Recipe: Academica/Caravela-Style Portuguese Steak Sandwiches 2010

Way back in November of 2008, I posted the first recipe for Portuguese-style steak sandwiches on Chop Onions, Boil Water. In that entry I recounted my first experiences with that type of sandwich at a Fall River, Massachusetts restaurant called "The Academica". I went on to explain how my friend Dave Leboeuf had, observed how the locally-famous (now internationally famous, right Kiwis?) sandwiches were made, and how he tinkered in his home kitchen until he came up with a good version. I took his version and tuned it to my personal tastes (admittedly, not much tuning needed thanks to Dave's work) and created my own recipe. This all took place a year or two before I ever posted the recipe online. If you're interested in that Portuguese steak sandwich recipe, just click here.

Since that time, the Portuguese steak sandwich situation in Fall River, Massachusetts has gotten a little "complex". It seems that a while back the cooks at the Academica restaurant decided to open their own place and did so, right on the side of the Academica! They named their new restaurant "The Caravela Family Restaurant" and proceeded to create the same sandwiches and other dishes that they did at the Academica. Today, each place has its adherents and I'm sure they have good personal reasons for which restaurant they patronize. I have my favorite and that's where I take my out-of-town guests and they love it too. Hell, I've even heard there may have been a split at the Caravela and there could be a third contender for the best Portuguese-style steak sandwich in Fall River, Massachusetts.

Why a new recipe you ask? Because, as good as the original one was, it was never perfect. Something about it was always just a little less than authentic and that sent me to thinking about it.

Now, Dave had seen the whole process, he'd seen the ingredients, so why couldn't we absolutely nail it in our home kitchens? I talked to him about it a couple of times and we came to the conclusion that it must have something to do with the repeated cooking. The Academica and the Caravela produce hundreds of steak sandwiches everyday. We figured that the remnants of each steak: the juices, garlic and seasonings are allowed to collect and simmer on that grill over the course of the day, and that somehow effects the final flavor of the steak. In the end this ended up being easy to test because Dave is the president of a social organization and he often cooks some of their large dinners. For a few of those dinners, he decided to create his version of Academica sandwiches and he confirmed that the steaks that came off the stove later in the night tasted more authentic than the ones that were prepared earlier.

After some thought about Dave's experiences I created a work around to avoid having to prepare hundreds of steaks for hours to get the right flavor. I discovered that if you slowly cook some of the ingredients in a separate pan before you cook your steak you be able to recreate what happens on the stoves of these restaurants. It takes a little time, but it is easy and makes a huge difference in the flavor.

Another thing I noticed about the Academica and the Caravela's steak sandwiches were the peppers that came inside each one. They were denser, saltier and not nearly as juicy as the ordinary pickled peppers available in the market. I searched the local markets for similar peppers and tried a variety of them and while the resulting sandwiches were always good, the peppers were never really right. Finally, I asked my Azorean friend Sandy to call her mom and describe the peppers that were in the Portuguese sandwiches. Her mother recognized the description and informed us that they were called "Pimenta Salgada" (salted peppers), she also directed me to the local markets where I could find them. I did find them, and PRESTO they were the real deal. Props to her mom as well because she also gave me a generous amount of them after I had inquired.

The resulting steak sandwiches were, and still are the best that have come out of my home. My wife, who is as big a fan of Portuguese-style steak sandwiches as anyone has pronounced them as better than either restaurant. Yeah, I know... my mom says I'm very handsome as well.

Academica/Caravela-Style Portuguese Steak Sandwiches 2010

2 Tbs olive oil
2 Tbs butter
1 head of garlic (all cloves picked off, peeled and lightly crushed)
Frank's Hot Sauce® or Texas Pete's Hot Sauce®
Steak, not too thick, cubed steak works well. It should be 1/4" to 3/8" thick.
1 cup of dry white wine or beef broth
Stick-style sandwich bread
Pimenta Salgada (Portuguese salted peppers)*
Salt to taste

In a small saucepan or skillet, add 1 Tbs olive oil, butter and a splash of the hot sauce. Place it over a low flame, when the butter is done foaming add all the garlic and allow it to cook SLOWLY until the garlic darkens, softens and just begins to caramelize. Be sure not to burn the mix. I usually start this part of the recipe an hour before I begin cooking the steak. Go LOW with the heat and SLOW with the cooking and you'll be fine.

