Ethnic Exchange: Recipes

Julia Child's Beef Bourguignon

Thu, 24 Jun 2010 19:27:00 -0700

Cook Time: Over 120 min This recipe is adapted from "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle and Simone Beck (Alfred A. Knopf, 1961) Ingredients # One 6-ounce piece of chunk bacon # 3 1/2 tablespoons olive oil # 3 pounds lean stewing beef, cut into 2-inch cubes # 1 carrot, sliced # 1 onion, sliced # Salt and pepper # 2 tablespoons flour # 3 cups red wine, young and full-bodied (like Beaujolais, Cotes du Rhone or Burgundy) # 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cups brown beef stock # 1 tablespoon tomato paste # 2 cloves mashed garlic # 1/2 teaspoon thyme # A crumbled bay leaf # 18 to 24 white onions, small # 3 1/2 tablespoons butter # Herb bouquet (4 parsley sprigs, one-half bay leaf, one-quarter teaspoon thyme, tied in cheesecloth) # 1 pound mushrooms, fresh and quartered # Cooking Directions Remove bacon rind and cut into lardons (sticks 1/4-inch thick and 1 1/2 inches long). Simmer rind and lardons for 10 minutes in 1 1/2 quarts water. Drain and dry. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Saut� lardons in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a flameproof casserole over moderate heat for 2 to 3 minutes to brown lightly. Remove to a side dish with a slotted spoon. Dry beef in paper towels; it will not brown if it is damp. Heat fat in casserole until almost smoking. Add beef, a few pieces at a time, and saut� until nicely browned on all sides. Add it to the lardons. In the same fat, brown the sliced vegetables. Pour out the excess fat. Return the beef and bacon to the casserole and toss with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Then sprinkle on the flour and toss again to coat the beef lightly. Set casserole uncovered in middle position of preheated oven for 4 minutes. Toss the meat again and return to oven for 4 minutes (this browns the flour and coves the meat with a light crust). Remove casserole and turn oven down to 325 degrees. Stir in wine and 2 to 3 cups stock, just enough so that the meat is barely covered. Add the tomato paste, garlic, herbs and bacon rind. Bring to a simmer on top of the stove. Cover casserole and set in lower third of oven. Regulate heat so that liquid simmers very slowly for 3 to 4 hours. The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily. While the beef is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms. Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons butter with one and one-half tablespoons of the oil until bubbling in a skillet. Add onions and saut� over moderate heat for about 10 minutes, rolling them so they will brown as evenly as possible. Be careful not to break their skins. You cannot expect them to brown uniformly. Add 1/2 cup of the stock, salt and pepper to taste and the herb bouquet. Cover and simmer slowly for 40 to 50 minutes until the onions are perfectly tender but hold their shape, and the liquid has evaporated. Remove herb bouquet and set onions aside. Wipe out skillet and heat remaining oil and butter over high heat. As soon as you see butter has begun to subside, indicating it is hot enough, add mushrooms. Toss and shake pan for 4 to 5 minutes. As soon as they have begun to brown lightly, remove from heat. When the meat is tender, pour the contents of the casserole into a sieve set over a saucepan. Wash out the casserole and return the beef and lardons to it. Distribute the cooked onions and mushrooms on top. Skim fat off sauce in saucepan. Simmer sauce for a minute or 2, skimming off additional fat as it rises. You should have about 2 1/2 cups of sauce thick enough to coat a spoon lightly. If too thin, boil it down rapidly. If too thick, mix in a few tablespoons stock. Taste carefully for seasoning. Pour sauce over meat and vegetables. Cover and simmer 2 to 3 minutes, basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce several times. Serve in casserole, or arrange stew on a platter surrounded with potatoes, noodles or rice, and decorated with parsley. Recipe Summary

