Mistakes in making gumbo

Posted on September 12, 2023 by Burnt My Fingers
Gumbo Mistakes

My gumbo, full of mistakes.

The other day I had a pound of just-harvested okra and decided I would make gumbo.

I heated maybe ¼ c of olive oil and added the Holy Trinity of chopped onion, celery and green pepper, about 2/3 c each. Sautéed till translucent then removed to a bowl with a slotted spoon. Added ¼ c or so flour to the pan and stirred. There was still some dry flour so I added a little more oil and cooked over low heat, stirring frequently, till I had a roux that was golden brown and toasty smelling. Added some stock (duck, what I had on hand) and continued stirring, gradually adding more till the mixture would not absorb any more liquid without thinning, maybe 3 c total. Added the okra, sliced into 1-inch rounds, returned the sauteed veggies to the pan, and cooked 10 minutes or so. Tasted and it was perfect, no additional seasoning required. Wanted some protein so tossed in ½ lb of whole peeled shrimp. Served over rice and thoroughly enjoyed.

How many mistakes can you spot here?

First, I sautéed the vegetables separately before making the roux. I’d consulted the Jubilee cookbook which told me to make the roux then add the trinity but this made no sense to me. Why miss out on the chance to sweat the veggies and get maximum flavor? But multiple recipes I found online had the same advice.  Chef Paul Prudhomme has a video with a beautiful roux and the vegetables added after.  I do understand gumbo is a humble dish which originated as home cooking with folks who maybe had only one pot. Still, you could sweat the veggies then push them to one side, yes?

Prudhomme Roux

Paul Prudhomme is making a lot of roux, in this still from his video.

Second, why did I use so little roux? I have made roux many times in various renditions and understand gumbo requires a product which is browned but not burnt through constant stirring over low to medium heat. There should be approximately equal amounts of fat and flour; you want to see a paste that is not quite dry because there is still some oil bubbling in the pan. Roux can be cooked from a just-combined pale brown to a not-quite-burnt dark. I went for a darker version and when I reached that point I started adding liquid, a bit at a time, till the mixture would not absorb any more. It was exactly what I wanted.

But if you look at various recipes online (like this and this) you will see enormous amounts of roux being created so the result looks like a pan of chocolate syrup. Fine if you want to save some for later, but most of these folks are using it all on the spot which means you will stop adding liquid long before it reaches the saturation point and you will end up with an extremely heavy gumbo due to the amount of fat and flour. Maybe that’s what you want, not me.

Also, why should I use a roux in the first place if I have okra; won’t the okra thicken the gumbo on its own? And I forgot to mention I sprinkled on some gumbo filé (a special version given by a friend from a secret Southern stash) at the end which is also recommended as a thickener by some recipes. So I now have three redundant thickeners, yes? Do a search for “how to thicken gumbo” and you will find endless hits for “3 ways” with this article being the most interesting. But in truth almost everyone agrees you start with roux. The okra adds texture and filé adds flavor when sprinkled on at the end so I believe neither will thicken on its own. (I’ve made a variation of a tomato and okra dish many times and it is definitely not runny, but neither does it approach the texture of gumbo.)

My conclusion: it’s a lot easier to make gumbo than to talk about it. So let’s sit down and eat. P.S. See this recipe post for a less-cranky approach to gumbo.

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The truth about Butterfingers

Posted on September 7, 2023 by Burnt My Fingers
The secret about Butterfingers

What gives Butterfingers bars that magical aerated texture? Not cornflakes!

We look forward to Halloween season (which now seems to start in August) because it gives us an excuse to buy those bags of “fun size” candy and pretend they’re somehow healthy because of the smaller form factor even though we eat a ton of them. And Butterfingers (named in the 1920s after baseball fielders who can’t hold onto the ball, perhaps because their hands are already full of candy) are our perennial favorites.

We love Butterfingers for the “crispity, crunchity” centers that aerate the texture so the peanut flavor becomes more pronounced. And we were delighted to discover the secret ingredient in Butterfingers that gives them their unique texture is… corn flakes! This Food Network video tells the story in a mouthwatering way, with lots of fun commentary from the candy makers themselves.

Fun Size Butterfingers

Fun Size Butterfingers bar. Note absence of Nestle logo.

