the poboy [a way of life]

“The Poboy is NOT a sandwich – it’s a way of life!” says Steve Zahn’s character in the HBO series, “Treme”. A series that I’ve grown to love and appreciate not only as a testament to New Orleans, but to the people who pressed on and continue to reclaim their city to this day. They are fighters for their way of life – music, people and food. Oh good God, the food. I may or may not have written about Poboys before and if I have, I must not have done them justice.

And like the statement above, a Poboy isn’t just a sandwich compared to the likes of a hoagie or sub – but a beacon of hope to the traditions of New Orleans and my Beloved Deep South. Everybody has their favorite and everybody has a place that does it just right. Once you get out of the Deep South and Louisiana, it becomes harder and harder to find a good Poboy. For one thing, it’s the bread!

It’s not French bread nor is it anywhere close to what they serve at sub joints. Poboy bread is painfully unique. I say painfully because what makes a good juicy Poboy is this elastic, airy, buttery goodness. It’s nearly impossible to find a recipe on the internet because it is such a widely kept secret for so many family run businesses. Don’t let this discourage you from building your own Poboy though – just sayin’, when you’ve eaten a Poboy out of New Orleans, there’s no turning back.

Historically, a Poboy was a way to stretch out your meager groceries. After all, bread is carbs and filler and we can’t deny that most things between it taste pretty damn good. One would simply pile leftovers in between two pieces of bread and feel the angels ascend from Heaven. Okay, it’s not that dramatic.

One of my favorite Poboy joints is located in Picayune, MS. -- my hometown, where Jesus is Lord, according to the big blue sign off the North exit. Most of the women in my family go for their roast beef Poboy. It’s the kind that drips down your elbows as you watch your bottom slice of bread surrender to the salty brown gravy. Here, I prefer the fried shrimp – or fried anything, really. Soft shelled crab, catfish and my mom’s favorite, French fries! That’s right – the French fry Poboy (smothered in gravy)!



We are lucky to live close to a New Orleans style restaurant up here in North Portland called, “Eat: Oyster Bar”. They serve some dang good Poboys. In fact, I have a hard time ordering anything else here besides their debris Poboy. It’s basically a roast beef poboy with the usual fixins of lettuce/cabbage/slaw, tomato slices and either mayonnaise or some form of Creole concoction that brings it ‘over the top’ good.

Those who know… know. Those who have yet to fill their bellies with this beautiful creation of a sandwich, I hope can meet their rightful duties as citizens of this world. And like I said before, it has always been more than a sandwich. It’s about cold Abita and Zapps chips on the side or the sounds of those familiar streets, with those familiar smells. Like the smell of cut grass or the beach; it has the ability to take us back and fill us up.

And when we’re filled up, we’ll talk about what else we’re going to eat. Food and culture go hand and hand, and I’m thankful to have been born into southern food ways. There’s nothin’ like the hospitality that food brings. So if you’re there, do me a favor and remember these words when the gravy drips down to your elbows – the Poboy is NOT a sandwich – it’s a way of life.

Hold Fast, Cooks!

It can be overwhelming [as a home cook] to discover that after one makes dinner, the kitchen is left in a state of glorious unrest. It’s healthy to understand that cooking your own meals involves dirty dishes, stovetops and caked flour between the cracks of your countertop. (Well, we have tiles for our countertop -- obviously not the best for cleanup. Thank you, brilliant kitchen designer of the 1960’s.)

But I must say unto you, Hold Fast! Do not let it discourage you. Most importantly, you are not alone. It is always a battle when you’re at that point of the day, and like many of us, have been on your feet all day working and taking care of kiddies and babies, to decide upon take out, going out or buying frozen. And let me be the first to say that there isn’t anything wrong with that. Some days, we want take out, so we get it. I’m not trying to come off as though I cook every single day and feel energized at the end. I do, though, find home cooking to be an exciting part of the day…when I do have the energy.

There are a few ways I’ve found to overcome those daily battles of cooking in and ordering out. First, there’s the hassle of having ingredients to cook with. Think about what you have in your pantry and refrigerator to determine if you can even make anything without going to the store. I generally only have to cook for two people, so it’s somewhat easy to throw together a few bits and respectively, chow down.

As a Southerner, I’m almost trained to start thinking about food before it’s time to eat. In general, we are known to talk about lunch after breakfast and dinner after lunch. This is nothing new, but it does help you get motivated to cook. If you have what you want to eat in mind, and you have the means to acquire those ingredients, I’ve found it much easier to ‘want’ to cook.

