huevos rancheros!

huevos rancheros. or, ranch-style eggs. this is a super simple and mucho delicioso breakfast, brunch or lunch. eggs poached on a tasty tomato sauce served on top of, or, with corn tortillas. i am happy i came up with another use for the Sparkling River smoked peppers that were in my basket-a-month a year ago from CAFM. the dish only takes 45 from prep to plate. you can use any dried chile; smoky; hot or a combo of both. don’t rush the onions in step one and you’re good. do it up one better and add some avocado slices. try it, you’ll love it! here’s how;

you’ll need: 
2 dried chiles, about 4-6 inches long, snipped into tiny pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, diced finely
4 garlic cloves, put thru a garlic press
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground coriander
¼ teaspoon salt, + more for sprinkling
1 (28 oz can) or 2 (14.5 oz cans) whole tomatoes, snipped in can with kitchen shears
corn tortillas - as many as you want to eat
6-8 eggs
cheese - optional, you pick your fav
cilantro or parsley, finely chopped

you’ll do:

take the dried chile and with kitchen shears, cut up the side. de seed and de stem. do this over your compost bowl. cut the chile into strips, leaving the top intact. then, cut crosswise to cut the chile into super small pieces. do this to both chiles.

heat olive oil over med-high heat in a large, heavy-bottom, shallow pan or skillet that has a lid. when the oil shimmers, add the onion. sprinkle salt over the onion to pull out the moisture. stir and sauté until the onion is translucent and tender. do not rush this step, do not allow the onion to brown. while you are waiting for the onion to become tender. measure & compile, in a small bowl, the dried chile slivers, pressed garlic, cumin, coriander and ¼ teaspoon of salt. also, open the canned tomatoes, using kitchen shears, snip the tomatoes into bite size pieces by submerging the scissor blades into the can and cutting. when the onions are tender, add spice mixture and cook for 1 minute. do not allow garlic to burn, then add tomatoes. bring the sauce to a boil, reduce heat, partially cover with lid and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. warm the corn tortillas on a griddle, in a cast iron skillet or in the oven before the sauce finishes. 6 minutes before you would like to eat, crack eggs directly into the sauce. cover with lid and let cook until whites are set, about 6 minutes. using a large pancake flipper/spatula, lift out sauce and eggs and plate. top with a sprinkling, not a handful, a sprinkling, of cheese and some finely chopped parsley or cilantro. eat, using the tortillas as a spoon! Buen provecho!

how to heat a corn tortilla:

heat a griddle or cast iron skillet over medium heat and warm the tortillas, one at a time, for 45 seconds, flipping once. wrap in a tea towel to keep warm.

or

preheat the oven to 325℉. wrap a stack of tortillas in parchment lined aluminum foil and place in oven for 20 minutes. wrap in a tea towel to keep warm.

is this a yolk?

egg yolks. i received a request to post info on the color of egg yolks and why some yolks are yellow and some yolks are golden. to keep it brief, the easy answer is ➙ the diet of the hen. yolk color can be manipulated, if the farmer chooses, by giving the hens special feed.

here is a short essay on the topic: The type of food a chicken eats largely determines the color of the egg yolk. Yellow orange plant pigments called xanthophylls found in chicken feed determine the yolk color. Yellow corn mash and alfalfa meal will produce medium yellow egg yolks. Wheat or barley produce lighter colored yolks.  Bright yellow marigold petals added to feed will enhance the color of the yolk. A white cornmeal diet will produce egg yolks that are almost colorless.

Egg yolks are one of the few foods that naturally contain Vitamin D.

Occasionally, a hen will produce a double-yolked egg. It is rare, but not unusual, for a young hen to produce an egg with no yolk at all.

chicken in balsamic vinegar

chicken & peppers in balsamic.  a bobby flay recipe caught my eye in the Parade magazine insert of the sunday paper. this is rarely the case that i get any culinary inspiration from Parade...but, this was a chance for me to use the pricey balsamic vinegar i purchased at boulevard bread. i had all the ingredients on hand so, i was excited to give the recipe a try. i cut the recipe in half the because i used 2 leg quarters instead of the 8 thighs. i followed the recipe below with the other exception of, i used 2 red peppers and no yellow one. it turned out super flavorful and super delicious and super yum served with creamy mashed potatoes. the dish is pretty impressive for the amount of time it takes and meager ingredients used. thanks, bobby! here’s how:

Chicken and Peppers Vinegar Sauce

3 Tbsp olive oil
8 bone-in, skinless chicken thighs (i used 2 leg quarters, leg & thigh together)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large red bell pepper, stem and seeds removed, thinly sliced
1 large yellow bell pepper, stem and seeds removed, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 cup balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp clover honey
2 cups low-sodium chicken stock or broth
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1. Heat oil in a medium Dutch oven over high heat until it shimmers. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels; season with salt and pepper. Place chicken in the pan, in batches, top-side-down. Cook until golden brown, 4 minutes. Turn over, continue cooking 3 minutes. Remove chicken to a plate.

2. Add peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Add the vinegar and cook until reduced by half. Add honey and broth, season with salt and pepper, cook for 5 minutes. Return the chicken and accumulated juices to the pot. Reduce heat to medium, cover the pot, and cook until the chicken is tender, about 15 minutes. Remove the chicken to a platter. Cook sauce until slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Stir in parsley and pour sauce over the chicken.

The Oyster Bar

the oyster bar. been there 1,000 times, never pull out the camera or felt the need to share the experience. that’s right, i’ve taken this neighborhood joint for granted. the clientele is varied ~ i ran into my 80 year old neighbor on this last visit. this place has a fun jukebox and a super laid back atmosphere. you’ll leave smelling deep fried, but you’ll live. as the name implies, this is the place to get oysters. not many restaurants have ‘em ‘round here. you’ve got, cajun’s barf ($14.50 per dz), the flying fish ($8.50 per dz), so (market price, you know what that means) and the oyster bar ($7.75 per dz). as far as deals go, this is it. we sucked down 3 dozen. add your flair to the cocktail sauce at the ‘sauce bar’. all the staples are waiting for you...horseradish, catsup, various brands of hot sauce, lemon wedges, worcestershire and cocktail sauce. mix it up to your liking and you’re good to go. the menu is varied but not too convoluted. dinners come with 2 sides and there are weekday specials. i ordered up the hand-battered, deep fried shrimp dinner and selected fried okra & a dinner salad as my sides. the batter on the shrimp is flavorful & salty. ok, the fried shrimp is notoriously greasy. it’s just the way it is. you can try to blot it on paper towels or you can just count 2 days off your life. i’ve done both. the crab legs, boiled shrimp and the saturday platter are all good picks. check out the oyster bar...the service is super, the people watching is fab and the food is better than good. watch out, you may just find a pearl in your oyster.

The Oyster Bar
3003 W. Markham
Little Rock

501-666-7100

Red Door Redux

red door redux. ok, mark abernathy has redeemed himself in my book. a second visit to red door was almost perfect. the wedge salad ($5) was cold, crisp & perfectly dressed - each bite the perfect mix of dressing, bacon & bleu cheese, right to the last bite. next up, was the chicken piccata ($11) with mashed potatoes and a side of asparagus ($4). the chicken breast, lightly dusted with flour (or bread crumbs, i don’t remember, i was drunk) and perfectly pan fried, moist, tender and delicious. the mashed potatoes were yum & the asparagus fab. mark abernathy (owner) came to give a welcome and a hello ~ that wins me over every time. the ‘almost perfect’ part? the waiter told us to go to Bonefish for dessert. ok, i don’t even want to waste blog space on his absurd recommendation. here's my recommendation; if you stay away from the fish & chips and sit in the front half of the restaurant...you’ll most likely have a wonderful meal. i get it this time, i think abernathy is going for the brasserie experience. it’s not perfect, but i get it & this time, the food was great. & yes, before i left, i snitched out the waiter’s dessert advice to mark abernathy.

Red Door
3701 Old Cantrell Road
Little Rock
501.666.8482

 

mark abernathy
(the benjamin button of restauranteurs)
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dip mania!

chive dip. yes, i am on a dip roll. it’s just so damn easy, i can’t help myself. this time, chives were marked down from $2.99 a package to 99¢. how could i pass up that good deal? i chunked two into my basket and used them both to make a quick, zesty, tasty chive dip. if you ever buy pre-made dip, ladened with nasty preservatives ever again, you’re lazy and dumb. break out the sour cream! 

here’s how;

½ cup mayo
1 cup of sour cream
2 packets of fresh chives, finely chopped
1 teaspoon Beau Monde Seasoning

combine. refrigerate. eat.



