Category: Recipes

Summer 2018 Favorites

6/1/2018

New, trending product: Bone Broth

Cooks work hard to create stocks and broths. (See “What to do with a Deli Bird") When family offers to clean up after dinner, I always say, “Never throw away the juice!” If there’s any liquid left over from cooking, it needs to be saved. It almost always has flavor and nutrition that can be added to tomorrow’s recipe. You can even pour this juice over ice and drink it!

Most commercial stocks don’t cut the mustard. Too thin, too much seasoning, too little nutrition and genuine flavor. “Better than Bullion” pastes-in-a-jar are better than the typical can or box of chicken broth, at least for flavor.

Now there’s Bone Broth. It is a fad right now among the health foodies. You’re encouraged to drink a cup in the morning instead of coffee, because a cup has 10G of protein. There are claims it will help your skin, nails, joints/bones and hair because of the collagen, and that does make sense.

But what a great addition to recipes! This is the exciting promise of bone broth.

What is Bone Broth?

Poultry bones or beef bones are simmered at low heat over many hours to coax every bit of collagen and into the liquid.

Bone broth has a slightly thick, gelatinous feel, thicker than broth or stock. The flavor is rich and savory, and tastes almost as good as homemade stock, and is available at the more high-end grocery stores like Publix. (Listening, Ingles?)

Uses that I have tested:

Rice—When cooking rice, use half Bone Broth and half water. Rice becomes remarkably tastier with bone broth, it has a nice richness. Next, I’m going to try it with Risotto. Of everything I tested, bone broth improves rice the most dramatically.

Ramen—instead of water, use bone broth and you’ve bumped up the nutrition of a humble bag of noodles by quite a bit. I still use the flavor packet, but then, I’ve never accepted the bad press of MSG. Drink every drop.

Gravy and velouté sauces—so much better than ordinary commercial broth

Grits—Use a mix of equal parts bone broth, whole milk and water to make very smooth and creamy grits. Use “Hagood Mill” stone-ground white grits.

Braising meats, pot roasts—bumps up the flavor, makes for a richer, smoother gravy

Pasta—have not tried this yet, haven’t figured out how to do it economically, as these bone broths are expensive, and pasta water is discarded. But adding a splash to spaghetti sauce or Alfredo is recommended.

Any time you add liquid to a recipe is a potential use for bone broth. But when you have leftover “juice”—don’t throw it away!

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Spring 2018 Favorites

3/1/2018

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What to do with a Packaged Corned Beef Brisket

Cooking this is a snap, but you should know about shopping for one. If your store has several, look at the brisket from the sides. The ideal brisket is a thick piece of meat with a fatty top. The less than ideal brisket has a layer of fat in between two layers of meat. However, if all that you have to choose from are layered briskets, go ahead and buy it. It will be delicious; it’s just that it will be a little more work when you go to slice it.

I like to cut the brisket out of its package in the sink, with the crock pot insert near the sink ready to slide the brisket into the insert. Take note of the little bag of spices that usually comes with the brisket. Don’t discard any fluids or liquids, but include them. The brisket should be fat side up. Sprinkle spices on top. Add no more than a cup of water. Cook on the higher setting for 6 hours.

Do you like to cook vegetables with your crockpot? Sometimes that is problematic if you want to leave you crockpot to go to work, etc. If you put the vegetables in at the start, they will either overcook or undercook. When at home all day to check on the cooking, put in the vegetables after the brisket has shrunk and there is considerably more liquid present and bubbling/simmering. Check them every half-hour for doneness. Otherwise, remove the finished brisket, pour the liquid into another pot at stovepot and cook the vegetables in the broth.

Potatoes, carrots, parsnips, turnips are great. To complete the classic Irish plate, also cook cabbage, quartered or in slices in the delicious broth.

Don't Discard the broth!

Strain and save it, with leftover meat, to make a fantastic bean soup.

Recipe: Simple Bean Soup

-Three total strained and washed cans of beans made up of a combination of either Goya cranberry beans, Goya pink beans, Goya small white beans, and/or Bush brand black beans

-Left over corned beef, minced fine

-Cup minced onions

Add three cans beans to broth in pot with meat and onions, cook until onions are tender. You might need to add some water.

Or try this:

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Winter 2018 Favorites

1/1/2018

1 Comment

What to do with a Deli Rotisserie Bird

They are so thrifty, and can be delicious when you deal with the problem of being tough and dry, and not too flavorful.

Place in large pot, and don’t leave behind any of the congealed juices in the bottom of the box. Add about 4 cups water, a small quartered onion, roughly cut carrot, and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer, cover, and cook for 30 minutes. The idea is to steam the meat, which makes it moist.

Remove bird to a colander over a bowl. I use two tongs to take it out of the hot broth. Allow to cool to the touch. You can taste some of the meat, and will find it more tender and juicy than when you removed it from the container.

Strip the meat from the bones and skin and gristle. I can’t pretend that this is much fun. Put on some music or get someone to talk to you.

Get a container to hold the meat, and drop the bones, skin and gristle back in the pot of broth. Doing this by hand is the best way, and learn to feel for the tiny bones so they won’t come back and haunt you later in the soup or a casserole.

