Huevos Rancheros

The best Huevos Rancheros I've ever eaten was served at Cafe Pascal's in Santa Fe, NM. Cafe Pascal's in a great little restaurant that is packed every morning. They have delicious green chile, something I have had enough of in New Mexico to consider myself a bit of an aficionado. I have lots of different red and green chile powders in my cabinet, and they come in handy when attempting to use flavors of the Southwest.

Huevos Rancheros

2 eggs
Leftover rice
Black beans
1 small onion
1 pepper
Garlic
8 oz. tomatoes
Olive oil
Garlic
2 tsp. red chile

This isn't hard if you have some things ready. I had some leftover spanish rice and some black beans from another meal. I put them in small sauce pans and warmed them while I made the tomato chile sauce.


Chop the garlic, onion, and pepper. Heat some EVOO and add the veggies along with some salt and pepper. Saute the onions until translucent and the peppers are tender. Add the crushed tomatoes and a couple teaspoons of red chile powder. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes or so.

When the sauce is about ready, fry two eggs to your liking. I layered a few tortilla chips, topped them with the fried eggs smothered in chile sauce, and served the rice and beans on the side. I forgot cheese. If I were you, I'd cover it in cheddar cheese.


You will also be able to find me contributing to Newburyport-today.com.

Newburyport-Today is a private entity that works in cooperation with he Mayor's Office and the Newburyport Chamber of Commerce. Newburyport Today is interested in promoting local non-profits, publicizing our local businesses and their products / services, as well as showcasing our areas abundance of natural wonders.

Keep on truckin'

I've been trying to make my bread better. It's been slightly challenging, as everything I try yields a new issue. Luckily the issues are aesthetics related, so each learning experience is still delicious. I made two loaves of bread for Easter dinner today. I haven't tried the bread yet, but I'll let you know how it came out. I used a slightly different recipe, used a second rise, and formed the loaves differently.











Rustic Sourdough Bread

1 cup sourdough starter
1 cup water
3 cups bread flour
2/3 cup rye flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp yeast
1 tsp honey

Add all ingredients into mixing bowl and mix for roughly ten minutes. If the dough is too wet, add flour until it reaches a "tacky" consistency. Let rest for twenty minutes. Knead for five minutes on a floured surface. Let the dough rise for 2 hours (or until doubled) in a lightly oiled and covered bowl. After two hours, cut the dough in two, knead again, and form into two loaves.

I let is rise for 1 more hour on the tiles I cooked it on (covered). I put some cornmeal on the tiles before putting the formed loaves on it. Score the loaves prior to cooking.

Add a pan of water into the oven turn to 350 and bake for 30-45 minutes. Tap the loaves. They sound hollow when they're done. Let rest for thirty minutes before slicing.

Good News and Contest

Good news everybody...I got a job. Now the "Unemployed Guy" needs to rename his blog. I think I should have a reverse acronym contest to determine the new title. So the constraint is that the title should have six words (I know I messed this up the first time) starting with U, E, G, V, F, and S.

My first attempt didn't stray that far from the original title, but you do not have to keep any words if you don't want. Leave your suggestions in the comments section on the blog, on Facebook, or DM me on Twitter.

Here's my attempt.

Unknown
Epicurean
Guy
Vs.
Farm
Share

Anybody got anything better?

Braised Beef Cottage Pie and Turkey Shepherds Pie

I know I have done this before (read this post), but I love Shepherd's Pie. Which by the way, is the name of it as long as it is made with lamb. If you use beef, you got yourself a cottage pie. I sometimes use turkey, but can't think of a funny creative name to call it. We're getting close to Saint Patrick's day, and if you find yourself going to party, any version of this will please the crowd.

I went my parents' annual Saint Patrick's Day party on Saturday night, and brought this Braised Beef Cottage Pie. It was a wonderful blend of comfort food with a a gourmet touch. We sang and read poetry to celebrate our Irish heritage. A good time was definitely had by everyone in attendance. (A better time for those who ate the Cottage Pie I brought).


