June 5, 2020

Definitely not Fred's Steak

In Palo Alto California, there’s a really great meat, fish and poultry market called Schaub’s. Way back when, the owner invented a secret marinade and process that he’d apply to a sirloin steak. The result appeared almost black, and developed an amazing crust when properly grilled. Many have tried, but none have succeeded in duplicating it. People are adding activated food-grade charcoal, squid ink, and various marinade processes. You can go deep dive on the Interwebs if you want to learn more.

September 9, 2019

Jamaican Jerk Chicken and Rice

Servings: 4 Difficulty: Medium Prep time: 2 hours Cook time: 15 minutes Ingredients: 8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs 2 cups white rice 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1 clove garlic, grated 2 sprigs fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried 2 teaspoons parsley, or 1/4 cup chopped Jamaican jerk sauce (recipe follows, or 1-1/2 cups store bought) Jerk sauce: 1/2 cup Soy sauce 1/2 cup white or cider vinegar Juice from one lime 2 Tablespoons olive oil 1 red onion, chopped 12 garlic cloves, roughly chopped 4 scallion stalks chopped 8 scotch bonnet peppers (or hot peppers to taste) 1 Tablespoon grated ginger 2 Tablespoons brown sugar 2 teaspoons cinnamon 2 teaspoons allspice 2 teaspoons nutmeg 2 teaspoons of thyme (fresh if possible) 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste) 2 teaspoons black pepper (or to taste) Directions:

January 29, 2019

Nobu's Miso Sablefish

Servings: 4 Difficulty: Easy Prep time: 3 days Cook time: 15 minutes Ingredients: 2 lbs Sablefish (4 1/2 pound filets) 1/4 cup Mirin 1/4 cup Sake 4 Tbsp white miso paste 2 Tbsp sugar 1 tsp fish sauce (optional) Directions: Prep: Add Mirin and Sake to a saucepan Bring to a boil Reduce heat to low, whisk in miso paste Raise heat to high (but not boiling) Whisk in sugar until dissolved Let paste cool to room temperature Unwrap fish, pat dry Cover fish with miso paste, put in a resealable bag, squeezing out as much air as possible Put marinated fish in the fridge for 2-3 days To cook: Preheat oven to 400°F Heat an oven safe skillet on high heat with some oil Remove the fish from the bag.

December 5, 2018

Burger upgrade

Not so much a recipe, as a different way to assemble your burger, courtesy of an update Alton Brown made… Alton shredded the cheese, and added paprika and garlic powder, and mixed. I found that you could also use thin slices, and just sprinkle the powders directly on the bun with a condiment on it, with good results. Start with: A burger patty, cooked however you want (I generally sous vide, then either grill or broil to brown)Shredded cheese, or two slicesA good bun, potato holds up well to a burgerPickles, jalapenos, and other veggies you might wantMustardMayoPaprikaPowdered garlic To assemble:

September 4, 2018

Marinated Sablefish

Servings: 4 Should work well with any whitefish, halibut, snapper. Ingredients: 1 lbs Sablefish 1/3 cup Soy Sauce 1/8 cup Mirin 1 Tbsp sesame oil 1 Tbsp cider vinegar 1 tsp fish sauce (optional) Directions: Add fish and liquid ingredients to a resealable bag, expel the air Leave in the marinade for 24-48 hours Heat oven to 450 Take fish out, pat dry Put fish on a parchment lined baking sheet, cook for 15 minutes Remove from oven, and remove the bones (nearly impossible with the fish raw) Cut into 4oz portions and serve over rice or sautéed veggies (spinach is a good choice)

July 15, 2018

Instant Pot Chicken Vindaloo

Servings: 4 A dish I’ve loved for years, now I can make it at home in an hour! Adjust the cayenne and peppers to taste, mild to face-melting. Ingredients: 2 lbs chicken thighs (or breasts, or a mix of both. Bone in or boneless) 1 Cup diced onion 5 cloves garlic, diced 3 slices ginger 2-4 dehydrated hot peppers (optional) 1 Tbsp oil 1/2 cup red wine vinegar 2 Tbsp Garam Masala 2 tsp salt 2 tsp paprika 1 tsp ground coriander 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp – 2 Tbsp Cayenne pepper 1 tsp turmeric 1/2 cup water Directions: Add peppers into a bowl of water, rehydrate for 10 minutes Put oil, onion, ginger and garlic in a small pot, and slightly brown veggies Add vinegar, veggies, peppers, all spices EXCEPT turmeric into a blender or food processor I don’t add turmeric yet, so I don’t stain the blender/food processor, if you have a glass blender, you can add the turmeric at this step.

June 23, 2018

Big Moe's Memphis-Style Chicken

Big Moe’s Memphis-Style Chicken Recipe courtesy of Moe Cason Level: Easy Total: 5 hr 10 min (includes cooling, chilling and brining times) Active: 20 min Yield: 8 servings Level: Easy Ingredients: 8 chicken thighs 2/3 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup coarse kosher salt 1/4 cup canola oil BBQ Chicken Rub, recipe follows BBQ Sauce, recipe follows BBQ Chicken Rub: 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup paprika 1/4 cup pink sea salt 1/4 cup celery salt 3 tablespoons granulated onion 3 tablespoons chili powder 2 tablespoons dried mustard 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper BBQ Sauce: 12 ounces ketchup 3/4 cup white vinegar 1/2 cup sugar 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper 1 1/2 teaspoons dried mustard 1 teaspoon hickory liquid smoke Directions Special equipment: a needle tenderizer; hickory chips or chunks; a smoker or a gas grill with a smoke box or foil pan for the wood chips

February 27, 2018

Instant Pot Chicken Sorta Shawarma

Servings: 2-4 This is not shawarma. Shawarma is multiple meats, roasted on a spit. But the spice mix is reminiscent of meats cooked with the shawarma method. I’m only slightly familiar with Middle Eastern food (as an occasional consumer, seldom as a cook), but most of the “make shawarma at home” recipes used a nearly identical list of spices. In any case, it tasted great, so I’m keeping the recipe.

December 11, 2017

Not so Sloppy Joes

Servings: 4-6 I keep trying different methods and improving my sloppy joe game. Here’s a really good version, a bit more work than some of the others, but worth it. Ingredients Olive oil (3 turns on the skillet) 1 yellow onion, finely diced (1/4″ cubes) 1 large, or two smaller carrots, finely diced 2 celery stalks, finely diced Feel free to add other firm saute veggies to the mix: bell peppers, beans and the like

September 9, 2017

Bourbon BBQ Sauce #1

A basic BBQ sauce recipe, I make the base with no hot ingredients so it can be used in a variety of recipes. If you want to kick it up for a particular use, just add your favorite fire enhancers. You can also eliminate the bourbon, if it’s not your thing. Also, depending on the tomato sauce and paste you used, you may need to adjust the sweet and or salt content to your tastes.