Cooking with Dr. Monkey

My 2013 new recipe challenge rolls on.  This past week I made vatapa, a Brazilian fish soup.

I started out by chopping my fish in to bite sized chunks.  I used a little under a pound of salmon, a little over a pound of cod, and a small piece of mahi-mahi.

Next I peeled and deveined about a pound of shrimp.  Then I covered both the shrimp and fish and put them in the fridge.

Next up I finely chopped on large white onion, four Serrano chilies, three cloves of garlic, and a one inch piece of ginger.  I put all these ingredients into my stock pot in which I had heated up three tablespoons of canola oil.  I simmered everything for about ten minutes.

Once all my aromatics were nice and sauteed, I added three cups of pureed tomatoes, my home canned tomatoes naturally, and one third cup of reduced fat peanut butter.  I stirred everything together and then I added one can of reduced fat coconut milk.

 Next, I juiced one big lime and I

chopped up a small bunch of cilantro and I put both in my stock put, and then I added one quart of fat free chicken broth.

I brought my broth to a boil with the lid off, then I turned it down to below medium, and when it had cooked down a little I added a dash of sea salt and a dash of cracked black pepper.  My broth cooked in my pot with the lid on for about 45 minutes on simmer and then ten minutes before we got ready to eat I ladled out some of the broth, enough to cover the fish, and put it into a big saute pan.  I then sauteed the fish in the broth that I had ladled out.  Six minutes in I added my shrimp.  Once the shrimp was done I put all the fish and shrimp and broth back in my big stock pot with the rest of the broth.  I took it off the burner and let it sit for about five minutes.

I served it up to our guests and we ate it with some of Sparky's homemade bread and some raw veggies.

The verdict:  delicious.  This soup is both spicy and a little sweet, it's nutty and a little sour.  It reminds me of Thai food in that it has so many different things going on all at the same time.  It's not that hard to make and you can buy whatever fish you like to put in it.  You can also substitute the peanut butter for peanuts but you have to crush them or process them in your food processor.  Overall the soup the way I made it was very tasty and it had just the right amount of heat from the chilies, it was noticeable but not overwhelming.  I'll definitely make this dish again.

Cooking with Dr. Monkey

This week's new to me recipe in my 2013 New Recipe Challenge is Bangalore chicken curry because I've been craving Indian food ever since we saw the film Trishna a few weeks ago.

I started out by sauteing one and a half white onions in some canola oil. 

 I sauteed them until they just started to turn golden brown.

Next I added six cloves of roughly chopped garlic, one twp of Turmeric, and one teaspoon of dhana jeera, which is a mixture of ground cumin and ground coriander.  I added all that to the onions.

Next up I washed and chopped up a bunch (and by that I mean one 'bunch' I bought in the grocery store) of cilantro and three de-seeded seranno chili peppers.  I put the cilantro and the peppers in my food processor and I added a little water and I turned all that into a paste.

 I added the paste to the pan with the spices and the onions.  Then I put in the pan six bone in chicken thighs, you can use a whole cut up chicken, chicken breasts, or whatever cut of meat or chicken you like.  Once I cooked the meat for a few minutes on one side, I turned it over and cooked it on the other.

Once it was properly browned I added one and a quarter cups reduced fat coconut milk mixed with one quarter cup chicken broth.

And then I turned the burner on low, covered it up and let it all simmer for 50 minutes.  I turned the chicken pieces over at the 25 minute mark.  I whisked in a couple of tablespoons of plain yogurt to blunt the heat of the chilies and to make it a bit richer and silkier.

 After the 50 minutes was up I served the chicken with basmati rice and a little steamed spinach.

The verdict:  delicious.

