Heh, what a coincidence!  This is Super Supper Sunday #5, and the theme was… Cinco de Mayo (May 5th), since it fell on the Sunday of the week of May 5th!  (Yes, less than a week ago.)  Okay, I amuse myself greatly with small things   In any case, I decided to go with the Mexican theme, even if this isn’t authentic Mexican, it’s delicious…

First up, of course chunky homemade guacamole!  Nommm. 

Slightly less my favorite but still awesome, pico de gallo (this photograph is actually from the first attempt, which I didn’t think was very pico-like.  After a few more tweaks, I discovered the fix, but didn’t take new pictures – don’t worry, when I discuss technique, you’ll hear the improved recipe!). 

New to me: making my own tortilla chips.  Okay!  Here’s something about me: I vastly prefer flour tortillas to corn tortillas for my tacos.  However, I do like tortilla chips, and I tried both – deep frying the flour ones AND the corn ones – and hands down, no contest, corn.  Why?  The reason I don’t like the corn tortillas is because they always taste ‘raw’ to me, no matter how much I scorch them to get rid of that taste.  And the flour tortillas don’t have that.  But when you deep fry them, you eliminate that flavor.  Also, flour tortillas, when deep fried, retain a TON of oil and taste pretty disgustingly greasy.  Blegh!  I don’t think I’ll be going back to buying tortilla chips ever again though – this was too easy, too fast, and too delicious for me not to keep doing! 

Next up, one of my favorites: elotes!  Okay, I can’t grill corn in my apartment exactly, so I just boil a few ears of corn…

break up some cotija cheese, then toss lightly with cayenne powder…

And roll a piece of corn that’s been slathered with mayo or butter in the cheese+cayenne mixture, and voila!  Delicious with a slight kick! 

Yes, I know how pink that looks – don’t worry, part of leftovers is, for me, undercooking some of it slightly so that when I reheat it, the meat doesn’t overcook and dry out, it just becomes normal.  Some chicken pieces (leg+thigh) that I baked quickly in the oven with jarred salsa covering most of it. 

For what?  For my tacos, of course: flour tortilla base, schmear of guacamole, sour cream, some chicken pieces, topped with shredded cheddar, then topped with pico de gallo.  Roll it up and chomp it down! 

But wait, there’s more!  Flank steak that I marinated for over 24 hours in olive oil, freshly chopped cilantro (a ton of it), kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, and a couple shakes of crushed red pepper flakes.  Awesome.  SO GOOD. 

I did make tacos with that, but I also topped some chopped up Romaine lettuce with it, and then added guacamole, sour cream, pico de gallo, and deep fried strips of corn tortilla… nommm. 

Close up so you can see the guacamole (on the left), then sour cream, and pico de gallo…

For another lunch, I took thin slices of the steak and topped chopped Romaine, English cucumbers and grape tomatoes with it, then added a lil bit of blue cheese dressing.  Delicious and so many leftovers!!! 

Guacamole – ripe avocado mashed with diced red onion, chopped cilantro, minced half jalapeno, diced tomato and lime juice (plus kosher salt & freshly cracked black pepper, to taste). 
Pico de gallo – same as above without the avocado
Tortilla chips – corn tortillas cut into wedges, then deep fried in 375 degree oil for about 3 minutes total, then drained onto paper towels and sprinkled with a bit of kosher salt
Elotes - boiled corn on the cob slathered with mayo or butter, then rolled in cotija cheese that’s been broken up then tossed with cayenne powder
Salsa chicken (for lack of a better name, really) – chicken pieces (I used drumstick+thigh pieces) arranged in a baking pan then smothered in salsa (I used a whole jar of a spicy container for 4 pieces of chicken snugly fit into a pan) baked at 350 for about 1 hour or a bit longer (till the juices run clear)
Flank steak – about 1 3/4 lbs. flank steak marinated in extra virgin olive oil, freshly chopped cilantro (a lot), kosher salt, freshly cracked black pepper, a clove of garlic grated into the oil, and a teensy bit of crushed red pepper flakes for a little over 24 hours, rinsed of excess marinade, then thrown into a screaming hot pan for about 5-7 minutes on each side for medium rare, then sliced super thin.  NOMM. 

Everything was sooo good!  I was very happy with leftovers this week  

Happy eating!!! 

© Feisty Foodie for The Feisty Foodie, 2010. | Permalink | 5 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: tacos

First off, I dry-rubbed both halves of the brisket in a combination of kosher salt, fresh-ground pepper, white pepper, paprika, and a few dashes of cayenne pepper. I don’t measure these as much as I eyeball it, weighting it heavily toward the salt and fresh pepper. Smoking was simple: several tablespoons of oak chips in the base of the smoker, smoked on medium-low heat for 2 1/2 hours. The apartment smelled amaaazing.

