Recipes

I wrote a post yesterday, or at least most of a post.  However it failed to be finished, so it did not get posted.  Oh well.

Living in the past, a recap of last nights dinner:

Chicken.  Monday consisted of an all day crockpot affair.  We have too crocks for just these occasions, or just because single people tend to accumulate kitchenware for themselves and when they combine with other single people, you wind up with more pairs than just single people.

Anyway, made yogurt in the ancient four quart, which is probably my favorite and most hated kitchen tool next to my whisk since it is damnably difficult to clean. My love for yogurt is beginning to wane again, but it is so good for the body.  I am going to continue experimenting with culturing edible (beneficial) bacteria in my kitchen, because it is fun and I love it when the things I want to grow, grow... unlike the centipede in my seedling box.  Perhaps he will drown in the nutrient wash I putt my dirt tray above.  That would be great.

In the other crock, I potted a lovely chicken.  I feel that I am repeating myself.  Did I make a post Monday before I managed to break the lap top?  Oh well, my chicken and chicken stock recipe will follow.  Like all of my recipes, it is nothing special and can be adjusted in any measure that you want.

Today, I actually have quite a few recipes.  Because I got busy in my kitchen yesterday!  I managed to keep the mess minimal, so it is about as messy as it has always been since moving to the new apartment.  Meaning coffee stained with the remnants of sweet potato shreds everywhere!  (They just keep popping up! I can whip it away into the garbage disposal, but there is always more!)

Crockpotted Chicken and Stock

• 1 whole chicken: dead, plucked, with legs, comb, beak, gibblets, gizzards, entrails, various sphincters, etc. removed.  One that will fit in your crockpot easily with the lid on it is a good idea. This can be done with chicken legs, thighs, breasts, etc. but it must have bones.  You can get a stock without the bones, but it is soooo much better if you have the carcass and connective tissues in the simmering miasma of awesomeness.
• 5 cups of water, or enough to cover your chicken.  I left the very top inch and a half of my chicken bare, it was frozen solid and I did not wish to spend time for thaw nor did I want to dilute my broth too much, but it should probably be covered totally and thawed before cooking, use your best judgement.
• 1/2 of secret seasoning blend.  This blend is anything that tickles your fancy and tastes good on chicken.  This chicken had bay leaves, black pepper, cilantro, cumin, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, oregano, and lemon juice. My chicken was intended for burritos and scotch bonnet pepper chicken wraps (more on this later) so I went with seasoning that would compliment.  Sage, salt, ginger, soy, basil, etc. would be good too, as there are endless combinations you can make with this particular method.  The seasoning seasons the chicken for sure, but it mostly seasons the broth.  If you want to use the broth in anything in particular, be sure to focus your seasoning blend on the broth rather than your chicken.  My broth is going to be used in pho and a couscous dish, so again, the flavors were aimed to be complimentary to those dishes.

Plug in and turn on your crockpot to the low setting, no I do not know what "low" constitutes as a numbered setting for more fancy crockpots. Set in your chicken into the crock.  Apply your spice blend.  Supply your water.  Cover with the lid.  Let sit until the smells become enticing (about eight hours on low or four on high).  If you have one, use a meat thermometer to check for doneness in the thickest portion of your chicken, such as in the thigh or breast or both. Congratulations, you now have a cooked chicken and delicious broth.

Sweet and Spicy Scotch Bonnet Pepper Sauce
You may want to don protective breathing gear and eye protection for this recipe.  You've been warned.

• 6 scotch bonnet peppers (aka Habenero) , rough diced or chopped
• 1 medium to large sized sweet bell pepper, rough diced or chopped
• 2 cups white wine vinegar
• 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt ( I like sea salt)

Rough dice your peppers and garlic in whatever way you deem the best such as with a knife, blender, processor, etc. Toss everything into a sauce pot and bring to a boil (not roiling). Once boiling, turn down to a simmer for 10 - 15 minutes (this is where the fancy chemistry gear comes in handy). Take your chunky sauce and blend it either with an immersion blender, food processor, standard blender, etc. until well incorporated. If you do not want a thick paste or sauce, strain and keep your liquid.  You can keep your pulp for other spicy dishes... like curry maybe?  

