Southern Fusion

Southern Fusion

Small Plates

Here is the latest dinner. I will try to post recipes over the next few weeks.

Salmon-Cucumber-Watermelon Montage

With

Peach Margaritas

Pulled Pork with with Mini Tortillas

Curry Chicken Gumbo

Fried Crab-grits Cakes with Remoulade Sauce

Corn Oysters with Petite Corn Rolls

Cajun Skewers with Andoille

Filet Mignon with Ancho chilli Sauce

Yukons and Cheese

Brussel Sprout Pecan Surprise

Masa short bread with Whipped Crème and Blueberries

Smores Martinis

Spanish Potato Tortilla or Omelet


This is one of my wife’s favorite Tapas (or can be eaten as a side dish). It is pretty universally available in Spain, and we enjoyed several varieties while in Barcelona. Here are two basic recipes from the web. I’ll mention a few things below that you can play around with, and a few caveats to the cooking from my experience.

http://spanishfood.about.com/od/tapas/r/tortilla.htm

http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/spanish_potato_tortilla.aspx

First: Yukon gold potatoes are GREAT! for this recipe, so I highly recommend them. When we visited our friends in Barcelona (Thanks Pato and Santi!) we had some of these (or something very like them) that I made garlic mashed potatoes with.

Be sure you use a Non-Stick frying pan if you have one – I didn’t once, and it didn’t flip very well. If you don’t, then use an oil that doesn’t stick as readily (olive oil tends to stick), Canola oil works better.

On cooking the potatoes – a bit easier method than pre-frying them , and then frying the omelet (lots of frying and oil!) – is to par-boil the sliced potatoes. Make sure if you do this that they are not really soft – get them out when just barely cooked through and drain thoroughly, pat dry. Then you can skip to the tortilla or omelet part after you lightly sauté the onions (and optional garlic).

Have fun playing with this recipe. There are lots of possible variations:

Adding sautéed peppers

I added some sautéed edible pod peas once

Some grated parmesan or other hard cheese is nice mixed in.

Or you can add some melted cheese atop at the end.

In moderation you can add a variety of vegetables to make it healthier.

You can also probably cut down a bit on the eggs if that is a concern. Experiment and see how it holds together with one or two less.

Make sure the omelet is well-browned underneath before trying to flip. You can brown it even more if you like a crispy texture for the bottom.

This dish goes well with just about anything, so enjoy.



If you don’t want to look up one of these recipes, here are the basics:

2-3-4 potatoes peeled and sliced in quarter inch slices (depends on size of pan and size of potatoes).

1 onion sliced

Garlic chopped (optional)

4-5-6 eggs mixed

Salt and pepper to taste

Cook the potatoes (either fry in lots of oil, or parboil as mentioned above), Do Not Brown at this stage. You just want them barely cooked through. Saute onions (and garlic, and other veggies if desired). Add potatoes and onion mixture to Non-stick pan on medium-high heat with a generous coating of oil (you definitely don’t want this to stick. Mix eggs and pour all around potatoes and onion. Turn down heat almost immediately to Medium low and cook until bottom of tortilla is browned (to your taste), but should be well-cooked. Center of tortilla on top may still be a bit runny. Make sure tortilla is completely loose in pan before flipping. Flip (place a plate on top of the skillet and turn over), reheat skillet to medium high, slide omelet in and finish cooking on medium-low heat (again to desired degree of doneness). Serve in wedges.

Best,

Joe Koob

Enjoying the Good Life in Barcelona – Iberian Jamon sandwiches

My wife and I just had the good fortune to spend several days with friends in Barcelona. We got to see the sites/sights, but also had the opportunity to spend time with the family and enjoy aspects of the culture and life that were more ‘down home’. It was a real treat.

To pass on some of the food basics there, I’m going to write several blogs about what we had, and give you an idea of how to create as best we might in this country. One delectable treat that seems commonplace and acceptable for any meal, including breakfast, is Spanish Ham or Jamon, which is oft served with a crusty bread. Here is one basic presentation:

Ingredients:

A crusty bread (see recipe below), most typically fairly flat and cut length-wise in two. Not unlike a Panini bread.
A good ham – recommended if you can find it – Iberian Ham. Serrano (aka the web) seems like a substitute that may be more readily available. (I’ll wax eloquently about the ham in a minute).
Fresh tomatoes
Olive oil
Salt
Fresh garlic (optional)
Manchego cheese (also optional)

What to do:

At one restaurant for a starter we had the toasted bread (lightly toasted) served with the above ingredients so we could ‘make our own’. The first order of business is to take a piece of tomato (served here in cut halves) -- you are to crush and rub the pulp into/all along the top of the toasted/cut side of the bread. [We also had this several other times and sometimes they do this step for you – the bread comes out with the tomato all mushed into the bread.] I know it sounds a bit strange, but the effort is worth it.

