Older Bolder Life

Stronger | Leaner | Sharper | Longer - From Older Bolder Fitness

Recipe: Proteins

the Older Bolder Life Friday Feast: Peppercorn Cumin Chicken Wings

By

At the risk of repeating myself, I have to admit once again that I’ve probably never eaten a chicken wing that I didn’t find something about to savor and enjoy, even back in my pre-Primal / pre-healthy eating days when a wing or two might have been procured from a dubious source or two.

Ever since we stumbled across these TAGG wings (Turmeric Ancho Ginger Garlic) wings a few years back they’ve been the most requested wing around our camp, and they’re some of the most tasty wings you’ll find anywhere, anytime.

That said, a few weeks back I was chatting up friend and Chef-mentor Libby in Austin about wings and things, and she mentioned they’d just done 100 pounds (damn!) of these Peppercorn Cumin Chicken Wings for an event she covered at a lake outside of Austin a month or so ago.

Libby is one of the most level-headed, even-keeled, not prone to exaggeration or hyperbole folks that I know, so when she called these the best damn wings her catering company has ever done, I (metaphorically) sat up and started paying rapt attention.

Being a professional chef attuned to little details that make big differences, she insisted that the peppercorns be freshly crushed or cracked (she uses a coffee grinder on a coarse setting), and that spices be measured liberally – she and we like spicy food.

(One cautionary note, the recipe calls for coarse Kosher salt – you should have this in the pantry, if not, just get some. The proportions do NOT work for regular table salt…)

Interestingly she said another key to success for this recipe was to let the wings rest, uncovered, after applying the spices for up to 24 hours in the fridge, noting that they needed at least 2 hours to give the spices time to penetrate the skin for deeper flavors.

Wanting to follow her recipe to the T the first few times we cooked it here, I baked these in the oven until crispy and golden brown all over; they’d be killer on a pellet grill or over open flame, with care taken not to burn the spice coating.

I can almost guarantee you’ll put these on the menu again within days of your first batch.

4 pounds chicken wings, tips removed, flats and drums separated

2 heaping tbsp peppercorns, crushed/cracked
1 tbsp + 1 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp + 1 tsp ground coriander
1 scant tbsp garam masala (a good curry powder works too)
1 tbsp Morton kosher salt
1-2 tsp ancho chile powder (optional)
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp granulated sugar
2 tbsp avocado or olive oil

3-4 green onions, thinly sliced on a steep diagonal
1 lime, cut into wedges

Prep the wings and crush the peppercorns; double foil line a baking sheet.

Combine the peppercorns, cumin, coriander, garam masala, salt, ancho powder, baking soda, and sugar, stirring to thoroughly mix.

Place the wings in a large bowl, drizzle with your oil of choice, and sprinkle the spice mixture over the wings, tossing with your hands until they’re evenly coated with the spice mix.

Spread the wings on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer, then slide into the fridge for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.

Remove the wings from the fridge 23-30 minutes before starting your cook.

When ready to cook, place the wings in a cold oven and set the temperature at 425; cooking for 30-35 minutes (the wings should be beginning to brown). Turn the wings, then cook another 25-35 minutes until the wings are crispy and brown.

Pull the wings, plate artfully, sprinkle with the sliced green onions and lime wedges.

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Friday Feast: Pickled Shrimp Ceviche

By

Back a few years ago I shared that I worked for a time helping to open a Cajun restaurant nearby in the far reaches of the DFW metroplex; I’d always wanted to peek behind the curtain of the restaurant industry and I was intrigued by the skills and gentle manner of the authentic Cajun chef running the place.

He was raised outside of New Orleans, came from a very colorful background personally, was immensely talented in the kitchen, and (like myself) profoundly influenced in terms of food by a beloved grandmother and other extended family back home in Louisiana.

Chef M had a killer pickled shrimp recipe (that we made in 5 gallon batches) and worked hard to reproduce what he insisted was a Louisiana Gulf Coast favorite in this Pickled Shrimp Ceviche.

