Beef Pozole

Son gave me an Instant Pot as a Christmas gift. I used the slow cooker function to make Beef Pozole

Beef Pozole in the Slow Cooker

WRITTEN BY SONIA MENDEZ GARCIA

Yields: 6 people

Ingredients

• For the Pozole

• 1 MEDIUM SWEET ONION DICED

• 1 1/2 - 1 3/4 POUNDS BEEF BACK RIBS YOU CAN ALSO USE SHORT RIBS (IF THE RIBS ARE WHOLE, I CUT THEM INTO INDIVIDUAL PORTIONS)

• 2 TEASPOONS CUMIN SEEDS

• 3 LARGE ROMA TOMATOES DICED

• 3-4 CLOVES GARLIC MINCED

• 1-2 SERRANO PEPPERS MINCED

• 1 LARGE POBLANO PEPPER DICED

• 1/3-1/2 CUP CILANTRO CHOPPED

• 2 BAY LEAVES

• 2 CUPS HOMINY COOKED

• 5 CUPS BROTH (I USED HALF CHICKEN AND HALF BEEF LOW SODIUM BROTH)

• SALT AND PEPPER TO TASTE

• For the Garnish: All Optional

• 2 CUPS CABBAGE SHREDDED

• 1/2 CUP RADISHES SLICED

• 1/3 CUP ONIONS DICED

• 1 AVOCADO SLICED

• 1 LEMON OR LIME, SLICED INTO WEDGES

• CHILE LIMON SEASONING OR RED PEPPER FLAKES, OPTIONAL

Directions

1 Layer all of the ingredients in the order listed in a 5-quart slow cooker. Cook on high for 5 hours or on low for 8 hours. 

Ham steak, salad, green beans and mac & cheese

Ham was just heated in a skillet. Salad was romaine, cheese and croutons.  Green beans boiled in water for about an hour then in a separate some onion and bacon were cooked with a little added bacon fat then the beans and bacon and onions were tossed together. Mac & cheese was Cracker Barrel brand.

Bang Bang Shrimp

My friend Beth told me about this recipe, so I looked up, found one that looked good and gave it a try today.  We had it with Orzo and glazed carrots.

BANG BANG SHRIMP

YIELD: 4 SERVINGS PREP TIME: 20 MINUTES COOK TIME: 10 MINUTES TOTAL TIME: 30 MINUTES

This tastes just like Cheesecake Factory’s version, except it’s way cheaper and so much tastier!

INGREDIENTS:                                                                                    

1/2 cup vegetable oil, or more, as needed         

1 cup buttermilk

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cornstarch

1 large egg

1 tablespoon hot sauce

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 cup Panko

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

FOR THE SAUCE

1/4 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce

1 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon rice vinegar

DIRECTIONS:

To make the sauce, whisk together mayonnaise, sweet chili sauce, honey and rice vinegar in a small bowl; set aside.

Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. In a large bowl, whisk together buttermilk, flour, cornstarch, egg, hot sauce, salt and pepper, to taste; set aside.

In a large bowl, combine Panko, onion and garlic powder, basil, oregano, salt and pepper, to taste; set aside.

Working one at a time, dip shrimp into buttermilk mixture, then dredge in Panko mixture, pressing to coat.

Working in batches, add shrimp to the skillet and cook until evenly golden and crispy, about 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.

Serve immediately, drizzled with sweet chili sauce.

Two Asian Fried Chicken recipes.

I was at the Asian market yesterday and discovered a new kimchi.  For the last 30 years we got ours made in Chicago.  This one came from Korea, so I got it and it was part of dinner tonight.  One of Charlie's favorite recipe's is one for Korean chicken wings. I wanted to try Japanese popcorn chicken so I made both as well as snow peas and pickled daikon.

Japanese Popcorn Chicken (Karaage)

INGREDIENTS

Serves 2-3

3 boneless chicken thighs, chopped into 1-inch chunks

3 cloves garlic, finely minced

2 tablespoons ginger, finely grated or minced

3 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons sake

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon sugar

½ cup potato starch

Oil, for frying

Lemon wedges and parsley to serve

PREPARATION

1. Combine the chicken with the garlic, ginger, soy, sake, sesame oil, and sugar in a bowl until evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate for about 1 hour.

2. Heat oil in a pot over high heat until about 340°F.

3. Give the chicken a stir to re-incorporate the marinade, then sprinkle the potato starch on top. Lightly toss until somewhat combined, but do not mix until each chicken piece is evenly coated because the uneven pockets of potato starch will give the chicken its signature unique texture. 

4. Fry half of the chicken at a time, until light golden and bubbly, about 5-7 minutes. The oil temperature will drop to about 320°F. Rest the chicken on paper towels and increase the heat.

5. Heat oil to about 390°F, then fry the chicken again for about 2-3 minutes until golden brown. Drain the chicken on paper towels.

