The magic of Mirapoix

Mirapoix, pronounced 'Meer Pwaa' as far as I know, is a magical base to many soups in many cuisines.  Comprised of at least three vegetables chopped into small pieces, the goal is to saute the mix til the aromas are freed, and then use it to create a soup or sauce base.

The vegetables chosen change by region and chef, but onion, celery, and carrot are traditional.  Cajun folks may replace the celery with green peppers and call it 'The Trinity'. Other folks may add/subtract in their own turn.   The point is... the blend results in flavor. 

Cooked down til just sweated a bit, or as I do.... sauteed in butter til showing color, Mirapoix creates a flavorful base upon which to build any amount of soups and stews.  

Cook down a few massive handfuls of mushrooms with butter and garlic, add to the Mirapoix with some chicken stock.  Simmer for about an hour, cool a bit, and then into the blender with some cream.  Ta Da!  Maybe the best tasting mushroom cream soup one can make.

Make up enough Mirapoix to line a dutch oven, and then lay a big beef roast (properly seared, of course) on the Mirapoix bed.  Roast til tender and just medium rare in the middle (125-130 degrees).   What is left in the pot?  With just a quick blend it's a beautiful gravy ready to go, and the roast benefits greatly from resting on the Mirapoix.

Whatever you choose to use it for, give Mirapoix a try.  It's versatile, flavorful, easy, and magical.

 

Man, Meat, and Fire.... some assembly requirred.

Porterhouse steaks, seasoned with ground pepper and Kosher salt, set to rest an hour.

Herself's boy child is learning the manly Voodoo of The Grill. Naturally I support this right of passage 100%. His Strip Steaks last week were perfection.

To note that support, I am supplying Boy with these here Porterhouse steaks this afternoon, which I have just seasoned and left to warm on the counter.  Fresh ground black pepper, Kosher salt, and a little wave of love.

I've also put together a compound butter with roast garlic, lots of black pepper, olive oil, and parsley. A smidge of Montreal steak seasoning rounded it out.   It was placed back in the fridge to marry.

It's maybe 2/3 good butter and 1/3 virgin olive oil, along with everything else. All warmed to about 200 degrees, and blended with a fork.  The olive oil adds flavor, and keeps it soft and melty for topping the steaks.

As expected, the boy grilled these steaks like a master in the making.  Medium rare across the board, with just a few sections near the bone slipping into rare territory. 

Boy-child is finding the grill to his liking, knocking down burgers and various steaks so far.  Chicken is to come, as well as veggies and corn-on-the-cob.

Give 'Em Hell Boy!

 

Garlic....

It's GAHhhhhhlic my love!

Garlic, so tasty, and so versatile. It's the heart and soul of several cuisines, and loved by people the world over.

We are lucky to have it available in many forms.  Dried and powdered, minced, or flaked.  In jars, we can have it whole, minced, or chunked. There simply is no excuse for not keeping it on hand, whether in the spice cabinet or refrigerator. 

That said, there is no replacing fresh garlic. Easy to find year round, in many types, fresh garlic has one problem... peeling it.

It can be peeled clove by clove, and that's how I've done it most of my life.    YouTube is rife with 'Easy!!11!!!' methods to peel garlic, including bouncing it around inside two mixing bowls like a crazy person.  Every cookery store has a dozen garlic gadgets in various forms, to peel... press... crush... and even clean it from your hands.

Today, I chose the lazy man's way out.  Like the image shows, I simply tossed whole cloves into a pan with quite a gob of butter.  Set on low heat with the pan covered.  About 5 minutes after the butter begins to bubble, just shut the heat off and walk away. The residual heat will cook the garlic through, leaving it soft and sweet.

Once it cools, just squeeze the cloves between your fingers and the soft clean cloves will pop out like magic.  An added benefit, all that garlic butter!

I put the garlic back in the butter, and pour it all into a small container to go in  the fridge.

