Chase Seibert's Cookbook
From
https://github.com/chase-seibert/cookbook
Last updated: 2026-03-23
Salads
Caesar Salad
Anne's Spinach Salad
Kick-Ass Kale Salad
Quarantine Salad with warm Brussels and Feta
Couscous Salad
Potato Salad
Panzanella
Southwest Caesar Salad
Brown Rice Salad
Salad Dressings
Main Dishes: Every Day
Fleming's Macaroni and Cheese
Cream of Mushroom and Chicken
Drive-Thru Burgers
Taco Night
Baked Ziti
Broccoli Sausage Orecchiette
Roast Chicken and Green Beans
Vermicelli Bowl
Garlic Chili Pasta
Pasta e Ceci
Neopolitan Pizza
Louisiana Hot-links and Lentils
Fiery Green Beans and Tofu
Aperto's Tagliolini Pepati
Deep Dish Pizza
Lasagna
Red Chile Chicken Enchiladas
Bean and Cheese Tomatillo Enchiladas
Noel's Chili
South Carolina Pulled Pork
Pot Roast
Yen's Pho
Premium Pork Ramen
Chicken Pot Pie
Thai Fast Food Yellow Curry
Beef Stew
Pasta Cacio e Uova
Thai Cashew Chicken (Gai Pad Med Ma Muang)
Pad See Ew
Braised Chicken Thighs with Black Bean Rice
Chicken Parmesan
Chicken Kebabs
Chicken Piccata
Orange Chicken
Main Dishes: Out-of-Your-Way
Thanksgiving Dinner
Ham and Scalloped Potatoes
Horseradish-Crusted Beef Tenderloin
Christmas Morning Casserole
Burnt Cheesecake
Baking
Pancakes
Bread
Flatbread
Prosciutto Cheese Bread
Mom's Banana Muffins
Julie's Cinnamon Rolls
Butter Biscuits
Fluffy Yellow Cake
Odds and Ends
Perfect Omelet
Stock - Chicken, Vegetable
Pickles
Adobo
Plums
Cocktails
Popcorn
Raspberry Lime Rickey
Ocean Park's Famous Ham and Cheese Italian
Chili Oil
Caesar Salad
A Caesar salad has so few components. You really need to make each one excellent. You can substitute anchovy paste.
1 small ciabatta bread
¼ cup olive oil
5 garlic cloves
Simmer smashed garlic cloves in oil for 10 minutes to flavor the oil.
Cut bread into ½ inch cubes. Toss with olive ol and spread on a baking sheet.
Bake at 400° for 7 minutes. Remove to bowl, toss, and return to oven for 4 minutes so that crutons brown evenly. Repeat until very well browned.
2 heads romaine hearts
Cut whole leaves off of the root, and place in an ice bath for 30 minutes. Drain and spin with a salad spinner, and place in the refrigerator to dry off for 30 minutes.
1 cup mayonainse
1 lemon juiced
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
4 cloves garlic, pressed
4 anchovy fillets
3 oz parmesan reggiano
Blitz everything except the Parmesan in a small food processor until completely homogenous. Then add the grated Parmesan and blitz again. Season with salt and pepper.
Dress the salad, using only half the dressing to start. You can always add more. Serve with extra parmesan, and fresh pepper.
Anne's Spinach Salad
This recipe is from my Aunt Anne, who swears that she always used romaine lettuce instead of spinach.
2 eggs
Boil eggs, cool, shell and slice into rings.
10 strips bacon
Separate strips onto aluminum foil on a baking sheet, and bake for 15 minutes at 425°. Pat dry and chop into small pieces.
½ cup olive oil
¾ can anchovies in oil
2 tablespoons balsamic
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 garlic clove
½ teaspoon thyme
¼ teaspoon
¼ sugar
¼ oregano
¼ mustard powder
¼ onion salt
¼ paprika
Discard the oil in the can and use only the anchovies. Liquefy all ingredients in a blender.
1 package spinach
pre-sliced mushrooms
Combine eggs, bacon and dressing in a large mixing bowl.
The dressing can keep at least overnight.
To shell eggs easily, run under cold water, shaking pan to smash shells. The water will seep in. In 10 minutes, the shells will come off easily.
Kick-Ass Kale Salad
This salad was served by a caterer at a startup I worked for. I asked the chef about the recipe, and took copious notes so I could try to replicate it.
2 heads Luciano kale
Remove the ribs of the kale by folding the leaves over lengthwise and stripping them through your curled fingers. Chop kale into ribbons of approximately ¼ inch.
Massage the kale for 2-3 minutes roughly with your hands to produce a mellower flavor.
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup lemon juice
2 garlic cloves
Mince garlic and whisk ingredients together to create a vinaigrette dressing.
12 ounces Edamame beans
8 ounces Pecorino cheese
kosher salt
pepper
Frozen Edamame is just fine, and so much more convenient than shelling pods. Just defrost ahead of time.
Grate cheese and combine ingredients in a large bowl. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Kale can take a lot of salt!
Serve with Sriracha for the adventurous.
Quarantine Salad with warm Brussels and Feta
The still-warm Brussel sprouts are what make this salad. They bring out the flavor of the feta. This recipe is for single serving. This salad can take salt and Sriracha well.
young mixed greens (aka spring mix)
½ cup feta cheese, small crumble
whole shelled pistachios
Mince spring mix finely. Layer lettuce, feta, and pistacios in a bowl.
Brussel sprouts
Slice brussel sprouts and sauté in a pan with olive oil until the leaves are blackened.
Top salad with warm Brussel sprouts, and season to taste
with salt and Sriracha.
Couscous Salad
Couscous has a tendency to clump together. Ideally, we want every kernel to be separate.
4 cups plain couscous
Follow the directions on the box to hydrate couscous.
Immediately after the couscous is cooked, turn out into another metal bowl. Don't let it
sit too long, or it will clump up. Break any clumps with a wooden spoon.
½ cup olive oil
1 lemons juiced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Emulsify the dressing and stir into the couscous.
12 ounces feta cheese
1 orange bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
1 large red onion
5 tablespoons minced mint
sliced cherry tomatoes
Dice the peppers and onion fine, and combine with rest in the couscous bowl.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Potato Salad
The key to this potato salad is cooking and cooling the potatoes completely, before cutting them up, or stirring them. Otherwise, the potatoes start to break down and muddy the salad. While they are hot, you want to both salt and season them with vinegar (pickle juice). If you can cook the potatoes inside a fitted colander inside a large pot, then they will bairly be distrubuted while cooking or cooling.
5 pounds medium or small yukon gold potatoes
4 quarts water
kosher salt
pickle juice
Slice potatoes into one inch chucks. Heavily salt water, put potatoes in, and bring to a boil. The water does not need to be at a boil before you put the potatoes in. Once boiling, reduce heat to a medium boil. Cook for 15 to 25 minutes, or until a knife easily pierces a potato.
Drain potatoes using a colander. Place a colander with potatoes inside a large bowl. Pour (strained) pickle juice over the hot potatoes. Using another large bowl, move colander back and forth, and continue to pour the pickle juice over the potatoes every minute, until they stop steaming.
Leave potatoes out at room temperature to cool completely, before cutting them.
2 cups mayonnaise
3 celery stalks
1 small white onion
1 handful fresh dill
1 handful fresh parsley
1 tablespoon celery seed
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
Slice celery and onion and add to potatoes. Mince dill and parsley. Whisk herbs and web ingredients. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
paprika
frozen peas
Combine the potatoes and sauce, and top with paprika and defrosted peas.
Panzanella
When you make a salad with wet ingredients like tomatoes, often times you get a pool of juice in the bottom of the bowl. This recipe, also known as Italian Bread Salad, soaks up that flavorful juice with toasted bread. The key is to let the salad rest for 10 minutes while the bread soaks up the juices.
1 loaf rustic bread
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt
Slice the bread into 1 inch cubes. Smaller cubes are better than larger cubes - you
want them to be the same size as the tomato halves. Toss with olive oil and salt and place
cubes on a rack on top of a rimmed baking sheet, and toast at 400° for
20 minutes, or until golden brown.
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 shallot
fresh basil
salt
Slice cherry tomatoes in half. Slice shallot and basil. Salt in a bowl,
and let drain 20 minutes, reserving the liquid.
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
½ cup olive oil
Whisk oil and vinegar, set aside. Combine all ingredients and toss to coat,
adding reserved tomato liquid. Season with salt and pepper.
Southwest Caesar Salad
You can make your own caesar dressing, or you can use a store bought version. I prefer the creamy white style. Cotija is a dry, fresh Mexican farm cheese.
2 marinated pepper steaks
Place steaks in a an oven safe dish and broil at 550° for 15 minutes, or until steaks are nicely charred. Set aside and tent with foil to rest for 20 minutes.
1 cup caesar dressing
1 small can Chipotle in Adobo
3 limes
salt
Strain the chipotle peppers to separate them from the sauce. Discard peppers. Whisk together dressing, Adobo sauce and lime juice to taste. The Adobo sauce is very spicy. Season with salt.
3 romaine hearts
6 ounces Cotija cheese
tortilla strips
black pepper
Slice steak thinly against the grain. Toss other ingredients with dressing to combine. Plate, and top with steak. Season with black pepper.
Try adding frozen corn broiled with olive oil and salt for an Elote salad.
Brown Rice Salad
Brown rice does not need to be boiled in a precise amount of water like white rice. You can cook it like pasta.
2 cups brown rice
Boil in a large amount of water for 30 or minutes. It should be al-dente.
1 bunch parsley
1 bunch cilantro
1 bunch mint
½ cup olive oil
3 teaspoons red wine vinegar
8 ounces feta cheese
Mince herbs and combine with cooled drained rice.
Variations include adding sliced cherry tomatoes, cucumbers or preserved lemon.
Salad Dressings
Phil's Famous
My father used to make this dressing for salads and marinades at almost every family gathering, as well as once a week for regular dinners.
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 tablespoon Grey Poupon
1 teaspoon oregano
1 garlic clove
Combine ingredients in a small jar, and shake vigorously. The emulsion is stable for at least an hour.
