There was nothing wrong with this warm calamari salad, except the most important thing. I�ve had �cast-iron calamari� before, which featured gorgeously seared, almost charred, pieces of squid. While well caramelized, the calamari was still tender and moist, which means it was only cooked for a few minutes, over what must have been dangerously high heat.
I figured as long as I got my pan hot enough, I should be fine. Wrong. Well, technically right, but wrong because I added way too much into the pan at one time. I really needed to do a single order at a time, and it probably would have been fine, but once that whole pound went in, the temp dropped, and you saw the results.
I still enjoyed a flavorful, healthy lunch, but not the one I�d dreamed about. The good news however, was that I ate the leftovers cold, tossed with the same salad ingredients, and it was actually better. So, if you are planning on doing the same recipe, as shown, I would suggest serving it chilled instead. I hope you give this, or that, a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 4 Warm Calamari Salads:
1 pound cleaned calamari
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon of chipotle powder
pinch of cayenne
1 packed teaspoon light brown sugar
1 sliced jalapeno, seeded
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste once cooked
There�s no getting around the fact that these lamb and rice stuffed grape leaves, aka �dolmas,� take some time and effort to put together, but at least they�ll all be gone in just a few minutes. What I�m trying to say is, maybe make a double batch.
If you order these at your favorite Mediterranean restaurant, you�ve probably enjoyed the more common meatless version, but I really do love the lamb in these. The technique works the same no matter what you use, but of course, how much rice you use will affect how much liquid you need.
As far as the grape leaves go, I�ve only done these with the ones in the jar, which work great for me. I�ve heard these are even better with fresh grape leaves, but where the heck am I going to get my hands on those in Northern California?
As I mentioned in the video, these are wonderful at any temperature, which makes them a great option for parties. You can put them out warm, knowing that they�ll be just as delicious when they are cold. I garnished mine very simply with lemon and olive oil, but any cold yogurt sauce makes for a beautiful dip. I really hope you give these a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for about 32 Lamb & Rice Stuffed Grape Leaves:
1/2 pound ground lamb
rounded 1/2 cup long grain rice
1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 tablespoon currants
1 tablespoon pine nuts
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon dry oregano
2 tablespoons chopped mint 1 large egg
1 jar (16-oz) grape leaves, drained and rinsed
To cook the �Dolmas:�
4 cups chicken broth (tip: use already hot to save time)
Juice of one lemon
drizzle of olive oil
- Simmer, covered, gently for about 45 minutes or until rice is tender. I usually check at around 35 minutes, and play it by ear from there.
I�ve always loved green curries, but until a recent visit to Al�s Place, I�d never thought of using fresh, sweet peas as the base. It was amazing, and after only a few bites I knew I'd steal this idea and make it my own. Sorry, Al.
Their version featured pickled strawberries, but I decided to try a different approach, and used diced, fresh berries instead. I didn�t use any palm sugar or coconut milk, so the sweetness they provided paired perfectly with the brightly seasoned sauce.
As I mentioned in the video, I used a jarred curry paste, Thai Kitchen Green Curry Paste, to be exact, and it works just fine. It contains green chili, garlic, lemongrass, galangal, salt, shallot, pepper, coriander, cumin, and kaffir lime, which is pretty much what you�d grind up to make a fresh green curry.
Next time I�ll make the paste from scratch just to see how much better it is, but I have to admit, the trade-off in time and effort is pretty attractive. Speaking of attractive, this lovely bowl of spring goodness sure would look good on your table, so I hope you give this spring pea green curry a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 4 appetizer-sized portions:
1 yellow onion, diced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
3 tablespoons green curry paste, plus more to taste
2 cups chicken broth
1 pound trimmed sugar snap peas, snow peas, or English peas
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 pound boneless black cod (aka butterfish or sablefish), but into eight 2-oz pieces, skin scored 1/8th inch deep
Some things sound really amazing the first time you hear about them, and other things, like this tonnato sauce, really don�t. I was probably in my early twenties when this first appeared on my culinary radar as, �vitello tonnato.� At the time, a plate of cold, thinly-sliced poached veal dressed with a chilled, runny tuna sauce didn�t make a lot of sense, but I tried it anyway, and have been a fan ever since.