Don't be intimidated by the fact that this is an Indian dish, it's super easy and all of the ingredients are easy to obtain from any major grocery store.  The only modifications I'll make next time are I'll make this in my stock pot instead of a frying pan because of all the liquid involved and because I'll be able to put in more chicken, or pork, or beef.  In the future I'll also make the curry without meat and use it as a dipping sauce for things like samosas or to ladle over salmon, cod, or other fish that can't stand up to nearly an hour of cooking on the stove top.

Cooking with Dr. Monkey

Today's episode: Acquacotta Di Santa Fiora (aka Tuscan Bread Soup).

I got this recipe out of the cookbook Flavors of Tuscany by Nancy Harmon Jenkins.

I started off by chopping up two small yellow onions, 2 cloves of garlic, one stalk of celery, and about a half cup of ham.  The recipe calls for pancetta but since I didn't have any I used ham.  I tossed all that in to my cast iron stock pot in which I had previously heated about two tablespoons of olive oil and some sea salt and cracked pepper.  I let it simmer together while I peeled and chopped four medium potatoes.

I added the potatoes to the pot and then I added one cup of my home canned tomatoes.

 Then I tossed in a can of Cannellini beans.

I added three cups of water to the pot, gave everything a stir, and then I brought it all to a boil.  Once it had a slow boil I turned it down to low and let it simmer for 40 minutes.

 Simmer, simmer, simmer.

After it had simmered for 40 minutes I took it off the heat and I added one cup of ricotta cheese and a cup of cut up fresh spinach.  

I added it to the pot, chopped up a dried red chili pepper, tossed it in the pot as well, and gave it a stir.  Next I toasted some of Sparky's homemade bread and I laid the slices in some shallow bowls.  Then I ladled the soup over it.

Houston, we're ready to eat. 

The verdict:  most excellent soup that went down well on a cold night. 

This recipe is pretty simple to prepare and it's loaded with flavor and lots of good things that are good for you.  I'll definitely make it again and next time I'll only add two cups of water but I'll add two cups of tomatoes.  I'll also amp up the spices, especially the pepper.  It's a nice mellow soup that goes down well.  The recipe called for bitter greens and home cooked beans but since I had neither I made substitutions.  Like I said, it was all very good and I'll definitely make this again.

Cooking with Dr. Monkey

Today's episode: Roasted Red Jalapeno Pepper Sauce.

I bought a gallon of these fine peppers at the Western North Carolina Farmer's Market yesterday:

 And since the majority of them were way too far gone to pickle, that is to say they weren't fresh and crisp, I decided to make a sauce out of them.  So I started by washing them, then I began slicing them down the length of the pepper:

 Next I scooped out the seeds and ribs with a spoon:

 Once I had sliced, deseeded, and deribbed my peppers I laid them all skin side up on a cookie sheet:

 I then drizzled extra virgin olive oil and a table spoon of sea salt all over them and I stuck them in the oven to broil.  I left them in the oven about 15 minutes, until the majority of them began to get charred.  This is what they looked like when I pulled them out:

I peeled off most of the charred skin but I wasn't anal about it, if some stayed, that was fine.  All in all I probably skinned about 75 percent of the peppers.  Next I put them in my food processor and I pulsed them all together.  I had to add more olive oil to get the consistency I wanted.

 Once I had finished processing them this is what my sauce looked like:

It's got some heat but it's not outrageously hot.  Some people eat peppers just to get the heat and they don't get the real flavor of the pepper, all the nuance of the flavors.  This sauce captures all the nuances and more.  I use this sauce to flavor broths, on sandwiches, quesadillas, and tacos.  I drizzle it on meat, fish, and dip bread in it.  I also use it in Asian dishes where I want a steady bit of heat and tons of flavor.

Since this sauce has a good bit of oil in it, I refrigerate it after I get it made.  I don't put it in the pantry with my salsas, jams, pickled products, and other canned stuff.  It will keep for a month or two and I usually use it up well before that time is up.

