Technique of the Week: Blackening

The cast iron pan glowed red as the spice-covered snapper hit the pan. Inside the tiny (really tiny) apartment, Dom and I coughed as the napalm-like fumes filled the air while a beautiful brown crust began to form on the outside of the snapper. However, before the fish was fully cooked, the smoke billowed from the open door and window sending neighbors to our rescue and to their phones to dial 911. Yes, it was the age of blackening.

Often associated with traditional Cajun cuisine, this technique was popularized by Chef Paul Prudhomme in the early 1980s to duplicate the flavor and style of charcoal grilling in a commercial kitchen. Blackened redfish became so popular that the state of Louisiana imposed a statewide ban on commercial fishing for redfish, in an effort to keep the species from becoming extinct.

Blackening is a cooking technique commonly used in the preparation of fish and other protein foods such as steak or chicken cutlets. It is a fairly violent form of cooking that demands a firm fleshed fish like redfish, snapper, mahi, grouper or even salmon.

The meat is dipped in melted butter and dredged in a mixture of herbs and spices, usually some combination of thyme, oregano, chili pepper, peppercorns, salt, garlic powder and onion powder and then cooked in a very hot cast-iron skillet.

The characteristic brown-black color of the crust results from a combination of browned milk solids from the butter and charred spices. When the butter chars the instant it lands in the pan, it creates a sealing crust on the fish that keeps it from drying out.  The blackening comes from the butter charring in the pan, not from the spices.

Mix all the ingredients together and store in an airtight container, in a cool, dark place until ready for use. Don’t use fresh herbs since they instantly burn and turn bitter.

Open all your windows and turn on the fans.  Blackening food creates a lot of smoke and sometimes some flames. Preheat your pan getting it as hot as possible as this will prevent sticking and promote the blackening. We highly suggest using a cast iron skillet to achieve the best results. They can stand the intense prolonged heat and provide excellent flavor for your chicken or fish, whereas other pans may warp.  If you don’t have a cast iron skillet and still want to blacken your meat, do not use a non-stick pan, instead use a thick-bottomed pan meant for higher heats. The original method is for single servings in a small cast iron skillet as would be done in a commercial kitchen. If you are feeding a crowd, you can use a large 12- inch skillet provided you have a big enough heat source like an outdoor cook-top used to deep fry a Thanksgiving turkey.

For blackening, you want to cut the meat into pieces you can easily handle with a large spatula; 4"x6" is a good size. Use filets that are around 1/2″ thick.  If they’re any thicker they may not cook all the way through without burning the outside to an inedible state. If the fish is thicker than 3/4", butterfly it or simply slice that piece laterally in half to make two thinner pieces. Keep the meat cold before blackening.  Butter and oils will stick better to a cool piece of fish or chicken.

Melt enough butter to coat all the meat you plan to cook on both sides, and then a few tablespoons extra to spare.  Pat your chicken or fish dry. This helps the butter create a sealing crust on the meat, keeping it from drying out. The blackening is caused by the butter charring in the pan, and the spices will add to the flavor. 

Dredge the fish completely in melted butter, and then sprinkle your blackening spices mix moderately on the fish. The spice is not the key part of the cooking method. Do not put the fish down while sprinkling or at any time between the butter dredging and hitting the pan because you’ll remove the butter from the meat.

Lay the fish in the pre-heated HOT cast iron skillet and immediately spoon a tablespoon of melted butter over the top of it. Be careful, it sometimes flames up.  Cook 2-3 minutes and then flip. Spoon another tablespoon of butter over the fish. Cook another 2-3 minutes and it's done. 

Cajun spices are the most popular for blackening, but you can use the spice mix of your choosing. This is our recipe for Cajun Seasoning Spices. Apply this rub on the fish when blackening or in your crawfish étouffée!