BEAU MONDE SEASONING


spice Islands seasoning blend contains a harmonious balance of celery, onion and salt.

internet recipe: equal parts onion powder and celery salt (LRB has not tested)

shrimp & andouille jambalaya

shrimp & andouille jambalaya. celebrate mardi gras with this super quick and scrumptious meal. it only takes 30 minutes to cook. take the extra 5 minutes to make a shrimp infused chicken broth. you won’t be sorry. add 1 king cake & you’ve got a mardi gras party. do it.

you’ll need:

1 onion, chopped

2 ribs of celery, cut crosswise

1 red bell pepper, chopped

5 garlic cloves, put through a garlic press

2 teaspoons veg oil ( i used oil i strained & saved from browning off chicken)

8 ounces wellshire turkey andouille sausage, halved lengthwise and cut into ¼ inch pieces

1 ½ cups long grain white rice

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon fresh thyme, minced

¼ teaspoon slap ya mama seasoning

1 can diced tomatoes (14 ½ ounce), drained, ¼ cup juice reserved

2 ½ cups chicken broth (add shrimp shells to make more flavorful)

2  bay leaves

1 pound shrimp, reserve shells to make shrimp infused broth

you’ll do:

using medium high heat, cook andouille to lightly brown & render fat; stirring frequently, until browned, about 3 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer sausage to paper towel-lined plate and set aside.

reduce heat to medium, add veg oil if needed, add vegetables (except garlic) and sprinkle salt. cook, stirring occasionally and scraping bottom of pot with wooden spoon, until vegetables have softened, about 8 minutes. add rice, salt, thyme, garlic and slap ya mama; cook, stirring frequently, until rice is coated with fat, about 1 minute. add tomatoes, reserved tomato juice, shrimp infused chicken broth, bay leaves, and browned sausage to pot; stir to combine. bring to boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes. stir once ~ gently. scatter shrimp over rice, cover, and continue to cook until rice is fully tender and shrimp are opaque and cooked through, no more than 5 minutes.

eat.

how to make a shrimp infused chicken broth:

add boxed chicken broth to a stock pot. add shrimp shells that you have saved, either fresh or from your freezer. bring to a boil. simmer for 5-10 minutes. you've got shrimp infused broth!

braised chicken with mushrooms

braised chicken with mushrooms. omg. the cooking aroma is making me seriously hungry. this is another of my girl crush’s recipes, that’s right, directly from the foodnetwork show secrets of a restaurant chef. i used a whole chicken cut into 4 pieces. when the simmering came, the leg/thighs got an 8 minutes head start on the breast/wing pieces. that’s because white meat will dry out if overcooked. i was skeptical on the almonds, but, turns out, i am a convert. the flavors here are very concentrated ~ this is an ultra flavorful chicken dish. be sure you have mashed potatoes, noodles or rice to soak up the sauce! start cooking. here’s how;

Ingredients
Extra-virgin olive oil
8 chicken thighs
Kosher salt
1/2 pound pancetta, cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 large onions, julienned
Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
4 cloves garlic, smashed
2 pounds assorted mushrooms, such as shiitake, oyster or cremini, cleaned and sliced
2 cups dry white wine
4 to 6 cups chicken stock
1 bundle thyme
4 bay leaves
1/2 cup whole blanched almonds, toasted

Directions:
Coat a large, wide, deep pan with olive oil and bring to a high heat. Pat the chicken skin dry with paper towels and season generously with salt. Add chicken skin side down to the pan. You should hear a big sizzle as the thighs hit the pan. Do not try to move the chicken, the skin will stick itself to the bottom of the pan and will unstick itself when it is ready. If the pan is smoking excessively turn the burner down and continue to cook. When the skin is brown and crispy, turn the chicken over and brown it on the other side. Remove the chicken from the pan and reserve.

Lower the heat if you have not already done so and ditch most of the excess fat. Add the pancetta and brown. When the pancetta has started to get brown and crispy add the onions. Season with salt and crushed red pepper and sweat over medium heat for 7 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and saute for 3 to 4 minutes (note: more like 10 minutes) or until they release their juices. Add the wine and reduce by half. Return the chicken to the pan. Add chicken stock to almost cover the chicken. Add the thyme and bay leaves. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer the chicken for 30 to 35 minutes. Add more chicken stock, if needed.
 
