Category Archives: recipes

Chicken & Andouille Etouffé

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This stew is normally made with shrimp instead of chicken.

Serves 8.

Ingredients

  • 1½ to 2 lbs chicken breast, diced into 1″ chunks
  • 1 lb Andouille sausage, split and diced into ½” pieces
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
  • 3 ribs celery, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
  • ½ cup vegetable or corn oil
  • ¾ cups flour
  • 4 tbsp butter
  • 1 can tomato paste, 6 oz
  • 3 cups chicken stock, divided
  • ¼ cup cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp white pepper
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp ground allspice
  • 1 tbsp dried oregano
  • 2 tsp dried basil
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 sprig fresh sage, or 1 tsp dried, ground
  • 1 sprig fresh thyme, or 1 tsp dried, ground
  • 1 sprig fresh rosemary
  • 2 dashes liquid smoke (optional)
  • 2 cups water, reserved

Directions

Prepare Andouille sausage, splitting lengthwise then cut into ½” pieces. Prepare chicken by chopping into 1″ pieces, bite-sized.

Prepare a bouquet of fresh herbs, if using.

Preheat a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear Andouille sausage, leaving any browned bits behind. Remove to a bowl.

Add oil and butter to the pot. When butter has melted and foamed, sprinkle flour over top and whisk into a roux. Whisk roux continuously over medium-high heat until toast brown and aromatic, about 10 minutes.

Add chopped onion, pepper and celery to roux and sweat until onions are just translucent, but not browned. Add garlic and tomato paste, and sauté until aromatic, another 1-2 minutes. Add half of the chicken stock and deglaze any brown bits at the bottom of the pan. When the pot is clean, combine remaining ingredients, returning the sausage to the pot.

Stir to combine, and add water to desired consistency. Lower heat to a simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 30 minutes.

Serve over rice.

Adapted from Chicken and Andouille Etouffé by Saveur

Notes on Corned Beef Cures

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General ratios by weight for dry cure

  • 4.5% salt, 45g/kg
  • 1.5% sugar, 15g/kg
  • 0.25% PP#1. 2.5g/kg

General ratios for wet cure depend on how the meat will be cooked.

  • 5% to 10% brine, 50g/l to 100g/l
  • 1.5% to 3% sugar, 15g/l to 30g/l
  • 0.32% PP#1, 3.2g/l

Anywhere from a 5% to 10% curing brine is acceptable, 50 to 100g per liter. The meat will “finish” to the seasoning level of the cooking liquid. For a roasted product, use a 5% brine. Nitrite level for the brine should be 200ppm, 4.2oz per US gallon, 0.32% by mass or 3.2g per liter.

PP#1 in grams = 200ppm × product mass in grams ÷ ( 0.0625 × 1,000,000)

Tuscan Soup

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Rustic Italian soup in the Tuscan style with sausage, cannellini beans and kale. Serves 8.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb Italian sweet sausage, casing removed
  • 1 lb Italian hot sausage, casing removed
  • 2 cans cannellini bean, 15 oz
  • 3 shallots or 1 medium onion, diced
  • 2 ribs celery, diced
  • 1 carrot, peeled and diced
  • 1 large potato, peeled and diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 bunches kale, stems removed and roughly chopped
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tsp ground oregano
  • 1 tsp fennel seed
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 4 cups chicken stock
  • ½ cup sherry or dry white wine
  • 5 oz Boursin cheese (optional)
  • ½ cup milk or half & half
  • Ground black pepper and salt to taste

Instructions

Break up sausage and brown in medium dutch over over medium-high flame to form a strong fond. Sauté diced shallot, celery and carrot until tender, and shallot is fragrant and turning translucent. Add garlic and saute one additional minute, until fragrant. Add tomato paste and stir to combine, one to two minutes. Deglaze with sherry, scraping up the fond.

Add spices, cannellini beans with liquid, potato, kale, bay leaves and chicken stock. Cover and simmer 30 minutes, until carrots and potato are tender. If desired, add Boursin cheese and stir until well combined. Add milk and stir to combine.

Jambalaya #1

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Makes 4 quarts.