I don�t often serve it with the traditional veal, as in never, but ironically that�s the only thing I don�t serve it with. It�s tremendous as a spread, and equally impressive as an all-purpose, all-world dip. You can also turn any basic potato salad into the stuff of legends...well, at least picnic legends.
I have to give credit where credit's due, and admit I stole the idea for my "tonnato tartare tartine" from one of my favorite San Francisco restaurants, Bar Tartine. They do it much better, but even my primitive version was incredible, so if you're into that kind of thing, I highly recommend it. As I said in the clip, there are only a few ingredients, and they're all �to taste,� so you should expect to adjust. I like mine with lots of everything, plus some garlic and cayenne, but that�s just me. By the way, in keeping with the spirit of the original dish, if you do happen to have some cold, leftover roast chicken, turkey, or pork, slice it thin, and slather this stuff all over it, and enjoy one of the best cold plates ever. I really hope you give this tonnato sauce a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for about 2 cups tonnato sauce:
1 (7-ounce) jar olive oil-packed tuna, plus reserved olive oil
6 olive oil-packed anchovy fillets
2 tablespoons capers, drained
3 tablespoons lemon juice, or more to taste
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more to taste
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1 or 2 cloves minced garlic
salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
pinch of cayenne For the spring vegetable topping: equal parts shaved raw carrot and thinly sliced raw sugar snap peas or snow peas, tossed with salt, pepper, and olive oil. Topped with arugula sprouts or thinly-sliced arugula leaves. For the raw beef topping: ice cold diced lean beef (I used eye of round), tossed with salt, pepper, olive oil, and a splash of balsamic vinegar. Topped with arugula sprouts or thinly-sliced arugula leaves.
In case you�re wondering if I thought of the name first, and then developed the recipe, I think we both know the answer to that question.That said, I really thought I could pull it off. The old clich� when it comes escargot is that it�s really just an excuse to eat garlic butter, and that the snail is just some sort of flavorless delivery system. Turns out that�s not the case. This suffered from a lack of meaty earthiness the escargot provides. Like I said in video, if I make this again, I will caramelize the mushrooms in a pan, which I�m sure would help.Or, maybe I�ll just use snails. Speaking of which, feel free to use this exact technique with actual escargot, as everything other than the mushroom was spot on. You can find those online, along with the other special items you�ll need, such as the shells, the pan, the tongs, and the forks.
So, whether you use mushrooms or snails, and please don�t use mushrooms,I really hope you give this classic French appetizer a try soon. No joke. Enjoy!
I�ve gotten so many requests for Scotch eggs over the years, I figured with the Easter holiday coming up, the timing was right to post this fried miracle of culinary engineering. In my version, I keep the egg soft, so when you bite in, you get that amazing contrast in texture between the molten yolk and the crispy sausage shell.
This is traditionally a picnic item, so the hard-boiled egg makes sense in that setting, but as far as serving it as a snack, or for a first course, maybe with a salad, I highly recommend the softer approach.
If you use the exact measurements below, the times given should get you pretty close to what you see here, but there are variables. In a carton of eggs, depending on the source, you�ll notice small, but significant size variations. You may want to test your times on the soft-boiled stage before proceeding.
Another factor is whether or not you chill these before frying. If you make them the day before, then I�d add a minute to the frying time. Keep in mind that the frying is to cook the sausage, and just heat the egg through, so you should cook the yolk to the doneness you want when the Scotch egg is cut open.
Your best bet is to make a few extra, and test your frying time before service. Trust me, you�ll enjoy this step. By the way, I have no idea if this works in the oven. I�m guessing it could, but I can�t help you out with any specifics. I really hope you give these amazing Scotch eggs a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 6 Scotch Eggs:
6 large eggs, right out of the fridge
*steam 6 minutes as shown for soft yolks
3.5 ounces of Italian sausage meat per egg (about 1/2 cup)
*I did 6, and used exactly 21 ounces of sausage.
pinch nutmeg
pinch cayenne
1/4 tsp mustard powder
white flour, 2 beaten eggs, and enough panko breadcrumbs to bread 6 eggs (I don�t measure such things)
Fry at 350 F. for 5-6 minutes to keep a soft yolk center. Add another minute for Scotch eggs that have been thoroughly chilled before frying.
