Herbs

As of late, I received a special request from a certain someone to give my 2cents on the topic of herbs. You might be asking yourself... Who is this certain somebody that makes the request so special to wee-ole Kelsey?

HER BIG SISTER! OF COURSE!

My Reaction went a little something like this:

Raise the Roof!

YAAAY!

Then I composed myself & got to work.

A little insight on herbs. Kelsey Style.

To start off, it's nice to finish a dish with a sprinkling of chopped parsely or any other what have yous. This usually adds visual appeal to what ever you've made, which is good. There's nothing wrong with that.

I want to point out though, that more often than not, the actual act of herbing is more for yourself than that of the finished product. It marks the completion of a cooked recipe. It's sort of like a final "bun-nuh" on the drums to end a song. It's not really needed, does no harm, but makes you feel good about its finality - so it's welcomed.

Main thing to remember: never feel like you need/have to buy herbs, love herbs, advocate herbs, grow herbs, etc. etc. If you give in to any of these verbs with any kind of herb, don't feel bad... I get the same urges too.

Moving on.

Z (that's what I call my sister) asked for me to specify which herbs go with what. Fresh vs. Dried. Life expectancy. and some Storage Suggestings. So here goes nothing.

(Listed in order of appearance in my kitchen)

Parsley

Chive/Green Onions

Cilantro

Bay Leaves

Oregano

Thyme

Basil

Dill

Rosemary

Sage

Tarragon

I always store my herbs in the bag/original packaging from the grocery. Herbs will keep in the fridge for 5 days. Give or take 24hrs.

Parsley

Flat or Curly, hands down, the most generic herb. I prefer flat leafed, but that's just me.

Use it to garnish, marinate, and cook with just about anything.

I always buy it fresh. I don't really think dried parsley brings much to the table. (pun intended)

I never take the time to pick off the leaves, like I maybe should. I don't know if it's because I don't want to play the "He loves me, he loves me not" game with it or if it's because I'm lazy. Probably because I'm lazy. But, I simply scrunch the leaves together and chop what I need. Stems and all. Sometimes the chopped parts need a little extra mincing, so if this is the case, you know what to do.

Nigella Lawson even has a recipe where parsley is a main ingredient.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/nigella-lawson/bacon-and-tomato-hash-recipe/index.html

Click if you're curious.

Parsley goes good with bland tasting & looking food.

Chive/Green Onions 

I hardly ever buy chives. This is because with green onions you get twice the amount for half the price.

I usually cook with the white parts & garnish with the greens. When it comes to the amount of green onion's parts, white < green. Because of this, I always chop the greens and save in a bowl on my counter. They'll naturally dry & come in handy when garnishing soups, eggs, etc.   

Green onions are a must-have whenever making Asian cuisine. Fried rice, stir frys, chinese soups, etc. etc. all cry out for green onion just like they cry out for soy sauce.

Green onions go good with Asian-fare, creamy foods, and/or delicate flavors.

  

Cilantro

Cilantro is one of those "you either love it or hate it" type things. I love the stuff. I love it so much that I want to marry it. Okay, not that much.

Cilantro is all things Tex-Mex and Mexican fare. In my opinion, it needs to be eaten raw or as a garnish. If you cook with it, (by adding prolonged heat) its flavor tends to get lost. For instance, I used to add it to the beginning stages of my chicken tortilla soup & ended up having to add loads more @ the end. Now, I replace what once was cilantro with ground coriander seed. (Cilantro grows from coriander) And then garnish bowl by bowl, with fresh cilantro.

It has other ties with Asian recipes stemming from mainly Vietnam. These are flavors I'm unfamiliar with so far. But I felt like I should at least mention to inform.

Cilantro is good with spicy foods, firm fleshed fish, and pairs well w/acidic ingredients.

Bay Leaves 

I always buy dried.

I usually use no more than 3 bay leaves per recipe, since it's such a strong flavor.

Bay leaves are good with slow cooking pots of things like: beans, gumbos, soups, and stews.

 Oregano

Also, another strong flavored herb that I prefer to buy dried.