Then you have the option of smearing some garlic into the bread as well [I like garlic, so this was a no-brainer for me, but its good either way.]

Sprinkle olive oil (Not too much!) over the bread.

Sprinkle salt (and pepper if you so desire) on top.

Put on a layer of very yummy Iberian Ham. Enjoy!

About Spanish Ham:

Jamon (I’m missing some accents here, I’m sure) is a wonderful cured ham. It seems to come in a wide range of types, qualities, and prices. All of what we had was good! Great, in fact! At some of the tapas places, sandwich places, etc., you could see rows of the whole hams hanging from the ceiling. I would have loved to have hauled one of these back to the States with us.

The ham is very tasty – not too strong, not too dry, but dry, not too salty. Just an excellent cured ham. The closest I can come to in my experience here are prosciutto, serrano, and perhaps a high quality southern cured dry ham.

About the bread:

The ‘sandwich’ bread was a crusty white, seemingly from a fairly flat loaf. It had large yeast holes, and was always sliced in two length-wise. Below is a recipe for basic Spanish bread from the web. I found several, but none mentioned the thickness. I’ll give a few suggestions, and after a few tries, I’ll follow this blog up with another as to the results. For now this is based on my fairly extensive experience making breads.

Pan de Orno

First, you need 1&1/2 TBS of bread yeast, 3 cups warm water, 7 cups of white flour, two teaspoons of salt, 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil. See recipe here:

http://user.xmission.com/~dderhak/recipe/bread.htm

[NOTE: you can halve this recipe or even 1/3rd it. Just make sure you have about 1 tlbs of yeast in any case.]

Further recommendations. Don’t over knead this and don’t force in too much flour. To gain the proper thickness I would recommend a semi-moist dough. Then stretch it out gently after the first rise into flat (1/2 inch to ¾ inch by 10-12 inches by 3-4 inch loaves. Do this without much kneading in-between (kneading creates elasticity and you don’t want this to ‘spring back’ too much).

After about a half hour of additional rise, gently pull out the bread again to elongate the loaves and flatten them a bit further. Finish the rise, and bake. This elongation process helps make larger yeast bubbles in the bread. There are several things you can do to make a nice crust.

Most recommended is -- put the bread in the middle rack of your hot oven (450) with a pan underneath. Just before shutting the door toss in a cup of cold water in the pan below or a handful of ice cubes. Shut the door and bake.

Alternatively you can start with a pan of water below and/or brush the loaves with water several times during the baking. From experience, the ice-cube/cold water method works the best.

Joe Koob

BTW Sorry for the long absence, but I was in Florida for the winter and I have become lazy about blogging while there – though I still cook!

National Fusion

Just did this dinner: Theme was to cook dishes representing the National heirtages of each guest. We had Swiss, German, Filipina, Italian, French-German (Luxembourg), Polish, Russian, Santa Fe, and 'American (the melting pot so to speak). Here's the menu -- I'll blog in the week's ahead on dishes/recipies.

National Fusion

Fondue plus
Swiss-German-Filipina

Fromage Gelatine mit Gebratene Ente
French-German

Soup
Kapusta ala Canard et Onion
With
Mini-Popovers
Polish-Russian-French-American

Seafood
Scallops Hollanaise de Moutarde
Luxembourg

Citrus Glace’ ou Gelato
French/Italian

Tex-Mex Pulled Pork with Yam Chips
Santa Fe

Caprese Salad with Basil Cream Cheese
Italian-Capri

Entrée’
Osso Buco Agnello ala Russ
Sugar Snap Peas
Ravioli with Portobellos
Italian-Russian-Oriental

Dessert
Cranberry Shortbread with Cream Custard
American

American Fusion

American Fusion

This is a meal I cooked awhile back. I'm not going to give the full recipes or even ingredients, but just speak to the menu and concepts.

