Chef Bolek's Picanha with Chancho en Piedra

My love for churrasco -- that is, beef grilled over an open fire -- often leads me to places like Fogo de Chao or Texas de Brazil. It also leads me to seek out smaller, family owned churrascarias or other Brazilian and Argentinian restaurants. Those dining experiences, especially the ones at the large chain restaurants, often involve one server after another carrying a skewer of grilled meat.  There is the server with costela (or beef ribs), followed by the server with beef ancho (or ribeye), the server with fraldinha (bottom sirloin), the server with alcantra (top sirloin), and then the server with filet mignon. However, there is always one server that I try to find in the restaurant ... the person with the picanha or what is also referred to as the sirloin cap or cullote. 

However, my efforts to find picanha outside of a national chain restaurant, or even a smaller family-run restaurant, had encountered some difficulty. This particular cut is not one that is typically stocked on the shelves of a supermarket. One has to dig a little deeper and work a little harder to find it. This work necessarily involves identifying a trusted butcher. Fortunately, for me, there is one -- Chop Shop Butchery -- which I highly recommend. A simple question - do you have picanha - led to the purchase of a very nice cut of meat. 

That cut is identifiable by the strip of fat along the top, which, when grilled properly, helps to baste and  flavor the meat. The story of picanha can be traced back to the Bixziga neighborhood of Sao Paulo, Brazil during the 1950s. The cut did not make its way onto a menu until Dinhos offered a roasted picanha. The cut took off in Brazil and eventually made its way (along with Brazilian immigrants) to Portugal and then to the United States. 

The preparation of picanha is rather simple: flaky sea salt is really all that is needed before cooking the meat. The meat is roasted on a spit in Brazil or grilled in Argentina, and, either way, it can be cut into smaller pieces or the whole cut could simply be roasted. Given it was my first time, and recognizing that I probably did not have the right skewers to spit roast the meat, I decided to roast the whole cut. I seasoned the cut with sea salt, but I also used some merken especial, a chile rub used by the Mapuche, to provide a smoky kick to the meat. I grilled it to 135 degrees, well short of the 145 degrees for medium rare, given the shape of the cut. This approach ensured that the narrower edge of the cut would not be overcooked. 

My version of Chancho en Piedra

Finally, when one serves picanha or any grilled meat as part of a churrasco, it is accompanied by a chimichurri sauce.  I have made many a chimichurri sauce in my time. There are a few recipes on this blog, like this one and these two. So, I can say that a chimichurri is my own go-to sauce for grilled or roasted meats. However, for this occasion, I wanted to do something different. 

My search led me to pebre, which is a Chilean condiment made with cilantro, olive oil, onion, garlic and chiles. If one adds freshly chopped tomatoes to their pebre, it becomes chancho en piedra (which translates to "pig on a rock"). This salsa-like side is traditionally prepared using a molcajete or a mortar and pestle to create a consistency that looks more like a sauce. However, I have seen versions where the chancho en piedra has more texture, akin to a chunky-like salsa. I generally prefer the latter when it comes to salsa, so I opted with that approach. I also substituted one of the green chiles for 1/2 tablespoon of merken especial to tie the side with the grilled meat. These modifications resulted in a side that seemed, in my humble opinion, was a better accompaniment for slices of grilled picanha. 

CHEF BOLEK'S PICANHA WITH CHANCHO EN PIEDRA

Picanha recipe adapted from Barbecue Bible

Chancho en Piedra receipt from Food Comas

Serves several

Ingredients (for the picanha):

• 2 pound slab of picanha (top sirloin) with 1/2 inch of fat on top
• Merken especial
• Coarse salt (sea or kosher)

Ingredients (for the Chancho en Piedra)

• 1 bunch cilantro, finely chopped
• 1 medium onion, finely diced
• 2 green chiles, seeded and finely diced or 1 tablespoon Merken
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 1 tomato, peeled and finely diced
• 1/2 lemon, juiced

Directions:

1. Prepare the Chancho en Piedra. In a bowl, add the oil, garlic, onion, coriander, tomatoes, chiles (or merken) and veingar. Add the salt and pepper to taste. If necessary, add a tablespoon of olive oil. Set aside.

2. Prepare the picanha and the grill. Cut the picanha crosswise (across the grain) into slices that are 1.5 inches thick. Dust the picanha with merken on all sides. Set aside while you set up the grill for direct grilling. Heat the grill to high. Brush and oil the grill grate.

3. Grill the picanha. Arrange the meat pices fat side down on the grill. Direct grill until fat is partially rendered, crisp, and brown, 2 to 4 minutes. Turn each piece of meat on its side and grill until brown, about 2 minutes per side. Grill the bottom the same way. You are looking for medium rare. An instant read thermometer inserted into the narrow end to the center of the meat should read about 125 to 135 degrees Fahrenheit.

4. Finish the dish. Transfer the picanha to a cutting board, fat side up and let rest for a couple of minutes. Carve it into thin slices across the grain, including a bit of fat and a bit of meat in each slice. Serve with the Chancho en Piedra.

P.S. While writing this post, I discovered that there is also Chancho en Piedra, the Chilean experimental, funk band. Their music is actually pretty catchy. My only regret - apart from not being able to speak Spanish - is that I did not learn about this band earlier. I could have played the music in the background while preparing chancho en piedra, the sauce.

PEACE.

African Chicken (Galinha a Africana)

If one wanted African Chicken, the journey would take them to an unexpected place. It would not be a restaurant in Dakar or Kigali. It would not be to a home in Nairobi or Gabarone. Instead, that journey would transport the person to a small island off of a continent. The continent is Asia and that island is Macau.

