Older Bolder Life

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Recipe: Proteins

the Older Bolder Life Friday Feast 11 January: Texas Quiche with Sweet Potato Hashbrown Crust

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Now and again we get a hankering for a great quiche, though like many of you, we stopped cooking traditionally-crusted quiches at home several years as we became more Primally/Paleo aligned with our nutrition plan.

While entertaining our adult daughter from Montana over the holidays, she and my wife asked for a quiche dinner one evening. After doing a bit of digging, and consulting with our friend Chef Libby in Austin, I adapted one of our favorite quiche recipes using a spiced, sweet potato hashbrown-inspired crust and a Texas-style sausage, mushroom, onion, and pepper filling.

Quiches are wonderfully malleable creations, in that you can fiddle with the filling ingredients to your heart’s content – changing the protein(s), vegetables, and cheese to suit your (family’s) tastes and what’s available in the fridge at the time.

Note this recipe makes two quiches in 9-inch, deep dish pie plates or one bigger quiche in a deeper quiche pan. We usually make two and hold one in the fridge for a day or two.

SP Crust
2-3 sweet potatoes, grated
2 tbsp AO/EVOO
Optional: 2 tsp cumin
Optional: 2 tsp chile powder
Optional: 1 tsp salt

Quiche Filling
8 eggs
1 can full fat coconut milk
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp good salt

1 lb good sausage, browned, crumbled (see comment above)
1/2 sweet or yellow onion, diced
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
7-ounce can chopped green chiles (or more)
1-2 jalapeno (or other) chiles, stemmed, seeded, diced
2 cups Monterrey Jack or Pepper Jack cheese, grated (maybe more)
Optional: 1 tbsp pickled jalapenos with juice, chopped small

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine the crust ingredients and pat into 2 deep 9-inch pie plates; we find the crust releases easier if you lightly coat the plates first with either avocado or extra virgin olive oil. Bake the crusts for 20-30 minutes until the sweet potatoes begin to brown. Remove from oven and set aside.

Meanwhile, sauté the sausage until browned, breaking it up as you go; when nearly done, add the onion, mushrooms, and chiles and sauté until softened.

While the sausage is sizzling, combine the eggs, coconut milk, cumin, and salt in a blender or by hand using a whisk.

Now sprinkle 1/4 of the cheese into each pie plate, then divide the sausage and pepper mixture between the two. Top with the remaining cheese, and divide the egg mixture between the two plates. Place on a baking sheet, and bake for 50-60 minutes until the quiche is set and a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean (may need more time if your pie plates are particularly deep).

Allow to cool 15 minutes before slicing; cool completely before covering and storing in the fridge.

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Friday Feast 4 January: Thai-Inspired Slow Roasted Short Ribs

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Last March or April Chef Libby sent us this jaw-droppingly good recipe for Thai-Inspired Slow Roasted Short Ribs that she’d adapted from one published in Bon Appetit. She noted back then that she significantly upped the ‘spice package’ for the spice-infused coconut milk the ribs slowly roast in for nearly six hours (!).

She also added a bit of heat, in the form of a sliced jalapeno or fresno chile, to the toasted coconut, cilantro, and lime gremolata sprinkled over the top.

Our daughter Jess from Missoula recently visited over the holidays, and I slow roasted five pounds of short ribs using this recipe one coolish, windy afternoon her first day in town. The enticing aromas of coconut, ginger, and lemongrass drove us crazy during the last half of the roasting time, and we all agreed this was probably the best tasting short rib prep any of us had ever chased around a plate.

Libby also had shared a tip last year about using lemongrass; if you’re not feeling up to actually prepping lemongrass stalks, you can certainly using some of the pre-prepared lemongrass purees that are available in produce sections around the country. (We’re big lemongrass fans, so I actually used both…)

Take your time with this one, and get those ribs fall-off-the-bone tender.

