Maque choux

Maque choux, originally uploaded by chrisfreeland2002.

Here's another unrecipe for this simple & delicious Cajun staple:

Chop: 1/2 lb bacon, 1 medium yellow onion, 1 red bell pepper, 2 cloves of garlic, 1/2 jalapeño pepper (seeded), 1 bunch parsley

Grill: 2 ears of sweet corn, husks removed to grill. Here's how I grill corn. Cut corn from the cobs.

Grab: 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, 1/2 can of chicken broth & a 1/4 cup (or so) of cream

Fry bacon until crispy & brown. Remove to paper towels to drain. Pour off all but 2T of the oil. Stir in onions & red pepper, cook until softened but not browned. Add salt, cayenne, corn, garlic & jalapeño and cook 1min more (beware of burning the garlic).

Stir in 1/2 can of chicken broth, scraping up browned bits at the bottom of the pan. Add in the cream (more or less depending on your desired texture) and heat through.

Serve it now or keep it warm & covered at the back of the stove. Monitor the liquid and add more broth or cream accordingly. Once you're ready to serve, stir in the bacon & parsley. This keeps well in the fridge for 2 or 3 days afterwards and even better, the flavors keep developing!

Margherita Orzo Salad

Margherita Orzo Salad, originally uploaded by chrisfreeland2002.

This is one of those perfect salads/sides you can throw together in about 20 minutes. It's so simple it doesn't even need a proper recipe. Here goes:

Cook 1/2 lb of orzo in boiling, salted water. Drain well and toss with olive oil in a bowl. Add a pint of (washed & dried) cherry tomatoes to bowl. Chop 10 or so large basil leaves and add to bowl. Cut a large ball of fresh mozzarella cheese into bite-sized chunks (or use marinated bocconcini) and add to the bowl. Add olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and kosher salt to taste & mix well.

Makes 6-8 side dish portions.

Fines Herbes Ranch Dressing

Salad with Fines Herbes Ranch Dressing
Originally uploaded by TagDragon

I have been experimenting with classic herb combinations: Herbes de Provence, Fines Herbes. There is a reason these combination have been used for centuries, they work and have stood the test of time. Fines Herbes is a blend of parsley, chives, tarragon, and chervil. Fine Herbes is great with chicken, fish, soups and stocks, salads, and very notable with egg dishes. Note: I love Penzeys Spices and am using their spelling.

Ingredients
2 cloves Garlic minced
1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground Black Pepper
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
1/2 cup Sour Cream
1/3 cup Buttermilk shaken
1 teaspoon White Wine Vinegar or Champagne Vinegar
1 tablespoon Flat Leaf Parsley minced
1 tablespoon Chives minced
1 tablespoon Tarragon minced
1 tablespoon Chervil minced

Add all of the ingredients in to food processor fitted with the steel blade, pulse several times to completely combine. If the dressing is too thick, add more buttermilk 1 or 2 tablespoons at a time until you have the desired consistency.

Makes about 1 1/3 cups

If the garlic is not finely minced you may want to combine the garlic, salt, and pepper in the food processor first, pulse a few times and then add the remaining ingredients. This recipe uses all fresh herbs.

Fried Morels

Morels/Fried Mushrooms, originally uploaded by chrisfreeland2002.

What you see above is exactly how I've always eaten morels - fresh out of the fryer, drying on paper towels, sprinkled with salt - YUM! I know there are all kinds of amazing recipes for the spring woodland delight - sauteed in butter with pasta, in a cream sauce, and heck even a duxelle, but growing up we had 'em floured and fried. That's how I want morels.

And that's how I prepared the AMAZINGLY generous gift Chris Cozzoni's parents gave me on Thursday, when they presented me with a beautiful batch of morels foraged from local Missouri woods. I've updated the batter a bit, but it's still an easy preparation - clean and slice the mushrooms, dip in egg + Tabasco, roll in flour+corn meal and fry. Simple. Delicious!

Ingredients
10 large morels - must be fresh, not dried & reconstituted! Seasonal only!!
2 eggs
Dash of Tabasco
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup yellow corn meal
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

If you've foraged them yourself:
Slice morels in half, or quarters for large 'shrooms. Brush off soil and bugs and things. Soak in a sink full of salted water (it kills the little slugs. eww, sorry, gross, I know) for 15 minutes. Using a net scoop the morels out and lay on paper towels to dry. Follow below.