The dish of African Chicken -- or, as it may appear on menus, Galinha a Africana -- embodies the essence of the cuisine of Macau. That essence is fusion. For more than 450 years, chefs and cooks on Macau have incorporated European, African and Asian ingredients, cooking methods and recipes to create the dishes that grace the tables of today.  So much so, that the cuisine of Macau has been recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization or UNESCO as the world's first fusion food. 

The story of Macanese food, as their people, begins with the colonization of the island by Portugal in the 16th century.  Portuguese sailors and merchants came to the island as part of their voyages across the world. The Portuguese who remained on Macau began to intermarry with the Chinese, which gave rise to the Macanese people. The Macanese even had their own language, Patua, which is a form of Portuguese Creole. However, when the Portuguese returned control of Macau to China, the Macanese people began to disperse. Presently, the Macanese constitute about 10% of the population of the island at best, and, their language is deemed critically endangered, with only about 50 speakers as of 2000 (and that was 20 years ago).  

Like the people, Macanese cuisine is basically a fusion of Portuguese and Chinese cuisines, but it incorporates ingredients, cooking processes, and recipes from around the world, including Brazil, Angola, Mozambique, Goa and Timor. This is where African Chicken provides a perfect example of Macau's fusion cuisine because that fusion can be found on multiple levels. For example, the dish incorporates chiles, which were brought to Macau by the Portuguese from Angola and Mozambique. It also incorporates fish sauce, that wonderful umami flavor that can be found in southeastern Asian cuisine. The fusion involves more than just ingredients, it also includes cooking processes. The chicken is first grilled until the skin becomes crispy and brown, and then the chicken is braised in its marinade. The end result is everything that is best about each African, Asian and European cuisine, namely fiery piri chiles, the smell and taste of fish sauce and the juiciness of braised chicken.

The one other fascinating aspect about this dish is that, according to some, "you never know what you are going to get" when you order African Chicken in Macau. Sometimes the chicken is grilled and served without sauce. Other times it is presented as a stew. Some versions are fiery hot because of the chiles (as was the version I prepared), others have sweeter notes brought about by the coconut. The malleable nature of this dish may be just simply another level of fusion, enabling cooks and chefs to add their own personal touches to what is truly a global dish.

Finally, this post would not be complete without a mention of the Africans who were and are still present in Macau. During the colonial period, Africans served in the galleys of ships or as servants at the houses of the rich in Macau and southeastern China. After slavery was abolished, Portugal continued to bring Africans from Angola and Mozambique to serve as soldiers in Macau. After the 1974 Portuguese revolution, many of these African soldiers returned to their countries. Some remained, as well as others who came to the island and to China to study. They remain an important part of the community on the island.

AFRICAN CHICKEN

Recipe adapted from SCMP and Omnivore's Cookbook

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 8 bone-in chicken thighs or breasts
• 3 1/2 ounces shallots, peeled
• 1 3/4 ounce garlic, peeled
• 1 ounce ginger, peeled
• 1/2 to 3/4 ounce of red bird's eye chiles
• 3 1/2 ounces red banana chiles
• 7/8 ounce fresh cilantro
• 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 2 tablespoons and 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons chile powder
• 3/4 teaspoons paprika
• 5 teaspoons fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• 5 teaspoons fresh lime juice
• 2/3 cup coconut milk

Directions:

1. Prepare the chicken. Dry the chicken with paper towels.  Sprinkle salt on both sides of the chicken and place it into a bowl.

2. Prepare the marinade. Roughly chop the shallots, garlic and ginger, placing them into a bowl for a food processor or blender. Mince the bird's eye chiles, shaking out as many seeds as possible. Roughly chop the banana chiles and cilantro. Add the chiles and cilantro to the blender or food processor. Add the peppercorns, sugar, chile powder, paprika and 10 grams of salt to the food processor or blender and process the ingredients to a coarse paste. Add the fish sauce, vinegar and lime juice. Process the ingredients to a rough puree. Stir in the coconut milk into the puree and then pour the marinade into the bowl holding the chicken. Mix well to ensure the pieces are coated with marinade and refrigerate for three to eight hours, mixing occasionally. Take the bowl from the fridge an hour before cooking the chicken. 

3. Cook the chicken. Preheat the oven broiler. Take the chicken out of the bowl and wipe off as much marinade as possible. Place the pieces skin side up in one layer on a baking tray. Grill the chicken on high until the skin is deep brown and slightly charred in spots, then turn the oven to 390 degrees Fahrenheit and continue baking for eight minutes for the breasts, 10 minutes for thighs. 

4.  Prepare the sauce. While the chicken is cooking, pour the marinade into a heatproof serving dish (such as enameled cast iron just large enough to fit the chicken pieces a little snugly in one layer. Place over a medium flame and bring to a bowl, then lower the heat and simmer, stirring often, until the sauce is a nice coating consistency. Taste the sauce and correct the seasonings, as necessary. If it is too spicy, add more sugar and/or coconut milk. 

5. Continue cooking the chicken. After baking the chicken, take the pan from the oven. Pour any chicken juices into the serving dish. Place the chicken in the dish and spoon the sauce over the pieces to lightly coat them. Place the dish in the oven and bake for another 8 to 10 minutes. 

6. Finish the dish. Place sprigs of fresh cilantro over the chicken. Serve immediately with rice or potatoes. 

ENJOY!

Green Hatch Chile Hot Sauce

Most people know that I love hot sauce.  If one were to open my refrigerator, he or she would find at least four different hot sauces in there.  Walk a few feet to the cupboard, and he or she would find another two or three hot sauces on the bench.  At one point in time, I went through a 5 fluid ounce bottle of Tabasco sauce every several days.  