4-5 lb beef short ribs
Good salt

3 lemongrass stalks (see note above)
2 medium shallots, trimmed and chopped
5 large garlic cloves
3 jalapeno chiles, stemmed, seeded, chopped
2-inch piece of ginger, peeled, finely chopped
1 tbsp + 1 tsp good curry powder
1 can (14-ounces) full fat, unsweetened coconut milk
Optional: 1 tbsp fish sauce

For the gremolata
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1 cup cilantro leaves and tender stems, chopped
1 jalapeno or fresno chile, stemmed, seeded, sliced into half rings
2 tbsp fresh-squeezed lime juice (one average lime)
Salt to taste

Preheat your trusty oven to 250.

Trim the uppermost three quarters of the lemongrass stalks off and lay in the bottom on your dutch oven or large cast iron skillet (if using the prepared lemongrass puree, skip this step of course). Salt the short ribs generously and lay atop the lemongrass, bone side up.

Into the blender go the coconut milk, shallots, garlic, jalapenos, ginger, curry, the lemongrass (at least 1 tbsp of the puree if using, grate the bottom quarters of the stalks in otherwise), and the optional fish sauce, puree until smooth. Pour over the ribs, and slide into the oven.

Roast at 250 for 3.5 hours; you’re looking for the meat to begin to tenderize, and the liquids to reduce by roughly half. (It will look broken and oily, don’t worry about that). At 3.5 hours, turn the ribs on their sides and throw it back into the oven for another 2 hours (maybe 2.5) until the meat is fall apart tender.

During the last hour, toast the coconut until golden (10-15 minutes), set aside to cool. When cool, combine with the cilantro and sliced pepper; add the fresh lime juice and salt just before serving.

When the ribs are done, serve hot with the gremolata spooned over the top.

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Friday Feast 28 December: Rib Rub Pork Shoulder

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In keeping with our recipe theme of late focusing on traditional Southern foods that, according to folklore, bring good luck for the New Year, here’s a wonderful, and ridiculously simple, recipe for a tasty pork shoulder prep, the Rib Rub Pork Shoulder.

Pork is of course a celebrated protein in many cultures around the world, and the fact that pigs root moving forward symbolizes (ostensibly according to tradition) progress and attainment for the New Year. As noted before, both my wife and were raised in the South and learned these traditions around our Grandmothers’ tables; we eat pork today because it tastes so good.

A slowly smoked pork shoulder is still considered a treasure in the modern South today, pulled and most often served with a regionally-favored sauce (for example, the mouth-puckering vinegar-based sauces in the Carolinas). Not always having the time to tend a smoker for the day, we oven roast a pork shoulder using this recipe every six weeks or so and eat on it for a week in various preps. This technique is simple as can be, and produces foolproof results every time.

Two summers ago, in the days before my son married, we even catered a backyard party he and his then fiancé threw for visiting family and friends, using the very rib rub recipe my son had crafted years before (Jake’s Rib Rub). I’ve included a link to that recipe below – it’s delicious, but you’ll note it contains sugar, as do many rubs you’ll find commercially these days. We typically make a batch of one of a number of our favorite rubs without any sugar; there are a number of great recipes around, and Jake’s recipe works well (in terms of flavor profile and balance) with the sugar greatly reduced. You make the call…

6-10 pound whole bone-in heritage pork shoulder roast (Boston Butt)
Your favorite pork or rib rub (we use Jake’s Rib Rub occasionally, see above)
Apple cider vinegar

Preheat your trusty oven to 425.

Rinse the pork shoulder and pat dry; paint with the ACV and coat with a generous layer of the rub (all surfaces).

On a foil-lined baking sheet place a rack covered with a sheet of parchment paper; settle the rubbed shoulder atop the paper, skin side up, and side into the oven for 20 minutes.

Reduce the heat to 250 and plan on at least a 6 hour cook; you need a deep meat temperature of 185 for the fat to render out and the toughest meat fibers to fully (and magically) tenderize. Bigger shoulders (9 to 10 pounds and up) may even need times more in the range of eight hours.

When done, rest for at least 30 minutes before pulling, slice or shredding.

