The Martes Chronicles: A Word From The Editor…

Posted on August 28, 2012 by Headchef

Publisher & Editor In Chief Joseph Price

Publisher & Editor-In-Chief J. Simon Price in a quiet moment.

This is easily the least favorite part of my job. Not the sitting down at my keyboard and typing. That’s the fun part. No, this is the part where I glumly apologize for the lack of content over the past few months(!) and fill you, the readers, head with false hopes and empty promises. Save for a couple of fantastic podcasts, there’s been very little content in 2012, and as Publisher and Editor of this critically acclaimed blog, I have only myself to blame.

I’ve been deliberately vague about the personal and medical drama I’ve been dealing with for the last year. Anyone who reads our regular articles or listens to the podcast might be somewhat familiar with the life-changing bullshit I’ve had to endure. They may also not be. It’s only important because I don’t have a crack staff of assistant-editors and food bloggers to pick up the slack for me when everything goes to hell for me.
I’d like to some day, but for the moment it’s just General BBQ, myself and the reanimated corpse of Jawn Fulla running this thing, and it’s safe to say they’ve got their hands full with plenty of things beyond mocking Minnesotans and sarcastic taco recipes.

How did I lose 40 lbs eating food like this?

It’s not like I haven’t been cooking (just not eating). I’ve been cooking up a storm for myself and friends all throughout the last year, always taking multiple pictures of the process and final results with the intent of posting them into articles. Up until a little over a month ago; I was splitting my work schedule between (at least) two jobs and spending what little remaining energy I had on cooking at home. That left me with zero energy to take care of the (admittedly not difficult) task of hammering out a few snarky paragraphs and uploading those pics onto WordPress.

And, you know, depression and stuff.

Happily; I’ve steered my life into some semblance of order. At least enough that I can manage to crank out a couple of articles every week without going completely nuts.
It’s good for me to write for this blog. It keeps me sharp. It doesn’t hurt that some people think I’m a pretty good writer (mostly my mom). If I ever want to make this a thing I do full time; it’s going to require that I do it consistently and for free for a long time before anyone ever decides to pay me for it.

So consider this a soft re-opening for The Reducer Network. Tuesdays will once again have a regular post unless we tweet otherwise. Other semi-regular articles will follow and possibly even another regular column on Thursdays or early Fridays.
We’ll continue putting out our acclaimed podcast (NOW AVAILABLE ON iTUNES!), most likely once a month, but we’ll also have minicasts and video segments posted more and more regularly as we get into the rhythm of it.

So you can learn stuff like this.

Again, this is a small operation, and in order to expand our audience, we’re going to have to push the content to the point where we’re posting multiple times a day, five days a week. While we all have day jobs, this is pretty much impossible. But when I founded this site I always had the intention that we would recruit anyone who wanted to submit any content pertaining to food and drink; especially if it was different then what Brian and I were putting on the page. This is a Network, after all, and was never meant to be a 24-hour Texas and dick joke slurpfest.
I’d like to think that there’s somebody out there reading this that posts pictures of their breakfast on Instagram and writes about meals they ate on Facebook. You’re already food blogging. Perhaps you’d like a platform to disseminate your various culinary passions without dealing with the considerable daily upkeep that even running a simple blog requires. Especially once you start pulling in readers.

Who’s going to cover gay cakes for us? Not Fulla.

Consider that an open invitation to anyone looking to dabble in food blogging without having to do much more than take pictures and/or write.

In the meantime follow us on Twitter and Facebook, keep coming back every Tuesday for actual food-related columns, and (re)enjoy these classic recipes and articles that should give you johnny-come-lately’s a taste of what we’re all about.

-Headchef

A recipe for Menudo

Rice Pilaf made interesting

A seafood stew that seems to exist everywhere

Food Porn

An argument for hot summer soups

A cruel excoriation of the “Walk-a-Taco”

How to stir-fry noodles like you know what you’re doing

A curry recipe that any idiot can do

Jerusalem Mixed Grill is not grilled

And, of course, The Greatest Episode of the Podcast we ever did.

The Martes Chronicles: What We Did Last Summer (Part One)

Posted on October 12, 2011 by Headchef

Ow-ah skyline is gritty-ah than you-ah skyline!

