Older Bolder Life

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the Older Bolder Life Friday Feast: Thyme Butter Basted Red Snapper

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For today’s Friday Feast I’m pleased to share a little trick that I learned this year during my brief stint working in a commercial restaurant kitchen during my “take a peek behind the curtain” look at the food industry.

As it turns out, the executive chef of the team I was working with had spent years running an upscale eatery in the Dallas metro that primarily focused on fresh seafood. The volume of fish and shellfish they prepared and served back in the day was absolutely staggering (Dallas/DFW is a metro that loves eating out), and this gentleman handled fish, shrimp, and oysters with a deft efficiency that was a marvel to watch.

Every time I had a chance I pestered him for tips and tricks that were readily translatable to the home kitchen, and the most useful one he shared was this very preparation that works for almost any fish, though we talked most often about using it for a firm fleshed white fish like red snapper and redfish here in Texas, though flounder, cod, halibut, and several other of course work as well. Leaving skin on one side (on the half shell, at least down here in the South) helps maintain the integrity of the fillet, though of course that’s up to you.

Having been taught over the years to pan sauté fish fillets over higher heat, I was a bit surprised at Chad’s insistence that the best way to prepare this dish was as follows.

Having prepped your fish (trimmed, washed, removed any remaining scales), the fillets need to be patted dry thoroughly while pre-heating a (preferably non-stick or a well-seasoned carbon steel) pan over medium-low heat.

Splash a tablespoon or two of avocado or olive oil in the pan (you’re cooking over lower heat, so olive oil works here), then season the fillets generously with good salt and perhaps a grind of fresh pepper (we also use a fresh cajun spice mix occasionally) and place skin side down in the heated pan.

You need to pay attention here, if the oil smokes, you’re running too hot; removed the pan, turn down the heat, put the pan back over the heat and be patient. Pending how thick your fillets are, you’ll most likely cook for 4-6 minutes before turning, and only after the fish has released from the pan. Don’t try to turn or “scrape it off” if the initial side hasn’t released – it will eventually.

Carefully turn the fillets using a fish spatula if you have one, and then drop in several generous pats of your favorite grass fed butter and a handful of fresh herbs – we’re partial to the magic that thyme brings to the dish, though experiment and try your favorites.

As the butter melts (and it might take a bit of time as you’re cooking over lower heat), tip the pan to one side, pooling the butter, and then spoon it over the fillets as they cook. Continue basting intermittently until the fish is cooked through to your preference.

After removing the fish to warmed plates and topping each with a few sprigs of thyme, squeeze half a lemon’s juice (or more if you wish) into the butter remaining in the pan, stir it in, and spoon over the fillets.

Enjoy this one, you’ll be coming back to it again and again.

the Older Bolder Life Friday Feast: OB NOLA BBQ Shrimp

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Strolling by the seafood counter in my favorite grocery last week I spied a beautiful bin of wild caught Gulf brown shrimp on sale; after confirming they were plump and fresh I grabbed a pound and a half to cook through the last trial of this NOLA BBQ shrimp recipe we’ve been adapting (and spicing up) from Emerill’s version.

Barbecue shrimp done “New Orleans” style implies not shrimp done on the barbie, but shrimp pan sautéed, dripping with a garlic and Worcestershire spiked butter sauce, though there are probably literally dozens of variations floating around out there.

There are two things about Emerill’s classic recipe that my family has really enjoyed over the years – one is the deep, rich flavors that build using his technique to craft a shrimp stock using the shells. I’ve found that for the occasion when you buy a load of shrimp that have been shelled, you can sub in a prepared seafood stock for the water with great results too. Simmering the stock with a handful of various spices and lemons, then reducing it down significantly, yields flavors you’d never guess you could craft in your home kitchen.

The second thing we really like about this recipe is the fact that the cream based sauce has a bit more body, especially when mounted at the end with some nifty grass-fed butter.

This looks much more complicated than it is and comes together very quickly for the final cook. Just plan a bit of time to give the sauce simmer and reduction time to yield their magic.