Given my love for hot sauce, I have always wanted to make my own.  I have looked through many different recipes, using a wide range of peppers.  However, I never made any of them.  As much as I wanted to make hot sauce, there was always something else that I ended up making.  I needed something to get me to do it.

That "something" was a bunch of fresh Hatch chiles. I bought a bag of those chiles at a local grocery store.  My intent was to grill the chiles or roast them, serving them as a side.  However, there were a lot of chiles in that bag.  As time went by, I decided I had to do something with those chiles. Given the Hatch chile is my favorite chile, I decided to make that hot sauce. 

The only question is what type of hot sauce to make.  Given my love of Tabasco sauce, I decided that I would make a more vinegar-forward sauce.  I went back through those hot sauce recipes and found a good recipe at This Mess is Ours.  

The Hatch chiles that I had were not very spicy, so I was looking at making a very mild hot sauce.  I could have easily slipped in a habanero or scotch bonnet pepper, and, no one would be the wiser.  I have to admit the thought crossed my mind.  

In the end, I wanted to make a pure Hatch chile hot sauce.  Three ingredients - the chiles, distilled white vinegar, and Kosher salt.  As pure of a hatch chile hot sauce as one can get. 

I don't regret that decision. Although the sauce is very mild in my opinion (as most of the hot sauces I have tend toward extra hot), it was a great first effort.  

GREEN HATCH CHILE HOT SAUCE

Recipe from This Mess is Ours

Ingredients

1 pound of fresh Hatch chiles

1 1/2 cups distilled white vinegar

2 tablespoons of Kosher salt

Directions:

1.  Prepare the chiles.  Rinse the chiles and dry them.  Slice off the stems of the chiles. 

2. Puree the chiles.  Place the chiles in a food processor with the Kosher salt.  Puree the chiles until a coarse puree is created. 

3.  Slightly ferment the chiles.  Transfer the chile puree to a glass jar with the lid loosely screwed on.  Let sit at room temperature for 12 hours to allow for a little fermentation.

4. Continue the fermentation.  Add the vinegar, stir the contents, and loosely screw the lid on again.  Allow the mixture to stand at room temperature for at least 24 hours but up to 7 days.

5.  Puree the mixture.  Add the contents to a food processor, process until the mixture is smooth.  

6.  Strain the mixture.  Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer, using a spatula to make sure that all of the liquids are extracted from the mixture.  

7.  Finish the hot sauce.  Bottle the liquid and refrigerate for up to four months.

ENJOY!

Indian Style Whole Masala Roast Chicken

Few things intrigue me more, as someone who loves to cook and loves to learn about food, than Indian cuisine.  As someone who loves to dive into the cuisine of a culture or a nation, I am most fascinated by the regionalization of cuisine.  When I first started cooking, I focused on Italy, and I spent a lot of time learning about northern Italian cooking and southern Italian cooking.  Then I started to focus upon the cooking of particular provinces, such as Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany and Abruzzo.  The focus -- from general to regional -- was fascinating to me.  

In many ways, India is a lot like Italy.  There is northern Indian food and southern Indian food.  But, then there are the regions.  From Punjab to Rajastan to Goa to Kerala (and everywhere in between), there is a wide variety of regional Indian cuisine.  I have made some dishes from some of these regions, like Goa and Kerala, but I have only scratched the surface.  Much more is to come.  

But, for now, a general Indian dish.  I say that because whenever I see a recipe that has a title of _______-style, I know that it is a dish inspired by, but may not actually constitute part of, a country's established cuisine.  That is not necessarily a bad thing, there are very many -style dishes that are very delicious.  (I have made quite a few -style dishes, and, hopefully, they are good).  So, when I saw an Indian Style Whole Masala Roast Chicken recipe, I decided that I had to make it. 

Masalas are spice mixtures.  While one can find masala spice mixtures in stores, the best ones are made at home. Dried whole seeds and pods, lightly toasted, and ground into a fine powder.  Most people don't have the whole seeds, but you can still make your own masala from ground spices, it will just not be as good.  

In any event, the masala for this recipe is very simple. Kashmiri red chile pepper, "pepper powder" and cumin. I wasn't quite sure what "pepper powder" was supposed to be, so I just used more Kashmiri peppers (which you can get from your local Indian food market). This masala was very simple and it worked for this recipe.  In the future, I may try some different masalas to see how they work with a whole roasted chicken. 

INDIAN STYLE WHOLE ROAST MASALA CHICKEN

Recipe from My Food Story

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken (about 2 1/4 pounds)

2 1/2 tablespoons Kashmiri red chile powder

1 1/2 tablespoons ginger paste

1 tablespoon garlic paste

1/2 tablespoon pepper powder

1 teaspoon cumin powder

2 tablespoons honey

1 1/2 tablespoons vinegar

4 tablespoons of butter

Salt, to taste

3-4 potatoes, peeled and quartered

3 onions, quartered

3 cloves garlic

Directions:

1.  Prepare the chicken.  Wash the chicken and pat dry.  Mix together the chile powder, ginger, garlic paste, pepper, cumin, honey, vinegar, butter and salt into a smooth paste.  Apply the chile paste all over the chicken, into the crevices and under the skin wherever there are gaps  If you have extra marinade remaining, you can use it to brush the chicken while it cooks. Cover and marinate the chicken for at least 2 hours or overnight.

2.  Roast the chicken.  Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit, Use an oven proof baking dish and add potatoes, onions garlic and lemon slices to the bottom.  Bake for 75 to 90 minutes.  Keep brushing the chicken with the fat and gravy from the pan every thirty minutes or so.  After 1 hour, cover the chicken with oil to avoid the breast from drying out.  Once cooked, cover with foil and let it rest for 10 minutes.  