Season each steak and then tenderize the meat using grid side of a tenderizing hammer. Just a quick going over, don't mash it into goo!

When you notice the oil, butter and garlic mixture close to finishing, preheat a large, deep skillet over a medium-high flame.

Add the remaining olive oil, when it begins to shimmer, add the steaks one to two at a time to the pan.

Brush on a little hot sauce to the top of steaks while cooking.

When steaks are nicely browned on one side, turn them over, brush on a little more hot sauce and cook until browned on both sides.

As each steak finishes cooking, remove it to a covered plate to keep it warm while you continue cooking the others.

When all the steaks are done cooling, raise the heat to high. When pan is hot, add the wine/beef broth and deglaze the pan by scraping it with a wooden spoon while the wine or broth simmers.

Add the garlic, oil, butter mixture to the simmering sauce and continue simmering until sauce becomes thick.

Remove from heat, add the steaks and any drippings to the sauce being sure that each steak is well-coated. Cover the pan to keep steaks and sauce warm while you prepare the sandwiches.

Slice the bread, add the sauce soaked steak, be sure to get some garlic in there. Top with a slice or two of pimenta salgada and serve with french fries.

*Pimenta salgada can be purchased at Portuguese grocery and specialty shops. They are very salty, you may want to rinse them in fresh water or soak them in water during the cooking time to cut the saltiness. If you don't have them in your area don't worry, I'll be posting a recipe for making your own in the next few days.

Review: The Heritage Pie Company: Award Winning Apple Pie?

I love apple pie. I even have my own favorite recipe for it right here on good ol' Chop Onions, Boil Water! That's the pie I prepare most often. It's made from wholesome ingredients, simple to prepare and damn delicious if I do say so myself! Recently though, Fed Ex delivered a large insulated box containing a fully-baked, frozen apple pie from The Heritage Pie Company in Jasper, Texas. Upon reading the enclosed card we discovered it was a gift from a couple of our friends in Auckland, New Zealand. 



Now, a mile high apple pie from Texas via New Zealand is a peculiarity in itself. It was surely not unwelcome, but it did make one think "PIE?". Plus when I read the description inside which noted that it was an award-winning pie, I must admit, I thought it might be a dubious claim. This is America, the land of endless dubious claims, so to say I was skeptical was an understatement. So I did a little research.



I found that The Heritage Pie Company writes that it recreates "down home, old fashioned, handmade pies from scratch", and that the apple pies are "Texas Sized " and "filled to the brim with 12-14 fresh, hand-peeled apples". Also, that each pie stands a whopping 7 inches tall and weighs in at 6 pounds. The Heritage Pie Company also claimed that their apple pies are culinary works of art and that they are hand-made from scratch. That's a lot of tall talk, but coming from Texas, you have to expect it. Their boots aren't tall for nothing you know!

Pressing family business prevented us from immediately trying the pie, but the company's literature assured us that we could freeze it with no ill effects, and that is what my wife did. Several days later, we invited my mother over for dinner and we thawed and prepared the pie as instructed in the accompanying literature from The Heritage Pie Company. It heated in the oven as we ate our main dish and entertained each other.



When we were ready for dessert my wife removed it from the oven and let it sit to cool a bit. She then carefully cut each of us a wedge and added a dollop of good vanilla ice cream to it. A plate of pie and ice cream was placed in front of each of my daughters (ages 5 and 2-1/2), my mother, myself and finally my wife. I must admit, it looked really, really inviting and promising. Flaky crust, a mountain of thinly-sliced apples, and the seeming, gooey goodness of the golden sauce blending with the cold ice cream. Yes, it looked damned good. A few moments went by for everyone to get seated and ready and we all tucked into it.



You know, I've tried a lot of visually promising foods in my life. Sometimes they're true to how they appear and other times they fall flat. Barbecue, pizza and especially desserts are prime examples. I've had some pretty awesome looking versions of each that while looking incredible, were utter disappointments when eaten. Also, there's something I read in an old "how-to" book a long time ago. When the author of that book wanted to make an impression and be sure you remembered what he was writing he wrote "What I write three times is law!" and then proceeded to write that truth three times. It's a habit I've picked up and used many times in my own writing and dammit, I'll use it now:



What I write three times is law!



