Extra Schmaltz!

Holy moley it's been a long time since I've posted! It's not that I haven't been cooking, but that my recipes have been getting rather arcane and many not worth recording for posterity. I've posted so many recipes at this point, I really have to reach to come up with something I haven't done before. Anyhow, here's a really simple marinade, which is great on chicken breasts or thighs. I think it would also be good on a firm fish such as halibut, swordfish, or salmon. 1 lb chicken breast 3 Tbsp. yellow miso (you could probably use red or white instead) 1 Tbsp. mirin 2 tsp. sesame oil 1 tsp. sugar 1-2 Tbsp. grated ginger (a piece the size of a large-ish thumb) Butterfly the chicken breast and pound slightly so that it is even thickness ~1/2". Combine the marinade ingredients. Spread the marinade onto the chicken breast and allow to sit for at least one hour. Place onto a medium-hot grill, turn after about 7 minutes. Cook another 4-5 minute...

 I cannot believe that I have not posted this recipe, even though I have probably made it a hundred times. Now you too can know the secret of how to make killer chicken kebabs, every time. This recipe will impress friends, endear you to in-laws, please picky eaters, and perhaps even make you more attractive. The key is using dark meat, i.e. chicken thighs. This is also good with lamb. Multiply the recipe to make more (I usually make about 12 thighs). Unfortunately I do not have any good pictures, but this captures how tightly you should pack the chicken onto the skewer for maximal juiciness. 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs 2 cloves garlic, crushed 2 Tbsp. olive oil ~1/3. c. full-fat plain yogurt 1 Tbsp. salt additional seasonings* (optional) Cut the chicken thighs into large-ish chunks that will stay on your skewers. Combine the remaining ingredients in whatever container you want to marinate the chicken in, then and add the chicken thighs. There should be just ...

I wanted to try something different than my usual cooking adventures so I ventured into African cuisine. I already love to make sukuma wiki collard greens, and this recipe makes a great main course with the greens. I got the recipe from Kadirecipes . 2 lb grilling meat, such as tri-tip 1/4 c. raw peanuts 1 Tbsp. paprika  2 tsp. grated ginger 1 tsp. cayenne pepper 2 bouillon cubes 1 Tbsp salt or to taste Roast the peanuts and allow to cool. Chop in the food processor until fine sandy texture, but not peanut butter. Blend in the remaining seasonings. Cut the meat into chunks or strips. Press the seasoning blend onto the meat and allow it to marinate for at least an hour. Place onto skewers, brush lightly with oil (if you are using lean meat) and grill. I found that my meat needed a bit more flavor pop, so I have increased the seasoning amounts from the original recipe. This meat went perfectly with the sukuma wiki and pap (cornmeal mush) as a side dish. The peanuts adde...

This dish is like the mullet of Mexican food: it tempers the healthful protein of chicken breast with the decadent fattiness of chorizo. Everyone wins! I grilled the chicken, but you could cook it any way that works for you. Most restaurants drown this dish in cheese, but it really only needs a little bit to tie the dish together. Would also be delicious with a fried egg on top. From the left: yellow rice, pico de gallo, chori pollo, avocado, and black refried beans. 4 chicken breasts 2 links or ~1/2 pound loose chorizo 1 red bell pepper, sliced 1 onion, sliced 3 Tbsp. oil 2 Tbsp. lard 1 Tbsp. Mexican oregano 1 Tbsp. black pepper 1 tsp. garlic powder 1 tsp. Adobo seasoning 1/2 tsp. cayenne salt to taste 1/2 c. grated Queso de Oaxaca or Monterrey Jack, if desired If the chicken pieces are irregularly sized, pound until they are flat and uniform in thickness. Salt the chicken breasts to taste. Combine the oregano, black pepper, garlic powder, adobo, and cayene, then r...