So let’s say you’ve decided upon cooking – sweet! You will now know everything that goes into your food [generally speaking]. You can feel it with your hands and find comfort in a full belly because of you or the person who cooked it worked really hard at making it taste good!



Clean as you cook. This has been one of the biggest things I’ve learned. If you can clean your utensils, pots and containers as your food is cooking, you have already beaten that dirty monster that comes out to frighten you at night. There’s nothing like eating dinner and knowing that overwhelming kitchen won’t be there to haunt you in the morning.

Think about one-pan/pot dinners. Casseroles are great for this reason. Also, roasting a chicken on top of root veggies or brussel sprouts is generally easy to do. It also allows the fat from the chicken to cook the veggies, which certainly does not suck.

Take pride in your work. Because in the end, it is work that you’re not getting paid to do. In fact, you’re paying to do it. And this is so important – to find value in this way of life. Most cultures don’t have the option of not cooking. After you cook, you clean and you start cooking again. It is time we get over our fear of dirty dishes and frozen pizza and discover the joy that is cooking for ourselves and the people we love.

stock [nerdy and delicious]

Bones. Veggies. Aromatics.

The building blocks of a good stock.

I know stocks may seem like a boring subject, but they’re one of the most important ingredients in many dishes. Stock is the base of many sauces, soups and stews. Plus, they’re just fun to make! (For me, at least.)

So, for the sake of going back to the basics, let’s talk about what makes a good stock. In making it yourself, you’re allowed to introduce many of the flavors you like – such as thyme, rosemary, tomato, garlic, etc.

Ratio is important. You really need a lot of bones. Whenever you roast your chicken, or buy one already roasted from the store, save the bones! You’ll need all the bones you can get. Just put em’ in the freezer. When it comes to vegetables, you’ll need carrots, celery and onions. The ratio for veggies is about 25% carrots, 25% celery and 50% onions. One time, I used a pizza pan to roast my veggies, and made a sweet looking pie chart that put that ratio into perspective.

But, I’m also a total nerd.

Roasting your vegetables will surely give you a darker, more robust stock, but you don’t have to.
A good stockpot is generally something that’s heavy bottomed and taller than it is wide. I don’t have a bunch of space in my kitchen, but I generally have one pot that I use just for stock. As enjoyable as it can be to make stock, it’s a lot of work for relatively little product, so you want to make it count when possible.

This is how I like to throw down.

Veggie stock:
Throw you veggies on a pan, coat with a bit of olive oil and roast on 350° for 30-40 minutes. Once they’ve gathered some color, throw them into a big stockpot, fill with cold water and add the rest of your aromatics. Peppercorns, bay leaves, thyme and garlic. [Follow below instructions.]

Chicken stock:
Chicken bones (back, neck, breast), carrots, celery, onions, a couple of bay leaves, teaspoon or so of peppercorns, thyme, and a few cloves of crushed garlic.

Beef stock:
I can generally find good knuckle and joint bones from the grocery store. They’re pretty cheap, so get as many as you can. If you want, smear a little tomato paste on the bones and roast them in the oven (along with your veggies) at 350° for 30-40 minutes, turning occasionally. Be careful to not burn them; just brown them up a bit. The smell will drive you crazy – well, at least I like it. Then, I add the bones and the same barrage of veggies and aromatics to a big pot.



Fill the pot to the very tip top with cold water and bring to a nice, slow simmer. Generally, I’ll bring the pot up to a boil and turn it down immediately. You never want to boil your stock. It won’t affect the taste too much, but it will disperse the fat too rapidly giving your final product a somewhat greasy mouth feel and will cloud up your stock (which is not really important unless you want a very clean, clear soup).

You really just want to see a few bubbles popping up. Slow and simmering. If you see oil, foam or scum, feel free to skim it off the top. This will help you out in the long run.

After about 4-5 hours, you can go ahead and strain your stock. It’s best to use a fine mesh strainer and cheesecloth, if you have it. The more you strain, the better. After you strain your stock for the first time, you can cool it off and store it for future use. You can keep reducing it, as well. The more you simmer, reduce and strain, the stronger and more flavorful your stock will be.
For beef stock, you can make what is called “demi-glace” which is a highly reduced beef stock (generally veal stock). To get demi glace, you need some red wine at about a fourth the volume of your stock. Throw in a few peeled shallots to the red wine and reduce on high heat till the volume of wine has been cut in half. Once the shallots and red wine have been reduced, go ahead and add you beef stock and continue to reduce.