Cajun Spice Mix:
¼ cup of salt
2 tablespoons cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons paprika
1 ½ tablespoons onion powder
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon freshly ground white pepper
1 tablespoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 teaspoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
¼ teaspoon ground mustard

Mix spices together and store in an airtight container placed in a cool, dark place until ready to use. It is best not to use fresh herbs as they instantly burn and turn bitter.

East Meets Cajun - Adzuki Bean Gumbo & Millet Maitake Jambalaya

We have taken on another Marx Foods Challenge; East Meets Delicious. Several weeks ago we received a goodie box in the mail which contained Adzuki Beans, Dried Maitake Mushrooms, Mochi Rice, Organic Millet, Hijiki (a variety of seaweed), and Dried Star Fruit.

Our assignment was to create TWO original recipes using at least four of the ingredients. But unlike challenges of the past, this one has an added task: we would have to create one recipe for an appetizer and the second for a main course.

The first step was to decide what type of meal to make. The choices were not as obvious as one might suppose since three of the six ingredients (i.e. Adzuki beans, Mochi rice and dried star fruit) are used to make traditional Chinese and Japanese desserts.

With Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) only a few days away, we decided to try some dishes with a Cajun flair beginning with a red bean gumbo as the starter and culminating with a variation on jambalaya using millet and Maitake mushrooms. We were worried that these mild Asian ingredients would not hold up to the bold flavors and spices typical of Cajun cuisine, but we were pleasantly surprised with the results. We think you will be too!

Adzuki Bean Gumbo with Mochi Rice
Generally speaking, gumbos are soups that begin with a base of roux (which is browned flour in an oil base) and Cajun mirepoix*. In gumbo, roux can be used alone or in conjunction with either of the other thickeners such as okra or file powder (made from the dried and ground leaves of the sassafras tree).

First, you make a roux...

• ¼ cup peanut oil
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 small bell pepper, chopped
• 2-3 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 tablespoons garlic, minced
• 2 cups water or broth
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• ½ pound smoked sausage, cut into 1/4 inch slices
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 1 cup dried Adzuki beans, cooked and drained
• 1 cup cut okra (frozen is fine)
• 1 cup Mochi rice, cooked
• 1½ cups cold water
• Salt to taste
• Fresh parsley or green onions, chopped for garnish
• Louisiana hot sauce or ground cayenne pepper to taste

Soak the Adzuki beans overnight and cook until tender. Drain and set aside.

Heat the oil in large heavy pot over medium heat, then stir in the flour to make a dark roux. Stir the roux constantly to prevent burning; until the color has changed from white, to beige, and finally to dark brown. When it is ready, it should smell great, like roasted nuts. If it smells burnt, you went too far. A truly dark roux can take up to 30 minutes, so patience is the key.

Once the roux is browned to your liking, add the onions, bell pepper, and celery and cook until the onions are clear. Slowly add 1 cup of the stock stirring well to form a thick paste then add the remainder of the stock. Stir in the Worcestershire and garlic then the sausage and wine. Next stir in prepared Adzuki beans and okra, and then add salt and hot sauce to taste. Cover and reduce the heat to low and allow to simmer at least 45 minutes ( up to 2 hours) stirring frequently and adding water or broth if the gumbo gets too thick.

Meanwhile, cook the rice. Mochi rice is very glutinous so begin by rinsing the rice thoroughly to remove extra starch. Bring 1 ½ cups of water to a boil and add the rinsed rice to the boiling water with a pinch of salt. Bring back to a boil and then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off heat but do not remove lid and allow rice to steam for an additional 10-15 minutes.

When ready, serve gumbo in small bowls or cups and (using a small ice cream scoop,) add rice to the bowl and garnish with parsley and/or green onions, and of course, your favorite hot sauce. Be sure to remind everyone that this is just the beginning; the main entree is yet to come...

Cajun Chicken Millet Skillet
This one-pan meal is simple to prepare and packed with flavor and nutrition. Traditional jambalaya is made in three steps: the meat is browned, vegetables are cooked until soft, and the dish is completed by adding stock and rice. It is a close cousin to the saffron-infused paella found in Spanish culture.