3.  Finish the dish. Serve the chicken with all the veggies at the bottom of the pan.

ENJOY!

Big Bob Gibson's Bar-B-Q Chicken with White Sauce

As a recreational (and novice) chef and pitmaster, I have spent a lot of time trying to learn all about the different styles of barbecue.  Much of the barbecue literature is fixated on the well known styles of barbecue, such as Texas brisket or eastern Carolina whole hog.  There are many other styles of barbecue, some of which you have to discover by either going to the locale or trying to bring that style to your kitchen.

One such example of a barbecue style is that found in the State of Alabama.  Pitmasters in Alabama smoke pork, ham and chicken, using sauces that are reminiscent of other southern styles, such as the Carolina vinegar sauce.  However, Alabama has a barbecue sauce that is unique to that State's barbecue.  It is a white sauce, used to dip smoked chickens right before serving.  That sauce originated with Big Bob Gibson, who opened a barbecue joint in Decatur, Alabama back in 1925. 

As the story goes,  Big Bob Gibson served pork and chicken at his restaurant.  Gibson used an Eastern Carolina vinegar sauce for his pork, but he needed something for his chicken.  The sauce had to help keep the moisture in his chickens, which were smoked for about 3 hours.  Big Bob Gibson developed a white sauce using mayonnaise.  The sauce gave the chicken a "peppery, vinegary" flavor that helped to keep the chicken moist.  Gibson served this white sauce alongside the Carolina vinegar sauce when he opened his store in 1925.

More than 80 years later, my beautiful Angel's parents took me to Big Bob Gibson's to experience barbecue in Alabama.  I ordered a sampler, which did not include the chicken with white sauce.  I have to admit that, at the time, I was a little skeptical of the white sauce.  Added to that skepticism was my general distaste for mayonnaise.  Consequently, I never tried it at Big Bob Gibson's restaurant.

But, as I noted above, there is the option of bringing the style to your kitchen.  Recently, I decided to  set aside my general distaste for mayonnaise and try the Big Bob Gibson's recipe.  I spatchcocked a couple of whole chickens and put them in the smoker.  I followed the "simple technique" used by the pitmasters at Big Bob Gibson's, namely smoking the chickens over hickory wood, basting the chickens with oil, and then dipping the smoked chickens in that white sauce.   The flavor of the hickory smoke was present in the chicken, especially in the dark meat.  The skin did crisp up, but not to what I would have liked.  (I always need some room for improvement; and, in this case, it is working on how to crisp the skin better.)  

I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by the results. The white sauce combines mayonnaise with vinegar, prepared horseradish, apple juice and lemon juice.  The vinegar and horseradish give the sauce the kick that one would expect (in my humble opinion) from a barbecue sauce.   That kick gets a little boost from cayenne pepper, but the horseradish is what does the trick for me.  While I followed the recipe in this case, I think that I would add a little more horseradish the next time.    

One final note, the consistency of the white sauce was a little more like a mop sauce than what I would consider to be a barbecue sauce.  That probably explains why the chicken is submerged in the white sauce.   When the chicken was served, I included some of the white sauce in a ramekin or bowl for dipping.

BIG BOB GIBSON BAR-B-Q CHICKEN

WITH WHITE SAUCE

Recipe from Chris Lilly, Big Bob Gibson's BBQ Book, page 119

Serves 4 to 8

Ingredients (for the chicken):

2 whole butterflied chickens

1 tablespoon of salt

1 cup oil (vegetable, olive, lard)

2 tablespoons black pepper

Ingredients (for the white sauce):

2 cups mayonnaise

1 cup distilled white vinegar

1/2 cup apple juice

2 teaspoons prepared horseradish

2 teaspoons ground black pepper

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions:

1.  Prepare the fire.  Build a fire (wood or a combination of charcoal and wood) for indirect cooking by situating the coals on only one side of the cooker, leaving the other side void.  Preheat the cooker to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

2.  Smoke the chickens.   Dust each whole chicken evenly with salt.  Place the chickens over the void side of the cooker, with the skin side  up.  When the skin on the chicken is golden brown, about 1 1/2 hours, turn the chickens skin side down, basting both sides with the oil.  Sprinkle the cavities of each chicken with pepper.  Cook the chicken for an additional 1 1/2 hours or until the internal temperature of the thickest part of the thigh reaches 180 degrees Fahrenheit.  Add more wood to the fire as needed to replenish the supply of coals and maintain a temperature of 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

3.  Prepare the white sauce.  While the chicken is being smoked, combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and blend well.  

4.  Finish the dish.  Pour the white sauce into a narrow deep container and position it next to the cooker.  Remove each chicken from the cooking grate and submerge it into the pot of white sauce.  Remove the chicken from the sauce, cut each chicken in half between the breasts and then quarter by cutting between each breast and thigh.

ENJOY!

Fire Roasted Gazpacho with Maryland Lump Crab

My beautiful Angel, Clare, loves gazpacho.   Previously, I made a gazpacho with shrimp based upon a recipe from Patricia Fernandez de la Cruz, who is the wife to Jose Andres. That particular chilled soup was so delicious that it has become one of our favorites.  It was a traditional gazpacho, with raw tomatoes, cucumbers and green peppers being blended into a liquid (with other ingredients, such as stale bread) and served with a garnish.

Indeed, a traditional gazpacho is made with raw tomatoes and vegetables.   The raw nature of the tomatoes and vegetables is what, in my humble opinion, gives this soup its fresh character.   And, it is a very delicious character.  However, I did not want to make just another gazpacho.  I wanted to experiment with this dish.  The only question is what tweeks or twists could I do to make something that is just as delicious as the traditional soup.

