tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91007424625177712052024-03-05T06:03:59.860-06:00Mike's Food Journeynotes from my ongoing cooking adventureMike Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11093953079906588882noreply@blogger.comBlogger96125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9100742462517771205.post-90808516444823827352017-07-27T11:14:00.001-05:002017-07-27T11:53:13.078-05:00Summer Greek Salad with Sautéed Red PeppersLittle tip--saute or roast red pepper and add it to your summer salad! Also, season your salad with salt and pepper to add a little more depth.<br />
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<br />Mike Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11093953079906588882noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9100742462517771205.post-5259998800682528602015-12-19T20:01:00.000-06:002015-12-19T20:01:01.154-06:00Sister City Cooking Project (Part 1)--Patzcuaro, Mexico (Carnitas)For years, my kids and I have occasionally noticed the sister city signs posted on the outskirts of our town of Naperville, IL. It's been a <a href="http://www.naperville.il.us/nitra.aspx">sister city of Nitra, Slovakia</a>, since 1993. <br />
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Recently, we noticed that the sign now also mentions Patzcuaro, Mexico, as <a href="http://www.naperville.il.us/patzcuaro.aspx">another sister city</a>. Apparently it's not enough for Naperville to just have one sister city. <br />
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Anyway, it's more than enough of an excuse for a cooking project since my food blog has been lacking ideas for some time. I decided to choose a food project that represents a dish from each sister city. Nitra isn't exactly low-hanging fruit in terms of famous dishes to choose (goulash?), so I went with something classic from the Michoacan region of Mexico, in which Patzcuaro is located.<br />
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Carnitas is a fairly well known pork filling for real tacos, especially in the Chicago area or other places with large Mexican-American populations. I could write a whole series of blog posts just about local taquerias! <br />
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Carnitas is a fairly simple concept--braise pork shoulder slowly in a citrusy liquid to essentially make soft pulled pork, but then quick fry it in lard for the crispy texture and rich flavor. You can easily get good fresh lard from a local Mexican grocery (ask for "manteca" if you know a little Spanish). <br />
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I used both oranges and limes in my version, but most recipes just call for one citrus ingredient. You can find a ton of examples. Citrus and salt are the main ideas though.<br />
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The 4-5 pound pork shoulder will take awhile to cook, maybe 3 hours on low heat. Some recipes just call for water, but others might suggest beer or even some milk. <br />
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The main thing here is to get some of the lard going hot in a pan and toss around the shredded pulled pork until it is slightly crispy, then drain some (but not all) the juices before adding it to a taco. I like real corn soft tacos with cilantro, onion, and chihuahua cheese, plus some salsa verde. I think in this photo I just used lettuce, chihuahua cheese, and some salsa verde from a jar but you can do what you prefer and don't worry about being "authentic" unless you like it that way! <br />
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Buen provecho! <br />
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<br />Mike Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11093953079906588882noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9100742462517771205.post-84294583411756991672015-03-05T16:02:00.001-06:002015-03-05T16:03:56.986-06:00Quick Weekday Stir Fry<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My kids are big fans of stir fry, and we make one almost every week. The ingredients are healthy and inexpensive.<br />
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Here's the basics:<br />
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1) Quickly fry chunks of chicken breast in peanut oil until about 2/3 of the way cooked. Remove and set aside.<br />
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2) Boil water for noodles or rice--I prefer capellini or vermicelli, but also use ride noodles or sticky rice. Use what is preferred and easiest. Don't discount instant rice either! This isn't Saturday night.<br />
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2) Add more oil then stir fry sliced onion, pepper, bok choy, or any vegetable you want to add. When the fresh veggies are somewhat caramelized and still with a bit of crunch, I add any canned veggies. We like whole water chesnuts for more crunch.<br />
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3) Add sauce ingredients and then add chicken back to finish. Serve over noodles or rice, or to blend flavors, we like to add the noodles into the stir fry pan to coat thoroughly.<br />
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For sauce from scratch, I might use chicken broth, soy sauce, Chinese five-spice, garlic, etc. For more of a teriyaki flavor, use some honey, ginger, garlic, soy, and broth. <br />
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Don't be ashamed of using bottled sauce, but if you do try Soy Vay Island Teriyaki. It is packed with ginger and garlic flavors and is the best kind I have found.<br />
