Ferds Food

[Ferd]

dont have much time so i gotta save some recipes.

[Ferd]

generally I use a chuck roast for chili sometimes i will use a mixture of ground beef pork and lamb.

I always make my own chili powder. I use a mixture of (please dont hold my poor spelling against me) Pasillias, Casabel, Ancho, and Chipotle. Ancho is the base with a 2 to 1 ratio of Ancho (2) to Pasillia (1) and Casabel (1). then just a few Chipotle. Chipotle are hot but the flavor is off the chart.

I seed the peppers and briefly toast the peppers on a dry castiron skillet then grind in my coffee mill (I have a coffee mill for spices and a different one for coffee).
Now when I make chili, there are 5 key spices and I do them all to taste
Chili Powder (seen above)
Cumin
Coriander
Salt
Pepper

Next there are 5 fresh veggies that are important
Onion
Garlic
Poblano Peppers (this is the other key ingrediant. I use Poblano anywhere most people would use a green bell pepper. now it is important to char the skin and remove it. I will put them under the broiler until the skin thurns black on all sides. then remove to a brown paper bag or maybe even a plastic bowl that you can seal. close the bag and let it cool then peel the skin off and seed (dont remove all the seeds just clean it up a bit and remove the seed pod at the top. ) dice this up
Seriano Peppers Now some people just use Jalapenos and I use them too the Seriano gives a lot of flavor and great heat. you really have to gage the heat here so if you are worried about the heat, make sure to remove the seed AND the white pith, the pith is where the real heat is.
Jalapenos like the seriano the Jalapeno is hot though not as hot as hot as the Seriano the combination of these pepers are IMOH the best in flavor and heat.

Additional note on the peppers the Seriano and Jalapenos have a much more delicate flesh than the Pablano but you still should get the skin off them. just be extremely careful on your time under the brioler because you can burn them to a crisp in just a few seconds.

Well that isnt really a recipe but it is a great start on making a really good Chili. There are a lot of other spices that you can add and also other fresh veggies too but for me this is the base. Everything else is an adjustment. I do encurrage "adjustments" and will likely try coffee the next time I make chili.

some extra tips, dont over do the chili powder and dont try to add chili powder then taste emediatly to see what you have done. Chili powder needs a good 15 or 20 minutes to settle in as you simmer. Also the complexity will change over 24 hours. your leftovers the next day often taste better than the day you cook.

another tip? DONT USE LEAN MEAT! Chili isnt something that is made with expensive cuts of meat. Chili is peasant food and you cant approximate the flavor of the cheeper cuts by using lean high end roasts. these "better cuts of meat" cant take cooking for long periods because they dont have enough connective tissue. use the ceep stuff.

[Ferd]

This is the best Turkey recipe ive ever come across. It?s a Wolfgang Puck recipe and I tried it last year. In fact I made it twice. It is OUTSTANDING. Everyone that tried it said it was the best turkey they ever had. And they were all Louisiana people who get fried turkey and know what good turkey tastes like.



I would make the brine and the turkey stock the day before. This is important because you need to brine the turkey for 24 hours for the best effect. Also you want the stock prepared so you can whip up the gravy.

DAY 1

Brine:
1 gallon water
1/2 ounce ground cloves
1/2 ounce ground ginger
4 ounces cracked black peppercorns
12 bay leaves
1 pound kosher salt
24 ounces honey
24 ounces maple syrup
1 (12 - 14 pound) whole fresh turkey, giblets and neck removed and reserved for stock

In a large stockpot, bring the water, cloves, ginger, black peppercorn, bay leaves and salt to a boil. Lower to a simmer and stir in the honey and maple syrup until well blended. Turn off heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

Rinse the turkey inside and out with cold tap water. Reserve the neck and specialty meats for pan gravy. Set the turkey in the brine, making sure that the turkey is fully immersed in the brine. Place a weight on top of the turkey to make sure it is always covered with brine. Marinate overnight in the refrigerator.

Turkey Stock (Can be made ahead up to 4 days. Keep refrigerated):

Giblets and neck from 1 turkey
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup port wine
1 cup roughly chopped onions
1/2 cup roughly chopped carrots
1/2 cup roughly chopped celery
2 sprigs rosemary
5 peppercorns
Water, to cover

Heat a saucepan over high heat. When the pan is hot, add the olive oil and heat. Add the neck and giblets and cook until browned all over, about 7 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and deglaze with the port. Return the pan to the heat and cook until the port is almost completely evaporated, about 10 minutes.
Add the carrots, onions, celery, rosemary and peppercorns. Cover with cold water by 4-inches. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, and simmer for 2 hours, adding a little more water, if necessary. Skim any scum that rises to the surface of the stock and discard.
Strain the stock.

