Napa Kimchi w/Daikon Radish

Oct 31 2015

Time to make a batch of Kimchi and this time I finally added some shredded Daikon Radish. I remembered that fellow LTBBQ forum member TenPoint5 had used my recipe but added some Daikon radish and raved about it.

I found some Napa cabbage; 3 heads a little over 2 pounds each and a bunch of organic Daikon radishes. Usually the Daikons I find in the grocery are large; about 2 inches diameter. These were about 1 inch about like a large carrot. I shredded up one and had a half cup so I added that along with a half cup of shredded carrot, some sliced green onions and 4 cloves of minced garlic. Most recipes call for some ginger too but I don’t like it in mine.

Thursday after I got some soup in the Crockpot I cut up the cabbage and got it salted down for a half hour; stirring twice. I start with a large Tupper ware bowl; about twice as large as the one I let it ferment in. After salting and then rinsing well it reduces in bulk more than half. I added the ingredients and a heaping half cup of the Korean red pepper flakes, mixed well and it would set for two days at room temperature to ferment. I stirred it a couple times over that time. My recipe said to let ferment one or two days and I like two days better.

Today I placed it in clean quart jars. I only got two quarts from this batch. It will go in the fridge and I will loosen the lids for 4 or 5 days to burp the jars since it continues to ferment. I like to let it set at least a week before using and I think the longer it sets the better it gets. It will keep at least 4 months in the fridge. I especially like it on a pulled pork or brat sandwich or just plain as a side.

Click Here for recipe I used

Cutting up the cabbage

Veggies to add

All in the bowl

Mixed up well

After two days ferment

Filling the jars

Baked Country Steak w/ Mashed Potatoes, Gravy and Peas

Oct 30 2015

One of my favorite meals is baked steak. My Mom made this a lot using sirloin or round steak and mushroom soup. She would cut the steak in one serving pieces, pound a couple of times with a meat mallet, season with salt and pepper, dredge in flour and brown up. Then she placed in a casserole dish, poured the mushroom soup over and baked 45 minutes to an hour.

When I bought some Angus minute steaks I was not thinking baked steak but I had some small yellow potatoes that would make good mashed potatoes. The steaks baked in Pioneer Country Gravy would be good and I could have some peas over the potatoes and gravy. 

The grandson did not have school today so he and my wife went to a movie today and then some shopping. When they got home he closed all the vents in the crawl space for me before he went home.

I have been plugging at getting my work shop cleaned up and I am just about done now. It is starting to look like a work shop instead of a storage shed!

For supper I browned the minute streaks and made the country gravy for over them. I used Pioneer brand package mix and it makes 2 cups. I steamed the potatoes and mashed and whipped them with a half stick of butter and added some dried chives. The steaks were in the 350 deg. oven for 45 minutes, covered for 30 minutes then removed the cover the last 15 minutes. I heated some frozen green peas in the microwave.

We both had gravy over the steaks and potatoes and added the peas over the potato mash. I had some of the cheesy pull bread to have with it. I love the peas over the potatoes; since I usually end up mixing them anyway. I had not had this in a while so it sure tasted good; the minute steaks were fork tender.

Note: some other soups to use with the steak are, Campbells Beefy Mushroom or Golden Mushroom. Making your own after browning the steak is probably the best but I like the convenience of soup or gravy mix.

Browning the steaks

Done baking with gravy

My mashed potatoes

My supper

Use Up some Stuff Soup w/Cheesy Pull Bread

Oct 29 2015

               

Tonight was our night for trick or treaters to come around so I wanted something easy for supper. I had seen this idea from the Pioneer Woman to use up stuff from the pantry by mixing 7 cans for some soup. I had some cooked beef and two ground chuck burgers. I had forgotten to vacuum seal the burgers so thought I better use it for the soup too. I had 5 cans of veggies and some beef bouillon granules.

My wife has dressed up and set out front to hand out candy for about 30 years now. She has had many different costumes and this year needed something warm. It was about 40 deg. and windy. She said she was a baby this year wearing a one piece flannel pajama set and had her bottle with nipple. The daughter in law and grandson was coming for supper. The grandson said he would help hand out candy.

After lunch I chopped up the beef and added to the Crockpot with a quart of water and two rounded teaspoons of beef granules. I browned the burgers and broke up then added some chopped onion, salt and pepper to it. I deglazed the skillet and added it in too. I added in some spaetzel I had left. I then drained and added a can of cut green beans, a can of hominy, a can of corn, and a can of cannellini beans. I added an undrained can of fire roasted tomatoes.  I set the Crockpot on high for an hour then went to low.

I went to Krogers in the AM to get some Napa cabbage for kimchi and got a country style sourdough loaf to make some cheesy pull bread to go with the soup. I stopped at a Country store where I buy butter and a lot of good Troyer products. They just happened to have a Troyer black raspberry pie and I got one for our dessert along with some Edy’s vanilla bean ice cream.

I checked the soup at 4:00 and added some salt and a little more water. I had to feed the wife before 6:00 when the trick or treaters start coming. I sliced the bread in 1 inch squares and added some sliced sharp white cheddar in the slits then poured a half stick of melted butter over. I wrapped it in foil and placed in a preheated 400 deg. oven for 15 minutes then folded the foil down and added some Seargento’s 4 state shredded cheddar to the top and back in the oven for another 10 minutes.

I just got the wife and my soup served and the DIL and grandson came. They both had some soup and bread too. The soup had good flavor. The grandson had decided to do some trick or treating with a couple of friends so went for 45 minutes then came back to help hand out candy. The cold cut back on the number of kids this year, most years we will have over 200 but I doubt if it was half that this year.

We all had some of the black raspberry pie and ice cream for dessert. To me it’s the best pie ever and kinda hard to find anymore. All in all we had fun tonight and with the leftover chicken and rice from last night and the soup I should not have to cook all week-end!

Stuff for the soup

Burgers and onions browned

All in the pot

Soups on

The pull bread

My supper

Dessert!!!

Feta Brined Chicken over Saffron Rice

Oct 28 2015

We needed rain but not all at once! It started yesterday after noon and quit just before noon today; we got 2.6 inches. From the looks of the radar everyone east of the Mississippi had rain. The sun finally came out and it was 65 deg. but then it rained again just as I was ready to carry my chicken in!

This was a recipe that caught my eye and said I have to try it. The recipe was for doing a whole chicken in the oven. I changed it for doing a split fryer on my Traeger pellet smoker.

I had my chicken brined and seasoned and got it on my Traeger at 4:30; I had it pre-heated to 200 deg. grill level. After a half hour I eased the temp to 310 deg. grill level. It took an hour and 40 minutes total to get to a breast IT of 178 deg.

I had a package of Vigo saffron rice done in my rice cooker for a side. My other side was carrots; I had cut and boiled for 10 minutes then let set until the chicken was about done. When the chicken was at 175 deg. breast IT I drained the carrots and added to a skillet with some butter and olive oil on medium high.

It was raining so I covered the chicken with foil and took inside and finished up the carrots. When the carrots were getting a little brown I added some Ketjap manis, (sweet soy sauce) and some Penzey’s sandwich sprinkle.

I served some breast meat over the rice and I had a leg with mine too. One other side was a slice of my last garden tomato with some seasoning and feta cheese. The wife said the chicken was good and moist and tender. We both really liked the Ketjap manis on the carrots; that is something I will be using more of with carrots. I had thought I would be able to taste the feta but not sure it came through for me.

I don’t think I will use the Vigo saffron rice again; I have used some other brands that are better.

Click Here for printable recipe

Ingredients

In the Feta brine

Ready for the smoker

About done

Carrots with Ketjap glaze

My supper

Brat Burger w/Bacon and Cheese

Oct 25 2015

Yesterday was a warm 72 and windy; it was overcast most of the day and rained at suppertime. My huge locust tree is losing its leaves and when it rains I track them in; the wife has a fit! Today I don’t think it ever hit 60 deg. and I was cold!

My wife was off to church this AM and out for lunch. Her and a friend went out for supper and then to see a singing group at the civic center in Lima. When the boss is away what does the cook fix? Just about anything he wants!

I had some jowl bacon to use up and had brat patties from my butcher thawed out. They would marry well! After lunch I sprinkled the bacon with some Super Pig and did on my Traeger and had it ready. I. I cut some of the garlic loaf to use and toasted it on the grill.

About 5:00 I was hungry so got all ready. I sliced some tomato and got out a slice of American cheese and the mustard. I heated the Weber Spirit on med. and would do them flat top style and a little like an in out burger. I used a little olive oil spray and did the patties for 5 minutes, added a little mustard and flipped. After 4 minutes I added a slice of cheese to one patty and topped with two slices of jowl bacon.

In two minutes the cheese was melted.

Somewhere in there I toasted the bread and added a little mustard then added the cheese bacon patty and then the other patty. I took it inside and added a couple slices of tomato and some potato chips.

I had some corn tomato gratin as a side.

Now that was a brat bacon burger! It was almost too much for me to eat but I managed!

The jowl bacon

One side done and mustard added

Second side done w cheese and bacon

My supper

Tasting good!

Indonesian Style BBRibs

Oct 24 2015

A new member; (Tin), of LTBBQ forum posted a recipe for Indonesian style ribs. He is from the Netherlands and I was surprised it was Indonesian until I read up and was reminded that Indonesia was once a Dutch colony in the Dutch West Indies. It said that Indonesian ribs are as popular in the Netherlands like pizza and burgers are in America. It sounded good and different enough I wanted to try it.

I had to order some Ketjap manis; a sweet Indonesian soy sauce, from Amazon and I was ready to try some ribs. I had a rack of pork BBRibs from my butcher; minimal process and no additives; thawed out. Friday evening I poured some of the Ketjap in a bowl and added a dried arbol chili pepper to set overnight. The recipe calls for a Scotch bonnet or Habanero; but I am a little on the wimp side when it comes to heat!

This morning I tasted the Ketjap and needed more heat so I added 4 dried pequin peppers. I also thought it was too sweet so I added a teaspoon of lime juice. I knew my wife did not want to try these so I would cut some off for her and do my standard recipe of Galena St. Rub and Kah’s BBQ sauce.

I pulled the membrane and added a little sea salt to both sides and in the fridge a couple of hours while I made up the rub. I cut the amount down some and added a teaspoon each of the you do need items. For the you can add items I added a teaspoon of Penzey’s sandwich sprinkle and a half teaspoon of lemon pepper.

 I had a crusty loaf of garlic bread I get from Krogers; it has whole garlic cloves in it, to have and my other sides would be sweet potato and some leftover corn tomato gratin. I had planned to par cook the sweet potato and then do wedges on the gas grill but rain was coming. I cooked the sweet potato in the micro wave, 2 ½ minutes; cut the ends off and then in half, cut the flesh in squares and added some melted bacon butter. They went on the grill with the ribs the last 45 minutes and added more bacon butter after 20 minutes.

I got my ribs on at 2:00 PM and would eat at 6:00. The first hour was at 200 deg. grill level and the last 3 hours at 265 deg. grill level. I sauced the ribs at 2 ½ hours and then again at 3 hours. I added the sweet potatoes the last 45 minutes. After 4 hours I took inside and let rest while I heated up the corn tomato gratin.

It all tasted great, the wife liked her ribs; I liked mine and really could have had more heat to go with the sweet!

Click Here for printable recipe

Ketjap and pepper

The ribs

CW- paprika, cumin, Penzey's,  curry, coriander,

black pepper, Center lemon pepper

Cut and seasoned with rub

Garlic loaf

2.5 hours

Sauced at 2.5 hours

Sweet potato

All done at 4 hours

My supper

Columbian Black Beef

Oct 20 2015

It was a sunny 72 deg. today! I spent most of the afternoon cleaning out flowers and garden. There were quite a few beer breaks listening to music on my deck.

I found this recipe by Hola at mycolumbiancooking blogspot. Her recipe called for pureeing an onion and 8 cloves of garlic to marinate the beef in overnight. She then seared the beef in butter and cooked covered with water for two hours, then adding 1 cup of coca cola, ½ cup of brown sugar, and 3 tablespoons of brown sugar and cook another 20 minutes.  She served it with white rice and plantains.

Most American versions of coca cola beef were done in a Crockpot with coca cola and a pack of onion soup mix. I merged the recipes and methods to my liking. I did marinade the about 2 pound chuck roast it the pureed onions and garlic overnight. I scraped most of the marinade off to add later. I seared the beef in2 tablespoons of butter 3 minutes per side. I deglazed the skillet with a little water to add to the pot.

The beef went into a Crockpot topped with the marinade and pan juices. I added enough cola to almost cover the beef and turned to high for a half hour then to low for about 7 hours. After two hours I added some carrots and 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce then two hours before it was done I added a good tablespoon of brown sugar.

I cannot get plantains around here so I added the carrots; which were good with it. When we were ready to eat I removed the beef and carrots and took any fat off the beef. I placed it in a 200 deg. oven to hold. I used a gravy separator to pour off the fat and thickened it with about 2 tablespoons of flour in some water.

My wife had some corn bread with hers and I had rye bread; there was a little butter folded in the rye bread! We both liked it but a little too sweet. The beef was some of the most tender I have made. I would like to do it again but omit the brown sugar; there is enough in the cola, and use the onion soup mix. This may give it a more savory sweet taste.

Beef, onions and garlic

Pureed onion and garlic

Ready for overnight in the fridge

After the marinade

Searing the beef

Deglazing the skillet

All in but the carrots

Thickening the gravy

Beef and carrots

My supper