Roasted Bell Peppers and Garlic In Olive Oil (Roasted Bell Peppers and Garlic Confit)

Growing up, I spent a good bit of my early years living on a farm just outside Crawfordville, Fla. The majority of the food we grew was for our personal use. We’d grow the normal stuff you’d expect… tomatoes, watermelons, okra, bell peppers and greens were pretty much always on the list to plant. As you’d expect, we’d do various things to preserve the fruits of our labors. The most commonly used method was canning. (Followed by open-air dehydrating.)

A few years later in culinary arts school, I learned about another preservation method called “confit”. Confit, or comfiting, is a method of food preservation where item(s) are cooked for a long period of time on low heat (200 F or 93 C) while submerged under a layer of fat, or sugar syrup. Then they’re allowed to cool and stored (still submerged) until use. You can also use almost any type of fat you wish. Also, as long as you store it to keep things cool, covered in fat and no water is introduced into the container.

Truthfully, I never really used confit, or canning, preserved food much once I left culinary school and the farm. It was too easy to just buy something in a can or frozen. However, once I moved to San Francisco I started researching methods to preserve food (due to the rather high cost of living in the city). In-season prices are down and it’s the perfect time to stock up. And if you needed another reason to make use of small batch confit/canning, during the process the oil takes on the flavors and aroma of the item(s) you’re using and converts it into another amazing ingredient. (Basil garlic tomato oil for salads? Yes, please!)

Side-note: The method of “comfiting” is actually a lot older than is implied by the highly popular French term. This cooking method has been in use for close to 4,500 years in places like Egypt and China.

Roasted Bell Peppers and Garlic In Olive Oil (Roasted Bell Peppers and Garlic Confit)

Serves: 10

Prep Time: 3 Hours

Cooking Time: 20 Minutes

Ingredients

1. 3-5 cloves of garlic, peeled

2. 8 whole bell peppers

3. 1 cup cold-pressed olive oil

Tools:

1. 32 oz canning jar, with clean lid and flat seal

2. 1 canning jar lifter

3. 1 chopstick (or thin food-safe rod, to help remove air pockets.)

4. 1 set of metal tongs

5. 1 roasting pan (or a small grill grate over an open flame.)

Instructions

1. Under cool water, wash your bell peppers using a small brush to remove any dirt. Place the cleaned peppers in your roasting pan.
   

2. Turn on your oven's broiler on high and allow to warm. Once it reaches temperature, place the roasting pan of bell peppers inside the broiler in the middle center. Placing it off center will cause peppers to roast unevenly. Make sure to check your bell peppers every 3-5 minutes, and rotate them as needed to make sure each pepper has an even charring. Once your peppers reach your desired level of charring remove them and transfer to a large bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, and allow the peppers to completely cool. Note: The first time you char something like this it can be a little scary trying to figure out if it is charred enough. If you find this is the case, start with one of your smaller peppers as a tester. This should give you the visual cues you need to have a baseline for the rest of your peppers.
   

3. In the same roasting pan, add garlic cloves and place the roasting pan back in the center of your broiler. Leave the door slightly ajar to allow some of the heat to escape while toasting the garlic. Normally I will only toast one side of the garlic, because it can burn quickly once it’s been toasted on one side (due to its small size). It normally takes about 1-2 minutes with broiler on high, or if you use the burner. If you use an oven, it might take 1-5 minutes depending on the temperature. Remove the garlic and place in a heat-proof bowl to cool.

4. After peppers are completely cool, remove the outer peel. Using a sheet of clean paper towel, or kitchen cloth, gently rub the charred outside of your bell peppers into a discard bowl. The skin should come off easily once charred. However, if you find a section that is extra stubborn it is perfectly fine to use a small knife to peel it off, or apply more heat in small increments. Once you've removed the charred skin place the pepper on a cutting surface with the stem end pointed upwards. Using a small paring knife, remove stem from the pepper by circling it with the tip. Discard the stem and any attached seeds and membrane. Then using the same paring knife, slice one side of the bell pepper to help it lay flat and then remove ribs of your bell pepper. You also want to remove as many of the leftover seeds. The ribs and seeds will not hurt you if you do not remove them all, but they can make things a little bitter.

5. Using your fingers, tear bell peppers into sections about 1 to 1 1/2 inches in width and place in your canning jar. Alternate with bits of garlic so it's evenly distributed throughout the jar. Using your fingertips, press down firmly but gently, to help remove any large air pockets.