Oregano is of course, all things Greek. Oregano translates to "joy of the mountain" in Greek. I know this from watching hours on end of Rachael Ray's 30 Minute Meals. (I love to hate that woman)

An interesting little tid bit that I picked up some time ago about oregano, is that it's also great to use in Tex-Mex cooking. I use it in my chilis, Mexican soups, marination of taco meat, etc. etc.

Not to be out be outdone by Italian eatery, mind you. It's great as a pizza topper or cooked w/sauteed zucchini. (Inside joke to Z: Zoo-Cheen-Ee) As I'm writing this out, I'm realizing its versatility that I've never noticed before. Sorry about that, Oregano. Hope you & me are still cool.

Oregano goes good with Greek, Italian, and Mexican fare.

Thyme

I always have a bottle of dried thyme on hand. I sometimes buy fresh, but not usually. Mainly, because it goes bad before I have time (not thyme) to use it all up. I hate throwing away herbs, just like I hate throwing away flowers.

Thyme to me, is the All-American herb. I'm not saying that it actually is... so all you know-it-alls out there, (in my Jersey accent) shut ya pie hole. I say it's' All-American because it reminds me of meatloaf, chicken and dumplings, and all things beef. It adds so much savory flavor. It's warm/homey addition to a recipe is always magic.

Thyme is good in hearty, red-blooded & bred recipes.

Basil

I want to like fresh basil on its own like I want to like wine on its own.

It's just not there for me though.

With that, comes a bit of guilt. I feel like I should hang my head in shame to every great Italian cook that ever lived, is living, and will come to be. I buy it at least once a month in hopes I'll finally snap out of it & begin to love it. It's like I'm in church looking around @ everyone else understanding the gospel. While, I'm sitting there wondering why and if I'm the only one that just doesn't get it.

For some reason, it's flavor is too strong for me to enjoy my food. I like it in pestos and sometimes tear a leaf into my noodle soup, but that's about it. Whatever the reason, it's a misunderstood herb to me.

I can't talk about Basil without tipping my cap to Thai/Indonesian/other Asian cuisines. It's great in summer rolls, but I think it works well because of the other strong flavors it has to compete with.

Basil is good with sweet vegetables like: corn, yams, and carrots.

Dill

Fresh dill tastes like a cross between parsley
and cilantro, if the parsley and cilantro were a little spicy.

It's really a one of a kind flavor.

I don't often buy it for the same reason I don't often buy fresh thyme.

Dill is great for pickling cucumbers, mixing in potato salads, serving with fish, or adding to a dipping sauce like ranch, tartar, or a garlic mayo.

Dill is good to be creative with.

Rosemary

Fresh rosemary is reminscent of fresh thyme in the fact that the dried version has the same flavor, but the oils in the fresh make it appealing to buy. I have a jar of the dried stuff in my spice cabinent, but I rarely use it.

Rosemary is great with gamey meats like lamb, duck, and venison. This is probably why I rarely use it. Gamey meats turn me off.

Fresh rosemary is great for grilling though. A neat trick is to strip the leaves off of its branch & use the bare branch as a skewer. I think it to be really keen. I'm not that big of a rosemary expert, because like I said, I rarely use it.

Rosemary is good with smoked foods, sweet vegetables, and strong flavored meats.

Sage

If any herb could be argued against America's herb being thyme, it would have be sage.

Its flavor is definitely underrated, and is the key to any tasty Thanksgiving stuffing.
I myself, only buy it once a year come Thanksgiving. As much as sage is about American tradition, it can be used in other cuisines.

For instance, ricotta (hailing from Italy) benefits from the flavors of sage. Butter (Frenchies love this stuff) mixed with a little sage action never hurt anyone.

Sage is good with browned butter, squash, and turkey.

Tarragon

Tarragon tastes like licorice to me.

What's ironic is that I love black jelly beans. I don't care for fennel or Jager (shutters). I guess I'm monogamous with my black jelly beans when it comes to licorice tasting things.

As far as I'm concerned, the only thing tarragon is good for is to make tarragon vinegar. In which case, I leave the making of it up to Great Value @ Walmart. I've maybe used the stuff once to make a mignonette sauce for my oysters. (I threw most of it away too.)

So yah, this is basically a hate note to tarragon.

A Few Things to Remember.