6. Serve with lemon and parsley!

7. Enjoy!

Spicy Korean Chicken

INGREDIENTS

Serves 2-3

10 chicken wings and drumettes

1 cup cornstarch

Oil, for frying

Sesame seeds, for serving

Batter

½ cup cornstarch

½ cup flour

2 teaspoons salt

1 cup water

Sauce

2 tablespoons soy sauce

¼ cup honey

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons Korean chili paste (gochujang)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon ginger, grated

PREPARATION

1. Mix the ingredients for the batter in a bowl until smooth with no lumps.

2. Heat oil in a pot to 340°F.

3. Dip a chicken wing into the cornstarch, shaking off excess, then dredge the wing into the batter, dripping off excess. 

4. Fry half of the wings at a time for about 5-7 minutes, until light golden. The oil will drop to about 320°F.

5. Drain the wings and increase the heat.

6. Heat oil to about 375°F.

7. Fry the wings a second time until golden brown and crispy. Drain and set aside.

In a pan, combine all the ingredients for the sauce and stir until bubbling. Toss in the wings.

8. Enjoy!

Glazed Pork, Korean Spinach, oven fried Yams.

Glazed Pork

FLORENCE FABRICANT YIELD8 to 10 

The grilled (or broiled) slab of pork for arroz gordo, a dish from Macau, resembles Chinese roast pork. But it can easily stand on its own. Just be sure the meat is at least 2 inches thick so it will brown nicely without overcooking. Slice it to serve as an appetizer with strong mustard, or add it at the last minute to stir-fried mushrooms. You could substitute pork loin for the shoulder.

Featured in: An Entertaining Plan To Maximize Mingling. 

½ cup dry white wine

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon Chinese oyster sauce

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

½ teaspoon cinnamon

5 tablespoons honey

1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch

1 pound pork shoulder, about 6 inches long

1 Combine wine, soy sauce, oyster sauce, paprika, cinnamon and honey in

a saucepan. Add 2 tablespoons water. Bring to a simmer. Mix cornstarch

with 2 tablespoons cold water and whisk into sauce. Cook until thickened.

Remove from heat and let cool.

2 Place pork in a heavy resealable plastic bag. Add half the sauce and mix

well with pork. Seal bag and refrigerate overnight. Refrigerate remaining

sauce.

3 Bring pork to room temperature and heat a grill or broiler. Sear pork,

turning once or twice, until glazed, browned and cooked through, 6 to 10

minutes, depending on the heat of the grill. A thermometer should read 145

degrees.

4 Just before serving, slice pork 1/2 inch thick. Baste with reserved sauce.

SPINACH KIM CHE  (SIGEUMCHI NAMUL)    2 servings

10 oz. spinach 1 T. Sesame oil

2 T Soy sauce 1 T scallion, minced

2 tsp Sugar 1 tsp vinegar (optional)

1 1/2 tsp sesame salt salt & red pepper (optional)

BLANCH SPINACH IN BOILING WATER UNTIL BRIGHT GREEN ( ABOUT 2 MINUTES).  PLUNGE INTO COLD WATER.  SQUEEZE OUT EXCESS WATER.  MIX REMAINING INGREDIENTS AND  TOSS WITH SPINACH.  SERVE IMMEDIATELY OR REFRIGERATE UP TO SEVERAL DAYS.

Yams

INGREDIENTS

2 large yams, peeled and cut into ¼ thick fries

3 tablespoons olive or canola oil

1 ½ teaspoons sea salt

1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning

PROCEDURE

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Toss yam fries with oil, salt, and Cajun seasoning until coated. Spread out evenly on a large baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes then flip fries with a spatula. Rotate pan and bake for another 20 to 30 minutes until nicely browned and crisp.

Sous Vide cooked salmon.

This was a frozen dinner cooked to temperature with a sous vide cooker then finished in a hot skillet. Asparagus was leftover from the other day.

SLOW COOKER CREAMY TORTELLINI SOUP

Charlie posted this recipe on Facebook today and it looked good, so I made it for dinner.

SLOW COOKER CREAMY TORTELLINI SOUP

Slow Cooker Creamy Tortellini Soup is pure comfort food, loaded with vegetables, Italian sausage and cheese tortellini! NO flour and NO heavy cream!

Author: Karina - Cafe Delites

Serves: 10

INGREDIENTS

• 500 grams | 1 pound ground Italian sausage (or ground chicken, turkey or beef), browned*

• 1 brown onion, chopped

• 2 large carrots, chopped

• 2 stalks celery, chopped

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

• 2 teaspoon beef bouillon powder (or chicken)

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 4 cups beef broth (or chicken or vegetable broth -- I use low sodium)

• ¼ cup cornstarch mixed and dissolved in ¼ cup water

• 3x 340 gram | 12-ounce cans full fat evaporated milk or half and half

• 1x 340 gram | 12 ounce packet three cheese tortellini (I used dried not fresh; choose any flavour you like)

• 5 cups fresh baby spinach

• 1 cup milk

1 Place the browned sausage, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, Italian seasoning, beef bouillon powder, salt, and broth in a 6-quart / litre slow cooker bowl. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 7 hours.