6. Insert a chopstick along the side of your jar and press until you feel it hit the bottom of the canning jar. It is OK if it stabs into your bell peppers and garlic but do try to limit as much as you can so you do not break up them up. Begin slowly pouring your olive oil (or whatever oil you decided to use) and allow it to fill up the jar to 1/4 of an inch below the mouth of the jar.

7. Hold the jar with one hand and with the other hand pull the chopstick from side to side slowly to dissipate any trapped air pockets. As air pockets are removed the oil level will lower. Add more olive oil to the container until it reaches 1/4 of an inch below the mouth of the jar. Remove your chopstick and set side. Dampen a clean bit of paper towel, or the edge of a clean kitchen towel, and wipe off any oil or debris from the inside and outside edge of the jar rim. Note: If you don’t remove all oil and debris from the outside and top of the jar it will not seal, and will lead to spoilage.

8. Place the flat seal on top of canning jar and then set the ring around it to sit loosely on top. Using a finger, press down on the center of the flat seal to prevent from slipping, then tighten the outside ring finger tight. Note: Finger tight means to secure the lid as tightly as you can with your fingers so water doesn't enter the jar when canning. But this will allow air to escape as the content heats up. If you tighten your lid too much it can cause your jars to explode.

9. In a large pot place canning rack on the bottom of the pan and fill with enough room temperature water to cover the jar by 1 inch of water. Turn up the stove burner and allow to come to a boil. Boil for 10 minutes, then remove jar using the canning jar lifter and place on a flat, heatproof surface. Cool completely. Don’t try to rapidly cool your jars. This can EASILY lead to breaking! Notice: Since we DID NOT sterilize our canning jar, lid or flat seal the FDA advises us to process jars for at least 10 minutes.

10. Once jars are completely cool, use a finger to press down in the center of your lid. If lid does not flex and/or make a clicking sound, then your container is sealed properly, is ready for a label and can be stored in your pantry. However, if the lid flexes and/or makes a noise then the jar DID NOT SEAL PROPERLY. Jars that did not seal properly should be stored in the fridge and used first. Sealed jars can be stored in a cabinet for a couple of years, if the seal is still securely in place without any leakage or pressure making the top bow outward. Once opened, jars should be stored in the fridge.

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#french #Garlic #BellPeppers #OliveOil #Confit

Chinese Black Bean Ribs

I LOVE DIM SUM (點心, 点心, diǎnxīn, dímsām)! I love it so much in fact that over the years I’ve learned to make quite a few of my favorite dim sum dishes, and make them pretty regularly. (A few times a month if I’m being honest.) I love how the simplest of ingredients can turn into something so complex and mouthwatering that people will drive for hours, spending hundreds of dollars for a meal of it! Not only is dim sum delicious, it’s also a wonderful way to bring friends, family and even strangers together in a way that is sadly missing in today’s fast-paced world.

For those of you who are new to the wonderful world of dim sum, it is basically a huge range of small dishes from China that are typically enjoyed for breakfast, lunch and/or brunch. And when I say huge, I do mean HUGE! I’ve seen reports estimating there are well over 1000 different dim sum dishes just waiting to be prepared and enjoyed. Some date back to between 317 AD – 420 AD (depending on which reference materials you read). While dim sum today is mostly comprised of Cantonese dishes there are in fact many dim sum dishes from other Chinese cuisines. In the decades since it made its way to America, however, dim sum has grown beyond a daytime treat to be a delicious meal we love anytime! (Dim sum in the morning, dim sum in the evening, dim sum at super time! Who doesn’t love a McGuire Sisters joke!)

OK, now that my mouth is watering and stomach growling, let’s move on to the fun part! Let’s prepare and dig in to a steaming plate of Chinese Black Bean Ribs, my style!

Chinese Black Bean Ribs

Serves: 4

Prep Time: 15 Minutes

Cooking Time: 30 Minutes

Ingredients

1. 2 lb beef short ribs, cut across the slab (pork ribs or rib tips also are wonderful in this)

2. 1/2 cup Chinese fermented black beans, re-hydrated and smashed into broken beans.

3. 1 tbsp light soy sauce

4. 1 tsp oyster sauce

5. 1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine (Japanese sake or a dry sherry also work.)

