Tongue tied

I decided a few months back when we ordered/selected the cuts of beef to include the tongue.  In the past few years I have had tongue tacos and more recently I had corned/pickled beef tongue as an appetizer that was really good.  I decided to corn my beef tongue so I can make a Reuben (to use the sauerkraut that I made last month!!)and replicate the appetizer I had at Miller's Guild in Seattle, WA.

It appears to be very similar to pickling; some of the spices and the use of vinegar are the same.  The act of corning something means to salt cure it; large grains of rock salt are called corns.  The debate lies on whether to use "nitrates" to cure/protect from bad bacteria.  I personally would always choose to be nitrate free; however, I going to use a curing salt which has nitrates for this first time.

My ingredients:

Pickling spice 
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
1 tablespoon whole mustard seeds
1 tablespoon whole coriander seeds
1 tablespoon whole cloves
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon whole all spice berries
1 teaspoon whole juniper berries-I add this to my pickling spice.

2 teaspoons ground ginger
5 crushed bay leaves

You can also purchase pickling spice which is a lot cheaper and easier.

Tongue and Brine

4 quarts of water
1 cup sugar-brown or natural organic
2 cups salt-I used canning but sea salt would also be good.
1 tablespoon curing salt (pink) Many recipes called for salt peter but it is very hard to find b/c it is also used in fireworks and explosives:- >
1/4 cup pickling spice
2 large garlic cloves crushed
1 beef tongue-preferably organic

The Process 

Rinse tongue under cold water and dry.  Trim connective tissue and fat on the bottom/muscle at base.

Out of package and rinsed.

Cleaned of connective tissue and fat.

Combine water and sugar on high heat; add salt after mixture boils.  When salt dissolves add curing salt, pickling spice and garlic.  Remove from heat when salt is dissolved and make sure it is cold before placing the tongue into it.  Place tongue in brine and weigh it down with anything that will hold it down like a plate or a pestle.  Let tongue sit in brine for 7-10 days; flip it every day.  I used a lexan

In brine with pestle to hold down.

I am currently on day 7 so I will probably cook it in a day or so.  I will update after I cook it.  I plan on making Paella tomorrow and since I have not made it I will blog about it!  I plan on starting my Cross-fit month on Monday, October 6th so stay tuned:-}

Chicken Piccata pasta

I know the deal this month was recipes I have not made before but, as I said, I am busy this month with travel so here's an oldie but goodie that I came up with.  My Chicken Piccata pasta is a variation on a delicious light, but filling, dish that is always a big hit.  My recipe is different in that its more of a pasta or casserole.  Here you go:

My Ingredients:

8 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 large shallot finally chopped
2-4 boneless chicken breasts depending on size of chicken and guests:-{)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 quart of chicken stock
cornstarch-enough to thicken the sauce to your liking
2-4 tablespoons of capers depending on your love
1 pound angle hair pasta or your favorite type
2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley Salt & Pepper

Process:

Heat a large pot with lid, full of water, on high.  At the same time, heat a large sauce pan to medium heat with 4 TB oil and 1 TB butter. Add chicken and cook until just under done; set aside and allow to rest. (This insures the chicken does not overcook; the chicken will finish cooking in sauce later.)  Add remaining butter and oil to pan; cook shallot until translucent then add garlic until fragrant. De-glaze the pan with wine and cook until it is almost evaporated; add lemon juice, stock and capers and turn heat up to med-high.  Reduce sauce by 1/3 and add cornstarch to thicken.  Salt boiling water and cook pasta until al dente and drain.  Chop chicken and add it and all the juice from the cutting board to sauce; cook until done. Add pasta and toss until mixed well on high heat. When ready to serve, add parsley.  Serve in pasta dishes with Parmesan cheese and crushed red for those who like it hot!

New month new hobby...New recipes!

I had planned on doing Cross-fit but this month's schedule was too busy to start it.  Instead, I plan on cooking recipes which I have never done before. I recently had a duck liver pate at a local restaurant that my wife and I were fighting over who got to lick the bowl.  I have never attempted a pate and we recently bought a share of a grass-fed cow which luckily I had selected the heart and liver.  So, I will be making beef heart and liver pate.  I will be reviewing other recipes and most likely combining a few of them to make mine.

