Cucumber Salad

We thrive off of simplicity and flavorful dishes here. Another benefit of this recipe is another option for cucumbers. I loved them as a kid but as an adult, I learned quickly that I didn’t really have much of a go-to cucumber recipe. My Aunt Emilie introduced this dish to me and I was a fan ever since. She was kind enough to share it with me. I believe the original recipe was published in the late 60s but it still works today.

1) 2 Medium peeled cucumbers, cut in half lengthwise. Scrape out all the seeds. Slice cucumbers, crosswise into 1/4 - 1/2 inch slices. Set aside.

2) In a mixing bowl, combine 1 TSP soy sauce, 1 TBSP white wine vinegar, 1 TBSP sugar, 2 TSPs sesame seed oil, (if desired), 1/4 tsp Tabasco. (I love Cholula or Sriracha here) and 1/2 TSP salt. Mix well.

3) Add cucumber, toss well to coat all pieces. Chill before serving. The recipe serves 4-6.

Eat.Drink.Savor.

Eye of Round - Leap of Faith Method

I forget how I came up with this recipe many years ago. It was crazy at first but after several attempts, I started to get religion. This works! Ever troll around the meat case of the market and see Eye of Round? What is it? The back leg of cattle is made up of 3 muscles, the Top Round, the Bottom Round and the Eye of the Round (in the middle). These muscles get worked by the animal during its time on the pasture and there is less fat on these cuts than the Chuck (shoulder). It is easy to overcook this cut too. A lot of people make Pot Roast out of the Top and Bottom Round so there is always these cuts available. Eye of Round seems to be an ignored cut and will be priced as such. Why not take advantage? Here you go, my crazy method…

1) 2-4 pound Eye of Round. Dry brine or season as you see fit and take out of fridge while you preheat the oven. Put in a roasting pan with a rack if possible.

2) In an insulated electric oven (gas folks, sorry, I need a method for you), preheat oven to 500 degrees. Once heated, cook the Eye of Round for 7 minutes per pound. This will create a bit of crust on the outside. Ready?

3) Now… shut off the oven. Do not open the door nor open to take a peek at it. Let the roast sit in the oven for 2 1/2 hours without being disturbed. The residual heat of the oven as it slowly cools down from 500 degrees will equalize with the temperature of the meat. 2 1/2 hours will yield a medium rare/medium on the Eye of Round. Pull out of the oven and let it rest on a carving board for 10-15 minutes. Slice thin and serve.

Eat.Drink.Savor.

My Chicken Stock

As you cook more and more, you’ll realize how much stock is needed in your various recipes. Stock seems to be the glue that binds a lot of things together. The other thing you learn is that if your stock isn’t good, your soup or chowder or stew won’t be either. I like to make my stock in batches when I collect enough chicken parts and carcasses in the freezer. Often I will mix turkey and duck parts in to add a bit of complexity to the stock. Depending on my schedule, I will use the Crockpot to make stock vs. the stockpot. There are several ways to make stock and I am of the belief that whatever way works for you, run with it.

1) Chicken parts/carcasses. I will let them defrost in the fridge and will take the cleaver out to chop up the carcasses a bit. The more surface area exposed the better. Depending on time, I may roast all the bones and parts in a 400 degree oven for 35 minutes, then make the stock. In this recipe, we omit this step. Put all your parts in the pot. Add water and enough to cover the chicken bones and parts. Bring to a low simmer. You will start to notice nasty looking foam. Skim that off or it will remain in your stock. I don’t like it in my stock and it detracts from the flavor and it will cloud your stock.

2) Once the foam has been removed and any new foam creation subsides, add 1 whole onion cut into wedges (you can leave the skin on), 2 celery stalks, sliced, 2 peeled and sliced carrots, 1 TBSP peppercorns (cracked if possible), a pinch of salt and a bay leaf. Simmer for a minimum of 1 hour, uncovered. I like to let it go for many hours but it depends on your schedule.

3) If the stock seems weak, let it simmer for longer. Taste as you go. I don’t overseason the stock with salt as I am not sure which recipe it will go into. You can concentrate it by turning up the heat a bit and evaporating more of the liquid. One of my techniques is that I’ll make a double stock. I’ll make a concentrated stock that will be the base for a new stock using this recipe.

