Churrasco

Churrasco

I've been making this a lot lately, and it is getting REALLY good now.

To start, it's best to go to a Mexican grocer, since this cut of meat is much cheaper there ($6-7/lb). However, a big key is to get the butcher to take off the silver skin and to tenderize the meat in advance. So, be sure ask them to do that no matter where you pick up the meat.

I've come to realize, the real key ingredient is the brown sugar. It seems the more you put in the better it turns out, especially if you balance it with plenty of spice from the red pepper flakes

Ingredients:
1.5-2lbs skirt steak, trimmed and tenderized by the butcher
5 cloves garlic, minced or slivered
1-2 limes
4 green onions, slivers
1/4-1/3 cup brown sugar
5-6 Tbsp Olive Oil
3-4 Tbsp Soy sauce- I use half dark and half light
Red Pepper flakes or diced thai bird chiles

optionals- 1/2tsp cumin, 1 jalepeno, diced, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda (as tenderizer)

garlic not shown, zoom in for the base recipe (from Alton Brown)

So, it's really easy to be honest. Maybe 10min prep time if you dice fast.

I get a freezer bag, pour the olive oil in, add the soy sauces (I think using dark soy makes this WAY better), squeeze in the lime juice (I throw the peel of half of one lime in there too), dice the onion and throw that in, add the sugar and pepper flakes and shake the bag to incorporate. (add 1/2 tsp baking soda as tenderizer and diced jalepeno if using)

Then I open the meat package, season both sides of meat strips with salt, pepper and fresh ground cumin, and throw that in the bag.

you can see the butcher's tenderizer marks

everything shaken and incorporated- just add seasoned meat!

Skirt steak comes in really long strips. I always cut these down to 8-10 inch long pieces.

Marinate overnight, then grill over really hot charcoal for 3-4 minutes a side. After taking off the grill, let the meat sit! One also very important part (you can Google this if you don't know)- always cut across the grain! I slice the resulting meat into strips and we use this in tacos or whatever else we are making.

HUMMUS

Hummus

I actually don’t have a clue how to make this authentically, but this turns out pretty good

Ingredients:

1 14oz can garbonzo beans

½-1 lemon

2-3 cloves garlic

1 Tbsp Tahini

Olive Oil, Salt, dash of cayenne

Cilantro or parsley as garnish if on hand

Directions:

Either smash the garlic cloves in advance or dice them or just zap them in the blender first before adding the beans. In my batch, we still had 2 whole cloves that didn’t get pureed correctly.

Otherwise, just add all the ingredients to the blender and zap. It’s a taste game, where adding salt really starts to bring the flavor out. We used about ¾ the garbonzo bean can for the amount we made here, using only half the lemon, and not all the garlic cloves that are shown. I even added a dash of vinegar as well as a bit of cayenne. Maybe a dash of hot sauce would be good too, or some other spice, like white pepper or coriander?

don't add the garlic whole! Use a press or smash or blitz them alone first

Salsa - Pico de Gallo

Here is the standard salsa/pico de gallo recipe that I've created for years. Ideally, using produce from your own garden. I typed this up for a buddy of mine, so it's a casual prose...

Here are all the ingredients you will need:

6-8 roma tomatoes (about 1-1.5lbs)

1-2 beefsteak/round/regular ass tomatoes (or just 4 more romas)
2-3 jalepenos (fire roasted is best)
handful of cilantro- perhaps a half cup?

2 limes
4-6 cloves garlic
1/2 very large red onion
salt, pepper, olive oil, pinch of cumin optional

I forgot to add the lime in this pic. That is an entire bunch of cliantro- use just part of that

6-8 roma tomatoes (about 1-1.5lbs)

2 beefsteak/round/regular ass tomatoes (or just 4 more romas)

The 6-8 romas are to be finely diced. The other tomatoes are cut in half, placed face down on aluminum foil on a baking sheet, put under the broiler and burn the shit out of the skins, aka roasting them. Let it cool a few, the skins should peel off very easy, throw those away, add flesh to a blender. Add a tsp of olive oil, a tsp or less sugar and blend- add a pinch of cumin if you'd like, but very minimal. I also throw 3-4 garlic cloves on the baking sheet w the tomatoes, and add them to the blend for a roasted garlic flavor (which I do recommend, but the garlic will burn and or needs to be flipped as they char much faster than the tomato skins, so pull em out early). This blended mix gets added in last.