I don’t have a tremendous amount of love for the ~~state~~ commonwealth of Massachusetts.
I have family there; I’ve lived there; I’ve even been thrown out of a couple schools there. But like Homer Simpson in New York, bad things always seem to happen to me in Massachusetts, and Boston in particular.

Oh, excuse me, I meant Baaaahs-tan. Sacred centah of facking REDSAWX WELKAH NATION! THE TAAAAWN OF FIGHTAHS!

Boston brings up a lot of mixed feelings for me. For the most part it’s a lovely city. Beautiful neighborhoods, nice restaurants and a rich connection to American history make it a town worth seeing at least once. On the other hand; Boston is pretty much what you get when you take New York City; remove most of its ethnic diversity and replace it with clones of Frasier Crane and THIS guy:

WEEEEEELKAAAAAAAAAH!

Boston is a town with an inferiority complex so deeply woven into its cultural tapestry that they make Chicagoans seem slightly less provincial. For a city that rubs its connection to the American Revolution in everybody’s face, they certainly seem to have less of a problem with draconian tax policy, political corruption and social engineering than they had 200+ years ago.This is also a city that prides itself on the loyalty of their “die-haaaahd” sports fans, and yes, their beisbol fans are very serious, possibly the most vocal in the country, but their run of championships in all the major professional sports leagues over the last decade has dimmed memories a bit.

It used to be Red Sawx and Celtics and nothing else and HOLY CRAP WE HAVE A FOOTBAAAHL TEAM! AND THEY’VE WON THREE SUPAAAAH BOWLS!

I know this because when I lived and visited Massachusetts frequently in the mid-nineties, all their teams sucked, with the perpetual-bridesmaid Sawx being the only show in town. When I visited for the first time in over a decade this last summer; I saw an awful lot of pristine Bruins jerseys and Pats throwbacks with the tag still on them.

Rockport, MA

We didn’t spend all our time in Beantown. Mostly we explored some of the seaside towns north of the big city: Salem, Gloucester and Rockport. We saw our share of “quaint” and “distinctive” villages, salty locals in Sawx hats and fishstick factories.

Gorton's Fishtick Factory: Gloucester, MA

In all seriousness; it was nicer than I expected it to be. The setting is beautiful (and I don’t even like the ocean that much), the people seem to be genuinely friendly and the food is pretty damn good. If you’re like me, however, and you don’t eat shellfish, you’re going to run into some problems finding something on a menu that won’t incite anaphylaxis/anger your sky-deity.

Haddock: f***ing get used to it.

Interestingly; Massachusetts state law requires sufferers of shellfish allergies to identify themselves to the server and for management to speak with the customer on the subject. At nearly every sit-down restaurant we went to I would have a brief interview with either a floor manager or chef on the severity of my allergy, and they would suggest whichever Haddock dish I could order off the menu. The one time I was shy about it and just decided to order whatever looked safe without alerting the waiter was the only night I had a reaction.

I normally disagree with states micromanaging the restaurant business, but in a state where even the ice in your drink has lobster in it, it’s not the worst idea.

Pictured: A Gloucester Sno-Cone

One thing Massachusetts has on everywhere else is the ubiquity of Dunkin Donuts.

FACKIN DUNKIN-NATION!

You know that Simpsons where Bart walks into the mall and every store is a Starbucks? You cannot walk 50 yards in any Massachusetts town without passing a Dunkin Donuts. This is not a complaint. I miss my Dunkin; they don’t have it anywhere near me; it’s a real treat and their coffee is underrated. It is a little weird how they changed the name of the airport in Boston from Logan to Dunkin, but I suppose that’s better than FACKIN LARRY-LEGEND-WOODHEAD-WELKAH-DUNKIN-PEDROYAH International Airport.

The joke is that they don't think through names very well.

Then there was the fishing.
I’m not a big fisherman, but when given the opportunity to get up at the crack of dawn with a stomach full of Dunkin and do some ocean fishing, I jumped at it. I never caught a thing, shlimazel that I am, but two members of my party each a caught 30″+ stripped bass that they kept, and two huge bluefish they threw back.

The freshest sashimi you'll ever eat.

