Bread and Butter Pickled Jalapenos

I saw a guy doing something similar -- Bread and Butter Pickled Jalepenos -- on the Food Channel -- Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. I have an old bread and butter pickle recipe from an ancient Farm Journal cookbook. So I thought it might be good and it is. This recipe makes about a quart.









Put the following in a mixing bowl. Note that if you touch the sliced peppers very much, your hands will begin to sting. Use a rubber glove, at least on the hand you don't hold the knife in. Do not rub your eyes or skin elsewhere.

• 1/2 half pound fresh Jalapeno peppers. Select firm ones. Avoid the rubbery ones. Avoid those with thin skins. Slice into round sections a little less than 1/4 inch (5 mm). Discard the ends and stems. I leave the seeds and the white, center part.
• (optional) 3 or 4 colorful habanero (scotch bonnet) peppers. Slice into rounds as thin as you can cut them without them falling apart. Discard the ends and stems. (Habaneros will make the result very spicy hot.)
• 2 Tbsp salt - sprinkle over the jalapeno rounds

Stir to distribute the salt. Cover with ice and let set for 2-3 hours. Add more ice as needed.

When the time is over, remove the ice, if any is left, and drain. Add the following and stir together:

• 6-8 green onions - slice the white part and some of the green.

Heat the following to boiling in a 2 qt pan:

• 1 c apple cider vinegar
• 1 c white sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp celery flakes (or 3/4 tsp celery seeds)
• 1 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 2 juniper berries
• pinch ground white pepper

Simmer for 10 minutes.

Drain the peppers and onions one more time and add the mixture to the pan. Stir and bring back to a boil.

Move the peppers and onions to a quart mason jar with a slotted spoon. It should fill the jar. If it does not, add some random vegetables to fill the jar. (I like baby carrots.)

Pour the hot vinegar mixture into the jar. Add some water if you need and make sure all the vegetables are covered. Seal the jar.

If you are going to store it, process it in boiling water for 15 minutes. 

Turn the jar over on a counter and let it cool to room temperature (or so). If you didn't process with the boiling water, you will need to refrigerate now.

I like these over a cracker with a small slice of blue cheese. Other creamy cheeses work too.

Or you can just use them over foods where you would use standard salsa.

Chicken Enchilada Cassarole

This has roots in an old Kathy Williams recipe from before any of us had kids.

First you prepare the chiles.

• 2 fresh green Poblano chiles (you can use the long thin ones like Anaheim, New Mexico or Hatch but you will need 4 of those as they are smaller)

Heat up the gas grill. I know mine is ready when the temp reads over 300 F.

Put the chile peppers on the grill and roast, turning as needed until the thin skin is charred pretty much over the entire surface. I would guess about 5 min for the first side and 3 for the other side (or other two sides depending on the shape of the chiles.

Remove from the heat and pop them into a paper bag. (You can use a pan with a lid or a bowl with a plate on top.) Let them set, which will loosen the charred skin. (You can do this ahead of time or let it set while the onion starts to saute, but only if you can do two things at once.)

Running them under water, slide the skin off the chiles. You can use a knife the scrape if you are careful. Cut off the stem and the seedy lump inside. Wash off the seeds though a few won't hurt.

At this point, its a good time to toast the tortillas on the grill. (You can use store-bought tortilla chips but they will add a lot of salt to the end product.) Use the gas grill AFTER the chiles have completed.

• 12 corn tortillas

Lay them flat on the grill. Leave them just long enough to get a little toasting and/or grill marks on the down side and then turn them. The 2nd side goes faster. If one starts puffing up, they are done. I can't fit all 12 on my grill at the same time, so repeat after stacking the done ones.

Saute on a low heat the following in a 4 qt (or larger) pan on the stove. (No lid needed.)