Maitake mushrooms on the cutting board

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil,
• 4 (about 1 1/2 pounds) skinless boneless chicken breasts
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 5-6 dried Maitake mushrooms, reconstituted and chopped
• 1 cup uncooked Organic Millet Seed
• 1 teaspoon Cajun spice mix
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 ½ cups chicken broth (or reserved mushroom broth)

Rehydrate dried Maitake mushrooms by placing them in a cup of boiling water and allowing them to sit until the water is cool. Strain the mushrooms and reserve the water to use as broth.

Heat a tablespoon of the oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Season chicken with a smattering of Cajun spices, then arrange the chicken breasts in the skillet. Cook, flipping once, until deep golden brown all over, about 10 minutes total. Transfer chicken to a large plate and set aside.


With all of the breasts browned and resting, add remaining tablespoon of olive oil, onions, chopped reconstituted Maitake mushrooms and millet to the same skillet, and cook, stirring often, for about 5 minutes. Add garlic and Cajun spices and cook for about one minute more. Stir in white wine and broth and mix together until well combined. Place the chicken breasts back into skillet, nestling them in the millet mixture. Bring the whole dish back to a boil. Then cover, reducing heat to medium-low, and cook until the chicken is cooked thoroughly and millet is tender (not crunchy), about 25-30 minutes.

Spoon chicken and millet onto plates and serve with your favorite hot sauce, preferably with good Cajun music playing in the background!

Cajun Playlist:
File – 2 Left Feet (as seen at the Maple Leaf!!)
Beausoleil – Cajun Conja
Buckwheat Zydeco – Where There’s Smoke There’s Fire
Wayne Toups – ZyDeCajun
John Delafose - Heartaches and Hot Steps
BooZoo Chavis – American Explorer Series

And, try our homemade King Cake for dessert! Remember if you find the baby, you must bring the next King cake!!

*Mirepoix (also known as “Holy Trinity”) is the classic French combination of onions, celery and carrots, and in a ratio of 2 parts onions, 1 part celery and 1 part carrots, and is used in making stocks, soups, sauces, and stews. Cajun Mirepoix or Cajun Trinity (onions, celery and bell pepper in equal amounts) is the Cajun equivalent and is used in classic Cajun “receipts” such as gumbo, jambalaya, and étouffée.

♥ Heart Pops For Your Valentines ♥

In A.D. 270, a Roman priest named Valentine enraged the Emperor, Claudius II, who had issued an edict forbidding Christian marriages. Claudius felt that married men made poor soldiers, and therefore abolished the practice. Valentine invited young lovers to come to him to be joined secretly in marriage. Claudius imprisoned Valentine who refused to renounce Christianity and the sacrament of matrimony and was subsequently beheaded for his defiance. Some historians claim that while Valentine was imprisoned he fell in love with the blind daughter of his jailer, Asterius. Valentine’s love restored her sight and his last message to her was signed: “From Your Valentine.” A phrase that would regrettably live longer than Valentine did. To honor the martyred champion of love, we celebrate St. Valentine’s Day each year on February 14th with roses, and chocolate and all things red. 

However, if you are like us, you still have candy leftover from the other bastion of ‘all things red,’ Christmas. So instead of buying more sweet treats, I decided to “re-purpose” some we had on hand. And, who wouldn’t “love” to receive one of these adorable heart pops on Valentine’s special day?

• 20 candy canes (or any even number)
• 1 bag white or pink chocolate chips (I used Wilton Candy Melts®)
• Sprinkles and colored sanding sugar
• Ziploc bag
• Bamboo skewers
• Parchment paper or silicon mat
• Cellophane bags
• Ribbon

Lay out parchment or silicon mat and place candy canes in opposing directions forming a heart shape. Place a bamboo skewer between the bottoms of each heart shape (as shown.)