Beautifully; the guys running the boat were happy to butcher the fish on the ride back to port (for a small portion of the catch). At one point they had to tend to boat-business, so my cousin (who took us on this trip in the first place) finished the job for them, rinsing the freshly cut pieces in the ocean water and handing them off for us to eat.

How the sausage is made...

It was easily the freshest fish I’d ever eaten. When we came ashore we headed straight for the grocery store to pick up a few components to dress up our catch.
Here’s a selection of what I whipped up for everybody:

Stripped Bass Sashimi

Wrap your fish steak in plastic wrap and put in freezer for 15 minutes.
Remove from freezer. Slice thinly with sharp knife against the grain.
Serve with shoyu and wasabi.

Stripped Bass Crudo

Wrap your fish steak in plastic wrap and put in freezer for 15 minutes.
Remove from freezer. Slice thickly (roughly 1″) with sharp knife against the grain.
Dress with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Stripped Bass Poke
- Cut fish into bite size cubes.
- Dress with shoyu, rice vinegar, sesame oil and scallions to taste.
- Because this isn’t real Hawaiian Poke- be sure to pronounce it the way they do in Massachusetts- as if it’s something you do on Facebook.
Stripped Bass Ceviche
- Cut fish into slightly larger than bite size cubes.
- Add some sliced purple onion, some chopped cilantro, a little chopped jalapeno, salt & pepper and enough lime juice to cover the whole mixture.
- Marinate in the lime juice for a minimum of 45 minutes.
- Serve with chopped avocados and corn nuts/parched corn.

Last breakfast in Rockport

So that was it. Just a few days out east and then back to the Midwest where a massive heatwave was waiting for us. Next week here at Reducer: Miami.

In Massachusetts: only Kennedys are allowed to play football on the beach.

The Martes Chronicles: Something To Tide You Over

Posted on September 20, 2011 by Headchef

Stripped Bass Sashimi

So I’m still recovering from hip surgery and dealing with my life imploding. No lengthy tirade today, just a selection of photos from various projects and future articles (some of which you may have seen if you’ve taken the wise step to follow us on twitter). If you’re curious about any of the photos; drop us a line in the comment section and I’ll be happy to reveal recipes for them in future Tuesday posts.

You can expect a new recipe Monday morning, in time for the MNF Redskins-Cowboys matchup (Woot! Woot!) and The Martes Chronicles post will return to being posted early on Tuesdays.

Until then; enjoy some poorly lit food porn.

HandmadeWonton Noodle Soup with Grilled Marinated Tofu

Another wonton soup; this time with mock roasted pork and pre-made dumplings.

Passover Brisket

Rice Pilaf with Curry-Rubbed Grilled Chicken Thigh and Grilled Tomato

Handmade French Loaves

Rice Congee with Tea Eggs, Salted Plums, Kim Chi, Chiles and Peanuts

Cuban Sandwich with homemade Cuban-style Roasted Turkey, Turkey Ham, Swiss Cheese and Pickles on homemade Cuban Bread

Huevo Flamenca over Cheese Grits and Steamed Collards

Okonomiyaki (savory Japanese Pancake)

Cuban Picadillo with Rice, Fried Eggs, Fried Plantains and homemade Cuban Toast

Homemade Pimento Cheese with Crackers

Striped Bass Crudo

Striped Bass Poke

Pan-Roasted Duck in a Red Wine Reduction with Seared Apples, Roasted Root Vegetables and Sauteed Spinach.

Bacalao (Salt Cod) with Peppers, Tomatoes and Potatoes.

Handmade Squash Gnocchi with Radicchio.

Sauteed Broccolini with Walnuts and Grana Padano

Loco Moco (Hamburger and Fried Egg over Sushi Rice with Gravy)

All of the above dishes were made in a home kitchen, often the kitchen of a friend who didn’t always have the “necessary” equipment. I’m pretty sure that anyone reading this could pull a lot of these off with a little practice.

Especially the Italian food.

Field Trip: W Hotel Minneapolis Sip ‘N Sample

Posted on March 26, 2011 by Headchef

The Living Room at The W Hotel, Minneapolis

As mentioned in episode five of the Reducer Podcast; Mrs. Headchef and I recently attended the Sip & Savor tasting event at the W Hotel in downtown Minneapolis. The Twin Cities iteration of the W opened up the three bar/restaurants on the premises of the Art Deco Foshay Tower for what amounted to an upscale pub crawl.