Your final product will be a dark, intensely flavored brown sauce. You should know it’s thick enough when it coats a spoon.
This stuff is gold (and usually really expensive to find for such little volume). If you want, pour off some demi glace into an ice cube tray and keep for you soups, sauces or stews. It’s sorta like adding bullion cubes, but a million times better. That rich beef and wine reduction adds so much to the final dish.

As you can see, it’s a lot of work for a little product, but I love it.
It makes your house smell so, so good. I’ve heard of people having stock parties, but I’m not nearly cool enough to make that seem fun. (Or maybe I am!)

I love using stock to make rice, lentils and beans. Any time the water you cook with is absorbed into the product, it’s almost always better to cook with stock. It’ll automatically up your final dish.
Mmm. Delicious.

Well, if you’ve made it this far, enjoy making your stock and as always, share your meal with others – after all, you put in a lot of hard work!

cream.

Cream.

What a gorgeous, calorie filled word.

It should go without saying that cream is to be eaten sparingly. And unfortunately, I reckon’ even ice cream…but for the sake of what I’m about to talk about, use it as much as you want!
Not only is cream a wonderful thing, it has so many uses.

Sour cream on your burrito?
Whipped cream on a piece of pie?
Buttermilk!?
Butter!!??
Yes, yes, yes.
My goodness…what have we gotten ourselves into?

Let’s start off with crème fraiche.
“Crème fraiche” is a fancy schmancy French term meaning, “Fresh cream”. It’s similar to sour cream, sans the tangy bite. Not only is crème fraiche an impressive ingredient included in a dish, but it’s so easy to make and so versatile.

What you’ll need:
2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons buttermilk (cultured)

What you’ll do:
Stir them together in a mason jar (or any container with an air tight lid) and let sit at room temperature (65-70 degrees) for 24 hours, stirring every six to eight hours. Since my kitchen is generally colder than the rest of my house, I have to bring the cream/buttermilk mixture up to a tepid temperature either in the microwave or the stovetop. If you want to be 100% sure your cream is warm enough, feel free to do this step. The cultures in the buttermilk keep the cream from going bad, so don’t be afraid, dear ones.

After 24 hours, it should thicken to the likes of sour cream. At this point, you want it to go in the refrigerator for a good chill and voila! You’re ready to use your gorgeous crème fraiche! You can use it to make good, thick buttermilk dressing, dipping sauce or topping for fresh fruit.

With crème fraiche, you can take it so many ways. Add a tablespoon of lemon juice to a cup of crème fraiche and use it as a dipping sauce for veggies (or fried cauliflower – my new obsession.) You can also add a tablespoon of honey and a few pinches of sugar to make a super tasty topping to fresh fruit salad. Add a bit of salt and use it as you would sour cream.



Next, let’s talk about how easy it is to make your own fresh butter.

Well, not if we’re talking about “grandma on the front porch with her butter churn”, but if you have a stand mixer/electric mixer and 10 minutes, you’re good to go.

You’ll need a good bit of heavy cream – about six to eight cups. This will give you about a pound of butter.
Using the whisk on your mixer, start mixing at a high speed (as you would when you make your own whipped….cream!) and just keep it steady goin’. Make sure you have some sort of splatter screen up, because it does get kind of messy.

Soon, you’ll start to see it thicken and as soon as you see soft peaks, you have yourself fresh whipped cream. As you continue to mix, it’ll start to separate and you’ll be past the point of decent whipped cream, but on your way to fresh butter.
[As a side note, it isn’t cheaper to make your own butter. I’d say it’s mostly for aesthetic. If you can find great quality cream, you’ll have great quality butter. Plus, it just feels epic to make your own butter.]

After the cream starts to separate, keep the mixer going for a few more minutes. It’ll separate more and more as you mix and all of a sudden you’ll begin to see the yellow solids (aka, the glorious fat!). Under those tiny yellow bits of goodness, you’ll see your buttermilk! So that’s where buttermilk comes from! Maybe you knew that already.

Grab a deep bowl and fine mess strainer. Drain the butter and buttermilk through the strainer and press firmly on the butter solids to get as much liquid out as possible. At this point, it’s all pretty self-explanatory. You have butter and buttermilk. You can add a few teaspoons of salt to the butter if you would like, or leave it unsalted – which is preferred in most recipes. You can also add a tablespoon or so of honey and you’ll have an awesome spread for your buttermilk biscuits or whatever it is in the world you want to putter butter on or in.