4) Once the stock has been strained, any fat removed and cooled a bit, store in fridge for a few weeks or put it in the freezer. Should last several months. I use it so much I don’t worry about spoilage.

Nosh Options: 1) A friend of mine turned me onto using a Crockpot overnight. Put in all the ingredients, after foam stage, into the Crockpot and cook on Low for 8-12 hours. Works really well. 2) Duck is richer and fattier but will add a layer of flavor to your stock. Just remember that duck has a lot of fat and you remove it from the stock. 3) Add more herbs to the stock like a few sprigs of thyme or sage for added flavor. Just be careful with any strong aromatic herbs as a little goes a long way.

Eat.Drink.Savor.

Crockpot Mississippi Pot Roast

I love easy recipes like this! If you want flavor to come home to after your daily travels, this is it! Now, I am not a big fan of the commercial ingredients here but they work very well. Unlike others on the Web, I am a big proponent of using only Chuck Roast for this. Other cuts don’t have the fat content and really dry out.

1) 2-4 pound Chuck Roast. Put in the bottom of your Crockpot. Put 1 packet each of dry ranch dressing and au jus (beef gravy) on top of the roast. Add about 7 pepperoncini peppers to the roast on top and side. Throw a tiny bit of pickling juice around the roast but it is strictly optional. The beef will exude a lot of liquid as it cooks. The juice will add a bit to the liquid. Add 1 stick of unsalted butter cut up in 8 pieces on and around the roast.

2) Put on Low for minimum of 8 hours or until the roast is falling apart. Remove the meat from the Crockpot.

3) Best part. Strain the liquid into a saucepan. Bring to a boil and adjust to taste. Here is your gravy!!!

Nosh Options: Use your smoker instead of the Crockpot. Smoke the Chuck Roast for 2 hours, then repeat above (except Crockpot cooking) in a foil pan, cover and cook 2-4 more hours. Try different dry mixes and types of pickled peppers.

Eat.Drink.Savor.

How to make your own Smoked Bacon

A recipe that I used for many years and actually have used the same cure for other types of meats. The cure works fantastic for fresh ham. The original recipe was courtesy of In the Charcuterie by Taylor Boetticher and Toponia Miller. They also run a shop in San Francisco and Napa called The Fatted Calf. I am a big fan as you can tell. Not many ingredients but still I modified it..

1) 8 lb skinless pork belly. You don’t have to use all of the cure if you don’t have that much pork belly. I cut the pork belly into equally sized squares that can fit in a baking dish.

2) Cure. 1 lb of brown sugar (I use dark), 12 ounces of fine sea salt (I use ground up kosher), 1 TBSP Curing Salt #1, 1 TBSP cayenne and 1 TBSP freshly ground black pepper. Mix all ingredients well in a bowl. The curing salt can be found online. The salt acts as a preservative and protection against bacteria while the meat is curing.

3) In your baking dish, put down a layer of the cure. Put one of your belly portions on it, meat side down. Rub the cure all over the sides and top. Put a belly on top of this, meat side down and repeat. Put in fridge. I don’t cover but you can if your fridge is full of other odiferous foods.

4) Next day, pour out any liquid in the dish and swap the belly portions around. Put on any additional cure on thin spots. Return to fridge and repeat. Typically by the 3rd day, there isn’t much liquid left. I pull it off by the 3rd day regardless. You can experiment with longer cure times but it may get too salty.

5) Rinse off all cure from the bellies. Pat dry. Get your smoker going and smoke the bellies until they read 140 - 150 degrees internal temperature. Let cool and either keep in slab form or slice. I like to let the bellies cool overnight and use the slicer the next day. I’ll often have a portion that is sliced and a portion that remains in slab form. Some will remain in the fridge and some will be in the freezer. With the curing salt, your bacon won’t spoil until after 3-4 weeks in the fridge and after 6 months in the freezer.

Options: 1) I will do a mix of maple syrup and brown sugar along with a shot of rum. 2) Different kinds of sea salt 3) Applewood, cherrywood or pecan for the smoker 4) Play with an alternative spice vs. cayenne 5) Throw in some herb springs on the smoker fire

Eat.Drink.Savor.