We’ve stayed at the W once before for our anniversary, had a cocktail at the Prohibition Bar on the top floor, and spent many a birthday at Manny’s Steakhouse before this event, so in the interest of full disclosure, we admit we were already fans of the place.

The attendees were split into three “shifts”; with each group of about 30-50 people alternating between the three venues for roughly half-hour periods. Our shift began at Manny’s, a place we were already intimately familiar with (Best Damn Steakhouse in Minnesota).

The offerings from Manny’s were simple and delicious. Two wines (a Pinot Grigio and a Merlot) which were both perfectly serviceable, and a selection of their more esteemed menu items. These included Mac & Cheese and lardon-style bacon pieces (neither of which I tried, but Mrs. Headchef swore by) sauteed mushrooms (delicious) and “Bludgeon Bites”; generous pieces of Manny’s signature Ribeye steak “The Bludgeon of Beef”. Ribeye is easily my favorite cut of beef; but there are ribeyes and then there’s the bludgeon; which is less a piece of meat than a tribute to the steak that busted Fred Flintstone’s car.

It was tough not filling up on perfectly cooked and seasoned steak, but before long we were ushered into the Living Room, where we had never been before the event.

The first thing you realize about The Living Room is that the emphasis is much more on cocktails than food. The food provided was tasty, to be sure, but relatively low-key with a cheese platter, slightly upscale pigs in a blanket (both of which I skipped, but Wifey dug the sausages) and what were called Kobe beef sliders, but were really just hot beef sandwiches on little buns. They tasted great, but on a serious note, the name “slider” means a White Castle or Krystal style hamburger- as in a ground meat patty- not pulled brisket, potato sticks or fish heads.

Anyway… Like I said; the drinks are the main atraction at The Living Room

$295 for a bottle of Grey Goose? Does it lay golden eggs?

Don’t let the ridiculously marked-up hotel prices on the bottles sway you either. Ignore the bottle service altogether and go for the cocktails, which during Living Room’s happy hour are actually a great value for downtown. The two signature cocktails we tried during the Sip ‘N Sample were the Bluphoria and the Epiphany.

The Bluphoria featured Stoli Blueberry, St. Germaine Elderflower liqueur, lime juice and fresh blueberries. It was tasty, drinkable and highly girlie. If I had drank more than one; I might have grown an ovary.

The Epiphany, on the other hand was a much more sophisticated affair.

The St. Germaine took center stage for this drink; along with Grey Goose pear vodka, champagne and an edible orchid bud. This was a drink for the grown and sexy, and the first one where I went back for another round.

Highly recommended.

Before we knew it we were herded upstairs to the top floor of the Foshay tower where the Prohibition Bar is located.

Here’s where things got a little sketchy. First off; the only two food items available at this stop were sushi (which they quickly ran out of) and Thai-style shrimp (which would kill me if I ate them. Lousy anaphylaxis.). Maybe they had more at some point; but by the time our group got there they were pretty much out of food.

Further compounding this problem was that the better of the two drinks they offered, a Prarie Vodka and citrus based cocktail called The Perfect Pair, disappeared without my getting a second one or Mrs. Headchef getting a first. I hate to complain, but the sudden evaporation of good food and drink was even more pronounced due to the fact that the following monstrosity was the only thing they had left…

Right city, wrong borough.

This is the “Local Manhattan”; although its flavor profile and liquor content has more in common with a Long Island Ice Tea. The major crime this cocktail is guilty of is being made with RASPBERRY BOURBON. That’s berry-flavored whiskey; a crime so heinous it caused me to send out an angry tweet.

Out of protest; I drank three of them.

Despite the missteps of The Prohibition Bar; all in all it was a fun experience. We ate a decent amount of good food, met some neat people and sipped some tasty cocktails (And one awful one. Seriously. Raspberry bourbon?). We must have liked it, because after the official event was over; we went back down to the Living Room to knock back a few Perfect Pairs, some champagne and, of course, tequila shots.

Two weeks later; my brain still hurts.