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Enjoy any weeknight! Mike Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11093953079906588882noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9100742462517771205.post-25999080648812959772014-07-13T21:01:00.001-05:002014-07-13T21:02:57.307-05:00Huevos Rancheros con Chorizo!One of my favorite breakfasts is to cook up some Mexican chorizo in a pan, fire up an egg or two, quickly grill a corn tortilla, and adding Chihuahua cheese on top. <a href="http://watsonfood.blogspot.com/2011/02/cholula-hot-sauce.html">Cholula hot sauce</a> on top is a given! <br />
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<br />Mike Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11093953079906588882noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9100742462517771205.post-82766019132557349732014-07-13T20:54:00.001-05:002014-07-13T21:02:00.909-05:00Tabbouleh My WayRecently I made a tabbouleh salad on the fly; mine used cooked couscous, finely diced red pepper, salt, pepper, grated carrot, olive oil, chopped curly Italian parsley and lots of fresh lemon juice squeezed on top. <br />
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I'm going to skip the carrot next time and try cilantro instead of parsley. I might add some diced red onion; it's a Mediterranean dish you can adjust to your liking!<br />
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<br />Mike Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11093953079906588882noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9100742462517771205.post-73384305813661387082014-04-30T11:02:00.003-05:002014-04-30T11:03:10.320-05:00Fondue Part 2--Steak!As a follow-up to my last post about cheese fondue, I wanted to show some pictures of the steak fondue I tried. It worked out well but next time I'll buy a higher quality steak such as ribeye vs. the round steak I used.<br />
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For dipping sauces, I used a combination of bottled sauce as well as one I mixed using dijon, olive oil, honey, and spices. You can all of this in any old pan, but it's fun using the fondue set:<br />
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<br />Mike Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11093953079906588882noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9100742462517771205.post-66618600325681775212014-02-11T11:31:00.002-06:002014-02-11T11:37:31.020-06:00Cheese FondueLast year I picked up a fairly cheap fondue pot, and finally pulled it out of storage for a little food project:<br />
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I always loved doing fondue as a kid in the '70's--we cooked chunks of steak in oil and dipped them in a couple kinds of sauces. I inherited my parents' lime-green fondue pot and even used it for a double-date back in the 90's that lasted until 2am since we couldn't get it fueled properly. Despite its condition, I sadly lost it in the move from the city to the suburbs. <br />
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Flash forward to last night--I pulled out the one I picked up on a whim last summer and my daughter and I put together a delicious cheese fondue. Here's what we did:<br />
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<li>1/4 stick of butter or so melted first</li>
<li>little pack of goat cheese melted next</li>
<li>cheddar slices</li>
<li>gruyere cheese grated (gruyere is key!!)</li>
<li>splash of white wine for more liquid and sweetness</li>
<li>squeeze of lemon juice for acid tang flavor</li>
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I believe that some recipes call for more liquid (wine) and flour but my kids don't care for too much wine flavor (yet!). <br />
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We chopped up some fairly crusty french baguette slices and dipped them in for an awesome meal! We also fondued some orange pepper slices to add veggies to the mix.<br />
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Separately, we melted butter and chocolate chips in a pan and dipped in strawberries so the daughter could have her dessert fondue also. You really don't need a fondue pot to make these things but they are fun to use!<br />
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We are planning a steak and seafood fondue session for next weekend along with some custom sauces! Fun for kids and it would make for a nice, albeit small, wine/food night for couples. <br />
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<br />Mike Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11093953079906588882noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9100742462517771205.post-19549260762011523782013-12-08T23:47:00.001-06:002013-12-08T23:56:43.103-06:00Tips for Home Cooks Part 2--Better fried chicken, use of vinegar, home made mac n' cheese, pizza dough at home, leftover mashed potatoes, etc.This is my second installment in a short list of tips for home cooks who want to put in a little extra effort and learn some quick little items to enhance their technique if you haven't already figured some of this out. I read a lot of cookbooks and food magazines but I am constantly humbled by what I don't know.<br />
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I hope this is helpful for a few of you out there! <br />
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*Better fried chicken--I have always struggled with making great fried chicken at home, but today I tested out a technique I saw on some food show that really helps. I don't have a deep fryer, but this worked fine in a pan with a half inch of canola oil. My kids were starving, so I didn't even use my usual bone-in chicken; we sliced up the dreaded boneless, skinless chicken breasts instead! (I just prefer bone-in almost all the time). <br />
