cabbage

I did it!! (The end of a quest)

~ Gary Bechard ~ Leave a comment

Well, I now consider myself a conqueror, not in the bloody now I have taken over a country kind of way, but I have completed my quest to stuff every type of cabbage I know. Those of you who may have been following this quest saw my take on Galumpki (green cabbage), Bok Choy, Savoy and a holy host of others. For each iteration, I tried to match the flavor characteristics of the cabbage to the ingredients with which I stuffed them. Red cabbage, in its own right, is kind of sweet so I sought out the flavors that would challenge that sweetness and create a nice mixture of sweet and spicy.  Chorizo sausage was one of the choices that I considered along with hot Italian sausage and Cajun sausage but I have always leaned toward Chorizo.  There is something about the mixture of spices that kind of seduce you like a flamenco dancer when your head is full of good Spanish wine. The only thing I did not like about Chorizo was the fattiness.  However, I figured that I could drain the fat from the meat after cooking before I put it into the stuffing mixture.  Also, there were a couple of alternatives for the rice component of the stuffing mixture, wild rice flavored with lime and cilantro, saffron (yellow rice), regular basmati rice and a flavored box rice.  I believe that each of the choices would have worked but the flavored box rice was the winner. Zatarain’s makes a cilantro and lime flavored rice that fit very well into the recipe, it was easy AND… well that is about it, easy.  The resulting recipe turned out very well and surprised me with its depth of flavor.  It was nice not to have to adjust the different flavor ingredients since the chorizo added most of the nuances.  You might notice that the name of the recipe mirrors what I was watching while I was creating it. It seems that I was not the only conqueror yesterday as Army defeated Navy in a hard fought football game and won the Commander in Chief’s Trophy (the trophy goes to the service academy who beats the other two in football in the same year) for the first time since 1996.  It was a long time in coming for Army just as it was a long time in coming for my being able to complete my quest and stuff every kind of cabbage. Now without further adieu, the recipe.

The Well Fed Cyclist – Gary Bechard

Army Wins! Stuffed Cabbage

(Chorizo stuffed Red cabbage)

(Serves 4-6)

 

Ingredients:

9 oz or 0.6 lbs – Chorizo sausage

11 oz or 0.7 lbs – Lean ground beef (I used 92/8)

1 box – Zatarain’s Cilantro Lime rice, (prepared according to package instructions)

1 – Medium head of Red cabbage

1/2 – Poblano pepper, finely chopped (Stuffing mixture), use more or less for the amount of hot spice you want in the mixture

1– Red Bell pepper, small, fine chopped

1/3 – Sweet onion, finely chopped

1 ½ tbsp – Cilantro, chopped

1 – Lime, juiced

Preparation – Before everything else, core the cabbage head by taking a 3 to 4 inch deep cone (the cone should be about the same length as a good paring knife) around the stem and place top down in a medium stock pot, cover with water and boil for about 35-40 minutes. Once the cabbage head is done, take and set in a colander to drain and cool. However, while the cabbage is doing its thing, take the chopped onion, Poblano pepper and red bell pepper and sauté them in a medium pan until the onions are translucent and the peppers are soft. When these are done remove them from the pan and place in a bowl for later. Next take the chorizo and the ground beef and place them in the same pan from which you just removed the vegetables and brown fully at medium heat making sure that the chorizo and the ground beef are very well mixed. At the end of the cooking process and before you are getting ready to remove the meat from the pan add the lime juice and the cilantro and mix until the ingredients are evenly distributed. When this is done strain the fat juice from the meat and place in a bowl for later.

Rice – I used Zatarain’s rice because it is easy and only takes 25 minutes and can be done at the same time as everything else. Cook the rice according to the package directions place in a bowl and set aside.

Stuffing Mixture – Take your meat mixture, rice and vegetables and place into a very large bowl. Now you are ready to fold everything together until all the ingredients are thoroughly combined.

Construction Instruction –

Creating the stuffed leaves – First, make your “production line” in a pretty large working area of the kitchen with the colander that contains the cabbage, then the stuffing bowl, a large flat plate on which to stuff and fold the cabbage leaves then your baking dish. In the baking dish (a deep 9” X 13”), or similar dish, (the one that I use is about 2 ½ “ to 3” deep) put about a ¼ inch (about a 1/3 cup) of water in the bottom to keep the leaves moist during the baking process. Working from the outside of the cabbage head, take a leaf and place on the plate with stem side toward you, spoon about a couple of tablespoons worth of the mixture in the center (the amount of mixture will vary with the size of the leaves) then, take the stem side and fold over top of the mixture so that the end is at the edge of the pile of mixture, next, fold each side to the center and finally take the far end and fold toward you. Take the completed packet and place with the smooth side up in the baking dish. Repeat, this process until you have a layer of packets along the bottom of the baking dish. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees and bake for 35 to 40 minutes.

