Friends of MT: Tincho’s Classic Caramelised Garlic Bruschetta with Roquefort [Tincho]

Intro by Zack:  Tincho does a great job explaining how we met in his post.  We became running buddies at work and our friendship took off from there.  His excitement for life is apparent in his post below.  He gave me a jar of this awesome caramelized garlic.  I couldn't contain myself and would sneak over to the fridge to eat these straight out of the jar!


Degree of difficulty: Easy

Time: 40 minutes to prepare the garlic, 10 minutes for the bruschetta

Serves: ~10 as an appetizer

I realised that I need to start my recipe with an Introduction. I’m afraid I don't have a funny one like the Bang Bang Shrimps (my introduction to this blog) but I will try something to capture the attention of the Koulermos family.

I met Zack thanks to our Johnson & Johnson Running Team in Brussels and I suddenly realised how enthusiastic he is with…. well, everything haha. We shared trainings, races (where I also met Lauren - another super enthusiastic person), beer tasting, photography, cycling and yes, cooking. I must admit that I was more on the ‘learner’  zone while Zack looked like a pro in most of the areas. I can still kick his ass drinking beer and doing long races like a marathon :)

Anyway, during the discussion of what to cook for his farewell, he mentioned the famous Bang Bang Shrimps, and the blog. I was like WTF are the Bang Bang but after tasting them, I can say that I agree with Justin (or whoever he is) that they are as good as sex. I even did it for Christmas and they were a unique success.

So, Zack showed us (the A team of running that includes Noemi and Dominika - two ladies also eager to take most of life and who also did the Amsterdam Marathon with me) the blog and encourage us to participate…  and I thought about my Classic Garlic Bruschetta.

I love this appetizer since the Garlic can be stored in a jar in the fridge and use it to welcome guests anytime. And the combination of flavours gives a lot with such a little effort. I took this recipe from a magazine and I’ve been cooking it for the last 3 years.

So here we go… hope you enjoy it.

Caramelised Garlic

Ingredients:

1)    1kg of garlic cloves peeled off like Mama Tommy’s logo (this is the only challenge of the recipe - see below (*1) )

2)    250 gr. of black sugar. (I reinforced ‘black’ since it is not brown. This is the secret ingredient and I could not find it in Brussels so I was shipping it from Buenos Aires :))

3)    200 ml of balsamic

4)    200 ml of soy sauce

5)    Thyme - as much as you like

6)    Rosemary - as much as you like… again

7)    Olive oil - see quantity below

PS: I usually prepare less than 1kg of garlic since it could be too much but up to you

OK, hands on work. But referring to the challenge in (*1), your first question could be “how in earth am I going to peel such a quantity of garlic?”. First time I did it, I followed the traditional way of peeling the cloves one by one. It took me ages and it was not fun at all. But don't worry, there are solutions for everything. Thanks to sharing this recipe with other friends, one of them found an interesting technique of peeling them in seconds. Yes, it is not a typo, it is seconds. Even my Mom (an experienced cooker) did not believe me, but it amazingly works and adds some fun to the cooking and a lot of noise !! Be careful with your neighbors.

In a nutshell, you just need to put the garlic into two metal bowls and shake them hard. No, Justin, I am not taking about Bang Bang Shrimps or sex :)

Here you have a photo of my own peeling and a youtube video in case you are as skeptic as my mom.

And now? The easy part.

Once the noisy experience is completed, just put the peeled garlic in a pot with the rest of the ingredients and cook them at a low fire. Olive oil is just to make sure you cover the surface of the garlic. Thyme and Rosemary at your own taste. I use a lot since it does not harm.

Approximate time of cooking is 30 minutes.

Cook them until the garlic is tender (see pic). Let them cool down and save them in jars in the fridge as shown below.

Bruschettas

Ingredients:

1)    Bread for bruschetta (we call it ‘country bread’ in Argentina but I think Cottage Loaf is the same)

2)    Roquefort cheese

3)    Rucola

4)    One clove of uncooked garlic (not the same one as above)

5)    Olive Oil

6)    And the Caramelised Garlic, of course :)

First thing is to slice the bread, use the uncooked garlic to scrape it in the bread and pour a little bit of olive oil on it as well. Then cook it in a very hot oven to make them crispy.

While waiting the bread, start cutting the cheese in cubes. Do the same with the caramelised garlic. Wash and cut some rucola.

Once the bread is ready, add the rucola, the cheese and the caramelised garlic (in this order) as you can see below. Spread some of the liquid in the jar on top for more sweet flavour and Voilá!