And if you’re incorporating a carb refeed day into your routine, this is an absolute delight over a scoop of rice. Hot damn.

3 lb shell on or 1.5 lb shelled shrimp
1 tbsp creole/cajun seasoning
1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
Fresh ground black pepper

2 tbsp avocado oil, divided
1/3 cup chopped onion
2 tbsp fresh minced garlic
Reserved shrimp shells if using
3 bay leaves
2 tsp creole/cajun seasoning
1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
2 lemons, peeled and sectioned
2 cups water (or seafood stock if not using shrimp shells)
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
Optional: 1/4 dry white wine or sherry
1/4 tsp good salt

2 cups heavy cream
3 tbsp grass fed butter
1 tbsp chives or small green onions, chopped fine

Wash and peel the shrimp if using shelled, reserving shells. Rub with 1 tbsp of your favorite creole seasoning and 1 tsp Old Bay, dust with black pepper, then throw in the fridge.

In a medium saucepan sauté the onion and garlic in 1 tbsp oil until just soft, then add the shrimp shells, bay leaves, creole and Old Bay seasonings, the prepped lemons, Worcestershire sauce, wine or sherry, salt, and 2 cups water (seafood stock if not using shells). Simmer for 30 minutes, cool and rest for 15 minutes or so, then strain into a small saucepan (should have about 1.5 cups).

Now reduce the flavored stock over medium-high heat until roughly 1/3 cup remains, set aside.

Finally, in a medium skillet heat the remaining oil over medium-high heat and sauté the spiced shrimp for 2 minutes or so until just opaque; add the cream and the reduced flavored stock, stirring to mix well.

Simmer for 3-4 minutes, then quickly remove the shrimp to a heated platter. Now whisk in the butter (cut into small pieces) and remove from heat. Spoon the thickened sauce over the shrimp, garnish, and go to it.

Hot damn, and enjoy.

The Older Bolder Life Friday Feast: Easy Mu Shu Pork Cheat

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This has become one of our favorite family quick stir fries, and it has a bit of history behind it as I shared several years on ChiWulff (a fly fishing blog) –

Our clan fell in love with the classic Chinese dish Mu Shu Pork believe it or not when camping at Gros Ventre campground out of Jackson a few decades back.

It became a must-do ritual to drive up from SLC, set up camp as quickly as possible, and then beat it back to town for dinner at the Lame Duck. The little hole in the wall place was down East Broadway, past the hospital almost to the end of the road where the branch to the Elk Refuge peels off. I don’t know how many times we ate there with the kids as they grew up; we even got to know one of the waitresses pretty well one summer.

The Duck’s long gone now, a victim of Jackson’s (unfortunate in many ways) transformation, though the memory of great dinners past lingers. They had the best sizzling rice soup any of us have ever tasted, and among many other delights – a great Mu Shu Pork.

We’ve tried over the years to recreate the dish; we’ve come close but never hit it on the money and haven’t tried for years now – until this quick (kinda’ve a cheater) version came across our radar a few weeks ago.

She Who Must Be Obeyed has been out of town all week on business and I can knock this entire prep out in under 20 minutes now (after a few practice rounds), given how it’s based off using an (at least partially) pre-seasoned commercial sausage you bring to life with some minced ginger and garlic…

With even the most basic of knife skills you can chop your way through this recipe in less than 10 minutes, and then you basically just sauté everything up in a large skillet, preferably a big-assed cast iron one.

As per the images attached, we most often enjoy this one hot right out of the pan, drizzled with sriracha or a paleo version of hoisin sauce. Classically the dish is served with small rice flour “pancakes”, which you can easily sub with any of the low-carb tortillas on the market today.

1 and 1/2 pounds commercial hot Italian sausage (casing removed)
2 inch piece of peeled fresh ginger, minced
4-5 garlic cloves, minced
Avocado oil or EVOO
7-8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, sliced thin
3-4 ounces wood ear mushrooms, sliced thin
8-9 cups Napa cabbage, thinly sliced, divided
1 large bunch green onions, trimmed and sliced into 1-in pieces, reserve 1/3 of total
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp good tamari or coconut aminos
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
Butter or other lettuce leaves

Optional
1 can bamboo shoots, drained and cut into matchsticks
Sriracha, primal/paleo hoisin sauce, low-carb wraps

To get started, mince the fresh ginger and garlic and add to the sausage in a small bowl; work in evenly with your hands.