DAY 2

Roasting:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

1 cup cubed carrots
1 cup cubed celery
1 cup cubed onions

In a shallow roasting pan, place the carrots, celery and onions. Remove turkey from brine.

1 stick butter, room temperature
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage leaves
2 apples, quartered and cored
1 onion, peeled and quartered
2 rosemary sprigs
3 sprigs sage
Olive oil, for drizzling

Mix together the butter, garlic, chopped rosemary, and sage to make a compound butter. Using your hands, loosen to the skin from the breast by gently inserting your fingers between the skin and the flesh. Be careful not to rip the skin. Rub the compound butter underneath the skin. Insert the apples, onions, and whole rosemary and sage into the cavity of the turkey.
Place the turkey over the vegetables, breast-side up, in the roasting pan. Tuck the wings back and under the turkey. Using kitchen twine, tie the legs together. This will make a compact shape and will create a great presentation. Drizzle the turkey with olive oil and rub it into the skin.

Now this next part is VITAL! So don?t mess it up. Go buy yourself a good digital thermometer. It will have a long probe with a wire on it so you can stick it in the turkey and read the meter outside the oven. Roast the turkey to exactly 165 degrees F in the breast, It should take about 2 1/2 hours but don?t go by the clock. If the skin gets too dark during roasting, tent with foil.

When the bird gets to 165 take it out of the oven, Transfer to a platter and tent it with foil and allow it to rest. DO NOT CUT THE BIRD UNTIL IT RESTS FOR A GOOD 10 TO 15 MINUTES. IF you cut it too soon all the juices will run out and you will have dry turkey like last year.

While the turkey is roasting, prepare the pan gravy.

1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup Madeira wine
4 cups turkey stock, recipe at the top.
1 sprig thyme
2 sprigs parsley
Beurre manie (2 ounces butter mixed with 2 ounces flour until it forms a soft dough)
Salt and pepper

Tilt the pan and skim as much fat as possible off the juice with a spoon. Set the pan on 2 burners set on medium heat. Deglaze roasting pan with white wine and Madeira. Scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen any brown bits. Reduce until only a quarter remains. Add the turkey stock, thyme and parsley. Bring to a boil and strain into a saucepan. Bring back to a boil, skim and lower to a simmer. Whisk in the beurre manie until well incorporated and continue to cook until gravy has thickened. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.
Note: For those of you who wont use wine, just use some of the turkey stock. That will be fine. For those of you who will use the wine and Madeira, go get a real bottle. Don?t use that cooking wine stuff. It will ruin the gravy. And remember all the alcohol will cook out so you wont have any issues with that. Trust me this is awesome stuff.

Happy Thanksgiving!

[Ferd]

Honey-Marinated Beef Satay with Spicy Butter Sauce
servings 24 bite sized pieces


24 (6-inch) bamboo or wooden skewers
3/4-pound New York strip steak or fillet, trimmed
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 to 1 teaspoon red chili flakes
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 tablespoons vegetable or peanut oil
Sauce:
2 cloves garlic
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 teaspoon peeled and minced fresh ginger
1 whole green onion, finely chopped
1 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon honey
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce or your favorite barbecue sauce
1 teaspoon red chili flakes


Soak the bamboo or wooden skewers in water for 30 to 60 minutes. Drain and pat dry. With a sharp knife, cut the steak into 24 long, thin strips. Thread 1 strip onto each skewer, weaving the skewer back and forth along the length of each steak strip. Arrange the skewers on a large platter or baking tray. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed.
About 30 minutes before you wish to grill the skewers, combine the soy sauce, honey, chili flakes, cumin, turmeric, and oil in a small bowl. Pour this marinade over the steak skewers, turning to coat the meat evenly. Leave the steak skewers to marinate at room temperature for about 20 minutes.

Preheat a hinged grill or panini maker, according to the manufacturer's instructions, or preheat a broiler, outdoor grill or stovetop grill pan.

Meanwhile, make the sauce: Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Add the garlic cloves and blanch them in the boiling water for 30 seconds to a minute to remove some of their harshness. Drain the cloves well, pat them dry with paper towels, and chop them finely. In a small skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, ginger and green onion and saute just until they begin to soften and smell fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the stock, soy sauce, honey, hoisin or barbecue sauce, and chili flakes and bring to a boil. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes longer. Pour the sauce through a strainer into a clean pan and, over medium heat, whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, a little bit at a time. Keep warm.

