Bacon Fig Jam

Same basic recipe of the marmaljam, with a few tweaks. I was prepared for the amount of time it was going to take to reduce this go around and even made a pizza in the interim.
Ingredients:
12 or so figs cut into quarters
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon raw honey, cinnamon
1 teaspoon sweet orange peel
6-7 pieces cooked bacon
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 lemon

Bring water to just about boiling
add figs, simmer until tender
add sugar and honey
reduce by half
add orange peel and bacon (crumbled)
reduce until it begins to thicken
add juice of 1/2 lemon
stir and reduce until jam begins to adhere to spoon-reduce another 15 minutes
cool
chill

Orange Cinnamon Fig Marmaljam

I had a great fig harvest this year, over 100 and they are still coming. I decided to try my hand at a marmalade. Everything I read about a marmalade involves precise temps for setting the mush as well as copious amounts of pectin. Lots of trial and error on the marmalade boards and lots of disappointing, runny, end results. Since I'm not one to ever follow recipes to the "T", I adapted several recipes into a pseudo jam and utilized some left over brewing adjuncts from seasonal beers. I'm going to be honest, it took a while to render that sucker down, a lot longer than I thought it would (stupid me for starting at 9pm when I had to work at 5am the next day), but the end result was spot on. I'm going to use this in a bacon, fig, marmaljam grilled cheese tomorrow, but here's the recipe in the interim.

Marmaljam(not quite marmalade, not quite jam):

12 or so figs (some were very overripe(can you say shrinkage?), some were perfect) cut into quarters
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon raw honey (seriously, only because wanted to get rid of it, I scraped the jar)
1/4 oz sweet orange peel (leftover from brewing)This too can be potent and if you don't want the orange to co-star with the fig, taper it back to an 1/8oz.
1 cinnamon stick (left over from last year's christmas ale)
2 cups water
1 1/4 cup sugar in the raw
1/2 lemon

Bring water to just about boiling in a large NON-STICK saucepan (I used my scan pan wok, I love this utensil and cook everything in it. pasta never boils over, no matter how high, burgers, rice, veggies, you name it)
Add the fig quarters and turn down to medium
Stir and stir until tender, giving a slight mash with a wooden spoon
Add the sugar and stir some more, gently, until dissolved, bring to a simmer
Add the sweet orange peel
Add the raw honey
let it render down until it darkens and add the cinnamon stick
(I took the cinnamon stick out several times and tasted, my stick was old, but it's very powerful stuff, don't overdo it and remember that it's going to be concentrated)
Simmer and stir, and stir and stir, until midnight, even if you have to get up at 4am
As it begins to render down and thicken, add the juice of the 1/2 lemon, pick out any seeds)
Once you get to a consistency that holds a bit on the spoon, let it go 15 more minutes (seriously, this was a total guess)
Remove from heat and let cool (it will thicken even more) and put it into jars or a bowl with a lid (you aren't making enough to bother canning)
Go to bed at 12:30am
Get up at 4:00am and rejoice at the consistency, put it in the fridge and hope it doesn't harden like candy and go to work
Crazy good on bread with some peanut butter, can't wait for the grilled cheese!
Cheers!!

Dog Days of Summer...

are coming fast, so is the need for a hot dog thread...

5/19:
1. Grass fed dog, whole wheat bun, taleggio cheese, roasted tomatoes.
2. Grass fed dog, whole wheat bun, German mustard, red beet and cabbage kraut fermented with ginger, garlic and cilantro
My Half-Hearted IPA in the background.

Purple Nurple

My daughter loves the color purple. She kind of likes my smoothies, but sometimes I go a bit too "green" and the taste is a tad off (I don't drink them for the taste). Today, I decided to make a purple smoothie in an effort to get her to finish more of what I don't. It worked! And it's pretty damn good too. I'm not one to measure ingredients in smoothies (again, I'm not really drinking them for the taste), but trust me, this is really good as long as you ballpark it.