I roast my tomato and garlic in the toaster oven while I get started dicing the Romas

Also need to roast 1-2 jalepenos, or more if you want really spicy- I usually roast 1, and fine dice one unroasted- taking seeds out of all of them. You can put jalepenos on the baking sheet w tomatoes, but again, have to flip em and its half assed. Put them directly on the burner, on high, and use tongs to char the entire surface area to black. Put them directly into a plastic bag to let them steam while you dice up other stuff. Its always the last thing I dice up, where you take out of the bag, rinse under cold water and brush w your hand, and the char flakes come right off (use garbage disposal side of sink)- remove stem top and seeds and fine dice to add to bowl that also has the diced roma tomatoes in it.

Just cook that sucker right on the stove top

Also to the bowl of diced stuff- usually just a half of a large red onion, again finely diced- or a whole very small red onion- maybe a 3/4-1 cups worth? A half bunch of cilantro, chopped up and added. I do 1-2 raw garlic cloves fine diced and added to the bowl (this is in addition to the 3-4 roasted pieces that got blended), so that's why mine always turn out pretty garlicky, but you can always add more tomatoes or less garlic than that I guess.

While other tomatoes are roasting, dice onion, raw garlic, cilantro and the 6-8-10 Roma tomatoes

So, you've got the diced romas, then dice in the onion, then the cilantro, some raw garlic, the diced roasted jalepenos, salt and pepper this pile pretty good then squeeze in 2 limes, rarely 3, sometimes 1.5- depends how much you like that flavor to come to the front, stir this a few times, pour the blended roasted tomato/garlic/tsp olive oil mix into all the diced stuff and stir it all up so the onion pieces are mixed well- those usually stick the most. Salting it correctly really ups the flavor, as does letting it sit for one day in the fridge for all the flavor to mesh together. If too spicy, add a bit more sugar, or better yet some fine diced mango or kiwi. Or add more diced roma to dilute the salsa w more tomato. I like a heavy peppering, a light lime flavor, heavy garlic, and fairly spicy.

On the right, the roasted tomatoes and garlic from the broiler. I add a bit of sugar, lime juice, olive oil and cumin seed to this and blend it into a liquid, then pour over all the diced ingredients on the left, and voila, time for chips

That should be pretty complete, but the short list is tomato, red onion, garlic, cilantro, lime, S&P, touch of olive oil (or not). If you don't like chunky, roast all that shit but the cilantro and lime, put Everyting in the blender and whip it up for a liquid salsa. Add an adobo/chipotle pepper or different types of hot peppers to make different flavors, add more sugar or honey, serve on anything, like fish, not just chips.

Well, that's pure gold there- watch out though- you'll be pissed next time someone tries to pass a serving of Pace brand salsa out of a jar under your nose at the next family gathering or football party shindig- that shit tastes like ass once you start making your own, especially when you're using those tomatoes out of your garden later this summer. If you aren't growing romas, you should have - they have a meatier flesh that dices into better chunks, but you can get away with using any type of tomato if you have to. 2 total lbs tomato matches the other quantities I've listed.

So, that's that. Good luck dood!

Ma Po Tofu

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. ground pork or lamb or chicken or even beef

Season meat with Salt & Pepper (white pepper if you have it), fennel seeds, 1 star anise seed... or chinese 5 spice even

1 pack silken tofu, cut into ~1" cubes (32 pieces)

1 tsp minced garlic, 1 tsp minced ginger

1 Tbsp peanut oil

Options: sliced mushrooms, w/ shaoxing deglaze - dried chilis

Sauce:

1 Tbsp fermented black beans, mashed

1-2 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp sambal

1/4 cup chicken stock

1/2 tsp sugar

(most all recipes call for 2 tbsp chili bean paste- feel free)

Optionals- splash of oyster sauce, tsp of mirin, Tbsp of miso

Thickener:

2 tsp cold water

1tsp cornstarch

Garnish:

2-3 green onion stalks, sliced (white parts get added w/ garlic/ginger)

1 tsp ground schezuan peppercorns

squirt of garlic chili oil

Cook Tofu first. Boil some water and add tofu cubes, cook for 2 minutes so hot and lets sit.

