One of the comments I received on YouTube, for the beef slider video recipe said, "When I saw you put the meat into the muffins cups, I was hoping you were making some kind of meat muffins." My first thought was, "Have another bong hit." My second thought was, "Actually, I could go for a nice meat muffin." So, down to my secret lab I went.
A few hours and several adult beverages later, I was starring at a plate of barbecue pork stuffed corn muffins. This new American classic - part Chinese pork bun, part corndog - looked good, tasted great, and felt oh-so-right in my hand.
Not only did the warm muffin feel good, but also I was eating cornbread with barbecue pork and my fingers were absolutely spotless! Hundreds of years from now, I believe this will be considered the true genius of the recipe.
By the way, I can’t take credit for the brilliant "Kernel Porker" name. I posted this recipe on About.com and asked for some name suggestions from the other guides. The working title, "Memphis Meat Muffins" was a bit too disturbing, and sounded more like a Southern punk rock band.
My friend Barbara Rolek, About's Eastern European Food Guide, submitted this title. If you are ever looking for recipes from that part of the world, check out her great site. Also, if you can't find Jiffy, here is a cornbread recipe video. Enjoy!
Ingredients: 1 cup chopped barbecued pork 1 box (8.5-ounce) Jiffy corn muffin mix 1 egg 1/3 cup milk 1/2 cup shredded pepper Jack, or cheddar cheese non-stick vegetable oil spray 8 paper baking cups
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This white chili video recipe was inspired by a cup of spicy chicken and white bean soup I had during my recent trip back east.
I love chilis (yes, that's how you spell it) of all shades and spices. While beef is most familiar to my chili kettle, pork, turkey, and even lamb do make the occasional appearance. But, what about chicken?
I rarely think of using chicken, so I was glad that cup of soup came along to remind me how great a chili, chicken can make - if you stay away from the horrible ground stuff. For me, chicken makes for a very poor ground meat. It's too lean, too dry, too chalky, and too "I wish this was ground chuck."
The key here is chicken thighs - moist, shapely, boneless-skinless chicken thighs. The difference they make in taste and texture is significant.
By the way, don't substitute chicken breasts. In my opinion, the small amount of fat savings are not worth the step-down in flavor. Enjoy!
Watch this recipe on your IPod! You can now download these delicious video onto your iPod! Think of the convenience of having the recipes at your fingertips. Only $2.50 to own this recipe video, and help support free video recipes online.
Ingredients: 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thigh, cut into 1/2-inch pieces 2 tbsp vegetable oil 1 onion, diced 3 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 tsp ground chipotle pepper 2 tbsp ground cumin 1 tsp oregano 1/4 tsp cinnamon 1 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper cayenne pepper to taste 1 red bell pepper, seeded, diced 1 green bell pepper, seeded, diced 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded, diced 1 can (10-ounce) diced tomato with green chilies 4 cups chicken broth 2 (15 ounce) great northern, or navy beans, drained chopped fresh cilantro to garnish, optional Other Super Cool Chili Recipes: Spicy Three-Bean Chili Chicken Chili Verde Turkey Chili
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I filmed this video recipe for beef sliders with no real intention of editing and posting the results (which explains the yellow buns). Sometimes I'll just turn the camera on, not worry about shadows, angles, quality, etc., and just cook. I felt like some sliders, and if a postable recipe was the result, so be it.
As I worked, I couldn’t help but wonder how a "how to make little hamburgers" video recipe would come off. I'm always afraid of going over that fine line between humorously helpful and annoyingly condescending… "Now we're going to cut the buns in half…see that…through the middle of the bun…I like to use a knife."
But, as seemingly obvious as making little burgers may be, I realized there are two main challenges in the slider process. Forming the burgers, and consistently cooking them to the desired doneness. To achieve both I used a muffin tin to shape the burgers, and since they are exactly the same size and shape, they will always cook evenly according to your specific time.
I like mine medium-rare, so I did 3 minutes per side in a nice hot pan. As usual with all burgers, resting is imperative. Your times will vary, depending on fat %, pan used, and heat, but after a couple test sliders you'll know exactly how many minutes per side for the perfect petite haché de boeuf. I would explain the physics, but I'm sure you wouldn’t understand it. Enjoy!