About a cup of almond milk
A handful of green grapes
About a cup, maybe more of frozen bluberries (I use Wyman Wild)
2-3 frozen beet slices (These are new for me, I just found them at Whole Foods) Remember, a lot of beets are GMO, so buy them organic or Non-GMO verified.
Big handful of power greens
Big handful of frozen 365 brand mixed greens or blue curled kale
2 large organic strawberries
1/4 fuji apple
1/4 lime
2 or 3 frozen 365 organic broccoli florets
Cold water, I just pour some in, maybe 6 oz, sorry-you might need to pour a bit more or less or just use a bunch of ice cubes for a really thick smoothie.

I also add, but not needed:

1/2-1 teaspoon tuneric powder
1/4 teaspoon Beyond a Century cocoa powder

1/8 teaspoon Beyond a Century resveratrol powder

These shouldn't change the taste much either way; I use them to supercharge the smoothie with antioxidants.

Shredded Beef Tacos with Agave Jalapeno Slaw

This recipe was incredibly simple and you can use pork, beef brisket, chuck, whatever because the hours of braising could turn a rubber tire tender. I chose chuck and the ingredient list follows:

1 chuck roast - 31/2-4 pounds
Salt And Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Olive oil
1 can (7 Ounce) Chipotle Peppers In Adobo Sauce, just dump the whole thing in, no blending
2 cans Dr. Snap
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
1 large onion
2 cloves garlic
12 ounces beer, I used 1/2 bottle Irish Red and 1/2 bottle Belgian Dubbel because that's what I had been tasting from a recent liquor store visit and I didn't really care for either one. Any beer that isn't too hoppy will work.

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
Peel the onion and cut it into wedges. Roughly dice two cloves of garlic.
Add some olive oil to the bottom of a dutch oven and heat on medium high
Generously salt and pepper the chuck roast, then sear it on all sides in the dutch oven-set it aside
Add the onions and garlic to the pot and stir for a few minutes
Put the roast back in the pot
Pour the can of chipotle peppers over the beef (include ALL the sauce.)
Pour in both cans of Dr Snap.
Pour in the beer
Add brown the sugar to the juice and stir in.
Top off with a little water (or beer) to bring it up near the top o the beef
Bring it to a low simmer

Place lid tightly on pot, then set pot in the oven. Cook for at least five hours, turning roast two or three times during the cooking process. Check meat after 3 hours and raise the temp to about 300; At around 5 hours, it should be absolutely falling apart (use two forks to test.) If it's not falling apart, return to the oven for another hour or so, but check more frequently.

Remove meat from pot and place on a cutting board or other work surface. Use two forks to shred meat, discarding large pieces of fat. Strain as much of the fat off the top of the cooking liquid as you can and discard it. Or, you can cook this in advance and stick both the meat and liquid in the fridge for a bit. I cooked this on Saturday night and skimmed off a huge orange layer of fat from the liquid Sunday morning.  Sorry. I then just ladled the liquid back over the meat until moist, but not sopping wet (Don;t want to overwhelm the flour tortilla, but if you were going to do sandwiches with this on say, a kaiser roll, by all means, just put all the meat right back into the liquid).

For the slaw:

1/2 head cabbage sliced thin
1/2 head purple cabbage sliced thin
1 carrot
1 Jalapeno
1/2 cup whole milk

1 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon white vinegar
3 tablespoons raw agave nectar
1 bunch cilantro leaves, barely chopped
1 lime (1/2 for slaw 1/2 for pico)
Shred the cabbage, shred the carrot, cut the Jalapeno in half lengthwise, remove seed, cut in 1/2 and then 1/4's flat side down, then cut into small 1/4 moons. Get that? Or just roughly chop it onto small pieces, but I find it's easier the neat way if I'm holding the Jalapeno side with a piece of paper towel. Add to a bowl, add the rest of the ingredients except for the cilantro, juice of 1/2 the lime  Place in the fridge for a few hours to marry the ingredients.
For the Pico De Salsa (I call it this because I make this in my vitamix and I can't quite keep it at Pico De Gallo stage regardless of how gentle I am), so it's a hybrid. In all honesty, you don't need this-or cheese-these tacos are that good on their own merit, and I'm a cheese guy, my job is to SELL YOU CHEESE! I'll give you the recipe anyway, and you can certainly top this off with some queso fresco or cotija for even more flavor.
Pico De Salsa:
5 whole plum (roma) tomatoes
1 small red onion
1/2 large or 1 small Jalapeno (split, seeded, charred under the broiler for a few minutes)
Cilantro (1/4 of the bunch)
1/2 of the lime-juice
Salt to taste
Throw it all in the vitamix (blender or food processor-even a bowl with a hand mixer or you can chop it all up freehand) and pulse for a few seconds.