• 3 Tbsp olive oil (or pretty much any oil)
• 1 med onion, chopped coarsely. (I like the sweet yellow ones.
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• the roasted chiles (prepared above) chopped

When the onion becomes translucent, add the following spices:

• 1 tsp ground cumin
• pinch of ground mexican oregano (or any oregano, ground or flakes)
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• (optional: a small amount of salt. Note that other ingredients have plenty of salt so you may not need any.)

Saute 2 or 3 more minutes, then stir in the following:

• 1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
• 1 can Cream of Chicken soup
• chicken meat cut into 3/4" chunks or shredded (I use the meat of one rotisserie chicken precooked at the grocery. You can also cook about 4 chicken breasts and use that. 

Stir as needed to avoid burning until the whole mixture comes to a boil. Remove from the heat.

Build the enchiladas in a cassarole dish (12" x 16" or so). I use some spray oil to avoid sticking. 

The layers numbered from bottom to top:

1. 4 tortillas spread across the bottom. They can overlap depending on the exact size of tortillas and pan.
2. 1/2 of the mixture from the pan.
3. 8 oz sour cream
4. 4 oz grated cheese
5. 4 more tortillas
6. the other 1/2 of the mixture from the pan
7. 1/2 cup green chiles (either canned chopped green chile or use "505 Flame Roasted Green Chile" which is chile with garlic and cumin. It has a blue label to distinguish it from their other products.)
8. 4  more tortillas
9. 8 oz grated cheese

If you heat it right away, it only needs about 15 minutes at 300 F. If you keep it in the refrigerator, or freeze it and then let it thaw, it will need 30-45 minutes at 350 with foil over it except the last 15 minutes.

Cream of Green Bean Casserole Soup

I just woke up in the middle of the night one night. I was getting ready for the Christmas Party at my house and I suddenly knew I needed to make soup -- Cream of Green Bean Casserole soup.

The only problem is that I had never heard of it before. When the same thing happened with Cranberry Mustard, I went online and found hundreds of recipes.

The ingredients (my recipe) for Green Bean Casserole are basically Cream of Mushroom soup concentrate, French Fried Onions and Green Beans.

I had made some Cream of Mushroom soup a long time ago. But it was much better than the canned variety. I figured I could make some more and then blend in some green beans and be done with it.

So I started with Ina Garten's recipe for Mushroom Soup (Original: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/cream-of-wild-mushroom-soup-recipe.html) and, of course changed it just a bit.

Start by making some mushroom broth. Prepare

• 16 oz mushrooms (the original has cremini, portobello and shitake and its very good)

Pop out the stems (break them where the stem meets the cap or cut them). Set the caps aside for the soup itself. Chop the stems and saute in the bottom of a stock pot or similar pan over medium-low heat until soft (perhaps 10 min) in:

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp butter

Option 1: Add

• 1 large onion - cut in large pieces
• 1 large carrot - cut into a few pieces
• 1 tsp salt
• 6 peppercorns
• pinch of thyme (a little more if its fresh)
• 6 cups of water

Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes

Option 2: Cover with

• 6 cups of vegetable broth

Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes

Whether you choose option 1 or 2, when the broth has simmered 30 minutes, strain out the veggies and reserve the liquid. If there is less than 4 cups, add some water. Set aside for use later

Now for the soup itself. Cook in a large pan or dutch oven over low heat for 15 - 20 minutes until beginning to brown

• 1/4 lb butter (1 stick)
• 2 cups leeks - chopped coarsely including the white and the more tender green parts. One or two leeks will provide you with 2 cups.

Meanwhile prepare the mushroom caps (all that's left of the 16 ounces from above) by slicing them up.

Add the sliced mushrooms to the leeks and cook 10 more minutes. The mushrooms will become soft and maybe a little browned.

Add and stir without stopping for a minute or two:

• 3/4 c flour

When no longer raw or lumpy, add and stir, scraping the bottom of the pot to get all that flavor into the soup:

• 1 c dry white wine

Add in:

• 4 c mushroom stock (prepared as described above)
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 2 14 oz cans of green beans - drain thoroughly first. Use a good quality of green beans that don't have stems, leaves or woody parts.

and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Remove from the heat and use an immersion blender to make it into a smooth soup. An ordinary blender will do if you are very careful to blend about a cup at a time with the lid on. Keep it covered so the hot liquid stays in the blender and off of you.