BBBQ (The extra “B” is for BYOBB)

Posted on March 7, 2011 by General BBQ

The secret to any good BBQ is that there are no secrets. There’s no element or method that isn’t exchangeable for another element or method. It encourages a bit of experimentation, and good-old fashioned creativity. Two solid rules will keep you on the path to success: Stay clean and organized all through the preperation, and cook your meat as slowly as possible, using high heat only to sear the meat, if you wish. That being said, let’s assemble our ingrediants for one of my favorite dishes.

one onion, diced small
hot sauce of your preference
1 can, or 2 whole fresh tomatoes (For the sake of the juices, I sort of like a nice canned tomato, but we at reducer won’t judge you for being an elitist bastard.)
Cola of you’re choice, but I recommend the kind I use in the picture above….
2 Tablespoons garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
2 Tablespoons chilli powder
1 Tablespoon powdered ginger
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup of coffee (Whole beans work best, so a coffee grinder is a great investment for any kitchen, as it works well for spices too! A darker roast coffee is preferred, and feel free to use decaf, though being a caffeine junky, I do not.)

Grind your beans, if it isn’t allready ground. I like a course grind, but there’s more than one way to skin a cat.

In a pot, strain to juice from your tomatoes and bring to a nice rolling boil.

Add your cola slowly, or you’ll have a hot sugar-mess from the foaming that will be a total pain in the balls to clean later.

Whisk in the hotsauce and liquid smoke. Bring back to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Stir often, while you move on to the meat.

On a large plate, pour your coffee, with a bit of salt and pepper. rub the meat gently into the mixture on both sides until well-coated.

Add your tomatoes to the sauce and reduce to low-med heat once again, and get a large skillet with canola or vegetable oil very hot.

Gently place your beef in the hot skillet and sear on one side.

Add your minced onions around the meat. I like to do this so that the meat gets some onion flavor and the onions get some of that sweet sweet blood in them.

Remove the meat from the skillet, leaving the onions to cook a little more. Put the beef in the pot with the tomatoes and sauce, and immediately turn the heat to very low. Cover the pot and allow the meat to cook over no less than 2 hours, stirring from time to time.

Now that the beef is slowly cooking, back to the onions. keep stirring the over high heat until they get kind of an opaque look to them.

When they are soft and translucent, add them to the pot.

After about an hour or so, your pot should start to look like this.

Let it ride for another 45-60 minutes. remove the beef and put it on a cutting board.

Find the grain of the meat. cut across the small lines that go in either direction on the surface. cutting meat against the grain like this will always make your meat even more tender, not just for this particular dish.

When your slicing is done, and the beef is on the plate, spoon some of that sauce and tomato/onion mixture over the top.

A buttered slice of cornbread and beans of any variey would be a tasty addition to this dish, along with as much ice-cold mexican beer you can lay your hands on.

What, Me Curry?

Posted on February 21, 2011 by General BBQ

A word from the General before we start:

Curry from scratch is by no means a task that requires much skill in the kitchen, it does, however, need lots of ingredients (all fairly cheap), lots of time, and lots of patience. If you don’t have all these things (namely the latter two) I recommend finding some good asian take-out.

Another thing worth noting: pretty much any veggie and meat combo will work for this dish. A lot of what you may have kickin’ around makes for good curry. Here’s what I had: for meat – some frozen Pollock that wasn’t going anywhere, and veggies – carrots, celery, onions, potatoes, and green peppers that were just waiting in my fridge to be “curry-fied.” The only things I went out of my way for were some fresh herbs, and since my lovely wife, Mrs. General BBQ, has a great eye for deals at the grocer, this dish was a steal.

One more note: I cannot recommend enough spending a little extra on quality raw rice. A couple of bucks a bag goes a very long way and will make your dishes taste SO much better.

Equipment: You will want to have a food processor or a drink blender capable of handling a “puree” (that’s what I use.) If you’re spices are whole, a coffee grinder can fix that for ya. (I recommend toasting your spices, too.) Two large pots, one that holds at least a gallon, and two saute pans.