Heat 2 tablespoons of avocado oil in a large cast iron skillet over med-high heat and brown the sausage mixture well, breaking it up into a small-medium crumble as you go. When it’s done, remove to a clean plate, reserving the drippings in the skillet.

Without reducing the heat, sauté the trimmed mushrooms in the drippings, you want them to release a bit of liquid, then brown and crisp up a bit (4 to 5 minutes should do it).

Now add half the sliced cabbage, the bamboo shoots and 2/3’s of the green onions: keep things moving until the cabbage is wilted. Now add the rice vinegar and soy sauce and simmer quickly until the liquid is for the most part reduced (won’t take but 2 or 3 minutes).

Remove from the heat and add the remaining cabbage and green onions, sprinkle the sesame seeds and oil over and stir it all in.

Serve hot in your lettuce wraps (or the wrap of your choice) slathered with Sriracha or your favorite primal/paleo hoisin.

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Friday Feast: Hot Damn Tri-Tip Chili

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As much as many of us would prefer it not be so, it’s still winter in much of the country, and still soup, stew, and chili season.

We’ve been big chili fans around our camp for many years, and have a slew of recipes we always reach for. Like most of you, we have recipes using all sorts of different proteins, and a few vegetarian recipes as well, though many of those utilize legumes in higher volumes than we typically consume these days.

And while when I hear the word tri-tip, I most often think of a grilled Santa Maria styled tri-tip, with a crusty spice layer and cooked to a tempting medium-rare finish, and sliced thinly across the grain, tri-tip is a great braiser too.

This Hot Damn Tri-Tip Chili owes it’s chili magic to two key things.

The first is the simple fact almost all of the chili flavor comes from a chile puree you make right in your own kitchen, one that you can in fact customize to suit your own preferences (by varying the chiles) quite simply. Once you get this routine down a whole new world of chile (and chili) goodness will open before you.

The second part of the magic is the wonder that happens to a cut of protein that’s a little on the tougher-chew side but imbued with an amazingly deep, rich flavor when it’s slowly braised in a spicy liquid in low heat over several hours. You can have your Instant Pot – there’s no way it can touch the flavors that low and slow cooking imparts.

Don’t let the length of the ingredient list and instructions fool you, this is a very straightforward recipe and only takes 25-30 minutes of actual hands-on time if you’re handy in the kitchen.

Git ‘er done.

5-8 dried ancho chiles, prepped and cleaned
5-8 dried guajillo chiles, prepped and cleaned
2-4 dried New Mexico chiles, prepped and cleaned
4-5 pounds tri-tip , cut into 1-inch pieces
2-3 tbsp avocado oil (or EVOO)
2 fair-sized poblanos, stemmed, seeded, small dice
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, small dive
1 large onion, medium dice
6 cloves garlic (the big ones), minced
4 (or more) chipotles in adobo, minced
1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes in juice
2 tbsp of your best chili powder (to cover all the chili flavor bases)
1-2 tbsp ground cumin (start with one)
1 tbsp good kosher salt (or more to taste)
2 generous tsp dried Mexican oregano
2-4 cups chicken broth as needed

Optional
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 bottle Mexican beer
More chilis!

Bring 2 cups of water to boil in a small saucepan, add the dried and prepped chiles, remove from heat, cover, and let stand for 30 minutes. When softened, puree chiles until smooth with a bit of the soaking liquid or chicken stock.

While the chiles are soaking, heat the oil over medium-high heat in your trusty Dutch oven; brown the tri-tip in batches, remove to a platter.

Fire the oven to 325.

Now sauté the onion and poblanos until soft, then add the garlic and chipotles and stir for a minute or so. Now stir in the chili powder, cumin, brown sugar, salt, and oregano; stir for another minute or so until well mixed.

