The Reuben Sandwich

March 22, 2020March 22, 2020 / toothpicktales / 10 Comments

My first Reuben sandwich came from an airport deli. To be precise, I was at D/FW Regional Airport, Terminal 2E (American Airlines), on a sunny spring day, in 1977. I wasn’t traveling and I wasn’t meeting anyone. I was there just for fun.

When I was a 12 and 13 years old, I used to ride my bike to the airport just for fun. That’s the sort of thing I did while other kids were playing sports or hanging out at the mall. Yes, I was a little odd.

In some ways, going to the airport, by myself, made me feel connected with other people. It was an interesting way to observe people, without being obtrusive. I imagined stories about the people I saw and dreamed about the places that they would go to and places they had been. I was living life vicariously by watching others but it poured gasoline on the fire of my imagination.

I rarely had much money…usually nothing more than a dollar or two. But, on that day I had five dollars in my pocket. I gazed at the menu, reading the descriptions of the sandwiches that the deli had to offer. One sandwich in particular drew my attention. The Reuben. I had never had corned beef and sauerkraut was something I never imagined on a sandwich and rye bread was something I imagined only existed in New York. I had to have it.

I savored every bite of that Reuben sandwich and I still recall its warmth, aroma and the piles of sliced corned beef to this day. Every time I have a Reuben sandwich I recall the fun times I had during my trips to the airport, when I was globetrotting teenager, at least in my mind.

The Reuben that I am making today will have sour dough bread, instead of rye. Other than that, I have remained true to the classic sandwich recipe. I bought a beef roast that came with corned beef seasoning and followed the directions on the package. I boiled the roast for a few hours and then let it rest until cooled.

Ingredients:

2 lbs prepared corned beef roast

16 oz Swiss cheese, sliced

1 ½ cups sauerkraut

1 ½ cups Russian dressing (ingredients and directions below)

Sour dough bread, sliced

1 Tbs olive oil

2 Tbs butter

Directions:

Slice the corned beef, ¼” slices or thinner if you can. Slice the Swiss cheese. Set these aside.

Preparing the Russian dressing:

2 Tbs onion, minced and pulverize with the broadside of a knife

1 cup mayonnaise

3 Tbs chili sauce (spicy ketchup)

2 Tbs horseradish, from a jar

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/4 tsp paprika

Combine all and mix thoroughly. Set aside.

Assembling the sandwich:

Lay slices of bread on a clean work surface. Slather Russian dressing on both slices.

Lay slices of Swiss cheese on one of the slices.

Pile slices of corned beef on one top of the cheese.

Squeeze some sauerkraut in your hands to remove as much of the liquid as possible. Lay the sauerkraut on top of the corned beef.

Top the sandwich with the other slice of bread. Repeat the process to make a second sandwich.

Heat a skillet to medium/low heat. Add olive oil and butter.

When the butter melts, turn heat to low and carefully lay the sandwiches onto the skillet.

Brown both sides of the sandwiches, turning occasionally. Continue to turn until both sides have browned and the cheese has melted.

Remove the sandwiches and slice them in half.

Secure the sandwiches halves with toothpicks and dill pickle slices.

Beer Run!

March 19, 2020March 19, 2020 / toothpicktales / 3 Comments

I haven’t been to a grocery store in over a week and I’m glad to have missed out on the recent onslaught of anxious people that are on a quest to hoard sanitary items and toilet rolls. Today’s trip to the store was juvenile but necessary. Beer and snacks.

My good friend from Miami…Miami, Manitoba, Canada, mind you, wants to know what sort of beer I got when I went on my beer run today. Well, Graham, for your pleasure, I offer you two beers! Both are originally products of Pennsylvania, which is where I was born.

Rolling Rock est. 1939, Latrobe Pennsylvania. Brewed in Latrobe, PA, until purchased by Anheuser–Busch in 2006. Now it’s brewed wherever Anheuser–Busch wants to brew it, which might be in any of the 13 cities in the U.S., where Anheuser-Bush brews. There is a much storied myth and history behind the “33” and the pony that is displayed on the bottles. I’m all for a good mystery, but I prefer to drink the beer, rather than dwell on the myth.

