Pork Riblets Simmered in Carmel Sauce (Xu"o"n Kho)

This recipe starts with Baby Back Ribs with a sauce that is almost like candy making - the sugar cooks to the edge of burning. You can make extra, bottle it, and use it for other purposes.  Understand that this recipe takes a lot of time and requires very close attention to the cooking steps.  It is a challenge, but well worth it, if you are successful.  Enjoy the fun of cooking this one.  Serves 6

Ingredients 

• 3 lb. Baby Back Portk Ribs, cut in half crosswise by a butcher and separated into riblets. 
• ½ small Yellow Onion, peeled and minced (¼ cup)
• 2 Cups plus 2 TB Sugar.
• 1 Teaspoon freshly ground Black Pepper
• 2 TB Vegetable Oil
• ¼ Cup Vietnamese Fish Sauce, divided.
• Thinly sliced Scallions for garnish
• Steamed Jasmine rice, for serving (optional)

Procedure

1. To a large bowl, add the Pork, Onion, 2 teaspoons Sugar, the Black Pepper, Oil and 2 TB Fish Sauce.  Toss to combine and coat the Ribs. Marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
2. Meanwhile, preheat a broiler to high and line a large rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Transfer the Riblets to the baking sheet and broil, turning once, until the meat is charred in places, 15-20 minutes.  Remove from the broiler and set aside.
3. Fill a large bowl with ice water and set it by the stove.
4. In a large pot, stir together the remaining 2 cups of Sugar and ⅓ Cup tap water.  Cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves, 4-5 minutes.  Uncover and continue cooking until the sugar turns dark reddish-brown (370°F on a candy thermometer), 10-15 minutes. Remove from the heat and immediately set the bottom of the pot in the ice water to stop the cooking. 
5. Add 1 Cup of cold water to the pot, return it to medium heat, and cook, stirring continously, until the carmel has liquified. Add the reserved riblets and any accumulatede juices, as well as the remainig 2 TB Fish Sauce, them bring to a simmer.
6. Partially cover the pot, lower the heat to maintain a simmer, and cook, skimming and discarding the fat occasionally, until the port is very tender, about 1 hour.
7. Top with scallions and serve with rice or as an appetizer. 

Barbecued Shrimp

Turns out, New Orleans style barbecued shrimp nevers hits a grill!  At first, I was concerned that Commander's Palace had sent me a recipe riddled with typos, given its dizzying measurements of mis-matched ingredients: fresh Rosemary steeped in Crystal hot sauce, and 6 tablesooons of Worcestershire where I'd normally use a dash?  But, the sharp and buttery results fashioned a powerful memory (while visiting New Orleans during my tour in the Naval Air Reserve in Millington, Tennessee (ourside of Memphis), as I leaned over the counter (at Commander's Palace), using warm bread to wipe up every bit of sauce.  Enjoy. Serves 4

Ingredients

• 16 Jumbo Shrimp (1 lb.), peeled and deveined (tails left on)
• 2 TB. Creole or Cajun Seasoning, preferable Tony Chachere's
• ¼ cup Canola Oil
• 4 Garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 TB. finely chopped Fresh Rosemary
• ½ Cup light to medium Lager, prefereably Abita Amber
• ¼ Cup plus 2 TB hot sauce, preferably Crystal Brand
• ¼ Cup plus 2 TB Worcestershire Sauce
• ¼ Cup plus 1 TB Fresh Lemon Juice
• 12 TB cold, unsalted butter cut into small pieces
• Cooked Grits or Crusty French Breas for serving

Procedure

1. To a medium bowl, add the Shrimp and Creole seasoning, and toss well to coat.  Set aside to marinate at room temperature.
2. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the oil and garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the Garlic is fragrant and just beginning to color, about 1 minute. 
3. Add the Rosemary and cook for a few seconds more before adding the Shrimp.  Cook, flipping the Shrimp once, until they begin to turn pink, about 30 seconds per side.  Transfer to a large plate and set aside.
4. Return the skillet to medium heat, then add the Lager, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and lemon juice.  Cook, stirring and scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pan until the sauce has thickened enough to lighly coat the back of a spoon, 7-8 minutes. 
5. Turn off the heat and begin whisking in the butter a few pieces at a time.  The sauce will thicken further as the butter is incorporated.
6. Add the reserved Shrimp to the skillet, toss to coat, and return to medium heat. Cook 2-3 minutes more, then transfer to a deep serving dish and serve immediately with either Grits or Bread for dipping. 