Lemon Vinaigrette
This simple dressing is from Pam and Rick. I remember them serving it many times in Bar Harbor. It's great with just mixed greens, or with cucumber.
1 garlic clove
Cut clove in half and rub the against the inside of a wooden salad bowl. Discard the clove.
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Combine ingredients in the bottom of the bowl, whisk to combine, and toss salad.
Parmesan Peppercorn
¾ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup sour cream
3 tablespoons Parmesan
2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon basil
Whisk together in a medium bowl, and refrigerate for at least an hour.
Fleming's Macaroni and Cheese
This is the actual recipe for a favorite side-dish from Fleming's Steak House in Boston. The recipe was published on the web by their head chef. Don't use sharp or extra sharp cheddar, or it will be a little grainy. If you can also throw in 3 slices of American cheese, the final dish will be much creamier.
1 box cavatappi pasta
2 teaspoons salt
Bring one gallon of water to boil. Add 2 teaspoons salt and cook pasta very al-dente - no more than 5 minutes.
¾ cup onion, small dice
1 stick unsalted butter
2 tablespoon flour
In a dutch oven, sauté onions in butter over medium heat. Add flour and cook for one minute.
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups half and half
dash of hot sauce
Add cream, half and half, kosher salt and white pepper to the dutch oven and bring to a simmer.
1½ pound sharp (not extra sharp) cheddar cheese
3 slices American cheese
1 tablespoon liquid smoke
Still in the dutch oven, blend grated and sliced cheese into sauce until melted. Add pasta.
1 teaspoon veg oil
1 teaspoon chipotle powder
¾ cup panko bread crumbs
In a separate pan, sauté oil and chipotle powder over medium-high heat for 30 seconds. Remove from stove and stir in bread crumbs.
Sprinkle bread crumbs over the pasta and bake in the dutch oven for 15-20 minutes at 350°.
If you need to reheat, try 3-4 minutes in the microwave at 30 percent power, so the sauce doesn't break.
Cream of Mushroom and Chicken
This is great for a cold week night, and it re-heats very well. Shredding the chicken versus cutting into pieces helps the texture.
2 bone-in chicken breasts, skin on
Roast in a pan in the oven at 450 degrees for 20 minutes. Cool, discard skin and bones and slice into chunks.
10 ounces dried shittake mushrooms
1 package fresh button mushrooms
3 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
Rehydrate fried mushrooms in water for 15 minutes.
Sauté all mushrooms in oil over medium heat for 10 minutes, and then add minced garlic.
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup half and half
Combine in a dutch oven along with mushrooms, and return to medium heat.
Simmer for 10 minutes. The goal is not to evaporate all the liquid.
Blend using a standing blender (not a stick blender) until very smooth.
1 package frozen peas
1 red pepper
Shred chicken into small pieces and add to soup mixture, along with peppers and peas. Season to taste with salt and pepper. If it needs acid, you can add white wine.
1 cup rice
1 package puff pastry
Start the rice, and follow package instructions to bake puff pastry. Most pastry needs to be brought to room temperature for 40 minutes. It's easy to underbake the pastry; leave it in longer.
Serve inside a puff pastry on top of rice.
Drive-Thru Burgers
The key to this recipe is to keep the patties loose, so the juices can bubble up through the nooks and crannies as they cook. This makes them both crisp and juicy.
2 parts sirloin tips
1 part beef short ribs
kosher salt
Cut both meats into one-inch cubes, spread uncrowded on plates and freeze for 15-20 minutes.
unsalted butter
Kaiser rolls
For each roll, melt one tablespoon of butter in a sauté pan over medium heat, and fry both roll halves face down until golden brown, about 3 minutes.
Remove meat from freezer.
Working in batches with a 2:1 ratio of steak tip to short rib, pulse in a food processor to a coarse ground meat consistency (About 10 one-second pulses).
Spread ground meat onto baking sheets and hand-mold into loose, thin burgers. Season liberally with salt and pepper.
slices American cheese
vegetable oil
Add one tablespoon oil to a large sauté pan over high heat, along with the burgers. Don't move the burgers at all for at least three minutes, or until the juices are bubbling through the raw layer on top.
Flip burgers. Add one slice of cheese to each, and cook for another two minutes without flipping.
Best served with thinly sliced onions, and not much else.
"Secret Sauce"
This is identical to Big-Mac sauce.
1 part mayonnaise
1 part ketchup
1 teaspoon sweet relish
fresh pepper
Whisk ingredients together in a small bowl, add pepper and sweet relish to taste.
Taco Night
With ground beef, you want to nearly burn it to develop some flavor.
1 pound ground beef
Fry in a cast iron pan over medium-high heat. Don't flip it at all for at least 10 minutes.
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
½ teaspoon oregano
¼ teaspoon cayenne
¼ cup chicken broth
1 can Adobe sauce, chilies removed
Dump the spice mixture on top. Smother in chicken broth and Adobe sauce, and stir to combine.
Cook for 10 minutes.
1 cup white rice
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves
2 cups chicken broth
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
Brown rice with oil. Add smashed garlic clove and chicken broth and bring to simmer.
Reduce to low, cover with a dish towel between the lid and the pot and
cook for 25 minutes.
8 six inch corn tortillas
2 cups vegetable oil
Heat the vegetable oil over medium heat in a frying pan just big enough to fit one tortilla.
Fry each tortilla for 30 seconds per side. Remove to a paper towel lined cooling rack.
Blacken flour tortillas directly over the gas flames.
sour cream
2 limes
1 tablespoon hot sauce
Mix together.
Monterey Jack cheese
onion
refried beans
lettuce
Wrap corn tortillas in flour tortilla shells and serve with various accoutrements.
Baked Ziti
I usually make this with two dutch ovens, but you could also use a dutch oven and a sauté pan.
1 pound rigatoni
Boil in salted water for five minutes less than the box directions. It will continue to cook in the oven.
28 ounces tomato sauce
14 ounces diced tomatoes
1 small onion
5 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons fresh basil
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Dice onions and sauté with olive oil in a small dutch oven until soft. Add minced garlic and cook until straw colored.
Add tomatoes, sauce, sugar and oregano and simmer for 15 minutes. Chiffonade basil and add, seasoning with salt and pepper.
24 ounces cottage cheese
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup grated parmesan
2 eggs
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 tablespoon hot sauce
Whisk cream and cornstarch in a dutch oven, and simmer over medium for two minutes.
Add cottage cheese, parmesan, hot sauce and eggs, and mix with a wooden spoon. Add two cups of the tomato sauce and combine.
Add drained pasta, and toss to coat.
1 pound mozzarella
Cut mozzarella into ¼ inch cubes, and add half to the pasta.
Cover the pasta with the remaining tomato sauce, and then the remaining mozzarella.
Bake for 30 minutes covered at 375°, then another 30 minutes uncovered. If it's not browned, put it under the broiler for 5 minutes.
Cool for 20 minutes, and serve.
Broccoli Sausage Orecchiette
This recipe relies on a good parmesan cheese, and a good olive oil. Don't skimp on the full half cup of oil. The other key is to break the broccoli and sausage down into small pieces, so that they fit into the orecchiette.
1 package sausage roll
½ cup olive oil
1 tablespoon red pepper flake
4 garlic cloves
Pre-heat oven to 550°.
Shallow fry sausage roll, garlic and red pepper flakes in olive oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat until
browned. Removed with a slotted spoon and process in a food processor for 3
short bursts. This will break up the sausage into the right sized pieces.
Return to pan and brown for another 10 minutes on medium heat. You may need to add a
little more oil so that all of the sausage browns evenly.
Drain sausage, reserving the oil.
2 heads broccoli
salt
pepper
Dice broccoli stalk and florets into small pieces that can fit into the pasta.
Toss in the reserved sausage oil in the now empty dutch oven. Season with salt and papper. Turn out into a foiled baking sheet, and place under the broiler until lightly blackened.
1 box Orecchiette pasta
Boil paste until al dente, as per box instructions. Drain, reserving a bowl
of the water.
Add the sausage and broccoli to the pasta. Toss to combine.
Season with salt to taste.
4 ounces parmesan
Grate the parmesan on a microplane. When the pasta has cooled for 3
minutes, toss with cheese and reserved pasta liquid. The goal is to create a
cheese sauce.
Great with Sriracha.
Roast Chicken and Green Beans
This is one of Noel's favorite weeknight meals. The baking powder helps the skin get crisp.
1 4-5 pound chicken
kosher salt
baking powder
Using a pairing knife, create openings in the skin near the breast and the drumsticks. Get under the skin with the handle of a metal spoon, and create separation. This will help develop a crisper skin.
Using your hands, spread a generous amount of salt and the baking powder on top of the skin, under the skin, and inside the main cavity. This will help keep the meat moist under high heat.
Tent loosely with paper towels and place in the fridge over night.
The next day, preheat the over to 450° with the empty pan in it.
melted butter
Place the chicken in the hot pan, and brush with melted butter.
Cook for 25-35 minutes, or until the chicken is 120°.
Turn off the oven, and let the chicken coast until 165°, or about another 25 minutes.
1 pound green beans, ends removed
1 shallot
1 lemon
kosher salt
butter
When the chicken is done, remove pan from oven and place the chicken on a wire rack to rest.
Slice shallot and sauté in the hot pan with some salt. Use the moisture from the shallots to loosen the bits of fond in the pan.
Add a pad of butter, the green beans, and more salt. Cook over medium high heat for 10 minutes. Add lemon juice and stir to combine.
Slice chicken and serve.
Vermicelli Bowl
There is no broth in this recipe, just a bunch of toppings and the noodles.
2 carrots
2 cups white vinegar
Create a simple pickle by slicing carrots into thin sticks and pouring boiling vinegar over. Let sit for one hour and drain.
8 scallions
1 cup simple sugar
Simple sugar is equal parts sugar and water, boiled and cooled. Slice scallions and add to cooling syrup.
1 cucumber
1 package bean sprouts
1 bunch mint
1 bunch cilantro
½ cup peanuts
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
3 jalapeños
Slice cucumber, mint, and jalapeños thinly. Cilantro leaves should removed from stalks. Peanuts should be chopped finely.