Wowza, this was a long one.

But, it just goes to show how fun it is to make your own stuff. It’s good to know where things come from and what resources it takes to do so.

Thank you cows -- for providing us with so many good things.

cookbooks and hot flashes

I’m a sucker for a good cookbook.

I wrote one time that cookbooks gave me hot flashes. It’s funny, I think, and maybe a little bit true.
Okay, I don’t really get hot flashes, but I do get giddy over new cookbooks. Especially these days, because it seems folks are really coming into their own narrative. Chefs are generally awkward and compulsive jerks [even the ones smiling on TV], but sometimes, you get a glimpse into their story and it makes sense.

I can’t speak well enough of “Ad Hoc”, by Thomas Keller. From what I’ve heard, his other cookbooks are a bit intensive if you’ve never cooked professionally or even understand the ingredients. I struggle with that a lot. Technique and knowledge of ingredients is just something you have to work on constantly. Ad Hoc differs because it’s mostly home-style food…but done really, really well. And it looks so pretty! His opening bit talks about the last meal he cooked for his father, saying, “Always remember to take care of your parents…”
From cooking some serious chicken pot pie and using duck confit as an ingredient, to putting together your basic stocks and vinaigrettes, I can’t seem to put it down.

“Charcuterie” by Brian Polcyn and Michael Ruhlman is a necessary book for folks interested in curing their own meats. I’ve researched books on drying and curing meats and have always been directed back to Charcuterie. It’s where I draw my recipe for bacon – but if you want to get fancy schmancy, they give great recipes and techniques for patés, terrines, sausages and other dishes requiring forcemeat. (Forcemeat generally applies to any meat or meat by-product that is ground and “forced” into another shape. Kind of like hamburgers and hotdogs…kind of… :)



Try buying cookbooks that include recipes you’ll actually want to eat. Not everyone wants to cook classical French or cure their own pancetta. If a recipe requires an ingredient you have to order by mail, you’re probably not going to cook with it too often.
Peter Reinhart’s “Artisan Breads Everyday” is a book I’ve been going to weekly for my gluten fix. I think baking bread can be an intimidating task, but Peter Reinhart seems to be known for making it a lot less daunting. The book does a great job at explaining what dough should look and feel like without making you feel completely clueless.

I think that’s where I’ve always been stuck when it came to recipes. Lots of cookbook/recipe writers don’t explain very well what you should be seeing or smelling. Such as, “Your dough will probably look like a course, shaggy ball. This is good! If it gets too dry, add a little water. Add more flour if it’s too sticky.”

Look for good explanations and realistic recipes.
Smudge it up and don't worry about spilling crap on the pages. It's gonna happen and I think they (and you) look better for it!

Get to cooking, my foodie friends!

in defense of sandra lee (I know, I know)

Now, most folks probably don’t know who Sandra Lee is or the battle that rages within my conscious about why she deserves her own show on Food Network.

First off, her show is called, “Semi-Homemade Cooking”. She gets 70% of her ingredients from the store and 30% from home. (Which I’m assuming are things like..sugar…flour…and maybe aluminum foil?)

As a proponent of making things from scratch, I am automatically conflicted. I’ve used canned biscuits my entire life, but now that I know how to make them from scratch, it just doesn’t compare. For one, we don’t know what goes in canned biscuits. We know they taste good but what exactly are those words that use letters like z, x and q?
Who actually cares these things are in canned biscuits?

I do.



But I also understand that cooking from scratch takes time. Let’s be honest, we don’t always want to come home every day and put together a pot of chicken stock. Most of the time, I buy it from the store and sleep peacefully at night. In fact, a lot of times it’s good to support the people who just do it better than you. Of course, check the back of the box for what’s in it. If it’s a good source, you can go home knowing you’ve helped someone pay their bills.

So, in defense of Sandra Lee, we have to be realistic of what we can and cannot do. I do not think we should buy boxed ingredients full of MSG, preservatives, trans fats and loads of salt. I believe she’s popular because she’s somewhat realistic of the time most Americans have when they’re the main cook for their family.

I would hope that you don’t trade in your organic [or not organic] veggies for canned or pre-processed foods, but I do encourage that we learn to cook with good ingredients. Personally, I don’t mind taking the time to make these things work. I love doing it and have the spare time. If I had a few kids and a steady 9-5 job, I’m sure it would be different. Even so, I would hope that I would watch the things that go in our bellies.

