Mustard, take 1

I'm trying this recipe:

http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Spicy-Guinness-Mustard

Method actually used:

1 bottle Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale
10 oz brown mustard seeds
1 cup red wine vinegar
1 tbsp. sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper by eyeball (~ 1/2 tsp)
~1⁄4 tsp. ground cinnamon
~1⁄4 tsp. ground cloves
~1⁄4 tsp. ground nutmeg
~1⁄4 tsp. ground allspice

I did not have a 1/4 tsp. measuring spoon, so I estimated based on a 1/2 tsp. measure. Combined dry ingredients in a 4 cup Pyrex dish. Added vinegar. Added beer very slowly. It foamed vigorously. Waited for foam to settle (approx 3 minutes). Stirred gently for another 30 seconds. At this point, there was a residual foam scum at the top, which I left. Covered with rubberized plastic Pyrex lid at 6:30pm on 7/21. Placed in shaded area with ambient temperature 69-71F.

There was about 1/4" of residual liquid above the seed line after 2 days of brining. The mixture was a deep color of brown. Transferred mixture to food processor at 5:45pm on 7/23. Recommended 3 minutes of grinding left an unpleasantly coarse texture. Ground for substantially longer (perhaps 5-7 minutes total). Color and consistency changed to that of traditional deli mustard.

Overwhelmingly strong in first minutes, but had mellowed substantially after just 15 minutes. Left a small portion for some guests. By 45 minutes after grinding, the flavor of the left-out portion was sublime: sharp but multifaceted, with the blend of spices each coming out in their separate turn.

Update 7/25 AM: Flavor had mellowed enough to be used in beans and greens for breakfast. I changed my mind about the coarseness; I think it looked coarser than it was. I would grind it for less time--perhaps try the three minutes.

I might try making it with Weierbacher Heresy (Russian Imperial Stout), and double the nutmeg and allspice, leaving out the black pepper. Still brown seeds, though.

Chili pibil

I had a craving for a chili with a cocoa base, and this hit the spot. It reminded me of cochinita pibil, although it has little in common with it--hence the name.

1 1/4 lb "German" sausage from Whole Foods (prefer Andouille if available)

1 lb fresh tomatoes

1 ripe red bell pepper

1 large Spanish onion, chopped

1 head garlic, crushed

~10 oz dried small red beans, cooked to medium tenderness

~3/4 cup frozen sweet corn kernels

1 tbsp. cocoa

1 tbsp. paprika

Cinnamon (by eyeball--probably <1 tsp)

Cumin (by eyeball--about 1/2 as much as cinnamon)

Olive oil for saute

What I actually did:

1. Shred tomatoes and pepper using a hand grater or food processor.

2. Heat a heavy iron stew pot to med-high.

3. Uncase sausage into pot, and put casings in. Add spices and cocoa; sear. Remove from pot and set aside.

4. Put in olive oil and let heat briefly. Add onions and garlic. Spices had stuck to bottom, so scraped to deglaze with water that onions were casting off. This was a little dicey.

5. When onions were moderately well-cooked, put in tomatoes, pepper, meat mixture and all remaining ingredients. Brought to a simmer, reduced to low and let cook, covered, for 10 minutes.

I served this with shredded cabbage, quinoa and Louisiana Hot Sauce. It was excellent. I'd probably put the spices when the onions were almost finished, so that they could still dry-cook a little bit but not cake onto the bottom of the pan. The corn looked distracting but the added sweetness was pleasant. Perhaps grated carrots could serve the same purpose. I wish I could have made the whole thing a deeper hue of reddish brown.

Blog --> lab notebook

I've decided to resume this blog--not so much as a blog, but merely as a public cooking notebook. My descriptions will be sparse, and my measurements likely will be even more imprecise than before. But it will be enough for me to figure out what I've done and what I liked, and there's no reason to do that in secret.

Turkey Coq au Vin

This is really the same recipe as my rabbit in red wine sauce, with some proportions adjusted and some other minor tweaks. (I've learned a few things since then.)

The obvious difference is that it's made with turkey, not rabbit. Boneless turkey thigh is good because it sears well and braises well, and this recipe does both.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 boneless turkey thigh (about 2 lbs), cut into 4 oz pieces
• 1 cup flour
• 2 tsp. coarse salt
  
• 1/2 lb bacon
• 1 medium Spanish onion, diced
• 1 small head of garlic, crushed
• 8 oz crimini mushrooms, sliced
• 1 bottle red wine (preferably Pinot Noir)
• 2 tbsp. black currant or blackberry preserves
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp. dried rosemary
• Juice of 2 large lemons
• Freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place flour and the kosher salt into a large bowl or zip-loc bag. Coat each piece of turkey in this mixture and set aside.
   
