Steak on the grill

 

While I was taking the picture of steak and corn on the grill, BBQ beans and salad bar from the store, Charlie was making Mac & Cheese and using the last of some French bread to make garlic bread.

Smoker baby back ribs

 It was so nice for the last two days that I got a slab of ribs to smoke today. Yesterday I prepared the ribs by stripping the silver skin, drying it with paper towels, rubbing it with a light coat of mustard to help the rub adhere.  Put rub on, wrap in plastic and foil and refrigerate overnight.  Then I went outside to do some prep work in the smoker and it had got pretty cold and very windy.  This morning there was snow on the ground and it was even colder.  Fortunately by noon the next day it was in the high 30's, so not too bad.

Today started the fire in the smoker, added water in the chamber above the firebox. Adjust the the door damper and chimney flue to keep the temp as close to 250 degrees as possible, add the ribs and spray with apple juice every 30 minutes for two hours. Remove, brush with butter, brown sugar and honey, wrap in foil and put back for another hour or two until done.  Unwrap, brush with BBQ sauce and place under the broiler until sauce is set... just a few minutes.  I use my gas oven for this.  Watch closely.

Banh Mi sandwiches

BANH MI
 Ingredients

2 cloves garlic

1 carrot

1 small cucumber or ½ a large cucumber

½ cup of cilantro

2 green chili peppers

¼ cup sugar

⅛ cup rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon salt

1 cup hot water

12 ounces boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1 ½ tablespoons sesame oil

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon hoisin sauce

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 (13-inch) baguette

3 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 teaspoon Maggi Seasoning

Directions

Mince the garlic.

Peel the carrot and chop it into matchstick pieces.

Peel and slice the cucumber into ribbons.

Pick the cilantro leaves off the stems.

Slice the green chilies.

Mix the sugar, rice wine vinegar, and salt with the hot water until the sugar and salt have dissolved.

Pour the mixture over the carrots and let sit to pickle for 1 hour.

Chop the chicken thigh meat into bite-sized pieces and place them in a large bowl.

Mix the minced garlic, sesame oil, honey, hoisin sauce, and soy sauce, and pour it over the chicken.

Refrigerate the chicken for 15 minutes.

Heat a frying pan over medium-high and sauté the marinated chicken until cooked through, about 10 minutes

Drain the pickled carrots.

Slice open the baguette and scoop out some of the soft bread inside to create more room for the sandwich fillings.

Spread mayonnaise onto both sides of the baguette, then sprinkle it with Maggi Seasoning.

Place the cooked chicken inside the bread followed by carrots, cucumber, cilantro, and chili peppers.

Slice the bánh mì in half to make two servings and enjoy!

Read More: https://www.tastingtable.com/649760/simple-banh-mi-sandwich-recipe/

I am experimenting with scoring patterns in bread.

 This was my 3rd attempt.  A lot of the examples I saw were dark bread with a layer of white flour on top. My bread is a light colored sourdough so I made a dark top layer by adding a little cocoa powder to the flour. I didn't see anyone else doing it this way.  I don't think it will affect the flavor because they use cocoa in flour to make the dark part of marbled rye bread.

Ribollita Italian vegetable soup

I have been making sour dough every couple of days for a week not and have ended up with some day old bread. I decided to make croutons with it for salads, soups and maybe a dressing.  This is an Italian soup that uses croutons both in the soup and as a topper with parm. cheese. 

Ribollita

It doesn't get better than a satisfying pot of Ribollita, a classic Tuscan soup that's made with white beans, vegetables, and hearty day-old bread. Make it stovetop or in your slow-cooker (see notes section for this option). And you'll love the rich Italian flavors, thanks to a couple of herbs and a little Parmesan cheese magic!

Prep 15 mins Cook Time 45 mins  Author: Suzy Karadsheh 

Ingredients

• 1 loaf ciabatta bread
• Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large red onion chopped
• 2 celery stalks chopped
• 2 to 3 carrots peeled and chopped
• Kosher salt
• 6 garlic cloves finely chopped
• 28 oz canned whole San Marzano tomatoes (or any whole canned tomatoes you like)
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 2 15- oz cans cannellini beans drained and well rinsed
• 1 inch Parmesan rind
• 2 thyme sprigs
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon dry oregano
• ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
• 1 lb kale, thick stems and veins removed, chopped
• grated Parmesan cheese, optional

Instructions

• Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Tear the bread into large pieces and put it on a large sheet pan. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and toss to make sure the bread is coated. Spread the bread in one layer on the sheet pan. Bake in the heated oven for about 10 minutes or until somewhat toasted and golden brown.
• In a large cooking pot, heat 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking. Add the onions, celery and carrots. Sprinkle a little kosher salt. Lower the heat to medium and cook, tossing regularly, until softened. Add the garlic, and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute, tossing regularly (do not let the garlic brown).
  