A good rule of thumb (Everytime I use this expression, it reminds me of The Boondock Saints. I'm afraid at any minute, some hee-man woman is going to come barrelling around the corner and beat me up for saying it) when swapping dried herbs for fresh:

Use 3-4 times less the amount of dried to fresh herbs. This is because dried herbs' flavors are always concentrated & stronger. Example, if a recipe calls for 1Tbl of fresh thyme, reduce the amount to 1teas of dried thyme. You get the pic.

Herbs shouldn't be confused and used like you would a spice or seasoning. They're purpose is to add aroma and highlight the rest of the recipes best qualities.

*Bay Leaves & Green Onions aren't technically herbs, but I classify them as herbs for some reason. These two of the bunch are probably the only 2 you can actually cook with to extract flavor, making them again, not herbs. I guess to prove I'm open minded, I included them.

This has been herbs according to Kelsey.

Breakfast Burritos

Eating breakfast is a good habit, and I'm all for that. However, making breakfast in the morning is a real drag. I generally like having whatever food I want, when I wake, to be waiting on me hand & foot. This is when pre-making Breakfast Burritos comes into play. (feel free to call them: B-Feast Britos, Breakfast Brits, Break Burs, Breakfast Toes, or whatever else comes to mind)

Because of my Beef Stew's (reference previous post) leftover 3 pieces of bacon, I'm putting these 3 pieces of yum to good use.

If by chance, you didn't make a 2-Day full on process of beef stew, and have no extra cooked bacon on hand... FEAR NOT! There is a solution.

Let's not get ahead of ourselves though. First things first.

Bacon B-Feast Burritos

3 Servings

3 Flour Tortillas

3 Slices Cooked Bacon

2 Eggs Scrambled

How Goes It:

Picture speaks for itself

Scramble your eggs.
Distrubute evenly to the prepped beginnings.

Then, let the wrapping & rolling commence.

Scoot everything to the side of the tortilla closest to you.

Come hither, my darlings.

  

Fold

  

Tuck the sides

Fold again

Crease side down.

Place in its temporary home.

Repeat twice more.

Like

Double like. Facebook can't even do this shiz.

Cover w/a lid.
Refrigerate for tomorrow's morning, the next day's morning, and the day after the next day's morning.

Like I mentioned before, you may not have bacon @ your beck and call. In lieu of this, add something else readily available. Stuff like canned beans would be a good choice. Raw vegetables (think pizza toppings: mushrooms, peppers, olives, etc.) would be a healthier option. Pre-cooked shrimp, if seafood in the morning is your thing, would work. If you want to make your breakfast burrito a rebel, add lunch meat.

Rise & Shine!

Don't be too cheery though. Any enthusiam before 10a.m is obnoxious.

Beef Stew

In less or fewer words, this is my rendition of Merrilees Parker's recipe for Beef Bourguignon.

I've copied and pasted the original recipe w/my mark-throughs & modifications. (I love you Merrilees. Please forgive me for butchering your beautiful recipe.)

Ingredients:

• 2.2 pounds (1 kilogram) good quality beef or Charolais beef, cut into 2-inch pieces.
• 1.5 pounds chuck roast cut/cubed

For the Marinade:

• 1 (750ml) 3/4 bottle Burgundian wine, like Pinot Noir or any cheap red wine. Like Barefoot Merlot.
• 2 large stalks celery, roughly chopped
• 2 fresh bay leaves or 3 dried bay leaves
• Pinch fresh thyme
• 2 or 3 large carrots, roughly chopped sliced diagnolly & unpeeled
• 2 large onions, peeled and quartered diced
• 1 bulb 5 cloves garlic, unpeeled and cut horizontally sliced
• 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns

For the sauce:

• 2 ounces (50 grams) butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 8 ounces (200 grams) smoked bacon, pancetta or lardons, chopped into small dices 3 slices bacon
• 4 shallots, peeled and roughly chopped
• 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard Dijon mustard IS needed. It's needed bowl-by-bowl, so just have some on hand.
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2c flour
• 2teas Better than Chicken Bouillon & 2Tbl Better than Beef Bouillon
• 6 Cups of Water
• 1 teas Dried Thyme
• 25 grinds or 1teas ground black pepper

Directions:

Place the beef in a large bowl and add all the marinade ingredients. Cover and marinade for at least 8 hours or preferably overnight, refrigerated.

