Dec 18

Chili Oil – Quick, Easy & Homemade

Walk through the grocery store and you will see an abundance of oils, vinegars and even alcohol infused with herbs and vegetables. Included in this vast selection of flavored liquids for food, are vegetable oils infused with a variety of chilies (hot peppers). The combinations are definitely enticing, but the price can be expensive. Honestly, I do not use vinegar and oil infusions that often to fill my pantry and refrigerator with numerous bottles of flavors that may be used at best a few times a year.

Recently at a restaurant on the table, there was a bottle of olive oil infused with chili flakes. I was looking to add a little flavor to the meal I was eating and was impressed with the warm heat provided by the chili oil. The effect of the chili infused olive oil was the subtle flavor and heat of the chilies without the sometimes overpowering result of using a hot sauce, Tabasco; a chili paste, Sambal, or too much vinegar flavor with Tapatio or Louisiana Hot Sauce.

Hot Peppers from the Garden

Red Chilies Picked from the Garden

Recently, I was attempting to replicate the meal that I had eaten and knew that I wanted to include the chili infused olive oil with the meal. Since the molecule capsaicin is the active ingredient in chilies / hot peppers and is soluble in oil, vinegar and alcohol; I was curious on whether or not I could quickly make a small batch of chili oil for the meal that I was preparing?

Fortunately, I still have chili peppers growing in the garden so I picked the peppers that were red knowing that I would not use all of them for the chili oil. Those that I did not use were placed in the freezer for future use. If you do not grow your own chili peppers, then there is typically some variety of chili pepper available at the grocery store.

I selected about nine chili peppers (they were small, so you might want to consider using less if you are using larger chili peppers).

Hot Peppers on a Cutting Board

Chilies on a Cutting Board

With a knife, I chopped them small; flesh, skin and membrane with only the tops being discarded.

Chopped Hot Peppers

Chopped Chilies

In a small bowl I added the chopped chili peppers to about ½ Cup of Olive Oil (any vegetable oil would be fine) and then stirred the chopped chili peppers to speed up the process of infusion. I did not add salt, but I cannot think of a reason why you could not add some salt to expand upon the flavor.

Olive Oil Infused with Chopped Hot Peppers

Olive Oil Infused with Chopped Chilies

The infusion of olive oil and chopped chili peppers steeped for an hour with me occasionally stirring the mixture. Right before I was ready to use the chili oil with the meal, I strained the chopped chilies with a small wire strainer. The olive oil was infused with the heat and flavor of the chilies without being too overpowering, hot or spicy.

Hot Pepper Oil with the Hot Peppers Strained

Chili Oil with the Chilies Strained

The success of this last minute creation of chili oil is that the effort of adding additional flavor to a meal does not require a kitchen full of purchased unique and special infusions of herbs, spices and vegetables in oil, vinegar or alcohol. Instead, with some planning, you can create the intended flavor and experience that you desire without spending a lot of money on specialty products.

 

 

Dec 16

Pinwheel Cookies – A Holiday Tradition

Pin Wheel Cookies are self-explanatory in their appearance, but the one thing that I have learned over the years is that every family that bakes them for the holiday season has their own interpretation on the ingredients used. For the pinwheel cookies that have been made in our family, Dates and Pecans are the primary ingredients. All I know is that they are from my father’s side of the family, but at that point, I do not know if they are from either his French-Canadian or Polish heritage.

Dates

Whole Dates

The difficulty in determining their origin within the family history is that the two primary ingredients are Pecans and Dates. Neither ingredient is indigenous to either of these two cultures. Pecans originated in the southern United States and Dates have been cultivated throughout the Middle East and North Africa for thousands of years. It is very possible that at one time, in lieu of Pecans, Walnuts were used; but I cannot fathom what was the ingredient used prior to Dates. What I do know is that traditionally among European cultures in centuries past, more exotic ingredients were used to make cookies and treats during the holiday season for it was a special time of year.

Shelled Pecans

Shelled Pecans

I may know my way around the kitchen, but a baker and dessert maker I am not. I have made these cookies many times and even the first batch was not difficult. All that is required is patience and to not deviate from the technique of rolling out the cookie dough. The pinwheel cookie in best described as a “jelly roll” cookie, where the dough is rolled out, the filling spread on top and then the entire cookie dough is rolled up into a log with the individual cookie be sliced from the cookie log.

Chopped Pecans

Chopped Pecans

Although the recipe below is for one batch of pinwheel cookies, all pictures in this post is for a double batch.