Some words of warning about making this recipe:

• It's messy to make.  Seeds will  get everywhere and they are hot.  Be careful.
• Wear gloves when handling the peppers and refuse of the peppers, if you don't then make sure you use extra caution because the oil of the pepper will get on your hands and if you touch your eye or your genitals they/it will burn like crazy.
• Wash your hands often even if you use gloves.  
• Expect your hands to be contaminated with the oil of the pepper for a couple of days.  The capsaicin, the compound which is the heat in the pepper, will fade pretty quickly but it has remarkable staying power too.
• If you compost do not put the seeds and ribs in your compost bin, you don't want plants growing in your compost.  
• Even though I refrigerated the two jars I got out of this, I still sterilized my jars and the part of the lid that came into contact with the sauce.

If you want to make yours hotter, don't discard as many seeds as I did, I took out most all the seeds and all the ribs.  You can add other spices to your sauce if you like, cumin would be good, also garlic and pepper.  Go nuts, come up with you own concoction.

Cooking with Dr. Monkey

Today's episode: whole poached chicken.

Start by filling a stock pot half way full of water and add a table spoon or so of sea salt, add more if you like it saltier.
Put the water on to boil.
As your water boils, clean out the inside cavity of the chicken. Toss out any livers, necks, or whatever else is in there. Then when your water comes to a boil gently slide your chicken in the water.
Let the chicken boil for 5 to 10 minutes then turn the burner off.
Cover the pot and let the chicken sit in the hot water for about an hour to an hour and a half. If you like, turn the burner back on and bring it to a boil again as you fix whatever else you're going to have with the chicken.

Cooking the chicken in this manner produces a super juicy moist end product. I usually make a soy dipping/drizzling sauce to go over the chicken meat the first night I make this. I put about one third cup of soy, a tablespoon of brown sugar, a spritz of lemon or lime, a chopped green chilli that's been deseeded and ribbed all together in a saute pan and I let it come to a boil and then I let it cool a bit, then I drizzle it over the chicken. I also usually serve mixed steamed vegetables (broccoli/cauliflower/snow peas/what have you) with this dish. And sometimes I make soba noodles with this chicken. It's dead simple to make, juicy, and delicious.

I use the left over chicken to make everything from quesadillas, chicken noodle soup, chicken salad, and chicken paninis.

Cooking with Dr. Monkey

Today's episode: Super Crispy Oven Fries/Potato Wedges.

I got this recipe out of a recent copy of Cooking Light magazine.
I started out with two huge baking potatoes. I then peeled them and sliced them into big wedges/fries.
Next I finely grated some Parmigiano-Reggiano (about 1/3 cup), which I then mixed in with about 2/3 cup of bread crumbs (the original recipe calls for panko crumbs to be used but I use what I have). In a bowl I mixed two eggs whites with two tablespoons of cold water. On another plate I put a bit of flour.
Then in this order I: rolled the wedges in flour, dipped them into egg white water mixture, then coated them with the cheese bread crumb mixture. And this is what they looked like before I baked them:
I then baked them in my preheated to 425F oven for about 35 to 40 minutes. Oven times vary and the potatoes are done when they are golden brown and you can easily insert a fork in them.
Salt and pepper them to taste and enjoy!

This batch, this is the second time I made them, was super tasty and very good with the turkey panini's I made. If you want, go crazy with this dish, add whatever spices and herbs you like, next time I'm adding cumin, paprika, garlic, and rosemary. This is a good side dish for most any meal or even as a main dish in a vegetarian meal. This recipe is a definite keeper.

Don't forget, I'm having a fund raiser here to raise money for a new pair of glasses with scratch resistant lenses. Please give what you can and those who give $25 or more will get a random selection of art cards that I made.

Cooking with Dr. Monkey

Today's episode: oven roasted tomato sauce!

