The Chef Within

If you are a connoisseur of southwestern flavors you have most likely discovered chipotle peppers and if you haven’t and if you like some heat and smoky goodness this is something for you.  Think of all the places you use mayonnaise: as a sandwich spread, as a salad dressing or as an ingredient in salad dressing, making coleslaw, mixed with potato salad, dipping artichokes and french fries….anything that you can do with mayonnaise you can do even better with chipotle mayo.

Chipotles are jalapenos that have been smoke-dried.  They are then ususally packaged in this smaller red and white can with something called adobo sauce.  The sauce keeps them moist and pliable. 

It is simply a combination of mayonnaise and chipotle peppers.  Even though it’s just my husband and I at the house when I make a batch of this mayonnaise I always make and use a full jar of mayonnaise because I know we’ll go through it in no time. 

For one quart of mayonnaise (which is now only 30 ounces, but oh well) use about 1/2 can of peppers.  BTW the peppers can be found on the aisle with all the Hispanic foods.  Transfer any unused peppers to an airtight container and keep in the fridge.  They will last for several months giving you ample opportunity to use them (see note at the end regarding other uses for the peppers). 

Transfer the mayo to a mixing bowl and take the peppers to a cutting board. 

Mince them finely with or without seeds, depending on how hot you like it.  Frankly, I think seeding the peppers is a little too much trouble plus you get those dangerously hot oils on your fingers which is nothing but trouble.  That ratio - one jar of mayo to 1/2 can of peppers provides subtantial heat.  Not a killer heat but certainly solid.  You might want to use less the first time around just to be on the safe side.  You can always add more.

Combine the two ingredients and then when mixed spoon it all back into the mayonnaise jar.  Keep it in the fridge and use as often as possible.  When you are barbequing the mayonnaise serves as a great basting oil as well.  So many uses….

Aside from the mayonnaise the chipotles can be added to all kinds of foods: chili, mashed potatoes, enchilada sauce, guacamole, marinades, salad dressings, soups, breads…. If you want just a teaspoon or two of heat then use only the adobo sauce as your heating element.  There’s lots of versatility in this little can.

St. Patrick’s day is sort of like Thanksgiving; it’s the one day a year we might be inclined to buy corned beef/turkey.  There is certainly nothing stopping us from having it more often but since it might be on our minds more, this time of year, let’s talk about corned beef.

I suppose you could actually “corn” your own beef but honestly I’ve never done that. If that is important to you, you could probably hop on line and find some great information.  But this post will cover cooking the piece that has already been corned.  Corned beef is made from the brisket, which is a tougher part of the beef and requires long, slow cooking in liquid. 

Because I was making a special Reuben sandwich for quite a large group I opted to buy an entire briket (plus I wanted leftovers).  You can buy an entire brisket, like this, but most frequently you will find a smaller piece.  Whatever the size, the cooking method is the same. 

This was the size of the seasoning packet included with the whole brisket.  What joke!  This wasn’t enough for even a small cut.  So if you need to supplement the seasonings, take a look at what they include…

 and duplicate it. 

Or if you prefer the convenience of all the spices in one then use a can of pickling spice which is frequently used for cooking corned beef.

Once again, when trying to figure out what spices to add, refer to the label for ideas  and add any that are not already in the packet.  I figured more is always better in a case like this and as you can guess, this is not an exact science so just put in liberal amounts and you won’t go wrong. 

Once all the dry seasonings are in the cooking pan or crock pot, which is a great place for a cut of meat like this…

add some large pieces of onion, carrots and celery with a bay leag or two plus a couple of cloves of crushed garlic.

To these spices and fresh ingredients you will need to add some kind of liquid.  You can add water or frequently beer is used as the cooking liquid.  You can use a combination of the two.  For the entire brisket I used a total of about one quart of liquid.  I could have used less.  If you are cooking smaller pieces use lesser amounts of liquid because the meat will exude tons of its own juice as it cooks.  So you really don’t need alot to begin with.