Ps: Ok, not my best pic here I must admit. It is the second round. I was so excited serving this during Christmas that I forgot to make the official picture of the first round that was looking much better :)

Enjoy it and thanks to Zach for encouraging me to take pics while cooking and write this down. It was a lot of fun!

Suggested soundtrack: Blackbird Album - Fat Freddy’s Drop

Argentine Steak with Chimichurri Sauce [Zack]

From an omniscient octopus to picking who has cuter jerseys, people have been trying their own ways of predicting the winner of the World Cup.  In my mind, the only fair way to decide the victor is to cook a famous food item from each country.  The more delicious of the two will decide the outcome of the 2014 World Cup.

I have chosen the ubiquitous Berliner snack food currywurst from Germany to go up against the Argentinean steak with a zippy chimichurri sauce.  Both are simple preparations of a basic nationally-loved food.  The Germans are known for their sausages and snack food culture, and the Argentinians are known for sitting around a campfire roasting huge hunks of meat on swords.  Seems like a fair fight.

In the end we decided that the Argentine steak with chimichurri sauce slightly edged out the currywurst.  It's therefore expected to be a close match on Saturday.

Here is the recipe for the steak with chimichurri sauce.

Process:

Here are the ingredients:

Mince the shallot and garlic.  If you have a mortar and pestle, grind up the peppers.  Add the shallot and garlic, and smash them a few times.

Strip the leaves off of the oregano, and then roll all of the herbs together and mince.  Add the herbs to the mortar and pestle.  Then stir in the liquids.

Heat up a pan, and salt and pepper your steak.  Cook the steak over medium-high heat until you reach desired doneness.

Let the steak rest for 5 minutes on a cutting board before slicing thinly and layering a generous portion of chimichurri sauce on top.

Ingredients:
1/2 shallot
1 clove garlic
2 pinches of salt
freshly ground black pepper
1T red pepper flakes, or 6 dried peppers
6 sprigs fresh oregano
1 bunch cilantro
1 bunch parsley
1/2 lime
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup olive oil
2 thick and nicely marbled steaks

Song:  Atella - The Monster

German Currywurst with Homemade Curry Ketchup [Zack]

From an omniscient octopus to picking who has cuter jerseys, people have been trying their own ways of predicting the winner of the World Cup.  In my mind, the only fair way to decide the victor is to cook a famous food item from each country.  The more delicious of the two will decide the outcome of the 2014 World Cup.

I have chosen the ubiquitous Berliner snack food currywurst from Germany to go up against the Argentinean steak with a zippy chimichurri sauce.  Both are simple preparations of a basic nationally-loved food.  The Germans are known for their sausages and snack food culture, and the Argentinians are known for sitting around a campfire roasting huge hunks of meat on swords.  Seems like a fair fight.

In the end we decided that the Argentine steak with chimichurri sauce slightly edged out the currywurst.  It's therefore expected to be a close match on Saturday.

Here is the recipe for the currywurst.

Process:

Here are the ingredients:

Mince the shallot and garlic.  Add them to a sauce pot over medium heat with 1T of cooking oil.  Cook until fragrant and it starts to turn light brown.  Add the clove and the garlic and onion powder.  Cook 1 more minute.

Dump in the tomato sauce and all of the other liquids.  Stir to combine and add salt to taste.  You can reserve the curry powder to sprinkle on top if you don't want your whole batch of ketchup to be curry ketchup.  Cook the ketchup for 20 minutes.

Grill or saute the sausages until they are cooked through and golden brown.  I did this over low heat in a pan to make sure they cooked all the way through.

Slice the sausage into rounds, cover in your ketchup, and sprinkle curry powder on top.  Serve with toothpicks if it's for a crowd.  For a really authentic presentation, you can stop by your local friteur and beg for a plastic serving container.

Ingredients:
1T canola oil or olive oil
1 shallot, minced
1 whole clove
1T onion powder
1tsp garlic powder
3 cups tomato puree
2T molasses
1/2tsp salt
1tsp worcestershire sauce
1/2tsp fish sauce
2T sriracha
Curry powder for sprinkling on top
Currywurst sausages

Song:  Max Duke & Mat Vega - Meet You

Red Cabbage and Green Apple Cole Slaw [Zack]

If your pulled pork or BBQ'd meat needs a friend, cole slaw is a nice sidekick. It's crunchy, tangy, creamy, and a little bit sweet.

