I regret that our camera is in the car that Joe took to work this morning. I will have pictures of the finished dish, just not of the prep. I lied.....
Gumbo is one of those things that I seriously miss a lot about living in the south. There used to be this restaurant we went to on the gulf that had THE BEST seafood gumbo on the planet. Sadly, the restaurant has since closed down and I cannot just call up to get the recipe. If you ever get the chance, take a trip to SOUTH Alabama and Louisiana. Seriously, just go to eat. There are things that you will find to be so sweet and fresh, yet have so much love into preparing them, that you may not want to leave.
Now that being said, I do believe there are as many recipes for gumbo as there are people named Rachel. That's a lot. I generally stick to a chicken or shrimp gumbo with a chicken stock base, only because I don't make nor use seafood stock in my house. Though you can use any stock you want and have on hand. I would stay away from beef stock unless you are desperate and its all you have. My methods for gumbo are a combination of what I have read and my own experience, having adjusted to my own taste as such. It's all part of the fun of gumbo and it is fun!
Rachel's Gumbo
1/2 cup oil
3/4 cup flour
1-2 chopped onions
1-2 chopped bell pepper
4-5 chopped celery stalks
3 quarts chicken stalk
1-2lbs of andouille sausage
1-2lbs of shrimp or chicken
Dash of paprika
Dash of cayenne
Dash of crushed red peppers
1.) First things first you must make a roux. This for a first timer is a daunting task and all I'm going to tell you is SLOW DOWN. You will be standing above the stove for about 20 minutes, so have time set aside for this. Combine the oil and flour in a large soup pot and stir together with a long handled spoon.
Turn your burner or stove top on 3-4 on the heat range, NO MORE. Start stirring. It will start out looking a little lemony in color, but it's going to change as it heats up. Keep stirring and stirring and stirring. It will change to a tan color as it starts to cook. If you want to, stop here and continue with the recipe, I like my roux as dark as possible without burning so the choice is yours.
Keep cooking until it turns almost a milk chocolate color. If at any time you see a black speck throw it all out and start over. Burned roux has a horrid flavor that will not be saved by any means. The roux will also change texture as it gets to the chocolate color point, almost grainy like. Just be patient.
2.) Once the roux is to your liking add in all the chopped veggies. Be VERY careful with this step, roux is known as cajun napalm... and not for nothing. Stir really well and cook a little longer till the veggies start to soften.
3.) Add in everything else but the sausage and meat. Simmer for 35-60 minutes.
Then add your sausage and simmer another 30-60 minutes, then add the chicken till cooked.
You should have a nice thick gumbo at this point and serve it over rice. Now, there are other versions to this, some use okra and some others use file' powder. I prefer a roux gumbo and so this is what I make 99% of the time. You want to serve this with a good french bread either homemade or store bought. Yum!
Monday, January 25, 2010
Thursday, January 21, 2010
I am the greatest cook alive!
No, not really. But I am quite happy about the results of dinner last night. It all started with this noodle bowl I ate for lunch one day that was spicy and sweet and the packaging said it was Korean. Soooooooooooo, I set out to make the sauce. This is not to say that the first time was wonderful, or the second, or the third. There was so much internet scouring for weeks trying to get a recipe that was similar. Low and behold, I think I have it.
Note that this is pretty spicy and there isn't a way to downgrade the spice without loss of flavor, so if you can't take the heat then you'll have to skip this one. Please also note that I'm not entirely sure that this is a Korean dish, I took the sauce and ran with it.
I do recommend going to an asian food store for the entirety of this recipe. You will save so much money by doing so.
Korean Sweet and Spicy Chili Sauce Noodles
The above should be what you need for the entire dish. Please note that I actually added Shrimp into mine at the end because I'm a badass like that.
Sauce:
6 Tbls Korean chili paste
6 Tbls Ketchup
1/4 cup sugar
1 teas sesame oil
1 teas soy sauce
1/2 juice lemon
1 teas rice vinegar
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and set aside. The red pepper paste will come in a container like this:
The rest of the meal:
1 pkg asian style noodles
1 zucchini
1 bunch green onions
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1 large handful frozen squid
As much radish kimichi as you can stand
For the noodles remove two sets from the packaging and put the rest back in the freezer. Here is a closeup of the noodles I used, there are a million noodles in the frozen food section of the asian food store, have fun!