French Onion Soup

James Edisto Mitchell was an illustrator and artist.  He studied in Paris at the Academy de la Grande Chaumiere and with modernist artist, Edouard Goerg.  Postward Paris had a lifelong influence on James as an artist and a cook.  Shane Mitchell, James' son, found a recipe for French Onion Soup in his fathers letters.  This recipe was adapted from his father's recipe by Shane.   His father recommends to ask your butcher not to trim or scrape down to the marrowbones: their meat, fat, and connective tissue contribute significant flavor and body to the soup. This recipe serves 6.

Ingredients

For the Stock:

• 3 Large Beef Marrowbones (4½ lb.)
• 2 Large Carrots (12 oz.)
• 2 Medium Celery stalks (3 oz.)
• 1 Large Yellow Onion (14½ oz.), unpeeled, halved
• 2 Garlic cloves, unpeeped, smashed
• 2 Small Dried Hot Chilies, such as Bird, Arbor, or Kashmiri 
• 1 Small bunch Italian Parsley
• 1 Small bunch fresh Thyme
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 1 TB. Black Peppercorns
• 1 TB. Kosher Salt

For the Soup:

• 10 TB. unsalted Butter, divided
• 4 Large Yellow Onions (3½ lb.). peeled, halved lengthwise, and sliced ½ inch thick (yields 11 Cups).
• 1 Teaspoon Sugar
• 1 Fresh Baguette, cut into twelve ½ inch slices
• 2 Garlic cloves, peeled and halved
• 2 Cups coarsely grated Gruyêre Cheese
• 2 Cups coarsely grated Parmesan Cheese
• 1 Cup Dry White Wine
• ¼ Cup Dry Sherry
• Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Procedure

The following steps are very detailed.  They are included so that the reader understands the process used by James to make his favorite French Onion Soup.

1. Make the stock: preheat oven to 400°F.  Line a large rimmed baking sheet with aluminium foil, place the bones on it, transfer to the oven, and roast until the bones are sizzling and browned and most of the fat has rendered, about 1 hour. 
2. In a large stockpot, add the bones (reserving the pan drippings) and the rest of the stock ingredients.  Cover with 1 gallon cold water, then place over high heat and bring to a boil.  Skim and discard any form that forms on the surface, then lower the heat to maintain a strong simmer.  Cook, uncovered until the liquid has reduced by half, about 2½ hours.
3. Remove the stock from the heat and set aside to cool slightly.  Line a large mesh strainer with cheesecloth and place it over a large heatproof bowl.  Strain the stock, discarding the solids, and let it rest for 10 minutes. Skim and discard and grease that collects on surface.  Measure 8 cups of the stock and reserve any extra for later. 
4. Make the soup.  In a large pot or deep skillet over medium heat, add 8 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of of the reserved beef drippings.  When the foam begins to subside, add onions and sugar, and season lightly with salt and pepper.  Cook stirring frequently, until the onions have entirely wilted 8-10 minutes, then lower the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring frequently, until they turn soft and golden brown but have not yet completely broken down, 60-70 minutes.  Turn off the heat, then cover to keep the onions warm as you finish the soup.
5. Spread the remaining butter on both sides of the baguette slices.  In a heavy skillet over medium-high heat, toast the bread on both sides until crispy and browned, 8-10 minutes.  Rub each slice all over with the cut side of a garlic clove, the set the toast aside.
6. In a large bow, combine the cheeses and set aside.
7. Preheat the broiler and place an oven rack directly below it. Meanwhile, wash out the stock pot and return it to medium-high heat. Add the reserved 8 cups of beef stock, bring to a bowl, then add the white wine and sherry.  Lower the heat to maintain a simmer, and cook just until you can no longer smell the alcohol, 5-7 minutes.  Season to taste with salt and pepper. 
8. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil, and place 6 oven proof soup bowls on it.  Divide the onions between the bowls (about ¼ cup in each), then ladle the hot broth into each bowl to cover the onions. 
9. Cover each bowl with one or two slices of toast (depends upon the size of the soup bowls), then pile them generously with the reserved cheese.  Carefully transfer the bowls to the broiler and cook until the cheese is melted, bubbly, and browned in places, 5-10 minutes.
10. Serve immediately. 