The curry:

1 can coconut milk
1 cup chicken broth or stock
4 yellow onions, diced
12 carrots, diced
4 stalks of celery, diced
6 whole basil leaves, finely chopped
12 sprigs cilantro, finely minced (reserve until plating)

3 tablespoons ground turmeric
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon powdered ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon dried chili
1/2 tablespoon fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 whole star anise, ground

I also had some sumak and gewurze and threw in a tablespoon of those as well… They aren’t crucial elements, but if you’re at the market and they have those, by all means, grab them.

Toss all of your chopped veggies in one of your pots. Cover with at least 3 inches of water, dash some salt in, and bring to a rolling boil. Reduce heat to between high and medium and let the water boil off until veggies are EXTREMELY cooked. We’re talkin’ almost mushy.

Strain most of the fluid out and place half of the veggies in the food processor/blender along with half of the spice mix, half of the coconut milk, half of the basil and and half of the chicken stock.

Puree until smooth, and place back in the pot.

Repeat this step, using up the rest of the aforementioned ingredients. (Depending on the size of your food processor/blender, you may need to make this three steps.) Over very low heat continue cooking. Stir often to avoid scorching.

The fish:

4 whitefish fillets
1 tablespoon lemon juice
tablespoon powdered or fresh ginger
pinch of salt

Fill a saute pan with about 1/2 an inch of water, add the lemon juice, ginger and salt, and add your fish. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low, and allow to slowly cook while you prepare your rice and veggies.

For the rice:

Nothing really special except tender loving care. I used 1 part well-rinsed rice to 4 1/2 parts cold water with a pinch of salt. Put it in the pot, bring to a boil, reduce to low-medium heat, cover, and stir often until cooked to your liking.

For the Veggies:

1 pepper, small dice
1 yellow onion, small dice
3 carrots, small dice
teaspoon garlic powder
teaspoon ginger powder
salt and pepper to taste.

Heat a pan with a coat of canola oil, add veggies and sear until soft. Add seasonings, and if you have any extra, deglaze the veggies with a little chicken stock.

Now you’re ready to put it all together! Grab your bowl and pile it on, using your chopped cilantro as a decorative (and tasty) garnish. The best part of this delicious meal: the way your house smells like curry spice for a week after you’ve cooked it!

Eat up!

REEEEEEEEMIIIIIIIIIIX!: Tacos de lengua

Posted on February 7, 2011 by Headchef

Sorry about the picture quality. I ate it before I had the chance for re-shoots.

You know we had to do a remix, right? Last night’s tacos de lengua converted to huevos rancheros simply by frying leftover corn tortillas, putting some refried beans on them and going to town with a couple fried eggs.
You’re welcome.

Tacos That Kiss You Back

Posted on February 7, 2011 by Headchef

Like making out with a cow.

If my Cowboys had played at home in this Super Bowl, I would have made chili.

Tix-ass chili; made with cubed chuck, onions, chili powder, tomato and nothing else. Kick-your-ass chili befitting of a Dallas Super Bowl; no doubt culminating in Tony Romo hoisting the Lombardi trophy in front of a cheering crowd.

Obviously that never materialized. The Cowboys sucked more than usual this year, so chili just seemed too festive for a Super Bowl where the Stealers might win another trophy (spoiler alert: So awesome that they didn’t!). I ended up making tacos de lengua (beef tongue tacos) because they still fit the Texas theme along with being relatively cheap, easy to make and incredibly tasty with a cold beer (or six).

People who didn’t grow up eating tongue might be grossed out by the idea of eating part of the cows digestive tract. I can only tell you squeamish folk that you’re missing out on one of the tastiest parts of the cow.

I personally think eating tongue is way less gross than eating a hotdog, but whatever.

You’re going to need the following:

3 1/2 lb beef tongue (Any reputable Mexican or Jewish butcher will have this)
1 large yellow onion, quartered
1 whole head of garlic, peeled. Half of cloves left whole, half chopped roughly.
4 bay leaves
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1 teaspoon each: Mexican oregano, smoked paprika, chili powder
1 tablespoon raw sugar
1 tablespoon shoyu or tamari
1 tablespoon whole pequin chilis
2 teaspoons fennel seed
Kosher salt to taste
Soft corn tortillas
Cilantro

Put the whole tongue, onion, peppercorns, bay leaves and whole cloves of garlic in a large pot and fill it with cold water. Add a tablespoon of kosher salt and bring to a boil.

