Maggie’s Veer Cooks

[Veer_G]

1st course, NYE 2018-2019:

GAMBAS AL AJILLO

Gambas al ajillo, or prawns/shrimp (shrimp are camarones) in garlic sauce are a staple appetizer throughout most of Spain. Regional varieties are the norm, differing in booze used and ingredients/amounts, although the two prominent ingredients are absolutely mandatory. With a very little bit of mise en place it's dead easy.



You'll need:

Shrimp, 1 lb., de-pooped, de-legged, and shelled (I used 13/15s tonight. It was what the market had. You'll want to go with a slightly smaller size, undoubtedly.)
Garlic, 8-10 cloves, finely chopped.
Paprika, 1 tsp, smoked or sweet, your call
Red pepper flakes, 1 tsp., or a few whole cayennes
Brandy, 4 oz., or sherry, slightly larger measure
Lemon, 1, juiced
Olive oil, ½ cup (EVOO is fine, Mr. Fancy Pants)
Salt, fresh black pepper, to taste
Parsley, fresh, to garnish


How-to:

1. Heat your olive oil to medium in a 9-12" sauté pan, for a minute or two. We're not looking for it to be super smoking.

2. Add in garlic and red pepper. We're not going to let them brown. Give it a minute or two to soften and release flavor and aroma into the oil.

3. Raising the heat, shrimp go in. Everything but the salt, black pepper, and parsley goes in immediately afterward, booze, lemon juice, and then paprika and spread it out among the shrimp.

4. Cook the shrimp evenly, to two three minutes, to pink them out, using tongs to turn, or a sauté flip if you're a stud.

5. Finish with parsley garnish, salt and pepper to taste, and serve in heated bowls for immediate consumption.

 

[12Bravo]

Thanks for the recipe. It sounds & looks delicious. We've cooked variations of this before, but will try your recipe in the next few days.

 

[powdahound76]

Oh dang my friend. I must try.

Do you think U21-25 would be a good size?

I will need some brandy. Will cut RP flakes in half or a tad less (Im a pussy for spice, hernia issues and momma dont like).
Have you done both brandy and sherry? Thinking sherry would be better and open to thoughts. Never really had brandy.

 

[powdahound76]

Oh yeah, I usually sear shrimp in sunflower oil as it tolerates the heat mo betta.
Hows the smoke once you turn up the heat?

 

[Veer_G]

Oh yeah, I usually sear shrimp in sunflower oil as it tolerates the heat mo betta.
Hows the smoke once you turn up the heat?

No issues with the smoke. We're not cooking the shrimp hard. The idea is to get them to get pink and curl up a bit without napalming the garlic flavoring the oil. And don't use sunflower in this. Olive oil is the order of the day. I usually do sherry. Tonight I opted for brandy. I'd do with smaller shrimp than I used, but nothing approaching microscopic.

 

[powdahound76]

Yessir

 

[powdahound76]

Pink and curling toes. I got this.... ?

 

[big_matt_duq]

those look good. I am definitely trying this. thanks

 

[1J04]

Looks really good. Mrs Shartz does up a dish sumth'n like this. I'll have to share this one with her and see where she goes with it.

 

[Clearlight]

Those prawns look delicious , even if they aren’t Aussie spec. How’d the Beef Wellie go on NYE , or
no go ?

 

[Veer_G]

Those prawns look delicious , even if they aren’t Aussie spec. How’d the Beef Wellie go on NYE , or
no go ?

We kept it lighter and simpler than previously imagined. I like to cook, but I also like to kick back. Putting a multi-course dinner out for a dozen or more family and friends, as I've done on numerous occasions over the span of two decades plus, is just too much like work. The missus had a pre-flight checklist of gargantuan proportions, which I steered to a bit of a trimming.

Instead of making a normal-sized Wellington, we opted for a store-bought product made of small filet sections; unfortunately, Backseat Driver 6 is on a long-term no-beef kick, and large cuts are reserved for events with company. Thankfully, she feels no such remorse consuming pork and pork products. So hamstrung, and with only the two of us, one gets sort of selective about the bits and the bobs that go together so that leftover components don't go to waste. By my hand, we had plates of Spanish charcuterie, with Manchego cheese, anchovy-stuffed olives, and Portuguese bread, and then smørrebrød.