Chef M and we kitchen minions had a lengthy discussion one morning about use of the term “ceviche” for this recipe; some of us pushed the point that ceviche (or cebiche) was historically Peruvian and classically prepared by marinating raw fish or seafood in a tangy, spiced citrus bath (in the Peruvian model that meant limes or what were/are actually less astringent green lemons). The citrus juices not only impart wondrous flavor but denature the proteins in the fish, causing it to appear “cooked” even though by the most strict food chemistry perspective it’s not.

Chef M countered that particularly in the states and Australia the term ceviche has evolved to encompass use of some gently cooked proteins as well as raw seafood, as in the pickled shrimp that we’re using here, and apparently as used for decades by his grandmother back home. It’s ironic how so often our taste buds “run home to mama” in terms of tastes and textures that we enjoyed during our childhoods…

I even double checked the concept with Chef Libby in Austin, and she concurred this recipe unquestionably deserves the ceviche label, and she’s even added a modified version to her catering menu.

He also noted (quite wisely I might add) that citrus-cured raw shrimp has a texture that many find off-putting (I sure as hell do), and that many of the shrimp preparations he grew up with back home involved a lightly cooked (you might even say par-boiled) shrimp.

Bottom line – argue whether it’s ceviche or not as you wish, but unless you’re a formally trained chef from Louisiana, raised cooking Cajun specialties from childhood, I’ll take Chef M’s word over whatever your opinion might be…

Chef M challenged us to give this recipe a chance, and while I’ve modified it a bit in terms of what you see here, this is largely the recipe that Chef M brought to the DFW area from home, and will be a perfect addition to your summer rotation. It’s one of those texture and flavor combinations that’s simply a divine pleasure to eat.

Try it once as written, and then riff on your own version to suit your tastes – I usually throw in a bit more avocado, cucumber, jalapeño, and cilantro when making a batch for us…

3-4 avocados, 1/4-inch dice

1 pound pickled shrimp, 1/2-inch pieces

3/4 cup red onion, chopped medium
1/2 cup cucumber, chopped medium
1/4 cup fresh jalapeño, chopped medium
2 tbsp fresh garlic, minced

1/2 cup cilantro, rough chop (or more)
Juice and zest of one lime
1 and 1/2 tbsp pickling liquid
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Cut the shrimp to size and place in a medium bowl.

Into your trusty food processor go the chopped red onion, cucumber, jalapeño, and garlic; pulse to a fine chop/mince (do NOT puree). Add the mixture to the shrimp in the bowl.

Stir in the chopped cilantro, lime juice, lime zest, pickling liquid, and lemon juice.

If serving in the next 30-40 minutes, add the diced avocados and stir to mix well, making sure all the avocado pieces are coated with the mixture in the bowl. If not serving in the next 30 minutes, cover and throw in the fridge, adding the avocado 15-20 minutes before service.

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Friday Feast: Gulf Coast Pickled Shrimp

By

I’ve shared before about my love of Gulf Coast seafood before, here’s a snippet from a post about Texas Shrimp Boils –

My parents both grew up along the Gulf Coast of Texas, in or near a little community by the name of Bay City. My maternal grandfather had a beach house very close to the mouth of the Colorado River where it empties into the Gulf, a rustic wood-framed cabin on the tiny spit of land there between East and West Matagorda Bays.

The Camp as it was called by everyone in the family save for my grandfather, who had christened it the Mason Rouge (it was painted a nifty barn red), was a key focal point for summers of my youth as we travelled down to fish, crab, laze in the blistering coastal Texas summer heat, comb the beaches, and just generally live the life of a miniature pirate back in the 60s.

The camp was wiped out time and time again by a number of hurricanes, most notably by Carla, and each time Pa-Pa (paw paw) would rebuild it a little bit bigger.

Fresh seafood was the order of the day; we pulled crabs from the crab trap every few days, caught fish morning, afternoon, and night, and bought “table” shrimp from the little bay shrimper (his boat was Little Bob) whose ramshackle operation sprawled on the riverbank about half a city block away. We probably had to drive the furthest – about 10 minutes – to pick up a bushel of oysters dredged that morning when the oyster mood struck.