Ingredients for the Filling:

  • 8 – 10 Ounces of Pitted Dates (Whole or Chopped)
  • ¼ Cup or Less of White Sugar
  • ½ Cup of Water
  • 6 Ounces of Pecans Finely Chopped (I like to chop whole Pecans. They tend to be more fresh)

Preparing the Filling:

  1. In a sauce pan add the Dates, Sugar and Water on Medium Heat.

    Pinwheel Cookie Filling in Sauce Pan

    Pinwheel Cookie Filling in Sauce Pan Before Heating

  2. Stir until the Dates have broken down to a paste and the mixture has thickened. If the paste is too thick, then add one tablespoon at a time of warm water.
  3. Add the chopped Pecans and completely mix the ingredients together.

    Pinwheel Filling (Dates, Pecans, Sugar and Water)

  4. Set the sauce pan to the side.

Ingredients for the Cookie Dough:

  • 2 Cups of White Flour
  • ½ Cup of Butter
  • ½ Cup of White Sugar
  • ½ Cup of Brown Sugar
  • ½ Teaspoon of Salt
  • ½ Teaspoon of Baking Soda
  • ½ Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract
  • 1 Egg

Preparing the Cookie Dough:

  1. Add the White Sugar, Brown Sugar, Butter, Eggs and Vanilla Extract in the Mixer.

    Pinwheel Dough Wet Ingredients Before Mixing

    Pinwheel Dough Wet Ingredients Before Mixing

  2. Mix the wet ingredients together.

    Pinwheel Dough Wet Ingredients Mixed

    Pinwheel Dough Wet Ingredients Mixed

  3. In a separate bowl, sift the Flour, Salt and Baking Soda together.

    Pinwheel Dough Dry Ingredients Sifted

    Pinwheel Dough Dry Ingredients Sifted

  4. Once the wet ingredients have been completely mixed, and then slowly add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl with the Mixer on low. In a few minutes the ingredients will have been transformed into cookie dough.

    Pinwheel Dough Mixed

    Pinwheel Dough Mixed

Preparing the Cookie Roll:

  1. Lay out a large sheet of wax paper, about 24 inches long.
  2. Form the dough into a log in order to prepare equal size portions.

    Pinwheel Cookie Dough, 2 Batches

    Pinwheel Cookie Dough, 2 Batches

  3. Cut the cookie dough into equal size portions.

    Pinwheel Cookie Dough, 2 Batches, 4 Portions

    Pinwheel Cookie Dough, 2 Batches, 4 Portions

  4. Place the first half of the cookie dough on the wax paper.

    Pinwheel Cookie Dough Portion to be Rolled Out

    Pinwheel Cookie Dough Portion to be Rolled Out

  5. Fold the wax paper over the cookie dough and with a rolling pin roll out the dough until it is 1/8” – 1/4” thick with the width of the dough of uniform size for the entire length.

    Pinwheel Cookie Dough Rolled Out between Wax Paper

    Pinwheel Cookie Dough Rolled Out between Wax Paper

  6. Pull back the wax paper and with a spatula, place an equal portion of filling on the rolled out cookie dough.

    Pinwheel Filling on Top of Rolled Out Cookie Dough

    Pinwheel Filling on Top of Rolled Out Cookie Dough

  7. Spread the filling to a uniform thickness, leaving only a small edge at the top and bottom of the cookie dough sheet free of filling.

    Pinwheel Filling Layered on Top of Cookie Dough

    Pinwheel Filling Layered on Top of Cookie Dough

  8. Using the wax paper, lift the bottom edge of the cookie dough sheet and roll the dough onto itself until you have made a “jelly roll”.

    Rolling the Pinwheel into a Jelly Roll

    Rolling the Pinwheel into a Jelly Roll

  9. Wrap the cookie log in the wax paper and place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours.

    Pinwheel Cookie Rolled into a Jelly Roll

    Pinwheel Cookie Rolled into a Jelly Roll

  10. Repeat the steps above for the second half of the cookie dough and filling.

    Pinwheel Jelly Roll Wrapped in Wax Paper

    Pinwheel Jelly Roll Wrapped in Wax Paper

Baking the Pinwheel Cookies:

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Remove the first cookie log from the refrigerator and unwrap the log onto a cutting board.

    Chilled Pinwheel Jelly Roll

    Chilled Pinwheel Jelly Roll

  3. Slice cookies, about 3/4” thick from the log. One log will generate about 15 cookies.

    Pinwheel Jelly Roll Sliced into Cookies

    Pinwheel Jelly Roll Sliced into Cookies

  4. Place the raw cookies on parchment paper on a baking sheet.

    Pinwheel Cookies Ready to be Baked

    Pinwheel Cookies Ready to be Baked

  5. Bake for about 10 – 12 minutes until the top of the cookie is light brown. The bottom of the cookie will brown quicker because of the sugar content in the filling and dough.