So no, Sandra Lee, I don’t believe you are an evil spawn from the land of preservatives (generally speaking), but I do hope you realize that a lot of manufactured foods aren’t good for us. I would hope you don’t encourage people trade in their ‘made from scratch’ ingenuity for semi-homemade cuisine.

And please, don’t ever make Kwanzaa cake again. Ever…ever…ever!

(For the unfortunate invention of Kwanzaa cake, check this out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=we2iWTJqo98 )

braised is beautiful.

My last meal was somewhere between my mom’s pot roast with mashed potatoes and gravy or buffalo wings with chili cheese fries.

I will, till this day, lean towards the pot roast. I don’t know what it is!

Well…I guess anytime you cook a big chunk of meat over a long period time it almost always results in a good thing. I’m such a huge fan of braised dishes (pork shoulder, shanks, roasts, etc…)

Now those unfamiliar with braising should know it’s a super easy concept and process. I guess a more technical definition would mean to “sear the meat on all sides and slowly cook in liquid for an extended amount of time till it’s ‘fall off the bone’ tender.” So, after you recover from that terrible definition, let me try to explain my favorite pot roast recipe and what I do most of the time I braise a nice piece of protein. (In this case, beef and/or beef shank with some nice marbled fat.)

Fat = flavor



I reckon’ I’ve taken a more “beef bourguignon” technique when making it – though I don’t use nearly the amount of ingredients the traditional and “classic” French versions require. What I’ve taken away from beef bourguignon is the red wine. Yes. Yes. Yes. The red wine makes all the difference. You ever see folks drinking red wine with their big ole’ honky-tonk steaks? It’s because it tastes really, really good together.

But, as I’ve yet to have red wine capture my palette, I generally just cook with the stuff and let other folks who may or may not live in my house finish it off. :) Some grocery stores sell it in tiny bottles for cooking purposes.
Wine gives beef this incredibly rich taste, not to mention it leaves your final product looking reduced to a gorgeous dark brown glaze.

So alas, here is how I like to make it and hope you get to try it sometime!

Ingredients:
3-4lbs chuck roast (will probably just say, “Great for pot roast!” or something…)
2 cups yellow onion, diced
4 carrots, peeled and chopped in 1” pieces
4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1-2 quarts of beef stock (depending on how much meat you have)
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 cup red wine
salt
pepper

Directions:
In a heavy bottomed pot (such as a Dutch oven, which is how I usually cook mine), drop about 1-2 tablespoons of canola oil and heat till it just starts to smoke. While the oil is heating, make sure your roast is cut into 2” hunks and is seasoned with salt and pepper (somewhat generously).

When the oil is hot, sear the meat on all sides (about 1-2 minutes a side), but just until it gets to be a nice dark brown – not black!! Make sure not to overcrowd your pot while searing, or the meat will not brown as it should.
When all the meat has been browned, drain the fat and oil into a bowl, and place about 1-2 tbsp back in the pot. This is when you add your onions. Toss them in and scrape up that good “fond” that should be lodged to the bottom of your pot. This is where a lot of your flavor is. It’s also where I add a little pinch of salt to help the onions break down a bit.

Once the onions start turning soft, I add the red wine and scrape up any remaining bits from the pan (also somewhat known as deglazing). Let the wine reduce a bit with the onions to cook out the alcohol. When it has reduced for a few minutes, add your carrots and garlic and give it a good stir.

Now it’s cool to add your meat back into the pot, along with the beef stock (enough to almost cover the meat), bay leaves, Worcestershire and a few pinches of salt and a couple of teaspoons of pepper.
I’ll bring it all to a boil, then reduce to a simmer on medium-low heat for a good 2 ½ - 3 hours – or until the meat can easily be pulled apart with a fork.

It should serve about four people -- or two, really, really hungry people.

I love eating pot roast with boiled or roasted potatoes and greens – but I wouldn’t cook your potatoes with your pot roast…I tried it once and it came out really soggy, but to each their own!
You can add mushrooms to this dish as well (when you add your carrots and garlic) and it would turn out even better – that is, if you like mushrooms.

Pieces of meat like the shank will probably take a little longer because they are a bit tougher, but if you braise anything long enough, it’s sure to come out tasting fan-freakin’-tastic.

Here’s to honoring our ingredients,
Take care, my friends.