Here in the Northeast of the US, we have large pockets of Portuguese, Azorean, and Brazilian immigrants in the larger cities between Philadelphia and Lower New England. They've established the most incredible bakeries, churning out loaves of bread such as you'd only find in Western Europe and distributing them through grocery chains.

The two meat items above are jamón ibérico, and lomo. Both are from what are referred to as "pata negra de bellota," or black-footed, acorn-fed pigs. The lomo, the circular cuts, are $75/lb. at retail. The jamón ibérico is $150/lb. at retail, only having been fed bellotas, or acorns, for the last three or four months of its life, unless you're willing to go whole hog and get an entire ham, completely acorn-fed and on the bone in a slicing stand, on-line, and then you're looking at a few hundred to upwards of $1,000 for your pleasure. Conversely, you could dabble your toes for less than $83 for a less-enthusiastic investment in a few slices of the prime stuff.

Smørrebrød: pumpernickel, dill herring, hard-boiled egg, tomato, pickled red onions, and capers.

 

[Clearlight]

Deluxe ! Add a 2 axle bbq smoker and we are GTG for Tucker’s party . Kudos to your primo selection .

 

[MtnCreek]

It's got them same salty peas that someone spilt on some veil I had a while back. :-D

 

[Sean the Nailer]

Awesome start to the new year, Veer. One day when I can afford to buy some of them shrimps, I'm going to have to try this recipe. Really looks good.

 

[Veer_G]

It's got them same salty peas that someone spilt on some veil I had a while back. :-D

Veiled references ... hmm ... must have been a humdinger of a caper.

 

[Barneybdb]

Tried your prawn recipe with some Aussie Tiger prawns, could not find the Brandy so sacrificed some Bourbon. Pam does not like Chilli so I had to make it in two batches, took a bit of juggling. Got told not to forget how I did it. Thanks for posting that. (I liked it too).

 

[Veer_G]

Tried your prawn recipe with some Aussie Tiger prawns, could not find the Brandy so sacrificed some Bourbon. Pam does not like Chilli so I had to make it in two batches, took a bit of juggling. Got told not to forget how I did it. Thanks for posting that. (I liked it too).

Glad that your Barbie likes my prawn. (Did I say that right?)

 

[Barneybdb]

Yes mate.


me.me
"Barbie" is Australian slang for barbecue and the phrase "slip ashrimp on the barbie", for Americans, often evokes images of a fun social gathering under the sun. Australians, however, invariably use the word prawn rather than shrimp.

 

[Mporche]

Whats the difference between a prawn and a skrimp?

 

[Veer_G]

Whats the difference between a prawn and a skrimp?

Size and/or regional usage, so far as I know. I imagine that there are varieties within the taxonomic hierarchy.

 

[Threadcutter308]

We kept it lighter and simpler than previously imagined. I like to cook, but I also like to kick back. Putting a multi-course dinner out for a dozen or more family and friends, as I've done on numerous occasions over the span of two decades plus, is just too much like work. The missus had a pre-flight checklist of gargantuan proportions, which I steered to a bit of a trimming.

Instead of making a normal-sized Wellington, we opted for a store-bought product made of small filet sections; unfortunately, Backseat Driver 6 is on a long-term no-beef kick, and large cuts are reserved for events with company. Thankfully, she feels no such remorse consuming pork and pork products. So hamstrung, and with only the two of us, one gets sort of selective about the bits and the bobs that go together so that leftover components don't go to waste. By my hand, we had plates of Spanish charcuterie, with Manchego cheese, anchovy-stuffed olives, and Portuguese bread, and then smørrebrød.

Here in the Northeast of the US, we have large pockets of Portuguese, Azorean, and Brazilian immigrants in the larger cities between Philadelphia and Lower New England. They've established the most incredible bakeries, churning out loaves of bread such as you'd only find in Western Europe and distributing them through grocery chains.

View attachment 6996262

The two meat items above are jamón ibérico, and lomo. Both are from what are referred to as "pata negra de bellota," or black-footed, acorn-fed pigs. The lomo, the circular cuts, are $75/lb. at retail. The jamón ibérico is $150/lb. at retail, only having been fed bellotas, or acorns, for the last three or four months of its life, unless you're willing to go whole hog and get an entire ham, completely acorn-fed and on the bone in a slicing stand, on-line, and then you're looking at a few hundred to upwards of $1,000 for your pleasure. Conversely, you could dabble your toes for less than $83 for a less-enthusiastic investment in a few slices of the prime stuff.