Note: Some people like it better if you hold back half of the green beans and add them after blending, It makes a different texture and color but I prefer the whole thing to be smooth. Similarly, you could top with a few crumbles of french fried onion rings sprinkled on the surface once the soup is in a bowl.

Finally, stir in:

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley (the finer the better)

If the blending and the cream have cooled it down, warm gently. Do not boil. Do not simmer. Just get back to being hot.

Then remove from the heat and top with

• 3 pats of butter - leave them floating on top to melt slowly with the lid on

Serve hot. Serves 5 or 6.

BBQ Beans

A decade ago I learned part of this recipe from my friend Marvin. Marvin moved to Alaska but the recipe stayed with me. Recently, I made a change to use some elements of a barbecue sauce I got from another friend two decades ago. Here is the recipe as of today.

Saute on medium heat:

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion diced
• 6 oz bacon (or you can use ham)

When  the onion is clear but not brown, add

• 3 15-oz cans of Pork and Beans (quickly drained but not thoroughly, set the liquid aside)
• 1/4 c Worcestershire sauce
• 2 Tbsp Apple Cider vinegar
• 3/4 c brown sugar
• 1 c catsup
• 1/4 c bourbon (I use Jim Beam)
• 1/2 tsp dry mustard
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp salt
• pinch garlic powder
• pinch celery flakes (or celery seeds)
• pinch cayenne pepper

Stir well as the mustard powder likes to clump. Avoid too high a heat as this will burn to the bottom of the pan. Add some of the liquid from the Pork 'n Beans if it needs thinning.

Bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and serve.

Potato Salad

These quantities are from memory and may need adjusting:

Hard boil, remove shells and cool

• 3 eggs

then slice in half and set aside.

Combine these ingredients and toss together until everything is coated in the mayo.

• 2 c - red potatoes (baked in microwave, partially peeled  and cubed - 1/2")
• 2 c - sweet potatoes (prepared as the red potatoes except completely peeled)
• 3/4 c - mayonnaise (real mayonnaise)
• 2 stalks celery - diced or thinly sliced
• 1/4 c bread and butter pickles - diced (include some onions if they are in there)
• 2 Tbsp fresh parsley - chopped

Sprinkle with

• 1/2 tsp dry mustard powder

Mix thoroughly and put in a bowl. Garnish with the egg halves and sprinkle the following on the eggs only:

• salt (to taste, you may not need any)
• black pepper
• paprika

Serve cold.

Natillas (Soft Custard)

This recipe is originally from "Cocinas de New Mexico", published by Public Service Company of New Mexico. I found it here http://blog.bottger.com/2009/11/new-mexico-dessertsflan-vs-natillas.html (As usual, I changed it a bit.)

The Public Service Company of New Mexico was the electric and gas company for the state of New Mexico and collected traditional New Mexican recipes for their cookbook (back in the day) and posted them online more recently. https://www.pnm.com/cocinas-cookbook

Yield:  6 servings

Begin by separating four eggs and setting the whites aside for use later. Then add the following to a small mixing bowl.

• 4 egg yolks
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 cup of whole milk

Stir to make a smooth pase and set aside.

Heat the following in medium saucepan.

• 3 cups whole milk
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 whole nutmeg
• 1/2 whole cinnamon stick

Scald (which means put a thermometer in the mixture and heat on medium or, perhaps, low-medium until the mixture just reaches 180 degrees F (82 degrees C). You will need to stir continuously with a wire whisk to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pan or forming a skin on top.

Then remove from heat.