My Ingredients:

1 beef heart
1 beef liver
1 pound ground pork
5 strips of bacon juice (grease but juice sounds better:-)
1/4 cup of brandy
1 tablespoon of sherry wine
1/2 lemon juiced
1/2 teaspoon ground clove
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cloves of garlic minced
2 bay leaves
10 black peppercorns
2 medium Vidalia onions sliced into rings
1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
3 tablespoon unsalted butter

Process:

Place cut up heart in pan and cover with water; when cutting heart you want to remove any connective tissue, fat and valves; I made thick slices .  Add bay leaves and peppercorns and simmer for 2 hours or until tender.  Drain liquid and set a side.  Cook bacon and reserve fat to cook the onions.  Season pork with s&p, cook and drain; set aside.

Rinse livers gently under water then soak the livers in milk for 1-2 hours. I did not do the milk soak stage; I wanted to try it this way my first time.  Slice the onions into rings and cook in bacon juice; transfer onion and juice to food processor and return pan to heat with 3Tb butter.  Drain livers, pat dry and cook them 3-4 minutes, flip them and return onion to pan with minced garlic; add brandy.  Cook livers until their is no longer any pink and the liquor has cooked off; add parsley.

Transfer liver and onions to food processor and puree with heart and rest of ingredients including bacon if you didn't already eat it.  Remember to scrape down often when pureeing and use the reserved heart broth to thin it out if needed.

Finish product with pickled red onions and balsamic figs.  I ate this on french bread but a good ole Saltine was also very good:)  Next time I will definitely soak the livers in milk to see the difference.  Wife said is was too strong liver/iron flavor but several male friends of mine loved it and so did my dog!

Also,  I froze most of it into 2-3Tb logs for future servings.  It can be shaped into any form for presentation.  Good Luck!!

Saurekraut!

Sauerkraut-

Due to my Labor day plans I was delayed in getting my final post of my pickling/Fermenting entry.  Sauerkraut is something that I remember from childhood and picnicking.  One of reasons I wanted to make it was because when I do eat it now I only use a little bit so I plan on canning it into smaller jars for future uses.

To make: 

Cut cabbage (3 lbs) into thin strips and place into  a large bowl.  Salt the cabbage with 1.5 tablespoons of kosher salt (non caking agent salt) and massage the salt into the cabbage.  Like kimchi pack the cabbage into either a mason jar (big enough to place a smaller mason inside) or a larger Tupperware container with a smaller one that fits inside it.  As your packing the cabbage into your container press down on it to compress it.  Your can use one of the larger leaves or cheesecloth to cover the cabbage.  Pour all of the liquid that was released from the cabbage during the salting and make sure the cabbage is below the liquid.  Place jar/smaller container into larger container/jar and weigh it down with clean stones, can goods, etc.  Cover the container with a clean cloth to keep dust and bugs out.  Sauerkraut will be done in 3-10 days but you can begin tasting it after just a couple days.  You can flavor with caraway seeds as an option.

I ended up letting my go for 4 weeks and it tastes great.  I made sure regularly that the cabbage was below the liquid line.  I followed this recipe: The Kithn

Canned sauerkraut

My processed and finished product!

Kimchi!!

Fermenting/Kimchi:

After I got pickling down I felt I needed to attempt something a little more ambitious.  Because kimchi requires cabbage to rot (or, more appropriately, ferment) it produces an interesting odor.  It was described a little differently by my wife:>.  I wanted to pair it with my famous fried rice that I make by cooking down shrimp shells to make a broth...super good!

• Cut the cabbage lengthwise into quarters and remove the cores. I used: Napa
• Place the cabbage and salt in a large bowl. Massage.
• Rinse and drain the cabbage 3 times
• Make the paste. I used: Garlic, ginger, gochugaru, sugar and shrimp paste. 
• Combine the vegetables and paste. I used: carrots, daikon and green onion.
• Mix thoroughly. 
• Pack the kimchi into the jar with a breathable lid (I used a Mason reCap lid, but you could also use cheesecloth).
• Let it ferment in a cool out of sunlight spot.

Next time I make it I will use a mild fish sauce and I will cut the cabbage into larger pieces; think bite-size.  I would also try using Korean radish.  I used a wide-mouth quart mason jar, a reCap lid fitted with an airlock and a #6 stopper.  I purchased all but the mason jar from Amazon.  This cut down on the smell, kept dust/debris out and kept my kimchi from exploding.  Because the cabbage is breaking down and fermenting, if your using cheesecloth you will want to put it on a plate or a cookie sheet with a lip!  So after 5 days it was ready but I tasted it several days before that; it's done when you like the taste.  Good luck next up for me...Sauerkraut!

I followed this recipe: http://bit.ly/1qMiNwy