Older Bolder Life

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the Older Bolder Life Vegetable Wednesday 15 August: Grilled Balsamic and Garlic Butter Mushrooms

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Talking with our compadre Chef Libby in Austin this past week, I asked her (as I love to do) what the most popular foods have been that she and her team in Austin have crafted and served in her busy catering business over the past few weeks.

She mentioned several incredibly tasty sounding items, but these Grilled Balsamic and Garlic Butter Mushrooms sounded particularly good at the time.

Libby reminded me of the simple fact that there are dozens of variations of this pretty-much effortless recipe floating around out there. She likes to add just a hint of fresh thyme to the balsamic-based marinade, and most often finishes hers with a bit of basil cut in chiffonade.

She also insisted that the garlic butter be drizzled on after the mushrooms come off the grill (or else the garlic flavor washes out a bit on the grill), and finally she offered that browning the butter and garlic deepens the flavor a bit as well.

Thanks Libby!

3 pounds smallish button mushrooms (mix and match types), halved
3 tbsp good balsamic vinegar
1 and 1/2 tbsp tamari, coconut aminos, or soy sauce
6 garlic cloves, trimmed and minced, divided into two equal parts
3 tbsp good butter
Good salt to taste

Optional:
Add 1 tsp fresh thyme to the marinade
Chiffonade flat-leaf parsley or fresh basil for a garnish

Combine the balsamic vinegar, tamari/coconut aminos/soy sauce, half the garlic, and the thyme if using in a small mixing bowl. Set aside.

Trim and halve the mushrooms, then toss them into a resealable plastic bag. Now pour the marinade mixture over the mushrooms, squish things around to make sure the mushrooms are well coated, seal tightly, and set on the counter for an hour or so (at least 30 minutes).

Fire the grill; while it’s heating up, drain the mushrooms and thread onto skewers. Also, melt the butter in a small skillet or saucepan, then add the remainder of the garlic.

Now grill the mushrooms over medium-high heat (real wood/real wood charcoal plays amazingly well here) until well marked and softened a bit; 3-5 minutes per side pending your fire.

Pull the mushrooms, drizzle with the garlic butter, and set out immediately. You family and guests will be fighting over these…

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Salsa Sunday 12 August: Jicama Radish Salsa

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We’re always on the lookout for unusual, interesting, and tasty salsas around our camp, and this Jicama Radish Salsa fits the bill on all counts.

A few weeks ago we were dining with friends, enjoying some of the best grass-fed ribeyes we’ve eaten (BuckCreek Meats) in a long time; they served the steaks (perfectly medium-rare I must say) with this tasty salsa and a wonderful salad.

The salsa offers a crunchy texture with the jicama and radishes, the cooling, melon-like flavor note of the cucumber, with a tart citrus burst of lime, finished with a little spice and interest from the ground chile.

Wow, this one is really good.

1 medium jicama, peeled and diced small (about a cup and a half)
10 medium radishes, trimmed and diced the same size as the jicama
1 cup cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
3-4 tbsp fresh lime juice (start with 3)
3 tbsp red onion, diced small
1-2 tsp ground arbol chile (start with one)
1 tsp good salt (or more to taste)
Optional: 1/4 tsp sugar of choice

Stir everything together within an hour of serving; adjust lime juice, ground chile, and salt to taste.

Hold in the fridge if not using immediately, but don’t forget to set it out to warm slightly (room temp) 15-20 minutes before spooning over your ribeye.

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Sauce and Salsa Sunday 5 August: Home Brewed Hot Sauces

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I first wrote about our fascination with home crafted hot sauces on ChiWulff (a fly fishing blog) a few years back –

First loves create powerful memories.

I remember the day that I fell in love with the grand-daddy of all hot sauces, the veritable, white-oak-barrel-aged Tabasco; I must have been all of 7 or 8 that day.

My little brother and I were ensconced at our grandfather’s beach cabin on the Gulf of Mexico in South Texas; we had just sat down to a hot lunch at the red-checkered table-clothed picnic table on the screen porch. Parents were off galavanting in Houston so we had the run of the place (at least in our minds).

Ma-Ma (maw-maw) had been slaving away for an hour over the old gas stove, frying up round steak coated in freshly crushed cracker crumbs (after a flour and egg wash of course) to a crispy golden brown just like you’re salivating over right now.