But the truth about Butterfingers is that they no longer contain corn flakes and have not since the brand was acquired from Nestle by Ferrero (the Nutella folks) in 2018.  According to this Today article, the goal in the reformulation was a “richer, creamier taste” along with reducing processed ingredients and trans fats.

So how do they retain their magical texture with the secret ingredient removed? The official Ferraro Foodservice website says the ingredients in the new bars are “corn syrup, sugar, peanuts, vegetable oil (palm kernel and palm oil), peanut flour, nonfat milk, less than 2% of cocoa, milk, salt, soy lecithin, natural flavor, annatto color”. Aha, peanut flour. Just as almond flour can substitute for wheat flour in baking recipes, we suspect the peanut flour is teased into a cornflaky texture.

In any case, Butterfingers still satisfy so fully we’re anointing them the official candy of Burnt My Fingers in spite of some tough competition from Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Trader Joe’s Peanut Butter Cups and just good old fashioned peanut butter itself.

Pastry Chef Online has an ingenious copycat recipe using cornflakes (as well as candy corn, which pinch hits for corn syrup and molasses) which might be the closest you can come to trying the “old” formulation today. But truthfully we’ve been eating Butterfingers all along and never noticed the changeover. Our bag of “fun size” is gone through research as we wrote this post, so we’ll just have to go out and buy another.

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Recipe: Chicago-Style Giardiniera

Posted on September 1, 2023 by Burnt My Fingers

Chicago-Style Giardiniera.

We have some Chicago-style Italian beef sandwiches in our future for which Chicago-Style Giardiniera is a key component. Compared to our standard giardiniera it’s spicier, and contains oil. I long resisted the oil but am happy with the result. It melds the flavors and I think will also prolong the life of the mix in the refrigerator. Makes about ½ gallon.

Ingredients:
1 small cauliflower, trimmed and cut into bite-size florets
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch lengths, about 1 c
2-3 ribs celery, cut into 1-inch lengths, about 1 c
Half a large green or red bell pepper, cut into 1 inch squares
1 head fennel, cut crosswise into 1-inch rings (optional)
2-4 jalapeño or serrano peppers (depending on how hot you want it), cut lengthwise with seeds removed then cut into squares*
2 cloves garlic, peeled
½ c Kosher salt
3 t dried oregano
1 t red pepper flakes
1 t crushed fennel seeds
½ t celery seeds
1 t crushed black peppercorns
2 c white vinegar
2 c olive oil
2 c water (plus more if needed)

Method: dissolve salt in a gallon or so water in a big bowl and add vegetables, making sure there is enough water to cover; mix thoroughly. Soak overnight. Drain and rinse the vegetables in the morning.

Chicago Giardiniera Siad View

We cut our veggies big so we can serve the giardiniera on its own, but if you are only going to use it in a sandwich cut into finer bits.

Prepare a half gallon jar for your product (I use an old kimchi jar). Add the dried spices and vinegar and allow them to macerate a bit. Add oil, then vegetables and mix with a wooden spoon. Pour in enough water to cover the vegetables. Allow to cure at least 24 hours before eating; will probably keep a month refrigerated.

Note: the spice selection comes from the website of a cooking school in Milan, La Cucina Italiana, which has several interesting Italian-American red sauce recipes. Their proportions are off but the spice balance is excellent.

*We actually used 3-4 leftover jarred cherry peppers instead of fresh peppers for our heat, and it worked out nicely.

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Food for thought: Lebanese food blogs

Posted on August 29, 2023 by Burnt My Fingers
Squeezing chickpeas

Squeezing chickpeas to check for doneness, from the Forks and Foliage Lebanese food blog.

A search for the best way to cook dried chickpeas led us to the Forks and Foliage Lebanese food blog. It’s a fairly new blog with just a few recipes but its author obviously has big plans judging from the professional design and loooong posts (to make room for future in-article advertising, though there is none at this time). This is her best way to cook dried chickpeas: Stir 1 T kosher salt and 1 t baking soda into 4 cups of water and add up to 1 1/3 c dried chickpeas. Soak overnight. Drain and rinse and cook in ample water (about a 4:1 ratio, adding more if needed) over low heat till the chickpeas are just tender enough to break apart when you squeeze them between your fingers, about 2 hours. (Cook longer if you’re using for hummus.) A great deal of foam will rise to the surface when the chickpeas start cooking; skim it off.

