence.  It is called corned beef from the preserving/marinating process involving soaking in a brine.  Large pieces of salt added to the marinade are referred to as "corns".   The cut comes from the front of the chest of a cow, the brisket, and is available in either a "point" or a "flat".  A whole brisket is both of these pieces, but they are divided and packaged separately.  The flat is typically sold at a higher price, as it is a more photogenic piece of meat, but they are prepared and taste exactly the same, so I recommend purchasing points.  I got mine for $0.97/pound.  Unfortunately, prices like that only happen around St. Pat's.

Purchasing corned beef, one will find it prepackaged in brine with a small packet of herbs and spices waiting to be added.  All the pieces will have a large piece of fat attached to them, so I recommend buying thicker pieces to increase the proportion of meat to fat.

Ok, once the meat is bought, you're ready to go.  Get a big pot, cut open the pouch with the meat inside and put the it and all the juices with it into a pot.  Grab the spice packet, slice it open and pour it over the meat.  Cover the meat in water and set on the stove, bringing it to a boil.  Once it is boiling, leave the pot on a slow simmer for as many hours as you have pounds of meat, up to a maximum of 4 hours.  It's alright to cook it longer than that, but you may need a slotted spoon to pull the broken pieces of meat out of the pot.  Crock pots work well for this I've heard, but I don't have any practical experience with them.


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This is essentially what they should look like once they're done.  You can pull the meat out of the pot, but leave the broth, it's used to boil the vegetables.  This meal is a vegetarian's nightmare, even the vegetables have meat in them.  Some people serve it at this point, but I prefer to glaze mine with honey mustard in the oven for a bit first.  It really adds to the flavor, and particularly the visual appeal.  Naked corned beef isn't winning any beauty contests.  I'll take them out and set them fat side up in a pan.  Using a sharp knife, I score a checkerboard pattern into the meat to sink the glaze deep inside.



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I whipped up a mixture of mustard and honey at a 3 to 1 ratio, enough to coat the top of the brisket.  I used a mixture of brown and yellow mustard, but plain old french's mixed with honey works just fine.  If I am feeling particularly inspired though I'll finely chop mangos and add them to the glaze.  Now the pan goes in a 350 degree oven while you're waiting for the vegetables to cook.

For the vegetables I find that one carrot per person is sufficient, along with 1 and a half potatoes and a quarter head of cabbage.  I personally prefer yukon gold potatoes, but any waxy potato will work fine.  Starchy potatoes like russets tend to fall apart, but it's all a matter of preference.

Cut all of the potatoes in half so they cook faster, peel the carrots and cut them into two as well, and cut the cabbage into quarters, taking the core out.  Put the potatoes into the broth and bring it to a boil, adding the carrots before it begins boiling and the cabbage after.  If timed correctly all the vegetables should be cooked soft without being mush.  Once done the broth can be poured off.  The meat can come out of the oven to sit for a few minutes.

This final bit is very important.  In order for this very tough bit of meat to be palatable it's been broken down by salt and heat, but the last step is to cut it in slices against the grain.  Upon inspection or an experimental slice, the individual muscle fibers in the brisket should be observable.  Slicing the meat, one must cut perpendicular to the direction these fibers run.  This will make the individual fibers very short in length, and easy to cut on a plate.  Done properly, this meal shouldn't need a knife at the table.



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07 March 2010

Just a taste

I didn't get quite as invested in this project, and it came out rather bland as a result. It looks wonderful though, which is definitely on the road towards delicious.












 Completely unrelated, I filed my taxes today and had to pay $27.  Everything turned out better than expected.

02 March 2010

Onions, Carrots, Celery, the Holy Trinity

One of the things I'm using this trip for is an opportunity to cook as often as I like, and whatever I like. Having all my time as my own affords more experimentation and patience in the kitchen, both wonderful gifts.

I read recently about the holy trinity in cuisine. I was familiar with mirepoix, the french combination of onions, carrots, and celery, but in reading on wikipedia I found that different cuisines across the world have their own versions of the holy trinity, and that they are the cornerstones of their own respective libraries of recipes.

I'm going to try a number of these different flavors and report back.

so, Mirepoix.

Mirepoix is a mixture of onions:carrots:celery at a 2:1:1 ratio that is used for its aromatic qualities. They can be prepared in a number of different ways, typically first sauteing them in oil and then adding ingredients to make a sauce or soup, and the vegetables can be strained out or left, depending on the purpose.

I decided to make Chicken soup. There are countless varieties, but the most stereotypical begins with mirepoix.

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I cooked these for about 7 minutes, putting the onions in first, then carrots, then celery. I just put them in as i chopped them up and let them soften in a little hot olive oil.

I skinned and boned 4 tiny chicken thighs, cut the meat up, then threw the meat and the bones into the soup.

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Once this was all in the pot I added a couple quarts of chicken broth and a couple cups of water.  If I had cooked down an entire chicken the chicken broth would have been unnecessary.  Looking online there was a laundry list of herbs and spices to use.

Salt and Pepper

Parsley
Thyme
Bay Leaves
(these three are another trinity, known as the bouquet garni, another set of aromatics used in a tied bunch in a sauce and then removed before serving)

Oregano
Basil
Cayenne Pepper

I shook some of these into the pot and then cooked them for an hour at a slow simmer.  I wanted a little more carbohydrates in the soup so the last few minutes I added minature penne and boiled them to soft. 

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There's a fair amount of oil on the top of the soup, i ladled some of that off before I served it.

The soup was delicious. It was quite thin broth, with very distinct separate chunks in the soup, and the flavor of the broth was wonderful. Each of the three vegetables has its own smell that colors the chicken broth in its own way. I particularly liked the soup with cayenne pepper, just a little tingle on the lips in between spoonfuls.