Some of my earliest memories of wanting to learn about the art and mystery of cooking came from standing at my grandmother Ma-Ma’s (maw maw) elbow as she created another masterpiece on the ancient (and dammit, I mean ancient) gas stove in the corner of the first floor “kitchen” at the Camp.

She was a masterful Southern cook, using something akin to alchemy to transform uber-fresh, simple ingredients into some of the best food I’ve ever tasted. Of course, those memories are buffered by time and the myopic, simplistic perspective of youth, but damn, her fish cakes, gumbo, fish, and shrimp were stunningly good.

Though I didn’t appreciate as I should back then, it was she who taught me to relish the tasty simplicity of a perfectly boiled shrimp, most often back in the day pulled from the pot, iced down to cool quickly, and eaten in a simple shrimp salad or dipped into just-crafted cocktail sauce bursting with nasal-clearing horseradish and savory Worcestershire (the Cajun influence in that part of coastal Texas was welcome!)…

I don’t recall Ma-Ma stirring up pickled shrimp, but they were on the menu of several of the hole in the wall seafood restaurants in Matagorda back in the day, typically as an escabeche-influenced appetizer, and I remember the mouth puckering acidity of the shrimp and bursts of spice from the onions and peppers after stealing a bit from the communal plate.

We hadn’t pickled shrimp in years around our camp until a few months ago when I stirred up a batch for next week’s Pickled Shrimp Ceviche (holy cow is that a great recipe); we feel like we’ve stumbled across an old friend in this recipe, and it’s found a spot in the summer rotation already.

Two key points for this recipe: One, There are dozens of ways to season boiled shrimp in the pot; here’s our routine, but feel free to use whatever recipe your Ma-Ma (or whoever else) taught you. And two, as you research various pickled shrimp recipes available today, you’ll see that folks use a host of various vinegars and citrus to pickle the shrimp. By all means experiment on your own to see what you like the best – we like this combination for its burst of acidity and the pineapple adds a subtle, interesting twist.

1 and 1/2 pounds raw medium shrimp, shelled, deveined
Your favorite shrimp boil spices

1/2 cup brown rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1/2 medium red onion, cut into thin slices
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
1-2 jalapeño or serrano chiles, stemmed, seeded, cut in thin slices
1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
3/4 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp or more good salt

Rinse the shrimp, and bring a large pot of water to a boil (2 quarts should be fine for this amount of shrimp); season as per your routine (see note above). We follow the routine detailed here for our shrimp boils.

Now add the shrimp and the remainder of ingredients to a large jar or BPA-free food storage bag, shaking or turning to evenly distribute all the goodies. The shrimp must be covered by the liquid in the jar; if not, add a bit of water or more vinegar to cover.

Into the fridge it goes for at least 24 hours to soak up all those great flavors; give it a shake or stir occasionally as well.

Enjoy, and these shrimp are amazing in the pickled shrimp ceviche (next image below) coming next week.

the Older Bolder Life Friday Feast: Sesame and Parmesan Crusted Tuna Steaks

By

Today’s recipe is another one of those recipes that’s so ridiculously simple it really doesn’t even need a formal recipe, though there are few things worth noting as you pull together these Sesame and Parmesan Crusted Tuna Steaks.

We first stumbled across this recipe in one of our favorite cookbooks of all time, a collection of restaurant recipes collected from eateries around Santa Fe and Northern New Mexico; the cookbook is long out of print, probably considered to be too simple even back in the day for repeat printings. The cookbook was a thick paperback, simply printed without any pictures, but probably the most used cookbook in our kitchen among a bookcase full of them…

Back in the day, looking for a tasty alternative to grilling tuna steaks over live fire (always good but you have to be very careful not to overcook), my wife found this recipe and we adopted it as one of our favorites after the first run.

There are several tricks that make the entire process much easier; one of which is pulling the tuna from the fridge at least 30 minutes before cooking, patting it dry, and then placing on a rack on the counter to let the surfaces dry even further. Any persistent moisture on the surface of the tuna will weaken the bond of the parmesan-sesame seed crust we’re after.