The Apple Pie I had from The Heritage Pie Company was the best I have had in my life so far!

The Apple Pie I had from The Heritage Pie Company was the best I have had in my life so far!

The Apple Pie I had from The Heritage Pie Company was the best I have had in my life so far!



It was incredible and everyone at the table agreed. We were all "mmmmmmmm-mmmmmmmmm-ing" through each bite and my 2-1/2 year old at one point said "This is DE-EE-EE-EE-EE-LICIOUS!" striking the table with her hands on each "ee-ee-ee-ee-ee"! We all concurred it was the best apple pie any of us had ever had. Everything from the delicious flaky crust, the apples, etc., everything was excellent. The spice blend was perfect, even the cinnamon which is easy to overdo was pushed to the height of perfection! The Heritage Pie Company Apple Pie kicked ass!



I immediately jumped on Face Book and described the pie and offered a link to The Heritage Pie Company to my friends who may want to sample it. Thankfully, the informality of Face Book allowed me to use the proper expletives to drive the sincerity of my high praise home. Let's just say, my message was delivered.



I've had several slices of the pie since and its impact has not faded. It is a remarkably good apple pie and it really is the best I have had in my life thus far. If you love apple pie, the apple pie from The Heritage Pie Company is worth every penny. TRY IT!



Thank you Amber and Martin for your well-timed, generous and delicious gift!



The Heritage Pie Company

1616 F.M. 776
Jasper,TX 75951

1-877-816-1400 Toll Free

1-409-386-4081 Fax

http://www.heritagepies.com

E-mail: ThePieGuys@HeritagePies.com

Recipe: Chicken and Corn Stew

I have eaten some pretty strange things in my life. From my dad's side of the family there was morcella (pig's blood sausage) and all manner of odd things from the ocean including lapas (pronounced "lah-pizsh") which are small limpet-like creatures that adhere to rocks and themselves all over the world. These my father taught me to eat raw, first pulling them off the rock and then digging the animal from its shell with my finger and eating it live and raw. He also taught me how to get and eat mussels, clams, razor clams, periwinkles and conchs. I'm not complaining, they are all pretty tasty, raw or otherwise. So thanks dad those are good, but no thanks for making me eat a dollop of Vick's Vapor Rub when I was 7. What the hell were you thinking? I was only 7 but I could clearly see "for external use only" on the damn jar!

From my mom's side of the family I learned to eat the strangest things. My mom's father was part Native American and grew up on a New England farm during the depression. He was a bar room-brawling, tough-as-nails maniac. In the course of his life out of necessity, he learned to eat anything and he was lucky enough to have married a woman who could cook it all very well.

When I was a child it didn't take me or my cousins long to figure out one thing: DO NOT ASK WHAT YOU ARE EATING UNLESS YOU REALLY WANT TO KNOW! Now your yuck level is directly related to the place you grew up and the means available to you. So for some of you, when I mention that rabbit stew and squirrel pies were staples, you're going to say yuck or yum. It depends on whether or not you were ever exposed to these two DELICIOUS dishes. So the hunters out there say, "what's the big deal?" The city folk say "Eeeeeeeeew!"

The stuff I ate at my grandparents ran the entire scale of the yuck factor. For instance one day I was presented with something that appeared to be turkey dinner. Except that the turkey was a deep reddish brown, kind of, but not exactly like beef. I had to know, so I had to ask. "Hey Pep, what is this?" "Go look in the oven" was his answer. I did, and what I saw looked like a red turkey with 4 drumsticks. Pep recognized the confusion on my face and replied "It's the raccoon your cousin Rocky shot yesterday." It was pretty good too as I remember it. Think of roast beef with a texture somewhere near turkey.

I ate a lot of things in that house. I can say with certainty that I DID eat: deer, goat, pig, sheep, rabbit, quail, duck, pheasant, and a host of other common acceptable food items. The more uncommon things that I know I ate there included: bear, woodchucks, squirrels, snapping turtle and raccoons. I THINK I ate possum and maybe muskrat there, but I am not sure. I'd LIKE to think I never ate skunk but again, I am not sure. Let me make one thing clear, it was all delicious. Both my grandmothers were incredible cooks (aren't everyone's?), and I wish I had some of their recipes.