The general idea was to create dishes that reflected American Influence on a variety of other cuisines and dishes.

Small Plates

Sushi Lasagna
Rice in a Blanket
Coconut Crab Orbs

Instead of rolling the sushi, for the lasagna (Italian and certainly a favorite of Americans), I layered the ingredients and then cut it into rectangles (see picture below). Need to use a sharp knife for this and I found using toothpicks before cutting helped!

Rice in a blanket of tuna ( you know the old pigs-in-a-blanket).

Coconut crab orbs -- crag cakes plus coconut plus deep-frying quickly

Soup

Shrimp and Lobster Bisque
and
Petite Sourdough Brioche

New England with a twist of French. The sourdough starter was from San Fran.

Seafood
Cajun Beans and Shrimp

Already a fusion with abit of the ol' south tossed in -- slightly spicy.

Salad
Country Tomatoes and Cucumber
with
Basil Cream Cheese

This was basic down-home-grown veggie salad with a thought in another direction with the cream cheese...Tangy and a hint of spice with Thai Basil.

Entrée’
Peppered Roast Duck
with
Summer squash Melange

Different types of pepper that reflect a variety of cuisines and give a burst of flavor on top of that rich taste of duck. Roasted slowly with coals. The summer squash was decidedly southern-style.

Dessert
Plum-Almond Custard Tart

Another go with basic French and country flavors.

Gumbo and Cornmeal Popovers ala Koob

I had a hankerin' for some Cajun food the other day and decided to whip me up some gumbo. Here's what transpired:

Gumbo

canola oil
butter
flour
cajun spices (see below)
two large chicken breast halves cut into mouth size chunks
1/2 lb of shrimp (ditto above)
salt to taste
1 small zuchinni
4 oz chopped spinach
1 medium chopped tomato
about 3-4 cups lobster stock (which I just happened to have on hand)or chicken/shrimp stock
rice (3/4 cup/cup dry, then steam or cook)
[Note: I skipped the okra -- wife doesn't like, and I can take or leave, hence the zuch and spinach]

A note on cajun seasoning: I used a generic brand, but you can make your own. Here is one attributed to Paul Prudhomme:

4 Tbsp. salt
2 Tbsp. + 2 tsp. paprika
2 Tbsp. garlic powder
2 Tbsp. onion powder
2 Tbsp. dried basil leaves
4 tsp. dried thyme leaves
4 tsp. black pepper
3 tsp. dried oregano leaves
2 tsp. white pepper


A good bit of Cajun cooking is all about the Roux and I have played around a bit with the whole concept of this for the last couple of years. No sense in letting the southern boys and girls have all the fun -- rouxes can be used in a variety of cuisines!

make a mixture of about two tablespoons of cajun seasonings (depends on how spicy you like things) and 3/4 cup of flour. Dredge chicken chunks in this until well-coated. Place oil and a couple of tablespoons of butter (you can use all butter, but watch your heart!), to coat a frying pan about 1/8th-1/4 inch thick for frying. Heat to med-high/high and begin frying the chicken chunks. Set aside when seared on all sides and a crust develops [Note: most of this will dissolve in the Gumbo eventually, but that adds to the flavor -- a Gumbo is essentially a soup or stew.]

When the chicken is all done, dump the remaining flour from dredging in-with the leavings in the pan oil. Heat on medium high until the roux begins to develop (flour will start to brown). Now comes your creative and taste part:it depends on what type of flavor you want how long you cook the roux. light brown is mild; dark brown richer. Experiment. Important: don't let the roux burn. any black or black flecks is not good. So you have to watch this and stir off and on. If it sits, it will burn.

Meanwhile take your stock and begin to heat it. Then add about a cup of the heated stock to the pan with the oil and roux and voila, you have a gravy. Dump this with all its goodness (scrap it all into your soup pan even the dregs at the bottom). Add remaining stock and simmer for (however long you need -- just don't let it burn on the bottom, at least a half hour). Add fairly finely chopped zuchinni the last fifteen/twenty minutes, shrimp the last ten, and spinach the last five.

Gumbo is served in a soup bowl over some rice. Place a 1/4 cup of rice or so in bottom of dish and spoon over all that rick goodness of the gumbo. YUMMY!