As you’re getting ready, grate approximately 3/4 cup of good block parmesan cheese (use the smaller holes) and mix with at least half of cup of sesame seeds (we like to use both dark and light sesame seeds for interest); spread the cheese/sesame seed mixture out on a plate. Common sense applies here; cooking only a couple of tuna steaks? Then grate less cheese and use less sesame seed. Cooking four or more tuna steaks? Then you’ll need more cheese and sesame seeds…

When you’re ready to go, heat a skillet over medium-high heat for several minutes, then add a tbsp (+/- more or less pending how many pieces you’re cooking) of avocado, olive, or coconut oil.

Now for a pro-tip from our friend Chef Libby in Austin; one of the tricks professional chefs use to ensure that coatings stick very well to proteins is to dry the proteins carefully, then lightly flour the protein’s surface before using a light egg wash to adhere the final coating.

So we’ll dip each tuna steak into flour (on the largest opposing sides of the steaks), dusting off any excess; you make the call on which flour you’d prefer. Now dip each coated steak surface into an egg wash, then immediately into the parmesan-sesame seed mixture to form the coating.

Reduce the stove temperature to medium, and cook the coated tuna steaks to the desired degree; be very attentive and do NOT overcook your tuna.

We like to serve these hot with a spicy salsa or sauce – the images today include the Mango Salsa Number 1 that I shared last week.

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Friday Feast: General Tso’s Chicken

By

We had an interesting food planning issue arise a few weeks back; friends popped in to spend an afternoon on very short notice. They were travelling through, wanted to stop and chat for a bit, with that “chat” burning through an entire afternoon and then creeping into early evening.

The husband of the couple visiting tried to make the case that we should order out Chinese, something made nigh on impossible given our location “out in the sticks” on the edge of the sprawling DFW metro.

After a bit of hemming and hawing, I convinced the crowd to let me stir up a batch of this General Tso’s Chicken at home, sacrificing a little on our strictest Primal framework by using potato starch as a crisping agent for the chicken, and a bit of sugar in the sauce. [Sometimes when entertaining such compromises end up being made to suit guest’s more conventional palates, though I’ve found over the years that with a bit of common sense and moderation applied, these comprises aren’t problematic at all in the bigger picture of things.]

Using potato starch as a crisping agent for the chicken works remarkably well, as well as the more classic cornstarch used in Chinese cooking for years, at least IMHO, and the flavors imparted by the garlic, ginger, Shaoxing wine, and Chinkiang vinegar are amazingly good, allowing you to cook toe-to-toe with very good take-out food you might have enjoyed in the past.

Besides the great taste and wonderful presentation this recipe affords, another real plus is the easy prep and quick final cook when you’ve got everything lined up and ready.

Tipping our hat to our non-Primal / non-Paleo guests I cooked up a batch of conventional rice to go along with the delicious sauce produced, and a big tub of steamed broccoli florets. Hot damn, this one’s really good.

1.5 pounds boneless skinless thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 T + 1 t avocado or other mild tasting oil
1 large egg, beaten
1 scant t good salt
1/2 to 3/4 cup (scant) potato starch

2/3 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
1/4 cup Chinkiang vinegar
1/4 cup tamari or soy sauce
6 T sugar
2 T cornstarch

4-5 T avocado or mild, healthy oil of choice
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 and 1/2 T minced fresh ginger
7-8 Chinese chili peppers

Prep the chicken, place in a small bowl with the oil and salt; set aside for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl, set aside. Meanwhile, mince the garlic and ginger.

When ready to cook, preheat a heavy, large skillet over medium-high heat. While the skillet is heating, stir the beaten egg into the chicken mixture, then stir in the cornstarch until it’s evenly coating the chicken.

Heat the oil in the preheated pan until just smoking, then add the chicken all at once in a single layer (separate if needed with tongs or a fork). Cook for 3 minutes or so until the bottom is golden, then turn and cook another 3 minutes or so. Remove the pan from the heat for 3 minutes.

