Sous Vide this week!!

As a card-carrying dork and self proclaimed foodie, I couldn't help but be interested when I first heard about Sous Vide early this year.

While I prefer kitchen spontaneity and am generally turned off by ultra-precise cooking techniques, the promise of perfectly cooked brisket and lamb was too much to resist.

I've been keeping an eye on ebay and recently found myself a water bath for $50. According to UPS, I'll have it one Thursday. I can only say that Alla does not share my excitement about a new kitchen toy. In fact, I've promised to get rid of our unused bread machine in order to make room for the water bath.

The only component that remains is the bagging. With Grant Achatz's reassurance that I don't need a vacuum sealer to cook Sous Vide (see here), I proceeded to plan the following first try Sous Vide dinner as I did my weekly grocery shopping at Andersons. My intention for now is to use Ziploc freezer bags.

I got all of my cooking times and temperatures from Nathan Myrvold's cooking tables in this egullet thread as well as Douglas Baldwin's Sous Vide Guide. Another excellent resource for Sous Vide info and techniques is this article by Dave Arnold of the French Culinary Institute.

The recipes, for better are worse, are my own improvisations with what I had in front of me at the grocery store. I'll post a followup with how things turned out at the end of the week.

The plan is as follows:

1. 24 Hour Brisket
   
2. Sous Vide radishes, potatoes, and asparagus
3. Pears poached in cassis and balsamic vinegar

(1) 24 hour Brisket

The promise of perfectly cooked proteins was my reason for trying sous vide. Considering that brisket is one of my favorite cuts of red meat (with Lamb shoulder coming in a close second), it was an obvious choice for a first foray into sous vide cooking. Prep is simple: season with salt and pepper, 24 hours at 135 (medium rare), then sear in a smoking hot pan. Slice, and serve.

(2) Mixed Vegetables

Because the starches in fruits and vegetables require higher temperatures to break down than the collagen in meat, I plan to cook the veggies and pears the day before. After they are done, I'll try a few and chill the rest in an ice bath and refrigerated until we are ready to eat the beef the next day.

My idea here is simple, I will sous vide the vegetables in individual pouches for 2 hours at 183 F in salt, pepper, herbs de Provence and some Irish Butter. Toss everything together later and serve as a side.

No frills here, just looking to see what the process does to starches and cell walls. In theory, the results should be interesting because while 183 F is hot enough to break down starches, it is insufficient to denature pectins. We'll see.

(3) Pears poached in cassis and balsamic vinegar.

If I'm trying vegetables, its only reasonable (and almost no extra work) to poach some fruit as well.

My family has grown black currants since we've owned houses here in the States. Most years, we also made preserves from the berries. Their flavor remains one of my favorites.

When I first tried cassis, my impression was that it would go very well with an acid for highlighting veggies or fruit. The plan here per this suggestion is 3 hours at 167 F.

Thai Chili Mussels

[Note: Picasa corrupted my pictures of this recipe, so unfortunately you're going to have to use your imagination or try it yourself.
-Gordo]

Alla and I were in Chicago in January, and a friend of hers took us to the incredible Yoshi's Cafe.

Among other spectacular culinary feats, we were served an appetizer made with mussels in which the stock was flavored with lemongrass, Thai chili paste, and fresh dates. The flavors were unexpected and created a delicious complex dish.

This is our variation on that set of flavors. This recipe is an amalgamation of several that we found online and yields flavorful mussels and a rich, tangy, and spicy broth.

Step 1: The Mussels

1 bag mussels (around 2 lbs.)

Prepare mussels by lightly scrubbing them under running tap water and removing any beards. Next, place the completely closed mussels in cold brine (1 Tbsp salt per 2 cups water). Discard any mussels which do not close when run under tap water or have broken shells. Set aside.

Step 2: The Broth(s)

Thai Chili Broth:

1 tsp. Thai Chili Paste
2 chopped scallions
2 tbsp. minced ginger
1/2 bunch basil coarsely chopped
1 bunch fresh cilantro coarsely chopped
1/2 Lime (zested and juiced)
1 (18 oz) can of coconut milk
2 minced shallots
1 cup dry white wine (usually Pinot Gris)
salt to taste

Sweat the shallots, ginger, and garlic on medium heat in neutral oil. After the shallots are translucent, add the remaining ingredients and let the broth simmer for 5-10 minutes. Add salt to taste.

Traditional Broth

As an alternative, I have included my tried and true recipe for mussels (the above version is a good winter substitution because unlike the tomato version below, the 'Thai' recipe doesn't rely on the availability of in-season tomatoes). Much of the flavor depends on how ripe the tomatoes are, so I would recommend using the best, reddest, vine-ripened tomatoes your grocer has if you choose this broth.

1 bunch fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
3 ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 small white cooking onion, chopped
1 cup dry white wine

Begin by sweating the onion and garlic in neutral oil until translucent. Add tomatoes, cilantro, and wine and let the broth simmer for 5-10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Step 3: Combine and Steam

Drain brine from mussels. Bring the broth to a rolling boil and add the mussels. Cook covered on high heat to 5-10 minutes or until the majority of the shells have opened. Remove from heat and discard any mussels which have not opened. Serve the mussels and a ladle's worth of broth over pasta with a sliced baguette or semolina roll on the side for dipping.

