Posts Tagged ‘garlic’

Tin Chef Chuck & Sous Vide

// February 8th, 2011 // No Comments » // Blog

Tin Chef Chuck

Sous vide is French for “under vacuum”.  It was first used by the French in the 1970’s and is beginning to become more popular in the states.  Sous vide uses a low temperature water bath with a very precise temperature range. It hasn’t really been adopted into the home kitchen for a couple of reasons, mainly the expense.  Sous vide machines were initially adapted from science supply house lab equipment, which tended to be pricey.  Also, the home vacuum machines didn’t work as well, requiring commercial sealing equipment.  So a basic setup would cost several thousand dollars.  Fortunately, there are now a few home units available for a much more reasonable price.   I recently picked up the Sous Vide Supreme on Amazon for under four hundred dollars and I am using my cheapo vacuum sealer for now, although I must admit I have my eye on the VacMaster VP210C Dry Piston Pump Chamber Machine.

As is usually the case with me, it was an impulse purchase.  My wife, Tin Chef Steve’s wife and several of the girls in my office have recently been doing the HCG diet thing.  And I must say they all look great- but do you have any idea how hard it is to cook 100 grams of chicken, fish or lean red meat with no fat of any kind?  A little lemon juice and seasoning- that’s it.  I was inspired when I watched her cut up and weigh the meats in 100 gram portion and then place in regular zip lock bag.  Over cooking a few of the little portions helped trigger my impulse- voila, two days later I was unpacking my machine.

The idea of sous vide cooking is that you cook the food at a relatively low temperature for a longer period of time.  If you want your steak medium rare, the goal is to get the center pink at 131°F.  Normally you need to cook the steak at higher temperatures which creates a “bull’s eye” effect, hotter at the surface with gradually decreasing temperatures towards the center.  That said, the outer portion is also closer to well done.  Sous vide gets everything perfectly cooked.  Once done, you can quickly sear the outside to brown the meat, also known as the Maillard reaction.  The Maillard reaction occurs when the denatured proteins on the surface combine with the sugars present, creating that wonderful “meaty” flavor and changes the color. High temperature, low moisture levels, and alkaline conditions all promote the Maillard reaction.  In cooking, low moisture levels are necessary mainly because water boils into steam at 212° F (100° C), whereas the Maillard reaction happens noticeably around 310° F (154° C).  Browning of food does not occur until all surface water is vaporized. When meat is cooked, the outside reaches a higher temperature than the inside, triggering the Maillard reaction and creating the strongest flavors on the surface.  With sous vide, the Maillard reaction will never occur, thus the extra step is needed.

Cooking tenderizes food by breaking down its internal structure. This process happens faster at higher temperatures. Because sous vide is done at such low temperatures the cooking time needs to be increased to achieve the same tenderization as traditional techniques.  Although it takes time, tougher cuts of meat (and cheaper) can really come out amazing.  I have cooked lamb and beef so far, but I have some short ribs ready to go.  The sous vide technique allows you to cook tough cuts of meat at an incredibly low temperature, allowing you to tenderize them while remaining perfectly medium-rare.  This is very effective for roasts and other pieces of meat that I usually braise or roast, but often dry out or get overcooked in the process.  So for my short ribs, I have read that it may take up to 36 hours.  I will let you know how that works.  Although possible, it is much harder to overcook things as well.  Another advantage of sous vide.

Obviously, this isn’t quite a “Rachel Ray” thirty minute meal.  It will take a little pre-planning;  kind of tough for my personality, but I’m working on it.

My first Sous Vide Experience

I picked up a few really nice filet mignon cuts, a lamb steak, and some short ribs.  For the HCG diet, I cut the filets into about ¾ inch slices, which came amazing close to 100 grams.  I adjusted the weights and sealed each in a vacuum bag with various spices.  I really mixed it up- Cajun, garlic, thyme and a few other combinations.  For the lamb, I tossed in some Herbes de Provence.  I tossed the bags into my Sous Vide Supreme set at 132° F for about 2 ½ hours.  I then dropped one filet into a hot nonstick pan to quickly brown them.  Pretty darn good…  And my wife has 5 other meals in a bag ready to go.  I am looking forward to the short ribs and I can’t wait to start playing with eggs.  Now that I think about it-  I bet I can come up with a pretty amazing Jigs Dinner…

Tin Chef Chuck

Toledo Farmers Market: Saturday October 30th

// November 1st, 2010 // No Comments » // Recipes

Tin Chef Chuck

Steve and I were at the Toledo Farmers Market Saturday and did a little cooking demo.  It was a little chilly, but there was a great turnout.  Steve made his brussel sprouts and I cooked squash gnocci.  Our little butane burners were no match for the windy weather, but Mike helped out with a grill.  My mom was in town and stopped by and my son was back from Ohio State for the day as well.  We met a lot of great  people and look forward to doing it again next year, hopefully in a little warmer weather.