Being good children of the South back in the day, we waited until the adults were served and then were allotted our share of that day’s treasure, which included creamy mashed potatoes and garden beans.

I watched in awe as Pa-Pa slathered his steak in Tabasco; wordlessly he reached over and set the bottle down right in front of my plate.

My duty was clear.

I mimicked his hot sauce application the best I could, whacked off a mouthful of the ambrosial steak and went on to experience that first eye-popping, tongue searing burn of the hot sauce world. Surely beads of sweat broke out on my preadolescent forehead; I coughed and sputtered, my nose ran and my eyes watered.

But my fate was sealed, I was forever thereafter a lover of the Other Red Gold.

Jake (my son) and I went so far as to start collecting hot sauces years ago (he has in the neighborhood of 200), though for daily use it’s been classic Tabasco (there are seven flavors now) and Crystal.

This fall, however, we’ve stumbled across a new treasure – fresh, floral home grown hot sauce made from peppers right off the plant.

We been experimenting a bit, and while this is not a classic, full-bodied, fermented hot sauce, we’ve found that by experimenting with different combinations of peppers a mind-blowing array of flavors (and heat) is possible. (Try a simple green sauce with jalapenos alone or throw a poblano in to deepen the flavor a bit…)

Here’s a fairly basic recipe using friendly Fresno chiles to get you started…

1 and 1/4 pound stemmed fresh chiles (see above)
2 heaping tbsp. pickling salt (or kosher salt without anti-caking agents)
1 and 1/2 cups good quality distilled white vinegar (maybe just a wee bit more)

Wash and stem the chiles then combine in a food processor with the salt. Pulse until a coarse puree forms; scrape the sides as needed.

Now pour the pepper mash into a one quart lidded jar (your run of the mill caning jar is just perfect) and let the mash ferment at a cool room temperature for up to 36 hours. You’re really not actually fermenting the mash here, you’re just aging it a bit and giving the salt time to start extracting the flavors from the chile puree.

Pour in the vinegar, stir to combine well, then loosen the lid and back on the counter it goes, at a cool room temperature, for another 7-10 days. Some folks like to taste it every other day or even every day, you’ll notice the flavor deepening after 3 or 4 days.

Finally, pour the vinegar mash into your trusty blender (or back into the food processor) and puree until very smooth (be patient, this will take at least a minute). Strain through a fine mesh sieve; again this will take a bit of time. We always end up fiddling with the mash in the sieve, scraping it, squishing it and doodling until every possible drop of goodness has dripped through.

Now you’re ready to pour your creation into a bottle (or two), cap it and cool in the fridge. Our hot sauce mentor who taught us insists its good for four months though it never lasts that long.

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Friday Feast 3 August: Grilled Southwestern Lamb Shoulder Tacos

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This recipe fell in my lap one September afternoon last year; I was attending an outdoor cooking demonstration put on by a gifted hunting and game chef (Killer Chefs) – he was cooking an amazing looking (and tasting) dove, pan-seared in butter, garlic, and thyme, before being finished on a grill to crisp it up a bit for serving.

I was chatting with several other interested cooks (and eaters) in the crowd and ended up trading recipes for leg of lamb with one gentleman who shared about a Grilled Southwestern Spiced Lamb Shoulder Taco he had recently prepared for a gathering.

Within a week I’d made up several versions of his recipe and we ended up liking this one the best; you need plan ahead a bit as it needs overnight time in the marinade, but it’s well worth it and makes a great primal/paleo centerpiece for your next shindig.

5-6 pound bone-in leg of lamb roast (about 3-4 pounds boneless), butterflied

Marinade
1/2 cup olive oil, divided
6 cloves garlic, crushed
2-3 jalapeño peppers, stemmed, seeded, minced
2 small shallots, chopped small
5 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tbsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons good salt
2 teaspoons fresh ground pepper

Taco fixin’s
Fresh corn tortillas if you’re using those now and again
Otherwise fresh lettuce leaves
A great salsa or two (consider this one or this one)
Cheese: crumbled cotija, feta, or even goat cheese
Avocado slices or dices
Freshly sliced red radishes
Maybe even uber fresh green onions sliced on the bias
Whatever the heck else goes in your tacos
Salt and pepper

Stir together the marinade ingredients, pour into a large resealable plastic bag, add the lamb shoulder, seal it up and goosh it around until the lamb is covered with liquid and spices. Throw it in the fridge overnight.