There�s a Mexican joint Michele and I go to once in a while, that serves a complimentary bowl of spicy, fried chickpeas when you sit down to eat. In the restaurant biz they call this a �loss leader.�
That�s where you give away something cheap to help sell something expensive, and by something expensive, I mean handcrafted margaritas and artisan beers�sold to people like me, who, for some strange reason, are suddenly thirsty.
While I�m hip to the true motive, it�s still a very nice touch, and a periodic reminder of what a great, highly additive snack this is. As in, only make single batches at a time, because you will eat everything you make.
As I mentioned in the video, this works exactly the same using rinsed, canned beans, but dry beans are much cheaper, and get a little crunchier. Obviously, you have free reign with the spices, so I suggest making a few different batches, trying different combinations.
No matter what you come up with, it will be significantly better than any of those salty snacks from the supermarket. I hope you give these easy, oven-fried chickpeas a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 4 snack-sized portions Crunchy Spiced Chickpeas:
1 cup dry chickpeas, aka garbanzo beans, soaked for 24 hours
2 tbsp olive oil
season to taste with salt, freshly ground black pepper, cumin, paprika, and cayenne, OR literally any spices you like
- Bake at 400 F. for about an hour, tossing occasionally, until browned and crunchy/crispy.
As far as I�m concerned, a simple gratin is the most delicious way to cook fresh scallops. The technique is infinitely adaptable, and as long as you�re keeping an eye on things during the broiler step, not a lot can go wrong. In fact, the only real way to screw this recipe up would be to use the wrong scallops.
And by �wrong,� I mean any that have been soaked in a preservative brine. These are easy to identify, as they�re usually sitting in a pool of milky liquid. What you want are usually sold as wild �day-boat,� �diver,� or �dry-pack� scallops. They are really expensive, and worth every penny.
Brined scallops have an unpleasant aftertaste, leak out tons of water, and shrink down to nothing. Other than that, they�re great. Ideally you�re getting your scallops fresh, but frozen will work, as long as the ingredient label says nothing but �scallops.� You�ll also want to thaw them slowly, and pat dry thoroughly before using.
This is a great dish for parties, as you can prep your ramekins ahead of time, and then pop them in the oven when you�re ready. I can�t give exact times, since this will depend on the size of your scallops, and dish, but just start in a nice hot oven for a few minutes, and then finish under the broiler, until browned and just cooked through. When the scallops spring back to the touch, they should be done.
Like I said in the video, if you�re not confident cooking seafood, and/or haven�t worked with scallops before, this gratin is a great place to start. I hope you give it a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 2 portions: 1/4 cup cr�me fraiche
1 teaspoon lemon zest
Pinch of cayenne
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup decent white wine
8 fresh scallops (mine were trimmed, but if need be, pull off any �feet,� which are tough, small pieces of muscle sometimes attached to the side of the scallop)
Unlike most of America�s other favorite fast foods, falafel is rarely attempted at home, which is a shame, since it�s very simple to do, and even a relative novice like me can get some very decent results. One word of warning: you do need to know you�re going to have a craving for this a full day before you actually want to eat it.
Whipping up a batch of these after a late night at the bar is not going to work, since soaking the dry beans overnight is a crucial step. While you can use canned beans for this, word on the street is not to do it. Those are cooked, and apparently just aren�t as good.
As you�ll see, you don�t really need a deep fryer to do this, as they pan-fry quite nicely, but the model you see me using has some advantages. In addition to being less messy, a small fryer lets you achieve the precise temperature, which means your food crisps up perfectly, while absorbing virtually none of the fat. People have done studies, measuring the oil before-and-after frying, and when done properly, it�s remarkable how little oil is used.
No matter what method you use to cook yours, I think you�ll be surprised how close this is to your favorite falafel stand, assuming they used the exact ingredients and amounts I did, which may not be the case. So, be sure to taste and adjust until you get it just right. I really hope you get this try very soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for about 12 falafel balls:
1 cup dried garbanzo beans aka chickpeas
1/2 yellow onion, diced
4 cloves minced garlic
1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley
1 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 rounded tablespoon flour
2 tsp lemon juice
- Fry at 350�F for about 5 minutes or until browned and crispy
There are certain things that if I see on a menu, I will almost always order them, and brandade is one of those things. This amazing dish from the south of France can be made many different ways, but it�s usually some sort of combination of salt cod, potato, garlic, and olive oil.
