Down to Florida

My parents and I are heading down to Florida in a couple of days for about a week. I'll be at the National Club Ultimate Frisbee Championships the entire time, and they will be coming to that for a bit, and then heading down to the Everglades to explore. Should be awesome, but this is our last real meal before we head out.

I'd like to say that this is the tastiest meal that we've had recently, and I feel that is saying kind of a lot.  You just can beat polenta...if you put enough butter and salt in it that is.  As my dad said after we finished the meal, this dish is "comfort food in disguise."

Shrimp and Polenta


For the Polenta

4 cups water
1 cup grits
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp butter
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cayenne

Bring the water to a boil in a large heavy saucepan. Slowly stir in the grits, reduce the heat, and cook, stirring frequently, for about 20 min, or until thick and tender. Stir in salt, butter and cheeses. Add a pinch of cayenne, or to taste. But really, you can put anything you want in grits, it's all good.

For the Shrimp

6 slices of bacon, cut into small pieces
peanut oil for frying
1 pound shrimp, peeled, rinsed, patted dry
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 cup sliced scallions
2 large garlic clove, crushed
4 tsp fresh lemon juice
hot red pepper sauce to taste
salt and pepper
1/2 cup chopped parsley

In a large skillet, cook the bacon until browned at the edges. Remove with a slotted spoon, drain on paper towel and set aside.
Add enough peanut oil to the bacon fat in the skillet to make a thin layer of fat. Heat over medium until the fat it hot. Add the shrimp and stir, then add the mushrooms and stir well. Cook until the shrimp start to color, then add the scallions, bacon, and garlic. Season with the lemon juice, hot pepper sauce, and salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with parsley.

Spoon the shrimp over the polenta.

From Bill Neal's Southern Cooking

Sautéed Spinach

spinach
garlic
salt

Cook the garlic in olive oil in a skillet. Then add the spinach and salt to taste and cook it with a lid on until done.

Jambalaya

Smoked Sausage Jambalaya

1 lb pork andouille sausage, sliced crosswise 1/3 inch thick

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

2 green bell peppers, finely chopped

2 celery ribs, finely chopped

1 medium onion, finely chopped

3 scallions, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

2.5 cups long-grain white rice

1 (28-oz) can diced tomatoes

3.5 cups water (we used stock)

1 Tbsp Old Bay seasoning (see below for how to make your own).

Cook sausage in oil in a wide 6-8 qt pot over medium-high, stirring occasionally, until golden-brown. Transfer to a bowl with a slotted spoon.
Cook peppers, celery, onion, scallions, garlic, old bay, and 1/2 tsp salt in fat remaining in pot, stirring occasionally, until golden-brown, 10-12 min. Stir in rice, sausage, tomatoes with their juice, water (or stock), 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper and bring to a rolling boil.
Reduce heat and cook at bare simmer, covered tightly with lid, until rice is tender and water is absorbed, about 25 min.

Old Bay Seasoning:

• 1 Tbsp. ground bay leaves
• 2-1/2 tsp. celery salt
• 1-1/2 tsp. dry mustard
• 1 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. ground white pepper
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp. ground allspice
• 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 tsp. ground mace
• 1/4 tsp. ground cardamom

Cheddar Corn Muffins with Jalapeño Butter

For Muffins

5 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus 1 Tbsp, softened, for brushing muffin cups

2 cups cornmeal (preferably stone-ground)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 cup corn

1.25 cups well-shaken buttermilk

1 large egg

1.75 cups grated sharp cheddar, divided

Making the muffins: Preheat to 425°.
Brush muffin cups with softened butter
Whisk together cornmeal, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a large bowl.
Whisk together corn, buttermilk, egg, and melted butter in another bowl, then stir into flour mixture until just combined. Stir in 1.5 cups cheese.
Divide batter among muffin cups and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese. Bake until puffed and golden-brown and a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean, about 20 min.


For Jalapeño Butter

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

1 fresh jalapeño, finely chopped, including seeds

Making jalapeño butter:
Stir together butter, jalapeño, and 1/4 tsp salt. Serve with muffins.

Green Beans with Vinaigrette

Boil the beans.

Vinaigrette
1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard

2 Tbsp white wine vinegar

7 Tbsp olive oil

Mix mustard and vinegar in a boil. Whisk in the oil. Pour over the cooked beans.

Salad dressing

In my opinion, a really good dressing can be hard to find. Most are overwhelming in some way, being too oily, too thick, too fatty, etc. This is a dressing that we've been eating for a while and I still enjoy it every time I have it.

Soy-Mustard Salad Dressing

Combine in a jar:
1/3 cup cider vinegar
2 to 3 tablespoons soy sauce
3-4 large cloves minced garlic
2 teaspoons dry mustard heaped
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard heaped
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Shake hard to mix, then add:

1 cup canola oil

Mix again.