When ready to cook, fire the grill, and grill the butterflied lamb for 6-8 minutes per side (an internal temp of about 145) for medium-rare. Pull it and rest the meat for at least 10-15 minutes.

Now slice across the grain into taco-sized slices and start working on those taco masterpieces; you’ll have some great leftovers for the next few days too.

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Vegetable Wednesday 1 August: Quick Pickled Beets (and Onions)

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Growing up in a fairly austere food-household in my younger years, I’m not sure at what point I developed a taste for pickled beets. One of my grandmothers was an avid gardner and she loved to “put up” all sorts of pickled goods; her cucumber pickles (fermented dills, sweets, as well as bread and butters) were great, as were her pickled okra and “dilly beans”.

She made her pickled beets in small, crinkle-cut cubes; they were over-sweetened by primal / paleo standards but fit the cuisine of the day in South Texas, but man, oh man, they were astoundingly good.

She liked to add a bit of red or sweet onion to her pickled beets, and we do too.

We like to mix it up a bit when making quick pickles out of various root vegetables (try radishes sometime) by varying the spices we add, hence the list of consider adding spices below. Try various combinations and find your (or your family’s) favorite(s), and by all means vary the vinegars as well. The recipe below is scaled for a single quart jar by the way.

With beets coming into the farmer’s markets now, it’s time to “put some up” as my grandmother used to say…

3-4 medium size beets, trimmed
1 small red onion, trimmed, peeled, thinly sliced
1 cup apple cider vinegar
or
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar + 1/2 cup unseasoned rice wine vinegar
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp pickling salt

Water as needed

Consider adding
1 tbsp pickling spice mix
Cloves (1 or 2)
Allspice berries (2-4)
Peppercorns (3-6)
A cinnamon stick
Honey (1-2 tbsp)

Trim the beets, wash (scrub) them thoroughly, throw in a pot and cover with water; bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes until they can be easily pierced with a fork or knife.

Remove the beets from the heat, drain and rinse with cold water; when cool enough to handle, slip off the skins, and slice into approximately 1/4-inch thick slices.

Start a pot over medium heat with the vinegar(s), bay leaf, salt, and whatever spices from the “consider adding” list you want to try. Stir the honey in if using. When boiling, turn off the heat and set aside.

While the vinegar mixture is heating up, take a sterilized one-quart canning jar and layer the sliced beets and onions in artfully, taking care to pack fairly tightly. When full, pour the just-boiled liquids over the beets, leaving about 1/2-inch headspace.

Leave on the counter to cool, then screw on the lid and into the fridge they go. The beets will be better a day or two down the road, but will be tasty within a few hours of setting them up. With appropriate cautions, they’re probably good for up to two weeks, but ours never last that long.

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Salsa (Sauce) Sunday 29 July: Quick Columbian Aji Sauce

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While I have to admit that I’ve never dined anywhere in Columbia, our friends in the know shared this recipe with us several years ago to enjoy with this Columbian Marinated Flank.

This tasty Aji Sauce is supposedly a kissing cousin of the delicious Brazilian Chimichurri sauce, another favorite of ours, though we’ve come to appreciate the sharp spiciness of this Aji recipe even more.

If you’re handy with some simple knife work, this one can be together in under five minutes; we’ve eaten it with just about every protein imaginable, but it seems to shine with beef, pork, and firm, white-fleshed fish. And as always, if you want a bit more heat, pile on the peppers…

4 large jalapenos, stemmed, seeded, and roughly chopped
3 large green onions, roughly chopped
1/2 sweet onion, roughly chopped
1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp lime juice, fresh preferred
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper

Throw the jalapenos, green onions, sweet onion, and cilantro into your trusty food processor and puree until a coarse paste forms. Add the vinegar and pulse again.

Now pour/scrape into a small bowl, and stir in the lime juice, salt, and pepper, adjust with more of each to suit your palate.

Throw in the fridge, covered, until ready to use; best made close to your meal.

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Friday Feast 27 July: Judy’s Grilled Salmon

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Several weeks ago when posting this recipe for Lemony Spiced Salmon Kabobs, I shared about a clandestine fresh Alaskan salmon connection we had years ago up in Salt Lake City –

Years ago, living and working in the Salt Lake City valley, we befriended a couple who, among a bevy of interesting quirks, were partners with another guy in a small Alaskan fishing business.

