Black Girl Chef’s Whites

It seems like I have picked at least a hundred pounds of Meyer lemons off my trees, yet every time I look at them they are still loaded with fruit! I’m not complaining about it though.  I love these lemons, and their versatility.  Their scent is floral,  sweet and totally intoxicating.  Their taste is sublime.  Just like I did as a child, my daughter will eat them right off the tree.  I love my lemons.

But what to do with my abundance of lemons?  Lemon curd, preserved lemons, cookies, cakes, lemonade, etc. etc. etc.!  All good choices, but I wanted to think outside of the box.  As I was walking into my house I passed my little jalapeno bush.  It is a scraggly, gnarled little plant that always seems to have jalapenos on it!  I don’t feed it, barely water it, but it keeps giving me peppers. Having a toddler preschool aged child, I don’t cook with them as often as I would like, as my daughter tends to yell “Too spicy mommy!”  So I keep the hot sauce and peppers at a minimum these days.

It’s time for those jalapenos to be shown some respect, so I came up with a recipe that features them alongside my beloved lemons.  This lemon and jalapeno relish is a great compliment to fish, chicken or pork.  It can also be spooned over grilled or roasted vegetables.  The fresh citrus bite, along with heat of the jalapeno really brightens flavor.

Organic Meyer Lemon and Jalapeno Relish

1 1/2 TB finely grated Meyer lemon zest

2 small jalapenos, extra small dice

2 TB pine nuts

2 TB lemon olive oil

1 tsp Za’atar spice*

1/2 tsp sea salt

juice of one Meyer lemon

In the picture below you can see how fine the zest is grated, and how small the jalapenos are diced.  This is important so your mouth is not overwhelmed by either the citrus or the heat of the pepper.  If you do not have a microplane zester, chop the lemon zest as fine as you can with a knife.

I call for a lemon olive oil, but the actual oil I used is a specialty olive oil from O & Co that is flavored with clementines and lemons.  The citrus flavor is so intense and fresh, and is an excellent drizzling oil.

In a small bowl, combine the zest, diced jalapenos, olive oil, Za’atar spice, salt and lemon juice.

In a small skillet over a medium high flame, toast the pine nuts.

Pine nuts can go from raw to burned seemingly at the speed of light, so be careful while toasting them.  I know how quickly they can burn, and I still burned the first batch!  Do Not Walk Away From The Stove While Toasting Pine Nuts!

Let the pine nuts cool, then add them to the relish.  At this point let the relish sit for a couple of hours to let the flavors meld.  The relish is best eaten within a couple of days, so make it when you know you will use it.  I sauteed a salmon fillet, and spooned the relish over it.  Very tasty, indeed!

*Za’atar spice can be found at Middle Eastern markets, or ordered online at Vanns Spices.  You can also make your own from recipes found online, such as this one from About.com.

Print Friendly

Sunset after the storm

Sometimes you just have to stop and enjoy the incredible beauty provided by Mother Earth.

Print Friendly

The Superbowl is just around the corner, and recipes are starting to appear everywhere.  I am in the Featured Publisher program at Foodbuzz, and the “flavor” of the month is Superbowl, sponsored by Pace Picante Sauce.  My family are big Pace Picante fans, so much so that I buy the industrial size vat from Costco.  So when Foodbuzz asked if I was interested in receiving a free sample of product from Pace as part of the Tastemaker program, I jumped on it.

I am not a big sports fan, so to be honest Superbowl Sunday is just another day.  Now, my late father was such a huge sports fan he would have the picture in picture watching two games on the TV, and then have another on the radio at the same time!  And he would be reading the sports page too!  So this recipe is for him…and all the other football loving fans in the world.

I wanted to make something a bit different, but that would fit on a Superbowl Party spread.  Pizza, potato skins, tacos, chicken wings and chips and guacamole are all commonly found at Superbowl parties across the USA.  As opposed to carne asada or carnitas, I decided to make a Mexican spiced braised oxtail, which could then be de-boned and shredded, and the succulent meat used for tacos, burritos, enchiladas, nachos or whatever you want. If you would like an oxtail recipe using more traditional spices, see my previous post for Braised Oxtails.

Mexican Spiced Oxtails

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp dark chili powder

1 tsp dried oregano, preferably Mexican

1 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground chipotle chile powder

2 1/2 lbs oxtails

1 TB olive oil

1 cup mild Pace Picante Sauce

3 cups low sodium chicken broth

In a small bowl combine all the spices. Rub the oxtails with the spice mixture, and let them marinate for at least six hours.  I did mine overnight to really let the flavor penetrate.

In a large, heavy pan heat the olive oil.  Brown the oxtails well on all sides, including the fat. Oxtails have a generous fat cap on them. I do not remove it as the fat adds flavor to the broth.  The fat can be skimmed after cooking.

Be sure not to crowd the pan, so the oxtails get good caramelization, which you want for flavor, along with the fat.  Once all sides are browned, remove the oxtails from the pan.  Add the Pace Picante Sauce and the chicken broth, scraping the bottom of the pan to get all the caramelized bits off the bottom.  Return the oxtails to the pan, bring the liquid to a boil, then cover and reduce to a simmer.