This was suggested by Katy to go on top of our pulled pork sandwiches. It paired perfectly with the oven roasted pulled pork sandwiches!

Process:

Shred your cabbage with a cheese grater on the large holes. Be careful not to get any of the red juice anywhere - it stains! Slice your green apples into matchsticks. Next, slice the red onions, and then combine everything into a bowl.

Make up the dressing by mixing the mayonnaise, dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, honey, and soy sauce together. Taste the dressing and adjust if you want it to be creamier (more mayo), tangier (more vinegar/dijon), or sweeter (more honey).

Toss the veggies in the dressing and let the flavors combine until you are ready to serve.

Ingredients:
1 head cabbage, washed and shredded
2 red onions, sliced
4 granny smith apples, sliced into matchsticks

1/2 cup mayonnaise
4T dijon mustard
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
2T honey
4T soy sauce
1/3 cup olive oil

Song to shred to:  Jamie Lidell - What's the use?

Jamaican Jerk Burgers with Orange-Chipotle Mayonnaise [Rhonda]

Degree of difficulty: easy
Time: 10 minutes prep, plus grilling time
Serves: 6

This burger is such a nice switch from the usual cheeseburger and takes about the same amount of time in the kitchen, which is to say, not much, particularly if you stir up the mayo ahead of time. (By the way, orange-chipotle mayo has major potential for any number of things--steamed shrimp, crispy fried fish--it's ridiculously tasty.)

Although I've made a few additions and changes over time, the basis of this recipe is from Lynne Rosetto Kasper's newsletter, The Splendid Table, from American Public Media. I highly recommend you subscribe to it if you don't already, as Kasper has an amazing repertoire of interesting menu ideas. I met her at a cooking demonstration at the North Market in Columbus several years ago, and she is as nice as she is smart.

Ingredients:

Orange-Chipotle Mayonnaise:
1 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons orange juice
Zest of 1 orange
1 tablespoon minced canned chipotle chiles (I use much more--I love the intensity of this flavor!)

Jerk Sauce:
1 bunch scallions, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme (I use a sprinkle of dried when I don't have fresh)
1 small habanero chile or 2 medium jalapeno chiles, seeded, chopped
1 garlic clove
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup soy sauce

2 pounds ground beef

6 sesame seed hamburger buns
Spinach leaves or romaine lettuce
Tomato slices

For orange-chipotle mayo: Mix all ingredients in small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Can make a day ahead, refrigerate.

For jerk sauce: Finely chop first 4 ingredients in food processor. Add sugar, oil and soy sauce, process until almost smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat grill (I'm still old-school and use charcoal--it adds such a nice flavor). Set aside 3/4 cup jerk sauce. (The rest of the jerk sauce can be served with the burgers or refrigerated to use on chicken, pork, etc.)

Shape ground beef into six patties, place in a glass baking dish, pour 1/2 cup of jerk sauce over patties and turn to coat. Let stand 20 minutes.

Grill patties, brushing with remaining jerk sauce from baking dish. Assemble hamburgers, using the lettuce, tomato, patties and orange-chipotle mayo.  Serve immediately.

Suggested soundtrack: It kept playing in my head as I devoured my burger--Usher's "OMG"

Party Guacamole [Zack]

I'm not sure whether pounding spices in a mortar and pestle actually enhances the flavors in a dish. In my mind, a pesto pops more and guacamole is more intense when the ingredients are pounded. I haven’t read a definitive study proving that you get superior flavors, so let's assume that I’m imagining it.  Who cares? Your guests will love your guac presentation in the mortar and the placebo effect has never tasted better.

Guacamole is one of my favorite things to make.  I like mine to have a lot of flavor with a big back-end of spice.  Once you get a hang of balancing the tastes, you will find it’s very easy to make.  My buddy Mike Kelley and I have extensively tested this recipe by making multiple batches at multiple parties.  It was really tough work, but we ended up with a very good guacamole and Mike ended up getting a mortar and pestle solely for guac production.  It has become an unwritten rule that whenever Mike shows up to a party and people are bringing food, he will show up at the party with this guac recipe in his hands.

You can make this in a bowl, but it's much more fun in a mortar and pestle. 

Process:

Pour a cold beer into a glass.

Below is a picture of all of the ingredients you will need.  I omitted the jalapeno for the pic, but you should add it if you can handle the heat.