Now add the beer if using, crushed tomatoes with juice, the chili puree, and the tri-tip back to the pot, mixing well, and topping off with stock if needed to cover the meat. Cover, and throw in the oven for at least three hours, stirring every hour and adding chicken stock as needed. It’s ready when the tri-tip loosens up and begins to fall apart.

When it’s done, pull from the oven, let rest for 20-30 minutes, skim the fat, and then go to it.

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Friday Feast: Salt Roasted Spicy Shrimp

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Back a few years ago my lovely wife and I spent an interesting year and a half in Alabama (it’s a long story, for another time). We love much of the culture and food of the Deep South, though for reasons that aren’t really important here we weren’t necessarily in love with our city of residence at the time.

One of the saving graces of our time there, at least from the perspective now several years past, was our proximity to the Gulf of Mexico and it’s bounty of fresh seafood. We eventually found a little market in our community that drove fresh seafood up every night to sell the next morning, and we became regulars, elbowing through the crowds to get the best Royal Red shrimp before they quickly sold out.

While we love shrimp grilled over a wood fire, and boiled shrimp Gulf Coast style, we also grew to savor this Salt Roasted Spicy Shrimp recipe that I tweaked from one posted in Garden and Gun back in late 2014 or early 2015.

The shell-on shrimp (the recipe calls for head-on as well – your and my grandmothers were right in saying cooking the whole shrimp does add flavor) don’t get too salty despite being cooked in a bed of blisteringly hot, and well seasoned, rock salt. (Please note – we have seen a failure when a relative tried to cook shrimp using this recipe in kosher salt – this only works with genuine rock salt.) Can’t find head-on, shell-on shrimp in your market? No problem, I couldn’t when preparing this batch imaged here – they’ll still taste great.

The somewhat unusual array of spices spices add a wonderful yet subtle melody of flavors and the shrimp come out plump, firm, surprisingly moist, and peel easily.

2 pounds 20-25 head-on shrimp (in the shell)

3 pounds Rock salt
3 tbsp black peppercorns
2 tbsp whole coriander
5 bay leaves (make sure they’re fresh)
4-5 star anise
12-14 sprigs of fresh thyme
3 jalapeno peppers, stemmed and sliced
1 head garlic, smashed, loose skin removed
2 lemons, quartered, divided

Preheat your trusty oven to 475.

Build your seasoned salt by combing the rock salt, coriander, peppercorns, bay leaves, star anise, thyme, garlic, the sliced jalapeños, and four lemon quarters in a large bowl; mix well.

Pour or spoon roughly half the salt mixture into a large oven-safe dish; slide into the oven for 15 minutes to get good and hot.

Pull the hot dish (carefully!), add the shrimp evenly dispersed in a single layer and cover evenly with the remaining salt.

Now back into the oven for 8-10 minutes; pull it when they’re just cooked through (sometimes as early as 7 minutes if the shrimp are on the small side).

Carefully remove the shrimp from the salt (tongs in my kitchen) and serve immediately with the remaining lemon quarters and perhaps a cocktail sauce built upon a primal/paleo ketchup. Hot damn.

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Friday Feast: Back to Basics – Roasting Spaghetti Squash

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Now and again I’m reminded how we in the Primal/paleo/more healthy eating worlds take for granted a few foundational recipes that we reach for often, and yet might not be in the typical rotation for folks eating a standard North American diet.

Of late it seems a surprising number of folks have asked about roasting spaghetti squash, something we do a fair amount of around our camp during the late fall and through the winter season, if you can call what we experience here in North Texas a real winter season. After spending years and years in Montana, much of that time living and working daily on a family operated horse farm and show/training facility, we really began to understand what the winter season brought to the table.

Spaghetti squash are a nifty addition to the menu, and seem to be available just about everywhere we shop for them these days, at least in our greater neighborhood here. My favorite grocer typically only carries organic spaghetti squash of late, and I can bring home a big one (more than two of us can finish in one meal) for under 5 bucks.

