Monday, January 2, 2017

Baked White Rice


I never did like making rice on the stovetop and when I came across this method in Chef Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen book back in the 80's, I never cooked rice the traditional way again.  Using Chef Paul's method, you bake the rice instead of cooking it the traditional stovetop way.

What I enjoy the most about preparing rice this way is that it frees me up to do other things in the kitchen while the rice is baking away.  For this recipe, I've used chicken stock as one of the ingredients; you can substitute any other sort of stock or broth if you wish.  Try this recipe, I think you'll love it!

Ingredients:
  • 2 cups converted White Rice
  • 2 1/2 cups Chicken Stock or Broth
  • 1 1/2 TBS unsalted Butter
  • 1/4 tsp Kosher Salt


Cooking Procedure:  
  • Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  
  • In a loaf pan, combine all ingredients and mix them well.  
  • Seal the pan snugly with aluminum foil.  
  • Bake the rice until it is tender; about 60 to 70 minutes.  


Presto!  A batch of fluffy rice!

Homestyle Vegetable Stock

This stock is a little different than some you may encounter.  The roasted vegetables give it a rich flavor.  I usually put up a nice sized batch and then freeze some for use at a later date. 

Ingredients:
  • 2 large Spanish Onions, chopped coarse
  • 3 stalks Celery, chopped coarse
  • 4 large Carrots, quartered
  • 2 TBS Olive Oil
  • 4 quarts cold Water
  • 1 TBS Butcher Cracked Black Pepper
  • 1/4 cup fresh Parsley, chopped coarse

Cooking Procedure:
  • Preheat your oven to 450 degrees
  • Place the onions, celery & carrots in a bowl
  • Add the olive oil and, using your hands, toss well
  • Place these vegetables in a roasting pan
  • Place the pan in the oven
  • Roast vegables until lightly browned & carmelized (about 20 minutes)
  • Put the water in a large pot
  • Add the roasted vegetables along with the remaining ingredients
  • Bring this to a rolling boil
  • Reduce heat to low
  • Skim any white foam off of the surface of the stock & discard it
  • Let this simmer for 3 hours
  • Strain the stock through a fine mesh colander
  • Discard the vegetables
  • Cover the stock & place it in the fridge to cool if not using immediately
  • Stock should stay fresh for 2 days

If you have more stock than you need at the present time, freeze it

Yield: 2 quarts

Homestyle Shrimp Stock

Here's a recipe for shrimp stock that tastes delicious and is quite easy to prepare!

Ingredients:
  • 4 quarts cold Water
  • 1 medium sized Spanish Onion, quartered
  • 3 stalks Celery, chopped coarse
  • 2 large Carrots, quartered
  • 2 lb fresh Shrimp shells & tails

Cooking Procedure:
  • Put all of the ingredients in a large pot
  • Over high heat, bring this to a rolling boil
  • Reduce heat to low & simmer for 4 hours
  • Skim any white foam off of the top of the stock & discard it
  • When the stock is finished,  strain it through a fine mesh colander into a container
  • Tightly cover the container & place in the fridge
  • The stock is best when used within 2 days of preparation
  • You can also freeze the stock for future use


This will yield 1 1/2 to 2 quarts of stock

Homestyle Chicken Stock



A good stock provides a solid foundation for almost any soup or sauce.  When you take the extra time to make a fresh stock, you'll find that whatever dish you're preparing will have a greater depth of flavor.  Most commercial stocks or broths are manufactured with a significant amount of salt, so if you feel the need to use these products, make sure you adjust the seasoning of the dish you're preparing.

Cooking tip:  Prepare stocks ahead of time and then freeze them in ice cube trays.  Whenever you need some stock, just pop out a couple of cubes! 