Ingredients

  • ¾ lb chopped bacon, tasso ham or andoullie sausage
  • ¾ lb chicken breast, chopped into bite size pieces
  • 1 white onion, diced
  • 1 green bell pepper, diced
  • 2 ribs celery stalk, diced
  • 1 can whole peeled tomato, 28oz, roughly chopped
  • 2 cups long grained white rice
  • 3 cups ham stock or chicken stock
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste, about 2 oz
  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp white pepper
  • 1 tsp ground allspice
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp marjoram

Instructions

In a heavy cast iron pot over medium heat, sauté diced bacon until mostly browned and fat has rendered. Combine onion, green pepper and celery with bacon and saute until vegetables are tender and onions are translucent but not browned. Combine remaining ingredients until thoroughly incorporated.

Simmer covered over medium-low heat stirring occasionally until rice is tender, about 45 minutes. Do not let rice char.

Serve with hot sauce.

Cook’s notes

Substitute proteins as preferred with andoullie sausage, tasso ham, shrimp, prawn, turkey or ham or pulled pork.

Substitute boneless, skinless chicken thigh for chicken breast, which may hold up better in longer, hotter braises.

If using tasso ham, reduce coriander, marjoram and thyme by up to a third.

Bolognese sauce #1

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Makes 6 quarts.

Ingredients

  • 1.5 lb 93% lean ground beef
  • 1 lb uncased Italian sausage
  • 2 tbsp olive oil or bacon fat
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 ribs celery, minced
  • 1 large carrot, minced
  • 2 cans whole peeled tomato, 28 oz each
  • 1 can crushed tomato, 28 oz
  • 1 can tomato paste, 6 oz
  • ¾ cup whole milk
  • ¾ cup dry white wine, vermouth or dry sherry
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1 tbsp fresh, cracked black pepper
  • 1 tbsp crushed red pepper
  • ½ tsp white pepper

Instructions

Heat a 7.5 quart dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown beef and sausage. Remove browned meat to a bowl and reserve 2 tbsp of fat in the pot.

Add olive oil or bacon fat to the pot, and allow to warm until shimmering. Add onions, carrots and celery, and sauté until soft, about 7 minutes. Add garlic, red pepper and tomato paste. Combine and sauté until fragrant taking care not to char the tomato, about 4 more minutes.

Add meat back to the pot and combine with soffritto. Add wine, vermouth or sherry and combine, scraping up the remaining fond. Maintain heat until bubbling. When bubbling subsides combine milk and maintain heat until bubbling. Combine remaining cans of tomato and spices and maintain heat until bubbling.

Reduce heat to maintain a simmer for approximately 3 hours uncovered, stirring occasionally. Add water by the ½ cup if the sauce gets appears too dry. Sauce is done when the fats separate.

Slow cooked method

As an alternative to simmering for 3 hours, preheat oven to 225°F. Follow instructions above up to the simmer, then place uncovered pot in the oven for up to 3 hours, or until fats separate.

Redheaded Stepchild Chili

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A combination of Rutgers Three Bean and Wendy’s Copycat chili recipes. Serves 12.

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs ground beef 85%, browned and drained
  • 1 29 oz can tomato sauce
  • 1 29 oz can diced tomato (or 4 large tomatoes, diced)
  • 2 15 oz cans small red beans, with liquid
  • 1 15 oz can black beans, with liquid
  • 1 15 oz can small white beans or navy beans, with liquid
  • 1 large white onion, diced (approximately 2 cups)
  • 3 poblano peppers, washed and diced (approximately 1 1/2 cups)
  • 3 stalks celery, diced (approximately 1 cup)
  • 6 cloves garlic, minced (approximately 1/4 cup)
  • 2 -3 teaspoons cumin powder or ground fresh cumin seed
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons ground oregano
  • 1½ teaspoons black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon chipotle pepper powder
  • ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper powder
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • 1/4 cup cider vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons salt, reserved, to taste
  • 3 tablespoon corn starch, reserved
  • 3 tablespoons water, reserved

Instructions

Preheat oven to 225°F.

Brown ground beef in a large dutch oven, drain and set aside. Combine olive oil, onion, garlic, poblano pepper and celery in dutch oven. Sauté over medium heat until aromatic, about 6 minutes. Add garlic and saute an additional 1 to 2 minutes until garlic is tender and aromatic. Combine remaining ingredients and stir. Place dutch oven on oven, covered, for 2-4 hours, stirring occasionally, until flavors meld. Uncover and bake an additional 2 hours until liquid is reduced, or gradually add a slurry of equal parts corn starch and water until thickened. Add salt to taste.

Serve over tortillas, baked potato, rice or pasta.

