Back in the Groove

It's been a while...a looooooong while.  Excuses I could make include breaking an ankle, getting married, death in the family, work insanity...you know, everyone else's problems, too.  I was telling my sister about this blog, because we were having a discussion about smoked paprika, and I realized that I miss writing it.  And, that maybe I should stop reading the news, which is damned depressing, and do something that makes me feel better, which would be talking about food and poodles.

The Part Where We Catch Up:  Since I last wrote, the Poodle tribe has changed a bit.  The Goldfish and Hollywood have gone to the Rainbow Bridge.  The New Hotness is still hanging in, although he's not quite so new any more...he moves a little slower, is a little (well, a lot) deaf, and sleeps about 18 hours a day.

And, then we have the Special Dark Demon, the newest addition to the family.  Why I thought having a puppy was a grand idea when I'd never had an actual puppy before...she's 9 months old now and a righteous terror.  She's definitely got personality in spades.  But she's cute...so very cute, which keeps her alive most of the time.

I've been trying to branch out with the cookery into some "flexitarian," possibly "veganish" types of things.  (We all know that bacon is the reason I could never be a total vegetarian, but slowing down on the consumption is probably better for me.  How old did that make me feel to type that?!)

A friend's husband started a new diet in January that is plant-based, with no oil or sugar.  It's extremely challenging to try and cook without oil of some form or fashion, but I like a challenge.  They came for the 4th of July cookout, and I managed to make some sides that he could eat, namely spicy baked potato fries.

Spicy Baked Fries
makes 24-32 fries; ready in about an hour

1 Tbs onion powder
1.5 tsp garlic powder
1.5 tsp smoked paprika (you can use sweet paprika, but where's the fun in that?)
1 tsp ground tumeric
1 tsp ground coriander
.25 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp salt
1.5 lbs russet potatoes (3-4 med-small), scrubbed and cut in to 1-inch thick wedges
2 Tbs fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon) (optional)
Ketchup and djion mustard for serving (optional)

Directions
Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees F; line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place a steamer basket in a large pot and add about 2 inches of water.  Place the potatoes on the steamer, cover and steam on high heat for about 5-7 minutes.

While the potatoes steam, combine the spices and the lemon juice in a large bowl.  (I did not use the lemon juice because I forgot, and they were perfectly fine.)

Transfer the potatoes to the bowl with spices and toss gently to coat the potatoes evenly.  Arrange potatoes on baking sheet, and bake for 20-25 minutes.

Serve hot with ketchup and mustard for dipping.
(inspired by a recipe from Forks over Knives)

She also made some carrot "hotdogs," which were actually really good.  Yes, we knew they weren't actually hotdogs, but were tasty in spite of that.  I'm going to attempt to make some myself for Labor Day.

I've also experimented with that newish vegan darling, jackfruit.  Barbecued jackfruit is pretty darn tasty, even though you know damn well that it is not meat.  I'm trying to get in the mindset of enjoying something a little different and not trying to make it replace or compare it to another dish.

I mostly used this recipe from Love & Lemons, https://www.loveandlemons.com/bbq-jackfruit/, for the barbecue sauce and technique.  I made a simple slaw and used the King's Hawaiian slider buns (https://www.kingshawaiian.com/products/original-hawaiian-sweet-slider-buns), which were perfect.  Very tasty little treats they were.  I found canned jackfruit in an Asian market, which also had fresh jackfruit, but that sucker was intimidating.  Plus, I wasn't cooking jackfruit for an army.  However, breaking down a whole one is on the list.

So, here we are...several years later.  I'm still cooking and trying new things...I still have poodles, so some things do remain the same...probably my sporadic method of posting will also remain the same, because I have to go play with this cuteness right now:

Beef "Tangenie"

Yeah, yeah, am trying to be cute and clever.

