The UnTourist

Here is something I dreamed up and tried a good while back. Still play with it every time I try it. Some of the measurements are very approximate, as I was (and am) winging it.

Hardware:
covered container large enough to hold whole chicken
cutting board
knife
roasting pan
boiler
skillet
spatula

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken
.5 to 1 gallon orange juice
Basmati rice
mushrooms, assorted types
butter
olive oil
honey (sourwood if available)
2 bulbs garlic
slivered almonds
.25 to .5 cup frozen/fresh green peas
chipotle
kosher salt
fresh ground pepper
truffle oil (optional)

The night before you want to cook the chicken, place it in the container, pour in orange juice to completely submerge, put on cover, and put in refrigerator. Roast the garlic bulbs whole, unpeeled. Easy method is to put bulbs on aluminum foil, coat with olive oil, wrap well in the aluminum foil, and put in toaster over at app. 350 degrees for a few hours. You can also go ahead and prepare 1 cup of dry Basmati rice per directions, store in refrigerator. I used white truffle oil in the rice.

Before cooking, clean, slice or chunk, and saute mushrooms in olive oil and butter. Add some of the mushrooms to the rice, along with slivered almonds (anywhere from a few to .5 cup) and peas. Cut tops of roasted garlic bulbs and squeeze roasted garlic into the mixture. Add pinch of salt and some fresh ground pepper. Use this to stuff the chicken. Pull the chicken from the orange juice, stuff, and place in roasting pan.

Combine app. 1 cup of honey with .5 cup of the Grand Mariner and 1t – 3T of good chipotle powder. Mix well, and brush this on the chicken. Cover, and cook for one hour at 350 degrees. Uncover, brush more mixture on (or pull up from bottom of roasting pan and baste), and cook app. one more hour until temperature at the center of the chicken/stuffing is at least 160 degrees, basting often.

An interesting option is to put loads of slivered almond in the bottom of the roasting pan, and let them cook in the juices and glaze.

Enjoy!

I got started doing these a while back with a vegetarian ex, and have continued to refine them because, frankly, they taste good. Here is the current iteration.

Hardware:
Grill or Skillet and Oven
Bowl, small
Half pan or sheet pan for oven (if needed)
Knife
Cutting board
Brush

Ingredients:
1-6 large portabella mushroom caps
Olive oil
Bacon drippings
Garlic
Dill
Kosher salt
Pepper, fresh ground
Balsamic vinegar
Real Mozzarella cheese
Smoked real Mozzarella cheese (optional)
Truffle oil (optional)
Whole wheat extra-large hamburger buns

Clean mushroom caps as needed and remove stem. Fine chop fresh garlic, and fine chop any fresh herbs — it is okay to use dried on these. Slice fresh/real Mozzarella so that you have enough to cover the inside of each cap. Mix together olive oil, bacon drippings (melted if need be), garlic, dill, pepper, and a pinch of salt. Brush mixture onto mushroom caps and then grill face down for a bit, then flip and brush on a dab more of the oil/spice mixture. Drizzle a little bit of Balsamic vinegar (crema would be wonderful) into the caps, then place cheese to cover. Cook until cheese melts, then serve on whole wheat extra-large hamburger buns. If you don’t have a grill, cook in skillet cap side down, then flip and cook a bit longer. If cooking multiple, slip onto a baking sheet and bake at 250 degrees until the cheese is melted.

Enjoy!

It’s the right time of the year, and if you have a good grill (with side smoker is even better), then here is a good way to do some lamb. I cook to rare, as overcooked lamb and mutton is not to be tolerated much less eaten.

Hardware:
Grill
Aluminum foil
Knife
Cutting board
Tongs
Charcoal
Smoke chips/blocks

Ingredients:
Boneless leg of lamb
Olive oil
Truffle oil (optional)
Garlic
Fresh rosemary
Fresh ground pepper

Start hardwood charcoal in the grill on one side. Put the leg of lamb out on the cutting board and trim as needed. Using the knife, make slits in the meat and insert peeled cloves of garlic into the meat. Coat the meet in olive and other oils as desired, sprinkle with pepper, and place fresh rosemary on top. Wrap the lamb in aluminium foil and place on the cool side of the grill, dumping and spreading coals on the other side. Place chips, and replenish hardwood charcoal and chips as needed. Cook until the center of the roast reaches 140 degrees. Let stand at least 15 minutes, then serve.

Enjoy!