    Baked Pinwheel Cookies on Parchment Paper

    Baked Pinwheel Cookies on Parchment Paper

  6. Remove from the oven and allow the pinwheel cookie to cool prior to storing.
  7. Repeat the process for the second cookie log while the first batch is baking.

Pinwheel cookies are a sweet remembrance of when with a little effort and the use of special ingredients not always available was made for the holiday season. They are not dipped in chocolate, nor covered in crushed candy canes. Pinwheel cookies are simply a cookie whose origin is lost in history, but representative of the time and effort made in kitchens decades ago to fill the holidays with a dozen or more home baked cookies to celebrate the season.

Pinwheel Cookies on a Cooling rack

Pinwheel Cookies on a Cooling rack

 

Dec 14

Pollo de Tapatio (Roast Chicken with Tapatio Salsa Picante)

One of the great things about chicken is that the meat provides a perfect median in which to absorb the flavors of the seasoning applied. Now add to this the hours needed to roast or smoke a whole chicken and the ability for the meat to embrace the flavors is even more impressive. There was no time to brine the chicken nor did I have fresh herbs. I was staring at my spices and condiments then the idea of using hot sauce came to mind. I was seeking a subtle flavor versus a knock off your socks experience so when staring at the Tabasco Hot Sauce and the Tapatio Salsa Picante, I went for the Tapatio Salsa Picante.

Ingredients for Pollo de Tapatio in a Bowl

For those that have never used Tapatio, it is a mild hot sauce with a pleasant flavor, that can be used liberally when cooking but not so hot that the experience goes from enjoyable to too hot because of a few too many drops were added to the meal. A part of my decision was that in addition to the main meal itself, I was going to be making a chicken pot pie with the leftover meat and did not want the heat from the hot sauce to overpower the contents of the pot pie filling.

After removing the giblets for the gravy, thoroughly washing the bird inside and out and patting it dry I prepared the hot sauce mixture:

  • 3 Tablespoons of Butter (softened)
  • 3 Tablespoons of Tapatio Hot Sauce

Instructions to Prepare the Chicken:

  1. Mix the ingredients together into a paste.

    Mixed Ingredients for Pollo de Tapatio

  2. With the sharp point of the knife, make a couple of slits through the skin of the breasts, legs and thighs. This operations is far from neat, but the purpose is to insert as much of the mixture as possible under the skin. The intent is to distribute as much of the mixture between the skin and the meat.

    Tapatio, Garlic and Butter Under the Skin of the Chicken

  3. Once you have placed as much of the mixture under the skin, then spread the remaining mixture on top of the chicken and liberally sprinkle more hot sauce on the skin of the whole chicken.

    Pollo de Tapatio Ready for Roasting

Roasting the Chicken:

For detailed steps on the time required and how to oven roast the perfect chicken, go to the following post: Roasting a Whole Chicken is Easy. The basic instructions are the following:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Cover the whole chicken with aluminum foil and place in the oven
  3. For each pound of bird, roast for 20 minutes
  4. 30 minutes before the bird is planned to be fully cooked, remove the aluminum foil.
  5. Once the whole chicken is cooked, remove from the oven, cover with aluminum foil and allow to rest 15 – 20 minutes before carving.

    Whole Roasted Chicken with Tapatio Piquant Sauce

    Roasted Pollo de Tapatio

The Pollo de Tapatio when I removed the bird from the oven had such an amazing aroma of spicy chilies, sharp garlic and warm butter. It was difficult to be patient and allow the roasted chicken to rest, but forced myself to not burn my fingers. Once the bird had rested, I began to carve the breast meat from the bone. The rubbing of the hot sauce mixture between the skin and meat and worked perfectly and with each slice there was the hint of hot sauce and garlic both visually and with each bite. It was a success contrived from wanting to do something different to season the chicken.

Roasted Chicken with Tapatio being Carved

There are an infinite number of seasoning combinations and I think it will be difficult to go back and repeat any one specific seasoning combination for the flavor options are without limits. Whether your whole chicken is brined with jalapenos, roasted with herbs or smoked with an aromatic wood, the results typically are better than average. Take a chance, look at the spices, herbs and condiments that you have in the kitchen and inspire yourself to make a great whole roasted chicken from non-traditional flavorings.

