March 2018 – The Gringo Gourmet

Way Back When Revisited; if it happened in the last century, it must have been way back when.

March 24, 2018March 24, 20181 Comment

Back in the late 1990’s new job responsibilities lead me to discover the Big Bend area of Texas and introduced me to a world full of splendorous topographical extremes, to folk in remote communities and to surprise pockets of sophistication where I’d least expected it. My adventures included hiking in the national and state parks, having astronomers on a mountaintop ask me to send some classical music cassettes their way because their resource was a mail order record club (this was long before the internet and Amazon) and the rustic cafe at Terlingua Ranch, reached by driving over 18 miles on gravel roads off the highway. The cook waited on the highway once a week for supplies from the Schwan’s Frozen Foods Truck. I worked with a remote frontier clinic physician assistant who used telemedicine in providing health care and arranged delivery by bus for medicines from the nearest pharmacy about 80 miles away. I have many warm memories of the people of the area and how much I learned from them and with them. I still go back as a tourist. In the ensuing 20-something years, some of the people are new to me. While things have grown and changed, the frontier spirit remains. I still love to spend time on the porch at the Terlingua Mercantile and and the Starlight Theater next door, now an amazing restaurant. And, when in Alpine, going to the Reata Restaurant is a must.

Grady Spears, a city boy turned cow puncher, chuckwagon cook and restaurateur is a man I have long admired and but not yet to met. He was the founding cook of the Riata and, with what he learned from ranch cooks, elevated cowboy cooking to cowboy cuisine. He went to Ft. Worth and opened the Chisolm Club downtown. After a tornado, he moved to the Caravan of Dreams building and opened a second Reata. I’m sure that somewhere, he is still making good old ranch hand food into amazing fare for city slickers. I was thinking about the Big Bend Bluebonnets the other day and wondering if there had been enough rain for a good bloomout this year. That lead me to the bookshelf and my three Grady Spears cookbooks. I got a hankerin’, looked up a recipe I hadn’t made in years and got to cooking. He calls it Cilantro-Nut Mash. I respect that very much. These days, people seem to call any vegetable or green leaf chopped in a food processor a pesto. Grady’s Cilantro-NutMash is what it is , so don’t you be callin’ it cilantro pesto where I can hear you!

Cilantro-Nut Mash with pan-browned, then roasted chicken breast, corn on the cob and garnishes of roasted green onion and grape tomatoes.

The Cilantro-Nut Mash is a great accompaniment for chicken and fish. In the photo above, the chicken had a mild chipotle rub, was browned in a skillet and finished off in the oven while corn, green onion and grape tomatoes were season, wrapped in foil and roasted.

Cilantro-Nut Mash
Ingredients
1 Cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves (loosely packed)
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped pecans (I like them lightly toasted)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp smooth goat cheese
Kosher salt to taste
Method
Combine cilantro, cheese, pecans and garlic in a food processor. Pulse and gradually add oil. Add goat Cheese and season with salt, pulse until just slightly smooth.

Frittata for One

March 15, 2018March 15, 20183 Comments

Broccoli and Feta Frittata with a stack of Dave’s Killer 21-grain Bread Toast and a Schmear of Butter.

Here we go again! I did some browsing and found a good-sounding frittata that called for 8 eggs. That’s a lot for one guy at breakfast! Here’s a version using most of the ingredients called for and to make recipe for cooking without a recipe for a great breakfast for one. With a side of fruit, it could easily become a breakfast for two. Do some elementary arithmetic and expand it for more if you want to impress folks.

Broccoli and Feta Frittata for One
Equipment
8-inch ovenproof sauté pan
Small bowl
Small whisk or fork
Kitchen knife
Ingredients
Two or three eggs
1 Tbsp chopped onion
1/2 – 3/4 cup small broccoli florets
2 Tbsp crumbled feta cheese
1 pat butter
Optional – a sprinkle or two of chile flakes to taste
Method
Heat broiler in oven with a rack about 4 inches below the flame.
Melt butter in sauté pan on stovetop. Add onion and cook on medium temp for 3-4 minutes until soft. Add broccoli and cook about 6 minutes. The broccoli will turn a beautiful bright green and be tender but still have a little “tooth” to it. You can speed this up by adding a table spoon of water to the pan at a time and letting it steam and evaporate to help soften the onion and broccoli.