Plating – I plated these 2 to 3 per person and allow each person to put the amount of Salsa or Piquante Sauce that they like on them. You could also serve this with plantain chips as a side.

Enjoy!

The Well Fed Cyclist

Everyone needs a quest…

~ Gary Bechard ~ 1 Comment

First, I have to apologize for not posting last week.  I was not prepared as I had too many recipes which had not been converted to electronic format and the food notebook is well, for lack of better words, something that looks like the rants and scribblings of a lunatic.  The notes do not translate well (kind of like seeing Swahili for the first time) and are not electronic.

Now I believe that everyone needs a quest or something to strive for.  Is it wrong that my current culinary quest is to stuff  everything in the cabbage family?  I have been looking at Savoy cabbage for quite some time, not in an inappropriate way mind you, and have been wondering with what I could possibly stuff it. I wanted to have something lighter than regular stuffed cabbage which leaves you with that, I don’t know, feeling that you just ate a bowling ball. I decided on chicken because the boneless – skinless breasts take on flavors well and are easy to work with and frankly, I have already done the “shrimp thing”.  Finally, I cannot lay claim to thinking of the Frank’s Sweet chili sauce as a topper for these beauties because my wife came up with the idea during her heating them up for lunch the next day.  Without further delay, here is the recipe.  Mind you, this recipe is a bit labor intensive but so very worth the effort. I shared this with some of the ladies at work and they loved them!

Putting on the Savoy

(Chicken stuffed Savoy cabbage)

(Serves 4-6)

The Well Fed Cyclist – Gary Bechard

Ingredients:

2 – Chicken breasts, boneless – skinless, baked, shredded and fine diced (I went ahead and did 3 with one of them becoming an awesome chicken sandwich the next day)

1 1/2 cups – Basmati rice, about 4 servings (I used Uncle Ben’s for simplicity) prepared according to package instructions.

1 – Small head of Savoy cabbage

1/3 cup – Green onions, chopped (Stuffing mixture)

1/3 cup – Mushrooms, fine chopped, I used cremini mushrooms (baby portabellas) (Stuffing mixture)

For the roasting of the chicken:

1 tsp – Kosher salt

1 tsp – Coarse ground black pepper

1/2 tsp – Smoked paprika

6 sprigs – Thyme leaves

1 tbsp – Rosemary leaves, fine chopped

1/4 cup – Chicken stock

Preparation – Take the chicken breasts and place in a small baking dish in which you have put the chicken stock, season with the salt, pepper, smoked paprika, thyme and rosemary. Bake them at 350 degrees for about 35 to 40 minutes or until they are done (internal temperature 165 to 170 degrees) and set aside to cool. Note: you can always do the chicken a day ahead if you would like to cut down on preparation time on the day you are stuffing the cabbage.

While the chicken is doing its thing in the oven, core the cabbage head by taking a 3 to 4 inch deep cone around the stem of the cabbage. The cone should be about the same length as a good paring knife. Place the cabbage head in water topside down and boil for about 35 minutes (nifty it is the same amount of time as the baking time on the chicken, eh?) or until the leaves begin to soften. Once the cabbage head is done, take and set in a colander to drain and cool.

Construction Instruction –

Rice – I used Uncle Ben’s rice because it is easy and only takes 10 minutes. Cook the rice according to the package directions drain well and set aside.

Stuffing Mixture – Take your chicken and fork shred and fine dice and toss into a very large bowl. Next add, cooked rice, green onions and mushrooms. Now you are ready to fold everything together until all the ingredients are thoroughly combined.

 

Creating the stuffed leaves – First, make your “production line” in a pretty large working area of the kitchen with the colander that contains the cabbage, then the stuffing bowl, a large flat plate on which to stuff and fold the cabbage leaves then your baking dish. In the baking dish (a deep 9” X 13”) or similar dish (the one that I use is about 2 ½ “ to 3” deep) put about a ¼ inch (about a 1/3 cup) of chicken or mushroom stock in the bottom to keep the leaves moist during the baking process. Working from the outside of the cabbage head take a leaf and place on the plate with stem side toward you, spoon about a couple of tablespoons worth of the mixture in the center. The amount of mixture will vary with the size of the leaves.Then, take the stem side and fold over top of the mixture so that the end is at the edge of the pile of mixture, next, fold each side to the center and finally take the far end and fold toward you. Take the completed packet and place with the smooth side up in the baking dish. Repeat, this process until you have a layer of packets along the bottom of the baking dish. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees and bake for 35 to 40 minutes.

 

Plating – I plated these 2 to 3 per person and allow each person to put the amount of Frank’s brand sweet chili sauce they desire on top. I served this with a double helping of stir-fried vegetables.