Leave the oxtails alone and go do something else. Really.  No peeking, no prodding, so stirring!  Do not lift that lid for at least one hour, then turn the oxtails over and leave them alone again.  After the second hour, test the tenderness of the oxtails with a fork, and see if the meat has begun to pull away from the bone.  It will take between 2 – 3 1/2 hours for the oxtails to become tender and succulent.  The picture below shows how much the meat shrinks from the bone when the oxtails are done.

Remove the oxtails for the pan and let them cool.  When cool enough to handle, pull the meat from the bone and shred it.  The bones can be wrapped and frozen to make stock, or given to a happy puppy like our neighbor’s rottweiler Alice.

At this point you can use the meat as a filling for any number of dishes.  Serve it at your Superbowl party with warmed tortillas, grated cheese, avocado slices, guacamole, diced red onion, shredded lettuce, lime wedges and Pace Picante Sauce, of course!

Print Friendly

I don’t make New Year resolutions.  Or rather my only resolution is to not make one.  But this year I did make myself a promise to try and post more on my blog.

Being a single mom to a 3  year old, caregiver to an elderly parent and juggler extraordinaire I don’t blog as often as I would like too.  But that is going to change!

I’ve expanded my cookbook collection recently with a few titles that inspire me.  Because I am a recipe developer, I tend to look in the pantry and refrigerator, then make something.  Although I have hundreds of cookbooks, I just like to read them and drool. Why I don’t cook from them…I don’t have an answer.  And it’s time that changed too.

So, in no particular order…a few new cookbooks I like.

Gourmet Today: More Than 1000 All-New Recipes for the Contemporary Kitchen

The demise of Gourmet Magazine still make me sad.  Like every other food blogger, food writer and foodie the world around, I gave my 2 cents in this blog post.  I have been a fan of Ruth Reichl since she worked for The Los Angeles Times back in the 1980’s.  As the editor of Gourmet she lead me on culinary adventures to other countries, shared simple but interesting recipes, and made my mouth water with all the beautiful food photography.

The Gourmet Today cookbook is full of those simple but interesting recipes, as well as some complex but not overwhelming ones.  The Joy of Cooking is my go to cookbook, but I will be adding this one to that short list.

Baking Unplugged by Nicole Rees

Nicole Rees is an incredible baker, recipe developer and all around great gal.  In full disclosure, Nicole and I worked together in the test kitchen of Woman’s World Magazine years ago.  I remember a day when she made these incredible pancakes for the staff, and we all begged her for the recipe.  Grudgingly she shared it with us, making us promise not to share it as it was a recipe she was developing for a book.  Well, that book is here.  I trust her recipes implicitly, because I know first hand how meticulously well tested the recipes have to have been before she would ever think of publishing them.

Baking Unplugged is all about simple, back-to-basic recipes just like your grandma used to make.  No electricity needed, no mixers, processors or anything else you have to plug into a socket.  Her chocolate layer cake is exactly what a chocolate cake should be. Period.

And those Uncommanly Good pancakes did make it into the book, and they are still as fabulous as I remember. I recently found her hand written recipe for those pancakes, which I have kept safe all these years.

The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes From an Accidental Country Girl by Ree Drummond

Ree Drummond is a food blogger, photographer, rancher and mom to four children she also homeschools!  Her blog, The Pioneer Woman is full of gorgeous pictures, wonderful recipes and a sense of humor that always has me chuckling.  I attended the BlogHerFood ‘09 conference in San Francisco this year, and admired her graciousness.  At the closing keynote I had to ask her how she manages to handle her incredibly full load!  She was so encouraging and honest in her answer, she had a fan for life.

Her cookbook is full of step by step photos of all the recipes, so even the most inexperienced cook can follow along and make these dishes.  And they all sound delicous.

But what I love most are her photos of her farm animals, family pets, and the wild mustangs that live on her ranch. Reading her book almost make this city girl want to live and work on a ranch…almost.  I need a Trader Joe’s within 10 minutes at all times.

The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook: 101 Asian Recipes Simple Enough for Tonight’s Dinner by Jaden Hair

Jaden Hair is another food blogger I admire, and enjoy reading.  Her blog Steamy Kitchen always has inspiring recipes that won’t make you crazy gathering 500 ingredients. Her food photography is also gorgeous.  I went to a cooking class at Sur La Table in Los Angeles that Jaden gave, and she was so much fun!

Jaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen

Those won tons in the above picture were filled with CHOCOLATE!  Ooey, gooey, and oh so good.  Her book is chock full of incredible recipes and with a lovely picture of the finished dish.  She is a self taught photographer, and inspired me to amp up my food photography a little.  OK, a lot… I’m working on it.

Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving

This last book is all about aspirations.  My father’s mother, Ruby Chambers Lee was an exceptional quilter and gardener.  She would preserve all those fresh vegetables and fruits for the cold Ohio winters. She passed away in the 1970’s, but if I close my eyes and think, I can still taste her currant jelly.

This book, edited by Judi Kingry and Lauren Devine is brought to you by the company that has been making those mason jars we all know for 125 years.  Who better to produce a book on canning them the Ball Company.  Their website Freshpreserving.com has canning products, tips and a preserving guide.

I bought this book with the intention of learning how to preserve the bounty of produce we get here in California.  I don’t know how it will work out but I am going to try!  Stayed tuned for my preserving triumphs and inevitable disasters in the coming year.  I just hope my grandmother will reach down from the heavens and guide me.

Print Friendly