1 pound rice noodles
Either buy pre-cooked noodles, or cook, rinse and chill the noodles yourself.
Combine noodles, veggies and toppings in each serving bowl.
fish sauce
Sriracha
lime wedges
Top with fish sauce, Sriracha and lime to taste. I think a quarter cup of good fish sauce straight is fine. If you like something milder, you can water down the fish sauce with either water or sugar and lime juice.
You can also top with small amounts of protein. Crispy fried pork is a good pairing. Other potential additions are Romain lettuce, shallots and Thai basil.
Garlic Chili Pasta
Super quick meal with just staples.
⅓ cup olive oil
6 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon red chili flakes
1 cup Panko bread crumbs
Press garlic and sauté in olive oil over very low heat in a dutch oven. The goal is not to brown the garlic, just season the oil. Add red chili flakes and Panko, stir and take off heat.
1 pound spaghetti
Boil until al-dente. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water, drain, and add pasta to the oil.
3 ounces grated Parmesan
½ lemon
1 bunch parsley
Let pasta cool for 10 minutes so the cheese does not melt.
Grate Parmesan finely and mix into pasta with a generous amount of the reserved cooking water to keep it from clumping.
Squeeze in lemon juice, and add minced parsley.
Pasta e Ceci
We once made this over an open fire while camping to great effect. It's a good camping recipe because it's mostly dried and canned ingredients.
2 ounces pancetta
1 carrot
1 celery rib
4 garlic cloves
1 onion
Dice pancetta and process in a food processor. Add roughly chopped vegetables
and process.
Transfer to dutch oven and cook over medium heat with salt and olive oil. Cook
until a fond starts to form.
1 tablespoon anchovy paste
1 teaspoon red chili flakes
2 teaspoons rosemary
Add ingredients and cook until fragrant.
15 ounces diced tomatoes
15 ounces chickpeas (with liquid)
2 cups water
Stir in tomatoes, chickpeas and water. Deglaze. Bring to simmer. Let simmer for
10 minutes.
1 box ditalini pasta
Add pasta and cook until al-dente.
parsley
lemon juice
grated parmesan
salt
pepper
Season to taste.
Neopolitan Pizza
You can either start the dough the night before or same day. Both require two steps over at least a four hour period before dinner. Pre-sliced pepperoni is better than whole.
3½ ounces bread flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1 packet active dry yeast
3½ ounces water
Combine. Seal and let it sit for 1 hour. You can also refrigerate over night, no more than 24 hours.
8½ ounces bread flour
4.75 ounces water
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
Combine dough starter with other ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer. Install the dough hook attachment. Mix for a full 15 minutes on medium speed. Remove dough hook and let rest in the bowl for 15 minutes.
Roll into a ball. Put oil on your hands and pat the surface. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 90 minutes.
Divide the dough into two pieces. Form into balls. The balls need to be pinched closed on the bottom. They need to be balloons. Covered with oil and plastic wrap. Let rest for 90 minutes. 30 minutes in to the rest, preheat the oven to 550° with a baking stone or steel.
1 small can whole San Marzano tomatoes
olive oil
1 tableapoon kosher salt
fresh basil
In a bowl, crush tomatoes with your hand, add salt and olive oil and a little chopped basil. Don't cook the sauce.
To shape the final pizza, first put a dough into a bowl of extra flour then move back to the countertop. Use your fingertips to press lightly from the center to just before the edges. You don't want to compress the outer crust.
Stretch the dough by making the same two-hands spreading apart motion you would use to flatten a piece of paper.
1 pound block whole mozzarella
sliced pepperoni
Cut cheese into strips. Use ⅓ pound per pizza.
Cook at 550° for 6 minutes or until there is black leopard spots on the top crust. You can keep a first pizza warm by lightly tenting with aluminum foil. Cool for at least 6 minutes.
Let oven come back up to temp between pizzas. You can reset the oven thermometer by turning the oven off and on again.
Louisiana Hot-links and Lentils
Can also be made with Kielbasa, which Noel prefers.
1 onion
olive oil
kosher salt
Sauté diced onion in a dutch oven with olive oil and salt until just browned.
3 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons paprika
4 hot link sausages
Slice sausages on the bias and add to the pot, along with garlic and paprika.
1 cup green lentils
1 small can crushed tomatoes
1½ cup chicken broth
1½ cup water
fresh thyme
salt
Add lentils and wet ingredients, bring to a light simmer, and place in a
300° oven for 60 minutes, covered.
Remove cover and bake for another 15 minutes, longer if needed until fairly dry.
1 bunch scallions
1 lemon
1 loaf french bread
butter
Slice scallions to use for a garnish. Squeeze a lemon on top for acid.
Just like a soup, bread and butter is a good accompaniment.
Fiery Green Beans and Tofu
Using a large cast iron or carbon steel pan will help char the stir fry quickly. Finding the firmest tofu you can is the key to keeping the tofu intact as you cook it. This recipe is from Burma Superstar.
Pre-heat a frying pan on high.
1 pound green beans
1 red bell pepper
1 package extra firm tofu
Trim and cut green beans in half. Slice bell pepper and tofu in strips
⅓ of an inch wide, and as long as the green beans.
5 cloves garlic
1 knob ginger
Peel and mince garlic and ginger finely.
2 tablespoons vegatable oil
kosher salt
Toss green beans with one tablespoon of oil, and season with kosher salt to taste. Place in
the frying pan. Cook for 3 minutes without stirring, then stir and cook for another
three minutes. Beans should have a char on them.
For the last 30 seconds, add one third of the garlic and ginger, and sauté.
Remove to large bowl.
Repeat for bell peppers and tofu, separately. For the tofu, don't stir at all,
try to develop a char on just one side.
3 tablespoons sambal oelek
2 tablespoon soy sauce
3 teaspoons dark soy sauce
3 teaspoons oyster sauce
2 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
2 teaspoon sugar
Combine ingredients and whisk together.
Return vegetables and tofu to the pan, and add sauce. Sauté for one minute,
until the sauce thickens slightly. Serve with white rice.
Aperto's Tagliolini Pepati
Great use of home grown and in season tomatoes.
28 ounces fresh tomatoes
3 garlic cloves
olive oil
2 jalapeños
Heat oil in a 12 inch frying pan over medium heat. Add diced tomatoes and
smashed garlic. Salt to taste.
Slice jalapeños length wise, remove pith and seeds, and slice cross wise thinly.
Add to the sauce.
Bring to simmer, reduce to low, and simmer for 30 minutes.
1 pound linguine
Boil to box directions, al-dente. Drain, reserving some of the cooking water,
and combine pasta with red sauce in a large mixing bowl.
1 package thick cut bacon
Bake in a 425° oven for 20-25 minutes, until well browned. Remove, pat
dry and slice into thick pieces.
4 tablespoons butter
8 ounces pecorino
1 handful baby arugula
Grate pecorino finely. Combine all ingredients in the mixing bowl.
Stir to combine. Add reserved pasta water as needed to thin out. Serve.
Deep Dish Pizza
3¼ cups flour
½ cup cornmeal
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons sugar
1 packet yeast
1¼ cups warm water
3 tablespoons melted butter
Mix dry ingredients in stand mixer. Add water and melted butter, and mix on medium-high for 5 minutes.
Empty the dough into an oiled bowl, turn to coat surface, and let rise for 1 hour.
Empty dough onto the counter top, and use a rolling pin to flatten into a 12 by 15 inch rectangle. Slather with softened butter, and roll into a cylinder, like a jelly roll.
Flatten the cylinder into an 18 by 4 inch rectangle with the rolling pin. Cut in half, and fold the ends of each half in on itself, like a letter.
Shape each half into a rough ball, and place back into the oiled bowl for 1 hour to rise.
Shape the dough to cover the pan surface, as well as one inch up the sides. If the dough resists shaping, let sit for 10 minutes and try again.
28 ounces crushed tomatoes
1 onion
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 clove garlic
red pepper flakes
kosher salt
In a dutch oven over medium heat, brown shredded onion with olive oil. Add tomato paste, garlic and red pepper flakes, and cook for 30 seconds. Add crushed tomatoes simmer for 15 minutes. Salt to taste.
¾ pounds mozzarella cheese
3 Italian sausages
Taking the stuffing out of the sausages, press quarter sized pieces directly into the dough. Top with cheese, and finally tomato sauce. Optionally, top with a sprinkling of Parmesan.
Bake for 25 minutes at 350. Don't worry, the sausage will be done. Rest for 15 full minutes and then remove from baking dish before slicing and serving.
For a variation, skip the sauce, and top with chopped bacon, caramelized onions and thyme. Onions can be caramelized by sautéeing on low for an hour with 3 tablespoons of butter, and a sprinkle of salt and sugar.
Lasagna
This is a kid-friendly lasagna, no ricotta or bechamel sauce. This will be even better if you make it ahead of time and reheat it in the oven. One box of noodles is plenty for a medium lasagna. This will seem like a lot of sauce, but the lasagna will absorb it. Total cooking time is 4.5 hours. Serves 4 adults and 5 kids no problem.
70 ounces San Marzano whole tomatoes in sauce (2.5 large cans)
1 lbs italian sausage roll (hot)
1 cup whole milk
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
1 large onion
1 teaspoon MSG
Chop onion fine, and sauté in oil until just starting to brown. Add garlic and tomato paste and cook for 3 minutes.
Add meat and milk and bring to simmer. Add canned tomatoes, crushing the whole tomatoes with your hands. Simmer uncovered on the lowest heat for 2 hours.
1 box regular Lasagna noodles
2 lbs whole milk mozzarella
Boil noodles for just 4 minutes, or 4 minutes less than the cooking time. The idea is that they will finish in the oven,
and absorb the sauce. Drain noodles, and separate out on clean kitchen towels or baking sheets, so they do not stick together.
Pour a large ladle of sauce in the bottom of a smaller 9x13 baking dish, and spread it out.
Lay down a layer of six noodles, followed by a layer of mozzarella, and a layer of sauce.
Repeat with a second layer. Don't use more than six noodles for the top layer, or it could buckle.