Curry Fish Northern India Style

Sat, 12 Jan 2008 15:58:00 -0700

1� tsp chilli powder � tsp cumin powder � tsp whole peppercorns � inch ginger, peeled 3 garlic cloves 4 tbsp vinegar salt to taste 1 medium brown onion, sliced 3 tbsp vegetable oil 2 cups water 400-500g tilapia, cut into 3-inch pieces 2 tsp tamarind paste 1 tsp cornstarch/flour dissolved in very little water Salt the fish and leave for half an hour. Then rinse to remove excess salt. In a food processor, grind everything but the onions, fish and tamarind. This "melange" of spices is called the masala. In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat and fry the onion until golden. Add the masala and fry for 2 minutes. Then add 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Place the fish in the curry carefully, giving each piece enough room and submerging it in the liquid. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add a little salt (about � tsp) and the tamarind and simmer a couple more minutes until thickened. Taste and add more tamarind or vinegar, if desired, as the sourness will diminish the spiciness. Thicken with cornstarch. Serve with rice.

The Perfect Steak

Thu, 23 Aug 2007 15:42:00 -0700

1. Let your steak reach room temperature before grilling. Some people might tell you that this isn't necessary, however I feel that this helps grill your steak more evenly and faster.

2. Trim the steak of excess fat. Any strips of fat should be about 1/4" thick. Also cut through the fat strip about every 1 1/2". When grilling fat shrinks fast than the meat and it can cause your steaks to curl. 3. Season. I light brushing of olive oil, maybe some fresh cracked pepper is all you want. Seasoning is entirely up to you. Preheat the grill. Hot as it will go for a gas grill or a single layer of ashy white coals for a charcoal grill.

4. Oil the grate. An easy way to do this is to take a piece of trimmed fat, hold in tightly in a pair of tongs and rub it on the hot grate.

5. Grill. Place each steak on the grill for one minute. Turn and grill on the second side for an additional minute. Turn and rotate 45 degrees and grill for half the remaining cooking time. Turn again. If you do this right you will get a nice diamond pattern of grill marks.

6. Remove when done. I use the pressure test to check my steaks. When you are getting close to having a done steak press it with your index finger or the flat side of a grilling fork to get a feel for it. A rare steak will be soft. A medium steak will be firm but yielding. A well steak will be firm. Once you get the hang of this trick you will be able to remove steaks from the grill at just the right second.

7. Let the steaks rest for 5 minutes before serving. This will let the juices flow out from the center so the whole steak is nice and juicy.

Grilling Times by Thickness

These times are total cooking times. Divide in half for each side. Times are approximate and will vary depending on the type of grill, fuel, weather conditions, etc..

Thickness	Rare	Medium	Well	Heat
1"	8-10	12-14	16-20	High
1 1/2"	10-14	16-20	22-26	High
2	12-16	18-22	24-28	Medium

Wet BBQ Ribs -- Memphis Neely's Style

Fri, 06 Jul 2007 18:01:39 -0700

Neely's Wet BBQ Ribs From Patrick Neely of Neely's Bar-B-Que Restaurant in Memphis, Tenn. Ingredients # 32 ounces ketchup # 16 ounces water # 6 ounces brown sugar # 6 ounces white sugar # 1 Tablespoon black pepper # 1 Tablespoon onion powder # 1 Tablespoon ground mustard # 2 ounces Neely's Seasoning # 2 ounces lemon juice # 2 ounces Worcestershire # 8 ounces apple-cider vinegar # 2 ounces corn syrup # 3 to 4 pound Spare Rib Directions 1. Combine sauce ingredients in a stockpot, cook at a high temperature and bring to a boil and stir to prevent sticking. 2. Lower temperature and simmer without cover for at lease 30 minutes. 3. Trim a 3 to 4 pound spare rib (remove the upper brisket bone and any other excess; this will produce a St. Louis style rib) 4. Rinse and season rib with Neely's seasoning, then refrigerate for 4 to 12 hours. 5. We recommend that ribs are cooked on an indirect barbecue pit to prevent burning. The ideal temperature is 250 degrees for the first three hours, and 300 degrees for the final three hours. 6. Load ribs curl side up, so the juices will maintain their moisture. After three hours, turn ribs and increase temperature. Baste ribs with Neely's barbecue sauce during the last 30 minutes of cooking so sauce will not burn. Neely's Seasoning Ingredients # 4 ounces paprika # 2 ounces white sugar # 1 teaspoon onion powder Directions Simply mix the ingredients and set aside. Recipe courtesy of Patrick Neely of Neely's Bar-B-Que Restaurant in Memphis, Tenn. � 2002.