2 Uncover and skim any fat that is sitting on the top of the soup with a spoon; discard. Stir in the cornstarch mixture with the evaporated milk (or half and half or cream). Add the tortellini and mix well. Cover again and cook on HIGH heat setting for a further 45 minutes until the soup has thickened, and the tortellini is soft and cooked through.

3 Add in the spinach, pressing the leaves down to completely submerse into the liquid. Cover again for a further 5-10 minutes until the leaves have wilted.

4 Pour in milk in ⅓ cup increments, as needed, to reach your desired thickness and consistency (I needed 1 cup); taste test and season with extra salt ONLY if needed, and pepper to suit your tastes.

5 Serve with crusty warmed bread

Sous Vide Steaks

Used the new gadget to make steaks. It cooks them to the exact same temperature all the way through but they need to be finished in a hot skillet or on a very hot grill to make the outside look appealing.  I chose to use the gas grill outside and it was too cold to get a good sear on them.

We had baked potatoes too but they were not on the table when the picture was taken.

Sous Vide Steaks

[Photographs: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt]

YIELD:Serves 4 ACTIVE TIME: 20 minutesTOTAL TIME:1 1/2 to 4 hours

Sous vide is the ideal way to cook steak for perfectly even edge-to-edge cooking with foolproof results. Sous vide steaks can be finished in a pan or on the grill.

Strip, Ribeye, Porterhouse/T-Bone, and Butcher's Cuts Temps and Times

Very Rare to Rare

120°F (49°C) to 128°F (53°C)

1 to 2 1/2 hours

Medium-rare

129°F (54°C) to 134°F (57°C)

1 to 4 hours (2 1/2 hours max if under 130°F/54°C)

Medium

135°F (57°C) to 144°F (62°C)

1 to 4 hours

Tenderloin Temps and Times

Very Rare to Rare

120°F (49°C) to 128°F (53°C)

45 minutes to 2 1/2 hours

Medium-rare

129°F (54°C) to 134°F (57°C)

45 minutes to 4 hours (2 1/2 hours max if under 130°F/54°C)

Medium

135°F (57°C) to 144°F (62°C)

45 minutes to 4 hours

INGREDIENTS

2 (1 1/2- to 2-inch thick) ribeye, strip, porterhouse or t-bone (about 1 pound each), or 4 tenderloin steaks (6 to 8 ounces each)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 sprigs thyme or rosemary (optional)

2 garlic cloves (optional)

2 shallots, thinly sliced (optional)

2 tablespoons canola oil

2 tablespoons butter

DIRECTIONS

1.

Preheat a sous-vide cooker to desired final temperature according to charts above. Season steaks generously with salt and pepper. Place in sous-vide bags along with herbs, garlic, and shallots (if using) and distribute evenly. Seal bags and place in water bath for time according to charts above.

2.

To finish in a pan: Turn on your vents and open your windows. Remove steak from water bath and bag and carefully pat dry with paper towels. Place a heavy cast iron or stainless steel skillet with vegetable, canola, or rice bran oil over the hottest burner you have and preheat the skillet until it starts to smoke. Gently lay the steak in the skillet using your fingers or a set of tongs. If desired, add a tablespoon of butter. For a cleaner-tasting sear, omit the butter at this stage. After 15 to 30 seconds, flip the steak so that the second side comes into contact with the pan. Repeat, flipping the steak every 15 to 30 seconds until it has developed a nice brown sear, about a minute and a half total. If you did not add butter earlier, add butter to the skillet about 30 seconds before the steak is done for added richness. Serve steak immediately.

3.

To finish on the grill: Light one chimney full of charcoal. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and arrange the coals on one side of the charcoal grate. Set cooking grate in place, cover grill and allow to preheat for 5 minutes. Alternatively, set half the burners on a gas grill to the highest heat setting, cover, and preheat for 10 minutes. Clean and oil the grilling grate. Remove steak from water bath and bag and carefully pat dry with paper towels. Place steak directly over the hot side of the grill and cook, turning every 15 to 30 seconds, until a deep, rich crust has formed, about 1 1/2 minutes total. If the fire threatens to flare up as the steak drips fat into it, suffocate the fire by closing the grill lid until the flames die out. Alternatively, transfer the steak to the cooler side of the grill using a set of long tongs until the flames subside. Do not allow the steak to get engulfed in flames. Transfer the cooked steak to a cutting board or serving platter and serve immediately.