2 ounces Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoons garlic powder
Top with a final layer of noodles with enough tomato sauce so that there are no dry spots, more mozzarella, and the grated Parmesan.
Bake at 375° for 40 minutes.
Remove from the oven, and let cool for 60 minutes before serving. Will still be hot and ready to serve 120 minutes out of the oven.
Reheat leftovers at 350° for 90 minutes.
Red Chile Chicken Enchiladas
1 tablespoon veg oil
1 onion
Chop onion fine, and sauté in a Dutch oven over medium heat until just starting to brown.
3 garlic cloves
3 tablespoons chili
2 teaspoons coriander
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Mix ingredients, sauté for 30 seconds on high, then add to onions. Stir for 30 seconds.
2 chicken breasts
Remove excess fat, and cut into ¼ inch strips. Add to onions and spices, and stir until coated.
1¼ cup tomato sauce
1¼ ounces heavy cream
3½ ounces chipotle (in adobe sauce)
1 tablespoon lime juice
Add liquids, and simmer for 10 minutes. Pour mixture through a strainer, extracting as much sauce as possible. Reserve the sauce.
Chill the chicken and the solids from the sauce (onion, etc) for 10 minutes in the freezer.
Season red sauce to taste with salt, pepper and lime juice. Simmer for 10 more minutes.
¾ pounds jack cheese
½ pounds mild cheddar
1 cup fresh cilantro
12 ounces pickled jalapeños
Chop jalapeños and cilantro fine. Grate cheese, and combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl, along with the chicken and solids from the sauce.
10 ten inch flour tortillas
Microwave tortillas for a minute to soften. Coat the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish with the red sauce.
One at a time, dip a tortilla in the sauce, fill with chicken and cheese mixture, roll up and place in the baking dish. Cover the dish with red sauce. There should be no dry tortilla.
Top with more cheese and bake uncovered at 375° for 25 minutes. Rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Serve with sour cream and lime wedges. Pairs well with Spanish rice and refried beans.
Bean and Cheese Tomatillo Enchiladas
2 lbs fresh tomatillos
olive oil
kosher salt
Unwrap tomatillos, halve and toss with olive oil and kosher salt. Spread on a
baking sheet, face down, and broil for 10 minutes until blackened. Remove, let
cool and pulse in a food processor.
1 onion
2 cans pinto beans
3 garlic cloves
2 jalapeños
vegetable oil
chicken stock
Sauté minced onion in vegetable oil until just browned. Add sliced jalapeños,
pinto beans with the can liquid and smashed garlic cloves. Add chicken stock to come up to
half way as high as the beans, and simmer for 15 minutes. Smash beans with a
potato masher, leaving some bean texture.
1 lbs Monterey jack cheese
1 bunch cilantro
Shred cheese and mix with minced cilantro, stems included.
8 large flour tortillas
Warm the tortillas in a microwave and char individually over an open gas flame.
Spread one cup of the tomatillo sauce on the bottom of a large casserole dish.
Roll each tortilla around a generous amount of beans and cheese filling, and
place in the dish seam side down.
Cover with remaining tomatillo sauce, and make sure there is no dry tortilla.
Bake for 20 minutes at 350° until cheese is just melted.
radishes
sour cream
hot sauce
Serve with accoutrements.
Noel's Chili
You want beef with a high fat content, 80 or 85 percent.
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1½ pounds ground beef
Brown over medium high heat in a cast iron skillet.
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large onion
1 green bell pepper
3 garlic clove
3 tablespoons ancho chili powder
3 tablespoons taco seasoning
1 teaspoon oregano
In a large dutch oven, sauté finely diced onions until just browning. Add diced peppers and smashed garlic cloves. Drain the rendered fat from the beef into the onions and peppers, and add chili and taco seasoning.
3 cups chicken broth
1 can chili beans in sauce
1 large can crushed tomatoes
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
Add beer to the onion mixture to deglaze. Scrape up all the bits. Add the other ingredients, along with the beef and any fat that has been rendered. Do not drain the fat!
Place the chili, uncovered, in a 450 degree oven for 90 minutes.
1 cups white rice
Start the rice.
Check on the chili. You want it to look like a well concentrated gravy, not a soup.
1 lime
parsley
After removing chili from the oven, stir in the juice of one lime and minced parsley. If you have a green adobo ready, you can use that instead of plain parsley.
sharp cheddar
sour cream
more onion
tortilla strips
Serve over rice with grated cheese, sour cream, raw onion and tortilla strips.
South Carolina Pulled Pork
5 pound pork shoulder
3 tablespoons mustard powder
2 tablespoons salt
1½ tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons pepper
2 teaspoons paprika
¼ teaspoon cayenne
Pat meat dry with paper towels. Rub spices into the meat, cover in plastic wrap and store in the fridge for two days.
8 cups wood chips
Soak the wood chips in water for 15 minutes.
Make 3 foil packets of wood chips, poke holes in the side of the foil.
50 charcoal briquettes
15 more charcoal briquettes
Light the briquettes in a chimney starter. After 10 minutes, before the coals are covered in gray dust, pour them out over just half of the grill.
It's OK if some of them are un-lit. Add the 15 remaining un-lit coals on top for a slow steady burn.
Place a foil packet on top of the coals. Place the pork on the cold side of the grill.
Make sure the bottom vents are open, and the top vents are half open.
Roast for two hours, adding a wood chip packet every 30 minutes, and then remove to a roasting pan or disposable foil tray.
½ cup yellow mustard
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup white vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon hot sauce
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon pepper
Whisk the ingredients, and brush half onto the pork.
Cover tightly with tin foil and roast in a 325° oven for 3 hours.
The pork is done when you can plunge a fork into it with no resistance.
You can either shred the pork right away, or let it sit until it's cool enough to handle. Don't worry about resting it; all of the juices have left the meat.
Shred with two forks, and toss with the remaining sauce and pork juices.
Pot Roast
4 pound chuck eye roast
Sprinkle liberally with kosher salt, and rest overnight in the refrigerator, lightly tented with paper towel.
Before cooking, bring the roast onto the counter and let it come up to room temperature, which can take up to two hours.
Pat the roast dry with paper towels, and brown all sides over medium-high heat in a large dutch oven. Reduce temperature if it starts to smoke. Remove roast to a plate.
1 large onion
1 carrot
1 celery rib
2 whole garlic cloves
1 tablespoon kosher salt
Roughly chop vegetables, and add onions and salt to the pot, and cook until onions are just starting to brown. Add carrots, celery and garlic and cook for 5 more minutes.
1 cup beef broth
1 cup red wine
1 sprig fresh thyme
Move the roast back to the pot, and add liquid until the level comes halfway up the roast. Better to have too little liquid than too much. Put in a 300° oven for 5 hours, flipping the roast half way through.
At the end, blend the sauce and root vegetables for a thicker sauce.
Baked red bliss potatoes are a good accompaniment. They can either be placed on the bare oven rack, or added to the pot in the last two hours.
Whiskey Variation
1½ cup beef broth
½ cup whiskey
Yen's Pho
1 turkey or chicken carcass
1 onion
4 ribs celery
1 carrot
4 cups chicken stock
Slice vegetables in large pieces. Sauté in a stock pot over medium low heat with olive oil until onions are translucent and just starting to brown. Add chicken carcass and enough chicken stock to cover with two inches to spare.
Simmer gently for one hour. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Strain liquid through a fine mesh stainer and return to the pot.
1 pound rice noodles
1 onion
8 scallions
1 bunch cilantro
1 bunch Thai basil
1 package bean sprouts
3 Serrano chilies
Soak rice noodles and put in empty bowls. Add simmering broth. Slice vegetables and add to individual soup bowls at the last second.
Fish sauce
Thai chili sauce
4 limes
Add to taste.
Other ingredients to try are minced garlic fried in oil, dried shrimp, sliced beef or chicken.
Premium Pork Ramen
Home made chicken stock is best.
small pork shoulder
salt
Halve the pork shoulder. Salt one half for 24 hours, and roast in a 325°
oven for 5-6 hours, or until a fork falls through the meat. Allow to cool
to room temperature and set aside.
remaining pork shoulder
Slice into one inch cubes, and place in the freezer for 15 minutes. Process in
the food processor until it's the texture of pancetta.
vegetable oil
1 onion
6 garlic cloves
1 inch of ginger
Heat oil in a dutch oven over medium heat. Add chopped pork and sauté until
well browned. Dice onion, smash garlic and grate ginger. Add all ingredients
to the dutch oven and soften for 3 minutes.
8 cups chicken stock
Deglaze dutch oven with chicken stock. Bring to simmer, reduce to low and
simmer for 40 minutes.
Pour broth through a fine mesh strainer into a container. Reserve.
4 ramen packets
Discard flavor packets. Boil noodles for just 2 minutes. Drain noodles and
place directly into serving bowls.
Return broth to dutch oven. Bring to simmer.
miso paste
fermented red pepper paste
Whisk half a cup of the broth into the pastes to combine. Stir mixture back
into the broth.
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon mirin
sesame oil
4 scallions
sesame seeds
Add wet ingredients to the pot. Slice roasted pork thinly, and add directly to
the serving bowls, on top of the noodles. Pour broth over the noodles, and
let sit for 3 minutes to warm. Add sliced scallions and sesame seeds and serve.
Chicken Pot Pie
You can either use a rotisserie chicken, or chicken breasts that you bake or boil. Shredded chicken is better in the dish than chopped.
½ cup sour cream
1 egg
2½ cups flour
1½ teaspoons salt
12 tablespoons butter
Beat eggs with sour cream. Process dry ingredients in a food processor, and
add butter in pieces. Slowly add egg mixture. Stop when dough just begins to
form. Transfer to a floured surface and kneed. Divide into two halves, and form
into discs. Wrap in plastic and put into the refrigerator for at least one hour.
Remove dough from plastic, and roll one into a 12 inch circle. Transfer to the bottom of a 9 inch pie dish. Press dough into the edges. Wrap in plastic, and put
the dish into the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
Roll the other half of the dough, cover in plastic, and move to the refrigerator
on a separate plate.
