The Elysian Fields

Most of the time, when I experiment with a recipe, I tend to like the results.

One can't say what might have been true long, long ago at the dawn of time - that I don't really try anything new - because that can be disproved when I combined cinnamon, maple syrup, and cheese with sassafras leaves and created Frasadillas or vinegar, rum, and cinnamon to make the marinade for Hair o' the Cow What Bit You.

Still, for the most part, my creations are relatively simplistic, sometimes quite literally, as with the Cattlemen's Ribs or one of my earliest, Ellyssian's Signature Steak Tips, where the core recipe is essentially "cut meat up, pour A-1 on meat, cook in skillet until kitchen is a mess" and only becomes something more when served with Deeper n' Everesque baked potatoes.

A lot of what I do tends to combine bits and pieces of earlier recipes: Rusty Radiator and Dirty Rice Pie are both variations of Deeper n' Ever - substituting a pasta and a rice for the potato, and then adding other variations from there.

Although it may not seem it, there's a definite lineage in what I've done with fish, from Twice-Fried Tilapia Teriyaki to the Grilled Fish: Three Variations on a Theme to Campeche-Style Baked Tilapia and Bacon Wrapped Catfish.

Finally, there can be seen a direct lineage from Hair o' The Cow What Bit You, as well as gathering what I learned in those fish recipes, to Cinnamon Rum Candy Glazed Fish. In that last, I noted that the glaze had some bitter notes when dealing with the sauce that was not on the fish itself. In hindsight, that should have set off a lightbulb of warning. Instead, I ruined some otherwise great ingredients.

See, I combined Hair o' The Cow with Bacon Wrapped Catfish, and it really should have worked. The results looked delicious.

However, I now have insight as to why the Cinnamon Rum Candy glaze didn't work so well.

I had to recall an earlier bout where I mis-made Hair o' The Cow as well.

Problem #1: The balsamic vinegar, accidentally used for burgers once and for the glazed fish, seems to result in the bitter note when it hits the Captain Morgan's a bit too hard.

Problem #2: The Hair o' The Cow marinade and, I suspect, its variation as a glaze need to be cooked over an open fire, where the juices can run down and feed the flames, creating a delicious smoke that makes the meal.

You see, when I had cooked the burgers with balsamic before, I did them inside, under the broiler, in a pan where they sat in their juices. The glazed fish was the same - it cooked in the juices. The original creation had the magical flavoring from the serious amount of smoke that filled the grill and imparted its flavor over and above that of the marinade itself.

Last night, when I wrapped bacon around some Hair o' The Cow-soaked burgers, made improperly with balsamic vinegar, the juices were unable to escape, and those bitter notes noticed during the broiler-cooked burgers and in the glazed fish rendered what should have been a delicious treat inedible.

I barely ate one small burger. aequitaslevitas, on the other hand, despite declaring them awful, ate three. Teenagers, oy.

I'm not entirely convinced which problem - #1 or #2, above - is the major factor. Given how well the bacon served to keep the burger together and seal it up, I lean towards the second. Given how the balsamic and the rum exist when bitter comes along, I lean towards the first.

Only further experimentation - perhaps in smaller quantities, so I don't render a whole meal entirely uneatable - will tell. I'm thinking the following adjustments might be for the best:

• Return to the original marinade as per the recipe - specifically, using tarragon vinegar and not balsamic and, I notice only now, using Enova/canola instead of olive oil (problem #3?)
• Sear the burger on an open flame before wrapping with bacon

For the record, key points in doing the bacon-wrapped burgers directly on the grill:

• Bacon flares up like woah! on the grill - keep a close eye on it; cook it on heavy-duty foil part of the time (initially, then sear, and when flames shoot back up, get it out of harm's way so it isn't charred until it crumbles through the grill)
• Long handled implements are the only thing that will save it when its engulfed in flames - I used a long handled spatula, my usual flat metal spatula to add a second hand to help control and guide the burgers, and, for the foil, a plastic spatula
• low heat and closed lid when cooking on the foil, particularly for the last segment to melt the cheddar; high heat for searing

Stay tuned for futher developments. As soon as I can get that hideous taste - which is still lingering - out of mouth and mind.

~ ~ ~

In other food-related news, you need to read Chris DeBarr's (chefcdb) post Egyptian Cotton Chef. If it hadn't been for that post, I probably would have kept silent and not made this post. =)

• Freshly made Italian dressing of choice
• salami
• capicola ham
• honey ham
• Muenster cheese
• Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
• oregano
• plum tomatoes, sliced
• green leaf lettuce, hand shredded
• red onion, thin strips
• peppers, thin sliced
• cucumbers, thin sliced
• parmesan cheese, shredded

Wow, that's completely unexpected - haven't seen any of those ingredients before, have we?