Grill the skewers (in batches if necessary to prevent overcrowding) until cooked through and nicely browned, about 2 minutes total on a hinged grill or panini maker or 2 minutes per side in the broiler, in a grill pan, or on an outdoor grill (1 minute if you want the meat rare). Take care that the skewers don't prevent a hinged grill or panini maker from closing properly. Transfer to a platter, pour on the sauce, and serve; or serve with the sauce on the side for dipping.

[Ferd]

Credit to Dora

RUSTIC BERRY/PEACH PIE.

PREHEAT OVEN TO 450 DEGREES

Unroll a Pillsbury pie-crust on an ungreased square or round casserole baking dish.

In a large bowl combine:

One bag frozen mixed berries and half bag frozen peaches

1/4 cup pecans

Add 3/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Mix above ingredients until fruit is well coated with sugar.

Pour mixture onto the pie crust and fold the crust up around the edges to create a "bowl" out of the crust.

You can use andegg wash to "paste" the crust in place.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until fruit is tender and crust is golden brown

SERVE WITH BLUE BELL HOMEMADE VANILLA ICECREAM

[John Atkinson]

I will start a food forum area later today Ferd

[Ferd]

www.napastyle.com (http://www.napastyle.com)

www.foodnetwork.com (http://www.foodnetwork.com)

www.allrecipes.com (http://www.allrecipes.com)

http://www.epicurean.com/ (http://www.epicurean.com/)

www.copykat.com (http://www.copykat.com/)
http://www.southernliving.com/southe...13362,,00.html (http://www.southernliving.com/southern/foods/0,13362,,00.html)
www.southernfood.about.com/ (http://www.southernfood.about.com/)
http://allrecipes.com/?tsrc=ms (http://allrecipes.com/?tsrc=ms)
http://www.cookinglight.com/cooking/ (http://www.cookinglight.com/cooking/)

[Ferd]

Curtesy Blubayou

Chocolate Chess Pie
1 ½ cups sugar
2 eggs
3 tablespoons cocoa
1/2 stick melted margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 small can evaporated milk
1 cup pecans or walnuts (chopped) (optional)
Mix ingredients together. Pour in unbaked pie shell (I use the frozen crust by Pillsbury, comes 2 in a box) Thaw and mold into pie dish; Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes (until middle is barely shaking).

[Ferd]

Thanks bro John.

[Ferd]

The best Enchiladas in the history of Enchiladas
Serves 4 to 6

The following is a base recipe. The Enchilada sauce can be used for any enchiladas, cheese, chicken, beef. The sauce has some heat so if you like it hot, you may want to use more hot peppers or if you don?t like spice, change to either all Poblano or even Green Bell Pepper.


Sauce
3 LBS ripe tomatoes NOTE: I prefer either Roma or a big meaty tomato. Stay away from hothouse tomatoes that are juicy. ALTERNATIVELY you can use 2 twenty eight-ounce cans of good quality whole tomatoes in juice (I geneally use POMI brand in the box)

Fresh hot green chilies to taste. (roughly 2 Serrano?s 2 Jalapenos and 1 Poblano)
1 ½ tls olive oil or lard
1 large onion
8 cloves garlic
2 cups Chcken Broth (see note about cooking the chicken)

½ cup Crema (You can find Mexican or El Salvadoian Creama in most grocery stores but if not use crème fraiche or a mixture of half heavy cream and half sour cream)

For fresh tomatoes: Roast the tomatoes and chilies on a baking sheet 4 inches below a very hot broiler until the skins are black. Flip them over and roast the other side. Watch the seranos and jalapenos closely as they will burn to a crisp if you arent careful. Remove the peppers as they finish to a brown paper bag. The Serrano and Jalapeno will finish well before the Poblano and the Tomato. When the peppers cool, remove fro the bag and take the chard skin off and remove most of the seeds. Remove the skin from the roasted tomato.

Place the Tomato and Chili in a blender or food processor and blend to a smooth puree.

For canned tomatoes: roast the chilies as above then place in a blender with the chilies and blend to a smooth puree. (Draining the tomatoes first will speed the process but I don?t as the juice adds to the flavor)

Making the sauce:
In a dutch oven (at least 4 to 5 quart) heat the oil over medium and saute the onion and garlic until it is a rich brown color. (about 10 minutes) raise the heat to medium high and when the pot is noticeably hotter stir in the tomato puree. Cook, stirring until darker in color and thickened to the consistency of tomato paste. This will take some time and will splash a good bit so if you have a splash guard, USE IT. This much can be done several days ahead. Just store in the refregerator or if you do this a week in advance, freeze.