If you want a spicier sauce, because this is pretty sweet as well as kicks a nice tingly spice, opt for white distilled vinegar.  If you want it super spicy, instead of rounding out with the bell pepper, use a full 8 - 16 ounces of scotch bonnet peppers and no bell pepper.

Pulled Scotch Bonnet Pepper Chicken

• About 2 cups of pulled chicken. 
• About 1 cup of Pepper Sauce

Pull, with two forks, cooked chicken muscle off of your chicken carcass. Apply sauce to shredded chicken, and store in refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours for absorption; 12 hours is best; 24 hours is even better.

Sy's Hot Pepper Relish

You may want to don protective breathing gear and eye protection for this recipe.  Depends on your peppers.

• at least 4 spicy peppers of choice, diced. due to the habenero in the sauce and the decaying jalapeno on my counter, I opted for Mexican red chillies (no idea if these were a special breed that is what they were labeled as at Publix) and jalapeno.
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of sugar

Welcome to the land of refrigerator pickling (if you haven't been there before)!  Pickles are super easy to make and no one should have to buy them... personal opinion, moving onward!  Place all of your ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to a boil (not roiling). Allow to simmer for several minutes  (no more than 5 if you want firm peppers, no more than 10 if you want to not add more vinegar (you don't want to add more vinegar)). Place in jar and allow to sit refrigerated for a minimum of 24 hours.  Pickles are one of those things that must age a bit before tasty eating.

Accidental Faux Papadum

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup corn meal
• 2 tablespoons canola oil, and another tablespoon for the cooking pan
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup water

The intention was to make supple flat bread/tortillas.  I ended up with something a lot like papadum in both taste and texture, but less cracker.  Odd, but tasty.  But such are the experiements of mixing corn meal and wheat flour.  For those who are gluten intolerant, Papadum is traditionally made with gluten free flour and makes an excellent tasting cracker or chip, so in case you are missing crackers, give this a try with your rice or chickpea flour.  

Anyway: combine all of the ingredients and form into a smooth ball.  If the ball is cracked or not forming properly, add water a tablespoon at a time.  You just want smooth, not too sticky.  If it gets sticky, add flour a teaspoon at a time.  Now you want to pinch off and roll smaller balls about 1 inch to 1.5 inches in diameter from your big ball.  Anywhere between 9 - 12 balls can be formed with this recipe.  Roll these suckers as flat as you can possibly get them on a flat surface dusted with corn meal (so it won't stick).  If you have a tortilla press, this would be a fantastic time for its use. Heat a skillet (cast iron if you got it) until it is almost as hot as the blazing fires of hell with a scant amount of oil to discourage sticking.  Fry your flat bread about 1 - 2 minutes per side.  Bubbles and brown spots are an awesome sign. If all goes well, you should have a fantastic crispy flat bread.

Kale Chips

• The remnants of your bag of kale fast turning into green sludge in the back of your fridge
• 2 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil of repute, or your favorite. You're going for taste here, not simple cookability. 
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• the juice of half a lime

Welcome to my favorite type of kale chip/kale salad.  Preheat your oven to 475*F.  In a bowl, mix your ingredients.  This is best done by hand, so that you can massage the seasoning into your kale, but there are other means to do this, probably. Scatter kale onto a sheet pan (covered in foil or parchment paper for easy clean up) in a single even layer.  Place in the oven for 10 - 15 minutes (cook time varies by electronic/gas efficiency).  Stir kale around, trying to crisp the underside of the kale.  Return to the oven for anywhere between 5 - 15 minutes.  Once finally crisp all over, eat like any salty, crispy thing that you have loved forever, only greener now.

So ends the glorious meal I attempted to eat this like a taco, then as taco salad like the SO. This makes fantastic leftovers, however it is a long and involved process unfortunately. I am trying to plan out how to stream line this so that the tastiness works alongside efficiency.  

Happy Cooking :)