Category Archives: THIS & THAT RECIPES

REUBEN SANDWICH

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Ok, St. Patrick has been put to bed for another year, your green cloths are in the hamper, the dishes have almost all been run through the dishwasher, and your recycling bin, full to the brim with empty beer bottles, is at the curb. Congratulations, another successful St. Patrick’s Day dinner has come and gone. But what to do with that small amount of left over corned beef? Well I have the perfect answer to that delightful dilemma my dear reader, and so does my dear friend Jim. The best use for corned beef ever invented (left over or not) is the Reuben Sandwich! There are as many theories as to why this sandwich is called a Reuben, and speculation about who invented it as there are ways in which a Reuben Sandwich is prepared. My favorite account of the creation of this now famous sandwich is as follows:  In 1938, Arnold Reuben gave an interview for the American Life Histories: Manuscripts from the Federal Writers’ Project, 1936-1940, entitled Reuben and his Restaurant. This is an excerpt from that December 18, 1938 interview with Mr. Reuben: “I’ll tell you about how I got the sandwich idea. I owned a delicatessen on Broadway and one day a dame walks in, one of the theatrical dames, and she’s down and out I suppose, and she asks me for something to eat. Her name was Anna Selos. Well, I’m feeling sort of good, so I figure I’ll clown around for the dame. That’s how it all came about. I’m clowning for the dame. Well, what do I do? I take a holy bread that I used to keep and grab up the knife and, you know, clowning like, I cut it right through on the bias. Then I take some roast beef, I don’t remember exactly what. But, anyway, I figure I’ll put anything on. So I take some meat and cheese and I slap it on, and I put on some spice and stuff and I make her up a sandwich; it was a foot high. Well the dame just eats it, that’s all. She must have been plenty hungry. And when she gets through she says, “Mr. Reuben, that’s the best sandwich I ever tasted in my life.” Well, the idea comes to me in a flash. I’ll call it the Anna Selos sandwich, after the dame. Then, one night, she brings some friends up, you know, stage people and a newspaper man, and this guy he goes right behind the counter and makes himself up a sandwich, and then he tells me why I don’t call the sandwich after celebrities? Like what happened with Anna Selos. Why don’t I call it the Anna Selos sandwich? Well, boys, in a flash, I get the idea. Anna Selos! I’ll call it a Reuben Special.” Regardless of who invented this recipe or why it is called what it is, the actual fact of the matter is that the Reuben Sandwich should be classified as the eighth wonder of the world! The modern world that is! It is simply that different from any other sandwich and a true culinary achievement.

A little Northwest history: When Jim was in 2nd grade (about 50 years ago) his parents started taking him to the Crabapple Restaurant at Bellevue Square in Bellevue, Washington. Those of you who have lived in the Seattle area for some time will probably remember that Bellevue Square was one of the nation’s earliest shopping centers. And the Crabapple Restaurant was one of the first establishments to open in the square. The restaurant was designed with an art gallery motif, and its walls were filled with works by Northwest artists. The owner, Carl Pefley apparently found himself acting as an art dealer, selling paintings and then choosing replacements. Both Carl and his wife Pat enjoyed art shows, so it was inevitable that they would want to form one of their own. In 1947, Bellevue’s Pacific Northwest Arts Fair opened for the first time. It was held for 3 days and attracted more than 30,000 visitors. But what attracted Jim’s family to this amazing restaurant was the Reuben Sandwich. Jim said it was truly the first time he realized that some food is really, really good.  The following recipe is a combination of Jim’s and my thoughts on how to build the quintessential Reuben. The only difference being that Jim uses Maries Thousand Island Dressing and I usually make my own. Huge difference, right? (My recipe included.)

  • thin slices of corned beef, trimmed of any fat (home cooked is the best)
  • sauerkraut (Jim uses S&W canned, I use whatever is in the pantry at the time)
  • Swiss cheese, thinly sliced (Jarlsberg is perfect. And none of that low-fat version. Yikes!)
  • dark Russian rye bread (Brenner Brothers is the best, if you can find it)
  • Thousand Island dressing (either Marie’s or homemade)
  • butter

