Kepler's Uncles - Recipes

King Albert's Cardoons

Sat, 26 Nov 2005 10:23:49 -0800

Wash about a pound of cardoons, strip out the fibers, cut them in 1 to 3-inch pieces.

Boil them in a mixture of water and milk (50/50) to which you have added a bit of flour (1 tablespoon per 2 pints) until they are half done. Drain the stalks and transfer them to a skillet with olive oil, smashed whole cloves of garlic, and a few bay leaves (2-3). Cook them over a brisk flame until they are tender, 10-15 minutes. Shake the skillet occasionally, and near the end stir minced anchovies into the skillet and help them dissolve by rubbing across them with the back of a wooden spoon. Add mixed spices (freshly ground pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves), and, if the contents of the skillet look dry, a little hot water.

Dry Rub (for grilling meat)

Sun, 14 Aug 2005 12:20:04 -0700

1/4 c. dried ancho chili peppers
1/4 c. paprika
1/4 c. cumin seeds
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. salt 1/4 c. black pepper corns
2 T. cayenne
1 t. cloves

Grind all ingredients together. Rub lavishly on meat, then barbecue at high temperature.

Mediterranean Eggplant Salad

Sat, 14 May 2005 12:30:55 -0700

2 eggplants (the big kind, not the Asian ones)
6 cloves of garlic, diced very fine
1 28 ounce can of whole peeled tomatoes, drained and coarsely chopped
1 cup finely chopped cilantro
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 teaspoon of paprika
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
salt

Peel eggplants, chop into one inch cubes, steam for 15-20 minutes until soft but not soggy.
Add olive oil to saute pan, cook tomatoes, cilantro, and cumin over medium high heat stirring occasionally until excess liquid evaporates and a chunky sauce remains.
Mash eggplant with a fork, add to saucepan with tomatoes. Add garlic and lemon juice and remaining seasonings. Simmer about 15 minutes.

Harira (lamb and chickpea soup)

Fri, 13 May 2005 19:13:57 -0700

1 small can chickpeas, drained
1/2 pound lean lamb, diced into small cubes (about 1 cup)
1 onion, sliced thin
1/2 cup chopped parsley (always use the flat parsley!)
1 pinch saffron
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
14 oz can whole peeled tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
1 lemon
3 T flour
salt

Add drained chickpeas, lamb, onion, parsley, spices, tomatoes and juice, 2 quarts water. Boil for one hour.
Stir in juice of one lemon, cilantro, and reduce heat to low.
Mix flour with 2/3 cup water and dribble into soup, stirring constantly to prevent lumps from forming.

things to do with ground lamb

Sat, 23 Apr 2005 13:33:12 -0700

Aron and I seem to be interesting folks in buying half and whole lambs lately. We're pleased! It's a great meat to fill your freezer. But do get a lot of it turned into ground lamb when you have it butchered, or you'll end up with way too many pieces of fatty little bits that are hard to use.

So here are some things you can do with ground lamb:
- make chili (it's fabulous with beans)
- make meatloaf
- saute it with onions and garlic and add it to tomato sauce
- lamb patties for grilling (add onions, herbs, and breadcrumbs); serve with sour cream for a happy death
- lamb meatballs (mix with onions, parsley, breadcrumbs, and an egg)

Laab cauliflower

Sat, 16 Apr 2005 13:33:00 -0700

1 head cauliflower, broken into florets and steamed
2-10 anchovy fillets, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 hot thai pepper, minced
Laab spice mix

Take a whole head of cauliflower, cut up into pieces no larger than 1 1/2 inches. Steam the cauliflower.

Meanwhile, take 2 to 10 anchovy fillets, and mince. Also mince one large clove of garlic and one small Thai hot pepper. Heat up a wok to a high temperature, add some oil (perhaps the olive oil that the anchovies were packed in), and add the anchovies and garlic. Saute quickly (don't let the garlic turn brown, or it will get bitter), then add the steamed cauliflower. Still over a high flame, continue stir-frying until mainly dry. Now sprinkle about a tablespoon of Laab-namtok seasoning mix over the cauliflower, and serve.

Thai grilled eggplant

Thu, 11 Oct 2007 06:52:17 -0700

1 juice of one lime
1 minced jalopeno, including seeds
1 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon Thai fish sauce
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 large eggplants, cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch slices
kosher salt
2 scallions white and light green parts, sliced thin
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro leaves

Combine lime juice, chiles, sugar, soy sauce, fish sauce, and garlic in small bowl; set aside to blend flavors and allow sugar to dissolve.
Meanwhile, lay eggplant on large baking sheet. Sprinkle both sides with kosher salt; let stand 30 minutes. Using paper towels, wipe off salt and pat eggplant dry. Brush both sides with oil; season with salt and pepper. Grill over medium-hot heat (you can hold your hand 5 inches above grill surface for 3 to 4 seconds), turning once, until dark and crisp, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer eggplant to large cutting board and cool to room temperature. Cut eggplant into 1/2-inch squares.

Japanese eggs

Tue, 28 Jun 2005 13:40:20 -0700

First, prepare some dashi. You’ll only need a small amount of the dashi. Use the rest for miso soup, or chawan-mushi, or simmered things.

6 eggs
1/3 cup dashi
2 T soy sauce
2 T mirin
1 t sugar

Mix all ingredients. Heat pan (preferably but not necessarily a Japanese omlet pan, rectangular and teflon coated). Oil lightly, pour a small amount of egg to just cover the bottom of the pan. When eggs are almost set, fold into three (like a futon), and push to one end. Pour another small amount of egg mixture, lifting cooked portion so that liquid mixture flows underneath it.

Dashi (basic Japanese stock)

Sat, 19 Mar 2005 20:30:32 -0800

Kombu (kelp seaweed)
Katsuobushi (dried shaved bonito)

Katsuobushi is often available in a big bag containing multiple smaller one ounce packages. Ignore this, and go right for the big bag with thicker, more colorful shavings. The one ounce bag style of katsuobushi typically lacks flavor. Katsuobushi can be eaten right out of the bag, and it should taste delightful. Before the industrial age, a cook would have a dried fillet of katsuo, and shaving it (in a wonderful box like an upside down carpenter’s plane) was the children’s mealtime chore.

Put about 6 inches, or one ounce, of kombu and one ounce of katsuobushi into 4 cups of water. Heat, uncovered, slowly until the water just reaches the boiling point, then back off the heat so that it doesn’t boil. Keep it hot, but just short of boiling, for 15 minutes, then strain, and discard the solids.

Broccoli and Leeks Tobanjan

Sat, 26 Feb 2005 09:37:44 -0800

Tobanjan is a Chinese flavoring that is most commonly used in Japan to make Ma Po Tofu (ground pork in spicy sauce with tofu). You should be able to get it at many Asian stores. It’s made with red pepper, broad bean paste, soy sauce, chili oil, and sake lees.

1 bunch of broccoli
1-2 leeks
2 T tobanjan
1/4 cup rice vinegar

Wash broccoli, cut flowers from stems. Remove tough, woody layer from stems and slice them into bits about 1/2 thick. Chop flowers into similar size. Wash leeks, remove tough upper part, and slice into 1 inch bits.

Takenoko Gohan (Rice with Bamboo Shoots)

Sun, 30 Jan 2005 15:56:20 -0800

1 Fresh Bamboo Shoots (Takenoko)
3C Japanese rice
2 pieces abura-age (fried tofu; oil removed with boiling water)

4T Soy Sauce
1T dashi
1T sake

Cut abura-age vertically in half to make narrow strips.
Cook rice with all ingredients listed.

Fresh Bamboo Shoots (Takenoko)

Sun, 30 Jan 2005 15:56:42 -0800

If you’ve only had the canned variety, fresh bamboo shoots will be a delightful new taste. Fresh bamboo shoots are often available in Asian markets.

Fresh bamboo shoots are very bitter, and are unsafe to eat without removing the bitter compounds (cyanogenic glycosides). This is done by boiling once or several times in salted water. First, cut the fresh shoot in half lengthways, then peel away all outer leaves and trim any tough fibrous tissue from the base. Now slice the shoot thinly accross the grain before boiling in lightly salted water for 15 minutes. Drain, rinse thoroughly and taste. You may need to boil them again to remove any residual bitterness. (Cooking does not destroy the texture of the shoot.) Cooked shoots can be stored in the refrigerator in a closed container filled with water for two weeks or more as long as you change the water frequently.

BBQ Whole Pigs

Sun, 2 Jan 2005 18:49:22 -0800

Detailed directions for several methods of whole hog BBQ.

jennireid's famous zuppa toscana!

Tue, 22 Mar 2005 07:57:14 -0800

Potatoes/onions/salt
1. Rinse and peel 2 lbs of potatoes. Cut into small chunks. Put in big ole’ pot.
2. Cut a sweet onion (or white onion) into small pieces. Put in pot.
3. Fill (pot) with enough water to cover potatoes/onions.
4. Put a whole lot of salt in the pot. I mean a lot.
5. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, and let cook for roughly 45 minutes until the water cooks down into milky liquid. Don’t let the stuff burn.
Spicy sausage
1. Brown 1/2 lb (half of a tube) of spicy sausage. Don’t buy the wrong kind and accidentally end up with maple-flavored sausage. That would be gross.

Japanese Rice Bran Pickles

Sun, 30 Jan 2005 20:30:32 -0800

Here’s a great guide to making nukazuke.

Variations of Tsukemono

Prepare nukadoko, the rice bran used for pickling vegtables:

Put 2 cups plus 2 T of water in a pot, add 4 T salt. Bring to a boil, then cool. Put one pound of nuka (rice bran) in a large, clean container, little by little, add salt water, mixing well until nuka is the same consistency as miso.

Mix in 6-8 slices of ginger, 4-5 red peppers for flavor. Let nukadoko set over night.

The next day, mix completely again then add vegetables for fermentation. Let all of this set over night again.