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The Perfect Margarita Recipe

Malcolm — Mon, 03 May 2010 18:07:33 +0000

Photo: Flickr/smohundro

In time for Cinco de Mayo, a holiday almost certainly made up by American boozehounds, since it is not widely celebrated except in northernmost Mexico, we wanted to present our tips for concocting the perfect margarita. Our recipe doesn’t use a single drop of that godawful margarita mix; that stuff is entirely syrup, and will hang you over like you won’t believe. We can’t promise that our recipe will have you feeling fine the next day, particularly if you drink a dozen of ‘em (the way we do), but we CAN promise that our recipe will shake up the best margaritas you’ve ever had.

Ingredients

1 1/2 ounces tequila (Use something decent, and only something made with 100% blue agave. We like Don Julio Blanco or Patrón Silver for this recipe.)
1 ounce squeezed lime juice
1/2 ounce of Cointreau

Method

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice, and shake well. Serve on the rocks in a glass rimmed with kosher or sea salt, and as much made-up Spanglish as you can muster.

Deconstructed Gyoza Soup

Tia — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 07:21:38 +0000

Several times a year, I decide that I must make my own gyoza (or potstickers) or I will surely die. This is a happy event in my home, and my spouse and children devour the packets of porky-cabbagey goodness. There are never left overs, which I consider success.

A few weeks ago, the lust for gyoza hit me like a ton of bricks. I abandoned my meal plan, and procured the necessary fixings to get the gyoza going. After making a batch, I discovered that I had run out of wrappers, but had a major surplus of filling. What do you do when life hands you a bowl of lean ground pork, ginger, garlic, spice and shallots? You make a soup, of course!

This soup is highly seasoned, full of fresh veggies, and has an Asian inspired twist. I like my soups brimming with meat and veggies, with very little broth. This recipe reflects this preference. Feel free to amp up the amount of stock if you like more broth in your soup.

*This recipe is not for the kosher/halal crowd, but could be made to fit dietary restrictions using ground turkey/ground chicken and still be entirely awesome.*

DECONSTRUCTED GYOZA SOUP

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Serves: 4

You will need:

1 package of lean ground pork (or lean ground chicken/lean ground turkey)
750 ml or 2 cans or 1 tetra brick of low sodium chicken broth
250 ml or 1 cup of water
4 tbsp minced ginger, fresh
3 cloves of minced garlic, fresh
2 small shallots, minced
4 shiitake mushrooms, minced finely
250 ml or 1 cup shredded Napa or Savoy cabbage
75ml or 1/2 cup matchstick carrots
250 ml or 1 can of baby corn
small can of shoe string bamboo shoots
1/2 bunch cilantro/coriander, washed and broken, stems discarded
2 c. bean sprouts
1 bunch green onions, diced
1 thumb sized knob of ginger, cut finely
4 shiitake mushrooms, sliced thinly
salt
pepper
garlic powder
2 tbsp sesame oil
sriracha (optional)
sweet garlic chilli sauce (optional)

Method:

Heat sesame oil on medium heat at the bottom of a large stock pot.
Add ground pork, onion, minced ginger, minced shallots, minced garlic, salt, pepper, garlic powder. Fry until no longer pink. Drain fat if desired.
Stir in cabbage, carrots, corn, sliced mushrooms, bamboo, cilantro. Cook until soft (about 5 minutes)
Add chicken stock and water. Stir until well distributed.
Add larger chunks of ginger, and heat to boiling (about 10 minutes) while stirring often.
Decrease temperature to simmer (about 5 minutes)
Spoon into individual bowls (soup will be very chunky, with small amount of broth) and season to taste with sriracha or sweet garlic chilli sauce
Top with green onions and a handful of bean sprouts

Kitchen Improv: Pickle Juice 101

Tia — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 03:53:26 +0000

The next time you get to the bottom of the pickle jar, gentle reader, please take a moment to pause and consider the abundant brine that is left behind when the treasures are gone. The fragrant juice that preserves your cukes is liquid gold, and has a host of flavourful uses in the kitchen. Dumping it down the drain is a culinary crime, and if this is what you have been doing with your pungent remainders, it is high time you stopped. In the martial art of Cook-Fu, pickle juice is the nunchuks.