Once made, it can be eaten as is, or turned into a beautifully browned and bubbly gratin. Actually, forget I said that, as this should always be baked and eaten piping hot, ideally with some homemade crostini.
The biggest (and only) challenge with this dish is handling the salt cod. It needs to be soaked in cold water for a day or two before you can work with it. However, depending on which salt cod you use, the time this takes can vary. If you�ve never used it before, follow the instructions herein, but maybe cut off a small piece once it�s soaked, cook it in a little bit of water, and test it for salt content. It should still be kind of salty, but not unpleasantly so.
As I mention in the video, the final product should get precariously close to being too salty, without going past that point. It's going to be similar to things like smoked salmon, prosciutto, or salami. This is why you should not do any salting, including when you boil the potatoes, until everything comes together.
This is a great recipe for entertaining, since you can make it ahead of time, and bake when you�re ready to serve. You can use one large shallow dish, or do a smaller size portion like I did here. Remember everything is cooked; so all you need to do is heat it through, brown the top, and serve. I really hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for about 24 snack-sized portions:
1 pound skinless salt cod fillet, soaked in cold water for 24-36 hours, changing water 4-5 times
2 bay leaves
6 springs thyme
1 1/2 cups whole milk
pinch cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
8 large garlic cloves, peeled, halved
1 pound gold potatoes, cooked until tender with garlic
Any time someone asks the question, �What exactly is soul food,� the answer should always be a comforting bowl of red beans and rice. Just sit them down, give them a spoon, and when they finish, ask them if they understand. They will.
Like I say in the intro, there are thousands of ways you can make this, using all sorts of smoked pig parts and sausages, but there are really only two ways you can serve it � thin and soupy, or thick and creamy.
Once you slowly simmered your beans, and they�re very, very soft and tender, and your meats are falling apart, you�re ready to serve. If you ladle it up as is, you�ll have something that�s fairly loose, with most of the beans still whole. It�s great like this, and based on my travels to New Orleans, the more common style.
However, another popular technique is to smash and stir some of the cooked beans into the mixture as you continue cooking. This creates a much thicker, and creamier consistency, which I really enjoy when I want something a bit more substantial. It�s closer to a chili texture, and I love how the rice sticks to it.
This is totally up to personal taste, so if you�ve never made it before, try some on rice as soon as the beans are tender, and it�s still pretty juicy. Check it out, and then, if you want, you can continue cooking/smashing/stirring to end up closer to where I did.
Regardless of how thick you make yours, you�ll want to soak your beans overnight in cold water before starting the recipe. If you forget, which you will, you can always use the quick method. Bring the beans to a boil in large pot of water, turn off the heat, and let it sit there for an hour or so to soften up, and become easier to digest.
If you put enough meat in it, this is more than a meal, but it also makes a great side dish for barbeque, or pretty much anything. Throw in some collard greens, and maybe some cornbread, and let the good times roll. I hope you give this easy, red beans and recipe a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 8 portions:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
12 ounces Andouille sausage, sliced or cubed
1 cup finely diced onion
3/4 cup finely diced celery
3/4 cup finely diced green peppers
4 cloves minced garlic
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 smoked ham hock
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
2 quarts chicken broth or water, plus more as needed to adjust consistency
1 pound red kidney beans, soaked overnight
about 2 teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste hot sauce to taste
I�m more of a shower guy, but Bagna Cauda is one �hot bath� I�ll take any time. While this qualifies as a warm dip, it has nothing in common with the typical versions that will grace snack tables across America this Sunday.
It doesn�t contain pounds of melted cheese, or come in a bread bowl, but what it does have going for it, is simple, rustic goodness, and proven crowd appeal. Besides, unlike those other "hot dips," this one actually stays hot.
If there were ever a recipe to tweak to your own tastes, it�s this one. You can adjust the amounts of garlic and anchovy, as well as the proportion of olive oil to butter. You can also control how long you cook the mixture before it�s presented.
I think about five minutes is perfect, but many people cook it much longer. Other than that, the hardest part of this recipe is deciding on what to drunk in this ancient dip. Anything goes, but as I mentioned in the video, some chunks of crusty bread are highly recommended. I hope you give this bagna cauda a try soon. Enjoy!
