Archive for October, 2010
I was watching an episode of Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives on The Food Network last night. They were featuring a restaurant in Little Havana, Miami, Florida called La Camaronera. I found it quite interesting that they deep fried everything there. Shrimp, lobster bites, plantains, whole fish, they even had a whole fish sandwich. I was unaware that Cuban cuisine had a deep fried element. With further research, Cuba on a whole does not deep fry foods so much. Deep frying seems to be more prevalent in Havana. This may be due to an Oriental presence in the culinary history of the area. The dish itself is said to be of Afro-
Getting back to La Camaronera, they had a form of hush puppy that I found quite interesting. These “hush puppies” are made with ground up black eyed peas, with the black eye removed. They were called Bollitos de carita. Technically a deep fried black eyed pea fritter. The restaurant had a special grinder or bean slicer that helped to chop & separate the dried beans. When added to water, the black eyes float & therefore separate quite easily. Then remaining ingredients, garlic, black pepper and olive oil, was added with the beans and pushed through another grinder. The mix was then placed in a container which they just used a small ice cream scooper & flipped the balls right into the hot oil to deep fry until crispy and brown.
Well we don’t all have special equipment to process dried beans. I came across a recipe for Bollitos de carita where you soak the beans first. But these deep fried fritters sound quite interesting. I am not a fan of black eyed peas, but I think I will give them a whirl.
Bollitos de Carita
1 gallon of water
1 lb bag of Black eyed peas
8 cloves of garlic
1 Tbsp of black pepper
1 Tbsp of salt
1 Tbsp of olive oil
Scant 1\8 tsp of baking powder or less (La Camaronera did not use any baking powder or rising agent & their fritters come out just fine)
Oil for frying
Soak the bag of Black eyed peas in a gallon of water overnight.
After soaking, drain the beans. Remove the outer shell which has the black part. This has to be done by hand. Separate them into a bowl so you are only left with the white beans.
Place the beans in a blender or food processor. Add garlic, pepper, salt, olive oil, and baking powder. Blend till you have a thick paste.
Heat the frying oil in a stove top deep fryer, counter top deep fryer, or an outdoor propane deep fryer . When temperature at 350-375 degrees F, take a spoonful of the batter and dipping it in the oil. Fry until golden brown and crispy. Serve hot.
Everyone always talks about safety and deep fryers, or health and deep fryers. Now one ever talks about how much fun it is to have a deep fryer. From the small counter top fryer to a turkey fryer or outdoor propane deep fryer, a world of fun can be had.
Besides that fact that EVERYTHING taste good deep fried, if you have ever purchased a fryer before, you know what I’m talking about. The first time you turn it on, or fire it up… you want to fry everything in the house! Breaded, non-breaded, salty stuff, sweet stuff, cookies, Twinkees, pickles, bacon. The list goes on and on. The novelty wears off eventually, until you fire the fryer up again and … well, the oil is still hot. What else do you have to fry? Let’s try some pierogies or batter dipped Oreos. It can be very addicting.
My first fryer was a counter top Masterbuilt. I bought it to deep fry turkey breast, just to see how I liked it. Little did I know that that particular unit can also steam and boil as well as deep fry. Now, not only was I frying everything, I wanted to steam corn & make Low Country Boil. I made a New England Clam Bake right on my counter top.
I have since upgraded to an outdoor propane turkey fryer. These units not only deep fry turkeys and whatever else you have in mind, but you can steam, boil, and stew in them. And they run on propane, so you can take them anyplace that you would take a propane grill. Camping, the beach, meetings, church socials and tailgating are all up for the challenge. You can deep fry wings for the game or go winter camping and make beef stew. Take it to the beach. Have a lobster & clam bake with corn & potatoes included. You have a whole meal all in on pot.
We all like to eat. Food should be tasty & fun. Why should cooking food be boring or a chore? Spice up your life. Deep fry some fun!
There is nothing better than a deep fried turkey for Thanksgiving, shared with family and friends. As long as all safety measures are followed, you can be enjoying your turkey dinner in half the time that it would take you to roast the bird in the oven, or even smoke it on your grill or in a BBQ smoker.
There are many different outdoor propane fryers to choose from. You can go with your traditional turkey fryer that can also be used, later on down the road, for boiling, stewing & steaming. These units also come in aluminum or stainless steel, offering different price points, which could be a deciding factor in a final purchase. Some people feel that stainless is easier to care for and clean than aluminum. Though I find this to be true myself, not everyone deems this a decision factor.