Finishing the sauce
Add the chicken broth and simmer for about 15 minutes. Adjust the seasoning with salt. The sauce should be slightly soupier than spaghetti sauce. If necessary add more Chicken broth. Keep warm over a low heat.
Just before making the enchiladas, add the cream to the sauce

Chicken
About 2 cups chicken (I prefer boneless skinless chicken breast but any chicken will do. Even a roasted chicken from the grocery store.
NOTE. The enchalada sauce requries chicken broth. I will use the broth, that I cook my chicken in. Generally I buy chicken broth, then add chili powder to it along with cumin and whole dried chili peppers if I have some in the pantry. If you use a whole roasted chicken from the grocery store, just de-bone and put the bones in the chicken broth along with the seasoning and cook for about 30 minutes to make the broth right. Then measure out the amount needed for the enchiladas.


Finishing the Enchiladas

Enchilada Sauce
Chicken
12 tortillas (I use good flour tortillas but corn are also good just go by your taste. We live in an area where you can get great tortillas just about anywhere but some don?t. I suggest you go to your favorite Mexican resturant to get tortillas. don?t make the mistake of buying packaged tortillas from the grocery store. My Kroger actually makes fresh tortillas that we buy fresh and hot but I NEVER buy a bag of tortillas off the shelf)
2/3 cup shredded Mexican Cheese (Queso Fresco, Chihuahua, quesadilla, asadero are all good choices . I prefer Queso Fresco)

½ cup Cotija Cheese crumbled
1 medium Onion diced
Garnish:
Thinly sliced fresh onion rings
Cilantro

Heat the oven to 350F Smear about 1 cup of the sacue in a 13 x 9 inch baking dish. Add about ½ cup of the sacue to the chicken.

If you are working with Corn Tortillas, place them on a baking sheet and brush with oil then place in the oven just to soften them.

If you are working with fresh flour tortillas you can skip the step used for the corn tortillas.

Add a spoon full of the chicken, a little shredded Mexican cheese, and diced onion to each tortilla and roll each adding to the Baking pan. When all tortillas are filled, cover the tortillas with the rest of the sauce, sprinkle the Cotija cheese over the top and bake at 350 until hot and bubbly (about 15 to 20 minutes)

When the Enchiladas are done, garnish the dish with fresh sliced onion rings and Cilantro

NOTE ABOUT WORKING AHEAD: The sauce can be made ahead. Also the Chicken can be done a day or two before. However, the finished enchiladas need to be assemble, cooked, and served as they will loose their great texture.

[Ferd]

Great Sloppy Joes (from that oversmiling Rachael Ray)

4 strips of bacon cut into half inch pieces
1 medium onion
2 celery ribs
1 red bell pepper
4 garlic cloves
1 ½ lbs lean grnd beef
¾ cup ketchup
¼ cup worchestershire sauce
Salt and pepper
4 hamburger buns


In a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the onion, celery, bell pepper and garlic and cook until the vegetables are softened, about 7 minutes; push to the side of the skillet. Increase the heat to high, add the ground beef and cook, stirring to break up any clumps, until cooked through, about 7 minutes. Stir in the ketchup and Worcestershire sauce and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes more. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve on the toasted buns.

[Abigail4476]

Ferd,

I made this soup yesterday from www.epicurious.com

It is a wonderful winter meal!!!!

I countrified it and served it with cornbread instead of the suggested pumpkin seeds and cheese, but if I had had pumpkin seeds I would've done all three.

Green Chili with Pork

1 medium white onion, quartered
2 (3- to 4-inch) fresh jalapeño chiles, stemmed and quartered, including seeds
2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1 3/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth (14 fl oz)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 lb ground pork
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 (14- to 15-oz) can white hominy (also called pozole), rinsed and drained
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

Accompaniments: toasted hulled (green) pumpkin seeds; crumbled queso fresco or ricotta salata

Purée onion, chiles, and garlic with 1/2 cup chicken broth in a blender.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 4-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown pork, stirring and breaking up clumps with a fork, just until no longer pink, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl with a slotted spoon. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from pot.

Add remaining 3 tablespoons oil to pot and heat over moderately high heat until hot, then carefully add purée (it will spatter), cumin, and salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until mixture is thickened and most of liquid is evaporated, about 10 minutes.

Add pork, hominy, cilantro, and remaining 1 1/4 cups broth and simmer gently, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes. Serve chili sprinkled with pumpkin seeds and cheese.

Makes 4 servings.

Note: I doubled the recipe for our family of 6, and we have about 3 cups of leftovers.