6. 1 tbsp dry tangerine and/or mandarin orange peel, re-hydrated and diced finely. (If using fresh peel use 3/4 tablespoon.)

7. 1 tsp Chinese 5-spice powder (white Pepper, cinnamon, star anis, cumin, black cardamom and Szechuan peppercorns are typically found in 5-spice powder, but sometimes more/less.)

8. 1/4 - 1/2 tsp ground coriander seeds (optional, but I like the floral notes it adds.)

9. 1/4 tsp kosher salt (optional, based on the saltiness of your soy sauce and oyster sauce.)

10. 1/2 tbsp cornstarch, potato starch, rice or a.p. flour (optional, but gives the final gravy a lovely smooth texture.)

11. 1/2 tsp sesame oil (add more or less if you wish)

Tools: Steamer rack with a lid, large pan that can hold rack above water level, large plate/bowl that fits inside your steamer rack with 1/2-inch space, and a plate grabber.

Notice: If you don’t have a steamer rack you can make one by using a large pot like a Dutch oven with a lid and tinfoil. Create 4 golf ball size tinfoil balls and flatten slightly on the bottom. Set them in the bottom of your pan, then add the plate of ribs to hold them down. Water should come up halfway up the balls, but not touch the bottom of the plate itself. Cover with a domed lid and steam as normal.

Instructions

1. Place dried fermented black beans into a small container, cover with warm/hot water (hot water from the sink is perfectly fine) and allow them to soak for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes drain soaking water and make sure they are soft enough to smash with your fingers. If still firm simply cover with more water and allow to soak a bit longer. Once beans have softened enough to crush easily, use a fork to smash your beans into a rough paste. (About 20 % paste and 80% broken-up beans in smallish bits.)

2. Place dried tangerine peel into a dish, cover with warm/hot water. Allow to soak for 10-20 minutes, or until the peel bends easily. Using a clean kitchen towel (or paper towel) blot away any extra water on the peel, place it on cutting board (this reduces slipping, and cutting yourself with the knife). Cut the peel into a fine julienne (matchsticks) and stack in an orderly bundle. Cut across bundle into a fine brunoise. (tiny dice of about 1/16 inch cubes)

3. Place ribs on cutting board and cut with knife to separate each rib. Place separated ribs in a large bowl. (If you plan to use longer ribs you will want to ask your butcher to trim them to between 1-3 inches. This will help reduce cooking time, make things a bit more manageable when serving and to fit in your steamer.)

4. Add other ingredients into the same bowl as ribs, toss until everything is evenly mixed and coated.

5. Setup your steamer on the stove, select a plate that will sit inside with about 1/2 inch of space between the edge and the steamer basket. (This will allow you to remove the hot plate without burning yourself.) Add water to your steamer to about 1 1/2 to 2 inches deep. (You can add more water, but you ideally want the water level a 1/2 inch below the bottom of the dish holding the food.)

6. Place enough ribs on plate to cover a single layer, place in steamer. Cover with lid and steam at medium/high for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, open steamer and check the tenderness of your ribs. If cooked and tender enough, turn off the steamer and allow to sit undisturbed for 2-3 minutes. (This will allow it to cool slightly and help reduce the risk of burns.) Also, be aware that this dish will contain a sauce/gravy as well. So be very careful not to spill if your dish has shallow sides. Please note: you will also need to check the water level in your steamer to make sure it doesn't run out. If your pot runs dry it could cause warping, burn your food, and may even cause the dish inside to break very easily with a quick change in temperature.

7. Using a plate grabber (or sturdy kitchen mitts) carefully remove the very hot dish from steamer and set on a dry kitchen towel to remove residual water on the outside/bottom of the dish.

8. Enjoy with a bowl of steamed rice!

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#pork #asianfood #dimsum #blackbeans #steaming #chinese

Vegan Shepherd’s Pie

When I was growing up there wasn’t really ‘vegan’ or ‘vegetarian’ food in the South. That was only for those “hippies in California” or “fancy rich people”. Looking back, I don’t think my mom (or most of my aunts for that matter) ever cooked a vegetable that didn’t have at least one animal byproduct in it. Now that I’m older I still crave those comfort dishes, but… thanks to the march of time’s effects on my metabolism, I can’t always eat the same things I loved growing up. (Anyone else find they get heartburn from eating too late? I see you!)