Braised Beef Cottage Pie

1.5 lb's of chuck stew meat
4 sliced carrots
1 large onion
3 tbs extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups dry red wine
1-1/2 cups water
1 tbs Thyme
1 1/2 cups frozen green peas
Handful of green beans
1 cup of cheddar cheese
1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes
One 1-pound celery root
Milk
Butter

Start with the braised beef. In a 5.5 quart dutch oven, heat the olive oil. Coat the meat with salt and pepper and add to the casserole. Brown using medium-high heat. Toss in the carrots and onions and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes. When the meat is done add the flour and stir in. Pour in the water and red wine, season with thyme, and add salt and pepper. Turn back up to high, and once the mixture comes to a simmer, cover it and simmer over low heat, stirring every once in a while. Cook for at least two hours. The meat is done when easily shredded with a fork.

Once you've got the beef cooking, put the potatoes and celery root in a large pot of water and bring to a boil. Cook for about 20 minutes, or until the starches are tender. Drain the potatoes and celery root, reserving about 4-8 ounces of starchy water. Return them to the pot with the water, and add butter, salt, and pepper. Start mashing, and add milk to get the creamy texture you prefer. Put aside until the meat is done.

When the meat is done, turn the oven to 350°. Take the meat out of the dutch oven, shred it, and put it at the bottom of a 9x9 casserole dish. Reduce the gravy while you layer the other vegetables in the dish. Fish the carrots and onions out of the dutch oven with a slotted spoon and add to the casserole dish,. Then add the peas and green beans. Add gravy over top of the veggies, saving some for the gravy boat. Spread the mashed potatoes and top with cheddar cheese. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the cheese is melted and slightly brown. Don't forget to let cool for about ten minutes or so before eating. The roof of your mouth will thank you.


You will also be able to find me contributing to Newburyport-today.com.

Newburyport-Today is a private entity that works in cooperation with he Mayor's Office and the Newburyport Chamber of Commerce. Newburyport Today is interested in promoting local non-profits, publicizing our local businesses and their products / services, as well as showcasing our areas abundance of natural wonders.

Sourdough Bread

I don't bake much. Usually once a year I make a carrot cake for my wife's birthday. Occasionally I will make corn bread when I make chili. In an effort to make space in our cabinets a few weeks ago I made biscuits with self-rising flour. But making bread? That usually would be too intimidating for me to try. I'm happy heading down to the local bakery to buy a loaf when needed. But last week I took a pizza making class, and one of the take-home items was some sourdough starter. After spending considerable time online reading about how to care for the starter, I happened upon some recipes for a San Francisco "style" sourdough loaf. I can't make authentic San Francisco sourdough, the organisms living in my sourdough starter are native to Newburyport.

It turns out that baking bread is not that difficult. There are so many baking sites out on the web it is also easy to identify what you may have done wrong and find suggestions on how to fix it. In my case, my oven was too hot, and the top of the outside of the bread cooked too quickly, preventing the inside of the bread to rise, so it lifted out from the bottom creating a mushroom like appearance. I used some deceptive photography so this is not really evident in my photo. This also did not affect the taste. My bread was amazing, and I recommend getting a starter and making it yourself. I had a sense of accomplishment after making this loaf of bread. (And topped with butter it tasted splendid too!) On to the recipe...

Newburyport Sourdough Bread Recipe

2 cups of sourdough starter
2-3 cups of bread flour
2 tablespoons of olive oil
4 teaspoons of sugar
2 teaspoons of salt

Combine the starter, sugar, salt, and oil in your Kitchen Aid Mixer. Stir together at the low speed until well mixed. Add about two cups of flour. The total amount of flour you'll end up using is dependent on the dryness of the flour and how wet your starter may be. Basically, mix until the dough is tacky and hangs on the dough hook. If you dough is sticky and falls off the hook add more flour. If you happen to add to much flour, just add some water until it has that tacky feeling. If it is slightly sticky to your finger, but pulls off and leaves no dough on it then you are good to move on.