Note: if you struggle to peel garlic, just take the flat side of a knife and crush each clove slightly until it cracks/pops.
Altered from The Frog Commissary Cookbook by my uncle Jimmy

Fish Tacos

For the third Thursday in a row, it is fish taco night. The first week we used flounder, last week we used cod, and this week it is catfish. The flounder tacos turned out better than the cod, so we'll see how something new is tonight.


Fish Tacos

Plain looking, all white, but very tasty.

For the Fish:
1.75 lb fresh fish (serves 4 people, 2 tacos each)
1 cup flour
2 tsp salt

pepper
canola oil

In a paper bag (not plastic) mix the flour, salt, and some pepper. You can also experiment with putting other spices, such as curry, into this mix. Adding cornmeal also works. A couple of pieces at a time, shake the fish around in the bag until well covered. You can also just roll it around in a bowl with the mix.

Using an electric skillet, heat up the 1/4-1/3 inch of canola oil (you can also add peanut oil to this) at a high heat.

Cook the fish until both sides are browned.


For the Creamy Slaw:

1/3 cup mayonnaise
3 Tbsp sour cream
2 Tbsp cider vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1.5 lbs green cabbage, thinly sliced (6 cups)
1/4 cup finely chopped onion

Make this ahead of time to let it sit a bit at room temp. for the cabbage to wilt slightly (~30 min).
Whisk together the mayo and sour cream in a bowl until smooth. Whisk in vinegar, salt and pepper. Add remaining ingredients and toss well.

Note: you might think about adding some ketchups to make it a little sweeter.
From the Gourmet Cookbook


Finally: Put the fish and slaw into a slightly warmed, soft tortilla and try adding things like lime juice and hot sauce.


Fried Potatoes

...potatoes will be needed for this.

Boil some potatoes. Cut them into smallish pieces. Put them into the pan with the oil used to fry up the fish, and cook them until crispy.

I don't think that these are what most people would eat with tacos, but we've gotten into the habit, so we're sticking with it.

Soup Season

There have been a lot soups showing up at the dinner table lately, and for good reason. As it gets colder, there's nothing better than a good soup or stew.

The first two recipes are from Gourmet Magazine Nov. 2009. The rice is from Gourmet Magazine July 2009. Be warned that this was a very root vegetable heavy meal. It all adds up to a really healthy dinner, so if you are looking for some savory comfort food, see yesterday's meal.

Scarlet Carrot Soup

2 Tbsp coriander seeds toasted

1/4 cup olive oil

1 cup sliced shallots (3 large)

3 large thyme sprigs

2 bay leaves

1/8 tsp hot pepper flakes

3 lb carrots, peeled and thickly sliced

1 lb trimmed beets, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces

8 cups water

2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

Grind coriander in grinder.

Heat oil in a 5-qt heavy pot over medium heat, then cook shallots, thyme, bay leaves, and red pepper until tender (~3 min). Add carrots, beets, 2 Tbsp coriander, 2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, and water. Bring to boil, then simmer, covered until vegetables at very tender (~20 min).

Take out bay leaves and any tough thyme stems. Puree soup in batches in a blender until smooth after it has cooled a bit, then return to pot. Stir in vinegar, salt and pepper to taste, and more water if the soup needs thinning.

We also decided to add some "Greek-Style" non-fat plain yogurt to add something extra to all that foolish healthy beet and carrot business. My mom was not so happy with how the soup tasted, as the beets really showed through in the flavors. While I wouldn't say that beets actually taste like dirt, that's kind of how I would describe the taste they give things. Let's just say that the soup had a very organic taste to it, which my dad and I loved.

Braised Kale With Turnips and Apples

2 lb Kale, tough stems discarded and leaves torn into small pieces

1 (1 lb) ham hock, rinsed

3.5 cups water

3 Gala apples, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1.25 lb turnips peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces

2 tsp cider vinegar

2 tsp sugar

2 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Bring kale, ham hock, water and 1/4 tsp salt to a boil in a large pot. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until greens are almost tender (~20 min). Add turnips and apples to greens with vinegar, sugar, and 1/4 tsp of each salt and pepper and cook at a bare simmer, covered, stirring and turning ham hock occasionally, until turnips and apples are tender but not falling apart (~20 min). Turn off heat and stir in butter and salt to taste. If you want you can chop any tender meat off of the ham hock and add it to the rest.

Eating the kale and rice dishes together was great.

Rice With Fennel and Golden Raisins

It has way more flavor than it looks like it does, I promise. It's a great way to eat fennel.

1 medium onion, chopped (1 cup)

1 large fennel bulb, chopped (2 cups)

1/3 cup golden raisins

1/2 tsp fennel seed, lightly crushed

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 cup medium or long grained white rice

2 cups water

Cook onion and fennel with raisins, fennel seeds, 1 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper in oil in a 4 qt saucepan over medium heat, until softened (~9 min). Add rice and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add water and bring to a vigorous boil. Tightly cover and cook over low heat, undisturbed, until water is absorbed (~22 min).