Yuengling est. 1829, Pottsville, PA. Yuengling claims to be the oldest brewery in the U.S. It’s near Wilkes-Barre PA, in the heart of the Pennsylvania coal mining region. The name Yuengling is an Anglicized version of Jüngling. David Gottlieb Jüngling was the entrepreneur that started the brewery and I give him a wink and a nod, each time I enjoy one of his beers.

Since I bought two types of beer, I had to make a choice of which I would drink first. Rolling Rock won, easily. Rolling Rock has a “clean” taste. It finishes like it starts, clean and crisp. I used to refer to Rolling Rock as a poor man’s Heineken. It’s a straightforward pale ale that fits any occasion, even self-quarantining, I suppose.

I will finish with the Yuengling. Yuengling lager is probably the better beer, when compared to Rolling Rock, because of its distinct sweetness and balanced hops flavor. Yuengling’s mystery is in the unique flavor of the beer, where Rolling Rock’s mystery is the number 33 and a pony. Taste wins, in my book.

Either one is fine with me, really. It’s just nice to be able to sit down and enjoy a beer once in a while.

Celebrate when you can and where you can. Cheers!

Healthy Scraps

March 19, 2020March 19, 2020 / toothpicktales / 4 Comments

Last night I made steamed broccoli as a side dish to the main course. When I steam vegetables I strive for an even texture throughout the pieces. This is a challenge when it concerns broccoli because although the florets are fluffy and not very dense the stems are dense and thick. One solution to the problem is to cut the dense pieces into smaller sizes that will soften at the same rate as the florets. Another solution is to not include the thick stems at all.

I chose the latter option, but that didn’t mean I was going to waste perfectly good broccoli.

I rummaged around the kitchen and searched for vegetables that were on their way out. Wilted vegetables might lose their visual appeal but they still retain their nutritional value. I found some green onions that were wilted and a few potatoes that were smaller than the rest.

I rough cut the vegetables and tossed them into a pot.

I added 2 cups of chicken stock and simmered at low heat, covered, for one hour.

Once the vegetables had sufficiently softened, I poured everything into a blender and pulsed to puree.

I strained out the remaining little pieces of potato skins and was rewarded with a creamy, hearty soup.

Anything can be added to the soup at this point. Maybe some leftover sausage scraps or some lunch meat that has been relegated to the back of the meat drawer.

I chose to chop another wilted green onion for the topping and then added some dried Parmesan cheese. After a few twists from the pepper grinder, the soup was ready to eat.

Beef Stroganoff-ish

March 19, 2020March 19, 2020 / toothpicktales / 8 Comments

This isn’t a classic Beef Stroganoff…it’s more like a stripped down version. But that is where my heart is tonight. Basic. Essential. Sincere.

I didn’t realize I was making Beef Stroganoff until I was nearly done making this dish. It all started rather innocently with me deciding what to do with a leftover beef pot roast that was at risk of drying out in the refrigerator.

I pulled some items from the refrigerator and the pantry and I began putting stuff in measuring cups, as if I was working from a recipe. Who was I trying to fool? I was just making stuff up, as usual.

The simple fact of the matter is, I just wanted to make something to help ease our troubled minds. Our lives are under a tremendous strain right now and our emotions are conflicted.

We need to find some comfort every day. We should gather our families together to share a meal and make time to share our thoughts and feelings.

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups elbow macaroni

1 Tbs olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 Tbs butter

2 Tbs flour

2 cups chicken stock

2 Tbs beef bouillon

1 Tbs ground black pepper

1 Tbs salt

½ cup half and half

1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce

1 ½ lbs cooked beef roast

8 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced

Directions:

Boil the macaroni in a large pot of lightly salted water. Strain the macaroni when it becomes tender. Set aside.

In a large skillet, add olive oil and sauté the onion until the onion begins to soften.

Move the onion aside, in the pan and add butter. Set the heat to low.

