Hardwood Lump Charcoal Grilling

We recently decided to try grilling with hardwood lump charcoal rather than with the usual Kingston briquettes. What is hardwood lump charcoal, you ask? The usual process of making charcoal starts with a slow burning of wood that is densely packed under long metal sheets. The fire slowly moves through the wood burning off everything until you are left with large chunks of pure carbon (hardwood lump charcoal). From here, the wood is mixed with some chemicals (I don't know what they are, but this doesn't sound good to me) and tightly packed into what everyone knows as briquettes. 

Why use hardwood lump charcoal?

As far as I know, the point of grilling over an open fire is to sear your food with extremely high heat and hopefully impart some of the wood aroma into your food. Hardwood lump charcoal burns much hotter (and quicker) than briquettes allowing you more control of the grill temperature, produces less ash, has no chemicals, actually smells like wood, and provides a cheap light show (during grilling, small air pockets in the wood pop and send sparks up into the air). 

Results

So we grilled some flatiron steaks using this new method and were amazed by the results. The high heat produced an excellent sear without overcooking the inside. I'm pretty sure we'll never go back to Kingston briquettes unless the landlord forbids us from using this stuff (I almost burned down the neighbor's deck). 

Sunday Sauce

We usually make this tomato sauce on Sunday nights. Simple and delicious.

Ingredients
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
4-5 cloves garlic, smashed with the side of a knife

1 (or more) pinch crushed red pepper flakes
3-4 tablespoons italian parsley

~24 oz. can pureed tomatoes

1 or two handfuls of picholine olives, or use any olives you like.

linguine

Directions
Heat the olive oil in a medium sized pan over low heat. Place the smashed garlic cloves in the pan before the oil is hot and let them turn golden. This should take 5-7 minutes. Be sure to flip them every so often so that they do not burn. Remove the garlic. I throw it away at this point because the oil is nicely scented. Stir the parsley into the oil and cook briefly, about 30 seconds. Add the tomato puree, pepper flakes, and the olives. Cook for about 20-30 minutes on low with the lid off. The olives season the sauce, so don't add any extra salt. Mix a little less than a pound of linguine into the sauce and serve with fresh parsley on top. This makes excellent leftovers for Monday.

Tomato Bread Soup

Amazing winter soup we discovered at the only good restaurant in Sheboygan.

Ingredients
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
4 cups stale white bread, cut into cubes
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, finely chopped
2 (12 ounce) cans diced tomatoes (or pureed tomatoes if you prefer a smoother soup)
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Directions
Heat 4 tablespoons olive oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Stir the pepper flakes into the oil and add the bread cubes. Cook the bread cubes until lightly brown. Remove bread cubes to paper towels, reserving the oil in the stockpot.

Pour 2 tablespoons olive oil into the stockpot. Cook the garlic and onion in the oil until the onion has softened, about 5-8 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, basil and drained bread cubes; cook about 10 minutes. Add the broth, parsley, and Parmesan cheese to the tomato mixture; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 20 to 30 minutes. Garnish with basil before serving.

Handmade Pasta with Eggplant and Fresh Tomatoes

This sauce is best when the pasta is homemade (worth the effort).

Ingredients

Two small eggplants

salt

olive oil

6 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 lbs fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped

1 handful fresh basil torn into small pieces

6 oz. fresh mozzarella, diced

black pepper

fresh pasta (tagliatelle is best)

flour

3 eggs

Directions

Preparing the eggplants:

Cut the stems and navels off the eggplants. Cut into 1/4 in. thick slices, sprinkle with salt, and stand upright in a colander for 40 minutes to drain off the juices. Blot the salt from the slices with paper towels. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Brush both sides of eggplant slices with olive oil, place on baking sheets and roast for about 10-15 minutes. The time may vary, but just be sure to roast them until they are golden brown. Once cooled, dice and set aside.