Can also be made with chicken. 50% of the household thinks this would be better made with bone-in, fattier chops, and 50% of the household likes it lean. Either way it's got tons of flavor! 3-4 pork chops, whatever cut you enjoy 2 stalks lemongrass 5 cloves garlic 3 shallots 2-3 red chili peppers 3 Tbsp. fish sauce 3 Tbps. brown sugar 2 Tbsp. black soy sauce 1 Tbsp. oil 2-3 tsp. salt 1 tsp. black pepper Pat the pork chops dry, set them on a plate, and salt lightly. I find it's easiest to control the salt in the marinade if you salt the meat directly. Pound the base of the lemongrass stalks with something heavy to break them up a bit. Slice into 1/2" pieces and then chop in the food processor. Add the garlic, shallots, and chili peppers and chop until fine textured (will be a little fibrous from the lemongrass). Add in the remaining ingredients and process until well combined. Test the flavor and adjust if needed. The marinade should be the texture of ...

Grilling season has arrived! Here's a simple and popular rub that has delicious results. Sure, you can just buy the seasoning mix, but when you have a spice cabinet that can't fit one more jar, it's better to just make your own mixtures. Most of the recipes I've seen online called for dill weed, but I used dill seed, which probably has more flavor anyway. No measurements...just use The Force. Kosher salt black pepper garlic powder paprika ground coriander dill seed (or weed) red pepper flakes Pat steaks dry. Sprinkle with rub. Wrap steaks tightly in plastic wrap and allow to season for at least 1 hr. Grill or pan fry on medium high heat until cooked to your liking. These would be great with the fingerling potato recipe below.

When peppers are on sale, it must be time for pizza! We got 8 big red ones and proceeded to roast them. There are two rules to this: (1) it won't work on an electric stove, so don't even try (you can, however, roast them on a barbecue grill); (2) do not do this right after you have just cleaned your range. Begin by putting each pepper above a medium-high flame. I was able to group two or three together on each burner. (I am really enjoying our "new" stove with the extra long burner in the middle. The pancake griddle that fits over it is seeing a lot of action). Using long tongs, turn peppers often. (I finally found the perfect application for my huge tongs with the silicone coated tips). You will begin to see the burn pattern from the flames and can turn them accordingly. The object is to blacken as much of the skin as you possibly can. As each pepper is done, place it into something with a cover. I often see recipes that suggest putting them in a plastic bag, but ...

This is the 2nd half of the spareribs I braised before . I prepared them jerk style, but sorta half assed so while they still turned out delicious, they did not spirit my palate away to the Caribbean. The jerk marinade was about 1 part cider vinegar, 1 part water, half a lime's juice, a bunch of chopped scallions, and a bit each of thyme, allspice, cumin, and coriander. I blended this with a bullion cube for good measure and a couple tablespoons of brown sugar. It probably would have worked if I had properly marinated the meat, but I didn't do it until about 10 minutes before prep so there was minimal penetration of the flavor into the meat. I compensated by basted it as it barbecued. Using Lil's tried and true method of dividing the coals with a big foil roasting pan, I slow cooked the meat for about 2.5 hours, basting it with the sauce and turning it every 30 or so. What you see above is the result, with a pronounced smoke ring into the meat. It was delicious. Here is the...

Hooray! We finally got a grill and we put it to use immediately. Crisp, succulent cauliflower seems to be in season around here so we threw some on the grill. I make this in the winter too, using the oven. Simply cut up a cauliflower into fairly large chunks, brush with oil, and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and paprika. Roast it in a hot oven (450) with a run under the broiler, if need be, or on a charcoal grill. It may take some time, so be patient. The steaks simply had salt and pepper on them and were fantastic. There may be hope for my steak-making skills yet. Look forward to more grill recipes! *** In other news, I finally found some rhubarb at one of the farmers' markets around here and I set out to make a strawberry-rhubarb pie. It sure looked good when I finished baking it... ...but, alas, it didn't thicken up enough and was also rather tart! Reflecting upon what went wrong, I realize that I only used 3 Tbsp. of thickener instead of 4 because I lost count, and I probably...