As it turns out, I was planning to smoke a pork shoulder when I was thinking about this issue.  The thought of lighting the chimneys for the smoker got me to think about grilling the tomatoes and vegetables.  I then did some research and came across a recipe for a Fire Roasted Gazpacho.  The recipe comes from Steven Raichlen, the professor at Barbecue University.  The recipe calls for grilling the traditional ingredients to a gazpacho -- tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers -- along with onions.  It also calls for roasted garlic (which is not an ingredient in the traditional soup).  After all of the grilled vegetables are cool, then you remove the skins and blend them just as you would if they were raw vegetables.  The end result is just as delicious as the traditional recipe.

But, I wanted to experiment a little further.  Rather than using traditional gazpacho garnish, such as diced tomatoes, peppers and stale bread cubes, I decided to garnish this dish with some jumbo lump blue crab.  A nod to Steven Raichlen's roots of growing up in the State of Maryland, where the blue crab is king. It was definitely a great final touch to this recipe.  (It was a bit of a splurge, so you can use lump crab or even claw meat, but don't use special or backfin because the pieces will be too small for the soup).  

RAICHLEN'S GAZPACHO ON FIRE

WITH MARYLAND LUMP CRAB

Recipe adapted from Food & Wine

Serves 4

Ingredients:

3 garlic cloves, unpeeled
3 large tomatoes (1 1/2 pounds)
1 medium cucumber
1 green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
1 medium sweet onion, unpeeled
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, unpeeled
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/4 cup chopped mixed herbs, plus more for garnish
1 cup cold water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Directions:

1.  Grill the vegetables.  Light a grill.  Wrap the garlic cloves in a sheet of foil.  Grill the tomatoes, cucumber, green and red peppers, onion and garlic until the vegetables are charred all over and almost softened, about 8 minutes for the tomatoes, cucumber and bell peppers, about 10 minutes for the garlic and 15 minutes for the onion.  When the vegetables are cool enough to handle, remove the charred skins as well as any stems and seeds and chop them coarsely.

2.  Prepare the gazpacho.  Transfer all of the vegetables, including the peeled garlic to a food processor and puree.  With the machine on, gradually add the 1/4 cup of olive oil, then blend in the vinegar.  Add the 1/4 cup of the herbs, then transfer the mixture to a bowl.    Stir in the water and season with the salt and pepper.  Refrigerate until chilled.  Ladle the gazpacho into bowls, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with herbs and serve.

ENJOY!

Big Bob Gibson's Eight-Time World Championship Pork Shoulder, with Eastern Carolina and Memphis Barbecue Sauces (Savage Boleks' Barbecue 2011)

Seeking a change from the grind of working on the L & N Railroad, Bob Gibson first opened his barbecue joint in 1925.  He began with pork and hickory wood.  Over the years, he and generations of Gibsons who followed have built Big Bob Gibson's into something of an institution in Decatur, Alabama.  By the time I made it there, more than eighty-five years after it first opened, Big Bob Gibson's serves not only pork, but beef, and chicken as well.

I still remember the day that Clare's parents took us to Big Bob Gibson's restaurant in Decatur, Alabama.  I ordered the big platter of barbecue, sampling pulled pork, brisket and ribs, along with sides.  I wanted to taste as much of Big Bob Gibson's barbecue as I could.  While I could not finish the large plate of food that had been placed in front of me, it was probably some of the best barbecue that I have ever tasted.  (I realize I have opened myself to challenges about what is the "best" barbecue, my response to all of them is bring some of your best barbecue by and I will try it.You may win me over, but I need to taste it first!)

Recognizing how much I loved Big Bob Gibson's barbecue, Clare's parents bought me the Big Bob Gibson's BBQ Book, which is full of recipes for different types of barbecue, along with hints and suggestions from Big Bob Gibson's pit master, Chris Lilly.  What immediately got my attention is Big Bob Gibson's Eight Time World Championship Pork Shoulder. If I had to choose a favorite BBQ, it would be pulled pork.  I love brisket, ribs, and links, but there is something about pulled pork.  If given the choice, it is almost always the BBQ that I order.

THE PORK SHOULDER

So naturally, the type of barbecue that is most associated with the Savage Boleks' BBQ is pork shoulder.  My Angel and I have two annual Savage Boleks' BBQs and both times I did the base preparation of the pork shoulders using the hints, advice and recipes provided by Chris Lilly and Big Bob Gibson.  For the most recent BBQ, I used the Big Bob Gibson's Eight-Time World Championship Pork Shoulder recipe.  I smoked the pork shoulders using a combination of 50% hickory and 50% apple wood. I also added apple juice to the liquid bowl.  As I pulled the pork shoulder and tasted the meat for the first time, I was pleasantly surprised by the smoky, yet sweet flavor of the meat.  Overall, my efforts were a great success.

BIG BOB GIBSON'S EIGHT-TIME WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

PORK SHOULDER

Source and adapted from Big Bob Gibson's BBQ Book, at 53-54 

Serves a lot of people

Ingredients (for the Dry Rub):
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 tablespoon dark brown sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons garlic salt
2 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/8 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon black pepper 

Ingredients (for the Injection):
3/4 cup apple juice
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup kosher salt
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 

Ingredients (for the Vinegar Mop):
1 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/8 cup cayenne pepper
1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
2 slices of lemons

2 pork butts, about 7 pounds each 

Directions:
1.  Mix all of the ingredients for the dry rub in a small bowl and set aside. 