Secret Sauce Ingredients: 2 parts mayo 1 part ketchup 1 part mustard 1 part relish
Approximate cooking times: 3 minutes per side: rare to med-rare 4 minutes per side: medium 5 minutes per side: med-well to well
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We know the game will be Buffalo-free, but if your as burned-out on the basic Buffalo-style chicken wing recipe as I am, then this video recipe's for you.
The simple technique is the same as any oven-fried chicken wings, but the hot, sweet, mustardy glaze is a very welcomed change of pace from Frank, and his ubiquitous hot sauce. Not that you should be thinking of your waistline at a super bowl party, but this recipe also avoids the stick of melted butter found in the Anchor Bar's classic recipe. The secret here is not one, but two kinds of mustard.
That's right, I hope you're sitting down - I use Dijon and yellow mustard in the same recipe - now that's a true culinary rebel. I can't think of a more unusual combination since, um…Buffalo chicken wings and blue cheese dressing. Enjoy!
Ingredients: 2 pounds wings, separated into 2 pieces each 2 tbsp Dijon 2 tbsp yellow mustard 3 tbsp honey 2 tsp cider vinegar salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste 1 tsp hot sauce, or to taste
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I just had to post this picture of a pasta Michele made for her sick chef a couple nights ago. I get emails once in a while asking if and what Michele cooks and why don’t I film her.
She does cook - when she can get in the kitchen, which I'm usually occupying. I would film her, but her rates are very high and we haven't been able to agree on a price.
It's a super simple recipe, which goes as follows; sauté sausage meat until brown, add some garlic and sauté in the fat for a couple minutes. Throw in a bunch of broccoli rabe, some pepper flakes, and enough chicken stock to cover.
Simmer until the broccoli rabe is tender. Boil shells and add to the sauce with a splash of good olive oil and a handful of real Pecorino Romano cheese. Yes, I will be filming this someday.
Okay, enough with the inaugural tie-ins. Here's the promised ciabatta video recipe. It came out beyond delicious. It was other-worldly, sublime, ethereal, and several other adjectives I would have to look up before using.
It was the perfect marriage of a crisp, light crust outside, and a chewy, yet tender inside. The no-knead part is just a bonus, and only adds to the perfection of this loaf. As you'll hear in the video, I'm a bit under the weather, but even at half-speed this was a simple and enjoyable task.
All I will say is you really need to make this bread. Pretty soon we'll be thinking of romantic, sexy recipes to seduce our Valentines with. Keep this video in mind, for what could be better than having someone bake you a fresh loaf of Italian bread, then slowly buttering and feeding you a still warm slice?
Sorry, I think I took too much cough medicine. Enjoy!
Ingredients: 4 cups bread flour (I used 3 1/2 cup white and 1/2 cup wheat) *Note: you can use All-purpose flour if you want 1/4 tsp yeast 2 cups water 1 1/2 tsp salt
Peggy sent me a link to a site called obamiconme, where you can do a version of Shepard Fairey's now famous Obama poster. It's kind of fun play around with. Here's the original (on the left, in case you weren't sure), one of me, one of Michele and me, and our cat Nigella. Enjoy!
I have several unpublished blog posts about my picks of the world's all-time top-ten recipes. The reason none have gone live yet is I can never settle on just ten, so I put it away and write something easier. While I may not be able to provide a final list yet, one recipe that will always be in my top ten is cassoulet.
This video recipe for cassoulet shows my version of the iconic French classic (it’s so delicious I meant for that to be redundant). Like America's mac and cheese, Spain's paella, and Italy's lasagna, this French baked bean and meat masterpiece has earned its rightful place in the pantheon of one-dish wonders.
There are hundreds of variations, but the basic formula is always the same; tender white beans, aromatic vegetables, flavorful broth, and fatty meats, all baked under a divinely crisp, garlicky, breadcrumb crust. As you'll see, this topping is usually built in two stages - the first a moist liaison between cassoulet and crust, and the second a crisp golden-brown climax to the world's sexiest casserole. Enjoy!
