Ropa Vieja

Recipe,
2 Tbsp. canola oil
1.5 lbs. thick-cut chuck roast, in 1″ cubes
  • Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat
  • Brown meat on all sides and remove to a plate
1 onion, diced
1 bell peppers, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. oregano
2 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. paprika
1/8 tsp. allspice
1/8 tsp. cloves
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine
  • Add onion and peppers to the pot and cook over medium heat for 15-20 minutes until very tender
  • Add the garlic and spices and cook for another minute
  • Add the white wine and bring it to a rapid boil, deglazing the pan
1 cup chicken broth
15 oz. can crushed tomatoes
6 oz. tomato paste
  • Add to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes
6 baby carrots, cut in half
1 stalk celery, cut in half
2 bay leaves
  • Add to the pot along with the meat
  • Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 3-4 hours or until the meat is fork tender and shreds easily
6 green olives, rinsed and minced
1/4 cup roasted red peppers, diced
1 Tbsp. capers, rinsed and drained
  • Discard the celery and bay leaves
  • Remove the meat to a plate, shred it, then return to the pot
  • Add olives, peppers, and capers
  • Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes to thicken
  • Serve with black beans, rice, and sweet plantains

Kansas City-style Barbecue Sauce

Recipe, ,
  • 1 cup ketchup
  • 6 oz. tomato paste (small can)
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • ¼ cup molasses
  • ½ cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp. white vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp. soy sauce
  • 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 Tbsp. spicy brown mustard
  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • ½ tsp. pepper
  • ½ tsp. ground chipotle
  • ½ tsp. smoked paprika
  • ¼ tsp. garlic powder
  • ¼ tsp. onion salt
  • ¼ tsp. cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp. nutmeg

Combine all ingredients and simmer for 20 minutes. Exactly fills a 24 oz. jar.

Adapted from: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/big-als-kc-bar-b-q-sauce

Back to Extract Brewing

Beer, ,

It’s been a long time since we did our first all-grain batch of homebrew — and never looked back. But we recently moved to New Jersey and bought a very well-preserved mid-century house, which among its many quirks is the fact that all of the kitchen appliances are just a little bit smaller than is standard today. In particular, the clearance over the stovetop is about 20 inches, much too low to have a 18+ inch kettle boiling on it.

So, we dusted off our book of extract recipes, dug around in our odds-and-ends box of specialty grains, and put together a dubbel using the extract version of the recipe we used for our first all-grain batch 8 years ago. It was a little strange to be measuring malt mostly by ounces instead of pounds, but it was also nice to have the brew be a leisurely afternoon instead of an all-day affair (having much colder groundwater helped cool the brew down much faster too). And the yeast didn’t seem to mind — they went to town and produced a vigorous froth that foamed out the airlock after a couple days.

So we siphoned the beer over to a carboy to finish, and harvested that happy yeast for later. We’re planning to brew an extract variant of our colonial stout and blending with some of the last batch that’s been aging in a small oak barrel for far too long.

Rhubarb Tartlets

Recipe,

5 stalks rhubarb (2½ cups sliced)
6 Tbsp. sugar
2½ Tbsp. flour
1/4 tsp. cinnamon

  • Slice rhubarb finely (1/8″), then add dry ingredients and toss to coat
  • Prepare All Butter Pie Crust and divide into 12 pieces
  • Roll out into 12 disks and press into the wells of a muffin pan
  • Fill with 2 Tbsp. of filling
  • Bake at 375°F for 30 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling

Source: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/9420-straight-up-rhubarb-pie

All-Butter Crust

Recipe,

1¼ cups flour
1 Tbsp. sugar
½ tsp. salt
10 Tbsp. butter, sliced and cubed
4 Tbsp. cold water

  • Mix dry ingredients in food processor until thoroughly mixed (5 seconds)
  • Add butter and process until butter is broken down into small pieces
  • Add water and mix by hand until dough is moist and forms a ball

Source: Cook’s Illustrated (except using all butter instead of a mix of butter and shortening)

Pumpkin Puree

Recipe,

 

  • Cut a small pie pumpkin in half and remove seeds.
  • Bake at 350°F for 1 hour or until tender (poking with a fork should not meet resistance).
  • Let cool and pour off any water.
  • Scrape pumpkin meat out and puree until smooth.  Add a small amount of water if it’s too thick to blend.
  • Should make 2-3 cups.

 

Pumpkin Spice Syrup

Recipe,

1½ cups water
1¼ cups white sugar
¼ cup brown sugar

2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground allspice
½ tsp. ground ginger
½ tsp. ground cloves
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
3 Tbsp. pumpkin puree

¼ tsp. vanilla
1 tbsp. pumpkin puree

  • Combine water and sugar in saucepan and simmer until sugar is completely dissolved.
  • Add spices and pumpkin; simmer for 5 minutes.
  • Remove from heat and add vanilla and remaining pumpkin; mix until pumpkin is dissolved.
  • Strain into glass jar and refrigerate.
  • Add 1-2 Tbsp. (to taste) to a latte to make a pumpkin spice latte.

Adapted from: http://everydayannie.com/2011/10/03/diy-pumpkin-spice-syrup-for-pumpkin-spice-lattes

Tamale Cupcakes

Recipe, ,

 

1 1/2 cups of masa harina
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

  • Mix all ingredients by hand until they form a firm dough.
  • Divide into 12 balls and press into the wells of a muffin/cupcake pan.
  • Fill each well with tamale filling.
  • Bake at 350°F for 35 minutes, until the crust is golden brown.
  • Remove from oven and rest 5 minutes before removing from pan.
  • Serve warm, topped with cheese, salsa, etc.

Source: https://www.caciqueinc.com/blog/green-chile-chicken-tamale-cupcakes/

 

Rhubarb Collins

Cocktails, Recipe, , ,

Rhubarb-Infused Gin

1-2 stalks of rhubarb
1 cup gin

  • Cut rhubarb into 1/4″ slices and put in a jar with tight-fitting lid
  • Add gin to jar, which should just cover rhubarb, and fasten lid
  • Refrigerate for several days, shaking occasionally
  • Strain rhubarb from gin

Rhubarb Collins

jigger rhubarb-infused gin
half jigger simple syrup
juice from 1/2 lime
ice cubes

  • Combine all ingredients in cocktail shaker and shake vigorously
  • Strain into a glass and add club soda to taste