Add flour and whisk the butter and flour.

Add the chicken stock, beef bouillon, pepper and salt. Turn heat to medium and whisk. Once the sauce thickens add the Worcestershire sauce and the half and half. Whisk to incorporate.

Add the beef and stir.

Cover and simmer at low heat for 30 minutes.

Add the mushrooms and stir briefly. Turn off the heat and add the macaroni. Stir to mix and turn out to a large serving bowl.

Sopapillas (with Apple Syrup)

March 18, 2020March 18, 2020 / toothpicktales / 5 Comments

Special occasions call for special meals. When I make a special Mexican dish, I like to make homemade flour tortillas. When I make homemade tortillas, I sometimes make sopapillas, because sopapillas are made from the same tortilla dough.

Sopapillas are Mexican pastries that are quickly fried in hot oil and served warm, with honey.

Once in a while wires get switched and everything gets thrown into reverse.

Several days ago, I made an apple crumble and I challenged myself to use 100% of the apples during the process. One of the results was an unexpectedly delicious apple syrup. The aroma, taste and color of the syrup was reminiscent of floral honey. I couldn’t wait to try the syrup in a recipe where honey is normally used.

It didn’t take long to find a way to highlight the apple syrup. That’s when my usual thought process switched into reverse.

Sopapillas are made from tortilla dough and, since I was going to need to make tortilla dough, why not make make some homemade tortillas? And, since I was going to have homemade tortillas on hand, why not make some Mexican food?

If you want to see my recipes for apple syrup and homemade tortillas click on these links:

Apple Syrup

Homemade Tortillas

Ingredients:

1 lb. prepared flour tortilla dough

2 cups cooking oil

¼ cup powdered sugar

¼ tsp cinnamon powder

½ cup apple syrup (or honey)

Directions for making sopapillas:

Add oil to a large, deep skillet. Set heat to medium.

Mix the powdered sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Set aside.

Pinch off a golf ball sized piece of dough, roll it into a ball and place it on a floured work surface.

Using your hand, press down on the dough to form a disc.

With a rolling pin, roll out the dough to form a larger, thinner disc. I suggest rolling it out to ¼” thick, or thinner. I like to roll out the dough very thin.

Using a pastry cutter, slice the disc into quarters.

Carefully transfer the cut pieces of dough to the hot skillet, one at a time. Avoid crowding the pan. I usually make 3 sopapillas at a time.

With a large cooking spoon, ladle hot oil over the sopapillas while the fry in the oil. The sopapillas should begin to puff up quickly. After about 30 seconds, turn the sopapillas over and cook for another 30 seconds.

Carefully remove the sopapillas to a paper towel lined plate.

Transfer the sopapillas to a serving platter and dust them lightly with powdered sugar.

Serve warm with copious amounts of apple syrup!

Drizzle the syrup over the sopapillas or tear off the corners of the sopapillas and drizzle some syrup directly into the sopapilla. It’s okay, I won’t tell.

Creamy Potato and Celery Soup with Ham

March 17, 2020March 17, 2020 / toothpicktales / 2 Comments

Ingredients:

8 small russet potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped

1 Tbs olive oil

1 medium sized onion, chopped

5 cloves garlic, minced

6 stalks celery, chopped

1 Tbs butter

2 Tbs flour

4 cups vegetable broth

2 cups chicken broth

½ cup half-and-half (whole milk and cream)

1 cup smoked ham, chopped into ½” cubes

5 oz white cheddar cheese, grated

4 green onions, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Bring a pot of water to boil and add the diced potatoes. Boil the potatoes until cooked through and softened. Strain the potatoes in a colander.

In a large pot over high heat, add olive oil, garlic and onions. Cook and for a minute or two, until the onions are translucent.

Add the chopped celery stalks and cook for another 3 minutes.

In a small bowl, add 1 tablespoon of butter to 2 tablespoons of flour. Mix and mash together with a fork. Add a splash of broth and mix a little more. Add the mixture to the pan. Stir to combine.