You may be asking yourself what the relevancy to the recipe is? Just memories. This dish reminds me of the stuff my mom's mom used to make. Good, hearty, stick-to-your-ribs-I keep-my-family-healthy-old-school-Yankee-cooking. The perfect dish after a day of skiing or hunting, or shoveling the damn snow from the driveway for the 15th time in 4 days!

Recipe: Chicken & Corn Stew

3 lbs boneless chicken breast (cut into 1/2" chunks)
4 Tbs unsalted butter
1 Tbs olive oil
1-1/2 cup chopped onions
1-1/2 cup chopped carrots
1-1/2 cup chopped celery
2 lbs boiling potatoes (peeled and cut into 1/2" cubes)
1 clove of garlic (minced)
2 tsp fresh thyme (chopped)
2 Tbs flour
4 cups chicken broth (I use bouillon)
2-4 cups of water
2 cups super-sweet corn kernels
1 cup of heavy cream
4 green onions cut in 1/8" rings
3/4 to 1 cup of chopped cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste

Season chicken with salt and pepper.

Place butter and oil into a preheated pan set on a medium flame. Cook stirring lightly, until the foam from the butter disappears.

In small batches, brown the chicken well on all sides. Remove chicken to a waiting bowl as it browns, set aside and keep warm.

When all the chicken is removed, add onion, carrots and celery. Sauté until the onions are translucent.

Add the garlic and half the thyme. Continue to sauté stirring occasionally for a few minutes (be sure not to burn the garlic).

Add flour and stir in well, while cooking for 1 minute.

Pour in broth and water, being sure to blend or whisk it in well. Bring mixture to a boil.

Add the potatoes and return to boil. Cover, reduce heat and let simmer, stirring occasionally. Cook this way until the potatoes begin to get tender.

Add the sweet corn kernels, chicken (with any resulting juices) and cream, simmer uncovered until the stock begins to reduce.

Salt and pepper to taste, add the rest of the thyme, green onions and the cilantro.

Serve in deep bowls with a wedge of lime and biscuits on the side.

Shameless exploitation in pursuit of the Common Good

"Shameless exploitation in pursuit of the Common Good" is the motto of The Newman's Own Organization and I like it, a lot. Newman's Own is a for-profit corporation founded in 1982 by actor Paul Newman and author A. E. Hotchner. All profits after taxes (read: ALL PROFITS) are donated to charitable organizations and since 1982 those profits have been in excess of two hundred and eighty million dollars. It is a hopeful and refreshing contrast to other corporations that operate in a world of shameless greed and wretched excess.

I like Newman's Own a lot.

Newman and Hotchner began their endeavor with a salad dressing that was very popular with their family and friends. The popularity of the salad dressing lead them to introduce it commercially. Its success in the marketplace and the money it generated spearheaded a brand that has continued to grow and includes a variety of popular and profitable products that include: pasta sauces, iced tea, lemonade, limeade, fruit cocktail juices, popcorn, pretzels, salsa, cookies, coffee, grape juice and more.

Recently, Newman's Own sent me a variety of products to try, review and create new recipes with*. I was happy to oblige because I am familiar with their products as I have purchased them many times. They are all good products and of the varieties I buy I've always been satisfied and often surprised. It's good stuff and I like it a lot.

Also, all of Newman's Own products have a particular flavor that I rarely find in other brands. It is a profound nuance. Something that transcends the high quality of its ingredients, something special. It's the heart warming flavor of knowing that by purchasing Newman's Own products I am helping people in this world. I am effecting positive change and getting help where it is needed and WE ALL NEED TO DO THAT.

WE ALL NEED TO DO THAT!

Thank you for that Newman's Own, it is certainly a huge selling point!

"Shameless exploitation in pursuit of the Common Good" Yeah, try that on for size mega-corporations, mega-banking interests and others. Do it for a couple of years. Do it for the good it does and not for your own selfish tax benefits. Nike? McDonald's? Coca-Cola? Walmart? Where are you all?

Yeah, Newman's Own - I like it a lot! I love it.

Chop Onions and Boil Water endorses Newman's Own products not only for their superiority, but for the good the company does.

*I get many products to try and review, you'll only see ones that I sincerely and truly use and enjoy in Chop Onions, Boil Water!