UPDATE: I'm hearing from my friends in Northern Italy that they use TWICE as much anchovy and garlic as I did. So, be advised. Ingredients for 1 1/4 cup Bagna Cauda
As promised, here is the pepper and onion relish you saw me accessorize my bite-sized cheesesteaks a few videos ago. The whole trick here is to find peppadew peppers, which have a very vibrant, sweet-hot-tangy flavor, and quickly and easily turn a pan of saut�ed onions and jalape�os into a world-class condiment.
Pretty much any large grocery store that has one of those self-serve salad/olive bars will have these peppers. Just be sure to ladle in some of the flavorful pickling liquid, as that�s what really brings this all together. You'll also sometimes see them in jars on the shelf, as well as online.
You can certainly use any jarred, pickled pepper, but this works best with something that�s on the sweet and spicy side. No matter what pepper you use, you can always adjust with salt, sugar, and/or vinegar. Like I said in the clip, even if you don�t do the mini Philly cheesesteaks, I still hope you give this versatile relish a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for about 1 cup of relish:
2/3 cup finely diced onion
1/2 cup diced jalape�o
1/2 cup diced Peppadew peppers, or other sweet-hot pickled pepper
1/4 to 1/3 cup of the reserved Peppadew liquid, or as needed
Any decent Super Bowl snack table has to have a few substantial dips, and this �loaded baked potato� dip, with its three pounds of bacon, is nothing if not substantial.
It�s also shaped like a football, which of course has been proven to taste better to people drinking beer than dips in a bowl. Speaking of beer, I think will pair nicely with something cheap, domestic, and in a can. Save the Pliny for the Kobe sliders.
Needless to say, you can doctor this dip any way you see fit. There are so many ways you can �Tom Brady� this football, and change it to your liking. Some roasted chilies would be great, or maybe even some of that pickled pepper-onion relish I�m about to show you.
If you do want a stiffer mixture, for sculpting a more realistically shaped football, you could use part cream cheese, but I liked the lighter texture, and we still got enough height to qualify as 3-D. So, if you�re looking for a fun and delicious Super Bowl dip recipe, I hope you give this a try. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 48 servings:
3 pounds bacon
3 pounds (6 cups) sour cream
1/2 pound grated extra-sharp cheddar
1 cup chopped green onions for dip, plus more chopped green parts for the �grass.�
Miniaturized sandwiches don�t usually float my boat, or submarine, as they�re almost always not as good as the full-sized versions, but these mini Philly cheesesteaks really captured everything I love about the classic.
Thinly sliced rib eye is traditionally used, and it�s fried and chopped on the grill, before meeting cheese and bread. Since we�re going to �grill� these in the oven, we�ll use a nice, juicy skirt steak instead, which has a big beefy flavor, and great marbling.
It will brown up around the edges, yet stay moist and tender because of the fat and connective tissue. I also really enjoyed the double shot of the sliced provolone and provolone �cheez whiz,� which provided a great creamy, richness. The peppers and onions brought everything together, and long story short, I ate the whole tray.
This was great hot, warm, and cold, and that alone makes it a perfect choice for your Super Bowl snack spread. Also, stay tuned for the quick and easy pickled pepper and onion relish recipe I mentioned in the clip. I hope you give these mini Philly cheesesteaks a try soon. Enjoy!
Enough for about 48 mini Philly cheesesteaks:
12 ounce skirt steak, or flap meat, or rib eye, or NY Strip
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup of pickled pepper and onion relish (stay tuned for video), OR 1/2 cup of saut�ed onions and sweet peppers
*once mixed, be sure to taste and salt the final diced steak mixture!
For the �cheez whiz� sauce:
2 generous tablespoons flour
2 generous tablespoons butter
1 cup cold milk
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of cayenne
salt to taste
2 thick slices provolone cheese (about 2 to 3 ounces), torn up
48 slices of baguette
sliced or grated provolone to top the cheesesteaks
Once assembled, bake at 400 for 12 to 15 minutes, or until cheese is browned
Every year about this time, I get a bunch of emails asking which of our previously posted oven-fried chicken wing methods is the best. I never know how to respond, since I think they�re all pretty close, but now I finally have a definitive answer�this one!
