RSS Feed

Posts Tagged ‘Texas’

  1. Stout-Poached Pulled Chicken Barbecue

    May 21, 2011 by Cas

    Dammit. I can’t keep dreaming of this stuff at night so herewith, from the files of “make it already and get it out of your damned system” is this recipe with southern flair, a bit of spice, and a whole lot of gravy for sopping with biscuits or, as I’m enjoying it right now literally as I write this, served over Down-Home Spoon Bread.

    Make both, put healthy portions in takeout containers, freeze it, bring it to work, and nuke up something for lunch you won’t find at a Midtown street cart or 7-11. I love a jealous coworker….

    12 oz. (1-1/2 Cups) Stout beer
    1/2 Cup Water
    1-1/2 to 2 lbs. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs

    1/2 Cup Worcestershire Sauce
    1/2 Cup Ketchup
    1/2 Cup Lemon juice
    1/2 Cup Cider vinegar or white wine vinegar
    1/2 tsp. Salt
    1/4 tsp. Crushed red pepper flakes
    1 tsp. Dried parsley
    3 Cloves garlic, minced (or 3 tsps. jarred)

    1 Stick Butter

    1 Tbsp. Corn starch
    2 Tbsp. Water

    Place chicken, beer and water in a medium sauce pan, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes.

    In a mixing bowl, blend together all remaining ingredients except for the butter, starch and water. Set aside.

    Remove poached chicken to a separate bowl, and allow to cool for 3 minutes. Using two forks and working quickly, shred the chicken meat and return to the bowl. When all the chicken is shredded, add the poaching liquid and toss to coat. Set aside.

    In the same saucepan over medium high heat, melt butter and boil, stirring constantly until it becomes foamy and begins to turn a caramel color, about 2 minutes.

    Immediately remove from heat and stir in the reserved condiment mixture. Return to high heat and boil, stirring constantly, for one minute. Pour liquid off shredded chicken into a mixing bowl, and add chicken to the boiling sauce, along with 1/2 Cup of the poaching liquid. When the chicken and sauce return to boiling, reduce heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes.

    Mix cornstarch in water, and stir quickly into simmering chicken. Allow to boil for one minute more, then remove from heat, and serve.

    IF you’re making biscuits as an accompaniment, and IF you’re a fan of Red-Eye Gravy (which is traditionally made by deglazing a skillet after frying up ham, with a cup of coffee and some salt and pepper), the remaining 1/2 cup or so of poaching liquid has the same deep, satisfying richness in its thin simplicity. G’head. You know you’re thinking about it now…

    Category Entrees-Vous!, G.F. Yourself! Gluten-Free Food Daddy | Tags: ,,,,, | No Comments

  2. Down Home Spoon Bread

    May 21, 2011 by Cas

    Dear Merciful God, somebody stop me.

    I’m promising to end my Southern Belle kick IMMEDIATELY, for two reasons:

    (A) I’m now completely obsessed and I have too much unpacking to do to be fucking around in the kitchen; but more importantly,

    (B) Cooking as I do in nothing but an apron, all the butter and flour and salt in these amazing dishes is causing me to hate myself when I walk past a mirror and catch what my ass is looking like sticking out in the back.

    So I COULD wear pants, but I think I’ll move on to small plates and finger foods and salads for a little while.

    But not until I finish eating stuff like this.

    I love corn bread, I love simple, I love starchy and creamy and eggy… this is all those things.

    More of a bready custard, this is real stick-to-yer-ribs grub. It starts on the stove then goes into the oven, and you serve it, if you’re a purist, with a spoon. A true Southerner would gawk at a Yankee trying to slice this like a quiche or a pan bread just the way we’d stare at an ape eating soup with his hands at a high tea. I know folks who prefer it sweet, served hot from the oven with a pat of butter, a drizzle of honey or maple, and a sprinkle of cinnamon. But I think it’s best in its basic form, served as we would above the Mason-Dixon line as a starchy base for a saucier main dish — like noodles with stroganoff or stew, or rice with chili or curries. So even though this is GREAT stand-alone with a bit of butter and some salt and pepper (did I hear someone say “sprinkle of parmesan”? Yeah you, in the back there — I caught that), instead of just a haughtier cousin of the soul-nourishing corn grits, try it instead of biscuits next time you make a saucy dish so good you don’t want to miss a drop.

    3 Large Eggs
    1 tsp. Salt
    3 Cups Milk

    1 Cup Yellow cornmeal

    2 Tbsp. Butter

    1 Tbsp. Baking powder

    Preheat oven to 350°.

    In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs well with the salt. Add 1 Cup of the milk and blend thoroughly; set aside.

    In a medium saucepan, mix remaining 2 Cups of milk with the cornmeal until well blended. Bring to a boil over medium high heat; once boiling, reduce heat to medium and, stirring constantly for another 3 minutes, work mixture into a very thick paste, being sure to scoop down sides and bottom. Remove from heat and add butter, stirring to melt and blend it in thoroughly.

    Add 1/2 of the milk and egg mixture, and blend in thoroughly working out any lumps. Repeat with remaining liquid until smooth and uniform.

    Add baking powder and stir thoroughly, folding in the resulting foam until the mixture is well blended.

    Transfer mixture to a greased casserole (or preferably, because this is home-cookin’, a cast iron or other oven-proof skillet). The fluffy mix will not rise much, so if it fits comfortably at this stage, you’re safe from puffy, drippy messes.

    Bake on rack in the middle of the oven for 30 minutes, or until the edges are browning and the top is showing signs of turning golden brown in spots. Remove from oven, and let cool.