If you've purchased fresh morels:
We'll assume the morels have already been brushed down and all soil and woodland critters removed. Slice them and soak them in a small pan of lukewarm water for 5 minutes, until slightly spongy. Remove to paper towels to dry. Follow below.

Heat FryDaddy, or large pan with 3"+ of oil.

Gently blot the morels with paper towels to remove excess moisture. In a shallow dish, lightly beat two eggs and a splash of water and 2 dashes of Tabasco (or to taste). In another dish, combine flour, corn meal, salt & pepper. Dip morels into egg, then into flour mixture. Shake off excess and set on baking sheet.

Fry morels until golden, turning often in oil to ensure even frying. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle liberally with kosher salt. Serve immediately.

Buttermilk Cheddar Biscuits

Buttermilk Cheddar Biscuit
Originally uploaded by TagDragon

I love biscuits. And lucky for me, being a southern boy, we had them all the time. Hot out of the oven with butter or jam, that is heaven. Here’s the problem. Biscuits are a little tricky. There are few ingredients, a simple process, and somehow easy to miss the target. I may never be able to make biscuits like my Mama but, these are really good.

Ingredients
2 cups All-Purpose Flour, plus extra
4 teaspoons Baking Powder
¼ teaspoon Baking Soda
¾ teaspoon Salt
2 tablespoons cold Butter
2 tablespoons cold Shortening
1 cup cold Buttermilk
1 cup grated White Cheddar or Extra-Sharp Cheddar Cheese, plus extra

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter and shortening till well mixed and resembles course crumbs. Make a well in the center of the dry mixture and add buttermilk. Stir a little then add cheddar cheese. Stir until dough just comes together. With your hands, try and form the extra dough pieces into the dough ball.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured board. Dust top with a little flour and knead dough by folding and pressing dough over on to itself 6-8 times. Pat out dough to ¾-inch thickness. Cut out biscuits with 2 to 2 ½-inch floured round biscuit cutters. Push straight down to board then turn slightly. Place biscuits about 1-inch apart on ungreased baking sheet and sprinkle with extra cheddar cheese.

Bake for 12-14 minutes until tall and golden.

Makes 8-10. Server hot with butter, jam, or split apart and add extra cheddar cheese for a cheese biscuit sandwich.

I like the white cheddar for a milder morning biscuit and the extra-sharp cheddar for a lunch or dinner biscuit. If you do not have a pastry blender use a fork, two knives, or your fingers. If you use your fingers work quickly. You do not want part of the butter to melt. The cheese will cause the biscuits to stick slightly. Use a spatula and they will come off just fine.

For a traditional biscuit eliminate the baking soda and cheddar cheese; and use milk for the buttermilk.

Buttered Potatoes with Asparagus Leek Cream Sauce

Buttered potatoes with asparagus & leek cream sauce, originally uploaded by chrisfreeland2002.

This dish was inspired by my recent trip to Copenhagen. I was there for my 'real' work (as opposed to this, my 'fantasy' work), and had the great opportunity to eat some delicious meals in the University of Copenhagen cafeteria near the Zoologisk Museum. No, really! The canteen, as it was called, had really excellent food; a far cry from the dorm food foisted on college students in the US.

Granted, my exposure was limited, but I'd say that Danish cuisine is about assembling several small plates of both hot and cold items, each featuring fresh vegetables and clean, bright flavors, to make a cohesive meal. The terms that keeps coming to mind when trying to describe the dishes we had are "honest" and "authentic" - each was prepared with fresh ingredients and done so in a way that highlighted the intrinsic colors and flavors of the dish's components, rather than hiding them under heavy spices. This particular dish was a standout because of its simplicity. I found it very easy to recreate back at home, and bet you will, too, if you give it a try.