Working in batches, place about one-quarter of the chocolate chips in a Ziploc bag, leaving the top unzipped, and heat in 30-second intervals. Massage the chips in the bag between intervals until the chocolate is fully melted and smooth. Then seal the top of the bag and cut one of the corner of the bag creating a make-shift pastry bag. Hint: make the hole in the bag pretty small, because unlike frosting, the chocolate will flow freely out of the tip!

Fill the area between the candy canes with melted chocolate and smooth with the back of a spoon. Decorate with sprinkles and/or sanding sugar and allow to cool fully before moving.

Place pops in the cellophane bags and tie with a pretty ribbon or string. Give to your favorite valentines and wait for the Ooooos and Ahhhhs!

The Great Grissini

Bread sticks are one of those items you can walk right by in the grocery store without giving them a second thought, but if they are included on the dinner table or buffet they are simply irresistible!

In the process of cleaning out the basement, I uncovered a box of old magazines (Bon Appetit, Gourmet, Country Living, MS Living, etc.). Wondering why I had kept them in the first place, I snuggled down on the couch and began going through them. I came across several recipes that I will save for future reference including (not one, but) two recipes for “grissini.” Grissini, originally thought to have been created in the 14th century, are pencil-sized breadsticks of crisp, dry bread from in Turin and the surrounding area in Italy.

Reading the recipes, I began yearning for the crispy crunch of a good breadstick. Being a bit familiar with bread recipes, I took my favorite aspects of both recipes (and adding a few of my own) and came up with the following recipe. The result was magnificent! I even enjoyed the few leftover from dinner with black coffee the next morning – Molto Bene!

• 1 cup warm water
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 3 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 2 2/3 cups bread or all-purpose flour   
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan

Add sugar to the warm water to dissolve. Water should be warm to the touch; not hot. Hot water will “kill the yeast.” Add the yeast to the sugar water to proof. If the yeast does not start to bubble within five minutes, discard the yeast and start over with cooler water. Once proofed, add the olive oil to the yeast water.

Mix together dry ingredients and add slowly to yeast mixture. Stir together until a dough starts to form, then add to your KitchenAid with the dough hook and allow to mix and knead until smooth and elastic. If you do not have a bread mixer, turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead by hand until smooth and elastic which should take about 5 minutes.

Shape dough into a ball, return to mixing bowl and cover with plastic wrap. (I spray the top of the plastic wrap with cooking spray so the dough doesn’t stick.) Set the bowl in a warm, draft-free place and let rise until doubled in size; about 1 hour.

Lightly flour your work surface again and gently deflate dough before beginning to shape into long thin rolls; grissini. Lightly flour hands and pinch off nobs of dough approximately the size of a ping-pong ball and knead gently for about 1 minute. Roll each nob into a long thin roll about the diameter of a pencil.

Transfer grissini to a parchment-lined baking sheet, making sure to leave space between each strip. Once the tray is full, set aside and allow to rise again for about 15 to 20 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Bake the bread sticks in batches on middle shelf until golden brown which should take about 15 to 20 minutes depending on your oven. Rotate trays halfway through baking. Let cool completely before serving.

This recipe makes a generous number of grissini which is fine at our house because they get eaten fairly quickly. The grissini can be frozen after baking and kept in the freezer for a month or two. To reheat, simply wrap them in aluminum foil and heat in the oven until heated through (5-10 minutes depending on how many are in the foil packet.)

Technique of the Week: Sprinkling

Okay, you caught us! Sprinkling may not be considered as an officially recognized cooking technique, however, you might be surprised to learn that renowned chef; Jacques Pepin refers to “sprinkling” no less than four times in his cookbook, Jacques Pepin's COMPLETE Techniques.

The dictionary definition of sprinkling is: a small quantity of an ingredient scattered or sparsely distributed at random and falling in scattered drops or particles. Baking “sprinkles” were actually named for the action used to dispense them onto cakes, donuts, cupcakes and ice cream. Powered and granulated products such as salt, sugar and flour lend themselves best to being sprinkled. Other ingredients that are often sprinkled include grated cheese, chopped herbs, spices and seeds.