Let the dough rise in a warm place, in a bowl covered loosely with a wet towel or covered in plastic. I use a slightly warm oven. Turn on the oven light to help during rising. My dough doubled in size in about 3-4 hours. At this point if you're going to bake immediately, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Add a pan of water to the oven as well. The humidity and steam is what gives sourdough bread its thick, brown crust. After it has doubled in size, punch it down and give it a few kneads. Wrap it over itself to form a nice ball and catch the gases on the inside. (If this sentence is confusing you'll have to watch this video to see what I mean).

Put the ball on the middle of a floured cookie sheet. Score the ball with a sharp knife. Create an "X" or "#". Throw it (safely) into your oven and cook for sixty minutes. With all the information I read about this type of bread, one warning I took care to heed was not to take it out early even if it looked done. I waited the full sixty minutes.

Let cool at least twenty minutes before slicing. Stuff is still aligning itself inside of the crust when it's out of the oven (or so I am told to believe). Slice, eat, and enjoy!


You will also be able to find me contributing to Newburyport-today.com.

Newburyport-Today is a private entity that works in cooperation with he Mayor's Office and the Newburyport Chamber of Commerce. Newburyport Today is interested in promoting local non-profits, publicizing our local businesses and their products / services, as well as showcasing our areas abundance of natural wonders.

Veggie Chili

I am not usually a fan of veggie chili. I just feel there should be some type of meat in it. After all, authentic Texas chili doesn't even have beans. But I think the secret to enjoying a veggie chili is getting enough CHILE-WITH-AN-E flavor in it. In my verson, I use one fresh jalapeno, two chipotle chiles and a teaspoon of adobo sauce, and one dried Chile Pasilla Negro. This adds a nice smoky flavor, and combined with a can of Muir Glen Fire Roasted Tomatoes, the chili creates a warm feeling for your cold winter night.

Balancing heat and flavor is a tightrope act when you are cooking for others,. My wife does not like as much heat as I do. This version is just right, where she said it was hot, but ate her portion, and took the leftovers to work for lunch.


Veggie Chili

2 Tbs Olive Oil
2 chopped cloves of garlic
1 chopped shallot
1 chopped onion
~1" squares of butternut squash
4 skinny carrots chopped
1 chopped red pepper
1 chopped de-seeded jalpeno
1 chopped de-seeded chipotle pepper
1 tsp adobo sauce
28 oz fire roasted tomatoes
12 oz Ale
15 oz red kidney beans
8 oz frozen corn
Mexican Oregano
Cayenne Pepper
Chile Powder
Cumin


Heat the olive oil in a dutch oven. Saute the garlic, shallots, and onion until translucent. Layer with salt and pepper. Add the carrots, squash, red pepper, and chopped chiles and cook for 10 minutes. When the carrots and squash start to soften, add the fire roasted tomatoes, beer, beans, adobo sauce, corn and spices. I used about a tablespoon of mexican oregano and cumin, and about a 1/2 of a teaspoon of cayenne pepper and chile powder. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Simmer for roughly 30 minutes. Adjust salt and pepper to taste along the way.

Top with grated cheese, sour cream, green onions, tortilla chips. Or serve over rice.

It came out really well. If you're a meat chili lover, you may not even miss the meat.

Down Under a Carrot Cake

The latest pause in our lives came as we tried a raw diet for a week. One tangible benefit of such an extreme menu is that my jeans fit better. I had noticed that after a horribly sprained ankle set my exercise schedule back, my clothes were not fitting me the way I was used to. So now we're back eating cooked food with a vengeance. There's nothing like a birthday and valentine's day to kick-start the sweets eating festival.

For my wife's birthday, I always bake a carrot cake; that's her favorite. I usually save recipes we like, but this year I opted for something new. I found a carrot cake recipe inspired by the cake served at the Bourke Street Bakery in Surry Hills, NSW, Australia. Honestly, it was great. It was light, moist, and not-too-sweet. The perfect cake to fall off the wagon of healthy dieting with.