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The key was to soak the cutlets in milk, dip in a flour mix ("Frying Magic" brand works fine if you don't want to mix your own), and then DIP A SECOND TIME IN MILK, then sprinkle on my flour mix. Simple adjustment but the results were so much better. <br />
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*Vinegar--this is a tiny thing I read from one of Michael Ruhlman's incredible books; you can <a href="http://ruhlman.com/">see his site by clicking here.</a> He's a great teacher. The idea is to simply splash a tiny amount of vinegar into a soup to brighten up all the flavors. Trust me, it works. A teaspoon is often sufficient for a home cook's pot. Chili recipes often use vinegar, so why not soups? I like apple cider vinegar for many uses, and rice wine vinegar is an obvious component for Asian dishes. <br />
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*Home made mac n' cheese--I still enjoy the boxed stuff once in a long while, but making home made mac n' cheese is awesome and my kids love it. You can search for recipes, but my basic plan includes a roux (butter & flour), then becomes a Bechamel when cream or milk is whisked in, then a rich cheese sauce when you fold in great shredded cheddar, gruyere, or whatever you prefer. Then, fold in al dente elbow macaroni with a bit of salt and the secret ingredient--ground dry mustard. Just a bit. Then bake it with good breadcrumbs on top. If you don't have time, skip the baking and it will still be superior to the blue box stuff. Optional ingredients include bits of cooked bacon or onion. <br />
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*<a href="http://watsonfood.blogspot.com/2013/12/easy-and-fun-home-made-pizza-dough-that.html">See my recent pizza dough post on this!</a> Very worth the time and mess.<br />
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*<a href="http://watsonfood.blogspot.com/2013/12/what-to-do-with-leftover-mashed.html">Leftover mashed potatoes--again, see my new post on this. </a><br />
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*Squeeze lemon juice (from actual lemons) on veggies, grilled meat, etc. Squeeze lime juice on your tacos and use real corn tortillas (fry them quickly on each side for maximum flavor). <br />
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Have fun and go the extra step to enjoy great food at home! Mike Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11093953079906588882noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9100742462517771205.post-77670024246067016432013-12-08T23:27:00.001-06:002013-12-08T23:27:16.451-06:00What to do With Leftover Mashed Potatoes: Potato FrittersAfter Thanksgiving I had some leftover mashed potatoes; a simple way to transform them into a snack or part of a meal is to mix them with some egg, toss in chopped parsley and scallions, and fry them in real butter.<br />
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This was really simple and went well with a dollop of sour cream on top, much like what you'd do with German style potato pancakes. <br />
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<br />Mike Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11093953079906588882noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9100742462517771205.post-31468335796790935592013-12-08T23:18:00.001-06:002013-12-08T23:19:58.952-06:00Easy and Fun Home Made Pizza Dough That Kids Will Love to Make It's really worth the effort to make your own pizza dough from scratch and then load up on various toppings to make your own awesome pizza at home. It's tastier and less greasy than many delivery joints, and kids will enjoy making their own.<br />
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Here my daughter and I made pizza dough from a simple water, dry yeast, and flour dough. Don't forget a pinch of salt because it enhances any dough or home made bread. <br />
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The other key thing in our opinion is to mix cheeses--don't just use shredded mozzarella; be sure to at least add some shredded Parmesan, but you can test out goat cheese, Romano, etc. The richness of the other cheese is what makes a good pizza stand out vs. something simple. <br />
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In this photo, we have a pizza with only a simple light spread of tomato paste, some sauteed button mushroom slices, and the aforementioned mozzarella/Parmesan blend. Finally, be sure to sprinkle on some dried oregano, something I learned making pizza bread at a small family sub sandwich shop in high school! For my own part of the pizza, I will drizzle on olive oil and a dash of red pepper flakes.<br />
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These are just tips; for a full starter recipe I would recommend this one from <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/pizza-with-fresh-tomatoes-and-basil-recipe/index.html">Food Network's Giada De Laurentiis</a>. You'll get the hang of it and it becomes easier over time and is totally worth the effort!Mike Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11093953079906588882noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9100742462517771205.post-24375809650331089102013-08-12T18:35:00.002-05:002013-08-12T18:37:58.938-05:00Book Review: "Charred and Scruffed" by Adam Perry LangI recently read Adam Perry Lang's "Charred and Scruffed" and really enjoyed the techniques he presented.<br />