For those making tacos tonight, here’s a little trick to put this one over the top – pull or shred the shoulder and heat a skillet over medium high heat. Place a healthy layer of meat in the skillet, sprinkle with a bit more rib rub (you’ll know when it’s enough), and heat, turning now and again, until hot, sizzling and just beginning to caramelize.

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Friday Feast 21 December: Libby’s Honey Thyme Holiday Ham

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Being children of the South, my wife and I often think about enjoying a nice ham during the holiday season. As our palates have changed over the years eating Primally, the commercially prepared, overly-sweet, glazed hams made famous by a certain franchise just don’t fit the bill these days.

We have a family favorite mustard-glazed, hardwood-smoked version we’re partial to, though Libby convinced me to try her Honey Thyme Holiday Ham recipe recently, and I have to say, it’s very likely the best ham we’ve ever cooked at home.

She adapted the recipe from one posted in the now-defunct Gourmet magazine years ago, and true to her Southern roots added a bit of creole mustard to the glaze. And yes, this ham has a glaze sweetened with honey; the flavor added, particularly working in concert with the thyme, is well worth the sprinkle of additional carbs in our book, and isn’t cloying (like the above mentioned commercially-prepped hams…).

Give this one a try if you’re thinking about a ham this year; it’s one you’ll come back to again.

12-14 pound fully cooked ham

1/3 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup mild honey
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 tbsp + 1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
1 tbsp creole or dijon mustard
1 and 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Optional: fresh ground pepper

Set your ham out at room temp an hour before starting to cook.

When ready to get started, fire your trusty oven to 350 and trim any rind (skin) from the ham, then score the surface ham fat in a crosshatch pattern (just the fat, not the meat).

Place the ham on a roasting rack in a hefty roasting pan, cover with a piece of parchment paper, then cover the entire roasting pan with foil. Bake for an hour and 45 minutes.

While the ham is baking, bring the vinegar to a boil in a small saucepan, and reduce to roughly 1 tbsp. Remove the pan from the heat, whisk in the butter until melted, then the honey, thyme, mustard, and Worcestershire. Set the glaze aside until the hour and 45 minutes are up.

When the first baking period has passed, remove the foil and parchment paper, brush the ham with half the glaze, pour a cup of water or apple cider into the roasting pan, and bake for 30 minutes.

Reglaze the ham with the remaining glaze and bake another 30 minutes (or until done).

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Friday Feast 14 December: Boeuf Bourguignon

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This is one of our family’s Holiday season classics, most often making it onto the menu for either Christmas Eve or Christmas Day dinner.

My lovely wife spent time in North Africa and Switzerland growing up, and became something of a Francophile along the way; in fact, those years inspired one of her careers as a linguist and educator.

Her interest in France and French history no doubt inspired our family tradition of enjoying Boeuf at the holiday. While Boeuf Bourguignon unquestionably had its origin as a peasants’ recipe, with food historians tracing its lineage to the Middle Ages, used then as a way to manage tough, less-desired cuts of meat using long, slow cooking and braising methods, through the 20th century it became a bistro favorite and developed an ‘up-town flair’.

Traditional recipes call for browning the beef after flouring; the flour serving both as a browning agent and a thickener for the rich broth that develops in cooking. Those who are gluten-intolerant should of course go without; we almost never use flour in any form, but this is one recipe where, in the big picture, we’re willing to overlook that 1/3 of a cup. You make the call; the same goes for the 2 teaspoons of sugar sprinkled over the onions and mushrooms…

This recipe is quite forgiving, and is probably even better the second or third day as the flavors meld and mature; it even freezes very well, though we never seem to have enough left over to put up for the long haul.

The recipe looks a bit long and complicated, though it’s not and flows very nicely in the kitchen.