There's a Strip steak destined for the grill this evening, and you can bet there will be smashed buttered garlic making an appearance as well!



 

Chili snobs, we ain't....

Herself had some tummy surgery (see my previous post), and is only just beginning back on non-liquid foods.  At the moment, it's pureed at best.   Okay, that gave me a good excuse to buy a Ninja Blender* and create some new recipes...

Herself expressed a wish for our Chili, and who am I to deny her what her heart desires?

The thing about Chili is this... people get 'funny' about it.  Like pineapple-on-pizza funny, that kind of funny.  

• "It's NOT CHILI if it has beans!!11!!"    (Slather Froth)
• "It's only CHILI if you home grow the peppers in a cemetery and pick them at midnight during a hurricane!!11!!"
• "Chili with anything but meat, peppers, tomato paste, and hate is nothing but funny tasting bean soup!!!11!!". (This one actually made me chortle with glee)

Yeah..... I'm going with NO here.  We make Chili often, and it's whatever we damn well please.  Our 'secret flavorings' are no secret at all.  It's whatever we feel like adding to get the flavor we want that day.  It could be Lager beer.  It could be dark chocolate.  It could be Masa (corn flour). Maybe today it's smoked Jalapenos, and tomorrow it's green chilly peppers.   Hell, it could all that, or none of it.

Every Chili is a critter all it's own.  If it wasn't, Chili cook-offs would be mail in affairs!

This Chili began with a cast iron dutch oven on the burner, set to medium low.  Into that goes two pounds of 85% ground beef, some black pepper, and a dash of salt.  Put the lid on, and walk away for 30-40 minutes.

Once the beef is cooked through, the grease and juice is poured off and the meat broken up into smaller chunks.  No rules here, just break it up, and then set it aside in a bowl.

In the dutch oven, now set to medium high, about half a stick of butter.  Dump in two large Vidalia onions, rough chopped.  Lid off, just leave it the hell alone till the onions are turning brown and sweet.  Maybe 15-20 minutes, with just a stir or two.  Now, turn the burner down to low.

Two cans of Goya Pinto beans, two cans of Goya** Kidney beans, one can of Hunt's diced tomatoes, one can of Rotel** tomatoes (with green chili's), a dozen cloves of roast garlic, and one small can hunts tomato paste.

The beans are drained and rinsed in a colander.  Let them drip off a few minutes while you put the meat, tomatoes, garlic, and tomato paste in with the onions.  Now pour in the beans.

Seasonings.... and here is where it goes off the rails.  It's really anything you want.  In this batch, I added maybe a quarter cup of dark Chili powder, a tablespoon of red pepper flakes, some kosher salt, and about twenty grinds of black pepper.

That's it.  Stir gently, lid it up, leave on low..... and GO AWAY.  Set the timer an hour, if you must.  After an hour, stir it gently and adjust flavor as you will.  Meself... I added a splash of Bourbon.

Lid back on for at least another hour.  Then, stir it, turn it off, and let it rest for 30 minutes or so.

Serve it as you will.  For herself, enough hit the blender for her to have two light meals, and to fill containers for the week.  Me, several bowls full, with a handful of shredded cheeses on top.  The rest, into containers for my work-week's lunches.


*About that Ninja Blender thing...... I bought it knowing Herself would need some pretty smooth foods for a while, and my food processor wasn't quite up to that task.  Our last blender had self-disassembled one time too many, and been tossed months ago.

We LIKE this Ninja widget, even if it did seem pricey at first.  The very first thing I made, of course, was a Vodka/Pineapple iced smoothie.  That came out so good I drank it all, be myself, and then slept on the floor a while.

Moving on, Cheesy broccoli soup, which came out so smooth it left nothing behind when poured through a fine sieve. Then an amazing cream of Mushroom soup. Now, this Chili, which has a fascinating texture and flavor.  What Herself didn't eat, I mixed back into my Chili, and was rewarded with a flavor explosion.