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His background is quite impressive with classical chef experience as well as much time spent in the traditional BBQ circuit. However, in this book he blows up typical notions about grilling and I was excited to test some of his techniques. You can read the book for more and <a href="http://www.adamperrylang.com/"><b>visit his website</b></a>, but what I did was to test out his "board dressing" concept, which seems intuitive but is rarely something you come across in recipes. Yes, a good pan sauce is common and makes a ton of difference in the kitchen, but when it comes to grilling, most recipes just suggest to let your meat rest and soak in its own juices before slicing--and that's it.<br />
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Lang's concept is to have a bit of sauce to spread on the cutting board before you let the meat rest, and "layering" on more flavor. Here's a simplified approach I took:<br />
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First, I grilled some skirt steak with minimal seasoning (salt & pepper). For the board dressing, I mixed some teriyaki sauce with garlic salt and chili powder, and spread it across my cutting board:<br />
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I then placed the skirt steak on the board to rest for about 10 minutes as you would normally do with steak:<br />
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Finally, I sliced the skirt steak across the grain (essential basic for skirt steak, brisket, etc.--look this up if you aren't familiar) and tossed the slices a bit around the "dressing":<br />
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This seems like a simplistic technique and an obvious thing to do, but I never read recipes that suggest anything like this (not that I go by recipes that much anymore). What Lang does with his book is present a series of steps like this that he uses in a multi-step process that opens up a whole new set of flavors--even seasoned grillers should learn something from it. He finishes the book with slew of great little side dish recipes that complete the meals.<br />
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I recommend this book highly and look forward to more food experimentation using the techniques!<br />
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<br />Mike Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11093953079906588882noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9100742462517771205.post-33083193759135323302013-08-02T02:10:00.003-05:002013-08-02T02:40:44.741-05:00Great Meatloaf RecipeDespite all my cooking experiments, I don't recall ever making meatloaf, but wanted to introduce my kids to this all-American comfort food! I just didn't want to use my mom's or grandma's dried out versions (my mom is unlikely to Google this post and my grandma is long gone, RIP!). <br />
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I adapted a recipe from one of my favorite Food Network authorities, Alton Brown, and did the following:<br />
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Here I mixed up a couple of pounds of a meat blend from Casey's Foods in Naperville, IL, (http://caseysfoods.com/), which is 1/3 ground chuck, 1/3 veal, and 1/3 pork. I added two eggs, a bit of salt, and about a TBSP of chopped cayenne pepper that I grew on my patio. A cool tip from the original recipe is to use a half cup of ground BBQ potato chips chopped in a food processor instead of the usual bread crumbs to add flavor and texture. I went the extra mile by mixing in a 1/4 cup of mirepoix (look it up) of finely chopped and sauteed onion, carrot, and garlic, but you can probably skip this by dashing in a bit of garlic salt instead. </div>
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I formed the meat into two "logs" to fix my pan and lit the charcoal grill; see the photo to see how I grilled it indirectly, though I cooked it right over the coals for the first 20 minutes or so in the pan. I also added some sliced jalapenos so my son and I could get some heat (my daughter won't go there!). You'll need to use your own judgement about cooking on a grill or in an oven. Overall it cooked about 20 minutes directly over the coals while in the pan, then another 15-20 indirectly away from the coals. Flip it once. Only once if possible. Don't overwork your meat :) Just throw it all in the oven for 40-50 minutes on maybe 350 if you don't want to bother with the grill. </div>
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The baste is simply 3/4 cup ketchup and a bit of worcestershire sauce mixed in. It all went over really well, especially when with a little extra sauce around for topping the sandwiches we ended up making out of the meatloaf! Definitely awesome on the grill! </div>
Mike Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11093953079906588882noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9100742462517771205.post-53276373359108355202013-04-16T19:29:00.002-05:002013-08-02T02:42:24.982-05:00Growing Cayenne Peppers<div style="text-align: left;">