While the onion and broccoli cook, beat the eggs until whites and yolks are well blended and stir in chile flakes and about 2/3 of the crumbled feta.

Pour egg mixture over the broccoli and onion and stir to distribute broccoli and feta in the eggs. Let cook a couple of minutes to set the bottom of the eggs. Sprinkle remaining feta over the top. Transfer the pan to the oven and cook for 5 minutes, check frequently to see that the eggs have set and the sprinkled feta is lightly browned.

Remove from oven, remembering the pan handle is very hot! Plate and enjoy.

Non-paid testimonialI am a great fan of Dave’s Killer Bread 21-grain loaf. Great flavor and usually the only bread in my house. Read the package for the story behind it and the good things it makes happens for Dave’s employees. If you like it, buy two loaves in a bag at the big warehouse stores and save considerably over the price of one loaf at the chain grocery stores.

Note
I’ve been looking at a lot of “cooking for one” cookbooks and the all see to being with a chapter on how to stock a pantry and what kitchen gear one needs. I began this post with a list of equipment because of that influence. Surely your kitchen looks as much like the the kitchen store at the mall as mine and you don’t need a list of equipment. But, just in case, it is here this time.

Tampiqueña Rules

March 14, 2018Leave a comment

El Paso’s absolutely very best ribeye sandwiches are at the Untamed Chef food truck. The Untamed Chef does wonderful things with ribeye steak sandwiches. I’m sure his pulled pork is just as good, but I can’t get enough of this ribeye sandwiches! He has added a ribeye tampiqueña sandwich to the menu and it may be addictive! Tampiqueña topping is traditionally roasted or grilled chiles, onions and tomatoes served on steaks, pork chops or chicken breasts. Sometimes there is a sprinkle of cheese or cilantro with it. The Untamed Chef adds a little crema (a thin Mexican sour cream) and a slice of asadero cheese to his ribeye sandwich when he plates it. I’ll be watching him closely next time and learning more about that.

Addiction: I had a couple of long days last weekend and instead of coming home to cook, I went to the food trucks. Friday night, I had my favorite Untamed Chef ribeye sandwich with jalapeño potato salad and a little lettuce on the side. Bliss on a bun! I noticed that a tampiqueña ribeye was new on the menu, so, I went back Saturday night and I tried the new treat. Now wish I could eat one of each sandwich at a meal, but, alas, I can’t. I’ll have to alternate or go on binge streaks!

Memories of the Untamed Chef Tampiqueña Ribeye Sandwich are making me drool on the keyboard.

I abstained from another ribeye sandwich on Sunday. By Monday, I was in tampiqueña withdrawal and forced myself to admit that ribeye sandwiches three out of four nights might not be the best idea. I decided to lighten things up a little and made chicken tampiqueña to get my chile fix. Of course, I didn’t use a recipe!

Tampiqueña Chicken
Ingredients
1 chicken breast half as big or small as you think you can manage
Tajin chile and lime powder
Granulated garlic powder (never garlic salt!)
Koser salt and pepper
Sliced onion
Handful of sliced grape tomatoes
Roasted and peeled liced long green chiles or sliced fresh jalapeños
Thin slices of Panela or Asader Mexican cheese
Just a little bit of olive oil for the chicken and for the vegetables

Method
Put chicken breast in a plastic bag or wrap loosely in plastic wrap, pound to an even 1/2 inch thickness. Remove from back and season both sides of breast lightly with Tajin poweder, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
Heat about a tablespoon of olive oil in a sauté pan, add chicken breast and brown lightly on both sides. Breast is done when an instant read thermometer reads 160º – 165º. Remove to a plate and tent.

While chicken cooks, heat about a tablespoon of olive oil in a fry pan with a lid. Add vegetables and sauté over medium until vegetables are softening and onion is getting a little color. Add a light splash of water and cover the pan. When there is almost no steam escaping the pan, remove the lid and take the pan off the heat.

Top the chicken breast with sliced cheese and cover with the tampiqueña-style vegetables.

I served mine with sliced avocado and uncooked grape tomatoes and a light sprinkle of chopped cilantro.