If you’re like me, and enjoy winging it as opposed to following recipes, pickle juice is a staple when preforming kitchen improv. I have discovered that it it makes a magical bath for a roasting chicken: pour in to the bottom of the pot, spice and all, and use it as a marinade/baste. Slow cook on low with a lid on, and your clucker will be fall-apart tender, with a tangy-garlic infused flesh. The resulting gravy from a pickle brine chicken is something that makes my eyes roll back and my toes curl – mouthgasmic! This principal is just as effective and magical when applied to pot roasts, and yields a similar effect. We are prolific consumers of pickles here at Chez Everitt, and always have at least one or two sacred glass jars of pickle liquid on reserve for the next time I roast something.

Other tasty considerations for your P.J:

add a splash to deviled eggs , potato salad or egg salad for a tasty twist out of the ordinary
a few spoonfuls in a Bloody Mary or Caesar creates a tasty and unexpected tang
make bottled barbecue sauce special with a few splashes of the good stuff
go for zip and after-burn by using reserved banana pepper or hot mixed pickle reserves in recipes where pickle juice works well
there are sports-types out there that use pickle juice for a post-work out recovery , as it has similar properties to Gatorade and other sports drinks & has muscle cramp reducing properties
if you buy into the studies that indicate that it is an ass-kicking muscle cramp reducer, you’d also discover that it is a home remedy for crampy lady parts during “that special time”
I’ve noticed a freaky internet trend in certain food circles that gives two thumbs up to pickle juice popcicles & frozen pickles (if you do this, report back to me, because I’m not brave enough to go there)
pickle juice pops are also being marketed to pregnant women, who apparently crave pickles/pickle juice in droves (I would draw the line at pouring this on ice cream, though)

Pickle juice is a thrifty and nom nom nommy way to bring some play into your standard recipes. If you haven’t already become a convert, now is the time!

Magically Delicious Queer Rainbow Faerie Cakes

Tia — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 07:27:33 +0000

Despite my fundamental opposition to food in unnaturally vibrant colours and/or designed to appeal to children, I felt compelled to make something festive for St. Patty’s Day desert. St. Patrick (Patron Saint of Food Colouring) would have been proud of me. I whipped up a batch of cupcakes that looked like they escaped a gay club on a rave night, topped them with a dab of whipped cream and a sprinkling of marshmallows from a box of Lucky Charms.

Nothing says “Erin go bragh!” like Lucky Charms, people. My Irish ancestors would be SO proud.

The children intimated that the rainbow cakes (which I first heard of last year when my friend Adina made her twins a whole cake in this manner) were the most majestic and awesome thing they’d ever laid eyes on. While they were no culinary masterpiece, they were tasty and very funkadelic.

Having a love in? Trying to convey to your co-workers that your days in the closet are over? On cupcake duty for a birthday at school? Here’s a demo on how to make them yourself:

How To Make Rainbow Cupcakes

CAVEAT EMPTOR: Post cupcake poops may be *brighter and more vivid* then usual.

Kitchen Improv: Pickle Juice 101

Last Night’s Dinner: Stuffed Peppers

Jillian — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 14:40:43 +0000

Stuffed peppers mean nothing to me. I have no attachment to them whatsoever. We never had them in my house growing up. I made them last night simply because we had the ingredients in the refrigerator and pantry. I was, as the dads like to say “televisioning the fridge” trying to concoct a plan from the ingredients before my eyes when I realized it was like a math problem bubble in a grammar school classroom. 4 + 3 = 7 while 4 x 3 = 12. It was only a matter of which formula I was prepared to attempt. This is how I rolled:

Ingredients

1/2 package ground beef
2 orange peppers
one cup Basmati rice
half a white onion
3 cloves of garlic
heaping tablespoon tomato paste
small amount of dried Ancho chilies
splash of white wine
chicken bouillon cube
tablespoon of olive oil
some salsa
Mexican shredded cheese

Method

In a deep saute pan I sweat the diced onions in oil, added thinly sliced chilies and minced garlic then the wine splash, ground beef and tomato paste, slowly and deliberately and in that order until browned and incorporated and moist. In a pot of salted, boiling water I dunked the peppers until they were bright orange, about three minutes, cut off their tops and popped out the remaining seeds. I cooked rice with a few drops of oil and a cube of bouillon then combined about half with the beef mixture. I filled the peppers, oiled inside, and placed them in a Dutch oven with an inch of water in the bottom. At the last minute I impulsively added a spoonful of store-bought salsa to the top of each pepper, a handful of cheese and popped them in the the oven at 350 for 50 minutes, and when they were done they were glorious.

We do not have the luxury of shopping daily for fine ingredients. We source the best vegetables and meat available (often from Costco) and try to MacGyver interesting dinners all week. For now the focus is on simplicity, layering flavor and mastering the basics, which is both very pleasing and methodical. If some day stuffed peppers become a fixture on our family dinner schedule we will fondly recall that they were born of necessity during the Mexico adventure early in our marriage.

Dinner Do-Over, a Redemption Song

Jillian — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 19:05:37 +0000

Every single element was perfect. But was the whole greater than the sum of its parts? Last night at 7:17, with the assistance of a glass of Soave, I constructed a peerless tower of power: Behold and revere Poached Eggs Camemparagus on Garlic Toast!

Here’s how it went down:

Ingredients

2 thick slices of rustic bread
1 tablespoon of olive oil
2 eggs
6 asparagus spears
Camembert, sliced lengthwise from the wedge
1 garlic clove
white vinegar
salt and pepper

Method

I brushed the bread and asparagus with olive oil and toasted/roasted it all on a baking sheet in the oven on low, about 15 minutes. I removed the vegetables and turned over the bread, rubbed it with garlic and laid on the cheese. Meanwhile I brought to a boil (in 2 saucepans) water with a shot of vinegar. When the Camembert looked just about gooey I turned off the oven and dropped my eggs. After 3 full minutes I plated the melty toasts and placed 3 asparagus stalks on each then topped with a frothy but firm whirl of eggy delight.

The asparagus was nutty, fruity and toothsome. The Camembert had achieved at-one-ment with the home-baked bread and one egg in particular was so lovely, with a viscous orange yolk cradled in angelic white it should have gone to the Smithsonian or the Vatican. We closed our eyes as we ate and experienced every flavor but in the end weren’t sure that it was right. Perhaps a different vegetable, spinach or mushrooms maybe and a less assertive cheese, like provolone or raclette? We’re on to something here, I can feel it. The poached egg and I are kindred spirits and we will meet again. As for last night dinner was redeemed but this dish has not yet been beatified.

photo credit Malcolm
recipe adapted from Real Simple

Eating Light Tonight

Jillian — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 22:21:10 +0000

We found beautiful fruit, vegetables and eggs at the mercado earlier today. In order to compensate for overindulging at our favorite neighborhood taqueria last night and a pizza feast of epic proportions planned for tomorrow, we are making poached eggs and a simple salad of radishes, avocado, tomato and scallions. I think poached eggs are elegant, don’t you? If you’ve forgotten how we showed you here. Buen Provecho!