Recipe: Jonnycakes (Rhode Island cornmeal pancakes)

Here in Southeastern New England you just can't get more down-home-swamp-yankee-soul-food than jonnycakes. Their history is long and finds its root in the pre-European-invasion food traditions of the local Wampanoag and Narragansett Indian tribes. Corn cakes were a tribal staple and the Native Americans generously shared their corn, its farming methods and its preparation with early settlers. In the case of Plimouth Plantation, jonnycakes (or something very similar) were in-part, the difference between the life and death of the colony. A error on the tribes' part which the intolerant Pilgrims soon made them regret. The negative aspects of American history aside, the early settlers took a serious liking to jonnycakes and they became synonymous with Southeastern New England farm life and are still available today. Which is something, because the ingredients while simple, take a little effort to produce.

Genuine jonnycakes are made from stone ground white cap flint corn. It's the same variety of corn that was favored by the local Wampanoag and Narragansett Indian tribes before the arrival of the Europeans. Still grown by local farmers, white cap flint corn (or Narragansett Indian Flint Corn) must be grown in areas isolated from other corn crops to avoid hybridization. It is also a low yield crop with stalks producing one to two ears of corn with each ear having only eight rows of kernels. The corn once harvested takes approximately eight months to dry enough to get to the point where it can be milled. Which takes us to the next step.

Genuine jonnycake meal has to be stone ground between granite millstones. This slow and traditional method not only produces a superior meal, but the one-pass method used in grinding the flint corn also allows a higher nutritional value in the resulting meal. Several historic mills currently produce the stone ground flour required to make jonnycakes. Among them are: Gray's Grist Mill in Adamsville, Rhode Island which is the oldest dating back prior to 1700, Carpenter's Grist Mill in Perryville, RI, dating to 1703 and Kenyon's Grist Mill in Usquepaugh, RI, dating to 1886. Their products are available in a few local markets. Both Gray's Grist Mill and Kenyon's Grist Mill offer their products online. Each mill claims their product to be the genuine item and all other products are inferior, but a lot of things with jonnycakes are like that.

Like all things much loved by passionate adherents, there is much dispute over jonnycakes. Points of view tend to form regarding where you live, what mill you get your flour from and who your ancestors are. There are several variants of the jonnycake that are defined by where one lives on Narragansett Bay. Mills aside, each variation has its faithful proponents whom will profess their favorite's advantages above all others. At the time of this writing I am aware of three general regional variations (also: subtle variations of each recipe can be found within its region):

East Narragansett Bay Jonnycakes which are small and thin with lacy and crispy edges and use only milk.

Mid-Narragansett Bay Jonnycakes which are medium-sized and on the thick side. These seem to be the newest variant.

West Narragansett Bay Jonnycakes which are large, thick and soft and made with the addition of boiling water.

Even the name "jonnycake" has been disputed in the past. One story I came across tells of a couple of 19th century politicians coming to blows in the Rhode Island State House over the need, or not, of the "h" in the name. Apparently, the fellow who wanted the "h" kept out won, because most places refer to them as "jonnycakes". Even the origin of the name comes into scholarly debate. Some scholars believe the word jonnycake is derived from "joniken" the Algonquin Indian word for corn cakes, while others point to jonnycake being derived from "journey cake" because the corn cakes travelled well. Here you choose the story that most fits in with your personal feelings. I know where mine lie.

While a fan of ALL jonnycakes (and nokake and cornbread), I grew up eating the East Narragansett Bay variety on my grandparent's farm in Tiverton, Rhode Island. My grandmother was a wizard at the stove and indulged me whenever she got a chance to. At the ignorant age of seven I once challenged her that I could eat all the jonnycakes she could make. Testing her love like that was pure folly and in under an hour I was stuffed to the gills with the crispy corn goodness produced in her cast iron skillet. My jonnycake pedigree is deep and can be traced back through Yankee farmers all the way to Native American ancestors. That makes me pretty damn romantic about jonnycakes and puts them high on my list of personal supreme comfort foods.

Jonnycake purists will tell you these have to be cooked on a well-greased cast iron pan or griddle. I can't say that's true because I mostly cook in cast iron anyway. Purists will also tell you that you serve them with sweet butter only. Well, when I ate them at my grandparents that's how I had them and they were GOOD! These days though, with concerns about cholesterol, I don't think it's a sin to use maple syrup or some other heart-friendly topping. You can use jonnycakes anywhere a pancake, biscuit, dumplings, potatoes or corn would be served. Thinking about it now, the next time I make some chili, I'm going to cook up a bunch of jonnycakes. I can't lose.