So we made the wraps for supper last night and we ran out of the actual wraps but still have the other ingredients available.

Lay out the cold cuts - I'm going for honey ham, capicola, salami, with the Muenster between the two hams - and roll them up. Stick them on top of the rest of the salad ingredients, add dressing, sprinkle with oregano and parmesan and eat.

Highly complicated, these recipes, yes, no? =)

• Glaze:
  • About 1-2 cups dark brown sugar
  • About 1/2 to 1 cup Captain Morgan's spiced rum
  • A teaspoon of olive oil
  • A teaspoon or two of balsamic vinegar
  • A tablespoon of ground cinnamon
  • Fresh ground cinnamon
• Fish:
  • Five fillets of tilapia (or cod. Or halibut. Or something else.)
  • Fresh ground black pepper
  • Fresh ground cinnamon
  • Ground cinnamon
  • Olive oil
• Two red bell peppers, thinly sliced along the length
• Pine Nut Couscous

Mix glaze ingredients in a small saucepan.

Preheat cast iron skillet to cooking temperature, coating pan with olive oil.

Preheat five plates in oven @ 100-200 degrees (lowest setting).

When oil is ready, lay one fillet in pan. Grind pepper and cinnamon, then sprinkle with ground cinnamon.

Start glaze on medium heat, bringing to a boil.

Start another fillet, repeating dry spice application. Flip and apply spices when fillet is mostly done (opaque white through maybe 80%; the pan-side should be lightly fried.

Using a small whisk, stir glaze continuously.

Start couscous as per directions, set aside when done.

Continue through all fillets, setting each completed fillet in the center of the plate, and back in the oven.

Once the couscous is done, it can be sprinkled with a fork in a circle around the fish.

When all plates are done, or as the last fillet is finishing up, remove the plates one at a time. Arrange four slices of pepper around the edge and lightly swirl glaze onto fish.

Serve immediately.

Notes and addendum: Thicker glaze would work better; the thin glaze soaks into the couscous, and its character there has bitter notes that don't appear on the fish. Maybe just serve couscous - or some other side - separately to avoid the blend.

Rusty Radiator - radiatori macaroni, spiced ground beef, baked with cheese, served with barbecue sauce

A cousin of the Deeper n' Ever, which will feature at the Midwinter Feast this Saturday, Rusty Radiator is a quaint-titled dish that is simple and open to a lot of variation.

• 1 pkg. radiatori macaroni
• 1 pkg. ground beef
• cheese blend (2 parts Cheddar/1 part Monterrey Jack
• ground rosemary
• fresh ground cinnamon
• chives, chopped
• Jamaican spiced rum
• balsamic vinegar
• fresh ground black pepper
• ground chipotle pepper
• Bulls Eye A1 Steakhouse barbecue sauce

Make the macaroni - al dente!

Fry up the ground beef in a cast iron skillet, adding spices. I went with Hair o' the Cow, but you can adjust spices/flavorings to taste.

Put the macaroni in a baking dish, top with the spiced meat, cover lightly with cheese. Bake until cheese is melted.

Serve with barbecue sauce (you can cook it with it if you have a crowd that likes BBQ sauce, which I don't. I'm also not entirely clear that the A1 Steakhouse flavor is the best choice, but it's a great sauce for other purposes, and it's what was on hand. Hopefully, it won't clash too much with the spiced beef.

This is really a prep step that can be used in a number of different ways - pasta sauce (especially if you roast garlic) comes to mind. I used roasted veggies for both the salsa and for the fajitas.

There are a number of different ways to get the roasting accomplished, including in a 400 degree oven for 25 minutes, in a frying pan, on a grill, and - the one I used - under a broiler.

Lay out the veggies on a foil lined cookie sheet, and place under a broiler. Because the onions were so large, I had to drop the rack down to a very low setting to avoid contact. Except for a final finishing of the onions and the tomatoes, I had the broiler set on low. Total time - given low heat and a great distance - was fairly long, but it worked out in this instance as I could do other prep work. Expect a total time of about twelve minutes under normal circumstances. Use a set of tongs to turn the veggies every half minute or so.

I roasted some hot peppers - poblano, serrano, and jalapeno - and two hugeous white onions. When the peppers were done, I realized I had forgotten to roast the tomatoes, so they went in alongside the onions which needed more time.

Of course, when I went to chop the first tomato for the pico de gallo, I discovered that last time I did not roast the tomatoes - and the pico de gallo was much more what you would expect of a salsa.

I had roasted everything whole - the slicing and chopping happened afterward.