J. KENJI LÓPEZ-ALT MANAGING CULINARY DIRECTOR

J. Kenji López-Alt is the Managing Culinary Director of Serious Eats, and author of the James Beard Award-nominated column The Food Lab, where he unravels the science of home cooking. A restaurant-trained chef and former Editor at Cook's Illustrated magazine, his first book, The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science is a New York Times Best-Seller, the recipient of a James Beard Award, and was named Cookbook of the Year in 2015 by the International Association of Culinary Professionals.

Chicken Fried Steak and cookie fail

My first attempt at Sous Vide. It was Chicken Fried Steak. I wasn't impressed with the results.  The meat was perfectly cooked. Maybe TOO perfect.  Then according to the recipe I breaded it and cooked it in butter to brown the breading. It didn't stay on. It came off perfectly intact but it still came off.

The Christmas Story leg lamp used store bought cookie dough and store bought icing and I followed the directions. I even watched the video twice.  I cut out the legs and baked them.  They spread and came out in shapeless blobs. I cut them out again after they were cooked and of course they were either too soft and fell apart or they were too brittle and fell apart. Finally the icing did NOT act like it did in the video. It just clumped up and made a mess.  They didn't even taste all that good.

Sous Vide Chicken Fried Steak with Gravy

Barbara Freda

Charlotte NC

Ingredients for 4

4 4-ounce (125-gram) sirloin steaks 

Salt and Pepper to taste

2 teaspoons (9.8 grams) Worcestershire sauce

¼ teaspoon (2.4g) garlic powder

1 cup (90g) dry seasoned breadcrumbs

2 eggs, beaten

3 tablespoons (42g) butter

2 tablespoons (16g) flour

1 1/4 cups (295ml) beef stock

1 tablespoon (21g) sour cream

½ teaspoon (5g) freshly ground black pepper

Chopped parsley for garnish

Directions

1 Heat water to 57ºC/134ºF using Anova Precision Cooker. 

2 Butterfly steaks so they are about ¼-inch thick. Pound lightly with meat

mallet. Season steaks with salt and pepper, Worcestershire sauce and garlic powder. 

3 Seal steaks into zip-close plastic bags using water-immersion method to 

create vacuum. Place into hot water and cook 45 minutes. 

4While steaks cook, prepare for coating. Place breadcrumbs into shallow

dish. Place eggs into second shallow dish. 

Finishing Steps: Stovetop

1 When steaks are done, remove from water. Remove steaks from bags and

gently pat dry. Press breadcrumbs into both sides of steaks, dip into beaten eggs and back into breadcrumbs. 

2 Heat 2 tablespoons butter in black, cast-iron skillet over medium-high

heat.When butter is hot, cook steaks, browning coating on both sides, about 1

minute on each side. Remove from skillet and keep warm on rack over sheet pan

in 200ºF oven. 

3 Make gravy. In same skillet, without cleaning, add remaining tablespoon butter

and melt. Stir flour into melted butter in skillet. Stir out any lumps. Slowly whisk in

beef stock. Whisk well to make sure all lumps are gone. Bring to boil, reduce

heat slightly and cook until thickened, about 2-3 minutes. 

4 Remove skillet from heat. Stir in sour cream and black pepper. Whisk in

separate container if you need to remove lumps. 

5 To serve, place steak on plate. Top with ¼ cup gravy. Garnish with parsley and

serve immediately. 

Leg Lamp Cookies

BY CANDACE BRAUN DAVISON

These leg lamp cookies are a major homage to an unforgettable Christmas Story. You can print out a copy of the leg lamp stencil here.

TOTAL TIME: 0:35 COOK: 0:11 LEVEL: EASY SERVES: 12 COOKIES

INGREDIENTS

1 tube sugar cookie dough

1/2 c. flour

1 container black cookie icing

6 packages Reese’s Big Cups

1 jar peanut butter (16 oz or less)

1 jar peanut butter (16 oz or less)

DIRECTIONS

1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, combine cookie dough and flour. Roll out to 1/4” thick, then use a paring knife to draw the shape of a heeled leg for each cookie (or trace them, using the stencil we created in the PDF above). Bake for 10-11 minutes, or until cookies are lightly golden around the edges. Set aside to cool.

2 Use the black cookie icing to draw a heel on the leg lamp, as well as a crosshatch design to mimic the fishnet stockings. Place in the refrigerator to harden, about 10 minutes.

Use toothpick to draw fishnet after outlining cookies

 3 Remove Reese’s cups from wrappers, slice each in half length-wise. Dab a little peanut butter on the cut side of each Reese’s cup, then gently press it against the top of the sugar cookie.

4 Coat the Reese’s cup with yellow icing, using a small silicone spatula or pastry brush to spread it, filling in the crevices on the peanut butter cup, so it looks like the yellow lampshade. Place in the refrigerator to cool, about 10 minutes.