You can go with a newer safer fryer, like a Cajun Fryer or Bayou Fryer. These outdoor propane deep fryers allow for any possible oil spillage without the oil ever coming in contact with flames. Therefore making these units a safer fryer. Some have attached legs and wheels for portability and stability. You can deep fry anything in them and they have drain valves for when the oil has cooled. There are even ways around that if say you want to take your fryer tailgating, to a church social or a fire department meeting. Just hook up a radiator hose with the appropriate end attachment and drain the oil into metal Gerry cans. Then just place to hot can out of harms way until your game or function is done. This will also allow for the unit to cool while your watching the game or during the remainder of your meeting, allowing you to easily pack it up for traveling home.
So even though the turkey fryers and outdoor cookers can deep fry anything, not just Thanksgiving turkeys, they will make a welcome addition to your outdoor cooking appliances. But even if you only do use your fryer for just Thanksgiving and holidays, make sure you are prepared ahead of time. Have your cooking location staked out, with an alternate back up location if need be. Have an all purpose fire extinguisher. Have an extra tank of propane. Most of all. Have fun. Cooking should be fun and tasty. Holidays should be family, friends, football, not firemen & sirens.
I recently came across something at the store that I had to have. It is a metal basket that you use on your Brinkmann grill in place of shish kabob skewers. Have you ever made shish kabobs with assorted vegetables with the meat. Most of the time the vegetables cook quicker than the meat. This can lead to the veggies just falling apart and into your coals rendering them inedible & useless. I have changed up my skewering methods to try to avoid this problem, by placing all quick cook vegetables on one set of skewers and all meat on others. This helped the problem, but now you loose the blending of flavors that is part of what a shish kabob is all about.
Using these baskets simplifies grilling. You can actually fit more food in the basket than on a standard skewer. The baskets can even be used in the oven if you wish, but think about the tailgating aspects here. You can throw everything together much easier & then just open the baskets and dump the food out for noshing.
I have purchased many different baskets for grilling now. They are quite handy and help keep your food intact. Get out and try a baasket today.
You can purchase pre-seasoned cast iron cookware, avoiding a necessary step in the longevity of your new cookware. You still need to properly care for it. Re-seasoning may need to be done over time, so knowing the process & knowing how to care for your cookware will make it last your lifetime, and maybe that of your child or grandchild.
After cooking in your pre-seasoned cookware, it can be cleaned by putting in hot water and bringing to a boil. Never use detergent to clean seasoned cookware, as it will remove the seasoning. Avoid putting hot cast iron into cold water. This can cause cast iron to warp or crack. After pouring out boiling water, wipe dry with a paper towel. If something sticks to the surface, dislodge it by simply using a spoon or spatula. Do not use any abrasive item to scrub cookware. Again, this can cut into the seasoned surface. While pan is still warm from washing, apply a fine coating of oil or spray on all surfaces.
If metallic taste or signs of rust are noticed, simply wash with hot, soapy water. Scour off the rust, and then re-season your cookware.
Store your cast iron cookware in a cool dry location. If storing with lid, place a paper towel between the lid and base to allow circulation of air. I personally still store mine with the lids separate.
Re-Seasoning: This is a simple process of oil absorbing into the pores of your cast iron cookware leaving a black, non-stick surface.
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Wash cast iron with hot, soapy water, and a stiff brush. Rinse and dry.
3. Completely coat inside and outside surfaces with vegetable oil or melted shortening (some people prefer bacon fat).
4. Place cookware on middle rack for 30 minutes. Remove cookware and wipe it almost dry to prevent pooling of shortening or oil. Place back in oven for another 30 minutes. Let cool, if preferred, just shut oven off and let the cookware cool down with the oven.
Essential for any kitchen, cast iron cookware heats evenly, retains heat, and is more versatile than any other type of cookware available. With cast iron you can use it as a stove top deep fryer, you can saute, grill, roast, stew, and bake. You can use it in the oven, on your stove top, in the grill, and even outdoor cooking over an open fire. What more could you ask for from your cookware? You take care of it, and it will take care of you.
This is a recipe that can be baked in the oven, on the grill while tailgating, or over an open fire while camping or scouting.
It is also a great way to use up any zucchini that you were unable to get rid of in “The Great Zucchini Give Away”.
Ingredients:
3 eggs
2 c. sugar
1 c. oil
1½ tsp vanilla
1 tsp. salt
1 c. white flour
1 c. wheat flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1½ tsp. baking powder
1¼ c. fresh blueberries
2 c. grated zucchini
1 c. chopped pecans(optional)
Beat the eggs, sugar, oil & vanilla with mixer until thick and well mixed. Mix all dry ingredients together, then blend into the wet ingredients with large spoon by hand–DO NOT over mix.
