In Paris, on a day off while exploring a new neighborhood, I found a small café where I ordered a breakfast of eggs and ham (jambon) and fresh-baked bread. I have to say these were the best eggs I’ve ever eaten, and there was nothing ‘fancy’ about them. Fresh eggs, fresh sweet butter, fresh spices and herbs, fresh bread – that’s it. Fresh is a huge ingredient of any dish.
In those budgetary days, I searched for ways to mitigate the pricey food options (like cheese) and still have a good hearty meal. As with other translated recipes, I found that substituting cheese with bread chunks in my scrambled eggs to have a tasty and textural pleasantness, and to be a good idea -- as it was not only a great replacement, but was delicious on its own in spite of the reason. Necessity being the mother of invention, I tried sautéing cubes of a good hearty bread that I had in the pantry, in butter and garlic. The sautéed bread (don’t go all the way to ‘crisp’) made a good chewy mouth texture, while the butter flavor completely satisfied the richness.
Prep: In a large sauté pan or skillet, place one or two tablespoons butter, margarine, heart healthy butter-flavored margarine and/or olive oil and fresh minced garlic to a gentle sizzle and remove any water in the fats. Cube one or two slices of bread (crust removed or not as you prefer) in ½ - ¾ inch dice and place in hot fat and begin to sauté. The bread will absorb the fat and take a softly crisp texture (not quite as far as ‘crouton’), while the surface is brought to a golden light crust on the cubes.
In a bowl, beat four to six eggs (for two to three people) well with a splash or water, milk or canned evaporated milk and pour over the bread, garlic and butter in the hot pan, soaking them in the egg mix. I like that my scrambled eggs have medium to large-ish curds, and not highly mixed to a small-grained curd as is sometimes found in mass-produced scrambled eggs. To achieve this, stir the ingredients together right away, then let set. Salt and pepper lightly. After twenty or thirty seconds, with a flat bottomed spatula flipped upside down, gently scrape the eggs from the bottom of the pan like a bulldozer and push into mounds of varying sizes in the pan. After a second or two, flip to the wet sides and continue to sauté gently until the eggs appear no longer wet and runny, but ‘juicy’ moist, and remove from heat and quickly from the pan to serve. The residual heat will finish cooking the eggs on the way to the table. What started as a money-saving idea ended up being a great taste all its own.
Options: Nothing beats the flavor of fresh eggs scrambled in fresh sweet butter and a fresh cracking of black pepper and salt, but if you wish to go for additions to those basics, give these suggestions a try:
Fold in a choice of these pre-cooked,warm items three-quarters of the way through the cooking of the eggs:
Sliced mushrooms sautéed with fresh garlic and
sweet onions or shallots and a sprinkle of thyme
Fresh ripe tomatoes, diced with sautéed minced
jalapeños and cilantro (or canned such as
Rotel brand)
Water chestnuts and green onions (the white end,
lightly sautéed) with a splash of soy sauce and
green ends finely diced up on top
Broken up cooked bacon pieces (or fried diced cubes of
firm tofu) and fresh sliced spinach, with a pinch
of nutmeg with bits of cream cheese
Fresh-shredded meltable cheeses – cheddar, jack, pepper
jack, Edam, Swiss/Gruyère, Brie etc and herbs
Diced cooked/prepared sausages, kielbasa, chorizo, ham,
smoky links etc with a dusting of oregano
Bits of asparagus, sautéed onions and minced chives
plus toasted nuts
Leftover meats or vegetables, lightly sautéed to bring
to warm, shredded white cheddar
Sautéed or roasted shrimp, scallops, oysters, clams
and/or lobster with a bit of tarragon
Large-grated zucchini lightly sautéed with a bit of dill
and folded with dollops of Neufchatel
Topping choices for the eggs:
Sour cream, crème fraiche, fromage blanc, Greek yogurt
Fresh grated dry/hard cheese -- Parmesan, Romano,
pecorino, Asiago; crumbled feta, Cotija etc
pecorino, Asiago; crumbled feta, Cotija etc
Guacamole or fresh sliced avocado
Bottled hot sauce – Thai chili paste, Tabasco, Cholula,
Louisiana hot sauce etc or pepper flakes
Louisiana hot sauce etc or pepper flakes
Any fresh chopped herb – parsley, thyme, rosemary,
cilantro, oregano, basil, dill, tarragon, chives, green
onions
cilantro, oregano, basil, dill, tarragon, chives, green
onions
Any fresh cream gravy (white or brown), white/cheese
sauce, nut sauce, hollandaise, salsa
sauce, nut sauce, hollandaise, salsa
Nuts – roasted chopped almonds, sesame seeds, sunflower
seeds, roasted pumpkin seeds, crushed peanuts
seeds, roasted pumpkin seeds, crushed peanuts
Caviar
Yes, and Cheese, hundreds to choose from.