While the chicken is cooking puree the almonds in the food processor. Drizzle in a little olive oil while the machine is running to make this a loose paste. Season with salt and reserve.

Once the chicken has cooked for 30 to 35 minutes (note: mine took 40 minutes), remove it from the pan and reserve. Taste the sauce for seasoning and stir in the almond puree. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer to thicken the sauce, if needed. The almond puree will help to thicken the sauce and to make it very rich. (note: watch the salt. flavors concentrate when liquids reduce.)

how to toast nuts:
preheat oven to 350 ℉.
spread nuts in one layer on ungreased shallow baking pan.
bake for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden~ NOT brown.

cream of cauliflower soup

cream of cauliflower soup. creamy, velvety, super smooth and super yummy. i guarantee this is better than any restaurant soup you’ve ordered. the most difficult part of this recipe is perfectly crisping off the bacon. you do that by adding bacon to a cold pan and rendering the fat slowly, on med-low heat cooking the bacon until crispy. this is your garnish. the soup can easily be vegetarian. leave out the bacon and the bacon fat and use veg stock. here’s how;

you’ll need:

3 slices bacon (365 everyday whole foods applewood smoked uncured)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
⅓ cup all-purpose flour
1 box chicken stock (32 oz)
1 cup h2o
1 head of cauliflower, cored & broken into med size florets
1 teaspoon salt
¼ white pepper (yes, white, must be white)
¼ nutmeg, freshly grated
cayenne, a pinch
1½ cup milk
2 egg yolks
lemon juice, a couple squeezes, about 1 tablespoon
chives, enough for garnishing

1 immersion blender or standard blender

you’ll do:

in a large heavy COLD pot, add bacon. turn on heat to med-low. let the fat render slowly. if you notice it’s frying too quickly, lower heat. if you notice it’s sitting there not doing a damn thing, raise the heat a wee bit. this will take a good 15-20 minutes. don’t rush this, you want the bacon to render all fat and be a nice & crispy garnish. the bacon will crisp up while draining on paper towel - so don’t cook it to unchewablility. just make sure there is no loose, white, flabby fat still visible when you remove with a slotted spoon. leave bacon fat in pot.

add onion to bacon fat in pot. add butter. sauté until onions are translucent. don’t rush this. add a sprinkling of salt to draw out moisture from onions. do not brown onions. when the onions are nice and soft-

add flour. stir constantly while flour cooks for about 2 minutes.

add chicken stock, water and cauliflower florets, bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer and cook with lid partially covering pot for 25 minutes or until cauliflower is super tender.

blend soup until smooth.

add salt, white pepper, cayenne and nutmeg.

(this is where you stop if you are going to serve it later. turn off heat)

put heat on lowest setting.

add 2 egg yolks (save the egg whites and make an egg white omelet or add to a couple eggs to make a lower fat omelet) add to to a measuring cup of 1½ cups of milk and whisk to break yolks. gradually pour milk & egg mixture into soup and whisk. do not allow to boil!

add lemon juice.

taste. add salt if needed.

ladle into warm bowls. top with bacon & chives.

how to warm a soup bowl:

add hot tap water to each bowl & pour out. do this a couple of times. you’re welcome.

The Pantry

the pantry. armed with a just pay half gift certificate as an insurance policy, of sorts, i walked into the pantry and the good smell of food hit me, then, the rustic décor ~ it was inviting. the waiter recommended the cheese spætzle starter served with caramelized onions. described as a mac & cheese, his description was dead on, right down to the grated nutmeg. yummy. next up, the soup. house made sausage and potatoes in a tomato based broth. really good. i ordered up the pantry pie, a shepherd’s pie, of sorts, sans veg. stewed beef covered with mashed potatoes and put under the broiler. tummy warming and delicious. the pantry's unique menu rates high on the comfort food choices. i had a hard time deciding which entrée to choose, ok, that’s nothing new, but a good problem to have in this situation. while dining, the owner, Tomas (you already pronounced it wrong, it’s Toh-ma), came by to give a “thanks for coming”. i like that. i am eager to return and sample the lunch menu (gimme pommes frites w garlic mayo!) and some different dinner entrées. temptation is knocking to take home one or all of the to-go dinners. even i get lazy in the kitchen once in a while. check out the pantry. it’s intimate, yet, open. comfortable, yet, chic. you want to be part of that, don’t you?
 