The braise got a little more work. I sauted half a Spanish onion, coarsely chopped, and four minced cloves of garlic in olive oil until the onions were translucent. I then added the meat and a few cups of liquid, to not quite cover. For the braising liquid, I had a couple of cups of tomato juice left over (from a salsa), so I diluted that a little with water just to see if the acidity of the tomato would contribute anything special to the brisket.

After 2 1/2 hours of braising at 350 degrees, turning the meat in the covered dish every half hour or so, the finished product was perhaps a little more done than I may have liked, but smelled great.

Lest I eat only meat, I prepared a couple of side dishes as well. First up were the salt potatoes. I filled a small pot about two-thirds full of hot water, and started adding salt — regular table salt is fine — until it was no longer going into solution. That is a LOT of salt, mind you, even for a smallish pot. After that, it was as simple as dropping in as many small white potatoes as would fit, then bringing the pot to a boil for about 20 minutes until the potatoes were fork-tender. Note that, uncovered, the potato pot left my stovetop just a bit worse for wear.

Not pictured, as it’s kind of boring, is the asparagus, simmered in a frying pan with a little salted water just to prevent grilling, for two to three minutes, then drained, salted and served with melted butter. I just had to make sure the stalks didn’t get too wilted, as that annoys me.

And the finished brisket, both halves: left side is the smoked brisket, right side the braised. The smoked came out juicier, if a touch more medium than I like, while the brisket benefited from the tomato-onion-garlic mixture on the plate.

Of course I loved both briskets, but if I had to choose, next time it’s all getting smoked, somehow. I like a lot of cayenne to season various slabs of meat, so both briskets had a spicy kick that did little to make me stop eating. The garlic and onion really helped the braised brisket, but the tomato got a bit washed out in the final analysis. The salt potatoes delivered, though: I’ve loved them since my first visit to the Syracuse Dinosaur BBQ, so to get an approximation of those (sans gravy) made me proud. And the asparagus was, well, my vegetable concession on Easter Sunday, trying to look like I’m eating healthy and all.

All this was fairly painless to make and required little attentiveness. Cleanup isn’t quick, I’ll be honest. But for a sizable meal with plenty of leftovers — I took two lunches of this to work that week — you can’t beat a good brisket!

© BeerBoor for The Feisty Foodie, 2010. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us
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A little oddly spaced, this Sunday Supper was during my spring break, so I thought I wouldn’t need a ton of leftovers to work me through the week – but then I realized I planned on staying home all week to work on stuff and actually needed to eat… 

First, I dyed eggs and then silly me, almost immediately made deviled eggs out of them just to munch on – I love these suckers. 

For the dinner portion, I made ribs, roasted broccoli, and the best damn creamed spinach you’ll ever eat in your entire life. 

Here’s a closer shot of the ribs… cooked over very low and slow heat for a lil while… falling off the bone delicious with an amazing homemade BBQ sauce.  SO. GOOD.  Of course, that was an individual portion, and I finished that in one meal. 

This is maybe the 2nd time I’ve ever tried to make creamed spinach, but this was heaven, transcendental, and I will share with you the method further down the page, I promise.  AMAZING.  I was so thrilled with it, I was bragging to everyone…

And when a few days later, I realized I still needed food, I braised short ribs and added pasta to the pot after I skimmed off the fat, and just… nomnomnom (that’s roasted brussels sprouts in the top left of the plate). 

Deviled eggs – hard boil eggs; slice in half and remove yolks.  Mix yolks with Thousand Island dressing, scoop back into hollow egg whites.  (I actually used Dijon mustard, diced celery, pickle relish, a bit of mayo, diced red bell peppers, and diced onions, a bit of lemon juice.  I mix it up according to what’s in my fridge.)
Ribs – roasted on a rack in the oven so the fat just dripped off; basted in a quickie homemade BBQ sauce as it cooked in a 200-250 degree oven, then smothered in the same sauce.  Nice!
Roasted broccoli - same as always; 425 degrees with whole cloves of peeled garlic, roasted till it all smells fragrant and delicious. 
Braised short ribs + pasta – some combination of this recipe and this recipe; after the short ribs had been properly braised for over 3 hours, I took them out and skimmed most of the fat out, very carefully.  Meanwhile I’d cooked a little less than a pound of rotelle and reserved a scoop of the pasta water… In a separate pot, I made a quick roux (heated butter, then added a bit of flour and cooked it together until it was just turning brown and smelling lovely), which I added to the pot of sauce, stirring it around as it heated through, then added the pasta, tossed it together, added the scoop of pasta water, and then shredded the short ribs into the pot.  Mix that all around together in the pot, and voila, you have something amazing and delicious in your pot.  Mmm.  Pot o’goodness. 
Roasted brussels sprouts – as before, 400 degrees with lardons, simple and delicious.  Roast till fragrant. 
Creamed spinach – Here is the capper!  The real wonder of the day!  I’ve been practicing my roux, bechamel, and I’ll be starting on other master sauces soon as well (I am reading Ma Vie en France; can you tell?), but this really pushed me over the edge and made me swoon.  I mean, you have to like garlic, but damn this is good stuff.