BBQ WITH CITRUS
serves party of fifteen to twenty or so
Once again, we have that primal flame-cooked urge for our meat. Smokey, hot, crusty and slightly sweet – all the base longings we’ve most likely pursued for eons. We goop our fingers, have sauce up to our ears, and enjoy immensely every smeary, gooey, spicy moment of it. That’s what most folks in the US think of the idea of BBQ.
I’ve enjoyed a little less gooey version that still has all the fun, but this time the idea of BBQ is not a tomato-based sauce.
In southern California, you can find the most amazing food in little ‘hole-in-the-wall’ places. From one such place with a hand-painted sign of various words including ‘carnes’ in the delicatessen’s title, a friend took me to pick up some ‘carne asada’ (kar-nay ah-sah-dah), which at the time I had no idea what we were getting. She took the marinated raw deli meat home and BBQ’ed it outside and served us dinner. My mouth fainted. It was absolutely perfect in my mind how meat should taste. Tender, juicy -- yet I knew it was originally a skirt steak which should have been tough and dry, but here were tastes and flavors of citrus, other fruits, garlic and I didn’t know what – and it melted in my mouth. It opened my eyes to what B-B-Q or barbacoa or barbe a queue could be all about.
My version here is one that I’ve used for parties, easy to make for a crowd, and tastes like I spent hours, but in fact spent very little time at all. It seems more tropical, although Mexican does in fact include tropical in a big way. This is my version based on that memorable day seeing the sign with the word ‘carnes’.
Tools: BBQ or kitchen grill pan; large zip-lock storage bags; blender or food processor; cutting board; tongs
Prep: The marinating meat will need time to, well, marinate. Use a cheaper cut of meat, like the flank, hanger or skirt steak, blade chuck or brisket, and choose a similar meat cut offering if preparing pork: A thinner cut, a fair melding of fat and meat, and less gristle or bone. Cut the inch or less thick meat into strips (carving around the bone and gristle if present) about three quarters of an inch wide or as narrow as half an inch. Shrimp is outrageously good, but be careful of overcooking – which is easy to do on the grill. Skewering 'en masee' helps organize and keep them from falling between the rungs. A larger size (20-25 per pound or larger) is the best thought. If not 'right off the boat' fresh, then individually quick frozen (IQF) is your best bet. What is 'fresh' in the display has been frozen and thawed, so your freshest choice is the IQF. Thaw in the refrigerator overnite, or let submerge in warm water for a half hour, draining and refilling at least once. Fish fillets work very well also if carefully handled. If using chicken, freeze the raw meat for fifteen minutes, then cut the firmed flesh into the same sized strips. The strips should be as long as you can cut them (as the intended presentation will be for a sandwich or taco) and long enough to rest easily across the grill rungs without falling through, so ‘butter-flying’ portions of chicken flesh lengthwise to increase length before cutting into strips is a great idea.
Place on hot grill with the marinade coating, which will definitely begin to caramelize rapidly. Ideally, the slenderness of the strips will not allow enough sustained contact that could bring over-caramelization and burning. The onions and peppers are sautéed separately, but are served tossed together with the meats at serving.