2. In a heavy skillet, sauté the bacon slices medium-high heat until somewhat crispy. Remove the bacon to a bowl but leave all the grease in the skillet.
3. Increase the heat to high. Brown the turkey pieces in the bacon grease briefly, about 30 seconds per side, and transfer to a large casserole.
   
4. Sauté the onions and garlic until softened, adding a little olive oil if needed.
5. Once the onions begin to soften, add the mushrooms and sauté the mixture until golden. Transfer contents to the casserole.
6. Add 1 cup of wine to the skillet and gently scrape the sides with a spatula.
   
7. Pour the deglazed wine into the casserole and combine with the rest of the wine, herbs, pepper, lemon juice, and preserves.
8. Crumble the bacon into the casserole and mix all ingredients. Cover and refrigerate for 12-24 hours.
9. The next day, preheat the oven to 275 ºF.
10. Cover casserole and let cook for about 2 hours.

Serve with mashed potatoes or egg noodles.

Pressure cooker fish soup

I've been playing around with my pressure cooker lately. This came out pretty well, but I'm still tweaking it. One thing that's nice is that it's absurdly easy.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb frozen halibut or other white fish, in thick chunks (do not defrost)
  
• 1 can light coconut milk
• 1 carton low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1/2 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp tamari
• 1 12-oz package of sliced mushrooms
• Juice of 2 lemons
• 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
  
• 1 tbsp minced ginger

RECIPE:

1. Combine all ingredients in a pressure cooker. Turn the cooker to high, and let cook for 4 minutes once pressure is reached. Use cold-water release method.

I told you it was easy.

Tzimmes Kugel

Originally called "Mrs. Feinberg's Vegetable Kugel," from a cookbook by Joan Nathan, this recipe has been an absolute fixture at family events for decades.

I have substituted safflower oil for margarine and reduced the quantity of both oil and sugar by 50%. Butter or margarine could also be used; in these cases, use 1/3 cup.

I am curious as to how this would work with crushed crackers instead of matzo meal. I'll bet water crackers would be quite similar, and graham crackers might be excellent.

We usually triple the recipe and cook it in a bundt pan.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup grated raw apple
• 1 cup grated raw sweet potato
• 1 cup grated raw carrots
• 1 cup matzo meal
• 1/4 cup safflower oil (or 1/3 cup margarine or butter)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp nutmeg

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 325.
2. In a large bowl, combine apples, sweet potatoes and carrots.
3. In another bowl, combine all dry ingredients.
4. Add oil to vegetable mixture and combine well. Add in dry ingredients and combine well.
5. Grease a loaf pan or muffin tins and add the mixture to the pan. (You can also triple the recipe and use a bundt pan; see above.)
6. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes (muffins), 45 minutes (loaf) or 1 hour (bundt pan).
7. Increase heat to 350, remove foil, and bake for an additional 15 minutes.
8. Allow to cool slightly before slicing.

Cabbage stew

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 lbs green cabbage, finely shredded (about 1 medium head)
• 2 medium sweet onions, thinly sliced
  
• Oil for sauté
• Dried mushrooms (any kind)
• 6-8 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup white wine (if available)
• 4 medium yellow potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4" cubes
  
• 1 lb pork kielbasa, sliced on a bias
• 1-3 tsp red pepper flakes (to taste)
• Salt to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cover the mushrooms with boiling water. Let stand for ten minutes. Set aside, reserving the liquid. (You may want to strain it.)
2. In a heavy skillet, brown the kielbasa slices over high heat. Set aside.
3. Reduce heat to medium low and sauté the onions until partially caramelized. Set aside.
4. Add more oil if needed. Add the cabbage to the pan and cover for 30 seconds to wilt; repeat until it has reduced in volume by about 50%. Sauté the cabbage until partially caramelized.
5. Deglaze the pan with the wine, if using, or broth, and transfer to a soup pot.
6. Combine all ingredients in the soup pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and let cook, covered, for 30 minutes or until potatoes are cooked through.

Serve with sour cream and black pepper. Pairs well with bitter greens.