Roasting spaghetti squash is so ridiculously easy this really doesn’t even rate a formal recipe presentation here on the blog.

To get started, all you need to do is slice the squash body in half “the long way” and scrape out the seed mass in the center of the squash. Chef friend Libby showed me the trick a few years back of using a grooved ice cream spoon to get this task done quickly.

And by the way, preheat the oven to 400 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.

We typically brush (onto the cut side of course) a tablespoon or so of a good olive or avocado oil, dust with kosher or our favorite salt of the day on hand, and dust with pepper. You simply then place cut side down on the prep baking sheet and bake for 40-45 minuets until a knife slides in easily. Some recommend piercing the tough outer skin with a fork, though when I forget to do so it never appears to matter one bit.

When done, remove from the oven, turn the halves cut side up, and let cool for 5-10 minutes. Then simply “flake” or scrape the strands of cooked spaghetti squash from the halves with a long-tined fork and serve.

In the lead picture above, we’ve topped the spaghetti squash with this amazing Lemon Bomb Piccata Sauce (and Parmesan Chicken), though my wife probably most prefers it steaming hot, topped with butter and parmesan, and perhaps a bit of chopped parsley or basil.

It really is delicious topped with a regular or meat-enhanced pasta sauce as well, and Libby often serves it with a handful of crisp-sautéed vegetables thrown in too…

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Friday Feast 7 February: Lemon Bomb Piccata Sauce

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With an eye toward a special Valentine’s day dinner coming up next week, here’s a nifty Lemon Bomb Piccata Sauce recipe perfect for fancy-ing up dinner, whether it’s completing a classic piccata chicken recipe, or drizzled over your favorite roasted vegetable hot from the oven or grill.

With the help of my friend Chef Libby in Austin I’ve been playing around with classic and not-so-classic piccata sauce recipes for little while now. Almost all the recipes you see out there feature, in some combination, the bursting acidity of fresh lemon, the umami of sautéed alliums (most often garlic and shallots), the briny funk of capers, along with a handful of other ingredients – including a healthy dose of fat (butter and/or olive oil), a reduced white wine or vermouth, and a bit of other liquids.

As one of our overarching goals here at Older Bolder helping you find great tasting food that’s geared to prepare efficiently in the home kitchen, this recipe also needed to be (relatively) easy to prepare at home, not too fussy in terms of ingredients or technique, and damned tasty.

This Lemon Bomb Piccata Sauce is right on target.

By the way, when we enjoy this recipe at home, we’re typically drizzling over chicken, shrimp, or a mild tasting fish (it’s really tasty on pork chops as well) as well as a vegetable side (most often oven-roasted during the cooler months, grilled during the warmer) – so note this recipe yields a fair amount of sauce. You can easily halve this one and it works like a charm.

And given that we really enjoy big flavors here at home, this recipe is very lemon forward (hence the ‘lemon bomb’ name), but as written it’s very very well balanced.

For this post, I’ve snapped a few quick images of the sauce served over thin-cut, pasture-raised chicken breasts, coated with a grated parmesan and almond flour dredge (quick recipe below), alongside a big dollop of roasted organic spaghetti squash. Wow, was this one good.

Finally, most classic piccata sauces call for the addition of a splash of white wine or vermouth; you can do it with or without as noted below without impacting the integrity of the sauce in any way. Of note, my lovely wife thinks it’s best with a splash of vermouth reduced down…

8 tbsp grass-fed butter
2 medium shallots, finely chopped
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 medium lemon, cut into half-moons
1/3 cup + 1 scant tbsp fresh lemon juice
3 tbsp capers, rough chop (can add more)
1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth (see note*)
Good salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Chopped parsley

For the quick sautéed chicken
2 large boneless/skinless chicken breasts, split horizontally and pounded to 1/4”
3 tbsp finely ground almond flour
3 tbsp finely grated parmesan
1 tsp good salt
1 tsp fresh ground pepper

Into a medium skillet over medium heat goes the butter, shallots, garlic cloves, lemon pieces, along with a generous pinch of good salt. As the butter melts, stir now and again, lowering the heat to medium low after about two minutes – you don’t want to caramelize the shallots or garlic, just soften them.