View attachment 6996267

Smørrebrød: pumpernickel, dill herring, hard-boiled egg, tomato, pickled red onions, and capers.

For all of you knuckledragging, neanderthal heathen savages that have never had Iberico, go, do it now !
You'll probably be able to find it in specialty markets in bigger cities, but for smaller towns and out in the sticks, you probably won't be able to find it locally and will have to order off the web. It ain't cheap, but is well worth it.

 

[Threadcutter308]

Whats the difference between a prawn and a skrimp?

In the Pacific NW, Prawns are larger (by quite a bit) and I believe they live at depths deeper (and colder) than shrimp, not absolutely certain though. Both good, but for Veer's plate, you want to go with Prawns, just not too large.

 

[Barneybdb]

For all of you knuckledragging, neanderthal heathen savages that have never had Iberico, go, do it now !
You'll probably be able to find it in specialty markets in bigger cities, but for smaller towns and out in the sticks, you probably won't be able to find it locally and will have to order off the web. It ain't cheap, but is well worth it.

Costco down here had it in store just before Christmas with the cutting stand but the price was ridiculous.

 

[Veer_G]

For all of you knuckledragging, neanderthal heathen savages that have never had Iberico, go, do it now !
You'll probably be able to find it in specialty markets in bigger cities, but for smaller towns and out in the sticks, you probably won't be able to find it locally and will have to order off the web. It ain't cheap, but is well worth it.

Just once, splurge, if you do, and get the four-year aged stuff. The difference is mind-blowing.

 

[Threadcutter308]

Just once, splurge, if you do, and get the four-year aged stuff. The difference is mind-blowing.

It melts in your mouth.....nom, nom.

Not sure if we'll run across it on this trip, but I've seen whole hindquarters of it hanging in Charcuteries in France. I'll get a pic or two if we do. IIRC, they go for about 1800 Euros, retail.

 

[Veer_G]

It melts in your mouth.....nom, nom.

Not sure if we'll run across it on this trip, but I've seen whole hindquarters of it hanging in Charcuteries in France. I'll get a pic or two if we do. IIRC, they go for about 1800 Euros, retail.

Saw the same thing in Spain. There was this A-frame shaped truck stop of sorts on the way to Teruel, the ceiling of which was festooned with them. I can't even begin to describe the aroma. jambon de Bayonne is fine, as is Prosciutto di Parma, but it just isn't pata negra.

 

[MtnCreek]

What kind of negra?

 

[1J04]

 

[Sean the Nailer]

For all of you knuckledragging, neanderthal heathen savages that have never had Iberico, go, do it now !
You'll probably be able to find it in specialty markets in bigger cities, but for smaller towns and out in the sticks, you probably won't be able to find it locally and will have to order off the web. It ain't cheap, but is well worth it.

It was Veer that learned me this, some years ago. And yeah, it was quite an educating experience. Only had it that once,,,,crazy expensiveness!

 

[sirhrmechanic]

I was just dreaming of all the gastronomic delights Veer has been posting, then 1J had to go post a toad on a bun...

Man... thanks for ruining my appetite!

Keep up the good work, Veer-man!

Awesome stuff!

Cheers,

Sirhr

 

[powdahound76]

Gonna make this in a couple weeks. Best done when kids are elsewhere.
Stoked to give it a try.

Have a great wine ready to have with it.

 

[Veer_G]

Tonight ...

Cajun Chicken and Crawfish Sauté

First you see it ...

... and then you don't.

Freezer liberation night, using cubed chicken that was meant for fondue, and frozen, cooked crawfish tails. The missus's idea of seafood is pretty much Long John Silver's and cafeteria-grade fish sticks, so anything fishy that I turn out is strictly me. I'll get over not sharing. She's not always big on heat, either. [insert self-centered grin here] This feeds two somewhat generously, three minimally, and four skinny-jean fucktarded fuckchops just fine.

You'll need:

½-¾ lb. chicken breast, medium cube
1½ lbs. frozen crawfish's shelled tails
½ small to medium white onion, minced
½ small to medium red onion, minced
1 rib celery, minced
½ green bell pepper, minced
1 tbsp garlic, minced
3 green onions, trimmed and chopped (tops and bottoms)
4-6 oz. dry white wine
¾ cup chicken broth
1-3 tsp hot sauce of choice (how big and hairy are they?)
½ stick butter
dash olive oil

dry spices, together:

½-1½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground cayenne
½ tsp dried basil
¼ tsp dry mustard

How-to:

1. ½ stick butter and a dash of olive oil in a 12" fry pan, on medium high to soften

2. In goes all the veggie matter, save the green onion tops, which you're saving for garnish, followed by the chicken. Reduce to medium.