Our garbanzos were perfect for a big batch of Chickpea Curry a la Querencia, but we had leftover chickpeas (as well as some intriguingly thick aquafaba, which we’ll deal with in a future post) and wondered what to do with them. Luckily, Gladys has a whole section of chickpea recipes; we tried Maghmour (Lebanese moussaka) which was also a big hit. I should mention we are big fans of Ottolenghi’s Plenty and Jerusalem cookbooks but his recipes tend to be complex with a long list of ingredients. It was exciting to get such great results with simple, straightforward dishes.

We then did a Google search for “maghmour recipes” and you should too, because it turns out this dish is a touchstone of Lebanese home cooks, each of whom has a slightly different version. Take a look at Hungry Paprikas, Vidar Bergum and Zataar & Zaytoun. Start with the maghmour, then stick around for the kibbeh and shawarma. Hours of food experimentation fun and delicious results await you, so check ‘em out!

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Recipe: Maghmour (Lebanese Moussaka)

Posted on August 25, 2023 by Burnt My Fingers
Maghmour

Maghmour (Lebanese moussaka).

Maghmour (Lebanese Moussaka) is quite different from the Greek moussaka most of us are familiar with. Turns out there are many versions of moussaka through the middle east and the Greek version is a French/Greek hybrid introduced in the 20th century. This one came from the Forks & Foliage blog and it’s delicious for its rich tomato flavor and the textural pleasure of slightly crunchy chickpeas combined with tender eggplant and an intense sauce. Makes about 3 cups.

Ingredients:

For the eggplant:
2 medium eggplants, about 2 lbs
1 t Kosher salt
¼ c extra virgin olive oil

For the sauce:
¼ c extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
10 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
Kosher salt
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and cored and coarsely chopped
1 ½ c tomato sauce
1 c cooked chickpeas
Fresh cracked black pepper, a generous crank of the peppermill, maybe ½ t
Dried mint (optional)
Cinnamon (optional)
Cayenne or chili powder (optional)
Allspice (optional)
Chopped flat leaf parsley for garnish

Maghmour in Pot

You want the Maghmour to cook down to the point liquid has been fully absorbed but the dish is not dry.

Method: preheat oven to 425 degrees. Using a peeler, zebra stripe the eggplants into alternate peeled and unpeeled strips. Cut into 1 inch cubes. Toss with oil and salt and spread out on a sheet pan. Cook in oven 25 minutes or until tender.

While eggplant is roasting, make the sauce. Heat olive oil in an oven-proof pan and sauté onion and garlic over medium heat until translucent but not brown or crispy, 5-8 minutes. Mix in chickpeas, tomato, tomato sauce and spices including any optional spices.

Reduce oven heat to 350 degrees. Add baked eggplant to other ingredients in the pan and mix thoroughly. Heat the pan in the oven for 20 minutes until the sauce has reduced. Cool and serve cold or at room temperature with pita or crusty bread and other mezze, adding a garnish of chopped parsley if you like.

About the optional spices: there are many versions of this recipe online, most adding cinnamon and possibly allspice, some with a touch of heat, some with the additional element of dried mint. I kept mine simple for the first batch and I’m glad I did because I had some really excellent tomatoes. But this dish is a keeper and I will try variations in the future.

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Recipe: Hawaiian Garlic Shrimp

Posted on August 22, 2023 by Burnt My Fingers
Hawaiian Garlic Shrimp

Hawaiian Garlic Shrimp

Hawaiian Garlic Shrimp comes from the excellent onolicious blog, which we’ve visited in the past. Kathy points out this is actually “local” fusion food rather than a traditional Hawaiian dish, but she uses that name because it’s what people are looking for and so do we. Hawaiian Garlic Shrimp is served from competing food trucks at a famous surfing outpost on Oahu and the competition is really about how much garlic you can use with the eater coming out a winner. Makes 4 servings, or 1 maybe.