*From here on out, I'm editting Merrilees's instructions. I'm rewriting them, as well as, providing my own pictures. Our recipes differ in the making so much, that it requires a full-on, re-written revision. Lest not forget... w/o Ms. Parker's Beef Bourguinon, my Beef Stew would simply not be. Let it be known, credit is due & paid in full.

(Moment of Silence)*

BEEF STEW:

(so let's just get into it, shall we)

A closer look into my marination process for beef stew.

After 8hrs. (at least) of Marinating Has passed:

Drain off the liquid from the marinade and reserve.
Pick-out and sort through the meat from the rest of ingredients.
Dry between paper towels.

Heat a dutch oven over med-heat w/3 strips of bacon.

Once the bacon is cooked, set aside for later use.
They can/will be crumbled and returned to the finished beef stew.

-  OR -

They can be made into B-Feast Burritos

(stay tuned for an upcoming post)

Continuing On...

Coat the dried, cut beef in 1/2c flour. 

Then return to a clean cutting board.

With the remaining bacon fat,

Crime Scene Body Outline

Heat over medium-high heat until Suh-Moe-Kin (smoking).

Add 1/2 of the floured beef.

Brown for 3min.

This is the part where patient/proper people will, in my mind, remove & reserve the browned beef into another bowl.

 

If you'd like to try to be (or innately are) inclined to be a square... Then, remove the 1st batch of browned beef to a separate bowl, lower the heat (so not burn the 1st batch of beef's leftover floured parts), evenly brown the 2nd batch of beef, and then return the 1st batch back to the pot. Ending up with slightly burnt beginnings to a potentially burnt-free stew, not to mention an extra bowl to clean & time wasted, is just not my style. If this is the kinda stuff you get off to, then be my guest and indulge yourself in these extras.

I say, "EFF THAT! I've done enough for this beef stew."

Make way.

 For the rest.

Cook until seared all over.

Toss and turn for 5 min.

Turn the heat to high.

Deglaze with the reserved wine

Scrape. Scrape. Scrape.

Stir. Stir. Stir.

Repeat until the mixture thickens like a gravy. 

Stir in all the marinated vegetables, garlic, & three bay leaves

Add reserved solids

Pour in 6c water

2teas Better than Chicken Bouillon

2Tbl Better than Beef Bouillon

1teas dried thyme

1teas ground black pepper

Cow & Chick Flava Flaves

BTB. I don't mean, "Bring That Booty," what I mean is

Bring To Boil.

Steam Bath

Cover

Set a timer

Cook and cover, on low for 90min.

Uncover.
Stir.

Cover again & cook for another 90min.

And again.

If you decide to crumble in the 3 cooked/set aside pieces of bacon, this is the time to do it.

Skipping this option or not, proceed regardless.

Ladle into a soup bowl. Time being, now or later.

add a FAT squirt of dijon mustard and stir through.

EAT and ENJOY in the company of bread or potatoes... or rice... or... or... 





Woah.

Texas Chili

No matter how precise the measurement of each seasoning, no matter how specific the ingredient, no matter how uniform each cut... There are certian recipes that are impossible to replicate. And that's just what it is.

These types of recipes are perfect for personalizing.

 Prime Example: Texas Chili

Quiz Time

Directions: Complete the Sentence.

Because it's such a personal recipe, of course people (that take themselves seriously on the subject) are inclined to be, ________.

A. More than confident that their recipe reigns supreme. Meaning, they'll be offended if you say that your's tastes better than their's.

B. WILL NOT divulge techniques. This include(s) their secret(s) of seasoning(s), cut(s) of meat, heat level(s), marination time(s), etc.

C. WILL want you to ask for tips/tricks. Your prying will confirm feelings that their own is the one and only, sought after pot of chili.

D. All of the Above.

If you answered D, then you are correct. And this is to say the least of Chili enthusiasts.

A few things to remember. If you are not looking for perfection, then there is no such thing as a bad pot of chili. However; if you are looking for an Award-Winning pot of chili, then you're basically just looking for someone to tell you that your recipe is wrong.