Enjoy.

-Gordo

GUEST POST!!! Serena's Steak with Chimichurry

Hey Gordo here is that recipe that I so long ago promised....

Steak with Chimichurri

Ingredients

2 Steaks (which ever you prefer)
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2/3 cup sherry wine vinegar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
4 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
2 cups of chopped fresh oregano leaves
3 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons minced shallots
3/4 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper

Take all the ingredients but the steak and mix them together in a food processor and let sit in the fridge for about 30 minutes to let the flavors meld together. Take about 4 tablespoons of the Chimichurri and marinate the steaks for 2-4 hours. Preheat your grill or grill pan to high and grill your steaks to your liking. Take chimicurri out of the fridge and serve at room temperature. Serve the steaks with the chimichurri sauce and maybe some roasted veggies.

The chimichurri can also be made by just finely chopping everything together, but using a blender or food processor makes it much better.

Chimichurri is also great on fish, chicken, pork, potatoes, pretty much anything.

Enjoy
Serena

Ancho Chipotle Chili

The finished product.

My friends and I go snowboarding on Fridays. Yesterday morning I threw together a pot of chili in the slow cooker before lecture so that we'd have something tasty to come home to after we got done at the mountain.

This chili recipe is the result of a fair bit of experimentation and yields a very hearty, smoky, and spicy chili that most people can't get enough of.

The undesputed stars of the show here are the peppers. After trying out a handful of different combinations, I have settled on Ancho chiles and Chipotle Chiles in adobo sauce. The Ancho (also known as poblano) chiles add sweetness and nuttiness while the chipotle chiles add heat and smokiness.

A whole ancho pepper atop the tea tin in which they live

Where to get 'em? Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce are available in 6oz cans in the Latin American aisle of most supermarkets. I get my Ancho Chiles in dried form from my local Aldi. I would assume that they are available the typical 'foodie' stores like Trader Joes or Whole Foods as well.

[a note about canned Chipotle Peppers: There is significant flavor variation across the brands of canned chipotle peppers. The three that I have seen available at grocery stores are San Marco, Goya, and Embassa. Of these, the Embassa is the spiciest while the San Marco is the smokiest (and in my opinion best) with Goya falling somewhere in the middle. If given the choice, I prefer to use either San Marco or Goya.]

The recipe:

1 lb ground beef
2 15 oz cans red kidney beans (drained)
1 15 oz can whole kernel sweet corn (drained)
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes (preferably not seasoned)
1 chopped Dried Ancho Chile Pepper (with seeds)
2 Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce
1 tbsp. Adobo Sauce from the Chipotle Peppers
1 Onion coursely chopped
1 tbsp Cumin
1 tbsp Chili Powder
1 tbsp. Garlic Powder
1 tbsp. Salt

Throw everything into a slow cooker, mix, and cook on Low for 6 hours. I serve it in a bowl with a handful of shredded sharp cheddar and fresh cornbread.

I have found that this recipe (like most stews) tastes much better on the next day so leftovers are definitely a good thing.

Enjoy.

-Gordo

Slow Cooker Roasted Chicken

I got a new slow cooker this past November and have been using it fairly frequently. Twice a week, I throw something together before going to class or work and have a hot meal waiting when I'm done. This morning, I modified this recipe to my own tastes. The result made for good dinner and even tastier chicken salad the next day.

The bird!!

1 5lb roasting chicken (defrosted)

The rub!!

2 tsb paprika
2 tsb cumin
Salt and Pepper

I washed and dried the chicken and removed any giblets. I then proceeded to season the chicken, I applied ample rub to the cavity, skin, and between the skin and meat of the chicken. Don't be bashful with the rub, you'll be glad later.

The original calls for the chicken to be on a raised on a bed of aluminum foil balls. While I like the idea of a chicken actually roasting instead of just wallowing in its juices, the idea of using balls of aluminum sounds silly when you could have a very tasty bed of vegetables instead.

The veggies!!

A handful of washed baby redskin potatoes
2 Carrots chopped into 1.5 inch chunks
1 Quartered medium white cooking onion.
1/2 cup chicken stock [Better than Bullion is the next best thing to home-made stock]

I put down the veggies, poured in the broth, and put the chicken on top.

The original calls for cooking the bird on high for an hour. 'High' for a slow cooker equates to around 200 degrees F, which is nowhere near hot enough to do anything useful like crisping up the skin or searing the meat. As such, I left this step out. As I type this, the bird is roasting on low for a planned 5.5 hours.

Enjoy.

-Gordo

Finally!!!

I have intended to start a food blog for a while now. During my junior year of college, my fraternity fired its chef. In the year and a half that followed, my friends Melissa, Dave, and I took turns cooking for one another. We experimented with new ingredients and recipes at almost daily dinners either at the frat house or at people's apartments.

Cooking had forced us to slow down. Meals became a pleasure instead of a chore. For that last year and a half of undergrad, we had an hour almost every day which was devoted to nothing but savoring good company, music, wine, and of course... food.

As time / jobs / educations have scattered people across the US of A, most of my friends have returned to normal culinary habits where eating is treated as something akin to refueling a car. For my part, I have continued to be fascinated with food and savor the opportunity to experiment with foods and share those experiences with others.... hence... this blog.

-Gordo