It's a fairly simple thing to do, but it really adds a lot to the flavor. I haven't done my own from-scratch pasta sauce, but with the ease that the roast tomatoes saucified when chopped, I might play around with that some more.

• Pork roast, chopped into itty-bitty bits that are probably too small and will fall through the grill (oops)


• Bullseye Honey Smoke barbecue sauce (because I forgot we still have a bottle of Jim Beam BBQ which is thinner and would work better in this application)


• 2 cups apple wood chips

Soak the 1" cubed pork in the sauce for at least two hours. More is better. The pork cuts easily while frozen, so I cut it up, dumped it in the marinade pan, covered it, and let it defrost and soak up the sauce. As mentioned above, this is one of the few - if only - times I prefer a thinner barbecue sauce. For direct application to cooked foods or for basting during cooking, thicker works better, but marinade is best done with a more watery sauce.

Soak the apple wood in water, apple juice, or apple cider for at least a half hour. Wrap in a double layer of heavy duty foil and set directly on the lava rocks before pre-heating the grill on low heat.

Once the wood starts smoking, put the pork on the grill and cook, turning once, until the internal temperature of the meat hits 160F.

• Boneless Chicken Breast or Tenders, cut in 1" cubes


• Honey


• Rosemary Leaves

This is a simple recipe, one I came up with about 13-15 years ago. I think the inspiration for it was to just pull something together to make chicken a bit more interesting and edible for me - prior to that, I did my best avoiding it (barbecued chicken wings & KFC extra crispy were the *only* two exceptions), although now I'm much more accepting (and I don't think I've had the BBQ wings since then, and rarely have KFC... go figure!)

Set the chicken in an unheated non-stick pan, then drizzle with honey. Sometimes we go light on it, sometimes we drown it. Best to make sure the chicken is completely thawed, especially with smaller quantities of honey, as it will caramelize well before the chicken is cooked, and you don't want that.

Sprinkle liberally with rosemary, and cook on lower heat - keep a close eye on it, turning the chicken frequently.

This works well with cheddar broccoli rice or mashed potatoes, and sweet corn or a green vegetable.

• Fresh Chorizo


• Large Tortillas


• Montery Jack, shredded


• Mild Cheddar, shredded


• Sharp Cheddar, shredded


• Olive Oil


• Basil


• Frontera Tangy Two-Chile Salsa
  

Remove the casing from the chorizo, crumble, and grill until fully cooked. I used a sandwich grill to cook two sides at a time, reduce splatter, and improve drainage (thus fat reduction.)

Prep the tortilla by brushing olive oil onto the bottom, then set on a plate and sprinkle lightly with basil. We only had a tiny bit of the montery jack, so we used some mild cheddar as a substitute. Pile on the cheese in the standard issue 2:1 ratio of sharp:mild/montery.

Add the chorizo immediately prior to cooking, piling it on half the tortilla - I didn't do that on the first one, and it made it harder to fold, and was also less pleasing to eat.

Preheat a non-stick fry pan on medium heat. Cook open-faced until the cheese melts, then fold the tortilla in half, pressing down a little. If any cheese leaks out, give it a second to crisp, then flip and repeat.

Serve with salsa on the side.

I thought of calling it "Hair of the Mad Cow what Bit You," but that might not be a good omen for a bit o' beef. Edit:Officially renamed without the mad part. =)

Marinade:
    Captain Morgans Spiced Rum
    Tarragon Vinegar
    Enova (sub. Canola Oil)
    Fresh Ground Cinnamon
    Crushed Rosemary
    Cajun Fore-Play (sub. Chipotle or other hot-pepper based dry spice of choice)
    Finely Chopped Chives

    Seeded Rye
    Sharp Cheddar, thinly sliced
    Montery Jack, thinly sliced
    Butter
    Bull's Eye Barbecue Sauce

    Prep the burger of choice - mine being 100% beef, frozen in a cylinder, cut in 3/4" slices - and place in a bowl. Pour on rum - I used about 100mL, maybe a bit less - then sprinkle on the vinegar until you get some on each burger. Yeah, I know, I tend not to measure, which makes passing on recipes to others a bit of a guesswork on my part, but it's all "to taste" anywho, and that's the important thing. I added the oil because I really would have liked more rum, but I was out, and I wanted something to raise the level of the liquid. I covered the tops of the burgers pretty heavily with the cinnamon, flipped them, and repeated. There's probably about a half teaspoon of crushed rosemary on top of each burger. The Cajun Fore-Play was a light sprinkle, I just made sure I had some decent coverage - I wasn't going for something that would seem overly hot, just adding flavor. About a half-teaspoon or so of the chives on each burger as well. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap - or some other lid - and shake it up a bit, then chill for at least 10 minutes. Could probably do with an overnight soaking; I'm not much of a steak fan, but after eating it, I'm tempted to try a nice thick steak cooked with this stuff. Seems like it would be well suited.