**  Ro-Tel tomatoes..... we enjoy the bejeebers out of these things.  We get them at BJ's by the case, and usually have a dozen cans on hand.  They are defining for a good Chili, and add a silly amount of great flavor to baked beans or a pasta sauce.  

An old Texas friend turned me on to these, long before they became available up here in Yankee land.  He used to ship me care packages...lol.   If you don't already know the Ro-Tel magic, buy a few cans to try.   Bet you a steak dinner they keep their place in your pantry forevermore.  

Also **  Goya canned beans.  Yes, I know.  Store brand is significantly cheaper.  That said, Goya does damn good canned beans.  If it's a dish that matters, why not spend the extra pennies?  We usually have kidney, pinto, black, and garbanzo beans in the pantry.   Not only for Chili, but home made Cowboy beans, Baked beans, Stews, and salads.

**Crickets**

Himself added my picture without consent. Poophead! 

Hey it's me. The female piece of the foodie wonder team. It sure has been all kinds of quiet around here. Honestly, I have been struggling. The past year I have been going through the process to prepare for weight-loss surgery. 

Bariatric Surgery as it is formally called has a lot of misconceptions. The first is that it is "the easy way out" in terms of weight loss. Yeah no, it isn't. It is a huge life changing operation in which your guts are either rerouted, or partially removed (I did the removed type, but more about that in a bit!)

Over the past year, I have had to attend countless dietitian classes and individual sessions. I have had to have a psych eval (which I did not pass, initially due to a long hidden eating disorder),then months of therapy, pulmonary and sleep tests, starting to use a C-PAP  (to be in compliance so pulmonary will authorize me), a cardiac evaluation, and a secondary psych eval. On top of that I had to begin some better eating habits. It was hard, REALLY hard. I had to deal with my closet eating disorder that I hid from everyone, including the people who are the most important to me. I came clean and started doing better. I had very few slip ups along the way, once I came to grips with myself.

Food is a hard thing to have a problem with. It is how society celebrates, how it mourns, how it socializes, and it is one of the ways we (Himself and I) show our creativity. It was also how *I* dealt with stress, anxiety, and emotion. During all this, I never wanted food to become the enemy. It is fuel and we need it to live. I also still want to be able to live my life and not deprive myself. I wanted to be able to do the surgery and use it as a tool. The rest is on me.

So on August 12th, I went under the scalpel. I did the sleeve gastrectomy procedure. They go in and remove a section of your stomach and create a tube of the leftover, that becomes your *new* stomach. It holds decidedly less than it used to. It also removes the portion of your stomach that produces the most ghrelin (the hunger hormone). With this surgery I should lose up to 65% of my excess weight, reduce or clear my diabetes and high cholesterol and take some weight off my poor joints.

Thank you TX Center for Obesity Surgery for this image!

This surgery is done laparoscopic with one overnight in the hospital. I had a wonderful surgeon *insert shameless plug here along with link to Wellspan Bariatric Surgery, ask for Dr. Smith!* and his whole team helped me navigate the ups and downs of this. I had a few *extra* hurdles, one was the insurance company required I lose 5lbs, I know that doesn't sound like a lot, and it really isn't. But my body was like, "uhh, no this fat is mine and I shall keep it!" So I had to do a week of the pre-op liquid diet. I lost 2 lbs. 

Thankfully the insurance approved it as they saw I was doing everything possible. No one told me to stop doing the liquid diet so I stayed on it, and my surgical date was set for Aug 12th. I did almost 4 full weeks of a liquid (liver shrinking) diet. They tell you to treat it like a prescription so I didn't cheat!  

It was hard at times. I am sure I was grumpy on occasion. Day 3 is the worst, because your body goes into withdrawal mode and you get a slamming headache. Then I had the surgery with little or no side effects! I was up walking within hours of surgery. I felt good, great even. For the first time in my life I had NO hunger. The first week post-op was amazing. Himself took time off work and stayed home with me, and reminded me to drink my fluids. He was a HUGE blessing!