lunch: m-fri 11-4
dinners: 4-midnight
bar: 4-1:00am
happy hour m-sat 4-6 and 10-till
to-go dinners:
packaged & ready for pickup M-Sat after 4:30pm
meatloaf w/ creamed corn $10
goulash $10
lasagna $10
 

The Pantry
11401 Rodney Parham
Little Rock

501-353-1875

white bean dip

bean dip. it’s almost sad that people stand in line to plunk down $5 for a small container of hummus when it’s so freakin’ simple to make at home. not to mention CHEAP. i mean, how much is a can of beans? please. anyway, looking for something a bit different i looked up recipes for white bean dip. much like hummus, with the exception of swapping the garbanzo beans (chick peas) for white beans (cannellini beans). it was funny to find that there were about 1,000 white bean dip recipes, all cut & pasted from giada delaurentis and no credit given. boring. so, i made up my own. it’s super quick, super simple and super tasty. eat with a bag of pita chips or bake up your own pita chips. you can figure out on your own time how to make pita chips, here’s how i made my delicious bean dip.  it's a fun swap for hummus and way more creamier.

you’ll need:

15.5 ounce can of cannellini beans
3 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1 teaspoon Slap Ya Mama
1 food processor

you’ll do:

rinse the beans in a strainer until the foam disappears. throw beans in bowl of food processor. add olive oil, lemon juice, Slay Ya Mama. blend. taste with a pita chip. adjust the seasonings. dunzo. now, how much did you spend? $1.50 and 4 minutes of your life? right.

jambalaya

jambalaya. i’ve never made jambalaya. i equated it with a casserole dish. something i am normally not fond of. i found this recipe on myneworleans.com and thought i’d give it a try. instead of the traditional pork andouille, i used turkey andouille from whole foods. it was spicy enough that i did not have to use cayenne. and, it contains enough fat that you do not have to use any oil to brown the sausage or the onions. just throw the sausage in a dry sauté pan and enough oil will emerge to sauté the onions and the rest of the ingredients. i truly would not recommend using any oil, the final dish has enough. i used chicken thighs. dark meat stays moist and has more flavor and it’s cheaper. and really cheap if you debone the thighs yourself. i did. you'll need a sharp knife. in a mere 25 minutes, you’ll be ready to eat. this is a spicy, flavorful dish, not to mention, damn easy. aiyee.

Chicken-and-Sausage Jambalaya
Category:
Jambalaya
Cusine:
Creole
Number of Servings:
Serves 4

you'll need:
1 tablespoon olive oil (did not use)
1/2 pound smoked hot sausage, sliced (used turkey andouille)
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 pound chicken, cubed (used thighs and deboned myself)
1/2 teaspoon Creole seasoning (i used Slap Ya Mama)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 rib celery, diced (used 2)
1 bell pepper, diced
2 cups beef broth
1/4 teaspoon whole thyme
1 cup raw rice

you'll do: 

Prep your ingredients first. Heat oil in a heavy pot, (i didn't use any oil! i browned my sausage in a dry pot) add sausage, and cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until browned. Add onion, and brown. Add chicken and Creole seasoning, and cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken browns. Add garlic, celery, bell pepper, broth and thyme, and bring to a boil. Add rice, cover, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, about 20 to 25 minutes.

shiitake!

shiitake log. i took a workshop at the arkansas sustainability network on shittake log making slash grow shiitakes at home. i was told it would take about 8 months to yield some ‘shrooms, that is, if i watered it. well, i never did. not once. but, i noticed that i have a few sprouted mushrooms. (i also noticed that something has been snacking on a couple of ‘em.) seeing the shiitakes sent me into rescue mode and motivated me to water. i picked up the logs to move them to a better watering sight and i noticed that they were way light. not a good sign. logs can continue to produce for 3-6 years. that gave me hope. to make your own log, you do need a some special tools or you can buy a ready to grow kit. either way. fun.

Simply Seafood

seafood. in little rock, freshness can be a challenge. Simply Seafood may have a remedy. the business follows the online farmers market formula: place your order “early in the week” and pick it up between 3 & 6 on the following friday. their facebook statement; Simply Seafood is a custom-order fresh seafood business. Shrimp and fish are delivered weekly from the Gulf coast. send an e-mail to request regular inbox info.

 

Simply Seafood

SuAnn Haupt
817 South Izard Street
501-519-7515

 e-mail