• Add the tomatoes, white wine and broth. Cook over medium heat for little bit, stirring and breaking up the tomatoes with a wooden spoon.
  • In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade, combine about ½ cup of the brothy tomato mixture and 1 cup of the cannelini beans. Puree.
  • To the pot with the tomato mixture, add the parmesan rind, fresh thyme, bay leaf, oregano, crushed red pepper flakes and a pinch of kosher salt. Stir to combine. Let simmer over medium heat for about 20 minutes.
  • Now add the white beans (both the whole and pureed beans) and fresh kale (stir to make sure the kale is submerged in the soup) to the cooking pot. Let the kale cook for a few minutes. Add ½ of the toasted ciabatta bread and stir. Let simmer a little bit longer until the kale has fully cooked and the bread has softened and absorbed some fo the liquid (see notes).
  • Remove from the heat. Remove what is left of the Parmesan rind, bay leaf and thyme sprigs. Top the soup with a bit more of the toasted bread. Finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkle of Parmesan, if you like. Enjoy!
  Notes
• Low carb option...add the bread to the serving bowls instead. If you're not sure you're going to finish the ribollita soup in one dinner, or if some in your family need their ribollita with little or no bread, consider adding the toasted bread directly to the serving bowls, then ladle the bean and vegetable soup on top and allow a few minutes for the bread to absorb some of the liquid. 
• Make ahead option. If you are not planning on serving the soup right away, or if you're making it ahead for lunch or dinner the next day, cook the soup with the beans and vegetables according to the recipe but hold off on the bread. When you're ready to serve it, reboil the soup (remember, ribollita means reboiled). While the soup is reboiling, toast the bread in the oven with a bit of extra virgin olive oil (step 1). Add some of the bread to the soup and allow it a bit of time to absorb the liquid and soften. Always keep a bit of the toasted bread to garnish, it gives great texture. 
• Slow Cooker Option. If you want to use a slow cooker, you can use 1 cup of dried beans. Skip steps #1 and #2, you will toast the bread later before you serve. Cook the sofrito per step #3 then transfer to the slow cooker. Add the remaining ingredients EXCEPT the kale. Set the slow cooker on high for 6 hours or low for 12 hours (always a good idea to check on the soup from time to time). Follow the You can use 1 cup dry cannellini beans (no need to soak). Add the kale and leave it a few minutes (should be on high) until cooked. A few minutes before serving, remove the Parmesan rind, bay leaf and thyme sprigs. Toast the bread and add it to the soup and allow it a bit of time to soak up some of the liquid.

 

Honey Lacquered Cornish Hens

I had not made any bread lately but did a few days ago.  Charlie said he remembered when he came back home from Seattle how the first day back, I had just made bread and Cornish hens and the air conditioner was on (air conditioning is not common in Seattle). He said it was such a good feeling to be back with all the good things he had missed.  He requested that today.  We also had rice & beans and kim chi. 

HONEY LACQUERED GAME HENS II

2 game hens

1/4 C. triple sec

1 C. orange juice

1/3 C. soy sauce

3 inch strip orange zest

1/3 C. honey

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

1/4 C. sesame oil

1/2 inch thin slice of ginger

1/4 tsp. sesame salt

1 garlic clove, split and peeled

2 tsp. cornstarch dissolved in water to make a paste

3 green onions  

Mix all ingredients except cornstarch and hens and bring to a boil. Simmer 5-10 minutes, cool. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  

Cook birds according to package directions, basting them three or four times one hour.  Put on plate and brush generously with more glaze.

Sour dough bread 

 

5 C. flour or as needed

8.5 oz. sourdough starter

1 1/2 C. lukewarn water

2 1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. instant yeast

1 T. sugar

mix all ingredients except flour. Stir in flour until it all comes together and does not stick in the bowl or in your hands but is still soft. Knead, put in oiled bowl and let rise 1 hour, Punch down, shape and let rise again.  Bake at 425 degrees until it reaches in internal temperature 190.

 

Quick & easy dump recipe.

This was four chicken thighs  topped with a mixture of an undiluted cream of mushroom soup, 2 cups of sour cream, a package of dry onion soup mix and a tablespoon of lemon juice and baked 40 minutes for boneless and skinless thigh.  Rice was cooked for Charlie, I did some fries in the air fryer for me and some corn.