Assembly:
Warm the meat
Warm up some flour tortillas
Put some meat in the tortilla
Add some slaw
Top with some roughly chopped cilantro, stems and all
Add some Pico (optional)
Add some cheese (optional)
Hell, add some guacamole or fresh avocado (optional)
Garnish with lime

That's a little over 3 pounds, it's hides it well....

I didn't want to bore you with step by step pictures, but the picture above is the end result. I didn't want to gross anyone out, so I won't show you what that liquid looks like after 6 hours in the fridge.

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

I made these for the Superbowl, great smoky flavor combined well with the nuttiness of the quinoa and sweet, slightly nutty flavor of the fontal...use about 1/2 pound of sausage, whatever you like-hot Italian, mild Italian, chicken, turkey. I used pork Andouille for its smokiness. Pictures are pretty much self explanatory, except once you brown the sausage, add the bag of quinoa and vegetables and simmer for 5 or 6 minutes. Stuff the peppers and bake at 350 for 15 minutes, top with cheese and bake for another 10 minutes. I upped the temp to 400 to melt the cheese a little quicker.

VB&C Bijou

Based on Loire Valley classic, Crottin, these sweet little jewels (Bijou actually means "jewel" in French) are given nothing less than the royal treatment. Made with fresh pasteurized goats' milk from family farms in Vermont, Bijou curd coagulates overnight, drains in cheese cloth and is then shaped into little buttons. Dried, and ripened for one week, Bijou develops a geotricum rind ad evolves with time, gaining sharpness and complexity after thirty days.  The rind of Bijou is delicate, thin, slightly wrinkly and pale cream in color. The texture of the cheese is moist, dense and crumbly in the center, becoming soft and smooth just under the rind as the cheeses mature.
Flavors are clean, milky and sweet with balanced rich notes of grass and hay.These little guys were just past peak ripeness, so I cut them in thirds and rested each morsel on a bed of bread and charcuterie and threw them under the broiler for a few minutes.  Pig in a blanket? How about pig UNDER a blanket....of milky, sweet goatiness with balanced notes of barnyard and hay. 

Beef and Beer

This recipe turned out really nice, lots of melded flavors. I'm not a salt fan and I am sensitive to food that is "over" salted, but i feel this maybe could have used a tad bit more salt and pepper.

1 tablespoon olive oil

8 ounces thick cut bacon, diced

2 1/2 lbs grass fed beef chuck, cubed into 1 inch pieces

salt

pepper

1 lb carrots cut into i-inch chunks

1 large yellow onion sliced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

12 oz red wine, I used beaujolais

12 oz Scotch ale (wee heavy), i used my hopped scotch ale

1 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup Raos tomato sauce

2 teaspoons fresh thyme

2 tablespoons unsalted butter 

all purpose flour

1 lb fresh mushrooms

1 lb pearl onions

Pre-heat oven to 275

Heat olive oil in large dutch oven

Add the bacon and cook until lightly brown-remove and set aside on a paper towel

Pat dry the beef and coat lightly with flour, salt and pepper

Sear the beef on all sides in the hot oil, will probably need to divide into three portions

Remove each batch of beef and plate with the bacon

Toss the carrots, onions and garlic with one tablespoon butter and two tablespoons of flour, some salt and pepper. 

Stir occasionally until onions are soft and brown

Add the meat and bacon back into the pot

Add the wine, beer, tomato sauce and beef broth (should be enough to cover the meat)

Bring to a simmer and then cover and place into the oven for about 2.5 to 3 hours

Check to make sure meat is tender by piercing with a fork

Saute mushrooms with one tablespoon butter, then add one tablespoon flour and toss to coat

Add to stew with frozen pearl onions

Bring to slow boil back on top of stove , uncovered, then simmer until sauce thickens