2.  In a separate bowl, combine all of the injection ingredients and blend together until the sugar dissolves.   Using a meat syringe or flavor injector, inject the meat evenly at 1-inch intervals from top to side, using the entire amount of the injection solution.  Once the solution has been injected into the meat, apply the dry rub to the meat in an even coating.  Make sure that the dry rub adheres to the meat.  Wrap the pork in plastic wrap and let rest in the refrigerator overnight.

3.  On the day of the smoking, mix all the ingredients for the vinegar mop in a small bowl. Set aside.

4.  Remove the pork from the fridge while you start the smoker. If using a Weber Smokey Mountain, use hardwood charcoal.  After you have gotten the charcoal lit, use a mixture of hickory and apple wood chunks.  Once the smoker reaches 225 degrees, add the pork shoulders to the smoker.  Smoke the pork shoulder at 225 degrees to 250 degrees until the meat reaches 190 degrees, after about 10 to 11 hours. In the last few hours, usually beginning with the seventh or eighth hour, begin to baste the meat with the vinegar mop.  Baste the meat every hour thereafter.

5.  Remove the pork from the smoker and let rest for 30 minutes. Pull the pork, reserving any visible fat.  I generally smoke the meat the day prior to the barbecue and, when reheating the meat before the party, I mix in some of the fat to help keep the meat moist. Sprinkle on some of the leftover vinegar mop, mixing with your hands to incorporate.

THE BARBECUE SAUCES

For each Savage Boleks' BBQ, I try to make different barbecue sauces to go with the pork shoulder.  For the first BBQ, I made Big Bob Gibson's own sauce, which I made from scratch using the recipe from the cookbook. Unfortunately, I did not make enough and it was gone very quickly.  For the second annual barbecue, I decided to make two sauces.  The first sauce was a vinegar-based Eastern Carolina Sauce, which was inspired by our recent vacation in the Outer Banks.  The second sauce was a tomato-based Memphis sauce.  I thought this sauce would provide our guests with two good options -- between a tart sauce and a sweet sauce.  Both sauces are from the June/July edition of Saveur Magazine.

EASTERN CAROLINA BARBECUE SAUCE

From Saveur, No. 139 (Jun./Jul. 2011) at 112.

Makes 2 cups

Ingredients:

1 cup distilled white vinegar

1 cup apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp. sugar

1 tbsp. crushed red chile flakes

1 tbsp. hot sauce

1 tbsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. ground black pepper

½ tsp. paprika

Directions:

1.  Combine the vinegars, sugar, chile flakes, hot sauce, salt, pepper, and paprika in a storage container.

2.  When you are going to use the sauce, heat it in a pot until it is warm.  Add the sauce to the pork by spoonfuls until you have enough to flavor the pork.

MEMPHIS-STYLE WET SAUCE RECIPE

From Saveur, No. 139 (Jun./Jul. 2011) at 112.
Makes 2 cups

Ingredients:

2 cups ketchup

⅔ cup apple cider vinegar

½ cup light brown sugar

¼ cup sugar

2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

2 tsp. ground black pepper

1½ tsp. mild hot sauce

1½ tsp. onion powder

1½ tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. dry mustard powder

Directions:

1.  Bring the ketchup, vinegar, both sugars, juice, Worcestershire, pepper, hot sauce, onion and garlic powders, mustard, and 1 cup water to a boil in a 2 quart saucepan. 

2.  Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, stirring, until thickened, about 30 minutes.

Overall, the Second Annual Savage Boleks' BBQ was a great success.   Everyone enjoyed the pulled pork and the barbecue sauces, even combining the sauces together to create an Eastern Carolina/Memphis pulled pork sandwich.  Eventually, I will turn my attention to the Third Annual Savage Boleks' BBQ, but I have still have a year to prepare for that.  Until next time ...

ENJOY!

Around the World in 80 Dishes: The Philippines

It has been a while since my last stop on my culinary challenge, Around the World in 80 Dishes.  The passage of time is due to two factors.  First, I usually spend a lot of time researching each challenge to make sure that the dish that I am making is authentic and that the recipe I use comes as close as possible to what cooks in the particular country would do to make the dish.  This research is important, because many of my prior challenges -- such as Ethiopia, Bangladesh and Mongolia -- are some of the most viewed posts on my blog.  Accordingly, I try to take the time to research the dish to make sure that it is at least representative of the country's cuisine, along with the appetizers, side dishes and, in some cases, beverages that I make to go along with that meal.  Second, I have not had the time in recent weeks to do the required research. 

Recently, I set aside time to get myself back on track.  I now find myself facing the challenge of preparing a main course from the Philippines.   Like most countries, the cuisine of the Philippines is strongly influenced by its history and its geography.  With respect to the former, the centuries of Spanish colonization has left its imprint on Filipino cuisine.  This influence is most apparent with is often referred to as the "national dish" of the Philippines ... Chicken Adobo or Adobong Manok.  The word "adobo" means marinade in Spanish, but the marinade used Adobong Manok is uniquely Filipino.  As for the geography, the proximity of the Philippines to China has resulted in a substantial Chinese population emigrating from the continent to the Filipino islands.  The influence of the Chinese is perhaps most evident in some of the noodle dishes served in the Philippines.   

For this challenge, I have decided to prepare Adobong Manok, which I served with some jasmine rice. This main dish satisfies the challenge, and, it also hearkens to the Spanish influences in Filipino cuisine.  I also decided to make an appetizer, Tahong Ng Sabaw or Green Mussel Soup, which pays tribute to the Asian influences on the Philippines and its food. 