Chicken Breast Tampiqueña inspired by a sandwich at the Untamed Chef Food Truck

Pizza and Salad for Breakfast or for Supper

March 14, 2018Leave a comment

Savory, rich, sweet, tart and a hint of bitter make an individual breakfast pizza or supper.

You can take a recipe for four and reduce it to a just-right serving for one or two. You can also play with it and have a good time. The original recipe called for refrigerated whole wheat pizza dough. I substituted a package of two ready-made bake-it-yourself crusts. I actually tried two different crusts on two different mornings – first, a thin crust and, the second time with a thicker crust. Both were good. When I followed the cooking directions for the thin crust, the time needed for the baked egg n the recipe made the crust more like a crispy cracker. Good, but not what I had expected. When I used the thicker crust, I baked it for three minutes, turned it over on my sheet pan, added the toppings and baked it 8 minutes to set the egg white and leave the yolk soft the way I like it! The recipe used lemon and oil dressed arugula as a garnish. I like arugula, so I made it a side salad instead of a garnish by adding a few sliced grape tomatoes and a sprinkle of grated parmesan. Next time I make this, I’ll sprinkle some crisp crumbled bacon or pancetta on top. Play with your food and make it yours! Below is the original recipe for four servings from Cooking Light Magazine. It divides in to two or one serving easily.

Mini Breakfast Pizzas
Ingredients
12 oz. whole wheat pizza dough
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1-1/4 tsp lemon zest
1/4 tsp kosher salt, divided
1/4 tsp ground pepper, divided
4 large eggs
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
4 cups packed baby arugula

Method
Let dough stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Divide dough into 4 pieces.
Place a pizza stone or large baking sheet in oven; preheat to 450º with stone or baking sheet in place as oven heats.
On a lightly floured surface, roll each piece of dough into a 7-inch circle. pierce liberally with a fork.
Arrange two dough circles on the hot pizza stone or sheet pan and bake for 3 minutes. Remove from oven and flip so cooked side is up. Repeat with remaining two dough circles. Depending on the size of your stone or pan and your oven, you may need to baked two pizzas at a time instead of all four at once.
Stir together ricotta cheese and lemon zest. Divide ricotta evenly among cooked sides of dough circles, sprinkle evenly with 1/8 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper. (I question 1/8 tsp seasoning on 4 pizzas and used a light pinch of salt and pepper on each one after adding the egg as instructed below.) Top each circle with 1 egg and 1 Tbsp parmesan. Bake at 450º until whites are set and yolk is still a little runny.
While pizzas bake, Whisk together oil, juice, and remaining salt and pepper I (or to taste as I did!). Toss arugula in dressing.
Remove pizzas from oven, plate and top with 1 cup dressed arugula.

Potluck Appetizers

March 7, 2018Leave a comment

A group of friends get together every other month for a potluck dinner. Sometimes the dinners are true potluck. At other times, they are themed with a menu of dishes individuals may bring. It makes for pleasant evenings with good people and good food. It is hard to beat that combo!
Our March dinner had an Italian theme. I was asked to bring appetizers. I made a personal favorite – skewered mozzarella balls, basil leaves and grape tomatoes. Last fall, I discovered how wonderful baked feta can be, so I made baked feta with a borrowed idea for a fruit confit and and decided this was an opportunity to share a delectable treat. The warm roasted feta has a wonderful creamy texture nothing like you might expect from crumbled feta on a salad.

Skewered mozzarella balls, basil and grape tomatoes – a refreshing appetizer.

Ingredients
The name says it all. If you need an ingredients list, you should be making reservations for dinner. (Wasn’t that tacky!)
Method
I’ll share a fee hints. I roll the basil leaves and put them between the cheese and tomato on wooden skewers that are a little longer than toothpicks. I used a telera roll anchored to the plate with a blob of peanut butter as a base for the skewers. Curly lettuce leaves tucked under the roll make the plate more attractive. Telera rolls are a Mexican sandwich roll widely available in El Paso. You could use a brioche instead if you wish. The important thing is a half-round base for the skewers/

What wowed the group was the Roasted Feta with Blackberry and Herb Confit. It was an amazing pairing of flavors and textures best served warm.

Roasted Sheep’s Milk Feta with a Blackberry and Herb Confit served warm on pita chips.