Slice the zucchini in half and then slice into half moons. Chop the green onion and pull out some of the radish kimichi and slice into smaller chunks. Your set up should then look something similar to this:
Radish kimichi looks like this:
The rest of this dish is fairly simple. The noodles only require barely simmering water to cook and will cook quite fast. In a wok or saucepan, heat over high and add a tich of olive oil and throw in the squid. (shrimp too if you are using them) Cook till they are done and transfer to another bowl. Add the zucchini and cook for about 3 minutes till it is still firm and not squishy. Transfer to a bowl. Add the drained noodles to the wok and pour the sauce over them, stir till they are nice and really hot. Transfer to 2-4 plates and top with the remaining ingredients and the seafood. Sprinkle on the seeds and you are in business!
Note that this is pretty spicy and there isn't a way to downgrade the spice without loss of flavor, so if you can't take the heat then you'll have to skip this one. Please also note that I'm not entirely sure that this is a Korean dish, I took the sauce and ran with it.
I do recommend going to an asian food store for the entirety of this recipe. You will save so much money by doing so.
Korean Sweet and Spicy Chili Sauce Noodles
The above should be what you need for the entire dish. Please note that I actually added Shrimp into mine at the end because I'm a badass like that.
Sauce:
6 Tbls Korean chili paste
6 Tbls Ketchup
1/4 cup sugar
1 teas sesame oil
1 teas soy sauce
1/2 juice lemon
1 teas rice vinegar
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and set aside. The red pepper paste will come in a container like this:
The rest of the meal:
1 pkg asian style noodles
1 zucchini
1 bunch green onions
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1 large handful frozen squid
As much radish kimichi as you can stand
For the noodles remove two sets from the packaging and put the rest back in the freezer. Here is a closeup of the noodles I used, there are a million noodles in the frozen food section of the asian food store, have fun!
Slice the zucchini in half and then slice into half moons. Chop the green onion and pull out some of the radish kimichi and slice into smaller chunks. Your set up should then look something similar to this:
Radish kimichi looks like this:
The rest of this dish is fairly simple. The noodles only require barely simmering water to cook and will cook quite fast. In a wok or saucepan, heat over high and add a tich of olive oil and throw in the squid. (shrimp too if you are using them) Cook till they are done and transfer to another bowl. Add the zucchini and cook for about 3 minutes till it is still firm and not squishy. Transfer to a bowl. Add the drained noodles to the wok and pour the sauce over them, stir till they are nice and really hot. Transfer to 2-4 plates and top with the remaining ingredients and the seafood. Sprinkle on the seeds and you are in business!
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Alrighty, lets get some updates going!
Root beer:
Seriously, like how delicious could homemade root beer be? It is so delicious. Joe has had one to two glasses a day since the first batch finished its time in the bottle. I will put a picture of the extract used:
The directions are super simple:
1tbls of root beer extract
2.25 cups of sugar
1/4 teas yeast
Water
I used a glass bottle for mine because its what I had on hand but this is a very large recommended nono. Use 2 2 liter bottles for it. Mix it up in both and allow to sit in a dark place 3-5 days until the bottles feel firm. That's it!
For you Kentucky folks, I got my extract here
Cinnamon Rolls
I made these this morning for breakfast and mmmmmmmmm delicious! (I think I love that word) The recipe comes from "The Red Star Centennial Bread Sampler" and this is one of my cherished bread books. My mom had this book when I was a kid and it was where I learned to make a whole lot of bread. When I moved in on my own I wrote the Red Star Yeast company to see if they had a copy and low and behold they did! They even sent it to me for free! How is that for customer service!
The recipe that I use out of it is for Grandma's Cinnamon Rolls, I have no idea what makes these things so scrumptious but holy heck! They are something to be amazed at!
3 cups flour
1 pkg yeast
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 teas salt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1/8 cup butter
1 egg
1/2 cup brown sugar
1-2 teas cinnamon
2-4 tbls butter
This is a direct bread method, that's where you make no starter it's just all mixed together. (remember these are my quasi technical terms here)
Combine the first four ingredients in a large mixing bowl. In the microwave heat the next three ingredients till warm, not hot. Butter does not need to melt here, we are just looking for the ingredients to be warm. If the butter is melted it usually means the mixture is too hot, let it sit for a bit. (I've been known to stick it in the freezer because I'm impatient) Add the egg and milk mixture to the flour mix. Stir with a spoon until it is mixed.
Start adding up to the other two cups of flour, you are looking for a very sticky dough forming which upon the addition of more flour will start to form a ball in the bowl. When it does here are your two options for kneading...