Meanwhile the Cornmeal Popovers:

Checkout one of my other posts on popovers. Add to the basic recipe -- 1/2 cup of cornmeal, a bit of sugar if you like it sweet, to taste, and an additional 1/2 cup of milk. Cook as normal. This works! I just did it. They pop as nicely as regular popovers.

Best,

Joe Koob

Black-tip Shark Steak Dinner

I got two nice Black-tip Shark steaks at a local market recently. This dinner for two was a result.

You don't often find Black-tip Shark available, at least in my local area, and it is a good semi-firm white fish that can stand up to grilling, poaching, high-heat cooking -- your choice. In this case I decided to poach the fish and enjoy with a 'sauce within a sauce.'

Ingredients:

Two shark steaks -- about 1/2 lb each (mine were about an inch+ thick)
Creamed spinach
Shirred eggs (two)
Lobster sauce
Roasted red pepper sauce
Rice

For the steak:

I poached the steak in about 3/4 inch of liquid:

water
white wine (about 1/4 cup)
juice of one-half lemon
pinch of bouquet garni

Poach on a slow roll until just done, about 7-10 minutes.

For the spinach:

4 ounces or so fresh spinach coarsely chopped
olive oil
heavy cream (or light sour cream)
white pepper (or black)
salt to taste

Saute spinach in olive oil in a skillet until nicely wilted, sprinkle on seasonings, stir in a bit of cream or sour cream to smooth out

Shirred eggs

Place a tablespoon of heavy cream in a small baking dish (one for each egg of a size for egg to fit nicely -- see picture). Place egg on top, dollop top with a bit of butter and a bit more cream. Bake in oven to desired doneness (runny or hard). (Or you can make poached eggs.)

Rice: I used plan white rice, rinsed to get some of starch off, cooked as usual (one cup rice -- two cups water, bring to a boil, reduce to low simmer until liquid absorbed).

Roasted red bell pepper sauce

one medium red bell pepper roasted
1/4 cup light or non-fat sour cream (you can use the regular stuff, depends on whether you want the fat content)
juice from 1/4lemon

You can roast bell peppers on your grill, or under a broiler, or you can now buy them jarred in a store. If you do yourself, roast until outer skin is blackened, but flesh is still moist (turn as needed). Cool and then peel of charred skin.

I used my food processor to mix this up well. Note: this is almost a red pepper coulis and you can vary it at will, just don't overpower the fish.

Now for the clincher: the Lobster sauce

I made this sauce as I would make a lobster bisque only it was thicker.

Mirepoux (finally chopped carrots, celery, onions)-- about a cup's worth
butter and olive oil (or canola oil)
one-two small lobsters (the more the richer the sauce)
heavy cream
seasonings (light pinches of herbs to your taste)

Boil lobsters in large pot until done (5+ minutes). Cool. Reserve liquid. [Note: to use less liquid and not have to cook it down, I use only enough water to cover half the lobster, then I turn them once while boiling).

Saute mirepoix in butter and oil until it begins to brown (how brown will affect the richness and flavor of your sauce/bisque, I like it fairly brown, but be sure not to burn).

Cut up lobsters, remove meat, and save everything including all the liquid that comes out as you disect them. Return all shells,liquid, etc., to the pot with reserved liquid and simmer for 1/2 hr to an hour. You want to glean all those great flavors from the lobster shells, etc.

Strain the lobster liquid, toss out carcasses. Add mirepoix to liquid and simmer again for a 1/2 hour, add any herbs you wish at this time (all of this simmering will help reduce the amount of liquid and thicken your sauce). Strain the liquid again reserving mirepoix. Add the mirepoix to a cuisinart or blender with a small amount of the liquid and blend on high for a couple of minutes. Then strain this through a medium fine sieve pushing as much of it through as possible. The twice-cooked mirepoix adds to the flavor and thickness. Add this mixture back into the rest of the liquid and simmer again. Add cream (you don't need alot, a few tablespoons will do). To thicken further you can add a bit of flour to some of the liquid and heat to a higher temperature for a bit. You can also add some light sour cream to help smooth out more and it will add fewer calories and fat than the heavy cream. Add in some of the lobster meat, chopped. Voila! (Use the rest of the lobster meat for some other delectable dish.

Put together: see picture below. And serve immediately. Enjoy.