Foolproof Wild Rice

I realize that more women than guys will probably try my recipes, but since this whole concept started as a "Cookbook For Guys" project, I like to keep the fare aimed at stuff that guys like and would make if they knew how.

Wild rice is one of those sorts of things.  It's delicious with all kinds of wild fare...fish, fowl, venison, you name it.  Yet it's not the easiest thing to make, traditionally.  One ends up watching it and fussing with it way too much.

This recipe makes things easy...prepare the ingredients, throw them in a pan and throw it in the oven, knowing exactly when it will be done.  Pretty much foolproof!

1 cup uncooked wild rice
2 1/4 cups chicken broth
4 oz. sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1 heaping T minced garlic
1/4 stick of butter
1 medium onion, diced fine.
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp rosemary
Salt / pepper to taste

*If serving with fish or seafood, you can add 1 T lemon juice.

Melt the 1/4 stick of butter in a skillet on low heat.  Add the slivered almonds once heat is reached, stir slowly and constantly til they brown lightly.  Add the onions, mushrooms, garlic, thyme, rosemary, stirring frequently for another 4 minutes or so til the onions start to turn a little clear, taking care not to burn the almonds.  Remove from heat.

Rinse and drain rice; place in a 1-1/2-qt. baking dish lightly coated with olive oil. Add the ingredients from the skillet plus the chicken broth, mix well. Cover and bake at 350° for 1-1/2 hours or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender.

Alt method:  If you're *really* lazy, skip toasting the almonds and the saute' step, just dump all the ingredients together and throw in the oven!

"Stolen Belle" Hop N' John

Annie Talbot was a Southern Belle that was stolen from us far too soon.  Born and raised in Tidewater, Virginia, she married Dr. John Talbot and they lived in Madison, WI for many years.  Annie has been gone for many years already, but she was always proud of her southern heritage.  So proud that she tried to coerce me and my friend Robbie Wegenke into stealing the bell from the park in Saxeville, WI.  Apparently, Union soldiers had stolen it from one of Jefferson Davis' plantations in the final days of the Civil War.  Annie, being a proud member of the Daughters of the Confederacy, wanted to get it back for the Daughters and have it restored to it's rightful position, and figuring that Robbie and I were just the pair of drunken college  lunatics to pull it off, she offered us $1000.  Of course, this offer came *well* into cocktail hour at the Talbot cottage on Crystal Lake near Wautoma, WI.  We politely declined, smelling Jail.

Annie always brought us a pot of Hop n' John on New Years Day.  She said it brought Good Luck in the coming year.  I think we could all use a little good luck after a lousy 2011, so here is her recipe, of course with a few modifications of my own.  I think she'd approve.


Annie:  "The idea behind this dish is "Eat poor New Year's Day, eat rich the rest of the year. Rice for riches and peas for peace."
             


Traditional Virginia Hoppin' John

1 ham hock plus 2 T. oil  (I use diced up ham, maybe a half to 3/4 pound)
1/4 cup sliced pickled jalapenos, diced
2 stalks celery, chopped                                        
1 med onion, diced                                              
Heaping T of minced garlic cloves
1/2 lb. dried black eyed peas (about 2 cups)
2 bay leaves      
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
(or just substitute Cajun Seasoning for last 4 above if lazy)
1 tsp. each basil and thyme dried
salt & pepper to taste

green onions for garnish
2 c. long grain rice

Heat 2 T oil in fry pan and 2 T in pot, add celery, onion, garlic and jalapenos to fry pan, saute' til they just start to brown.  Add ham to pot, simmer on low.  When fry pan is done, dump into pot with ham.  Then add 4 cups water, peas, bay leaves and seasonings.  Simmer and cook 30 min. or up to an hour, til the peas are tender, not mushy.  Meanwhile, cook the rice separately, following pkg. directions for steamed rice.  When peas are tender, strain out remaining water, remove the bay leaf, remove meat from ham hock (if using) and put meat in pot.  Adjust your seasonings with salt and pepper.  To
serve it, either spoon pea mix over the rice in a soup bowl, or just mix it all together (Annie's Way) in a big bowl and garnish with chopped green onions.  With it a side dish of greens, collard, kale, spinach, turnip or beet, with bacon grease and vinegar.  Annie always said in their house, they had cornbread and then sliced raw apples dipped in honey for a sweet New Year.