By the way, the honey-sriracha glaze is quite delicious and incredibly simple, but merely an afterthought here. The real star of the show is the strange, but effective technique of coating the wings with a baking powder-laced spice rub before baking. Through the magic of chemical reactions, the surface of the chicken becomes bone-dry, and eventually crisps up to something very similar to what would come out of a deep fryer.
Instead of the soft, slippery skin associated with most oven baked wings, we get a crispy, blistered surface that really holds onto whatever glaze you decide to toss your wings with. The surprising thing is, once these are cooked you would never know baking powder was involved.
I�m not exactly sure who originally invented this; I heard about it via America's Test Kitchen, but that doesn�t really matter, since the only thing that really matters is who people 10 years from now think invented this. And if this is video somehow goes viral, that could be me. To that end, I really hope you give this unusual, and highly effective method, and honey-sriracha sauce a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 4 portions:
2 1/2 pounds chicken wing sections
1 tbsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 tbsp baking powder (aluminum free)
- Coat wings, and bake at 425 F., turning every 15-20 minutes, until they are browned and crispy. Total cooking time will be about 1 hour, but that depends on the size and temperature of your wings.
As promised, here are the blue cheese croutons you saw floating on top of the roasted apple and parsnip soup we posted yesterday. They were just perfect together, and as I ate my soup, dozens of other, �perfect togethers,� easily came to mind.
We only use three ingredients here, which is why this works so well. Try to resist the temptation to add salt, pepper, or other spices, as the blue cheese will provide all the punch you need. We�re going for pure blue cheese flavor in a buttery, crunchy package, and anything else would just get in the way.
Another tip here is to use bread that�s not too stale. I find that dry bread makes a crispy-hard crouton; verses fresher bread, which has more crispy-brittle texture. You can file that one under theories I can�t prove, but don�t need to.
The type of blue cheese really doesn�t matter to the technique, but the sharper, and more intense the flavor, the better. Like I always say, you're the boss, so use whatever you like. Speaking of which, Michele gets credit for the, "Louis Vuitton of your blue cheese crouton" line. I was going to go with "the Chef John of..." but hers was much better.
I guessed at some amounts below, but you don�t need those, since this is simply as much butter and cheese as you feel comfortable with. I hope you give these blue cheese croutons a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 8 portions Blue Cheese Croutons:
1/2 loaf fresh or day old bread (try to use something not already dry and hard)
5-6 tbsp hot melted unsalted butter
2-3 ounces strong blue cheese, placed in freezer until firm *bake at 350 F. until browned and crisp.
The first time I had Cajun-style boudin sausage, I was confused. I�d ordered something called �sausage,� but that�s not what I got. Instead of the firm, meaty tube I was used to, I was served a tough, rubbery casing filled with a soft, wet, paste-like meat and rice mixture.
It had pork and alligator in it, among other things, and had I not been in one of the most famous restaurants in New Orleans, I�d have thought the chef had done something drastically wrong. It was incredibly delicious, but the texture, and the fact you had to squeeze it out of the casing to eat, took some time for me to process.
I�ve come to understand how and why it�s done that way, and it�s become one of my favorite foods. However, since the casing is nothing more than a delivery system, I much prefer to form the boudin into balls, and fry them as seen herein.
The textural contrast between the crispy outside and moist, savory inside is a wonder to behold. The taste is just as impressive. Intensely flavorful and satisfying, these boudin balls would win any Super Bowl food table on which they appeared. Hint, hint.
Just don�t leave out the liver! I know you �hate� it, but I don�t care, put it in anyway. It makes this wonder of American cuisine what it is. I really hope you give these boudin balls a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for about 48 Boudin Balls, depending on the size:
1 3/4 lbs boneless pork shoulder, cut in 1-inch cubes
6 ounces chicken livers, cut in 1-inch pieces
1 yellow onion, diced
2 celery ribs, diced
1/2 cup diced poblano chili or green bell pepper
1/2 cup diced jalapenos (seeded first)
6 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons kosher salt (1 1/2 to 2 tbsp if using table salt)
1 1/2 tablespoons black pepper
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cayenne
4 or 5 cups fully-cooked white rice,
1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley
1/2 cup fresh chopped green onion
Enough seasoned flour, beaten eggs, and plain breadcrumbs to bread the balls
- Fry at 350 F. for 3-4 minutes until browned, crisp, and hot inside.