4 tablespoons butter
1 onion
2 carrots
2 celery ribs
6 tablespoons flour
2½ cups chicken broth
½ cup half and half
1 russet potato
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
2½ lbs chicken
1 cup frozen peas
Start the oven at 450°. Poach chicken in shallow water for 15 minutes, then cool and shred.
Melt button in a dutch oven on the stove top, on medium heat. Add onions, carrots, and celery. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes. Add
flour, and cook for another 2 minutes. Add chicken broth, and half and half.
Add potato and thyme. Reduce heat and simmer for 8 minutes.
Turn off the heat, and add chicken and peas.
Assemble pie. Trim upper crust as needed, and pinch the seams together using your fingers. Cut four slots in the top of the crust. Brush with egg wash.
Bake at 450° for 20 minutes. Reduce oven to 375° and bake for another 15 minutes.
Let pie cool for 45 minutes.
Thai Fast Food Yellow Curry
I use Morton's yellow curry powder, and Mae Ploy yellow curry paste.
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons yellow curry powder
1 tablespoon yellow curry paste
Bloom curry powder and paste in oil over medium heat for 30 seconds.
14 ounce can coconut milk
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon peanut butter
2 teaspoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon kosher salt
Add a small amount of the coconut milk. Whisk to combine. Whisk in sugar and peanut butter. Add the rest of the coconut milk and the fish sauce.
4 small Yukon gold potatoes unpeeled
2 carrots
½ can pineapple
1 small onion
1 large chicken breast
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Slice potatoes into ¾ inch chunks, and carrots into discs. Slice chicken ¼ inch.
Add potatoes, carrots, chicken and pineapple. Simmer for 10 minutes.
Make a cornstarch and water slurry and add to sauce. Slice onions into half crescents. Add the onions and simmer another 10 minutes.
2 cups Jasmine rice, rinsed three times
Boil 2.25 cups of water. Add rice. Cook covered for 15 minutes on lowest setting.
1 lime
Cilantro
Sriracha
Once curry is done, take off heat and stir in half a lime of juice. Let cool for 10 minutes.
Roughly chopped cilantro and serve with Sriracha on the side.
Beef Stew
You want to fully develop flavor, but also have some texture to the beef, potatoes, and a carrots. This recipe takes 3½ hours, but can also be started well ahead of that.
2 lbs stew beef
¼ cup flour
kosher salt
pepper
Combine flour, pepper and salt in a bowl. Cut beef into two inch pieces and toss to coat.
vegetable oil
Brown beef in a dutch oven with vegetable oil. Don't crowd the pan. Work in three or four batches, five minutes per side. Remove beef to a plate.
1 large onion
kosher salt
Chop onions. Add onions and salt. As the onions cook, scrape up the fond on the bottom of the pan.
4 cups beef broth
1 cup red wine
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 bay leaves
Add liquid ingredients to the pot, and reintroduce the beef. Simmer on low for 90 minutes, skimming the surface residue, occasionally.
At this point, you can let the stew cool and finish it 90 minutes before dinner.
3 large carrots
1 large russet potato
Peel and cut carrots into rounds. Peel and slice the potato into ½ inch cubes. Add to stew. Finish in the oven at 350° for 1 hour.
Let cool for 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and cider vinegar.
Serve with a baguette or egg noodles.
Pasta Cacio e Uova
Cook the pasta in a small amount of salted water, for a starchier sauce.
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 garlic cloves
Saute garlic in olive oil to flavor the oil. Remove from heat after five minutes.
2 eggs
parsley
Beat two eggs and combine with minced parsley.
2 ounces Parmesan cheese
2 ounces Pecorino cheese
Shred cheese very fine and combine with the eggs.
When the the pasta is done, reserve some of the cooking liquid. Put the
pasta back into the pot and add the olive oil plus the egg mixture. Stir to combine. Add reserved cooking liquid to loosen as needed.
Thai Cashew Chicken (Gai Pad Med Ma Muang)
Serve with Jasmine rice.
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons flour
1½ lbs chicken thighs
salt
pepper
Combine soy sauce and flour with a whisk. Slice chicken to ¾ inch cubes and toss in sauce.
Put a wok or cast iron pan over high heat. Don't preheat for more than a few minutes or the first oil could burn.
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
Stir fry each batch staring with 1 tablespoon of oil.
Stir fry chicken in two batches. Remove to temporary bowl.
1 cup roasted cashews
Stir fry cashews. Remove to bowl.
5 Arbol chiles
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
6 garlic cloves
Press garlic into a mince and combine ingredients into a small bowl.
1 red onion
Slice onion into one inch chunks.
Stir fry garlic, red pepper. Add onions. Cook for 2 minutes.
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1½ tablespoons Thai Kitchen roasted red chili paste
1½ tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
3 tablespoons water
Whisk in a bowl.
Add chicken back to pan. Add roasted red pepper sauce. Cook for 2 minutes.
1 bunch scallions
Slice green onions into one inch pieces and add to pan. Cook for 1 minute.
Pad See Ew
Serve with a chili and vinegar condiment.
1 lb vermicelli rice noodles
Soak noodles in cold water for 1 hour. They should be mostly limp.
6 oz chicken thighs
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
Slice chicken thin and mix with soy sauce and oil.
4 cloves garlic
6 stalks broccoli rabe
Mince garlic and slice broccoli.
4 teaspoons granulated sugar
white pepper
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1½ teaspoons fish sauce
Combine sauce ingredients together in a small bowl.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large sauté pan over high heat. When hot, add all of the chicken and toss just fully cooked. Set aside.
2 eggs
Each serving should be fried as a separate batch, so that the noodles char and don't steam.
For each serving, start with a little oil and garlic. Then, scramble the eggs. Add the broccoli. Add rice noodles and sauce. Stir to coat noodles.
Let noodles fry without stirring until some of the noodles have charred. Flip and char again. Add back chicken.
Remove to a single-serving bowl and start another batch.
Braised Chicken Thighs with Black Bean Rice
The secret ingredient for extra chicken flavor is Better than Bouillon.
4 chicken thighs
2 teaspoons Better than Bouillon
2 cups water
olive oil
salt
Pat chicken dry and salt.
Saute whole thighs on medium heat until browned. Add Better than Bouillon and water and bring to simmer. Reduce until liquid is nearly gone, flipping once in a while.
Shred the meat in the pan and toss with sauce to coat.
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion
salt
1 garlic clove
1 tablespoon cumin
cayenne pepper
1½ cups of jasmine rice
1½ cups of chicken broth
1 small can black beans
Saute salted diced onion in olive oil. Add garlic, cumin, and cayenne. Add rice and stir until coated in fat and some grains of rice turn a lighter white color. Add chicken broth plus the beans (with the canned liquid), reduce heat to low and cover for 22 minutes.
Serve with butter and hot sauce.
Chicken Parmesan
One large chicken breast and half a box of pasta can feed the family (2 adults, 3 kids). Finishing the chicken in the oven before you add the cheese and then broiling the cheese briefly will make sure the chicken is not undercooked and rhe cheese is just melted.
Pre heat the oven to 425°, and start a pot of water boiling for the pasta.
pancetta
olive oil
garlic
Sauté in pan until golden, remove solids and dice fine, return to pan.
large can of San Marzano tomatoes
small can of diced tomatoes
Add tomatoes to the pan with salt and simmer for 15 minutes.
1 chicken breast
2 eggs
1 cup flour
Panko breadcrumbs
vegetable oil
Add oil to a wide shallow pan bring to medium heat. Slice and pound chicken breasts flat. Dredge in flour, beaten eggs, and Panko and fry for three minutes a side.
The chicken will not be fully cooked yet.
Finish on a baking sheet in the oven until 165°.
1 lbs mozzarella
Top fried chicken with some of the sauce, and mozzarella.
Broil until the cheese is just melted.
½ box spaghetti
Cook the pasta while the chicken cools. Serve extra extra sauce.
Chicken Kebabs
Pairs well with rice and hummus.
2 cups Greek yogurt
1 lemon juiced
1 tablespoon paprika
5 garlic cloves minced
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt
1 bunch cilantro minced
Mix ingredients in a bowl with a lid.
4 chicken thighs
Cut chicken into one-inch pieces and toss in the bowl to coat. Marinate for 24 hours.
1 cucumber
1 cup Greek yogurt
3 cloves garlic
Salt
olive oil
1 bunch fresh dill or mint
To make Tzatziki sauce, peel and scoop seeds out of the cucumber. Dice. Combine with the rest of the ingredients, plus the minced herbs.
Pre-heat oven to 450°.
Put foil on the bottom of a sheet pan. Space out the chicken pieces on the foil.
2 onions
2 bell peppers
Slice vegetables, and toss with olive oil and salt. Place on a second sheet pan covered in foil.
Broil chicken until charred and chicken is fully cooked. Then broil the vegetables while the chicken cools.
Serve with rice, hummus and Tzatziki sauce.
Chicken Piccata
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
kosher salt
Slice chicken breasts in half horizontally and season with salt. Pound them flat. Let rest for 1 hour.
1 cup flour
1 tablespoon vegatable oil
Dry chicken with paper towels and dredge lightly in flour.
Oil a saute pan and brown chicken on both sides over medium heat. Remove to a plate.
1 shallot
1 cup chicken stock
2 lemons
2 tablespoons capers
Mince shallot and saute in empty pan with salt. Add chicken stock to de-glaze, along with one sliced lemon.
Reduce, and then add the juice of two lemons plus the capers. Reduce again.
3 tablespoons butter
parsley
Whisk in the cold butter one tablespoon at a time. Sauce the chicken and top with parsley.
Orange Chicken
Serve with rice.
2 lbs chicken thighs
vegetable oil
Slice chicken thighs into 1½ inch pieces, toss with vegetable oil. Stir fry in a dutch oven until well browned.
1 tablespoon grated ginger
6 garlic cloves minced
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup white sugar
¼ soy sauce
1 tablespoon Sriracha
Mix ingredients in a bowl.
1 cup orange juice
De-glaze chicken pot with some of the orange juice. Add the rest of the orange juice and the sauce mixture into the pot. Bring to a low simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
2 tablespoons corn starch
water
Combine corn starch and just enough water to make a loose paste. Stir the slurry into the pot, and let simmer to thicken.