 THE APPETIZER

  

The green mussel (Perna Viridis) is just that ... a mussel with a green shell.  Green mussels were cultivated in Asia, but are now found around the world.  Well, green mussels are found in many parts of the world, except around where I live.  Consequently, I used Prince Edward Island mussels, known for their black shells, to make this dish.  The Asian influences are readily apparent in the use of fish sauce, a popular condiment in Thai and Vietnamese cuisines.  The mussels can be served with jasmine rice, although I did not do that because I was going to have rice with the main course.

TAHONG NG SABAW (GREEN MUSSEL SOUP)

Recipe adapted from All Fish Seafood Recipes.com

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds of fresh mussels, cleaned

1 medium sweet onion, diced

3 cloves of garlic, diced

1 thumb sized piece of ginger, diced

3 Roma tomatoes, chopped

1 tablespoon of vegetable oil

2 tablespoons of fish sauce

3 cups of water

2 handfuls of fresh Spinach, chiffonade

Ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Saute the vegetables.  Heat the oil in a pot over medium high heat.  Add the onions, garlic and ginger.  Saute and stir occasionally until the onion is translucent and the ingredients are fragrant, which should take about five minutes.

2.  Add the tomatoes.  Add the chopped tomatoes and continue to saute for about two minutes.  Stir occasionally.

3.  Make the soup.  Add the water and fish sauce.  Bring the liquid to a boil.

4.  Steam the mussels.  Add the mussels.  Add enough water (if necessary)  When the mussels have opened, they are done.

5.  Add the remaining ingredients.  Add the spinach, stir and season with ground black pepper and, if you so desire, a little more fish sauce.  

THE MAIN COURSE

Chicken Adobo or Adobong Manok is a uniquely Filipino dish. The "adobo" or marinade consists of white vinegar (I used white wine vinegar, although plain white vinegar could be used as well), soy sauce, garlic, and bay leaves. After a stint in the marinade, usually between one to four hours, the chicken is then cooked in the marinade until tender. The typical preparation, based upon my research, would then be to remove the chicken and brown it in a separate pan, while the marinade cooks down into a sauce. The browned chicken is then returned to the sauce and is ready to serve.

ADOBONG MANOK (CHICKEN ADOBO)

Adapted from Whats4Eats
Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

2 to 3 pound chicken, cut into serving pieces

3/4 cup of white wine vinegar

1/4 cup of soy sauce

1/2 onion, thinly sliced

4-6 cloves of garlic, diced

1-2 bay leaves

6-8 black peppercorns

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

1. Marinate the chicken.  Add the chicken pieces, vinegar, soy sauce, onion, garlic, bay leaf, peppercorns and salt to a large, non-reactive bowl and refrigerate for one to four hours to marinate.

2.  Cook the chicken.  Place the chicken and its marinade in a large pot.  Add the water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Reduce heat to low and simmer for thirty to forty-five minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and tender.  Add water as necessary to keep the chicken from drying out.

3.  Brown the chicken.  Remove the chicken from its sauce, reserving the sauce, and pat dry.  Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high flame and saute the chicken pieces to brown them.  Remove from heat and set aside.

4.  Reduce the sauce.  Bring the remaining sauce to a boil over medium flame and cook until somewhat reduced and thickened.

5.  Add the chicken to the sauce.  Toss the browned chicken pieces with the reduced sauce and serve with jasmine rice. 

*     *     *

Overall, this was a good challenge to get back into the swing of the Around the World in 80 Dishes.  The Tahong Ng Sabaw turned out perfectly, although the mussels available to me were on the small side.  The key to the dish is that, after the mussels are put into the pot, you add just enough water to barely cover the mussels.  The mussels I used were so small that no additional water was necessary.  The Adobong Manok turned out very well and it was an interesting introduction to Filipino food.  The vinegar and soy sauce flavors of the sauce were actually delicious and did penetrate the chicken well.  I think the next time I make this dish I will let the sauce cook down a little more.

After a successful challenge in The Philippines, I now turn to planning the next challenge.  Until next time ... 

ENJOY!

For more about the influences on Filipino food, check out this website.

Nicaraguan-Style Churrasco

I was searching for a good beef recipe and I came across one recipe for Nicaraguan-style Churrasco.  For most people, the word "Churrasco" conjures images of Brazilian or Argentinian barbecue, with "gauchos" walking around with endless skewers of meat.  That, of course, is sort of an Americanized version of Churrasco brought to life as "Brazilian barbecue."  More to the point, however, the cuisine of many Latin American countries include Churrasco, usually with their own twists.  There are versions of Churrasco in Ecuador, Paraguay, Guatemala and Nicaragua.

Generally, Churrasco is grilled meat and, in Latin America, the meat is beef.  (Interestingly, there is a version in Portugal -- Frango de Churrasco --  that involves chicken.)  In Nicaragua, Churrasco is typically cuts from a beef tenderloin, topped with a chimichurri sauce.  The recipe I found calls for a five pound tenderloin.  While I love meat and can eat a lot of it, five pounds is a little to much for me.  I was planning for a steak night, not Man v. Food.  So, as I was standing at the meat counter at my local grocery store, I decided to go with a grass-fed, bone-in ribeye.  People who follow this blog know my love for grass-fed beef.  In the end, while the Churrasco may be Nicaraguan in style, the cut of beef is all Chef Bolek. 

I made a couple of revisions based on the comments left by people about the recipe.  The original recipe calls for the use of jalapeno peppers and oregano in making the chimichurri sauce, but a comment left from someone from Managua said that, in Nicaragua, they do not use those ingredients.  Instead, he said that Nicaraguans just use olive oil, salt, garlic, vinegar and parsley.  So, I followed the comment when making the chimichurri.  In the end, the chimichurri has a nice garlic flavor to it (which you could reduce by leaving out one or two cloves) and is a perfect complement to the grilled meat.