Now place your skillet back over medium heat and add the chilies, ginger, and garlic to the oil remaining in the pan; cook for 1-2 minutes. Now add the stirred sauce to the skillet; stir now again as it cooks and thickens.

When the sauce has sufficiently thickened, add the chicken, stirring well to coat everything with the sauce. Remove from the heat and serve RIGHT NOW!

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Friday Feast: Grilled Rosemary Lamb Chops

By

Like many of you, when thinking about the Easter table we often think of lamb or ham as the centerpiece protein; this year my lovely wife called for a Greek inspired meal featuring a perennial favorite – Grilled Rosemary Lamb Chops.

Last Easter’s Merguez Sausages were damned tasty, and I personally think this Ancho Leg of Lamb hung the moon, but lamb chops won the day this year.

Lamb chops are easy to source, quick to grill, and as always provide incredibly flavorful meat right off the bone. My only real complaint about them over the years has been that given that most lamb chops are cut fairly thick, sometimes there’s a bit more char outside after grilling given the time needed to make sure the deepest meat is a perfect medium rare.

This year I decided to sous vide the chops (130, 90 minutes) after rubbing with a bit of olive oil and a fresh cut garlic clove, with the chops then loaded into BPA-free bags with several sprigs of fresh rosemary.

A Quick Sidebar on Sous Vide and Texture…

As an aside, while we still use the sous vide method around our camp with some regularity, I am as I’m sure you are aware of a growing backlash against sous vide (nothing to do with the somewhat tired BPA discussion), but instead focusing on texture.

There are a number of talented chefs and home cooks who continue to report that they find proteins that spend time in a sous vide bath, while often cooked to perfection from a temperature / doneness perspective have a different texture than say thick-cut, bone-in ribeye cooked using a reverse sear technique. (Interesting my son Jake and I have had a very similar discussion a couple of different times this winter, and both find we’re leaning to the texture of the reverse sear method).

The other texture issue with sous vide has to do with pre-salting proteins before they’re placed in the water bath; some folks feel that doing so can make some proteins taste “rubbery and hammy”; there’s been a fair amount written on the subject, and we don’t salt red meats pre-sous vide, particularly if they’re going to be held for hours or a day or two before grilling, but still lightly salt chicken breasts for cold chicken salad (for example) before their time in the bath.

You make the call…

Back to Our Grilled Rosemary Lamb Chops

All the chops needed then was a quick turn on the grill to caramelize the surfaces and we were good to go, with this delightful Greek Salad, a recipe of homemade tzatziki, and crumbled feta on board.

These chops are delicious cold as well or heated gently prior to serving; cook a big batch when these come up in rotation.

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Friday Feast: Quick Kung Pao Shrimp

By

For the past several weeks we’ve been on somewhat of a stir fry kick; like many of you now and again we get stuck on a particular cuisine or preparation method and ride that horse for a few weeks just to change up the routine and menu.

My wife in particular has been craving some of the traditional Americanized Chinese food that we’ve eaten over the years; recently she’s been pestering me to craft a dish akin to a wonderful Kung Pao Shrimp we used to eat at a now defunct eatery in Salt Lake City back in the day.

It was spicy but not too hot, incredibly well balanced with the classic Chinkiang vinegar flavor followed by a just a hint of sweetness, and packed with tasty cashews and tender shrimp.

After a bit of trial and error, and digging around a bit, we’ve settled on this recipe using an incredibly easy homemade Kung Pao sauce (you can as always control the quality of your ingredients and cut back on the typical sugar/sweetener load), though a commercially prepared sauce could work in a pinch (read those ingredients!). By the way, I’ll post the recipe for the Kung Pao sauce down the road a few weeks from now…

With a minimum of prep, you can have this dish ready for the table in about twenty minutes, along with a big pile of steamed broccoli florets just like you’d receive in a classic restaurant setting.

As tempting as it is to throw in several handfuls of other vegetables, every time I’ve done that we (my wife especially) feel that the overall flavor impact of the dish is diminished by too many competing flavors. And it’s great over a spoonful of garlic cauliflower rice….