I started by buying a box of locally grown Roma tomatoes:
I like to use Romas for this sauce because they're less watery than other tomatoes. I've made this recipe with canning tomatoes but it was far more labor intensive than this one with Romas is.
I sliced off the tops of the tomatoes and I made an 'X' in the bottoms of them all, tossing out any rotten ones of course.
Then I scalded them in boiling water. I put them in the boiling water for a couple of minutes then I fish them out with my big ol' holey spoon and I drop them into a big ice water filled container.
The skins slide right off and I them break the tomatoes into smaller pieces and I put them in to my Pyrex pans. I add a few cloves of garlic to each pan of the tomatoes.
Before I had started scalding and peeling my tomatoes I had sliced up one big yellow onion and two big red bell peppers. I then covered them with extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, and pepper. I then broiled them in the oven until the skin on the pepper turned black. The broiled onions and peppers cooled while I got the Romas ready for oven roasting.
After I got all my tomatoes scalded, peeled, and in my Pyrex pans I peeled the red peppers and put them in my mini food processor along with the onions and all the olive oil from the roasting pan. I pulsed it until it became a paste and I put the paste on top of the tomatoes:
I also put in a little more sea salt, crushed black pepper, and some ground oregano, which we grew and dried our selves. Then I put all the pans in the oven and turned it on to 400 F.
I let them cook on 400 for about 30 minutes then I turned the temp down to 350. They cooked at 350 for about an hour then I turned them down to 300. After cooking for about an hour on 3oo I turned them down to 250 and let them cook up for another hour. The smell of slow roasted tomatoes makes the house smell heavenly.

After cooking for about 4 hours I took my tomatoes out and I poured each pan in my big sieve. This drains off most of the water and it leaves the pulpy slow cooked tomato mixture. I then consolidated all the tomatoes into two big Pyrex pans and I put them back in the oven which I turned back up to 300 F.
A word of warning: be very very careful when draining the hot pans of the excess liquid. The tomatoes have a tendency to slide everywhere and the water is searingly hot. BE CAREFUL.

I let the now consolidated tomato mixture cook down for another hour and fifteen minutes and then I took them out and spooned them in to my big food processor. I pulsed up batches of the thick rich sauce until I all of the tomato mixture was sauced. This is what it looked like by the time I got done:
It was almost thick enough to stand a spoon up in. The flavors had condensed and concentrated in the five plus hours that I cooked it. I had planned to can this batch of sauce but I really couldn't get into boiling a huge pan of water, sterilizing my jars and lids, and then gingerly putting the hot jars in a boiling water bath. So I decided to freeze this batch instead. That meant that I had to let the sauce cool down a bit and then I had to spoon it into freezer safe containers.

And here's the end product:
This recipe kicks all kinds of ass. It's super tasty and thick and rich. When you heat it up later you can use it on pasta, pizza, meatloaf, put it in soups, or even spread it on a piece of bread. It's also versatile in that you can freeze it for up to six months or you can can it and use it within a year, as long as you store it away from direct sunlight. Yes, you won't get a huge yield out of your big box of tomatoes, but what you do get is incredibly tasty. I don't recommend adding any kind of meat to the sauce until you get ready to reheat it, home canners can't achieve the high temps that are needed to kill all the bacteria in meats.

Of course you can add any other spices, veggies, or herbs to your sauce, I like to keep mine simple and add to it when I get ready to reheat it. You can also make this sauce if you have home canned tomatoes or make it with store bought cans of tomatoes if you like. The key is slow roasting and draining off the water in the tomatoes as you cook them down. This is my third batch that I made from fresh tomatoes and I may do another but I'll probably just can some tomatoes outright and make more sauce when I need to warm the house up in the dead of winter.

Garden bounty

From our garden:From left to right: Scallions, zucchini, basil, carrots. And yes, there is such a thing as white carrots.

We've also been enjoying purple potatoes, cherry tomatoes, Yukon Gold's, redskin potatoes, green tomatoes, several varieties of basil, cherry bomb peppers, long green chilies, and yellow squash. And we'll have more of all that still to come, along with several varieties of tomatoes.