This ‘other guy’ had a boat and spent a fair part of every summer up there and fished (commercially); he sold some of his take to the big canneries, but some, he packed up on ice in coolers, threw on a direct Delta flight, and were then sold by our friends out of their garage, most often 24 hours or less out of the water. And at prices far, far less than local fish markets (there weren’t multiple hands clamoring to take a cut out of the pie).

The halibut was amazing, but the salmon was simply stunning.

The guy’s wife, a wonderful woman named Judy, taught us this quick and easy marinade for salmon the first summer after we’d met. We like to set it up the night before grilling, and it’s well worth using a handful of fresh dill in the marinade. We like to stir in a tbsp or more of chili garlic paste (it adds a very subtle but discernible note), and while Judy’s original recipe called for a tbsp of brown sugar, we don’t miss it all leaving it out these days.

1-2 wild caught salmon fillet(s), pin bones removed

1 cup soy or tamari
Juice of one large lemon
1/2 lemon cut into thin rounds
1 bunch fresh dill, trimmed
1/4 cup olive or avocado oil

Optional
1 tbsp oriental chili paste or chili garlic paste
1 tbsp brown sugar or maple syrup

Prep your salmon (pull those pin bones!) and combine all the marinade ingredients, then pour into a large, flat container. Lay the salmon flesh side down in the marinade, cover, and throw in the fridge.

When ready to grill, fire the grill, drain and discard the marinade, and grill skin side down first on an oiled grill for 3-4 minutes, then turn and cook for another minute or two until done to suit your clan. Great hot off the grill or chilled for the next day’s salad.

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Vegetable Wednesday 25 July: Versatile Vegetable Kimchi

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Recognizing that it’s supposed to be hot during the dog days of high summer, the past few weeks here (just north of the DFW metroplex) have been scorching – 112 on the hottest day in our little neighborhood.

We find ourselves reach more and more for something crisp and cool to accompany proteins for dinner, and while slaws and salads are on the menu often, we sometimes get a hankering for something with a bit more flavor and acidity.

We’d played with making traditional kimchi in years past, though had our eyes opened to pushing the kimchi boundaries a bit after fighting over the last bit of collard green kimchi on a butter bean hummus plate at Ida Claire in Dallas a couple of years ago (served with a great array of vegetables by the way).

At one point I reached out to chef friend Libby in Austin to pick her brain about kimchi, and she suggested we try her quick Versatile Vegetable Kimchi recipe below. She noted that she makes it with what ever vegetables look good and are handy, including cucumbers, carrots, radishes, beets, and even turnips.

She offered up a few key pieces of additional advice as well, including a reminder that the recipe is best considered to be a framework to start from– e.g. if you like more ginger, put it in, and that if you’re going to age it longer than a few days, it’s probably best not to use the darkest green parts of your scallions as they tend to get a bit slimy the longer they sit in the pot or jar. She serves it within a few days of stirring a batch together at catering events, as the taste is milder; the longer you let it sit in the fridge, the taste gets a bit more “funky” as fermentation works its magic.

2 lb cucumbers, ends trimmed, cut into 3/4 inch pieces
3 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon sugar

10 scallions, cut on diagonal into 1 inch pieces, use the white and pale green sections
1/3 cup (or more) gochugaru (Korean red chile flakes, coarse) OR
1.5 tablespoons crushed red pepper flakes, ground
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
1 tablespoons fish sauce

Veg options: radishes, carrots, beets, turnips, string beans, asparagus

Toss your prepped vegetable of choice, the salt, and sugar in a large bowl; now let it sit (covered with a clean towel) at room temperature for 2-3 hours to begin to pull some water out of the vegetables.

Add the remainder of the ingredients, stirring to mix well and make sure everything is coated.

Spoon into clean quart jars, making sure to divide the liquid equally among the jars, leaving about an inch of headspace. Cover loosely and leave on the counter (out of direct sunlight) for up to two days to begin the magic of fermentation. YOU CAN of course start eating on a jar right away, seems like we always do…

Once you’re happy with evidence of fermentation, throw in the fridge, where the flavors will deepen and mature over the next week as fermentation slowly moves onward. Supposedly this will keep for up to two months in the fridge; we can’t ever make it that long (they only last about a week or so in our kitchen).

Enjoy.