When the carcass is back in the liquid, bring to a boil and then reduce to simmer for about an hour. Then strain everything and you now have a quality stock that cannot be equaled for soup, gravy and sauces. The easiest way to remove the chicken fat from the broth is to set into refrigerator. When chilled, the fat solidifies and can be easily removed. (You can use this fat mixed with cracker crumbs to make a dumpling). Not only do I make stock this way, but I also save the bones from a fried chicken dinner to make broth.

Now you have meat ready for a casserole, chicken salad or soup!

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October Favorites

10/1/2017

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A Favorite Ingredient

Fish sauce is a recent addition to my pantry of flavorings.   I use canned anchovies for flavoring, but end up wasting the rest of the fishes in the can for recipes that call for just one anchovy. This sauce will add the flavor of one anchovy with a teaspoon of convenient fluid, and store the opened bottle in the refrigerator.

Did you know the yummy, savory, “umami” flavor of A1 Steak Sauce and Worcestershire Sauce is anchovies? Look at the list of ingredients. Yes, both those sauces are fish sauces, along with other ingredients.

Anchovies, when cooked in some oil and mashed, lose their “fishiness” and take on a buttery, meaty flavor that ramps up recipes like Pasta Puttanesca.   It’s also the flavoring in Caesar Salad.

Try putting a shake (has a shaker lid) of this sauce to any recipe that you want to add a meaty flavor to.   Are you making Shrimp and Grits? Shake a little into the cooking grits, and a little into the Shrimp mixture. Try it with your salad dressings and dips.

This is “Red Boat” brand fish sauce, recommended by America’s Test Kitchen, Cook’s Illustrated.

Recipe: Mushroom Sauce

1 box sliced baby bella mushrooms, roughly chopped
Butter
1 clove minced garlic
1 cup wine
Fish sauce
A1 Steak Sauce

Put mushrooms in medium hot skillet with no butter or salt, yet. Let them sear and lose moisture until they look drier and smaller, then add red wine, which should bring up the “fond” in the bottom of the skillet. Add a quarter cup of the steak sauce, the garlic and a couple of pats of butter. Cook and reduce by almost half, add one full teaspoon of fish sauce.

A Favorite Tool

You’ve just bought a thick Rib Eye Prime steak from the glass case at Ingles. $18.98 a pound, for a special occasion. If you ruin it, or if the steak doesn’t live up to it’s potential, that’s when the price of this thermometer (around eighty bucks) won’t seem so high. The ability to quickly, easily take the temperature of meat will assure the best results.

If you spring for a digital thermometer, I strongly recommend a probe Thermapen as pictured. This was the thermometer used in a week-long class of cheesemaking at the John Campbell Folk School. It is known for being the most reliable and long-lasting. Cheesemaking demands constant accuracy in temperature.

Recipe: Rib Eye Steak, medium rare

1 pound prime rib eye steak, 2 inches thick
Salt, pepper, butter, one teaspoon sugar

A few hours ahead of time, take the steak out of the refrigerator, salt heavily and wrap in a couple of paper towels. Let sit on a plate at room temperature. If the towels get too wet, change them.

Heat oven to 350. Wipe the steaks dry (the towel will take most of the salt with it), put on pepper and a little more salt.

Using a cookie sheet with a wire rack, place the steak in the middle so air can circulate underneath. Put a pat of butter on the top of the steak. Take temperature before putting steak in oven. After ten minutes, start checking the steak at 5 minute intervals. Put a little butter on top each time you check.

Place a large cast-iron skillet on stove. When steak is between 120-130 degrees remove from oven and let sit. Heat the skillet until it makes a small amount of butter sizzle. Sprinkle half of the sugar on top of the steak, with tongs place steak sugar side down on the skillet. Sprinkle rest of sugar on the other side.

The sugar will carmelize and make for a nice, brown, quick sear, which will only will be about 20 seconds for each side.
You baked your steak! Now, butter it again, let it rest for ten minutes with foil tent. With a sharp knife, slice the steaks into about eight slices, and notice how beautifully pink it is. You may never grill a steak again. I learned to make steak this way from Cook’s Illustrated.

This is very good with my Mushroom sauce recipe

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Summer 2018 Favorites

New, trending product: Bone Broth

What is Bone Broth?

Uses that I have tested:

Spring 2018 Favorites

What to do with a Packaged Corned Beef Brisket

Don't Discard the broth!

Recipe: Simple Bean Soup

Or try this:

Winter 2018 Favorites

What to do with a Deli Rotisserie Bird

October Favorites

A Favorite Ingredient

Recipe: Mushroom Sauce

A Favorite Tool

Recipe: Rib Eye Steak, medium rare

Author:
Kathy Garriott

Instagram

Categories

Archives

Summer 2018 Favorites

New, trending product: Bone Broth

What is Bone Broth?

Uses that I have tested:

Spring 2018 Favorites

What to do with a Packaged Corned Beef Brisket

Don't Discard the broth!

Recipe: Simple Bean Soup

Or try this:

Winter 2018 Favorites

What to do with a Deli Rotisserie Bird

October Favorites

​​A Favorite Ingredient

Recipe: Mushroom Sauce

​A Favorite Tool

Recipe: Rib Eye Steak, medium rare

Author: Kathy Garriott

Instagram

​Categories

Archives

A Favorite Ingredient

A Favorite Tool

Author:
Kathy Garriott

Categories