*If using a bit of wine or vermouth, add 1/4 cup now, and reduce until almost gone; then add the lemon juice and capers and stir for another two minutes, then add 1/3 cup of broth or water and bring to gentle simmer, stirring now and again until the sauce is glossy and smooth.

*If not using wine or vermouth, add the lemon juice and capers and stir for another two minutes, then add 1/2 cup of broth or water and bring to gentle simmer, stirring now and again until the sauce is glossy and smooth.

At this point remove from the heat, adjust for salt and pepper, and pour over your protein or veg and top with freshly chopped parsley.

Enjoy.

Beating the February (Winter) Blahs

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It’s gray. It’s cold and windy. There’s snow in the forecast (dammit, there even is here in the DFW metro area today). The flurry of the holiday season has come and gone, as has the shiny gloss on the New Year.

Beginning in particular for our own family roughly two decades ago living in northern Utah and later Montana, we always found the month of February long, cold, and dreary, and often reached the peak of the winter blahs this month.

In Montana especially, while we were running an equestrian operation and show barn (along with my medical practice), starting and ending every day with barn chores in the dark cold dampened enthusiasm of our crew (the entire family comprised “the crew”) mightily.

February in particular was always a challenge for us, if only we’d known then what the past few years have taught to fight back with…

Whole foods, cooked at home. After the flood of indulgent treats tempting you all holiday season (and perhaps the weeks following), now’s the time to dial things back and embrace the better food options that abound – we’re talking nutrient-dense, whole foods, quality proteins, and good fats. Innovate with recipes and reach for a few different ingredients that are novel and interesting.

Sleep, sleep, sleep. Most of us have room to further optimize and improve our sleep habits and hygiene. Short days and lack of true daylight exposure can wreak havoc on your sleep cycle; be intentional and dial this one in.

Move all day. Granted, moving all day during the winter for those in winter climes can be a challenge – some days it’s simply impossible to take that quick walk outside around the office, shop, or school. Intention matters, small burst of movement and activity add up, and incorporating micro-workouts can really help.

Fitness matters (go ahead, change the routine, and grab some new gear). Several clients this year have had particular difficulty keeping their fitness and workout routines in play during Q4.19 and Q1.20. There are a number of ways to address this one – it may be time for a new class, a winter gym membership, or perhaps my favorite – a new home program DVD/subscription or new equipment (heavier kettlebells for us this year).

Update your winter wardrobe. It’s unbelievably easier to be active in winter (and the shoulder seasons too if you live up north) if you update your winter / cold weather gear. Today’s tech fabrics make layering up to meet whatever weather challenge is on the docket today a piece of cake, and you can tailor your updated wardrobe to suit your fashion sense and activity demands with endless options.

Gain strength in numbers. Genuine fellowship is vital for all of us year round, but having a workout buddy, group, club, or even a gym squad can make a world of difference when the winter blahs drain your daily motivation to keep things moving.

Implement a news and social media fast. The world will keep spinning without you updating your social feeds and seeing who said what in the news today. More on this topic to come, and by the way, turn the damned TV off to.

Plan ahead for bumps in the road, and remember how easy it is to recover. Personally I find it most challenging to be compliant with a keto/Primally-focused nutrition plan, the food plan that makes me feel the very best month-in and month-out, during the holiday and immediate-post holiday window.

I’m a HUGE believer in the value of being metabolically flexible, and while that does allow the occasional indulgence without disrupting your health and fitness dramatically, there’s a big difference on what I could and what I really should eat.

Those who thought it was difficult to break your initial carb-dependency need to be particularly cautious of wandering too far off the healthy path (whatever that might be for you). At least getting back on the wagon can always be done, and now you know how to best make that work for you.

Be pro-active when that runny nose and scratchy throat show up. And finally, it’s cold and flu season – even being mindful of exposures there are times when exposure is simply out of your control. Be damned proactive when the first sign of symptoms start or when you’ve had a known, significant exposure.

Hang in there; spring isn’t that far off…