Season to taste with salt and pepper

Kale and Quinoa

2 cups salted water
1 cup quinoa
1 bunch lacinato kale, washed and chopped into 1" lengths
1 meyer lemon, zested and juiced
2 scallions, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Bring the water to a boil in a covered pot. Add the quinoa, cover, and lower the heat until it is just enough to maintain a simmer. Let simmer for 10 minutes, then top with the kale and re-cover. Simmer another 5 minutes, then turn off the heat and allow to steam for 5 more minutes.
2.While the quinoa is cooking, take a large serving bowl and combine half of the lemon juice (reserving the other half), all of the lemon zest, scallions, olive oil , pine nuts, and goat cheese.
3.Check the quinoa and kale when the cooking time has completed -- the water should have absorbed, and the quinoa will be tender but firm, and the kale tender and bright green. If the quinoa still has a hard white center, you can steam a bit longer (adding more water if needed). When the quinoa and kale are done, fluff the pilaf, and tip it into the waiting bowl with the remaining ingredients. As the hot quinoa hits the scallions and lemon it should smell lovely. Toss to combine, seasoning with salt and pepper, and the remaining lemon juice if need

Eazzy Pizza Crust

3 3/4 unsifted cups all-purpose flour, plus more for shaping the dough
1/4 teaspoonactive dry yeast
2 teaspoons fine sea salt
1 1/2 cups water

1.In a medium bowl, thoroughly blend the flour, yeast, and salt. Add the water and, with a wooden spoon and/or your hands, mix thoroughly.

2.Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and allow it to rise at room temperature (about 72°) for 18 hours or until it has more than doubled.

3.Flour a work surface and scrape out the dough. Divide it into 4 equal parts and shape them. For each portion, start with the right side of the dough and pull it toward the center, then do the same with the left, then the top, then the bottom. (The order doesn't actually matter; what you want is four folds.) Shape each portion into a round and turn seam side down. Mold the dough into a neat circular mound. The mounds should not be sticky; if they are, dust with more flour.

4.If you don't intend to use the dough right away, wrap the balls individually in plastic and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Return to room temperature by leaving them out on the counter, covered in a damp cloth, for 2 to 3 hours before needed.

Beet Orzo Salad

3/4 pounds beets, with greens attached
1/4 cup pine nuts
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 ounces orzo pasta
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
kosher salt & freshly ground pepper

1. Heat the pine nuts in a dry skillet, over medium heat, until they begin to brown. Watch them carefully, as they will burn in a flash. Remove from the heat & transfer to a bowl. Set aside.

2. Peel the beets & chop them into bite-sized pieces. Remove the stems from the beet greens & slice the leaves into strips. Wash the greens thoroughly to remove any grit.

3. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced red onion & garlic. Cook until the onions are tender & golden brown, about 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium low & add the beet greens. Cover & cook, tossing occasionally, until the greens are wilted, about 5 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, cook the beets in a pot of salted water, until just tender, about 10-12 minutes. Remove the beets from the pot using a slotted spoon & set aside. Return the water to a boil & add the pasta. Cook, according to the package instructions, until al dente & drain. Add the orzo to a bowl, along with the beets, pine nuts, beet greens & crumbled feta. Toss, season with salt & pepper to taste & serve.

Grilled Scallops with Jersey Corn

Nothing beats grilling over an open flame...
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced sweet onion
3 tablespoons chopped tomato
2+ tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
4-6 ears of corn, husked
olive oil, for brushing
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon pure ancho chile powder
4 ounces (crumbled 1 1/4 cups) cotija cheese
Salt and freshly ground pepper
8 large sea scallops
Lime wedges, for serving

1. In a large bowl, toss the garlic, onion and tomato with the lime juice and let stand for 10 minutes.
2.Brush the corn with oil and grill over moderate heat until charred and just tender, about 10 minutes. Let cool and cut the kernels off the cobs.


3.Whisk the mayonnaise and chile powder into the garlic, onion, tomato and lime juice. Add the fresh cilantro. Add the cheese and corn to the bowl and toss. Season with salt and pepper.
4.Brush the scallops with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill over high heat until nicely browned and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side.


Spoon the corn salad onto plates and top with the scallops. Serve with lime wedges and watermelon to cool the palate, if needed.