1.) Use your stand mixer if you have one. Turn that baby onto 2-3 for the speed and let it go making sure that the dough continues to pull away from the sides by adding more flour as needed. (a tiny bit at a time)
2.) Turn the dough onto a floured counter and get kneading! Basically you want the mixture to be somewhat sticky yet not clinging to your hands. Add flour as needed to get this consistency. To knead start with the palms of your hands and push the dough away from you. With your fingertips gather it back and roll it towards you then push with your palms. Eventually it will turn into more of a roll, just fold it over itself and keep going with the rolling and gathering. Over and over and over till you think your arms are going to fall off. You are looking for a smooth looking dough with a slight bubble or two on it.
Either method let rise in the kitchen till it doubles. Should take about an hour. Punch it down and let it rest for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, melt the extra butter and mix together the cinnamon and sugar in a separate bowl.
Roll the dough out into a large rectangle. Spread it with the butter and sprinkle with the sugar mix. Starting with your smaller end, roll up into a large log. Cut into rolls with a sharp knife and place into a greased cake pan or pie plate.
At this point you have two options:
1.) Let rise for another hour and bake at 425F for about 30-40 minutes, until tops are brown
2.) Put in the fridge overnight and bake the next morning. (I prefer this method.)
Either way, whip up your favorite frosting to frost with and you are in business!
Seriously, like how delicious could homemade root beer be? It is so delicious. Joe has had one to two glasses a day since the first batch finished its time in the bottle. I will put a picture of the extract used:
The directions are super simple:
1tbls of root beer extract
2.25 cups of sugar
1/4 teas yeast
Water
I used a glass bottle for mine because its what I had on hand but this is a very large recommended nono. Use 2 2 liter bottles for it. Mix it up in both and allow to sit in a dark place 3-5 days until the bottles feel firm. That's it!
For you Kentucky folks, I got my extract here
Cinnamon Rolls
I made these this morning for breakfast and mmmmmmmmm delicious! (I think I love that word) The recipe comes from "The Red Star Centennial Bread Sampler" and this is one of my cherished bread books. My mom had this book when I was a kid and it was where I learned to make a whole lot of bread. When I moved in on my own I wrote the Red Star Yeast company to see if they had a copy and low and behold they did! They even sent it to me for free! How is that for customer service!
The recipe that I use out of it is for Grandma's Cinnamon Rolls, I have no idea what makes these things so scrumptious but holy heck! They are something to be amazed at!
3 cups flour
1 pkg yeast
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 teas salt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1/8 cup butter
1 egg
1/2 cup brown sugar
1-2 teas cinnamon
2-4 tbls butter
This is a direct bread method, that's where you make no starter it's just all mixed together. (remember these are my quasi technical terms here)
Combine the first four ingredients in a large mixing bowl. In the microwave heat the next three ingredients till warm, not hot. Butter does not need to melt here, we are just looking for the ingredients to be warm. If the butter is melted it usually means the mixture is too hot, let it sit for a bit. (I've been known to stick it in the freezer because I'm impatient) Add the egg and milk mixture to the flour mix. Stir with a spoon until it is mixed.
Start adding up to the other two cups of flour, you are looking for a very sticky dough forming which upon the addition of more flour will start to form a ball in the bowl. When it does here are your two options for kneading...
1.) Use your stand mixer if you have one. Turn that baby onto 2-3 for the speed and let it go making sure that the dough continues to pull away from the sides by adding more flour as needed. (a tiny bit at a time)
2.) Turn the dough onto a floured counter and get kneading! Basically you want the mixture to be somewhat sticky yet not clinging to your hands. Add flour as needed to get this consistency. To knead start with the palms of your hands and push the dough away from you. With your fingertips gather it back and roll it towards you then push with your palms. Eventually it will turn into more of a roll, just fold it over itself and keep going with the rolling and gathering. Over and over and over till you think your arms are going to fall off. You are looking for a smooth looking dough with a slight bubble or two on it.
Either method let rise in the kitchen till it doubles. Should take about an hour. Punch it down and let it rest for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, melt the extra butter and mix together the cinnamon and sugar in a separate bowl.
Roll the dough out into a large rectangle. Spread it with the butter and sprinkle with the sugar mix. Starting with your smaller end, roll up into a large log. Cut into rolls with a sharp knife and place into a greased cake pan or pie plate.
At this point you have two options:
1.) Let rise for another hour and bake at 425F for about 30-40 minutes, until tops are brown
2.) Put in the fridge overnight and bake the next morning. (I prefer this method.)