1 bunch green onions
1 orange
Serve with sliced green onion and orange zest.
Thanksgiving Dinner
The turkey temp should be 165° for the white meat, and 175° for the dark meat. It's OK if both go 10-15° over that. Recipes are good for up to 12 adults and 5 young children.
9:00 start green bean base
10:00 stuffing
10:30 start gravy
11:00 ice turkey
11:15 peel potatoes into cold water
12:00 turkey in at 425°
12:00 put out ice for drinks
1:00 add stuffing, 325°
1:00 rotate turkey
1:30 peel potatoes into cold water
2:30 put potatoes on heat
2:30 start dishwasher so you can empty after dinner
3:00 turkey out
3:00 crescent rolls in at 425° (no traffic jam at the end)
3:15 finish gravy
3:30 assemble green beans and put in oven 425°
4:00 Dinner
Green Bean Casserole
6 slices white bread
2 tablespoons butter
1 can fried onions
Pulse bread and butter in food processor with salt and pepper. Toss with fried onions.
2 pounds green beans
Trim and cut green beans into thirds. Smaller pieces are better. Boil for 6 minutes and cool in an ice water bath.
2 pound button mushrooms
1 pound Shiitake mushrooms
5 tablespoons butter
3 garlic cloves
3 tablespoons flour
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
Sauté mushrooms, broken in to pieces, with butter and salt. Cover the pot while the mushrooms sweat down. Add garlic. Add flour and cook for one minute. Add liquids and simmer for 3 hours to reduce. Finish with vinegar and season to taste. It's OK if it's liquidy. Toss with green beans. Place into 9x13 baking dish. Don't add topping until it's ready to go into the oven.
Bake at 425° for 15 minutes. 30 minutes if it starts cold.
Stuffing
Try using two different kinds of bread. I've had good luck with Brioche, challah, sourdough and rye. Don't stretch it to three loaves, the stuffing will be dry. Pre-sliced bread is OK.
2 loaves of bread
Cube bread into ¼ inch pieces. Toast in the oven at 325° for 30 minutes, until it's very dry and toasted. Instead of putting multiple pans in the oven at once or crowding the pans, take your time and do four separate batches. Different types of bread will brown at different rates.
2 onions
4 ribs of celery
3 cups chicken broth or turkey stock
3 tablespoons butter
salt
pepper
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
In dutch oven, sauté onion and celery in butter with salt until just starting to brown. Add broth and bring to simmer. If you want to add seasonings, rosemary, thyme, and fennel are all good. Finish with vinegar and season with salt aggressively. Toss with bread cubes until the broth is absorbed. It's OK if it's a little dry; it will absorb juices from the turkey.
Gravy
I think this recipe for gravy without using the pan drippings is even better than with the pan drippings, and it allows you to absorb all the drippings into the stuffing.
1 onion
4 celery ribs
8 tablespoons butter (one stick)
reserved turkey pieces
In a dutch oven, melt butter and add onion and celery. Brown on medium high heat until very dark, but not burnt. Add more butter as necessary so that their is plenty of fat for browning. This step can take up to an hour. Add chopped up turkey gizzard, kidney and neck. Skip just the liver.
12 cups turkey or chicken broth
reserved turkey liquid
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
Add some broth, and cover. Bring to a simmer, to start rendering the fat in the turkey neck. Let it reduce down until dark brown.
Change heat to low and continue to stir occasionally for the rest of the day (3-4 hours). Add the fat and liquid from the reserved pan drippings when available. Continue to add broth as needed to keep from burning, but don't add all the liquid at once. Gravy should be a dark brown.
Finish gravy before dinner by straining over a bowl to remove any solids, and return the gravy to the dutch oven. Don't strain out the fat. You can continue to add stock here to produce a larger amount of gravy. Just bring it to a simmer again.
1 cup water
1 tablespoon corn starch
Mix cornstarch and water in a glass until cornstarch is dissolved. Slowly whisk into gravy and bring to simmer, until thickened and glossy.
Mashed Potatoes
5 pounds of mashed potatoes is fine for 18 people. 10 pounds is a ridiculous amount. Low fat buttermilk doesn't work, it will curdle. Substitute sour cream instead.
5 pounds russet potatoes
1 stick butter
1 cup buttermilk
chives or scallions
Start in cold water and boil for 20 minutes, longer is fine. User a ricer to break them down. Add a butter in chunks and stir in buttermilk gradually. Don't pre-heat buttermilk or it will curdle. Mashed potatoes can be kept warm by placing in the microwave.
Turkey
A 12 pound turkey is plenty for eight people. 22 pounds is plenty for 18 people. For up to 18 pounds, you don't need to increase the cooking time at all. Icing and flipping the tukey is worth it for well cooked dark meat. Let the turkey rest in the oven to give the dark meat even more time to come up to temperature.
12 pound turkey
½ cup kosher salt
48 hours before roasting, unwrap and separate gizzard and neck pieces. Salt liberally and use a knife to create fat draining slits on the dark meat area.
One hour before roasting remove from refrigerator and put ice on the breasts.
Place in roasting pan on a raised rack, upside down, on some foil so it doesn't stick. Brush with melted butter, and roast at 425° for one hour.
Lower oven to 325°. Remove turkey in the raised rack, and flip is over, removing foil. Empty any liquid in the pan into a bowl and reserve for gravy.
Place the stuffing into the bottom of the roasting pan. Press the stuffing down to compress. Put the turkey on top of the stuffing, and return to oven for another two hours. If it's cooking too fast, you can turn off the oven and prop open the door, and it will keep climbing 10°. You should remove the turkey from the oven when the breast reads 170°. This means it will climb to 175° or 180°; but if it's well salted you don't need to worry about overcooking it. A remote thermometer is critical.
Carving
Drumsticks and wings should be removed first, by slipping a blade in between the knob joints.
The thighs are where most of the good dark meat comes from. It's between the drumsticks and the main body. There is a second joint there which must be separated, and then the dark meat can be removed from the bone. On a well cooked bird, you can remove the bone easily with just your fingers.
Remove the breasts before carving with sweeping motions between the backbone and the breast meat.
Once the breasts are separated, they can be sliced vertically on a cutting board.
I prefer them in one inch slices.
Ham and Scalloped Potatoes
The scalloped potatoes can be prepped ahead of time, even the day before. Simply pause at the step when they go into the oven, and refrigerate instead.
Ham
You can't really over-cook a ham. I cook for 20 minutes a pound which develops a better crust. Spiral precut hand are fine.
1 large ham, bone in
3 apples
2 onions
1 cup water
1 cup brown sugar
Quarter apples and onions and place in the bottom of a roasting pan along with the water.
Score the surface of the ham with a cross hatch pattern at once inch intervals.
Place ham on a rack in the roasting pan. With your hands, pack brown sugar on to the sides of the ham.
Roast in the oven at 350° for 20 minutes per pound.
1 cup apple jelly
With 90 minutes remaining on the roast time, remove ham from oven and brush with the jelly. Return to oven. Cook to 140°.
Rest for 60 minutes and carve.
Gastrique Sauce
⅓ cup cider vinegar
Remove ham from oven, and remove rack from the roasting pan. Set aside and tent loosely for foil for at least 30 minutes.
To make the sauce, remove solids from the roasting pan surface, and add cider vinegar. Simmer lightly on the stove top, until reduced to taste. You can also season with salt and pepper.
When the sauce is reduced to a good volume and has good flavor, reduce heat to low or just turn the stove off and let the pan keep the sauce warm.
Pass the sauce at the table, separately from the ham.
Scalloped Potatoes
I like a strong garlic flavor in these which is non-traditional. Use a larger baking dish for quicker cooking and more browning. The whole thing takes about 2 hours. If you add the cheese initially it will break and eat greasey.
2 tablespoons butter
1 large onion
4 cups heavy cream
5 garlic cloves
2 bay leaves
fresh thyme
kosher salt
Mince onion and sauté in butter with salt. Add cream, and bring to simmer in a dutch oven. Add minced garlic and bay leaves. Tie thyme sprigs into a bunch and steep in the cream.
5 pounds russet potatoes
Peel potatoes, and slice to ⅛ inch directly into the cream. This is best done on a mandolin. Place in a large Pyrex dish, put in the oven on 400 for 40 minutes, until they feel soft when poked with a pairing knife.
8 ounces Gruyere cheese
8 ounces Fontina cheese
Top potatoes with shredded cheese, and bake for 20 minutes. Broil briefly for color. You want it lightly browned, remove if it starts to go dark brown or developed black edges.
Horseradish-Crusted Beef Tenderloin
The gelatin is the key to getting the crust to stick, even when you slice it. A 2.5 pound roast is good for 4 adults and 2 children. Ask for a center-cut Chateaubriand fillet roast. Use jarred horseradish. Cut into two roasts if you want different donenesses. The whole recipe takes about 90-120 minutes. The sauce at the end is worth it!
2.5 pound beef tenderloin
Trim excess fat and remove silver skin.
Sprinkle liberally with kosher salt, and rest in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Remove from refrigerator
and bring to room temperature for 1 hour.
Pre-heat oven to 400°.
3 tablespoons Panko breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon vegatable oil
Toast breadcrumbs over medium high heat, and remove to a medium sized bowl.
1 shallot
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons minced parsley
1 tablespoon minced thyme
2 tablespoons horseradish
1 russet potato
1 cup vegetable oil
Mince shallot and garlic. Combine with herbs. Pat horseradish dry with a paper towel, and combine. Peel potato, and grate on a box grater. Shallow fry potato over medium high heat until well browned. Strain oil, and let cool. Put potato into a ziploc bag and crush. Combine with breadcrumb mixture.
Pat tenderloin dry, and season with pepper. Brown all four sides in a large dutch oven.
Let rest for 10 minutes before coating.
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
2 tablespoons horseradish
½ teaspoons powdered gelatin
Combine mayonnaise, mustard, and horseradish. Right before coating the beef, stir in gelatin. Coat beef on three sides using a brush. Roll in the breadcrumb mixture, pressing down so that it adheres.