Place about a tablespoon of water in a lidded non-stick pan and place over low heat. Add the corned beef and warm the meat on both sides. Overlap slices of the meat until it is about the shape of the bread you are using. Add a layer of sauerkraut, as thin or as thick as you prefer. Place 2-3 thin slices of Jarlsberg on top of sauerkraut, cover and cook until all is warmed through and the cheese is just starting to melt. Meanwhile slather Thousand Island dressing on 2 pieces of rye bread. Remove the corned beef from the pan and carefully place it on one of the pieces of bread. Top with the other piece of bread, dressing side down. Add a pat of butter to the pan and heat till bubbling. (Use just enough butter to flavor bread and allow it to brown, but not so much that the sandwich tastes greasy.) Put sandwich in pan, place a small plate on top as a weight, and heat until bread starts to toast. Flip the sandwich and repeat the process. (And don’t even think of hotting the whole thing up in the microwave!) Cut in thirds and serve with potato salad, coleslaw or Jim’s favorite – Tim’s Jalapeno Potato Chips and a good stout beer. (Jim recommends a Guinnes.) Oh yes, another Jim recommendation. Eat the middle third of the sandwich last. I’m not quite sure why that is. But when it comes to food and the eating thereof, I never question the big guy. If you knew him and his cooking, you wouldn’t either!

Thousand Island dressing recipe:

  • 1 c. mayonnaise
  • ¼ c. ketchup
  • 1 T. Dijon mustard
  • ½ tsp. creamy horseradish
  • dash hot sauce
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 T. finely minced dill pickle
  • 3 T. finely minced black olive
  • 1 green onion, finely minced
  • 1 T. minced fresh parsley

Combine all ingredients and serve on Reuben Sandwich or any time a Thousand Island dressing is required.

 

 

BACON JAM

Since you already know that cheese burgers are my favorite food, I might as well go all the way and tell you about my little addiction to pig products. And high on the list of porky type foods I find the most delectable is bacon.  And at the top of my list of favorite uses for bacon is Bacon Jam. And I do know what you are thinking. How in the name of all things porcine, can anything taste better than a perfectly cooked (your definition) slice of bacon? Well you are right. There are very few foods tastier than bacon, unless of course you are thinking about Bacon Jam! (In my opinion, Bacon Jam is so delicious it should be its own food group!) And this recipe, which is a slight variation on the Bacon Jam recipe I found on the Internet site Leite’s Culinaria, is really good. I love to serve Bacon Jam on hamburger sliders. Place some warm Bacon Jam on the bottom of a lightly grilled slider roll. Next add some arugula, a nicely seasoned grilled burger pattie and a thin slice of Cambozola cheese. Add the top half of the slider roll and prepare for an amazing taste treat. (This is the basic recipe for the Bacon Jam Burger served by Seattle’s own mobile diner Skillet.) Another good way to serve Bacon Jam is slathered on brie and baked until the cheese is soft and gooey.  But, if you can keep a secret from Mr. C., I’ll tell you the absolute best way to eat Bacon Jam. Some dark moonless evening, just past midnight, sneak into your kitchen and scoop up a bit of the jam on a spoon and place it directly in your mouth. Don’t chew for a full minute. Just savor the flavor and texture rolling around on your tongue. Heaven, I’m tellin’ you – pure heaven! (Sneaking food in the middle of the night is wonderful fun to begin with, but sneaking Bacon Jam lifts the whole experience to the ‘winning a trip to Paris’ level!)

  • 1 lb. lean pepper bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 1 ½ large onions, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/3 c. cider vinegar
  • 1/3 c. packed brown sugar
  • 3 T. real maple syrup
  • ½ c. strong black coffee
  • freshly ground black pepper

Place bacon in a medium sized fry pan. Fry the bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove from pan, drain, and set aside. Discard all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon grease. (I actually save my bacon grease in the refrigerator. You never know when a small amount of bacon grease might come in handy.) Add the onions to the pan and sauté until just starting to soften. Add garlic and cook another couple of minutes. Stir in the vinegar, brown sugar, syrup, coffee, and a few grinds of pepper. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring frequently, and boil for 2 minutes. Add the reserved bacon and simmer gently until the onions are very soft. Stir occasionally. Remove from heat when the liquid is thick and syrupy.  (Add a small amount of water if needed to keep mixture from burning while the onions soften).  Let stand a few minutes. Using a food processor, pulse the very warm mixture a few times until the jam is of a spreadable consistency. Don’t over process. You want little chunks of bacon in the jam. Store in an airtight container in your refrigerator for up to one month. Delicious served cold, room temperature, or warmed.