Note: I've linked to this duck confit recipe video I did a while ago, but most high-end markets sell, or can get duck confit already cooked and ready to use. I actually got mine at Costco.
Also, the panko breadcrumbs, which work so well for this, are now found in the Asian section of every major grocery chain. If you can't find them use plain fresh white breadcrumbs.
Ingredients:
For the beans: 1 pound great northern beans, soaked overnight and drained 1 bay leaf 4 cloves garlic, smashed 1/2 onion 1 whole clove 1/2 tsp dried rosemary 1 tsp dried thyme 10 cups water
For the rest: 1/2 pound thick-sliced bacon 1/2 onion, diced 2 carrots, diced 2 ribs celery, diced 1 14-oz can diced tomatoes 1 tsp herb de Provence (or other dried herb blend) 1 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper 1 pound pork sausage 1 pound cooked duck confit
For the topping: 1/4 cup butter 4 cloves, crushed garlic 2 cups Panko breadcrumbs 1 bunch parsley, chopped fine salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste 1 tbsp olive oil
Ciabatta bread, which according to Wikipedia literally means, "carpet slipper," (as opposed to hardwood floor slipper) is one of my favorite breads. I've wanted to try a loaf using our no-knead dough and I think it worked. I made an extra wet and sticky batch of dough and here you can see the before and after photos. I will reserve final judgment until slicing however. More later.
I just found some footage shot after the Pork and Beans and Greens video recipe, which shows how I used some of the leftover spice-rubbed pork shoulder to make a delicious Italian version of the venerable Sloppy Joe. Of course, I had to call it a Sloppy Giuseppe.
I'm still in New York and since I didn't bring proper recording equipment, I'll do the narration for this when I get back. I hate how the mic on the laptop sounds, so in the meantime I decided to post a silent movie version complete with classic silent movie soundtrack. Enjoy!
Ingredients: no-knead dough made into rolls cooked spice-rubbed pork shoulder, chopped hot pepper flakes, to taste salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste tomato sauce as needed splash of water
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I had some leftover prime rib sizzling on the grill, and was trying to think of which condiment to serve with it. The "jus" was long gone, and none of the other usual suspects - aioli, ketchup, secret sauce - were moving me. What I really wanted was a nice dollop of béarnaise.
Béarnaise is a classic French sauce made with egg yolks, shallots, tarragon, a vinegar reduction, and lots of melted butter emulsified into it. Made correctly it is heaven in sauce form. The problem is you don't make béarnaise for one, and while I wanted the flavor of béarnaise, I didn't necessarily want a heavy butter-laden lunch.
So, I decided to make it without butter. There is no reason this should have been edible, but I was surprised at how good it turned out. I've used the "sabayon" technique before, which is simply whisking a liquid with egg yolks over heat until hot and frothy.
I skipped the shallots since I was about fives away from sauce-less beef, and got to work. My secret weapon was tangy, acidic tarragon Dijon. One of my favorite ingredients, it work like a charm. Several whisk-filled moments later I was enjoying a passable butterless version of béarnaise.
Disclaimer: There is no substitute for butter (if you said, "What about margarine?" then we really need to talk). If you dip into this expecting to taste classic buttery béarnaise you may be in for a slight letdown. Regardless, it was a delicious, light, and very béarnaise-esqe sauce for my meat. Enjoy!
Ingredients: 2 egg yolks 2 tsp tarragon mustard salt and cracked black pepper to taste 1 tsp white wine vinegar
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One of the comments I received on YouTube, for the beef slider video recipe said, "When I saw you put the meat into the muffins cups, I was hoping you were making some kind of meat muffins." My first thought was, "Have another bong hit." My second thought was, "Actually, I could go for a nice meat muffin." So, down to my secret lab I went.
Not only did the warm muffin feel good, but also I was eating cornbread with barbecue pork and my fingers were absolutely spotless! Hundreds of years from now, I believe this will be considered the true genius of the recipe.
* Please help support free video recipes, and visit my new sponsor, MOZO Shoes. Find out why chefs (like me) are buzzing about their great shoes!