Add the vegetable broth and chicken broth. Stir and bring to boil. Cover and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes.

Pour the soup into the blender and add the potatoes. Puree until smooth. This may need to be done in batches, depending on the capacity of the blender. Return the soup to the pot.

Add the half and half and the ham. Heat at low temperature for a few minutes while stirring occasionally.

Turn the heat off and add the shredded cheese. Slowly stir the soup once or twice. Do not over-stir. Allow the cheese to melt without much interference. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Top with diced scallions.

Apple Crumble

March 15, 2020March 15, 2020 / toothpicktales / 9 Comments

I bought a large bag of Gala apples about two weeks ago and promptly put them in the crisper drawer in my refrigerator. Every time I open the refrigerator I see them and I am reminded that I need to do something with them.

Today seems like the perfect day to use them. Even though they have been kept cool and they still feel crisp, they won’t last forever. On top of that, I want something to do at home, so that I am not tempted to join the frenzied mob who are in panic mode as they rush to the store to empty the shelves of toilet paper and sanitizer.

Toilet paper, really?! If I was preparing for an emergency quarantine, toilet paper might make my it on my list of “100 things I need” but it would be pretty far down on the list. People are weird. I should know…I’m people, too.

I don’t want to make light of the situation surrounding the virus that has recently been declared a pandemic event. It’s serious business. People want to stay healthy and invisible threats, like viruses, play on our fears.

So, with that in mind, I want something to keep me occupied in the safe, confines of my home. I also want to stretch my resources to their fullest potential, which means that I don’t want to waste anything. If I wind up being confined to my home for a while, I want to be prepared and I want to be frugal.

Today is the day I will use those apples and I will use every part of them. I will save the peels to make apple chips and I will save the cores to make apple syrup. I will use the stems…ok, I won’t be using the stems but I definitely could. I could glue the stems together to make little stick-figure people and animals. Maybe next time.

Apple Filling Ingredients:

2 lb apples

1 Tbs white flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 Tbs lemon juice

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Topping

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup flour

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon powder

1/2 cup butter, melted

¼ tsp salt

Directions:

Set oven to 350°

Peel apples and cut into ½” pieces.

Place apple pieces in a bowl. Sprinkle with the flour, sugar and cinnamon. Mix briefly with a spatula. Add the lemon juice and toss. Spread the apple mixture across the bottom of a 2 quart baking dish.

Add all of the topping ingredients, except the melted butter, to a bowl. Mix with a spatula.

Add the melted butter and mix until all of the dry ingredients have absorbed the butter. Spread the mixture over the apples.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until golden brown. Remove and let stand for 10 minutes before serving. This allows the apple filling to congeal.

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or a glass of cold milk.

Apple Peel Chips

Ingredients:

Apple peels from 7 or 8 apples

1 tsp lemon juice

2 Tbs sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp cardamom

Directions:

Add all ingredients to a mixing bowl. Toss to coat the apple peels.

Spread the apple peels on a parchment paper lined baking tray.

Bake at 300° for about 15 minutes. Turn the peels over and continue backing for another 15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow the peels to cool.

Apple Syrup

The syrup produced by this recipe is very close to the color, consistency and flavor of honey. I will definitely use it as a substitution for honey in some future recipes.

Ingredients:

Apple cores from 7 to 8 apples

½ lemon, juice and peel

1 small star anise (or 1/8 tsp anise seed)

White sugar (amount needed is described in the directions)

Directions:

Add apple cores, lemon juice and lemon peel to a small saucepan. Cover with water and simmer at low heat for 1 hour.

Strain the solids and reserve the liquid. Return the liquid to the saucepan and turn heat to medium. Reduce by one half.

Carefully pour the hot liquid into a heat resistant measuring cup. Take note of how much liquid you have. You will be adding twice that amount of sugar to the pan. Return the liquid to the saucepan and add then add the sugar. I wound up with 3/4 cups of liquid so I added 1 1/2 cups of sugar.