4 lb beef chuck, trimmed, cut into 1 and 1/2-inch pieces
1/3 cup flour
2 tsp good salt
2 tsp fresh ground pepper
5 tbsp butter, divided
3 tbsp avocado or EVOO
1/2 lb thick-sliced bacon, diced
5 garlic cloves, peeled, thinly sliced
4 carrots, 1/2-inch diagonal slices
2 leeks, white and light green parts only, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
3 bay leaves
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 tbsp asian fish sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 cups burgundy wine (maybe more)
Beef broth (one quart container should do, see below)
20-30 small white pearl onions, trimmed and skins removed
1 lb mushrooms, mixed, sliced thickly
3 tbsp butter
Juice of one lemon
2 tsp sugar
1/4 cup fresh parsley, optional

Preheat your trusty oven to 350.

Dredge the meat in the flour, salt, and pepper; heat 2 tbsp butter and one tbsp oil of choice in a large skillet. Sauté one-third of the meat until browned on all sides, remove to a dutch oven or large, heavy roasting pan and repeat two more times.

Now into the same skillet, add the bacon and sauté for several minutes until the fat begins to render; then add the garlic, carrots, leeks, and 1/2 cup parsley. Cook, stirring frequently, until the bacon is cooked through and there’s a bit of caramelization on the vegetables. Add the bay leaves and thyme, stir in, then dump the bacon mixture into the dutch oven/roasting pan with the beef.

Now add the wine and enough broth to just cover the meat, then the soy and fish sauces, adjust for salt, cover, and then into the oven for 90 minutes, checking halfway through to see if more broth/wine is needed.

Take a break for an hour, then sauté the prepped onions and mushrooms in 3 tbsp of butter until lightly browned,  sprinkle with the lemon juice and sugar, cooking and stirring for another 3 minutes or so. Add the mushroom-onion mixture to the beef, stir it in, then cover again and cook for another hour (or more) until the beef is fall apart tender.

Remove from the oven, let rest 10 minutes, skim any visible fat and remove the bay and thyme leaves. Adjust for salt and pepper, and serve hot with more fresh chopped parsley.

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Friday Feast 7 December: Bazinga (Christmas) Chili

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I first shared this recipe back in 2011 on a fly fishing blog called Chi Wulff; from that post –

Traditions are a funny thing.

Though admittedly our clan has a fair number of traditions that we more or less cling to with stogged fidelity, some traditions can begin to reek of routine.

And routine has crushed the heart and soul of many a fine man and woman.

So it was with a dumbstruck stare that She Who Must Be Obeyed eyed me after I announced several days ago I thought we should break from tradition this year and serve tamales and chili for Christmas dinner.

As a bit of background, we’re once again entertaining what could be shaping up to be a bizarrely diverse group of friends and fishers who couldn’t be with their own families for the holiday.

SWMBO was probably envisioning a meal of a traditional (there’s the ‘t’ word again) ham with all the trimmings, eaten at a beautifully set and decorated table, complete with fresh flowers, two expertly chosen wines, ruthlessly efficient wait staff and classical music playing softly in the background.

I deftly countered with the fact that this has been a brazenly non-traditional year for us, and that traditions, which are often just dull routines dressed up in their Sunday-go-to-meetin’ clothes, are simply meant to be broken now and again.

Her response…”Bazinga…”

…For a high-brow company meal, have your butcher grind a nice cut (sirloin or tri-tip for us) into a large chili grind and pick up some fresh-made, well-spiced bulk sausage too. This recipe works incredibly well with brisket diced small.

This recipe, at first glance, looks like it uses almost an obscene amount of chili powder – it does call for a fair amount, though most chili powder doesn’t really provide heat – it provides flavor (use a really good, really fresh chili powder). Try it once as the recipe is written and you’ll see what we mean. Just don’t spill any of this deep red treasure on anything white. The touch of brown sugar also softens the bite of the red chile just enough to work a little magic (without breaking the carb budget).