As yet another blizzard hits the East Coast, thought it was a good day to put up one more hot and delicious meal for those in need of some heat (and flavor):

Carne Adobava

Hardware:

LARGE mixing bowl
Food processor or blender
Large spoon
Knife
Oven, preheat to 375 degrees

Ingredients:

1 lb dried hot NM red chili pods
1 lb dried mild NM red chili pods
20-40 peeled cloves of garlic (Go High)
2 large onions, cut into wedges
4T Mexican oregano
2t Kosher salt
Water

Working in batches, place dried pods on a half-sheet pan or cookie sheet and warm for a couple of minutes in the oven to make them pliable. Remove stems and place in food processor or blender along with a small amount of water, some garlic and onion, and a bit of the spices. Pulse until smooth, adding water as necessary to get a slurry the consistency of heavy cream. Combine all batches in a very large mixing bowl and divide into thirds for freezing. Sauce should keep for six or so months frozen. This should make 1-2 gallons of sauce.

Take one third of the sauce and place in a pot/crockpot. Add in 3-4 lbs. cubed pork, recommend loin, about .5 inch to 1 inch cubes. Simmer for 3-8 hours.

While I mentioned a couple of variations yesterday, I also have a special version I do on occasion. So, in honor of yet more snow falling down, here is my version of Road Kill Grill chili for your consideration.

2 pounds sirloin, in cubes
2 pounds pork, in cubes
3 large onions, chopped small
8 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
2 freshly chopped jalapeno peppers
1 freshly chopped habanero pepper
2 chipotle peppers, chopped
1 T smoked paprika (use regular hot if no smoked)
6 T chili powder
1T cumin
1 t mexican oregano
15 ounces tomato sauce
1 t chipotle powder
sea or kosher salt to taste (start with 1t, go from there)
fresh ground black pepper to taste
pinch cinnamon (use up to 1t)
1 cup water
5 T Worcestershire sauce
Tabasco™ to taste

Brown meat. Add rest of
ingredients and simmer for at least 3 hours. To increase heat, increase fresh peppers.

Sorry for the delays, but between the day job and other delights, I’m behind. Given that we have yet another winter storm on its way, I thought it was time to post a good chili recipe. I was given this one years ago, and love it.

Beanies are for Weenies, Not for the Faint of Heart, No Guts No Glory, Feel
the Fear and Eat it Anyway Road Kill Grill Chili (submitted with permission)

1/4 cup Castrol GTX 10W/40
1 pound freshly flattened opossum
1 pound aged armadillo bellies
1/2 pound squashed skunk
1/4 pound pulverized jack rabbit
1/8 pound finely ground crow
1/8 pound minced little old lady (When doubling the recipe, continue to
use 1/8 of pound; little old ladies are a little tough, stringy, and gamey.
If gamey, soak in a little Jim Beam.)

OR 3 pounds sirloin or top round, diced into 1/4 inch cubes
3 large onions
5 cloves garlic
2 freshly chopped jalapenos
1 tablespoon paprika
6 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon extract of sweaty gym socks (cumin)
1 teaspoon oregano
15 ounces tomato sauce
1 cup rainwater
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cayenne
4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Freshly crushed black pepper
Tabasco™ to taste

Brown meat. Add rest of
ingredients and simmer for at least 3 hours.

These days, I substitute chipotle in place of cayenne, smoked paprika for plain, and some hickory smoked salt for some of the amount called for (and kosher for the rest). I also put a small amount of coffee in as well, but that’s just me. Also, if you are not making your own chili powder, you really need to be — less expensive and a LOT more flavor.

The snow comes down, but the house smells quite nice with a large pot of chili simmering away on the stove. By dinner time, it should be quite good.

I will put up a formal recipe soon, but this batch was done a bit different from the norm. Part of that is that I forgot I hadn’t made any chili powder recently (and you should make it, magnitudes better than what you buy) as I need to locate a particular dried pepper (and forgot to do so). No chili powder, so: I diced the meat fine (having found some top sirloin steaks for more than 50 percent off), about 3.5lbs worth; diced up most of a can of whole chipotles in adobo sauce; diced up a large red onion; found a can of diced mild jalapenos; and, went to town.

Dumped the meat into the pot to sear, then added chipotle and onions, a good dash of cumin, a teaspoon or less of coriander, some hickory-smoked salt, the diced jalapenos, 4-5 cloves of garlic through the press, some oregano, some smoked paprika, diced tomatoes, and tomato sauce. Think that’s it…

Let simmer for a few hours, and you have tender meat and something not too far from original/authentic. Darned tasty too.