Hi, this is Mike's daughter, Katie, and last year my dad, me and my brother Jack were planting some cherry tomatoes, basil, and some other herbs like we had done the past few years. This year, unlike the others, we decided to try something new: cayenne peppers. We planted them just the same as the others, but the growth was different. The cayenne peppers were visible earlier than the tomatoes. They started green, then over time turned red as they grew to a huge size. Almost as long as bell peppers, the cayenne peppers were, at the largest, 3 cm wide and turned purple after sitting out or staying on the plant for too long. We found that putting the peppers in a plastic bag and placing them in the freezer kept the cayenne peppers from getting too old and preserved the flavors. I recommend these peppers to people who like hot foods, but people who don't- maybe not.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05288087271160233124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9100742462517771205.post-8307512417871226062013-03-19T19:50:00.003-05:002013-08-02T02:41:48.957-05:00Easy Weekday Tacos I am Mike's daughter, and I love to create unique recipes and dishes including bizarre ingredients and flavors. One night, my dad announced it taco night, and I was all over it.<br />
My ingredients consisted of one chopped nectarine, a chopped red pepper, skirt steak, chihuahua cheese, lettuce, and taco sauce. I placed the steak and cheese on the flour tortilla and heated it up in a microwave. Next I placed the lettuce, chopped pepper and nectarine on it, and topped it all off with a splash of taco sauce. <br />
The flavor was amazing, and the crunchiness was delicious. This recipe will be sure to delight you and your family!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05288087271160233124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9100742462517771205.post-66087907551485632912013-01-23T21:44:00.000-06:002019-10-03T10:27:30.617-05:00Tips for Home Cooks--Roasting Chicken, Curing Salmon at Home, etc.In the last few years I've been doing a lot of reading about cooking and have improved a lot of things in my home cooking. I humbly present my first set of tips for home cooks who want some simple ways to boost what they can do, some of which I've already posted about (see the links highlighted):<br />
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<li>Roast a chicken every week, enjoy it with sides and maybe a gravy from the drippings, and use the <a href="http://watsonfood.blogspot.com/2010/11/what-to-do-with-leftover-rotisserie.html"><b>extra meat for either a chicken noodle soup or shred the leftover meat for a taco filling</b></a>. Substitute rotisserie chicken from a store if easier. </li>
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<li><a href="http://watsonfood.blogspot.com/2011/03/leftover-crusty-bread.html"><b>Use leftover french bread</b></a> that is getting a little stale by chopping it up and tossing it like crutons in a salad with vinegarette, or use the chunks to thicken a soup. Even simply heating up chicken broth with some leftover bread will warm you up and be an easy snack. </li>
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<li>Pat dry sea scallops for sauteeing, otherwise they won't sear and just poach lamely in all the water they release upon cooking. </li>
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<li><a href="http://watsonfood.blogspot.com/2008/11/grilled-onions.html"><b>Saute onions!</b></a> Just slice white or yellow onions thinly and saute them in olive oil until the have a nice mix of carmelization and sweetness while retaining a bit of crunch. Use medium to high heat but reduce before burning them. With some experience this can become the number one topping for your burgers and chicken breast sandwiches. </li>
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<li>Cure your own salmon--buy a good, fresh piece and rub a mix of salt and brown sugar all over it, then rub in a splash of rum or whiskey. Wrap it tight and in two days you'll have a delicious filet you can thinly slice into lox. Place it atop a traditional bagel & cream cheese, or go for a BLA--bagel, lox, and avocado (mash avocado and lemon juice as a topping, and add slices of tomato and red onion to complete it)</li>
</ul>
Mike Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11093953079906588882noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9100742462517771205.post-27069143412436265282012-09-07T13:57:00.004-05:002013-08-02T02:44:18.456-05:00Egg Rolls at HomeWhile looking for something new to try, I came across the section of a local grocery that has Asian vegetables; it also is where I would buy the little wraps I have used to make either gyoza (potstickers) as well as ravioli. This time I spotted larger wraps used to make egg rolls.<br />
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What I did was chop up onion, shredded carrot, cabbage, and garlic, and saute it for a few minutes. Then I added ground pork and some sesame oil and soy sauce and cooked it all through. I seasoned it further with soy until it had good flavor but without too much saltiness. Since this was for my kids, I didn't add more than a touch of cayenne for a kick (one kid loves spice, the other doesn't, but I do add a little bit to condition her to enjoy at least a little!).<br />
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Once the filling was cooled off, I added it to each wrap and sealed the edges with water and rolled them up like little burritos. I then wiped out the pan, heated up peanut oil, and fried them gently all around. Then it was "pick your own sauce" time, and in the picture you can see I had soy, peanut sauce, and mustard. I would have preferred either Dijon or hot Chinese mustard, but all I had last night was the yellow kind. My kids preferred the soy, but I found the spicy peanut sauce to work really well. Next time I'll make this even better with scallions instead of yellow onion and perhaps some baby shrimp in the filling!<br />