Drain just before adding to main part of dish.

(you could even just add the cubes to the pot, fill with cold water to cover and bring to a boil while cooking the rest if your timing is good)

Heat wok to medium high and add seasoned ground meat. I actually don't even use oil as the meat is fatty enough to cook without sticking (drain fat if too much cooks off).

Cook 3-4 minutes, then add mushrooms if using, deglazing with 1 Tbsp of shaoxing for 30 seconds.

Push meat to back half of wok and add some oil to the front, allow a few seconds to heat before adding garlic/ginger/white parts of green onion. 30 seconds, then mix all and pour in sauce and bring to a boil.

Add cornstarch slurry thickener a little at a time, stirring constantly, and bring barely back to a boil, add tofu and gently stir while turning off heat.

Dump into a serving dish and top with garnish of ground schezuan and sliced green onions or even garlic chili oil squirt.

Serve with white rice.

Cut block of tofu into sections of 4x4, after having already cut in half heightwise

All ingredients are prepped

After cooking ground meat, add garlic/ginger/onion, then add sauce

Add cornstarch slurry to thicken before finally adding tofu

Stir gently to bring it all together

Kung Pao Chicken

Ingredients:

2-3 boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1" sq "cubes"
1/2 yellow or sweet vidalia onion, diced
6-8 button mushrooms, sliced or quartered
1 Tbs ginger, finely chopped
1 Tbs garlic, finely chopped
2-3 Tbs peanut oil or garlic chili oil

Chicken marinade:
Egg white from 1 egg
1-2 Tbls DARK soy sauce
1 tsp cornstarch

Basic Chinese brown sauce:
2 Tbs light soy sauce
2 Tbs shaoxing cooking wine
2 Tbs water
1 Tbs sambal ooleck
1 Tbs hoison
1 Tbs oyster sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp rice vinegar
1 Tbs cornstarch, heaping, stirred in until dissolved


Dice all veggies (Optional- red or green sweet peppers, green onions, peanuts, or different mushroom types) and garlic and ginger. Dice chicken into chunks. Optional- season chicken with Chinese 5 spice. Create marinade by pouring dark soy sauce into bowl, then add egg white.

Add teaspoon of cornstarch to a bag, add chunks of chicken to bag and shake, then add to marinade and stir so all pieces are coated. Optional- add a single star anise seed to cook with chicken

Add all ingredients for Chinese brown sauce in a pyrex measuring cup or bowl, so all ingredients are ready to go.

Heat wok to medium high to very high. Add peanut oil. Add dried chilis for 30-45 seconds and remove with slotted spoon, or just use garlic chili oil which is already spicy. Keep chilis in the serving bowl. Add marinated chicken to oil (I commonly strain the chicken first to remove excess egg white).

Let chicken sit for 30-45 seconds. Then flip the pieces, and you'll see they've developed a dark golden brown crust. Depending on heat and size of chicken chunks, cook for 5-6 total minutes, jostling chunks every 30 seconds, then remove with slotted spoon. Add to serving bowl with chilis.

Add onion to oil and toss for a minute, then add mushrooms and cook for 2 more minutes. Add sweet peppers for last minute if using. Optional- deglaze with 1 Tbs of shaoxing for final 30 seconds. Remove veggies to serving bowl, with chicken and chilis.

Add ginger and garlic to remaining oil, sautee for 45 seconds, then add chinese brown sauce mixture (stir before adding so cornstarch incorporates correctly). Allow 20-30 seconds for sauce to thicken then add all ingredients from serving bowl and turn down/off heat and stir so all ingredients get sauced up. Pour back into serving bowl and serve with white rice.

Add Dark Soy Sauce to bowl 

 

Prep all ingredients, then add chicken to egg white marinade for at least 15 minutes

Use the same bag that the veggies came in to toss chicken chunks to coat in cornstarch before adding to marinade

Once all the ingredients are ready to go, heat up the wok and fry chicken in batches if necessary to ensure they aren't overcrowded (if doubling recipe, for instance)

Use more chilis or crack them in half to release the seeds to increase the heat. And peanuts at the end of veggie process if you like that. 

[pic of finished dish coming soon]

Also, to make it really much more authentic, add schezuan peppercorns to wok while heating to roast them, then grind them with pestle or grinder and sprinkle on top of finished dish.