Simmer for about 5 minutes at medium heat while whisking. When the liquid begins to bubble and froth forms, turn the heat off and remove from the pan from the heat. Test the syrup with a spoon. If the syrup clings to the back of the spoon, the syrup is done. If the syrup seems too runny, return it to the heat for another minute or two. Be careful not to overheat, unless you want to make hard candy!

Remove syrup and allow to completely cool before placing it in a storage container. The syrup will continue to thicken as it cools. The syrup should last for a few weeks in a refrigerator.

Carnitas (Slow Roasted Pork)

March 11, 2020March 11, 2020 / toothpicktales / 9 Comments

Sometimes I get a grandiose idea and I get all fired up and I spend hours and hours focusing on my goal until the plan reaches fruition. And then there’s all those other days, when the grandiose idea fizzles like a flat soda.

Welcome to Flat Soda Day.

My idea was inspired by a craving for gorditas. Gorditas, which translates to “little chubbies”, are puffy corn tortillas stuffed with meats and sauces, or whatever else you might want to put in them. When made properly, gorditas are wonderfully crispy, warm, corn flavored pockets full of savory bliss. Like so many Mexican dishes, they instantly make me feel at home when I eat them, regardless of where I eat them.

Step number one for gorditas: prepare carnitas. Carnitas, which translates to “little meats”, is typically made with pork shoulder and is slowly roasted and then shredded. I tend to think of carnitas as the little brother of barbacoa. Carnitas are more gentle in flavor than bold, beefy barbacoa but, carnitas are probably more versatile.

In fact, carnitas are so versatile that I completely abandoned the notion of making gorditas and I decided to use them in burritos. That’s ok. I had some carnitas left over and made gorditas a few days later.

I usually roast a pork shoulder when making carnitas. The fat ratio in a pork shoulder is precisely what is needed for good carnitas. This time, I had a pork loin, which is very lean. I also had a few small pieces of leftover beef ribeye in the refrigerator. The fat content of the ribeye was just what the lean pork needed. I added a little lard, to further bump the fat content up, and then I roasted the meat for about 6 hours at low temperature.

Ingredients:

1 Tbs cumin

1 Tbs oregano

2 tsp paprika

2 lbs pork loin

1 cup orange juice

1/4 cup cooking oil

1 onion, chopped

1 jalapeño, sliced

1 ½ Tbs lard

¾ lb beef ribeye (cooked to medium rare)

Directions:

Combine the cumin, oregano, paprika and oil in a small bowl. Mix together.

Coat the pork loin with the spices and oil.

Combine the remaining ingredients in a large Dutch oven. Add the pork loin to the Dutch oven. Cover and cook at 250° for 6 hours. Remove from oven. Shred the meat with two forks.

Heat a cast iron skillet. Add shredded meat to the skillet and sear for a few minutes, or until the meat begins to char. Turn the meat and sear for another minute. Remove meat.

Serve in any number of dishes. Burritos, enchiladas, gorditas, flautas, chalupas, tacos…

Crawfish Season!

March 9, 2020March 9, 2020 / toothpicktales / 6 Comments

Hooray! The crawfish are here, the crawfish are here!

Every year, around this time, crawfish and shrimp vendors start popping up at local gas station parking lots. They set up shop on the weekends, with pick up trucks and trailers for about 6 weeks and then they vanish, as quickly and as quietly as they arrived, returning to the bayous. But, while they are here, I have access to the biggest, freshest and most succulent gulf shrimp and wonderful, spicy, hot Cajun crawfish .

Most of these vendors only take cash. I rarely carry cash but, when these guys roll into town I don’t mind making a trip to the nearest ATM and withdrawing money from my bank account. I drive back to the seafood guys waving cash in my hand. Yes, it’s really that good.

I remember a time, just a few years ago, when I saw the crawfish guys boiling their shrimp and cawfish and I panicked, realizing that I was nearing the end of their short season. It was Saturday, around 5:00 pm. I drove the 3 miles to the bank teller machine and withdrew some cash. By the time I returned, they had already packed up and were gone. Gone! Gone for good, at least until the next year.