Either way, whip up your favorite frosting to frost with and you are in business!
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Bread Pt 1
So this whole topic today is going to be about bread and how to make it. I'll go ahead and say this is probably my FAVORITE thing to make. I'm one of those people that love to start a loaf in the morning and love on it till it goes into the oven. I think I remember helping my mother knead dough as a small child, watching with wonderment when it rose, and then the warm fresh out of the oven bread with some butter on it. My first attempt at yeast bread was with cinnamon rolls and the first batch I'm pretty sure was a flop. Though, being somewhat persistent like I am, I eventually got them to be pretty damn good. So this is going to be long, pull up a warm cup of tea and lets get talking all things bread!
Types of recipes:
There are two different methods for making all bread and I am sure they have technical names to bakers across the world, but I call them direct breads and indirect breads. It is the most nontechnical terms ever...
In a direct bread the dough is mixed with all ingredients together. It is kneaded once, risen once, then shaped, allowed to rise again, and baked.
For indirect bread the dough starts out with what we call "starters". These are made up to 48 hours before the bread is even put together. The rest of the ingredients are added only after the starter has had time to work. They are then kneaded, allowed to rise, given another 2-3 more risings after the first, shaped, and allowed to rise again before baking.
Both methods yield an awesome bread. When I first started turning out the loaves I always used the direct method....later on down the line when I got more comfortable with my abilities (we're talking years here...) did I make a switch to indirect bread.
Kneading Methods
There is a really fun way to knead bread and a fairly boring way... but all kneading is very important. Thinking back about my mothers bread when I was a kid, she had it wrong. Sorry mom, I really am. Her bread always had a thick thick crust that I rather hated. Sometimes the bread would separate from the crust even. I have since learned that my moms adage of "You have to keep kneading till the dough takes no more flour" was giving her the problem with the crust. I have a point to this.
Kneading is essentially beating up the bread with your hands or by machine. There is a lot of science in it with proteins, gluten, and some chemistry, but I will spare the boredom to the reader and hit straight to the point.. maybe
Under-kneading will make a rough un-put together loaf of bread. Over-kneading will cause the crust problem my mom always had. Personally, I really do like hand kneading bread, but that isn't to say as of late I haven't been using my stand mixer with the dough hook attachment out of sheer laziness.......... It will take a long time for a new bread baker to have an eye for the dough being ready so just be patient.
That is about it to making bread, the rest is all idle time waiting on rising or waiting on a starter to complete itself before mixing. Tomorrow I'm going to make a loaf for dinner so I should be able to get pics... should... and I'll be able to get the recipe up for the bread I'm making!
Types of recipes:
There are two different methods for making all bread and I am sure they have technical names to bakers across the world, but I call them direct breads and indirect breads. It is the most nontechnical terms ever...
In a direct bread the dough is mixed with all ingredients together. It is kneaded once, risen once, then shaped, allowed to rise again, and baked.
For indirect bread the dough starts out with what we call "starters". These are made up to 48 hours before the bread is even put together. The rest of the ingredients are added only after the starter has had time to work. They are then kneaded, allowed to rise, given another 2-3 more risings after the first, shaped, and allowed to rise again before baking.
Both methods yield an awesome bread. When I first started turning out the loaves I always used the direct method....later on down the line when I got more comfortable with my abilities (we're talking years here...) did I make a switch to indirect bread.
Kneading Methods
There is a really fun way to knead bread and a fairly boring way... but all kneading is very important. Thinking back about my mothers bread when I was a kid, she had it wrong. Sorry mom, I really am. Her bread always had a thick thick crust that I rather hated. Sometimes the bread would separate from the crust even. I have since learned that my moms adage of "You have to keep kneading till the dough takes no more flour" was giving her the problem with the crust. I have a point to this.
Kneading is essentially beating up the bread with your hands or by machine. There is a lot of science in it with proteins, gluten, and some chemistry, but I will spare the boredom to the reader and hit straight to the point.. maybe
Under-kneading will make a rough un-put together loaf of bread. Over-kneading will cause the crust problem my mom always had. Personally, I really do like hand kneading bread, but that isn't to say as of late I haven't been using my stand mixer with the dough hook attachment out of sheer laziness.......... It will take a long time for a new bread baker to have an eye for the dough being ready so just be patient.
That is about it to making bread, the rest is all idle time waiting on rising or waiting on a starter to complete itself before mixing. Tomorrow I'm going to make a loaf for dinner so I should be able to get pics... should... and I'll be able to get the recipe up for the bread I'm making!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)