Dry Rub Barbeque -- Memphis Rendevous Style

Fri, 06 Jul 2007 17:58:00 -0700

World Famous Rendezvous Dry BBQ Ribs From Nick Vergos of Charlie Vergos Rendezvous restaurant, Memphis, Tenn. Ingredients # 4 cups white distilled vinegar # 4 cups water # 1/3 cup Rendezvous Famous Seasoning Rub # 2 slabs pork loin back ribs (approximately 2 pounds each) Directions 1. Mix vinegar, water and seasoning together to make your basting sauce. 2. Cook meat over direct heat on the grill, approximately 18-inches above fire. Coals should be at 325 to 350 degrees. 3. Start ribs bone side down, until bone side is golden brown. Baste 2 times with basting sauce then flip slab and cook meat side down until this side reaches a nice golden brown. 4. The meat is ready when it is so hot that you cannot touch it with your fingers. That is approximately 30 minutes per side. 5. Baste again and sprinkle with Rendezvous world famous seasoning and you are ready to serve. Yield: 4 servings Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 1 hour Rendezvous Seasoning Rub Recipe Ingredients # 1/2 cup salt # 1/4 cup pepper # 1 Tbsp garlic powder # 1 Tbsp oregano # 1 Tbsp celery seed # 1 Tbsp paprika # 1 Tbsp chile powder Directions Combine ingredients and set-aside. Recipe courtesy Nick Vergos of Charlie Vergos Rendezvous restaurant, Memphis, Tenn. � 2002.

Carnitas -- Famous Mexican dish

Tue, 08 Aug 2006 09:11:40 -0700

Carnitas consist of braised pork and can be eaten by itself (and tortillas, a chili sauce) or as the filling in tamales, tacos and burritos. The pork is first simmered for a long time to make it really soft and then braised in the oven to make it crispy. Since the recipe is very simple and does not involve any chili sauces everyone likes carnitas. This recipe serves 2. Ingredients: 2 16oz cans of chicken broth 4 pounds of boneless pork shoulder 1 tbs. chopped coriander (cilantro) 1 tbs chopped cummin (comino) Corn Tortillas 2 bay leaves 1 onion, quartered Chili sauce, such as Pico de gallo, chipotle or whatever you like Pre-cooking: Cut the pork meat in chunks and discard excess fat, but leave some fat to add flavor Chop the cilantro and cumin Cooking: Set frying pan on medium high Add the pork, cilantro, cummin, onion and broth If nescessary, add water so that the meat is covered Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 3-4 hours or until the meat is very soft and pulls appart easily Remove the meat and place it in a roasting pan, discarding the onion and broth, brake appart the meat in smaller chunks Bake for about 20 minutes at 450 degrees, until the meat is brown and crispy Heat the tortillas and serve with your favorite chili sauce, chopped onions and cilantro

EMPANADAS PAISAS (MEAT-FILLED TURNOVERS)

