Cooking aboard or outdoors

Looks tasty... Pussushi

 

Nice *****

 

I wandered down to Popeye's (the fast-food joint) this afternoon, and bought a sandwich. As I often do, I threw in an extra two bits for a pickled jalapeno pepper out of the jar on the counter. It turned out to be the jalapeno from hell.

I took one bite off the end, and suffered for half an hour. An hour later I decided that was ridiculous; I must've bitten directly into a seed or something. So I took another little nibble, making sure I didn't get any of the seeds or internal membrane. It hurt worse and longer than the first bite had....

Anyone who eats hot peppers knows they can be variable in heat; I've even had poblamos and pasillas that were surprisingly spicy. But I've never bitten into anything as hot as this one pickled jalapeno, except for habaneros or Scotch bonnets.

I assume pickling pepper seeds in vinegar kills them. Otherwise I'd try planting some from this evil little pepper, to see if they would breed true.

I think I've mentioned before that I once grew a row of jalapeno peppers next to a row of bell peppers. The jalapeno plants flowered, but didn't set any fruit. The bell pepper plants turned out the cutest miniature bell peppers you've ever seen, about a fourth the size of a regular one.

When you bit into one, it was wonderful: sweet, juicy and tasty. And about the time you were done chewing and getting ready to swallow, you would suddenly realize your mouth was on fire... I handed them out to every unsuspecting relative and friend who showed up that fall.

I did save some seeds. But I misplaced them during the nomadic lifestyle of my youth, before I ever landed somewhere else long enough to plant another garden.

 

Bugger, my wanton version II dish, was an out of focus mess.

I seem to have found my mojo with another beef dish.

Just a splash of brandy to deglaze, some cream and parsley to make a kick-arse finishing sauce.

 

What do you think about using bourbon instead of brandy? It usually goes well with beef....

 

I cooked steaks marinated in Wild Vines blackberry merlot and they came out great.

 

Hmm. Never tried marinating steaks in wine. But I've marinated tough cuts in Italian dressing before. It not only adds flavor but tenderizes them, probably because of the vinegar.

I use plain old Italian salad dressing, not the stuff sold specifically as a marinade. I tried some of that once, and it was downright nasty tasting.

 

Wish i had a steak right now. I am sitting in my truck at a rail crossing that just got zapped by lightning. I have to sit here for another hour before they open it.

 

I can't imagine why a bourbon would not work just as well.

 

I tried a recipe from my local newspaper... fantastic!

5 lb whole chicken (don't need innards)
2 heads of garlic
1/2 cup white wine
8 med shallots not peeled
2 tbs olive oil
kosher salt
8 oz thick cut bacon
ground black pepper

I added
fresh mushrooms
poultry seasoning
powdered chicken bullion

Break up the garlic heads into cloves (leave unpeeled) and put in the bottom of a large Dutch oven, along with the Shallots, mushrooms, olive oil, wine, a few shakes of bullion, a bit of salt and pepper. Toss to coat everything.

Rinse chicken and pat dry, season with salt inside and out and sprinkle a bit of pepper and poultry seasoning on the outside. Place in the oven breast up and drape the bacon to cover the chicken.

Cook in a 450-500 degree oven for 1.25-1.5 hours or until thigh reaches 170 deg F and the bacon is brown and almost crispy. Serve with whatever sides you like. Makes up to 8 portions. The Garlic turns into a buttery consistency which is great spread on fresh crusty bread.

 

A crowd pleaser that is too simple for a recipe.

I rolled out a sheet of English flaky pastry (if your making your own), or purchased puff pastry sheet, thawed.

Some ricotta, sliced tomatoes, some red onion, a little rosemary, a drizzle of olive oil and salt and pepper to taste... And, hey presto!

 

That sounds good. I used to cook small whole chickens in my clay roaster. I'd rub one with olive oil; salt and pepper it liberally; and place it in the well-soaked roaster. Then I'd surround it with peeled garlic cloves (with a few inside it too); slap the lid on and set it in a cold oven; turn the oven to 400 degrees (200-210 Celsius) and walk away for about an hour.

 

I did a variation of this with a Tenderloin Butt. Added a few cans of sliced new potatoes and a couple of pkgs of baby carrots and a pint of baby portabello mushrooms. Also excellent. I love beef and bacon.

 

I'll keep that in mind next time I'm too lazy or too busy to make my focaccia; sounds good.

 

I've been looking at recipes for Pernil Asado (Pork shoulder roast, Puerto Rican style). Found a couple that sound good; I've linked to both of them. The main difference is that one starts in a hot oven, then turns it down to slow-cook for several hours. The other one slow-cooks the roast for several hours until the bone can be pulled out, then turns the heat up to crisp the skin.

http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/li...l-asado-recipe-roasted-pork-shoulder/#slide=4

http://mystilettos.wordpress.com/2010/11/23/roasted-pork-pernil-asado-puerto-rican-style/

Seems to me this stuff would be great for precooking at home, packing in Ziploc baggies, and throwing in an ice chest onboard. You could make some great tortas with it on bolillos or other rolls, with sriracha-spiced mayonnaise, refried beans, guacamole, pickled onions and cilantro (like the ones you can get at Cutty's in Boston, although they add sliced garlic and leave out the beans). Or you could just do an Hispanic twist on a traditional Carolina pulled pork sandwich, with cole slaw on a bun.

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/10/the-spicy-pork-torta-sandwich-from-cuttys-recipe.html

add: I was wondering how pernil asado would taste smoked. I found a blog today where a guy said that if you use mild wood and don't overdo the smoking, it makes it taste even more heavenly.

I'm stuck here again this coming weekend, working overtime for guys on vacation. Maybe I'll buy a pork shoulder, marinate it all day Saturday, and cook it at work all day Sunday. There are certain perks associated with working at a compressor station that has a professional-grade natural gas kitchen under a roof, right next to the swimming pool.....