SALSA

Since this is my final recipe of my mini-series on good homemade Mexican food, I had to end with salsa. Really I should have begun with salsa, because really good salsa is the first thing I look forward to when we I go out for Mexican food. That and warm really fresh tortilla chips. Actually, if the tortilla chips are lovely and the salsa is flavorful, I could make a meal on the chips and salsa alone. But all too often the chips are stale and the salsa is at best mediocre. (Actually, I’m kind of picky about my salsa. It can’t be too runny, or have the consistency of Pico de Gallo (although I love a good Pico de Gallo as a garnish). I want my salsa to be a happy blend of saucy and chunky. I know, picky, picky, picky! So when daughter Paula served us this sauce one evening, I thought it was the best non-restaurant salsa I had ever tasted. Please feel free to add more “heat” if you like a spicier sauce. I personally have a great deal of respect for plants containing capsicum and tend to give them wide berth. (I have this thing about not wanting to hurt myself, and too much capsicum definitely burns my mouth, sensitive flower that I am.)  So regardless of whether you enjoy your salsa mild, medium or crazy hot, this is a simple recipe easily adapted to your own personal level of heat tolerance. Serve salsa drizzled over your favorite Mexican dish or with warmed *Juanita’s tortilla chips. A nice cold beer or one of Mr. C.s famous Margaritas would also be nice when you serve this salsa. Thanks again Paula for this wonderful recipe. Love you!

  • 1 (15-oz.) can tomato sauce
  • 3-4 cloves garlic
  • 1 fresh jalapeño, seeded (or more to taste)
  • ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (or more to taste)
  • ¾ tsp. kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 large tomatoes, finely chopped
  • ½ lg. onion, finely chopped
  • 1/2 c. loosely packed parsley leaves, finely chopped
  • 1 c. loosely packed cilantro, finely chopped
  • 1-2 tsp. dried oregano
  • juice of 1 lime

Combine the tomato sauce, garlic, jalapeño, crushed red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper in a blender or food processor. Whirl until well blended. Pour into a bowl; add finely chopped tomatoes, onion, parsley, cilantro, oregano (start with 1 teaspoon), and lime juice. Adjust seasonings. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably over night. Bring to room temperature before serving.

*Juanita’s Tortilla Chips are made in Hood River, Oregon. They are the best tortilla chips I have ever found in a grocery store.

GREEN CHILI SAUCE WITH PORK

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(Green Chili Sauce pictured on Tamale Pie, upper right)

For years when I have been in Denver visiting my Aunt Ruth, we have dined at Ruth’s favorite Mexican restaurant. If you have never been to the Denver area, (which is a mistake I might add) you pretty much can’t drive a block without bumping into a Mexican restaurant. (Please note, this is not a bad thing in my book. I truly adore really good Mexican food.) And Denver, unlike some areas of the US that I could mention, has more than its fair share of really good Mexican restaurants. (And I’m sorry if my next comments bring offence to anyone, but I don’t consider most of the food served by large Mexican chain restaurants in our area to be good Mexican food! To me, everything tastes the same. Regardless of what you order, it’s served swimming in an uninspired sauce that tastes like it has been sitting in a steam table container since just after the Mexican revolution ended in 1920.) So when I taste a sauce that is fresh tasting and has a depth of flavor that compliments rather than detracts from my chosen entrée, I am in pure hog heaven. And speaking of hogs, a pork product is usually at the base of a truly good green chili sauce. You can practically bet your share of pickled pig’s feet on that one! But back to dining in Denver……

Mexican restaurants in and around Denver are known for their sauces, especially their green chili sauce. And my aunt’s favorite restaurant served the best green chili sauce I had ever tasted. That is until I started messing around with the one I am going to share with you today. (And no I will not give you the name of the restaurant in Denver! I am not going to advertise for them because they have never, and believe me I have asked several times over the years, even given me the slightest hint as to what goes into their amazing sauce. So call me a baby, but darn it, I live 1350 miles away. It’s not like I would publish the recipe in a cookbook or blog for heaven’s sake!) So, in order to pay homage to one of the truly wonderful world cuisines, and to let you know that there are homemade dishes that are far superior to what is available in most Mexcian restaurants today, I’m goin’ south of the border for the next few days. Today Green Chili Sauce with Pork; tomorrow Red Chili Sauce. After that Cheese Enchiladas, Mexican Shredded Beef, Pork Tamale Pie, Mexican Rice (nary a tomato product in this rice), Margaritas, and a couple of other favorites of mine. So pack your metaphorical bags and join me on my Mexican food adventure.  Open yourself a Negra Modelo or Dos Equis, start reading a book by Carlos Fuentes, and listen to some Carlos Santana. Mexico here we come. Provecho!