Behold the famed jonnycake,
easy to cook and quick to make.
Fare of Indian brave and white man
Crisp, golden joy in a cast iron pan.

I've presented three recipes below of the Narragansett Bay variations and one personal recipe. Try what you like and experiment a little. In the words of Richard Donnelly, Rhode Island's own "Jonnycake Man": There is no wrong way to make a jonnycake! I hope you try, and enjoy this simple and historic Southern New England pleasure.

East Narraganset Bay Style Jonnycakes (Courtesy: Gray's Grist Mill)

1 cup stoneground white cornmeal

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp sugar (optional)
1-7/8 cups of milk

Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly.
Let stand a few minutes as mixture will thicken, (Add extra milk if necessary to keep the mixture thin).
Spoon onto on a well-greased, hot griddle or cast iron pan.
Cook, flipping after the edges turn brown so both sides brown evenly.

Mid-Narragansett Bay Style Jonnycakes (Courtesy: Richard Donnelly, Edible Rhody Magazine)

1 cup stoneground white cornmeal
1/8 cup dry milk
1 tsp of sugar
1/8 tsp salt
Pinch of either allspice, or nutmeg or ginger (optional)
1-1/2 to 2 cups boiling water

Place dry ingredients in a bowl.
Add the boiling water slowly and use the back of a spoon to smooth it and keep it from lumping on the spoon.
Drop spoonfuls onto a well-greased, hot griddle or cast iron pan and flip when the edges are brown.

West Narragansett Bay Style Jonnycakes (Courtesy: Kenyon's Grist Mill)

1 cup stoneground white cornmeal
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp Sugar
1-1/4 cups of boiling water

Place all ingredients in bowl and gradually add boiling water.
Let stand a few minutes, as mixture will thicken.
Thin down with boiling water to a consistency that will drop off the end of a spoon.
Drop on a well greased, medium hot griddle by the spoonful, and cook for about 6 minutes each side, until brown.

Henry's East Narragansett Bay Style Jonnycakes

1 cup stoneground white cornmeal

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp sugar
1-1/8 cups of milk

Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly.
Let stand a few minutes as mixture will thicken, (Add extra milk if necessary to keep the mixture thin).
Spoon onto on a well-greased, hot griddle or cast iron pan.
Cook, flipping after the edges turn brown so both sides brown evenly.

Recipe: Sweet Corn Cakes/Fritters

Sweet Corn cakes (or "fritters" as they are more commonly known outside of New England) taught me a valuable lesson about people and cooking. You can go out of your way and create an entire dinner, all the food can be great but one small thing can become a standout. Such was the dinner on the front porch of my old apartment one summer evening. I prepared all manner of Mexican specialties for my guests including smoky refried black beans, chicken fajitas, homemade salsa, etc. It was a basket of warm corn cakes drizzled with honey, prepared as an afterthought that was the hit of the party though.

Cakes/fritters are popular all over the United States, from the New England clam cake to the hush puppies of our Southern states. They are served as additions to other meals or popular stand alone snacks. They're not difficult to make and prepared mixes abound, but what's Zen about dumping a box of ingredients bolstered with chemical preservatives, compared to working with a nice recipe of wholesome ingredients? NOTHING!

I'll offer you a little advice in the way of quantity. Correctly made these things disappear faster than your cheap friends when it's round buying time at the bar, so make more than you think you'll need. I serve them drizzled with mesquite honey, but any flavor will probably do. They are also very good served as a side for chili or corn chowder.

Corn Cakes/Fritters are really versatile and you can steer them between savory or sweet as you like. You'll notice below that I keep the sugar kind of low. That's because this recipe should get most of its sweetness from good sweet corn. Also, you may be drizzling honey over them before serving them which will add additional sweetness. Another variation of this recipe that I prepare includes diced red bell pepper. To prepare that use 1-1/2 cups of sweet corn and 1/2 cup of diced red bell pepper instead of the 2 cups of sweet corn below.

