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Sunday, October 21, 2012

Roast Anaheim Chile Peppers



Looking sort of like a junior pasilla or poblano pepper in size and shape, Anaheim chile peppers are much more in-your-face vibrant green.

Look at the Anaheim's compared to jalapenos.


I needed to roast these, so went about it, for the most part, as described in the recipe:
To roast chiles, place over high heat on gas or electric burner. Cook, turning with tongs occasionally, until skins are completely blackened. Place chiles in heavy plastic bag; close bag and let stand 15 minutes or until cool enough to handle. Peel blackened skins under running water. Slit chiles; remove veins and seeds.
Just like any other pepper, throw it on a burner on the stove-top.

Turn the pepper with tongs occasionally.

Watching the skin blister is highly entertaining to me.

Until the whole thing is black. Don't be alarmed if the pepper catches on fire at any point, it only lasts a second.


Throw the hot, black pepper in a bowl and cover it so it can sweat.
 
I always have bowls, but not bags.

After about 15 minutes, or until cool enough to handle, the skin will wipe right off with minimal finger friction.


And the kicker part is that the directions say to rinse them to get all the black skin off. That contradicts The Complete Meat Cookbook*. I rinsed one.

Chop off the tops, run a slit down one side, squeegie the veins and seeds out, and the peppers are ready to chop, dice, or mince.


Anaheim chile peppers, available in the pepper section of Grower's Direct for $1/lb.

*The Complete Meat Cookbook says:
Char and blister the peppers, turning occasionally, over an open flame or under a hot broiler. Put them into a plastic or paper bag for 10 to 15 minutes or so to sweat and loosen the skins. Scrape off the skins and remove the stems and seeds. You can wash the peeled peppers under cold running water if you want, but this can reduce the flavor slightly.


Negra Modelo



Some roasted anaheim chiles cooling in a covered bowl allowed me some time to run around the corner to 7-11 for some beer.

Negra Modelo wraps their bottle caps and necks in that foil I don't care for.

I only needed one bottle but wasn't offered that option. Kicking myself for not just buying this same exact beer at the grocery store, I paid a lot of money for the convenience. At least there was Mexican beer to be had.


Negra Modelo, available in chilled six-packs in a cooler at 7-11 for $8.99.

Midnight Snack



I'm unstoppable when it comes to an ice cream and chocolate chip combination. What the hell, I'm just addicted to chocolate chips and ice cream is a nice vehicle. Since I bought the last bag of chips September 3rd, I made two batches of cookie dough and baked one. The rest of the chips, 4 pounds, I simply stuffed in my biggest head hole. This might be more embarrassing than my having eaten a whole batch of cookie dough.                

Saturday, October 20, 2012

USDA Choice Boneless Beef Chuck Pot Roast



I've never purchased chuck roast from Costco because it's always priced higher there than the other stores I shop.


But the thing about Costco beef is that the lowest grade is Choice. I think.


These slabs don't look as marbled as this one but I expect every bite of the next chili recipe to be slammin'.


Choice boneless beef chuck roast available in the meat cooler at Costco for $4.69/lb.

Food Plan and Grocery List, 102012

My first day off from work since September, it's cold, wet, and dreary which prompted me to look for a chili recipe. I struck gold -- a Bruce Aidells chili recipe, Smoky Tex-Mex Chili -- and I look forward to rockin' that sucker this weekend. For some variety, I'll also do some Baked Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Shells. And maybe I'll get around to baking that Apple Pie Bread I mentioned previously.

Costco:
  • Coaches Oats: $6.39
  • 21 Grain Bread: $6.99
  • chuck roast: $17.45
  • Nestle chocolate chips: $7.63
  • dates: $6.09/3 lb
  • TOTAL: $44.55
Grower's Direct:
  • onions: $1.56/3.18 lb
  • Jonagold apples (2): $1.03/1.04 lb
  • pineapple: $4.25/5.38 lb
  • carrots (2): $0.27/0.55 lb
  • garlic bulbs (3): $1.31/0.66 lb
  • Anaheim peppers (2): $0.45/0.45 lb
  • jalapeno peppers (2): $0.21/0.21 lb
  • baby spinach: $1.49/10 oz
  • TOTAL: $10.57
Ralph's:
  • Barilla shells: $2.59
  • Albers grits: $5.79
  • Breyers ice cream: $2.99
  • mozzarella cheese: $3.99/lb
  • cage-free organic eggs: $4.19/12
  • bacon: $3.99/lb
  • TOTAL: $23.54
7-11:
  • Modelo Negro: $8.99/6-pack
  • TOTAL: $10.01