 

Enjoy!

The Well Fed Cyclist

 

 

Early in the morning, uh huh, before you eat your breakfast, uh huh…gotta run around, round, round

~ Gary Bechard ~ Leave a comment

Sorry, old Army PT running song was kind of in my head and I had to get it out and, yay, verily a title for this blog post was born. Before I get into the food part of this, I remember vividly when I was first in the Army, almost 40 years ago, and sometimes miss it terribly.  Back then, the Army food used to get a bad rap but I met some soldiers who were the cooks that would match even some of the best chefs I see in this area.

Exciting things happening here on the old ranch especially when it comes to the way we are eating and possibly to the way I will do my future recipes. Now, as we ease into the Mediterranean inspired food and away from what we were eating on a regular basis (Pittsburgh “chunk-o-rama” type food), I feel a whole lot better.  My son and daughter would say that we were “eating clean”, not quite paleo but good enough, and we should have done this much, much sooner.  Besides having a ton more energy, the side benefit is the 5 pound drop in weight and one inch off the waist since starting this a week and a half ago. Climbing hills on the bike will be much easier without having a 3 year old strapped to my front. That is not to say that my other recipes are bad but they are not quite as clean as the ones we have been having lately. I am going to start today with a quick recipe for my version of cole slaw which uses three types of cabbage and NO, that’s right, NO mayonnaise. It is terrbly simple but oh so good.

My Way (mixed cabbage cole slaw)

Ingredients:

Slaw:

5 – Tuscan cabbage leaves, fine shred

1/2 –  Savoy cabbage head (very small), fine shred

1/2 – Red cabbage head (very small), fine shred

1/2 – Sweet onion, sliced very thin

2 – Whole carrots, peeled and sliced very thin, or run them through the “spiralizer”

1/3 cup – White raisins

Dressing:

1/4 cup – Olive oil

1/8 cup -White balsamic vinegar

1 tsp – Thyme leaves

1/2 tsp – Coarse ground black pepper (or to taste)

1/2 tsp – Lemon peel

1/2 tsp – Soy Sauce or liquid aminos (the stuff that tastes like soy sauce but has no salt)

1 tsp – Toasted sesame seeds

Construction Instruction:

In a large bowl, combine the salad ingredients and fold them together so that everything is evenly distributed. In a separate bowl, combine the dressing ingredients and whisk together until smooth. Toss the slaw with the dressing until evenly coated and place in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.  The time in the fridge will help all the ingredients get to know each other and will help break down the Tuscan cabbage a bit.

Enjoy!

The Well Fed Cyclist

Il cavolo nero idea vita!!!!! (Translation…The Tuscan cabbage idea lives!)

~ Gary Bechard ~ Leave a comment

I told everyone yesterday that I had some ideas rolling around in the old noggin on how to use the Tuscan cabbage and well, it just happened. I found at least one way to incorporate the cabbage/kale into a recipe.  I really thought it was going to take me a lot longer to come up with something but sometimes, when the wind is right and the planets are aligned, it happens, so I went with it.  Cruising through the memory banks while building a small table for the basement fridge, I went through a bunch of recipes in my head where I incorporated cabbage. At first I thought of using the leaves for stuffing, like my shrimp stuffed Bok Choy recipe (I may still figure out something to stuff them with but I digress) and remembered a stir fry recipe where I used shredded brussel sprouts in addition to the vegetables to add kind of a smoky flavor.  Having tasted the Tuscan cabbage and knowing it had a similar but not as bitter flavor profile as brussel sprouts, I thought that it might go well with sweet Italian sausage.  Originally, I thought of just doing the vegetables and cabbage with the sausage and serving the mixture over rice or pasta but not wanting to dirty more than one pan, I decided to make this a “One Skillet Wonder” (the name of another recipe which will be posted at a future date).  The one skillet idea led to the addition of the potatoes. I hope you try this and let me know how it turns out.

The Well Fed Cyclist

Gary Bechard

Sweet Tuscan Stir fry

One skillet sweet sausage with Tuscan Kale

(makes 3-4 servings)

5 – Sweet Italian sausages (cut into slices)

1/3 – Sweet or Red onion, sliced (then quarter the slices)

1/2 – Red bell pepper, rough diced

1/2 – Green bell pepper, rough diced

1 – Small zucchini, rough diced

1 – Small yellow squash, rough diced

12 oz – Baby red, yellow or white potatoes quartered (I used a baby potato bag that had yellow, white, red and purple)

1 cup – Cremini Mushrooms, sliced

1 can – Black olives (pitted, 6 ounces dry weight)

5-7 leaves – Tuscan cabbage/kale, washed and rough shredded

1/4 cup – Fresh parsley, chopped fine

6-7 leaves – Basil, chopped

1 tsp – Oregano, dried or fresh (fresh use the leaves of 3 to 4 sprigs)

4-5 cloves – Garlic, fine diced

Extra Virgin Olive Oil – A few good turns around the pan will do

1/4 cup – Vegetable Stock

Coarse Ground black pepper to taste

Extra Virgin Olive Oil – About 1/4 cup more or less

Note: I always dice my vegetables before I start so that I can add them at the appropriate time while cooking.