Giving credit where credit is due, I found the recipe at the Almost Bourdain food blog. I'll re-post for convenience.

Bourke Street Bakery's Carrot Cake Recipe
(Adapted from Bourke Street Bakery's Cookbook)

Bourke Street Bakery - "It's necessary to work quickly to make this recipe succeed. Everything is whipped to incorporate a lot of air and the dry ingredients are quickly folded through at the end. The whipped egg whites result in a fantastic crisp meringue-like top on the cake. We have a number of mixers. So we can have everything mixing at one time, but for a home kitchen you will get the best results working in the order listed within the recipe.

Ingredients
70 g (2 1/2 oz) walnuts
150 g (5 1/2 oz / 1 cup) self-raising flour
1/8 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
55 ml (1 3/4 fl oz / about 2) egg whites
60g (2 1/4 oz / 1/4 cup) sugar for egg whites
1 egg
1 egg yolk
160g (5 3/4 oz / 3/4 cup) sugar for egg yolks
170 ml (5 1/2 fl oz / 2/3 cup) extra light olive oil
125 g (4 1/2 oz) carrots, peeled and grated

Cream Cheese Frosting:
20 g (3/4 oz / 1 tsp) icing (confectioners') sugar, plus extra, for dusting
20 g (3/4 oz / 1 tbsp) butter, softened
145 g (5 1/4 oz) cream cheese (preferably Neufchatel)
40 ml (1 1/4 fl oz / 2 tbsp) pouring (whipping) cream (35% fat)

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 200C (400F). Grease an 18 cm (7 inch) round cake tin and line the base and side with baking paper - the paper should protrude about 2.5 cm (1 inch) above the tin.

2. Place the walnuts on a baking tray and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until lightly roasted. Cool and cut into thirds. Sift the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, spices and salt into a bowl. Repeat to ensure they are evenly mixed.

3. Put the egg whites in a very clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat the egg whites on high speed until soft peaks start to form. Slowly pour in the sugar for the egg whites, while the motor is still running, being careful not to overmix - the meringue should reach soft peak stage. Quickly transfer the meringue to another bowl and set side until needed.

4. Put the egg and egg yolk in the bowl of the electric mixer and add the sugar for the egg yolks. Mix on high speed for 3-4 minutes, or until the mixture doubles in volume and is quite airy. With the motor still running, slowly pour in the oil in a thin stream being careful that it doesn't split or deflate too much.

5. Remove the bowl from the mixer and with a spatula or gloved hand, gently fold in the flour mixture until combined. Fold in the carrots and walnuts. Quickly and lightly fold in the meringue - do not fold it through completely, you should still be able to see streaks of meringue through the mix.

6. Pour into the preapred tin and bake for 1 hour 10 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into centre of the cake comes out clean. You may need to drop the oven temperature to 180C (350F) after the first 30 minutes if the top is browning too quickly) (* The top of my cake was browning too quickly and I had turn down the oven temperature as instructed but still a little too burnt. I would suggest to monitor the temperature very closely for the first 30 minutes.)

7. Meanwhile, make the cream cheese frosting. Cream the icing sugar and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer until pale and smooth. Add the cream cheese in small amounts, allowing it to completely incorporated before adding the rest. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl during this process to ensure even mixing. Add the cream and mix until smooth, being careful not to overmix at this stage or the cream may curdle and separate. If using a different type of cream cheese for this recipe you may need to add a little more cream - the frosting needs to be of a spreadable consistency but not at all runny.

8. Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for about 30 minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Using a serrate knife, slice horizontally through the centre of the cake to form two even-sized layers and fill with cream cheese frosting. (* I like my carrot cake to be eaten warm. I frosted the cake before it was completely cool. Hence, the slightly melted looking cream cheese frosting)

9. Dust the top of the cake with icing sugar to serve.