Cover the pot and simmer on medium low for 2 hours. While that simmers; heat up a pan (steel or cast iron) on medium-high without any oil in it.

Toss in the fennel and pequin chilies; stirring them quickly with a wooden spoon until they begin to get toasted (about 2 minutes)

Transfer the toasted spices to a mortar and pestle, molcajete or food processor. Add a pinch of kosher salt and grind the spices into a reasonably uniform powder.

After two hours of simmering; the tongue should look like a 97 Jordan

After two hours; pull tongue from pot set out to cool for a few minutes. Take the pot of liquid the tongue boiled in off the heat, but keep it handy.

Peel outer layer of tongue away with a sharp knife. It should come right off.

Heat a dutch oven or pan with a lid to medium high with a tablespoon of oil in it. Slice the tongue crosswise into 1 inch slices. Fry the slices a couple at a time until browned on each side. Keep them set aside on a plate until all the tongue pieces are browned.

When finished frying slices; turn heat off but keep the remaining fat in the pan.

Chop the slices into even sized one-inch cubes and set aside.

Heat reserved beef fat in pan back up to medium high and add chopped garlic. Stir with wooden spoon for a minute and a half; making sure the garlic doesn’t burn.

Add oregano, paprika, chili powder and pequin/fennel powder. Stir for another minute.

Add the chopped tongue and stir around in the chili mixture.

Add the sugar and shoyu. Stir around quickly for 30 seconds. Add three cups of the reserved cooking liquid you made the tongue in; turn heat up to high and bring to a boil.

Once it begins to boil; give it a stir; cover it and bring the heat down to medium-low.

Here’s where you can get a little creative.

You’ll want to simmer the tongue for at least another hour; stirring occasionally to keep it from scorching; but for the most part it should be okay on its own.

I say an hour at a minimum. That should be all it takes to get a nice flavor and texture; but you should still have a pretty good amount of the cooking liquid left over. You could potentially nurse the braise for several hours; letting it reduce to a thicker sauce before adding a ladle or two of liquid to thin it out a bit; then reducing it again.

Repeating this process would develop and concentrate the flavors really nicely, and because the tongue is such a sturdy piece of meat, the number of times you do it are limited only by your patience.

However long you decide to cook your tongue, your end product should look something like the above photo. Heat up some corn tortillas (or better yet, make them yourself), tear up some cilantro and pick out a hot sauce.

Then make these pickled onions this or any other time you make Mexican food.

Slice two onions (one red, one white) and throw them in a pan. Cover them with cold water and bring them to a boil.

Once boiled drain them immediately and put them in a glass bowl with:

two cups white vinegar
one teaspoon salt
two bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

Mix it, cover it and put it in the fridge. Best after a day but ready to serve after three hours.

Do yourself a favor and don’t put any cheese on it; you’d just be gilding the lily.

Crack open a cold beer and enjoy your tacos with some pickled carrots that you made the same way as the onions; you suave and sophisticated so and so.

I always get excited to see a hacksaw on a cutting board.

Posted on February 4, 2011 by General BBQ

I saw something today I haven’t seen in some time. I saw an entire lamb get broken down into neat, usable, little pieces, nearly nothing to go to waste. I worked for the chef I work for now (Let’s call our place…the Refugee Camp) at another restaraunt, in uptown. We would get whole lamb in there as well, but after about 7 or 8 the honeymoon was over, for me, and I was probably just annoyed at how much prime prep space it took up.

But today, when Chef broke out the hacksaw, my heart leapt like I ran into an old friend I hadn’t seen in almost two years. The lamb she pulled out of the walk-in was nothing like the lambs we got in uptown…First of all, it was clearly fresher. The lambs we got there were always local, free-range, and organic, and so was this fine animal, but it still had motion in many of its’ joints. Rock.

It came from Sheperd Song Farm, in Boyceville, WI. http://www.shepherdsongfarm.com

They put a lot of emphasis into quality of life for the animal, and how it directly effects the quality of the product it becomes.

Anyway, it was one of the first of many times at work that I’ll be struck by inspiration to snap some pictures and share with all fourteen of you. Stay tuned.