According to Wikipedia, a tagine is an historically Berber dish from North Africa that is named after the special earthenware pot in which it is cooked.  The pot is usually 2 pieces; a flat bottom piece and a cone-shaped top that sits on top as the meal cooks.  In the interest of full disclosure, I must tell you that I do not actually own a tagine...but it is not for the lack of lusting after one...especially a Le Creuset one.

Isn't it pretty?  Isn't it lovely?  Isn't it extremely expensive and seriously, do you really need this pot when you have a whole bunch of other really expensive pots?  The answer to the last question is yes, of course, but I still want one, dammit.

But, I've been trying to live the Alton way and steer clearer of "uni tasker"kitchen ware and utensils.  (And who are we kidding--the price is just kind of prohibitive, too.  Although, I do haunt the local TJ Maxx-type stores in hopes that one day, like shining star, one will appear and be in my price range, i.e. cheap!)

And, since a tagine is essentially a slow-cooked stew, braising meat and vegetables at a low temperature for a long period, I can certainly pull this off with one of the Dutch ovens that I already own...colorful as they are, just not as exotic as an actual tagine.


I found a recipe on CookingLight.com for a beef tagine that sounded pretty good, but wasn't exactly what the definition of tagine leads you to believe...it was going to be tagine in 30 minutes or so, a la Rachael Ray.

Remember the part above...the part about a tagine being a "slow-cooked stew, braising meat and vegetables at a low temperature for a long period"?  Yeah, this didn't seem to really be the case, and I was kind of curious about what the reviewers of this recipe thought.

(As a side note, do you not positively hate people who review recipes on websites and totally change all the ingredients around, along with cooking method or time, and then say it was bad?  Really? What recipe did you really make?  Annoys the crap out of me...along with the whiny reviewers who decide that it sounds "icky" and want to rate it poorly without actually trying to make the dish.)

Many of the Cooking Light reviewers recommended dumping the original stove top methodology and going for an actual braise in a 325-degree oven for 90 minutes or so.  So, I thought, what the heck, I can tinker with this, too.  So, I upped the temperature a little bit and cut down on the time...and again, in the interest of full disclosure, it was because I was hungry and wanted it done faster.

Beef Tagine with Butternut Squash
(Adapted from Cooking Light, December 2010)

Ingredients (and there are a few!)

• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika (regular paprika is in the original recipe, but smoked is much more fun!)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound beef stew meat, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 shallots, quartered(I also tried this with sliced onion, too)
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/2 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained (preferably no-salt-added)
• 3 cups (1-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash (about 1 pound)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

1. Combine first 6 ingredients in a medium bowl. Add beef; toss well to coat.

2. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add beef and shallots; cook 4 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally.

3. Add garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Stir in broth and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Cook 5 minutes.

4. Add squash; cover and place in oven for 1 hour.

I set the timer for 45 minutes, so I would have time to whip up some couscous to serve with it.  You could use regular couscous, Israeli or pearl couscous, or my all-time favorite, Trader Joe's Harvest Grains Blend.  If I'm ever in a situation where a last meal is required, I may want this as my final side item. It's got the pearl couscous, orzo, baby garbanzo beans, and quinoa (I know!  Bird seed that is actually tasty!!) 

Throw a spoonful of couscous in a bowl, ladle some of this amazing stew over it, and sprinkle with some fresh cilantro...heaven in a bowl!  Makes 4 1.5-cup servings.

I really don't think it would have been as good if made as the original 30-minute version.  With the amount of spices used, and the spices themselves, those are some bold flavors that need time to develop, and 30 minutes is just not going to get it. 

And, while I am sure it would have been fabulous and amazing in a real tagine, it was pretty fabulous and amazing in my little red Dutch oven.  Amazon does have some pretty and functional tagines at a fraction of the Le Creuset cost, so maybe I can spring for one as a little giftie to myself.

(Of course, now that I have time to cook some comfy stewy things, it was about 70 degrees F here today, with possible tornadic activity later this evening.  I love the South!)