First, get your 2 garlic cloves and put them on a flat surface.  To peel them, lay the broad side of a knife on top of the cloves and then hit the knife with your fist to smash the cloves.  They are really easy to peel then.  Take a sip of beer.  Put the garlic in the mortar and add 1 T of coarse sea salt and 1 tsp of whole black peppercorns.  The salt will help you grind the garlic to a pulp.  Go to town.

Next, you need to add your cilantro leaves.  I don’t like wasting the stems since they have good flavor, so I roughly chop the leaves and stalks before adding to the mortar.  Grind this to a pulp.  Take a sip of beer.

Dice your onion, and add to the bowl.  Give it a bit of a beating to release flavor, but don’t mash all the way.  Beer.

Here is the time to prove your spice tolerance.  I chopped up a hot pepper and added it to the mortar and mashed.  If you are cooking for people who can handle the spice or will try it on a dare, you can add 1 deseeded habanero pepper instead…

Dice your tomatoes and drain all of the water out of them.  You can do this by simply squeezing them over a sink.  You will end up with a soupy and watery guacamole if you skip this step. This is hard work, so take a good sip.  

The next step is to add your avocado*.  Slice it in half long-ways and twist it 90 degrees like you are winding up an egg timer and you will have 2 halves in your hand.  The pit will stay in one half – to extract, nick it with the blade of your knife and turn it 90 degrees just like you did the two halves.  Drink some more beer.  Scrape out the insides and use two spoons to mash and chop the fruit.

*Note:  How to choose a perfect avocado:  The avocado should be a nice, dark color and have a similar feel as an ripe orange when you press on it.  If it gives too much, it’s overripe and if you get ones that are not yet ripe, you will have to wait a few days.  I prefer Haas avocados (they are the most common).

Roll your limes using the weight of the palm of your hand to loosen up the juices.  Slice them in ½ and squeeze the juice out into your bowl and mix. 

Taste and adjust the seasoning – if it needs more acid, add lime.  If you need more flavor, add a touch more salt.  

You should be finished with your beer just in time to grab a fresh one and some chips and enjoy!!

Ingredients:

2 cloves garlic

1tsp coarse sea salt

small handful peppercorns

1/2 small red onion

1/2 tomato

30 cilantro leaves

1 1/2 limes juiced

1 cold beer

Serving suggestions:

With chips (of course)

On tacos of any kind:  fish, beef, pork, chicken, shrimp

On top of grilled chicken

Top a Mexican salad with a big spoonful

The White Stripes – Hello Operator

Baked BBQ Chicken Thighs [Zack]

Here is a good way to "test" your newly made BBQ sauce.  I don't currently have a grill, so I have to improvise.

Here's a quick technique tip:  if you put your BBQ sauce on the raw chicken before putting it in the oven, you will poach the leg instead of getting a crispy skin and caramelized sauce.  Instead, you should bake the chicken as you normally would, then coat it with the BBQ sauce and throw it under the broiler to caramelize for the last 5 minutes of cooking.  It’s the exact same concept for grilling both ribs and chicken.

Process:


Take out your chicken thighs and let them rest outside of the fridge for 30 minutes.  You want it to cook evenly, so you want it close to room temperature.  Pre-heat your oven to 375F / 190C and start an oven-proof frying pan over medium heat.  Put 2 T of olive oil in the pan and let it heat up a bit.  Dust your chicken thighs with onion powder, thyme, salt, and pepper.

Put your chicken thighs into the pan and crisp the skin until it's browned.  It should take about 5 minutes.

Bake for about 45 minutes or just before the chicken is done.  The meat should be firm, but not tough and the skin will pull back from the skinny end a bit.

Place the oven on high broil, coat the legs in the BBQ sauce and pop it back in the oven for 5 minutes, or until the sauce is caramelized on top.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 chicken thighs and legs
BBQ Sauce
thyme
1/2 tsp onion powder
salt and pepper to taste

Song:  Allen Stone - Unaware

Homemade Sundried Tomatoes [Mike]

In South Salem, NY, we had gardens all over the place.

We had a formal garden, a cutting garden, raspberries, a pumpkin patch and a vegetable garden. We even had a perennial garden in the side yard next to the garage. Four-and-a-half acres that used to be a horse pasture, so the earth was super rich. You could throw a seed in the ground and have a tree in two weeks. (Just kidding)

One season our vegetable garden exploded. Plum tomatoes everywhere. We gave them to our neighbors, even brought some to church. They kept coming. That’s when we decided we should do a batch of sundried tomatoes. So we took the tomatoes and quartered them, and placed them on several cooking sheets. Instead of drying them in the sun, we set the oven at 200 F and waited 5-6 hours until they shriveled up. Next we put them in jars and poured olive oil into the jar. We also had fresh basil growing in the garden. We took a bunch of basil leaves and placed them in a jar and put them in the refrigerator.