Open faced Lasagna

Something to do with lasanga noodles that isn't as time consuming as lasagna or trying to make ravioli out of lasagna noodles.

Ingredients:
2 sweet potatoes
8 ounces goat cheese (capricho de caba if feeling wealthy, 365 brand if on a budget)
1/2 pound lasagna noodles
1 bunch sage (loosely or finely chopped, depending on your taste)
1/4 cup butter
salt and pepper to taste
1. Bring two pots of water to boil, meanwhile scrub the potatoes and stab them with a knife. Once the water is boiling toss in the potatoes and cook until easily impaled. This should take around 20 minutes.

2. Once the potatoes are done remove them from the heat; for a quick cool down, run cold water over them. Put the lasagna noodles in the other pot of boiling water and set the timer for about 10 minutes.

3. Once the potatoes are cooled, pinch off their skin. Cut them into small pieces and mash them up with the goat cheese. (Note: if you want them creamy heat them up a little while you are doing this). Salt to taste.

4. In a saucepan heat the butter on medium-low. Add the sage and cook until browned, about 4-5 minutes.

5. Drain the lasagna noodles. Place a few noodles on a plate and scoop some of the sweet potato mixture around them. Repeat this until all the noodles and mix are used up.

6. Crack some pepper on top and devour!

The VerMONSTER

makes 4 burgers

1.5 lb 85-90% Vermont grass fed beef

1/2 cup Vermont pure maple syrup

8 strips Vermont Smoke and Cure Uncured bacon (thick)

1 macintosh apple

Vermont Ayr or vermont cheddar cheese

bulky or whole wheat rolls (for the diet conscious) I used Vermont Bakery 100% Whole wheat burger buns

salt and pepper

4 bottles of my maple ale

cook bacon, pat dry

heat grill

add a little less than the entire 1/2 cup of Vt maple syrup (leave about 1/8 cup) and salt and pepper to beef, mix well

slice and peel apple, add some lemon juice to retain color and place 4 round 1/4 or less inch slices on grill

grill apple 1 minute each side

make 4 even sized patties from mixed ground beef

grill burgers on high heat until charred

move to low heat, drizzle remaining syrup over burgers while cooking

toast buns

assemble burgers when appropriate doneness (is that a word?) first add apple, then bacon then cheese

place on toasted bun

serve with maple beer

(White) Chicken Chili with (Pale) Ale

-2 tablespoons grass fed Irish butter (Kerrigold is great)

-1 medium sized onion, diced

-1 yellow bell pepper, diced

• 1-1 1/2 tablespoon Jalapeno chili (depends on how hot you like it) minced (a little over a tablespoon minced is a good start, medium hot)
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 15 oz can cream corn
• 1 small can 365 diced mild green chiles
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 3 cups shredded cooked chicken (I used rotisserie for convenience)
• 1 cup Whole milk (or lowfat, you’ll jut have to simmer longer to thicken it up)
• 1 cup Irish Red Ale (any beer will do)
• 1 to 1 1/2 cans Navy Beans drained and rinsed
• 1 generous cup of fresh spinach (doesn’t add much flavor, but adds some wonderful green color!)
• Salt and Pepper
• I cup shredded Irish cheddar (any cheddar will work)

Heat butter, onion, garlic, pepper and Jalapeno, stirring often, over medium high heat until onion is limp and translucent. Add cumin, corn, green chiles, milk, ale, and beans. bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally (about 20 minutes) stir in chicken and spinach, season with salt and pepper, simmer an additional 10 minutes That’s it! Serve in a bread bowl with or without shredded cheese--even better the second day when the flavors meld.

Unique Potato Salad

Pretty simple recipe for a unique tist on potato salad, what you'll need:

1 pound pound small Potatoes (white or red)
3 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
4 Cloves of Garlic finely chopped
3 tablespoons Mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Lemon Juice
1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the potatoes into 1/4 inch rings and toss into a bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, 3/4 teaspoon of salt and the pepper. Mix and put on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake the potatoes for about 20-30 minutes flipping twice during baking. Make sure they turn a nice golden brown. Take out of the oven and allow to cool. In a bowl combine 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, the chopped garlic, mayonnaise, lemon juice and Dijon mustard. Mix and pour over the cooled potatoes. Eat up!