Never again. Lesson learned. I will not let the moment escape me. Even if all I get is a tiny sample of some briny shrimp or a few scrawny crawfish, I won’t pass up the opportunity to savor some of the finest food this world has to offer.

I am not a creole chef and I wasn’t raised on the bayou. I’m not Cajun…I’m Texan true and true, but I am forever mesmerized and enamored by the lure of fresh gulf seafood and funky, backwater fare.

Something good happens when the shrimp are set to boil. The world is a happier place when hot, red crawfish are pulled from the pot. Mystery and wonder fills the air. Friends are made instantly. Smiles become contagious. Romance is at hand. No struggles, no strife.

Grab a drink. Find a seat. Tell us a story.

Tacos de Pescado con Papas Caseras

March 5, 2020March 5, 2020 / toothpicktales / 6 Comments

Fish Tacos with Home Fries

Tilapia.

I wanted to jump right into this fish taco recipe but I couldn’t resist the urge to discuss the phenomena that is Tilapia.

Tilapia is a freshwater fish that describes dozens of types of fish. If I was an ichthyologist I might be able to go into greater detail about the different types of fish that fall under the umbrella of “tilapia” but my interest lies elsewhere.

What intrigues me is the fact that tilapia have become a predominant food source in a very short period of time. Tilapia have rapidly become one of the most consumed fish in the United States. It is also popular across the globe, due to low production cost.

Tilapia are easily farmed. They are not carnivorous, which make them less expensive to raise than salmon or trout. They mature quickly, which leads to quick harvesting and, they can endure living in close proximity to each other. All of these qualities make them desirable for aquaculture.

I don’t know where I’m going with all of this except to say that I was really curious about the sudden popularity of tilapia and I thought others might be, too. So, before I totally kill the mood and start making allusions to Soylent Green, let’s make some fish tacos…

Ingredients:

2 carrots, peeled and shredded

1 large, or 2 medium sized jalapeños, thinly sliced or shredded

3 scallions (green onions), green portion diced and white portion thinly sliced

½ cup vinegar

2 tsp lemon juice

1 Tbs sugar

1 avocado, sliced

1 tsp lemon juice

Pinch of garlic salt

6 to 8 small russet potatoes

¾ lb fresh tilapia filets

¼ cup flour

2 tsp cumin

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp garlic powder

3 Tbs cornstarch

12 corn tortillas

1 egg

Directions:

In a large skillet, add 1 cup cooking oil. Set heat to low.

Add the shredded carrot, sliced jalapeño and the sliced scallion root to a mixing bowl. Stir to mix. Add the vinegar, lemon juice and sugar. Set aside for 20 minutes.

Peel and slice the avocado. Squirt some lemon juice over the sliced avocado and sprinkle with a little garlic salt.

Scrub the potatoes under cool running water. Dry the potatoes with a paper towel. Cut potatoes into 1 inch pieces. Add potatoes to the skillet and adjust the heat to medium/high. Stir the potatoes after 1 minute and adjust the heat to medium. Leave the potatoes alone for 15 minutes.

Arrange the fish filets on a paper towel-lined plate.

Spread ¼ cup flour over a large plate. Scatter the cumin, chili powder and garlic powder over the flour.

Dust each side of the fish with a scant amount of cornstarch.

Strain the pickled vegetables and discard the vinegar mixture. Put the shredded vegetables in a bowl and keep handy.

Stir the potatoes a few times and strain the oil, once the potatoes have crisped. Store the potatoes in a bowl, in a warm place.

Return the oil to the pan and set the heat to medium. Soften the corn tortillas in the hot oil. Remove the tortillas and store in a warm place.

Crack an egg over a large plate. Lightly whisk with a fork.

Create a dredging station with the fish, egg and flour. Take a piece of fish and dip both sides in the egg. Lay the fish in the flour mixture and shake off any loose flour. Lay the fish in the hot skillet.

Fry the fish for about two minutes and then turn the fish over, with a large spatula. Fry for another two minutes and turn the fish again. Fry for another minute and remove the fish to a paper towel-lined plate.