3 lb. London broil, tri-tip, chuck or sirloin ground into rough chili grind or cubed
8 ounces bulk sausage (spicy)
1 large sweet onion, chopped fine
2 tbs avocado oil or EVOO
2-4 cups beef broth
1 8-oz. can tomato sauce (Hunt’s by tradition)
1 can Rotel tomatoes
1 bottle robust beer
11 tbsp commercial chili powder (Spices Etc or Gebhardt’s)
2 tsp garlic powder
1-3 tbsp Tabasco sauce
1 tbsp ground cumin
Kosher salt to taste
Optional: 1-2 tbsp brown sugar

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil and then brown the beef (will probably need to do in two batches); then add to your favorite chili pot. Now brown the sausage, breaking it up as you go, then add the onions when about halfway browned; cook until just soft and the sausage is brown. Add to the chili pot.

Now add two cups of the beef broth, bring to a slow simmer. Add the tomato sauce, Rotel tomatoes, beer, 6 tbs of the chili powder, garlic powder, 1 tbs of the brown sugar if using and 1 tbs of Tabasco. Simmer uncovered for an hour and half, stirring occasionally and adding more broth as needed to keep it fairly soupy.

Now add the rest of the chili powder (yep, another five tablespoons), a tsp of salt and the cumin. Taste for sweetness – we like to have just the tiniest smidgen of sweetness as an undercurrent to the heat and other flavors – we almost always end up using 2 tbsp of brown sugar. Keep simmering for at least another 30 minutes.

Now it’s time to fine tune the flavors. Taste for chili flavor, heat, and salt. If your chili powder is wimpy you might end up adding even a bit more chili powder, adjust the hot sauce and salt as well. Reduce or thin to desired consistency.

Serve it up as you see fit; we can’t imagine this without a bit of grated cheese, chopped onion and cilantro, maybe a pepper or two, and a dollop of sour cream.

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Friday Feast 30 November: Puerco Guisada

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As we turn the corner from late fall into early winter, here’s one to help you beat back the crush of winter’s hand – Puerco Guisada, a south Texas / Mexico inspired take on the spicy ‘meat in gravy’ stew (carne guisada) gracing every worthy taco stand from Austin to the southern border in Texas.

One might certainly argue this dish is traditionally made with beef (carne guisada) – and you can certainly do that by exchanging the pork with a cut of chuck or bottom round – though the pork version seems a tad lighter and sweeter to us.

This puerco guisada is another one of those recipes that are so simple they’re child’s play, thought there are a couple of caveats to note. Flavors are dramatically improved by actually browning the meat in the oil up front; if you overcrowd the meat it steams and doesn’t brown. Browning in two or three batches works wonders and leaves a hoard of those tasty browned ‘pan crispins’ behind to scrape up and flavor the stew.

The other caveat pertains to the peppers; jalapenos and serranos can very dramatically in their heat level. Cut off a small chip of the pepper and touch it to your tongue to get an idea about the heat; the last two jalapenos I picked out of the bin were searingly hot, so we left out the serranos on that batch (even though they add a slightly different heat and flavor pattern).

This Puerco Guisada makes for a killer bowl of spicy goodness standing alone (with a few toppings of course) and it makes a mouth-watering taco or burrito too. We’ve even been known to use it to make a puerco guisada huevos rancheros for breakfast when special company is in the house.

4ish pounds of pork shoulder or loin, trimmed, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
4 tbsp avocado oil
1 large sweet onion, diced
2 jalapeno peppers, stemmed, seeded, and diced
2 serrano peppers, stemmed, seeded, and diced
6 garlic cloves, minced
14-oz can diced tomatoes with liquid or 3 fresh tomatoes with seeds and core, diced
2 tbsp ground cumin
2 tbsp good chili powder
2 tsp (preferably Mexican) oregano
1/2 cup chopped cilantro or more
2 bay leaves
2 cups of water
1 bottle cerveza (Corona or Negro Modelo for the spirit of things)
Optional: 1 tbsp masa if needed for thickening

In your trusty dutch oven, heat 1/3 of the oil over medium high heat and brown 1/3 of the meat; remove to a plate and repeat to brown all the meat.