 

 

Dec 12

Green Onion & Cheddar Cheese Egg White Omelet

One of the results of some recipes using eggs is that there is the need for the yolk, but not the egg white; i.e. making homemade ice cream. My personal issue is that I really dislike the idea of discarding the egg whites. Whether you call it frugal, thrifty or cheap, the reality is that you have paid for the entire egg so why discard half of what you purchased?

There are scores of uses for egg whites; souffles, macaroons, angel food cake or a meringue; but for a simple cook such as me, an egg white omelet is a perfect use for those leftover egg whites. It is only fair to disclose, that under no other circumstances would I ever consider making or ordering an egg white omelet unless there was egg whites leftover from another dish. Frugal I am, militant healthy eating I am not.

The flavor of egg whites is essentially neutral and when cooked are light and with incorporation of air through whisking make egg whites fluffy. With this knowledge, the question became what type of omelet should be made? Aside from the fact that there were green onions and some remaining Watonga Green Onion Cheddar Cheese in the refrigerator, I decided to make a Green Onion & Cheddar Cheese Omelet. If I had spinach, feta cheese and fresh tomatoes, I would have made a Greek Omelet. My thought is that an egg white omelet requires a subtlety of flavors, but then this is just my opinion.

For this omelet, there was 14 egg whites being used, but even I now know that this was too many egg whites to make into one omelet regardless of the size of the frying pan. In retrospect, a 6 egg white omelet would have been perfect.

Shredded Watonga Cheese Factory Green Onion Cheddar

Green Onion White Cheddar Cheese Shredded

Ingredients per Omelet:

  • 5 – 7 Egg Whites (lightly whisked)
  • 4 – 6 Green Onions (chopped)
  • ½ Cup of Shredded White Cheddar (I used the Green Onion White Cheddar from the Watonga Cheese Factory)
  • Butter or Bacon Fat
  • Salt & Black Pepper to Taste

Instructions:

  1. In a skillet / frying pan with a little bacon fat or butter, quickly sauté on Medium the chopped green onions for a few minutes so that the green onions have wilted.

    Green Onions Sauteed with Bacon Fat

  2. Remove the sautéed green onions, wipe down the skillet and add a little bacon fat or butter and heat the skillet on Medium-High heat.
  3. Once the bacon fat or butter has melted, pour in the whisked egg whites and allow them to set. Preparing an egg white omelet in reality is no different than a traditional omelet.

    Egg White Omelet

    Egg White Omelet Setting Up in a Skillet

  4. Reduce the heat to Medium and carefully flip the egg white omelet over. There are those that prefer to cook the omelet from one side only, but my personal preference is to flip the omelet.
  5. Add the sautéed green onions and shredded white cheddar to one half of the omelet and season to taste with salt and black pepper.
  6. Fold the omelet over on itself and then if desired flip the omelet one more time to even distribute the heat.
  7. Remove from the heat, serve with toast and sliced tomatoes if available.

    Green Onion, White Cheddar Cheese Egg White Omelet Served on top of Toast

As mentioned earlier in the post, I have never eaten an egg white omelet and I was pleased with the results. Not only was the omelet light and fluffy, but the neutral flavor of the egg whites allowed the subtle flavor of the green onions to be enjoyed. Aside from egg whites being high in protein, egg whites can also be frozen for an indefinite period of time allowing you to save your egg whites until you have enough to make an omelet or another recipe asking for egg whites only.

Dec 10

Individual Portioned Turkey Pot Pies Any Time of the Year

I will never tire of eating a turkey or chicken pot pie, nor will I tire of writing about a pot pie made from chicken or turkey. The problem is that in order to make a good poultry pot pie, leftover roasted meat and gravy (preferably giblet gravy) are critical ingredients to a perfectly baked pot pie.

This is the dilemma. If you have leftover turkey from a holiday meal, you can typically make two pot pies from the leftover meat and leftovers from a roasted chicken from Sunday dinner will provide enough meat for a pot pie. A 9 inch deep pie dish uses 3 cups of leftover meat for the pot pie. So what is the dilemma? How does one enjoy a pot pie at a date other than soon after the original meal?

One answer is that you could simply mix all of the ingredients for the filling together and freeze the filling for later use in a pot pie. Likewise, you could make the pot pie and freeze the entire pot pie, dish and all, but that uses a lot of space in the freezer not to mention ties up a pie dish until you bake the pot pie. Both options are viable, but this still only provides one meal and maybe some leftovers if you show some portion control.

There is a third option, one that has been staring at me each time I walk through the baking aisle of the grocery store. Instead of making one large pot pie to be frozen, why not utilize the small aluminum pie dishes that are about the same size as the frozen pot pies available for purchase in the frozen food section of the grocery store?