[Ferd]

sounds yummy. thanks for the contribution.

[Abigail4476]

Okay, not to be the Antichrist of the Food Thread--but I recently tried out Weight Watchers, and tried their frozen foods--which are edible, but NOT really all that good.

I have since discovered a new line of frozen meals by KASHI, and they are great, especially if you like whole grains and freshness in your [frozen] food.

I think they are probably the best frozen dinner I have ever tried, and that includes the non-diet varieties. BUT, they are low in fat and calories as well.

I know, I know--frozen food. :cool:

My day has to be streamlined. :rolleyes:

The best one I've tried was Lemongrass Chicken. First time I've ever had a frozen dinner that I didn't feel like eating two of (to reach "full"), and didn't feel like I had just consumed a bucket of frozen and then microwaved lard.

I would rate them higher than:

Uncle Ben's Bowls
South Beach Meals
Marie Callender (sp?)
Lean Cuisine

Honest Injun, they tasted like I had just made a fresh lunch. (Now I'm gushing....)

[John Atkinson]

You gots casa la food pope in the Open Cafe I'll move the thread there!

[Ferd]

Just because I am sooooo nice, here is the official gumbo recipe of the WORLD

Real Gumbo, not that disgusting stuff that gets passed off as gumbo by people who don’t know better.

This is the OFFICIAL GUMBO OF THE WORLD! All other variants are just that: Variants. Why would you want a variant when you can have the real thing?

Ingredients:

2 Cups Flour
2 ½ cups Canola Oil
1 Chicken cut up.
2 Bay leaves
1 Onion quartered
2 Stalks Celery cut in large chunks
1 large Carrot

1 Lbs. Sausage
1 Onion diced
3 Cloves Garlic crushed
1 Green Bell Pepper diced
4 Stalks Celery diced
Tony Chachere's seasoning.
Green Onion

Roux:
Pre Heat Oven to 400
Mix the Flour and Canola Oil in a Dutch Oven (if you don’t have one go buy one). Place in oven. Check and stir every 15 minutes until the color is chocolate. If the roux starts to look gritty, add some more oil. (This is the hard part. You need to get the consistency of the uncooked roux right. It should be pretty loose but not overly so. Kind of like a milk shake that is about half melted. )
When the color is a chocolate brown remove from oven and stir to cool. If it smells burnt it is toss it and start over.


Cook the Chicken in a large stockpot with the Bay leaves, quartered onion, 2 stalks celery and large carrot for 1 hour. When the Chicken is done, take it out of the sock and de-bone
Remove all the ingredients from the stock. Reserve the Bay leaves. Allow the Stock to cool enough to degrease.

Cook the Sausage in a skillet and set aside.
Sauté the Diced Veggies and Garlic in the drippings from the sausage. Add butter or Olive Oil if needed.

Bring the Stock to boil and then start adding the Roux. When about half the Roux is added, start adding the Tony Chachere’s. When the saltiness is right the spice will be right. If you can’t take the spiciness don’t make gumbo. Add more Roux to desired taste and consistency. I add it all.

Add the veggies, sausage and deboned chicken. Bring to a boil and simmer for about an hour. Adjust the flavor. Degrease as much as possible. Just before serving slice the green onions and put on top of the Gumbo. Serve over Rice.

LONG GRAIN RICE! NEVER, NEVER, NEVER USE PAR-BOILED OR MINUTE RICE WITH GUMBO! THAT WILL KEEP YOU OUT OF HEAVEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A good Cajun will Serve Gumbo over potato salad. It is very good that way….

If you want, get some Gumbo File Powder. ***VERY IMPORTANT*** don’t add the File to the Pot. NEVER allowgumbo with File to come to a boil it gets stringy this is one of the things that people do that makes me nuts…. Almost as bad as serving with Par-Boiled rice (something that God and I hate by the way). If you cant cook real rice, invest in a rice cooker they are great!
Sprinkle your Gumbo (in your bowl) with the File and enjoy!
Tabasco is also appropriate but don’t add to the pot, it might offend the weak tongued…

[MawMaw]

mmmmmmmmmm I LOVE GUMBO and now I have the World's best recipe!! :):)

Thank you!! :):)

I'll have to repent of the parboiled rice thingy! :shhh:

[Ferd]

there will be no forgivness for using parboiled rice!

your only atonement is to NEVER USE THE STUFF AGAIN!

[cineasttx]

ummm Bro. Ferd to you have a good olive dip recipe? :)

[MawMaw]

there will be no forgivness for using parboiled rice!

your only atonement is to NEVER USE THE STUFF AGAIN!

:angel::angel::angel: