Saturday, April 28, 2012

Homemade Tomato Soup

When I was a kid, I HATED tomato soup.  It was gross!  Granted, I don't think I ever had the real thing, but many people enjoy canned tomato soup, so I think to some extent, my tastes have just changed.  This soup was inspired by a couple different recipes I found, including one of Alton Brown's, as I recall (gotta love AB!), but in the end, it really is my own.  This is best served with a hot, buttery grilled cheese sandwich; my favorite way to make it uses sourdough bread and a combination of smoked Gruyere and extremely sharp cheddar cheeses.  If you can get your hands on it, the Cabot Big E special cheddar is perfect for, well, everything.


Tomato Soup

1)      Two cans San Marzano whole peeled plum tomatoes
2)      Four fresh plum tomatoes (peeled and chopped into small pieces)
3)      Large head of garlic, peeled 
4)      Two carrots (peeled and diced)
5)      Half a large onion (diced)
6)      3 tablespoons butter
7)      Half a box of high quality low sodium chicken stock (or vegetable stock to keep recipe vegetarian)
8)      One quart heavy cream
9)      Sea salt
10)  Black pepper
11)  Cumin
12)  Basil
13)  Oregano
14)  Paprika

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Drain canned tomatoes, reserving juice.  Place the tomatoes on a sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle sea salt on them.

Form a “cup” from two layers of tin foil, and place the peeled cloves of garlic inside.  Liberally cover the cloves with olive oil and sprinkle sea salt on them.  Close the “cup” by bunching the foil together at the top.

Place the canned tomatoes and the garlic in the oven and roast for 35 minutes.

After removing the tomatoes and garlic, melt the butter in a large Dutch oven or other heavy bodied pan over medium heat.  Sauté the onion and carrot until the onions are softened.  Sprinkle with paprika and sea salt.  Add the reserved juice from the canned tomatoes, fresh tomatoes, roasted tomatoes, roasted garlic, and stock and stir together.  Add sea salt, fresh cracked black pepper, cumin, basil and oregano to taste.

Lower heat to low and, stirring occasionally, simmer for 50 minutes.  Add the heavy cream, stir to mix together, and simmer for five more minutes.  Blend until smooth and creamy.

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Monday, April 23, 2012

Punjab Palace (Allston, MA)

I don't claim to be any sort of expert on Indian cuisine, and I cannot speak convincingly to authenticity of any that I've had, but Punjab Palace in Allston (a western neighborhood of Boston, MA) is the second best I've ever had, and the best in the USA.  Located just a block from my friend Joe's apartment, he goes there pretty often, and it's not hard to understand why.  The staple of our meals there is the naan, which is always delicious (seriously, have you EVER had bad naan?), but especially so at Punjab Palace, where I've had both the plain and garlic versions.  I prefer the plain, because it tends to work better for use in seizing the small, delicious chunks of whatever meat I've ordered and the basmati rice that comes with it.  Having learned from a close friend of Indian ancestry that the primary purpose of naan or any of its related flat breads is to be used to pick up the rest of the food rather than simply using one's fingers, I actually find that this is also the best way to enjoy the full range of flavors that are present in the cuisine.  For example, my favorite dishes are vindaloo (a curry dish) and shahi korma (a yogurt, cream and nut sauce), both of which have some spice; the buttery naan creates a perfect contrast with the spice, and also a chewiness that contrasts nicely with the delicate, tender lamb and goat which tend to be my favorite options.  So, while I cannot say whether this is legitimately authentic (though judging by the number of Indians I've seen eating there, I suspect it is), it is damn good, and if you're in the area, check it out.

As an added treat, after you leave there you should take the extremely short trip across the street to Sunset Grill and Tap (or its upstairs, Big City), where there are over 110 taps and nearly 400 bottled varieties of beer available.

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Friday, April 20, 2012

Bar-B-Que Sauce (Carolina Style)

To accompany my post on pulled pork, this is my recipe for Bar-B-Que Sauce, specifically a Carolina style sauce; this is a vinegar heavy sauce, but it is a bit of a mix of eastern and western Carolina styles, in that it does have ketchup (western) but is still mostly vinegar (eastern).  I like it a great deal, and quite honestly it turned out better than I expected.  I don't know how this would do with brisket or ribs, but I suspect it would be fine; regardless, it is great with pulled pork, especially for making pulled pork sandwiches, which are my favorite.


Carolina Style Bar-B-Que Sauce
3 Cups Apple Cider Vinegar
¾ Cup of Brown Sugar (dark)
Sea Salt (to taste)
Black Pepper (to taste)
Cayenne Powder (to taste)
Garlic Powder (to taste)
½ Cup of Ketchup (app.)
Heaping teaspoon of Crushed Red Chili Flakes
Several tablespoons of Honey (to taste)

Heat vinegar over medium heat until warm, then stir in the brown sugar until dissolved.   Stir in some honey until dissolved, then add the seasonings.  Stir in app. half of the ketchup, and stir in until dissolved.  Slowly add more until taste is how you want.