NICARAGUAN-STYLE CHURRASCO

Adapted from Food Network
Serves 2

Ingredients (for the Beef):

1 1.5 to 2 pound bone in ribeye steak
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste

Ingredients (for the Chimichurri):
6 cloves of garlic

1 1/2 tablespoons salt

1/2 cup of flat leaf parsley

1/2 cup of curly parsley

1/4 cup of distilled white vinegar

1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil

Ground pepper to taste.

Directions:

1.  Preheat the grill.  Preheat the grill on medium-high heat.

2.  Make the chimichurri sauce.  Combine the garlic, flat leaf parsley, curly leaf parsley, salt and some black pepper in a food processor.  Process the garlic and parsley, adding first the vinegar and then the oil.  Taste the sauce and adjust the seasonings (salt and/or pepper) as desired.

3.  Grill the ribeye.  Lightly oil the grill grates and add the ribeye.  Cook for about four to five minutes and turn ninety degrees.  Cook for another four to five minutes.  Flip the steak.  Cook for an additional five minutes and turn ninety degrees.  Continue to cook for a few more minutes.

4.  Plate the ribeye.  Cut the meat into strips.  Plate with the bone and spoon the chimichurri sauce over the meat.  Pour the remaining sauce into ramekins for guests.

The cooking times are for one steak and should produce an end result between medium rare and medium. If you use two three-quarter to one-pound steaks, simply cut the cooking times in half (about two to two and a half minutes for each step).

Overall, this is a great dish and I particularly like the simplified version of the chimichurri sauce.  I need to work on the sauce a little, which is okay for me because that means I'll be having steak again.  I may use that five pound tenderloin and invite a bunch of people over as guests to share in the experience.

ENJOY!

For more about Churrasco, check out Wikipedia.

Acciughe con Salsa Verde (Anchovies in Green Sauce)

I recently picked up a Saveur magazine because there was an article that caught my attention.  The article, written by Roberta Corradin, discussed the Occitan culture in the Italian Alps.  The Occitan are an ethic group that can trace its routes back to the fifth century, A.D. For decades, and, indeed, centuries, they were a predominant ethnic group in what is now Southern France and Northwestern Italy.  Today, the Occitan ethnic group is much smaller in size, living in just a few pockets in Catalonia, Spain; Languedoc, France and a few valleys in the Italian Alps.

The article focused on Occitain cooking in Italy, which it described as "rustic" and "peasant fare" focused on cheese, grains and vegetables that are native to where they live.  As noted above, living in southern France, eastern Spain and northern Italy means that their cuisine is Mediterranean in nature. Given the geographical expanse, the cuisine draws upon all three countries. There is the emphasis on ingredients such as garlic, olives, olive oil, salted fish, and wine. The intriguing aspect of Occitan cuisine, so it is said, is the lack of cookbooks. To cook Occitan cuisine, as journalist Gianluca Biscalchin once wrote, "one must be inspired by domestic recipes, passed down secrets, and the region's own ingredients." That sounds like my kind of cooking.

Corradin's article included several recipes, but the one that I wanted to try as soon as possible was Acciughe con Salsa Verde or Anchovies in Green Sauce.  I made this recipe, although I omitted the boiled egg yolks.  The end product was still delicious.

ACCIUGHE CON SALSA VERDE (Anchovies in Green Sauce)

From Saveur, No. 134 (Dec. 2010)
Serves 8

Ingredients: 

1/2 cup of extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup minced basil

1/4 cup minced flat-leaf parlsey

2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar

1/4 teaspoon crushed red chile flakes

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 hard boiled egg yolks

Salt, to taste

4 ounces (about 20) anchovies

Country bread for serving

Directions:

1.  Prepare the salsa verde.  In a bowl, wish together the oil, basil, parsley, vinegar, chile flakes, garlic and egg yolks.  Season lightly with salt.

2.  Cover the anchovies.  Arrange a third of the anchovies in a bowl and then cover with a third of the sauce.  Repeat this two times.

3.  Marinate the fish. Cover and let the anchovies sit at room temperature for one hour.  Serve with bread.

ENJOY!

West Indies Salad

One time, when I was in Birmingham, Alabama visiting Clare's parents, they made a great crab salad known  as a West Indies Salad.  According to legend, a restaurateur named Bill Bayley created the salad in 1947.  Bayley claimed to have thought of the salad while sailing through the West Indies.  Bayley made the West Indies salad and sold it at his restaurant/store, aptly called Bayleys.

I used a recipe from Saveur.com to make this dish, which is very easy to make.  It involves the layering of finely diced onion and crab, which marinates in a mixture of ice cold water, vegetable oil and cider vinegar.  The salad should be served on a bed of lettuce with crackers, like stoned wheat thins.  The next time I make this salad, I might add a few of my own "twists," such as a pinch or two of crushed red pepper.

WEST INDIES SALAD

Serves many

Ingredients:
1 pound of jumbo lump crab meat
1 sweet onion, diced finely
1/2 cup ice water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
6 tablespoons cider vinegar
Black pepper, to taste
Salt to taste

Directions:

1.  Marinate the crab.  Line the bottom of a bowl or dish with half of the diced onion.  Then add the crab meat.  Spread the remaining onion over the crab meat.  Add the cider vinegar to the water and then add the oil, whisking it all together.  Drizzle the mixture over the crab meat and onions.  Let it rest in the refrigerator for two hours or overnight.

2.  Prepare the salad.  When you are ready to serve it, gently mix the salad.  Place some leaves of lettuce on a plate and spoon the salad over it.  Serve with crackers.

Tip of the hat to Frank and Geri Savage.  For those who want to know more about Bayley, check out the following website.

ENJOY!