Ingredients:
1 lb peel and eat shrimp from the supermarket (the ones that have the veins removed but not shells)
¼ c chopped garlic cloves, about 1 head of peeled garlic, or maybe more!
4 T butter
2 T flour: all-purpose, rice or mochiko
1 t paprika
1/4 t cayenne
1 t Kosher salt
1 T olive oil

Method: sauté chopped garlic in butter until it is soft and fragrant but NOT crispy. Pat the shrimp dry and dredge in a mixture of flour, salt, paprika and cayenne. Heat olive oil in a second skillet (or use the same skillet, reserving the shrimp and butter to a bowl) and cook shrimp until crisp and pink, 2 minutes or so per side. Combine with garlic butter, toss to combine, and serve over rice.

Hawaiian Shrimp Skillet

Shrimp a-sizzlle!

*Mochiko flour is the stuff used for making Japanese mochi dumplings. It’s ground from glutinous “sticky” rice. Use if you have it but regular rice flour (which we used) or all-purpose flour should be find since it’s simply a medium for breading.

“DO YOU REALLY EXPECT ME TO EAT THE SHELLS?” A chain serving this dish in mainland shopping malls has very low Yelp ratings because they don’t remove the shells before serving. Breaded and seasoned, the shells are delicious! Try it and feel free to de-shell (or remove the tail) while eating.

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Recipe: Jacques Pepin Vinaigrette

Posted on August 17, 2023 by Burnt My Fingers
Jacques Pepin Vinaigrette

Jacques Pepin Vinaigrette, deconstructed.

Jacques Pepin Vinaigrette came from his very entertaining Facebook channel. Frustratingly, there’s no way to locate specific recipes but if you scroll through the feed you’ll find some gems, like this old episode of Jacques and Julia Child making hamburgers. (She called him “Jack” and yes, she was fluent in French.) But back to the recipe, he uses less vinegar than we would but the extra mustard more than offsets the extra oil for a very nice balance. Makes enough to dress a large family size salad.

Ingredients:
1 t garlic, very finely chopped
1 t good Dijon mustard
¼ t Kosher salt
Couple grinds black pepper
1 T red wine vinegar
4 T good olive oil

Summer Salad Jacques Pepin

Summer salad with red onion, fennel bulb, shiso, cherry tomato dressed with Jacques Pepin Vinaigrette.

Method: chop the garlic on a cutting board, then sprinkle salt on top and grind the flat of a chef’s knife against it to break garlic down further; use the edge of the knife to slide salt and garlic into a bowl. Add other ingredients and whisk thoroughly to combine. Build your salad on top of this, toss, and add garnishes as desired.

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Recipe: Lamb Curry (Rogan Josh)

Posted on August 12, 2023 by Burnt My Fingers
Lamb Curry

Lamb Curry (Rogan Josh).

Lamb Curry (Rogan Josh) comes from the generally excellent Indian Instant Pot Cookbook and has a pleasing combination of warm spices. However, I very nearly burned it because the recipe does not have enough liquid to generate pressure. (Most IP users say you need a minimum of 1 cup of water; some say 1 ½ c if using a larger size Instant Pot.) Solution: cook it in a Dutch oven or slow cooker. Makes 4 servings and can be doubled for a crowd.

Ingredients:
1 c onion, chopped
2 t garlic, chopped
1 t ginger, grated or fine chopped
½ c Greek yoghurt*
2 T tomato paste
1 t paprika
1 t Garam Masala
1 t salt
½ t ground turmeric
½ t ground cinnamon
¼ t grated nutmeg
¼ t cayenne pepper
1 lb boneless lamb, cut into 1 inch cubes

Method: combine all ingredients except lamb and mix well. Add lamb and toss thoroughly to combine. Marinate in refrigerator for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours. Cook over low heat in Dutch oven or slow cooker until lamb is very tender, at least 2 hours. Serve Lamb Curry (Rogan Josh) with rice.

*The Indian Instant Pot Cookbook recipe had 1/2 c yogurt and 1/2 c water.

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Recipe: Onion Jam

Posted on August 9, 2023 by Burnt My Fingers
Onion Jam

Onion Jam.