Aluminum Individual Sized Pot Pie Dish

Aluminum Individual Sized Pot Pie Dish

They key difference between a normal pot pie in a deep pie dish and an individual sized pot pie dish is that in order to have the same balance of pie crust to filling, the pie shell needs to be rolled out extra thin for the individual sized pot pie. Not only does this create a perfectly balanced experience between pot pie filling and pastry, but also extends the use of the pie shell to make multiple small sized pot pies. In my experience, the prepackaged pie shells (two shells) per package will make 3 – 4 individual sized pot pies.

In preparation for making the individual sized pot pies, you will need to prepare the filling, purchase the pie shells and the individual aluminum pot pie dishes. The measurements and instructions in the post: Nothing Better Than a Homemade Chicken Pot Pie will provide you with enough ingredients to make four individual sized pot pies. To be on the safe side, purchase an extra package of prepared pie shells in the event that you have difficulty rolling the pastry crust thin or tear the rolled out crust one too many times. Prepared pastry pie shells are not that expensive, so why risk being short of pie shells?

Instructions:

  1. On a surface dusted with flour, unroll the first pie crust and with a dusted rolling pin carefully roll out the pastry crust until it is very thin.
  2. Place the small aluminum pie dish upside down on the rolled out pie shell. Using the back end of a wooden spoon or a plastic pastry knife, cut out a circle about ¾” away from the edge of the dish. The bottom pie shell needs to be of a larger diameter then the pie dish to accommodate the depth of the dish.

    Sizing the Bottom Pie Shell

    Sizing the Bottom Pie Shell

  3. Move the upside down pie dish to the next section of the rolled out pie dough and cut a circle of dough with the same dimensions of the top of the aluminum pie dish.

    Individual Pot Pie Shells, Bottom and Top

  4. Take the larger circle of rolled out pie shell and carefully mold it to the inside of the aluminum pie dish with the edges of the bottom pie shell slightly over the lip of the pie dish.
  5. Ladle the pot pie filling into to pie dish until the filling is level with the top of the dish.

    Individual Pot Pies, One with Filling and One Empty

    Individual Pot Pies, One with Filling and One Empty

  6. Then place the smaller pie shell circle on top.

    Individual Sized Pot Pie with Top Shell Placed on Top

    Individual Sized Pot Pie with Top Shell Placed on Top

  7. To seal the top shell to the bottom shell you can either roll the bottom shell over the top pie shell or with a fork crimp the two shells together. I prefer to roll the two shells together with my fingers. Bringing the two shells together this way makes for a tight seal and for a nice bite of crust when eating the baked pot pie.

    Individual Sized Pot Pie with Pastry Shells Crimped

    Individual Sized Pot Pie with Pastry Shells Crimped

  8. With a sharp knife, cut a few holes into the top pie shell to allow the steam to escape when baking.
  9. Then brush the top with either milk or an egg wash.

    Individual Pot Pie with Milk Wash

    Individual Pot Pie with Milk Wash

  10. Cover the top of the pot pie with the plastic lid if provided and then place in the freezer.

    Individual Pot Pies with Lids Ready for the Freezer

    Individual Pot Pies with Lids Ready for the Freezer

Repeat these steps for each subsequent pot pie until the entire pot pie filling, pie shells and pie dishes have been used.

Baking the Frozen Pot Pies:

To bake these frozen pot pies, the oven will need to preheat to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the plastic lid and place the aluminum pot pies on the baking tray and bake for 45 – 55 minutes.

Individual Pot Pies Pulled from the Freezer

Individual Pot Pies Pulled from the Freezer

When the top crust is golden brown or the pot pie filling is starting to flow through the steam vents in the crust, you will know that the pot pie is ready to eat. Remove from the oven and allow the pot pie to cool for 5 minutes.

Individual Pot Pie Ready To Eat

Individual Pot Pie Ready To Eat

I am no stranger to a homemade pot pie and I can say that these individual sized, perfectly portioned pot pies were probably the best that I have ever made. Not because the flavor was any better than previous pot pies, but because the individual serving ensured that each person enjoying their pot pie received the same amount of gravy as everyone else. Whereas, a large pie dish the hot gravy is difficult to portion out properly, leaving some bites with less gravy than other bites, there was nowhere for the gravy to escape in the pie dish so each bit of pot pie was perfect. In addition to this, because the serving was an individual pot pie, there was finally portion control and constraint.

Whether enjoyed alone or with others having their own individually served turkey pot pie, these small pot pies are a perfect solution to enjoying the flavors of a homemade pot pie made from the leftovers of the holiday turkey any time of the year.