<br />Mike Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11093953079906588882noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9100742462517771205.post-60078535646851636732012-08-24T13:25:00.001-05:002012-08-24T13:26:19.257-05:00Homemade PicklesMy kids love dill pickles, so when a family friend gave my parents some home grown cucumbers, and passed them along to me, I thought we'd try making our own pickles.<br />
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Being an Alton Brown fan from Food Network, I used his recipe (<a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/dill-pickles-recipe/index.html">click here</a>) to brine some cucumbers and see how it goes! Hope it works out better than my sauerkraut experiment; that didn't end up producing really good sauerkraut, but actually more of a tasty vinegary cole slaw that at least I enjoyed!<br />
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I'll post again or comment here when we taste the results in a week or so. This picture shows how we're using a crock pot as the pickling vessel. Mike Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11093953079906588882noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9100742462517771205.post-28113576596079246052012-05-17T00:30:00.002-05:002013-08-02T02:44:33.376-05:00Gumbo at home!I needed to use up some leftover chicken thighs recently and thought that I'd try some gumbo. Since I don't have access to killer seafood here in Chicago, I made do with canned clams and crab meat. It was still delicious! Here's the photo:<br />
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I've moved beyond using recipes that much, but here's a basic outline for what I did:<br />
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1) stir together an equal mix of olive oil and flour to create a classic roux; let it brown for a few minutes<br />
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2) stir in and saute chopped green pepper and onion<br />
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3) I added in leftover chicken thighs and continued sauteing, adding a bit more oil as needed<br />
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4) stir in a couple of cups of water and a chicken bouillon cube (or broth if you have it)<br />
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5) after some cooking time (20-30 minutes), remove the chicken thighs so you can cool them and hand shred the chicken for adding afterwards<br />
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6) add some frozen chopped okra pieces assuming you cannot get good fresh okra (I couldn't), also add a 16 oz. can or two of chopped tomatoes (depending on the quantity you desire)<br />
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7) add back the shredded chicken, a can or two of canned chopped clams and crabmeat<br />
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8) chop some cooked Andouille sausage and add to the mix. Season the pot with cayenne, salt, and thyme to taste<br />
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9) let it simmer a half hour longer or more<br />
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I served it over some cooked white rice. Next time, I will actually skip the chicken altogether and focus on the seafood, sausage, and vegetables. The sausage added the most flavor and I'd like to try some shrimp and oysters next time. In Chicago you do the best you can with the ingredients available but the chicken was kind of lame! The okra, however frozen, turned out to be the highlight of the dish!Mike Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11093953079906588882noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9100742462517771205.post-84234581075619571342012-03-16T11:16:00.000-05:002012-03-16T11:16:44.934-05:00My Daughter's PastaMy daughter and I are fans of the Chopped food show, so we decided to have a cook-off against one another. I attempted to make a sun-dried tomato pesto, but had never tried it before nor seen a recipe for it. I blended sun-dried tomatoes, a big garlic clove, pine nuts, asiago cheese, and olive oil in my ancient little food processor and tossed some capellini in it; it was just average so I spiced it up with some red pepper flakes and some goat cheese.<br />
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Meanwhile, my daughter used her favorite recipe that she came up with on her own. She had done it before and this time she did it almost all on her own (she's 9, so I still work the burner for her). She melts butter in a pan, then slowly melts goat cheese. Then she pours in tomato sauce and slowly blends it until creamy and smooth.<br />
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I took a picture of her winning dish. The simple flavors trumped my rather rough attempt at pesto and I got "chopped"!<br />
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P.S. Recipes weren't allowed for this little contest, but afterwards I looked up a pesto recipe and it didn't contain pine nuts, but did have some basil leaves. What I basically did was use a green pesto blend and add a ton of the tomatoes, but it wasn't smooth, so I will adjust for next time. Always something new to learn!Mike Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11093953079906588882noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9100742462517771205.post-1127095651883474332012-03-16T11:06:00.000-05:002012-03-16T11:06:29.916-05:00Simple Rice and Beans<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCoujLLqt0mdhSvfkESAZ2iAgg39M5Lbxm4YVWazMacirhQ-V5JYFGvJb0ep_Cxq_Lx7QKgwLoKEp69xoFiZXCwLAdGoE4HHD0eRdGOcaKlEWy5rW-GxkK2fB_K2IxWYe5HZP2fThPs4NI/s1600/rice+and+beans.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCoujLLqt0mdhSvfkESAZ2iAgg39M5Lbxm4YVWazMacirhQ-V5JYFGvJb0ep_Cxq_Lx7QKgwLoKEp69xoFiZXCwLAdGoE4HHD0eRdGOcaKlEWy5rW-GxkK2fB_K2IxWYe5HZP2fThPs4NI/s320/rice+and+beans.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>I made a simple dish of rice and beans using some leftover, out-of-the-box Spanish rice I had. I used some pinto beans from a can, shredded Chihuahua cheese, and some slightly sauteed green and serrano peppers. I tossed some chopped cilantro on top and it was a great use of leftovers! <br />