1 pound shrimp, prepped (peeled and deveined)
1 T Shaoxing wine
1 T cornstarch
1 tsp avocado oil
¼ t good salt

1 T avocado oil
6 green onions, white and green parts, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 bell pepper, ¾-inch dice
1/3 cup (perhaps a T or two more) homemade Kung Pao sauce
1/3 cup roasted cashews or peanuts

Combine the prepped shrimp, Shaoxing wine, cornstarch, and the salt; set aside for 10 minutes. Prep the vegetables and set aside.

Heat the oil in a large flat skillet until just smoking; add the shrimp in a single layer and cook for thirty seconds undisturbed, then stir occasionally for the next three minutes or so until the shrimp are just opaque.

Add the green onions and bell pepper, stirring to combine and heat the vegetables thoroughly. Now add the Kung Pao sauce, stirring to coat everything in the pan evenly.

Add the cashews (or peanuts), stir to distribute evenly, the remove from the heat and serve immediately.

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Friday Feast: Loaded Huevos Rancheros

By

Over the past couple of weeks we’ve posted a couple of great standalone recipes: this Tex Mex Chorizo (or our Chorizo No. 2) and this Ranchero Tomato Salsa (or sauce, pending what your intentions are).

Both recipes are packed from top to bottom with plenty of spice and deep flavor, are accessible to we mere mortals cooking at home from the standpoint of both ingredient list and skills required, and just taste damned good.

Several weeks ago I’d have been lying big time if I denied intending to at some point in the near future post a Friday Feast featuring what we’ve come to call Loaded Huevos Rancheros.

Both my lovely wife and grew up under the bright skies of the Lone Star state, and spent a fair amount of our youth and young adulthood wandering around other parts of the Southwest, mostly New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado, with a bit of Arizona thrown in for good measure.

While there are profound differences among these regions in terms of food culture (and lots of other things), one commonality you’d find almost everywhere was some form of huevos rancheros on the breakfast menu, if not available all day in the “better” eateries.

Nodding to more recent history, in the Ranchero Tomato Sauce/Salsa post last week I shared a bit about events that prompted the ultimate version of the recipe I shared –

… Two summers ago a friend came to me and asked me to help with menu planning an event he was hosting for his extended family around Father’s Day; as is typical for our North Texas neighborhood he was planning a big brisket and fixin’s barbecue one evening, but he also wanted to serve a brunch built around some of his Tex Mex favorites, including huevos rancheros.

My buddy was not only hell bent on serving a classic huevos rancheros, but he wanted it to match a particular dish he’d enjoyed on a hunting trip down in the Texas Rio Grande Valley in the months prior. He waxed poetically about a thick, tomatoey ranchero sauce, deeply flavored with dried peppers, and punctuated with a smokey, lingering heat that just had to be from chipotles.

My best advice was to call the little eatery he’d placed on this culinary pedestal to see if they’d share a recipe; he did, and lo and behold he reported the grandmother running the kitchen ran off a list from memory, though without the specific amounts of each ingredient, and she apparently said to use “some good spices” as well…

The “loaded” huevos concept isn’t mine; I think we first saw it on a menu in a little Tex Mex eatery outside of Port Isabel (on the way to South Padre from Harlingen), though you can find similar offerings just about anywhere these days.

The principle is simple: load your basic huevos rancheros recipe up with some tasty protein like chorizo (though well-spiced ground beef works here as well), mushrooms, peppers you have on hand (we prefer diced poblanos), a bit of diced onion, and whatever else floats your boat that day, and layer it atop your tortillas (gluten free if you prefer, we still reach for Siete’s products first), a bed of lettuce, or even a pile of sautéed, crispy sweet potatoes.

If I remember right, the version we had down in far South Texas featured crispy potatoes pieces as well, with eggs cooked enough to almost set the yolk so it runs down and bathes everything nearby when you take that first bite.

My wife typically won’t eat these unless there’s a pile of freshly sliced avocado or a big scoop of guacamole on the plate, along with some grated or crumbed cheese, and a dusting of finely chopped cilantro.

It’s time to get creative and crank these out for breakfast, brunch, or dinner this weekend…