So, I set myself a task of recreating some of my favorite childhood dishes, but lighter, healthier and a bit more modern… And thanks to a rather interesting shift that makes us more conscious of our impact on the world, we can make this a reality, and never feel like we’re missing out!

Vegan Shepherd’s Pie

Serves: 4

Prep Time: 15

Cooking Time: 30 Minutes

Ingredients

1. 16 oz white button mushrooms (Whole or sliced. Also, older mushrooms work perfectly fine.)

2. 8 oz canned chickpeas, drained

3. 4 oz green peas (fresh, frozen, or canned would be fine.)

4. 4 oz diced carrots (fresh, frozen, or canned would be fine.)

5. 6 oz diced yellow onion

6. 8 oz vegan “chicken” broth

7. 4 cups mashed potatoes (Instant works fine for this.)

8. 6 oz chunk vegan “cheese”

9. 3 cloves garlic

10. 1/2 teaspoon methi seeds (roasted and ground.)

11. 2 tbsp soy sauce (low sodium works fine.)

12. 1/4 Tablespoon dried rosemary

13. 1/2 Tablespoon dried thyme

14. 1/8 tsp ground clove

15. 1/2 tsp ground black pepper

16. 1/2 tsp cumin seed (roasted and ground)

17. 1 tsp fennel seed (roasted, but left whole)

18. 1 tsp kosher salt (to taste -you might not need all of this)

19. 3 tsp cooking oil (your choice)

Instructions

1. Unwrap vegan “cheese” and place in a small dish put in the freezer until 1/2 frozen. Grate coarsely on a box grater, then back into the dish and freezer. (Vegan “cheese” tends to melt quickly at room temperature.)

2. In a food processor, separately grind mushrooms, yellow onions and chickpeas to a small pebbly texture. Stop just before both starts turning into a paste/puree. Place into separate bowls and set aside.

3. Open carrots and peas, drain any liquid and set aside. If you prefer fresh peas and carrots it's fine, but cook until tender before adding to the dish. (I use flash-frozen peas and carrots mix from the frozen food aisle.)

4. Peel and finely dice garlic. Place in the bowl with diced onions.

5. Heat up a 10.5 to 12-inch skillet to medium-high. Add in 1 tbsp of cooking oil along with the mushrooms. Saute 8-10 minutes until mushrooms have softened and started to break apart. (Mushrooms, like lobster shells, are made primarily of chitin. So, they can handle a long cooking time without turning to mush.) Add 1/2 tsp of salt to help extract water from the mushrooms.

6. Add another tbsp of cooking oil, along with the onions and garlic. Allow to cook another 3 minutes.

7. Using the back cooking utensil make a well in the center of pan. Add the final tbsp of oil along with your spices. Allow to bloom in the oil for 1 minute, then mix completely with the mushroom duxelle. (The technical term for this is a "mushroom duxelle", cooked-down chopped mushrooms, onions, and spices sauteed in oil until almost paste-like.) Add the soy sauce and allow to cook for 1 additional minute.

8. Add chickpeas and mix completely into the mushroom duxelles, cook for 5 minutes. Pour in the vegan “chicken” stock, along with the carrots and peas, and scrape the bottom of the pan to remove any stuck-on brown bits. ("Brown Food Tastes Good" in my best Anne Burrell voice.) Allow to cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the mixture tightens up slightly. Adjust salt levels and seasoning to your taste. Both chickpeas and mushrooms need a good bit of salt. However, since we've used soy sauce and store-bought stock you'll need to check and adjust seasonings to your personal taste.

9. In a small baking dish, pour in mushroom duxelle / chickpea mixture and spread into an even layer.

10. Add 1/2 of your vegan “cheese” to the mashed potatoes and mix completely. If potatoes seem a bit dry, add a little stock in 1/2 tbsp increments until smooth. Taste for salt/seasoning level and add any you feel might be missing. Spread the mashed potatoes over the top of your mushroom duxelle / chickpea mixture. (Feel free to make a pattern in the potatoes for extra effect!)

11. Turn broiler to high and allow to warm up (about 2 minutes.) Place baking dish under the broiler and allow the potatoes and cheese to brown slightly. Remove from the oven to top with remaining vegan “cheese”. Place it back under the broiler until cheese melts and browns slightly.

12. Enjoy!

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#MeatlessMonday #vegetarian