Making the pasta:

While the eggplants are draining or roasting, heat a pot full of water and whisk 3 eggs in a bowl. Slowly stir in 1 and 2/3 cups of flour to the egg mix. You can use either all all-purpose flour or a mix of half semolina/half all-purpose. I find it easier to do the mixing in a bowl rather than on a counter. Stir until the mixture can be worked with your hands. Dump contents of bowl on a well floured surface and knead with your hands until it is elastic (about 5 minutes) adding flour as needed. Separate the dough into palm sized balls, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate 20-30 minutes. Flatten 1/4 in. thick rectangles and run through a pasta machine progressing from the thickest to thinnest settings until you have long sheets. Be sure to run the sheets though the first settings several times, folding in half before each pass. You may need to cut these long sheets in half after the last pass, before you pass though the tagliatelle setting on your machine. I place the pasta on a laundry drying rack until I cook them. You may need to do all this while cooking the sauce. When the water is boiling, add a generous pinch of salt and return to a boil. Add the pasta to the water when the sauce is done. The pasta will take a mere 1-2 minutes to cook. Take out before it is completely done, as it will cook in the colander while it drains. 

Making the sauce:

Warm olive oil in a large skillet over med-low heat. Add garlic and saute until softened, 3-4 minutes. Add tomatoes, basil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and stir well. Simmer until excess water evaporates (about 15 minutes). Add diced eggplant, mozzarella, and pepper and toss well. Turn off heat, cover pan for several minutes until mozzarella is softened. Add the fresh pasta to the sauce and serve.

Three Cheese Risotto

Eat this when it is negative thirty degrees outside and you need to slip into a food coma.

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups risotto rice
3 tbsp butter (or olive oil if you prefer)
1 small white onion, chopped
4 cups chicken stock
1 cup sparkling dry white wine or champagne (like Asti Spumante)
1/2 cup Fontina cheese, diced
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 cup Mozzarella cheese, diced
salt and black pepper
fresh parsley, as a garnish

Directions

Heat the chicken stock in a pan or in the microwave and have at hand before you start the recipe. Then, in a heavy saucepan, melt the butter until it begins to foam. Toss in the onion and stir lightly until it has softened (about 6 to 8 minutes).

Add the rice to the butter and onion and stir until the grains start to swell, then add the wine.

Stir the mixture until the rice has absorbed most of the liquid and it has stopped sizzling. Pour in a small amount of the stock. Season with the salt and pepper.

Turn the heat down to a low setting, and stir until the liquid has been absorbed by the rice.

Then add a little more stock, letting the rice absorb it before you add more. Stir, stir, stir! (The stirring is essential, do not stop or the rice will stick to the bottom of the pan and burn)

Cook for approximately 25 to 35 minutes, the rice should look tender and creamy.

Turn off the heat and add the cheeses.

Stir some more, until the cheeses are melted, and season some more if needed. Pour the finished dish into a serving bowl and top with chopped parsley. Eat. Fall asleep at 9pm. Your arm will be very sore.

Toasted Pound Cake with Broiled Brown Sugar Strawberries

Thank you Oprah.

Ingredients
1 pint strawberries, hulled and quartered
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
Dash of vanilla
4 thick slices pound cake

Directions
In a glass baking dish, mix strawberries with brown sugar and vanilla; let sit 30 minutes. Toast pound cake slices in a toaster, or in a 400° oven on a sheet pan 10 to 12 minutes, or until edges are golden.

Preheat broiler to high. Place strawberries (in baking dish) about 5 inches from heat source. Broil until just bubbling, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove and divide berries among pound cake slices. Serve warm.

Tortilla Soup

This is the best version we have made. Use fresh corn.

Ingredients
2 ears corn
4-5 garlic cloves
1 onion, quartered
1 jalapeno
2 T oil
1 chicken breast
2 corn tortillas, quartered
2 tomatoes, coarsely chopped
2 T tomato paste
1.5 t cumin
64 oz chicken stock
tortilla chips
shredded cheddar cheese
avocado
cilantro
lime

Instructions
Extract the kernels from the corn. Coarsely chop the chili, onion, corn, and garlic in a food processor. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat and sear the chicken. Add tortilla squares and cook over low heat. Stir in vegetables and coat with the oil, but don't brown them. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, and cumin and simmer for 10 minutes. Add chicken stock and simmer on low until reduced by 1/3. This might take at least an hour. Remove chicken breast, shred, and set aside. Puree soup in food processor. Garnish each bowl with the shredded chicken, cheese, avocado slices, cilantro, tortilla chips, and a lime wedge.