    Yes it will deflate a bit. Yes it will be delicious anyway. And yes you will find a  million reasons to make this, from brunch to lunch to dinner to whythefuckamIawakeatfourinthemorning.

    Try this with our Stout-Poached Pulled Chicken Barbecue. Or just try it, as the name and the Confederacy demand… with a spoon.

    Category Breads, Rolls & Muffins, Entrees-Vous!, Fresh Baked, G.F. Yourself! Gluten-Free Food Daddy, Side by Side by Side Dish, Vegetarian (or Potentially So) | Tags: ,,,, | No Comments

  3. Bar’s Lemon Garlic Marinade

    May 18, 2011 by Cas

    First, First Lady Bush was known for her barbecue chicken. Being a Texas homemaker in one phase of her life, I guess she had to be known for SOMETHING southern, or she would have been drummed out of the D.A.R.

    Barbara’s secret (look… she’s even TELLING you here not to tell anyone!) was this marinade in its basic version. After marinating she’d toss the sauce and then barbecue the chicken with her own homemade barbecue sauce. I’ve made a few minor tweaks to her recipe, but overall I feel that in its simplicity it imparts so much tenderizing flavor to meat, veggies and other grill fare that it deserves its own spotlight.

    This batch should be enough to marinate about 2 lbs. of meat, but with so few ingredients, all readily available, you can whisk together extra at a moment’s notice to use as a basting or topping if need be (see notes after).

    1/3 Cup lemon juice
    2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
    2 Cloves minced garlic (or 2 tsps. jarred)
    2 tsps. salt
    1 tsp. ground black pepper

    Optional:
    1 Tbsp. corn starch
    1/2 Cup cold water

    Whisk together all but the optional ingredients.

    If marinating meat (chicken sections or cutlets, or pork loin or chops): place meat and marinade in a ziplock bag. Seal, work marinade through meat, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.

    If marinating tofu: drain extra firm tofu, slice into grilling or baking-sized portions or cubes, and using paper toweling or cheese cloth, gently press out as much extra water as possible. Place in a shallow plate, coat with marinade, and refrigerate up to 24 hours, flipping and coating slices a few times while it marinates to insure even coating.

    Also great for meat and/or vegetable kabab skewers.

    When grilling or roasting, use the remaining marinade to baste during cooking.

    As an optional sauce, to brush on cooked meat, veggies or tofu, mix corn starch and water, add to remaining marinade in a saucepan, bring to a boil stirring constantly over medium-high heat, and adjust salt to taste.

    Category Feeling Saucy!, Marinades, Vegetarian (or Potentially So) | Tags: ,,,,, | No Comments

  4. Lady Bird’s Bird Sauce

    May 18, 2011 by Cas

    Actually, this works well on birds, pigs, cows, turkeys, tofus — anything you have roaming around the farm and want to slaughter, slice and serve.

    President Johnson and his family were good ol’ Texas folk. Up here in the North, we think of barbecue sauce as a sweet, thick condiment akin to a browner, sweeter, smokier ketchup.

    Not down there, y’all.

    Buttery and spicy and acidic; THOSE are the hallmarks of a good down-home bar-bee-kyoo. And it’s usually thin enough that it can really soak into meat, which further allows it to tenderize and infusicize and flavortize even the cheapest, slow-cooked cuts of meat.

    I can’t wait to use this in a pulled pork dish, which of course I’ll report here in full. But keep this one handy for a my next “Meet the Lady” dish, and make plenty to refrigerate or freeze and keep on hand.

    I did modify it with a bit of thickening so it can be used more easily and with less need for something to sop it up (read: BISCUITS), but it’s pretty true to the Lady’s old standard, and once you taste it you’ll say “oh… NOW I get it!” and it will quickly become a totally different animal in your culinary vernacular than Open Pit or Heinz.

    1 Stick unsalted butter

    1/2 Cup tomato ketchup
    1/2 Cup worcestershire sauce (or try our Vegan Worcestershire)
    1/2 Cup apple cider vinegar
    1/2 Cup lemon juice
    2 Cloves garlic, crushed or chopped (or 2 tsps. jarred)
    Dash of Tabasco sauce or dried cayenne pepper, to taste
    Salt and ground black pepper, to taste

    1 Tbsp. flour
    2 Tbsp. cold water

    In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.

    In a separate bowl or liquid measure, combine remaining ingredients except flour and water.

    When butter is melted, whisk in liquid mixture, raise heat, and bring to a boil.

    Combine flour with water and mix into smooth paste. Reduce boiling sauce to medium heat, whisk in flour mixture, and allow sauce to boil 1 minute.

    Serve immediately, or remove from heat, allow to cool to room temperature, then store refrigerated in an air-tight container.

    Think of this as something you can use as a marinade (try chicken cutlets, pork tenderloin, or steak, left soaking in the sauce overnight in the refrigerator) and then the final sauce (if you use your marinade as the finished serving topping, ALWAYS cook it to the boil to remove any hazard of food-borne contamination after the meat is removed and cooked). Or add 1/4 – 1/2 cup and some crushed white bread or crumbs to a pound of ground beef for a supercharged burger, meatloaf or meatballs.

    Or just put a little pitcher of this out alongside your ketchup and mustard at a picnic or barbecue, and see which topping your guests rave about.

    Category Feeling Saucy!, Marinades, Sauces and Toppings, Vegetarian (or Potentially So) | Tags: ,,,,,, | No Comments