Spanish Chef José Andrés (host of the PBS television show "Made in Spain,") recommends always sprinkling from above. He says, “if you sprinkle very close the salt goes all in one place, but if you sprinkle very high the salt goes very spread out.”

Previous recipes that include the technique of sprinkling:

Bravo Patatas Bravas
Brussels Sprout Love
Peppy Peppers of Padrón
Pumpkin Chestnut Scone Yumminess
Ritzy Lavash

Duritos & Churritos - Laughably Fun Snacks

While at Super H Mart, I nabbed a new food item that really is just fun to make. In fact, I burst into laughter when I made the last batch, but I’m getting ahead of myself. I had seen small bags of these pasta-looking dealies before, but never had a clue how they were to be used. Recently, I stumbled onto a post by our fellow bloggers at Knuckle Salad and couldn’t wait to grab a bag and give them a whirl.

They are called pasta para duros (hard paste), a Mexican snack made from wheat flour, corn starch, bicarbonate of soda and food coloring. Uncooked, they are about the size of a quarter, are a reddish-orange color, and they are very hard (which may be why they are called duros after the Spanish word for hard.) Once cooked these little colored wheels puff up to about 2 -3 times their size and have a light, airy consistency similar to cheese puffs without the orange-flavored powder. Others have compared the taste and texture to that of pork rinds.
 
In Mexico, wagon wheel duros sprinkled with salt, lime juice and hot sauce shaken together in a bag, are sold by street vendors. The larger sheets are served with shredded lettuce and onions again with lime and hot sauce. Duros can be found in grocery stores which carry Latin foods in their uncooked pasta-like form. The most common shape is round wagon wheels, but they also come in tiny worm shapes as well as sheets and small 1-inch squares.

To cook them, heat 2 inches of oil (we used peanut oil) in a heavy pan or skillet to about 300 degrees F. When the oil the hot, place about 10 wagon-wheel-shaped duros in the oil and watch (and giggle) as the bubbles form and the potato chip-sized duritos float to the surface. Once they are puffed and floating, they are done. Remove them to a wire rack over paper towels to drain, and serve with salt, lime and hot sauce. (According to a quick poll of H-Mart employees, Valentina brand is the preferred hot sauce for duritos with Tapatio a close second choice.)

After serving a plateful as an appetizer, we had a fairly large portion left. Not being ones to waste food, we decided to toss the extras in a paper bag with cinnamon sugar like you would do with churros, and ¡aquí está! – churritos! These are my new favorite treat any time of day. Just try to tear that paper bag out of the grasp!


Supposedly, you can also cook the duros in the microwave with no water or oil by placing a few of the pasta wheels on a paper towel and microwaving for 30 - 35 seconds until they puff up into cute and crunchy doo-dads. We have tried this with limited success. Ours do not seem to puff completely and are much smaller than the fried versions.

Either way, these new additions to our repertoire are here to stay. Incredibly easy and wonderfully unique, I can’t wait to break these out at the next dinner party or potluck!

Super H Mart Impresses

It is easy to get stuck in your usual routine which includes going to the same stores for the same items time after time. We go to DeKalb Farmer’s Market for produce and spices, Costco for meats and staples, Whole Foods for seafood… you get the drift. Occasionally, we head out to the Buford Highway Farmer’s Market (BHFM) for a different selection of produce or for a wider variety of Asian products.

It had been a while since we had been to BHFM and we had accumulated a list of items we were looking for to restock the pantry or to try in new recipes. As I was headed to the market, I remembered reading that several new Super H Marts had opened in the Atlanta area. The supermarket chain which began in 1982 in Queens, New York City as a corner store, is operated by the Hanahreum Group. "Han Ah Reum" is a Korean phrase meaning "arm full of groceries.”