  • 1 T. vegetable oil
  • 2-3 bone in pork chops
  • kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • ½ medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 4 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tsp. cumin
  • 1 tsp. chili powder
  • ¼ tsp. dried oregano
  • ½ tsp. kosher salt
  • 2 ½ c. chicken stock
  • 1 T. tomato paste
  • 2 lg. tomatillos, chopped
  • 5 Anaheim peppers, charred (skins, seeds, veins removed) and chopped
  • 1 lg. or 2 small fresh jalapenos, charred (skins, seeds, veins removed) and finely minced
  • flour

Heat oil in a large, covered sauce pan. Season chops with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Carefully place in hot oil and fry until very, very brown and there are lots of brown bits in the bottom of the pan. Add onion and cook until translucent. Add garlic and cook for about a minute or until you can smell the garlic. Stir in the cumin, chili powder, oregano, and salt. Add chicken stock, tomato paste, tomatillos, and peppers. Bring to just under a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer gently for about 2 hours. Remove chops and allow to cool. When cool, remove bones and as much fat and sinew as possible. Flake the meat into very small pieces and return to the sauce. Discard bones and sinew. You will probably need to thicken the sauce at this point. Take about 1/4 cup of the liquid out on the pan and place in a small mixing bowl. Depending on how thick you like your sauce, whisk in a tablespoon or two of flour into your mixing bowl and gently stir back into the pan. Allow to burble for about 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes, adjust seasoning, and serve over your favorite enchiladas, tamales, burritos, refried beans, etc.

 

 

CHUNKY APPLESAUCE

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This is another one of those simple foods that sometimes doesn’t receive the attention it deserves. Many people are content to buy applesauce in a jar, or try to emulate in their own kitchen the apple puree they have previously purchased. Well I am here to try and change your thinking on the subject of applesauce.   While I realize that it isn’t difficult to throw some peeled and cored apples in a pot, boil them until the pieces are tender, and then puree the lot in a food processor, I would like you to consider another way of approaching applesauce preparation. Instead of pureeing those darling tender little chunks of apple, mash them ever so tenderly with your favorite potato masher. Then when you have an equal proportion of saucy stuff to chunks, add some brown sugar, a bit of spice and some lemon juice, and walk away from the kitchen. (That way you won’t be tempted to keep messing with the apples until they resemble baby food!) I promise, after you take one bite of this spicy, not too sweet chunky applesauce, you will never settle for bland flavored pureed applesauce again. And yes, I do know that I have a tendency to be a wee bit dogmatic. I’m working on it, but I kind of think I must have been a politician in a former life. That would explain a lot!

  • 10 apples, peeled, cored and cut into chunks (I recommend a combination of Gala, Honeycrisp, and Granny Smith)
  • ½ c. water
  • ½ c. brown sugar
  • 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp. ground nutmeg
  • ¼ tsp. ground cloves
  • 1 T. fresh lemon juice

Place apples and water in a large, covered sauce pan. Cover pan and place over medium heat; cook apples for about 30 minutes or until tender. Stir occasionally during cooking time to prevent sticking. When tender, remove from heat and mash together with brown sugar, spices* and the lemon juice. (Just remember that you want those little lumps. They add to the overall appeal of the sauce.) Allow sauce to cool completely before storing in your refrigerator or freezer.

Hint: It is always a good idea when using ground spices to mix them together before you add them to whatever you are cooking. Ground herbs and spices have an annoying tendency to ball up in their containers while they are patiently waiting to be used. These little “balls” if not broken up first, can be the very devil to deal with if they are already added to other ingredients. A fine mesh strainer also works very well. Just hold the strainer over the other ingredients and pour the spice through. Voila. No lumps!

 

 

 

BREAD AND BUTTER PICKLES

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There are few foods as evocative of my childhood as bread and butter pickles. When I was young every holiday meal had to include “the relish tray”. And said relish tray had to offer at the very least black olives, carrot and celery sticks, and pickles. Sometimes the pickles were homemade dill pickles, but more often they were bread and butter pickles, because they were my dad’s favorite. It was always my job to assemble the “tray” which I gladly did with nary a “mom, do I have to?”  It was simply the best chore ever! I got to cut the carrot and celery sticks, open the can of olives and drain the pickles.  And, I was allowed to arrange the tray any way I wanted! Of course arranging the tray was really the fun part, well that and eating most of the olives and a considerable portion of the pickles before they ever hit the tray! So when I found this simple recipe years later and it didn’t even involve the “C” word (canning), I was very excited.  (And yes, I would gladly give credit to the awesome author of this recipe if I had any recollection. But I’m certain that when I saw bread and butter pickles, easy, and 24 hours all in the same sentence, the recipe could have been handed down from Moses for all I would have noticed.) So if you too love a good bread and butter pickle, give this recipe a try. I have actually observed grown men hover over a bowl of these pickles mumbling mine, mine, mine! I could easier accept such behavior from a flock of seagulls, for example, than grown men. But truth be told, I do understand. These lovely pickles are just that good.