Sweet Corn Cakes/Fritters

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp of baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white sugar
2 cups whole kernel sweet corn
1 egg lightly beaten
1 TBS peanut oil
1/2 cup milk
3 cups vegetable oil

In a mixing bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.

Stir the sweet corn kernels into this dry mixture.

In another mixing bowl beat the egg, peanut oil and milk together.

Pour the wet and dry mixtures together, stir until just blended.

Heat the 3 cups of oil in a heavy pot to 350°F.

Drop tablespoons of the batter into the hot oil and cook, turning occasionally until golden brown.

Drain on paper towels and serve warm, brushed with butter, drizzled with honey or sprinkled with salt.

Recipe: Slow Cooked Pot Roast

At the risk of sounding like one of the Beverly Hillbillies I'm going to confess that this dish kind of reminds me of something my grandmother used to make when I was a kid - roast raccoon. That's no lie, it's not even an exaggeration. We ate a lot of strange things at my grandparents house. For the record, it was all good. They were country people and products of the depression. My grandfather was a hunter and fisherman and my grandmother was a hell of a farm wife. She once saved me from a blood-thirsty and crazed fighting rooster. That story is elsewhere on this blog, something tells me it's probably got to do with a chicken recipe.

If my memory serves me well (and it usually does) roasted raccoon looked like roasted turkey only reddish brown with four drumsticks. There were of course, potatoes and carrots. I imagine a dinner like that will freak some people out, but it was good. Everything the woman cooked was good.

Okay, my freaky memory aside, this recipe is a great rainy Autumn Sunday dinner. Which coincidentally is just the kind of day I prepared it on when I finalized, prepared and photographed it for the blog. It is rich, hearty and delicious and of major importance: SIMPLE! You basically just do a little prep, chuck everything into a crock pot or dutch oven* and slow cook it and not touch or look at it for ten hours. It cooks while you do vastly more important things like watch television, play with the kids, do your yoga, read poetry or run around all day and do errands. Start it at 8:30 AM, do what you want all day and an amazing dinner is ready at 6:30 PM. Pretty sweet huh?

My only recommendation is that you don't over-pack your crock pot or dutch oven. The meat and vegetables will give off a lot of moisture during the cooking process and you don't want the liquid rising over the top. If you have a small crock pot or dutch oven, adjust the recipe as needed.

*My home range has a slow-cook feature so I prepare dishes like this in a covered dutch oven. Of course it works equally well in a crock pot.

Slow Cooked Pot Roast

3 lbs. Boneless bottom roast
1 TBS Dijon mustard
1 TBS brown sugar
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 cup of red wine
Sea Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 medium onions chopped
3-4 small onions peeled
4 carrots cut into 3-4" pieces
1-1/2 to 2 pounds small red and white potatoes (golf ball to egg-sized)
Your favorite homemade or store-bought biscuits
2-4 tsp cornstarch
1/2 cup water

Put the chopped onion in the bottom of your cooking vessel.

Mix the sea salt, black pepper, onion and garlic powders together and coat the roast evenly on all sides. Place it on the onions in your preferred cooking vessel - fat side down.

Take the potatoes, carrots and whole onions and arrange them around the roast. Be sure that you'll be able to close the crock pot/dutch oven completely when ready.

In a mixing bowl whisk together the Dijon mustard, brown sugar and red wine until the Dijon mustard and the brown sugar are completely blended in. Pour all the mixture equally over the roast and the vegetables.

Cover the cooking vessel, set it on low and let it cook for ten hours (If you're using a dutch oven, cover it, place it in the oven and use your range's slow cook feature and instructions).

When the time is up remove the roast and vegetables to a large serving bowl. cover it with a plate and towels to keep it warm while you prepare the gravy.

In a small bowl, whisk together the corn starch and water.

Pour all the liquid from the roast into a suitable pan and place it over high heat until it begins to boil (if you're using a dutch oven prepare your gravy in that). Lower it to a high simmer and slowly add 1/2 the water and cornstarch mixture while stirring constantly. You'll need to use your judgement here to get your gravy to the desired thickness. It is better to add it SLOWLY as you PROBABLY WILL NOT NEED IT ALL. If you add it all quickly, I hope you enjoy extremely thick gravy!

Slice or chunk the roast, plate it with the vegetables and a biscuit, dress it with the gravy as you like.


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