Ingredients:
1 2-3 pounds skirt, flank, hanger, brisket steak;
pork loin, chops, roast -- cut into ½ inch ‘French fry’
strips
strips
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, chilled firm and cut
lengthwise into same strips
lengthwise into same strips
2-3 pounds raw shrimp (no smaller than the 26-30 count if
not skewering – check the size to your grill spacing)
tail-on or off and/or a mix of 2-3 pounds fish fillets
(cod, haddock, catfish, snapper, halibut, trout, tilapia,
swordfish, salmon etc) and/or calamari, abalone,
oysters (en brochette) or lobster
not skewering – check the size to your grill spacing)
tail-on or off and/or a mix of 2-3 pounds fish fillets
(cod, haddock, catfish, snapper, halibut, trout, tilapia,
swordfish, salmon etc) and/or calamari, abalone,
oysters (en brochette) or lobster
1 large container, 16 oz frozen orange juice concentrate,
thawed
thawed
1 can 12 oz papaya nectar drink, or the real fresh juice
if you can find it -- optional, but great if obtainable
(papaya is a natural meat tenderizer) -- if
un-obtainable, use one can 12 oz guava nectar
if you can find it -- optional, but great if obtainable
(papaya is a natural meat tenderizer) -- if
un-obtainable, use one can 12 oz guava nectar
1 cup apple cider vinegar
4-6 limes, zest and juice (zest first, then squeeze the juice –
about ½ cup juice, 2-3 tbs zest)
2-3 small sweet onions/cipollini, fresh scallions, or Vidalia
type, peeled and rough chopped
type, peeled and rough chopped
3-5 cloves garlic
1 thumb-tip sized piece of peeled ginger, fine chopped
or grated
or grated
½ tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp each oregano, thyme and rosemary, dried
¼ tsp (tiny pinch) each cloves, cinnamon, and allspice
2 tsp each salt and fresh ground pepper
2 tsp each salt and fresh ground pepper
1-2 jalapeño, Serrano, habañero peppers (optional – your
choice for heat and flavor), stemmed, seeded, veined
choice for heat and flavor), stemmed, seeded, veined
or 1-2 chipotle chiles (smoked, dried jalapeño chiles,
in sauce) diced, for a smoky addition
in sauce) diced, for a smoky addition
4-5 medium-large onions, ends removed, wedge cut from
pole to pole
pole to pole
4-5 bell peppers, color choices are yours, stemmed, seeded/
veined, and cut into strips
veined, and cut into strips
2-3 cloves minced garlic, heated in oil to flavor the onions
and peppers
and peppers
pinch each salt and pepper
Add the fourth through the fifteenth ingredients (the hot peppers if desired) into the blender or food processor and purée till completely blended. Put the strip-sliced meats and fishes into separate zip-lock bags. Add enough marinade to each to cover in order of length of time needed to marinate. Place the red meats in one bag (four to eight hours), chicken in another (one to three hours), and the shrimp/fish in another (twenty to thirty minutes max – we’re not making ceviche). Squeeze out all the air and zip closed, place in container to secure any leaks, and chill well in the refrigerator – massage them once or twice.
Initially, chill everything separately, the dry, unmarinated meats and fishes in separate bags, the orange marinade in its own bag or jar – and introduce the marinade to the meats in their bags all so that they are ready at the same time. Yeah, you do have to plan ahead a bit. If your party is at four in the afternoon, then start the red meat at least eight/nine-ish in the morning or so, if not the day before, then the chicken at noon - up to two in the afternoon, and the fish at three-thirty.
Heat BBQ coals, grill pan, or begin the gas system, until the grate/surface is very hot, and clean/brush well. Lower to medium hot and apply oil to the grate with a vegetable oil-dipped wad of paper towel held by tongs and lube well. In fact, lube several times repeatedly with a few minutes between. It will build up a better layer of ‘non-stick’ quality that is best for the sugars involved.
