Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Summer Zucchini Lasagna


 Today I have a perfect meatless Monday dish for summer, Zucchini lasagna. As happens frequently this time of year I have an abundance of summer squash coming in from the garden and I'm always on the lookout for ways to use and store it. Other than pickling, I know of few good ways to store summer squash. It can be frozen or canned but the texture always leaves a lot to be desired. In other words it gets mushy. I prefer to either use it in creamed soups which I can or freeze cooked entrees like this recipe. I'll bake this lasagna and freeze it in individual servings so we can enjoy it for the next six months. This dish is a based on a white bachamel sauce which is also great served over pasta or rice with some grated Parmesan. This recipe will also work well with other types of summer squash.

Here's your ingredient list:

2-3 sliced fresh summer squash, about 4 cups
3 fresh carrots, peeled and julienned thin
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
13 oz can sliced mushrooms
2 Tbs virgin olive oil
3 Tbs all purpose flour
3 cups milk, or 1 cup powdered milk mixed with 3 cups reserved liquid
32 oz Ricotta cheese
32 oz large curd cottage cheese
2 eggs
1/4 chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup fresh chopped chives or scallions
1 1/2 Lb. grated mozzarella cheese
1 small package lasagna noodles

Put sliced squash and carrots in a covered microwave dish. Add water about half way up, sprinkle lightly with salt, and microwave 10 minutes on high. Drain and reserve liquid then put aside. Open the can of mushrooms and add the liquid to your reserve liquid. Take 3 cups of reserve liquid, add water if necessary, and mix in one cup of powdered milk. Next, heat olive oil in a dutch oven on medium high and add onions and garlic. Saute until onions become translucent. Add flour and stir until fully incorporated into the oil. Add milk and vegetables plus a dash of pepper and salt. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently, until sauce has a thick creamy texture. Remove from heat, cover, and set aside.


 Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions. While the noodles are cooking prepare the cheese stuffing. In a large bowl combine Ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, parsley, chives, and two beaten eggs.

Once noodles are cooked, rinsed, and drained, grease a large lasagna pan. Add a layer of noodles, sauce, and cheese mixture.

Sprinkle a thin layer of mozzarella and repeat. When your almost to the top add a final layer of sauce and top with the rest of the mozzarella. Place on a cookie sheet in a 375 degree oven and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes or until well browned. And this is the final product!


Allow to rest for at least 30 minutes before serving. This lasagna can bet a bit wet due to the moisture of the fresh squash. If you prefer a drier lasagna, cook the vegetables a bit longer in the microwave and drain in a colander for about 20 minutes to remove more of the moisture. I hope you enjoy this summertime treat!





Thursday, June 20, 2013

Honeygram's Cheese Enchiladas and Chili con Carne



Today on Hardscrabble Gourmet, a new cooking video! In episode 7 I'm cooking up my drunken grandmother's cheese enchiladas with chili con carne. I have no idea where this recipe came from originally. My grandmother lived in Weslaco, Texas which is on the border with mexico and this dish does reflect some influences from northern Mexico. On the other hand the chili con carne is neither Mexican or Texican as far as I can tell. Typical Mexican Chili uses a salsa en polvo as it's base. This is a combination of Ancho, Pasilla, and either Chile de Arbol or Chipotle chiles pulverized in a mocahete. Very spicy! Comino, garlic, and Mexican oregano might also be added. In the US we use commercially prepared chili powder which usually contains ground Ancho, Paprika, and Comino. In contrast my grandmothers recipe contains Ancho, re-hydrated not ground, and garlic. Thats's it. You would think the chili would be less flavorful, but it's not the case. Ancho's have a deep complex flavor that's unique among chiles and the garlic provides a perfect counterpoint. The re-hydrated chile meat also produces a completely different texture and taste experience compared to powdered Ancho. Whatever it's origin's, Honeygram had a winner with this recipe and I'm proud to share it with you. The cooking is going to be a full blown fiesta and after you eat these you'll need a serious siesta so grab a margarita and let's get cooking!

Monday, June 17, 2013

Canadian Bacon and the art of Charcuterie

Pork loin out of the brine, trussed and ready to go!

