Southwestern Beef Brisket and Broccoli Slaw

In lieu of resolutions, I've made a list of things I'd like to get done over a longer period of time than just 2010.  It allows me to dream a little bit bigger and think a bit outside of the box.  Two such goals, however, stick pretty close to come.  I'd like to keep trying new recipes to work through the mountain that I amass througout the year and to use the crockpot more since a busy schedule can sometimes thwart the original goal.

Over the New Years weekend, I got a good start on both.  Over at The Smitten Kitchen, I found a recipe for a Southwestern Pulled Beef Brisket which was the perfect creation for a lazy sunday.  I braved the harsh cold on the coldest day of the winter so far to procure 3.5lbs of beef brisket from Trader Joe's.  I'll spare the discourse on where meat comes from, but needless to say, I'm putting mroe faith in TJ's than I normally would for the sake of convenience once again. 

My wise auntie MJ told me that crockpot recipes actually fare best when more prep is done before the meal.  I completely agree.  The fix-it-and-forget-it part of the crockpot really just allows you to timeshift the work, and as with any good meal, a little advance prep can go a long way.  This recipe isn't terribly prep heavy, but the little things that are required make a big difference.

First, I seared the meat for about 5 minutes per side in just a bit of good olive oil.  Then, to the drippings, I added 6 smashed garlic cloves and one onion, sliced thin.  Once this got fragrant, I added a good dose of chili powder, ground coriander and cumin.  The fragrance just gets better! Next, I added the apple cider vinegar.  Smitten Kitchen warns to keep your nose out of the vinegar, but I have this weird vinegar love and so, for me alone, this again took everything a step up.  A little water added makes this concoction ready for pouring over the beef which is nestled in its little pot.

To this, I added about 6 ounces worth of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce.  Note this amount.  The recipe recommends 1-2 cans of chipotle peppers.  I found in my local grocery store that there are the 12 ounce cans which I buy and then some smaller value.  I believe the estimate in this recipe is thinking about the smaller cans.  6 ounces gave the recipe a lot of kick.  Not too hot and very enjoyable, but not for the faint of heart. We like spice here in Brooklyn.

The recipe also calls for whole tomatoes with which I substituted crushed tomatoes in puree. I don't think it made a significant difference and that's what I had lying around the pantry.  Finally, a bit of molasses is thrown in the pot as well.  I don't think it needs to be mixed because the heat and the bubbling make the sauce for you, but I did mix things up a bit just to make sure all of the great flavors got near the beef.

After 9 hours on low heat, the brisket fell apart at the touch of a fork.  The heat was gorgeous with a hint of sweetness and a bit of spice.  I served the sandwiches on whole wheat buns with a side of broccoli slaw (yes, TJ's came through once again with a pre-cut slaw mix jazzed up by me - recipe below).  Delicious and a great way to heat up a very cold night!

Broccoli Slaw

• 2 cups shredded broccoli slaw mix (found at Trader Joe's - made with stems and carrots)
• 1/2 cup finely chopped scallions, white and green parts
• 2-3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 1 tablespoon good olive oil
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Combine.  Toss.  Taste (the measurements are inexact since I dashed a bit of everything). Adjust. Serve. 

(Mostly) Meatless Monday: Spaghetti with Caramelized Cauliflower

The inspiration for this dish came from a recipe over at Serious Eats.  I'd been tossing this recipe around in my head ever since it hit my inbox (I find the Dinner Tonight section of Serious Eats to be invaluable both for inspiration and just really good recipes). The recipe is mostly meatless because it does involve a good dollop (my favorite measurement) of anchovy paste.  One could do with it.  I wouldn't.

In my special version, I warmed some olive oil, a healthy dollop (maybe 1 tbsp) of anchovy paste and a smashed garlic clove over medium to medium-high heat.  I added in some beautiful orange cauliflower, and let the anchovies and garlic get just fragrant and into a good sizzle. Add in about 1/4 cup water and cover for about 5 minutes, turning down the heat slightly. 

Once the cauliflower is tender, the magic begins.    Uncover and season with salt, pepper, and red chili flakes if you enjoy them.  Turn the heat up to medium high and let the water evaporate.  Here, you are instructed to not be afraid of the caramelization of the cauliflower.  I repeat, do not be afraid.  It is very much the key to the loveliness of this dish.

While the cauliflower finished up, I spread some panko bread crumbs on a baking sheet and mixed with sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper.  I covered in a good mist of olive oil and baked for about 5-7 minutes (I have a convection toaster oven so things like this go quickly. You might need more time). 

When the cauliflower was just about done, I added the juice of half of a lemon, toasted pine nuts, a bit more salt and pepper and hot al dente spaghetti.  I topped with bread crumbs and copious amounts of Pecorino Romano and devoured immediately.

I have to say that even though I tend to only write about recipes I enjoy, this really is maybe the best thing I've made.  Ever.  It was so satisfying and full of flavor.  I wouldn't change a thing!

Family Favorite: Kung Pao Chicken (or Chicken with Peanuts)

As might be evident, there isn't a lot of chicken on the menu over here.  I'm highly skeptical of the quality that can be found in most convenient places and, to boot, I'm just not all that jazzed up about chicken recipes most of the time. 

In these hard times, however, I'm trying to focus on big batch cooking to set us up for the week.  This requires something that can be tolerated for multiple meals and something relatively easy to re-heat. 