Roast on a wired rack on a baking sheet for 30 minutes, or until 135° for medium. Roast will climb another
10° while it's resting. Rest for at least 20 minutes before serving. Slice into fillets.
A good sauce to serve with is another jar of horseradish, enough heavy cream to loosen, and salt and pepper to taste. Optional minced green apple and red onion.
Christmas Morning Casserole
My mother made a version of this every Christmas morning. It's easy to make the night before and pop in the oven as you're making your coffee.
10 eggs
2 cups half and half
1 onion
2 tablespoons butter
1 loaf rustic bread
15 ounces crushed tomato
12 ounces Gruyere
kosher salt
pepper
Whisk eggs and half and half together. Finely chop onion and sauté in butter with salt. Add egg and cream mixture and heat up until it's just warm. Season liberally with salt and pepper.
Cube bread and combine with egg mixture, making sure there is no dry bread left.
Top with tomatoes and grated cheese and refrigerate overnight, covered.
½ package bacon
On Christmas morning, start by cooking bacon in a 400° oven on a baking sheet for 20 minutes. Remove, blot dry with paper towels, and chop into medium sized pieces.
Top casserole with bacon pieces and bake in a 350° oven until the sides are bubbling, about 25 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes and serve.
Burnt Cheesecake
The top of this cheescake will be very dark, almost burned. The inside will be light and fluffy if you serve after cooling for the minimum two hours. If refrigerated, it will have the same consistency as normal cheesecake. Goes well with any type of fruit compote topping. All together it takes about 4 hours to make, including bringing the ingredients to room temperature. Be prepared for both the food processor and the baking pan to potentially leak; work quickly.
Pre-heat the oven to 425°.
7 eggs
2 cups sugar
36 ounces cream cheese
1 cup heavy cream
¼ cup flour
Bring eggs and cream cheese to room temperature by submerging in lukewarm water for 30 minutes or leaving out on the counter for 2 hours. Combine sugar and eggs
in a food processor for 1 minute. Add cream cheese, heavy cream, and flour and process for 2 minutes.
Cut two sheets of 12x16 inch parchment paper. Spray the sheets with a water bottle, and crumple into a ball. Flatten the sheets back out, and line the inside of a 9 inch spring form pan. Cut off excess paper from the sides.
Bake for 45 minutes with a sheet pan underneath to catch drips. The batter will puff up above the pan. The center should be at least 155°, if it goes higher that's fine. It should still be very jiggly.
Remove from oven, and cool for at least two hours before eating.
Slice using a knife rested in hot water.
Pancakes
I used to make pancakes from scratch, using either buttermilk or buttermilk powder. But it turns out that even basic pancake mix like Bisquick has all the basic ingredients I was using, and nothing more. This make 5 medium pancakes.
1 cup pancake mix
1 teaspoon sugar
Whisk in a large bowl to combine.
1 egg
½ cup of whole milk
1 dash of vanilla extract
Beat egg in a separate bowl, and add milk and vanilla extract.
Combine wet and dry ingredients, stir well with a spatula to combine. Make sure to get any of the dry bits.
vegetable oil
Preheat an electric griddle to 375°. You can also use the largest frying pan you have over medium-low heat.
For each batch of pancakes, add vegetable oil to cover the bottom of the pan. You want a pool covering the entire surface.
Pour ¼ cup of the batter onto an empty spot on the pan, and repeat until the pan is full.
After 90 seconds, flip them, and cook for 90 seconds.
Transfer the pancakes to a wire rack on a sheet pan while the others finish.
Bread
6½ cups flour
3 cups water
1½ tablespoons yeast
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
Whisk dry ingredients to combine in a large container with an air tight top. Add water, warm to hot if possible. Mix with a large spoon until no dry flour remains, even on the bottom of the container. This can take some muscle.
Secure the top of the container so that it's air tight. Place on the counter and allow to rise. Dough should double in volume over the course of three hours. Put in the fridge for at least 12 hours.
The dough can last quite a number of days in the refrigerator, but bread made the next day will rise best.
When you're ready to make bread, cut a square of parchment paper and place it on a pizza or bread stone. You can also use the back of a baking sheet.
Flour your hands well, and remove half of the dough. Making a cupping motion from top to bottom, stretch the dough over itself, tucking the excess under the bottom. Don't be afraid to handle the dough roughly, Doing so with agitate the yeast to create a good rise. The goal is to create a tight surface which will expand like a balloon in the oven.
Place the dough on the parchment paper and allow to rise at room temperature for three hours.
Put a bread stone in the oven. Also place an empty metal pan on the bottom the oven floor. Heat to 450 degrees.
Take a bread knife and create shallow slashes on the surface of the dough. Popular patterns are an X, or parallel lines.
Slide the dough onto the bread stone, opening the door for as little time as possible. Also pour a glass of hot water into the metal pan to create steam.
Bake for at least 45 minutes. The crust of the dough will get much darker than you think it should be. This is normal; you cannot over bake this bread, but you can easily under bake it.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely, at least 3 hours.
You can increase the speed of the rising step by placing the loaf in a very low oven at 100°. Many home ovens do not go that low. In that case, you can preheat to a low heat, turn the oven off, and leave the door open. Either way, place a very wet paper towel on top of the loaf to keep the surface from drying out.
Flatbread
Lard can be found in some grocery stores near the oils.
½ cup water
¼ cup yogurt or sour cream
Whisk together.
2 cups bread flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1½ teaspoons baking powder
⅓ cup lard
Combine everything except the lard in a food processor and pulse.
Add lard and process for 10 pulses. Add water mixture slowly while processing.
Split into four even portions and roll into balls. Leave on the counter to rise
for 15 minutes under a clean kitchen towel.
Pre-heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat.
Roll into 10 inch rounds using your hands and a silicon baking mat. Place in
the dry cast iron skillet for two minutes on the first side, then flip and
cook for another one minute. Eat immediately.
Charcuterie, and Arugula Flatbread
Charcuterie sliced thin
shaved parmesan
baby arugula
kosher salt
olive oil
hot sauce
Assemble sandwiches to taste.
Prosciutto Cheese Bread
Great side dish for a pork roast.
Pre-heat the oven to 400°.
1 package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1 teaspoon sugar
Combine in the bowl of a stand mixer. Let it sit for 8 minutes.
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon dried herbs
Combine using a dough hook in the stand mixer for 5 minutes. If it's still sticky, add flour as needed.
Cover and let rest for 90 minutes.
Punch down dough. Flatten into an oiled baking sheet.
½ cut Prosciutto
½ cut provolone cheese
½ cut Parmesan cheese
Spread ingredients onto the dough. Roll up into a cylinder, and then seal
the ends together. Cover with plastic and let rise again, 60 minutes.
1 egg
Brush with egg wash. Bake for 25 minutes until golden brown.
Mom's Banana Muffins
Don't throw out those brown bananas! The can substitute brown sugar and coconut oil if needed.
Pre-heat the oven to 350°. Butter, eggs, and bananas should be room temperature, or you
can submerge them in warm water for 30 minutes. Bananas are best if they are frozen and thawed.
1 cup sugar
8 tablespoons butter
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
Combine softened butter and sugar. Mix in flour and baking powder.
2 eggs
2 very ripe bananas
Mix in bananas and eggs into dried ingredients. If it's too dry, add milk.
Pour into muffin tins, using about ½ cup per tin. Paint on an egg wash, and sprinkle with extra sugar on top. Bake for 35 minutes to an internal temperature of 200°.
Julie's Cinnamon Rolls
Makes about 16 rolls. You can substitude coconut oil for shortening. You can make these the night before, just cover airtight.
2 cups milk
16 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon shortening
¾ cup sugar
Combine and bring to 185° over medium heat.
½ cup warm water
3 tablespoons yeast (3 packets)
2 tablespoons sugar
Combine and let rise until doubled in size in a medium-large bowl for 30 minutes.
6½ cups flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
3 eggs
Whisk flour and salt. Add milk mixture. The flour will cool it down enough to not kill the yeast. Stir in beaten eggs and the yeast.
Put into a buttered bowl and place in a proofing oven until doubled in size, 60 minutes.
Separate into two halves. Knead lightly until smooth. Roll each into a rectangle on a floured surface.
8 tablespoons butter
¼ cup sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
Melt butter and cinnamon together to bloom the spice. Smear or paint butter onto the dough.
Roll dough and cut into 1½ inch rounds.
At this point, you have the option of holding the rolls overnight or even freezing them.
Arrange in a 12x9 baking pan. The rolls will merge together, leave some space. Let rise in a warm location for 30 minutes. Bake for 15 minutes at 350° until just light brown. You want them to look under-baked.
8 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar
whole milk
Cool rolls slightly for 5 minutes. Combine frosting in a stand mixer. Add whole milk until its runny. Drip over cooled rolls.
Butter Biscuits
Easy to make for a weeknight meal.
Feeze butter 30 min before starting. Pre-heat the oven to 400°.
3 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoons baking soda
3 teaspoons kosher salt
Whisk dry ingredients in a bowl.
2 sticks butter (not softened)
Grate semi-frozen butter into the dry ingredients and stir to combine.
1¼ cup buttermilk
Add buttermilk and stir to combine. It will be quite dry and crumbly.
Turn out onto the counter top, and work the dough with your hands until it just comes together. Form into a square.
Using a rolling pin, roll into a 9x12 rectangle. With a bench scraper, fold into thirds like a letter. Repeat a total of five times.
Cut into squares and brush with melted butter. Bake for 25 minutes, turning halfway.
Cool for 15 minutes before eating.
Fluffy Yellow Cake
Bring ingredients to room temperature ahead of time, including the buttermilk.
Set oven to 350°. Line the bottoms of two 9-inch pans with parchment paper. Grease pans with cooking spray and dust with flour.
2½ cups cake flour
1¼ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoons baking soda
1½ cups sugar
Whisk ingredients in a large bowl.
10 tablespoons butter
1 cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons vegatable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 egg yolks
Melt butter. Reserve egg whites. Whisk wet ingredients in a small bowl.