Last Night’s Dinner: Penne with Sausage and Broccoli

Jillian — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 20:53:59 +0000

If you’re looking for something super simple, tasty and slightly lowbrow to make for dinner tonight, have I got the recipe for you. Populism! This is how I did it last night:

Ingredients

broccoli
italian sausage
penne pasta
olive oil
garlic
dry white wine

Method

In a sautee pan brown three sausage links in olive oil; meanwhile steam broccoli and boil pasta (separately) until al dente. Drain pasta but reserve a ladle or so for sauce. Remove sausage from heat, let cool then slice into rounds. Add three cloves of thinly sliced garlic and half a cup of wine to the pan. In the empty pasta pot heat a little olive oil then combine all ingredients slowly and on low. Take a walk around your house or outside if it is not too cold. Return to the stove. Incorporate a blend of shredded Italian cheeses and serve immediately.

Sunday Supper: The Accidental Chicken

Jillian — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 19:47:34 +0000

Last night I cooked a chicken upside down. No, not to serve some satanic cult of poultry, merely because I am scatterbrained. Fortunately, it turns out that I am incapable of ruining a roast chicken and we sat down to a delicious Sunday supper that included steamed baby spinach, sauteed mushrooms, the always-satisfying Dutch-oven no knead bread, and of course unsalted Lurpak butter. You may not want to follow the instructions of a person so foolish as to invert a bird, but if you do here’s how I did it:

Ingredients

one whole chicken
one head of garlic
one white onion
a quarter cup of extra dry vermouth
a quarter cup of Dijon mustard
a quarter cup of olive oil
sea salt and white pepper

Method

Rinse and pat dry the bird, salt and pepper its inside. Plug up one end with some of the chopped onion and proceed to fill the cavity with the peeled whole garlic cloves and vermouth. Cram more onion in the other end and distribute the rest around the roasting pan. Whisk olive oil into mustard and season with white pepper. Finger paint the chicken with the mixture, then go wash your hands. Sprinkle a little salt over everything, which could include vegetables such as carrots and celery and roast in a preheated oven at 400 degrees Farenheit for 1 hour and 45 minutes. The juices run clear when completely cooked, though ideally you have a meat thermometer, which I do not. Always rest your chicken before carving.

When I pulled it from the oven it looked golden brown but contorted; it took more moments than I care to admit to realize my mistake. I am pleased to report it was so succulent, flavorful and well-cooked, I just might flip my chicken again. This proved to be a happy aberration, one that resulted in a fatty, fragrant dinner.

Last Night’s Dinner: Know Why?

Jillian — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 19:00:32 +0000

‘Cause it was friggin’ delicious. Also, chicken thighs! Here they’re called muslo de pollo and I’ve had a package of these mofos in the freezer since before Christmas. I’ll admit, I was intimidated. Although of late I’ve become quite the little butcher, there was a dark time in my past when I could barely summon the courage to cook boneless, skinless breasts; I would don gloves, use tongs to remove the icky, fluid-tainted plastic, and sip copious amounts of wine in order to steel myself against the twin horrors of poultry slime and botulism. But, the more I read about food and the alchemy of cooking, the more I understood that bones and skin mean tasty goodness and so I grow more daring with each passing day.

I selected a recipe by the boisterous and always hirsuit Emeril Lagasse. I have adapted his instructions, omitting and adjusting as only I know how. This is how it went down last night:

Ingredients

2 chicken thighs
olive oil
butter
white onion
16 mushrooms
two cloves of garlic
chicken stock
tomato paste
dry white wine
flour
rosemary

Method

In a deep skillet, brown salt and peppered chicken thighs in olive oil, skin side down for the first 4 minutes or so a side, remove from pan. Add a knob of butter and sliced mushrooms, cook down then incorporate sliced onions, minced garlic and wine. Sprinkle in flour and stir, pour in stock, two spoonfuls of tomato paste, and fresh rosemary, bring to a boil then turn down the heat to a low simmer. Nuzzle your thighs into the mixture – skin side down – and cook 30 minutes, flip the chicken and let it be for another half hour. Serve over rice to the delight of your thigh-wary spouse.

So, braising-it’s all about the slow and saucy low. This chicken was sultry and had a heart of gold. (This chicken was a hooker.) You must try this at home.