    I grilled the burgers on a gas grill, covered, on high, basting with the left-over marinade each time I turned them. Between the oil, alcohol, and fat, this is a highly flammable mix - so much so that I actually had to nuke the burgers for a minute each to finish cooking through - and it smokes hella lots. I wasn't expecting it - hey, I was just winged this whole thing - but the smoke is what makes this whole thing work. Somehow, in the 15-20 minutes they cooked, the smoke managed to permeate the burger, and make it seem as if it had been slow-cooked in a smoker, over a wood fire. Although I plan to try some mesquite chips on the rack, I'm still using the last of the lava rocks, so that had no bearing on it.

    Back inside the house, Justin was prepping the cheese - we used 4 thin slices of cheddar (maybe 1/2" thick block, so they were tiny) and 2 of montery. The 2-1 ratio is always the Golden Mean as far as I'm concerned with this cheese blend. He also buttered both sides of the rye bread so that when I came in, I could just start grilling and go. I grilled in a frying pan, but I was waffling back and forth about doing it outside on the grill. I haven't done that often (not at all with sliced bread,) and there was already enough experimentation going on with the marinade, so I decided to stick with what I knew.

    After browning the interior of the bread (which is a Must-Do step, to make sure the moistness from the burger doesn't rot right through the bread,) I put some barbecue sauce on the bread, then the burger and the cheese, and then a bit more sauce. Assemble the sandwich, and then grill both sides - I did the non-cheese side down first. Next time, I will add cheese both above and below - but kept thin; as it was it wasn't very intrusive, and, much as I love cheese, too much would *not* work on this.

    Although Justin claimed that he could taste the vinegar and cinnamon as solitary flavors in only one bite, I didn't notice any one flavor standing out - except, perhaps, the hidden ingredient: smoke. And, maybe a rye seed or two. The flavor was fairly unique - I would not have been able to pick out anything, if I had not seen the marinade (the chives are kind of visible) or actually put it together (which really, even as forgetful as I can be, makes for a dead giveaway,) which is really more than I could hope for. Even the fairly similar whiskey-balsamic burgers of last grilling season didn't blend as well into a single flavor. The grilled rye is also a critical part of this - the only misgiving as far as a steak marinade, is that I'm not sure how to get the rye in there. I wouldn't want that to be a sandwich, but that added so much to the overall meal, that I would not cook this burger without having the bread on hand.

We had some bulk sausage that needed to be cooked up - thought about doing something with home fries, but we're having rosemary potato tomorrow with chicken, so that's a no go. After a few moments, Deb mentioned rice, and I grabbed the dirty rice mix. We've always done as the package says and used hamburger (before we departed from the text and turned it into dirty rice pie, but that will be covered soon enough,) so I thought, hey, let's use the sausage! After all, jambalaya usually has sausage, and this is close enough...

So, anyway, enough preamble:

Dirty Rice Pie

1 box Zatarain's Dirty Rice Mix
1 pound of ground sausage
1/2 pound extra sharp Wisconsin cheddar, shredded or cubed
1/4 pound monterey jack, shredded or cubed
black pepper, freshly ground
Sgt. Pepper's Chipotle Del Sol Southwest Seasoning
tortilla chips, crushed
salsa

Brown the sausage - I use a sandwich grill that has a drip tray to drain the fat as it cooks; a lot less greasy, and a lot healthier. Go for 'no pink,' especially with the sausage, although we're still cooking it twice.

Prepare the dirty rice mix per package directions, using the sausage in place of the ground beef. Time can be cut a bit short, as everything will be cooked again. All the water should be absorbed, but don't overdo it and dry it out.

Prep a baking dish - we use a Pyrex - with a layer of tortilla chips, crushed and broken up a bit. We used rounds, and made sure each was broken in fourths or more. Prep the cheese if it's not done already. Start the oven on 300F when there's enough time left on the dirty rice to get it up to temperature.

Scoop the dirty rice out and gently layer on top of the chips. Grind some pepper onto the top of the dirty rice, and then sprinkle with the Chipotle Del Sol. Top with the cheeses, and bake until the cheese melts evenly. Better to watch closely than go with a certain time, which will depend on the way the cheese is prepped.

Serve with salsa, or, optionally, prepare with a cooking salsa added as a layer between dirty rice and cheese. You may want to check out Frontera - that's what I've used; tonight we kept it on the side and used Chili's Fiesta Hot salsa.