Fold in blueberries, pecans, and grated zucchini. Pour batter into 10″- 12″ greased cast iron dutch oven.
Preheat oven or grill to 350 °F.
Bake 1 hour or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Freezes well.
Here is another way to deep fry shrimp. This version is a little bit more on the spicy end.1 c. milk
1/2 c. flour, cornstarch, or corn meal
1 c. Panko bread crumbs
Use peanut oil for frying.
shredded cabbage
garnish with chopped scallions
Dinni’s Select Spicy Shrimp Sauce or Thousand Island Dressing with Sriracha or chili oil added in.
Soak shrimp in bowl with milk- 15 minutes
Place flour in a bowl and Panko bread crumbs in another.
Dredge shrimp in flour and dip back into milk then dredge in Panko -set aside.
Heat oil in a large cast iron skillet or stove top deep fryer to 365 ° F. If you don’t want your shrimp to become soggy -bring heat up each time before adding a new batch.
Place shrimp in hot oil and fry until golden brown. Remove from oil. Drain on paper towels.
In a large bowl combine fried shrimp with Dinni’s sauce or Thousand Island Dressing mixture until evenly coated. Pile on a bed of shredded cabbage and garnish with scallions.
Can eat these by themselves or place on a bed of brown rice cooked.
(Sriracha is made from sun ripen chilies which are ground into a smooth paste along with garlic and packaged in a squeeze bottle. If using this sauce go easy because it’s HOT!)
Everyone loves fried shrimp. You do not have to wait until the next visit to a restaurant either. They are easy enough that you can do it right at home in your own deep fryer. You can cook them in your stove top deep fryer, counter top deep fryer, or maybe even at a tailgate party with your outdoor propane deep fryer or Cajun Fryer.
Heat your frying oil to 380 degrees F.
1 lb of shrimp, fresh or frozen & thawed. ( 26-30 count)
2 eggs
1 5 oz. can of evaporated milk
1 Tbsp. baking powder
2 Tbsp vinegar
Dash of your favorite seasoning, Old Bay, Creole, Cajun, Buffalo, whatever.
Flour
Remove the shell from shrimp, but leave the fantail
Split down the back and devein.
In a bowl mix the eggs, milk, baking powder and vinegar
Marinate the shrimp for at least an hour in that mixture.
When done marinating, remove shrimp, sprinkle with your favorite seasoning, dip in flour, then deep fry at 380 degrees F for no longer than 1 1\2 mins.
This recipe yields 3 – 4 servings, so if you are tailgating, adjust amounts to the servings you need.
Cooking fish the same old way each time you cook it can get boring. I have tried alternate ways to cooking fish. Deep frying, baking, foiled and grilled, in the BBQ smoker, I’ve even recently tried white fish boiled. I’ve tried different spices and sliced up fresh onion, or tomato, even fresh lemon. Even though there are so many different kinds of fish, some times you get into a rut & do things the same old way. I recently came across a few variations of fried fish. Variety is the spice of life. I believe I will just have to try some of these different methods.
First, find your favorite breading. Put it in your Coating Buddy. Heat the frying oil in your outdoor propane deep fryer, turkey fryer, stove top deep fryer, or counter top deep fryer to 350 degrees F.
1. Coat fish in your favorite breading. Shake off excess & deep fry until golden brown. Remove from oil, drain, place on paper towels.
2. Spread mustard on the fish before breading fish in your Coating Buddy. Fry as above.
3. Soak fish in milk for 1 hour before breading. Fry as above.
4. Soak the fish in beer for at least 10 mins. before breading. Fry as above.
5. Add a dash of Worcestershire sauce and a dash of Louisiana Hot Sauce to the bread crumbs before breading the fish. Fry as above.
Did you know that you can deep fry roast beef? It is very simple & easy to prepare & make. All you need is your Cajun fryer, turkey fryer, or any old outdoor propane deep fryer.
Get yourself a 2 lb. roast beef that is fairly consistent in shape. You may wish to inject the meat with marinade before hand and your favorite rub on the outside. After rubbing and marinating, dust your meat with all purpose flour. Place your roast in your fryer with frying oil preheated to 350 degrees F. Deep fry the roast beef for 10 mins. per pound. Remove from the oil and let stand for at least 5 mins. before slicing.
Slice thin and serve.