Tag Archives: Cayenne pepper

My country cube steak with saw mill gravy for a crowd


I’ll let you in on a secret. I love red meat. Being a guy one could easily know that but I love bison cube steak when I can find it for a true country breakfest.

Mix together flour, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Dredge the Cube steak in the flour mix on both sides and set aside until all the yummy cube steaks are covered in flour. In a large camp fire skillet, add oil, garlic, and onions. When onions are clear remove from pan along with garlic. Add butter into pan and allow to melt. Once melted add in cube steaks. Watch them carefully, when the sides get a golden hay like color flip them and give them 1 more minute before removing from the pan. Turn off heat and remove grease by pouring through a fine mesh screen over a funnel into a mason jar.  This filters out the solid particles from the grease. Set this remaining grease aside in the mason jar. It will keep in the fridge for upto a week.

Take 9 tablespoons of this grease, 9 tablespoons of flour, 3 cups of half and half, and 1 pound crumbled breakfest sausage. Sift the flour into this remaining grease in the same pan you fried the cube steak. Stir it until it gets brown, I like a straw brown color. Pour in the half and half slowly while stirring constantly. Add in crumbled breakfest sausage, and stir until it’s thickened. At this point I add black pepper, about 3 tablespoons.  The breakfest sausage can be anything. Jimmy dean is good, or what ever you happen to have.

Serve with a side of mashed potatoes.

My beer cheese soup


I am a guy. I love some things that really show I’m a guy. These are the bbc of mandom, Beer bacon and cheese. This recipe combines them all at once. This is in my opinion the best beer cheese soup recipe in the history of beer cheese soup.

 

3 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup finely chopped fennel (or celery)
1 cup finely chopped carrot
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (32 ounce) carton chicken stock
5 (12 fluid ounce) cans or bottles guinness draught
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)
2 teaspoons white pepper
2 teaspoons dry mustard powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 pound moteray jack, cubed
1/2 pound block pepperjack cheese, cubed
1/2 pound block  Jalepeno Cheddar cheese, cubed

 

Put olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Cook and stir the fennel or celery, carrots, and garlic until soft, about 8 minutes. Pour in the chicken stock, beer, Worcestershire sauce, hot pepper sauce, white pepper, mustard powder, onion powder, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper; whisk to combine. Blend the mixture with a hand blender until smooth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer 15 minutes.

Stir in the moteray jack and allow to melt. When it has melted, slowly mix in the pepperjack and sharp Cheddar cheeses, a little at a time, allowing each addition to melt into the soup before adding the next. Simmer the soup over low heat until the cheese has completely melted and the flavors have blended, 15 to 20 more minutes.

Where’s the bacon, it’s an after addition. I usually cook 3 pounds of bacon till crisp, and then crumble it. Then sprinkle it into your soup. Mmmm beer cheese soup.

The best thing it is so versitile. You can get some tortia scoop chips and use it as a dip, you can drizzle it over potatoes, add broccoli for broccoli cheese soup, enchilada cassarole, the limits are endless.

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guanciale and corn griddle cakes


Another none traditional guanciale breakfest recipe. Yay guanciale! A delicious roman bacon meats a griddle cake! Yay!

Guanciale and corn griddle cakes

8 slices guanciale, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/3 cup finely chopped sweet onion
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2/3 cup milk
1 large egg, beaten
1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
1 cup frozen, canned or fresh corn
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

In a skillet, cook the guanciale pieces until they begin to brown. Add the onion and continue to cook until the guanciale is crisp and the onion is softened. Scoop out a heaping tablespoon of the guanciale mixture for topping the griddle cakes upon serving and set it aside.

While the guanciale is cooking, combine the flour, chives, baking powder, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Stir in the milk, egg and oil, just until moistened. Stir in the guancale mixture, corn and cheese. The mixture will be thick. If you’d like the griddle cakes to be slightly thinner, you can add a little more milk to thin out the batter.

Heat and grease a griddle or large skillet. Pour a heaping 1/4-cup of the batter onto the griddle and cook until it is golden brown- 3 to 4 minutes per side. Repeat with the remaining batter. Now to eat it….serve a stack like pancakes top with the reserved guanciale and onion and then eat however you like. Can add maple syrup or some honey, or real vermont sugar maple syrup.

My to die for corn and tomato salsa


25-30 cherry tomatoes = 2 cups chopped tomatoes

2 1/2 pounds of fresh tomatoes=3 cups chopped and drained fresh tomatoes=2 1/2 cups seeded chopped cooked tomatoes
30 pounds tomatoes Chopped with juice
1 head garlic, peeled and chopped
6 large bell peppers
9 large onions chopped
4 bunches cilantro (substitue celery leaves)
Jalapenos (substitute hot sauce)
1/2 cup salt
3 cups vinegar
2-4 tablespoons dried oregano
2-4 tablespoons thyme
1/2 tablespoons cayenne pepper ground
2 tablespoons paprika
2 cups hot sauce (I used salsalita orange habanero hot sauce, it was rather weak…but it was only a cup, so try 2-4 cups hot sauce)
Put all ingredients in an stainless steel stockpot (avoid enamel!) and heat through, stirring often.
Process in a boiling water bath canner for 15 minutes pints and quarts (hot pack).

6 quarts

My first 4 dishes of summer


Laying here thinking about summer, and I can think of the first 4 things I’m having when some gets here.