Start this recipe app. 20 minutes before the meat it will go on is done.  After pulling the meat bones out, add to the saucepan and continue to simmer for app. 20 more minutes.  It should have lost app. 25-30% of its volume by the time it is done and be noticeably thicker, but still soupy.

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Homemade Pulled Pork

Since it's been far too long since I have last posted, I figured I'd post about one of my all time favorite things:  Pulled Pork.  This is my own personal recipe, which is partially stolen from about ten different recipes and has many of my own ideas added in.  The rub also included some suggestions from my friend Kate, so thanks Kate!  I made this in a Dutch oven because, sadly, my current living situation doesn't allow for the use of a smoker.  Despite this, it was probably the best I've ever had north of the Mason-Dixon line, and I'm pretty sure that if I'd made it in a smoker it would have been just as good as any I've had.


Pulled Pork
Pork butt (aka Boston butt, pork shoulder), app 7-8 pounds, bone in
One bottle chocolate stout (Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout recommended); use only if cooking in a Dutch oven.

Brine
Enough water to cover the pork entirely
Significant amount of salt
2 carrots (roughly chopped)
One large white or yellow onion (roughly chopped)
Three large ancho peppers

Rub
Brown sugar
Molasses
Cayenne
Paprika
Black pepper
Cumin
Ginger
Garlic powder
Dark unsweetened or lightly sweetened cocoa powder; use only if cooking in a smoker


In a large (7 quarts minimum) Dutch oven, bring brine water to boil over high heat.  When hot but not boiling, stir in salt and add carrots, onion and ancho peppers.  Boil the water for 30 minutes.  Remove the ancho peppers and chop them into small pieces (they should be soft and re-hydrated by this time; if not, continue boiling until they are, then chop), and put them back in the water.  Boil for 15 more minutes, then remove and allow to cool to room temperature (this will take probably 2 hours).

When the brine is cool, put the pork butt in the Dutch oven, ensuring that the brine just barely covers the entire thing.  Place aluminum foil on top of the Dutch oven, then cover with the pot’s top so as to create a seal.  Refrigerate for not less than 20 hours, and preferably 24-36 hours.

After brining is complete, remove the pork butt and thoroughly wash it with cold water so as to remove any salt that has clung to the outside.  Pat it dry and set aside.  Wash and dry the Dutch oven. 

If cooking in the oven, continue to paragraph “*”
If cooking in a smoker, continue to paragraph “#”

*Place the pork butt back in the Dutch oven and score (cut slices through) the slab of fat on the back of the butt.  Rub the butt thoroughly with molasses so there is a thick layer.  Ensure that the molasses gets into every crevice and covers the entire pork butt.  Rub the pre-mixed spices into the pork butt, again ensuring that the rub gets into every crevice and thickly covers the entire butt.  Situate the pork butt in the Dutch oven with the layer of fat on top.  Reseal the top of the Dutch oven with aluminum foil, and refrigerate for app 8-10 hours.

After allowing the pork to rest with the rub on it, pour the beer around (not over) the pork butt.  Cover the Dutch oven with aluminum foil and then with the top, so as to create a seal. Place in the oven (preheated to 225 degrees), and cook for 12 hours.  Do not touch it until the full 12 hours is up.

#Place the pork butt back in the Dutch oven and score (cut slices through) the slab of fat on the back of the butt.  Rub the butt thoroughly with molasses so there is a thick layer.  Ensure that the molasses gets into every crevice and covers the entire pork butt.  Rub the pre-mixed spices into the pork butt, again ensuring that the rub gets into every crevice and thickly covers the entire butt.  Situate the pork butt in the Dutch oven with the layer of fat on top.  Reseal the top of the Dutch oven with aluminum foil, and refrigerate for app 8-10 hours. 

After allowing the pork to rest with the rub on it, place it in the smoker (preheated to 250 degrees), fat side up, and cook for 12 hours.  Do not touch it until the full 12 hours is up.

After the 12 hours is up, either remove the pork butt from the smoker or the cooking vessel from the oven.  Place the pork butt on a large cutting board, and using two forks, “pull” the pork into small pieces.  This should be quite simple as the pork butt should be falling apart.

Serve with Carolina style BBQ sauce.


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FYI, the Brooklyn Brewery Black Chocolate Stout is pretty fantastic; if you happen to drink a second one while you're cooking with the first, you won't be disappointed.  I'll probably do a review of it at a later date.

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