Enter Kung Pao Chicken, or, as my half-Chinese husband refers to it, Chicken with Peanuts. 

First, I am able to get relatively inexpensive organic free-range chicken breasts at Trader Joe's with a little advance planning (I do not go there after 11am unless desperate).  Second, the recipe is fool-proof.  I found the original recipe in the Williams-Sonoma Stir Fry cookbook, and have modified it generally where the recipe calls for Western ingredients.  Third, the Chinese substitute ingredients are easy to find in a good Asian store and are part of a well-stocked Chinese pantry.

This is a great recipe to make for the week.  It easily doubles or triples and goes well with a large batch of rice made up on the same day.  Pair with your favorite vegetable (we just steamed some broccoli and tossed it with lemon, sesame oil and fresh minced ginger).

First, I made the sauce: a combination of cornstarch (or cake flour), chicken stock, chili paste with garlic, soy sauce, Shao Hsing rice cooking wine (not sherry! always make this replacement for Westernized recipes), rice wine vinegar (this replaces red wine vinegar, you may have to adjust the sugar based on your choice of vinegar), sugar and sesame oil.  I mixed well and set this aside to rest and communicate (another new family secret term).

Next, it's time to get that chicken ready.  I firmly believe the marinade here is what makes the chicken texture moist and flavorful every time.  The chicken sits for a bit in a combination of Shao Hsing rice cooking wine (did I say no sherry?), soy sauce, an egg white and more cornstarch. 

While the chicken is resting, I minced my ginger, sliced my scallions, and got the peanuts in order.  The peanuts are stir-fried in hot oil with chili flakes and set aside.  A word to the wise - stick to unsalted roasted peanuts.  We used honey roasted thinking that it would make little difference.  Flavorwise, I was correct.  However, honey roasted peanuts stick together when hot oil is added to them.  It is not fun to handle later.

After cooking the marinated chicken in two batches (I made three pounds of chicken which barely fit into my 12 inch skillet all together), the chicken, peanuts, ginger and scallion were added back into the pan.  After tossing these together for a minute or two, in went the sauce.  Now I just cooked the sauce until it was thick "enough" which, I must admit, is different each time.  I do just know it when I see it.

Now we have at least six or seven meals lined up in the fridge next to a tub of rice from the rice cooker.  As I mentioned, a little vegetable side goes a long way to making this a complete meal.  No more take-out for us!

Dinner Improv: Thai-inspired Red Curry Meat Loaf

DSC00954
Originally uploaded by Brooklyn Forager

Can something really be Thai and meat loaf at the same time? I might have argued against this proposition at an earlier time, but with a little creativity and a Tim Gunn "make it work" attitude, anything can be done!

The inspiration for this little adventure came from my husband's response to 75% of the American or Northern European dishes that I make - this is good...but I bet it would be better with Asian flavors. While I don't always agree (just as good maybe...but different), I thought I would indulge him this time around which also gave me a chance to play with food. Always fun.

I combined my traditional turkey meat loaf recipe from the Barefoot Contessa with one I found for mini meat loaves on Cooking Light (check reference). From there, I went wild. Rather than Ina Garten's onions with worcestershire and thyme, I sauteed garlic and onions in olive oil with a dash of fish sauce, oyster sauce and lemongrass.

The next step was how to handle the ketchup. It can't be meat loaf without the ketchup, but how Asian is that? Herein lies the genius of my recipe. I replaced a small portion of the ketchup with Thai red curry paste. Some of the ketchup mixture gets combined with the meat and some is spread on top as in a traditional meatloaf.  I combined the onion mixture, the ketchup mixture and panko breadcrumbs to keep with the theme.  I separated the meatloaf into four mini loaves and baked at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.

At the end of the day, this was a great experiment.  The flavors were fabulous and it was a great twist on an old classic.  The downside is that the flavors did overpower the really great grass fed organic beef which we've started using.  I know meat loaf was practically designed to make less lovely ground beef more lovely, but that's something to work with along the way.  I might temper the curry flavors a bit the next time around and would definitely keep the flavor levels for a ground turkey version, but here's the basic recipe:

Thai-inspired Red Curry Mini Meat Loaves

• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1 tablespoon red curry paste
• 1 pound ground sirloin (preferably grass-fed, organic, local)
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/4 cup sliced leeks (white and light green parts)
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1/8 teaspoon lemongrass
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1 large egg lightly beaten

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. In a large saute pan, heat oil over medium heat.  Saute onions and leeks until soft and fragrant.  Add lemongrass, oyster sauce and fish sauce and continue to saute for another 3-5 minutes. 
3. Combine ketchup and curry paste, stirring well with a whisk.  Reserve 2 1/2 tablespoons ketchup mixture.
4. Combine remaining ketchup mixture with beef, onion mixture, salt and pepper, bread crumbs and egg. 
5. Divide beef mixture into 4 equal portions.  Shape each portion into a 4x2 1/2-inch loaf.  Place loaves on a jelly roll pan lighly coated with cooking spray. 
6. Spread reserved ketchup mixture evenly over each loaf.  Bake for 25 minutes or until done.
7. Enjoy!

A little background on a Brooklyn local favorite...

Edible Brooklyn has a great article about Franny's Pizzeria this month.  It makes me hungry and ready for the wait just thinking about it.  As an aside, they aren't kidding when they say the crowds come rain or shine.  I showed up on a Saturday at 3pm in between gusts of a hurricane and we just barely got a seat!