Here's hoping that you all have a sweet New Year!!!    

Diner-Quality Hash Browns from Scratch

I love hash browns.  Most guys do.  There's nothing better after a grueling night of adult beverage consumption than a trip to a local diner for some hash browns (smothered in A-1 sauce, if you're me).  But sometimes you just don't have the energy to drive, or you just want hash browns at home, night of debauchery or not.

Making hash browns was a soggy, sorry affair for me for years.  Either I would end up buying "Simply Potatoes" or frozen hash browns, both of which made me feel like I'd failed as a chef.   Well, a couple tips I picked up from a few people over time allowed me to combine them and come up with this recipe that really works.  You'll get crispy, diner-style hash browns in about a half hour.

3-4 Small to Medium Russet Potatoes
4 T Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper

Boil the potatoes covered in salted water.  Throw, oh, I guess about a T of salt in with them in a small saucepan.  Boil for exactly 10 minutes, then remove from heat and set aside for 5 minutes.  Then run under cold water to cool the potatoes.

Put 4 T olive oil in a non-stick skillet, or a well-seasoned cast iron skillet (preferred).  Set on medium heat.  If you know your stove top runs hot, set it a little lower, better to err on the low side than the high side with this.

Heat the oil and skillet well.  When it's up to temperature, dump in the shredded potatoes and level them off in the pan.  Set a timer for 9 minutes and DO NOT TOUCH THEM.  Leave them in the pan until the timer goes off.  Flip them over and repeat, but only fry for 8 minutes.  Remove from pan, salt-pepper and serve!

Mmmmm...diner-style hash browns.  Pass the A-1!

Great Onion Rings, Poppers and Panfish

I love onion rings.  They're just one of those guilty pleasures that a person has to partake of once in a while.  But I had never really found a great recipe for them up until recently.   Oh, I've found some 'good' ones, but no GREAT ones.   Then another blogger that I follow ( Homesick Texan ) posted the recipe which I will share with you.  And with a few modifications, you can make jalapeno poppers or bluegill (and other small panfish) filets.  Plus, it's a crispy breading that does not soak up much oil at all...not greasy or heavy.

A couple things...you can use any onions, but a sweet onion like a Vidalia or a Texas 1015 will work and taste best.  They usually sell those singly in the supermarket, not in a bag, and they're about the size of a softball.  They'll usually be marked as a sweet onion, often having a sticker on each onion.

For Onion Rings:
2 medium sweet onions, cut into 1/4-inch thick rings (Vidalia, Texas 1015, etc)
1 quart buttermilk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 T baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Oil for deep frying

Place the onion slices in a large bowl and add enough buttermilk to completely cover. Allow to soak for at least an hour.  I like to soak them all day.  Mix together the flour, salt, black pepper, chili powder and cumin. Taste and adjust seasonings. Divide the flour mixture, placing half in a large food-safe plastic bag and the other half on a plate. Heat up oil in a medium pot with high sides to 350 degrees.  The more oil you use, the more stable your heat will remain...a good tip is to do this outside, on a gas grill's side burner or on a camp stove, that way you don't stink up the house.  Line a large baking sheet with paper towels. To batter the onions, remove them from the buttermilk, reserving the buttermilk in the bowl, and place them in the plastic-bag with the flour. Shake until coated. Working one-at-a time or in small batches, take the floured onions and dip back into the buttermilk and then dredge in the flour on a plate. Fry in the hot oil until light brown, for about 2 minutes, turning once. Drain on paper towels.  You'll have a hard time making a batch to go along with your dinner, as these will be eaten as fast as you can make them!

For Jalapeno Poppers:

Same recipe as above, but slice the tops off the peppers, scoop out seeds and innards with melonballer (a thing with two small spoons on each end and a handle in the middle) or a very small spoon of some sort.  Soak in buttermilk as with the rings.  When ready to fry, mix some  shredded sharp cheddar with a block of cream cheese.  Poke holes in bottom of the peppers with a fork and stuff the peppers with the mixture.  Proceed as with the onion rings.

For Small, Thin Fish Filets (Bluegill, perch, etc.)

Substitute Lemon Pepper for Chili Powder and leave out the cumin.   Only soak the filets for an hour or two in buttermilk.  Same deal otherwise.

It's a great breading for deep frying that I'm sure you can use for a zillion other things....experiment...have fun!