Add a splash of oil if needed, and sauté the onions and peppers until soft; then add the garlic, and cook, stirring now and again, for another couple of minutes.

Now add the pork back to the dutch oven, along with the tomatoes, cumin, chili powder, oregano, bay leaves, water and beer. Stir until well combined, turn up the heat and bring to a gentle boil, stirring frequently.

Now turn down to a simmer and let it go low and slow for 4 to 5 hours, stirring once an hour; you’ll notice the pork begins to tenderize and break down a bit, thickening the mixture as the water cooks off. (You can always add the masa at the end to thicken it more, though we never do.)

Traditionally this would be served steaming hot in a big bowl, sprinkled with grated cheese, maybe a few chopped fresh peppers, cilantro, and fresh or pickled onions. The possibilities are endless as noted above.

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Friday Feast 23 November: Ed’s Kitchen Sink Turkey Hash

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We have a good friend, Ed, who’s been something of a family icon now for over a decade. He’s been a continual font of inspiration and wisdom, a mentor, a business partner, and even an occasional pain-in-the-ass for most of those years.

Ed loves good food almost as much as we do, though you’d never know to look at him. His thin, fit build looks like that of a fifty-something runner, which is somewhat amazing as he’s in his mid-80’s (he constantly lies about his age, so we don’t know the genuine number). He’s sharp as a tack, more active than most men half his age, and was eating LC/MP/HF long before most of us had heard a whisper of the concept.

Back in 2016, Ed pestered us to help him come up with a “turkey hash recipe that he’d really like”; the final result was this Ed’s Kitchen Sink Turkey Hash, built on the foundation of spicy sausage with a big pile of fairly traditional hash vegetables thrown in. By the way, the poblano adds a nice bit of heat and flavor and the sweet potatoes tie in with the whole Thanksgiving theme, as does the fresh sage.

And just in cash you’re not a “hash expert”, one of the critical steps for this recipe is the repeated compress, crisp, and turn of the mixture to get crispy, browned, caramelized edges in every bite. Be patient; keep turning and crisping until it suits you. The browner and crisper the better…

The soft poached or fried eggs aren’t really necessary, but the runny yolks are magic. And Ed insists that this be drizzled with hollandaise sauce, though he’ll eat it with a real-deal turkey gravy too.

1/2 lb bulk spicy sausage
1 large sweet onion, chopped medium
1 medium red onion, chopped medium
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, chopped medium
1 poblano chile pepper, stemmed, seeded, chopped medium
1 large sweet potato, partially precooked (firm), cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 cloves garlic, minced
4-5 tbsp good butter
1 lb turkey, white and dark meat, chopped to 1/2 inch or so pieces
1 tbsp fresh sage, chopped, optional, more to taste
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 – 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp good salt
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped

Optional
4-6 eggs, poached or fried, with soft yolk
Hollandaise sauce if Ed’s coming over OR leftover gravy

Scrub and dry the vegetables; dice and chop to your heart’s content.

Sauté the sausage until browned; remove from the skillet to drain and remove all but (roughly) 1 tbsp of the remaining fat.

Melt 4 tbsp. of the butter over medium-high heat in the same skillet; add both onions, both peppers, the sweet potato, and the garlic. Cook, stirring now and again, until the onions and pepper begin to soften.

Now add another tbsp. of butter, the turkey, the sausage, sage if using, paprika, thyme, salt and pepper; stir to mix well.

Up your hash game by crisping it up. Smooth the mixture in the skillet out and gently compress it; raise the heat a notch and don’t touch it for 3 minutes or so to let a crispy-crunchy layer of caramelization develop. Then, turn that brown, crunchy bottom over and mix into the upper hash layers. Compress the mixture again and repeat at least two more times – the desired goal here is lots of crunchy, brown goodness. Add the parsley on the last turn and stir.

Serve it right now, topped with a runny-yolk poached or fried egg and drizzled with hollandaise if Ed’s coming over. He won’t eat it any other way, though if there’s any real turkey gravy left over, it might even be better.

Enjoy.