  • 2 English cucumbers, partially peeled and thinly sliced
  • 1 ½ T. kosher salt
  • 1 c. thinly sliced yellow onion
  • 1 c. granulated sugar
  • ¼ c. packed brown sugar
  • 1 c. white vinegar
  • ½ c. cider vinegar
  • 1 ½ tsp. mustard seed
  • ½ tsp. celery seed
  • 1/8 tsp. turmeric

Combine cucumber slices and salt in a large non-reactive bowl (glass works best); cover and chill for 90 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water. Drain again and return cucumbers to bowl. Add onion. Combine sugars, vinegars, mustard seed, celery seed, and turmeric in a medium sized saucepan; bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until sugars dissolve. Pour hot mixture over cucumbers and onion; let stand at room temperature for 1 hour. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours. At this point the pickles can be transferred to an airtight container and refrigerated for up to 2 weeks. (Good luck on that! They have yet to last that long in our refrigerator.)

 

BREAKFAST BLINTZES

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So Mr. C. and I are over at our good friend Lindas’ home in Leavenworth, Washington a few months ago, when Linda proceeds to serve us these blitzes for breakfast. (If you are not from the great state of Washington, then you probably haven’t heard of Leavenworth. Leavenworth is an ever so precious little village on the eastern slopes of the Cascade Mountains with a lofty goal. It wants to become, and frankly has a good start at becoming, a Bavarian village. Cute, right?) But enough about Leavenworth……. So I put a bite of one of these tender little blintzes in my mouth, and could hardly believe how wonderful it tasted. The texture was perfect, the blitzes looked just beautiful on the plate, and everything about them made my mouth happy. So I asked Linda where she got the recipe? (Did I mention that I have been best of friends with this woman for over 30 years?) My friend casually answered that she had not made them, much less even thought about them in years, but they had been one of her children’s favorites while they were growing up. What! Years, she had had this recipe for years? She had not, in all that time, thought about this recipe, much less shared it with her dear friend who just happens to write cookbooks? She had not considered that I might really need breakfast blintzes in my life? I was dumbfounded.  But being the true friend that I am, and after she served me a second round of blintzes, and offered her heartfelt apology, I forgave her. But I learned a very valuable lesson that day. It’s easy to forget about treasured recipes. Don’t let that happen.  Fix that pot roast recipe that you got from your mother-in-law 30 years ago.  Make fried chicken and lemon meringue pie for Sunday supper. Try new recipes, but don’t forget about those wonderful recipes that have been lurking around your kitchen for years. Like old friends, tried and true recipes are the best. Both Linda and I hope you enjoy this oldie, but goody.

  • 4 eggs
  • 1 c. low fat (2%) small curd cottage cheese
  • 1 c. low fat sour cream (Tillimook low fat sour cream is really very good)
  • 1 T. sugar
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • 1 c. flour

In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, cottage cheese, sour cream, sugar, and salt. Gently stir in the flour until just blended. Bake like a pancake over medium low heat. The most traditional way to serve breakfast blintzes is with butter, blueberries, and a sprinkle of powdered sugar. My favorite way is with warm berry syrup and a whoosh of Reddi wip. (We always have canned whipped cream on hand because Mr. C. often has a mocha for his elevenses. And a mocha without whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles is simply unacceptable! As of course is going without elevenses. By-the-way, if you don’t know about elevenses, you can undoubtedly learn more about the subject from Bilbo Baggins, Bag End, Hobbiton, The Shire. I’ve read that he takes his elevenses ever so seriously. Unfortunately, I don’t have Bilbo’s email address or even know if he is still living at the above location, but I’m sure if you go online, you can learn more about this charming gentleman and elevenses.)

LEMON BASIL AIOLI

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There is just nothing finer in this world than fried fish served with this aioli. The first time I made it, I thought Mr. C. was going to fall off his chair. It is so creamy and luscious. I use light mayonnaise which has just enough fewer calories than regular mayonnaise that I can trick myself into thinking that it might even be good for me! Well, all the other ingredients are good for me….oh, never mind! Just try it – it’s fabulous!

  • 3/4 c. mayonnaise
  • 1/3 c. finely chopped fresh basil
  • 2 small garlic cloves, finely minced
  • 1 tsp. finely grated lemon peel
  • 4 tsp. fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients. Serve with seafood, crab cakes, or as a sandwich spread.