Construction Instruction:

First, in a large skillet (one that has a cover), do a few good turns on the bottom of pan with olive oil and over low/med heat sauté onion and garlic until they begin to soften. Next, add sausage and stir (hence the name “stir fry”) until the sausage is done. (about 7 to 10 minutes since they are sliced) While still over low- medium heat, add peppers, zucchini, squash and olives and sauté until the vegetables begin to soften. To the pan, add the vegetable stock. Let the mixture warm and then add the potatoes. Fold mixture together until everything is evenly distributed and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Next, add the basil and oregano plus pepper to taste. Lower the heat and cover the skillet. (This will steam cook the potatoes). Stir the mixture occasionally until the potatoes are fork tender. When the potatoes are done, add the shredded Tuscan cabbage, re-cover the skillet and allow the cabbage to soften slightly. (about 5 to 7 minutes)

Since this meal is a “one skillet wonder” serve with nice, rustic, crusty bread.

Enjoy!

“The time has come,” the Walrus said, “To talk of many things: Of shoes–and ships–and sealing-wax– Of cabbages–and kings (Lewis Carroll, “The Walrus and the Carpenter”)

~ Gary Bechard ~ Leave a comment

I am not so sure about the shoes, ships and sealing wax and,  I am pretty sure I will not be talking about kings but cabbage, well, that is a different subject altogether. I have been eyeing a particular green bunch in the produce aisle for quite some time. I guess you could say that I was kind of stalking it? (no pun intended, really). Its deep green leafy leaves called to me, so, I bought some.  Over the years, I have worked with a wide variety of different cabbages from Bok Choy to Radicchio and have done them grilled, sauteed, stuffed and other assorted ways but this is a new one on me. The picture is of Tuscan Cabbage or sometimes referred to as Tuscan Kale or, if you prefer (to impress your friends),“cavolo nero” in Italian. The green has a flavor profile much like kale only without the slight bitter aftertaste and  seems like a sort of a cross between a Napa cabbage and Kale. I am not quite sure how I am going to approach this one but I have a couple of ideas rambling around in the old noggin. While I try to figure out a direction with this new ingredient, here is the third post from “Burger Week” off the old site. This recipe is the second of the turkey burgers and is quite tasty.

Gotta love a burger with a hula skirt…

Well maybe no hula skirt but it does have sort of a Hawaiian flair. Also, sorry, there are no alcoholic beverage ingredients in this recipe so you will have to fend for yourself and come up with a good excuse to buy extra at the grocery store like, “Honey, you never know when we will be in a beer emergency and since there are solar storms erupting we should be prepared.” There is also the ever popular, “I really thought the recipe called for lots of (insert name of favorite beverage here).” With the follow on, “Since we already have this stuff we might as well drink it because we would not want it to go to waste.” I am certain that even the least creative among you can come up with an excuse. You could even blame it on the dog, if you have one.

I am not sure if I can tell you the exact origins of this particular burger (it may have originated because I was bored and wanted something Asian’esque for the grill or perhaps because I had a fresh pineapple and was not jiggy grilling something in the pig family) but needless to say people liked it. I served this with a nice green salad (fresh baby greens with arugula to tie it to the burger) with a ginger dressing and crispy rice noodles on top for texture and squash sautéed with onions, sliced ginger and red bell peppers.

Here is the recipe:

T2 (Hawaiian) Burger
(makes 3 – 4 servings)

1lb – Ground turkey breast
4 tbsp – Teriyaki sauce
¼ cup – Vegetable stock
1 tbsp – Dried basil (you can substitute with fresh if you have it about 5 large leaves chopped fine)
1handful – Fresh chopped parsley
1 tbsp – Coarse Ground black pepper
¼ tsp – Ground ginger (you can also do fresh grated ginger but go easy because this is a strong spice)
4 slices – Fresh pineapple

In a large bowl combine turkey, teriyaki sauce, vegetable stock, basil, parsley, pepper, and ginger and mix thoroughly making sure that all ingredients are distributed evenly. Take and make into 3 to 4 patties (depending on who you have eating). Because turkey can have a tendency to dry out quickly, these should be grilled on a relatively low temperature (300 to 350 degrees) until done. At the same time grill the pineapple slices until they are warmed through and have those nifty looking grill marks on them.

Serve the burgers on a toasted bun with some spicy arugula.

Enjoy!