We forgot them for several weeks. The oil congealed. One day I took a jar out of the refrigerator and let it get to room temperature. I took 2 slices of whole grain bread, put several of the dried tomatoes on the bread, then added several slices of Jarlsberg cheese. Took a bite… as our kids would have said, “Awesome!”

In recreating this experience, besides the original recipe I also decided to do some experimental ingredients. In one jar I added olives. In another, chunks of Parmesan cheese. Can’t wait to open them up in a couple of months.

Quick Pickles [Zack]

Don't have time to let some gorgeous pickles cure in your fridge?  Here is a solution that will get you by in a pinch.  The combination of spices and vinegar makes a tangy addition to your meal.  In order to make up for the lack of the curing process, you leave out the water portion of the original cure and let the vinegar shine through.

Process:

Slice the cucumber really thinly.  Use a mandolin if you have one.  Place them in a container with a lid (so you can shake em up later) and pour the vinegar over to coat.

Next, add in the cumin seeds, coriander powder, hot pepper flakes, honey, and salt.

Cover and gently shake up to mix contents.

Keep in the fridge until ready to serve!  Goes great on a sandwich, or as a side to a meat dish.

Ingredients:

1 large cucumber sliced thinly
8 T tarragon or other vinegar
1 T cumin seeds
1 T coriander powder
1 tsp hot pepper flakes
1 tsp salt
1 T honey

That Famous Salad Dressing [Rhonda]

THAT FAMOUS SALAD DRESSING
Degree of difficulty: super-easy
Time: 5 minutes
Serves: 8 to 10 salads

There are a handful of recipes you clip and save, come across at a friend’s home, or hammer out through years of evolution and experimentation that are prized above all others. They get raves every single time. This is one of those.

It will change your life. Seriously.

And for those of you still buying bottled salad dressing, once you whisk together a dressing like this, you won’t ever consume supermarket dreck again.

Picture one of the most beautiful Ralph Lauren runway models of the eighties—Bonnie Pfeifer—long, chestnut hair flecked with blonde, mile-long legs, perfect smile, in the kitchen with her then-boyfriend, cleaning out the remnants of the Dijon mustard jar with a swish of vinegar. They chopped garlic with no thought or measure, sloshed these simple elements into a dressing that rivaled the one at New York’s chicest French bistro—La Goulue—at 65th St. and Madison.

In the beginning, I measured and fretted over every detail. I had to have tamari or I couldn’t attempt it. Exactly how much mustard is in a nearly-empty mustard jar? One tablespoon? Three?




Over the years, things have shifted a bit. I use less oil now, different vinegars or stout grainy mustard when inspiration strikes, usually no cream, and give it a quick whirl in the blender to emulsify.

Make a lot at once and keep it on hand—it’s nice over roasted vegetables, and certainly elevates the simple salad to something special. Forever thank you, Bonnie!

Ingredients:
½ c. apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1-2 cloves finely minced garlic
2-3 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
1 ¼ c. olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
1-2 tablespoons heavy cream, optional

Combine vinegar, mustard, garlic, tamari, and pepper in bowl. Add olive oil slowly, whisking. If you want a creamy dressing, add a small amount of heavy cream. Mix well before using.

Suggested soundtrack: channel 1980 with Smokey Robinson’s Cruisin’, one of the biggest Top 40 hits of that year

Dill Pickles [Matt]

- pickling cucumbers (20 to 30)
- whole heads of fresh dill
- whole garlic cloves (large)
- whole small hot peppers
- 2 qt. water
- 1 qt. white or cider vinegar
- 1 c. canning salt
(ingredient recipe via cooks.com)

start by boiling water in a large pot to sterilize jars. let jars sit in the water for at least a minute before carefully removing.

in the meantime, quarter the cucumbers longways.

mix the water, vinegar, and salt in a pot. bring to a boil.

shove the cucumbers, dill, peppers, and garlic into the jars. cram 'em in good. pour the hot mixture (aka the brine) into the stuffed jars. make sure everything is completely covered by the brine. close the jars. make sure they are sealed air-tight.

place in fridge. wait a few weeks.

((((cook track)))) Athletic Mic League - Feel It!