I'm not sure if this resembles anything Mexican, Tex-Mex, Cuban, or Southwestern but it worked out well enough.Mike Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11093953079906588882noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9100742462517771205.post-88348574440234823432012-02-28T15:09:00.003-06:002012-02-28T15:10:52.777-06:00Calamari with Lemony Pan SauceI was experimenting with some Spanish tapas ideas recently and came up with a successful appetizer dish here; the photos are bad but the taste was great! <br />
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I started off by soaking some thawed calamari rings in milk, then coating them with flour mixed with some cayenne and salt. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbuDVve1Sf_E55GIVtAvPGeHVytvBhxdkbBxtzUHbWfbddIJ5frj97LjzA_4YLTnPHZVNlypwtf5SyciqvjIWd9LLySpXIjc2zQZnaNujZpszLX3EOsGHsVQOVJojyLi-7PB9sYWsqe4oY/s1600/calamari1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbuDVve1Sf_E55GIVtAvPGeHVytvBhxdkbBxtzUHbWfbddIJ5frj97LjzA_4YLTnPHZVNlypwtf5SyciqvjIWd9LLySpXIjc2zQZnaNujZpszLX3EOsGHsVQOVJojyLi-7PB9sYWsqe4oY/s320/calamari1.jpg" uda="true" width="240" /></a></div>They sauteed easily in olive oil and I turned them as needed to crisp them up:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUS_2IdwaUvUFSgFTi4vV6p4dXZtm_ftntBW09S9rQUycQtM7B2f5y4BwL77VXt7Q8I8zq-nZNZN7yjlpBdPOL24T9Bfo7f-U-abHa3-djPdPTK5UvQv6Yx7w-S_Yk4LXDw67UXI2LGVPE/s1600/calamari2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUS_2IdwaUvUFSgFTi4vV6p4dXZtm_ftntBW09S9rQUycQtM7B2f5y4BwL77VXt7Q8I8zq-nZNZN7yjlpBdPOL24T9Bfo7f-U-abHa3-djPdPTK5UvQv6Yx7w-S_Yk4LXDw67UXI2LGVPE/s320/calamari2.jpg" uda="true" width="240" /></a></div>Next time I will let them form a little better since I obviously mangled them somewhat in the process. After they were done, I made a quick pan sauce with white wine and fresh lemon juice, then thickened it with a little flour/butter mix (I'd like to think it was a bit of buerre manie).<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnIIohJGRz5QDkgOdjcUmcbhhHcEujf3ScogWFXR4IJ3CMSLEOIz-Cz6Lh8lP3vBxOS9a6E5wYPqXKvp4Qg5n4GIcibcpK2qAJGe_kCv9ka4gaOIBoAwsvRCsadzdHi0q0O-FeSjBJ180Y/s1600/calamari3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnIIohJGRz5QDkgOdjcUmcbhhHcEujf3ScogWFXR4IJ3CMSLEOIz-Cz6Lh8lP3vBxOS9a6E5wYPqXKvp4Qg5n4GIcibcpK2qAJGe_kCv9ka4gaOIBoAwsvRCsadzdHi0q0O-FeSjBJ180Y/s320/calamari3.jpg" uda="true" width="240" /></a></div>The sauce looks more like melted cheese than a lemon sauce, but it was a tasty snack! I'm not sure why I chose chopsticks for eating this but it probably had something to do with the leftover wine that I was enjoying while I cooked this.Mike Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11093953079906588882noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9100742462517771205.post-51739606546843500612012-01-31T21:59:00.002-06:002012-01-31T22:05:16.012-06:00Cocido Rapido!Cocido is one of Spain's most famous dishes, and you can look up endless versions of it online. I made a fairly quick version for lunch recently and it worked out really well:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3CYo-KZqgGDZ3POjIgnsLTn23U_A509SnDyX1s88gY8emC5VjraPBda0C5wkkbt3b3AmiunSERv1v0xQshU4_8t-4n1i4yCOO_jiXeVh3JVSibGq87WhRndOVW90WTOme8ILEyG2DYiWn/s1600/cocido.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3CYo-KZqgGDZ3POjIgnsLTn23U_A509SnDyX1s88gY8emC5VjraPBda0C5wkkbt3b3AmiunSERv1v0xQshU4_8t-4n1i4yCOO_jiXeVh3JVSibGq87WhRndOVW90WTOme8ILEyG2DYiWn/s320/cocido.jpg" width="240" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Many Spanish dishes, and certainly cocido, are heavily influenced by Spain's long Moorish and Jewish cooking traditions--that accounts for the use of chickpeas, red peppers, rice, chicken, etc. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My version was made just for me and included the following that I had available:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1/3 red onion, diced (I liked the red this time, but normally this would use yellow or white)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1 medium carrot, diced (use red pepper if you have it! or both carrots and red pepper)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I sauteed the above in olive oil for 5 minutes or so, then added 1.5 cups of water and just a handful of long grain Mexican rice. I used half a Mexican-style Maggi bouillon cube to add the broth flavor. Yes, I'm mixing the various building blocks I keep around for my daily cooking and crossing New World with Old World concepts! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">When the rice was mostly cooked, I shook some <a href="http://watsonfood.blogspot.com/2011/02/cholula-hot-sauce.html">Cholula hot sauce</a> into the pan (again, more Mexican flavors invading a Spanish classic!) and roughly a half can of chickpeas. At the end, I diced up a tiny bit of summer sausage (Usinger's, a Wisconsin classic) and finished it up a few minutes later.