Ingredients
3 lbs small yellow potatoes (Pearl work nicely, as do small Yukon Gold)
2 T butter
3 T Italian parsley
1tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Sauce
2 T butter
1 medium leek, chopped & well rinsed
8 asparagus spears, cut lengthwise, then chopped
1/4 cup flour
2 T dry white wine
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 cup chicken stock
Salt and pepper, to taste

Scrub potatoes and place them in a large pan. Fill pan with water until potatoes are just covered. Bring to a boil over high heat, then boil for 18-20 minutes, or until potatoes are soft throughout. While boiling, make sauce below. Use a colander to drain potatoes, then cover colander and potatoes with a cloth. Let potatoes steam and additional 10 minutes, then toss with butter, chopped parsley, and salt and pepper to taste.

For sauce, melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Once butter is heated add leeks and cook until slightly softened, about 4 minutes. Add asparagus and cook an additional 5 minutes, stirring often, until asparagus and leeks are fragrant and soft. Add flour and stir to combine, making a thick roux. Cook until roux is golden, but not browned, about 5 minutes.

Add white wine and stir to incorporate, making a thick slurry. Then add chicken stock and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly (I use a spoon rather than a whisk for this because I don't want to shred the softened vegetables). Add cream, stirring, until well combined. Again bring sauce just to simmer, then reduce heat to low. Cook until sauce is thickened, approximately 10 minutes (add more chicken stock, if needed, to thin sauce) - it should be thicker than a soup but not a gloppy gravy. Remove sauce from heat and taste, adding salt and pepper to taste.

Serve sauce over potatoes, with a toss of chopped parsley on top and a sprinkle of sea salt.

Venison Chili

Venison Chili, originally uploaded by chrisfreeland2002.

Deer hunting is so popular where I grew up that it borders on religion; hunters have their tried and true rituals and favorite locations, honed over years (even generations) of practice and experience. Recipes for how to prepare "deer meat" (no one calls it venison in the country) have also been handed off over time. Most recipes feature slow roasting deer steaks in a thick gravy to add moisture and soften the meat, as it's fairly lean and can be a bit dry and tough if not prepared correctly.

While that method is a country classic, and one that my mom and aunt make with skill, I've become a fan of using venison in chili. Venison can be slightly gamey and I find it mellows really well when cooked with acidic foods like tomotoes, and with ground venison you don't have to worry about tenderizing it through a slow cooking process. The recipe below takes some cues from fairly traditional chili ingredients, but turns up the flavor with red wine and unsweetened chocolate, which also tone down the venison without completely masking its unique flavor.

Oh, and to obtain ground venison you can do what I do (have your dad apply for a license, make him sit in the woods on a cold autumn morning waiting for a deer to pass by, shoot it, field dress it, and then take it to a local butcher for processing) or buy it from online sources, such as this one http://www.venison-meat.com/html/suppliers.html.

Ingredients
2 tsp olive oil
3 lbs ground venison
1 tsp whole cumin
1 large onion, chopped, divided in half
1 red pepper, chopped
1/2 tsp chili powder (or more for your desired heat)

1 tsp salt, to taste

1/2 tsp ground pepper, to taste
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 T tomato paste
1 cup dry red wine, additional as needed
1 lb tomatoes, diced or 2 cans diced tomatoes
1 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 cup water, additional as needed

Heat oil in a large dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat. Add half of chopped onion to oil and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Add venison and cook until thoroughly browned. Tilt pan to allow juices to accumulate at the bottom and use a slotted spoon to remove venison and onion to a bowl.

Add another tsp of oil to pan if needed. Add cumin and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until cumin is browned and fragrant. Add remaining onion and red pepper and cook until golden, about 5 minutes. Add chili powder, salt, pepper, and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add tomato paste and stir vigorously for 2-3 minutes, until paste starts to thin. Add the red wine, stirring until contents of the pan are well incorporated and the sauce has a smooth texture. Return venison to the pot. Add tomatoes and cook, stirring, until the chili starts to bubble. Reduce heat to simmer and cover pot. Cook for 30 minutes, then add chopped chocolate. Cook an additional 15 minutes (but the longer the better!), stirring occassionally, adding water or wine (your preference; guess mine) if the chili becomes too thick. Remove pot from heat and let chili rest a few minutes before giving a final stir.  Serve with toppings.

Toppings/Sides

Shredded cheddar cheese

Sour cream

Chopped green onions

Corn bread or crackers