Several months ago, I served roasted feta as the protein for a vegetarian bridesmaid luncheon in Oregon. The El Paso group dinner was a chance to do a riff on that feta with the addition of a blackberry and herb confit as an appetizer.

Roasted Feta
Ingredients
One 8 oz. block feta, patted dry (sheep’s milk feta is great if you can find it.)
2 tsp. olive oil
Method
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Brush the feta with the olive oil and place in a small oven-proof baking dish, preferably the one you can serve from.

Bake the feta until it starts to soften, about 8 – 9 minutes. Switch the oven to broil and broil for about three minutes to start to brown the top of the feta. Watch that is doesn’t burn.

Remove from oven and spoon the warm confit over the feta. Serve immediately.

Blackberry and Herb Confit
Ingredients
3 black peppercorns or a few good grinds of black pepper
4 juniper berries (or 1 bayleaf)
1 sprig fresh rosemary (about 1.5 to 3 inches)
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp honey
1 pint black berries
Method
Tie peppercorns. juniper berries and rosemary spring in a single layer of cheesecloth. They will be easier to remove later.

Place all ingredients, including the cheesecloth bundle in a small saucepan over medium heat. Be sure the cheesecloth is under the blackberries. When the mixture has begun to simmer and the berries have begin to break up and yield their juices, reduce the heat and simmer, stirring gently occasionally until syrupy -25-30 minutes. You should have about a cup of confit.

Remove the cheesecloth bundle and discard. Confit may be used immediately. If you let it chill a few hours or overnight, the flavors meld. I lprefer the texture of the berries in the confit. If desired, you can strain the confit through a fine mesh strainer and mash all the liquid you can from the confit to have a smoother, but lesser volume syrup.

Spoon warm confit over warm feta and try not to swoon.

Back at a New Season

March 7, 2018March 7, 2018Leave a comment

It has been a while since I’ve posted. That’s because it has been a while since I’ve cooked anything exciting that would work under the New Season goal of recipes for one or two. Browsing through the cookbooks on Amazon, one day, I found several interesting one’s that did two things: 1 – inspire me to try some new adventures in cooking, and 2 – order a few new cookbooks. I tempered that cookbook vice by ordering a couple of e-books and others I bought using the re-sellers available through Amazon at greatly reduced prices plus shipping. As I explore the books and my experiences with the recipes for one or two they hold, I’ll share info about the cookbooks.

One I’m enjoying is Guy Gourmet written by Adina Steinman dnd Paul Kita with the editors of Men’s Health magazine. Many of the recipes are for two, but those that serve four can easily be reduced to two servings. By using a reseller, I got a $25 dollar cookbook for $5.99 plus $3.99 shipping for a good as new hard cover book. (A couple of years ago, a friend showed me a new cookbook she bought for $30.00. I liked it and found it on an Amazon re-eller for $2.00 plus shipping. I’m still gloating over that purchase!)

This morning, I tried the Guy Gourmet Stuffed French Toast. As a rule, I’n not that big a fan of French toast, but it read well and I could reduce the recipe from two servings to one. When I am sharing their recipe, I will provide my interpretation of the original so I hopefully won’t be sued!

Stuffed French Toast Inspired by Guy Gourmet – makes two sandwiches
Ingredients
4 slices day-old or stale thick bread (I used a bolillo I left on the counter a couple of days and just sliced it in half to make one sandwich. I also use single bolillos to make garlic bread so I won’t eat a whole loaf of French bread by myself.
4 eggs
2 Tbsp milk
1 tsp sugar or maple syrup
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp butter
Powdered sugar for sprinkling on top if desired
A filling you like – I used sliced apples and bacon. Other possibilities might include a nut spread and banana slices or cream cheese and berries. Be creative.

Method
Beat eggs, milk and sugar or syrup and cinnamon together in a bowl and pour into a baking dish big enough to hold two of the slices of bread
Place topping on two slices of bread and top with the other two slices. Place stacks in batter for two minutes, turning after one minutes so both sides of the bread can absorb and be coated by the batter.
‘Melt the butter in a medium non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Places th sandwiches in the pan and cook until golden brown. Flip the sandwiches so both sides are golden. Serve with a sprinkling of powdered sugar and more of the fruit you used for stuffing the French Toast.