The party

Yes, i threw a party for my birthday,
no i do not have pictures, but others may surface.

The Menu -
24 hour slow smoked brisket - This was incredible, moist and tender and delicious
A sauce to go along with it - i call it a BBQ sauce.  All my BBQ sauce are made from the meat drippings and fruit.  This time i used apples, but my favorite is mango.
Butter beans - Lima beans cooked in a butter sauce
macaroni and cheese - there were 2 kinds, but the adult version (with bacon and crisped ham) did not reheat so well.  The other was perfect.
Salmon - no time to grill, but i used the same orange juice and zest, maple syrup, paprika and smoked salt that i always use and reduced the marinade to make a sauce.
Corn bread - with cheese and peppers and pepitas (pumpkin seeds).
i was going to have some zucchini, but it froze and was not good.
The people who came brought dessert, but it was too much dessert!
we all had lots of fun.
Oh, the numbers of people? 23!
What a good night

Roasting Pumpkin seeds

I keep refining my technique and this is my final product.
With pumpkins in plentiful supply from October through November, i love to cook with them,
but love roasted seeds as well.

First thing i learned was that you first must boil them...
If you want them salted, add 1 teaspoon per pint to the water.
Boil for 30 minutes.

Strain, rinse and blot dry.

place on a sheet tray and spread them out evenly.

This is the next thing i learned...
i normally do a lot of baking and cooking at 350 F  (~ 175 C).
If you use this temperature, you must watch very carefully or the seeds (and other things) will scorch.
I use 300 F (~ 150 C) and let them cook for 2 hours.
leave them in the oven and turn off the heat.
when everything is cool - enjoy eating them!

A very strange Idea

"They say i went crazy once"...
Okay, i think i still am...
There was this chili cook-off benefiting the local food bank, i have participated 4 years now...
the last 3 i made traditional Texas chili, meat, no beans.
It was not received well.
As i said, i went a bit nuts and created a dessert chili...
not just any dessert chili, but a meatless, full of beans, COLD dessert chili!
As it turns out it was not just vegetarian, not just Vegan, but gluten free also.
I was surprised that it was well received in the cold, windy tent where it was held this year.
There were celebrities (Hunter for the Rachel vs Guy kid celebrity chef competition was one).
I did not expect to "win" (and no i did not), but i decided to throw away the box, so here is the recipe:

A special Thanks to Irene Hahn for the pictures!

CHILI FOR DESSERT

Vegan and served cold

1 bag dried small red beans

4 apples, cored and peeled

16 oz canned pumpkin

1 red chili peppers, seeded and diced

1 red jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced

2 Hatch chili peppers seeded and diced

1/2 Habenero pepper, seeded and diced

1 beer

1/2 cup raw sugar

1 teaspoon paprika

1 quart apple juice

1 sweet red pepper, diced

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon anchiote powder

1 bar of dark chocolate

soak beans in water overnight and drain

cook with water, apples and pumpkin at a simmer for 2 hours

blend and then strain with a course open strainer

add all other ingredients, except for the beer and bring back to a simmer

simmer until the chili becomes very thick,

the last 30 minutes may require constant stirring

Cool and serve cold

Crab and lobster chowder

5 potatoes, diced

2 cups white wine (i use a Rhine wine)

1 stick butter

2 ounces smoke cured bacon

1 cup leeks, diced

1 teaspoon tarragon

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup celery, diced

2 small lobsters, cooked

1 lb lump crap

2 cup half and half

1 cup dry potato flakes

1 teaspoon corn starch

cook the potatoes and leeks in butter till the potatoes are just brown

add the wine, tarragon, celery and paprika and reduce the heat to just a simmer

remove the lobster meat from the shell and set aside

take all the shells and put them in a separate pot with water and boil for 30 minutes

Add the remainder of the liquid to the pot with them potatoes and rinse once.