Mon, 07 Aug 2006 17:47:57 -0700

Makes about 60 empanadas for hors d'oeuvres. 1/2 lb. each of pork and beef 1 Tbsp. each of onion and scallion, chopped 1 tsp. each of ground cumin seed and salt dash pepper 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil 2 cups water 1/2 cup each of chopped onions and chopped scallions 4 small tomatoes, peeled and chopped 1 lb. (4 medium-sized) potatoes, boiled with skin 1/2 Tbsp. fresh cumin seed, ground 1/2 Tbsp. salt 1/2 tsp. pepper 1 lb. dry yellow corn 1 Tbsp. salt 2 Tbsp. cornstarch 2 Tbsp. brown sugar Meat mixture*: The night before, marinate the meat with the onions, scallions, salt, pepper and ground cumin seed. Cover the pan. The next day, brown the meat in the vegetable oil. Then return the marinade and add water. Cook until meat is tender (40 minutes). Remove and grind meat. Save the water. Saute the onions and scallions in 4 Tbsp. oil. Add the chopped tomatoes and fry an additional 3 or 4 minutes. Mix in the ground meat and meat stock and cook for about 10 minutes. Dough: Peel and mash the cooled, boiled potatoes and add them to the meat and vegetable mixture. Mix the salt, pepper and ground cumin seed into the meat and potato mixture. Apart, boil the dry yellow corn in sufficient water to cover the corn, for about half an hour. Put the cooked corn through a grinder. To the ground corn add the salt, the cornstarch and the brown sugar. Knead the dough until it is thoroughly mixed and forma a firm ball. Pick off small pieces and form into the size of small balls. Flatten each piece thin. Put about 1 teaspoon of the meat mixture in the center of the flattened ball. Fold over and pinch edges together to close and form a pretty edge. Place in deep, hot vegetable oil and fry about 3 or 4 minutes until golden brown. Remove and put on paper towels in a colander. Serve immediately or reheat in a paper bag in the oven prior to using. *The meat mixture can be made in advance and stored in the freezer, but the dough must be made fresh the day of use.

Columbian SANCOCHO DE GALLINA (CHICKEN SOUP)

Mon, 07 Aug 2006 17:45:54 -0700

chicken stock (1 and 1/2 quarts) 1 yucca, peeled and cut into 1x1x1-inch pieces 2 plantains, peeled, halved, and sliced into thirds longitudinally 2 red potatoes, peeling optional, cut into chunks 3 whole chicken breast, skinned and quartered with bones left on. juice from two lemons cumin, 1 tsp scallions, 1 bunch cilantro, 1 bunch roux (2 Tbsp all-purpose flour and 2 T butter, mixed and microwaved for 30 seconds) salt and pepper In one cup of chicken stock, simmer scallions, cilantro, and cumin for a few minutes. Set it aside till cool, then process it into a smooth, green-colored flavoring element to be added to the final soup. In the remaining 1 and 1/4 quarts of chicken stock, simmer the quartered, skinned chicken breasts. Particulate scum which floats off the chicken breasts as they start to cook may be skimmed off with a ladle, and discarded. The chicken will take about an hour to cook. As the chicken starts to simmer, add cut-up, peeled yucca, and cut-up potatoes. You may continue to skim off scum after the yucca and potatoes are in the soup. About a half hour from completion time, add cut-up plantains. Plantains are more delicate, and require less cooking time that other elements of the soup. 10 minutes before completion time, add the processed scallions-cilantro-cumin, and the juice from 2 lemons. Add roux to "bind" the soup, stirring to mix it well. Make sure the potatoes and yucca are cooked to softness, and examine a piece of chicken to check for doneness. If overcooked, the yucca, potato, and plantain disintegrate, but their rich flavors remain. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Jamaican Curry Chicken

Mon, 07 Aug 2006 17:16:23 -0700

INGREDIENTS : * 1- 3lbs chicken * 2 tablespoon currypowder * onion, thyme, garlic, pepper, black pepper. * salt to taste * lemon or lime juice METHOD: 1. Clean, skin,and cut chicken in small pieces,then wash with lime or lemon juice 2. Drain, season with curry, onion, thyme, garlic, peppers, salt and let marinate for awhile 3. In a skillet pour about 3 tablespoon of oil. Let oil heat but not too hot 4. Add chicken and let cook until done. 5. Serve over white rice