Potato Leek Soup

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Potato leek soup garnished with bacon, cheese and shredded leek greens

Simple soup with chicken base and vegetables, thickened with potato flakes and cream. Serves 6.

Ingredients

  • 3-4 medium shallots, minced (about 1 cup)
  • 2 – 3 Russet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1″ cubes (about 2 cups)
  • 2 ribs celery, diced (about 2/3 cup)
  • 1 medium carrot, diced (about 1/2 cup)
  • 3 – 4 leeks with the greens removed and reserved, diced (about 1/2 cup)
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tbsp)
  • 2 tablespoon butter
  • 2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 6 cups chicken broth
  • 1 cup potato flakes, reserved
  • 1/2 cup whole milk or 1/3 cup half & half, reserved
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Optional, 1 tablespoon white miso
  • Optional, 2 teaspoon light soy sauce
  • 1 leek green, finely minced for garnish

Instructions

In a 3 quart saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat, then add olive oil. Saute shallot, celery and carrot until shallots are translucent, about 6 minutes. Add garlic and leek, and saute until fragrant, 3 additional minutes.

Add potatoes and cover with chicken broth. Raise heat to a boil, then reduce to medium and simmer for 20 minutes, until potatoes are tender. Gradually add potato flakes while stirring until soup thickens. Add milk or half & half and stir to combine. Season with salt, pepper, miso, and soy to taste.

Serve topped with shredded cheddar cheese, bacon crumbles and minced leek green.

Corned Beef Brine (Wet brine)

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This is experimental, use at your own risk. Annotations and observations to follow.

Ingredients

  • 6-8 lbs beef brisket
  • 8 quarts water
  • 1½ cups Diamond Crystal Kosher salt
  • ¼ cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp Prague Powder #1
  • 1 tbsp black peppercorn
  • ½ tbsp yellow mustard seed
  • ½ tbsp coriander seed
  • 2 tsp fennel seed
  • 1 tsp whole allspice
  • 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
  • ½ tsp ground mace
  • 3 clove crushed garlic, or 2 tbsp granulated garlic
  • 2 bay leaves, crumbled
  • 2 anise pods
  • 2 cloves
  • 2 cinnamon stick, crushed

Instructions

Prepare beef brisket, trimming silver skin and fat. Reduce fat cap to ¼” thickness.  Set aside.

Combine water, salt, sugar, Prague Powder and spices in a pot and raise to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes, until salt and sugar are dissolved.  Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.

Combine beef brisket and cooled brine in a 2 gallon freezer bag, displacing air. Refrigerate 10 days, flipping daily to distribute cure.

After 10 days, rinse beef well to remove excess cure and spices, discarding brine. Refrigerate meat up to 2 weeks, or prepare as normal.

Sous Vide Flan

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Sous vide flan

This recipe requires twelve 4 oz mason jars with lids.

Ingredients

Caramel

  • 1½ cups white granular sugar
  • ⅓/cup water

Custard

  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 1½ cups half & half
  • ½ cup sweetened condensed milk
  • ¾ cups white granular sugar
  • 6 medium eggs plus two yolks
  • 2 oz Liquor 43, Gran Gala, Cointreau or orange curacao

Directions

Clean and arrange twelve 4 oz mason jars on a work surface.

In a light colored pan, combine sugar and water and heat over high heat, stirring frequently. The sugar will melt and boil. Continue heating and stirring until the liquid starts to caramelize and turn amber. Do not scorch or overheat. When the liquid turns amber colored, immediately remove from heat. Working quickly, distribute the liquid among the mason jars and then immediately roll the liquid around the side of each jar before it sets. Set jars aside to cool.

In a large mixing bowl, combine milk, half and half, condensed milk and sugar. Beat with a wire whisk until the sugar dissolves.

In a separate bowl, beat eggs and egg yolks until well combined. Add eggs to the milk mixture and combine well, whisking away any egg clots. Add orange curacao.

Distribute the custard among the mason jars and seal loosely to allow steam to escape during cooking.

Preheat a water bath to 185°F. Transfer jars into the bath and allow to cook undisturbed for 1 hour.

After 1 hour, transfer jars to an ice bath to halt cooking, and refrigerate 1 hour or overnight. Store up to 2 weeks sealed in individual jars.

To serve, allow jars to warm slightly. Unseal a jar and use a knife or spatula to separate the custard from the jar. Upend the jar over a plate and use the knife or spatula to gently break the vacuum holding the custard in the jar. The custard should pop out, and the caramel sauce will drizzle over the custard.