The meat, seasonings and liquid are all placed in a roasting pan and then covered with foil or the lid of the pan.  Since the entire piece was so large I cut it in half before roasting.  Notice that the fat cap is on top. 

The brisket can cook all day long at a low setting in the oven 200-250 or you can cook it at 300 degrees for a shorter period.  I wouldn’t cook it at much higher a temperature than 300.  

Cook for several hours until the meat pokes fairly easily with a fork.  Remove from the cooking liquid and honestly, I’m not sure there is a use for the liquid.  You might want to chill it overnight to congeal the fat, then remove the fat, discard it,  strain the liquid and taste it.  If it tastes like something you might want to use for a soup or chili or another food, then by all means save it, even freeze it for the next opportunity. 

Once the meat is out of the liquid and has cooled a bit, cut off the fat cap and serve.  Be aware that this cut of meat needs to be cut crosswise, against the grain of the muscle  and cut thinly.  That ensures that the meat will be easier to chew.   If you are using the beef for sandwiches you might want to let it rest and chill overnight and then cut the meat crosswise, super thin, paper thin. 

Next time I want to share the recipe for the “Krazy Kraut” that I used to made this awesome Reuben.  It’s one of my favorites!

Last week I catered a special event and for that I had made a fresh basil dressing.  I had nearly a full bag of basil leftover and all week kept thinking that I needed to store that in some way before it was too late.  I finally got around to it.

I was almost too late.  I sorted through the bag and broke off the leaves that were still usable.  There were some brown spots which don’t pose a threat but are more a sign of loss of flavor and pungency. 

There were leaves that were completely limp and brown.  Those I threw away.

I took the mound of usable leaves and gave them a coarse chop with a chef’s knife. 

Then I divided the chopped herbs amongst two storage containers. 

Each container was then filled with water but not all the way to the top.  You should leave about  1/2 inch headroom to account for expansion during freezing.  The containers are then covered and sent to the freezer.  This is a great tip for any herb and can be done in smaller portions but in this case I wanted to keep the quantity large for recipes that call for good amounts; like the dressing or a tomato sauce or breads and biscuits. 

When it is time to use the herb, simply remove the “herb block” from the container by running it under warm water and then set the block in a sieve and run cool water over that.  The ice will melt instantly and you will be left with fresh tasting herbs or at least as fresh as they were when they were stored.

What inspired this post was that after roasting some bell peppers last week I found myself with quite a few leftover ends.   I cannot waste food and so I thought I’d convert them into sofrito.  Sofrito is a mixture of peppers, onions, garlic, sometimes cilantro and assorted ingredients.  There are many variations; some fresh, some cooked…  no hard, fast rules which makes this even more enticing. 

Sofrito is magical because no matter where it is used or how it is used it provides a foundation of flavor that makes your food and cooking stand out.  Let me just mention a few places where you might include it and then we’ll run through the procedure for the cooked method.

Once the sofrito is made it should be portioned in usable amounts and kept in the freezer.  That way it keeps indefinitely and is available any time.   Sofrito can do wonders to enhance a soup, spaghetti sauce, taco meat, enchilada filling, scrambled with eggs, layered with potatoes, added to rice, included in a pasta dish, thrown in a sandwich or topping a salad. 

I made this batch of sofrito using the leftover tops and bottoms of bell peppers. 

I took the bottoms and removed the meat…

and then trimmed around the tops…

to get every last bit of vegetable. 

In this case I had both red and green peppers, which are a nice combination because of the color they both provide. 

To this batch I also added some chopped onion and garlic and I even threw in a little celery.  Remember…no rules.

The mixture then needs to be sauteed in some vegetable oil until they are tender and then seasoned with salt and pepper.

Allow the mixture to cool slightly and then portion into containers or small baggies. 

I typically will portion them in 1/2 cup amounts.

All the bags are put in a holding container and taken to the freezer for future use.  Whenever you want to broaden the flavor of any food just add a packet or two and you’ll taste immediate results.