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In classic Spanish cocidos, leftover chicken or rabbit is often involved, along with some pork content and perhaps some seafood depending on the region in which the Spanish cook resides. I should have used garlic cloves here, so don't forget that classic Spanish building block. Spanish stews like this usually use chopped chorizo, which in Spain is pre-cooked and resembles the Polish kielbasa I can find commonly in the Chicago area (Note: Mexican "chorizo" is actually the uncooked, super spicy stuff that has nothing to do with Spanish chorizo, but nonetheless is an incredible flavor enhancer if you can stomach the grease--perhaps I need to make a cocido with Mexican chorizo!). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">They key point about this experiment is to learn to use a simple broth, some diced veggies, and leftover meat to create a healthy, flavorful stew that you can adjust in many ways!</div>Mike Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11093953079906588882noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9100742462517771205.post-54068337676498721932011-12-16T18:01:00.002-06:002011-12-16T18:04:12.487-06:00Braised Oxtail Ragout on PastinaOn a recent episode of Drive-Ins, Diners, and Dives on Food Network I saw a chef create a really interesting braised oxtail dish atop risotto. I recreated it fairly successfully by first braising some oxtails over very low heat with some beef broth.<br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">I then added some tomato sauce and red wine, shown clearly in this highly professional photo! (note, if someone wants to get me a Christmas gift, then you probably know what I need!)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfYGcSPwqYTiY0-Ko70saXrbKH6zN2SnCek2u2dWFKv7aPcktoYX8KPUBLeN6xjoH8xwvT9p4tuD6sTThieUR4CMhdaEoE0knxnr9GRkNQ7-EqRRppocs2nbYzaiChy3u3InKdOA_fOJ57/s1600/ox3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfYGcSPwqYTiY0-Ko70saXrbKH6zN2SnCek2u2dWFKv7aPcktoYX8KPUBLeN6xjoH8xwvT9p4tuD6sTThieUR4CMhdaEoE0knxnr9GRkNQ7-EqRRppocs2nbYzaiChy3u3InKdOA_fOJ57/s320/ox3.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmN1ElQeFb_Htdk3cMODkC5qTd8a-4O6C80ItiWxMbHwYeeXD2RjfpknjFihIgbkacegduFUunWU67ZaT8VHagOO_P5ZRxiLMQfpNyBMH4VlwyfUqlD9-ob9UdpaHcZzDCZ-e0pFg8nzSN/s1600/ox4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmN1ElQeFb_Htdk3cMODkC5qTd8a-4O6C80ItiWxMbHwYeeXD2RjfpknjFihIgbkacegduFUunWU67ZaT8VHagOO_P5ZRxiLMQfpNyBMH4VlwyfUqlD9-ob9UdpaHcZzDCZ-e0pFg8nzSN/s320/ox4.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>I drained the oxtails and let them cool, and when the sauce had reduced to a syrupy texture, I shredded strips of the meat on top of some pastina I made (risotto is probably better but I am not good at it and it's more time consuming).<br />
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I then poured the ragout on top of the meat and ate a very tasty dish!Mike Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11093953079906588882noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9100742462517771205.post-72000459302562418132011-12-16T17:43:00.000-06:002011-12-16T17:43:16.936-06:00How I Do Thanksgiving Turkey<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj7_j7VS4K7Y-Wy0DGS6dp3C09Jvxf_b4fA8r0iTy8g_nW8lcaJl8maBGIrDKcLsF82xF4di_nrHSJERSiXcukR1JoIkr_r1yp7qzsDJ1_KQ7wpBDgYkki4vfVgUnLMM-hYEXJ9DqhQJr_/s1600/thanksgiving+turkey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj7_j7VS4K7Y-Wy0DGS6dp3C09Jvxf_b4fA8r0iTy8g_nW8lcaJl8maBGIrDKcLsF82xF4di_nrHSJERSiXcukR1JoIkr_r1yp7qzsDJ1_KQ7wpBDgYkki4vfVgUnLMM-hYEXJ9DqhQJr_/s400/thanksgiving+turkey.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>Most years for Thanksgiving I grill a turkey on a charcoal Weber grill using the indirect method--you can see I have two piles of coals on either side and I fashion a drip pan out of foil under the turkey. If you add more charcoal each hour, you can do a 18-20 pounder in about 3 hours and the flavor from the smoke is wonderful and most of the turkey stays juicy except the outer edge of the white meat.<br />
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This year I made a 14 pounder and reduced the overall time on the grill to 2.5 hours--I actually tried a technique I saw on a food show where you remove the legs after the turkey is mostly done and put them back on the grill for 15-20 minutes longer while the rest of turkey, mostly white meat, rests. This attempts to solve the issue that dark meat will cook longer given the bones and fat content. I hope to perfect the technique next time as my timing was a little off when I initially took off the legs.Mike Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11093953079906588882noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9100742462517771205.post-16975594918394765912011-11-02T17:55:00.000-05:002011-11-02T17:55:15.916-05:00Pork Tenderloin on the GrillLast night I managed to pull off some pretty solid late fall grilling for my kids; I grilled this pork tenderloin and roasted some potatoes. My kids wanted some grilled apple slices as well, which are shown here in the picture alongside my sweet 10" (26cm) Wusthof chef's knife, would could almost double as a sword:<br />
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The sauce is my simple <a href="http://watsonfood.blogspot.com/2009/01/quick-honey-mustard-sauce.html">honey mustard</a>, but I improved it with a kick of soy sauce this time around.<br />
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Very satisfying!Mike Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11093953079906588882noreply@blogger.com0