Kalbi

So effing delicious



Pre-Marinade ingredients:
2-3 lbs kalbi cut short ribs - short rib cut across the "grain" of the rib bone
1 large onion
1 large asian pear or 2 small bartlett pears or 2 gala apples
8-10 cloves garlic
1 can Pepsi or 7up (technically can sub 3-4tbsp honey)

Overnight Marinade:
5-6 Tbsp Soy sauce
4 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp honey
4-5 Tbsp Shao Xing (chinese rice wine)
1-2 Tbsp sesame oil
3-4 stalks green onion, thin sliced
2-5 clove garlic, sliced
1 knob ginger, minced
2 Tbsp sambal (or sub red pepper flakes)
2 Tbsp water
2 Tbsp sesame seeds (toasted)

To start:
add a few Tbsps of salt to an extra large bowl or a casserole dish and add some water, stir, then add the short ribs. Add water to mostly cover meat, and stir with hand> Let sit for 1/2 hour, then drain, rinse and drain.

Prepare pre-marinade:
Rough dice onion, pear or apple, garlic -- add to blender to puree the ingredients and pour over the meat. Add can of Pepsi/7up. Mix with hands, thoroughly. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2-4 hours.

Prepare overnight marinade:
Take a large gallon ziploc bag and add all ingredients listed above. Close and shake to mix.

Remove meat from fridge and drain liquid. Remove some of the pulp, leaving plenty coating the meat, and pour contents into the ziploc bag with all the overnight marinade in it. Zip shut. I usually rinse the bowl/casserole and throw the ziploc bag into that dish before placing back into fridge overnight/ 24 hours.

Then comes the grilling!

Above: ribs are soaking in lightly salted water while I prepare Pre-marinade

Above: after adding pureed onion, pear, garlic and can of soda, cover and place in fridge. The acid of the soda will tendorize the meat while the onion and garlic seep in to provide umami while the fruit balances it.

Above: After filling a large ziploc bag with Overnight Marinade, add drained meat to bag, seal, and refrigerate overnight, 24 hours.

Grilling is the easy part.

Get the grill as hot as possible. Greater than 450 degrees. The key is for the fire to sizzle up to create a nice crispiness of the marinade on the outside of the meat. Make it gristle. 2 minutes per side if really hot, 4 minutes a side if your gas grill isn't that powerful. Charcoal is best with the coals piled up to an inch or two under the grate.


Indoor cooking.

This is a bit tougher to try and get a nice crispiness/gristle. It is also very slow as I can only do a batch of 3 pieces at a time.

Heat a cast iron skillet on high heat. Turn Broiler onto High and place rack 4-5 inches from heat source. 2 inches is fine too, but you've got to really keep an eye on it.

Add slices of meat to cast iron skillet, wait about 30 seconds, then move skillet to broiler (use a pot handler!).

Keep door ajar and you'll see that the gristle will develop after about 3-4 minutes, turn meat and allow other side of meat to gristle- sometimes I drain the skillet after flipping.

Repeat for remaining meat, keeping other pieces covered.


Serve with freshly made white rice and crisp romaine lettuce leafs. Place some rice into the lettuce leaf, rip pieces of meat off bone and place into meat with rice. Add some chili oil if you have some, and enjoy.

Garlic Chili Oil

very easy, very tasty, very versatile(y)

4-8 large cloves of garlic, minced or rough chopped
20-30 dried red bird's eye chilis (1/4-1/2 cup), rough chopped
1 cup peanut oil

2 tbsp sesame oil

Add the first 3 ingredients to a saucepan and turn on to medium low heat. After 3-5 minutes, garlic and chilis will start to bubble and sizzle. If temperature is correct, it should continue in this "simmer" for 5 minutes, until garlic just barely begins to brown. Turn off heat and let sit for 15-30 minutes for oil to cool and flavors to mature and spread through oil.

Add sesame oil to measuring cup (same one I used to measure the 1 cup peanut oil).

Use fine mesh sieve to pour contents of saucepan back into measuring cup, filtering out all the chopped ingredients, leaving you with a cup of golden brown oil.

Pour into a squirt bottle and cap.

Use on plain white rice, as a spicy oil for sauteing veggies or meats, or even use for a spicy salad vinaigrette.