5 cloves of garlic
heavy cream
unsalted butter
flour (I used all purpose, but any kind is probably fine)
thawed box of chopped spinach

Melt butter in a saucepan.  Grate garlic into butter as it heats.  (Yes, that’s bolded cuz I consider it the ‘secret’ step.)  DO NOT BROWN THE GARLIC!!!  Add flour; cook the flour a bit until it’s been incorporated thoroughly into the butter.  Add heavy cream (more if you like your creamed spinach a lil creamy/soupy, less if you like it ‘tighter’); when it starts to form tiny lil bubbles, add the spinach in and stir until it’s mixed well.  If it’s a lil too ‘hard’ for you, add more cream as you go. 

OMG.  I’m not going to lie.  This is not delicately fragranced with garlic; this is in your face, slap you twice garlic flavor, with a creamy backdrop of spinach – packed with more garlic flavor.  WOW.  I love it.  I will make this repeatedly until the day I die, I am positive.  Awesome. 

I love these Super Supper Sundays for all that I am learning and practicing, and trying to expand my repertoire but also for perfecting things I already like to make and eat.  NOM! 

Happy eating!!!

© Feisty Foodie for The Feisty Foodie, 2010. | Permalink | 6 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: BBQ, ribs, roasted broccoli

 Look at that glorious fat cap.  I totally cut that off before I ate it, ahem. 

 Roasted broccoli in all its glory!  I eat this stuff like candy. 

 Mashed potatoes… I should have roasted them but I was feeling lazy and wanted something to just shovel in my mouth with less chewing =X

 My final plate in all its glory!  I had enough corned beef leftover for sandwiches for school for over a week. Exactly what I wanted!  Toasted potato bread, schmears of honey mustard, thin slices of corned beef, and roasted cabbage laid across the bread for a fully awesome lunch (really, dinner during my break at school) sandwich.  Mmmmm.  Who eats better than I do?  Only a few people in this world *pleased

I’d give you recipes, but honestly, none of these really requires anything I haven’t mentioned before… mmm.  Eat, drink and be merry! 

© Feisty Foodie for The Feisty Foodie, 2010. | Permalink | 4 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: corned beef, roasted broccoli, roasted cabbage

You know how I love soup… well, this week’s Super Sunday Supper started off with ribollita.  Extra cheesy, extra delicious, yummy!!! 

Since I’d enjoyed the brussels sprouts so much from last week, I decided to make them again, only this time I added potatoes, onions and whole cloves of peeled garlic.  Delicious!

Because I can?  Cabbage roasted with strips of bacon laid atop each wedge.  Holy crap.  You have to try this if you can. 

But the total plate?  Pot roast, roasted cabbage, roasted brussels sprouts with garlic, potatoes, bacon and onions…

Close up of this gravy that was like crack – so good. 

My total plate in all its glory – roasted cabbage, roasted brussels sprouts with potatoes, garlic and onions… Pot roast slices, oh so tender, with this awesome gravy that was so simple – reduced the braising liquid from the pot roast with a knob of butter, salt/pepper, and a bit of flour.  Classically delicious.  Mmm. 

Even better?  The leftovers went to making yummy sandwiches for lunch to bring to school – swipe some congealed gravy on toasted bread, a few slices of pot roast, and by the time I was ready to eat, the gravy had softened the bread a little without making it mushy, creating an awesome sandwich that I couldn’t have been happier to eat. 

I did bring a regular bento-style meal once.  Just what you see… and it was awesome, but unwieldy to eat at school comfortably.  The sandwiches were consumed during class discreetly, but needing to cut or bite through things kind of made the above bento not so likely to appear as my school meals…

I also made a dessert from a box, just to have a dessert, even though I don’t like sweets.  Wound up not even eating all of it.  Oh wells. 

Ribollita:  a great ‘spring cleaning’ type of soup, to use up those cheese rinds you’ve been saving up…

Brussels sprouts with potatoes, onions, whole cloves of garlic.  Delicious and simple, really; just a method that you can reuse in many different ways. 

Roasted cabbage with bacon: wedge a head of cabbage into 8 pieces; drape slices of bacon all over each wedge.  Roast for about 20 minutes at 450°, making sure the bacon cooks completely before removing and eating.  Wonderfully simple and awesomely delicious.  

Pot roast: really, any pot roast recipe will do, just make sure you use the gravy method I just described.  Unbelievable. 

Happy eating!!! 

© Feisty Foodie for The Feisty Foodie, 2010. | Permalink | 8 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: soup/stew