Grand Total: $88.67
Total for the year: $1812.02

Friday, October 19, 2012

Cost of Take-Out Lunch, Week Ending 101912

Monday: Great Khan's for 2: $16.20
Tuesday: Deemer's for 2: $21.50
Wednesday: Bravo Burger's for two: $20.18
Thursday: Teddy's Deli for two: $14.63
Friday: Bravo Burger's on a coworker

Total: $72.51
Total for the year: $1346.54

Saturday, October 13, 2012

Zinfandel-Braised Short Ribs



Reminiscent of a certain beef stew by a certain fantastic cookbook author, I had a feeling this one would be good. How could it be bad? It calls for a BOTTLE of zinfandel. Ribs and wine on sale plus a built-in coupling of mashed potato recipe sealed the deal. Sticking to the recipe for the most part, I only changed the sizes of my rib pieces from 3-4 inches to about 2 inches. Remember, I was mesmerized by the band saw.

Zinfandel-Braised Short Ribs
adapted from Epicurious
click to print

3 tbsp butter, divided, room-temperature
4-5 lbs meaty beef short ribs
kosher salt
2 1/2 c chopped red onions
2 c 1/2-inch cubes peeled parsnips
6 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 750-mL bottle Zinfandel
2 c low-salt beef broth
1 tbsp all purpose flour

Preheat oven to 325°F.

Sprinkle ribs with coarse salt and pepper.


Melt 1 tablespoon butter in heavy large oven-proof pot over medium-high heat.


In batches, add ribs to pot in single layer and sauté until brown on all sides, about 10 minutes.


Transfer ribs to large bowl.


Add 1 tablespoon butter to pot.


Add onions; sauté until brown, about 6 minutes.

Just stirring the onions in the fat caused them to appear brown in just a couple minutes. I made sure to go a full six minutes; the onions were pretty soft. The smells though, wow! I considered taking the pot off the stove and sitting down with it and a spoon.

Add parsnips; sauté until beginning to color, about 6 minutes.


Mix in garlic, then rosemary.


Add wine and broth; bring to boil, scraping up browned bits.


Return ribs and any accumulated juices to pot, arranging in single layer.


Bring to simmer; cover and place in oven. Braise until ribs are very tender, about 2 1/2 hours.


Using tongs, transfer ribs to clean bowl. Spoon fat from pan juices.

That fat separator? Totally handy and seriously effective in situations like this.

Boil juices until just beginning to thicken, about 10 minutes.


Mix 1 tablespoon butter and flour in small bowl to smooth paste.


Whisk into juices in pot; simmer until thickened enough to coat spoon, about 5 minutes longer. Season gravy with coarse salt and pepper.


Spoon gravy over ribs.



Yep, these ribs were good! There was a certain depth of flavor that was missing and I bet it's because there was no overnight marinate in a glorious dry rub. The lack of marinade didn't change the fact that these ribs turned out perfectly tender just as expected within the written time allowance. The parsnips and onions were enjoyed immensely, certainly something I'd add more of should I make this again.

Eating the ribs with the prescribed mashed potatoes was perfect, and though there were vegetables in the braise, my plate looked a little naked without some color to bring together the stark dark and light differences. Plus there was quite a bit of rosemary happening with each bite and something to slap the taste buds once in a while would've been nice. Maybe some roasted asparagus, sauteed asparagus with mushrooms, or pan-seared brussels sprouts. Something quickly prepared, lightly seasoned, but vibrant and crunchy.

Cost:
  • butter: $0.18
  • beef short ribs: $16.79
  • red onions: $2.52 
  • parsnips: $2.99 
  • garlic cloves: $0.30
  • fresh rosemary: $0.75 
  • Zinfandel: $4 
  • beef broth: $0.26
Total: $27.79 or $3.47 for each of eight servings.