Remove from heat. Let stand for 10 minutes, then fluff with fork.

Mabob Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookies

3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 sticks margarine
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups old fashioned oatmeal
2.5 cups chocolate chips

Preheat 375°. In a mixer (if you have one otherwise in a bowl and use a handmixer), beat margarine and the two sugars until creamy. Then add eggs and vanilla and beat until fluffy. Mix dry ingredients (excluding the oatmeal) together in a bowl. Beat this into the rest, but only until it is well mixed in, over beating at this point will make for some tougher cookies. Mix in the oatmeal and chocolate chips. Make balls of dough and put on the pan. Makes about 40 cookies for me. Cook for 7 minutes, rotate which pan is on top if you have two going at once, and cook for another 7 or 8.





The dough is clearly the best part.

So far, my mom and I are the only people to successfully make these. Other people have made them, and they've been fine, but they just can't compare, and no one knows why. May be the oven.

Straight From North Carolina

This first meal to be posted is a perfect fit for this whole thing, as it is a very traditional meal for my mother to make. Growing up in the south there's nothing more standard than fried chicken, biscuits and mashed potatoes...well, and some broccoli.


My Mom.

Baked Mashed Potatoes (with sauteed shallots and garlic)

5 lb Yukon Gold potatoes
a stick of butter
a head of garlic
4 or 5 shallots

Peel and cut the potatoes into equal sized chunks and boil until soft (we overdid them). Mash and whip them to the consistency you like. Add a stick of butter and let it melt in.
Thinly slice the garlic and shallots. Saute shallots and garlic to however you like them...we made them nice and crispy. Mix them into the potatoes and add salt and pepper.

Put the potatoes in a cast iron skillet, grate cheese (we used cheddar, fontina, gruyere and parmesan) on top and bake at 400° until bubbling.


Buttermilk Biscuits

2.5 cups flour
2 Tbsp sugar
2.5 tsp backing powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 t salt
1 stick margarine
1 cup buttermilk

Preheat 425°. Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl. Cut the margarine into the dry stuff with a couple of knives until the mixture looks dry and crumbly. Add all of the buttermilk and stir briskly with a fork to make sticky dough. Sometimes you just use your hands to get it to stick together. Use flour until it looks smooth and feels soft. Pat it out to about 1/2 inch thick (use flour to keep it from sticking). Cut out the biscuits using a wine glass rim. Place on the pan so that they are just touching. Bake until raised and lightly browned, 12 to 14 min. The book says to put them in a "napkin-lined basket"...but we use plates. Watch out!
From the Baker's Dozen Cookbook

Fried Chicken

Chicken leg and thighs
2 cups flour
1 Tbsp salt
pepper
canola oil

First, my mom likes to soak in buttermilk for about an hour. While some people don't think this makes a difference, she swears it makes the meat more tender.

In a paper bag (not plastic) mixed the flour, salt, and some pepper. Three or four pieces at a time, shake the chicken around in the bag until well covered. (Using a grated rack over the sink to rest the finished breaded pieces of chicken works well so that the bottoms don't get gooey on the counter while they wait to be fried.)



In an electric skillet, cook the chicken on high heat (425ish) in 1/4- 1/2 inch of canola oil until one side is crispy. Turn them over, put the lid mostly on, and turn down the heat (300ish) and let it cook. Periodically check-in and turn. Will take at least 30 minutes.


Roasted Broccoli

Broccoli
salt
olive oil

In a roasting pan (or a bowl) mix the broccoli with oil and salt. However much salt you want, but enough oil to cover it all pretty well.

Roast at 425° for 15 minutes or so, then stir it around, may take 10 or more minutes. Cook it for longer or shorter depending on how crispy you want it.

Finally

Anyone that has come over to my house for a meal in recent memory should truly understand why learning to cook like my mother and attempting to keep record of at least some of her creations in the kitchen is worth doing, and is a long time coming.  Night after night she produces the most amazing meals you can imagine.  Yet, night after night these meals come and go, with little trace.  This is not to say that those who have the chance to sit at our table and eat are not blown away every time, but there is no concrete record, which proves to be a shame at times.  

And that is why I have created this little blog.  Through this site I hope to document the meals and/or dishes made by my mom, myself, or both, through pictures, descriptions and recipes. As a result I will begin to finally take advantage of the knowledge my mom has to offer about the world of food and cooking.  This will also allow her to look back on the meals she has made in the past and plan accordingly for the guests.

So if you love my mom's cooking as much as I do and want to make good cooking a part of your life too, take a look and try some for yourself.  If you have no idea what I am talking about...well, all I can say is, I'm sorry...you don't know what you are missing.  Either way though, be inspired, make a meal.