Today, I cookie day, I used to make many… but, alas, they disappeared far too quickly. Nowadays, I make just a couple types… Shortbread is today.
Yum
it’s cookie day, whats your favorite?
marinating, grilling lamb for sandwiches
A while ago I wrote about the challenges of marination and tenderizing meats. The tougher the meat, the more important this process is for producing a result that everyone might enjoy. Lamb has always been one of my favorite dishes… but not Laura’s. I always wondered why? Not long ago, I realized that she hadn’t tried it since she was young and was served a very chewy piece. So, I decided to produced a nice lamb sandwich to reintroduce her to this wonderful meat.
The marination process is important and I thought I’d throw the kitchen sink at this task by using Kiwi fruit, pineapple and Papaya! Can we have some now? I love a sweet marinade with a bit of a bite, so here is what I used:
Sherry, Soy Sauce, and Olive Oil, lime juice
honey
garlic, green onion
basic spices: cumin, pepper, chili, salt, cinnamon, coriander, cardamon, fenugreek, turmeric, fennel, cloves, ginger
Part of the challenge for making a great lamb sandwich is in slicing the lamb thinly prior to marination ( most people know that a thick piece of meat seldom allows the marination to reach the center of the section of meat). Many cooks will say that after the marination, take the lamb to the grill!!! Interestingly enough, placing your marinated lamb on a ‘George Foreman” grill gives great temperature control and perfect results.
… and Laura changed her mind, she loved her Lamb sandwich. Next, whole lamb on a spit!
Roger
marinades and tenderizing meats can make all the difference
When Laura and I were married at the old age of 20, our budget was very tight and we bought meat in bulk and often the most economical. As an athlete I needed the protein, so any cut of meat would serve the purpose but it would be nice if it was tender and flavorful. Cheap and flavorful, was that really asking too much? My grandmother was fond of tenderizers and marinades, so armed with this knowledge, we always were able to turn a tough piece of meat into something nice, juicy and tender.
Lamb dishes are fondly viewed in different parts of the world. We are very fond of Mutton Stew and Greek Moussaka! I am very interested in making a Lamb curried dish…. so many to choose!
As a young couple, the meat we bought was very tough and consequently we spent most of our time using Enzyme tenderizers , like Adolf’s. However, almost any ‘chemical’ tenderizer will work given enough time. The enzyme tenderizers turn tough meats like game, lamb, mutton and goat into something marvelous.
Here are three popular fruits used for chemical tenderizing:
PAPAYA: the active ingredient is Papain and comes from the green skin of the plant. You can use Adolf’s meat tenderizer or make your own from a Papaya! It has been said that the indigenous of Pre-Columbian Mexico discovered that meat could be tenderized if it was first wrapped in the leaves of the Papaya plant.
PINEAPPLE: contains Bromelain that can be found in many parts of the Pineapple. You can buy McCormick’s or make it yourself. However, you have to use a fresh pineapple as the process of canning pineapple destroys much of the enzymes. Enzymes are heat sensitive.
KIWI FRUIT: contains Actinidin. This is a more expensive, but fun, tenderizer.
Mechanical Tenderizing:
As the name implies, Mechanical tenderizing is simply beating a piece of meat with one of many of the tools designed for this task. Usually, the hammer-like tool will be surrounded with a variety of spikes with the largest for the toughest cuts. Also available are needle like tools that help to increase the depth that the chemical tenderizers and marinade can reach.
Low Temperature:
The real key to cooking tough meat is to cook for a long time at a low temperature. Tough meats need to be covered as not to dry out and many perfect stews are made in this manner.
IS THE MEAT REALLY TOUGH… DO IT ALL!
Mutton is usually something that requires both a chemical and a mechanical tenderizing… even if you are going to grill it!
Roger
be creative in stuffing a bell pepper
There are many things that you can stuff a bell pepper and make it wonderful! I have used left over Paella, Seafood Gumbo ( a little extra rice for thickening), Smorvis and a more traditional meat and rice combination.
Anyway, you make it and it’s wonderful. BTW, if there are left overs, I wrap them individually in plastic wrap, freeze them and the reconstitute easily in a microwave later on!
Oh yes, and they are relatively nice portion controlled item for those watching their waistlines!
Roger
almond butter cookies
History is a great teacher, it often tells us how things were originally made and how we can sometimes make them better!
I was researching — as I do periodically — how to make a better peanut butter cookie. Famous Amos had many variations on that theme , but I wanted to use the almond butter. Almonds have a very subtle flavor and like vanilla, the smell of almonds is stronger that the taste. In using almonds, it is key to not allow other flavors to over power them, especially if you want to make a cookie.
George Washington Carver came up with a variety of suggestions on how to use peanuts ( after the cotton crop had been affected), including cookies:
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NO. 17, PEANUT COOKIES NUMBER ONE
- 3 cups flour
- 1/2 cup butter
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup sweet milk
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 11/2 cups ground peanuts
Cream butter and sugar; add eggs well beaten; now add the milk and flour; flavor to taste with vanilla; and the peanuts last; drop one spoonful to the cooky in well greased pans; bake quickly.
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It doesn’t take a trained eye to notice a few changes we would like to make before using this recipe today. For example, the modern palette expects a sweeter cookie and with almonds I would use brown sugar, heavy cream, double the baking powder ( some might add some soda) and I would add salt.
Here’s what I tried…
3 cups flour
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 cups almond butter
1 teaspoon salt
BAKE: 350 degrees F for 17 minutes or until done
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Roger