Papa's Spicy Peanut Brittle - 2022

So, I have learned a great deal over the years about making peanut brittle.  So, it is time for yet another update (2022).  I have found even more new techniques and changes in the amounts for some ingredients for creating this great brittle. Six major changes are reflected here, these include: 1) cooking the sugar to only 278 degrees; 2) reducing the amount of peanuts to 2-⅓ cups from 3 cups; 3) adhering to the humidity in the room (very important); 4) constantly stirring the mixture; and 5) where to pour out and flatten the mixure for cooling.  These issues are very, very important.  If the hunidty is higher that 40% the brittle may not setup correctly and might be sticky when it cools.  The density of the cooked sugar and peanuts must be balanced so that the mixtures can be spread more easily.  I have learned a great deal about stirring during cooking and the size of the steel pot to use when you make the brittle.  Finally, you need to keep the cookie tray hot from the oven so that the mixture has time to flatten out before starting to cool.  I normally turn on two cook top burners to low.  Get them warm and then turn off the burners.  When you pour the peanut brittle mixture into the pan, the pan should be sitting on top of the two burners.  It works great to allow more time to spread out the brittle.  An alternative is to put the cookies tray on the oven door once open and pour the brittle there.  I am still looking for the best vessel to use to cook the brittle.  Some say copper is the way to go.  More later.   For now, have fun.

• I use a 4.5 quart stainless steel pot that has a radius of 9.5 inches.   I find that a larger size base works better than a smaller pot.
• You need to stir the mixture during cooking.  I let the mixture get to about 245 degrees.  At this point, I add butter one tablespoons at a time to the mxture.  Mix each time you add the butter.  Stir until the butter is fully incorporated and the mxiture turns a lighter caramel in color. Continue to stir again to 278 degrees (soft crack)  At this point, you add the baking soda.    I take the mixture off the fire after adding the baking soda at 277.  Finally, moving very quickly add the peanuts, stir well and take out the cookie sheet and put it on the oven door (which should be hot) and then pour out the mixture and level and spread out.  

Enjoy.

Ingredients

• 2 cups white sugar or Sugar in the Raw.
• 1/2 cup Light corn syrup (for some reason, dark corn syrup does not work as well).
• 1/4 cup water.
• 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. Cayenne pepper to taste (or, up to 1 tsp. to make this stuff really hot).
• 1/4 teaspoon salt.
• 1/4 cup plus 1 TB unsalted softened butter (1/2 stick plus 1 TB butter).
• 1 TB Vanilla Extract.
• 1 tsp. Baking Soda.
• 2-1/3  cups lightly salted, dry roasted peanuts, I use Planters.

Procedure

• Preheat over to 175 degrees.
• Put the 2-1/3 cups of peanuts in an oven proof bowl and warm peanuts in oven.
• Spray a cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray (such as Pam) and put in the oven to warm the cookie sheet. 
• Doing the above two warming steps helps immensely when you mix and spread the brittle.  By preheating the peanuts you do not cool down the syrup mixture.  And, by preheating the cookie sheet, you are able to spead out the brittle easier. 
• In wide mouthed pot, over medium heat, combine sugar, corn syrup, water, cayenne pepper, vanilla extract, and salt in a pot (be careful to not burn the sugar - maxium heat setting should be medium). Stir until the sugar dissolves and starts to bubble.
• Clip a candy thermometer on the side of the pot and boil mixture stirring until temperature reaches 278 degrees. 
• Add softened butter (one tablespoons at a time) at 245 degrees and stir until fully melted and combined.
• Cook until you reach 278 degrees.
• Lower the stove to low setting or take the pot off the heat.  And, then sprinkle baking soda over the syrup and stir. The contents should bubble and froth.  Further, the liquid will start to look dull and will slightly lighten in color.  Once this condition is reached, stir in the warmed peanuts and combined until the peanuts are completely covered.
• Quickly pour mixture evenly onto prepared (warmed) cookie sheet pan.  Make sure the cookie sheet is laying on the open oven door.   Use the back of a large metal spoon or a spatula to spread the brittle in the pan while it is still warm. To perfect this task might take a few tries. 
• At this point, I have a great new piece of advice. As I noted above, never cook the brittle when the humidity is over 40%.  A dear friend of mine who is a chocolate maker, suggested that once the brittle is ready to cool, but the humidity is over 40%, do the following.  Set a second oven to 100 degrees for 5 minutes.  The humidity in this oven should be about 10-20%.  So, put the prepared brittle into the second oven for about 30 minutes.  At that point, the brittle should be set.  You can bring it out to break up if it is set.  Otherwise, keep it in the second oven until it is easy to break up into pieces.  
• Cool completely and break into pieces. 