So, instead of exiting Interstate-285 at Buford Highway, I continued west for two more exits to visit the new Doraville H-Mart. I walked into a well-lit, hyper-clean store with neatly-stacked, super-fresh produce and rows and rows of tidily arranged packages. One aisle had every kind of tea from every region of the world, while another had a massive variety of grains and pastas. While the Asian staples were somewhat mixed (e.g. Korean, Chinese, and Japanese chili pastes or seaweeds), the Hispanic items tended to be shelved separately. The large refrigerated cases and freezers had a plentiful selection of meats.

I was euphoric! I roamed the aisles marveling at all the wondrous food stuffs and chatted with other shoppers. One shopper who drove from Marietta to buy items for Lemongrass Thai Restaurant, helped me select from the dizzying array of soy sauces. I had found everything on my list with the help of several very helpful and friendly employees. I then headed to check out which again was clean and well organized. A cheery clerk explained the benefits of joining the free shoppers’ reward program and waited patiently while I filled out the forms being sure to ask for my receipt so I would be credited for that day’s purchases. Needless to say, I will be using my frequent shopper card, as I will definitely be returning to H-Mart very soon!

Ahhh! What did I buy you ask...

• Gochujang (for Korean Beef tacos)
• Yakisushi Nori (for making sushi)
• Soy Sauce (for Sonny’s fried rice)
• Bonito for soup (for Dashi broth)
• Rice noodles (to serve with stir fry)
• Cactus Honey Powder (for everything)
• Pasta para Duros (for duritos and churitos)
• Valentina hot sauce (for duritos)
• Instant Miso soup (for lunches)
• Yummy-looking little melon (to eat)
• Bento-ish lunch box (for Sonny, the King of Leftovers)

For our readers who do not live near an H-Mart location, they offer free shipping for new on-line customers for orders over $50 and free shipping on many bulk items. Click here for more details!

Bravo Patatas Bravas

Patatas bravas is a popular dish native to the cuisine of Spain where they are commonly served in bars accompanied by a glass of local wine. They can be found on most tapas menus throughout the U.S. In fact, it is always the first item we order at our favorite tapas restaurant, Eclipse di Luna.

The dish is made with white potatoes that have been cut into about 1-inch cubes, fried in oil and served warm with a spicy sauce sauce. However, the preparation of the accompanying sauce varies by city. In Burgos, the sauce is tomato-based and includes a variety of spices which give it bite, while in Catalonia and Valencia, the potatoes are served with an alioli made with olive oil, red pepper, paprika, chili, and vinegar.

All variations, however, include Spanish paprika. We recently received samples of hot smoked paprika and (picante) and sweet smoked paprika (dulce) from La Chinata and what better way to enjoy the flavor than with this traditional Spanish dish.

Patatas:

• 1 cup peanut oil
• 4 large Russet potatoes, peeled, and cut to 1-inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons hot Spanish paprika (La Chinta Picante)
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• Chopped parsley, to garnish

In a large skillet, heat the peanut oil. Rinse the potatoes in cold water and pat dry. Test oil by placing one potato cube in the skillet, if it sizzles and forms tiny bubbles around it, the oil is ready. Take care when adding the potatoes to the saucepan because the oil will splatter (which is part of the reason you patted them dry.) Fry the potatoes in oil working in batches until they are halfway done. Yes, halfway! When the potatoes start to look white and opaque (about 7 minutes) remove them to a rack to drain and cool.

Once completely cooled, re-fry the potatoes (working in batches again) until they are golden brown and crispy. Again remove potatoes to a cooling rack to drain.

Mix together paprika and salt. Placing the fried potatoes in a bowl, sprinkle paprika salt over the potatoes and toss to ensure that all the potatoes are well coated. You can place them in a 200oF oven until ready to serve if needed.

Bravas:

• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon ground oregano
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

This can be made ahead and actually improves the longer it sits. Mix all ingredients together until completely combined and smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Place (covered) in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Serve patatas in a shallow bowl and garnish with chopped fresh parsley and the bravas sauce on the side for dipping. We suggest making extras because one tapa serving is never enough!