 

 

Squash Gnocci

  • Squash- Butternut, buttercup, or acorn
  • Flour 2-4 cups
  • Parmigiano reggiano cheese 2 cups grated
  • Eggs, organic 2-3
  • Russet potatoes 2-3

To make my gnocci, take your squash and cut it in half or thirds.  Roast it in the oven at around 350 degrees for 30 minutes or so.  It should be soft and easily pierced with a fork when done.  Also bake a few potatoes at the same time.  Allow both to cool and scoop out and discard the seeds.  Using a spoon, scoop out the flesh of the squash and place on a cutting board or baking tray.  Add about 2 cups of flour, 1-2 cups of  grated parmigiano reggiano cheese.  Add one or two of the potatoes and mix well with your hands.  Add 2 eggs and continue to knead the mixture.  You may need to add more flour.  You are aiming for a dough like consistency that is not too sticky.

Toledo's Farmers' Market

Allow it to set up in the refrigerator for an hour or so.  Pick of small pieces and roll into a mini loaf, preferably on a gnocci board.  Since we were making so many, we actually used a piping bag with a large tip and piped out long lines on a baking sheet.  We then cut them to size.  They can now be frozen, otherwise use immediately.  Boil well salted water and drop in the gnocci.  When they float to the top, they are done.  We finished them off in a sautee pan with brown butter and sage and a sprinkle of kosher salt.  Using 3 different gnocci worked well and the different colors looked really nice.  Each type of squash had it’s own unique flavor as well.

Steve’s Brussel Sprouts

  • 1 lb. brussel sprouts rinsed, trimmed & cut into half or quarter if large
  • 1 medium  onion diced
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • 2-3 oz. walnut pieces coarsely chopped
  • Brown sugar
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Vinegarette (Garlic Expressions)

Mix brussel sprouts, onion, about 1/3 cup olive oil, salt & pepper to taste in a bowel.  Heat large saute pan ( I prefer cast iron) over medium high heat.  Add 1 tbsp. of oil to pan.  Continue to heat until hot but not smoking.  Add brussel sprouts and cook until they have a nice charred color, stirring occasionally – about 10 minutes.  While brussel sprouts are cooking, toast walnuts with a drizzle of olive oil in small saute pan over medium heat – about 5 min.  Transfer walnuts to a paper towel, lightly salt and sprinkle with 3 tbsp. of brown sugar.  Combine walnuts to brussel sprouts and drizzle with vingarette.  Serve warm.

Try these recipes.  They are really easy and I promise you will love both the squash and brussel sprouts.

Tin Chef Chuck

Braising…my favorite method of cooking

// June 1st, 2010 // No Comments » // Blog, Recipes

Tin Chef Chuck

Braising is by far one of my favorite cooking techniques.  In the past, I would toss a relatively inexpensive cut of meat into a crock pot, throw in a few veggies, a little beef stock and- fire and forget.  Although the results were pretty good, braising in the oven  results in spectacular and complex flavors.  The only down side is that it takes a little time- it’s easy, but not quick.  Braising was a typical peasant method of cooking, slow simmering beef in wine as a means of tenderizing cuts that would have turned out terrible any other way.  Braising is awesome and can transform most inexpensive, tougher cuts in to “haute cuisine“- basically delicious fancy, smancy French cooking.

The basic technique is to first sear the meat.  I like to use a cast iron dutch oven with a little olive oil and butter.  Sear all sides of the meat until it develops a rich brown color.  Remove the meat and set aside.  Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.

In the same pan, saute one onion, 1 or 2 celery stalks coarsely chopped, and 2 carrots, also coarsely chopped. I love garlic, so I will always add several gloves of chopped garlic.  You can also add a pepper for a little heat.  You can also add a few bay leaves and flat Italian parsley, also chopped.   Cook the vegetables down, salt and pepper to taste.  Add a little more olive oil if needed. You can add about 2 tablespoons of tomato paste now, or add whole tomatoes a little later.

Put the meat back into the pot and add several cups of red wine.  Simmer for 20-30 minutes to reduce the wine down by at least half.  Add about 12-14 ounces of low sodium beef broth and if you like, a can (28 ounces) of San Marzano tomatoes that have been crushed by hand. Stir everything together.  Cover the pot and place in the pre-heated oven and braise for about 90 minutes.  Remove the cover and cook for an additional 30 minutes or so.  You could use a crock pot here, but I only do that on my boat now.

There are several variations that you can try.  The meat can be dredged in a seasoned flour before searing.  You can also mix up the veggies, typically sticking with root vegetables.  This works great with “cheaper” or tougher meat cuts.  Veal shanks (Osso Buco) are my favorite, but you can use just about any roast.  Bone in short ribs are also excellent.  Coq au vin is braised chicken.  Coq means rooster, which is typically very tough, and works well with braising.  Classically a capon is used, but we don’t have a lot of neutered chickens running around in Toledo!   But too be honest I wouldn’t even know where to look to tell if the chicken was neutered.   Coq au vin usually has mushrooms and Burgandy wine, but there are endless variations.  Beef bourguignon is another traditional French recipe and just another variation of beef braised in red wine.  It is usually seared in bacon fat and has pearl onions and mushrooms.

I love adding 1-2 hot peppers to add a little zing.  I will also add a little acid, either a splash of Ver Jus, wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar to bring out even more flavor.  Next time I will talk about making a roux and using bouquet garni in your cooking.  CJG