Place the meats directly onto the medium-hot to hot grill from the zip-lock bag, draining/shaking off most the thick marinade but leaving what adheres (don’t rinse off). The strips will cook quickly, so turn with the tongs just once. Caramelization is imperative – and actually, for that matter, unavoidable.
Red meat should be cooked to tender but still pink (1½ to 2 minutes a side). The chicken must be cooked through (it should cook slightly longer, but it does cook faster, so put it on first and don't walk away), so go for about 2 minutes a side or so. Cut a strip open to be sure before removing.
Shrimp cooked in the shell gives a much bigger flavor, as well as the shell protecting the delicate flesh from the stark heat of the grill. BBQ’ing shrimp in the shell here in this recipe is an option, but peeling to eat is difficult in a presentation of hot and messy coating such as this recipe offers. Should you already have shrimp that's in the shell you’d like to use here, you can peel and freeze the shells for stock (refer to the stock section of ‘on the same page’ as well as the 'soup' stock entry).
The peeled shrimp will require strict attention, as they cook very quickly and will overcook in an instant. The citrus juices already have started to ‘cook’ or 'denature' the flesh a bit, so carefull attention in cooking is top priority - don't walk away from this BBQ choice. Fish and shellfish have a different.protein structure, and require a lower cooking heat, so finding a cooler spot on the grill is a best option. And best yet, layering at least two sheets of aluminum foil under the fish/shrimp helps contain and protect the morsels to the optimum finish. Also, a fish basket can contain the delicate fillets or shrimp, which is absolute best. In cooking, they should appear just barely past opaque and just becoming firm (they will continue to cook a bit after removal). Don’t try to caramelize on both sides, just the first.
Fish tacos: Fillets are also most delicate. You will find it easier to use a non-stick fish ‘basket’ to handle the fish on the grill, or cover the area of the grill with a double thick layer of aluminum foil for just the fish/shrimp. Having a clean and oiled grill may or may not save the fillets from gluing themselves to the grill top. But hey, a fish taco is worth it! You’ll need shredded cabbage and soft corn tortillas, covered with the roasted green chile or cilantro cream sauce! Plus salsa and lots of fresh squeezed lime. That’s it, perfect!
In large frying pan or the BBQ grill pan, sauté the strips of onion and peppers, along with the seasoning, in oil and garlic till tender and browned on the edges. Serve with the meats. This is an amazingly alternate idea of ‘BBQ’ and you’ll love the difference. Serve up on soft split grilled rolls, fresh corn or flour tortillas, pita bread, or even like a pizza, on a grilled fresh pizza dough round (or store bought prepared).
Must do: Finally, as a contrasting accent, choose ‘cool’ condiments like diced cucumber, mango and tomato; shredded lettuce and/or cabbage; sour cream/Mexican crema; shredded cheeses; cilantro; chopped olives; diced sweet onions; chilled salsas – especially the ones I’ve given in this book; chilled sliced radishes; pomegranate seeds; dry grated aged cheeses; black beans and black bean sauce; and most importantly, a squeeze of lots of fresh lime - your mouth will be delighted.
This method of BBQ could be assumed to become a burnt sugar nightmare, but not really. It will cause some mess, but burn off the residue after all is done by covering and returning the finished empty grill to high heat, and then give a good scrape, just as how you started. You’ll be glad you layered the oil in preparation.
Roasted green chile cream sauce: use either one or two roasted, seeded and peeled poblano peppers or purchase a can or cans (7 to 14 oz, as you prefer) of mild green chiles and whirl in the processor with three-quarters cup each of mayonnaise and sour cream, with a pinch each of salt, cayenne and cumin.
Cilantro cream sauce: Simply blend one or two bunches of fresh rough-chopped cilantro tops and the slender upper stems, limejuice, fresh garlic, salt and pepper with sour cream/crème fraiche/Greek yogurt in the blender/food processor till lightly green and very aromatic. Fold in fine-diced green onions, fresh chopped cilantro and/or chives after blending for a bit of texture.
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