Immediately, while stirring the egg mixture in the mixing bowl, begin to slowly add the almost boiling sugary milk to that first bowl with the eggs and flour. Do this SLOWLY and stir the eggs as you add hot milk it to slowly bring the temperature of the eggs up. If you do this too quickly you end up with scrambled eggs. If you do it slowly, you end up with the beginning of a custard.

Add it to the mixture (but you have to prepare the vanilla bean)

• 1 1/2 inch vanilla bean
• 1 tsp Laphroaig Scotch (or other very smoky Islay Scotch Whiskey)

Split the bean open and scraping the soft fragrant inside into the mixture. Stir well with a whisk. Put it all back into the saucepan and cook at medium heat until a soft custard consistency is reached. It should take about 8 minutes (give or take a couple) and the mixture will become visibly thicker.

When you decide it's thick enough, remove what is now a custard from the heat. Pour it back into the mixing bowl, set it on the counter and allow it to cool to room temperature.

Beat

• 4 egg whites

in a mixing bowl until they are stiff but not dry.

Fold the egg whites into the custard and chill. (You can not keep this in the refrigerator for too long. It will begin to separate, leaving a clear liquid in the bottom of the bow.)

To serve, spoon into individual dishes and garnish with grated (or ground) nutmeg.

Option:
Do not use ground spices when heating the mixture. If you do not have the whole spices, you can add a very small amount or cinnamon and nutmeg when you remove the custard from the heat and stir them in well. Also you can add a bit of vanilla extract at the same time as the Scotch. (Or in place of the Scotch.)

Grilled Pork Tenderloin

Pork Tenderloin - 10 inches long or so

To do this right you need one of the small pork tenderloins. Sometimes they come two to a package. Do not get the ones that have been marinated. We will add some seasoning in a bit.

1 small tenderloin will feed two very big appetites or 4 smaller ones.

By letting it cook very slowly for a long time, it comes out extremely tender.

Step 1 is to remove the hard white skin. You can see it on the left end of the picture to the right. It takes a sharp knife and you will likely sacrifice some of the meat to get it all removed. You will notice that most of the time, there is some fat here and there on the outside of the meat. No need to remove it. But the part you are removing is quite tough and you don't want to chew it off.

Sprinkle the meat all around with salt and pepper.

Now turn on the gas grill to high. Let it warm while you prepare the marinade and coat the meat with it.

Prepare a "marinade" if we call it that, by combining

• 3 Tbs olive oil
• 3 Tbs lemon juice
• 1/8 tsp garlic powder

Roll the meat in the marinade. Coat it well.

Put the meat on the grill. Leave it on high.

Cook for 2 minutes. Turn the meat over.

Cook for 2 more minutes. Remove the meat.

Immediately wrap the meat in foil. (If you have more than one of these, wrap all of them together.) Fold the foil closely around the meat to seal it completely.

Now wrap it in foil again to seal it even better. (You can even wrap it again with plastic wrap if you like.

Set the wrapped meat on a plate, on the counter. If the room is cold, put a towel over it to keep it from cooling too fast. Or, you can put it in a small cooler such as those designed to keep drinks icey. (But don't add ice.) The cooler will keep the heat in.

Now wait at least 2 hours. You can wait overnight if you want to. Do not open the foil. Do not move things around. Do not remove the towel. Do not refrigerate.

Prepare the dressing by mixing the following:

• 1/4 c olive oil
• 1/4 c lemon oil
• 1/4 tsp sugar or honey or agave nectar
• 1/3 tsp garlic powder (or 1 small clove finely chopped garlic)
• 2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh herbs (I like thyme and parsley, for example.)

After the meat has sat longer than your patience can stand, remove the foil and slice at an angle. I cut it 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick (5 to 10 mm) but the actual thickness doesn't seem to matter much.

Put it in a bowl and top with the dressing. Serve at room temperature.

You can keep the leftovers for a few days in the refrigerator. Its good sliced up and scrambled with eggs. Its good on a sandwich with BBQ sauce. Its good on top of a nice lettuce or spinach salad. (I don't even warm it up.)