Then one week post-op happened, and as people are prone to do, I slid into a touch of post-op depression. I was also constantly nauseated and so exhausted. It was rough! 

I have a support group of girls who had surgery the same day and we connect with any issues we are having (ans share recipes!). None of them were having these issues. I felt pretty alone. I was not getting enough fluid or protein. I was floundering emotionally (a commercial made me cry!). 

I saw my doctor and one of the dietitians on Wednesday last week, and we talked about ways to get more protein, and my state of mind. They gave me another two weeks off work to fight through the exhaustion, and the doctor assured me that this isn't abnormal and I am doing really great. I am doing a little better every day. I am pushing my positive attitude to the forefront and working through my internal drama. 

So the big question is, what does this mean for a *FOOD* blog?! Well honestly, not a whole lot will change. We still love to go out and we love to try new places and new foods. Himself has already starting making some recipes and putting them out there with me in mind. I will continue to eat smaller portions (I get to move from purees to soft food next week!) and we will continue on life's adventure together as we have done for the past 5 years. I am just going to look thinner and hotter doing it! 😉 

Be prepared to see some reformulated recipes as I attempt to make things with fewer carbs, and experiment. I will be posting more and sharing some of this experience.

We appreciate all of our reader(s) who come along for this journey with us. Please feel free to comment here or send us some ideas on Facebook of some places or recipes you would like to see us try. 

Peace, Love, and Food! -Herself

The magic of leaving it the hell alone....

An easy breakfast for little money, and little effort.

The potatoes are sliced about 10mm thick, and fried till crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside.  There is a dollop of salsa-queso for dipping the home fries.

The eggs, a simple three egg folded omelette with a bit of Parmesan in the mix, and spooned on chunky salsa to add flavor and heat.

It's all so simple, with patience.  Heat a big, heavy, non-stick fry pan on medium heat, and melt a few tablespoons of butter as it warms.  Slice a couple washed Russet potatoes to desired thickness, tossing the very ends if you like.   It's important to have flat surfaces that will contact the pan.

Lay the sliced potatoes out in the pan in a single layer, and grind on as much fresh black pepper as you fancy.  Also a sprinkle of Kosher salt.

Now, employ the culinary technique I call "Leave It The Hell Alone". 

Seriously... go drink coffee.  Wash dishes.  Give the cat a bath.  Whatever floats your boat... but leave that pan the hell alone for at least 20 minutes.  Set the Leave-It-Alone timer for 20 minutes.

When you come back 20 minutes later for your next cup of coffee, turn the potato slices in the pan, and grind some more pepper on so you don't have one-sided tasting food.  Reset the Leave-It-Alone timer for another 15 minutes.

When that dinger dings again, then and only then may you examine your handiwork.  Turn the slices again if you wish, and let them finish browning while you crack open the eggs into a bowl.

To the three eggs, a splash of heavy cream and a few grinds of pepper.  Blend with a fork till uniform and floofed.

Move the potato slices to a plate covered by a paper towel to soak away some of that butter, and pour the egg mix into the pan.  Set on medium low, add a pinch of salt, and swirl the pan once to make sure the egg mixture coats the whole bottom of the pan.

Sprinkle on some Parmesan, or a little of whatever cheese gives you the giggles.  Next..... that technique again.  Leave It The Hell Alone.

Just leave it, till the eggs are nearly set.  When there is just a bit of unset egg mix left, lift the edges with a rubber spatula thingy and fold one side towards the middle.  Then the other side to the middle.  Leave it there a moment as you ready a plate.

Slide the omelette from the pan, turning it over on the plate as you do so.  Give the pan a rinse while the eggs rest a second.  They will finish cooking from their own heat in just a few moments.

Add all the potatoes you wish, whatever toppings you wish, and refill that coffee mug.

Enjoy!