Home Cookin'...Mother Nature's Hizzy.

So, it wasn't exactly "roughing it".

Well, maybe it was, but luckily we had enough wine and food to keep us going for a night. The entire gaggle of Boyscouts had a ceremony and camping thing Saturday.

The weather held until about 8:30 or so, then the heavens let loose with the hardest rain I've seen so far this year.

Anyhow, my buddy Mike said he was going to do a one-pot meal for dinner. I thought it sounded like a great idea and started thinking...what can I make with one pot that will be knock-your-socks-off good?

I like to try to impress my wife with my cooking as I'm fairly certain it's the only reason she married me. She liked this, but I don't think she liked it as much as I did.

I pre-packaged everything and had all of the prep done. Everything was in ziplocks in our cooler. I brought my favorite cast iron Dutch Oven, some tongs, and a wooden spoon as the only things that would need to be packed and brought home.

I threw some pork back in the oven and rendered that. Then I threw in a pound of Andouille and let that brown for a while, followed that with a pound of bonless chicken, then, because Alex asked for it, a snow-crab cluster. After that I emptied the spice baggie (garlic, shallots, salt, pepper, and tumeric for color) into the pot.

After they'd gotten soft I put in about 1/2 of a red plastic cup of chardonnay (be precise!) and let that reduce to about 1/4 of the pre-reduction volume. Once all of that was done I added two small cans of white beans, liquid and all, and let that simmer for a while with the lid on.

I served it with some lovely wine-in-a-box and crusty baguette.

What's your favorite single-pot meal?

Share it.

Thanks for reading.

Fish Taco Party!

So this is the real deal. Last week was merely a rehearsal. My friends came in from out of town. I did most of the prep/cooking before they got there so that I was able to spend time with them rather than time at the stove or grill.
The only last minute items were the actual proteins and tortillas.

I started out making a Smooth Tomato and Serrano Salsa
4 tomatoes, a red onion, 4 cloves of garlic, 1 serrano chili ribs/seeds removed.

1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves (fresh, natch) 1 tbsp fresh oregano leaves, 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, salt/pepper.Saute the onions and garlic over medium heat in canola or grapeseed oil...don't brown them. Just cook until soft.Add the tomatoes. Let that cook until they're soft.Let it cool down for a few minutes, then puree in processor or blender. Add the rest of the ingredients, stir, and chill. Here's a shot of the Smoky Red Pepper Bean Dip. The recipe for this was in last weeks' post.
So this week I took it a couple of steps further than last. We had Grilled Mahi with Citrus Vinaigrette, Grilled Shrimp with Orange-Cilantro Vinaigrette, and Grilled Steak with a Tequila-Lime Fajita Marinade. The ingredients of all the marinades are below. Be warned: Only let the fish/shrimp sit in vinegar-based marinades for 10 minutes or so. Any longer and you will end up with ceviche.

Citrus Vinagrette:

2 tbsp rice vinegar

2 tbsp lime juice

1/4 cup canola or grapeseed

1 tbsp ancho chile powder

1/4 cup fresh cilantro

Salt/pepper

Orange-Cilantro Vinaigrette:

1 tbsp orange zest

1/4 orange juice

2 tbsp finely chopped red onion

1 serrano chile, seeded/chopped

1/4 fresh cilanto leaves

1/4 canola or grapeseed

salt/pepper

Dave's Tequila-Lime Fajita Marinade:

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tsp grated lime rind

3 tbsp fresh lime juice

2 tbsp Worcestershire

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp salt

1 tsp fresh oregano

1/2 tsp pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups beef stock

1/2 cup tequila

Yum...add a little chipotle puree for some fire!
Thanks for reading.