Some additional noted about cooking peanut brittle.  

• Keep a hygrometer in your kitchen to ensure that the humidity in your home is no greater than 40 percent. Alternatively, check your local weather broadcast and watch for your region's humidity forecast. The relative humidity of your region and home has a powerful effect on how the ingredients are able to bind together to form crunchy peanut brittle.  Use a second oven set to 100 degrees for 5 minutes to setup the brittle when the humidty is over 40%. 
• Check that you measured the corn syrup according to the recipe before adding it to the rest of the ingredients. Lightly coat the measuring cup with oil first, so that the corn syrup simply slides out. This will ensure that all the corn syrup from your measuring cup ends up in your bowl.
• Additing baking soda injects millions of tiny bubbles into the candy, making it more delicate and crispy as it hardens and cools.
• Use a candy thermometer to check the temperature of the brittle. During the cooking stage, continue stirring the candy until the temperature reaches 278 degrees Fahrenheit, which is the soft/hard crack stage. This is the point at which the syrup solidifies when it's cooled. The issue is that when you are close to these temperatures the mixture can burn. Keep stirring the mixture until it reaches temperature will help to reduce burning. 
• After pouring and spreading the mixture onto the cookie sheet, try to cool the peanut brittle on a surface at room temperature. This will speed the cooling process and make for a crispier candy. 
• Store peanut brittle in an airtight container. This will minimize the amount of moisture the candy can absorb. 

Spaghetti alla Puttanesca

Okay, my favorite pasta dish of all time is Puttanesca.  My next favorite is Cacio e pepe. Both are classic Italian dishes.  Puttanesca means "Lady of the Night".  It derives its name as a late night preparation requested by the Ladies of the Night.   While I appreciate that some folks do not like Anchovies, you should not fear.  This pasta dish is so complex that you will never know the exact things you are tasting.   The sauce once cooked down is earthy and Oh-so flavorful that you will not mind what is in it.  The best Puttanesca (and Cacio e pepe for that matter) I have ever had in the United States was at Ristorante La Toscana in San Rafael, California.  The classic dish does not come with any seafood.  However, at La toscana they top the dish with three prawns.  While visiting Carmel, I had a seafood Puttanesca at the Old Fisherman's Grotto on the tourist wharf in Monterey.  They added Prawns, Scallops and Salmon.  I ask to hold the fish.  Their version was very, very good.  So, here goes, one of the best pasta dishes you will ever eat.  Buon Appetito.  

Ingredients

• ¼ Cup Extra-virgin Olive Oil
• 4 large Garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 28.2 ounce can peeled tomatoes in puree with basil (find Italian tomatoes).
• ½ Cup Kalamata Olives, halved, pitted
• 3 Anchovy fillets, chopped
• 1-½ TB drained Capers
• 1 Teaspoon Dried Oregano
• ½ Teaspoon Dried Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
• ¾ Pound Spaghetti
• 2 TB chopped fresh Italian Parsley
• 3 medium sized prawns, shelled with tail attached and deveined.
• Grated Parmesan Cheese

Procedure

• Heat Oil in saute pan over medium heat.
• Add garlic and saute until fragreant, about 1 minute
• Add tomatores with puree, olives, anchovies, capers, oregano, and crushed red peppers
• Simmer sauce over medium-low heat until thickened, breaking up tomatoes with spoon, about 8 minutes.  
• Add prawns.
• Season with salt and pepper.

• Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of bling salted water until al dente (still firm to bite).
• Drain pasta, return to same pot.  
• Add sauce with prwans and parsley.  Toss over low hear until sauce coats the prawns and pasta, about 2-3 minutes.  Make sure prawns are cooked, pink in color and not translucent.
• Serve immediately with cheese.