I wanted to reproduce the Divina Onion Jam I bought at Rainbow Grocery in San Francisco and was mostly successful. This stuff is intense; use it sparingly on a sandwich or serve on a charcuterie plate with a nice runny brie. Makes 1 cup maybe.

Ingredients:
2 large onions, peeled and sliced thin to yield 4 c sliced onions
¼ c neutral oil
Kosher salt, a generous pinch
Black pepper, a few grinds
¼ c white sugar
1/3 c vinegar: red wine, balsamic, distilled or a combination
2 bay leaves (optional)
Sprig of rosemary (optional)
Sprig of thyme (optional

Method: heat oil in a cast iron skillet and sauté onions at medium heat, stirring frequently. They will wilt, then gradually turn light brown as they caramelize. Regulate heat so the onions do not crisp. When they have reduced by half, move onions to the edges of the skillet and add sugar in the middle. In a few minutes it will begin to bubble then turn light brown as it caramelizes. Stir as needed to keep sugar from sticking or burning.

Divina Onion Jam

This is the jam I was attempting to duplicate. It’s lighter in color because they used distilled (i.e. white) vinegar. It’s about $8.50 on Amazon which is not a bad price when you see how much your onions will cook down.

Toss to combine onions and sugar and add salt and pepper and optional herbs. Add vinegar and fold into the onion mix. It will reduce gradually. Turn off the heat and fold some of the onion over the herbs to absorb their flavor; leave the pan on the warm stove till the liquid has evaporated. Remove the herbs and serve the onion jam immediately or transfer to a storage container. It should keep for a couple of weeks in the refrigerator.

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My cole slaw obsession (and frustration)

Posted on August 1, 2023 by Burnt My Fingers
Russell Cole Slaw

Russell’s Deli in Ballston Spa, NY feeds my cole slaw obsession with a serving that’s perfect in size and flavor balance.

Long term readers know I have a deep and abiding relationship with cole slaw, bordering on obsession. One of the most popular recipes on this site is the garlicky Vincent’s cole slaw that was served at a sadly departed Dallas seafood place. I tried for years (and am still trying) to duplicate the sour slaw served at the Highland Park Cafeteria. When you get me wound up, I will tell you that cole slaw (and cabbage in general) is a miraculous and almost perfect food.

But when I order cole slaw in a restaurant or fast food place, that obsession often leads to frustration.

Obviously, when coleslaw is available, I will request it. (If a sandwich or entree comes with a side of french fries, I will ask if I can substitute cole slaw.) And the experience leaves me disappointed just as often as I am delighted. The first problem is portion size. Many places unashamedly serve you cole slaw in a 2 oz condiment cup and advertise it as a salad included with the meal or charge extra for what should be considered a no-fee condiment. A proper serving should be the size of an 8 oz container, loosely filled, which amounts to about 1/3 pound.

Deli counters let you choose your portion size but can ding you on price. At today’s prices, cabbage and carrots (which typically appear in the commercial mixes) are both under a dollar a pound. How much should I pay you to chop, mix and dress it for me? I’ll spend up to $5 per pound without a second thought, but my town has one place that gets $7.49 and another $9.95 a pound. And we’re not talking NYC overhead here.

New Way Cole Slaw

This serving of coleslaw from New Way Lunch in Glens Falls, NY is lovely to look at but tastes like it came from a processed tub.

Plus, a surprising number of places do not know how to make coleslaw. It’s either underseasoned (a good fast food cole slaw needs the right amount of salt and a pinch of sugar) or dipped out of a processed tub. I happen to like those supermarket tubs and buy them occasionally, but don’t want to pay an up charge for you to dip it for me.

I like to keep an eye out for foodservice ingredients when I am standing in the ordering queue, and I believe I have seen a Hans Kissle cole slaw dressing at more than one establishment. It is not currently on their website, so maybe I am mistaken or perhaps you need a secret code to order. But these places dish up the proper foodservice cole slaw I am looking for.

There is also a Hans Kissle cole slaw sold in prepackaged tubs, just like my local supermarket’s house brands, but there are no outlets locally where I can buy it. (Once upon a time I found a special on mini-cups and liked them, but the store that had them doesn’t today.) Hans Kissle’s headquarters are in Haverhill, MA somewhere north of Boston so maybe it’s time for a road trip.

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