Today I'm making Canadian Bacon. A wicked expensive deli meat that's created from one the most inexpensive cuts you can buy. And there in lies the purpose of this post, to introduce you to the fascinating world of Charcuterie. Charcuterie is the French word for the art of curing and preserving meats. Techniques in this art include brining, smoking, drying and curing. It deals not only with whole cuts, but sausage making, pates and terrines. Although the roots of Charcuterie are in the preservation of meats, it is in the rendering of inexpensive cuts, trimmings and even offal into sublime culinary creations that makes it attractive to the frugal cook as well as those who prefer to make the best use of the entire animal. For a Texas carnivore like me, the highest form of Charcuterie is the art of smoking. In this post I'll take you through the process of making Canadian Bacon without going into a lot of detail. Think of it as a guided tour. If your interested in exploring further, I'll provide some resources at the end to get you started.

First this pork loin was cured with a combination of salt, sugar, and curing salt(pink salt #1). Cures can be dry or wet, in this case it was a brining solution. Home curing offers the advantage of adding herbs and spices to the brine which are usually not present in store bought versions. In this case I added a healthy amount of garlic and fresh sage. Brining times vary by recipe and cut, in this case it was 48 hrs followed by twelve hours drying time in the fridge. Once the meat was cured and trussed it was time to put it in the smoker.

I'm using a vertical propane smoker with a variable temperature control. Smokers like these are fairly affordable, I payed under $200 for mine and it does a good job at hot smoking. Hot smoking should not be confused with BBQ which uses temperatures between 250 to 325 degrees. I still use a barrel pit for that purpose. Hot smoking requires a temperature range of 160 to 200 degrees.
Cold smoking at temperatures below 100 degrees is used for raw cured products such as cheese, dry sausages, and fish. I can cold smoke with this unit, but only on cold winter days. If you are interested in cold smoking you might consider a more expensive electric pellet type smoker. Or, if your handy, you can buy the pellet smoke generator by itself($150) and install it on your propane smoker later.
Doing it yourself also gives you a choice of which woods to smoke with. Some folks also like to add pungent herbs like fresh rosemary to the smoke box for some recipes. In this case I'm using a blend of cherry and apple wood which give a subtle flavor to the pork loin. If I where cooking ribs or brisket I would use one of the three native oaks that grow on my property for a deeper, more robust smoke flavor.
Another must have is an accurate temperature probe. For things to turn out correctly you need to monitor both the temperature of the smoker and the meat accurately. This one also has an alarm that sounds when the preset temperature is reached. Very handy! Finally after 3 hours of smoking, voila!

Now that's what it's really all about! If your ready to dive into Charcuterie I recommend Corned Beef as a great place to start since it doesn't require smoking or any fancy equipment. Meat Head Goldwyn has a great recipe on his amazing ribs website here. He doesn't have a lot a Charcuterie stuff but he has probably the most complete knowledge base for everything BBQ and grilling, including great articles on how to choose a grill or smoker. He also has a great article on nitrate/nitrite safety which demonstrates why I think feeding your children uncured hot dogs and deli meats is risky business. If your ready to go further and try sausage making and cold smoking I highly recommend "Charcuterie, The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing" by Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn. I can't say enough, the writing is beautiful, passionate, the techniques are clear, and the recipes are comprehensive. Most important of all, the information on food safety is thorough and reliable. Hope this wets your appetite? Take your cooking to the next level and try Charcuterie!



Friday, June 14, 2013

Ben's Carne Guisada


TGIF! Lets celebrate with another Tex-Mex recipe, Carne Guisada. Carne Guisada is one of the quintessential cross cultural dishes that typify Tex-Mex's regional charm. Basically it's pot roast with a mexican flair. It's usually served on a plate with rice, beans, and warm tortillas. You'll also find it at the local taco stands in Texas in a foil wrapped packet of pure bliss. The general recipe just calls for meat but if your frugal like me, you can extend it by adding a couple of diced potatoes and simmering another thirty minutes. And be sure to serve hot tortillas and fresh Pico De Gallo. Like we say at my house, everything's better with Pico! Here's your ingredient list.

4-5 lbs. Chuck or Shoulder Roast
3 Tbs. canola oil
All purpose flour, about a cup
2 Tbs. Chili powder
1 tsp. ground comino
1 Tbs. salt
2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. Accent(optional)

Cube the meat into roughly 1.5" chunks. Coat the meat in flour and set aside. Heat the oil in a dutch oven and add the meat. Turn meat to brown on all sides. Add enough water to cover the meat and reduce heat to medium. Stir in all your seasonings and cook uncovered for about 3 hours until meat is fork tender. Add water if necessary but not too much. You want it to cook down to the consistency of a thick gravy. Serve and enjoy!