3. Making sure not to burn the veggies, sauté, getting the cubed chicken uniformly just past translucent.

4. Hit it with the dry spices and the hot sauce. Continue to sauté until the chicken just begins to color.

5. Bring up temp to medium high and add the wine. Begin to reduce, adding the cooked crawfish.

6. As it just starts to thicken, add the chicken broth, mix it in well, and reduce to medium for a few minutes as it rethickens.

7. Garnish with chopped green onion tops and plate with a side of rice.



If you were to incorporate a roux, you'd be close to an étouffée, although it really wants a seafood stock, which is tonight's second chore.

As always, enjoy, YMMV, and feel free to improvise. It's your palate and your larder.

 

[1J04]

Can Toad be used in lieu of Crawfish? Just asking.............................

 

[Veer_G]

Can Toad be used in lieu of Crawfish? Just asking.............................

They seem to get more play as sushi and sashimi.

 

[Threadcutter308]

Saw the same thing in Spain. There was this A-frame shaped truck stop of sorts on the way to Teruel, the ceiling of which was festooned with them. I can't even begin to describe the aroma. jambon de Bayonne is fine, as is Prosciutto di Parma, but it just isn't pata negra.

By way of coincidence, this is garnishing the breakfast buffet at our hotel in Venice;

 

[Veer_G]

Oh, hell yes!

 

[Veer_G]

Not mine, but something that I definitely want to try one day. I give you Mexican Hog Maws, Cracklins, and Carnitas. Bring your Lipitor, and don't let the lack of English harsh your pork mellow.

 

[Veer_G]

Last night we had, yet again ...

PERNIL ASADO

I've discussed this before, but never given a blow-by-blow description of the process, which is, in itself, still evolving as I learn more about making it, rather than just enjoying it as I have for about 40 (shit, am I that old?) years now. I'm on my ninth or tenth homemade effort, but I've lost count of the times I've eaten a plate of it with rice, beans, and yuca OTJ.

Out here where we are now, we're forty-five minutes removed one way, and an hour another, from the convenience of a restaurant serving comida criolla. I've had to up my game a bit, because "Eye-talian" and American Chinese food is what passes for ethnic chow locally.

Every Spanish-speaking country has a variation of pernil, and I go on picking up on differences and experimenting with them. Yesterday was yet again a further refinement of ingredients and processes.

You'll need:

8-12 lb. bone-in whole picnic pork shoulder (You could go smaller, but Hatfield is local to us, their pork is dead cheap, and the leftovers rock)

≈ 30 garlic cloves, finely chopped or processed (Caveat: opinions on proportions and quantities vary, and I'm a garlic fiend)

≈ 2 tbsp olive oil (enough to render a paste)

2 tsp black pepper (grind it fresh, it's better)

2 tbsp adobo powder (I use the "light," as it has less sodium; your grocery may just have it)

2 packets sazón (I use the one with culantro and achiote; there are others — it's both a colorant and a spice mixture)

1 tbsp dried oregano

1 tbsp ground cumin

≈ 12 oz mojo criollo (The standard bottles of this marinade are 24.5 oz)

3-5 tbsp recaito (This sauce base comes in green and red versions; I use the green for pernil)

NB: I haven't included salt, as there's plenty in both wet and dry ingredients. You can always add it on the plate, but never subtract.

How-to:

1. Peel and finely mince the garlic. A small food processor is a lifesaver here. Traditionalists use a pilón to reduce the garlic to a paste.

2. Mix the finely minced garlic with the black pepper, oregano, cumin, recaito, olive oil, and a splash of the mojo criollo; we're looking to create a paste here, not a slurry. If you need to compensate, give it a bit more oregano. Stick the mixture in the fridge for now.

3. De-bag and rinse off your pork shoulder. I tend to use cold water. Some recipes insist on a mixture of water, vinegar, and lime juice to kill funk/bacteria that may be present.

4. Place the pork shoulder in an oven-proof cooking vessel, 2-3" deep, minimum. I use a big oval piece of Corning French White; most on-line cooks tend to favor aluminum throwaways for simplicity.

3. Working carefully, cut the top flap of fat off from the wide end to the narrow end of the picnic shoulder, taking care to not completely remove it at the narrow end.