Brown and crisp the bacon and add to the pot

add half and half.

dissolve the corn starch in a teaspoon of water and add to the pot

Increase the heat and stir continually until the desired thickness is reached

add lobster and crab and serve.

Pork should with a different flair

I often combine methods and spices from different cultures that i have been exposed to.
An simple example is that i will often "toast" my spices the way i was taught to in Indian cooking.
This time i went a bit crazy, i did not want Pernil, but rather a traditional roast pork flavor.
Yet i wanted the tenderness that goes with a slow cooked pork.
The other thing i wished to incorporate was the flavor rum imparts to pork when used as a marinade.
You do not taste the rum, but something changes dramatically and it is something i love.

Pork Shoulder with apples

1 pork shoulder - remove layer of fat to make Chicharróns

6 cloves garlic, whole

1 teaspoon ginger

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon parsley

1/4 teaspoon crushed hot pepper

2 cups rum

apple juice (~2 cups)

6 apples, cored, not peeled and halved

mix all of the dry ingredients together and set aside 1/2 half of it

make 6 deep cuts into the shoulder and place whole garlic in each one

place pork garlic slices down in a baking pan and pour the rum over it

place apples over it, covering the pork

rub the shoulder with the dry mix and place in the refrigerator for 24 hours

before cooking turn the pork over and rub with the remaining dry rub

Chicharróns are cut into strips and then pieces and placed in a separate baking dish not covered

begin cooking the pork covered with foil at 250 F for 4 hours

add apple juice to maintain moisture

Increase to 320 F for 2 hours

Remove the foil and increase oven temperature to 385 for 30 minutes

remove and serve with the apples

Chicharróns are ready at this time.

Fall cooking inspiration

As weather turns color and the colors begin to show on the leaves the inspiration in my cooking turns to my French/German roots, Alsatian to be correct.
So what first?
Going with a non-traditional sauce for ravioli, meaning not a red sauce.  Everything (save the ravioli, olive oil, wine and sausage) were out of the garden.

I shared my creation and they took a picture, cause i usually don't remember to take a picture!

1 Italian style squash (pale green, with a thick skin, but not hard) - peeled and roughly cut into 2 inch chunks
1 eggplant - peeled, soaked in salt water for 1 hour
5 cloves garlic - roughly chopped
2 inch sprig of Rosemary - finely diced
1 tablespoon of fresh oregano - roughly chopped
1/4 cup basil - roughly chopped
1 onion - roughly chopped
1 lbs Italian sausage
5 tomatoes - roughly chopped
2 red cayenne peppers
1 sweet red pepper
1 green bell pepper
2 5 inch stalks of celery - roughly chopped
4 cups rose wine
Olive oil to coat the pan
Store made frozen ravioli (i simply do not have to confidence yet to make it from scratch!)

Cook the sausage in a large pot coated with olive oil on high heat
when just brown, add onions and when just translucent add garlic and continue cooking on high for a minute, stirring constantly.
Add all the peppers, eggplant, squash, tomatoes, celery and spices.
Add the wine and reduce the heat to a slow simmer when it starts to boil.
Cover a cook for 1 hour.
Salt to taste

Cook the ravioli according to the directions, drain and plate ravioli with sausage on the side with the "vegetable stew/sauce" over the ravioli.
Grate a good Parmesan cheese over it.

More cooking tonight!

Simplicity

Thinking i am in a rut,
not being very "creative" with the food i serve;
i have a chance to eat as a neighbors.
Plain simple food is served:
rice, beans and a thin meat flavored with peppers and carrots and Latin spices.
It was good, really good and it dawned on me that this is how i have been cooking as of late;
I have been using very seasonal ingredients, cooking with flavor, but no flair.
Squash, peppers, tomatoes, peppers, spices from the garden.
There is nothing "special" or out of the box, but people are happy and full  at the end of a meal.
I forget that that is what cooking is and on occasions we do something that makes the ordinary special,
but i can not forget that the ordinary is also always special!