Ingredients:
  • 4 quarts cold Water
  • 4 lb Chicken Bones, trimmed of fat
  • 1/2 cup fresh Parsley, chopped coarse
  • 1 large Spanish Onion, skin on & quartered
  • 1 large Carrot, unpeeled & quartered
  • 2 stalks Celery, chopped coarse
  • 1 large Bay Leaf
  • 1 TBS butcher cracked Black Pepper

Cooking Procedure: 
  • In a large pot, add all of the ingredients
  • Bring this to a boil over high heat
  • Reduce the heat to a simmer
  • Skim any foam that has accumulated on the surface of the stock
  • Let the stock simmer for 3 hours
  • Strain stock through a fine mesh colander into a container
  • Cover stock & place it in the fridge
  • The stock will keep fresh for 2 days if not frozen



Yield: 2 quarts

Wednesday, December 14, 2016

New Orleans Hamburger Soup


When I was a kid I lived in New Orleans for several years and one of our next door neighbors, Mrs. Pettibone, used to make this soup all the time. During the fall months, every day around lunchtime, she'd walk out into the backyard where we were playing, clang her soup ladle against the lid of a pot and cry, "Children! Come and get some hamburger soup now! Y'hear what I say!  Come now and eat this soup!!"  Food always gives us such delicious memories, eh?

This is a recipe that I would classify as being very basic as it lends itself to experimentation so feel free to add your own eccentric touches!

 Ingredients:
  • 1 TBS unsalted Butter
  • 2 lb Ground Beef
  • 2 cloves fresh Garlic, diced fine
  • 1 large Spanish Onion, chopped medium coarse
  • 2 large Carrots, peeled & chopped medium coarse
  • 2 stalks Celery, leaves removed & chopped medium coarse
  • 2 Red Potatoes, peeled & cut into small cubes
  • 10 cups Beef Stock  Note: For my stock recipe, go HERE
  • 1 can Crushed Tomatoes (16 oz)


Dry Spice Mix:
1 tsp Kosher Salt
1/2 tsp dried Basil
1/2 tsp dried Oregano
1 tsp Paprika
1/2 tsp Butcher Cracked Black Pepper
1 small Bay Leaf, crumbled up

Cooking Procedure:

In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat
Add the onion & garlic
Cook this down until the onions turn clear
Add the meat
Lightly brown the meat & using a fork...
break up any lumps in the meat as it cooks
Add the dry spice mix, carrots & celery
Stir well & cook this down for 10 minutes
Add the potatoes, beef stock & crushed tomatoes
Let this come to a boil
Stir well
Skim & discard any excess grease & foam
that forms on the top of the soup
Reduce heat to low

Let the soup simmer for 1 hour

"Y'hear what I say!  Come now and eat this soup!!"


Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Homestyle Beef Stock

Here's a simple recipe for a nice beef stock. A handy thing to remember when making stocks is you can freeze them for later use if you make more than you need at the moment. I usually freeze some in ice cube trays so later on, if I'm making something that requires stock, I simply pop out a couple of cubes!

Ingredients:

  • 4 large Beef Shin Bones, cracked
  • 4 quarts cold water
  • 2 large Spanish Onions, quartered
  • 4 stalks Celery, chopped coarse
  • 3 large Carrots, chopped coarse
  • 3 Bay Leaves
  • 2 cups fresh Parsley, chopped coarse
  • 8 oz. Beef Stew Meat


Cooking Procedure:

  • Preheat your oven to 400 degrees
  • Lay out the cracked bones in a roasting pan
  • Roast the bones in the oven until they are browned, about 45 minutes to 1 hour
  • Put the roasted bones in a large pot, add the water & the remaining ingredients
  • Bring this to a rolling boil
  • Reduce the heat to a simmer & cook for 4 hours
  • At the halfway mark of the cooking time, add 1 more quart of cold water to the stock pot
  • When stock is ready, remove the pot from the heat
  • Skim & discard any foam that has collected on the surface of the stock
  • Strain the stock through a fine mesh colander & set it aside to cool for 20 minutes
  • Pour the stock into a container & seal it tightly
  • Place the stock in the fridge overnight
  • The next day: remove & discard any fat that has collected on the surface of the stock
  • This stock will keep fresh for 3 days if not frozen for later use