4. Cut trenches a few inches long, and an inch or two deep, all over the surface of the picnic shoulder under the flap, as well as along the sides. The bones within the cut will limit the depth in places. Go with the grain, pull out your paste, and work it into the pockets that you've created. Undoubtedly, you'll have more than enough, unless you've dissected hogzilla. Put the rest of the paste under the flap.



5. Once you've filled the trenches, flip the fat flap back on top, and then flip the whole picnic fat flap down, bottom up.

6. Use a knife to cut x-shaped holes all over the bottom of the picnic shoulder an inch or two deep. Work them with your finger to hog them out a bit. We're going to seep a bit of the mojo criollo in from below.



7. Flip the picnic shoulder fat flap side up, and use the mixed adobo powder and sazón all over the exterior of the meat, bottom included, and on the underside of the fat flap. Using a sharp knife, carefully cut through the top fat without quite shredding it. This helps render the fat all over the meat to flavor it. The flap is loose so you need to be careful and wield a sharp blade. A cross-hatch is cool, straight lines will work fine. Pour the remainder of the measured mojo criollo around and underneath the picnic shoulder, cover tightly with tin foil, and refrigerate overnight to marinade.



8. The cooking process is straightforward. 4.5-5 hours at 325º F, the last hour uncovered to begin the browning, and then 10-15 minutes under the broiler to complete the browning. Some recipes state to draw down the marinade by half when you uncover so that the bottom reaches of the roast will brown effectively. I'm still working on this bit to my satisfaction; part of the issue is that the missus goes a bit Chicken Little when it goes under the broiler. The end result should be steamy, moist pork that shreds with the nudge of a fork tine.



9. While the pernil cools, pour off the drippings and marinade into a saucepan and thicken them down for a dipping sauce for the meat. You can also create a pan gravy with the butter and flour method, but you'll need to significantly degrease the drippings. Enjoy the admiration of the roaring crowd.

 

[Veer_G]

The crowd:



On the plate:

 

[Veer_G]

POULET BASQUAISE

I'm just too damned tired to explain this one: French, complex, multiple cooking stages, creation of a brown sauce, in and out of the oven — it's restaurant grade, and tiring. Did I mention that I was fucking tired? Check YT for ideas: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=poulet+basquaise

 

[502Chevelle]

Dang Veer, I’m Impressed. Seriously impressed. Will have to give a couple of these a try. Thanks.

 

[DuneBoer]

You should try some of his Indian recipes. (Dot not feather) They are out standing!

 

[502Chevelle]

Hey Veer, just wondering if you are a Deadpool fan? Asking for a friend......

 

[Veer_G]

Hey Veer, just wondering if you are a Deadpool fan? Asking for a friend......

Never been asked that one before. I've seen the first movie, suffered through the hammy puns, and wouldn't say that I'm quite a fan?

 

[502Chevelle]

Just wondering because of your rainbow unicorn and dildopony comment. I think the second movie is better than the first.

 

[Veer_G]

I like Jim's, too, but not the one at 4th and South.

This guy does an impressive job.

 

[CheStadium]

Try a cheesesteak from the Westtown Meat Market

 

[Veer_G]

Try a cheesesteak from the Westtown Meat Market

They get good reviews, but I'm rarely in West Chester. And if I am, I usually don't make it past Market Street Grill. In fact, I'll schedule myself so that I can grab breakfast there. The andouille sausage gravy is literally to die for.

Anyway, the point of the video was to illustrate the finer points of my hometown thrill. I'll try one once just about anywhere, but not outside a certain range of Broad and Market Sts., Phila., PA They usually just don't come out right, especially without Liscio's or Amoroso's rolls.

 

[MtnCreek]

I'm going to make some. I can't believe I watched a 23 min video about cheesesteaks... But I did.

 

[Veer_G]

I'm going to make some. I can't believe I watched a 23 min video about cheesesteaks... But I did.

It isn't that hard to learn the how, it's just that little tricks like using rendered fat and achieving the feat of proper rolls are beyond most people's experiences. Lacking a deli slicer at home back in the day, I used to slice the half-frozen beef with an ultra-sharp filet knife. Of course, you can swing a dead cat and hit a shop that makes an acceptable cheesesteak, especially closer in to the city. I was surprised to find a place out here in the boonies that does a decent one, so self-production isn't an issue.

Have fun and let us know how it goes.