¼ cup sugar
In a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, beat egg whites until foamy. Add sugar and beat to stiff peaks. Set aside, emptying the mixing bowl.
Put the flour mixture into the mixing bowl and set speed to low.
Slowly add wet mixture to combine. Stop mixer and scrape the bowl.
Return mixer to medium-low and beat until smooth.
Using a spatula, stir ⅓ of whites into batter. Then fold in remaining whites.
Divide batter evenly between the two cake pans, tapping pans on the counter a few times.
Bake for about 20 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes and flip cakes onto a wire rack.
20 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup confenction sugar
¾ cup Dutch-processed cocoa
pinch salt
¾ cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 ounces milk chocolate, melted and cooled
Using a food processor, process butter, sugar, cocoa and salt until smooth. Add corn syrup and vanilla. Add chocolate and process until smooth.
Perfect Omelet
This omelet does need any cheese, or fillings. By cooking on very low heat, and taking it off before it's fully cooked, the eggs become custard-like, and actually taste cheesey. Start with room temperature eggs. You can submerge the eggs in warm water for 20 minutes to bring them to room temperature.
3 eggs
kosher salt
Crack eggs into a bowl. Add kosher salt. Beat with a fork. Let eggs sit for 5 minutes.
1 knob of butter
1 teaspoon dried dill
Melt butter in a 12 inch frying pan on low. I use my main burner for this, but on the lowest setting.
Add eggs, and do not stir at all. It will look like it's not cooking at all.
Eventually, you will see little bubbles come up, and the bottom will be slightly opaque.
Once you can shake the pan a little, and see that only the very top surface has uncooked egg, you're ready to fold. Flip the far edge of the eggs over using a spatula, and then use a wrist
flick to flip the whole thing over into thirds.
Stock - Chicken, Vegetable
Stock is very simple to make. It's only slightly harder to make well!
2 onions
4 celery stalks
2 carrots
Roughly chop these ingredients. They don't have to be peeled at all, even the onions. Cover with four quarts of water.
You can also add any protein and/or bones you have on hand. A chicken or turkey carcass is the usual option.
Ingredients should be covered by the water. This may require the larger items to be broken down first.
Bring to boil on the stove, and quickly reduce to the lowest heat setting. You want the surface to be broken by a small bubble only once every two or three seconds.
Simmer for at least four hours.
1 packet powdered gelatin
1 bunch herbs
kosher salt
pepper
Time to flavor the stock. Add liberal amounts of salt and pepper to taste.
The gelatin serves to give the stock a better mouth feel. You can get the same effect by using a lot of bones; gelatin will naturally be extracted from the bone marrow.
Remove one cup of the stock and mix with gelatin powder, then add the gelatin mixture back to the stock.
Typical herbs to use would be rosemary, thyme and sage. Tie them into a bundle and steep in the stock.
Filter the stock through a fine mesh strainer like a Chinois. and discard solids.
Stock can be used immediately, or cooled to room temperature in an ice bath and then refrigerated. Should be used within two weeks.
Pickles
These are lacto-fermented pickles. Instead if using an acid like vinegar, they produce their own lactic acid through fermentation. The use of non-chlorinated water is required so as not to kill helpful microbes in the pickles and on the glass jars.
1 pound pickling cucumbers
6 sprigs fresh dill
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 garlic clove
non-chlorinated water
Quarter cucumbers length wise, and pack them tightly into wide mouthed mason jars.
Wedge dill sprigs down in between the cucumbers. Also wedge the garlic clove down there.
Top with kosher salt, and enough water to cover the cucumbers. You do not want them exposed to air.
Leave out at room temperature for 4 days. You should start seeing bubbling and other signs of fermentation by then.
Store in a cool cellar, or in the refrigerator, for up to a year.
You will know if your pickles are good by smell. It should smell strong, but pleasant. It should not smell spoiled or rotten.
Adobo
These two sauces keep in the fridge for at least six months. I use the green adobo in scrambled eggs, pan sauces and to top tacos and chili. The red adobo I use to quickly add some heat to a dish, as a spread in a sandwich and as a spicy mix in to a salad dressing.
Green Adobo
1 large bunch cilantro
1 large bunch parsley
1 cup olive oil
6 cloves garlic
4 Serrano chilis
Kosher salt
Toast garlic cloves (with skins on) for 15 minutes in a skillet on the stove top. Add the chilis for the last 10 minutes.
Remove the garlic skins and chop the garlic and chilis roughly.
Process all ingredients in a food processor until it's the consistency of pesto. Pack into a jar and refrigerate.
Red Adobo
1 large bag dried cayenne chilis
6 garlic cloves
apple cider vinegar
Kosher salt
Remove stems from chilis.
Toast garlic cloves (with skins on) for 15 minutes in a skillet on the stove top. Add the chilis for the last 10 minutes.
Remove the garlic skins and chop the garlic and chilis roughly.
Process all ingredients in a blender until it's the consistency of tomato paste, adding just enough apple cider vinegar. Pack into a jar and refrigerate.
Plums
Plum Jam
Every year we get about 20 pounds of plums off the tree in the front yard. This is what we do with the ones that we don't eat right away. I usually pick them around June 1; you want some of them to still be tart/underripe.
1 packet Sure Jell (pectin)
8 cups plums, quartered and squished
8 cups sugar
Mix pectin, ½ cup of water and plums together, thoroughly dissolving
the pectin. Bring to high simmer over high heat in an oversized pot. Add
sugar all at once and bring to a boil that does not dissipate when you stir it.
You want to the mixture to reach 220°.
Remove from heat. Spoon into canning jars. Process for 10 minutes (see any canning recipe).
Plum Preserves
Makes a great topping for ice cream or cheesecake.
halved plums, pit removed
simple sugar
Simple sugar is just equal parts sugar and water brought to a simmer. Pour over
plums in jars and process for 10 minutes.
Plum Mixer
This is great for drinks, either with carbonated water, simple sugar and lime, or as a cocktail mixer.
1 pound whole plums
1 cup water
Place plums in a dutch oven with water. Cover and bring to a boil over
medium heat until water is reduced by half. Strain into small canning jars. Process for
10 minutes.
Cocktails
Whiskey Sour
2 oz burbon or whiskey
1 oz simple syrup
1 oz fresh lemon juice
1 Maraschino cherry
lemon peel
Combine in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake for 60 seconds. Strain into a glass with fresh ice, and top with cherry and lemon peel.
Paloma
2 oz reposado tequila
1 oz fresh lime juice
3 oz San Pellegrino Pomelo or Squirt
grapefruit wedge
Combine in glass over ice. The grapefruit soda amount is variable to top up a 9 ounce glass.
Margarita
1 oz reposado tequila
1½ oz fresh lime juice
1 oz grand marnier
kosher salt
Shake with ice.
Negroni
1 oz gin
1 oz Campari
1 oz Cinzano
1 oz simple syrup
Shake with ice. Serve with a citrus twist.
Popcorn
The key to this recipe is using plent of fat. Don't try to halve the recipe; the kernels will not be submerged in enough fat, and will burn more easily. Flavacol is a fine popcorn salt and seasoning that they use in movie theaters. You can buy it online.
½ cup popcorn kernels
⅓ cup vegetable oil
1½ tablespoons coconut oil
1½ teaspoons Flavacol
Combine in a 9-inch pot. Put over medium heat, swirl to melt coconut oil and
combine, and place a cover on the pot.
You don't need to shake or swirl the pot after the cover is on.
Remove from heat when there are 1-2 seconds between pops. Immediately empty
into a large bowl, and let cool for 1 minute.
You can put all kinds of toppings on popcorn. Some of my favorites are Zahtar spice, nutritional yeast, and white cheddar powder.
Raspberry Lime Rickey
4 cups frozen raspberries
1 cup surgar
1 cup water
Make a raspberry simple syrup by bringing ingredients to a light boil.
Strain into a jar, cool to room temperature, and chill the the refrigerator overnight.
12 ounces seltzer (one can)
2 ounces lime juice
2 ounces raspberry syrup
ice
Combine in a glass. Serve with a straw, because the syrup has a tendency to sink
to the bottom.
Ocean Park's Famous Ham and Cheese Italian
The specific bread roll is less important than the compression of the bread by wrapping it. Classic ham without a rind is preferable. White american cheese is typically behind the deli counter.
1 white onion
1 green bell pepper
1 tomato
1 pickle spear
kosher salt
Dice onion medium. Slice bell pepper and tomato. Slice pickle spear in half. Salt the peppers and tomatoes.
1 6-inch sub roll
2 tablespoons diced onion
2 slices ham
2 slices white American cheese
2 slices pickle
4 slices bell pepper
4 slices tomato
2 tablespoons sliced black olives
kosher salt
pepper
olive oil
Open the sub roll, and lay down the ingredients in this order, with the onions on the bottom.
The ham and cheese slices should be cut so that the ham lines both sides of the roll in a "U" shape.
This will protect the bread from getting soggy.
Layer the rest of the ingredients inside the ham. Season with more salt than you think is necessary. Lightly oil the top of the sandwich with a brush.
Wrap tightly in parchment paper. This is important so that the sandwich compresses. Wrap with a paper napkin to absorb any moisture, a rubber
band, and let it sit for at least 10 minutes, or up to 2 hours refrigerated.
Chili Oil
Makes a great condiment. Combine with ramen noodles and blitzed peanuts for a quick meal. You can substitute whole dried chilis, just grind them in a spice grinder first.
5 green onions
2 shallots
3 garlic cloves
1 knob ginger
Slice and grate to prep.
1 cimmanon stick
2 star anise
1 teaspoons cloves
1 tablespoon peppercorns
½ cup red chili flakes
Toast and add to an empty mason jar.
3 tablespoons toasted seasame seeds
2 teaspoon white pepper
MSG (optional)
Add to mason jar.
2 cups peanut oil
Bring oil to high heat.
Add shallots. When they are browned, remove to the mason jar. Then return to heat, and brown the garlic. Remove the garlic and brown the ginger, briefly.
All the ingredients should be in the mason jar. Dump the rest of the hot oil in.
Let it cool before you use it. Can be stored in the refrigerator.