A little aside on our optional ingredient, Accent. Accent is the commercial name for the much maligned MSG. This is probably the most over hyped ingredient in the food world. MSG is the synthetic form of glutamate that occurs naturally in most of our foods. Some of the highest concentrations are in vegetables. If your a vegetarian, your already consuming more glutamate than you would hitting the chinese buffet. In fact recent studies have discovered separate structures on the tongue that detect only glutamate indicating that we've evolved to seek it out in our food. There are no solid studies showing that MSG acts in the body differently from natural glutamate. There have been indirect indications that glutamate might be problematic, but nothing conclusive. That said there is a rare subset of people who get headaches from glutamate. But guess what, if you can eat mushrooms, your not one of them. There is a strong health risk associated with high sodium intake, but here's the kicker. MSG has half the sodium of salt with many times the flavoring power. I've actually reduced the over all sodium content of my dishes by using it without compromising flavor. If you have high blood pressure like me that's a good thing. And finally, let's get real. If your worried about MSG you have no business eating Carne Guisada anyway. That just leaves more for the rest of us who think sacrificing a few years of lifespan are worth decades of Tex-Mex bliss!

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

The Zen of Soup






As I was digging into a hearty bowl of "whatever happens to be in the fridge from the garden" soup I thought it might a good time to expound on the art of soup making. If your in the habit of trolling the internet for recipes (that's why your here, right?), stop looking at soup recipes. A soup recipe is an oxymoron when it comes to home cooking. There are of course, classic recipes, and the various signature recipes of renowned chefs and restaurants. In professional cooking such recipes ensure a consistent product over the course of time which is essential in the restaurant business. The goal of the home cook is entirely different. In the home kitchen we're more concerned with nutrition and frugality as well as flavor and appearance. Prep time is also a concern and this means not having to run to the store for a particular ingredient because we're tied to a specific recipe. What you need instead is to develop a palate of soup techniques that have wide application. The most important is the art of stock making. Pay attention to leftovers from meat prep, every roast fowl carcass and meat bone is a future soup. One of best sources for stock that most cooks overlook are raw shrimp shells and heads. Basically all you do is stick something in a pot and boil it until you get all the flavor out and then reduce the liquid to concentrate it. If you want clear stock strain it through cheese cloth. That's it! If your buying stock in a can your wasting both money and flavor. Keep some basic ingredients always at hand such as carrots, onion, celery, and canned tomatoes. These are the basis for literally hundreds of soup variations. Learn the basic art of the chowder, the stew, broth soups and then vary the ingredients. Learn the basics of herbs. Your main guide should be vegetables in season and affordable cuts of meat. Most of all be creative and be willing to take risks. There will be disasters but I assure you they will be rare. I found out the hard way that certain shellfish and green beans have an unfortunate chemical interaction. The odor was nothing short of indescribable. That said, in the roughly 40 years I've been cooking, I can count the bad soup batches on one hand. So get in there and boil something. It really is hard to go wrong. Look for future posts on more basic techniques and maybe even a few of my signature soup recipes.

Monday, June 10, 2013

Summer Zucchini Marinara

Sorry I didn't take photos for this and I'm not going to fake you out with some stock footage food porn. However this is a perfect recipe for the summer season when the squash starts to swamp my kitchen with our gardens abundance. It's super easy, super fast, and super healthy plus it's vegan. What's not to like? Here's your ingredient list(did I mention it's super cheap?).

2 12ounce cans diced tomatoes
1 12ounce can tomato sauce
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 medium zucchini cut into bite sized chunks, roughly 1/2 inch
2 Tbs virgin olive oil
1 tsp crushed red pepper
basil and oregano to taste

Heat olive oil in large skillet, medium high. Add garlic, red pepper, and saute till garlic just starts to brown. Add onions and continue sauteing until onions become translucent. Add tomatoes, sauce, squash and herbs. Turn heat to medium and simmer 20-30 minutes until squash softens and becomes slightly translucent. Serve over the hot pasta of your choice. That's it! This also makes a great go to sauce for vegan lasagna, pasta bakes, and even pizza.