Appreciate it for what it is, and it will be as forgiving to you as you are to it.

Okay, let's talk my kind of Chili.
Forgive me beforehand if I get a little abbrasive with my views on Chili. But like any other crazed Chili fan, it can't be helped.

Texas Chili. To me, this means cubed beef, tomato, broth, spices, along with a controversial addition of chopped onions, jalapenos, and garlic. So basically, beef, spice, and broth. The mastered length of time in which ratios of spices are added to the pot, is the main diagnosis of people going crazy about perfecting their recipes of chili.
Me? I respect the needed ratio of spices. I respect the needed time to cook the spices with the meat. And I sort of make it all my own with some onion, garlic, and jalapeno. You still with me? Maybe not.

Anyways, here's how I cook my Chili. Feel free to use my recipe to make it your own.

Stuff that goes in the spice mixture:
1/4c chili powder
3Tbl cumin
1Tbl garlic powder
1Tbl onion powder
1Tbl paprika
2teas salt
1teas smoked paprika
1/2teas red pepper flakes
1/2teas cayenne
1/2teas white pepper
1/2teas black pepper

Stuff that goes in the pot:
1.5lb cubed Chuck Roast
4Tbl Veg oil
4c Chopped Onions
4c sliced garlic
1/4c brown sugar
1/2t dried oregano
S&P

28oz can crushed tomatoes
1 extra large green jalapeno
4c beef broth
2c water

First off, I make the spice mixture and set it aside. I like to get it out of the way. (it helps to pace myself, since I know this is the least of the specifics)


All of that stuff. For this.

I cube the beef, then dry with paper towels.

Appetizing

In a large dutch oven, I preheat 2Tbl veg oil over med-high heat for exactly 5 min.
(if you don't have a dutch oven, forget making Chili until you buy one)
I add half of the cubed meat.

I wait 3 min. (Or 2 1/2min. if like me, you are impatient)
Stir. Brown some more. 3 more min. (Or if like me, whenever)
I reserve the browned beef in a separate bowl.
I season with S&P (AFTER I've browned. not BEFORE)

Add the next half of cubed meat & repeat.

Like so

Same heat, no added oils, I immediately add my chopped onions.
Give a stir & cover for 10 min.
Then, unconvered, add the meat back to the pot, add the sliced garlic, oregano, brown sugar, & 2Tbl of the aforementioned spice mixture. I turn the heat to high for 2 min. I stir, so not to burn anything.

 

I deglaze with 1/2c of brewed coffee or 1 full bottle of Guiness beer. (I usually never have either of the 2 on hand, seeing as that I don't drink coffee & Guiness is for people who can grow beards. But, I really believe in that extra lil-sumthin-sumthin it brings. If you don't then, fine. Be that way.)

Get like me.

After this, I add: 1/2 the can of crushed tomatoes, 4c beef broth (I use 4Tbl Better than Beef Bouillon mixed with 4c water), 2 more cups water, 1 sliced extra large jalapeno (adding a bit of heat & lots of flavor), and add  2Tbl spice mixture.

I cover & simmer for 30 min.
Then, whisk in 2Tbl spice mixture.
I cover & simmer for 30 min.
I uncover, add in the rest of the tomatoes, & whisk in the remaining spice mixture.
I cover & simmer for an hour, stirring occasionally. (I don't want the spices to stick to the bottom)

I uncover. I simmer for 30 min. (Stirring occasionally of course)
After 30min, the cooking is done for me.
(I'm aware the ratio of liquid to meat is, A LOT:a little. But that's how I like it.)

...WAIT! Wait! WAIT! My recipe is not done yet.

I TRY not to eat a bowlful right away. (Sometimes I can resist & sometimes I can't. No big deal.)

(resist or not) Cool. Refridgerate. Then eat the next day. (Duh. Chili always tastes better the next day.)

My Chili will never taste like yours. Just like, your chili will never tast like mine. So make it your own, and be happy with it.

If you want to get personal, my classic way/ritual of eating a bowl of chili is this: I nuke a smedium bowl for 3 minutes, covered in the microwave. I add 5 saltines, a little shredded cheddar, and lots of chopped raw onion.

 


There she is.

Poor Kevin.