Black bean mussles with extra beer

4 tablespoons grapeseed oil
6 cloves garlic, crushed and finely chopped
2 tablespoon peeled and grated fresh ginger
2 jalapeno chile, seeded and chopped
4 heaping tablespoons fermented, salted black beans, washed and crushed into a paste
2 Splashes of homemade saki
4 pounds mussels, washed and de-bearded
4 cups beer, I’m thinking of something like apa, going to try Alpha King Pale Ale
6 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
6 spring onions, chopped, might save the green part for a soup
definetely going to take and top it with cilantro

Heat the wok over high heat and add the grapeseed oil. Add the garlic, ginger, peppers, black beans and saki and stir-fry for less than 1 minute. Add the mussels and stir-fry for less than 1 minute. Add the beer and the whites of the spring onions and cook until the mussels open, stirring occasionally. Discard any that do not open. Season the mussels with the soy sauce.

Going to wash it down with extra beer. I can’t wait for the water to warm again so I can go diving for the big ones.

Deep fried soft shell crabs be delicious the next day once they come in. I plan on taking my boy to braga bridge to go fishing for the blue crabs.

I figure 12 crabs be plenty…that be 4 a peice.

6 tablespoons peeled and grated fresh ginger
3 tablespoon grapeseed oil
3 tablespoon saki
3 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
3/4 teaspoon cayenne powder
corn oil, for frying
6 heaping tablespoons plus 3 cup potato starch or flour if you lack potato starch in the cubbards
6 eggs, beaten
6 large pinches sea salt
6 large pinches pepperocino (crushed red pepper flakes)

Prepare the crab by cutting away the face, slicing just behind the eyes. removing the flab by lifting the flap on the underside of the crab and cut this off. Loosen the top “shell” of the body and remove the deadman’s fingers (gills).

I’m thinking marinating them by mixing together the ginger, grapeseed oil, saki, five-spice powder and cayenne in a bowl. Add the crabs, cover with plastic wrap and marinate for an hour.

Fill a wok halfway with corn oil. Place over medium-high heat and heat the oil to 350 degrees F, or until a cube of bread turns golden brown in 15 seconds and floats to the surface.

In a shallow bowl, stir together 6 tablespoons sweet potato starch with the beaten eggs if it’s got lumps it should be fine. Remove the crabs from the marinade. Dip the crabs in the batter and then dredge again in the remaining sweet potato starch. Carefully lower the crabs into the hot oil using a spider, or slotted spoon don’t drop them in, can burn yourself or start a fire that was (story about my uncle paul). Deep-fry until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain on paper towels and season with the salt and dried chile flakes while they are still hot. They won’t make it to the table, I’ll be eating them as I take them out 

I’ll have it with beer, not just any beer, a malty roasted beer….I’m thinking Morimoto Black Obi Soba Ale if I can find it.

Something else I don’t get too much of the wife detests it…but snail…specifically conch meat with a ginger soy sauce, and sweet chili sauce…something mr. tsai said is the soul of chinese cooking, is balance.

Ginger soy
4 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
4 tablespoons light soy sauce
4 tablespoons saki
1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into cubes

Sweet chili
12 tablespoons chili paste (sirachia is what I plan on using)
4 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 cup lime juice
2 scallions, finely sliced

Conch
2 pound conch steaks
1/2 cup cornstarch
Sea salt and freshly ground white pepper
corn oil, for frying
4 lemons, cut into wedges

Just mix the sauces in seperate bowls, nothing special to it really.

The conch on the other hand…needs special preparation. Once you get them out of the shield and removed their guts, and slice the meat into steaks. With a meat mallet, pound thesteaks to 1/8-inch thick, and then cut into 1/2-inch strips. On a plate, combine the cornstarch with a pinch of sea salt and a few grinds of white pepper. Heat 1/2-inch corn oil in a wok over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, dredge the conch strips, in batches, in the seasoned cornstarch and flash fry in the wok for 20 to 30 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. In a small bowl, combine 1/2 teaspoon sea salt with 1 teaspoon ground white pepper. Season the fried conch with the salt and pepper mixture.

Something I am salivating for is crawfish. Down south my mother in law made a sauce she called crawfish au gratin. She served it over chicken…I want this over next time some nice deep fried catfish.

20 tablespoons butter
3 cup diced onion
1 cup diced red bell pepper
1 tablespoon minced garlic
20 tablespoons flour
6 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoon chicken broth
3 tablespoon crab broth
1/2 tablespoon granulated garlic
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 Pinches dried thyme
12 cups milk
1 cup white wine
15 ounces American cheese, cubed
4 pound peeled crawfish tails
20 tablespoons sliced green onions

In a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and saute the onions, peppers and garlic until wilted. Add the flour and stir until you get a blond roux, about 2 minutes. Stir in the sugar, chicken stock, crab stock, granulated garlic, basil, black pepper, cayenne pepper and thyme. Add the milk and wine and cook over medium heat until the milk thickens, stirring constantly, about 6 minutes. Add the cheese and stir until the cheese melts and fully incorporates into the sauce. Add the crawfish tails and cook until heated through, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and Add the green onions.

Catfish

8 (1/4 pound) catfish fillets
Creole seasonings-never measure eyeball it
8 eggs
16 cups milk
16 cups flour
16 cups cornmeal
Cottonseed oil, for frying

Rub catfish with creole seasoning. In a small bowl, beat the eggs and add the milk. Coat the catfish in flour and dip in the milk and egg mixture, then coat with cornmeal. Heat corn oil to 350 degrees F in a large skillet. Fry the catfish until golden brown, 7 to 8 minutes. Put on plate and slather with my mother in law’s crawfish sauce.